Meditation Yoga
Chapter 6, Verses 13-14
samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvaṁ
dhārayann-acalaṁ sthiraḥ
saṁprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ
diśaś-cānavalokayan
praśāntātmā vigata-bhīḥ
brahmacāri vrate sthitaḥ
manaḥ saṁyamya mac-citto
yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ
Holding the body, head and neck erect, motionless; the vision drawn in and fixed between the eyebrows; not regarding the regions; the mind kept calm and free from fear; the vow of Brahmacharya observed; the whole controlled mentality turned to Me, one must sit firm in yoga, wholly surrendered to Me.
Here Bhagavan Krishna says that during meditation, one must keep the spine straight, with the neck and the head, all in one line. One has to be “motionless, the vision drawn in and fixed between the eyebrows.” This means that with deep concentration, without following any outward impulse or distraction, one has to focus: the gaze must be “fixed between the eyebrows.” Lord Krishna says that the eyes should not be fully open or closed but semi-closed (like Lord Shiva’s eyes) and focusing on the tip of the nose.
The purpose of fixing the gaze on the tip of the nose is to avoid outer distractions and avoid falling asleep. Because if you keep the eyes fully open you may suddenly get distracted: “Oh, a fly...”. On the other hand, if the eyes are fully closed, you may fall asleep while meditating. Whereas when you have the eyes semi-closed, you stay focused! You will not fall asleep and you will not get distracted. Nevertheless, the mind should be fixed on God. The eyes are focusing on the tip of the nose, but the mind should not be focused on the nose... okay? Don’t get these two things mixed up. I am telling you to sit in meditation with semi-closed eyes focusing on the tip of the nose. Here I am not telling you to look at your nose, I said for you to fix the gaze on the tip of the nose, but the mind must be focused on God, on Paramatman, Parabrahma.
If you practise meditation as described in this verse, if the mind is focused, you will have control over it and you will not have a sleep attack, which afterwards you will call ‘meditation’. Fixing the gaze at the tip of the nose also helps to develop firmness within. It helps to overcome the fear of the opposites, the fear of duality, the fear of not doing things properly. By sitting for meditation in a state of fear, you are not free. But if you focus on God within yourself, if you let the mind dwell on the Divine, when you sit for meditation, you will perfect yourself.
Observing “Brahmacharya” means that for one to fully focus in meditation, one should control and avoid the flow of energy downwards. One should avoid being in a relationship and use this energy for their own spiritual growth. Imagine how much energy there is in it. With this energy one can create another body. The fusion between the sperm and the ovule is like an ‘atomic bomb’. A new body can be created from these two energies. You have this power, but someone who is really longing for God- Realisation will not use this power, this energy, in an outward action. In this verse, Lord Krishna emphasises the importance of observing “the vow of Brahmacharya” during meditation, because if you have not yet developed self-control, you will be controlled by self-enjoyment or lust. However, with self-control a yogi is free. That’s why Krishna is training Arjuna to observe the vow of Brahmacharya. He says, “I am not telling you to fully stop this energy, but during the time of your sadhana, it is very important to keep yourself pure and to restrain yourself, to keep this energy and use it for advancing yourself spiritually.” This will also help the mind to not drown itself in the tendencies of the lower region, but to focus on the higher goal, on the Divine, to make you strong spiritually.
“The whole controlled mentality turned to Me.” God is present everywhere. If the yogi practising meditation wants to see God, “he must sit firm in yoga.” One should sit fearlessly in meditation, not thinking that one is doing something wrong or right. One should not be looking at the watch asking, “When are these fifteen minutes, which Swamiji told me to do, going to end?” Or set the alarm and then when the fifteen minutes have passed, say, “Ah, finished! I have done it!” On the contrary, when people do their meditation or their Atma Kriya Yoga practice, they should be fully absorbed in it and should love doing it.
If during meditation one entertains the smallest fear in the mind, one will naturally feel distracted and lonely. When one sits for meditation, one should hold firm and fully trust in God, be “wholly surrendered to Me.” One should not think about one’s limitations, but should fully surrender to the Divine with faith and love. If the mind is disturbed during this time, one should remind oneself that God is there, that in that moment of meditation you are in His presence. That’s why I said that setting a time is very important: it’s like you sent Him an invitation to come and He is present there! You are not alone, you are in His presence! So, there can be no fear at all.
When yogis sit for meditation and the time for them to leave this plane arrives, they automatically advance to a higher plane. If they are meditating, and then due to samskaras they die, this brings them to their highest good. It can happen and has happened many times: the Atma leaves to the spiritual plane. The ones who have taken the path of meditation on the Absolute Reality, God, will never come back to this same reality, but they will always incarnate to advance spiritually. They will find their way, their spiritual path, and they won’t go backwards. There is a continuation. For example, you are all sitting here because you have done something ‘good’ in your last life. You have some good karma, otherwise you would not be here. In this life, you have received the great punya to be on the spiritual path, to receive Atma Kriya Yoga, and through that, God has manifested Himself in His omnipresence inside each one of you. He is guiding you on your spiritual path, in His nirgun form and in His sagun form. He has a multitude of forms and aspects, like Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Jesus, and many others.
Bhagavad Gita
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