Oct/01 INTRODUCTION
The Gita is a doctrine of
universal truth. Its message is universal, sublime, and non-sectarian
although it is a part of the scriptural trinity of Sanaatana Dharma, commonly
known as Hinduism. The Gita is very easy to understand in any language for a
mature mind. A repeated reading with faith will reveal all the sublime ideas
contained in it. A few abstruse statements are interspersed here and there but
they have no direct bearing on practical issues or the central theme of Gita.
The Gita deals with the most sacred metaphysical science. It imparts the
knowledge of the Self and answers two universal questions: Who am I, and how
can I lead a happy and peaceful life in this world of dualities. It is a book
of yoga, the moral and spiritual growth, for mankind based on the cardinal
principles of the Hindu religion.
The message of the Gita came to
humanity because of Arjuna’s unwillingness to do his duty as a warrior because
fighting involved destruction and killing. Nonviolence or Ahimsa is one of
the most fundamental tenets of Hinduism. All lives, human or non-human, are
sacred. This immortal discourse between the Supreme Lord, Krishna, and His
devotee-friend, Arjuna, occurs not in a temple, a secluded forest, or on a
mountain top but on a battlefield on the eve of a war and is recorded in the
great epic, Mahaabhaarata. In the Gita Lord Krishna advises Arjuna to get up
and fight. This may create a misunderstanding of the principles of Ahimsa if
the background of the war of Mahaabhaarata is not kept in mind. Therefore, a
brief historical description is in order.
In ancient times there was a
king who had two sons, Dhritaraashtra and Paandu. The former was born blind,
therefore, Paandu inherited the kingdom. Paandu had five sons. They were
called the Paandavs. Dhritaraashtra had one hundred sons. They were called the
Kauravs. Duryodhana was the eldest of the Kauravs.
After the death of king Paandu,
the eldest son of Paandu became the lawful King. Duryodhana was a very jealous
person. He also wanted the kingdom. The kingdom was divided into two halves
between the Paandavs and the Kauravs.
Duryodhana was not satisfied with his share of the kingdom. He wanted
the entire kingdom for himself. He unsuccessfully planned several foul plots to
kill the Paandavs and take away their kingdom. He unlawfully took possession of
the entire kingdom of the Paandavs and refused to give back even an acre of
land without a war. All mediation by Lord Krishna and others failed. The big war
of Mahaabhaarata was thus inevitable. The Paandavs were unwilling participants.
They had only two choices: Fight for their right as a matter of duty or run
away from war and accept defeat in the name of peace and nonviolence. Arjuna,
one of the five Paandava brothers, faced the dilemma in the battlefield whether
to fight, or run away from war for the sake of peace.
Arjuna’s dilemma is, in reality,
the universal dilemma. Every human being faces dilemmas, big and small, in
their everyday life when performing their duties. Arjuna’s dilemma was a big
one. He had to make a choice between fighting the war and killing his most
revered guru who was on the other side, very dear friends, close relatives, and
many innocent warriors; or running away from the battlefield for the sake of
preserving the peace and nonviolence. The entire seven hundred verses of the
Gita is a discourse between Lord Krishna and the confused Arjuna on the
battlefield of Kurukshetra near New Delhi, India, in about 3,100 years BCE.
This discourse was narrated to the blind king, Dhritaraashtr, by his
charioteer, Sanjaya, as an eyewitness war report.
The main objective of the Gita
is to help people ¾
struggling in the darkness of ignorance ¾
cross the ocean of transmigration and reach the spiritual shore of liberation
while living and working in the society. The central teaching of the Gita is
the attainment of freedom or happiness from the bondage of life by doing one’s
duty. Always remember the glory and greatness of the creator and do your duty
efficiently without being attached to or affected by the results even if that
duty may at times demand unavoidable violence. Some people neglect or give up
their duty in life for the sake of a spiritual life while others excuse themselves
from spiritual practices because they believe that they have no time. The
Lord’s message is to sanctify the entire living process itself. Whatever a
person does or thinks ought to be done for the glory and satisfaction of the
Maker. No effort or cost is necessary for this process. Do your duty as a
service to the Lord and humanity, and see God alone in everything in a
spiritual frame of mind. In order to gain such a spiritual frame of mind, personal
discipline, austerity, penance, good conduct, selfless service, yogic
practices, meditation, worship, prayer, rituals, and study of scriptures, as
well as the company of holy persons, pilgrimage, chanting of the holy names of
God, and Self-inquiry are needed to purify the body, mind, and intellect. One
must learn to give up lust, anger, greed, and establish mastery over the mind
and five senses (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell) by the purified intellect.
One should always remember that all works are done by the energy of nature and
that he or she is not the doer but only an instrument. One must strive for
excellence in all undertakings but maintain equanimity in success and failure,
gain and loss, and pain and pleasure.
The ignorance of metaphysical
knowledge is humanity’s greatest predicament. A scripture, being the voice of
transcendence, cannot be translated. Language is incapable and translations are
defective to clearly impart the knowledge of the Absolute. In this rendering,
an attempt has been made to keep the style as close as possible to the original
Sanskrit poetry and yet make it easy to read and understand. An attempt has
been made to improve the clarity by adding words or phrases, within
parenthesis, in the English translation of the verses. A glossary and index
have been included. One hundred and thirty-three (133) key verses are printed
in pink for the convenience of beginners. We
suggest all our readers to ponder, contemplate, and act upon these verses. The
beginners and the busy executives should first read and understand the meaning
of these key verses before delving deep into the bottomless ocean of transcendental
knowledge of the Gita.
According to the scriptures, no
sin, however heinous, can affect one who reads, ponders, and practices the
teachings of Gita any more than water affects the lotus leaf. The Lord Himself
resides where Gita is kept, read, chanted, or taught. The Gita is the knowledge
Supreme and the sound embodiment of the Absolute and the Eternal. One who
reads, ponders, and practices the teachings of Gita with faith and devotion will
attain Moksha (or Nirvana) by the grace of God.
This book is dedicated to all
the gurus whose blessings, grace, and teachings have been invaluable. It is
offered to the greatest Guru, Lord Krishna, with love and devotion. May the
Lord accept it, and bless those who repeatedly read this with peace, happiness,
and the true knowledge of the Self.
AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES
of
The
International Gita Society
www.gita-society.com
The
International Gita Society (IGS) is a registered, non-profit,
tax-exempt, spiritual institution in the United States of America under Section
501(c) (3) of the IRS Code. It was founded in 1984 to enlighten and serve the
humanity through the medium of the Bhagavad-Gita. The Aims and
Objectives of IGS include the following:
1. To publish the
Bhagavad-Gita in English and other languages and distribute it at a nominal
subsidized cost, and put the Gita in libraries, hospitals, hotels, motels, and other public places
throughout the world, starting from India and the USA, similar to what the
International Bible Society has done for the Bible all over the world.
2. To Spread the basic
Non-sectarian Universal Teachings of Shrimad Bhagavad-Gita and other Vedic
scriptures in an easy to understand language by establishing branches of the Society in other countries
to be named as: International Gita Society (IGS). The membership to the
Society will be free, and open to all.
3. To provide support, and
guidance in establishing Gita Study and Discussion (Satsang) Groups, and
provide free Gita correspondence course to the youth, students, busy
executives and other interested
persons.
4. To provide inspiration,
cooperation, and support to persons and non-profit organizations
engaged in the study and propagation of the Vedic knowledge; and to arrange
lectures, seminars, and short courses on meditation, yoga, and metaphysical
sciences.
5. To
break the barriers between faiths, and establish unity of races, religions
castes, and creeds through the immortal non-sectarian teachings
of the Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, Ramayana, as well as other major world
scriptures such as the Dhammapada, the Bible, and the Koran; and to promote the
Universal Brotherhood of Humankind.
Readers interested in promoting the ideals of the society are
invited to correspond with the
secretary: gita@gita-society.com
The International Gita Society
511 Lowell Place
Fremont, California 94536-1805 117, USA
LIST OF
ABBREVIATIONS
AiU Aitareya Upanishad
AV Atharvaveda
BP Bhagavata Maha Purana
BrU Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
BS BrahmaSutra
ChU Chaandogya Upanishad
DB Devi Bhagavatam
IsU Ishavasya Upanishad
KaU Katha Upanishad
KeU Kena Upanishad
MaU Mandukya Upanishad
MB Mahabharata
MS Manu Smriti
MuU Mundaka Upanishad
NBS Narada BhaktiSutra
PrU Prashna Upanishad
PYS Patanjali YogaSutra
RV Rigveda
SBS Shandilya BhaktiSutra
ShU Shvetashvatara Upanishad
SV Samaveda
TaU Taittiriya Upanishad
TR Tulasi Ramayana
VP Vishnu Purana
VR Valmiki Ramayanam
YV Yajurveda, Vajasaneyi Samhita
CHAPTER 1
ARJUNA’S DILEMMA
Let noble thoughts
come to us from everywhere
¾ The Vedas
The war of
Mahaabhaarata has begun after all negotiations by Lord Krishna and others to
avoid it failed. The blind King (Dhritaraashtra) was never very sure about the
victory of his sons (Kauravas) in spite of their superior army. Sage Vyasa, the
author of Mahaabhaarata, wanted to give the blind king the boon of eyesight so
that the king could see the horrors of the war for which he was primarily
responsible. But the king refused the offer. He did not want to see the horrors
of the war; but preferred to get the war report through his charioteer,
Sanjaya. Sage Vyasa granted the power of clairvoyance and clairvision to
Sanjaya. With this power Sanjaya could see, hear and recall the events of the
past, present, and the future. He was able to give an instant replay of the
eye-witness war report to the blind King sitting in the palace.
Bhishma,
the mightiest man and the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava’s army, is disabled
by Arjuna and dying on the battleground on the tenth day of the eighteen-day
war. Upon hearing this bad news from Sanjaya, the blind King loses all hope for
victory by his sons. Now the King wants to know the details of the war from the
beginning, including how the mightiest man, the commander-in-chief of his
superior army ¾
who had a boon of dying at his own will ¾ was defeated in the
battlefield. The teaching of the Gita begins with the inquiry of the blind
King, after Sanjaya described how Bhishma was defeated, as follows:
The King inquired: Sanjaya, please now tell me, in details,
what did my people (the Kauravas) and the Pandavas do in the battlefield before
the war started? (1.01)
Sanjaya said: O King, After seeing the battle formation of the
Pandava’s army, your son approached his guru and spoke these words: (1.02)
O Master, behold this mighty army of the Pandavas, arranged in
battle formation by your other talented disciple! There are many great
warriors, valiant men, heroes, and mighty archers. (1.03-06)
INTRODUCTION
OF THE ARMY COMMANDERS
Also there are many heroes on my side who have risked their
lives for me. I shall name a few distinguished commanders of my army for your
information. He named all the officers of his army and said: They are armed
with various weapons and are skilled in warfare. (1.07-09)
The army protecting our commander-in-chief is insufficient,
whereas my archrival on the other side is well protected. Therefore all of you,
occupying your respective positions, protect our commander-in-chief. (1.10-11)
WAR STARTS
WITH THE BLOWING OF CONCH SHELLS
The mighty commander-in-chief and the eldest man of the dynasty
roared as a lion and blew his conch loudly, bringing joy to your son. (1.12)
Soon after that; conches, kettledrums, cymbals, drums, and
trumpets were sounded together. The commotion was tremendous. (1.13)
After that, Lord Krishna and Arjuna, seated in a grand chariot
yoked with white horses, blew their celestial conches. (1.14)
Krishna blew His conch; then Arjuna and all other commanders of
various divisions of the army of Pandavas blew their respective conches. The
tumultuous uproar, resounding through the earth and sky, tore the hearts of
your sons. (1.15-19)
ARJUNA WANTS TO INSPECT THE ARMY AGAINST WHOM HE IS ABOUT TO
FIGHT
Seeing your sons standing and the war about to begin with the
hurling of weapons; Arjuna, took up his bow and spoke these words to Lord
Krishna: O Lord, please stop my chariot between the two armies until I behold
those who stand here eager for the battle and with whom I must engage in this
act of war. (1.20-22)
I wish to see those who are willing to serve and appease the
evil-minded Kauravas by assembling here to fight the battle. (1.23)
Sanjaya said: O King, Lord Krishna, as requested by Arjuna,
placed the best of all the chariots in the midst of the two armies facing
Arjuna's grandfather, his guru and all other Kings, and said to Arjuna: Behold
these assembled soldiers! (1.24-25)
Arjuna saw his uncles, grandfathers, teachers, maternal uncles,
brothers, sons, grandsons, and other comrades in the army. (1.26)
ARJUNA'S
DILEMMA
After seeing fathers-in-law, companions, and all his kinsmen
standing in the ranks of the two armies, Arjuna was overcome with great
compassion and sorrowfully spoke these words: O Krishna, seeing my kinsmen
standing with a desire to fight, my limbs fail and my mouth becomes dry. My
body quivers and my hairs stand on end. (1.27-29)
The bow slips from my hand and my skin intensely burns. My head
turns, I am unable to stand steady, and O Krishna, I see bad omens. I see no
use of killing my kinsmen in battle. (1.30-31)
I desire neither victory nor pleasure nor kingdom, O Krishna.
What is the use of the kingdom or enjoyment, or even life, O Krishna; because
all those ¾
for whom we desire kingdom, enjoyments, and pleasures ¾ are standing here for the
battle, giving up their lives? (1.32-33)
I do not wish to kill my teachers, uncles, sons, grandfathers,
maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, and other
relatives who are about to kill us, even for the sovereignty of the three
worlds, let alone for this earthly kingdom, O Krishna. (1.34-35)
O Lord Krishna, what pleasure shall we find in killing our
cousin brothers? Upon killing these felons, we shall incur only sin. (1.36)
Therefore, we should not kill our cousin brothers. How can we
be happy after killing our relatives, O Krishna? (1.37)
Though they are blinded by greed and do not see evil in the
destruction of the family or sin in being treacherous to friends, why we, who
clearly see evil in the destruction of the family, should not think about
turning away from this sin, O Krishna? (1.38-39)
ARJUNA
DESCRIBES THE EVILS OF WAR
Eternal family traditions and codes of moral conduct are
destroyed with the destruction of (the head of the) family in a war. And
immorality prevails in the family due to the destruction of family traditions.
(1.40)
And when immorality prevails, O Krishna, people become
corrupted. And when people are corrupted, unwanted progeny is born. (1.41)
This brings the family and the slayers of the family to hell
because the spirits of their ancestors are degraded when deprived of ceremonial
offerings of love and respect by the unwanted progeny. (1.42)
The everlasting qualities of social order and family traditions
of those who destroy their family are ruined by the sinful act of illegitimacy.
(1.43)
We have been told, O Krishna, that people whose family
traditions are destroyed necessarily dwell in hell for a long time. (1.44)
Alas! We are ready to commit a great sin by striving to slay
our relatives because of greed for the pleasures of the kingdom. (1.45)
It would be far better for me if my cousin brothers kill me
with their weapons in battle while I am unarmed and unresisting. (1.46)
WHEN THE
GOING GETS TOUGH, EVEN TOUGH ONES CAN GET DELUDED
Sanjaya said: Having said this in the battlefield and casting
aside his bow and arrow, Arjuna sat down on the seat of the chariot with his
mind overwhelmed with sorrow. (1.47)
It is said
Arjuna was deluded by the will of Lord Krishna, the God, for the purpose of
manifesting the teachings of the Gita, meant to enlighten and console
bewildered souls.
CHAPTER 2
TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE
Sanjaya said: Lord Krishna spoke these words to Arjuna whose eyes
were tearful and downcast, and who was overwhelmed with compassion and
despair. (2.01)
Lord Krishna said: How has the dejection come to you at this
juncture? This is not fit for a person of noble mind and deeds. It is
disgraceful, and it does not lead one to heaven, O Arjuna. (2.02)
Do not become a coward, O Arjuna; because it does not befit
you. Shake off this trivial weakness of your heart and get up for the battle, O
Arjuna. (2.03)
ARJUNA CONTINUES HIS REASONING
AGAINST THE WAR
Arjuna said: How shall I strike my grandfather, my guru, and
all other relatives ¾ who are worthy of my
respect ¾ with arrows in battle, O Krishna? (2.04)
Arjuna had
a valid point. In Vedic culture, gurus, the elderly, honorable personalities,
and all other superiors are to be respected. One should not fight or even joke
or speak sarcastically with superiors,
even if they hurt you. But the scriptures also say that anyone who is engaged
in abominable activities or supports misdeeds against you or others, is no
longer to be respected, but punished.
It would be better, indeed, to live on alms in this world than
to slay these noble personalities because by killing them I would enjoy wealth
and pleasures stained with their blood. (2.05)
We do not know which alternative ¾ to fight or to quit ¾ is
better for us. Further, we do not know whether we shall conquer them or they
will conquer us. We should not even wish to live after killing our cousin
brothers who are standing in front of us. (2.06)
Arjuna was
unable to decide what to do. It is said that expert guidance of a guru, the
spiritual counselor, should be sought during a moment of crisis or to overcome
the perplexities of life. Arjuna now requests Krishna for guidance:
My senses are overcome by the weakness of pity, and my mind is
confused about duty (Dharma). Please tell me what is better for me. I am Your
disciple, and I take refuge in You. (2.07)
NOTE:
'Dharma' may be defined as the eternal law governing, upholding, and
supporting creation and the world order. It is the eternal relationship between
the creator and His creatures. It also means way of life, doctrine, principle,
prescribed duty, righteousness, right action, integrity, ideal conduct, custom,
virtue, nature, essential quality, commandments, moral principles, spiritual
truth, spirituality, spiritual values, and a function within the scriptural
injunction or religion.
I do not perceive that gaining an unrivaled and prosperous
kingdom on this earth, or even lordship over all the celestial controllers will
remove the sorrow that is drying up my senses. (2.08)
Sanjaya said: O King, after speaking like this to Lord Krishna,
the mighty Arjuna said to Krishna: I shall not fight, and became silent. (2.09)
O King, Lord Krishna, as if smiling, spoke these words to the
distressed Arjuna in the midst of the two armies. (2.10)
THE TEACHINGS OF THE GITA
BEGIN WITH THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF THE
SELF AND THE PHYSICAL BODY
Lord Krishna said: You grieve for
those who are not worthy of grief and yet speak words of wisdom. The wise grieve
neither for the living nor for the dead. (2.11)
People
meet and depart in this world as two pieces of wood flowing down the river come
together and then separate from each other (MB 12.174.15). The wise who know
that the body is mortal and the Spirit is immortal have nothing to moan about
(KaU 2.22).
NOTE: The
Self (or Atma) is also called soul or consciousness and is the source of life
and the cosmic power behind the body-mind complex. Just as our body exists in
space, similarly, our thoughts, intellect, emotions, and psyche exist in the
Self, the space of consciousness. Self cannot be perceived by our physical
senses because Self is beyond the domain of the senses. The senses were
designed only to comprehend physical objects.
The word
“Atma” has been also used in the “Gita” for the lower self (body, mind, and
senses), psyche, intellect, soul, spirit, subtle senses, oneself, ego, heart,
human beings, Eternal Being (Brahma), Absolute Truth, individual soul, and the
supersoul or the supreme Self, depending on the context.
There was never a time when these monarchs, you, or I did not
exist, nor shall we ever cease to exist in the future. (2.12)
Just as the soul acquires a
childhood body, a youth body, and an old age body during this life, similarly,
the soul acquires another body after death. This should not delude the wise.
(See also 15.08) (2.13)
The contacts of the senses with sense objects give rise to the
feelings of heat and cold, and pain and pleasure. They are transitory and
impermanent. Therefore, one should learn to endure them bravely. (2.14)
Because a calm person ¾ who is not afflicted by
these sense objects and is steady in pain and pleasure ¾ becomes fit for
salvation. (2.15)
Nothing can hurt one if the mind
can be trained to withstand the impulse of the pairs of opposites ¾ joys
and sorrows, pains and pleasures, loss and gain. The phenomenal world cannot
exist without the pairs of opposites. Good and evil, pain and pleasure will
always exist. The universe is a playground designed by God for the living
entities. It takes two to play a game. The game cannot continue if the pairs of
opposites are altogether eliminated. Before one can feel joy, one must know
sorrow. Both negative and positive experiences are needed for our growth and spiritual
development. Cessation of pain brings pleasure, and cessation of pleasure
results in pain. Thus, pain is born in the womb of pleasure. Peace is born in
the womb of war. Sorrow exists because the desire for happiness exists. When
the desire for happiness disappears, so does the sorrow. Sorrow is only a
prelude to happiness and vice versa. Even the joy of going to heaven is
followed by the sorrow of coming back to the earth; therefore, worldly objects
should not be the main goal of human life. If one chooses material pleasures,
it is like giving up nectar and choosing poison instead.
Change is
the law of nature— change from summer to winter, from spring to fall, from the
light of the full moon to the darkness of the new moon. Neither pain nor pleasure
lasts forever. Pleasure comes after pain, and pain is followed again by
pleasure. Reflecting like this, one must learn to tolerate the blows of time
with patience and learn not only to endure but also to expect, welcome, and
enjoy both the joys as well as the sorrows of life. Sow the seed of hope in the
soil of sorrow. Find your way in the darkness of the night of adversity with
the torch of the scriptures and faith in God. There would be no opportunities
if there were no problems. Einstein said: Opportunity lies in the middle of
difficulties.
THE SELF
IS ETERNAL, BODY IS TRANSITORY
The invisible Self (Atma, Atman, the soul, spirit, the
life-force) is eternal. The visible physical body is transitory, and it
undergoes changes. The reality of these two is indeed certainly seen by the
seer of the truth who knows that we are not this body, but the Atma. (2.16)
The Self
exists everywhere and at all times — past, present, and future. The human body
and the universe both have a temporary existence, but appear permanent at first
sight. Webster defines Atman or Atma as the 'World Soul' from which all souls
derive and the Supreme Abode to which they return. Atma is also called
‘Jivatma’ or ‘Jiva’, which is the ultimate source of all individual selves. We
have used the English words: Self, Spirit, spirit, soul, or individual soul
interchangeably for different aspects of Atma.
Our
physical body is subject to birth, growth, maturity, reproduction, decay, and
death; whereas the Self is eternal, indestructible, pure, unique, all knower,
substratum, unchangeable, self-luminous, the cause of all causes, all
pervading, unaffectable, immutable, and inexplicable.
The Spirit by whom this entire universe is pervaded, is
indestructible. No one can destroy the imperishable Spirit. (2.17)
The physical bodies of the eternal, immutable, and
incomprehensible Spirit are mortal. Spirit (Atma) is immortal. Therefore, as a
warrior, you must fight, O Arjuna. (2.18)
One who thinks that the Spirit is
a slayer, and one who thinks the Spirit is slain both are ignorant because the
Spirit neither slays nor is slain. (2.19)
The Spirit is neither born, nor does it die at any time. It
does not come into being or cease to exist. It is unborn, eternal, permanent,
and primeval. The Spirit is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. (2.20)
O Arjuna, how can a person who knows that the Spirit is
indestructible, eternal, unborn, and immutable, kill anyone or causes anyone
to be killed? (2.21)
DEATH AND
TRANSMIGRATION OF SOUL
Just as a person puts on new garments after discarding
the old ones, similarly, the living entity or the individual soul acquires new
bodies after casting away the old bodies. (2.22)
Just as a
caterpillar takes hold of another object before leaving an object, similarly,
the living entity (or soul) obtains a new body before or after leaving the old
one (BrU 4.4.03). The physical body has also been compared to a cage, a
vehicle, an abode, as well as a garment of the subtle body that needs to be
changed frequently. Death is the separation of the subtle body from the
physical body. The living entity is a traveler. Death is not the end of the
journey of the living entity. Death is like a rest area where the individual
soul changes vehicles, and the journey continues. Life is continuous and
endless. Inevitable death is not the end of life; it is only an end of a
perishable, physical body.
Weapons do not cut this Spirit, fire does not burn it, water
does not make it wet, and the wind does not make it dry. The Spirit cannot be
cut, burned, wet, or dried. It is eternal, all pervading, changeless,
immovable, and primeval. Atma is beyond space and time. (2.23-24)
The Spirit is said to be unexplainable, incomprehensible, and
immutable. Knowing the Spirit as such, you should not grieve for the physical
body. (2.25)
In the
previous verses Krishna asked us not to worry about the indestructible spirit.
A question may arise: Should one lament the death of (the destructible body of)
our near and dear ones at all? The answer comes:
Even if you think that the physical body takes birth and dies
perpetually, even then, O Arjuna, you should not grieve like this because death
is certain for one who is born, and birth is certain for one who dies.
Therefore, you should not lament over the inevitable death. (2.26-27)
One should
not lament the death of anybody at all. Lamentation is due to attachment, and
attachment binds the individual soul to the wheel of transmigration. Therefore,
the scriptures suggest one should not mourn, but pray for several days after
the person’s death for salvation of the departed soul.
The
inevitability of death and indestructibility of the soul, however, does not and
cannot justify lawful but unnecessary killing of any creature, unjust war, or
even suicide. The Vedic scriptures are very clear on this point in regard to
killing human beings or any other living entity. The scripture says: One should
not commit violence towards anyone. Unauthorized killing is punishable in all
circumstances: A life for life. Lord Krishna is urging Arjuna to fight ¾ but
not to kill wantonly ¾ in order to establish
peace and law and order on earth as a matter of a warrior's duty.
All beings are unmanifest, or
invisible to our physical eyes, before birth and after death. They manifest
between the birth and the death only. What is there to grieve about? (2.28)
THE
INDESTRUCTIBLE SPIRIT TRANSCENDS MIND AND SPEECH
Some look upon this Spirit as a wonder, another describes it as
wonderful, and others hear of it as a wonder. Even after hearing about it,
very few people know what the Spirit is. (See also KaU 2.07) (2.29)
O Arjuna, the Spirit that dwells in the body of all beings is
eternally indestructible. Therefore, you should not mourn for anybody. (2.30)
LORD
KRISHNA REMINDS ARJUNA OF HIS DUTY AS A WARRIOR
Considering also your duty as a warrior, you should not waver
because there is nothing more auspicious than one's personal duty in life.
(2.31)
Only the fortunate warriors, O Arjuna, get such an opportunity
for a righteous war against evil that is like an open door to heaven. (2.32)
The
righteous war is not a religious war against the followers of other religions.
The righteous war may be waged even against our own evil-doer kith and kin (RV
6.75.19). Life is a continuous battle between the forces of evil and goodness.
A valiant person must fight with the spirit of a warrior ¾ with
a will and determination for victory ¾ and without any
compromise with the forces of evil and difficulties. God helps the valiant who
adhere to morality. Dharma (righteousness) protects those who protect Dharma
(morality, justice, and righteousness).
It is
better to die for a right cause and acquire the grace of sacrifice than to die
an ordinary but compulsory death. The gates of heaven open wide for those who stand
up to vindicate justice and righteousness (Dharma). Not to oppose an evil is to
indirectly support it. Very similar ideas are expressed in other scriptures of
the world. The Koran says: Allah loves those who battle for His cause in ranks
(Surah 61.04). The Bible says: Happy are those who suffer persecution because
they do what God requires. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them (Matthew
5.10). There is no sin in killing an aggressor. Whosoever helps and supports an
aggressor is also an aggressor. Thus, all those who supported Kauravas were
basically an aggressor and deserved to be eliminated.
If you will not fight this battle of good over the evil, you
will fail in your duty, lose your reputation as a warrior, and incur sin by not
doing the right action. (2.33)
People will talk about your disgrace for a long time. To the
honorable, dishonor is worse than death. (2.34)
The great warriors will think that you have retreated from the
battle out of fear. Those who have greatly esteemed you will lose respect for
you. (2.35)
Your enemies will speak many unmentionable words and scorn your
ability. What could be more painful to you than this? (2.36)
You will go to heaven if killed in the line of duty, or you
will enjoy the kingdom on the earth if victorious. No matter what happens you
win. Therefore, get up with a determination to fight, O Arjuna. (2.37)
Treating pleasure and pain, gain
and loss, and victory and defeat alike engage yourself in your duty. By doing
your duty this way, you will not incur any sin. (2.38)
Lord
Krishna says here that even the violence done in the line of duty with a proper
frame of mind, as discussed in the above verse, is sinless. This is the
starting verse of the theory of KarmaYoga, the main theme of the Gita.
The wise
should wholeheartedly welcome pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, without
becoming discouraged (MB 12.174.39). Two types of people are happy in this
world: Those who are completely ignorant and those who are truly wise. All
others are unhappy (MB 12.174.33).
THE SCIENCE
OF KARMA-YOGA, THE SELFLESS ACTION
The science of transcendental knowledge has been imparted to
you, O Arjuna. Now listen to the science of God-dedicated, selfless action
(Seva), endowed with which you will free yourself from all Karmic bondage, or
sin. (2.39)
No effort ever goes to waste in selfless service, and there is
no adverse effect. Even a little practice of this discipline protects one from
the cycle of repeated birth and death. (2.40)
The
selfless action is also called Seva, KarmaYoga, sacrifice, yoga of work,
science of proper action, and yoga of equanimity. A KarmaYogi works with love
for the Lord as a matter of duty without a selfish desire for the fruits of
work or selfish attachment to the results, and becomes free from all fear. The
word Karma also means duty, action, deeds, work, endeavor, or the results of
past deeds.
A selfless worker has resolute determination only for
God-realization, but the desires of one who works to enjoy the fruits of work
are endless which makes the mind unsteady. (2.41)
THE VEDAS
DEAL WITH BOTH MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL ASPECTS OF LIFE
The misguided ones who delight in the melodious chanting of the
Vedas ¾
without understanding the real purpose of the Vedas ¾ think, O Arjuna, there is
nothing else in the Vedas except the rituals for the sole purpose of obtaining
heavenly enjoyment. (2.42)
They are dominated by material desires and consider the
attainment of heaven as the highest goal of life. They engage in specific rites
for the sake of material prosperity and enjoyment. Rebirth is the result of
their action. (2.43)
Self-realization ¾ the real goal of life ¾ is not possible for those
who are attached to pleasure and power and whose judgment is obscured by
ritualistic activities for fulfillment of selfish desires. (2.44)
Self-realization
is to know one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord and His true transcendental
nature. The promise of material benefits of Vedic rituals is like the promise
of candy to a child by the mother to induce him or her to take the medicine of
detachment from the material life; it is necessary in most instances. Rituals
must be changed with time and backed up by devotion and good deeds. People may
pray and meditate anytime, anywhere, without any ritual. Rituals have played a
great role in spiritual life, but they have been greatly abused. Lord Krishna
and Lord Buddha both disapproved the misuse of Vedic rituals, not the rituals
as such. Rituals create a holy and blissful atmosphere. They are regarded as a
heavenly ship (RV 10.63.10) and criticized as a frail raft (MuU 1.2.07).
A portion of the Vedas deals with three modes — goodness,
passion, and ignorance — of material Nature. Rise above these three modes, and
be Self-conscious. Become free from the tyranny of pairs of opposites. Remain
tranquil and unconcerned with the thoughts of acquisition and preservation of
material objects. (2.45)
To the enlightened person, who has realized the true nature of
the Self within, the Vedas become as useful as a small reservoir of water when
the water of a huge lake becomes available. (2.46)
A
scripture is like a finite pond that derives its water from the infinite ocean
of Truth. Therefore, scriptures become unnecessary only after enlightenment in
much the same way that a reservoir of water has no use when one is surrounded
by floodwater. One who has realized the Supreme Being will not desire the
attainment of heaven mentioned as the fruits of performing Vedic rituals.
Scriptures, such as the Vedas, are necessary means, but not the end. Scriptures
are meant to lead and guide us on the spiritual path. Once the goal is reached,
they have served their purpose.
THEORY AND
PRACTICE OF KARMA-YOGA
You have control over doing your
respective duty only, but no control or claim over the results. The fruits of
work should not be your motive, and you should never be inactive. (2.47)
The right
outlook on life develops when we fully understand that we have the ability to
put our best effort into all endeavors, but we cannot pick the results of our
work. We have absolutely no control over all the factors that determine the
results. The affairs of the world would not run if all were given the power to
choose the results of their actions or to satisfy all their desires. One is
given the power and the ability to do one’s respective duty in life, but one is
not free to choose the desired results. To work without expecting success or
good results would be meaningless, but to be fully prepared for the unexpected
should be an important part of any planning. Swami Karmananda says: The
essence of KarmaYoga is to go to work just to please the creator; mentally renounce
the fruits of all action; and let God take care of the results. Do your duty in
life ¾
to the best of your ability ¾ as God’s personal servant without any regard for the
personal enjoyment of the fruits of your work.
Fear of
failure, caused by being emotionally attached to the fruits of work, is the
greatest impediment to success because it robs efficiency by constantly
disturbing equanimity of mind. Therefore, duty should be performed with
detached attachment. Success in any undertaking becomes easier if one works
hard without being bothered by the outcome. Work is done more efficiently when
the mind is not continuously — consciously or subconsciously — bothered with
the outcome, good or bad, of an action.
One has to
discover this fact personally in life. A person should work without selfish motives
as a matter of duty for a greater cause of helping humanity rather than just
helping oneself, one's children, or a few individuals. Equanimity and spiritual
progress result from selfless service, whereas work with selfish motives
creates the bonds of Karma as well as great disappointments. Dedicated selfless
service for a greater cause leads to everlasting peace and happiness here and
hereafter.
The boundary of one’s
jurisdiction ends with the completion of duty; it never crosses the garden of
fruit. A hunter has control over the arrow only, never over the deer. Harry
Bhalla says: A farmer has control over how he works his land, yet no control
over the harvest. But he cannot expect a harvest if he does not work his land.
When one
has no desire for the pleasure of victory, one is not affected by the pain of
defeat. Questions of the pleasure of success or the pain of failure do not
arise because a KarmaYogi is always on the path of service without waiting to
enjoy the fruit or even the flower of work. He or she has learned to enjoy the
joy of service. The myopia of short-term, personal gain, caused by ignorance of
metaphysics, is the root of all evils in society and the world. The bird of
righteousness cannot be confined in the cage of personal gain. Dharma and
selfishness cannot stay together.
The desire
for fruit takes one to the dark alley of sin and prevents one’s real growth.
Acting only in one’s own self-interest is sinful. The welfare of the individual
lies in the welfare of society. The wise work for all of society, whereas the
ignorant work only for themselves or their children and grandchildren. One who
knows the Truth does not let the shadow of personal gain fall on the path of
duty. The secret art of living a meaningful life is to be intensely active
without any selfish motive, as stated below:
Do your duty to the best of your
ability, O Arjuna, with your mind attached to the Lord, abandoning worry and
selfish attachment to the results, and remaining calm in both success and
failure. The selfless service brings peace and equanimity of mind that leads to
the union with God. (2.48)
KarmaYoga
is defined as doing one’s duty while maintaining equanimity under all
circumstances. Pain and pleasure, birth and death, loss and gain, union and
separation are inevitable, being under the control of one’s past deeds or
Karma, like the coming of day and night. Fools rejoice in prosperity and mourn
in adversity, but a KarmaYogi remains tranquil under all circumstances (TR
2.149.03-04). The word ‘yoga’ has also been defined in the following verses of
the Gita: 2.50, 2.53, 6.04, 6.08, 6.19, 6.23, 6.29, 6.31, 6.32, and 6.47. Any
practical technique of understanding the Supreme Reality and uniting with Him
is called spiritual practice, or yoga.
Work done with selfish motives is inferior by far to selfless
service. Therefore, be a selfless worker, O Arjuna. Those who work only to
enjoy the fruits of their labor are unhappy (because one has no control over
the results). (2.49)
A KarmaYogi or the selfless person
becomes free from both vice and virtue in this life itself. Therefore, strive
for selfless service. Working to the best of one’s abilities without becoming
selfishly attached to the fruits of work is called KarmaYoga or Seva. (2.50)
Peace,
composure, and freedom from Karmic bondage await those who work for a noble
cause with a spirit of detachment and do not seek any personal reward or
recognition. Such persons enjoy the joy of selfless service that ultimately
leads them to the bliss of salvation. KarmaYoga purifies the mind and is a very
powerful and easy spiritual discipline that one can practice while living and
working in society. There is no religion better than selfless service. The
fruits of vice and virtue grow only on the tree of selfishness, not on the tree
of selfless service.
Generally,
it is thought that one works harder when one is deeply interested in, or
attached to, the fruits of work. Therefore, KarmaYoga or selfless service may
not be very conducive to the material progress of the individual or society.
This dilemma can be solved by developing a hobby of selfless service to a noble
cause of one’s choice, never letting greed for the fruits dilute the purity of
action. Dexterity or skillfulness in work is in not getting bound by the bonds
of one’s Karma or worldly duty.
KarmaYogis are freed from the bondage of rebirth due to
renouncing the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work and attain a
blissful divine state of salvation or Nirvana. (2.51)
When your intellect completely pierces the veil of confusion
regarding Self and non-Self, then you will become indifferent to what has been
heard and what is to be heard from the scriptures. (2.52)
Scriptures
become dispensable after enlightenment. According to Shankara, this verse means
one who has rent asunder the veil of ignorance and realized the Truth, becomes
indifferent to the Vedic texts that prescribe details of performing rituals
for the attainment of desired fruits.
When your intellect that is confused by the conflicting
opinions and the ritualistic doctrine of the Vedas shall stay steady and firm,
concentrating on the Supreme Being, then you will be enlightened and
completely united with God in trance. (2.53)
Non-scriptural
reading or reading of different philosophical writings is bound to create
confusion. Ramakrishna said: “One should learn from the scriptures that God
alone is real and the world is illusory.” A beginner should know that only God
is eternal and everything else is temporal. After Self-awareness, one finds God
alone has become everything. Everything is His manifestation. He is sporting
in various forms. In trance, or the superconscious state of mind, the confusion
arising from conflicting views ceases, and mental equipoise is attained.
Different
schools of thought, cults, systems of philosophy, ways of worship, and
spiritual practices found in the Vedic culture are different rungs in the
ladder of yoga. Such a wide choice of methods does not exist in any other
system, religion, or way or life. People’s temperaments are different due to
differences in their stages of spiritual development and understanding. Therefore,
different schools of thought are necessary to suit different individuals as
well as the same individual as he or she grows and develops. The highest
philosophy of pure monism is the topmost rung of the ladder. The vast majority
cannot comprehend it. All schools and cults are necessary. One should not be
confused because different methods are not meant to confuse, but one should
choose wisely.
Arjuna said: O Krishna, what are the marks of an enlightened
person whose intellect is steady? What does a person of steady intellect think
and talk about? How does such a person behave with others, and live in this
world? (2.54)
The
answers to all of the above questions are given by Lord Krishna in the
remaining verses of this chapter.
MARKS OF A
SELF-REALIZED PERSON
Lord Krishna said: When one is completely free from all desires
of the mind, and is satisfied with the bliss of knowing the Supreme Being, then
one is called an enlightened person, O Arjuna. (2.55)
According
to mother Sarda, desires for knowledge, devotion, and salvation cannot be
classed as desires because they are higher desires. One should first replace
the lower desires with higher desires and then renounce the highest desire also
and become absolutely free. It is said that the highest freedom is the freedom
from becoming free.
