Commentary

Having taken this path, one must not waver or stray into the by-lanes. "Vyavasaya" is a word commonly used to mean 'agriculture' too. If a man wants to cultivate a piece of land, he should apply himself with one-pointedness to his task. If he tills the soil and then changes his mind, or if he sows the seed and neglects the farm on account of other interests, he will not reap a rich harvest. "Yoga" is self-culture and is governed by the same laws as agriculture. Here they are in brief:

1. We burn the bush. We remove the evil qualities in our nature.

2. We plough the ground. We resort to several yoga practices in order to prepare the ground. We 'turn' the soil, bringing the hidden part to light: the dark, hidden evils must be brought to light and thus removed.

3. We sow the seed. We resort to the guru who sows the spiritual seed in the form of a mantra and also of spiritual knowledge.

4. We water the field. We vitalize the mantra by faithful repetition and by meditation on its significance, and the instructions of the guru by augmenting our faith in and devotion to him.

5. As the young sprouts come up, we carefully guard them against weeds, animals and thieves. As we progress on the path of yoga, we guard our faith and devotion against evil activities and evil company, by ever-alert watchfulness.

 Such one-pointed attention ultimately yields us the rich harvest of spiritual experiences and self-realization. Such one-pointedness is brahmacharya.