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Mind--Its Mysteries and Control PDF

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(cid:190) MIND ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL By SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA 6(59((cid:15)(cid:3)/29((cid:15)(cid:3)*,9((cid:15) 385,)<(cid:15)(cid:3)0(’,7$7((cid:15) 5($/,=( Sri Swami Sivananda So Says Founder of Sri Swami Sivananda The Divine Life Society A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION Twelfth Edition: 1994 World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1998 WWW site: http://www.rsl.ukans.edu/~pkanagar/divine/ This WWW reprint is for free distribution © The Divine Life Trust Society ISBN 81-7052-006-1 Published By THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY P.O. SHIVANANDANAGAR—249 192 Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh, Himalayas, India. OM 1st July 1946 Beloved Dheerender! Fear not. The mind is no doubt extremely turbulent. Through repeated attempts you can perfectly subdue it. You are the master of the mind. By Abhyasa and Vairagya assert your mastery. Feel the power, bliss and splendour that result from perfect self-conquest. Curb the mind ruthlessly. Annihilate desire. When desire dies mind is your slave. Become desireless and be victorious. May you rest in your pristine freedom! Sivananda iii PRAYER OThouInvisibleOne!OAdorableOne!OSupreme!Thoupermeatestandpenetratestthis vastuniversefromtheunlimitedspacedowntothetinybladeofgrassatmyfeet.Thouartthebasis forallthesenamesandforms.Thouarttheappleofmyeye,thePremaofmyheart,theveryLifeof my life, the very Soul of my soul, the illuminator of my intellect and senses, the sweet Anahata musicofmyheart,andthesubstanceofmyphysical,mentalandcausalframes. I recognise Thee alone as the mighty Ruler of this universe and the Inner Controller (Antaryamin) of my three bodies. I prostrate again and again before Thee, my Lord! Thou art my sole refuge! I trust Thee alone, O ocean of mercy and love! Elevate, enlighten, guide and protect me. Remove obstacles from my spiritual path. Lift the veil of ignorance, O Thou Jagadguru! I cannotbearanylongerevenforasecond,themiseriesofthisbody,thislifeandthisSamsara.Give Darsanaquickly.OPrabho!Iampining.Iammelting.Listen,listentomyfervent,Antarikaprayer. Do not be cruel, my Lord. Thou art Dinabandhu. Thou art Adhama-Uddharaka. Thou art Patita Pavana(Purifierofthefallen). OmSantihSantihSantih PUBLISHERS(cid:146) NOTE To everyone striving for success in life, the invariable stumbling block proves to be the turbulent vagaries of the mind. An undisciplined mind makes a man slave and wrecks his life. Controllingandsubduingitisthemostvexingofproblemstotheearnestseekerofhappiness.The vitalimportanceofthesubject,therefore,promptedH.H.SriSwamiSivanandajiMaharajtowrite this comprehensive work (cid:147)MIND(cid:151)ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL.(cid:148) It is meant to serve as a valuableguidetoallaspirantsanditisalsoofimmensehelptoanyoneinanywalkoflife.Beingthe outcome of personal experience of the revered author and written with a practical end in view, (cid:147)MIND(cid:151)ITS MYSTERIES AND CONTROL(cid:148) is a treasure worthy to be possessed and studied constantly. (cid:151)THEDIVINELIFE SOCIETY iv PREFACE Happinesshasforeverbeentheprimeaimofeveryhumanbeing.Allactivitiesofmanare directedtowardsacquiringthemaximumhappinessinlife.But,throughthewrongdeludednotion that objects will give happiness, man searches for it outside. The result is that in spite of all his lifelongefforts,hegetsdisappointmentonly.Vexationandmiseryalonearetobeseeneverywhere. The real lasting happiness lies within man. Such happiness or Ananda is the Inner Self, the Antaratman. The very nature of Atman is pure Joy. This is never perceived because the mind is completely externalised. As long as the mind is restlessly wandering about amidst objects, ever fluctuating, excited, agitated and uncontrolled, this true joy cannot be realised and enjoyed. To controltherestlessmindandperfectlystillallthoughtsandcravingsisthegreatestproblemofman. If hehassubjugatedthe mind,heisthe Emperorofemperors. For gaining mastery over the mind, you have to know what it is, how it works, how it deceivesyouateveryturnandbywhatmethodsitcanbesubdued.Inthisbook,thesubjecthasbeen dealt with; and the nature of the mind, the various forms that it assumes, the secret of its