FREEDOM FROM ATTACHMENT TO THE WORLDY AFFAIRS (VAIRAGYA, વૈરાગ્ય)

Our inner implements like mind, intellect etc, are used to think and work according to the effects from the contact with the external circumstances. If we want to retire them from taking interest in these activities, we must find alternate ways that interest them. If we try to bend their ways by force, they may bend for a while but their interest and focus will always be there in external activities. There is no loss of interest in eating just by fasting for few days. At times it even increases. This tends to happen in these kind of activities too. The easier way is to engage them in constructive activities to prevent them from taking enjoyment in worldly affairs. As I understand the best way to get freedom from the attachments is to engage them (mind, intellect, senses etc,) in such activities like praying to God, sing devotional songs, contemplation and remembering Him with love. We must constantly try to work at these kind of activities. We need not give lot of importance to the negative aspect but should try to emphasize constructive and positive aspect with awareness. If we keep our attention to our failure to carry out such constructive aspects and how can we correct the situation, the rest is like salt and pepper. We shall receive whatever is needed automatically.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Pagaran
Edition 3; Pages 219 - 220.

SADHAK SHOULD ABANDON DISORDERLY AND TUMULTUOUS ACTIVITIES

We encounter disorderly and tumultuous activities in our lives. During these activities we lose the awareness of our place at every moment albeit where we are and where we are going in these situations. Our progress slows down or even completely stops. We need to watch strictly that we stay focused internally and observe these  tumultuous activities as it is, just the external activities and stay separate from it. At the same time we need to be careful to not leave any permanent impressions on our psyche from these encounters.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Pagaran
Edition 3; Pages 218 - 219.

PURPOSE OF DHYAN (MEDITATION)

Karachi,
February 26, 1940.

Dear Brother,

Do not insist in your mind that dhyan (meditation) has to be done in a certain way. Keep watching whatever happens in meditation and use the resulting bhava and bhavna in the sadhana (spiritual development). Do not keep any kind of insistence that meditation is best only if there is certain kind of feelings or anything else in particular happens. Meaning of dhyan is to go above thoughts, feelings, reactions to outside world, impressions from senses, mind, chitta and even the pranas.  All these need to stop naturally and almost vanish. Then only we begin to hear and understand our inner voice. It leads to understanding of the true nature of bhava of the heart, its effect, its sphere of influence and its all pervasiveness.

There are many reasons and ways for the dhyan. One reason is for inner search, second is to develop the intensity in surrender, third is to develop blankness and thoughtlessness of the mind, fourth is to merge with divine consciousness and fifth being to stay in the bhava of prayers. There is no rigidity in the results; since it happened one time may not mean it has to happen next time. Just watch whatever happens. Whatever is gained or inspired, use it for increasing the speed and enthusiasm in the spirit of sadhana. In all kind of meditations the most important requirement is the bhava of concentration and its presence is a must for it to be successful and its absence means that there was not much of dhyan. When dhyan is done with concentration, it leads to absorption in it. That in turn makes it interesting and it is possible to go deeper and deeper. Stability develops at this level. This stability is not with inertia and it leads to experience of the consciousness.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Pagaran
Edition 3; Pages 45 - 46.

My two cents - It is difficult to explain meaning of bhava. It can be understood as the characteristics of the divine consciousness (like bliss, all pervasiveness etc) as experienced by human beings.

LIFE'S BATTLE (જીવન સંગ્રામ)

There is a deep and mysterious purpose behind the formation of this universe. Nobody can stay in the same condition as a result of the inner inspiration of this purpose. Everything dead or alive has to keep moving and anything that does not move gets squashed and destroyed. Even in our bodies there is a constant battle going on amongst atoms at every moment resulting in the production of energy and liveliness. Something new takes shape as a result of meetings and conflicts amongst all of us. There is a unseen subtle battle in these meetings and there is no progress without the presence of these battles. If any soul thinks about it, the soul will find that there has always been the battle of some kind in all the stages of the life. One who wants to aim at spiritual development of one's life, needs this stage of resistance and battle. One can not move forward without it.

It is unheard that the condition of the mind can be changed without the efforts. Mind needs some kind of support to jump out of its trodden path; Mind by itself never changes till confronted with very critical situation. It is of utmost importance for the mind to confront and battle with conflicts, distress, inconvenience, anguish and dukkhas (misery). Then only it can move forward, properly evaluate the situation, and is able to reach higher status from the present level. These conflicts are of different kinds at different level of development. Mind will be always conflicted and wander fruitlessly since mind is based on duality and continues to function at the level of duality. Battle is intricately connected with the formation of the universe and it is needed for its development. Its role in human life will be always there whether one wishes for it or not.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Sangram
Edition 4; Pages 2 - 3.

My two cents -- This was written in response to a devotee's mental stress following a painful event in his life. It is based on the holy book Gita where Bhagwan Shree Krishna imparts the knowledge to Arjun in the middle of battlefield.