Symptoms of a Yogi – How does he Speak, Sit and Walk?
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| My son Gopal, when he was about 2 yrs |
These are the questions asked by Arjuna to Lord Krishna, after the previous response of Lord Krishna in Verse 50 of Chapter 2 of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna finishes describing about Budhi Yogi or the one who is acting with Intelligence and urges Arjuna to strive for Yoga, which is the art of all work. Arjuna asks about that Yogi whose consciousness is merged in transcendence.
Lord Krishna answers Arjuna as below..
(I tried my best to summarize the answers in the following way)
•Symptoms of a Yogi: This question means, “How does one transcendentally situated reveal his position? “
He has no material affection. He is detached from both happiness and misery. Rather, he is fully satisfied by fixing his consciousness on the self.
•How does he speak: This question means, “How are his intelligence and words affected by another’s affection, anger, or neutrality? In other words, how does he react?
One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.
He is fixed in knowledge and aloof from the material world. He lives on the transcendental platform and therefore his mind cannot be materially disturbed. Srila Prabhupada writes: “Such a fully Krsna conscious person is not at all disturbed by the onslaughts of the threefold miseries, for he accepts all miseries as the mercy of the Lord, thinking himself only worthy of more trouble due to his past misdeeds; and he sees that his miseries, by the grace
of the Lord, are minimized to the lowest. Similarly, when he is happy he gives credit to the Lord, thinking himself unworthy of the happiness.”
•How does he sit and Walk: means, “What is his mentality when his senses are restrained from their objects?” Is it easy for him? Is it tortuous?
One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws its limbs within the shell, is firmly fixed in perfect consciousness. Such a person uses his senses only when required.
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
A transcendentalist’s renunciation is not difficult because he has a higher taste. This is especially true for Vaisnavas. As a tortoise naturally withdraws his limbs into its shell, a devotee naturally and fully withdraws his senses from matter by engaging them in Krsna’s service.
