BG6.16

Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that the person who is starting yoga should concentrate on Him. Here we may get a doubt. We are talking about atman sakshatkaram. Why should one meditate on Sri Krishna? In the last Six Chapters nowhere did He talk about meditating on Him. He was describing the way to have kaivalyam or atman anubhavam only. There are three types of experiences. What we experience in this world with our sense organs is called Aiswarya anubhavam or materialistic pleasures. The second is kaivalyam, which makes one to enjoy one's own atman and after death, this atman will be self enjoying in somewhere and there is no rebirth for that atman. The third is the most supreme experience of the atman with the Paramatman in Vaikuntam and that is called Mokshanubhavam. Sri Krishna talks of kaivalyanubhavam only till Chapter 6, by repeatedly mentioning atman sakshatkaram. Only from Chapter 7, He is going to tell about Bhagavadanubhavam, Bhakti, Bhagavat sakshatkaram, etc. But then why does He mention about concentrating on Him, in Chapter 6? To clear that doubt He says the 15th sloka:

yunjann evam sadatmanam
yogi niyata-manasah
shantim nirvana-paramam
mat-samstham adhigacchati

"By concentrating on Me and controlling the mind, the yogi, after releasing this body, attains peace just like Me"

Sada = always, atmanam = directing the mind, yunjann evam = only on Me [Sri Krishna], yogi = such a yogi, niyata manasa = controls the mind. The yogi who is meditating on me gets the mind controlled and gets the kaivalyanubhavam. So the result is kaivalyam only, but even that has to be through Sri Krishna. We have to understand one thing very clear. Though all these three experiences are different, anyone of these can be attained only from Sri Krishna. So, He is to be prayed whatever be our goal. Sri Krishna also appreciates those who pray for Him as the reward and so our aim should not be Aiswaryanubhavam or Kaivalyanubhavam, but Bhagavadanubhavam only. But to make us understand yoga, He is mentioning kaivalyanubhavam here. In Sri Varaha charama sloka, 'sthithe manasi...', the Lord tells that when the mind gets concentrated anytime, one should devote the mind on Him. A doubt may arise here. Are we to devote in Him when the mind is concentrated? Or, are we to devote in Him to concentrate our mind? Actually, our mind gets controlled and concentrated occasionally. Whenever such a situation arises, we should devote in Him. With this He will grant more and more power for us to concentrate and devote in Him. Whenever we find our mind controlled, at that time we should go to a temple or meditate on Him. This will start the process and slowly we will find our mind gets controlled whenever we are in devotion to Him. Why the mind gets controlled only if we direct our mind in devotion to Him? Why not we meditate on so many things we see? Our mind drifts in various directions because of the influence of the three qualities- satva, rajo and tamas. All we see also have these three qualities. Only the Lord is an embodiment of satva quality alone and we call it suddha satvam. So when we concentrate our mind in Him, our mind does not wander and gets controlled. What do we achieve by this controlled mind? This is explained in the latter half of the sloka. Nirvanam = discarding this body, paramam = at the border of [nirvanam], shantim = peace, adigacchati = attains, mat samstham = [similar to] the state in Me [Sri Krishna]. He attains some of the qualities the Lord possesses. Kaivalyam means one discards the body and this world. So such an atman has none of the six deficiencies nor has to be reborn. Six deficiencies are: asi = existing, jayate = born or created, parinamate = changes, vivarchyate = grows, apasyate = decays and vinasyate = gets destroyed. Any matter we see has these dificiencies. The state without these six deficiencies is called shanti. There are yet another six sufferings called oormi: acanaya = hunger, pitasa = thirst, soham = hardship, moham = delirium or unconsciousness, jara = aging and maranam = death. A person in shanti does not have these six sufferings also. This state is reached after discarding this body. A person starts yoga, for which he has to control the mind and so meditates on him. He practices yoga continuously and steadily and after discarding the body [after death], he attains himself [atman]. This state is called shanti. That stage is similar to the satge the Lord possesses. The Lord neither has the six deficiencies nor the six sufferings and so He is always in shanti as the person who after yoga has attained. But please note that here the Lord has told about kaivalyam, and we should never aspire for that and have Paramatma anubhavam as our only aim.

Note; On 19th and 20th January 2008 [Saturday and Sunday], to commomorate the 1000th Birth anniversary of SWamy Koorathalwan, Varadaraja Sthavam, will be lectured in Sri Varadaraja Swamy temple, Kanchipuram, between 8am and 10am, 230pm and 430 pm and 6pm and 8pm [total of 2X 6 hours for two days]. On 26th January 2008, devotees could join the Utsavam in Kooram village [in Kanchipuram and Arakkonam rail route].