Bhagavad Gita Overview Chapter 6

So today we continue our discussion on the Bhagavad Gita. We move to the sixth chapter of the Gita. In the fifth chapter, what were the main themes? Karma Yoga is easy. Which is easy in the fifth chapter? Karma Yoga is easy then. Yes, both are good, but Karma Yoga is better. There is delay and difficulty. Good point. Anything else? We have to neglect our impulses and act according to… Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga prefer to act according to their instincts. Which is conducive to higher growth, and that connection we discussed about.

One major topic yesterday was about fighting temptation. Fighting temptation. So what were the key things we discussed in that? Abstraction. Apt. What was apt? Abstinence. Persistence. So, abstinence means what? Bhairage. Bhairage. But what does it mean? To detach from… Yes, but specifically, what happens? When do we need that abstinence especially? With the… What is the example for that battle? Arm wrestling. It is a timed arm wrestling match. It is not that the urge will be tormenting us constantly with the same severity. So, it will pass. And then? We just already do that, and that time abstinence. Even if you are not able to have abstinence, what can we do in the remaining time? Persistence. If we are strengthening ourselves, then we will move forward.

Now, in some ways, when Krishna is speaking, if there is a question-answer discussion going on, sometimes the discussion is directed by the question. And sometimes it may be directed by the answer, by the teacher. The student’s question may direct the discussion. Sometimes the teacher’s intention or teacher’s plan may direct the discussion. So here, now Krishna to some extent gives a glimpse of where he is planning to take the discussion towards the end of the fifth chapter. Because Arjuna’s main concern was the whole idea about should I be engaged or disengaged, which he is equating with attached or detached. So Krishna, towards the end of the fifth chapter, gives a glimpse. In the last two verses, the fifth chapter has 29 verses. So in 27 and 28, he basically gives a glimpse of Dhyana Yoga. In 29, he gives a glimpse of Bhakti Yoga. This will be elaborated in chapter 6, and this will be elaborated from chapters 7 to 12.

Some chapters begin with Krishna being prompted by some question from Arjuna. But here, chapter 6 does not begin that way. Krishna continues talking about Karma Yoga. Now, Arjuna still has a question. Krishna is repeatedly saying that engaged action is better, but then Arjuna lives in a culture where he has seen many renunciates. He has seen many sages. So he says that he has that question in his mind: Is there never a right time for renunciation? Krishna has talked about premature renunciation, but isn’t there a time for mature renunciation? So now, here, he is talking about mature renunciation more in terms of Dhyana Yoga. That’s what Krishna will be talking about.

You remember the paths. There is renunciation and there is detached action. With respect to detached action, there is Karma Yoga and there is Bhakti Yoga. With respect to renunciation, there is Dhyana Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Krishna has spoken about Karma Yoga from chapters 2 to 5. Now, because Arjuna has a question, that’s an unasked question. Sometimes when two people are close to each other, when they are talking, just by the expression on someone’s face, you can understand at least to some extent what they are thinking, what is going on in their mind. So, the way Krishna is going to go here is he is showing a trajectory from Karma Yoga through Dhyana Yoga to perfection. This is chapters 2 to 5, and then chapter 6. After that, this perfection is actually described as the stage of Bhakti Yoga, or it is the stage of Bhakti, you could say. It is the stage of absorbed devotion.

Then he will, after that, say that if you consider this to be like a gradual path, then there is a rapid, elevator-like path, which is Bhakti Yoga. This can be practiced by anyone from wherever they are to the highest stage. He will describe this afterward. But he will, in one sense, let Arjuna himself recognize the need for an alternative, and then he will speak about Bhakti Yoga. Generally speaking, if we are given a medicine and we don’t have the disease, then the medicine is not valued very much. But if we have the disease, then the medicine is valued, isn’t it? So, sometimes we may give some good advice to someone, but if that good advice is not relevant to that person, then they will not take that advice. They will not really value that advice.

So Krishna, one of the things he does in the six chapters, is let Arjuna himself recognize how important it is to have an alternative to the path of renouncing, as in the case of Dhyana Yoga. Let’s see how he does this. Now, the key point is: What is the stage where one can renounce the world? Here, renunciation is more associated with inaction. That is the broad idea of renunciation in action and disassociation. Disassociation means solitude. In the path of yoga, the renunciation is generally that each yogi has their own cave in which they sit and meditate. Now, dozens of yogis coming together and performing yoga is a modern phenomenon done more for fitness than for transcendence.

This kind of renunciation, where one gives up, there is no action and there is no relationship, is a demanding kind of renunciation. The key qualification Krishna says is required for this is the state of our mind. Initially, Krishna starts by talking about the path of Karma Yoga and how one needs to be detached. Then, he says that eventually, when one wants to practice Dhyan Yoga, there is an initial stage in Dhyan Yoga. The technical word used is Aruksha. Aruksha means the starting stage. Aruksha Munir Yogan Karma Karanam Ucyate. Here, one practices Karma. Karma means one does one’s activity.

At this stage, I will not go too much into the yoga. But broadly, in this chapter, when Krishna uses the word yoga, he is referring to Dhyan Yoga. Previously, when he used the word yoga, what was he referring to? Karma Yoga. So the meanings of words are dependent on context. Say, if we go to a yoga class, its contextual meaning is different. It is like if we go to an Ayurvedic hospital, the treatment would be Ayurvedic treatment. If you go to an allopathic hospital, the treatment would be allopathic treatment. So contextual meaning is important, and yoga has a contextual meaning. It is clear when Krishna is speaking what he is referring to. Arjuna gets it because the context makes it clear.

Yoga, the process of yoga itself, has eight broad stages. Does anyone know the stages? Yes. So, let’s try to understand these stages in terms of visualizing. The first is Yama and Niyama. These are sometimes translated as do’s and don’ts, and that is a valid translation. Another translation is that there are individual rules and there are social rules. That means how we function ourselves. For example, Ashteya—don’t steal. That is a social rule on how to interact with others. Then, Shaucha—cleanliness. That is an individual rule on how we maintain our personal hygiene.

