Way to control erratic Mind

How to control the turbulent and erratic mind, which makes it impossible for even the most dedicated person to pursue the path of virtue. It is quite usual to find a man with a very pleasing exterior but his mind may be corrupted and he may be found always scheming.

How to make mind obey our command and how to tame it?

How are we to live in this world?

Can God be seen?

These were the main doubts raised by a teacher who was dejected with the family chores and preferred to commit suicide, to Ramakrishna Paramhansa, the unrivalled guide to humanity in recent time.

Swamy Ramakrishna compared the funny behavior of mind to a monkey, already known for its antics, that has consumed liquor making it tipsy, that was stung by a scorpion inflicting it with unbearable pain and lastly ‘seized’ by a vampire. The only way to curb its unbridled conduct is for a person to closely associate himself with godly and noble souls whose only concern is to serve God, here and thereafter. Their company provides moral strength. The frustrated man should join these pious persons even uninvited.

About living, Swamy Ramakrishna asked him to study the attitude of a maidservant in a wealthy man’s bungalow. Even while engaged in her duties, her thoughts will be even fixed on her own house and her children. One may discharge the obligations but his attention should be on God whether when enjoying prosperity of facing adversity.

Swamy Ramkrishna’s reply about securing the visions of God. The care that a miser takes of his wealth, the affection of a mother to her child and the attachment of a wife to her spouse, the devotion that arises out if all the three combined will lead a man to God. It required determination constant meditation and unceasing chanting of divine names. One should pray ‘Give me the strength to rise above trifles.’

Swamy Ramkrishna detected wealth and sex. The craving for carnal pleasure forces men to lose their mental balance. His disciple once hid a gold coin under the bed but Swamy Ramakrishna who felt uneasy said that a scorpion had crept inside it. He treated every woman as a mother.

In the case of an average human being, his thoughts, words and actions are motivated by self-interest. His self-centeredness or selfishness leads to aggressiveness, violence and exploitation. It is an evil trait and finds expression through the five main vices of lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride. Lust means the satisfaction of one’s own passion. Anger is the outcome of one’s own superiority and disregard for the feelings of others. Greed implies grabbing of goods and services for one’s exclusive use at the cost of the others. Worldly attachments imply the excessive love for one’s family, relations and friends, which may end up in nepotism, partiality and injustice. Ego is the excessive love of one’s position and lust for power.

In Gurbani, the word Haumai recurs frequently. Literally, it means ‘I am’, thereby implying egoism, regarded as a spiritual and moral disease. The Sankrit expression Aham or Ahankar gives the same meaning. The egoist lives in a world of his own. Guru Nanak says, “In ego, man is absorbed in Maya (illusion); in ego he is overwhelmed by delusion.” The egoist thinks only of himself, he doesn’t care for others. He creates a wall between himself and others. Like a spider, he weaves a web out of his own self and tries to catch others in his net.

Haumai is a denial of God, his will, creation and love, Guru Amar Das said that Haumai and remembrance of God’s name are at variance with each other. Gurbani prescribes the remedy for the disease of the ego. Self-centeredness is to be substituted by God centeredness. It emphasises that Manmukh must become a Gurmukh. Love of God implies the love of his creation, of all human beings. The service of God means the service of man. An altruistic and virtuous life promotes divine consciousness. The Gurbani says, “Love, contentment, truth, humility and other virtues enable the seed of the name to grow.” Haumai is thus a spiritual disease, a condition that blinds the mind of a person. From it flow all ignorance, selfishness and depravity. To overcome Haumai’s fatal effects, one has to destroy it. Guru Amar Das says: “Nanak, the bravest brave in one/who drives out the wretched egoism within,/the sage glorify almighty munity for posterity according to Guru Nanak, if man followed the master’s word and lived with divine grace, this  malady could be cured forever.