What Comes Before Meditation? | Essence of the Geeta | Episode 93

You are listening to the essence of the Gita. In this episode, Swamiji explains why self-control and the right means are essential for progressing in yoga. He also explores the importance of consistent effort in overcoming the mind's obstacles. For a person to practice yoga, whether it is the performance of your duty, whether it is uplifting your mind with knowledge, whether it is detachment from all that gives you sorrow to attach to the higher or the yoga of meditation where you keep your mind steady on the Lord. He says, one who is not self-control, self-control means whose mind is not carried away, or whose mind is being carried away by the sense objects, who is a slave to his past habits, not being able to give up his or her likes and dislikes. One who has got a lot of vastness but no self-control, he says it is indeed difficult to attain. In fact, I agree. Such an uncontrolled person, meditation is impossible. But, Vashyatmanatu yathatha shakya avaptam upayatha. A very important line here where Bhagawan says, one who is self-controlled, yathatha, one who is striving. If you are not on the road, even if you are on the wrong road, keep driving, at least you will reach the right road. Right road. Remember, na buddhi bedam jay nahi et. At least you are active, no? So, yathatha, even if you are striving, you might be striving wrongly, but the fact that you are striving, you are ready to reach somewhere. So, yathatha, but one who is practicing with self-control, means sense management. Shakyah, it is possible. Avaptam to obtain, but upayatha, by the right means. And what is the right means? By preparing your mind through karma yoga, by getting the full knowledge of how to act, and also when to renounce. Learning all about the world and its nature. So, such a viveki, such a person with intelligence and discrimination. And knowing the right means, not suppression, but sublimation. Not by inaction, but acting with the right attitude. Not by just withdrawing your senses, but that energy being dedicated in higher contemplation. Such a person can in fact not only gain it, but actually, this is used the word, because when we start and somebody says, this is very easy, you already said, no, it is not. So, Bhagawan says one can gain it, whether with difficulty or with easiness, but it can be gained by the right method. Now, Bhagawan has actually given the answer. However, it is up to you now to put in the effort. Krishna has given all the warnings as well as how to overcome it. What are your obstacles? Sleep, distraction of the mind, lack of proper knowledge. And Bhagawan has shown how to remove it. He has not just said, do it or you will be damned. He has said, do it. He has taught also how to do it. He has given examples of also how people have done it. Therefore, you have no excuse now to sit back and say, I can't, because if you think you can't, you won't. And listening to the Gita, if somebody says that I can't, then remembers Krishna's very first words. Go on the streets and start clapping hands. At least you will do something constructive. So don't give any excuse from now on. And whenever, whenever, you find that you cannot meditate. You cannot remain focused. Understand. Practice and stop your distraction. How? Through Vairagya. Even methods of Vairagya we have pointed out. And Bhagawan had pointed out 12 different sadhanas, all for the purity and quietening of the mind. Follow all of them, follow even one of them. And we are teaching you all these sadhanas. Follow even one of them fully. And it is possible. Now that Krishna is in mood of answering questions, so far he was talking and not allowing Arjuna any question, because even before Arjuna could think of something, Krishna was already answering. So really, Arjuna couldn't ask a question. But now suddenly he got a chance to ask a question. So he's asking again something. Because once you allow the mind to doubt, it starts doubting. But this doubt of Arjuna is not like the previous doubt. He wants to know. But what he wants to know is, sometimes you ask one question. He said, this mind is very, very difficult to conquer. Therefore I don't think this yoga is possible. And Bhagawan says that it is difficult for those who have not mastered their senses and their mind. One who is not a yoga root. Bhagawan has explained. But that's my point. Someone who is striving also, but what if he does not reach there and this mind by nature being turbulent and you agree that even after having a glimpse there, even after raising yourself to that point, what if you fall down again? Aren't you a loser? Because mind is not steady, you know. So till you have perfected yourself, how many times will you lose out? And therefore the question yet remains, what be the lot of once self-controlled and striving hard even through right means who could not fulfill and reach the goal in this lifetime and die off. That question still remains. Bhagawan said one who is not self-controlled cannot reach there. But suppose there be someone who has faith in the goal because he has glimpsed it from his Guru. So he knows it is there. It's not like it's not there. There's some theory or it's a bluff or just to drive me something tempting is pointed out. No. One who has the Shraddha and we said Shraddha is not some blind belief has logically understood and has glimpsed it also. So Shraddha is there. And also tries. But it's not fully controlled and therefore slips. So Arjuna says, So Krishna, you're supposed to scrape away even the last residue of my doubts. Therefore, hey Krishna, Ayati. Jati means one who strives. Ayati doesn't mean one who does not strive but does not strive completely or properly. So who's unabilled to at some time maybe control his senses or his mind. And therefore, not that he is without Shraddha, he has also Shraddha. He has faith. But yoga-chalita-manasa. But from his path, from his meditation, from that beautiful moments that he may have had even experienced, those glimpses he may have had. But the mind, Krishna has pointed out reasons, past vastanas, memories of some pleasure or suddenly something attractive appeared or you heard something. And chalita-manasa, aprapya-yoga-sam-siddhim and not having attained the perfection in the union becoming one with it, kam-gatim-gacchati-hey-Krishna. What is then that