inner workings and the way to control it are fully and clearly explained. The previous editions were eagerlyreadandappreciatedbythousandsofaspirantswhowrotetosayhowimmenselytheywere helped by the instructions. The lessons and instructions are eminently practical and many helpful ideas and suggestions got during my meditations have been recorded and put down here. Very usefulhintsonconcentrationandmeditationwillbefoundinthebookwhich,iffaithfullyfollowed, willbringsuccessina shorttimewithoutfail. Ipraytoeveryaspiranttostudyconstantlythevaluableinstructionswithcareandfollowthe practicalhintsgiveninhisSadhanaanddailylife.Itwilldoubtlessenableyoutogaincontrolover yourpassionsandcravingsandtogetestablishedinYoga.TheBhakta,thestudentofVedanta,the Raja Yogin, the Karma Yogin(cid:151)all will find this book an indispensable guide. The later stages of Yoga Sadhana are common in all the four paths and Dharana and Dhyana are quite impossible without first subduing the mind. All Sadhanas are, therefore, aimed at obtaining mastery over the mind.HenceitisthatIhavetriedtopresentthewaysandmeansofachievingthisthroughsimple, yet well-tried and effective methods. My efforts would be amply fulfilled if even a single earnest aspirantishelpedonthe spiritualpathandattainstheGoal. May the Lord, the Antaryamin, the Supreme Indweller inspire all to attempt mind-control andYoga!MayHebestowsuccessonthesincereaspirantsthatstruggletomastertheunrulymind! May youreachthe GoalofLife,Immortality,SupremeKnowledgeandBliss! Sivananda v CONTENTS Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Publishers(cid:146)Note. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v 1. WhatIsMind? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2. MindAndBody. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 3. Mind,PranaAndKundalini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4. MindAndFood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 5. TheThreeAvasthas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 6. TheThreeGunas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 7. ThePsychicStates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 8. TheMentalFaculties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 9. TheThreeDoshas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 10. SuddhaManasAndAsuddhaManas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 11. Vrittis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 12. TheoryOfPerception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 13. ChittaAndMemory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 14. Samskaras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 15. Sankalpa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 16. ThoughtCreatesTheWorld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 17. AvidyaAndAhankara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 18. ThePowerOfThought . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 19. Thought-Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 20. Vasanas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 21. Desires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 22. Raga-Dvesha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 23. PleasureAndPain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 24. Viveka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 25. VairagyaAndTyaga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 26. ControlOfIndriyas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 27. MounaAndIntrospection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 28. EvilVrittisAndTheirEradication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 29. CultivationOfVirtues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 30. HowToControlTheMind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 31. Concentration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 32. Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 33. ExperiencesAndObstaclesInMeditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162 34. Samadhi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 35. Manonasa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 36. TheMindCompared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178 37. EssenceOfJnana Yoga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 38. TheMindInAJivanmukta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 39. ThePowersOfA Yogi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 40. NecessityForAGuru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194 vi 41. HintsToAspirants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 APPENDIXI ToTheMind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 APPENDIX II PsychicInfluence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215 APPENDIXIII AnnihilationOfMind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223 GLOSSARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 vii MIND(cid:151)ITSMYSTERIESANDCONTROL Chapter 1 WHAT IS MIND? (cid:147)Hewhoknowsthereceptacle(Ayatana)verilybecomesthereceptacleofhispeople.Mindis verilythereceptacle(ofallourknowledge).(cid:148) (ChhandogyaUpanishad,V-i-5) ThatwhichseparatesyoufromGodismind.ThewallthatstandsbetweenyouandGodis mind. Pull the wall down through Om-Chintana or devotion and you will come face to face with God. THE MIND(cid:151)A MYSTERY The vast majority of men know not the existence of the mind and its operations. Even the so-callededucatedpersonsknowverylittleofthemindsubjectivelyorofitsnatureandoperations. Theyhaveonlyheardofamind. Westernpsychologistsknowsomething. Western doctors know only a fragment of mind. The afferent nerves bring the sensations from the periphery or extremities of the spinal cord. The sensations then pass to the medulla oblongata at the back of the head, where the fibres decussate. From there, they pass on to the superiorfrontalgyrusorsuperiorfrontalconvolutionofthebrainintheforehead,thesupposedseat of the intellect or mind. The mind feels the sensations and sends motor impulses through the afferent nerves to the extremities(cid:151)hands, legs, etc. It is a brain-function only for them. Mind, accordingtothem,isonlyanexcretionofthebrain,likebilefromliver.Thedoctorsarestillgroping inutterdarkness.TheirmindsneeddrasticflushingfortheentryofHinduphilosophicalideas. It is only the Yogins and those who practise meditation and introspection that know the existenceofthemind,itsnature,waysandsubtleworkings.Theyknowalsothevariousmethodsof subduingthemind. Mind is one of the Ashta-Prakritis. (cid:147)Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, reason and egoism(cid:151)theseconstitute theeightfolddivisionofMy Nature(cid:148)(Gita,VII-4). MindisnothingbutAtma-Sakti.Itisbrainthatwantsrest(sleep),butnotthemind.AYogi whohascontrolledthemindneversleeps.Hegetspurerestfrommeditationitself. HOW THE MIND ORIGINATED Mind is Atma-Sakti. It is through mind that Brahman manifests Himself as the differentiated universe with heterogeneous objects. Brahma thought, (cid:147)There, indeed, are the worlds;Ishallcreatetheprotectorsoftheworlds.(cid:148)HegatheredthePurusha(Hiranyagarbha)from out of the waters only and fashioned him. He heated him by the heat of meditation. When he was thus heated, his heart burst out. From the heart, the mind came; from the mind the moon, the 1 WHATISMIND? presiding deity of the mind. (Heart is the seat of the mind; so, the mind came out when the heart burstout.InSamadhi,themindgoestoitsoriginalseat,i.e.,heart.Insleepalso,itrestsintheheart withaveilofignorancebetweenitandBrahman)(Aitareya Upanishad,1-3-4). COSMIC MIND AND INDIVIDUAL MIND Hiranyagarbha, otherwise known as Karya Brahman and Sambhuti, is cosmic mind. He is thesumtotal(Samashti)ofalltheminds.Theindividualmindisconnectedwiththecosmicmind. Cosmicmind,Hiranyagarbha,superconsciousmind,infinitemind,universalmindaresynonymous terms. Different authors have used different terms. Do not be puzzled. Do not be confused. It is Sabda-bhedaonly. Hiranyagarbha is cosmic Prana also. He is the Sutratman (thread-like Self). He represents the electric, cosmic, power-house. The different Jivas represent the different, small bulbs. Electricityfromthepower-houseflowsthroughtheinsulatedcopperwiresintothebulbs.Similarly, thepowerfromHiranyagarbhaflowsintothe Jivas. Themind,beingverysubtle,isincloseappositionorcontactwithotherminds,thoughthe humanskullintervenesbetweenthem.Asmindevolves,youcomeintoconsciousrelationwiththe mentalcurrents,withthemindsofothers(cid:151)nearanddistant,livinganddead.Theindividualmind ofA,althoughseparatedfromthemind-substanceusedbyotherindividuals,B,C,D,E,X,Y,etc., by a thin wall of very finest kind of matter, is really in touch with the other apparently separated mindsandwiththeuniversalmindofwhichitformsapart. IfAisafriendofB,A(cid:146)smindisconnectedwithB(cid:146)smind.Themindsoffriends,relatives, brothers of A are attached to A(cid:146)s mind. Several minds are similarly linked to B(cid:146)s mind also. The minds of those who are attached to A(cid:146)s mind are, therefore, connected, in turn, with the minds of thosewhoarehangingonB(cid:146)smind.Inthismanner,onemindisintouchwithallmindsinthewhole world.ThisistheVibhutheoryofmindofRajaYoga. MIND IN SANKHYA PHILOSOPHY In Sankhya philosophy, Mahat is the term used to denote (cid:147)cosmic mind(cid:148) or (cid:147)universal mind.