Dhyana Yoga: Shlokas 31 to 39
If you have not already done so, I would request you to review the Chapter 5, Karma Sanyasa Yoga before studying chapter 6 as that would help set the right context.
You can find the explanation of the previous set of shlokas, 24 to 30 of chapter 6 here. Please go through that to get a better understand and maintain continuity in your learning.
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Verses 6.31 to 6.39
सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थित: |
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते || 31||
sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajatyekatvam āsthitaḥ
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi sa yogī mayi vartate
सर्वभूतस्थितं (Sarvabhūtasthitaṃ) – present in all beings; यो (Yo) – who; मां (Māṃ) – me; भजत्येकत्वमास्थित: (Bhajatyekatvamāsthitaḥ) – worships in unity; सर्वथा (Sarvathā) – in all ways; वर्तमानोऽपि (Vartamāno’pi) – even if behaving; स (Sa) – he; योगी (Yogī) – the yogi; मयि (Mayi) – in me; वर्तते (Vartate) – abides;
The yogi who has united his consciousness with Me, and worships Me as the Supreme Soul residing in all beings, dwells only in Me, though engaged in all kinds of activities.
आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन |
सुखं वा यदि वा दु:खं स योगी परमो मत: || 32||
ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśhyati yo ’rjuna
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ
आत्मौपम्येन (Ātmaupamyena) – by self-comparison; सर्वत्र (Sarvatra) – everywhere; समं (Samaṃ) – equally; पश्यति (Paśyati) – sees; योऽर्जुन (Yo’rjuna) – who, Arjuna; सुखं (Sukhaṃ) – happiness; वा (Vā) – or; यदि (Yadi) – if; वा (Vā) – or; दु:खं (Duḥkhaṃ) – sorrow; स (Sa) – he; योगी (Yogī) – the yogi; परमो (Paramo) – supreme; मत: (Mataḥ) – is considered;
O Arjuna, I regard them to be perfect yogis who see the true equality of all living beings and respond to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were their own.
अर्जुन उवाच |
योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्त: साम्येन मधुसूदन |
एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात्स्थितिं स्थिराम् || 33||
arjuna uvācha
yo ’yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ sāmyena madhusūdana
etasyāhaṁ na paśhyāmi chañchalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām
योऽयं (Yo’yaṃ) – this which; योगस्त्वया (Yogastvayā) – yoga by you; प्रोक्त: (Proktaḥ) – spoken; साम्येन (Sāmyena) – with equanimity; मधुसूदन (Madhusūdana) – O Madhusudana; एतस्याहं (Etasyāhaṃ) – of this I; न (Na) – not; पश्यामि (Paśyāmi) – see; चञ्चलत्वात्स्थितिं (Cañcalatvātsthitim) – the stability due to restlessness; स्थिराम् (Sthirām) – steady;
Arjuna then said: The system of Yoga that you have described, O Madhusudana, appears impractical and unattainable to me, due to the restless mind.
चञ्चलं हि मन: कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम् |
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम् || 34||
chañchalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛiṣhṇa pramāthi balavad dṛiḍham
tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva su-duṣhkaram
चञ्चलं (Cañcalaṃ) – restless; हि (Hi) – indeed; मन: (Manaḥ) – the mind; कृष्ण (Kṛṣṇa) – O Krishna; प्रमाथि (Pramāthi) – turbulent; बलवद्दृढम् (Balavaddṛḍham) – strong and stubborn; तस्याहं (Tasyāhaṃ) – of it I; निग्रहं (Nigrahaṃ) – control; मन्ये (Manye) – consider; वायोरिव (Vāyoriva) – like the wind; सुदुष्करम् (Suduṣkaram) – very difficult;
The mind is very restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate, O Krishna. It appears to me that it is more difficult to control than the wind.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् |
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते || 35||
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
asanśhayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ chalam
abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate
असंशयं (Asaṃśayaṃ) – undoubtedly; महाबाहो (Mahābāho) – O mighty-armed; मनो (Mano) – the mind; दुर्निग्रहं (Durnigrahaṃ) – hard to control; चलम् (Calam) – fickle; अभ्यासेन (Abhyāsena) – by practice; तु (Tu) – but; कौन्तेय (Kaunteya) – O son of Kunti; वैराग्येण (Vairāgyeṇa) – by dispassion; च (Ca) – and; गृह्यते (Gṛhyate) – is controlled;
The Supreme Lord said: Undoubtedly, O mighty-armed Arjuna, the mind is fickle and hard to control, but it can be controlled through practice and detachment, O son of Kunti.
असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मति: |
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायत: || 36||
asaṅyatātmanā yogo duṣhprāpa iti me matiḥ
vaśhyātmanā tu yatatā śhakyo ’vāptum upāyataḥ
असंयतात्मना (Asaṃyatātmanā) – by an uncontrolled mind; योगो (Yogo) – yoga; दुष्प्राप (Duṣprāpa) – difficult to achieve; इति (Iti) – thus; मे (Me) – my; मति: (Matiḥ) – opinion; वश्यात्मना (Vaśyātmanā) – by a controlled mind; तु (Tu) – but; यतता (Yatatā) – striving; शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायत: (Śakyo’vāptumupāyataḥ) – is possible to attain by means;
Yoga is difficult to achieve for one with an uncontrolled mind. However, those who have learnt to control the mind, and who strive earnestly by proper means, can attain perfection in Yoga. This is My opinion.
अर्जुन उवाच |
अयति: श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानस: |
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति || 37||
arjuna uvācha
ayatiḥ śhraddhayopeto yogāch chalita-mānasaḥ
aprāpya yoga-sansiddhiṁ kāṅ gatiṁ kṛiṣhṇa gachchhati
अयति: (Ayatiḥ) – not striving; श्रद्धयोपेतो (Śraddhayopeto) – endowed with faith; योगाच्चलितमानस: (Yogāccalitamānasaḥ) – whose mind deviates from yoga; अप्राप्य (Aprāpya) – not attaining; योगसंसिद्धिं (Yogasaṃsiddhiṃ) – perfection in yoga; कां (Kāṃ) – what; गतिं (Gatiṃ) – destination; कृष्ण (Kṛṣṇa) – O Krishna; गच्छति (Gacchati) – goes;
Arjuna asked: What is the fate of the unsuccessful yogi who begins the path with faith, but who does not endeavor sufficiently due to an unsteady mind and is unable to reach the goal of Yoga in this life?
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति |
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मण: पथि || 38||
kachchin nobhaya-vibhraṣhṭaśh chhinnābhram iva naśhyati
apratiṣhṭho mahā-bāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव (Kaccinnobhayavibhraṣṭaśchinnābhramiva) – whether not fallen from both; नश्यति (Naśyati) – perishes; अप्रतिष्ठो (Apratiṣṭho) – without foundation; महाबाहो (Mahābāho) – O mighty-armed; विमूढो (Vimūḍho) – bewildered; ब्रह्मण: (Brahmaṇaḥ) – of the supreme; पथि (Pathi) – on the path;
Does he not perish, O mighty-armed Krishna, like a broken cloud, without foundation, bewildered on the path towards realizing the supreme?
एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषत: |
त्वदन्य: संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते || 39||
etan me sanśhayaṁ kṛiṣhṇa chhettum arhasyaśheṣhataḥ
tvad-anyaḥ sanśhayasyāsya chhettā na hyupapadyate
एतत् (Etat) – this; मे (me) – my; संशयं (saṃśayaṃ) – doubt; कृष्ण (Kṛṣṇa) – Krishna; छेत्तुम् (chettum) – to dispel; अर्हसि (arhasi) – you should; अशेषत: (aśeṣataḥ) – completely; त्वत् (tvat) – your; अन्य: (anyaḥ) – other; संशयस्य (saṃśayasya) – of doubt; अस्य (asya) – this; छेत्ता (chettā) – dispeller; न (na) – not; हि (hi) – indeed; उपपद्यते (upapadyate) – is fitting;
Krishna, you should completely dispel this doubt of mine; indeed, no one else is fitting to be the dispeller of this doubt.