A person is called an enlightened
sage of steady intellect whose mind is unperturbed by adversity, who does not
crave pleasures, and who is completely free from attachment, fear, and anger.
(2.56)
Attachment
to people, places and objects takes away the intellect, and one becomes myopic.
People are helplessly tied with the rope of attachment. One has to learn to
cut this rope with the sword of knowledge of the Absolute and become detached
and free.
The mind and intellect of a person become steady who is not
attached to anything, who is neither elated by getting desired results nor
perturbed by undesired results. (2.57)
True
spiritualists have a peaceful and happy look on their faces under all
circumstances.
When one can completely withdraw the senses from the sense
objects, as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into the shell for protection from
calamity, then the intellect of such a person is considered steady. (2.58)
When a
person learns to control or withdraw the senses from sense objects, as a
tortoise retracts its limbs inside its shell in time of danger and cannot be
forced to extend its limbs again until the trouble is over, the lamp of
Self-knowledge becomes lighted, and one perceives the self-effulgent Supreme Being
within (MB 12.174.51). A Self-realized person enjoys the beauty of the world,
keeping the senses under complete control like a tortoise. The best way to
purify the senses and control them perfectly like a tortoise is to engage them
in the service of God at all times.
The desire for sensual pleasures fades away if one abstains
from sense enjoyment, but the craving for sense enjoyment remains in a very
subtle form. This subtle craving also completely disappears from one who knows
the Supreme Being. (2.59)
The desire
for sensual pleasure becomes dormant when one abstains from sense enjoyment, or
due to physical limitations imposed by disease or old age. But the craving
remains as a subtle mental impression. Those who have tasted the nectar of
unity with the Supreme Being no longer find enjoyment in the lower-level
sensual pleasures. The subtle craving lurks like a robber ready to rob the
striver at the appropriate opportunity, as explained below:
DANGERS OF
UNRESTRAINED SENSES
Restless senses, O Arjuna,
forcibly carry away the mind of even a wise person striving for perfection.
(2.60)
The wise always keep vigilance
over the mind. The mind can never be fully trusted. It can mislead even a
Self-realized person (BP 5.06.02-05). One has to be very alert and closely
witness the wanderings of the mind. Never relax your vigilance until the final
goal of God-realization is reached. Mother Sarda said: It is the very nature of
the mind to go to lower objects of enjoyment, just as it is the nature of water
to flow downwards. The grace of God can make the mind go towards higher objects
as the sun’s rays lift the water.
The human
mind is ever ready to deceive and play tricks. Therefore, discipline, constant
vigilance, and sincere spiritual practice are needed. The mind is like an
unruly horse that needs to be broken in. Never let the mind roam ¾
unwatched ¾
into the realm of sensuality. The path of spiritual life is very slippery and
has to be trodden very carefully to avoid falls. It is not a joyous ferryboat
ride, but is very difficult to tread like the sharp edge of a sword. Many
obstacles, distractions, and failures come on the path to help the devotee
become stronger and more advanced on the path, just like iron is turned into
steel by alternate heating, cooling, and hammering. One should not get
discouraged by failures, but carry on with determination.
One should fix one’s mind on God
with loving contemplation after bringing the senses under control. One’s
intellect becomes steady when one’s senses are under complete control. (2.61)
One develops attachment to sense
objects by thinking about sense objects. Desire for sense objects comes from
attachment to sense objects, and anger comes from unfulfilled desires. (2.62)
Delusion or wild ideas arise from anger. The mind is bewildered
by delusion. Reasoning is destroyed when the mind is bewildered. One falls from
the right path when reasoning is destroyed. (2.63)
ATTAINMENT
OF PEACE AND HAPPINESS THROUGH SENSE CONTROL AND KNOWLEDGE
A disciplined person, enjoying sense objects with senses that
are under control and free from attachments and aversions, attains
tranquillity. (2.64)
Real peace
and happiness are achieved, not by sense gratification, but by sense control.
All sorrows are destroyed upon attainment of tranquillity. The
intellect of such a tranquil person soon becomes completely steady and united
with the Supreme. (2.65)
There is neither Self-knowledge nor Self-perception to those
who are not united with the Supreme. Without Self-perception there is no peace,
and without peace there can be no happiness. (2.66)
The mind, when controlled by the
roving senses, steals away the intellect as a storm takes away a boat on the
sea from its destination ¾ the spiritual shore of peace and happiness. (2.67)
A person
without control over the mind and senses drifts like a ship without its rudder,
becomes a reactor instead of an actor, and develops negative Karma.
Greed for
the pleasure of enjoying the light leads bugs to destruction, similarly, desire
for the enjoyment of sensual pleasures keeps one away from Self-knowledge and
leads into the net of transmigration (MB 3.02.69).
Therefore, O Arjuna, one’s intellect becomes steady when the
senses are completely withdrawn from sense objects. (2.68)
A yogi, the person of self-restraint, remains wakeful when it
is night for all others. It is night for the yogi who sees when all others are
wakeful. (2.69)
Ascetics
keep awake or detached in the night of mundane existence of life because they
are in quest of the highest truth. One is considered awake when one is free
from worldly desires (TR 2.92.02). A yogi is always aware of the Spirit about
which others are unaware. A sage who sees is unaware of the experience of
sense objects about which others are aware. The life of an ascetic is entirely
different from the life of a materialistic person. What is considered real by a
yogi is of no value for a worldly person. While most people sleep and make
dream plans in the night of the illusory world, a yogi keeps awake because he
or she is detached from the world while living in it.
One attains peace when all desires
dissipate within the mind without creating any mental disturbance, as river
waters enter the full ocean without creating any disturbance. One who desires
material objects is never peaceful. (2.70)
Torrents
of the river of desire can carry away the mind of a materialistic person as a
river carries away wood and other objects in its path. The tranquil mind of a
yogi is like an ocean that takes in the rivers of desire without being
disturbed by them because a yogi does not think about personal gain or loss.
Human desires are endless. To satisfy a desire is like drinking salt water
that will never quench thirst, but will increase it. It is like trying to
extinguish a fire with gasoline.
Trying to
fulfill material desires is like adding more wood to the fire. The fire will go
out if no more wood is added to it (MB 12.17.05). If one dies without
conquering the great enemy ¾ desires ¾ one has to reincarnate to fight this enemy again and
again till victory (MB 12.16.24). One cannot see one’s face in a pot of water
that is disturbed by the wind, similarly, one is unable to realize God when
the mind and senses remain perturbed by the winds of material desires (MB
12.204.03).
One who abandons all desires and becomes free from longing and
the feeling of “I” and “my”, attains peace. (2.71)
O Arjuna, this is the superconscious state of mind. Attaining
this state, one is no longer deluded. Gaining this state, even at the end of
one’s life, a person attains the very goal of human life by becoming one with
God. (2.72).
The
Supreme Being is the ultimate Reality and truth, knowledge and consciousness,
and is limitless and blissful (TaU 2.01.01). The individual soul becomes
blissful and filled with joy after knowing God. The giver of bliss is nothing
but the bliss itself like the giver of wealth must have wealth. That from which
the origin, sustenance, and dissolution of this universe are derived is called
the Absolute (BS 1.01.02, TaU 3.01.01). Knowledge is not a natural quality
(Dharma) of the Absolute; it is the intrinsic nature of the Absolute (DB
7.32.19). The Absolute is the substratum, or material as well as efficient
cause of the universe. It is both the source and the sink of energy in one. It
is also called the Unified Field, Supreme Spirit, Divine Person, and Total
Consciousness that is responsible for the sense perceptions in all living
beings by functioning through mind and intellect.
The word
“Salvation” in Christianity means deliverance from the power and penalty of
sin. Sin in Hinduism is nothing but the Karmic bondage responsible for
transmigration. Thus, salvation is equivalent to the Sanskrit word “Mukti” —
the final emancipation of the living entity from transmigration — in Hinduism.
Mukti means the complete destruction of all impressions of desires from the
causal body. It is the uniting of the individual soul with the Supersoul. Some
say that the all-pervading Supersoul is the causal body who is conducting
everything and remains compassionately detached. The Sanskrit word “Nirvana” in
Buddhism is thought to be the cessation of worldly desires and ego. It is a
state of being in which worldly desires and personal likes and dislikes have
been absolutely extinguished. It is getting out of body-consciousness and
attaining a state of Self-consciousness. It is liberation from attachment to
the material body and achieving a state of bliss with God.
CHAPTER 3
PATH OF SELFLESS SERVICE
Arjuna asked: If You consider that acquiring transcendental
knowledge is better than working, then why do You want me to engage in this
horrible war, O Krishna? You seem to confuse my mind by apparently conflicting
words. Tell me, decisively, one thing by which I may attain the Supreme.
(3.01-02)
Arjuna was
in the mode of delusion; he thought that Lord Krishna meant a contemplative
life was better than doing one’s normal duty in life. Some people are often
confused and think that salvation is possible only by leading a life devoted to
scriptural study, contemplation, and acquiring Self-knowledge. Lord Krishna
clarifies this by mentioning two major paths of spiritual practice — depending
on the nature of the individual — in the following verse:
Lord Krishna said: In this world I
have stated a twofold path of spiritual discipline in past ¾the path of Self-knowledge for the contemplative ones and
the path of unselfish work (Seva, KarmaYoga) for all others. (3.03)
“Seva” or
“KarmaYoga” means sacrifice, selfless service, unselfish work, meritorious deeds,
giving away something to others. Some people often get confused like Arjuna and
think that leading a life devoted to scriptural study, contemplation, and
acquiring transcendental knowledge may be better for spiritual progress than
doing one’s worldly duty.
A
God-realized person does not consider him or herself the doer of any action,
but only an instrument in the hands of the divine for His use. It should be
further pointed out that both
metaphysical knowledge and selfless service are means to attain the
Supreme Being. These two paths are not separate, but complementary. In life a
combination of these two modes is considered the best. Carry both selfless
service and a spiritual discipline of acquiring Self-knowledge with you as
stated in the following verses:
One does not attain freedom from the bondage of Karma by merely
abstaining from work. No one attains perfection by merely giving up work
because no one can remain actionless even for a moment. Everything in the
universe is driven to action ¾ helplessly indeed ¾ by the forces of Nature.
(3.04-05)
It is not possible for anybody to completely abandon
action by thought, word, and deed. Therefore, one should always be active in
serving the Lord by various means of one’s choosing, and never be without work
because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Performing action till death with
a desireless frame of mind is better than abandoning work and leading the life
of an ascetic, even after God-realization because even an ascetic cannot escape
the impulse of action.
Anyone who restrains the senses but mentally thinks of sense
pleasures is called a pretender. (3.06)
One’s
growth comes from working selflessly rather than giving up work and practicing
sense-control before one is naturally ready for it. Bringing the mind under
control is difficult, and spiritual life becomes a mockery without mastery over
the senses. Desires may become dormant and rise again to give trouble, just as
a sleeping person wakes up in due course of time.
The four
goals of human life — doing one's duty, earning wealth, material and sensual
enjoyment, and attaining salvation — were designed in the Vedic tradition for
gradual and systematic growth of the individual and the progress of society.
Success in spiritual life does not come from prematurely wearing saffron
clothes just to maintain an Ashram or livelihood without first conquering the
six enemies ¾
lust, anger, greed, pride, attachment, and envy. It is said that such
pretenders do a great disservice to God, society, and themselves and become
bereft of happiness in this world and the next (BP 11.18.40-41) A pretending
monk is considered sinful and a destroyer of the ascetic order of life.
WHY ONE
SHOULD SERVE OTHERS?
One who restrains the senses ¾ by a trained and purified
mind and intellect ¾ and engages the organs of action to selfless service is
considered superior. (3.07)
Perform your obligatory duty because working is indeed better
than sitting idle. Even the maintenance of your body would be impossible
without work. (3.08)
Human beings are bound by work
(Karma) that is not performed as a selfless service (Seva, Yajna). Therefore,
becoming free from selfish attachment to the fruits of work, do your duty
efficiently as a service to God for the good of humanity. (3.09)
TO HELP
EACH OTHER IS THE FIRST COMMANDMENT OF THE CREATOR
In the beginning the creator created human beings together with
selfless service (Seva, Yajna, sacrifice) and said: By serving each other you
shall prosper and the sacrificial service shall fulfill all your desires.
(3.10)
Nourish the celestial controllers with selfless service, and
they will nourish you. Thus nourishing one another, you shall attain the
Supreme goal. (3.11)
A
celestial controller or guardian angel means a supernatural ruler, a celestial
person, an angel, an agent of God, the cosmic forces that control, protect, and
fulfill desires. Even the gates of heaven shall be closed to those who try to
enter alone. According to the ancient scriptures, helping others is the best
meritorious deed one can do. The wise seek to serve themselves in the service
of others while the ignorant serve themselves at the cost of others. To serve
each other is the original or first commandment of the creator that has been
restated by Lord Krishna in the Gita. God has given us talents to help us
serve, and in serving others we grow spiritually. We take birth to help each
other, to understand, care, love, give, and forgive each other. According to
Muniji “Giving is Living”. Giving makes the world a better place for all
humanity.
It is
believed that selfishness saps our natural health and immune system also. When
we take steps to move ourselves away from self and think about the needs of
others and how to serve them, a physical healing process seems to set in
motion. This is especially true if we personally help a person we may never
meet again in life.
The celestial controllers, being nourished and pleased by
selfless service, will give you all desired objects. One who enjoys the gift of
celestial controllers without sharing with others is, indeed, a thief. (3.12)
One who
makes no sacrifice, but grabs everything without helping others, is like a
thief. It is said that celestials are pleased when people help each other. The
capacity of the giver increases by the grace of God, fulfilling all desires to
give. The spirit of cooperation ¾ not competition or confrontation ¾ between
human beings, between nations, and between organizations seems to be hinted
here by the Lord. All the necessities of life are produced by dedicated
sacrificial services of other people. We are created to depend on each other.
The world has been called a cosmic wheel of cooperative action by Swami
Chinmayananda. Cooperation, not competition, is more conducive to overall
progress of the individual, as well as society. Nothing worthwhile can be
achieved without cooperation and help from others. The world would be a much
better place if all inhabitants cooperated and helped each other, rather than
fight or compete with each other. It is the selfish motive that prevents
cooperation even between spiritual organizations. One who can truly say “All
organizations, temples, mosques, and churches are our own” is a true leader and
a real saint.
The righteous who eat after sharing with others are freed from
all sins, but the impious who cook food only for themselves (without first
offering to God or sharing with others), in truth, eat sin. (3.13)
Food
should be cooked for the Lord and offered first to Him with love before
consuming. Children should be taught to pray before taking food. The house rule
should be: No food before prayer and thanking the Lord. Lord further states
that helping others is divine:
The living beings are sustained from food grains; grains are
produced by sacrificial work or duty performed by farmers and other field
workers. Duty is prescribed in the scriptures. Scriptures come from the Supreme
Being. Thus the all-pervading Supreme Being or God is ever present in selfless
service. (3.14-15)
One who does not help to keep the
wheel of creation in motion by sacrificial duty (Seva) and rejoices in sense
pleasures, that sinful person lives in vain. (3.16)
A grain of
wheat is a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it
does die, then it produces many grains (John 12.24). Saints, trees, rivers, and
earth are for the use of others. However, there is no prescribed duty for the
enlightened ones as explained below:
For one who rejoices only with the Supreme Being, who is
delighted with the Supreme Being, and who is content with the Supreme Being
alone, for such a Self-realized person there is no duty. Such a person has no
interest, whatsoever, in what is done or what is not done. A Self-realized
person does not depend on anybody, except God, for anything. (3.17-18)
All
duties, obligations, prohibitions, regulations, and injunctions are meant to
lead one to perfection. Therefore, a perfect yogi who has Self-knowledge,
detachment, and devotion has nothing more to gain in this world by doing
worldly duty.
LEADERS
SHOULD SET AN EXAMPLE
Always perform your duty
efficiently and without any selfish attachment to the results because by doing
work without attachment one reaches the supreme goal of life. (3.19)
In no
other scripture, written before the Bhagavad-Gita, has the philosophy of
KarmaYoga — the unselfish devotion for the welfare of humanity — been so
beautifully expounded. Lord Krishna has elevated the idea of altruism to the
highest form of worship and spiritual practice. By altruism, one obtains
grace, by grace one gets faith, and by faith the ultimate Truth is revealed.
One immediately feels better by helping others and comes one step closer to
perfection. Swami Vivekananda said: Work done for others awakens the subtle and
dormant divine power, Kundalini, within our body. An example of attaining
Self-realization by persons while doing their worldly duties is given below:
King Janaka and many others
attained perfection of Self-realization by selfless service (KarmaYoga) alone.
You also should perform your duty with a view to guide people and for the welfare
of society. (3.20)
Those who
do selfless service are not bound by Karma and attain salvation (VP 1.22.52).
Nothing is beyond the reach of those who have others’ interest in mind. Swami
Harihar says: Selfless service to humanity is the true service to God and the
highest form of worship.
Because whatever noble persons do, others follow. Whatever
standard they set up, the world follows. (3.21)
People
follow whatever great persons do (BP 5.04.15). Jesus said: I have set an example
for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you (John 13.15). A
leader is obliged to set higher ethical, moral, and spiritual standards for the
general population to follow. If the leader fails in this regard, the quality
of the nation’s life declines, and the progress of society is greatly hampered.
Therefore, leaders have a great burden on their shoulders. The life of a true
leader is the life of service and sacrifice. Leadership should not be an
enterprise for becoming rich or famous.
O Arjuna, there is nothing in the three worlds — heaven, earth,
and the lower regions — that should be done by Me, nor there is anything unobtained
that I should obtain, yet I engage in action. (3.22)
If I do not engage in action relentlessly, O Arjuna, people
would follow the same path in everyway. These worlds would perish if I do not
work, and I would be the cause of confusion and destruction. (3.23-24)
WHAT SHOULD THE WISE DO
TO THE IGNORANT
The ignorant work with attachment to the fruits of work for themselves,
and the wise work without attachment for the welfare of the world. (3.25)
The wise should not unsettle the
minds of the ignorant who are attached to the fruits of work, but should
inspire others by performing all works efficiently without selfish attachment.
(See also 3.29) (3.26)
Doing
one’s duty without a personal, selfish motive is an exalted state given only to
the enlightened ones. This may be beyond comprehension of ordinary people. The
mark of genius lies in the ability to handle two opposed ideas and paradoxes,
such as living in the world with detached attachment. Most people work hard
only when they have some motivating force, such as enjoyment of the fruits of
work. Such persons should not be discouraged or condemned. They should be introduced
slowly to the beginning stages of selfless service. The excessive attachment
to possessions, not the possessions themselves, becomes the source of misery.
Just as
one has to pray and worship with single-minded attention, similarly, one should
perform worldly duties with full attention, even while knowing full well that
the world and its affairs are transitory. One should not live thinking only of
God and neglecting one’s duty in the world. Yogananda said: Be as earnest
about meditation as about earning money. One should not live a one-sided life.
The importance of controlling the senses and ways to combat ego are given
below:
ALL WORKS
ARE THE WORKS OF NATURE
The forces of Nature do all work,
but due to delusion of ignorance people assume themselves to be the doer. (See
also 5.09, 13.29, and 14.19) (3.27)
Indirectly,
God is the doer of everything. The power and the will of God do everything. One
is not free even to kill oneself. One cannot feel the presence of the
omnipresent God as long as one feels: “I am the doer”. If one realizes ¾ by
the grace of God ¾
that he or she is not the doer, but just an instrument, one at once becomes
free. A Karmic bondage is created if we consider ourselves the doer and
enjoyer. The same work done by a Self-realized master and an ordinary person
produces different results. The work done by a Self-realized master becomes
spiritualized and produces no Karmic bondage because a Self-realized person
does not consider oneself the doer or the enjoyer. The work done by an ordinary
person produces Karmic bondage.
One who knows the truth about the role of the forces of Nature
in getting work done, does not become attached to work. Such a person knows
that it is the forces of Nature that get their work done by using our organs as
instruments. (3.28)
Those who are deluded by the illusive power (Maya) of Nature
become attached to the work done by the forces of Nature. The wise should not
disturb the mind of the ignorant whose knowledge is imperfect. (See also 3.26)
(3.29)
The enlightened
one should not try to dissuade or detract ignorant ones from performing
selfish actions that they do deluded by the forces of Nature, because doing
work ¾
and not the renunciation of work in the initial stages ¾ will ultimately lead
them to realize the truth that we are not the doers, but divine instruments
only. Working with attachment also has a place in the development of society
and in the life of common people. People can easily transcend selfish desires
by working for a noble goal of their choice.
Do your prescribed duty,
dedicating all work to God in a spiritual frame of mind, free from desire,
attachment, and mental grief. (3.30)
Those who always practice this teaching of Mine ¾ with
faith and are free from cavil ¾ become free from the bondage of Karma. But those who
carp at this teaching and do not practice it, should be considered ignorant,
senseless, and confused. (3.31-32)
All beings follow their nature. Even the wise act according to
their own nature. If we are but pawns of our nature; what, then, is the value
of sense restraint? (3.33)
While we
cannot and should not suppress our nature, we must not become victims but
rather controllers and masters of the senses by using the discriminative
faculties of human life for gradual improvement. The best way to control the
senses is to engage all our senses in the service of God.
TWO MAJOR
STUMBLING BLOCKS ON THE PATH OF PERFECTION
Attachments and aversions for
sense objects remain in the senses. One should not come under the control of
these two because they are two major stumbling blocks, indeed, on one’s path of
Self-realization. (3.34)
'Attachment'
may be defined as a very strong desire to experience sensual pleasures again
and again. 'Aversion' is the strong dislike for the unpleasant. The search for
peace of mind, comfort, and happiness is the basis of all human endeavors,
including the acquisition and propagation of knowledge. Desire — like any other
power given by the Lord — is not the problem. We can have desires with a proper
frame of mind that gives us control over attachments and aversions. If we can
manage our wants, most of the things we possess become dispensable rather than
essential. With a right attitude, we can get mastery over all our attachments
and aversions. The only necessity is to have a frame of mind that makes most
items unnecessary. Those who have knowledge, detachment, and devotion have
neither likes nor dislikes for any worldly object, person, place, or work.
Personal likes and dislikes disturb the equanimity of mind and become a
hindrance on the path of spiritual progress.
One should
act with a sense of duty without being governed by personal likes and dislikes.
Selfless service is the only austerity and penance in this age by which anyone
can reach God while living and working in modern society without going to the
mountains and jungles.
Everybody
benefits if work is done for the Lord, just as every part of the tree gets
water when water is put at the root of the tree rather than on individual
leaves. Attachments and aversions are destroyed in a noble person at the onset
of Self-knowledge and detachment. Personal likes and dislikes are two major
obstacles on the path of perfection. One who has conquered attachments and
aversions becomes a free person, and attains salvation by doing his or her
natural duty as stated below:
One’s inferior natural work is better than superior unnatural
work. Even death in carrying out one’s (natural) duty is useful. Unnatural work
produces too much stress. (See also 18.47) (3.35)
One who
does the duty ordained by nature is freed from the bonds of Karma and slowly
rises above the worldly plain (BP 7.11.32). One who takes on work that was not
meant for him or her certainly courts failure. One evolves by the work best
suited to one’s own nature or inborn tendencies. There is no perfect
occupation. Every occupation in this world has some faults. One should keep
oneself free from concern over the faults of one's duty in life. One should
carefully study one's nature to determine an appropriate occupation. Natural
work does not produce stress and is conducive to creativity. Walking uphill,
vocationally, against one’s natural tendencies is not only more stressful but
also less productive, and it does not provide opportunity and leisure time for
spiritual growth and development. On the other hand, if one follows a very easy
or artistic path, one may not be able to earn enough to satisfy the basic
necessities of (family) life. Therefore, lead a simple life by limiting unnecessary
luxuries, and develop a hobby of selfless service to balance the material and
spiritual needs of life. The balanced life is a happy life.
LUST IS
THE ORIGIN OF SIN
Arjuna said: O Krishna, what impels one to commit sin or
selfish deeds as if unwillingly and forced against one’s will? (3.36)
Lord Krishna said: It is the lust,
born out of passion, that becomes anger when unfulfilled. Lust is insatiable
and is a great devil. Know this as the enemy. (3.37)
The mode
of passion is the absence of mental equilibrium leading to vigorous activity to
achieve desired fruits. Lust, the passionate selfish desire for all sensual and
material pleasures, is the product of the mode of passion. Lust becomes anger
if it is unfulfilled. When the attainment of fruits is hindered or interrupted,
the intense desire for their achievement turns into fierce rage. Hence, the
Lord says that lust and anger are two mighty enemies that can lead one to
commit sin and turn one astray from the path of Self-realization, the supreme
goal of human life. Actually, mundane desire compels a person to engage in
sinful activities in spite of his or her will. Control your wants because
whatever you want wants you. Lord Buddha said: Selfish desire is the root of
all evils and misery.
As the fire is covered by smoke,
as a mirror by dust, and as an embryo by the amnion, similarly, Self-knowledge
gets covered by different degrees of this insatiable lust, the eternal enemy
of the wise. (3.38-39)
Lust and
Self-knowledge are eternal enemies. Lust can be destroyed only by
Self-knowledge. Where lust resides, and how one should control the senses to
subjugate lust are given below:
The senses, the mind, and the
intellect are said to be the seat of lust. Lust deludes a person by controlling
the senses, the mind, and the intellect and veils the Self-knowledge. (3.40)
Therefore, by controlling the senses,
first kill this devil of material desires (or lust) that destroys
Self-knowledge and Self-realization. (3.41)
The mighty
enemy, lust, enslaves the intellect by using the mind as its friend and senses
and sense objects as its soldiers. These soldiers keep the individual soul
deluded, and obscure Absolute Truth as a part of the drama of life. The success
or failure of our role in action depends on how we handle our individual role
and reach our destiny.
All
desires cannot — and need not — be eliminated, but selfish desires and motives
must be eliminated for spiritual progress. All our action — by thought, word
and deed — including desires, should be directed to glorify God and for the
good of humanity. The scriptures say: The mortal, when freed from the captivity
of selfish desires, becomes immortal and attains liberation even in this very
life (KaU 6.14, BrU 4.04.07)
HOW TO
CONTROL LUST
The senses are said to be superior to the body; the mind is
superior to the senses; the intellect is superior to the mind; and the Self is
superior to the intellect. (3.42)
Thus, knowing the Self to be the
highest, and controlling the mind by the intellect that is purified by spiritual
practices, one must kill this mighty enemy, lust, O Arjuna, with the sword of
true knowledge of the Self. (3.43)
Uncontrolled
worldly desires will ruin the beautiful spiritual journey of life. The
scriptures provide ways and means of keeping the desires born in the mind under
proper control. The body may be compared to a chariot upon which the individual
soul ¾
as passenger, owner, and enjoyer ¾ is riding on a spiritual journey towards the Supreme
Abode of the Lord. Duty and Self-knowledge are the two wheels of the chariot,
and devotion is its axle. Selfless service is the road, and the divine
qualities are the milestones. The scriptures are the guiding lights to dispel
the darkness of ignorance. The five senses are the horses of this chariot. Sense
objects are the roadside green grasses; attachments and aversions are the
stumbling blocks; and lust, anger, and greed are the plunderers. Friends and
relatives are fellow travelers whom we temporarily meet during the journey.
Intellect is the driver of this chariot. If intellect, the charioteer, is not
made pure and strong by Self-knowledge and will power, then strong desires for
sensual and material pleasures ¾ or the senses ¾ will control the mind
(See 2.67) instead of the intellect controlling the mind. The mind and senses
will attack and take control of intellect, the weak charioteer, and lead the
passenger away from the goal of salvation into the ditch of transmigration.
If the
intellect is well trained and purified by the fire of Self-knowledge and
discrimination, the intellect will be able to control the sense-horses with
the help of spiritual practice and detachment, the two reins of mind, and the
whip of moral conduct and spiritual practices. The charioteer should hold the
reins under control at all times; otherwise, the sense-horses will lead one
into the ditch of transmigration. A single moment of carelessness leads to the
downfall of the seeker. Finally, one must cross the river of illusion (Maya)
and, by using the bridge of meditation and the silent repetitive chanting of
Lord’s name or a mantra to still the ripples of mind waves, reach the spiritual
shore of trance. Those who cannot control the senses will not be able to attain
Self-realization, the goal of human birth.
One must not
spoil oneself by wrongful temporary pleasures of the senses. One who can
control the senses can control the whole world and achieve success in all
endeavors. Passion cannot be completely eliminated, but is subdued by
Self-knowledge. The intellect becomes polluted during the youthful years, just
as the clear water of a river becomes muddy during the rainy season. Keeping
good company and setting a higher goal of life prevent the mind and intellect
from becoming tainted by the distractions of sensual pleasures.
CHAPTER 4
PATH OF
RENUNCIATION WITH
KNOWLEDGE
KARMA-YOGA
IS AN ANCIENT FORGOTTEN COMMANDMENT
Lord Krishna said: I taught this KarmaYoga, the eternal science
of right action, to King Vivasvan. Vivasvan taught it to Manu; Manu taught it
to Ikshvaku. Thus, the saintly Kings knew this science of proper action
(KarmaYoga), handed down in succession. After a long time, this science was
lost from this earth. Today, I have described the same ancient science to you
because you are my sincere devotee and friend. This science is a supreme secret
indeed. (4.01-03)
KarmaYoga,
discussed in the previous chapter, is declared by the Lord as the supreme
secret science of right action. According to Swami Karmananda, a practitioner
of KarmaYoga, unless Lord Himself reveals this secret science, no one can
practice or even understand it.
Arjuna said: You were born later, but Vivasvan was born in
ancient time. How am I to understand that You taught this science in the beginning
of the creation? (4.04)
Arjuna
questions how Krishna, a contemporary of Arjuna, could have taught this science
of KarmaYoga to King Vivasvan, who was born earlier in ancient times, long
before Lord Krishna. The doctrine of Bhagavad-Gita is not just five thousand
years old; it is primeval. Lord Krishna restated it in the Gita for the benefit
of humanity. All great masters come to rekindle the fire of forgotten Truth.
Different people have said everything we hear or read at different times.
THE
PURPOSE OF INCARNATION OF GOD
Lord Krishna said: Both you and I have taken many births. I
remember them all, O Arjuna, but you do not remember. (4.05)
Though I am eternal, immutable, and the Lord of all beings, yet
I manifest Myself by controlling the material Nature, using My own divine
potential energy. (See also 10.14) (4.06)
The divine
kinetic energy (Maya) is the supernatural, extraordinary, and mystic power of
God. Material Nature is considered the reflection of Maya. It is said that the
Lord has created Maya that deceives and controls us. The word “Maya” also means
the unreal, illusory, or deceptive image of Reality. Due to the power of Maya,
one considers the universe existent and distinct from the Supreme Being. The
Eternal Light is the invisible, potential energy; Maya is kinetic energy, the
force of action of the Lord. They are inseparable like fire and heat. Maya is
also used as a metaphor to explain the visible world to common people.
Whenever there is a decline of
Dharma (Righteousness) and a predominance of Adharma (Unrighteousness), O Arjuna,
I manifest Myself. I appear from time to time for protecting the good, for
transforming the wicked, and for establishing world order (Dharma). (4.07-08)
The Supreme Being is both divine and human (AV
4.16.08). Prophets appear from time to time as divine dispensation sees the
need for the welfare of the society. Whenever miscreants are born to destroy
world order (Dharma), the good Lord incarnates to put everything in proper
balance (VR 7.08.27). His compassion is the main reason for Lord’s incarnation
(SBS 49). There are other reasons, besides the protection of righteousness
(Dharma), for the Lord’s incarnation. The Supreme Being, which is beyond birth
and death, incarnates in human form through a great soul on earth to satisfy
the longings of devotees who want to see Him and be in His personal presence.
Saint Tulasidasa said: Though devoid of material attributes, unattached, and
immutable, yet for the love of His votaries, the Lord assumes a form with attributes
(TR 2.218.03).
Lord
performs many ordinary, human, and also uncommon or controversial pastimes just
to please His devotees or to set things right. Ordinary human beings cannot
understand the reasons behind these pastimes and therefore should not pass
judgment on Lord's activities when He incarnates. Great personalities and
incarnations are sometimes known to be acting contrary to the scriptural rules,
just as a King has the freedom to break certain rules. These acts are done for
a very good purpose and with a reason beyond human comprehension. One should
neither criticize nor follow such acts.
Ramakrishna said that he would live
in a subtle body for three hundred years in the hearts and minds of his
devotees. Yogananda said: So long as people in this world are crying for help,
I shall return to ply my boat and offer to take them to heavenly shores.
One who truly understands My transcendental appearance, and
activities of creation, maintenance, and dissolution attains My Supreme Abode
and is not born again after leaving this body, O Arjuna. (4.09)
One
develops love of God by studying and listening to the transcendental birth and
sportive acts of the Lord as narrated by the saints and sages in the
scriptures. True understanding of the transcendental nature of Lord’s form, His
incarnation, and His activities is the Self-knowledge that leads to salvation.
Many have become free from attachment, fear, anger, and attained
salvation by taking refuge in Me, by becoming fully absorbed in My thoughts and
by getting purified by the fire of Self-knowledge. (4.10)
PATH OF
WORSHIP AND PRAYER
With whatever motive people worship Me, I fulfill their desires
accordingly. People worship Me with different motives. (4.11)
Ask, and
you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened
to you (Luke 11.09). It is due to divine illusion (Maya) that most people seek
temporary material gains, such as health, wealth, and success, and not
Self-knowledge and devotion to His lotus feet.
Those who long for success in their work here on earth worship
the celestial controllers. Success in work comes quickly in this human world.
(4.12)
Would you
give to your son a stone when he asks you for bread? Your Father in heaven will
give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7.09-11). When you ask for
something in prayer, have faith and believe that you have received it, and it
will be given to you (Mark 11.24). In prayer one asks the Lord's help in
getting what one needs; in worship one adores, glorifies, and thanks Him for
what one has. One should first be aware of and contemplate one's plight, feel
helpless in getting out of the difficulty, then seek divine help ¾
through prayer ¾
in a state of helplessness with intense faith. Lord will take the first step if
you know your plight and seek His help for transformation. Show yourself ¾ open
up, confess ¾
to the Lord as you are in prayer, be specific in what you ask, and cry for His
help.
All
prayers are answered, but prayers for the benefit of others are given first
priority. Lord actually knows our needs at all times and is simply waiting to
be asked for help due to our free will. Meditation is listening to God by
stilling the mind and assuming a receptive posture in order to hear Lord's
instructions, insights, and revelations. For example, embrace the attitude:
Thank You for answering my prayers and for all You have given me, but now what
do You want me to do with what You have given? Then, having said that, be still
and alert, and just try to listen. Pray so that you can talk to God and tell Him
how you are and what you have been doing. Meditate so that God can effectively
tell you what you are supposed to do.
DIVISION
OF LABOR IS BASED ON THE APTITUDE OF PEOPLE
I created the four divisions of
human society based on aptitude and vocation. Though I am the author of this
system of division of labor, one should know that I do nothing directly, and I
am eternal. (See also 18.41) (4.13)
Work or Karma does not bind Me because I have no desire for the
fruits of work. One who fully understands and practices this truth is also not
bound by Karma. (4.14)
Those who
want to be first must place themselves last and be the servant of all (Mark
10.44). All works, including prayers, should be undertaken for a just cause,
rather than just for personal gain.
The ancient seekers of salvation also performed their duties
without concern for the fruits. Therefore, you should do your duty as the
ancients did. (4.15)
ATTACHED,
DETACHED, AND FORBIDDEN ACTION
Even the wise are confused about what is action and what is inaction.
Therefore, I shall clearly explain what is action, knowing that one shall be
liberated from the evil of birth and death. (4.16)
The true nature of action is very difficult to understand.
Therefore, one should know the nature of attached action, the nature of
detached action, and also the nature of forbidden action. (4.17)
Attached
action is selfish work, done in the mode of passion that produces Karmic
bondage and leads to transmigration. Detached action is unselfish work, done in
the mode of goodness that leads to salvation. Detached action is considered to
be inaction because from the Karmic viewpoint, it is as if no action was
performed. Action forbidden by the scriptures, done in the mode of ignorance,
is harmful to both the doer and society. It creates misfortunes here and
hereafter.
A
KARMA-YOGI IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE KARMIC LAWS
One who sees inaction in action
and action in inaction, is a wise person. Such a person is a yogi and has
accomplished everything. (See also 3.05, 3.27, 5.08 and 13.29) (4.18)
All acts
are the acts of the Supreme Being, the inactively active actor. The Bible says:
The words you speak are not yours; they come from the Spirit of your Father
(Matthew 10.20). The wise perceive the inactive, infinite, and invisible
reservoir of potential energy of the Supreme as the ultimate source of all
visible kinetic energy in the cosmos, just as the invisible electricity runs
the fan. The urge and power to do action come from the Supreme Being.
Therefore, one should spiritualize all work by perceiving that one does nothing
at all and everything is done by the energy of the Supreme Being, using us only
as an instrument.
One whose desires have become selfless by being roasted in the
fire of Self-knowledge, is called a sage by the wise. (4.19)
One who has abandoned selfish
attachment to the fruits of work and remains ever content and dependent on no
one but God, such a person ¾ though engaged in activity ¾ does nothing at all and
incurs no Karmic reaction. (4.20)
One who is free from desires, whose mind and senses are under
control, and who has renounced all proprietorship, does not incur sin ¾ the
Karmic reaction ¾
by doing bodily action. (4.21)
A KarmaYogi ¾ who is content with
whatever gain comes naturally by His will, who is unaffected by pairs of
opposites, and free from envy, tranquil in success and failure ¾
is not bound by Karma. (4.22)
All Karmic bonds of a KarmaYogi ¾ who
is free from attachment, whose mind is fixed in Self-knowledge, and who does
work as a service to the Lord ¾ dissolves away. (4.23)
The divine Spirit has become
everything. The Divinity (Brahma, Self, Spirit) shall be realized by one who
considers everything as a manifestation (or an act) of Divine. (Also see 9.16)
(4.24)
Life
itself is an ever-burning fire where sacrificial ceremony is going on
constantly. Every action must be thought of as a holy sacrifice, a holy act.
Everything is not the Supreme Being, but the Supreme Being is the root or basis
of everything. One attains salvation and becomes one with the Supreme Being
when one perceives the Supreme Being in every action, perceives the things
one uses as a transformation of the Supreme Being, and realizes that the very
process of all action is also the Supreme Being.
DIFFERENT
TYPES OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OR SACRIFICES
Some yogis perform the service of worship to celestial
controllers, while others study scriptures for Self-knowledge. Some restrain
their senses and give up their sensual pleasures. Others perform breathing and
other yogic exercises. Some give charity and offer their wealth as a sacrifice.
