May 18 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 6; Verses 6.31-6.32 (Day 139) Adhyatma Yoga, Yoga of Meditation

 May 18– Day 139

Verse 6.31-6.32

सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः ।

सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते ॥ ६-३१॥ 

sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajatyekatwam āsthitaḥ
sarvathā vartamāno ’pi sa yogī mayi vartate (31) 

ஸர்வபூ⁴த¹ஸ்தி²த¹ம் யோ மாம் ப⁴ஜத்¹யேக¹த்¹வமாஸ்தி²த¹: |
ஸர்வதா² வர்த¹மானோ‌பி¹ ஸ யோகீ³ மயி வர்த¹தே¹ ||31|| 

31. He who, being established in unity, worships Me who dwells in all beings, —that Yogi abides in Me, whatever may be his mode of living. 

Commentary: He who has dissolved all duality in the underlying unity, who is thus established in unity, who worships Me, i.e., who has realized Me as the Self of all, dwells always in Me, whatever his mode of living may be.  He is ever liberated.

Sadana lived in God though he was a butcher because his mind was ever fixed at the lotus feet of the Lord. 

Lesson 6.5 (Verses 33-45)

Control of Mind is Difficult but Possible

आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन ।

सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः ॥ ६-३२॥ 

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśhyati yo ’rjuna
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ (32) 

ஆத்¹மௌப¹ம்யேன ஸர்வத்¹ர ஸமம் ப¹ஶ்யதி யோ‌ர்ஜுன |
ஸுக²ம் வா யதி³ வா து³:க²ம் ஸ யோகீ³ ப¹ரமோ மத¹: ||32||

32. He who, through the likeness of the Self, O Arjuna, sees equality everywhere, be it pleasure or pain, he is regarded as the highest Yogi! 

Commentary: He sees that whatever is pleasure or pain to himself is also pleasure or pain to all other beings.  He does not harm anyone.  He is quite harmless.  He wishes good to all.  He is compassionate to all creatures.  He has a very soft and large heart.  He sees thus equality everywhere as he is endowed with the right knowledge of the Self, as he beholds the Self only everywhere, and as he is established in the unity of the Self.  Therefore he is considered as the highest among all Yogis. (Cf. VI. 47) 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda (verses 31-32): 

This is the goal of yoga, clearly stated here and still more graphically reiterated in verse 46 of the eighteenth chapter. We worship God in shrines, churches and mosques; we approach him through his various manifestations (which we shall study in the tenth chapter); we sit in a secluded spot and meditate upon his presence in our heart, but all these are the ‘exercises’ necessary to acquire proficiency in the art of yoga. Without them we shall get nowhere; but if we get stuck in them we shall get nowhere either.

Kṛṣṇa clearly declares two vital truths here: the yogi should worship all beings in whom God dwells, and his mode of living is immaterial if this attitude of worshipfulness is ensured. Whatever be one’s trade or occupation, one can be a yogi. Whatever be one’s caste, religion, colour or nationality, one can be a yogi. From God’s standpoint, there is nothing secular or mean, profane or impure, because he is the source of everything. It is the inner attitude of worshipfulness that is important. That is the philosopher’s stone which transforms all activity into yoga. The yogi does not entertain the least idea of profit; he does not feel he helps anyone or even that he serves anyone; he worships all beings. This worship naturally takes the form of loving (God-loving) service.

Just as the Lord dwells in one’s own body and mind. with all their weakness and imperfections, he also dwells in others’ bodies and minds. The yogi transcends good and evil. Pleasure and pain are events, not experiences: praise and censure are opinions which do not affect him. His mind (or, rather, the mind) is rooted in God-consciousness and therefore he goes beyond all these and rests in ‘same-ness’ which is the omnipresence of God. 

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