Body Consciousness in Meditation

Na athi ashnatashtu yogosthu na cha ekantha manashnathah |

Na cha athi swapna sheelasya jagrutho naiva cha Arjuna || 6.16 ||

"Verily, YOGA is not possible for him who eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all; nor for him who sleeps too much, nor for him who is (always) awake, O Arjuna."

Yukta ahara viharasya yukta cheshyasya karmasu |

Yukta swapnava bodhasya yogo bhavathi dhukhaha || 6.17 ||

"YOGA becomes the destroyer of pain for him who is moderate in eating and recreation, who is moderate in his exertion during his actions, who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness."

My understanding:

Yoga is not possible for him who eats very much, nor for him who does not not eat at all, nor for him who sleeps always or nor for him who does not sleep at all. Because he is very much attached himself to the body and vasanas created by sense organs. If one wants to become Yogi, everything should be balanced in him, while doing meditation. If body is not ready to sit and do meditation, forcibly it is not possible to do. So give respect to body. If it wants food, give it, If it wants sleep, give it. Dont force it to eat, whenever your tongue likes to eat something, even though it is not hungry. And also dont leave it hungry even though you have food to eat. Same with the sleep also. Give it when body really wants.

One golden rule is there for a successful meditator: "Eat whatever comes to us handy, without creating unnecessary destruction to the living kingdom just for our personal existence, and intelligently consume a quantity which does not load the stomach."

Our metal status is directly depends on our body status. Thus a Yogi is one, who knows, how to balance his body and mind naturally. If he knows how to balance the food, walking, work and sleep, then he gets the way of getting rid of pains and sorrows associated with the body. One should have the knowledge that, this body is the basic vehicle for any achievement in any field of life, but it is not the everything in life. It is just an outer layer of our being. Just be aware of the body. That is enough. Intelligent moderation is the law.

Through what method can one attain highest goal?

Yogiyunjeeta satatam atmanam rahasi stitah |

Ekaki yatha chittatma nirasheera aparigrahah || 6.10 ||

"Let the YOGI try constantly to keep the mind steady, remaining in solitude, alone, with the mind and body controlled, free from hope and greed."

Shuchoudeshe prathistapya shtiramaanasam atmanah |

Nathyuchchritam naathineecham chailaajina kushottaram || 6.11 ||

"Having, in a clean spot, established a firm seat of his own, neither too high nor too low, made of a cloth, a skin and KUSHA -grass, one over the other, . . ."

Tatra ekagram manah krutwa yata chitthendriya kriyah |

Upavishyasane yunjyadhogam atma vishuddhaye || 6.12 ||

"There, having made the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated on the seat, practise YOGA, for the purification of the self."

Samam kaya shirogreevam dharayan achalam sthirah |

Sampreksya naashikagram swam dhishashchan avalokayan || 6.13 ||

"Let him firmly hold his body, head and neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around."

Prashantatma vigathabhih bhrahmachari vrathesthitah |

Manas samyamya machchitho yuktha aseethamatparah || 6.14 ||

"Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of BRAHMACHARYA, having controlled the mind, thinking on Me and balanced, let him sit, having Me as the Supreme Goal."

Yum jannevam sath atmanam yogi niyathamaanasah |

Shanthim nirvanaparamaam math samsthama adhigachchathi || 6.15 ||

"Thus, always keeping the mind balanced, the YOGI, with his mind controlled, attains to the Peace abiding in Me, which culminates in total liberation (NIRVANA orMOKSHA) ."

My understanding:

Here Krishna Paramatma is telling Yogi that, it is only through constant practice of mediation, one can attain highest goal in spirituality and not by any other shortcut routes. Everybody has to struggle to get success. Only through the real experiences, one can get wisdom. One should do constant practice of controlling the desires and hopes. Krishna is giving some steps for self-development, for attaining the Supreme Goal.

1. First one is Sitting in Solitude: for beginners, it is needed to sit in solitude to get concentration. But it does not mean that mediation can only be practiced in the jungles or in the caves or in the corner of the house. It only means that, the seeker should withdraw his mind from his outside world. One is having full desires and constantly meditating upon the sense-objects, cannot gain any solitude, even in forest. Self-control is not possible, unless we know how to free ourselves from the "eager to possess", and "anxieties in saving, hoarding and protecting what we possess". In the first step, the seeker is asked to sit steadily on his clean seat, because physical movements contributes to the shattering of mental concentration and inner equipoise. So seat should also be comfortable. This step is all about getting awareness of gross body.

