VYA'TIREKA - 2

official source: Ma'nasa'dhya'tmika Sa'dhana'r Staravinya's [Stages of Psycho-
	Spiritual Sa'dhana']

cross-references: also published in Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell Part 6

this version: is the printed Ananda Marga Philosophy in a Nutshell Part 6, 1st 
	edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., 
	this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

	The mind cannot exist without an object (vis'aya). In the case of an object which is related to the physical sphere the Sam'skrta terms vis'aya and a'dha'ra can be used, but for a mental object there is a special term.

      Suppose there is a rasogolla' - you can see or you can eat it - it is your mental object. But the mind sometimes remains attached to certain objects which cannot be eaten or touched. Even though such objects are not related to tanma'tras the mind still remains preoccupied with them. Suppose your house is in Haldibari (a place in N. Bengal), and you have gone to Jaipur ( a place in Rajhastan about 1500 kilometers from Haldibari). While visiting the important sites of Jaipur - the Hawa'mahal, the observatory and other places of historical importance - you suddenly think, " My paddy plants are ripening so I'd better get back soon and prepare for the harvest. And I've still got to sow the wheat seeds...I shouldn't waste any more time here." At that moment your mind is no longer seeing the sights of Jaipur but has returned to your paddy fields at Haldibari. Actually it is as if your mind has been split in two: one part is enjoying the tourist spots at Jaipur, while the other part is concerned about Haldibari. Such is the plight of the mind. Even though one of your mental objects has no inferences of it's own - neither taste, smell, touch, form, etc. - yet the mind remains preoccupied with it. Such an object is called the pabulum of mind (a'bhoga). Abhoga is derived as prefix a' - bhuj (root verb) + gahin (suffix). In such a case it is the mental body as opposed to the physical body which gets food. Thus the outer mind is working in one way while the inner mind is divided into two parts resulting in nothing being done properly: neither can you enjoy the sights of Jaipur, nor can you think deeply about your paddy fields at Haldibari. When the mind is split in two, not only is it rather disturbing, it hampers mental progress. That is why the mind should be withdrawn from all unnecessary objects and concentrated only on one object. During study if one is disturbed by so many things, one will lose concentration.

      The other day I said that the mind cannot exist without an object, and keeps jumping from object to object. The person in the example I gave thought it would be good to have a rasagolla' (the rasagolla' became his mental pabulum) so he went to a sweet shop to eat some. But while in the shop he felt that he really shouldn't have any at all - it was pure greed on his part. Then, suddenly, the smell of a fresh tea reached his nostrils (the mind made the smell tanma'tra its pabulum) and he decided to have a cup. The very next moment a very fine shirt caught his attention and he thought he would like one just like it (the shirt then became his mental pabulum). Then he thought about the scolding his mother would give him for being late and prepared his reply.

	These examples show how the mind is continuously switching over from one object to another. Without an object the mind itself becomes non-existent. In this context a fundamental question arises: When the mind jumps from one object to another - say, from rasogolla' to tea - what happens to it during the intervening period? What is the mental pabulum at that time? It is an important question. A very interesting thing happens. When your mind starts to move from rasagolla' to tea it still remains attached to rasagolla' for a certain time. It has taken a decision to move, but nevertheless hesitates a while before moving towards tea, because it is not completely sure that it wants to leave rasagolla' altogether. If the attraction for tea is stronger than the attraction for rasogolla' it will be able to jump to tea. But if the attraction for rasagolla' is extremely strong, according to one's inherent sam'skaras, it will take up more mental space than the attraction for tea, and the mind will be unwilling to take tea as its mental object. If, on the other hand, the attraction for tea is stronger, the mind will prefer to take it as its mental object.

      In between those two extremes there is another state - a state of mental balance (of course it may not be perfectly balanced). At that stage the latent human samskaras of mind becomes more active, that is that type of sam'ska'ras which one has been expressing for many years becomes more assertive. At this stage of one's mind becomes expanded, one's resolve becomes stronger, and one decides, "No, I shouldn't drink tea because it's a stimulant. Rasagolla' is much more beneficial for health so I should be more partial to it." When this discriminating faculty asserts itself the person will shun the tea. In this balanced state of mind one's acquired sam'ska'ras become more active.

	Those who strive regularly to elevate the mind through the practice of sa'dhana' thus acquiring the state of balance, remain unaffected by sam'ska'ras. They immerse themselves in a serene flow.

17 January 1980, Calcutta
Ma'nasa'dhya'tmika Sa'dhana'r Staravinya's [Stages of Psycho-Spiritual 
	Sa'dhana']