The Bhagavad Gita (10 page)

20  “The wise ones, Arjuna, are totally free from delusion. They know the Supreme Godhead (Brahman), and directly experience their own identity in That. They are neither elated by good fortune nor depressed by what is painful; they neither rejoice nor grieve. They know that the sensation called pleasure appears and disappears like a flash of lightning, and know that the cost of pleasure is inevitably misery and pain, which is indeed a dear price.

21  “These undeluded persons need no external supports whatsoever. Through intense meditation on the
Divine, fully absorbed in God, they have realized the eternal bliss that comes with living in the Self
(Atma).
With this spiritual awareness they rise above desire for sensory attractions and experience constant bliss. God intoxicated, they revel in Divinity and in nothing else.

22  “The wise recognize the transient nature of worldly gratification and thus do not look for happiness in the realm of the senses. Sensual delights are the wombs of misery. Earthly pleasures, though they seem enjoyable, are fleeting and ultimately painful. Wise ones know that misery inevitably, without fail, marches in lockstep with worldly pleasure.

23  “Desire and anger are counterparts, Arjuna. Anger is your response to the frustrations of unfilled desires. When you can control or transcend desire and anger (which arise in your body, not your
Atma)
you will have found true, lasting happiness.

24  “Those who find joy and peace completely within are the truly happy ones. Their bliss is in direct proportion to their disentanglement from worldly attractions. Eventually, they actually become one with Divinity, the very Source of the bliss that resides inside.

25  “These wise ones’ sins (errors) have been washed away. Their desires, and the anger and greed that always accompanies desires, have vanished. Their ignorance has disappeared, cast out by knowledge of the
Atma.
Their minds and hearts are firmly resident in the Divine, always seeking to contribute to the welfare of all. Those who attain the eternal bliss of Divinity are the real holy ones.

26  “Those who actually experience Divinity have severed 26 the chains of selfish desire. Through constant, intense effort they have taken charge of their minds and bodies and are actually above desire, anger, and greed. They now dwell in their True Self experiencing eternal bliss everywhere!

27-28  “The process for vanquishing the mind and senses consists of shutting out the external world, focusing one’s gaze on the center of spiritual consciousness between the eyebrows, and gradually equalizing the in-going and out-going breath. Then, when the body, mind, senses, and intellect are under control (without desire, fear, and anger), realization of the constant freedom and bliss within the Godhead comes.

29  “Ceaselessly think only of Me, Arjuna. Know that I, the Godhead (Brahman), am the object of all worship and the receiver of all offerings. Know that I am the source of all and the friend of all beings everywhere. Knowing this, you come to the place where all paths meet, and you achieve lasting peace of mind.”

  1  Krishna continues the dialogue: “The person who works in the world without needing or expecting a reward is both a
sanyasi
(true renunciate) and
karma-yogi
(action
yogi
). But the person who merely refrains from acting in the world is neither of these. You cannot just discard worldly duties, but must do them to the utmost extent of your human capacity for excellence.

  2  “I repeat, Arjuna, nobody can really become one with the Godhead without leaving their desires behind and abandoning their attachment to the fruits of their actions. The paths of desireless action
(karma yoga)
and renunciation
(sanyasa)
may seem to be different from
one another but they are not. All spiritual growth is based on surrendering attachments and selfish motives.

  3  “The path for those who are climbing to spiritual heights is selfless action
(karma yoga).
For those who have made the summit (union with God), deep serenity and absence of thought is their way.

  4  “God cannot be perceived in the mental ferment of the worldly. You have to blot out thoughts of the world. When you are no longer attached to performing action and have eliminated any desires for worldly things, only then will you have climbed to the highest state
of yoga
(which again is union with Divinity).

5-6  “I must emphasize, Arjuna, that you have to lift yourself by your own efforts! You must not allow yourself to be demeaned by your ego-self. Know that the self can be both friend and foe — a friend when used to conquer the mind, senses, and body; a foe when it drags one into the mind, senses, and body. True Self
(Atma)
is the ally; the ego-mind self is the enemy.

  7  “The serene person who is absorbed in God, living thus in peace, is the true renunciate. Maintaining an even mind in heat and cold, pleasure and pain, honor and disgrace marks the spiritually mature. Maintaining physical, mental, and intellectual balance no matter how difficult the challenge leads to permanent cheerfulness, which is the sure sign of a
yogi.
(Recall, a
true yogi
is not a spiritual recluse, but a godly person of discipline who lives fully in the world.)

  8  “The person who knows the
Atma
has conquered the senses and is calm under all circumstances — that
person has climbed to the summit of human consciousness.
That yogi
considers a clod of mud, a stone, or a gold nugget with the same equal-mindedness. Worldly people pursue earthly things; godly ones pursue only the Divine.

  9  “The
yogi
who looks with the same eye upon saints or sinners, relatives or strangers, friends or foes, well-wishers or even those wishing harm is indeed supreme.”

10  “To attain this godly state, Arjuna, you must become fully immersed in the True Self through the process called meditation
(dhyana yoga).
You have to control your mind, body, and senses and become free of possessions, expectations, desires, and greed. You must live alone, at least internally, in a quiet place. This inner discipline called meditation is imperative because it is the means for achieving lofty and necessary ends.

11-12  “The method of meditation includes locating a clean spot to sit, neither too high or low, covered with
kusha
grass, a deerskin, and a cloth, in that order.
^*
Then, the meditator strives to still all thoughts and sensations. Thus cleansing the mind returns it to its original state, inviting God to enter.

