When the perfectly disciplined mind rests in the Self alone, free from longing for all desires, then one is said to be established in yoga.
Synthesis
When the disciplined mind rests in the Self alone, free from all desires, one is established in yoga. The Advaita tradition sees the mind absorbed in Brahman. Ramanuja teaches the mind resting in God as the Self. The Bhakti tradition sees complete satisfaction in the Lord. Madhvacharya teaches the soul finding complete satisfaction. Abhinavagupta sees the sahaja state of consciousness resting in itself. Vallabhacharya teaches divine bliss transcending all other desires. Tilak reads complete inner independence. Vivekananda teaches fullness, not emptiness — the mind established in its infinite nature.
Commentaries 8 traditions
Shankara explains that when the disciplined mind abides in the Self alone — not in any object of experience — and all desires have naturally subsided, the practitioner has attained yoga. This is not suppression but fulfillment; desires cease because the mind has found the infinite source of all satisfaction.
Apply This Verse
Personal Growth
The restless search for fulfillment in external things can only end when you discover the completeness that already exists within. Meditation that brings you home to yourself is the ultimate antidote to chronic dissatisfaction.
Questions this verse answers
- ?"How do I find fulfillment within myself?"
- ?"Why do achievements never seem to satisfy me for long?"
- ?"What does it mean for the mind to rest in the Self?"
- ?"Is it possible to be truly free from desire?"