Category Archives: yoga

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 11

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.8, anena, chakshuhu, chapter 11 verse 8, dadaami, divyam, drishtum, eva, ishvaram, maam, me, na, pashya, shakyase, svachakshushaa, te, tu, yoga

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na tu maam shakyase drishtumanenaiva svachakshushaa |
divyam dadaami te chakshuhu pashya me yogaishvaram || 8 ||
 
But, even this you cannot see with your own eye. I give you a divine eye, (so that you can) see the majesty of my yoga.
 
na : not
tu : but
maam : my
shakyase : can
drishtum : you see
anena : this
eva : even
svachakshushaa : with your own eye
divyam : divine
dadaami : I give
te : you
chakshuhu : eye
pashya : see
me : my
yoga : yoga
ishvaram : majesty
 
Even after Shri Krishna had begun displaying his Vishwa roopa, his cosmic form, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna at all. He realized that Arjuna’s mortal eyes did not have the capability needed to view the cosmic form. So he blessed Arjuna with the “divya drishti”, the divine vision with which the yoga, the power of creating this diversity in the universe, could be seen in all its majesty.
 
Before we proceed with the rest of this chapter, let us pause to dig a little deeper into this shloka. Each chapter in the Gita is a “yoga”, a technique for lifting us higher from the material to the divine. Arjuna was bestowed this vision by Shri Krishna, and we will hear a description of that vision from Sanjaya and Arjuna later in the chapter. But if this chapter is meant to give us a practical technique, what are we supposed to do? What does “divine vision” mean for us?
 
Let us consider a person from India who is deeply attached to his state or territory. As we have seen repeatedly in the Gita, any sort of deep attachment is a recipe for creating never-ending sorrow. What technique, what yoga could be prescribed for someone in this situation? One could ask that person to get a map of India, look at his state’s border, then mentally erase that border as well as all the other state borders, and see what’s left.
 
What will he see? He will only see the border of India. There would be no other divisions or distinctions. All conflicts regarding one state versus another would seem meaningless. It does not mean that the sense of attachment has gone away. That is very difficult to achieve. It simply means that the sense of attachment has been raised one step from the relative to the absolute.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna asks all of us to view the world with the vision that everything is in Ishvara. Our eyes, limited as they are, will always report divisions and distinctions. That is their nature. But we can always use our intelligence to look through those divisions and see that ultimately, Ishvara is in everything and everything is in Ishvara. If we learn to do this, our attachment to worldly concerns will drop, and shift towards Ishvara.
 
As we move to the next verse, we will find that the original narrator, Sanjaya, has taken over.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 8

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.8, abhyaasa, anuchintayan, anyagaaminaa, chapter 8 verse 8, chetasaa, divyam, na, paartha, paramam, purusham, yaati, yoga, yuktena

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abhyaasayogayuktena chetasaa naanyagaaminaa |
paramam purusham divyam yaati paarthaanuchintayan || 8 ||
 
With the mind engaged in constant practice of yoga, not diverting from it, contemplating the supreme divine person, (one) attains (him), O Paartha.
 
abhyaasa : constance practice
yoga : yoga
yuktena : engaged in
chetasaa : mind
na : not
anyagaaminaa : diverting from
paramam : supreme
purusham : person
divyam : divine
yaati : attains
paartha : O Paartha
anuchintayan : contemplating
 
Now that we know that the ultimate goal is upaasana, or constant meditation on Ishvara, how do we actually go about doing it? Shri Krishna described three kinds of meditation in the upcoming shlokas.
 
To perform upaasana, we need the support of either name or form, since it is extremely difficult to meditate upon something that is intangible. In the following three shlokas, Shri Krishna elaborates upon the technique of meditation on form. Here, he recalls the technique that was presented to us in the sixth chapter – abhyaasa yoga. In this technique, the mind is trained to focus exclusively on one thing. If it diverts to something else, then we bring it back to our object of meditation.
 
So then, what is the form that we meditate upon? We can meditate upon any form that we have a closeness to. It could be Lord Rama, Krishna, Hanuman or any deity. The deity should come to our mind effortlessly. There is no compulsion to chose one over the other. But as discussed earlier, we should be clear that the deity is an indicator or pointer to Ishvara, the supreme divine person being the words used in this shloka. We should not get stuck at the level of the deity we have chosen.
 
For those of us who are not so familiar with these deities, we can read scriptures like the Puraanaas that have wonderful stories describing the lives and exploits of these deities. Growing up in India, our generation was fortunate to read Amar Chitra Katha comics that presented these stories in a format that appealed to us as kids. They are available all over the world now.
 
As we increase our prowess in meditation, our notion of Ishvara also grows. To help us meditate upon Ishvara in all his grandeur, Shri Krishna gives us a pointer to this type of meditation in the next shloka that describes the form of the param purusha, the supreme being.

