Panchajanyam Hrshikesah-chapter8-adhyaya6-Yoga of meditation

[Guest guest]

Bhagavatgita- Chapter 8 â€" Yoga of meditation

 

 

 

 

 

Karmayoga is normally prescribed to the householder who has

to discharge his duties which are obligatory in his stage of life. But

by the same process he can scale the height of the yoga of meditation.

The karma done without attachment giving up the fruit therein purifies

the mind preparing him for the practice of dhyanayoga, Yoga of

meditation. He is commended by Krishna as being the yogi and a sanyasi

at the same time. ‘ Anaasrithah karmaphalam kaaryam karma karthi

yah sa sannyaasee cha yogi cha. ‘ Renunciation , sannyaasa means

giving up and he who does it is a sannyaasi. Yoga is the concentration

of mind and he who has it is a yogi. So by merely giving up rituals and

obligatory duties does not make one a sannyasi or an a yogi. The

rejection of the agency , the feeling that I am the doer is common to

both yoga and sannyasa. Without mental renunciation yoga is not possible

 

 

 

This raises a question whether renouncing the world and

becoming a sannyaasi is not approved by Krishna. .It is not so. .Only to

the one who has not yet scaled the height of yoga of meditation need

follow Karmayoga which serves as the means to attain his goal.

‘Aarurukshormmuneryogam karmakaaranamuchyathe yogaaroodasya

thasyaiva shamahkaaranamuchyathe.’ When he has already ascended

to the height shamah , quiescence, which means withdrawal from all work

is the means of salvation.

 

 

 

But how to know that one has scaled the height? The answer

is given as ‘yadhaahinendhriyaartheshuna karmasvanushajjathe

sarvasankalpa sannyaasee yogaaroodasthadhochyathe.’ When one

becomes detached from the sense objects and also from all works seeing

no purpose to be realised by him through them, then, he is said to be a

yogaarooda, one who has reached the peak of yoga. This is because once

the desires are discarded , renunciation of work follows.

 

 

 

When the peak is reached self is lifted up by itself.

‘Udhdhareth aathmanaathmaanam naathmaanam avasaadhayeth

aathmaivahyaathmano bandhuh aatmaiva ripuraathmanah ‘ No

external aid can help in elevating oneself which includes the learning

of sasthras . All the external means to meditation like study of

sasthras, japa , chanting and others can only help in purifying our

internal equipment to make us ready to concentrate. But to attain yoga

an subsequent liberation one has to transcend the body mind and

intellect, the latter termed as the inner equipment, and identify with

one’s self. This could be achieved only through Self alone. This

is what has been implied by udhdhqreth aathmanaathmaanam. The

diffidence that whether this could be done is dispelled by the words

‘ naathmaanam avasaadhayeth,’ elevate the Self and not

push it down, which means ‘do not give up.’ Self alone is

the friend, aathmanyaivaathmano bandhuh, aathma here meaning the inner

self Aathmaiva ripuraathmanah, the self alone becomes the enemy.

Here the word self means not the aathma but the mind and intellect.

 

 

 

In interpreting the words like yoga, aathma and other

similar ones having a generally understood meaning , one must be careful

and construe their meaning according to the context in which they are

mentioned. Many distorted versions are only due to the failure of doing

so or deliberate misinterpretation. To the one who has controlled

himself the Self , aathmaa, becomes a friend because he identifies

himself with his Self and not with his body, mind and intellect, which

constitute non-self. On the other hand if he identifies himself with

his non-self it prevents him from realizing his Self and becomes his

enemy..

 

 

 

The yogi who has subdued his senses and mind, remains

peaceful and becomes rooted in the Supreme Self.

‘Jithaathmanafprashaanthasya paramaathmaa samaahithah.’ .

To him the duality like heat and cold or joy and sorrow do not exist and

he treats gold, stone and mud alike. He alone can be termed as a yogi

whose mind is saturated with jnana and vijnana,

‘jnanavijnanathrpthaathma’ unmanifest and manifest

Brahman, who is immutable, kutastha having mastered the senses,

‘vijithendhriyah’

 

 

 

The experience of heat and cold belongs to the body and felt

through the indhriyas. When the mind attaches itself to the indhriyas

the sensations give rise to joy or sorrow. The sage who is detached

from the body and mind through jnana and vijnana is not affected by

anything that happens to him and hence he is kutastha, immutable and

unshakable like the anvil of the ironsmith which , even though

repeatedly hit does not undergo any change like the piece of iron that

is placed on it, which alone changes in shape being red-hot. The Self

is called kutastha as is unaffected by the changes in the body, mind

and intellect which are like red-hot iron, full of raga. (raga means

colour especially red, signifying rajas.) So the one who has identified

with the Self remains unaffected by the changes which pertain only to

body, mind and intellect.

