We have heard from Lord Krishna and his beloved disciple the description of the nature of the mind. We know from science that the vital nature of all life is in the blood. The life-blood of the mind is movement!  To concentrate means to steady and ultimately control this movement that produces distraction (restlessness). Therefore, to establish concentration in meditation means control of the mind. Yes, now must come the Ultimate Question; “How to control the mind?”

    During the years that Sri Ramana Maharshi was living on the sacred hill of Arunachala in the Virupaksha cave, a devotee whose most urgent concern was this very question was visiting him daily.

The devotee asked Bhagavan: “Of the means for mind-control, which is the most important?”

The Master replied not just to the devotee, rather his answer was framed to all universally:

“Breath control is the means for mind control.” (1)

 The devotee, being a bhakta (follower and friend) of Lord Rama, was well aware of the fact that this answer was a well-established practice in the ancient religions of the world. He no doubt was aware that what was being referred to was not the complicated, misused, and the sometimes destructive practice of yogic pranayama, but rather a practice also known as “watching the breath”. Nevertheless, after Bhagavan briefly discussed the textual definitions of breath retention and regulation, the devotee restated his question:

 “How is breath-control the means for mind-control?”

Bhagavan replied: “There is no doubt that breath-control is the means for mind-control, because the mind, like breath, is a part of air, because the nature of mobility is common to both, because the place of origin is common to both, and because when one of them is controlled the other gets controlled.” (2)

Bhagavan’s teaching regarding breath-control is clearly given in Chapter Six of the Sri Ramana Gita:

        “One should control the fickle mind by controlling the breath and then it, like a tethered animal, ceases to stray.”

        “With the control of breath, control of thoughts also is achieved. When thoughts are controlled one stands established at their source.”

        “Control of breath means merely watching with the mind the flow of breath. Through such constant watching kumbhaka does come about.” (3)


    Forty-four years later Bhagavan was again requested to expand on this essential means for controlling the mind. But prior to that revelation, the need arises to address those who flatly, and paradoxically with an angry boldness, declare that the mind and this so-called ego are all an illusion.

    They retort that what is being asked to be controlled simply does not exist, and absolutely no effort need be exercised to attain this Divine state referred to as the “One thing needful”. They refer to the Master saying that this ‘One thing’ is absolute Knowledge of the Self, and it is always there. Furthermore, they emphatically propound that Bhagavan’s essential teaching proclaims, “We are That”, and the guru’s work is solely to reveal this Truth.

Undoubtedly, Bhagavan’s teaching emphasized that the Self (God) is within us. His essential teaching, however, as a jagat guru, was the revelation of atma vichara as the path of enquiry, which effectively removes the ignorance of identification with the false “I”, and inevitably leads one to the direct experience (aparoksha anubhava) of Self-realization. Bhagavan definitively clarifies this Truth, and that of the guru’s role, when He declared:

“If ignorance is wiped out the confusion will end and true knowledge unfolded. By remaining in contact with realized sages one gradually loses his ignorance till it disappears totally. The eternal Self is thus revealed. Without understanding it aright people think that the Guru teaches something like “TATVAMASI” and immediately the disciple realizes “I am Brahman”. In their ignorance they conceive Brahman to be something much bigger and far more powerful than anything else. With a limited ‘I’ man is so stuck up and wild. What will he be if the same ‘I’ increased enormously? He will certainly be proportionately more ignorant and more foolish. This false ‘I’ must perish. Its annihilation is the fruit of service to the Guru. Realization is eternal and is not granted by the Guru. The Guru helps only the removal of ignorance — that is all.”  

 Bhagavan, in answer to questions, has said that Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras were the quintessence of asthanga yoga (the eight-limbed yoga followed by millions and respected by all). Let us apply this Sage’s wisdom to decide whether we possess the obstacles to knowledge he describes and therefore must use all of our powers to remove them, or whether for us it is simply all an illusion.

