GLORY  OF YOGA

vedeshu yajneshu tapahsu chaiva
    daaneshu yat punyaphalam pradishtam
    atyeti tatsarvam idam viditwaa
    yogee param sthaanamupaiti chaadyam // 8.28 //

The Yogi who knows this  transcends all rewards laid down for the study of the Vedas, for sacrifices,  for austerities, for making charities; he reaches the supreme, Primal abode.
  Sri Krishna means a true Yogi - a  sincere meditator - goes beyond whatever meritorious results are promised in  the Scriptures from the study of Vedas, performance of yajnas, practice of  austerities and from charities to reach the final goal, the Primeval, Supreme  Abode

The word ‘this’ in the verse  means the answers given by the Lord to the seven questions of Arjuna. One  should not only understand but also follow the teachings contained in these  answers of the Lord.

om tat sat iti  srimadbhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre sri krishnaarjuna  samvaade akshara brahma yogo naama ashtamo'dhyaayah

Thus in the Upanishads  of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of  the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and  Arjuna, ends the  eighth discourse  entitled : The Yoga of Imperishable Brahman.

Concepts and Issues
  The Supreme Lord who creates the  Universe is Brahma. The Lord describes the day and night of Brahma each of  which lasts for thousands of ages. He says those who know the day and night of  Brahma they really understand the terms day and night. From the unmanifested  all the manifested worlds proceed at the coming of the `day' and at the coming  of the ‘night' they dissolve into that alone which is called the unmanifested.

But the Supreme Purusha stands as  a witness apart from this process of evolution and dissolution. Therefore,  those who remember and meditate on the Supreme Being as the eternal witness, at  the time of death, will never have re-birth in this world but will reach the  Supreme itself, which is beyond space, time and causation.

Sri Krishna explains how Yogis realize  the Supreme Self at the time of death. He mentions the two paths by which the  souls of the Yogis travel. The realized Yogis following the path of Light will  merge in the Supreme Being and will have no return; they attain Liberation. The  others who have attachment for the material world will go through the path of  darkness and will take birth in the mortal world to go through the cycle of  birth and death afresh.

A Yogi knowing these two paths  will not follow ritualistic practices expecting to enjoy their fruits  because  he understands that everything  other than the Self is a source of pain and is transient. Hence he is always  immersed in the awareness of Eternal Consciousness. He ultimately attains the  Primeval Abode.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live
  The basic advice given by the  Lord is that this mortal world is the place of pain and sorrow and is  non-eternal and hence the one with God-Consciousness will alone reach the  highest perfection i.e. Liberation. Therefore, The Lord emphasizes that one  should constantly practice Yoga and meditation so that even at the time of  death God-thought alone will come instead of the thoughts of attachment to this  materialistic world.

Points to Ponder
  Who is the Supreme Purusha, what  are His characteristics and how to attain Him?
  How can one develop  single-pointed concentration?

Write short notes on:
1. Paths of Return and Non-Return
2. Necessity for Meditation
3. Unmanifest, Manifest and Unmanifested Eternal Being

Next time we will take up Chapter 9

Harih Om