Bhakti Shastri (083) – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 06 Text 18 to 23

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Thank you. So in this section, 6th chapter onwards, when Krishna gradually evolves his thought, the development of the process of yoga, he eventually moves on to talk about samadhi.
When we are talking about samadhi, there are different levels of samadhi. So let us look at these levels and then we will look at Srila Prabhupada’s purport. So here we can see samprajnaat samadhi and asamprajnaat samadhi.
So samprajnaat, so that is at the level of ekagrata. Remember we discussed five levels of mind control. We discussed about mudha, kshipta, vikshipta, ekagrata and nirudh.
So now when we are discussing these five levels, there is samadhi. It is not like a digital zero one. Samadhi is also like analogue.
The yogi goes progressively deeper and deeper into samadhi. So there are different kinds of samadhi. So samprajnaat samadhi means that actually the mind is focused and the mind is calm.
It is focused on one particular thing. Generally speaking, our mind is wandering over dozens of things at the same time. Just thinking of this and that and that, hundreds of things like that.
But at the level of samprajnaat samadhi, the mind is focused on one thing. And after being focused on one thing, then the mind moves forward, onwards. Eventually the mind at the material level stops thinking.
When the mind stops, that is called as asamprajnaat samadhi. So remember we discussed earlier about the television example or a virtual reality example. When a person is looking at the television, the emotions are all caught up in whatever is happening on the television set and the screen.
So like that our emotions are caught up. But within the material world, although there is so much illusion, Krishna also manifests. Krishna manifests as the holy name.
Krishna manifests as the deities. Krishna manifests as the scriptures. So when we fix our mind on these manifestations of Krishna, that is samadhi.
And for a yogi also, now here, samadhi, if we talk it from the first, let’s understand the concept of samadhi. Then we’ll talk about how it happens on the path of yoga. Now when the mind is asamprajnaat samadhi means when the mind is stopped.
That means instead of just focussing on one thing within the TV, this person just stops looking at the TV, turns away from the TV and looks elsewhere. So that is a higher level. Why is that the higher level? Because at that level, one is not at all connected with the illusion.
So the mind is stopped. So there is samprajnaat and asamprajnaat. And now, that means samprajnaat means that the mind is conscious of the material level of reality but within the material level of reality, the focus is on a spiritual concept.
Whereas at the level of asamprajnaat samadhi, the mind is completely turned away from material reality and is focused directly on spiritual reality. So now, within samprajnaat samadhi, among these five levels, samprajnaat is at the level of ekagrata. The mind is focused.
Whereas asamprajnaat is the mind is stopped. Then one turns inwards. So now, let’s look at this once again.
Now within the ekagrata stage, there are two kinds of samadhis for this. Savitarka and Savichara samadhi. So savitarka samadhi means that an external object is used to focus the mind.
So that external object may be one may start by fixing the mind on the tip of the nose or naasika, gramasoma as we discussed in the sixth chapter itself in 6.13. Or it may be bhru or madhi. One may fix the mind in the middle of the eyebrows. So one takes an external object or one may also look at some external mudra or external yantra.
Yantra is a particular diagram that can help one focus on higher realities. So like that, there can be various things which one can try to focus on. Now when one is trying to focus on such things, the essential principle is that one wants to move from lower level of reality, that is mudra reality, to higher level of reality, that is spiritual reality.
So if an external object helps one in concentrating that way, one can use that. So now this is not considered a very high level of concentration because one requires an external object to concentrate and to turn inwards. That is savitarka.
Now beyond that, one may take an internal conception to focus. So when one takes the conception to focus, at that time also one is able to focus, but the focus even at that time is on the thought. Now we understand that the realities are three levels, that is physical, then there is mental and then there is spiritual.
So when one uses some object from physical reality as a central point, as a focal point for concentration, then that is savitarka samadhi. When one moves forward and takes a object at the mental level of reality, that means one takes a thought or a conception and focusses on that. That means it may be that the yogi wants to meditate and one may think of an image of Krishna.
So it’s not a revelation coming from the spiritual level, it’s a conception that we are trying to have in the mind. So when one tries to concentrate on a thought, that is a sa-vichar. Sa-vichar means there is thought.
There is thought. Now is thought bad? It’s not that thought is bad, but at the current level of conception, at the material level of consciousness, even the thoughts that we have are material. And when one is having material thoughts, one cannot be considered to be at a spiritual level of consciousness.
So sa-vichar samadhi means that one is at a mental level of conception and one is not necessarily at a spiritual level of conception. But one chooses a mental conception, one chooses a thought for contemplation that helps one to go inwards, that helps one’s consciousness to rise higher. So this is sa-vichar samadhi.
Now all this which we are discussing is largely from the Patanjali Yoga Sutra where he talks about it and there are commentaries written on that also by various scholarly commentators which explains this further. So this is the level of samadhis in a sampragnyat. And then after that when one moves to the next level of reality, that is when one moves to the level of reality where there is no connection at the physical level, so one doesn’t need the physical thought nor does one need a mental, one doesn’t need a physical object nor does one need a mental object.
One is directly at the spiritual level, so that is the higher level of samadhi. And when one comes to that level of samadhi, then that person is considered to have attained within the yogic path, perfection. So yoga’s chitta-vritti-nirodha as we discussed, what is the principle of yoga? Chitta-vritti-nirodha.
Chitta-vritti is the movement of consciousness, nirodha, control. So it’s stopping completely, cessation. So the material movement of consciousness stops.
