By
SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA
A DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY PUBLICATION
Eleventh Edition: 1996
(8,000 Copies)
World Wide Web (WWW) Edition : 1999
Website: http://www.divinelifesociety.org/
This WWW reprint is for free distribution
© The Divine Life Trust Society
ISBN 81-7052-017-7
Published By
THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY
P.O. Shivanandanagar—249 192
Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttaranchal,
Himalayas, India.
CONTENTS
The value of this great little work is evident even from a mere reading
of its table of contents. It is a book of perennial interest and many-sided
usefulness for self-culture, self-knowledge, acquisition of the power
of personality and success in life.
It is a work that edifies, imparts illumination to the intelligence,
and empowers human will for good and for achievement of greatness. Students,
grown-up persons, doctors, lawyers, businessmen, seekers after Truth
and lovers of God—all are bound to find in the pages of this publication
plenty of specific guidance for thought-culture and thought power and
for living a positive, dynamic, rich, triumphant and joyous life.
—THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY.
This instructive book carries in itself a life-transforming value.
None who reads it, with the needed interest and attention, will ever
feel inclined to remain unchanged in personal nature and untransformed
in conduct and character. A good deal of careful judgment and confidence
would assist us in asserting that no one who reads this work, will fail
to resist the readiness to make of his own will a Power that alters
and exalts his own life and destiny. The work is fraught with implicit
guidance for turning our personalities into forces of compelling influence
and charm, and for rendering our lives into so many grand stories of
the epic unfoldment of the Divine Truth we enshrine, the Divine Light
we bear, and the Divine perfection we hold in our inner being.
This, then, is a simple, straightforward, inspiring book that holds
out many methods for the culture and nurture of thought power. It is
also a work that presents us with many useful suggestions which enable
us to reach a region beyond the terrain of thought and its power, a
realm of transcendental Experience and God-consciousness.
Helped by his own illimitable Love for all humanity, and dictated by
the logic of his untiring energies for the service of every man, Sivananda
has made himself extremely useful to all kinds of people, to men in
all walks of life, and has written books on a rich diversity of themes
in his own illuminating and spiritual way. Embodying in himself the
very spirit of the whole of Indian spiritual culture, Sivananda has
poured out on mankind hundreds of gifts of the books that enshrine Wisdom
of Life. The present work will commend itself, and will yield many rewards,
to both the lay public and the community of spiritual individuals. It
will be found very valuable more particularly by persons who, while
not believing in any religion, not given over to love any God, not subscribing
to any article of faith, are yet eager to live a life of power, purity,
peace, prosperity, progress, happiness and fulfilment, right in the
environs of their work-a-day world.
Sivananda has attempted implicitly to present in this work, a dynamic
knowledge of thought power at these three distinct fields:—
1. The field of higher applied psychology: Here Sivananda speaks
of thoughts as forces that chisel countenance, fashion character, change
destiny, and make of life an all-round success.
2. The field of a full-fledged parapsychology: This field is
covered by those widely scattered passages and chapters in this work,
which throw illumination on the fact that human Mind is the seat and
centre of a number of supernormal powers and factors. Sivananda urges
the readers to tap these powers, and to make operative in their own
outer life, the various higher faculties they command.
3. The field of transcendental realization: Wherever Sivananda
prescribes a method for, or speaks of thought-transcendence, he is attempting
to lead us into the domains of Divine Realization in which thought ceases
to be thought, and blazes into infinite Consciousness.
This work, then, represents Sivananda to the readers, in a way, as
a practical psychologist, a physicist and chemist in the world of the
phenomena of thought, a parapsychologist, a Yogi, and thus helps them
build their future, gain their success in life, and acquire the power
to manipulate thought and wrest from it the extraordinary powers it
holds. The book will also help them to attain refinement and culture
by thought-discipline, use their capacity for releasing wholesome, constructive
and inspiring thought-vibrations, obtain by accomplishing something
great and grand, peace, happiness, and gain God-realization which is
the meaning, aim, and ultimate destiny of all human life on earth.
Chapter One
While light travels at the rate of 1,86,000 miles per second, thoughts
virtually travel in no time.
Thought is finer than ether, the medium of electricity. In broadcasting,
a singer sings beautiful songs at Calcutta. You can hear them nicely
through the radio set in your own house at Delhi. All messages are received
through the wireless.
Even so your mind is like a wireless machine. A saint with peace, poise,
harmony and spiritual waves sends out into the world thoughts of harmony
and peace. They travel with lightning speed in all directions and enter
the minds of persons and produce in them also similar thoughts of harmony
and peace. Whereas a worldly man whose mind is full of jealousy, revenge
and hatred sends out discordant thoughts which enter the minds of thousands
and stir in them similar thoughts of hatred and discord.
If we throw a piece of stone in a tank or a pool of water, it will
produce a succession of concentric waves travelling all around from
the affected place.
The light of a candle will similarly give rise to waves of ethereal
vibrations travelling in all directions from the candle.
In the same manner, when a thought, whether good or evil, crosses the
mind of a person, it gives rise to vibrations in the Manas or mental
atmosphere, which travel far and wide in all directions.
What is the possible medium through which thoughts can travel from
one mind to another? The best possible explanation is that Manas or
mind-substance fills all space like ether and it serves as the vehicle
for thoughts, as Prana is the vehicle for feeling, as ether is the vehicle
for heat, light and electricity and as air is the vehicle for sound.
You can move the world through thought-force. Thought has great power.
It can be transmitted from one man to another man. The powerful thoughts
of great sages and Rishis of yore are still recorded in the Akasa (Akasic
records).
Yogins who have clairvoyant vision can perceive those thought-images.
They can read them.
You are surrounded by an ocean of thought. You are floating in the
ocean of thought. You are absorbing certain thoughts and repelling some
in the thought-world.
Everyone has his own thought-world.
Thoughts are living things. A thought is as much solid as a piece of
stone. We may cease to be, but our thoughts can never die.
Every change in thought is accompanied by vibration of its matter (mental).
Thought as force needs a special kind of subtle matter in its working.
The stronger the thoughts, the earlier the fructification. Thought
is focussed and given a particular direction and, in the degree that
thought is thus focussed and given direction, it is effective in the
work it is sent out to accomplish.
Thought is a finer force. This is supplied to us by food. If you read
Chhandogya Upanishad—the dialogue between Uddalaka and Svetaketu—you
will understand this point well.
If the food is pure, thought also becomes pure. He who has pure thoughts
speaks very powerfully and produces deep impression on the minds of
the hearers by his speech. He influences thousands of persons through
his pure thoughts.
A pure thought is sharper than the edge of a razor. Entertain always
pure, sublime thoughts. Thought-culture is an exact science.
Those who harbour thoughts of hatred, jealousy, revenge and malice
are verily very dangerous persons. They cause unrest and ill-will amongst
men. Their thoughts and feelings are like wireless messages broadcast
in ether, and are received by those whose minds respond to such vibrations.
Thought moves with tremendous velocity. Those who entertain sublime
and pious thoughts help others, who are in their vicinity and at a distance
also.
Thought has got tremendous power. Thought can heal diseases. Thoughts
can transform the mentality of persons. Thought can do anything. It
can work wonders. The velocity of thought is unimaginable.
Thought is a dynamic force. It is caused by the vibrations of psychic
Prana or Sukshma Prana on the mental substance. It is a force like gravitation,
cohesion or repulsion. Thought travels or moves.
What is this world, after all? It is nothing but the materialization
of the thought-forms of Hiranyagarbha or God.
