(Image Courtesy Mahanidhiswami)

For the One Who is Turned Inwards & Can Find Bliss There the Worldly Activities Become Meaningless

या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी |
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुने: || 2.69||

yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamī
yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ|| 2.69||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 2- Ver. 69:

The balanced individual is awake in that which is a night for all beings. And the person of contemplation sees the world as the night when all beings are awake.

Explanation

Because the world is the same for everyone, the realized Person’s experience is the polar opposite of the average person’s. Everything in the world is destined to perish. A realized person perceives Infinity in the same world. He notices the unchanging substratum on which the changing occurrences occur. His attention is drawn to the imperishable.

Like day and night, they are two completely different sensations. The night represents ignorance. You’re not aware of Infinity, but you’re quite conscious of the world’s finite things. You perceive limitation as a result of your affiliation with the limited body, mind, and intellect.

Even in the relative sense, this principle holds true. To a spiritual person, what is day is a night to a sensuous one. The introspective person gets up and goes to bed early. The sensual one stays awake all night and just sleeps in the morning.

A spiritual person has a positive outlook on life, whereas a sensualist has a negative and unsettled outlook on life. An introverted person is an optimist because, while he recognizes his flaws, he also sees a means to overcome them. Extroverted people are pessimists who only see the unpleasant aspects of life. A spiritual person is almost always a giver, whereas a materialist is almost always a taker.

Verse & what we can learn

Spiritually inclined people are active in the actions that help in the development of the soul.

Spiritual people find contentment in the activities that are helpful in the evolution of the soul and materially inclined people find happiness in the activities that please the senses.

In the previous verses, Shri Krishna states that one who experiences the divine bliss loses his appetite for sensory pleasures, when that happens that person loses his interest in the activities that bring sensory pleasure and is more active towards those actions that bring about the evolution of the soul.

Here raises the question of how can one experience that higher bliss?

By turning inwards and meditating daily one can experience the store of bliss that is there within us. 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 verse, Shri Krishna explains to Arjuna the qualities of sage.

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