Path of Meditation

The Blessed Lord said: He who performs his bounden duty without depending on the fruits of his actions—he is a sannyasi and a yogi, not he who is without fire and without action.

Actions such as Agnihotra, etc., performed without the expectation of their fruits purify the mind and become the means to Dhyana Yoga or the Yoga of Meditation.Karyam Karma bounden duty.Niragnih without fire. He who has…

Do you, O Arjuna, know that Yoga is what they call renunciation; no one indeed becomes a Yogi who has not renounced their thoughts.

Sankalpa is the working of the imagining faculty of the mind that makes plans for the future and guesses the results of plans so formed. No one can become a Karma Yogi who plans and schemes and expects fruits for his…

For a sage who wishes to attain to Yoga, action is said to be the means; for the same sage who has attained Yoga, inaction is said to be the means.

For a man who cannot practise meditation for a long time and who is not able to keep his mind steady in meditation, action is a means to get himself enthroned in Yoga. Action purifies his mind and makes the mind fit for…

When a person is not attached to the sense-objects or to actions, having renounced all thoughts, then they are said to have attained Yoga.

Yogarudha he who is enthroned or established in Yoga. When a Yogi, by keeping the mind ite steady, by withdrawing it from the objects of the senses, has attachment neither for sensual objects such as sound, nor for the…

One should raise oneself by one's own self alone; let not one lower oneself; for the self alone is one's own friend, and the self alone is one's own enemy.

Practise Yog. Discipline the senses and the mind. Elevate yourself and become a Yogarudha. Attain to Yoga. Shine gloriously as a dynamic Yogi. Do not sink into the ocean of Samsara (transmigration). Do not become a…

The Self is the friend of the self of him by whom the Self has been conquered; but to the unconquered self, this Self stands in the position of an enemy, like an external foe.

Conquer the lower mind through the higher mind. The lower mind is your enemy. The higher mind is your friend. If you make friendship with the higher mind you can subdue the lower mind ite easily. The lower mind is filled…

The Supreme Self of him who is self-controlled and peaceful remains balanced in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, as well as in honor and dishonor.

The selfcontrolled Yogi who is rooted in the Self keeps poise amidst the pairs of opposites (Dvandvas) or the alternating waves of cold and heat, pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour. When the Yogi has subdued his…

The Yogi who is satisfied with the knowledge and wisdom of the Self, who has conquered the senses, and to whom a clod of earth, a piece of stone, and gold are all the same, is said to have attained Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

He who is of the same mind towards the good-hearted, friends, enemies, the indifferent, the neutral, the hateful, the relatives, the righteous, and the unrighteous, excels.

He excels He is the best among the Yogarudhas.Samabudhhi is equanimity or evenness of mind. A Yogi of Samabuddhi has eal vision. He is ite impartial. He is the same to all. He makes no difference with reference to caste,…

Let the yogi constantly strive to keep the mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone, with the body and mind controlled, and free from hope and greed.

The Yogi who treads the path of renunciation (NivrittiMarga) can practise meditation in a solitary cave in the mountains. He should renounce all possessions.A householder with Yogic tendencies and spiritual inclination,…

In a clean spot, having established a firm seat of his own, neither too high nor too low, made of cloth, skin, and kusha grass layered one over the other.

In this verse the Lord has prescribed the external seat for practising meditation. Details of the pose are given in verse 13.Spread the Kusagrass on the ground first. Over this spread a tigerskin or deerskin over this…

There, having made the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and senses controlled, let him, seated on the seat, practice Yoga for the purification of the self.

The self means the mind. The real Supreme Self is the Atma. This is Primary (Mukhya). Mind also is the self. But this is used in a secondary sense (Gauna). Mukhya Atma is Brahman or the highest Self. Gauna Atma is the…

Let him firmly hold his body, head, and neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose without looking around.

The Lord describes here the pose or Asana and the Drishti (gaze) in this verse.You cannot practise meditation without a firm seat. If the body is unsteady, the mind will also become unsteady. There is an intimate…

Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of a Brahmachari, having controlled their mind, thinking of Me and balanced in mind, let them sit, having Me as their supreme goal.

The spiritual aspirant should possess serenity of mind. The Divine Light can descend only in a serene mind. Serenity is attained by the eradication of Vasanas or desires and cravings. He should be fearless. This is the…

Thus, always keeping the mind balanced, the yogi, with the mind controlled, attains the peace abiding in Me, culminating in liberation.

Thus in the manner prescribed in the previous verse.The Supreme Self is an embodiment of peace. It is an ocean of peace. When one attains to the supreme peace of the Eternal, by controlling the modifications of the mind…

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.