This is the understanding of progressive perfection with respect to the path of yoga. Now in the bhakti understanding also, there is samadhi. Now for the devotee, the samadhi does not necessarily have to have cessation of activity at the physical or the mental level.
That may be there, but that is not the essential point. The essential point is not cessation of activity at the physical or mental level, but it is the stimulation of activity at the devotional level. That means the devotee starts perceiving higher reality and not just perceiving, but participating in higher reality.
What is the difference between perceiving and participating? Perceiving means that, for example, sometimes we read in the past times of the Goswamis, the Goswamis sitting and meditating on Krishna, and then Krishna’s pastimes started being perceived by them. So Krishna’s pastimes are happening in the spiritual world, but they are perceiving it. So that is samadhi.
That means what is happening? They are no longer acting at the physical or mental level, but that is not the essence of samadhi. The essence of samadhi is they are perceiving and participating in reality at the spiritual level. So we have the example of Rupa Goswami.
Once he was sitting and doing devotional meditation, and at that time he was observing the pastimes of Krishna, and in the pastime Radha and Krishna were in the forest, and when they were in the forest Radha and Krishna saw a beautiful flower, which was high upon the tree, on a branch of the tree. So Radha and Krishna wanted that flower, and she couldn’t reach. So Krishna said, I’ll lift you up.
And Krishna came from behind and lifted her up. And as she reached the flower, and as she was holding on to the branch to pack out the flower, Krishna let go. And when Krishna let go, Radha and Krishna cried out in fear, and she held on to the branch, and the branch was not so strong, and Radha and Krishna was crying in fear, and Krishna started laughing.
And seeing this, the mischievous nature of Krishna, Rupa Goswami started laughing. And when Rupa Goswami started laughing, at that time there was a Vaishnava who was passing by that area. And this Vaishnava happened to be lame.
So he was walking with a limp, and when he was passing by, at that time Rupa Goswami observed his pastime in meditation, and started laughing. So that devotee thought that Rupa Goswami is laughing at me. And he got upset by that.
Why is he laughing at me? And as soon as Rupa Goswami got upset, that Vaishnava got upset, Rupa Goswami’s trance broke. And he thought, that wonderful pastime was relishing, what happened? And he tried to meditate, but the pastime didn’t come back. And then he understood, probably I must have done something which was a displeased devotee.
And because of this, my vision of the pastime went off. And then, it’s a elaborate story. Sanatana Goswami said, you invite all the Vaishnavas for a feast.
Whoever does not come, that is the Vaishnava that is displeased. You find out who it was, and then you go and seek forgiveness. So then he invited all the Vaishnavas for a feast, and that Vaishnava did not come.
Then he went and asked what happened. And then that Vaishnava revealed his heart, that you were laughing at me. He said, no, no, I am not laughing at you, explain.
And then the whole situation was clarified. So the point here is that, there is perception of higher reality. So for a devotee, Samadhi is not just Yoga, Chitra, Vritti, Nirodha, not just disconnection from physical or mental reality.
It is stimulation, activation of perception of spiritual reality. So now, perception is one thing, everyone sees the higher reality. But for a devotee, Samadhi is even higher, not just perception, but there is also participation.
Participation means that the devotee actually perceives the higher reality of Krishna, and then not only perceives, but also recognises that I have a role in that pastime. And the devotee participates in that pastime also. So there is another pastime of Raghunatha Das Goswami, when one day the devotees found, the devotees who were serving him found that he was sick, and then they called the Vaidya, and the Vaidya said that his stomach is upset, and the reason for the stomach upset is that he has over-eaten.
So the devotees were annoyed, outraged. They said, you are committing a Vaishta Aparaj, Raghunatha Das Goswami doesn’t eat anything practically. He drinks a little buttermilk in 2-3 days.
So how can you say that he is offended? He has over-eaten. But the symptoms indicate that he has over-eaten. They asked Raghunatha Das Goswami, what is Vaidya? He said, it’s true.
Actually, there was a celebration, a festival in the spiritual world, and at that time, Kheer had been cooked by Rani for Krishna. And then all the Sakhis and the Manjaris, they had the remnants of Krishna. So the Kheer was so delicious that we over-ate.
So I also over-ate. And then he said, so what had happened at the spiritual level, that affected the material level also. So at the physical level also, the body got upset.
So there is also this conception of Manas Pooja, where in Nectar of Devotion, this past time, it is described that a devotee tries to serve Krishna by offering a Kheer in the mind. The devotee is very poor and he tries to offer Kheer. But he wants to offer the best worship to Krishna, the best bhoga to Krishna, but he doesn’t have anything to offer.
So he offers Kheer. And when he offers Kheer, at that time, he prepares the Kheer in the mind. He thinks, mind, I’ll offer it.
And he prepares it very elaborately, makes it very delicious. And then before offering, one has to tell, we treat Krishna as a person, so it should not be too hot. So he is about to offer it.
At that time, he finds that actually it is not offerable. He wants to check whether it is cool enough. And he just touches his finger.
As soon as he touches his finger, in his meditation, he is touching the finger, but he feels a hot sensation in his finger. And he opens his eyes and his finger is actually burnt. So then here, what is happening? Actually, the devotional contemplation is making what is a higher reality manifest at a lower level also.
What is a spiritual reality manifest at a material level also. So the point here is, for a devotee, Samadhi is not just passive meditation. It is active, not just perception, but active participation.
