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You cannot get a good quality photo by using a poor quality or outdated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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