Lord Krishna said: Whoever does whatever is needed from time to time, without depending on the mind's sukha-duḥkha creations (karma-phala), verily is a sannyāsin and yogi – not one abandoning rituals or activities.

Without Arjuna's enquiry or doubt, Krishna continues the thread of his last statement by first evaluating the seemingly opposite concepts of sannyāsa and yoga. He emphasizes that physical renunciation is not relevant to human life at all. Instead, whoever does whatever is needed, without expecting sukha or fearing duḥkha, verily is a sannyāsin and yogi. Being so, in the name of renunciation if anyone relinquishes rituals or necessary activities of life, he is not a renunciate or a yogi in reality. To shun activities is not a part of spiritual pursuit at all. This point must be borne in mind by both sannyāsins and yogis alike. Gita mainly discusses yoga, meaning Karma-yoga. But as the subject is exposed, Krishna brings in allied concepts and practices. Thus karma-niṣṭhā and jñāna-niṣṭhā were brought in (3.3). Jñāna-niṣṭhā is the exclusive wisdom practice, leaving all karmas completely, which Arjuna is not competent to take up. He lacked the maturity and degree of withdrawal from worldliness for such a pursuit. So pursuing karma, but with yoga-buddhi, is the right step for him, said Krishna. Yoga-buddhi consists in being active but treating all karma-phalas with the same attitude of evenness and sublimation. This when rightly done, will make the mind free and fulfilled. As jñāna-niṣṭhā and karma-niṣṭhā have the same effect, they are not different. Sannyāsa is an addition to these. Gita does not envisage physical sannyāsa for anybody, as none can live without activity. Nature's guṇas govern this and they will not allow inactivity for anyone. If physical renunciation is thus unreal and unfeasible, what sannyāsa denotes is a very pertinent question. Krishna answers this in this chapter. In fact, he commences the chapter with the statement that sannyāsa does not consist in renouncing either religious or secular activities at all. In that case, it has the content and message of karma-yoga alone. This makes sannyāsa and yoga alike, not the least different. To distinguish them in any way is puerile, says Krishna.

Whatever people speak of as renunciation, know it to be verily yoga, O son of Pandu. For, without forsaking saṅkalpas (desires and desire-born deliberations), none ever becomes a yogi.

Whatever is said to be sannyāsa, renunciation, is nothing but yoga, points out Krishna. People differentiate sannyāsa from yoga, not discerning the essence and depth of both. That activity is inseparable from life was clearly shown earlier (3.5). Where is then any question of leaving actions at all? Naturally renunciation denotes something deeper, inward, to be effected by and in the mind. Mind can renounce only its inner products. And saṅga is the only factor it can forsake. Saṅga is always to whatever one does. So to renounce saṅga, activity must first be prevailing. This makes activity indispensable. In yoga, inner, mental renunciation is essential. But it is of saṅkalpa – imagination, expectation. As explained earlier, karma-yoga is the pursuit of karma, but with yoga-buddhi. Intelligence has to breathe in evenness to the mind in every action. And it is possible.

For one aspiring to ascend the pedestal of yoga, actional involvement is the means, cause. As he reaches that pedestal, withdrawal becomes the right step.

After explaining sāṅkhya and yoga in the 2nd chapter, Krishna, in answer to Arjuna’s question (5.1), clarified that sannyāsa and yoga are not to be compared and contrasted. Instead they should be viewed as steps in a ladder, one leading to the other (5.4, 5), and finally to the destination. The pursuit is one, but has two phases, one follows the other. The seeker has to be immersed in activities, like any other, but with yoga attitude. After gaining maturity and refinement, he can think of leaving activity and being engrossed in spiritual contemplation alone. Here Krishna holds that the seeker initially should pursue activity with yogic refinement. Gaining maturity in the process, the mind grows indifference to activities. Performing or not performing activities is not what matters; the focus should be on the mind’s attitude and affinity. These are bound to change as sādhanā advances.

When one has no clinging to sensory objects as well as activities, and has renounced all kinds of expectations and imaginations, he is said to have climbed the pedestal of yoga (Yogārūḍha).

Krishna juxtaposes sannyāsa and yoga, displaying the truth that the essence of both is the same, making the mind pure and refined, so much that it starts radiating delight all by itself. Whether it is sannyāsa, renunciation, or yoga, pursuit of activity, both relate to the inner mind, its attitude, enrichment and identity. Spirituality is to imbibe the spirit and purpose of eschewing delusional clinging to sensory objects and the activities motivated by such clinging. Mind must renounce its tendency to possess, namely clinging, saṅga. Once it is able to effect this, sannyāsa is accomplished. Krishna clarifies that to climb the yoga pedestal also means to gain such inner renunciation. How can sannyāsa verily differ from yoga then? Are not both inwardly the same?

Elevate yourself by your own intrinsic power. Do not enervate or degrade yourself. One’s own self alone is one’s friend, and equally one’s enemy.

