This and the following stanza with which Vyasa concludes the third chapter of his incomparable Geeta, give every seeker a perfect technique by which he can bring about a successful hunting and capture of his inner enemy, “desire.”Although we cannot expect in the Bhagavad Geeta — especially in one of the very opening chapters — an exhaustive treatment of the technique of meditation, yet we find that, in these stanzas, the Lord has etched out a complete outline of the “Scheme-for-Self-discovery.”

Compared with the objects of the world, we can easily understand that the sense-organs are more sacred and divine. Of the instruments that constitute our physical structure, certainly the sense-organs are subtler than the organs-of-action. Everyone of us can easily experience that our mind controls and orders our sense-organs, and, therefore, we know that the mind is subtler than the Indriyas.

No doubt, the mind has a vast kingdom to roam about in, but, even so, it has its own limitations and fixed frontiers. From knowledge to knowledge we extend the frontiers of our mind and all along this aggressive march of new conquests it is the intellect that first crosses the existing frontiers of the mind, and wins for it the neighbouring kingdoms of “fresh knowledge.” In this sense, the intellect has a greater pervasiveness than the mind, and, therefore, it is conceived of as being subtler than the mind. That which lies beyond the intellect is called the Supreme, the Atman.

The Consciousness in man which lights up the very intellectual ideas in him must necessarily be subtler than the intellect itself. In the Upanishads it has been finally declared that there is nothing subtler than the Self, the Atman. The technique of meditation lies in the conscious withdrawal of all our identifications with our body, mind and intellect. All efforts end when we have thus gathered our entire awareness from its delusory pre-occupations and made it live in Itself as Itself — as Objectless Awareness.

THE GOAL GAINED BY PURSUING THIS ART OF MEDITATION IS EXPLAINED IN THE FOLLOWING:

The learned ones ahuh, say; that indriyani, the five [Five sense-organs: of vision, hearning, taste, smell and touch; five motor-organs: hands, feet, speech, and for excretion and generation-these latter five are also understood in the present context.] organs-ear etc., are parani, superior, to the external, gross and limited body, from the point of view of subtlety, inner position, pervasiveness, etc. So also, manah, the mind, having the nature of thinking and doubting; [Sankalpa: will, volition, intention, thought, reflection, imangination, etc. vikalpa:doubt, uncertainly, indecision, suspicion, error, etc.-V.S.A.] is param, superior; indriyebhyah, to the organs. Similarly, buddhih, the intellect, having the nature of determination; is para, superior; manasah, to the mind. And yah, the one who is innermost as compared with all the objects of perception ending with the intellect, and with regard to which Dweller in the body it has been said that desire, in association with its ‘abodes’ counting from the organs, deludes It by shrouding Knowledge; sah, that one; is tu, however; paratah, superior; buddheh, to the intellect- He, the supreme Self, is the witness of the intellect. [The portion, ‘with regard to which Dweller…the supreme Self,’ is translated from Ast. Which has the same reading here as the A.A. The G1. Pr. Makes the “abode” counting from the organs’ an adjective of ‘the Dweller in the body’, and omits the portion, ‘is tu, however…buddheh, to the intellect’.-Tr.]