The MIND (MANAS) .

The  MIND  (MANAS) 

The Mind is compared to a mirror, which when dirty cant clearly reflect the face. Similarly the mind-mirror when dirty you can’t see God clearly. Meditation acts as a powerful tonic. You can easily control the mind when you always think of God. Unless a fire is constantly fanned it becomes covered with a layer of ash. Similarly dross gathers on us unless the Lord’s words and deeds are constantly discussed . As long as the mind is  polluted the Lord is inaccessible, it must be pure and full of love. Drive out worthless worries, harming others, acqujiring the wealth of others .It is up to us to make our thoughts, words, deeds entirely sweet to Him.
Then a large quantity of Sattwa fills it. This constant thinking thins out  the mind and destroys Vasanas (latent tendencies)  and Sankalpas (thoughts, imaginations). The mind works as per dictate of the heart. The subtle emotional nature in us determines our thoughts and life. The deeper the emotions, the more determined we work, the purer the emotions the more is our self-sacrifice, the more sublime our emotions the more all-embracing is our love.

To make the mind steady feel day after day that you are sure to die, be contented with whatsoever comes to you, believe that whatever is to happen has been preordained, and most importantly chant or repeat His divine Name. As long as the mind is polluted the Lord is inaccessible.  Our consciousness is always flowing downwards and outwards, therefore we fail to perceive anything which is within us. It is not easy to control the mind. The only way to control it is to love the Lord’s Name and through Prema. Who regards the Name as his own and constantly repeats it, body, mind and Name become one. Then the Name and Nami become one and manifest their Lila in the heart. Once the heart is pure the Lord will reside in it. Then nothing is difficult to achieve.

Work unselfishly, spiritualize all actions, have no attachments to sensual objects, give up all ideas of agency, attribute all activities to the divine actor within. Make Every work  a sacred offering, an expression of  your love for Him. Empty  yourself so  completely that you  entirely live in Him. Have the firm conviction that the Lord is very near and will not leave you even a minute. Our heart and mind should be always full of love To get this love do Name, read Lord’s Letters, see His Murtis. Then He will not go away from you.Sadhana must be done with great enthusiasm, constantly waiting with intense longing for His arrival. The more we desire to get Him the more He will pull us up. We are in God’s hands, His hand is in everything that happens. Slay egoism, annihilate selfishness, desires, cravings. This life is not our own but His and has to be carefully protected as the Lord may do many things through it.

Effort is necessary as long as the Ego or feeling of separateness exists. Self-effort is possible only through Lords grace.  As a result of good actions, devotion and self-surrender His grace comes automatically. Once the Ego is gone the obstruction to the flow of divine grace is removed, it can flow freely. Worship by fits and starts will not do, it must be constant. Should there be a break desires will enter the mind. Strenuous and constant effort will bring success eventually. Lose the body feeling which is separating us from Him. Look upon all as one Atma as there is only ONE Atma, the Paramatma. This Atma Bhav must be strong. In contemplation we are in spiritual contact with the unchanging light and are cleansed of all impurities. His light touches the soul, a light of purity and Prema. It illumines the open soul and consumes all shortcomings in the fire of divine Prema. It is the Lord’s grace upon the soul in meditation, so vastly potent.

THOUGHTS are not airy nothings. They are invisible but recorded (especially shortly before death). The power of thought is 10 million times stronger than that of actions. The harm that can be done to the world by evil thoughts is much greater than that caused by evil actions. Evil thoughts turn the heart into hell where the Lord’s image cannot fall. The moment one is able to turn the trend of his inner thoughts towards God this goes at once to the building of a higher frame to live in. That is why one should have recourse to contemplation alone to catch the Uncatchable one. Silence thoughts, fix them on Him again and again, concentrate on one idea  alone. Just as we saturate water with salt or sugar so we should saturate our thoughts with God, His plays, Murtis, Upadesham. Make the thoughts, passions, desires unselfish, trans-divine and go on with Nama Japa. One can’t have thoughts of God as long as we think of Anatma things (sensual enjoyments) Lord Krishna (Srimad Bhagavatam):” The mind that thinks constantly of Me dissolves into Me. Fix your thoughts on Me, purify your heart with Bhakti, abandon every other thought – for all those are illusions. “

Never give thoughts of worldly enjoyments the upper place in the heart. How powerful thoughts are can be seen at the time of the dissolution of the body (death), as those thoughts which are uppermost in the mind will regulate the future destiny.

Actions: All activities can be turned into worship if you are always aware that He is performing all actions - it is the Lord alone who is doing everything. Let every work, be it divine or ordinary, be a sacred offering of love at His feet, expect no fruits. Put love in everything.  Dedicate all deeds, words, thoughts, your entire life to Him, offer  yourself entirely up to Him. Whatever duty may come before you perform it in a spirit of worship. Be aware that it is He who eats, sleeps, thinks within. Thereby we get rid of the Ego, will always  be in joy. As long as there is self-interest one cannot enter into the Lord’s service. As long as we think that we are acting there is no end to Karma. Let there be not the slightest trace of pride and egoism – they are the poison fruits of life. Constant remembrance of the Lord means forgetting the world and its objects. A mind which constantly thinks of Him will dissolve into Him, purged of its impurities and worldly taints it becomes exceedingly calm, a self-emptied vessel waiting for the divine influx to come when and how it will. Endure Karma with patience. If the distress felt within penetrates the innermost heart the Lord is sure to be kind. When the heart becomes calm one sees the Lord’s reflection in it, which He is always throwing upon us.

iSel

Cogitate on what Lord Haranath said:

“ araHaran

If you think me not of your own you cause me pain . I belong to all and every one appears to be Mine. You are my only hope, I have none else to call my own. You are my living certificates to convince the world who and what I am. When I accepted you I will not leave you even if you should leave me. If you desire Krishna make your desire stronger and still stronger as He can only be purchased with earnest desire, intense yearning. Once you accumulate this treasure He will soon be yours. The more you desire to have me the more will I pull you up to me. I am mad in the company of you all. For that reason you should relieve me of my different kinds of burdens and keep me happy.

We must call aloud for one living far but whisper to one near. For one who resides in the heart it is enough to think once. Remember me now and then. Take Name with carefree mind, know me always near.I love you because it is my nature to love, I don’t wait for your merits or demerits. With every breath I remember all of you, I remember even those who never think of me.I cannot endure anybodies tears. I am never simple, can never be. If you accept me as your father don’t ask for this and that. I will give you everything that is good for you without being asked. This time I descended out of mercy, now is the play of causeless mercy. Krishna is waiting with full hope in you.The very fact that you are alive proves His love for you. Realize that God is Love and you His Beloved.”

The Lord released a great wave of super-divine love so that even worst sinners are saved. When He touches our hearts all reasons, skepticism cease, doubts vanish, hearts begin to melt. Like tiny children we weep in love and ecstasy, sublimest emotions arise without effort and we offer ourselves unconditionally to His service.Lord Haranath revealed to us before He left this world:” Ÿou will realize after I pass away what potency lies in the Name Kusuma Haranath,” A moments life with Kusum Hara’s Name on our lips is to be valued more than a million years without it. One should never think of leaving the Lord’s Name.

June 2015

R.B.