Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sacrifices for Effective Meditation: Gita & God 42

Meditation by its very nature, as anyone can observe, involves sacrifices. Sacrifice means here withdrawal from every thought other than the thought about God Almighty and suspension of all actions that is consistent with God as the doer of everything. So, in Chapter 4, what does Krishna advise us to sacrifice for effective Yogic meditation? He recommends sacrificing attachment to: Ego and sense of doership, Desire, All objects of sensual pleasure, and Free functioning of the senses.

Yogi in meditation and through meditation 'frees all undertakings from "Sankalpa" (mental resolve) and desire,fully controls mind (inner faculties) and body, renounces all forms of hoarding even while performing actions for the maintenance of the body, remains completely devoid of attachment, establishes the mind in the knowledge of Self and works for the sake of sacrifice alone. Some Yogis offer hearing and all other senses as sacrifice into the fire of restraint; while others offer sound and other objects of senses into the fire of the senses. Still other Yogis offer sacrifice with the functions of their senses and those of the life-breath (vital energy), into the fire of Yoga of self-restraint, (Samadhiroop-yoga), kindled by knowledge. Many such forms of sacrifices (yajna) have been described in detail in the Vedas. Know them all to be born of actions and knowing these by performing these sacrifices, one will be liberated from the bondage of action."

This is extraordinarily difficult and seems impossible to do.
But says Krishna that He himself is always in this State of meditation. Though He is unborn, imperishable and Supreme Lord of all beings, He has to incarnate Himself through His Meditation on divine potency, keeping His Nature (Prakriti) under control: whenever there is a decline in righteousness and an upsurge in unrighteousness, He manifest Himself (in human or other form to restore Balance. In other words, Man being nothing but a manifestation of God can emulate Him and Meditate on Him, sacrificing all other things from mental or sensual recognition to remain the balanced state of peace and bliss.

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