158. Vasana-Kshaya, Destruction of Tendencies leads to Brahman……!

One can get liberated “if one disposes the mind” and thus he can become Brahman says Advaita Philosophy. This statement may sound easy while all the other schools of philosophy say that there is enormous unlimited energy that is higher than us called Paramatma and we are limited Jeevatma, and we have to strive hard in this present life to reach the abode of THAT Paramatma. 

In the statement above the profound meaning is that there is no high, no low; we are THAT Paramatma and to get liberated we need not go anywhere it is right here we just have to be aware of THAT Paramatma. Looking at the Advaita statement it is obvious that one may think that this is the easiest way to get liberated. It may appear to be easy but it is difficult because there is a big “IF” in the statement! ‘IF only, we dispose the mind,’ this is exactly where the real difficulty is. 

It is very easy to take off a lose shirt but to take off the shirt that is tight fit is little difficult. Isn’t it so?????? In a tight fit shirt the cloth is holding our body so tightly that we have to make a slight effort to take of the shirt. Likewise our mind is tightly stuck to us in deeper proximity. But then this shirt is not the last to shed and take a new one as told in Bhagavad-Gita. This dirt and stink of the mind has deprived the Jeevatma the Brahmanhood. A dirty shirt has to be washed to keep the dirt and stink off. Once it is cleaned the same shirt becomes pure and wearable. So also for a Jeevatma there is no necessity for a new entity called Brahman. It would be appreciable if we are able to remove the dirt and stink of the mind. With the dirt and stink of the mind off the Jeevatma will emerge as Brahman. 

Now removing the dirt and stink of the mind is not an easy job. The dirt and stink is not of a single day it is since the time it is not washed. But then that is exactly the dreadful task –to remove the dirt and stink that is so deeply sticking to mind! Mind refuses to be disposed off. 

Mind as we know is the projector of thoughts. If once this projection is stopped then there is this “No Mind State”. But is it possible to achieve this state????? All the while mind is on the horse galloping in the field of memory. This memory is like the smell of asafetida kept in a jar many months back; even though the jar is washed and cleaned the smell persists for a long time. Likewise this memory of ours keeps the experiences and enjoyments that happened in our past and present life. These are called Vasanas. What do they do????? They keep surfacing the thoughts about that particular enjoyment and become the reason for further thoughts as to how to have that experience again. The thought to achieve the experience is the plans that our mind makes. This “smell” of the past has to dip and this is known as “Vasana-Kshaya” (Destruction of Tendencies). Now Vasana-Kshaya (Destruction of Tendencies) is achieved through Contemplation (Vichara), Dispassion (Vairagya) and Renunciation (Tyaga). These are the prerequisite to what is call the disposal of mind. With the No Mind State Realisation takes place, Self Realisation. In other words the Jeevatma disappears and Brahman sprouts.