When chanting, negative thoughts and past mistakes emerge because they are being deleted or eradicated. Do not get attached to them, nor start repeating those wrong actions. All these impurities are surfacing from within you. Just as you don’t notice the dirt around you until you start sweeping or mopping, and then you see it being cleaned up, the same happens within you. A lot of trash (lust, anger, etc.) has accumulated inside us because we haven’t been engaging in devotion.
This trash accumulates in the form of constant thoughts about dirty things, greed for money, desire for status, and attachments or aversions. When we chant the name, this impurity starts to come out. The reason is that without purifying the mind, attaining God is not possible. Negative thoughts and past mistakes arise during chanting because they are being eradicated from your mind. Just as hidden dirt becomes visible during cleaning, the accumulated trash in the mind manifests while chanting.
Do not pay attention to or get entangled in these thoughts. Let them come and go. Simply continue chanting “Radha-Radha.”
Nirmal man jan so mohi paava
Mohi kapat chal chhidra na bhaava
(Shri Ramcharitmanas)
A person with a pure heart attains Me. I do not like deceit or trickery.
How To Purify The Mind?
Chanting the divine name is a means to cleanse the mind. When you start devotional practices, all the hidden tendencies in the mind—good and bad—will begin to surface. However, only negative thoughts don’t need to emerge; if your mind holds positive impressions, they will also manifest. You may accept the positive ones, but as for the negative or morally wrong thoughts, do not become attached (show affection) or repulsed (show hatred) toward them. Do not judge them as good or bad. If you do this, those thoughts will naturally leave the mind.
If you react to or condemn bad thoughts, they will get stuck in your mind. Think of it like this: if someone is passing by and you confront them with hostility, they will stop and start arguing. Similarly, if you treat them with affection, they may still linger. The same principle applies to thoughts or tendencies—neither become attached nor hostile toward them. Let them come and go.
Just keep chanting Radha-Radha. These thoughts will gradually leave, and your mind will become purified.
Why Do Thoughts Get Trapped In The Mind?
Thoughts linger in the mind because we allow them to govern us. In reality, they hold no power, but when we engage with them through attachment or aversion, we give them authority. Attachment means immersing ourselves in a pleasurable experience and desiring to relive it again. The mind is cunning and does not easily let go. When you sit for devotion or chanting, it brings up pleasant or unpleasant memories from the past. It pulls you back into those moments, urging you to enjoy or relive those experiences.
For a person engrossed in worldly pleasures, these thoughts may lead them to repeat the same mistakes. On the other hand, a seeker might become worried upon encountering such negative thoughts, wondering why they are arising. However, both reactions are incorrect.
The right approach in such situations:
- Simply become a “witness” to the thoughts arising in your mind.
- Do not get attached to them, nor should you hate them.
- Let the thoughts come and go.
- Continue chanting Radha-Radha.
Gradually, these thoughts will fade, and your mind will become purified and peaceful.
The Art of Controlling the Mind
You may feel tempted to stop chanting or devotional practices if you don’t regularly listen to spiritual discourses. You might think the mind feels calmer without them, but as soon as you begin chanting, disturbing and impure thoughts flood. This is an illusion. The mind constantly tries to mislead you in new ways. It may bring up inappropriate or distracting thoughts about God and saints or create doubt.
What to do in such times?
- Do not take these thoughts seriously.
- Understand that they are the tricks of a restless mind trying to hinder your spiritual progress.
- Accept that just as a mad person becomes more aggressive when restrained, your mind—accustomed to unchecked freedom—will resist being brought under control and create chaos.
Your task is to:
- Stay calm and alert.
- Avoid obeying every suggestion from the mind immediately.
- Reflect on whether the advice or inspiration aligns with the scriptures and the guidance of your guru.
- If any thought leads you astray, reject it.
- Repeatedly denying such thoughts will gradually weaken their hold over you.
Purification of the Mind – Towards Permanent Peace
Do not be troubled by the thoughts arising in your mind. They are being released like the pain one feels when removing a thorn. When the thorn was first inserted, it caused pain; when it is removed, it still causes discomfort. Similarly, when you indulged in worldly pleasures, you were deceived into believing they would bring happiness. But how can true happiness be found in this world? God has described this world as “dukhālayam āśāśvatam” (a place of suffering and impermanence). Everything here ultimately leads to sorrow.
If we honestly observe, after indulging in any pleasure, the desire to indulge in it again arises, and this craving never ends. The solution to this problem will only come when our desire is fulfilled. And this fulfillment can only be found in God, not in nature. Since we are a part of God, the satisfaction of our true nature can only come from God, not from the material world.
Conclusion
The way forward on the path of devotion is to renounce the bad thoughts or desires that arise within you. “Tyāga śānti anantaram”—through renunciation, peace is attained, which is permanent and infinite. As renunciation increases, peace will also grow. Keep chanting the holy name. The thoughts and impulses troubling you are being erased from within you. Be joyful, and do not be upset by the negative thoughts that arise. This is the process of purification.
Guidance By: Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj
