Hari Aum.
Despondency is a common and serious obstacle in the spiritual path. This is likely to grip most sadhakas at some point or the other during their spiritual life. One may be gripped occasionally by a mood of anxiety and melancholy - at such times one may wonder, how can this herculean task of controlling the mind be achieved? How can all desires be eradicated? When will the mind be freed of the six enemies of spiritual life (pride, anger, lust, greed, envy and delusion)? When will jnana dawn? When will bhakti be attained? When will the ego be transcended? When will God be attained?
One hears the clarion call of one's Guru and other spiritual greats saying "Exert. Do sadhana. Reveal your true nature as we have done". But the mind asks all the questions described above- essentially wondering how this is ever going to happen.
One quails at the thought of comparing oneself to a Sivananda or a Vivekananda. One thinks I am like an ant, they are like an elephant- where is the comparison? One may sometimes despair at one's own mind which repeatedly runs after sense objects, which can only think of God for a limited time in the day before it needs a dose of worldly thoughts. How can one compare oneself with the spiritual greats who thought of nothing but God in order to attain God? The mind may make assumptions such as "I'm sure the minds of the spiritual greats were never as weak and worldly as my mind is....it's going to take aeons for me to attain God".
This type of despairing negative thinking reduces one's motivation on the spiritual path and becomes a serious obstacle and a self-fulfilling prophecy. If one believes one cannot attain God, one will not exert properly and one will not attain God. On the other hand, if one believes one has a chance, one will exert maximally and the rest is in the hands of Guru and God- at least one can say one tried one's best (and God surely will help those who help themselves as the yogis say).
At times like this it is useful to remember the lives of certain people from the Puranas. For example the story of Pingala. Pingala was a lady who slept with people for money - in modern terms, a sex-worker. She focused on the bodily pleasures alone with little interest in spiritual matters. One day, the story goes, a thief brought her a parrot as a gift. Someone had taught the parrot to say the mantra /name of God "Rama". The parrot frequently said "Rama, Rama!" and Pingala found this name interesting and pleasing to the ear and also began to say "Rama, Rama". Over time by repeating saying "Rama", her mind was purified and she attained God. And as per the Puranas, she attained God one lifetime I may add (not millions of lifetimes).
If a lady without any interest in spiritual matters such as Pingala could attain God in one lifetime by simply uttering the name of God without even understanding its meaning, then why not the rest of us? We can tell our mind "We may not be a Sivananda or a Vivekananda, but surely we are not less than Pingala. We can do what she did. We must have a chance if she had!". It may take one lifetime or more depending on the will of God, but we need not despair. (We know of other Puranic characters too such as Ajamila and Ratnakar/Valmiki who started at a very low level and attained spiritual heights by uttering the name of God).
The yogis say the name of God is infinitely powerful and purifying for the mind. Who then are we to say "It is bound to take millions of lifetimes"- is this not demonstrative of a lack of faith in the name of God. It may take millions of lifetimes to attain God or one or a few- let God decide. But let us note that, based on the Puranas, He does not keep people who say His name repeatedly waiting for millions of lifetimes- as demonstrated in the case of Pingala and yogis of modern times.
Plenty of yogis were arrogant, ignorant and downright unspiritual at the start of their spiritual lives- they were transformed by contact with their Guru and the name of God. Examples of modern saints who started off rather unspiritually include Swami Chinmayananda and Swami Vishnudevananda. Swami Chinmaya went all the way up to Rishikesh to write some nasty things about how Swamis are a hoax. However the holy atmosphere and sadhus transformed his nature and his latent spiritual samskaras unfolded and he did intense tapas for years and is said to have attained God.
Similarly Swami Vishnu refused to bow down at the feet of his Guru Sivananda on their first encounter thinking why should I bow down to any Swami! Swami Sivananda understood his thinking and surprised him by prostrating fully before him - this act taught Swami Vishnu the importance of humility and the understanding that God resides in everyone- he then became Sivananda's disciple, did intense tapas, spread yoga teaching and the Om Namo Narayanaya mantra around the world for peace.
