Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

I thought I will tell you in very few words something about relaxation and diversion which perhaps all of you need. You can have relaxation when you do a work in a relaxed manner. This relaxation is not necessarily physical. Doing something in a very slow manner whether it is to be done slowly or fast will be determined by the nature of the work where it requires attention and every stroke or every movement will have to be very slow and stable, steady etc. Otherwise I think this relaxation belongs to the mind. Generally on the days where there is recording after having been in front of the lamp for about four hours or so and speaking, generally there is a little tiredness in me. So after having my bath and food at night I generally say I would like to do some light work. What is this light work? It can be talking to somebody or I sit with some letters. Suppose I have been editing quite a few pages in Malayalam, letters for example, something like 20 or 25 pages. After that I take some English matter and start editing. Maybe I write a letter or I write the article, I dictate in Malayalam for our magazine or I pick up the English version, take up the SIR, so I don’t say that I am going to rest now. Rest is when I like to go to sleep, maybe by eleven thirty or twelve o’ clock. Till then I would like to do something in a lighter manner. Maybe if there is some important article which Nutan Swamiji gives me from the newspaper I try to read it. I have some other things also to read but I don’t get time.

So those, those of you who want relaxation please understand, relaxation is something your mind has to feel and produce. First of all try to do things in a joyous manner. Whatever you do joyfully. Arjuna wanted Krishna, “I cannot fight unless you remove my grief and give me joy. So I shall joyfully fight or else I will not be able to fight.” So joy is not something that comes to you after a work. You must always have joyfulness in you. This means accepting the world, accepting your life and finding harmony, integration everywhere. According to me the whole process is mento-intellectual. The intelligence will have to think and deliver timely messages, connections and improvements to the mind and the mind has to accept it.

So, if you feel that relaxation consists in smiling and laughing or going to the room and sitting, resting, rest when physical body needs rest or another relaxation can be if you can sit in meditation with the sādhana and then the mind can be free of thoughts getting absorbed into, absorbed into its own essence or the self. That can be a relaxation. Truly speaking that is the samādhi stage. So either by samādhi or by a relaxed mind working joyfully, these are the methods of finding your life very, very light, joyous and peaceful. If you think that resting the body is going to be helpful, it’s only necessary and helpful when the body is fatigued. I think that is true for all people. When I feel tired, I simply go and rest. I think yesterday I did not get any time to take a forenoon rest which I am used to now and the doctors also ask me. But I did not do. It is not becoming necessary. The weather has changed and I may not need it at all.

So I would like every one of you to think about whether you have a pleasant mind, a cheerful mind, a light mind and you are able to take to the work which you have taken up or given to you in a light, cheerful, delightful, relaxing manner. If you don’t have relaxation the trouble is with your mind, the art is missing in the mind and the trouble is not outside. Please understand this.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.