Monthly Archives: April 2012

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 6

30 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmaanam, ashrute, brahma, chapter 6 verse 28, evam, sadaa, samparsham, sukham, sukhena, vigatakalmashaha, yogi, yunjan

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yunjannevam sadaatmaanam yogee vigatakalmashaha |
sukhena brahmasamsparshamatyantam sukhamashrute || 28 ||
 
In this manner, the sinless yogi, always engaged in the self, joyfully contacts the eternal essence, experiencing infinite bliss.
 
yunjan : engaged
evam : in this manner
sadaa : always
aatmaanam : in the self
yogi : yogi
vigatakalmashaha : sinless
sukhena : joyfully
brahma : eternal essence
samsparsham : contacts
atyantam : infinite
sukham : bliss
ashrute : experiences
 
With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of the meditation process. He says that one who follows the step by step approach towards meditation obtains infinite joy and happiness because he comes into contact with the eternal essence.
 
The word ”evam” here refers to the step-by-step approach to meditation that has been prescribed here. Shri Krishna says that only by following this approach can the eternal essence be realized. There are several methods to meditation, but it is important to follow a disciplined approach in order to obtain the result mentioned in this shloka. It is like the purification of gold. Only a certain process will ensure that the mined gold will shine.
 
Next, Shri Krishna highlights that the yogi needs to have continually kept focus on the method of meditation with the word “vigata kalmashah” which means without any defects or sins. Meditation cannot yield results if the mind still harbours impurities in the form of vaasanaas and desires. A purified mind is a prerequisite to meditation.
 
Finally, what does is the end result of meditation? It is ultimate happiness or sukha, obtained by contact with brahman, the eternal essence. The literal translation is : “the yogi touches brahman”. Brahman is of the nature of infinite joy and bliss. Anyone who identifies with it also gains such infinite joy – “atyanta sukham”.
 
With this shloka, the explanation of the process of meditation is concluded. We can go much deeper into the process of meditation, discuss further obstacles and so on. Other texts cover those obstacles in greater detail. Next, Shri Krishna illustrates the change in the vision of the meditator, which is the final topic in this chapter on meditation.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 6

29 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in akalmasham, brahmabhootam, chapter 6 verse 27, enam, hi, manasam, parshaanta, rajasam, shaanta, sukham, upaiti, uttamam, yoginam

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prashaantamanasam hyonam yoginam sukhamuttamama |
upaiti shaantarajasam brahmabhootamakalmasham || 27 ||
 
Supreme joy certainly obtains this yogi with serene mind, whose passion has been quietened, who has become the eternal essence, and who is without sin.
 
prashaanta : serene
manasam : mind
hi : certainly
enam : this
yoginam : yogi
sukham : joy
uttamam : supreme
upaiti : obtains
shaanta : quietened
rajasam : passion
brahmabhootam : become the eternal essence
akalmasham : without sin
 
In one of the most classic shlokas of this chapter, Shri Krishna does something which is next to impossible – he puts the result of meditation into words that we can understand. He says that supreme joy comes to the meditator whose mind is quiet and free from sin, who has calmed his passions and who has identified with the eternal essence.
 
What is our situation in life for the most part? We constantly run after sukham or joy. If there is any chance of happiness that is within reach, we run after it. Unfortunately, whenever we run after joy, joy tends to run away from us. It is hard to catch. In the rare instance that we possess joy, we beg it to stay. We do not ever want it to leave us. This is also easier said than done.
 
Shri Krishna says that in the case of the meditator, it is joy that runs after him. It comes to the meditator and asks him “shall I stay with you?”. The meditator becomes what is sought after, joy becomes the seeker. Moreover, it is not ordinary joy that comes after the meditator. It is the most supreme joy. This is the difference between a bhogi and a yogi. A bhogi runs after joy, but joy runs after a yogi.
 
