विवेचन सारांश

The Art of building Yogic Mind through self control, concentration and equanimity

After explaining the physical position of the body SriKrishna goes on to say how one should focus the mind.

For mind control, two things are to be monitored

• Ekagrata(concentration)
• Regularity

Seated firmly on the seat, the yogi should strive to purify the mind by focusing it in meditation with one-pointed concentration, controlling all thoughts and activities.

• Ekā-agraṁ – one pointed
• Manaḥ – mind  
• Yata-chittendriya – controlling the mind and senses
• Upaviśhyā – being seated
• Asane – on the seat
• Yuñjyād Yogam – should strive to practice yoga
• Ātma-viśhuddhaye – for purification of mind

Analogy to a child’s mind

When we sit for mediation, our mind should be similarly focused and engaged without the slightest deviation. The revered deity whom we are fond of can be made our focus depending on an individual's Astha or devotion.

• Dhārayann – holding
• Achalaṁ – unmoving
• Sthiraḥ – still
• Samprekṣhya – gazing
• Nāsikāgravalokayan – at the tip of the nose

Like the seat is not very high or low, the eyes should also be looking straight, not looking up or down or in any deviated direction. They need to be just shut and not need to be very tightly closed.

• praśhānta-ātmā – serene mind
• vigata-bhīh – fearless
• Brahmāchāri-vrate sthitaḥ – in the vow of celibacy
• manaḥ sanyamya – having controlled mind
• Mat-chittah – meditate on me
• yukta – engaged
• āsīta – should sit
• Mat-paraḥ – having ME(Paramatma)as the supreme goal

Thus, SriKrishna has shown us the path and elaborately explained, and now it is our duty to contemplate and find out where we are lacking. Once we identify the gaps, then we can work towards narrowing them down the gaps either through meditation or devotion.

The causes of having an unstable mind and how to stabilise it

Very often, different types of fear cripples our minds, which breaks our mental peace. Fear of death, fear of losing near and dear ones, fear of losing money and reputation and so on and so forth. If we can think that “We are in the ashraya of Param-pita and HE will take care of us, we will become fearless as we rely wholly on our protector and have no fear of any event unfolding. Whenever fear grips our mind, we should switch gears and think that Prabhu is there and HE will take care, and I need not worry.

The word “Brahmācharya” has a wider connotation apart from its generic definition. Brahmacharya implies

• continuously being in touch with the Brahmān
• Following a Vedic lifestyle
• Following the rules prescribed in the Vedas with respect to what we eat, what japa and pooja we do, etc.

Following Brahmācharya means adhering to all the above and not only celibacy. Everything that we do, we eat, we read, we should remain connected to Paramātmā.

Alignment with Paramātmā will make us fearless. Our mind should not dwell on small, trivial things like whether somebody talks to me or not, whether someone behaves with me properly or not etc. Instead, our mind should be continuously attached to Paramatma. Only then Parama-tattva prapti becomes possible.

If we study the lifestyle of Sant Tukaram, Meerabai, Ramdev Maharaj and others, we find that throughout their life they remained continuously devoted and engaged to Paramātmā. They had no fear in their mind as they were confident that Bhagavān was there to take care of them. These great souls should be taken as examples to emulate.

SriKrishna has never emphasised the worship of any particular form or deity. HE has left the field wide open to us. In whatever manner we call HIM, HE would respond. The prayers can again be in any manner, either through meditating on the particular deity or through nama-japa or sankirtana. Any of the paths or a mixture of these is adequate for Brahmā-tattva prapti.

It is even said, thinking about various Leelas of Prabhu, like Prabhu Sri Ram eating berries from the hands of Sabari or even visiting holy sights, is a good enough practice to focus on Ishwar. The essential requirement is mind should be controlled and aligned to Prabhu. A person who has successfully achieved this is a balanced person.

SriKrishna says here a person who is always contemplating on ME, is a person with a disciplined mind (niyata-mānasaḥ). Such a person is a balanced person. Yogis are such persons who continuously meditate on ME.

Yogi has a controlled mind therefore enjoys pram shanti which will lead to liberation or moksha. Moksha is a state where the soul unites with Paramātmā. It is liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Normally the common concept is -- one attains moksha or liberation only after death. This is not true. One can also be liberated while being in a body form.

Let us examine whether it is possible?

