What is the enemy of man?

Karma Yoga

Chapter 3, Verse 37

 

śrī bhagavān uvāca 

kāma eṣa krodha eṣa 

rajoguṇa samudbhavaḥ 

mahāśano mahā-pāpmā 

viddhyenam-iha vairiṇam

 

The Lord says: It is desire, it is anger, born of the guna of rajas, all devouring, and impeller to sin. Know this to be the foe here.

The attraction and repulsion to objects of senses are the two thieves which constantly rob man of his spiritual wealth. The force which is behind this is an automatic reaction of the mind. When the mind is not in accordance with the Divine Will, it automatically becomes a rebel. It starts to rebel against the force of Nature itself. When you have a certain desire which is not fulfilled, you get angry, no? Where does this desire come from? It doesn’t come from the Atma, it comes from the mind.  

The mind is responsible for such a state! 

Bhagavan Krishna says, “If the desire is removed at the beginning itself, it will not give way to anger. But if the desire is starting to speak loudly, then one becomes one’s own enemy.” If one is not strongly enough into practicing his sadhana, one has not this inner spiritual power. If one doesn’t have the knowledge of the Self, if one doesn’t put God first, then one will always be drawn to these qualities. 

In the previous verse Arjuna asks, “What is the enemy of man?” And here Krishna answers, “This desire.” But to overcome desire, Krishna says, “You must have knowledge! Without knowledge, this desire will not be controlled. Without knowledge, this desire will make you always sinful. But with the knowledge of the Self, you’ll learn to control desire.”

Bhagavad Gita 

God is giving and knows deeply that everything comes from Him.

Meditation Yoga

Chapter 6, Verse 1

 

śrī bhagavān uvāca 

anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ 

kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ 

sa saṁnyāsī ca yogī ca 

na nir-agnir-na cākriyaḥ

 

The Lord says: Whoever does the work to be done without attachment to its fruits, he is a sannyasin and a yogi, not the man who doesn’t light the sacrificial fire and doesn’t do works.

 

Here Lord Krishna says that a Karma Yogi who performs every sacrifice, with an attitude of surrender, keeping the mind, the body, and the soul focused on God, serving society, doing seva, and following what He teaches is a true yogi. He says that someone who practises Karma Yoga, who is working with the mind attached to the Lord, having renounced all the thoughts of the world, attains true knowledge of the Self and is regarded as a renunciate and as a yogi. 

 

Then the Lord continues, saying, “...not the man who doesn’t light the sacrificial fire.” It is important to note that traditionally when a sannyasin truly renounces the world, and enters the order of Sannyas, he should not even light a fire for his own benefit, whether it be a fire for a yagna ceremony or any other kind of fire! If he lights a fire, he will start to think about heat, food, and so on. Very often you see people who call themselves renunciates, who pretend to have let go of everything, saying, “We don’t need anything. Everything is just an illusion.” Yet their minds are fully attached to the fruits of their actions and they always want, want, want. They are always focusing more on the outside world than on the inner Self. They are always identifying with the body and the mind! Even if they appear to be externally renounced, they are not. Here Lord Krishna says that such people are not true sannyasins. On the other hand, there are many people who live in the outside world, but they are not attached to it and they are doing their seva there. A bhakta is not doing anything for his own benefit!

 

The ones who have truly renounced the mind’s egoism, desires, attachments and serve the Lord with an attitude of surrender, seeing the Lord everywhere, are the true yogis. Bhagavan Krishna says to Arjuna, “Don’t think that you are doing your duty by just saying, ‘I am renouncing, I am letting go’, or ‘I will let go of this war and run away for their sake, so they will be saved.’” He says, “No! Do your duty with an attitude of surrender! Be detached in whatever you do! When you have this Jyaana, when you have this knowledge, you become a true yogi, a true renunciate, even if you are living in the outside world.” Be like a bhakta to whom God always comes first. Whatever bhaktas do, even in their daily life, the image of the Lord is never far away, it is always in their minds. That was what Lord Krishna emphasised in this verse: one can be fully engaged in action and immersed in meditation. The mind is free, undisturbed by likes and dislikes or by ʻWhat am I getting?ʼ, ʻWhat am I not getting?ʼ One just enjoys what God is giving and knows deeply that everything comes from Him.

Bhagavad Gita 

You’ll attain supreme bliss

Karma Sanyasa Yoga 

Chapter 5, Verse 29 

bhoktāraṁ yajña tapasāṁ 

sarva loka maheśvaram 

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ 

jñātvā māṁ śāntim-ṛcchati

 

Knowing Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds, as the Friend of every being, one attains peace. 

