Prasanthi Vahini

Man must always have calm thoughts. Then only can his mind have Sama-Rasa (Equanimity). It is just a question of the discipline of the mind, difficult in the beginning, but, once mastered, capable of conquering all troubles and worries. An unruffled mind is very necessary for every Sadhaka (Spiritual aspirant) who is marching forward. It is one of his virtues. The one with such an unruffled mind is capable of attaining real strength and happiness. Such a person will be victorious in all his endeavours. Strive to gain it, though you may fail even in fifty attempts. You are sure to succeed in the fifty-first attempt, if you refuse to be dispirited in your initial attempts. There is a small story about this. Bruce, a great king, drew inspiration from a spider, and won the honours of victory at the eighth attempt after losing the battle seven times. What is it that gave him the victory? Shanti, the unruffled mind. He did not yield to despair, cowardice or helplessness; he was calm throughout, and that calmness of mind eventually made him secure success. Even if calamity befalls, the Sadhaka should not lose heart. The mind must ever be pure, untarnished and calm, full of courage. No weeping for the past, no faltering in the performance of the task at hand, that is the mark of a Sadhaka. Be prepared to brave gladly any obstacle in the path. Only then can a Sadhaka realise the goal.

Elation at profit, joy and cheer; dejection at loss and misery, these are the natural characteristics common to all mortals. What, then, is the unique strength of the Sadhaka? He should not forget the principle: Be vigilant and suffer the inevitable, gladly. When calamity and difficulties overwhelm you, do not lose heart and precipitate some action in a hurry; but meditate calmly on how they ever came to be. Try to discover some simple means of overcoming them or avoiding them; being calm and peaceful will be of great help in this endeavour too.

When the blow is directed to the head, see that the turban alone gets it; this is the mark of Sukshma-Buddhi (Acumen); this is Viveka (Discrimination); this is Buddhi-kushalata (Ingenuity). All these are possible only through Shanti. One cannot experience and achieve all these qualities without Shanti. If you are in haste, whatever little Viveka you have, it also goes wasted. Hence, all virtues can be attained and substantiated only through Shanti. Even discernment and farsightedness grow through Shanti. Through that, obstacles and dangers can be anticipated and averted. Sadhakas (Spiritual aspirants) have to pay attention to one subtle point here. The spiritual aspirant should not overthink about his failings, mistakes, drawbacks and such other things. If he overthinks so, the Ichcha-shakti, or the Will-power which was earned through Shanti becomes weak. He must leave his shortcomings considering them as common. Once the Ichcha-shakti (Will-power) becomes fully purified and strengthened, it will ensure that those shortcomings will not even come to his memory. Instead, if thoughts run after the shortcomings or failings and begin to dwell on how they came about, when they came about, etc., he is prone to commit a few more mistakes. Once they have been recognised as failings, why worry about their birth and ancestry? Allow your mind to dwell on good things, instead. Of what profit is it to spend time on things that are no longer necessary? Do not think of them anymore. The Sadhaka will find this attitude, this Buddhi-kushalata (Ingenuity) highly useful.

If the Sadhaka is unsuccessful in his attempt, he has to seek and know the cause of his defeat. This analysis is necessary. He must then see that, in the second stage, the trait is not repeated. He should try his best to guard himself against it. In such matters, one must be quick and active, like the squirrel. Agility and vigilance must be combined with sharpness of intelligence; and try not to make mistakes. All this too can be earned only through Shanti.

Undeviating earnestness and Shanti are very important for facing and overcoming any difficulties. Dhriti (Steadiness), Dhairyam (Courage) and Sanmati (a wise and discerning mind), these will make the Ichcha-shakti (Will-power) strong and sturdy. Effulgence in the face, splendour in the eye, a determined look, a noble voice, generosity, unwavering nature, fearlessness, these are the signposts that a person’s Ichcha-shakti is developing and progressing. A mind without agitations, a joyous and unblemished outlook, these are the marks of a person in whom Shanti has taken root.

The Bhakta (devotee) can well pray for and ask from the Lord, the gift of such a Shanti, and also the improvement of Sadgunas (Virtues, noble qualities). In fact, the Sadhaka has as his capital for earning any of his goals, only this one thing, ‘Prarthana (Prayer)’.

Some people may have some doubts related to this: “Of what avail is prayer? Will the Lord gratify all that we ask for, in our prayers? He can give us only what, according to Him, we need, or what we deserve; is it not? Will the Lord like to give us all that we ask for, in our prayers to Him? Under such circumstances, what is the use of prayer?” Of course, there is an answer to all these doubts.

