Thought Power Chapter No.13

[Pravin Kumar]

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 fallacioius argument. You have made your own destiny from within by your thoughts and actions.

You have a free will to choose now. You have got Swatantrata 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 Jnanni. 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. Man is not a hapless 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 th 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?

Shri T. Mutthuswamy Aiyar, the first Indian High Court Judge in Madraswas 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.

Johnsons 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 a tea; so he drank water instead. His main meal every day for months was a three-penny beef-steak pudding. He was a pupil-teahcer. He took great interest in Politics and Science. He was a journalist. He gradually through right exertion rose to the position of a Prime Minister.

[swetha]

i completely believe that our thoughts and actions make a person into what he is?
what role does karma lay in all this? if it does what is the balance?

[FloridaLightWorker]

swetha,

You answered your own question:

i completely believe that our thoughts and actions make a person into what he is?

This life is all based on our 'free will' (choices) and our 'thoughts and actions'. . . with 'karma' and life in general.

Some of us come in with physical disabilities from large 'bad karma' of past lives. It is up to that person to work through that disability and give back to the world, in whatever way they can.
Example: Helen Keller's contribution to the world of blindness. Stevie Wonder (blind) offering his music to the world. (I am sure you can think of some more.)

There are others that come in with 'good karma' in to a position of influential families. They are here to 'elevate consciouness' to the world, by being a role model if they choose to. (And they might not be here very long.) Example: The Kennedy family, Jack, President of USA - Bobby, Senator in USA, Ted - still in US Congress, and John Jr. male role model & 'Princess Diana', with all her charities and helping women.

I think one of the best examples of 'good karma' was the dedicated/devout life of 'Mother Theresa'
She held a 'shining light' out of true 'love' of her fellow human beings. Wonderful 'spiritual karma'!

Just offering some examples and I am sure you can think of a lot more. . . So it is up to us to resolve whatever issues we may have with Karma, good or bad. It is all a matter of our choices and actions in life. . .

'In the Light'. . . Linda

[Pravin Kumar]

Dear Linda,

There are many many examples but the one you gave of "Mother Teressa" beats them all. To be a human being like Mother Teressa is very difficult to imagine. I remember reading a famous astrologer writing about Her that she too had her Desires Normal like we normal people but she has conquered her desires for the welfare of Humanity.

OH WHAT A LADY. A VIRTUAL GODDESSS ON EARTH SENT BY HIM.

Pravin Kumar.

[Pravin Kumar]

Dear Pamela,

I was eagerly awaiting your reply. I came to know you had gone to Court through Linda and I could feel there was a stalemate which I informed her. But you coming out of it fully determined and thoughtful as to the next course of action. You have asked for Help and HE does not refuse anyone who seeks HIS help and HE has his own way of sending Help. We are behind you. I see you in White Light always but your Dad is in the Light sometimes 100% sometimes 50% and sometimes even out of it. You have powerful energy in your eyes and dishonesty doesn't stand a chance when faced with energy coming out of your eyes. Every truthful person has power in his eyes and heart for that is where the Creator is.

You remind of my younger sister who must be 56 now staying in New York or New Jersey. She was also swindled by some confidence tricster and all the wealth she has has been swindle by this person and she would not ask my help. You have asked and now I consider you to be my younger sister.

It won't take more than 6 months I feel for your case to come to conclusion. My Guru once told me that the power of evil is very concentrated for a short time, so much concentrated that truth at that moment does not stand a chance. But the power of Truth is uniform throughout and will never give way and hence it wins in the end as the power of evil is only for a short duration.

I have already posted in the Forum for all those who are psychics, expert in meditation, clairvoyants etc. etc. to get togethre to help those members in this group who need help. This shall be our small service to Humanity and HIS call to our conscience. Do keep Linda informed as she is as much interested in your welfare as myself.

Pravin Kumar.

[Pravin Kumar]

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 Samskaraas. The mind is not a blank sheet of paper. It contains the impressinos 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 enrivonments, these Samskaras give him protection from extraneous, undesirable, hostile influences. They help his growth and evolution.

Miss not any opportunity. Avail yourself oa ll 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 circumstancs 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 utilised all opportunities to the best advantage. God shapes the minds of human beings by giving them opportunities.

