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Ramanuja List Archive: Message 00007 May 2002

 
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As stated previously, the manas - our subtle body consisting of mind,
intellect and experience - along with the Lord, is one the two best
friends for a jeevatma. Consequently, our objective is not to bring the
manas under control, but to befriend it and guide it gently in a
direction that we would like it to go. The manas is very fast and very
erratic, so beseeching it at just the right time is important.

In a beautiful pasuram (verse), Sri Nammazhwar speaks to his manas:

Oh Manas! You are so great, and so incredibly clever and fast! You now
are desiring the Lord. You wish to sing his praises, worship Him, and
serve Him unceasingly. I am not so fast or so clever. Please wait for
me, so that we can walk on our journey towards Him together.

In the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna describes to
Arjuna how the individual should see his/her true self as being distinct
with the manas and senses, and merely become an observer to their
nature. In other words, we become disciplined in our self realization,
and let the manas and senses, which are connected to this material
world, just go about what they are needing to do. Our focus should be
on our true self (the atma) and our connection to the Lord. The concern
that Arjuna and all of us would have at this point is if we just let the
manas fly about like some free spirited bird, how do we know that it
will not steer us in the wrong direction?

The analogy of the free spirited bird is used quite beautifully in
Chandogya Upanishad, in which it is described that the manas and its
natural draw towards experiencing the world is like a beautiful bird
with lavish multicolored feathers flying around us in a myriad of
directions. When we observe the bird in this, its natural state, it
appears in all its beauty and glory. But, when we try to cage it, its
beauty as well as our enjoyment of it become lost.

What we need, then, is a way to let the bird go about its business, but
in a way that is conducive to us. One good way is a leash, a thread,
which we can tie to the birds foot. This way the bird is free to fly
about every which way that it can, and we can be allowed to enjoy it.
At the same time, however, we have the ability to guide it, to direct
it, and also pull it back when it goes too far. The beauty of the bird
is maintained, our enjoyment of it is maintained, but we both can go
together in a positive direction.

The key now is to determine what this thread is. This thread is "pre:ma
su:tram" or the thread of Love. If we cultivate Love for the Lord, our
other best friend, then our Love for Him becomes the thread by which we
can guide the manas towards Him.

This does not mean, however, that we can merely yank the bird and pull
him back towards the Lord. The manas has its nature, its desires and
aspirations, and our thread is really very delicate as it is a thread of
Love. But, while allowing it to move about, we should also softly guide
the manas, just like a parent would guide a child.

In practical application, this involves utilizing one's everyday
experiences and desires in a direction that is in service to Him. Say,
for example, that your manas, which is always under the sway of the
beauty of this world, tells you to go to a shopping mall. You do not
resist. You go there. And, when you are there, you allow you and your
manas to walk through all the stores and boutiques. But, when you see
something that the manas wants, you remind the manas: "Manas, this is
very nice. But look at that over there. Wouldn't Lord Krishna like
that. Why don't we buy that for Him, instead of just buying this for
ourselves."

As stated before, the manas is the operating system that connects our
true selves with our body and senses. By cultivating this pre:ma
su:tram, this thread of Love for the Divine, and putting it into
practice, we will soon find that wherever we are, whatever we are doing,
saying, or thinking, all of this will begin to revolve around Him and
will be conducive to Him and His world.

Sri Kulasekhara Azhwar had this finely tuned sense of love for the Lord,
he knew nothing but Him. And because of this, in pasurams and
sto:trams, He could beseech his manas to move along with him in the
direction of the Divine.

And, as stated previously, the way to cultivate Love for the Lord is
through the development of the two good qualities vinayam and
vide:yata. This leads us back to the need for an understanding of the
very powerful yet simple mantra, "namaha", which shall be described in
the next posting.

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan
Mohan













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