Ramanuja's Gita Bhashya. Excerpts
 |
| யதுகிரி தாயார் ஸமேத செலுவ நாரயண -செலுவ நாராயணபெருமாள் கோவில் மேல்கோட்டை |
 |
| ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜர் --மதுராந்தகம் கோவில் |
 |
| ஸ்ரீ ராமானுஜர் |
He wrote a commentary on Bhagwad Gita in sanskrit .known as Gita bhashya.
The following are some of the excerpts in brief from his commentary on Gita.
Chapter 1. Arjuna's sorrow.
Sri Ramanujar begins his commentary on Gita with a prayer to his preceding acharaya Yamanucharya followed by prayer to Sriman Narayana.
Prayer to his acharya--I offer my salutations to Yamunacharya .By meditating on his holy feet i have all my blemishes destroyed and attained the status of authentic existence.
Prayer to Sriman Narayana---Hari Om ! Narayana is the consort of Sri.He is wholly auspicious and is antagonistic to all that is evil.His essential nature consists purely of infinitude, knowledge,and bliss.
He has a divine form which is both agreeable and worthy of Him.He is full of radiance , beauty, fragrance, tenderness,pervading sweetness and youthfulness.
He is adorned with divine ornaments which are worthy of Him.He is equipped with divine weapons which are appropriate to Him .He is constantly praised by countless Suri's who are joyfully subservient to Him.
His nature and qualities transcend all thoughts and words .He dwells in imperishable supreme heaven which is wonderful.His sportive delight brings about origination,sustenation and dissolution of entire cosmos.
He is Supreme Brahman.He is Narayana.
He created entire world beginning from Brahma down to immobile things.He shaped his own figure into likeness of various creatures without giving up His supreme nature and got incarnated in the world of creatures and received their worship and granted Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha as per their desire.
Under the pretext of relieving the earth of its burdens but in truth, He wanted to make Himself available to us ,He incarnated Himself as Sri Krishna.
He thus became visible object for the sight of all and performed divine actions.He vanquished demonic persons -like Kamsa and others .He spread soothing happiness over the entire world with ambrosia of his glances and with His speech conveying His compassion , love and friendliness.
With the oestensible intention of imparting to the sons of Pandu the fighting spirit He brought about the descent of Yoga of Bhakthi,directed to Himself , promoted with the aid of Gyana yoga and Karma yoga --which has been promulgated in Vedanta as path to release.
When war broke out between Pandavas and Kauravas , He The Lord , The Supreme person, Lord of all Gods who had taken upon himself a mortal form for helping the world owing to His over whelming love for those devotees who have taken refuge in Him , that Supreme person made Arjuna the master of his chariot and Himself the charioteer, so that He could be seen by all the people.
Sloka 47---Sanjaya uvacha--
Evam uktvarjunah samkhye rathopastha upavista/
visrujya sasharam chapam shoka -sam -vigna -manasaha //
Sanjaya said ---Having spoken thus on the battle field Arjuna threw aside his bow and arrow and sat down on the seat of the chariot, his heart overwhelmed with grief.
Ramanuja's commentry-- Sanjaya continued.--The high minded Arjuna , extremely kind,deeply friendly and supremely righteous having brothers like himself, though repeatedly deceived by the trecherous attempts of your people like burning lac house etc and therefore fit to be killed by him with the help of the supreme person, neverthless said 'I will not fight."
He felt weak overcome by his love and extreme compassion for his relatives.He was also filled with the fear [that slaying the members of his clan will result in the stoppage of shradha ceremony to his anscestors and thus incur sin] not knowing as to what was right and what wasn't right.His mind was tortured with grief at the thought of separation from his relatives .So he flung his bow and arrow and sat on his chariot as if to fast to death.
.
Chapter 2. Yoga of knowledge.
Sri Bhagavanu vacha
sloka 11 --Asocyan ansashocas tvam prajna -vadams cha bhashase/
gatasun agat aasums cha na anushocanti panditah//
meaning---You grieve for those who shouldnot be grieved for,Yet you speak like a wise man .The truly wise never grieve either for dead or for the living.
Commentary by Ramanuja-- Lord says Arjuna you do not know the difference between body and atma nor do you know the fact that performing ones duty can lead you to knowledge of atma and .liberation .Those who know the truth donot grieve for those bodies from which life has departed and for those whom the life principle has not departed .They donot grieve for bodies or atmas.I will teach you the difference and the ways to attain liberation .
sloka 12-- Na tve aham jhatu naasam na tvam n eme jan aadhipaah /
na chaiva bhavishyaamah sarve vayam atah param//
Bhagvan said.
meaning-- There never was a time when i did not exist , nor you nor any of these rulers of men .Nor will there be any time in future when all of us shall cease to be.
Commentary by Ramanuja- Nature of self /atma.
Indeed i the lord of all who is eternal was never non existent but existed always.It is not that these selves like you who are subject to my lordship did not exist .You have always existed .It is not' that all of us ', I, and you shall cease to be' in the future '.that is beyond the present time.We shall always exist.
As there is no doubt that I the Supreme self Lord of all am eternal ,likewise you [Arjuna and all others] who are embodied selves also should be considered as eternal.
The above implies the difference between Lord who is sovereign of all and individual selves as also differences among individual selves themselves are real .This has been declared by the Lord himself by using different terms like I [aham] You [tva] these[ime] all [sarva]we [vayam] in the above sloka whilst explaining the truth of eternality in order to remove the misunderstanding of Arjuna who is deluded by ignorance .
Sloka 16.Nasato vidyate bhavo nabhavo vidyate staah/
ubhayor api drushton tastvan anayos tattva darshibih//
Meaning--The unreal can never come into existence and the real can never cease to be .The wise philosophers have known these two categories .
Commentary by Ramanuja--
The seers of truth have realised the following experiences regarding body and Atma.--The unreal which is the body came never come into being and the real that is the atma can never cease to be.
Perishableness is the real nature of body which insentient.Imperishable ness is the real nature of atma or self which is sentient.Arjuna was not realising this distinction.He thought that body was also self.
sloka 17---Avinashi tutad viddhi yena sarvam idham tatham /
vinasam avyayasy asya na kakshichit karttum arhathi.//
Meaning--Know that Reality , by which everything is pervaded , to be indestructible .No one can cause the destruction of this immutable Being.
The reason as to why Atma is imperishable.
Commentary by Ramanuja---The Atma pervades viz enters everything.Hence it is all pervasive.Since every entity other than the self is capable of being entered into by the self , all other entities are grosser than atma.Hence destructive agents like weapon. water fire etc cannot destroy atma as they cannot enter it.Atma is minutest of minute.Hence it can never be pervaded.
Because of this pervasiveness and extreme subtlety the self or atma cannot be destroyed .Hence it is imperishable.
Sloka 18 ---Antavanta ime deha nityasyo katah sariranah/
anashino prameyasya tasmad yudhyasva Bharate.//
Meaning--The bodies of jiva [ body =the embodied self==The body which a atma takes] are said to have an end while the Jiva /atma is eternal, indestructible and incomprehensible.Therefore fight O Bharata [Arjuna].
Commentary by Ramanuja--The Lord now says that bodies are perishable.
Deha or dih means to grow .Hence dehas or bodies are complex and have an end.The bodies which are a combination of elements serve the purpose of experiencing the effects of karmas .Bodies perish when karmas are exhausted.
Atma is imperishable as it cannot be measured .It is the knower of the body and unlike body it cannot be dismembered .It is not made of many elements.
Atma is eternal for following reasons--
1.It is not complex being of a single form
2. It is the knowing subject.
3.It pervades all
Body on the other hand is perishable due to following reasons--
1.It is complex.
2.it is a instrument of atma embodied in it[ body] to experience the fruits of karmas .Auspicious embodiment [bodies] are got through good actions .This is stated in Brihadaranaya Upanishads also.
3.It has plurality of parts .[hands .legs so on ]
4.It can be pervaded .[since weapons , fire etc can enter it ]
Therefore as the body by nature is perishable and self by nature is eternal , both are not objects of grief .
sloka 19--
Ya enam vetti hantaram yash chainam manyate hatam/
ubhau tau na vijanitho nayam hanti na hanyate//
meaning --He who thinks him [the Self] to be the killer and who experiences him [the Self] as the killed --both of them know not.He [the Self] neither kills nor is killed .
Commentary -- As Atma is eternal no possible cause of destruction can slay it and for same reason it cannot slayed .
The word 'han' which means to slay , signifies causing of separation of the body from the Atma and not the destruction of the Atma.
Shastras have injunctions like--'You should not cause injury to beings '.They do not sanction separation of body from atma .These injunctions refer to ethics whilst Gita refers to killing or separating atma from body in a metaphysical sense .
Sloka 20--
Na jayate mriyate va kadachinnayam bhutva bhavita va na bhuyah/
ajo nityah sasvato yam purano na hanyate hanyamane sarire//
Meaning--He [this self] has neither birth nor death ,nor does he cease to be , having been in existence before, unborn, eternal, permanent and primeval .He is never killed when body is slain.
Commentary --- As Atma is eternal and therefore free from modifications , all attributes of a body like birth and death never touch the Atma.,
'Having come into being once it never ceases to be ' means that the atma having emerged at the beginning of Kalpa [ one aeon of manifestation]will not cease to be at the end of Kalpa.That is it will emerge again at the beginning of next Kalpa , unless it is liberated.
The birth at the beginning of a Kalpa in bodies such as Brahma and others and their death at the end of a Kalpa as stated in shastras do not touch the atma.
Hence Atma in all bodies are unborn and there fore eternal.It is permanent and is not connected to modifications. It is primeval because it existed from time immemorial.It is ever new as Atma is capable of being experienced always as fresh .Therefore when a body is slain atma is not slain.
Sloka--27
Jathasya hi druvo mrityu dhruvum janma mrithasya cha/
tasmad apariharye ruthe na tvam socitum arhasi//
Meaning--Death is certain for the born and re-birth is certain for the dead .Therefore you should not feel grief for what is inevitable.
Commentary--
The inevitable destruction of what has originated is certain.[regarding perishable bodies] and origination of what has perished is inevitable.
To the question as to how this should be understood --that there is origination for that entity that has perished its answer is this--It is seen that an existing entity can only originate
With regard to a entity which has entered into a state known as origination , its entry into opposite condition is called annihilation.
Of an evolving entity a sequence of evolutionary stages is inevitable.For example ,clay becomes a lump then into a jug and then pot shred and finally powder .What is called death is attainment of succeeding stage by a entity which existed previously in a preceding stage. This death itself is called birth at that stage.that is --clay dies and gives birth to a lump and lump dies to give birth to a pot [when a pot is made]and that pot dies to give birth to pot shreds and this pot shred dies to give birth to powder [going back to its original state].
Thus the sequence called birth and death being inevitable for a evolving entity , it is not worthy of grief.
Sloka 30
Dehi nityam avadhyo yam dehe sarvasya Bharata/
tasmat sarvani bhutani na tvam socitum arhasi//
Meaning---The Self in the body ,O Arjuna is eternal and indestructible.This is the case of self is all bodies .Therefore it is not fit for you to feel grief for any being.
Commentary --
Even bodies of Gods and Brahma dies .The difference is in the time period .Human beings have short body life and die earlier .Gods and Brahma have a long body life and die much much later .But the Atma within all ,from short lived human beings to long lived Gods never dies.
Thus starting from sloka 12 to sloka 30 Sri Krishna explains Sankaya yoga which .The difference between body and Atma.Sankaya means intellect and truth about Atman which is determinable by intellect.
From 39 th sloka onwards as per Ramanuja ,Sri Krishna begins to expound the Yoga of work which when preceded by knowledge of Atma constitutes the means for liberation.
For easier understanding i have placed the slokas and commentary in ascending order unlike the descending order that characterizes the teachings in Gita .
sloka 47----
Karmany ev adhikaras ma phalesu kadachana /
ma karma phala hetur -bhoorma te sango stva akarmani//
Meaning---To work alone you have the right and not to claim their fruits .Let not the longing for fruits [results] be the motive force of your action .At the same time let not this make you inactive.
commentary--
As for the obligatory, occasional and desiderative acts taught in the Vedas and associated with some result or the other , you an aspirant established in Sattva , have right only to perform them.You have no rights to the fruits to be derived from such acts.
Acts done with desire for fruits result in bondage viz samsara.But acts done without an eye on fruits form My worship and becomes means of release .
sloka 41--
Heading by Ramanuja
Now Sri Krishna distinguishes the Buddhi or mental disposition concerned with those acts which constitute a means for attaining release from those which are concerned with the acts meant for gaining the desired objects.
Vyavasaay athmika bhudhir ekeha kuru-nandana/
bahushaka hyananthashcha bhudhayo vyavasa ayinaam//
Meaning---In this[ Karma yoga ] 'o'Arjuna ,the resolute mind is one pointed , the minds of irresolute are many branched.
Commentary --Buddhi or disposition of mind should have 'Vyavasaya' or unshakable conviction and determination that whilst performing rituals sanctioned by Shastras, they are being executed by a person with the only aim for liberation of Atma and not for the fruits promised by Vedas for performing such rituals.
But the Buddhi or mind of those engaged in rituals for winning such fruits like a seat in heaven , sons , cattle food etc has many branches and are endless.They hanker for small fruits and obtain it through rituals and then again hanker for more fruits and they are happy to be reborn so that they may obtain some more fruits by performing rituals that promise fruits .
In performing obligatory and occasional rituals ,all fruits ,primary and secondary promised in Shastra should be abandoned with the idea that liberation of Atma is the only purpose of all rituals ordained by shastra.s
Rituals must be performed without any thought of selfish gain.
In addition acts motivated by desires -known as Kamya karma also should be performed according to one's own capacity , abandoning all desires for fruit with the conviction that such state of mind will lead to liberation of Atma .
The rituals that promise fruits when performed should be looked upon as equal to obligatory and occasional rites suited to one's own station in life .
sloka 40
N' eh abhikarma -naasho 'sti pratyavaayona vidyate/
svalpam apy asya dharmasya traayate mahato bhayaat//
Meaning--- Here there is no loss of effort, nor any accrual of evil.Even a little of this Dharma [called Karma yoga] protects a man from the great fear.
Commentary--
In practise of Karma yoga viz --unselfish action without desire for any reward , even if work begun and left unfinished and continuity is broken in the middle ,it is not fruitless .That is even a half done 'Nishkama Karma'[actions without desire for fruits ] will help one to overcome the great fear of man of repeated cycle death and birth viz trans migratory existence..It will take one step nearer in freeing the atma from it being compelled to take a body. Atma =bliss and no sorrow.Body =joy and sorrow. In later chapters as in 6 th chapter's 40 th sloka it is stated that such persons will be born into families that are fully oriented towards practising the means of liberation or having the knowledge of it.
But in works, Vedic and secular ,when there is interruption in the middle , not only do they not yield fruits but also there is accrual of evil.
Sloka 45 Heading by Ramanuja--It may be questioned why the Vedas . which have more love for jivas than 1000's of parents and which are endeavouring to save jivas
Answer
Sloka 45--Triyaguna vishaya veda nistraigunyo bhav' Arjuna /
nirdvandvo nitya -sattvashto niryogakshema atmavaan//
Meaning--The Vedas have the three Gunas for their sphere 'O'Arjuna .You must be free from the three Gunas and be free from pairs of opposites .Abide in pure Sattva, never care to acquire things or protect those that have been acquired , but be established in Self.
Commentary --The word triaguna means the three Gunas--Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.In here it refers to persons in whom all three are in abundance.
The Vedas in prescribing desire oriented rituals known as Kamya karmas have such persons in view.Because o f their great love, Vedas teach that which is good to those in whom Tamas , Rajas and Sattva preponderate
If the Vedas had not explained to these persons the means to attainment of heaven etc, according to the Gunas , then those persons who are not interested in liberation owing to absence of Sattva and preponderance of Rajas and Tamas in them would get completely lost amidst what should not be resorted to without knowing the means for attaining the results they desire .
Do not allow the three Gunas to preponderate .Try to allow only Sattva to dominate.Abide in pure Sattva . This Sattva is acquired in following manner
1.Never acquire things which are not required for self realisation.
2.Abandon the conservation of things which do not lead to self realisation .
The effect of above mentioned results in self control and thus one can aspire to realise the atma .
The above two methods will lead to annihilation of Rajas and Tamas and pure Sattva will develop.
sloka 46.
Yavan artha udapane sarvatah samplut odake/
taavaan sarveshu vedeshu brahmanasya vijaanatah//
meaning--
What use a thirsty person has for water reservoir when all the sides of it are flooded--that much alone is the use of all Vedas for a Brahmana who knows.
commentary --All that is taught in Vedas is not fit to utilised by all.For a thirsty person only that much of water is required to quench his thirst and not all the whole water stored in a dam which is flooded with water for the use of various purposes like irrigation and so on .Like wise a brahmin who is established in study of Vedas and knows the entire Veda and is thirsting to achieve liberation should accept only that part that guarantees his release and not anything else.
Sloka 48.
Yogasath kuru karmani sangam tyaktva Dhananjaya/
siddhy -assidhy samo bhutva samatvam yoga yucchate//
meaning--Abandoning attachment and established in Yoga perform works viewing success and failure with a even mind.Eveness in mind is Yoga.
commentary --Discharge obligatory duties in detatchment .Arjuna being a kshatriya it was his obligatory duty to fight.As per shastra he would gain land if he is victorious or attain heaven if he dies in the battle,Sri Krishna advises him not to have these fruits in mind but just act [fight] and get nearer to the highest fruit viz self realisation or freeing the Atma.
Sloka 53--Commentary.
Sri Krishna teaches the goal called self realisation which results from performance of duty -viz goal of Karma yoga.
Karma yoga which pre supposes the knowledge of real nature of self obtained through scriptures leads to firm devotion to knowledge known as firm wisdom .This state is a form of devotion to knowledge and this generates the vision of self.
sloka 56-- He whose mind is not perturbed in pain, has as no longing for pleasures ,who is free from desire ,fear and anger --he is called a sage of firm wisdom
Commentary --
Even when there are reasons for grief like separation from beloved ones , his mind is not perturbed .He doesnot nurse the grievance.
He has no longing for pleasures . Even though the things which he likes are near him he has no longing for them
He is free from desire that is desire is longing for objects not yet obtained.He is free from this longing.
He is free from fear --Fear is a affliction produced from knowledge of factors which cause separation from the beloved or from meeting with that which is not desirable.
He is free from anger--anger is disturbed state of mind which produces affliction and which is aimed at another sentient being who is the cause of separation from beloved or confrontation with what is not desirable.
sloka 60 --Commentary --The subduing senses depends on vision of Atma and vision of atma depends on subduing of senses .Because of this mutual dependance, firm devotion to knowledge as means to final liberation is difficult to achieve.
Sloka 61 -Commentry --To overcome this mutual dependance one has to conquer senses which is difficult on account of their attachment to sense objects.
Hence Sri Krishna says , focus your mind on me , as auspicious object of meditation[instead on sense objects] then such a mind will be purified and will be able to control the senses Then the mind with senses under control will be able to experience Atma
That is without aid of devotion to God the effort to control the senses by one's will power alone will end in failure.
Gist --Body is not self .Self is so minute that nothing can pervade it. It is indestructible .It is not destroyed even in pralaya .It will take a new form at the beginning of next yuga as per its Karma
Real grief is having to be born again and again and not the death of a body.Liberation viz when atma no longer takes a body is true bliss.Means to attain this is by control of senses along with devotion to God .devotion to Krishna /Narayana will automatically lead to control of senses .
Main senses are sound and touch .If these two are not allowed to influence ,one gets peace .
Vedas have heaven as its object for certain rituals though heaven is a transitory goal to achieve by human beings .Vedas have this object in order to attract the wanderers, ignorant and the confused and help them in the path to liberation owing to their [Vedas] great love for human beings .
Sankya means Knowledge of self .Yoga means practical work.
All work should be done without desire for fruits .Work should be done with the attitude that is being done because it has to be done . If one does work with objective of getting its fruits, it will land one in Samsara or cycle of birth, death and re birth.
If work and rituals are performed as means of liberation by renouncing its fruits then it is the surest path to liberation of the atma to its original pristine blissful state.
Attachment to fruits will lead to samsara or sorrow whilst detachment to fruits will lead to liberation or.eternal bliss equal to Brahman or TheSupremebeing.
Ritual;s whether obligatory, or occasional or desiridative taught in Karma kanda of Vedas have to be performed by all without aspiring for its fruits .Rituals should not be and cannot be abandoned by those seeking liberation of atma till their very end.
Chapter 3--Yoga of action .
Sloka 1and 2 .--Arjuna says Krishna has confused him .On one hand he says steering clear of senses objects is step to realisation and on other he is asking him to fight the war, which would lead to engagement of all senses and there fore how can he get vision of self ?
Sloka 3 Bhagwan answers.Commentary ---I have taught the two type of yogas in days gone by as per qualifications of the aspirants .There is no contradiction in this . Those who are possessed of Budhi which is agitated by objects of senses are the persons qualified for Karma yoga .Where as whose mental disposition or Budhi is not thus agitated are qualified for Gyana yoga.
He further says even a practitioner of gyana yoga is also not free from work .Nature will not allow it since body has to be nourished .
Karma yoga is better than gyana yoga in following manner .
1.Very few qualify for gyana yoga where as karma yoga can be practised by all .
2.In gyana if Rajas overpowers then that gyani will see a down fall , overcome by desires.where as karma yoga is accident free as in this yoga only the desire for results have to be forgone.
3.Gyana yoga is against nature as no person can be without performing some work .Karma is according to Nature.
4.Knowledge of self is incorporated in karma yoga itself,so performing detached actions leads to vision of self.
Arjuna qualifies for karma yoga hence he is advised to fight.
Sloka 9nad 10 --To the question isn't earning money implies 'I 'ness and 'My' ness and cause bondage to work/
Krishna replies World is imprisoned by bond of work only when work is done for personal ends but not when work is done and money is earned for purposes of sacrifices as prescribed by shastras. You must acquire money for purpose of sacrifice without personal ambitions
Sri Krishna stresses the need to sustain the body from remnants of sacrifice that is eating food etc after first offering it to Gods . To the question why should one do so.He answers that in beginning prajapati created men together with Yagnas[self less work dedicated to god or Vedic sacrifices]as their duty and by this you shall multiply.
Thus men are born with three debts or duty they are --1.Debts or duty to gods 2. Duty to pitrus--ancestors.3.Duty to rishis .
These are fulfilled by worshipping gods , begetting children and following sages advise.respectively.Performance of these duties daily is known as Maha yagna which is obligatory on all as it shows ones gratitude to them .
