Psychic Assimilation in Psycho-

Spiritual Practice
Ásáŕhii Púrńimá 1959 DMC, Hazipur, Bihar
Mental functions are saḿkalpa (action in seed form) oriented and vikalpa
(actional expression) oriented. The sense organs (indriyas) are activated by the
saḿkalpátmaka portion of the mind, and then actions are performed in the
practical world. If someone considers that as actions are performed by the
saḿkalpátmaka portion of mind, they are true, and that as actions are not
performed by the vikalpátmaka or negative portion of mind, they are untrue,
such a statement of theirs is not philosophically justifiable. How far does this
sort of positive or negative mental movement of mind influence the life of a
spiritual aspirant? How far is it related to samád́hi? If sádhakas actively render
social service and accept it as the supreme goal of life, will they become
established in samádhi?
In fact samádhi is neither a positive nor a negative state of mind. Samádhi
is a sate of equilibrium. When the surface of water remains smooth and
unruffled by the wind, we may call it a state of equilibrium. If the outer surface
of turbulent, water is saḿkalpátmaka or positive aspect of mind, then the
currents below the surface should be called the negative aspect. When a state
of equilibrium is attained the upper surface and the lower currents of the mind
attain parallelism. In the course of their agitated movement, the
saḿkalpátmaka and vikalpátmaka portions of the mind meet at certain common
points. Thus in every thought wave, in every entity, at all times, and in all
countries there is some kind of temporary equilibrium.
While one is engaged in extroversial actions (pravrttimúlaka karma) it
appears that both nivrtti (introversial actions) and a state of equilibrium are
possible to attain. Similarly, to a person who is engaged in nivrttimúlaka karma,
both pravrtti and a state of equilibrium seem to be impossible to attain.
Generally, people accept those objects or actions as natural with which they
easily adjust themselves, and those objects or actions as unnatural with which
they are unfamiliar. Aquatic creatures think that the only place to live in is
water and cannot comprehend how any living object could live on land.
Conversely, those creatures who live on land think that land is the only and
natural habitat. They gasp for breath after remaining only a little while in water.
This is nature’s arrangement – no question of free choice arises here.
People who try to bring their minds to a state of equilibrium, find that a
tranquil mental flow is something quite natural. For them pravrtti and nivrtti,
that is, extroversial and introversial states of mind, are something unnatural.
The paths of pravrtti and nivrtti depend upon the mundane propensities neither
of them leads to psychic balance, thus neither can ensure absolute bliss.
For success in the extroversial (pravrtti) sphere of life one must develop an
attachment for an external object or extroversial idea, and then make efforts to
attain it, For success in the introversial sphere (nivrtti) one must develop dveśa
or the feeling of repulsion for an external object or extroversial idea, and then
make the requisite effort to succeed in that endeavour. The greater one’s
attachment for an object, the greater the possibility of attaining success in the
pursuit of pravrtti. But if there is only attraction for an object, with no
endeavour made to attain it, one cannot be successful. If someone wants to
become rich, but does not try to acquire wealth, he or she will never become
rich. Similarly, the greater one’s psychic repulsion for an object, the more easily
one will be able to withdraw from that object. But if one does not try to
increase one’s repulsion one will not be successful in nivrtti sádhaná. Those
who are the advocates of the nivrtti cult strive to convince people that wealth,
opulence, and near and dear relations create snares of bondages and are thus
impediments to spiritual progress. And their exhortations do not end here. They
incite people to abandon their homes and embrace the life of renunciation. In
other words they advise people to practise the cult of repulsion.
A spiritual aspirant who wants to attain samádhi needs to develop vaerágya
(spirit of renunciation) and abhyása (continued practice). Remember, samádhi
is neither pavrtti múlaka nor nivrtti múlaka. Vaerágya is the absence of
attachment, not repulsion. In order to deal with objects properly one should
never become subservient to them, but should ascribe Brahmahood to them by
cultivating the repeated practice of cosmic ideation or Brahma Bhávana.

