Mind is a Monkey

People want both God and wealth. They want their businesses to be successful, their children to study well, their health to remain perfect, and their households and cars to run without complication. A person should use his powers of discrimination in order to maintain a balance between spiritual pursuit and worldly affairs. The Vedas say that only he who obeys can command others. Only he who possesses character can build the character of others. If society is perceived to be lacking in character, eventually, progress and betterment are bound to follow. The Bhagwad Gita says whenever unrighteousness prevails, God incarnates on earth to destroy evil and reestablish righteousness. If enlightened people live in isolation, how can the people learn and benefit from them? Not all saints living in isolation are impostors. Nor is it correct to say that because they live in isolation, they are not working for mankind. Bhagwan Nityananda lived in the jungles of Ganeshpuri. Most of the time he remained silent. Yet, thousands of people visited him to obtain peace and happiness. The simplest way to do sadhana is to first steady the mind. Artists, scientists and musicians all excel in their work through concentration of mind. You can realise the Truth only by making your mind steady. The mind is as restless as a monkey. The mind becomes steady as a result of knowledge of the Self. The mind can contemplate the Self but it cannot know the Self, because realisation of the Self is a matter of experience, not of intellectual understanding.

Source: Economic Times, 18/12/2018