Dhyana Vahini
Pride, conceit, the Rajasika (Passionate) exhibition of one’s superiority, anger, craving to know unsubstantiated details of strengths and weaknesses of others, trickery—all these are obstacles in the path of Dhyanam (Meditation). Even if these are not patently exhibited, the inner Vasanas (Impulses) urging one along these wrong directions are latent in the mind. As a room kept closed for a long time is found dust-ridden and foul-smelling when it is opened, and as it becomes clean and habitable after elaborate sweeping and dusting, so, the mind too has to be completely cleansed of its Malinya (Impurities) by the power of meditation. The Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) must, by inward observation, examine the mind and its contents and condition. By proper disciplinary habits, the accumulated impurities should be removed little by little, systematically. Conceit, for example, is deep-rooted and unyielding. In the Rajasika (Passionate) mind, it puts forth multifold branches in all directions and spreads everywhere. It might appear to be dry and dead for some time, but, it will sprout again easily. As soon as a chance arises for its exhibition, it will raise its hood.
As regards anger, the spiritual aspirant has to be vigilant even about the most minor matters that might provoke him, for, if he is careless, he cannot progress in the least. Such persons must cultivate Saumya Prema Bhavam (Gentle loving spirit). Then, the bad traits will diminish. Some aspirants become angrier still, when someone discovers and announces to them the bad traits they possess. This makes matters worse! The Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) must have always the inward look; if he is allowing his mind to wander outward, he can never identify his own faults. Pride prevents the inward look and distracts the mind. When the aspirant is desirous of achieving success, he must gladly accept when someone points out his faults; and he must endeavour to rectify his faults and not repeat those any longer. That is the way to progress quick and fast on the path of meditation, and experience Ananda (Bliss).
It is a hard job, to get rid of Aham (I-ness), for, everyone has been shaping this life, from the beginningless period of time! Each has been allowing his Rajasika (passionate) mind to flow in the direction it likes, since ages past. So, it is very difficult now to turn it from its hardened, accustomed path and bend its steps in another direction. The individual full of Aham (I-ness) loves to exercise authority over others. He will not like listening to others. Even if the others’ counsel is good for him, due to his stubbornness he will not like it. Such individuals see everything through ‘a jaundiced eye’, coloured by the smoke of self-conceit. “My words are true,” “My opinion is correct,” “My deeds are right,” they feel, and thus they spend their days in such stubbornness. Such behaviour is very harmful for Sadhakas (Spiritual aspirants). The spiritual aspirant must be eagerly looking forward to any helpful criticism or suggestion or advice, from whatever quarter. When he makes any mistake, he should not try to justify himself. It can lead to unwarranted argumentations and if he does not succeed in arguments, it will lead to vengeful fighting. Do not struggle to earn the esteem of the world. Do not feel humiliated or angry when the world does not recognise you or your merits. Learn these first and foremost, if you are an aspirant and put them into practice. You should not fall into joy, when you are being praised; therein lies a deadly trap, which might even lead you astray, and endanger your progress.
Thus, you must first reform your mental traits and habits. Cultivate the habit of never causing pain to others. Try to learn and absorb things that are good for you from the advice of others and behave accordingly. Train yourself to take insult and criticism as deviations and digressions. Try to adjust with others, whatever be their nature or conduct. A sense of joy is necessary while practising spiritual disciplines such as Dhyanam (Meditation) and Dharana (Concentration) to progress, but, many such obstacles deprive you of the atmosphere of joy. So, you must pray sincerely, in order to be free from such obstacles. Many suggest recital or repetition of Mantras or Lord’s name to get rid of the obstacles. Lord Krishna too in the Dvapara-yuga said, “Mach-chittah sarva-durgani mat-prasadat-tariśyasi”. That is to say, “When you fix all your thoughts on Me, all worries and obstacles that agitate you will be removed, through My grace.”
