April 30 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 5; Verses 5.27-5.28 (Day 121) Karma Yoga

 The Realization of Brahman described

April 30 – Day 121
Verse 5.27-5.28

स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः ।

प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ॥ ५-२७॥ 

sparśhān kṛitvā bahir bāhyānśh chakṣhuśh chaivāntare bhruvoḥ
prāṇāpānau samau kṛitvā nāsābhyantara-chāriṇau (27)

ஸ்ப¹ர்ஶான்க்¹ருத்¹வா ப³ஹிர்பா³ஹ்யான்ஶ்ச¹க்ஷுஶ்சை¹வான்த¹ரே ப்⁴ருவோ: |
ப்¹ராணாபா¹னௌ ஸமௌ க்¹ருத்வா நாஸாப்⁴யன்த¹ரசா¹ரிணௌ ||27||

27. Shutting out (all) external contacts and fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, equalizing the outgoing and incoming breaths moving within the nostrils, 

Commentary: The verses 27 and 28 deal with the Yoga of meditation (Dhyana).  External objects or contacts are the sound and the other sense-objects.  If the mind does not think of the external objects they are shut out from the mind.  The senses are the doors or avenues through which sound and the other sense-objects enter the mind.

If you fix the gaze between the eyebrows the eyeballs remain fixed and steady.  Rhythmical breathing is described here.  You will have to make the breath rhythmical.  The mind becomes steady when the breath becomes rhythmical.  When the breath becomes rhythmical there is perfect harmony in the mind and the whole system.  (Cf. VI. 10, 14; VIII. 10) 

यतेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिर्मुनिर्मोक्षपरायणः ।

विगतेच्छाभयक्रोधो यः सदा0 मुक्त एव सः ॥ ५-२८॥ 

yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir mokṣha-parāyaṇaḥ
vigatechchhā-bhaya-krodho yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ (28) 

யதே¹ன்த்³ரியமனோபு³த்³தி⁴ர்முனிர்மோக்ஷப¹ராயண: |
விக³தே¹ச்¹சா²ப⁴யக்¹ரோதோ⁴ ய: ஸதா³ முக்¹த¹ ஏவ ஸ: ||28|| 

28. With the senses, the mind and the intellect always controlled, having liberation as his supreme goal, free from desire, fear and anger—the sage is verily liberated for ever. 

Commentary: If one is free from desire, fear and anger he enjoys perfect peace of mind.  When the senses, the mind and the intellect are subjugated, the sage does constant contemplation and attains forever to the absolute freedom or Moksha.

The mind becomes restless when the modifications of desire, fear and anger arise in it.  When one becomes desireless, the mind moves towards the Self spontaneously; liberation or Moksha becomes his highest goal.

‘Muni’ is one who does Manana or reflection and contemplation. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda:  

It is all very well to talk of inner experience of the supreme bliss, the spiritual light, and so on, but that is not enough. Intellectual understanding or theory is the starting point, but it is useless unless translated into practice, leading to the realisation which the theory vaguely suggests. Kṛṣṇa is one hundred percent practical in his approach to life in the world and to God-realisation, and introduces here the way in which the inner spiritual experience is to be had by the seeker after the reality.

Experience of the ‘sameness’ is prevented by the desire-filled mind and deluded intellect identifying the self with passing phenomenal experiences had via the limited, finite and deceptive senses, and the consequent creation and adoption of false values. Hence, Kṛṣṇa’s yoga consists in inner enlightenment in which the seeker’s scale of values is radically altered, the spiritual truth taking the place of the older material ones until the evaluating ego dissolves itself in choiceless awareness (witness consciousness).

Here, again, one should know the art of discerning and disconnecting the disturbing elements! Kṛṣṇa describes this technique in detail in the next chapter.

Behaviourism (a school of western psychology) recognises that fear, rage and love are the three innate emotions even of an infant – the natural or animal instincts. Yoga recognises these emotions, too, and demands that the yogi should be free of them, in order to attain perfection. 

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