If one always contemplates on Paramatma he is free from other thoughts or worries. Hence, he achieves freedom or is liberated from thoughts. Moksha literally means freedom. Freedom from all the worries from all the sorrows. We also need freedom from happiness.

Any type of thought, whether happiness or sorrow, has a finite period. Even happiness has an expiry date. By constantly contemplating on Paramātmā one can get rid of this finiteness and acquire bliss which is infinite and permanent.

Moksha is nothing but liberation or freedom from finiteness while merging into infiniteness or Paramātmā. Hence if one has Param-tattva prapti, he can have moksha while living itself and need not wait for his death fo moksha-prapti.

This is the way how the evolved soul see Paramātmā everywhere and in every being.

Example of Namdev Maharaj

Namdev Maharaj insisted that he would see Bhagavān and Vitthal Bhagavān came and ate from his hands. That is the type of determined unwavering and continuous devotion one should have in order to realise to the Param-tattva.

Can anybody and everybody achieve this state? Perhaps not. It requires sustained effort. In the next two slokas Sri Krishna explains who are the people who can be deemed eligible for achieving this state.

• Aśhnatah-ati – one who eats too much
• Anaśhnataḥ – abstaining from eating
• Svapna-śhīlasya-ati – one who sleeps too much
• Jāgratoh – one who does not sleep enough

Sri Krishna says one who eats too much or too little, one who sleeps too much or too little, can not attain success in yoga.

After describing the object of meditation and the end-goal to be achieved, Shri Krishna here prescribes some rules to follow in order to have body fitness, which is equally important along with mind fitness.

A Balanced diet is a requirement. The definition of a balanced diet is subjective. A child may want a certain quantity of food, which may be less than what an adult requires. Old people may require food in different proportions. Again, a pregnant lady may require a different quality and quantity of food. What is right for one may not be right for the other. Everybody has to take food in a moderate proportion, neither too much nor too less.

Similarly, sleep requirements may vary depending on age and health condition. Again, here also moderation is required. Too much sleep is bad and at the same time inadequate sleep is also harmful for health.

Another factor to be considered is the activity of the human body and mind. Although awake, laziness is never a desired habit.

On the reverse side, exercises, although is a commendable regular habit, should not be done excessively.

"Yukta" means just or balanced. Crux of the advice is moderation in everything is the most desirable thing. It is the basic rule which helps in managing the chitta-vritti

“Ahar” here does not mean only the food which we eat. It means ahara for all our indriyas. Things we see are food for our eyes. Excessive viewing of mobile phones is definitely highly detrimental to eyes and mind. Similarly, the things we listen to are food for our ears.

Hence, food for all the sense organs have to be moderated. Or else instead of moving towards Paramatma, one will start moving away from the final destination.

The strict disciplinarians learn to withdraw their mind from selfish cravings. They know how to control the yearning of the senses. Such yogis remain situated in perfect yoga. They remain united with Paramātmā.

From where does this control come from–

The true yogis have faith in their own rules. They hardly break the rules of austerity they have made for themselves. They do not have any filmyness or callous attitude(Chalta hai attitude) to their self-discipline.

If they have demarcated certain hours of the day for prayers, japa and tapa or meditation, they adhere to that routine. They are able to adhere to their commitments as they have full control over their own mind.

At times, some yogis become too rigid. SwamiJi once mentioned a story about one such yogi.

Once, a Mahatma was living in a Gou-Shala as part of his austerity practices. He never used to go anywhere else. Once, the President was visiting the towns and wanted to pay his reverence to the Sadhu. This was intimated to the district collector, who was asked to set up a meeting.

The collector approached the holy saint and requested him to come to the guest house for some time, as the President was interested in seeing him. The sadhu declined, stating that he has vowed not to leave the premises of the Gou-Shala. The sannyasi was rigid and firm. Ultimately, the President had to come to the Gou-Shala and see him.

In this case, the sadhu had no temptation to meet such a. dignitary. He was comfortable with the idea that he would not break any rules that he had made for himself, come what may.

On the contrary, if we were in such a dilemmatic condition, we would have easily broken the rules as controlling the desire to meet the President would have been difficult.

In the next sloka, Sri Krishna gives a beautiful simile to that of a yogic mind.

Just as a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so also the disciplined mind of a yogi remains steady, unwavering in meditation and contemplation on the Paramatma

In a windless place a flame burns steadily as if it is in a picture. But in reality it is burning absolutely steady and no flickering as there is oil in the lamp. The yogic mind is similar to that of the lamp holding steady, unshaking.

