Lessons in Analogies on the Mind

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind

By Swami Sivananda

I. MIND IS VERY TREACHEROUS

Mind is very treacherous. It will hurl you down in the abyss of ignorance. – Peetva Peetva Punar Janma na Vidyate. Drink, again drink, there is no rebirth. It will say – Give up Sadhana; you will not gain anything; there is no bliss beyond senses. The world is real. There is nothing like sensual pleasure. Enjoy it to your heart’s content. Hear not the voice of the mind. Swim against the mind current. Mind is your bitterest enemy. Bear this always in your mind. Treat the mind as such. Disconnect yourself from the mind. Ever stand as its silent witness. Do not become one with the mind and its Vrittis. Ever introspect and practise self-analysis. The mind will lurk as a thief. It cannot do any havoc. It will gradually be tamed. It will become your obedient servant.

II. DO NOT CO-OPERATE WITH THE MIND

Sensual pleasures are nectar in the beginning; but they are venom in the end. Co-operate not with the mind. This is the way to thin out the mind. This is the method to control the mind. If the mind says: – Go to cinema say to the mind: – I will attend the Sadhana Week, and immediately proceed to Ananda Kutir. If the mind says – Attend the Nautch party, take part in Akhanda Kirtan and Satsanga. If the mind says: Eat eggs, meat, eat spinach, fruits and milk. If the mind says: – Read novels, newspapers study the Gita, the Upanishads and practice of Karma Yoga. If the mind says: – Take part in horse race go to Badrinarayan and Gangotri. If the mind says: – Gamble in Deevali practise vigil and do Kirtan whole night. If the mind says: – Go to the club for gossiping and cards’ play attend the Satsanga and do Japa intensely.

III. MIND IS LIKE GHEE

Ghee has two states, viz., solid and liquid. Mind is like ghee. In the waking state it is solid. In the deep sleep state it is in a state of liquid. In the solid state it is limited and gross. So it has finite experiences. In the liquid state it is limitless and so the Jiva experiences the homogeneous, limitless bliss. In the deep sleep state there is no ego or individuality. There is no desire also. Hence it experiences limitless bliss of the Atman.

IV. MIND IS LIKE RICE-PASTE

When rice has its own individuality it can be differentiated. When it is powdered nicely and made into a thick paste rice loses its individuality. It is all one mass of homogeneous paste. Even so in deep sleep state mind is like the rice-paste. There is no differentiation here. It is a homogeneous mass. Mind can be compared to ice in the waking state. It can be compared to water, in the state of deep sleep.

V. MIND IS LIKE THE FOUNTAIN-PEN

A writer writes many books with the help of the fountain-pen. The fountain-pen is only an instrument of the writer. The fountain-pen should not think – I have written all these books. All the credit should come to me only. Your mind, senses and the body are only instruments in the hands of the Lord. God does everything: Feel like this, and abandon the doership or the agency. You will be freed from the bonds of Karma.

VI. THE TAINTED MIND

The stainful mind has not the benevolence to consider others’ happiness as its own. So it is ever reeling. The mind has not the complacency to rejoice at another’s virtues. Therefore there is no internal contentment. The mind becomes unstable and restless through desires for objects. When the mind is not centred in the Atman, man desires for objects. A mind attached to the pleasures of the senses leads to misery in the shape of births and deaths.

VII. RIPPLES OF THE MIND

Vritti is a wave in the mind-lake. Lust, anger, etc., are evil Vrittis in the mind. Faith, devotion, dispassion, discrimination, courage, mercy, are good Vrittis in the mind. Jealousy is a form of continuous anger. Arrogance is a form of pride. Insolence is overbearing nature. Irshya is a form of jealousy. Greed intensifies desire, destroys peace of mind and retards spiritual progress. Vismriti is the confused understanding of one who is swayed by evil propensities like passion, anger, greed, etc. Cultivate good Vrittis. The evil Vrittis will die by themselves. Do not attack the evil Vrittis directly.

