Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 22

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Progress in Yoga - 21-28

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 22

Yam labdhva cha aparam labham manyate na adhikam tatah I

Yasmin sthitah na dukhena guruna api vichalyate II sloka 22

यं लब्ध्वा च अपरं लाभं मन्यते न अधिकं ततः।

यस्मिन स्थितः न दुःखेन  गुरुणा अपि विचाल्यते ।। श्लोक २२

And having gained which, he thinks that there is no greater gain than that, wherein established he is not shaken even by the heaviest affliction

The  fleeting earthly pleasures are all ever selective. But getting into the infinite beatitude of the self, the yogi has nothing else  to seek, even as the fish in the ocean has no other abode to seek. The yogi established in the bliss of brahman  has no body consciousness. the body hangs on him just as a shadow hangs on to a body. Any harm done to the shadow does not hurt the body; any harm inflicted on the body does not afflict the yogi established in the self. 

Whatever maybe the suffering that falls on the lot of the body, the power and glory of the devotion and knowledge of a true devotee do not in the least get diminished thereby. What all tribulations the Pandavas had to undergo during their exile! But the exuberance of their wisdom was in no way affected even for a moment by their ordeals

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa    

Bhagavad Gita Chapter - Dhyana 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 21

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Progress in Yoga - 21-28

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 21

Sukham atyantikam yat tat buddhi grahyam atindriyam I

Vetti yatra na cha eva ayam sthitah chalati tatvatah II sloka 21

सुखं आत्यन्तिकं यत् तत् बुद्धि ग्राहायं अतीन्द्रियं ।

वेत्ति यत्र न च एव अयं स्थितः चलति तत्वतः ।। श्लोक २१

When he feels that supreme bliss which is perceived by the intelligence and which transcends the senses, and wherein established he never moves from the reality;

 Bliss is the characteristic of the atman; therefore the extroverted senses cannot have access to it. Purified intellect grasps it to some extent. Bliss is everlasting because of its belonging to the atman. The yogi does not want to divert himself from this bliss to the impermanent pleasures of the senses any more than the fish wants to get to the land abandoning its watery abode.

While in samadhi the yogi dives deep into the ocean of satchidananda.  In that his senses become defunct.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 20

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Votaries of Minor Gods 20-23

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 20

Should the body be in any manner disciplined to bring about concentration of mind? The injunction in this respect is :

Yatra aparamate chittam niruddham yogasevaya I

Yatra chaivatmana atmanam pashyan atmani tushyati II sloka 20

यत्र अपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया ।

यत्र चैवात्मना आत्मानं पश्यन आत्मनि तुष्यति ।। श्लोक २०

When the mind, disciplined by the practice of yoga, attains quietude, and when beholding the self by the self, he is satisfied in the self. 

Quietude of mind and the experience of satisfaction in the self are concomitant. Self knowledge and self knowledge are inter related.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 18

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Criterion for Progress 16- 20

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 18

Yada viniyatam chittam atmany eva vatishtate I

Nih spruhah sarva kamebhyah yukta ity uchyate tada II sloka 18

यदा विनियतं चित्तं आत्मनि एव अवतिष्टते   ।

निः स्पृहः सर्व कामेभ्यः  युक्त इत्य उच्यते तदा ।। श्लोक १८

When the disciplined mind rests in the self alone, free from desire for objects, then is one said to be established in yoga.

Wind creates storm in the sea. The wind of desire creates commotion in the mind. Desirelessness makes the mind constant and pure. Fixed in yoga is that mindwhich is impregnable against all desires. It rejoices exclusively in the self. The yogi endowed with such a sterling mind is naturally adept in meditation 

The mustard that gets scattered from a torn bag, cannot easily gathered again. Likewise, the mind dissipated in worldly things does not come under easy control. Possession of the mind in its entirety is yoga. 

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 16

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Criterion for Progress 16-20
1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 16

Na ati ashnatah tu yogah asti na cha ekantam anashnatah I

Na chati svapna shilasya jagratah na eva cha arjuna II sloka 16

न अति अश्नतः तु योगः अस्ति न च एकान्तं अनश्नतः ।

न चाति स्वप्न शीलस्य जाग्रतः न एव च अर्जुन ।। श्लोक १६

Yoga is not possible for him who eats too much or for him who abstains too much from eating; it is not for him, O Arjuna,  who sleeps too much or too little. 

