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.