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 41, Chapter 4

02 Friday Mar 2012

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yogasannyastakarmaanam jnyaanasanchinnasanshayam |
aatmavantam na karmaani nibhandanti dhananjaya || 41 ||

One who has renounced actions through yoga, one who has severed all doubts through knowledge, such a self-poised person is not bound by actions, O conqueror of wealth.

yoga : yoga
sannyasta: one who has renounced
karmaanam : actions
jnyaana : knowledge
sanchinna : severed
sanshayam : all doubts
aatmavantam : self-poised
na : do not
karmaani : actions
nibhandanti : bind
dhananjaya : O conqueror of wealth

Shri Krishna now begins to conclude the fourth chapter with this shloka. He re-emphasizes that one who follows the path of karma-sanyaasa, or renunciation of action, is liberated from all bondage. He refers to Arjuna as Dhananjaya, which means conqueror of wealth, because Arjuna had accumulated massive wealth from conquests of kingdoms. Also, he had gained wealth in the form of knowledge from Shri Krishna.

One who has attained the knowledge of self-realization acts without a sense of doership and enjoyership of action. It is important to note that renunciation of action refers to renunciation of doership and enjoyership, not renunciation of the action itself. Actions continue to happen. Furthermore, this yoga or prescribed methodology needs to be learned from a teacher, it is difficult to learn on one’s own.

Shri Krishna also reiterates the knowledge of self realization dispels all doubts in the seeker’s mind. Till this knowledge is attained, doubts such as who is the doer of action, who is the enjoyer of results, what is the relation of the self to action will remain. One who has gained this knowledge and dispelled all such doubts is called “aatmavant” or one who has gained knowledge of our own self.

A classic example here is that the space in a pot thinks that it is the pot. Once it knows that it is space, it immediately realizes that it is not subject to modifications like big or small, brown or white, moving or stationary and so on. From that point on, any change to the pot will not affect the space in the pot. Similarly, once our doubts vanish, our actions will not bind us.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 4

18 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.28, apare, cha, chapter 4 verse 28, dravya, jnaana, sanshita, svaadhyaaya, tapo, tathaa, vrataahaa, yajnyaaha, yatayaha, yoga

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dravyayajnyaastapoyajnya yogayagnyaastathaapare |
svaadhyaayagnyaanayagnyaashcha yatayaha sanshitavrataahaa || 28 ||

Others offer sacrifice of materials, austerity and yoga, and other seekers with a resolute will offer the sacrifice of knowledge through study of scriptures.

dravya-yajnyaaha : material-sacrifice
tapo-yajnyaaha : austerity-sacrifice
yoga-yagnyaaha : yoga-sacrifice
tathaa : and
apare : others
svaadhyaaya : study of scriptures
jnyaana-yagnyaaha : knowledge-sacrifice
cha : and
yatayaha : seekers
sanshita-vrataahaa : with resolute will

Shri Krishna gives us a choice of four more yajnyas in this shloka.

First, he talks about the sacrifice of wealth, or as it is more commonly known – charity. As we saw in the second chapter, lobha or the tendency to hoard can destabilize our mind, and strengthen the ego. Therefore, giving away wealth or even our time to a higher ideal checks this tendency to hoard. But charity has to be done with the attitude that I am giving away what was not mine to begin with. If one donates with a view to gain publicity and so on, that is a selfish or rajasic type of charity.

Secondly, Shri Krishna mentions austerity or tapas. In this type of yajyna, the urge of the sense organs to go out into the world is checked, so that the ego is weakened. There are three avenues for conducting tapas: the body, senses and mind. In physical tapas, we use the energy of our body to do seva or service the world. In sense-related tapas, we keep a strong leash on our senses and organs. For example, we can practice austerity on speech by always speaking truth, saying what’s beneficial to someone, and creating disturbance in anybody’s mind. In mental tapas, we control our mind by not giving attention to negative thoughts and emotions, and not letting others trigger such emotions in us.

Third, Shri Krishna gives us the option of practicing a detailed regimen of spiritual practice or yoga. It could be bhakti yoga (which we will see later), karma yoga, raaja yoga of Patanjali and so on.

Finally, we can practice study of the scriptures, which is also known as jnyaana yajnya. A daily reading of the Gita, Ramayana or any other such spiritual text with utmost attention, concentration, understanding and discipline is also a yajnya. Here also, the ego becomes weak because the intellect gains a firmer and stronger position in relation to the ego, strengthened by daily exposure to the scriptures.

