Being all alone in a place where there are no distractions, restraint of mind, body, and senses, and a complete rejection of attachments are all essential for a man who is engaged in the task of Self-realization.

Lord Krishn sings:

“The yogi, engaged in self-conquest, should devote himself
to the practice of yog in loneliness in a secluded place,
controlling his mind, body and senses, and rid of desire and acquisitiveness.”

The following verse contains an account of the place and the seat which are conducive to the exercise.

“At a clean spot he should devise
a seat of kush-grass or deer-skin covered with a piece of cloth,
which is neither too high nor too low.”

Cleanliness of place is a question of sweeping and wiping it to keep it neat and tidy. In such a clean place, the worshiper should make for himself a seat of grass or deer-skin, on top of which there is spread a cover of fabric such as silk, or of wool. However, the seat may also be just a simple wooden board. But whatever it is, it should be firm, and neither too high nor too low.

The intent behind all this is that something should be spread on the ground to cover it; it may be anything-skin, a mat, a piece of any kind of cloth, or even a wooden plank. It is important that the seat is not shaky. Again, it should be neither too high from the ground nor too low.

My revered accomplished teacher, Gurudev Jee, used to sit on an about five-inch high seat. Once it so happened that some devotees got him a marble seat that was about a foot high. Revered Gurudev Jee sat on it only once and said,

“No, this is too high. A sadhu should not sit too high. It only makes them vain. That does not mean, though, that they should sit too low either, for that gives rise to a sense of inferiority-of contempt for oneself.”

So he had the marble seat put away in the forest. Revered Gurudev Jee never went there, and neither does anybody else now. That really was an exercise in a practical lesson by the great man. So the seat of a worshiper should not be too high. If it is too high, vanity will overtake him even before he commences the task of divine adoration.

Lord Krishn adds:

“He should then sit on it and practice yog,
concentrating his mind and restraining the senses, for self-purification.”

Next, then, the posture of sitting (according to the provision, meditation is done in a sitting posture)-the manner in which the worshiper should sit while engaged in contemplation-is taken up.

Lord Krishn sings:

“Holding his body, head, and neck firmly erect,
his eyes should concentrate on the tip of the nose,
looking neither right nor left.”

In the course of meditation, the worshiper should keep his body, neck, and head straight, steady, and unmoving, like a column of wood as it were. Sitting erect and firm like this, he should keep his eyes fixed on the tip of his nose. Rather than meaning that he should watch the tip of the nose, the directive is that the eyes should look straight in line with the nose. The tendency of eyes of restlessly flitting here and there must be curbed. Looking straight in line with the nose, the worshiper should sit unmoving.

Lord Krishn adds:

“Abiding in continence, fearless, serene at heart,
alert and restrained in mind, he should surrender himself firmly to me.”

What actually does continence (brahmcharya vrat)-celibacy-mean?

People usually say that it is restraint of the sexual urge. But it has been the experience of sages that such restraint is impossible so long as mind is associated with objects, sights, touch, and sounds which inflame the urge.

A true celibate ( brahmchari ) is rather one who is engaged in the task of realizing God (Brahm). The brahmchari is a man of Brahm-like conduct: a doer of the appointed task of yagya that leads men to attainment and ultimate dissolution in the eternal, immutable God.

While doing it, the external sensations of touch and of all such contacts of the mind and other senses have to be excluded in order to concentrate the mind on contemplation of God, on the incoming and the outgoing breath, and on meditation.

There are no external memories when the mind rests on God. So long as these memories last, the absorption in God is incomplete. Currents of deviation flow through the mind, not through the body. When the mind is wholly occupied with its adoration of God, not only does the sexual urge but all the other physical urges also cease.

So dwelling in conduct that will take him to God, free from fear, in a state of repose, and with a restrained mind, the devoted worshiper should surrender himself totally to an accomplished teacher.

But what is the outcome of all this?

Lord Krishn sings:

“The yogi with a restrained mind
who thus meditates on me incessantly at last attains
to the sublime peace that dwells in me.”

The yogi who thus always reflects on Lord Krishn, an ideal, accomplished teacher and dwells in God, with a controlled mind achieves his sublime peace. So Arjun is told to constantly devote himself to the task. The treatment of the subject is now almost complete.

In the next two verses, Lord Krishn then points out the importance of physical discipline, regulated food, and recreation for the worshiper who aims at the conquest of ultimate bliss.

HE adds:

“This yog, O Arjun, is neither achieved by one
who eats too much or too little,
nor by one who sleeps too much or too little.”

Moderation in food and sleep are necessary for a man who wishes to be a yogi. Now, if the man who eats and sleeps immoderately cannot achieve yog, who can?

“Yog, the destroyer of all grief, is achieved only by those
who regulate their food and recreation,
who strive according to their capacity,
and who sleep in moderation.”

If a man eats too much, he is overtaken by lethargy, sleep, and negligence. And the act of meditation is simply not possible in such a condition. On the contrary, fasting will weaken the body and there will not be enough strength to even sit straight and firm.

According to my revered accomplished teacher, one should eat a little less than one’s need. Recreation, as understood here, is walking according to the available space. Some physical exercise is a necessity; circulation is slowed down in the absence of such exertion and one falls prey to illness.

How much a man sleeps or remains awake is determined by age, food, and habit. The most exalted Gurudev Jee used to tell us that a yogi should sleep for four hours and be constantly engaged in meditation. However, men who curb their sleep by force soon lose their sanity.

Along with all these, there should also be sufficient effort for the accomplishment of the undertaken task, for without this the act of worship cannot be carried out well.

Lord Krishn sings:

“A man is said to be endowed with yog when,
restrained by the practice of selfless action and contented with Self,
his mind is freed from all desires.”

Thus, when disciplined by the practice of selfless action, the mind of a man is firmly centered on God and is indeed dissolved in him, and when there remains no desire, the worshiper is said to have attained to yog.

~Revered Gurudev Swami Adgadanand Jee Paramhans~
©

_/l\_
Humble Wishes.
~mrityunjayanand~