Once mind settles down, following the process suggested in the previous issue, a favourable inner mental climate gets created which is suited to pursue dhyana in right earnest. For, our restive mind becomes free from all the inconsequential thoughts, many negative, playing at the sub-conscious level, go out of reckoning. Mind-space thus becomes available to absorb fresh educative inputs, objectively process fresh thoughts and conduct sensibly. You will still continue to have in store, thought seeds parked at deeper layer of mind that hold the key to your habit tendencies. To get over them, you need to move to the next stage of the process — Detoxification of Mind.
The process is purposely so designed as to consciously invoke all instore thought seeds that keep driving us crazy, so as to resolve them through fresh educative inputs. At this stage, Guru will give you a two syllable/words mantra. Now sit comfortably, close your eyes and turn your attention inwards. The focus has to be once again on the breath cycle — inbreath and outbreath. Now begin reciting the mantra inwardly — one syllable/word with inbreath and the other with outbreath. Mantra as such has no religious implication; it actually has energy connotation. When you recite the opening syllable/word with the inbreath, you draw extra life forces from nature. That triggers the inlaid memory imprints registered in energy format — meaningful ones as positive energy and unseemly as negative energy. The churning that follows expels negative imprints, bringing into focus your limiting habit tendencies. Vibration of the second syllable/word helps drive away the negative energy. The process needs to be continued for at least 20 minutes every day. The two steps followed thus far correspond to Pratyahara.
It’s time now to move on to work towards attaining the state of one-pointedness, which corresponds to ‘Dharana’ the 6th step of Patanjali’s 8 fold path. The process is designed to induce value to the thought process through self-reflection on fresh educative inputs and give a positive turn to mind. The process has two working tools — a fresh Mantra and an iconic figure carrying valuable educative import. The two have to be individual specific, as prescribed by the Guru, which is based on the callings of your inherent frame of mind, particularly its wanting area.
Mantra, you may know, is actually a set of syllables placed in a logical sequence to create a particular sound effect, which as a sequel to stress created and uttered by mouth is heard by ears, and apprehended by the mind. Mantra is so called, because it comprises of ‘mana’ out of ‘manana’ and ‘tra’ out of ‘trana’. Mana in Hindi lingua franca means mind; manana implies reflection in mind; and trana stands for liberation. So chanting of mantra helps attain liberation from mental limitations. Mantra in fact is a radiant energy, rather a sound body of consciousness set in correspondence with the consciousness of related imagery in focus. Repeated chanting of the mantra, with focus on the related imagery, consciousness of the seeker comes to terms with the mantra and the imagery in focus. You may still continue to be confronted with distracting thoughts. Try to remain disengaged from them. For, unless you pay attention to something, it may not affect you. Also, try to bring your attention back again and again to your focal point. Gradually, the distracting thoughts may go out of reckoning. Let me add here that when the sound note of the mantra resonate to the imagery in focus, over a period of time, you may get so involved, that distracting thoughts, if any, may go out of reckoning. When you get fully established in the process, your mind will become one pointed, and you may remain focused for considerably a longer stretch of time.
As you graduate further in the process, the seeker is in harmony with the imagery and its educative import, as well as the resonating mantra. As you further get established in the process, a stage is arrived at when the mind, the mantra and the imagery turn into a seamless awareness. The state of dhyana is thus arrived at. You may then remain effortlessly focused for long, and at will. Mind then comes out with its optimum best, when its fully expanded vision would know no limits. Wherever you pay attention, the underlying truth comes out intuitively.
With these words, I wish the valued readers to get geared up to grab the opportunities coming your way and brave challenges ahead in the New Year.
The writer is an astrologer, vastu consultant and spiritual counsellor. Connect with him at
Tel: 91-11-9818037273/9871037272