jabdakhata

In Gita the lord says in the second chapter, verses 62 and 63– Dhyatah vishayan punshah sangasteshupajayate Sangat sanjayate kama kamat krodhabhijayate Krodhatbhavati sanmohah sanmohat smriti bibhramah Smriti bhramsad buddhinashah buddhinashad pranashyati This means that while meditating constantly on a worldly matter which affects one deeply, one may develop an attachment and cannot get rid of the troublesome thought. Attachment results in desire and desire, if resisted or unfulfilled, results in anger. It is very surprising how the two common enemies of mankind as proclaimed in Gita – Anger and Desire, are intrinsically related, from the latter often the former evolves and the former often fuels the latter. The desire may be gross or even subtle, like earning some name and fame, a wish that somebody will praise an act, getting some material objects including begetting children, wealth and prosperity, power, good fortune, having to get go of something which is desirable or clo

How do we develop dispassion? One way is to consider this world as a hell, with all its sufferings and miseries and thereby long for a reprieve, a kind of escape from the mundane and gross reality. However, that is pessimistic approach. A far better way is to cultivate love, love for a better life, love for peace, love for the divinity inside and a strong belief that the divinity can be realized. Everybody in this world strives for a better life, for improvement in the living conditions. The purpose of natural evolution is improvement in living conditions, progressing from a lower to a higher and better form of life, from amoeba to human being with consciousness, from man to divinity, the seat of consciousness. The evolution happens over physical, mental and spiritual plain, when we change forms, when we mature and when we grow inwards. Meditation is a way of connecting to the divinity, of achieving this higher state, of being and becoming divine. Love is one of the ways of manifestin

Swami Vivekananda had prescribed several steps towards a good meditation – 1st step is to assume a posture and pray that the posture can be retained till the end. 2nd step is to pray for the well being of all, eliminate all selfish thoughts 3rd step is to do a few pranayams or breath control exercises (a maximum of three, because pranayams, although it is said that they can help in controlling the mind better by controlling the vital forces in the body, can be dangerous if not performed under the supervision of a qualified person) 4th step is to go for the actual meditation, for atleast half an hour. Swami Vivekananda also advocated letting the mind run around for sometime before even trying to focus it. The mind like an errant child, after playing for sometime will get tired and come back to its resting place, just as a child goes back to its mother after being tired with a day’s play. Another way which is advocated by spiritual seekers is to let the mind work its way ins

Only a yogi is able to completely control the mind; however for ordinary folks even attempt to do so has lot of benefits. Purification of mind increases the divine or superior nature or Sattvic bhava and eliminates the baser nature or the crude Rajasic and Tamasic bhavas or the demonic characters. That means one has lesser anger, material cravings and desires, impulsiveness, excitement, stress, depression. One experiences more joy with life, gets a real purpose of life, becomes more compassionate, understanding, and develops empathy and fellow feeling which helps in personal and professional lives. One is able to contend with the internal enemies like lust, anger, greed, pride and ego, delusion and envy better as one becomes aware of their presence. Awareness is the first step towards fighting the menace. Once somebody is aware of his or her weaknesses, he or she is able to fight it out. Connecting to the inner world is necessary to know one self completely, which is often hidden am

So all these practices are intrinsically linked to each other and can form a comprehensive or holistic way of having superiority over the vagaries of mind. It is very easy to train and control a pure mind, just as it is easy to control a docile and good natured horse. However it requires a lot of patience and determination. Mind is a very powerful enemy, unless one has formidable strength of will, battling with mind is not easy. A lot of patience is needed because focusing or concentration does not happen easily; it needs a lot of time before one can even concentrate for a few minutes, unless one starts at a very early age. One has to get rid of desires arising and anxieties looming large and all other kinds of thoughts which tend to surface up just as one starts looking inwards. Sri Ramakrishna narrated a small parable on determination about a young boy who, in order to get water, began digging in a place, but getting disheartened with only rocks and sand and no water, he left it a