 The wire of a vina snaps if tightened too much and becomes devoid of music if loosened too much. In the art of partaking food, the yogi is to act like a properly tuned vina bringing out the best music. If he over eats he becomes a dullard; if he under eats he becomes weak. In regard to the quantity and sort of food, one's physique is not the standard for another's. Each sadhaka  has to fix them for himself. Sleep brings rest and relaxation and tones the system; but over and under indulgence in it aggravates  tamas  or inertia, which is a hindrance to the practice of meditation.

Eat sumptuously in the daytime; but let your food at night be sparse and easily digestible. A sadhaka  ought to help himself to that food only which is not heating to the body and exciting to the mind

Sri Ramakrishna  Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 19

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Criterion for Progress 16- 20

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 19

Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate I

Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sadurlahah II sloka 19

बहूनां जन्मनां अन्ते ज्ञानवान माम प्रपद्यते ।

वासुदेवः सर्वं इति स महात्मा सदुर्लभः ।। श्लोक १९

At the end of many births, the man of wisdom takes refuge in me, realizing that Vasudeva is all that is. Rare indeed is that great soul. 

When a sadhaka begins to give practical shape to his learning that it is God who has become everything,he is styled a jnani even in that initial stage. But quite a number of sadhakas  take innumerable births before they gain complete realization and get fixed in the truth that God alone puts on the appearance of the phenomenon. The man who has attained this acme of realization is indeed rare in this world. He is verily God among men. the third stanza also of this chapter refers to this great soul.

The practice of this tenet of vedanta contributes directly and indirectly to the welfare of the world. By viewing all beings as veritable divinities, the sadhaka  elevates himself in spiritual stature. this is the benefit directly derived. The indirect benefit consists in others being unconsciously divinised. The more one is deified the more the devil in one is eradicated. 

Beholding diversity is born of delusion; beholding unity is born of enlightenment.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

What do they do, who are devoid of devotion and wisdom? Their ways are dilated on in the following slokas

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 17

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Criterion for Progress 16- 20

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 17

 Damodara Krishna

Yukta ahaara viharasya yukta cheshtasya karmasu I

Yukta svapna avabodhasya yogah bhavati dukhaha II sloka 17

युक्त आहार विहारस्य युक्त चेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्त स्वप्न अवबोधस्य योगः भवति दुखहा   ।। श्लोक १७
For him who is moderate in eating and recreation, temperate in his actions, who is regulated in sleep and wakefulness, yoga becomes the destroyer of pain. 


Physical exercise as much as the spiritual sadhanas  is incumbent on the yogi; but it has to be resorted to moderately. The duties of the yogi are very consequential and they have to be discharged meticulously and as regularly as the movements of the planets. The merit in him in the midst of these activities is, he is free from body consciousness. Meditation therefore becomes easy and spontaneous to him. Pain is always associated with diseased body and mind. But the yogi takes no note of the body and he is sound in mind. Therefore yoga becomes the destroyer of pain to him 


When may it be said that the yogi is adept in meditation? The answer to this comes in the next sloka

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 15

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Method 12-15

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 15

 Draupadi calling Krishna

Yunja an evam sada atmanam yogi niyamta manasah I

Shantim nirvana paramam matsam stham  adhigachati II sloka 15

युञ्ज अन् एवं सदा आत्मानं योगी नियंत मानसः ।

शान्तिं निर्वाण परमां मद्सं स्थां अधिगछति ।। श्लोक १५

Keeping himself ever steadfast in this manner, the yogi of subdued mind attains the peace abiding in me and culminating in nirvana.

Hunger is appeased by the one who partakes of food. The peacae of blessedness comes to him who has reached the culmination of yoga. As heat is inherent in fire, peace pertains to paramatman. This peace or santi  is synonymous with mukti  or emancipation. And this is the fruit of yoga

The one who newly visits a city must first procure a good lodging for himself. Then he may roam about the city, seeing many interesting things. If the lodging is not fixed first, at sunset he will have difficulties  in that respect.  Similarly the man who has newly come into this world shall have to seek the everlasting shelter first at the feet of the lord. Then he may live in this world carefree and go about his undertakings. Otherwise the sunset of death will harass him much. 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 14

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Method 12-15

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 14

Bali Maharaj & Vamana Avatara

If there be any trace of mentation while in meditation, how does the yogi engage that pacified mind? the blissful brooding is now dilated upon-

Prashant atma vigam tabhih brahma chari vrate sthitah I

Shantim nirvana paramam mad samstham adhigachati II sloka 14

प्रशान्त आत्मा विगं तभिः  ब्रह्म चारि व्रते स्थितः ।

मनः संयम्य मद्चित्तः युक्तः आसीत मत्परः  ।। श्लोक १४

Serene and fearless, firm in the vow of a Brahmachari, subdued in mind, he should sit in yoga thinking on Me and intent on Me alone.