Now, how is the mind of such a yogi? It is extremely quiet, like a calm lake. He is able to view any kind of situation that impacts him with such dispassion that it is like watching the situation happen to an unrelated person. If it is a disturbing situation, lets say he suffers an accident, he smiles just like we smile at a character in a movie. There are absolutely no complaints for any situation from a yogi.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that the yogi is “shaanta rajasam”, he has silenced the quality of passion within him. Rajas, the mode of nature that causes us to go outside ourself, is present in visible as well as in subtle form inside us. Through karmayoga, we can check the visible forms of rajas to a large extent. But it is only through meditation that we can completely remove the invisible, subtle traces of rajas within us. Till all the rajas is silenced, we should let it express in the form of performance of our duties, not any other actions.
 
Furthermore, the mind of the meditator is pervaded with a single thought “I am the eternal essence”. This is indicated by the word “brahmabhootam” in this shloka. When the meditator has identified himself with brahman, and removed his identification with everything else, then he automatically becomes one with the eternal essence. The removal of everything else in the form of impurities is indicated by the word “akalmasham”.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this topic in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 6

28 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmani, asthiram, chanchalam, chapter 6 verse 26, etat, eva, manaha, nayet, nishcharati, niyamya, tataha, vasham, yataha

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yato yato nishcharati manashchanchalamasthiram |
tatastato niyamyaitadaatmanyeva vasham nayet || 26 ||
 
Wherever the fickle and unstable mind strays, remove it from there and constantly focus it only on the self.
 
yataha : wherever
nishcharati : strays
manaha : mind
chanchalam : fickle
asthiram : unstable
tataha : from there
niyamya : remove
etat : it
aatmani : self
eva : only
vasham : focus
nayet : constantly
 
Having asked the meditator to slowly but surely practice meditation, Shri Krishna elaborates on what exactly is the aspect of meditation that needs constant practice and repetition. He urges the meditator to check the mind as soon as it strays into another thought, and bring it back to the thought of the self. The meditator has to do this again and again, each time the mind strays. It is one of the most practical shlokas about meditation.
 
As we practice meditation, we begin to appreciate the speed at which the mind moves from thought to thought. For example, let’s say that the thought of taking a one week vacation enters the mind. It then leads to a chain of thoughts. First the mind makes a list of all our favourite vacations spots. Then it calculates how much each place will cost. Then it visualizes what each of those places looks like. It might also bring up memories of past vacations. The mind has thought all of this within seconds. By the time we are aware that the mind is thinking like this, it has strayed far away from the object of meditation.
 
So therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to be extremely vigilant and alert with regards to our thoughts during meditation. We have to cultivate this vigilance as a habit. We have vigilant habits in other parts of our life. Men, for example, check their face daily for any stray hairs just after shaving. Similarly, we should be vigilant about stray thoughts during meditation. The constant practice of removing stray thoughts is called “abhyaasa”.
 
The mind loves to stray towards thoughts about objects, people and situations that we have given importance to. Abhyaasa helps us diminish our importance towards stray thoughts. Shri Shankaraachaarya in his commentary gives us a wonderful tip with regards to abhyaasa. Each time we encounter a stray thought, we should instantly analyze it like a scientist. We should inspect each thought and say: it is nothing but name and form on top of the eternal essence. If the thought is about name and form only, then it is not real, it is does not have “satyatva”. And if it is not real, it is not important, so I should not go after it.
 
Furthermore, if the very same thought occurs the next time, we should inspect it and say : I have already determined that this thought is not important to me. If we do so each time that same thought comes, we develop dispassion or vairagya towards it. Only then will meditation work properly.
 
If we follow this technique, the mind will eventually become quiet – “prashaanta”.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 6

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmasamstham, api, budhhyaa, chantayet, chapter 6 verse 25, dhritigrheetayaa, kinchit, kritvaa, manah, na, shanaih, uparamet

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shanaihi shanairooparamedbuddhyaa dhritigrheetayaa |
aatmasamstham manah kritvaa na kinchidapi chintayet || 25 ||
 
With firm resolve and regularity, slowly but surely, withdraw (the mind) through the intellect. Having established the mind in the self, do not think even a little bit about anything else.
 
shanaih : slowly
shanaih : slowly
uparamet : withdraw
buddhyaa : through the intellect
dhritigrheetayaa : with firm resolve and regularity
aatmasamstham : established in the self
manah : mind
kritvaa : do
na : not
kinchit : even a little bit about
api : anything else
chintayet : think
 
In the prior shloka, Shri Krishna advised the meditator to detach the mind from sense objects, and to control desires by checking unwanted thoughts. In this shloka, Shri Krishna goes deeper into the topic of focusing attention on one thought. He says that the meditator should use his intellect to withdraw the mind from all material thoughts in order to focus the mind on the one thought : “I am the self”.
 