Gita-dialogue is full of exhortations to strive to elevate oneself by one’s own efforts. And its sole emphasis is on understanding the inner personality, and discovering the ample potential the mind and intelligence hold to accomplish the inner spiritual goal. Krishna does not mince words to drive home this message. He is lucid, firm and decisive. Have no doubt, entertain no fear. Elevate yourself, says he. Delay not the process. You have sufficient mental strength and intelligential acumen to start this spiritual endeavour and succeed in the mission. The mind that captures and imprints the extensive world of infinite variety and distances, has correspondingly untold potential also to take you wherever you wish to reach. Intelligence also will help you with its timely inputs. Employ both and reach any height you aim at. Be sure, confident. Do not lack in attention and perseverance.

For one who has become master of himself by inner orientation, his self is a friend. But for one lacking in inner enrichment, his own self will stand as his enemy.

What a powerful statement of truth and inspiration! It is for everyone to make himself his friend, and not enemy. Sooner, not later, everyone must understand this fact and ensure to make his own being his sure friend. On no occasion should anyone feel that his mind and intelligence have failed or deserted him at the time of need. The mind may have its readiness to begin with; but it may not remain steady. A stark liar can choose to become a staunch truthful person! Body cannot change its features; but inner personality can be shaped in any manner one wishes and wills. This is the special fortune of human life. Do not neglect it out of ignorance or delusion. Herein lies the distinction of human life. Every time feel you can mend your ways and gain what you rightfully want. None hinders you. It is all one’s own inner creation.

One who has attained the peace of self-mastery, remains steady in the supreme Self, in the midst of sukha-duhkhas which are like cold and heat, as well as in honour and dishonour.

Spiritual pursuit will not be meaningful and worthy, if not linked with outward and inward restraint and sublimation. For one with ample measure of this twofold restraint, says Krishna, the supreme Self is well attained, not alone in meditational absorption, but also during his multifarious interactions. Everything and all become the Self. He experiences the Self in every object around as in his own body. Krishna adds that the Self is equally felt in the alternating sukha-duḥkhas, which are like cold and heat. While interacting with others, it is possible that one faces respect and ridicule, praise and blame, and such other pairs of opposites from time to time. The grace and depth of Self-realization will integrate all these, making the Knower float in his spiritual wisdom and ecstasy. This kind of expanse is imperative to make Self-realization ceaselessly operative in all conditions.

The yogi, who is content with knowledge and realization, unshakeable like the blacksmith’s anvil, whose senses are under control, and who looks at a lump of earth, a stone and gold with equal vision, is called spiritually integrated.

Krishna again stresses sense-control, as through senses alone one courts attraction and repulsion to objects. Spiritual pursuit triumphs only with sense control. Mind makes the senses act, intelligence guides the mind. Spiritual enrichment must hence include our inner layers also. Contented mind alone can be free of the pressures of the sense-object contacts. By knowledge and realization the seeker must gain ample contentment. The contentment external objects seemingly bring, will be trifling and fleeting. But the one bestowed by knowledge and realization will be lasting. Enlightened intelligence will provide stability like that of an anvil, which bears the blacksmith’s countless hits. For the yogi, a lump of earth, stone and gold are alike. Each has its own distinct utility. Nothing deserves a greater regard or attraction. All the three are equally necessary for us.

He who looks equally at benefactors, friends, enemies, neutrals, mediators, haters, relatives, the holy and the unholy (the saint and the sinner), verily excels.

Inter-personal relationships are the most complex and challenging in one’s life, as everyone will have his sentiments, likes, dislikes and other shades of character and behaviour. Consequently there will be difficulty and even conflicts during interpersonal interactions, which may become irritating. The only way is to understand them well and be equipped to deal with the variety. Appreciate variety, an expression of Nature. The yogi makes provision in his heart for every individual, as he is part of the world and a creation of Nature. Finding fault with none, preserving his own goodness, purity and benevolence, he accepts their differences, and interacts with them, when needed, heartily. This harmony in disharmony is the key to behavioural excellence. It arises from the depth of spiritual insight and the resolve to apply it in interactional life. Acceptance and unaffectedness is the key to excellence.

The yoga practitioner should sit in seclusion, collect his mind and senses, and engage always in inner practice. He must do it alone, restraining his mind and intelligence, relinquishing all his desires, not receiving any gift from anyone for his livelihood.

Krishna continues the thread from the last chapter (5.24, 27, 28), by prescribing the procedure for meditation. Meditation is to be done exclusively by oneself. None else has a role to play in it. Seclusion and privacy are necessary, so that none will come to disturb the practice, and it will be sublime and effective. Meditate alone, to avoid inner conflicts with others. If in a room, close all doors and windows. The effort must be to regulate the mind and intelligence. Drop all desires and avoid distraction. Do not accept material gifts from others, as they are likely to cause expectation, likes and dislikes. It is not enough if meditation is intermittent or even frequent. The effort should be regular and with full resignation. Only then it will bring the required transformation.

In a clean spot, prepare a stable seat for yourself, neither too high nor low, spreading kuśa grass, a deer skin and a cloth, one over the other.

How well in detail does Krishna instruct the procedure for meditational sitting! The practitioner should first select a suitable, clean spot, wherever available. Then he should prepare a seat exclusively for meditation. It should be stable and strong. It should not be disproportionately high or low. He must feel comfortable and encouraged. In case it is a spot on bare ground, the āsana has to be protected from white ants. Hence Krishna prescribes it must have three layers. The first of kuśa grass, used by priests in Vedic rituals. Over it is a deer skin, a mark of gentleness and tolerance. Lastly a cloth to sit on. This can be washed periodically. All the three together form an ideal seat for meditation. Do not make the āsana (seat) too soft and luxurious. The whole body must have proper and nourishing blood and air circulation, without numbness. Be clear that meditation is aimed at sharpening your attention.