Rremember that in your weakness lies the strength, becauwe 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 mentl world and environments. That man who tries to evolve or grow in adverse environments will be a very strongman 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 (instense) Purushartha can change the destiny. That is the reason why Vasishtha and Bhishma have placed Purushartha above destiny. Therefore, der 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. Wihtout 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 paralysed, 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 KJosa, 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. Dehadhya arises. You identify yourself with your wife, children, house, etc. It is identification or attachment that brings about bondage, misery and pain.


Pravin Kumar.

[sambogakaya]

Thank you for posting that it was a very interesting read
hope to see more chapters in the future

[Pravin Kumar]

A man who speaks the truth and has moral purity has always powerful thoughts. One who has controlled anger by long practise has tremendous thought power.

If a Yogi whose thought is very poweruful speaks one word, it will produce tremendous impression on the minds of others.

Virtues like truthfulness, earnestness and inhdustry are the best sources of mental powre. 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 realisation 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 wordly-minded persons. There is dissipation of mental energy in various directions. For purposes of concentration, these scattered rays have to be gathered by the practise of concentration and then the mind must be mde 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. Against and again, bring the mind to the point. Then take up another subject.

By this practice, you will develop organised thinking. The mental images will gain intense srength and force. They will become clear-cut and well-defined. In ordinary persons the mental images are distorted and udnefined.

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 mentlly, "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 power, such as the power of discrimination, power of reflection and inference -- all these come into instant play.

Will is the king of mental power. 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. Thre, is nothing impossible on earth for a man of strong will-power.

When you give up an old habit of drinking coffeee, 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 convereted into the power of will. By this conquest over one desire, you gain will-power; and if you conquer some fifteen such desires, your will-power will be fifteen times stronger and more powerful. And this conquest, by imparting strength to the wil, will help you conquer other desires, too.

Unruffled state of the mind, poise, cheerfulness, inner strength, capacity to turn out difficult works, success in all undertakings, power to influence people, a magnetic and dynamic personality, magnetic aura on the face, sparkling eyes, steady gaze, powerful voice, magnanimous gait, unyielding nature, fearlessness, etc., are some of the signs or symptoms that indicate that one's will is growing.

The mental images of the common man are generally very distorted. He does not know what deep thinking is. His thoughts run riot. There is a great deal of confusion i his mind, sometimes.

It is only thinkers, philosophers and Yogins who have well-defined, clear-cut, mental images. They can be seen through clairvoynce very vividly. Those who practise concentration and meditaion develop strong, well-formed mental images.

Most of your thoughts are not well-grounded. They come and slip away. They are, therefore, vague and indefinite. The images are not clear, strong and well-defined.

You will have to reinforce them by clear, continuous and deep thinking. Through Vichara, ratiocination, Manana or deep reflection and meditation, you will have to make the thoughts settle down and crystalise into a definite shape. Then the philosophical idea will become firm.

Pravin Kumar.

[sambogakaya]

I love reading your work!!
may I ask if you found it in a book or on a website??

I can't wait for then next chapter
and im only curious

[Pravin Kumar]

Through right thinking, reasoning, introspection and meditation, you will have to clarify your ideas. Then confusion will vanish. The Thoughts will get settled and well-grounded.

Think clearly. Clarify your ideas again and again, introspect in solitude. Purify your thoughts to a considerable degree. Silence the thoughts.

Don't allow the mind to bubble. Let one thought - wave rise and settle down calmly. Then allow another thought to enter. Drive off all extraneous thoughts that have no connection with the subject-matter you are handling at the present moment.

Most of us do not know what right thinking is. Thinking is shallow in the vast majority of persons. Deep thinking is given to few. Thinkers are very few in this world.

Deep thinking needs intense Sadhana (practise), it takes innumerable births for the proper evolution of the mind. Then only can it think deeply and properly.

Independent and original thinking is resorted to by the Vedantins, Vedantic Sadhana (Manana, reflection) demands a sharp intellect.

Hard thinking, persistent thinking, clear thinking, thinking to the roots of problems, to the very fundamentals of the situation, to the very presuppositions of all thoughts and being is the very essence of Vedantic Sadhana.