So plenty of people who became spiritual greats in one lifetime had latent spiritual samskaras but also serious flaws of pride, ignorance etc at the start of their spiritual lives. In one lifetime, they took the name of God and thus allowed it to transform them completely and realised their true nature as one with God.
Why then shall we despair? Let pride, anger, delusion and other negative emotions assail us again and again - we simply need to continue our practice which will weaken these negative qualities with time, and strengthen the opposite positive qualities of humility, patience, wisdom, kindness and so on.
If Pingala could do it, then by God, so can we. Nil desperandum, never despair - as Sivananda says. It was possible for other yogis in one lifetime. It may be our destiny too- we will never know if we don't try.
Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
P.S.
6.5.2016:
I was reading the autobiography of Sivananda (available free online on the Divine Life Society website) recently. I was under the impression that he did japa standing hip deep in the Ganga for 12 hours a day for 12 years non-stop before he got the Darshan of Sri Krishna. It appears I was wrong. He did indeed do this sadhana of doing japa standing hip-deep in the water for hours at a time, but he combined this with a very active element of service to society as a manifestation of God. He set up a free dispensary and found time to treat sick people (was a doctor before he became a monk) and did this during much of the 12 year sadhana period. He also spent time daily in study of spiritual books such as the Gita and Upanisads, and also from time to time, visited Mahatmas to obtain their blessings. In his autobiography, he writes that japa and karma yoga must be combined for genuine spiritual progress. He advises years of hard work in service of society alongside japa as absolutely essential ingredients for spiritual progress as this purifies the mind and develops noble qualities such as compassion, patience etc.
I have sometimes thought to myself that my medical work interferes with my ability to do hours and hours of japa, and have at times been slightly despondent that I do not have the capacity to do 10-12 hours of japa a day at present. I wondered if I was doing enough to make some decent progress in this life.
As per his autobiography, Gurudev took renunciation in Rishikesh in 1924 aged around 36 years after giving up his medical career abroad. He then went on a pilgrimage in 1925 and mentions another one in 1931. So he was clearly not doing 12 hours japa every day standing in the Ganga in Rishikesh for 12 years as he was going on pilgrimages etc- though he was most likely doing this mentally all the time/for many hours a day. Between 1926 and 1930, there is no mention of any travel etc- I assume during this time he remained in his kutir in Rishikesh doing intense tapas. He is said to have attained God somewhere between 1924-1934 before starting the DLS in 1936.
Anyway, this gives me some encouragement that I'm on the right path, and that my medical career is not an obstacle but rather a help, and doing japa while immersed in external activity can still be a means to God. One has to keep reminding oneself again and again and keep the self-doubts at bay.
Also it is useful to remind oneself that spiritual life is a marathon. Not a sprint. One needs endurance, perseverance, self-belief, grit, discipline, determination and training to successfully run a marathon. One needs similar mental stamina to keep running the spiritual marathon. One should also never be tempted to wildly start sprinting fast in a marathon- that will result in prematurely burning up all one's energy and will prevent one from being able to complete the run. Pacing oneself is vital to ensure one completes the marathon.
Similarly one should never impulsively try to do insane amounts of meditation/japa for several hours a day without careful thought and planning- if one can do this comfortably then well and good, but excessive strain and tension is not at all good- one does not want to burn out and stop altogether.
One cannot stop during a marathon, one has to keep running, even if slowly at times, and faster at other times. Because if you stop you lose momentum and it's harder to start again. Same thing with spiritual sadhana- at times one may do a lot and intensely, at other times one may slow down and do less, but every day one needs to do something- some japa, some meditation etc- one simply has to keep running until one reaches the destination.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
Despondency is a common and serious obstacle in the spiritual path. This is likely to grip most sadhakas at some point or the other during their spiritual life. One may be gripped occasionally by a mood of anxiety and melancholy - at such times one may wonder, how can this herculean task of controlling the mind be achieved? How can all desires be eradicated? When will the mind be freed of the six enemies of spiritual life (pride, anger, lust, greed, envy and delusion)? When will jnana dawn? When will bhakti be attained? When will the ego be transcended? When will God be attained?