Sri Krishna here says how does a yogi gain control over his desires.

Uparamate – rejoice inner joy

A person who has mastered yoga finds no more joy in material desires and worldly pleasures.

Analogy to children and the cartoon show –

Everybody in their childhood enjoys watching cartoons on television. As they grow up to their 30s, 40s, they lose interest in cartoons. In the same manner a yogi loses interest in material objects and rejoices in his inner joy(Uparamate) as he becomes senior in his meditation.

They find their inner joy which was not there earlier. and hence they find a new ness in themselves. This blissful state(Prashanta) gives them inner joy which is significantly higher than the happiness the outside world throws at them. They have rediscovered themselves.

Some Similes –

Consider a person who starts going to gym regularly and tries to build a healthy body for himself. After a few months he rediscovers his own body and is overwhelmed with joy by seeing his own body.

Similarly, a to be wedded bride after the bridal make-up enjoys her own beauty in the mirror and feels exotic. Not that she has seen herself before in the mirror, but the fresh make-up gives her a new look which delights her extensively.

In the same manner, the yogi enjoys his new united form with Paramātmā. He beholds and remains satisfied in the soul (paśhyann ātmani tuṣhyati)

"Tadā Draṣṭuḥ Svarūpe Avasthānam", is the third sutra of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This sutra describes the result of achieving the state of yoga. Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind after which the yogi abides in its own “True Nature" which is ultimate bliss.

Their joy is described in the next sloka.

In that joyful, blissful state, yogi experiences profound, boundless divine bliss. Being situated in that blissful state, he never deviates from there.

This bliss is beyond what our sense organs can feel and comprehend. It is not a temporary happiness. It is permanent. This yearning for bliss is intrinsic to the nature of the soul which is a part of Param-Brahmān. This happiness is very different and special.

How is the state of such a yogi?

Having arrived at that stage, the yogi does not want any further gain. Thus being established in such a state he does not grieve even at the face of the greatest tragedy in his life (duḥkhenaguruṇāpi vichālyate).

It is not that miseries do not come in his way. Like any other human being a yogi also goes through opposites like Sukha-Dukha or happiness and sorrow. But he develops an attitude not to get perturbed by any patch of sorrow.

People often express astonishment that, is it possible to attain such a state even in this Kali-yuga?

This is possible. We need not even go that far. It can be validated if we examine the life story of some of the strongest and fearless personalities who were born in the 20th century itself.

Example– Sri Vir Savarkar Ji

Vir Savarkar was awarded the harshest punishment of two life term sentences in the darkest cell of Kalapani or the cellular jail of Andaman, spanning 48 years. At the announcement of the verdict, he was least concerned and laughed away, stating that even the British rule would not survive that long. Any other person would have felt devastated in that state.

He would daily recite the Bhagavad Gītā and Patanjali Yoga-Śāstra, which he had memorised. In those days, there was no Google to fall back upon. Everything had to be memorised.

After his return, people would enquire how he sustained the harshness of cellular jail. His reply was that these two scriptures kept him going. That was the power of his yoga which he earned through reciting these two scriptures relentlessly.

This infinite happiness that one derives out of practicing yoga submerges all sorrows. Not that sorrows vanish, instead one develops immunity or shakti to tolerate the sorrows.

In the next sloka, elaborating further Sri Krishna gives a new definition to yoga.

It is another definition of yoga. It will keep one shielded from all types of sorrow. This Yog should be resolutely practiced with determination free from pessimism.Yogi will be shielded by the practice of this yog.

One story on the same lines–

One day a king was roaming in his garden. A thorn pricked his foot. He immediately ordered the whole garden to be carpeted so that in future such miseries do not happen. One wise minister suggested that instead of carpeting the whole garden, the king could wear a pair of shoes on his feet. Above all what is required is to protect his feet from thorns. The shield of a pair of shoes should be adequate to provide this protection.

Drawing a parallel– If we can provide such a shield to our life through yoga, we will be protected from all the thorns like miseries, sorrows in our life. We will remain unaffected.

In the corona days, we shielded ourselves with masks and protected ourselves. We could not drive away the viruses. Instead, we protected ourselves with a shield.

The yogi has this type of mindset. He protects himself with the shield of his yoga and devotion.

This needs strong determination. Ordinary people lack the required determination.

Vir Savarkarji was self-motivated. He did his own sadahana. Nobody forced him to do so. Through his adhana, he prepared himself for any eventualities.

