Meditation Process as metioned by Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

What is meditation? I was exposed to meditation when I was in my 3rd standard. SSY (Sidha Samadhi Yoga) had conducted sessions for Rotary Club members and their families. Since, my grandfather, my dad and other men in the family are rotary members, our family got an opportunity to host them as well. Kudos to the women in our family for utmost dedication shown in hosting such wise-gurus.

Well,it was summer vacation and kids were also exposed to these sessions. I was the youngest of all. Since, all my family members, my elder sister, everybody was participating, I tagged along with my sister and attended the sessions. They had multiple activities to make the session interesting. Story time, craft time, coloring time, games time and meditation time. Since I was a kid, my eagerness was at peaks. Though I was not a scholar in school, I was an eager child, wanting to explore, experiment and learn new things. Every activity provoked interest in me. Meditation was no excuse. Infact, it attracted my attention even more. Because, that is the time, they teach you to observe your breathing, they teach you to observe your five senses. Very soon you will wonder who is controlling all these. You have to sit still, concentrate on breathing, observe your tummy's movement as per breathing, close your eyes, so no work for eyes, there is pin drop silence so, no work for ears, you shouldn't talk so no work for mouth. Till then it is fine. Now, sitting still is the question. How to do this? What should be shut now? Which sense organ? yaaaaa....It's the mind. There we go... sitting without movement = closing your mind. But how?

Mind is trained to be in some thought all time. So, is it possible to shut? No, so we have to deal with mind separately. Not by shutting down but by observing it. 

What to observe and how to observe Your mind. I don't know where it is, but ya, I tried to sit still, it was a try, so, my legs moved from up to down and down to up, my hands touched my nose as if some mosquito or a fly was disturbing and I had to flew it away, my head started moving left and right, I wanted to open my eyes and see what my sister is doing.... ohh God, well, little did I know that, everything is happening inside as per the order of mind. 

Because,when I was in my graduation, my guru said "Mind is monkey mind. Let the mind not take over you, you should have coordiantion amongst thought , word and deed."

As I grew, to understand the world around me and to understand myself and to coup up the new challenges faced every day either professionally or personally, I need an aid to follow this coordination. Following such coordination is giving me peace and would like to continue. Now, because of my mother-in-law, I was again exposed to meditation as she is the follower of Daaji, who is the Padma Bhushan Awardee in 2023. I could get guided meditation for 3 sessions from my mother-in-law. 

Well, I am now an adult. I know exactly, what my mind is upto. But, do I know to what extent my mind controls my senses? Guided Meditation clears all these. It helps improve focus. Because, you are concentrating on mind for more time than you concentrated on anything. With digital age, my mind is set to waiver every minute. But, meditation , concentration on mind, helps me understand and bring back my sense, my reactions to the thoughts in my mind. It helps me concentrate on my thoughts on how to answer to a bully. It helps me concentrate on listing my real priorities. It helps me concentrate on my dependants and how to energise myself inside out to spread the same energy to them. Is that what meditation is all about? Self care? No. So, before I started the meditation, I was instructed, concentrate on God and meditate. Well, now, since I am doing meditation for my own peace, why should I concentrate in God. However, I did concentrate only after taking God as the creator and the creation. So, I instructed myself, concentrate on the creation and the creator. Why? To accept the creation and to find wonders in creation including in my own life. Replace your concentration on self with the creator for undisturbed focus. That's an intelligent one actually.

The mindful experts of every religion are always at peace because they know this creation and the source of creation. They say it GOD. They always meditate upon that super natural element of creation and the creator, as mentioned in their religion's scriptures. Every region and religion, in the world, had defined and described about all these. So, is it not great to explore the scriptures on our own and find the meaning on our own.

In the process, I found Krishna's message on Meditation.Lets see what Krishna said about meditation to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita.

In chapter 6, Krishna explains about meditation in 4 shlokas. He gives importance to cleanliness and steadiness.

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरमासनमात्मनः।

नात्युच्छ्रितं नातिनीचं चैलाजिनकुशोत्तरम्।।6.11।।

śucau dēśē pratiṣṭhāpya sthiramāsanamātmanaḥ.

nātyucchritaṅ nātinīcaṅ cailājinakuśōttaram৷৷6.11৷৷

Meaning - Suchau - clean, deshe - place, sthiram - stable , Aasanam - seat ... Make yourself seated in a clean and stable place, which is not too high not too low, covered with a soft cloth, which has under that a deer skin and under that kusa grass. 

Note- Deer skin is soft and doesn't allow any ants or termites and Kusa grass is considered natural preservative and hence pure. I could observe the importance given to the comfort and cleanliness so that the seating arrangement is pure and steady. 

तत्रैकाग्रं मनः कृत्वा यतचित्तेन्द्रियक्रियः।

उपविश्यासने युञ्ज्याद्योगमात्मविशुद्धये।।6.12।।

tatraikāgraṅ manaḥ kṛtvā yatacittēndriyakriyaḥ.

upaviśyāsanē yuñjyādyōgamātmaviśuddhayē৷৷6.12৷৷

Meaning - With (ekaagram) concentration of mind by observing and controlling the senses and mind, (upavis asane) sit there on the seat, put in action, the yoga of clarifying the heart or atma 

समं कायशिरोग्रीवं धारयन्नचलं स्थिरः।

संप्रेक्ष्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं दिशश्चानवलोकयन्।।6.13।।

samaṅ kāyaśirōgrīvaṅ dhārayannacalaṅ sthiraḥ.

saṅprēkṣya nāsikāgraṅ svaṅ diśaścānavalōkayan৷৷6.13৷৷

Meaning - Sit steady, with no movement , the body, neck and head, aligned in a straight way, with your vision concentrating on the tip of the nose, with nowhere else looking on any of the sides.

प्रशान्तात्मा विगतभीर्ब्रह्मचारिव्रते स्थितः।

मनः संयम्य मच्चित्तो युक्त आसीत मत्परः।।6.14।।

praśāntātmā vigatabhīrbrahmacārivratē sthitaḥ.

manaḥ saṅyamya maccittō yukta āsīta matparaḥ৷৷6.14৷৷

Meaning - With no desires and complete dedication, stay fearless with calm heart or atma, sit with a controlled and balanced mind or manah with concentration on me.

This is so clear for me. Simple and straight forward way of meditation by Krishna Himself. Though many Gurus follow and practice the same, message from Krishna is reaffirming.

After all, meditation is only improving my confidence level and making me realise a new me everyday. Why not dedicate a milli fraction of time for myself in a day? 

Let's explore Bhagavad Gita. Lets take tips from Krishna and implement in our lives, because action completes the knowledge we gain.

-----Keerthi Peratla