The Lamp in a Windless Place
Like a lamp in a windless place that does not flicker, such is the disciplined mind of the yogi in meditation.
This beautiful simile describes the state of deep meditation. Just as a flame burns steadily when protected from wind, the mind becomes steady when withdrawn from the turbulence of sensory input and mental agitation. This steadiness is not rigidity but a dynamic stillness—alert, aware, and utterly peaceful. The same chapter prescribes the outer conditions for it: a clean, firm seat and the body, neck, and head held erect and still.
As a lamp placed in a windless place does not flicker, such is the simile remembered for the yogi of subdued thought, practicing yoga of the Self.
Yogananda used this verse to teach that perfect concentration is the doorway to superconscious states beyond ordinary awareness.
Bhagavad Gita
Written about in
- What the Bhagavad Gita says about habit and discipline
The goal state is a flame that does not flicker, and the same chapter specifies the unglamorous conditions that produce it, a clean firm seat and the body, neck and head held erect and still. The Gita attaches its most famous picture of stillness to a note about furniture and posture.