The Center Between Extremes (Verse 126)¶
1. Exercise Title & Verse¶
The Center Between Extremes (Dhāraṇā 103, Verse 126)
2. Sanskrit (IAST)¶
na dveṣaṃ bhāvayet kvāpi na rāgaṃ bhāvayet kvacit | rāgadveṣavinirmuktau madhye brahma prasarpati || 126 ||
3. English (Literal)¶
One should not cultivate aversion anywhere, nor should one cultivate attachment anywhere. In one who is freed from both aversion and attachment, the Absolute (Brahman) expands in the center.
4. Main Commentary (Bhāṣya)¶
Padārtha Rāga is attachment, craving, or the pull toward what is pleasant. Dveṣa is aversion, hatred, or the push away from what is unpleasant. Vinirmuktau means being entirely freed or liberated from them. Madhye means in the center, the neutral middle ground. Brahma is the Supreme Reality, and prasarpati means it expands, unfolds, or flows forth.
Anvaya The verse instructs the practitioner not to entertain aversion toward anything, nor to cultivate attachment toward anything. When the dualistic forces of pushing away and pulling toward are released, the supreme reality of Brahman expands spontaneously in the center.
Tatparya This dhāraṇā continues the theme of samatā (evenness or equality) established in the previous verse. While Verse 125 approached equality by actively contemplating the positive presence of Brahman everywhere, Verse 126 arrives at the same state via negation—by refusing to participate in the mind's continuous sorting mechanism of preference and rejection. The center (madhye) is not a physical location, but the energetic and cognitive stillness that remains when the pendulum of rāga and dveṣa stops swinging.
Sādhana Throughout the day, notice the immediate, instinctual movement of the mind either leaning toward something in desire (rāga) or pulling back from something in distaste (dveṣa). Do not suppress the external object, but intercept the internal movement. Refuse to throw your weight behind the preference. When you withdraw your participation from both the pull and the push, you will suddenly find yourself resting in the neutral space between them. Abide in that open, unagitated center; it is the space where the absolute reality unfolds.
5. Jaideva Singh — The Logical¶
The main point in this dhāraṇā is the acquisition of samatā (equality). While the previous verse required the positive contemplation of Brahman everywhere, this verse achieves the same equality by rejecting the attitude of both aversion and attachment. When the aspirant is freed from these polarities, brahmabhāva—the nature of divine consciousness, which is the essential Self—develops and expands in the heart.
6. Swami Lakshmanjoo — The Lineage¶
You must not be attached to some particular subject or object, and you must not be detached from it. If they conquer, they laugh, and if they are conquered, they laugh. Without detachment and attachment, if you remain exactly in the center, this supreme Brahman will shine. You will gain entry into that blissful state of God.
7. Mark Dyczkowski & Christopher Wallis — Context & Philology¶
Note: Neither author has published extended commentary exclusively on this verse. The following relies on their translation variants from the official VBT concordance.
Both scholars translate the first line as a clear directive not to cultivate hatred or craving in any circumstance. Wallis renders madhye simply as "in the Center," while Dyczkowski explicitly clarifies that this center is "(in between these extremes)." The concordance also categorizes this practice under the Upāya classification of Śāktopāya (B3/Y101).
8. Daniel Odier — The Somatic Grounding¶
Slip into the divine inside your own heart. When you are free from both hatred and attachment—knowing neither aversion nor bond—the center reveals itself.
9. Paul Reps — The "Sudden Hit"¶
When a mood against someone or for someone arises, do not place it on the person in question, but remain centered.
10. Upāya Type¶
Śāktopāya. Both Singh and Lakshmanjoo explicitly classify this practice as such, because it works through refining the cognitive attitude and using mental conviction to stabilize the center.
11. Resonance Check (Adhikāra)¶
This practice requires psychological vigilance and a capacity for non-reactivity. It is suited for the practitioner who is acutely aware of their own emotional swings and is willing to stop feeding their personal preferences and grievances.
12. The "What Else?" — The Pitfall¶
The trap here is confusing the center with dull, apathetic dissociation. True madhye is not a deadened, emotionless void where you stop caring about life; it is a state of vivid, unagitated presence where consciousness expands precisely because it is no longer contracting around likes and dislikes.
13. Verse-Specific Glossary¶
- Samatā: Equality, evenness, or sameness. In this context, it refers to the unshakeable equilibrium of awareness that remains undisturbed by changing circumstances or dualistic judgments.
- Brahmabhāva: The state or nature of Brahman; the experiential realization of divine consciousness as one's own essential reality.