You have got waves of heat and light and electricity in science. There
are also thought-waves in Yoga. Thought has tremendous power. Everybody
is experiencing the power of thought unconsciously to a greater or lesser
degree.
Great Yogins like Jnanadev, Bhartrihari and Patanjali used to send
and receive messages to and from distant persons through mind-telepathy
(mental radio) and thought-transference. Telepathy was the first wireless
telegraph and telephone service ever known to the world.
Just as you take physical exercises, play games such as tennis and
cricket in order to maintain physical health, you will have to maintain
mental health by radiating the right thought-waves, by taking Sattvic
food, mental recreation of an innocent and harmless nature, change of
mood, relaxation of mind by entertaining good, ennobling and sublime
thoughts and by cultivating the habit of cheerfulness.
Every thought that you send out is a vibration which never perishes.
It goes on vibrating every particle of the universe and if your thoughts
are noble, holy and forcible, they set in vibration every sympathetic
mind.
Unconsciously all people who are like you take the thought you have
projected and in accordance with the capacity that they have, they send
out similar thoughts. The result is that, without your knowledge of
the consequences of your own work, you will be setting in motion great
forces which will work together and put down the lowly and mean thoughts
generated by the selfish and the wicked.
Every man has his own mental world, his own mode of thinking, his own
ways of understanding things and his own ways of acting.
Just as the face and voice of every man differ from those of another
man, the mode of thinking and understanding also differs. That is the
reason why misunderstanding easily occurs between friends.
One is not able to understand rightly the views of another. Hence friction,
rupture and quarrel occur within a minute even amongst fast friends.
The friendship does not last long.
One should be in tune with the mental vibrations or thought-vibrations
of another. Then only can one easily understand another.
Lustful thoughts, thoughts of hatred, jealousy and selfishness produce
distorted images in the mind and cause clouding of understanding, perversion
of intellect, loss of memory and confusion in the mind.
In physics you have the term ‘power of orientation’. Though
the mass of energy is there, the current will not flow. It must be connected
to the magnet and then the electric current will flow through the power
of orientation.
Even so, the mental energy which is dissipated and misdirected in various
worthless worldly thoughts should be well directed in proper spiritual
channels.
Do not store in your brain useless information. Learn to unmind the
mind. Unlearn whatever has been of no use to you. Then only can you
fill your mind with divine thoughts. You will gain new mental strength
as the dissipated mental rays are collected now.
A cell is a mass of protoplasm with a nucleus. It is endowed with intelligence.
Some cells secrete, while some cells excrete. The cells of the testes
secrete semen; the cells of the kidneys excrete urine. Some cells act
the part of a soldier. They defend the body from the inroads or attacks
of foreign poisonous matter and germs. They digest and throw them out.
Some cells carry food materials to the tissues and organs.
The cells perform their work without your conscious volition. Their
activities are controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. They are
in direct communion with the mind in the brain.
Every impulse of the mind, every thought, is conveyed to the cells.
They are greatly influenced by the varying conditions or states of the
mind. If there are confusion, depression and other negative emotions
and thoughts in the mind, they are telegraphically transmitted through
the nerves to every cell in the body. The soldier-cells become panic-stricken.
They are weakened. They are not able to perform their function properly.
They become inefficient.
Some people are extremely body-conscious, and possess no idea of the
Self. They live irregular, indisciplined lives and fill their stomachs
with sweets, pastries, and so on. There is no rest for the digestive
and the eliminating organs. They suffer from physical weakness and diseases.
The atoms, molecules and cells in their bodies produce discordant or
inharmonious vibrations. They have no hope, confidence, faith, serenity
and cheerfulness. They are unhappy. The life-force is not operating
properly. Their vitality is at a low ebb. Their mind is filled with
fear, despair, worry and anxiety.
Thought is the greatest force on earth. Thought is the most powerful
weapon in the armour of a Yogi. Constructive thought transforms, renews
and builds.
The far-reaching possibilities of this force were most accurately developed
to perfection by the ancients and put to the highest possible use.
For, thought is the primal force at the origin and back of all creation;
the genesis of the entire phenomenal creation is given as a single thought
that arose in the Cosmic Mind.
The world is the Primal Idea made manifest. This First Thought became
manifest as a vibration issuing from the Eternal Stillness of the Divine
Essence. This is the reference in classic terminology to the Ichha,
desire of the Hiranyagarbha, Cosmic Soul, that originates as a Spandana
or vibration.
This vibration is nothing like the rapid oscillation to and fro of
physical particles, but is some thing infinitely subtle, so subtle as
to be even inconceivable to the normal mind.
But this has made it clear that all forces are ultimately resolvable
into a state of pure vibration. Modern science also has newly arrived
at this conclusion after its prolonged researches in external physical
nature.
Radium is a rare commodity. Yogins who have controlled their thoughts
are also very rare in this world, like radium.
Just as sweet perfume continuously emanates from an incense stick,
so also divine perfume and divine effulgence (magnetic, Brahmic aura)
radiate from a Yogi who has controlled his thoughts and who is constantly
dwelling on Brahman or the Infinite.
The effulgence and perfume of his face is Brahma-Varchas. When you
hold in your hand a bouquet made of jasmine, rose and Champaka flowers,
the sweet perfume pervades the whole hall and tickles all alike.
Even so the perfume or fame and reputation (Yasas and Kirti) of a Yogi
who has controlled his thoughts spreads far and wide. He becomes a cosmic
force.
Every thought has got weight, shape, size, form, colour, quality and
power. A Yogi can see all these thoughts directly with his inner Yogic
eye.
Thoughts are like things. Just as you hand over an orange to your friend
and take it back, so also you can give a useful, powerful thought to
your friend and also take it back.
Thought is a great force; it moves; it creates. You can work wonders
with the power of thought. You must know the right technique of handling
and manipulating a thought.
Suppose your mind is rendered perfectly calm, entirely without thoughts.
Nevertheless, as soon as thought begins to rise, it will immediately
take name and form.
Every thought has a certain name and a certain form. Thus you find
that every idea that man has or can have, must be connected with a certain
word as its counterpart.
Form is the grosser and name the finer state of a single manifesting
power called thought.
But these three are one; wherever there is one, the other two also
are there. Wherever name is, there are form and thought.
A spiritual thought has yellow colour. A thought charged with anger
and hatred is of a dark red colour; a selfish thought has a brown colour
and so on.
Thought is a vital, living dynamic power—the most vital, subtle
and irresistible force existing in the universe.
Through the instrumentality of thought you acquire creative power.
Thought passes from one man to another. It influences people; a man
of powerful thought can influence readily people of weak thoughts.
There are nowadays numerous books on thought-culture, thought power,
thought-dynamics. A study of them will give you a comprehensive understanding
of thought, its power, its workings and usefulness.
Thought alone is the whole world, the great pains, the old age, death
and the great sin, earth, water, fire, air, ether. Thought binds a man.
He who has controlled his thoughts, is a veritable God on this earth.
You live in a world of thoughts. First is thought. Then there is the
expression of that thought through the organ of speech. Thought and
language are intimately connected. Thoughts of anger, bitterness and
malice injure others. If the mind which is the cause of all thoughts
vanishes, the external objects will disappear.
Thoughts are things. Sound, touch, form, taste and odour, the five
sheaths, the waking, the dreaming and deep sleep states—all these
are the products of mind. Sankalpa, passion, anger, bondage, time—know
them to be the result of mind. Mind is the king of the Indriyas or senses.
Thought is the root of all mental process.