For a devotee, Samadhi is not just passive perception, but active participation. And this is the Samadhi which we see Shaitanya Mahaprabhu was in repeated. Actually, Shaitanya Mahaprabhu’s trances of ecstasy can be seen at three levels.
And this level can say that, one level is that there is a perception. These are similar to what I have been saying, perception and participation. But there are levels in it.
Perception means Shaitanya Mahaprabhu would be at one moment with other devotees and they would be discussing Krishna Katha, hearing some verses from the Bhagavatam, some songs of Krishna. And suddenly, Shaitanya Mahaprabhu would see, they are walking through Jagannath Puri on the road and in Jagannath Puri, full of gardens. Suddenly Shaitanya Mahaprabhu would see Krishna.
And when he would see Krishna, he would see Krishna playing his flute and suddenly he would run, leaving all the other devotees. Charge away at full speed. And then he would go and charge towards Krishna to embrace Krishna’s lotus feet, to take Krishna’s shelter.
And he would reach there, just as he would have reached there, he would faint. And Krishna would disappear and he would faint. And the devotees would come and ask, what happened? He says, I saw Krishna, but Krishna disappeared.
I am so unfortunate. This was also for the first time Shaitanya Mahaprabhu, he took sannyas at Katwa and then he was going towards Vrindavan, but he was brought back to Acharya Prabhu’s place in Shantipur. So this was, at that time also, Shaitanya Mahaprabhu had mystic illusions.
So this is when one is with others, but suddenly one perceives a higher reality. Now this is not an imagination. Actually Krishna is present and a devotee gets temporary glimpses of Krishna.
That is also samadhi. And beyond that, there can also be not just perception. So suddenly Krishna, Shaitanya Mahaprabhu would run away, but then he would actually not just get a glimpse, but he would participate in Krishna’s pastimes.
So when you participate in Krishna’s pastimes, he would say that, Shaitanya Mahaprabhu, this was one pastime when he would, for example, this comes in the Antilila of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, 18th chapter I think, where there is a fisherman. And the fisherman one day catches a fish and he becomes very happy because he has caught a giant fish. Giant fish.
And as he pulls out the giant fish, he says, what is this? This is not a fish. This is some strange thing. And at that night, the devotees have found Shaitanya Mahaprabhu and they are frantically searching everywhere.
And then they find this fisherman who is acting like a madman. And they ask, what happened? He is just chanting. He is frantically chanting the names of Krishna and he is frantic practically.
They ask him, what happened? What happened? So he said that, you know, I caught a fish. And actually when I… He says, I have been haunted by a ghost. Normally I chant Narasimha Mantra to drive away ghosts.
But I don’t know what kind of ghost haunted me. This time, the more I chant Narasimha Mantra, the more haunting increases. So then they ask, what is happening? I want to find an exorcist who will drive away the ghost.
So then, Chidambaram Swaroop Damodar, the secretary of Chidambaram Swaroop Damodar says, I am an exorcist. I know. I will drive away the ghost.
And what he does is, he slaps him on the face. And he says, what happened? How did you get the ghost? He said, you know, I caught a giant fish and then as soon as I tried to touch the fish, then I got this ghost. He said, no, no, that is not a ghost.
That is Mahaprabhu. He says, no, this is not Mahaprabhu. I have seen Mahaprabhu.
This is completely different. So what had happened was, actually Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s whole body, his limbs had become changed completely. What had happened was, now he was not only having a spiritual perception, but he was also having a participation in the spiritual pastimes.
And that participation was not just having a small effect in terms of, say, somnambulization or finger burning, but actually the whole joints had become disjointed. What would happen is, sometimes at one particular time, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu became a kurma avatar. You know, like a kurma.
Angani Sarva Shastra Krishna says in 2.58. All the limbs of his body had become withdrawn into the body, completely withdrawn. And he had become very small. Another time he became huge.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself was already tall and majestic and each of his joints was separated from his joint by several inches and his arms appeared long, his legs appeared long and what was holding the limbs together was practically holding the skin. The joints had become disjointed. And then the devotees would be mortified, frightened to see such transformations in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s form.
And then they would pray, nothing would happen. Finally when they would chant, they would chant the holy names, then actually what would happen is, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come back to his true consciousness. So, like this, there are many extraordinary pastimes.
Now, these are the mystical visions that can come. Bhaktivinoda Thakur would talk about Sahaj Samadhi. Sahaj Samadhi means there is, by the purification and the elevation of our consciousness, there is a natural spiritual cognition that will come.
And Sri Prabhupada also, there are times when, one time when he was in South America and he was doing kirtan. At that time, he used to see, he had come to South America and he saw already a centre over there, Govinda Tai over there, and devotees chanting and dancing. He became overwhelmed.
And then he went into ecstasy. There are quite a few occasions, not many, Sri Prabhupada would normally try to stay at our level of consciousness so that he could instruct us. But sometimes his ecstasy would take him to higher levels of consciousness.
So, this is the Samadhi that awaits us. And this Samadhi is exhibited at its summit, just as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu exhibits it. Similarly, the Gopis of Vrindavan exhibit it.
And not only Gopis of Vrindavan exhibit it, but it is Radharani among them who exhibits it the most. And we see this at its climax in chapters 46 and 47 of the 10th canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. There, chapter 46 is called as the Bhramargeet, the song to the bumblebee.