13-14  “While meditating, sit up straight, keep your body still, and keep your eyes from wandering by gazing at the tip of your nose. Or close the eyes and focus on the center of spiritual consciousness between your eyebrows. Remain in perfect calmness with your thoughts fixed on Me, the Divine.

15  “Through long concentration one’s mind ceases its wandering. After some time one develops what is in essence a new sensory faculty known as
medhanadi,
an intuitive penetrating skill that makes knotty issues of life no longer problems. The
yogi
with his or her mind constantly on the Divine finds deep serenity, the zenith of Self-realization, and merges with Me.

16-17  “People who eat too much or too little or who sleep too much or too little will not succeed in meditation. Eat only food that does not heat up the body or excite the mind. When you balance and regulate your habits of eating, sleeping, working, and playing, then meditation dissolves sorrow and destroys mental pain.”

18-19  “The mind has long been dissipated by worldly things and does not easily come under sway, Arjuna. But when one perfectly controls and fully withdraws the mind from selfish cravings, one is
in yoga,
union with Divinity. The mind of
the yogi,
totally focused on the True Self, is unwavering like the steady flame of a candle in a sheltered place.

20  “When the mind becomes still and quiet, the Self reveals itself. At these depths one experiences the joy and peace of complete fulfillment.

21-22  “When you dive deep into this infinite bliss of the Lord, which is above and beyond the senses, you never again wander from the innermost Truth. The goal and the means for reaching the goal become one and the same; life itself becomes a meditation.

23  “In this supreme state you desire nothing else whatsoever and cannot be shaken by any calamity. To be in
this mental state is to know the real meaning
of yoga
(union with God). Indeed, to achieve this state is to sever your contact with pain and surely bring an end to all your sorrow.

24-26  “Renounce all selfish desires, which are but products of the ego. Use your mind to curb all your senses. Rein in your restless and fidgety mind from wandering outside to seek stimulation and satisfaction. Turn it inward and train it to rest in God. Keep your attention anchored in the
Atma,
your True Self. Think of nothing else. Then, peace and quiet will gradually arise in you.

27-28  “The one who reposes in utter quiet with the Divine, cleansed of desires and passions, who knows the truth
of Atma,
rests in the Supreme bliss of Brahman. Constantly united with the Godhead, this
yogi’s
bliss is eternal.

29  “Touched in this way by God, this
yogi
sees unity and the True Self (Divinity) everywhere, in every creature, in all creation.

30  “Those who see Me in everything and everything in Me, know the staggering truth that the Self in the individual is the Self in all. As they live in constant spiritual awareness, I am never out of their sight or lost to them — nor are they ever out of My sight or lost to Me.

31  “Those who are in this cosmic union with Me, worship Me (Brahman) in the hearts of all. Whatever their external way of living or status, as they have shifted from self to God they live their lives in Me — and thus each of their contacts with other beings is, inwardly, an adoration.

32  “These high
yogis
know with certainty that they are one with Brahman, and therefore one with the universe. Thus they experience the joys and sorrows felt by others as happening to the whole. This is the loftiest spiritual union. I regard
these yogis
as highest of all — ”

33-34  Arjuna interrupts again: “It’s impossible, Krishna! My mind is so restless, so turbulent I can’t imagine ever being able to achieve the loftiness you’re teaching. The human mind is a nursery of waywardness, so strong it can drag an elephant, full of stubborn desires for worldly things. Indeed, it’s like a mule. If it doesn’t get what it wants it turns petulant and scheming. My mind can never be caught; it never halts in one place. Trying to catch and tame it is like trying to restrain the wild wind.”

35  Krishna breaks into a smile. “You know the nature of the mind, Arjuna. It is restless and hard to subdue, but it can be done. There are four main ways to do it: through regular practice, relentless inquiry, nonattachment, and firm faith. Let Me explain.

“Through regular practice
(abhyasa)
you can draw the mind away from worldly attractions and back into the
Atma.
As it becomes more interior it becomes calmer. Relentless inquiry into the Self
(vichara)
leads to knowledge of
Atma,
the True Self Within. Nonattachment
(vairagya)
results from self-inquiry and discrimination
(viveka).
When you actively turn your thoughts to all the bad consequences of the desires as they arise in you, the passion for them gradually dries up. As your passion diminishes, your mind comes under control. Firm, dedicated faith
(sraddha)
brings you the raw force of determination, will. All four methods are subsidiaries of the practice of meditation.

36  “Those who have no mastery over their ego will find it difficult to control the mind. But those who struggle hard by the correct means (relentless practice and nonattachment) will prevail over their wayward minds.”

37-39  Arjuna again interrupts, “What if one dies trying, Krishna? What happens to the imperfect
yogi
who may have faith but simply can’t subdue his mind and therefore wanders from the path, loses sight of the goal, and then dies, foiled in the attempt? Will this
yogi
have failed in both worlds, this one and the hereafter, like the cloud that just dies in the sky, unable to fulfill its mission of dropping rain? Dispel this dark cloud of doubt in me, Krishna.”

40  Krishna responds, “Spiritual work is never wasted. Fear not, my friend. One who does this good work will not come to a bad end in this world or any world beyond. You must know this profound truth, Arjuna: The one who strives for realization never comes to grief !