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Thursday, May 9, 2019

Yoga, Meditacion, Realizacion

Bhagavad-Gita 


Capítulo Sexto

El Camino de la Meditación


Por Michael Dolan/ B.V. Mahāyogi
Traducido por Teresa Loret de Mola, Tapanandini DD

Kṛṣṇa continúa, “Uno ha de elevarse a sí mismo a través de la mente y no degradarse. Para quien controla la mente, su mente es su mejor a migo y le ayudará a auto realizarse. Cuando el ser falla en controlar la mente, la mente se convierte en el enemigo de su auténtico interés personal. El yogī que ha conquistado la mente se absorbe en un trance yóguico. Él se hace igual al todo y se establece en el ser en medio de los impulsos de frío y calor, placer y dolor, honor e insulto. Considera por igual a amigos, enemigos y extraños.”
Dado que Arjuna ha pedido a Kṛṣṇa que le ilumine en la senda del yoga, Kṛṣṇa empieza ahora su discusión acerca de la naturaleza de aṣtāṇga yoga, o la senda óctuple de la iluminación.
Ciertos aspectos de esta forma de yoga se han hecho populares en Occidente, especialmente las asanas del yoga y la práctica de la respiración conocida como prāṇāyāma. La senda óctuple es llamada aṣtāṇga yoga, que literalmente significa “los ocho miembros” de la práctica de Yoga. Mucho después de que Kṛṣṇa hablara el Bhagavad Gīta éste fue codificado en el sistema de yoga de Patanjali. Pero el sistema era antiguo incluso en los tiempos de la guerra de Kurukṣetra.
Antes de escuchar las palabras de Kṛṣṇa acerca del tema, miremos hacia la senda óctuple. Los ocho miembros del yoga son los siguientes:
Yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhāraṇā, dhyāna y samādhi. Éstos no son jerárquicos en el sentido de que se ha de lograr una etapa para ascender hacia la siguiente. Se conciben como diferentes miembros que han de mantenerse apropiadamente al unísono para que el cuerpo esté sano.
1.     Yama: reglas (Los No) Los principios generales del yoga significan que hay ciertas reglas que han de seguirse con el fin de liberar a la mente de la distracción y agitación. Esto incluye los actos pecaminosos, inmorales y criminales. Uno ha de evitar la violencia, no únicamente en contra de los seres humanos, sino también en contra de los animales, como el comer carne. La lujuria ha de evitarse puesto que corrompe la vida espiritual. La intoxicación etílica y las drogas distorsionan la mente y deben abandonarse. La avaricia en los intercambios comerciales, la especulación y la deshonestidad destruyen la vida espiritual. Un yogi se esforzará por la pureza del cuerpo y la mente más allá de las reglas. Esto implica una vida contemplativa de autodisciplina libre de enojo y violencia. El auto-análisis, la auto-abnegación, la dedicación a las enseñanzas del propio maestro espiritual y la devoción a Dios.
2.     Niyama; aceptación de las circunstancias del medio ambiente, autodisciplina, introspección y la devoción al maestro espiritual.
3.     āsana: Las diferentes posturas de yoga contribuyen a la salud de la mente y el cuerpo, y ayudan a la realización espiritual.
4.     Prāṇāyāma: si la palabra yāma significa “reglas y regulaciones” prāṇāyāma significa la regulación y control de prāna, el aire vital que circula a través del cuerpo.
5.     Pratyāhāra: Esto significa control de los sentidos, retirar la concentración de los objetos de los sentidos.
6.     Dhāraṇā: significa el pensamiento apropiado que recuerda que el alma es eterna.
7.     Dhyāna: La meditación experimentando la luz interna del alma y mantener la conciencia del Alma Suprema que existe en el interior y en el exterior.
8.     Samādhi: La absorción constante en el atma. La experiencia espiritual de la relación entre el alma individual y la Súper Alma, Paramātma.
Volviendo al texto actual, del verso 10 del Capítulo VI.
Kṛṣṇa le dice a Arjuna, que para practicar yoga uno ha de ir a un sitio tranquilo, pacífico y sagrado.
“ Uno debe colocar hierba kuśa y cubrirla luego con una piel de venado y un paño suave. El asiento no ha de estar ni muy elevado ni muy bajo y ha de estar situado en  lugar sagrado. El Yogi entonces se sentará en el con firmeza y practicará el yoga para purificar el corazón controlando la mente, los sentidos, y las actividades y fijando la mente en un punto. Desde el verso 13 del Capítulo VI, Kṛṣṇa continúa describiendo la senda óctuple del yoga. Explica el proceso para meditar, el control de la respiración, el ayuno y el autocontrol físico, la regulación apropiada de la mente y la inteligencia, la purificación de la conciencia, samādhi y nirvana, que en este caso no significa el cese de la existencia material sino el fin de nuestra participación en el mundo de la explotación y nuestra dedicación a Bhagavān, la Personalidad Suprema.
La existencia material es temporal, por lo tanto ilusoria. Para el alma no hay cese para la existencia, puesto que atma es eterna.
En sus comentarios, Bhaktivedānta Swāmī hace una excepción en las llamadas prácticas modernas de yoga y halla muy poca autenticidad en tales sociedades. Señala que los sitios sagrados son muy difíciles de hallar. Incluso en India muchos de los lugares sagrados están contaminados. Y en todo caso de difícil acceso especialmente para los occidentales.
Del comentario de Bhaktivedānta Swāmī, en su Bhagavad-Gīta Tal Como Es: “Las supuestas sociedades de yoga en las grandes ciudades tal vez han tenido éxito en obtener beneficios materiales, pero no son adecuadas para realizar la verdadera práctica de yoga. Quien no es auto-controlado y cuya mente no se perturba no puede practicar la meditación. Por ello en el Bṛhan-naradiya Purāna dice, “en la era de hierro de Kalī cuando la vida de la gente son efímeras,  lentas y poco espirituales, siempre perturbadas por varias ansiedades, el mejor medio para la realización espiritual es cantar el Santo Nombre. En esta era de hipocresía y discordia el único medio para la liberación es el canto del Nombre Sagrado. No hay otra manera. No hay otra manera. No hay otra manera.”
हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम हरेर्नाम एव केवलम् कलौ नस्त्य् एव नस्त्य् एव नस्त्य् एव गतिर्अन्यथ

