Chapter 06, Verse 11 & 12
श्रीभगवानुवाच:
शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मन:।
नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम्॥6.11॥
तत्रैकाग्रं मन: कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रिय: |
उपवश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये || 6.12 ||
sri-bhagavan uvaca:
sucau dese pratisthapya sthiram asanam atmanah।
natyucchritam natinicam cailajina-kusottaram॥6.11॥
tatraikagram manah krtva yatacittendriyakriyah |
upavisyasane yunjyad yogam atma-visuddhaye || 6.12 ||
Word-by-Word Analysis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
श्रीभगवानुवाच: (sri-bhagavan uvaca) |
The Supreme Lord said: This marks Krishna’s first direct
speech in the Bhagavad Gita, where he begins guiding
Arjuna. |
|
शुचौ (sucau) |
In a clean (pure) |
|
देशे (dese) |
Place (location) |
|
प्रतिष्ठाप्य (pratisthapya) |
Having established (set up) |
|
स्थिरम् (sthiram) |
Firm (steady) |
|
आसनम् (asanam) |
Seat (sitting place) |
|
आत्मन: (atmanah) |
For the self (oneself) |
|
न (na) |
Not |
|
अति-उच्छ्रितम् (atyucchritam) |
Too high |
|
न (na) |
Not |
|
अति-नीचम् (atinicam) |
Too low |
|
चैल-अजिन-कुश-उत्तरम् (caila-ajina-kusottaram) |
Covered with cloth, deerskin and Kusa grass |
|
तत्र (tatra) |
There (in that seat/place) |
|
एकाग्रं (ekagram) |
One-pointed (focused) |
|
मन: (manah) |
The mind |
|
कृत्वा (krtva) |
Having made |
|
यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रिय: (yata-citta-indriya-kriyah) |
With controlled mind, senses, and actions |
|
उपविश्य (upavisya) |
Having seated |
|
आसने (asane) |
On the seat |
|
युञ्ज्यात् (yunjyat) |
Should practice (unite/engage in) |
|
योगम् (yogam) |
Yoga (meditation) |
|
आत्मविशुद्धये (atma-visuddhaye) |
For the purification of the self/soul |
Translation
“To the practitioner of Yoga should also be a solitary place, he should spread Kusa grass on the ground and cover it with deerskin and a soft cloth. The sitting place should not be very high or very low and it should be properly covered on a sanctified seat. The Yogi should then sit very firmly in the posture and practise Yoga, controlling the mind and the senses, purifying the heart and fixing the mind on one point.
Context of the Verse:
This verse is Chapter 6, Dhyana Yoga, which is the discipline of meditation (Yoga) leading to self-realization. Having then told what are the requisites for a Yogi, Krishna now comes to speak of the proper place for meditation.
In this verse, Shree Krishna is explaining how a Yogi should make his seat and surrounding for meditation. Here is a practical exercise in spiritual discipline.
Krishna is describing the state of the meditator:
- Seated on the right kind of seat .
- Bringing the mind to one-pointed concentration (Ekagra).
- Controlling sensory inputs and desires (Yata-Citta-Indriya-Kriyah).
- And engaging in Yoga for self-purification (Atma-Visuddhaye).
Key Teachings in This Verse:
- Cleanliness (Sucau Dese): Cleanliness means the maintenance for pure meditation. External cleanliness supports internal purification.
- Stability (Sthiram Asanam): A steady seat allows for physical steadiness, which allows for mental focused.
- Balance (Natyucchritam Natinicham): Avoid super high or super low seats which leads to an imbalance and loss of equanimity.
- Conventional Supports (Caila-Ajina-Kusottaram): The sattvic (pure and conducive) mode of meditation will be maintained with holy objects such as Kusa-grass, deerskin, cloth, etc.
Relevance to Arjuna:
- Arjuna, a warrior is perplexed and in a state of emotional inconsistency. Krishna slowly turns him from the external duties (Karma Yoga)-to the internal stability (Dhyana Yoga).
- This verse is a segment of Krishna’s teaching on meditation-beginning meditation required for Arjuna to be mentally composed and self-controlled.