In this verse the Lord prescribes the diet for the students of Yoga. You must observe moderation in eating and sleeping. If you eat too much you will feel drowsy, and sleep will overpower you. You will get indigestion,…

Yoga becomes the destroyer of pain for him who is moderate in eating and recreation (such as walking, etc.), who exercises moderation in action, and who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness.

In this verse the Lord prescribes for the student of Yoga, diet, recreation and th like. The student of Yoga should always adopt the happy medium or the middle course. Lord Buddha went to the extremes in the beginning in…

When the perfectly controlled mind rests in the Self alone, free from longing for any of the objects of desire, then it is said, 'He is united'.

Perfectly controlled mind The mind with onepointedness.When all desires for the objects of pleasure seen or unseen die, the mind becomes very peaceful and rests steadily in the Supreme Self within. As the Yogi is…

As a lamp placed in a windless spot does not flicker, so is the Yogi of a controlled mind, who practices Yoga in the Self, compared.

This is a beautiful simile. Yogins quote this simile very often when they talk of concentration or steadiness or onepointedness of the mind. A steady mind will serve as a powerful searchlight to find out the hidden…

When the mind, restrained by the practice of yoga, attains quietude, and when one sees the Self by the Self, they are satisfied in their own Self.

The verses 20, 21, 22 and 23 must be taken together.When the mind is completely withdrawn from the objects of the senses, supreme peace reigns within the heart. When the mind becomes ite steady by constant and protracted…

When he (the Yogi) feels that infinite bliss which can be grasped by the pure intellect and which transcends the senses, and is established therein, never moving away from the reality.

The Infinite Bliss of the Self (which is beyond the reach of the senses) can be grasped (realised) by the pure intellect independently of the senses. During deep meditation the senses cease to function, as they are…

Having obtained it, he thinks there is no other gain superior to it; established in it, he is not moved even by heavy sorrow.

Which the gain or the realisation of the Self or the immortal Soul.Wherein in the allblissful Self which is free from delusion and sorrow. The Self is allfull and selfcontained. All the desires are fulfilled when one…

Let this be known by the name of Yoga, the severance from union with pain. This Yoga should be practiced with determination and with an undespairing mind.

In verses 20, 21 and 22 the Lord describes the benefits of Yoga, viz., perfect satisfaction by resting in the Self, infinite unending bliss, freedom from sorrow and pain, etc. He further adds that this Yoga should be…

Abandoning unreservedly all desires born of Sankalpa (thought and imagination) and completely restraining the whole group of senses by the mind from all sides.

Without reserve The mind is so diplomatic that it keeps certain desires for its secret gratification. Therefore you should completely abandon all desires without reservation.Desire is born of imagination (Sankalpa).…

Little by little, let him attain steadiness of the intellect by holding it firmly; having made the mind establish itself in the Self, let him not think of anything else.

The practitioner of Yoga should attain tranillity gradually or by degrees, by,means of the intellect controlled by steadiness. The peace of the Eternal will fill the heart gradually with thrill and bliss through the…

From whatever cause the restless and unsteady mind wanders away, let him restrain it from that and bring it under the control of the Self alone.

In this verse the Lord gives the method to control the mind. Just as you drag the bull again and again to your house when it runs out, so also you will have to drag the mind to your point or centre or Lakshya again and…

Supreme Bliss indeed comes to this Yogi whose mind is made peaceful, whose passion is quelled, who has become Brahman, and who is free from sin.

In this verse and in the next also the Lord describes the benefits of Yoga.Supreme (eternal, unalloyed and uninterrupted) bliss comes to the Yogi whose mind is perfectly serene, who has calmed his passionate nature, who…

The yogi, always engaging the mind thus (in the practice of yoga), is freed from sins and easily enjoys the infinite bliss of contact with Brahman (the Eternal).

By Yogic practices such as the withdrawal of the senses, concentration and meditation he loses contact with the objects of the senses and comes into contact with Brahman or the immortal Self within and thus enjoys the…

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.

The Yogi beholds through the eye of intuition (JnanaChakshus or DivyaChakshus) oneness or unity of the Self everywhere. This is a sublime and magnanimous vision indeed. He feels, All indeed is Brahman. He beholds that…

He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, never becomes separated from Me, nor do I from him.

In this verse the Lord describes the effect of the vision of the unity of the Self or oneness.He who sees Me, the Self of all, in all beings, and everything (from Brahma the Creator down to the blade of grass) in Me, I…

He who, being established in unity, worships Me, who dwells in all beings, that yogi abides in Me, whatever their mode of living may be.

