Extracted from the Uddhava Gita.

The Uddhava Gita is also known as the Hamsa Gita. It is a discourse delivered by Sri Krishna to his devotee, Uddhava. It is considered a sequel to the Bhagwad Gita. It offers a detailed explanation on detachment and devotion. It takes place before Krishna departs from the material world. Uddhava was a scholar, disciple and a cousin of Krishna. He wanted to follow Krishna as he could not contemplate his existence without him.

Devotion to the Lord is the way. I will follow a sage with a view to purifying myself by the dust of his feet. The sage is without any money, unmoved by desire, calm and compassionate to all creatures. The sage is rational, and he bears no hatred to anyone.

One observes Sri Krishna’s humility, even though he is eternally pure, he venerates the real Brahmans. Sri Krishna speaks about Bhakti and dedication.

A mind is purified only by devotion, which is characterized by a softening of the heart, the hair standing on end and tears of joy flowing out of the eyes.

Uddhav then asks how one should meditate on Krishna.

Krishna replies that one should sit comfortably and gaze at the nose tip. One’s hands should be in chin or Gyan mudra. One should purify the prana by concentrating on the inhalation retention, exhalation and post exhalation retention. One should practice the pranayama with Om. The form which one should meditate on is the benign face with four arms, beautiful faces of Srivatsa and Lakshmi. It is the form adorned with conch, disc, mace and a lotus. One should concentrate on the form and think of the smiling face only. When the mind is so absorbed then one would see him alone in oneself and united oneself united with him.

A yogi who thus concentrates his mind through intense meditation will soon overcome the delusion about objects. – Chapter 9, verses 35—42.

Aim Hrim Klim