Sankhya Yoga: Shlokas 67 to 72
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 61 to 66 here. Please go through that to get better understanding of the context.
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इन्द्रियाणां हि चरतां यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते |
तदस्य हरति प्रज्ञां वायुर्नावमिवाम्भसि || 67||
indriyāṇāṁ hi charatāṁ yan mano ’nuvidhīyate
tadasya harati prajñāṁ vāyur nāvam ivāmbhasi
इन्द्रियाणां (indriyāṇāṁ) – of the senses; हि (hi) – indeed; चरतां (caratāṁ) – moving, wandering; यन्मनोऽनुविधीयते (yanmano’nuvidhīyate) – that which the mind follows; तदस्य (tadasya) – of that; हरति (harati) – takes away; प्रज्ञां (prajñāṁ) – wisdom, intelligence; वायुर् (vāyur) – wind; नावम् (nāvam) – boat; इव (iva) – like; आम्भसि (āmbhasi) – in water;
The mind’s focus on even a single sense can lead the intellect astray, much like how a strong wind can push a boat off its predetermined course on the water.
तस्माद्यस्य महाबाहो निगृहीतानि सर्वश: |
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता || 68||
tasmād yasya mahā-bāho nigṛihītāni sarvaśhaḥ
indriyāṇīndriyārthebhyas tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā
तस्माद् (tasmād) – therefore; यस्य (yasya) – whose; महाबाहो (mahābāho) – O mighty-armed one; निगृहीतानि (nigṛhītāni) – controlled, restrained; सर्वश: (sarvaśaḥ) – in all respects; इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) – senses; इन्द्रियार्थेभ्यः (indriyārthebhyaḥ) – from the objects of senses; तस्य (tasya) – his; प्रज्ञा (prajñā) – wisdom, intelligence; प्रतिष्ठिता (pratiṣṭhitā) – established, steadfast.
Therefore, O mighty-armed one, his or her wisdom is established and steady, whose senses are controlled in all respects, and withdrawn from the objects of senses.
या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी |
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुने: || 69||
yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamī
yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ
या (yā) – which; निशा (niśā) – night; सर्वभूतानां (sarvabhūtānāṁ) – of all beings; तस्यां (tasyāṁ) – in that; जागर्ति (jāgarti) – is awake; संयमी (saṁyamī) – self-controlled, restrained; यस्यां (yasyāṁ) – in which; जाग्रति (jāgrati) – is awake; भूतानि (bhūtāni) – beings; सा (sā) – that; निशा (niśā) – night; पश्यतो (paśyato) – of the seer; मुने: (muneḥ) – of the sage, ascetic.
That which is night to all beings, in that such a wise person wakes. That in which all beings are awake, is night to the wise sage.
आपूर्यमाणमचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमाप: प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् |
तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी || 70||
āpūryamāṇam achala-pratiṣhṭhaṁ samudram āpaḥ praviśhanti yadvat
tadvat kāmā yaṁ praviśhanti sarve sa śhāntim āpnoti na kāma-kāmī
आपूर्यमाणम् (āpūryamāṇam) – constantly filled; अचलप्रतिष्ठं (acalapratiṣṭhaṁ) – unchanging, steady; समुद्रम् (samudram) – ocean; आपः (āpaḥ) – waters; प्रविशन्ति (praviśanti) – enter; यद्वत् (yadvat) – as; तद्वत् (tadvat) – in the same way; कामा (kāmā) – desires; यं (yaṁ) – whom; प्रविशन्ति (praviśanti) – enter; सर्वे (sarve) – all; सः (saḥ) – he; शान्तिम् (śāntim) – peace; आप्नोति (āpnoti) – attains; न (na) – not; कामकामी (kāmakāmī) – one who desires desires.
Just as the ocean remains steady and undisturbed by the constant flow of waters from rivers merging into it, likewise the sage who is unmoved despite the flow of desirable objects all around him attains peace, and not the person who keeps running behind desires.
विहाय कामान्य: सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति नि:स्पृह: |
निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: स शान्तिमधिगच्छति || 71||
vihāya kāmān yaḥ sarvān pumānśh charati niḥspṛihaḥ
nirmamo nirahankāraḥ sa śhāntim adhigachchhati
विहाय (vihāya) – having given up; कामान् (kāmān) – desires; यः (yaḥ) – who; सर्वान् (sarvān) – all; पुमान् (pumān) – a person; चरति (carati) – moves, conducts oneself; निःस्पृहः (niḥspṛhaḥ) – free from longing; निर्ममः (nirmamaḥ) – without possessiveness; निरहङ्कारः (nirahaṅkāraḥ) – without egoism; सः (saḥ) – he; शान्तिम् (śāntim) – peace; अधिगच्छति (adhigacchati) – attains.
That person who is free from sensual longing, free from material desires, and without the sense of proprietorship, and egoism, attains perfect peace.