Discipline must be followed while practising Dhyanam (Meditation). In fact, following discipline is the most important and essential thing for meditation. If the spiritual aspirant follows discipline well, he can achieve success quickly. Dhyanam (Meditation) is a first-class cure for Bhava-roga (Illness of worldly existence). Along with it, there is another important thing which needs to be cultivated; its name is ‘Trpti’ (Contentment). If there is contentment in the mind, one enjoys an endless celebration. Desires make the mind waver; desire is like an all-consuming fire in the body which will destroy man, slowly and surely. Antidote to desire is contentment. The joy of contentment is the royal road to meditation. Just as a traveller who has trudged along for miles in the scorching sun feels calm and refreshed when he takes a bath in the limpid waters of a cool and shady lake, so too the unfortunate individual struggling in the scorching heat of desires feels happy and relieved fully when he bathes in the lake of contentment.
There are three gates to Moksha (Liberation) and Saksatkaram (Self-realisation) and there is a guard at each of those gates. They are Santi (Peace or mental equilibrium), Santosam (Joy) and V_ichara_ (Inquiry). Even if one of the guards is made friendly, the others will facilitate your entry. Of these three, first, befriend Santosam. If you make Santosam yours, you will have Trpti (Contentment). There is no virtue greater than contentment in this world. It is the emperor of everything. So, put all your efforts to develop contentment.
Without contentment, Kama (Desire) and Lobha (Greed) attain dangerous proportions and will overwhelm your Vivekam and Vicharana sakti (Power of discrimination and inquiry) itself. The main operator of Kama is Lobha. Where there is Kama there is Lobha; and where there is Lobha there is Kama. These two diminish your thinking faculty and deviate your Buddhi (Intellect) onto wrong paths. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the virtue of contentment. Otherwise, your mind will restlessly make you flit from one desire to another and from one object to another in mad pursuit of the evanescent sensual joy. How can such men develop Dharana-sakti (Power of concentration)? And without the capacity to concentrate, how can they engage themselves in meditation? And without meditation, no one can get Daivam (Godhead). When the mind is so restless, advise it thus: “O Mind! Do not drag me along the floods of objects, along the impure sensual desires. Your waywardness is ruining my path. Take me to the Lord instead. Flow in that direction, please.” If you are keen to attain great heights, give up all other desires, and being ever content, dwell on His name and His form only, to the exclusion of everything else. Japam (Repetition) of His name and Dhyanam (Meditation) on His form is real Santi (Peace), Santosam (Genuine joy) and Nija Trpti (True contentment).
Contentment will not make anyone an idler, remember. It is an attribute of true Satvika (Pure) nature. It will make the mind always turn towards the Lord. It will save you from the tribulation of satisfying the unnecessary wants, catering to the selfish needs. It will direct human talents towards efforts that elevate. The contented man will also be truthful, and he will therefore be in constant communion with the Atma (Self). He can be immersed in Dhyanam (Meditation) for long periods, without rest or the feeling of tiredness. Meditation is the only method of counteracting the mental aberrations which surge forward in a thousand directions; there is no other method at all.
Practise to concentrate! This will aid in strengthening the Ichchhasakti (Will-power). You must watch the vagaries of your own mind, how it travels, what objects it runs after, etc., and slowly, by means of meditation, you should control its waywardness. There is no other way than meditation to control the waywardness of mind.
Do not worry about the adverse or unfavourable environment you may have. Of course, the place may have some drawbacks and it may not be ideal. In every place and in every task you do, there will be some obstacles and hardships that delude your mind. However, you can overcome all those by proper means. So, do not try to run away from the adverse environment that you are exposed to. Stay there itself, and pray to the Lord and contemplate on His form! “O Lord! Please replace these thoughts and visions with Your thoughts and visions,” should be your prayer. Do not seek comfort, for, comfort might not be conducive to strengthening your meditation. So, learn to be comfortable in any place; that is better. Live in joy wherever you are; that is the way. Revel in the realm of your mind; worship there the Lord you have chosen as your goal. Then, no one can trouble you or disturb you; no spot can delude you, nor any place will seem disgusting.
