Factors in the Purification of Feeling

CHAPTER-46

GANADHIPATI TULSI

FACTORS IN THE PURIFICATION OF FEELING

He who has the least anger is worthy!

Illusion and greed his heart touch not!

His mind is calm; he’s the conqueror of himself,

Resolver of all problems through love!

With senses controlled, tranquil, frugal of speech,

Blessed with intelligence and supreme joy;

His nervous system doth function properly;

With fertile mind and brain, thoughtful,

Endowed with great intellectual power, well-wishing,

Religious, seeker of the soul within;

Lover of the yellow colour; he is

Surely possessed of padma leshya!

Q.Padma leshya produces yellow-coloured vibrations.The yellow colour has been recognised to be purer than the red. In the yellow-coloured aura the process of spiritual development is faster. What is the criterion of this development in the preliminary stages?

Ans. The most advanced stage of spiritual development is veetaragta (total freedom from passions and affections). The aura of one who has achieved veetaragta is bright and his leshya shukla. Before the stage of veetaragta is reached, padma leshya remains active. While it is active, yellowness becomes apparent in the vibrations thereof. The aura of a man possessed of padma leshya is also yellow. In a yellow aura, passions get cooled, the mind becomes tranquil and one begins to experience a feeling of self-conquest. Victory over oneself is frequently mentioned in the scriptures. It is also the subject of many discourses. The man who achieves victory over ten lakh warriors, yet far lags behind the great hero who has achieved victory over himself and sits quietly by himself.

To listen to a discourse on self-conquest is one thing; to directly experience it is quite another. What is meant by victory over oneself? How does a man grow tranquil? The need for such a discourse is felt only as long as one does not get into a transcendental state, beyond words. In that state, one experiences meaning without and beyond words. Right contemplation of the Agamas is not possible until the vibrations of padma leshya become active. The essence of the Agam sayings is not amenable to mere intellectual formulation. However, m the activation of padma leshya, one comes to directly experience, not the words but the essential meaning behind the words. A man’s psychological and spiritual problems then stand resolved.

One great problem of the human world is indiscipline. What to speak of others, even a man’s own body and his mind are not under his control. It is not possible to achieve control over these through Hatha-Yoga. That is why even great ascetics and sadhaks are troubled by this problem and are much concerned about it. One simple resolution to this problem lies in the development of yellow vibrations. People whose lives are suffused by these vibrations, experience a heightening of their faculties. Their mind grows tranquil and their language is restrained. To put it differently, their sense organs engage in no unnecessary activity, the mind is no more restless and all unnecessary speaking comes to an end. As the outer activity decreases, the sensory nerves become activated, the brain gets fertile and spontaneous joy comes into one’s life.

Q.On the occasion of your discussion of the current of feeling and the aura, you said that with a change in the aura, the current of feeling also changes and if there is a change in the current of feeling the aura also undergoes a transformation. There is no inevitability of one or the other changing first. But we have also heard it said that the auras of the devas (celestial beings) are bright, yet their current of feeling becomes tainted. Is it correct?

Ans. The processes of change in the current of feeling and in the aura are generally interdependent, but there are certain exceptions, too. The aura of the celestial beings is symbolic of such an exceptional situation. The leshya in the celestial beings is said to be determined on the basis of their bodily complexion or the colour of their aura. The colour of the body is called material leshya but this is different from the leshya that accounts for divergence in the aura of the celestial beings and their current of feeling.

Generally, the intellectual power of the man affected by the atoms of yellow colour increases, and his mental health improves and he becomes activated in the direction of self-realisation. From the viewpoint of sadhana, the accepted religion begins to assume the form of natural or inner religion. In case of the development of natural religion, the passions cease to exist and the control over the senses becomes more pronounced.

Q.Listening to the talk about the transformation of feeling, I too am beginning to desire that this great benefit should accrue to me as well as to all others. The material cause of such benefit is the purity of the aura and the current of feeling. Are there any other contributory factors to strengthen this cause?

Ans. No cause can manifest itself without the instrumental factors. From this point of view, the opportunity of expression has great importance. In the absence of a proper occasion, even a powerful inspiration remains ineffective. That is why a man should never boast that he has acquired many powers. It is necessary that he should desire to express his powers and aim at self-expression, but there are all kinds of factors involved, good and bad. What kind of cause gets acted upon, depends on what instrumental factors are strong. For the transformation of feelings too, one should exercise one’s valour, keeping in view the following four factors—substance, space, time and specific functional character.

Q.What do you mean, by substance, space, time and specific functional character?

Ans. In the achievement of any aim, these four factors—substance, space, time and functional character combine. Substance is the individual himself. He can be both conscious and unconscious. Space means the place of action. Time is indicative of the moment of action, and the functional character implies the prevailing situation. For example, if someone wishes to make a pitcher, he will first of all require some earth. That earth can be moulded into the form of a pitcher at a particular place and time. The blackness, the yellowness, etc. of the earth is its essential virtue.

In the transformation of feeling, the influence of space and time would be apparent anywhere. That at a particular time, a typical virtue manifests itself, is a tested truth. Therefore it is necessary to be constantly alert about bringing about a fundamental change. One has to be careful about the materials one works with—about their colour, smell, taste and touch. One must ensure that these do not exercise a malevolent influence upon one’s mind. One should be constantly aware of the qualities of materials in use, such as, food, air, clothes, vessel, house, etc. Thus, a man can protect himself from an environment which defiles his thoughts and feelings.