Sloka 23--Sri Krishna tells about his avatar.Sri Krishna says i the lord of all whose sport consists in creation, sustenation and dissolution of universe at My will and eevn though i have been born as a
man at My pleasure to help the world ,incarnating in the virtuous family of Vasudeava , if i did not work people around me would follow me thinking the way adopted by son of virtuous Vasudeva is real and failing to perform duty they would have gone to naraka.
sloka 27--Prakrateh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarveshah/
ahamkara vimudh atma karta ham iti manayate//
It is Gunas of prakrithi like Satva , Rajas and Tamas that perform all activities , but a man under ego thinks he is doing an act.
sloka 30 --Mayi sarvani karmani samsay adhyatma chetasa/
nirasir nirmano bhutva yudhyasva vigata jvarah//
Surrender all acts to me the Lord of all who is the inner pervading self of all beings .Focus the mind on the atma whose essential nature has been described by 100's of Vedic texts which is as follows--that the individual Atma is the body of the supreme atma and is actuated by Him.
example Brihadarinya Upanishads says--He who dwelling in atma is within the atma whom the atma doesnot know , whose body is the atma who controls the atma from within.
Supreme Brahman is within all.He is the internal ruler. So perform acts duties as per ones station in life thinking that it is done by Brahman .When it is thus dedicated it will free one from desire of fruits of that act and also from selfishness.Such acts should be done without anger.
sloka 31 --Gita is instructions found in Upanishads hence Gita is a shastra like Upanishads
Sloka 34.---An unavoidable attraction has been fixed for organs of senses like ear to sound, tongue to taste .This longing is because of subtle impressions of old [previous countless births] known as Vasanas.When this desire to experience is thwarted then an unavoidable aversion is experienced .Gyani yogis have to overcome these two.
sloka 35 --sloka--Sreyan svadharmo vigunah para darmat svanusth itat/
Svadharme nidhanam shreayah paradarmo bhayavaha//
Meaning--Better in one's duty though ill done than the duty of another well performed.Better in death in one's duty , the duty of another is fraught with fear.
This sloka as per Ramanuja refers to merit of Karma yoga over Gyana yoga and not on caste based duties.
commentry --Karma yoga is better than gyana since it forms 1. Ones duty 2.Natural to perform 3.Though defective is free from liability of interruption and fall .
Where as gyana is duty of another and difficult to practise as it is conjoined with prakrithi therefore liable to interruption--[losing control of senses and slowly drowning in its magnetic pull and thus losing self realisation]
Where as those who practise Karma yoga even death without success [realisation of self] doesnot matter for in next birth with experience gained in previous birth it will be possible for him to perform karma yoga [ one's duty as per ones station in life]without any impediment
Sloka 37 --Rajo guna is the natural enemy of gyana yogins .This is characterized by ravenous desire originating from subtle impressions -vasanas .
Gist
Seeing one's atma in which dwells the paramatma is the ultimate goal of all as this leads to liberation from countless cycles of birth and deaths .
Controlling sense is a very good way to realise this goal but in practise it is very difficult to do so .Very few can achieve it .
Karma yoga is the best method to achieve this goal since practise of karma yoga which implies doing one's duty as per ones station in life without bothering for its fruits will slowly and automatically control 'desire'which is the biggest foe in path of liberation or moksham .Activity is the main component of Karma yoga .What are these activities is given in next chapter.
Chapter 4 .
Renunciation of action in knowledge.
In this chapter the truth about incarnations of Lord is set forth
6. The mode of incarnation , reality of His body and the cause of his birth is explained in the following verse.
Sloka -Ajopisann avyyay atma bhutanam isvaro pi san/
prakritim svam adhisthaya sambhavamy atma mayaya//
meaning--Though birth less and deathless and the Lord of all beings yet I take birth by my inherent mysterious powers employing pure or sattva aspect of My material nature[prakriti].
commentary --Without forsaking my special qualities as Supreme ruler, birth less eternal etc, on my own choice i take a form .
He is born of His own will unlike ordinary beings whose birth is necessitated by Karma.
Ramanuja quoting from Upanishads says incarnations are absolute reality and thereby refutes Advaitan's view that incarnations are merely apparent.
Explanatory Tittle -- Sri Krishna now specifies the times of His incarnations.
Sloka 7 --Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharata/
abhyutthanam adharmasya tad atmanam srujaamyaham//
meaning--Whenever there is decline of Dharma O Bharata , and uprising of Adharma , I incarnate myself .
Commentary --There is no restriction to the time of My birth.Whenever the Dharma taught by the Vedas , which has to be observed according to the arrangement of four stations and four stages of life declines and adharma - its opposite increases then I Myself by My own Will and in manner stated , incarnate Myself
Tittle-- Sri Krishna gives purpose of His birth
Sloka 8---Paritranaya sadhunaam vinashaya cha dushkrutum /
Dharma samasthapan arthaya sambhavami yuge' yuge'//
meaning--For the protection of the good , for destruction of the wicked and for establishment of dharma , I am born from age to age.
Commentary --Sadhu or good people are those who follow the Dharma as taught by Vedas.Those who take refuge in me are the foremost Vaishnavas.They cannot bear the separation from Me even for a second and become torn.So i am born from age to age in form of gods , men etc for protecting them by affording them the oppurtunity to behold My form , see My acts and to converse with Me.
I am born also for the destruction of those who are opposed to such devotees and for the restoration of declining Vedic Dharma, since Vedic Dharma consists of my worship .
The main purpose of incarnation is the revealing of His adorable form , so that all may worship Him.The destruction of wicked is only secondary.There is no specific restrictions of yuga like Krita , Tertha etc for appearance of divine incarnations.
Tittle -- Results of believing in avatars.
Sl;oka 9.Janma karma cha me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah/
thyakthva deham punar -janm a naiti maam eti so Arjuna//
meaning-- O Arjuna ! He who thus understands about My embodiment and My deeds --he abandoning his present body , is not re born.he attains Me.
Commentary --A person who knows truly My life and actions which are only for protection of good and enabling them to take refuge in me , has all his karmas that stand in way of Moksham , destroyed, in this birth itself by following the methods mentioned earlier as well as loving Me and concentrating on Me alone.
Title -Sri Krishna speaks about the difficulty in finding persons who are qualified for karma yoga--
Sloka 12--Kanksanatah karmanam sidhim yajanta iha devatah/
Ksipram hi manushe loke siddhir bhavati karmajaa//
meaning-- In this world those who entertain desire or fruits of pious works worship the deities .For in this world of men such actions bear fruits quickly.
Commentary --Men perform sacrifices ,rituals etc to deities like Indra for cattle, son wealth etc and they get the desired fruits after performing such sacrificial rites .Though i am the indweller of all such deities , nobody wants to perform sacrifices by abandoning its fruits and thus get rid of Samsara and reach Me.Why do men behave thus? This is because of the countless sins accumulated from beginning of Time has not been exhausted .These bad karmas clouds one's discernment.
Title --Sri Krishna speaks of the Cause which annuls evils obstructing Karma yoga .
Sloka 14 Na mam karmani limpanti name karma phale spruha/
iti mam yo bhijanthi karma bhir na sa badhyate//
Meaning-- Actions do not affect Me.Nor have I any desire for the fruits of action.Who ever knows Me to be so is not bound by Karma.
Commentary ---The actions like creation , protection etc do not contaminate Me.They do not bind Me .Because the distinctions between gods, men, etc are not brought by Me, but by the particular karma's, good or evil of created beings
I created the Atma with bodies and senses and they themselves experience all the enjoyments available in creation . I am only a operative Cause .I have no desire for results of creation and at the results of their actions.
Whether a Atma becomes a god , person animal etc is dependant on its own karma --viz desires and actions .
Bhagwan is not responsible for this .
In this cycle of rebirth the individual Atma acts on its own independantly.
Tittle Sri Krishna now speaks about various kinds of Karma yoga --
[Slokas 25 --32]
1. Some Karma yogins resort to sacrifice -yagnas relating to gods .That is yagnas takes the form of worshipping gods [prayers]They have stead fast devotion only in this .
2.Others resort to offering sacrifice into fire of Brahman by using laddle to pour ghee, etc.
3.Others endeavour to restrain their senses by keeping themselves away from objects pleasing the senses .
4.Other yogins abstain from sense objects even when they [senses] are allowed to be near ,by discriminative process of belittling their value [value of sense objects and their enjoyable nature.
5.Others endeavour to prevent the mind from getting attached to functions
The following 3 sacrifices are done with material objects .
6.Some worship God with materials honestly acquired .
7. Some practise charity.
8.Some engage themselves in performing hommams with sacrifice of material objects .
9. Some practise austerity by devoting themselves to fasts like Chandrayana, kuchra etc
10.Some devote themselves to making pilgrimages to sacred sanctuaries and holy places.
11. Others perform Yoga .
12Some are devoted to the recitation of Vedas .
13.Some are devoted to learning the meaning of Vedas.
All above practise self control.They are persons of steady aim
14. Other karma yogins are devoted o practise of breath control ,In inhalation, exhalation and stoppage of breath.
The clause regarding diet applies to those devoted to breath control.
All above . as per their liking and capacity are engaged in performing various kinds of Karma yoga .
They know and are devoted to sacrifices that are obligatory, and occasional preceded by the performance of Great sacrifice or Maha yagna .
Mahayagna are the 3 debts a person is expected to repay as men are created along with such sacrifices .
They are Debts owed to Gods, To Pitrus and to Rishis.
sloka 31 --Yajna sistaamrata -bhujo yanti Brahma sanatanam/
nayam lokosty ayajnasya kuto nyah Kuru -sattama -
meaning---Those who partake of nectar , the sacramental remnants of sacrifice, attain to eternal Brahman .O thou the best f the Kurus! For one who sacrifices not , this world is lost , not to speak then of the hereafter!
Commentary --Sri Krishna says performance of Great sacrifice or Mahayagna by all types of karma yogis is must for a good life in this world And they act as stepping stones for good life in the other world --viz Moksham .Eating food after first offering it to gods, pitrus and rishis is a must for all types of Karma yogis aspiring for a release from samsara .
Title --Sri Krishna speaks of the characteristics of knowledge concerning nature of Self , in form of direct preception.
Sloka 35 yajjnatva na punar moham evam yasyasi Pandava / Yena bhutany asesna draksyasy atmany atho mayi//
meaning --They will impart to you that divine knowledge by knowing which you will not again fall into such delusion , for you will then see all beings in their entirety in the Self and also in Me.
Commentary --Having such knowledge one will not mistake body for Atma .Posessivness will vanish and a person will see himself in all diverse forms .All atmas are of equal quality and when it is free from hold of nature or prakriti, the equality of all beings in their essence will be seen They are also equal to Supreme Brahman in blissfullness except that the power of creation belongs only to Brahman.
Effect of Karma yoga .
Sloka 38 --Na hi jnaanena sadrsam pavitram iha vidtayte/
tat svayam yoga samsiddha kalen atmani vindati//
Commentry --Knowledge of Atma is a great purifier. It destroys all sins .One who perfects Karma yoga daily is assured of attaining this knowledge in due course of time.
Warning-
Sloka 40 .Ajnas c asraddadhanas cha samsay atma vinasyati /
nayam loko sti na paro na sukhum samsay atmanah//
An ingnorant man without any positive faith who knows only to doubt goes to ruin.To such persons there is neither this world nor the world beyond .There is no happiness for him
Commentary --Those devoid of knowledge of Atman, and have no faith in instructions and who doubt the teachings will perish and lose both worlds.
Chapter 5.
Commentary --In this chapter it is going to be told that Karma yoga takes much shorter time than Gyana yoga to attain the knowledge of Atman.Then 'meditation 'which forms a part of Karma yoga is discussed.
In first sloka Arjuna asks Bhagwan --You praise gyana yoga at one time and Karma yoga at other times.Tel me which is better of the two.
Bhagwan clarifies as follows-
Sloka -2. Sanyasa karmayogacha ni:shreyas karvubhau/
thyasthu karma sanyasa saath karm ayogi vishishayate//
Meaning-
Both gyana and karma yoga lead to excellence.But of the two karma yoga excels gyana yoga
commentary --Even whilst granting that some persons are competent to practise gyana yoga exclusively and both types of Yoga can be practised independantly of each other in pursuit of highest excellence , it is nevertheless karma yoga that excels over gyana yoga..
Sloka 3--He says a karma yogin who endures pairs of opposites automatically becomes a gyana yogi .
Commentary --Bhagwan explains that both karma and gyana yoga have only one goal viz vision of Atman .It is fallacious to say that karma yoga will result only in gyana and that practise of gyana yoga alone will result in vision of Atman.
Bhagwan says both methods done with firm conviction leads to the common goal --vision of Self.Karma yoga by itself will lead one to the vision of Atman .
sloka 6.--Renunciation , o mighty armed one is hard to attain without following Yoga .The contemplating sage who follows Yoga reaches the Brahman soon .
Commentary --A person practising Karma yoga meditating on the Atman reaches Brahman with ease in a short time where as one following gyana yoga only, completes it with great difficulty and he attains liberation after a long time .
sloka 14 --Na katravatvam na karmani lokasya srjati prabhuh/
na karma phala samyogam svabhavas tu pravartatte//
Meaning --In regard to all beings of the earth the sovereign Atman [the lord of the body] is not the cause of sense of agency, nor of actions nor of the fruition of actions .It is the inherent tendencies that does all this .
Sloka 15 --Nadhatte kasyachit paapm na chaiva
agyane avartam gyanam tena muhyanthi jantavah //
Meaning --The all pervading On e takes away neither the sin or merit of anyone .Knowledge of Atman is enveloped in ignorance and there fore beings are deluded.
Commentary --Atman is not responsible for Karma's .The Supreme Atman is also not responsible for karma's.Karma's are due to prakriti or nature viz --body, senses that have impressed upon the Atman the effects of their actions from beginngless time known as Vasanas
Supreme Brahman being all pervasive that is not limited to one particular place included in bodies of men , gods etc it is not the relative or enemy of any one.It does not take away the suffering of any one nor does it take away the happiness of any one.All this suffering or happiness a person is subject is due to Vasanas.
Knowledge of Atma is contracted by preceding karma's which are opposed to the knowledge .
Sloka 18--Enlightened men are those who see the same [Atman] in a Brahmana with learning and humility and even in a dog or in a eater of dogs meat [out caste]
Commentary --The sages are those who know the real nature of self in all beings .
Wise sages see all alike like a Brahmin to eater of dogs meat to cow and dog in same manner as they know that Atman within all are same and that differences is only due to prakriti --viz nature and not due to any dissimilarity in the Atman .
Sloka 19 --Even here in this embodied state the cycle of births and deaths has been overcome by those who have this vision of sameness in all Brahman is unsullied and pure therefore those seers are said to be established in Brahman.
Commentary ---Those who have this sameness, here itself ,samsara is overcome.
Sloka 23 --He who is able even here, before he is released from the body , to bear the impulse generated by desire and wrath , he is a Yogin .He is a happy man .
Commentary ---When a person gets the capacity for experiencing the Atman here itself he gets a release from his body viz cycle of birth and death .But he gets blessed by the experience and gets immersed in the bliss of the self only after the fall of his body.
There is no jeevan mukthi or complete liberation when the body is alive .That person can only attain the state of sthita -prajna --one of steady wisdom .
Sloka 27 -Shutting of outward contact , fixing gaze between the eyebrows , equalizing inward and outward breaths moving in the nostrils,
Commentary --The highest point of Karma yoga is practise of mental concentration with the aim of seeing the self .The method is stated above.
Sloka 29.Knowing Me as enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities , as the Supreme lord of all the worlds , as the Friend of all beings , he attains peace.
Commentary --All beings endeavour to please a friend.When a person knows Me [bhagwan]to be supreme Brahman who is friend of all and performs Karma yoga gladly as His worship in order to please this friend [supreme Brahman] he will be liberated soon.
Chapter 6. Commentary
Yoga of meditation.
Commentary ---In this chapter the requirements for the practise of Yoga or concentration consisting of vision self , attainable by both gyana and karma yoga is taught .Here karma yoga is again referred to confirm its independent status by emphasizing the involvement of gyana in it as it is crowned with vision of the Atman.
Sloka 1. Anasritah karm aphalam karyam karoti yah/
sa samnyasi cha yogi cha na niragnir na ch akriyah//
Meaning-- He who performs works that ought to be done without seeking fruits -he is sanyasin and Yogin and not he who maintains no sacred fires and performs no actions .
Commentary --He who without depending on such fruits of works as heaven etc performs them reflecting , 'To do work is my duty .'Work is sole aim as it forms worship of Brahman who is our friend and only goal is - in gaining Him '.Such a person is a sanyasi and not who does not maintain sacred fires and performs no work .
That is a person devoted only to knowledge and does not perform rituals is not a sanyasi in true sense.A person devoted to Karma yoga as well as gyana yoga will get vision of Atman .Performance of Karma yoga will suffice as it also has knowledge part knit into it.
Commentary--The proper condition for beginning Yoga is now taught.
Slokas 7--28.
1.A person whose mind is conquered and is serene , that is not disturbed by pleasure pain, heat and cold, honour and dishonour . [7]
2.The yogi viz Karma yogi who knows self , knows how it is different from Prakriti and knows about uniformity of Atmas and to whom there is no interest in material objects --viz to whom gold and mud is of equal value and has his aim to know the atma. [8]
3.sloka 9--Suhran mitrary udasina madhyastha dvesya bandhusu /
sadhusva api cha papesu sama budhir visisyate//
meaning--specially noteworthy in excellence is he who is even minded in his outlook on friend, foe, on comrade and stranger, on neutral, on the ally , on the good and even on the evil ones .
Commentary --Who sees the following in same plane --- Suhrat--Well wishers ---Are those who wish him well regardless of difference in age.
Mitra --Friends ---Well wishers of same age .
Ari --foes --Are those who wish ill to one because of some particular cause.
Udasina --Indifferent persons who are devoid of friendship and hostility because of absence of cause for both.
Hateful persons -- Are those who wish ill even from birth.
Madyastha--Are persons who by very nature are incapable of both friendship and hostility
Relations -- Are those who have good will since birth.
Sinful persons --Are those persons given to sin .
he sees all the above as equal as he sees the same atma in all.
Slokas 10--17.
Commentary --Such a person should sit on a wooden seat in a solitary spot ,keeping activities of thinking and senses in check , practising celibacy , he must concentrate on tip of his nose on Bhagwan to attain Moksham.
Other conditions to make a person fit for Yoga is that a person should eat, sleep and have recreations in moderation .
Slokas 24 and 25 --One who subdues mind and is free from yearning of objects of desire , becomes fit for yoga .
Commentary --There are two types of desire.They are as follows--
1.Those born of contact between senses and object like heat , cold etc
2.Those generated by the mind like the desire for sons, lands ,wealth etc.
The latter can be relinquished as by very nature they can be relinquished.
But the former desire can be relinquished only by thinking of Atma aided by intellect and will power.
Sloka 20 - 23-- A person practising this yoga delights in seeing his self .He is not moved even by the heaviest sorrows.
Commentary --When a person can overcome the heaviest sorrow which is caused by bereavement like that of a virtuous son , owing to his vision of self through intellect , he is a Yogi.
Commentary --Mature stage of yoga consisting of 4 degrees---slokas 29 -32.
1.When separated from body all atmas are alike because of they being forms of centres of intelligence.
So a mature yogi sees equality everywhere. --------- [29]
2. Since atmas are similar to atma of Supreme Brahman a mature Yogi sees Supreme Brahman in all other atmas. --------- [30]
3. A yogi who has this oness worshipping Him in all beings , when he comes out of Yoga he continues to view his similarity to Supreme Brahman , his own self and other selves , how so ever he lives.---[31]
4.The most mature stage ---
Sloka 32---Atma upam sarvartra samam pasyati yo arjuna /
sukham va yadi va dukham sa yogi paramo matah //
meaning ----He who by reason of the similarity of selves everywhere sees the pleasure or pain as the same everywhere--that Yogin, O Arjuna is deemed as the highest.
Commentary --He who knows the similarity between his self as well as other selves as being of uncontracted knowledge in their essential being--views the pleasure in form of birth of a son and the sorrows in the form of death of a son of his own and of others as equal , on the ground of their equal unrelatedness to such pleasures and pains to him .Viewing his own pleasures and pains of the above description as being not different from those of others of same kind --that Yogin is deemed the highest .He is judged as having reached the summit of Yoga .
[The idea is to prevent misconstruing the verse as meaning that one shares the joy and misery of all as his own .It means only that highest type of Yogins understand that the self is unrelated to the pain and pleasure of his own body -mind.He understands also that the same is the case with other selves . ]
Greatness of Yoga .
Arjuna asks ,What happens to a person practising yoga has his mind wandering around.Won't he persih? [37and 38]
Sri Bhagwan replies --- [ 40 -45]
No evil will ever accrue to one following Yoga in this world or in the next.
An Yogi who wanders away from Yoga at the beginning itself, for sake of enjoyment ,will go to heaven etc to enjoy all his desires , stay there for along time due to his yoga and then take re birth in a family that is competent to practise Yoga .
If one swerves in a advanced stage he will be born in a family of wise yogins who practise and teach Yoga .
In his rebirth in a different body , he will regain his mental disposition for yoga and start from where he had stopped like as if a power is driving him .That power is the yogic practises followed in his earlier births.
Even if a person did not practise yoga but had the desire to know and practise it will again get this desire in his next birth and will start practising yoga ,
Yoga =Karma yoga + the embedded gyana yoga + meditation .
Thus practise of yoga that has been interrupted is not a matter for worry since the atma will strive for perfection in successive births in various bodies and will attain Moksham at the end of several births.
Most superior yogi ---[47]
One who worships , serves and meditates on Sri Krishna and who cannot bear the separation from Him --The lord of the Universe ,even for a second , is the foremost yogi.
Chapter 7. Commentary
Now is introduced the means of attainment of Narayana , the consort of Sri, the Supreme goal of attainment, the Supreme Brahman, free from blemishes , the only cause of Universe who constitutes everything , whose resolves are true, who has vast manifestations namely Lila Vibhuthi --or Play manifestations and Nithya Vi bhuthi or Eternal manifestation .
Worship --Upasana-- is the means for attaining that Narayana . The vision of the nature of individual self of the aspirant constitutes an element of that worship .This is accomplished by practise of Karma Yoga preceded by knowledge of self .This has been taught in first group of 6 chapters.
Now in middle group of 6 chapters the nature of Supreme person or Brahman , as also His worship designated by the term Bhakthi are taught .
