Gita 02.53 – Persistent absorption comes by consistent rejection of distraction

Therefore, so here Krishna in 2.53 in the Bhagavad Gita is talking about how karma yoga or yoga in general takes us to a stage beyond the promises that motivate us in karmakand. Shruti refers to the scriptures that are heard, that refers to the Vedas.

vipratipanna te, vipratipanna, being influenced by, vipratipanna, those which teach something different. So, the karam, the yogi is trying for selfless activity, non-fruitive activity, whereas the Shruti promises many fruitive results. So, vipratipanna means one doesn't get influenced by them.

Shruti vipratipanna te, te refers to you, yada sthasyati nishchala, at the time when yada sthasyati is situated remains unmoved, nishchala, chala is to move. We had achala, which referred to the soul not being movable, achalo yam sena tannaha, that was in 2.25 and later on in sixth chapter we will have chanchalam himanah krishna in 6.35. So, here nishchala, that nishchala means the consciousness stays unmoving, stays fixed. Samadha, achala, buddhis, so chala, that the opposite of chala is coming second time, nishchala and achala.

The repetition is meant to emphasize the point, the consciousness is not moved. Samadha, achala, buddhis, in samadhi the buddhi stays achala. Tatha yogam avakshasi, at that time you have attained yoga.

Tatha yogam avakshasi, now here when krishna is talking about yoga, he is not just talking about the process, he is talking about the perfection, because yoga is a process to a goal. So, yoga means connection and we follow a process to get that connection. So, yoga can refer to both the process and the connection.

Tatha yogam avakshasi, so when does one attain that connection? When one's consciousness is not allured and distracted by the promises of worldly pleasures. Coming from shruti, now at our level actually our mind gets allured and agitated and distracted and degraded by promises of sinful pleasures. There are so many grossly sensual advertisements and promos and depictions in today's culture and often they are what agitate us and drag us away from krishna.

Now, krishna is talking not about this sort of weak karmic distractions, sinful distractions, he is talking here about pious distractions, that shruti does not talk about adharma, at least that's not what it recommends, it talks about adharma so that we give it up. Here krishna is talking about the shruti, the vedic promises of heavenly enjoyment and krishna is saying that when on hearing these you stay nishchala and samadhavachala buddhis achala, samadhav means samadhav is related to word samadhi. Samadhi means trance, absorption, the perfection of yoga, it means that one is satisfied, so entranced, so absorbed in meditation on the highest spiritual truth that one feels no allure towards anything else.

So, now we have to some extent the kind of absorption say when we like something very much, so if we love a particular sports, some people love cricket, then while watching a cricket match they go into something like a samadhi, so even if somebody else is making some noise, somebody else is distracting, just are lost in that world. Why? Because that one thing gives them so much pleasure that they don't want anything else, at least for that time. So, they are not distracted, somebody else come on, somebody has come to meet you, why not go for a walk? No, I have to watch, I want to watch the cricket match.

It's late, sleep now. No, I want to watch this cricket match. So, so whatever they hear, come on, do this, do that, nothing distracts them.

Why? Because they think cricket is a source of such excitement, such pleasure. I am actually speaking, there might be some entertainment in cricket, but it is flickering. But we can look at the principle of persistent absorption by consistent rejection of distraction.

Persistent absorption, the person keeps watching the cricket match, keeps getting lost in it, by consistent rejection of distraction. So, other people come, do this, do that. No, no, no.

So, like that, So, here when we talk about rejection of distraction, it is just one doesn't feel the temptations for worldly pleasures as having any charm, as having any allure. And that's why one gives them up without much struggle, without much effort. And in that way, you become, the yogi becomes absorbed.

And in this state of undistracted absorption is Samadhi, it is yoga. And Krishna indicates that, when you attain that, you attained perfection. So, for us, on our spiritual path, the state of absorption amidst distraction or absorption uninterrupted by distraction may seem to be far away.

But we all have at our level experiences of absorption. And those experiences can become our spurs, our motivations for marching ahead in our devotional life, for persevering, even when we feel disheartened, we feel distracted, we feel tempted. So, yoga is both the process and the perfection.

And the perfection of connection comes by the practice of connection, practice of staying connected. And of course, we can also avoid hearing, Krishna is telling Arjuna that you will not be disturbed when you hear these things. Now, that does not mean that he goes out of his way to hear those things and then checks whether I'm getting disturbed or not.

No, not at all. He just focuses on doing his dharma and while doing his duty, if he hears heavenly pleasures, he hears about heavenly pleasures, he will not be distracted. Similarly, we don't have to go out of our way to expose ourselves to temptations to see whether we are getting distracted or not.

Actually, in our contemporary culture, we don't have to go out of the way to become tempted. Rather, temptations are there all along along the way nowadays. And often we may have to go out of the way to avoid temptations.

So, the important point is we can still, according to our time, place, circumstance, minimize our exposure to temptations and focus on Krishna. And first, we need to minimize external distractions as much as possible so that we can make the practice of absorbing ourselves in Krishna. And then once we've got a taste for absorbing ourselves in Krishna, then even when temptations come, rather than seeking indulgence in those temptations, we will seek shelter from those temptations in absorption.

See, when we have no experience of higher taste, then resisting temptation seems like deprivation. But when we have tried to absorb ourselves and have got some taste in absorption, then we will see temptation as a distraction and we'll try to release ourselves from the temptation, save ourselves from the temptation by striving for absorption. So, so initially, temptation is absorption is something we cultivate because we know that there's a higher taste based on philosophy.

Then later absorption is something which we cultivate as a shelter, as a means to rescue ourselves from temptation. And then as we move forward, we cultivate absorption because we understand this is our natural state, this is our joyful state, this is who I am and this is who I want to be. So then, even when there are no, there are temptations and no temptations, we stay absorbed in Krishna.

So, Haridas Thakur, even when he had the prostitute coming in front of him, the prostitute did not comprise any distraction for him. He just kept absorbed in himself, absorbed in Krishna and he got even her absorbed in Krishna. So, similarly, that is a very advanced state.

So, her sweet words, none of them could distract him. He stayed fixed. So, like that, we will come to that level, but we have to begin by cultivating absorption at our level.