SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
SruthiviprathipannA thE yadhA sthAsyathi niSchalA |
samAdhAvachalA budhdhis thadhA yOgam avApsyasi ||
word-by-word meaning (based on puththUr krishNamAchArya swAmy’s thamizh translation)
Sruthi viprathipannA – knowing well after having heard from me
achalA – unshakable
thE – your
budhdhi: – intelligence
samAdhau – in the mind
yadhA – when
niSchalA sthAshyathi – becomes very firm
thadhA – at that time
yOgam – Athma sAkshAthkAram (self realisation)
avApsyasi – will attain
Simple Translation (based on puththUr krishNamAchArya swAmy’s thamizh translation)
Knowing well after having heard from me, when your unshakable intelligence becomes very firm, you will attain Athma sAkshAthkAram (self realisation) at that time.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘When your reason (or will), enlightened by your hearing us, can unshakably be rested in your mind, then shall you attain to “yoga”1.’
Śruti=Śravanam=hearing. From your hearing (or instruction) from us, your reason is greatly cultured, i.e., it begins to reflect on the peerless, eternal and exceedingly subtle category (the ātmā). When this reason, intelligence or wisdom, which by nature is steadfast and uniform, can firmly be planted in the mind, – made pure by the practice of unselfish work, – then shall you achieve ‘yoga’ or ātmā-illumination
The purport, so far, is this: That practice of works (Karma-yoga)2, preceded by a knowledge of ātmā as gathered from Śāstra 3, develops a certain illumination or consciousness called ‘sthita-prajñatā 4’. And this ‘sthita-prajñatā’ or the sustained effort of consciousness will result in ‘yoga’ i.e., Ātmā-illumination or ātmā-consciousness.
So lectured, Pārth a5 asks to be enlightened as to the nature of this ‘sthita-prajñatā’ – culture of concentrated will (or will-power) – conducive to ‘yoga’ or ātmā-cognition; ‘sthita-prajñatā,’ achievable by Karma-Yoga 6 of the form of non-attachment (described in verses, ante). Arjuna questions:
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- This verse is aphoristic of all the Yoga philosophy. See Introduction. ↩
- Yoga here means method, path or means. ‘Karma-Yoga‘ is thus ‘the method of Works’ or doing deeds of virtue as inculcated in Scriptural and other ethical codes. ↩
- Śāstra means laws, learning, and therefore spiritual laws or science embodied in the Vedas or Sṛutis, etc. ↩
- This term is explained in the following verses. Vide: my ‘Inspiration’ Part II: (Ritambharā prajñā). ↩
- A name of Arjuna; Epithet of Arjuna, being a descendant of Pṛithu-Chakravarti. ↩
- Yoga here means method, path or means. ‘Karma-Yoga‘ is thus ‘the method of Works’ or doing deeds of virtue as inculcated in Scriptural and other ethical codes. ↩