It is established in Vedanta texts that only worship or meditation known as 'Upasana' which has taken form of loving devotion constitutes the means for attainment of the Supreme .
Knowledge in form of succession of memories having same character as direct preception is expressed in terms --like Dyana and Upasana viz -meditation and worship.
It is settled that what is expressed by term worship is really a succession of memories.
The Self cannot be obtained by instruction nor by worldly intelligence nor by much hearing .He whom the Supreme self chooses , by Him alone He can be attained .And to him the Supreme atma reveals His own person.
Constant meditation accompanied by love is termed Bhakthi ---laingotra Purana .
That Supreme atma itself chooses to whom it should reveal itself is made clear in chapter 11 --53 and 54 of Gita
Here in this Seventh chapter 5 principal topics are described .
1.Nature of Supreme person who is the object of worship.
2.His concealment by prakriti.
3.Surrender to Lord for its removal .
4.Several kind of devotees.
5.The superiority of man of knowledge .
Sloka 2 refers to Vijnana or distinguishing knowledge .Vijnana is that knowledge of God in which His nature is distinguished from all things .
The Lord says --I am distinguished from all beings animate and inanimate as the only Being opposed to all that is evil and am endowed with infinitely great manifestations of countless multiples of attributes of all kinds which are auspicious , unsurpassed and without limit.
Nature of Supreme person --slokas 4-12 .
Sri Krishna says that what he is about to teach is very hard to attain .Only a few from those qualified to observe the commands of shastras and have attained perfection might know Him in reality.
Bhagwan says I have two types of Prakriti known as lower and higher prakriti
Lower prakriti is material cause of Universe which consists of endless varieties of objects and means of enjoyments.
This is divided into 8 --Earth, water, fire. air and ether.having smell , taste etc as their attributes and manas along with kindred sense organs and categories of Mahat and ego sense --all belonging to Me, I caused them.
Higher pakriti is different from this inanimate lower prakriti constituting the objects of enjoyment to animate beings..It is higher that is , it is of more of importance when compared to lower PRakriti which constitutes only inanimate substances.
This Higher nature of Mine is the' individual Self'' .Through this higher Prakriti the entire inanimate universe is sustained .
The four types of men of good deeds who worship Bhagwan.Sloka 16--18.
Men of good deeds means those having meritorious karma's and who worship Me alone .
1. Distressed one's --They are devotees who have lost position in life and his wealth and wishes to regain them.
2. Seekers of wealth -are those who desire wealth which he has not attained till then.
Very little difference between above two as both seek wealth.
3. Seeker of knowledge is one who seeks to secure knowledge by wishing to realise the real nature of Self [in its pure state] as a entity different from Prakriti.
4.Man of knowledge --is he who knows that it is essential nature of Self to find happiness only as Sesha [subsidiary ] of the Lord.
Without stopping with the knowledge of Self as different from Prakriti he desires to attain Lord.He thinks that the Lord alone is the highest aim to reach.
Man of knowledge is the favourite of Bhagwan .He is the foremost of His devotees.Whilst the other three types of men worship till their desire is fulfilled , the man of knowledge adores the Lord for Himself.His aim is Lord and not other objects .Hence he is dear to Bhagwan.
The lord Himself is dependant on such men as such men are unable to bear separation from Him and need His support.This state of mind where one cannot bear a moments separation from God requires innumerable auspicious births .
It is difficult to find such a person who has realised that Vasudeva is above and superior to all and that his atma is Vasudeva's servant .
Difficulty in finding a man of knowledge .Reason --
sloka 27--As soon as beings are born they are deluded .This delusion springs from sense experiences described as pairs of opposites like heat and cold .such reaction spring from desire and hate.
The pairs of opposites are the impressions [Vasnas] created on a Atma by experiences in its earlier manifestations in a body of a being .In succeeding births similar reactions of instinctive desire and hate towards similar objects is felt in each succeeding birth of that atma.
It becomes the nature to love or hate objects in place of having happiness on union with Me or feel misery at separation from Me .Only a janin feels happy or miserable in union or separation from Me .They attain this state of mind by accumulating good karmas in each birth
Chapter 8.
In this chapter the following are explained .
1. The thoughts that one has at time of death will lead one to that object only
2.About Kaivalya --that is pure delight in Self
3.Brahma's time period-- It is in crores at the end of which even Brahma dies but not his atma .
Sloka 5.--Attainment of one's end is dependant on one's last thought .He acquires the form that is meditated upon at his last moments .Sage Bharata a man of severe tapas, attained the form of a deer, his pet , remembered by him at the time of his death.
Bhagwan Sri Krishna says if one remembers him at the time of death he will attain Him.
Sloka 6 and 7 tells of the method by which one can remember Him at time of death.
The final thought arises only with reference to objects previously ruminated upon in one's thoughts .Therefore at all times until your departure remember Me day after day by engaging in actions appropriate to one's station in life which would make you remember Me.
The action to be followed should be as per Sruti and Smrithi's and must include periodical and occasional rituals one has to perform .
When a mind is trained thus it will remember only Supreme Brahman at time of death and thus attain Bhagwan .This abhyasa and yoga must be practised every day
Sloka 14--To a person who always remembers Bhagwan and wants to attain Him and cannot bear separation from Him and is full of devotional practises , Bhagwan Himself helps to remove obstacles.
Sri Krishna explains as to why seekers of prosperity return and those who attain Moksham or Kaivalya do not.
Sloka 16 --All those persons aspiring for prosperity and power get it from deities in cosmic sphere -like Brahma .Such celestial regions and deities are all subject to ultimate destruction , hence seekers of boons from such impermanent deities also perish .But those who attain Him, who creates and also dissolves the entire universe , whose form is same and who does all this for sport and is very true and compassionate and eternal ,there is no destruction of those who attain Him.
sloka 17, 18 and 19 --The time period for creation and dissolution of universe settled by the Supreme person's will is given .
The life span of Brahma is as follows
Chatur yuga or a unit of four yugas or krita, treta,dvapara and kali has accumulative duration of 4.320,000human years .A thousand such periods constitute a day time for Brahma and a similar period ,his night .Periodic creation and dissolution of the universe takes place in these two periods respectively.The same multitude of beings controlled by Karma evolves again and again , undergoing dissolution at coming of night .Again at coming of day it comes forth
One year of Brahma consists of 360 such diurnal period .A Brahma has a life span of 100 such years that is --
311.040,000,000,000,human years .At the end of it there is Maha pralaya and Brahma dissolves into Me and a new Brahma comes into being.There fore for every other entity except Myself origination and annihilation is unavoidable .So for those who seek prosperity and power, birth and dissolution according to above mentioned time arrangement are unavoidable.Time thus goes on endlessly .But is case of those who attain to Me there is no return to Samasara ..
Kaivalya or isolation of self ---sloka 20,21,22,
The knowers of Veda declare this state as the highest end .There is no return.
This is pure knowledge form.It is eternal.Not subject to creation and dissolution.It is also a highest goal of human beings .The Atman frees itself from Prakriti and enjoys its freedom , happy with itself.
sloka 21 --Sri Krishna says this Kaivalya is His highest abode that is the highest abode under His control
The following are other objects under His control --
1.The Prakriti
2.The animate Prakriti [atma ]associated with inanimate Prakriti is second object of His control . 3.The pristine nature of freed self , free from contact with inanimate matter , is the highest object under His control .
sloka 22--Supreme person is attained by devotion . Meditating on the self separated from inanimate matter brings pure joy which arise out of the absolute subservience to The Supreme person .This is proved in sruti like Satpata Brahmana that says 'He who dwells within the self --whose body is the self'
Path of light and smoke taken after death.
.Path of light is one of non return to samsara .This is taken by those who know the self and those who are devoted to Supreme person.This is in Northern course of sun.
Path of dark or smoke is taken by those who return.It is taken by persons who do good actions and alms giving.They go to region of pitrus etc but return to samasara.This is in the southern course of sun .
These two paths are eternal
Chapter 9. Sovereign secret .
In this chapter the nature of Upasana that takes form of Bhakthi is explained after investigating the eminence of Supreme Person, who is object of adoration .
In sloka 5 to 7 it is stated that it is His will that projects , sustains and controls all beings.He declares that it is He who dissolves all entities at end of Brahma's life and again sends them forth at the beginning of next cycle. All animate and inanimate objects are helpless as they are under sway of His Prakriti comprising of the Trigunas which can cause delusion .
The question then arises is this --If Bhagwan is the creator of all isn't He affected by inequalities in Creation?Doesn't it make Him appear cruel and partial?
In Sloka 9 the Lord answers.
Na cha maa thani karmani nibhadhnanti dhananjaya /
udasi navad asinam asktam tesu karmasu //
These actionsdo not bind Me O Arjuna ,for i remain detached from them like unconcerned .
commentary --Actions like unequal creation do not bind Me because the previous actions[karmas] of individual atmas are the cause for inequality of conditions like that of Gods etc .I am untouched by the inequality.
Sloka 10 --My Prakriti looked by Me , through My Will and under My supervision creates the world with its mobile and immobile beings in accordance with the karmas of individual selves.
In sloka s11.,12 13 and 14 declares that only fools and senseless persons think that Sri Krishna is a mortal.Whilst great souled ones understanding His divine nature that Lord had descended in human form out of compassion to rescue the good , worship Him with unswerving mind They sing His praises,and cry out His several names --Narayana ,Krishna ,Vasudeva and so on and build temples and cultivate temple gardens to worship Him and resolve to attain state of servitude to Him .
In slokas 16-19 Sri Krishna declares I having the universe for My body , alone abide.
In sloka 22 He declares that Mahatmas are devotees whose only aim in life is to meditate upon Him and by excluding every thing ,think only of Him and worship Him and are unable to sustain themselves without Him , and aspire for union with Him , He undertakes the responsibility of bringing them to Himself and of preserving them in that state .forever .[no return to samsara]
Sri Krishna continues to say ,There is another distinguishing feature of my worshippers --in sloka 26
Sloka 26 -Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati /
tad aham bhaktya-upahartam ashnami prayt atmanah//
meaning --Whoever offers Me with true devotion a leaf , a flower or a fruit or water ,which can be easily obtained I accept it ,when such offering comes from a pure heart.
commentary --I the lord of the universe , full of bliss ,not desiring anything will accept such four types of small offerings
In Mahabharata santi parva-Moksha dharma- it is stated thus--"Whatever acts are consecrated by those whose intellects are concentrated in single pointed devotion , all these the Lord Himself accepts on His head."
sloka 26 and 27 --Dedicate [arpana]all Vedic and secular acts to Me.Vedic=sacrifices , alms giving and charity .Secular = working and earning for sustenance of body .Develop the attitude that you are My servant ,under My control and do every act as a worship of Me , then you will become free of karmas .
My supreme nature that transcends the world --
sloka 29.--I am same to all creations .I neither hate nor love them.But if I am worshipped with devotion I abide in them .
Being a refuge to all I am same to all creations from lowest to the highest , movable and immovable.When one takes refuge in Me , none is hateful because of inferiority in status by birth, form , nature , knowledge etc.Like wise a person resorting to Me does not become dear to Me because of his birth, status etc.That a person has taken refuge in Me is the only consideration .
If they worship Me with devotion and find it impossible to sustain them selves without My worship , they abide in Me like as if they posses qualities equal to Mine and i abide in them ,like as if they are are My superiors.
30,31 even a sinner who does acts that should not be done and doesn't do acts that have to be done is to be respected if and when he resolves to worship Me and becomes eminent amongst worshippers of Vishnu /Narayana because of his resolve which is without any ulterior motive , since Bhagwan has become dear to him . His gunas will be eradicated soon and he will be freed from samsara.
32 and 33 ---Women , Vaisyas and Sudra's and even those of sinful birth can attain supreme state by taking refuge in Me .
sloka 34 Sri Krishna describes the nature of bhakthi
Focus your mind on Me , be My devotee , be My worshipper .Bow down to Me.Engaging your mind in this manner and regarding Me as Supreme goal , you will come to Me,
Fix your mind upon Me uninterruptedly like a continuous stream of oil.On Me the Ruler of rulers,antagonistic to all that is evil , the sole abode of auspiciousness, omniscient, whose resolve is always true, the sole cause of the entire universe , the Supreme Brahman, The Supreme Person .
On Me , of long large eyes like lotus petals, who has complexion of clear blue cloud, whose shining lustre is like that of 1000 suns simultaneously risen,
On Me the great nectarine ocean of beauty,of four arms,noble and strong and of brilliant yellow raiment
On Me who is adorned with a pure crown, fish shaped ear rings , garlands , bracelets on the arms and bangles at the wrist ,
On me the ocean of infinite mercy, affability,beauty , sweetness, majesty,magnanimity and parental affection ,
On Me the refuge of all without exception and without regard to their differences ,
On Me the Lord of all.
Thus Sri Krishna makes this clear--Be My devotee, focus and contemplate on Me as exceedingly dear .Be My worshipper.
Worship means--
The conduct of one who realises that he is absolutely a subsidiary [sesha] of God.
It also consists of offering all things of enjoyment such as waving of lights, fans etc and all those things that come with bodily contact like offering garlands, sandal paste and food preparations and edibles.
Bow down to Me in total humility regarding Me as Supreme goal
Having disciplined the mind in this above mentioned way , one will be filled with love which is unsurpassable and obtain a mind which is fit for experiencing the SupremeBrahman .
Chapter 10 --Attributes of divine glories.
In previous chapter Bhakthi yoga with its preparatory disciplines has been taught .
In this chapter , in order to induce and nourish Bhakthi ,it is taught that He has multitude of attributes which are infinite, that His sovereignty over entire universe is unrivalled and that universe is governed by His will ,since the universe constitutes his body , with Him for its Self .
Sloka 1 --Arjuna listen to My greatness .
sloka 3-- Yo mam ajam anadim cha vetti loka mahesvaram/
asammudah sa martyesu sarva papsih pramucyate//
Meaning --He who knows Me as unborn, without a beginning and the great Lord of the worlds -he among mortals is undeluded and is released from all sins .
commentary --Un born means eternal .A liberated soul is birth less so some what similar to Supreme Brahman.But the difference is that liberated atmas have a beginning viz in the state of their embodiment in bodies in conjunction with matter , which existed before liberation whilst Bhagwan at no time has any such conjunction with matter and karma hence He is termed as Annadhi or beginning less.
Undeluded are those who have no delusions
Delusion means wrong knowledge of taking Me as one among other entities of same kind..That is a person becomes a ruler owing to some good karma although he is also human being like other humans.The Lord of Gods is totally in a different plane.He is above all There is none equal to Him nor is there anyone above Him.
example --Brahma too is in the same class of created beings in samsara and comes under three innate tendencies for growth --
1.Karma bhavana --The fitness to practise work alone
2.Brahma bhavana -Fitness to practise meditation alone
3.Ubhaya bhavana --Fitness to practise both together.
Brahma comes under third group.
Those who acquire super human powers like becoming as small as a atom etc are also in samsara .
But I am above all these and he who knows this and also knows of My inherent nature is to control everything and that IAm full of auspicious qualities, has no delusions [does not equate super human powers with Brahman] is freed from sin .
Now Sri Krishna explains His sovereign power and the multitude of His auspicious qualities on which a person wanting to develop bhakthi ,has to meditate upon.
sloka 4 and 5. Sri Krishna says that the following mental faculties resulting from activity or inactivity are from Him alone ie dependant on His volition --they are as follows
Intelligence -- The power of mind to determine.
Knowledge ---The power of determining differences between two entities viz non sentient and individual atma .
Non delusion ---Freedom from delusion of perceiving as silver the mother of pearl,[ie lesser deities]
Forbearance---Non disturbed state of mind even when there is cause for disturbance.
Truth--is speech about things as they are actually seen and meant for the good of all beings.
Restraint ---is checking of the outgoing organs from their tendency to move towards objects and generate.
evil .
Self control ---Is restraint of mind in similar manner .
Pleasure --Is experience of what is agreeable to one
Pain--- is experience of that which is adverse to one.
Exultation ---Elation of mind owing to agreeable experiences ,
Depression ---The state of mind caused by disagreeable experiences ,
Fear --Is the misery which springs from the preception of the of the cause of future sufferings.
Fearlessness --Is the absence of such feelings
Non violence --Is avoidance of being the cause of sorrow to others .
Equability ---Is having equable mind in good and bad tiding sand to look with same equanimity on what happens to oneself, friends and enemies.
Cheerfulness -is the natural disposition to feel pleased with every thing,
Austerity --Is chastising body and denying oneself pleasure , as per shastras.
Beneficence --Is giving another what contributes to one's own enjoyment.
Fame --is renown of possessing good qualities
In famy--is notoriety of possessing bad qualities
Sloka 6.Sri Krishna declares ,those agents who direct the creation , sustenation etc,of all beings have their activity dependant on My Will .
The seven great rishi's of yore namely like Brighu and so on who were born from the mind of Brahma in the cycle of past Manu to perpetuate the creation permanently and the four Manus called 'Saavarna' existed for the work of eternal sustenation .All the creatures of the world are their progeny .Hence they--seven rishis-- are all the generators of this progeny [primogenitors of human race] as also their sustainers[four Manus] till the time of pralaya .
These rishis and the Manus derive their mental conditions from Me and follow My will .
Sloka 31--" of those who bear weapons I am Rama".
Here the quality viz attribute of Bhagwan of bearing weapons is the manifestation of His attributes or vibhuthi as no other sense is possible.
Chapter 11 -- The vision of Cosmic form.
Arjuna having heard of nature of Bhagwan from Himself was desirous of seeing Bhagwan in all His splendour and conveyed this to Krishna ,who obliged him by showing His manifestations .
Sloka 13--Tatraika -stham jagat krutasnam pravibhaktum anekadha/
apasayad deva devasya sarire Pandavas tada //
There in the unique and divine body of God of Gods -infinite in length and breadth with innumerable hands , stomachs, faces and eyes and innumerable splendour.equipped with weapons , adorned with innumerable divine ornaments and divine garlands and perfumes and full of wonder -Arjuna beheld the entire universe ,with divine eyes granted by grace of God.
He beheld the various classes of experiencing beings like Brahma,,gods , men ,animals and the places , objects and means of experiences such as earth, ether and so on .
sloka 17 --Kirtinam gadinam chakrinam cha tejo rashim sarvato diptimantam/
Pashyami tvam durniriksyam samantha diptan alarka dyutim aprameyam //
I behold You as a mass of light shining everywhere , hard to look at blazing like a inferno and the sun.
You are identifiable by Your diadem ,mace and discus. Your divine diadem, mace discuss are indefinable and immeasurable .!
Sloka 30 --
Lehiyase grasa maanah samantaat lokaan samagraan vadanair jvaladbhih /
tejobir aapoorya jagat samagram bhaasas tavograah pratapanti Vishno//
O Vishnu ! You lick all these kings again and again with great anger.Your lips are wet with blood.Your fiery rays scorch the universe .The entire universe is filled by Your brilliant radiance!
Sloka 47 ---Bhagwan says that no one before Arjuna has seen this cosmic form of His.
Arjuna is the first devotee to see this cosmic form .
sloka 52, 53 and 54-
Sri Krishna tells Arjuna "This form of Mine which is foundation of all and origin of all which you have beheld cannot be seen even by Gods ,who are longing to see My form"
Why is it so? Sri Krishna says by mere study of Vedas , teaching of Vedas it is not possible to know Me truly.It is also not possible to know Me truly through meditation, sacrifices ,gifts and austerities by those who are destitute of devotion towards Me.
It is only by single minded devotion characterized by extreme ardour and intensity it is possible to Know Me. and see Me and enter Me .
A passage in Katha Upanishads and Mundaka Upanishads respectively says This Self cannot be obtained by instruction , nor by intellect nor by much hearing .Whom so over He chooses by him alone He is obtained .To such a one He reveals His own form.
Sloka 55 --Who ever works for Me ,looks upon Me as the highest and is devoted to Me , free from attachment and without any enmity towards any creature , he comes to Me.
He works for Me =One who studies Vedas and considers it as a worship .
He who looks upon Me as highest =One who thinks that I [Sri Krishna] am the goal to be reached.
Devoted to Me =One who is so devoted to Bhagwan that he is unable to sustain himself without reciting My names , praising Me,meditating upon Me,worshipping Me,saluting Me, etc and who performs all this considering Me as the supreme end --he is My devotee.
He is free from attachment=He is attached to Bhagwan alone and therefore is unable to have attachment to any other entity.
He who is without hatred towards any being means -- he fulfills all the following conditions---
1.His nature is to feel pleasure and pain solely on account of union or separation from Bhagwan
2. He considers his own sins as cause of his sufferings[ and not that his suffering is due work of others]
3.He is confirmed in his faith that all beings are dependant on the Prama Purusha
For these reasons he has no enimity towards any one.
Chapter 12 -Loving devotion .
In earlier chapter ,Lord Narayana the Supreme Brahman who is the final object to be attained by all those who practise Bhakthi Yoga ,revealed Himself in unrestricted glory to Arjuna owing to the request of Arjuna to do so .
In this chapter the following points will be explained -
1.Meditation on Lord in the form of devotion
2.The superiority of such meditation over the meditation over atma ,because of speedy fulfillment of its ends
3.The felicity of its performance
4.The means for meditating on Bhagwan.
"Akshara" path that is meditation on Atma or Self is for those who are incapable of meditating on Bhagwan .The superiority of meditation on the Lord is the result of the superiority of the object of meditation .Such superiority was indicated in chapter 6 verse 47 which says 'He who with faith worships Me , whose innermost self is fixed on Me,I consider him to most integrated among all Yogins '.
Arjuna in sloka 1 asks as to whom amongst the two class of spiritual aspirants viz ones who meditate on You and the ones who meditate on the Self ,who is superior ,who attains You easily?
Sloka 2--Bhagwan says those who meditate on me are superior to those meditating on the self .The former attain me soon and easily.
slokas 3,4,5--
Sri Krishna states that those who meditate on indefinable Atma , subduing their senses also come to Me.But it is a path difficult to pursue.
The individual atma meditated upon by those who follow path of Akshara [imperishable] is thus described .
It is indefinable --It cannot be expressed in terms like gods , men etc for it is different from the body.
It is imperceptible --It cannot be perceived through senses .
It is omnipresent ---It exists everywhere in bodies of gods and others
It is unthinkable e--Though it exists every where in all bodies it cannot be conceived in terms of bodies as it is an entity of totally of a different kind.
It is common to all being s--It is alike in all beings .
It is immovable and constant-- It does not move out of its unique nature , being unmodifiable , hence eternal.
