SHOULD THOUGHTS BE STOPPED DURING  MEDITATION?

There is a general belief that thoughts should be stopped or should not be allowed to interfere during upaasanaa but this belief is not true. We cannot remain without a thought for a single moment in our life. This thought is reiterated in the Geeta also when it says that man cannot live without doing any karam. When it is said that thoughts should be stopped during upaasanaa, it means that all worldly thoughts should be stopped. During Upaasanaa, only thought of God should remain. When in the world, it is said that all the things of the room should be taken out, it does not mean that air too, should be taken out from the room. What do we mean by the term ‘thought of God’? ‘Thought of God’ refers to thinking of the qualities of God, that is, qualities which describe Him and through which He operates.