You will have to abandon an old idea, however strong and ingrained it may be, when you get a new elevating idea in its stead.

If yo have no courage to face the results of your thinking, to swallow the conclusions of your thinking, whatever they may mean to you personally, you should never take the trouble to philosophise. Take up to devotion.

Being a great force, thought carries tremendous power. It becomes a matter of great moment to know how to use this power in the highest possible way and to the greatest possible effect. This can best be done by the practice of meditation.

Applied thinking applies the mind to the object and sustained thinking keeps it continually engaged: rapture brings about the expanding and bliss of the developing mind whose motives for non-distraction have been accomplished by those two kinds of thinking.

Meditation can arise when applied and sustained thinking, rapture, bliss and collectedness of mind arise.

Thought is a vital living force -- the most vital, subtle and irresistible force that exists in the universe.

Thoughts are living things, they move; they possess form, shape, colour, quality, substance, power and weight.

Thought is the real action; it reveals itself as a dynamic force.

A thought of joy creates sympathetically a thought of joy in others. The birth of a noble thought is a potent antidote to counteract an evil thought.

Through the instrumentality of exercised positive thought, we come to acquire creative power.

Do not be easily influenced by the suggestions of others. Have your own sense of individuality. A strong suggestion, though it does not influence the subject imediately, will operate in due course. It will never go in vain

We all live in a world of suggestions. Our character is daily modified unconsciously by association with others.

We unconsciously imitate the actions of those whom we admire. We daily absorb the suggestions of those with whom we come in daily contact. We are acted upon by these suggestions. A man of weak mind yields to the suggestions of a man of strong mind.

The servant is always under the influence of the suggestions of his master. The wife is under the influence of the suggestions of her husband. The patient is under the influence of the suggestions of the doctor. The student is under the influence of the teacher.

Custom is nothing but the product of suggestion. The dress that you put on, the manners, the behavious and even the food that you eat are all the outcome of suggestions only.

Nature suggests in various ways. The running rivers, the shining sun, fragrant flowers, the growing trees, are all incessantly sending you suggestions.

A powerful occultist hypnotises the whole audience collectively through his power of concentration and will and performs the rope-trick. He throws a red rope in the air, gives suggestion to the onlookers that he will climb in the air through this rope and disappears from the platform in the twinkling of an eye. But nothing is recorded when a photograph is taken.

Understand and realise the powers of thought. Unfold the hidden powers of occult faculties. Close the eyes. Concentrate. Explore the higher regions of the mind.

You can see distant objects, hear distant voices, send messages to distant places, heal person who are at a distance and move about to a distant place in the twinkling of an eye.


Pravin Kumar.

[swetha]

when we completely give up things that we want badly, then what do we live for?
we always look forward to having something that we dont have, and once we get it, we lose interest in it. mayb this is natural.... but without any sense of goal or "lakshya" what do we live for?

[FloridaLightWorker]

when we completely give up things that we want badly, then what do we live for?
we always look forward to having something that we dont have, and once we get it, we lose interest in it. mayb this is natural.... but without any sense of goal or "lakshya" what do we live for?

Dear swetha,

This is probably the hardest question in life to learn. We keep reaching for all the things on the OUTSIDE of ourselves, we feel we need to make us happy! 'Material things', a new car, a new house, a boat, money in the bank, and when we acheive that goal, we are still not happy!

True happiness comes from on the INSIDE of us. When we get to know ourselves and LOVE ourselves, and then can GIVE that LOVE to other human beings. This will truly make us HAPPY! True JOY comes from WITHIN our SOUL. This may not make alot of sense to you Today. But someday it will be your TRUTH!

Blessings to YOU! Linda

[Pravin Kumar]

Dear Sweta,

When I was in the peak of my meditation exercises I met a Saint whom I equate to GOD. HE told me it is not possible for me to meditate. This was when I had done so much to so many people. I won't go into the details. Why did he say so? I reasoned it out. If you really want to know HIM you have to be Vanprasthi. We cannot be that. Hence we have our goals, desires etc. etc. The more desires you control the happier you will be. You should not have any attachments and only a real Sanyasi can do this. Not possible for an ordinary person like us. A Sanyasi is supposed to live away from people in Jungles or Mountains so that his mind does not get diverted to us otherwise it is possible for him to lose his interest.