That mind is said to be serene, which is as placid as a rippleless lake. As there is in the yogi a heroic deliberation to train the mind  this way, fear finds no place in him. He is a brahmachari who, untouched by lust, is pure as a baby in thought, word and deed.  As his mind has not been allowed to become satanic, subjugation of the mind is a matter of course with him. No two conflicting things simultaneously occupy one's mind. The yogi's mind is dedicated to serve and commune with paramatman only. He is therefore intent on Iswara.

When a person observes the vow of Brahmacharya rigidly for 12 years he develops a new sensory nerve called Medhanadi. It is the intuitive faculty.  Intricate and knotty problems of life are no problems to him. That penetrating faculty makes it possible for him to intuit Iswara as well, it being the acme of enlightenment.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 13

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Method 12-15

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 13

 Radha Damodar

Should the body be in any manner disciplined to bring about concentration of mind? The injunction in this respect is -

Samam kaya shirah grivam dharayan achalam sthirah I

Samprekshay nasika agram svam dishah cha anavalokayan II sloka 13

समं काय शिरः ग्रीवं धारयन् अचलं स्थिरः ।

संप्रेक्ष्य नासिका अग्रं स्वं दिशः च अन् अवलोकयन्  ।। श्लोक १३

Let him hold the body, head & neck erect and still, gazing at the tip of his nose, without looking around.

 When the body, head & neck are held erect, the spinal cord becomes vertical. In this harmonized breathing takes place easily and freely and good thoughts come in naturally. The posture assumed for meditation should be firm, facile and deliberate. Consciousness of the body is got over in this manner. As the mind calms down in meditation, the eye balls assume steadiness and seem as if they are gazing at the tip of the nose, while actually at rest. In meditation all modifications of the mind merge in the self beaming as bliss or as Pure Consciousness.

When a bird is brooding on her eggs for hatching, she puts on a vacant look taking no notice of things around her. Even such is the case with the eyes of the yogi in meditation.

In meditation there is one-pointedness of the mind. Then eyes see not and ears hear not; body becomes inert, as it were. Any snake crawling on the body is not sensed then by the yogi, nor does the snake apprehend any danger from its contact with the human body.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 12

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Method 12-15

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 12

Tatra ekagram manah krutva yat chitta indriya kriyah I

Upa vishaya asane yunjat yogam atma vishuddaye II sloka 12

तत्र एकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यत् चित्त इन्द्रिय क्रियः ।

उप विषय आसने युञ्जात योगं आत्म विषुद्दये ।। श्लोक १२

Sitting there on his seat, making the mind one-pointed and restraining the thinking faculty and the senses, he should pratise yoga for self purification. 

Mind loses its innate purity to the extent it connects objects through the senses. It is very much like the rain water contacting the earth and becoming muddy. Suspending the senses and resting  the mind in the self is the only  means to reclaim it to its original state. Like bathing and cleansing the body with holy water, mind has to be purified by repeatedly merging it in the self. And this process is life long.  It is to be as obligatory as bathing and eating.  The power and potentiality of the mind increases as it progresses in self purification.

Milk gets easily mixed with water; but if it is churned into butter and put in water it floats maintaining its individuality instead. Man's mind that easily gets lost in sense objects has to be cultivated in devotion to the Lord in solitude. Worldly contact that comes subsequent to the development of devotion to the Lord causes no harm. 

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 11

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Favourable Environment 10-11

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 11

 Badrinath Perumal in meditation

Shuchau deshe pratishtapya sthiram asanam atmanah I

Na ati udshritam na ati nicham chaila ajina kusha uttaram II sloka 11

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरं आसनं आत्मनः ।

न अति उध्श्रितं  न अति नीचं चैल अजिन कुश उत्तरं ।। श्लोक ११

Having firmly fixed in a clean place,his seat, neither too hig nor too low, and having spread over it the kusa grass, a deer skin and a cloth, one over the other;

There is a close relationship between the environment and the cast of the mind of the person placed in it. Living in a dirty hovel naturally leads the dweller to baseness and depression of mind. Living in a clean place of natural beauty invigorates and elevates the mind.