- It is all about preparedness, discipline and control, necessities for any Yogi, so too of a warrior.
Explanation:
First of all, one has to go to Satwik place, it means jungle and mountains, natural places.
It is not possible to be engaged in this process in the cities and towns, where then mode of passion is prominent. So very difficult, so somebody who accepting, who is ready that and who can go to jungle or mountain, there’s a first instrumental before explaining anything, Krishna tells that you control your material desires. You finish the attachment of self, possessiveness, and you leave everything and go to the, you go to the secluded place and sit down and affirm pose.
So first of all, a person has to do different Asana and postures. And at the end one has to just sit in a place and finish all the activities of the census. No sensor is experiential activities and a human should not sleep. And then on top of that for many years many people continuously have to just not eat, not drink, also just have to keep sitting.
So, sometimes that’s why there’s the flesh decayed by ants, because you’ve got to sit for many, many years, hundreds of millennia. Sometimes, there are anthills, look at Hiranya Kasyapu for example, he was doing this Tapasya. It had been eaten by the bugs. Or by the ants the hill was also formed on the bodies of many Yogis as they did very severe Tapasya.
Therefore person, without trembling, without worrying should fix his intelligence or his heart on that one goal. So, if somebody is not having a factual knowledge of God and for love always one has to think of Krishna, then this mechanical process of material detachment or on Krishna, that is recommended.
So, it’s very tough. Krishna is expressing Secluded Sacred place. If you go to Hariduwar and Rishikesh up there and you will find Yogi sitting there, they doesn’t do in group here, If they are at all then people do not know. Some Yoga groups that wing up as a result, but even that is not according to the command given in Sankhya Yoga in this chapter by lord Krishna who is instructing Arjuna. On your own you have to go and you don’t get taken in by oh what will happen. Who will take care of me? Those who desire to be people on this path, they shall have to totally depend upon God. One should not fear. Some snake may come; tiger may come” Even if tiger comes you can’t see towards tiger. You keep your eyes fixated at the tip of nose, as Krishna (the God) says.
Chapter 06, Verse 13-14
समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिर: |
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन् ||6.13||
प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थित: |
मन: संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्पर: ||6.14||
samam kaya-siro-grivam dharayan acalam sthirah |
sampreksya nasikagram svam disas canavalokayan ||6.13||
prasantatma vigata-bhir brahmacari-vrate sthitah |
manah samyamya mac-citto yukta asita mat-parah ||6.14||
Word-by-Word Analysis
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
|
समम् (samam) |
Straight/evenly aligned |
|
काय (kaya) |
Body |
|
शिर: (sirah) |
Head |
|
ग्रीवम् (grivam) |
And neck |
|
धारयन् (dharayan) |
Holding |
|
अचलम् (acalam) |
Steady/unmoving |
|
स्थिर: (sthirah) |
Firm/still |
|
सम्प्रेक्ष्य (sampreksya) |
Gazing at |
|
नासिकाग्रं (nasikagram) |
The tip of the nose |
|
स्वं (svam) |
One’s own |
|
दिश: (disah) |
Directions (quarters) |
|
च (ca) |
And |
|
अनवलोकयन् (anavalokayan) |
Not looking around |
|
प्रशान्तात्मा (prasantatma) |
Tranquil-minded |
|
विगतभी: (vigata-bhih) |
Free from fear |
|
ब्रह्मचारिव्रते (brahmacari-vrate) |
In the vow of celibacy (discipline) |
|
स्थित: (sthitah) |
Established/fixed |
|
मन: (manah) |
The mind |
|
संयम्य (samyamya) |
Having controlled |
|
मच्चित्त: (mat-cittah) |
With the mind fixed on Me (Krishna) |
|
युक्त: (yuktah yuktaḥ) |
United (in yoga) |
|
आसीत (asita) |
Should sit |
|
मत्पर: (mat-parah) |
Devoted to Me (Krishna as the Supreme) |
Translation
Having kept the back, neck and head straight, remaining unwavering, fixing the gaze on the tip of his own nose and not looking in any direction.
Fixing the thought on Me, the Yogi who is of subdued mind being steady in the vow of celibacy, fearless and resolute should remain seated. Having Me as paramour (conjoined) meditating on Me only.