The common thread of all the yajnyas mentioned is that of weakening the hold of the ego, which is nothing but weakening of the notion of “I-ness” and “mine-ness”.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 53, Chapter 2

19 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.53, achala, avaapsyasi, buddhih, chapter 2 verse 53, nishchalaa, samaadhau, shruti, sthaasyati, tadaa, te, vipratipanna, yada, yoga

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shrutivipratipanna te yada sthaasyati nishchalaa |
samaadhaavachalaa buddhistadaa yogamavaapsyasi || 53 ||

When your intellect, confused by what is heard, remains steady and stays grounded in equanimity, then you shall attain yoga.

shruti : what is heard
vipratipanna : confused
te : your
yada : when
sthaasyati : will become
nishchalaa : steady
samaadhau : in equanimity
achala : grounded
buddhih : intellect
tadaa : then
yoga : yoga
avaapsyasi : attain

The last shloka described an advanced stage of yoga, in other words, a state of equanimity, where we begin to slowly lose interest in material objects. In this shloka, Shri Krishna indicates the final stage of yoga where the intellect never loses its grounding.

In the initial stages of our spiritual journey, we will begin to experience moments of equanimity. These moments will be short and fleeting, but that is ok. As we continue to practice equanimity, these moments will grow longer and become more frequent. But there is always some thing – a thought from the past, a critical statement uttered by a friend, an object that we crave – that takes us out of equanimity and back into the world of moha.

So what should we aim for? We should aim for something better. Here’s an example. When the internet was new, most of us connected to it using a dial-up modem. Each time we needed to access the internet, we had to establish a connection, and then disconnect it once done. As technology improved, we began to connect through it via cable or DSL connections. These connections are “always on”, so there was no need to connect and disconnect everytime. Now no one wants to ever go back to using dial up modems.

So therefore, this shloka gives us a picture of the most advanced state of yoga where one is always in a state of equanimity, no matter what the circumstance. And when this happens, we will be always connected to the imperceptible, incomprehensible eternal essence. This is the only way to attain the eternal essence. When that happens, this state is called “samaadhi”, which will the the culmination of one’s spiritual journey.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 48, Chapter 2

14 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.48, bhootvaa, chapter 2 verse 48, dhananjaya, karmaani, kuru, saatvam, samaha, sangam, siddyasiddhyoh, tyaktvaa, uchyate, yoga, yogasthaha

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yogasthaha kuru karmaani sangam tyaktvaa dhananjaya |
siddhyasiddhyoh samo bhootvaa samatvam yoga uchyate || 48 ||

Perform action, established in yoga, and discard attachment, O Dhananjaya. Remain balanced in success and failure. Yoga is defined as equanimity.

yogasthaha : established in yoga
kuru : perform
karmaani : action
sangam : attachment
tyaktvaa : discard
dhananjaya : O Dhananjaya
siddhyasiddhyoh : in success and failure
samaha : balanced
bhootvaa : remain
samatvam : equanimity
yoga : yoga
uchyate : defined

This shloka pushes further the teaching of Karmayoga by advising us to begin discarding our attachments to objects in the material world. Obviously, we will not be able to totally discard all our attachments in one day. This will take a long time. However, Shri Krishna asks us to slowly start treading on this path. Why is he asking us to do so? He wants us to diminish our hankering for the outcome of our actions, and the only way to do that is by reducing our attachments to the material world.

Consider a mother who takes care of her 5 year old child. She gets extremely attached to it and develops lots of expectations: my child will take care of me when it grows up, it will become a doctor etc. If those things don’t happen, she will generate lots of sorrow for herself. But a nanny taking care of a child will not be attached to it. She will perform her svadharma by taking good care of child. However, she will have zero expectations from the child, and therefore she will be able to maintain equanimity in action.

The only difference between the mother and the nanny is their attitude – one is attached, one is unattached. And the one that has attachments has expectations for the future, the other does not.

Now in this shloka we encounter Shri Krishna defining the term “yoga”. It has nothing to do with arcane rituals. It has nothing to do with complex physical postures. It is a surprisingly simple and practical definition: equanimity of mind during performance of action. It is how the nanny operated in the earlier example.

So what is the practical technique to cast off attachments? How do we actually do this? We have to rid ourself of all expectations and worries about the future, as well as memories of the past. If we eliminate constant thinking about past and future, we can channel all that energy into the present moment and into executing the task at hand.

We probably have experienced instances in our lives where we were so joyfully and blissfully immersed in our work that we forgot where we were and what time it was. But those experiences were few and far between. By going deeper into each and every task we perform, no matter how big or small the task, we will minimize past and future thinking, which will enable us to remain balanced regardless of success and failure. This is the true definition of yoga.

To recap, our toolkit contains 3 techniques: reducing unnecessary thoughts, improving quality of thought, and focusing on the task and hand. We can practice this teaching with mundane tasks, and move on to more complex ones. Next time we wash dishes, lets give each movement of the hand our single and undivided attention, and try to sustain it while washing each and every dish. Give it a shot, see what happens.

Footnotes

1. There are four kinds of attachment: attachment to result (I want a reward for singing this song), action (I will sing a song only in my way), doership (I will song the song, not anyone else), non-doership (I am the non-singer of this song).