Asserted Topics:
The nature of the mind.
Key Points:
- The mind is not separate from the jiva (soul); it is merely an offshoot of it.
- The mind’s nature is such that it takes the form of whatever sensory object it encounters.
- A sant (ascetic) has the ability to maintain discrimination within the mind.
Explanation:
In this Vachanamrut, Maharaj states that upon contemplating the form of the mind, He found that the mind is not distinct from the jiva. It is merely an offshoot, like a ray of the jiva. Maharaj explains that the form of the mind is like the hot winds of summer or the frost of winter. Essentially, the mind is an inert, ego-driven material entity. It is atomic in size and beyond the senses. The jiva is conscious. When the conscious flow of the jiva enters the sphere of the mind, the mind also becomes animated, just as sunlight reflects off the moon, and we refer to it as moonlight. Similarly, when the conscious rays of the jiva pass through the mind, the mind too becomes conscious. Hence, Maharaj said that the mind is like a ray of the jiva, but not separate from it.
The analogies of hot winds and frost were given to explain the nature of the mind. The substance of the mind is not evil; it is sattvic (pure). However, the mind’s nature is extremely deceitful. To demonstrate this, Maharaj explains that when the mind, through the senses, encounters painful sensory objects, it becomes like the scorching winds of summer, causing misery to the jiva and diverting it from the path of welfare. Just as a person dies due to scorching winds, the jiva suffers when the mind becomes heated by distressing sensory objects, causing emotions such as anxiety, sorrow, hatred, and frustration, which lead it away from God.
Similarly, when the mind encounters pleasant sensory objects, it becomes like the cold frost of winter, causing pleasure but still diverting the jiva from the path of welfare. When the mind returns to the jiva’s heart after engaging with pleasurable objects, it produces feelings of attachment, enthusiasm, infatuation, and sluggishness, causing the jiva to stray from the path of spiritual upliftment. Just as frost can cause death, the mind’s indulgence in pleasurable objects leads to attachment, causing the jiva to become absorbed and attached to those objects, leading it into a pit of delusion, away from the path of welfare.
Thus, the deceitful nature of the mind is such that it strays from the path of spiritual welfare, whether engaged in pleasant or unpleasant sensory objects.
So, what should a seeker do? Since sensory objects are inevitable, the solution is to destroy the deceitful and harmful nature of the mind.
Some may think, “Why not simply restrict the mind from enjoying sensory objects?” Maharaj clarifies this with another analogy, explaining that the mind’s nature is like that of a child. Just as a child runs to grab a snake or an unsheathed sword, and is unhappy when restrained but suffers even more if allowed to indulge, the mind exhibits similar behavior. The mind, lacking discrimination, craves sensory objects without understanding the consequences. Just as attachment and aversion are inherent traits of the mind, so is its lack of discrimination. When it indulges in attachment, aversion, or indiscrimination, it comes back to the jiva’s heart and imposes these traits on the jiva. The mind enjoys wandering in attachment, aversion, and ignorance but does not find joy in discrimination. Maharaj gives the analogy of a bull scratching its head to kick up dust, illustrating how the mind revels in attachment, aversion, and lack of discrimination.
Indiscrimination is ignorance, and the mind’s cause is the karan sharir (causal body). Just as the gross body is dear to the jiva, so too is the karan sharir, even more so. The mind cannot tolerate the destruction of its ignorance and doesn’t accept it. These are the two major afflictions of the mind. One who recognizes the nature of the mind and renounces it is a true sadhu. When one is free from these afflictions, the mind is considered healthy and free of disease. Therefore, a true sant is one whose mind, upon encountering good or bad objects, remains undisturbed, and does not lose its discrimination.
The mind has three states: 1) A happy mind, 2) An unhappy mind, 3) A steady mind. These are also known as the joyful or blissful mind.Just as the jiva is always in one of the states of wakefulness, dreaming, or deep sleep, similarly, the mind is always in one of these three states. An unhappy mind cannot worship God because it dwells in sorrow. A happy mind cannot worship God either because it is engrossed in its joy. Therefore, only a healthy or detached mind can worship God. Hence, one must cultivate such a mind to worship God, and the one who does so is called a Bhagwat Sant.