In the third chapter, we had encountered the hierarchy of our personality where we saw that the mind is higher than the senses, and the intellect is higher than the mind. What does it mean for the meditator? It means that even though the mind is hard to control, our intellect has the power to rein it in. In other words, the meditator should use the intellect to control the mind.
 
The mind likes to be busy. It hops from one thought to another at lightning fast speeds. Once we withdraw the mind from the senses, the mind gets restless because it cannot run after sense objects. In order to keep busy, it starts thinking about the past and the future. So therefore, Shri Krishna asks us to use our intellect to rein in the mind. This withdrawal is called “buddhi uparamet” in the shloka.
 
How does one do that? Let’s take dieting as an example. Imagine that our doctor has asked us to go on strict diet for 2 weeks. Our first step is to control the senses by not keeping any undesirable food in the house. When this happens, the mind will continuously think about food, and tempt the body to do undesirable things, e.g. go out of the house to get fatty food and so on. The mind becomes agitated and restless, which is a recipe for disaster.
 
At this point, we use our intellect that has received the doctor’s instructions to check the mind. We think : “I respect the doctor. Therefore, mind, stop contemplating undesirable food since it will have negative consequences for me”. When we think this thought, we can control the mind’s rush into food-related thoughts.
 
Similarly during meditation, we can withdraw the mind using the intellect. We need to have an intellect that has read and heard about the eternal essence. It understands that any thought other than “I am the self” does not have a place in meditation. Each time an unwanted thought comes, we should use the intellect to gently but firmly shift focus from that thought and put the mind back into the main thought of “I am the self”.
 
Shri Krishna says that this method could take weeks, months or years. Therefore, he asks us to do it “shanaih shanaih” or slowly slowly, with great fortitude and patience. We should constantly meditate over the thought : “ I am the self”. Other than this thought, there should be no other thought. Each time the mind strays, we should not think that we have failed and get dejected. We should again bring the mind back slowly to the one main thought.
 
When done correctly, we generate a lot of energy will radiate from our personality. This “tapas” or energy was always within us, but used to leak out through our mind and sense organs.
 
Now, the mind has another issue. It moves from thought to thought with great speed. This is taken up in the next shloka.
 
Footnotes
1. Meditation on the thought that “I am the self” is called “sajaatiya vritti”
2. Any thought other than “I am the self” is called “vijaatiya vritti” or thought about an object 3. These undesirable thoughts create the notion that “I am not the self, I am the experiencer”
4. We have to negate these undesirable thoughts during meditation

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 6

26 Thursday Apr 2012

Posted by in asheshataha, chapter 6 verse 24, indriyagraamam, kaamaan, manasaa, prabhavaan, samantataha, sankalpa, sarvaan, tyaktvaa, viniyamya

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sankalpaprabhavaankaamaanstyaktvaa sarvaanasheshataha |
manasaivendriyagraamam viniyamya samantataha || 24 ||
 
Totally discarding all desires born out of thought projections, withdrawing the mind from sense objects everywhere.
 
sankalpa : thought projections
prabhavaan : born from
kaamaan : desires
tyaktvaa : discarding
sarvaan : all
asheshataha : totally
manasaa : mind
indriyagraamam : sense objects
viniyamya : withdrawing
samantataha : everywhere
 
In this and the next shloka, Shri Krishna gives us a method for dealing with one of the biggest challenges in meditation : uncontrolled desires. He says that in order to fulfill the goal of keeping the mind established in the self, we have to completely withdraw the mind from all sense objects and tackle desires at their root.
 
As we have seen in the “ladder of fall” in the second chapter, a thought is born as soon as we begin brooding or daydreaming over an object, person or situation towards which we have raaga (attraction) or dvesha (hatred). The more time we spend brooding on the object, the more force is gathered by the thought, just like a snowball gathering momentum.
 
It is this brooding over objects that we like or hate that has to be checked. Only this restraint will stop desires in their tracks. But to pull this off, we have to follow a multi-pronged approach. First, we have to be aware of our thinking process so that we can stop the brooding the instant it starts. It is just like stopping any phone calls or outside interference when we are in an important meeting. Next, we have to apply this technique to all types of brooding or daydreaming, not just to objects we hate. Finally, we have to constantly examine our likes and dislikes so that we can develop dispassion towards them.
 
Foremost around “desire-generators” are sense objects. Our sense organs are programmed to rush towards objects that they like, and rush away from things that they dislike. While they rush, they drag our mind along, causing distraction and agitation. That is why it is advised to meditate in a clean and quiet place so that the sense organs cannot come into contact with anything and distract us. Gradually, as we get more proficient in meditation, we should ensure that the sense organs do not take in strong impressions that can pop up later in meditation. For example, if we love oranges, then we should be careful not to eat an orange just before meditation, otherwise the mind will keep thinking about the orange.
 
Now, once the mind has been withdrawn from the senses, it will seek an outlet for the outward force that used to rush out towards sense objects. If this force is not provided with a suitable outlet, we will get into trouble. So what should we do with all the latent energy that is stored up? Shri Krishna discusses this point in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 6

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in anirvinna, chapter 6 verse 23, chetasaa, dujhka, nischayena, saha, saiyoga, sanngitam, vidyaat, viyogam, yoga, yogaha, yotavyaha

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tam vidyaadyuhkhasaiyogaviyogam yogasanngitam |
sa nischayena yoktavyo yogonirvinnachetasaa || 23 ||
 
You should know the definition of yoga as that which severs connection with sorrow. You should engage in yoga with firm conviction and a non-despondent mind.
 
tam : that which
vidyaat : you should know
duhkha : sorrow
saiyoga : connection
viyogam : sever
yoga : yoga
sanngitam : definition
saha : that
nischayena : firm conviction
yoktavyaha : should engage in
yogaha : yoga
anirvinna: not despondent
chetasaa : mind
 
Shri Krishna motivates and inspires the meditator to attain perfection in meditation in this shloka. Only through meditation can the meditator completely sever all sorrows. He urges the meditator to follow the path of meditation with a firm and unwavering determination. No obstacles should deter the meditator from his goal.
 
We are introduced to yet another definition of yoga in this shloka. In the second chapter we saw two definitions of yoga: yoga is equanimity, and yoga is dexterity in action. Here, yoga is defined as “duhkha saiyoga viyoga”. Let us examine what this means.
 
Sorrow has an intimate relationship or connection with our live. We do get glimpses of happiness, but this is due to the degree of sorrow declining temporarily. This connection is termed as “dukha saiyoga”. We never lose this connection with sorrow throughout our life. Shri Krishna says that the yoga of meditation is the only means by which we can sever or separate this connection with sorrow. This is why the yoga is meditation is defined here as “duhkha saiyoga viyoga”.
 
In other words, if we have perfected ourselves in meditation, sorrows can never touch us. Even though we cannot stop sorrows from approaching us, we will not associate with them ever again after meditation. This capability comes as a result of the fixity of mind developed through meditation. So in addition to progressing in our spiritual journey, meditation gives us something which we continually seek on the material level as well – freedom from sorrows.
 
Now, Shri Krishna says something that he has not said anywhere else in the Gita. He says that we must make a firm determination to attain the state of the perfected meditator. He emphasizes that the state of the perfected meditator is the goal that we should aim towards. It is like a parent telling his child that he should focus on obtained his graduate degree. It implies that the child will put effort in school, high school and college, all the way until he gets his graduate degree. If each part of the curriculum is followed, the goal is attained easily.
 
Similarly, the Gita gives us a curriculum for attainment of liberation. It introduces us to the eternal essence in the second chapter. In the third chapter, it explains the method of giving up the sense of “mine” through karma yoga. In the fourth and fifth chapter, it explains the method of giving up the sense of doership i.e. “I am the doer” through karma sanyaasa. When the sense of I and mine is given up, our mind is then ready to get established in the understanding that the eternal essence is our own self through meditation.
 
Having said this, Shri Krishna is extremely pragmatic. He knows that this goal is not easy. It is going to take a long time. We will encounter obstacles in the way that may demotivate us or make us despondent and frustrated. So therefore, he says that we should not let the mind become despondent. Each time we encounter an obstacle that pushes us off the path of meditation, we get up and continue, again and again.
 
What are these obstacles and how to deal with them? This topic is taken up in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 6

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in adhikam, aparam, api, aysmin, cha, chapter 6 verse 22, gurunaa, laabham, labdhvaa, manyate, na, na duhkhena, sthitaha, tataha, vichaalyate, yam

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yam labdhvaa chaaparam laabham manyate naadhikam tataha |
yasminsthitho na duhkhena gurunaapi vichaalyate || 22 ||
 
Having obtained this gain, he does consider anything superior than that, established in which he cannot be agitated by the heaviest of sorrows.
 
yam : that
labdhvaa : having obtained
cha : and
aparam : no other
laabham : gain
manyate : consider
na : does not
adhikam : superior
tataha : than that
yasmin : in which
sthithaha : established
na : cannot be
duhkhena : from sorrow
gurunaa : heaviest
api : even
vichaalyate : agitated by
 
Elaborating further on the joy attained by the perfected meditator, Shri Krishna says that once the meditator gets this joy, he does not ascribe any importance to any other joy in the world. The joy of meditation becomes paramount. Also, this joy protects the meditator from the shocks of worldly life. Having gained the joy of meditation, he does not get agitated by any sorrow whatsoever.
 
As we saw earlier, any joy obtained in the material world is temporary. If someone becomes a manager, he aspires to become a senior manager. Once he becomes a senior manager, he experiences joy for some time, but then he aims for a so-called larger joy: he wants to become a director. And so the cycle continues.
 
We continually aim for greater and greater joys. In other words, we are always planning for future enjoyment. There will never come a point in life when we can say “yes, now my life is fulfilled”. Shri Krishna says that only meditation will give sense of true fulfillment and everlasting joy, incomparable to any worldly joy that we have experienced. Any worldly joy will pale in comparison to this joy. When one wins a lottery that pays millions, one does not go seeking pennies.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that the person who becomes established in this joy of meditation is shielded from the impact of the most troublesome sorrows. Now, attainment of the joy in meditation does not mean that magically, all our sorrows will vanish. Till our human body exists, joy and sorrow will exist as well. But meditation will give us an armour that will protect us from all worldly sorrows. The inner strength provided by meditation will make us “shock proof”.
 
Let us imagine that we hear extremely disturbing news. What is our reaction typically? Our mind generates thoughts at a breakneck speed. If the sorrow is about a loss of a person, the storehouse of the mind (chitta) generates anxiety-ridded thoughts about the future (what will I do now, how will I survive, how will I adapt etc), memories of the past (it was so nice back in the day when I knew this person), and regrets (I should have done this). These are just a sample of the thousands of thoughts that the mind generates when learning of a disturbing event. For most of us, these thoughts destabilize us. But the meditator’s mind has become “set” in the eternal essence, it never loses its stability.
 
However, wee have to be careful before we give so much credit to the practice of meditation. Plain meditation without understanding, in other words, meditation without learning the content of the Gita thus far, does not give us this result. But if our intellect has diligently studied about the eternal essence – that it is beyond birth and death, that it is changeless, that it cannot be destroyed and so on – and our mind has become established in the eternal essence through meditation, the multitude of thoughts that hit our mind fail to destabilize us. We become like a rock that remains steady in a storm, not the tree that gets uprooted.
 
So therefore, meditation gives us the best of both worlds. It gives us joy independent of any future sorrow, and also protects us from the impact of heavy sorrows. In the next shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the sub-topic of the joy of meditation
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 6

23 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatyantaikam, ateendriyam, ayam, buddhigraahyam, cha, chalati, chapter 6 verse 21, eva, na, sthitaha, sukham, tat, tattvataha, vetti, yat, yatra

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sukhamaatyantikam yattadbuddhigraahyamateendriyam |
vetti yatra na chaivaayam sthitashchalati tattvataha || 21 ||
 
That infinite joy which is comprehended by the intellect but is beyond the senses, when he experiences that state and is established in it, he does not move away from his essence.
 
sukham : joy
aatyantikam : infinite
yat : that
tat : that
buddhigraahyam : comprehended by the intellect
ateendriyam : beyond the senses
vetti : experiences
yatra : in that state
na : does not
cha : and
eva : ever
ayam : he
sthitaha : established
chalati : move away
tattvataha : in his essence
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained that the perfected meditator taps into a source of permanent joy once he detaches the mind from the sense organs and connects it to his self. In this shloka, he elaborates on the nature of that joy. He says that this joy is infinite and is comprehended only by the intellect. Also, he says that once we are established in this joy, no external circumstance will knock us or take us away from this state.
 
Let us examine the nature of this joy. Shri Krishna says that it is aatyantikam or infinite. Now, the material world is an expert in giving us infinite sorrow. There are moments in our life when the degree of sorrow is low, and we tend to think that this is joy whereas in reality it is just a lower grade of sorrow. Any new object, person or situation that we encounter carries within it the seed for innumerable sorrows. But the joy that one gets from the self is infinite.
 
Why is the joy from the self infinite? All our worldly joys are dependent on external situations. For some of us, a perfect climate makes us happy, causing us to become sad if the climate changes. For some of us, a certain person makes us happy, so we become dependent on that person and consequently feel sad if that person leaves us. We keep creating subsets in the world: I like A, which means I don’t everything that is not A. But here’s the problem; A is finite and temporary. The joy experienced in the self is independent of all external situations that are temporary in nature. That is why it is infinite.
 
Another characteristic of this joy is that it is beyond the comprehension of the senses. Just like we cannot catch a satellite TV signal with a regular antenna, our senses cannot catch this joy. It is of a different wavelength altogether. It is only comprehended by our intellect, which operates at a much higher level than our mind and senses.
 
As an example, consider two teenagers who are at a party where everyone else is enjoying a cigarette. Both of them are offered a cigarette by their friends. The sense organs are reporting the same information to both the teenager’s intellects – that cigarette smoking is enjoyable and that all their friends are doing it. One teenager accepts the offer and takes a puff. But the other teenager has a refined intellect and it “sees” that this will only lead to sorrow in the end. In the same way, the intellect experiences joy that the senses cannot experience.
 
Shri Krishna further goes on to say that once the perfected meditator is established in this joy, he will never deviate from it. It is like a child learning that 2+2 = 4. Once he has internalized this teaching, it stays with him throughout his life. Similarly, once the perfected meditator realizes this self as his true nature, he will not feel the need to take on any other role or identification for the purpose of fulfillment.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 6

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmaanam, aatmanaa, aatmani, cha, chapter 6 verse 20, chittam, eva, niruddham, pashyan, tushyati, uparamate, yatra, yogasevayaa

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yatroparamate chittam niruddham yogasevayaa |
yatra chaivaatmanaatmaanam pashyannaatmani tushyati || 20 ||
 
When the mind is quietened through restraint by engaging in yoga, and when, beholding the self in the self, the self is content.
 
yatra : when
uparamate : quietened
chittam : mind
niruddham : removal
yogasevayaa : by engaging in yoga
yatra : when
cha : and
eva : only
aatmanaa : in the self
aatmaanam : the self
pashyan : beholds
aatmani : in the self
tushyati : content
 
Shri Krishna further elaborates on the state of the perfected meditator in this shloka. He says that the perfected meditator severs all connections of his mind with material objects, and established a connection to the self or aatmaa during meditation. When the connections with the material objects are severed, he achieves a level of satisfaction never achieved with material objects. The big difference here is that the satisfaction is from within, not from without.
 
