The nature of time is nothing but the trick of the maayaavi, another name for the great magician, Ishvara, who is the agent, of srshti, sthiti, and laya. If you absorb your mind in this Parameshvara, it is called sagunabrahmadhyaana. To do this, you meditate on the virtues of Parameshvara. Thus, for you, Parameshvara is one who is all compassion, all mercy, all aananda. Or, Parameshvara is the one who is the creator, sustainer, and resolver of everything — srshti-sthiti-laya karta. In this way, any one virtue can be taken in its absolute sense and meditated upon. Or, the meditation can be in the form of a simple prayer — 'Unto that Lord, my salutations – parameshvaraaya namah.'
The word 'mat' in the compound, matcitta can also mean Parameshvara, the cause of everything — param brahma. And that Brahman is satyajnana-anantabrahma, aatma. Here, the one whose mind is contemplating upon the svarupa of the aatma, pure consciousness, is called matcitta. With reference to this caitanyaatma there are other revealing words also, words that reveal the svarupa of atma upon which you contemplate. With the help of these words, you contemplate upon the meaning and this contemplation is called meditation.
MEDITATION IS NOT A TECHNIQUE
The person being discussed in this verse (Bhagavd-Gita. 6.14) is also called matpara, another word that describes the person in terms of the object of meditation. The person who meditates in order to lower his or her blood pressure may be a blood-pressure-para but he or she is definitely not matpara. People meditate for many reasons — for one hundred percent spiritual success or one hundred percent material success. This only proves that nothing is sacred. This also proves that meditation is not properly understood.
Meditation is not a technique; meditation is life. Therefore, Krishna refers to the meditator as matpara, one for whom the Lord, Parameshvara, is everything. The mind of such a person will stay with the object of meditation because there is nothing other than Parameshvara, paramatma, to be gained. And this is everything. The one for whom what is to be accomplished is that paramatma alone is called matpara, Krishna says.
Shankara adds here that such a person is very careful in terms of the objects that he or she desires. For example, the person does not think of a particular woman or man as the ultimate end, para; instead, this person has another para in that his or her mind is committed to Ishvara, the Lord, as the ultimate end. The svarupa of Ishvara, the paramatma, as the ONLY end, para is called parama-pada and the person who has this as the only pursuit is called matpara.
(Gita Home Study Chapter 6.14)
Om Tat Sat
