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ADHYAAY XV
PURUSHOTTAMA
YOGAM
Introduction
This
chapter is continuation of chapter 14.
In the last two shlokams of 14th chapter, He had talked about
Avyabhicharini Bhakti and said, ‘he who devotes on Me with Avyabhicharini
Bhakti reaches Me’. The ‘Me’ denotes the
Paramaatman and is being discussed in detail here in this chapter. The Paramaatman is Purushottama.
The
three basic Tattvas are Samsaara, Jeeva and the Paramaatman. Jeeva is an essence of the Paramaatman. It is Gunaateeta in real nature, but out of
ignorance the Jeeva under the influence of the Gunas, gets bonded with body and
the Samsaara by the chords ‘me’, ‘mine’, desire-contempt etc. So long the Jeeva does not realize its real
Nature as Gunaateeta, it remains clutched to Prakriti, the Gunas and
Samsaara. Shri Krishna is trying to
assist the Jeeva to develop ‘Avyabhicharini Bhakti’, by explaining Self, the
object of ‘avyabhicharini bhakti’, in this chapter called Purushottama
Yog. The Samsaara is picturised as a
tree, an ashvatta tree. Fixation with
Samsaara is the hurdle in the path of bhakti to the Paramaatman. Shri Krishna commands to cut the tree with
the axe of detachment. Shri Krishna is
Purushottama. Here, He explains
Purushottama, the Paramaatman. Let us
enter into the chapter.....
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श्री भगवानुवाच -
ऊर्ध्व मूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥ १ ॥
Shri Bhagawan said: - They speak of an eternal Ashvattha
rooted above and branching below, whose leaves are the Vedas; He who knows it is a knower of Vedas.
(XV - 1)
Tree is very important
factor in Hindu psyche. Science may have
discovered today that trees have life.
The Hindu forefathers have declared long back that trees have not only
life but also emotions. There is a faith
that Rshis and Siddha purusha stand in form of trees and engaged in Tapas. It is considered a worst sin to fell a tree
while planting a sapling and growing a tree is equal to giving birth and
bringing up a boy, according to Hindu belief.
I could see the depth to which this faith has penetrated into Hindu
minds, during my trips to South Africa.
There are three major communities in South Africa. The Whites or the Europeans who came in five
hundred years back in search of wealth and settled, the Blacks or the original
owners of the land and the Hindus, who were brought there in the 1850’s by the
Whites to work as slaves in their fields.
These three communities live in exclusive areas. The areas are clearly distinguishable from a
distance. ‘No trees’ is the mark of
Black area. ‘Decorative trees’ with no
flowers and no fruits is the mark of a White area. (Flowers invite insects and fruits invite
birds and these are nuisance to the White).
‘Trees and plants all around’ is the mark of Hindu area. Trees of Mango, Neem, Bel (Bilva), Guava,
Plantain, Berries, Tulasi plant, flower plants, etc. flourish around every
Hindu house. Ashvatta, Banyan, Neem
trees are verily worshipped as God; the
fruit trees for offering prasad to the God, Tulasi and flowers for offering to
God in his daily worship. Even the poor
with lesser space has atleast a Tulasi plant.
The trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara reside in an Ashvatta
tree. Going around an Ashvatta tree is
considered a Divine activity. There is a
tree, called Sthala Vruksha, in every temple.
The Sthala Vruksha is as sacrosanct as the deity in the temple. The pre-Christian Pagan religions in Europe
also worshipped trees. Only the semitic
religions, Christianity and Islam, do not regard trees as holy. These religions declared ‘One God’ in ‘one
form’ and hence nothing else is worth worship in these.