(4.25-28)
Those who engage in yogic practices, reach the breathless state
of trance by offering inhalation into exhalation and exhalation into inhalation
as a sacrifice (by using short breathing Kriya techniques). (4.29)
Deep
spiritual meaning and interpretation of the practical yogic verses (4.29, 4.30,
5.27, 6.13, 8.10, 8.12, 8.13, 8.24, and 8.25) cannot be explained here. They
should be acquired from a Self-realized master of KriyaYoga.
The
breathing process can be slowed down by: (1) Watching the breath going in and
coming out as one watches the ocean waves going up and down, (2) Practicing of
diaphragmatic (or deep yogic) breathing, and (3) Using yogic techniques and
KriyaYoga. The aim of yogic practice is to achieve the superconscious or
breathless state of trance by gradually mastering the breathing process.
Others restrict their diet and offer their inhalations as
sacrifice into their inhalations. All these people are the knowers of sacrifice
and their minds become purified by their sacrifice. (4.30)
Those who perform selfless service
obtain the nectar of Self-knowledge as a result of their sacrifice and attain
the Supreme Being. O Arjuna, if this world is not a happy place for the
non-sacrificer, how can the other world be? (See also 4.38, and 5.06). (4.31)
Many types of spiritual disciplines are described in the Vedas.
Know that all of them are the action of body, mind, and senses prompted by the
forces of Nature. Understanding this, one shall attain Nirvana or salvation.
(See also 3.14) (4.32)
In order
to attain salvation, spiritual discipline or sacrifice should be performed as a
duty without attachment and with full understanding that oneself is not the
doer.
ACQUIRING
TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE IS A SUPERIOR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
The acquisition and propagation of
Self-knowledge are superior to any material gain or gift because purification
of mind and intellect eventually leads to the dawn of transcendental knowledge
and Self-realization ¾ the sole purpose of any spiritual practice. (4.33)
Acquire this transcendental
knowledge from a Self-realized master by humble reverence, by sincere inquiry,
and by service. The empowered ones, who have realized the Truth, will teach
you. (4.34)
Contact
with great souls who have realized the truth is helpful. Reading scriptures,
giving charity, and doing spiritual practices alone may not give
God-realization. Only a God-realized soul can awaken and kindle another soul.
But no guru can give a secret formula for Self-realization without His grace.
The Vedas say: One who knows the land gives direction to the one who does not
know and asks (RV 9.70.09). It is also said that the precepts of Truth are
essentially an individual process. People discover the truth by their own efforts.
One has to row his or her boat through the turbulent waters of this material
world.
The Vedas
prohibit the sale of God in any form. They say: O mighty Lord of countless
wealth, I will not sell thee for any price (RV 8.01.05). The role of a guru is
that of a guide and a giver, not of a taker. Before accepting a human guru, one
must first have — or develop — full faith in the guru and leave the guru’s
human frailties out of consideration, take the pearls of wisdom and throw away
the oyster shells. If this is not possible, it should be remembered that the
word “guru” also means the light of Self-knowledge that dispels ignorance and
delusion; and the light comes — automatically — from the Supreme Being, the
internal guru, when one’s mind is purified by selfless service, spiritual
practice, and surrender.
There are
four categories of gurus: A false guru, guru, realized guru, and the divine
guru. In this age too many false gurus are coming to teach or just give a
mantra for a price. These false gurus are the merchants of mantra. They take
money from disciples to fulfill their personal material needs without giving
the true knowledge of the Supreme Being. Jesus also said: Watch out for false
prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but they are
really like wild wolves on the inside (Matthew 7.15). Saint Tulasidasa said
that a guru who takes money from disciples and does not remove their ignorance,
goes to hell (TR 7.98.04). A guru is one who imparts true knowledge and complete
understanding of the Absolute and the temporal. A realized guru is a
Self-realized master mentioned in this verse here. A realized guru helps the
devotee maintain God-consciousness all the time by his or her own vested
spiritual power.
When the
mind and intellect are purified, Supreme Lord, the divine guru, reflects
Himself in the inner psyche of a devotee and sends a guru or a realized guru to
him or her. A real guru is a giver. He never asks any money or a fee from a
disciple because he depends on God only. A real guru would not ask anything
from a disciple for personal or even for organizational gain. However, a
disciple is obliged to do the best he or she can to help the cause of the guru.
It is said that one should not accept any fee from a pupil without giving full
instruction and understanding of the Absolute, divine kinetic energy (Maya),
temporal material Nature, and the living entity (BrU 4.01.02).
Our own
Spirit inside us is the divine guru. Outside teachers only help us in the
beginning of the spiritual journey. Our own mind — when purified by selfless
service, prayer, meditation, worship, silent chanting of Lord’s name,
congregational chanting of holy names, and scriptural study — becomes the best
channel and guide for the flow of divine knowledge (See also Gita 4.38, and
13.22). The Divine Being within all of us is the real guru, and one must learn
how to tune in with Him. It is said that there is no greater guru than one’s
own mind. A pure mind becomes a spiritual guide and the inner divine guru
leading to a real guru and Self-realization. This is expressed by the common
saying that the guru comes to a person when he or she is ready. The word “guru”
also means vast and is used to describe the Supreme Being — the divine guru
and internal guide.
The wise
spiritual teacher disapproves of the idea of blind personal service, or the
guru cult, which is so common in India. A Self-realized (SR) master says that
God only is the guru, and all are His disciples. A disciple should be like a
bee seeking honey from flowers. If the bee does not get honey from one flower,
it immediately goes to another flower and stays at that flower as long as it
gets the nectar. Idolization and blind worship of a human guru may become a
stumbling block in spiritual progress and is harmful to both the disciple and
the guru.
After knowing the transcendental science, O Arjuna, you shall
not again become deluded like this. With this knowledge you shall see the
entire creation within your own higher Self, and thus within Me. (See also
6.29, 6.30, 11.07, 11.13) (4.35)
The same
life-force of the Supreme Being reflects in all living beings to support and
activate them. Therefore, we are all connected with each other and are part and
parcel of the Self. At the dawn of enlightenment, one merges within the
Absolute (Gita 18.55), and all diversities appear as nothing but the expansion
of one's own higher Self.
Even if one is the most sinful of all sinners, one shall cross
over the river of sin by the raft of Self-knowledge. (4.36)
The fire of Self-knowledge reduces
all bonds of Karma to ashes, O Arjuna, like the blazing fire reduces wood to
ashes. (4.37)
The Bible
also says: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John
8.32). The fire of Self-knowledge burns all past Karma ¾ the root cause of the
soul’s transmigration ¾ just as fire instantly burns a mountain of cotton. The
present action does not produce any new Karma because, the wise know that all
work is done by the forces of nature; therefore, they are not the doer. Thus,
when Self-knowledge dawns, only a part of the past Karma, known as fate that is
responsible for the present birth, has to be exhausted before freedom from
transmigration is attained by the enlightened person.
The
physical body and mind generate new Karma; the subtle body carries the fate;
and the causal body is the repository of past Karma. Karma produces body, and
body generates Karma. Thus, the cycle of birth and death continues
indefinitely. Only selfless service can break this cycle, and selfless service
is not possible without Self-knowledge. Thus, transcendental knowledge breaks
the bonds of Karma and leads to salvation. This knowledge does not manifest to
a sinful person ¾
or to any person whose time to receive the spiritual knowledge has not come.
Loss and
gain, life and death, fame and infamy lie in the hands of one’s Karma. Fate is
all-powerful. This being so, one should neither be angry nor blame anybody (TR
2.171.01). People know virtue and vice, but one’s choice is ordained by fate or
Karmic footprints because the mind and intellect are controlled by fate. When
success does not come in spite of best efforts, it may be concluded that fate
precedes endeavor.
TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE IS
AUTOMATICALLY REVEALED TO
A KARMA-YOGI
Truly, there is no purifier in
this world like the true knowledge of the Supreme Being. One discovers this
knowledge within, naturally, in course of time when one's mind is cleansed of
selfishness by KarmaYoga. (See also 4.31, 5.06, and 18.78). (4.38)
The
intense fire of devotion to God burns all Karma and purifies and illuminates
the mind and intellect as the sunlight illumines the earth (BP 11.03.40).
Selfless service should be performed to the best of one’s ability until purity
of mind is attained (DB 7.34.15). True knowledge of the Self is automatically
reflected in a selfless mind. KarmaYoga cleanses the dirt of selfishness from
the mind and prepares it to receive Self-knowledge. Selfless service
(KarmaYoga) and Self-knowledge are thus the two wings to take one to salvation.
One who has faith in God, is sincere in yogic practice and has
control over the mind and senses gains this transcendental knowledge. Having
gained this knowledge, one quickly attains supreme peace or liberation. (4.39)
The fires
of mental grief and sorrows, born of attachment, can be completely
extinguished by the water of Self-knowledge (MB 3.02.26). There is no basis for
right thought and action without Self-knowledge.
The irrational, the faithless, and the disbeliever (atheist)
perish. There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for a
disbeliever. (4.40)
BOTH TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE
AND KARMA-YOGA ARE NEEDED
FOR NIRVANA
Work does not bind a person who has renounced work ¾ by
renouncing the fruits of work ¾ through KarmaYoga and whose confusion with regard to
body and Spirit is completely destroyed by the Self-knowledge, O Arjuna.
(4.41)
Therefore, cut the ignorance-born confusion with regard to body
and Spirit by the sword of Self-knowledge, resort to KarmaYoga, and get up for
the war, O Arjuna. (4.42)
CHAPTER 5
PATH OF RENUNCIATION
Arjuna asked: O Krishna, You praise the path of transcendental
knowledge, and also the path of performance of selfless service (KarmaYoga).
Tell me, definitely, which one is the better of the two paths? (See also 5.05) (5.01)
Renunciation
means complete renouncement of doership, ownership, and selfish motive behind
an action, not the renunciation of work or worldly objects. Renunciation comes
only after the dawn of Self-knowledge. Therefore, the words “renunciation” and
“Self-knowledge” are used interchangeably in the Gita. Renunciation is
considered the goal of life. Selfless service (Seva, KarmaYoga) and
Self-knowledge are the necessary means to achieve the goal. True renunciation
is attaching all action and possession — including body, mind, and thought — to
the service of the Supreme.
Lord Krishna said: The path of Self-knowledge and the path of
selfless service both lead to the supreme goal. But of the two, the path of
selfless service is superior to path of Self-knowledge because it is easier to
practice for most people. (5.02)
A person should be considered a true renunciant who has neither
attachment nor aversion for anything. One is easily liberated from Karmic
bondage by becoming free from attachment and aversion. (5.03)
BOTH PATHS
LEAD TO SUPREME
The ignorant — not the wise —
consider the path of Self-knowledge and the path of selfless service
(KarmaYoga) as different from each other. The person, who has truly mastered
one, gets the benefits of both. (5.04)
Whatever goal a renunciant
reaches, a KarmaYogi also reaches. Therefore, one who sees the path of
renunciation and the path of unselfish work as the same really sees. (See also
6.01 and 6.02) (5.05)
But true renunciation (the
renunciation of doership and ownership), O Arjuna, is difficult to attain
without KarmaYoga. A sage equipped with KarmaYoga quickly attains Nirvana. (See
also 4.31, 4.38, 5.08) (5.06)
Selfless
service (KarmaYoga) provides the preparation, discipline, and purification
necessary for renunciation. Self-knowledge is the upper limit of KarmaYoga, and
renunciation of doership and ownership is the upper limit of Self-knowledge.
A KarmaYogi, whose mind is pure, whose mind and senses are
under control, and who sees one and the same Spirit in all beings, is not bound
by Karma though engaged in work. (5.07)
A
TRANSCENDENTALIST DOES NOT CONSIDER ONESELF AS THE DOER
The wise who know the truth think: "I do nothing at all.”
In seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing,
speaking, giving, taking, as well as opening and closing the eyes, the wise believe
that only the senses are operating upon their objects. (See also 3.27, 13.29,
and 14.19) (5.08-09)
Senses
need not be subdued if the activities of the senses are spiritualized by
perceiving that all work, good or bad, is done by the powers of God.
A
KARMA-YOGI WORKS FOR GOD
One who does all work as an
offering to God — abandoning selfish attachment to results — remains untouched
by Karmic reaction or sin, just as a lotus leaf never gets wet by water.
(5.10)
A
KarmaYogi does not work with selfish motives and therefore does not incur any
sin. Selfless service is always sinless. Selfishness is the mother of sin. One
becomes happy, peaceful, purified, and enlightened by performing one's
prescribed duties as an offering to God while remaining detached inwardly.
The KarmaYogis perform action ¾ without selfish
attachment ¾
with their body, mind, intellect, and senses only for the purification of their
mind and intellect. (5.11)
A KarmaYogi attains Supreme Bliss
by abandoning attachment to the fruits of work, while others who are attached
to the fruits of work become bound by selfish work. (5.12)
THE PATH
OF KNOWLEDGE
A person who has completely renounced the fruits of all work
dwells happily in the City of Nine Gates, neither performing nor directing
action. (5.13)
The human
body has been called the City of Nine Gates (or openings) in the scriptures.
The nine openings are: Two openings each for the eyes, ears, and nose; and one
each for the mouth, anus, and urethra. The Lord of all beings and the universe
who resides in this city as an individual soul or the living entity (Jiva) is
called the Spiritual Being (Purusha).
The Lord neither creates the urge for action nor the feeling of
doership nor the attachment to the results of action in people. The powers of
material Nature do all these. (5.14)
The Lord does not take responsibility for the good or evil
deeds of anybody. The veil of ignorance covers Self-knowledge; thereby people
become deluded and do evil deeds. (5.15)
God does
not punish or reward anybody. We ourselves do this by the misuse or the right
use of our own power of reasoning and free will. Bad things happen to good
people to make them better.
Transcendental knowledge destroys the ignorance of the Self and
reveals the Supreme Being, just as the sun reveals the beauty of objects of the
world. (5.16)
Persons, whose mind and intellect
are totally merged in the Supreme Being, who are firmly devoted to the Supreme,
who have God as their supreme goal and sole refuge, and whose impurities are
destroyed by the knowledge of the Self, do not take birth again. (5.17)
ADDITIONAL
MARKS OF AN ENLIGHTENED PERSON
An enlightened person — by
perceiving God in all — looks at a learned person, an outcast, even a cow, an
elephant, or a dog with an equal eye. (See also 6.29) (5.18)
Just as a
person does not consider parts of the body, such as arms and legs, different
from the body itself, similarly a Self-realized person does not consider any
living entity different from the Lord (BP 4.07.53). Such a person sees God
everywhere, in everything, and in every being. After discovering the
metaphysical truth, one looks at everything with reverence, compassion, and
kindness because everything is part and parcel of the cosmic body of the
Supreme Lord.
Everything has been accomplished in this very life by one whose
mind is set in equality. Such a person has realized the Supreme Being because the
Supreme Being is flawless and impartial. (See also 18.55) (5.19)
To have a
feeling of equality for everybody is the greatest worship of God (BP 7.08.10).
Those who do not have such a feeling discriminate. Therefore, the victims of
injustice and discrimination should feel sorry for the discriminator and pray
to the Lord for a change of the discriminator’s heart rather than get upset,
angry, or vengeful.
One who neither rejoices on obtaining what is pleasant nor
grieves on obtaining the unpleasant, who has a steady mind, who is undeluded,
and who is a knower of the Supreme Being ¾ such a person eternally
abides with the Supreme Being. (5.20)
Such a person who is in union with
the Supreme Being becomes unattached to external sensual pleasures by discovering
the joy of the Self through contemplation and enjoys transcendental bliss.
(5.21)
Sensual pleasures are, in fact, the source of misery and have a
beginning and an end. Therefore, the wise, O Arjuna, do not rejoice in sensual
pleasures. (See also 18.38) (5.22)
The wise
constantly reflect on the futility of sensual pleasures that inevitably become
the cause of misery; therefore, they do not become victims of sensual cravings.
One who is able to withstand the impulses of lust and anger
before death is a yogi and a happy person. (5.23)
One who finds happiness with the Supreme Being, who rejoices
Supreme Being within, and who is illuminated by Self-knowledge ¾ such
a yogi attains Nirvana and goes to the Supreme Being. (5.24)
Seers, whose sins (or imperfections) are destroyed, whose
doubts about the existence of the Universal Self have been dispelled by
Self-knowledge, whose minds are disciplined, and who are engaged in the welfare
of all beings, attain the Supreme Being. (5.25)
Those who are free from lust and anger, who have subdued the
mind and senses, and who have realized the existence of the Self, easily attain
Nirvana. (5.26)
THE THIRD
PATH ¾ THE PATH OF DEVOTIONAL MEDITATION AND CONTEMPLATION
A sage is, in truth, liberated by renouncing all sense enjoyments,
fixing the eyes and the mind at an imaginary black dot between the eye-brows,
equalizing the breath moving through the nostrils by using yogic techniques,
keeping the senses, mind, and intellect under control, having salvation as the
prime goal, and by becoming free from lust, anger, and fear. (5.27-28)
The
invisible astral channels of flow of energy in the human body are called Nadis.
When the cosmic currents — flowing through Nadis in the astral spinal cord —
are separated by the opening of the main Sushumna Nadi by the practice of yogic
techniques, breath flows through both nostrils with equal pressure; the mind
calms down; and the field is prepared for deep meditation leading to trance.
My devotee attains everlasting peace by knowing the Supreme
Being as the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities, as the great Lord of the
entire universe, and as the friend of all beings. (5.29)
CHAPTER 6
PATH OF MEDITATION
A
KARMA-YOGI IS A RENUNCIANT
Lord Krishna said: One who performs the prescribed duty without
seeking its fruit for personal enjoyment is both a renunciant and a KarmaYogi.
One does not become a renunciant merely by not lighting the fire, and one does
not become a yogi merely by abstaining from work. (6.01)
O Arjuna, renunciation (Samnyasa) is same as KarmaYoga.
Because, no one becomes a KarmaYogi who has not renounced the selfish motive
behind an action. (See also 5.01, 5.05, 6.01, and 18.02) (6.02)
A
DEFINITION OF YOGA
For the wise, who seek to attain
yoga of meditation or the equanimity of mind, KarmaYoga is said to be the
means. For one who has attained yoga, equanimity becomes the means of
Self-realization. A person is said to have attained yogic perfection when he or
she has no desire for sensual pleasures or attachment to the fruits of work and
has renounced all personal selfish motives. (6.03-04)
Yogic
perfection can be achieved only when one does all activities for the pleasure
of God. KarmaYoga or unselfish work produces tranquillity of mind. When one
performs action as a matter of duty without any selfish motive, the mind is
not disturbed by the fear of failure; it becomes tranquil, and one attains
yogic perfection through meditation. The equanimity of mind necessary for
Self-realization comes after giving up personal, selfish motives and desires.
Selfishness is the root cause of other impure desires in the mind. The
desireless mind becomes peaceful. Thus KarmaYoga is recommended to persons
desiring success in yoga of meditation. Perfection in meditation results in
control over the senses, bringing forth tranquillity of mind that ultimately
leads to God-realization.
MIND IS
THE BEST FRIEND AS WELL AS THE WORST ENEMY
One must elevate ¾ and not degrade ¾ oneself by one’s own mind. The mind alone is one’s
friend as well as one’s enemy. The mind is the friend of those who have control
over it, and the mind acts like an enemy for those who do not control it.
(6.05-06)
There is
no enemy other than an uncontrolled mind in this world (BP 7.08.10). Therefore,
one should first try to control and conquer this enemy by regular practice of
meditation with a firm determination and effort. All spiritual practices are
aimed towards the conquest of the mind. Guru Nanak said: "Master the mind,
and you master the world.” Sage Patanjali defines yoga as control over the
activities (or the thought waves) of mind and intellect (PYS 1.02). Firm
control of the mind and senses is known as yoga (KaU 6.11). Control of the mind
and senses is called austerity and yoga (MB 3.209.53). The purpose of meditation
is to control the mind so that one can focus on God and live according to His
instructions and will. The mind of a yogi is under control; a yogi is not under
the control of the mind. Meditation is effortless control of the natural tendency
of the mind to wander and tuning it with the Supreme. Yogi Bhajan says: A
one-pointed, relaxed mind is the most powerful and creative mind ¾ it
can do anything.
The mind,
indeed, is the cause of bondage as well as liberation of the living entity. The
mind becomes the cause of bondage when controlled by modes of material Nature,
and the same mind, when attached to the Supreme, becomes the cause of
salvation (BP 3.25.15). The mind alone is the cause of salvation as well as
bondage of human beings. The mind becomes the cause of bondage when controlled
by sense objects, and it becomes the cause of salvation when controlled by the
intellect (VP 6.07.28). Absolute control over mind and senses is a prerequisite
for any spiritual practice for Self-realization. One who has not become the
master of the senses cannot progress towards the goal of Self-realization.
Therefore, after establishing control over the activities of the mind, one
should take the mind away from the enjoyment of sensual pleasures and fix it on
God. When the mind is disengaged from sense pleasures and engaged with God,
sense impulses become ineffective because the senses obtain their power from
the mind. The mind is the ruler of the other five senses. One who becomes
master of the mind becomes master of all the senses.
One who has control over the lower self ¾ the mind and senses ¾ is
tranquil in heat and cold, in pleasure and pain, in honor and dishonor, and
remains ever steadfast with the supreme Self. (6.07)
One can
realize God only when the mind becomes tranquil and completely free from
desires and dualities, such as pain and pleasure. However, people are rarely
completely free from desires and duality. But one can become free from the
bonds of desire and duality if one uses these in the service of the Lord. They
who master their mind get the spiritual wealth of knowledge and bliss. Self can
only be realized when the lake of the mind becomes still, just as the
reflection of the moon is seen in a lake when the water is still. (See also
2.70)
A person is called yogi who has both Self-knowledge and
Self-realization, who is tranquil, who has control over the mind and senses,
and to whom a clod, a stone, and gold are the same. (6.08)
A person is considered superior
who is impartial toward companions, friends, enemies, neutrals, arbiters,
haters, relatives, saints, and sinners. (6.09)
TECHNIQUES
OF MEDITATION
A yogi, seated in solitude and alone, should constantly try to
contemplate a mental picture or just the majesty of the Supreme Being after
bringing the mind and senses under control and becoming free from desires and
proprietorship. (6.10)
The place
of meditation should have the serenity, solitude, and spiritual atmosphere of
odor-free, noise-free, and light-free caves of the Himalayas. Massive, gorgeous
buildings with exquisite marble figures of celestial controllers are not
enough. These often come at the expense of spirituality and help religious
commerce only.
The eight
steps of meditation based on Patanjali’s YogaSutras (PYS 2.29) are: (1) Moral conduct,
(2) Spiritual practices, (3) Right posture and yogic exercises, (4) Yogic
breathing, (5) Sense withdrawal, (6) Concentration, (7) Meditation, and (8)
Trance or superconscious state of mind.
One must
follow these eight steps, one by one, under proper guidance to make progress in
meditation. Use of breathing and concentration techniques without necessary
purification of the mind and without sublimation of feelings and desires by
moral conduct and spiritual practices (See 16.23) may lead to a dangerous, neurotic
state of mind. Patanjali says: The sitting posture for meditation should be
stable, relaxed, and comfortable for the individual’s physical body (PYS
2.46).
Yogic
breathing is not the forcible ¾ and often harmful ¾ retention of breath in
the lungs as is commonly misunderstood and wrongly practiced. Patanjali defines
it as control of the Prana ¾ the bioimpulses or the
astral life forces ¾ that cause the breathing process (PYS 2.49). It is a
gradual process of bringing under control or slowing down ¾ by
using standard yogic techniques, such as yogic postures, breathing exercises,
locks, and gestures ¾
the bioimpulses that activate the motor and sensory nerves that regulate
breathing, and over which we normally have no control.
When the
body is supercharged by the huge reservoir of omnipresent cosmic current
flowing through the medulla oblongata, the need for breathing is reduced or
eliminated and the yogi reaches the breathless state of trance, the last
milestone of the spiritual journey. The Upanishad says: No mortal ever lives by
breathing oxygen in the air alone. Mortals depend on something else (KaU 5.05).
Jesus said: One shall not live by bread (food, water, and air) alone, but by
every word (or the cosmic energy) that comes out of the mouth of God (Matthew
4.04). The cord of breath ties the living entity (soul) to the body-mind
complex. A yogi unties the soul from the body and ties it with the Supersoul
during the breathless state of trance.
The
withdrawal of the senses is a major obstacle in the attainment of the goal of a
yogi. When sense withdrawal has been accomplished, concentration, meditation,
and Samadhi become very easy to master. The mind should be controlled and
trained to follow the intellect rather than let it be drawn towards and
controlled by gross sense objects, such as hearing, touch, sight, taste, and
smell. The mind is restless by nature. Watching the natural flow of breath
coming in and going out, and alternate breathing help to make the mind steady.
The two
most common techniques of sense withdrawal are these: (1) Focus your full
attention on the point between the eyebrows. Perceive and expand a sphere of
white, rotating light there, (2) Mentally chant a mantra or any holy name of
the Lord as quickly as possible for a long time and let the mind get completely
absorbed into the sound of mental chanting until you do not hear the ticking
sound of a nearby clock. The speed and loudness of mental chanting should be
increased with the restlessness of the mind, and vice versa.
Concentration on a particular
part of a deity, on the sound of a mantra, on the flow of breath, on various
energy centers in the body, on the mid-brows, on the tip of the nose, or on an
imaginary crimson lotus inside the chest center, stills the mind and stops it
from wandering.
One should sit on his or her own firm seat that is neither too
high nor too low, covered with grass, a deerskin, and a cloth, one over the
other, in a clean spot. Sitting there in a comfortable position and concentrating
the mind on God, controlling the thoughts and the activities of the senses, one
should practice meditation to purify the mind and senses. (6.11-12)
A yogi
should contemplate any beautiful form of God until the form becomes ever
present in the mind. Short meditation with full concentration is better than
long meditation without concentration. Fixing the mind on a single object of
contemplation for twelve (12) seconds, two and one-half (2.5) minutes, and half
an hour is known as concentration, meditation, and trance, respectively.
Meditation and trance are the spontaneous result of concentration. Meditation
occurs when the mind stops oscillating off the point of concentration.
In the
lower stage of trance, the mind becomes so centered on a particular part of the
deity ¾
such as the face or the feet ¾ that it forgets everything. This is like a dream in a
wakeful state where one remains aware of one’s mind, thoughts, and the surroundings.
In the higher stage of trance, the body becomes still and motionless, and the
mind experiences various aspects of the Truth. The mind loses its individual
identity and becomes one with the cosmic mind.
The superconscious state of mind is the
highest stage of trance. In this state of mind, the normal human consciousness
becomes connected to (or overpowered by) cosmic consciousness; one reaches a
thoughtless, pulseless, and breathless state and does not feel anything except
peace, joy, and supreme bliss. In the highest state of trance, the energy
center (Chakra) on the top of the head opens up; the mind is merged into the
infinite; and there is no mind or thought, but only the feeling of His
transcendental existence, awareness, and bliss. A person who reaches this state
is called a sage.
Attaining
the blissful state of trance seems difficult for most people. Muniji gives a
simple method. He says: When you are immersed in Him and His work is flowing
through you, you become ever happy, ever joyful, and ever blissful.
One should sit by holding the waist, spine, chest, neck, and
head erect, motionless and steady; fix the eyes and the mind steadily on the
front of the nose without looking around; make your mind serene and fearless,
practice celibacy; have the mind under control, think of Me, and have Me as the
supreme goal. (See also 4.29, 5.27, 8.10, and 8.12) (6.13-14)
Hariharananda
suggests keeping pinpointed attention penetrating four inches deep between the
eyebrows near the master gland — the pituitary. The Bible says: If your eyes
are single, your whole body will (seem to) be full of light (Matthew 6.22).
Fixing the gaze on the nose tip is one of the gestures of KriyaYoga recommended
by Swami Sivananda to awaken the Kundalini power located at the base. After a
little practice each day, the eyes will become accustomed and slightly
convergent and see the two sides of the nose. As you gaze at the nose tip,
concentrate on the movement of breath through the nostrils. After ten minutes,
close your eyes and look into the dark space in front of your closed eyes. If
you see a light, concentrate on it because this light can completely absorb
your consciousness and lead you to trance according to yogic scriptures. The
beginner should first practice fixing the gaze at the mid-brows, as mentioned
in verse 5.27, or at the chest center, as hinted in verse 8.12, before learning
to fix the gaze on the tip of the nose. The help of a teacher and use of a
mantra is highly recommended.
Celibacy
is necessary to still the mind and awaken the dormant Kundalini. Celibacy and
certain breathing exercises are necessary to cleanse the subtle body. The
subtle body is nourished by seminal and ovarian energy, just as the gross body
needs food for nourishment. Sarada Ma warned her disciples not to be intimate
with persons of the opposite gender even if God came in that form. The role of
celibacy in spiritual life is overlooked in the West because it is not an easy
task for most people. The individual should choose the right life partner for
success in the spiritual journey if the practice of celibacy is not possible.
It is very dangerous to force celibacy on disciples. The scripture says: Just
as a King, protected by the castle walls, wins over the invincible enemy,
similarly those who want victory over the mind and senses should try to subdue
them by living as a householder (BP 5.01.18).
Sublimation
of the sex impulse precedes enlightenment (AV 11.05.05). One sense organ,
attached to its object, can drain the intellect, just as one hole in a water
pot can empty the water (MS 2.99). One commits sin by engaging senses to sense
objects and obtains yogic powers by controlling the senses (MS 2.93).
Transmutation of the life force of procreative energy leads to yoga. One can
transcend sex by beholding the presence of the divine in the body of all human
beings and mentally bowing down to them.
Thus, by always practicing to keep the mind fixed on Me, the
yogi whose mind is subdued attains peace of Nirvana and comes to Me. (6.15)
This yoga is not possible, O Arjuna, for one who eats too much
or who does not eat at all, who sleeps too much or too little. (6.16)
The yoga of meditation destroys all sorrow for the one who is
moderate in eating, recreation, working, sleeping, and waking. (6.17)
The Gita
teaches that extremes should be avoided at all costs in all spheres of life.
This moderation of the Gita was eulogized by Lord Buddha who called it the
middle path, the right way, or the noble path. A healthy mind and body are
required for successful performance of any spiritual practice. Therefore, it is
required that a yogi should regulate his daily bodily functions, such as
eating, sleeping, bathing, resting and recreation. Those who eat too much or
too little may become sick or fragile. It is recommended to fill half of the
stomach with food, one fourth with water, and leave the rest empty for air. If
one sleeps more than six hours, one's lethargy, passion, and bile may increase.
A yogi should avoid extreme indulgence in uncontrolled desires as well as the
opposite extreme of yogic discipline ¾ the torturing of the body
and mind.
A person is said to have achieved yoga, union with the Self,
when the perfectly disciplined mind becomes free from all desires and gets
completely united with the Self in trance. (6.18)
A lamp in a spot sheltered by the Self from the wind of desires
does not flicker. This simile is used for the subdued mind of a yogi practicing
meditation on the Self. (6.19)
The sign
of yogic perfection is that the mind remains always undisturbed like the flame
of a lamp in a windless place.
When the mind disciplined by the practice of meditation becomes
steady and quiet, one becomes content with the Self by beholding the Self with
purified intellect. (6.20)
The self
is present in all living beings as fire is present in wood. Friction makes the
presence of fire in the wood visible to the eyes, similarly meditation makes
the Self, residing in the body, perceivable (MB 12.210.42). A psychophysical
transformation (or the superconscious state) of mind in trance is necessary for
God-realization. Each of us has access to the superconscious mind that is not
limited by time and space.
One cannot
comprehend the Infinite by reason. Reason is powerless to grasp the nature of
the beginningless Absolute. The highest faculty is not reasoning but intuition,
the comprehension of knowledge coming from the Self and not from the fallible
senses or reasoning. Self can be perceived only by the intuitive experience in
the highest state of trance and by no other means. Yogananda said: Meditation
can enlarge the magic cup of intuition to hold the ocean of infinite wisdom.
One feels infinite bliss that is perceivable only through the
intellect, beyond the reach of the senses. After realizing the Absolute
Reality, one is never separated from it. (6.21)
After Self-realization (SR), one does not regard any other gain
superior to SR. Established in SR, one is not moved even by the greatest
calamity. (6.22)
The state of severance from union with sorrow is called yoga.
This yoga should be practiced with firm determination, and without any mental
reservation. (6.23)
Yoga is
attained after long, constant, vigorous practice of meditation with firm faith
(PYS 1.14).
One gradually attains tranquillity of mind by totally
abandoning all selfish desires, completely restraining the senses by the
intellect, and keeping the mind fully absorbed in the Self by means of a
well-trained and purified intellect and thinking of nothing else. (6.24-25)
When the
mind is freed — with the help of spiritual practices — from the impurities of
lust and greed born out of the feeling of "I, me, and my", it remains
tranquil in material happiness and distress (BP 3.25.16).
Wherever this restless and
unsteady mind wanders during meditation, one should just witness it under the
watchful eye (or supervision and control) of the Self. (6.26)
The mind
plays tricks to wander and roam in the world of sensuality. The meditator
should keep the mind fixed on the Self by always pondering that one is the
soul, not the body. Just watch and laugh at the wanderings of the mind and
gently bring it back to the supervision of the Self.
The
natural tendency of the mind is to wander. We know from personal experience
that the mind is very difficult to control. To control the mind is an
impossible task like controlling the wind. The human mind can only be subdued
by a sincere practice of meditation and detachment (Gita 6.34-35). Most
commentators, however, have stated that the mind or self should be brought back
under the supervision of the Self when it starts to wander during meditation.
Atma is
considered superior to the body, senses, mind, and the intellect. (Gita 3.42).
Thus we can use the awareness of the Atma to subdue the mind. Swami Vishvas has
developed a meditation technique based on a slightly different meaning, given
above, of verse 6.26. This Method of meditation, based on the theory “Never let
the mind wander unsupervised”, is described below:
Assume the
meditative posture given in verse 6.13. It is a very good practice, before
starting any work, to invoke the grace of the personal god of your choice that
you believe in. Lord Ganesha, and the Guru should be also invoked by the
Hindus.
The main
aim of meditation, or any spiritual practice, is to get oneself out of the
outer world and its activities, start the journey within, and become an
introvert. Always keep in mind that you are not the body nor the mind, but Self
(Atma) that is separate and superior to the body-mind complex (BMC). Detach
your Self from the BMC and make the Self a witness during meditation. Withdraw
your mind from the outside world and fix your gaze at any one center of your
choice (pituitary gland, the sixth Chakra, front of the nostrils, the heart
center, or the naval center) where you feel most comfortable. Witness the
activities of the mind without becoming judgmental ¾ good or bad ¾
about the thoughts coming to your mind. Just relax, take a joy ride in the back
seat of the vehicle of mind, and watch the wanderings of mind in the
thought-world. The mind will wander because this is its nature. It will not
remain quiet in the beginning. Do not be in a hurry to slow down, pressure,
control or try to engage the mind in any other way, such as by chanting a
mantra, concentrating on any object or thought.
Detach
yourself completely from your mind and watch the play of Maya, the mind. Do not
forget that your job is to see your (lower) self, the mind, with the (higher)
Self, the Atma. Do not get attached or carried away by the thought waves
(Vritti) of the mind; just witness or follow it. After serious and sincere practice, the mind will
start slowing down when it finds out that it is being constantly watched and
followed. Do not add anything to the process of witnessing the inner world of
thought process (Chitta-vritti). Slowly, your power of concentration will
increase; the mind will join the inward journey as a friend (Gita 6.05-06); and
a state of bliss will radiate all around you. You will go beyond thought to the
thoughtless world of Nirvikalp Samadhi. Practice this for half an hour in the
morning and evening or at any other convenient, but fixed, time of your choice.
The progress will depend on several factors beyond your control, but just
persist without procrastination. Always conclude the meditation process with
the triple sound vibration of Aum, and thank God.
WHO IS A
YOGI
Supreme bliss comes to a Self-realized yogi whose mind is
tranquil, whose desires are under control, and who is free from faults or sin.
(6.27)
Such a sinless yogi, who constantly engages his or her mind and
intellect with the Self, enjoys the eternal bliss of contact with the Self.
(6.28)
Yogananda said: In the absence
of inward joy, people turn to evil. Meditation on the God of bliss permeates
us with goodness.
A yogi who is in union with the
Supreme Being sees every being with an equal eye because of perceiving the
omnipresent Supreme Being (or the Self) abiding in all beings and all beings
abiding in the Supreme Being. (See also 4.35, 5.18) (6.29)
Perception
of oneness of the Self in every being is the highest spiritual perfection. Sage
Yajnavalkya said: A wife does not love her husband because of his or her
satisfaction. She loves her husband because she feels the oneness of her soul
with his soul. She is merged in her husband and becomes one with him (BrU
2.04.05). The foundation of Vedic marriage is based on this noble and solid
rock of soul culture and is unbreakable. Trying to develop any meaningful human
relationship without a firm understanding of the spiritual basis of all
relationships is like trying to water the leaves of a tree rather than the
root.
When one
perceives one’s own higher Self in all people and all people in one’s own
higher Self, then one does not hate or injure anybody (IsU 06). Eternal peace
belongs to those who perceive God existing within everybody as Spirit (KaU
5.13). One should love others, including the enemy, because all are your own
self. "Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you" is not
only one of the noblest teachings of the Bible, but is an elementary idea
common to all paths leading to God. When one realizes that his or her very self
has become everything, whom shall one hate or punish? One does not break the
teeth that bite the tongue. When one perceives none other than one’s own Lord
abiding in the entire universe, with whom shall one fight? One should not only
love the roses, but love the thorns also.
One who sees One in all and all
in One, sees the One everywhere. To fully understand this and to experience
the oneness of individual soul and the Supersoul, is the highest achievement
and the only goal of human birth (BP 6.16.63). In the fullness of one’s
spiritual development, one finds that the Lord, who resides in one’s own heart,
resides in the hearts of all others — the rich, the poor, the Hindus, the
Muslims, the Christians, the persecuted, the persecutor, the saint, and the
sinner. Therefore, to hate a single person is to hate Him. This realization
makes one a truly humble saint. One who realizes that the Supersoul is
all-pervading and is none other than one’s own individual self, bereft of all
impurities collected over various incarnations, attains immortality and bliss.
Those who perceive Me in
everything, and behold everything in Me, are not separated from Me, and I am
not separated from them. (6.30)
A
Self-realized person sees Me in the entire universe and in oneself and sees the
entire universe and oneself in Me. When one sees Me pervading everything, just
as fire pervades wood, one is at once freed from delusion. One attains salvation
when one sees oneself different from body, mind, and the modes of material
Nature and non-different from Me (BP 3.09.31-33). The wise see their own higher
Self present in the entire universe and the entire universe present in their
own higher Self. True devotees never fear any condition of life, such as
reincarnation, living in heaven or in hell because they see God everywhere (BP
6.17.28). If you want to see, remember, and be with God at all times, then you
must practice and learn to see God in everything and everywhere.