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha."

El Mantra Hare es el mejor medio para el yoga y la meditación. ¡Inténtalo!

हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे
हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare


श्रीभगवान् उवाच

अनाश्रितः कर्मफलं कार्यं कर्म करोति यः
संन्यासी योगी निरग्निर् चाक्रियः .

यं संन्यासम् इति प्राहुर् योगं तं विद्धि पाण्डव
ह्य् असंन्यस्तसंकल्पो योगी भवति कश्चन .

आरुरुक्षोर् मुनेर् योगं कर्म कारणम् उच्यते
योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणम् उच्यते .

यदा हि नेन्द्रियार्थेषु कर्मस्व् अनुषज्जते
सर्वसंकल्पसंन्यासी योगारूढस् तदोच्यते .

उद्धरेद् आत्मनात्मानं नात्मानम् अवसादयेत्
आत्मैव ह्य् आत्मनो बन्धुर् आत्मैव रिपुर् आत्मनः .

बन्धुर् आत्मात्मनस् तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जितः
अनात्मनस् तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तेतात्मैव शत्रुवत् .

जितात्मनः प्रशान्तस्य परमात्मा समाहितः
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु तथा मानापमानयोः .

ज्ञानविज्ञानतृप्तात्मा कूटस्थो विजितेन्द्रियः
युक्त इत्य् उच्यते योगी समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः .

सुहृन्मित्रार्युदासीनमध्यस्थद्वेष्यबन्धुषु
साधुष्व् अपि पापेषु समबुद्धिर् विशिष्यते .

