In Sanskrit, 'Manah' means Mind and 'Shodhanam'
means Cleaning or purification. In the Panchakoshas of the human personality, as
shown in the picture above, mind is the central sheath. It is our best friend
and worst enemy as well. It is the cause of our bondage and is also the means of
our liberation. 'Keeping the mind in check' is the main aim of all our spiritual
practices. Lack of proper control of the mind of its people is the root cause of
all national and international, socio-political problems.The person possessing a
pure mind will be the most successful in any given field of life. We should make
the mind our best friend.Every aspect of life
demands attention. Nothing happens automatically. When we pay attention to any
particular aspect of life, we gain success in that field. Similarly, if we pay
attention to our body, mind and intellect equally and simultaneously, there will
be a total and perfect integration of our personality. For this integration to
take place, the only solution is to understand our own
mind.
Why should we clean our
mind?
Suppose a house has been kept
locked for a long time. Naturally, it would have fallen into disrepair with dust
and cobwebs on all corners. On entering it, a foul smell will assail your
nostrils. To make it habitable once again, you have to open all doors and
windows to ventilate it; scrub it from roof to floor; whitewash it; paint it and
repair it wherever necessary. Still it will not be fit for comfortable living.
You have to further furnish it with materials of good taste and
decor.
The removal of unwanted lumber, dust and cobwebs is but half the
process of making the deserted house habitable once again. The other half
consists of bringing in new objects, calculated to give comfort to the
occupants. Similarly, one cannot secure in the mind a new set of positive
qualities before the negatives are removed. Animal passions, blinding anger and
greed must be drained away. Such a clean mind should be replnished with positive
values of truthfulness, love and beauty. Then alone can divinity come to dwell
within.
You cannot get a good quality photo by using a poor quality or
outdated film. The writings on a soiled paper will never be legible. For
creating a good painting, the background wall has to be neat and clean. when you
look at a mirror of many scratches and poor silver coating at the back, your own
image will not be good. For any creative work, the background medium has to be
very clean and of high quality. The emphasis for having a "clean slate" is very
relevant here.
Mind is the seat of all our emotions, the processing
centre of thoughts and storage of memories. Even though the non-dual, blissful,
Supreme Self dwells in the hearts of all beings, it is not experienced by them,
because of the ignorance and the impurities of the mind. Regardless of whether a
spiritual seeker is following the path of action, devotion, knowledge,
meditation or even renunciation, the sole obstacle is one's own mind. As long as
the impurities of the mind are not weakened or washed away, the desire for
knowing the Truth does not arise in the human heart.
How to Purify the Mind.
Spirituality is the technique you
need to accomplish this change. Actual achievement must be preceded by firm
determination. Merely negating the outer world or our known weaknesses cannot by
itself lead to upliftment. Negation is not growth, although it prepares the
ground for growth. In the ground thus prepared, the desired seeds must be sown
and diligently watered. Fructification follows as a matter of course. If seeds
of positive qualities are not implanted, undesirable weeds will shoot up to
create a jungle instead of a beautiful garden. Negation is essential; but blind
negation is dangerous. Similarly, replacement with positive qualities should be
followed up carefully.
When ignorance is dispelled by knowledge, the
Supreme Self shines by itself. The problem is that the old 'vaasanas' do not
leave us so easily. Even after the removal of ignorance, these vaasanas make us
attached either to our body or to our thoughts. Annihilation of these vaasanas
is called "Liberation" by the sages. The Vedic Scriptures prescribe various
methods to purtfy our minds:
Tapas (Austerity, Penance)
Yajna (Rituals and
Worship)
Danam (Charity)
Japa (Chanting)
Tirtha Yatra
(Pilgrimage)
Vrata (Vows)
Atma Vichara (Self Inquiry) - the
best.
First we must seek the blessings of the Lord, who gives us the
necessary intelligence for contemplation. If a person does not have his own
intelligence, what can the scriptures do for him. An unintelligent person
studying the scriptures is like a blind person standing in front of the mirror.
There are no physical cures for psychological problems. Furthermore, a
time-frame can be prescribed for physical problems, but not for solving
psychological ones.
The various impurities of mind-such as likes,
dislikes, anger, greed, ego, selfishness, jealousy etc.- are seen only when the
mind is in the waking state. In sleep, their effects are not seen. Similarly,
when absorbed in meditation, the play of these impurities is not experienced by
us at all. So they belong to the mind and not to the Self. But since neither
sleep nor 'Nirvikalpa Samadhi' is possible at all times, this non-functioning of
the mind is not a viable solution. And too much sleep is only
escapism.
These impurities do not persecute a wise person even in his
waking state, in the manner that they persecute an ignorant
individual.Therefore, the cause of sorrow is not the body, mind, or experience
of emotions - it is ignorance of the Self.
What is the nature of Ignorance?
The notions born
of ignorance are:
1. The world is real.
2. The world is separate from
myself.
3. It is a source of joy or sorrow.
The result of all this is
ignorance in action.
How to
eradicate the impurities of one's Mind?
There is a cure for this formidable
disease of 'Samsara'. This was given to King Yudhishtira by Devarishi Narada and
is contained in the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana.One should
conquer:
Desire by the non-entertainment of fanciful thoughts,
Anger
by denouncing desire,
Greed by observing the calamitous nature of
wealth,
Fear by understanding the Truth,
Grief and delution by
Self-knowledge,
Hypocrisy by serving the noble ones,
Obstacles in yoga by
silence,
Injury to anyone by controlling one's physical activities,
Sorrow
by compassion,
Phenomenal sorrow by practicing equanimity of mind,
Bodily
affliction by yoga,
Sleep by satvic habits,
Qualities of rajas and tamas
by satva,
Satva by samadhi(meditation).
The process of conquering can
be accelerated by devotion to one's Guru.
By the grace of the Lord and the
blessings of the teacher, there is nothing that cannot be
achieved.
For more details on this topic, please read the
small beautiful book of "Manah Sodhanam" by Swami
Tejomayananda.
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