The non-dualists, who adore Me abiding in all beings, abide in
Me irrespective of their mode of living. (6.31)
The best yogi is one who regards
every being like oneself and who can feel the pain and pleasures of others as
one’s own, O Arjuna. (6.32)
One should
consider all creatures as one’s own children (BP 7.14.09). This is one of the
qualities of a true devotee. The sages consider all women their mother, other’s
wealth a clod, and all beings as their own self. Rare is a person whose heart
melts by the fire of grief of others and who rejoices hearing the praise of
others.
TWO METHODS TO SUBDUE THE
RESTLESS MIND
Arjuna said: O Krishna, You have said that the yoga of
meditation is characterized by equanimity of mind, but due to restlessness of
mind I do not perceive it as steady. Because the mind, indeed, is very
unsteady, turbulent, powerful, and obstinate, O Krishna. I think restraining
the mind is as difficult as restraining the wind. (6.33-34)
Lord Krishna said: Undoubtedly, O
Arjuna, the mind is restless and difficult to restrain, but it is subdued by
any constant vigorous spiritual practice ¾ such as meditation ¾ with perseverance and by detachment, O Arjuna. (6.35)
Detachment
is proportional to one’s understanding of the baselessness of the world and its
objects (MB 12.174.04). Contemplation without detachment is like jewels on the
body without clothes (TR 2.177.02).
Yoga is difficult for one whose mind is not subdued. However,
yoga is attainable by the person of subdued mind who strives through proper
means. (6.36)
DESTINATION
OF UNSUCCESSFUL YOGI
Arjuna said: What is the destination of the faithful who
deviate from the path of meditation and fail to attain yogic perfection due to
an unsubdued mind, O Krishna? (6.37)
Do they not perish like a dispersing cloud, O Krishna, having
lost both the heavenly and the worldly pleasures, supportless and bewildered on
the path of Self-realization? (6.38)
O Krishna, only You are able to completely dispel this doubt of
mine because there is none other than You who can dispel such a doubt. (See
also 15.15) (6.39)
Arjuna
asked a very good question. Because the mind is very difficult to control, it
may not be possible to achieve perfection during one's lifetime. Does all the
effort get wasted? The answer comes:
Lord Krishna said: Spiritual practice performed by a yogi never
goes to waste either here or hereafter. A transcendentalist is never put to
grief, My dear friend. (6.40)
The less evolved unsuccessful yogi is reborn in the house of
the pious and prosperous after attaining heaven and living there for many
years. The highly evolved unsuccessful yogi does not go to heaven, but is born
in a spiritually advanced family. A birth like this is very difficult, indeed,
to obtain in this world. (6.41-42)
The unsuccessful yogi regains the knowledge acquired in the
previous life and strives again to achieve perfection, O Arjuna. (6.43)
The unsuccessful yogi is
instinctively carried towards God by virtue of the impressions of yogic
practices of previous lives. Even the inquirer of yoga ¾ union with God ¾ surpasses those who perform
Vedic rituals. (6.44)
The yogi who diligently strives becomes completely free from
all imperfections after becoming gradually perfect through many incarnations
and reaches the Supreme Abode. (6.45)
One must
be very careful in spiritual life, or there is a possibility of being carried
away by the powerful wind of bad association created by Maya, and one may
abandon the spiritual path. One should never get discouraged. The unsuccessful
yogi gets another chance by starting over from where he or she leaves off. The
spiritual journey is long and slow, but no sincere effort is ever wasted.
Normally it takes many, many births to reach the perfection of salvation. All
living entities (souls) are eventually redeemed after they reach the zenith of
spiritual evolution.
WHO IS THE
BEST YOGI
The yogi is superior to the ascetics. The yogi is superior to
the Vedic scholars. The yogi is superior to the ritualists. Therefore, O
Arjuna, be a yogi. (6.46)
And I consider the yogi-devotee ¾ who lovingly contemplates
Me with supreme faith and whose mind is ever absorbed in Me ¾ to be the best of all the
yogis. (See also 12.02 and 18.66) (6.47)
Meditation
or any other act becomes more powerful and efficient if it is done with
knowledge, faith, and devotion to God. Meditation is a necessary condition but
not a sufficient condition for spiritual progress. The mind should be kept ever
absorbed in thoughts of God. The meditative mood is to be continued during
other times through scriptural study, Self-analysis, and service. It is said
that no single yoga alone is complete without the presence of other yogas. Just
as the right combination of all ingredients is essential for preparation of a
good meal, similarly selfless service, chanting of Lord's name, meditation,
study of scriptures, contemplation, and devotional love are essential for
reaching the supreme goal. Some seekers prefer just to stick to one path. They
should try all other major paths and see if a combination is better for them or
not. Any path can become the right path if one has completely surrendered to
God. The person who meditates with deep devotional love of God is called a
yogi-devotee and is considered to be the best of all yogis.
Before one
can purify one's psyche by a mantra or meditation, one has to reach a level
whereby one's system of consciousness becomes sensitive to a mantra. This means
one's mundane desires must be first fulfilled ¾ or satisfied ¾ by
detachment, and one has practiced the first four steps of Patanjali’s
YogaSutra. It is just like cleaning jewelry first before goldplating it.
CHAPTER 7
SELF-KNOWLEDGE AND ENLIGHTENMENT
Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, listen how you shall know Me fully
without any doubt, with your mind absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, and
performing yogic practices. (7.01)
METAPHYSICAL
KNOWLEDGE IS THE ULTIMATE KNOWLEDGE
I shall impart you both the transcendental knowledge and the
transcendental experience or a vision, after knowing that nothing more remains
to be known in this world. (7.02)
Those who
have transcendental experience become perfect (RV 1.164.39). Everything becomes
(as though) known when the Supreme Being is heard, reflected, meditated upon,
seen, and known (BrU 4.05.06). The need to know all other things becomes
irrelevant with the dawn of the knowledge of the Absolute, the Supreme Spirit.
All articles made of gold become known after knowing gold. Similarly, after
knowing the Supreme Spirit, all manifestations of the Spirit become known. One
who knows the Supreme Spirit is considered to have known all, but one who knows
everything, but does not know the Supreme Spirit or God, does not know
anything. The intent of the above verse is that knowledge of all other subjects
remains incomplete without one’s understanding of who am I?
SEEKERS
ARE VERY FEW
Scarcely one out of thousands of persons strives for perfection
of Self-realization. Scarcely one among those successful strivers truly
understands Me. (7.03)
Many are
called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22.14). Few are fortunate enough to obtain
knowledge of, and devotion to, the Supreme Being.
DEFINITION
OF SPIRIT AND MATTER
The mind, intellect, ego, ether, air, fire, water, and earth
are the eightfold division of My material energy. (See also 13.05) (7.04)
'Material
Nature' is defined as the material cause or the material out of which
everything is made. Material Nature is the original source of the material
world, consisting of three modes of material Nature and eight basic elements
out of which everything in the universe has evolved, according to Sankhya
doctrine. Material Nature is one of the transformations of divine power (Maya)
and is the material cause of creation of the entire universe. Matter is thus a
part of Lord's illusory energy, Maya. Material Nature is also referred to as
perishable, body, matter, Nature, Maya, field, creation, and manifest state.
That which creates diversity as well as the diversity itself, and all that can
be seen or known, including the mind, is called material Nature.
The material Nature or matter is
My lower Nature. My other higher Nature is the Spirit by which this entire
universe is sustained, O Arjuna. (7.05)
Two types
of material Nature are described in verses 7.04 and 7.05. The eightfold
material Nature described in verse 7.04 is called lower energy or material
energy. This is commonly known as material Nature. It creates the material
world. The other higher Nature mentioned in verse 7.05 is also called higher
energy or the spiritual energy. This is also called consciousness, Self,
Spirit, or Spiritual Being. Spirit is immutable; and material Nature, born of
Spirit, is mutable. Spirit observes, witnesses, as well as supervises material
Nature.
The
Supreme Spirit is the efficient cause of creation of the universe. The material
Nature and Spirit are not two independent identities but the two aspects of
the Supreme Spirit. The Supreme Spirit, Spirit, and material Nature are the
same yet different as the sun and its light and heat are the same as well as
different.
The water
and the fish that is born in and sustained by the water, are not one and the
same. Similarly, the Spirit and the material Nature that is born out of Spirit,
are not one and the same (MB 12.315.14). The soul is also called spirit when
soul enjoys the modes of material Nature by associating with the senses. The
Spirit and soul are also different because Spirit sustains soul, but the wise
perceive no difference between the two (BP 4.28.62).
Some of
the terms — such as the Supreme Spirit, Spirit, material Nature, and soul —
have different definitions in different doctrines and also take different
meanings, depending on the context. In this rendering, the nonsectarian word
‘God’ stands for the one and the only Lord of the universe ¾
the Supreme Being ¾ whom Hindus prefer to call by various personal names
such as Rama, Krishna, Shiva, and Mother. Different terminology does confuse a
reader who has to learn ¾ preferably with the help of a teacher ¾ full
connotation, usage, and hierarchic relationships between these and various
other expressions as one progresses on the path of spiritual journey.
SUPREME SPIRIT IS THE BASIS OF
EVERYTHING
Know that all creatures have
evolved from this twofold energy, and the Supreme Spirit is the source of the
origin as well as the dissolution of the entire universe. (See also 13.26)
(7.06)
There is nothing higher than the
Supreme Being, O Arjuna. Everything in the universe is strung on the Supreme
Being, like different jewels are strung on the thread of a necklace. (7.07)
One and
the same Spirit is present in cows, horses, human beings, birds, and all other
living beings just as the same thread is present in the necklace made of
diamond, gold, pearl, or wood (MB 12.206.02-03). The entire creation is
permeated by Him (YV 32.08).
O Arjuna, I am the sapidity in the water, I am the radiance in
the sun and the moon, the sacred syllable “AUM” in all the Vedas, the sound in
the ether, and potency in human beings. I am the sweet fragrance in the earth.
I am the heat in the fire, the life in all living beings, and the austerity in
the ascetics. (7.08-09)
O Arjuna, know Me to be the eternal seed of all creatures. I am
the intelligence of the intelligent and the brilliance of the brilliant. (See
also 9.18 and 10.39). I am the strength of the strong who are devoid of selfish
attachment. I am the lust or Cupid in human beings that is devoid of sense
gratification, and is in accord with Dharma (for the sacred purpose of
procreation after marriage), O Arjuna. (7.10-11)
Know that three modes of material Nature ¾
goodness, passion, and ignorance ¾ also emanate indirectly from Me. I am not dependent on,
nor affected by, the modes of material Nature; but the modes of material Nature
are dependent on Me. (See also 9.04 and 9.05) (7.12)
Human beings get deluded by various aspects of these three
modes of material Nature; therefore, they do not know Me who am eternal and
above these modes. (7.13)
HOW TO
OVERCOME THE DELUSIVE DIVINE POWER (MAYA)
This divine power of Mine called
Maya, consisting of three modes of matter or mind, is very difficult to
overcome. Only those who surrender unto Me easily pierce the veil of Maya and
know the Absolute Reality. (See also 14.26, 15.19, and 18.66) (7.14)
When one
fully dedicates one's life to the Supreme power and depends on Him in all
circumstances, as a small child depends on the parents, then Lord personally
takes charge of such a devotee. And when He takes charge of you, there is no
need to be afraid of anything or to depend on anybody else for anything ¾
spiritual or material ¾ in life.
WHO SEEKS
GOD?
The evil doers, the ignorant, the lowest persons who are
attached to demonic nature and whose power of discrimination has been taken
away by divine illusive power (Maya), do not worship or seek Me. (7.15)
Four types of virtuous ones
worship or seek Me, O Arjuna. They are: The distressed, the seeker of
Self-knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the enlightened one who has
experienced the Supreme Being. (7.16)
Whatever a
person does is the product of desire. Nobody can ever do anything without the
desire for it (MS 2.04). Desires cannot be completely wiped out. One should
transmute the lower forms of selfish desires. Desire for salvation is a higher
or noble form of desire. Desire for devotional love of God is regarded as the
highest and the purest form of all human desires. It is said that advanced
devotees do not even desire salvation from God. They long for loving devotional
service to God, life after life.
The lower
desires of devotees who approach Him for fulfillment become like roasted seeds
that cannot sprout and grow into a big tree of desire. What really matters is
the deep concentration of mind on God through feelings of devotion, love, fear,
or even for material gain (BP 10.22.26).
Among them the enlightened devotee, who is ever united with Me
and whose devotion is single-minded, is the best because I am very dear to the
enlightened and the enlightened is very dear to Me. (7.17)
Knowledge
of God without devotion ¾ the love of God ¾ is a dry speculation, and
devotion without knowledge of God is blind faith. The fruit of enlightenment
grows on the tree of Self-knowledge only when the tree receives the water of
pure devotion.
All these seekers are indeed noble, but I regard the
enlightened devotee as My very Self because one who is steadfast becomes one
with Me and abides in My supreme abode. (See also 9.29) (7.18)
After many births, the enlightened
one resorts to Me by realizing that everything is, indeed, My manifestation.
Such a great soul is very rare. (7.19)
All this
is, of course, the Spirit because everything is born from, rests in, and merges
into the Spirit (ChU 3.14.01). All this is Spirit. The Spirit is everywhere.
All this universe is, indeed, Spirit (MuU 2.02.11). The Bible says: You are
gods (John 10.34). The Vedas and Upanishads declare: Consciousness is Spirit
(AiU 3.03 in Rigveda). I am Spirit (BrU 1.04.10 in Yajurveda). You are Spirit
(ChU 6.08.07 in Samaveda). The Spirit is also called Atma (or Brahman, Brahm,
Brahma) (MaU 02 in Atharvaveda). That which is One has become all these (RV
8.58.02). The entire creation and every order of reality are nothing but
another form of divinity.
The male
musk deer, after a vain search for the cause of the scent of the musk, at last
will have to find the musk in himself. After God-realization, one sees that it
is the Spirit of God (or Consciousness) that has become the universe and all
living beings. Everything is consciousness. Creation is like countless waves
appearing in the ocean of consciousness by the wind of divine power (Maya).
Everything, including the primordial divine energy called Maya, is nothing but
part and parcel of the Absolute.
Persons, whose discernment has been carried away by desires impelled
by their Karmic impression, resort to celestial controllers and practice
various religious rites for fulfillment of their material desires. (7.20)
WORSHIP OF DEITY IS ALSO A
WORSHIP OF GOD
Whosoever desires to worship
whatever deity — using any name, form, and method — with faith, I make their
faith steady in that very deity. Endowed with steady faith, they worship that
deity and obtain their wishes through that deity. Those wishes are, indeed,
granted by Me. (7.21-22)
The power
of the deities comes from the Supreme Lord as the aroma of the wind comes from
the flower (BP 6.04.34). God is the bestower of fruits of work (BS 3.02.38).
God fulfills all desires of His worshippers (BP 4.13.34). One should not look
down upon any method of seeking God because all worships are the worship of the
same God. He fulfills all sincere and beneficial prayers of a devotee if He is
worshipped with faith and love. The wise realize that all names and forms are
His, whereas the ignorant play the game of holy war in the name of religion to
seek personal gain at the cost of others.
It is said
that whatever deity a person may worship, all his or her obeisance and prayers
reach the Supreme Being as all water that falls as rain eventually reaches the
ocean. Whatever name and form of divinity one adores is worship of the same
Supreme Being, and one gets the reward of deity-worship performed with faith.
Desired results of worship are given, indirectly, by the Lord through one's
favorite deity. Human beings live in the darkness of the prison cells of pairs
of opposites. Deities are like icons that can open the window through which the
Supreme may be perceived. However, the worship of deities without full
understanding of the nature of the Supreme Being is considered to be in the mode
of ignorance.
Such material gains of these less intelligent human beings are
temporary. The worshipers of celestial controllers go to celestial
controllers, but My devotees certainly come to Me. (7.23)
Those who
worship celestial controllers are under the mode of passion; and those who
practice other, much lower grades of worship, such as the worship of evil
spirits, ghosts, black magic, and Tantra ¾ also known as idolatry ¾ to
get progeny, fame, or to destroy their enemies are under the mode of ignorance.
Lord Krishna advises against such lower grades of worship and recommends
worship of the one and only Supreme Lord, using any one name and form. The
devotees of Krishna may, sometimes, worship Krishna in other forms also. In
Mahabharata Lord Krishna Himself advised Arjuna to worship a much gentler
mother form of God, known as Mother Durga, just before the start of the war for
victory. This is like a child going to ask something from Mother instead of
Father. The Lord is actually both mother and father of all creatures.
GOD CAN BE
SEEN IN AN IMAGE OF ANY DESIRED FORM OF WORSHIP
The ignorant ones — unable to
understand My immutable, incomparable, incomprehen- sible, and transcendental
form — assume that I, the Supreme Being, am formless and take forms or
incarnate. Concealed by My divine power (Maya), I do not reveal Myself to such
ignorants who do not know and understand My unborn, eternal, and transcendental
form and personality. (7.24-25)
The
Sanskrit word “Avyakta” has been used in verses 2.25, 2.28, 7.24, 8.18, 8.20,
8.21, 9.04, 12.01, 12.03, 12.05, and 13.05. It takes different meanings according
to the context. It is used in the sense of unmanifest, material Nature and also
in the sense of Spirit. Supreme Being ¾ the Absolute
Consciousness ¾
is higher than both unmanifest Nature and Spirit. “Avyakta” does not mean
formless; it means unmanifest or a transcendental form that is invisible to our
physical eyes and cannot be comprehended by the human mind or described by
words. Everything has a form. Nothing in the cosmos, including the Supreme
Being, is formless. Every form is His form. Supreme Being has a transcendental
form and Supreme Personality. He is eternal, without any origin and end. The
invisible Absolute is the basis of the visible world.
The
meaning of verse 7.24 also seems to contradict the common belief that Lord
incarnates, as mentioned in verses 4.06-08, and 9.11. It is said here that the
Supreme Being is ever unmanifest, and, as such, He never becomes manifest. In a
true sense, the Supreme Being or Absolute does not incarnate. He actually never
leaves His Supreme Abode! It is the intellect of the Supreme Being that does
the work of creation, maintenance, incarnation, and destruction by using His
innumerable powers. The deep meaning of this verse may be understood if one
seriously studies the peace invocation of Ishopanishad that states: “The
invisible is the Infinite, the visible too is infinite. From the Infinite, the
infinite universes manifest. The Infinite (Absolute) remains Infinite or
unchanged, even though infinite universes come out of it.” People do not know
the transcendental and imperishable nature of God and wrongly think that God
also incarnates like an ordinary person. He does not incarnate, but manifests
using His own divine potencies.
The
transcendental Being is beyond the human conception of form and formless. Those
who consider God formless are as wrong as those who say God has a form. The
argument whether God is formless or has a form has nothing to do with our worship
and spiritual practice. We can worship Him in any way or form that suits us. A
name, form, and description of the imperceptible, all pervasive, and
indescribable Lord has been given by saints and sages for cultivating the love
of God in the hearts of common devotees. A name and a form are absolutely
necessary for the purpose of worship and to nurture devotion ¾ a
deep love for God. God appears to a devotee in a form in order to make his or
her faith firm. Therefore, it is necessary that one should respect all forms of
God (or deity), but establish relationship with and worship one form only.
I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, of the present, and
those of the future, but no one really knows Me. (7.26)
All beings in this world are in utter ignorance due to the
delusion of pairs of opposites born of likes and dislikes, O Arjuna. But the
persons purified by unselfish deeds, whose Karma has come to an end, become
free from the delusion of pairs of opposites and worship Me with firm resolve.
(7.27-28)
When the
Karma of a person comes to an end, only then one can understand the
transcendental science and develop love and devotion to God.
Those who strive for freedom from the cycles of birth, old age,
and death — by taking refuge in God — fully comprehend the true nature and
powers of the Supreme. (7.29)
The steadfast persons who know Me alone as the basis of all ¾ the
mortal beings, Divine Beings, and the
Eternal Being ¾
even at the time of death, attain Me. (See also 8.04) (7.30)
Those who
understand God to be the governing principle of the whole creation, the
underlying basis of all Temporal Beings, the sustainer of all entities, and the
enjoyer of all sacrifices and pleasures, are blessed with the freedom from the
cycle of birth and death and attain salvation.
CHAPTER 8
THE ETERNAL SPIRIT
Arjuna said: O Krishna, who is the Eternal Being or the Spirit?
What is the nature of the Eternal Being? What is Karma? Who are the mortal
beings? And who are Divine Beings? Who is the Supreme Being and how does He dwell
in the body? How can You, the Supreme Being, be remembered at the time of death by those who have control over
their minds, O Krishna? (8.01-02)
DEFINITION
OF SUPREME SPIRIT, SPIRIT, INDIVIDUAL SOUL, AND KARMA
Lord Krishna said: The eternal and
immutable Spirit of the Supreme Being is called Eternal Being or the Spirit.
The inherent power of cognition and desire of Eternal Being is called the
nature of Eternal Being. The creative power of Eternal Being that causes
manifestation of the living entity is called Karma. (8.03)
Spirit is
also called Eternal Spirit, Spiritual Being, Eternal Being, and God in English;
and Brahm, or Eternal Brahm (Note: Brahm is also spelled as Brahma and Brahman)
in Sanskrit. Spirit is the cause of all causes. The word ‘God’ is generally
used for both Spirit, and the Supreme Spirit (or the Supreme Being), the basis
of Spirit. We have used the word ‘Eternal Being’ for Spirit; and ‘Supreme
Being’, ‘Absolute’, and ‘Krishna’ for the Supreme Spirit in this rendering.
The subtle
body consists of six sensory faculties, intellect, ego, and five vital forces
called bioimpulses (Life forces, Prana). The individual soul is defined as the
subtle body sustained by Spirit. The individual soul is enshrined in the
physical body. The subtle body keeps the physical body active and alive by
operating the organs of perception and action.
Various expansions of the Supreme Being are also called Divine
Beings. The Supreme Being also resides inside the physical bodies as the Divine
Controller (Ishvara). (8.04)
THEORY OF
REINCARNATION AND KARMA
One who remembers the Supreme Being exclusively, even while
leaving the body at the time of death, attains the Supreme Abode; there is no
doubt about it. (8.05)
Whatever object one remembers as
one leaves the body at the end of life, one attains that object. Thought of
whatever object prevails during one's lifetime, one remembers only that object
at the end of life and achieves it. (8.06)
One’s
destiny is determined by the predominant thought at the time of death. Even if
one has practiced devotion and God-consciousness during one’s lifetime, the
thought of God may or may not come at the hour of death. Therefore,
God-consciousness should be continued till death (BS 1.1.12). Sages continue
their efforts in their successive lives, yet at the moment of death they may
fail to remember God. One cannot expect to have good thoughts at the time of
death if one has kept bad company. Keeping the association of perfect devotees
and avoiding the company of worldly-minded people is the criterion for success
in spiritual life. Whatever thought one nurtures during life, the same thought
comes at the time of death and determines the future destiny. Therefore, life
should be molded in such a way that one should be able to remember God at the
time of death. People should practice God-consciousness in everyday life from
very childhood by forming a habit of remembering God before taking any food,
before going to bed, and before starting any work or study.
A SIMPLE
METHOD OF GOD-REALIZATION
Therefore, always remember Me and
do your duty. You shall certainly attain Me if your mind and intellect are ever
focused on Me. (8.07)
The
supreme purpose of life is to remember all the time a personal God one believes
in so that one can remember God at the time of death. To remember the absolute
and impersonal God may not be possible for most human beings. A pure devotee is
able to experience the ecstasy of Lord's personal presence within and reach His
Supreme Abode by always remembering Him. Live in a state of constant spiritual
awareness.
By contemplating Me with an unwavering mind that is disciplined
by the practice of meditation, one attains the Supreme Being, O Arjuna. (8.08)
One gets
spiritual awakening and the vision of God by constantly thinking of God in
meditation, silent repetition of the holy names of God, and contemplation. The
endeavor of our whole life shapes our destiny. Spiritual practices are meant to
keep the mind absorbed in His thoughts and fixed at His lotus feet. Ramakrishna
said that when you desire anything, pray to the Mother aspect of God in a
lonely place, with tears of sincerity in your eyes, and your wishes shall be
fulfilled. He also said that it might be possible to attain Self-realization
within three days. The more intensely one practices spiritual disciplines, the
more quickly one attains perfection. The intensity of conviction and belief,
combined with deep yearning, restlessness, intense longing, and persistence,
determine the speed of spiritual progress. The real practice of HathaYoga is
not only the yogic exercises taught in modern yoga centers, but also the
consistence, persistence, and insistence in one’s search for the Supreme Truth.
Self-realization
is not a simple act but a process of gradual spiritual growth, starting with
resolve, proceeding gradually to vow, divine grace, faith, and finally
realization of Truth (YV 19.30). The Supreme Being is not realized through
discourses, intellect, or learning. It is realized only when one sincerely longs
for it with vigorous effort. Sincere craving brings divine grace that unveils
the Supreme Being (MuU 3.02.03).
One who meditates at the time of death with steadfast mind and
devotion on the Supreme Being as the omniscient, the oldest, the controller, smaller
than the smallest and bigger than the biggest, the sustainer of everything, the
inconceivable, self-luminous like the sun, and transcendental (or beyond the
material reality) by making the flow of bioimpulses (life forces, Prana) rise
up to the middle of the eye brows by the power of yogic practices and holding
there, attains Me, the Supreme Being. (See also verses 4.29, 5.27, 6.13)
(8.09-10)
Now I shall briefly explain the process to attain the Supreme
Abode that the knowers of the Veda call immutable; into which the ascetics,
freed from attachment, enter; and desiring which people lead a life of
celibacy. (8.11)
ATTAIN
SALVATION BY MEDITATING ON GOD AT THE TIME OF DEATH
When one leaves the physical body
by controlling all the senses, focusing the mind on God and the bioimpulses
(Life forces, Prana) in the cerebrum, engaged in yogic practice, meditating on
Me, and uttering AUM ¾ the sacred monosyllable sound power of the Spirit ¾ one attains the Supreme
Abode. (8.12-13)
Scriptural
knowledge has its place, but it is through direct realization that the inner
core can be reached and the outer shell discarded. Meditation is the way to
inner realization and should be learnt, personally, from a competent teacher.
Realization of the true nature of mind leads to meditation.
A simple
technique of meditation is described here: (1) Wash your face, eyes, hands, and
feet and sit in a clean, quiet, dark place, using any comfortable posture, with
head, neck, and spine straight and vertical. No music or incense during
meditation is recommended. The time and place of meditation should be fixed.
Follow the good principles of living by thoughts, words, and deeds. Some yogic
exercises are necessary. Midnight, morning, and evening are the best times to
meditate for 15 to 25 minutes every day, (2) Remember any name or form of the
personal god you believe in and ask His or Her blessings, (3) Close your eyes,
tilt head slightly upward, and take 5 to 10 very slow and deep breaths, (4) Fix
your gaze, mind, and feelings inside the chest center, the seat of the causal
heart, and breathe slowly. Mentally chant "So" as you breathe in and
"Hum" as you breathe out. Think as if breath itself is making these
sounds “So” and “Hum” (I am That Spirit). Mentally visualize and follow the route
of breath going in through the nostrils, up towards the mid-brows, and down to
the chest center, or lungs. Be alert, and feel the sensation created by the
breath in the body as you follow the breath. Do not try to control or lead your
breathing; just follow the natural breathing, (5) Direct the will towards the
thought of merging yourself into the infinite space of the air you are
breathing. If your mind wanders away from following the breaths, start from
step (4). Be regular, and persist without procrastination.
The sound
of “OM” or “AUM” is a combination of three primary sounds: A, U, and M. It is
the source of all sounds one can utter. Therefore, it is the fittest sound
symbol of Spirit. It is also the primeval impulse that moves our five nerve centers
that control bodily functions. The sound produced due to the fast-moving
earth, planets and galaxies is AUM. Yogananda calls “OM” the sound of the
vibration of the cosmic motor. The Bible says: In the beginning was the word
(OM, Amen, Allah) and the word was with God, and the word was God (John 1.01).
This cosmic sound vibration is heard by yogis as a sound, or a mixture of
sounds, of various frequencies.
The Omnic
meditation, mentioned here by Lord Krishna, is a very powerful, sacred
technique used by saints and sages of all religions. Briefly, the Omnic method
entails getting the mind permeated by a continuous, reverberating sound of AUM.
When the mind gets absorbed in repeating this divine sound, the individual
consciousness merges into the Cosmic Consciousness.
A simpler
method of contemplation is given below by Lord Krishna for those who cannot
follow the conventional path of meditation discussed above.
I am easily attainable, O Arjuna,
by that ever steadfast devotee who always thinks of Me and whose mind does not
go elsewhere. (8.14)
It is not
an easy task to always remember God. One must have a basis to remember God all
the time. This basis could be an intense love of God or a passion to serve Him
through the service of humanity.
After attaining Me, the great souls do not incur rebirth in
this miserable transitory world because they have attained the highest perfection.
(8.15)
Human
birth is full of suffering. Even the saints, sages, and God in human form
cannot escape the sufferings of the human body and mind. One has to learn to
endure and work towards salvation.
The dwellers of all the worlds ¾ up to and including the
world of the creator ¾ are subject to the miseries of repeated birth and
death. But after attaining Me, O Arjuna, one does not take birth again. (See
also 9.25) (8.16)
EVERYTHING
IN THE CREATION IS CYCLIC
Those who know that the duration of creation lasts 4.32 billion
years and that the duration of destruction also lasts 4.32 billion years, they
are the knowers of the cycles of creation and destruction. (8.17)
Thus, one
complete creative cycle lasts 8.64 billion solar years. The duration of partial
dissolution, during which all heavenly planets, the earth, and the lower
planets are annihilated and rest within the abdomen of Brahmaa, is 4.32 billion
years. Complete dissolution takes place at the end of Brahmaa's (or creative
cycle's) full life-span of 100 solar years, or 8.64 billion years x 30 x 12
x 100 = just over 311 trillion solar
years called Kalpa (See verse 9.07), according to Vedic astrology. At this
time, the complete material creation, including the modes of material Nature,
enters into one of the three main, partial manifestations of the Absolute ¾
called MahaaVishnu (or the source and sink of the total material energy) ¾ and
is annihilated. During the complete dissolution, everything is said to take
rest in the abdomen of Lord (MahaaVishnu) until the beginning of the next cycle
of creation. In the second manifestation, Lord’s energies enter into all the
universes to create and support diversities. And in the third manifestation,
the Absolute is diffused as the all-pervading supersoul in the universes and
remains present within the atoms and every cell of everything ¾
visible or invisible.
All manifestations come out of the primary material Nature
during the creative cycle, and they merge into the primary material Nature
during the destructive cycle. (8.18)
The same multitude of beings comes
into existence again and again at the arrival of the creative cycle and are
annihilated, inevitably, at the arrival of the destructive cycle. (8.19)
According
to the Vedas, creation is a beginningless and endless cycle, and there is no
such thing as the first creation.
There is another eternal transcendental existence ¾
higher than the changeable material Nature ¾ called Eternal Being or
Spirit that does not perish when all created beings perish. This is also called
the Supreme Abode. Those who attain the Supreme Abode do not take birth again.
(8.20-21)
TWO BASIC PATHS OF DEPARTURE
FROM THE WORLD
This Supreme Abode, O Arjuna, is attainable by unswerving
devotion to Me within which all beings exist, and by which the entire universe
is pervaded. (See also 9.04 and 11.55) (8.22)
O Arjuna, now I shall describe different paths departing by
which, during death, the yogis do or do not come back. (8.23)
Fire, light, daytime, the bright lunar fortnight, and the six
months of the northern solstice of the sun — departing by the path of these
celestial controllers, yogis who know the Self attain the Supreme. (8.24)
This verse
is considered to be one of the most mysterious and misunderstood verses in the
Gita, according to Yogananda. There are thousands of gross and subtle nerves
(Nadis) in the human body. Only one of them ¾ the Sushumna Nadi ¾ goes
towards the cerebral opening in the seventh energy center (Chakra). If the
vital life force (Prana) passes out of the body through Sushumna Nadi during
death by virtue of meditation on the energy centers (Chakras), the living
entity reaches the Supreme and attains salvation. (ChU 8.6.06, KaU 6.16, BS
4.2.17).
Anyone who
knows how to meditate on the energy centers (Chakras) becomes virtuous and pure
and does not become besmeared with sin like a lotus leaf does not get wet by
water (ChU 5.10.10). This is known as gradual emancipation of the soul from the
lower centers in the body via the path leading to celestial controllers. What
appears to refer to the auspicious times of departure of the living entity in
this verse refers only to the presiding deities of various energy centers in
the astral plane of the body. The kingdom of heaven is within all of us. All
spheres of the macrocosm are represented in our body in microcosmic form as
the seven Chakras or astral energy centers. Celestial controllers ¾
different aspects of the cosmic intellect ¾ that govern the forces of
nature also reside in these astral centers of the body and control the forces
that work upon the body.
The
Upanishad (ChU 5.10.01) also refers to a superhuman person or celestial
ruler. According to the gurus of KriyaYoga, this superbeing is the Kundalini
power. This interpretation is thus supported by the Upanishad. Ramakrishna also
said that spiritual consciousness is not possible without the awakening of
Kundalini. When the mind force rises upward by the power of Kundalini and
reaches the seventh Chakra (Energy center), it merges with the Universal Spirit
in the eighth astral cosmic plane. Yogic scriptures say: As long as the
Kundalini power remains dormant in the lower center, one cannot get success
through spiritual practices, such as meditation and worship.
Smoke, night, the dark lunar fortnight, and the six months of
southern solstice of the sun — departing by these paths, the righteous person
attain heaven and come back to earth. (8.25)
The destination of righteous
persons who work to enjoy the fruits of their labor, is described in the above
verse. Those who attain heaven reincarnate when the fruits of their virtuous
deeds are exhausted (MuU 1.02.09). If the soul goes out by any path other than
Sushumna Nadi, one does not attain emancipation and undergoes repeated births
and deaths.
The path of light of spiritual
practice and Self-knowledge and the path of darkness of materialism and
ignorance are thought to be the world’s two eternal paths. The former leads to
salvation and the latter leads to rebirth as human beings. (8.26)
The path
of transmigration may be included in the path of reincarnation, or it may be
called the third path. The Upanishads describe this third path as the path of
lower creatures, such as animals and insects. Unrighteous ones, who do not
qualify for either path, transmigrate into lower wombs, such as animals, birds,
and insects (BrU 6.02.15-16). The immortal soul wanders endlessly through the
ocean of transmigration made up of 8.4 million different species of life on
this planet. The good Lord, out of His sweet will or mercy and without any
reason, bestows the precious gift of the human body that is like a raft to
carry one across the ocean of transmigration (TR 7.43.02-04). Consider what we
are is God’s gift to us, and what we become is our gift to God. It is also said
that human birth, faith in God, and the help of a real guru come only by His
grace. Our present life provides the opportunity for preparation for the next
life. According to the activities in this life, one can either get a promotion
or salvation, a demotion or transmigration, or another chance for salvation by
reincarnating as a human being.
TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE
LEADS TO SALVATION
Knowing these two paths, O Arjuna, a yogi is not bewildered at
all. Therefore, one should be resolute in attaining salvation — the goal of
human birth — at all times. (8.27)
One who knows all this goes beyond getting the benefits of the
study of the Vedas, performance of sacrifices, austerities, and charities; and
attains salvation. (8.28)
CHAPTER 9
SUPREME KNOWLEDGE AND
THE BIG MYSTERY
Lord Krishna said: Since you have faith in My words, I shall
reveal to you the most profound, secret, transcendental knowledge, together
with transcendental experience. Knowing this, you will be freed from the
miseries of worldly existence. (9.01)
KNOWLEDGE
OF THE NATURE OF SUPREME IS THE BIGGEST MYSTERY
This Self-knowledge is the king of all knowledge, is the most
secret, is very sacred, it can be perceived by instinct, conforms to
righteousness (Dharma), is very easy to practice, and is timeless. (9.02)
O Arjuna, those who have no faith in this knowledge do not
attain Me and follow the cycles of birth and death. (9.03)
Everything
is possible for the person who has faith in God (Mark 9.23). Faith in the
Supreme power holds the key to unlock the gates of salvation.
This entire universe is an
expansion of Mine. All beings depend on Me (like a gold chain depends on gold
and milk products depend on milk). I do not depend on ¾ or become affected by ¾ them; because I am the
highest of all. (See also 7.12) (9.04)
From a
dualistic viewpoint, waves depend on the ocean; the ocean does not depend on
the waves. But from a monist point of view, as stated in verse 9.05 below, the
question of wave abiding in the ocean or the ocean abiding in the wave does not
arise because there is no wave or ocean. It is water only. Similarly,
everything is a manifestation of the Spirit only (Gita 7.19).
Look at the power of My divine
mystery; in reality, I ¾ the sustainer and creator of all beings ¾ do not depend on them, and
they also do not depend on Me. (In fact, the gold-chain does not depend on
gold; the gold-chain is nothing but gold. Also, matter and energy are
different, as well as non-different). (9.05)
The wave
is water, but the water is not wave. The water has become the vapor, the cloud,
the rain, the ice, as well as the bubble, the lake, the river, the wave, and
the ocean. These are nothing but names of different forms (or transformations)
of water. From a monist viewpoint, there is no ocean, no wave, and no lake, but
water only. However, a wave is a wave as long as it does not realize its true
nature ¾
that it is not a wave but water. When the wave realizes that it is water, the
wave no longer remains a wave, but becomes water. Similarly, when one realizes
that he or she is not this physical body ¾ but the Eternal Being in
the form of Spirit residing inside the physical body ¾ one transcends physical
body and immediately becomes one with the Spirit without undergoing any
physical change. As a physical body, one is mortal, limited by a form, with
color, gender, and temperament. But as a part of the Spirit, one is free,
immortal, and limitless. This is called Nirvana, or salvation.
Perceive that all beings remain in
Me — without any contact or without producing any effect — as the mighty wind,
moving everywhere, eternally remains in space. (9.06)
Gross
objects, such as planets and stars, remain in the subtle space without any
visible connection at all. Similarly, the entire universe, including space
itself, abides in the unified field called Consciousness. Time has no access to
space, similarly, Consciousness is everlasting, indivisible, and unaffected by
everything going on in its field just as clouds do not make the sky wet.
THEORY OF
EVOLUTION AND INVOLUTION
All beings merge into My primary material Nature at the end of
a cycle of just over 311 trillion solar years, O Arjuna, and I create them
again at the beginning of the next cycle. (See also 8.17) (9.07)
As a
spider spreads out the web from within, plays in it, and again draws the web
into itself, similarly, the Eternal Being (or Spirit) creates the material
world from itself, plays in it as living entity, and takes it into itself
during complete dissolution (BP 11.09.21). All manifestations are born,
sustained, and finally merge in Spirit as bubbles of water are born, sustained,
and merge in water. Spirit manifests itself into the universe by using its own
internal power without the help of any external agent. It is possible for one
Spirit — by virtue of possessing diverse powers — to be transformed into
multiplicity without any outside help. Spirit (or the Eternal Being) is thus
both the efficient and the material cause of creation.