What is abhyása? Tatra sthitao yatno’bhyásah. Abhyása is the creation of a

particular continuous psychic vibration. It is the most essential factor in the
spiritual sphere. The continuous endeavour to maintain the state of equilibrium
of citta leads to the attainment of samádhi. When one is attracted by an object
one runs after it, and when one feels repulsion for an object, one runs away
from it. A person who is fond of wine often thinks of wine, whereas a person
who detests wine prevents his or her mind from thinking about wine. Unless
attraction and repulsion are both transcended, the mind can never attain a
state of equilibrium or samádhi. Mental equilibrium only becomes possible when
one makes a constant endeavour to attain psychic balance.
Samádhi becomes a natural phenomenon as a result of continuous spiritual
practice. Procrastination is something undesirable on the spiritual path. If ever
spiritual practice is discontinued endless desirable and undesirable waves of
thoughts occupy the mind. Spiritual practice should be continued
uninterruptedly and with proper sincerity and veneration, otherwise samádhi
will forever remain a theoretical subject of philosophy, never entering the
periphery of practical realization. One must not adopt the psychology, “I’m
practising spirituality because my ácárya (spiritual teacher) told me to.” Rather
one should think, “I want to attain spiritual realization. My ácárya is merely
guiding me along the path.” Only when one takes full responsibility for one’s
own spiritual life can one attain the peak of spiritual progress and become fully
established on the solid ground of spirituality.
When one accepts something as absolute after due logical deliberation one
develops shraddhá (veneration) in the mind. One who has no respect for the
goal can never attain success. Shrat satyam tasmin dhiiyate iti shraddhá.
“Shraddhá is the pursuit of Supreme Truth.” The expansion of citta is also
called shraddhá. One should have immense, respect for that object which
causes the citta to expand. Samádhi is the state of maximum expansion of citta,
and thus shraddhá is the first stage in the attainment of samádhi. Pravriti and
nivrtti are both psychic tendencies. The more one practises either of these the
more one’s mind becomes adjusted with them. Samádhi is beyond the scope of
pravrtti and nivrtti. Even shraddhá, is not necessary in the pursuit of pravrtti
and nivrtti, but it is indispensable for attaining samádhi. Sometimes an
undesirable thought blocks the smooth uni-directional flow of the mind along
the spiritual path. When this occurs viirya or spiritual vigour, a special type of
psychic power, is required to dispel the negative thought. Spiritual vigour arises
as a result of shraddhá.
Anubhútavisayásampramosah smritih. “The re-creation of an object already
perceived is termed smriti (memory).” Memory is strengthened by spiritual
vigour. When one successfully eliminates all impediments to spiritual progress
by developing spiritual vigour born out of shraddhá and moves towards the
spiritual goal without interruption it is called dhruvásmrti or fixed memory. The
waves of extroversial propensities create obstacles in the way of dhruvásmrti
and the waves of introversial propensities keep the mind oblivious of
everything. But when dhruvásmrti is perfect, that is when one’s only object of
ideation is the Supreme Entity, and none other, one attains samádlii. At this
stage the mind becomes fully identified with its goal. In subtle analysis this is
also a type of a positive stage of mind.
The mind takes the form of the physical object or psychic idea it
encounters. This assuming of a form in the mind is called psychic pabulum or
ábhoga. Unless the mind is liberated from its pabulum permanent peace is not
possible. How can one attain liberation from one’s pabulum? Liberation cannot
be attained through repulsion. Repulsion for an object is a negative tendency –
this too is a kind of pabulum. Although the mind detaches itself from its object
it is nevertheless attached to the non-existent form of that object. When the
mind withdraws from its object citta becomes suspended in unmanifested
Prakrti due to the attainment of vashiikára siddhi. This is not a supreme
attainment. This state of samádhi is neither static samádhi nor nirviija
(seedless) samádhi, nor samprajiṋáta samádhi. Within citta there remains the
possibility of future rebirth, even after a million years, and thus the attainment
of permanent samádhi (kaevalya samádhi) is not possible. The samádhi
attained in this state can be called nirbiija prakrtiliina samádhi. Unless this
nirviija samádhi is permanent we may at best call it asamprajiṋata or nirvikalpa
samádhi, and not salvation of a permanent nature.
