Slokam 9

Bakasura,  in the form of the crane, has the privilege of perishing directly  at the hands of the Paramathma.  He therefore attains the lotus feet of the supreme. Although Bakasura and Poothana are evil,  they are focused during the last part of their worldly existence, on the Paramathma. This is the key to attaining moksham. For many of us, it may not be possible to think of the Paramathma at the very last moment of our physical existence, unless we ingrain the Paramathma into our every breath during our everyday “normal” lives.  That is why it is probably emphasized in Srimad Bhagavatham and all our scriptures that we should ever be in the company of sanyasis so that we constantly hear the name of the Paramathma and chant His name incessantly. There should really be nothing else on our minds, regardless of whether we are eating, sleeping etc. The only way we can do this is to see the Paramathma in every aspect of our lives and all our experiences.

Revelation originates only from unbroken concentration of our consciousness on the Paramathma. Initially,  it would be good to try to develop concentration on any object or visual, such as a beautiful scenery.  The mind is attracted to objects initially, based on desires and needs.  It does not want to remain quiet. It wants to be active all the time.  If we try to quieten the mind, it goes to sleep.  It seems unable to remain tranquil and wakeful.  It is a great effort to keep the mind in a quiet state.  It is an incredible effort to steer it in the right direction.

The Paramathma does not recommend us going into sleep to keep the mind in a quiet state. This is simply because in a sleep state, there is absolutely no control that we can exercise on the mind.  It begins to surface all its fears and desires through dreams. In any event, we cannot sleep beyond a certain fixed timeframe each day. 

The only way to control the mind is complete surrender to the Paramathma.  To reach a state of surrender, we would have to drop all dependencies and attachments.  Dependancies and attachments are illusory motivations.  Our true self or consciousness uses these illusions to look at itself, evaluate itself and evolve itself.  These illusions are crutches that provide “inspiration” and “motivation” to channelize our energies. Without these illusions to lean on, the mind seems to go into a depression.  That means that the mind does not function unless there is a need.  The need would be physical to begin with and then becomes “power” driven.  We seek to make an impression on other people. We want praise and fame.  The mind does not know its own wonder.  It does not appear to be inspired by its own capabilities and does not seem motivated to delve into developing what has been endowed.

This is why our scriptures and our spiritually advanced sanyasis have recommended the chanting of the names of the Paramathma, unceasingly.  That effort is meant to keep the mind from going astray.  However that is easier said than done.  When we try to pull the mind away from its worldly distractions, it defaults into a directionless stupor and remorseful state.  It needs external stimulus to keep itself engaged.

The mind is both the barrier as well as the enabler. So the mind cannot be bypassed.  The physical realm is the realm of the mind.  The physical realm is turbulent.  It does not exist without imbalances (which we call energy), and conflict. These imbalances and conflicts have to be resolved, by using the mind itself.  So the mind has to understand itself by learning from the surroundings.  That means that it has to acknowledge that the events happening in this world are the outcome of its own constitution or state of being.  The enticing events of this world are meant only to expose the mind to its own attributes, so that it can learn about itself.  The mind cannot learn about itself unless it knows that sense perception is a reflection of its own self.  This knowledge is gained through the scriptures, through attending Satsangs and most importantly through the experience of life.

The mind is a part of consciousness.  If we reside in the mind, and allow it to sway us, there will never be a situation where we can be at peace.  On the other hand, if we reside or situate ourselves in our consciousness, there will be peace, and tranquility. When we reside in the consciousness, we will have the entire universe at our disposal. We will be connected to all nooks and crannies in the unlimited cosmos, which is the Paramathma.  To be able to reside in the consciousness, we have to first overcome or more appropriately, transcend the mind. The mind needs crutches and a system of bio-feedback to function.  It needs re-assurance and applause every step of the way. The mind attempts to come to the conclusion of the ultimate truth. 

That truth is the state of surrender.