Here is how to excel in Life.

Your mind is the key to everything.

Today’s present gives us the opportunity, that you are the creator of your destiny. For this, we have to set the goal of our life. what do I want? Our mind plays an important role in all this. The mind is that subtle thing located in our body, which makes resolutions and choices about any subject. All the actions conducted by us, all the actions are inspired by the mind itself. Our thoughts, character and behaviour are also inspired and influenced by the mind itself.

The speed of our life also depends on the speed of the mind. The data direction of our life is determined by the direction of our state of mind. We indulge in any action only after getting the consent of the mind. We do good and bad deeds only after getting direction from the mind and accordingly, we enjoy the fruits of those actions.

Our subtle mind situated in our gross body is very powerful, very powerful, but the truth is also that this strong and powerful mind can both use and abuse its strength, its power. A controlled mind brings happiness, prosperity, peace and joy to the life of a person by using its power, whereas an uncontrolled mind brings destruction and crisis to the life of a person. That is to say, an uncontrolled mind creates trouble for us. Similarly, an elephant becomes a cause of great destruction if left unchecked. If uncontrolled, the life of the person riding on the elephant is also in danger. Our mind is the driver in the driving seat of the car of our life. The driver of our life is our mind. If our mind wants, it can take us in the right direction and if it wants, it can also take us in the wrong direction.

If we want to go towards truth, towards God, then it is possible only when our mind is also ready to walk towards truth, towards God. If the will of the mind is not in it, then it will force us towards evil and will lead us to bad deeds, inauspicious deeds etc. This is where negativity enters life, and failures come into life.

We feel sad after doing bad deeds, then we think that we wish! If we had not done this, we would not have come under the delusion of the mind, today we would not have been behind the bars in the jail, today we would not have been humiliated for taking bribes, today we would not be blinded by greed, attachment, anger, such abominable acts. Would have been done and not today the ill effects of those deeds. Would have been suffering

Then it seems that I could not stop myself from doing this. If only! If I had not done this in a momentary impulse of the mind and would have done good deeds, virtuous deeds, and made effort in the right direction, then today there would have been happiness, peace, and prosperity in our life.

Why? Because the mind has never been in our favour, it has never been in our control. That is why we could not make any effort, materially or spiritually, under the delusion of the mind. Therefore it is clear that whether to be successful in material life or spiritual life, it is necessary to be calm, concentrated, and controlled from both the point of view because it is only with a calm mind that we can do all our physical work in any work. We can put mental energy and in which we can put all our energy, and concentration, we can take the right decision at the right time; We get success in that work.

Sometimes we are physically doing some work, but our mind is not there. Our mind is not in that work but is travelling somewhere else. Even though we are physically present, we are mentally absent there. As a result, we do not get complete success in that work.

Invoke the master way!

It is necessary to control the mind, but the question arises of how to control the restless mind. In Kurukshetra, the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the same question arose in the mind of Arjuna how to control the restless mind? Therefore Arjuna tells Lord Krishna in Gita (6.34)

चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवदृढम् ।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् ।।



That is, Shri Krishna, this mind is very fickle, big and strong with a passionate nature. Therefore, to control him, I consider it very difficult to control the wind.

Then Lord Krishna said in Gita Adhyay (6.35-36),

असंशयं महावाही मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् ।

अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते ॥

असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राय इति मे मतिः ।

वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपम।।



Undoubtedly the mind is fickle and difficult to control, but it is controlled, O Arjuna, by practise and dispassion. Yoga is rare for such a person whose mind is not controlled, and it is easy for a man with a controlled mind to attain yoga through means, such is my opinion. The Lord is making it clear here that the mind is undoubtedly fickle, moving like the wind and strong, but it can be controlled by practise and dispassion.

Now the question arises what is practice and dispassion after all? For the attainment of God, listening to God’s name and qualities, again and again, doing kirtan, contemplating, chanting and self-study of scriptures etc. is called “practice”. What is dispassion? Not having attachment in place etc., not having attachment is detachment.

By continuing to practice practice and dispassion, the mind becomes subdued. Be with it God says,

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् ।

ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ॥

मध्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय।

निवसिष्यसि मध्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥

– Gita – 12.8 That is, wherever this unsteady and restless mind runs and goes, it should be removed again and again and again and again in the Supreme Lord, because whose mind is quite calm, therefore, O Arjuna! You put the mind in me and the intellect in me, after that you will reside in me only, there is nothing in doubt about it.

In Yog Darshan, Maharishi Patanjali has also considered practice and dispassion as important for purifying and subduing the mind. In Yogadarshana (Samadhipada-12) he says

अभ्यास वैराग्याभ्यां तन्निरोधः ॥

Abhayaass Vairagyaabhyam Tannirodha:।।

That is, those mental attitudes are controlled by practise and dispassion.

