GITA AT A GLANCE – CHAPTER 6
Bhagavan Krishna says that one should perform action without expectation of the fruits of action. One who renounces the fruits of action is the real Sannyasi and not the one who renounces the action itself. In the name of sannyasa one should not stop performing the ordained duties. Instead, one should do all the ordained duties without the expectation of the result. Doing karma without the expectation of the result is the best way to purify the thoughts. When a person has attained the higher level of spirituality (yoga) then he can refrain from doing actions because he will be spending the time for meditation.
Bhagavan says that one has to raise oneself by one’s Self alone; let not one lower oneself; for the Self alone is the friend of oneself, and the Self alone is the enemy of oneself. One must have pure elevating thoughts. Only such thoughts raise a person. Dull and negative thoughts drag a person down. One must train the mind to be in control and in balance to view the dualities of nature equally. A yogi who has conquered the senses see a stone and the gold equally; he sees a sinner and a saint equally. He has evenness of mind. This is the yogi’s power of discrimination.
One must strive hard to attain the evenness of mind and understand the Truth. He must practice meditation. He must sit in an appropriate place and make the mind one-pointed. Sitting in an erect position, with his head, neck and body in a straight posture the yogi should concentrate on the Supreme Self as his goal. Bhagavan says that a yogi with a peaceful mind and abiding in Me attains liberation.
Bhagavan talks about the basic needs for practicing meditation. One must eat, sleep, and speak moderately. Only such a person finds it easy to control the mind. The mind of the yogi must not be disturbed by any external disturbances. Only a clam and controlled mind can abide in the Self. Once when the yogi gets a glimpse of the Self, he never moves from it. He feels that there is no other gain or happiness other than the Self.
This yoga should be practiced with determination else it is not so easy to attain it. Control of the mind and one pointedness of the mind will come gradually, but one must have determination, forbearance and patience for the yoga to materialize. Whenever the mind wanders away from the yogi, immediately he must bring it back under control and concentrate on the Self. By this practice, the yogi sees the Self abiding in all beings and all beings in the Self.
Bhagavan says that ’He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he never becomes separated from Me, nor do I become separated from him’ Further more Bhagavan says that a yogi who recognizes Me in all beings and thus worships Me, always abide in Me. One who sees dualities of nature equally and worship Me in all beings is regarded as the highest yogi.
At this juncture, Arjuna asks Krishna that the mind is always restless and it is difficult to control the mind as it is to control the wind. So how can it be controlled? Bhagavan replies that definitely it is difficult to control the mind but by practice and determination one can control the mind.
Arjuna asks Bhagavan Krishna that if one is not able to control the mind and due to it has not attained perfection but has faith in the yoga, what will be his fate?
Bhagavan says that such a person will not face destruction in this world or the next. He will go to higher Lokas and after that will be born in the house of a yogi and continue the practice from where he has left. Bhagavan says that whatever little sadhana (practice) one has done in this birth will never go waste for that Jiva. The Jiva purifies himself through repeated births and finally reaches the Supreme Self. A yogi who practices yoga and attains the Supreme is superior to a sanyasi, or a jnani (obtained through the knowledge of the scriptures) and even superior to a karma yogi; and so, Bhagavan asks Arjuna to become a yogi because a yogi has both jnana and vijnana. With these words Bhagavan Krishna concludes the sixth discourse.
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