Clearing the doubts about existence of Atman and Bhagawan
In the previous set of shlokas, we established the nature of Brahman and how everything that we see in this Universe points to the creator. I received a few questions and I want to spend a few minutes answering them before we proceed. The questions were: How to overcome doubt? How can we experience Brahman all the time? And is the desire to know and realize Brahman just another Desire?
We can start with the question about whether the desire to know God is also just another desire. It is a desire but we should not look at it as ‘just another desire’ because it is that desire which has the potential to burn all other desires. It frees us from all material desires. Now, how can I have conviction in the existence and nature of Brahman? The answer to this question lies in first removing the doubt about the existence of Atman and Brahman. It’s not very hard actually because the very fact that we have a doubt implies that there is a doubter. In other words, it implies that there is a consciousness that is capable of doubting something.
One Swami Ji humorously said that doubt implies without any doubt that you are the doubter. Thus, instead of focusing on the doubt we should focus on the fact that the doubter exists. Which in other words proves that awareness or consciousness exists. As discussed in the previous session, we should learn to focus on the creator instead of the created. Instead of focusing on the doubt, if we can focus on the doubter then it will become apparent to us that it only points to the creator.
Anything that we know can be doubted. However, we cannot doubt our existence because if we don’t exist then the doubter doesn’t exist which implies the doubt doesn’t exist either. No matter whether we are young or old or weak or strong we still exist. Even in doubt we say that “I have a doubt”. That ‘I’ has to exist for the doubt to exist. Even when we doubt existence, that doubt only helps prove that existence exists.
Adi Shankaracharya very insightfully said that whoever doubts the Atman is the Atman of the doubter. Which only implies that our own existence is self-evident and there cannot be any doubts about that.
The two step process
The first step is in having the right knowledge about the nature and existence of God. Next is in developing conviction in that knowledge and here is where managing our pride and approaching the teacher with humility helps. And lastly, with this conviction we should develop devotion and complete surrender so that God will reveal himself to us. That is the goal of humanity. To get that realization.
If you are interested in further intellectual analysis and proofs for existence of Brahman, then I encourage you to read the Nyayakusumanjali ( A Handful of Flowers of Logic) which is a treatise in Sanskrit composed by 10th century CE Indian logician and philosopher Udayana. There, Udayana has provided eight proofs for the existence of Brahman.
Let us now get back to the current set of shlokas, 6.31 to 6.39.
What prevents us from achieving the state of samadharshinah
People in lower levels of consciousness see everyone as the body. They give too much importance to outward aspects like caste, creed, social status, etc. If you see, all the trouble in the world today is because of these various superficial identities and differences that humans perceive from a lower level of consciousness. Those with higher consciousness who have realized the self, the Atman, see everyone as the soul. As we discussed earlier, in verse 5.18, Shree Krishna called this the vision of knowledge.
The elevated yogis in even higher consciousness see Krishna seated as the Supreme Soul in everyone. Even when living in the material world and even if performing social duties, they are always established in Krishna consciousness. This is the highest state that Krishna is asking us to achieve. I hope you remember the distinction between brahma-bhuta (self realization, realization of Atma) and brahma-samparsa (God realization, realization of Paramatma) that Krishna explained in the previous verses.
When we studied chapter 2, we discussed the concept of detachment. We saw how detachment actually expanded the scope of our love. When you love your child because it is ‘your’ child, that is attachment. When you are able to love the child just because it is a child who needs to be loved, then you will be able to love your neighbor’s child as well. That is love without attachment. Loving someone just for who they are instead of who they are to you or what they can do for you.
Half knowledge is dangerous
However, we must not just take it literally without understanding all the aspects of it. There is this story where a young man attends the funeral of his friend’s mother. There the villagers were all crying and trying to console the friend saying “She was not just your mother but the mother of the entire village”. This young man feels like he has learned a valuable lesson from this. In a few weeks, he attends the funeral of the wife of another friend and there he wants to use the knowledge he previously gained, so he proclaims “She was not just your wife but the wife of the entire village”. You can imagine the outcome! As they say, half knowledge is dangerous. We should learn to understand love in itself while at the same time understand how it manifests differently in different relationships and situations.
