How Meditation Helps In Aligning Us With Our Higher Purpose

Meditation has become a popular method for people to reach this goal. However, half knowledge will often do more harm than good. That is why we need to go back to the scriptures and understand how the Rishi Munis meditated in ancient times. Maharishi Patanjali, a sage who lived around 200 BCE-200CE authored Yoga Sutras a classical text on yoga that enlists the right way to live. And to understand meditation or dhyan we will need to understand Yoga, of which dhyan is a small part.

As is the popular trend, Yoga is not a form of exercise or aasan. It goes much beyond that. It is said, ‘Yogasth Chittvritti nirodha’ meaning yoga helps in calming down the mental fluctuations or mind chatter. Just like a mirror can show us multiple images, our mind too creates multiple images and replays them, especially when we sit down to relax and calm ourselves. Yoga takes you to the ultimate goal of calmness through sadhna or asceticism. We all want to become one with God, the Greatest Power, the Paramshakti.

To understand this path, it is imperative to understand that Yog is made up of eight elements namely- Yam, Niyam, Asan, Pranayama, Pratyahar, Dharna, Dhyan and Samadhi. Yam consists of the purity of the food we eat, as healthy food leads to healthy body. So one must always be cautious of what is going inside the body. Then comes Niyam or living a righteous life, which includes always speaking truth, not indulging in negative behaviour, infact not even looking at somebody in a wrong way. Then comes Asan or the yoga asans which are now extremely popular, and most of us already know the benefits of these asans. Pranayama is the next step. There are 5 types of pranayama- Kapalbhati, anulom vilom, Ujjayi, Simhasana, Nadi Shodhana. When practiced on a regular basis they can benefit us immensely as they help in regulating blood circulation as well as heartbeat, leading to elimination of many diseases.

The next step is Pratyahar or purity of our food. Goes without saying that more we move towards Satvik food the more balanced our body will feel. This will help us to move on to the next step- Dharna or finding the meaning to our life. Then comes dhyan where you try to relax your mind and find the peace that you are looking for. When all these culminate, you can move towards samadhi- or a state where the good or the bad will cease to impact you and you will find yourself close to Paramshakti.

So, now we understand that to be able to meditate, one must approach all aspects of Yoga, then only by the time we reach the stage of dhyan or meditation will we be able to reach the state of total non action as is required. People who practise music often have a focused routine, thus it is easier for them to reach the state of meditation where they can practise for endless hours. With meditation too, when done the right way one can be in a state of mental calm and physical non action for as long as they want.

Kabeerdasji has said in one his dohas- ‘Jo bolein tai harikatha’ meaning that if we keep on practicing and doing something we will achieve perfection. And dhyan is needed for most mundane tasks like talking to somebody, driving or professional work. And from here we can move on to samadhi where we will find anant anand or endless happiness. While we are sleeping we are not conscious of our mind or body. Samadhi leads us to that state even while we are awake, and leads us to better understanding of joy. Thus it is imperative to go through the right path, practice and then reach the state where your being can align with the higher purpose, ultimately bringing more meaning to our lives.

Shri Chinmayanand Bapuji

Guest Author Spiritual Guru, Philanthropist, Storyteller