Spiritual Message for the Day – Thought Power for God-Realization by Sri Swami Sivananda
Baba Times Digest© | 4 June 2014 17:57 EST | New York Edition
Thought Power for God-Realization
Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 11 Thought Power by Sri Swami Sivananda
(Dictated on October 18,1998)
The thought that you hold, will manifest in your life. If you are courageous, cheerful, compassionate, tolerant and kind then these qualities will manifest in your physical life. The only impurity of the mind is base thought and desire.
Guard your good thoughts as an alert watchman guards the treasury. When there is not the ‘I’-thought then there will be no other thought.
Life is an interplay of thoughts. Duality ceases when the mind stops its function. Thinking is bound by the time-factor. Thinking must cease. Then alone you will attain the Timeless. Be still.
Let all the waves of thought subside. In that stillness, when the mind melts, there shines the self-effulgent Atman, the pure Consciousness. Watch the mind. Watch the thoughts. Pursue serenity. Make your heart a fitting abode for the Lord.
Thought Results in Spiritual Experience
The molten gold, which is poured into a crucible assumes the shape of the crucible. Even so, the mind assumes the form of the object which it pervades. The mind assumes the shape of any object it intensely thinks upon. If it thinks of an orange, it assumes the shape of an orange.
If it thinks of Lord Krishna, it assumes the form of Lord Krishna. You must train the mind properly, and give it proper Sattvic food for assimilation. Have a Sattvic background of thought or mental image.
The same thoughts which are entertained by the man during the day, occupy his mind during dream also. If you have purity and concentration, you can make the mind assume any Bhava you like. If you think of mercy, your whole being will be saturated with mercy. If you think of peace, the whole being will be pervaded with peace.
It is the mental Bhava or attitude that determines the nature of an action and brings its fruits. Watch your Bhavana, ideas and feelings always. Your Bhavana should always be Sattvic. You should always entertain Brahma-Bhavana. Watch the Bhavana during the meditation. You need not watch the breath.
The thoughts you create in your mind and the images you form in your daily life will help you in making what you are or what you want to become. If you constantly think of Lord Krishna, you will become identical with the Lord. You will abide in Him for ever.
Your mind must be empty of all worldly thoughts. It must be filled with thoughts of God and with nothing else. Keep your mind filled with good, divine, sublime lofty thoughts, so that there will be no room for evil thoughts. Never speak any unnecessary word. Never allow any unnecessary or vain thought to occupy your mind.
Divine Thoughts for Freedom from Diseases
The best medicine or panacea for all diseases and for keeping good health, is the entertaining of divine thoughts. The waves released by divine thoughts, by Kirtan, Japa and regular meditation, will electrify, rejuvenate, vivify, energise the cells, tissues, nerves.
Another cheap and potent drug is to keep oneself always joyful and cheerful. Study Gita daily, one or two chapters with meaning. Keep yourself fully occupied which is a remedy to keep off thoughts of worldliness.
Fill the mind with Sattva and enjoy wonderful health and peace. Obtain an association with the wise, cultivate faith, serenity, truthfulness, courage, mercy, devotion, love, cheerfulness, confidence, divine thought and divine virtues.
Allow the mind to run in the spiritual direction, in divine grooves; your mind will be peaceful and generate harmonious vibrations. You will enjoy excellent mental health and have no physical disease.
Thought-culture by Knowledge and Devotion
Sit in a solitary place and watch your thoughts carefully. Allow the monkey mind to jump in its own way for some time. After some time it will climb down. It will become quiet. Be a Sakshi or witness of the menagerie of various thoughts in the eternal circus or show. Do not identify with the thoughts. Take an indifferent attitude. All thoughts will die by themselves one by one.
Repeat mentally, “Om I am Sakshi. Who am I? I am thoughtless Atman. I have nothing to do with these false mental pictures and thoughts. Let them roll on. I have no concern with them.” All thoughts will perish. The mind will perish like the gheeless lamp.
Fix the mind on the form of Lord Hari or Lord Siva or Lord Krishna or your Guru or any saint like Lord Buddha or Lord Jesus. Again and again try to call this mental image of the picture. All thoughts will die. This is the method of Bhaktas.
Thoughts and Yoga Practice of Mental Quietude
Sit peacefully. Discriminate. Dissociate yourself from thoughts and the mind which is the thinking principle or entity. Identify yourself with the innermost Self and stand as a silent witness or Sakshi. Gradually all thoughts will die by themselves. You will become one with the supreme Self or Para Brahman. Continue the practice of mental quietude. It does require, doubtless a direct effort to annihilate the mind.
You should annihilate the Vasanas first. Then alone you will be able to do the Sadhana of mental quiet vigorously. Without producing Vasana-Kshaya, no mental quiet or annihilation of the mind is possible.
Winning Friends by Practice of Yoga
“Win friends and influence people”: This Dale Carnagie principle is but a leaf out of the ancient Indian volume on psycho-spiritual science. Practice Yoga; the entire world will worship you. You will unconsciously attract to yourself every living being; even gods will be at your beck and call. Even among wild beasts and bloody brutes you will “win friends.” Serve all; love all. Unfold your inner powers through the practice of Raja Yoga, through the control and conquest of thought power.
Through the practice of Yoga, you can make the whole humanity and all living beings members of your own family. Through the practice of Yoga you can overcome all difficulties and can eradicate all weaknesses.
Through the practice of Yoga pain can be transmuted into bliss, death into immortality, sorrow into joy, failure into success and sickness into perfect health. Therefore, practice Yoga diligently.
The Yogic State of Thoughtlessness
Generally there is no genuine spiritual awakening in students. There is mere curiosity for getting some psychic or Yogic powers. That student is far from God as long as he retains some hidden desires for Siddhis. Strictly observe the ethical rules.
Transform the worldly nature first. If you become absolutely desireless, absolutely thoughtless, absolutely Vrittiless, if the mental Vrittis are destroyed in toto, Kundalini will ascend by itself, without effort, through the force of purity. Remove the dross of mind. You will yourself get help and answer from within.
Yogi of the Developed Thought Power
The Yogi who has developed his powers of thoughts, has a magnetic and charming personality. Those who come in contact with him are much influenced by his sweet voice, powerful speech, lustrous eyes, brilliant complexion, strong healthy body, good behavior, virtuous qualities and Divine Nature.
People derive joy, peace and strength from him. They are inspired by his speech and get elevation of mind by mere contact with him.
Thought moves. Thought is a great force. A Yogi or sage can purify the whole world with his powerful thoughts though he remains in a solitary cave in the Himalayas.
It is not necessary that he should appear on the platform and deliver lectures and discourses to help the people. Sattva is intense activity. The wheel that revolves very rapidly appears to be at rest. So is Sattva. So is a Sattvic man.
Thought-boats to Infinite Strength
Life is a journey from impurity to purity, from hatred to cosmic love, from death to immortality, from imperfection to perfection, from slavery to freedom, from diversity to unity, from ignorance to eternal wisdom, from pain to eternal bliss, from weakness to infinite strength.
Let every thought take you nearer the Lord, every thought further your evolution.
Excerpts from:
Thought Power for God-Realization - Chapter 11 Thought Power by Sri Swami Sivananda
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