Patanjali declares: “Sickness, mental laziness, doubt, lack of enthusiasm, sloth, craving for sense-pleasure, false perception, despair caused by failure to concentrate and unsteadiness in concentration; these distractions are the obstacles to knowledge. These distractions are accompanied by grief, despondency, trembling of the body and irregular breathing.”

 To those who assert that they do not believe these human traits are anything other than illusion, all that can be possibly said is: “Try wishing them away, and good luck!”

_______________to be continued_________________

(1)  Self-Enquiry (Vichara Sangraham) of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, trans. By Dr. T.M.P. Mahadevan, Sri Ramanashramam 2005, p. 17.

(2) Ibid. p. 18.

(3) Sri Ramana Gita, Sri Ramanashramam 2004, p. 25, verses 3-5.

        

Question: Without doubt, God and His scriptures, and those who take up a serious spiritual practice agree that the ultimate goal is within. But when the mind of man goes within, there is found an unimaginable variety of species, living in worlds within worlds of thought. What is the method of first locating, then concentrating on and then attaining the One thing needful?

    Unquestionably, the human mind is a well-seasoned traveler, with a photographic memory, through untold lifetimes of worlds of experience.

    The Buddha once directed his followers to consider the vast number of different species existing in our creation. His followers were perplexed at failing to bring to mind the vastness of the types, shapes and colors of seemingly millions of life forms. He then declared:

    “The human mind is more variegated than this variety of known life.”

     Yet we are told to turn within and seek the source that gave birth to these vast worlds. It is no wonder that many, due to memories of past painful struggles and failures, simply declare: “I am not going there and destroy the little peace I have.” Their steadfast stance of holding on to even a fleeting refuge from an apparently uncontrollable world on fire seems to be supported even by the statements of Arjuna and Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Arjuna said:

     “O Madhusudana, I do not see how it is possible to maintain the steady state of Yogic equanimity which you have taught. The mind is ever so restless! Verily, O Krishna, the mind is fickle, impetuous, powerful and turbulent. To me, it seems as difficult to control the mind as it is to control the wind”. Lord Krishna said: “Indeed, the mind is restless and difficult to control, but it can be brought under control by the practice of abhyasa and vairagya, O son of Kunti. It is my opinion that Yoga is difficult for anyone who is lacking self-control, but it can be attained by one who has mastered the lower self, if he adopts the proper means.”  (1)

Our Infallible Weapon

    Common sense shows us that to combat and conquer a foe that is so powerful and turbulent we must develop our own powers and stability. Meditation is the means to this end. The methods to adopt depend on “where we stand”. But first we must firmly rise to our feet before turning inwards. Practically, we must first decide to invest the time for repeated effort, and then develop strength and perseverance to develop the right discernment and ensuing virtues that will strengthen us. Spiritual life improves much like worldly life; gradually step-by-step.

    When we were babies crawling on the floor but wanting to be in the arms of our mother, we leaped forward only to come down with a crash. Innately we learned to concentrate on standing with balance and then moving towards our goal. Through our repeated efforts, and failures, at gaining concentration, we achieved success.

     Likewise, in the beginning of spiritual movement the first task before us is to develop the skill of concentration within meditation. In fact, in the Pali Canons containing the words of the Buddha (whom the spiritual world reveres as the Master of meditation), the word in Pali used for meditation (jhana) means exactly “development”.

     The Buddha (also being the Master of metaphor) likened this development to building a bridge over a swiftly running river. The foundations of this bridge on either shore were virtue and discernment. The most important foundation in the middle of the most dangerously turbulent currents is concentration. If our concentration rests on a weak foundation, then it is only a matter of time before our virtue and discernment are washed away. Therefore to properly address your question, the first step is not a matter of location but rather of “How to develop concentration?”

_________________to be continued_______________

(1) Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, verses 33-36. (Translation By Swami Jyotirmayananda, Yoga Research Foundation, www.yrf.org)

        

      “We know that man is usually helpless against the insurgent sway of evil passions, but these are rendered powerless and man finds no motive in their indulgence when there dawns on him a consciousness of superior and lasting bliss through Kriya. Here the give-up, the negation of the lower passions, synchronizes with a take-up, the assertion of a beatitude. Without such a course, hundreds of moral maxims which run in mere negatives are useless to us.

