“Shri Manache Shlok” — Shloka/Verse 130 — a Dialogue With Our Mind
By: Shashi Kulkarni
Tags: Lifestyle, Mindfulness, Meditation, Spirituality, Resolutions

निरूपण — Explanation or conceptualization

In this shloka, Samarth Ramdas Swami talks about how to go about bringing into practice, that what will be needed to overcome the shadripus, the six enemies of the mind.

He uses the words संकल्प, सत्यसंकल्प, वीकल्प in this shloka.

कल्प — Kalpa, means ritual.

संकल्प — saṅkalpa refers to a heartfelt desire, a solemn vow, an intention, or a resolve to do something. We can loosely call it resolution, but it is much more than that as it comes from deeper within.

There is a difference between goals, the resolutions and the saṅkalpa.

Goals are normally a personal need to achieve something in a given time. Resolutions are the vows which we take for changing our behavior. Saṅkalpa is more heartfelt resolve done with a ritual. It connects inwardly to our highest intention and is always positive affirmation.

It is believed that when the mind is relaxed, the Saṅkalpa can be written on the subconscious. It may also be repeated in our minds in the mornings and also before meditation.

In order to overcome the shadripus, which are lust, rage, attachment, ego, temptation, and jealousy, and to take control over our minds, we need real heartfelt, deep resolves which will be permanent in nature as it is not easy to overcome these enemies of the mind.

If we end up breaking the resolve in a relatively short time, it is not going to help.

It is like someone trying to get rid of a bad habit, and deciding to work towards it. Then accomplish that only for few days or a week and then going back to the same bad habit again.

Or the more famous and always used example of the new year resolutions like going to gym, waking up early in the morning, which vanish just within few weeks as we get to the end of January timeframe.

This is what Samarth Ramdas Swami refers to when he says अल्प संकल्प — short term resolve. Oh my mind, we should never ever do a short term resolve and that is practically not at all a resolve.

In fact breaking the resolutions, will engrain on our minds that we cannot stick to anything and we are worthless when it comes to sticking to resolutions, which is a dangerous self talk.

Samarth Ramdas Swami tells us to instead to adapt सत्यसंकल्प — satya saṅkalpa — the desire for the permanent and heartfelt resolve. Not just adapt but engrave on our minds in a way that there cannot be anything in this world, which will divert us from sticking to that resolve.

This can happen only when we literally repeat the resolve in our mind, multiple times a day and every day of the week and for years together.

The word वसावा — means to reside.

The resolve should have a permanent place in our minds, like staying in our own home and not like renting the place in our minds for a short time. Or in computer terms, the resolves should not be residing in the RAM — the random access memory, which vanishes when the computer is shut down. It should reside in the permanent storage and easily accessible all the time, as well as backed up so that it can be restored in case of emergencies.

Imagine how you will keep your own home and will take care of it with extra precautions, as everything you do in it has a feeling of ‘my home’ attached to it. Very rarely someone will treat the rented house the same way, as it is clear to them that this is their temporary residence and there is no attachment to it.

जल्प — jalpa — means vain talk.

वीकल्प — vīkalpa — means having doubts about the vow, the resolve.

Samarth tells our minds to give up both of these.

Sometimes, some people have a habit of publicizing their resolutions way too much, way too early, and also by making them appear bigger than they are in their minds.

When it comes to goals, there are normally two types of thinking around it, in people’s minds. Some say that it is better to announce the goals publicly and that in turn makes one to stick to it. While others say, it is better to keep those to oneself and not publicize them, in order to achieve them. Everybody has their own preference about how they go about their goals.

But, when it comes to the heartfelt resolves, the vain talk, or publicizing it with a hint of ego or pride, will actually work against keeping it. संकल्प — saṅkalpa is something to keep dearest to our minds and to keep on repeating it in our self talk, all the time, not for loose talk with others.

If we start doubting our own resolves, the outcome is obvious. We will go towards the easy route, of not sticking to it, by providing numerous examples to our own minds, about why it is not going to help.

Our minds feed on the thoughts which come to us. If we start negative thoughts, it will support us by pulling out various other negative reasons and thoughts. Whereas if we start with positive mindset, it will keep on providing hundreds of positive results which either we have achieved in other situations or someone else has achieved.

Samarth Ramdas Swami hence tells us to devote ourselves to Lord Shri Rama, and spend some time alone, by meditating. Before the meditation we can repeat our heartfelt resolves.

This in turn will help to engrave them on our subconscious mind as we do the meditation, without we knowing about it.

Then subsequently our desires will automatically change and will help us in winning over the shadripus, the six enemies of the mind.