So, when Uddhava has come to Vrindavan, from Mathura to give Krishnamsa to the Gopis, so at that time, a bumblebee comes along over there and Sri Yantra Radharani sees that bumblebee and treats it as a messenger of Krishna. She wants to speak to Uddhava, but Uddhava is a Kshatriya, Uddhava is a man, and it is not appropriate for Radharani to chastise Uddhava. So then, whatever her feelings are towards Krishna and towards Krishna’s messenger, she starts speaking them towards Uddhava.
And the way she speaks, it is a very elevated subject which we cannot go into right now, but she speaks her heart out and she is just in a frenzy of emotions. She says, you know, you are an unreliable servant of an unreliable master. I don’t want to hear anything from you.
Go away. And then that bumblebee can’t resist to come and touch Radharani’s face. He says, you shouldn’t touch my feet.
You can’t flatter me. Go away from here. And then, the bumblebee keeps moving around and she says, no, no, I am not going to listen to you.
And then the bumblebee goes away. Oh, it’s gone away. And she becomes so agonised.
She says, you know, I spoke so bad about Krishna. I said that Krishna is a cheater, Krishna is a liar, I don’t trust Krishna and he will go and say all this to Krishna. No, no, no.
Oh, Krishna will get angry with me. And suddenly the bumblebee appears again. And she says, oh, very good, you are very merciful.
You have come back. You know, I will tell Krishna that we always love him. Whatever happens, is he going to come back? And, you know, there is Doddhava.
Now, we might think this is just a mad woman who speaks such things. But Doddhava understands. He is observing.
He understands. What is the exaltedness of this level of absorption, obsession in Krishna? And then he says, oh, Gopis, you are so exalted. He doesn’t pray to the Gopis, but he prays to Krishna that my only aspiration is that let me become shrub, grass, just a part of the wilderness of Vrindavan so that the Gopis, when they are walking along, their feet will come on my head and I will be blessed by the feet of their head.
So this is the kind of samadhi that devotees can get by the progressive spiritual advancement on the path of Viraha Bhakti in Madhuri Dasa that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is offering us. So, this is the ultimate Gauri Siddhanta. And then, when a devotee is situated thus, there is nothing higher that can be given.
And that is why, there is nothing more to be gained. You know, generally the idea of religion is that God is the giver and we are the receivers. But it is nowhere in any religious tradition is this kind of statement made as what Krishna makes to the Gopis.
Krishna says to the Gopis that actually the service that you have rendered to me, I have become so indebted that I cannot give you anything. Cannot give you anything. Even if I try to repay you for an entire lifetime of Brahma, I will not be able to give you anything.
That is the supreme exalted level of the love of the Gopis for Krishna. And that is the kind of samadhi that we will get as we steadily practise devotional service and ultimately come to the level of perfection in the practise of devotional service. So, Yadavinyatam Chittam Atmanyeva Vatishthate Nispruhasarva Kaameghyo Yuktaityukshate Yadavinyatam Chittam So, once one has controlled the senses, Vinyatam Chittam Chitta refers to consciousness.
So, it can be the mind, it can be basically a subtle body. Yadavinyatam Chittam Atmanyeva Vatishthate So, once one has regarded the senses, consciousness, the mind, then Atmanyeva Vatishthate one becomes situated at the level of the Atma. Tishthate, to be situated.
And the person is Nispruha. Nispruha is no desires. Sarva Kaameghyo, having no hankering for any desires.
So, Nispruha Sarva Kaameghyo Yuktaityukshate Tada The person is Yukta. Yukta is well situated. Now, it’s interesting, Krishna has used the word Yukta in the previous verse also.
And then he says, Yukta Harviharasya Yuktachestise Karmasu So, there is another meaning of this word Yukta. As we said, there Prabhupada translates Yukta as regulated. And here Prabhupada translates as well situated in Yoga.
Now, as we know, the word Yukta is connected with the word Yoga. So, Yoga, Yogi, Yukta. So, Yukta means connected.
So, another way to understand the previous verse and then we understand this verse is, Krishna is telling, while eating, while sleeping, Yukta Harviharasya Yuktachestise Karmasu So, in that verse, while eating, while doing recreation, while doing work, while doing various activities, one be Yukta. So, this Yukta can be not only regulated, it can also mean connected. So, that means this verse, the previous verse can also mean that if while doing all of one’s activities, one stays connected with the Absolute Truth, then by such practise, Yoga Bhavati Dukha.
By such practise of Yoga, where the Yoga is not just a part-time activity, that Yoga is a full-time activity. Yogi doesn’t stop eating, doesn’t stop sleeping, doesn’t stop dreaming. These are basic bodily requirements which have to be done.
But while doing all these activities, one stays Yukta, one stays connected, one stays focused on the Absolute Truth. So, in the path of Bhakti, that would mean we remember Krishna. So, whatever we are doing, when we remember Krishna, then by that, what happens? By that, we stay purified.
And we don’t get contaminated. And because we are staying connected with Krishna, we stay purified, we become further purified, and we become free from all this, Yoga Bhavati Dukha. And then Krishna is telling in this verse, what do we do to be Yukta? So, if you want to stay connected with Krishna, if you want to stay spiritually conscious, Yukta, then you do these things.
What are these? Yada vinyatam chittam atmanyeva batishthati Yes, we are doing eating, we are doing sleeping, but all those times, we are vinyatam chittam, the consciousness is controlled, and it is directed towards the Absolute Truth. So, there, the connection to the Absolute Truth is talked about as Yukta. And Krishna says, when can we be Yukta? When, while doing the worldly activities, we are nispruhasarvakaamayogam.
