Chapter 6.1 Dhyana Yoga (Yoga of Meditation) - Slokas 1-15
The sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is called “Dhyana Yoga” (Yoga of Meditation). In this chapter, Bhagavan Krishna after defining who a Sanyasi is, discusses the means of progress in different stages of spiritual development. Sri Krishna further advises how a person can be his own best friend and his own worst enemy. The Lord lists the requirements of a Dhyana Yogi and describes the process of meditation in detail. Then, He enumerates the qualities of those who will progress and those who will not progress in meditation. Bhagavan Krishna teaches Arjuna how to control the restless mind. He clears Arjuna’s doubt about what will happen to a person who is unable to persist with this “Yoga of Meditation”. Finally, we will find out who, among the yogis, is the most devout.
Sloka 1-2
1. “The Blessed Lord Sri Krishna said, “He who performs his duty without seeking its fruit (results), he is a Sannyasin and a Yogi; not he who is without sacred fire and without action”.
2. “O Pandava, know Yoga to be that which they call renunciation; no one becomes a Yogi without renouncing Sankalpa (fanciful thoughts).”
Here, The Lord explains to Arjuna that a person, who acts while renouncing the fruits of his action, is both a Sanyasi and a Yogi. Bhagavan Krishna also tells him that he needs to give up “Sankalpa”. Sankalpa is the creative or fanciful imagination about what is coming in the future. The nature of Sankalpa is such that the projects and the goals are constantly changing. Lord Krishna further says, “Yoga is renunciation” (of thoughts). If Arjuna does not carry out his responsibilities first as a soldier, without thinking ahead as to what is going to happen, he cannot progress to become a Sanyasi or Yogi. Bhagavan Sri Krishna is emphasizing this point again and again to get His message across.
Sloka 3
Aururuksor muner yogam karma kaaranam ucyate
Yogaarudasya tasyaiva samah kaaranam ucyate
“For a muni who “wishes to attain to Yoga”, action is said to be the means. For the same sage who has “attained to Yoga”, inaction (quietness) is said to be the means.”
This sloka has profound practical significance. It directly applies to our daily life. When we play any sport or study any science, our approach would be based on the initial challenges. But once we have progressed past the initial stage, our approach has to be different. On April 15, 2020, even as I write this, and we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we find that the strategy to deal with the virus changes as time passes. First travel restrictions from outside the country, then mitigation strategies within the country while the treatment and prevention (vaccine) strategies are developed.
Swami Chinmayanandaji gives the example of a person trying to mount an untrained horse (the untrained mind). Initially, the powerful horse “rides” the person. Later, once tamed, the person triumphantly rides the horse (the trained mind). The horse now understands who the master is and obeys.
Here, Lord Krishna tells us that “(desireless) action” (Karma Yoga) is necessary for a person in the initial stages of his (her) spiritual path. Later, after significant progress in “action” is achieved, the same person becomes “quiet” and meditates on the Self within (Adhyathma yoga) while he continues to discharge his (her) duties in the outside world.
Sloka 4
“When a person has renounced all thoughts, and he is not attached to the sense- objects or to actions, then he is said to have attained to yoga.”
“Renouncing all thoughts” (Sarva sankalpa sannyasah) is the pinnacle of (karma) yoga. At that level, the Yogi has no attachment to either objects or his own actions.
“O desire, I know where you are from. You are born of Sankalpa. I shall not think of you and you will cease to exist along with your roots” – Mahabharata, Shanthi Parva; 177- 25
In this spiritual quest, who is our friend and who is our enemy?
Bhagavan discusses the answer in sloka 5 - 6
5. Uddhared atma naatmaanam naatmaanam avasaadayet
Aatmaiva hy aatmano bandhur aatmaiva ripur aatmanaha
“Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone, and let him not lower himself; for, this Self alone is the friend of oneself and this Self alone is the enemy of oneself.”
6. “The self (mind) is the friend of the Self (Purusha) for him who has conquered himself by the Self; but to the unconquered self, this Self stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe.”
Sri Krishna is advising every person to lift his lower self (mind) by establishing with the Higher Self (Purusha or Atman). If this lower self is conquered and identifies with the Higher Self, then it is his best friend. If the lower self is not conquered, then this undisciplined self is his own worst enemy. Here, Bhagavan Krishna is talking about “conquering the mind”. As the saying goes, “Conquer the mind and you will conquer the world.”
To further understand this message, I would like to relate a story from Shreemad Bhagavatham as told by Narada Muni.
There was a king named Puranjana. He had a very close friend called “Avignyatha” (“Unknown”). Puranjana and Avignyata were inseparable friends. But Puranjana became restless and left his friend. Then, he fell in love with a girl named Puranjani, and married her. Puranjana totally identified with his wife Puranjani. Whenever she laughed, he laughed. When she slept, he slept. When she danced, he danced. When she cried, he cried and so on. Subsequently, Puranjana died in a battle. His last thoughts while dying were of Puranjani, his wife. As a result, in his next birth, the king was born as a woman named Vaidarbhi and “she” got married to a king called Malayadhvaja . When Malayadhvaja died, his wife Vaidarbhi, (who was Puranjana in the earlier life), was mourning the loss of her husband. At that time, Avignyata, the “friend” from his previous birth came by and said, “Do you remember me? We were inseparable friends. But you became restless and never paid any attention to me”. Then Avignyata taught him “Brahma Vidya”. Avignyata said to him, “you are neither the king Puranjana in the previous life nor the wife of king Malayadhvaja in this life. You are the pure Atman (the Self). The Atman is sexless. You and I are the same Atman”.