In this shlokam,
Samsaara is visualized as an upside-down Ashvatta tree. Roots up and branches down. A tree has its roots dow and the tree grows
upward. Shri Krishna’s description of
Ashvatta tree is opposite. Root is a
cause, cause of tree. Paramaatman, the
cause of creation and all lives is the Root here. Everything else sprung from Him. The whole tree, trunk, all its branches,
leaves, are firmly attached to the root and sustained by the root. The Samsaara relies on the Paramaatman for
life, power and sustenance. The whole
tree deforms and changes. Root is firm
and unchanging (relatively). The world
too is ever changing. The Paramaatman is
Fixed, Unchanging. The Paramaatman is
greater than us in Guna, Power, Form and everything else and hence is regarded
as being higher up.
The Samsaara tree is ‘spoken of as eternal’, says Shri
Krishna. (Avyaya is to be
imperishable). Is it so? No. It
is ever-changing. It is continuously
moving towards destruction. It is
continuously being born. This change,
however, is invisible to our eyes. In a
cinema film roll, change from one film to the next is very minute and hence
invisible. Change is cognizable only
after a few hundred films are rolled.
The Samsaara is similar. Man does
not know its origin and end. The changes
occuring there is beyond his comprehension.
That is hence he feels it is avyayam or non-changeable. Shri Krishna uses the term ‘is spoken of’ in
this context.
The leaves of this tree
are Cchandas of the Vedas. Vedas have
ritualistic portion which elaborate on rituals prescribed to fulfill desires. Performing desire incited Vedik rituals are
definitely better than wicked or evil acts.
Performing these Vedik rituals is pious act. These rituals are potent enough to get Punya
and Swarga, but not Moksha or Liberation.
Once the accumulated Punya depreciates to zero, the Jeeva has to return
to world. The leaves beautify a
tree. Leaves grasp energy from Sun and
Oxygen from atmosphere and help in protecting the tree. Similarly, these Vedik rituals are attractive
to the mind and help nourish the world.
Yet, the seeker is not enticed by these rituals, the leaves. He is focussed on the Paramaatman, on the
roots. He is Vedavit, one who knows the
Vedas.
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अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा: गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवाला: ।
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ॥ २ ॥
Below and above are spread its branches, nourished by the
Gunas; Sense-objects are its buds; and below in the world of man stretch forth
its roots, originating action.
(XV - 2)
‘Guna pravruddhaa’ - The
tender leaves sprouting over branches are the ‘objects’ nourished and grown by
the three Gunas. ‘Adhashchordhvam
Prasrutaastasya shaakhaa’ – the branches are spread all over in all direction,
up and down. The trunk connected with
the roots, branches off the trunk, sub-branches off the main branches, twigs
and tender leaves growing to become branches, this is the route map of tree’s
growth. The trunk is BrahmaLoka. All the other worlds and all the lives
therein are caused by Brahma. All tese
are branches of the Samsaara Tree. The
branches are spread from Brahma Loka at top to Patala Loka at the bottom of the
reverse tree. The attractive tender
twigs and tender leaves are the starting point in growth of branches. The alluring objects of the world are these
twigs and leaves. These are nourished by
Gunas. The attachment mind has with
worldly objects makes these alluring.
The tender sprouts can be easily nipped.
Similarly, objects can be put away simply by getting rid of
attachment. The real sacrifice is to get
rid of attachment with objects.
Lives other than human
can only consume and experience. Those
can not do Karma. Only human lives can
involve in Karma. (The other lives act,
but their actions are mere instinctive and predetermined). Man takes birth as human or other lives based
on his Karma. After experiencing fruits
of his Karma and after his Paapa and Punya depreciate and reduce to zero, he
has to be reborn as human to do more Karma and accumulate more Paapa and
Punya. He also gets a chance to attain
Mukti with no ‘Paapa-Punya’, no Karma and no vasana. He has the power to reach high to Brahma
loka, even higher to the Paramaatman or reach down to Patala Loka, depending on
the fruits of his Karma.
The roots that bind the
man with Samsaara tree are ‘Me and Mine’ feeling towards Prakriti and
attachment with objects and desire to get those. The three chief desires of Man are
Putreshana, Vitteshana and Lokeshana.
