Chapter 6: With 47 verses or shlokas, the sixth chapter is of the same length as the first chapter.
Arjuna (Shloka 33-34, 37-39): 5 shlokas
Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Shloka 1-32, 35-36, 40-47): 42 shlokas
Brief Summary: In this chapter, the lord explains the Dhyan Yog aspect as a continuation of his answer to prince Arjuna in the previous chapter.
Sanyāsīs=yogis=who perform prescribed duties without desiring the results of their actions, is free from feelings of possessiveness, lives in seclusion, and engage the body, mind, and self in a relationship with the supreme.
Shloka 5-6: The mind can be your friend if you have conquered it, but it can also be your worst enemy if you have failed to conquer your mind.
Free from Dualities: Cold and heat, Joy and sorrow, honor and dishonor, happiness and distress
For the satisfied yogi who is in KC,
- Shloka 8: Dirt=stones=gold
- Shloka 9: Well-wishers=friends=foe=pious=sinners=affectionate=benefactors=envious=neutral =mediators. Notably, this shloka lacks a purport.
- Should be performed in a sacred/secluded place. A list of sacred places is mentioned in the purport and includes Prayag, Mathura, Brindavan, Rishikesh, and Haridwar.
- Kusha/Kusa grass (Desmostachya bipinnata) should be covered with deerskin and a soft cloth to prepare a seat.
- The seat should be at optimum height, i.e., neither too high nor too low.
Shloka 13-14: The sitting position requires the alignment of the body, neck, and head in a straight line. One should focus on the tip of the nose and meditate upon the divine within the heart.
Yoga is not a mere physical exercise, rather it is a means to attain the abode of the lord (AOL). The importance of proper sleep and a healthy diet are explained concerning becoming a perfect yogi. Discipline in the lifestyle can mitigate all material pains, one has to follow the correct schedule for habits of eating, sleeping, recreation, and work in day-to-day life.
The flickering nature of the mind can be controlled by the practice of yoga which can lead to the attainment of trance or "samadhi.". In the stage of samadhi, the person is engrossed in self and attains the highest form of happiness, and is unaffected by the miseries of the material world.
- Restless
- Turbulent
- Strong
- Obstinate
- More difficult to control than the wind
- Those who strive for KC are never overcome by evil.
- Unsuccessful yogi attains the abode of the virtuous (AOV) upon death. After dwelling in AOV for many ages, such a yogi is reborn in the family of pious and prosperous people.
- Else, if a yogi has developed dispassion through long practice of yoga, such a yogi is reborn in the family endowed with divine wisdom.
- Following rebirth, the yogi strives for liberation with even greater earnestness by reawakening the wisdom of past lives.
Shloka 46: yogi > tapasvī (ascetic) ; yogi > jñānī (a person of learning); yogi > karmī (ritualistic performer)
The results of spiritual practices are accumulated and passed to the next birth. Hence, even the unsuccessful yogi is making progress and eventually attains liberation. In the last shloka, lord Krishna highlighted the importance of surrendering oneself to the divine with utmost faith and love becoming the highest yogi.
Favorite Shlokas:
Shloka 5:
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
Shloka 16:
nātyaśhnatastu yogo ’sti na chaikāntam anaśhnataḥ
na chāti-svapna-śhīlasya jāgrato naiva chārjuna
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