The thing is to kill the mind somehow

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Day by Day with Bhagavan________11-11-45 MorningMaha Vir Prasad, Chief Engineer, U.P., who has beenstaying here for about twenty days, asked Bhagavan, "I findit said in Maha Yoga that in the beginning of meditation onemay attend to the breath, i.e.. its inspiration and expiration,and that after a certain amount of stillness of the mind isthereby attained, one can dive into the heart seeking thesource of the mind. I have been badly in want of some suchpractical hint. Can I follow this method? Is it correct?"Bhagavan: The thing is to kill the mind somehow. Thosewho have not the strength to follow the enquiry method areadvised pranayama as a help to control the mind. Andpranayama is of two kinds, one of controlling and regulatingthe breath and the other of simply watching the breath.Prasad: During meditation I sometimes attain a statelasting for about fifteen minutes, during which I am not awareof anything and am free from all thoughts. Some have toldme that such a state is what may be called yoga nidra andthat one should guard against such a state as bad.Bhagavan: One should endeavour to get beyond sleep.(For some reason Bhagavan did not answer further the queryput by Prasad). I thereupon advised Prasad to read Crumbsfrom the Table, where this particular matter is dealt with.Bhagavan also asked us to take a copy of the book and giveit to Prasad. We did so.EveningA visitor: I don't know what kundalini is.Bhagavan: Kundalini is one name given by the yogicpeople for what may be called the atma sakti inside the body.The vichara school calls the same power jnana. The bhaktacalls it love or bhakti. The yogic school says that this poweris dormant in muladhara at the base of the spinal cord andthat it must be roused and taken through the various chakrason to sahasrara at the top, in the brain, to attain moksha. Thejnanis think this power is centred in the heart, and so on.