Ātma Samyama Yoga (Ch 6)

This chapter of 47 verses deals with all aspects of self-control needed for renunciation in action. Here Arjuna's queries as to what would be the fate of man in his efforts at self- control were he to fail midway, (v37). Even if it were the case, assures Krishna, still one wouldn't come to grief here or hereafter (v40). In this context of the renunciation in action, the yoga-class that follows (v10-v17) informative though, is but a square peg in the round philosophical hole that this discourse is, and so the following verses are but interpolations, even going by what is stated in the very opening verse by Krishna:

Ch6, V1

Forego none if forsake chores

Eye not gain 'n thou be freed.

anāśhritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ

sa sannyāsī cha yogī cha na niragnir na chākriyaḥ

V10

yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānaṁ rahasi sthitaḥ

ekākī yata-chittātmā nirāśhīr aparigrahaḥ

Those seeking Yogice state must reside in seclusion, constantly engaged in meditation with a controlled mind and body, getting rid of desires and possessions for enjoyment.

V11

śhuchau deśhe pratiṣhṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ

nātyuchchhritaṁ nāti-nīchaṁ chailājina-kuśhottaram

To practice Yog, one should make an āsan (seat) in a sanctified place, by placing kuśh grass, deer skin, and a cloth, one over the other. The āsan should be neither too high nor too low.

V12

tatraikāgraṁ manaḥ kṛitvā yata-chittendriya-kriyaḥ

upaviśhyāsane yuñjyād yogam ātma-viśhuddhaye

Seated firmly on it, the yogi should strive to purify the mind by focusing it in meditation with one pointed concentration, controlling all thoughts and activities.

V13

samaṁ kāya-śhiro-grīvaṁ dhārayann achalaṁ sthiraḥ

samprekṣhya nāsikāgraṁ svaṁ diśhaśh chānavalokayan

He must hold the body, neck, and head firmly in a straight line, and gaze at the tip of the nose, without allowing the eyes to wander.

V14

praśhāntātmā vigata-bhīr brahmachāri-vrate sthitaḥ

manaḥ sanyamya mach-chitto yukta āsīta mat-paraḥ

Thus,with a serene, fearless, and unwavering mind, and staunch in the vow of celibacy, the vigilant yogi should meditate on me, having me alone as the supreme goal.

V15

yuñjann evaṁ sadātmānaṁ yogī niyata-mānasaḥ

śhantiṁ nirvāṇa-paramāṁ mat-sansthām adhigachchhati

Thus, constantly keeping the mind absorbed in me, the yogi of disciplined mind attains nirvāṇ, and abides in me in supreme peace.

V16

nātyaśhnatastu yogo 'sti na chaikāntam anaśhnataḥ

na chāti-svapna-śhīlasya jāgrato naiva chārjuna

O Arjun, those who eat too much or eat too little, sleep too much or too little, cannot attain success in Yog.

V17

yuktāhāra-vihārasya yukta-cheṣhṭasya karmasu

yukta-svapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā

But those who are temperate in eating and recreation, balanced in work, and regulated in sleep, can mitigate all sorrows by practicing Yog.

Besides the irrelevant above, the following verses (v41-v42) appetizing though for the yoga enthusiasts, are clear interpolations for the same reason as the preceding ones.

V41

prāpya puṇya-kṛitāṁ lokān uṣhitvā śhāśhvatīḥ samāḥ

śhuchīnāṁ śhrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣhṭo 'bhijāyate

The unsuccessful yogis, upon death, go to the abodes of the virtuous. After dwelling there for many ages, they are again reborn in the earth plane, into a family of pious and prosperous people.

V42

atha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām

etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛiśham

Else, if they had developed dispassion due to long practice of Yog, they are born into a family endowed with divine wisdom. Such a birth is very difficult to attain in this world.

Hence, these irrelevant 'yoga ten' are clear interpolations, and if we were to concede the irreverent argument of some that they would have been incorporated later for holistic reasons, then that in itself is an admission of interpolations in the original text.