YOGA – Individual Comprehension

In his English translation of ''Sri Ramakrishna 'Kathaamrita' -- 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', Swami Nikhilananda narrates how, by 1879, the word about Ramakrishna spread and all kinds of people started coming to him to learn about God.

Swami Nikhilanand concludes his narration with this profound sentence: 'And people understood him according to their ‘Power of Comprehension.'

According to my power of comprehension, I understand only three verses of the Gita and the 'rest are details', to echo Einstein's statement, "I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details."

योगस्थः कुरु कर्माणि संगम त्यक्ता धनञ्जय |

सिद्धयसिद्धयो समो भूत्वा समत्वं योग उच्यते || (BG 2-48)

'Being steadfast in Yoga, O Arjun, perform actions, abandoning attachment, remaining unconcerned as regards success and failure. This evenness of minds is known as YOGA.'

दुरेणा ह्यवरं कर्म बुद्धियोगाद्धनञ्जय |

बुद्धौ शरणमन्विच्ह कृपणाः फलहेतवः || (2-49)

'Work with desire is verily far inferior to that performed with the mind established in Buddhi-Yoga. O Dhananjaya, seek refuge in Buddhi (बुद्धि), evenness of mind, wretched are they who act for selfish results.'

बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते|

तस्माद्दोगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम|| (2-50)

'Endued with this evenness of Buddhi (बुद्धि), one frees oneself in this very life, alike from virtue and vice. Devote yourself therefore, to this Yoga.

YOGA IS EFFICIENCY IN ACTION.

These verses from Bhagvad Gita define Yoga as 'Evenness of Mind', and 'Efficiency in Action’, that one can practice with Buddhi (बुद्धि); the 'Discriminating faculty within the human sensory and psychic system.

From:  Tarlochan Singh Dhillon, UK

 Note: Swami Nikhilananda (1895-1973) was a great scholar and very gifted writer. His commentaries on Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads are very deep and highly acclaimed even by western scholars. 

'Rajan Sachdeva'