The Rare Yogi – Dhyana Yoga 42

In our previous post we saw that Krishna gives Arjuna the assurance that if a yogi dies before reaching God, he will be born into a Pious and Prosperous family so that he would be able to continue his quest. This would allow him to exhaust his material desires. In today’s post we see what else happens to such a yogi.

athavaa yoginaameva kule bhavati dhiimataam.h .
etaddhi durlabhataraM loke janma yadiidR^isham.h .. 6.42..

Or else, this yogi is born in a household of enlightened yogis. But such births, in this world are extremely rare.

athavaa – or else : dhiimataaM yoginaaM – of enlightened yogis : eva – indeed : kule - in a family : bhavati - may be born : yat.h iidR^ishaM – such : janma – birth : etat.h loke – in this world : hi – verily : durlabhataraM – (is) very difficult to obtain.

Once a man went to his office after taking a day off and as soon as he entered, his boss asked him, “Do you believe in rebirth?. The man said, “Why do you ask?”. The boss said, “I did not believe in it till yesterday. But then, your grandfather came here, as soon as you had left for his funeral”.

This yogi had fallen only due to the fact that there had been desires for sense objects in his mind. So he moves to the world of sense pleasures and then returns. Now, his mind is completely free of any desires for such pleasures and is filled only with spiritual thirst. Such a person is born into a family of yogis, in a household which would be conducive for him pursue his spiritual interests even from his childhood. In this fashion, such a yogi acheives perfection in a very short time.

At the same time, the Lord also remarks that such births are very rare – durlabhataraM – in this world. Such yogis like Buddha, or Shankara or Ramakrishna Paramahamsa are one in a million and they are able to continue on their path to liberation from a very young age.

When we are told that the unsuccessful yogi is born again, one might wonder, why nature is so cruel. This yogi needed but a few more years to succeed in his quest. Yet because he has to be born again, will he not have to waste his years in rebuilding all the knowledge that he has learnt. Will he not have to start once more learning even to walk, talk and read and hence will he not be forced to waste precious time in this earth. The Lord answers this question in our minds, with the next verse.

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