Bhagavad Gita: Distraction

Chanchalam hi manah krsna
pramaathi balavaddrdham
tasyaaham nigraham manye
vaayoriva sudushkaram.

The heart of men is unfixed, Krishna,
rash, tumultuous,willful and strong.
It were all one, I think,
To hold the wayward wind, as tame man’s heart. Verse 34 Ch VI

The obstacles
Three obstacles which deny me what I want to be are ignorance, impurity and distraction. To remove ignorance I carry out vichara, enquiry into the nature of the self, the world and the creator of the world, with the help of scriptures. When one sees how deeply entrenched in ignorance the modern day civilization is, one can easily conclude that it would be impossible for the world to be saved from such deep, deep ignorance. But possibility or impossibility is not an issue. A God-conscious devotee removes his ignorance by hearing about the transcendental holy name of Lord Vishnu, chanting the holy name, remembering Him, offering the Lord respectful worship, offering prayers to the Lord, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words).
–Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.23

A devotee is detached from the results of his activities, but he still tries his level best to bring about the enlightenment of the suffering souls of this world and leaves the results up to Krishna. This is possible only when the mind enjoys purity, for achieving which, the means is karma yoga. Now we come to the third factor, distraction or lack of steadiness of the mind.

Mind is not a problem
The mind changes quickly and completely, without leaving even a trace of the previous cognition. This allows the perception of an object as it is. So, the fact that mind changes is a blessing. Thinking is not a problem nor is inquiry nor discovery. Memory is not a problem either – in fact poor memory is a problem. Thus, a changing mind, perceptions, thoughts, memories - none of these is a problem for the human being. What causes problem is the incapacity of the mind to abide in itself when you want it to do so.

Mechanicalness is the problem
The problem arises when the mind seems to have its own ways over which the individual has no mastery. In a conversation with a friend topics change not because of your will but because the wheel of conversation turned by itself – just as in driving you steer unconsciously on different routes. This is true of all our activities in life – we allow things to happen only by accident and not by deliberate control.

A distracted mind is not efficient. Even for worldly achievements such as gaining wealth or fame or power, one needs a mind relatively free from distractions, capable of consistently working toward the chosen goal. A distracted mind is the biggest problem in meditation. Though one begins alright, the mind moves to other topics in spite of one’s will. Man does not have mastery over the ways of his mind.

The power of habit is supreme in the life of man. Most people go through life mentally making good resolutions, but without ever succeeding in following what is wholesome. We usually do not do what we wish to do but do only what we are accustomed to do. That is why materially minded persons find it difficult to be spiritually minded even when they try hard. Unwanted habits are temporary misery making grafts on the soul. They must be thrown out. It is wonderful to do what is right habitually, and thus multiply goodness and happiness.

Silence is the Nature
Silence is the innate nature of the mind which enjoys the capacity to think. You must do something to be restless, to be sad; you must think of a topic or a thing or a being that causes restlessness, and build upon it. Silence is a state of mind when you have nothing to think about. Sorrow or sadness is something one has to work upon. However agitated one is, one does become silent now and then because silence is the nature of the mind. No matter how many cords are around your feet, remember this: the minute you know in your heart that the happiness which is found in the temple of silence is most tempting, then you will be free. You must have that joy, and then you are already released. That can come only through your determination.

Distraction
It is the indisciplined ways of thinking, the mind going from one thing to another that is the problem. This is distraction. There is no distraction without being mechanical. I want to think of one thing and the mind engages in something else and I go along with the latter. The mind goes away without my consent. It is as though the mind hypnotizes me, puts me to sleep and walks away. It is only when, in the course of its own meandering paths, the mind comes back by itself to the object of meditation, that I become awake. I realize that I was lost.

When the mind goes away, I also go along with it. So a meditator is told to bring back the mind. But it is easier said than done. When the mind wanders, I am not there to catch it and bring it back. The meditation becomes a tiresome thing. So we have to take some steps to see that slowly we gain mastery over the mind.

Mechanicalness is a reaction
Any form of reaction is mechanical, not deliberate. Action is deliberate; reaction is not. If you deliberately hit someone for what the person did, it is an action, although it may not be right. But if you hit that person without deliberation, you have no control over that action and it amounts to a reaction. If you act deliberately, you can have a choice and can change the course of action if necessary.