Desire to form a family and beget a son is Putreshana. Desire to possess a house, property, wealth
comfort objects is Vitteshana. Lokeshana
is desire to acquire name and fame among people, desire to have a disease free
body, desire to be known as an educated and knowledgeable person, desire to
remain in peoples’ mind through memorials even after death. The other lives too have desires, but those
are not binding. Man’s desires bind him
with the world. At the same time, desire
to reach the Paramaatman, desire to know self, desire to serve the world etc.
are not binding. Only those desires to
gain things different from self are binding.
The Paramaatman is his Natural identity.
Desire to realize this is a natural enterprise and will not bind. Similarly, desire to serve the world will
also not bind. Desire to support each
other is a Natural trait in creation (Shlokam 11 in chpater III).
The bond has to be
snapped at the point where it was formed.
Bond forms in human lives and hence it has to be snapped while being in
this world as human. He explains how to
snap the bondage with this samsaara tree.
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न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा ।
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलमसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्वा ॥ ३ ॥
Its form is not here perceived as such, neither its end, nor
its origin, nor its existance. Having
cut asunder this firm-rooted Ashvattha with the strong axe of non-attachment...
(XV - 3)
It is not as it appears
to be. One who is immersed in pleasure
feels it to be permanent, which is not true. One who is involved in rituals with a desire
to reach Swarga sees the Swarga as permanent, which is also not true. Having known the body, senses, mind and
Buddhi, we feel the world is without beginning and end, which is not true. (In favourable situations, many feel the
body, this life in this world is permanent).
One who is visiting a large fair and is inticed by its dazzle does not
know its start and end. He will know
where he stands, how to exit and where is the entrance and exit of the fair,
only after the attraction in him for the colourful lights, decorations, giant
wheels and products displayed in attractive stalls fades away. Effect can not help in knowing its own
cause. A part can not know the
whole. The body, senses, mind and Buddhi
are creations of Prakriti. These are
parts of Prakriti. These can not help in
knowing the Prakriti. The world is in a
fast paced run in the time period between its creation and its definite
dissolution. That fast paced run appears
to be ‘stability’ for us, which is not true.
One fellow approached a
psychiatrist and complained of a recurring dream. “Doctor, I have a dream again and again. It comes even in my afternoon naps. It scares me”, he said. “What is your dream?” asked the doctor. “I be seated on my doorsteps when a damsel,
very pretty and young, appears. I start
following her and she starts running. I
too run and chase her. She enters a
house and locks the door disallowing entry to me. I get disappointed and wake up. Please doctor, solve my problem”, said the
man. “I get your problem. Don’t worry.
I’ll ensure that you don’t get this dream once more”, assured the
doctor. The man interrupted and said,
“No doctor. Just make sure she does not
close the door”. All of us, attached
with this world are in his state. We
must realize this and cut the Ashvatta tree with the help of a sword called
‘non-attachment’. We must develop
Vairagya and detach from the world. This
is Shri Krishna’s suggestion. Objects,
persons and experiences bind us with the world the moment we develop attachment
with these. The more the attachment, the
greater the feeling of being lost without that and greater the feeling of
pleasure with it. Gradually,
identification with that is total and we feel ‘I am that and I am nothing
without that’. There is one more hurdle
in developing Vairagya. It is the
thought that ‘me-mine feeling can never be eliminated and non-attachment is
very difficult and almost impossible’.
How then do we develop Vairagya?
Vairagya is not to
develop contempt for and renounce wealth, lands and properties but to wipe out
traces of concern, interest and importance for these within. Renouncing relationships and keeping away
from them (parents, wife and children) is not Vairagya but not expecting the least
from them towards personal comfort and happiness, even while doing utmost to
keep them comfortable and happy, is Vairagya.
‘Why should he not do this to me?
I am after all his son’; ‘Should
he not concede a little in my favour? I
am his elder brother’; ‘Should I not
expect even this from my son?’; ‘I put
in so much hard work for my wife and children.
I surely deserve this from her’.
Such are our expectations from relationships. Not to nourish these expectations is
Vairagya.
