Chapter 6: Sankhya-yoga *TEXT 47* yoginam api sarvesam mad-gaten antar-atmana sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah antah-atmana—always thinking of Me within; sraddhavan—in full faith; bhajate
And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. The word *bhajete *is significant here. *Bhajete *has its root in the verb *bhaj, *which is used when there is need of service. Service to others is a great bhajate. The English word "worship" cannot be used in the same sense as *bhaja. *Worship means to adore, or to show respect and honour to the worthy one. But service with love and faith is especially meant for the Godhead Mahesan in the shape of “Makkal”. Every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus every living entity is intended to/ to be, serve(d) the Supreme Lord by his own constitution. Failing to do this, he falls down. The *Bhagavatam *confirms this as follows: ya esam purusam saksad atma-prabhavam isvaram na bhajanty avajananti sthanad bhrasta patanty adhah. "Anyone who does not render service and neglects his duty unto the Primeval Lord, who is the source of all living entities, will certainly fall down from his constitutional position." When *karma-yoga *increases in knowledge and renunciation, the stage is called *jnana-yoga. *When *jnana-yoga *increases in meditation on the Supersoul(Paramatma) by different physical processes, and the mind is on Him, it is called *astanga-yoga*. And, when one surpasses the *astanga-yoga *and comes to the point of the Godhead it is called *bhakti-yoga, *the culmination One who sticks to a particular point and does not make further progress is called by that particular name: *karma-yogi, jnana-yogi *or *dhyana-yogi, raja-yogi, hatha-yogi, *etc. This stage of highest perfection in *yoga *can be attained by means of the devotional service to the Lord which is free from desire for material profit, either in this life or in the next. Devoid of such inclinations, one should fully absorb the mind in the Supreme. That is the purpose of *naiskarmya*." KR IRS 3 5 23 On Wed, 3 May 2023 at 03:32, Jambunathan Iyer <[email protected]> wrote: > *The Four Pillars Of A Spiritual Lifestyle - Achieving A Balance* > A balanced and fulfilling spiritual life is like a table. It stands on > four legs and if one leg is shorter than the others then both balance and > equilibrium will be difficult. The four legs or pillars of a spiritual life > are given below in the form of four subjects. If any of the subjects is not > a part of our lives or is a part of our life, but not to as great an extent > as the others, then the overall balance of our spiritual life will be > affected adversely (negatively). > *1. Daily spiritual study (knowledge or gyan)* > Daily spiritual study provides the right quality of nourishment for our > mind and intellect, the two important energies of the soul. > *2. Daily meditation (spiritual yoga)* > Daily meditation provides the means to explore, discover and reconnect > with oneself and with God. > *3. The inculcation and development of virtues (dharna)* > Giving some time each day to the conscious development of our character > (virtue) helps to eliminate any negative *sanskars* or personality > characteristics (vices) arid improves our ability to build positive and > harmonious relationships. The quality of our relationships is a mirror > reflection of our *dharna*. > *4. The service of others (seva)* > A life purpose based on some kind of service is the foundation of personal > growth through the practice of giving. Finding appropriate ways to use our > increasing spiritual power and understanding (through the three subjects > mentioned above) for the benefit of others is the most satisfying way to > use our energy today. It also ensures happiness for the present as well as > for the future through accumulation of positive energy in the form of > blessings of those who are served. > N Jambunathan Rengarajapuram-Kodambakkam-Chennai-Mob:9176159004 > > *" What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you > become by achieving your goals. If you want to live a happy life, tie it to > a goal, not to people or things "* > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoo5R06nynN3DuwbvJC_-MqhwL5Nqq6Mx7oYLu2Dt5Pa%2Bg%40mail.gmail.com.