योगी युञ्जीत सततम् आत्मानं रहसि स्थितः
एकाकी यतचित्तात्मा निराशीर् अपरिग्रहः .१०

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरम् आसनम् आत्मनः

नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम् .११
तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः
उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद् योगम् आत्मविशुद्धये .१२

समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्न् अचलं स्थिरः
संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश् चानवलोकयन्
.१३

प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर् ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः
मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः .१४

युञ्जन्न् एवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थाम् अधिगच्छति
.१५
atha ṣaṣṭhodhyāyaḥ

śrībhagavān uvāca


anāśritaḥ karmaphalaṃ kāryaṃ karma karoti yaḥ
sa saṃnyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnir na cākriyaḥ 6.1

yaṃ saṃnyāsam iti prāhur yogaṃ taṃ viddhi pāṇḍava
na hy asaṃnyastasaṃkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana 6.2

ārurukṣor muner yogaṃ karma kāraṇam ucyate
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇam ucyate 6.3

yadā hi nendriyārtheṣu na karmasv anuṣajjate
sarvasaṃkalpasaṃnyāsī yogārūḍhas tadocyate 6.4

uddhared ātmanātmānaṃ nātmānam avasādayet
ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ
6.5

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ
anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatruvat 6.6

jitātmanaḥ praśāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ
śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ 6.7

jñānavijñānatṛptātmā kūṭastho vijitendriyaḥ
yukta ity ucyate yogī samaloṣṭāśmakāñcanaḥ 6.8

suhṛnmitrāryudāsīnamadhyasthadveṣyabandhuṣu
sādhuṣv api ca pāpeṣu samabuddhir viśiṣyate 6.9

yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṃ rahasi sthitaḥ
ekākī yatacittātmā nirāśīr aparigrahaḥ 6.10

śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ
nātyucchritaṃ nātinīcaṃ cailājinakuśottaram 6.11

tatraikāgraṃ manaḥ kṛtvā yatacittendriyakriyaḥ
upaviśyāsane yuñjyād yogam ātmaviśuddhaye 6.12

samaṃ kāyaśirogrīvaṃ dhārayann acalaṃ sthiraḥ
saṃprekṣya nāsikāgraṃ svaṃ diśaś cānavalokayan
6.13

praśāntātmā vigatabhīr brahmacārivrate sthitaḥ
manaḥ saṃyamya maccitto yukta āsīta matparaḥ 6.14

yuñjann evaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī niyatamānasaḥ
śāntiṃ nirvāṇaparamāṃ matsaṃsthām adhigacchati
6.15

Samādhi

Bhagavad-Gita Sixth Chapter




The Path of Yoga: 
 Meditation and Practice


by Michael Dolan/B.V. Mahayogi



There may be some objection to my feeble attempts to do justice to the meaning of the Bhagavad-Gita. I am not a great Sanskrit scholar. Nor am I an enlightened being. I make no pretension of being a "Guru" or spiritual master. And yet, I have studied the Bhagavad-Gita for over 50 years now. I studied at the feet of Bhaktivedānta Swāmi as his disciple and later after his passing I studied at the feet of B.R. Shridhar Swami.



In his book on Surrender, Prapanna-Jivanāmṛtam, Shridhar Maharaja appeals to the reader, pointing out that while there may be some imperfections in his work, the sincere souls will find something worthwhile:

