SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
SlOkam – Original
praSAnthAthmA vigathabhIr brahmachArivrathE sthitha: |
mana: samyamya machchiththO yuktha AsItha mathpara: ||
word-by-word meaning
praSAnthAthmA – having a tranquil mind
vigathabhI: – being fearless
brahmachAri vrathE sthitha: – observing celibacy
mana: sAmya – controlling the mind
machchiththa: – placing the thoughts on me
yuktha: – being alert
mathpara: AsItha – let him be fully engaged in me
Simple Translation
[continued from previous SlOkam] having a tranquil mind, being fearless and celibate, controlling the mind, placing the thoughts on me, being alert, let him be fully engaged in me.
Rendering based on ALkoNdavilli gOvindhAchArya swAmy’s English translation of gIthA bhAshyam
‘With mind in perfect tranquillity, fearless, keeping the vow of brahmacharya[4. Svāmi Vivekānanda says in his Rāja Yoga (pp: 61-62), that ‘that part of the human energy which is expressed as sex energy, in sexual functions, sexual thought and so on, when checked and controlled, easily, becomes changed into ‘Ojas’. * * * * * If people practise Rāja-Yoga and at the same time lead an impure life, how can they expect to become
Yogis? Read also Pātanjala Yoga-sūtras, II-30, II-38.], restraining the mind and making the thoughts to dwell on Me, let one, collected, sit meditating on Me.’
‘Body, head and neck straight’ means: an erect (and balanced) posture.
‘Unmoving and firm (stḥira)’: i.e., resting the balanced head and body against a cushion or some comfortable (bolster-)support.
The eyes not allowed to wander in different directions in space, but held fixed so as to gaze (between the eye-brows) at the tip of the nose[3. See verses 29 and 30, ante, The amplification of this subject is Lecture VI. The tip of the nose is the directrix to bring the gaze to the middle of the eye-brows.]. (So far, body-discipline).
(Now comes, mind-discipline):—
‘Mind tranquil’ connotes the state of mind in high contentedness! Added to this is ‘freedom from all fear.’
Then, again, what is required is leading the mode of life called ‘Brahmacharya[6. Svāmi Vivekānanda says in his Rāja Yoga (pp: 61-62), that ‘that part of the human energy which is expressed as sex energy, in sexual functions, sexual thought and so on, when checked and controlled, easily, becomes changed into ‘Ojas’. * * * * * If people practise Rāja-Yoga and at the same time lead an impure life, how can they expect to become
Yogis? Read also Pātanjala Yoga-sūtras, II-30, II-38.]’, i.e., continence or reservation of the vital energy[7. Mund: Up: III.-2-4 says:‘This ātma is never attained by the weak’. The definition of Brahmacharya is given thus:—‘Yoshit-smaraṇa,-kīrtana, keḷi, prekshaṇa,-guhya-bhashaṇa,-sankalp-, ādhyavasāya;-kriyā,-nivṛitti-lakshaṇā’. In re Brahmacharya, also see Mund: Up: III-1-5, Praś: Up: I-2>. See Bh: Gī: VIII-11.], to which one should be faithful.
Keeping the mind thus closely attentive (or harmonized), let one turn the mind on Me, and sit fixing it there in meditation.
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