Part 2: Stepping Stones to Spirituality
If you look at the teeth of the elephant, it will be the same material; if it is outside it will be the tusk and that which is inside is its tooth. 'The tooth that is protruding outside is the tusk that is inside is its tooth', In our body also it is similar in that the breath which is flowing inside is the mind; the mind which runs outside is the breath. Mind and the breath are very closely connected.
If your mind remains in your body, under your control, an elongated breathing will happen. A long breath will pave way for a long life. But, generally if you see, the mind is not within the body, it will be somewhere else, thinking about some thing or the other. When there is shallow thinking, shallow breathing will begin to happen. If the breathing is shallow, the thinking will be shallow. If the thinking is shallow, the breathing will be shallow. When the flow of thoughts is just superficial, the breathing will also be superficial. If we keep our control, the breathing will be deep and clear.
Next one is Prathyahara (contemplation). It is a wonderful step. Keeping our mind concentrated and focused at one place without continuous running and scattering it in many places. Prathyahara is focusing the mind on only one reason. When that focusing the mind on only one reason happens, a boundless mental energy will get released. If God has given you 100 per cent of energy, all those 100 per cent energy is spent on unnecessary flow of thoughts only. It is not spent on any particular thought being put in the form of action.
There are two things. One is Icchaa Shakthi (power to desire), the other is Kriya Shakthi (power to create). Our entire energy is spent on creating the desires only and not at all being spent on satisfying or fulfilling the desires. Because, in the time that is available to you, during your entire day, the mind is continuously wandering, either this or that or something else. Since it is running behind various things one after the other, there is no patience to the extent of thinking about any one particular thought and expressing it as energy to create and give a stable form to that thought.
Our mind simply goes on jumping from place to place. When we are sitting here, we will be thinking as to what would have happened in the house, and when we have gone home, we would think, 'Oh! We could have remained sitting there itself and listened'. After arriving at the house what thought would come is, 'I could have remained and listened to the discourse; what am I doing here'. There is a continuous fight or dilemma going on, that is all.
The mind will be wandering here and there continuously. Because it is always wandering, nothing is used or done stably and firmly. There are two things, power to desire and power to create; Icchaa Shakthi and Kriya Shakthi. In our 100 parts of energy, more than 80 parts are being spent on mere creation of desires and nothing is spent at all on Kriya Shakthi, the power to create. This alone is our main and big problem.
When we practice the Prathyahara, when we decrease the required energy comes to us to fulfill and satisfy the desires. When the flow of thoughts gets reduced, the energy to make the desires into reality will come to us. What happens to our energy is that it will be utilized to satisfy and complete the desires that come. Suppose that ten thoughts come to you, viz. I have to build a house, buy a car, buy a bungalow, deposit money in the bank, have an air-conditioner; like this if ten thoughts come, to which thought you will utilize the mere hundred rupees available with you? You cannot use it for any thing at all. But on the other hand, if the thought is just one or two, we will utilize all the available energy to fulfill that thought or desire.
When Icchaa Shakthi reduces, then Kriya Shakthi increases. Prathyahara will help us to live our life blissfully. Because, as the desires reduce, the actions will increase. When the flow of thoughts reduces, the energy to do work will increases. Prathyahara is a method to make the mind become steady and focused.
The next step is Dharana (concentration). Dharana and Prathyahara are quite deep matters. Prathyahara. Dharana. Dhyana and Samadhi can be explained in English by four words. They are respectively, contemplation, concentration, meditation and enlightenment. Generally, in our flow of thoughts, there will be no relationship or connections between one thought and the other.
Sigmund Freud, a psychoanalyst, says very beautifully that our flows of thoughts do not have any logical relationships. For example, you will see a dog on the street. As soon as you see the dog, you will remember the dog you saw when you were young. You will recollect the various dogs about which you had felt afraid. The next thought may arise that you remember the teacher under whom you had studied. Then you will remember the house where that teacher lived, in which part of the town he lived; there will absolutely not be any correlation. Is there any direct relationship between the dog you saw and the teacher under whom you were young? It is a different matter that both have shouted at you!
