Vrata is when the mind is denied something it wants. It’s more like telling a child what she can’t have at a certain time. (Ex: like eating ice cream at 6 am or 10 pm). The mind is like a child, continually desiring pleasant things at any time of the day or of life. This denial is a healthy spiritual aid if followed with due understanding and it is sublimation, but when done without understanding it is suppression (desire will flare up at any moment). The mind thus sublimated by vrata must be directed towards the spirituality that leads to the mighty God.
Tirtham: It is common to hear that people do thirtha yatra. (Pilgrimage to the holy places). (Sadly now it has become a kind of vacation!) The idea is to go to spiritual places, meet spiritual saints, discuss, learn about Atman and anatman. Thirtha in Sanskrit means that which helps you cross the ocean of ignorance and confusion.
Danam – is sharing the results of your achievements with others – also called charity. This creates the mind of contentment, recognizing the needs of others around us and helps free us from selfishness, greed and attachment to worldly objects.
Giving something without expecting anything in return, be it time, knowledge, mentoring, or emotional comfort with kind words or a donation is Danam.
Today charity has become politicized by advertising and makes a person a hero for their contribution. So it’s not charity it’s sales!! (get something for something)
Astamurtibhrt: We often hear that ‘Work is worship’ simply means that whatever we do in this universe, in this birth should be considered as a contribution to the Lord’s service. For a mature devotee, the entire universe is one big temple.
Lord is described as ‘astamurtibrt’ which means he represents himself in the eightfold form of 5 elements (pancha mahabhutas), the sun, moon and jiva. He is present in all of these. There is nothing beyond these and He is present in each one of them.
Karma yoga means union through action, which means that every action we do must be divined by our prayerful attitude. ‘Remaining even-tempered in success and failure and doing our duty with the attitude that with all our talents, abilities and knowledge we are serving the Lord’ is the worship of God. Karma yoga is to serve humanity in a focused and unidirectional way in any form of action without expecting anything in return.
How is japa a very powerful method to achieve both ‘citta-suddhi’ (purity of mind) and ‘citta-ekagrata’ (single point of mind)?
Japa – repetition of the name of the Lord. The practice of japa is that through continuous and conscious repetition of a word or words, the mind becomes one-way: ‘citta-ekagrata’.
In western culture it is said as the positive affirmation. One keeps saying with intense desire with deep feeling, work with dedication to achieve one’s dream. Japa is an effective technique to purify the mind, stay focused and one-pointed to develop lasting concentration.
One may wonder, if that is the case, I can concentrate and desire whatever I want in the material world. Sure, but that would develop an attachment to impermanent worldly objects, which would distract one from spiritual progress. It will take one more into bondage and the cycle of birth and death.
On the contrary, using the same technique to focus in a timely manner on the Lord, who is permanent Bliss, will advance one on the spiritual path.
The spiritual practice of japa has a very high position in all religions because it imparts the double results of citta-ekagrata (mental concentration) and citta-suddhi (mental purity).
The art of practicing vicÄra (consultation)
The negative emotions anger, lust, passion, desire, jealousy, likes and dislikes are all impurities of the mind that prevent a person from seeking the spiritual path. VicÄra is the inquiry into the problem and can help eliminate these emotions.
Consciousness and knowledge are the very essence of the path of vicära. In this method we investigate what it is, what is its cause, how it manifests itself and what are the results. It is an objective analysis of emotion without labeling it without trying to strip it hastily.
When one is completely objective without attachment and understands the cause of it, the choice is an educated choice. Such a choice will do away with mental impurities once and for all. Currently we cannot get rid of these mental modifications of negative tendencies because we have no knowledge of these mental impurities. We not only try to justify our emotions as a way of survival, but we also accept them as a normal course of life, like ‘I am human too and no one is perfect’. ‘It’s normal for a man to get angry.’ ‘Life is hard and you have to play the game’.
We have strayed too far from the spiritual path and it will take a lot of effort and time to make the U-turn and be on the right track. VicÄra (inquiry) is a way of making that conscious effort to get back on track.
There are three simple steps that one who is interested in advancing on this path of vicära.
ABC of vicÄra.
1. Always be aware of negative emotions when they arise in your mind.
2. Better not label them as good or bad, positive or negative. View them AS IS.
3. Carefully understand them fully, including the consequences of those emotions.
Try to keep track of your negative emotions; studying those that need to be addressed, find out the origin, the reaction and the consequences.
Anything is effective only when we practice with due diligence and understanding. Doing them blindly will not produce any results. There must be a commitment to having the discipline to follow the process consistently and achieve the desired result. This is much more necessary on the spiritual path to stay away from worldly distractions.
When one undertakes to follow this vicära, his mind becomes pure with knowledge and understanding and is freed from negative vasanas. He is then capable of deep meditation with a calm mind and updates his guru’s teachings. Then the Lord will save him from all dangers.