Master the Mind - Episode 4
The Art of Withdrawal
In his fourth discourse of the series, Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai starts with the connection of the manas (mind) to the prāṇa (breath). He then goes on to explain the difference between ‘being’ and ‘doing’, and emphasises how the mantra, ‘I am Divine’ should be constantly repeated with śraddhā. Early mornings are the best time of the day for sādhanā since the mind is still dormant, calm and uncluttered. He then introduces the ‘Three Nines’ formula, i.e., focussing the mind on one thought for 9 seconds leads to dhāraṇā, for 9 x 9 seconds (one-and-a-half minutes) leads to dhyāna and for 9 x 9 x 9 seconds (twelve and a half minutes) leads to samādhi. Stressing on the great fortune of human birth and that the goal of life should only be mukti or mokṣa, Sadguru closes by declaring that Self-Realisation, which is the essence of sanātana dharma, should become our religion.