Meditation

Arjuna said: What is the description of one steady in wisdom, established in deep concentration, Keshava? How does such a person speak, how does he sit, how does he move?

अर्जुन उवाच | स्थितप्रज्ञस्य का भाषा समाधिस्थस्य केशव | स्थितधीः किं प्रभाषेत किमासीत व्रजेत किम् ||२-५४||

Om is the bow, the Self is the arrow, and Brahman is called its target. It is to be pierced by one who is undistracted; then one becomes one with it, like the arrow.

प्रणवो धनुः शरो ह्यात्मा ब्रह्म तल्लक्ष्यमुच्यते । अप्रमत्तेन वेद्धव्यं शरवत्तन्मयो भवेत् ॥ ४॥

Knowledge is better than practice; meditation surpasses knowledge; the renunciation of the fruits of action surpasses meditation; and from such renunciation peace follows at once.

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते | ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ||१२-१२||

Fix your mind on me alone; place your understanding in me. Then you will dwell in me alone hereafter — of this there is no doubt.

मय्येव मन आधत्स्व मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय | निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ||१२-८||

Fix your mind on me, be devoted to me, sacrifice to me, bow down to me. Disciplining yourself in this way, wholly devoted to me, you will come to me.

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु | मामेवैष्यसि युक्त्वैवमात्मानं मत्परायणः ||९-३४||

And when, like a tortoise drawing in its limbs, one withdraws the senses entirely from their objects, that person's wisdom is firmly set.

यदा संहरते चायं कूर्मोऽङ्गानीव सर्वशः | इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेभ्यस्तस्य प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठिता ||२-५८||

Making one's own body the lower fire-stick and the syllable Om the upper fire-stick, by the practice of the churning that is meditation, one should behold God, hidden within.

स्वदेहमरणिं कृत्वा प्रणवं चोत्तरारणिम् । ध्याननिर्मथनाभ्यासादेवं पश्येन्निगूढवत् ॥ १४॥

The goal that all the Vedas proclaim, that all austerities declare, desiring which people practice chastity—that goal I tell you in brief: it is Om.

सर्वे वेदा यत्पदमामनन्ति तपाꣳसि सर्वाणि च यद्वदन्ति । यदिच्छन्तो ब्रह्मचर्यं चरन्ति तत्ते पदꣳ सङ्ग्रहेण ब्रवीम्योमित्येतत् ॥ १५॥

When the five senses come to rest along with the mind, and the intellect does not stir—that, they say, is the highest state.

यदा पञ्चावतिष्ठन्ते ज्ञानानि मनसा सह । बुद्धिश्च न विचेष्टते तामाहुः परमां गतिम् ॥ १०॥

He is not grasped by the eye, nor by speech, nor by the other gods, nor by austerity or works. When one's being is purified by the clarity of knowledge, then, meditating, one sees him who is without parts.

न चक्षुषा गृह्यते नापि वाचा नान्यैर्देवैस्तपसा कर्मणा वा । ज्ञानप्रसादेन विशुद्धसत्त्व- स्ततस्तु तं पश्यते निष्कलं ध्यायमानः ॥ ८॥

Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishads, one should fix on it an arrow sharpened by meditation. Drawing it with a mind absorbed in the nature of That, know that very target, the Imperishable, my dear.

धनुर्गृहीत्वौपनिषदं महास्त्रं शरं ह्युपासानिशितं संधयीत । (संदधीत) आयम्य तद्भावगतेन चेतसा लक्ष्यं तदेवाक्षरं सोम्य विद्धि ॥ ३॥

What is luminous, subtler than the subtle, in which the worlds and their inhabitants rest—that is the imperishable Brahman; it is life-breath, it is speech and mind. That is the truth, that is the immortal. It is to be pierced; pierce it, my dear.

यदर्चिमद्यदणुभ्योऽणु च यस्मिँल्लोका निहिता लोकिनश्च । तदेतदक्षरं ब्रह्म स प्राणस्तदु वाङ्मनः तदेतत्सत्यं तदमृतं तद्वेद्धव्यं सोम्य विद्धि ॥ २॥

dwelling in solitude, eating lightly, with speech, body, and mind controlled, ever devoted to the yoga of meditation, taking refuge in dispassion,

विविक्तसेवी लघ्वाशी यतवाक्कायमानसः | ध्यानयोगपरो नित्यं वैराग्यं समुपाश्रितः ||१८-५२||

Some perceive the self within the self by the self through meditation; others by the yoga of knowledge, and still others by the yoga of action.

ध्यानेनात्मनि पश्यन्ति केचिदात्मानमात्मना | अन्ये साङ्ख्येन योगेन कर्मयोगेन चापरे ||१३-२५||

Wherever the restless, unsteady mind wanders off, from there one should restrain it and bring it back under the control of the Self alone.

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम् | ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत् ||६-२६||

"As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker" — this is the simile recalled for the yogi of controlled mind, practicing the yoga of the Self.

यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता | योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः ||६-१९||

All this is truly Brahman; it is born from it, dissolves into it, and breathes in it—so one should meditate, with a calm mind. Now a person is made of resolve; as is one's resolve in this world, so does one become on departing hence. Therefore one should cultivate resolve.

सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत । अथ खलु क्रतुमयः पुरुषो यथाक्रतुरस्मिꣳल्लोके पुरुषो भवति तथेतः प्रेत्य भवति स क्रतुं कुर्वीत

As oil is in sesame seeds, butter in cream, water in stream-beds, and fire in the fire-sticks, so the Self is grasped within one's own self by the one who seeks it through truth and austerity.

तिलेषु तैलं दधिनीव सर्पि- रापः स्रोतःस्वरणीषु चाग्निः । एवमात्माऽत्मनि गृह्यतेऽसौ सत्येनैनं तपसायोऽनुपश्यति ॥ १५॥

This syllable is indeed Brahman; this syllable is indeed the supreme. Knowing this syllable, whatever one desires is his.

एतद्ध्येवाक्षरं ब्रह्म एतद्ध्येवाक्षरं परम् । एतद्ध्येवाक्षरं ज्ञात्वा यो यदिच्छति तस्य तत् ॥ १६॥