VI: 25

Chapter 6, Verse 25

"Patiently, little by little,
They free themselves
From all mental distractions,
Quietly leading the mind,
Into Spirit."

Paramahansa Yogananda:

When a glass is filled with muddy water and then placed on a table, after a little while the mud particles settle on the bottom of the glass.  An ordinary person's mind is muddy with myriad, restless thought-streams running through the river of consciousness.  During ordinary activity, the invading thoughts completely intermingle in the person's consciousness.

Most people have no inkling about how restless their thought processes are.  They find out when they first start to meditate.  For the first time, they gain some distance from the bewildering torrent of thought-forms.  The mistake is often made that the mind is becoming more restless during meditation.  Such beginners, watching with alarm the array of unsettled thoughts, are cautioned in this verse not to give in to despair.  Rather, they are to patiently wait for the restless thoughts to settle down.

[Patience is a virtue indeed.]

Sri Krishna Prem:

For countless ages, the mind has been turned outwards and has been given free rein to attach itself to the objects of desire.  It is not to be expected that it will be possible to wrench it away at once.  Throughout the day, constant effort will help you retain in your consciousness as much as possible of the insight gained during the meditation period.  A short period of uncontrolled thought, an hour of despondency or even five minutes of anger can undo what has been experienced in the peace of the meditative state.  Like the web of Penelope in The Odyssey, what was woven in the morning comes unraveled by the end of the day.

[The virtue of vigilance cannot be overestimated.}