“Despite my disqualifications, for the satisfaction of the pure devotees I have compiled in this book an anthology of stanzas that are well established by our predecessors." He quotes the Bhagavatam as evidence: तद्वाग्विसर्गो जनताघविप्लवो यस्मिन्प्रतिश्लोकमबद्धवत्यपि। नामान्यनन्तस्य यशोऽङ्कितानि यच् छृण्वन्ति गायन्ति गृणन्ति साधवः ॥६॥ भाः १।५।११
“tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api nāmāny anantasya yaśo ’ṅkitāni yach chhṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ [6] (SB: 1.5.11) “Even if every stanza is imperfectly composed, the sins of the people are totally vanquished by those expressions or books in which the glorious Holy Names of the Infinite Supreme Lord are described..."
Rupa Goswāmī himself echoes this in his Śrī-Rūpapādānāṁ. अभिव्यक्ता मत्तः प्रकृतिलघुरूपादपि बुधा विधात्री सिद्धार्थान्हरिगुणमयी वः कृतिरियम्। पुलिन्देनाप्यग्निः किमु समिधमुन्मथ्य जनितो हिरण्यश्रेणीनामपहरति नान्तःकलुषताम् ॥७॥ श्रीरूपपादानां
abhivyaktā mattaḥ prakṛti-laghu-rūpād api budhā vidhātrī siddhārthān hari-guṇamayī vaḥ kṛtir iyam pulindenāpy agniḥ kim u samidham unmathya janito hiraṇya-śreṇīnām apaharati nāntaḥ kaluṣatām [7] (Śrī-Rūpapādānāṁ) “O learned personalities, this treatise, composed of the divine qualities of Lord Hari, will fulfill your cherished wishes despite the fact that it is presented by me, a very insignificant person. Does not the fire ignited from pieces of wood rubbed together by a low-born barbarian dissipate the impurities in gold?”

“As Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmipād has (in his humility) expressed that gold can be purified with fire lit by a barbarian, similarly, the pure devotees’ grief born of their separation from the Lord may also be dispelled by this book (which will light the lamp of their divine love for the Lord).” [Excerpt From: Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj. “Sri Sri Prapanna-jivanamritam.”]

In the spirit of my spiritual preceptor and divine guardian, I humbly offer this attempt to communicate the ideas of the Bhagavad-Gita. I am sure that if there is anything imperfect, the sincere souls will overlook the imperfections. After all, a honeybee can sip nectar even from thorny flowers.



We continue our summary of the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita from the 20th Verse:

यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया
यत्र चैवात्मनात्मानं पश्यन्न् आत्मनि तुष्यति ६.२०
yatroparamate cittaṃ niruddhaṃ yogasevayā
yatra caivātmanātmānaṃ paśyann ātmani tuṣyati 6.20


It is important to remember that as Krishna goes through the different paths to realization, from sacrifice to karma to knowledge to renunciation to eight-fold yoga, He is really re-stating the same argument: dedication to God is the best path. He will re-iterate this again and again. Sometimes dedication is masked as sacrifice; at times it is embedded in reflection. But the inner purport is surrender and dedication to divinity as developed through bhakti. This will become more clear in later chapters.

Having said that, the sixth chapter is about yoga specifically. But there is a caveat here as well. It seems that yoga is a technique. By practicing this technique, we get something. We do yoga and the result is physical: a finely tuned body and mind. This is a materialistic take on the benefits of yoga. In a deeper sense, yoga is a path to divinity. We cannot force our way into the higher domain. We shall enter that domain only through His mercy. So, following rules and practicing a technique may be conducive to a higher spiritual state; but in the end that higher spiritual state is merely a pathway towards accepting His mercy. We practice yoga in order to be open to His mercy. Our minds at present are closed. We operate in a materialistic sphere with the mentality of exploitation. The practice of yoga should be a means to fine-tune our body and mind that we can be open to real spiritual life in surrender and dedication. This is the highest yoga as Krishna explains at the end of the chapter. And the idea of surrender and divine love is emphasized throughout this entire discourse. There is no heresy here. The message of the Gita is universal. Christians may see this as a call to dedication, to follow in the footsteps of Christ by developing love of God through inner peace.

The purpose of eightfold yoga path is this. By following rules, relaxing our breathing, and holding spiritual knowledge in mind gradually one enters into a constant state of grace. This stage is called samādhi.

