(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

A Devotee Should Turn Mind Away From The World And Focus It On God He Has To Repeat This Exercise Again And Over

अथ चित्तं समाधातुं न शक्नोषि मयि स्थिरम् |
अभ्यासयोगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय || 12.9||

atha chittaṁ samādhātuṁ na śhaknoṣhi mayi sthiram
abhyāsa-yogena tato mām ichchhāptuṁ dhanañjaya|| 12.9||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 12- Ver. 9:

If you can’t keep your mind firmly fixed on me, O Dhananjaya, then seek me out through the yoga of repeated practice.

Explanation

The pinnacle of sadhana or spiritual practice is focusing the mind on Shree Krishna, but we can’t expect to be perfect right away. So, what can people do if they can’t perfect their focus on God? In this passage, Shree Krishna instructs people to remember Him with love. “Connection with God via repeated practice,” When the mind wanders to other objects or concepts, the devotee must try to bring it back to God by remembering His Names, Forms, Virtues, Pastimes, Abodes, and Associates.

Verse & what we can learn

If we are unable to keep our minds fixed on Ishvara all of the time, Shri Krishna advises that we set aside some time each day to practice. Arjuna admits to Shri Krishna that keeping one’s focuses on Ishvara all of the time is difficult, and he seeks a remedy to this problem. Shri Krishna recommends the technique of “abhyasa,” or repeated practice, there as well. We begin by selecting an object of devotion, such as a deity’s picture, a spiritual text, or a mantra. Then, we set aside a specific time and place each day to concentrate on the object of worship. We gently draw our thoughts back whenever they wander.

It’s worth noting that abhyasa isn’t conceivable without vairagya, or dispassion for the material world. It is nearly hard to meditate without first lowering material demands. Each vasana, or unfulfilled desire, has the capacity to generate a chain of thoughts in our heads. When we sit down to meditate, these unfulfilled wants compete with one another to generate thoughts that divert our attention away from the object of adoration. As a result, Shri Krishna urges us to combine abhyasa with vairagya.

To acquire knowledge and to 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 is 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.

We just think of Ishvara for a short period of time each day now that we do dhyana yoga. What should we do with the rest of the day to maintain our spiritual practice? Alternatively, our desires may not allow us to sit still. So, how should we approach Ishvara’s worship? In the following shloka is Shri Krishna’s response.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…