Non-attachment with the
body is real vairagya. Vairagya is
impossible so long the bond with the body is alive. Bondage with body is bondage with the
world. It manifests in various
ways; 1.
Attachment with senses and objects and desire to accumulate objects for
the sensual experiences. What is the Solution? Develop a conviction that ‘the objects belong
to the senses, not me’. 2. Attachment with bodily needs. Start relishing sleep and food. Solution?
Conviction that ‘Sleep and food are for the body, not for me’. 3.
Anxiety about having a disease-less body and worry when the body
develops a disease. Solution? Conviction that the disease is of the body. Suffering is of the body, not me. 4.
Attachment with the name. Seeking
honour, applause etc. Solution? Conviction that ‘Name is an identity for the
body. It is not an identity for
me’. There are many who arrange the
necessay money, sandal wood etc. for cremation of their bodies after
death. In South Africa, there is a
practise of getting on lease in advance, a land measuring 6x3 to be used for
burial of one’s own body. I know a
person who had built a (memorial) structure of costly marble stones to bury his
body. With no trust in his sons, he had
made such an arrangement that only his body needed to be placed in and one
stone placed above to close the pit.
(That was left undone as he himself was unable to do).
I remember the words of Shri Krishnarao Moharir, a senior pracharak of
RSS. We were discussing rituals
connected with death. “What do you want
us to do after your death?” I asked him in lighter vein. I could dare to ask him such a question
because he was a simple, uncomplicated personality. “I wish to die unnoticed, in an unfamiliar
town, when seated on a roadside bench.
Then? The body will rot and
spread foul smell in a few hours, inviting the corporation lorry to pick and
dispose. Death is a very ordinary event,
not special. What we do till the moment
of death is very important”, he answered seriously. Detachment over body is the realization that
‘I am not the body’ and ‘this body is not mine’. Vairagya or detachment is achieved by
awakening the viveka of Satya-Asatya, perishable-imperishable, Jada-Chetana
etc.
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तत: पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूय: ।
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यत: प्रवृत्ति: प्रसृता पुराणी ॥ ४ ॥
Then that Goal is to be sought for, going whither they (the
wise) do not return again. I seek refuge
in that Primeval Purusha, whence streamed forth the Eternal Activity.
(XV - 4)
To search Paramaatman,
without snapping the bondage with the world, without felling this Samsaara
tree, is futile effort. w
Live with things that come your way.
Do not seek anything. w Regard everything you get here as belonging
to the world and put those to use in the service of the world. w
Do not seek worldly pleasures. w Obvious next step is to avoid accumulation of
wealth and objects. w Try to lead a non-reliant life. w
Get rid of the identification with body.
Get rid of ideas, ‘I am the body’ and ‘the body is mine’. w
Perform your tasks as your duty, without attachment with the tasks or
with the fruits. w Think repeatedly that the body, Buddhi, my
capacities, my intelligence, the surroundings, objects, and everything has
changed. But, the ‘me’ feeling, my being
has not changed a bit and is intact. w ‘I belong to the Paramaatman and He belongs
to me’. Introspect on these thoughts. w
Remain firm on the path leading to the Paramaatman. He is the Goal. The bondage with the world is snapped through
these efforts and the efforts to search Him continued.
The Jeeva is quintessence
of the Paramaatman. The real Nature of
Jeeva is Paramaatman. Hence, to say I
search Him, is childish. He pervades
every life. The Samsaara tree is linked
to the root called Paramaatman. In fact,
it has sprung from the root. So, Shri
Krishna does not want us to hate and discard this world. The world is manifestation of Him. How can anyone, more so a devotee of the
Paramaatman, despise this world? The
Jeeva is intoxicated by this alluring world, regards the world as permanent and
forgets the Paramaatman. It forgets its
own real Nature (Swaroopa). Liberating
self from the clutches of the world and trying to know the real self is meant
by the term ‘search for Paramaatman.’
This is possible only on snapping the bondage with the world.
