Bhagavad Gita/Psychoenergetical Aspect of Development
Psychoenergetical Aspect of Development
The psychoenergetical direction of Yoga, as Krishna expounded it, includes the following stages:
1. Preparation of the body.
2. Preparatory exercises for the energy structures of the body.
3. Cognition of the Atman through:
a) bringing in order the emotional sphere with the development of the spiritual heart in the first place,
b) refusal of false attachments,
c) formation of right aspiration and following it,
d) control of the activity of the indriyas,
e) meditative practice aimed at the refinement of the consciousnesses, mastering the ability of moving the consciousness, growth of the personal power,
f) practical cognition of the multidimensional structure of the Absolute and cognition of Brahman,
g) further strengthening of the consciousness, i.e. its quantitative growth.
4. Cognition of Ishvara and merging with Him.
5. Merging with the Absolute.
Preparation of the Body
Krishna did not leave specific methods for realization of this task, but gave general directions:
17:5. Know that they who perform severe ascetic exploits… for the sake of self-admiration and pride…
17:6. unwise, torturing the elements that compose their bodies… — know that their decisions are demonic.
17:14. … Purity, … abstention, non-harming (the body) — such is the asceticism of the body.
6:16. Verily, Yoga is not for those who eat too much or do not eat at all, not for those who sleep too long or wake too long!…
6:17. Yoga dispels all suffering in those who have become moderate in eating, resting, working, also in sleeping and waking.
17:8. Food that promotes longevity, strength, health, jocundity, and serenity of mood, which is succulent, oily, substantial, and tasty — such food is dear to the sattvic.
Preparatory Exercises for
the Energy Structures of the Body
It is impossible to start working with the Atman straight off. This work should be preceded by preliminary trainings.
About this preparatory stage Krishna said briefly:
12:9. … If you are not able to fix your thoughts steadily on Me — try to reach Me by practicing Yoga… (This concerns the use of the methods of Raja Yoga, which are described in detail in [6]).
Conquering of the Mind
In the Bhagavad Gita the following is said about this:
Arjuna said:
6:33. For such Yoga, which is attained through inner balance,… I do not see a firm ground in myself because of the restlessness of the mind.
6:34. For the mind is truly restless… It is turbulent, obstinate, hard to restrain! I think it is as difficult to curb it as to curb the wind!
Lord Krishna said:
6:35. No doubt… the mind is restless and it is hard to curb. Yet, one can put it under control by constant practice and dispassionateness.
6:36. Yoga is hard to attain for those who have not cognized the Atman. But the one who has cognized the Atman is on the right way to Yoga — this is My opinion.
In the esoteric practice, the problem of controlling the mind is easily solved with the help of the methods of Raja Yoga and then of Buddhi Yoga. For this purpose, one has to learn to move the consciousness into the anahata chakra. This helps to destroy the mental dominants and to make the mind quiet, at that, the mind's indriyas detach from everything worldly.
Later on, at the stage of Buddhi Yoga, the problem of controlling the mind is solved even more radically — when one masters moving separately the developed structures of the upper and lower bubbles of perception in the subtle worlds far outside the body.
It does not mean, of course, that such meditators lose to some degree their intellectual ability. Being not in meditation, they continue to reason about the earthly aspects of life not less but more adequately. During meditations, their intellects are not “switched off”, in meditation the intellect switches completely from the earthly to the heavenly, to the Divine.
Higher stages of the solution of this problem become available with the help of special meditative techniques in full Mergence of the consciousness with Brahman and then with Ishvara. The intellect of the meditator in this case is united with the Intellect of God.
In some degraded sects, they use inadequate methods in attempt to control the mind. For example, long “seclusions” by themselves, i.e. without special esoteric techniques, make no sense; those who resort to such seclusions only waste their time. Equally ineffectual for this purpose is the use of psychedelics, which have in addition harmful effects on physical and psychical health. The only right way of mastering the control over the mind is to use the methods of Raja Yoga and Buddhi Yoga in a completely adequate and clear state of the consciousness.
Description of the Atman
and How to Cognize It
8:3. … The main essence (of embodied beings) is the Atman…
6:7. The one who has cognized the Atman attains full peace, because such one takes refuge in the Divine Consciousness when being in cold or heat, in situations of joy or grief, honor or dishonor.
6:10. Let a Yogi be constantly concentrating in the Atman!…
6:18. Such a person — who is free from all cravings and is concentrated in the Atman alone — is regarded to be in harmony.
