Page 169 - Kailaspati: Paramhans Hansdevji Avadhoot

in the afternoon, we went out for a walk on the bank of the Padma. There lived an old woman, all alone, in her cottage at a short distance from the Padma. We used to visit her cottage at times. On seeing Baba, her joy knew no bounds and she said, “i call it grace that Paramhans Baba has visited my poor hut.” Baba instead said, “Please, say—sitaram has come”. in reply said the old woman, “i can utter the name sriram, but why utter sita? What is the difference between sita and me?”
Baba smiled. The old woman offered a couple of ‘batasa’ to everyone, including Baba which he had happily from her.
at the end of that day, when we all sat together at the feet of Baba, he gave us invaluable advice. said he, “Tapasya (i.e. meditation) is related to mind only. Tapasya is nothing but a process of bringing the way of mind and desires under control. ‘Tapasya’ means ‘control’. The effort on the part of a man to mortify the evil desires and motives in order to purify the soul is called ‘Tapasya’. and it necessitates an ever-alert vigilance over mind. if any evil desire crops up in the mind, then it has to be uprooted to be driven out. The nature of the mind is such that it cannot deal with two things simultaneously. For this reason only, if the mind is associated with good people and good things, then the mind is naturally cleansed of all its ills.
That day two things were suggested by Baba to control and contain the human mind: The first one is ‘हठ से, Hathse’ and the second one is ‘प्रेम से, Premse’. The second one yields a good result, because whatever is done with a sense of rationality lasts for a long time. Work done whimsically hardly stands and lasts.
Baba said, “Kāryake āge bichār bhāli”. (it is better to think before taking any action.) if the mind is seized with a certain decision or an inspiration, one must judge well in advance the effect it entails. if it so happens that there is something wrong, it deserves to be discarded right at the start, or else it will prove to be too difficult to discard.
Baba has reiterated that sorrow, suffering is the offshoot of desire or expectation, while peace is the fruit of detachment and satisfaction. From detachment comes satisfaction, while from sat-
Fhftd Volum: First Taranga 139