Meditation

Bahya-sparseshv asaktatma vindaty atmani yat sukham, sa brahma-yoga-yuktatma sukham akshayam ashnute

Those who are not attached to external sense pleasures realize divine bliss in the self. Being united with God through meditation, they experience unending happiness.

Sparshan kritvva bahir bahyams cakshush caivantare bhruvoh, pranapanau samau kritvva nasabhyantara-carinau

Shutting out external sense objects, fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, equalizing the outgoing and incoming breaths moving within the nostrils — this describes the preliminary posture and pranayama for deep meditation.

Arurukshor muner yogam karma karanam ucyate, yogarudhasya tasyaiva shamah karanam ucyate

For the sage who wishes to ascend to yoga, action is said to be the means; for the one who has already ascended to yoga, serenity (shama) is said to be the means. The spiritual path has two distinct phases: active purification followed by meditative stillness.

Yogi yunjita satatam atmanam rahasi sthitah, ekaki yata-cittatma nirashir aparigrahah

Let the yogi constantly engage the self in meditation, dwelling in solitude, alone, with mind and self controlled, free from desire and possessiveness. These are the outer and inner conditions Krishna recommends for meditation practice: solitude, aloneness, self-control, and non-possessiveness.

Tatraikagram manah kritvva yata-cittendriya-kriyah, upavisyasane yunjyad yogam atma-vishudhaye

Seated there, with mind one-pointed and the activities of mind and senses controlled, one should practice yoga for the purification of the self. The purpose of all these outer preparations is this singular aim: the purification of the inner self through one-pointed yoga.

Prashantatma vigata-bhir brahmachari-vrate sthitah, manah samyamya maccitto yukta asita mat-parah

With a tranquil mind, free from fear, established in the vow of celibacy, having controlled the mind, let the yogi sit absorbed in Me, with Me as the supreme goal. Tranquility, fearlessness, brahmacharya, and mind-control are the qualities of the meditator who rests in the Divine.

Yunjann evam sadatmanam yogi niyata-manasah, shantim nirvana-paramam mat-samstham adhigacchati

Ever disciplining the self thus, the yogi with controlled mind attains the peace of nirvana, supreme peace, which abides in Me. The culmination of meditation practice is this supreme peace — not a temporary calm but the nirvana that rests permanently in the Divine.

Yatha dipo nivata-stho nengate sopama smrita, yogino yata-chittasya yunjato yogam atmanah

As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so the disciplined mind of a yogi remains steady in meditation on the self.

Yatroparamate chittam niruddham yoga-sevaya, yatra chaivatmanatmanam pashyann atmani tushyati

When the mind, restrained by the practice of yoga, attains quietude, and when beholding the self by the self, one is satisfied in the self.

Shanaih shanair uparamed buddhya dhriti-grihitaya, atma-samstham manah kritva na kinchid api chintayet

Gradually, step by step, with the intellect endowed with steadiness, one should bring the mind to stillness, and think of nothing else.

Abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina, paramam purusham divyam yati parthanucintayan

O Partha, one who meditates on Me with unwavering mind, constantly engaged in the yoga of constant practice (abhyasa yoga) and not deviating elsewhere, goes to the Supreme Divine Person. The disciplined practice of keeping the mind fixed on God through repeated effort (abhyasa) leads directly to the Supreme.

Kavim puranam anushasitaram anor aniyamsam anusmared yah, sarvasya dhataram acintya-rupam aditya-varnam tamasah parastat

One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond all material conception, who is inconceivable, who is always a person, and who is luminous like the sun — beyond all darkness. This verse gives a rich description of the attributes of the Supreme being contemplated in meditation.

Vaktum arhasy asheshena divya hy atma-vibhutayah, yabhir vibhutibhir lokan imams tvam vyapya tishthasi

Please tell me in detail of Your divine glories by which You pervade all these worlds and dwell within them. Arjuna requests a detailed account of the Lord's vibhutis — divine manifestations — to help the mind comprehend and meditate on the infinite through its finite expressions in the world.

Katham vidyam aham yogims tvam sada parichintayan, keshu keshu ca bhaveshu cintyo 'si bhagavan maya

How shall I, always meditating upon You, know You, O master of yoga? And in what particular forms are You to be thought of by me, O Blessed Lord? This sincere question of the meditator — how to hold God in mind practically — is the gateway to understanding the divine through His specific manifestations.

Ye tu sarvani karmani mayi sannyasya mat-parah, ananyenaiva yogena mam dhyayanta upasate

But those who worship Me, surrendering all their activities to Me and devoted to Me without deviation, meditating on Me with exclusive yoga...

Shreyo hi jnanam abhyasaj jnanad dhyanam vishishyate, dhyanat karma-phala-tyagas tyagac chantir anantaram

If you cannot practice knowledge, then devote yourself to meditation. Better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for peace immediately follows such renunciation.

Dhyanenātmani pashyanti kechid atmanam atmana, anye sankhyena yogena karma-yogena chapare

Some perceive the Supersoul within through meditation, others through the cultivation of knowledge (Sankhya), and yet others through the yoga of action (Karma Yoga). There are multiple valid paths to the same supreme realization.

Yatanto yoginash cainam pashyanty atmany avasthitam, yatanto 'py akrtātmano nainam pashyanty acetasah

The endeavoring yogis see this soul clearly within themselves. But those who are not self-realized — even though they endeavor — cannot see it, for their minds are not purified. Sincere spiritual practice and inner purification are essential conditions for perceiving the soul; effort alone without self-purification is insufficient.