I create the entire multitude of beings again and again with
the help of My material Nature. These beings are under control of the modes of
material Nature. (9.08)
These acts of creation do not bind Me, O Arjuna, because I
remain indifferent and unattached to those acts. (9.09)
The divine kinetic energy (Maya) ¾ with the help of material
Nature ¾
creates all animate and inanimate objects under My supervision; thus, the
creation keeps on going, O Arjuna. (See also 14.03) (9.10)
WAYS OF
THE WISE, AND OF THE IGNORANT ARE DIFFERENT
Ignorant persons despise Me when I appear in human form because
they do not know My transcendental nature as the great Lord of all beings
(taking Me for an ordinary human being) and because they have false hopes,
false actions, and false knowledge, and delusive (T|masika) qualities (See 16.04-18) of fiends and demons (they
are unable to recognize Me). (9.11-12)
When Lord
Krishna was here on this earth, in spite of accomplishing many transcendental
and extraordinary feats, only a few people were able to recognize Him as an
incarnation of the Supreme Being. Even a highly evolved soul, such as King
Yudhishthira, was quite surprised to learn from sage Narada that his (King’s)
cousin brother, Krishna, is the Supreme Being in human form (BP 7.15.79). The
moral is that the Supreme cannot be known without one’s good Karma and His
personal grace.
But great souls, O Arjuna, who possess divine qualities (See
16.01-03), know Me as immutable ¾ as the material and efficient cause of creation ¾ and
worship Me single-mindedly with loving devotion. (9.13)
Persons of firm resolve worship Me with ever-steadfast devotion
by always singing My glories, striving to attain Me, and prostrating before Me
with devotion. (9.14)
Some worship Me by acquiring and propagating Self-knowledge.
Others worship the infinite as one in all (or non-dual), as the master of all
(or dual), and in various other ways. (9.15)
EVERYTHING IS A MANIFESTATION
OF THE ABSOLUTE
I am the ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering, I am
the herb, I am the mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, and I am
the oblation. (See also 4.24). I am the supporter of the universe, the father,
the mother, and the grandfather. I am the object of knowledge, the sacred syllable
“AUM”, and the Vedas. I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the
abode, the refuge, the friend, the origin, the dissolution, the foundation,
the substratum, and the immutable seed. (See also 7.10 and 10.39) (9.16-18)
I give heat. I send, as well as withhold, the rain. I am
immortality, as well as death. I am also both the eternal Absolute and the
temporal, O Arjuna. (The Supreme Being has become everything. See also 13.12)
(9.19)
ATTAIN SALVATION BY
DEVOTIONAL LOVE
The doers of the rituals prescribed in the Vedas, the drinkers
of the nectar of devotion, and whose sins are cleansed, worship Me by doing
good deeds for gaining heaven. As a result of their meritorious deeds, they go
to heaven and enjoy celestial sense pleasures. (9.20)
They again return to the mortal world ¾ after enjoying the wide
world of heavenly pleasures ¾ upon exhaustion of the fruits of their good Karma.
Thus, following the injunctions of the Vedas, persons working for the fruit of
their actions take repeated birth and death. (See also 8.25) (9.21)
I personally take care of both the
spiritual and material welfare of those ever-steadfast devotees who always
remember and adore Me with single-minded contemplation. (9.22)
Wealth and
happiness automatically come to the righteous person without that person asking
for it, as the river automatically goes to the ocean (TR 1.293.02). Material
wealth naturally comes to the virtuous person as river water naturally flows
downstream (VP 1.11.24). Lord Rama said: I always take care of those who
worship Me with unswerving devotion as a mother takes care of her child (TR
3.42.03). The worship of the Mother form of the Lord is encouraged for the
seekers of health, wealth, and knowledge. One who always thinks of God is
considered to be God-conscious, Krishna-conscious, or Self-realized. Lord
personally takes charge of one who remembers Him single-mindedly. His nature is
to reciprocate the love of His pure devotees by fulfilling their desires.
Father in
the heaven knows all of what you need. Give first place to His Kingdom and what
He requires. He will provide you everything (Matthew 6.32-33). Nothing is
difficult to obtain when I am pleased, but a pure devotee whose mind is
exclusively fixed upon Me does not ask anything, including salvation, but the
opportunity to serve Me (BP 6.09.48). The Lord chooses much better things for
you if you let Him be your guide by surrendering unto His will.
O Arjuna, even those devotees who worship the deities with
faith, they also worship Me, but in an improper way. (9.23)
There is
only one Absolute; the wise call Him and worship Him by various names (RV
1.164.46). The worship of the divine as Mother is also found in the Vedas where
the sage longs to be a child of the divine Mother (RV 7.81.04). The Absolute
has also manifested as celestial controllers ¾ for sustaining creation ¾ who
are one with many names and forms (RV 3.55.01). The Supreme Being is a woman, a
man, a boy, a girl, and an old person. He exists in all forms (AV 10.08.27).
All deities, male or female, are representations of one divine. He is One in
many and many in One. One should not worship material objects in creation, such
as family, friends, and possessions; but one can worship the creator in
material objects because God is in all rocks. The Vedic principle of celestial
controllers does not diversify the Unity, but unifies the diversity. Deities
are just different names and forms, or symbolic representations, of the
energies of nature.
The deity
is a conduit through which the water of divine grace can be made to flow by
the power of conviction ¾ expressed through worship and prayer ¾ from
the reservoir of infinite consciousness. However, the seedling of faith
becomes the fruit tree of conviction only when it comes out of the ground of
Self-knowledge and survives the frost of logic. We evoke the potential energy
of cosmic forces by contemplating deities with faith. Faith really works. The
power of faith in rituals or spiritual science works in the same manner as a
placebo works by the power of faith in medical science. However, it is not very
easy for intellectuals to develop a deep faith in the power of rituals. Joseph
Campbell said: "The images of myth are reflections of the spiritual
potentialities of everyone of us, and deities stimulate divine love.”
All
different types of worship reach One and the same Lord as waters of all
different rivers reach the same ocean. External worship with the help of an
image or a symbolic representation of God is necessary for beginners. It is
very helpful to develop a personal relationship with a deity of one's choice
who can be consulted and counted upon for help during moments of crisis in
life. Those who are against deity worship do not understand that all-pervading
God can also exist within a deity. Such persons limit His supremacy.
The
ancient Vedic scriptures have authorized the deity form of worship of God
because it cleanses the heart, mind, and the subtle and gross senses of the
worshiper, and increases as well as sustains one's faith in God.
The next
step is the chanting of hymns and the repetition (Japa) of divine names. The
next stage is meditation. The vision of Spirit-consciousness, or beholding the
Spirit manifested through every individual, is the highest spiritual development.
Because I ¾ the Supreme Being ¾ alone am the enjoyer of
all sacrificial services and Lord of the universe. But people do not know My
true transcendental nature. Therefore, they fall into the repeated cycles of
birth and death. (9.24)
Worshippers of the celestial controllers go to the celestial
controllers, the worshippers of the ancestors go to the ancestors, and the
worshippers of the ghosts go to the ghosts; but My devotees come to Me, and are
not born again. (See also 8.16) (9.25)
It is said
that whatever one worships, that destination one attains; or one becomes what
one regularly thinks of.
LORD
ACCEPTS AND EATS THE OFFERING OF LOVE AND DEVOTION
Whosoever offers Me a leaf, a
flower, a fruit, or water with devotion, I accept and eat the offering of
devotion by the pure-hearted. (9.26)
The Lord
is hungry for love and the feeling of devotion. A dedicated heart, not
complicated rituals, is needed to please God and obtain His grace. One should
consume food after offering it to God first. God eats the food offerings to
please His devotees. The mind becomes purified when one eats food after
offering it first to the Lord.
O Arjuna, whatever you do,
whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever
charity you give, whatever austerity you perform; dedicate everything as an
offering to Me. (See also 12.10, 18.46) (9.27)
It is
neither necessary, nor sufficient that one should follow a certain routine,
ritualistic offering of worship everyday to please God. Whatever one does per
one's nature by body, mind, senses, thought, intellect, action, and speech,
should be done with the thought that it is all for God only (BP 11.02.36).
People have achieved liberation by performing only one type of devotional
service, such as chanting, hearing, remembering, serving, meditating,
renouncing, and surrendering. The love for fame is a fire that can destroy all
yoga and austerity. The illusory power of divine kinetic energy (Maya) is
formidable. It betrays everyone, including the yogis, unless one does
everything for God.
You shall become free from the bondage ¾ good and bad ¾ of
Karma and come to Me by this attitude of complete dedication to Me. (9.28)
The Self is present equally in all
beings. There is no one hateful or dear to Me. But those who worship Me with
love and devotion are very close to Me, and I am also very close to them. (See
also 7.18) (9.29)
Lord
Krishna says here that one should not be partial, but should treat a faithful
or a helpful person better then others. Lord is neither merciless nor partial
to anyone. Lord loves no one and hates no one, but does give special preference
to His devotees. He said: My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I
do not know anyone else but them (BP 9.4.68). To protect His devotee is His
nature. Lord goes out of way to help and fulfill the desires of His sincere
devotees. He also reciprocates by always thinking of those devotees who always
think of Him and saves such devotees from all calamities and major problems.
The best path of perfection ¾ suitable to the individual's nature ¾ is
shown to His sincere devotees.
I am with
the Father, and the Father is with Me (John 10.38 and 14.11). Ask and it shall
be given. Seek and you shall find (Matthew 7.07). God’s grace is just for the
asking. The doors of devotion are open to all, but the faithful and the
dedicated ones who burn the incense of devotion in the temple of their heart
become one with the Lord. A father loves all his children equally, but the
child who is devoted to the father is more dear although he or she may not be
very rich, intelligent, or powerful. Similarly, a devotee is very dear to the
Lord. Lord does not give everything ¾ such as both material and spiritual wealth ¾ to
everybody. One attains perfection — by the grace of God — through the practice
of spiritual discipline. Both self-effort and grace are needed. According to
the Vedas, the gods help only those who help themselves (RV 4.33.11). Yogananda
said: God chooses those who choose Him.
The grace
of God, like rays of the sun, is equally available to all, but due to free will
one must open the window of the heart to let the sunshine come in. It is said
that divinity is our birthright; however, self-effort in the right direction
is also necessary to remove hindrances brought about by our own past deeds.
The grace of God also comes expeditiously through our own efforts. It is also
believed that divine grace and self-effort are one and the same. Self-effort
promotes the process of God-realization as manure promotes growth of plants.
THERE IS
NO UNFORGIVABLE SINNER
If even the most sinful person
resolves to worship Me with single-minded, loving devotion, such a person must
be regarded as a saint because of making the right resolution. (9.30)
There are
no unforgivable sins or sinners. The fire of sincere repentance burns all sins.
The Koran says: Those who believe in Allah and do right action, He will forgive
their evil deeds (Surah 64.09). Yogananda used to say: A saint is the sinner
who never gave up. Every saint had a past, and every sinner has a future. The
Bible says: Everyone who believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3.15).
Acts of austerity, service, and charity done without any selfish motive can
atone for sinful acts, as darkness vanishes after sunrise (MB 3.207.57). If a
devotee keeps his or her mind focused on God, there will be no room for sinful
desires to mature, and a sinful person soon becomes righteous as mentioned
below:
Such a person soon becomes righteous and attains everlasting
peace. Be aware, O Arjuna, that My devotee never fails to reach the goal.
(9.31)
PATH OF
DEVOTIONAL LOVE IS EASIER
Anybody can attain the Supreme Abode by just surrendering unto
My will with loving devotion, O Arjuna. (See also 18.66) (9.32)
A
spiritual discipline should be commensurate with the faith, interest, and
ability of the person. Some may be disqualified or not ready to receive the
knowledge of the Supreme, but the path of devotion is open to all. No one is
disqualified due to caste, creed, gender, or mental capacity to receive
devotion. Most saints and sages consider the path of devotion the easiest and
the best of all paths.
It should be very easy for the wise and devout sages to attain
the Supreme Being. Therefore, having obtained this joyless and transitory human
life, one should always worship Me with loving devotion. (9.33)
The living
entity, under the spell of illusory power of divine kinetic energy (Maya), goes
through the repeated cycles of birth and death. The good Lord, out of His
grace, gives to a living entity a human body that is very difficult to obtain.
The human body, created in the image of God, is the jewel of creation and has
the capacity to deliver the soul from the net of transmigration to higher
levels of existence. All other forms of life on the earth, except human life,
are devoid of higher intellect and discrimination.
As a tiger
suddenly comes and takes away a lamb from the flock, similarly, death takes
away a person unexpectedly. Therefore, spiritual discipline and righteous deeds
should be performed without waiting for a proper time to come (MB 12.175.13).
The goal and obligation of human birth are to seek Him. The search for God
should not wait. One should continue this search parallel with other duties of
life; otherwise, it may be too late. Lord Krishna concludes this chapter by
giving practical ways to engage people in His devotional service below:
Always think of Me, be devoted to
Me, worship Me, and bow down to Me. Thus, uniting yourself with Me by setting
Me as the supreme goal and the sole refuge, you shall certainly come to Me.
(9.34)
CHAPTER 10
MANIFESTATION OF THE ABSOLUTE
Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, listen once again to My supreme
word that I shall speak to you, who are very dear to Me, for your welfare.
(10.01)
GOD IS THE
ORIGIN OF EVERYTHING
Neither the celestial controllers nor the great sages know My
origin because I am the origin of celestial controllers and great sages also.
(10.02)
One who knows Me as the unborn, the beginningless, and the
Supreme Lord of the universe, is considered wise among mortals and becomes
liberated from the bondage of Karma. (10.03)
Discrimination, Self-knowledge, non-delusion, forgiveness,
truthfulness, control over the mind and senses, tranquillity, pleasure, pain,
birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, contentment,
austerity, charity, fame, ill fame ¾ these diverse qualities in human beings arise from Me
alone. (10.04-05)
If you
forgive others, your Father in heaven will also forgive you (Matthew 6.14).
Resist no evil with evil (Matthew 5.39). Love your enemies, and pray for those
who mistreat you (Matthew 5.44). One should control anger toward the
wrong-doer. The controlled anger itself punishes the wrong-doer if the wrong-doer
does not ask forgiveness (MB 5.36.05). One who does wrong is destroyed by the
same act of wrong doing if he or she does not ask forgiveness (MS 2.163). One
who truly forgives trespassers is happy because the anger of the forgiver is
exterminated. Progress in spiritual discipline is impeded if one's
interpersonal relationship is full of hurt and negative feeling, even for a
single living entity. Therefore, one must learn to forgive and to ask
forgiveness.
Even
virtue has its own vice. Forgiveness may often be construed as a sign of
weakness; therefore, clemency is the strength of the strong and a virtue for
the weak. A person should be forgiven if he or she has sincerely asked
forgiveness, if it is the first offense, if the offense was not intentional,
and if the offender has been helpful in the past. The tool of punishment may be
used ¾
without any feeling of revenge ¾ to correct and teach intentional and repeated
offenders.
The great saints, sages, and all the creatures of the world
were born from My potential energy. (10.06)
One who truly understands My manifestations and yogic powers,
is united with Me by unswerving devotion. There is no doubt about it. (10.07)
I am the origin of all. Everything
emanates from Me. The wise who understand this adore Me with love and devotion.
(10.08)
That which
is One has become this all (RV 8.58.02).
My devotees remain ever content and delighted. Their minds
remain absorbed in Me and their lives surrendered unto Me. They always
enlighten each other by talking about Me. (10.09)
Devotees
are the well wishers of everyone and help others to advance on the spiritual
path.
LORD GIVES KNOWLEDGE TO
HIS DEVOTEES
I give the powers of analysis and reasoning to understand the
metaphysical science ¾ to those who are ever united with Me and lovingly
adore Me ¾
by which they come to Me. (10.10) reasoning
We are
given powers of analysis and reasoning (Viveka) that can be used to understand
the metaphysical science or Self-knowledge. Those who receive him and believe
in him, he makes them come to the Father in heaven (John 1.12). Whosoever shall
not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein (Luke
18.17).
I ¾
who dwell within their inner psyche as consciousness ¾ destroy the darkness born
of ignorance by the shining lamp of transcendental knowledge as an act of
compassion for them. (10.11)
One can achieve the Supreme Lord only by
exclusive love and devotion. The lamp of spiritual knowledge and
God-realization can be easily ignited by the intense spark of devotion, but
never by intellect and logic alone.
Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Being, the Supreme Abode, the
Supreme Purifier, the Eternal Being, the primal God, the unborn, and the
omnipresent. All saints and sages have thus acclaimed You, and now You Yourself
are telling me that. (10.12-13)
NOBODY CAN KNOW THE REAL
NATURE OF REALITY
O Krishna, I believe all that You have told me to be true. O
Lord, neither the celestial controllers nor the demons fully understand Your
real nature. (See also 4.06) (10.14)
O Creator and Lord of all beings,
God of all celestial rulers, the Supreme person, and Lord of the universe, You
alone know Yourself by Yourself. (10.15)
The Vedas
left the final question of the origin of ultimate Reality unanswered by stating
that nobody knows the ultimate source from where this creation has come. Sages
went further by stating that perhaps even He does not know (RV 10.129.06-07).
One who says that I know God does not know; one who knows the Truth says that I
do not know. God is the unknown to a person of true knowledge; only the
ignorant claim to know God (KeU 2.01-03). The ultimate source of cosmic energy
is and will remain a big mystery. Any specific description of God, including a
description of heaven and hell, is nothing but a mental speculation.
Therefore, You alone are able to fully describe Your own divine
glories or the manifestations by which You exist pervading all the universes. (10.16)
How may I know You, O Lord, by constant contemplation? In what
form of manifestation are You to be thought of by me, O Lord? (10.17)
O Lord, explain to me again, in detail, Your yogic power and
glory; because I am not satiated by hearing Your nectar-like words. (10.18)
EVERYTHING IS A MANIFESTATION
OF THE ABSOLUTE
Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, now I shall explain to you My
prominent divine manifestations because My manifestations are endless. (10.19)
O Arjuna, I am the Supreme Spirit (or Supersoul) abiding in the
inner psyche of all beings as soul (Atma). I am also the creator, maintainer,
and destroyer ¾
or the beginning, the middle, and the end ¾ of all beings. (10.20)
Spirit has
no origin and is a property of the Supreme Being, just as the sunlight is a
property of the sun (BS 2.03.17). The Supreme Being and the Spirit are like sun
and sunlight, different as well as non-different (BS 3.02.28). Within living
beings, Spirit is the controller. Spirit is different from the physical body,
as fire is different from the wood.
The
senses, mind, and intellect cannot know Spirit or universal consciousness
because the senses, mind, and intellect get their power to function from
Spirit alone (KeU 1.06). Spirit supplies power and supports the senses, just as
the air burns and supports fire (MB 12.203.03). Spirit is the basis and support
behind every form of power, movement, intellect, and life in this universe. It
is the power by which one sees, hears, smells, thinks, loves, hates, and desires
objects.
I am the sustainer. I am the radiant sun among the luminaries;
I am the controller of wind; I am the moon among the stars. (10.21)
I am the Vedas. I am the celestial rulers. I am the mind among
the senses; I am the consciousness in living beings. (10.22)
I am Lord Shiva. I am the god of wealth; I am the god of fire
and the mountains. (10.23)
I am the priest, and the army general of the celestial
controllers, O Arjuna. I am the ocean among the bodies of water. (10.24)
I am the great sage, Bhrigu. I am the monosyllable cosmic
sound, “AUM”, among words; I am the silent repetition of mantra (Japa) among
the spiritual disciplines, and I am the Himalaya among the mountains. (10.25)
A constant
chanting of a mantra or any holy name of God is considered by saints and sages
of all religions to be the easiest and most powerful method of Self-realization
in the present age. The practice of this spiritual discipline with faith will
drive sound vibrations into the deeper layers of mind where it works like a
damper in preventing the rise of the waves of negative thoughts and ideas,
leading the way to the inner awakening in due course of time. Meditation is the
extended and higher stage of this process. One must first practice this before
going into transcendental meditation. Swami Harihar says: There should be no
desire to gain any worldly objects in exchange for the repetition of the divine
name. The spiritual force of divine name should not be applied even for the
destruction of sin. It should be resorted to for divine realization only.
The form
of the Lord cannot be known nor comprehended by the human mind without a name.
If one chants or meditates on the name without seeing the form, the form
flashes on the screen of the mind as an object of love. A great saint said:
Place the lamp of the name of the Lord near the door of your tongue if you want
the light both inside and outside. The name of God is greater than both
impersonal and personal aspects of God because the power of the name has
control over both aspects of God. It is said that the best of all spiritual
efforts is to always remember and repeat the name of God.
A BRIEF
DESCRIPTION OF DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS
I am the holy fig tree among the trees, Narada among the sages,
and I am all other celestial rulers. (10.26)
Know Me as the celestial animals among the animals and the King
among men. I am the thunderbolt among weapons, and I am Cupid for procreation.
(10.27-28)
I am the water-god and the manes. I am the controller of death.
I am the time or death among the healers, lion among the beasts, and the king
of birds among birds. (10.29-30)
I am the wind among the purifiers and Lord Rama among the warriors.
I am the crocodile among the fishes and the holy Gangaa river among the rivers.
(10.31)
I am the beginning, the middle, and the end of all creation, O
Arjuna. Among the knowledge I am knowledge of the supreme Self. I am logic of
the logician. (10.32)
I am the letter "A" among the alphabets. I am the
dual compound among the compound words. I am the endless time. I am the
sustainer and I am omniscient. (10.33)
I am the all-devouring death and also the origin of future
beings. I am the seven goddesses or guardian angels presiding over the seven
qualities ¾
fame, prosperity, speech, memory, intellect, resolve, and forgiveness. (10.34)
I am the Vedic and other hymns. I am the mantras, I am
November-December among the months, I am the spring among the seasons. (10.35)
I am gambling of the cheats,
splendor of the splendid, victory of the victorious, resolution of the
resolute, and goodness of the good. (10.36)
Both good
and bad are the product of divine power (Maya). Maya creates a multitude of
merits and demerits that have no real existence. The wise do not attach too
much importance to it. One should develop good qualities and get rid of bad
ones. After enlightenment, both good and bad, virtue and vice are transcended,
just as darkness vanishes after the sunrise. Vice and virtue are not two
things, but one, the difference being only the degree of manifestation. It is
true that God also dwells in the most sinful beings, but it is not proper to
hate them or associate with them. Gandhi said: Hate the sin and not the sinner.
One should
view the marvelous cosmic drama, full of pairs of opposites in life, with
ever-joyous heart because there is no good or evil, only different masks of the
cosmic actor. The scriptures denounce the idea of growing rich by unfair
means, such as gambling, gifts, and bribes. They recommend honest labor, sweat
of the brow, such as cultivating a cornfield, that is good for society as well
as the individual (RV 10.34.13).
I am Krishna, Vyasa, Arjuna, and the power of rulers, the
statesmanship of the seekers of victory. I am silence among secrets and the
Self-knowledge of the knowledgeable. (10.37-38)
I am the origin of all beings, O Arjuna. There is nothing, animate
or inanimate, that can exist without Me. (See also 7.10 and 9.18) (10.39)
A big tree
¾
with many branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds ¾ remains inside a tiny
seed in unmanifest form and becomes manifest again and again into a tree. The
tree again becomes unmanifest into the seed. Similarly, all manifestations
remain in the Absolute in unmanifest form and become manifest during creation
and unmanifest during dissolution again and again. The fruit remains hidden in
the seed and the seed in the fruit, similarly, God is in human beings and human
beings in God.
MANIFEST
CREATION IS A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF THE ABSOLUTE
There is no end of My divine manifestations, O Arjuna. This is
only a brief description by Me of the extent of My divine manifestations.
(10.40)
The
variety in the universe, from the highest celestial controllers to the smallest
insects and even the inert dust, is nothing but a manifestation of One and the
same Absolute.
Whatever is endowed with glory, brilliance, and power ¾ know
that to be a manifestation of a very small fraction of My splendor. (10.41)
Through
the word, His cosmic sound vibration, God made all things; not one thing in
creation was made without His cosmic energy (John 1.03). This cosmic
manifestation is non-separate from the Absolute just as sunshine is not
separate from the sun (BP 4.31.16). The entire creation is a partial revelation
and part and parcel of the Infinite. The divine manifests its glory through
creation. The beauty and splendor of the visible universe are only a small
fraction of His glory.
What is the need for this detailed knowledge, O Arjuna? I
continually support the entire universe by a very small fraction of My divine
power. (10.42)
Quantitatively,
manifest creation is a very small fraction of the Absolute. The universe
reflects the divine splendor for human beings to see the invisible Lord. One
should learn to perceive God, not only as a person or vision, but also through
His splendor as manifested in the universe and through His laws that govern and
control nature and life. He is existence, goodness, and beauty.
CHAPTER 11
VISION OF THE COSMIC FORM
Arjuna said: My illusion is dispelled by the profound words of
wisdom You spoke out of compassion for me about the supreme secret of the Self.
(11.01)
O Krishna, I have heard from You in detail about the origin and
dissolution of beings and Your immutable glory. (11.02)
VISION OF GOD IS THE ULTIMATE
AIM OF A SEEKER
O Lord, You are as You have said;
yet I wish to see Your divine cosmic form, O Supreme Being. (11.03)
O Lord, if You think it is possible for me to see Your
universal form, then, O Lord of the yogis, show me Your transcendental form.
(11.04)
There is
no way to know God before experiencing Him. Faith in God rests on a shaky
ground without a psychic vision of the object of devotion. All our spiritual
discipline is aimed at this vision. The vision is essential to overcome the
last bit of emotional impurity and any lingering doubt in the mind of the
seeker because, to a human mind, seeing is believing. Therefore, Arjuna, like
any other devotee, longs to see the transcendental form of the Lord.
Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, behold My hundreds and thousands
of multifarious divine forms of different colors and shapes. Behold all the
celestial beings and many wonders never seen before. Also behold the entire
creation ¾
animate, inanimate, and whatever else you would like to see ¾ all
at one place in My body. (11.05-07)
But you are not able to see Me
with your physical eye; therefore, I give you the divine eye to see My majestic
power and glory. (11.08)
No one can
see Him with the physical eye. His transcendental form is beyond our field of
vision. He is revealed through the faculty of intuition of the intellect that,
residing within the inner psyche, controls the mind. Those who know Him become
immortal (KaU 6.09). We, like colorblinds, are not able to see the full range
of cosmic color and light with human eyes. The divine vision, which is a gift
of God, is needed to see the beauty and glory of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead.
LORD SHOWS HIS COSMIC
FORM TO ARJUNA
Sanjaya said: O King, having said this, Lord Krishna, the great
Lord of the mystic power of yoga, revealed His supreme majestic form to Arjuna.
(11.09)
Arjuna saw the Universal Form of the Lord with many mouths and
eyes, and many marvelous visions with numerous divine ornaments, holding many
divine weapons, wearing divine garlands and apparel, anointed with celestial
perfumes and ointments, full of all wonders ¾ the limitless God with
faces on all sides. (11.10-11)
If the splendor of thousands of suns were to blaze forth all at
once in the sky, even that would not resemble the splendor of that exalted being.
(11.12)
He came to
tell about the light. This was the real light, the light that comes into the
world and sustains everything (John 1.09). O Lord, not even a million suns
could match You (RV 8.70.05). Robert Oppenheimer spoke this verse as he
witnessed the explosion of the first atom bomb.
Arjuna saw the entire universe, divided in many ways, but
standing as all in One, and One in all in the transcendental body of Krishna,
the Lord of celestial rulers. (See also 13.16, and 18.20) (11.13)
ONE MAY
NOT BE PREPARED, OR QUALIFIED, TO SEE THE LORD
Having seen the cosmic form of the Lord, Arjuna was filled with
wonder; and his hairs standing on end, bowed his head to the Lord and prayed
with folded hands. (11.14)
Arjuna said: O Lord, I see in Your body all supernatural
controllers, and multitudes of beings, sages, and celestials. (11.15)
O Lord of the universe, I see You
everywhere with infinite forms, with many arms, stomachs, faces, and eyes. O
Universal Form, I see neither your beginning nor the middle nor the end.
(11.16)
The Self
is omnipresent, all pervading, beginningless and endless.
I see You with Your crown, club, discus, and massive radiance,
difficult to behold, shining all around like the immeasurable brilliance and
blazing fire of the sun. (11.17)
I believe You are the Supreme Being to be realized. You are the
ultimate resort of the universe. You are the Spirit and protector of the
eternal order (Dharma). (11.18)
I see You with infinite power, without beginning, middle, or
end; with many arms; with the sun and the moon as Your eyes; with Your mouth as
a blazing fire, scorching all the universe with Your radiance. (11.19)
O Lord, You pervade the entire space between heaven and earth
in all directions. Seeing Your marvelous and terrible form, the three worlds
are trembling with fear. (11.20)
Hosts of supernatural rulers enter into You. Some with folded
hands sing Your names and glories in fear. A multitude of perfected beings hail
and adores You with abundant praises. (11.21)
All the celestial beings gaze at You in amazement. Seeing your
infinite form with many mouths, eyes, arms, thighs, feet, stomachs, and many
fearful tusks, the worlds are trembling with fear, and so do I, O mighty Lord.
(11.22-23)
One has
become all. All mouths, heads, legs, eyes are His.
ARJUNA IS FRIGHTENED TO
SEE THE COSMIC FORM
I am frightened and find neither peace nor courage, O Krishna,
after seeing Your effulgent and colorful form touching the sky, and Your wide
open mouth with large shining eyes. (11.24)
I lose my sense of direction and find no comfort after seeing
Your mouths with fearful tusks glowing like fires of cosmic dissolution. Have
mercy on me, O Lord of celestial rulers, and refuge of the universe! (11.25)
All my cousin brothers, along with the hosts of other kings and
warriors of the other side, together with chief warriors on our side, are also
quickly entering into Your fearful mouths with terrible tusks. Some are seen
caught in between the tusks with their heads crushed. (11.26-27)
These warriors of the mortal world are entering Your blazing
mouths as many torrents of the rivers enter into the ocean. (11.28)
All these people are rapidly rushing into Your mouths for destruction
as moths rush with great speed into the blazing flame for destruction. (11.29)
You are licking up all the worlds with Your flaming mouths,
swallowing them from all sides. Your powerful radiance is filling the entire
universe with effulgence and burning it, O Krishna. (11.30)
Tell me, who are You in such a fierce form? My salutations to
You, O best of all celestial rulers. Be merciful! I wish to understand You, O
primal Being, because I do not know Your mission. (11.31)
LORD
DESCRIBES HIS POWERS
Lord Krishna said: I am death, the mighty destroyer of the
world. I have come here to destroy all these people. Even without your
participation in the war, all the warriors standing arrayed in the opposing
armies shall cease to exist. (11.32)
Therefore, you get up and attain
glory. Conquer your enemies, and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. I have already
destroyed all these warriors. You are merely My instrument, O Arjuna. (11.33)
This is My
battle, not yours. I use you, O Arjuna, only as an instrument. I do everything
through your body. One must remember at all times that all battles are His, not
ours. The Koran also says: You are but an instrument, and Allah is in charge of
all things. (Surah 11.12). The will and power of God do everything. No one can
do anything without His power and will. It is God only who makes one restless
for material life or spiritual life. Those who are not Self-realized mistakenly
take their will as God’s will and do wrong things.
Kill all these great warriors who are already killed by Me. Do
not fear. You will certainly conquer the enemies in the battle; therefore,
fight! (11.34)
ARJUNA’S
PRAYERS TO THE COSMIC FORM
Sanjaya said: Having heard these words of Krishna; the crowned
Arjuna, trembling with folded hands, prostrated with fear and spoke to Krishna
in a choked voice. (11.35)
Arjuna said: Rightly, O Krishna, the world delights and
rejoices in glorifying You. Terrified demons flee in all directions. The hosts
of sages bow to You in adoration. (11.36)
Why should they not, O great soul, bow to You ¾ the original creator ¾ who is even greater than
Brahmaa, the creator of material worlds? O infinite Lord, O God of all
celestial rulers, O abode of the universe, You are both Eternal and Temporal,
and the Supreme Being that is beyond Eternal and Temporal. (See also 9.19, and
13.12 for a commentary) (11.37)
You are the primal God, the most ancient Person. You are the
ultimate resort of the entire universe. You are the knower, the object of
knowledge, and the Supreme Abode. O Lord of the infinite form, You pervade the
entire universe. (11.38)
You are the fire, the wind, the water god, the moon god, the
creator, as well as the father of the creator, and the controller of death.
Salutations to You a thousand times, and again and again salutations to You.
(11.39)
My salutations to You from front and from behind. O Lord, my
obeisance to You from all sides. You are infinite valor and the boundless
might. You pervade everything, and therefore You are everywhere and in
everything. (11.40)
Considering You merely as a friend, and not knowing Your
greatness, I have inadvertently addressed You as O Krishna, O Yadava, and O
friend merely out of affection or carelessness. (11.41)
In whatever way I may have insulted You in jokes; while
playing, reposing in bed, sitting, or at meals; when alone or in front of
others, O Krishna, the immeasurable One, I implore You for forgiveness. (11.42)
You are the father of this animate and inanimate world and the
greatest guru to be worshipped. No one is even equal to You in the three
worlds; how can there be one greater than You, O Being of incomparable glory?
(11.43)
Therefore, O adorable Lord, I seek Your mercy by bowing down
and prostrating my body before You. Bear with me as a father to his son, as a
friend to a friend, and as a husband to his wife, O Lord. (11.44)
Beholding that which has never been seen before delights me,
and yet my mind is tormented with fear. Therefore, O God of celestial rulers,
the refuge of the universe, have mercy on me and show me your four-armed form.
(11.45)
ONE MAY SEE GOD IN ANY FORM
OF ONE'S CHOICE
I wish to see You with a crown, holding mace and discus in Your
hand. Therefore, O Lord, with thousand arms and universal form, please appear
in the four-armed form. (11.46)
Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, being pleased with you I have
shown you, through My own yogic powers, My particular supreme, shining, universal,
infinite, and primal form of Mine that has never been seen before by anyone
other than you. (11.47)
O Arjuna, neither by study of the Vedas nor by sacrifice nor by
charity nor by rituals nor by severe austerities can I be seen in this cosmic
form by any one other than you in this human world. (11.48)
LORD SHOWS
ARJUNA HIS FOUR-ARMED AND THE HUMAN
FORM
Do not be perturbed and confused by seeing such a terrible form
of Mine as this. With fearless and cheerful mind, now behold My four-armed
form. (11.49)
Sanjaya said: After speaking like this to Arjuna, Krishna
revealed His four-armed form. And then assuming His pleasant human form, Lord
Krishna, the Great One, consoled Arjuna, who was terrified. (11.50)
Arjuna said: O Krishna, seeing this lovely human form of Yours,
I have now become tranquil and normal again. (11.51)
LORD CAN BE SEEN BY DEVOTIONAL LOVE
Lord Krishna said: This four-armed form of Mine that you have
seen is very difficult, indeed, to see. Even celestial controllers are ever
longing to see this form. (11.52)
This four-armed form of Mine that
you have just seen cannot be seen even by study of the Vedas or by austerity or
by acts of charity or by the performance of rituals. (11.53)
No one
attains the almighty Lord by good works alone (RV 8.70.03, AV 20.92.18). The
omnipresent form of the Lord cannot be perceived by organs, but by the eyes of
intuition and faith. The vision and yogic powers are the special gift and
grace of God that may be granted, even without asking, when one is found fit by
the Lord to use them in His service. According to Saint Ramdas, all visions of
lights and forms have to be transcended before realization of the ultimate
Truth. The visions are milestones only and not the goal. Do not cling to them.
Yogic powers may become a hindrance on the path of spiritual journey.
However, through single-minded
devotion alone, I can be seen in this form, can be known in essence, and also
can be reached, O Arjuna. (11.54)
One who dedicates all works to Me
and to whom I am the supreme goal, who is my devotee, who has no attachment or
selfish desires, and who is free from malice toward any creature ¾ reaches Me, O Arjuna. (See
also 8.22) (11.55)
CHAPTER 12
[12.01],
[12.02],
[12.03-043],
[12.05]
PATH OF DEVOTION
SHOULD ONE WORSHIP A PERSONAL
OR AN IMPERSONAL GOD?
Arjuna asked: Which of these has
the best knowledge of yoga ¾ those ever-steadfast devotees who worship Your personal
aspect, or those who worship Your impersonal aspect, the formless Absolute?
(12.01)
Lord
Krishna explained the superiority of the path of spiritual knowledge in the
fourth chapter (4.33, and 4.34). He explained the importance of worship of the
formless Supreme (or Self) in verses 5.24-25, 6.24-28, and 8.11-13. He also
emphasized the worship of God with form or Krishna in 7.16-18, 9.34, and
11.54-55. It was thus natural for Arjuna to ask which path is better for most
people in general.
Lord Krishna said: I consider the
best yogis to be those ever steadfast devotees who worship with supreme faith
by fixing their mind on Me as their personal God. (See also 6.47) (12.02)
Devotion
is defined as the highest love for God (SBS 02). True devotion is motiveless
intense love of God to attain Him (NBS 02). Real devotion is seeking God’s
grace and serving with love to please Him. Thus, devotion is doing one’s duty
as an offering to the Lord with love of God in one’s heart. It is also said
that devotion is granted by the grace of God. A loving relationship with God is
easily developed through a personal God. The faithful followers of the path of
devotion to the personal God in human form such as Rama, Krishna, Moses,
Buddha, Christ, and Muhammad are considered the best. The Bible says: I am the
way; no one goes to Father except through me (John 14.06). Some saints consider
devotion superior to Self-knowledge (SBS 05).
All
spiritual practices are useless in the absence of devotion, the deep love of
God. The pearl of Self-knowledge is born on the nucleus of faith and devotion
only. Saint Ramanuja said that those who worship the manifest reach their goal
sooner and with less difficulty. Love of God and all His creatures is the
essence of all religion. Jesus also said: You shall love the Lord with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; and you shall love everybody
as yourself (Matthew 22.37-39).
They also attain Me who worship the unchangeable, the
inexplicable, the invisible, the omnipresent, the inconceivable, the
unchanging, the immovable, and the formless ¾ My impersonal aspect ¾
restraining all the senses, even-minded under all circumstances, engaged in
the welfare of all creatures. (12.03-04)
A person
who is competent to worship the formless aspect of God must have a complete
mastery over the senses, be tranquil under all circumstances, and be engaged in
the welfare of all creatures. The path of personalism allows one to relish the
name, form, and pastimes of the Lord as they happened when He manifested on the
earth. The path of impersonalism is dry, full of difficulties, and advancement
on this path is very slow as discussed in the next verse.
