Chapter 6: Säìkhya-yoga
Bg 6.13, Bg 6.14, Bg 6.13-14
TEXTS 13-14
samam kaya-siro-grivam
dharayann acalam sthirah
sampreksya nasikagram svam
disas canavalokayan
prasantatma vigata-bhir
brahmacari-vrate sthitah
manah samyamya mac-citto
yukta asita mat-parah
SYNONYMS
samam—straight; käya-çiraù—body and head; grévam—neck; dhärayan—holding; acalam—unmoved; sthiraù—still; samprekñya—looking; näsikä—nose; agram—tip; svam—own; diçaù—all sides; ca—also; anavalokayan—not seeing; praçänta—unagitated; ätmä—mind; vigata-bhéù—devoid of fear; brahmacäri-vrate—in the vow of celibacy; sthitaù—situated; manaù—mind; saàyamya—completely subdued; mat—unto Me (Kåñëa); cittaù—concentrated; yuktaù—actual yogé; äséta—being so; mat—unto Me; paraù—ultimate goal.
TRANSLATION
One should hold one's body, neck and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life.
PURPORT
The goal of life is to know Kåñëa, who is situated within the heart of every living being as Paramätmä, the four-handed Viñëu form. The yoga process is practiced in order to discover and see this localized form of Viñëu, and not for any other purpose. The localized Viñëu-mürti is the plenary representation of Kåñëa dwelling within one's heart. One who has no program to realize this Viñëu-murti is uselessly engaged in mock-yoga practice and is certainly wasting his time. Kåñëä is the ultimate goal of life, and the Viñëu-murti situated in one's heart is the object of yoga practice. To realize this Viñëu-murti within the heart, one has to observe complete abstinence from sex life; therefore one has to leave home and live alone in a secluded place, remaining seated as mentioned above. One cannot enjoy sex life daily at home or elsewhere and attend a so-called yoga class and thus become a yogé. One has to practice controlling the mind and avoiding all kinds of sense gratification, of which sex life is the chief. In the rules of celibacy written by the great sage Yäjïavalkya it is said:
karmaëä manasä väcä sarvävasthäsu sarvadä
sarvatra maithuëa-tyägo brahmacaryaà pracakñate.
"The vow of brahmacarya is meant to help one completely abstain from sex indulgence in work, words and mind—at all times, under all circumstances, and in all places." No one can perform correct yoga practice through sex indulgence. Brahmacarya is taught, therefore, from childhood when one has no knowledge of sex life. Children at the age of five are sent to the guru-kula, or the place of the spiritual master, and the master trains the young boys in the strict discipline of becoming brahmacärés. Without such practice, no one can make advancement in any yoga, whether it be dhyäna, jïäna or bhakti. One who, however, follows the rules and regulations of married life, having sexual relationship only with his wife (and that also under regulation), is also called brahmacäré. Such a restrained householder brahmacäré may be accepted in the bhakti school, but the jïäna and dhyäna schools do not admit even householder brahmacärés. They require complete abstinence without compromise. In the bhakti school, a householder brahmacäré is allowed controlled sex life because the cult of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that one automatically loses sexual attraction, being engaged in the superior service of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gétä it is said:
viñayä vinivartante nirähärasya dehinaù
rasa-varjaà raso 'py asya paraà dåñövä nivartate
Whereas others are forced to restrain themselves from sense gratification, a devotee of the Lord automatically refrains because of superior taste. Other than the devotee, no one has any information of that superior taste.
Vigatabhéù. One cannot be fearless unless one is fully in Kåñëa consciousness. A conditioned soul is fearful due to his perverted memory, his forgetfulness of his eternal relationship with Kåñëa. The Bhägavatam says, bhayaà dvitéyäbhiniveçataù syäd éçäd apetasya viparyayo 'småtiù: Kåñëa consciousness is the only basis for fearlessness. Therefore, perfect practice is possible for a person who is Kåñëa conscious. And since the ultimate goal of yoga practice is to see the Lord within, a Kåñëa conscious person is already the best of all yogés. The principles of the yoga system mentioned herein are different from those of the popular so-called yoga societies.