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LIBERATION
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be external to itself. A congress or parliament would be just a collection of noisy individuals in a room, if it did not have the purpose of legislating for a community. A house is just a pile of materials until an owner comes to inhabit and enjoy it. So with the mind-that yelling parliament of conflicting interests and desires. It is nothing but a madhouse, until it is "called to order". It can only become purposive by the external will of the Atman.
विशेषदर्शन आत्मभाव-भावनानिवृत्तिः ॥ २४॥
24. The man of discrimination ceases to regard the mind as the Atman.
तदा विवेकनिम्तं कैवल्यप्रागभाव चित्तम् ॥ २५ ॥
25. When the mind is bent on the practice of discrimination, it moves toward liberation.
तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः ॥ २६ ॥
26. Distractions due to past impressions may arise if the mind relaxes its discrimination, even a little.
हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम् ॥ २७ ॥
27. They may be overcome in the same manner as the obstacles to enlightenment.
That is, meditation and by resolving the mind back into its primal cause (that is, attaining samadhi), as explained in chapter II, aphorisms 10 and 11.
There is a saying of Sri Ramakrishna that one needs to continue fanning oneself on hot days, but that it becomes unnecessary when the spring breeze blows. When a man attains illumintion, the breeze of grace is continually felt and the fanning (the constant practice of discrimination) is no longer needed.
