VI: 19

[Krishna Jaya]

Chapter 6, Verse 19

 

“A candle whose light

Is steady

In a shelter

Where no winds come

Is like the Yogi

Of mastered thought

Practicing union

With the Self.”

 

Swami Shivananda:

 

“This is a beautiful simile.  Yogis quote it quite often when they speak of the concentration, steadiness, and one-pointedness of the mind.  A steady mind serves as a powerful searchlight to find out the hidden spiritual treasures of the Self.”

 

Sri Krishna Prem:

 

“It is useless to try to make a flame steady in a windy place.  The mind must withdraw to a region where the winds of desire no longer play before it can become more than momentarily steady.”

 

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

 

“It is interesting that this verse does not speak of the mind but of thought as being steady (‘mastered’).  The Sanskrit word that is used is Chitta, which signifies that aspect of the mind which is a quiet and silent receptacle of impressions or seeds of desires.  Chitta is like water without ripples.”