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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?

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  • I refer you to Bhagavad Gita 7.19 through 23. Mar 18, 2018 at 21:26
  • @RubelliteFae You Can post answer of that bhagavad Gita verse,if it is Related To Law of Attraction. Mar 19, 2018 at 5:26
  • "if he repeatedly thinks that the car will come to him, then in short limit of time, the car will arrive to him" -- wow, how does this work? so if a poor guy who cannot afford one thinks "car, car, car ..." - a car will appear before him next day? Mar 19, 2018 at 18:26
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    its simple electro-magnet effect. Whole universe and your brain runs on electricity running across neurons. Yogis have stronger bio-electricty and hence stronger electro-magnetism in body. Biological magnetism can attract anything. Buddha rightly said "You become what you think"
    – user10298
    Oct 14, 2018 at 21:05

4 Answers 4

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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.

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  • Almost Related,Just wanted To ask what does the verse means Gets born?just didt understood this verse . Mar 18, 2018 at 14:42
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    Yes i also i think that it's not fully related..:D.. gets born probably mean takes birth in another life where he is among those objects of pleasures that he desired.. but it can also simply mean that he will be among those objects only which he is constantly thinking about. @KarmanyaNanda
    – Rickross
    Mar 18, 2018 at 14:44
  • @ Rickross Ok,so anything in Upanishads which talks about current period of time as this verse says about Next life XD Mar 18, 2018 at 14:46
  • Next life is not explicitly mentioned though.. because gets born does not necessarily mean next life.. for example after initiation a disciple is said to get a new life in the same life itself..anyways will check and update.. for the time being not remembering anything.. i remembered this verse because i was reading this text today only .:D @KarmanyaNanda
    – Rickross
    Mar 18, 2018 at 14:47
  • It means that before we are born we "sign a contract" to come into an environment which contains our desires. Of course, we may still have to suffer in order to attain those. Put another way, our desires stick to us. Once we stop investing our happiness in the attainment of desires, we can stop suffering. This is how to remove karma. So, being born along with the desire itself and the objects of the desire give us something to "work on" in that particular life. Mar 18, 2018 at 21:02
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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.

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  • So Hindu scriptures say he becomes that In next life,does any Verse points out about attaining in current life? Mar 18, 2018 at 15:53
  • This verse can be interpreted in that way also. Mar 18, 2018 at 16:00
  • @ Sarvabhouma what does chandogya upanishad mean by saying 'So does he become when he has departed Hence? Mar 18, 2018 at 16:18
  • @KarmanyaNanda It means someone becomes that what he has meditated when he leaves the body. If someone thinks of an animal, he will become an animal. Like that. That is why it is said when someone dies, they should chant the Lord's name. Mar 18, 2018 at 16:24
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    wow! answer from Shandilya Vidya from Upanishad belonging to Kauthuma.
    – Pandya
    Mar 20, 2018 at 1:40
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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.


This is my interpretation.

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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.

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?

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  • Good,is this anyway related to Law of Karma? Mar 18, 2018 at 14:55
  • @KarmanyaNanda, yes BG 4.11 is quite similar to law of Karma, just the wordings are different.
    – iammilind
    Mar 18, 2018 at 15:10
  • 4.12 is about acts of ritual (acts displaying devotion to a deity), specifically the act of animal sacrifice. This is used as a metaphor for how, when we sacrifice anything (stop egoistically desiring it) for the sake of the gods, we achieve success. So, it is actually making the exact opposite argument: releasing your desires to god will relieve you from the bondage of those desires. Mar 18, 2018 at 21:16
  • It also says (5.3) "He who neither hates nor desires—who is indifferent to the pairs of opposites—he is to be known as the eternal sannyasi. He is easily liberated from bondage, oh Arjuna," and, (5.12) "He who is disciplined in yoga, having abandoned the fruits of his actions, attains steady peace; the undisciplined one, attached to the fruit, is bound by actions prompted by desire." So, while attaining that which you desire is totally possible, eventually you will realize that such attainment is empty of joy. However, direct experience of this realization is often required before we relent. Mar 18, 2018 at 21:19
  • That is to say, it isn't "bad" to desire and to attain your desires, but it is unfulfilling. For most people that is required to attain the deeper understanding regarding the relinquishment of desires. Remember, unlike in the West, Sanatana Dharma doesn't say we are punished for our sins (mistakes), but we are punished by them. Mar 18, 2018 at 21:21

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