 

 

 

Such a sage, a sthithaprajna, has samabudhdhih, same

attitude towards everyone whether he is a suhrd, mithra , ari,

udhaaseena ,madhyastha, dhveshya or bandhu likewise towards righteous

and unrighteous A suhrd is one who does good without expecting anything

in return. While mithra is one who befriends for a purpose. Ari is an

enemy or adversary and udhaaseena is an indifferent person. Madhyastha

is a mediator, dhveshya is one who hates you and bandhu is a relation.

In short he treats all alike without having likes and dislikes. It is

interesting to note that the words mithra and ari are juxtaposed with

one another and so are the words dhveshya and bandhu. This implies that

the pairs are interchangeable. A mithra who is friendly for some

specific purpose can become an ari , an adversary when the purpose is

not fulfilled. Similarly a bandhu will soon become dhveshya.

One who shows bitterness or hatred towards you is often a relative as we

see around us in this world. As these characteristics belong to the

non-self, the yogi ,who is united with his Self is not bothered about

it. He ignores the container and sees only the content

 

 

 

So long Krishna has been elaborating on the state of

yogaarooda, the one who has scaled the heights of meditation. Now He

starts to give the guidelines to reach that state, namely the

discipline to be followed by a aarurukshu, one who is desirous of

reaching that state.

 

 

 

'Yogee yunjeetha sathatham aathmaanam rahsi sthithah Ekaakee

yatha chitthaathmaaniraaseeraparigrahah.' One who wishes to meditate

should keep himself scclded as meditation is not possible in a crowd.

He should be alone,ekaakee. Nowadays group meditation has become popular

and this may appear to be a bit out of place but the words rahasi

sthithah and ekaakee are used to indicate that the meditation should be

done in a place and time o as to have no disturbance or

interruptions.That is why in those days the sages retired to the forest

to do thapas..

 

 

 

But simply by retiring to a secluded place will one be able

to meditate. This is a common misconception. When we try to insist the

importance of persistent contemplation of God to develop bhakthi we

often hear people say " How can we think of God all the time living in

the world pressed by our family commitments? It may be possible if we

are allowed to go to a secluded spot away from family atmostphere."

What they do not understand is that even if they go to Himalayas they

take thieir thoughts with them. This is what exactly Krishna told Arjuna

in th eighteen chapters of the Gita when he wanted to go away from the

battlefield. Then what should an aspirant do?The answer is given in the

next line ' yatha chitthaathmaa niraaseeh aparigrahah.'

 

 

 

One who wishes to scale the heights of meditation should be

yathachitthaathmaa, self-controlled, niraasee,without desire and

aparigrahah,without possessions.This does not mean renouncing the world

physically but mentally, like King Janaka., by giving up clinging

attachments to wordly pleasures and possessions.

 

 

 

Next Krishna elaborates on the physical aids to meditation.

The spot must be clean, conducive to spirituality, the seat must be firm

to reduce anxiety and covered with kusa grass, a hide and a cloth in

that order.These conditions have to be understood in the context of the

period of Gita and should not be confused with the modern times. The

point stressed here is that the seat on which you meditate must be

comfortable and secure just enough to enable you to concentrate.

 

 

 

Similar idea is presented in the description of the

posture in meditation. 'Samamkaayasirogreevam dhaarayannachalam sthirah

samprekshya naasikaagram svamdhisaschaanavalokayan.' This sloka is

translated as 'holding the body, head and neck evenly ans steadily, the

resolute yogin fixes his gaze on the tip of his nose, not looking

around.' This instruction is not given so as to make the mitator

cross-eyed or stiff-back! It only means thatone should not be distracted

by body movement or by outward objects. Fixing the gaze at the tip of

the nose signifies the position of the half-closed eyes as being kept

open one will be tempted to look around and closing them may induce him

to sleep!

 

 

 

With tranquillised inner sense and indriyas under control

the yogi should direct his thoughts on the Supreme Reality. Thus he gets

peace which will culminate in emancipation, nirvana.

 

 

 

To get into such state that enables one to meditate some

disciplineary measures in life are necessary. Eating and sleeping should

be moderate. 'Naathyasnasthu yogo asthi na chaikaanthm anasnathah.' Too

much eating is bhoga which is contrary to yoga. Eating too little will

make one weak physically as the saying goes, 'sariram aadhyam khalu

dharmasadadhanam,' it is yoga saadhanam also. Same thing goes for sleep.