Pride is an insidious vice; it turns mind evil; so, at the slightest inkling of that disease, try your best to eradicate it, by retiring into a lonely spot and engaging yourself in pure thoughts and in Dhyanam (Meditation) for a few minutes. Delay is dangerous. “Alasyam amritam visam (Even the Divine nectar, if the dose is delayed, becomes a poison),” says the proverb. Remember this, and act swiftly without procrastinating. Dhyanam (Meditation) stills the agitated mind, makes it clear and full of joy. This is the main goal of meditation. Many in this world, even among the learned, do not spend their allotted span of life in the pursuit of any definite objective. Hence, they are like the voyage of a driftwood in the sea. They do not remain in one place; they do not know what to do; they cannot fix their mind on a single thing; they keep changing their words; they say one thing but do another. The reason for all this is, the lack of following a certain ideal with discipline. Dhyanam (Meditation) is the ideal solution for such people. The Bhavas (Thoughts) too must be corrected. Bhavas means thoughts that arise in the mind. There are three kinds of thoughts that arise in the mind. They are Satvika (Pure), Rajasika (Restless), and Tamasika (Ignorant). Through Dhyanam (Meditation), first the pure thoughts are strengthened and the other two, restless and ignorant thoughts will be uprooted. Other than meditation, there is no equivalent weapon or tool for this task anywhere, including other worlds. This Dhyana-margam (Path of meditation) will destroy Ajnanam (Ignorance), and it will grant the individual Brahmaikyata (Union with the Supreme Reality).
Index
Preface
The Splendour of Meditation and its Practice
Meditation of the Three Gunas (Qualities) and their Result
The Goal of Meditation
Developing Virtues is Prime Objective of a Meditator
The Prime Path of Meditation is Cultivation of Atmic Bliss
Meditation Reveals the Eternal and the Non-Eternal
Remembering the Lord’s Name and Dhyanam Alone Sever All Bondage
One-pointedness is Essential for Meditation
Satva-guna is the Wealth Derived from Japam and Dhyanam
Aids to Meditation - Sincerity, Purity and Humility
The Object of Meditation is the Elimination of Vasanas (Tendencies)
The Destruction of Malina Vasana (Impure Tendency) is the Best Sign of Meditation
The Essence of Meditation is Fixing the Mind on One-point
Meditation Stills the Agitated Mind and Makes it Blissful
Meditation Stills the Agitated Mind and Makes it Blissful
Pride, conceit, the Rajasika (Passionate) exhibition of one’s superiority, anger, craving to know unsubstantiated details of strengths and weaknesses of others, trickery—all these are obstacles in the path of Dhyanam (Meditation). Even if these are not patently exhibited, the inner Vasanas (Impulses) urging one along these wrong directions are latent in the mind. As a room kept closed for a long time is found dust-ridden and foul-smelling when it is opened, and as it becomes clean and habitable after elaborate sweeping and dusting, so, the mind too has to be completely cleansed of its Malinya (Impurities) by the power of meditation. The Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) must, by inward observation, examine the mind and its contents and condition. By proper disciplinary habits, the accumulated impurities should be removed little by little, systematically. Conceit, for example, is deep-rooted and unyielding. In the Rajasika (Passionate) mind, it puts forth multifold branches in all directions and spreads everywhere. It might appear to be dry and dead for some time, but, it will sprout again easily. As soon as a chance arises for its exhibition, it will raise its hood.
As regards anger, the spiritual aspirant has to be vigilant even about the most minor matters that might provoke him, for, if he is careless, he cannot progress in the least. Such persons must cultivate Saumya Prema Bhavam (Gentle loving spirit). Then, the bad traits will diminish. Some aspirants become angrier still, when someone discovers and announces to them the bad traits they possess. This makes matters worse! The Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) must have always the inward look; if he is allowing his mind to wander outward, he can never identify his own faults. Pride prevents the inward look and distracts the mind. When the aspirant is desirous of achieving success, he must gladly accept when someone points out his faults; and he must endeavour to rectify his faults and not repeat those any longer. That is the way to progress quick and fast on the path of meditation, and experience Ananda (Bliss).
