Sankhya Yoga: Shlokas 61 to 66
If you have not already done so, I would request you to review the Chapter 1, Arjuna Vishada Yoga before studying chapter 2 as that would help set the right context.
You can find the explanation of shlokas 55 to 60 here. Please go through that to get better understanding of the context.
You can also listen to all the episodes through my Spotify Portal.
तानि सर्वाणि संयम्य युक्त आसीत मत्पर: |
वशे हि यस्येन्द्रियाणि तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता || 61||
tāni sarvāṇi sanyamya yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ
vaśhe hi yasyendriyāṇi tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā
तानि (tāni) – those; सर्वाणि (sarvāṇi) – all; संयम्य (saṃyamya) – controlling; युक्त (yukta) – engaged; आसीत (āsīta) – should be; मत्पर: (matparaḥ) – focused on Me (referring to Krishna or God); वशे (vaśe) – in control; हि (hi) – indeed; यस्य (yasya) – whose; इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) – senses; तस्य (tasya) – his; प्रज्ञा (prajñā) – wisdom; प्रतिष्ठिता (pratiṣṭhitā) – established.
Those who control their senses and remain engaged, focused on Me, Indeed, they are established in wisdom.
ध्यायतो विषयान्पुंस: सङ्गस्तेषूपजायते |
सङ्गात्सञ्जायते काम: कामात्क्रोधोऽभिजायते || 62||
dhyāyato viṣhayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣhūpajāyate
saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate
ध्यायतो (dhyāyato) – contemplating; विषयान् (viṣayān) – objects of senses; पुंसः (puṃsaḥ) – of a person; सङ्गः (saṅgaḥ) – attachment; तेषु (teṣu) – in them; उपजायते (upajāyate) – arises; सङ्गात (saṅgāt) – from attachment; सञ्जायते (sañjāyate) – arises; कामः (kāmaḥ) – desire; कामात (kāmāt) – from desire; क्रोधः (krodhaḥ) – anger; अभिजायते (abhijāyate) – is born.
Contemplating on the objects of senses, a person develops attachment to them; from attachment, desire arises; and from desire, anger is born.
क्रोधाद्भवति सम्मोह: सम्मोहात्स्मृतिविभ्रम: |
स्मृतिभ्रंशाद् बुद्धिनाशो बुद्धिनाशात्प्रणश्यति || 63||
krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ
smṛiti-bhranśhād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati
क्रोधाद्भवति – (krodhādbhavati) – arises from anger; सम्मोह: – (sammohaḥ) – delusion; सम्मोहात् – (sammohāt) – from delusion; स्मृतिविभ्रम: – (smṛiti-vibhramaḥ) – loss of memory/knowledge; स्मृतिभ्रंशात् – (smṛiti-bhraṁśāt) – from the loss of memory/knowledge; बुद्धिनाशो – (buddhi-nāśaḥ) – destruction of intellect; बुद्धिनाशात् – (buddhi-nāśāt) – from the destruction of intellect; प्रणश्यति – (praṇaśyati) – one perishes
Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.
रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् |
आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति || 64||
rāga-dveṣha-viyuktais tu viṣhayān indriyaiśh charan
ātma-vaśhyair-vidheyātmā prasādam adhigachchhati
रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु (rāgadveṣaviyuktaiṣtu) – free from attachment and aversion, विषयान् (viṣayān) – objects, इन्द्रियैः (indriyaiḥ) – with senses, चरन् (caran) – acting, आत्मवश्यैः (ātmavaśyaiḥ) – self-controlled, विधेयात्मा (vidheyātmā) – disciplined self, प्रसादम् (prasādam) – tranquility, अधिगच्छति (adhigacchati) – attains.
But one who controls the mind, and is free from attachment and aversion, even while using the objects of the senses, attains the Grace of God.
प्रसादे सर्वदु:खानां हानिरस्योपजायते |
प्रसन्नचेतसो ह्याशु बुद्धि: पर्यवतिष्ठते || 65||
prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate
prasanna-chetaso hyāśhu buddhiḥ paryavatiṣhṭhate
प्रसादे (prasāde) – by God’s grace, सर्वदुःखानां (sarvaduḥkhānāṃ) – all sorrows, हानिः (hāniḥ) – destruction, अस्य (asya) – his, उपजायते (upajāyate) – arises, प्रसन्नचेतसो (prasannachetaso) – of the serene-minded, हि (hi) – indeed, आशु (āśu) – quickly, बुद्धिः (buddhiḥ) – intellect, पर्यवतिष्ठते (paryavatiṣṭhate) – becomes steady.