There is no direct connection at all. But our mind will be continuously doing some linking. There will not be any logical connection at all. If you write the flow of thoughts as it is on a paper, you will know that there is a lunatic asylum going on inside. There will not be any relationship at all. This is the way in which our mind functions normally. As you see a dog, remembering the dog you saw in your younger days; then remembering the childhood teacher, then remembering the house in which the teacher lived; it will be going on like this. There will not be any logical connection. This is the first thing.
The next one is, that if we focus our mind and think in a particular specific path, our mind will begin to come to some order in the same way as changing a wild forest river into a small rivulet with well-defined banks on either side. We call that as contemplation, thinking about a single project. If a wild forest river is converted into a small river with well-defined terms, it will give multifarious benefits. First thing the bad effects resulting from the forest wild river will disappear. Destruction being caused to the towns due to the floods will not be there.
Second thing is that we can generate electricity. We can use it for irrigation purposes. It will give many benefits. Our mind also is like the wild forest river without bounds. If it is brought to an order, if it comes within contemplation, some specific project can be executed successfully. Any job taken on hand can be completed fully and successfully.
The next is meditation, Dhyanam. Concentration is just thinking about only one object. If we think of contemplation as controlled traffic, concentration is all about just only one vehicle. Thinking about only one thing or object, focusing our mind on one thing is called meditation.
The next one is Samadhi. This is not thinking about one object. This is becoming that object itself. Sama + Adhi = Samadhi. Whichever object we are concentrating on, becoming that object itself is called Samadhi. Tasting sugar is Dhyanam; becoming sugar itself is Samadhi.
Let us see about these eight steps briefly:
The first two steps are: Yama and Niyama, maintaining the body in a clean manner.
The second two steps are: Asana and Pranayama, keeping our body in a pleasant and sweet manner and doing our breathing in a deep and clear manner for all the twenty four hours.
Next, Prathyahara and Dharana, living in the present moment. Keeping the mind at one place as it is without allowing it to wander here and there.
The last two, Dhyana and Samadhi, focusing our mental energy on a given specific object.
Let me repeat, keeping the body neat and clean; keeping the mind sweet and pleasant; enabling the breathing process to go on in the proper manner; focusing our mind on a single specific object.
It is enough if these four rules are fully understood. The essence of Raja Yoga will be useful for us in our life. By means of Raja Yoga what all we can get, their essences we can get in our life.
If the essence of the entire thing has to be given, the only one thing is; wherever you are, at all times and at all places, live in the present moment. Normally what all of us do? Worrying about the past or craving about the future. Most of our time is spent only on these two things. Our mental energy is being spent only in the past and in the future. A very nice quotation, 'past is over. You cannot do any thing about it. But you can spoil your beautiful present by worrying about the future'.
If you see our life itself, it is just being spent by worrying about the past and craving about the future only.
The basic key of Raja Yoga is, 'Forget the past. Do not worry about the future. Begin to live in the present'.
Immediately we all will ask, "Master, if we don't plan about the future how do we carry on our lives?"
Two phrases we have to understand. Chronological planning and Psychological worrying. Chronological planning is calculating and keeping what is to be done tomorrow. There is nothing wrong in it. For example, calculating now after this discourse is over, to get into the car and go home. It is not wrong. But, worrying whether I will meet with an accident, whether I will reach home safely, what will happen to me: all these are unnecessary,
There is nothing wrong at all in chronological planning. Psychological worrying is wrong. If you see, compared to our chronological planning, psychological worrying actually is more.
For that matter, for chronologically planning, a lot of energy is not be required. But when we worry psychologically, the whole mind becomes very tired. If we plan chronologically and proceed as per that plan, there will not be any problem at all. We don't stop with chronological planning alone; we also worry psychologically and create a problem and only then we get satisfied! The beauty in worrying is that of creating such problems which are not actually there and beginning to fight with that problem imagining it to be there.