The thoughts that we perceive all round us are only the mind in form
or substance. Thought creates, thought destroys. Bitterness and sweetness
do not lie in the objects, but they are in the mind, in the subject,
in thinking. They are created by thought.
Through the play of the mind or thought upon objects, proximity appears
to be a great distance and vice versa. All objects in this world are
unconnected; they are connected and associated together only by thought,
by the imagination of your mind. It is the mind that gives colour, shape,
qualities to the objects. Mind assumes the shape of any object it intensely
thinks upon.
Friend and enemy, virtue and vice are in the mind only. Every man creates
a world of good and evil, pleasure and pain, out of his own imagination
only. Good and evil, pleasure and pain do not proceed from objects.
These belong to the attitude of your mind. There is nothing good nor
pleasant in this world. Your imagination makes it so.
Thoughts are giant-powers. They are more powerful than electricity.
They control your life, mould your character, and shape your destiny.
Mark how one thought expands into many thoughts, within a short time.
Suppose you get an idea to set up a tea-party for your friends. The
one thought of ‘tea’ invites instantaneously the thoughts
of sugar, milk, tea-cups, tables, chairs, table-cloth, napkins, spoons,
cakes, biscuits, etc. So, this world is nothing but the expansion of
thoughts. The expansion of thoughts of the mind towards the objects
is bondage; and, the renunciation of thoughts is liberation.
You must be very watchful in nipping the thoughts in the bud. Only
then will you be really happy. Mind tricks and plays. You must understand
its nature, ways and habits. Then only can you control it very easily.
The world’s most extraordinary book of practical philosophical
idealism of India is Yoga-Vasishtha. The gist of this work is
this: “The non-dual Brahman or the immortal soul alone exists.
This universe as universe is not. Knowledge of the Self alone will free
one from this round of births and deaths. Extinction of thoughts and
Vasanas is Moksha. Expansion of mind alone is Sankalpa. Sankalpa or
thought, through its power of differentiation generates this universe.
This world is a play of the mind. This world does not exist in the three
periods of time. Extinction of Sankalpas is Moksha. Annihilate this
little ‘I’, Vasanas, Sankalpas, thoughts. Meditate on the
Self and become a Jivanmukta.”
Every thought has an image. A table is a mental image plus some external
thing.
Whatever you see outside has its counterpart in the mind. The pupil
is a small round thing in the eye. Retina is a small structure. How
is it that the image of a big mountain seen through a small aperture
or structure cast on the mind? This is a marvel of marvels.
The image of a mountain already exists in the mind. The mind is like
a vast sheet of canvas that contains all the pictures of the objects
seen outside.
Careful reflection will show that the entire universe is in reality
the projection of the human mind—Manomatram Jagat. Purification
and control of the mind is the central aim of all Yogas. Mind in itself
is but a record of impressions that keep expressing ceaselessly as impulses
and thoughts. The mind is what it does. Thought impels you to action;
activity creates fresh impressions in the mind-stuff.
Yoga strikes at the very root of this vicious circle by a method of
effectively inhibiting the functions of the mind. Yoga checks, controls
and stops the root function of the mind, i.e., thought. When
thought is transcended, intuition functions and Self-knowledge supervenes.
Thought has the potency of creating or undoing the world in the twinkling
of an eye. Mind creates the world according to its own Sankalpa or thought.
It is the mind that creates this universe, (Manomatram Jagat; Manahkalpitam
Jagat). Through the play of the mind, a Kalpa is reckoned by it
as a moment and vice versa. Like a dream generating another dream in
it the mind having no visible form generates existent visibles.
It is the mind that is the root cause of the tree of Samsara with its
thousands of shoots, branches, tender leaves and fruits. If you annihilate
thoughts, you can destroy the tree of Samsara at once.
Destroy the thoughts as soon as they arise. The root will dry up through
the annihilation of thoughts, and the tree of Samsara will wither soon.
This demands considerable patience and perseverance. You will be bathed
in the ocean of bliss when all thoughts are extirpated. This state is
indescribable. You will have to feel it yourself.
Just as the fire is absorbed into its source when the fuel is burnt
out, so also, the mind is absorbed into its source, the Atman, when
all Sankalpas or thoughts are annihilated. Then one attains Kaivalya,
the experience of the Timeless Reality, the state of absolute independence.
Chapter Two
If the mind dwells continually upon one train of thought, a groove
is formed into which the thought-force runs automatically and such a
habit of thought survives death and since it belongs to the ego, is
carried over to the subsequent earth-life as a thought-tendency and
capacity.
Every thought, it must be remembered, has got its own mental image.
The essence of the various mental images formed in one particular physical
life is being worked out in the mental plane. It constitutes the basis
for the next physical life.
Just as a new physical body is formed in every birth, so also a new
mind and a new Buddhi are formed in every birth.
Not easy is the act of explaining the detailed workings of thought
and destiny. Every Karma produces twofold effect, one on the individual
mind and the other on the world. Man makes the circumstances of his
future life by the effect of his actions upon others.
Every action has a past which leads up to it; every action has a future
which proceeds from it. An action implies a desire which prompted it
and a thought which shaped it.
Each thought is a link in an endless chain of causes and effects, each
effect becoming a cause and each cause having been an effect; and each
link in the endless chain is welded out of three components—desire,
thought and activity. A desire stimulates a thought; a thought embodies
itself as an act. Act constitutes the web of destiny.
Selfish coveting of the possessions of others, though never carried
out into active cheating in the present, makes one a thief in a later
earth-life, while hatred and revenge secretly cherished are the seeds
from which the murderer springs.
So again, unselfish loving yields as harvest the philanthropist and
the saint; and every thought of compassion helps to build the tender
and pitiful nature which belongs to one who is a friend to all creatures.
Sage Vasishtha asks Rama to do Purushartha, or show the prowess of
self-exertion. Do not yield to fatalism. It will induce inertia and
laziness. Recognize the Great Powers of Thought. Exert. By right thinking
make for yourself a great destiny.
Prarabdha is Purushartha of last birth. You sow an action and reap
a habit; a habit sown results in character. You sow a character and
reap a destiny.
Man is the master of his own destiny. You yourself make, by the power
of your thought, your destiny. You can undo it if you like. All faculties,
energies and powers are latent in you. Unfold them, and become free
and great.
Your face is like a gramophone record or plate. Whatever you think
is at once written on your face.
Every vicious thought serves as a chisel or needle to write down the
thoughts on your countenance. Your faces are covered with the scars
and wounds which are made by the vicious thoughts of hatred, anger,
lust, jealousy, revenge, etc.
From the nature of the scar on your face, we can at once read your
state of mind. We can at once diagnose the disease of your mind.
He who thinks that he can hide his thoughts is a dunce of the first
water. His position is like that of the ostrich which, when chased by
the hunters, hides its head underneath the sand and imagines that it
cannot be seen by anyone.
Face is the index of the mind. Face is the mould of the mind. Every
thought cuts a groove in the face. A divine thought brightens the face.
An evil thought darkens the face. Continued divine thoughts increase
the aura or halo.
Continued evil thoughts increase the depth of dark impressions, just
as the continued striking of a vessel against the edge of a well while
drawing water makes deeper and deeper hollow on the vessel. The facial
expression truly advertises the inner state of the mind or the true
contents of the mind.
The face is like an advertisement-board wherein is advertised what
is going inside the mind. Your thoughts, sentiments, modes and emotions
produce their strong impressions on the face.
In your face, you can hardly hide your thoughts. You may wrongly think
that you have kept up your thoughts in secret. The thoughts of lust,
greed, jealousy, anger, revenge, hatred, etc., at once produce their
deep impressions on your face.
