Lift Yourself by the Self: The Path of Soul-Directed Living
Bhagavad Gita Ch. 6 v. 5-7
The teachings reflect the responsibility to follow the guidance of the higher Self and live the soul-directed life.
Contents
Studying the Bhagavad Gita as a Daily Practice
Doing What Is Ours to Do Without Self-Interest
Conscious Action as Preparation for Meditation
Renouncing Self-Will and Living from Higher Purpose
Living from the Guidance of the Higher Self
Self-Mastery and Peace Beyond the Pairs of Opposites
The Two Birds in the Same Tree
Do Not Cheat Yourself of the Soul Life
PODCAST EPISODE: Lift Yourself by Your Higher Self — The Path to Inner Peace
The Bhagavad Gita calls us to take responsibility for the life of the soul—to listen for its guidance, respond to its prompting, and live from the truth of what we are.
As we continue our study of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, the Yoga of Meditation, we begin with a review of verses 6.1 through 6.4, then turn to 6.5 through 6.7. These teachings bring meditation into the whole of life. They show us how dharmic action, renunciation of selfish purpose, and a peaceful mind prepare us for meditation. They also bring us to one of the most direct and urgent teachings in the Gita: we must lift ourselves by the Self and refuse to cheat ourselves of the freedom and joy that belong to the soul.
Studying the Bhagavad Gita as a Daily Practice
Before entering the verses, it is helpful to consider how we study the Bhagavad Gita. Coming to class or listening to the podcast is useful, but daily individual study is also important. For Kriya yogis, svadhyaya—the study of scripture and the study of mind and consciousness—is one of our core practices. Both aspects of svadhyaya come together when we approach the Gita.
I begin by offering a prayer and acknowledging my teachers, especially my guru, Roy Eugene Davis. Without him, I would not have received the key that unlocked the mystery and illumined teachings of the Bhagavad Gita for me.
Then I become aware of the questions or contemplations that are alive in my life at that moment. Like Arjuna, I offer the soul’s questions to the Lord. Perhaps I am having difficulty keeping my mind steady, grieving a loss, facing a challenge, or wondering how to respond wisely to a situation. I let the question surface and bring it with me to the text.
I first read the verses without commentary, usually one to four at a time. I sit with them and inquire: How are these verses speaking to the situation in my life? What are they indicating? Sometimes I write out a verse, put it into my own words, and notice what insights arise.
Then I turn to commentary. I study my guru’s The Eternal Way: The Inner Meaning of the Bhagavad Gita, and I may also consult the translations and commentaries by Baba Hari Dass or S. Radhakrishnan. It can be helpful to read more than one translation because each author may reveal a different nuance in the Sanskrit and a different dimension of the teaching.
I consider the verses on multiple levels. First, how do they apply to living in the world, making dharmic choices, and undergoing spiritual awakening? Then, how do they apply to the esoteric or metaphysical practice of Kriya Yoga?
The final and necessary part of the study is application. Scripture is meant to guide how we live and how we engage in sadhana. Daily study should give us something to carry into the world—one insight, one instruction, one practice. Otherwise, we may enjoy the teaching without allowing it to transform us.
"We are all divinely called to live the life that is worthy of us, a soul-inspired, soul-directed life."
—Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian
Doing What Is Ours to Do Without Self-Interest
We begin our review with verse 6.1, translated by S. Radhakrishnan:
“One who does the work which they ought to do without seeking its fruit, that one is a sannyasin, that one is the yogi, not the one who does not light the sacred fire and performs no rites.”
This verse begins with dharma: doing what is ours to do. It gives us the key to remaining active in the world while keeping the mind anchored in God and in awareness of our essential nature. That key is letting go of self-interest.
We can track self-interest by observing the mind as we work. What am I expecting to receive from this? What do I want? What am I trying to secure for myself? What result am I holding onto?
The teaching does not recommend escapism. Kriya Yoga is not a path of leaving our responsibilities, families, or work behind. My guru would put it simply: “Do what you know you should do.” Take care of your responsibilities while learning how to do so in a dharmic way, without binding attachment and without clouding the mind through selfish motive.
The reference to lighting the sacred fire and performing the rites points to the traditional duties of householders in the Vedic system. Universally understood, it means attending to the responsibilities appropriate to our place and time in life. This is the field where we learn about ourselves, discover truth, and practice freedom.
For Kriya yogis, there is also an esoteric meaning. Lighting the sacred fire can refer to Kriya Yoga pranayama and the meditation methods given at initiation. This is an inner fire rite that illumines the mind and prepares us for superconscious meditation.