The idea is that once our outward interaction, when we are interacting with the outer world, is regulated, then gradually we can turn inwards. For example, now if all of us, during our morning meditation, sit, first of all, we find a reasonably comfortable position to sit. The comfortable position should not really go to sleep. We are comfortable so that we can focus on the meditation, and then everyone else is also trying to meditate. So, there are individual rules. We find it comfortable so that we can focus. The collective would be that nobody chants too loudly, nobody does any action that is distracting, and nobody talks on the phone. So, there is individual and social management. Then gradually, the consciousness can start going inwards.

After that, what is there? Asana. So, asana is basically a physical posture. We sit in such a way that helps us. Sometimes, the word is used as yoga poses or posture or even the word “stance” is used. The idea is that if a batsman is batting in cricket, different batsmen may have different stances. But the idea is that when you are in the stance that is best for you, and the ball comes, you can hit the ball effectively. So, the body stance is meant to help raise the consciousness.

So, that is the external. Generally speaking, most people find it very difficult to bring about a sudden internal change, although internal change is the most important thing. Typically, it is an outer-to-inner change in terms of implementation. For example, an alcoholic may decide they want to give up alcohol. But the first thing they may have to do is remove all bottles of alcohol from their body. If they are staying near a bar, they may need to relocate. These are external changes.

Then, after asana, there is pranayama. Asana regulates the body, and breath is often considered the link between the body and mind. Breath is something physical that can bring about a mental change. Whenever a person is agitated, people often advise them to take a deep breath. So, by taking a deep breath, the external can be used to calm the internal.

Now, these four practices — Yam, Niyam, Asana, and Pranayama — can be practiced while one is still in the world. That means a person can have a job, a career, or a family and still practice these. Krishna says these are “arukshor munir yogam,” which is the stage where one practices Karma. Karma here means continued activity. The next stage is Shamaha, which involves giving up action. Inaction becomes the means. This is called the “arudha” stage, which means one is well-situated in yoga.

After these first four stages, we come to Pratyahar. At this point, one starts shutting out the external world. Once we start shutting out the world, we are creating the foundation for going inward. This is not something that can be practiced while actively engaged in the world. For example, if I am giving a class, I cannot shut out the world. However, when the process of turning inward begins, one renounces the world. This is Pratyahar.

After Pratyahar, the practice becomes more focused on meditation — Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. These stages represent increasingly steady and deeper meditation, where one connects with a deeper reality. Samadhi is the final stage, where one gets immersed. Krishna outlines this process in Chapter 6 from verse 6.1 to 6.32. While there are many details in between, the broad outline of the yoga process is as follows.

The key point is that from this stage onward, one disconnects from the world. As one disconnects, what is required is a calm, controlled mind. You may say that the mind needs to be controlled all the time, and yes, everyone needs some level of mind control. However, in the context of yoga, mind control is not just about force. Mind control is not the same as forcing the mind; it is a more refined way of dealing with the mind. For example, as a manager, you can’t use threats for every situation. If you did, you wouldn’t be a very effective manager. Similarly, in yoga, mind control is not just about force; it is about managing and understanding the mind.

There is a difference in how we understand terms like “mind control” today compared to the past. In the Western world, when people hear “mind control,” they often think of cults and manipulation. The term has negative connotations today. However, in the context of yoga, mind control means managing and refining one’s mental state.

The word “cult,” for example, has changed in meaning over time. Prabhupada himself used the word “cult” in the sense of a group following a spiritual path, but today, it carries negative connotations. Similarly, the term “mind control” is not inherently negative, but due to its association with manipulation, it is better understood as “mind management” in today’s context.

The key point is that managing the mind is both an individual responsibility and a social arrangement. For instance, while you are here listening to this talk, you are focusing on it, and that is your individual responsibility. However, social arrangements, such as sitting in a group, also support that focus. If you were sitting alone in your room, feeling tired, and you were listening to this talk, you might feel tempted to take a nap. The social environment helps maintain focus, and this is a form of mind management.

Sometimes many minutes become many hours also, isn’t it? But so the point is that when our mind gives us some urges, say if you have to eat food, if you’re eating with others, then even if we like that food, we may not overeat too much. But if you’re all alone, then suddenly the Picasso inside comes out. So basically for all of us, certainly the individual responsibility always has to be there for taking care of the mind, for managing the mind. But to a large extent, the social arrangement helps us regulate our own mind. And this is not just for spiritually minded people or devotees. Even in normal materialistic society, society helps people keep their mind’s impulses under check.

If a person is even a materialistic person and they are working in a company and there’s a disagreement in a meeting, even in the company, there is a certain code of conduct. In the middle of the meeting, if you’re angry with someone, you may feel that if it’s outside in the streets, you may swear at that person or punch them in the face. But in a company board meeting, if somebody starts doing that, then probably that will be the last board meeting they attend. So in general, society helps us keep our mind’s impulses under check. Not all the impulses and not all the time. It also depends on the kind of association we are getting.

So in some societies, even if people go to a party where people are drinking, see, even people who drink look down at people who get drunk. See, that means their idea is, you get drunk, you drink, but don’t drink so much that we have to carry you home. You have to regulate yourself. So the idea is that every social circle will bring a certain amount of regulation. Now, of course, as I said, if it’s bad association, then some of the bad tendencies may not be regulated in that, but even bad association requires some regulation. The thieves may want to deceive, but even thieves don’t want other thieves to deceive them. Thieves want that we should be honest with each other. We can deceive everyone else, but we should be honest with each other.

