Chapter 5, Verse 21
bāhya-sparśeṣv-asaktātmā
vindaty-ātmani yat sukham
sa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā
sukham akṣayam aśnute
When the soul is no longer attached to the touch of external things, then one finds the true happiness that exists in the Self. Such a person enjoys an imperishable happiness, because his Self is connected by yoga with Brahman.
“When the soul is no longer attached to the touch of external things…”when the mind remains unattached to the sense objects, “…then one finds the true happiness that exists in the Self.” Through meditation, one continuously enjoys the Divine in everything one does. This is meditation. Meditation is not just sitting down and closing the eyes. No. Meditation is to be in the state of Divine awareness every moment of the day.
“Such a person enjoys an imperishable happiness...” The word, ‘imperishable’, makes it clear that this happiness that the Lord is talking about is actually bliss, ananda. One is in the state of Satchitananda. “…because his Self is connected by yoga with Brahman.” As one is in constant meditation on the Lord, one perceives the eternal Brahman everywhere, at every moment, even with one’s eyes closed. One perceives that the same Lord on whom one is meditating, is present in all His creation – in all the plants, the animals and the people, so there is no judgement of anybody or anything.
One who takes delight in the sense enjoyment of the outside world, whose mind is always running towards judgement and criticising everything, will never experience this supreme, blissful state. The joy born of dispassion, the bliss which the realised soul attains, is far greater than any so-called joy and happiness of the outside reality. People’s happiness level always varies, doesn’t it? Today they ‘wake up with the right foot’, and they are happy; tomorrow they ‘wake up with the left foot’ and they are not happy. The ones who are constantly awake in the Divine Self, who are constantly in the blissful state, always ‘awake with the right foot’, even if the left foot touches the ground first. They are constantly meditating on God, so they perceive only this One Reality, Narayana. They eat – Narayana. They sleep – Narayana. They talk – Narayana. They dance – Narayana. They laugh – Narayana. There is not a single moment when Narayana is not present, for each breath is Narayana.
Here Krishna tells Arjuna to reach that state where you perceive only Narayana, the Absolute, everywhere. If your reach that state, you will see that all inside of you, in front of you, and around you is just Him; is only this Reality. Such is the state of a realised soul: Narayana, Narayana, nothing else. Narada Muni is constantly singing the glory of Lord Narayana. He doesn’t know anything else. Wherever he goes, he only chants the Name of Narayana. Wherever he looks he sees only Narayana. Such is the state of a realised soul who is not attached to anything, only to the Divine.
The Lord says, “Arise! Don’t be a fool! Awake and see that the Reality that you see around you is Narayana, God, nothing else. All the differences that you see are due to the ignorance of the mind. But when the ignorance is removed through understanding what I am teaching you here, you will see only One Reality, the Absolute Reality.” There is nothing but God. All is only Him, His Tattva. When one is blinded by Maya, by ignorance, one doesn’t see this Reality; but the saints see only one truth – Narayana.
Bhagavad Gita
