The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita : 11.2. - Swami Krishnananda.

Chinmaya Mission

Sevak from Chinmaya Mission Yuvakendra and Chinmaya Setukari from various parts of North America came together for the annual retreat of CHYK DC, held from July 7th to July 9th. Guided by Vivekji from Niagara Falls, and blessed by Swami Dheeranandaji, the attendees delved into the teachings of the Yaksha Prashna, a profound dialogue between Raja Yudhisthira and a mysterious Yaksha found in the Vana Parva of Srimad Mahabharata. Throughout the retreat, they actively engaged in fruitful discussions with Vivekji and fellow participants, while also taking time for personal reflection on the profound lessons contained within the ancient text.

Apart from exploring the Yaksha Prashna, the retreat offered ample opportunities for communal bonding, participating in activities such as athletics and glow-in-the-dark garba. The "Fireside Chats," an intimate evening group discussion, allowed everyone to share reflections on personal topics, fostering openness and honest exchanges.

Gratitude filled the hearts of the attendees as they acknowledged the transformative knowledge gained from the Yaksha Prashna, setting the stage for positivity and growth as they moved forward.

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Friday, 28 Jul 2023 06:55.

Chapter 11: The Yoga of Meditation - 2.

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Now, the acceptance of Yoga should be a whole-souled attitude of the seeker. It should not be merely a surface outlook which has somehow acquiesced in the situation. And, as the great goal of life is the wholeness of reality, our preparedness for its realisation should also be a wholeness from our side. Hence, a moody attitude and an acceptance which is partial cannot be satisfactory where our objective is such an important factor in life as Yoga. All this has been touched upon in a concise manner in different places of the chapters of the Bhagavadgita, which will give us a clue as to why we have varying moods and contradictory desires, which will surprise even our own selves.

The answer to this question in the Sixth Chapter is that we are often likely to be extremists in our activities. We are not sober and harmonised in our engagements, in our relationships. When we like a thing, we sell ourselves, as it were, to that which we love. It is an extreme attitude of attachment. When we dislike a thing, we wholeheartedly condemn the thing, and go to the other extreme. We have found that it is very hard to maintain a balanced mood of equanimity of attitude. It is easy to be an extremist, while it is hard to be a person of sobriety of perspective. Either we eat too much, or we do not eat at all. Both these things are very easy. We suddenly declare, “I shall not eat. For one week I shall observe fast.” But to control the appetite in a way that does not affect either the body or the mind, or even our relationships and activities, is a little difficult.

While the Gita has emphasised the factor of harmony in Yoga, it has not confined this harmony merely to the ultimate union of the Self with the Absolute, in a transcendent sense. Again and again it has been driven into our minds, in various places, that Yoga as harmony has to be applied in its relevance at every level of life, even in our kitchen and bathroom, our social relationships, our personal vocations, and the like. Even in our eating and sleeping and our recreation there should be a harmony, and there should not be any extreme mood. It is not that we indulge in eating and sleeping too much, not also that we completely abstain ourselves from the needs of the body and mind. The golden mean is supposed to be the essence of the ethical attitude—the golden mean—and it is so subtle as a hair's breadth; it is an imperceptible reality.

The arrangement of factors in a harmonious manner is an imperceptible truth, not visible to the organs of the senses. But we have to conceive it in our minds, with some effort. Yoga is not for that person who eats too much, or does not eat at all; sleeps too much, or does not sleep at all; works too much, or does not work at all; plays too much, or does not play at all, etc. These are common statements, but very important ones.

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To be continued

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