By divine grace comes the tranquility in which all sorrows end, and the intellect of such a person of serene mind soon becomes firmly established in God.
नास्ति बुद्धिरयुक्तस्य न चायुक्तस्य भावना |
न चाभावयत: शान्तिरशान्तस्य कुत: सुखम् || 66||
nāsti buddhir-ayuktasya na chāyuktasya bhāvanā
na chābhāvayataḥ śhāntir aśhāntasya kutaḥ sukham
नास्ति (nāsti) – there is no, बुद्धिः (buddhiḥ) – intellect, अयुक्तस्य (ayuktasya) – of the unsteady, न (na) – nor, च (ca) – and, अयुक्तस्य (ayuktasya) – of the unsteady, भावना (bhāvanā) – contemplation, न (na) – nor, च (ca) – and, अभावयतः (abhāvayataḥ) – for the one not contemplating, शान्तिः (śāntiḥ) – peace, अशान्तस्य (aśāntasya) – of the restless, कुतः (kutaḥ) – where, सुखम् (sukham) – happiness.
An individual lacking discipline, who has not mastered their mind and senses, cannot possess a determined intellect or consistent meditation on God. Without connecting the mind to God, peace remains unattainable; and without peace, happiness cannot be achieved.
The need for controlling the mind and senses
In 2.61, Shri Kṛṣṇa says that “They are established in perfect knowledge, who subdue their senses and keep their minds ever absorbed in me.”
As we saw in the previous verses, the senses are very turbulent and have the power to forcibly carry away the mind of even advanced sages and saints. Kṛṣṇa is giving a tip here that the way to control our senses is by diverting them towards Him.
In Shrimad Bhagavatam, there is the story of King Bharata which explains the problem with sensory attachments.
Though Bharata Maharaja was highly advanced, he succumbed to his attachment to a young deer. One day, after his usual bath in the Gandaki River and mantra chanting, he saw a pregnant deer come to drink water. Suddenly, a lion’s roar thundered, frightening the deer, which gave birth to its calf and crossed the river, dying soon after. Feeling compassionate, Bharata Maharaja rescued the calf, brought it to his ashram, and lovingly cared for it. Over time, he grew attached to the deer, which became his constant companion. His mind became agitated as his attachment to the deer grew, causing his devotional service to weaken. Despite renouncing his kingdom, he became attached to the deer and fell from his spiritual practice.
Once, when the deer was missing, Bharata Maharaja was so distraught that he searched for it everywhere. In his anguish over the deer’s absence, he fell and died. As his mind was absorbed in thoughts of the deer, he was reborn as one in his next life. However, due to his considerable spiritual progress, he retained memories of his past actions despite being in a deer’s body. He realized how he had fallen from his esteemed position and, remembering this, left his deer mother to return to the Pulaha ashram. Finally, after ending his worldly pursuits in the deer’s form, he died and was liberated from the deer’s body.
Sense control through service to God. In the same Srimad Bhagavatam, there is a story of King Ambarish, who managed to control all his senses by applying them in the service of the Lord.
Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.18-20 states:
स वै मनः कृष्ण-पदारविन्दयोर्वाचांसि वैकुण्ठ-गुणानुवर्णने |
करौ हरेर् मण्डिर-मार्जनादिषु श्रुतिं चकाराच्युत-सत्-कथोदये || ९.४.१८
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vācāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane
karau harer maṇḍira-mārjanādiṣu śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye
Maharaja Ambarisha always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Krishna, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord’s temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Krishna or about Him.
स मुखः कृष्ण-मुखाम्बुज-सम्पदां दधति स्वादु-पाने हृदयं भवान् |
पदौ हरेर् दास-वरेषु पादिषु सिरो हृषीकेश-पदाभिवन्दने || ९.४.१९
sa mukhaḥ kṛṣṇa-mukhāmbuja-sampadāṁ dadhati svādu-pāne hṛdayaṁ bhavān
padau harer dāsa-vareṣu pādiṣu siro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane
He engaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Krishna, Krishna’s temples and Krishna’s places like Mathura and Vrindavan, his sense of taste in tasting food offered to Krishna, his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, and his head in offering obeisances unto the Lord.
आत्मा सर्वात्मके हरौ दृष्टिः सत्येऽवतिष्ठते |
नानेन्द्रियार्थ-व्यापारैर् भ्रमत्य् अजस्रम् अन्यदा || ९.४.२०
ātmā sarvātmake harau dṛṣṭiḥ satye ’vatiṣṭhate
nānendriyārtha-vyāpārair bhramaty ajasram anyadā
And all his desires were engaged in the service of the Lord. His senses were thus completely engaged in the loving service of the Lord, and he was not at all disturbed by the activities of the senses.
In 2.62, Kṛṣṇa says that while contemplating upon objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them and from attachment lust develops and from lust, anger arises.
That path from attachment to self-destruction
We have to understand and internalize the fact that love + attachment = lust.
A key point to be noted is that lust is not just about sexual attraction. Any sensory attachment, when it becomes so strong that you feel you cannot do without it, is termed as lust. Unfulfilled lust always leads to anger. And you can never fulfill lust because, by definition, lust is insatiable.
As we learned in the previous sessions, trying to satisfy your lust by fulfilling it is like trying to satisfy a fire by pouring more oil into it. So, invariably, lust leads to disappointment and anger.
Lord Kṛṣṇa demonstrates his ‘Cosmic scientist’ side in this and the next phrases. In these, he lays down the perils to avoid and the perilous outcomes in a very objective, cause-effect manner.
Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Formula:
Thinking about sensory objects -> Leads to attachment.
Attachment -> Leads to lust.
Lust -> Leads to anger.
From anger, delusion arises which in turn leads to damage of memory. A damaged memory impacts intelligence. When intelligence is lost, it causes one to fall down (to lower planes).
Pragma 4: Let thoughts of God & service to God replace your thoughts of sensory pleasures.
In my humble opinion, it is very difficult to escape once you’re caught in the vicious cycles of cause and effect. So it is best to take measures to avoid the root cause of your problem which is contemplating upon objects of sensory pleasures. And the easiest way to achieve this is by replacing such thoughts with the thoughts of God and how you can serve Him. Please refer to the story of King Ambarish mentioned above for tips on how to do this.
There are so many movies and novels about tragic stories that all begin with a man merely glancing upon a woman (or vice versa). Then soon he starts thinking about that woman all the time. And then he starts feeling like he just cannot live without that woman (although he has lived all these years without her). Then all the trouble starts. He tries hard to get that woman. When he is unable to get her, he gets angry and depressed and from that point on, there is only sadness and destruction. There is nothing wrong with the man or the woman or with feeling love. The problem is with attachment and expectations which cause all the troubles and traumas.
There is a very interesting and insightful story that is often taught by Zen masters. It goes like this:
A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her cross to the other side. The two monks glanced at one another because they had taken vows not to touch a woman. Then, without a word, the older monk picked up the woman, carried her across the river, placed her gently on the other side, and carried on with his journey.
The younger monk couldn’t believe what had just happened. After rejoining his companion, he was speechless, and an hour passed without a word between them. Two more hours passed, then three, finally the younger monk could not contain himself any longer, and confronted the older monk “As monks, we are not permitted to touch a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”
The older monk looked at him and replied, “Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river many hours ago, why are you still carrying her?”. Such a beautiful lesson. The problem is not with the sensory objects themselves. The problem is when we start contemplating upon or thinking upon those sensory objects and get attached to them. Once our attention is caught by some such sensory objects (people or things), it is futile to try and fight those thoughts. Because it doesn’t matter whether you say ‘I want’ or ‘I don’t want’, either way, you end up focusing on the object that you want or don’t want. So, trying to fight those thoughts only makes those thoughts stronger. Instead, the trick that Lord Kṛṣṇa explains is to ‘replace’ those thoughts with the thoughts of God and service to God. Every time a name comes to your mind, replace it with the name of God, every time a face comes to your mind, replace it with the face of the Lord. That is the best and only way to escape from the clutches of all self-destructive thoughts.
Shree Kṛṣṇa asks us to give up material attachments and desires and replace them with thoughts of God, actions for God and love for God. As one saint once told me, the path to Krishna consciousness is not about “छोड़ना (Chhodna) – Leaving” but rather about “जोड़ना (Jodna) – Adding”. The greater the burning desire we develop for God, the purer our mind will become. Throughout the Bhagavad gita, Kṛṣṇa repeatedly urges Arjun to attach his mind to God.
A key point to understand is that Attachment and aversion (liking and disliking) are two sides of the same coin. When we discussed verses 2.28 – 2.30, we discussed how samskaras also have two sides. Likewise, Aversion is the negative side of attachment.