The face is a faithful recorder and a sensitive registering apparatus
to register and record all the thoughts that are in your mind.
The face is a polished mirror to indicate the nature of the mind and
its contents at a particular time.
Mind is the subtle form of this physical body. The physical body is
the outward manifestation of the thoughts. So when the mind is wrought,
the body is wrought too.
As a man of rough appearance generally cannot invoke love and mercy
of others, so a rough-minded man cannot invoke love and mercy of anybody.
Mind very conspicuously reflects on the face its various states which
a man of intelligence can very easily read.
The body follows the mind. If the mind thinks of falling from a height,
the body prepares itself immediately and shows external signs. Fear,
anxiety, grief, cheerfulness, hilarity, anger, all produce their various
impressions on the face.
The eyes which represent the windows of the soul bespeak of the condition
and state of the mind.
There is a telegraphic instrument in the eyes to transmit the messages
or thoughts of treachery, depression, gloom, hatred, cheerfulness, peace,
harmony, health, power, strength and beauty.
If you have the faculty to read the eyes of others, you can read the
mind at once. You can read the uppermost thought or dominant thought
of a man if you are careful to mark the signs in his face, conversation
and behaviour. It needs a little pluck, acumen, training, intelligence
and experience.
Thoughts of worry and thoughts of fear are fearful forces within us.
They poison the very sources of life and destroy the harmony, the running
efficiency, the vitality and vigour. While the opposite thoughts of
cheerfulness, joy and courage, heal, soothe, instead of irritating,
and immensely augment efficiency and multiply the mental powers. Be
always cheerful. Smile. Laugh.
Thought exerts its influence over the body. Grief in the mind weakens
the body. Body influences the mind also in its turn. A healthy body
makes the mind healthy. If the body is sick, the mind also becomes sick.
If the body is strong and healthy, the mind also becomes healthy and
strong.
Violent fits of hot-temper do serious damage to the brain cells, throw
poisonous chemical products into the blood, produce general shock and
depression and suppress the secretion of gastric juice, bile and other
digestive juices in the alimentary canal, drain away your energy, vitality,
induce premature old age and shorten life.
When you are angry, the mind becomes disturbed. Similarly, when the
mind is disturbed, the body also becomes disturbed. The whole nervous
system is agitated. You become enervated. Control anger by love. Anger
is a powerful energy that is uncontrollable by practical Vyavaharic
Buddhi, but controllable by pure reason (Sattvic Buddhi) or Viveka-Vichara.
Thought creates the world. Thought brings things into existence. Thoughts
develop the desires and excite the passions. So, the contrary thoughts
of killing the desires and passions will counteract the former idea
of satisfying the desires. So when a person is impressed with this,
a contrary thought will help him to destroy his desires and passions.
Think of a person as a good friend of yours and there the thing is
created as a reality. Think of him as your foe, then also the mind perfects
the thought into an actuality. He who knows the workings of the mind
and has controlled it by practice is really happy.
In the thought-world also, the great law “Like attracts like”,
operates. People of similar thoughts are attracted towards each other.
That is the reason why the maxims run as follows: “Birds of the
same feather flock together,” “A man is known by the company
he keeps.”
A doctor is drawn towards a doctor. A poet has attraction for another
poet. A songster loves another songster. A philosopher likes another
philosopher. A vagabond likes a vagabond. The mind has got a ‘drawing
power’.
You are continually attracting towards you, from both the seen and
the unseen sides of life-forces, thoughts, influences and conditions
most akin to those of your own thoughts and lines.
In the realm of thought, people of similar thoughts are attracted to
one another. This universal law is continually operating whether we
are conscious of it or not.
Carry any kind of thought you please about with you and so long as
you retain it, no matter how you roam over the land or sea, you will
unceasingly attract to yourself, knowingly or inadvertently, exactly
and only what corresponds to your own dominant quality of thought. Thoughts
are your private property and you can regulate them to suit your taste
entirely by steadily recognizing your ability to do so.
You have entirely in your own hands to determine the order of thought
you entertain and consequently the order of influence you attract and
are not mere willowy creatures of circumstances, unless indeed you choose
to be.
Mental actions are real actions. Thought is the real action; it is
a dynamic force. It may be remembered, thought is very contagious; nay,
more contagious than the Spanish Flu.
A sympathetic thought in you raises a sympathetic thought in others
with whom you come in contact. A thought of anger produces a similar
vibration in those who surround an angry man. It leaves the brain of
one man and enters the brains of others who live at a long distance
and excites them.
A cheerful thought in you produces cheerful thoughts in others. You
are filled with joy and intense delight when you see a batch of hilarious
children playing mirthfully and dancing in joy.
A thought of joy in us creates sympathetically a thought of joy in
others. So do sublime elevating thoughts.
Keep a good and honest man in the company of a thief. He will begin
to steal. Keep a sober man in the company of a drunkard. He will begin
to drink. Thought is very contagious.
Keep the heart young. Do not think: “I have become old.”
To think “I have become old” is a bad habit. Do not entertain
this thought. At 60, think “I am 16.” As you think, so you
become. This is a great psychological law.
“As a man thinketh so he becometh.” This is a great truth
or truism. Think, “I am strong,” strong you become. Think,
“I am weak,” weak you become. Think, “I am a fool,”
fool you become. Think, “I am a sage or God,” sage or God
you become.
Thought alone shapes and moulds a man. Man lives always in a world
of thoughts. Every man has his own thought-world.
Imagination works wonders. Thought has tremendous force. Thought as
already said, is a solid thing. Your present is the result of your past
thoughts and your future will be according to your present thoughts.
If you think rightly, you will speak rightly and act rightly. Speech
and action simply follow the thoughts.
Every man should have a comprehensive understanding of the laws of
thought and their operations. Then alone can one live in this world
smoothly and happily. He can utilize the helping forces to serve his
ends in the best possible manner.
He can neutralize the hostile forces or antagonistic currents. Just
as the fish swims against the current, so also he will be able to go
against the hostile currents by adjusting himself properly and safeguarding
through suitable precautionary methods.
Otherwise he becomes a slave. He is tossed about hither and thither
helplessly by various currents. He is drifted like a wooden plank in
a river. He is very miserable and unhappy always, although he is wealthy
and possesses everything.
The captain of a steamer who has mariner’s compass, who has knowledge
of the sea, the routes and the oceanic currents can sail smoothly. Otherwise
his steamer will be drifted here and there helplessly and wrecked by
dashing against some icebergs or rocks. Likewise, a wise sailor in the
ocean of this life who has a detailed knowledge of the Laws of Thought
and Nature can sail smoothly and reach the goal of his life positively.
Understanding the laws of Thought, you can mould or shape your character
in any way you like. The common saying, “As a man thinketh so he
becometh,” is one of the great laws of Thought. Think you are pure,
pure you will become. Think you are noble, noble you will become.
Become an embodiment of good nature. Think good of all. Do always good
actions. Serve, love, give. Make others happy. Live to serve others.
Then you will reap happiness. You will get favourable circumstances
or opportunities and environments.
If you hurt others, if you do scandal-mongering, mischief-mongering,
backbiting, talebearing, if you exploit others, if you acquire the property
of others by foul means, if you do any action that can give pain to
others, you will reap pain. You will get unfavourable circumstances
or opportunities and environments.
This is the law of thought and nature. Just as you can build your good
or bad character by sublime or base thinking, so also you can shape
your favourable or unfavourable circumstances by doing good or bad actions.
A man of discrimination is always careful, vigilant and circumspect.
