July 15, 2023
manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī māṁ namaskuru māṁ evai ’ṣyasi yuktvai ’vam ātmānaṁ matparāyaṇaḥ (IX-34)
IX/34. Fix thy mind on me (saturate thy mind with me); be devoted to me; sacrifice unto (work for) me; bow down to me; having thus united thy whole self with me, taking me as the supreme goal, thou shalt come unto me.
Swamiji's Commentary
This is the essence of Gurudev's Integral Yoga. This is the essence of The Bhagavad Gita. Krishna is so fond of this idea that he repeats it at the end of his teaching.
The delusion that envelops our understanding must go. The ignorance that veils the reality and projects the false appearance must be dispelled. The mind must be rid of its clouds of diversity. This is achieved by saturating the mind with God. The process of meditation is not like dropping a stone into a cup of water, but like dropping a lump of sugar into it - when the mind is thus fixed on God and becomes saturated with him, its very nature is changed! That is the meaning, purpose and fruit of meditation.
This is simultaneously accompanied by a whole-souled devotion to the Lord. With the evaporation of the delusions of the mind, its desires, based on lopsided valuations, vanish. Then the evanescence of the world and the eternity of the bliss of the self are understood. The heart drops the world and clings to the lotus feet of the Lord.
The "hands" spontaneously, involuntarily and joyously participate in this adoration of the omnipresent being, by working for the Lord, serving all (the Lord in all) for his sake.
Thus the three aspects of our personality - the head, the heart and the hand - are integrated and our whole being is directed towards realization of God as the only goal of our life. Then our life is not idle daydreaming; it is full of dynamic action - Karma Yoga. It is selfless but not soul-less service, full of love of the omnipresent God - bhakti. It is neither blind action nor sentimentalism, but is filled with and directed by the light of God-consciousness - Jnana.
Has not such a devotee already "come to God"?
END OF CHAPTER NINE