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He will not suffer from Abhasa-avaranam also; that is to say, he will not declare, as he was wont to do previously, that the effulgence of Brahmam is not in him. In the heart and centre of every Jivi, Paramatma exists, minuter than the minutest molecule, larger than the largest conceivable object, smaller than the smallest, greater than the greatest. Therefore, the Jnani who has had a vision of the Atma in him will never suffer sorrow. The Atma is there, in all living things, in the ant as well as in the elephant. The whole world is enveloped and sustained by this subtle Atma. The Sadhaka has to direct his attention away from the external world and become insighted; he has to turn his vision towards the Atma. He must analyse the process of his mind and discover for himself wherefrom all the modifications and agitations of the mind originate. By this means, every trace of 'intention' and 'will' has to disappear. Afterwards, the only idea that will get fixed in the mind will be the idea of Brahmam. The only feeling which will occupy the mind will be the feeling of Bliss, arising out of its establishment in the Satchidananda stage.

Such a Jnani will be unaffected by joy or grief, for he will be fully immersed in the ocean of Atmananda, above and beyond the reach of worldly things. The constant contemplation of the Atma and its glory is what is connoted by the terms, Brahmabhyasa and Jnanabhyasa, the practice of Brahma or the cultivation of Jnana.

The mind is so influenced by the passion for objective pleasure and delusion of ignorance that it pursues with amazing quickness the fleeting objects of the world; so it has to be again and again led on towards higher ideals. Of course, this is difficult at first; but with persistent training the mind can be tamed; then it will get fixed in the perpetual enjoyment of the Pranava, OM. The mind can be trained by following the methods of quiet persuasion, the promise of attractive inducements, the practice of withdrawing the senses from the outer world, the endurance of pain and travail, the cultivation of sincerity and constancy and the acquisition of mental equipoise, that is to say, the methods of Sama, Dama, Uparathi, Thithiksha, Sraddha and Samaadhaana.

The mind can be turned towards Brahmam and the constant contemplation of Brahmam by the study of the Upanishads, the adoption of regular prayer, the sharing with others of the ecstasy of Bhajan and the adherence to Truth. Very often, with the progress of Dhyana, new desires and new resolutions arise in the mind. But one need not despair: the mind can be broken, provided one takes up the task in right earnest and follows a regular routine of training. The final result of this training is Nirvikalpa Samadhi or the Unlimited, Unmodified Bliss-Consciousness. Next