Meditation and the Mindआत्मसंयमयोग

अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः।
स संन्यासी च योगी च न निरग्निर्न चाक्रियः॥

anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ,
sa saṁnyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnir na cākriyaḥ.

One who does the work that ought to be done, without leaning on its fruit, is a renunciant and a yogi; not the one who merely gives up the sacred fire, nor the one who merely stops acting.

Live it todayReal renunciation is doing your duty without leaning on the reward.

यं संन्यासमिति प्राहुर्योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव।
न ह्यसंन्यस्तसङ्कल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन॥

yaṁ saṁnyāsam iti prāhur yogaṁ taṁ viddhi pāṇḍava,
na hy asaṁnyasta-saṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana.

What people call renunciation, know that to be yoga, O son of Pandu. For no one becomes a yogi without giving up self-centered intentions.

Live it todayPractice begins when you stop scheming for what you will get.

आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते।
योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते॥

ārurukṣor muner yogaṁ karma kāraṇam ucyate,
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇam ucyate.

For the sage who wishes to rise to yoga, action is said to be the means. For that same sage, once risen in yoga, calm is said to be the means.

Live it todayFirst steady work, then deep stillness: each stage has its own practice.

यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु न कर्मस्वनुषज्जते।
सर्वसङ्कल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस्तदोच्यते॥

yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu na karmasv anuṣajjate,
sarva-saṅkalpa-saṁnyāsī yogārūḍhas tadocyate.

When one is attached neither to the objects of the senses nor to actions, and has given up all self-centered intentions, then one is said to have risen in yoga.

Live it todayFreedom shows when neither things nor tasks have a hook in you.

उद्धरेदात्मनात्मानं नात्मानमवसादयेत्।
आत्मैव ह्यात्मनो बन्धुरात्मैव रिपुरात्मनः॥

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet,
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ.

Lift yourself by your own self; do not degrade yourself. For the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is its enemy.

Live it todayYou are your own best friend; be that today.

बन्धुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः।
अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत्॥

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ,
anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat.

For one who has conquered the self by the self, the self is a friend. But for one who has not, the very self behaves as an enemy.

Live it todayMaster yourself, and your mind becomes your ally.

जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः।
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः॥

jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ,
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ.

For one who has conquered the self and is at peace, the Supreme Self remains steady and present in cold and heat, pleasure and pain, respect and disrespect.

Live it todayPraise or insult, heat or cold: keep the same quiet heart.

ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रियः।
युक्त इत्युच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः॥

jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā kūṭa-stho vijitendriyaḥ,
yukta ity ucyate yogī sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ.

The yogi who is content with knowledge and lived wisdom, firm and unchanging, master of the senses, to whom a lump of earth, a stone and gold are the same, is said to be steady in yoga.

Live it todayGold or gravel, let neither decide your worth.

सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु।
साधुष्वपि च पापेषु समबुद्धिर्विशिष्यते॥

suhṛn-mitrāry-udāsīna-madhyastha-dveṣya-bandhuṣu,
sādhuṣv api ca pāpeṣu sama-buddhir viśiṣyate.

One who has the same even mind toward well-wishers, friends and foes, the indifferent and the neutral, the hateful and kin, the good and even the wicked, stands out among all.

Live it todayTreat friend and critic with the same steady fairness.

योगी युञ्जीत सततमात्मानं रहसि स्थितः।
एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीरपरिग्रहः॥

yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ,
ekākī yata-cittātmā nirāśīr aparigrahaḥ.

A yogi should constantly keep the mind in yoga, staying in a quiet place, alone, with mind and body controlled, free from longing and from possessiveness.

Live it todayMake a little time each day to sit alone in quiet.

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः।
नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम्॥

śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ,
nāty-ucchritaṁ nāti-nīcaṁ cailājina-kuśottaram.

In a clean place, one should set up a steady seat for oneself, neither too high nor too low, covered with kusha grass, a deerskin and a cloth, one over another.

Live it todayKeep a clean, steady corner for your daily sitting.

तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः।
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये॥

tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kṛtvā yata-cittendriya-kriyaḥ,
upaviśyāsane yuñjyād yogam ātma-viśuddhaye.

Seated there, making the mind one-pointed and holding the workings of thought and senses in check, one should practice yoga to purify the self.