2. After establishing on the perfect seat, the seeker should practice Yoga. For that, he should make the mind single-pointed. In initial stages, mind becomes very confused and disturbed when it gets, the inner forces of its own imaginations or the outward pull by the hallucinations of the sense-organs. If these two are blocked, then mind becomes single-pointed, by its own nature. Through steady and regular meditation, mind become pure and steady, then the Consciousness, comes to rediscover Its own Real Nature.

3. In this step, Krishna is adding more details to the technique of meditation. The meditator should firmly hold his body in such a fashion that his vertebral column is completely erect. The head and neck should be erect in this posture, which is perpendicular to the horizontal seat upon which the Yogi is firmly settling himself. The body should be held relaxed and mind should be of tension free. Now the seeker should gaze at the tip of his nose. This does not mean that he should, with half-opened eyes, turn towards the tip of his own nose. But, he should have his attention, as though turned towards the tip of the nose, so that his concentration may not be dissipated and his mind may not wander all around.

4. When the meditator practiced meditation for certain period of time, he comes to experience a peace in his mind. As the Yogin slowly and steadily gets unwound from his sensuous vasanas, he gets realeased from his mental cruel nature. A state of complete deatachment from the mind's courtings of the external world-of-obejcts, which is called Brahmacharya(wandering in Brahma-Vichara), is reached now. Brahmacharya is not ONLY the control of the sex-impulses but is also the practice of self-control in all avenues of sense-impulses and sense-satisfactions. The human mind must have one field or another to engage itself in. Unless it is given some inner field to meditate upon, it will not be in a position to retire from its extrovert pre-occupations. Thus Krishna is giving instruction to meditator that, "Let him sit in Yoga having Me as his Supreme Goal".

5. When all above details are worked out by anyone, that individual becomes a man steadfast both in his physical and in his subtler life and thereby he comes to realize his own Infinite, Eternal, Blissful and quite Nature, the Self. When one, well established in these necessary physical self-controls and essential mental and intellectual habits, sits meditating upon the Truth in all secrecy, he is a true seeker striving on the right path to achieve and aquire the highest that is possible in life. When a meditator controls his mind and constantly keeps his mind away from its agitations, he can easily and surely reach the Supreme.The term 'always' (Sada) should not be misunderstood as suggesting that the practitioner should live, criminally neglecting all his duties towards his home and the world around himself. Here the term 'always' only connotes "a duration of constant and consistent inner silence," during one's meditation. When the meditator has come to the moment of perfect silence within, he comes to experience, at first, a peace that is unknown in the world without. In fact in the last stage of fulfilment in meditation, the meditator 'awakens' to his status of Self-hood.

[Reference: Swami Chinmayananda's commentary]

Self is raised by the Self

Uddhareth atmanatmanam na atmanam avasaadhayeth |

Atmaiva hi atmano bandhuh atmaiva ripuh atmanaha || 6.5 ||

Translation:

"Let a man lift himself by his own Self alone, and let him not lower himself; for, this Self alone is the friend of oneself, and this Self is the enemy of oneself."

Bandhuh Atma Atmaha tasya yena atmaiva atmana jithah |

Anatmanasthu shatrutwe varthate atmaiva shatruvath || 6.6||

Translation:

"The Self is the friend of the self for him who has conquered himself by the Self, but to the unconquered self, the Self stands in the position of an enemy like the (external) foe."

My understanding:

Here Krishna is giving very inspiring message for youth that, "MAN SHOULD UPLIFT HIMSELF BY HIMSELF". Then grace will shower on him automatically, from unknown source.

Every one of us is having one ideal picture, in our intellectual mind, about what we should be. But in fact, we might not be a match of that ideal concept. The difference between these two is the measure of the man's fall from his perception. We can discover that, we are intellectually feel that, we should be, perfect person, having loving heart, moral mind, socially disciplined personality. But in mind we have our likes,dislikes,loves,hatreds, attachments, appetites and passions. Thus we should train our mind by ourselves,we should uplift ourselves by ourselves, with the help of Guru and Grace of God.

Actual happening in us, depends upon how far we ourselves learn to haul ourselves out from our own misunderstandings.

