Bhagavad Gita- Chapter6 - Dhyana Yoga -Part1
Krishnan Iyer
CHAPTER VI – DHYANA YOG
Sensing that Arjuna might still have some doubts lingering on his mind as to which path to take the Lord begins this chapter detailing Dhyana Yog with clear distinction between the various paths that a seeker might adopt to reach his goal.The Lord emphasises the temporal aspect of the Saadhanas elucidating how one can continue to be engaged in his karma even as he or she is working towards the ultimate goal .
Having stressed on the saadhana of a yogi and the achievements thereof in the last chapter he now details the Saadhana in this chapter as also clarifies the nomenclature of the Seeker , the Yogi and the Sanyaasi .
The central point of this chapter is that Action ( Karma ) is an external aid to Yogi engaged in Dhyana Yoga .
The Lord distinguishes the status of the Yogi in the making , the accomplished Yogi and that of a Yogi who has attained the goal .
Verse 1
One who performs his duty without being dependent on the fruits of action - ie. not attaching priority to the results over the action itself - is a Yogi as well as a Sanyaasi , and not the one who has forsaken action nor who has merely stopped lighting the sacrificial fire ie. Meaning , desire driven action ( Karmaanga Bhadhah Agnih )
This is so as neither the objects ( since as a Yogi he has renounced the fruits ) nor the dependence on them (as a sanyaasi has renounced the desire for action ie. Sankalpa itself as much as the fruits of action and is thus totally independent of them in every manner ) is important and the action alone reigns supreme. Thus such a person should be regarded having the attributes of a Yogi as well as a Sanyyasi
Verse 2
Know . Pandava , this yoga ( wherein the seeker has renounced all desires – both for action as well the fruits thereof ) to be what is called as Sanyaasa ( renunciation )
The seeker who is engaged in this yoga has learnt to renounce the fruits of action and in that process , as he matures , will have renounced the desire for action too , thus leading to sanyaasa. The difference is that in the former the renunciation is post action , while in the latter renunciation takes place even prior to action ( Sankalpa Tyaag )
The Lord Now iterates the engagement of a Yogi and a Sanyaasi …
Verse 3
Action is said to be the means of attaining his end for the one who , wishes to attain Yog. Not being engaged in action is said to be the means for attaining ( further , higher goal ) for the one who is accomplished in Yoga.
He calls the former Yogaaruruksha and the latter Yogarudhha . Till the time one is not steadfast inYog , one ought to continue to be engaged in Karma .Karma Sanyaas is still further away .
Verse 4
Not attached to any object and actions , when all thoughts have been renounced , then he is attained to Yoga
Only when all thoughts – thoughts give rise to desires and actions follow – he is said to be firmly in the saddle.
Here the Lord has certified the Yoga aspirants as an accomplished Yogi and recommends renouncing of all actions.
However the stage between the aspirant and that of the accomplisher is a critical one ….
Verse 5
Let a man raise himself , let him not denigrate himself . For he alone is his own friend as well as his own enemy .
The implied advise is that the man should endeavour to raise himself from the material existence . Let him pull himself up by self effort , by pulling the senses off the objects.
Verse 6
When the mind has controlled the body / senses aggregate , it is a friend ( and thus he is
his own friend ) and when the sense organs become the controller of the mind , it is rendered an enemy ( thus he is his own enemy)
The issue is which remains the master – the mind or the senses .
Verse 7
When the senses are subdued and the mind is tranquil , having raised above the pairs of opposite , he then dwells in the supreme self .
One who renders the senses ( under the influence of Thoughts ) servile , a Jithaathma , is able to fully place himself in the supreme Self
Verse 8
The Yogi who is brimming with the knowledge ( learnt from the scriptures) and wisdom and has conquered the senses , who is steadfast , for whom a stone and Gold are equal is said to have attained to Yoga
This Yogi has known the Self on account of Sankhya Budhi and has earlier purified his Chith with Upaasanas Meditation etc in totality ( is satisfied and cannot have further quest) , is firm as in the face of any eventuality and does not change ( shift or modify the state of mind that is dwelling in the Self ) . To him a stone and Gold are only utilities that may serve limited purposes and he is able to sees them as equal .
Verse 9
He stands above all who is equinomous towards the benevolent ,Frieds , foes, theindifferent , the neutral , the relatives ,the hateful , the righteous and the unrighteous. He is the tallest among the yogis to whom the persona or the actions of anyone is immaterial.
Here , In case Vimuchyathe is used instead of Vishishyathe , it would mean ‘ he is liberated’
To attain such a state …. The description of the meditation technique follows ….
Verse 10
Let the Yogi be enjoined always with the Self . Such a person should resort to renouncing everything , keep the effort on constantly resorting to all conducive measures. He should have abandoned all desires and paraphernalia.
Verse 11
Having himself seated firmly in a Pure ( not just clean ) place , the seat not being too low nor too high so as to distract or digress the attention and insulated medium and with an unswerving mind …..
Verse 12
With the mind single pointed and all actions of the mind and senses controlled , let him , firmly seated , engage in Yoga , for the purification of the self
Verse 13
Having the body , head and the spine in one line and still , without looking around and pointing the gaze towards the tip of the nose ( meaning , withdrawing the sight from external objects
and looking within ) ….
