Link to purport by A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

Transcript of Bhakti-Shastri class on this verse by Chaitanya

10-32: From practice to perfection in yoga

  • 10-32 defines how one will achieve perfection when one is practicing yoga.
  • 16-23: Realisation of Paramatma

So how is this possible somebody may ask, by engaging in worldly activities won’t I get worldly desires? 

Bg 6.19

yathā dīpo nivāta-stho
neṅgate sopamā smṛtā
yogino yata-cittasya
yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ

Word for word: 

yathā — as; dīpaḥ — a lamp; nivāta–sthaḥ — in a place without wind; na — does not; iṅgate — waver; sā — this; upamā — comparison; smṛtā — is considered; yoginaḥ — of the yogī; yata–cittasya — whose mind is controlled; yuñjataḥ — constantly engaged; yogam — in meditation; ātmanaḥ — on transcendence.

Translation: 

As a lamp in a windless place does not waver, so the transcendentalist, whose mind is controlled, remains always steady in his meditation on the transcendent Self.

 

yathā dīpo nivāta-stho, dipa is a lamp, and Vatha is wind air, so in area where there is a lamp but no wind neṅgate, then flame will not flicker the flame will stay steady, sopamā smṛtā, similarly as a Upma, analogy it is given yogino yata-cittasya, Yogi whose chita is controlled whose mind is controlled, yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ. So for yogi whose mind is controlled the consciousness if focused on atma. 

So the point is it is not necessary that when flame is there flame has to flicker, when the flame is present at a place where there is no wind the flame will not flicker. So the flame here refers to the consciousness. So un-flickering flame refers to the undeviated consciousness. Consciousness is fixed on the atma, I am a soul a Bhakt Yogi I have to fix my consciousness on Sri Krishna. The astanga yogis hasn’t yet realised his relationship with Sri Krishna, I am atama, I have realized myself as atma, fix the consciousness on atma tattva, yuñjato yogam ātmanaḥ, by yoga keep situated on atma tattva platform. yogino yata-cittasya That means what causes our consciousness to flicker is our material desires, So Sri Krishna doesn’t uses material desires explicitly but the wind is material desire, as he referred in previous verse Nisprhye Serva Kamyebhyah, so when the material desires are not there then the consciousness stays fixed. And material desires are there consciousness gets agitated, and many ways we can see this in the eyes of people, people who are materialistic their eyes are restless there are always looking here and there like radars seeking sensual object where can I see something good, and if they are not filled with desire they are filled with anxieties this may go wrong that may go wrong. As compared saints eyes are very peaceful very calm. Move in one direction focus on that move in another direction focus on that. They are alert but not restless. Prabhupada was doing do many things in a day how many things he handled is remarkable. But Srila Prabhupada was fast without being passionate. Srila Prabhupada was never felt rushing, if somebody will come for cheque signing he will open case take pen remove cap and the sign with gravity. Because His consciousness was fixed so he was able to do so many things and therefore we can say productive. Most of us we are passionate without being fast. Which means I have to do that I have to do that but actually the amount of work done is very little. Although we seem to be always busy always running here and there but the amount of work done is less often. Why is that? Because the mind is restless, so even if we work the work productivity is not too good, so we have to undo it , and again and again , which increases our work load that is why in morning sadhana time when we purify ourselves, when we calm ourselves down  after that when we focus, then we are able to do things much more productively. 

Then we are able to focus on absolute truth who is ultimate goal, ultimate sustainer, ultimate protector, and then we understand whatever is happening are under the control of the absolute truth then I am going to serve the absolute truth, that bring calmness and that calmness enables us to do things calmly with intensity which means with attention and focus.

There is a wind of material desires and material desire along with it bring material anxiety, greater is the desire greater is the anxiety, so the material desires and material anxiety agitates us, if we can keep our mind fixed, then we can do so much more, so this is the whole purpose of sadhana, Sadhana makes our consciousness yathā dīpo nivāta-stho, with the wind of material desires then we can become fixed and more productive, so here Sri Krishna is giving the example to fix the mind on one place and for that stay away from material desires. So there is no material desires and even if we do have material activities or worldly activities or more interaction with worldly objects still we will not get agitated.

End of transcription.