- Sri. R. Sharath

We should strive for clarity in understanding whatever we learn and whatever we do, and in order to overcome a difficulty, we also need to understand why a difficulty is deemed as difficulty. If we understand how a difficulty impacts our regular sadhana, we can be more dedicated and serious in our effort to overcome that. With that effect, I would like to assert that SLOTH IS DETRIMENTAL TO SADHANA. It is in fact, considered to be one of the Seven Deadly Sins in Christianity and for that matter, by every sincere seeker in all religions.

Physical Sloth :

It is mainly related to eating and sleeping. It relates to the Anna Maya Kosa. We succumb to habits that cause sloth and inertia such as eating more that what is needed for the body and sleeping more than what is required for a healthy body.
We have to moderate our food habits and taste. If we reduce the tasty intake, then our tongue and the taste buds will definitely stop asking/craving for more tasty food. We must follow the COMMANDMENT-8 assiduously & we should be in remembrance of Master when we eat. We will eat tasty food if we have or we will be satisfied with what we have. We will not be obsessive about food. We should eat to live and not live to eat. Eating less food at night helps us to wake up early in the morning and thereby enables us to follow COMMANDMENT-1 assiduously.

Mental Sloth:

The following is my understanding of mental sloth and how it impacts our Sadhana.
• Sloth causes us to forget what have been bestowed on us.
• Sloth makes us insensitive to our own changes or transformations.
• Sloth leads to inefficiency in anything we do.
• Sloth causes our mind to be dull and torpid.
• Sloth dampens our motivation for Sadhana.
• Sloth causes our mind to give thousand excuses for not doing sadhana properly.
• Our so called failures due to laziness leads to self pity.
• Sloth is very powerful and can pull us down if we are not cautious.
• Sloth makes us feel tired. Unless we feel mental tiredness, we cannot feel tired physically. Even though we may physically feel tired, we should try to feel mentally active as much as we can. We must try to send positive signals to mind to keep it active always.
• Sloth also causes us to judge ourselves and our potential. Just because we don't do our sadhana regularly due to sloth, we sometimes get thoughts as to whether we are really fit for sadhana, and we also sometimes feel whether we really deserve what we get by Master's grace.
• Sloth makes us to procrastinate.
• Sloth causes frustration.
• Sloth takes us away from reality.
• Sloth gives an opportunity for the Satan to sneak in.
• Sloth lays the platform for negative thoughts.
• Sloth says that it is Ok to sleep or eat more.
• Sloth makes us feel that we are busy and we don't have enough time.
• Sloth makes us orient to our self more.
• Sloth makes us impure.
• Sloth gives rise to fantasies & imagination. It is only in leisure time, our thoughts seems to have wings. When we are busy & active, we do not imagine, we just act.
• Sloth is the main reason for our unprepared-ness.

Overcoming Sloth:

• Possible by making our mind active.
• Once we are active in mental plane, we have no choice but to remain active in physical plane too. The only thing that we need to think here is to determine on what we have to be active.
• And when our purity increases, our thoughts become pure and our purity will accordingly reflect in our actions and then only we will be exhibiting our true nature, which is of the Divine.
• We must do our sadhana with true love and dedication to Master and without complacency. Complacency leads us back to sloth.
• We must own up the condition that we gain during Satsanghs and Sittings and keep our mind active so that we will not succumb to sloth.
• We should not pay undue attention about the pulling factors but at the same time be cautious.
• We should develop a non-judgemental attitude about our own potential and at the same time be cautious so as to not become arrogant and maintain humility always.
• We must do Sadhana with Zeal and maintain the tenacity throughout.
• In short, as Rev. MASTER and Revered Sri KCN Sir exhorts, we must GIRD UP OUR LOINS.

Advantages of overcoming SLOTH or rather the imperative NEED to overcome SLOTH:

• We can utilise the precious time available at one's disposal for the purpose of the divine.
• Our transformation becomes rapid.
• Constant Remembrance becomes easy.
• Our Goal or Destination will always remain in full view.
• Our activities will have a meaning. Revered Sri KCN Sir once told me that we succumb to sloth because we do not find a meaning or a purpose for our activities.

How PAM helps us in Overcoming SLOTH:

• PAM charges us with positive energy. We feel vibrant and dynamic. Nobody in the past has ever or in future will ever report that they felt lazy or slothful after meditation. They can only feel refreshed like just getting out of a shower. This is proof enough to convince us of the dynamic nature of Pranahuti.
• PAM cleanses us and purifies us and prepares us for our spiritual journey. Not only it prepares, it also supports us in our journey to the infinite.
• PAM reminds ourselves our true nature and helps us to develop conviction.
• PAM reminds us of our interdependence and helps us to develop fraternal feelings. When we know that we have a responsibility to share, we cannot be lazy. Revered Sri KCN Sir once remarked that “We should be obsessed with others’ happiness”. If this is our goal, then how can we afford to be lazy? We have standing examples of Our Revered Masters and Our Revered KCN Sir. Were they lazy or can we have even achieved what we now have without them? It will only amount to ingratitude if we don’t shed our sloth. Our Master says “Whether the other person is doing his duty to you or not, why should you fail in your duty to him?” Our Masters have done and are doing their duties to us always and we should emulate our Masters by discharging our duties without any conditions/expectations attached.
• PAM helps us to identify the Principles that our Masters followed and also helps us to follow it. When we follow PAM, we learn to see the good in others. And after we have identified the good principles, we must stick to them at all cost.

We often want others to apply their mind and tell us the way to overcome a difficulty. But if we are really serious about overcoming our difficulties, then we have to understand them and apply our mind too. We should stay determined in order to free us from lapses due to SLOTH from our life if we truly want to serve our Master to our fullest potential. And the sooner the better.

Each one has unique ways to succumb to sloth and not only do we succumb, but internally we justify it to our conscience. Someone once remarked that “Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours.” I would like to conclude by saying that let us gird up our loins to rise above our limitations and become Masters by becoming servants as our Revered Grand Masters have asserted.