Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha

By Swami Sivananda

Raga-Dvesha is due to the Anukula-Pratikula Jnana. You have Raga for a thing favourable (Anukula) and Dvesha for things unfavourable (Pratikula). When this Anukula-Pratikula Jnana which depends upon Bheda Jnana disappears, Raga-dvesha will vanish.

Raga-Dvesha is due also to Abhimana-Ahankara. As soon as Abhimana manifests, there comes Raga-Dvesha. When you conceive yourself as husband, there comes the attachment (Raga) for your wife. As soon as you conceive yourself to be a Brahmin, there comes the love of the Brahmins. Give up Abhimana, if you want to eradicate Raga-Dvesha. If this Abhimana, the result of Avidya (ignorance) vanishes, Raga-Dvesha will vanish, and with it, the mind too vanishes.

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha – Freedom from Attachment, Aversion, and Inner Bondage

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha is a very practical spiritual teaching because attachment and aversion are two powerful forces that disturb the mind. Raga means attraction, liking, craving, or attachment. Dvesha means dislike, hatred, rejection, or aversion. The mind runs toward what it likes and runs away from what it dislikes. This constant movement creates restlessness, anxiety, anger, fear, and bondage.

The ordinary person is controlled by likes and dislikes. If something pleasant comes, the mind becomes excited and wants to hold it. If something unpleasant comes, the mind becomes disturbed and wants to avoid it. In this way, peace depends on outer conditions. Such a mind cannot remain steady because the world is always changing.

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha begins with understanding their nature. Attachment says, “I must have this to be happy.” Aversion says, “I cannot bear this.” Both are forms of dependence. One binds through attraction, the other binds through resistance. Whether the mind is pulled toward an object or pushed away from it, it is still not free.

Raga appears in many forms. It may be attachment to people, possessions, praise, comfort, food, success, power, pleasure, opinions, habits, or identity. The mind creates a strong connection and begins to feel incomplete without that object. When the object is absent, there is sorrow. When it is present, there is fear of losing it. Thus attachment secretly carries anxiety.

Dvesha also takes many forms. It appears as hatred, irritation, resentment, fear, judgment, avoidance, and inner resistance. A person may dislike certain people, situations, duties, memories, or experiences. Whenever those things appear, the mind loses balance. Aversion keeps the mind tied to the very thing it rejects.

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha requires self-observation. Watch the mind throughout the day. Notice what attracts it strongly and what disturbs it quickly. Ask yourself: What do I constantly want? What do I strongly avoid? What praise do I seek? What criticism do I fear? These questions reveal where the mind is bound.

Discrimination is the next step. The seeker must clearly see that no temporary object can give permanent happiness. Pleasure comes and goes. People change. Situations change. The body changes. Success and failure both pass. When this truth is deeply understood, blind attachment becomes weaker and the mind begins to seek a higher peace.

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha does not mean becoming cold, emotionless, or careless. It means becoming balanced. A seeker can love without clinging, work without greed, enjoy without slavery, and face difficulty without hatred. This balance is called inner maturity. It allows one to live in the world without being inwardly tossed by every situation.

Practice moderation in daily life. Do not feed every craving. If the tongue wants excess taste, practice restraint. If the mind wants praise, remain humble. If anger rises toward someone disliked, pause and breathe. Small acts of restraint slowly weaken attachment and aversion. Every conscious pause is a victory over old habit.

Meditation is essential for this conquest. Sit quietly and observe thoughts, feelings, likes, and dislikes as passing movements in the mind. Do not identify with them. See that attraction is observed, aversion is observed, and restlessness is observed. The witness remains separate and steady. Resting in this witness gives freedom from mental slavery.

Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha is also helped by devotion. Offer your likes and dislikes to the Divine. Pray for purity, balance, and surrender. When love for God grows, worldly attractions lose their excessive force. When faith deepens, unpleasant experiences are also accepted as part of spiritual growth. Devotion softens resistance and purifies attachment.

Selfless service is a powerful remedy. When life revolves only around personal likes, the mind becomes narrow. Service teaches the seeker to act beyond comfort, preference, and ego. Helping others, doing duty sincerely, and offering actions without selfish expectation weaken both craving and dislike. The heart becomes broader and more compassionate.

Good company supports this discipline. The mind easily absorbs the values of its surroundings. If one stays among people who constantly chase pleasure, criticize others, and complain about life, likes and dislikes become stronger. Satsang, noble reading, spiritual discussion, and association with disciplined seekers strengthen balance and discrimination.

The seeker should also practice acceptance. Acceptance does not mean weakness or passivity. It means seeing the present moment clearly without unnecessary inner conflict. Do what is right, correct what can be corrected, but do not burn the mind with hatred or craving. Inner peace grows when resistance becomes weaker.

In the end, Mind Conquest by Overcoming Raga-dvesha teaches that true freedom comes when the mind is no longer ruled by attraction and aversion. Through self-observation, discrimination, moderation, meditation, devotion, service, good company, and acceptance, the seeker becomes balanced and strong. When likes and dislikes lose their power, the mind becomes calm, pure, and fit for wisdom, peace, and liberation.

Mind Conquest by Sama and Dama