What’s Sankalpa? How to Use Intentions to Get What You Want
‘Sankalpa’ is a sanskrit word that can loosely be translated to intention or notion formed in the mind. Sankalpa is often described as a tool that one can use to achieve one’s goals, worldly or spiritual. Although this is somewhat true, Sankalpa is more nuanced than just using it to get what you want. My understanding on what Sankalpa is comes from my Guru, Shubha Didi’s teachings. So, let us first break down the concept of Sankalpa and then explore how we can use it to our benefit.
What is Sankalpa?
Sankalpa is an intention or a powerful thought that drives our emotions and actions towards a particular direction. When we repeat a thought over and over again (consciously or not) with a strong sentiment attached to it, it gains power and momentum and becomes an intention (Sankalpa). This intention then helps us harness our willpower to perform the necessary actions to fulfil the intention. This Sankalpa could have negative or positive consequences.
Sankalpa is only spoken about in the context of Yoga or Spirituality. However, it is not inherently a spiritual concept, rather it is a normal process that anyways happens in our minds. For example, imagine one day you are on your bike waiting for the signal to turn green and you see a yellow Lamborghini. You have a thought ‘That’s a nice car’. You realise that you do not own a fancy car which your mind defines to be a lack. Throughout the day, at the back of your head you keep thinking about how nice it would be if you had a yellow Lamborghini. During the week, at one point you are convinced that your life would be better with a yellow Lamborghini because you would seem cooler and richer and so on. Now you want the yellow Lamborghini. At this point, a fleeting thought has become something more personal, something more powerful. A Sankalpa has been created which will now motivate you to look up the price and budget your finances accordingly to be able to purchase the Lamborghini. This is a simplified example of the process of an intention being set and actions following the intention. However, this same concept can be used in our internal journey to transform our minds and therefore our lives on a much deeper level and in a permanent manner.
Where does Sankalpa arise from?
Deeply spiritual preachings deem Sankalpa to be generated by an ignorant or unenlightened mind. A Sankalpa is created in the mind due to a desire, the presence of which is a sign of ignorance. A completely enlightened person would be so blissfully fulfilled and content that they would be in complete acceptance of life as is and they would not have any complaints or desires. The sole purpose of a human mind is to attain self realisation which just means to be able to use 100% potential of the brain. When your mind has not reached its 100% potential (an ignorant mind), it will have an inherent void or a feeling of lack. It is then this void that you will base your life on. In an attempt to fill this void, your mind will create desires, and then intentions or Sankalpa to fulfil the desires. So, every action of yours will ultimately be towards trying to fill this void. On the other hand, the actions carried out by an enlightened mind will solely be driven by intuition and by what is required by their role in the world or society. So, there would be no need for such a mind to create intention. Nevertheless, for one who is still on their internal journey towards reaching their mind’s full potential, Sankalpa is a powerful tool to streamline the process.
How to use Sankalpa?
When we set intentions to achieve things that do not directly contribute to our personal, mental and spiritual growth, we are squandering our energy and willpower on temporary things that do not add real value to our lives. Understanding the science of Sankalpa and knowing how to utilise it towards your internal growth, adds a spiritual element to your intention and makes it divine or spiritual. This know-how is what we call Spiritual Wisdom. The Universe is obligated to fully support your intention of growing spiritually because that is the sole purpose of your existance. It is also important to understand that every Sankalpa comes with a consequence or a ‘cost’ that we would have to pay. The cost could end up being a positive or a negative experience, but ultimately it is upto to us to decide if the possibility of dealing with the repppurcussions is really worth investing in a fleeting thought.
Intentions you can set to help your spiritual progress:
· Make affirmations to let go of detrimental mental habits or aptitudes. Constantly complaining, judging others, indulging in anger, worrying and putting yourself down are some examples of detrimental aptitudes.
· Set spiritual goals you wish to achieve so you have benchmarks to work towards. Operating from a space of gratitude or surrender or having a state of mind where external situations do not rob you of your peace could be some spiritual goals you can set.
Sankalpa or intention is a vital tool that one can use to constantly grow and evolve. Being connected to a community or people who are on the spiritual path will help you create the right Sankalpa or intentions.