So Krishna here warns that, "DO NOT ALLOW THE SELF TO FALL DOWN AND BE DRAGGED AGAIN "back to your old habit patterns.

For a man, self is friend of him, if he is in correct path of spiritual evolution and also it is enemy, if he goes in different direction, if he refuses to come in that way. That is the Self helps the lower self, lower instinct if it surrender to be get lifted, but if it opposes for that then Self becomes enemy for that. Thats why it all depend upon us how we improve ourselves.

When is a man said to have attained to Yoga?

Yadahinendriyartheshu na karmaswanushajjuthe |

Sarva sankalpa sanyasi yogarudhah tath uchyathe || 6.4 ||

Translation:

"When a man is not attached to sense-objects or to actions, having renounced all thoughts, then he is said to have attained to YOGA."

My understanding:

In this verse Krishna is explaining complete 'non-attachment'.

If a man is attached to sense objects, or fruits of actions, then he cannot be in Sanyasa, and thus he cannot be in Yoga. Because Sanyasa itself is Yoga. If one feels difficult to renounce attachments (in mind) towards external objects, he cannot attain Yoga. This doesn't mean that one should go away from family and society. It is not a real Sanyasa. One should stay here, in society, in family and should be detached like Lotus leaf in water. Even if it is in water, it is there without sinking into water and without affected by water.

If the mind is not going behind the sense objects and external activities, it becomes completely engaged in seeking greater Truth-- the Self. When the mind has been withdrawn from the sense-organs and detached from all external activities, it is possible that it is still agitated by the inner instincts of willing ans wishing. This Power of Sankalpa can bring more disturbances into bosom of a man than than disturbances from outer world. Thus Krishna indicates here that, when a man withdraws his desires towards sense-objects and actions, he should also be free from disturbances of Sankapla in his own mind, then only he attains Yoga.

What sort of a man attains Brahman?

Yo antasukho antararamah tatha antarjyotirevayah |

Sayogi brahma bhootho adhigachchathi || 5.24 ||

"He who is happy within, who rejoices within, who is illuminated within, that YOGI attains Absolute Freedom or MOKSHA, himself becoming BRAHMAN."

Labhanthe brahmanirvanam rushayaha ksheena kalmashaah |

Chinnaddaidha yathathmanah sarvabhoota hithe rathah || 5.25 ||

"Those RISHIS obtain Absolute Freedom or MOKSHA --- whose sins have been destroyed, whose dualities are torn asunder, who are self-controlled and intent on the welfare of all beings."

Kaamakrodha viyuktaanam yathinaam yathachethasam |

Abhitho brahmanirvaanam varthathe vijitatmanaam || 5.26 ||

"Absolute Freedom (or BRAHMIC Bliss) exists on all sides for those self-controlled ascetics, who are free from desire and anger, who have controlled their thoughts and who have realised the Self."

Sparshaan krutwa bahirbahyamsh chaksushcha avantarebhruvoh |

Pranapanou samakrutwa nasabhyantara charinou || 5.27 ||

"Shutting out (all) external contacts and fixing the gaze (as though) between the eye-brows, equalising the outgoing and incoming breath moving within the nostrils,"

Yathendriya manobuddhih munih moksha parayanah |

Vigatha ichcha bhaya krodho yah sada mukta yevasah || 5.28 ||

"With senses, mind and intellect (ever) controlled, having liberation as his Supreme Goal, free from desire, fear and anger --- the sage is verily liberated for ever."

Bhoktharam yajna tapasaam sarvalokamaheshvaram |

Suhrudam sarvabhootanam jnatwa mam shanthimruchchathi || 5.29 ||

"Knowing Me as Enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, the Great Lord of all worlds, the friend of all beings, he attains Peace."

My meaning:

He who is established in Anthakarana, who is happy there, who illuminates through Atma, that person is a Yogi. He attains Brahman. To him, his entire within is flooded with the Light of Pure consciousness. He gains the joy of self within. Those sages, whose sinful mental impressions are destroyed, who are free from dualities, who have control of sense appettites, attain mukti. They are engaged in helping all living beings. Also, who have control of mind which is free from desire and anger and who have known the Self clearly, those Yathis gains the Bliss of perfection.

Here Krishna is explaining perfect path of getting Moksha. For that one should follow the path of mediation:

- Complete detachment (in mind) from reactions to the external worldly things and thoughts.

- Concentrate in between eyebrow (this is activating the third eye), balance the breathing in and out of nose ( by doing Pranayama exercises).