Imagine a 100 watt bulb that is connected to a generator. The generator cannot produce more than 10 watts. Moreover, the generator is defective so even the 10 watts that it produces is intermittent. The bulb will be temporarily satisfied, but will never achieve complete satisfaction. Now, imagine that the bulb finds out that it was inside a power plant all along. When it disconnects itself from the faulty generator, and connects itself to the power plant, it will immediately experience unlimited power. Moreover, this power will be consistent and long-lasting.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna says that the satisfaction that our mind achieves from the material world is limited and temporary. The only way to gain unlimited and permanent happiness is to connect our mind to the self or aatmaa. But this happens only when we first disconnect the mind from material objects. The state of the mind when it has disconnected from material objects, and is ready to settle into the self, is called uparamate in the shloka.
 
Withdrawal from the material world is not easy. It is the outcome of following a disciplined spiritual curriculum. First, we have to develop discrimination or viveka by strengthening our intellect through reading and listening about the eternal essence through scriptures. This enables us to develop dispassion or vairagya towards the material world. Dispassion starts turning the mind away from material objects, leading to withdrawal from the material world. It is like our attitude towards toys versus a child’s attitude – we have dispassion, the child does not.
 
So therefore, when the mind has fully turned inward, and has settled into the aatmaa or the self, we experience a deep and lasting level of satisfaction and bliss. But what exactly is meant by the mind settling into the self? It is when the only thought that remains is that “I am the aatmaa” or “I am the eternal essence”. All other thoughts about the world, people, objects, situations and so on have gone away.
 
Having gained this everlasting bliss and satisfaction, what does the meditator do? Shri Krishna explains this next.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 6

22 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmanaha, chapter 6 verse 19, deepaha, ingate, na, nivaatasthataha, saa, smritaa, upamaa, yatachittasya, yathaa, yogam, yoginaha, yunjato

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 6

yathaa deepo nivaatasthato nengate sopamaa smritaa |
yogino yatachittasya yunjato yogamaatmanaha || 19 ||
 
Just like a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, this state is comparable to the yogi, having controlled the mind, who engages his self in yoga.
 
yathaa : just like
deepaha : lamp
nivaatasthataha : in a windless place
na : does not
ingate : flicker
saa : this (state)
upamaa : comparison
smritaa : has been said
yoginaha : of the yogi
yatachittasya : who has controlled the mind
yunjato : engages
yogam : yoga
aatmanaha : with his self
 
The state of the meditator’s mind is beautifully explained with a classic illustration or “upamaa” by Shri Krishna in this shloka. He compares the mind of a meditator to the flame of a lamp that is burning in a windless room. Just like the flame is unwavering due to absence of wind, so too is the mind of a meditator steady due to absence of desire.
 
If we compare the focused mind to a steady flame, then we need to understand how to prevent to mind from succumbing to the winds of desire. If desires exist, we may be able to temporarily stabilize the mind, but it will eventually get destabilized due to a thought generated by a desire. Presence of desire indicates absence of detachment or vairagya. The only cure is to increase our level of detachment towards the world.
 
The intense level of detachment that is needed for meditation is not an alien concept. When people get extremely absorbed in watching TV, they temporarily develop detachment towards everything else. If we call them for dinner, or if the doorbell rings and so on, these external occurences do not even register in their minds. It again depends on what we give importance to.
 
Now let us examine another aspect of the lamp illustration. According to Vedaanta, seeing an inert object is a 2 step process. First, our mind creates a mental picture of the object. Next, the aatman or self shines a light on that picture, just like a torch does. Only when this light is shined do we come to know that “this is a mango” or “this is a car” and so on.
 
But when we meditate on the self, the second step does not happen because we are not focusing our attention on an inert object. We are focusing on the self, which illuminates itself. It is like shining a torch on the sun – the torch is useless. The self is like the candle since it does not require anything else to illumine it, to shine a light on it. This is another point made in the illustration of the flame.
 
So therefore, when our focus and concentration reaches its peak, and when the target of meditation becomes our own aatmaa or self, it is the culmination of meditation. It is the state of samaadhi. This state is further elaborated upon in the forthcoming shlokas.