Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 12: Bhakti Yogam Verse 12:
(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
We Begin To Achieve Detachment From Worldly Pleasures By Controlling The Mind Through Meditation
श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते |
ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् || 12.12||
śhreyo hi jñānam abhyāsāj jñānād dhyānaṁ viśhiṣhyate
dhyānāt karma-phala-tyāgas tyāgāch chhāntir anantaram|| 12||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 12- Ver. 12:
Knowledge is greater to practice, meditation is superior to knowledge, and renunciation of fruits of activities’ is superior to meditation, because renunciation is followed by peace.
Explanation
Many people are proficient in mechanical skills. They follow their religious rituals, but they don’t engage their minds in God. It’s not a bad thing to perform rituals routinely; after all, something is better than nothing. At the very least, such people are externally devoted.
However, Shree Krishna claims that spiritual knowledge development is more important than mechanical exercise. Knowledge imparts the insight that God-realization, not material progress, is the ultimate aim of life. Knowledgeable people go beyond empty rituals and develop the drive to purify their minds. However, knowledge alone is insufficient to purify the heart.
The process of engaging the mind in meditation, according to Shree Krishna, is higher than the development of knowledge. We begin to build detachment from worldly pleasures by practicing mind control through meditation. We can then practice the following phase, which is renunciation of the fruits of activities, if the mind has developed some amount of detachment.
Verse & what we can learn
For those who have given up attachment to the body, jnyaana yoga was prescribed, abhyasa yoga for those who can sit for meditation, bhakti yoga for those who can perform every action for Ishvara, and karma yoga for those who can dedicate the consequences of their acts to Ishvara.
Practice is preferable to knowledge. Practice here refers to the mechanical recitation of japas without the use of the mind or intellect. We will not go far with such lifeless exercise. Shri Krishna warns us against going into contemplative practice without first understanding what we’re doing, how to accomplish it, and what the purpose is.
Meditation, Shri Krishna claims, is preferable to knowledge. The term “meditation” is employed here to refer to a higher level of awareness, one that does not distinguish between the knower and the known, and is a direct, intuitive understanding of Ishvara. This is preferable than dry, academic knowledge received from a cursory perusal of the scriptures without the guidance of a guru and without the full internalization of that knowledge through a pure mind and intellect. Meditation or greater knowledge, in this sense, is preferable to purely academic knowledge.
Shri Krishna anticipated that most people would have a strong attachment to their bodies, as well as a big stock of selfish wants that would lead to selfish behaviour. They require a technique that is suited for their qualifications and will eventually lead them to the practice of meditation. Renunciation of the fruits of acts, or karma yoga, is preferable to meditation for such people. Only renunciation will bring us short-term calm by reducing future worry and long-term serenity by qualifying us for meditation.
To acquire knowledge and implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next shloka, Shri Krishna describes which kind of devotees are dear to him.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…