कथं विद्यामहं योगिंस्त्वां सदा परिचिन्तयन् |
केषु केषु च भावेषु चिन्त्योऽसि भगवन्मया || 17||
kathaṁ vidyām ahaṁ yogins tvāṁ sadā parichintayan
keṣhu keṣhu cha bhāveṣhu chintyo ’si bhagavan mayā
katham—how; vidyām aham—shall I know; yogin—the Supreme Master of Yogmaya; tvām—you; sadā—always; parichintayan—meditating; keṣhu—in what; keṣhu—in what; cha—and; bhāveṣhu—forms; chintyaḥ asi—to be thought of; bhagavan—the Supreme Divine Personality; mayā—by me
Translation:
How may I know You, Ο Yogi, by constant meditation? In what various things, Ο Lord, are You to be contemplated by me?
Commentary:
Arjuna’s prayer is indeed the prayer of all spiritual seekers. Rarely does a man realise the subtle formless Brahman. All seekers are functioning through the senses and the mind, and the objective world is present before their eyes. The Lord having permeated the whole universe, in what and what aspects and forms He should be cognised and worshipped is the question. The Lord points out some of the outstanding manifestations of His Divine Glory. The Seeker may take up any form and offer worship in the firm belief that it is the Supreme Lord Himself.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
MANILAL (to the Master): “Well, what is the rule for concentration? Where should one concentrate?”
MASTER: “The heart is a splendid place. One can meditate there or in the Sahasrara. These are rules for meditation given in the scriptures. But you may meditate wherever you like. Every place is filled with Brahman-Consciousness. Is there any place where It does not exist? Narayana, in Vali’s presence, covered with two steps the heavens, the earth, and the interspaces.2 Is there then any place left uncovered by God? A dirty place is as holy as the bank of the Ganges. It is said that the whole creation is the Virat, the Universal Form of God. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
MR. CHOUDHURY: “Sir, is it not possible to have the vision of God without the help of a guru?”
MASTER: “Satchidananda Himself is the Guru. At the end of the sava-sadhana, just when the vision of the Ishta is about to take place, the guru appears before the aspirant and says to him, ‘Behold! There is your Ishta.’ Saying this, the guru merges in the Ishta. He who is the guru is also the Ishta. The guru is the thread that leads to God. Women perform a ritualistic worship known as the ‘Ananta-vrata’, the object of worship being the Infinite. But actually the Deity worshipped is Vishnu. In Him are the ‘infinite’ forms of God.
(To Ram and the other devotees) “If you asked me which form of God you should meditate upon, I should say: Fix your attention on that form which appeals to you most; but know for certain that all forms are the forms of one God alone.
“Never harbour malice toward anyone. Siva, Kali, and Hari are but different forms of that One. He is blessed indeed who has known all as one. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
(To Vijay) “There was a time when I too would meditate on God with my eyes closed.2 Then I said to myself: ‘Does God exist only when I think of Him with my eyes closed? Doesn’t He exist when I look around with my eyes open?’ Now, when I look around with my eyes open, I see that God dwells in all beings. He is the Indwelling Spirit of all — men, animals and other living beings, trees and plants, sun and moon, land and water. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
In spite of his illness, Swami Turiyananda was always ready to speak about God and spiritual life. A brahmacharin once asked, “Maharaj, what is a good subject for meditation?” “Any subject that appeals to you,” the swami replied. “All lead to the same goal.” Then he explained the relationship between the guru and the disciple: “The guru should hold the disciple through love. He should not bind him, but give him full freedom. His aim should be to dispel delusion, to clear the vision… . The disciple should obey through love, not from fear. That would be slavery.” (Source: God Lived with Them)
—–
On 19 March 1917, Holy Mother wrote to her disciple Manada Shankar Dasgupta: “If you have a keen desire to meditate on my form, do it. There is no difference between me and the Master. The only difference is between the two forms. (BG 9.4, BG 9.5) The Master dwells inside my body.” (Source: Sri Sarada Devi and Her Divine Play)
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 10 🔻 (42 Verses)
