Special Instructions

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SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS

 

by Swami Sivananda

 

1. When your house is on fire how daringly you enter the house to

take your child who is sleeping in the room! Even so you must be very

courageous when you tread on the spiritual path. You must be

absolutely fearless. You must not have the least attachment to your

body. Then only you will have Self-realisation quickly. Timid people

are absolutely unfit for the spiritual path.

 

2. If there are mangoes on the top of a big tree, you do not jump all

at once to pluck them. It is impossible. You gradually climb up the

tree by getting hold of different branches and then reach the top of

the tree. Even so you cannot jump all at once to the summit of the

spiritual ladder. You will have to place your foot with caution on

each rung of the ladder. You will have to practice Yama, Niyama,

Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana and Dhyana. Then only you will

reach the highest rung of the ladder of Yoga, viz., Samadhi. If you

are a student of Vedanta you will have to equip yourself with the

four means. First you will have to do Sravana, Manana and

Nididhyasana. Then only you will attain Brahma Sakshatkara. If you

are a student of Bhakti Yoga, you will have to practice the nine

modes of Bhakti, viz., Sravana, Kirtana, Smarana, Padasevana,

Archana, Vandana, Dasya, Sakhya and Atma-nivedana. Then only you will

attain the state of Para-bhakti.

 

3. If the chicken and fowls run hither and thither to eat various

sorts of rubbish, what does the owner of the poultry do? He gives a

slight tap on their heads and throws before them some grains to eat.

Gradually they leave their dirty habit of eating filth. Even so this

mind runs hither and thither to eat filthy things and enjoy five

kinds of sensual objects. Give a tap on its head and make it taste

gradually the spiritual bliss by practice of Japa and meditation.

 

4. It takes a long time for the charcoal to catch fire but gun-powder

can be ignited within the twinkling of an eye. Even so it takes a

long time for igniting the fire of knowledge for a man whose heart is

impure. But an aspirant with great purity of heart gets knowledge of

the Self within the twinkling of an eye, within the time taken to

squeeze a flower by the fingers.

 

5. Maya is a very huge saw. Lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride,

jealousy, hatred, egoism, etc., are the teeth of this huge saw. All

worldly-minded persons are caught up in the teeth of this saw and are

crushed. Those who are endowed with purity, humility, love,

dispassion, devotion and enquiry are not hurt. They escape through

the divine grace. They pass smoothly below the saw and reach the

other side of immortality.

 

6. Winter is very congenial for vigorous meditation. You will not get

tired even if you meditate for hours together at a stretch. But in

the morning hours laziness tries its level best to overpower you. If

you cover yourself with one or two warm blankets you feel quite

comfortable. You do not want to get up in the early morning even

though the repeated alarm wakes you up again and again. You decide

now: " Let me sleep for fifteen minutes more and then let me start my

meditation. " Then you begin to cover nicely, with the blanket,

certain exposed parts of the feet. You feel quite pleasant now. What

is the net-result? You begin to snore nicely and get up only after

the sun has arisen. Days, weeks and months will roll on like this.

Every winter also will pass away in this manner. Just at that time

which is quite favourable for meditation, mind deceives you and

overpowers you by sleep. Mind is a master-magician. He knows several

tricks and illusions. Maya operates through mind. Mysterious is Maya.

Be on your alert. Be vigilant. You can control mind and Maya. Throw

away the blanket as soon as you hear the alarm. Sit on Vajra Asana.

Do 20 Pranayamas. Drowsiness will disappear.

 

7. O friends! Wake up! Sleep no more. Meditate. It is Brahmamuhurta

now! Open the gate of the temple of the Lord in your heart with the

key of love. Hear the music of the soul. Sing the song of Prema to

your Beloved. Play the melody of the Infinite. Melt your mind in His

contemplation. Unite with Him. Immerse yourself in the ocean of Love

and Bliss.

 

8. Just as you remove at once a pebble in your shoes that troubles

you, so also you must be able to remove any tormenting thought from

your mind at once. Then only you have gained sufficient strength in

control of thought. Then only you have attained some real progress in

the spiritual path.