      “Our eagerness for worldly activity kills in us the sense of spiritual awe. We cannot comprehend the Great Life behind all names and forms, just because science brings home to us how we can use the powers of nature; this familiarity has bred a contempt for her ultimate secrets. Our relation with nature is one of practical business. We tease her, so to speak, to know how she can be used to serve our purposes; we make use of her energies, whose Source yet remains unknown. In science our relation with nature is one that exists between a man and his servant, or in a philosophical sense she is like a captive in the witness box. We cross-examine her, challenge her, and minutely weigh her evidence in human scales which cannot measure her hidden values. On the other hand, when the self is in communion with a higher power, nature automatically obeys, without stress or strain, the will of man. This effortless command over nature is called ‘miraculous’ by the uncomprehending materialist." *

_________________________________

* from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda

        

        

        

        

                              

                                     

       Swami Sivananda Saraswati (pictured above), founder of the Divine Life Society, is considered to be one of the greatest yogis and exponents of Advaitic truth which our modern era has known. His words given below are an excerpt from one of the several hundred books he wrote during his lifetime, which he departed from in 1963. The crest-jewel of his life-long effort and thus his teaching echoed the same truths which were emphasized by Sri Ramana Maharshi - that being "Meditate, Realize!"

      Sri Ramana's mention of the "Royal Road" does not have the connotation of effortlessness, rather that of patient endurance within the "Royal Way" of meditation. This truth is borne out in the following quote found in Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi (#350):

Devotee: "How to meditate?"

Maharshi: "Concentrate on that one whom you like best. If a single thought prevails, all other thoughts are put off and finally eradicated. So long as diversity prevails there are bad thoughts. When the object of love prevails only good thoughts hold the field. Therefore hold on to one thought only. Dhyana (meditation) is the chief practice."

A little later Sri Bhagavan continued:
 
      "Dhyana means fight. As soon as you begin meditation other thoughts will crowd together, gather force and try to sink the single thought to which you try to hold. The good thought must gradually gain strength by repeated practice. After it has grown strong the other thoughts will be put to flight. This is the battle royal always taking place in meditation. One wants to rid oneself of misery. It requires peace of mind, which means absence of perturbation owing to all kinds of thoughts. Peace of mind is brought about by dhyana alone."
___________________________________________________________
 
        Swami Sivananda's article "The Rugged Path" reproduced below, though sobering, is reassuring in that he declares the goal to be the highest Realization of the Absolute!

     Nothing that is worthwhile is to be achieved without undergoing a corresponding amount of pain and suffering. No enduring ideal can be attained without tire and sweat. The seed splits and perishes to put forth the plant. The flower lays its life to give place to the sweet fruit. It is in the furnace that gold emerges from the ore. Even so, the price of sainthood is to be paid in the interim period of utter loneliness, privation, and struggle which the really aspiring soul passes through. Every soul on the path of God-realization harbors no illusions about the true nature of the spiritual path. There is absolutely no royal road in spirituality.

    Adversity is a divine blessing in disguise. Adversity develops the power of endurance and will-force. Adversity develops fortitude and forbearance. All the Prophets, Saints, Fakirs, Bhaktas and the Yogins of yore had to struggle hard against adverse circumstances. The Almighty Lord puts His devotees under severe tests and rigorous trials. Every soul on earth is being tested by God for his sincerity and patience. He puts the aspirants into various kinds of troubles. He will make man utterly hopeless and helpless and watch and see whether one has the real devotion for Him or not in such straitened circumstances. We cannot say exactly what form these trials will take. But the sincere devotee is never afraid of such kind of tests.