All the actions should be blessed by reasoning or the faculty of choice. Your action can be unreasonable but then you can learn. We do not change in spite of experiences in life because we mostly react and fail to act. If I go on reacting in my life out of jealousy or anger, I become automation, a robot that is set on certain reactions. I become an unpredictable creature because there is no reason behind my impulses.

Partiality to one’s own self
No matter what the facts are, we tend to twist them to put ourselves in the right. Though we love to forgive ourselves, we find it difficult to forgive others. It is customary for most minds to magnify the fault of others, whereas they minimize or resolve to nothingness their own errors. If your feelings are hurt easily, you should not indulge in hurting the feelings of others. If you want to be justly treated, learn to treat others right. The following story from Vishnupurana illustrates that individual separateness is an illusion, and that all life is one:

After a thousand years came Ribhu
To Nidagha’s city, to impart further knowledge to him,
He saw him outside the city
Just as the king was about to enter with a great train of servants,
Standing apart and holding himself apart from the crowd
His neck wizened with fasting, returning from the wood with fuel and grass.
When Ribhu saw him, he went to him and greeted him and said:
“O Brahaman, why standest thou here alone?”

Nidagha said: “Behold the crowd pressing about the King,
Who is just entering the city? That is why stand alone.”
Ribhu said: “which of these is the King?
And who are the others?
Tell me that, for thou seemest informed.”
Nidhaga said: “He who rides upon the fiery elephant, towering like a mountain peak,
That is the King. The others are his attendants.”

Ribhu said: “These two, the King and the elephant, are pointed out by you
Without being separated by mark of distinction;
Give me the mark of distinction between them.
I would know which is the elephant and which the King.”
Nidhaga said: “The elephant is below; the King is above him,
Who does not the relationship of borne to the bearer?”
Ribhu said: “that I may know, teach me.
What is that which is indicated by the word ‘below’ and what is ‘above’?”
Straight Nidhaga sprang upon the Guru, and said to him:
“Here now, I will tell thee what thou demandest of me:
I am above, like the King. You are below, like the elephant.
For thy instruction I give thee this example.”

Ribhu said: “If you are in the position of the King, and I in that of an elephant,
So tell me this still: Which of us is you, and which is I?”
Then swiftly Nidagha, falling down before him, clasped his feet and spake:
“Truly thou art Ribhu, my Master………….
By this I know that thou, my Guru, art come.”
Ribhu said: “Yes, to give thee teaching,
Because of thy former willingness to serve me,
I Ribhu by name am come to thee.
And what I have just taught thee in short –
Heart of highest truth – that is complete non-duality.”
When he had thus spoken to Nidagha, the Guru Ribhu departed thence.
But forthwith Nidagha, taught by this symbolic teaching, turned his mind completely to non-duality.”
All beings from thenceforth he saw not distinct from himself.
And so he saw Brahman. And thus he achieved the highest salvation.

Auto-suggestion
So distraction is born out of one’s incapacity to control the happenings of the mind. Generally we react and react again over the reactions and thus create a chain of reactions. Suppose you take a vow of not being angry today – it is an auto-suggestion – it can work if you are convinced that anger is an enemy which should be avoided. Before anger shows its ugly face, you can see it coming and you are ready to receive it. You can receive anger with a smiling face. Use your creative thinking ability to gain success in every worthwhile project you undertake. Help yourself, that you may bring into proper use all your God-given powers. Make mental blueprints of little things, and keep on making them materialize until you can make your big dreams also come true. Try and remember that no matter what life places at your feet, there is absolutely no situation that cannot be resolved with time, love, and friendship.

Alertness, a Sadhana
One should become alert or conscious to avoid anger. Just as all of legs of a chair get pulled when we pull one leg, many things get tackled when you tackle one thing, because all reactions are born of mechanicalness. This process is called sadhana. Everyone is a combination of materialistic, spiritual, business and family values. Every thing is profound and in as much as every thing is mithya, unreal, it is all profane. A spiritual person is one who tries to solve the problems deliberately unlike a restless mind which does not know what is happening. If we take note of the various reactions that happen in a day, the day-to-day life becomes conscious.

It is alertness that is important and not merely observing a rule. Lord Krishna says in verse 17 Chapter 6: yuktaahara vihaarasya, yuktacheshtasya karmasu, yukta svapnaavabodhasya, yogah bhavati duhkhahaa. “The one who is conscious in eating and recreation, the one who is moderate in activity and in remaining awake, for that one the yoga removes pain.” Sadhana becomes meaningful only when alertness is maintained in all activities; neither overdoing nor not-doing would help.