🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 6.12

6.12 तत्र there? एकाग्रम् onepointed? मनः the mind? कृत्वा having made? यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः one who has controlled the actions of the mind and the senses? उपविश्य being seated? आसने on the seat? युञ्ज्यात् let him practise? योगम् Yoga? आत्मविशुद्धये for the purification of the self.Commentary The self means the mind. The real Supreme Self is the Atma. This is Primary (Mukhya). Mind also is the self. But this is used in a secondary sense (Gauna). Mukhya Atma is Brahman or the highest Self. Gauna Atma is the mind.Make the mind onepointed by collecting all its dissipated rays by the practice of Yoga. Withdraw it from all senseobjects again and again and try to fix it steadily on your Lakshya or point of meditation or centre. Gradually you will have concentration of the mind or onepointedness. You must be very regular in your practice. Only then will you succeed. Regularity is of paramount importance. You should know the ways and habits of the mind through daily introspection? selfanalysis or selfexamination. You should have a knowledge of the laws of the mind. Then it will be easy for you to check the wandering mind. When you sit for meditation? and when you deliberately attempt to forget the worldly objects? all sorts of worldly thoughts will crop up in your mind and disturb your meditation. You will be ite astonished. Old thoughts that you entertained several years ago? and old memories of past enjoyments will bubble up and force the mind to wander in all directions. You will find that the trapdoor of the vast subconscious mind is opened or the lid of the storehouse of thoughts within is lifted up and the thoughts gush out in a continous stream. The more you attempt to still them? the more they will bubble up with redoubled force and strength.Be not discouraged. Nil desperandum. Never despair. Through regular and constant meditation you can purify the subconscious mind and its constant memories. The fire of meditation will burn all thoughts. Be sure of this. Meditation is a potent antidote to annihilate the poisonous worldly thoughts. Be assured of this.Meditation on the immortal Self will act like a dynamite and blow up all thoughts and memories in the conscious mind. If the thoughts trouble you much? do not try to suppress them by force. Be a silent witness as in a bioscope. They will subside gradually. Then try to root them out through regual silent meditation.During introspection you can clearly observe the rapid shifting of the mind from one line of thought to another. Herein lies a chance for you to mould the mind properly and direct the thoughts and the mental energy in the divine channel. You can rearrange the thoughts and make new associations on a new Sattvic basis. You can throw out wordly and useless thoughts. Just as you remove the weeds and throw them out? you can throw these out? and you can cultivate sublime? divine thoughts in the divine garden of your mind. This is a very patient work. This is a stupendous task indeed. But for a Yogi of determination who has the grace of the Lord and an iron will it is nothing.Calm the bubbling emotions? sentiments? instincts and impulses gradually through silent meditation. You can give a new orientation to your feelings by gradual and systematic practice. You can entirely transmute your wordly nature into divine nature. You can exercise supreme control over the nervecurrents? muscles? the five sheaths (of the Self)? emotions? impulses and instincts through meditation.

6.12 Pratisthapya, having established; sthiram, firmly; sucau, in a clean; dese, place, which is solitary, either naturally or through improvement; atmanah, his own; asanam, seat; na ati ucchritam, neither too high; na ati nicam, nor even too low; and that made of caila-ajina-kusa-uttram, cloth, skin, and kusa-grass, placed successively one below the other-the successive arrangement of cloth etc. here is in a reverse order to that of the textual reading-. What follows after thus establishing the seat? Upavisya, sitting; tatra, on that; asane, seat; yogam yunjyat, he should concentrate his mind. To what purpose should he concentrate his mind? In answer the Lord says: atma-visuddhaye, for the purification of the internal organ. How? Krtva, making; manah, the mind; ekagram, one-pointed,by withdrawing it from all objects; and yata-citta-indriya-kriyah, keeping the actions (kriyah) of the mind (citta) and senses (indriya) under control (yata). The external seat has been spoken of. Now is being stated how the posture of the body should be:

6.11 - 6.12 'In a clean spot,' i.e., in a spot pure in itself, not owned or controlled by impure persons and untouched by impure things; having 'established a firm seat,' a seat made of wood or similar material, which is neither too high nor too low; which is covered with cloth, deer-skin and Kusa grass in the reverse order; seated on it in a way which promotes the serenity of mind; having the mind concentrated on Yoga; and holding the activities of the mind and senses in check in all ways - he should practise 'Yoga', i.e., practise the vision of the self for 'the purification of the self,' i.e., to end his bondage.

6.12 See Comment under 6.15

।।6.12।। उपयुक्त आसन में बैठना मात्र योग नहीं है। बाह्य आसन तथा शरीर का विशेष स्थिति मे बैठना मन की एकाग्रता के लिए उपयोगी अवश्य हो सकता है किन्तु इतना ही करने मात्र से आत्मविकास के प्रति हम आश्वस्त नहीं हो सकते।आसन में बैठने के पश्चात् अन्तकरण के द्वारा किस प्रकार ध्यान करना चाहिये इसका निर्देश श्रीकृष्ण यहाँ देते हैं। प्रथम निर्देश मन को एकाग्र करने का है। किसी गुरु के लिए इस भ्रमित पीढ़ी के किसी शिष्य के मन को एकाग्र करने का उपदेश देना तो सरल है परन्तु बिना ज्ञान के साधक को उपदेश का पालन करना संभव नहीं होता। अत इस उपदेश के साथ ही उन व्यावहारिक विधियों को भी बताना आवश्यक है जिनके द्वारा यह एकाग्रता प्राप्त की जा सकती है। व्यावहारिक विधि के बिना वह उपदेश केवल आदर्श तत्त्व ज्ञान बनकर रह जाता है। गीता की यही विशेषता है कि ज्ञान को जीवन के लिए व्यवहार्य बनाने में वह अनेक उपायों को भी बताती है।मन की कल्पना शक्ति एवं इन्द्रियों के व्यापार को संयमित करने के लिए श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं कि यह एक उपाय है। एकाग्रता तो मन की वास्तविक सार्मथ्य है परन्तु कभीकभी अचानक प्राप्त हुई शांति को वह समझ नहीं पाता तब पूर्वाजित अनुभवों के स्मरण से अथवा इन्द्रियों द्वारा विषय ग्रहण से वह क्षुब्ध हो जाता है। इन्ही संकल्पों के कारण एकाग्रता भंग हो जाती है। यदि चित्त और इन्द्रियों की क्रियायों से होने वाली शांति के ह्रास को रोक दिया जाय तो मन तत्काल और सहज ही एकाग्र हो जाता है। इस प्रकार बाह्य आसन में बैठ कर अन्तकरण के द्वारा आत्मतत्त्व का ध्यान करना चाहिए।ध्यानाभ्यास का प्रयोजन ज्ञात करने की सभी साधकों की स्वाभाविक इच्छा होती है। प्रचलित धारणा यह है कि हमें आत्मा का अनुभव उसी प्रकार होगा जैसे कि किसी दृश्य वस्तु का। परन्तु श्रीकृष्ण ऐसी धारणा को दूर करते हुए कहते हैं कि ध्यान का प्रयोजन है आत्मशुद्धि अर्थात् अन्तकरण की शुद्धि। मन का विक्षेप ही उसकी अशुद्धि कहलाती है। शास्त्रों का वचन है कि प्रतिदिन दृढ़ता से ध्यान का अभ्यास करने से चित्त शुद्ध हो जाता है और ऐसे ही शुद्ध और स्थिर अन्तकरण में आत्मा का साक्षात् अनुभव होता है जो स्वयंसिद्ध नित्य उपलब्ध है। जैसे दर्पण में अपने प्रतिबिम्ब को देखकर अपनी पहचान होती है उसी प्रकार यह ध्यान विधि भी है।अब अगले श्लोक में शरीर की स्थिति का वर्णन करते हैं