Gita Satsang: Rajaji's Commentary on Meditation

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

The folowing are the excerpts from a chapter of a

book, Bhagavad Gita by Sri Rajagopalachari (Rajaji)a

well known politician from Tamil Nadu, India. During

the India's Independence movement, Gandhiji, Nehruji

and Rajaji played significant roles. Rajaji took the

practical aspects of Gita for applications to daily

life.

 

This chapter on Meditation is quite appropriate for a

clearer understanding of the terminology, Meditation

and its importance for a Yogi. We are currently in the

middle of chapter 6 discussions and I strongly

encourage the Satsanghis to read and discuss the views

expressed by Rajaji.

 

warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

MEDITATION

[Adhyaya II Slokas 14, 15, 38. Adhyaya V Slokas

22-24, 26, 28 Adhyaya VI Slokas 3-7, 10-14, 16, 17,

19, 24-27. Adhyaya XII Sloka 13-19. Adhyaya XIV

Slokas 22-25.]

AFTER practicing an attitude of unselfishness when

engaged in normal activities, the aspirant can advance

towards an attitude of indifference to pain and

pleasure. Success or failure in any endeavour should

not agitate the mind. Pain and pleasure should be

welcomed with equanimity as being impermanent and, in

the very nature of things, complementary to each

other. They are part of the universal law of

relativity, inescapable. They arise out of the

"contacts of matter" and have no effect on the soul.

Material contact produces cold and heat,

pleasure and pain. These sensations are fleeting and

insubstantial; go through them unruffled. II14

The. man who is not ruled by these, who is

brave, and the same in pain and pleasure, shapes

himself for immortality. II15

Welcoming, with equanimity, pleasure and pain,

acquisitions and losses, victory and defeat, get

ready for battle; thus you shall not incur sin. II38

It is ones own thoughts and ones own actions that

affect the fortunes of ones soul, not the alternating

joy or sorrow that comes from without.

True happiness comes not from contact-born pleasures,

but from self-control. The serenity of mind that is

attained by the practice of self-control works such a

change that it may be said that thereby the soul is

liberated even though it is still imprisoned in the

flesh.

The pleasures that are contact-born become,

indeed, wombs of pain Such pleasures have beginning

and ending; the wise do not rejoice in them V 28

He is a happy man and a Yogi who learns to withstand

here on earth, ere he be liberated from the body, the

force of desire and anger. V23

He whose pleasure is within himself, who derives

joy within himself, who has a shining light within

himself, that Yogi attains final liberation and is

absorbed in Brahma. V24

Final liberation lies near to those seekers who

control their mind, who cast off desire and passion

and who know themselves.

With senses, mind and intellect ever under

control, absorbed in the pursuit of final liberation,

the sage, free from desire, fear and anger, is,

indeed, already liberated. V28

It would, however, be premature to attempt to attain

this serenity of mind without first habituating

oneself to unselfish performance of all duties. If the

unselfish attitude is by practice made almost

spontaneous in normal activities, one is qualified to

enter on the more difficult practice of serenity

irrespective of success or failure, or of joy or

sorrow. V

For a sage who is seeking Yoga. performance of

duty is declared to be the means; when he is well

confirmed in the practice of Yoga, serenity is

declared the means.

When a man feels no craving for the objects of

sense or for being engaged in activities therefor,

and his mind is free of all such plans of action,

then he is said to be confirmed in the practice of

Yoga. VI4

Let one raise the Self by the Self and not let

the Self within become weak; the Self is, indeed, the

Selfs only friend, but the Self is also its own

enemy. VI5

He who has conquered himself by self-control finds a

friend in himself; but he becomes verily his own

worst enemy if he has not learnt to govern himself.