They subdue their senses --subduing their senses like eyes from their natural operation
They look upon all beings of different forms as equal by virtue of their knowledge of the sameness of the selves--atmas as knowers of all .
In this chapter the nature of Upasana that takes form of Bhakthi is explained after investigating the eminence of Supreme Person, who is object of adoration .
In sloka 5 to 7 it is stated that it is His will that projects , sustains and controls all beings.He declares that it is He who dissolves all entities at end of Brahma's life and again sends them forth at the beginning of next cycle. All animate and inanimate objects are helpless as they are under sway of His Prakriti comprising of the Trigunas which can cause delusion .
The question then arises is this --If Bhagwan is the creator of all isn't He affected by inequalities in Creation?Doesn't it make Him appear cruel and partial?
In Sloka 9 the Lord answers.
Na cha maa thani karmani nibhadhnanti dhananjaya /
udasi navad asinam asktam tesu karmasu //
These actionsdo not bind Me O Arjuna ,for i remain detached from them like unconcerned .
commentary --Actions like unequal creation do not bind Me because the previous actions[karmas] of individual atmas are the cause for inequality of conditions like that of Gods etc .I am untouched by the inequality.
Sloka 10 --My Prakriti looked by Me , through My Will and under My supervision creates the world with its mobile and immobile beings in accordance with the karmas of individual selves.
In sloka s11.,12 13 and 14 declares that only fools and senseless persons think that Sri Krishna is a mortal.Whilst great souled ones understanding His divine nature that Lord had descended in human form out of compassion to rescue the good , worship Him with unswerving mind They sing His praises,and cry out His several names --Narayana ,Krishna ,Vasudeva and so on and build temples and cultivate temple gardens to worship Him and resolve to attain state of servitude to Him .
In slokas 16-19 Sri Krishna declares I having the universe for My body , alone abide.
In sloka 22 He declares that Mahatmas are devotees whose only aim in life is to meditate upon Him and by excluding every thing ,think only of Him and worship Him and are unable to sustain themselves without Him , and aspire for union with Him , He undertakes the responsibility of bringing them to Himself and of preserving them in that state .forever .[no return to samsara]
Sri Krishna continues to say ,There is another distinguishing feature of my worshippers --in sloka 26
Sloka 26 -Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati /
tad aham bhaktya-upahartam ashnami prayt atmanah//
meaning --Whoever offers Me with true devotion a leaf , a flower or a fruit or water ,which can be easily obtained I accept it ,when such offering comes from a pure heart.
commentary --I the lord of the universe , full of bliss ,not desiring anything will accept such four types of small offerings
In Mahabharata santi parva-Moksha dharma- it is stated thus--"Whatever acts are consecrated by those whose intellects are concentrated in single pointed devotion , all these the Lord Himself accepts on His head."
sloka 26 and 27 --Dedicate [arpana]all Vedic and secular acts to Me.Vedic=sacrifices , alms giving and charity .Secular = working and earning for sustenance of body .Develop the attitude that you are My servant ,under My control and do every act as a worship of Me , then you will become free of karmas .
My supreme nature that transcends the world --
sloka 29.--I am same to all creations .I neither hate nor love them.But if I am worshipped with devotion I abide in them .
Being a refuge to all I am same to all creations from lowest to the highest , movable and immovable.When one takes refuge in Me , none is hateful because of inferiority in status by birth, form , nature , knowledge etc.Like wise a person resorting to Me does not become dear to Me because of his birth, status etc.That a person has taken refuge in Me is the only consideration .
If they worship Me with devotion and find it impossible to sustain them selves without My worship , they abide in Me like as if they posses qualities equal to Mine and i abide in them ,like as if they are are My superiors.
30,31 even a sinner who does acts that should not be done and doesn't do acts that have to be done is to be respected if and when he resolves to worship Me and becomes eminent amongst worshippers of Vishnu /Narayana because of his resolve which is without any ulterior motive , since Bhagwan has become dear to him . His gunas will be eradicated soon and he will be freed from samsara.
32 and 33 ---Women , Vaisyas and Sudra's and even those of sinful birth can attain supreme state by taking refuge in Me .
sloka 34 Sri Krishna describes the nature of bhakthi
Focus your mind on Me , be My devotee , be My worshipper .Bow down to Me.Engaging your mind in this manner and regarding Me as Supreme goal , you will come to Me,
Fix your mind upon Me uninterruptedly like a continuous stream of oil.On Me the Ruler of rulers,antagonistic to all that is evil , the sole abode of auspiciousness, omniscient, whose resolve is always true, the sole cause of the entire universe , the Supreme Brahman, The Supreme Person .
On Me , of long large eyes like lotus petals, who has complexion of clear blue cloud, whose shining lustre is like that of 1000 suns simultaneously risen,
On Me the great nectarine ocean of beauty,of four arms,noble and strong and of brilliant yellow raiment
On Me who is adorned with a pure crown, fish shaped ear rings , garlands , bracelets on the arms and bangles at the wrist ,
On me the ocean of infinite mercy, affability,beauty , sweetness, majesty,magnanimity and parental affection ,
On Me the refuge of all without exception and without regard to their differences ,
On Me the Lord of all.
Thus Sri Krishna makes this clear--Be My devotee, focus and contemplate on Me as exceedingly dear .Be My worshipper.
Worship means--
The conduct of one who realises that he is absolutely a subsidiary [sesha] of God.
It also consists of offering all things of enjoyment such as waving of lights, fans etc and all those things that come with bodily contact like offering garlands, sandal paste and food preparations and edibles.
Bow down to Me in total humility regarding Me as Supreme goal
Having disciplined the mind in this above mentioned way , one will be filled with love which is unsurpassable and obtain a mind which is fit for experiencing the SupremeBrahman .
Chapter 10 --Attributes of divine glories.
In previous chapter Bhakthi yoga with its preparatory disciplines has been taught .
In this chapter , in order to induce and nourish Bhakthi ,it is taught that He has multitude of attributes which are infinite, that His sovereignty over entire universe is unrivalled and that universe is governed by His will ,since the universe constitutes his body , with Him for its Self .
Sloka 1 --Arjuna listen to My greatness .
sloka 3-- Yo mam ajam anadim cha vetti loka mahesvaram/
asammudah sa martyesu sarva papsih pramucyate//
Meaning --He who knows Me as unborn, without a beginning and the great Lord of the worlds -he among mortals is undeluded and is released from all sins .
commentary --Un born means eternal .A liberated soul is birth less so some what similar to Supreme Brahman.But the difference is that liberated atmas have a beginning viz in the state of their embodiment in bodies in conjunction with matter , which existed before liberation whilst Bhagwan at no time has any such conjunction with matter and karma hence He is termed as Annadhi or beginning less.
Undeluded are those who have no delusions
Delusion means wrong knowledge of taking Me as one among other entities of same kind..That is a person becomes a ruler owing to some good karma although he is also human being like other humans.The Lord of Gods is totally in a different plane.He is above all There is none equal to Him nor is there anyone above Him.
example --Brahma too is in the same class of created beings in samsara and comes under three innate tendencies for growth --
1.Karma bhavana --The fitness to practise work alone
2.Brahma bhavana -Fitness to practise meditation alone
3.Ubhaya bhavana --Fitness to practise both together.
Brahma comes under third group.
Those who acquire super human powers like becoming as small as a atom etc are also in samsara .
But I am above all these and he who knows this and also knows of My inherent nature is to control everything and that IAm full of auspicious qualities, has no delusions [does not equate super human powers with Brahman] is freed from sin .
Now Sri Krishna explains His sovereign power and the multitude of His auspicious qualities on which a person wanting to develop bhakthi ,has to meditate upon.
sloka 4 and 5. Sri Krishna says that the following mental faculties resulting from activity or inactivity are from Him alone ie dependant on His volition --they are as follows
Intelligence -- The power of mind to determine.
Knowledge ---The power of determining differences between two entities viz non sentient and individual atma .
Non delusion ---Freedom from delusion of perceiving as silver the mother of pearl,[ie lesser deities]
Forbearance---Non disturbed state of mind even when there is cause for disturbance.
Truth--is speech about things as they are actually seen and meant for the good of all beings.
Restraint ---is checking of the outgoing organs from their tendency to move towards objects and generate.
evil .
Self control ---Is restraint of mind in similar manner .
Pleasure --Is experience of what is agreeable to one
Pain--- is experience of that which is adverse to one.
Exultation ---Elation of mind owing to agreeable experiences ,
Depression ---The state of mind caused by disagreeable experiences ,
Fear --Is the misery which springs from the preception of the of the cause of future sufferings.
Fearlessness --Is the absence of such feelings
Non violence --Is avoidance of being the cause of sorrow to others .
Equability ---Is having equable mind in good and bad tiding sand to look with same equanimity on what happens to oneself, friends and enemies.
Cheerfulness -is the natural disposition to feel pleased with every thing,
Austerity --Is chastising body and denying oneself pleasure , as per shastras.
Beneficence --Is giving another what contributes to one's own enjoyment.
Fame --is renown of possessing good qualities
In famy--is notoriety of possessing bad qualities
Sloka 6.Sri Krishna declares ,those agents who direct the creation , sustenation etc,of all beings have their activity dependant on My Will .
The seven great rishi's of yore namely like Brighu and so on who were born from the mind of Brahma in the cycle of past Manu to perpetuate the creation permanently and the four Manus called 'Saavarna' existed for the work of eternal sustenation .All the creatures of the world are their progeny .Hence they--seven rishis-- are all the generators of this progeny [primogenitors of human race] as also their sustainers[four Manus] till the time of pralaya .
These rishis and the Manus derive their mental conditions from Me and follow My will .
Sloka 31--" of those who bear weapons I am Rama".
Here the quality viz attribute of Bhagwan of bearing weapons is the manifestation of His attributes or vibhuthi as no other sense is possible.
Chapter 11 -- The vision of Cosmic form.
Arjuna having heard of nature of Bhagwan from Himself was desirous of seeing Bhagwan in all His splendour and conveyed this to Krishna ,who obliged him by showing His manifestations .
Sloka 13--Tatraika -stham jagat krutasnam pravibhaktum anekadha/
apasayad deva devasya sarire Pandavas tada //
There in the unique and divine body of God of Gods -infinite in length and breadth with innumerable hands , stomachs, faces and eyes and innumerable splendour.equipped with weapons , adorned with innumerable divine ornaments and divine garlands and perfumes and full of wonder -Arjuna beheld the entire universe ,with divine eyes granted by grace of God.
He beheld the various classes of experiencing beings like Brahma,,gods , men ,animals and the places , objects and means of experiences such as earth, ether and so on .
sloka 17 --Kirtinam gadinam chakrinam cha tejo rashim sarvato diptimantam/
Pashyami tvam durniriksyam samantha diptan alarka dyutim aprameyam //
I behold You as a mass of light shining everywhere , hard to look at blazing like a inferno and the sun.
You are identifiable by Your diadem ,mace and discus. Your divine diadem, mace discuss are indefinable and immeasurable .!
Sloka 30 --
Lehiyase grasa maanah samantaat lokaan samagraan vadanair jvaladbhih /
tejobir aapoorya jagat samagram bhaasas tavograah pratapanti Vishno//
O Vishnu ! You lick all these kings again and again with great anger.Your lips are wet with blood.Your fiery rays scorch the universe .The entire universe is filled by Your brilliant radiance!
Sloka 47 ---Bhagwan says that no one before Arjuna has seen this cosmic form of His.
Arjuna is the first devotee to see this cosmic form .
sloka 52, 53 and 54-
Sri Krishna tells Arjuna "This form of Mine which is foundation of all and origin of all which you have beheld cannot be seen even by Gods ,who are longing to see My form"
Why is it so? Sri Krishna says by mere study of Vedas , teaching of Vedas it is not possible to know Me truly.It is also not possible to know Me truly through meditation, sacrifices ,gifts and austerities by those who are destitute of devotion towards Me.
It is only by single minded devotion characterized by extreme ardour and intensity it is possible to Know Me. and see Me and enter Me .
A passage in Katha Upanishads and Mundaka Upanishads respectively says This Self cannot be obtained by instruction , nor by intellect nor by much hearing .Whom so over He chooses by him alone He is obtained .To such a one He reveals His own form.
Sloka 55 --Who ever works for Me ,looks upon Me as the highest and is devoted to Me , free from attachment and without any enmity towards any creature , he comes to Me.
He works for Me =One who studies Vedas and considers it as a worship .
He who looks upon Me as highest =One who thinks that I [Sri Krishna] am the goal to be reached.
Devoted to Me =One who is so devoted to Bhagwan that he is unable to sustain himself without reciting My names , praising Me,meditating upon Me,worshipping Me,saluting Me, etc and who performs all this considering Me as the supreme end --he is My devotee.
He is free from attachment=He is attached to Bhagwan alone and therefore is unable to have attachment to any other entity.
He who is without hatred towards any being means -- he fulfills all the following conditions---
1.His nature is to feel pleasure and pain solely on account of union or separation from Bhagwan
2. He considers his own sins as cause of his sufferings[ and not that his suffering is due work of others]
3.He is confirmed in his faith that all beings are dependant on the Prama Purusha
For these reasons he has no enimity towards any one.
Chapter 12 -Loving devotion .
In earlier chapter ,Lord Narayana the Supreme Brahman who is the final object to be attained by all those who practise Bhakthi Yoga ,revealed Himself in unrestricted glory to Arjuna owing to the request of Arjuna to do so .
In this chapter the following points will be explained -
1.Meditation on Lord in the form of devotion
2.The superiority of such meditation over the meditation over atma ,because of speedy fulfillment of its ends
3.The felicity of its performance
4.The means for meditating on Bhagwan.
"Akshara" path that is meditation on Atma or Self is for those who are incapable of meditating on Bhagwan .The superiority of meditation on the Lord is the result of the superiority of the object of meditation .Such superiority was indicated in chapter 6 verse 47 which says 'He who with faith worships Me , whose innermost self is fixed on Me,I consider him to most integrated among all Yogins '.
Arjuna in sloka 1 asks as to whom amongst the two class of spiritual aspirants viz ones who meditate on You and the ones who meditate on the Self ,who is superior ,who attains You easily?
Sloka 2--Bhagwan says those who meditate on me are superior to those meditating on the self .The former attain me soon and easily.
slokas 3,4,5--
Sri Krishna states that those who meditate on indefinable Atma , subduing their senses also come to Me.But it is a path difficult to pursue.
The individual atma meditated upon by those who follow path of Akshara [imperishable] is thus described .
It is indefinable --It cannot be expressed in terms like gods , men etc for it is different from the body.
It is imperceptible --It cannot be perceived through senses .
It is omnipresent ---It exists everywhere in bodies of gods and others
It is unthinkable e--Though it exists every where in all bodies it cannot be conceived in terms of bodies as it is an entity of totally of a different kind.
It is common to all being s--It is alike in all beings .
It is immovable and constant-- It does not move out of its unique nature , being unmodifiable , hence eternal.
They subdue their senses --subduing their senses like eyes from their natural operation
They look upon all beings of different forms as equal by virtue of their knowledge of the sameness of the selves--atmas as knowers of all .
They are engaged in welfare of all beings --They do not take pleasure in the misfortune of others as such feelings proceed from one's identification with one's special bodily form .
Those who meditate on Imperishable self [individual atma]in this way even they come to Me.That is freeing themselves from Samsara they also realise that in this freedom aspect they are like My Own Self .[Only in freedom from Samsara aspect individual atmas is equal to supreme atma]
In chapter 15 Sri Krishna will declare that the highest person is other than this imperishable atma.
The superiority of those who adore Supreme Being is now being stated clearly .
Sloka 6 and 7 --
Those who are intent upon ME holding Me as sole object ,dedicating all actions to Me which includes all worldly actions like eating and also , Vedic rites ,sacrifices ,,austerities etc with exclusive devotion meaning having devotion without any other purpose and adoring Me by meditation , worship , prostration, praises and hymns become very dear to Me and I soon save them from Samasara which is antagonistic to attaining Me.
[Methods of bhakthi yoga or devotion ]
Sloka 8.--
Focussing mind on Bhagwan alone meditate on Him alone.Let your budhi[ -intellect] be convinced that I am the sole object to be achieved .
Sloka 9 --
If focusing mind is not possible then follow the practise of repetition .That is repeated practise of remembrance of the manifold attributes innate to the Supreme person .for eg attributes like beauty,affection ,heroism,majesty,cause of all ,sovereignty and so on accompanied by immense love for the supreme person .
sloka 10--- If you are incapable of even this practise of repetition ,then devote yourself to My deeds .Even working for My sake you will attain perfection .
'My deeds' means devotional acts which consists of constructing temples,laying out temple gardens,lighting up lamps there in ,sweeping, sprinkling water and plastering the floor of holy sannidhis ,gathering flowers engaging in My worship,chanting My names , circumbulating My temples,praising Me,prostrating before Me .
Do the above with great affection .By performing such works one will before long get one's mind steadily focused on Bhagwan which is similar to practise of repetition
Sloka 11---- If you are unable to do even this , ie taking refuge in My yoga , then with your self controlled mind renounce the fruits of every action .
If you are unable to take refuge in My yoga means --If you are unable to do actions for My sake which forms the sprout for bhakthi yoga ,where, in through meditation I am made the the exclusive and sole object , then one should resort to Akshara yoga described in first 6 chapters.
This consists of contemplation on nature of individual atma .As means of practise of this yoga renounce the fruits of every action.
Association of Atma with body causes obstruction in realisation of Supreme Brahman When works are done without an eyes for fruits but as propitating of Lord as the sole objective ,then the obstacles like karmas are destroyed .When this obstacle is removed the knowledge that individual self is a sesha [subsidiary] or absolutely dependant on Bhagwan dawns on the jiva.and love or supreme bhakthi will automatically sprout in such persons culminating in prapathi [surrender].
If the jiva gets immersed in its own bliss it will attain Kaivalya.
sloka 12 --
More than the practise of remembrance of Bhagwan which is difficult in absence of love for Bhagwan, the direct knowledge of self arising from contemplation of the imperishable self is good for well being of self.
Better than imperfect knowledge of self , is perfect meditation on the self .More conducive than a imperfect meditation on the self is the activity performed with renunciation of the fruits .
Peace is attained when works are performed with renunciation spirit as it annihilates sins .
When peace is attained then meditation on the self is possible.This results in realisation of the self .
From direct realisation ,Supreme devotion to self results known as atmanishta .
This 'atmanishta ' is useful to persons who are incapable of practising loving devotion to Supreme being at the inception .
For those practising gyana yoga for attaining the self without acquisition of perfect tranquility of mind, then disinterested activity [karma yoga ], including in it meditation on the self is the better path for the knowledge of self .
From sloka 13 -19 Sri Krishna enumerates the attributes required of one intent on performance of disinterested activity --[Karma yoga ].The bhakthi element in Karma yoga is emphasized .
Sloka 13--He who never hates any being , who is friendly and compassionate , who is free from feelings of I and mine , who looks upon all pain and pleasure the same and who is enduring
Sloka 14 He who is content , who ever meditates and is self restrained and who is firm in his convictions , who has his mind and reason dedicated to Me--he is dear to Me.
-.He never hates any being even though these beings hate him and do him wrong.For he thinks that Lord impels these beings to hate him and do him wrong for atoning his transgressions.
He is friendly --He has a friendly disposition to all beings even if they hate him and do him wrong
He is compassionate --Has compassion towards their sufferings
He is not possessive with regard to his body .Is free from feeling of I, Mine-- as he is free from delusion that his body is the self
Therefore he is free from distress and delight viz pain and pleasure resulting from his actions.
He is 'enduring '--he is unaffected by pain or pleasure.
He is 'content' -with what ever chance brings him to sustain his body .
he 'ever meditates '--he always contemplates on self as separate from body
He is self restrained --he controls the activities of his mind
he is of firm conviction --regarding the meanings taught in science of self ,
his mind and reason are dedicated to Me --He dedicates both to Me in form of Vasudeva and is of view that He alone is propitiated by disintrested activities and is convinced that this will lead to direct vision of self Dear to Me --..Such a devotee of mine who performs this karmayoga is dear to Me.
sloka 15--
A karma yogi does nothing to cause fear .He doesnot fear the world .because he is certain that actions of others will not cause him fear as he is not inimical to the world .He neither favours anyone nor shows intolerance to others.
Slka 16 --He who is free from desires . who is pure ,expert, indifferent and free from agony , who has renounced every undertaking --he is dear to Me.
Free from desires --He has no longings for anything except the self
who is pure --His body is nourished on the foods prescribed by the Shastras,
who is a expert -- He is expert in performing actions prescribed by shastras,
who is indifferent --He is not interested in matters other than those enjoined by Shastras,
who is free from agony --he is free from pain caused by heat , cold , contact with coarse materials etc which are inevitable with the performance of rites prescribed by Shastras,
who renounces all undertakings --he renounces all undertaking except those demanded by the Shastras ,
The devotee who is like this is dear to Me.
sloka 17--
He who rejoices not , nor hates , nor grieves , nor desires , who renounces good and evil , who is full of devotion to me --dear to Me is such a devotee.
He who rejoices not --The karma yogin on obtaining things which cause joy to men does not rejoice
who does not hate --does not hate on obtaining anything undesirable,
who grieves not - --he is not grief stricken by common sorrows that cause grief among men like loss of wife , son, fortune etc
Doesnot desire ---doesnot desire wife , son ,wealth , not already acquired by him
renounces good and evil --he renounces both merit and demerit because like demerit, merit also causes bondage .There is no difference between the two.
He who is like this and devoted to Me is dear to Me.
Showing the superiority of Bhaktha -Nishta over Atmanishta , Sri Krishna now concludes in accordance with what is stated in this chapter in sloka 2--
sloka 20 -- Those who follow bhakthi yoga are exceedingly dear
to Me.
Chapter 13--- Differentiation of the known from the knower.
In first six chapters realisation of self as ancillary of worship of Vasudeava by two methods Gyana and Karma yoga was taught.
Next in middle six chapters the nature and glory of Supreme Brahman and the path of intense devotion viz Bhakthi yoga was taught to attain Him or kaivalya.
In next six chapters [last 6 chapters] the topics propounded in first two groups are examined viz -body, self,universe made of this, Ruler , His nature , Karma , gyana and bhakthi and how to practise them .
In this 13 th chapter the following topics are discussed .
1.Nature of body and self
2.Examination of real nature of body
3.Means for attainment of disembodied self.
4.Examination of real nature of Self in disembodied state ,
5. Cause of association of such a self with matter.
6.Mode of discriminating between body and self .