So, we engage in the worldly activities, but a devotee, Prabhupada writes in a purport, a devotee engages the senses without arousing sensual desires, without arousing sensual desires. So, that means that the sensual desires are the problem. We can eat, but it is not necessary that while eating, we have to become agitated by sensual desires.
If we are contemplating on Krishna, and thinking this is Krishna’s prasadam, then relishing Krishna prasad does not have to arouse our sensual desires. It can actually elevate us. So, Krishna is saying nispruhasarvakaamayogam.
Whatever activities we do, we do not let ourselves become agitated by desires. And one can do like this, then one can stay fixed in the situation of yukta, one will stay engaged, connected. And how can one do this? Prabhupada again quotes what he has quoted in 2.61 purport.
The set of verses from 9.4 point 18 to 20. So, how the, how Maharaj fixes his mind on Krishna by engaging all the senses in Krishna’s service. We discussed this earlier.
Now Prabhupada makes a very interesting point here. So, what does it mean? Inexpressible subjectively. So, when the impersonalists are asked, what is the happiness in impersonal realisation? Ultimately the idea is we have to silence all our emotions, ultimate existence is devoid of any positive activity, any relationships, any emotions.
And what is the happiness? Then they say, actually this happiness is a nirvachiniya. It is beyond words. It is inexpressible.
So, actually it is not only inexpressible, it is also in some, in many ways inexperienceable. Because the happiness of impersonal realisation is a very small happiness as compared to the happiness of devotional realisation. And it is very very difficult to just detach oneself from matter without connecting oneself to Krishna.
That’s why it’s a very arduous process. And it doesn’t necessarily lead to very satisfactory results. So, on the other hand Prabhupada says, for a devotee it is very easy and practical.
Easy means? Yes, actually engaging the senses in Krishna’s service is easy, it is practical. It’s not that we just have to think of something abstract. For the impersonalists, the only thing to think is that there is nothing to think.
The only thing to think is that there is nothing to think. Because ultimately everything is an illusion. But not only everything is an illusion, but even our thoughts are illusions.
So then what do we do? No. Actually you have to think about Krishna. The only thing to talk for the impersonalists is that there is nothing to talk.
The only thing to do is that there is nothing to do. And for many of these impersonalists the only ananda is in their name and their ananda ends with their name. So actually this is the unfortunate predicament.
They are definitely, see, brahmananda is some kind of ananda. It is actually higher than the swargi ananda. But when compared to bhakti ananda in the nectar of devotion, we will study how there is a hierarchy in the various levels of happiness.
And the happiness of devotional service is far greater as compared to other forms of happiness. So Prabhupada explains simple abnegation is not practical. Simple abnegation means simply abnegation.
Abnegation means not saying no, no, no. It is not practical. It will not work.
And Prabhupada says that transcendental engagement of the senses and the mind as described earlier is the perfect process of transcendental achievement and which is called yukta in the Bhagavad Gita. So here Prabhupada uses the word yukta. In the previous world so here we see context specific explanations of the word.
Prabhupada in the previous world said yukta refers to means regulator. We should be regularly deep sleeping. But then he says here yukta means actually engaged in the perfect process for transcendental achievement.
So that means the word yukta has two aspects. To be well situated, we have to be connected with the absolute truth and connection with the absolute truth means regulation of the interaction with the worldly objects and regulation in our worldly activities. So in 18 in 17 yukta refers to that regulation aspect and in 18 it refers to the connection aspect.
So both are there in yukta. Now let’s look at the next verse. So how is this possible? Somebody may ask.
If I am engaging in worldly activities, won’t I get worldly desires? So Krishna gives the example how this will not happen. yatha deepo nivata stho nengate sopa masmata yogino yata jitasya yunjato yogamatmanah So yatha deepo nivata stho. Deepa is lamp and vata is wind, air.
In body also we have kapha vata pitta. So vata is the air element in the body. So nivata stho means that there is no wind.
So when in an area where there is a lamp but there is no wind nengate then the flame will not flicker. The flame will stay steady. So upama smata similarly as upama as an analogy is given, smata it is given what is it? yogino yata jitasya yogi whose chitta is controlled, whose mind is controlled yunjato yogamatmanah So for the yogi whose mind is controlled the consciousness stays focused on the atma that means actually the point is that it is not necessary that when the flame is there, the flame has to flicker.
When the flame is present in the place where there is no wind, the flame will not flicker. So the flame is here referred to the consciousness. So unflickering flame is referring to the undeviating consciousness.
The consciousness is fixed on the atma. So I am the soul and the bhakti yogi further thinks that I have a relationship with Krishna and I have to fix the mind on Krishna. The ashtami yogi who has not yet realised the relationship with Krishna thinks I am the atma and I have to realise myself as the atma.
So it fixes the consciousness on atma tattva yunjato yogamatmanah By yoga it keeps situated on the atma tattva platform yogino yata jitasya So that means what causes our consciousness to flicker is material desires. So Krishna doesn’t use the word material desires explicitly over him but the wind is material desires. So when material desires are not there then the consciousness stays fixed and when material desires are there the consciousness gets agitated.
And in many ways we can see this even in the eyes of people. Now people who are materialistic their eyes are restless always looking here looking there. Their eyes are like radars seeking sensual objects.
Where can I see something good? And if they are not filled with desire they are filled with anxiety. This may go wrong. That may go wrong.