In the states of prakrtiliina and videhaliina (two of the seven devayonis) the
samskáras lie latent in the seed form waiting for a congenial environment to
acquire a proper physical base. Videha means bodiless state, liina means
merged or dissolved. Videha liina are caused by ones bhavapratyaya (bundle of
samskáras). The bhavapratyaya contains the reactive momenta which cause
one’s rebirth. The states of prakrtiliina and videhaliina are niviija and not
asampraliináta because although the seeds of the reactive momenta are burnt,
one does not attain full omniscience.
A spiritual aspirant attains the state of videhaliina as a result of shunya
dhyána or ideation on nothingness. Through such ideation a sádhaka develops
a psychic pabulum of nothingness. Yet even in this state there remains the
possibility of rebirth. Those who embrace nothingness as their absolute goal
develop a void in their citta in the absence of Cognitive Faculty. As a result they
are unable to establish themselves in the Supreme Cognitive Stance and attain
salvation. The spiritual cult which encourages this practice is certainly defective.
Both the prakrtiliina and videhaliina states are established in negation, thus
there is certainly a possibility of rebirth. The true path of sádhakas is not the
path of bhavapratyaya, but the path of upáyapratyaya. (path of positive
ideation and exhaustion of saḿskáras). Sádhakas will have to devise methods
to established themselves in samádhi beyond the periphery of the mind. They
should neither become attached to nor detached from the objects created by
Prakrti, for this is not the path of enjoyment or sacrifice, but the path of psychic
equilibrium. Prakrti is not the entity to be worshipped or denied; the goal is
Parama Puruśa. He is the only object of ideation and adoration. By ideating on
Him one’s whole being gradually becomes identiilied with the Cognitive Faculty.
Hence one should worship Puruśa, not Prakrti.
The perpetual state of nirbiija samádhi acquired in the sádhaná of Puruśa is
called mokśa or salvation. Samprajiṋáta samádhi, in which only the I-feeling
persists is experienced when the citta is in a state of total concentration.
One who has attained this samádhi gradually acquires the state of
omniscience. After citta attains samadhi due to its unwavering ideation on one
particular pabulum, it can easily attain samádhi on other pabula too. Once the
mind gains control over one object it can simultaneously gain control over other
objects as well.
What is omniscience? The knowledge regarding the past, present and
future is called omniscience. The seed of omniscience lies in every human
being, but the degree of its expression varies from person to person. In some
the seed is ripe, in others it is unripe. Samprajiṋáta samádhi causes the seed to
ripen. In permanent savikalpa the seed assumes vast proportions. In that state
one’s object no longer remains within the limited periphery of the unit mind,
but becomes as vast as the Macrocosm. One’s potentiality becomes
immeasurable. By virtue of sádhaná the ungerminated seed ripens and assumes
unlimited proportions. Thus elevated sádhakas do not need to acquire
knowledge from external sources. The bliss of knowledge spontaneously
manifests itself in them due to Macrocosmic grace. Tatra nirátishayaḿ
sarvajiṋátva biijaḿ. “The seed of omniscience is manifested in them.”
This expansion of citta is only possible in savikalpa samádhi. A restless citta
can never attain samprajnáta samádhi. Jara samádhi (samádhi on crude
material objects) should never be called samprajiṋáta samádhi. What is jaŕa
samádhi? Jaŕa samádhi occurs when the mind becomes so infatuated with a
crude material object of ideation, be it money, opulence, landed property, etc.,
that it takes the form of that object, to the exclusion of all other objects of the
world.
The goal of samprajiṋáta samádhi may be positive or negative, crude or
subtle psychic pabulum. The goal of asamprajiṋáta samádhi, like prakrtiliina,
nirbiija, or videhaliina, etc., is neither nirbiija asamprajiṋáta (without seed), nor
sabiija asamprajiṋáta (with seed), but is an intermediary stage.
Samprajiṋáta samádhi has four stages. The first stage is called savitarka.
One attains this samádhi when the mind is concentrated on worldly objects
such as one’s children, relations or wealth. In fact savitarka samádhi is
synonymous with jaŕa samádhi. Negative savitarka samádhi occurs when one
keeps one’s mind aloof from the thought of family or material wealth. The
desire or nondesire for crude pabulum amounts to the same thing as far as the
citta is concerned.