 

9. An aspirant says: " I am able to meditate on one Asana for three

hours. In the end I become senseless but I do not fall down to the

ground. " If there is real meditation, you will never become

senseless. You will experience perfect awareness. This is a negative,

undesirable mental state. You will have to get over this state by

keeping up perfect vigilance.

 

10. Suppose the mind runs outside during meditation forty times

within one hour. If you can make it run only 38 times it is a decided

improvement. You have gained some control over the mind. It demands

strenuous practice for a long time to check the mind-wandering.

Vikshepa Sakti is very powerful. But Sattva is more powerful than

Vikshepa Sakti. Increase your Sattva. You can very easily control the

oscillation of the mind.

 

11. When there is deep concentration you will experience great joy

and spiritual intoxication. You will forget the body and the

surroundings. All the Prana will be taken up to your head.

 

12. If you find it difficult to concentrate your mind within a room,

come outside and sit in an open place or terrace or by the side of a

river, or in a quiet corner of a garden. You will have good

concentration.

 

13. When you are lying down in your bed, sometimes a big light will

pass along your forehead. As soon as you try to behold the light by

meditating in the sitting posture it may disappear. You may ask: " How

is it that I fail to catch the light by exertion, whereas it comes by

itself when I am lying down, without an effort? " The reason is you

lost the concentration as soon as you sat for meditation by entry of

Rajas.

 

14. It is very difficult to fix your mind in the beginning on the

whole picture of Lord Krishna, because all the rays of the mind are

not collected. Sometimes you can visualise the face, sometimes the

feet, sometimes the eyes. Fix the mind on any part of the picture

which the mind likes best.

 

15. The mind has attraction for certain new words or names of towns

or persons. Suppose you have come across certain new words or names

of towns or persons such as 'ecstasy,' 'Fyzabad,' 'John Herbert.' If

you sit for meditation the mind will

repeat 'ecstasy,' 'Fyzabad,' 'John Herbert.' Sometimes it will sing

some songs, repeat some old poems or Sanskrit Slokas which you got by

heart during your boyhood. Watch the mind carefully and try to bring

it back to the point or centre.

 

16. When you meditate with open eyes you may see a friend in front of

you and hear his voice also; but you may not be able to make out the

person and his voice because the mind is not attached to the ears or

the eyes. If the mind is entirely withdrawn from the sensual objects,

if the thoughts are annihilated, if likes and dislikes are destroyed,

how can you perceive the world at all? You will become mindless. You

will behold the Self only everywhere. All names and forms will

vanish.

 

17. It is very difficult to fix the mind all at once on a point. The

mind moves with a tremendous velocity. Just as the horse in a circus

runs in a circle again and again, so also the mind runs in a circle

again and again. Instead of allowing the mind to run in a big circle,

make it run in smaller and smaller circles. Eventually it can be

fixed on a point. You will have to catch hold of the mind through

intelligent methods. Mere coercion and force will not do. It will

make matters worse.

 

18. Sometimes you may become despondent and feel, " I have many

weaknesses and defects. How can I eradicate them? How can I control

this strong and impetuous mind? Will I get liberation or Nirvikalpa

Samadhi in this very birth? I have not gained much even though I have

practised meditation for the last 8 years. " Do not be disheartened.

Even if you have controlled one or two Indriyas, even if you have

controlled some thoughts, half the battle is won. Control of even one

thought or destruction of even one Vasana will give you mental

strength. Every thought that is controlled, every desire that is

destroyed, every Indriya that is subdued, every defect and weakness

that is eradicated will add strength to the mind, will develop your

will and take you one step nearer to the goal. Friends! Why then

lamentations and despair? Fight bravely in the Adhyatmic battlefield.

Become a spiritual soldier. Come out victorious and wear the

spiritual laurels of divine wisdom, eternal peace and supreme bliss.

 

19. Sometimes the mind will be sluggish or slothful. You cannot

concentrate. It will refuse to work. The same vigorous mind may

become sluggish in the latter part of concentration, just as the

horse that was running with good speed in the beginning of the

journey becomes sluggish in the end. Just as the driver freshens the

horse by giving a little grass and water, so also you will have to

freshen the mind with some elevating thoughts and discipline it with

undistracted attention.