Now , for the internal characteristics of the Yogi in Dhyana…
Verse 14
Peaceful and serene - having risen above the pairs of opposites and thus leaving no scope for change - , Fearless – having no fear of procuring and retaining ,no fear of meeting an unwanted situation or not meeting a desired one , having left every aspect of sustenance to
the Supreme , established in Brahmacharya penance – dwelling , singularly , in the
supreme leading a divine life , having restrained the mind - away from objects and towards the goal , having the mind like ‘mine’ ie. Whose mind has metamorphosed into the universal mind , looking up to me as above everything else (this world ) ….. let him be firmly seated in union
Having extolled the inner beauty of the yogi , the Lord could not help but mention briefly the benefits of such a yoga …
Verse 15
This is a Phalasruti Verse mentioning the accomplishment of a serious seeker .
The Yogi with the mind totally under control and thus enjoined , attains the peace abiding in me culminating in Nirvana.
He attains the state wherein the Vaasanas ( Impressions) are entirely scrapped off and there is no possibility of the peace , thus attained , getting disturbed. The culminating point is being free from ignorance entirely .
Verse 16
Yoga is not possible for him who eats more than required and the one who eats less than what is required for sustenance , nor for him who sleeps more than required and he who is ever wakeful.
Acharya says that the Yogi should listen to the prescription from within. Excess intake creates imbalance in the body , less intake fails to protect and wanes the bodily strength . Weak body cannot nourish the mind.
The thumb rule is to avoid excesses and excess of anything .
Verse 17
To him whose food and recreation are moderate , sleep is moderate , whose exertion in action are moderate to him accrues Yoga which is destructive of pain.
The Acharya mentions the word Niyatha Pramaanau – prescribed limits to handle this issue
Such a yogi stands above , untouched by the worldly sorrows
Verse 18
When the well restrained ( and focused) thoughts are established in the Self , without longing for any of the objects of desire , then he is said to be ( an accomplished) Yogi.
This again is the Phalasruti and Poornahuthi of the descriptions beginning from Verse 10.
Thus established , with the right conduct and the mind well focused , in the Self alone ,his focus is on the self alone
Verse 19
Having practiced Yoga thus , having become single pointed he stands like a lamp ( glowing continuously ) sheltered from breeze .
He is ever Conscious of movement & direction of the thoughts. Like the lamp , unaffected by the breeze, though not without Air his un interrupted thoughts focussed on the Atman alone
The comparison with reference to steadfastness is with the Lamp on account of continuity of the thought without getting dislodged by external influences.
Verse 20
When on account of the Yoga , the yogi’s thoughts dwell only on the Atman ,the mind having centering around solely on the Atman continuously ,the Yogi sees the Self by that purified inner instrument and attains satisfaction in that Self alone
The thoughts have converged and established singularly on the Atman , the Antahkarna purified by this yoga , the Yogi ‘sees’ the Self and relishes that eternal happiness derived.
Verse 21
Having known this eternal happiness that is different from happiness created ,different from the happiness that are confined to senses and which is grasped by reason , he never moves away from the Self .
The Lord distinguishes this happiness that transcends senses and is eternal from the happiness that satiates the three Gunaas ( even the Gunaas that satisfy the Sattvik Gunaas are ephemeral , let alone the happiness that appeal to the senses or derived when the reason is divorced )
Verse 22
Having gained this happiness of the Self , he considers no other acquisition superior to it. Being established therein, he veers away not even by strongest of pain ( that are caused by the worldly
transactions)
Once established in the Self , the gains keep off every materialistic pursuits , however noble , and thus , the resultant pain.
The Lord brings out the superiority of this eternal happiness by emphasizing the temporary nature of all other happiness as well as inevitability of pain ultimately , even if happiness was
derived initially , from the worldly matters
The Lord now proceeds to illustrate this state of Self
Verse 23
This severance from the union with pain Is essentially the Union with Self and is called Yoga which must be practiced with determination but without excitement (With calmness and reason).
The union with sorrow , in man , is on account of union with the inner instrument and hence severance from it is union with the intellect .
This verse highlights identification of the Jivatma with the BMI ( Body Mind Intellect ) instrument
and the resultant suffering.
Further instructions to the Yogi ……who knows how to handle the senses when the above identification is known to be false
Verse 24
Abandoning entirely all the desires , restraining the senses from all quarters away from the mind
…..
The Vishayas , as the Lord indicated earlier will by its very nature reinforce the identification mentioned above , with great strength and Indriyaas will always endeavour to pull the mind away
towards the Vishayaas . The yogi , hence needs to keep his mind undisturbed by these activities of the senses
Verse 25
Gradually let him withdraw ( the mind from the senses) with total confidence ( of the understanding of cause of bondages) ,ending all thoughts ,engage himself only with the Self .
Having understood the cause of bondage as mere identification of the Jiva with the BMI and hence emerging strong and determined , the yogi is able to end to the unnecessary inputs brought forth by the senses that feed the mind .He is thus able to render the mind constantly abide in the Self
( To be continued )
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Regards
KRISHNAN