So the point is that any kind of social group we belong to brings a certain level of regulation of the mind. If you see, now, if the group is tamasic, then you could say it has the least regulation. If the group is sattvic, it is much greater regulation. But in general, if we are alone, then there is no external deterrent for us to stop acting out on our mind’s urges. And because of that, if somebody is to practice solitary meditation, then their mind needs to be at least in some level of reasonable control. That’s why Krishna says that our mind is, and that is a universal principle. But Krishna is talking about the mind here in this chapter. The mind can be both our friend and our enemy. Now, while it can be both, and it can be both even when we are alone or when we are in association, like even in association, sometimes our mind may get an urge to yell at someone, and we yell at them. Sometimes five minutes of yelling at someone can destroy a relationship we have built over five years.

So the mind can be destructive anywhere. But if you are alone, the destructiveness of the mind will have no social check to it. And that’s why Krishna says, when can you renounce the world? When your mind has been reasonably checked, your mind has become reasonably calm. And what is the cause of the agitation of the mind? The cause of the agitation of the mind, basically, in this world, there are always going to be dualities. Like we discussed earlier, this is, we could say, just the physical reality of the world. Physical reality means sometimes it’s going to be heat, sometimes it’s going to be cold, sometimes the AC is going to be on, sometimes the AC is going to be off. Sometimes there’s going to be praise by others, sometimes there’s going to be insult by others, disrespect by others. Sometimes there is going to be success, sometimes there’s going to be failure. So, these dualities are going to happen. Now, in one World Cup final, India may lose; in another World Cup final, India may win. So, the dualities keep happening.

So when this happens, quite often our mind tends to exaggerate the dualities. So whenever something good happens, it becomes elated, and whenever something bad happens, it becomes devastated. So, it is, Krishna says, the test of our mind having calmed down is that amid dualities, it stays relatively steady. The mind stays relatively steady. There might be a little effect, but not much effect. And how does this happen practically? When we say, how will the mind stay steady amid dualities? That requires—this is, now, see, if somebody wants to know, what does spiritual growth mean? This is one image that can convey what spiritual growth is.

See, there is, in general, the material. In our life, if we are just, if we are still materialists, or we could say we are spiritual starters, so at that time, what happens is, for us, the material is very big, and the spiritual is very small. Now, as we grow spiritually, what happens is the material becomes small, and the spiritual becomes big. Now, within the bhakti tradition, if you want to talk about the bhakti, we could say material simply means this world and the spiritual means Krishna, or God, the spiritual or God. So, when the material means the world, the idea is that for all of us, in the initial stage of life, what happens in the material world matters a lot, and, okay, I have a relationship with God, but that’s okay.

It’s like, when I started sharing bhakti, when I was introduced to bhakti, I started talking about it with my relatives. So, my uncle, he said, “Yeah, I believe in God. He’s happy there. I’m happy here.” So it is like God is so small as to not be very relevant. So, if the world is really what is big for us, then any change in the world will have a big effect on us. If God is what is big for us, then any change in our relationship with God, that is what will have a big effect on us. If the world is small for us, then it won’t have that much effect. It’s not that the world becomes non-existent; the world is still there, and the world still matters, but not so much.

That means, say, Krishna will say that with respect to things and with respect to people, we need to have an equal vision. Equal vision means sama lo shtrasma kanchana. He says that gold and stone and pebbles, the wise person, the spiritually serious person, the person who is capable of renouncing the world, should be able to see both of these equally.

So, now this is quite difficult. Most people will think that if you see stone and gold equally, you need to go to a mental hospital. And yes, it is possible that some people who don’t value things, they are not really mature, but it could be that somebody has seen beyond. So when the spiritual has become so important for us, that the material doesn’t matter. It’s like, say, we are in a room with two people, and one of them is very important for us, and the other person is just a casual acquaintance.

Now, if I am dealing with two people, so this is a casual acquaintance, and the other is a very close friend. Now, if the casual acquaintance speaks harshly, maybe disrespects us, insults us, or this person speaks harshly, which will affect us more? Sorry? Both. Close friend, yes, isn’t it? Yeah, you know, okay, anyway, we will be concerned why this person is speaking so harshly, even if it’s a casual acquaintance. But if that is not a serious relationship, okay, people like we will go through their own things, and I don’t really care.

It’s that, so now, in this case, the effect on us would be, okay, you might feel a little bad, and then move on. But if somebody is close to us and hurts us, we will feel really bad, isn’t it? Because that relationship is important for us. So similarly, when Krishna is saying stay equipoised amid happiness and distress, stay equipoised amid honor and disorder, what that is indicative of is that the world has become not that important for us, that in this world, honor and disorder will come, but it is my spiritual growth that is the most important.

And when one has come to that level, then one can renounce the world. So then what is going to happen is, basically, this is our response to dualities at the material level, which indicates how much our mind is attached to material things. In general, you see, how do we know that there is attachment or there is no attachment? So, attachment basically is a multiplier of emotion. Attachment simply is that whenever we are attached, our emotion associated with the situation gets multiplied.

Say, if somebody is a little interested in cricket, okay, India wins, that’s nice. But if somebody is completely fixated on cricket, India wins, you know, I have to celebrate, I have to dance, I have to party. And if somebody else is not ready to party, what’s wrong with you? It is like that. So it’s generally the greater the attachment, the stronger is the emotion. So if there is detachment, because a multiplier or maximizer of emotion, on the other hand, detachment, if there is detachment, then it’s a minimizer of emotion. Okay, that’s happened. So, okay, let’s move on.

So, generally speaking, here, the dualities will be very high, the dualities will be very less. So, in one sense, by the dualities that we go through, we can trace backward and we can understand our attachments. So, whose words affect us a lot, that indicates whom we are attached to. Attachment can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing; it depends. Which things affect us, that indicates who we are attached to or what things we are attached to.