Similarly, Ramdas Mharaj was poor and had run away from the house and did the sadhana in his own way. At the age of 12, he had the determination to read so many books and do crores of nama-japa.

In the next sloka, Sri Krishna states how this determination is cultivated

After completely renouncing all desires arising out of the worldly thoughts(sankalpa), one should restrain the senses from all sides of the mind. This should be done slowly and steadily and with full conviction.

Our minds keep going in all directions. We always feel that we do not have anything best. What others possess are always better than ours. This is a very misleading thought process, which makes the mind more unsteady.

saṅkalpa-prabhavān kāmāns – A resolve born out of desires.

In a yogi, the desires do not arise. This is because he likes his sadhana more than anything else in the world.

One has to continuously keep walking on a path where all sense organs can be brought under control.

It may take quite some time. Then one has to keep practicing with patience.

This reminds us of a beautiful poem written by Robert Frost–

The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

We keep walking on this path of sadhana until we reach our destination of moksha.

We are in an era of Instant. We want everything instantly. Patience is dwindling in people.

But Sri Krishna says we have to walk on this path of spirituality gradually and slowly with conviction in our own intellect(buddhi), and then only the mind will be fixed in Paramātmā alone. It will not get distracted by any other thoughts.

We all have experienced this gradual process of growing spiritually. We have come from level 1 to level 2 and then to level 3. From mere reciting, we are now taking an interest in knowing the meanings of slokas. Our experience is unfolding gradually. We should have confidence that slowly and steadily our bad karma will fade. Our greed for material things will come down. Our fear and anger levels are melting down.

And thus chitta-suddhi will happen gradually.

Our minds are always fickle. Its job is to wander. We fight hard with ourselves and try to bring it back. One need not get tense or hold oneself responsible for the wandering mind. This phenomenon is natural.

Whenever and wherever the restless and unsteady mind wanders, one should bring it back gently and calmly and continue to focus it on Paramatma.

Mother and child behaviour–

We can take some learning from the mother-child relationship. Some mothers scold their naughty child and try to make them discipline, whereas some other mothers, despite knowing that their child is a naughty child, still refrain from abusing and try to discipline the child with soft, cajoling words. Again and again, they try to win over the child by loving and encouraging words and not through harshness.

In the same way, Sri Krishna says one should deal gently with the mind.

To quote a few lines from the very famous “Manache sloka” written by Samartha Ram Dasji

"मना सज्जना भक्ती पंथेची जावे"

(Mana sajjana bhakti panthechi jaave) which means,

"O noble mind, one should follow the path of devotion (bhakti).

Great transcendental happiness – the highest bliss(sukham-uttamam) comes to the yogi whose mind is calm, whose passions are subdued(shanta rajasam), who is without sin, and who sees everything in connection with God (Brahmā-bhūtam)

Such yogis attain Supreme Happiness. They remain steadfast in their meditation and have complete equanimity of mind.

They remain continuously in their path of sadhana as they are assured of Paramātmā protection and are without sin (akalmaṣham).

The self controlled yogis always adhere to the path of devotion and keep their mind immersed in Paramatma-tattva. They become free from material contamination. As they are always united with Paramātmā. They see Parama-tattva all around them.

Such yogis love all equally. They do not distinguish between rich and poor, good and bad. They see all with equal eyes. They see all living beings in Paramātmā and Paramātmā in all living beings.

Story of Eknath Maharaj-

Once, Eknath Maharaj was travelling from Hrishikesh to Rameswaram. He was carrying with him a tumbler filled with Ganga water to be offered at the Shiv-Ling at Rameswaram. On the way, he saw a very thirsty donkey. The donkey might die without water. Eknath Maharaj, seeing this, poured the entire tumbler of Ganga-water at the donkey’s mouth. When his disciples asked him how he could do it? The water he was carrying for offering to the Shiv-Ling. To this, he replied,”I see no difference between the donkey and the Shiv-Ling. The Param-tattva, which is inside the Shiv-Ling, the same Param-tattva resides inside the donkey.

They are the perfect yogis.

yo māṁ paśhyati sarvatra sarvaṁ cha mayi paśhyati – One who sees ME everywhere, he sees everything in ME.

tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśhyāmi sa cha me na praṇaśhyati –Neither he loses ME, nor he is lost to ME.

For those who see Me everywhere and see all things in Me, I am never lost, nor are they ever lost to Me.