Spiritual practices temper the mind

CHENNAI, OCT. 23. The sensory organs are by nature outward-bound and hence man preoccupies himself mostly with worldly matters. It is a rare person who turns his gaze within to fathom his own nature. The veil of ignorance (Maya) hides the Self (Atman) and hence human beings fail to see their true spiritual nature. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa uses the analogy of Sita walking in between Rama and Lakshmana resulting in the latter unable to see the Lord to explain this phenomenon. Only God's grace can enable man to overcome Maya. It becomes imperative on man to understand how divine grace manifests in human lives and take necessary steps to elicit it. When one does not even have any thought about God, how can one expect His grace to manifest?

A person embarking on the spiritual path is assailed by doubts like whether there is God and anyone had seen Him. Such thoughts are indicative of the inward turning of the mind which is the turning point in man's spiritual evolution. Swami Vivekananda's quest which ultimately led him to his Guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, is well-known. The saint told him that he had not only seen God but could make him also envision Him. Spiritual progress was possible only when one came under the grace and guidance of a spiritual master because he would not only say with conviction that God could be realised but also show the path that had to be traversed from his personal experience, said Swami Gautamananda in his discourse.

In the case of the majority even the desire to realise God will not sprout and even if it does, will be pursued half-heartedly or postponed to the evening of life. When finally one makes an attempt, the body and the mind will rebel because of the onset of infirmities and also due to the fact that they have not been disciplined. So restraining the mind from its outward-going tendency must be practised right from young age by engaging in devotional activities.

Saints have advocated various spiritual practices to suit different temperaments and sometimes a combination of them also because each individual's spiritual evolution is unique. Only a competent Guru can chalk out a path for his disciple. A spiritual aspirant merits the grace of a Guru by his intense desire to realise God and under his guidance will develop mastery over his senses and mind. Frontal attack on the baser mental traits like anger and passion will be counterproductive; instead the mind should be tempered by devotional pursuits when it will overcome them without any effort.

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