- Control over senses, mind and intellect.

- Free from desire, fear and anger.

Then he is definitely liberated forever.

And lastly Krishna announces here that, he who know (realize) me( Self in the individual) as, master/Lord of all worlds, enjoyer of all yagna-tapasas and friend of all living beings, that person get peace in his life. The Self, is the real vitality behind the ego(Jiva). The term Yagna is the self dedicated work, performed in any field of activity. And Tapas means all self-controlling practices, which ego undertakes in order to regain consciousness to seek its real identity with the Eternal.

Being happy

Shaknothi haiva yaha sodhum prak shareera vimokshanath |

Kamakrodheedbavam vegam samyuktah sasukhi naraha || 5.23 ||

"He who is able, while still here (in this world) to withstand, before the liberation from the body (death) , the impulse born out of desire and anger, he is a YOGIN , he is a happy man."

My meaning:

He who do renounce all impulses born out of intense desire and anger, before his death, he is a Yogin and having real peace and happiness in his life. Whatever we have to do is, in this very life itself. Who knows when this death may arrive to take away from this world. Waiting for one good time to come, for beginning a happy life, is not at all possible. Because we are so unaware that, if that time/moment comes also we are not able to recognize it. So just be peaceful, joyful at this very moment itself, then desire and anger will go off automativcally. Renouncing the impulses in the sense not forcibly, but by just observing with full awareness. We have to understand one thing that, the greater the desire with which we ponder over an object, the greater shall be the anger against any obstacle that comes in between us and our object -of - desire. We are only responsible for whatever happens to us in this world, no body else is responsible. So by making the adjustments within ourselves, we are able to live that perfect happiness in this very world.

Resting in Brahman

Ihaiva tairjitah sargo yeshaam samye stitam manaha |

Nirdhosham hi samam brahma tasmath brahmani thesthathah || 5.19 ||

"Even here (in this world) , birth (everything) is overcome by those whose minds rest in equality; BRAHMAN is spotless indeed and equal; therefore they are established in BRAHMAN."

Na prahrushyeth priyam prapyano dwijeth prapya cha apriyam |

Stira buddhih sammodho brahmavith brahmani stitaha || 5.20 ||

"Resting in BRAHMAN, with steady intellect and undeluded, the knower of BRAHMAN neither rejoices on obtaining what is pleasant, nor grieves on obtaining what is unpleasant."

Bahya sparshen asaktaatma vindathyatmani yath sukham |

Sa brahmayoga yukthatma sukham akshayam ashnuthe || 5.21 ||

"With the self unattached to external contacts, he finds happiness in the Self; with the self engaged in the meditation of BRAHMAN, he attains endless happiness."

Yehi samsparshaja bhoga dukha yonaya ywvathe |

Adhyanthavanthah kountheya na theshu ramathe budhah || 5.22 ||

"The enjoyments that are born of contacts are only generators of pain, for they have a beginning and an end. O son of Kunti, the wise do not rejoice in them."

My meaning:

Whose mind is established in equality, will succeed in Samsara here in this world itself. Because, Brahman is pure and equal. Thus he is established in Brahman. He can differentiate between the truth and false-hood of thisvery life. Such an individual who has conquered his mind and has come to live in perfect equanimity, in all conditions of life, in all its relationships,he indeed rests in Brahman.

Who are undeluded and steady minded and also they are interested in Brahman, those wise men neither feel joy for getting pleasant things nor feel sad for unpleasant things. They are equipoised for any situations or relationsships. Because They have discovered the truth behind the life and death. So they will not identify themselves with the worldly things or relationships. One who knows Brahman becomes Brahman.

They are not attached to outer worldly things, thus are introverted. Those men get eternal happiness and peace easily, which are the ultimate goal of every living beings. In this world, every creature strives to attain that permanent happiness, but unfortunately, they end in sufferings, because of their ignorance and attachments. But who had realized the self, certainly found eternal happiness in Self, and thus he is established in Brahman.

The enjoyments born out of Vasanas and sense organs, are reasons for sorrows. And they have both birth and death. But wise men do not rejoice in them. Those vasanas can not bind them. Man, if he is wise, is satisfied only with the infinite. Finite things only torture us with the hopes of getting a more satisfactory joy, but the Diviner joy, is gained only when we come to experience the Self.

How do wise men see Truth?