He always watches carefully his thoughts. He introspects.
He knows what is going on in his mental factory what Vritti or Guna
is prevailing at a particular time. He never allows any evil thought
to enter the gates of his mental factory. He at once nips them in the
bud.
By his good thinking, by watching the nature of his thoughts, by introspection,
by active noble thinking, the man of discrimination builds his noble
character, forms his high destiny. He is careful in his speeches. He
speaks little. He speaks sweet loving words. He never utters any kind
of harsh words that can affect the feelings of others.
He develops patience, mercy and universal love. He tries to speak truth.
Thus he puts a check on the Vak-Indriya and the impulses of speech.
He uses measured words. He writes measured lines. This produces deeply
profound and favourable impression on the minds of the people.
He practices Ahimsa and Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed. He
practices Saucha and Arjava (straightforwardness). He tries to keep
up balance of mind and to be always cheerful. He keeps up Suddha-Bhava.
He tries these three kinds of Tapas (physical, verbal and mental), and
controls his actions. He cannot think any evil. He cannot do any evil
action.
He prepares himself to get always favourable circumstances. He who
spreads happiness will always get such favourable circumstances as can
bring him happiness. He who spreads pain to others will, doubtless,
get according to the law of thought such unfavourable circumstances
as can bring him misery and pain. Therefore, man creates his own character
and circumstances, by the manner of his own thinking.
Bad character can be transmuted into good one, by good thoughts, and
unfavourable circumstances can be changed into favourable circumstances
by doing good actions.
As you think, so you become. As are your thoughts so must be your life.
Improve your thinking. Better thoughts bring better actions.
Mere thinking of the objects of this world is pain. Bondage is caused
by the very act of thought. Pure thought is a mightier force than electricity.
The mind which is attracted by objects of sense, tends to bondage,
while that which is not so attracted tends to emancipation. Mind is
a dacoit. Slay this mind-dacoit. You will be happy and free for ever.
Manifest all your strength in the task of conquering your mind. This
is true manliness or Purushartha.
Self-denial is a means to the purification and refinement of mind.
Purify and still the thoughts. The layers of ignorance covering knowledge,
will not be removed without a calm mind.
The subtle part of food forms the mind. Mind is manufactured out of
food. The subtle part of food is transformed into mind. Food does not
mean merely what we eat, but what we gather through all our senses.
Learn to see God everywhere. This is real food for the eye. Purity
of thought depends upon purity of food. You can see better, hear better,
taste better, think better, when you entertain sublime divine thoughts.
Look at an object through a green or red glass; the object appears
green or red. Even so, the objects are coloured by the desires through
the mirror-mind. All mental states are transitory; they produce pain
and sorrow.
Have freedom of thought. Free yourself from the slavery of prejudice
that blunts intellect and dulls thoughts. Think of the immortal Atman.
This is the right method of direct, original thinking. The Atman reveals
Itself after the purification of thoughts. When the mind is serene without
any want, without any motive, without any craving or desire or thought,
without any compulsion, without hope, then the supreme Atman shines.
There is the experience of Bliss. Live the way in which saints live.
This is the only way to victory over thoughts, mind and the lower self
and until you have conquered mind, there can be no sure and permanent
victory.
Be careful of your thoughts. Whatever you send out of your mind, comes
back to you. Every thought you think, is a boomerang.
If you hate another, hate will come back to you. If you love others,
love will come back to you.
An evil thought is thrice cursed. First, it harms the thinker by doing
injury to his mental body. Secondly, it harms the person who is its
object. Lastly, it harms all mankind by vitiating the whole mental atmosphere.
Every evil thought is as a sword drawn on the person to whom it is
directed. If you entertain thoughts of hatred, you are really a murderer
of that man against whom you foster thoughts of hatred. You are your
own suicide, because these thoughts rebound upon you only.
A mind tenanted by evil thoughts acts as a magnet to attract like thoughts
from others and thus intensifies the original evil.
Evil thoughts thrown into the mental atmosphere poison receptive minds.
To dwell on an evil thought gradually deprives it of its repulsiveness
and impels the thinker to perform an action which embodies it.
Thoughts are like the waves of an ocean. They are countless. You may
become desperate in the beginning of your attempt to conquer them.
Some thoughts will subside while some other thoughts will gush out
like a stream. The same old thoughts that were once suppressed may again
show their faces after some time. Never become despondent at any stage
of practice. You will surely get inner spiritual strength. You are bound
to succeed in the end. All the Yogins of yore had to encounter the same
difficulties that you are experiencing now.
The process of destruction of mental modifications is difficult and
long. All thoughts cannot be destroyed in a day or two. You should not
give up the practice of destroying the thoughts in the middle when you
come across some difficulties or stumbling blocks.
Your first attempt should be to reduce your wants and desires. Reduce
your wants and desires; then, the thoughts will decrease by themselves.
Gradually all thoughts will be extirpated.
The Buddha declared, “All that we are is made up of our thoughts.”
It is our thoughts that cause the round of births. So, we should always
strive to purify our thoughts.
When we go and sit near a sage, we feel a unique calmness; but if we
are in the company of a bad and selfish person, we feel uneasy. It is
because the vibrations of peace and calmness emanate from the aura of
the sage, whereas from the aura of the selfish person emanate vibrations
of evil and selfish thoughts.
The second effect of thought is the creation of a definite form. The
quality and the nature of a thought determine, the colour and the clearness
of that thought-form. A thought-form is a living entity and it has a
strong tendency to carry out the intention of the thinker. Blue thought-forms
denote devotion.
The thought-form of self-renunciation is of the lovliest pale azure
with a white light shining through it. Thought-forms of selfishness,
pride and anger are of grey-brown, orange and red colour, respectively.
We are always surrounded by these thought-forms and our minds are seriously
affected by them. Not one-fourth of our thoughts are our own, but are
simply picked up from the atmosphere. Mostly they are of evil nature.
So we should always utter God’s name mentally. It will always protect
us from their evil influence.
Particularly around minds of highly developed thought power, we sense
the manifest phenomenon of a powerful aura.
The palpable influence of a highly developed mind over a less developed
mind, needs to be specially marked. It is not possible to provide a
description of what it is like to be in the presence of a Master, or
a developed adept.
To sit in his presence, though he hardly speaks a word, is to feel
a thrilling sensation and discover the impacts of new inspirations that
it wields on our minds.
Mind carries aura—mental aura or psychic aura. The Sanskrit term
for aura is Tejas. It is brilliance or halo that emanates from the phenomenon
of mind. In those who have sought the full development of their minds,
we find it extremely effulgent. It is capacitated to travel long distances
and affect in the most beneficial manner a large number of persons who
are privileged to come under its influence. It must be noted that the
spiritual aura is far more powerful than either psychic or Pranic or
mental aura.
People of gloomy moods attract to themselves, gloomy things and gloomy
thoughts from others and from the Akasic records in the physical ether.
Persons with hope, confidence and cheerful spirits attract thoughts
of similar nature from others. They are always successful in their attempts.
People with negative moods of depression, anger, and hatred do positive
injury to others. They infect others and raise these destructive Vrittis
in others. They are culpable. They do great damage in the thought-world.
People with happy and cheerful moods are a blessing to society. They
bring happiness to others.
Just as a young, beautiful lady covers her face and does not like to
come out to mix with others in society when she has a nasty festering
sore on her cheeks or nose, also you should not come in public and mix
with your friends and other people when you have a mood of depression,
a mood of hatred or jealousy. For, you will infect others with these
moods. You will be a menace to the society.