Now when you have desires and they do not get fulfilled what happens? When you have attachment like with your parents, you got married and left them, what happened to you? Now if Abhishek were to go abroad for 1 month on a business trip what will happen to both of you. Attachments bring happiness but at the same time brings untold misery and sadness in life.

Now you chose which path you have to adopt. The Truth is written in those Chapters by a Sanyasi. I likes Sweets so much that once I took a pledge to leave it and asked God for some favour for leaving this most sought after thing. I did not take any sweetmeats for 13 months and believe I was so peaceful and happy because I had controlled one habit. If I control 5 more how much more happy will I be I know but living in this world it is difficult and then we have to bear the consequences.

You decide what to follow. It is upto you.

Pravin Kumar.

[Pravin Kumar]

Very carefully watch all your thoughts. Suppose you are assailed by gloomy thoughts. You experience depression. Take a small cup of milk or tea. Sit calmly. Close your eyes. Find out the cause for the depression and try to remove the cause.

The best method to overcome the gloomy thoughts and the consequent depression, is to think of inspiring thoughts and inspiring things. Remember again, positive overcomes negative. This is a grand effective law of nature.

Now think strongly of the opposite thoughts, the opposite of gloom. Think of those things that elevate your mind: think of cheerfulness. Imagine the advantage of cheerfulness. Feel that you are in actual possession of this quality.

Again and again repeat the formula. OM CHEERFULNESS, mentally. Feel, "I am very cheerful," Begin to smile and laugh several times.

Sing: sometimes this can elevate you quickly. Singing is very beneficial to drive off gloom. Chant OM loudly several times. Run in the open air. The depression will vanish soon. This is the Pratipaksha Bhavana method of Raja Yogins. This is the easiest method.

The method of driving gloom by force - by willing, by assertions, by command -- taxes the 'will' very much although it is the most efficient. It demands great strength of will. Ordinary people will not succeed. The method of displacing or dislocating the negative feeling by substituting the opposite, positive feeling, is very easy. Within a very short time, the undesirable feeling vanishes. Practise this and feel. Even if you fall several times, continue. You will be successful after some sittings and some practice.

You can treat in the same manner other negative thoughts and feelings as well. If there is the feeling of anger think of love. If there are thoughts of jealousy, think of the advantages of charitableness and magnanimity. If there are thoughts of gloom, then think of some inspiring scenery that you saw sometime ago, or recall to mind some inspiring passage.

If there is harshness of heart, think of mercy. If there is lust, think of the advantage of celibacy. If there is dishonesty, think of honesty, integrity. If there is miserliness, think of generosity and generous persons.

If there is infatuation or Moha, think of discrimination and Atmic Vichara: if there is pride, think of humility. If there is hypocrisy, think of frankness and its invaluable advantages. If there is jealousy, think of nobility and magnanimity. If there is timidity, think of courage, and so on.

You will drive off the negative thoughts and feelings and will be established in a positive state. Practice of a continued type is essential. Be careful in the selection of your companions. Talk very little and that, too, on useful matters.

In the beginning of your practice of thought-conotrol you will experience great difficulty. You will have to wage war with them. They will struggle their level best for their own existence. They will say. "We have every right to remain in this palace of mind. We have a sole monopoly from time immemorial to occupy this area. Why should we vacate our dominion now? We will fight for our birthright till the end."

They will pounce upono you with great ferocity. When you sit for meditation only, all sorts of evil thoughts will crop up. As you attempt to suppress them they want to attack you with redoubled force and vigour. But positive always overcomes the negative.

Just as darkness cannot stand before the sun, just as the leopard cannot stand before teh lion so also all these dark negative thoughts--these invisble intruders, enemies of peace--cannot stand before the sublime divine thoughts. They must die by themselves.

Drive away from your mind all unnecessary, useless and obnoxious thoughts. Useless, thoughts impede your spiritual growth; obnoxious thoughts are stumbling blocks to spiritual advancement.