So a yogi should be moderate in all his activities

 

 

 

Now how would an aspirant come to know that he has become

integrated in yoga? 'Yathaa viniyatham chittham aathmanyevaavathishtathe

nissprhah sarvakaamebhyah yukth ithyuchyathe thadhaa.' The mind of such

a yogi will be completely absorbed in the Self and free from cravings

for objects of desires The mind of the yogi is compared to the flame

of a lamp steady when there is no wind,'Yathaadheepo nivaathastho

nengathe sopamaasmrtha.'

 

 

 

At this stage the mind rejoices in the Self alone, where

there is a bliss that is endless, 'aathyanthikam,' discerned only by

the intellect, being beyod the grasp of the senses, atheendhriyam.

Reaching that state there is nothing more to be gained and even an

immense grief does not affect such a yogi. This yoga , is termed as

duhkhasamyogaviyoga yoga,' disjunction from the conjunction with

duhkha ,by Krishna. He further says that this yoga has to be practised

with an undijected mind,' anirvinna chethasaa.'.

 

 

 

The natural rejoinder to this would be " How can I practise

this?" Krishna anticipates this and answers it Himself. First one has to

give up alldesires born of thoughts,'sankalpaprabhavaan kaamaan

thyakthvaa sarvaan aseshathah,' by controlling the senses with the mind

on all sides, ' mansaivendhriya graamam viniyamya samanthathah.' Slowly

and gradually, 'sanaih sanaih' the mind should be trained to concentrate

on Brahman . It is easily said than done. True,says Krishna, but you

have to withdraw the mind from wherever it wanders. The nature of the

mind is that if you control it in one direction it runs in another. So

draw back the mind persistently when it runs from one object to the

other.

 

 

 

Usually we find that when you sit down to japa, for

instance before you chant the name, say, Rama, the mind wanders to the

Ramanextdoor and by the time it has dwelt on his history past and

present and you become aware of its wanderings you would come to the

end of your japa. So, says Krishna, 'yatho yatho nischarathi manah

chanchalam asthiram thathsththo niyamyaithath aathmanyevavasam nayeth.'

Withdraw the mind the moment it wanders and concentrate on the Self and

again when it stars to run bring it back . Reining the mind thus it

finally does your bidding..

 

 

 

A yogi who can do this easily attains the union with

Brahman and enjoys infinite bliss.He sees himself in all beings and all

beings in himself because everything is in Brahman and Brahman is in

everything. Such ayogi is called samadharsanah, sees unity everywhere.We

see multilicity because we identify ourselves with body mind and

intellect and the rest as something other than ourselves. When one

identifies with his Self

 

which is the same Self everywhere there is no duality.

 

 

 

Krishna ends up the discourse of dhyanayoga by saying 'the

one whosees Me everywhere and all in Me never loses me nor I ever lose

him. He is established in Me and abides in Me always no matter what he

is doing.' The same idea Sankara expresses in Bajagovindam, 'Yogaratho

vaa bhogaratho vaa sangaratho vaa sangaviheenah yasya brahmani ramathe

chittham nandati nandatinandatyeva.' One whose mind is established in

Brahman is always in bliss whether he is in meditation or engaged in

worldly pursuits whether he is in company or alone. Such ayogi who

looks on all as his own Self is deemed the highest.

 

 

 

Krishna has been talking about the state of yogaarooda

whichis rather difficult to understand by the uninitated and Arjuna was

like us and to him it is next to impossible to control the mind and

bring it to the state of one-pointedness. He says, 'chcnchalam hi manah

krishna pramaathi balavaddhrdam thasyaaham nigraham manye vaayoriva

sudhushkaram.' The mind, he says, is very

unsteady,turbulent,tebnacious and powerful. Therefore I consider that

the control of the mind is asa difficult as controlling the wind, which

is to say that it is impossible.

 

 

 

We are under the control of the mind and not vice versa. So

like arjuna we feel that it is next to impossible to control our

mind.But even in everyday life without any spiritual pursuit one has to

exercise certain amount of control mentally, orally and physically in

order to live a happy and peaceful life. As our speech and action are

only the external manifestation of our thoughts the reins of control

must be applied to our mind before the thoughts get transferred into

words or action.This is what has been emphasised in the second chapter

of the Gita by'dhyaayatho vishayaan pumsah---'(BG2-62,63.)

 

 

 

Do not despair, says Krishna, 'asamsayam mahaabhaaho mano

dhurnigraham chalam abhyaasena thu kountheya vairaagyena cha grhyathe,

in the oft -quoted and one of the most important slokas of the Gita.

