The Yoga of Meditation - Understanding the True Yogī
A lesson from our course in Bhagavad Gita with Dr. M. A. Alwar and his wife Dr. Vidya Alwar
The Yoga of Meditation - Understanding the True Yogī
The Essence of Chapter Six
The sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā holds profound significance in understanding the true nature of yoga and the authentic characteristics of a yogī. Yamunācārya, the great 10th-century commentator, beautifully summarizes this chapter in his verse:
Yogasyopāyavibhavaṃ yoginaś caiva lakṣaṇam, Svadharmasthitikarmātmaguṇadoṣavivecanam, Prāptasya yogavidhvamsahetusādhanahetutām, Yogavṛttiṃ ca gītārthaḥ ṣaṣṭhādhyāye nyarūpayat.
This chapter elaborately explains the procedures for performing yoga and, most importantly, defines who is a true yogī.
The True Meaning of Yogī
Today, the word yogī is used rather loosely. Many believe that anyone who performs āsana and prāṇāyāma can be called a yogī. While this is not entirely incorrect, the real meaning of yogī is much deeper. A true yogī is one who has attained yoga, and the real meaning of yoga is samādhi, as established in Patañjali's Yoga Sūtras.
When we study the first sūtra—atha yoga-anuśāsanam—the word yoga refers to the state of samādhi. Therefore, a yogī is essentially a person who has attained the state of samādhi.
Recognizing Authentic Spiritual Attainment
How can one verify another person's spiritual experience? Unless there is a divine urge within them, a person who has attained true samādhi will never reveal it. We see many gurus today who claim to have attained various spiritual heights. This doesn't necessarily mean they are dishonest—they may have attained some sort of siddhi that attracts people to them. However, as Patañjali clarifies in his fourth chapter:
Janmauṣadhi-mantra-tapaḥ-samādhijāḥ siddhayaḥ.
These siddhis may help in material prosperity and cause people to be mesmerized, but real samādhi is extremely difficult to attain.
A great yogī may disclose their realization only if there is a divine urge within them, and that too purely for the enlightenment of a sincere student. A real yogī can be easily recognized—he will have no desire for material possessions. He won't own large āśramas, acres of land, guesthouses, or buildings. He is already immensely content within himself.
Such a person doesn't care for limousines, bungalows, yachts, or executive-class flights. The ānanda (bliss) experienced in samādhi is far greater than all the pleasures of the material world or the ego boosts from fame and wealth.
Core Topics of Chapter Six
The key subjects discussed in this chapter include:
The preliminaries for performing yoga
The exact procedure for performing yoga
Food and sleep habits and related disciplines
The means of controlling the mind
The case of a yoga-bhraṣṭa—one who falls from the path of yoga
Questions and answers
The greatness and importance of being a yogī
The Foundation: Karma and Surrender
Unlike previous chapters, there is no question from Arjuna here. Śrī Kṛṣṇa begins speaking directly, emphasizing the importance of karma. Just as we have two essential eyes, we have karma and jñāna (which also implies bhakti). Without action, nothing can happen. Even meditation is an activity.
In the Yoga Sūtras, it is stated:
Samādhi-siddhir īśvara-praṇidhānāt.
The state of samādhi is attained through surrender to the Lord. Following the philosophical rule that every sentence is assertive unless specified otherwise, this means: Īśvara-praṇidhānāt eva samādhi-siddhiḥ—Only through surrender to God does one attain samādhi.
Action Without Expectation
When practicing dhyāna (meditation), one should have no expectations. While keeping the ultimate goal of attaining samādhi in mind, one should not sit down thinking, "Today I will try to experience samādhi." Great practitioners of yoga would teach their students: "No expectations, no anticipations—just give yourself."
This is precisely what Kṛṣṇa says at the beginning of the chapter:
anaśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ | sa sannyāsī ca yogī ca na niragnir na cākriyaḥ || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.1
Whether it is meditation or any other activity conducive to meditation, do it without expectation of results. The real yogī or true sannyāsī is one who performs all actions—karma and meditation—without expecting anything in return.
The Necessity of Renouncing Desires
nāsty akriyasya prāptir na ca sannyāsinasya tu | na hi saṁnyasta-saṅkalpaḥ yogī bhavati kaścana || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.2
No one who has not renounced personal desires becomes a yogī. While performing yoga or activities that support it, one must renounce expectations.
