Dear
All,
From
verse 10 onwards, few verses go on to prescribe the posture, the method, the
seating etc., for meditation. Readers are advised to go through the
verses with the literal translation for these verses.
And
then, Sri Krishna goes on to describe the state of the one who has succeeded in
the process of meditation in these verses.
Verse 19
Yathaa deepo nivaatastho
Nengate sopamaa smritaa;
Yogino yatachittasya
Yunjato yogamaatmanah.
As a lamp placed in a windless spot does not flicker—to such is compared the Yogi of controlled mind, practising Yoga in the Self (or absorbed in the Yoga of the Self).
Verse 20
Yatroparamate chittam
Niruddham yogasevayaa;
Yatra chaivaatmanaa’tmaanam
Pashyannaatmani tushyati.
When the mind, restrained by the practice of Yoga, attains to quietude, and when, seeing the Self by the Self, he is satisfied in his own Self.
Verse 21
Sukhamaatyantikam yattad
Buddhi graahyamateendriyam;
Vetti yatra na chaivaayam
Sthitashchalati tattwatah.
When he (the Yogi) feels that infinite bliss which can be grasped by the (pure) intellect and which transcends the senses, and, established wherein he never moves from the Reality,
Verse 22
Yam labdhwaa chaaparam
Laabham manyate naadhikam tatah;
Yasmin sthito na duhkhena
Gurunaapi vichaalyate.
Which, having obtained, he thinks there is no other gain superior to it; wherein established, he is not moved even by heavy sorrow.
These
are some illustrations of the condition of intense concentration of the mind.
It flickers not. The mind is not any more distracted, because the steadiness of
the Atman is reflected here in this highly concentrated mind. Joy manifests
itself from within. The mind ceases.
We will contemplate on the above verses together in today’s post.
Verse 19
As a flame, say a candle
flame, flickers not when it is burning in a windless place, so will be the mind
concentrating, as it were, at the height of absorption in the Atman. Yathā dīpo nivātasthaḥ: That which is located in a windless place. Neṅgate:
Does not flicker. Sopamā
smṛtā: That is the illustration that is used here. Yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ: The Atman reflects itself as an immense steadiness in
the mind that is concentrating. The fickleness of the mind, which is otherwise
a form of distraction, ceases on account of the entire Atman reflecting itself
in this condition of intense concentration.
Verse 20
Uparamate cittaṁ: It melts into the
Self, as it were. Niruddhaṁ yogasevayā: Because of the restraint continually
exercised on the mind, it melts into the Atman itself. Yatra caivātmanātmānaṁ paśyannātmani tuṣyati: Where beholding
the Self in the self, one delights within oneself. There is no delight that is
equal to this delight.
Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad: This happiness is absolute happiness. It is
not a relative happiness that we gain by the contact of the mind with the
objects of desire, because when the object of desire vanishes there is no
happiness and, therefore, it is not actual happiness. It is a relatively tantalizing
form of joy.
Buddhigrāhyam: This happiness can be experienced only by
the higher purified reason, and not by the sense organs. The higher purified
reason can reflect the highest reality within itself in the same way as it can
infer the existence of God Almighty, though usually such a perception is not
possible through the sense organs.
We will not be able to arrive at God by an
inductive logic of collecting particulars to arrive at generals. Any
extent of particulars that we collect in this world will not make
God. Therefore, inductive logic does not help us here. The ancient masters took
resort to an intuitive perception by which they started with the Universal
first, and not with the particular first.
The existence of the Universal Reality is
established by pure logic, and once this is established as the consequence of
the work of the higher reason, everything follows. All creation can be
explained in terms of this Universal Reality. It is infinite happiness. All
other happiness in this world is relative.
Verse 21
Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhigrāhyam atīndriyam, vetti yatra na caivāyaṁ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ: In that state, we will never be shaken even by the winds of the world.
Verse 22
Yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate: Even the
heaviest sorrow cannot shake us from that happiness. Even if the earth cracks
and the sun does fall on our head, even if such a thing can be
imagined, we will not be shaken at that time, because of our entry into the
very substance of all things.
A monk writes,
“In the material realm, no extent of
attainment satiates a person totally. A poor person strives hard to become rich
and feels satisfied if he or she is able to become a millionaire.
But when that same millionaire looks at a billionaire, discontentment sets in again.
The billionaire is also discontented by
looking at an even richer person. No matter what happiness we get, when we
perceive a higher state of happiness, the feeling of non-fulfillment lingers.
But happiness achieved from the state of Yoga
is the infinite bliss of God. Since there is nothing higher than that, on
experiencing that infinite bliss, the soul naturally perceives that it has
reached its goal.
God’s divine bliss is also eternal, and it
can never be snatched away from the yogi who has attained it once. Such a
God-realized soul, though residing in the material body, remains in the state
of divine consciousness.
Sometimes, externally, it seems that the
Saint is facing tribulations in the form of illness, antagonistic people, and
oppressive environment, but internally the Saint retains divine consciousness
and continues to relish the bliss of God.
Thus, even the biggest difficulty cannot shake such a Saint. Established in union with God, the Saint rises above bodily consciousness and is thus not affected by bodily harm.”
Love.