    A grim endurance of all vicissitudes and a dogged resolution to persevere to the end are essential if one has to realize his ideal. The aspirant has ever to be alive to the stealthy power of unconscious habits creeping into him. Man is a sybarite by nature. One may be really very zealous in his austerities and vows in the beginning, but if one is not on the very proper guard, slowly the vigour will be relaxed, comforts will creep in the mind and man will be caught very miserably. If the body is allowed to relapse into softness and luxury, it will be found that it is well nigh impossible to discipline it again. The mind immediately takes advantage of even the least sign of weakness in the most sincere aspirants. It is like a tiger crouching on its haunches about to spring. One has to keep a very close watch over his own self and should be ever alert with a vigilance against the sudden onslaught of Samskaras.

    In truth, spiritual life is for eternity, and realization is infinite. It is not like a period of work, giving place later for a nice vacation. The same high pitch of purity and discipline has to be maintained if life is to mean anything at all. No relaxation of rigor and caution can be afforded. For, the mighty power of cosmic illusion is not a trifle to be toyed with. A fit of passion is enough to blow away the result attained by years of slow and painstaking effort. Remembering this, let the aspirant be ever watchful unto prayer, as the mystics have said. Man's achievements are of no avail before Maya's charms. She reigns supreme on the stage of the divine play. None can dogmatically say that he is beyond all temptations. It is the Lord's Grace alone that not only makes a man pure, but also keeps him pure till the very end. Man on his part is but to exercise a constant humility and an active vigilance.

    The great lessons of genuine humility and unremitting caution have to be firmly grasped and borne in mind by everyone who would make any headway on the slippery path that leads from darkness to Light, from the unreal to the Real and from mortality to Immortality. Realization of the Absolute is not a talk, is not a play. It is the most difficult and the hardest of all tasks. It demands the price of one's very self. Will you really and willingly pay it? It demands your ego. It demands your very being as the cost for Self-realization. If that is everyone's goal, if that is everyone's ideal, should not the more experienced ones impart that secret to the lesser ones? Should not every child in the cradle be initiated into the mysteries of existence?

Tat Twam Asi
Swami Sivananda

        

Mr. Pannalal, I. C. S., a high Government official from Allahabad, with his wife, a highly cultured lady, and Mr. Brijnarayan, a retired judge, were on a visit for a week. The night previous to their departure they wanted to have their doubt cleared. Their doubt was: We had a great sage for our Guru. He advised us to “take the name of Hari,” saying that it is all in all; no effort is necessary for concentrating the mind. Concentration will come of itself if Harinam is persisted in. So we are doing it. The Guru passed away. We felt like a rudderless ship in mid-ocean. In our anxiety to find a safe guide we read and heard of you and so desired to come here. Our desire has been fulfilled after two years’ longing. On coming here and hearing Sri Bhagavan we understand that the Master teaches Atma-vichara (self-quest). This is the method of knowledge (jnana marga), whereas the other master taught us bhakti marga (method of devotion). What shall we do now? Are we to give up the other method andtake to this new method? If once we change shall we not change many times more according to the masters we meet? What progress can be made by such frequent changes? Pray remove this doubt and bless us. The Master referred the gentleman to an article in the September number of Vision, a monthly journal issued by the Anandasram, Kanhangad.



The name permeates the entire universe densely; who can tell to what depths in the nether regions and to what height in the heaven It extends? The ignorant fools undergo the eighty-four lakhs of species of births, not knowing the essence of things. The Name is immortal. Forms are innumerable but Name is all that. The Name itself is form and form itself is Name. There is no distinction between Name and form. God became manifest and assumed Name and form. Hence the Name the Vedas have established. Beware, there is no mantram beyond the Name. Those who say otherwise are ignorant fools. Name is Keshava Himself. This is known only to the loving devotees of the Lord. The all-pervading nature of the Name can only be understood when one recognises his own ‘I’. When one’s own name is not recognised, it is impossible to get all-pervading Name. When one knows oneself then one finds the Name everywhere.

None can realise the Name by the practice of knowledge, meditation or austerity. Surrender yourself at first at the feet of the Guru and learn to know who the ‘I’ in you is. After finding the source of that ‘I’, merge your individuality in that Oneness - which is Self-existent and devoid of all duality. It is that Name that permeates the three worlds. The Name is Paramatman Itself where there is no action arising out of dvaita (duality).