As compared to that a saint’s eyes are often very peaceful, very calm move in one direction, focus on that. Move in another direction, focus on that. They are alert but not restless.
Actually speaking we see Prabhupada was fast. He would do so many things throughout the day. How much he achieved single handedly is remarkable.
But Prabhupada was fast without being passionate. Prabhupada would do things very calmly. When somebody would bring a cheque to sign Prabhupada would have a case for a pen and he would take the pen out of the case then remove the cap of the pen and then sign it.
Prabhupada would never appear as if he was pressed for time rushing. Not rushing one place, rushing one place. He would never appear pressed for time.
But still because his consciousness was fixed he could do so many things. Second thing, third thing, fourth thing fixed and therefore he was very productive. For most of us we are passionate without being fast.
That means what? Passion. Oh I have to do that, I have to do that, I have to do that. But actually the amount of work that we get done is very little.
Although we seem to be always busy always running here and there but the amount of work we get done is less often. Why is that? Because the mind is restless. When the mind is restless then even when we try to work the work’s productivity is not too good and that’s why what we do one time then we have to undo it.
Oh this was not well done. I’ll do it that way. Then I’ll do it that way.
As we keep undoing things like this undoing and redoing things it increases our workload. That’s why the morning sadhana time when we purify ourselves when we calm ourselves down after that when we focus then we are able to do things much more productively much more productively Why? Because then we are able to focus on the principle of the absolute truth being the ultimate goal, the ultimate sustainer the ultimate protector and then we understand whatever is happening is under the control of the absolute truth and I am ultimately under the control of the absolute truth. That brings calmness and that calmness enables us to do activity intensely.
Intensely means with attention and focus. So for as devotees there is a wind of material desires and material desires along with it they bring material anxieties the greater our desires the greater will be anxieties so the material desires and the material anxieties they agitate us Now if we can keep our mind fixed then we can do so much more. So this is the whole purpose of sadhana.
Sadhana makes our consciousness libathastho without the wind of material desires and then we can become fixed and more productive. So here Krishna is giving this example that fix the mind on one place and he is saying for that stay away from material desires so if there are no material desires then even if one does activities even if they are worldly activities in the sense that they involve interaction with worldly objects still we will not get agitated. Now Krishna will give the description of samadhi.
How one attains perfection and what is the vision of the person who has attained perfection. Very beautiful set of verses. The most thrilling description of samadhi that is there in the Bhagavad Gita Let us look at it.
So Prabhupada combines three and a half verses into one narrative into one purport. Let us look at them yatra chaivaatmanatmanam upasyanatmanitushyate So yatra. Yatra means in this stage.
Which stage? When a person has become yukta and one has become situated in transcendence. So uparamate. Uparamate means like we have heard the viram.
Viram means to stop. Uparamate means stop. At that time what is stop? yatra uparamate chittam Chittam means consciousness.
Chittam and then how is it called stop? niruddham yoga sevaya. By the practise of yoga. Yoga sevaya.
Niruddham Niruddham means cessation. Stoppage So we discussed earlier the five levels of mind control. So mudha, kshiptha, vikshiptha then ekagrata and nirodha.
So Krishna is here talking about the fifth level. So ekagrata means concentrated and nirodha means absorbed So Krishna is telling what happens? Niruddham yoga sevaya. Niruddham.
One has become passive. One has controlled the mind. And then what happens? Yatra chaivaatmanatmanam And then at that stage yatra chaivaatmana One turns the mind inwards.
Aatmanatmanam. The purified mind turns inwards and perceives the self. And paschan aatmanitushyati aatmanitushyati.
One delights within. So Krishna is saying that the chitta’s external activities stop. And then the chitta turns inwards.
It turns inwards. Not only turns inwards but delights inwards. So here we need to understand the difference between chitta and chitta.
Chitta is C-I-T. And chitta is C-I-T-T-A. It’s written in English.
So chitta, consciousness is the original faculty of the soul. That is always there. Asat, chitta, ananda.
One of the three defining attributes of the soul. So consciousness is an innate energy, innate faculty of the soul. That is always there.
On the other hand, chitta refers to the consciousness that is rooted within material energy. Chit is original spiritual consciousness of the soul. Chitta is consciousness rooted in material energy.
So to give you an example of this, suppose somebody is watching a movie. And that person has original consciousness. By which that person can look around.
Okay, these are other people sitting over here. There is other audience. And I am sitting on a chair.
This is a movie theatre. Above there is a roof. Below there is a floor.
So this is this capacity to be aware of the world around. We can say this is like there is a soul sitting. That is chitta.
But once the movie starts and the person starts getting absorbed in the movie, then the person’s whole experience gets centred on the events that are happening in the movie. And the emotions that come from them. So the consciousness of the spectator when focused on the screen and on the events in the screen, that is like chitta.
So chitta is the soul’s original awareness. Chitta is the soul’s awareness rooted into matter. So the original soul has nothing to do with sensual enjoyment.
Because soul is spiritual, things of the soul are material. But the soul’s consciousness is rooted into matter and caught in matter. Then the soul gets entangled.
Soul gets distracted. That entangled consciousness is called as chitta. So yatra uparamate chittam that means the chitta, the consciousness is entangled in matter, stops acting thereof.
That means the person stops watching the movie. Yatra uparamate chittam And then once one stops watching the movie, one stops getting captivated by the movie, then one can come out of the daze. What are they doing? Okay, I’m sitting on this chair.