Context of the Verses:
In this topic: Chapter 6: Dhyana Yoga (The Yoga of Meditation), Lord Krishna is telling Arjuna how to meditate in the right way to get spiritual realization and inner peace. In establishing the requirement of the proper seat and surroundings (verses 11–12), Krishna then provides practical specifics of:
- What the position of the body should be: The Yogi should sit upright and motionless, the gaze looking straight ahead, mind not wandering; his gaze steady.
- Mental attitude: Peacefulness, courage, celibacy and firm faith and devotion are indispensable.
These scriptures rest upon this foundation of earlier verses and present that the Yoga is not just physical but very mental and very devotional.
Key Teachings in These Verses:
- Physical Alignment: Your body is an antenna to the universe! Physical Alignment is the height of your consciousness and the result of your alertness & mental focus!
- Yoga of withdrawal of the senses: Fixing and no external/outer looking helps on inner journey.
- Quiet: Still body, still mind.
- Peace (Prasantatma): Peace is needed for going into depth of meditation.
- Courage (Vigata-Bhih): To be without fear is to be in a position to surrender to the Divine.
- Celibacy/Discipline (Brahmacari-Vrata): Continence and control over appetites; to instil purity.
- Focus on God: (Mat-Cittah, Mat-Parah): Real Yoga is devotional service unto Krishna, not just realization of the self.
Relevance to Arjuna:
Arjuna is confused and he is lacking control, what is the better course to follow. Sri Krishna gives him a method to recover his peace and balance. These verses show Arjuna (and any seeker) that it is possible to overcome emotional distress and understand spiritual reality with discipline, meditation, and God-focused devotion. Krishna is slowly turning Arjuna from a troubled warrior into a wise Yogi.
Explanation:
One should keep the body spindle, the neck and the head in a straight line.
And look fixedly at the tip of the nose, not in ‘loose’ position and let the eye be half closed. It is not said to shut our eyes altogether. Your Drishti (focus) is the tip of the nose. if you open your eye fully, you may get disturbed by the movements of different things. And such is your closeness, if you shut entirely, then you might slip into sleep.
In many Yoga groups, they relaying the closed eyes and most of them fall asleep and they say, oh yes, I am feeling so peaceful. But this is not the product of any Yoga or meditation. It is our being fallen asleep. You should not close your eyes completely either. The eyes are half closed and look at the tip of the nose and the man should be fearless. And they have strong belief in God. God is situated in the heart of all living entities. So, God’s going to protect me if he wants to protect. And if he needs to finish this body, then he can finish. So, a person is fearless. So, you are just sitting in a jungle, there’s no lights, nobody to help, there’s no protection. Alone So many wild animals to set You must keep on setting A man must show no fear.
Calling Brahmachariya is very important. Now, this is getting, of the Brahmachariya, the meaning also diluting now, unfortunately some people. There, they are simply speaking of spiritual life, about God, about Brahma. That is called Brahmachariya. Sages have also defined the term Brahmachariya. In mind, in action, in all respects, in all places, in all conditions one should become free from sex life at all times. If somebody wants to enjoy sex life, itis not possible.
In Gyan school and in Astang Yoga school it’s straight No. And there is no question of enjoying sex life at all. But in the Bhakti school, sex life is permissible. That Krishna will describe in the 10th chapter also. Thus, sex life is permitted for the Gristha’s but according to the regulated principles, not for illicit sex. Yet the goal in life is: how to get a good soul (and higher spiritual soul) in this world to be able to help yourself and others including the spiritually advanced.
For that their proper rules and regulations are also for the sex life. This is the regulated householder who is accepted in the Bhakti school. Bhakti school, very, very powerful, so much pleasure, person so much satisfied by serving of Krishna. (This means he can automatically emerge from the classes of senses of enjoyment. Whilst living in the affairs of the house. But in other schools, because there’s no pleasure of acting in Krishna consciousness but either you are cultivating knowledge – impersonal knowledge – or you are sitting somewhere and just trying to control the senses mechanically or artificially without having to see or eat anything or speak to anyone.