His Presence Behind the Maya Screen
Man should first clearly grasp the habits and mannerisms of his mind and its tendencies and attitudes. Then only can he control it and gain mastery over it; and purify and develop his memory, will, and imagination.
Waywardness is the natural characteristic of the mind. It is like the wind, that is why Arjuna described it to Krishna thus:
“O, Krishna, the mind is very wayward, it moves very fast, it is very powerful, it is very difficult to bring it under control”. Then Krishna replied, “Arjuna, no doubt what you said is correct. But by uninterrupted attention and discipline, and by the practice of renunciation, it is possible to control it. Hence, practice dhyanam [meditation] as a first step.”
Dhyana Vahini, P. 66-67
Let the mind run wherever it likes, only, be careful you do not follow it, seeking to discover where it is going! It will then wander about for some time as the fancy takes it, and soon, getting tired and exhausted, it will come back to you in the end! It is like a little child that knows nothing. Since the mother is following it and calling it back, it gets courage and confidence to run forward in any direction, but if the mother does not run behind the child and retraces her steps quietly, the child too, of its own accord, will run back to the mother!
Dhyana Vahini, P. 44
The Lord is behind the screen on the stage of Prakriti, giving the cue to all the actors for their various parts. So, every actor must be conscious of: he must be anxious to catch the faintest suggestion He might give, keeping a corner of the eye always on Him and having the ear pitched to catch His voice. Instead of this, if a person forgets the plot and the story, (that is to say, the work for which one has come and the duties that appertain thereto) and neglects to watch the Presence behind the screen and simply stands dumb on the stage, the audience will laugh at his folly and charge him with spoiling the show.
For these reasons, every actor who has to play the role of Man on the World-stage must first learn the lines well and then, remembering the Lord behind the screen, await His orders. The attention must be on both; the lines one has learnt for the role and the directions one may get from the stage manager. Dhyanam, alone gives one this concentration and this awareness.
Dhyana Vahini, P. 36-37
Advise the mind, “Oh mind that flows so swiftly in so many directions! Do not drag me along the floods of objects, along the path of sensual desires and spoil my career. Take me to the Lord, instead. Flow in that direction Please.”
Dhyana Vahini, P. 78