Seats like a lounge, a swing, or a hammock are no good for meditation. A heap of grass or pebbles, a pile of logs - things such as these are also to avoided. A rock or a platform constructed about 2 feet above the ground is quite suitable for this purpose. One would feel dizzy if the pedestal was too high. A seat on the ground would provide no protection from creeping insects. The provision on the platform, of a sacred kusa grass mat, a deer skin, and a cloth one over the other would make an ideal seat for meditation.

The method of practicing meditation follows in the next few slokas

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 10

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Favourable Environment 10-11

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 10

 Salai kinaru Ramanujar - Kanchi

Yogi yunjit sattatam atmanam rahasi sthitah I

Ekaki yat chittatma nirashih aparigrahah II sloka 10

योगी युञ्जीत सततं आत्मानं रहसि स्थितः ।

एकाकी यत् चित्तात्मा निराशीः अपरिग्रहः ।। श्लोक १०

A yogi should always try to concentrate his mind living alone in solitude, having subdued his mind and body and got rid of desires and possessions.

It is in solitude that the mental worth of one is truly seen. When an aspirant shuts himself  in a room, he knows there are people in other rooms and  they know that he is confined to his particular room. A setting like this does not fulfil the condition of the sadhaka    being alone in solitude. Others should know of his whereabouts and he should have none but God to commune with. The thought of food rushes to the forefront when one decides to fast. Akin to it, the untrained mind becomes turbulent when placed in solitude; suppressed desires would then try to gain ground. But if the mind chooses to commune with the divine, instead it augurs well for it.  That is really the state of desirelessness. It is by being alone in solitude that one's mind can truly be assessed by oneself. 

He is not a good chauffeur who has not learnt to apply brake properly and stop the car. The human body may be likened to a car. People have ever learnt to drive it on, but they do not know how to suspend its activities voluntarily. Instead of being masters of the body, they are slaves to it. He is a yogi who has learnt to make proper use of the body and to keep it quiet at his will. Quietening down the body and mind is meditation. 

Minimising the bodily requirements is imperative for spiritual advancement. He is a yogi who has reduced his bodily needs to the bare minimum. And no thought whatsoever is to be given to the possession of those few thing, lest they interfere with his meditation. Relinquishment of possessions and the idea of possession, is a prelude to good meditation. 

The truly virtuous man is he who commits no sin even when he is all by himself. That is no virtue which is practised for the fear ofpublic opinion. He alone is established in self control who does not lustfully think of a woman in privacy or public. He alone is established in self  control who does not cast a covetous eye on the gold coins that he comes across even in a deserted house. That alone is virtue which is practised quietly and unostentatiously.  

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 9

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 9

Suhrud mitraar udasina madhya stha dveshya bandhushu I

Sadhushu api cha papeshu sama buddhih vishishyate II sloka 9

सुहृद मित्रार उदासीन मध्य स्थ द्वेष्य बन्धुषु

साधुषु अपि च पापेषु सम बुद्धिः विशिष्यते ।। श्लोक ९

He stands supreme who has equal regard for friends, companions, enemies, neutrals, arbiters, the hateful, the relatives, saints and sinners.

 It is but natural for an ordinary man to react differently with people in varying levels of attainment and relationship. They are not normal human beings if they did not behave appropriate to the worth of the persons they contact. But the yogi's angle of vision is different. To him the whole world is a stage. Beings in it are all different manifestations of the same Divinity. As the actors of the different characters in a drama are all viewed alike by the stage manager, the yogi has nothing but a benign attitude even to those hostile to him. His supremely benevolent attitude is the greatest gift made by him to the conflict ridden humanity.

When seen from the plains the grass on the lawn and the deodar tree on the border of the lawn present strikingly contrasting pictures. But if they are  seen from the peak of the  mountain they would all blend into one even before. Similarly the earth bound man views one as a sovereign and another as a sweeper, one as a father and another as son, and so on. But after intuiting God, these differences vanish. There is no more of the good and the bad, the high and the low. God perception alone prevails everywhere.

