Darshan of Swami Krishnananda in 1999

by Swami Krishnananda

50. Oscillation of the Mind

(Darshan given in December 1999)

A visitor: Swamiji, sometimes when I sit to meditate I find it hard to focus my mind.

Swamiji: Because you are not believing what you are understanding. I have told you something which you have understood, but still your heart says it is not like that. So what can I do for that? That means you are not meditating. You are only hearing what I say, but you are not meditating. That's why this trouble comes.

Day and night you must meditate like this, day and night. Whether you are eating food or going for a walk or doing work in the office, twenty-four hours this thought must be there. Then the mind will not go.

Visitor: The thought that God is everywhere must be there all the time.

Swamiji: I used to give an example to people how to prevent oscillation of mind. Suppose you have got a hundred million dollars of currency notes in your pocket, and you are going for a walk. Can you forget it? Tell me. Will you forget that it is there? Your mind will go to something else?

Visitor: To be honest, my mind would probably go back to it.

Swamiji: You are not giving a correct answer. Will you forget that you have got hundred million dollars in your pocket? Will you forget?

Visitor: No.

Swamiji: Then why are you forgetting this one? That means you are seeing value in the dollars, but no value in God. That is the whole thing. God is a remote possibility, but the dollar is immediately here. You forget that God is nearer to you than dollars. The mind is not very clear. The whole point is, you are not meditating. You are only asking a question and getting an answer, but it will not help you unless your mind accepts this truth and centres it in the heart, and day and night you think only that. Then no oscillation will be there.

Visitor: Yes. Thank you, Swamiji.

[Later on]

Swamiji [to another visitor]: ...manifests itself as the causative factor of the universe, called Ishvara. Ishvara condenses himself into Hiranyagarbha, Hiranyagarbha condenses himself into Virat. Virat is the whole universe that you are seeing. That Virat splits itself into three parts: the subjective side, the objective side and the intermediary side. The subjective side is the individual, the objective side is the physical universe, and the intermediary principles are the gods. You see, this eye is working because of the sun, the ears are working due to the Dig-devatas, tongue is working due to Varuna, skin is working due to Vayu. So you are not an independent man. You are totally controlled by the cosmic forces.

This distinction arises by the sattva guna, raja guna, you can say. The raja guna creates the individual here, the tamoguna creates the physical universe, sattva guna in the middle is the intermediary principle, consciousness connecting subject and object.

Too complicated a matter. I think you must come again another time. I have written a book called The Philosophy of Life. In that you will find all these things.

Visitor: Antahkarana... this manas, buddhi, chitta...

Swamiji: This antahkarana is only individual.

Visitor: I understand, Swamiji. But that is full of rajas and tamas, or that is also...?

Swamiji: There also three qualities are there. Even mind has got three qualities: sattva, rajas, tamas. It can be dull and lethargic, it can be very active and distracted, it can be calm and quiet also. All the three qualities are present everywhere. In every place, everywhere, in every condition you will find all the three qualities. It is too big a subject.

Visitor: No, but I have made a continuous practice to read every day. One hour at least, I devote to it.

Swamiji: These are not meant for reading. You must meditate. You must become a cosmic man, not a Baroda man or a Gujarati man. This idea must go away. Can you think you are a cosmic person? You are an emanation from the whole universe, so your individuality is merged with the cosmos. So who are you, then? Who is speaking? Mauna, you cannot talk. Namaskar. Hari Om. Om Namo Narayanaya.