Gita 08.10 – Yoga restrains the negative, bhakti energizes the positive
Thank you. Gurdita 8.10 Here Krishna is explaining how to process yoga, how to practice yoga in a sustainable way with a devotional consciousness. The sixth chapter he has talked about how Ashtanga Yoga culminates in Bhakti Yoga.
In this chapter he is talking about that ultimate purpose of life being the attainment of Krishna by remembering him at the time of death and first he will talk about how such remembrance can be attained through the practice of Ashtanga Yoga and then he will talk about how such remembrance can be cultivated through the practice of Bhakti Yoga. So here he is talking about the Ashtanga Yogi's cultivation of devotional consciousness, of yogic consciousness accompanied with a devotional mood. Prayana Kaale Manasa Chalena Prayana Kaale The moment of death.
This is a theme which is the primary focus of discussion right now and Arjuna used the word Prayana Kaale Chaktham Geyo Sinyatat Prabhu. How can the regulated know you at the time of death? He had asked in 8.2 and in 8.5 and 6 Krishna has talked about remembering him at the time of death and the general principle that our emotional disposition determines our physical emotional disposition at death, determines our physical incarceration, the kind of physical embodiment that we have after death, in the next life. So then he said that we should try to remember him constantly and it was 8.7. Then he endorsed recommended practice for remembrance and then in the last was 8.9 he gave the information about Krishna's glories that will make such remembrance easier.
Now in 8.10 he is talking about practicing this through the process of Ashtanga Yoga. So he says, Prayana Kaale Manasa Chalena, Krishna has told earlier or Arjuna has protested earlier that the mind is chanchala, it is Chanchalam Himanahakrishna, 6.35 he said, 6.34 and 6.33 also he said that. So Krishna says here, yes the mind is chanchala, he has acknowledged that in 6.35 when he says Asamchaya Mahabaho Manodurnigraham Chalam Chala, chala is just a short form of chanchala.
Yes, no doubt the mind is restless but it can be controlled. It is possible by Abhyas and Vairagya. So here one kind of Abhyas is being described, that consistently bring the mind back to focus on Krishna.
So Manasa Chalena, Prayana Kaale Manasa Chalena, if at the time of death one's mind is no longer deviated to other things. Bhruvor Madhye Pranam Aaveshya Samyak, Bhruvor Madhye, the space between the eyebrows, Pranam Aaveshya Samyak, one gets one's prana into this properly, fully and then, Bhaktya Yukto Yog Balena Chaiva, so by the force of yoga that is imbued with devotion, Bhaktya Yukto Yog Balena Chaiva, and then, Sadam Parampurusham Upaitnivyam, which was, such is the person who can attain Krishna, Bhaktya Yukto Yog Balena Chaiva. So one practices Bhakti, one practices yoga, the strength of yoga imbued with devotion, Bhaktya Yukto.
So how does this work? This is Krishna is talking about Ashtanga Yogi, so their primary practice is yoga, but they have brought momentum to their Bhakti, to their yoga practice by imbuing it with devotion. Sadam Parampurusham Upaitnivyam, such a person will attain the Parampurusha, the supreme person, that supreme person's characteristics have been described in the previous verse, ninth text, in the eighth text also the word Parampurusha was used, Abhyasa Yoga Yukten, Chetasananya Gamina, Parampurusham Divyam Yati Parthanu Chintayan, Parampurusham Divyam Yati, so here also it is Parampurusham Upaitnivyam. In the yoga process, the yogis may not in at the initial stage of yoga practice know that their ultimate objective is Krishna, they may have some other conceptions of what their objective is, but still if they persevere, if they are fortunate enough to associate with devotees, then they come to know of that goal, then they make Krishna the ultimate goal.
Other yogis may not know Krishna as the ultimate goal, they may worship Krishna as a tool for meditation and they may try to infuse themselves with devotion, but if they are fortunate, they associate with devotees, they also understand that the tool is not just the tool, the tool is the goal, that the person whom they are meditating on, it is not that they have to get a flip by meditating on that person and ultimately go beyond that person, there is no beyond Krishna, Krishna is beyond everything and the interesting yogis who are fortunate, they attain the Parampurusham and they recognize that the Parampurusham is Krishna. This verse talks about an interesting combination of bhakti and yoga. Sometimes we may say yoga itself is bhakti yoga, because that is the highest yoga, that is true and the word yoga generically means connection, but specifically it has a meaning and it refers to the process of a strong yoga.
So here Krishna talks about yoga by the power of yoga, one should bring the mind of control and bhakti-yukto, imbue it with devotion. Yoga's definition is told in the Patanjali Yoga Sutrat to be that the movements of consciousness are stopped, the tendency of the consciousness to move restlessly towards material things is stopped by the practice of yoga. Rogas chittavrtti, chittavrtti, nirodha, stopping of that.
Now yoga practice aims to bring the chittavrtti, the movement of consciousness to a stop, but that is material movements of consciousness are brought to a stop so that the focus can be intensified on the spiritual reality and that spiritual reality in its highest manifestation is Krishna. So bhakti-yukto, so when we focus on bhakti at that time, when one imbues one's yoga practice with bhakti, then the focus, then the whole process is no longer regulative or restrictive or negative, that oh don't let the consciousness move, it becomes positive and affirmative and attractive because there is a focus on, there is a positive object for meditation and that positive object if we understand his glory, if we understand Krishna's glory, then we can, then devotion to him and devotional attraction to him becomes easier thereby making the whole process of yoga move towards its culmination faster. Thank you.