Krishna says that he considers one to be a perfect yogi who is able to respond to the joys and sorrows of others as if they were their own. As that is the mark of a mind without attachments. Such yogis are well-wishers of the whole world.
6 point action plan for success in Dhayana Yoga
Let us try to recap the action items given by Shri Krishna so far in chapter 6, for Dhyana yoga:
- Control and conquer the senses
- Become free all desires
- Eliminate all the distractions caused by the senses
- Develop one pointed focus on God and God alone
- Maintain that focus and think of God alone with an unwavering mind
- Don’t have any attachments and see everyone with equal vision
Do these look achievable to you?
Arjuna doesn’t think so 🙂 He tells Krishna that “The system of Yoga that you have described, O Madhusudana, appears impractical and unattainable to me, because the mind is so restless and unsteady”.
Controlling the mind which is strong and obstinate
Arjuna goes on to say that “The mind is very restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate, O Krishna. It appears to me that it is more difficult to control than the wind.” Just see what Arjuna is saying here. He thinks it is easier to capture and control the wind than it is to control the mind! We are talking about one of the strongest men of the Dwapara yuga who says that he finds it almost impossible to control the mind. What to speak of us lesser mortals from Kali yuga?
In this verse, Arjun has addressed the Lord as Krishna. The word Krishna means He who forcefully attracts the minds of even the most powerfully-minded yogis. Arjuna is here asking Krishna to attract his restless mind too. We have seen in chapter 2 how Krishna is an expert in psychology and knows how to manage difficult students. Here, Krishna does not reprimand Arjuna for pretty much giving up on Dhyana yoga and thinking that he just cannot achieve success through it.
Instead, Shri Krishna addresses him as maha-baho, the mighty armed one. Krishna responds very kindly and says that “O maha-baho, what you say is correct; the mind is indeed very difficult to restrain. But by practice and detachment, it can be controlled.” Krishna lays down two points here, first is practice. We have seen in previous verses as well the importance of being consistent with our practice of yoga. I understand that consistency is harder when no one is encouraging or clapping for you. You must clap for yourself during those times, you should always be your own biggest support.
Remember? In 6.5 Shri Krishna says that You should raise Yourself by yourself. You should not let yourself bring yourself down. For you alone are your own friend, and You alone are your own enemy.
We also discussed how like a screw that is being affixed to a wall, each time we overcome our difficulties and try again, we make more progress than the last time and if we keep practicing this way, consistently, then just like the screw, we will also eventually succeed in attaching our mind to Bhagawan firmly. The second point Krishna says is detachment. It is very important to practice detachment because otherwise, the mind will easily get distressed and never come under our control.
Shri Krishna says that anyone who strives to progress using the methods He has explained, who is consistent in the practice of yoga can succeed in this path by practice and detachment.
Krishna is acknowledging that the path is difficult, however He is also assuring us that anyone who follows all the principles He has laid down and is consistent in the practice of yoga and who is free from attachment will eventually succeed.
Now Arjuna has another question for Krishna. He asks “what is the fate of the unsuccessful yogi who begins the path with faith, but who does not manage to become successful because of an unsteady mind and unable to reach the ultimate goal of this yoga?”
Arjuna has a very valid concern and his question gives us an idea on what is actually bothering him. He asks Krishna what happens to such a failed yogi? He has spent all his time practicing yoga and so he is not materially successful and now if he fails in yoga then he is not successful in the spiritual plane either. Doesn’t he become someone who is neither here nor there? Does he perish just like a broken cloud?
He requests Krishna to clear his doubt by saying “O Krishna, please dispel this doubt of mine completely, for who other than you can do so?”.
Please observe that as always, Arjuna is in the mode of ‘pari-prashna’. Surrendering to his guru and asking with humility with an intent of gaining knowledge. Krishna always answers questions asked in this manner.
In the next verses Lord Shri Krishna will answer Arjuna’s question in detail. You can find the next and final set of shlokas for chapter 6 over here:
Hare Krishna.
kṛṣṇadaasa
Servant of Krishna
Aka +Vinayak Raghuvamshi