Upadesa Sarah of Ramana Maharshi – Sloka 7
Aajya dhaarayaa srotasaa samam
Sarala chintanam viralatah param
Word meaning
Aajya dharayaa – like the flow of ghee
Srotasaa samam – and like the flow of water,
Sarala chintanam – meditation or continuous flow of one thought
Viralatah param – is better than broken thoughts.
Sloka meaning
Meditation or continuous thoughts (or continuity of a single thought) which is like the flow of ghee (or oil) and water is better than broken thoughts.
Explanation:
In this sloka also, Maharshi is just hinting at Bhakthi yoga but Maharshi starts the actual Bhakthi yoga in the next sloka alone.
As Maharshi had mentioned the three instruments or ways to do action in the third sloka – which are worship, japa and meditation respectively – here Maharshi is explaining the characteristics of meditation.
Meditation always has three components of parts. One is the person meditating or the meditator. The Second is the act of meditation. The third is the object of meditation.
What is the use of meditation???
Meditation makes one completely focused onto an object. At that time, there remains no external object except the object on which meditation is being performed.
One has to clearly distinguish between concentration or Dhaarana and Meditation or Dhyaana. Concentration is when a person tries to concentrate on an object. At that time, lot of other thoughts also creep in & the person tries to focus his mind on just the single thought of either God with a form or any other object. Whereas meditation is where a single thought alone persists, there is no second thought there.
Maharshi here basically gives the definition of how meditation should be done & what are the qualities for a meditation.
Meditation is very important because only through meditation a person gains complete focus and the mind gets slowly merged into the source of the Self. One of the most used meditation in daily life is the meditation on God with a form. This meditation is one of the different types of Bhakthi mentioned in Bhagavatham.
Patanjali Maharshi describes meditation as
“Tatra pratyaya ekataanatha dhyaanam”
There, in that thought, the Consciousness is completely focused and one-pointed.
There is no use trying to meditate on the form of Vishnu for 10 min & then trying to concentrate on Krishna for another 10 min. Both of these will not give the effect of one-pointedness which is expected out of the meditation.
Maharshi in this sloka therefore says that continuous flow of a single thought is better than broken thoughts. Each and every person will know that if a person studies Java for 10 min and then studies VB for another 10 min and then .net for another 10 min – at the end of 30 min, he would have learned none of those. If even in worldly materialistic actions, continuous thought is necessary, what to speak about in realization wherein the subtlest of the subtle Truth is being realized.
Here Maharshi gives two distinct characteristics of one-pointed and continuous meditation. Maharshi says that the thoughts should be like
Flow of ghee
flow of water
Flow of ghee – as everyone known, ghee or oil is viscous and hence each molecule is connected to the other molecule – there is an interlinking between the ghee particles & hence the flow is continuous. Therefore Maharshi here with this example stresses the importance of continuity in a single thought
Flow of water – Water is pure. Maharshi here with this example wants to show that the thoughts must be pure. The thoughts must be for a genuine cause. The thoughts must not be mixed with expectations but must be with due respect and gratitude. Without these qualities, no meditation serves the purpose. It is lack of purity of thoughts in meditation which causes great yogis to use their power for the bad of the society and for harming other people.
When a person has continuous and pure thoughts and meditates on the single thought – his mind becomes focused. Any person who has practiced meditation will surely know that when a single thought is persisted continuously, even that thought vanishes and a state of void happens (here there are no external objects, but just the Seer or the meditator alone). This state of Oneness where there is complete absence of both external and internal objects is there is termed as Samadhi or Absorption.
Patanjali defines Samadhi as
“Tad eva artha maatra nirbhaasam svaroopa soonyam iva samaadhih”
When a person meditates on a single thought, that thought alone persists in a state like void – this is called Samadhi.
