by Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya Book Presentation Overview Wisdom An Aquarian Rendering of the Bhagavad Geeta

“… Learn to put up with ease, and live in any type of environment with ease. These two factors will give you the first grip over your mind. Self-synthesis is not possible before the mind is brought to stability. A constant effort to bring the mind to stability is enough for beginning self-synthesis.“

Then the disciple questioned: “Suppose one has constant application. If he does not succeed to the end and leaves away in the middle, what is his position? Such a one fails in doing his actions properly. He also fails to get the happiness of synthesis. He fails in both directions. His position is insecure as the cloud in the sky. Is he sure to disintegrate as the cloud into the air? Is he lost on the way? Please clear my doubt before I follow. I find no one else who clears the doubt in a practical way.

The Lord answered: “Perfection or no perfection, the very effort is progressive. An effort to synthesize never goes a waste. In any step the practitioner is benefited upto that step physically, mentally or spiritually. No progressive attempt leads to a negative state.

Suppose he dies in the middle. Even then there is no retrogression. The planes attained by his consciousness remain the same even after death. He has done a good deed by practising yoga and then he died in the attempt. Sacred work leads him to sacred planes of consciousness. He lives there with or without a body until the result of his attempt is spent up. A sacred attempt made on the physical plane with the co-operation of his subtler planes produces a result in all planes. The duration of the result is in proportion to his attempt on the physical plane. An intense effort for a short time on the physical plane produces a permeating result for a very long period on the subtle planes. The disturbance of a storm for a few minutes is experienced by a tree until many months. An inspiring conversation for a few minutes leaves its mark for many years or forever. An attempt on the yogic lines produces an experience for a very long period. It is sustained even after the physical sheath is dropped. Further it helps in his taste to select a future body. Such a one is born in a pure and a healthy family. When a man with impure birth dies after making a significant attempt in the yogic path, he rightfully selects a body in a pure family. If the yogic attempt of a practitioner is denied by reasons of poverty, he acquires the right to select his future body in a rich family. Then his past associations begin to sprout to lead him further.

In many cases a yogic practitioner takes birth in a yogic family when he dies in the attempt. Such a right to select his birth is very difficult under ordinary circumstances. Only a yogic attempt brings him such a right.

Discriminative will continues beyond birth and death. Hence his will sprouts into yogic actions according to the previous tendency and attitude. He again makes an attempt to progress further.

For such a man, his new birth has no value. It cannot dominate according to its stages of his ages. Even though his mind is diverted towards other things, it is rendered helpless by the strong gravitational pull of his will towards the yogic attempt. The very aptitude for yoga leads one beyond the capacity of sound, language and suggestion. For one who has already shown a strong aptitude for yoga, the conversations of others and the language of the Scriptures suggest only the yogic path to him. Words fail to dominate with their intended meaning. Words have no meaning of their own. Meaning is attached by human minds, and is channelized into common understanding. See how a poet changes the significance of words and transforms it at will in tune with what he wants to convey. Similarly the will of the practitioner with a strong yogic aptitude in the past, transforms the baser meanings of the words towards the direction of his intentions that are strongly pulled by his yogic will. The sight of a bird shot down induced the story of Rama in the mind of Vâlmîki.

Make effort. A yogic effort is always of a continuous transcendental value. Each successive attempt leaves him better in subtler planes of consciousness. His filth is eliminated step by step. He will be accomplished even through a number of births and reaches the goal. Failures are no failures in the yogic path.

It is possible that the result of penance is lost at death. Knowledge may be dropped off by death. The association of deeds is also dropped off by death. The association of the yogic attempt is never lost. This proves that the yogî is greater than the one who knows, who does good things and who performs penance. I wish you be a yogî.

There are many paths in attempting yoga. The best path is to synthesize in Me in all. Link up with Me in you and Me in all. Then any path is My own path.”