One man said. 'Sir. I am going to buy a buffalo'. Another man said 'I am going to buy land'. The first man said. 'Is it so? Then I am going to tie mv buffalo in vour land only'. The second fellow retorted, 'How can you tie your buffalo in my land? How dare you do that'. The other man said, 'Do what you want. Let us see'. Both of them begin fighting.
Neither buffalo nor land has been bought; no buffalo has come nor has land come. But the quarrel has promptly come. Creating a matter which is non-existing to find out solutions for that. If we see in our lives, most of the time, we create a thing which is not actually there and we spend time in finding the solution for that.
An incident which actually happened:
A lady, about 30 to 35 years old, had come to our Ashram to see me. The moment she came she started crying out loud. I told her, 'Don't worry, tell us what the problem is, after that you may cry. First tell'.
She said, 'Master, whatever I say, my son does not listen. He does not obey me at all. If it goes on like this, it appears that he will marry of his own accord. I don't know what will happen to me'.
In Bharat, a son is similar to a good amount-fetching cow, which can be sold at a good price in the market. There will not be any dowry at all if he himself marries, is it not?, what will happen There will not be any dowry. That lady had only that anxiety. She was crying and crying.
I said, 'All right madam, let us examine what the problem is; bring your son; after that let me tell you the solution'.
That lady said, 'No master, he need not be brought; I have carried him with me', so saying she put down the boy she was carrying and he was a boy of four!
This really happened. The boy's age is four only; and sees what that lady's anxiety is. 'If he himself marries of his own accord, what will I do, master?', that lady was crying really serious. But what is the age of her son? A mere four year old bo..
We are all laughing on hearing this. We too have done in a similar fashion at various times. Know it well; we too act like-wise at different times, at different places! We may not do so in the matter of a son, but we are doing it only for different matters. When the anxiety comes beyond limits, thoughts about the life become unclear. When we think about the future beyond limits, we forget the present.
In case that boy gets married too, this lady may get worries only after that. But, because she has started thinking right now, there is worry even before her son's marriage which is still far away! She has lost her peace of mind even well before her son's marriage.
Later I asked that lady, "What madam, can't you think a little bit? The boy's age is just four only. How can you say now it self that he will marry of his own accord and all things that. Why is it like this madam?'
'No master, you do not know. Vilaiyum pavir mulaiyileye theriyum' (in Tamil, the crop will be known when it sprouts itself), is it not Master? From what he is now, we can find out his mind, is it not master?' She has kept with her, her own logic to justify herself.
If we look into our lives, we support and nurture our worries and sufferings by some reason or the other. We do not at all worry as to whether it is true or not. That is why, it is enough if you understand these two things viz. chronological planning and psychological worrying. There is nothing wrong in planning about the future in our life. But worrying about it will ruin your life.
When you are worrying, it is not possible for you to do the planning. When you are planning, you cannot worry. We only have to decide whether we have to plan or we have to worry.
The essence of this entire Yogam can be given in these three lines: "keep the body clean, always perform the breathing lengthily, keep your mind in the present'.
Cleanliness of the body, purity of the breath and keeping the mind in the present time all these put together is the royal path to change your life to a blissful one!
As compared to other Yogas, this Yoga has a special significance. It is named Raja Yoga. The reason is that this is capable of giving the benefit instantly. This is a thing which has been proved similar to science. In the same way as in science, it is true that if you open out the shop there will be benefit. for this science also, it has as its base the truth that if you open up the shop there will be benefit. Other Yogas have belief as their basis. But Raja Yoga has science as its basis. It has proof as its basis.
Therefore, by following and adopting Raja Yoga in your life, the basic rules of Raja Yoga, I have not as yet told any thing difficult. Raja Yoga, as a matter of fact, is a deep one, a difficult one. I have given only some of the principles, which are its essence. By adopting at least the essence of this Raja Yoga in our life, we can take our life to an elevated state, a blissful state.
Let the essence of Raia Yoga create iov and bliss in your life and take you to eternal bliss, to attain the state of eternal bliss and to become eternal bliss itself.
Nithya ananda.
Thank you.