Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter 6-yoga of meditation

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33. yo ayam yogaH thvayaa prokthaH saamyena

maDhusoodhana

 

ethasya aham na paSyaami chanchalathvaath sThithim

sThiraam

 

This yoga of equanimity which you taught Krishna, I am not able to see its stability because of the fickleness (of the mind.)

 

34.chanchalam hi manaH krshNa pramaaTHi balavath dhrDam

 

thasya aham nigraham manye vaayoriva sudhushkaram

 

The mind, Krishna, is fickle, agitated, strong and obstinate. Controlling it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

 

 

Krishna has been talking about the state of yogaarooda which is rather difficult to understand by the uninitiated 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. The mind, he says, is very unsteady, turbulent, obstinate and powerful. Therefore the control of the mind is as 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 emphasized in the second chapter of the Gita by 'dhyaayatho vishayaan pumsah---'(BG2-62,63.)

 

There are three adjectives applied to the mind. pramaaThee, agitated, balavath, strong and dhrDam, firm or obstinate. When mind gets attached to a thing, it becomes turbulent, pramaaThee swayed by the emotions of kaama and krodha etc. It also becomes strong, balavat, in its attachment and it is not easy to detach it from the object of desire. When we try to do it the mind shows its obstinacy, dhrDathva, by justifying its action. There are so many reasons the mind can supply for remaining attached. The man of the world says, "why should I give up the pleasures of the world for something which I do not know about and who will take care of my family and possessions if I give them up?"

 

One thing should be understood clearly. Detachment does not necessitate running away from the world to the forest which is what Arjuna wanted to do, but due to attachment and not detachment. The real detachment vairagya consists in change of attitude and not change of circumstances. This detachment from the world comes only with the knowledge that all the pleasures and possessions are not the source of permanent happiness.

 

The word KrshNa means eternal bliss. Krshi refers to the earth and the `Na'kaara stands for nivrtthi , bliss through emancipation. Krshna also means one who attracts. Karshati ithi. To detach from one thing is possible only by attaching ourselves to something higher as explained earlier. So when mind gets attached to the Lord, the other attractions which are termed as alpa in the upanishat are given up to attain the happiness that is bhoomaa.