Live it todaySit, gather the scattered mind to one point, and begin.

समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः।
संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्॥

samaṁ kāya-śiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann acalaṁ sthiraḥ,
saṁprekṣya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśaś cānavalokayan.

Holding the body, head and neck straight, still and unmoving, one should stay steady, gazing at the tip of one’s own nose without looking around in any direction.

Live it todaySit upright and still; let the eyes rest instead of roaming.

प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः।
मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः॥

praśāntātmā vigata-bhīr brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ,
manaḥ saṁyamya mac-citto yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ.

Serene and free from fear, firm in the vow of brahmacharya, with the mind restrained, one should sit in yoga with thoughts fixed on me, holding me as the highest goal.

Live it todaySit with a calm, unafraid heart, and rest your mind on the Divine.

युञ्जन्नेवं सदाऽऽत्मानं योगी नियतमानसः।
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति॥

yuñjann evaṁ sadā ‘ ‘tmānaṁ yogī niyata-mānasaḥ,
śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramāṁ mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati.

Always uniting the self in this way, the yogi of disciplined mind attains peace: the supreme peace of nirvana that rests in me.

Live it todaySteady practice, day after day, is how deep peace arrives.

नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः।
न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन॥

nāty-aśnatas tu yogo ‘sti na caikāntam anaśnataḥ,
na cāti-svapna-śīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna.

Yoga is not for one who eats too much, nor for one who does not eat at all; not for one who sleeps too much, nor for one who stays awake.

Live it todayDiscipline that harms the body is not discipline.

युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा॥

yuktāhāra-vihārasya yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu,
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā.

For one who is moderate in eating and recreation, balanced in effort at work, and measured in sleep and waking, yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow.

Live it todayEat, work, rest and sleep in measure; balance itself heals.

यदा विनियतं चित्तमात्मन्येवावतिष्ठते।
निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यो युक्त इत्युच्यते तदा॥

yadā viniyataṁ cittam ātmany evāvatiṣṭhate,
niḥspṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyo yukta ity ucyate tadā.

When the well-controlled mind rests in the Self alone, free from longing for any desire, then one is said to be steady in yoga.

Live it todayA mind that rests in itself stops chasing every want.

यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता।
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मनः॥

yathā dīpo nivāta-stho neṅgate sopamā smṛtā,
yogino yata-cittasya yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ.

As a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so is the disciplined mind of a yogi absorbed in the yoga of the self.

Live it todayA quiet mind holds steady like a sheltered flame.

यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया।
यत्र चैवात्मनाऽऽत्मानं पश्यन्नात्मनि तुष्यति॥

yatroparamate cittaṁ niruddhaṁ yoga-sevayā,
yatra caivātmanā ‘ ‘tmānaṁ paśyann ātmani tuṣyati.

When the mind, stilled by the practice of yoga, comes to rest, one sees the Self through the self and is content in the Self.

Live it todaySit still long enough to meet yourself, and be content.

सुखमात्यन्तिकं यत्तद्बुद्धिग्राह्यमतीन्द्रियम्।
वेत्ति यत्र न चैवायं स्थितश्चलति तत्त्वतः॥

sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam,
vetti yatra na caivāyaṁ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ.

There one knows a boundless joy, grasped by the intellect and beyond the senses; and established there, one never moves away from the truth.

Live it todayThe deepest joy needs nothing outside to spark it.

यं लब्ध्वा चापरं लाभं मन्यते नाधिकं ततः।
यस्मिन्स्थितो न दुःखेन गुरुणापि विचाल्यते॥

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ,
yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate.

Having gained this state of yoga, one counts no other gain as greater, and established in it, one is not shaken even by the heaviest sorrow.

Live it todayFind the stillness within, and even great sorrow cannot uproot you.

तं विद्याद् दुःखसंयोगवियोगं योगसंज्ञितम्।
स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोऽनिर्विण्णचेतसा॥

taṁ vidyād duḥkha-saṁyoga-viyogaṁ yoga-saṁjñitam,
sa niścayena yoktavyo yogo ‘nirviṇṇa-cetasā.

Know that this freedom from union with sorrow is called yoga. It should be practiced with firm resolve and a heart that does not lose courage.

Live it todayPractice with resolve, and do not lose heart.