        

 

“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,”
in those who harbour such thoughts hatred is not appeased.

“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me,”
in those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred is appeased.

Hatred never ceases through hatred in this world;
through love alone does it cease. This is an eternal law.

The others know not that in this quarrel we perish;
those who realize it, have their quarrels calmed thereby.

Whoever lives contemplating pleasant things, with senses unrestrained,
in food immoderate, indolent, inactive, Māra (1) overthrows, as the wind
(overthrows) a weak tree.

 Whoever lives contemplating repulsive things, with senses restrained, in
food moderate, full of faith, full of sustained energy, Māra does not
overthrow, as the wind (does not overthrow) a rocky mountain.
____________________

(1) There are five kinds of Māra: i. the five Aggregates (khandha), ii. Volitional activities (abhisaṅkhāra), iii. Death (maccu), iv. Defilements (kilesa), and v. Māra the deity. Here, Māra is used in the sense of mental defilements.

        

                        

"Withdraw within into the Shelter of Oneness with Me."

    This third part of the series on  'Saranagati' will attempt to reveal "How to cultivate surrender".  In addition to bringing forth the practical aspects of spiritual practice (sadhana) taught by Sri Ramana Maharshi, we will seek guidance from the profound depths of cherished wisdom brought forth by Paramahansa Yogananda.

    Many have mistakenly conjectured that the Maharshi was unlike all other Spiritual Masters, in that he did not have a teaching. The only adequate response to this contrived falsehood should come from the Maharshi himself. In a documented lecture given by Sri Ganeshan, the grandson of Chinnaswami (Bhagavan’s brother) and a living direct disciple of Bhagavan, the following actual account was related.

    In the early evening of April 14, 1950 (the very day of Bhagavan’s Mahasamadhi – the day of physical absorption in Arunachala), all of the disciples and devotees were assembled around the room where Bhagavan lay virtually motionless in the final throws of his body’s endurance with terminal cancer. Though all were in a state of protracted grief, they still sought for a final word of guidance from Bhagavan. None dared approach, nor were permitted to do so, for the Maharshi’s body had begun its final struggle for breath. Amongst the tears and heartbreak of the devoted, the thought arose that if anyone could approach Bhagavan at this final hour prior to the seeming demise of his body, it would be Sri Muruganar. They therefore beseeched Sri Muruganar to request Bhagavan to utter a “final word”, by which they could be guided throughout the years to come. He did so, and as the Maharshi’s still radiant eyes and beatific smile fell on him, Bhagavan spoke:

“Take my teaching and put it into practice!”

    As yogis, those who seek “union” with the Divine, we are given by the Masters of Yoga a means of yogic practice. In the most traditional sense, Sri Ramana Maharshi, like all of the Jagat Gurus (world teachers), guides us along the time-honored means of practice towards the highest attainment.

    In Part 2 of this series Bhagavan replies to a devotees (and our) question: “What is self-surrender?” His answer was “purna” (perfection) in that the definition is couched in terms of the method of attainment.

     “It is the same as mind-control. The ego submits when it recognizes the higher authority of the Atman. This is the beginning of surrender… (1)  “Complete surrender to God means giving up all thoughts and concentrating the mind on Him. If we can concentrate on Him, other thoughts disappear. If mano-vak-kaya karmas, i.e., the actions of the mind, speech and body, are merged with God, all the burdens of our life will be on Him.”  (2)

    Bhagavan went on to quote, as he often did as a means of guidance, from the Bhagavad Gita. Let us now return to this very “Song of God”, seeking further clarification regarding the means by which we can cultivate “surrender”.
 
      In Paramahansa Yogananda’s wonderful commentary The Bhagavad Gita - God talks with Arjuna, we find a deep and mystical revelation that points us towards the direction by which a beginning foundation of “saranagati / saranam” can be laid. In further discussion of Gita 18:66 we are shown:

“Mam ekam saranam vraja” to literally mean, "Become (vraja) sheltered (saranam, 'protected' - from delusion) in oneness (ekam) with Me (mam).