These sacred techniques are also to be practiced without attachment to results. We offer them to the Lord within as we might offer flowers upon entering the temple of the soul. We do not offer the flower and then grab it back. In the same way, we sit for meditation, light the inner fire of pranayama, and offer the practice without trying to acquire a particular experience.
Cultivating a Peaceful Mind Throughout the Day
Bgagagavd Gita verse 6.2 says:
“What they call renunciation, know that to be disciplined activity, O Arjuna. For no one becomes a yogi who has not renounced selfish purpose.”
Renunciation is again identified as letting go of self-centered desire rather than refraining from activity. Without that renunciation, success in meditation and spiritually conscious living is not possible.
Why?
Many of us come to the path because we are suffering. We want to find the peace and happiness that continually elude us. We discover meditation and think, “That is what I will do.” Meditation is central to yoga, and it is both simple and natural. Yet it is not easy because we bring a turbulent mind with us to the spiritual path.
The mind must become quiet for meditation to deepen. Techniques are helpful, but beyond technique, it is essential to cultivate a peaceful mind throughout the day.
We cannot sit for meditation, attempt to calm the mind, and then leave that peace behind as we return to daily life. For a spiritual practitioner, sadhana or spiritual practice is twenty-four hours a day. We are continually learning how to be active in the world without being disturbed by it.
This is karma yoga.
Jesus said, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” Then we naturally ask, how do we do that? The answer is woven throughout the Bhagavad Gita: relinquish the mistaken idea that you are the doer and owner of action. Release the self-centered desire that attaches happiness and security to a particular outcome.
Once we attach our well-being to an external result, we create a prescription for unhappiness while trying to find our way to happiness.
Conscious Action as Preparation for Meditation
Bhagavad Gita verse 6.3 says:
“Work is said to be the means of the sage who wishes to attain yoga. When that one has attained yoga, serenity is said to be the means.”
For one who wishes to meditate successfully and experience samadhi rather than relaxation alone, conscious action is the means of preparation.
This includes dharmic living: fulfilling our responsibilities while practicing the restraints and observances taught in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The initial limbs of Ashtanga Yoga teach us how to live in the world and cultivate a peaceful mind. The work of karma yoga is learning how to restrain and purify the ego and cultivate soul awareness.
We may sit for meditation and sometimes feel successful, while at other times the mind remains restless. Then we move through the day and encounter the places where we rub against other people or circumstances. The mind becomes troubled, frustrated, or unhappy.
This is where the practical work begins. We apply discernment: What is happening here? Why am I disturbed? What expectation am I holding? What outcome am I trying to control?
If we trace the disturbance far enough back, we will find some form of attachment. That is the work of karma yoga: noticing the sticky places, discovering the root, and learning to let it go.
For Kriya yogis, the inner meaning of work also includes the subtle action of the meditation techniques that prepare us for superconsciousness, especially Kriya Yoga pranayama.
Once samadhi is experienced and the mind becomes tranquil, the techniques are released, and we remain in that state of peace. This is paravastha, the tranquil state following practice. Peace then pervades, purifies, and refines the mental field.
Renouncing Self-Will and Living from Higher Purpose
Bhagavad Gita verse 6.4 says:
“When one has no attachment to the objects of the senses or to works, and when that person has fully renounced their will, they are said to have attained yoga.”
Here we need to distinguish between self-will and wisdom-guided will. Paramahansa Yogananda advised: let go of self-will, but use your wisdom-guided will.
We are not asked to become passive or to abandon all purpose. We surrender the will that is organized around ego and selfish desire. Then we use the will that is guided by wisdom and surrendered to the Divine Self.
When the mind becomes clear, meditation can be spontaneous, and conscious union with God becomes ongoing. Sitting, walking, praying, working, and meditating are no longer divided into separate realities. We become absorbed in awareness of the one Self that is the Self of all.
The sages describe this as buying and selling in the marketplace without once forgetting God. We live freely, ever aware of truth and purpose, established in Self-knowing.
Naturally, we want to ask, "How do I get there?" How do I become awake and free at all times?"
The next verses respond directly.
Living from the
Bhagavad Gita verse 6.5, translated by S. Radhakrishnan, says:
“Let a person lift themself by themself. Let them not degrade themself, for the self alone is the friend of the self, and the self alone is the enemy of the self.”
Because the word self appears repeatedly, it can be difficult at first to determine which self is being referenced—the lower ego self or the higher divine Self.
