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Category Archives: chittam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 12

18 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.9, aaptum, abhyaasayogena, atha, chapter 12 verse 9, chittam, dhananjaya, icchaa, maam, mayi, na, samaadhaatum, shaknoshi, sthiram, tataha

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atha chittam samaadhaatum na shaknoshi mayi sthiram |
abhyaasayogena tato maamicchaaptum dhananjaya || 9 ||
 
If you are unable to steadfastly establish your mind in me, then seek to attain me through the yoga of repeated practice, O Dhananjaya.
 
atha : if
chittam : mind
samaadhaatum : establish
na : not
shaknoshi : able
mayi : in me
sthiram : steadfastly
abhyaasayogena : yoga of repeated practice
tataha : then
maam : me
icchaa : seek
aaptum : attain
dhananjaya : O Dhananjaya
 
A student of music does not become a maestro overnight. While watching a concert, we may admire how easily he can handle complex passages on the piano, but we know that the prowess is a result of years, maybe even decades, of repeated practice. In his book “Outliers”, author Malcolm Gladwell emphasizes the “10,000 hour rule”. The key to success in any field is a matter of practising a task for 10,000 hours. Here, Shri Krishna says that if we are unable to constantly fix our mind in Ishvara, we should set aside some time daily and practice doing so.
 
In the sixth chapter, Arjuna admits to Shri Krishna that it is very difficult for someone to keep their mind in Ishvara all the time, and asks for a solution to this problem. There as well, Shri Krishna recommends the technique of “abhyaasa” or repeated practice. In this technique, we first choose an object of worship such as the image of a deity, a spiritual text or a mantra. Then, following the instructions in the sixth chapter, we set aside a fixed time and place every day to meditate upon the object of worship. Whenever our thoughts stray away, we gently bring them back so that we are only thinking about the object of worship. This yoga is known as raaja yoga, ashtaanga yoga or dhyaana yoga.
 
Note that abhyaasa is not possible without its counterpart vairaagya or dispassion towards the material world. Without reducing our stock of material desires, it is virtually impossible to sit in meditation. Each vaasanaa, each unfulfilled desire has the potential to produce a series of thoughts in our mind. When we sit for meditation, these unfulfilled desires start competing with each other to produce thoughts that distract us from the object of worship. Therefore, Shri Krishna advises us to follow abhyaasa and vairaagya together.
 
Now, with the practice of dhyaana yoga, we only think of Ishvara for a brief period of time each day. How should we continue our spiritual practice throughout the rest of the day? Or, our stock of desires may not even let us sit in one place. Then how should we worship Ishvara? Shri Krishna addresses this next.

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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 18, Chapter 6

20 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmani, avatishyate, chapter 6 verse 18, chittam, eva, iti, nihspruhaha, sarvakaamebhyo, tadaa, uchyate, viniyatam, yada, yuktaha

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yada viniyatam chittamaatmanyevaavatishyate |
nihspruhaha sarvakaamebhyo yukta ityuchyate tadaa || 18 ||
 
When the controlled mind, indifferent towards all objects, is established only in the self, then such a person is called a yogi.
 
yada : when
viniyatam : controlled
chittam : mind
aatmani : in the self
eva : only
avatishyate : is established
nihspruhaha : indifferent towards
sarvakaamebhyo : all objects
yuktaha : that yogi
iti : in this manner
uchyate : is called
tadaa : at that time
 
In this key shloka within the sixth chapter, Shri Krishna gives us a way to evaluate ourselves with regards to attaining perfection in meditation. He says that only when one can establish the mind in the self, and not in material objects of the world, is one fit to be called a meditator. There is a lot of depth and meaning in this shloka. The next few shlokas go deeper into its meaning.
 
For most of us, it is the thoughts about the material world that become the major obstacle in meditation. These thoughts are generated by vaasanaas, which are latent desires and cravings. When we experience or entertain materials object in the mind, we create subtle impressions or vaasanaas in our mind, like a camera, that “this object/person/situation is good”. The mind then regurgitates these impressions in the form of thoughts. The part of the mind that stores these impressions is also known as the “chitta”.
 
A desire is a thought that says “I have not experienced something, I want to experience it”. A craving is a thought that says “I already had a good experience, but I want it to experience it again”. It is these 2 types of thoughts that do not allow us to sit down in meditation, because they take the mind outward. Depending on the proclivities of our sense organs, impressions are recorded deeply or superficially. Stronger impressions generate stronger thoughts, pulling the mind outward forcefully.
 
Shri Krishna says that when the mind has gone beyond generating desires and cravings, only then does proper meditation happen. When the mind gets established in the self, at that time, this person is considered as perfected, integrated and established in meditation. He is fit to be called a yogi. It will only happen with a very well firmly controlled mind, which is pure and free from all kinds of cravings and desires.
 
Next, let us examine the question of where should the mind be established once it has stopped turning outward. Shri Krishna says that the mind should get established in the aatmaa or the self. But, in an earlier shloka, he had asked us to meditate on his form. What does this mean?
 
Shri Krishna says that there is no difference. He is our self. In fact, he is the self of all beings. This is the great revelation of the scriptures. If we choose to meditate on his form, that is fine. If we choose to meditate on the formless brahman, the eternal essence, that is fine too. It is usually easier to meditate on the form for beginner seekers. But it is extremely important that we have extreme regard and love towards the Ishta Devata, the form of Ishvara that we chose to meditate on. It could be Vitthala, Rama, Krishna – any deity. Meditation is not a mechanical activity, it needs uncompromising support from the body, mind and intellect. If the mind does not take pleasure in meditation, it will not happen.
 
Furthermore, the mind will settle in the self only when we make meditation our top priority. In other words, all other activities in the world should take lower priority. Otherwise, they will show up in meditation. Our job is to do just that. The mind will settle in the self automatically once we do so. It is like a youngster in the house trying to study for an exam while the TV, internet and music system are on. His attention will never go to studying because it is being dragged in several directions. He needs to first switch all the other things off.
 
Next, Shri Krishna explains the state of a perfect meditator through an illustration.