 

20. If the mind is restless or wandering sit in a quiet room. Or lie

down in Savasana like a dead man for 15 minutes and relax the body

and mind completely. Entertain some pleasant thoughts. Think of some

beautiful flowers, the glaciers of the Himalayas, the blue expansive

sky, the vast ocean or some beautiful scenery in Himalayas or Kashmir

or in any other place. Now you can sit again for meditation.

 

21. When you enter into deep meditation, you will have no

consciousness of your body or surroundings. You will have equanimity

of mind. You will not hear any sound. There will be stoppage of up-

going and down-going sensations. The consciousness of egoism also

will gradually vanish. You will experience inexplicable joy and

indescribable happiness. Gradually reasoning and reflection also will

cease.

 

22. When you enter into deep meditation, the pulse-beats may come to

30. The on-looker may not be able to perceive the breathing. The

breath may not come out of the nostrils. In Jada Samadhi of Hatha

Yogins the breathing and heart-beats will entirely stop. In Chaitanya

Samadhi the lungs and heart will be functioning very, very slowly.

 

23. Advanced aspirants should stop all sorts of work and study of

religious books even, if they want to enter into Samadhi quickly.

They should observe Mouna and remain in a solitary place on the banks

of the Ganga, Yamuna or Narmada or any other river. They should live

on milk alone or milk and fruits. They should plunge themselves in

Sadhana in right earnest. They should reduce sleep to 2 to 3 hours.

They should start the practice in the beginning of winter, in

November. There is real rest in meditation. This rest is far superior

to the rest that is obtained from sleep even for half an hour or one

hour and will suffice.

 

24. The aspirant or Yogi in the cave in the Himalayas or a silent

meditator in the plains thinks that he is very much advanced

spiritually. He looks with contempt at his brother who is plodding to

reach the goal through untiring selfless service and meditation

combined. The former may be rich in Vairagya and Titiksha. He may be

proficient in the study of scriptures. He may be able to bear cold.

He may be able to live on bread and Dhal alone. He may be able to sit

on one Asana at a stretch for a longer time. But he may be lacking in

mercy, cosmic love, broad tolerance, generosity, courage, etc. He may

not be able to bear heat, he may complain of strong Vikshepa, he may

not be able to keep up a balanced mind when he comes to the plains,

while the latter may possess his own special virtues and balanced

mind and may excel the Yogi of Himalayas or the silent meditator of

the plains in many respects. One should have excellence in all

virtues. Then only he will become a perfect sage. Equanimity is Yoga.

 

25. A worldly man has Abhimana for his wealth and position. He has

great Moha for his children and wife. But a Sannyasi or Yogi has

great spiritual and moral pride. He thinks: " I am superior to a

householder. I am a great Yogi. I can meditate for 12 hours. I

possess great purity, renunciation and dispassion. " The Abhimana of a

Sannyasi is more dangerous and powerful than the Abhimana of a

worldly man, and so more difficult for eradication.

 

26. Be cautious. Study the nature of people. Move very carefully with

people. Do not be deceived. Have a knowledge of psychology. Know

people by their behaviour, talks, look, smile, gait. Know them by the

food they take, the books they study, and the companions they keep.

 

27. Sometimes the mind will revolt seriously. You will feel: " I have

not gained much through Tapas, discipline and meditation. Let me

break the vow of Brahmacharya. Let me give up entirely all dietetic

discipline. Let me revel in sensual objects. Let me eat sumptuously. "

Do not yield. Coax or cajole the mind. Do vigorous Japa and Kirtan.

Study my book 'How to get Vairagya' or Bhartrihari's 'Vairagya

Sataka' again and again. Remember the pains of Samsara and the

defects of the sensual life. Remember the saints and their teachings

again and again. Stand adamant. Be cautious. Be vigilant. Watch and

pray. The rebellious mind will cool down gradually.

