mayyeva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhim niveśaya | nivasisyasi mayyeva ata ūrdhvam na samśayah ||12.8|| In me alone may you place the mind; in me may you place the intellect. Thereafter, there is no doubt that you will abide in me alone.
mayyeva mana ādhatsva - may you commit your mind to me alone, mayi buddhi niveśaya - may you place your intellect in me. Mind and intellect are all inner instruments which are process of thinking, sometimes they are used in the same sense, but when they are used together as they are here, each has a restricted meaning. Manah - mind is fluctuating certainty and uncertainty - sankalpavikalpātmakam; buddhi - intellect is the function that leads to a well-ascertained conclusion - niścayātmikā. Both must commit to Īśvara. Why Lord Krsna mentioned them separately?
One might want moksa as one's goal, but the commitment will be wobbly if that is not arisen from a well-assimilated understanding. There is no complete understanding of what I am really seeking, what is Īśvara, and what is the relationship between moksa (end) and Īśvara (means). The ascertainment of all these are involved in the intellect. Then when we commit our mind in Īśvara for meditation, it will stay there. Otherwise, when there is vagueness about the very pursuit and the nature of Īśvara, other interests are equally compelling, and naturally the mind will stray. This ascertainment of end and means is called purusārthaniścaya.
What I am really seeking in life is moksa which is the result of self-knowledge. These two things have to be connected. Wanting to be free is not adequate enough, since people resort to all kinds of things in search for freedom from pain. For this it must be clear that moksa I am searching, is the nature of Īśvara, and that very Īśvara appears in the form of this world, including me. I am not these body-mind-sense-complex, they are just name and forms which only have dependent existence on me sat-cit-ānanda. This ascertainment of end and means is called purusārthaniścaya. Therefore "may you commit both your mind and intellect to me", set your mind meditate upon saguna-brahman (brahman with attributes), live a life of karma-yoga, and commit your intellect to inquiry of Īśvara. Then there is nothing that can stop you from knowing "Me" (Īśvara).
If a karma-yogī couldn't fix his/her mind upon Īśvara through meditation, Lord Krsna gives the solution in the next verse.
atha cittam samādhātum na śaknosi mayi sthiram |
abhyāsayogena tato mām icchāptum dhanañjaya ||12.9||
If you are not able to absorb your mind steadily in Me, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)! then through the practice of yoga may you seek to reach Me.
For one who desire to reach Īśvara, but not able to place the mind in saguna-brahman steadily for a length of time, which is called dhyānam - meditation, one should go through practice of abhyāsayoga. Yoga here means astangayoga - eight limbs of raja yoga.
The mind is not able to remain with a chosen object for meditation because of lack of abhyāsa - repetition. Our mind will stay in a particular object of thought of our liking or even fearing out of our choice, but in the case of meditation, it just doesn't cooperate. It is because lack of repeated practice of guidance to the mind which is called abhyāsa here. This guidance is in the form of eight limbs of raja yoga, consist of: 1. Yama - moral restrain - Ahimsa - non-injury - Satya - truthfulness
- Asteya - non-stealing - Brahmacarya - discipline lifestyle committed to Brahman - Aparigraha - non-possessing
2. Niyama - observance - Saucam - cleanliness - Santosah - contenment - Tapas - austerity
- Svadhyaya - scriptural study
- Īśvara Pranidhana - surrender to the law of Īśvara
3. Asana - training oneself to sit in a length of time 4. Pranayama - breath control
5. Pratyahara - withdrawal of senses
6. Dharana - fixing the mind on the object of meditation
7. Dhyana - retaining the mind on the object of meditation
8. Samadhi - absorption of the mind
When this list is given as the steps to practice meditation, a lot of us might directly jump into third stage, since we understand that steady posture is needed to sit for a length of time, regulation of the breath is calming the mind, and withdrawal of senses so the mind can focus, and the rest are the process which really called meditation itself. But most of us will not think that the important foundation is laid on Yama and Niyama. They are the more specific in the sense of karma-yoga. If one can't really see how to bring the attitude of karma-yoga in one's life, one can start with these specific practice. Because without these values in one's life, one would gather a lot of hurt, guilt, fear, jealousy, greed, etc. which contribute to restlessness of the mind. Hence, they are not really steps where the next one is reached, the previous one is given up, but they are limbs which form a complete body.