This blog is based on my understanding from a talk by Swami Anubhavanand given on the occasion of Ramnavmi on 30 March 2023 in Washington.
Mind is a chatter box in default mode. It's never at rest. This restlessness of the mind keeps tormenting our lives continuously, except when we fall in deep sleep. How can we gain control over our own minds and regain the elusive peace? This is the subject of this blog.
Mind is the domain of thoughts and thoughts are based on words that we speak. We can't think without using any word. If you doubt this, try thinking without using any word. So, thinking is closely linked to speaking - whether loudly or silently.
Speech (vani) occurs at four levels:
- Un-manifest (para vani), when it is in its potential form as pure awareness or consciousness
- Ready to manifest (pashyanti vani), when it arises in the mind as an urge devoid of any thought
- Manifested as thought in the mind (madhyama vani), when you start hearing yourself talking in the mind
- Manifested as speech (vaikhari vani), when others can hear you speak
Through a long unconscious living, we have built a storehouse of un-manifest/unfulfilled desires. These desires give rise to thoughts which turn into speech. We also need to understand that we need thoughts to live in the world for communicating with others. Therefore, thoughts, per-se, don't create problems. It is the uncontrolled flow of thoughts that create havoc in our minds and lives. Just as a gently flowing river doesn't create any problem. But the same river with a strong flow of water overflows its banks and cause destructions.
We generate a strong flow of thoughts whenever we think of any finite object or a being. Such thoughts lead to other related thoughts thus multiplying in number and gaining momentum. To break this stream of thoughts, it is recommended to loudly say something of infinite nature, such as the name of lord (e.g. "Jai Shri Ram"). When we forcibly intercept the stream of materialist thoughts with a thought of infinite nature, we break the flow. The thought of an infinite nature has a unique property that it doesn't lead to another thought. Thus, chanting the name of lord halts the flow of thoughts. Repeating this chant a few times with small gaps will arrest the earlier thought flow for a longer time, during which we can gain control over our thinking and apply the mind towards a realistic goal.
After arresting the thought flow through intervention of loud chanting (vaikhari vani) initially, we should repeat this process through silent / mental chanting (madhyama vani) which will have deeper impact on breaking our habit of unnecessary thinking. Slowly, but surely, this practice will help us regain control over our own minds and we will be able to use our minds to accomplish whatever we consciously want just as we use a gadget to perform an activity. We will be free of mental chattering. We will be able to maintain mental silence longer and at will.
