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.
  • 24-32: Realization of Bhagavan

 

Now Sri Krishna has started talking about the process of Pratyahar. From Sadhana to Siddha stage.

 

Bg 6.25

śanaiḥ śanair uparamed
buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā
ātma-saṁsthaṁ manaḥ kṛtvā
na kiñcid api cintayet

Word for word: 

śanaiḥ — gradually; śanaiḥ — step by step; uparamet — one should hold back; buddhyā — by intelligence; dhṛti–gṛhītayā — carried by conviction; ātma–saṁstham — placed in transcendence; manaḥ — mind; kṛtvā — making; na — not; kiñcit — anything else; api — even; cintayet — should think of.

Translation: 

Gradually, step by step, one should become situated in trance by means of intelligence sustained by full conviction, and thus the mind should be fixed on the Self alone and should think of nothing else.

śanaiḥ śanair, slowly-slowly step by step, uparamed to calm down to silence, slowly gradually step by step the word śanaiḥ śanair itself conveys that and how does one does that buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā, buddhyā means intelligence, and how does this intelligence? dhṛti-gṛhītayā, dhṛti is actually determination and conviction, so actually our determination come from conviction in many ways, when I am convinced about something I will be determined to do it, so determination is internal, conviction is external, both of them are related, so now Sri Krishna is saying buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā, we don’t need only intelligence we need intelligence sustained by conviction, for example I am taking a treatment and this treatment involves some painful procedures then I will understand by my intelligence that O this treatment is going to cure me, so I should do it, but when I actually started taking the treatment and initially it was uncomfortable but it also cured me but after that I started getting lot of pain that time it requires conviction and finally I was cured. So both the things are required intelligence and conviction. If the intelligence is sustained by convection then there is cure otherwise there is no cure, potency to cure is still there but since we don’t practice consistently so we don’t get cure. buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā, intelligence sustained by conviction, example when the child goes to doctor, Child doesn’t have the intelligence to understand that doctor’s medicine will cure me but buddhyā, the mother understands, child feels that this infection is irritating but after while he feels better, Yes I will put it then I will take it, buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā, dhṛti means conviction what one should do is ātma-saṁsthaṁ manaḥ kṛtvā
fix the mind on the soul, manaḥ is mind  ātma-saṁsthaṁ situated on the soul, na kiñcid api cintayet, don’t think about anything else, Sri Krishna is giving very categorical instruction na kiñcid api cintayet, don’t think about anything else how it is possible? For someone to not think about anything else it is by steady practice, once one is convinced that actually material reality is deceptive, it promises pleasure and it gives miseries, then one will be able to focus and understand that actually I have to turn, I have to turn away from material reality towards spiritual reality, and how I have to turn from material reality to spiritual reality is by conviction and practice, there is nothing substantial here so let me move and focus my focus there. So in Pryatyahar one shuts out all sense object so one turns inward and one puts out all stimuli so we should become impatient on our spiritual practices, sometimes we find that we want to fix mind one way but mind goes other way, so how we deal with śanaiḥ śanair, gradually step by step, noting great in this world is achieved overnight, everything great requires effort,  so learning and  fixing our mind on Krishna is not going to happen overnight it requires steady practice, day after day and month after month it happens śanaiḥ śanair, gradually, one of the biggest obstacle in spiritual path could be too much of impatience with oneself, we shouldn’t be impatient with ourselves, we should be impatient with our endeavour, concern of sleeping while chanting I must wake up and chant, if my mind is wandering, if I am too impatient with myself then I will never be able to treat myself because I will be discouraged, we can’t be impatient, we harvest crops it will take its own time so nature has its own course, so one of the reasons for discouragement in spiritual life is impatience, even if it takes time how long it will take I will keep practicing Krishna Consciousness, I started practicing it was knock down again I get up and again knock down so we have to keep practicing. If we are impatience then the only result will be we will give-up the fight, no matter how long it takes, every time I am doing same mistakes I am coming back what is hope for me to reform? No there is hope, because every day we are practicing devotional service we are becoming stronger, we are becoming pure, and as we become pure and stronger the purity will manifest, say a person is fighting in match and he is knocked down so he keeps practicing and trying because the only way a person can win is by perseverance, śanaiḥ śanair gradually, step by step,.

 

Srila Prabhupada says: By proper conviction and intelligence one should gradually cease sense activities. This is called pratyāhāra. The mind, being controlled by conviction, meditation and cessation from the senses, should be situated in trance, or samādhi.

End of transcription.