The vital is full of unruly instincts, desires and impulses. It must first be brought under the control of the mind and reason. It must obey the buddhi, the discerning intelligence given to us to help make conscious choices, to rein in the vital and tame its wild outbursts and fits of anger and storms of passion. Its moods must be trained and disciplined by reason, so to speak.
Then, next, it must be taught to obey the deeper psychic sense, listen to what is true and beautiful and good. It must become an instrument of the Divine service rather than a means to give rise to revolt, ambition, depression.
Once this is accomplished, it is ready to obey the higher consciousness and the Divine Will.
The signs that it is becoming reasonable are the absence of mood swings, quick control over anger and other emotions, a tendency to step back and reflect before speaking and action, a certain mastery over impulses.
The signs that it is obeying the higher and deeper impulsion are freedom from desire and the mixture of egoism, the emergence of a deeper, calmer and luminous vital energy from within, a more forceful action than was possible before.
The signs that it is getting aligned to the Divine Will are a complete freedom from external conditions such as heat and cold, praise and insult, a deep inner peace and joy that accompanies everywhere and becomes the new basis of action, a complete freedom from restlessness and the emergence of a clear intuition and guidance in life. If one continues along this path of obedience and surrender to the Divine, negative emotions such as hate, jealousy, fear, etc., become impossible and a deeper fount of love, sweetness and harmony begins to emerge so that one feels friendliness and sympathy towards all creatures.
Affectionately,
Alok Da