सङ्कल्पप्रभवान्कामांस्त्यक्त्वा सर्वानशेषतः।
मनसैवेन्द्रियग्रामं विनियम्य समन्ततः॥

saṅkalpa-prabhavān kāmāṁs tyaktvā sarvān aśeṣataḥ,
manasaivendriya-grāmaṁ viniyamya samantataḥ.

Giving up completely all desires born of self-willed imagining, one should rein in the whole crowd of senses from every side with the mind itself.

Live it todayCatch a craving at the thought stage, before it takes hold.

शनैः शनैरुपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया।
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत्॥

śanaiḥ śanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā,
ātma-saṁsthaṁ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcid api cintayet.

Little by little one should come to rest, with the intellect held firm by steady resolve; settling the mind in the Self, one should think of nothing else.

Live it todayGo slowly; stillness comes little by little, not all at once.

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश्चञ्चलमस्थिरम्।
ततस्ततो नियम्यैतदात्मन्येव वशं नयेत्॥

yato yato niścarati manaś cañcalam asthiram,
tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet.

Wherever the restless, unsteady mind wanders off, one should draw it back from there and bring it under the control of the Self alone.

Live it todayEach time the mind wanders, gently bring it back; that is the practice.

प्रशान्तमनसं ह्येनं योगिनं सुखमुत्तमम्।
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतमकल्मषम्॥

praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ yoginaṁ sukham uttamam,
upaiti śānta-rajasaṁ brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣam.

Supreme joy comes to the yogi whose mind is at peace, whose passions are stilled, who is free from impurity and has become one with Brahman.

Live it todayWhen restless passion settles, joy arrives on its own.

युञ्जन्नेवं सदाऽऽत्मानं योगी विगतकल्मषः।
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं सुखमश्नुते॥

yuñjann evaṁ sadā ‘ ‘tmānaṁ yogī vigata-kalmaṣaḥ,
sukhena brahma-saṁsparśam atyantaṁ sukham aśnute.

Ever uniting the self in this way, the yogi, freed from impurity, easily reaches the boundless joy of contact with Brahman.

Live it todayJoy grows with steady practice; it cannot be forced.

सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि।
ईक्षते योगयुक्तात्मा सर्वत्र समदर्शनः॥

sarva-bhūta-stham ātmānaṁ sarva-bhūtāni cātmani,
īkṣate yoga-yuktātmā sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ.

One whose self is united in yoga sees the Self present in all beings and all beings in the Self, seeing the same everywhere.

Live it todayLook for the same light in every face you meet today.

यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति।
तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति॥

yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati,
tasyāhaṁ na praṇaśyāmi sa ca me na praṇaśyati.

One who sees me everywhere and sees everything in me: I am never lost to that one, and that one is never lost to me.

Live it todayYou are never lost to the One you see in everything.

सर्वभूतस्थितं यो मां भजत्येकत्वमास्थितः।
सर्वथा वर्तमानोऽपि स योगी मयि वर्तते॥

sarva-bhūta-sthitaṁ yo māṁ bhajaty ekatvam āsthitaḥ,
sarvathā vartamāno ‘pi sa yogī mayi vartate.

The yogi who is established in oneness and worships me as dwelling in all beings lives in me, however that yogi may be living.

Live it todayWhatever your life looks like, you can live in God.

आत्मौपम्येन सर्वत्र समं पश्यति योऽर्जुन।
सुखं वा यदि वा दुःखं स योगी परमो मतः॥

ātmaupamyena sarvatra samaṁ paśyati yo ‘rjuna,
sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ sa yogī paramo mataḥ.

One who, measuring by their own self, sees the same everywhere and feels the joy and the sorrow of others as their own, O Arjuna, is held to be the highest yogi.

Live it todayFeel another’s joy and pain as if it were your own.

योऽयं योगस्त्वया प्रोक्तः साम्येन मधुसूदन।
एतस्याहं न पश्यामि चञ्चलत्वात् स्थितिं स्थिराम्॥

yo ‘yaṁ yogas tvayā proktaḥ sāmyena madhusūdana,
etasyāhaṁ na paśyāmi cañcalatvāt sthitiṁ sthirām.

O Madhusudana, this yoga of evenness that you have taught, I do not see how it can stay steady, because the mind is so restless.

चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम्।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम्॥

cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham,
tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva su-duṣkaram.