person's state? In short, he's asking that here be a person striving, not fully controlled because mind can slip off anytime but suppose the mind slips on and after years and years of practice, see, old people who probably in their 90s start practicing the Gita and then find out that it doesn't work, they've not lost much. But a young person who in the teens does not enjoy the pleasures of the senses. Does not mean that a boring fellow doesn't do anything but keeps away from all these things that people find pleasure in because as you said, whoever said there's no pleasure in sense objects, however temporary. So not even enjoying the temporary pleasures of the world and not attaining the infinite bliss. It doesn't revolve around the world like Trishanku. Neither here nor there. It's like a dog or a dog or a dog or a dog. These are idioms. In every language you've got some idioms. You see the laundry man's dog neither belongs to the home nor to the laundry. That's any idiom it has it's impact only in that language. So will I not be like that rent cloud, no support to land on, nowhere to reach. Neither on the earth, neither on the above, will I not just get stranded and then dissipated like the summer clouds in the wind. So Kaam Gati, he wants to know that if such a person striving in this life but does not attain perfection if life were to end and all of us might think like that only, God this looks so difficult, it requires a lifetime. I tell you after studying the Bhagavad Gita you should have no regrets but invariably you will get one big regret. Whether you start at 90 or you start at 19 Bhagavad Gita I can tell you openly gives you one big regret and that is why didn't I learn it earlier. So will that person who is sincerely striving having lost the pleasures of the world and not even reaching there after he or she dies then what? Like every other thing in this life you strive, you struggle, you possess, you save but everything you have to leave behind. Mutki baankar aaya jagme, haath pasare jaayega If it happens with this also then even this is as wasteful as all the effort. That's why I am telling you Krishna why put in any effort to meditate? Why even to do your duties? Just sit back and do nothing. Now Krishna points out and this is a very fascinating thing because people want to know about life after death. Now this could be your predicted after life. If you do not realize in this life if you realize there is no coming, no going, no after, no before, no here, no now, no past, no present, no future you yourself are playing with yourself where time, space are all playing in you. So enjoy. You said, no? So yogi ramate, no? Mai sadhav vartate such a person always revels in me. Yogaratova, Bhogaratova, Sangaratova, Sangviheenav. One who has realized me in this life that the Self in me is the Self in everyone and so is the Lord. And therefore there is only one. He says that person always remains in me, never falls down because wherever he sees, he sees me and me alone. He sees bliss and bliss alone. And therefore Shagrachaya says, Yogaratova, Bhogaratova, Sangaratova, Sangviheenav. Yasyabrammani Ramate Chittam Nandati, Nandati, Nandati Ewa He only enjoys, enjoys, enjoys whose mind is in that one infinite Brahman. Then whether that person is in meditation or in the midst of all pleasures, whether alone in a cave or in the midst of company, like a Shiva or Buddha in meditation or in the company of people like Krishna or even in the battlefield like Krishna or like a Vivekananda or a Swami Chinvananda in the midst of people or like Shukadeva in quietitude. Like Janak Maharaj in all the pleasures or Shukadeva, his disciple without even clothes on his body whatever may be the outer condition whether rich or poor only one whose mind has merged with the infinite Nandati, Nandati, Nandati Ewa otherwise a poor man is also crying the rich man is also crying. Kabir Dhaaji says very beautifully He says, Tanadara Sukhiya Koi Na Deke Jo dekhasa Dukhiya Hoi I have never seen anybody embodied happy whoever I saw is miserable only. He says, neither a family man is happy nor the renunciate is also happy means one was just given up family etc. He says, neither the rich man is happy nor the poor man is happy neither the man is happy nor the woman is happy neither the parents are happy nor the children are happy neither the king they are happy nor the subjects are happy then who is happy? Do you know what he says? If nobody is happy if everybody is happy he lists every person then who is happy? He says, whosoever has mastered his mind Now Bhagawan puts this question Arjuna puts this question He Krishna Kaam Gati which state, which world what will be the condition of that person So far whenever Krishna wants to encourage Arjuna he calls him Hey Mahabhahu In that reference even Krishna is a great achiever So Krishna turns around and says Oh Mahabhahu Oh Mighty Armed Now don't give up on me and my questions because other than you that should be the Shraddha in your Guru that other than you no one can answer this question of mind He says which he says in the next verse but he says Kachchit Ubhayavi Brashtaha Is it not that that fallen from both Chinnam like the rent cloud the hanging crowd dispersed by wind such a crowd Abrama Eva Nashati Isn't it just perished like that? Why? Because Appratishta is supportless Vimudha deluded Vimudha means without reaching the goal and getting tempted and carried away by the finite leaving the infinite fallen from the path of the infinite Vimudha brahmana pati such a person having fallen Nashati perishes Etad me samshayam O Krishna Chetum arhasi ashesetaha Tvat anyaha Other than you Tvat anyaha I don't see anybody who can remove this doubt of mine How ashesetaha completely remove this doubt of mine So, because I don't think so anybody can do that Why? Because other than God Ishvara who knows the past, present this life and beyond So Arjuna doesn't see Krishna as his friend anymore Yeah Because Paritranaya Sadhana Sambhavami UK Yogi Bhavan has told him and he's understood that Krishna has no desire So why is he here? Narayana only is here So other than you who can dispel this desire? Not the scientist not the philosophers Only one who knows So Shraddha that my Guru knows And you are Jagatguru you are the teacher of everyone And I don't think so anyone can remove this doubt of mine other than you