I didn’t realise it. Sometimes people are watching a movie and they see the hero fighting and then they are fighting. They hit their neighbour.
And the neighbour What happened? So what happens to them is they are jolted out of their of their trance like state. So it’s actually sometimes the shocks of life or sometimes our own philosophical enquiry. We discussed in the seventh chapter how there are four reasons why people come to Krishna.
Four impetuses why people come to Krishna. So either way that niruddham that means the absorption of the consciousness in matter stops. And then the person is able to turn around.
And then so yatra chaiva aatmanatmanam. The impure mind wants to focus on matter. The pure mind wants to turn away and focus on God focus on the absolute truth.
So niruddham yoga sevaya. So by yoga this is what happens. Our connection with illusion decreases and our connection with reality increases.
And then yatra chaiva aatmanatmanam Then within the aatma one sees passion aatmanitushyati. One becomes joyful within. Joyful within.
And then what happens after that? sukham atyantikam yathad buddhi grahyam ati indriyam vetti yatra na chaivayam sthitas chalati tattvataha So sukham atyantikam yathad atyantika sukha means the ultimate happiness. So at that time one gets that happiness. Buddhi grahyam ati indriyam So one perceives that happiness with, it is Krishna has told you already ati indriyam.
So it is not involved in the senses. Generally people think of happiness means senses have to be involved. Senses enjoy then we get enjoyment.
Krishna is saying it is atyantikam, it is ati indriyam, it is ultimate happiness and it is far beyond the senses and then vetti yatra na chaivayam sthitas chalati tattvataha. Once one is situated in this happiness one never leaves, one never departs from this happiness. So here Krishna is describing that this ultimate happiness is so rich, so deep so fulfilling that one doesn’t want anything else.
One becomes situated in that happiness and one is forever satisfied in that happiness and then Krishna further says what is the characteristic of this happiness because of which one will never leave it. Generally in this place, whatever we get we want something more. So why is it that after achieving this, after being situated yatra chaiva one is situated here, yatra na chaivayam one will not chalati.
Krishna will talk Arjuna will talk later in this chapter itself how the mind is chanchala, chanchalam is going round and round but Krishna is telling over here na chalati, na chaivayam sthitas chalati tattvataha, there will be no chalati that will happen the mind will not move here and there. So why that he describes in the next verse. Yam labdha chaaparam labham, chaaparam labham manyate na adhikam tattaha yasmin sthito na dukhena gurunapi vichal yate so yam labdha having attained this chaaparam labham, some greater labh so having gained this to think that there is some greater gain manyate na adhikam tattaha one doesn’t think that there is any greater happiness yasmin sthito na dukhena once situated thus no matter how great the misery gurunapi na vichal yate even the greatest misery does not agitate the person na vichal yate so this actually gives us two characteristics of real success let’s look at this what is greatest achievement in life this is described in 6.23 that which takes us beyond hankering which is mentioned in A and B that which takes us beyond lamenting that which is next part yasmin sthito na dukhena gurunapi vichal yate so what does this mean anything that we achieve in this world it keeps us vulnerable to these two things hankering and lamenting no matter how much i achieve i always hanker let me get this also so even if i become the wealthiest person in the country i want to become the wealthiest person in the world i want to become the wealthiest person in the history of the world and like that it keeps going on and on and there is hankering it is infinite it never ends because it never ends therefore it keeps us always hankering now all of us if we look in our own hearts we all have a definition of success we may think ok if i just get a job in that company or if i get a salary of this much or if my child becomes an engineer or if i get a big enough house we all have our definitions of success and in our material life we do want to have some goals and we can move forward towards achieving those goals but if we let all our ambitions get suckered into that itself then we miss out on something far higher that life is going to offer us so most people may think there is nothing higher that life is going to offer but there has to be see we want perennial fulfilment lasting fulfilment but none of the goals that we have set for ourselves will give us lasting fulfilment why is that? because even if we achieve those goals what is going to happen? we achieve them and after that we will want something more i get the dream house that i want and after that i want a bigger house where will this end? actually it will not end anywhere it will just go on and on therefore we have to be steady hankering is always going to be there but when we achieve samadhi so when we achieve for a devotee samadhi is ultimately love of Krishna when we achieve the perfection of love of Krishna then at that time there is no more hankering hankering is complete satisfaction perpetual satisfaction the achievement of love of Krishna is something which will totally and eternally satisfy us it will free us from all hankerings and not only that the second aspect is lamenting even if a person becomes successful in becoming the world’s wealthiest person even the wealthiest person in the history of the world still is that person going to be free from hankering? no all that is going to be taken away at the time of death or maybe even before that and all of that is ripped away that person is going to lament tremendously in fact the more we achieve the more we possess, the more we enjoy in this world if we do not have a spiritual conception of life then the greater is the sense of our loss when we lose everything I worked so hard, I got so much and now everything is ripped away from me in one merciless moment that end of death is there or it can be gradually our faculties themselves go away so a person may become the president of America but then after that a person may get some dispersion like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s and then the person just forgets forgets who I am all of us forget who I am in an absolute spiritual sense but we try to build up a material identity in this world but the nature of this material identity can be taken away from us left with nothing, we lost our spiritual identity we lose our material identity also such things can happen so actually whatever one achieves one is always vulnerable to lamentation always vulnerable to lamentation and it is not just a possibility it is a certainty in material life lamentation is not a question