Head your Mind

Head your Mind and Mind your Head, but abide in your Heart

The Inner Self

If you practice Kriya Yoga, you will perceive the Inner Self. If you feel your Inner you, you have the best antidote against the stressful experiences of modern day-to-day life. If you have this antidote against stress, you will be free from worry, anxiety, tension, depression, and psychosomatic diseases. Your mind will be calm.

Lessons from Astavakra Gita

In one of the ancient Yoga scriptures of india, The Astavakra Gita 1:8, it is mentioned:

अहं कर्तेत्यहंमान महाकृष्णाहिदंशितः।
नाहं कर्तेति विश्वासामृतं पीत्वा सुखं भव

aham kaarta iti ahammaana maha krishna ahi danshitaah
na aham kartaa iti viswasa amritam peetva sukhi bhava

ASHTHAVAKRA GITA 1:8

English Translation:

Most people who are not God-realized, are compared to be suffering from the poison of the big, black, and poisonous snake called Egoism. The antidote and treatment are to drink or assimilate the Nectar of Faith and Inner conviction, I am not the doer (free form egoism). You then become happy, healthy, and heartily. The Master Asthavakra advises and instructs further –

Burn down the forest of ignorance, confusion and wrong identification regarding your real identity (Self Realization) by inner conviction (purification of mind) for I Am the Immortal, All-Pervading, Soul, Brahman.I am the Pure Consciousness, Suddha Chaitanya.

World of Relativity

The relativity of the word Maya or Avidya or Ignorance is superimposed on this Pure Consciousness. This is compared to the mistaken identification of the snake, superimposed on a piece of rope in dim light or semi-darkness. This phenomenon of wrongly thinking of the rope, like a snake, causes all the fears, nervousness, and resultant psychosomatic harmful changes in a person. Our reactions, interactions, and actions in this world of relativity are in many ways similar to the above simile.

One has to calm down the restlessness and erratic tendencies of the mind. Once the restlessness is controlled, and thoughts become calm and unperturbed and unruffled. One should concentrate and focus the calm mind on spiritual Truths as mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. Associations of Love and Faith in this practice (Sadhana) are a must for success. Applying this standard, let us analyze another teaching of the Master Asthavakra,

मुक्ताभिमानी मुक्तो हि बद्धो बद्धाभिमान्यपि।
किवदन्तीह सत्येयं या मतिः सा गतिर्भवेत्॥
muktabhimane mukto hi baddho baddhabhimanyapi 
kivadantiha satyeyam ya matis sa gatirbhavet

ASHTHAVAKRA GITA

English Translation

He who becomes free (Self Realized) with love and faith, constantly reminds himself positively that he is free. But he, who can’t believe it, has many negative attitudes, doubts in himself, in the teachings of the Gurus and the Holy Scriptures remains bound to ego, envy, ignorance, and stress. Hence he suffers.

As one thinks, so he becomes

The practical advice which needs to be remembered and practiced is that, to always be the master of one’s thoughts. Be the leader of your mind and senses. Always control your head. But don’t reduce yourself to dry intellectualism at the cost of Faith and Love.

Mother Kali 

There is a beautiful, religious concept of Mother Kali, in this regard. Mother Kali is the spiritual symbol of the Manifest Power of God. She is the Controller of Time and the Presiding Deity of Cause and Effect in the Creation. She is depicted as 4-armed and standing on an apparently dead body of a Saint, traditionally signifying Lord Shiva ( Unmanifest, Formless, All-Pervading God). Mother Kali seems to be coming out of the Unmanifest God (as God’s Creative Power or Energy). In Mother Kali’s 4 hands are:

Symbolism of Mother Kali

The subtle Truth of Cause and Effect is depicted beautifully in this symbolic figurine of Mother Kali (Controller of Time) and Lord Shiva (The Unmanifest God). This to some extent, explains the Prarabdha, or Karmaphala or Destiny or Effects of stars and planets or Fate. There is no superstition, blind faith, or fatalism in it. This is the reason why the Great Master, Lord Krishna has categorically advised His worthy disciple, Arjuna, in The Bhagavad Gita. To purify and control the mind by repeated ceaseless practice. And by ignoring his biological Ego-Self to constantly identify himself with the Inner Immortal God-Self (Abhyasa and Vairagya). Remind yourself repeatedly that you are the Inner Immortal Self or Soul. This necessarily means to calm down your thoughts and regulate the mind. Use it for both material and spiritual success, in this very life. There is no other way out of the troubled relativity of this life or worldly ocean (Bhava Sagar or Sansara Sagar).

Kriya Yoga and the mind

Our original classical Kriya Yoga, is the best and easiest technique  for mind control and Self Realization. As the mind is extremely powerful, it is almost impossible to control it directly in one lifetime. So we advise you, you don’t have to engage yourself in a frustrating, apparently losing battle of mind control.

Controlling the mind

Just practice the Kriya Yoga technique, twice daily, correctly and your mind will be controlled automatically. To verify the veracity of this statement is to personally try it and verify its benefits. You will feel the truth of the following teaching of Astavakra Muni,

एकं सर्वगतं व्योम बहिरन्तर्यथा घटे।
नित्यं निरन्तरं ब्रह्म सर्वभूतगणे तथा
ekan sarvagatan vyom bahirantaryatha ghate. nityan nirantaran brahm sarvabhootagane tatha

ASHTHAVAKRA GITA 1:20

English Translation:

The same All-Pervading Space abides inside and outside of a jar. Similarly, the One, Eternal, Immortal, All-Pervading God exists and abides in all beings and things in the whole Creation.

Benefits of Kriya Yoga

Through the easy and scientific techniques of Kriya Yoga, one can obtain:

  • Mental peace
  • Physical fitness
  • Accelerate self evolution
  • Proportionately overcome the recurrence of sins by known and unknown actions.

If there is a will there is a way. Never forget to practice Kriya yoga daily. It is not worthwhile to give an excuse for not practicing Kriya Yoga daily because no excuse is good enough.

सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः 
om sarve bhavantu sukhinah

MAY ALL ENJOY HAPPINESS AND JOY

I pray to god and our merciful Gurus to Bless you, Guide you, Protect you and Inspire you.

With Love and Blessings to you. Humbly,
Paramahansa Atmananda Ji