The Two Stages of Yoga
ārurukṣor muner yogaṁ karma kāraṇam ucyate | yogārūḍhasya tasyaiva śamaḥ kāraṇam ucyate || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.3
This verse explains the two stages of the yoga path. In the beginning (ārurukṣuḥ), one must engage in karma—duties and practices. Later, having ascended (yogārūḍhaḥ), inner stillness (śamaḥ) becomes the essential means.
Just as you cannot climb Mount Everest in a single day, spiritual ascent must happen in stages. Like mountain climbing, where you must gradually acclimate to lower oxygen levels, spiritual progress requires adjustment to each new level of consciousness under the guidance of an experienced guru.
Self-Transformation and Personal Responsibility
Kṛṣṇa offers one of the most powerful verses in the Gītā:
uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet | ātmaiva hy ātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.5
You must elevate yourself by your own self. Do not degrade yourself. For the self alone is friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self.
This profound teaching emphasizes personal responsibility in spiritual evolution. Just as no one can exercise on your behalf to help you lose weight, or eat for you to help you gain weight, only you can transform yourself spiritually.
bandhur ātmātmanas tasya yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ | anātmanas tu śatrutve vartetātmaiva śatru-vat || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.6
For one who has conquered the mind, the self is a friend. But for one who has not mastered the mind, the self remains the enemy.
Characteristics of the Self-Realized
When a person has truly gained mastery over the mind:
jita-ātmanaḥ praśāntasya parama-ātmā samāhitaḥ | śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.7
One who has conquered the mind and remains tranquil—he dwells in the Supreme, whether in heat or cold, pleasure or pain, honor or dishonor.
jñāna-vijñāna-tṛptātmā kūṭastho vijitendriyaḥ | yukta ity ucyate yogī sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ || —Bhagavad Gītā 6.8
A yogī who is satisfied with knowledge and realization, whose senses are subdued, to whom a clod of earth, a stone, and gold are all the same—he is said to be steadfast in yoga.
The Six Internal Enemies (Āri-ṣaṭka)
In Indian philosophy, we speak of six internal enemies that reside within every human being:
Kāma – desire/lust
Krodha – anger
Lobha – greed
Moha – delusion
Mada – pride
Mātsarya – envy/jealousy
These are the most significant obstacles on the spiritual path. Among these, pride (mada) is perhaps the most difficult to overcome, as ego hides itself within. Even a little knowledge can create great pride, which becomes a major obstacle to spiritual progress.
The Wisdom of Socrates
There is a beautiful story about Socrates that illustrates the importance of recognizing our ignorance. When the oracle declared Socrates the wisest person in Greece, he replied, "I don't think so. But I have realized one thing: I know that I know not."
This realization—that the divine is so vast it can never be known completely—is itself the greatest understanding. Only with such humility can true spiritual progress begin. One must be able to say to the guru, "O Guru, I don't know anything. Please enlighten me."
The Balanced Approach
While discussing detachment, it's important to understand the difference between detachment and irresponsibility. One must be balanced in all aspects of life. The goal is not to become irresponsible, but to maintain inner equilibrium while fulfilling one's duties.
Through yoga, especially karma-yoga, one purifies the mind. In the Vedānta system, it is said that karma yoga ensures citta-śuddhi (purification of the mind). When the mind becomes free from the six internal enemies, we progress swiftly on the spiritual path.
The True Test of Spiritual Attainment
The true yogī is not overly disturbed by gain or loss. As Kṛṣṇa describes:
tulyaṁ nindā-stutir maunī santuṣṭo yena kenacit | aniketaḥ sthira-matir bhaktimān me priyo naraḥ || —Bhagavad Gītā 12.19
He is equally disposed to praise and criticism, silent, content with whatever comes, unattached to any dwelling, steady in mind, full of devotion—such a person is dear to Me.
The realized yogī is not unduly excited when gaining something precious, nor depressed when encountering loss. He maintains even-mindedness toward profit and loss, friends and enemies, avoiding extremes of emotion.
The Ultimate Realization
When someone is called a yogī, we must examine whether they have truly realized yoga. A real yogī does not crave luxurious buildings, limousines, or large followings, because the bliss derived from within is thousands of times greater than joy from material possessions.
A truly realized master may have followers or a large āśrama, but if he is genuinely great, he will never be attached to them. This detachment is the mark of an accomplished yogī and the most important truth to remember when entering the spiritual path.
If you enjoy this kind of learning, consider coming to our events in India. We have three amazing opportinities to experience the yoga tradition of Mysore in person and learn ace to face with Mysore’s great teachers!
200hr Mysore Yoga Traditions Emersion January 12 -February 8, 2026