Easier way to search
Him, to know Him, is ‘Surrender’. There
is a red signal on the path of snapping the bondages with the help of Viveka
and practise. It gives rise to a vain ego
that ‘I am non-attached’. Surrendering
is antidote for ego. Reliance not on the
world but on Paramaatman is the medicine.
There are two possible Bhavas in surrender, that of infant monkey (The
Paramaatman is mine.) and that of kitten (I am His). The infant monkey clings on to its mother and
allows her to take him anywhere as she pleases.
There is a defect in this bhava.
Slowly a subtle desire gets attached, a desire for self. A refined ego that He is mine, that I can
demand and get from Him also adds on.
The best Bhava is ‘I am His’ or ‘I belong to Him’. “I am a puppet in His hands. He pulls the strings and makes me dance,
sing, laugh or sleep. He wills for
me. Anything I get is His Grace and
wish. He knows what is to be given to
me, taken away from me. I am not worried
or anxious. Rather, I am not
concerned.” This is the highest level of
Sharanaagati.
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निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामा: ।
द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ता: सुखदु:खसंज्ञैर्गच्छन्त्यमूढा: पदमव्ययं तत् ॥ ५ ॥
Free from pride and delusion, with evil of attachment
conquered, ever dwelling in the Self, with desires completely receded,
liberated from the pairs of opposites as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach
that Goal Eternal.
(XV - 5)
This shlokam describes
‘surrender’. It explains the steps
towards surrender. One searching the
Paramaatman surrenders and the one who surrenders reaches Him. Surrender is the road. It is also the destination.
So long as ‘me and mine’
feeling is alive, honour, appreciation, status, esteem etc. remain. One who has eliminated these can reach the
Paramaatman. These will be absent in the
one who has attained Divinity. Who will
crave for honour and prestige, when ‘I’ am no more? Moha remains alive as long one is under the
intoxicating influence of this glamorous world.
Moha is vanquished the moment one turns to Him. Turning towards Him is possible only when
Moha is vanquished. Awakened Viveka
destroys Moham or delusion.
Aaskti is the attachment
towards the world. Attraction towards
the Lord is Prema or Love. Attachment is
possible over things already attained and those not yet attained. Attachment over things not attained is
(Kaama) desire. So long man is entrapped
in duality, so long as he desires one and scorns at the other, he tends to
retain attachment as well as desire. One
who is rid of duality, one who is rid of attachment and desire, reaches the
Paramaatman.
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न
तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावक:
यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥ ६ ॥
That the Sun illumines not, nor the moon, nor fire; that is My Supreme Abode, going whither they
return not.
(XV - 6)
He is describing
‘Paramapada’, the Ultimate Status. He is
mentioning two aspects. The Sun, Moon
and Fire can not light up there. A Jeeva
reaching there does not return. The Sun
is continuously lit up fire. It may
extinguish in few more thousand years.
It is also subject to end. Among
the objects we know of, it is the brightest.
Arjuna, on seein the Cosmic Form, had exclaimed that ‘It is brighter
than a million Suns’. How can our Sun
light up Him. Shri Krishna says in the
12th shlokam of this chapter that ‘the Sun illuminates the world
from the Light given by Me’. How can the
Sun brighten Him from with the Light borrowed from Him? When the Sun can not do that, the Moon also
can not, it being a borrower of light from the Sun. The Fire also can not do that. Shri Krishna had said, He is the Tejas (burning
power) of Fire. The Parama can not be
illumined either by Sun, Moon or fire.
Let us look at this in a
different angle. The sense of Being, ‘I
am’ is an attribute of the Paramaatman.
The ‘me’ is experienced in day as well as dark night. Even when I am in a dark, thick forest, in a
cave where no trace of light can enter, eyes closed, the ‘me’ can be
experienced. The sense of ‘my being’ is
not lost. It is ever shining within
me. The blind, who has never seen
Sun-light also experiences a bright ‘me’ within him. Many seekers, who have spent years in efforts
to know Him have mentioned vision of an ‘inexplicable’ Light within. This Light of my being, Light of Aatman is is
Its own. It is not lit up by the Sun,
moon or fire. The light that we know of
can not reach there.
