Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest

By Swami Sivananda

Raja Yoga means ‘King of all Yogas’. It aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. Raja Yoga is suitable for men of mystic temperament with leaning towards the occult. A serious practice of Raja Yoga can be thought of only after you have purified your mind and have gained some control over your senses and appetite.

The eight limbs of Raja Yoga are Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (religious observance), Asana (posture), Pranayama (restraint of breath), Pratyahara (abstraction of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (super-conscious state).

I. YAMA AND NIYAMA

Yama is the practice of non-injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy and non-covetousness in thought, word and deed. This is the foundation of Yoga.

Niyama is the observance of the five canons – internal and external purity, contentment, austerity, study of religious books and worship and surrender to the Lord.

Impure motives, lack of celibacy, overeating, indolence, oversleeping, false fears, building castles in the air, allurement of minor supernatural powers like clairaudience and clairvoyance are all obstacles in this path.

II. ASANA AND PRANAYAMA

Any comfortable and steady pose is Asana. A steady pose gives concentration of mind. If you have mastery over the seat, the dualities of heat and cold and all other pairs of opposites will not disturb you. You must be able to sit in one Asana for three hours at a stretch. The pose becomes steady by thinking of the Infinite.

There are some other Asanas such as Sirshasana and Sarvangasana that are very useful for the preservation of good health and Brahmacharya (celibacy).

Prana is energy. It is life-breath. It is the life-principle. When Prana vibrates, the mind begins to think. Prana is expended in thinking, willing, acting, talking, etc. The excess of Prana is stored up in the brain and nerve-centres.

If you can control Prana, you can control all the forces in the universe.

Prana manifests as motion, gravitation, magnetism, electricity. The knowledge and control of Prana is what is really meant by Pranayama. Pranayama removes diseases of the body, steadies the mind and purifies it. It strengthens the intellect and augments the intellectual capacity. It increases the power of memory. When you practise Pranayama, you will have to be careful about your diet. You should avoid overloading the stomach. You should take light, easily digestible and nutritious food.

III. PRATYAHARA AND DHARANA

Pratyahara is abstraction or withdrawal of the senses from their objects. Pratyahara checks the outgoing tendency of the senses. The practice demands considerable patience and perseverance. It gives tremendous power. During the course of the practice you will have to withdraw the mind again and again from the sense-objects and fix it on the point of meditation. That Yogi who is well-established in Pratyahara can meditate quite calmly even in the battlefield where countless machine-guns roar in a continuous stream.

Dharana or concentration is centering the mind on one single thought. During concentration the mind becomes calm, serene and steady. The various rays of the mind are collected and focussed on the object of meditation. There will be no tossing of the mind. When there is deep concentration you will experience great joy and spiritual intoxication. You will forget the body and surroundings.

Concentration increases by curtailing wants and desires, by observing silence for one or two hours daily, by practising Pranayama, by prayer and by increasing the number of sittings in meditation daily. You must always try to be cheerful and peaceful.

IV. DHYANA AND SAMADHI

Meditation (Dhyana) follows concentration. The mind dwells on God alone during meditation. Deep meditation cannot come in a day, or a week or a month. You will have to struggle hard for a long time. Gradually you will enter into deep meditation and Samadhi (superconscious state). You will have to pass through the six stages of meditation and finally you will enter into perfect Nirvikalpa Samadhi or super- conscious state. Form perception will totally vanish.

V. REWARDS OF SAMADHI

The meditator and meditated become one. You will attain highest Knowledge and Supreme, Eternal Peace. This is the goal of life. This is the aim of existence. This is the final beatitude of life. You will be absolutely free from pain, sorrow, fear, doubt and delusion. You will experience: – I am the Immortal Self. All indeed is God. There is nothing but God.

You will feel that the whole world is nothing but pure consciousness. The tables, chairs, men, women and other things will appear to contain this consciousness just as vessels contain their contents. You will feel that the Lord is sporting in all things as this pure consciousness. You will actually lose the sense of material nature of things around you. This rare experience will give you great bliss.

May you all attain success in Yoga and enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi or the Blissful Union with the Lord by controlling the mind and the senses and practising regular and constant meditation!