5:17. The one who has cognized oneself as a buddhi, who has associated oneself with the Atman, who is devoted only to the Lord and takes refuge in Him — such one, purified by salvational wisdom, goes to Liberation.
15:11 Rightly aspiring Yogis cognize not only the soul but also the Atman in themselves. But the unwise do not find the Atman.
2:58. When (a Yogi) takes the indriyas off the earthly objects like a tortoise withdraws its limbs and head into its shell — then the Yogi attains the true understanding.
13:22. Observing, Supporting, All-receiving, the Highest Ruler, also the Divine Atman — this is how one calls the Supreme Spirit in this body.
13:29. The one who sees that all actions are realized only in prakriti and that the Atman remains in calm — such one truly sees!
13:31. The eternal and unbound by prakriti Divine Atman, though residing in bodies, does not act and cannot be influenced…
13:32. As the omnipresent Void does not intermix with anything because of its subtlety, so the Atman residing in bodies intermixes with nothing.
6:32. The one who sees manifestations of the Atman in everything and who has cognized through this the sameness of everything — both the pleasant and the unpleasant — such one is regarded as a perfect Yogi…
9:34. Fix your mind on Me, love Me, sacrifice to Me, revere Me! To Me will you finally come, being consumed by the Atman, if you have Me as your Highest Purpose!
In relation to this subject, it is important to stress the importance of the work on the development of the spiritual heart, because higher spiritual achievements are not possible without this. It is inside the developed spiritual heart that the spiritual seeker can find the Atman and then cognize Paramatman — cognize Ishvara (the Creator).
Krishna said the following about this:
10:20. I am the Atman that resides in the hearts of all beings…
15:15. I reside in the hearts of all!…
18:61. Ishvara resides in the hearts of all beings…
How one can open and then develop the spiritual heart is described in our books and films listed at the end of this book.
Description of Brahman and
Cognition of the Nirvana in Brahman
13:12. I will reveal to you what has to be known, and, having been known, brings one to Immortality: this is Supreme Brahman, Who has no origin and is beyond the limits of existence and non-existence (of beings).
13:13. His hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths are everywhere, omniscient, He abides in the world, embracing everything.
13:14. He has no organs of perception, yet He perceives everything, having no attachment to anything, yet sustaining all beings, free from the three gunas and using the gunas,
13:15. inside and outside all beings, staying in calm and yet acting, elusive in His subtlety, being always near and yet at the unspeakable distance — such is imperishable He!
13:16. Not divided among beings and yet existing separately in everyone, He is cognized as the Helper of all. He embraces all beings with Himself and guides them in their development.
13:17. About Him, about the Light of all lights, it is said that He is beyond the darkness. He is Wisdom, the Purpose of every wisdom, cognized by wisdom, residing in the hearts of all!
14:26. The one who serves Me with steadfast love — such one, having freed oneself from the three gunas, deserves to become Brahman.
18:50. How the one, who has attained Perfection, comes to Brahman, to the highest state of wisdom — hear from Me in brief…
5:24. The one who is happy within, who finds joy not in the outer, who is illuminated (by love) within — such a Yogi is capable of cognizing the essence of Brahman and attaining the Nirvana in Brahman.
5:25. The Nirvana in Brahman is attained by those rishis who have gotten rid of vices, become free from duality, cognized the Atman, and dedicated themselves to the good of all.
5:26. Free from worldly attractions and anger, dedicated to spiritual pursuits, having subdued the mind and cognized the Atman — they attain the Nirvana in Brahman.
6:27. The highest happiness awaits a Yogi… who has become sinless and alike to Brahman.
6:28. Yogis who have brought themselves into harmony and gotten rid of vices experience easily the unlimited Bliss of contact with Brahman!
18:51. The one who has completely purified oneself as a consciousness, who has overcome oneself by steadfastness, who has detached from all the outer and cast off passion and enmity,
18:52. who lives in solitude, who is abstinent and has subdued one’s speech, body, and mind, who is constantly in meditation and is passionless,
18:53. devoid of egoism, violence, arrogance, sexual passion, anger, and greed and who is imbued with peace and selflessness — such one deserves to become Brahman.
5:20. Being the calmed pure consciousness, the one who has cognized Brahman and established oneself in Brahman neither rejoices receiving that which is pleasant nor grieves receiving that which is unpleasant.
5:21. The one who is not attached to satisfaction of the senses by the outer things and finds joy in the Atman — such one, upon reaching Unity with Brahman, partakes of the eternal Bliss.
