Gita 06.27 – Joy is the natural fruit of purity

Audio Link: https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-06-27-joy-is-the-natural-fruity-of-purity/

praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ
yoginaṁ sukham uttamam
upaiti śānta-rajasaṁ
brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣam (Bg 6.27)

Word-for-word:
praśānta — peaceful, fixed on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa; manasam — whose mind; hi — certainly; enam — this; yoginam — yogī; sukham — happiness; uttamam — the highest; upaiti — attains; śānta-rajasam — his passion pacified; brahma-bhūtam — liberation by identification with the Absolute; akalmaṣam — freed from all past sinful reactions.

Translation:
The yogī whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest perfection of transcendental happiness. He is beyond the mode of passion, he realizes his qualitative identity with the Supreme, and thus he is freed from all reactions to past deeds.

Explanation:
Kṛṣṇa is speaking about the progressive perfection on the path of yoga. In the previous two verses, He says śanaiḥ śanair (Bg 6.25)—gradually, step by step—one should fix the mind in the self, and not let it go elsewhere (na kiñcid api cintayet). But what if the mind does wander? Kṛṣṇa says, bring it back—yato yato niścalati manaś cañcalam asthiram tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet (Bg 6.26)—wherever and whenever the restless and unsteady mind meanders, bring it back under the control of the self.

The result of this diligent practice—first trying to keep the mind focused, not letting it wander, and, if it does wander, bringing it back—is stated in the next verse (6.27): praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ.

This verse itself has a soothing quality. The word “praśānta” is almost like onomatopoeia—a figure of speech in which the sound of a word reflects its meaning. The very sound of praśānta evokes serenity; the word itself makes us feel peaceful. It is akin to classical rāgas, whose melodic patterns are designed to stir specific emotions.

Hence, by saying praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ, Kṛṣṇa conveys that the mind will become truly peaceful. At present, our mind is aśānta—constantly restless, ceaselessly engaged in numerous thoughts. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta states, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī—sakali aśānta; as long as the mind is driven by desires other than the desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, those longings keep it agitated. However, through the practice of yoga, as described here, the mind becomes purified and attains peace—praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ. Not merely śānta, but praśānta.

Kṛṣṇa has already used the word “praśānta” earlier in this chapter when describing the disposition a sādhaka should cultivate: praśāntātmā vigata-bhīr brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ manaḥ saṁyamya mac-citto yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ (Bg 6.14). He instructs that one should be peaceful, fearless, and established in brahmacarya, striving to fix the mind on Him and make Him the ultimate goal. In that context, peacefulness is part of sādhana—the mind may not naturally be peaceful, but one consciously withdraws it from agitating objects and cultivates a serene state.

Here, however, in verse 6.27, Kṛṣṇa speaks of a deeper stage where peacefulness is no longer something to be cultivated by conscious striving. Rather, it becomes the mind’s natural state. The agitating forces within the mind have been removed, and as a result, the mind becomes inherently peaceful.

When the mind reaches this peaceful state, yoginaṁ sukham uttamam upaiti—the yogi attains the highest happiness. The word “śānta” appears again in this verse as śānta-rajasaṁ. Earlier, it was part of praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ, indicating a tranquil mind; here, it is used alongside rajas. Rajas refers to the mode of passion, the force that drives restlessness, craving, and agitation. Śānta-rajasaṁ thus means that the influence of the mode of passion has been pacified.

It is the mode of passion that drives us to be dominators, controllers, and enjoyers of this world. When we move into the mode of goodness, Kṛṣṇa says in 14.17, sattvāt sañjāyate jñānaṁ—from the mode of goodness arises knowledge. With that knowledge comes detachment, as we begin to see that attempting to control the world is ultimately futile. This is not only because control is temporary, but also because it does not bring true fulfillment. Trying to make things happen according to our will does not bring lasting happiness; even when we obtain the objects of our desire, the satisfaction is fleeting. We act with the expectation of enjoyment, but the results often fall short of what we anticipated.

The person in goodness, recognizing the futility of chasing temporary pleasures, starts thinking, “It’s not worth it; there’s no point to it.” In contrast, the person in the mode of passion thinks, “There’s no point other than it.” For him, lust and sense enjoyment seem to be everything. Kṛṣṇa describes the mentality of the demoniac in 16.8, saying aparaspara-sambhūtaṁ kim anyat kāma-haitukam—what other goal is there in life besides sense gratification?

This sort of mentality is induced by rajoguna. When rajoguna is pacified (upaiti śānta-rajasaṁ), the yogi realizes the futility of trying to control external circumstances according to uncontrolled inner desires. Instead, the yogi turns inward, seeking to master the inner impulses, understanding that true happiness comes from regulating the mind and desires. This inward focus is the yogi’s initial motivation. However, the stage described in this verse (6.27) is one in which the mode of passion has been fully pacified—there is no longer any restless desire to control the external world. The yogi then becomes established on the spiritual platform, attaining the state of brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣam.

The soul is, by nature, spiritual. However, when it becomes contaminated by material desires and impurities, its consciousness is dragged from the spiritual plane down to the material level. When these contaminations or impurities (kalmaṣam) are removed, the soul returns to its original spiritual state. In this state, the soul experiences lasting happiness, as described here: yoginaṁ sukham uttamam—the highest happiness. The term “tama” can specifically refer to the mode of ignorance, but it can also signify the broader ignorance that pervades material existence. Sukham uttamam denotes the supreme happiness—happiness that transcends the ignorance of material existence.

If we examine this verse sequentially, it explains that through the practice of yoga described in the previous verse—centered on keeping the mind focused on spiritual truth—the mind gradually becomes peaceful (praśānta-manasaṁ hy enaṁ). The passions within, which act as the inner force agitating the mind, are pacified (upaiti śānta-rajasaṁ). The mind attains tranquility because the inner motor of restlessness has been effectively stopped. As a result, one becomes free from contaminations (brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣam) that pull the consciousness away from the spiritual platform.

When there are no forces dragging us away from the spiritual platform, we naturally return to it. For instance, a magnet naturally aligns along the north-south direction. However, in the presence of other magnetic forces, it can be deflected from this natural alignment. Once these extraneous forces are removed, the magnet returns to its north-south orientation. Similarly, when impurities are removed, the soul naturally becomes established on the spiritual platform (brahma-bhūtam). At this level, the soul is inherently sat-cit-ananda, and thus experiences supreme happiness (yoginaṁ sukham uttamam).

In this way, the long journey of the yogic seeker—which begins with going to a secluded, sacred place (śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya, Bg 6.11) for meditation—culminates in the attainment of highest happiness (Bg 6.27). This verse focuses on Brahman realization, while in the following verses Kṛṣṇa will elaborate further: verse 28 continues on Brahman realization, verse 29 discusses Paramātma, and verse 30 addresses Bhagavān realization. Thus, through sustained practice of yoga, the yogi progresses toward spiritual perfection and enjoys the bliss of spiritual happiness.

Thank you.