All World
Gayatri Pariwar

“Let benevolent, harmless, free and fruitful ideas come to us from all sides, so that the vigilant and protector gods continually make us prosper.”

Creative thinking is always oriented towards the good of all.  Creative thinking means developing such a cast of mind which remains untouched by envy, anger, greed and other such destructive dispositions.  Only a mind pulsating with positive emotions of joy, good will, equality, peace and forgiveness is the creative mind, because only in such a mind the creative impulses are at their peak. Not only this, even the physical health does not remain unaffected by its beneficial effects. 

The mind casts a direct impact upon our nervous system and the various organs of the body.  Even the surroundings are affected by one's mental state.  The emanating thought currents are potent enough to influence them.  If the mind is pure, refined and energic creative thinking reaches such an exalted level that its effect may endure for centuries.  Great personages have been able to inspire and induce great changes in the world on the strength of their powerful cast of mind.

Remember, thoughts are shot from the mind like boomerangs.  After piercing the target they come back to the person generating those thoughts.  So, if we are sending out good, positive and creative thought signals, they travel through the world of ideas and reach the intended persons.  These thought signals return to us carrying with them the blessings, goodwill and greetings of the people and make us feel inspired, elated and encouraged.

Conversely, when destructive and negative thoughts fly towards the target, they bring negative reactions.  If the target happens to be more powerful, the negative thoughts fail to penetrate them and boomerang on us with double speed.  Even if they succeed in denting the target, they still return and hit us with negative vibes.

Projection of noble thoughts gradually elevates the mind whereas negative thoughts put it on a downward slide.  Consequently, many reactions ensue which ultimately give birth to mental/psychological disorders.  Experts of Ayurveda see a direct link between the nadi system and the mind.  If our thoughts are pure, the nadis (nerve channels) open up and there is free flow of vital energy through them, whereas their functioning becomes unbalanced under the impact of impure thoughts.  This inharmony in the flow of vital airs disrupts and destabilizes even normal physiological functions and the body falls prey to many diseases.  In short, be it the body or mind, it is continually inspired and influenced by thought currents.  This is self-evident in literal sense, too, and can be observed on people's faces.  Whenever the feelings of joy and hope arise in the mind, the face reciprocates by radiating a perceptible glow.  A malicious thought, on the other hand, makes the face dull and twisted.  That is why, those whose minds always carry the burden of negative thoughts have their facial features giving a permanently contorted and crooked look.

The experience of Kuldanand Brahmachari, a disciple of Bengal's renowned saint Vijay Krishna Goswami, may be recounted here.  Kuldanand would remain very perturbed in the initial stages of his sadhana by the persistence of destructive thoughts in his mind.  The more he tried to get rid of them, the more they would surround and haunt him like ghosts.  In deep despair, he even entertained the idea of suicide, but then it occurred to him to seek the guru's help.

He went to Goswamiji and sobbed out his agony to him: "Gurudev, resolved I indeed was for sadhana, but my mental plight is proving worse than that of animals.  Base thoughts of sensuous pleasures, envy, jealousy, ego, etc. have infested my mind and refuse to go away.  The situation has now become intolerable.  Death is preferable to such a life.  So I think I better die now".

Vijay Krishna Goswami caressed Kulanand's head and comforted him: "This is inverse thinking, son!  It is your mind which is the culprit.  Rather than reform it, you intend to punish your body.  If you have to reform, reform your mind; if you have to punish, punish your mind".  "But how?"  Kulanand wanted to know.  In reply, his gurudev instructed him in the technique of creative thinking.  He said: "It is imperative that you stop regarding yourself weak and helpless.  You have to believe that you are an a®ïa (spark) of the Effulgent Divine.  His cosmic consciousness is flowing inside you.  As this perception becomes strong, you will feel a surge of inner strength and be able to rein in the negative flight of your thoughts.  This is the first step in the direction of creative thinking".

To make this check on the mind effective and enduring, you will have to forsake the tendency to find justifications and pretexts such as the hand of fate or destiny.  Whenever negative thoughts arise to tighten this grip over the mind, brush them aside with firm determination.  The second step is 'replacement'.  After driving out negative thoughts, they should be replaced by noble and pious thoughts.  This could be in the form of remembrance of some personal deity or guru.  The third stage is 'refinement'.  When the process of replacement is made continuous, refinement begins automatically.

One more thing to be kept in mind is that we should not remain immersed in the unpleasant thoughts of the past.  Everything negative - negative events, negative deeds-must be released out of the psyche.  The sooner, the better.  Just contemplate on the real identity of yourself with the intrinsic feeling focused on becoming pure, enlightened and liberated.  Simultaneously, unconditionally offer yourself to the Divine. This process imparts sharpness to creative thinking.  To accelerate the process of this sublimation, do not forget to embrace high ideals in your life.

A rustic once approached the great philosopher Aristotle and wanted to be instructed in Brahmajóana (knowledge of the Absolute).  Aristotle gazed at him from top to bottom and gave him this precept: "Start washing your clothes and combing the hair daily.  It is the process of continuously removing your shortcomings that is called sadhana and that leads to self-realization.”