God is the Soul of all beings. Therefore, God Himself is present in the forms of the gods, the brahmins, the saints and the sages. The same God is present in the afflicted and the distressed. And it is He who receives the sacrifices, the service, and the worship of all. 

Here the Lord refers to Himself as “the Friend of every being.” He is the ‘Dear One’ of the one who sees God within his own Self, the one who is conscious of the Divine presence everywhere, in everything that one does; who helps the afflicted, who does charity, who releases the suffering of others. He says, “Know that these ones are serving Me, the all-pervading.” 

Jesus Christ identified Himself with the supreme reality of God and could say, “My Father and I are one”; “Whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do it for Me.” The Truth, the eternal reality, the supreme reality which is in the form of Jesus, is also in all our brothers and sisters. It is in everyone. When serving and loving others, you are serving and loving the all-merciful and Supreme God. This is the highest form of worship and love. Through serving and loving, you will attain supreme peace; you won’t feel tiredness; you will cherish every moment of this Love in your heart, in whatever you do, wherever you are. The ones who do everything in an attitude of surrender, will be ever peaceful and will have more power to serve! They will have the greatest humility; true humility will manifest through them! They will be modest; they will have the highest form of modesty within them! And they will not feel any obligation to do anything. They’ll enjoy every moment serving as a privileged moment. 

When one has this attitude of serving the Lord, one will have deep veneration for all. When Krishna says to Arjuna, “You are dear to Me, you are My friend”, He was referring to everybody as, “My dear one, My friend. You are a devotee and you are also My dear friend. I care for you”. In this caring, there was no selfish motive. Whereas for the eldest brother of the Kauravas, Duryodhana – his friendship was based only on his own personal gain. Here Krishna says, “Listen, a true friend will give even his life for the sake of a friend.” The Bible says that a true friend is one who can give up his life for a friend. That’s a true friend! This was why the Lord calls Arjuna His friend: “Oh my dear friend! I am here for you, for your salvation! I am giving you the Dhyaana Yoga, showing you how to concentrate, how to focus, how to do your Kriya. I can tell you every day, ‘Do your Kriya! Do your Kriya! Do your Kriya!’ But I can’t do it for you. You have to make the first effort, yourself. Arjuna, do your Kriya! Like that, you’ll perceive Me as the Lord within the core of your Self. You’ll see no difference between you and Me and you’ll attain supreme bliss. And once you attain this supreme bliss, nothing can touch you! Nothing of the outside reality can shake you.” 

Here ends the fifth chapter of the Shreemad Bhagavad Gita, where the Lord has talked to Arjuna about sacrifice and surrender, about renouncing the outer world, but still doing one’s duty with an attitude of complete surrender to the Divine.

Bhagavad Gita 

Atma Kriya Yoga to humanity

Karma Sanyasa Yoga 

Chapter 5, Verses 27-28

 

sparśān kṛtvā bahir-bāhyān 

cakṣuś-caivāntare bhruvoḥ 

prāṇāpānau samau kṛtvā 

nāsābhyantara cāriṇau

 

yatendriya mano-buddhih 

munir mokṣa parāyaṇaḥ 

vigat-ecchābhaya krodho 

yaḥ sadā mukta eva saḥ

 

Shutting out all external sense objects and concentrating the vision between the eyebrows, making the prana and the apana move equally within the nostrils, controlling the senses, the mind and the intellect, the sage devoted to liberation, who has discarded fear, desire, and anger, is ever free.

The one whose mind is only concentrated on the external reality, dwelling on the sense objects and being charmed and delighted by them, stores those external experiences in his mind. And due to these images which constantly revolve in the mind, one after the other, attachments and desires become more and more intense. Then the mind is never free and depression arises. Memories of the past keep stalking the mind, even when one is sitting and meditating on God; even when one is in a secluded corner at home, or in the most quiet place in the Swiss mountains. 

 

Krishna says that you should let go of the outside reality and focus “…the vision between the eyebrows, making the prana and the apana move equally within the nostrils, controlling the senses, the mind and the intellect.” Meditating in this manner, “…the sage devoted to liberation, who has discarded fear, desire, and anger, is ever free.” Here Krishna uses the word munir referring to the yoga practitioner. When you do your sadhana, you should let the outside reality stay outside. When you divert your attention inside, you dive within yourself. You can’t say, “I am going to meditate”, and then when you sit for meditation your eyes keep running left, right, left, right, or you keep looking at your watch to check when the meditation will be finished. Krishna says, “Your mind should be focused and not running towards the outer reality. Let the outside reality stay outside!” When you are sitting for meditation, nothing should disturb you. When you do your daily puja, when you are serving the Lord, you need to concentrate! You need to focus! If you are focused and concentrated, then your mind is not flying from left to right and you are not a prey to distraction.