He who has dissolved all duality in the underlying unity, who is thus established in unity, who worships Me, i.e., who has realised Me as the Self of all, dwells always in Me, whatever his mode of living may be. He is…

He who, through the likeness of the Self, O Arjuna, sees reality everywhere, be it pleasure or pain, is regarded as the highest Yogi.

He sees that whatever is pleasure or pain to himself is also pleasure or pain to all other beings. He does not harm anyone. He is ite harmless. He wishes good to all. He is compassionate to all creatures. He has a very…

Arjuna said, "O Krishna, I do not see how this Yoga of equanimity, which you have taught me, can be maintained steadily, due to the restlessness of the mind."

As the mind is restless, impetuous and unsteady I find it difficult to practise this Yoga of equanimity declared by Thee. O my Lord, I cannot have steady concentration of the mind, as it wanders here and there in the…

The mind is indeed restless, turbulent, strong, and unyielding, O Krishna; I consider it as difficult to control as controlling the wind.

The mind constantly changes its objects and so it is ever restless.Krishna is derived from Krish which means to scrape. He scrapes all the sins, evils, and the causes of evil from the hearts of His devotees. Therefore He…

The Blessed Lord said, "Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is difficult to control and restless; but with practice and dispassion, it can be restrained."

The constant or repeated effort to keep the wandering mind steady by constant meditation on the Lakshya (centre, ideal, goal or object of meditation) is Abhyasa or practice. The same idea or thought of the Self or God is…

I think Yoga is hard to be attained by one with an uncontrolled self, but the self-controlled and striving one can attain it by the appropriate means.

Uncontrolled self he who has not controlled the senses and the mind by the constant practice of dispassion and meditation. Selfcontrolled he who has controlled the mind by the constant practice of dispassion and…

Arjuna said, "He who is unable to control himself, even though he has faith, and whose mind wanders away from Yoga, what end does he meet, having failed to attain perfection in Yoga, O Krishna?"

He has faith in the efficacy of Yoga but he is not able to control the senses and the mind. He has no concentration of mind. His mind wanders away when the last breath departs from his body and he loses the memory also.…

Fallen from both, does he not perish like a rent cloud, supportless, O mighty-armed one, deluded on the path of Brahman?

Both the path of Karma or the path of ritualistic activity in accordance with the Karma Kanda of the Vedas on the one hand and the path of Yoga on the other.Path of Brahman the path by which Brahman can be reached or the…

O Krishna, please completely dispel this doubt of mine, for it is not possible for anyone but You to do so.

There can be no better teacher than Thee for Thou art the omniscient Lord. Thou alone canst dispel this doubt. A Rishi (seer), a Deva (god), or a Muni (sage) will not be able to destroy this doubt.

The Blessed Lord said, "O Arjuna, neither in this world nor in the next will there be destruction for him; none, indeed, who does good, O my son, ever comes to grief."

He who has not succeeded in attaining to perfection in Yoga in this birth will not be destroyed in this world or in the next world. Surely he will not take a birth lower than the present one. What will he attain, then,…

Having attained to the worlds of the righteous and having dwelt there for everlasting years, he who fell from Yoga is born in a house of the pure and wealthy.

Yogabhrashta one who has fallen from Yoga, i.e., one who was not able to attain perfection in Yoga, or one who climbed a certain height on the ladder of Yoga but fell down on account of lack of dispassion or slackness in…

Or he is born in a family of even the wisest of yogis; verily, such a birth is very difficult to obtain in this world.

A birth in a family of wise Yogis is more difficult to obtain than the one mentioned in the preceding verse.

Then he comes into contact with the knowledge acquired in his former body and strives even more for perfection, O Arjuna.

When he takes a human body again in this world his previous exertions and practice in the path of Yoga are not wasted. They bear full fruit now, and hasten his moral and spiritual evolution.Our thoughts and actions are…

By that same former practice, he is borne on in spite of himself. Even he who merely wishes to know Yoga goes beyond the Brahmanic word.

The man who fell from Yoga is carried to the goal which he intended to reach in his previous birth, by the force of the Samskaras of the practice of Yoga though he may not be conscious of them and even if he may not be…

But the Yogi who strives assiduously, purified of sins and perfected gradually over many births, reaches the highest goal.

He gains experiences little by little in the course of many births and eventually attains to perfection. Then he gets the knowledge of the Self and attains to the final beatitude of life.

The yogi is thought to be superior to the ascetics, even superior to those who have knowledge obtained through the study of scriptures; he is also superior to men of action; therefore, be thou a yogi, O Arjuna.

And among all the Yogis, he who, full of faith and with his inner self merged in Me, worships Me is deemed by Me to be the most devoted.