Sloka 1 ---
The body is only a object or field of experience for the experiencing self , who is distinct from the body.The person with this preception is known as Kshetrajana.He knows the exact nature of self .
sloka 2 --Know Me as the field knower in all fields O Arjuna.The knowledge of the field [kshetra]and its knower [kshetrajana]is in My view ,the true knowledge
Know Me as field knower also who is the only form of the knower in all the bodies of divinities ie know them to be ensouled by Me.
just as the body on account of it being the attribute of the knower cannot exist separately in same manner both the field and field knower on account of their being My attributes cannot exist as entities separate from Me.and hence can be denoted as One with Me .
Both Kshetra which is aggregate of earth, water etc and kshetranjana [atma ]have the Lord for their self , because of their being of the nature of the body of the Lord .
.Sveteswara Upanishad 4.9 brings out the three distinctions The perishable is prakriti, the immortal and imperishable is Hara [the individual atma] and the Lord alone rules over both perishable prakriti and imperishable individual atma .
The individual Self is called Hara because it seizes matter as an object of Its own experience.
Sruti texts declare that the Supreme person constitutes the self of all conscient and non conscient entities and they are all inserable from Him and under His control
Brihadarinya Upanishad states --'He who is dwelling in the earth ,is within the earth , whom the earth doesnot know, whose body the earth,is and who is the inner Ruler of the earth and ending with He who dwelling in the self , is within the self whom the self doesnot know , whose body the self is and who is the inner controller of the self .'
The relation between body and atmas of an ordinary being is separable at death . But it is inseparable in the case of Isvara and this jiva cum prakriti body
In this sense Isvara is the field knower of the field constituted of all individual entities -conscient and inconscient , just as in each individual personality the jiva and body are the field knower and field respectively.
The various scriptural statements that SupremeBrahman is without attributes is also tenable in the sense that He is not associated with evil attributes .Chandayoga Upanishad says -He is free from evil, is ageless , deathless, sorrowless , hunger less and thirstless,eliminating all the evil attributes and says He is full of auspicious attributes.
So negation of attributes [Guna nisheda ] pertains to attributing evil to Brahman .
It is also false to affirm the view that the manifold entities do not have Brahman as their self in real sense .Katho Upanishad says --'He obtains death after death who sees differences here '.
It is affirmed that Brahman exists of his own will in a wonderful plurality of modes on account of His having immovable and movable entities as His body. Chandayoga says --'It thought May I become many' .It became differentiated by names and forms.
Though the world has a mixture of conscient and non conscient entities , there is no mixing of respective qualities of experiences [subject] the experienced [object] and the controller [God].
Thus there is no contradiction in Sruti's that say --There is difference in essence and nature of self , matter and lord , whose body the former entities are on one hand and also say that they are all identical.on the other hand
Now certain qualities worthy of being acquired as being the means for securing knowledge of self are enumerated in slokas 7 --11
Sloka 7--
Amaanitvam adhambhitvam ahimsa kshantir aarjavam/
aachaary opaasanam shaucam sthairyam aatma -vinigrahah//
Amaanitva means freedom from superiority complex towards eminent people
Adambhitva --Dhambha is the practise of Dharma for winning fame as a virtuous person .Freedom from it is Adambhitva,
Ahimsa --is absence of tendency to injure others by speech , mind and body ,
Kshanti --Is the tendency of keeping the mind unmodified even when harmed by others ,
Aarjava means having uniform disposition towards others in speech ,mind and body,
Aacharyopaasana means being intent on prostrating , questioning , performing service etc to the teacher who imparts knowledge of self ,
Shauca is the competence of the mind,speech and body as enjoined by the Shastras ,for the knowledge of self and the means of this attainment,
sthairya is possessing unshakable faith in the Shastras concerning the self ,
Aatma vinigraha means the turning away from all objects that are different in nature from the self.
Now the nature of Kshetranjana or the Knower is examined --
The nature of self which is to be attained by practising virtues like modesty etc is as follows, slokas 12-22
Brahman [individual atma ] has quality of being infinite and pervasive .It is different from body and not limited by body .It is the essence that seizes the body --kshetra.It is inhibited by its karma .It assumes infinite nature only when it is freed from karma .
In its pure state it is all pervasive.It has no limitation of space.
It is capable of knowing objects through senses and also capable of knowing it by itself.
It can experience gunas or be without experiencing it
It is free from bodies yet it supports it
Though in body it is so tiny that it cannot be comprehended,
It is undivided ,
In body it devours and generates. since a corpse cannot eat or procreate it is settled that only the self does this.
It is far to those devoid of virtues and near to those who are full of virtues .
sloka 19 -34--
Prakriti and Purusa [self] are both uncreated and beginningless Prakriti along with gunas causes senses .Purusa experiences pleasure and pain caused by its conjunction with prakriti .
Purusa in ts original form is of pure knowledge .But seated within a body it gets attached to happiness , sorrow etc owing to the Trigunas --Maya --of prakriti .When this experiencer of the effects of sense organs gets attached to its experiences it is re -born again and again.
When it develops modesty etc its attachment will fall and it can escape rebirth and attain its original pure self .
Chapter 14 ---Division according to three gunas .
Sloka 3 --
The task of liberation of Self is near impossible owing to the grip that three gunas have on all beings viz Sattva , Rajas and Tamas.
Nature of Sattva , rajas and Tamas and the manner in which they bibd self to body --
sloka 6---
The quality of sattva nature is health and happiness and generates knowledge and happiness and again generates attachment to them .
sloka 7--
Rajas --It is nature of passion and sexual desires .It is the source for longing of sense objects and constant actions It causes attachment to one's children, friends and relatives Rajas binds self to body through attachment to actions.
Sloka 8 --Tamas --It causes erroneous knowledge , negligence, indolence and sleep .
Negligence means inattentivness, doing works other than what ought to be done,
indolence means tendency to avoid work and even develop absolute inaction ,
Sleep means the state when external organs stop working due to exhaustion and seek to recover the same
Sri Krishna points out the attachments formed due to the gunas --
Sloka 9--
Sattva mainly attaches one to pleasure.Rajas mainly attaches one to actions.But Tamas mainly attaches one to actions which are contrary to those that ought to be done .
All three qualities co exist in a body all time because they have all evolved out of nature of prakriti
sloka 10 --
Owing to dominance of previous karmas and differences in food nourishing the body one quality or the other preponderates over the other two.
Sri Krishna teaches the way to find out as to which quality is dominating a person .--
sloka 11 --When knowledge as light illumines and reveals the truth of things from all gateways [eyes etc] in the body one should know that Sattva is prevailing .
Sloka 12 ---Rajas is said to prevail when following qualities dominate a person
Greed ---The tendency not to spend one's own property,
Activity --The disposition to be active devoid of any purpose
undertakings of works --is engagement in works which yield fruits ,
unrest -- is absence of rest to sense activities
Longing --is desire for sense objects ,
sloka 13 --Tamas is in preponderance when a person exhibit the following ---
absence of knowledge, negligence , having delusion or wrong knowledge .
[The type of rebirth of a person will have when a guna preponderates at timeof death]
Slokas 14, When sattva is dominant, the person will be reborn in families who have knowledge of self and thus be qualified to perform auspicious acts which are the means to attain the self ,
sloka 15----When rajas dominates , one is reborn in family that work for fruits for themselves .Being thus re born he becomes qualified to perform auspicious acts which constitutes the the way for attaining heaven ,
sloka 16 --When Tamas pre ponderates he will be born in wombs lacking in intelligence like dogs , pigs etc ie he will reborn as one who is incapable of realising any human end
sloka 18 --Those in sattva go upwards and start getting liberation from samsara gradually .
Those abiding in Rajas are in the middle ie thay are born again and again .It is a life of suffering though a piece of heaven may be obtained now and then which prompts them towards only acquring this small fruit which again causes repeated rebirths .
Those abiding in Tamas go downwards ie lowest state among humans , then go to that of animals ,then to that of worms and insects , then of immovable things and even to condition of shrubs and creepers and ultimately to the conditions of stone, wood, clod of earth .straw etc .
Sloka 19 and 20 --
A Sattvic person attains Bhagwan 's state i e a likeness to His state .Which mean sthat he is liberated from birth, death ,sorrow, old age .He experiences the immortal self .
He attians this by taking special holy food, performing special disinterested works and trancends gunas.
Sloka 21 --Arjuna wants to know the charecteristic of one who has transcended gunas and the means of such transcendence ,
The lord answers ---
sloka 22---He doesnot hate the effects of sattva , rajas and tamas known as illumination, activity and delusion when they are prevailing nor longs for them ,
sloka 23 --He sits unconcerned , as his satisfaction is through vision of self and is not disturbed by effects gunas.
sloka 24and 25 --He is alike in pain and pleasure --ie as his love for his atma keeps his mind in equanimity .
He sees a clod of earth and gold in same vein .--ie same towrds things hateful or dear He is intelligent -- ie he is proficient in the discrimination of prakriti and self
He is same in honour and dishonour -ie --because these are feelings based on the misconception that the body is the self,
He looks alike on friend and foe --ie because he understands that there is no connection between them and himself ,
He who is like this and has abandoned all enterprises in which embodied beings are involved is said to have risen above the Gunas ,
Now Sri Krishna teaches the main method for transcending the gunas -
sloka 26 --Gunas cannot be crossed merely by reflecting on difference between prakriti and atma since Gunas with subtle impressions [vasanas]from beginningless time are invincible.It can be transcended only with one pointed devotion -bhakthi yoga and by serving SupremeBrahman who is ocean of parentel affection .
sloka 27 Seeking surrender to te Lord with one pointed mind is the only means for transcending the gunas and for attainment of the state of Brahman .This is already stated in 7.14
Chapter 15 -The mystery of All Pervading person .
In this chapter Sri Krishna speaks of the adorable lord as having control of universe consisting of perishable kshara or bound selves and the akshara or imperishable or freed selves .Then he speaks of glory of Suprem e Brahman who is antagnostic to all that is evil .Then to elucidate the manifestation called akshara whose bondage has been cut off by sword of non attachment ,the Lord describes the modification of Kshara or non intelligent prakriti into the form of bondage that has to be cut off.This modifcation of bondage- creating prakriti is compared to Asvattha -pipal tree .
Bhagwan said --
sloka 1 --'The scripture speak of a eternal Asvath , the world tree, whose roots are above and branches below.Its leaves are the Vedas.He who knows it know the Vedas'.
Vedas speak of the imperishable Asvatha tree called Samasara [Katho and taitreya upanishads]
It has roots above , since t has roots in Brahma --the creator known as Hiranyagarbha,who is eated above all 7 worlds .
It has 'branches below'ending with men animals , insects and immovables.
It is 'immutable 'since it cannot be felled being in form of continual flow It can be felled with dawn of perfect knowledge which causes detachment.
'The vedas are said to be the leaves'since the sea of samsara increases by actions prompted by wordly desires as taught in certain srutis--[vedas ] for eg as per taitraya samit 2.2.1-'He who desires prosperity should sacrifise a white animal to Vayu ''He who desires off springs must offer eleven cups of rice cakes to Indra and Agni 'hence the tree flourishes with these leaves .
He who knows Vedas means--1.
1. one who knows the nature of asvath tree that flourishes due to Vedas promising returns for sacrifises performed
2.It also means one who knows that part of Vedas that set forth the means of felling this tree .
Sloka 2--The tree spreads downwards with men who are product of karmas as branches .This trees branches also spreads upwards into ghandharvas, gods, yakshas who are all nourished by Sattvic gunas Thier shoots are sense objects .
Sloka 2--The secondary roots of this tree which has its main roots in Brahma go downwards and binds men .according to karmas .It is the effect of karmas in human state that brings further condition of men ,beast , down below and divinities etc above .
sloka 3and 4 --This tree is firm rooted .It flourishes due to ignorance of self, gunas and desires.It can be axed only by seeking liberation of self and this can be done seeking refuge in the primal being , the beginning of all entities.Ancient persons have taken refuge in Him and were released from bondage .
sloka 6 .Sun and moon cannot illumine self .Self is illuminated by knowledge .Sun and moon are external lights that are helpful in removing darkness which hinders contact between senses and objects. .It has been taught that erasing karma which is obstacle to liberation , is by self surrender to the lord through detachment etc The supreme light v iz individual self which can illumine sun is part of Me and therefore belongs to Me says bhagwan .
sloka 7 --The self is the lord of the body ,It is everlasting part of Myself.
sloka 8.What ever body self acquires or from whatever body it departs , the Lord of senses viz self goes on its way taking with it the senses with the subtle elemnts , just like wind carries away the scent of a flower from its place to elsewhere
What are these senses ? Sri Krishna explains.
9.Self activates sense organs like ear, nose eyes skin,tongue and mind towards objects
.
sloka 10 The deluded think body is self Only those with knowledge know that self in a embodied being is experiencing objects of senses and it has a different form from body .
sloka 15 --Vishnu is the ruler of the whole universe , who permeates the universe according to Vishnu purana [VP1.17.20] He is seated in the hearts of all.
From Me are memory --memory --Is knowledge springing from experiences and its subtle impressions .They have for their contents past experiences .
From Me is knowledge --knowledge -is determination of a thing through senses , inference , the scriptures and inituative meditation .
From Me is 'Apohana' --which could mean two things -.cessation of knowledge or conjecture or uhana .
conjecture is that knowledge which is accesory to the actual means of knowledge .There fore this Uha or conjecture also comes from Me .
Iam known by Vedas -because Vedas are intent on gods like Indra Agni and so on, whose inner self I am .
I alone am the granter of the fruits of Vedic rituals .
I know the vedas that speaks about Me .--means those who contradict this don't know the vedas
sloka 16--From Brahma to a blade of grass are perishable .They are called kshara .Akshara are liberated atmas .They are unchanging as it is free from non conscient matter.Kshara perish becuase of bodies they are associated with .
sloka 17 -The Sureme person which all Vedas refer to is different from the bound and liberated selves .
He is different because He enters the perceivable three fold world and supports it .
The three fold worlds as per the authority of Veda are --
1.The world of non conscient matter.
2.The world of conscient selves conjoined with matter
3.The world of liberated selves .
The supreme person as per the Vedas enters into these three categories as thier atman and supports them .He is different from the triad because He pervades and maintains them .
He differs from them in the following manner
1.Paramatma is imperishable ,hence He differs from nonconscient matter whose nature is decay.
2.He is different from boind selves as latter is subject to Prakriti and its laws ,
3.He is also different from liberated atmas because in thier previous condition they were connected to matter and mixed with it .
sloka 18---Since i transcend the perishable person and am higher than imperishable person or liberated selves i am called Purushotama or Supreme person in Smriti and Srutis --[Vedas ].
Chapter 16 --Divine and demonic persons .
In this chapter Sri Bhagwan speaks about division into divine and demonic creations.This division is based upon such persons follow Shastras or not.
Those who follow Shastras are classed as divine and others who violate Shastras as demonical.
The purpose of this teaching is to impress ,that submission to Shastras is necessary for getting established in all the teachings including those on conduct .
[Divine nature ]
Sloka 1 ---
Fear lessness [Abhayam]-- Fear is the pain arising from the awareness of the cause which brings about pain in the form of either dissociation from the objects of attainment or association with objects of aversion .The absence of this is fearlessness ,
Purity of mind [Sattva samsuddhir]--is the condition of Sattva ie the state of internal organs being untouched by Rajas and tamas.
Devotion to meditation on knowledge of self[gyana yoga vyavasitha]-- is firm adherence to the discrimination between pure nature of self and prakriti
Alms giving[dhanam ]
--is giving away one's wealth earned through right means to the deserving ,
Self control dhamam]--is practise of withdrawl of mind from sense objects
Worship is [yagna]--performance of five fold duties [sacrifices etc]of life as worship of Lord without attachment to fruits
Study of Vedas is [svadhaya]-devotion to the Vedic study with conviction that all the teachings of the Vedas deal with the lord, His auspicious nature and mode of His worship ,
Austerity [tapah]-is practise of penances like kruchra, chaandrayana ,vow on 12 th night of lunar fornight etc which foster capability to perform acts that please the lord ,
Uprightness -[arjavam ]--consists of oneness of thought,word and deed in one's dealings with others
sloka 3 --
tejah -Grandeur -is the quality by which onecannot be overpowered by the wicked ,
Kshama -Forgivness--is freedom from the feelings of antagonism towards others even if they cause injury to oneself,
Dhruthi -Foritude --Is the sense of determination to do one's own duty even under conditions of great danger
Shauchum --Purity --is fitness of body and the mind as prescribed in the scriptures for the performance of sacred deed s,
Adhroha -Freedom from hatred --is non interference with others actions as per their wish ,
Natimanita --or absence of misplaced pride or unbirdled self esteem .
[demonic type]
.
sloka 4 --
Dambho --pomposity --is practise of Dharma for earning a reputation of righteouness,
Darpoh--Arrogance -is the elation caused by sense objects and consequent inability to discriminate as to what is to be done and what ought not to be done,
Abhiman -self conceit --is the estimation of oneself in a measure not warranted by one's education and birth,
Krodh -wrath -is sense of antagonism causing injury to others ,
parushyam -Rudeness -is causing grief to Sadhus,
agyanam -ignorance --is inability to discriminate between high and low forms of conduct and principles ,
and also between what ought to be done and what ought not be .
These qualities are found in Asuras who rebel against Bhagwan's commandments ,
sloka 7--
Demonic men do not know Vedic dharma that leads to properity and final release
They lack internal or external cleanlinessas prescribed by shastras for performing Vedic rites ,
The performance of Sandhyavandanam or twilight prayers by which internal and external cleanliness arises is alien to them,
Truthful speech which is condusive to welfare of beings is not found in them.
sloka 8 --
They beleive that entire world is rooted on sexual lust.They believe that is the only cause for beings to exist denying existence of God as cause for all.
sloka 9
They lack the understanding that Self is different from body.They harm everybody .They are born to bring ruin to the world..
sloka 12
To satisfy thier sensual desires they endeavour for wealth through immoral means.
sloka 18
They depend only on their ego--'I can do this ,acquire this on my own ' denying existence of Bhagwan residing within themselves and others.
sloka .20 Such men fall to lowest level in cycle of samasara like a clod of earth.
sloka 21--The root cause for ruin of demonic persons is desire, wrath and greed .So one should abandon thia to escape Naraka .
Translators note -Narak ais not the hell in Christian sense .In Hindu view it is purgatory where through intense sufferings the Jiva is puged of sins.
Sri Krishna now teaches that main cause for this kind of degeneration is lack of reverence to shastras .
sloka 23 -Shastras means Vedas .They are Vidi or injunctions by bhagwan. which one must follow
sloka 24-The vedic injunctions are supplemented by Dharma shastras, ithihas and puranas .The acts conjoined by them are means of reaching Him by adhering to them.You should perform them and accept them alone .
Chapter 17 Three aspects of faith .
In the preceding chapter it was said that the knowledge of reality and knowledge of means of that attainment have thier roots only in Vedas.
Now following will be shown --
1.That whatever is not enjoined by shastras is fruitless ,being of the nature of demonic.
2.That works enjoined in the shastras are of three kinds according to gunas
3.The definition of what is established -Om tat sat -in shastras will also be given .
sloka 1 Arjuna asks.Now what O krishna is the position of those who leave aside injunctionsof Shastras yet worsip in faith?Is it sattva or rajas or tamas?
Bhagwan replies that faith and sacrifises not enjoined by Shastras as futile .He further states that the triple divisions as per gunas refers only to sacrifises enjoined in shastras and expounds the three fold nature of faith enjoined in shastras .
sloka 2--Three fold is the faith of embodid beings born of thier own nature , constituted of Satva , RAjas and tamas.
Own nature or svabhava is the state unique to one's own nature .It is special taste [ruchi] caused by previous subtle impressions[vasanas] .To what ever one's taste or' ruchi 'is directed ,there faith is born in respect of it.For "Faith" is zeal or eagerness about any means in the belief that it is the way of action to achieve one's desired object.
Vasana[subtle impressions] Ruchi [taste] and Shradda [faith] are the qualities of Self born from its association with its gunas .
Tri Gunas satva etc are the qualities of the body , the senses , the internal organs and sense objects .They bring about their qualities in the Self associated with them.These are the vasanas
These gunas can be described only by thier effects .The vasanas originate from experiences with the body having origination in the 3 gunas .
Thus shraddha or faith is three fold ,marked by satva,rajas and tamas .The 3 qualities determine the faith of the Self having gathered them as subtle impressions in preceding births as embodied beings and it develops a taste towards such qualities.
sloka 3 --The faith of everyone is according to their mind.
Sri Krishna describes further regarding object of worship , type of food taken, manner of giving gifts and intention behind performing sacrifises by the 3 types of faith --satvika, rajas and tamasa.
Worship as per shastras -sloka 4
The satvika types worship gods .Those with abundance of this quality will get supreme joy unmixed with pain .
The rajas types worship yakshas and rakshasa .This brings limited joy mixed with pain .
The tamas types worship departed anscestors and bhutas .This gives rise to extremely limited joy which verges almost on pain .
sloka 5and 6 declare that those who perform severe austerities or conduct sacrifises not stated in shastra which require severe exertion and pompoisity ,will invite calamity on themselves .They torture the group of elements in their body such as earth etc , .They also tortutre the individual self within their body which is part of Myself [bhagwan].
sloka 7 -Food, sacrifices, austerity and gifts are of three kinds owing to association with the 3 types of gunas.
sloka 8--Foods that promote longevity and intellectual alertness , health , happiness, knowledge are satvic .Such foods are sweet and oily .
sloka 9 -Foods relished by rajasik types are--
pungent --Food that is very hot or too cold and which are difficult to consume.
Dry food --Foods that cause feeling of dryness in the eater ,
Burning foods --foods that cause burning sensation ,
Result of intake of such food scauses pain, sorrow and disease ,
sloka 10 The food liked by tamasik type are--
Yatyamam -stale food --food that has lost its original state , being kept for a long time
Taste less food --Foods that have lost their natural taste.
Putrid food --Foods emitting bad smells ,
Refuse --Foods that have remained over after being partaken by persons other than Gurus.
Unclean --Foods not fit for offering for worship .
Result of intake is that it increases Tamas.
sloka 11 -Sacrifise and worship by satvic types are performed without an eye for the fruits but as a must ,as enjoined by shastras ,with hymns, right materials and proper rituals.
sloka 12-Sacrifise and worship of god is performed to gain fruits and fame .This is rajasik type.
sloka 13 .Tamasiks perform sacrifises which are bereft of authority of Vedas and good conduct .It is bereft of recitation of hymns, gifts and faith .