There, making the mind sufficiently attuned, restraining the activities of the inner faculties and senses, let him sit on the āsana and apply himself to yoga for purifying his being.

On the well prepared āsana, the practitioner should take his seat and begin the practice of meditation. For this, he should first fix his mind solely on the task and strive to collect and restrain all his inner and outer functions. Meditation being an exclusive inner process, wherein mind and intelligence alone are involved, bodily or worldly involvement should not be fostered or encouraged at all. Initially it will be a process of discovering and familiarizing with what takes place in the mind and intelligence. The more you are given to it, the easier it becomes to moderate and calm down the thinking and intellecting processes. Focussing on an optional thought is very effective in reducing and attenuating the thinking process. But all this is possible when the mind becomes pure and purer. That is why Krishna says self-purification must be the sole aim of meditation. No distraction is to be permitted.

Keeping the trunk, neck and head erect and still, looking at the tip of the nose between the eye-brows, and not looking here and there at any direction at all –

Krishna outlines how the body should be held to ensure a successful, absorptional meditation. Unless these details are clearly understood and heeded, the attempt at meditation may not be effective. The subtler the ways, the better will be the delving within. Sit cross-legged. Keep the fingers interlocked and put them on the lap. To prevent the eyes from looking at the surroundings, keep the body, neck and head erect, so that you will not droop. Be looking at the tip of the nose, between the eye-brows, Let them not deflect from there. Krishna as a further safeguard adds that the practitioner should not look outside in any direction. This method dexterously ensures that though the eyes are open, they cannot see anything at all. Anywhere any time the eyes will have something to see, unlike the ear and nose. Visual distraction is hard to overcome, and one has to be earnest in this.

With a placid disposition, rising above fear, established in celibacy, with mind restrained, devoted to Me (the Guru), let him strive for yoga regarding Me as the Supreme.

The whole exercise is mental. Mind and intelligence should not run helter-skelter. They must be restful. Unrestricted indulgence in the world is what causes fear. This kind of inner striving frees one from all such fear. Krishna specifically speaks of celibacy here. Sitting alone in seclusion should not bring in any un-celibate thought or indulgence, for which there is all possibility. Here too viveka, discrimination, is the only safeguard. All thoughts and emotional urges arise from the mind. By watchfulness and resolve, all deflections should be dispensed with. The only thought, reliance, refuge and anchor must be the Guru, who alone fosters the best thoughts of welfare for the disciple, which even idols and other depictions will not be able to. Regarding the Teacher as the supreme goal, strive. This is the exclusive pursuit of yoga.

Thus, the yoga practitioner, with sufficient mind restraint, constantly striving to spiritually unite himself, attains to the quietude of nirvāṇa, redemption, and attains my state.

Unlike the Vedic and allied rituals which promise post-death rewards, which are not verifiable, the yoga practice brings its rewards here and now, before long, says Krishna. Like objective endeavours and their goals, yoga-sādhanā also graces the practitioner with its benefits here itself. Krishna again and again brings the factor of mind restraint, which is very crucial in yoga-sādhanā. The entire sādhanā rests on how pure, sublime and sensitive the practitioner keeps his mind, during and after the practice. The peace and happiness one gets during his life of interaction are transitory. Hence we look at yoga-sādhanā, which eliminates all kinds of delays and indefiniteness in the matter, making it effective and fruitful here itself. The happiness which yoga-effort generates springs from the Self, which is no different from the supreme Reality, God.

The yoga will be of no avail to one, O Arjuna, who eats excessively or takes to starving and fasting; or to one who unduly sleeps or keeps awake.

Krishna’s revelation makes true yoga-sādhanā applicable to all. Yoga, he says, is best practised by those given to moderation in life. Excess of anything is not desirable. It may even cause havoc. Excess eating can be dangerous. Moderation is a paramount virtue in all fronts of human life. Here he speaks of eating, sleeping and waking. Food and nourishment sustain our health and activity. So under-eating brings havoc. To regulate food, taking age and activities into account, is desirable, no doubt. Equally important is sleep, when the body replenishes cells to sustain wakefulness. Insufficient sleep will adversely affect the body and the mind alike. Also, excessive sleep hinders mental health and hygiene, and should be avoided. Moderation and evenness (samatva) are closely inter-related, a point all should understand and remember discreetly. Both should be pursued with equal importance.

Yoga redresses grief for one who is moderate in his food habit and recreation, moderate in his activity and rest, moderate in sleeping and waking.

This verse is an aphorism (sūktam) of Gita. Krishna emphasizes the principle of moderation as a watchword for all aspects and facets of life. Yuktata, integration and evenness, he says, is applicable to appeasing hunger as well as recreation, meaning walking and other activities. The object of eating is to provide nourishment to the body, so as to energize it to meet the wakeful needs. One is to be awake for about seventeen hours. For the remaining seven hours he is expected to sleep and recuperate his body. Wakefulness and sleep are complementary. One has to be moderate in both, not allowing either to take over the other’s share. The same applies to activity and rest. Only for one of moderation, yoga is effective and fruitful. Krishna does not enjoin any other condition to practise yoga. By this, he is making the Gita a way of life accessible to everyone in the world. What a great relief and blessing! How reassuring a promise!