Ofcourse the mind is fickle and uncontrollable. But it can be

controlled by abhyasa and vairagya. Dispassion, vairagya comes from

renouncing the desires of the world as mentioned in an earlier

sloka'sankalpaprabhavaan kaamaan---' and the abhyasa consists in

withdrawing the mind slowly and gradually on each and every occasion

when it plays truant, as made out in the earlier sloka 'yatho yatho

nischarathi--.'

 

 

 

In the beginning of the 6th chapter of the Gita it is said

'aarurukshormuneryogam karma kaaranam uchyathe.' In the beginning to

renounce the desires karmayoga is practised. To do action without

attachment to the fruit results in the removal of desire. When the

agentship is given up and all actions are done as the work of the Lord,

one feels that he is the instrument in His hands. In the modern times it

is fitting to give the analogy of a computer to explain karmayoga. The

computer does the work it is programmed for though very efficiently,

more or less like a sentient being, yet it is only an instrument.

Similarly we are programmed according to our karma an dif we do our work

efficientlywithout attachment to the fruit like the computer, which has

no desire of its own we will be the instrument of God through which His

grace flows.

 

When the desires are removed one gets detachment, vairagya

and the mind is no more agitated and become the slave of the yogi . But

till one achieves this constant practice,abhyaasa is essential. The

phrase 'vairagyena cha,' is significant because no amount of practice

will be fruitful without dispassion. Only because of the absence of

vairagya the mind is dhurnigraha and chala. Therefore Yoga is not

possible without controlling the mind but can be achieved easily by one

who ceaslessly trying with his mind under control, ' Asamyathaathmanaa

yogo dhushpraapa ihti me mathih vasyaathmanaa thu yaththaasakyo

avaapthum upaayathah.'

 

 

 

Now Arjuna comes out with another question. Suppose an

aspirant starts meditation wth full faith and tries to control his mind

unsuccessfully nd before he accomplishes it his life is cut short.What

will be the fate of such a person ? Should he start his spiritual

practie from the beginning in his next life? Or is he lost like a torn

cloud deprived of both ,the Self realisation and the hdeavenly enjoyment

which he would have if he had proceeded in the karma marga, meaning

kamykarma?

 

 

 

Here Krishna as the Supreme Self gives the assurance, 'na hi

kalyanakrth kaschith durgathim thaatha gachchathi,' that none who

strives for self redemption ever comes to harm. The what happens to a

yogabhrashta, one who has strayed from the path of Self realisation

and meets his end of life? Krishna says, ' praapyapunyakrthaam lokaan

ushithva saasvatheessamaah sucheenaam srimathaam gehe yogabhrashto

abhijaayathe..'

 

The man who has slipped from yoga goes to the meritorious worlds and

stays there for long time and then takes birth in ahome of a householder

who conform to vedic ordinances and who are rich in resource. There due

to poorvajanma vaasanas he is drawn towards yoga and when the

obstructing vasanaas are weakened he pursues the yogic path.

 

 

 

Depending upon the state upto which he has advanced in yoga

he perhaps gets birth in the family of wise yogins though it is rare

because this happes only to a near perfect yogin like Jadabharatha who

are very rare. Being born in the family of yogis he acquires memory of

ideas accumulated in his previous birth and strives harder to reach

perfection.

 

 

 

The idea is that one need not lose courage and confidence as

to whether he will be able to achieve perfection in this life. Whatever

we do comes to our aid later and we start from where we left. This is

because the spiritual vasanaas once acquired never perish and even when

one slips back they always come to him at the right time as in the case

of Ajamila . So the right time to start is now!

 

 

 

Even he who seeksto comprehend the essence of yoga and

begins to tread the pathof yoga goes beyond the realm of the friuts of

karma specified in the vedas like heaven, jijnaasurapi yogasya

sabdabrahmaathivarathathe.' Sabdabrahma means the vedas and refers to

those who follow karmakaanda of the vedas. . It is relevant here to

compare the words of Krishna 'thrigunyavishayaa vedaah nisthrigunyo

bhavaarjuna,'(BG-2-45) So how much more would be the gain of the one who

has fully undestood Yoga and follows the practice of Yoga! 'prayatnaath

yathamaanasthu yogii samsuddhakilbhishah anekajanmasamsiddhah thatho

yaathi paraam gathim.' The yogi who strives hard and who has been

perfected through the efforts of many lives attais the supreme goal free

of all sins.

 

 

 

Krishna ends up by saying that the yogi is superior to those

wo do penance, who master the vedas and who follow the karmamarga, and

even among them the one who worships the Lord with full faith knowing

Him to be his inner self is considered to be the foremost .