Thought actually leaves the brain and hovers about. When a thought,
whether good or evil, leaves the mind of a person it gives rise to vibrations
in the Manas or mental atmosphere, which travel far and wide in all
directions.
It enters the brains of others also. A sage living in a Himalayan cave
transmits a powerful thought to a corner of America. He who tries to
purify himself in a cave, really purifies the world, helps the world
at large. Nobody can prevent his pure thoughts coming out and passing
on to those others that really want them.
Just as the sun goes on continuously converting into vapour every drop
of water that is on the surface of the earth and just as all the vapour
thus rising up gathers together in the form of clouds, all the thoughts
that you project from your own lonely corner will mount up and be wafted
across space, join similar thoughts projected by those who are like
you and, in the end, all these holy thoughts will come down with tremendous
force to subjugate undesirable forces.
Chapter Three
A true monk or Sannyasin can do everything through his thought-vibrations.
A Sannyasin or Yogi need not become the President of an Association
or the leader of a social or political movement. It is a foolish and
puerile idea.
Indians have now imbibed the missionary spirit of the West and cry
out that Sannyasins should come out and take part in social and political
activities. It is a sad mistake.
It is not necessary that a Sannyasin, a saint should appear on the
platform to help the world, to preach and elevate the minds of people.
Some saints preach by example. Their very lives are an embodiment of
teaching. Their very sight elevates the minds of thousands.
A saint is a living assurance for others for God-realization. Many
draw inspiration from the sight of holy saints.
No one can check the thought-vibrations from the saints. Their pure,
strong thought-vibrations travel a very long distance, purify the world
and enter the minds of many thousands of persons. There is no doubt
in this.
Doctors should have a thorough knowledge of the science of suggestion.
Sincere, sympathetic doctors are very rare. Doctors who have no knowledge
of suggestion do more harm than good. They kill patients sometimes by
unnecessarily frightening them.
If there is a little cough of an ordinary nature, the doctor says:
“Now, my friend, you have got T.B. You must go to Bhowali or Switzerland
or Vienna. You must go in for a course of tuberculin injection.”
Poor patient is frightened. There is not at all any sign of consumption.
The case is an ordinary one. It is simple catarrh of the chest from
exposure to chills. The patient actually develops phthisis by fright
and worry owing to the wrong destructive suggestion of the doctor.
The doctor ought to have told him: “Oh, it is nothing. It is simple
cold. You will be all right by tomorrow. Take a purgative and inhale
a little oil of eucalyptus. Adjust your diet. It is better you fast
today.” Such doctor is God Himself. He must be adored.
A doctor may say now: “Well, sir, if I say so, I will lose my
practice. I cannot pull on in this world.” This is a mistake. Truth
always gains victory. People will run to you as you are sympathetic
and kind. You will have a roaring practice.
There is healing by suggestion. This is a drugless treatment. This
is suggestive therapeutics. By good and powerful suggestion, you can
cure any disease. You will have to learn this science and practice it.
All doctors of Homeopathic, Allopathic, Ayurvedic and Unani systems
should know this science. They can combine this system along with their
own systems. They will have a roaring practice by this happy combination.
Through their spiritual vibrations and magnetic aura the unknown real
Yogins help the world more than the ‘Yogins’ of the platform.
Preaching from the pulpits and platforms belongs to men of second grade
spirituality, who have no knowledge and never put to use the supernormal
faculties and powers latent in them.
Great adepts and Mahatmas transmit their message through telepathy
to deserving aspirants in different corners of the world. Means of communication
that are supernormal to us are quite normal to a Yogi.
You can influence another man without any audible language. What is
wanted is concentration of thought that is directed by the will. This
is telepathy.
Here is an exercise for your practice in telepathy. Think of your friend
or cousin who is living in a distant land. Bring a clear-cut image of
his face to your mind. If you have his photo, look at it and speak to
it audibly. When you retire to bed think of the picture with intense
concentration. He will write to you the desired letter the following
day or so. Try this yourself. Do not doubt. You will be quite surprised.
You will get success and firm conviction in the science of telepathy.
Sometimes, when you are writing something or reading a newspaper, suddenly
you get a message from some one near and dear to you. You think of him
suddenly. He has sent a message to you. He has thought of you seriously.
Thought-vibrations travel faster than light or electricity. In such
instances, the subconscious mind receives the messages or impressions
and transmits the same to the conscious mind.
The science of thought power is very interesting and subtle. This thought-world
is more real relatively than this physical universe.
The power of thought is very great. Every thought of yours has a literal
value to you in every possible way. The strength of your body, the strength
of your mind, your success in life and the pleasures you give to others
by your company—all depend on the nature and quality of your thoughts.
You must know thought-culture, and develop thought power.
If you have a comprehensive understanding of the workings of the thought-vibrations,
if you know the technique of controlling the thoughts, if you know the
method of transmitting beneficial thoughts to others at a distance by
forming clear-cut well-defined powerful thought-waves, you can use this
thought power a thousandfold more effectively. Thought works wonders.
A wrong thought binds. A right thought liberates. Therefore, think
rightly and attain freedom. Unfold the occult powers hidden within you
by understanding and realizing the powers of the mind. Close your eyes.
Slowly concentrate. You can see distant objects, hear distant sounds,
send messages to any part not only of this world, but of the other planets
as well, heal persons thousands of miles off from you and move about
to distant places in no time.
Believe in the powers of the mind. Interest, attention, will, faith
and concentration will bring the desired fruit. Remember that mind is
born of the Atman through His Maya or Illusory Power.
You can aid a friend in trouble by transmitting to him thoughts of
comfort, right from the place where you are. You can help a friend in
search of Truth by thoughts, clear and definite of the truths you know.
You can send into the mental atmosphere thoughts which will raise,
purify and inspire all who are sensible to them.
If you send out a loving, helpful thought to another man, it leaves
your brain, goes directly to that man, raises a similar thought of love
in his mind and returns back to you with redoubled force.
If you send out a thought of hatred to another man, it hurts that man
and hurts you also by turning back to you with redoubled force.
Therefore, understand the laws of thought, raise only thoughts of mercy,
love and kindness from your mind and be happy always.
When you send out a useful thought to help others, it must have a definite,
positive purpose and aim. Then only it will bring out the desired effect.
Then only that thought will accomplish a definite work.
Gain a clear understanding of suggestions and their effects upon the
mind. You should be careful in the use of suggestions. Never give wrong
suggestion which will have destructive results to anybody. You will
be doing a great harm and a disservice to him. Think well before you
speak.
Teachers and professors should have a thorough knowledge of the science
of suggestion and auto-suggestion. They can educate and elevate students
in an efficient manner.
In Southern India, when children cry out in houses parents frighten
them by saying: “Look here, Balu! Irendukannan (the two-eyed man)
has come. Keep quiet, or I will hand you over to this man.” “Puchandi
(or ghost) has come,” and suggestions of this sort are very destructive.
The child becomes timid.
The minds of children are elastic, tender and pliable. Samskaras are
indelibly impressed at this age. Changing or obliterating the Samskaras
becomes impossible when they grow. When the child grows into a man,
he manifests timidity.
Parents should infuse courage into the minds of their children. They
should say: “Here is a lion. See the lion in this picture. Roar
like a lion. Be courageous. See the picture of Shivaji, Arjuna or Clive.
Become chivalrous.”
In the West, teachers show the pictures of battlefields to children
and say: “Look here, James! See this picture of Napoleon. Look
at his chivalry. Won’t you like to become a Commander-in-chief
of the army or a Brigadier-General?” They infuse courage into the
minds of children from their very childhood. When they grow, these Samskaras
get strengthened by additional external stimuli.