For contemplation, we can hear the verse this way:
Lift yourself by the Self. Do not degrade or cheat yourself, for the divine Self alone is your friend, and this same Self can appear to be your enemy.
This verse speaks directly to our responsibility. We must lift ourselves by responding to the promptings of the soul. We must refuse to cheat ourselves by repeatedly choosing what keeps us bound.
Bhagavad Gita verse 6.6 continues:
“For the one who has conquered their lower self by the higher Self, the Self is a friend. But for those who have not possessed their higher Self, this very Self will act in enmity, like an enemy.”
For contemplation:
Surrender to the promptings of your higher Self, and that Self will be a true friend. Refuse its guidance, and the resistance will trouble your heart and mind.
The divine Self does not become our enemy in any literal sense. The trouble comes from resisting what we know inwardly to be true. When we ignore the guidance of the soul, live contrary to dharma, or continually postpone the life we are called to live, the resulting conflict creates sorrow.
Self-Mastery and Peace Beyond the Pairs of Opposites
Bhagavad Gita verse 6.7 says:
“When one has conquered one’s lower self and has attained the calm of self-mastery, their Supreme Self abides ever concentrated. They are at peace in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, in honor and dishonor.”
Here we are given a picture of what it means to be established in the Self: comfortable within ourselves, at peace regardless of changing circumstances.
The pairs of opposites affect us at several levels. Heat and cold are experienced through the senses. Pleasure and pain arise in the mental field. Honor and dishonor affect the intellect and the way we interpret ourselves in relation to others.
Yet there is a peace beyond the turmoil of these opposites.
For contemplation:
Let go of the idea of being apart from the one divine reality that is your life. Experience the calm of self-mastery and abide in the fullness of your soul. You will know the soul’s peace beyond the turmoil that assails the senses, mind, and intellect. You will be free.
The Two Birds in the Same Tree
The relationship between the lower and higher self is beautifully portrayed in an image from the Mundaka Upanishad: two birds resting in the same tree.
The bird on the lower branch represents the ego. It is continually pecking at the fruits of life, seeking satisfaction, happiness, and fulfillment. Yet it is never finally satisfied. The bird on the higher branch represents the Divine Self, the resplendent witness who looks on with love and compassion.
When the lower bird looks up and discovers the one on the higher branch, it recognizes its own resplendent nature. With that realization, the ego awakens and is freed from seeking and sorrow.
This image speaks to the profound responsibility we have to tend to the soul life. We are here for a limited time. We have been blessed with a path that shows us how to awaken, find peace, know truth, and live the reality of the soul here and now.
These verses tell us that we are the only ones who can free ourselves.
No one else can live the unique and beautiful soul life given to us. No one else hears the prompting of the soul in exactly the way we do. The guru can instruct us, offer the teachings and examples, and show us where and how to look for freedom. Yet the inward turn, the commitment to live the soul life first, is ours to make.
Lahiri Mahasaya’s teacher offered a simple example: the guru can cook the food and place it before us, but cannot eat it for us. That we must do ourselves.
Do Not Cheat Yourself of the Soul Life
Swami Satyananda Giri wrote about the teachings of Swami Sri Yukteswar:
“If the entire human being, body and mind, is not dedicated and directed toward elevation, then the ascension of the soul cannot happen.”
He explained that it is necessary to discard the rubbish in all areas of life and adopt a transformed perspective. Swami Sri Yukteswar would say in ordinary, simple words that living easily, playing, and laughing are success—but beneath it all, one must remember not to cheat oneself.
Above all, be true to yourself.
This authenticity is dharma and svadharma: living with awareness of our purpose of awakening in this lifetime. It means learning to live in harmony with the Divine Self, doing what we know we should do, living the divine life, and contributing what is ours to contribute.
We cheat ourselves when we continually postpone the soul life, imagining that other concerns are more important. These verses carry an urgent message: bring the soul life to the center and live it now.
Rise to meet the challenge. Embrace the time. Accept the responsibility to give back the blessings you have received.
Lift yourself by the Self.
Do not miss the opportunity of this lifetime.
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
Bhagavad Gita, pt 52: Lift Yourself by Your Higher Self — The Path to Inner Peace
Chapter 6, v. 5-7
How do you cultivate a peaceful mind in the midst of everyday life? This episode explores how selfless action, meditation, and living from the higher Self work together to transform the way we think, serve, and respond to life's challenges. Discover practical Kriya Yoga wisdom for quieting the mind, overcoming attachment, and finding the lasting inner peace that is always within.
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