It is a hard job, to get rid of Aham (I-ness), for, everyone has been shaping this life, from the beginningless period of time! Each has been allowing his Rajasika (passionate) mind to flow in the direction it likes, since ages past. So, it is very difficult now to turn it from its hardened, accustomed path and bend its steps in another direction. The individual full of Aham (I-ness) loves to exercise authority over others. He will not like listening to others. Even if the others’ counsel is good for him, due to his stubbornness he will not like it. Such individuals see everything through ‘a jaundiced eye’, coloured by the smoke of self-conceit. “My words are true,” “My opinion is correct,” “My deeds are right,” they feel, and thus they spend their days in such stubbornness. Such behaviour is very harmful for Sadhakas (Spiritual aspirants). The spiritual aspirant must be eagerly looking forward to any helpful criticism or suggestion or advice, from whatever quarter. When he makes any mistake, he should not try to justify himself. It can lead to unwarranted argumentations and if he does not succeed in arguments, it will lead to vengeful fighting. Do not struggle to earn the esteem of the world. Do not feel humiliated or angry when the world does not recognise you or your merits. Learn these first and foremost, if you are an aspirant and put them into practice. You should not fall into joy, when you are being praised; therein lies a deadly trap, which might even lead you astray, and endanger your progress.
Thus, you must first reform your mental traits and habits. Cultivate the habit of never causing pain to others. Try to learn and absorb things that are good for you from the advice of others and behave accordingly. Train yourself to take insult and criticism as deviations and digressions. Try to adjust with others, whatever be their nature or conduct. A sense of joy is necessary while practising spiritual disciplines such as Dhyanam (Meditation) and Dharana (Concentration) to progress, but, many such obstacles deprive you of the atmosphere of joy. So, you must pray sincerely, in order to be free from such obstacles. Many suggest recital or repetition of Mantras or Lord’s name to get rid of the obstacles. Lord Krishna too in the Dvapara-yuga said, “Mach-chittah sarva-durgani mat-prasadat-tariśyasi”. That is to say, “When you fix all your thoughts on Me, all worries and obstacles that agitate you will be removed, through My grace.”
Discipline must be followed while practising Dhyanam (Meditation). In fact, following discipline is the most important and essential thing for meditation. If the spiritual aspirant follows discipline well, he can achieve success quickly. Dhyanam (Meditation) is a first-class cure for Bhava-roga (Illness of worldly existence). Along with it, there is another important thing which needs to be cultivated; its name is ‘Trpti’ (Contentment). If there is contentment in the mind, one enjoys an endless celebration. Desires make the mind waver; desire is like an all-consuming fire in the body which will destroy man, slowly and surely. Antidote to desire is contentment. The joy of contentment is the royal road to meditation. Just as a traveller who has trudged along for miles in the scorching sun feels calm and refreshed when he takes a bath in the limpid waters of a cool and shady lake, so too the unfortunate individual struggling in the scorching heat of desires feels happy and relieved fully when he bathes in the lake of contentment.
There are three gates to Moksha (Liberation) and Saksatkaram (Self-realisation) and there is a guard at each of those gates. They are Santi (Peace or mental equilibrium), Santosam (Joy) and V_ichara_ (Inquiry). Even if one of the guards is made friendly, the others will facilitate your entry. Of these three, first, befriend Santosam. If you make Santosam yours, you will have Trpti (Contentment). There is no virtue greater than contentment in this world. It is the emperor of everything. So, put all your efforts to develop contentment.