Practice telepathy in the beginning from a short distance. It is better
to practice at night, to start with.
Ask your friend to have the receptive attitude and concentration at
ten o’clock. Ask him to sit on Vajrasana or Padmasana with closed
eyes in a dark room.
Try to send your message exactly at the appointed time. Concentrate
on the thoughts that you want to send. Will strongly now. The thoughts
will leave your brain and enter the brain of your friend.
There may be some mistakes in the beginning here and there. When you
advance in practice and know the technique well, you will always be
correct in sending and receiving messages.
Later on, you will be able to forward messages to different corners
of the world. Thought-waves vary in intensity and force. The sender
and receiver should practice great and intense concentration. Then there
will be force in sending the messages, clarity and accuracy in receiving
the messages. Practice in the beginning telepathy from one room to the
next room in the same house.
This science is very pleasant and interesting. It needs patient practice.
Brahmacharya is very essential.
Even as the sacred Ganga takes its origin in Gangotri, Himalayas, and
runs perennially towards Ganga Sagar, the thought-currents take their
origin from the bed of Samskaras (impressions) in the inner layers of
the mind, wherein are embedded the Vasanas or latent subtle desires,
and flow incessantly towards the objects both in waking state and in
dreaming state. Even a railway engine, is sent to the engine-shed for
rest, when its wheels become overhot; but this mysterious engine of
mind goes on thinking without a moment’s rest.
Practice of telepathy, thought-reading, hypnotism, mesmerism and psychic
healing clearly proves that the mind exists and that a higher mind can
influence and subjugate the lower mind. From the automatic writing and
the experiences of a hypnotized person, we can clearly infer the existence
of the subconscious mind which operates throughout the twenty-four hours.
Through spiritual Sadhana change the subconscious thoughts and mind
and become a new being.
Thought is life. What you think, that you are. Your thought creates
your environment. Your thoughts constitute your world.
If you entertain healthy thoughts, you can keep good health. If you
hold on to sickly thoughts in the mind, thoughts of diseased tissues,
thoughts of weak nerves, thoughts of improper functioning of organs,
of viscera, you can never expect good health, beauty and harmony.
Remember that body is a product of the mind and is under the control
of mind.
If you hold on to vigorous thoughts, your body, too, will be vigorous.
Thoughts of love, peace, contentment, purity, perfection, Divinity,
will make you, and also others around you, perfect and Divine. Cultivate
divine thoughts.
Chapter Four
The body is internally associated with the mind, rather the body is
a counterpart of the mind; it is a gross visible form of the subtle,
invisible mind. If there is pain in the tooth or in the stomach or in
the ear, the mind is at once affected. It ceases to think properly;
it is agitated, disturbed and perturbed.
If there is depression in the mind, the body also cannot function properly.
The pains which afflict the body are called the secondary diseases,
Vyadhi, while the Vasanas or desires that afflict the mind are
termed mental or primary diseases, Adhi.
Mental health is more important than physical health. If the mind is
healthy, the body will necessarily be healthy. If the mind is pure,
if your thoughts are pure, you will be free from all diseases primary
and secondary. “Mens sana in corpore sano—a sound mind
in a sound body.”
A sublime thought elevates the mind and expands the heart; a base thought
excites the mind and renders the feelings morbid and dark.
Those who have even a little control over their thoughts and speech
will have a calm, serene, beautiful, charming face, a sweet voice and
their eyes will turn brilliant and lustrous.
Every thought or emotion or word produces a strong vibration in every
cell of the body and leaves a strong impression there.
If you know the method of raising an opposite thought, then you can
lead a happy harmonious life of peace and power. Thought of love will
at once neutralize a thought of hatred. A thought of courage will immediately
serve as a powerful antidote against a thought of fear.
Man sows a thought and reaps an action. He sows an action and reaps
a habit. He sows a habit and reaps a character. He sows a character
and reaps a destiny.
Man has made his own destiny by his own thinking and acting. He can
change his destiny. He is the master of his own destiny. There is no
doubt of this. By right thinking and strong exertion, he can become
the master of his destiny.
Some ignorant people say: “Karma does everything. It is all destiny.
If I am destined by my Karma to be like this or that why then should
I exert? It is my destiny only.”
This is fatalism. This will bring inertia, stagnation and misery. This
is perfect misunderstanding of the laws of Karma. This is a fallacious
argument. An intelligent man will certainly not put such a question.
You have made your own destiny from within by your thoughts and actions.
You have a free will to choose now. You have got Svatantrata in action.
A rogue is not an eternal rogue for all times. Put him in the company
of a saint. He will change in no time. He will think and act now in
a different way and will change his destiny. He will become saintly
in character.
Dacoit Ratnakar was changed into Sage Valmiki. Jagai and Madai were
transformed. They were rogues of the first waters. You can become a
Yogi or a Jnani. You can make your destiny. You can make your Karma
in any way you like. Use the Power of Thought. Think rightly, think
nobly. You will have only to think, and to act. By right thinking, by
right desiring, by right acting, you can become a Sage, a millionaire.
You can attain the position of Indra or Brahma by good thought and action,
by good Karma. Man is not a helpless being. He has a free will of his
own.
Every change in thought makes a vibration in your mental body and this
when transmitted to the physical body causes activity in the nervous
matter of your brain. This activity in the nervous cells causes many
electrical and chemical changes in them. It is thought-activity which
causes these changes.
Intense passion, hatred, long-standing bitter jealousy, corroding anxiety,
fits of hot temper actually destroy the cells of the body and induce
diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen and stomach.
It is a point worthy to note with care that every cell in the body
suffers or grows, receives a life impulse or a death impulse, from every
thought that enters the mind, for you tend to grow into the image of
that which you think about most.
When the mind is turned to a particular thought and dwells on it, a
definite vibration of matter is set up and often, more of this vibration
is caused, the more does it tend to repeat itself to become a habit,
to become automatic. The body follows the mind and imitates its changes.
If you concentrate your thought the eyes become fixed.
It is often said that man is the result of his environmental forces.
This is not true. We cannot believe this, because the facts always prove
the contrary. Many of the world’s greatest men have been born in
poverty and in adverse circumstances.
Many who have been born in the slums and filthy surroundings have risen
to the highest status in the world. They have won laurels of fame and
distinguished themselves in politics, literature and poetry. They have
become brilliant geniuses and beacon-lights of the world. How do you
account for this?
Sri T. Mutthuswamy Aiyar, the first Indian High Court Judge in Madras
was born in absolute poverty. He had to study at night under municipal
lanterns. He had not sufficient food. He was clad in rags. He struggled
hard and achieved greatness. He rose above the environmental forces
by his strong will-power and iron-determination.
In the West, sons of cobblers and fishermen have risen to very high
position. Boys who did polishing of boots in the streets and who were
selling beer in bars and were cooking in hotels have become famous poets
and able journalists.
Johnson was placed in quite adverse environments. Goldsmith was “passing
rich with 40 pounds a year.” Sir Walter Scott was very poor. He
had no place to live in. The life of James Ramsay Macdonald is worth
mentioning. He was a man of great Purushartha. He rose from poverty
to power—from the field of labour to the status of Prime Minister
of Britain. His first job was addressing envelopes for 10 Shillings
a week.
He was too poor to buy tea; so he drank water instead. His main meal
every day for months was a three-penny beef-steak pudding. He was a
pupil-teacher. He took great interest in Politics and Science. He was
a journalist. He gradually through right exertion (Purushartha) rose
to the position of a Prime Minister.
