May 24 – Bhagavadgita Chapter 6; Verses 6.43-6.44 (Day 145) Adhyatma Yoga, Yoga of Meditation

 May 24– Day 145

Verse 6.43-6.44

तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् ।

यतते च ततो भूयः संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन ॥ ६-४३॥ 

tatra taṁ buddhi-sanyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam
yatate cha tato bhūyaḥ samsiddhau kuru-nandana (43) 

த¹த்¹ர த¹ம் பு³த்³தி⁴ஸந்யோகம் லப⁴தே பௌ¹ர்வதே³ஹிக¹ம் |
யத¹தே¹ ச¹ த¹தோ¹ பூ⁴ய: ஸந்ஸித்தௌ⁴ கு¹ருநன்த³ன ||43|| 

43. There he comes in touch with the knowledge acquired in his former body and strives more than before for perfection, O Arjuna! 

Commentary: When he takes a human body again in this world his previous exertions and practice in the path of Yoga are not wasted.  They bear full fruit now, and hasten his moral and spiritual evolution.

Our thoughts and actions are left in our subconscious minds in the form of subtle Samskaras or impressions.  Our experiences in the shape of Samskaras, habits and tendencies are also stored up in our subconscious mind.  These Samskaras of the past birth are revivified and re-energized in the next birth.  The Samskaras of Yogic practices and meditation and the Yogic tendencies will compel the spiritual aspirant to strive with greater vigour than that with which he attempted in the former birth.  He will endeavor more strenuously to get more spiritual experiences and to attain to higher planes of realisation than those acquired in his previous birth. 

पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः ।

जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते ॥ ६-४४॥ 

pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśho ’pi saḥ
jijñāsur api yogasya śhabda-brahmātivartate (44) 

பூ¹ர்வாப்⁴யாஸேன தே¹னைவ ஹ்ரியதே¹ ஹ்யவஶோ‌பி¹ ஸ: |
ஜிஞ்ஞாஸுரபி¹ யோக³ஸ்ய ஶப்³த³ப்³ரஹ்மாதி¹வர்த¹தே¹ ||44|| 

44. By that very former practice he is borne on in spite of himself. Even he who merely wishes to know Yoga transcends the Brahmic word. 

Commentary: The man who had fallen from Yoga is carried to the goal (which he intended to reach in his previous birth), by the force of the Samskaras (impressions) of his past Yogic practices, though he may be not be conscious of them and even if he may not be willing to adopt the course of Yogic discipline due to the force of some evil Karma. If he had not done any great evil action which could overwhelm his Yogic tendencies he will certainly continue his Yogic practices in this birth very vigorously through the force of the yogic Samskaras created by his Yogic practices in his previous birth.  If the force of the evil action is stronger, the Yogic tendencies will be over-powered or suppressed for some time.  As soon as the fruits of the evil actions are exhausted, the force of the Yogic Samskaras will begin to manifest itself.  He will start his Yogic practices vigorously and attain the final beatitude of life.

Even an enquirer in whom a desire for information about Yoga is kindled goes beyond the Brahmic word, i.e. the Vedas. He rises superior to the performer of the Vedic rituals and ceremonies.  He is beyond the entanglement of forms and ceremonies.  he is not satisfied with mere ritualism.  He thirsts for a satisfaction higher than that given by the sensual objects.  He who simply wishes to know the nature of the principles of Yoga frees himself from the Sabda-Brahma, i.e., from the effects of the Vedic rituals and ceremonies.  If this be the case of a simple enquirer how much more exalted should be the condition of a real practitioner or knower of Yoga or of one who is established in Nirvikalpa Samadhi?  He will be absolutely free from the effects of the Vedic rituals and ceremonies.  He will enjoy the eternal bliss and the everlasting peace of the Eternal.

An aspirant who is desirous of obtaining Moksha alone is not affected by the sin of non-performance of action even if he renounces all the obligatory and optional or occasional duties.  He goes beyond the “word of Brahman” (the scripture or the Vedas).

When such is the case of an aspirant who is without any spiritual inclinations or Samskaras of the pervious birth, how much more exalted will be the state of that student who has done Yogic practices in his previous birth, who has fallen from Yoga in his previous birth, and who has taken up Yoga in this birth, renouncing all the worldly activities?

Impelled by the strong desire for liberation he practises rigorous Sadhana in this birth.  He is constrained, as it were, by the force of the good Samskaras of his previous birth to take to Yogic practices in spite of himself.

In this verse the Lord lays stress on the fact that no effort in the practice of Yoga goes in vain.  Even the smallest effort will have its effect sooner or later in this birth or another.  Therefore, there is no cause for disappointment even for the dullest type of spiritual aspirant. 

Commentary by Swami Venkatesananda (verses 43-44): 

In his next incarnation in the house of a yogi, the seeker’s spiritual aspiration is rekindled. We have a beautiful synthesis of the theories of individual evolution and heredity. Man is now what he had made of himself in the past birth. He carries with him the subtle residue of the sum-total of all his actions, good and evil.

How does this reconcile with our discoveries about heredity? Let us bear in mind that heredity does not always operate; it is an influence even as environment is an influence. It influences...what? The evolving soul, which has its characteristics largely determined by the activities in a past birth. Hence, genius is seldom inherited. With few exceptions it seems to appear spontaneously in families not unusually gifted.

However, Kṛṣṇa gives us a clue to the reconciliation of the two theories. The evolving soul is reborn in a family of kindred souls; this appears to our unenlightened vision to be the operation of the law of heredity.

Hereditary influences and environmental influences may or may not be conducive to spirituality – even one’s own superficial tendencies may be unspiritual! No one is perfect in the world and the incarnating soul is certainly not so. As Jesus Christ would have said: “Why call me good? Only God is good”. Yet, the force of past yoga practice compels the aspirant to pursue the goal from where he left the path in the previous incarnation. A study of the lives of saints is the best way to understand this paradox. Often, they are suddenly whisked away from a worldly life to the path of yoga. 

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