Samādhi is attained through constant meditation. In this state, one's mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. One becomes sensitive to the prospect of surrender. Samādhi is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. The mind achieves peace through freedom from materialistic obsessions. Gradually the yogi discovers God within. Above and beyond our own individual spirituality there is a higher Consciousness: The Lord within the heart or the Supersoul, called “Paramatma.” In samādhi one experiences a constant perception of God Within. In this state of spiritual enlightenment, one feels transcendentally ecstatic. Such joy is never materialistic.
If the nature of the soul is to be conscious and eternal, (sat, chit) the real food of the soul is happiness (ananda.) In the joyful state of samādhi, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness. Once enlightened, one never deviates from this reality, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position through the daily practice of meditation, one cannot be moved, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. The inner perception of Godhead, being able to perceive God Within, even while experiencing one’s self as eternal blissful consciousness is real yoga.
This yoga frees one from all material miseries and so should be practiced with determination and faith. There may be setbacks on the path but one should continue with perserverance.
In the same way, one should give up material desires born of false ego control the senses by keeping the mind peaceful in blissful knowledge. Through higher intelligence and peaceful mind one should become fixed in samādhi by following these steps. In this way the mind becomes absorbed in meditation upon the Supreme. The mind is unsteady. But wherever the mind wanders, the yogi brings it back under the control of the Self in concert with the Supreme Self.
The joy of self-realization thus becomes available to such a yogi who is freed from material passions. Freed from attachment, fear and anger, the heart pacified, this yogi becomes situated in the divine nature.

Thus engaged in yoga practice, always fixed in the Atma, being freed from all material contamination, the yogi achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with the Supreme Consciousness.

यत्रोपरमते चित्तं निरुद्धं योगसेवया
यत्र चैवात्मनात्मानं पश्यन्न् आत्मनि तुष्यति ६.२०

सुखम् आत्यन्तिकं यत् तद् बुद्धिग्राह्यम्
अतीन्द्रियम्
वेत्ति यत्र न चैवायं स्थितश् चलति तत्त्वतः ६.२१

यं लब्ध्वा चापरं लाभं मन्यते नाधिकं
ततः
यस्मिन् स्थितो न दुःखेन गुरुणापि विचाल्यते ६.२२

तं विद्याद्.ह् दुःखसंयोगवियोगं योगसंज्ञितम्
स निश्चयेन योक्तव्यो योगोनिर्विण्णचेतसा ६.२३

सङ्कल्पप्रभवान् कामांस् त्यक्त्वा सर्वान् अशेषतः
मनसैवेन्द्रियग्रामं विनियम्य समन्ततः ६.२४

शनैः शनैर् उपरमेद् बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया
आत्मसंस्थं मनः कृत्वा न किंचिद् अपि चिन्तयेत्
६.२५

यतो यतो निश्चरति मनश् चञ्चलम् अस्थिरम्
ततस् ततो नियम्यैतद् आत्मन्य् एव वशं नयेत् ६.२६

प्रशान्तमनसं ह्य् एनं योगिनं सुखम् उत्तमम्
उपैति शान्तरजसं ब्रह्मभूतम् अकल्मषम् ६.२७

युञ्जन्न् एवं सदात्मानं योगी विगतकल्मषः
सुखेन ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शम् अत्यन्तं सुखम् अश्नुते
६.२८


yatroparamate cittaṃ niruddhaṃ yogasevayā
yatra caivātmanātmānaṃ paśyann ātmani tuṣyati 6.20

sukham ātyantikaṃ yat tad buddhigrāhyam
atīndriyam
vetti yatra na caivāyaṃ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ 6.21

yaṃ labdhvā cāparaṃ lābhaṃ manyate nādhikaṃ
tataḥ
yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate 6.22

taṃ vidyād.h duḥkhasaṃyogaviyogaṃ yogasaṃjñitam
sa niścayena yoktavyo yogonirviṇṇacetasā 6.23

saṅkalpaprabhavān kāmāṃs tyaktvā sarvān aśeṣataḥ
manasaivendriyagrāmaṃ viniyamya samantataḥ 6.24

śanaiḥ śanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛtigṛhītayā
ātmasaṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiṃcid api cintayet
6.25

yato yato niścarati manaś cañcalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad ātmany eva vaśaṃ nayet 6.26

praśāntamanasaṃ hy enaṃ yoginaṃ sukham uttamam
upaiti śāntarajasaṃ brahmabhūtam akalmaṣam 6.27

yuñjann evaṃ sadātmānaṃ yogī vigatakalmaṣaḥ
sukhena brahmasaṃsparśam atyantaṃ sukham aśnute
6.28