Q 1: When I sit for prayers, the lower mind wanders astray, but the other mind
recites the Stotras without the slightest flaw, because of habit. But when I
consciously try to recite the prayers, I sometimes miss the link, and have at
times to repeat a Stotra from the beginning. Thus, are there two minds? How to
overcome this difficulty?
A: There are no two minds. The mind receives concentration little by little. The
portion of the mind which is spiritually inclined, call it the higher mind,
engages itself in Sadhana, whereas that part of the lower mind, which is more
aware of its worldly Samskaras, runs along its set of grooves. Force of habit
makes the repetition of prayers mechanical. The higher mind should be made to
concentrate on the meaning, then the attention of the mind will be held and the
lower part of the mind will have less opportunity to detract from the object in
view. The whole trouble with careless Sadhana is that it tends to become
mechanical without making an impression on the life of the aspirant.