The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita : 10.4 - Swami Krishnananda.

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Saturday,  01  Jul,  2023. 06:50.

Chapter 10: Forms of Sacrifice and Concentration-4.

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Together with this function we begin to breathe slowly, leisurely, with a sense of freedom from engagements and obligations and duties of every kind at that time. The prana moves calmly, harmoniously, beautifully, only when we have no commitments psychologically. If we have any kind of engagement attracting our attention inwardly, towards that direction the prana also will move. And the agitation of the prana is due to distractedness caused by the desires of the mind, by commitment to activity. Hence, when we sit for meditation, there should be no preconceived background of obligations of any kind. Otherwise, a part of our mind, subconsciously or unconsciously, will be tying itself to the engagements towards which also it has to move, and which it has on its hands. When we sit for meditation, there should be no background of obligations of any kind, except the obligation to concentrate.

It would be advisable for every person who is after the practice of meditation to see that immediate obligations are fulfilled before sitting for meditation. Well, we cannot be free from all obligations, of course; that is very clear. It does not mean that the entire commitments of the whole of life should be stopped. That is not possible. But there should not be any pressing need compelling our immediate attention elsewhere. At least for a few hours we are to be free, may be for half a day we have no engagements, and then we feel a little bit of rest, there is a leisure felt inwardly, then the pranas automatically settle down of their own accord, for there is composure of mind.

 is also, then, a spontaneous harmony of the movement of the pranas. The whole attention should be on freedom of the self in the absorption of consciousness in God. The senses, the mind and the intellect should stand together as if there is a single flame of light emerging from the self within. Usually the senses work somewhere, the mind is thinking something, and the intellect is acquiescing in the activities of the mind and senses; they never work in harmony. We are agitated personalities on account of the lack of harmony among the senses, the mind and the intellect. Like three flames of light joining into a single flame, the power of the senses and the power of the mind and the power of reason should stand together in unison. And the comparison given in the Sixth Chapter is that the flame should be unflickering like the glow of the lamp which is placed in a windless place. Such is the consciousness we attain to when there is no desire behind the working of the senses and there is no personal impulsion goading the mind towards anything outside, and the reason is satisfied.

One's only goal is moksha, salvation, and there is no other aim in life. We have to be a hundred percent convinced that moksha is the goal of life, the liberation of the spirit is the aim of all our activities, all our studies, all our engagements, anything that we do, in any manner. Non-hatred, non-anger, non-greed follow automatically from this whole-souled attention of the consciousness on the ideal of the salvation of the spirit in the Absolute. This is Yoga in essence, says the Fifth Chapter.

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To be continued

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