One hears the clarion call of one's Guru and other spiritual greats saying "Exert. Do sadhana. Reveal your true nature as we have done". But the mind asks all the questions described above- essentially wondering how this is ever going to happen.
One quails at the thought of comparing oneself to a Sivananda or a Vivekananda. One thinks I am like an ant, they are like an elephant- where is the comparison? One may sometimes despair at one's own mind which repeatedly runs after sense objects, which can only think of God for a limited time in the day before it needs a dose of worldly thoughts. How can one compare oneself with the spiritual greats who thought of nothing but God in order to attain God? The mind may make assumptions such as "I'm sure the minds of the spiritual greats were never as weak and worldly as my mind is....it's going to take aeons for me to attain God".
This type of despairing negative thinking reduces one's motivation on the spiritual path and becomes a serious obstacle and a self-fulfilling prophecy. If one believes one cannot attain God, one will not exert properly and one will not attain God. On the other hand, if one believes one has a chance, one will exert maximally and the rest is in the hands of Guru and God- at least one can say one tried one's best (and God surely will help those who help themselves as the yogis say).
At times like this it is useful to remember the lives of certain people from the Puranas. For example the story of Pingala. Pingala was a lady who slept with people for money - in modern terms, a sex-worker. She focused on the bodily pleasures alone with little interest in spiritual matters. One day, the story goes, a thief brought her a parrot as a gift. Someone had taught the parrot to say the mantra /name of God "Rama". The parrot frequently said "Rama, Rama!" and Pingala found this name interesting and pleasing to the ear and also began to say "Rama, Rama". Over time by repeating saying "Rama", her mind was purified and she attained God. And as per the Puranas, she attained God one lifetime I may add (not millions of lifetimes).
If a lady without any interest in spiritual matters such as Pingala could attain God in one lifetime by simply uttering the name of God without even understanding its meaning, then why not the rest of us? We can tell our mind "We may not be a Sivananda or a Vivekananda, but surely we are not less than Pingala. We can do what she did. We must have a chance if she had!". It may take one lifetime or more depending on the will of God, but we need not despair. (We know of other Puranic characters too such as Ajamila and Ratnakar/Valmiki who started at a very low level and attained spiritual heights by uttering the name of God).
The yogis say the name of God is infinitely powerful and purifying for the mind. Who then are we to say "It is bound to take millions of lifetimes"- is this not demonstrative of a lack of faith in the name of God. It may take millions of lifetimes to attain God or one or a few- let God decide. But let us note that, based on the Puranas, He does not keep people who say His name repeatedly waiting for millions of lifetimes- as demonstrated in the case of Pingala and yogis of modern times.
Plenty of yogis were arrogant, ignorant and downright unspiritual at the start of their spiritual lives- they were transformed by contact with their Guru and the name of God. Examples of modern saints who started off rather unspiritually include Swami Chinmayananda and Swami Vishnudevananda. Swami Chinmaya went all the way up to Rishikesh to write some nasty things about how Swamis are a hoax. However the holy atmosphere and sadhus transformed his nature and his latent spiritual samskaras unfolded and he did intense tapas for years and is said to have attained God.
Similarly Swami Vishnu refused to bow down at the feet of his Guru Sivananda on their first encounter thinking why should I bow down to any Swami! Swami Sivananda understood his thinking and surprised him by prostrating fully before him - this act taught Swami Vishnu the importance of humility and the understanding that God resides in everyone- he then became Sivananda's disciple, did intense tapas, spread yoga teaching and the Om Namo Narayanaya mantra around the world for peace.
So plenty of people who became spiritual greats in one lifetime had latent spiritual samskaras but also serious flaws of pride, ignorance etc at the start of their spiritual lives. In one lifetime, they took the name of God and thus allowed it to transform them completely and realised their true nature as one with God.
Why then shall we despair? Let pride, anger, delusion and other negative emotions assail us again and again - we simply need to continue our practice which will weaken these negative qualities with time, and strengthen the opposite positive qualities of humility, patience, wisdom, kindness and so on.
If Pingala could do it, then by God, so can we. Nil desperandum, never despair - as Sivananda says. It was possible for other yogis in one lifetime. It may be our destiny too- we will never know if we don't try.
Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namo Narayanaya.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
P.S.
6.5.2016:
I was reading the autobiography of Sivananda (available free online on the Divine Life Society website) recently. I was under the impression that he did japa standing hip deep in the Ganga for 12 hours a day for 12 years non-stop before he got the Darshan of Sri Krishna. It appears I was wrong. He did indeed do this sadhana of doing japa standing hip-deep in the water for hours at a time, but he combined this with a very active element of service to society as a manifestation of God. He set up a free dispensary and found time to treat sick people (was a doctor before he became a monk) and did this during much of the 12 year sadhana period. He also spent time daily in study of spiritual books such as the Gita and Upanisads, and also from time to time, visited Mahatmas to obtain their blessings. In his autobiography, he writes that japa and karma yoga must be combined for genuine spiritual progress. He advises years of hard work in service of society alongside japa as absolutely essential ingredients for spiritual progress as this purifies the mind and develops noble qualities such as compassion, patience etc.
I have sometimes thought to myself that my medical work interferes with my ability to do hours and hours of japa, and have at times been slightly despondent that I do not have the capacity to do 10-12 hours of japa a day at present. I wondered if I was doing enough to make some decent progress in this life.
As per his autobiography, Gurudev took renunciation in Rishikesh in 1924 aged around 36 years after giving up his medical career abroad. He then went on a pilgrimage in 1925 and mentions another one in 1931. So he was clearly not doing 12 hours japa every day standing in the Ganga in Rishikesh for 12 years as he was going on pilgrimages etc- though he was most likely doing this mentally all the time/for many hours a day. Between 1926 and 1930, there is no mention of any travel etc- I assume during this time he remained in his kutir in Rishikesh doing intense tapas. He is said to have attained God somewhere between 1924-1934 before starting the DLS in 1936.
Anyway, this gives me some encouragement that I'm on the right path, and that my medical career is not an obstacle but rather a help, and doing japa while immersed in external activity can still be a means to God. One has to keep reminding oneself again and again and keep the self-doubts at bay.
Also it is useful to remind oneself that spiritual life is a marathon. Not a sprint. One needs endurance, perseverance, self-belief, grit, discipline, determination and training to successfully run a marathon. One needs similar mental stamina to keep running the spiritual marathon. One should also never be tempted to wildly start sprinting fast in a marathon- that will result in prematurely burning up all one's energy and will prevent one from being able to complete the run. Pacing oneself is vital to ensure one completes the marathon.
Similarly one should never impulsively try to do insane amounts of meditation/japa for several hours a day without careful thought and planning- if one can do this comfortably then well and good, but excessive strain and tension is not at all good- one does not want to burn out and stop altogether.
One cannot stop during a marathon, one has to keep running, even if slowly at times, and faster at other times. Because if you stop you lose momentum and it's harder to start again. Same thing with spiritual sadhana- at times one may do a lot and intensely, at other times one may slow down and do less, but every day one needs to do something- some japa, some meditation etc- one simply has to keep running until one reaches the destination.
Hari Aum Tat Sat
I mean the way I look at it is if you are not serious on the path of spirituality....you will start getting discouraged.....I don't think I have ever felt discouraged or run out of patience in regard to spirituality.....satsang does help...reading about spiritual matters like your blog certainly does help :) . Your writings are just a gentle reminder to me that I have to persevere on my sadhana and not get too distracted with other responsibilities that life might throw at me.....We all know that this is lifetimes worth of work...so slowly and steadily this path has to be walked on.... and since this is kalyug we have tremendous advantage...there is no need to do intense tapasya like other yugas...as an householder even if we take one step towards him....maheshwara himself will take 100 steps towards us.....that's the way I look at it.
ReplyDeleteHi, great to hear you are walking the spiritual path with unflagging energy. May you always continue to do so! The majority of people are likely to face ups and downs in spiritual life i.e. but this is part of the the duality of this plane. As Anandamayi Ma used to say- whether one is in the mood or not to do japa/meditation, one must continue anyway and feed the name of God to oneself like a medicine. I agree we are fortunate to be doing tapasya in kali yuga. :)
DeleteBest wishes with your sadhana.
Vishupriya