You are away from God when you entertain useless thoughts. Substitute thoughts of God. Entertain only thoughts that are helpful and useful. Useful thoughts are the stepping-stones to spiritual growth and progress.

Do not allow the mind to run into the old grooves and to have its own ways and habits. Be on the careful watch.

If a pebble in our boot torments us, we expel it. We take off the boot and shake it out. Once the matter is firly understood, it is just as easy to expel an intruding and obnoxious thought from the mind. About this there ought to be no doubt, no two opinions. The thing is obvious, clear and unmistakable.

It should be as easy to expel an obnoxious thought from your mind as it is to shake a stone out of your shoe; and, till a man can do that, it is just nonsense to talk about his ascendancy and conquest over nature. He is a mere slave and prey to the bat-winged phantoms that flit through the corridor of his brain.

Wordly thoughts, will trouble you a lot in the begining of your new life of thought - culture. They trouble you, also when you take to the practice of meditation and spiritual life. But, if you are regular in your cultivation of spiritual thoughts and in your meditation, these wordly thoughts will gradually die by themselves.

Meditation is a fire to burn these thoughts. Do not try to drive all wordly thoughts. Entertain positive thoughts concerning the object of your meditation. Positvely think of the lofty things.

Watch your mind always very carefully. Be vigilant. Be on the alert. Do not allow waves of irritability, jealousy, anger, hatred, lust, to rise from the mind. These dark waves and wordly thoughts are enemies of meditation, peace and wisdom.

Conquer them immediatley by entertaining sublime divine thoughts. Wordly Thoughts that have arisen may be destroyed by originating good thoughts and maintaining them by repeating any Mantra or the Name of the Lord, by thinking on any form of the Lord, by practice of Pranayama, by singing the Name of the Lord, by doing good actions, by thinking on the misery that arises from the wordly thoughts.

When you attain a state of purity, no wordly thoughts will take their rise in your mind. Just as it is easy to check the intruder or enemy at the gate, so also it is easy to overcome a wordly thought as soon as it rises. Nip it in the bud. Do not allow it to strike a deep root.

When you are vey busy in your daily work, you may not harbour any impure thought; but when you take rest and leave the mind blank, the impure thoughts will try to enter insidiously. You must be careful when the mind is relaxed.


Pravin Kumar

[Pravin Kumar]

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Thoughts gain strength by repetition. If you entertain an impure thought or good thought once, this impure or good thought has a tendency to recur again.

Thoughts crowd together just as the birds of the same feather flock together. So also, if you entertain one impure thought all sorts of impure thoughts join together and attack you. If you entertain any good thought, all good thoughts join together to help you.

Learn to subdue, to purify, to order all your thoughts. Fight against all negative thoughts and doubts. Let sublime divine thoughts come to you from every side.

Thoughts of depression, failure, weakness, darkness, doubts, fear, etc., are negative thoughts. Cultivate positive thoughts of strength, confidence, courage, cheerfulness. The negative thoughts will disappear.

Fill th emind with divine thoughts, by Japa, Prayer, Dhyana and study of holy books. Be indifferent to all negative and undivine thoughts. They will pass away. Do not struggle with them. Pray to God for strength. Read the lives of saints. Study the Bhagavata and the Ramayana. All devotees have passed through similar ordeals. So, take heart.

All sorts of habitual thoughts, concerning the body, the dress, the food, and so on, must be overcome through the Atma-Chintana, or reflection on the Nature of the divine Self within one's own Heart. This is an uphill work. It demands patient, incessant practice and inner spiritual strength.

Srutis emphatically declare: "This Atman cannot be obtained by weak persons." Sincere aspirants, dedicate their whole being to contemplation of the Eternal, having withdrawn their affection from the world of sense-objects.

Those who have destroyed the Vasanas and host of habitual thoughts will enjoy their final beatitude in the Brahmic seat, replete with trust, quiescence and equality. They will have equal vision over all. This mischievous and powerful mind generates all paints and all fears, all sorts of diversities, heterogeneity, distinctions and dualities and destroys all noble, spiritual wealth. Stay this troublesome mind.

When the seen and the sight merge into one another in the seer, then is the experience of Ananda (bliss). This is Turiya state. Then one sees the illimitable Jnana, Atman only everywhere. All sorts of distinctions and dualities vanish now entirely.

Thoughts of attraction, and thoughts of repulsion, likes and dislikes, Raga-Dvesha are annihilated in toto. Then the sage will not be conscious of the existence of the body, though working in it. He will never lose his control even amidst the many illusions of the world, like a woman who performs her household duties whilst her mind is engrossed in her paramour at a distance. The sage will always centre his mind on Brahman.

May you always be performing only those virtuous actions that will help you in the attainment of Jnana, without any thought of worldy prosperity in the future. May you live drowned in the ocean of Brahmic Delight, in a state of full illumination, having destroyed all dualiities, distinctions and differences.

Do not try to drive away the unimportant and irrelevant thoughts. The more you try, the more they will return, the more they will gain strength. You will tax your energy and will.

Become indifferent. Fill the mind with divine thoughts. They will gradually vanish. Get yourself established in Nirvikalpa Samadhi through constant meditation.

Removal of tension in the muscles of the body brings repose and calmness to the mind. By relaxation you give rest to the mind, tired nerves and the overworked muscles. You will get immense peace of mind, strength and vigour. When you practise relaxation of either body or mind, the brain should not be occupied with various sorts of loose extraneous thoughts. Anger, disappointment, failure, indsiposition, misery, sorrow, quarrels cause internal mental strain. Expel them.

Thinking is of four kinds, viz., symbolic thinking, instinctive thinking, impulsive thinking and habitual thinking.

Thinking through words is symbolic thinking. Instincts are more powerful than impulses. Thoughts of body, food, drink, bath, etc., are habitual thinking.

You can stop easily symbolic thinking. It is difficult to stop instinctive and impulsive thinking.

Mental poise and clamness may be brought about by the eradication of worry and anger. Fear really underlies both worry and anger. Be careful and thoughtful. All unnecessary worries should be avoided. Think of courage, joy, bliss, peace and cheerfulness. Sit for fifteen minutes in a relaxed state in an easy comfortable position.

You can lie on an easy-chair. Close your eyes. Withdraw the mind from outside objects. Still the mind. Silence the bubbling thoughts.

Generally, in untrained persons, four or five kinds of thoughts occupy the mind at a time. Household thoughts, business thoughts, thoughts of office, thoughts of body, thoughts of food and drink, hope and anticipation, some kind of planning to get money, some kind of thoughts of revenge, some habitual thoughts of answering calls of nature, bathing, etc., occupy the mind at a time.

When you are studying a book with the interest at 3.30 p.m. the idea of pleasure of witnessing a cricket match at 4 p.m. disturbs your study every now and then. It is only a Yogi with one-pointed mind, who can have only one thoughts at a time and can keep it as long as he likes

If you watch the mind carefully, you will find that many thoughts are inconcsistent. The mind wanders at random aimlessly. There will be some thoughts of the body and its wants, some thoughts of friends, some thoughts of acquiring money, some thoughts of eating and drinking, some thoughts of your boyhood etc.,

If you can study the mind and if you have consistent thoughts of one subject or one kind only to the exclusion of all other thoughts, this itself is a very great achievement, is a great step in advancement in thought - control Do not be discouraged.

The goal of life is the attainment of divine consciousness. This goal is the realisaiton that you are neither this perishable body nor that changing and finite mind, but you are all-pure, every-free Atman.

Remember always this inspiring thought-Ajo Nityah Sasvotoyam Purano: Unborn, Eternal, Permanent is this Ancient One. This is your real You are not this little passing personality booked on to a name and form. You are not Ramaswam y or Mukherji or Mehta or Matthew or 'Garde or Apte. You have only fallen into this little delusion by an accident through some passing clour of ignorance. Awake and realise that you are Pure Atman.

There is another wonderful Upanishadic inspirational thought. It is Isavasyamidam Sarvam: every content of the universe is throbbing with the Life of the Lord. Smile with the flowers and the green grass. Smile with the shrubs, fems and twigs. Develop friendship with all neighbours, dogs, cats, cows, human beings, trees, in fact, with all nature's creations. You will have a perfect and rich life.