Dhyana Vahini - Post 21

Chapter VIII

 

Continuing with the efficacy of Namasmarana in taming mind, dear Lord writes,

Stick to the task of taming the mind

The value of name and form consists in the training that they give to the mind (manas). What need is there to train a horse that has already been trained? It is the untrained horse that is “broken” through many devices. Similarly, it is to tame the unruly mind that we have prayer, devotional singing, repetition of the name, and remembrance of the name. 

In the initial stages, the horse runs in many directions, but the trainer does not worry. He should hold fast to the reins. The mind, too, naturally runs in different directions when you begin remembrance and repetition of the name, but you must not yield to despair, anxiety, or indecision. 

Hold fast to the reins, the name (nama)! Within a short time, your speech and thoughts will come under your own grip. Only, do not allow anything to come near you that might make you forget the name of the Lord. You will realise the profit of that name in due course.

Do not crave the fruit the moment the sapling is planted! Do not pluck and chew the leaves and the twigs in the hope of inferring therefrom the taste of the fruit! Doing that does not help you enjoy the sweetness of the fruit; besides, the plant itself will not survive.

Similarly, your task is simply to cultivate the sapling called name of God (nama). While doing so, do not doubt and examine whether it has the glory ascribed to it. Without fail, that sapling will grow into a tree and give you the fruit you hope to eat. You can achieve it. 

The name is capable of yielding that fruit. So, the purpose of one pointed attention (ekagratha) is to make you stick to the name, without altering it, and to keep its form always in sight. The net of “remembrance of the Lord’s name (nama-smarana)” should have no torn holes; that is to say, it must take place always, with no intermission. If there is any gap, the fruit that falls into the net might escape through it! Perform meditation until your mind comes firmly under your control. That is the primary task.

Let the mind run wherever it likes; just be careful not to follow it, seeking to discover where it is going! It will then wander about for some time as the fancy takes it; soon, getting tired and exhausted, it will come back to you in the end! It is like a little child that knows nothing. 

Since the mother is following it and calling it back, it gets courage and confidence to run forward in any direction, but if the mother does not run behind the child and instead retraces her steps quietly, the child too, of its own accord, will run back to the mother!

Do not care for the vagaries of the mind. Carry on remembrance and meditation of the name and form that you like best, in the manner you are accustomed to. In this way, you will acquire one-pointedness (ekagratha); you will realise your heart’s desire.”

Introspection

An incident narrated by a student immediately flashes in mind even as the author reads the above message of Swami.

Here is that student, who is very studious, very much into prayers, very pious by nature and in a phase in his student’s life in Parthi, unwanted thoughts keep cropping up and he is just not able to control it.

So much so that such thoughts haunt him even while he sits on the verandah (or portico as students refer to), even when Swami is coming out from His home (above Bhajan mandir).

Unable to cope up with such unholy thoughts, the student shares what is going on within his mind to which, Swami replies thus:

“So what?? The nature of mind is to travel here and there, that too, this age is like that, it is natural for the mind to travel in all bad directions.

No need to feel bad about it, just watch your mind and just take care of one thing. Wherever your mind pulls you and pushes you for any action accordingly, JUST DON’T ACT.

While walking in street in pure white dress, it is not unusual to come across untidy, muddy, dirty spots with water logging. What do you do?? You watch it but you don’t get into it, you somehow manage to pull your trousers up, take the shoes in your hand if necessary and escape the dirt from affecting your white dress. Don’t you do it??”

Through the story, Swami teaches us, even if it is difficult to master our mind in initial stages of our sadhana, we should not ACT as per the dictate of our mind and instead, pass all such thoughts through our intellect, as taught in the MBCA session.

Also, Swami gives the moola mantra - if your mind is the horse which wants to run here and there, hold the reins in your hand and Swami prescribes “Nama” or “Namasmarana” as the reins to be kept in our hands, to prevent the horse, our mind, from going astray.

Swami leaves us with most important instruction in today’s Dhyana vahini post, which should be followed by every Sai devotee fully.

“The net of “remembrance of the Lord’s name (namasmarana)” should have no torn holes; that is to say, it must take place always, with no intermission. If there is any gap, the fruit that falls into the net might escape through it!”

In Navavidha Bhakti, Kirtanam and Vishnu smaranam are very important stages where, singing the glory of Lord and remembering the glory of Lord have to be incessant, non-stop!!!!! 

Love.