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Constant
effort with keen interest is the key to rapid success in the
practice of Yoga, bee started by the traveler of Divine Path with
complete faith and devotion. Continuous fast toil with strong
interest is considered to be very important and helpful for an early
success in the attainment of the chief Goal even by Maharshi
Patanjali, the great profounder of Yoga philosophy.
“Tivra-samveganamasannah.”
(Yoga
Darshan 1-21)
i.e.
the practitioners, who do not get tired or bored and are constantly
intent upon the yogic practices, get Nirbeej (seedless) samadhi
(realization of super-consciousness) very soon that is
“self-realization” been mentioned previously. So Tatparata in simple
words, means to proceed on the path directed by the spiritual master
with a keen desire, great zeal and firmness that defers all hat
limited desires. One thing more, I must clarify here, “that it is a
universal fact that the practitioner cannot proceed properly,
progressively towards the destination, if he has got any kind of
individual desire, left in his mind; because any materialistic
desire can be the cause of hindrance and obstruction in the higher
success of practice (Sadhana). So the great wise devotees focus
their mind upon their adorable (Ishata). According to the great
saint Tulsidas (the writer of the holy Hindu scripture Ramayana),
the chief desirable of a devotee is the vision of Lord and that is
the only attainable (object) of their life.
“Mana
Te Sakal Vasana Bhagi, Kewal
Rama Charan Laya Lagi.”
(Ram-Charita
Manasa Bal-Kand)
i.e.
the practitioner, in this way, achieves success in his practices, as
he gets all his person individual desires finished and is totally
attached with the lotus feet of Lord Rama (His adorable Ishta) that
is a peaceful shelter for self immersion. Rather without attaining
that Goal, the devote feels his life meaningless, as according to
him meaningfulness of human life is in the attainment of that
ultimate goal i.e. complete self-surrender”. Thus the practitioner
of Ramayan thinks: -
Ram
Charan Varij Jaba Dekhaun, Taba
nija Janma Suphal Kari Lekhaun!
i.e.
I would accept my life meaningful, only when I am able to visualize
the lotus feet of Lord Rama, that can be followed by an ardent keen
desire only. St. Tulsidas (in his Manas the great epic) depicts the
mental status and internal desire of the great practitioners
(Svayambhu Manu and shatarupa) e.g.
“Ur
abhilash nirantara hoi, Dekhiye
nayana param prabhu soi.”
(Manas
Bal Kand)
i.e.
“It is their constant internal wish that they may be able to
visualize that supreme Lord Rama. Their great faith has also been
described as follows: -
“Aguna
akhanda ananta anadi
Jehi
Chintahin parmarathavadi” (Manas
Bal Kand)
i.e.
They believe, that Almighty who has no beginning no end, no quality,
no division, who is meditated upon by all the philosopher saints,
great metaphysicians who is prescribed in Vedas to be such, being
stated as (Neti Neti) i.e. “That is not He, That is not He”
(whatever is perceptible cannot be the medium of its definition and
description i.e. where even the Vedic knowledge exhausts), who is a
universal Supreme Power beyond all names and forms, even the great
Gods of creation, Nourishment and Destruction,
(Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesha) are the manifestations of whose Supreme
Existence, adopting a super human divine playful form manifests
itself for his devotees. Sot he devotee keeps a deep faith, in these
holy words of Shruti (Vedic declaration) and is sure that his wish
must be fulfilled. In this keenness of desire they forget even their
physical existence and maintenance e.g.:
“Asthi
Matra hoi rahe Sarira
Tadapi
Managa manahin nahin pira” (Manas
Bal Kand)
i.e.
their bodies have remained just skeleton even then they have no
distress in mind because they are thinking about their goal only.
Resultantly the Lord of the devotees manifested Himself before the
devotee couple (Manu and Satroopa): -
“Bhagat
Vacchal prabhu kripa nidhana
vishvavas
pragate Bhagawana” (Manas
Bal Kand)
i.e.
“the constant effort with keen desire enabled them to have supreme
vision.”
Now
we have seen in Ramayana also, that along with Shraddha (faith and
devotion) and tatparata (constant effort with keen desire), there is
the third essential step of the practice that is the control of the
senses” (Indriya samyama).
