Bhagavadgita Parva — Subjugation of Self

The great one said He, who performs actions that ought to be performed, regardless of their fruits is a Sanyasi or Yogi, but not he who discard the sacrificial fire and obtains from all actions.

To the devotees who are free from desire and wrath, and a Yogi who has not renounced all his resolves.

To the sage who desires to rise to Yoga, action is said to be the means; and when he has risen to Yoga, Samadhi (cessation of all actions) is said to be the means.

When one is no longer attached to the objects of sense, nor to actions, and when one renounces all his resolves, then is he said to have risen to Yoga.

One should elevate his self by self one should not degrade his self a man's self is his friend and his own self is also his enemy.

To him, who has subjugated his self, his self has become a friend but to him who has not subjugated his self, his self.

The self of one who has subjugated his self, and who has attained peace, is absolutely fixed in itself in the midst of cold and heat, pleasures and pain, honour and dishonour.

That Yogi is said to have risen to Yoga, whose self is contented with knowledge and science (experience), who is unmoved, who is self-restrained, and to whom clay, stone and gold are alike.

He is distinguished above all others who considers alike his well-wishers, friends and enemies, and those that are indifferent, and those that take part with both sides, and those who are objects of hatred and those that are related to him and those that are good and those that are wicked.

A devotee, remaining in a secluded place, should always devote his mind in contemplation, along with his mind, and selfrestrained, with no expectations, and with no concern (with any thing).

Fixing his seat firmly on a clean spot, not too high and not too low, and spreading over it a piece of cloth, a deer-skin and Kusha (grass), there, seated on that seat, with his mind fixed on one point, and restraining his mind and senses, one should practice contemplation for the purification of his self.

even Holding body, head and neck unmoved and steady, and fixing his sight on the tip of his own nose, and without loO king about in all directions,

With his self in tranquility, freed from fcar, adhering to the practices of Brahmacharies, he should restrain his mind, fix his heart on Me and sit down, regarding Me as his final goal.

Thus constantly devoting his self to abstraction and contemplation, the Yogi whose mind is restrained, attains that peace which culminates in final absorption and assimilation with Me.

Devotion is not achieved by the man. O Arjuna, who eats too much, or eats nothing, who is addicted to too much sleep, or is always awake.

The devotion that destroys misery is achieved by the man who is temperate in food and amusements, who toils duly in all his works and who is temperate in both sleep and vigils.

When his mind, having been well restrained, becomes fixed on one's own self then, that man, being indifferent to all objects of desire, is called a yogi.

A light, in a place where there is no air, flickers not; this has been cited as a simile to a yogi whose mind has been restrained, and who devotes himself to abstraction.

That (state) in which mind, being retrained, ceases to work, in which one, seeing the self by self, is pleased in self.

In which one experiences that infinite felicity which is beyond the sphere of the senses, and which Buddhi (understanding) can only grasp, and adhering to which one never Swerve from the truth.

Acquiring which one considers no other acquisition higher than it, and adhering to which, one is not moved even in the greatest misery.

That state should be understood to be called Yoga, in which there is a complete severance of all connection with pain. Such Yoga should be practised with steadiness, and with an undisponding heart.

Abandoning without exception all desires, that produced from resolves, and restraining by mind only the entire group of the senses.

One should, by slow degrees, cease of think the objects of senses, with the. help of his understanding and controlled by patience, and then directing his mind to self.

Whereas the restless and unsteady mind wants to stray away, one should always restrain it and fix it steadily on the self alone. are

To such a yogi, whose mind is in peace, whose passions have been suppressed, who has become one with Brahma, and who is agree from sin, highest felicity indeed comes by itself.

Thus constantly devoting his self to abstraction, a yogi, being freed from sin, casily achieves the supreme happiness, namely the contact with Brahma.

I am never lost to him and he is never lost to Me, who sees Me in everything, and sees every thing in Me.

He, who has devoted his self to abstraction, loO king alike on everything, sees his self in all creatures in his self.

He, who worships Me abiding in all creatures, and thinking that all is one, lives in Me, whatever may be the mode of his living.

The Yogi, O Arjuna, who casts an equal eye everywhere, loO king alike pain and pleasure, and considering a'l things as his own self, and the happiness and the misery of others as his own is deemed to be the besi.

Arjuna said I cannot see, O destroyer of Madhu, how can this Yoga by, Equanimity, which you have declared to me, be made to have a continual existence. For, O Krishna, mind is fickle, boisterous, perverse and obstinate; and I think to restrain it is as difficult as to restrain the wind.

The great One said The mind, O mighty-armed, is surely difficult to be restrained, and it is restless. With constant practice, however, and with the abandonment of desire, O son of Kunti, is may be restrained.

It is my belief that devotion is difficult to be achieved by one who does not restrain his self. But it can be achieved through proper expedients by one whose mind is restrained and who is assiduous.

Arjuna said What is the end of him, O Krishna who has not earned success in devotion, being not assiduous, and having a mind shaken off from devotion, through full of faith?

Does he, O mighty-armed, having fallen from both, go to ruin like a broken cloud, being without support and deluded of the path to Brahma?

It is you, O Krishna, who can entirely destroy this doubt of mine; for none else can destroy it.

The great one said O Partha, neither in this world, nor in the next such a man is ruined, for, O dear friend, none, who performs good deeds, comes to an evil end.

He, who has not been able to achieve Yoga, goes to the worlds of those who perform good acts. He lives there for many years, and is then born into a family of holy and rich men;

Or he is born into a family of intelligent devotees; for, such a birth as this is difficult to attain to this work.

There comes he in contact with the knowledge of Brahma, which belonged to him in his former life; and then, O descendant of Kuru, he works again for perfection.

Even though unwilling, he is led to work on for perfection on account of the devotional practice practised in his former birth. Although he only wishes to learn yoga, he still rises above the fruits of action, laid down in the sacred word, the Vedas.

The devotee, having been cleared of his sins, attains to perfection after many births, by working with great efforts, and he then reaches the supreme goal.

The Yogi is considered to be superior to the ascetics who perform penances, superior even to a man of true knowledge, he is higher than the men of action. Therefore, ( Arjuna, become a Yogi.

Even amongst all Yogis, he who being full of faith, worships Me with his inmost self being intent on Me, is considered by Me, to be the most devout.