Chapter VI (VERSE 25) & CHAPTER XVIII (VERSE 57)
Dhyana Yoga – The Yoga of Meditation
CHAPTER VI
Verse 25
शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया ।
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥ ६-२५॥
25. Little by little, let him attain quietude by his intellect, held firm; having made the mind established in the Self, let him not think of anything.
In the previous section the entire goal of Yoga was indicated as that state “WHEREIN THE MIND, THROUGH THE PRACTICE OF CONCENTRATION, COMES TO GET ITSELF ABSOLUTELY RESTRAINED.” Later on, we have been given a glorious word-picture of the state of enjoyment and perfection that one will get introduced into, in this state of meditation. This theoretical exposition has no practical value unless exhaustive instructions are given, as to how a diligent seeker can bring about this total mental poise, consciously, in a deliberate spiritual act of perfect self-control.
In these two brilliant stanzas the subtle art of meditation has been explained. The secrets of how to bring the mind to single-pointedness, and what to do thereafter with that mind in concentration and how to approach the Truth and ultimately realise It in an act of deliberate and conscious becoming — are all exhaustively indicated in these two significant stanzas.
Renouncing ‘all’ (Sarvan) desires ‘fully’ (Asheshatah) by the mind, control all the sense-organs from their entire world of sense-objects. Herein, every word demands a commentary, since every phrase leaves a hint which is so important in ultimately assuring the seeker a complete success. It is not only sufficient that ALL desires are renounced, but each desire must be TOTALLY eradicated. By these two terms (Sarvan and Asheshatah), no trace of doubt is left in the mind of the seekers, as to the condition of their mental equipoise, during moments of higher meditation. The term Asheshatah means that even the desire for this perfection in “Yoga” is to be, in the end, totally renounced!
“Renunciation of desire” is advised here as a very necessary and important qualification; but unfortunately, the unintelligent ignored this significant qualification, and perverted our sacred religion by acting and behaving as though it recommended a life of indolence with neither any ambition to achieve, nor any desire to accomplish. The term “BORN OF SANKALPA” is a very significant term qualifying the desires that are to be renounced totally and fully. The term ‘Sankalpa’ has already been explained earlier (VI-2) — so here the terms used mean that it is “the renunciation of all agitation-breeding desires.”
When once this renunciation of disturbing desires has been accomplished, the individual’s mind gains strength and stamina to assert itself, at first to make the wild horses of the sense-organs tame so that they run under greater control and then to restrain all the sense-organs from all sense-objects from all sides.
It is scientifically very true that our mind is not able to control our sense-organs, for it has been rendered weak and thoroughly impotent due to the permanent agitations caused by its own false desires. Once the mind gets strong, as a result of its conquest over desires, it discovers in itself all the strength and capacity to control the Indriyas from all sides. This process of quietening the mind can never be accomplished by any hasty action or by any imagination, or by any strange and mysterious method. It is clearly indicated by the very insistence that the Geeta makes in this stanza, that the seeker should “ATTAIN QUIETUDE AS A RESULT OF HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE WORLD OF SENSE-OBJECTS, BY DEGREES.” Slowly, slowly (Shanaih-Shanaih), the mind gains more and more quietude.
No doubt, when the sense-organs have stopped their mad onrush to their respective sense-objects, a certain amount of mental quietude is gained. The methods of intensifying this inner peace have been indicated in this stanza.
“PATIENTLY, WITH THE INTELLECT THE MIND IS TO BE CONTROLLED, AND RESTED IN THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE SELF.” This advice is extremely important to every seeker as it gives the next item of the programme for a meditator, when he has accomplished, through the exertion of the mind during his meditation, a total withdrawal of himself from the senseworld. A total rejection of the sense-world is possible only during meditation.
The mind that is thus brought to a relative quietude is next to be controlled by the still subtler personality layer in the meditator, which is his intellect. Just as the senseorgans are controlled and restrained by the mind, the mind is now treated by the discriminating intellect and brought under complete restraint. The mind cannot be restrained except by fixing its entire attention on one idea to the total exclusion of all other ideas. The mind is “THOUGHT-FLOW” and as such, the constant thought of the Nature of the Self, is to be the exercise by which the mind should be restrained by the intellect. A mind that has merged in the steady contemplation of the Self becomes still, and a divine quietude comes to pervade its very substance. This is the last lap of the journey to which deliberate and conscious action (Purushartha) can take any seeker.
Krishna’s exhaustive theory, which can be practised by any sincere devotee, concludes in these two stanzas with a warning as to what the seeker should avoid at his moment of inward silence and peace; the Lord does not instruct the seeker here on what he should positively do. The Divine Flute-player says, “LET HIM NOT THINK OF ANYTHING,” when he has once reached this state of peace within.
After the “halt-moment” there is nothing more for the seeker to act and achieve. All that he has to do is to avoid starting any new line of imagination. “UNDISTURBED BY ANY NEW THOUGHT WAVE, LET HIM MAINTAIN HIS INNER SILENCE AND COME TO LIVE IT MORE AND MORE DEEPLY,” is all the instruction that the technique of meditation gives to the meditator. “Knock and thou shalt enter” is the promise; you have ‘knocked,’ and into the Supreme Presence, thou shalt enter… ere long (Achirena).
No two simple looking stanzas, anywhere in the spiritual literature of the world, including the sacred books in Hinduism, can claim to have given such an exhaustive wealth of useful instructions to a seeker, as these two stanzas in the Geeta. Even in the entire bulk of the Divine Song (Geeta) itself, there is no other similar couple of stanzas which can, in their pregnant import, stand a favourable comparison with this perfect pair.
Moksha Sanyasa Yoga – The Yoga of Liberation Through Renunciation
CHAPTER XVIII
Verse 57
चेतसा सर्वकर्माणि मयि संन्यस्य मत्परः ।
बुद्धियोगमुपाश्रित्य मच्चित्तः सततं भव ॥ १८-५७॥
57. Mentally renouncing all actions in Me, having Me as the Highest Goal, resorting to the YOGA -of-discrimination, ever fix your mind in Me.
RESIGNING MENTALLY ALL DEEDS TO ME — Both the ego and the ego-centric anxieties for enjoying are to be renounced at the altar of the Lord, and thus to act in the world is the ‘path,’ through which a man of action reaches the greater cultural climes. This idea of surrender has been discussed earlier, very exhaustively. This spirit of surrender can come only when the student has infinite courage to maintain a steady aspiration for “HAVING ME AS THE HIGHEST GOAL.” The mind needs a positive hold upon something, before it can be persuaded to leave its present props.
RESORTING TO BUDDHI YOGA — The intellect’s main function is discrimination. To discriminate the false from the true, and to fix ourselves on the path of seeking the true, is called Buddhi yoga. Controlling life and regulating its movements through discrimination is Karma Yoga. And thus the term ‘Buddhi yoga’ is an original coined-word, met with only in the Geeta, to indicate in essence the “Path-ofSelfless-Action.” It has been used in the very early portions of the Geeta and there it has been very exhaustively explained.
PLEASE EVER FIX YOUR MIND UPON ME — One who has fixed Krishna – Tattwa as the goal of his life, one who surrenders himself mentally at all times at this altar, and serves all His creatures, one who ever discriminates and avoids all undivine thoughts and ego-centric selfassertions — such a one alone can naturally come to fix his thoughts constantly upon the Lord.
It is an eternal law of mental life that “AS WE THINK SO WE BECOME.” A devotee who has thus come to live all his activities in dedication to his goal, the KrishnaConsciousness, must necessarily come to live as Krishna, and experience the Eternal, Immutable, State of the Self.