of if it is a question of when it is not a question of if whether we will have to lament or not it is a question of when we will have to lament all of us will have to lament but once we achieve love for Krishna then there is absolutely no lamentation there is eternal happiness because love for Krishna once it is achieved in the heart it will never ever be taken away from us it will forever be there with us and it will forever give us ecstasy so that’s why we may have various conceptions of achievement in our life but Bhagavad Gita gives us the highest standard of achievement that achievement which frees us from all hankering and frees us from all lamenting that is life supreme achievement no matter how great the misery the devotee is not disturbed because the devotee has Krishna and Krishna is the ultimate source of greatest joy there is nothing higher to be achieved upon an acute Krishna and then Krishna describes further tam vidyad dukkha sanyoga vyogam yoga sangeetam tam vidyad note this one Arjuna dukkha sanyoga all of us have made contact with dukkha all of us have become entangled with dukkha sanyoga vyogam vyogam means separation so all of us have got contact with dukkha but there is vyogam yoga sangeetam yoga sangeetam means this kind of vyogam from dukkha is actually called the perfection of yoga yoga sangeetam so yoga can at sadhana stage refer to the practises that we do in the perfection stage it refers that when we are connected with the absolute truth then that leads to vyoga from dukkha vyogam yoga sangeetam so know this oh Arjuna this is the ultimate achievement of life now you are thinking that oh if you fight this war then your relatives will be killed and then there is so much lamentation for you but don’t think that just by fighting you will avoid lamentation ultimately lamentation will come on everyone but if you connect with the absolute truth if you attain samadhi that actually Arjuna is yoga that is vyogam, yoga from dukkha sanyoga contact with misery will be freed from it in the material world trying to be free from misery is like trying to be in an ocean and avoid getting wet just can’t do it we might try to move here move there but there is water everywhere how much can we avoid so like that in this material world we just cannot avoid misery no matter how much we try so it will come but when we are taken out of this material world taken back to spiritual world then dukkha sanyoga vyoga there will be vyoga from all dukkha and that is Krishna is talking about samadhi in two ways one way is in terms of liberation from misery and another is from contact with happiness and that’s how now let’s look at a little bit more of this concept how this works so there are there are two ways of dealing with emotions on the path of transcendence so in dhyan yoga one silences and stops all material emotions in bhakti yoga one does the same thing but by kindling spiritual emotions that means what material emotions are the cause of misery and one has to give up material emotions come what may but how does one give up material emotions that varies according to time, place, circumstance or rather according to the path that one is practising so when in ashtang yoga in the path of ashtang yoga Patanjali does not describe about positive spiritual emotions there is some indication of it but not much positive description so chitta vritti nirodha chitta vritti is the moment of consciousness so he describes what is perfection what is samadhi chitta vritti the tendency of the consciousness what is that to go towards material things chitta is the consciousness that goes inside matter conditioned consciousness so nirodha stopping that so chitta vritti yoga is chitta vritti nirodha the perfection of yoga is to check the vritti of the consciousness towards going into matter so in the path of yoga the whole focus is on cutting down on eliminating material emotions but in the path of bhakti yoga that same result is achieved but something more we kindle spiritual emotions and by that material emotions go away so a devotee becomes attracted to Krishna and when the heart is filled with love for Krishna and the desire to serve Krishna and glorify Krishna the material desires find no room in such a heart generally for example say when an Indian or any person from any of the third world countries goes to America America is the land of dreams oh I will go there and I will enjoy over there but when Srila Prabhupada went there what was his emotion his heart was so filled with spiritual desires that he had there is no room for material desires at all he did not think that America is a place of enjoyment and I will enjoy over there he simply thought oh this place is filled with souls who are forgetful of Krishna and they are suffering because of forgetfulness of Krishna so let me remind them let me help them remember let me give them Krishna and Prabhupada prayed to Krishna over there that please allow me to turn towards them to return to them this was Prabhupada’s compassion and his compassion was based on a profound spiritual vision his heart was filled with spiritual desires and he saw everything spiritually so when the spiritual desires are activated automatically material desires get eliminated and that is the process of Bhakti Yoga so in Bhakti Yoga our focus is not on rejecting the negative our focus is on taking on the positive and that’s why in Bhakti Yoga the focus has to be on not just giving up desires it has to be taking up desires now Prabhupada certainly he gave up material desires in terms of being Sanyas but what distinguished Prabhupada among all his God brothers many of his God brothers were illustrious they helped we should not have a too negative attitude or they fought and broke up the Gaudiya Mata or something like that but before that when they were serving as a spiritual master they helped Bhakti Jnanatma Thakur build 64 Gaudiya Mats and many of them were powerful preachers and of course lifelong they stayed devoted to Bhakti Jnanatma Thakur and Shila Prabhupada also but among all the disciples of Shila Bhakti Jnanatma Thakur what distinguished Shila Prabhupada was his spiritual desire he took up the desire to share Krishna Consciousness with the world far more seriously far more fearlessly far more tirelessly than did anyone else so what defined Shila Prabhupada was not the absence of material desires that is definitely there but what defined him as distinctive as unique was presence of spiritual desire the desire to glorify Krishna the desire to love Krishna not just by meditating in Vrindavan but the desire to love Krishna by sharing that message of Krishna with the whole world and it was that desire that animated Prabhupada even when his body was old and sickly that’s how he was constantly preaching Krishna Consciousness to the whole world so it is that desire that is the perfection of life and that is the perfection that Bhakti Yoga offers us so thank you very much Hare Krishna