So, what Krishna is saying is, if our mind is attached, then the mind will still keep going up and down, up and down, and it will not let us be peaceful. And till the mind has not come to the level of equality, you could say non-duality or being unaffected by duality, till that time, a person, it’s not very safe for them to practice solitary renunciation.

Now, after speaking this, Krishna begins describing the process of solitary renunciation. Let’s look at one of the verses from this section to understand what is going on. In this verse, Krishna first describes the externals: staying in a clean place and being situated in a private place. “Atmanam rahasisita” from the previous verse refers to being situated in a secluded space. Let’s look at the 10th verse: “Yogiyunjeet satatam.” “Yunjeet” means engaged, so here Krishna refers to a yogi who is constantly engaged, not merely doing a casual 10-minute yoga session daily. It’s a serious practice. “Yogiyunjeet satatam.” This means the practitioner should be constantly engaged in their practice.

The verse continues: “Atmanam rahasisita,” meaning the person should sit alone in a secluded place. After describing the externals, Krishna then moves to describing the internals. “Ekaki” means one-pointed, and “yata chittatma” means one’s consciousness is fixed on a single point. The person is free from desire (“nirashir”), not affected by dualities like “this is wonderful, I want it, or this is dreadful, I want to avoid it.” Krishna also mentions “aparigraha,” meaning one should not have excessive possessions, as too many possessions lead to worry about protection, which distracts the mind.

So, Krishna is describing a combination of externals and internals for the seeker on the path of solitary renunciation: “Rahasisita, Ekaki, yata chittatma, nirashir, aparigraha.”

In these verses (from 10 to 15), Krishna describes the journey of the seeker transforming into the seer. He repeats this process in verses 16 to 23 and again from 24 to 32, each time emphasizing different aspects of the journey. When describing the journey, Krishna focuses on the transition from the physical to the internal, emphasizing aspects like how one should sit, keep their eyes focused, and concentrate on one point. His description of the internal journey is brief in the first set of verses but becomes more detailed in later verses.

The journey can be thought of as a trip, where various aspects need attention. The first set (verses 10–15) focuses on how the seeker should regulate their external practice, while the second set (verses 16–23) emphasizes the experience at the end of the journey. Krishna describes the blissful experience of Samadhi, giving two key characteristics: first, the subjective experience is so fulfilling that the practitioner no longer craves anything else; and second, even in times of distress, the practitioner remains unshaken.

Krishna contrasts this internal achievement with external goals. While external achievements may bring temporary satisfaction, they come with fear and the constant desire for more. Once the material goals are achieved, the fear of losing them arises. On the other hand, spiritual achievements, like those described in the verses, bring permanent fulfilment and peace, free from desires and the fear of loss.

Krishna emphasizes the distinction between pacifying the mind and purifying it. Meditation on any object can pacify the mind, but true purification requires a divine object, such as Krishna, because Krishna is pure and purifying. Meditating on Krishna not only calms the mind but also cleanses it of negative emotions like anger, greed, and lust.

Unlike other objects of meditation, Krishna is not passive; He is a living, active being who reciprocates with the devotee. Meditating on Krishna brings lasting transformation because of His purity, love, and care for the practitioner. This is the difference between temporary satisfaction and lasting, spiritual fulfilment.

In conclusion, Krishna’s meditation is not just about calming the mind—it is about purifying the heart and soul, bringing the practitioner closer to divine truth and eternal peace.

So, that is a categorical difference: when we are trying to meditate on Krishna, then it is Krishna who is drawing us towards Him. We can’t say that if somebody is meditating on some circle or something like that, or a central dot in a circle, they can’t really say—or somebody meditating on a flower on the opposite wall—we can’t say that the flower is consciously trying to pull their conscience and heart towards them because the flower is just either not even a real flower, but a replica, or even if it’s a real flower, it doesn’t have the capacity. Krishna has that capacity. So, in that sense, meditation on Krishna is distinct, and that will be the focus in the last series: that Krishna does, Krishna.

In the second part, it focuses on the experience itself. Then, He says, “Okay, what is giving us this experience, or what can give us the experience the best?” So that is described in… let’s look at this verse, let’s look at verse 7.39:

“Yo mam pashyati sarvatra, yo mam pashyati sarvatra…” Krishna says that for such a person, I am never lost, and not only that, for me, such a person is never lost. This is the point of reciprocation. Krishna is saying that He cares for this person, and that’s why when we become attached to Krishna, that’s inalienable—Krishna will take responsibility. Krishna will ensure that we don’t become lost. Now, of course, when we say we are in the material world, we can be lost, but we are talking about a stage of very high purification, and we’ll explain that.

Okay, together: “Yo mam pashyati sarvatra…”

So now, at this point, Krishna is still talking about the yogis, and the yogis generally begin with some external object—that is fine. So Krishna talks about two external objects. He talks about—you can focus on the tip of the nose; that’s what initially you can focus on—and then, or He says, between the space between the eyebrows. And there’s nothing specifically sacred about these things; there could be some energy associated with it, but that’s not the key point of Krishna. What I’m saying is just start with some external focus and then start going inward.

Now, the yogis, at this stage, when they are starting the path of yoga, don’t know what the reality is inside. For them, they discover the reality when gradually they turn their consciousness inwards and go deep within. Then, they discover that there is the Lord inside. You know, they see that the Lord is present.

So, what Krishna is saying—this is the vision of Krishna. From an external object, the yogis move towards what they call a conceptual object. A conceptual object means it’s called a sampragyat samadhi. That means, okay, initially they may keep a fire outside, like a candle flame outside, but afterwards they try to visualize the flame inside. And after that, they just open their mind—okay, let me see what is there. Then, after that, they perceive Vishnu inside.

So, it’s a long process. Initially, some object is used as a tool, but gradually they don’t need the external tool. Then, they just think of that object inside. Then, okay, I don’t need any object at all. I just want my consciousness inside now, and I want to explore what is inside. Then, eventually, they discover Vishnu inside.