REASONS FOR WORSHIPPING A
PERSONAL FORM OF GOD
Self-realization is more difficult
for those who fix their mind on the impersonal, unmanifest and formless
Absolute because compre-hension of the unmanifest by embodied beings is
attained with great difficulty. (12.05)
One must
be free from body-feeling and be established in the feeling of the existence of
the Self alone, if one wants to succeed in worship of formless Absolute. One
becomes free from the bodily conception of life when one is fully purified and
acts solely for the Supreme Lord. Attainment of such a state is not possible
for the average human being, but only for advanced souls. Therefore, the
natural course for the ordinary seeker is to worship God with a form. Thus the
method of worship depends on the individual. One should find out for oneself
which method suits one best. It is quite fruitless to ask a child to worship a
formless God, whereas a sage sees God in every form and does not need a statue
or even a picture of God for worship.
Loving
contemplation and deity worship of a personal God is a necessary first step
for realization of the impersonal Absolute. It is also said that devotion to
the personal aspect of God leads one to the transcendental aspect. God is not
only an extra cosmic, all-powerful Being, but the very Self in all beings. The
worship of God as a person in the form of one's personal favorite deity
stimulates divine love that rouses Self-consciousness and experience of unity
in due course of time. God, the transcendent, is revealed in one’s pure inner
psyche after the loving contemplation of God, the immanent.
There is
no real difference between the two paths — the path of devotion to a personal
God and the path of Self-knowledge of the impersonal God — in their higher
reaches. In the highest stage of realization they merge and become one. Other
sages also consider the path of devotion easier for most people, particularly
for beginners. According to Tulasidasa, the path of Self-knowledge is difficult
to comprehend, to explain, and to follow. It is also very easy to fall down
from the path of knowledge or retreat to the lower sensual plane of
consciousness (TR 7.118.00). In the next two verses, the Lord says that the
path of devotion is not only easier, but also faster than the path of
knowledge.
The
personal and the impersonal, the physical form and the transcendental form, are
the two sides of the coin of ultimate Reality. Ramakrishna said: “Image worship
is necessary in the beginning, but not afterwards, just as a scaffolding is
necessary during the construction of a building.” A person must learn to fix
thoughts and mind first on a personal God with a form and then, after
succeeding therein, fix them upon the transcendental form. The highest liberation
is possible only by realization of God as the very Self in all beings, (BS
4.3.15, ShU 3.07) and it comes only through maturity of devotion to the
personal God and His grace. This realization is the second (or spiritual)
birth, or the second coming of Christ. Jesus said: The Kingdom of the Father is
spread upon the earth, and people do not see. Another great saint said: It is
like a fish in the water remaining thirsty and searching for water.
According
to ancient scriptures, any spiritual practice becomes more powerful when it is
done with knowledge, faith, and contemplation of a personal deity (ChU
1.01.10). Ascetic practice, prayer, charity, penance, performance of sacrifice,
vows, and other religious observances fail to evoke Lord’s compassion to the
same degree as unalloyed devotion does. The magnet of devotion easily attracts
the Lord (TR 6.117.00).
But for those who worship Me with unswerving devotion as their
personal God, whose thoughts are set on My personal form, who offer all
actions to Me, intent on Me as the Supreme, and meditate on Me ¾ I
swiftly become their savior from the world that is the ocean of death and
transmigration, O Arjuna. (12.06-07)
One can
easily cross the ocean of transmigration with the help of the boat of
unswerving love and devotion to a personal God with form (TR 7.122.00). The
following verses explain four different methods of worship of God with or
without the help of a form of God or deity.
FOUR PATHS
TO GOD
People are
born different. Anybody who prescribes one method for all is certainly deluded
because there is no panacea. A single method or system cannot meet the
spiritual needs of all. Hinduism, with its many branches and sub-branches,
offers a very wide choice of spiritual practices to suit persons in any stage
of spiritual development. All paths lead to salvation because they all
culminate in devotion ¾ the intense love of God.
Therefore, focus your mind on Me
and let your intellect dwell upon Me alone through meditation and
contemplation. Thereafter, you shall certainly attain Me. (12.08)
This is
the path of meditation (See Chapter 6 for more details) for the contemplative
mind. Thinking of a chosen form of God all the time is different from
worshipping that form, but both practices are the same in quality and effect.
In other words, contemplation is also a form of worship.
If you are unable to focus your mind steadily on Me, then long
to attain Me by practice of any other spiritual discipline; such as a ritual,
or deity worship that suits you. (12.09)
This is
the path of ritual, prayer, and devotional worship recommended for people who
are emotional, have more faith but less reasoning and intellect (See also
9.32). Constantly contemplate and concentrate your mind on God, using symbols
or mental pictures of a personal God as an aid to develop devotion.
If you are unable even to do any spiritual discipline, then
dedicate all your work to Me, or do your duty just for Me. You shall attain
perfection by doing your prescribed duty for Me — without any selfish motive —
just as an instrument to serve and please Me. (12.10)
This is
the path of transcendental knowledge or renunciation, acquired through
contemplation and scriptural study for people who have realized the truth that
we are only divine instruments. (See also 9.27, 18.46). Lord Himself guides
every endeavor of the person who works for the good of humanity, and success
comes to a person who dedicates his or her life to the service of God.
If you are unable to dedicate your work to Me, then just
surrender unto My will and renounce the attachment to, and the anxiety for, the
fruits of all work by learning to accept all results with equanimity as God's
grace. (12.11)
This is
the path of KarmaYoga, the selfless service to humanity, discussed in Chapter
3, for householders who cannot renounce worldly activity and work full-time for
God, as discussed in verse 12.10, above. The main thrust of verses 12.08-11 is
that one must establish some relationship with the Lord ¾ such as the progenitor,
father, mother, beloved, child, savior, guru, master, helper, guest, friend,
and even an enemy.
KarmaYoga,
or the renunciation of the selfish attachment to fruits of work, is not a
method of last resort ¾ as it may appear from verse 12.11. It is explained in
the following verse.
KARMA-YOGA IS THE BEST WAY
TO START WITH
The transcendental knowledge of
scriptures is better than mere ritualistic practice; meditation is better than
scriptural knowledge; renunciation of selfish attachment to the fruits of work
(KarmaYoga) is better than meditation; because peace immediately follows renunciation
of selfish motives. (See more on renunciation in 18.02, and 18.09) (12.12)
When one's
knowledge of God increases, all Karma is gradually eliminated because one who
is situated in knowledge thinks he or she is not the doer but an instrument
working at the pleasure of the creator. Such an action in God-consciousness
becomes devotion ¾
free from any Karmic bondage. Thus, there is no sharp demarcation between the
paths of selfless service, spiritual knowledge, and devotion.
THE
ATTRIBUTES OF A DEVOTEE
One is dear to Me who does not hate any creature, who is
friendly and compassionate, free from the notion of "I" and
"my", even-minded in pain and pleasure, forgiving; and who is ever
content, who has subdued the mind, whose resolve is firm, whose mind and
intellect are engaged in dwelling upon Me, and who is devoted to Me. (12.13-14)
To attain
oneness with God, one has to become perfect like Him by cultivating moral
virtues. The Bible also says: Try to perfect yourself, just as your Father in
the heaven is perfect (Matthew 5.48). Saint Tulasidasa said: O Lord, anyone on
whom You shower Your favor becomes an ocean of perfection. The monstrous squad
of lust, anger, greed, infatuation, and pride haunts the mind so long as the
Lord does not abide in the inner psyche. Virtues and discipline are two sure
means of devotion. A list of forty (40) virtues and values is given in verses
12.13-12.19 by describing the qualities of an ideal devotee, or a Self-realized
person. All these noble qualities become manifest in a devotee.
One is also dear to Me who does not agitate others and who is
not agitated by them, who is free from joy, envy, fear, and anxiety. (12.15)
One who is desireless, pure, wise, impartial, and free from
anxiety; who has renounced the doership in all undertakings ¾ such
a devotee is dear to Me. (12.16)
One who neither rejoices nor
grieves, neither likes nor dislikes, who has renounced both the good and the
evil, and is full of devotion ¾ is also dear to Me. (12.17)
One who remains the same towards friend or foe, in honor or disgrace,
in heat or cold, in pleasure or pain; who is free from attachment; who is
indifferent to censure or praise; who is quiet, and content with whatever one
has, unattached to a place, a country, or a house; who is tranquil, and full of
devotion ¾
that person is dear to Me. (12.18-19)
It is said
that divine Controllers with their exalted qualities, such as the knowledge of
God, wisdom, renunciation, detachment, and equanimity, always reside in the
inner psyche of a pure devotee. Thus, perfect devotees who have renounced
affinity for the world and its objects and have love for God are rewarded by
the Lord with divine qualities discussed above and elsewhere in the Gita, and
are dear to the Lord. But what about those who are imperfect, but trying
sincerely for perfection? The answer comes in the next verse.
ONE SHOULD SINCERELY STRIVE TO
DEVELOP DIVINE QUALITIES
But those faithful devotees are very dear to Me who set Me as
their supreme goal and follow — or just sincerely strive to develop — the above
mentioned nectar of (forty) moral values. (12.20)
One may
not have all the virtues, but a sincere effort to develop virtues is most
appreciated by the Lord. Thus the striver is very dear to the Lord. The
upper-class devotees do not desire anything, including salvation from the Lord,
except for one boon: The devotion to the lotus feet of a personal God, birth
after birth (TR 2.204.00). Lower class devotees use God as a servant to
fulfill their material demands and desires. The development of unswerving love
and devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord is the ultimate aim of all spiritual
discipline and meritorious deeds as well as the goal of human birth. A true
devotee considers oneself the servant, the Lord as the master, and the entire
creation as His body.
The path
of devotion is a better path for most people, but Devotion does not develop
without a combination of personal effort, faith, and the grace of God. Nine
techniques for cultivating devotion ¾ an intense love for God as a personal Being ¾
based on Tulasi Ramayana (TR 3.34.04-3.35.03), are: (1) The company of the holy
and wise, (2) Listening and reading the glories and stories of Lord’s
incarnations and His activities of creation, preservation and dissolution as
given in the religious scriptures, (3) Seva or serving God through service to
the needy, the saints, and society, (4) Congregational chanting and singing of
the glories of God, (5) Repeating the Lord’s name and mantra with firm faith,
(6) Discipline, control over the six senses, and detachment, (7) Seeing your
personal God everywhere and in everything, (8) Contentment and lack of greed as
well as overlooking others’ faults, and (9) Simplicity, lack of anger,
jealousy, and hatred. The best thing a person should do is develop love of God.
Lord Rama said that one needs to follow any one of the above methods with faith
to develop love of God and become a devotee.
Good
company of saints and sages is a very powerful tool for God-realization. It is
said that friendship, discussions, dealings, and marriage should be with equals
or those who are better than oneself, not with persons of lower level of
intellect (MB 5.13.117). A person is known by the company he or she keeps.
According to most saints and sages, the path of devotion is very simple and
easy to perform. One can begin by simply chanting a personal mantra or any holy
name of God. There is no restriction on the correct time or place for chanting
the holy name of God. The process of devotional service consists of one or more
of the following practices: Hearing discourses, chanting the holy name of God,
remembering and contemplating God, worshipping Him, praying to Him, serving God
and humanity, and surrendering to His will.
The four
inter-connected paths of yoga discussed in the first twelve chapters of the
Gita may be summarized as follows:
The
practice of KarmaYoga leads to purification of the mind from the stain of
selfishness that paves the way for knowledge of God to be revealed. Knowledge
develops into devotional love of God. Constant thinking of God, the object of
our love due to devotion, is called meditation and contemplation that
eventually lead to enlightenment and salvation.
IS THERE
THE ONLY RIGHT WAY TO GOD?
Lord
Krishna has been talking about both manifest and unmanifest aspects of God in
the previous chapters. Arjuna’s question has been answered in great detail in
this chapter, but people still argue that one method of worship or certain
religious practices are better than others. Such persons only understand half
the truth. In our opinion, it is quite clear that the method of worship depends
on the nature of the individual. The person or the person’s guru should find
out which path will be most suitable for the individual, depending on the person's
temperament. To force his or her own method of worship on people is the
greatest disservice a guru can do to disciples. Introverts should worship a
personal God, whereas extroverts may contemplate the impersonal aspect. The
important thing is to develop faith in and love of God. God has the power to
manifest before a devotee in any form, regardless of the devotee’s chosen form
of worship.
What has
worked for one may not work for all, so what makes you think your method is
universal? There was no need for the Lord to discuss different paths of yoga if
there was one path for all. If the chosen path of spiritual discipline does not
give one peace or God-realization, then it must be understood that one is not
practicing correctly or the path is not right for the individual. It should be
kept in mind that a drop of water, no matter what route it takes, will
eventually reach the ocean.
CHAPTER 13
CREATION AND THE CREATOR
THEORY OF
CREATION
Lord Krishna said: O Arjuna, this physical body, the miniature
universe, may be called the field or creation. One who knows the creation is
called the creator (or the Spirit, Atma) by the seers of truth. (13.01)
Whatever
is here in the body is also there in the cosmos; whatever is there, the same is
here (KaU 4.10). The human body, the microcosm, is a replica of the universe,
the macrocosm. The body is called the field of activities for the soul. The
body or creation is different from the soul or the creator. To experience this
difference is the metaphysical knowledge explained in this chapter.
O Arjuna, know Me to be the
creator of all the creation. I consider the true understanding of both the
creator and the creation to be transcendental knowledge. (13.02)
The body
(or creation) and Spirit (or the creator) are distinct from one another. Yet,
the ignorant are not able to distinguish between them. That knowledge is the
true knowledge by which one is able to make a clear distinction between body
and Spirit. Body is called the field (or the medium) of activities for the Spirit.
The human body is the medium by which the individual soul enjoys the material
world, gets entangled, and in the end attains liberation. The soul inside the
body knows all the activities of its own body; it is, therefore, called the
knower of the field of activities. The Supersoul knows all the bodies, whereas
the individual soul knows only his own body. When one clearly understands the
difference between the body, the individual soul inside the body, and the
Supersoul, one is said to have real knowledge.
What creation is, what it is like, what its transformations
are, where the source of creation is, who that creator is, and what His powers
are ¾
hear all these from Me in brief. (13.03)
The seers have separately described the creation and the
creator in different ways in the Vedic hymns and also in the conclusive and
convincing verses of other scriptures. (13.04)
The Gita
also expounds on the truths of other scriptures. All scriptures, as well as
saints and sages of all religions, draw the water of truth from the same ocean
of Spirit. Their accent varies with the need of the individual and the society
at the time.
The primary material Nature, the cosmic intellect,
"I" consciousness or ego, five basic elements, ten organs, mind, five
sense objects, and desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, the physical body,
consciousness, and resolve ¾ thus the entire field has been briefly described with
its transformations. (See also 7.04) (13.05-06)
According
to Sankhya doctrine (BP 3.26.10-18, 11.22.10-16), Spirit undergoes twenty-five
basic transformations in the following order: Spiritual Being and the following
twenty-four transformations of Total Energy: Mind, intellect, thought waves,
and the conception of individuality; the five basic elements, or raw ingredients,
in subtle and gross form (ether or subtle substance, air, fire, water, and
earth); the five sense objects (sound, touch, sight, taste, and smell); the
five sense organs (ear, skin, eye, tongue, and nose); and the five organs of
action (mouth, hand, leg, anus, and urethra).
The
Supreme Intellect is known by various names, based on functions performed in
the body. It is called mind when it feels and thinks, intellect when it
reasons, thought waves when it does the act of remembering and wandering from
one thought to another, and ego when it has the feeling of doership and
individuality. The subtle senses consist of all four — mind, intellect, thought
waves, and ego. It is the Karmic footprints that actually make the final
decision with the help of mind and intellect. When the cosmic power does the
functions in the body, it is called the bioimpulse (Vital life forces, Prana).
The Supreme Spirit or Consciousness manifests Itself as both energy and matter.
Matter and energy are nothing but condensed forms of Consciousness. According
to Einstein, mind and matter are both energies (Prana). Ramana Maharshi said:
The mind is a form of energy. It manifests itself as the world.
THE FOURFOLD NOBLE TRUTH
AS MEANS OF
NIRVANA
Humility, modesty, nonviolence, forgiveness, honesty, service
to guru, purity of thought, word, and deed, steadfastness, self-control,
aversion for sense objects, absence of ego, constant reflection on the pain and
suffering inherent in birth, old age, disease, and death; (13.07-08)
Verse
13.08 of the Gita formed the foundation of Buddhism. The constant contemplation
and understanding of agony and suffering inherent in birth, old age, disease,
and death are called the understanding of the Fourfold Noble Truth in Buddhism.
A clear understanding of this truth is necessary before starting the spiritual
journey. A disgust and discontent for the meaninglessness and unreality of the
world and its objects become a necessary prelude to the spiritual journey. As
birds seek the shelter of a tree when tired, similarly, human beings seek the
divine shelter after discovering the frustrations and joylessness of material
existence.
Detachment with family members, home, etc.; unfailing
equanimity upon attainment of the desirable and the undesirable and unswerving
devotion to Me through single-minded contemplation, taste for solitude,
distaste for social gatherings and gossips, steadfastness in acquiring the
knowledge of the Self, and seeing the omnipresent Supreme Being everywhere ¾ this
is said to be knowledge. That which is contrary to this is ignorance.
(13.09-11)
Cultivating
the virtues described in verses 13.07-11 will enable one to perceive the body
as different from the Self. Thus, one will attain Self-knowledge. Therefore,
these virtues are called knowledge. Those who do not possess these virtues
cannot get the true knowledge of the Self and will remain in the darkness of
body-consciousness or ignorance.
When one
becomes firmly convinced that God alone is everything ¾ father, mother, brother,
friend, enemy, sustainer, destroyer, and refuge ¾ and there is nothing
higher than Him to attain, and one has no thought of any other object, one is
said to have developed unswerving devotion to the Lord through single-minded
contemplation. In this state of mind the seeker and the sought-after become
qualitatively one and the same.
THE
SUPREME CAN BE DESCRIBED BY PARABLES,
AND NOT IN ANY OTHER WAY
I shall fully describe the Supreme Being ¾
the object of knowledge. By knowing this one attains immortality. The beginningless
Supreme Being is said to be neither eternal nor temporal. (See also 9.19,
11.37, and 15.18) (13.12)
In the
beginning there was neither Eternal Being nor Temporal Beings ¾ no
sky, no air, neither day nor night. There was nothing whatsoever other than the
Absolute Supreme Being (RV 10.129.01, AiU 1.01). The Absolute is beyond both
Temporal Beings (celestial controllers, Devas) and the Eternal Being (Spirit)
(Verse 15.18). Therefore, He is neither temporal nor eternal. The Supreme Being
or the Absolute is also both temporal and eternal (Verse 9.19) and beyond
temporal and eternal (Verses 11.37, 15.18) because He is everywhere, in
everything, and also beyond everything. Therefore, the Absolute is all three ¾
neither temporal nor eternal, beyond both temporal and eternal, as well as both
temporal and eternal ¾ at the same time.
The Supreme Being has His hands, feet, eyes, head, mouth, and
ears everywhere because He is all-pervading and omnipresent. (13.13)
He is the perceiver of all sense objects without the physical
sense organs; unattached, and yet the sustainer of all; devoid of the three
modes of material Nature, and yet the enjoyer of the modes of material Nature
by becoming the living entity. (13.14)
Self walks
without legs, hears without ears, performs many actions without hands, smells
without a nose, sees without eyes, speaks without a mouth, and enjoys all
tastes without a tongue. All His actions are so marvelous that one finds His
greatness utterly beyond description (TR 1.117.03-04). The Supreme Being may be
described only by parables and paradoxes and in no other way. (See also ShU
3.19). Self expands Himself as the living entity to enjoy three modes of
material Nature.
God does
not possess a body like an ordinary being. All His senses are transcendental,
or out of this world. His potencies are multifarious. Any one of His senses can
perform the action of any other sense. All His deeds are automatically
performed as a natural consequence.
He is inside as well as outside all beings, animate and
inanimate. He is incomprehensible because of His subtlety. And because of His
omnipresence, He is very near ¾ residing in one’s inner psyche ¾ as well as far away in
the Supreme Abode. (13.15)
He is undivided, yet appears to exist as if divided in beings.
He is the object of knowledge and appears as the creator (Brahmaa), sustainer
(Vishnu), and destroyer (Shiva) of all beings. (See also 11.13, and 18.20)
(13.16)
One planet
earth appears divided into so many countries; one country appears divided into
several states; one state appears divided into counties, and so on, similarly,
one Reality appears as many. These are apparent divisions because they have
the same order of reality. The term God is used for the Generator, Operator,
and Destroyer aspects of Self.
The Supreme Being is the source of all lights. He is said to be
beyond darkness of ignorance. He is Self-knowledge, the object of
Self-knowledge, and seated in the inner psyche as consciousness (See verse
18.61) of all beings, He is to be realized by Self-knowledge. (13.17)
I am the
light of knowledge of the world. Whoever follows me will have the light of life
and will never walk in the darkness of ignorance (John 8.12). One who knows
the Almighty as much more radiant than the sun and beyond the darkness of
material reality, transcends death. There is no other way (YV 31.18, SV 3.08).
The Supreme is beyond the reach of senses and mind. It cannot be described or
defined by words. Different means of attaining the Supreme continue below:
Thus, I have briefly described creation, as well as knowledge
and the object of knowledge. Understanding this, My devotee attains My
Supreme Abode. (13.18)
KNOWLEDGE
OF THE SUPREME SPIRIT, SPIRIT, MATERIAL NATURE, AND THE INDIVIDUAL SOULS
Know that both the material Nature and the Spiritual Being are
beginningless. All manifestations and three dispositions of mind and matter,
called modes or Gunas, are born of material Nature. Material Nature is said to
be the cause of production of the physical body and organs of perception and
action. Spirit (or Consciousness) is said to be the cause of experiencing
pleasure and pain. (13.19-20)
Spiritual Being enjoys three modes
of material Nature by associating with the material Nature. Attachment to the
three modes of material Nature (due to ignorance caused by previous Karma) is
the cause of birth of the living entity in good and evil wombs. (13.21)
Spirit is
unaffected by material Nature as the sun’s reflection in water is unaffected by
the properties of water. Spirit, because of His nature, associates with the six
sensory faculties and ego of material Nature and becomes attached, forgets His
real nature, performs good and evil deeds, loses independence, and
transmigrates as a living entity (individual soul, Jiva) (BP 3.27.01-03). The
living entity does not know the divine illusory energy (Maya), as well as the
supreme controller and its own real nature. The individual soul is a reflection
of the moon of Spirit in the water pot of human body.
The Spirit in the body is the witness, the guide, the
supporter, the enjoyer, and the controller of all events. (13.22)
Two birds ¾
living entity and the divine Controller ¾ live in the inner psyche
of the body tree. The living entity, being captivated by the fruits of the
tree, becomes attached to material Nature, enjoys pains and pleasures of sense
gratification, and becomes subject to bondage and liberation, whereas the
divine Controller, being unattached to material Nature, remains free as a
witness and a guide (BP 11.11.06, See also RV 1.164.20, AV 9.09.20, MuU
3.01.01, ShU 4.06). The Divine Controller remains unaffected and unattached to
the modes of material Nature just as a lotus leaf remains unaffected by water.
Spirit is sentient, and material Nature is
insentient. Material Nature, with the help of Spirit, produces five bioimpulses
(Life forces, Prana) and the three modes. Spirit, residing as the divine
Controller in the physical body that is a house with nine gates and made of
twenty-four elements of material Nature, enjoys sense objects by associating
with the modes of material Nature. Spirit forgets its real nature under the
influence of divine illusory energy (Maya), feels pain and pleasure, does good
and evil deeds, incurs the bondage of works done by free will due to ignorance,
and seeks salvation. When the living entity renounces sense objects and rises
above the modes of material Nature, it attains salvation.
The mind,
endowed with infinite power, creates a body to reside in and fulfill its latent
desires. The living entity becomes willingly entangled ¾ and suffers like a
silkworm entangled in its own cocoon ¾ and it cannot get out.
The living entity becomes bound by its own Karma and transmigrates. All
actions, good or bad, produce bondage if performed with ego. Good actions are
the golden shackles, and bad ones are the iron shackles. Both are fetters. The
golden shackle is not a bracelet.
The living entity is like a
farmer who has been given a plot of land that is the body. The farmer should
take the weeds of lust, anger, and greed out of the land, cultivate it with
the plow of intense desire for the love of God, and fertilize it with the firm
faith in the power and omnipresence of God. Depending on the intensity of the
desire and the degree of faith, the seedling of devotion will come out in due
course of time. This seedling must be consistently and continually irrigated
with the water of meditation on the chosen form of one’s personal God. The
forgetfulness of living entity’s real nature disappears with the blooming of
the flowers of Self-knowledge and detachment. The flowers bear the fruits of
Self-realization and vision of God, leading to freedom from transmigration.
They who truly understand Spirit and material Nature with its
three modes (as described above) are also not born again, regardless of their
way of life. (13.23)
Some perceive the Supersoul in their inner psyche through mind
and intellect that have been purified either by meditation or by metaphysical
knowledge or by selfless service. (13.24)
FAITH AND
DEVOTION CAN ALSO LEAD TO NIRVANA
Others, however, do not know the yogas of meditation,
knowledge, and selfless service; but they perform deity worship, with firm
faith and loving devotion, as mentioned in the scriptures by the saints and
sages. They also transcend death by virtue of their firm faith in what they
have heard. (13.25)
Blessed
are they that have not understood, yet have believed (John 20.29). If you
believe, you will receive whatever you ask for (Matthew 21.22). It is not
necessary to completely understand God to obtain His grace, to love Him, and
to attain Him. Any spiritual practice done without faith is an exercise in
futility. Intellect stands on the way as an obstruction to faith.
Whatever is born ¾ animate or inanimate ¾ know them to be born from
the union of Spirit and matter, O Arjuna. (See also 7.06) (13.26)
One who sees the same eternal
Supreme Lord dwelling as Spirit equally within all mortal beings, truly sees.
(13.27)
When one beholds one and the same Self existing equally in
every being, one does not harm anybody because one considers everything as
one’s own Self. And thereupon attains the Supreme Abode. (13.28)
One who perceives that all works are
done by the powers of material Nature, truly understands and does not consider
oneself as the doer. (See also 3.27, 5.09, and 14.19) (13.29)
The moment one discovers the diverse variety of beings and
their different ideas abiding in One and coming out from “That” alone, one
attains the Supreme Being. (13.30)
ATTRIBUTES
OF THE SPIRIT (BRAHM)
Because of being beginningless and unaffectable by the three
modes of material Nature, the eternal Supersoul ¾ even though dwelling in
the body as a living entity ¾ neither does anything nor becomes tainted by Karma, O
Arjuna. (13.31)
The eternal Supersoul is called
attributeless because He does not have the three attributes of material Nature.
The word ‘attributeless’ has been commonly misunderstood as formless.
Attributeless refers only to the absence of material form and attribute known to
human mind. The Lord has an incomparable personality and transcendental
qualities.
Just as the all-pervading space is not tainted because of its
subtlety, similarly, the Spirit abiding in all bodies is not tainted. (13.32)
Spirit is
present everywhere. It is present inside the body, outside the body, as well as
all over the body. Actually, Spirit is inside and outside of everything that
exists in creation.
Just as one sun illuminates the entire world, similarly, Spirit
gives life to the entire creation, O Arjuna. (13.33)
According
to Shankara, one sees creation but not the creator behind the creation due to
ignorance, just as a person in the darkness of night sees the snake and not the
rope that sustains the false notion of a snake. If any object other than Spirit
appears to exist, it is unreal like a mirage, a dream, or the existence of a
snake in the rope. The absolute monism that negates all manifestation as a
dream world is not the whole truth. According to the Vedas, God is both
transcendent and immanent in one. The illustration of the world as a dream is a
metaphor meant only to illustrate certain points and should not be stretched
too far or taken literally. If the world is a dream, it is a very beautiful
dream, indeed, of the cosmic dreamer who must also be extraordinarily
beautiful.
They attain the Supreme, who
perceive — with the eye of Self-knowledge — the difference between creation
(or the body) and the creator (or the Spirit), as well as know the techniques
of liberation (See verses 13.24-13.25) of the living entity from the trap of
divine illusory energy (Maya, Prakriti). (13.34)
Spirit
emits its power (Maya) as the sun emits light, fire emits heat, and the moon
gives cooling rays (DB 7.32.05). Maya is the inexplicable divine power of Spirit
that does not exist apart from Spirit, the possessor of power. Maya has the
power of creation. Maya also deludes the living entity by making it identify
with a body, enjoy three modes of material Nature, and forget its real nature
as Spirit, the basis of the entire visible and invisible universe. Creation is
just a partial revelation of the power of Spirit and is called unreal like a
dream world because it is subject to change and destruction. The clay is real,
but the pot is unreal because the clay exists before the pot is created, while
the pot exists, and after the pot is destroyed.
Creation
is a natural effortless projection of the powers of Spirit and is therefore
purposeless (MuU 1.01.07). The creative activity of the Lord is a mere pastime
of the divine power (Maya) without any purpose or motive (BS 2.01.33). It is
nothing but an apparent natural modification of His infinite limitless energy
(E) into matter (m) and vice versa (E=mc2
of Einstein) done as a mere pastime. Creation, an effect, is related to the
creator, the cause, as a piece of cloth is related to cotton. In the case of
the cloth, however, the weaver is not sitting in every thread of the cloth, but
in creation the efficient and material causes are one and the same, a divine
mystery indeed! Everything in the universe is connected with everything else.
Creation is not a mechanical or engineering construction. It is the supreme,
spiritual phenomena revealing divine splendor. Creation is made by the Lord,
of the Lord, and for the Lord.
CHAPTER 14
THREE MODES OF MATERIAL NATURE
Lord Krishna said: I shall further explain to you the supreme
knowledge, the best of all knowledge, knowing this all the sages have attained
salvation. (14.01)
Those who have taken refuge in this transcendental knowledge
attain unity with Me and are neither born at the time of creation nor afflicted
at the time of dissolution. (14.02)
ALL BEINGS
ARE BORN FROM THE UNION OF SPIRIT AND MATTER
My material Nature is the womb of
creation wherein I place the seed of Consciousness from which all beings are
born, O Arjuna. (See also 9.10) (14.03)
Material
Nature, a product of divine kinetic energy (Maya), is the origin of the entire
universe. Material Nature creates living beings when the seed of Spirit is sown
in it for germination.
Whatever forms are produced in all different wombs, O Arjuna,
the material Nature is their body-giving cosmic mother; and the Spirit or
Consciousness is the life-giving father. (14.04)
HOW THREE
MODES OF MATERIAL NATURE BIND THE SPIRIT SOUL TO THE BODY
Goodness, activity, and inertia —
these three modes (or ropes) of material Nature fetter the eternal individual
soul to the body, O Arjuna. (14.05) strand
Of these, the mode of goodness is illuminating and good because
it is pure. The mode of goodness fetters the living entity by attachment to
happiness and knowledge, O sinless Arjuna. (14.06)
Arjuna, know that the mode of passion is characterized by
intense craving for sense gratification and is the source of material desire
and attachment. The mode of passion binds the living entity by attachment to
the fruits of work. (14.07)
Know, O Arjuna, that the mode of ignorance ¾ the
deluder of the living entity ¾ is born of inertia. The mode of ignorance binds living
entity by carelessness, laziness, and excessive sleep. (14.08)
O Arjuna, the mode of goodness attaches one to happiness of
learning and knowing the Spirit; the mode of passion attaches to action; and
the mode of ignorance attaches to negligence by covering Self-knowledge.
(14.09)
The mode
of goodness keeps one away from sinful acts and leads one to Self-knowledge and
happiness, but not to salvation. The mode of passion creates strong Karmic
bonds and takes the individual further away from liberation. Such persons know
right and wrong actions based on religious principles, but are unable to follow
them because of strong impulses of lust. The mode of passion obscures real
knowledge of Self and causes one to experience both the pain and pleasure of
this worldly life. Such persons are very much attached to wealth, power,
prestige, sensual pleasure, and are very selfish and greedy. In the mode of
ignorance, one is unable to recognize the real goal of life, unable to
distinguish between right and wrong action, and remains attached to sinful and forbidden
activities. Such a person is lazy, violent, lacks intellect, and has no
interest in spiritual knowledge.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THREE
MODES OF NATURE
Goodness prevails by suppressing passion and ignorance; passion
prevails by suppressing goodness and ignorance; and ignorance prevails by
suppressing goodness and passion, O Arjuna. (14.10)
When the light of Self-knowledge illuminates all the senses in
the body, then it should be known that goodness is predominant. (14.11)
The sense
organs (nose, tongue, eye, skin, ear, mind, and intellect) are called the
gateway to Self-knowledge in the body. The mind and intellect get into the mode
of goodness and become receptive to Self-knowledge when senses are purified by
selfless service, discipline, and spiritual practice. It is also said in verse
14.17 that the rise of Self-knowledge takes place when one’s mind gets firmly
established in the mode of goodness. As objects are seen very clearly in the
light, similarly, one perceives and thinks in the right perspective, and the
senses shun whatever is improper. There is no attraction in the mind for
sensual pleasures when the senses are illumined by the dawning of the light of
Self-knowledge.
O Arjuna, when passion is predominant, greed, activity,
undertaking of selfish work, restlessness, and excitement arise. (14.12)
O Arjuna, when inertia is predominant, ignorance, inactivity,
carelessness, and delusion arise. (14.13)
A
particular mode of Nature becomes dominant in the present life due to one's
past Karma. The three modes fuel the vehicles of transmigration that carry
one's baggage of Karma, as discussed in the following verses.
THREE
MODES ARE ALSO THE VEHICLES OF TRANSMIGRATION FOR THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL
One who dies when goodness dominates of goodness goes to heaven
¾
the pure world of knowers of the Supreme. (14.14)
One who dies when passion dominates is reborn attached to
action (or the utilitarian). One who dies in ignorance is reborn as a lower
creature. (14.15)
The fruit of good action is said to be beneficial and pure; the
fruit of passionate action is pain; and the fruit of ignorant action is
laziness. (14.16)
Self-knowledge arises from the mode of goodness; greed arises
from mode of passion; and negligence, delusion, and slowness of mind arise from
the mode of ignorance. (14.17)
They who are established in goodness go to heaven; passionate
persons are reborn in the mortal world; and the insipid ones, abiding in the
mode of ignorance, go to lower planets of hell, or take birth as lower
creatures (depending on the degree of their ignorance). (14.18)
ATTAIN
NIRVANA AFTER TRANSCENDING THREE MODES OF MATERIAL NATURE
When visionaries perceive no doer other than the three modes of
material Nature (Gunas), and know the Supreme which is above and beyond these
modes, then they attain Nirvana or salvation. (See also 3.27, 5.09, and 13.29)
(14.19)
Karmic
laws bind one who does not believe that the Lord controls everything and who
considers oneself the doer, enjoyer, and owner (BP 6.12.12). The power of doing
all actions, good or bad, proceeds from God, but we are ultimately responsible
for our actions because we also have the power to reason. God has given us the
power to do work; however, we are free to use the power in the right or wrong
way and become liberated or bound.
The good
Lord gives one only the faculties to act; He is not liable for one’s actions.
It is up to the individual to decide how to act. This decision is controlled by
the modes of material Nature and is governed by one's past Karma. Those who
understand this properly know how to act and do not blame God for their
misfortunes or feel jealous of others’ fortune.
Due to
ignorance created by illusory energy (Maya), one considers oneself the doer and
consequently becomes bound by Karma and undergoes transmigration (BP
11.11.10). Whenever one asserts or even thinks of oneself as doing things, one
assumes the role of a doer, becomes accountable for the action (Karma), and
gets caught in the intricate Karmic net of transmigration.
When one rises above, or
transcends the three modes of material Nature that originate in the body, one
attains immortality or salvation and is freed from the pains of birth, old age,
and death. (14.20)
THE PROCESS OF RISING ABOVE
THE THREE MODES
Arjuna said: What are the marks of those who have transcended
the three modes of material Nature, and what is their conduct? How does one
transcend these three modes of material Nature, O Lord Krishna? (14.21)
Lord Krishna said: One transcends the mode of material Nature
who neither hates the presence of enlightenment, activity, and delusion nor
desires them when they are absent; who remains like a witness without being
affected by the modes of material Nature; who stays firmly attached to the Lord
without wavering ¾
thinking that only the modes of material Nature are operating. (14.22-23)
And one who depends on the Lord and is indifferent to pain and
pleasure; to whom a clod, a stone, and gold are alike and to whom the dear and
the unfriendly are alike; who is of firm mind; who is calm in censure and in
praise and indifferent to honor and disgrace; who is impartial to friend and
foe; and who has renounced the sense of doership. (14.24-25)
Guru Nanak
said: One who obeys the will of God with pleasure is free and wise. Gold and
stone, pain and pleasure are alike only for such a person.
BONDS OF THREE MODES CAN BE
CUT BY DEVOTIONAL LOVE
One who serves Me with love and unswerving devotion transcends
the three modes of material Nature and becomes fit for Nirvana. (See also 7.14
and 15.19) (14.26)
Unswerving
devotion is defined as the loving devotion in which one does not depend on any
other person, but only God for everything.
The mode
of goodness is the topmost rung of the ladder leading to the Truth, but it is
not the Truth as such. The three modes of material Nature have to be
transcended, step by step. First, one has to overcome the modes of ignorance
and passion and become established in the mode of goodness by developing
certain values and following certain disciplines. Then one becomes ready to
surmount the dualities of good and bad, pain and pleasure, and to rise to the
higher transcendental plane by going beyond the highest mode ¾ the
mode of goodness.
Spiritual
practices and vegetarian food raise the mind from the modes of ignorance and
passion to the transcendental plane of bliss where pairs of opposites disappear.
The mode of goodness is the natural result of profound thought generated by
firm understanding of metaphysics. Anybody can easily cross the ocean of
illusion (Maya), consisting of three modes of material Nature, by the boat of
firm faith, devotion, and exclusive love for God. There is no other way to
transcend the three modes of material Nature and attain salvation. It is also
said that anyone situated in any one of the three modes of material nature can
come up to the transcendental plane by the grace of a genuine and empowered
guru.
Because I am the source of the immortal Spirit, of everlasting
cosmic order (Dharma), and of the absolute bliss. (14.27)
The
Supreme Being is the source or the basis of Spirit. Spirit is one of the
expansions of the Supreme Being. It is Spirit (of the Supreme Being) that
performs the entire cosmic drama and sustains everything. Therefore, Spirit is
also called the Supreme Being or the Lord.
It is very
significant that Lord Krishna never used such words as “worship the Supreme
God,” or “the Absolute is the basis of everything.” In this verse and elsewhere
in the Gita, Lord Krishna declares that He is the Supreme Spirit. Krishna means
different things to different people. Some commentators consider Krishna other
than God; others call Him a "Hindu God." To others Krishna is a
politician, a teacher, a divine lover, and a diplomat. To devotees, Krishna is
the incarnation of the Absolute and the object of love. Readers would do well
just to understand and use Krishna's teachings in their daily lives without
getting confused about who was Krishna.