Without contentment, Kama (Desire) and Lobha (Greed) attain dangerous proportions and will overwhelm your Vivekam and Vicharana sakti (Power of discrimination and inquiry) itself. The main operator of Kama is Lobha. Where there is Kama there is Lobha; and where there is Lobha there is Kama. These two diminish your thinking faculty and deviate your Buddhi (Intellect) onto wrong paths. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the virtue of contentment. Otherwise, your mind will restlessly make you flit from one desire to another and from one object to another in mad pursuit of the evanescent sensual joy. How can such men develop Dharana-sakti (Power of concentration)? And without the capacity to concentrate, how can they engage themselves in meditation? And without meditation, no one can get Daivam (Godhead). When the mind is so restless, advise it thus: “O Mind! Do not drag me along the floods of objects, along the impure sensual desires. Your waywardness is ruining my path. Take me to the Lord instead. Flow in that direction, please.” If you are keen to attain great heights, give up all other desires, and being ever content, dwell on His name and His form only, to the exclusion of everything else. Japam (Repetition) of His name and Dhyanam (Meditation) on His form is real Santi (Peace), Santosam (Genuine joy) and Nija Trpti (True contentment).
Contentment will not make anyone an idler, remember. It is an attribute of true Satvika (Pure) nature. It will make the mind always turn towards the Lord. It will save you from the tribulation of satisfying the unnecessary wants, catering to the selfish needs. It will direct human talents towards efforts that elevate. The contented man will also be truthful, and he will therefore be in constant communion with the Atma (Self). He can be immersed in Dhyanam (Meditation) for long periods, without rest or the feeling of tiredness. Meditation is the only method of counteracting the mental aberrations which surge forward in a thousand directions; there is no other method at all.
Practise to concentrate! This will aid in strengthening the Ichchhasakti (Will-power). You must watch the vagaries of your own mind, how it travels, what objects it runs after, etc., and slowly, by means of meditation, you should control its waywardness. There is no other way than meditation to control the waywardness of mind.
Do not worry about the adverse or unfavourable environment you may have. Of course, the place may have some drawbacks and it may not be ideal. In every place and in every task you do, there will be some obstacles and hardships that delude your mind. However, you can overcome all those by proper means. So, do not try to run away from the adverse environment that you are exposed to. Stay there itself, and pray to the Lord and contemplate on His form! “O Lord! Please replace these thoughts and visions with Your thoughts and visions,” should be your prayer. Do not seek comfort, for, comfort might not be conducive to strengthening your meditation. So, learn to be comfortable in any place; that is better. Live in joy wherever you are; that is the way. Revel in the realm of your mind; worship there the Lord you have chosen as your goal. Then, no one can trouble you or disturb you; no spot can delude you, nor any place will seem disgusting.
Pride is an insidious vice; it turns mind evil; so, at the slightest inkling of that disease, try your best to eradicate it, by retiring into a lonely spot and engaging yourself in pure thoughts and in Dhyanam (Meditation) for a few minutes. Delay is dangerous. “Alasyam amritam visam (Even the Divine nectar, if the dose is delayed, becomes a poison),” says the proverb. Remember this, and act swiftly without procrastinating. Dhyanam (Meditation) stills the agitated mind, makes it clear and full of joy. This is the main goal of meditation. Many in this world, even among the learned, do not spend their allotted span of life in the pursuit of any definite objective. Hence, they are like the voyage of a driftwood in the sea. They do not remain in one place; they do not know what to do; they cannot fix their mind on a single thing; they keep changing their words; they say one thing but do another. The reason for all this is, the lack of following a certain ideal with discipline. Dhyanam (Meditation) is the ideal solution for such people. The Bhavas (Thoughts) too must be corrected. Bhavas means thoughts that arise in the mind. There are three kinds of thoughts that arise in the mind. They are Satvika (Pure), Rajasika (Restless), and Tamasika (Ignorant). Through Dhyanam (Meditation), first the pure thoughts are strengthened and the other two, restless and ignorant thoughts will be uprooted. Other than meditation, there is no equivalent weapon or tool for this task anywhere, including other worlds. This Dhyana-margam (Path of meditation) will destroy Ajnanam (Ignorance), and it will grant the individual Brahmaikyata (Union with the Supreme Reality).