The philosophy behind this story in Bhagavatham, as explained by Sage Narada, is as follows:
The king Puranjana is the Atman residing in the body called pura. The “wife” is the mind. The individual Jivatman (human being) becomes restless and wants to enjoy the objects. The human being then starts to identify totally with the mind. When the mind feels happy, he feels happy, when the mind feels sad, he feels sad and so on. The “Unknown friend” (Avignyata) is the Atman. The human being ignores the Atman but gets enamored by the objects around. The Atman is always with us but “Unknown” (Avignyata) to us. This Atman is our best friend, who guides us, as to what is right and what is wrong. By ignoring The Atman, and by total identification with the mind, the human being goes through life and death cycles (Samsara). The only cure for this is devotion to Lord Narayana. This is the “Brahma Vidya” (Knowledge of Brahman) as taught by Sage Narada.
Lord Krishna says in this sloka, “this Higher Self (Atman) is a person’s “best friend”. And by establishing with the Higher Self (Atman), a person can lift himself to a higher level of behavior. The person who does not identify with the Atman, lowers himself in his conduct as per Sri Krishna.
“When a man lacks discrimination and his mind is uncontrolled, his senses are unmanageable like the untrained horses of a charioteer. But when a man has discrimination and his mind is controlled, his senses obey him like the well-trained horses of a charioteer.”- Kathopanishad
What are the benefits that a Yogi obtains by self-control?
Sloka 7 - 9
7. “The self-controlled and peaceful man’s Supreme Self is constant in cold and heat, in joy and sorrow, and also in honor and dishonor”.
8. “The Yogi, who is satisfied with knowledge and wisdom, who remains unshaken, who has conquered the senses, to whom a lump of earth, a stone, and gold are the same, is said to be harmonized”.
9. “He who is of the same mind to friends, enemies, the neutral, the relatives, the righteous and unrighteous, excels.”
The Yogi, who has controlled his senses, is at peace in opposing conditions. Interestingly, Bhagavan Krishna addresses three levels of control.
Further, the Yogi views a cheap and an expensive object equally and he is in harmony with all of Lord’s creations, both living and nonliving. Here, Bhagavan Krishna is emphasizing the importance of “evenness of the mind” in all situations and while dealing with anyone. A similar message was conveyed in Samkhya Yoga, where Sri Krishna said, “samatvam yoga ucyate” (Evenness of the mind is Yoga) – chapter 2, sloka 48.
What are the requirements of a meditator? The following slokas answer this question.
Sloka 10
Yogi yunjita satatam aatmanam rahasi sthithaha
Ekaki yata ciththaatma niraasir aparigrahaha
“Let the Yogi try constantly to keep the mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone with the mind and body controlled, free from hope and greed.”
Sloka 10 - 14
Ground rules for meditation as per Lord Krishna
made of cloth, deer skin and Kusa grass one over the other
I would like to call this the “Ten requisites” for the “Yoga of meditation” as per Sri Krishna.
When we set our goal on something as high as meditation, determination and discipline are key factors. Also, having a set plan helps in consistency and makes it somewhat easier to follow, especially if instructions are given by The Lord.
I would like to clarify that aloneness and loneliness are different. Loneliness is an emotional state of the mind. In aloneness, one “chooses solitude” for quietening the mind for meditation. Also, “free from hope” means free from the anxiety for the results of meditation. Establishing a good posture and having a comfortable seat are essential. One can modify the base as per the comfort of the person. It can be a cushion or yoga mat or anything one is comfortable with. If someone cannot sit down, he (she) can sit in a chair.
During olden times, fearlessness may mean not worrying about wild animals like tigers or snakes in the forest. In the modern world, fearlessness may include not worrying about whether the cellphone or the doorbell is going to ring or worrying about whether some family member is going to turn on the television, etc. “Gazing at the tip of the nose” can sometimes be difficult. The idea is to shift the focus inwards. A person can gently close the eyes and focus on the beautiful form of the Lord in his (her) mind.
Having established a solid physical foundation, the Yogi does the most important thing. He quietens his mind and turns his attention to the Supreme goal (Bhagavan).
Sloka 15
“Always keeping the mind balanced, the Yogi, with his mind controlled, attains the Peace abiding in Me, which culminates in total liberation (Moksha).”
This Yoga of meditation results in Peace and total liberation from the bondage of karma and its results. This is the result of mind control, through a careful balancing act (avoiding likes and dislikes) and loving freely every one of God’s creations.
We will see in the next verses of chapter 6, Sri Krishna discusses about who succeeds and who fails in this spiritual exercise called meditation. He will also detail the stages of the Yogi’s progress in meditation. Subsequently, Lord Krishna talks about the effects of “Dhyana Yoga” (Yoga of Meditation) on the person who persists with it.
Hari Om!
Dr.Shanmugam