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However, the restraint of chitta vritti is not simple. The Yoga Vashistha, the Gita and the Upanishads explain that the restraint of chitta vritti is a very difficult task. If you have conquered your mind, your chitta vritti, you are the conqueror of the world. The conqueror of one country or two or more than that can be known as the conqueror of those nations, but not as a world conqueror. When asked, Shankaracharya proclaimed that he who conquers his mind conquers the world.
Bhagawan Sri Ram conquered all the evil forces of this country, but he left one task to be done by his subjects, that is, the task of conquering the mind. Conquer the mind, was the only slogan of Ram Rajya. Sri Ram proclaimed that he had conquered all the evil forces, all the enemies of the state, and then he advised his subjects to conquer the mind. One of the disciples of Shankaracharya asked, "Who has conquered the world?" "He who has conquered the mind," answered Shankaracharya.
This World Yoga Conference gives you the message of conquering the world. The day you conquer the mind, you will conquer the world. Shankaracharya conferred the title of world conqueror on his sadhaks 1200 years ago. The art and training of conquering the world is imparted here. Maharishi Vashistha says, "Oh Ram! Where does the world, which looks dreadful, exist? Control your mind. Make it void of all vibrations, spandan shoonya, then that world will cease to exist."
Do you see the world in deep slumber? Do you feel attraction to friends and repulsion towards enemies in sleep? No, during sleep the mind becomes vibrationless. But this does not happen due to our effort, it is natural and automatic. This vibrationless state of mind that we experience in sleep can be preserved by sadhaks through practising yoga. Remember one thing: the mind is clouded by ignorance during sleep. Ignorance acts as a hindrance during the inner soul's introspection. Yoga means restraint of mind, forgetting the world yet maintaining the self awareness which is not possible during sleep. This is the restraint of the chitta vritti: Chitta vritti nirodhah.
Continuing within the context of restraint of mind, Maharishi Patanjali suggests that if a sadhak attains the same vibrationless state of mind as is there during sleep, but with self awareness, then he is able to restrain his chitta vritti. The
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