 

28. Even a pure Brahmachari will be troubled in the beginning by

curiosity. He will be curious to know and feel what sort of happiness

will the sexual enjoyment give. He thinks sometimes: " Let me have the

carnal knowledge of a woman once. Then I will be able to root out

this sexual impulse and desire completely. This sexual curiosity is

troubling me very much. " Mind wants to delude this Brahmachari. Maya

havocs through curiosity. Curiosity is transmuted into a strong

desire. Enjoyment cannot bring satisfaction of a desire. Just as the

tiger, man-eater, runs after human flesh only if it tastes once human

blood, so also the mind which has once tasted sexual pleasure will be

ever hankering after it. The wise way is to kill the wave of

curiosity by Vichara or enquiry of that pure sexless Atman,

renunciation of sexual desire, totally eradicated by constant

meditation, by thinking over the glory of Brahmacharya and the

defects of an impure life.

 

29. Even in a blind man who is a celibate, who has not seen the face

of a woman, the sexual impulse is very strong. Why? This is due to

the force of Samskaras or impressions of previous births which are

imbedded in the subconscious mind. Whatever you do, whatever you

think, all are lodged or printed or indelibly impressed in the layers

of the Chitta or subconscious mind. These impressions can be burnt or

obliterated only by the dawn of knowledge of Atman or the Supreme

Self. When the sexual Vasana fills the whole mind and body, the

Samskaras assume the form of big Vrittis or waves and torment the

poor blind man.

 

30. Thought is the real action. But there is a great deal of

difference between the actual shooting of a man and thinking to shoot

a man, between actual copulation and thinking to have intercourse

with a woman. Philosophically speaking thinking to shoot a man,

thinking to have copulation is the real act. Desire is more than the

act. God gives fruits according to the motives of the man. Be pure in

your thoughts. Then only you can enter the kingdom of God within.

Then only the Lord will be enthroned in your heart.

 

31. An aspirant writes to me: " Somebody tapped at my door at 3 a.m. I

woke up and opened the door. I saw Lord Krishna with crown on His

head. He disappeared soon and I went through the lane in search of

Him. I was not able to find Him out. Then I came back to my house and

sat in front of my door till day-break to see Him again. " Cases of

somnambulists or sleep-walkers are not uncommon. They dream even

while standing and walking also. The above case might have been a

pure case of somnambulism. You will have to be very careful in

ascertaining the true nature of your spiritual experience, whether it

is a dream or an actual reality. Darshan of Lord Krishna is not so

very cheap. Aspirants make mistakes in the beginning.

 

32. A piece of ordinary white paper or coloured paper has no value.

You throw it away. But if there is the stamp or picture of the king

or the emperor on the paper (currency notes), you keep it safe in

your money purse or trunk. Even so an ordinary piece of stone has no

value for you. You throw it away. But if you behold the stone-Murty

of Lord Krishna at Pandharpur or any other Murty in shrines, you bow

your head with folded hands, because there is the stamp of the Lord

in the stone. The devotee superimposes on the stone-Murty, his own

beloved and all the attributes of the Lord. Image-worship is very

necessary for beginners.

 

33. How sweet is the Name of the Lord! How soothing and elevating are

the Names of Hari, Rama, Krishna, Siva. The Name drives away your

fear, anguish, sorrow and pain; and fills your heart with joy, peace,

strength and courage. The Name is a healing balm to your wounded

heart and tired nerves. The Name is a panacea or divine elixir that

confers immortality and eternal bliss. Remember the Name of the Lord

always. Sing His Name and associate it with your breath; you will be

freed from the round of births and deaths.

 

34. You must have the Bhava that Atman, Isvara, Devata, Mantra are

one. With this Bhava you will have to repeat your Guru Mantra or

Ishta Mantra. Then alone you will have Mantra-siddhi or God-

realisation quickly.

 

35. The best flower that can be offered to the Lord is your heart.

Penetrate more deeply into the infinite domain of Kailasa, the

Kingdom of illimitable bliss and boundless peace within.

 

36. May you be in direct communion with the Lord, thy Ishtam, Guide,

Supreme Refuge and Solace!

 

(Source: http://sivanandaonline.org/html/ )