"Always keep your consciousness in My sheltering Presence"; i.e., "Remember Me alone… Indicating the practice of yoga; the Sanskrit may also be rendered "Withdraw (vraja) into the Shelter of oneness with Me."

        What needs to be understood and absorbed is the essential "how to", which Sri Krishna, as such a compassionate Lord, never fails to uncover for us. There is another secret "for those who have ears and eyes to hear and see" which tells just “how to”, found in the beginning of verse 66.

          Sarvadharman parityajya - which common translation renders for us something that even the most advanced find "too obscure, and thus far beyond normal comprehension." It is mistakenly shown to mean: "Abandon all Dharmas!" Actually, correct comprehension of the verb (the action, "how to" word) tyaj is paramount for finding the actual key to the proper 'door to right understanding'. Tyaj - means "relinquish all but one!"

          So the Lord is actually telling us how to "surrender" to the Sheltering safe harbor of rest in Him:

           Sarvadharman parityajya, Mam ekam saranam vraja  - means "Forsaking by relinquishment all other dharmas (lesser duties), remember Me alone!"

    Paramahansa Yogananda reveals for us the true import and thus the method to begin partial surrender, which is deemed to be the highest achievement of human spiritual endeavor; the very heraldry of Shraddha (faith) – which the Maharshi has declared to be the “Cause of self-Realization.”  

    “A prosaic interpretation of the counsel unequivocally advises the deeply motivated Arjuna, and all true renunciants, to relinquish [attachment to, not necessarily the engagement in] all worldly duties entirely in order to be single-pointedly with God. “O Arjuna, forsake all lesser duties and fulfill the highest duty; find your lost home, your eternal shelter, in Me! Remember, no duties can be performed by you without powers borrowed from Me, for I am the Maker and Sustainer of your life. More important than your engagement with other duties is your engagement with Me; because at any time I can recall you from this earth, canceling all your duties and actions."  (3)

    In Sanskrit, the word “dharma”, derived from the root verb dhri, means “to hold, to put on”, also literally as an imperative act, “to wear!” Here we see the correlation with the command of Jesus in the Gospels: “Put on the armor of Rightessness… wear the robe of Salvation!”

    “Dharma, therefore, is the cosmic law that runs the mechanism of the universe; and after accomplishing the primary God-uniting yoga dharma (religious duties), man should perform secondarily his duties to the cosmic laws of nature. One should observe rational conduct in all ways!  (4) 

    The Masters and scriptures of a “Life in the Spirit” confirm; the beginning of partial surrender essentially engages man in the performance of virtuous dharma. We should begin our partial surrender by adhering to the upadesha (spiritual teaching) of Devaraj Narada, who declared in His Bhakti Sutras: “Seek satsanga, by abandoning (relinquishing) dussanga.” The central point surrounding an understanding of “surrender” as having the dual role of maintaining an inwardly God-pointed consciousness with an ongoing movement (a seeking) of satsanga does not present a contradiction in terms of direction.

    Sri Ramana defined the true meaning of “satsanga” to Srimat T.R. Kanakammal, one of the few remaining direct disciples of the Maharshi. She has related that Bhagavan declared the Sanskrit word “sat” to mean “Being”, and the word “sanga” to mean “melt”. Thus to seek satsanga is conscious movement within by which we melt into Being!” Therefore, by implication, the meaning of dussanga is to melt through conscious external movement into non-Being (devoid of Godliness). This is brought about by habitually seeking adharmic (virtue less) pleasures that destroy intelligent discrimination. The end result of one such as this is clearly described by Sri Krishna in Gita 2:63: “Buddhinasat pranasyati – From destruction of discrimination, one is lost.”

