– in the words of Sri Sarada Devi (see more at the bottom of the article)
“He who has a pure mind sees everything pure.
When a pure mind performs japa, he feels as if the holy name bubbles up spontaneously from within himself. He does not make an effort to repeat the name. One should practise japa and meditaition at regular times giving up idleness.
The mind is everything. It is in the mind alone that one feels pure and impure. A man, first of all, makes his own mind guilty and then alone he sees another man’s guilt.
The mind is by nature restless. Therefore, at the outset, to make the mind steady, one may practise meditation by regulating the breathing a little. That helps to steady the mind. But one must not overdo it. That heats the brain. You may talk of the vision of God or of meditation, but remember, mind is everything. One gets everything when the mind becomes steady.
Continuous meditation will make the mind so steady that you will not want to give it up. When the mind is not in a mood to meditate, do not force it to do so. In such conditions get up from the seat of meditation after making prostrations. Real meditation is of a spontaneous nature.
Question: Mother, my mind becomes restless now and then. It craves for enjoyment and that frightens me.
Answer: Don’t be afraid. I tell you that in this Kali Yuga mental sin is no sin. Free your mind from all worries on this account. You need not be afraid.
My child, this mind is like a wild elephant. It races like the wind. Therefore one should discriminate all the time. One should work hard for the realisation of God. What a wonderful mind I had at that time! Somebody used to play on a flute at night at Dakshineswar. As I listened to the sound, my mind would be extremely eager for the realisation of God. I thought that the sound was coming directly from God, and I would enter into Samadhi.“
***
“You see, it is the nature of water to flow downwards, but the sun’s rays lift it up towards the sky; likewise it is the very nature of mind to go to lower things, to objects of enjoyments, but the grace of God can make the mind go towards higher objects.“
– Ma Sarada Devi (also known as ‘the Holy Mother’) in the compilation of her teachings, ‘Thus Spake the Holy Mother’ by Swami Suddhasatwananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math.
Sri Sarada Devi was the consort of Sri Ramakrishna Parmahansa, the great saint of the 19th century. She was believed to be an incarnation of the Divine Mother. Read more.