For the mind is restless, O Krishna, turbulent, powerful and stubborn. I think it is as hard to control as the wind.

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥

asaṁśayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ calam,
abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate.

Undoubtedly the mind is restless and hard to restrain; but by practice and by detachment it is held.

Live it todayA restless mind is not a failure, it is the starting condition.

असंयतात्मना योगो दुष्प्राप इति मे मतिः।
वश्यात्मना तु यतता शक्योऽवाप्तुमुपायतः॥

asaṁyatātmanā yogo duṣprāpa iti me matiḥ,
vaśyātmanā tu yatatā śakyo ‘vāptum upāyataḥ.

In my view, yoga is hard to reach for one whose self is unrestrained. But one whose self is mastered and who keeps striving can attain it by the right means.

Live it todayHard is not impossible; keep trying with the right method.

अयतिः श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानसः।
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति॥

ayatiḥ śraddhayopeto yogāc calita-mānasaḥ,
aprāpya yoga-saṁsiddhiṁ kāṁ gatiṁ kṛṣṇa gacchati.

O Krishna, what becomes of one who has faith but does not strive enough, whose mind slips away from yoga, and who does not reach its perfection?

कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति।
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मणः पथि॥

kaccin nobhaya-vibhraṣṭaś chinnābhram iva naśyati,
apratiṣṭho mahā-bāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi.

O mighty-armed one, fallen from both, without a footing and lost on the path to Brahman, does such a one not perish like a scattered cloud?

एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषतः।
त्वदन्यः संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते॥

etan me saṁśayaṁ kṛṣṇa chettum arhasy aśeṣataḥ,
tvad-anyaḥ saṁśayasyāsya chettā na hy upapadyate.

O Krishna, please dispel this doubt of mine completely. There is no one but you who can remove it.

पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते।
न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद्दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति॥

pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśas tasya vidyate,
nahi kalyāṇa-kṛt kaścid durgatiṁ tāta gacchati.

There is no ruin for such a seeker, either in this world or the next. For no one who does good, my dear friend, ever comes to a bad end.

Live it todaySincere effort is never wasted, even when you stumble.

प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वतीः समाः।
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते॥

prāpya puṇya-kṛtāṁ lokān uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ,
śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo ‘bhijāyate.

The one who has fallen from yoga reaches the worlds of the virtuous, dwells there for countless years, and is then born in the home of the pure and prosperous.

अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम्।
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम्॥

athavā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām,
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛśam.

Or such a one is born into a family of wise yogis. Truly, a birth like this is very hard to gain in this world.

तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम्।
यतते च ततो भूयः संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन॥

tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam,
yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ saṁsiddhau kuru-nandana.

There one regains the understanding gained in the former body, and from there strives once more, even harder, toward perfection, O joy of the Kurus.

Live it todayNothing you have learned on the path is ever lost.

पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि सः।
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते॥

pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hy avaśo ‘pi saḥ,
jijñāsur api yogasya śabda-brahmātivartate.

By that earlier practice one is carried forward, even without willing it. Even one who only wishes to know about yoga goes beyond shabda-brahman, the Veda in its words.

Live it todayToday’s practice becomes tomorrow’s pull toward the good.

प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिषः।
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम्॥

prayatnād yatamānas tu yogī saṁśuddha-kilbiṣaḥ,
aneka-janma-saṁsiddhas tato yāti parāṁ gatim.

But the yogi who strives with steady effort, cleansed of impurities and perfected over many births, then reaches the highest goal.

Live it todaySteady effort, however long it takes, reaches the goal.

तपस्विभ्योऽधिको योगी ज्ञानिभ्योऽपि मतोऽधिकः।
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिको योगी तस्माद्योगी भवार्जुन॥

tapasvibhyo ‘dhiko yogī jñānibhyo ‘pi mato ‘dhikaḥ,
karmibhyaś cādhiko yogī tasmād yogī bhavārjuna.

The yogi is greater than those who practice austerity, greater even than the learned, and greater than those devoted to ritual works. So be a yogi, O Arjuna.

Live it todayDo not only study or perform rituals; practice turning inward.

योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना।
श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मतः॥

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā,
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yukta-tamo mataḥ.

And of all yogis, the one who, full of faith, worships me with the inner self absorbed in me, I hold to be the most closely united with me.

Live it todayFaith and love take you further than any technique.