You cannot ‘not think’ about something
If we try to force ourselves to not think about something, it will have the same effect as thinking about that thing. There is this story of a man who traveled all the way to himalayas to get some secret guru mantra from a Swami Ji there. The Swami Ji tried to explain to him that he really did not have any secret mantras but this man will just not listen. He was adamant and said that he wouldn’t leave until the Swami Ji gave him a secret guru mantra. So finally the Swami Ji says OK I will give you the mantra but before you receive it you have to perform a task successfully. The man said he was ready to do anything. So the Swami Ji gives him a fruit and says, “just sit under a tree and meditate for 1 hour and make sure that you don’t think of the fruit throughout the 1 hour”.
The man says “Oh that sounds so easy” and he immediately goes and sits under a tree and starts meditating. He tells himself that he should not think about the fruit, not even once. But guess what, he kept telling himself “do not think about the fruit”, but his mind started getting more and more occupied with the fruit. So much so that the mind started creating images of the texture of the fruit, recreating the smell of the fruit and he even started feeling the taste of the fruit. He realized that he had failed to perform the required task and so he went back to the Swami Ji and said “Forgive me, Swami Ji, I have failed in the task. So I guess I don’t deserve your guru mantra”. The Swami Ji was moved by the man’s honesty so he tells him “the real secret is that there is no secret guru mantra required for you to attain God’s grace. You just need sincerity, purity, humility and consistency. From now on, whenever you catch your mind being occupied with any material or sensory objects, replace it with the thought of God. Use any name of God that you like and start chanting that name. That way you will progress on the path”.
That is what Shri Kṛṣṇa is recommending, that we should replace our thoughts of sensory pleasures with the thoughts of God. So, whenever you catch yourself thinking about some sensory pleasures, simply replace the thought with thoughts of God and service to God.
Becoming free from attachment and aversion
When the mind is free from both attachment and aversion, and is absorbed in devotion to God, one receives the grace of God and experiences his unlimited divine bliss.
See, when we were toddlers, we used to desire a tricycle. And then when we grew a bit, we desired for a bicycle and we grew a bit more and started desiring a motorbike, then a car, etc. If you look at yourself now you don’t really desire for a tricycle because that desire has been substituted by a desire for something larger, maybe a nice big car. Just like that, when we start desiring for the God almighty, all other smaller desires will disappear. And that is what Shri Kṛṣṇa is saying in these verses, that we need to pray for divine grace, maintain calmness of mind, establish our mind in God and substitute all our lowly desires with the desire and devotion for God.
To obtain God’s grace, we need to maintain discipline in our habits and purity of thought and intentions. Shri Kṛṣṇa says that an undisciplined person, who has not controlled the mind and senses, cannot contemplate on God. For one who never unites the mind with God there is no peace; and how can one who lacks peace be happy?” The founder of Ashtanga Yoga, the great sage Patanjali has also emphasized the importance of controlling the mind and senses. In his Yoga Sutras (1.2), Patanjali states:
योगश्चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः
Yogas chitta vritti nirodha
योग (Yoga) = Yoga or Union; चित्त (Chitta) = Mind or consciousness; वृत्ति (Vritti) = Fluctuations;
निरोधः (Nirodha) = Cessation or controlling
Yoga is the controlling of the fluctuations of the mind
He says that to achieve the ultimate goal of yoga, which is self-realization or union with the divine, one must learn to control the mind and its constant fluctuations. As Shri Krishna Himself has said, The senses are wild and turbulent and can carry away the mind of even the wise. So, the senses need to be tamed and controlled, otherwise they will never let us progress in life. Humans domesticate animals by tying them to a tree or a pole to prevent them from running wild. Lord Kṛṣṇa says that our senses also need to be domesticated similarly, to make sure that they don’t run wild.
The best way to domesticate our senses is by tying them to God consciousness. In the spiritual sense, the yoke or the controlling force would be our connection with the Supreme and our connection with our higher, inner self.
The key to liberation
Focus your thoughts on the Lord and tie your senses to the yoke of God consciousness.
This is the key to liberation.
Anandamayi Ma has beautifully said that “जहाँ दो है वहीँ दुःख है (jahan do hai wahi dukh Hai)”. Which means there is unhappiness whenever there is separation from God. There cannot be unhappiness when our thoughts and actions are aligned with God consciousness.
You can review the next set, concluding shlokas of chapter 2 over here.
kṛṣṇadaasa
Servant of Krishna
Aka +Vinayak Raghuvamshi