In this sutra, the sage wants to say that due to the influence of the karmic sanskars prevailing in the mind, the flow of chittvrittis with force is going towards worldly pleasures. The way to stop that flow is dispassion and the way to take it to the path of welfare is practice. The sage again says in Samadhipad – 13, 14

तत्र स्थितौ यत्नोऽभ्यासः ॥

स तु दीर्घकाल नैरन्तर्यसत्काराऽऽसेवितो दृढभूमिः ॥

That is, the effort that has to be made for the stability of the mind from both of them is practice, but if that practice is done continuously for a long time, it becomes firm. Here the sage is giving a very touching and important lesson. He is saying that to make the practice of his yoga instrument firm, the seeker should never be indifferent in the practice, never be hasty, but should do that (yoga-sadhana) patiently for a long period and have the firm belief That the yoga practice, effort, effort, sadhana being done by him can never be in vain, can never be fruitless. When the time comes, the result of his sadhna will be revealed. His sadhana will surely be successful. His mind will certainly be pure and controlled. Your sadhana will be successful, and beautiful. There’s nothing in doubt about it. Rishivar in Yoga Darshan about purifying the mind Other measures are also mentioned.

मैत्रीकरुणा मुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्य विषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम् ॥

Samadhipada 1.33 means that by creating a feeling of friendship among happy people, a feeling of kindness in unhappy people, a feeling of happiness in virtuous men and a feeling of neglect in sinners, the mind becomes angry, malice, hateful, jealous and angry etc. After the destruction, the mind becomes pure and pure. So the seeker should practice it. Whereas in the next thread he says

प्रच्छर्दनविधारणाभ्यां वा प्राणस्य ॥

Samadhipada 1.33 means that by creating a feeling of friendship among happy people, a feeling of kindness in unhappy people, a feeling of happiness in virtuous men and a feeling of neglect in sinners, the mind becomes angry, malice, hateful, jealous and anger etc. After the destruction, the mind becomes pure and pure. So the seeker should practice it. Whereas in the next thread he says

The great Vedic scientists of India, Maharishi Vasistha, Maharishi Vishwamitra, Maharishi Yagyavalkya, Maharishi Parashuram, Maharishi Bhagirath, Maharishi Valmiki, Maharishi Charak, Gautam Buddha, Mahavir, Guru Gorakhnath, Acharya Shankar, Sant Namdev, Saint Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharishi etc. Rishis, and Yogis, have become theologians. We can make any of these the subject of our attention as per our interest. One can contemplate, contemplate their divine qualities.

यथाभिमतध्यानाद्वा ॥ (समाधिपाद 1.39)

That is, the mind becomes stable even by the meditation of the one who has the opinion. In this sutra, the sage wants to say that if any of the above means do not suit a seeker, then he should meditate on his presiding deity or any form of God, saguna-nirguna, corporeal-formal, according to his interest. In this way, by meditating on the object of your interest, the mind becomes stable.

तस्यापि निरोधे सर्वनिरोधान्निर्बीजः समाधिः ॥
– समाधिपाद 1/57

That is, when that too is stopped, there is a nirbeej samadhi. The sages are clarifying here that when there is an absence of all other types of sanskars due to the effect of Ritambara Prajna Sanskar, then due to lack of attachment to the sacraments arising out of that Ritambhara Prajna, they are also stopped. Due to the complete absence of the seeds of sanskar, the name of this stage is Nirbeej Samadhi.

On the other hand, in the Yogasutra–2/28, the sage considers the practice of Ashtanga Yoga as important for the purification of the mind (ie Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, etc.).There are many sutras in the Amritbindu Upanishad about the mind, such as,

मनो हि द्विविधं प्रोक्तं शुद्धं चाशुद्धमेव च।

अशुद्धं कामसङ्कल्पं शुद्धं कामविवर्जितम् ॥ 1 ॥

That is, the mind is said to be of two types. One is a pure mind and the other is an impure mind.

मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः ।

बन्धाय विषयासक्तं मुक्तत्यै निर्विषयं स्मृतम् ॥ 2 ॥

That is, the mind is the cause of man’s bondage and salvation. A mind attached to objects is the cause of bondage and a mind detached from objects is the cause of salvation.

तावदेव निरोद्धव्यं यावत् हृदि गतं क्षयम् ।


एतज्ज्ञानं च ध्यानं च शेषो न्यायस्य विस्तरः ॥ 5 ॥


That is, only then should the mind be stopped in the heart, until it does not decay. This is called knowledge and this is called meditation and everything else is an extension of justice and reasoning. Thus it is clear from the observation of various scriptures that the mind is the cause of bondage and salvation. The mind is man’s friend and the mind is man’s enemy. An impure mind, an unstable mind, or an uncontrolled mind, leads man to fall, defeat and – sin.

Unveil the ultimate reality

Such a mind is the enemy of man, whereas a pure mind, a stable mind, and a controlled mind are the reason for the liberation of man, and the reason for the attainment of God. Such a mind is the friend of man. A pure mind induces a man into virtuous deeds. A concentrated mind, a steady mind makes a man successful, happy and prosperous not only in the spiritual but in the material world as well as in the material realm. He gets success everywhere.

We should keep practising to purify and stabilize the mind by regular practice of Nishkaam Bhakti, Nishkaam Karma (Karmayoga), Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Dhyana, Savita Dhyana, Pranayama etc. We should keep on self-studying the literature of Vitara, the biographies of estranged Buddhas, the autobiographies written by them and the scriptures related to the attainment of God. One should get the company (satsang) of good men. At the same time, charity, charity etc. should be engaged in the work of public service. By doing this, the mind becomes our friend and moves towards the best path.