Shloka 16
The Lord in the Heart and the Discipline of Yoga-Bhakti
मन: स्वबुद्ध्यामलया नियम्य क्षेत्रज्ञ एतां निनयेत् तमात्मनि । आत्मानमात्मन्यवरुध्य धीरो लब्धोपशान्तिर्विरमेत कृत्यात् ॥ १६ ॥
manaḥ sva-buddhyāmalayā niyamya kṣetra-jña etāṁ ninayet tam ātmani ātmānam ātmany avarudhya dhīro labdhopaśāntir virameta kṛtyāt
จากนั้นโยคีควบคุมจิตด้วยปัญญาอันบริสุทธิ์ ให้จิตรวมเข้าสู่ชีวะ (ผู้รู้สนาม) แล้วให้ชีวะรวมเข้าสู่ปรมาตมัน ด้วยเหตุนี้ผู้มั่นคงย่อมบรรลุ “ลับโธปศานติ” และละกิจอื่นทั้งปวง
The functions of the mind are thinking, feeling and willing. When the mind is materialistic, or absorbed in material contact, it acts for material advancement of knowledge, destructively ending in discovery of nuclear weapons. But when the mind acts under spiritual urge, it acts wonderfully for going back home, back to Godhead, for life in complete bliss and eternity. Therefore the mind has to be manipulated by good and unalloyed intelligence. Perfect intelligence is to render service unto the Lord. One should be intelligent enough to understand that the living being is, in all circumstances, a servant of the circumstances. Every living being is serving the dictates of desire, anger, lust, illusion, insanity and enviousness — all materially affected. But even while executing such dictations of different temperaments, he is perpetually unhappy. When one actually feels this and turns his intelligence to inquiring about it from the right sources, he gets information of the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Instead of serving materially for the above-mentioned different humors of the body, the living entity’s intelligence then becomes freed from the unhappy illusion of materialistic temperament, and thus, by unalloyed intelligence, the mind is brought into the service of the Lord. The Lord and His service are identical, being on the absolute plane. Therefore the unalloyed intelligence and the mind are merged into the Lord, and thus the living entity does not remain a seer himself but becomes seen by the Lord transcendentally. When the living entity is directly seen by the Lord, the Lord dictates to him to act according to His desire, and when the living entity follows Him perfectly, the living entity ceases to discharge any other duty for his illusory satisfaction. In his pure, unalloyed state, the living being attains the stage of full bliss, labdhopaśānti, and ceases all material hankerings.
FAQs
This verse teaches that the mind should be restrained with purified intelligence and led inward to the Self, resulting in deep tranquility (upaśānti).
In Canto 2, Śukadeva guides King Parīkṣit toward liberation by outlining internal yoga—turning consciousness inward to the indwelling Self and attaining peace beyond worldly duties.
Practice daily inner discipline: use clear discernment to check distractions, bring attention back to the witness within, and gradually reduce compulsive engagement in nonessential activities.