If the Bhakta has dedicated his all, body, mind and existence, to the Lord, He will Himself look after everything. He (the Lord) will always be with him. Under such conditions, there is no need for prayer. But, have you so dedicated yourself and surrendered everything to the Lord now? No. When losses occur, or calamities come, or plans go astray, the Bhakta blames the Lord. Some, on the other hand, pray to Him to save them. Avoiding both these, as well as the reliance on others, if complete faith is placed on the Lord at all times, and one surrenders to Him, why should He desist from helping you? Why will He not guard you and protect you? Men do not rely fully and unswervingly on the Lord. Therefore, keep on praying with Bhakti (Devotion) and Shraddha (Faith), rather than remaining quiet, thinking that God does everything, according to what we need or deserve. It is possible to attain such Dhridha-vishwasam (firm faith) only through patience and Shanti and not of haste and hurry. Even for the acquisition of the Grace of the Lord and the resulting Awareness of the Reality, the quality of Shanti is the prime need. Every Sadhaka is aware how Draupadi became worthy of Bhagawad-rakshana (God’s protection), through Dharma (Righteousness) and Shanti. Though her husbands were valiant, mighty heroes, pious and far-famed monarchs, she sought refuge in Lord Krishna, feeling that, all others are of no use and cannot save her at the time of danger. But, Prahalada did not seek refuge, under similar circumstances. He had surrendered all at birth to the Lord; he knew that the Lord was ever by his side and that he was ever by the side of the Lord; so, he had no need to call out to Him, for protection. He was unaware that he was being punished, so, how could he pray for protection? For all such God-intoxicated and completely surrendered ones, prayer is not needed.

But until that stage is reached, prayer in an attitude of Shanti is essential for Sadhakas. Prayer of this type will promote Equanimity, or Sama-Rasa. Thus, Shanti protects you in various spheres. The Lord can be prayed to by means of Kirtana (concentrated contemplation of the glory of God), Japa (repetition of the name of the Lord), Dhyana (meditation), or Bhajan (spiritual, devotional singing). In every one of these, the Divine Name is the main focus. That is why Krishna spoke in the Gita of Japa-yajna (Recitation of the names or name of God as a Yajna or sacrifice). When Japa is done, it is better to recite not only mentally but also aloud. Such a Japa is what is called as Bhajan. Such bhajans will inspire the gathering. Even in Sankirtana (congregational chanting of the name of the Lord), if devotees sing bhajans in a sweet voice, a kind of love towards the Lord gets developed, and His Grace too will spread on the devotees. One should patiently wait for that Grace. Even grace cannot be grasped if you are in a haste or hurry. So, even for being blessed by the Lord’s Grace, one must have Shanti. Patience is the key quality to succeed in this endeavour. The Sadhaka must add this lesson to his daily discipline that is practised and to the Shanti Mantra chanted at the end.

“Asatoma sadgamaya; 
Tamasoma jyotirgamaya; 
Mrityorma amritamgamaya.”

This is the Shanti Mantra. The meaning of this Mantra is given variously by various people, some elaborately, some succinctly. “O Lord, when I am deriving happiness through the objects of this world, make me forget the unreal objects and show me the way to permanent happiness,” this is the first prayer. “O Lord, I do not have the power to recognise the Atma that pervades all objects and that which every object really is. So, when the objects of the world attract me, remove the darkness that envelops me from recognising the Atma in them.” This is the second prayer.

The third prayer is: “O Lord, bless me through Your Grace, with Immortality or Parmananda, resulting from the awareness of the Effulgence of the Atma, immanent in every object.” This is the real meaning of the Shanti Mantra.

The true Bhakta will always be dwelling in the thoughts of God. He has no time to know or feel his welfare or worries. Attaining the Lord, is the one and only idea in his mind. There is no chance too, to think about anything else. It is hard to understand this nature or conduct, except by practice and actual experience. A small child, when his mother was nowhere to be found, runs about crying and shouting, “Amma, Amma,” searching for her. The mother comes, takes him up in her arms and places him on her lap. Then the child stops crying and is free from all worries. But, can the child calculate and find out the difference between its previous state and its present state of joy sitting on his mother’s lap? No. Nor is it necessary for him to do so.

So too, he who seeks ever to serve the Lord will immerse himself in it when the glorious chance comes; in that Presence, why does he have to think about any other worries or difficulties. All those other worries or difficulties are thought about only until the moment of attainment. Once the holy Presence is attained, all attention is diverted to experiencing that glorious chance; and he does not think about the past notions.

Therefore, Sadhakas and Bhaktas must not give any scope to think about all the past sorrows and hardships, having yearned and attained the thoughts of the Lord. Immerse yourselves enthusiastically in the thoughts of the Lord and derive true joy therefrom. Bhakti (Devotion) itself is the reward of Bhakti. It is the effect, and it is also the cause. There is no dualism in this. Bhakti is itself the Realisation of Brahman. Through the Jnana Path also, when the veil of Ajnana (Ignorance) is removed, Self-realisation is attained. In the Bhakti Path also, Ananya Bhakti (Exclusive, one-pointed devotion) is attained when one derives no jot of joy from any other source, except the Lord. All obstacles encountered in this Path are those that prevent one from experiencing the Divine Bliss. The reason for those obstacles is the inability of man to derive necessary strength from the Chit-shakti (Power of Consciousness) bestowed upon him. And, this is caused when man is enveloped by the feelings of Ahamkara (Egotism) and Mamakara (Attachment). “I am the enjoyer,” “These things are mine,” and such feelings of egoism are present in man. So long as such egoistic feelings are present, one can have no real contentment, and he will be driven to seek for experiencing things which will give even more joy.