Raja Yoga

Bhagavad Gita • Chapter 2

A mind captivated by promises of pleasure and power cannot settle into the stillness of samadhi—the very grasping that seeks happiness prevents the peace that would fulfill it.

Bhagavad Gita • Chapter 2

This is the chain of causation: without self-discipline there is no wisdom; without wisdom, no meditation; without meditation, no peace; and without peace—how can there ever be happiness?

Bhagavad Gita • Chapter 5

The gateway to liberation opens through shutting out external distractions, focusing attention at the third eye, and balancing the breath within the nostrils—the beginning of yogic meditation.

Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 4, Chapters 8-12

Five-year-old prince Dhruva, humiliated by his stepmother, performed intense austerities guided by sage Narada. His meditation with the mantra 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya' was so powerful that Vishnu appeared and granted him an eternal position as the Pole Star.

Sikh Historical Traditions - Guru Amar Das

While Guru Amar Das was in deep meditation, his daughter Bibi Bhani noticed the platform was about to break. Rather than disturb him, she placed her hand under it, severely injuring herself. Moved by her devotion, the Guru asked what blessing she desired. She asked that Guruship remain in her family - all subsequent Gurus descended from her.

Krishna & Uddhava

The essence of spiritual teaching is recognizing the eternal Self, training the mind, seeing the Divine in all beings, acting from love, and knowing that the teaching is completed only when shared with others.

Yudhishthira & Bhima

Rage can be fuel or destruction depending on when it's spent. Discipline is not the absence of emotion but its strategic containment. Sometimes brothers must promise to stop each other to keep each other on path.