18:54. Having achieved the Eternity in Mergence with Brahman, one attains the highest Love for Me!
Strengthening of the Consciousness
With advancement through the stages of Buddhi Yoga, one’s amount of the energy of the consciousness grows and so strengthening of the consciousness (or crystallization of the consciousness) takes place:
2:64. … The one who has conquered the indriyas, renounced attractions and distractions, and established oneself in the Atman attains the inner purity.
2:65. When the inner purity is attained, all sorrows disappear and the consciousness strengthens.
However this achievement can be lost:
2:67. The reason of a person who yields to the pressure of passions gets carried away like a ship carried away by the storm!
2:63. Because of anger the perception gets completely distorted. The distortion of perception causes the loss of memory (about one’s own achievements). And the loss of memory leads the loss of the energy of the consciousness. By losing the energy of the consciousness, man degrades.
Description of Ishvara
10:8. I am the Source of everything, everything originates from Me! Having understood this, the wise worship Me with great delight!
10:9. Directing their thoughts at Me, devoting their lives to Me, enlightening each other, always conversing about Me, they are happy and content!
10:10. To them — always full of love — I gift Buddhi Yoga, by means of which they attain Me.
10:42. … Having enlivened the whole universe with a minute Part of Myself, I remain.
10:40. There is no limit to My Divine Power!…
11:47. … My supreme and eternal Form… is revealed only in Yoga, in Mergence with the Atman…
7:7. There is nothing superior to Me!…
15:18. … I am transcendent to the perishable and even to the imperishable!…
9:4. By Me — in My unmanifest form — this entire world is pervaded. All beings have roots in Me…
8:9. They who know everything about the Eternal Omnipresent Ruler of the world, the One subtler than the subtlest, the Foundation of everything, formless, shining like the Sun behind the darkness,
8:14. … who think of Me constantly, having no thoughts about anything else — such steady Yogis… easily attain Me.
11:54. … Only love can contemplate Me in My innermost Essence and merge with Me!
11:55. The one who does everything (only) for Me, for whom I am the Supreme Aim, who loves Me, who is detached, devoid of enmity — such one comes to Me…
12:8. Fix your thoughts on Me, submerge yourself as a consciousness into Me — verily, then you will live in Me!
14:27. And Brahman — imperishable and immortal — is based on Me! I am the Basis of the eternal dharma and the Abode of the ultimate happiness!
18:46. By performing the duty and worshipping through this the One by Whose Will all beings come into existence and Who pervades everything, man attains Perfection!
18:55. By love one cognizes Me in My Essence: who I am and what I am in reality. Having cognized Me thus in My innermost Essence, one submerges into My Beingness!
18:65. Think always about Me, love Me, sacrifice yourself for My sake, seek refuge only in Me — and you will come to Me!…
6:15. The Yogi who has merged with the Atman and controls the mind enters the Highest Nirvana and abides there in Me.
Cognition of the Absolute
One of the Aspects of God, as we discussed above, is the Absolute — the Creator coessential with His Creation. As to the practical aspect, the meditative cognition of the Creator and of the Absolute and Mergence with Them happen almost in parallel. About the cognition of the Absolute Krishna said the following:
7:19. At the end of many births, the wise man comes to Me. “Vasudeva is Everything!” says the one of rare Mahatma’s qualities.
18:20. The knowledge that sees One Indestructible Being in all beings, undivided in the separate, — know that such knowledge is sattvic!
11:13. … Arjuna saw the whole universe subdivided into many worlds, but united into one in the Body of the Highest Deity.
6:30. They who see Me everywhere and see everything in Me — I will never forsake them and they will never forsake Me!
6:31. They, established in such Oneness, who worship Me present in everything — such Yogis live in Me whatever their activity is.
Mergence with Brahman, the Creator, and the Absolute is achieved through the meditative methods that allow one to enter the state of “non-I” (total reciprocity) and through other methods of Buddhi Yoga. At that, not only mental but also meditative replacement of egocentrism with Godcentrism takes place.
By the way, the vector of attention in the Absolute is directed from the Creator to the Creation.
7:4. Earth, water, fire, air, akasha, mind, consciousness, also the individual “I” — all this is that which exists in the world of My prakriti, eight in total.
7:5. This is My lower nature. But know… My higher nature, Which is that Element of Life thanks to Which the whole world is sustained!
7:6. It is the womb of everything existing. I am the Source of the (manifest) universe, and it disappears in Me!…
The ultimate aim of every one of us is Mergence with Him. Let us dedicate our lives to this!
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