    The “melting within” referred to by Bhagavan is a protracted process of sadhana tapa, a spiritual process of purification. It is not a whimsical imaginative fantasy of drifting within to a so-called instant blissful awareness of “oneness” with the Self. Bhagavan’s use of the word “Being” undeniably refers to Jnana (direct Knowledge of the Self), the Vijnana Vedanta of the Kaivalya Upanishad, direct experience of full awareness of Divinity within. The process of mind control (tapas) that induces the melting of impurities is a protracted meditative process of concentration, often empowered by contemplation (thinking of the Lord) or invocation through remembrance (japa) of God, which at the final stages culminates with vichara (reflection, enquiry). In direct reference to this truth, Bhagavan related how this is achieved:

    “Know that the wondrous jnana vichara is only for those who have attained purity of mind by softening and melting within. Without this softening and melting away of the mind, brought about by thinking of the feet of the Lord, the attachment to the “I” that adheres to the body will not cease to be.”  (5)

    For many, this guidance from the Maharshi inspires determination to forge ahead with a conviction that the end is glorious, even close. For many more, these words fall upon us as more “tall talk”, being far beyond comprehension, much less as a means of guidance with practical application. There is, however, some consolation afforded to us in the undeniable fact that even if Bhagavan were to convey his teaching to us face-to-face, as he did to many, there would still be “mountains to move” through personal effort before we could lay aside our tools of sadhana.  (6)

    This fact was observed and documented by a disciple of Bhagavan who remained under his direct guidance for 14 years:
    
    “To beginners as well as advanced sadhakas alike, this mind control appears to be a formidable feat, yet the Master encourages them to go ahead and practise – at all events to make a beginning. He constantly dins into us the inspiring notion that we are already Self- realised and that, if we are not aware of it, the obstruction to that awareness should be removed by investigation – vichara – which is as logical as it is simple.

    “To hear it direct from him, this “Self-knowledge”, rather the way to Self-knowledge, is “the easiest thing there is” (Atma Vidya); but, judging from the questions constantly asked of him, and later of his disciples, there appears to be the need for much spade work before its central idea takes a firm hold on the seeker. The Master’s obvious meaning seems to be that, even apart from the psychological efficacy of the vichara proper, preoccupying the mind with a single theme to the exclusion of all others, if doggedly practiced, will not fail to produce beneficial results. It will tend to reduce the oscillations of the thinking processes, and thus render the mind amenable to concentration on the supremely important work which is to follow, which by itself is a splendid achievement. Finding the answer to the query “Who am I?” is not the immediate burden of the practice in the beginning. Stability and fixity of the restless, mercurial mind is the first aim, and this can be achieved by constant practice and by frequently pulling oneself back to the subject of the meditation whenever the mind strays away. When the mind has attained an appreciable degree of concentration, which means of depth, it will be time to think of the answer. Some sadhakas are fortunate enough to begin with a mind already accustomed to concentration, either “naturally”, or by training, or through intense fervor, so that they are able to go straight to the application of the vichara, and thus make a more or less rapid progress, according to the intensity of their determination, without much strain. For the Master tells us that mental calmness, that is, controlled mind, is essential for a successful meditation.”  (7)

    Even knowing this, and even being graced with daily having the cherished gaze of the Maharshi rest upon you, still one succumbs to human frailty and a heart that cries out:

Devotee: “Surrender is impossible.”

Maharshi: “Yes. Complete surrender is impossible in the beginning. Partial surrender is certainly possible for all. In course of time that will lead to complete surrender. Well, if surrender is impossible, what can be done? There is no peace of mind. You are helpless to bring it about. It can be done only by surrender.”

D.: “Partial surrender - well - can it undo destiny?”

M.: “Oh, yes! It can.”

D.: “Is not destiny due to past karma?”

M.: “If one is surrendered to God, God will look to it.”

D.: “This being God’s dispensation, how does God undo it?”

M.: “All are in Him only.”

D.: “How is God to be seen?”

