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Meditation According To Bhagavad Gita - How To Meditate?

The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of Vedas in a simple style that can be understood by all. Chapter VI of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna talks to Arjuna about meditation. Meditation in Bhagavad Gita deals with posture to be adopted, the object of focus, the mind and the other essential feature connected with meditation.

Meditation Lessons in Bhagavad Gita Chapter VI

Lord Krishna in this chapter talk of the kind of atmosphere one should have for meditation. He also describes the actual process involved.

Chapter VI verse 10
A yogi should constantly engage his mind in meditation by living alone. He should learn to control his thoughts and mind by freeing them from any sense of desire or possession.

Chapter VI verse 11
Having firmly established himself in a clean spot with a firm seat that is neither too high nor too low and covering the with the Kusha or Durva grass and cloth, the yogi proceeds with meditation.

Chapter VI verse 12
While sitting, the mind and the senses should be kept under control. This self control is necessary for self-purification. The yogi can become pure by renouncing all desires, such as desire for worldly things, honor, praise, name and fame.



Chapter VI verse 13
Let him hold the trunk, head and neck straight and steady, looking at the tip of his nose without looking around.
In this posture, the mind calms down and concentration begins very soon.

Chapter VI verse 14
Serene and fearless, firm in the vow of celibacy, holding the mind in check and fixing the thought on Me, he should sit in Yoga, intent on Me.
The yogi should concentrate on the glory and virtues of the Lord. He should shut his eyes to worldly affairs and devote himself only to God.

Chapter VI verse 15
Thus constantly applying his mind on Me, the yogi of subdued mind attains the everlasting peace consisting of supreme bliss which abides in me.
By meditating on the Lord, the yogi attains a state of mind where there is absence of all thoughts.

Chapter VI verse 16
Yoga is not for one who overeats, nor for one who fasts excessively; not for one who sleeps too much or for one who stays awake too long.

Chapter VI verse 17
Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrows for him who is moderate in diet and recreation, temperate in actions and regulated in sleep and wakefulness.

Chapter VI verse 18
When the subdued mind rests on the self alone, free of all yearning for objects of desire, one is said to be fit for yoga.

Chapter VI verse 19
A lamp in a windless place does not flicker. This is the simile used for the disciplined mind of a yogi practicing meditation on the self.

 Chapter VI verse 25
Little by little, one should withdraw oneself from objects other than the self with the help of the intellect held by firm resolution; and then one should think of nothing else, having fixed the mind upon the self.

This kind of meditation and concentration will make him one with Brahman and he will attain bliss.

For meditation to be a success, what is required is not only effort on the part of the person meditating but also the anugraha (grace) of the Lord. In this connection, the Bhagavad Gita in Chapter XI says:

Chapter IX verse 47
This verse indicates that the Lord’s grace is limitless. He showers His grace on His devotee both in favorable and unfavorable circumstances. It is up to the devotee to perceive the grace of the Lord in all conditions of life. Lord Krishna says that this will be possible only if the devotee pursues the path of bhakti or devotion.

Chapter IX verse 48
Arjuna was able to witness the form of Krishna only because of his complete devotion to the Lord. One can have a vision of Lord only by his grace and not by performing mere austerities and rituals.

Chapter IX verse 55
All actions, whether spiritual or mundane, should be done with absolute devotion to the Lord, because the body, mind and senses with which we do our work have been given to us by the Lord. When the devotee sees himself as well as others as a manifestation of the Lord, then all malice is removed and he can behold the Lord in everyone.

While Upanishads deal with the mystical element of Vedanta and the Bhagavad Gita dwells on who to apply to real life.