Meditation – Page 5 – Anuśīlana.in

siṁhāsanasya madhye śrī-gaura-kṛṣṇaṁ smaret tataḥ

siṁhāsanasya madhye śrī-gaura-kṛṣṇaṁ smaret tataḥ |
dakṣiṇe baladevaṁ śrī-nityānanda-suvigraham ||
vāme gadādharaṁ devam ānanda-śakti-vigraham |
devasyāgre karṇikāyām advaitaṁ viśva-pāvanam ||
tad-dakṣiṇe bhakta-varyaṁ śrīvāsaṁ chatra-hastakam |
caturdikṣu mahānandamayaṁ bhakta-gaṇaṁ tathā ||
(Caitanyārcana-candrikā; cited in Sādhanāmṛta-candrikā: 2.8)

“Remember Śrī Gaurakṛṣṇa upon the siṁhāsana, and then on the right [of him] the fine figure of Śrī Nityānanda, who is Baladeva [himself], on the left [of Gaurakṛṣṇa] Gadādharadeva, the figure of the ānanda-śakti, in front of Deva [i.e., Gaurakṛṣṇa] in the whorl Advaita, the purifier of the universe, to his [i.e., Advaita’s] right the foremost of the bhaktas, Śrīvāsa, holding a parasol in hand, and in the four directions bhaktas full of great bliss.”

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mano yadi na nirjitaṁ kim amunā tapasyādinā

mano yadi na nirjitaṁ kim amunā tapasyādinā
kathaṁ sa manaso jayo yadi na cintyate mādhavaḥ |
kim asya ca vicintanaṁ yadi na hanta ceto-dravaḥ
sa vā katham aho bhaved yadi na vāsanā-kṣālanam ||
(Caitanyacandrodaya-nāṭaka: 7.7)

“If the mind is not conquered, then what will come of all these austerities and so forth? How is the mind conquered if Mādhava is not thought of? Oh, and what is contemplation of him if the heart does not melt? But alas, how will that happen if the vāsanās [i.e., the vāsanās unrelated to him remaining in the heart] are not washed away?”

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upāsanaṁ tu yathā-śāstra-samarthitaṁ kiñcid ālambanam

upāsanaṁ tu yathā-śāstra-samarthitaṁ kiñcid ālambanam upādāya tasmin samāna-citta-vṛtti-santāna-karaṇaṁ tad-vilakṣaṇa-pratyayāntaritam … |
(Śaṅkarācārya’s bhāṣya on Chāndogya Upaniṣād: 1.1.1)

“Upāsanā means taking up some basis [i.e., object of meditation] as established by śāstra and maintaining a continuous flow of a singular course of thought (citta-vṛtti) [in regard to it] that is protected from thought distinct from it.”

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yathā-śāstram upāsyasya arthasya

yathā-śāstram upāsyasya arthasya viṣayīkaraṇena sāmīpyam upagamya taila-dhārāvat samāna-pratyaya-pravāheṇa dīrgha-kālaṁ yat āsanaṁ tat upāsanam ācakṣate |
(Śaṅkarācārya’s ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 12.3)

“Approaching the proximity of the entity to be worshipped as per the śāstra by making it an object and dwelling [upon it] for a long time with a flow of singular thought like a stream of oil—this is called upāsana.”

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ekasminn apy atikrānte muhūrte dhyāna-varjito

ekasminn apy atikrānte muhūrte dhyāna-varjito |
dasyubhir mūṣitenaiva yuktam ākrandituṁ bhṛśam ||
(Garuḍa Purāṇa, cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 277)

“It is befitting to weep intensely like someone who has been robbed by bandits for even one moment that has passed devoid of meditation [on Śrī Hari].”

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īkṣeta cintāmayam enam īśvaraṁ

īkṣeta cintāmayam enam īśvaraṁ
yāvan mano dhāraṇayāvatiṣṭhate ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.12)

“Behold [i.e., meditate on] this Īśvara consisting of thought [i.e., manifest through meditation] as long as the mind remains steady with concentration.”

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janma-trayānuguṇita-vaira-saṁrabdhayā dhiyā

janma-trayānuguṇita-vaira-saṁrabdhayā dhiyā |
dhyāyaṁs tan-mayatāṁ yāto bhāvo hi bhava-kāraṇam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 10.74.46)

“Meditating [on Bhagavān] with a mind enflamed with enmity over the course of three births, he [i.e., Śiśupāla] reached [after giving up his body] a state of absorption [in him, i.e., he again became his pārṣada, personal associate], as bhāva [i.e., one’s continuous meditation, contemplation, and focus] is the cause of [one’s future] birth [be it within saṁsāra or beyond].”

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vairānubandha-tīvreṇa dhyānenācyuta-sātmatām

vairānubandha-tīvreṇa dhyānenācyuta-sātmatām |
nītau punar hareḥ pārśvaṁ jagmatur viṣṇu-pārṣadau ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.1.47)

“By meditation [on Bhagavān] with an intense sense of enmity, these two associates of Viṣṇu [i.e., Jaya and Vijaya] attained a state of being of the same form as Acyuta [i.e., they merged into him, and later, they attained forms like his], and returned to the side of Hari [i.e., resumed their roles as his gatekeepers in Vaikuṇṭha].”

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ratnākaras tava gṛhaṁ gṛhinī ca padmā

ratnākaras tava gṛhaṁ gṛhinī ca padmā
kiṁ deyam asti bhavate jagadīśvarāya |
ābhīra-vāma-nayanāhṛta-mānasāya
dattaṁ mano yadupate tad idaṁ gṛhāna ||
(Rahīma-ratnāvalī)

“Your home is the ocean [lit., the source of jewels], and your wife is Padmā [i.e., Lakṣmī Devī, the goddess of wealth]. What can be given to you, the Lord of the universe [i.e., you who possess everything]? Therefore, to you whose mind has been stolen by the charming eyes of the gopīs, I have given my mind. O King of the Yadus, please accept it.”

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yatraikāgrato tatrāviśeṣāt

yatraikāgrato tatrāviśeṣāt |
(Vedānta-sūtra: 4.1.11)

“[Where should one perform upāsana?] Where one-pointedness [of mind] occurs, because of [there being] no particulars in that regard [i.e., because śāstra gives no injunctions regarding where upāsana should be performed other than where the mind can become one-pointed].”

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