Is "The Law Of attraction" found In Hindu Scriptures?

Question

The law of attraction is the belief that by focusing on positive or negative thoughts people can bring positive or negative experiences into their Life. For an example a persons wants to buy a car, for that if he repeatedly thinks that the car will come to him, then in short limit of time, the car will arrive to him i.e., when we think something positively, that object gets attracted to Us. Wikipedia of Law Of Attraction says that Hindu verses contain this thought and even Swami Vivekananda travelled in the US explaining this new thought. Even in Hinduism it is said the whole universe is Brahman and our atman is identical to Brahman.

So where is this thought found in Hindu Scriptures? (Upanishads,Bhagavad Gita,Vedas). Is this related to Law of Karma or totally different?

Answer 1

Here is a verse from Mundaka Upanishad for example:

KAmAn yah kAmayate manyamAnah |
Sa kAmabhirjayate tatra tatra ||

That person, who desires for objects of pleasures, by contemplating on their properties, gets born, along with his those desires, among those those objects of pleasures.

Mundakopanishad 3.2.3

I think this is related to what you have asked?

UPDATE:

Another verse from the same Upanishad is given below. It is more related to the concept than the verse previously given:

Yam yam lokam manasA samvibhAti vishuddhasatvah kAmayate yAmshcha kAmAn |
Tam tam lokam jayate tAmshcha kAmAm .. ||

Whatever destinations (loka) and objects of pleasures (kAmAn) the man, whose mind is free (or cleansed by austerities) from impurities (shuddhasattva; nirmala antakarana; this is to be attined by sAdhanA), desires (or resolves for), he obtains those those destinations and those those objects of pleasures..

Mundakopanishad 3.1.10

But this is not applicable to just any ordinary persons, but to only those who have cleansed their minds of impurities to a great extent by their SAdhanA. This is more like a Siddhi. Because the next verse says, any common man, who himself is desirous of attaining objects of pleasures must worship that man.

Answer 2

What a person thinks (meditates) or has faith in his life attains that in next world. This thought is present in the Upanishads. This is called Tatkratu nyayam in Vedanta.

From Chandogya Upanishad, 3.14 says this

सर्वकर्मा सर्वकामः सर्वगन्धः सर्वरसः सर्वमिदमभ्यात्तोऽवाक्यनादर एष म आत्मान्तर्हृदय एतद्ब्रह्मैतमितः प्रेत्याभिसंभवितास्मीति यस्य स्यादद्धा न विचिकित्सास्तीति ह स्माह शाण्डिल्यः शाण्डिल्यः ॥ ४ ॥

sarvakarmā sarvakāmaḥ sarvagandhaḥ sarvarasaḥ sarvamidamabhyātto'vākyanādara eṣa ma ātmāntarhṛdaya etadbrahmaitamitaḥ pretyābhisaṁbhavitāsmīti yasya syādaddhā na vicikitsāstīti ha smāha śāṇḍilyaḥ śāṇḍilyaḥ ||3.14.4||

" He whose creation is this universe, who cherishes all desires, who contains all odours, who is endowed with all tastes, who embraces all this, who never speaks and who is without longing— He is my Self within the heart, He is that Brahman. When I shall have departed hence I shall certainly reach Him: one who has this faith and has no doubt will certainly attain to that Godhead. Thus said Sandilya, yea, thus he said.

This might be the thought the article is speaking about. This upanishad verse says that what we do in this life results in the fruits or life in the next birth or next world. This is said in the Bhagavad Gita and other texts. Bhagavatam in the story of Bharata being born as a deer in his next life due to his bondage with a deer during his later stage of his life. Other stories can be found in other Puranas also. Its modern form is you reap what you sow.

Even in Hinduism it is said that ...

Yes, it is this upanishad chapter which says that everything in this world is Brahman indeed and we are identical to Brahman. The chapter starts with a famous "Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma"

सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत । अथ खलु क्रतुमयः पुरुषो यथाक्रतुरस्मिँल्लोके पुरुषो भवति तथेतः प्रेत्य भवति स क्रतुं कुर्वीत ॥ १ ॥

sarvaṁ khalvidaṁ brahma tajjalāniti śānta upāsīta | atha khalu kratumayaḥ puruṣo yathākraturasmipuruṣo bhavati tathetaḥ pretya bhavati sa kratuṁ kurvīta ||3.14.1||

" All this is Brahman. From It the universe comes forth, in It the universe merges and in It the universe breathes. Therefore a man should meditate on Brahman with a calm mind. Now, verily, a man consists of will. As he wills in this world, so does he become when he has departed hence. Let him with this knowledge in mind form his will. "

Translations from Wikipedia article on Sandilya Vidya.

Answer 3

Those whose knowledge has been carried away by various desires take refuge in other deities; they observe various rites & practices and are constrained by their own material natures.

To any who honors a worshiped form with their belief I bestow immovable faith.

Those disciplined by faith who seek the favor of that deity or form, receive from it their desires because those desires are decreed by Me.

But temporary is the fruit for those with small understanding.
—Bhagavad Gita 7:20~23

What this tells me is, if you really, truly believe in something, then—with diligence—it will work for you. But, the satisfaction you get from manifesting a particular desire is going to depend on the wisdom you use in choosing your desires. You may get something you wanted and not be happy with the results. Or, more often, you get what you want, and the joy of it fades. Perhaps through trial and error can learn to manifest more wisely.

The chapter concludes saying, by devoting yourself to Lord Kṛṣṇa (as everything) and acting with virtue, you can be freed from the delusion of duality.

There is nothing to desire once you understand you already are that which you desire. There is no subject [I], or object [wanted thing]. You are the subject and the object.

However, I want to emphasis that there is nothing wrong with desire. It is a step in our journey and we can spend as much time as we want on any step. We needn't, though, spend any longer than necessary.

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This is my interpretation.

Answer 4

The traces of "Law of attraction" in its philosophical sense can be found in Gita in following 2 verses.

BG 4.11 - The way they approach Me (direct or via deity), exactly in same way I serve them; O Partha human beings follow My path in every way.
BG 4.12 - Acting desirous of result, those who worship the deities (deva/raksha/preta/pitru) here in this human world, the success happens quickly from those actions

BG 4.11 is quite similar to Karma theory. If one thinks positive, the positivity comes, if one thinks negative, then negativity follows. Mix emotions bring mixed reactions.

BG 4.12 suggests that, when a person acts (which includes 'thinking') with longing, then he/she is certain to achieve its results.

• The word "worship" is a broad term, which includes "thought", "faith", "efforts".
• "Deities" is any entity. For example, for cars, home, money etc. we have a famous deity called "Kubera". When a person has a longing for any such wealth, then it's equivalent of that person is worshipping the deity of wealth.

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Having said this, the ability of a person to think positive or negative, comes under free will. Which is in question!
Any positive/negative thoughts follow the thought prior to it, which follow the thought prior to it, and so on. If there has to be something like first thought, then it's certainly not in one's own control. Hence, all the sermons of "think positive" may sound futile. :)
See this related post: How and why was the first ever thought generated?