Sri  Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 8

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 8

 Sita Swayamvaram

Gyan vignana trupt atma kuthastah vijit indriyah I

Yuktah iti uchyate yogi sama loshtaashma kanchana II sloka 8

ज्ञान विज्ञान तृप्त आत्मा  कूटस्थः विजित इन्द्रियः ।

युक्तः इति उच्यते योगी सम लोष्ट अश्म काञ्चनः ।। श्लोक ८

That yogi is steadfast who is satisfied with knowledge and wisdom, who remains unshaken, who has conquered the senses, to whom a clod, a stone and a piece of gold are the same.

The clarity of understanding obtained through the intellectual pursuit and pious study of scriptures goes by the nomenclature, jnana or knowledge; but this is not sufficient in itself. It has to culminate in vignana - intuition which is mentioned here as wisdom. The truth cogitated upon becomes cognised and the yogi delights both in the process and attainment. While everything else in nature shifts and changes, akasa or space alone remains ever itself. Similarly the self is the substratum behind the fleeting universe. It is therefore termed as kutastha.  The senses get quelled subsequent to the mind being controlled. The achievement of the yogi is that he is the conqueror of the senses. Mud pie and toys are of immense value to children; but adults look on these things with indifference. While the worldly minded ones grade the values of a clod, stone and a piece of gold, the yogi beholds them all as modifications of the transient nature. He views all things of the world with an equal eye, his mind being established in Brahman.

 Worldly people are they who seek after the impermanent things of the earth. Godly people are they who seek God and nothing else.

Swami Ramakrishna  Paramahamsa

Inert things are all viewed with an equal eyeby the yogi; But how does he view people of varying status? The clarification comes in the next sloka

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 7

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 7

Antaryami in every Atma in every living being

Jita atmanah prashantasya  paramatma samahitah I

Shita ushna sukha dukheshu tatha mana apamanayoh II sloka 7

जित आत्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः ।

शीत उष्ण सुख दुखेषु तथा मान अपमानयोः ।। श्लोक ७

The self disciplined and serene man's supreme self is constant in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, as also in honour and dishonour

The good and evil that befall the yogi through the agency of the elements in nature and the living beings, do not in any manner affect him. The external world is not viewed by this man of self mastery as benign or malignant. Clarity of mind is his who is established in self control. His mind reveals the supreme self enshrined in it. To the yogi this holy revelation is superior to everything else. Once contacted, this holy cognition becomes constant. Fluctuations in nature such as heat and cold, praise and censure do not affect him any more than the ravings of the delirious patient affect the operating surgeon. Indifferent to everything else, the yogi is in constant communion with the supreme self. This is the sreyas  sought after by the wise. 

The mind that delights in its communion with God detaches itself easily from sense pleasure. This is how the devotees get themselves emancipated. Contrary to this, the mind that  delights in the mundane gets entangled.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 6

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 6

 Andal - Thiruindaloor

Bandhuh atma atmanah tasya yena atma eva atmana jitah I

Anatmanah tu shatrutve varte ita atma eva shatruvat  II sloka 6

बन्धुः आत्मा आत्मनः तस्य येन आत्मा एव आत्मना जितः ।

अनात्मनः तु  शत्रुत्वे वर्ते इत आत्मा एव शत्रुवत्  ।। श्लोक ६

To him who has conquered his base self by the divine self, his own self is the friend; but to him who has not subdued the self, his own self acts as his foe. 

 The base and the divine are the two mutually opposing natures at work in man. When either of them predominates the other gets vanquished. Where the body, mind and senses are under perfect control, the divine nature prevails and pulls the man up. Progressively he evolves into high orders of existence. But when he submits to the base nature it ruins him completely. The foe outside hurts or attempts to hurt occasionally. Even then it is possible for the self disciplining yogi to turn that adverse situation to advantage; every ordeal calmly handled adds to the calibre of one's mind. The foe of the base nature within oneself, on the other hand, is constantly causing havoc. The reckless man therefore is personally responsible for, the evils that he has brought upon himself. He is the worst enemy for himself. The yogi is the only one who is a genuine friend for himself causing self emancipation in all respects. Barring him  the others are enemies of themselves in varying degrees.