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind – Inner Understanding Through Simple Images

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind help a seeker understand the subtle nature of thought, emotion, desire, memory, and ego through simple comparisons. The mind is difficult to grasp directly because it is always changing. It moves quickly, hides its motives, creates reactions, and colours every experience. Analogies make this inner world easier to see and guide.

The mind may be compared to a restless monkey. Just as a monkey jumps from branch to branch, the mind jumps from one thought to another. It remembers the past, imagines the future, desires pleasure, fears pain, and reacts to every small event. The first discipline is to notice this restlessness and bring the mind back gently to prayer, mantra, breath, duty, or awareness.

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind also show that the mind is like a mirror. When the mirror is dusty, it cannot reflect clearly. When the mind is covered by anger, greed, jealousy, pride, fear, and selfishness, it cannot reflect truth properly. Through truthfulness, purity, meditation, devotion, service, and self-control, the dust is removed and the light of wisdom begins to shine.

The mind is also like a garden. If the garden is neglected, weeds grow naturally. If the mind is left careless, lower thoughts such as hatred, worry, lust, and pride take root. But if noble seeds are planted through good company, sacred reading, mantra, prayer, and right thinking, virtues like compassion, courage, humility, and peace begin to blossom.

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind compare the mind to a lake. When the lake is disturbed by wind, the moon cannot be reflected clearly. When the mind is disturbed by desires and emotions, the truth of the self is not seen. When the waves become calm through meditation and discrimination, the inner light is reflected beautifully.

The mind is like a wild horse. If it is not trained, it may run anywhere and cause harm. But when patiently guided, it becomes useful and strong. In the same way, the mind should not be hated or violently suppressed. It must be trained with patience, regular practice, wise discipline, and loving firmness.

The mind is also like a child. It demands what is pleasant and cries when denied. It may not know what is truly good for it. The seeker must become a wise parent to the mind. Give it pure food in the form of noble thoughts, protect it from harmful impressions, and guide it toward higher joy instead of lower excitement.

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind teach that the mind is like a lens. Scattered sunlight has limited force, but sunlight focused through a lens can create fire. A scattered mind is weak, but a concentrated mind becomes powerful. Concentration on mantra, breath, divine form, study, or service gathers mental energy and makes it useful.

The mind may be compared to a river. If the river flows in a proper channel, it nourishes fields and supports life. If it floods without control, it destroys. Thoughts also need direction. When directed toward devotion, wisdom, service, and self-realization, they uplift life. When allowed to flow toward craving, anger, and fear, they create suffering.

The mind is like a cloth dyed again and again. Whatever colour is repeatedly applied becomes strong. If the mind is repeatedly coloured by worry, complaint, and desire, those tendencies become deep. If it is repeatedly coloured by prayer, faith, compassion, and truth, the whole personality changes. Repetition creates character.

Lessons in Analogies on the Mind also reveal that the mind is like a servant who has forgotten its place. It should serve the soul, but often it becomes the master. It orders the person to obey every impulse, desire, fear, and reaction. Spiritual discipline restores the right order. The mind becomes an instrument, not the ruler.

The mind is like a house with many doors. The senses are the doors through which impressions enter. What we see, hear, read, eat, touch, and discuss affects the inner atmosphere. If the doors are left open to all influences, disturbance enters. If they are guarded by discrimination, the house remains peaceful and pure.

The mind is also like a screen on which many pictures appear. Joy, sorrow, anger, fear, memory, and desire appear and disappear. The screen remains behind them. Similarly, awareness remains behind all mental movements. The seeker should learn to watch the pictures without forgetting the silent screen of consciousness.

Analogies are helpful, but practice is necessary. Merely understanding comparisons will not conquer the mind. Daily meditation, self-examination, speech-control, sense-control, devotion, service, and good company are needed. When these disciplines are practiced sincerely, the meaning of these comparisons becomes living experience.

In the end, Lessons in Analogies on the Mind show that the mind can be understood as a monkey, mirror, garden, lake, horse, child, lens, river, cloth, servant, house, and screen. Each image teaches a practical truth. Through awareness, purification, concentration, devotion, and steady discipline, the seeker transforms the mind into a calm, clear, and powerful instrument for peace, wisdom, and liberation.

Yoga of Universal Love