CHAPTER 6:
THE YOGA OF MEDITATION
About the nature of yoga
and reincarnation
(1) The Supreme
Lord said: 'One who is not taking to the fruits and does his work
dutifully is of the renounced order and a yogi, but not he who is
without the fire and does not do his duty. (2) Know that what is called sannyâs
is what links one to the Supreme, o son of Pându; surely never
will anyone become a transcendentalist who does not give up the selfish
motive. (3) Of the sage
who has just begun one says it is by means of work that one links up
while of the ones who attained it, it is said that it is surely the
sameness that is the means of yoga. (4) When surely he is never for the good of the
senses engaged in the necessary fruitive labor, at that time he is a
renouncer of selfhood elevated in yoga, one says. (5) One must free oneself by mindfulness and
never put oneself down, as surely that selfinterest is indeed as well
the friend of the soul as the self its enemy. (6) The mindful is the best friend of that
living soul who by himself conquered himself, but to those who are
soulless the same mindfulness stays as an enemy. (7) Those who conquered mindfully and thus
attained to peace have reached the Supersoul its sameness in cold and
heat, happiness and distress as well as honor and dishonor. (8) The soul satisfied by
knowledge and wisdom
is in the spiritual and united in the control over his senses and thus
one says, the yogi is indifferent about a clod of dirt, a stone
or gold. (9)
And
to have an
equal intelligence towards
well-wishers, friends
and enemies, neutrals and arbiters, hating ones and good-willing
relatives as well as to the pious as the sinners,
is [even] more advanced.
(10) The spiritual
person must always remember himself being alone in a secluded position,
in controlled consciousness, without distraction and concerns about
possessions. (11-12) At
a
sanctified
spot he should put a seat not too high nor too low, covering
a filling ['kus'a grass'] with soft cloth ['deerskin'] and then clear
his busy mind to be one-pointed of heart with his senses and activities
in assuming postures of yoga. (13-14) Keeping the body, head and neck straight, not moving, he
should gaze at the tip of his nose without looking elsewhere. With a
calm self, without fear and loyal to the celibate, the one connecting
should sit to subdue the mind concentrating on Me as the ultimate goal.
(15) Constantly practicing
the soulfulness as
mentioned, the meditator with a regulated mind attains peace and
the heavenly abode of spiritual union. (16)
But
nor is there yoga eating too much or fasting excessively, and also not
with one who sleeps too much, or with one who
stays awake, o Arjuna. (17) With the regulation of eating and
recreating, the duties of maintenance and sleep and wakefulness, the
yoga practice will put an end to the misery. (18) When disciplined this way the consciousness
for sure has become situated in transcendence without hankering after
sense-gratification, then one is thus said to be united. (19) The comparison to a lamp out of the wind
that is not wavering is what one is reminded of with a yogi whose
balanced consciousness is connected in constantly being engaged in the
soul. (20-23) In that state where consciousness stills
by doing yoga, the self, that realizes its position in the mindfulness
of the soul, becomes satisfied. The
supreme happiness, of which one knows that by intelligence it can be
accessed in the transcendence,
will surely him who is situated in it never remove from the truth. And
anything else which by the attainment is also gained is never
considered to be more than that, as in that position no miseries,
however difficult they are, can put one out of balance. Know that the
miseries resulting from contacting matter dissolve in this unification
of yoga. (24)
That yoga one must practice with firm determination without deviating
in mental speculations that are born from lust; all this total
forsaking by the mind is sure to be from the settling of the whole
sensory apparatus in all respects.
(25) Gradually
step by step one should intelligently withdraw the mind by means of
ones conviction, putting it to the transcendent, not even thinking of
making it any other way. (26)
From wherever the agitated mind flickering and unsteady wanders one
must certainly bring it back under the control of the regulating self. (27) This yogi, whose mind is pacified, attains
with his passions quieted the spiritual liberation of being freed from
all reactions to sin. (28)
Thus
engaging the soul always the yogi
is freed from sin in the transcendental joy of spiritual union and thus
he attains never ending happiness. (29)
The soul in all beings and all beings in the soul - that is how someone
in the spiritual union of yoga sees everywhere with equal vision. (30) For whoever sees Me everywhere and sees
everything in Me, I am not lost nor is He lost to Me. (31) He who is devoted to Me as situated in the
heart of everyone dwells in oneness and whatever the circumstances of
such a transcendentalist, He will always remain in Me. (32) He, o Arjuna, who, comparing the joy and
sorrow everywhere, sees it equally - such a yogi is considered the best.
(33) Arjuna said:
'Of this system of yoga generally described by you, o
Madhusûdana, I do, because of my restlessness, not see its
stability in place. (34)
The mind is surely fickle, o Krishna, agitating, strong and obstinate,
to subdue it, I think, is as difficult as controlling the wind.'
(35) The Supreme Lord said:
'Undoubtedly, o
mighty armed one, the restless mind is difficult to curb, but with
persistence, o son of Kuntî, and also by detachment it can be
controlled. (36)
With a mind ill disciplined selfrealization
is difficult, in My vision, but endeavoring with a practical mind
controlling appropriately one will achieve it.'
(37) Arjuna said:
'What is the destiny, o Krishna, to which the one achieves who fell
from his belief and who deviates from the path of yoga with such a mind
failing the highest perfection?. (38) Does such a one who lost both not perish
like a riven cloud without a hold, o Mighty-armed One, confused on the
path of transcendence as he is? (39) This is my doubt, o Krishna, and I ask You
to dispel it completely, as besides You, there is certainly no other
remover of this doubt to be found.
(40) The Supreme Lord said:
'O son of
Prithâ, there is never destruction in this world nor in the next one for the one who is
engaged in doing good; surely no one who
does good will ever end in trouble. (41-42) After achieving the worlds of those who
performed piously and after dwelling there for many years, the one who
fell from the path of yoga takes birth again in the house of those
prosperous and pure, or he will for sure take birth in the family of
experienced yoga-adepts, although such a birth is naturally very rare
in this world. (43)
After that, he will revive the consciousness gained in his previous
embodiment and then again will strive for perfection, o son of Kuru. (44) By that previous practice, he certainly of
his own will be attracted and even be inquisitive about yoga and
transcend the routines of rite and prayer. (45) Endeavoring methodically such a
transcendentalist will, seeing all of his sins washed off in achieving
perfection through many many births, thereafter attain the highest
destination [of self-realization]. (46)
A
yogi is greater than the ascetics and the wise and also the
yogi is considered greater than the ones working for profit;
therefore o Arjuna, become a yogi. (47)
And
of all sorts of yogis, the one who in full faith is always
within himself thinking of Me and rendering transcendental service, I
consider to be the greatest.'
Spoken by Anand Aadhar Prabhu
to the text offered below