THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 6, DHYANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF MEDITATION, VERSE NUMBER 03

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER 6

DHYANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF MEDITAION:

VERSE NUMBER 03

Text in Transliteration:

aaruruksor muner yogam karma kaaranam ucyate

yogaaroodhasya tasyai ‘va samah kaaranam ucyate

Text in English:

Karma is said to be the means of the Muni who seeks to attain to yoga; serenity is said to be the means when he has attained to yoga.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

He is a Muni in the making who applies himself ardently to the practice of meditation. Though practising regularly, his mind does not easily get concentrated. It wanders away in spite of himself. In that case the yogi ought to engage himself eagerly in karma yoga. The non-yogi who busies himself with the work he undertakes, is rewarded by nature with sound sleep at night. The yogi is busier definitely in the discharge of his duty, but with no attachment and selfish motive. Good concentrated work. He can know this fact by experience day by day. Clarity of mind is the result of deep meditation. it is this clarity that gets itself settled as serenity. It is this clarity that gets itself settled as serenity. Through proper meditation the mind gets poised in equilibrium. As the crystallization of a stuff takes place in a restful condition, so the mind gets fixed in equilibrium through meditation. On the attainment of serenity it becomes fit for all purposes personal and public. Deep meditation is the yogi’s personal activity in which he delights in the sublimity of the Self. At other times the external work that he carries on is done to perfection. Serenity is the sure means for his attaining all these excellences.

   Serenity is the foremost of all the accomplishments of the yogi. From this divine gift emanate merits such as unison, equality, truthfulness, good conduct, steadfastness, straightforwardness, non-injury to beings and detachment from the world. (What are the marks of the yogi who has attained perfection in yoga? The explanation comes in the next verse).

 COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

When we are aspirants for liberation (saadhanaavasthaa), work done in the right spirit with inner renunciation helps us. When once we achieve self-possestion (siddhavasthaa)  we act, not for gaining any end but out of our anchorage in God-consciousness.  Through work we struggle to obtain self-control; when self-control is attained, we obtain peace. It does not follow that we then abandon all action. For in VI, I, it is stated that the true yogin is one who performs work and not one who renounces it. Sama does not mean the cessation of karma. It cannot be the cause (karana) of wisdom, for the perfected sage has already attained wisdom. V, 12 says that the yogin attains complete tranquillity by abandoning the fruits of action. He performs action with a perfect equanimity. He overflows with a spontaneous vitality and works with a generosity which arises from his own inexhaustible strength.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

For a man who cannot practise meditation, actiong is a means to get himself enthroned in Yoga. Action purifies his mind and makes the mind fit for the practice of steady meditation. action leads to steady concentration and meditation.

For the sage who is enthroned in Yoga, Sama or renunciation of actions is said to be the means.

The more perfectly he abstains from actions, the more steady his mind is, and the more peaceful he is , and the more easily and thoroughly does his mind gets fixed in the Self. “For a Brahmana there is no wealth like unto the knowledge of oneness and homogeneity (of the self in all beings), truthfulness, good character, steadiness, harmlessness, straightforwardness and renunciation of all actions” (Mahabharata, Santi Parva, 175.38)

Comments by the blogger:

For an aspirant yogi, action is the means. But his actions are different and done with a different intent and spirit. He is not on an activated mode like a thoroughly worldly man. A thoroughly worldly man is spurred on to act continuously till death with a phenomenal selfishness. For him he and his family come first than the whole country itself; his actions are grossly tainted. They give rise to much too many rebirths. He is overenthusiastic if he gets what he wants and is spurred by sorrow or anger, as the case may be, if he does not get the fruits of his actions. Fruits of his actions are the sole motive for his life on earth. Even worship of the Lord is made with intent to get from Him the fruition of his endeavours.

But the actions of the Muni, an aspirant who’s only motive is attainment of Yoga, is different. He is not selfish. To the core he is beautifully unselfish. His actions are nitya karma doing of which does not get merits to one but a refrain from the same attach demerits. Plus actions like begging or doing the minimum acts to earn money enough for the upholding of his person and fulfilment of his bare necessities.

And when he attains to Yoga even these minimal actions cease to exist and the Lord takes due care of his person and personal needs. Serenity born of non-action becomes his mode when he has attained to Yoga!