 

 

 

END OF PART I-Adhyayas 1to 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhagavatgita- Chapter 8 â€" Yoga of meditation

 

 

 

 

 

Karmayoga is normally prescribed to the householder who has

to discharge his duties which are obligatory in his stage of life. But

by the same process he can scale the height of the yoga of meditation.

The karma done without attachment giving up the fruit therein purifies

the mind preparing him for the practice of dhyanayoga, Yoga of

meditation. He is commended by Krishna as being the yogi and a sanyasi

at the same time. ‘ Anaasrithah karmaphalam kaaryam karma karthi

yah sa sannyaasee cha yogi cha. ‘ Renunciation , sannyaasa means

giving up and he who does it is a sannyaasi. Yoga is the concentration

of mind and he who has it is a yogi. So by merely giving up rituals and

obligatory duties does not make one a sannyasi or an a yogi. The

rejection of the agency , the feeling that I am the doer is common to

both yoga and sannyasa. Without mental renunciation yoga is not possible

 

 

 

This raises a question whether renouncing the world and

becoming a sannyaasi is not approved by Krishna. .It is not so. .Only to

the one who has not yet scaled the height of yoga of meditation need

follow Karmayoga which serves as the means to attain his goal.

‘Aarurukshormmuneryogam karmakaaranamuchyathe yogaaroodasya

thasyaiva shamahkaaranamuchyathe.’ When he has already ascended

to the height shamah , quiescence, which means withdrawal from all work

is the means of salvation.

 

 

 

But how to know that one has scaled the height? The answer

is given as ‘yadhaahinendhriyaartheshuna karmasvanushajjathe

sarvasankalpa sannyaasee yogaaroodasthadhochyathe.’ When one

becomes detached from the sense objects and also from all works seeing

no purpose to be realised by him through them, then, he is said to be a

yogaarooda, one who has reached the peak of yoga. This is because once

the desires are discarded , renunciation of work follows.

 

 

 

When the peak is reached self is lifted up by itself.

‘Udhdhareth aathmanaathmaanam naathmaanam avasaadhayeth

aathmaivahyaathmano bandhuh aatmaiva ripuraathmanah ‘ No

external aid can help in elevating oneself which includes the learning

of sasthras . All the external means to meditation like study of

sasthras, japa , chanting and others can only help in purifying our

internal equipment to make us ready to concentrate. But to attain yoga

an subsequent liberation one has to transcend the body mind and

intellect, the latter termed as the inner equipment, and identify with

one’s self. This could be achieved only through Self alone. This

is what has been implied by udhdhqreth aathmanaathmaanam. The

diffidence that whether this could be done is dispelled by the words

‘ naathmaanam avasaadhayeth,’ elevate the Self and not

push it down, which means ‘do not give up.’ Self alone is

the friend, aathmanyaivaathmano bandhuh, aathma here meaning the inner

self Aathmaiva ripuraathmanah, the self alone becomes the enemy.

Here the word self means not the aathma but the mind and intellect.

 

 

 

In interpreting the words like yoga, aathma and other

similar ones having a generally understood meaning , one must be careful

and construe their meaning according to the context in which they are

mentioned. Many distorted versions are only due to the failure of doing

so or deliberate misinterpretation. To the one who has controlled

himself the Self , aathmaa, becomes a friend because he identifies

himself with his Self and not with his body, mind and intellect, which

constitute non-self. On the other hand if he identifies himself with

his non-self it prevents him from realizing his Self and becomes his

enemy..

 

 

 

The yogi who has subdued his senses and mind, remains

peaceful and becomes rooted in the Supreme Self.

‘Jithaathmanafprashaanthasya paramaathmaa samaahithah.’ .

To him the duality like heat and cold or joy and sorrow do not exist and

he treats gold, stone and mud alike. He alone can be termed as a yogi

whose mind is saturated with jnana and vijnana,

‘jnanavijnanathrpthaathma’ unmanifest and manifest

Brahman, who is immutable, kutastha having mastered the senses,

‘vijithendhriyah’

 

 

 

The experience of heat and cold belongs to the body and felt

through the indhriyas. When the mind attaches itself to the indhriyas

the sensations give rise to joy or sorrow. The sage who is detached

from the body and mind through jnana and vijnana is not affected by

anything that happens to him and hence he is kutastha, immutable and

unshakable like the anvil of the ironsmith which , even though

repeatedly hit does not undergo any change like the piece of iron that

is placed on it, which alone changes in shape being red-hot. The Self

is called kutastha as is unaffected by the changes in the body, mind

and intellect which are like red-hot iron, full of raga. (raga means

colour especially red, signifying rajas.) So the one who has identified

with the Self remains unaffected by the changes which pertain only to

body, mind and intellect.