Sense
control means to satisfy the senses through some proper limited,
disciplined means of enjoyment, to engage them into the right
action’s performance for the best utilization. In the Indian Vedic
way of practice, sense-control is considered to be primarily
important and necessary as the root cause of all types of
disturbance is the restlessness of the senses and the mind. These
can mislead the individual making him indulged into innumerous
harmful activities. According to Shrimadbhagwad Geeta:
-
“Ye
hi Samsparshaja bhoga dukhayonaya eva te
Adyantavantah
Kaunteya na teshu ramate budhah” Gita
5-22
i.e.
in the contact of the senses and their objects, there lies the
feeling of enjoyment that is very temporary, perishable and short
lived. The absence of which produces sorrow, breeds all the unhappy
situations in life. The vivekees (the wise men) being quite aware of
this fact do not indulge themselves into these; because it is a
basic fact, that the contact of the senses and their objects must
produce the feeling of attachment or hatred according to their
favorableness or unfavourableness, liking or disliking, availability
or non-availability. So the best way for the practitioner is to be
free from all the dualities and proceed forward carefully as the
attachment and the hatred both are the great enemies of the traveler
of the Divine Path. So, that very practitioner can be successful,
whose mind, even coming into contact with external worldly sense
objects accompanied with their organs for enjoyment, does not stir
or disturb the individual life. According to Lord Krishna, having
good control over the senses, mind and the intellect only, the
thoughtful practitioner, being free from any type of desire, fear,
lust or anger etc. deserves emancipation, the chief goal of
life.
The
idea is, that no practitioner can have the complete success in any
type of practice without having proper sense control. The most
destructive factor in life is the indiscipline of the senses. Even
in the Upanishads, the same idea has been expressed in the following
verse: -
“Atmanam
ratninam Viddhi
Shariram
rathameva tu
Buddhim
tu Sarthim Viddhi
Manah
pragrahameva cha
Indriyani
hayanahur
Vishayansteshu
gocharan
Atmendriyamanoyuktam
Bhoktetyahur manishinah.”
Kathopanishad,
1-3-3, 1-3-4
i.e.
“know the individual soul as the rider (owner) of the Chariot of the
body, the intellect as the charioteer and the mind to be the reins.
The philosopher thinkers tell the senses, as horses, their objects
are the paths on which they tread upon. The individual self, with
sense, mind and body, becomes the enjoyer of the object. Under the
current reference, the next verses tell:
“Just
as though the chariot is carried by the horses, yet the director is
the charioteer, with the reins in his hands, who directs the horses
on the right path, if the charioteer is not an efficient one, he can
never control the forceful horses and being out of control, the free
horses, been attracted by the greenery, adopting the wrong path,
would definitely drop the owner, (rider) and the charioteer both
into some pit right in the same manner, the forceful horses of the
senses, by nature being restless, always desire to run towards the
glittering objects of this world. If the efficient charioteer, i.e.
the well developed, well balanced pure Reason (Sadbuddhi) controls
the reins of mind powerfully, wisely, the horses of the senses
cannot move freely, or unsystematically, as the senses are always
related, and connected with the reins of mind.
Now
you must have followed, even in this Vedic message, how much
important and necessary this sense control is considered to be for
the practitioner of Yoga. In the eight-limbed-Yoga, prescribed by
Maharishi Patanjali, the Yamas and the Niyamas (denoting the
practice of sense control) are the first main two steps, which
become the basical ground of the success in the practice of Yoga. So
the sense control (Indriya nigrah) is counted in the five Mahavratas
(the great five Vows).
Even
in the senses, mind is the chief player. The senses are
automatically controlled after the control of the mind. So in the
process of the practice, given by all the scriptures and the
teachers, the control of mind has been considered to be the primary
and an important step. According to Geeta, uncontrolled mind is the
great enemy of the individual, while the controlled mind is the
great friend of him.
Bandhuratmatmanastasya
yenatmaivatmana jitah
Anatmanastu
shatrutve vartetamaiva shatruwat (Gita
6-6)
So
the practitioner should constantly make careful effort to have this
sense control that leads to the concentration and thus
self-realization.
Above
analysis must have clarified the fact that through the practice
based on complete faith and devotion, encouraged with constant, keen
desire and interest having sense control, the practitioner attains
the Divine Supreme knowledge, that enables him to be free from the
triad of pains (Adhibhautic, Adhidevic, adhyatmic), being felt since
various past lives.
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