HOW TO CONTROL THE MIND - PRANAYAM IS THE ANSWER

agrasen

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How to Control the Mind? - Sri Adi Sankaracharya

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ravishankar_g@yahoo.com Tue, May 19, 2009 at 8:15 AM
Reply-To: ravishankar_g@yahoo.com
To: sss-global@yahoogroups.com, srisathyanarayanaperumal@yahoogroups.com
Radhe Krishna To All,

Just as a tiger confined to a place surrounded by high walls makes repeated efforts to jump over the walls and, becoming exhausted, lies down panting, the mind, failing in its efforts to go out on account of the sense organs being restrained, becomes calm. Then it gives up all effort.

The mind gradually gives up all agitation if the breath is controlled through pranayama, if the company of sages is resorted to, if the vasanas are given up, and by the cultivation of devotion to the feet of Hari. The mind and the breath are like two sides of the same coin and so when one is controlled the other also becomes calm.

Restraint of the mind

If the mind is not allowed to go out towards external objects, but is fixed on the Self, it will become identified with the Self. When the mind is thinking of sense objects it becomes tainted and tamoguna predominates. When the mind withdraws itself from sense objects and attains dispassion towards them, sattvaguna will begin to manifest. (Prakriti, which is the material cause of the whole world is said to be composed of three gunas or modes, namely, sattva, rajas and tamas. The mind is also constituted of the same three gunas.

The proportion of these gunas varies from person to person. In the same person the proportion varies from time to time, depending on the activities of the mind, and one guna or other predominates. When sattvaguna predominates, the mind is calm, receptive to knowledge and pure. When Rajoguna predominates, the person is actuated by greed and is inclined to engage in action for the fulfilment of his desires, heedless of the consequences. When tamoguna predominates, the person becomes lazy and goes into a torpor). The mind of the ordinary person constantly seeks pleasure through the sense organs. If the desired object is not attained the person thinks that he has lost something very valuable and is very unhappy.

Every one has to experience the consequences of his actions in this life or in past lives. This is the inexorable law. The only way to prevent the mind from running out in search of sense pleasures is by the cultivation of dispassion.

The happiness experienced in deep sleep is not born of any sense object because at that time there is no contact of the mind with external objects through the sense organs.

The mind gradually gives up all agitation if the breath is controlled through pranayama, if the company of sages is resorted to, if the vasanas are given up, and by the cultivation of devotion to the feet of Hari. The mind and the breath are like two sides of the same coin and so when one is controlled the other also becomes calm.

Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan :
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
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