एषा ब्राह्मी स्थिति: पार्थ नैनां प्राप्य विमुह्यति |
स्थित्वास्यामन्तकालेऽपि ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृच्छति || 72||
eṣhā brāhmī sthitiḥ pārtha naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati
sthitvāsyām anta-kāle ’pi brahma-nirvāṇam ṛichchhati
एषा (eṣā) – this; ब्राह्मी (brāhmī) – pertaining to Brahman; स्थितिः (sthitiḥ) – state, position; पार्थ (pārtha) – O son of Pritha (Arjuna); न (na) – not; एनाम् (enām) – this; प्राप्य (prāpya) – having attained; विमुह्यति (vimuhyati) – becomes deluded; स्थित्वा (sthitvā) – having established; अस्याम् (asyām) – in this; अन्तकाले (antakāle) – at the end of life; अपि (api) – also; ब्रह्मनिर्वाणम् (brahmanirvāṇam) – absorption in Brahman; ऋच्छति (ṛcchati) – attains.
O Partha, such is the state of a sthitaprajna that having attained it, one is never again deluded. Becoming established in this state, even at the hour of death, one is liberated from the cycle of life and death and reaches the Supreme Abode of God.
The perilous senses
We discussed the Vivekachudamani verse 76 which spoke about the 5 animals kuraṅga mātaṅga pataṅga bṛiṅga mīnā and how they had a weakness for just one sense and that eventually destroyed them. Shri Kṛṣṇa is saying here again that Just as a strong wind can make even a big ship stray from its path, even one of the senses on which the mind focuses can lead the intellect astray and take away whatever little wisdom we may have. So we must strive to discipline our senses and strengthen our devotion for God in order to make progress on the spiritual path. And as discussed in the previous verses, the best way to domesticate our senses is by tying them to God consciousness and utilizing them in the service of God, just as maharaja Ambarish demonstrated.
The guru and God can help us understand the importance of controlling our senses and the techniques for doing it. However, they cannot control our senses. Nobody can. Only we can control our senses. To use a good example, if we are hungry, someone can give us food. However, they cannot eat for us. We have to eat our own food and calm our own hunger. Shri Krishna tells Arjuna that He who controls his mind restricts his senses from sense objects. He is fixed in intelligence. O mighty-armed one, just as you control your enemies with your strength, you should also control your mind.
Perspectives of the Ignorant and the Wise
In 2.69, Shri Kṛṣṇa says that “What all beings consider as day is the night of ignorance for the wise, and what all creatures see as night is the day for the introspective sage.” Kṛṣṇa says “Ya nisa sarvabhutanam tasyam jagrati samyami” and “Yasyam jagrati bhutani sa nisa pasyato muneh”. The word nisa means ‘sleep’ or ‘night’ in Sanskrit, and jagrati means ‘awake’. What is nisa to the ignorant person is jagrati for the saintly person and what is jagrati for the ignorant person is nisa for the saintly person.
For example, the ignorant person sees light in running behind money and material possessions. Whereas, the saintly person realizes that as darkness. The ignorant person thinks that they have to always have a full stomach and always eat delicious food whereas the saintly person knows that they have to practice fasting and disciplining the senses. When we discussed 2.51 – 2.53, we read Kṛṣṇa saying that we should not let our intellect be tossed around by conflicting opinions. Instead, we should practice samatvam and focus our mind on God, performing all rightful actions without being attached to the results.
This verse reinforces that lesson. We should understand that once we are on the spiritual path, many people will think we are on the wrong path. We should use our intelligence, understand that what seems right to those on the spiritual path may seem wrong to those on the material plane and vice versa, so we should not get swayed by their opinions. We should firmly establish our mind in God consciousness and be steady in our progress on the spiritual path. We may not become a stithaprajna or a wise sage overnight. And that is OK. What is important is that we keep making progress on the spiritual path. Doesn’t matter how little our progress is, we have to keep progressing day after day and never get discouraged or give up.
Keep marching forward
Sri Ramakrishna shared a profound parable that teaches the importance of progressing and moving forward. In Bengali, “egiye jāo” means “march onward” or “move forward”. The story revolves around a woodcutter who made a living by cutting a small amount of wood from the outskirts of the forest and selling it in the market. He continued doing this for many years until one day, a holy man walked by and advised him “egiye jāo.”
Initially, the woodcutter did not understand the holy man’s advice and wondered why he should move forward when there was so much wood available right where he was. However, eventually, he decided to heed his advice and go deeper into the forest. As he ventured deeper, he discovered higher quality wood, which in turn fetched him more money. Encouraged by this newfound success, the woodcutter decided to venture even deeper into the forest. He then discovered a copper mine, and made more money. Ventured deeper into the forest and discovered a gold mine, and ultimately, a diamond mine. Through this journey, the woodcutter became incredibly wealthy. Sri Ramakrishna used this parable of “egiye jāo” to emphasize that spiritual life is also a journey of continuous progress.