M.: “Within. If the mind is turned inward God manifests as inner
consciousness.”  (8)

  
    But alas, to be instructed merely to “turn within”, hardly ever satisfies an aspirant who is engaged in an active practice of meditation. For they know from direct experience that what lies “within” can, and usually does, contain more concentrated forms of a great danger - a powerful and destructive enemy. Lord Krishna warns Arjuna of this great foe to the realization of the Self in the beginning chapters of the Bhagavad Gita:

          Arjuna said: “By what is a man impelled to commit evil, Varshneya [an epithet of Lord Krishna], seemingly against his own will, as if urged thereunto by force?” The Holy Lord said, “It is desire, it is anger, that’s born of the rajo-guna: of great craving, and of great sin; know that to be the enemy…The senses, mind and intellect are said to here be its abode…thus restraining the self (here the use of ‘atman’ denotes the mind) by the Self, then destroy that enemy so hard to conquer: desire.”   

    In the closing chapters of the Gita the Lord clearly declares the means by which we can “put His teaching into practice.” Paramahansa Yogananda again helps to metaphysically clarify for us this oft-quoted sixty-sixth stanza of Chapter 18, which although is deemed by the most learned scholars as the quintessential heart of the entire Gita, is paradoxically the stanza that receives the most varied and diversified interpretation!

    Sri Krishna says: “O Arjuna, be a real renunciant! By the practice of yoga meditation withdraw (vraja) your mind, intelligence, life force, and heart from the clutches of the ego. From the physical sensations of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, and from the objects of sense pleasures! Forsake all duties toward them! Be a yogi by uniting yourself to My blessed presence (mam ekam saranam) in your soul. Then I will save you; by nonperformance of the lesser duties to the senses under the influence of delusion, you will automatically find yourself free from all sinful troubles. If you remain in ecstasy with Me, fulfilling all divine duties as directed by Me, forsaking all ego-instigated duties, you will be liberated.”

    “The ordinary man’s mind is usually identified with external possessions and sense pleasures connected with the surface of the body. Therefore, physical consciousness is sustained by the mind, intelligence, and life force operating through the lower (rajasic and tamasic) centers of awareness. Thus, the searchlights of intelligence, mind, and life energy continually operate externally, feeding the nervous system and sustaining and revealing the sense pleasures and physical consciousness.” (9) 

    The yogi who persists in withdrawing awareness within through meditation (aksara japa, repetition of the sound of the Name of God), or atma vichara (reflection upon from ‘Whence we came’) effectively reverses the searchlights of intelligence, mind, and life force inward toward the sheltering presence of the object of meditation – God! This is a protracted process, for through it the mercurial mind is first rendered steady, then ultimately still. For it is in stillness that man approaches the altar of the Spirit!

    Sri Ramana Maharshi assented in full agreement with this understanding of the Gita’s “teaching put into practice”. With his lustrous gaze, communicating to us the very embodiment of divine stillness, and his voice emerging from pure consciousness, he declared:

    “In the Bhagavad Gita it is said that it is the nature of the mind to wander. One must bring one’s thoughts to bear on God. By long practice the mind is controlled and made steady.” (10) 
   
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(1)  Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, p. 56.

(2)  Letters from Sri Ramanashramam, Suri Nagamma, p. 225-227.

(3)  The Bhagavad Gita, God Talks with Arjuna, Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 2002.

(4)  Ibid.

(5)  Padamalai, Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Recorded by Muruganar, Avadhuta Foundation 2004, p. 186. (Reference to Sri Ramana Jnana Bodham, vol. 7, verse 340).

(6)  Sadhana is derived from the Sanskrit root “sadhan”, which means “instruments or tools”. Sadha-na therefore means the methods by which the tools are employed to achieve the desired goal.

(7)  Guru Ramana, S.S. Cohen, Sri Ramanashramam 2003, p.66-67.

(8)  Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, recorded by Sri Munagala Venkataramiah, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, Talk 241.

(9) The Bhagavad Gita, God Talks with Arjuna, Sri Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 2002.

(10) Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi, recorded by Sri Munagala Venkataramiah, Sri Ramanashramam 2006, Talk 91.