SCATTERS LIKE MERCURY
The activity of the mind is compared to the mobile mercury. If you place a small quantity of mercury on the ground, it will split into several small pieces and run in various directions. You cannot collect them again. Even so, the rays of the mind are scattered in various directions, in sensual objects. It becomes difficult to collect the dissipated mental rays. Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (steadiness) will help in making the mind one-pointed.
RESTLESS LIKE A GHOST
The mind is like a ghost which is restless. Once, an educated man, had control over a ghost. The ghost said to the man, “I can do any work for you in a minute. You must always be giving me some work. If you leave me even for a second without work, I will at once devour you.” The man agreed. The ghost dug a tank for the man, ploughed the fields and did various sorts of work in a short time. He was not able to give the ghost any further work. The ghost threatened the man, “Now there is no work for me. I will devour you.” The man was quite puzzled. He did not know what to do. He went to his Guru and explained to him his whole situation. His teacher said, use your common-sense or Buddhi (Intellect). Install a big, stout, soft, wooden post in front of your house. Apply castor oil, wax and other greasy substances to the post. Ask the ghost to get up and get down the whole day and night. The disciple acted accordingly and controlled the ghost. The ghost became very helpless. Even so, you must give always some kind of work or other to the mind, e.g., chanting, meditation, self- reflection, service, prayer, pranayama. You must keep it fully occupied. Then only the mind can be easily controlled. You can be established in physical and mental abstinence.
SHAMELESS AS A STREET DOG
The mind can be compared to the shameless, wandering street-dog with so many wounds on the body. The dog goes to the door of a house. Someone throws a stone at it and it runs away. It goes to another house. There also, it gets a good hitting and thrashing. Then it comes back again to the first house where from it received a pelting of stone. Someone again throws a big stone and it gets another wound. The dog will never leave off its wandering habit in spite of the repeated bad wounds it receives. Even so, this mind always runs towards sensual objects, even though it experiences immense miseries, grief’s and sorrows, pains and tribulations. It will never leave off its old habits.
You will have to thrash this shameless mind and take it to its source, Supreme Soul, by chanting OM with feeling again and again. Let it taste the Ananda, the Infinite Bliss of Soul. Then alone it will find its rest in OM, its original Abode of Eternal Peace.
REFLECTS LIKE A MIRROR
The mind of a man is compared to a mirror in which Reality (Soul) is reflected. The extent you know about Reality depends upon the state of your mind whether it corresponds to the full wealth of Reality or not. Colors are not revealed to the blind or music to the deaf nor philosophical truths to the feeble-minded. The revelation will be imperfect or distorted if there is any taint or imperfection. The selfish desires and passions get between the instrument of mind and the Reality to be revealed. Hidden subtle desires attack the aspirants in a variety of ways. Aspirants should be ever watching the mind through serious introspection. When the personality of the subject affects the nature of the instrument, the reflection becomes blurred.
Again, if you place a big mirror in front of a dog and keep some bread in front, the dog at once barks by looking at its reflection in the mirror. It foolishly imagines that there is another dog. Even so, man sees his own reflection only through his mind-mirror in all persons, but foolishly imagines like the dog that they are all different from him and fights on account of hatred, malice and jealousy.
Reference
Mind – Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda
No comments:
Post a Comment