May 21 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 6; Verses 6.37-6.39 (Day 142) Adhyatma Yoga, Yoga of Meditation

 May 21– Day 142

Verse 6.37-6.39

अर्जुन उवाच ।

अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः ।

अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति ॥ ६-३७॥ 

Arjuna uvācha
ayatiḥ śhraddhayopeto yogāch chalita-mānasaḥ
aprāpya yoga-sansiddhiṁ kāṅ gatiṁ kṛiṣhṇa gachchhati (37) 

அர்ஜுன உவாச¹ |
அயதி¹: ஶ்ரத்⁴த³யோபே¹தோ¹ யோகா³ச்¹ச¹லித¹மானஸ: |
அப்¹ராப்¹ய யோக³ஸந்ஸித்⁴தி³ம் கா¹ம் க³தி¹ம் க்¹ருஷ்ண க³ச்¹ச²தி¹ ||37|| 

Arjuna said:

37. He who is unable to control himself though he has the faith, and whose mind wanders away from Yoga, what end does he meet, having failed to attain perfection in Yoga, O Krishna? 

Commentary: He has faith in the efficacy of Yoga but he is not able to control the senses and the mind.  He has no concentration of mind.  His mind wanders away when the last breath departs from his body and he loses the memory also.  Having failed to achieve perfection in Yoga, i.e., Self-realization or the knowledge of the Self, what path will he tread, and what end will such a man meet? 

 

कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति ।

अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि ॥ ६-३८॥ 

kachchin nobhaya-vibhraṣhṭaśh chhinnābhram iva naśhyati
apratiṣhṭho mahā-bāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi (38) 

க¹ச்¹சி¹ன்னோப⁴யவிப்⁴ரஷ்ட¹ஶ்சி¹ன்னாப்⁴ரமிவ நஶ்யதி¹ |
அப்¹ரதிஷ்டோ² மஹாபா³ஹோ விமூடோ⁴ ப்³ரஹ்மண: ப¹தி² ||38|| 

38. Fallen from both, does he not perish like a rent cloud, supportless, O mighty-armed (Krishna), deluded on the path of Brahman? 

Commentary: Both: the path of Karma or the path of ritualistic activity in accordance with the Karma Kanda of the Vedas on the one hand and the path of Yoga on the other.

Path of Brahman: the path by which Brahman can be reached or the way that leads to Brahman.

The Yoga taught by the Lord here demands one-pointed devotion to its practice.  The aspirant turns away from the world and spurns heaven, too.  Some people held that if he failed to attain the goal, he would have lost everything for nothing.  Hence the question. 

एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः ।

त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते ॥ ६-३९॥ 

etan me sanśhayaṁ kṛiṣhṇa chhettum arhasyaśheṣhataḥ
twad-anyaḥ sanśhayasyāsya chetak na hyupapadyate (39) 

ஏத¹ன்மே ஸந்ஶயம் க்¹ருஷ்ண சே²த்¹து¹மர்ஹஸ்யஶேஷத¹: |
த்¹வத³ன்ய: ஸந்ஶயஸ்யாஸ்ய சே²த்¹தா¹ ந ஹ்யுப¹ப¹த்³யதே¹ ||39|| 

39. This doubt of mine, O Krishna, do Thou completely dispel, because it is not possible for any but Thee, to dispel this doubt. 

COMMENTARY: There can be no better teacher than Thee (the Lord Himself) for Thou art the omniscient Lord.  Thou alone canst dispel this doubt.  A Rishi (seer), a Deva (god), or a Muni (sage) will not be able to destroy this doubt. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda (verses 37-39): 

Granted, it is possible to control the mind if we have the necessary faith. But, faith in the electric kettle alone will not boil the water! We have to fill it with water, plug it in and switch on the current. Yet, something might still go wrong somewhere and our purpose may be defeated.

This is especially true in the path of yoga. Worldly duties and scriptural rituals often drop away from the student of yoga, yet, in the words of lord Kṛṣṇa, if these are abandoned prematurely, out of delusion or because they are painful and troublesome, it would be wrong. How does one know?

Sometimes the scriptures themselves warn us that the abandonment of these duties is sin. We are on the horns of a dilemma now. We, as students of yoga, do not have sufficient faith in the scriptures to fulfil our duties. We have faith in yoga; but we may not have the will-power, the understanding, single-minded dedication to the quest and the ability to look within and see that pleasure is a mental creation and pleasure-seeking a folly. We have leapt off one cliff of the ravine but have not been able to reach the opposite side, or so it seems.

Are we doomed to destruction or frustration, then?

It is a very real and valid fear. We abandon worldly pleasures, but have no inner strength to reach supreme bliss. Do we then wander about as demented men or stray dogs? 

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