 

 

 

Such a sage, a sthithaprajna, has samabudhdhih, same

attitude towards everyone whether he is a suhrd, mithra , ari,

udhaaseena ,madhyastha, dhveshya or bandhu likewise towards righteous

and unrighteous A suhrd is one who does good without expecting anything

in return. While mithra is one who befriends for a purpose. Ari is an

enemy or adversary and udhaaseena is an indifferent person. Madhyastha

is a mediator, dhveshya is one who hates you and bandhu is a relation.

In short he treats all alike without having likes and dislikes. It is

interesting to note that the words mithra and ari are juxtaposed with

one another and so are the words dhveshya and bandhu. This implies that

the pairs are interchangeable. A mithra who is friendly for some

specific purpose can become an ari , an adversary when the purpose is

not fulfilled. Similarly a bandhu will soon become dhveshya.

One who shows bitterness or hatred towards you is often a relative as we

see around us in this world. As these characteristics belong to the

non-self, the yogi ,who is united with his Self is not bothered about

it. He ignores the container and sees only the content

 

 

 

So long Krishna has been elaborating on the state of

yogaarooda, the one who has scaled the heights of meditation. Now He

starts to give the guidelines to reach that state, namely the

discipline to be followed by a aarurukshu, one who is desirous of

reaching that state.

 

 

 

'Yogee yunjeetha sathatham aathmaanam rahsi sthithah Ekaakee

yatha chitthaathmaaniraaseeraparigrahah.' One who wishes to meditate

should keep himself scclded as meditation is not possible in a crowd.

He should be alone,ekaakee. Nowadays group meditation has become popular

and this may appear to be a bit out of place but the words rahasi

sthithah and ekaakee are used to indicate that the meditation should be

done in a place and time o as to have no disturbance or

interruptions.That is why in those days the sages retired to the forest

to do thapas..

 

 

 

But simply by retiring to a secluded place will one be able

to meditate. This is a common misconception. When we try to insist the

importance of persistent contemplation of God to develop bhakthi we

often hear people say " How can we think of God all the time living in

the world pressed by our family commitments? It may be possible if we

are allowed to go to a secluded spot away from family atmostphere."

What they do not understand is that even if they go to Himalayas they

take thieir thoughts with them. This is what exactly Krishna told Arjuna

in th eighteen chapters of the Gita when he wanted to go away from the

battlefield. Then what should an aspirant do?The answer is given in the

next line ' yatha chitthaathmaa niraaseeh aparigrahah.'

 

 

 

One who wishes to scale the heights of meditation should be

yathachitthaathmaa, self-controlled, niraasee,without desire and

aparigrahah,without possessions.This does not mean renouncing the world

physically but mentally, like King Janaka., by giving up clinging

attachments to wordly pleasures and possessions.

 

 

 

Next Krishna elaborates on the physical aids to meditation.

The spot must be clean, conducive to spirituality, the seat must be firm

to reduce anxiety and covered with kusa grass, a hide and a cloth in

that order.These conditions have to be understood in the context of the

period of Gita and should not be confused with the modern times. The

point stressed here is that the seat on which you meditate must be

comfortable and secure just enough to enable you to concentrate.

 

 

 

Similar idea is presented in the description of the

posture in meditation. 'Samamkaayasirogreevam dhaarayannachalam sthirah

samprekshya naasikaagram svamdhisaschaanavalokayan.' This sloka is

translated as 'holding the body, head and neck evenly ans steadily, the

resolute yogin fixes his gaze on the tip of his nose, not looking

around.' This instruction is not given so as to make the mitator

cross-eyed or stiff-back! It only means thatone should not be distracted

by body movement or by outward objects. Fixing the gaze at the tip of

the nose signifies the position of the half-closed eyes as being kept

open one will be tempted to look around and closing them may induce him

to sleep!

 

 

 

With tranquillised inner sense and indriyas under control

the yogi should direct his thoughts on the Supreme Reality. Thus he gets

peace which will culminate in emancipation, nirvana.

 

 

 

To get into such state that enables one to meditate some

disciplineary measures in life are necessary. Eating and sleeping should

be moderate. 'Naathyasnasthu yogo asthi na chaikaanthm anasnathah.' Too

much eating is bhoga which is contrary to yoga. Eating too little will

make one weak physically as the saying goes, 'sariram aadhyam khalu

dharmasadadhanam,' it is yoga saadhanam also. Same thing goes for sleep.