As we embark on our spiritual journey, we must strive to move forward and embrace greater spiritual experiences that await us. Just like the woodcutter in the parable, we should never be content with where we are and must always be willing to venture deeper into our spiritual journey.
Maybe today we can’t even get up early in the morning so we first practice that. Then we practice thinking of God the first thing in the morning. And then we practice feeling grateful for what we have and thanking God. Then we practice chanting God’s name. Listening to God’s stories and teachings. Then we venture deeper and try practicing the teachings. And so on and so forth, until we reach the stage of self-realization and God-realization.
Being unperturbed like the ocean
Then Shri Kṛṣṇa says that Just as the ocean does not overflow with waters from rivers merging into it, likewise the sage who is unmoved despite the flow of desirable objects all around him attains peace, and not the person who strives to satisfy desires. In Buddhism, such a state of mind is called Bhodichitta. Anything can enter there without disturbing the peace of mind of such a person. We also saw in earlier verses that one of the main reasons why we are unable to practice detachment is because of our “I”. We get too engrossed in our small “i” and so are unable to pursue the big “I”. Here Shri Kṛṣṇa is saying that the person who lives devoid of sensual longings, free from all desires, without the sense of “I” and “mine”, he or she attains peace.
We may ask the question, how exactly can we remain steady like the ocean when desires flow like rivers into our mind? This is the same question that King Yadu asked a wandering monk. This story is described in the Srimad Bhagavatam. King Yadu was an ancient Indian ruler and was the son of King Yayati and Queen Devayani. He was the founder of the Yadava dynasty. Lord Krishna was born in this dynasty. King Yadu once came across a young and very handsome wandering sage, who looked very calm and peaceful. He immediately realizes that this is an elevated soul and he bows down to this sage and asks him with a lot of humility “O great sage, can you please tell me the secret of the peace and serenity that you seem to be constantly experiencing, in spite of all the material disturbances all around you?”.
Please by his humility, the sage responds: “O King, I have taken shelter of twenty-four gurus, who are the following: the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute Piṅgalā, the kurara bird and the child; and the young girl, arrow maker, serpent, spider and wasp. My dear King, by studying their activities I have learned the science of the self.”
I will try to explain a few of these lessons in simple terms. A few we have already learned in previous shlokas of this chapter.
A sober person, even when harassed by other living beings, should understand that his aggressors are acting helplessly under the control of God, and thus he should never be distracted from progress on his own path. This rule I have learned from the earth.
A saintly person should learn from the mountain to devote all his efforts to the service of others and to make the welfare of others the sole reason for his existence. Similarly, as the disciple of the tree, he should learn to dedicate himself to others.
A saintly person can carry various material objects, however, never get entangled in those objects, just like the wind.
A wise person should know that they are a pure spirit soul, even when living in a physical body. Both individual souls and the Supersoul are like the sky: they are everywhere, but they don’t mix with anything and can’t be divided by anything.
O King, a saintly person is like water – pure, gentle, and creates pleasing sounds when speaking. When someone sees, touches, or hears them, they become purified, like being cleansed by clean water. Such a person stays pure by constantly chanting the Lord’s name.
A saintly person should be like the fire, which never gets contaminated by anything thrown at it, but rather burns away all contamination.
Time causes various changes to the body but this does not affect the soul, just as the apparent waxing and waning of the moon does not affect the moon itself.
Just as the sun evaporates large quantities of water by its potent rays and later returns the water to the earth in the form of rain, a saintly person is not impacted when they accept any material offerings nor disturbed when they give it away to other people.
One should never indulge in excessive bodily affection or concern for anyone or anything; otherwise one will have to experience great suffering, just like the foolish pigeon. (He later narrates the sad story of a pigeon which suffered immensely due to strong bodily attachments to its family)
If at any time food is not available, then a saintly person should fast for many days without making an effort. He should understand that by God’s arrangement he must fast. Thus, following the example of the python, he should remain peaceful and patient.
Just as the honey bee takes nectar from all flowers, big and small, an intelligent human being should take the essence from all religious scriptures.
Once, a prostitute named Piṅgalā in Videha dressed up and waited for a customer from sunset to midnight. But no one came and she got very upset and went back home and started to focus on the Supreme Lord, Hari, and found peace. The lesson is that craving for sense gratification causes suffering. Only by letting go of these desires can one meditate on God and find true peace.
And in the final sloka of this chapter on sankhya yoga, Shri Kṛṣṇa officially announces the goal of human evolution that is attainable by every human being.
He says that if one attains this state of sthitaprajna and God realization even at the time of death, he or she will get liberated from the cycle of life and death and will reach the abode of God.
So let us all practice what we have learned in this chapter and seek Kṛṣṇa ’s mercy in helping us reach this final goal in our lifetimes. Hare Kṛṣṇa!
You can go through Chapter 3, Karma Yoga, starting here:
kṛṣṇadaasa
Servant of Krishna
Aka +Vinayak Raghuvamshi