VI: 37-39

Chapter 6, Verses 37-39

Arjuna says,

"Krishna, what happens to those who have faith
But do not persevere sufficiently?

Their minds and bodies wander away from their Yoga practice.
They do not achieve the goal of Yoga.

What becomes of them?

Don't they, rootless and insubstantial,
fade like a cloud in the sky?

Be a light in my darkness, Krishna.
I beg you, please help me,
For only you can remove
This doubt from my mind.

Paramahansa Yogananda:

The discouraged student in deep prayer resorts to God as the mighty Cosmic Physician who alone is able to cure the deep-seated condition of doubt.

There are two kinds of unsuccessful Yogis.

Some practice Yoga with deep enthusiasm in the beginning, but afterwards relax their resolve.  Their initial enthusiasm carries them along with relative ease for a while, but because sustained resolve is lacking, as soon as any slack in their disciplined practice creeps in, they experience heightened resistance from past, non-Yogic habits that were only temporarily subdued and thus stray.

Others continue to meditate regularly and with devotion almost to the end of their lives, attaining a high degree of advancement.  Shortly before their death, however, owing to some past Karmic complexity, to present indulgence in questionable company, to spiritual pride, or owing to some other obstacle, they lose steady connection to the Soul's Joy, thus failing to merge into the final Divine Union.

Unsuccessful Yogis often feel that they are like clouds dispersed by the wind, unable to quench their thirst by the rainfall of wisdom.  They bemoan the fact that they are not established in God-consciousness.  They feel deluded and unable to ascertain their rightful path in life.  Discouraged students allow themselves to be diverted from the path of rightful action, or, if they are more advanced, from becoming permanently established in God-union.

Father Bede Griffiths:

Arjuna brings up a practical problem.  People start to meditate, and they are neither in Heaven nor on Earth.  They do not  reach the state of equilibrium which is being sought, and they are no longer at home in the world.  They are in a state of suspended animation between the realm of God-consciousness and the world.  It can be very unpleasant.

What happens to such a one?

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

When the student expresses appreciation for the wisdom of the master ("Be a light in my darkness, Krishna.  I beg you, please help me, for only you can remove this doubt from my mind...") then the wisdom flows from the master in a quickened atmosphere of love.  This is clear from the great flood of Krishna's transmission that is about to pour forth.

Srila Prabhupada:

You may sincerely embark upon the path of Self-Realization, but the process of cultivating knowledge and the practice of the eight-fold/Ashtanga Yoga system are generally difficult for this age.  Therefore, despite sincere endeavor you may fail for many reasons.

[While it is true, as Srila Prabhupada points out, that the Ashtanga Yoga path is not an easy one, it is also true that some people are temperamentally aligned with this path and are well-suited to practice it.  In Chapter Three, Verse Thirty-five Krishna points out that it is better to perform your own Dharma inadequately than to perform another's Dharma flawlessly.  It is not that one kind of Yoga is superior to another kind.  The key point is to practice the path of Yoga with which you most deeply resonate.]