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest – Discipline, Meditation, and Inner Mastery

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest is a systematic path for mastering the restless mind through discipline, concentration, meditation, and self-awareness. Raja Yoga gives special importance to the mind because the mind is the doorway to bondage as well as liberation. When it is uncontrolled, it runs toward desire, fear, anger, attachment, and distraction. When it is purified and trained, it becomes calm, powerful, and fit for spiritual realization.

The mind usually moves outward through the senses. It follows form, sound, taste, touch, smell, comfort, praise, and pleasure. It remembers the past, imagines the future, and reacts to every situation. Raja Yoga teaches that this scattered movement must be gradually restrained, not by violence, but by regular practice, dispassion, and right understanding.

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest begins with ethical preparation. Without purity of conduct, deep meditation is difficult. Truthfulness, non-injury, purity, moderation, contentment, self-discipline, study, and surrender to the Divine prepare the inner instrument. A person who lives carelessly cannot easily make the mind steady. Right living creates the foundation for higher practice.

The body must also be trained. A steady posture helps create a steady mind. The seeker should sit daily in a clean and quiet place with the spine upright and the body relaxed but alert. The purpose of posture is not show or physical pride. Its purpose is to reduce bodily disturbance so that attention can turn inward.

Control of breath is another important support. Breath and mind are closely connected. When the breath is restless, the mind becomes restless. When the breath becomes calm and balanced, the mind becomes easier to guide. Simple, gentle breath awareness can help the seeker gather scattered energy and prepare for concentration.

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest gives great importance to Pratyahara, or withdrawal of the senses. The senses constantly pull the mind outward. The seeker learns to use the senses wisely without becoming their slave. This does not mean hatred of the world. It means freedom from unnecessary attraction, distraction, and dependence.

After sense-withdrawal comes concentration. The mind is fixed on one chosen object such as mantra, breath, divine form, light, heart centre, or witnessing awareness. At first, the mind wanders again and again. The seeker should not become discouraged. Each time attention is brought back, the power of concentration becomes stronger.

Concentration slowly deepens into meditation. In meditation, the flow of attention becomes smooth and continuous. The mind becomes less disturbed by outer sounds and inner thoughts. A quiet joy may arise, and the seeker begins to experience peace beyond ordinary pleasure. This steady inward flow is a sign of real progress.

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest also requires Vairagya, or dispassion. Practice alone is not enough if the mind remains deeply attached to pleasure, praise, possession, comfort, and success. Dispassion does not mean rejecting duty or becoming cold. It means understanding the changing nature of worldly things and seeking lasting peace within.

Self-observation is essential throughout the path. The seeker must watch thoughts, emotions, desires, and reactions during daily life. When anger comes, observe it. When desire rises, examine it. When pride appears, recognize it. When fear creates imagination, bring awareness to it. This watchfulness weakens old habits and strengthens inner control.

Mantra repetition is a useful aid in Raja Yoga. A sacred sound gives the mind a pure channel and reduces useless thinking. Repeating the mantra with attention, faith, and feeling purifies the heart and steadies the mind. It can be practiced during sitting meditation as well as during daily activities.

Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest is not complete without devotion and surrender. If the seeker depends only on personal effort, pride or tension may arise. Prayer softens the heart and brings humility. Surrender to the Divine gives strength during struggle and protects the seeker from egoistic achievement.

The seeker must also maintain moderation in food, sleep, speech, work, and entertainment. Excess in any direction disturbs the mind. Heavy food, irregular habits, gossip, excessive talking, and negative company weaken concentration. Simple living, noble company, spiritual reading, and selfless service make the mind pure and steady.

The final aim is not merely temporary calmness. Raja Yoga leads the seeker beyond ordinary thought into deep inner absorption. When the mind becomes silent, the light of consciousness shines clearly. The seeker begins to understand that the true self is not the body, senses, mind, or ego, but the witnessing awareness behind them.

In the end, Raja Yogic Method of Mind Conquest teaches that the mind can be mastered through ethical living, posture, breath-control, sense-withdrawal, concentration, meditation, dispassion, mantra, devotion, and steady practice. When these disciplines are followed sincerely, the restless mind becomes calm, pure, and obedient to higher truth. Such mastery leads to peace, wisdom, self-realization, and liberation.

Yoga of Surrender-TWO