CHAPTER 15
THE SUPREME BEING
CREATION
IS LIKE A TREE CREATED
BY THE POWERS OF MAYA
Lord Krishna said: The universe (or human body) may be compared
to an eternal tree that has its origin (or root) in the Supreme Being and its
branches below in the cosmos. The Vedic hymns are the leaves of this tree. One
who understands this tree is a knower of the Vedas. (15.01)
The branches of this eternal tree are spread all over the
cosmos. The tree is nourished by the energy of material Nature; sense pleasures
are its sprouts; and its roots of ego and desires stretch below in the human
world, causing Karmic bondage. (15.02)
The human
body, a microcosmic universe or world, may be also compared to a beginningless
and endless tree. Karma is the seed; the countless desires are its roots; five
basic elements are its main branches; and the ten organs of perception and action
are its sub-branches. Three modes of material Nature provide the nourishment,
and sense pleasures are its sprouts. This tree is ever changing, but eternal,
without beginning and end. Just as the leaves protect the tree, so the rituals
protect and perpetuate this tree. One who truly understands this marvelous
tree, its origin (or root), its nature and working, is a knower of the Vedas in
a true sense.
Two
aspects of Eternal Being ¾ the divine Controller and the controlled (living
entity, individual soul) ¾ make their nest and reside on the same tree as a part
of the cosmic drama. Virtue and vice are its glorious flowers; pleasure and
pain are its sweet and sour fruits. The living entity, due to ignorance, eats
these fruits, whereas the controller sits on the tree, watches, and guides the
living entity. The living entities are like beautiful birds of various hues. No
two birds are the same. Creation is just beautiful. And the creator must be
inconceivably beautiful.
HOW TO CUT
THE TREE OF ATTACHMENT AND ATTAIN SALVATION BY TAKING REFUGE IN GOD
The beginning, the end, or the real form of this tree is not
perceptible on the earth. Having cut the firm roots ¾ the desires ¾ of
this tree by the mighty ax of Self-knowledge and detachment, one should seek that
Supreme Abode reaching where one does not come back to the mortal world again.
One should be always thinking: “In that very primal person I take refuge from
which this primal manifestation comes forth.” (15.03-04)
Creation
is cyclic, without beginning and end. It is ever changing and has no permanent
existence or real form. One must sharpen the ax of metaphysical knowledge and
detachment over the stone of spiritual practice, cut the feeling of
separateness between the living entity and the Lord, cheerfully participate in
the drama of life made up of passing shadows of joys and sorrows, and live in
this world completely free from ego and desires. When the attachments are
severed, an attitude of sacred dispassion takes place, which is the
prerequisite for spiritual progress.
The wise reach that eternal goal
who are free from pride and delusion, who have conquered the evil of
attachment, who constantly dwell in the Supreme Being with all lust completely
stilled, and who are free from dualities of pleasure and pain. (15.05)
The sun does not illumine My Supreme Abode, nor the moon, nor
the fire. Having reached there, people attain permanent liberation (Mukti) and
do not come back to this temporal world. (15.06)
The Supreme Being is self-luminous, not
illumined by any other source. He illumines the sun and the moon as a luminous
lamp illumines other objects (DB 7.32.14). The Supreme Being existed before the
sun, moon, and fire came into existence during creation, and it will exist even
after everything gets dissolved into unmanifest Nature during complete
dissolution.
THE
EMBODIED SOUL IS THE ENJOYER
The individual soul (Jiva,
Jivatma) in the body of living beings is the integral part of the universal
Spirit, or consciousness. The individual soul associates with the six sensory
faculties of perception ¾ including the mind ¾ and activates them. (15.07)
In essence, Spirit is called Eternal Being or
“Brahman” in Sanskrit. Spirit is the true nature of the Supreme Being
(ParaBrahm), and therefore is also called the integral part of the Supreme
Being. The same Spirit is called individual soul, living entity, Jiva, soul,
and Jivatma in the bodies of living beings. The difference between Spirit and
the individual soul is due to the limiting adjuncts ¾ the body and mind ¾
similar to the illusion that the enclosed pot space is different from unlimited
space.
Just as the air takes aroma away
from the flower, similarly, the individual soul takes the six sensory faculties
from the physical body it casts off during death to the new physical body it
acquires in reincarnation. (See also 2.13) (15.08)
The
individual soul takes the subtle body ¾ six sensory faculties of
perception, intellect, ego, and five vital forces ¾ from one physical body to
another after death, as the wind takes dust from one place to another. The wind
is neither affected nor unaffected by association with dust, similarly, the
individual soul is neither affected nor unaffected by association with the
body (MB 12.211.13-14). Physical bodies are limited in space and time, but
invisible subtle bodies are unlimited and all pervading. The subtle body
carries the individual's good and bad Karma to the next life till all Karma is
exhausted. When all trace of desires is eradicated after the dawn of
Self-knowledge, the physical body seems not to exist any more and the
conception of subtle body is firmed up in the mind. The astral body is an exact
duplicate of the physical body. The beings in the astral world are more
advanced in art, technology, and culture. They take up physical bodies to
improve and enhance the physical world. Hariharananda Giri says: One may not
perceive, conceive, and realize God if one does not seek the invisible subtle
body.
During a
wakeful state, the physical body, mind, intellect, and ego are active. In a
dream state, the individual soul temporarily creates a dream world and wanders
in it with a dream body without leaving the physical body. In deep sleep, the
individual soul completely rests in the Eternal Being (Spirit) without being bothered
by mind and intellect. Supreme Being, the Universal Consciousness, watches us
as a witness during all the three states ¾
wakeful, dream, and deep sleep. The living entity leaves one physical body and
takes another body after death. The living entity becomes bound or lost, then
tries to be liberated by discovering its real nature. Reincarnation allows the
living entity to change its vehicle, the physical body, during the long and
difficult spiritual journey to the Supreme Being. The individual soul acquires
different physical bodies till all Karma is exhausted; after that, the goal of
attaining the Supreme Being is reached.
It is said
that Spiritual Being wears the veil of illusion, becomes an individual soul,
and takes human and other forms just to perform the cosmic drama in which the
writer, producer, director, all the players, as well as the audience are the
same. Lord performs, plays, and enjoys His own creation. Our problems will
disappear if we keep in mind that we are just playing a role and never take
things very personally. In order to see the cosmic player, we must detach our
mind from the play. Science deals with the knowledge of the cosmic play;
spirituality deals with the knowledge of the cosmic Player as partially
understood by the player.
The living entity enjoys sense pleasures using six sensory
faculties of hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell, and mind. The ignorant cannot
perceive living entity departing from the body nor staying in the body and
enjoying sense pleasures by associating with the material body. But those who
have the eye of Self-knowledge can see it. (15.09-10)
Senses
lose their taste for material enjoyment when they develop a higher taste for
the nectar of spiritual bliss. The attainment of spiritual bliss is the real
fulfillment of one's desire for sense gratification. A purified soul will
refrain from doing wrong things that arise from residual, subtle desires for
sensual pleasures.
The yogis, striving for perfection, behold the living entity
abiding in their inner psyche as consciousness, but the ignorant whose inner
psyche is not pure, even though striving, cannot perceive Him. (15.11)
SPIRIT IS
THE ESSENCE OF EVERYTHING
Know that light energy to be Mine that comes from the sun and
illumines the whole world and is in the moon, and in fire. (See also 13.17 and
15.06) (15.12).
The light
of the sun is a reflection of His radiance (RV 10.07.03). The knowers of the
Supreme Being visualize everywhere — in themselves, in every human being, and
in the whole universe — that supreme cluster of light which is the source of
the visible world and which shines like the all-pervading daylight (ChU
3.17.07). The world and its objects are only pictures made of shadows and
light, cast on a cosmic movie screen (Yogananda). The Koran says: Allah is the
light of the heavens and the earth (Surah 24.35).
The holy
eternal light has the shape of a huge shining cluster of bright light energy.
It is the light of the Supreme Being that is in the eternal light and in all
the luminaries of the galaxies, such as the sun, the moon, and the stars. It is
His light that is in wood, lamps, candles, and is the energy in all living
beings. His light is behind all lights and the source of all energy in the
universe. Without the power of the Supreme Being, fire is unable to burn a
blade of grass. This light of the Supreme Being cannot be realized and seen
unless one has completely stilled and strengthened the mind, purified the
intellect, and developed the power of will and visualization. One must also be
strong enough to bear the mental shock generated while experiencing the light
of all lights in trance.
Just as
the complete spectrum of sunlight is not visible to the human eye without a
prism, similarly, we cannot see the light of the Supreme Being without the
grace of God and scriptural reading. The yogis who have tuned-in their
consciousness with the supreme consciousness can see the eternal light in
trance. The entire universe is sustained by the energy of the Supreme Being and
reflects His glory.
Entering the earth, I support all beings with My energy.
Becoming the sap-giving moon, I nourish all the plants. (15.13)
Becoming the digestive fire, I remain in the body of all living
beings. Uniting with vital breaths or bioimpulses, I digest all types of food.
(15.14)
And I am seated in the inner
psyche of all beings. Memory, Self-knowledge, and removal of doubts and wrong
notions about God come from Me. I am, in truth, that which is to be known by
the study of all the Vedas. I am, indeed, the author as well as the student of
the Vedas. (See also 6.39) (15.15)
The
Supreme Being is the source of all scriptures (BS 1.01.03). The Lord resides in
the inner psyche (or the causal heart) as the consciousness of all beings ¾ not
in the physical heart of the body as commonly misunderstood.
WHAT ARE THE SUPREME SPIRIT,
SPIRIT
AND THE INDIVIDUAL SOUL?
There are two entities in the cosmos: The changeable Temporal
Beings, and the unchangeable Eternal Being (Spirit). All created beings are
subject to change, but the Spirit does not change. (15.16)
Two
aspects of divine manifestation — Temporal Beings and the Eternal Being
(Spirit) — are described here. The entire creation ¾ including Lord Brahmaa
(the creative force), all celestial controllers, fourteen planetary spheres,
down to a blade of grass ¾ is the expansion of Temporal Beings. Spirit is the
Consciousness, the cause of all causes, from which Temporal Beings, material
Nature, and countless cosmos take birth, by which they are sustained, and into
which they become dissolved again and again. Temporal Beings and Spirit are
called creation and the creator in verses 13.01-02, and Womb and seed-giving
Father in verses 14.03-04. The Supreme Being is beyond both Temporal Beings and
Spirit, and is called the Absolute Reality in the scriptures and in the
following verses:
The Supreme Being is beyond both ¾ the
Temporal Beings and the Eternal Being. He is also called the Absolute Reality
that sustains both the Temporal and the Eternal by pervading everything.
(15.17)
Because I, the Supreme Being, am
beyond both the temporal and the eternal, therefore I am known in this world
and in the scriptures as the Supreme Being (Absolute Reality, Truth, Supersoul)
(15.18)
Basically,
there are two different aspects (or levels of existence) — Temporal Beings
(also called Divine Souls, Divine Beings, Divine Temporal beings, Deva,
celestial forces, guardian angels), and the Eternal Being (Spirit, Atma, Brahm)
— of One and the same Absolute Reality known as the Supreme Being. The invisible,
unchanging, and immutable entity is called Eternal Being. The Temporal Beings
are the expansions of the Eternal Being in the material world. The entire
creation is ever-changing and mutable and is also called temporal. Both
Temporal and Eternal Beings are expansions of the Supreme Being. The Supreme
Being ¾
the basis of both Temporal and Eternal ¾ is the highest or the
Absolute, who is referred to by various names. The personal aspect of the
Absolute is called by names, such as Krishna, Mother, Father, and Allah.
The wise, who truly understand Me as the Supreme Being, know
everything and worship Me wholeheartedly, O Arjuna. (See also 7.14, 14.26, and
18.66) (15.19)
Thus, I have explained this most secret transcendental science
of the Absolute. Having understood this, one becomes enlightened, one’s all
duties are accomplished, and the goal of human life is achieved, O Arjuna.
(15.20)
CHAPTER 16
DIVINE AND THE DEMONIC QUALITIES
A LIST OF
MAJOR DIVINE QUALITIES THAT SHOULD BE CULTIVATED FOR SALVATION
Lord Krishna said: Fearlessness, purity of the inner psyche,
perseverance in the yoga of Self-knowledge, charity, sense-restraint,
sacrifice, study of the scriptures, austerity, honesty; nonviolence,
truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, equanimity, abstinence from
malicious talk, compassion for all creatures, freedom from greed, gentleness,
modesty, absence of fickleness, splendor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness,
absence of malice, and absence of pride ¾ these are some of the
qualities of those endowed with divine virtues, O Arjuna. (16.01-03)
One must
not condemn anybody and commend oneself (MB 3.207.50). We should treat others
in the same manner as we would like ourselves to be treated (MB 12.167.09). A
person of demonic nature needs to be dealt with and controlled differently
than a person of divine nature (MB 12.109.30). No one is perfect. People do
things because they don’t know any better, so we should not censure them. We
all pay the price for those who act out of ignorance. Speaking ill of others is
the most heinous sin. Do not see others’ faults; improve your own shortcomings
until you yourself become enlightened.
One should
not talk about, listen to, or even think about the faults and shortcomings of
others. When we think about the defects of others, our own minds become
polluted. Nothing is gained by finding fault with others; therefore, find your
own faults and correct them. To love the unlovable, to be kind to the unkind,
and to be gracious to the ungracious is really divine. It is said that we will
have to account for how we treat others.
Values may
also create problems if one forgets that people have different values; my
values will be different from yours. A conflict of values between individuals
ruins relationships. In practice, sometimes two values of the same person also
conflict. For example, if telling a lie saves a valuable life, one should not
tell the truth. One should not be blindly attached to values because a value is
not absolute. We should neither sneer at any ideal nor judge others by our own
standards because basic unity in variety is the plan of the creator.
All kinds
of people make up this world. You want to change others so that you can be
free, but it never works that way. If you accept others totally and unconditionally,
only then you are free. People are what they are because they have their own
backgrounds, and they cannot be otherwise (Swami Dayananda). You can love your
spouse and not like the way he or she acts. Your enemy might become your friend
if you allow him or her to be who he or she is. If you want to make an enemy,
try to change someone. People will change only when it becomes more difficult
to suffer than to change. No one is in a position to disqualify another’s way
of life, thinking, or ideas. Evolution on the ladder of perfection is a slow
and difficult process. It is not an easy task to get rid of Karmic impressions
of the past, but one must try. Changes come by one’s own effort and when the
season of the grace of God comes, not a day before. Also, the manifestation of
primordial energy, consciousness, is different in different beings. Therefore,
seek reconciliation with everything in the universe, and everything will become
your friend. Ramakrishna said: When divinity dawns, the human weaknesses vanish
of their own accord just as the petals drop off when the flower develops into
the fruit.
Mortals
are helplessly tied like cattle by the rope of latent desires born of their
Karmic footprints. This rope can be cut only if we use the God-given knife of
intellect that animals do not have. A tiger is controlled by the instinct to
kill and is helpless in this regard. Human beings are endowed with intellect
and power to reason by which they can slowly and steadily cut the rope. We fail
to use our power of reasoning and intellect due to ignorance. One’s enemy is
none other than the other side of oneself. Sometimes intellect is taken away by
the trick of divine illusory energy (Maya) before the dawn of fate-born
adversity. One must use intellect, the precious divine gift to human beings, to
analyze the situation. There is no other way to get out of the vicious circle
of Maya.
No one can
hurt one who does not do violence to others by thought, word, or deed (VP
1.19.05). Even violent animals do not harm those who practice nonviolence by
thought, word, and deed (MB 12.175.27). One who does not do violence to any
creature, gets what one wishes and becomes successful in all spiritual
disciplines without too much effort (MS 5.47).
The higher
form of life uses the lower form of life as food for sustenance (MB 12.15.20).
It is impossible to practice nonviolence ¾ or any other value ¾ in
an absolute sense. Even farming operations involve violence to insects and
earthworms. Practicing nonviolence towards all creatures is meant for our own
evolution on the ladder of perfection. A minimal amount of necessary violence
in the day-to-day practical life is required. Determination of minimum violence
is, of course, very subjective. Violence should never be used in service of a
personal grudge. It may be used to defend the weak or to uphold Dharma (order
and justice).
A LIST OF
DEMONIC QUALITIES THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN UP BEFORE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY CAN BEGIN
O Arjuna, the marks of those who are born with demonic qualities
are: Hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, harshness, and ignorance. (16.04)
It is the
universal practice to return the favor ¾ in one way or another ¾ to
those who have been helpful to you (VR 5.01.113). An ungrateful person is the
worst person. One must abandon such a person (MB 12.168.26). There is no
atonement for ungratefulness in this world (MB 12.172.25). It is said that
even carnivores do not eat the flesh of an ungrateful person (MB 5.36.42). One
must feel and express genuine gratitude if one accepts something from another
person.
Divine qualities lead to salvation, the demonic qualities are
said to be for bondage. Do not grieve, O Arjuna ¾ you are born with divine
qualities. (16.05)
Habits of
sinful activity are very difficult to get rid of; therefore, one should always
avoid sinful acts and practice good deeds (MB 3.209.41). Fundamental morality
is the backbone of spiritual life. Self-knowledge without moral virtues is as
incomplete as food without salt.
THERE ARE
ONLY TWO TYPES OF HUMAN BEINGS ¾
THE WISE AND THE IGNORANT
There are only two types (or castes) of human beings in this
world: The divine, or the wise; and the demonic, or the ignorant. The divine
has been described at length, now hear from Me about the demonic, O Arjuna.
(16.06)
Self-knowledge
manifests as divine qualities, and ignorance manifests as demonic qualities.
Those who are in tune with the cosmic plan have divine qualities; those who are
out of tune with the divine plan possess demonic qualities. Those who acted
piously in their past lives are born with divine qualities, and those who were
sinful in previous life are born with demonic qualities.
Persons of demonic nature do not know what to do and what not
to do. They have neither purity nor good conduct nor truthfulness. (16.07)
They say: The world is unreal, without a substratum, without a
God, and without an order. Sexual union of man and woman alone and nothing else
causes the world. (16.08)
Adhering to these (and other) twisted, diabolic views, these
degraded souls — with small intellect and cruel deeds ¾ are born as enemies for
the destruction of the world. (16.09)
Filled with insatiable desires, hypocrisy, pride, and
arrogance; holding wrong views due to delusion ¾ they act with impure
motives. (16.10)
Obsessed with endless anxiety lasting until death, considering
sense gratification their highest aim, and convinced that sense pleasure is
everything; (16.11)
Bound by hundreds of ties of desire and enslaved by lust and
anger, they strive to obtain wealth by unlawful means to fulfill sensual
pleasures. They think: (16.12)
This has been gained by me today; I shall fulfill this desire;
I have this much wealth and will have more wealth in the future; (16.13)
That enemy has been slain by me, and I shall slay others also.
I am the Lord. I am the enjoyer. I am successful, powerful, and happy; (16.14)
I am rich and born in a noble family. Who is equal to me? I
shall perform sacrifice, I shall give charity, and I shall rejoice. Thus
deluded by ignorance, (16.15)
Bewildered by many fancies, entangled in the net of delusion,
addicted to the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, they fall into a foul hell.
(16.16)
Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with pride and intoxication of
wealth, they perform service only in name for show, not according to scriptural
injunction. (16.17)
These malicious people cling to egoism, power, arrogance, lust,
and anger; and they deny My presence in their own body and in others' bodies.
(16.18)
SUFFERING IS THE DESTINY OF
THE IGNORANT
I hurl these haters, these cruel, sinful, and mean people, into
the cycles death and birth in the womb of demons (or degraded parents) again
and again according to their Karma. (16.19)
O Arjuna, entering the wombs of demons, birth after birth, the
deluded ones sink to the lowest level without ever attaining Me (until their
minds turn Godward by My causeless mercy). (16.20)
A
never-ending war between good and evil forces is going on in each person’s
life. One takes birth to learn to purge the demonic qualities that block the gateway
to God-realization. God appears only after the devil within us is completely
subjugated. Spirit does not have any of the three qualities of material Nature.
These qualities belong to body and mind only. Scriptures say: The divine,
illusory energy (Maya) creates a multitude of pairs of opposites, such as good
and evil, loss and gain, pleasure and pain, hope and despair, compassion and
apathy, generosity and greed, perseverance and laziness, courage and cowardice,
love and hatred, merits and demerits, and divine and demonic qualities. They
have no real existence whatsoever. Therefore, it is wise not to note any merit
or demerit in people (BP 11.19.45, TR 7.41.00).
LUST, ANGER, AND GREED ARE THE
THREE GATES TO HELL
Lust, anger, and greed are the
three gates of hell leading to the downfall (or bondage) of the individual.
Therefore, one must learn to give up these three. (16.21)
The
Upanishad says: A golden gate (of lust, anger, greed, illusion, delusion, and
attachment) blocks the passage to God (IsU 15). This gate can be opened by
concerted, individual effort only. Lust, anger, and greed were created to
control the entry of human beings to heaven and to lead them to the gates of
hell. Lust, anger, and greed evaporate from the mind only after discovering
that there is no “I” and “'my”. Uncontrolled greed for material possessions of
modern civilization may destroy the possessor by destroying the natural
environment, the very support of life and civilization.
Selfish
desire or lust is the root of all evil. Mundane desires are also the origin of
all demonic qualities. These demonic or negative qualities, such as anger,
greed, attachment, pride, jealousy, hatred, and fraud, are born out of desire
and are also called sin. Desire, when fulfilled, brings more desires, thereby
breeding greed. Unfulfilled desires cause anger. Anger is a temporary insanity.
People do sinful acts when they are angry. They who act in haste under the
spell of anger repent afterwards. Ignorance of metaphysics is responsible for
lust; therefore, lust can be removed only by acquiring Self-knowledge. Lust
also obscures Self-knowledge as a cloud covers the sun. One must learn to
control desires with contentment, and anger with forgiveness. They who have
overcome desires have really conquered the world and live a peaceful, healthy,
and happy life.
One who is liberated from these three gates of hell, O Arjuna,
does what is best and consequently reaches Me. (16.22)
Lust,
anger, and greed are the commanders of the army of illusion (Maya) that must be
defeated before salvation is possible. The best way to become free from demonic
qualities is to follow any one of the paths discussed in the Gita, as well as
other scriptural injunctions.
ONE MUST FOLLOW THE
SCRIPTURAL INJUNCTIONS
One who acts under the influence of desires, disobeying
scriptural injunctions, neither attains perfection nor happiness, nor the
Supreme Abode. (16.23)
The world
becomes full of sweetness and beauty for those who live their life according to
the law of the scriptures (RV 1.90.06). A scripture is the blueprint for
society. It deals with every aspect of life and lays down the ground rules for
proper development of all men, women, and children. For example, Manu said:
Women must be honored and adorned. Where women are honored, there celestial
controllers dwell pleased. Women must always be loved and protected from the
temptation of evil-minded men. A woman’s father protects her in childhood, her
husband protects her in youth, and her sons protect her in old age (MS 3.56).
Fortitude, righteousness (Dharma), friends, and spouse ¾ these four are tested
only during adversity. To be devoted ¾ in thought, word, and
deed ¾
to each other should be the only religion, the only vow, and the only duty of a
husband and wife. The Bible says: Men ought to love their wives as their own
bodies, and the wife should respect her husband. Respect, and submit yourselves
one to another in the fear of God (Ephesians 5.21-33). However, men and women
have differing roles to play in the cosmic drama; therefore, their needs and
temperament are different.
One must
not find fault or criticize any scripture because the scripture is the
foundation stone of righteousness (Dharma) and social order. One can get name,
fame, peace, and salvation by just following the scriptures (MS 2.09). The
study of scriptures keeps the mind absorbed in high thoughts and is a
spiritual discipline by itself. One is delivered by the practice of the truth
of the scriptures and not by mere lip service. Guru Nanak said: One who
preaches to others but does not practice the same, shall take birth again and
again.
Let God,
Gita, and Guru show us the way to enlightenment. People cannot be saved from
the spell of divine, illusory power (Maya) just by using their own wisdom. They
must follow a scripture with faith, especially in this age when it is
difficult to find a true guru. Adherence to the high teachings of the
scriptures will ward off all evil and bring about good. If a bridge is built,
even an ant can easily cross the river, no matter how big a river is.
Similarly, the scripture is the bridge to cross over the river of Maya.
Therefore, one should always follow the guidance of a person who is well versed
in the scriptures, as stated by the Lord in the following verse:
Therefore, let the scripture be
your guide in determining what should be done and what should not be done. You
should perform your duty following the scriptural injunction. (16.24)
The Ten
Commandments of Hinduism according to sage Patanjali (PYS 2.30-2.32), are: (1)
Nonviolence, (2) Truthfulness, (3) Non-stealing, (4) Celibacy or sense
control, (5) Non-greed, (6) Purity of thought, word, and deed, (7) Contentment,
(8) Austerity or renunciation, (9) Study of scriptures, and (10) Surrendering
to God with faithful loving devotion.
Compare
these with the ten basic teachings of the Bible: (1) Thou shall not kill, (2)
Do not lie, (3) Do not steal, (4) Do not commit adultery, (5) Do not covet, (6)
Do not divorce your wife, (7) Do for others what you want them to do for you,
(8) If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek, (9) Love your
neighbor as yourself, and (10) Love the Lord with all thy heart.
The
Eightfold Noble Path of Buddhism is: Right view, right thought, right speech,
right deeds, right livelihood, right effort, right resolve, and right
meditation. Abstinence from all evil, performance of good acts, and
purification of the mind is the doctrine of Buddha.
The five
cardinal principles of Islam are: (1) Faith in God, His message, and His
messengers; (2) Meditation and prayer on the glory, greatness, and the message
of God for spiritual growth; (3) Helping others by giving charity; (4)
Austerity for self-purification by fasting in the month of Ramadan; and (5)
Pilgrimage to the holy places.
All great
masters have given us Truth revealed by the Supreme. Krishna taught us to feel
spiritual oneness by seeing divinity in each and everyone. Buddha taught us to
purify ourselves and have compassion for all creatures. Christ asked us to love
all beings as we love ourselves. Muhammad taught us to submit to the will of
God and act like His instruments.
In some
religions, however, only the members of one’s own sect are considered favorites
of God, and others are considered infidels. The Vedas teach not only mere
religious tolerance but the acceptance of all other religions and prophets as
analogous to one’s own. The Vedas say: Let noble thoughts come to us from
everywhere (RV 1.89.01). Different religious teachings are but different expressions
of the Supreme. They are to be respected, not regarded as instruments of
division. The dignity and welfare of humanity lie in the unity of races and
religion (Swami Harihar). True knowledge of religion breaks down all barriers,
including the barriers between faiths (Gandhi). Any religion that creates walls
of conflict and hatred among people in the name of God is not a religion, but
selfish politics in disguise. We have no right to criticize any religion, sect,
or cult in any way. Differences in human interpretation of scriptures ¾ the transcendent voice ¾ are due to taking the literal meaning, prejudice,
ignorance, taking lines out of context, as well as distortion,
misinterpretation, and interpolation with personal selfish motives.
CHAPTER 17
THREEFOLD FAITH
Arjuna said: What is the mode of devotion of those who perform
spiritual practices with faith but without following the scriptural injunctions,
O Krishna? Is it in the mode of goodness, passion, or ignorance? (17.01)
THREE
TYPES OF FAITH
Lord Krishna said: The natural faith of embodied beings is of
three kinds: Goodness, passion, and ignorance. Now hear about these from Me.
(17.02)
O Arjuna, the faith of each is in
accordance with one’s own natural disposition that is governed by Karmic impressions.
One is known by one’s faith. One can become whatever one wants to be, if one
constantly contemplates on the object of desire with faith. (17.03)
One can
attain success in any endeavor if one perseveres with firm determination (MB
12.153.116). Whatever a person of purified mind desires, is obtained (MuU
3.01.10). The doer of good acts becomes good, and the doer of evil becomes
evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous deeds and vicious by vicious acts (BrU
4.04.05). One becomes what one constantly and intensely thinks of, irrespective
of reasons, such as reverence, fear, jealousy, love, or even hatred (BP
11.09.22). You always get what you look for — consciously or unconsciously. The
thought produces action, action soon becomes habit, and habit leads to success
in any endeavor when it becomes passion. Become passionate about what you want
to achieve, and you will achieve it. Passion brings out the dormant forces
within us.
We are the
products of our own thoughts and desires, and we are our own architects.
Thoughts create our destiny. We become what we think. There is a tremendous
power in our thoughts to draw on the negative or positive energies around us.
Where there is a will, there is a way. We should harbor noble thoughts because
thoughts precede deeds. Thoughts control our physical, mental, financial, as
well as spiritual well-being. Never allow any negative thought or doubt to
enter. We have such a great power at our disposal, yet the irony is that we
fail to use it. If you do not have what you want, you are not committed to it
one hundred percent. You are the cause of everything that happens to you. You
should not expect life’s very best if you are not giving your very best.
Success is achieved by a series of well planned steps taken slowly and persistently.
Stephen Covey says: "The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
Every great achievement was once considered impossible. Never underestimate the
potential and power of the human mind and spirit. Many books have been written
and motivational programs developed for the practical application of the power
of this single mantra of the Gita.
Persons in the mode of goodness worship celestial controllers;
those in the mode of passion worship supernatural rulers and demons; and those
in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits. (17.04)
Ignorant persons of demonic nature are those who practice
severe austerities without following the prescription of the scriptures, who
are full of hypocrisy and egotism, who are impelled by the force of desire and
attachment, and who senselessly torture the elements in their body and also Me
who dwells within the body. (17.05-06)
THREE
TYPES OF FOOD
The food preferred by all of us is also of three types. So are
the sacrifice, austerity, and charity. Now hear the distinction between them.
(17.07)
The foods that promote longevity, virtue, strength, health,
happiness, and joy are juicy, smooth, substantial, and nutritious. Persons in
the mode of goodness like such foods. (17.08)
One should
eat good food for protecting and sustaining life as a patient takes medicine
for protection from disease (MB 12.212.14). Whatever a person eats, his or her
personal deity eats the same (VR 2.104.15, See also Gita 8.24). (Because) I am
Thou, and Thou art I (BS 3.3.37). The food we eat becomes divided into three
constituents. The grossest part turns into feces; the medium component becomes
flesh, blood, marrow, and bone. Semen, the subtlest part, rises upward and
nourishes the brain and subtle organs of the body by uniting with the vital
force (ChU 6.05.01-6.06.02). Food is called the root of the body-tree. A
healthy body and mind are the prerequisite for success in spiritual life. The
mind will be healthy if the body is healthy. Persons in the mode of goodness
like vegetarian foods. One can also become a noble person by taking vegetarian
food because one becomes what one eats.
People in the mode of passion like foods that are very bitter,
sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry, and burning, and cause pain, grief, and
disease. (17.09)
People in the mode of passion like foods that are stale,
tasteless, putrid, rotten, refuses, and impure (such as meat and alcohol).
(17.10)
Purity of
mind comes from purity of food. Truth is revealed to a pure mind. One becomes
free from all bondage after knowing the Truth (ChU 7.26.02). Gambling,
intoxication, illicit sexual relationships, and meat-eating are a natural,
negative tendency of human beings, but abstaining from these four activities is
really divine. One must avoid these four pillars of sin (BP 1.17.38).
Abstaining from meat-eating is equivalent to performing one hundred holy
sacrifices (MS 5.53-56).
THREE
TYPES OF SACRIFICES
Sacrifice, enjoined by the scriptures and performed without the
desire for the fruit, with a firm belief and conviction that it is a duty, is
in the mode of goodness. (17.11)
Sacrifice that is performed only for show and aiming for fruit,
is in the mode of passion, O Arjuna. (17.12)
Sacrifice that is performed without following the scripture, in
which no food is distributed, which is devoid of mantra, faith, and gift, is
said to be in the mode of ignorance. (17.13)
A
spiritual discipline or sacrifice is incomplete without a mantra, and a mantra
is incomplete without a spiritual discipline (DB 7.35.60).
AUSTERITY OF THOUGHT,
WORD, AND DEED
The worship of celestial controllers, the priest, the guru, and
the wise; purity, honesty, celibacy, and nonviolence ¾ these are said to be the
austerity of deed. (17.14)
Speech that is non-offensive,
truthful, pleasant, beneficial, and is used for the regular reading aloud of
scriptures is called the austerity of word. (17.15)
The path
of truth is the path of spiritual progress. The Upanishad says: Only the
truthful wins, not the untruthful. Truth is the divine path by which the sages,
who are free from desires, ascend to the Supreme Abode (MuU 3.01.06). To be
truthful is desirable. To speak what is beneficial is better than speaking
truth. That which brings the greatest benefit to a person is the real truth (MB
12.329.13). The real truth is that which produces the maximum benefit to
people. That which harms a person in any way is untrue and wrong — although it
may appear to be true at the first sight (MB 3.209.04). One may lie to protect
the truth, but must not speak the truth for the protection of a lie.
A wise person should speak the
truth if it is beneficial and keep quiet if it is harmful. One must speak the
beneficial truth whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. Non-beneficial pleasant
speech, such as flattery, should be avoided (VP 3.12.44). A pleasant speech is
beneficial to all. One who speaks pleasantly wins the heart of all and is liked
by everybody (MB 12.84.04). The wound inflicted by harsh words is very
difficult to heal. The wise should never inflict such wounds on others (MB
5.34.80). Sweetness of speech and calmness of mind are the marks of a true yogi
(Swami Atmananda Giri). One may lie — if it becomes absolutely necessary — to
protect life, property, and righteousness (Dharma); during courtship; and for
getting married (MB 12.109.19). Husband and wife should try to improve and help
develop each other with tender loving care as a cow purifies her calf by
licking. Their words to each other should be sweet, as if dipped in honey (AV
3.30.01-02).
Truth is
the root of all noble virtues. One should present the bitter pill of truth with
a sugar coating of pleasantness. Be truthful in a pleasant manner, but do not
deviate from truth for the sake of pleasantness. Use candor with courtesy and
avoid flattery. Speech should always be beneficial, truthful, and sweet.
According to the Bible: It is not what goes into a person’s mouth that makes
one unclean; rather, what comes out of it (Matthew 15.11). Speech is the
verbal reflection of one's personality, thinking, and mind; therefore, we
should prefer silence to almost anything negative. Abstinence from harmful
speech is very important.
The austerity of thought includes serenity of mind, gentleness,
equanimity, self-control, and the purity of thought. (17.16)
THREE
TYPES OF AUSTERITY
The above mentioned threefold austerity (of thought, word, and
deed) practiced by yogis with supreme faith, without a desire for the fruit, is
said to be in the mode of goodness. (17.17)
Nonviolence,
truthfulness, forgiveness, kindness, and control of mind and senses are
considered austerity by the wise (MB 12.79.18). There cannot be purity of word
and deed without purity of thought.
Austerity that is performed for gaining respect, honor,
reverence, and for the sake of show yielding an uncertain and temporary result,
is said to be in the mode of passion. (17.18)
Austerity performed with foolish stubbornness or with self-torture
or for harming others, is said to be in the mode of ignorance. (17.19)
THREE
TYPES OF CHARITY
Charity that is given at the right place and time as a matter
of duty, to a deserving candidate who does nothing in return, is considered to
be in the mode of goodness. (17.20)
Charity in
the mode of goodness is the best purifying, beneficial, and righteous act. It
equally benefits both the giver and the receiver (MB 13.120.16). If you give a
charity or gift, watch yourself closely for ulterior motives; don't look for
anything in return. One never does anything for others, but for one’s own
benefit. Even charitable works done for others are really done for one’s own
good (MB 12.292.01). It is the giver, not the receiver, who is blessed. Yogiraj
Mumtaz Ali says: When you serve a less fortunate person in any way — material
or spiritual — you are not doing him or her a favor. In fact, one who receives
your help does you a favor by accepting what you give, thereby helping you to
evolve and move closer to the divine, blissful being, who in reality is within
all.
Charity
taken unnecessarily ¾
compelled by greed for name or fame ¾ does great harm to the recipient. Improper charity
harms both the giver and the taker (MS 4.186). Give anything you can — love,
knowledge, help, service, prayer, food, but look for no return. Love ¾ the
cheapest charity ¾
holds the key to enter His Kingdom. Charity is not only the best, but also the
only use of wealth. However, all genuine requests for charity should be handled
with delicate care and diplomacy because charity denied may create a negative
feeling that is harmful.
Charity
has no value if the money is earned by wrongful means (MB 5.39.66). To obtain
wealth for meritorious or charitable deeds using wrong means is like soiling
one’s dress and then washing it. Not to soil the dress in the first place is
better than washing the dress after soiling (MB 3.02.49). You cannot accomplish
a worthy end with unworthy means. Ends and means are absolutely inseparable
(Stephen Covey). It is not possible to help everybody by giving material goods
and money. To pray for the physical and spiritual welfare of others in trouble
or need — including ones not on your favorite list — is called mental charity.
Charity that is given unwillingly
or to get something in return or looking for some fruit, is said to be in the
mode of passion. (17.21)
Jesus
said: When you give something to a needy person, do not make a big show of it,
but when you help a needy person, do it in such a way that even your closest
friend will not know about it (Matthew 6.02-03). Charity given anonymously is
the best charity. To give charity to an unworthy person or cause and not to
give to a worthy person, are both wrong and worse than giving no charity.
Charity that is obtained without asking for it, is the best; charity that is
obtained upon asking is the second best; and charity given unwillingly should
be avoided.
Charity that is given at a wrong place and time to unworthy
persons or without paying respect to the receiver or with ridicule, is said to
be in the mode of ignorance. (17.22)
Be
considerate and compassionate to those less fortunate than you. Charity should
be given without humiliating the receiver. Charity given by humiliating the
receiver destroys the giver (VR 1.13.33). One should always remember that God
is both the giver and the receiver.
THREEFOLD
NAME OF GOD
God alone is the Reality — OM
Tat Sat. Persons with divine qualities, the Vedas, and sacrifice (or selfless
service) were created by God in the ancient time. (17.23)
Therefore, acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity prescribed
in the scriptures are always commenced by uttering any one (such as OM, Amen,
or Allah) of the many names of God by
the knowers of the Supreme. (17.24)
The seekers of salvation perform various types of sacrifice,
charity, and austerity by uttering: He is all or Tat without seeking a reward.
(17.25)
The word 'Truth or Sat' is used in the sense of Reality and
goodness. The word Truth is also used for an auspicious act, O Arjuna. (17.26)
God,
Krishna, or Christ is also called the Absolute Truth.
Faith in sacrifice, charity, and austerity is also called
Truth. Selfless service for the sake of the Supreme is, in truth, termed as
Truth. (17.27)
Whatever is done without faith ¾ whether it is sacrifice,
charity, austerity, or any other act ¾ is useless. It has no value here or hereafter, O Arjuna.