So a yogi should be moderate in all his activities

 

 

 

Now how would an aspirant come to know that he has become

integrated in yoga? 'Yathaa viniyatham chittham aathmanyevaavathishtathe

nissprhah sarvakaamebhyah yukth ithyuchyathe thadhaa.' The mind of such

a yogi will be completely absorbed in the Self and free from cravings

for objects of desires The mind of the yogi is compared to the flame

of a lamp steady when there is no wind,'Yathaadheepo nivaathastho

nengathe sopamaasmrtha.'

 

 

 

At this stage the mind rejoices in the Self alone, where

there is a bliss that is endless, 'aathyanthikam,' discerned only by

the intellect, being beyod the grasp of the senses, atheendhriyam.

Reaching that state there is nothing more to be gained and even an

immense grief does not affect such a yogi. This yoga , is termed as

duhkhasamyogaviyoga yoga,' disjunction from the conjunction with

duhkha ,by Krishna. He further says that this yoga has to be practised

with an undijected mind,' anirvinna chethasaa.'.

 

 

 

The natural rejoinder to this would be " How can I practise

this?" Krishna anticipates this and answers it Himself. First one has to

give up alldesires born of thoughts,'sankalpaprabhavaan kaamaan

thyakthvaa sarvaan aseshathah,' by controlling the senses with the mind

on all sides, ' mansaivendhriya graamam viniyamya samanthathah.' Slowly

and gradually, 'sanaih sanaih' the mind should be trained to concentrate

on Brahman . It is easily said than done. True,says Krishna, but you

have to withdraw the mind from wherever it wanders. The nature of the

mind is that if you control it in one direction it runs in another. So

draw back the mind persistently when it runs from one object to the

other.

 

 

 

Usually we find that when you sit down to japa, for

instance before you chant the name, say, Rama, the mind wanders to the

Ramanextdoor and by the time it has dwelt on his history past and

present and you become aware of its wanderings you would come to the

end of your japa. So, says Krishna, 'yatho yatho nischarathi manah

chanchalam asthiram thathsththo niyamyaithath aathmanyevavasam nayeth.'

Withdraw the mind the moment it wanders and concentrate on the Self and

again when it stars to run bring it back . Reining the mind thus it

finally does your bidding..

 

 

 

A yogi who can do this easily attains the union with

Brahman and enjoys infinite bliss.He sees himself in all beings and all

beings in himself because everything is in Brahman and Brahman is in

everything. Such ayogi is called samadharsanah, sees unity everywhere.We

see multilicity because we identify ourselves with body mind and

intellect and the rest as something other than ourselves. When one

identifies with his Self

 

which is the same Self everywhere there is no duality.

 

 

 

Krishna ends up the discourse of dhyanayoga by saying 'the

one whosees Me everywhere and all in Me never loses me nor I ever lose

him. He is established in Me and abides in Me always no matter what he

is doing.' The same idea Sankara expresses in Bajagovindam, 'Yogaratho

vaa bhogaratho vaa sangaratho vaa sangaviheenah yasya brahmani ramathe

chittham nandati nandatinandatyeva.' One whose mind is established in

Brahman is always in bliss whether he is in meditation or engaged in

worldly pursuits whether he is in company or alone. Such ayogi who

looks on all as his own Self is deemed the highest.

 

 

 

Krishna has been talking about the state of yogaarooda

whichis rather difficult to understand by the uninitated and Arjuna was

like us and to him it is next to impossible to control the mind and

bring it to the state of one-pointedness. He says, 'chcnchalam hi manah

krishna pramaathi balavaddhrdam thasyaaham nigraham manye vaayoriva

sudhushkaram.' The mind, he says, is very

unsteady,turbulent,tebnacious and powerful. Therefore I consider that

the control of the mind is asa difficult as controlling the wind, which

is to say that it is impossible.

 

 

 

We are under the control of the mind and not vice versa. So

like arjuna we feel that it is next to impossible to control our

mind.But even in everyday life without any spiritual pursuit one has to

exercise certain amount of control mentally, orally and physically in

order to live a happy and peaceful life. As our speech and action are

only the external manifestation of our thoughts the reins of control

must be applied to our mind before the thoughts get transferred into

words or action.This is what has been emphasised in the second chapter

of the Gita by'dhyaayatho vishayaan pumsah---'(BG2-62,63.)

 

 

 

Do not despair, says Krishna, 'asamsayam mahaabhaaho mano

dhurnigraham chalam abhyaasena thu kountheya vairaagyena cha grhyathe,

in the oft -quoted and one of the most important slokas of the Gita.

