Friday, June 9, 2017

Bhagavad Gita: 6) Yoga of Meditation

OM

This page tells the sixth installment of an amazing story occurring in the midst of a battle field, long long ago. I am only re-writing (the translation of) this wonderful story on this blog. Originally written in Sanskrit, the Bhagavad Gita, even though conceived as a religious text, is an entire coded system in itself for any human being (irrespective of cast, creed, sex and religion) to become perfect. While the Bhagavad Gita has been been translated into English by many great authors, I have mostly referred to the version of Swami Chinmayanada Ji. This page - and the 17 others in this series/story - are dedicated, with great respect, to the author of the most amazing book (according to me) ever written, Sage Vyasa.

6. Dhyana Yoga

1)      SRI KRISHNA:
He who performs his bounden duty without depending on the fruits-of-actions, he is a Sanyassin and a Yogi; not he who is without fire and without action (who has renounced action.)
2)      O Pandava (Arjuna), please know Yoga to be that which they call renunciation; no one verily becomes a Yogi who has not renounced thoughts.
3)      For a Muni or a sage “who wishes to attune to Yoga”, actions is said to be the means; for the same sage who has “attuned to Yoga”, inaction (quiescence) is said to be the means.
4)      When a man is not attached to sense objects or to actions, having renounced all thoughts, then he is said to have attuned to Yoga.
5)      Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone. And let him not lower himself; for this Self alone, is the friend of oneself, and this Self alone is the enemy of oneself.
6)      The Self is the friend of the self for him, who has conquered himself by the self, but to the unconquered self, the Self stands in the position of an enemy like an (external) foe.
7)      The Supreme Self of him who is self-controlled and peaceful, is balanced in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, as also in honor and dishonor.
8)      The Yogi who is satisfied with knowledge and wisdom, who remains unshaken, who has conquered the senses, to whom a lump of earth, a stone and gold are the same, is said to be harmonized. (said to have attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi)
9)      He who is of the same mind to the good-hearted, friends, relatives, enemies, the indifferent, the neutral, the hateful, the righteous and the unrighteous, excels.
10)   Let the Yogi try constantly to keep the mind steady remaining in solitude, alone, with the mind and body controlled, free from hope and greed.
11)   Having, in a clean spot, established a firm seat of his own, neither too high nor too low, made of cloth, a skin and Kusha grass, one over the other.
12)   There, having made the mind, one pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated on the seat, practice Yoga, for the purification of the self.
13)   Let him firmly hold his body, head and neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around.
14)   Serene minded, fearless, firm in the vow of Brahmacharya, having controlled the mind, thinking on Me and balanced, let him sit, having Me as the supreme Goal.
15)   Thus always keeping the mind balanced, the Yogi with his mind controlled, attains the peace abiding in Me, which culminates in total liberation. (Nirvana or Moksha)
16)   Verily, Yoga is not possible for him who eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all, nor for him who sleeps too much, nor for him who is (always) awake, O Arjuna.
17)   Yoga becomes the destroyer of pain for him who is moderate in his eating and recreation, who is moderate in his exertion during his actions, who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness.
18)   When the perfectly controlled mind rests in the Self only, free from longing for all (objects of) desire, then it is said, “he is united.” (Yuktah)
19)   “A lamp placed in a windless place does not flicker” – is a simile to describe the Yogi of controlled mind, practicing (or absorbed in) Yoga of the Self.
20)   When the mind, restrained by the practice of Yoga, attains quietude and when seeing the Self by the self, he is satisfied in his own Self
21)   When he (the Yogi) feels that Infinite bliss – which can be grasped by the (pure) intellect and which transcends the senses – wherein established, he never moves from the Reality.
22)   Which having obtained, he thinks there is no other gain superior to it; wherein established, he is not moved even by heavy sorrow.
23)   Let it be known: the severance from the “union with pain” is Yoga; This Yoga should be practiced with determination and with a mind steady and un-despairing.
24)     Abandoning without reserve, all desires born of Sankalpa, and completely restraining the whole group of senses by the mind from all the sides.
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.
26)   From whatever cause the restless and unsteady mind wanders away, from that let him restrain it, and bring it back under the control of the self alone.
27)   Supreme Bliss verily comes to this Yogi, whose mind is quite peaceful, whose passion is quietened, who is free from sin, and who has become BRAHMAN.
28)   The Yogi, engaging the mind thus (in the practice of Yoga), freed from sins, easily enjoys the Infinite bliss of BRAHMAN-contact”
29)   With the mind harmonized by Yoga, he sees the Self, abiding in all beings, and all beings in the Self, he sees the same everywhere.
30)   He who sees Me everywhere, and sees everything in Me, he never gets separated from Me, nor do I get separated from him.
31)   He who, being established in unity, worships Me, dwelling in all beings, that Yogi abides in Me, whatever be his mode of living.
32)   He who through the likeness (sameness) of the Self, O Arjuna, sees equality everywhere, be it pleasure or pain, he is regarded as the highest Yogi. 
33)   ARJUNA:
This Yoga of equanimity taught by Thee, O slayer of Madhu (Sri Krishna), I see not its enduring continuity, because of the restlessness of the mind.
34)   The mind verily is, O Krishna, restless, turbulent, strong and unyielding; I deem it quite as difficult to control as the wind.
35)   SRI KRISHNA:
Undoubtedly, O mighty armed one, the mind is difficult to control and is restless; but by practice, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), and by dispassion, it is restrained.
36)   Yoga, I think is hard to be attained by one of uncontrolled self; But the self-controlled, striving, can obtain it by (proper) means.
37)   ARJUNA:
When a man, though possessed of faith, is unable to control himself, and his mind wanders away from YOGA, to what end does he, having failed to attain perfection in Yoga go, O Krishna?
38)   Fallen from both, does he not, O Mighty-armed (Sri Krishna), perish like a rent cloud, support-less and deluded in the Path of BRAHMAN?
39)   This doubt of mine, O Krishna, please dispel completely; because it is not possible for anyone but You to dispel this doubt.
40)    SRI KRISHNA:
O Partha, (Arjuna) Neither in this world, nor in the next world is there destruction for him; None, verily who strives to be good, O My son (Arjuna) ever comes to grief.
41)   Having attained to the worlds of the righteous, and having dwelt there for everlasting years, he who had fallen from Yoga, is born again in the house of the pure and the wealthy.
42)   Or he is born in the family of the wise Yogis; verily, a birth like this is very difficult to obtain in this world.
43)   There he comes to be united with the knowledge acquired in his former body and strives more than before for Perfection, O son of the Kurus (Arjuna.)
44)   By that very former practice, he is borne on in spite of himself. Even he who merely wishes to know Yoga, goes beyond the SHABDA BRAHMAN.
45)   But the Yogi, who strives with assiduity, purified from sins and perfected (gradually) through many births, he then attains the highest Goal.
46)   The Yogi is thought to be superior to the ascetics and even superior to men-of-knowledge (mere scholars), he is also superior to men-of-action; therefore, (strive to) be a Yogi, O Arjuna.
47)   And among all Yogis, he who full of faith, with his inner self merged in Me, worships Me, is according to Me, the most devout.

Thus ends the 6th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.

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