Sloka 17 --declares that austerity peformed with supreme faith with no thought for fruit but only for worship of Supreme person is satvik austerity .
Sloka 14,15,and 16 speak of 3 types of satvik austerities .They are --
Austerity of body --Worship of gods , twice borns ,preceptors and enlightened ones --
shaucham -Purity of body by abulations in sacred waters
Arjavam --uprightness viz-bodily actions according to mind
Bramacharyam --continence -not regarding women as pleasure objects ,
Ahimsa --non violence -not hurting any being ,
Austerity of speech--Using words that do not hurt others and are true, pleasing and benificial .
Practise of reciting and studying scriptural texts .
Austerity of mind -- Manaprasadha --Serenity of mind due to absence of wrath etc
Saumyathvam -benevolence -direction of mind for the good of others ,
Maunum-silence -control of speech by mind
Atma vinigraha--self control -focusing the activity of mind on the object of contemplation .
Bhavasam shudhi -purity of mind --Absence of thoughts other than the Self .
sloka 18 --speaks of Rajasika austerity --
Acts done for the following --
To gain 'respect '--to gain recognition by others.
To gain praise --to gain verbal adulation
reverence --corporeal actions such as prostration
The above acts have temporory rewards and has the fear of falling .
sloka 19 Tamasika austerity is performance of austerities with deluded notions by self torture, regardless of ones capacity to perform them and which is done for causing sufferings to others .
sloka 20 --Speaks of satvic gifts -Gifts given with a feeling that it must be given at proper time and place to worthy person without expecting anything in return from that person and who doesnot return the gift is Satvik gift .
sloka21 --Rajasik gifts are those given grudgingly that is gift of useless things with sly expectation of something in return or gifts given as consideration for something received or given in expectation of future reward .
sloka 22 --Tamasik gifts are gifts given at a wrong place and wrong time to unworthy recepients without due respect and with contempt.
So far divisions due to gunas with regard to sacrifise, austerity and gifts as enjoined by Vedas has been described .
Now definition of Vedic sacrifises according to their association with pranava--Om and tat sat is given .
sloka 23 OM TAT SAT --thus Brahman is denoted by this three fold expression .Associated with these brahmanas, the vedas, and sacrifises were ordained in the past .
Here Brahman means Veda. It signifies the ritualistic portion of Vedas.
Om Tat Sat ithi trividha --the three fold expression is connected to Brahman or Veda .These expressions are used in Vedic rites .
Om is invariably used at commencement of recitation of Vedic hymns
The syllable Tat and Sat indicate that these rituals are worthy of honour .
The brahmanas are those who preserve the Vedas and sacrificial rites ordained in them .All these three were created by Me [bhagwan] in the past .
In following verse the natutre and connection of these syllables with Vedic rituals is explained beginning with OM.
sloka 24--
After pronouncing OM Vedas are recited .Therefore sacrifise , gifts and austerity by expounders of Veda are always at all times begun after pronouncing OM .
Expounders of Vedas means those who memorise Vedas and perform rituals inculcated in Vedas .They belong to first three stations of life .
sloka 25
Tat --means Brahman .illustration from Mahabharat --He is sah, vah,kah,kim,yat,'TAT', padam anuttamam.
It means that those who study Vedas , do sacrifises , perform austeritiesand give away gifts without seeking anything in return except Moksham are connected to or attain TAT.
sloka 26 and 27--Sat means to exist or existence or reality .It also refers to auspicious acts that are worldly.
The devotion of persons to follow Vedas in respect of sacrifises ,austerities,and gifts is called Sat.
Hence OM tat sat is connected to Vedas , Vedic acts and 3 stations of life.
sloka 28 --Asat means unreal .
Any sacrifise ,gift or austerity if performed without faith ,though as per shastras is of no use.here or hereafter It will not lead to release from samsara .
Here means no benifit in form of sons, cattle and,wealth
Hereafter means one will not get Moksham .
Chapter 18 Liberation through renunciation
In precedng two chapters[16and 17] the following topic swere dealt with --
1.Vedic activities such as sacrifise , austerities , gifts alone constitute the means for prosperity and final release .
The general characteristic of all Vedic acts is their connection with pranava or OM kara .Of these Vedic acts there is a distinction made between means for final release and means for prosperity since they are dsignated as Tat ans Sat respectively.
The means of liberation -Tat- is acts that are free from desire for fruits .Their performance is possible by preponderance of Satva .Satva increaese by intake of stavika food.
Om is the mantra to be uttered at start of all Vedic acts
TAT is means to liberation or attaining Brahman through renunciation of fruits of Vedic acts.
Sat is the means for attaining wordly prosperity through Vedic acts.
In this chapter the above are further elucidated --
1.The means of liberation is designated by terms -Tyaga and sanyasa.Both terms denote renunciation .
2.The nature of tyaga
3.Attributing the agency of all actions to Bhagwan , the Ruler of all.
4.The necessity of Satva Guna by an eloborate description of effects of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas
5.The way by which the Supreme person is attained appropriate to one's varna in life and constituting worship of SupremePerson .
6.Bhakthi yoga which the essential teaching of whole of Gita shastra ..
sloka 4--
Tyaga has been described by Bhagwan Sri krishna in respect of actions precsribed in shastras from 3 points of view.
1.As reffering to fruits
2. As reffering to acts themselves
3.As reffering to the agency .
Renunciation of fruits is as follows --Heaven and other results arising from acts do not belong to me.
Renunciation of acts is-- complete abandonment of the sense of possession in regard to one's acts .Sense of possession is of following nature --The acts are mine on account of thier being the means for fruits which are to be mine .One should renounce this sense of possession .
Renunciation reffering to agency -is the renunciation of agency of oneself by ascribing the agency to the Lord of all.
Sloka 6--Says ,vedic acts should not be abandoned . sloka 7 -He further states that renunciation of obligatory acts is not proper and such abandonment is due to delusion hence they are Tamasic tyaga .
Obligatory acts consists of daily and occasional ceremonies like the five great yagnas.
.For without daily yagnas [Niyathasya]even sustenance of body is impossible.One should eat the remanants of satvic food offered in daily and occasional sacrifise since it would promote knowledge thorugh which preceptoion of Braman is attained .Hence till one's death the daily and occasional rites have to be performed.
Those who meditate on Imperishable self [individual atma]in this way even they come to Me.That is freeing themselves from Samsara they also realise that in this freedom aspect they are like My Own Self .[Only in freedom from Samsara aspect individual atmas is equal to supreme atma]
In chapter 15 Sri Krishna will declare that the highest person is other than this imperishable atma.
The superiority of those who adore Supreme Being is now being stated clearly .
Sloka 6 and 7 --
Those who are intent upon ME holding Me as sole object ,dedicating all actions to Me which includes all worldly actions like eating and also , Vedic rites ,sacrifices ,,austerities etc with exclusive devotion meaning having devotion without any other purpose and adoring Me by meditation , worship , prostration, praises and hymns become very dear to Me and I soon save them from Samasara which is antagonistic to attaining Me.
[Methods of bhakthi yoga or devotion ]
Sloka 8.--
Focussing mind on Bhagwan alone meditate on Him alone.Let your budhi[ -intellect] be convinced that I am the sole object to be achieved .
Sloka 9 --
If focusing mind is not possible then follow the practise of repetition .That is repeated practise of remembrance of the manifold attributes innate to the Supreme person .for eg attributes like beauty,affection ,heroism,majesty,cause of all ,sovereignty and so on accompanied by immense love for the supreme person .
sloka 10--- If you are incapable of even this practise of repetition ,then devote yourself to My deeds .Even working for My sake you will attain perfection .
'My deeds' means devotional acts which consists of constructing temples,laying out temple gardens,lighting up lamps there in ,sweeping, sprinkling water and plastering the floor of holy sannidhis ,gathering flowers engaging in My worship,chanting My names , circumbulating My temples,praising Me,prostrating before Me .
Do the above with great affection .By performing such works one will before long get one's mind steadily focused on Bhagwan which is similar to practise of repetition
Sloka 11---- If you are unable to do even this , ie taking refuge in My yoga , then with your self controlled mind renounce the fruits of every action .
If you are unable to take refuge in My yoga means --If you are unable to do actions for My sake which forms the sprout for bhakthi yoga ,where, in through meditation I am made the the exclusive and sole object , then one should resort to Akshara yoga described in first 6 chapters.
This consists of contemplation on nature of individual atma .As means of practise of this yoga renounce the fruits of every action.
Association of Atma with body causes obstruction in realisation of Supreme Brahman When works are done without an eyes for fruits but as propitating of Lord as the sole objective ,then the obstacles like karmas are destroyed .When this obstacle is removed the knowledge that individual self is a sesha [subsidiary] or absolutely dependant on Bhagwan dawns on the jiva.and love or supreme bhakthi will automatically sprout in such persons culminating in prapathi [surrender].
If the jiva gets immersed in its own bliss it will attain Kaivalya.
sloka 12 --
More than the practise of remembrance of Bhagwan which is difficult in absence of love for Bhagwan, the direct knowledge of self arising from contemplation of the imperishable self is good for well being of self.
Better than imperfect knowledge of self , is perfect meditation on the self .More conducive than a imperfect meditation on the self is the activity performed with renunciation of the fruits .
Peace is attained when works are performed with renunciation spirit as it annihilates sins .
When peace is attained then meditation on the self is possible.This results in realisation of the self .
From direct realisation ,Supreme devotion to self results known as atmanishta .
This 'atmanishta ' is useful to persons who are incapable of practising loving devotion to Supreme being at the inception .
For those practising gyana yoga for attaining the self without acquisition of perfect tranquility of mind, then disinterested activity [karma yoga ], including in it meditation on the self is the better path for the knowledge of self .
From sloka 13 -19 Sri Krishna enumerates the attributes required of one intent on performance of disinterested activity --[Karma yoga ].The bhakthi element in Karma yoga is emphasized .
Sloka 13--He who never hates any being , who is friendly and compassionate , who is free from feelings of I and mine , who looks upon all pain and pleasure the same and who is enduring
Sloka 14 He who is content , who ever meditates and is self restrained and who is firm in his convictions , who has his mind and reason dedicated to Me--he is dear to Me.
-.He never hates any being even though these beings hate him and do him wrong.For he thinks that Lord impels these beings to hate him and do him wrong for atoning his transgressions.
He is friendly --He has a friendly disposition to all beings even if they hate him and do him wrong
He is compassionate --Has compassion towards their sufferings
He is not possessive with regard to his body .Is free from feeling of I, Mine-- as he is free from delusion that his body is the self
Therefore he is free from distress and delight viz pain and pleasure resulting from his actions.
He is 'enduring '--he is unaffected by pain or pleasure.
He is 'content' -with what ever chance brings him to sustain his body .
he 'ever meditates '--he always contemplates on self as separate from body
He is self restrained --he controls the activities of his mind
he is of firm conviction --regarding the meanings taught in science of self ,
his mind and reason are dedicated to Me --He dedicates both to Me in form of Vasudeva and is of view that He alone is propitiated by disintrested activities and is convinced that this will lead to direct vision of self Dear to Me --..Such a devotee of mine who performs this karmayoga is dear to Me.
sloka 15--
A karma yogi does nothing to cause fear .He doesnot fear the world .because he is certain that actions of others will not cause him fear as he is not inimical to the world .He neither favours anyone nor shows intolerance to others.
Slka 16 --He who is free from desires . who is pure ,expert, indifferent and free from agony , who has renounced every undertaking --he is dear to Me.
Free from desires --He has no longings for anything except the self
who is pure --His body is nourished on the foods prescribed by the Shastras,
who is a expert -- He is expert in performing actions prescribed by shastras,
who is indifferent --He is not interested in matters other than those enjoined by Shastras,
who is free from agony --he is free from pain caused by heat , cold , contact with coarse materials etc which are inevitable with the performance of rites prescribed by Shastras,
who renounces all undertakings --he renounces all undertaking except those demanded by the Shastras ,
The devotee who is like this is dear to Me.
sloka 17--
He who rejoices not , nor hates , nor grieves , nor desires , who renounces good and evil , who is full of devotion to me --dear to Me is such a devotee.
He who rejoices not --The karma yogin on obtaining things which cause joy to men does not rejoice
who does not hate --does not hate on obtaining anything undesirable,
who grieves not - --he is not grief stricken by common sorrows that cause grief among men like loss of wife , son, fortune etc
Doesnot desire ---doesnot desire wife , son ,wealth , not already acquired by him
renounces good and evil --he renounces both merit and demerit because like demerit, merit also causes bondage .There is no difference between the two.
He who is like this and devoted to Me is dear to Me.
Showing the superiority of Bhaktha -Nishta over Atmanishta , Sri Krishna now concludes in accordance with what is stated in this chapter in sloka 2--
sloka 20 -- Those who follow bhakthi yoga are exceedingly dear
to Me.
Chapter 13--- Differentiation of the known from the knower.
In first six chapters realisation of self as ancillary of worship of Vasudeava by two methods Gyana and Karma yoga was taught.
Next in middle six chapters the nature and glory of Supreme Brahman and the path of intense devotion viz Bhakthi yoga was taught to attain Him or kaivalya.
In next six chapters [last 6 chapters] the topics propounded in first two groups are examined viz -body, self,universe made of this, Ruler , His nature , Karma , gyana and bhakthi and how to practise them .
In this 13 th chapter the following topics are discussed .
1.Nature of body and self
2.Examination of real nature of body
3.Means for attainment of disembodied self.
4.Examination of real nature of Self in disembodied state ,
5. Cause of association of such a self with matter.
6.Mode of discriminating between body and self .
Sloka 1 ---
The body is only a object or field of experience for the experiencing self , who is distinct from the body.The person with this preception is known as Kshetrajana.He knows the exact nature of self .
sloka 2 --Know Me as the field knower in all fields O Arjuna.The knowledge of the field [kshetra]and its knower [kshetrajana]is in My view ,the true knowledge
Know Me as field knower also who is the only form of the knower in all the bodies of divinities ie know them to be ensouled by Me.
just as the body on account of it being the attribute of the knower cannot exist separately in same manner both the field and field knower on account of their being My attributes cannot exist as entities separate from Me.and hence can be denoted as One with Me .
Both Kshetra which is aggregate of earth, water etc and kshetranjana [atma ]have the Lord for their self , because of their being of the nature of the body of the Lord .
.Sveteswara Upanishad 4.9 brings out the three distinctions The perishable is prakriti, the immortal and imperishable is Hara [the individual atma] and the Lord alone rules over both perishable prakriti and imperishable individual atma .
The individual Self is called Hara because it seizes matter as an object of Its own experience.
Sruti texts declare that the Supreme person constitutes the self of all conscient and non conscient entities and they are all inserable from Him and under His control
Brihadarinya Upanishad states --'He who is dwelling in the earth ,is within the earth , whom the earth doesnot know, whose body the earth,is and who is the inner Ruler of the earth and ending with He who dwelling in the self , is within the self whom the self doesnot know , whose body the self is and who is the inner controller of the self .'
The relation between body and atmas of an ordinary being is separable at death . But it is inseparable in the case of Isvara and this jiva cum prakriti body
In this sense Isvara is the field knower of the field constituted of all individual entities -conscient and inconscient , just as in each individual personality the jiva and body are the field knower and field respectively.
The various scriptural statements that SupremeBrahman is without attributes is also tenable in the sense that He is not associated with evil attributes .Chandayoga Upanishad says -He is free from evil, is ageless , deathless, sorrowless , hunger less and thirstless,eliminating all the evil attributes and says He is full of auspicious attributes.
So negation of attributes [Guna nisheda ] pertains to attributing evil to Brahman .
It is also false to affirm the view that the manifold entities do not have Brahman as their self in real sense .Katho Upanishad says --'He obtains death after death who sees differences here '.
It is affirmed that Brahman exists of his own will in a wonderful plurality of modes on account of His having immovable and movable entities as His body. Chandayoga says --'It thought May I become many' .It became differentiated by names and forms.
Though the world has a mixture of conscient and non conscient entities , there is no mixing of respective qualities of experiences [subject] the experienced [object] and the controller [God].
Thus there is no contradiction in Sruti's that say --There is difference in essence and nature of self , matter and lord , whose body the former entities are on one hand and also say that they are all identical.on the other hand
Now certain qualities worthy of being acquired as being the means for securing knowledge of self are enumerated in slokas 7 --11
Sloka 7--
Amaanitvam adhambhitvam ahimsa kshantir aarjavam/
aachaary opaasanam shaucam sthairyam aatma -vinigrahah//
Amaanitva means freedom from superiority complex towards eminent people
Adambhitva --Dhambha is the practise of Dharma for winning fame as a virtuous person .Freedom from it is Adambhitva,
Ahimsa --is absence of tendency to injure others by speech , mind and body ,
Kshanti --Is the tendency of keeping the mind unmodified even when harmed by others ,
Aarjava means having uniform disposition towards others in speech ,mind and body,
Aacharyopaasana means being intent on prostrating , questioning , performing service etc to the teacher who imparts knowledge of self ,
Shauca is the competence of the mind,speech and body as enjoined by the Shastras ,for the knowledge of self and the means of this attainment,
sthairya is possessing unshakable faith in the Shastras concerning the self ,
Aatma vinigraha means the turning away from all objects that are different in nature from the self.
Now the nature of Kshetranjana or the Knower is examined --
The nature of self which is to be attained by practising virtues like modesty etc is as follows, slokas 12-22
Brahman [individual atma ] has quality of being infinite and pervasive .It is different from body and not limited by body .It is the essence that seizes the body --kshetra.It is inhibited by its karma .It assumes infinite nature only when it is freed from karma .
In its pure state it is all pervasive.It has no limitation of space.
It is capable of knowing objects through senses and also capable of knowing it by itself.
It can experience gunas or be without experiencing it
It is free from bodies yet it supports it
Though in body it is so tiny that it cannot be comprehended,
It is undivided ,
In body it devours and generates. since a corpse cannot eat or procreate it is settled that only the self does this.
It is far to those devoid of virtues and near to those who are full of virtues .
sloka 19 -34--
Prakriti and Purusa [self] are both uncreated and beginningless Prakriti along with gunas causes senses .Purusa experiences pleasure and pain caused by its conjunction with prakriti .
Purusa in ts original form is of pure knowledge .But seated within a body it gets attached to happiness , sorrow etc owing to the Trigunas --Maya --of prakriti .When this experiencer of the effects of sense organs gets attached to its experiences it is re -born again and again.
When it develops modesty etc its attachment will fall and it can escape rebirth and attain its original pure self .
Chapter 14 ---Division according to three gunas .
Sloka 3 --
The task of liberation of Self is near impossible owing to the grip that three gunas have on all beings viz Sattva , Rajas and Tamas.
Nature of Sattva , rajas and Tamas and the manner in which they bibd self to body --
sloka 6---
The quality of sattva nature is health and happiness and generates knowledge and happiness and again generates attachment to them .
sloka 7--
Rajas --It is nature of passion and sexual desires .It is the source for longing of sense objects and constant actions It causes attachment to one's children, friends and relatives Rajas binds self to body through attachment to actions.
Sloka 8 --Tamas --It causes erroneous knowledge , negligence, indolence and sleep .
Negligence means inattentivness, doing works other than what ought to be done,
indolence means tendency to avoid work and even develop absolute inaction ,
Sleep means the state when external organs stop working due to exhaustion and seek to recover the same
Sri Krishna points out the attachments formed due to the gunas --
Sloka 9--
Sattva mainly attaches one to pleasure.Rajas mainly attaches one to actions.But Tamas mainly attaches one to actions which are contrary to those that ought to be done .
All three qualities co exist in a body all time because they have all evolved out of nature of prakriti
sloka 10 --
Owing to dominance of previous karmas and differences in food nourishing the body one quality or the other preponderates over the other two.
Sri Krishna teaches the way to find out as to which quality is dominating a person .--
sloka 11 --When knowledge as light illumines and reveals the truth of things from all gateways [eyes etc] in the body one should know that Sattva is prevailing .
Sloka 12 ---Rajas is said to prevail when following qualities dominate a person
Greed ---The tendency not to spend one's own property,
Activity --The disposition to be active devoid of any purpose
undertakings of works --is engagement in works which yield fruits ,
unrest -- is absence of rest to sense activities
Longing --is desire for sense objects ,
sloka 13 --Tamas is in preponderance when a person exhibit the following ---
absence of knowledge, negligence , having delusion or wrong knowledge .
[The type of rebirth of a person will have when a guna preponderates at timeof death]
Slokas 14, When sattva is dominant, the person will be reborn in families who have knowledge of self and thus be qualified to perform auspicious acts which are the means to attain the self ,
sloka 15----When rajas dominates , one is reborn in family that work for fruits for themselves .Being thus re born he becomes qualified to perform auspicious acts which constitutes the the way for attaining heaven ,
sloka 16 --When Tamas pre ponderates he will be born in wombs lacking in intelligence like dogs , pigs etc ie he will reborn as one who is incapable of realising any human end
sloka 18 --Those in sattva go upwards and start getting liberation from samsara gradually .
Those abiding in Rajas are in the middle ie thay are born again and again .It is a life of suffering though a piece of heaven may be obtained now and then which prompts them towards only acquring this small fruit which again causes repeated rebirths .
Those abiding in Tamas go downwards ie lowest state among humans , then go to that of animals ,then to that of worms and insects , then of immovable things and even to condition of shrubs and creepers and ultimately to the conditions of stone, wood, clod of earth .straw etc .
Sloka 19 and 20 --
A Sattvic person attains Bhagwan 's state i e a likeness to His state .Which mean sthat he is liberated from birth, death ,sorrow, old age .He experiences the immortal self .
He attians this by taking special holy food, performing special disinterested works and trancends gunas.
Sloka 21 --Arjuna wants to know the charecteristic of one who has transcended gunas and the means of such transcendence ,
The lord answers ---
sloka 22---He doesnot hate the effects of sattva , rajas and tamas known as illumination, activity and delusion when they are prevailing nor longs for them ,
sloka 23 --He sits unconcerned , as his satisfaction is through vision of self and is not disturbed by effects gunas.
sloka 24and 25 --He is alike in pain and pleasure --ie as his love for his atma keeps his mind in equanimity .