 Both bondage and freedom are in the minds of men. "I am a liberated soul; I am the child of God, none can bind me" - if one can assume this attitude with firm conviction one becomes liberated. If a man is bitten by a venomous snake strongly suggests to himself  that there is no poison , he falls no prey to the base

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 5

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 5

 Lower Ahobilam - Prahalada Narasimhar

Udharet asmana atmanam na atmanam avasadayet I

Atma eva hi atmanah bandhuh atma eva ripu atmanah II sloka 5

उद्धरेत  आस्माना आत्मानं न आत्मानं अवसादयेत्  ।

आत्मा एव हि आत्मनः बन्धुः आत्मा एव रिपुः  आत्मनः ।। श्लोक ५

Let a man raise himself by his own self; let him not debase himself. For he is himself his friend and foe.

One is oneself responsible for one's distinction ore debasement. The contributions that others make in these respects are secondary. It is but usual that one complains that one's enemy has done havoc to one. But no one can hurt without oneself contributing to it. It is possible for a sadhaka to avail himself of a wrong done to him by his enemy for self purification. Because of misunderstanding and maladjustment man paves the way for self debasement. And by doing so, he becomes his own enemy. On the other hand, by right understanding and right conduct he elevates himself and thereby becomes his own friend.  One is one's own arch friend or arch foe. The person who understands this fact, learns and invaluable lesson for life. 

No one courts enmity; friendship alone is sought by all. That being the case, how shall ohe solution is offered in the next sloka

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 4

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 4

 Ramanuja & Sishyas

Yada hi na indriya artheshu na karmasu anushajjate I

Sarva sankalpa sanyasi yogarudhah tada uchyate II sloka 4

Then alone is one said to have attained yoga when having renounced all sankalpas, one does not get attached to sense objects and actions.

 Yogarudha  is one who has attained the acme of yoga. Human perfection reaches its zenith in him. Deep dhyana  or the meditation of the yogi develops into samadhi or enlightenment. In this state, the external world is no more for him. There is no mentation in him to manipulate the senses. As in sound sleep, so in this self sufficiency and beatitude of samadhi the obligatory duties even get suspended. Freed from sankalpa,  his mind is calm like an ocean without waves. In this plenitude of bliss the thoughts of this world and of any others likely to come, are all blotted out. The eternal presence alone is.

Desires and doings are all born of sankalpa - Manu II-2

O deire, I know wherefrom you tak your origin. You are bon of sankalpa. I shall refuse to make sankalpa of you. Annihilation then is your lot.                                                             Santi Parva 177-25

The brilliant presence of Iswara cannot be perceived in that mental firmament which is disturbed by the gale of desires

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

 Then what  the sadhaka should do comes in the  next sloka

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 3

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of The Bhagavad Gita, published by Ramakrishna Mission.

Karma Yoga is Karma Sanyasa 1-9 

1 Gita Sloka every day - Chapter 6 - Dhyana Yoga - Sloka 3

 Dhruva with Narada

Arurukshoh  muneh yogam karma karanam uchyate I

Yoga arudasya tasya va shamah karanam uchyate II sloka 3

अरुरुक्षोः मुनेः योगं कर्म कारणम् उच्यते ।

योग अरुढस्य तस्य वा शमः कारणम् उच्यते ।। श्लोक ३

Karma is said to be the means of the muni who seeks to attain to yoga; serenity is said to be the means when he has attained to yoga.

He is a muni in the making who applies himself ardently to the practice of meditation. Though practising regularly. his mind does not get concentrated. It wanders away in spite of himself. In that case the yogi ought to engage himself eagerly in karma yoga. The non-yogi who busies himself with the work he undertakes, is rewarded by nature with sound sleep at night. The yogi is busier definitely in the discharge of his duty, but with attachment and selfish motive. Good concentrated meditation is the reward he gets for his disinterested work. He can know thhis fact by experience day by day. Clarity of mind is the result of deep meditation. It is this clarity that gets itself settle as serenity. Through proper meditation the mind gets poised in equilibrium. As the crystallization of a stuff takes place  in a restful condition, so the mind gets fixed in equilibrium through meditation. On the attainment of serenity it becomes fit for all purposes - personal and public. Deep meditation is the yogi's personal activity in which he delights inn the sublimity of the self. At other times the external work that he carries on is done to perfection. Serenity is the sure means for his attaining all these excellences. 

Seernity is the foremost of all the accomplishments of the yogi. From this divine gift emanate merits like unison, equality, truthfulness, good conduct, steadfastness, straightforwardness, non-injury to beings and detachment from the world. 

What are the marks of the yogi who has attained perfection in yoga? The explanation is given in the next sloka