properly understood, we will know how and why the object of concentration should
be our ishta, because it is ‘that’ which can fulfil the infinite longings of this infinite
background. It is, really speaking, a symbol of all-round perfection that we place
before ourselves as the object of meditation. The object of meditation is symbolic of
perfection; it should have no defects. It should be artistically beautiful,
philosophically sound and spiritually solacing. That is the nature of the object of
concentration, because if there is any defect—either from the point of view of the
understanding of the intellect or the appreciation of the aesthetic sense, or in any
other manner—the mind will not move towards this object. It should contain all the
characteristics that are regarded as valuable in the world.
Thus, we have to superimpose, in the beginning, all those blessed qualities which we
require to be satisfied in our mind, ordinarily speaking. This is a type of
psychological analysis that we are making of the point on which the mind is to be
fixed—the desa, as the sutra puts it, to which the mind has to be tied. The mind
cannot be tied to a point like that easily, unless all this background, or its history, is
properly known. From this analysis we also come to the understanding that this
point is not merely a dot on the wall, as many people imagine. Rather, it is a symbolic
focusing point, a metaphorical point—not a geometrical point—which allows all the
infinite characteristics of our longings to converge upon one point. It is the point,
really speaking, where we find the satisfaction of our desires. Though the desires of
the mind are endless, how is it that the mind sometimes rushes forward towards a
single object? How does it become possible for the mind to see all perfection in a
single object at the time when it runs towards the object? That is because at that
particular moment of time, the given object manages to attract towards itself all the
values which the mind seeks. That becomes the converging point of all our longings—
for that particular time only. Afterwards, that object will withdraw itself and some
other object will come to the forefront. So unless all our aspirations get focused at
that particular point, it cannot become the point of concentration.
We now conclude that this point is not merely a physical point. It is more a type of
conceptual point, or rather the centre of our affection, which cannot find a physical
location anywhere. It cannot be seen in this world. Such is the intricacy that is
involved in the choosing of the object of meditation itself. This difficulty is a little bit
obviated by the assistance that we receive from a Guru at the time of initiation.
Chapter 84THE NEED FOR CAUTION WHEN STIRRING INNER POTENCIESThe collecting of the thoughts at the time of the concentration of the mind was the
theme that we were pursuing. We have to some extent observed what the difficulties
are in collecting these thoughts for the purpose of bringing all of them together into a
single focus. If you remember what I mentioned earlier, the mind is not made up of
any single thought—it has many thoughts inside it. How is it possible to bring the
mind to a single point of concentration when it is constituted of many thoughts,
when it has many vrittis? This is the trouble that one has to face at the very outset.
But it can be overcome by introducing a system into the vrittis, or the various
thoughts. This system is called concentration, or dharana.