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The Path of Meditation · 47 verses
Ask Krishna about this chapterThe Blessed Lord said: He who performs his obligatory duty without depending on the fruit of action — he is a sannyasi and a yogi, not one who is merely without fire…
What they call renunciation, know that to be yoga, O Pandava; for no one who has not given up selfish resolve ever becomes a yogi.
For the sage who wishes to ascend to Yoga, action is said to be the means; for that same sage who has ascended to Yoga, tranquility alone is said to be the means.
When one is not attached to sense objects nor to actions, having renounced all desires and intentions, then one is said to have ascended to Yoga.
One should uplift oneself by oneself and not let oneself sink down, for the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self.
For one who has conquered the self by the self, the self is a friend of the self; but for one whose self is unconquered, the self remains in enmity, acting like an enemy.
The Self of one who is self-controlled and has attained peace is equally unmoved by heat or cold, pleasure or pain, honor or dishonor.
The yogi whose self is satisfied with knowledge and realized wisdom, who stands unmoved, who has conquered the senses, and to whom a clod of earth, a stone, and gold…
He looks impartially on all—lovers, friends, or foes; indifferent, hostile, alien, or relative; virtuous or sinful.
Let the student of spirituality try unceasingly to concentrate his mind; let him live in seclusion, absolutely alone, with his mind and personality controlled, free…
In a clean place, having established a firm seat for himself, neither too high nor too low, covered with kusha grass, then a deerskin, and a cloth one over the other—
Seated there on that seat, making the mind one-pointed and controlling the activities of the mind and senses, he should practice yoga for the purification of the self.
Let him hold his body, head, and neck erect, motionless and steady; let him look fixedly at the tip of his nose, turning neither to the right nor to the left.
Serene in mind, free from fear, established in the vow of celibacy, controlling the mind and fixing it on Me, one should sit absorbed in yoga, having Me as the supreme…
Thus, ever disciplining the mind in this way, the yogi of controlled mind attains the peace that culminates in supreme liberation and that abides in Me.
Meditation is not for him who eats too much, nor for him who eats not at all; not for him who is overly addicted to sleep, nor for him who is always awake.
But for him who regulates his food and recreation, who is balanced in action, in sleep, and in waking, it shall dispel all unhappiness.
When the fully controlled mind rests in the Self alone, free from craving for all objects of desire, then one is said to be united in Yoga.
As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker — such is the simile used for the yogi of controlled mind who is engaged in the practice of yoga of the Self.
Where the mind, restrained by the practice of Yoga, attains quietude, and where, seeing the Self by the self, one is satisfied in the Self alone—
When he enjoys the bliss that surpasses the senses and can only be grasped by the pure intellect, when he comes to rest within his highest self, he will never again…
Finding That, he will realize that there is no possession so precious. And once established there, no calamity can disturb him.
This inner severance from the affliction of misery is spirituality. It should be practiced with determination and with a heart that refuses to be depressed.
Renouncing every desire that can be imagined, controlling the senses at every point through the power of the mind;
Little by little, with the help of his reason controlled by fortitude, let him attain peace; and, fixing his mind on the Self, let him not think of anything else.
When the volatile and wavering mind wanders, let him restrain it and bring it back to its allegiance to the Self.
Supreme bliss is the lot of the sage whose mind attains peace, whose passions subside, who is without sin, and who becomes one with the Absolute.
Thus always engaging the mind in yoga, the yogi, freed from sin, easily attains the supreme bliss of contact with Brahman.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks upon everything with an impartial eye.
He who sees Me in everything and everything in Me, I shall never forsake him, nor shall he lose Me.
The sage who realizes the unity of life and who worships Me in all beings, lives in Me, no matter what their lot may be.
O Arjuna, he who, by comparison with himself, sees equally everywhere, whether in happiness or in sorrow, that yogi is considered the highest.
Arjuna said: I do not see how I can attain this state of equanimity which You have revealed, owing to the restlessness of my mind.
My Lord! Verily, the mind is fickle and turbulent, obstinate, and strong; indeed, it is extremely difficult to control, like the wind.
Lord Shri Krishna replied: Doubtless, O Mighty One, the mind is fickle and exceedingly difficult to restrain; however, O Son of Kunti, with practice and renunciation,…
Yoga is difficult to attain by one whose mind is uncontrolled — this is my conviction; but by one whose mind is subdued and who strives through proper means, it is…
Arjuna said: One who possesses faith but lacks sufficient effort, whose mind strays from Yoga, and who fails to attain perfection in Yoga — what destination does he…
Having failed in both, my Lord, is he without hope, like a riven cloud with no support, lost on the spiritual path?
My Lord! You are worthy to solve this doubt once and for all; there is no one else competent to do so, save Yourself.
Lord Shri Krishna replied: My beloved child! There is no destruction for him, either in this world or the next. No evil fate awaits him who treads the path of…
Having reached the worlds where the righteous dwell, and having remained there for many years, he who has strayed from the path of spirituality will be born again into…
Or, he may be born in the family of wise sages, though such a birth is indeed very difficult to obtain.
Then, the experience acquired in his former life will revive, and with it, he will more eagerly strive for perfection than before.
By that very former practice, he is carried forward even helplessly; and even one who merely wishes to know about Yoga transcends the word-Brahman.
Then, after many lives of earnest striving and absolution of sins, the student of spirituality attains perfection and reaches the Supreme.
The yogi is superior to the ascetics, and is considered superior even to the men of knowledge; the yogi is also superior to the men of ritual action. Therefore, O…
I look upon him as the best of mystics, who, full of faith, worships Me and abides in Me.