In this excerpt, from the weekly Sangha, Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, Swamiji gives a unique and new explanation of a well-known verse from the Bhagavad Gita, calling for moderation in using the senses. Here, in this amendment of the verse, he explains how to put the Trick of Yoga in all Activities of your Life. The recording includes questions and answers and further discussion of the subject.
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SWAMIJI: 17th śloka.
DVD 6.2 (21:41)
योगोऽस्ति नैवात्यशतो न चैकान्तमनश्नतः ।
न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य नातिजागरतोऽर्जुन ॥१७॥
yogo’sti naivātyaśato na caikāntamanaśnataḥ /
na cātisvapnaśīlasya nātijāgarato’rjuna //17//
Yoga won’t work, ātyaśata, if you fill your stomach wholeheartedly; na caikānta manaśnataḥ, yoga cannot be possible if you don’t eat at all; na cāti-svapnaśīlasya, yoga cannot be possible if you only sleep day and night for twelve hours, just like a beast; nāti jāgarato’rjuna, O Arjuna, if you are wakeful for the whole night, in that way also yoga is not possible.
Now, Abhinavagupta has commentated upon this [next ] śloka of the Bhagavad Gītā in such a way that I don’t accept. For this [reason], I have come to make some amendment of this commentary of Abhinavagupta, here.
Do you understand?
DENISE: Yes.
JOHN: What verse? 17th?
SWAMIJI: 17th and 18th, both together.
DVD 6.2 (23:35)
युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दुःखहा ॥१८॥
yuktāhāravihārasya yuktaceṣṭasya karmasu /
yuktasvapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duhkhahā //18//
Although this verse of the Bhagavad Gītā by Vyāsa is complete, but Abhinavagupta has not commentated upon it as I would commentate upon this śloka. I will tell you his commentary, his first commentary, [which he gave] in his first life.
Āhāra means āhriyamāṇeṣu viṣayeṣu [comm.], when you will go here and there – this is āhāra. Yuktāhāra does not [only] mean eating. Yuktāhāra means śabda (sound), sparśa (touch), rupa (form) . . . all of the sensual pleasures.
In sensual pleasures, what should you do?
Keep it on one side, vihāra. Vihāra means vihāraḥ upabhogāya pravṛttiḥ; vihāra means to enjoy sensual objects. This was Abhinava-gupta’s first commentary.
Tasyāśca yuktatvaṁ. Yukta means na ātyantā saktiḥ na ātyanta parivarjanam, you should not be a slave to those enjoyments. Neither should you be a slave nor should you renounce them. Renunciation is also not good and to be a slave to those enjoyments, that is also not good. That is yukta, yuktatva.
Evaṁ sarvatra, in this way you should commentate upon these ślokas of Vyāsa like this. This is Abhinavagupta’s first commentary.
But I don’t appreciate this kind of [explanation].
Yuktāhāra. Yuktāhāra means take food! Go on taking food, as much food as you can take, go on taking it, but keep awareness in it. While taking food, offer it to your own Gods – that is yuktāhāra. Yuktāhāra means when you eat food, go on eating ‘with awareness’, go on focusing on its taste.
Which taste?
[The taste of] whatever you eat . . . and there will be one-pointedness. Maintain one-pointedness while eating. Maintain one-pointed-ness (it is my commentary, my amendment), maintain one-pointedness in sleeping. You can sleep but maintain one-pointedness in sleeping. Be aware while sleeping. If you sleep, be aware! Don’t be just like a sluggish bear sleeping. Put the trick of yoga into it.
This is my new commentary on this Bhagavad Gītā.
Yuktāhāra vihārasya yukta ceṣṭasya karmasu. When you have to do activities of the daily routine of your life, do all of the daily routine of life, but don’t lose your internal yoga. At the same time, you go on practicing inside.
DENISE: You mean watching your breath.
SWAMIJI: Watching your breath, and don’t be taken by these activities of life, the daily routine of life.
Yukta svapnā, and when you dream, go into dreams with awareness. When you dream, you will enter into samādhi at the time of dreaming state; you won’t go into the dreaming state. At that time you will go into samādhi while dreaming.
Yukta svapna āvabodhasya, and when you are awake, be awake with yoga. Yogo bhavati duḥkha, then yoga is very easy; everywhere yoga is available to you. This is my commentary, new commentary. And this is Abhinavagupta’s new commentary. You should know that. So I had to put an amendment on this commentary.
yogo’sti naivātyaśato na caikāntamanaśnataḥ /
na cātisvapnaśīlasya nātijāgarato’rjuna //17// (repeated)
Yukta means yujar-yoge. According to Pāṇini’s grammar, yukta means “with yoga”. Attach yoga to all of your activities of the daily routine of life and yoga will be very easily achieved. Yoga cannot be achieved [by remaining] in one corner, if you lock your door from the outside and sit, you will just be wasting your time inside. You will be . . . “idles workshop is demons . . .” what?
DENISE: Idle mind is devil’s workshop?
JONATHAN: Devil’s playground. Idle workshop is devil’s playground.
SWAMIJI: Yes.
Don’t do like that. Come out in the field and see yoga!
End of excerpt from the free online weekly Sangha, Bhagavad Gita in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism,
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