Control the mind

how to control your mind

If one does not follow the path indicated by the indriyas, self control will come automatically to him, said Valayapet Ramachariar in a discourse.

Kulasekara Azhvar, in his Mukunda Mala, calls upon his tongue to sing the praises of Kesava, his mind to praise the Lord who killed Mura, his hands to serve Sridhara, his ears to listen to stories about Achyuta, his eyes to see Krishna, his feet to visit the temples of Hari, his nose to smell tulsi leaves which have adorned the feet of Mukunda and his head to bow before the Lord.

Here, Kulasekara Azhvar, while listing out how our senses must be put to use in the worship of the Lord, also invokes the Lord by His different names.

But the mind is more difficult to control than the senses. It is at once our friend and enemy. Anything gains a value or gets devalued by the use to which it is put. Take a modern example — the Internet. It can be a source of knowledge. But it can also be a source of distraction if we spend hours browsing aimlessly.

Likewise, the mind which is under control is a friend to a person. But the same mind when left uncontrolled is also our enemy.

A person whose mind is under control will be indifferent to physical discomforts like heat or cold. But can one not feel heat or cold?

Here again, an example explains the idea. Suppose one is a temple priest and the processional deity has to be taken out during festival time. The priest has to accompany the deity, whether it is raining or whether it is blazing hot. He has to be indifferent to the weather. Such indifference is what is meant by control of the mind.