॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Thursday, 20 October 2022 III.28 - Bhagavan gives some important meditation tips.
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Any good lesson in meditation has three components.
A. Preparation B. Process C. Outcome
Bhagavan Kapila lays them out beautifully in this chapter,
Why is the spiritual path, particularly, meditation, so difficult? As ordinary mortals, buffeted by the forces of worldliness, we can hardly get to ourselves, being distracted all the time by our outgoing minds. Therefore the preparation for meditation becomes crucial to achieve any kind of progress.
Preparation
श्रीभगवानुवाच
योगस्य लक्षणं वक्ष्ये सबीजस्य नृपात्मजे । मनो येनैव विधिना प्रसन्नं याति सत्पथम् ॥
T: Bhagavan said, "My dear mother, Princess, Let me explain the features of this Yoga of meditation on the Lord "with form" that confers a happy outcome for the mind in the true way."
" The preliminary step is that one should efficiently discharge one's duties, without going overboard in work or running after rewards except those graciously given by the Lord. One should worship the feet of the realised masters. Instead of rituals, one should engage in spiritual activities. It is important to eat frugally, live in solitude, practising nonviolence and truthfulness. Never steal. Never covet. be satisfied. Abstain from sex indulgence. Be austere, clean and study the scriptures, worshipping the Lord."
मौनं सदासनजय: स्थैर्यं प्राणजय: शनै: । प्रत्याहारश्चेन्द्रियाणां विषयान्मनसा हृदि ॥
स्वधिष्ण्यानामेकदेशे मनसा प्राणधारणम् । वैकुण्ठलीलाभिध्यानं समाधानं तथात्मन: ॥
T: "Practise silence. Master yogic asanas. Be steady in practice and achieve a stable posture, and mastery over the Pranas. Indrawing the mind into your heart, achieve abstinence from sense objects. Focus the mind on one of the six chakras of Prana and constantly contemplate on the pastimes of the Lord of Vaikuntha. This will result in Samadhi."
"Once you have mastered the posture and breath, choose and sit in a secluded spot with spiritual vibes, spreading a suitable seat. Inhale, hold your breath, and exhale slowly and steadily. Repeat this cycle for stabilising the mind and body and becoming immune to external disturbances."
This preparation of the mind and body enables the actual process of meditation on the Lord.
Meditation on The Form of the Lord
There is now a beautiful description of the Lord, Bhagavan Maha Vishnu. All the idols, pictures and so on we see around us in Hinduism are originating from such descriptions, made by the greatest of sages time and again. Here, this is described by Bhagavan Kapila, an incarnation of the Lord Himself!
I am reminded of the ancient hymn worshipping Narayana in His form as Surya too:
ध्येयः सदा सवितृमण्डलमध्यवर्ती नारायणः सरसिजासन-सिन्निविष्टः।
केयूरवान् मकरकुण्डलवानद किरीटी हारी हिरण्मयवपुः धृतशङ्खचक्रः॥
Kapila describes the Lord thus:
The Lord has a cheerful, lotus-like face with eyes hued like the inner petal of a lotus. His darkish body resembles a blue lotus. He bears a conch, discus and mace in three of His hands. He wears a cloth
yellowish like the filaments of a lotus. On His breast, He bears the mark of Srivatsa, a curl of white hair. The brilliant Kaustubha gem is suspended from His neck. A garland of lovely wildflowers, swarmed by bees, is around His neck, along with a magnificent pearl necklace. He also wears a crown and pairs of armlets, bracelets and anklets.
काञ्चीगुणोल्लसच्छ्रोणिं हृदयाम्भोजविष्टरम् । दर्शनीयतमं शान्तं मनोनयनवर्धनम् ॥
अपीच्यदर्शनं शश्वत्सर्वलोकनमस्कृतम् । सन्तं वयसि कैशोरे भृत्यानुग्रहकातरम् ॥
कीर्तन्यतीर्थयशसं पुण्यश्लोकयशस्करम् । ध्यायेद्देवं समग्राङ्गं यावन्न च्यवते मन: ॥
T: "With a lovely girdle round his waist, He stands on the lotus of His devotee’s heart. He is most charming to look at, and His serene aspect gladdens the eyes and souls of the devotees who behold Him. The Lord is eternally very beautiful, and He is worshippable by all the Lokas. Ever youthful, He is always eager to bestow His blessing upon His devotees. The glory of the Lord is always worth singing, for His glories enhance the glories of His devotees. One should therefore meditate upon the Lord and upon His devotees. One should meditate on the eternal form of the Lord until the mind becomes fixed."
The yogi meditates thus on the Lord, and envisions Him standing, lying down, and moving, for all His pastimes are attractive. The meditator has to meditate on each part of the Lord steadily and progress from His lotus-like feet upwards. Those feet gave rise to the holy Ganga, who sanctified the three Lokas! The Lord's feet have markings too - a thunderbolt, a goad, a banner and a lotus. His toenails are like the moon's orb, dispelling gloom instantly.
As he moves up, the yogi meditates on the goddess Sri Lakshmi, who tenderly massages the Lord's feet. As the yogi comes to the Lord's thighs, he remembers how the Lord rides majestically on Garuda. The Lord's arms remind of when He lifted the Mandara mountain. His navel reminds the yogi of Brahma, born in that primordial lotus from there, the centre of the universe. The Lord bears the blazing Sudarshana chakra and the swanlike Shankha. He holds the Gada (mace) Kaumodaki and the lotus in His lower two hands.
Kapila points to the Lord's eyes, brows, glances ever so sweet and His bewitching smile. Those are enough to dispel all distractions and fixate the devotee on the Lord.
The Outcome
Thus the devotee develops an abiding meditative state, with the Lord enshrined in his heart and mind. He is no longer affected by any outside experience or thing just like a drunkard who doesn't care if his cloth has slipped off. This is the state of Samadhi. The devotee now knows he is different from his body and all the worldly attachments drop off. The Lord Himself then takes care of the devotee's body until his physical time is up.
भूतेन्द्रियान्त:करणात्प्रधानाज्जीवसंज्ञितात् । आत्मा तथा पृथग्द्रष्टा भगवान्ब्रह्मसंज्ञित: ॥
सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि । ईक्षेतानन्यभावेन भूतेष्विव तदात्मताम् ॥
स्वयोनिषु यथा ज्योतिरेकं नाना प्रतीयते । योनीनां गुणवैषम्यात्तथात्मा प्रकृतौ स्थित: ॥
तस्मादिमां स्वां प्रकृतिं दैवीं सदसदात्मिकाम् । दुर्विभाव्यां पराभाव्य स्वरूपेणावतिष्ठते ॥
T: "The Lord, who is known as Parabrahma, is the Seer. He is different from the Jiva, or individual living entity, who is combined with the senses, the five elements and consciousness. A yogi should see the same spirit in all manifestations, for all that exists is a manifestation of different energies of the Supreme. "
"In this way, the devotee should see all living entities without distinction. That is the realisation of the Paramatma. As fire is inherent in all different forms of wood, so, under different conditions of Gunas, the pure spirit Paramatma manifests Himself in different bodies. Thus the yogi can be in the self-realised position after conquering the insurmountable spell of Maya, who presents herself as both the cause and effect of this material manifestation and is therefore very difficult to understand."
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