(cid:148)ItisthefirstprinciplethatisderivedfromAvyakta.Itisthefirstprinciplethatismanifested outoftheunmanifestedAvyakta.Thewheelofthebullock-cartrestsonthespokes.Thespokesrest onthenave.Evenso,themindrestsonPrakritiandPrakritirestsonBrahman. FromMahatcomesAhankara.FromSattvicAhankaracomesmind;fromRajasicAhankara comes Prana; from Tamasic Ahankara, Tanmatras; from Tanmatras, gross elements; from gross elements,thegrossuniverse.MindisnootherthanAhankara,theideaof(cid:145)I(cid:146).Itis,indeed,difficult to eschew this idea of (cid:145)I(cid:146). Mind always attaches itself to something objective (Sthula). It cannot standbyitself.Itisonlythismindthatassertsitselfas (cid:145)I(cid:146)inthisbody. The idea of (cid:145)I(cid:146) is the seed of the tree of mind. The sprout which first springs up from this seedofAhankaraisBuddhi.Fromthissprout,theramifyingbranchescalledSankalpashavetheir origin. 2 MIND(cid:151)ITSMYSTERIESANDCONTROL LINGA SARIRA AND ANTAVAHA SARIRA Mind is the most important Tattva of Linga Sarira. Linga Sarira is the astral body or SukshmaSarirathatislinkedtothephysicalbodythroughphysicalPrana.Itseparatesitselfatdeath from the physical body and travels to Svarga or heaven. It is this body that does Avagamana (comingandgoing).Thisbodymeltsin VidehaMukti(disembodiedsalvation). ThereisadifferencebetweenLingaSariraandAntarvahaSarira.LingaSariraisastralbody with seventeen Tattvas, viz., five Karma-Indriyas, five Jnana-Indriyas, five Pranas, Mind and Buddhi.AntarvahaSariraisverypure.ItisfullofSattva.ItisfreefromRajasandTamas.Itiswith thisbodythataYogipassesfromonebodytoanother(Parakaya-Pravesa).Lila,throughthegrace of Sarasvati, came out of the physical body and travelled to higher worlds with this Antarvaha Sarira. You will find this in the Yogavasishtha. Sri Sankaracharya, Raja Vikramaditya, HastamalakaandTirumularhadAntarvahaSarira.Withthehelpofthisspecialkindofpurebody, they passed into the bodies of other persons. A Yogi with Antarvaha Sarira has Sat-Sankalpa or SuddhaSankalpa. MIND IS SUBTLE MATTER Mindisnotagrossthing,visibleandtangible.Itsexistenceisnowhereseen.Itsmagnitude cannotbemeasured.Itdoesnotrequire aspaceinwhichtoexist. Mindandmatteraretwoaspectsassubjectandobjectofoneandthesameall-fullBrahman, who is neither and yet includes both. Mind precedes matter. This is Vedantic theory. Matter precedesmind.Thisisscientifictheory. Mind can be said to be immaterial only in the sense that it has not the characteristics of ponderablematter.Itisnot,however,immaterialinthesensethatBrahman(PureSpirit)assuchis. Mind is the subtle form of matter and hence the prompter of the body. Mind is made up of subtle, Sattvic, Apanchikrita (non-quintuplicated) Tanmatric matter. Mind is all electricity. According to theChhandogyaUpanishad,mindisformedoutofthesubtlestportionoffood. Mindismaterial.Mindissubtlematter.Thisdiscriminationismadeontheprinciplethatthe soul is the only source of intelligence; it is self-evident; it shines by its own light. But the organs (mindandsenses)derivetheirprincipleofactivityandlifefromthesoul.Bythemselves,theyare lifeless.Hencethesoulisalwaysasubjectandneveranobject.Manascanbeanobjectofthesoul. AnditisacardinalprincipleofVedantathatthatwhichisanobjectforasubjectisnon-intelligent (Jada). Even the principle of self-consciousness (Aham Pratyak-Vishayatva) or Ahankara is non-intelligent;itdoesnotexistbyitsownlight.Itisthe objectofapperception tothe soul. THE MENTAL BODY Justasthephysicalbodyiscomposedofsolid,liquidandgaseousmatter,soalsothemindis madeupofsubtlematterofvariousgradesofdensitywithdifferentratesofvibration.ARajaYogi penetratesthroughdifferentlayersofmindbyintenseSadhana. 3

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music of my heart, and the substance of my physical, mind alone operates in a free and unfettered manner. There is no land, no sea, no horse, no elephant
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