So, like that, they come to the stage of realizing the divine inside their heart. This is, of course, a fairly long process. But the key point over here is that Krishna very clearly mentions that it is He who is to be ultimately realized. When we go through the whole process of yoga, and interestingly, Krishna says again—he starts with that—at that stage, what happens? One will see everyone equally.

So, in general, the spiritual journey starts with equanimity. Equanimity means that, “Oh, you know, a person can praise me, a person can criticize me, doesn’t matter, I am unaffected.” But eventually, it comes to the level of empathy. Empathy means, okay, you know, when this person praises me or criticizes me, I am not personally affected, but if this person is criticizing me, what’s going on in this person’s life? Maybe they are hurting—that’s why they are hurting me. As they say, hurt people hurt people. So at this stage, it’s like I am not hurt by others, and this is still true over here. But here, there’s additionally the question: what has hurt them? They are hurting me because they are hurt. They are hurting.

So the idea is, equanimity is one who is unaffected. Equanimity is, you could say, the state of dispassion. Passion is a lot of emotion, but empathy is the stage of compassion.

And this is where Arjuna says, “Enough, I can’t do this.” So, what is going on over here? Arjuna says, “This is impossible.” So when he says… we all know this verse where he says, “My mind is chanchalami, mana krishna…” “Pramati, balavadruda…” Now, if we look at what Arjuna’s life has been, if you just take it objectively.

So, there’s an American comedian who said that, “I went to my therapist, and he said that I am depressed, irritated, having some psychotic episodes of rage, I am lonely, I am having attention deficit disorder.” Turns out, I’m perfectly normal. That means, that is how most people are nowadays.

But if we look at Arjuna’s description now: “My mind is restless. My mind is mad. My mind is going wild. Pramati, balavadruda…” Now, if we look at Arjuna’s life, Arjuna has led a very disciplined and composed life. When Arjuna was going to shoot the target, he said, “I see nothing except the eye of the needle.”

So why is Arjuna saying, “My mind is so restless?” Is he speaking something which is not true? Is he describing his emotion at that particular moment? Is he… but then, he has been discussing philosophy.

If, say, our mind is restless and wild and angry and all those things, then how would we be able to actually discuss philosophy? So, Arjuna has been discussing philosophy. So, Arjuna’s self-description—it doesn’t seem to match with either his history, that is his past, or his present. His history, because his present, he is having a serious discussion. In the past, he has had serious discipline—that’s how he has become a champion archer.

So just to make this clear, let’s look at what Arjuna’s self-description is. He first… now, this is the verse we know. Let’s look at this verse:

“Chanchalam hi mana krishna…” “Oh Krishna, the mind is restless…” Now, restless can be like a child, yeah? Okay. But then he says, it’s not just restless, it’s pramati. It is mad. So, restless can be like a child, but it’s like pramati is wild, or it’s like a madman. You know, if in a mental hospital there’s a madman, they can be quite dangerous. And sometimes the madman might be a weakling, but if the madman is a bodybuilder, then it’s balavad—that’s even more problematic.

And then, dhridham. If sometimes the person is very obstinate, “I want this. I want this now. And I don’t care what it takes,” then it’s a fearsome thing, isn’t it? So, dealing with such a person would be very, very difficult. “Chanchalam hi mana krishna, chanchalam hi mana krishna…”

And Krishna is saying, Arjuna is saying that mind controlling it is like controlling the wind. I say, if we are reading some newspaper or something in a garden, and suddenly a gust of wind comes, you can try to catch the paper, but how can we catch the wind? So, he’s saying, trying to stop it is like that.

So here, when Arjuna is saying this, what is he actually referring to? Because this doesn’t seem to be the way he has ever lived in his life. Actually, even when Draupadi was being dishonored, Yudhishthira was completely devastated: “What have I done? What is happening?” and Bhima was enraged. In fact, Bhima at one point was so enraged that he told Arjuna, “Arjuna, this wicked Yudhishthira is the cause of the great pain that the chaste Draupadi is suffering. Arjuna, get fire! I am going to burn the hands of Yudhishthira with which he gambled Panchal Yogi.”

Now, both of them are elder brothers. What does he do now? Arjuna is very calm. Arjuna knows that you cannot calm Bhima down in this room by saying, “Hey, tell Bhima to cool down. Hey, how can you speak like this with your elder brother?” That’s not going to work. So, Arjuna very expertly says, “Oh, Bhima, do you want to speak words that are giving so much joy to Duryodhana?” Bhima looks at Duryodhana, and Duryodhana is really happy. Bhima becomes quiet after that.

So, this was Duryodhana’s actual aim: his aim was to somehow try to split the Pandavas. And when Bhima saw that, he controlled his anger. So, the point I’m making is Arjuna is a very cool-headed person. So, what is he exactly talking about when he’s saying, “My mind is so wild and restless?” He is basically talking about these two verses. See, in the previous verse, he says the problem is the path of yoga that you told me requires samyama (control), it requires equality. And he says, “I can’t do that.”

So, what is he saying? He is saying that equal vision towards Yudhishthira and Duryodhana is impossible for him. He’s applying that to this context. He’s saying, “If I try to see Yudhishthira and Duryodhana equally, my mind just reaches out of control. It is just not possible.” It’s like, say, somebody has hurt us terribly and we go and complain to an authority or at least report to an authority, “This person spoke so terribly to me.” And then that authority tells us, “Okay, go and apologize to him.” We say, “What? It is that person who has hurt me.” It’s like every fabric of our being says, “No, I will not do this.”

