Chapter 195

“Bhishma said, ‘I shall now, O son of Pritha, discourse to thee upon thefour kinds of yoga meditation. The great Rishis, obtaining a knowledge ofthe same, attain to eternal success even here. Great Rishis gratifiedwith knowledge, with hearts set upon Emancipation, and conversant withyoga, act in such a way that their yoga meditation may get on properly.These, O son of Pritha, being freed from the faults of the world, nevercome back (for rebirth). Liberated from liability to rebirth, they livein their original Soul-state.[618] Freed from the influence of all pairsof opposites (such as heat and cold, joy and sorrow, etc.), ever existingin their own (original) state, liberated (from attachments), neveraccepting anything (in gift), they live in places free from thecompanionship of wives and children, without others with whom disputesmay arise, and favourable to perfect tranquillity of heart. There such aperson, restraining speech, sits like a piece of wood, crushing all thesenses, and with mind undividedly united by the aid of meditation (withthe Supreme Soul). He has no perception of sound through the ear; noperception of touch through the skin; no perception of form through theeye; no perception of taste through the tongue. He has no perception alsoof scents through the organ of smell. Immersed in yoga, he would abandonall things, rapt in meditation. Possessed of great energy of mind, he hasno desire for anything that excites the five senses. The wise man,withdrawing his five senses into the mind, should then fix the unstablemind with the five senses (into the Intellect). Possessed of patience,the yogin should fix his mind which always wanders (among worldlyobjects), so that his five gates (under the influence of training) may bemade stable in respect of things that are themselves unstable. He should,in the firmament of the heart, fix his mind into the path of meditation,making it independent of the body or any other refuge. I have spoken ofthe path of meditation as the first, since the yogin has first to crushhis senses and the mind (and direct them to that path). The mind, whichconstitutes the sixth, when thus restrained, seeks to flash out like thecapricious and flighty lightning moving in frolic among the clouds. As adrop of water on a (lotus) leaf is unstable and moves about in alldirections, even so becomes the yogin’s mind when first fixed on the pathof meditation. When fixed, for a while the mind stays in that path. When,however, it strays again into the path of the wind, it becomes as flightyas the wind. The person conversant with the ways of yoga-meditation,undiscouraged by this, never regarding the loss of the toil undergone,casting aside idleness and malice, should again direct his mind tomeditation. Observing the vow of silence, when one begins to set his mindon yoga, then discrimination, knowledge, and power to avoid evil, aregained by him.[619] Though feeling annoyed in consequence of theflightiness of his mind, he should fix it (in meditation). The yoginshould never despair, but seek his own good. As a heap of dust or ashes;or of burnt cow-dung, when drenched with water, does not seem to besoaked, indeed, as it continues dry if drenched partially, and requiresincessant drenching before it becomes thoroughly soaked, even thus shouldthe yogin gradually control all his senses. He should gradually withdrawthem (from all objects). The man that acts in this way succeeds incontrolling them. One, O Bharata, by oneself directing one’s mind andsenses to the path of meditation, succeeds in bringing them under perfectcontrol by steadfast yoga. The felicity that he feels who has succeededin controlling his mind and senses is such that its like can never beobtained through Exertion or Destiny.[620] United with such felicity, hecontinues to take a pleasure in the act of meditation. Even in this wayyogins attain to Nirvana which is highly blessed.'”