अभ्यासयोगयुक्तेन चेतसा नान्यगामिना |
परमं पुरुषं दिव्यं याति पार्थानुचिन्तयन् || 8||
abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena chetasā nānya-gāminā
paramaṁ puruṣhaṁ divyaṁ yāti pārthānuchintayan
abhyāsa-yoga—by practice of yog; yuktena—being constantly engaged in remembrance; chetasā—by the mind; na anya-gāminā—without deviating; paramam puruṣham—the Supreme Divine Personality; divyam—divine; yāti—one attains; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; anuchintayan—constant remembrance
Translation:
Engaged in the yoga of constant practice and not allowing the mind to wander away to anything else, he who meditates on the supreme, resplendent Purusha reaches Him, Ο son of Prithā.
Commentary:
In this verse, three definite practices are mentioned to reach the Supreme Lord.
- The practice of yoga.
- The mind should not swerve from the Lord, as the supreme goal.
- One should meditate on the Lord continuously.
1. The Lord has elevated ‘practice’ (abhyasa) to the state of the yoga, like Karma yoga, Jnana yoga etc. No other yoga can bear fruit without being supported by abhysa yoga. In the 6th Discourse, the Lord has already referred to practice (‘Abhyasa’) as the primary method of controlling the mind.
In the practical field of work, we understand the need for systematic practice. In sport and art, practice is essential for perfection. In fact, practice is nothing else than the repetition of the mode of thought or act. Any act repeated many times becomes a habit. All the bad habits have been the accumulated effect of wrong practice. If practice is done in the right direction, good thoughts and acts become natural and spontaneous. When one comes across a person who is pure in thought, word and deed, he admires him, and sometimes wonders how he could be so pure. But he should realise how he had laid the foundations of purity by long abhyasa yoga. All the impurities and weaknesses arising from previous births are overcome by the steadfast practice of goodness and purity in this life. Whatever may be the yoga that the seeker chooses to follow, it should be first and last combined with abhyasa yoga. Then alone it would yield good results, just as purifying powders work on the human body only when they are mixed with water.
2. The second thing is that the man should not move away from the ideal. The aim is Atma, and the mind should therefore be centered in the Atma, and not allowed to move out towards material objects. Whatever appears (‘anatma’) perishes. Knowing this, through discrimination one should hold fast to Atma alone. As the mind by its nature can only hold on to some form it should be given some divine object or form to which it can easily cling to. So it is said here that one should meditate on the Supreme Divine Lord (Paramam Purusham Divyam).
Anuchintayan: The Lord commands the disciple to think of Him (Atma) again and again, and yet again. So thinking continuously, man reaches the supreme state. Having full faith in the teaching of the Lord, may all the spiritual aspirants fulfil their life’s purpose.
Question: What is the nature of Paramatma?
Answer: He is Supreme, Self-effulgent, and Divine.
Question: What is the way to reach Him?
Answer: Restraining the mind from going out toward sense objects; remembering Him continuously is the way to reach Him.
Question: How should the mind be restrained?
Answer: It should remain steadfast in Atma alone, and not turn away from it.