Concentration, Our Foremost Duty?

ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NATURE OF MIND

Mind is compared to quicksilver, because its rays are scattered over various objects. It is compared to a monkey, because it jumps from one object to another object. It is compared to moving air, because it is wandering. It is compared to a furious, rutting elephant, because of its passionate impetuosity. Mind is known by the name Great Bird, because it jumps from one object to another object just as a bird jumps from one twig to another, from one tree to another. Raja Yoga teaches us how to concentrate the mind and then how to ransack the innermost recesses of our own mind.

DIFFERENT DEGREES OF CONCENTRATION

Kshipta, Mudha, Vikshipta, Ekagra and Niruddha are the five Yogic Bhumikas. The Chitta or mind manifests itself in five different forms. In the Kshipta state, the rays of the mind are scattered on various objects. It is restless and jumps from one object to another. In the Mudha state, the mind is dull and forgetful. Vikshipta is the gathering mind. It is occasionally steady and, at other times, distracted. By practice of concentration, the mind struggles to gather itself. In the Ekagra state, it is one-pointed. There is only one idea present in the mind. The mind is under perfect control in the Niruddha state. Concentration is practiced for stopping the modifications of the mind.

THE POWER OF CONCENTRATION

By manipulating the mind, you will be able to bring it under your control, make it work as you like and compel it to concentrate its powers as you desire. He who has learnt to manipulate the mind will get the whole of Nature under his control. There is no limit to the power of the human mind. The more concentrated it is, the more power is brought to bear on one point.

A scientist concentrates his mind and invents many things. Through concentration, he opens the layers of the gross mind and penetrates deeply into higher regions of the mind and gets deeper knowledge. He concentrates all the energies of his mind into one focus and throws them out upon the materials he is analyzing and so finds out their secrets.

CONCENTRATION, MANS FOREMOST DUTY

Sri Sankara writes in the commentary on Chhandogya Upanishad (VII-xx-1) that a man’s duty consists in the control of the senses and concentration of mind. So long as the thoughts of one are not thoroughly destroyed through persistent practice, he should ever be concentrating his mind on one truth at a time. Through such unremitting practice, one-pointedness will accrue to the mind and instantly, all the hosts of thoughts will vanish. Concentration is opposed to sensuous desires, bliss to flurry and worries, sustained thinking to perplexity, and applied thinking to sloth to torpor, rapture to ill-will.

You are born to concentrate the mind on God/Soul after collecting the mental rays that are dissipated on various objects. That is your important duty. You forget the duty on account of Attraction for family, children, money, power, position, respect, name and fame.

Concentration of the mind on God/Soul after purification can give you real happiness and knowledge. You are born for this purpose only. You are carried away to external objects through likes, attachment and infatuated love. Fix the mind on Soul. Fix the mind on the all-pervading, pure Intelligence and self-luminous effulgence. Stand firm in Consciousness. Then will you become established in Soul Consciousness.

REFERENCE

Mind – Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda