The Mindset You Need for Meditation | Essence of the Geeta | Episode 84

You are listening to the essence of the Gita. In this episode, Swamiji unpacks what makes meditation truly effortless and what can stand in its way. Niyata manasa yogi. That yogi who is Niyata manasa, who has his mind under his mastery, yunjan nevam sadatmanam. Yunjan neva constantly attempting to unite, means identify not with the equipments, but the consciousness, the self. So yunjan nevam sadatmanam. So constantly uniting, balancing, or uniting himself with the true self, the atma, shantim nirvana paramam adi gacchati. Attains that supreme liberating peace, nirvana shanti, which we are all seeking. All our sorrows are what? Because of a delusion that I am the body, mind and intellect, and I can't live without the world of finite objects, emotions and thoughts. One who has turned away his mind from all the objects, emotions, thoughts. Where is there anything that can disturb them? And therefore, attains that supreme peace. Which is nirvana, moksha or liberation. And which peace? Matsanstham adi gacchati. That peace which abides in me, the Lord says, in me who? In the infinite. Because only in the infinite can there be peace. Because wherever there is some sense of finitude and incompleteness, there will be the desire to complete yourself. And any desire means agitation. So Matsanstham adi gacchati. Gacchati means goes, but adi gacchati, very often when adi is added to it, means discovers really speaking. Not that he goes somewhere and then he enters Bhagawan to know the peace that lies in Bhagawan. Language can only communicate. So Matsanstham adi gacchati. So one who keeps himself self-control, means brings his mind from all its extrovertedness inward to abide in the self or the Lord of the heart. The very core and essence finds that peace which not only lies within you, but that peace that is the very nature of the Lord. Shantam, Shivam, Sundaram. And nothing can enchant your mind once you've given your mind to taste that peace. So the mind itself gets attracted. Now, it's a timely warning that who are the people who will find meditation difficult? What creates obstacles in the meditation and how we should remove it? These two simple-looking verses that Bhagawan brings timely this warning so that a meditator may not have to struggle. And Bhagawan points out in these two verses and they're such beautiful verses that if we study it and take our precautions, meditation will be easy. This is what Siddhartha took so many years to discover. That's why if you gain knowledge from it because Siddhartha had to show that you have to gain knowledge finally within yourself and therefore you wanted to experiment with everything. But when we study the scriptures from the gurus, we don't have to try it out and after many years of suffering discovered that suffering was not necessary. He arjuna na atyasnataha tu yogah asti. Yoga means meditation here, quietitude of mind, mastery of mind, peace of mind is not possible for one who is atyasnataha, one who eats too much. See, all these people they eat. After they eat, they live at night supper also. So those who eat too much yoga or meditation is not possible. nacha ekantam anashnataha. The others see these people eat. Morning they eat, evening they eat, night they eat and they eat everything also. Plus they eat in between chips also, then in between they want snacks also, then in between they take tea also and over that night also they want supper. If they don't get from the ashram, they will go and buy it from the stall outside. I am fasting. Those who eat too much must fast. But those who eat too less also and Shankaracharya says very beautifully he says you must eat as much as is necessary for the health and vitality of your body. Because after all this body is for your sadhana. And what is eating less when you eat less than what is required for the health and vitality of your body? So those who eat too much or those who eat too less now even simply we know it also. Those who eat too much they also become lazy, don't they? You eat too much? Oh my God! Swamiji, after these heavy meals we need to sleep. See on your way back if you go to one of these dhabas and you have Chole Bhatture and that Pattiyala class of creamy, lussey. After that all you want to do is lie down. When you eat too much the whole energy goes in digesting the food. What will you release the energy? So therefore you become tamasik. If you eat too less also you know that certain amount of food is necessary to energize your body, your senses and your mind. So one who does not eat too less, one who doesn't eat too much. And also nacha ati swapnasheela sya. Swapnasheela means whose nature has become sleepy. And Krishna, that's why you know there are some people anywhere if they sit quietly. Two reasons, they just love sleeping. They become swapnasheela whose character has become sleepy. So wherever they go they sleep. Or they sleep why in the place where they should be awake? Because those who don't sleep when they should sleep at the right time don't have proper night sleep. Then in the day while working also or while listening also they will be sleeping. So those who sleep too much also you know on Sundays people sleep till 12 o'clock. Then after eating they go back to sleep. Kumbhakarans. In Ramayana you have Ravana's brother Kumbhakaran who only gets up to eat and then goes back to sleep. So nacha ati swapnasheela sya. Jagrata na eva chha. What? What is not there? Yoga is not there for such a person. Now in Yog Shastra it is clearly pointed out which I already said in the fourth chapter half your stomach should be filled with good healthy food. Conducive for the type of work you are doing. When you are young man very energetic you need carbs and proteins. When you are meditating and sitting in one place you need less food and you need less amount of proteins etc. carbs etc. So what happens is that the food that you eat is of a different type. So what type of food you eat? Now as far as a sannyasi or a brahmachari is concerned really speaking you don't have choice for food. So you have to trust that the right food will come to you. That food also just because it is tasty don't over eat because tomorrow you are not going to get it. Today amma made kheer. So daba ke kha because you are not going to get it for another one year. You can eat only with half your stomach full with solids. Quarter with liquids to soften it. And the remaining liquid means water, lassi, chas and quarter with air for it to churn. So that is the point it means it should be in limitation. And Bhagawan says even your sleep, sleep when it is time to sleep and sleep sufficient that you are energetic throughout the day. You are energetic in the classroom to gain knowledge and you are energetic when you are meditating. Otherwise you will sleep. And this is being now emphasized that how is it possible when you have moderation in your interactions with the world. And Bhagawan says yoga bhavati dukkha. Yoga should be the destroyer of all your dukkha or sorrow. It should be the remover of all your or eliminator of all your agitations. And I said for most people meditation becomes another agitation. A struggle that meditation becomes spontaneous and peaceful and destroys all your difficulties even in meditation. Which that yoga which is practiced with living in moderation. That is called as brahmachari vratya sthita. Now moderation also don't say you know that's why. See I drink wine in moderation. There is something which is nishidha even moderate wine for a meditator. These things have to be avoided. But milk also don't drink so much milk that your cholesterol increases. Your body fat increases. See what I mean to say is that also should be in moderation. So good things also should be in moderation. Bad things should be avoided. There is no such thing as moderation in that. Vices and addictive things should be avoided. See I know when you say you know live in moderation see you say. Geetha says live in moderation. Sub kuch karo. Sub kuch karo. You murder also in moderation. You take poison also in moderation. A little bit of not too much of potassium cyanate. Just a little bit of. There is something which is harmful should be avoided. Anything that will be a disturbance to your meditation should not even be seen around you. Any conversation that only creates temptations or anger in your mind including news drop it. But the necessities of life such as taking in food. Now here food does not mean only. Really speaking for a sannyasi the only thing he can indulge in is food. Indulge means has to eat. Remaining there is nothing else. But even that food must be taken in moderation because otherwise excessive food will make you sleepy lethargic. Therefore only food has been mentioned. But we have food through all our senses. One who is in total denial of everything. In the good things that we see we hear. In that also there should be moderation. So what we take inside that should be moderation. And therefore Bhagawan says that yukta cetaseo. Karma su. That even in your action there should be moderation. No moderation what? Swamiji I have got so many duties what moderation I can't cut down on anything. It is not duties that has to be cut down. How much energy do we expend in our activities which are just useless convulsions of the body. Expertise in action. It's not no action. Those who do no action. They become lazy. And those who do hectic activities they agitate their mind. Therefore yukta hara vi harasya. That even in your action there should be certain poise. So Bhagawan says yukta cetaseo karma su. See Bhagawan didn't say that do less work. Your chesta in your work. Timely action should be done but yukta cetaseo. With moderate exertion. Yukta swapna ava bodhasya. And here the suggestiveness that be moderate and he calls sleep as swapna. And he calls wakefulness as avabhoda. And there is a little bit of suggestiveness here. In Mandukya Karika that state of realization is called as wakefulness avabhoda. So which means your spiritual pursuits as well as your seva or duties. All action you should know is in ignorance only. Not in deep sleep but in dream state. Therefore the state you are in is anyway dream state. In meditation you are trying to wake up the most of your sleep in meditation. Not you means I mean general. You say you means it includes me also. So it is you means in general. Not you delegates alone. You don't but you say we don't. But you means whoever the listeners are we sleep. In meditation we should be awake. Remember. Yani Shasarva Bhutanam Tasyaagarti Saiyami. Jagrati Saiyami. So therefore in meditation you are awakening yourself to the truth. In your actions you are actually in a dream state. In short also in the beginning stages don't try to suddenly give up all your duties and actions. And you know what now I'm only meditating. Don't disturb me. I'm meditating that also in the beginning stages there should be moderation. See how Bhagawan's details are not just gross details. And this is what Siddhartha realized. Being a prince, noble prince no doubt, but living in the life of luxury when he saw finally that finally everyone has to become old, sick and die. Doesn't mean that you have to fall sick and die. There are many old people even at 100 are quite healthy and they just die. But you have to do. Then if life is so meaningless then what is the purpose of life? And he went to search for it. Of course he met many masters and people and maybe he read many scriptures and many books, did many practices. But finally he was so keen on knowing the truth that he hardly would eat anything all the time just sit in austerities. That he became so weak that one day even to go and drink water he collapsed there. And they're saying that a boatman was passing from there and he was playing on his string instrument, say a vina or a sitar or whether Buddha saw, Siddhartha saw. Or that man with the vina sang out that if the strings of the sitar or the lute are loose, no music will come out of it. And if it is too tight it will snap. Therefore you come up with a book, neither to lose nor to tight, just write. So, yoga bhavati dukkha. One meaning becomes the destroyer of all your pain. The other meaning also is that it becomes effortless, not a strain, not agitation. So these are the obstacles, excessiveness or lack of energy. These are the, if that can be kept moderate then meditation is effortless and meditation. What does you gain by meditation? It becomes the destroyer of your pain sorrow. 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