17. Mind control

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17. Mind control

 

A disciple went to an Alchemist to learn the art of

converting copper into gold. The master taught him the art and when

the student was about to put it into practice, the guru said. `But,

my dear! Remember one thing. When you chant this mantra, you should

not think of monkey!' `Oh that's easy' thought the Sishya. He chose

a wonderful place, sat down for meditation, but lo! The first thing

that ever came to his mind was monkey! However much he tried to

drive it away, it kept lingering to him.

 

This story shows that we cannot control our mind easily.

Oscar Wilde, a famous poet said, `I can resist everything but

temptation. Our elders compared our mind to a monkey. It is like a

monkey, which is drunk, which leapt over fire, which is infected by

a ghost and which is stung by a scorpion. This shows the intensity

of the wavering mind. But that need not be the finale. Such a

monkey mind can be made a gem of a mind. It is all in our hands.

 

Lord Krishna has given ways and means of mind control in the

sixth chapter - `Atma samyamana yoga.' Atma here doesn't refer to

soul. It refers to the mind.

 

Arjuna, who stands for the entire human race, raised the

question `how do I control my mind ?'

 

chanchalam hi manaha Krishna pramadhi salavaddrudam

Tasyaham nigraham manya karosiva 6-34

 

 

He Krishna! You ask me to control my mind, but how? It is

very restless, since it is so strong it is so lured to the material

things, it is as difficult to hold it as it is to hold air.

 

Arjuna defined it well! Can we hold air? Accordingly can

we hold mind? It is impossible! Krishna proves nothing is

impossible in the dictionary of man. He has a short and sweet

solution, a two point formula for this problem.

 

Asamsayam mahabaho mano durnigraham chalam

Abhyasena tu kounteya vairagyena cha gruhyate (6-35)

 

 

Oh Arjuna ! No doubt, the mind is restless. I agree it is

difficult to control it, but it is not impossible. You can control

it through Abhyasam and Vairagyam. It may look difficult to those

who don't make an attempt, but it isn't for those who try! So

Arjuna try!'

 

Do it yourself

This answer comes as a thunderbolt to sluggish

people. The very first step in mind control demands an attempt from

our side. `Mind control' is not a medicine or a treatment to be

given by an outsider or even by God, but it has to be practiced by

oneself. So Krishna has already proclaimed, `Uddaret atma atmanam'.

Make an effort yourself.

 

As we have seen many times, the problem lies in us. It is

sown, nourished, nurtured and grown with love by us. So, if we ask

any saint, `Oh Swamiji, I am suffering due to my Ajnana, my mind is

restless, why don't you show me a way out?' The first question he

puts us back is `who entertained the ajnana? Who nourished the

wavering attitude of the mind? Who nurtured all the earthly

comforts to it? You, Yourself! So change yourself!

 

The best example for this is found in Oliver

Goldsmith's `vicar of Wakefield.' Once a family in a certain

village was shifting to a new house from an ancestral house. They

have been shifting every item in the house. Finally they had to

shift a big mirror. The mirror was beyond the size of the door.

The wiseacres were breaking their heads regarding the solution. Some

said, break the mirror into two, bring it out and then paste it

together but others were against it. They said, instead you break

open the front door and bring it out in tact. Then somebody from

the corner raised this question.

 

`But the beauty of it is how it ever came in!' This is a

profound question! So when we seek mind control we should in the

first place realize that we have purposely led our mind rule over

us. Now it is high time we seek to have an upper hand over it.

 

To come up in our life, to achieve success, mind control

plays an important role. Unless we control our mind, there is no

point in achieving success in various fields. To control mind

Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (detachment) are essential. They are

two in one Abhyasa without Vairagya is useless and vice versa.

 

Abhyasa - The repeated performance of a thing to achieve

something is called abhyasa.

`Sa tu dirgakala nairastarya satkara sevitho druda

bhoomihi - patanjali

 

If we practice for long and incessantly, then we can attain

control over our mind. The mute animals like monkey, elephant, lion

and tiger are brought under control by continuous training given by

the ring leader. When man can control a mute animal can't he an

intelligent person, control himself?

 

A Hindi proverb means that if a line of ants crawl on a

stone continuously, for a long time groove will be formed on the

stone. How delicate an ant is when compared to hard stone? If you

draw water from the well and keep the water pot at the same place

for years together, a depression is formed on the ground. How

brittle the pot is compared to the hard stone? This continuous

practice is called Abhyasa!

 

Vairagya - The second step is Vairagya - a detachment, when

our mind is after the material comforts, how do we control it?

Vairagya means the change our state of mind. The mind which is

interested in the temporary pleasures should be tuned to derive

pleasure from permanent objects. We don't have to add temporary

nature to the external objects. They are basically temporary. All

that we have to do is to realize it and we should learn that all

these objects are fleeting joys - with a destructive element in them.

 

Once upon a time a king wanted to construct a beautiful

palace which could be treated as second to none! He sent for many

builders, architects and finally selected one who could make it in

one word, a Heaven on earth. When it was finished, it was a feast

to the eyes! People were thrilled at the grandeur, at the richness

at the marvel and at the beauty. The king challenged he would give a

huge ransom to any who could point out a mistake in it. Many made a

sincere effort, but couldn't find any. A Sadhu rose up and said

humbly `Oh my king! There are two mistakes in it!'

 

Everybody held his breath.

The Sadhu explained, `Oh king! The one who got it

constructed will in due course of time die. The building which

looks a marvel will in due course loose its grandeur.'

 

The king then realized how foolishly he has been spending

his time in pursuit of fleeting joys. `The spider weaves its web

where Caesars rule' The past glory fades away.

 

The contextual meaning for a student is his goal is to get a

first rank. He should give up temporary pleasures like watching his

favourite serial, playing a video game, chatting with his friends

and browsing silly web sites. He should be detached from the

tempting deviations.

 

Inculcate interest

It is not enough if a student controls himself from

these deviations. He should concentrate on the main path his goal

of achieving first rank. So detachment alone will not do. A

sadhaka should detach himself from the world outside and introspect

himself. He should develop `atmasakti' (who am I). `A student

should develop interest in his path. Success doesn't depend on

vairagya alone. It depends on concentration.

 

A man has taken many loans let us say. If he wants to lead

a happy life, it is not enough if he clears all his debts. He

should have enough and to spare in the sense he should clear the

debts and should hoard some money for himself.

 

Accordingly a Sadhaka should gain the wealth of atma jnana

through dhyana. A student should reach his goal through

concentration.

 

Mind is a monkey no doubt

Practice and detachment makes it a gem no doubt!