अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्॥ २२॥
ananyāścintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate,
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yogakṣemaṁ vahāmyaham. (22)
22. To those men who worship Me alone, thinking of no other, to those ever self-controlled, I secure for them that, which is not already possessed (yoga), and preserve for them what they already possess (kṣema).
Question: Remember who? How?
Pretty much all religions and spiritual systems including in Gita as mentioned in the above verse emphasizes on remembrance.
In past few years every time the question of remembrance raises i always asked who are we really remebering. So far i got various answers but no one said we do not know who and what to remember.
Numerous examples and simlies on how to remember , remember as if lover remembers the beloved. One guru pushes the disciples head into the water and disciple is gasping for the air. Then guru asks after lifting his head the interest in remembrance should be as if you are wanting to take that breath while your head is pushed in water.
Great but question still remains who/ what and how?
Lets say a boy and girl are in love both are in constantly thinking of each other and right after marriage in to time all that fervor disappears why that veil of unknown is taken off. I am giving this example to bring up the perennial issue with the act of remembrance. How to remember that which is already known, revealed (through word, through writings, through our own projections) , Once it is known the fire is extinguished; our ego cannot accept even our scriptures say it can not be known. So we praise the lord in so many ways, by praising indirectly we are expressing that we know it. We know its benevolence, its love and its grace, its omniscience. Every praise is an innuendo for knowing, but what we do not know all praise is devoid of remembrance.
The above mentioned verse 22 is from Chapter 9 which is named as Rāja Vidyā Rāja Guhya Yoga ( Royal Secret). Know that always the secret is right on the face, but we are looking somewhere else.
In this verse the secret of remembrance lies in the word अनन्याः चिन्तयन्तः (thinking of no other). Realize the importance of this word "THINKING OF NO OTHER"; You will see this reflected in old testament where god from the burning bush says "thou shall not worship no other god than me."
Who is this other , anything which is KNOWN, name, form, characteristics. All that we know so far is OTHER. Hence all that we thought we are remembering so far is "OTHER" which is already known to us ... then we wonder how can we not able to constantly remember it all the time.
Then when challenged in our defense we say "Oh! we have to start somewhere. Its a step by step progression."
Now that we have established that which is to be remembered is UNKNOWN.
Now we should be asking the real question What and How?
Then only option we are left with is to PRAY ... Pray to this unkown with all our heart that becoming one with you is real goal of human life. Only you can show me how i can remember you. And wait.
This waiting is the real Shravanym ( listening) , but often we do not listen we are busy praying and repeated chanting, mesmerized by the sounds of chanting. After the prayer remain in silence to listen, then it unfolds creates the shift in the consciousness. That shift is some thing which needs to be connected with. This connection is nothing but Mananam(reflection or contemplation). Then we meditate on that connection (Nidhidhyasanam). This process repeats through our life time; This whole process is the process of remeberance. As we subject oursleves to this process it unfolds, and keeps unfolding. We can never ever claim to KNOW IT ALL. The moment we claim the remembrance seizes then we become ananyana chetah ( thinking about other)