(17.28)
CHAPTER 18
SALVATION THROUGH RENUNCIATION
Arjuna said: I wish to know the nature of renunciation and
sacrifice, and the difference between the two, O Lord Krishna. (18.01)
DEFINITION OF RENUNCIATION
AND SACRIFICE
Lord Krishna said: The sages
define renunciation as abstaining from all work for personal profit. The wise
define sacrifice as the sacrifice of, and the freedom from, a selfish
attachment to the fruits of all work. (See also 5.01, 5.05, and 6.01) (18.02)
We have
used the word 'renunciation' for Samnyasa, and 'sacrifice' for Tyaga in this
rendering. A renunciant (Samnyasi) does not own anything. A true renunciant
works for others and lives for ¾ not on ¾ others. Samnyasa means complete renunciation of
doership, ownership, and personal selfish motive behind an action, whereas
Tyaga means renunciation of the selfish attachment to the fruits of all work,
or working just for God. A person who does sacrificial services (Seva) for God
is called Tyagi or a KarmaYogi. Thus a Tyagi who thinks that he or she is doing
all works just to please God will always remember Him. Therefore, it is
mentioned in verse 12.12 that Tyaga is the best spiritual practice. The words
“Samnyasa” and “Tyaga” are used interchangeably in the Gita because there is no
real difference between the two (See verses 5.04, 5.05, 6.01, and 6.02).
According to the Gita, Samnyasa does not mean living in the forest or any other
secluded place outside society. Samnyasa is a state of mind that is completely
detached from the outcome or the fruits of work.
Everybody
desires peace of mind, but that is only possible for one who works for God
without being attached to results ¾ and dedicates the results of all work to God. This is
not necessarily the same as offering all one's material wealth and possessions
to one's guru as propagated by some sects.
Some philosophers say that all work is full of faults and
should be given up, while others say that acts of sacrifice, charity, and
austerity should not be abandoned. (18.03)
O Arjuna, listen to My conclusion about sacrifice. Sacrifice is
said to be of three types. (18.04)
Acts of service, charity, and austerity should not be
abandoned, but should be performed because service, charity, and austerity are
the purifiers of the wise. (18.05)
Even these obligatory works should be performed without
attachment to the fruits. This is My definite supreme advice, O Arjuna. (18.06)
THREE
TYPES OF SACRIFICE
Giving up one's duty is not proper. The abandonment of
obligatory work is due to delusion and is declared to be in the mode of
ignorance. (18.07)
One who abandons duty merely because it is difficult or because
of fear of bodily affliction, does not get the benefits of sacrifice by
performing such a sacrifice in the mode of passion. (18.08)
Obligatory work performed as duty, renouncing selfish
attachment to the fruit, is alone to be regarded as sacrifice in the mode of
goodness, O Arjuna. (18.09)
Renunciation
of attachment to sensual pleasures is the real sacrifice (Tyaga). The
perfection of Tyaga comes only after a person becomes free from the clutches of
attachments and aversions (MB 12.162.17). There is no eye better than the eye
of Self-knowledge, no austerity better than truth, no pain greater than
attachment, and no pleasure greater than Tyaga (MB 12.175.35). One cannot
become happy without Tyaga; one cannot become fearless without Tyaga; and one
cannot attain God without Tyaga (MB 12.176.22). Even the bliss of trance should
not be enjoyed just for the sake of enjoyment. The Gita recommends renunciation
while living in the world ¾ not renunciation of the world as commonly
misinterpreted.
Christ
said: If you want perfection, give away everything you have, and then follow Me
(Matthew 19.21). No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and
mammon ¾
the material desires (Matthew 6.24, Luke 16.13). Christ did not hesitate to
sacrifice his own life for the noble teachings. Lord Rama gave up His kingdom
and even His wife for the establishment of righteousness (Dharma). Give up
attachment and attain perfection by renunciation is the message of the Vedas
and the Upanishads. Selfless service or “Tyaga” is the essence of the Gita as
given in this last chapter. A person who is Tyagi cannot commit sin and is
released from the cycles of transmigration. One can cross the ocean of
transmigration and reach the shores of salvation in this very life by the boat
of Tyaga.
The Nine
Types of Renunciation leading to salvation, based on the teachings of the Gita,
are: (1) Renunciation of actions forbidden by the scriptures (16.23-24), (2)
Renunciation of lust, anger, greed, fear, likes and dislikes, and jealousy
(3.34, 16.21); (3) Spurning of procrastination in the search of Truth (12.09),
(4) Giving up feeling pride in one’s knowledge, detachment, devotion, wealth,
and charitable deeds (15.05, 16.01-04); (5) Rejection of selfish motives and
attachment to the fruits of all works (2.51, 3.09, 4.20, 6.10), (6)
Renunciation of the feeling of doership in all undertakings (12.13, 18.53), (7)
Giving up thoughts of using the Lord to fulfill selfish, material desires
(2.43, 7.16); (8) Spurning attachments to material objects, such as a house,
wealth, position, and power (12.19, 13.09); and (9) Sacrifice of wealth,
prestige, and even life for a noble cause and protection of righteousness
(Dharma) (2.32, 4.28).
One who neither hates a disagreeable work, nor is attached to
an agreeable work, is considered a renunciant (Tyagi), imbued with the mode of
goodness, intelligent, and free from all doubts about the Supreme Being. (18.10)
Human beings cannot completely
abstain from work. Therefore, one who completely renounces selfish attachment
to the fruits of all work is considered a renunciant. (18.11)
The threefold fruit of works — desirable, undesirable, and
mixed ¾
accrues after death to one who is not a renunciant (Tyagi), but never to a
Tyagi. (18.12)
FIVE
CAUSES OF ANY ACTION
Learn from Me, O Arjuna, the five causes, as described in the
Sankhya doctrine, for the accomplishment of all actions. They are: The physical
body, the seat of Karma; the modes of material Nature, the doer; the eleven
organs of perception and action, the instruments; various life forces; and the
fifth, the presiding deities of the eleven organs. (18.13-14)
These are the five causes of whatever action, whether right or
wrong, one performs by thought, word, and deed. (18.15)
Therefore, the one who considers one’s body or the Spirit
(Atma, soul) as the sole agent, do not understand, due to imperfect knowledge.
(18.16)
One who is free from the notion of doership and whose intellect
is not polluted by the desire to reap the fruit ¾ even after slaying these
people ¾
neither slays nor is bound by the act of killing. (18.17)
Those who
are free from the notion of doership, free from likes and dislikes of their
work, and detached from the fruits of work become free from Karmic reactions
even for the act of killing.
The subject, the object, and the knowledge of the object are
the threefold driving force to an action. The eleven organs, the act, and the
agent or the modes of material Nature are the three components of action.
(18.18)
THREE
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
Self-knowledge, action, and agent are said to be of three
types, according to Sankhya doctrine. Hear duly about these also. (18.19)
The knowledge by which one sees one and the same immutable, undivided divinity in all
creatures, such knowledge is in the mode of goodness. (See also 11.13, and
13.16) (18.20)
The knowledge by which one sees each individual as different
and separate from one another; such knowledge is in the mode of passion.
(18.21)
The irrational, baseless, and worthless knowledge by which one
clings to one single effect ¾ such as the body ¾
as if it is everything, such knowledge is in the mode of darkness of ignorance
(18.22)
THREE
TYPES OF ACTION
Obligatory duty performed without likes and dislikes and
without selfish motives and attachment to the fruit, is in the mode of
goodness. (18.23)
Action performed with ego, with selfish motives, and with too
much effort, is in the mode of passion. (18.24)
Action that is undertaken because of delusion, disregarding
consequences, loss, injury to others, as well as one’s own ability, is in the
mode of ignorance. (18.25)
THREE
TYPES OF AGENT
The agent who is free from attachment, is non-egotistic,
endowed with resolve and enthusiasm, and unperturbed in success or failure is
called good. (18.26)
The agent who is impassioned, who desires the fruits of work,
who is greedy, violent, impure, and affected by joy and sorrow, is called
passionate. (18.27)
The agent who is undisciplined, vulgar, stubborn, wicked,
malicious, lazy, depressed, and procrastinating is called ignorant. (18.28)
THREE
TYPES OF INTELLECT
Now hear Me explain, fully and separately, the threefold
division of intellect and resolve, based on modes of material Nature, O Arjuna.
(18.29)
O Arjuna, that intellect is in the mode of goodness which
understands the path of work and the path of renunciation, right and wrong
action, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation. (18.30)
That intellect is in the mode of passion which cannot
distinguish between righteousness (Dharma) and unrighteousness (Adharma), and
right and wrong action, O Arjuna. (18.31)
That intellect is in the mode of ignorance which accepts
unrighteousness (Adharma) as righteousness (Dharma) and thinks everything to be
that which it is not, O Arjuna. (18.32)
THREE
TYPES OF RESOLVE, AND THE FOUR GOALS OF HUMAN LIFE
That resolve is in the mode of goodness by which one
manipulates the functions of the mind, Prana (Life forces, bioimpulses) and
senses for God-realization only, O Arjuna. (18.33)
That resolve is in the mode of passion by which one, craving
for the fruits of work, clings to duty, wealth, and pleasure with great
attachment, O Arjuna. (18.34)
Doing
one's duty, earning wealth, material enjoyment, and attaining salvation are the
four noble goals of human life for the householder in the Vedic tradition. Lord
Rama said: One who is engaged only in sense gratification, abandoning duty and
earning wealth, soon gets into trouble (VR 2.53.13). One who uses duty, earning
wealth, and enjoying sensual pleasure in a balanced manner without any one of
the three being harmed by the other two attains salvation (MB 9.60.22). A person
completely involved in acquiring and preserving material wealth and possessions
has no time for Self-realization (MB 12.07.41). One can obtain all four noble
goals by devotion to the Lord (VP 1.18.24). One should first follow Dharma by
doing one’s duty righteously. Then one should earn money and make economic
progress, fulfill all noble material and spiritual desires with the money
earned, and progress towards salvation, the only noble goal of human birth.
As human
beings are always afraid of death, a rich person is always afraid of the tax
collector, thieves, relatives, and natural disasters (MB 3.02.39). There is
great pain in accumulating, protecting, and losing wealth. The desire for
wealth accumulation is never satisfied; therefore, the wise consider
contentment as the supreme pleasure (MB 3.02.46). People are never satisfied
with wealth and material possessions (KaU 1.27). One should always remember
that we are just the trustees of all wealth and possessions.
That resolve is in the mode of ignorance by which a dull person
does not give up sleep, fear, grief, despair, and carelessness, O Arjuna.
(18.35)
THREE
TYPES OF PLEASURE
And now hear from Me, O Arjuna, about the threefold pleasure.
The pleasure that one enjoys from spiritual practice results in cessation of
all sorrows. (18.36)
The pleasure that appears as poison in the beginning, but is
like nectar in the end, comes by the grace of Self-knowledge and is in the mode
of goodness. (18.37)
One who
enjoys the ocean of the nectar of devotion has no use for the sensual
pleasures that are like water of a pond (BP 6.12.22). The river of material joy
dries up quickly after the rainy season if there is no perennial source of
spiritual water. Material objects are like straws to a Self-realized person.
Sensual pleasures that appear as
nectar in the beginning, but become poison in the end, are in the mode of
passion. (See also 5.22) (18.38)
Two paths ¾ the
beneficial spiritual path and the pleasant path of sensual pleasure ¾ are
open to us. The wise choose the former while the ignorant chooses the latter
(KaU 2.02). Sensual pleasures wear out the vigor of the senses and bring
diseases in the end (KaU 1.26). Sensual pleasure is not the object of precious
human birth. Even heavenly enjoyment is temporary and ends in sorrow. Those who
are attached to sensual delights are like fools who choose poison in exchange
for the nectar of devotion (TR 7.43.01). The ignorant ones, due to delusion,
do not think that they are taking poison while drinking it. They only know
after the result, and then it is too late (VR 7.15.19). It is the natural
tendency of the senses to go easily toward external sensual pleasures as water
flows downstream. Regrets follow the fulfillment of all sensual and material
desires.
Worldly
pleasure is like a mirage in the desert. Thirsty persons reckon it as water
until they come to drink it and find nothing. Worldly happiness is temporary
and flickering, whereas happiness derived from spiritual life is permanent and
continuous. Ramakrishna said: One does not feel intensely restless for God
until all worldly desires are satisfied. Manu is of the opinion that it may be
easier to control the senses after enjoying sense pleasure and discovering its
uselessness and harmfulness (MS 2.96). Desirelessness comes easily after most
of our desires are fulfilled. A person may be healthy and wealthy but still
unhappy without a taste of spiritual pleasure. A spiritually mature person does
not miss worldly pleasures.
Pleasure that confuses a person in the beginning and in the end
as a result of sleep, laziness, and carelessness, is in the mode of ignorance.
(18.39)
There is no being, either on the earth or among the celestial
controllers in the heaven, who can remain free from these three modes of
material Nature. (18.40)
DIVISION OF LABOR IS BASED
ON ONE’S ABILITY
The division of human labor into four catagories is also based
on the qualities inherent in peoples’ nature or their make up. (See also 4.13)
(18.41)
In the
ancient Vedic system, activities of human beings were categorized into four
social orders, based on the three modes of material Nature. These four orders
are often mistaken for the caste system of modern times in India and elsewhere
that is based on birth only. These four, universal, social orders of human
society, as described by Lord Krishna, relate to persons’ nature, quality, and
work, not their birth. Those who were dominated by the mode of goodness and
were peaceful and self-controlled were called Braahmans. Those who were
controlled by passion and preferred to engage in administration and protective
services were labeled Kshatriyas. Those under the mixed modes of passion and
ignorance, engaged in farming and trades, were called Vaishyas. Those mostly in
the lowest mode of ignorance were called Shudras, and their nature was to serve
the other three social orders.
The Vedas
compare human society with a person whose four main limbs represent the four
broad types of works and workers in society. The Vedas also state that their
words are for all mankind, for all people (YV 26.02). There are only two types
(or castes) of people ¾ the decent and the indecent (Gita 16.06).
Intellectuals who have serenity, self-control, austerity,
purity, patience, honesty, transcendental knowledge, transcendental
experience, and belief in God are labeled as intellectuals (Braahmans). (18.42)
An
intellectual is one who has the above-mentioned qualities (MB 3.180.21).
Anybody may be called 'intellectual' if he or she possesses the divine gift of
Self-knowledge (RV 10.125.05, AV 4.30.03). Intellectualism is an acquirement ¾ a quality
or state of mind ¾
rather than a caste or creed. The illuminated ones who know the Absolute Truth
and are in touch with the Supreme Being are the real Braahmans and are next to
God. All are born equal, but can become superior or inferior by deeds only.
Whenever a
sector of any society gives predominance to caste, creed, race, religion,
color, gender, or place of birth over the ability of an individual, the seeds
of that society’s downfall and inefficiency are planted and begin to grow. The
devil of discrimination knows no national boundaries. It is unfortunately
practiced by ignorant persons all over the world in one form or another. It is
a human temptation and a manifestation of a superiority complex. The wise
should try to overcome all types and shades of bias. All are the children of
God, equal in His eyes, and should be treated as such. A person, for the
progress of society, must be judged by his or her ability ¾ not
by any other standard.
Those having the qualities of heroism, vigor, firmness,
dexterity, steadfastness in battle, charity, and administrative skills are
called leaders or protectors (Kshatriyas). (18.43)
The ideal
protector possesses uncompromising, unrelenting opposition to evil-doers in
society. The duty (Dharma) of a protector is to fight all unrighteousness
(Adharma) and injustice in society.
Those who are good at cultivation, cattle rearing, business,
trade, finance, and industry are known as business men (Vaishyas). Those who
are very good in service and labor are classed as workers (Shudras). (18.44)
A Shudra
is a person who is ignorant of spiritual knowledge and identifies with the
material body due to ignorance. According to Lord Krishna, these four
designations or types are not determined by birth. A Shudra-type person may be
born in any family. The results of one's previous activities or Karma return as
one's nature and habits.
People are
either born with certain qualities or develop them through training and effort.
One who does not have the requisite qualities of the four social orders of
society, cannot be categorized improperly by virtue of birth or position only.
ATTAINMENT
OF SALVATION THROUGH DUTY, DISCIPLINE, AND DEVOTION
One can attain the highest perfection by devotion to one’s
natural work. Listen to Me how one attains perfection while engaged in one’s
natural work. (18.45)
One attains perfection by
worshipping the Supreme Being ¾ from whom all beings originate and by whom all this
universe is pervaded ¾ through performance of one’s natural duty dedicated to
Him. (See also 9.27, 12.10) (18.46)
One’s inferior natural work is better than superior unnatural
work, even though well performed. One who does the work ordained by one’s inherent
nature, without any selfish motive, incurs no sin (or Karmic reaction). (See
also 3.35) (18.47)
One’s natural work, even though defective, should not be
abandoned because all undertakings are enveloped by defects as fire is covered
by smoke, O Arjuna. (18.48)
Nothing in
this world has only good or only bad qualities. There is no perfect
undertaking. All ventures have both good and bad aspects (MB 12.15.50). It is
not what you do ¾ but how you do it ¾ that
is important. Work becomes worship when done with an attitude of adoration of
the Lord.
The person whose mind is always free from selfish attachment,
who has subdued the mind and senses, and who is free from desires, attains the
supreme perfection of freedom from the bondage of Karma by renouncing selfish
attachment to the fruits of work. (18.49)
Learn from Me briefly, O Arjuna, how one who has attained such
perfection, or the freedom from the bondage of Karma, attains Supreme Being,
the goal of transcendental knowledge. (18.50)
Endowed with purified intellect; subduing the mind with firm
resolve; turning away from sound and other objects of the senses; giving up
likes and dislikes; living in solitude; eating lightly; controlling the mind,
speech, and organs of action; ever absorbed in yoga of meditation; taking
refuge in detachment; and relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, lust, anger,
and proprietorship ¾
one becomes peaceful, free from the notion of "I, me, and my", and
fit for attaining oneness with the Supreme Being. (18.51-53)
When the
torch of meditation fuses Selfless service, Self-knowledge, and devotional love
during the thoughtless state of trance, the rays of enlightenment radiate,
divine communion is perfected, the fog of ignorance disappears, and all
material and sensual desires evaporate from the mind.
Absorbed in the Supreme Being, the serene one neither grieves
nor desires. Becoming impartial to all beings, one obtains the highest
devotional love for God. (18.54)
By devotion one truly understands
what and who I am in essence. Having known Me in essence, one immediately
merges with Me. (See also 5.19) (18.55)
There is
no doubt God can be known only through faith and unswerving devotion (BP
11.14.21). There are numerous spiritual practices ¾ not just one ¾
prescribed in the scriptures to get that faith and unswerving devotion.
Knowledge and devotion are one and the same like a tree and its seed. The
entire process of spirituality gets started by the spark of grace that comes
only as faith, and not by any other method.
Delusion
of Maya prevents people from knowing and seeing God. As one cannot see the
ever-existing salt in ocean water with the eye, but can taste it by the tongue,
similarly, the Self can be realized only by faith and devotion, not by logic
and reasoning. God may be realized not only by meditation and Self-knowledge,
but also through ecstatic personal love and intense devotion to one’s personal
deity.
Only they
know You to whom You make Yourself known; the moment one knows You, one becomes
one with You (TR 2.126.02). The knower of the Spirit becomes like Spirit (BrU
1.04.10, MuU 3.02.09). The Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17.21). No one
can enter the Kingdom of God unless one is born again (by realizing that one
is not this body, but Spirit behind the body) (John 3.03). Whoever does not
receive the Kingdom of God like a child, will never go there (Mark 10.15). The
Father and I are one (John 10.30). To truly understand God is to become one
with God.
A KarmaYogi devotee attains the eternal immutable abode by My
grace ¾
even while doing all duties ¾ just by taking refuge in Me (by dedicating all action
to Me with loving devotion). (18.56)
Sincerely offer all actions to Me,
set Me as your supreme goal, and completely depend on Me. Always fix your mind
on Me and resort to KarmaYoga. (18.57)
Everything
we use or eat should be first offered to the Lord, the giver of all things,
before we put it to our own use. This includes ¾ but is not limited to ¾
food, a new dress, a new car, a new house, and a new baby. Offering everything
to the Lord is the highest form of worship that one has to learn and practice
every day. According to Swami Chidanand Saraswati (Muniji) this verse means to
have His name in your heart and on your lips, and to have His work in your
hands.
KarmaYoga
saves one from being entangled in the wheels of transmigration and leads to
liberation. KarmaYoga is recommended even for one who does not believe in God,
who has no knowledge of God, who has no faith and devotion, and consequently
cannot follow any other spiritual path.
You shall overcome all difficulties by My grace when your mind
becomes fixed on Me. But if you do not listen to Me due to ego, you shall
perish. (18.58)
KARMIC BONDAGE AND
THE FREE WILL
If due to ego you think: I shall not fight, your resolve is
vain because your own nature will compel you to fight. (18.59)
O Arjuna, you are controlled by your own nature-born Karmic
impressions. Therefore, you shall do ¾ even against your will ¾ what
you do not wish to do out of delusion. (18.60)
The mind
often knows right and wrong, but it runs after evil ¾ reluctantly ¾ by
the force of Karmic footprints. The wise should always keep this in mind before
finding fault with others.
WE BECOME THE PUPPETS OF
OUR OWN FREEWILL
To satisfy
the free will of the ignorant, overwhelmed by the three modes of material
Nature, the good Lord creates an environment conducive for engaging in unwanted
actions. Our free will is like the very limited freedom of a dog on a leash. As
a facilitator, God reciprocates with everyone according to their desires and
allows them to fulfill desires generated by free will. Lord uses His illusory
kinetic energy called Maya to engage the living entities in good and bad acts
according to their desires and their previously accumulated good and bad Karma.
The Supreme Lord — as the
controller abiding in the inner psyche of all beings — causes them to work out
their Karma like a puppet (of Karma created by the free will) mounted on a
machine. (18.61)
The Supreme Controller (Ishvara) is the
reflection of the Supreme Spirit in the body. The Supreme Lord organizes,
controls, and directs everything in the universe.
The Lord
has made Karmic laws as the controller of all living beings. Therefore, one
must learn to gladly endure all that fate imposes by taking refuge in Him and
following the commandments (TR 2.218.02). Vedas declare that the Lord, using
Karma, makes us dance as a juggler would make his monkey dance (TR 4.6.12).
Without the laws of Karma, the scriptural injunctions, prohibitions as well as
self-effort would have no value at all. Karma is the eternal justice and the
eternal law. As a result of the working of eternal justice, there can be no
escape from the consequences of our deeds. We become the product of our own
past thinking and action. Therefore, we must think and act wisely at the
present moment, using the scriptures as a guide.
The
doctrine of Karma and reincarnation is also found in the following two verses
of the Koran: Allah is He who created you and then sustained you, then causes
you to die, then gives life to you again (Surah 30.40). He may reward those who
believe and do good works. No one is able to escape His law of consequences
(Surah 30.45). People cannot escape from the consequences of their deeds, for
as we sow, so we reap. Cause and effect cannot be separated because the effect
exists in the cause as the fruit exists in the seed. Good and evil deeds follow
us continually like our shadows.
The Bible
also says: Whosoever shedeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed
(Genesis 9.06). It is believed that all references to Karma and reincarnation
were taken out of the Bible during the second century with the noble aim of
encouraging people to strive hard for perfection during this very life. Those
who believe in reincarnation must avoid laziness and procrastination, stress intense
spiritual discipline, and try their best to get Self-realization in this very
life as if there were no reincarnation. Live as though this is your last day on
this earth. One cannot achieve anything through laziness and procrastination.
One cannot
take wealth, fame, and power from here to hereafter; but one can convert these
into good or bad Karma and carry it into the next life. Even death cannot touch
one’s Karma. Those who have acted very piously in the past life achieve fame in
this life without much endeavor.
Seek refuge in the Supreme Lord alone, with loving devotion, O
Arjuna. By His grace you shall attain supreme peace and the Eternal Abode.
(18.62)
Thus, I have explained the knowledge that is more secret than
the secret. After fully reflecting on this, do as you wish. (18.63)
PATH OF SURRENDER IS THE
ULTIMATE PATH TO GOD
Hear once again My most secret, supreme word. You are very dear
to Me; therefore, I shall tell this for your benefit. (18.64)
Fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, offer service to Me, bow
down to Me, and you shall certainly reach Me. I promise you because you are My
very dear friend. (18.65)
Set aside all meritorious deeds
and religious rituals, and just surrender completely to My will with firm faith
and loving devotion. I shall liberate you from all sins, the bonds of Karma. Do
not grieve. (18.66)
The
meaning of abandoning all duties and taking refuge in the Lord is that a seeker
should perform all duties without selfish attachment as an offering to the Lord
and totally depend only on the Lord for help and guidance. The Lord takes full
responsibility for a person who totally depends on Him. If you find a good
solution and get attached to it, the solution will soon become your next
problem. The scripture says: The wise should not be attached even to righteous
deeds for their entire life, but should engage their mind and intellect in
contemplation of the Supreme Being (MB 12.290.21). One should develop a spirit
of genuine self-surrender to the Lord by offering everything to Him, including
the fruits of spiritual discipline. We should connect all our work with the
divine. The world is controlled by the laws or will of God. One has to learn to
abide by His will. Be thankful in prosperity and resigned to His will in
adversity.
In order
to be free from pious or impious results that bind one to this material world,
it is necessary to offer every action to God. When a devotee sincerely works
for God, God protects that devotee from the touch of Maya, the external energy
of the Lord. If one voluntarily depends on the supreme Lord under all
circumstances, then the good and bad results (sins) of work automatically go to
Him, and one is free from sin.
A true
devotee perceives: O Lord, I remembered You because You remembered me first.
One breaks away every yoke of bondage and becomes free in this very life as
soon as one gains the knowledge and a firm conviction that everything is done
by the will of God, that it is His world, His sport, and His battle, not ours,
and regards oneself as a mere actor in the divine play and the Lord as the
great director in the cosmic drama of the soul on the stage of creation.
Surrendering of individual will to divine will is the culmination of all
spiritual practices, resulting in joyful participation in the drama of joys and
sorrows of life. This is called liberation, or Mahayana in Buddhism. One cannot
see God as long as one does not completely get rid of the notion of doership
and ownership. The grace of God is triggered when one becomes firmly convinced
that one is not the doer and at once becomes free in this very life. Lord
arranges for the science of Self-realization to be revealed to a surrendered
soul.
Surrendering to God does not
involve leaving the world, but realizing that everything happens in accordance
with His laws and by His direction and power. To fully recognize that everything
is controlled and governed by a divine plan is to surrender to Him. In
surrender one lets the divine plan rule one’s life without giving up one’s best
effort. It is the complete renunciation of individual existence or the ego. It
is the feeling: O my beloved Lord, nothing is mine, everything — including my
body, mind, and ego — is Yours. I am not God, but a servant of God; save me
from the ocean of transmigration. I tried to get out of the ocean of the
material world using all the methods given in the scriptures, and failed. Now I
have discovered the ultimate process — the process of seeking divine grace
through prayer and surrender. God can be discovered by seeking His help in
discovering Him and not by spiritual practices alone. Thus, one should start
the spiritual journey as a dualist, experience monism, and again come back to
dualism. A successful journey begins and ends at the same place.
The process of surrender may be
called the fifth or the ultimate path of yoga ¾ the other four being the
path of selfless service, metaphysical knowledge, devotion, and meditation. The
Good Lord directs the mind and senses of the living entities according to their
Karma-born desires. But in case of surrendered devotees, however, He controls
the senses directly according to His desires and in the best interest of the
devotee. Let Him be the driver of your spiritual journey and you just enjoy the
ride. Muniji beautifully explains this process. He says: Every pain, every
ache, every discomfort becomes His gift and grace when you lay it in His lap.
If you put the reins of your life-chariot in His hands, you will be ever happy,
ever peaceful. This is the lesson of ultimate surrender.
It is the divine grace or power
that comes in the form of self-effort. The divine grace and self-effort, as
well as dualism and monism, are nothing but two sides of the same coin of
Reality. The grace of God is always available — one has to collect it. To win
the grace is not easy. One has to earn it by sincere, spiritual discipline and
effort. Grace is the cream of that effort — our own good Karma. It is said that
self-effort is absolutely necessary, but the last rung of the ladder to the
Supreme is not self-effort, but praying for His grace in the spirit of
surrender. When everything is surrendered to Him and one truly understands that
He is the goal, the path, the traveler, as well as the obstacles on the path,
vice and virtue become powerless and harmless as a cobra with fangs removed.
According
to Shankara, if any object other than the Supreme Being — the Cosmic Energy
Field — appears to exist, it is unreal like a mirage or like the presence of a
snake in the rope. When one firmly understands that there is nothing else
except the Supreme Being and His sport, all Karma gets exhausted; one
surrenders to His will, and attains salvation. Yukteshwar said: Human life is
beset with sorrow until we know how to surrender or tune in with the divine will
that baffles our intellect. The Koran says: Whoever follows My guidance, no
fear shall come upon them; neither shall they grieve (Surah 2.38). The
Upanishad says: The knower of the Supreme goes beyond grief.
This knowledge should never be spoken by you to one who is
devoid of austerity, who is without devotion, who does not desire to listen, or
who speaks ill of Me. (18.67)
To speak
of wisdom to a deluded person, to glorify sacrifice to a greedy person, to
advise sense control to an irascible person, and to discourse on Lord Rama’s
exploits to a lecher, is as useless as sowing seed on barren ground (TR
5.57.01-02). It is not for any soul to believe, save by the permission of
Allah. You should not compel one to believe (Surah 10.100-101). Anyone to whom
God has not granted the light (of knowledge) will have no light (Surah 24.40).
The study of Gita is meant only for sincere persons. According to Ramakrishna,
one can understand Him as much as He makes one understand. Guru Nanak said: O
Beloved; only they to whom You give the divine knowledge, obtain it.
According
to the Bible: Do not give what is holy to dogs. Do not throw your pearls in
front of pigs. They will only trample them under their feet (Matthew 7.06). No
one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him or her to me (John
6.44). The recipient of knowledge must have spiritual inclination and
sincerely seek it. Knowledge given without being asked for serves no purpose
and should be avoided. There is a time for everything under the heaven. We
cannot change the world; we can change only the lives of a few sincere souls
whose time for a change has come by His grace.
THE HIGHEST SERVICE TO GOD,
AND THE BEST CHARITY
One who shall propagate this
supreme secret philosophy ¾ the transcendental knowledge of the Gita ¾ amongst My devotees, shall
be performing the highest devotional service to Me and shall certainly come to
Me. No other person shall do a more pleasing service to Me, and no one on the
earth shall be more dear to Me. (18.68-69)
Ignorance
is the mother of all sins. All negative qualities, such as lust, anger, and
greed, are nothing but a manifestation of ignorance. The giving of the gift of
knowledge is the best charity. It is equivalent to giving the whole world in
charity (MB 12.209.113). The best welfare is to help others discover their real
nature that is the source of everlasting happiness rather than to provide
material goods and comforts for temporary happiness. The Bible says: Whoever
obeys the law, and teaches others to do the same, will be great in the Kingdom
of Heaven (Matthew 5.19). Happiness is not attained through wealth and sense
gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy cause (Helen Keller).
GRACE OF
THE GITA
Those who study our sacred dialogue shall be performing a holy
act of propagation and acquisition of self-knowledge. This is My promise.
(18.70)
God and
His words are one and the same. The study of the Gita is equivalent to worship
of God. Life in modern society is all work and no spirituality. Swami Harihar
says: “Daily study of only a few verses of the Gita will recharge mental
batteries and add meaning to the dull routine life of modern society.” For
serious students, daily study of one chapter of the Gita or several verses from
the forty selected verses given in the end of this book is highly recommended.
Whoever hears this sacred dialogue with faith and without cavil
becomes free from sin, and attains heaven ¾ the higher worlds of
those whose actions are pure and virtuous. (18.71)
A summary
of the “Glory of the Gita” as elaborated in the scriptures is given below.
Reading this Glory of the Gita generates faith and devotion in the heart that
is essential for reaping the benefits of the study of the Gita.
The goal
of human birth is to master the mind and senses and reach one’s destiny. A
regular study of the Gita is sure to help achieve this noble goal. One who is
regular in the study of the Gita becomes happy, peaceful, prosperous, and free
from the bondage of Karma, though engaged in the performance of worldly duties.
Sins do not taint those who regularly study the Gita, just as water does not
stain a lotus leaf. The Gita is the best abode of Lord Krishna. The spiritual
potency of the Lord abides in every verse of the Gita. The Bhagavad-Gita is the
storehouse of spiritual knowledge. The Lord Himself spoke this supreme science
of the Absolute containing the essence of all the scriptures for the benefit of
humanity. All the Upanishads are the cows; Arjuna is the calf; Krishna is the
milker; the nectar of the Gita is the milk; and persons of purified intellects
are the drinkers. One need not study any other scripture if one seriously
studies the Gita, contemplates the meaning of the verses, and practices its
teachings in one’s daily life.
The affairs of the world are run by the first
commandment of the creator — the teachings of selfless service — so
beautifully expounded in the Gita. The sacred knowledge of doing one’s duty
without looking for a reward is the original teaching that alone can lead to salvation.
The Gita is like a ship by which one can easily cross the ocean of
transmigration and attain liberation. It is said that wherever the Gita is
chanted or read with love and devotion, Lord makes Himself present there to
listen and enjoy the company of His devotees. Going to a place where Gita is
regularly chanted or taught is like going to a holy place of pilgrimage. Lord
Himself comes to take the devotee to His Supreme Abode when that devotee leaves
the physical body contemplating the knowledge of the Gita. One who regularly
reads, recites to others, hears, and
follows the sacred knowledge contained in the Gita is sure to attain
liberation from the bondage of Karma and attain Nirvana.
Though
engaged in the performance of worldly duties, one who is regular in the study
of the Gita becomes happy and free from Karmic bondage. All the sacred centers
of pilgrimage, gods, sages, and great souls dwell in the place where the Gita
is kept and read. Help during troubles comes quickly where the Gita is recited,
and the Lord dwells where it is read, heard, taught, and contemplated. By
repeated reading of the Gita, one attains bliss and liberation. One who
contemplates the teachings of the Gita at the time of death becomes free from
sin and attains salvation. Lord Krishna personally comes to take such a person
to His Supreme Abode ¾ the highest
transcendental plane of existence.
The grace
of the Gita cannot be described. Its teachings are simple as well as abstruse
and profound. New and deeper meanings are revealed to a serious student of the
Gita, and the teachings remain ever inspirational. The interest in a serious
study of the Gita is not available to all but only to those with good Karma.
One should be very earnest in the study of the Gita.
The Gita
is the heart, the soul, the breath, and the voice of the Lord. No austerity,
penance, sacrifice, charity, pilgrimage, vow, fasting, or continence equals the
study of the Gita. It is difficult for any ordinary person, or even for the
great sages and scholars, to understand the deep, secret meaning of the Gita.
To understand the Gita completely is like a fish trying to fathom the extent of
the ocean, or a bird trying to measure the sky. The Gita is the deep ocean of
the knowledge of the Absolute; only the Lord has a complete understanding of
it. Nobody, other than Lord Krishna, should claim authority on the Gita.
O Arjuna, did you listen to this with single-minded attention?
Has your delusion born of ignorance been completely destroyed? (18.72)
Arjuna said: By Your grace my delusion is destroyed; I have
gained Self-knowledge; my confusion with regard to body and Spirit is
dispelled; and I shall obey Your command. (18.73)
When one
realizes Him by His grace, the knots of ignorance are loosened, all doubts and
confusions are dispelled, and all Karma is exhausted (MuU 2.02.08). The true
knowledge of the Supreme Being comes only by His grace.
Sanjaya said: Thus, I heard this wonderful dialogue between
Lord Krishna and Arjuna, causing my hair to stand on end. (18.74)
By the grace of sage Vyasa, I heard this most secret and supreme
yoga directly from Krishna, the Lord of yoga, Himself speaking to Arjuna before
my very eyes of clairvoyance granted by sage Vyasa. (18.75)
O King, by
repeated remembrance of this marvelous and sacred dialogue between Lord
Krishna and Arjuna, I am thrilled at every moment, and (18.76) recollecting
again and again, O King, that marvelous form of Krishna I am greatly amazed,
and I rejoice over and over again. (18.77)
BOTH
TRANSCENDENTAL KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION ARE NEEDED FOR A BALANCED LIVING
Wherever there will be both
Krishna, the Lord of yoga (or Dharma in the form of the scriptures), and Arjuna
with the weapons of duty and protection, there will be everlasting prosperity,
victory, happiness, and morality. This is my conviction. (18.78)
Where
there is Dharma (righteous duty), there is the grace of Lord Krishna; where
there is the grace of Lord Krishna, there will be peace and victory (MB
6.43.60). Everlasting peace and prosperity in the family are possible only by
performing one’s duty with full metaphysical knowledge of the Absolute. Peace
and prosperity of a nation depend on mastering both the knowledge of scriptures
and the knowledge of the use of weapons of protection as well as science and
technology. It is said that science and technology without spirituality are
blind, and spirituality without technology is lame.
The End of the Bhagavad-Gita
EPILOGUE
The Farewell Message of Lord Krishna
Lord Krishna on the eve of His
departure from the arena of this world, after finishing the difficult task of
establishing righteousness (Dharma), gave His last parting discourse to His
cousin brother Uddhava who was also His dearest devotee and follower. At the
end of a long sermon comprising more than one thousand verses Uddhava said: O
Lord, I think the pursuit of yoga as You narrated to Arjuna, and now to me, is
very difficult, indeed, for most people; because it entails control of the
unruly senses. Please tell me a short, simple, and easy way to God-realization.
Lord Krishna upon Uddhava’s request gave the essentials of Self-realization
(BP 11.06-29) for the modern age as follows:
(1) Do your duty, to the best of your abilities, for
Me without any selfish motive, and remember Me at all times — before starting a
work, at the completion of a task, and while inactive, (2) Practice to look
upon all creatures as Myself in thought, word, and deed; and mentally bow down
to them; (3) Awaken your dormant Kundalini power and perceive ¾ through the activities
of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions ¾ that the power of God is within you at all times,
and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere instrument.
Yogi Mumtaz Ali says: One who fully knows oneself as
a mere instrument and a playground of mother Nature, knows the Truth. Cessation
of all desires by realizing the true essence of the world and the human mind is
Self-realization. Hariharananda Giri says: God is in everything as well as
above everything. So if you want to realize Him, you must seek and see Him in
every atom, in every matter, in every bodily function, and in every human being
with an attitude of surrender.
Muniji says: You must be God's gardener, carefully
tending the garden, but never becoming attached to what will blossom, what will
flower, what will give fruit or what will wither and die. Expectation is the
mother of frustration, and acceptance gives peace.
Lord
Krishna also summarized the essence of God-realization (BP 2.09.32-35) as
follows:
The
Supreme Lord Krishna said: One who wants to know Me, the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, should only understand that I existed before creation, I exist in the
creation, as well as after complete dissolution. Any other existence is nothing
but My illusory energy (Maya). I exist within the creation and at the same time
outside the creation. I am the all-pervading Supreme Lord who exists
everywhere, in everything, and at all times.
This book is offered to Lord Krishna.
May He bless the readers with
Goodness, Prosperity, and Peace.