 

Here Lord Krishna emphasises that one should “…concentrate the vision between the eyebrows.” You all know very well that this point is the Ajna chakra, the third eye. It is here. Lord Krishna says, “Focus in this point where the Ajna chakra is located!” Of all the seven chakras, this chakra is one of the most important. Atma Kriya Yoga teachers explain it this way:

 

The Ajna chakra is the sixth chakra and is situated in the head; it is a special chakra which has two poles, a negative and a positive pole. The negative pole is in the medulla oblongata at the back of the skull and the positive pole is between the eyebrows.

 

This chakra is actually the seat of the soul. When it’s time for the soul to leave the body, it leaves through this chakra. If you were pious and righteous in this life, if you were practising your Atma Kriya Yoga properly, practicing level one twice a day, and if you have also received the second level of Atma Kriya Yoga, then at the moment of death, your soul will be able to leave the body through the positive pole of this chakra, which is between the eyebrows. The good news is that if you correctly practise Atma Kriya Yoga at the moment of death, then you’ll receive Realisation. But for worldly people, at the moment of death, the soul leaves the body in pain, during sleep, or according to their karma, through the negative pole of the chakra. The sad news is that they will have to come back again to this cycle of birth and death.

 

If you practise your Atma Kriya Yoga correctly and your mind is still, and you focus your attention at the point between the eyebrows, the scriptures say that you will see light in this point between the eyebrows.

In this state, the unsteadiness and restlessness of the mind automatically disappear and this enables one to fully and easily concentrate on God in the meditation. When you learn to do Japa Kriya, you learn to chant the mantra with the breathing. The  

mental repetition of God’s Name continues along with the breathing. 

 

When we practise the pranayamas in Atma Kriya Yoga, we do it using the mantra OM. This helps a sadhak to be constantly aware of Brahman, while breathing. Where is the mind when you are breathing in OM? Your mind is focused on OM. So you are focusing your mind on the Absolute while doing your pranayama. If you practise pranayama regularly and gently, this also helps the mind become calm, and one becomes free! 

 

Therefore, practise your Atma Kriya Yoga every day! This will help you to attain Him. That’s why Mahavatar Babaji said, “I am giving you Atma Kriya Yoga, which is infused with Bhakti.” He didn’t advise to do the practice just mechanically! To do yoga and pranayamas mechanically, won’t give the full benefits! Whereas if you do your Atma Kriya Yoga with an attitude of surrendering to God, putting God first, you will be free. Otherwise you will only attain a low state of evolution and then you’ll take birth again. Lord Krishna emphasises that you can liberate yourself in this lifetime itself. That’s why He gave Atma Kriya Yoga to humanity. Therefore, dedicate yourself!

Bhagavad Gita 

Who are free from desire and anger

Karma Sanyasa Yoga

Chapter 5, Verse 26

 

kāma krodha viyuktānāṁ 

yatīnāṁ yata-cetasām 

abhito brahma-nirvāṇaṁ 

vartate viditātmanām

 

To those who are free from desire and anger, whose minds are controlled, who have attained self-mastery, who aspire for Realisation – the great Nirvana is close at hand.

 

The wise ones are completely “…free from desire and anger”. They have a perfectly controlled mind, which is focused on God. They have “…attained self-mastery” through meditation and yoga and are absorbed in the Self. In the eyes of the God-realised souls, there is only God who is the supreme reality.

 

“…the great Nirvana is close at hand.” They are in the state of supreme bliss. They perceive Brahman everywhere: here, there, in all directions, up, down, left, right, outside, inside. There is no place where Brahman doesn’t exist. They dive into the ocean of Brahman. They dive into the ocean of Narayana. For them, everywhere is just Narayana, and they sing, “Narayana, Narayana, Narayana, Narayana.” Even while here in the body, they enjoy the supreme state of bliss, Satchitananda. There’s not a single moment when their mind is diverted from the Divine form; there’s not a single moment when they are not chanting the praises of Narayana; for them there is no time or place where Narayana is not. There is no other reality, only the Narayana Krishna Reality, without any limitations.

Bhagavad Gita 

The true yogis identify themselves with Brahman and keep themselves naturally engaged in the service of all beings

Karma Sanyasa Yoga

Chapter 5, Verse 25

 

labhante brahma-nirvāṇam 

ṛṣayaḥ kṣīṇa kalmaṣāḥ 

chinna-dvaidhā yatātmanaḥ 

sarva bhūta hite ratāḥ

 

The sages whose minds are well directed within, who are free from the pairs of opposites, become cleansed of all impurities and attain the bliss of the Brahman; they are devoted to the welfare of all beings.

 

“The sages who are free from the pairs of opposites…” The sages are free from opposites ‘good’ and ‘bad’, pleasure and pain, free from ignorance, and “…are devoted to the welfare of all beings.” Here again, Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna that when the sages attain Realisation, when they perceive the inner Light of Brahman within their Self, they realise that Brahman is the only reality and become devoted to “the welfare of all beings”. They become a lantern which guides others out of this ocean of misery.

 

Having perceived the Light of Brahman within, you are “cleansed of all impurities”. You become like a lantern, who can save others, who can cleanse the impurities in others. You don’t only care about yourself, but you radiate this Light to show the way to people who are blinded by ignorance.

 

The God-realised souls, whose minds are steady, who are absolutely free from evil, are fully merged in God Consciousness, where all the distinctions of ‘mine’ and ‘thine’ disappear. They see all beings in their own Self. That’s why the Guru tells the disciple, “As I find you inside my heart, you should also find me inside your heart. There is no distinction between you and me.” King Ambarisha was a great devotee of the Lord. Once sage Durvasa came to Maha Vishnu saying, “Please save me, Lord!” The Lord said, “No, I can’t save you. Go to King Ambarisha. Only he can save you.” Sage Durvasa said, “Why? You are the Lord of the universe!” Then the Lord explained, “Well, My heart is not with Me, it is with my devotees!”

 

An ignorant person, who doesn’t have the knowledge of the Self, identifies himself with the body and engages in external activities, seeking external pleasures. The true yogis identify themselves with Brahman and keep themselves naturally engaged in the service of all beings. Even if they are living in the outside world, it doesn’t matter. They can even be in the middle of New York, but this won’t disturb them. They can be in New York and be centred in their Self, in complete equanimity. It’s the same to them if they are meditating in a quiet cave in the Himalayas or if they are on a busy street in New York or Calcutta. Since they are true yogis, they are free!

Bhagavad Gita 

Absolute the One with form and without form, who is ever-peaceful and ever-blissful.

Karma Sanyasa Yoga

Chapter 5, Verse 24

 

yo’ntaḥ sukho’ntarā rāmah 

tathāntar jyotir-eva yaḥ 

sa yogī brahma-nirvāṇaṁ 

brahma-bhūto’dhigacchati

 

He who has inner happiness, inner ease and repose, and inner Light, that yogi becomes Brahman: he reaches liberation in Brahman, Brahmanirvanam.

 

‘Brahmanirvanam’ here denotes God Himself, the embodiment of Satchitananda, peace; the attributeless, formless Absolute. The one who attains Brahmanirvanam directly perceives one’s identity with God. This is the aim of a yogi, to attain the Absolute, to become one with the Absolute. In this state of God-Realisation, one attains eternal peace, eternal bliss; one attains the supreme goal of life.

 

God is the Supreme Light of all lights. The whole universe is illumined by His effulgence. He is the Supreme Soul in all beings. A true yogi is ever conscious of such a God. He sees the Ultimate as His own Self. He remains constantly absorbed in His Love, His Peace and His Light. Even though the world appears real, the true yogi sees beyond the external reality. He sees beyond what normal people see. He sees the source. He sees within his own Self the Supreme Light, the Light of God, ‘Antaratma Antar jyoti’. ‘Antar jyoti’ is the inner Light; ‘Antaratma’ is the Supreme Light within the core of his soul itself. Then, one starts to emanate the inner Light and becomes a source of salvation, not only for oneself, but for others. The ego self has been completely removed. In the Brahmanirvanam state, only God dwells, the Absolute: the One with form and without form, who is ever-peaceful and ever-blissful.

Bhagavad Gita 

Yogi is competent for Self-Realisation, and is a happy person.

Karma Sanyasa Yoga

Chapter 5, Verse 23

 

śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ 

prāk-śarīra vimokṣaṇāt 

kāma krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ 

sa yuktaḥ sa sukhī naraḥ

 

One who is able, even here, before one is released from the body, to resist the impulses arising from desire and anger, is a yogi competent for Self-Realisation, and is a happy person.

 

Everyone in this world seeks happiness, but only a few know what real happiness is and how to attain it. Due to ignorance, people think that happiness is obtained through the objects of the senses. They think that the outside world will make them happy: they try their whole lives to achieve that outer happiness. If you ask people, “What is your goal in life?” they often answer, “I want to have a big business!” “I want to have lots of money!” They put much effort into achieving their goal, but when their goal is not attained, what happens? They become angry; kāma krodhodbhavaṁ vegaṁ. Due to their desire, anger arises. One who is under the effect of anger can do much mischief. One is always busy trying to gain more and more. Living like this, one will never be happy; one will always suffer.