When the well-restrained mind dwells comfortably in the Self, becoming indifferent to all desires, then the yogic practitioner is said to be integrated in yoga.

Having prescribed moderation to be the watchword for yoga practice, Krishna indicates when the pursuit will attain fruition and fulfilment. Mind learns to be integrated with restraint and regulation. Meditative spell becomes easy, smooth and light, with no conflicts or opposition. The mind loves to rest in the Self, free of all distraction. The restfulness becomes more and more effortless. The difficult and disturbing phase having dwindled, the practice, now free of obstructions, proves more and more facile. The differences between mind and intelligence begin to fade. Everything becomes the homogeneous Consciousness. Abidance in the Self becomes habitual for the yogi. He also cherishes it well. It does not hinder his interactions even the least; instead, makes them far easier, natural, nourishing, integrating to himself as well as the world.

Just as the flame of a lamp placed in a windless place does not flicker, so too the disciplined mind of one practising yoga, remains firm, still and poised.

The mind and allied processes within the body are not visible. Hence it is difficult to discern them properly. It is also not possible to illustrate the inner spiritual sublimity and fruition with visible instances. While the visible outer world is made of objects, the inner mind is subjective. Our entire vocabulary is evolved from the external objects and instances. Their inadequacy to explain the inner phenomena is quite evident. But we have only the external facts and features to explain the internal truths. Hence Krishna cites the instance of a lamp placed in a windless place. As there is no wind, the flame will not flicker. By describing the yogi's Self-abiding mind thus, Krishna points that in meditation one should not look for anything special as the Self. The Self is Consciousness. Mind, intelligence and their products are its expressions. Once the mind becomes still and absorbed, that itself is the Self the yogi looks for. Be sure about this.

Where the mind becomes sublimated and still by yoga-pursuit, where seeing the Self in and by the Self the yogi becomes fully content, and realizes the ultimate bliss unreachable to the senses but graspable by the intelligence, and wherein established, the yogi does not verily drift or swerve from the truth.

Meditation, as stated earlier, is solely a mento-intellectual process. Krishna explains in detail how one courses through it. What makes meditation effective is the tenacity, consistency and dedication with which it is taken up and pursued. One should not feel dejected or dissuaded while pursuing meditational life. Quick success should not become the object or persuasion. By being steadfast in the pursuit, the thought process becomes refined and sublime. So much so that one begins to perceive the Self, Consciousness, which otherwise has been elusive. Actually Self is Consciousness. Mind, intelligence and their creations are solely the display of Consciousness itself, as dream conclusively proves. It is true that the Self, which is Consciousness, is inaccessible to the senses, as it is beyond the ken of matter and energy. But it does not really matter, as the intelligence is there to probe into and reveal subtle things the senses cannot access. Knowledge is of three kinds: Pratyaksha, gained by senses. Paroksha, inferential, where intelligence, not senses, work. Then comes Aparoksha, direct knowledge, wherein the senses, mind and intelligence do not function; instead, the source of everything comes to light. Nature's handiwork is so full that nothing is left un-comprehended by the human personality. The direct inner immersion in the supreme Consciousness enables the yogi to outlive all attractions for sensory thrills. Spiritual beatitude is unlike the transitory pleasures the senses fetch. It is uncreated - not caused by objects. It is lasting. Experiencing it bestows real stability. Nothing can excel this inner inundation and the consequent poise and majesty. It is fulfilling in every way.

Having gained which, one considers nothing else as superior to it; established in which, one is not perturbed by even the most severe affliction.

This is a very decisive statement in the Kurukshetra war-dialogue. Krishna highlights the spiritual attainment, to show how paramount and unparalleled it is. On getting inner spiritual beatitude, one naturally feels there is nothing superior to it. The common sensory plane is readily available to all. It is senses that perceive and interact with the extensive, variegated world. The question is whether the spiritual domain within is more enriching and fulfilling or the fleeting outer domain. The answer is quite clear and doubtless. Krishna says, once one lands on the inner Self and the consequent bliss, he will find nothing greater any time. But is this all, one wonders. Krishna adds: Inner fulfilment is such that even the worst of torments will not affect him. This echoes his description of sthita-dhee, who lives with no special flair for sukha and no undue dislike for duḥkha (Ch 2).

Know that to be yoga, inner spiritual communion, which is free from the touch of grief. With unswerving resolve, with a mind unsmitten by dejection, such yoga has to be pursued.

Krishna, in a way, gives a new description of yoga. He had indicated that when the intelligence, tossed by the numerous statements of Vedas, is able to remain still and poised, not ruffled by secular or spiritual distinctions, then it will attain yoga (2.53). It was on hearing this that Arjuna enquired about Sthita-prajñā and Sthita-dhee. Here he defines yoga as a state, which grief touches not. Just as one swimming in water is not affected by its drowning power, so too the yogi will interact with the world, assimilating all interactional impacts, getting enriched and empowered every time. He will have no dejection or other adverse notes. His mind will reach a brilliant state of purity and stability. Instead of worldly impacts overpowering him, his mind will overwhelm them all. The seeker should strive for this kind of inner yoga pursuit.

