There is another fact about the way we think that most of us do not cognise or realise. Language also plays a major role in the way we think. All of us think in our own mother tongue. Just observe yourself for a week and you will realise that this is true. Even when you read a book, you unconsciously translate it into your mother tongue. That is why the information we read often gets so distorted in our minds. Many of us here read English most of the time, but how often do we think in English? A Westerner thinks in English because it is his mother tongue. English is a simple language. That is why their thinking is simple and spirituality sticks to them easily.
What about the Gods? They communicate with each other in Sanskrit. That is why it is called the language of the Gods. Every word in Sanskrit is packed with power and each sentence they utter becomes a mantra.
However, most of the time our own speech has no power or strength. When we learn how to commune with our soul regularly, every word we speak is packed with punch. When we remain quiet, God listens. When we talk, human beings listen [if our power of speech is activated and empowered!]. We need both. That is why, cautioning us against weakening the power of our speech through constant chatter, our Sages bluntly said -“Every morning and evening, sit quiet with your mouth shut for a while.”
This ‘sitting quiet with the mouth shut’ is called meditation. It empowers our speech and all our other faculties as well. It clears, purifies and quietens our mind. When God created us, He wanted us to be like Him. He wanted us to be as pure and innocent as He is. Knowing how the power of speech can sap our innocence and connectivity with our soul, He did not give us the ability to speak as soon as we were born. We began to talk only after a year or more. However, since we started talking, we have still not stopped!
That is why Devi says - “Stop thinking unnecessarily. Stop talking unnecessarily.” To still the mind which is used to thinking compulsively, we should first replace thinking with the constant chanting of God’s name. We should participate in Satsangs because this stills the mind by promoting our association with the soul.
The more we mingle with brains and intellects, the more we think. The more time we spend in satsang, the more we become Sat or truth. We touch our innermost Self. We sometimes say - ‘Two is company, three is a crowd.’ In spirituality - ‘One is company, two is a crowd!’ We must spend as much time as possible with ourselves. We must get used to Ekantha or solitude and relish its nourishing quietitude.
Radha spent her time in Ekantha with Krishna. The Gopikas or milkmaids whose hearts were always overflowing with love and devotion for Krishna spent their time in Ekantha. Ekantha is the most important and productive time in our lives. We, too, sometimes spend our time in solitude, but we are forced into it by stress and fatigue. When we come home tired from work, if somebody asks us a question, we snap - “Can’t you leave me alone for sometime? Just let me sit quietly and drink my tea first.” When we allow stress to force us into solitude, we feel rested, but not radiant. The soul is prompting us to go into solitude, but before it can fill us with its vitality and effulgence, we resume our interactions. If we go into Ekantha voluntarily, we will really begin to enjoy it. When we spend time with ourselves everyday, we will begin to receive intuitive prompts from within constantly telling us how we should act. Today, because we have not connected ourselves to our soul, we don’t act; we react. We should not. The best answer to any situation or problem comes from within us, not from others.
When we ask others, they will give us their opinions, not answers. They will say - “If I were in your place, I would do this,’ or “If I were you, this is what I would do,” or “This is the best thing. Just do it.” So, instead of seeking opinions and getting into confusion, just be quiet and listen to your inner voice. This is called Prerana or intuition, the ‘tuition’ that comes from inside. To hear this, you just have to be calm. This is the experience of wise ones. If we don’t practice Ekantha, our life will always be a multiple choice exam - choose option A, B, C, D, E or none of the above. The right option in life is most often ‘none of the above’, because it should always come from inside.
Extract from ‘The book of direct truths, subtle truths and the mystical truths of Devi Mahatmyam’ by Shri Shri Nimishananda