You have started on the right track. There is nothing wrong in your practice. Continue with it. However patience and perseverance are paramount. Initially you put in the efforts, and eventually grace takes over. Hence, you will come to witness slowly that the situation changes for the better.
answers and beyonds
My mind always has lewd thoughts. How do I control it?
Whenever you get such lewd thoughts, watch keenly as to who is getting those thoughts. When you keep on continuing the enquiry, you will find an answer to the ‘I’. Concentrate on this ‘I’ and meditate on it incessantly.
During the rest of the time, chant the Divine Name ‘Hari’, ‘Hari’, ‘Hari’ constantly. Your thoughts in that direction will reduce considerably.
On many occasions I feel I am intimated in advance by some force of incidents before they actually happen. Why does this happen?
This might be due to the merits that you had acquired in your previous births.
Why are few days so disturbing and horrible in life? It is so difficult to sit and pray in those days. Mind plays havoc and goes wild. Then, suddenly it becomes easy to differentiate and becomes controllable. Then worship and prayer becomes possible. Why does this happen? Please help.
Just as the body gets tired with headache or cold, the mind also experiences these swings like a disease and hence goes through such cycles. You need not worry about such swings. Chanting of Mahamantra will slowly reduce the frequency and bring everlasting peace. But it will take some time and you have to be patient.
I Beg to know, how to control our mind to refuse sensual indulgence at least when it affects our health and duties.
The mind is enslaved to habits. So it will not obey you if you order it to stop doing something that it has been accustomed to. It is only by constant practice that one can get rid of habits. The best way to overcome it is to chant with patience and perseverance.
Adi Sankara says that intellect (koornda madhi) can be used for Realization. But Bhagavan Ramana says that the answer to Self-Realization cannot come from the mind, and that the thoughts (mind) need to be killed. One seems to be using the mind, while the other is aiming to kill it. What is the difference between the two?
With the sharper intellect grows the ability to discriminate between the real and the unreal. As long as you are not convinced about the what is real and what is not, your desire for Realization will not get serious. When the ‘viveka’ (sense of discrimination) of the mind improves, you will get closer to the Truth. Eventually, when realization dawns, even the mind will vanish.
Bhagavan Ramana gives a wonderful illustration in this regard – one of ‘Pinam chudum thadi’.
the interrer (‘vettiyaan’) in the cremation ground stands by the side of the burning corpse. Owing to the heat, the corpse rises up on its own accord every now and then. He uses a stick to beat down the dead body that rises. Finally, when the body does not rise up anymore, he throws the stick also into the fire. In the same way, a sharp mind aids in Self-enquiry to find the Truth and is itself eventually destroyed.
Even by following the same routine, the condition of the mind is different on different days. What are the factors those make the mind disturbed on some days, joyful on some?
In Yoga and Vedanta Shastras, these concepts are explained in great detail. To put it in a nutshell, Vasanas and their provocations are relevant reasons for this. It takes consistent, persistent, long practice to attain one-pointedness of mind.
On some days, the moment I wake up, I have divine thoughts, and am immersed in the same bliss all through the day. On other days, I feel dry and empty – I feel deserted and am not able to think of the Lord. Why does this happen? What is the way out?
One some days, our body is very energetic to work, and on other days, its tired, isn’t it? The same is applicable for the mind too. Chanting certain specific ‘bheejakshara’ mantras as an upaasana without proper initiation is dangerous; performing breath-control practices on one’s own or taught by amateur masters is dangerous; similarly, analyzing the mind without bhakti also leads to a lot of confusion.
Believe in the grace of God as you take your life forward. Express your feelings to God with humility and love – that is real prayer. Continue to pour out your devotion to God and pray sincerely for his grace. With patience and perseverance in this spiritual practice, you will slowly realize that God is always with you.
For a person in family life, be it male or female, is it necessary to adjust with their spouse in daily affairs even though s/he is wrong, or can s/he take to righteous path? In what way is a spouse important for a person for the order of worship is Mata,Pita Guru, Deivam?spouse
In order to carry out any activity – spiritual or otherwise, peace is a must. Only if there is a mutual understanding and adjustment will peace prevail in the family. Hence it is important.
Is marriage between sub-sects of a caste permissible?
According to me, it is okay.