Renouncing completely all desires arising from worldly thoughts and imaginations, restraining by mind itself the senses from all the surrounding impacts –Gradually and steadily with close attention, withdraw yourself by employing diligently the intelligence controlled by the will. Once the mind becomes self-ward and finally self-settled, do not think at all. (All thinking and willing must come to a stop.)

Krishna spoke about the first phase of meditation, in which āsana (seat), pose and the limbs play a part. But all these are intended to enable one to reach the mind-arena and learn to steer it safely to the goal. In other words, accessing the mind and leading it well is the first aim. Once the entry into the mind is safely had, and the seeker understands the mind-intellect complexity, the entire effort becomes inner alone, involving nothing else. One may sit anywhere, in any manner. He can still access the mind and proceed therefrom confidently. Krishna thus explains the second level of meditation, which takes the yogi straight to his desired goal. Get into the mind, leave all kinds of desire resulting from imaginations and assessments. Disconnect the mind from sensory entanglement, by employing the discreet intelligence. Understand well that the intelligence alone has the power to act on the mind. Have the mind, given generally to issue forth, recede and recede applying the power of discrimination. The mind will yield. The goal being the inmost Self, the mind need not go outward. It should instead be able to turn inward, delve within and dissolve without any hindrance at all. In other words, it should not think at all, or think, yes, but nothing. Even the thought of Self becomes redundant. If one is the Self, then why say at all he is. Whether one claims and says and not, that one is the Self is a fact that endures ever by itself. As it is, the Self was and will also be ever, unchanged, unaffected, self-glorious and blissful to the core. This confirmation, assurance, rules out all need for thinking and reflection. What a great release, poise!

Restrain the desultory mind as and when it issues forth; bring it back again and again to make it fixed on the Self.

As mentioned earlier, meditation is solely a mental striving. If and when the sādhaka by receding gets at the Self and thinking ceases, the spell will not last long. Thoughts will surge forth soon. Whenever this happens, the yogi should discerningly get the mind to the Self again. Mind has two positions – with thoughts, and without thoughts. Dissuade thinking and gain the stillness of Self. This movement inward and outward may continue, but will become thinner, lighter and slower. Correspondingly the mental functions will become purer, more and more sublime. The distractional power of thoughts will become less and less. The need to heed the thought process will also decline. Gradually, dissuading thoughts and making the mind abide in the Self become easier. Even if thoughts do occur, mind learns to be peaceful and harmonious.

To this yogi, whose mind has become quietened and in whom the rājasa propensities (desires) have attenuated, dawn the comfort and contentment arising from the taintless Brahman.

With the mind trained to become quiet, the yogi does not have to make any special effort to focus it on the Self. The difference between the Self, mind, thought, etc. begins to fade and dissolve. Krishna says, the yogi begins to experience unlimited bliss emerging from Brahmic expanse. As Brahman is taintless, his experience also is taint-free. The unique feature is that the yogi does not have to look or strive for anything. Earlier he only had some vague ideas about what he has to achieve. Now it is verily an effortless experience for him, fulfilling in every way. It is like sleep, a conscious-slumber! Such Self-experience dawns when rajo-guṇa subsides, and sattva increases. This is a culture anyone can take up and pursue. It is wrong to think it is reserved only for a select few. The question is but one of developing and applying true discrimination with sufficient resolve.

Remaining thus steadily and steadfastly connected to the Soul, the yogi becomes totally blemish-free. He comfortably enjoys the ceaseless comprehensive delight arising from Brāhmic communion.

Krishna excels in extending the inner spiritual felicity to the waking state in full, even in and through varied activities and interactions. Such extension, he says, rests fully upon making the mind taint-free and constriction-free. The mind itself holds the key to it. While discussing Sthita-prajña and Sthita-dhee, Krishna ended his description by taking the Sthita-prajña immersed in still samadhi (2.55) to the ceaseless, expansive Brahma-sthitih (2.72). He dispensed with the doubt and delusion that spiritual delight is only reserved for those seated in samadhi, stillness. It can at best be the beginning. From there, one should strive for ceaseless delight, Brahma-sthitih. And it is possible indeed for the devout seeker. Here too he emphasizes the same growth, from the still Self-absorption to the vibrant Braahmic expansion.

He who has gained yogic integration with equal vision everywhere, perceives the Self as abiding in all beings, and all beings as dwelling in the Self.

Apart from being a personal, inner, subjective experience, Krishna says that Self-knowledge becomes a full vision, adorning the mind and intelligence. Though senses help in begetting object experiences, actual experience is of, from and in the mind. These, in turn, are evaluated by intelligence, resulting in knowledge, memory and the like. What is the change or enrichment this great spiritual experience brings in the intelligence level? Krishna says the yogi understands that all experiences are mind-born, mind-subsisting. It is the mind that always takes imprints of objects, though helped by senses. Every time we see, hear and otherwise perceive these imprints alone. Our experience, knowledge, etc. are thus subject-based, solely inner. So, nothing exists as an object. All objects are subject-imprints alone, hence are one's own Self. And the Self exists in all beings, bestowing the real equal vision.