Sri Sankaracharya, the exponent of Advaita philosophy, a spiritual
giant and a brilliant genius was born in poor, unfavourable environments
and circumstances. There are thousand and one instances like these.
It is quite obvious, therefore, that unfavourable environments cannot
annihilate the potential greatness and excellence of the future geniuses
and that one can outgrow environments by diligent application, patience,
perseverance, truthfulness, honesty, integrity, sincerity of purpose,
iron-will and strong determination.
Every man is born with his Samskaras. The mind is not a tabula rasa
or a blank sheet of paper. It contains the impressions of thoughts
and actions of the previous births. Samskaras are the latent potentialities.
These good Samskaras are valuable assets for man. Even though he is
placed in unfavourable environments, these Samskaras give him protection
from extraneous, undesirable, hostile influences. They help his growth
and evolution.
Miss not any opportunity. Avail yourself of all opportunities. Every
opportunity is meant for your uplift and development. If you see a sick
man lying down on the roadside in a helpless condition, take him on
your shoulders or vehicle to the nearest hospital. Nurse him. Give him
hot milk or tea or coffee. Shampoo his legs with Divine Bhava.
Feel the all-pervading, all-permeating, interpenetrating indwelling
God in him. See divinity in the glow in his eyes, in his cry, in his
breath, in his pulsation and motion of his lungs.
God has given this opportunity for you to develop mercy and love, to
purify your heart and to remove Ghrina, hatred and jealousy. Sometimes
if you are very timid, God will place you in such circumstances wherein
you will be forced to exhibit courage and presence of mind by risking
your life. These world figures who have risen to eminence have utilized
all opportunities to the best advantage. God shapes the minds of human
beings by giving them opportunities.
Remember that in your weakness lies the strength, because you will
be always on your alert to safeguard yourself. Poverty has got its own
virtues. Poverty infuses humility, strength, power of endurance and
luxury begets laziness, pride, weakness, inertia and all sorts of evil
habits.
Do not grumble, therefore, of bad environments. Create your own mental
world and environments. That man who tries to evolve or grow in adverse
environments will be a very strong man indeed. Nothing can shake him.
He will be of a sterner stuff. He will have strong nerves.
Man is certainly not a creature of environments or circumstances. He
can control and modify them by his capacities, character, thoughts,
good actions and right exertion (Purushartha). Tivra (intense) Purushartha
can change the destiny. That is the reason why Vasishtha and Bhishma
have placed Purushartha above destiny. Therefore, dear brothers! Exert.
Conquer nature and rejoice in the eternal Satchidananda Atman.
The body with its organs is no other than the thought. The mind contemplating
upon the body becomes the body itself, and then enmeshed in it, is afflicted
by it.
This physical body is the mould as it were, made by the mind for its
own enjoyment, for its outpouring of energy and thereby gaining different
experiences of this world through the five avenues or channels of knowledge,
the five Jnana-Indriyas (organs of knowledge or perception). The body
is really our thoughts, moods, convictions and emotions objectified,
made visible to the naked eyes.
All the bodies have their seat in the mind only. Without water can
a garden exist?
It is the mind which transacts all business and is the highest of bodies.
Should this gross body be dissolved, the mind will assume fresh bodies
to its liking very quickly. Should the mind be paralyzed, then the body
will not evince our intelligence.
With the majority of mankind, the thought is greatly under the control
of the body. Their minds being very little developed, they live in Annamaya
Kosa, mostly. Develop the Vijnanamaya Kosa and through Vijnanamaya Kosa
(Buddhi) control the Manomaya Kosa (mind).
The erroneous thought that you are the body is the root of all evils.
Through wrong thinking you identify yourself with the body. Dehadhyasa
arises. You are attached to the body. This is Abhimana. Then Mamata
(mine-ness) arises. You identify yourself with your wife, children,
house, etc. It is identification or attachment that brings about bondage,
misery and pain.
Chapter Five
A man who speaks the truth and has moral purity has always powerful
thoughts. One who has controlled anger by long practice has tremendous
thought power.
If a Yogi whose thought is very powerful speaks one word, it will produce
tremendous impression on the minds of others.
Virtues like truthfulness, earnestness and industry are the best sources
of mental power. Purity leads to wisdom and immortality. Purity is of
two kinds, internal or mental and external or physical.
Mental purity is more important. Physical purity is also needed. With
the establishment of internal mental purity, cheerfulness of mind, one-pointed
mind, conquest of Indriyas and fitness for the realization of the Self
are obtained.
There is no limit to the power of human thought. The more concentrated
the human mind is, the more power is brought to bear on one point.
The rays of the mind are scattered in the case of the worldly-minded
persons. There is dissipation of mental energy in various directions.
For purposes of concentration, these scattered rays have to be gathered
by the practice of concentration and then the mind must be made to turn
towards God.
Cultivate attention, you will have good concentration. A serene mind
is fit for concentration. Keep the mind serene. Be cheerful always.
Then alone can you concentrate. Be regular in your concentration. Sit
in the same place, at the same time, 4 a.m.
Celibacy, Pranayama, reduction of wants and activities, dispassion,
silence, seclusion, discipline of the senses, Japa, control of anger,
giving up reading novels, newspapers and visiting cinemas are all aids
to concentration.
Too much physical exertion, too much talking, too much eating, too
much mixing with worldly persons, too much walking, too much sexual
indulgence, are obstacles to concentration.
Destroy random thinking. Take a subject and think of its different
aspects and bearing. When you think so on one subject, never allow any
other thought to enter the conscious mind. Withdraw the mind again to
the subject on hand.
Take for instance, you begin to think on the life and teachings of
Jagadguru Adi Sankaracharya. Think of his birthplace, his early life,
his character, his personality, his virtues, his teachings, his writings,
his philosophy, some of the important utterings of his works or Slokas,
the Siddhis that he exhibited from time to time, his Digvijaya, his
four disciples, his four Mutts, his commentary on the Gita, the Upanishads
and the Brahma Sutras. Think of these items one by one in order. Exhaust
them. Again and again, bring the mind to the point. Then take up another
subject.
By this practice, you will develop organized thinking. The mental images
will gain intense strength and force. They will become clear-cut and
well-defined. In ordinary persons the mental images are distorted and
undefined.
Every sensual thought rejected, every temptation resisted, every harsh
word withheld, every noble aspiration encouraged, helps you to develop
will-power or soul-force and takes you nearer and nearer to the Goal.
With strong feeling, repeat mentally: “My will is powerful, pure
and irresistible. OM OM OM. I can do everything through my will. OM
OM OM. I have an invincible will. OM OM OM.”
Will is the dynamic soul-force. When it operates all the mental powers
such as the power of judgment, power of memory, power of grasping, power
of conversation, reasoning power, power of discrimination, power of
reflection and inference—all these come into instant play.
Will is the king of mental powers. When rendered pure and irresistible,
thought and will can work wonders. Will becomes impure and weak through
vulgar passions, love of pleasures and desires. The lesser the number
of desires, the stronger is the thought power, and the will. When sexual
energy, the muscular energy, anger, etc., are transmuted into the will-force
they are controlled. There is nothing impossible on earth for a man
of strong will-power.
When you give up an old habit of drinking coffee, you have controlled
to a certain extent the sense of taste, destroyed one Vasana, and have
eliminated the craving for it. As there is freedom from the efforts
to procure coffee and also from the habit of taking it, you will gain
some peace. The energy involved in the hankering for coffee, and which
was agitating you, will now be converted into the power of will