The high type of Samadhi is where, as mentioned earlier, the thought also vanishes and only the Seer remains. This type of Samadhi is termed as Nirvikalpa Samadhi (Vikalpa means thoughts or modifications). The initial Samadhi is where the person gets completely absorbed into the object and the distinction between the object and the meditator vanishes. This Samadhi is termed as Savikalpa Samadhi. When this Samadhi is practiced for some time, even that object vanishes and what remains behind is the Self or the Subject or pure Consciousness alone.
Maharshi is going to explain about this Bhakthi in the coming slokas.
Again, meditation is not something that has to be just practiced once or twice a day (30 min or more), but it has to be continuously practiced. It is not necessary for a person to close his eyes to perform meditation. Even if the person has his eyes opened, he can practice meditation or even Samadhi. This happens when a single object is seen everywhere. Whatever is being seen is a single object & hence it becomes meditation alone.
Upanishad speak about Dhaarana as
“Yatra yatra mano yaathi tatra tatra brahma darshanaath”
Wherever mind goes, seeing Brahman – this is concentration and meditation.
Bharathi Teertha Swamigal of Sringeri says in Drik Drishya Vivekam
“Dehaabhimaane galithe jnaanathe paramaatmani
Yatra yatra mano yaathi tatra tatra samaadhayah”
Wherever mind goes, that becomes an object of Samadhi – once the body-consciousness is overcome and the ultimate being or the Self is realized.
Therefore meditation is not just an action to be performed twice a day, but it should be continuously practiced each moment. Whatever object a person sees, he has to see it as Brahman or the ultimate Being alone.
Sri Krishna calls this Samadarshanam in Gita
“Vidhya vinaya sampanne braahmane gavi hasthini
Shuni chaiva svapaake cha panditaah samadarshinah”
A Brahmin endowed with humility and knowledge sees one thing in a cow, horse, a dog, a dog-eater and a Brahmin and such a person is a realized Self indeed.
This oneness or seeing one thing everywhere is what is required through meditation. Meditation is performed in order to achieve this. And such a meditation is powerful and better than mere concentration where a steady and continuous thought is not maintained.
Maharshi in further slokas explains how a person merges into the absolute and ultimate reality through this meditation and rejoices in the eternal bliss of the Self.
Sarala chintanam viralatah param
Word meaning
Aajya dharayaa – like the flow of ghee
Srotasaa samam – and like the flow of water,
Sarala chintanam – meditation or continuous flow of one thought
Viralatah param – is better than broken thoughts.
Sloka meaning
Meditation or continuous thoughts (or continuity of a single thought) which is like the flow of ghee (or oil) and water is better than broken thoughts.
Explanation:
In this sloka also, Maharshi is just hinting at Bhakthi yoga but Maharshi starts the actual Bhakthi yoga in the next sloka alone.
As Maharshi had mentioned the three instruments or ways to do action in the third sloka – which are worship, japa and meditation respectively – here Maharshi is explaining the characteristics of meditation.
Meditation always has three components of parts. One is the person meditating or the meditator. The Second is the act of meditation. The third is the object of meditation.
What is the use of meditation???
Meditation makes one completely focused onto an object. At that time, there remains no external object except the object on which meditation is being performed.
One has to clearly distinguish between concentration or Dhaarana and Meditation or Dhyaana. Concentration is when a person tries to concentrate on an object. At that time, lot of other thoughts also creep in & the person tries to focus his mind on just the single thought of either God with a form or any other object. Whereas meditation is where a single thought alone persists, there is no second thought there.
Maharshi here basically gives the definition of how meditation should be done & what are the qualities for a meditation.
Meditation is very important because only through meditation a person gains complete focus and the mind gets slowly merged into the source of the Self. One of the most used meditation in daily life is the meditation on God with a form. This meditation is one of the different types of Bhakthi mentioned in Bhagavatham.
Patanjali Maharshi describes meditation as
“Tatra pratyaya ekataanatha dhyaanam”
There, in that thought, the Consciousness is completely focused and one-pointed.
There is no use trying to meditate on the form of Vishnu for 10 min & then trying to concentrate on Krishna for another 10 min. Both of these will not give the effect of one-pointedness which is expected out of the meditation.
Maharshi in this sloka therefore says that continuous flow of a single thought is better than broken thoughts. Each and every person will know that if a person studies Java for 10 min and then studies VB for another 10 min and then .net for another 10 min – at the end of 30 min, he would have learned none of those. If even in worldly materialistic actions, continuous thought is necessary, what to speak about in realization wherein the subtlest of the subtle Truth is being realized.
Here Maharshi gives two distinct characteristics of one-pointed and continuous meditation. Maharshi says that the thoughts should be like
Flow of ghee
flow of water
Flow of ghee – as everyone known, ghee or oil is viscous and hence each molecule is connected to the other molecule – there is an interlinking between the ghee particles & hence the flow is continuous. Therefore Maharshi here with this example stresses the importance of continuity in a single thought
Flow of water – Water is pure. Maharshi here with this example wants to show that the thoughts must be pure. The thoughts must be for a genuine cause. The thoughts must not be mixed with expectations but must be with due respect and gratitude. Without these qualities, no meditation serves the purpose. It is lack of purity of thoughts in meditation which causes great yogis to use their power for the bad of the society and for harming other people.
When a person has continuous and pure thoughts and meditates on the single thought – his mind becomes focused. Any person who has practiced meditation will surely know that when a single thought is persisted continuously, even that thought vanishes and a state of void happens (here there are no external objects, but just the Seer or the meditator alone). This state of Oneness where there is complete absence of both external and internal objects is there is termed as Samadhi or Absorption.
Patanjali defines Samadhi as
“Tad eva artha maatra nirbhaasam svaroopa soonyam iva samaadhih”
When a person meditates on a single thought, that thought alone persists in a state like void – this is called Samadhi.
The high type of Samadhi is where, as mentioned earlier, the thought also vanishes and only the Seer remains. This type of Samadhi is termed as Nirvikalpa Samadhi (Vikalpa means thoughts or modifications). The initial Samadhi is where the person gets completely absorbed into the object and the distinction between the object and the meditator vanishes. This Samadhi is termed as Savikalpa Samadhi. When this Samadhi is practiced for some time, even that object vanishes and what remains behind is the Self or the Subject or pure Consciousness alone.
Maharshi is going to explain about this Bhakthi in the coming slokas.
Again, meditation is not something that has to be just practiced once or twice a day (30 min or more), but it has to be continuously practiced. It is not necessary for a person to close his eyes to perform meditation. Even if the person has his eyes opened, he can practice meditation or even Samadhi. This happens when a single object is seen everywhere. Whatever is being seen is a single object & hence it becomes meditation alone.
Upanishad speak about Dhaarana as
“Yatra yatra mano yaathi tatra tatra brahma darshanaath”
Wherever mind goes, seeing Brahman – this is concentration and meditation.
Bharathi Teertha Swamigal of Sringeri says in Drik Drishya Vivekam
“Dehaabhimaane galithe jnaanathe paramaatmani
Yatra yatra mano yaathi tatra tatra samaadhayah”
Wherever mind goes, that becomes an object of Samadhi – once the body-consciousness is overcome and the ultimate being or the Self is realized.
Therefore meditation is not just an action to be performed twice a day, but it should be continuously practiced each moment. Whatever object a person sees, he has to see it as Brahman or the ultimate Being alone.
Sri Krishna calls this Samadarshanam in Gita
“Vidhya vinaya sampanne braahmane gavi hasthini
Shuni chaiva svapaake cha panditaah samadarshinah”
A Brahmin endowed with humility and knowledge sees one thing in a cow, horse, a dog, a dog-eater and a Brahmin and such a person is a realized Self indeed.
This oneness or seeing one thing everywhere is what is required through meditation. Meditation is performed in order to achieve this. And such a meditation is powerful and better than mere concentration where a steady and continuous thought is not maintained.
Maharshi in further slokas explains how a person merges into the absolute and ultimate reality through this meditation and rejoices in the eternal bliss of the Self.
posted by vedanta at 7:04 PM
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