He who sees Me, the Supreme Reality, everywhere, and everything in the supreme Reality, never loses the Supreme nor is he lost to the Supreme.

Krishna re-states what he conveyed in the previous verse, giving his own personal imprint to the vision. In all such statements, Krishna's status that of the Knower Guru, who is the last word for the disciple in his spiritual quest and fulfilment. Being so, Krishna identifying himself with the supreme Reality, is of paramount importance. As the supreme Reality will itself not speak, the gap is filled by personally statements like this. The 'I' Krishna refers to denotes the Self, pure Consciousness. And that is the Self in everyone. What we call God or supreme Reality is no other than this impersonal, imperishable spiritual presence, sentience. So, by pronouncing in this manner, Krishna confirms that the Self is itself God and Brahman. Each is synonymous with the rest, a fact people in general do not know, but the seeker should not miss, and should be guided by. To see the Self in all is like seeing God in all. By this Krishna gives a devotional touch to his words.

He who worships (knows) Me, the Supreme, as the One established in all beings, all forms of existence and expression, verily resides in Me, no matter whatever he does and in whichever manner he lives.

Self-realization is meant to take away the constrictions of the mind and imbue purity and expansion to the individual. The earlier two verses explained how the Self is so extensive and pervading, that all beings are verily abiding in it, and the Self too abides in all of them. What is true of the Self is equally so with God, who is but a synonym for the Self. To see God in all and all in God is a great expansion and feeling of oneness for the seeker. This is far above absorptional meditation. Krishna goes a step further. Seeing the Lord as abiding in all beings, the yogi is established in the truth of Oneness. Worship becomes one of recognizing this Oneness, enfolding everything and all. This enables the yogi to live freely and immaculately. No more has he any constriction in him. He is linked to the Supreme in and through everything he thinks, speaks and does!

The yogi, who perceives the same Self everywhere, whether it is a pleasant (sukha) or an unpleasant (duḥkha) situation, is considered the best and highest.

Krishna describes how true spiritual pursuit takes one to interactional sublimity, fullness, alikeness and oneness. Samadhi is an inner Self-absorptional state. But, this is an outer, interactional, vibrant state of expansion and unshakeable harmony. The variety of sensory objects ceases to have any allurement for the Knower. All objects, when interacted with, will only result in sukha and duḥkha, as Krishna underlines while explaining interactional life (2.14). As our senses reduce the world objects into five, the mind reduces the five into two, namely sukha and duḥkha. Thus the only experiential outcome the entire world of infinite variety can bring or bestow is 'sukha-duḥkhas'. These two imprints are of the Self alone. Realizing this, the Knower traces in all sukha-duḥkhas the same Self. One who thus identifies everywhere and all as but the Self, is the yogi of the highest order, says Krishna.

Arjuna said: O Madhusūdana, the yoga you have described is in the nature of 'evenness'. I am not able to see its stability and prevalence because of my mind's restlessness.

Apparently Arjuna has grasped Krishna's instructions quite well. Yoga, Krishna exposes, says Arjuna, is 'equalness of mind', to be applied to every activity and interaction, as they will always evoke sukha or duḥkha. Evenness to these is the crux of yoga. For one used to yearning for happiness, differentiating it from unhappiness, to adopt the singular attitude of evenness will be stunningly hard. That too, in and through everything he does. It is a grave challenge, compulsion. How can all people be ready for it, much less think of succeeding in this wholesome attitude and orientation? For the desultory mind, consistency in the pursuit is too hard. It is quite heartening to hear about the practice, but to actualize it is not so. Arjuna is quite skeptical on this account.

The mind, O Krishna, is given to swinging and swerving. It is turbulent, very powerful too. To bring it under control or moderation is like restraining the wind.

Arjuna explains his difficulty further, as he feels dealing with the mind is by no means easy. Desultoriness is characteristic of the mind. As one grows in age, desultoriness becomes stronger. Given to turbulence as it is, the mind is always difficult indeed to deal with. External things are gross and we can visibly deal with them. With attention, training and practice, any extent of control or regulation is possible in their case. But the mind is within the body. It is not physical, hence invisible and inaccessible too. How to think of such a presence and deal with it? It is this factor that makes the process difficult. To regulate the wind is not possible. We can hardly do anything about cyclones, tsunami, etc. Mind and its vagaries are even more abstruse and hard to deal with. Arjuna thus wants Krishna to tell him something tangible in the matter.

Lord Krishna said: True, O mighty-armed, it is very difficult to control the mind. Mind, by nature, is extremely restless. But, with the right practice coupled with dispassion, any mind can be restrained and sublimated.

Krishna has a knack of not repudiating what the questioner states. Giving a complimenting note to the questioner, Krishna always states what he wants to, unambiguously, a quality worth emulating by all exponents of truth. To lay hands on the mind is, of course, not easy because it is powerful, difficult to access and extremely slippery. But there is no question of giving up the task at all. Human life is meant to take up a task and achieve its end with prudence and perseverance. Repeated effort is required to tame the mind. So also is the need for sufficient dispassion. Just as passion draws one to the world, dispassion makes him not cling to it.

For one without restraint and refinement, sāmyā-yoga is hard to achieve. But for one with self-control, it can be attained by proper effort and discrimination.