He sees a clod of earth and gold in same vein .--ie same towrds things hateful or dear He is intelligent -- ie he is proficient in the discrimination of prakriti and self
He is same in honour and dishonour -ie --because these are feelings based on the misconception that the body is the self,
He looks alike on friend and foe --ie because he understands that there is no connection between them and himself ,
He who is like this and has abandoned all enterprises in which embodied beings are involved is said to have risen above the Gunas ,
Now Sri Krishna teaches the main method for transcending the gunas -
sloka 26 --Gunas cannot be crossed merely by reflecting on difference between prakriti and atma since Gunas with subtle impressions [vasanas]from beginningless time are invincible.It can be transcended only with one pointed devotion -bhakthi yoga and by serving SupremeBrahman who is ocean of parentel affection .
sloka 27 Seeking surrender to te Lord with one pointed mind is the only means for transcending the gunas and for attainment of the state of Brahman .This is already stated in 7.14
Chapter 15 -The mystery of All Pervading person .
In this chapter Sri Krishna speaks of the adorable lord as having control of universe consisting of perishable kshara or bound selves and the akshara or imperishable or freed selves .Then he speaks of glory of Suprem e Brahman who is antagnostic to all that is evil .Then to elucidate the manifestation called akshara whose bondage has been cut off by sword of non attachment ,the Lord describes the modification of Kshara or non intelligent prakriti into the form of bondage that has to be cut off.This modifcation of bondage- creating prakriti is compared to Asvattha -pipal tree .
Bhagwan said --
sloka 1 --'The scripture speak of a eternal Asvath , the world tree, whose roots are above and branches below.Its leaves are the Vedas.He who knows it know the Vedas'.
Vedas speak of the imperishable Asvatha tree called Samasara [Katho and taitreya upanishads]
It has roots above , since t has roots in Brahma --the creator known as Hiranyagarbha,who is eated above all 7 worlds .
It has 'branches below'ending with men animals , insects and immovables.
It is 'immutable 'since it cannot be felled being in form of continual flow It can be felled with dawn of perfect knowledge which causes detachment.
'The vedas are said to be the leaves'since the sea of samsara increases by actions prompted by wordly desires as taught in certain srutis--[vedas ] for eg as per taitraya samit 2.2.1-'He who desires prosperity should sacrifise a white animal to Vayu ''He who desires off springs must offer eleven cups of rice cakes to Indra and Agni 'hence the tree flourishes with these leaves .
He who knows Vedas means--1.
1. one who knows the nature of asvath tree that flourishes due to Vedas promising returns for sacrifises performed
2.It also means one who knows that part of Vedas that set forth the means of felling this tree .
Sloka 2--The tree spreads downwards with men who are product of karmas as branches .This trees branches also spreads upwards into ghandharvas, gods, yakshas who are all nourished by Sattvic gunas Thier shoots are sense objects .
Sloka 2--The secondary roots of this tree which has its main roots in Brahma go downwards and binds men .according to karmas .It is the effect of karmas in human state that brings further condition of men ,beast , down below and divinities etc above .
sloka 3and 4 --This tree is firm rooted .It flourishes due to ignorance of self, gunas and desires.It can be axed only by seeking liberation of self and this can be done seeking refuge in the primal being , the beginning of all entities.Ancient persons have taken refuge in Him and were released from bondage .
sloka 6 .Sun and moon cannot illumine self .Self is illuminated by knowledge .Sun and moon are external lights that are helpful in removing darkness which hinders contact between senses and objects. .It has been taught that erasing karma which is obstacle to liberation , is by self surrender to the lord through detachment etc The supreme light v iz individual self which can illumine sun is part of Me and therefore belongs to Me says bhagwan .
sloka 7 --The self is the lord of the body ,It is everlasting part of Myself.
sloka 8.What ever body self acquires or from whatever body it departs , the Lord of senses viz self goes on its way taking with it the senses with the subtle elemnts , just like wind carries away the scent of a flower from its place to elsewhere
What are these senses ? Sri Krishna explains.
9.Self activates sense organs like ear, nose eyes skin,tongue and mind towards objects
.
sloka 10 The deluded think body is self Only those with knowledge know that self in a embodied being is experiencing objects of senses and it has a different form from body .
sloka 15 --Vishnu is the ruler of the whole universe , who permeates the universe according to Vishnu purana [VP1.17.20] He is seated in the hearts of all.
From Me are memory --memory --Is knowledge springing from experiences and its subtle impressions .They have for their contents past experiences .
From Me is knowledge --knowledge -is determination of a thing through senses , inference , the scriptures and inituative meditation .
From Me is 'Apohana' --which could mean two things -.cessation of knowledge or conjecture or uhana .
conjecture is that knowledge which is accesory to the actual means of knowledge .There fore this Uha or conjecture also comes from Me .
Iam known by Vedas -because Vedas are intent on gods like Indra Agni and so on, whose inner self I am .
I alone am the granter of the fruits of Vedic rituals .
I know the vedas that speaks about Me .--means those who contradict this don't know the vedas
sloka 16--From Brahma to a blade of grass are perishable .They are called kshara .Akshara are liberated atmas .They are unchanging as it is free from non conscient matter.Kshara perish becuase of bodies they are associated with .
sloka 17 -The Sureme person which all Vedas refer to is different from the bound and liberated selves .
He is different because He enters the perceivable three fold world and supports it .
The three fold worlds as per the authority of Veda are --
1.The world of non conscient matter.
2.The world of conscient selves conjoined with matter
3.The world of liberated selves .
The supreme person as per the Vedas enters into these three categories as thier atman and supports them .He is different from the triad because He pervades and maintains them .
He differs from them in the following manner
1.Paramatma is imperishable ,hence He differs from nonconscient matter whose nature is decay.
2.He is different from boind selves as latter is subject to Prakriti and its laws ,
3.He is also different from liberated atmas because in thier previous condition they were connected to matter and mixed with it .
sloka 18---Since i transcend the perishable person and am higher than imperishable person or liberated selves i am called Purushotama or Supreme person in Smriti and Srutis --[Vedas ].
Chapter 16 --Divine and demonic persons .
In this chapter Sri Bhagwan speaks about division into divine and demonic creations.This division is based upon such persons follow Shastras or not.
Those who follow Shastras are classed as divine and others who violate Shastras as demonical.
The purpose of this teaching is to impress ,that submission to Shastras is necessary for getting established in all the teachings including those on conduct .
[Divine nature ]
Sloka 1 ---
Fear lessness [Abhayam]-- Fear is the pain arising from the awareness of the cause which brings about pain in the form of either dissociation from the objects of attainment or association with objects of aversion .The absence of this is fearlessness ,
Purity of mind [Sattva samsuddhir]--is the condition of Sattva ie the state of internal organs being untouched by Rajas and tamas.
Devotion to meditation on knowledge of self[gyana yoga vyavasitha]-- is firm adherence to the discrimination between pure nature of self and prakriti
Alms giving[dhanam ]
--is giving away one's wealth earned through right means to the deserving ,
Self control dhamam]--is practise of withdrawl of mind from sense objects
Worship is [yagna]--performance of five fold duties [sacrifices etc]of life as worship of Lord without attachment to fruits
Study of Vedas is [svadhaya]-devotion to the Vedic study with conviction that all the teachings of the Vedas deal with the lord, His auspicious nature and mode of His worship ,
Austerity [tapah]-is practise of penances like kruchra, chaandrayana ,vow on 12 th night of lunar fornight etc which foster capability to perform acts that please the lord ,
Uprightness -[arjavam ]--consists of oneness of thought,word and deed in one's dealings with others
sloka 3 --
tejah -Grandeur -is the quality by which onecannot be overpowered by the wicked ,
Kshama -Forgivness--is freedom from the feelings of antagonism towards others even if they cause injury to oneself,
Dhruthi -Foritude --Is the sense of determination to do one's own duty even under conditions of great danger
Shauchum --Purity --is fitness of body and the mind as prescribed in the scriptures for the performance of sacred deed s,
Adhroha -Freedom from hatred --is non interference with others actions as per their wish ,
Natimanita --or absence of misplaced pride or unbirdled self esteem .
[demonic type]
.
sloka 4 --
Dambho --pomposity --is practise of Dharma for earning a reputation of righteouness,
Darpoh--Arrogance -is the elation caused by sense objects and consequent inability to discriminate as to what is to be done and what ought not to be done,
Abhiman -self conceit --is the estimation of oneself in a measure not warranted by one's education and birth,
Krodh -wrath -is sense of antagonism causing injury to others ,
parushyam -Rudeness -is causing grief to Sadhus,
agyanam -ignorance --is inability to discriminate between high and low forms of conduct and principles ,
and also between what ought to be done and what ought not be .
These qualities are found in Asuras who rebel against Bhagwan's commandments ,
sloka 7--
Demonic men do not know Vedic dharma that leads to properity and final release
They lack internal or external cleanlinessas prescribed by shastras for performing Vedic rites ,
The performance of Sandhyavandanam or twilight prayers by which internal and external cleanliness arises is alien to them,
Truthful speech which is condusive to welfare of beings is not found in them.
sloka 8 --
They beleive that entire world is rooted on sexual lust.They believe that is the only cause for beings to exist denying existence of God as cause for all.
sloka 9
They lack the understanding that Self is different from body.They harm everybody .They are born to bring ruin to the world..
sloka 12
To satisfy thier sensual desires they endeavour for wealth through immoral means.
sloka 18
They depend only on their ego--'I can do this ,acquire this on my own ' denying existence of Bhagwan residing within themselves and others.
sloka .20 Such men fall to lowest level in cycle of samasara like a clod of earth.
sloka 21--The root cause for ruin of demonic persons is desire, wrath and greed .So one should abandon thia to escape Naraka .
Translators note -Narak ais not the hell in Christian sense .In Hindu view it is purgatory where through intense sufferings the Jiva is puged of sins.
Sri Krishna now teaches that main cause for this kind of degeneration is lack of reverence to shastras .
sloka 23 -Shastras means Vedas .They are Vidi or injunctions by bhagwan. which one must follow
sloka 24-The vedic injunctions are supplemented by Dharma shastras, ithihas and puranas .The acts conjoined by them are means of reaching Him by adhering to them.You should perform them and accept them alone .
Chapter 17 Three aspects of faith .
In the preceding chapter it was said that the knowledge of reality and knowledge of means of that attainment have thier roots only in Vedas.
Now following will be shown --
1.That whatever is not enjoined by shastras is fruitless ,being of the nature of demonic.
2.That works enjoined in the shastras are of three kinds according to gunas
3.The definition of what is established -Om tat sat -in shastras will also be given .
sloka 1 Arjuna asks.Now what O krishna is the position of those who leave aside injunctionsof Shastras yet worsip in faith?Is it sattva or rajas or tamas?
Bhagwan replies that faith and sacrifises not enjoined by Shastras as futile .He further states that the triple divisions as per gunas refers only to sacrifises enjoined in shastras and expounds the three fold nature of faith enjoined in shastras .
sloka 2--Three fold is the faith of embodid beings born of thier own nature , constituted of Satva , RAjas and tamas.
Own nature or svabhava is the state unique to one's own nature .It is special taste [ruchi] caused by previous subtle impressions[vasanas] .To what ever one's taste or' ruchi 'is directed ,there faith is born in respect of it.For "Faith" is zeal or eagerness about any means in the belief that it is the way of action to achieve one's desired object.
Vasana[subtle impressions] Ruchi [taste] and Shradda [faith] are the qualities of Self born from its association with its gunas .
Tri Gunas satva etc are the qualities of the body , the senses , the internal organs and sense objects .They bring about their qualities in the Self associated with them.These are the vasanas
These gunas can be described only by thier effects .The vasanas originate from experiences with the body having origination in the 3 gunas .
Thus shraddha or faith is three fold ,marked by satva,rajas and tamas .The 3 qualities determine the faith of the Self having gathered them as subtle impressions in preceding births as embodied beings and it develops a taste towards such qualities.
sloka 3 --The faith of everyone is according to their mind.
Sri Krishna describes further regarding object of worship , type of food taken, manner of giving gifts and intention behind performing sacrifises by the 3 types of faith --satvika, rajas and tamasa.
Worship as per shastras -sloka 4
The satvika types worship gods .Those with abundance of this quality will get supreme joy unmixed with pain .
The rajas types worship yakshas and rakshasa .This brings limited joy mixed with pain .
The tamas types worship departed anscestors and bhutas .This gives rise to extremely limited joy which verges almost on pain .
sloka 5and 6 declare that those who perform severe austerities or conduct sacrifises not stated in shastra which require severe exertion and pompoisity ,will invite calamity on themselves .They torture the group of elements in their body such as earth etc , .They also tortutre the individual self within their body which is part of Myself [bhagwan].
sloka 7 -Food, sacrifices, austerity and gifts are of three kinds owing to association with the 3 types of gunas.
sloka 8--Foods that promote longevity and intellectual alertness , health , happiness, knowledge are satvic .Such foods are sweet and oily .
sloka 9 -Foods relished by rajasik types are--
pungent --Food that is very hot or too cold and which are difficult to consume.
Dry food --Foods that cause feeling of dryness in the eater ,
Burning foods --foods that cause burning sensation ,
Result of intake of such food scauses pain, sorrow and disease ,
sloka 10 The food liked by tamasik type are--
Yatyamam -stale food --food that has lost its original state , being kept for a long time
Taste less food --Foods that have lost their natural taste.
Putrid food --Foods emitting bad smells ,
Refuse --Foods that have remained over after being partaken by persons other than Gurus.
Unclean --Foods not fit for offering for worship .
Result of intake is that it increases Tamas.
sloka 11 -Sacrifise and worship by satvic types are performed without an eye for the fruits but as a must ,as enjoined by shastras ,with hymns, right materials and proper rituals.
sloka 12-Sacrifise and worship of god is performed to gain fruits and fame .This is rajasik type.
sloka 13 .Tamasiks perform sacrifises which are bereft of authority of Vedas and good conduct .It is bereft of recitation of hymns, gifts and faith .
Sloka 17 --declares that austerity peformed with supreme faith with no thought for fruit but only for worship of Supreme person is satvik austerity .
Sloka 14,15,and 16 speak of 3 types of satvik austerities .They are --
Austerity of body --Worship of gods , twice borns ,preceptors and enlightened ones --
shaucham -Purity of body by abulations in sacred waters
Arjavam --uprightness viz-bodily actions according to mind
Bramacharyam --continence -not regarding women as pleasure objects ,
Ahimsa --non violence -not hurting any being ,
Austerity of speech--Using words that do not hurt others and are true, pleasing and benificial .
Practise of reciting and studying scriptural texts .
Austerity of mind -- Manaprasadha --Serenity of mind due to absence of wrath etc
Saumyathvam -benevolence -direction of mind for the good of others ,
Maunum-silence -control of speech by mind
Atma vinigraha--self control -focusing the activity of mind on the object of contemplation .
Bhavasam shudhi -purity of mind --Absence of thoughts other than the Self .
sloka 18 --speaks of Rajasika austerity --
Acts done for the following --
To gain 'respect '--to gain recognition by others.
To gain praise --to gain verbal adulation
reverence --corporeal actions such as prostration
The above acts have temporory rewards and has the fear of falling .
sloka 19 Tamasika austerity is performance of austerities with deluded notions by self torture, regardless of ones capacity to perform them and which is done for causing sufferings to others .
sloka 20 --Speaks of satvic gifts -Gifts given with a feeling that it must be given at proper time and place to worthy person without expecting anything in return from that person and who doesnot return the gift is Satvik gift .
sloka21 --Rajasik gifts are those given grudgingly that is gift of useless things with sly expectation of something in return or gifts given as consideration for something received or given in expectation of future reward .
sloka 22 --Tamasik gifts are gifts given at a wrong place and wrong time to unworthy recepients without due respect and with contempt.
So far divisions due to gunas with regard to sacrifise, austerity and gifts as enjoined by Vedas has been described .
Now definition of Vedic sacrifises according to their association with pranava--Om and tat sat is given .
sloka 23 OM TAT SAT --thus Brahman is denoted by this three fold expression .Associated with these brahmanas, the vedas, and sacrifises were ordained in the past .
Here Brahman means Veda. It signifies the ritualistic portion of Vedas.
Om Tat Sat ithi trividha --the three fold expression is connected to Brahman or Veda .These expressions are used in Vedic rites .
Om is invariably used at commencement of recitation of Vedic hymns
The syllable Tat and Sat indicate that these rituals are worthy of honour .
The brahmanas are those who preserve the Vedas and sacrificial rites ordained in them .All these three were created by Me [bhagwan] in the past .
In following verse the natutre and connection of these syllables with Vedic rituals is explained beginning with OM.
sloka 24--
After pronouncing OM Vedas are recited .Therefore sacrifise , gifts and austerity by expounders of Veda are always at all times begun after pronouncing OM .
Expounders of Vedas means those who memorise Vedas and perform rituals inculcated in Vedas .They belong to first three stations of life .
sloka 25
Tat --means Brahman .illustration from Mahabharat --He is sah, vah,kah,kim,yat,'TAT', padam anuttamam.
It means that those who study Vedas , do sacrifises , perform austeritiesand give away gifts without seeking anything in return except Moksham are connected to or attain TAT.
sloka 26 and 27--Sat means to exist or existence or reality .It also refers to auspicious acts that are worldly.
The devotion of persons to follow Vedas in respect of sacrifises ,austerities,and gifts is called Sat.
Hence OM tat sat is connected to Vedas , Vedic acts and 3 stations of life.
sloka 28 --Asat means unreal .
Any sacrifise ,gift or austerity if performed without faith ,though as per shastras is of no use.here or hereafter It will not lead to release from samsara .
Here means no benifit in form of sons, cattle and,wealth
Hereafter means one will not get Moksham .
Chapter 18 Liberation through renunciation
In precedng two chapters[16and 17] the following topic swere dealt with --
1.Vedic activities such as sacrifise , austerities , gifts alone constitute the means for prosperity and final release .
The general characteristic of all Vedic acts is their connection with pranava or OM kara .Of these Vedic acts there is a distinction made between means for final release and means for prosperity since they are dsignated as Tat ans Sat respectively.
The means of liberation -Tat- is acts that are free from desire for fruits .Their performance is possible by preponderance of Satva .Satva increaese by intake of stavika food.
Om is the mantra to be uttered at start of all Vedic acts
TAT is means to liberation or attaining Brahman through renunciation of fruits of Vedic acts.
Sat is the means for attaining wordly prosperity through Vedic acts.
In this chapter the above are further elucidated --
1.The means of liberation is designated by terms -Tyaga and sanyasa.Both terms denote renunciation .
2.The nature of tyaga
3.Attributing the agency of all actions to Bhagwan , the Ruler of all.
4.The necessity of Satva Guna by an eloborate description of effects of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas
5.The way by which the Supreme person is attained appropriate to one's varna in life and constituting worship of SupremePerson .
6.Bhakthi yoga which the essential teaching of whole of Gita shastra ..
sloka 4--
Tyaga has been described by Bhagwan Sri krishna in respect of actions precsribed in shastras from 3 points of view.
1.As reffering to fruits
2. As reffering to acts themselves
3.As reffering to the agency .
Renunciation of fruits is as follows --Heaven and other results arising from acts do not belong to me.
Renunciation of acts is-- complete abandonment of the sense of possession in regard to one's acts .Sense of possession is of following nature --The acts are mine on account of thier being the means for fruits which are to be mine .One should renounce this sense of possession .
Renunciation reffering to agency -is the renunciation of agency of oneself by ascribing the agency to the Lord of all.
Sloka 6--Says ,vedic acts should not be abandoned . sloka 7 -He further states that renunciation of obligatory acts is not proper and such abandonment is due to delusion hence they are Tamasic tyaga .
Obligatory acts consists of daily and occasional ceremonies like the five great yagnas.
.For without daily yagnas [Niyathasya]even sustenance of body is impossible.One should eat the remanants of satvic food offered in daily and occasional sacrifise since it would promote knowledge thorugh which preceptoion of Braman is attained .Hence till one's death the daily and occasional rites have to be performed.
sloka 8-When such acts are renounced owing to painful efforts involved in doing them [earning etc]it is against shastra and he cannot win fruits of Tyaga in form of knowledge.This rajasik tyaga
.
sloka 9--When all obligatory acts are done daily as aworship of Bhagwan and as duty and relinquishing possessivness and fruits such a tyaga is sattvika and it generates knowledge of the Reality as it is .
'He nether hates disagreeable acts'refers to acts done inadvertently as it is taught in Srutis that not turning away from bad conduct is antognistic to production of knowledge .
Thus tyaga as per shastra is not total relinquishment of action but the renunciation of sense of agency and attachment to fruits of action .
Sloka 11 As one has to eat ,drink etc to nourish body it is impossible to abandon actions entirely.
To the question that every vedic act gives a desired fruit isn't it better not to do them at all to get release?
sloka 12--Agnihotra , Mahayagna are obligatory acts .giving desired fruits .Those who perform with the feeling .'I am not the doer' ie give up sense of agency will obatin release after death.
To give up agency of actions , they should be performed
Sri Krishna explains as to how one can cultivate this sense of non agency by attributing all agency to God the Supreme ruler , the inner ruler.
Why attribute all agency to God?
It is to be attibuted thus because all individual selves belong to Him .The organs, prana and bodies of embodied beings are His.They exist only for the sake of His.sport .That is the only pupose of creation .
Sloka 15--
The Spreme self , the inner ruler seated in the heart of all is the main cause for completing an action .
Now a objection may be raised .If agency of individual self is dependant on Supremeself then individual self cannot be charged with moral responsibility.Then shastras containing do's and dont's --injunction and prohibition become useless,as the individual self is not acting by itself in regard to any action.
Vedanta answers this -
Body, senses gunas etc are granted by Supreme self to individual self , who is thus empowered and supported by Supreme self .However it is the individual self of his own free will begins directing senses etc for performing actions conditioned by his body and organs.
The Supreme self abiding within causes individual self to act only by granting His permission .eg A rock is moved by several labourers .There is collective responsibility as well as individual responsibility .So each self is answerable to nature in form of negative and positive commandments .
Sri Krishna expands on knowledge , acts and agents by dviding them according to three gunas .
sloka 20 --Satvika knowledge of action --The self -atman which is in form of knowledge is alike and uniform in all beings even though externally from point of view of duty be described as Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, householders, celibate, fair, tall etc .
This self is immutable.[unchanging nature].The knowledge of immutablity of the self in all changing beings is Satvika
sloka 21--
.Rajas knowledge of action --A knowledge which at time of work sees differences between Brahmana, tall ,fair etc owing to their bodies is Rajasika .
This is not condemnation of plurality of atma The atma though distinct is uniform everywhere .The bodiky attributes donot affect it .The knowledge lacking this understanding is Rajasika.
sloka 22-- Tamasika knowledge of action sees differences in nature of atmas.