The second stage is called savicára samádhi. This samádhi occurs not when
the citta is engaged in crude psychic pabulum, but when it becomes fully
concentrated in the mad pursuit of more subtle pabula such as name and fame,
etc. If the citta wants to free itself from these things, one attains negative
savicára samádhi.
The third stage is called sánanda samádhi. In this samádhi citta only has
one psychic pabulum – the feeling of bliss. This samádhi also has a negative
counterpart which occurs when the only psychic pabulum is “I am not enjoying
bliss.”

The fourth stage of samprajińata samádhi is called sásmita samádhi. In this

samádhi the unit cognitive faculty has only one object – the “I” feeling or
asmitá. When this I feeling disappears leaving a subtler, singular flow of
consciousness, it is called asamprajiṋáta samádhi. In asamprajiṋáta samádhi
there only remains the Cognitive Faculty (Puruśa). When all other objects or
factors disappear and only Cognitive Faculty exists, it is called puruśakhyáti.
The way to attain puruśakhyati is to maintain the ideation that puruśa is my
subject and I am His object, and thus to return to one’s original source with
complete self-surrender. Puruśakhyáti is only attainable through the practice of
iishvaraprańidhána.
Prańidhána is devotion attained through japakriyá or repetition of one’s iśt́a
mantra. Thus Iishvara prańidhána is the incantation of the name of the
Supreme Being with cosmic ideation. Iishvara prańidhána does not mean to
escape from the world, nor to avoid one’s responsibilities like a coward. On the
contrary, iishvara prańidhána is a dynamic spiritual practice performed with the
courage of a lion. The more one masters the technique, the more the mental
wave becomes straightened, and the easier it becomes. Through iishvara
prańidhána one can reach the state of asamprajiṋáta samádhi, yet for this
attainment dhyána is actually more effective.
Iishvara prańidhána is a more effective practice for the attainment of
savikalpa samádhi, because during iishvara prańidhána the mind is temporarily
concentrated in the state of ekagrabhumi (the fourth stage of mental
development – the state of one-pointedness of mind). Whatever little amount
of I feeling still persists can be finally discarded through the practice of dhyána.
Asamprajiṋáta samádhi is attained following the complete elimination of the I-
feeling.
To ideate on Nirguńa Brahma (Non-attributional Brahma) is impossible. Unit
beings can only ideate on Saguńa Brahma (the Puruśa liberated from bondage)
and Táraka Brahma (the Tangential Point between Saguńa and Nirguńa).
Ideation can only occur when both the subject and object continue to exist.
ideation for one who has remained free from klesha (afflictions ), karma
(actions), vipaka (requital of saḿskáras) and áshaya (bundle of unserved
saḿskáras) since eternity is meaningless. Microcosms undergo unserved
afflictions due to their original actions. Afflictions cause the requital of
accumulated saḿskáras and that leads to the formation of a bundle of unserved
saḿskáras.
The one who meditates on that Entity who has no mind or feelings will
never be showered with grace. How can the ever-free Nirguńa Puruśa shower
his grace on human beings? Only Saguńa Brahma and Táraka Brahma can
shower grace. Those unit beings who have liberated themselves from bondage
will remain liberated. They become one with Saguńa Brahma and are thus
called Great Personalities or Mahápuruśa. Only they have the right to shower
grace upon microcosms. Infused with divine grace microcosms make rapid
progress along the path of iishvara prańidhána. They attain Supreme bliss by
surrendering their individualities to the Supreme Entity. In so doing they
liberate themselves permanently from the bondages of Prakrti. This sádhaná of
salvation which ultimately results in samádhi is not a mental distortion. The
mental state it creates can neither be called positive nor negative. The practice
of sádhaná for the attainment of samádhi is the way to progress along the path
of spiritual vigour. There is no room for escapism on this spiritual march.
Ásáŕhii Púrńimá 1959 DMC, Hazipur, Bihar
Published in:
Ananda Marga Ideology and Way of Life in a Nutshell Part 9 [a compilation]
Subháśita Saḿgraha Part 8 [unpublished