Talk:Dharmas Common to All:Love

By Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami

Yoga is Controlling the Mind in this Manner

Before we pass on, we must find a way to control the mind. Otherwise, we will be born again and we will be subject to the constant unquietness of the mind again. So we must use the opportunity of this birth itself to subdue the mind even while we are in the midst of so much that can rouse our desire or anger. A man who has succeeded in bridling his mind thus is called a yukta by the yogins. He is a sukhin, one who truly experiences bliss, so says Śrī Kṛṣṇa. You must not turn away from yoga thinking that it is meant only for people like the sages. Who needs medicine? The sick. We suffer from manovyādhi, mental sickness. So we must take the medicine that cures it.

There are two different ways of mastering the mind – the first is outward (bahiraṅga) and the second is inward (antaraṅga). We must have recourse to both. The maṭha has a cartman and a cook. Their work is outward in nature. Then there are those who prepare the wicks of the lamps, gather flowers for the pūjā – they are inward workers. Both types are needed for the functioning of the maṭha. By employing both the outward and inward means, the mind must first be applied to good things one-pointedly and eventually lead to a state in which it does not think of anything at all.

The outward means consists, for example, of sandhyāvandana, sacrifices, charity and so on. The best inward means is meditation. There are five inward (antaraṅga) means to aid meditation. They are: ahiṃsā (non-violence), satya (truthfulness), asteyam (non-stealing), śauca (cleanliness), and indriya-nigraha (subduing the senses, if not obliterating them).

To practise ahiṃsā is to imbue the mind with love for all and not even think of harming others. Asteyam means not coveting other people's goods. For satya, or truthfulness, to be complete one's entire being, including body, mind, and speech, must be involved in its practice. Śauca is hygiene, observing cleanliness by bathing, maintaining ritual purity, etc. Indriya-nigraha implies limits placed on sensual enjoyment. "The eyes must not see certain things, the ears must not hear certain things and the mouth must not eat certain things" – restrictions with regard to what you can see, listen to, eat and do with your body. The body is meant for sādhana, for Ātmic discipline. The senses must be "fed" only to the extent necessary to keep the body alive.

These five dharmas are to be practiced by all Hindus without any distinction of caste or community.