THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER NUMBER 06, DHYANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF MEDITATION, VERSE NUMBER 33

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 06

DHYANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF MEDITATION:

VERSE NUMBER 33

Text in Transliteration:

                                arjuna uvaacha

yo ‘yam yogas tvayaa proktah saamyena madhusoodana

etasyaa ‘ham na pasyaami chanchalatvaat sthitim sthiraam

Text in English:

                                Arjuna said:

This yoga of equanimity, taught by you, O Madhusudana—I do not see any stability for it, because of restlessness.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:

Because of the dispersed and restless nature of mind, its being collected in equanimity is not possible. The wavy ocean of the mind cannot be made waveless; this is the objection raised.

COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:

As the mind is restless, impetuous and unsteady I find it difficult to practise this Yoga of equanimity declared by Thee. O my Lord I cannot have steady concentration of the mind, as it wanders here and there in the twinkling of an eye.

Comments by the blogger:

The mind has everything, knows everything and is capable of anything. It has the power of watching over itself while it is working and thus evaluate the same. Mind’s power cannot be quantified or defined. Even when the mind is in a dispersed condition, it is most powerful. But when the mind is made to focus on a single point or object, mind’s real power may be realised even by the uninitiated. And when the mind is schooled to meditate on a single point in a continuous way, for example, the auspicious attributes of God, we attain liberation. It is possible for some people in six years and twelve years for some. Twenty four years’ meditation is required for some persons. But liberation is possible when the mind is focused on it.

But it is not possible to rein the wayward mind which drives itself in all directions one and the same time. The five senses are its steeds and the mind is in a state of constant flux. Mind acts like a monkey in the tree jumping from branch to branch. It is a Himalayan task to make it dwell on a single point even for one second not to speak of performing meditation on a single object or thought for eight hours every day for so many years.

This is why Arjuna puts this question to the Lord both for his sake and the benefit of us all.