TATRA STHITAU YATNO ABHYASAH
THE EFFORT DONE TO ACHIEVE THAT STATUS OF MIND IS CALLED ABHYAS
In the last sutra ,it was stated that efforts or practice and dispassion will lead to the success.So in this one it is stated that the the effort that is done is called the abhyas.In regular talk the Abhyas is translated as 'study' .So One may not know as to how do you study?Do you read scripture?Or do we do more rituals or do we change our behaviour or do we donate to charity?This sutra stated that persistent practice to control the thought waves . By reading religious books or scriptures we will not achieve our goal. By doing charity we will not achieve goals. Even though all these things will help, WE MUST PRACTICE TECHNIQUES OF CONCENTRATION.One can not become brain surgeon, by reading surgical text book.One has to learn in the books and then PRACTICE the surgical techniques. After doing it for number of times only , he can do it better and more practice will make it perfect. Same is true of controlling mind.We are not going to be successful at our first attempt or second attempt and this should not discourage us . But we should continue the practice .
To expand on the efforts just doing meditation is not enough. The various other day to day life changes that need to be done will be described in latter sutras . But to understand this limitation on our daily life activity, I am going to tell a story. To prevents the different thoughts arising in our mind , we need to know why we get thoughts . We get thoughts as we have attachments to different things.I am attached to my job , income , possessions, family,health and many other things . So as long as we have these attachments , the thoughts can not be prevented from arising. So the dispassion is the solution.Even if we have dispassion , we got to practice thought control, as some thoughts come and go unrelated to our attachments.So the repeated practice is essential.
So now the story. Maharishi Vyas had a son. His name was SHUKA , also called SHUKAMUNI.When he was conceived and was in the mother's womb , he did not want to come out as the world that he would have to face was not good . So the mother continued to carry the pregnancy for 12 years . She got tired and could not carry it any further.So she told Vyas and he requested the son to come out . He told him that he had such great dispassion , that he would not be affected by the temptations in this world.So the Shuka came out . His father taught what he knew , but it was apparent to him soon that the son knew everything.So he told him to go to a king JANAKA. (think about it The saint was sending him to a king , who enjoys everything in like, living in luxury and having all the sense satisfactions. So do not have to go to forest to practice dispassion).So the SHUKA went to the king .While they were going to the king, they were passing through a jungle and there was a lake.There were some ladies were swimming in it . As the SHUKA muni passed by the ladies did not do anything. But when the Vyas passed by , the ladies covered themselves.So the Shuka felt that he is even better than his older father as the ladies knew that their nudity would not bother him , but they were not sure about his older father.So his ego was inflated.He went to the king and sent a message to the king that said,'I SHUKA muni has come to him leaving everything.' The king sent a message back that 'You can come in only when you left everything.'SHUKA could not understand. So he sent the same message again and got the same reply. Then it struck him . As long as he was identifying himself with the body -mortal body as SHUKA , he had not 'left; everything.
Then the king asked the SHUKA to to carry a cup filed with oil up to the brim, without spilling a drop and do 7 rounds around the palatial room . There was singing and dancing going around . But without paying any attention to all the things that were going on he did go around with no problem.(The moral was that you can stay in this mortal world and not get attached and keep your attention on the same goal all the time even if you are doing day to day chores,)Then he asked him to put in the mouth a candy for 30 minutes . When the king took it out it was not even wet. This proved that SHUKA had complete dispassion . So the king told him that he could not teach him anything more .
This is true dispassion .
THE EFFORT DONE TO ACHIEVE THAT STATUS OF MIND IS CALLED ABHYAS
In the last sutra ,it was stated that efforts or practice and dispassion will lead to the success.So in this one it is stated that the the effort that is done is called the abhyas.In regular talk the Abhyas is translated as 'study' .So One may not know as to how do you study?Do you read scripture?Or do we do more rituals or do we change our behaviour or do we donate to charity?This sutra stated that persistent practice to control the thought waves . By reading religious books or scriptures we will not achieve our goal. By doing charity we will not achieve goals. Even though all these things will help, WE MUST PRACTICE TECHNIQUES OF CONCENTRATION.One can not become brain surgeon, by reading surgical text book.One has to learn in the books and then PRACTICE the surgical techniques. After doing it for number of times only , he can do it better and more practice will make it perfect. Same is true of controlling mind.We are not going to be successful at our first attempt or second attempt and this should not discourage us . But we should continue the practice .
To expand on the efforts just doing meditation is not enough. The various other day to day life changes that need to be done will be described in latter sutras . But to understand this limitation on our daily life activity, I am going to tell a story. To prevents the different thoughts arising in our mind , we need to know why we get thoughts . We get thoughts as we have attachments to different things.I am attached to my job , income , possessions, family,health and many other things . So as long as we have these attachments , the thoughts can not be prevented from arising. So the dispassion is the solution.Even if we have dispassion , we got to practice thought control, as some thoughts come and go unrelated to our attachments.So the repeated practice is essential.
So now the story. Maharishi Vyas had a son. His name was SHUKA , also called SHUKAMUNI.When he was conceived and was in the mother's womb , he did not want to come out as the world that he would have to face was not good . So the mother continued to carry the pregnancy for 12 years . She got tired and could not carry it any further.So she told Vyas and he requested the son to come out . He told him that he had such great dispassion , that he would not be affected by the temptations in this world.So the Shuka came out . His father taught what he knew , but it was apparent to him soon that the son knew everything.So he told him to go to a king JANAKA. (think about it The saint was sending him to a king , who enjoys everything in like, living in luxury and having all the sense satisfactions. So do not have to go to forest to practice dispassion).So the SHUKA went to the king .While they were going to the king, they were passing through a jungle and there was a lake.There were some ladies were swimming in it . As the SHUKA muni passed by the ladies did not do anything. But when the Vyas passed by , the ladies covered themselves.So the Shuka felt that he is even better than his older father as the ladies knew that their nudity would not bother him , but they were not sure about his older father.So his ego was inflated.He went to the king and sent a message to the king that said,'I SHUKA muni has come to him leaving everything.' The king sent a message back that 'You can come in only when you left everything.'SHUKA could not understand. So he sent the same message again and got the same reply. Then it struck him . As long as he was identifying himself with the body -mortal body as SHUKA , he had not 'left; everything.
Then the king asked the SHUKA to to carry a cup filed with oil up to the brim, without spilling a drop and do 7 rounds around the palatial room . There was singing and dancing going around . But without paying any attention to all the things that were going on he did go around with no problem.(The moral was that you can stay in this mortal world and not get attached and keep your attention on the same goal all the time even if you are doing day to day chores,)Then he asked him to put in the mouth a candy for 30 minutes . When the king took it out it was not even wet. This proved that SHUKA had complete dispassion . So the king told him that he could not teach him anything more .
This is true dispassion .
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