So for Arjuna, Yudhishthira is an object of respect, and he says, “How can I see Yudhishthira and Duryodhana equally?” If that is what is required for this path of yoga, I can’t do it. So, for Arjuna, when Krishna describes the path of yoga, the physical aspect of yoga is not very difficult for him. He has grown up in a forest, so he’s lived in a forest. He has performed tapasya (austerities) also to get celestial weapons. At that time, he did some yogic meditation. But the samyama aspect, seeing both equally, is what is difficult. And this is what Krishna said right in the beginning in 6.9, and that’s what he says in 6.32.

6.9 is about solitary meditation. By that, friends, enemies, neutrals, we should see equally. Even those who are pious and those who are impious, we should see equally. Now for Arjuna, this is not just abstract philosophical knowledge. Arjuna is thinking, “How does this relate to my life?” For him, sadhus (saints) and paapas (sinners)—that sadhus is Yudhishthira, paapas is Duryodhana. He says, “I just cannot see both of them.”

Now, how will he be able to see both of them equally if he has become so detached from the world that whether in this world fair things happen or unfair things happen, the world has become so small? Yes, in this world, unfair things will keep happening and fair things will keep happening sometimes, whatever—I don’t care for it. He says, “I am not at that level. I cannot see it that way.”

And on top of that, finally, when Krishna says that you should actually think that Duryodhana is hurting, Arjuna says, “No, throughout his life he has been hurting us. For me to think that he is hurting and that’s why he’s hurting us, maybe that is true, but that I cannot focus on.” So, this equal vision—he says, “My mind starts rebelling at that time.”

So, it’s not about a steady state of the mind. He is specifically describing a state of mind that is wild, a mind that is in rebellion because of the call for equal vision. When he’s told you should have an equal vision towards Yudhishthira—that’s what he’s applying it to: Yudhishthira and Duryodhana, sadhus and paapeshu (sinners). He says, “I just can’t do it.”

Now, when Arjuna hears this in 6.9, he hears it, but lets it pass. But then when it comes up again in 6.32, he says, “Now, this is not possible.”

Krishna, in one sense, responds in a very non-specific way. Krishna says, “Yes, Arjuna, it’s very difficult.” See, when somebody is coming and telling us, “Now, this is extremely difficult,” and we say, “Yeah, it’s easy. What’s the big deal? Why are you making a fuss about such a small thing?” That can lead to a disconnect. So, when Arjuna is worked up about it, Krishna says, “Okay, yeah, it’s difficult,” and it’s true—it is difficult. So Krishna is exhibiting empathy here. He himself is demonstrating. He says, “Be empathic towards others.” He’s showing empathy: “Yes, it is difficult.” But then he says, “It is possible by abhyasa (practice) and vairagya (detachment).”

Now, broadly speaking, abhyasa and vairagya can just mean dos and don’ts, right? It’s a very non-specific thing. Krishna is not saying here that you have to practice Dhyana Yoga only. Any path you follow, it will have dos and don’ts. If you go back to the medical metaphor, whether one follows allopathy or Ayurveda or naturopathy, every path will have some dos and don’ts. So Krishna is giving a non-specific reply: “Yes, it is possible,” and then he emphasizes that, but if you don’t follow any process, then you can never control your mind.

Now, Arjuna has two concerns. Remember yesterday I talked about the two concerns we have when there are obstacles in anything we are trying to do? Both start with d and end with y. Remember we discussed yesterday? There is difficulty and there is delay. Yeah? How much effort will it require? How long will it take? So, Arjuna’s question in 6.33–34 is about difficulty. Then, after that, in the next question (6.35–36), Krishna answers briefly, and then in 6.37–39, Arjuna will say, “What if it takes too long?” That is the essential question.

Now, before we go to that question, Krishna will respond briefly with a non-specific answer. He leaves it over here, saying, “Yes, you have to practice and be detached.” But in the seventh chapter, he introduces Bhakti Yoga, and in the eighth chapter, he will compare Bhakti Yoga and Dhyana Yoga. There, in 8.14, is the only place in the Gita where Krishna says, “This process is easy.” So that 8.14 is actually an answer to Arjuna’s concern over here.

So, like a patient, when the patient says, “This treatment is not possible,” the doctor might say, “Yeah, okay, if you just follow the dos and don’ts, it will work, but if this treatment is not possible, is there some other treatment?” So that will come later.

Now, when Arjuna says, “What if it takes too long? What if I take to the spiritual path but I am not able to realize by the end of my life?” Or, “If it takes too long that in this life itself I become discouraged and then I give up?” Both ways are possible. But generally, he’s talking about it just taking too long. So now, this is where Krishna will answer the question, and this will take about 10-15 minutes, but it’s a very important section which will conclude this chapter.

Generally speaking, when there’s a question, there is always the head and the heart.

The head is concerned with reason and logic, while the heart is concerned with emotion.
Okay, so now what happens is that for different people in different contexts, there may be different things going on. So, somebody says, “You know, I don’t think I can chant 16 rounds.” Now, it could be that practically, from a logistical perspective, they are so busy that they don’t have so much time, or it could be that they just feel this is too demanding, and they can’t do it; they don’t have the confidence. Both are possible. So, depending on what is going on in that person’s mind, either the head has to be addressed or the heart has to be. Ideally, both have to be addressed. Generally, a good answer will provide enlightenment. Enlightenment is: this is how we can do it, and it will provide encouragement. Both are required.

If you consider, in answering, if we only enlighten, what happens is that the person will say, “Yeah, this is how you should do it.” That person will feel it’s impractical: “This is what I should do, but I can’t do it.” But if we only encourage, you say, “Okay, if somebody says, ‘How can I trek up this mountain?’ ‘Yeah, you can do it! You can do it!'” Well, I need a map. “I know I can do it, isn’t it?” So, if you only encourage, then that person will be ill-equipped. Sometimes people need some tangible guidance. So, the ideal answer has both: enlightenment and encouragement. Depending on the state of the mind of the person, either enlightenment has to come first, and then “You can do it! Come on, all the best!” or sometimes, first, encouragement has to come.

