Living The Divine Life

Divine Life Society Publication: Guidelines to Illumination by Sri Swami Chidananda

Om Sri Sadguru Paramatmane Namah

Yoga is not only in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. It is in every moment. If a thought comes and if you are not able to watch and put it down, you have failed in Yoga, you have failed in the examination. In every thought, in every action you have to assert your mastery over your Vrittis. Then Yoga is fulfilled, divine life is lived; and what is the time taken for this process? It is a moment. Within a split second so many frames (cinema films) go away. Similar is the case with the mind. The entire process takes place in a split second, starting from Samskaras and ending with Cheshta or fulfilling of desires. From experience you get Samskara, from Samskara you get Vasana, from Vasana you get Vritti. Imagination makes the Vritti into a desire. Then ego attaches itself to the desire and it becomes an urge, a Trishna. Now you are forced to do Cheshta—action—to fulfil the desire. This process of the mind is going on.

The scientists are trying to find a perpetual motion machinery, a machinery that never stops but is always in motion. Such a machinery, now is in you; it is the mind. We have to deal with the mind. All the Vasanas and Samskaras, which you have formed, are already there and you cannot help it. But you can at least do one thing. You can prevent the formation of new Samskaras. And also let the past Samskaras be not further strengthened by fresh ones. How is it possible? Daily you get new experiences and daily you perceive so many things with your five organs of senses. Then how can we prevent these experiences making impressions upon the mind? Is there any technique?

How did these objects get into the mind and form Samskaras? Here is an object. You perceive it through any one of your senses. First there is contact between the sense and the object. That is the first thing, and then what happens? So far only the outer fringe of man’s personality has been touched. Supposing you are very deeply absorbed in some task, and your brother or sister comes and lays his or her hands on you; you are not aware although the object has contacted the sense, because the sense has not conveyed it to the mind, and the mind is away from it. The objects have contacted the senses, and the senses have conveyed it to the mind, but if you are not there, if the sense of ‘I’ is not there, the impression taken by the mind as a matter of routine, makes no meaning to the person. So, if the ego is not there, the object does not go deep into the mind. If the ego is engaged in some other thought, a particular impression brought by the senses will not produce any effect. But if the ‘I’ is there, the object goes and impinges upon your awareness; and if this ‘I’ is in a state of heedlessness, is not vigilant, it is in a state of illusion, a state of worldliness or Rajas, and it will easily take these perceptions and create in you a desire for the objects.

If you are not alert due to lack of understanding of the thought process, the moment the thought of a lovely object arises in you, you will follow it and the result is you want that object. You see money and immediately you want it. Supposing it has come to this stage, there is only one thing to be done. You can simply burn up that desire and reduce it to ashes. There is only one fire to burn all desires; Nachiketas had that fire. So many attractive and alluring things were offered by Yama. He offered money, beauty, strength, power, kingdoms and lordships over all worlds, all Vidyas. He gave flowing descriptions of the whole attractive and alluring worlds, but Nachiketas reduced all such desires to ashes, because he had that one fire, and that was Mumukshutva, aspiration. Aspiration is a positive fire in which all desires, cravings are thrown and reduced to ashes. This is the fire that should characterise all Sadhakas, Yogis and Vedantins who lead the divine life.

If you want to lead the divine life, your inner heart should be a place of aspiration and a fire of Yoga should burn in you inside always. This blaze should be there. You cannot completely change the outward mode of life, but inwardly there should be aspiration. This fire should burn day and night, when you are awake, when you are sleeping, when you are alone, when you are among men, when you are meditating and when you are engaged in work. This fire should not be put out. This aspiration should always form an integral part of your being. Then you are living the divine life.

Om Tat Sat Brahmaparnamastu

 Excerpts from:  Living The Divine Life - Guidelines to Illumination by Sri Swami Chidananda