Ofcourse the mind is fickle and uncontrollable. But it can be

controlled by abhyasa and vairagya. Dispassion, vairagya comes from

renouncing the desires of the world as mentioned in an earlier

sloka'sankalpaprabhavaan kaamaan---' and the abhyasa consists in

withdrawing the mind slowly and gradually on each and every occasion

when it plays truant, as made out in the earlier sloka 'yatho yatho

nischarathi--.'

 

 

 

In the beginning of the 6th chapter of the Gita it is said

'aarurukshormuneryogam karma kaaranam uchyathe.' In the beginning to

renounce the desires karmayoga is practised. To do action without

attachment to the fruit results in the removal of desire. When the

agentship is given up and all actions are done as the work of the Lord,

one feels that he is the instrument in His hands. In the modern times it

is fitting to give the analogy of a computer to explain karmayoga. The

computer does the work it is programmed for though very efficiently,

more or less like a sentient being, yet it is only an instrument.

Similarly we are programmed according to our karma an dif we do our work

efficientlywithout attachment to the fruit like the computer, which has

no desire of its own we will be the instrument of God through which His

grace flows.

 

When the desires are removed one gets detachment, vairagya

and the mind is no more agitated and become the slave of the yogi . But

till one achieves this constant practice,abhyaasa is essential. The

phrase 'vairagyena cha,' is significant because no amount of practice

will be fruitful without dispassion. Only because of the absence of

vairagya the mind is dhurnigraha and chala. Therefore Yoga is not

possible without controlling the mind but can be achieved easily by one

who ceaslessly trying with his mind under control, ' Asamyathaathmanaa

yogo dhushpraapa ihti me mathih vasyaathmanaa thu yaththaasakyo

avaapthum upaayathah.'

 

 

 

Now Arjuna comes out with another question. Suppose an

aspirant starts meditation wth full faith and tries to control his mind

unsuccessfully nd before he accomplishes it his life is cut short.What

will be the fate of such a person ? Should he start his spiritual

practie from the beginning in his next life? Or is he lost like a torn

cloud deprived of both ,the Self realisation and the hdeavenly enjoyment

which he would have if he had proceeded in the karma marga, meaning

kamykarma?

 

 

 

Here Krishna as the Supreme Self gives the assurance, 'na hi

kalyanakrth kaschith durgathim thaatha gachchathi,' that none who

strives for self redemption ever comes to harm. The what happens to a

yogabhrashta, one who has strayed from the path of Self realisation

and meets his end of life? Krishna says, ' praapyapunyakrthaam lokaan

ushithva saasvatheessamaah sucheenaam srimathaam gehe yogabhrashto

abhijaayathe..'

 

The man who has slipped from yoga goes to the meritorious worlds and

stays there for long time and then takes birth in ahome of a householder

who conform to vedic ordinances and who are rich in resource. There due

to poorvajanma vaasanas he is drawn towards yoga and when the

obstructing vasanaas are weakened he pursues the yogic path.

 

 

 

Depending upon the state upto which he has advanced in yoga

he perhaps gets birth in the family of wise yogins though it is rare

because this happes only to a near perfect yogin like Jadabharatha who

are very rare. Being born in the family of yogis he acquires memory of

ideas accumulated in his previous birth and strives harder to reach

perfection.

 

 

 

The idea is that one need not lose courage and confidence as

to whether he will be able to achieve perfection in this life. Whatever

we do comes to our aid later and we start from where we left. This is

because the spiritual vasanaas once acquired never perish and even when

one slips back they always come to him at the right time as in the case

of Ajamila . So the right time to start is now!

 

 

 

Even he who seeksto comprehend the essence of yoga and

begins to tread the pathof yoga goes beyond the realm of the friuts of

karma specified in the vedas like heaven, jijnaasurapi yogasya

sabdabrahmaathivarathathe.' Sabdabrahma means the vedas and refers to

those who follow karmakaanda of the vedas. . It is relevant here to

compare the words of Krishna 'thrigunyavishayaa vedaah nisthrigunyo

bhavaarjuna,'(BG-2-45) So how much more would be the gain of the one who

has fully undestood Yoga and follows the practice of Yoga! 'prayatnaath

yathamaanasthu yogii samsuddhakilbhishah anekajanmasamsiddhah thatho

yaathi paraam gathim.' The yogi who strives hard and who has been

perfected through the efforts of many lives attais the supreme goal free

of all sins.

 

 

 

Krishna ends up by saying that the yogi is superior to those

wo do penance, who master the vedas and who follow the karmamarga, and

even among them the one who worships the Lord with full faith knowing

Him to be his inner self is considered to be the foremost .

 

 

 

END OF PART I-Adhyayas 1to 6