Krishna is categorical in stating that yoga is not hard at all to practise and perfect. The question is merely of understanding it properly and taking up the right practice, with sufficient discipline and discrimination. The practice may seem hard for those who lack sensory regulation. Excessive indulgences greatly hinder the pursuit, a point Krishna had emphasized earlier too (6.17). Moderation is the watchword for human life. It is even more so for spiritual life and yoga pursuit. For the immoderate, says Krishna, yoga is hard to practise and perfect, a point spiritual seekers must keep in mind without fail and act upon earnestly. For one with his senses and mind under sufficient moderation, sāmyā-yoga is quite attainable, with the right understanding. All worldly perceptions are through our five senses. These get reduced further to the mental two, sukha and duḥkha. With evenness towards both, one will have won over the world! (5.19)

Arjuna said: In spite of having faith, if one is not able to control his mind from wandering, and fails to attain yoga, O Krishna, what will be his fate?

Arjuna's enquiry is quite natural, sudden, but appropriate. Both he and Krishna had agreed that sāmyā-yoga is hard to practise, because of mind's desultoriness. Naturally one is more likely to fail in fulfilling its pursuit. What if that happens? To seek earnestly is one thing. To complete and fulfil the pursuit without let or hindrance is altogether different. What if an earnest seeker picks up yoga with all enthusiasm and pursues it vigorously, but somehow is not able to pursue the effort with the required resolve. May be some adverse factors interfere, and the practice suffers, cannot be continued. What happens to the effort already made? Will it all be lost, or will it have its proportionate effect? What further, if any, is the possibility?

Losing both (the erstwhile ritualistic path and its promises, as also the new yogic path and its reward), will he not, like clouds blown off by the wind, be driven to destruction, deluded in the path of Brahman?

People are generally given to the conventional path of rituals and ceremonies, believing in their acclaimed promises. When one takes to the spiritual path of yoga, all that is naturally shelved. If the spiritual path also proves abortive, the consequence is too adverse and drastic. The seeker loses whatever he was clinging to earlier. And he has failed in continuing the new yoga path properly, with the result he is neither here nor there. It is virtually a double denial and loss, making him totally aimless and rewardless.Will it not be then like the fate of dense clouds clustering to shed profusely, but suddenly driven away by strong winds? What will happen to such a one, who is unable to complete his yoga pursuit and get fulfilment?Arjuna wants Krishna to redress his anxiety. How pertinent is the question, enquiry!

This indeed is my doubt, O Krishna, you have to dispel completely. None besides you is there to dispel this doubt of mine.

Imagine from where Arjuna started this dialogue. Having arrived in Kurukshetra, Arjuna had ordered Krishna to drive his chariot to a suitable place, so that he could examine the armies well before fighting. Krishna obeyed. And reaching in front of Bheeshma and Drona he stopped, asking Arjuna to examine the army as he wished. But lo, Partha suddenly crumbled mentally and physically. Stating he would not fight, he kept his bow and arrow down, beseeching Krishna for help and relief.Krishna began to address Arjuna. The scope of the dialogue extended beyond what Arjuna initially sought. A thorough discussion on Yoga and spiritual wisdom followed. And Arjuna’s present doubt is part of his own advanced thinking. This is how a spiritual dialogue between a great Master and his earnest student shapes. Arjuna’s enquiry reflects the minds of all aspirants and seekers of all times. What happens if spiritual pursuit is not completed, but thwarted on the way?

Lord Krishna said: O son of Kunti, neither here on earth nor in the higher worlds, can there be destruction for him. One intending to do good (set on the auspicious path), will never meet an adverse plight. (Such is the spiritual law.)

Krishna, as ever, is adept in handling any situation. Straightaway he says that no destruction will befall such a yoga practitioner either in his life here or in the world awaiting him after his body falls.All adversities are an outcome of the harmful deeds one does. In pursuing the samatva-yoga Krishna prescribes, the practitioner is not guilty of inflicting any harm or hindrance to anyone. So there will be no adversity for him anywhere.In fact, one who intends to do good, will never have an adverse plight. What a great assurance, how relieving and rewarding for one and all! Gita becomes adorable because of such inspiring and empowering revelations!

After getting into the higher worlds reserved for those of virtuous deeds, and living there for indefinitely long years, the one fallen from yoga-pursuit comes back to be born in clean, cultured and prosperous homes.

Religious thoughts and promises have, no doubt, an un-negatable place in the hearts of people. Knowing this well, Krishna casts his reply to Arjuna, so as to keep the pedestal of yoga and yogis far higher than that of religious votaries.Even by dint of incomplete yoga-pursuit, the practitioner begets the higher worlds of the virtuous, for many, many years. The duration is limited for religious votaries, but not for the yoga-practitioner. He can spend countless years there, without any let or hindrance.He need come back only when he wishes to. And when he descends, it will be to a very good family with sufficient culture, purity and prosperity. He will not have any struggle at all. A fortune many are not able to achieve ordinarily!

Or else he will be born in the lineage of spiritual seekers and yogis, who are intelligent and keen in their thinking and pursuit. This kind of birth is still rarer in the world.