Vidyaavinaya sampanne brahmane gavi hastini |

Shuni chaiva shwapaakecha panditaah samadarshinah || 5.18 ||

Meaning:

Sages look with an equal eye upon a BRAHMANA endowed with learning and humility, on a cow, on an elephant, and even on a dog and an outcaste.

My meaning:

Wise men, whose ignorance of the self has been removed by the knowledge, see equality in a Brahmana endowed with humility, a cow, an elephant, a dog and even in all lower beings. If everything is part of that universal Self, then how can one differentiate between lower and higher beings. Only tides are different from each other, but ocean which forms those tides, is same. Like this, the self in every creature is the same. Thus wise men can see divinity in everything.

Commentary by Chinamayananda Swami:

The wise cannot but see and recognise the same presence of Divinity everywhere. The ocean has no difference in feeling for different waves. Gold cannot recognise itself as different in different pieces of ornaments. From the stand-point of mud, all mud pots are the same. Similarly, an egoless man, having recognised himself to be God, can find in no way, any distinction in the outer world of names and forms. The distinctions generally recognised, are all the distinctions of the containers. Man to man, there may be differences in form, shape and colour of the body, or the nature of the mind or the subtlety of the intellect. But as far as Life is concerned, It is the same everywhere, at all times.

Therefore, it is said in this stanza, that the Self-realised cast an equal eye on a Brahmana endowed with scholarship coupled with humility, on a cow, on an elephant, on a dog or on a pariah. Everywhere he realises the presence of the same Truth, whatever be the container.

Equal vision is the hall-mark of Realisation. The perfected cannot make distinctions based upon likes and dislikes. In and through all forms and situations, he sees the expressions of the same dynamic Truth which he experiences as his own Self.

Who will get liberated?

Tadbuddayah tath atma nastannishtah tath paraayanaah |

Gachchanthya punaravrutthim Jnananirdhoota kalmashaah || 5.17 ||

"Intellect absorbed in that, their Self being That, established in that, with That for their Supreme Goal, they go whence there is no return, their sins dispelled by Knowledge."

My meaning:

Who is having constant mind, intellect in Brahman/Self, who feels that Brahman is the ultimate and who has cleaned his impurities created by vasanas, through pure wisdom, would get liberated. With the pure knowledge, with the pure awareness, his ego is also dissolved in the Brahman/Self. Knowledge is not just collection of words of book, but an awareness of spiritual divinity, realization of the truth/God/Self. Who is having such knowledge, for him, everything is Brahman. He is liberated.

Commentary by Chinmayananda Swami:

With a deep study of the Reality, the seeker in all his various personal identities, thereafter comes to live in unison with that understanding of the Divinity. His intellect gets, as it were, absorbed in That Knowledge and his mind cannot but sing the song of Godliness through everyone of its emotions. He becomes ever intent upon the Infinite Bliss which he has come to recognise as the essence in him. to such an individual the very Goal is nothing but the Self, which he has understood as illimitable and unlimited.

An individual who has thus educated himself upon the World-of-Truth within himself, shall thereafter, have no reason or chance to get caught up again in this world of likes and dislikes. This is the result of full PARTICIPATION in the studies. The next stage is to live up to what is understood from the studies; the active INVOLVEMENT in spiritual life. Then comes complete COMMITMENT.

How can we say that the ego will not rise again in such a man's bosom? The reason is indicated here, when Krishna qualifies such men as "THOSE WHOSE IMPURITIES HAVE BEEN SHAKEN OFF BY KNOWLEDGE." The impurities mentioned here are the vasanas which are the very materials with which the ego is conjured up. These vasanas together constitute what we philosophically call: "the ignorance of Spiritual Divinity." The antidote for ignorance is Knowledge. Thus, when, with the rise of the Knowledge of Spiritual Bliss, the dreary darkness of ignorance ends, the ego too comes to a total extinction from which it cannot re-start its career. Without a cause no effect is ever possible. In short, in this stanza, we are meeting the most optimistic philosophy in the world, declaring courageously that, Self-Realisation is the final experience in the pilgrimage of evolution, and that, in it, the evolver in us shall come to fulfil himself. God-realisation is the last stage of growth, and thereafter, to be the 'Supreme' is the goal of all evolutionary struggles, to achieve which, the ego, in its self-evolution, roamed about so long in the field of its own self-created world-of-finitude and imperfections!