So, Krishna sees Arjuna’s state of mind, and the first thing that he does is he offers encouragement, and this is one of the sweetest verses in the Bhagavad Gita, most reassuring verses. So, Krishna tells Arjuna:

“Not in this world, nor in the next world,
The person practicing yoga will not meet with any kind of disaster in this world or the next.”

That one who is practicing, means one who is trying to do good here. “Good” refers to one who is trying to grow spiritually. That is a mysterious long-term good, meaning even slightly, so not only will they not have destruction, meaning some kind of misfortune or degradation, neither of those will happen.

So, here Krishna is assuring Arjuna that if you practice this path of transcendence, then you will never meet with destruction. So now, again, one important thing to notice is that, like I said, the word yoga has contextual meanings. Sometimes it refers to Karma Yoga, sometimes it refers to Dhyana Yoga, sometimes it just refers to the spiritual path that, by spiritual practice, you will become free from distress.

Now, in this context, and Krishna will use the word yoga and yogi, he’s referring to a generic spiritual seeker. That person may be seeking through Karma Yoga, or it may be through Dhyana Yoga. It applies to all of them. So, what does he say here? There are broadly two trajectories possible: If a person practices yoga, and basically, what he is saying is: Let’s try to depict this. This is the earthly level. This is the heavenly level, and then this is the spiritual level. So, you could say these exist within the universe, and that is beyond the universe — so Earth and Heaven.

Now, if somebody is living here, most of society in the past was on the path of Karma Kanda, living piously, by which they will go to heaven. So, that was the standard trajectory. Most people would live with punya, and that’s why in traditional society, when somebody departs, they say the person is swargavasi. Now, whether the person is actually swargavasi depends, but if a person has lived piously, that’s the understanding. Now Krishna is saying, so this is the normal path for most people. Now the path of this is the path of yoga. By yoga, we seek to go beyond this world to the spiritual world.

So now Arjuna is saying that I may give up this path, and I may come here to go towards this path. So, it’s like he is saying that, “Okay, I’m living as a Kshatriya, and Kshatriyas, they fight heroically; they live virtuously, and then by such a life, they will go to heaven.” So, he says, somebody leaves this path and goes to the other path, and what if they can’t stick to the other path for long enough? Then, will they get lost? So, Krishna says, “No.”

That means he said, “What does he say?” That now when somebody leaves this path and goes on that path, they could be at this level or they could be at this level. What does it mean? At this level, they still have material desires; they still have desires for material enjoyment. Here, they have gone beyond material desires to a large extent. So this is possibility one. This is possibility two. So, basically, the person’s journey ends in the sense that the person runs out of time. So, then in such a situation, Krishna says, there are two trajectories possible.

So, for the first person, for the first person who still has some material desires, Krishna says they will go to heaven, and they will live abundantly in heaven, and then they will be reborn on Earth in a prosperous or a pious family. And thereby, they can again begin their journey towards yoga. So, the idea is that if somebody had material desires, then they will have abandoned the fulfillment of those material desires. And after that, so the desires were distracting them — okay, the desires are abundantly fulfilled, then they come back to Earth. And when they are born on Earth, also, see, on Earth one can be distracted by desires, or one can get distracted by distresses.

So, there’s too much trouble; it’s difficult to practice bhakti in the West. If there’s too much material prosperity, it is difficult to practice bhakti. But say, if in the East, somebody’s in a place like Ukraine or somewhere, and there’s too much disturbance, it will be difficult to practice bhakti. So, Krishna says, they will be born in a relatively undisturbed, materially undisturbed place, so they don’t have to worry too much about livelihood. Generally, when we worry about livelihood, it is because we don’t have money or we have too many desires. So, that means we have enough, but we have so many desires. But somebody is born in a pious, prosperous family, and that person can resume their spiritual journey. So, what they have achieved is not lost, Krishna says.

Now, the other path, the other possibility, is that the person, this is for a, you could say, as I said, case one — the yogic material desires still. Now, the other case is where the yogi does not have material desires. Then Krishna brings a little more subtlety, that on the Earth itself, like we say among humans, there are 8.4 million species. So, among those on the Earth itself, there are spiritually unevolved beings, people, and there are spiritually evolved people.

So, this yogi, after this life, will be born as a child to a spiritually evolved couple, and by this, what will happen is, they will be born to a spiritually evolved couple. Then, right from the beginning itself, that person can resume their spiritual journey. So from here, it’s like they get a head start, because the head start — the parents themselves very much support, encourage, and facilitate the spiritual journey.

So, in this way, Krishna is saying a person never loses their spirituality. This is the second possibility. And then, how exactly is the spiritual journey resumed? What does that mean practically? Krishna says that by one’s past practice, one is naturally attracted. So, see, with respect to our knowledge in the philosophy of knowledge, they said that, you know, there is knowledge that is articulated knowledge — that means what we can explain, and beyond that, much bigger is embodied knowledge. Embodied knowledge means that it is very much in our being.

Say, like some children may be playing a game, and now, if a new child comes and starts playing the game and that child breaks a rule, the kids may say, “You can’t do it! You should not do it like this.” Now, the kids may not be able to tell exactly what is the rule you’re breaking, but they just know, “This is not to be done.” So, say, for example, if we know a particular language, now, if somebody speaks in a slightly different way, so they speak something grammatically off, you say, “It’s not to be spoken like this, it’s to be spoken like this.” What is the rule over here? We may not know the rule. So, we are not able to articulate what is right or what is wrong, but it’s embodied. It just naturally comes to us.

So, when we say spiritual knowledge, or that spiritual impression is carried over from this life to the next life, it is not in the form of articulated knowledge. It’s more in the form of embodied knowledge. That means, it is not that — that’s why Krishna uses the word, “A person is almost helplessly attracted.” Normally, helpless has a negative connotation, but here it does not mean so much helpless, which has a negative connotation. It means spontaneous. This person doesn’t have to be told, and that person cannot themselves also explain why they are feeling attracted like this, but they are just drawn towards spirituality.

