आरुरुक्षोर्मुनेर्योगं कर्म कारणमुच्यते ।
योगारूढस्य तस्यैव शमः कारणमुच्यते ॥३॥
ārurukṣormuneryogaṁ karma kāraṇamucyate /
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇamucyate //3//
Ārurukṣormuner. Munir, that yogi who is ārurukṣoḥ, who wants to rise step by step; who wants to rise step by step and meditates by successive meditation. Successive meditation does not mean that you meditate one hour in the morning, one hour in the evening–no, it is not that. [You should] go on meditating day and night. Don’t forget your meditation of thinking of the Lord with breath. Go on watching your breath, day and night. Try with all your might to watch it. If sometime you miss [a breath], that doesn’t matter, but it does not mean that you meditate only one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, and in the remaining period you will do activities [such as] gupshup (idle conversation) and bakwas (nonsense) and everything. Because that impression [of worldly activity] will be stronger, that impression will subside your abhyāsa (practice).
Do you understand?
So you should not work in that way. Abhyāsa is to start [watching your breath] just like in chain form [i.e., continuously]. Try your best [to practice] that way.
ārurukṣormuneryogaṁ karma kāraṇamucyate /
yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇamucyate //3//
Ārurukṣormuneryogaṁ. Yogam ārurukṣor muner, the one who is trying to reside in yoga abhyāsa, for how long [should he practice]? Day and night. According to his capacity, he should [practice] day and night. But the balance should be of abhyās, i.e., [abhyās should be] more in weight than the daily activities of your worldly affairs. Worldly affairs should be less in balance [in] scale. Worldly activities [should be much] less, just four anas (16 cents) in one rupee, even two annas (8 cents) in one rupee. The [remaining] period of your time must be devoted to abhyāsa, to meditation. That is yogam ārurukṣor muni, one who wants to rise in yoga, who wants to step into yoga.
Karma kāraṇam ucyate. Karma kāraṇam ucyate, karma, abhyāsa in action. You should not sit idle, you should go on walking [etc., while] practicing yoga. And it is kāraṇam, these [worldly activities] are the means (upāyas) for him.170
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170 The manner, the method, the way to practice yoga. [Editor’s note]
*”This yoga in action is tremendously powerful. For example, if you were to continue your practice of contemplation for just fifteen minutes while walking, the benefit will be the same as you would acquire if you were to continuously practice contemplation in your meditation room for two or even three years. This is because yoga in action makes your practice of contemplation more firm, solid, and substantial. This is why Kashmir Shaivism puts stress on yoga in action, and not on that yoga which is inactive.”
Kashmir Shaivism, The Secret Supreme – Kashmir Shaivism and Advaita Vedanta. (ch. 15, p102)
Learn meditation as taught by Swami Lakshmanjoo here.
Source: Bhagavad Gita, in the Light of Kashmir Shaivism
[Chapter 6, verse 3], revealed by Swami Lakshmanjoo.
Also available as Bhagavad Gita video on demand.
And as part of our Weekly Sangha, see previous recordings.
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