Page 136 - Kailaspati: Paramhans Hansdevji Avadhoot

Nowadays, people call the Devagiri as the Dighariya. There was a time when many monks and sages used to stay here. That Devagiri, the Trikut and the Tapovan were the places for meditation. and in course of time, they would be the same again. When sadhubaba, with his hands raised, made these words with reference to the said hills, we felt really glad to have heard him.
Once being asked to explain the meaning of ‘Tapasya’, sadhubaba said that it is nothing but to bring the mind and the senses under control. it is by means of judging things and detachment one has to harness his senses. Otherwise, sitting before a burning fire is but an expression of ‘Tamogun’ (the lowliness of human mind).
as for the meaning of ‘shiVa’, Baba said, “shiva stands for atman that does good.”
Eleventh Taranga
The day after the Vijaya Dashami in Bangabda 1335 (aD 1929), we set out for the Kailash to pay our pranam to our sadhubaba. after an exchange of a few words, my husband said to him, “how does one attain contentment? Does contentment prevail in the mind if it is devoid of desires?” in reply, Baba said, “Down the generations, the flow of the human mind goes along in only one direction, i.e., it gets attracted to earthly things. if one wants to redirect the course of a river, only an embankment will not be enough. One has to dig another canal so that the river can flow that way. Otherwise, if a canal is excavated before an embankment is raised on it, the flow of water will flood the adjoining areas. similarly, an embankment or a barricade is not enough in the mind-river of a man. To help direct the course of mind, a proper canal has to be prepared well in advance. That means, if the mind is to be directed to God, it has to have a new shelter, because without a
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