And by this, so that person resumes their spiritual journey across the world. I meet so many different devotees whose spiritual journey is so amazing, how it starts off. I met one devotee who is now a Sanskrit scholar. He said he came on a tour of India. It was like a cultural exchange kind of tour, and then he came to some place. In that, he came to Varanasi or somewhere, and then he went to a library and he saw… No, it was not Varanasi. I think it was some — which is the place where western people come a lot. He came maybe to Rishikesh or wherever, so he came to some place, and he just went to a library, and he saw a Sanskrit book, just opened it, and he said, “I just fell in love with the script.”

I said, “This is like mathematical symbols, you know Sanskrit, if you write in English.” And all they said was, “This is fascinating, I have to learn this.” I said, “Who can get attracted by looking at the script?” So, it’s almost a mystical attraction. When we are trying to share bhakti with others, we try to rationally present bhakti, and rationally, a case can be made, and that person can take it up. But some people just take it up so enthusiastically because it’s not just our rational presentation that is attracting them—there is something mystical being awakened within them.

It’s not that if a child or a person was very spiritually advanced in their past life, when they are born, it is not that they will be born chanting “Hare Krishna” instead of crying. There is a biological aspect that is natural. But they will have an almost mystical attraction toward the spiritual, and that attraction will pull them toward spirituality. For example, if they are passing by a temple and hear some kirtan, the child might tell their parents, “I want to go here.” The parents might say, “No, we don’t have to,” but the child will insist, “I want to go here.” I’ve known so many Western devotees who said that, among everything that attracts them about India, it’s the recitation of the shlokas. It’s so amazing; it just pulls us in.

So, what is happening is quite like there’s some attraction from the previous life. It’s not articulated in the sense that they can rationally explain, “Okay, what is going on? Why am I attracted like this?” But it is embodied; it’s just naturally felt. If you read the memoirs of several of Shri Prabhupada’s disciples, such as “Journey Home” by Radhanath Maharaj, you’ll see that they often describe this pull. They say, “What was it that was pulling me away from home, that was pulling me like this? I couldn’t explain it to myself, but it was something beyond me.” His book became very famous, but it’s not just his book. Many others, who were spiritual seekers, have had similar experiences.

The point is this: this is how Krishna draws us. Krishna assures Arjuna that whatever practice we have done will not be lost. It will never be lost. Finally, he comes back to his point. The point at which Arjuna asked the question was when Krishna says that the topmost vision is to have the vision of Him and to see everyone as connected with Him. Krishna says that among all spiritual seekers, and now let’s not talk about us, among spiritual seekers, the best yogi is the one who fixes their mind on Him. The topmost yogi is one whose entire being is immersed in Him.

So, he says, there are various spiritual seekers. Among the yogis, the best are those who are able to see Him inside and not just see Him, but worship Him with Shraddha. This is significant because some yogis see Krishna in their heart and think, “I am that Krishna,” and they merge into it. But that’s not bhajan. There is merging, but when He says they worship with Shraddha, it means they have no urge to merge. Shraddha says such people are most intimately united with Him. This verse about the yogis who are most intimately united will be the takeoff point for the bhakti section, where Krishna will tell us that there is another way to reach the stage of having the mind absorbed in Him. This path is the path of direct bhakti, which will begin the next section of the Gita, and we will discuss it in our next session.

Let me summarize what we discussed today. In Chapter 6, we started by talking about how Krishna is addressing Arjuna’s concern. Arjuna has this unasked question about whether renunciation should be done or not. Krishna says that engaged action in detached action is better. Krishna starts with Karma Yoga and then moves on to Dhyana Yoga. But before that, He says the key thing to do this is for the mind to be calm. Normally, the mind is calmed by both the individual and society. But if a person is practicing solitary meditation, it is vital for them to have the mind beyond duality, at least to some extent. Duality can come from things or people, and both need to be addressed. If the yogi is here, initially, the world of matter is very big, and the world of spirit is small. But for the yogi to renounce the world, the world of matter needs to become small, and the world of spirit needs to become very big. This is the state where a person can begin the journey to renounce the world.

We then discussed how yoga is a gradual outside-in process. First, there is bodily regulation, and then gradually there is mental concentration. In between, there is a shutting off of externals. This can be done in the world, but it requires renouncing the world. Bhakti-hara is the break between this, and when there is mental concentration with respect to meditation, it can be based on the mode of thinking or the object of thought. Any mode of thinking can pacify the restless mind, but only when it is Krishna that brings purification. This is because Krishna is pure Himself, and secondly, because Krishna reciprocates with us. He is not just an insensient object we are choosing to meditate on; He is a person.

When Krishna describes the spiritual journey from seeker to seer, He first describes it in terms of experience. The characteristic of the experience is that at the stage of samadhi, a person is free from hankering and lamentation. He also describes it in terms of vision, to see Krishna everywhere and everything in Krishna. Krishna is the highest reality, and in this way, Krishna is addressing both aspects of meditation.

Next, we discussed Arjuna’s first question, which was about the difficulty of keeping the mind equal. He says it is impossible to see Duryodhana and Yudhishthira equally. He is referring to the mental aspect of yoga, and Krishna replies by offering a non-specific reassurance that, yes, through practice and detachment, it is possible.

Finally, we discussed the second question about what happens if it takes longer. Krishna says there is never any destruction or degradation. He assures Arjuna that whatever knowledge we have acquired, even if we can’t articulate it, will spontaneously attract us to the spiritual path, and by that, we will resume our spiritual journey. Krishna concludes by saying that the topmost yogi is one who is absorbed in Him, and that will lead to the next chapter.

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna!