Last night we had some discussion on mantra-japa. Mantra is a kind of compact formula in which an idea or attitude is expressed. S was repeatedly asking me whether the mantra will mean everything in the life of a seeker. My dear boy, for a serious seeker, mantra means everything! Everything related to his spiritual life as well as otherwise.

I was explaining to him that our personality has a visible part consisting of the five senses of perception and the five organs for activity. It also has an invisible part which begins from the mind inward. Now, one has to understand which part – the visible or the invisible – is the fundamental, causal and the ultimate one. In order to use the organs – both for perception and action — there must be a conscious move from the mind. Again, after the perception or the action takes place, who feels that ‘I have perceived’ or ‘I have been acting’? Where do you find the final results of all interactions? So, the mind is not merely the origin of all activities, it is the terminal point as well.

Mind, thus, becomes supreme – the cause as well as the terminus of all that has to be done, achieved or gained. It is this mind that we try to act upon by chanting a mantra. It is this mind that we try to purify by all our spiritual pursuits.

What will happen when the mind becomes pure? A purer mind will be able to think clearer, understand better, generate the right emotions and right motivations at the proper time. It will be able to assimilate the inputs better and come out with proper reactions with more and more readiness. And finally, it will generate whatever fulfillment is necessary.

I said, “Whatever fulfillment is necessary”. This fulfillment, the mind is capable of generating all by itself. You may possess the entire universe but still not have fulfillment. The universe does not
enter your system! It is only the thought of possession that gives you the possessional joy. Whether you marry and become a parent, whether you get a good employment and have plenty of money – none of these things is going to enter your being! It is only the sense of possession that will give you the joy. But will such possessional joy give you fulfillment?

Fulfillment will be had when the mind is properly treated to become pure and the hindrances to fulfillment are removed. And, when the mind is properly developed to have fulfillment, will it need any of these external objects, situations or possessions?

Bhagavadgita says:
“When a man renounces all the desires of his mind and remains contented within himself, delighted by the Self alone, he is called a Sthita-prajña.”

Desires of the mind are hindrances to fulfillment. When the desires are removed, the mind becomes still. In that stillness, a joy wells forth from within. When that joy is felt, you will not have any kind of urge for possession. You will be fulfilled. To generate this fulfillment, the mind does not need any external possession.

Then what will remain? Your body, whatever it is, will continue to live, interacting with the world, acting in the world – but, with fulfillment! In the light of this fulfillment, if the way of your life is going to change, it will change. If you are going to be exclusive about this fulfillmental life, you will become one like us. What did happen in my case? My body was young and I felt Sthita-prajñatā having been experienced I must simply live after this. Other things I don’t need”.

Thus, in some cases, it may so happen that you become exclusively spiritual. If for my joy, I don’t need the world, then for what else do I need it? I don’t need it, but the world remains around me by the fact of my embodiment. The born body lives its term, and I continue to interact with the world in the light of whatever I have found, felt, and known to be supreme and fulfilling.

That is how Sages and Knowers live in this world. Well, whether you will pursue the path exclusively or not, leave the question to itself. You may or may not. If you don’t pursue it exclusively, then the partial pursuit will coexist with your other pursuits in the world. Logically, with time and evolution, this pursuit should grow in depth and wholesomeness, and consequently, other interests should dwindle.

To what extent it will grow, cannot be said. No rule can be enunciated in this regard. Individuals differ widely. Sri Krishna remained active as a Ksatriya, Vasishtha remained active as a Brāhmana, Vedavyasa, and Sukamuni became ascetics. But the point is that everything proceeds from the mind persists in the mind and finally concludes in the mind. You should think about it well. Don’t ask any further questions. Try to find answers yourself.

Harih Om Tat Sat

The post Fulfillment – By Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha appeared first on Global Gita.

Q: What is the one message of Bhagavad Gita, that is of particular importance to youth?
A: Our scriptures do not at all advocate a fatalistic view of life, as it is often alleged. The purpose of the scriptures is to guide us to elevate, integrate, and fulfill our personality by scientifically and assiduously employing our will and effort. Bhagavad Gita highlights the role of self-effort in verse VI.5 : “Uddharet aatmanaatmaanam – Elevate yourself by your own effort” .

Right from birth, we are slave to our attraction and repulsion towards worldly objects and situations. Our mind constantly undergoes elation, depression, and agitation, depending on whether the objective situation we face is to our liking or disliking. We are fearful of losing what we like and facing what we dislike.

Bhagavadgeeta wants us to transform this slavery into mastery by cultivating the “Yoga” attitude. It defines “Yoga” as evenness (samatva) of the mind towards success and failure, desired and undesired outcomes:
“siddhyasiddhyoh samo bhootvaa samatvam yoga uchyate” (BG II.48).
And it says that remaining well seated in this yoga-attitude or samatva-attitude is the key to excellence in all our performances: “yogah karmasu kaushalam” (BG II.50).
Cultivation of samatva means freeing the mind from the clutch of “raaga-dvesha” – affinity and hatred. Raaga means colour. Our vision is coloured by our constricted notion of ‘me’ and ‘mine’, and the resulting likes and dislikes, preference and prejudice. Removal of this colour allows us to see the world as it is, and also to see ourselves as we are. The true vision enables us to perform our best in any situation.

Q: How to free the mind from the clutch of raaga-dvesha?
A: Our focus is always outward, and the inner being is under the control of the external world. The senses are tied to the external objects and objective situations. The mind is driven by the attraction and repulsion of the senses and by its own desires. The intelligence analyzes and decides driven by the desires of the mind. So, the whole personality becomes slave to the objective situation.

Bhagavad Gita says that the way to freedom is to reverse this order of control (verses III.42 & 43). Tie the intelligence to our inmost true identity – the One universal Soul. Although we may not have a clear understanding of the Soul, its voice is there in everybody as the inner voice, because this is our real identity. Being under the spell of external attraction and repulsion, we don’t heed this voice.

Awareness of this universal identity will free the intelligence from the constrictions of partial and coloured vision. Led by the free intelligence, the mind will be able to overcome its clinging to selfish gains, and relieved of its stress produced by preference and prejudice. Employed by such a free mind the senses will do whatever is ultimately auspicious for oneself as well as the society.

The pursuit of evenness or samatva, although may appear to be only behavioural, is based on the Truth of one undivided Consciousness appearing as the diverse world. Bhagavad Gita says (V.19) that one who is well seated in samatva has won over the entire Creation, and is established in Brahman, the one undivided Reality.

The post Bhagavad Gita for Personality Transformation appeared first on Global Gita.

We often say we are able to understand this teaching, but not able to retain it. The ability to retain and hold on to it is known as dhrti, as Swami Nirviseshananda Tirtha beautifully explains in this practical and pertinent segment.

Dhrti, just like everything else in this objective world, is subject to the three gunas – the three modes of nature – sattva, rajas and tamas.

Sattvika dhrti is what anchors one to yoga buddhi. Yoga buddhi is when the Soul dimension is projected in the intelligence, bringing forth qualities such as unaffectedness, impersonality and universality. 

Rajasika dhrti activates us with bhoga buddhi (the tendency towards enjoyment, working egoistically). Finally tamasika dhriti immerses one in moha (delusion, wrong understanding).

To put it simply, says Swamiji, yoga, bhoga and moha, represent sattvaguna, rajoguna and tamoguna respectively. All three are generally present in all of us. 

As seekers on this path, our focus must be on cultivating more and more sattvika dhrti. As Krishna says in verse 33 of the 18th chapter;

धृत्या यया धारयते मन:प्राणेन्द्रियक्रिया: |
योगेनाव्यभिचारिण्या धृति: सा पार्थ सात्त्विकी || 33|| 

dhṛtyā yayā dhārayate manaḥ-prāṇendriya-kriyāḥ
yogenāvyabhicāriṇyā dhṛtiḥ sā pārtha sāttvikī

“With that dhrti, the mind, vital energies and sense organs all hold on to yoga in a non-desultory manner. Such a dhrti (which arises from the sattvika buddhi) is known as sattvika dhrti.”

Avyabhicari (non-desultory) is an important word for us to understand. Swamiji explains that vyabhicari means desultory, inconsistent. It is when we flit from one state to the other (for example from yoga to bhoga and back). Sattvika dhrti provides the one-pointed dedication and persistence of the buddhi to follow yoga and hold on to the Truth.

When the buddhi helps us differentiate between bondage and liberation, it is the drhti that allows us to follow it.  It enables us to use our viveka (discrimination) effectively so that it will be naturally followed by the right measure of vairagya (dispassion). This is how vairagya automatically follows viveka.

An interesting fact Swamiji pointed out is that physical features can reveal very deep-seated traits such as stealth. While facial expressions are flexible and respond accordingly to emotions, structural features such as formation of toes and other gross features of the body indicate a far deeper impact of traits and tendencies. Such traits are so deeply engrained that they are extremely difficult to rectify, often resulting in the person having no choice but to simply accept that this is how they are.

A crucial point for us to remember is that while the buddhi can become enlightened with the help of the Self-realized Teacher, dhrti will only come from our own sadhana. It is not enough to have sharp intelligence. We must make the effort to do the sadhana and cultivate sattvika dhrti. In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna gives a two-pronged approach of abhyasa (practice) and vairagya. The most powerful abhyasa is vichara (introspection). 

Swamiji explains in a purely rational and scientific manner that abhyasa provides the centripetal force that anchors us within. Vairagya reduces the centrifugal force created by the outside pull of the objective world, which takes us away from the center.

Therefore, Swamiji concludes, we must generate more of the centripetal force through abhyasa, and diminish the centrifugal force through vairagya. Ultimately this is the only way to develop dhrti, and remain anchored in our real identity, the Soul.

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