(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)
We Must Discipline Our Minds And Develop The Habit Of Always Meditating On God
अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना |
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् || 8.8||
abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena chetasā nānya-gāminā
paramaṁ puruṣhaṁ divyaṁ yāti pārthānuchintayan|| 8||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 8- Ver. 8:
O Paartha, (one) attains (him) by keeping the mind focused on yoga and not straying from it, and by contemplating the supreme divine person.
Explanation
Shree Krishna uses the word abhysa, which implies practise, in this verse. He claims that we must discipline our minds and develop the habit of always concentrating on God. This practise should not be done at set periods or at regular intervals, but rather as part of our daily lives, alongside our worldly occupations.
We must remember that it is not the actions we take with our bodies that will define our destiny, but where we place our minds. If we link our minds to God, who is all clean, while fulfilling our worldly obligations, our minds will be purified as well.
When a person engages in devotion on a regular basis, with entire submission to God, their purified mind progressively becomes fully absorbed in God-consciousness. Such souls receive God’s divine grace, which frees them from maya’s shackles. Then God bestows His limitless divine happiness, divine knowledge, and heavenly love upon these beings. They achieve God-realization while still living and enjoy a full life. When they die, their souls eventually ascend to God’s Divine Abode.
Verse & what we can learn
Upaasana, or constant meditation on Ishvara, is the ultimate objective, in which the mind is trained to focus solely on one thing. If it wanders away from our meditation object, we bring it back. We can dwell on any form with which we are familiar. The deity should naturally spring to mind. It is not necessary to choose one over the other. the deity is an indicator or reference to Ishvara, the supreme divine person. We must not become enslaved to the deity we have chosen. Our understanding of Ishvara expands as we improve our meditation skills.
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 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 following three shlokas, Shri Krishna elaborates upon the technique of meditation on form.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…