VI6

The transfigured Self of him who has attained

self-control and equanimity is unruffled in cold and

heat, pleasure and pain, honour and disgrace. VI7

After one has trained oneself to be a Karma yogin,

that is to say, to do the duties that fall to ones lot

without: selfish desire and without agitation as to

success or failure, one is advised as often as

possible to withdraw from the world for deep and

undisturbed meditation. Such meditation is a great aid

to secure serenity of mind. Yoga in the following

slokas is the practice of such meditation:

Let the Yogi often retire to a secluded place,

alone, with mind controlled, and divesting himself of

wishes and of all thought as to possessions and

concentrate his mind on his soul.

Seated in a clean place, on a fixed seat prepared for

himself, neither very much raised, nor very much low,

covered ver with cloth, skin and Kusha grass.

There, having steadied his mind, controlling thought

and functions of the senses, sitting on his seat, he

should engage himself in meditation for the

purification of the self.

With body, head and neck erect, not shaking, steady,

eyes turned to the point of the nos and gaze not

wandering.

With internal calm, fearless, firm in the vow of

Brahmacharya, the mind well governed, thinking of Me,

let him sit harmonised and absorbed in attaining Me.

Yoga is not for him who eats too much, nor for one who

absolutely abstains from food; it is not for him who

is too much addicted to sleep, nor is it to be

attained by keeping vigils.

Yoga, the destroyer of pain, is foe him whose food,

diversions, work, sleep and waking are all controlled

and regulated.

When a lamp is set in a place where the air is

absolutely still, the flame does not flicker. To this

is lkened the steadfast meditation of the Yogi, whose

mind is under control.

Note the insistence on moderation in everything

including austerities. The secret of success is in

steady practice in the art of controlling thoughts

which continually seek to run away with the mind; and

not in excessive severity of austerities.

Keeping the mind absolutely free from all desires and

using the mind to curb the senses in all directions.

Let him use his Buddhi with steady application

gradually to withdraw into himself and thus having

made the mind abide in the Self.

Each time the wavering and unsteady mind seeks to

wander, let him restrain and bring it under control

and lead it to abide in the Self.

The purest joy comes to the Yogin who has quelled the

restlessness within him, whose mind has attained calm,

and who thus purified, has attained his true self and

turned himself into the Infinite.

The following slokas in the 12th Adhyaya describes the

man who has attained this ideals serenity of mind:-

He who has no hatered, and is a friend of all living

things, full of compassion, without the feeling of "I"

or "Mine" balanced in pleasure and pain, and ever

forebearing.

Content always and yoked to the Sprit,

self-controlled, resolute, with emotion and

understanding dedidicated to Me, he is My devotee, and

is dear to My.

He who does not cause perturbation to other beings,

and who is himself not perturbed at the world, who is

free from the agitation of joy, anger and fear, he is

dear to Me.

He who desires nothing, is pure, right-minded,

passionless, unruffled, has renounced all worldly

plans, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.

He who does not lie or hate, who does not grieve or

long for anything, who has given up looking on things

as welcome and unwelcome, such a devotee is dear to

Me.

Alike in mind to those who are friendly to him or

unfriendly, and looking with even composure on fame

and obloquy, alike in cold and heat, pleasure and

pain, free from attachments.

The serinity of mind thus developed by the regulation

of activities and regular meditation is ever liable to

be disturbed by the forces of inherited physical body.

These tend to operate in spite of self-realisation,

but the wise man protects himself by continually

reminding himself of the truth. He is not agitated by

the changing phases of his nature, which now may be

equillibrium, and now urge for action, or again

inertia.

He who welcomes clarity of sprit, the urge to

activity, and even delusion as they come, but does not

long for them again when they disappear.

He who remains unmoved, keeping his inner sprit

unaffected and unruffeled by the changing moods,

saying to himself.

Equally welcoming pain and pleasure, self-sustained

and brave, to whom a clod of earth, a piece of stone

and a nugget of gold are just the same, who makes no

difference between those that are dear and those that

are not and is the same in praise or blame.

The same in honor and calumny, the same to friend

and foe; having abandoned all worldly undertaking such

a one is declared as having overcome natural

propensities. XIV25