 

“One who is able, even here, before one is released from the body…” Before leaving the body, the wise ones realise that these pleasures always bring misery. At the moment of death, they focus their minds on the Divine, pray to God sincerely from the heart, and renounce these pleasures. Bhagavan says of these souls: “They are ready to attain God. Due to their detachment from desire at the moment of death, in their next life they will carry on towards God-Realisation and attain real happiness.”

 

One might be an angry person, always deluded by ignorance, always attached to the outside reality and bringing about his own downfall. But also one may have some positive samskaras, some positive merits from performing good deeds in the past. If one has been born as a human being, this means that one has some good merits. Due to these past good deeds, if that person – even at the last moment – focuses his mind on God and surrenders to God, in his next life, he will be born in a higher level and this will help him attain perfection. In the next life he will be like a yogi.

 

However, if the mind continues to run towards the outside reality, towards attachment or sense objects, don’t think that it will be easy to think of God at the last moment and instantly attain Him. No! It doesn’t happen just like that. That’s why many people have to go through the cycle of birth and death. If you haven’t realised why you came here, if you have always done negative actions, at the end of your life, you’ll not be able to all of a sudden think, “Now, I will do good for one short second.” And then, “Poof!” Finish! Nevertheless, it can happen! Take the life of Ajamila.

 

Ajamila was a man who was very devoted to the Lord when he was young. But one day when he was looking for wood in the forest, he met a prostitute and fell in love with her. He had many children with her and soon began living a life that was very immoral. He started gambling and doing other bad activities and was not living a spiritual life anymore. He became a very wicked man. But his good karma didn’t leave him. Even though he had become very wicked, he still had the good karma from his younger years and from his previous lives. 

 

It is said in the Hindu tradition that if you die remembering and chanting the Name of the Lord, you will go to Heaven. It doesn’t matter what you have done in your life. So very wisely, Ajamila gave holy Names to his children. He named his youngest son Narayana, and he loved him very much. As he was dying, he called for his son, Narayana. The moment he said, “Narayana…” he died. ‘Narayana’ was his last thought and his last word. So what happened? Quickly, Yamraj, the lord of death, the devil, whatever you call him, sent his servants to get Ajamila’s soul. But, at the same time, the servants of Maha Vishnu also came from Maha Vishnu Loka (Heaven).

Both the servants of Yamraj and the servants of Maha Vishnu claimed, “This soul belongs to us!” The devil wanted to pull the soul of Ajamila down to Hell, because he had been wicked, and the angels were trying to pull the soul of Ajamila up to Heaven. There was a battle for Ajamila’s soul! The poor man was on his deathbed and could see what was happening. He saw the devil who wanted to bring him down to Hell and he saw the angels who wanted to take him up to Heaven, all because he had chanted the Name of Narayana just one time, and he had not even thought of Narayana, but only of his son. 

 

The servants of Maha Vishnu said, “This soul belongs to us. You have to let him go to Heaven, because the Name of the Lord has the power to erase all the sins of one’s life.” Then the servants of Yamraj said, “No, no, no! He wasn’t even calling to Narayana, he was calling to his son.” The servants of Maha Vishnu replied, “It doesn’t matter, the Name of the Lord is the Lord Himself. There is no difference between God’s Name and Him.” A big argument then took place over this point. Meanwhile many hours passed. As you know, there is a time for everything: there is a time to be born and there is a time to die. When the time of dying passes, the soul re-enters the body. Ajamila’s soul re-entered his body and he could remember everything he had seen. 

 

This experience changed his life, because he had seen that the Lord had sent his servants to protect him, because he had called out His Name only one time. Ajamila realised that he had made many mistakes. He completely changed his life and lived a life of single-pointed surrender to God. At the end of his life, when he finally died, only the servants of Maha Vishnu came to take him to Heaven, to Vaikunta.

Note one thing: before entering a life of debauchery, Ajamila was fully surrendered to the Lord. Due to this merit, he could give the Name of Narayana to his son. The story of Ajamila is related in the Shreemad Bhagavatam, a holy scripture about the life of Krishna. The Lord narrated this story in the Shreemad Bhagavatam so people would realise that to take the Name of God at the time of death is not easy if you haven’t first trained yourself. If you don’t have the habit of doing it, it’s not easy. Nevertheless, it is possible, due to the Grace of the Lord, due to His Mercy!

Bhagavad Gita