Krishna reveals that the unfulfilled yogic practitioner may also be born in a yogic family, where the atmosphere will be congenial and members of the family quite encouraging and supportive for him to continue his pursuit. Thus after a long term in the best of higher regions, he comes back to a place extremely fortunate and favourable for his further spiritual progress. Ritualists, in contrast, not only do not have this kind of fortune but are subjected to a much worse plight. Krishna says that such birth in a yogic family is very rare in the world. Normally seekers find it hard to face the conflicting views and demands of family members deterring them. Most elders, instead of appreciating the seeking aspiration, will try to hinder it vigorously. But here now the practitioner will not only not have any resistance from family members, but will also have ample encouragement and help. Is this not a most desirable?

There, O delighter of the Kuru dynasty, he imbibes the yoga-oriented intelligence begotten in the previous embodiment, and strives again for perfection from where he had left his pursuit.

At the commencement of the Karma-yoga pursuit, Krishna had specified the unique benefits of yogic pursuit (2.40). He said, it is free from the twin defects, namely, loss of effort (abhikrama-nāśa) and adverse result (pratyavāya). That links well with what Krishna describes here. As yogic pursuit is free from any kind of loss of effort, whatever he had done earlier remains intact, and he imbibes sufficient attention and alacrity in the new birth. As if awakened by a dream, he picks up the thread of the previous practice and feels strongly about pursuing it with vigour and resolve. Earlier, distractions took over his mind. But now here, nothing like that will haunt him. He can and will, with intensity, take up the practice and pursue it with devotional resignation. Gaining perfection will be fast and a matter of ease, comfort and certainty.

He is irresistibly drawn by the practice he had pursued earlier. Even an enquirer of the science of yoga rises above the ken of Vedic rituals and their promises.

How assuring is Krishna's pronouncement! Arjuna is doubtful and fearful about the fate of not being able to complete his yogic pursuit. Whether true or not, the fear has to be dispensed with. The only way is to assure Arjuna as Krishna dexterously does. The incumbent will irresistibly commence the practice from where he had left it. With enhanced vigour and resolve, the yoga-bhraṣṭa (one fallen from yoga pursuit) takes up the practice and fulfils it gloriously. Krishna also evaluates the yogic pursuit. Even one wishing to know what yoga is, not to speak of the practitioner, gains sufficient religious and spiritual merit, that he rises above the Vedic ken. Vedas are too sacred, and their rituals and ceremonies are sacrosanct. Even then, one wanting to know what yoga is, transcends all of them. He gets far more than what Vedas can bestow. What an amazing revelation!

The yogic seeker, by dint of his untiring assiduous efforts, washes away all his blemishes and becomes pure. Thus by the perfection gained over many lives, he attains the supreme goal.

Spiritual striving is lifelong, and its effect marvellous – as a small percentage of infinity is also infinity. As Krishna stressed the uniqueness of yoga (6.19,23), he confirms that the yogic practitioner need have no doubt at all. Anyone’s life follows and is backed by many earlier ones spread over a long period. But attainment or fulfilment is always in one birth. This is the evident part to be relied upon. All the rest is to be disregarded as inexperiential and doubtful. Arjuna’s doubt is whether a failed practitioner will have his fruition any time. Krishna assures that he will undoubtedly have, and explains how it happens. In fact, the effect of true yogic effort is instantaneous, a point Krishna has stressed and explained variously (2.50,6.22,23). Arjuna’s doubt is thus irrelevant, redundant. Krishna’s explanation is for the doubting minds. As an answer, this is most effective.

A Yogi is superior to ascetics; he is above Vedic scholars. He also is superior to the ritualists. Therefore, Arjuna, be a Yogi.

Every chapter of Gita concludes describing its content and message as 'yoga-śāstra'. It means Bhagavad Gita is a science of yoga. And it discusses the science variously. Krishna makes it clear that āsanas, mudrās and prāṇāyamas do not denote the real inner yoga. Yoga signifies a union or fusion. Such fusion is possible only in the inner domain, wherein the thinker, thinking and thought become one. Gita discusses, reveals and clarifies this inner yoga alone. It applies to mind, intelligence, ego and further. All are but one Consciousness that animates and activates all the body. Krishna points that one who pursues Gita's buddhi-yoga is superior to ascetics, Vedic scholars and ritualists. Therefore, Krishna exhorts Arjuna to be a yogi. Krishna's yoga is the dedicated pursuit of actions, but with right orientation of the mind and intelligence.

Of all the yogis, he who with his heart dissolved into Me (the Supreme), worships Me with sufficient devoutness, I consider him to be the most united with Me.

Here Krishna makes a significant transition. First he exposed Sāṁkhya-yoga. As a preliminary and alternate pursuit, he also discussed Karma-yoga. As a corollary of both, he prescribes renunciation. To imbibe it he enjoins meditation, the backbone of spirituality. But here now he transits from all these to the broad pedestal of devotion, where he wants the seeker to rely solely upon the Supreme, which embodies everything in one's life and attainment. To induce and strengthen the seeker accordingly, he intends to describe Creation, its source, sustenance and dissolution, namely God, as the Self in everyone. The Guru, Teacher, alone knows the Truth and can explain it with mastery and authority. He concludes the first section of Gita (chapters one to six), alluding to the theme in the next six chapters where the individual Krishna rises to the dimension of the huge Creation, to demonstrate the whole intricacy. Thereby he initiates the disciple to reach with facility and firmness where he should.