What happens when one begins to meditate? Anybody who has tried meditation will agree with Arjuna that it is very difficult to control the mind because it always tends to run away in different directions, it scatters, it runs after sense objects, all the problems and thoughts which have been lying hitherto hidden, surfaces up and gives much pain. It is impossible to attain a complete focus on a subject even it is only for a few minutes. So what is the way out? The key lies in practice, sadhana. The first thing which is necessary to focus the mind is to think of a form, may be of God, or that of any thing very dear to anybody. Sri Ramakrishna had prescribed to a devotee that she could meditate on the form of her nephew whom she loved very much. Such affection helps in restraining the mind. A form is very essential contrary to the popular belief that “meditation is freeing the mind from all thoughts and making it blank”, because we need something to focus upon, so one single, determin

Therefore first step in good meditation is to control the senses. That’s what the Lord prescribes in 3rd Chapter of Gita when he says – Tasmad indriyani adyaou niyamya bhatarsabha Papmanam prajahi hi enam gyanavigyananashanam -First control your senses and try overcoming these sinful impulses (lust, anger) which destroys the knowledge (of the Self). Continence is the key in restraining lust, a key enemy against leading a pure life. Continence helps in controlling senses by taking away senses from their resp. objects, the source of distractions and deprives the mind much of its power to scatter in different directions. The other step is restraining desires. Desires will invariably drive mind and senses in different directions. Restraining desires also restrains anger as the two are intrinsically related (anger stems from desire – Gita Chapter 2, verse 62, 63) The second step is getting rid of the dirt and grimes which have accumulated in the mind over a long period of time, in

Attachment to sensual things means that mind gets a powerful source of distraction. If you are too concerned about money, name, fame, innumerable desires, power, lust, greed, anger, passion, jealousy, hatred, sorrow, or for that matter worldly joy and happiness, cravings and sensory pleasures, you are nowhere near to controlling the mind, instead it will control you. In Bhagvat Gita 3rd chapter the lord asks Arjuna to first control the senses (five sensory organs or eyes, ears, nose, skin and tongue and the five work organs of legs, arms, mouth, anus and reproductive organs), because the source of all troubles in the world – Kama and Krodha, or Desire and Anger, reside in the senses, in the mind and in the intelligence. These overshadow the Self, who is shining bright, just as smoke covers the fire, and dust covers a mirror, and the womb covers or encapsulates the fetus. He also goes on saying that senses are greater than the body, because they control all bodily functions, mind is

The basic purposes of meditation are contemplation, connecting with the inner world and diminishing the influence of the noises and disturbances of the outside world. However more often than not it is considered as a fad, a new trend for “spirituality seekers” whatever that may be. Nevertheless, getting addicted to meditation is certainly better than getting addicted to drugs, nicotine or alcohol and if a generation spends some time and money in search of that elusive peace, what is the harm? Peace is a fundamental need for every living being on this earth and there are very few who would not opt for this at any cost. Most of the fellows who are addicted to hemp or cocaine or alcohol do so because they can blissfully forget the “existence” which is so full of problems and miseries. However the effect of such recourse is very temporary and the impact is most damaging. Meditation, on the other hand can bring you closer to the ineffable bliss of the divine reality, at best, called Sat Ch

There was a piece of news that Supreme court has reduced the compensation to be paid to the victims of Uphaar cinema hall tragedy in which several people were burnt alive in 1997, from Rs 15 lakhs to Rs 7 lakhs. While the Supreme Court is the highest authority and any attempt to write against it would be treated as “contempt of the court”, I humbly ask one question to the honorable judges – what is the value of life? How can one even compute the value of a life lost, the cost of pains and sufferings and miseries for over fourteen years for the family members who are fighting for justice? In any civilized country the court would have asked for maximum punitive damages from the guilty party, in this case the builders, the MCD, the police etc. who gave the necessary safety clearances (a clear case of corruption). Sadly in India human life is treated with utmost contempt and often vested interests and other considerations hold greater sway. The builder (Ansals) however will appeal even th