Sloka 28 --Tamasika performer of acts --
He is Ayukta --ie a doer who is unqualified for acts enjoined by shastras .That is he is engaged in perverse acts ,
He is unrefined--one who is uninstructed ,
He is stubborn --he is not disposed to act
Is depraved --He has a taste for black magic etc and is dishonest and treacherous.
Is indolent --One who is not inclined to carry out the actions undertaken ;
Is despondent --one given to excessive despondency,
is dilatory --Whilst engaged in Black magic pays maleovalent attention to cause long standing evil to others
sloka 29 --Budhi is the knowledge in form of discriminative determination
Dhruthi -is the resolution to hold on with perseverence to what has been undertaken even against all obstacles.
sloka 40 --Bhagwan says that there is no creature either in earth or among gods in heaven that is free from these three gunas born of prakriti.
Brahma down to immobile things have thses three gunas
Sri Krishna explains as to how one can cultivate this sense of non agency by attributing all agency to God the Supreme ruler , the inner ruler.
Why attribute all agency to God?
It is to be attibuted thus because all individual selves belong to Him .The organs, prana and bodies of embodied beings are His.They exist only for the sake of His.sport .That is the only pupose of creation .
Sloka 15--
The Spreme self , the inner ruler seated in the heart of all is the main cause for completing an action .
Now a objection may be raised .If agency of individual self is dependant on Supremeself then individual self cannot be charged with moral responsibility.Then shastras containing do's and dont's --injunction and prohibition become useless,as the individual self is not acting by itself in regard to any action.
Vedanta answers this -
Body, senses gunas etc are granted by Supreme self to individual self , who is thus empowered and supported by Supreme self .However it is the individual self of his own free will begins directing senses etc for performing actions conditioned by his body and organs.
The Supreme self abiding within causes individual self to act only by granting His permission .eg A rock is moved by several labourers .There is collective responsibility as well as individual responsibility .So each self is answerable to nature in form of negative and positive commandments .
Sri Krishna expands on knowledge , acts and agents by dviding them according to three gunas .
sloka 20 --Satvika knowledge of action --The self -atman which is in form of knowledge is alike and uniform in all beings even though externally from point of view of duty be described as Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, householders, celibate, fair, tall etc .
This self is immutable.[unchanging nature].The knowledge of immutablity of the self in all changing beings is Satvika
sloka 21--
.Rajas knowledge of action --A knowledge which at time of work sees differences between Brahmana, tall ,fair etc owing to their bodies is Rajasika .
This is not condemnation of plurality of atma The atma though distinct is uniform everywhere .The bodiky attributes donot affect it .The knowledge lacking this understanding is Rajasika.
sloka 22-- Tamasika knowledge of action sees differences in nature of atmas.
Sloka 28 --Tamasika performer of acts --
He is Ayukta --ie a doer who is unqualified for acts enjoined by shastras .That is he is engaged in perverse acts ,
He is unrefined--one who is uninstructed ,
He is stubborn --he is not disposed to act
Is depraved --He has a taste for black magic etc and is dishonest and treacherous.
Is indolent --One who is not inclined to carry out the actions undertaken ;
Is despondent --one given to excessive despondency,
is dilatory --Whilst engaged in Black magic pays maleovalent attention to cause long standing evil to others
sloka 29 --Budhi is the knowledge in form of discriminative determination
Dhruthi -is the resolution to hold on with perseverence to what has been undertaken even against all obstacles.
sloka 40 --Bhagwan says that there is no creature either in earth or among gods in heaven that is free from these three gunas born of prakriti.
Brahma down to immobile things have thses three gunas
The duties of four stations or varna are also determined by Gunas --
sloka 42--Duties of Brahmanas born of inherent nature --
Sama-control of external organs,
dama-control of mind
tapas --chastisement of body by controlling enjoyments as enjoined by the shastras
sauca--is fitness for performing acts as per shastras,
kshanthi --is preserving composure of mind though injured by others ,
arjava--is straightforwardness.Expressing exactly what is in one's mind to others.
gyana--is knowledge about real nature of lower and upper truths,
vijgyana--is knowledge pertaining to exceptional attributes belonging to Supreme Reality,
Astikya --is firm faith .It is conviction in truth of all things enjoined in the Vedas .It is unshakable by any reason what so ever.
Astikya is positive conviction in the truth to the following effect--
1.Lord Vasudeva ,Purushotama,the Supreme person is signified by the term Supreme Brahman
2He is devoid of evil,
3.He possesses countless auspicious and excellent attributes like knowledge , strength etc
4.To reveal His nature is sole purpose of the whole of Vedas and Vedanata and He can be known only through them ,
5He is sole cause of universe,
6.He is the foundation of the entire universe
7.He is the actuaor of all
8.All actions taught in the Vedas form His worship ,
9.When worshipped throgh them He confers fruits known as Dharma,Artha, Kama and Moksha.
The above explanation is found in various slokas of Gita .
Duties of Kshatriya born of inherent nature --
sloka 43--
Valour --ability of plunging in battle without fear,
invincibility --is capacity to remain undefeated by others ,
steadiness --is the capacity to complete a work that has been started despite obstacles,
adroitness -is ability in executing all works,
apalayana-is not fleeing in battle though convinced of one's death,
generosity -is parting with one's own possessions to others even to its entriety,
lordliness -is capacity to govern all others.
Duties of vaisyas and sudras born of inherent nature --
sloka 44
Agriculture, cattle rearing ,trade is duty of Vaisya .Trade --is the activity causing amassing of wealth through buying and .selling, Sudras duty and occupation is to serve all other three orders.
Occupation of brahmanas is officiating as priest in sacrifises, teaching the Vedas and receiving gifts.
Occupation of Kshatriya is protecting the people.
The occupational activities of the four stations are auxiliary to the performances of sacrifises etc .which are ordained by the shastras.Sacrifises are common to first three stations .
sloka 47 --"Better in one's duty though ill done than the duty of another ,though well performed .When one does the duty ordained by his own nature , he incurs no sin "
One's proper Dharma is that which is suitable for performance by oneself --viz -Karma yoga , in the form of worshipping Bhagwan , by relinquishing agency etc .For Karma Yoga consisting in activities of sense organs is easy to perform by one .
Thus karma yoga even if it is defective in some respects , it is better than another yoga ie gyana yoga .Even if a person is capable of controlling the senses and therefore fit to perform gyana yoga,he is how ever liable to stray and deflect .
That is Karma yoga viz -one's actions , works as per one's station and stage in life is better than the other --which is practising gyana yoga or trying to realise self by total control of senses.
Karma yoga consists of activities of sense organs as is ordained by nature as self is conjoined with body.This is natural state and no sin occurs .But gyana yoga requires control of senses from the beginning and any lapse would lead to a stain .
Hence karma yoga is the natural and the best method to realise the self .
sloka 48 -Imperfect practise of both karma yoga and gyana yoga cause pain .However the pain caused owing to flawed practise of karma yoga is lesser than the pain arising out of flawed practise of gyana yoga .
sloka 54 -''Having realised the state of Brahman .tranquil, he neither grieves nor craves .Regarding all beings alike, he attains supreme devotion to Me "
'Having realised the state of Brahman' means [Bramha bhuthaha ] having got an understanding of the nature of Self as consisting unlimited knowledge and of it being a sesha [subservient] to Bhagwan,
This subservience is alreday sttaed in chap 7 sloka 5-"Know that which is other than this [prakriti or low nature ] to be the higher prakriti of mine ,
"Attains supreme devotion or bhakthi for Me " means the devotee attains supreme bhakthi which is in a form of experience which makes Me dear beyond all descriptions -Me -The lord of all , to whom creation, protection and dissolution of univerese is a sport ,who Am devoid of slightest trace of evil ,is seat of innumerable auspicious qualities ,attributes , who Am a ocean of elixir of beauty , who Am the Lord of Sri ,who Am lotus eyed and who Am self's own Lord !
The fruits of devotion is declared
sloka 55 --He attains me by infinite and unsurpassed bhakthi which develops subsequent in time to the vision of nature , attributes and glory of Bhagwan in reality
sloka 56 --The purpose of doing daily and occasional rituals have no effect except as purifier of the self .Hence even desire -oriented rituals if performed without any attachment to the fruits become means to purify the self.
Sri Krishna tells about inner dweller and Maya and how to get rid of maya .
sloka 61 --Lord Vasudeva [ishwara] who is the ruler of all lives in the heart of all beings ie from the region which arises all knowledge,which is the root of all secular and religious activities .He does this by Maya .Maya is like a whirling machine in the form of body and senses created by Himself to act in accordance with thier Gunas .
He now explains the way to get rid of Maya--.
sloka 62--Take refuge in Me with all your heart --[sarvabhavane,]
and by every disposition of your body, senses and mind in Him the ruler of all -[-sarvatama]
Katho upanishad says "He reaches the end of the journey and reaches the abode of Vishnu".Thus several 100's of srutis declare this .
sloka 42--Duties of Brahmanas born of inherent nature --
Sama-control of external organs,
dama-control of mind
tapas --chastisement of body by controlling enjoyments as enjoined by the shastras
sauca--is fitness for performing acts as per shastras,
kshanthi --is preserving composure of mind though injured by others ,
arjava--is straightforwardness.Expressing exactly what is in one's mind to others.
gyana--is knowledge about real nature of lower and upper truths,
vijgyana--is knowledge pertaining to exceptional attributes belonging to Supreme Reality,
Astikya --is firm faith .It is conviction in truth of all things enjoined in the Vedas .It is unshakable by any reason what so ever.
Astikya is positive conviction in the truth to the following effect--
1.Lord Vasudeva ,Purushotama,the Supreme person is signified by the term Supreme Brahman
2He is devoid of evil,
3.He possesses countless auspicious and excellent attributes like knowledge , strength etc
4.To reveal His nature is sole purpose of the whole of Vedas and Vedanata and He can be known only through them ,
5He is sole cause of universe,
6.He is the foundation of the entire universe
7.He is the actuaor of all
8.All actions taught in the Vedas form His worship ,
9.When worshipped throgh them He confers fruits known as Dharma,Artha, Kama and Moksha.
The above explanation is found in various slokas of Gita .
Duties of Kshatriya born of inherent nature --
sloka 43--
Valour --ability of plunging in battle without fear,
invincibility --is capacity to remain undefeated by others ,
steadiness --is the capacity to complete a work that has been started despite obstacles,
adroitness -is ability in executing all works,
apalayana-is not fleeing in battle though convinced of one's death,
generosity -is parting with one's own possessions to others even to its entriety,
lordliness -is capacity to govern all others.
Duties of vaisyas and sudras born of inherent nature --
sloka 44
Agriculture, cattle rearing ,trade is duty of Vaisya .Trade --is the activity causing amassing of wealth through buying and .selling, Sudras duty and occupation is to serve all other three orders.
Occupation of brahmanas is officiating as priest in sacrifises, teaching the Vedas and receiving gifts.
Occupation of Kshatriya is protecting the people.
The occupational activities of the four stations are auxiliary to the performances of sacrifises etc .which are ordained by the shastras.Sacrifises are common to first three stations .
sloka 47 --"Better in one's duty though ill done than the duty of another ,though well performed .When one does the duty ordained by his own nature , he incurs no sin "
One's proper Dharma is that which is suitable for performance by oneself --viz -Karma yoga , in the form of worshipping Bhagwan , by relinquishing agency etc .For Karma Yoga consisting in activities of sense organs is easy to perform by one .
Thus karma yoga even if it is defective in some respects , it is better than another yoga ie gyana yoga .Even if a person is capable of controlling the senses and therefore fit to perform gyana yoga,he is how ever liable to stray and deflect .
That is Karma yoga viz -one's actions , works as per one's station and stage in life is better than the other --which is practising gyana yoga or trying to realise self by total control of senses.
Karma yoga consists of activities of sense organs as is ordained by nature as self is conjoined with body.This is natural state and no sin occurs .But gyana yoga requires control of senses from the beginning and any lapse would lead to a stain .
Hence karma yoga is the natural and the best method to realise the self .
sloka 48 -Imperfect practise of both karma yoga and gyana yoga cause pain .However the pain caused owing to flawed practise of karma yoga is lesser than the pain arising out of flawed practise of gyana yoga .
sloka 54 -''Having realised the state of Brahman .tranquil, he neither grieves nor craves .Regarding all beings alike, he attains supreme devotion to Me "
'Having realised the state of Brahman' means [Bramha bhuthaha ] having got an understanding of the nature of Self as consisting unlimited knowledge and of it being a sesha [subservient] to Bhagwan,
This subservience is alreday sttaed in chap 7 sloka 5-"Know that which is other than this [prakriti or low nature ] to be the higher prakriti of mine ,
"Attains supreme devotion or bhakthi for Me " means the devotee attains supreme bhakthi which is in a form of experience which makes Me dear beyond all descriptions -Me -The lord of all , to whom creation, protection and dissolution of univerese is a sport ,who Am devoid of slightest trace of evil ,is seat of innumerable auspicious qualities ,attributes , who Am a ocean of elixir of beauty , who Am the Lord of Sri ,who Am lotus eyed and who Am self's own Lord !
The fruits of devotion is declared
sloka 55 --He attains me by infinite and unsurpassed bhakthi which develops subsequent in time to the vision of nature , attributes and glory of Bhagwan in reality
sloka 56 --The purpose of doing daily and occasional rituals have no effect except as purifier of the self .Hence even desire -oriented rituals if performed without any attachment to the fruits become means to purify the self.
Sri Krishna tells about inner dweller and Maya and how to get rid of maya .
sloka 61 --Lord Vasudeva [ishwara] who is the ruler of all lives in the heart of all beings ie from the region which arises all knowledge,which is the root of all secular and religious activities .He does this by Maya .Maya is like a whirling machine in the form of body and senses created by Himself to act in accordance with thier Gunas .
He now explains the way to get rid of Maya--.
sloka 62--Take refuge in Me with all your heart --[sarvabhavane,]
and by every disposition of your body, senses and mind in Him the ruler of all -[-sarvatama]
Katho upanishad says "He reaches the end of the journey and reaches the abode of Vishnu".Thus several 100's of srutis declare this .
Sloka 66 --Sarva dharman parithyajaya mamekam sharanam vraja/
Aham tva .sarva papebhyo moksayi syami ma suchaha//
Completetly relinquishing all dharmas seek Me alone for refuge .I wil release you from all sins .Grieve not .
Relinquishing all dharmas means the complete relinquishment of the sense of agency , possessivness to actions , fruits of actions etc in the practise of Karma , Gyana and Bhakthi yogas and realising "Me" as the agent , object of worship , the means and ends .
Relinquishment is not abandonment of devotional duties but only the sense of agency and its fruits .This is shastric relinquishment of all dharmas .
In chap 18 .4 Sri Krishna says The relinquishment is with regard to relinquishment of attachment to work and to its fruits only as it is impossible for one who bears a body to abandon acts entirely.
Sins means --All those innumerable acts of nature of doing what ought not to be done and not doing what ought to be done , which have piled up from beginningless time , which are obstacles in attaining Supreme Brahman.
Another alternative explanation given by Ramanujar himself is--
To commence and succeed in Bhakthi yoga one must be free of all evils and be exceedingly devoted to, Bhagwan .
Arjuna says that he is very devoted to Vasudeva but his evils [karmas] are so huge that expiatory rituals like Chandrayana, Agnistoma rituals etc to wash them off is not possible to be performed in his life span and therefore thought himself to be unfit for Bhakthi yoga .
To remove this grief of Arjuna, Sri Krishna assures Arjuna that if he wholeheartedly takes refuge in Him who is Supremely compassioante, the refuge of all without considering the differences of character among them , and is ocean of tenderness on those who depend upon Him , He will release him from all evil , the nature of which has been expalined as incompatible with commencement of Bhakthi yoga .
He says one need not perform dharma or expiatory ritiuals to be rid of evils .If one takes refuge in Vasudeva He will wash them away .
--The benifits of expounding Gita to devotees .
sloka 68--Who ever expounds the gita will acquire supreme devotion to Sri Krishna and will reach Him .
sloka 69--Such a person pleases Bhagwan .It also means that teaching gita to those who are not worthy to hear it is more displeasing to Bhagwan than not teaching it to those who are worthy,.
sloka 70 --What ever gyana yoga or sacrifise of knowledge is taught here in , by that I shall become worshipped by mere fact of its study.
sloka 71 --A person who listens to Gita taught by a qualified teacher , by such hearing he is released from all evils ,incompatible with devotional life .He will reach the Loka where My devotees of virtuous acts are and who will facilitate the growth of devotion in these new arrivals and lead them to liberation .
sloka 73 .Arjuna states that his delusions are destroyed and with Achyutas [krishnas]grace has gained knowledge
.
Delusion-- is perverted knowledge or misconception that Self is prakriti --[body and mind]which is non self in reality .
This delusion consists of one not apprehending that all intelligent entities by reason of their forming the body of Supreme being , have Him as their atman and thus ensouled by Him .
This delusion also consists of lack of knowledge that actions , obligatory and occasional ,donot cause bondage but actually forms the means of propriation of the Supreme being .
Arjuna says that all such misapprehensions are now destroyed .
The various phases of knowlege that cleared the misunderstanding may be catalouged as follows --
1.The Self is different from Prakriti and is therefore devoid of qualities of Prakriti .Its nature is that of knower of Prakriti .
2.The Self is Sesha [ subordinate and servant] of the Supreme person and is ruled by Him .
3.He is the great ocean of all auspicious , excellent attributes such as knowledge, strength, glory, valour, power, brilliance etc which are infinite and natural .His essence consists solely of auspiciousness .He is antagonistic to all that is evil .The origin, sustenation and dissolution of the entire universe is His sport .
4.You [Sri Krishna ] are Vasudeva , the SupremePerson , known from the vedanta and who can be reached only by worship which has taken form of Bhakthi .
5/,Bhakthi can be achieved by control of sense and the mind, the abandonment of prohibited acts and performance of occasional and obligatory acts solely as with intention to satisfy the Supreme person .
Bhakthi has to be developed day by day through regular practise of the discriminatory knowledge of higher [self]and lower truths[prakriti].
All this has been attained by me [Arjuna] i am cured of my depression arising out of my compassion and love for my relatives .I will perform my duty of fighting which ought to be done by me.
Aham tva .sarva papebhyo moksayi syami ma suchaha//
Completetly relinquishing all dharmas seek Me alone for refuge .I wil release you from all sins .Grieve not .
Relinquishing all dharmas means the complete relinquishment of the sense of agency , possessivness to actions , fruits of actions etc in the practise of Karma , Gyana and Bhakthi yogas and realising "Me" as the agent , object of worship , the means and ends .
Relinquishment is not abandonment of devotional duties but only the sense of agency and its fruits .This is shastric relinquishment of all dharmas .
In chap 18 .4 Sri Krishna says The relinquishment is with regard to relinquishment of attachment to work and to its fruits only as it is impossible for one who bears a body to abandon acts entirely.
Sins means --All those innumerable acts of nature of doing what ought not to be done and not doing what ought to be done , which have piled up from beginningless time , which are obstacles in attaining Supreme Brahman.
Another alternative explanation given by Ramanujar himself is--
To commence and succeed in Bhakthi yoga one must be free of all evils and be exceedingly devoted to, Bhagwan .
Arjuna says that he is very devoted to Vasudeva but his evils [karmas] are so huge that expiatory rituals like Chandrayana, Agnistoma rituals etc to wash them off is not possible to be performed in his life span and therefore thought himself to be unfit for Bhakthi yoga .
To remove this grief of Arjuna, Sri Krishna assures Arjuna that if he wholeheartedly takes refuge in Him who is Supremely compassioante, the refuge of all without considering the differences of character among them , and is ocean of tenderness on those who depend upon Him , He will release him from all evil , the nature of which has been expalined as incompatible with commencement of Bhakthi yoga .
He says one need not perform dharma or expiatory ritiuals to be rid of evils .If one takes refuge in Vasudeva He will wash them away .
--The benifits of expounding Gita to devotees .
sloka 68--Who ever expounds the gita will acquire supreme devotion to Sri Krishna and will reach Him .
sloka 69--Such a person pleases Bhagwan .It also means that teaching gita to those who are not worthy to hear it is more displeasing to Bhagwan than not teaching it to those who are worthy,.
sloka 70 --What ever gyana yoga or sacrifise of knowledge is taught here in , by that I shall become worshipped by mere fact of its study.
sloka 71 --A person who listens to Gita taught by a qualified teacher , by such hearing he is released from all evils ,incompatible with devotional life .He will reach the Loka where My devotees of virtuous acts are and who will facilitate the growth of devotion in these new arrivals and lead them to liberation .
sloka 73 .Arjuna states that his delusions are destroyed and with Achyutas [krishnas]grace has gained knowledge
.
Delusion-- is perverted knowledge or misconception that Self is prakriti --[body and mind]which is non self in reality .
This delusion consists of one not apprehending that all intelligent entities by reason of their forming the body of Supreme being , have Him as their atman and thus ensouled by Him .
This delusion also consists of lack of knowledge that actions , obligatory and occasional ,donot cause bondage but actually forms the means of propriation of the Supreme being .
Arjuna says that all such misapprehensions are now destroyed .
The various phases of knowlege that cleared the misunderstanding may be catalouged as follows --
1.The Self is different from Prakriti and is therefore devoid of qualities of Prakriti .Its nature is that of knower of Prakriti .
2.The Self is Sesha [ subordinate and servant] of the Supreme person and is ruled by Him .
3.He is the great ocean of all auspicious , excellent attributes such as knowledge, strength, glory, valour, power, brilliance etc which are infinite and natural .His essence consists solely of auspiciousness .He is antagonistic to all that is evil .The origin, sustenation and dissolution of the entire universe is His sport .
4.You [Sri Krishna ] are Vasudeva , the SupremePerson , known from the vedanta and who can be reached only by worship which has taken form of Bhakthi .
5/,Bhakthi can be achieved by control of sense and the mind, the abandonment of prohibited acts and performance of occasional and obligatory acts solely as with intention to satisfy the Supreme person .
Bhakthi has to be developed day by day through regular practise of the discriminatory knowledge of higher [self]and lower truths[prakriti].
All this has been attained by me [Arjuna] i am cured of my depression arising out of my compassion and love for my relatives .I will perform my duty of fighting which ought to be done by me.
**************************************
Reference -=-Sri Ramanuja -Gita Bhashya -------Text and translation by Swami Adidevananda
Reference -=-Sri Ramanuja -Gita Bhashya -------Text and translation by Swami Adidevananda
,
to be contd
Labels: Sri Vaishnavism
posted by K.C. Sujata at
3:56 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home