Jeeva is a speck of the
Paramaatman. The Ultimate status of
Jeeva is Oneness with the Parama. It has
to return again and again to this world till it finally reaches Him. After that, it does not return.
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ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूत: सनातन:
मन:षष्टानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥ ७ ॥
An eternal portion of Myself having become a living soul in
the world of life, draws (to itself) the (five) senses with mind for the sixth,
abiding in Prakriti.
(XV - 7)
This idea is being revealed
in the Vedas as ‘Amrutasya Putroham’ or ‘Man is a child of Amrita’. This was the basis for Swami Vivekananda’s
famous declaration, ‘Every soul is potentially Divine’. Not only man, but every life is My
essence. (Jeeva is Aatman with a body.) Only humans have the potential to realize this.
Man is an essence of the
Paramaatman. In that sense, Jeeva and
Parama are One and same. Jeeva gets
entangled in the senses, as it regards self as body, it attaches with the Prakriti,
as it forgets its own Divine Nature.
Man, the essence of Parama is ever liberated. Liberation is his essential nature. But, the human history is a history of man’s
efforts to enslave. He tried to enslave
the animals. Then, he tried to enslave
men. He established slave markets to buy
and sell human slaves. He transmigrated
whole communities to work in his farms as slaves. He raised armies and attacked Nations to
enslave them. But, he forgot to enslave
that which has to be enslaved and became its slave. He became a slave to the five senses. He remains binded, chained to the
senses. The senses have overpowered
him. In fact, the senses do not have the
power to enslave him. Those have not
enslaved as man thinks. Man has held the
senses and the Manas, he has clung on to these and feels enslaved. This is what Shri Krishna says.
For some, the eye is an
investment. Their profession and
earnings are based on eye. They put on
the garb of an artiste, a photographer or a detective. For few others, the voice is the investment
and they take up the role of a speaker, a lawyer, or a singer or a dubbing
artiste. There are others for whom the
tongue is the investment. They live as
tea-tasters, food-tasters, cook etc. The
poet, the designer, the artists make an investment of their manas. These are all roles we take on the drama
stage of this world. All of us have to
take one role to live on this earth. The
senses and the manas are instruments assisting us in these roles. That is all.
We bind ourselves with the senses and bleat, ‘I will be dead if I don’t
have my voice’, ‘I’ll be gone if I lose my eyes’ etc. These senses are all of Prakriti, of this
world. These are ever-changing and
perishable. The eyes, ears, nose that I
had in my childhood are not there now.
These have all changed, depreciated in power. I have written many songs during my days as a
social worker in the RSS. The songs
sprung out from within in a spurt of emotion.
Now my mind has changed. Any
amount of effort on my part does not bring out a poem. The senses have changed, these may even be
gone, but the ‘me’ in me has not changed a bit, has not diminished a bit. My being is not reliant on these senses. I am independent of the senses. If I hold on to these, I am enslaved.
Now a days, one can
insure his voice or eyes. Actors like
Amitabh Bacchan or singers like Lata Mangeshkar or speakers like Sukhi Shivam
or a teacher may insure their voices.
One who identifies self with his voice, one who attaches self with
voice, one who feels lost if the voice is lost, is shattered if his voice is
lost. Not merely the senses. Anything in this world, the body, wealth,
asset, position, family could be the same.
Man runs for the family. He
boasts, ‘it is my family’. He spends the
whole life running for this ‘my family’.
What is a family? Is it
constant? ‘My family’ in childhood
consisted of parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and
cousins. In my middle age, it shrunk to
wife, parents and children. Grand
parents, uncles, aunts, cousins and even brothers are out of it. In the old age, even parents and probably
children are gone. The ‘my family’ is a
small ‘me and my wife’. After a while,
the partner will also be gone the ‘my family’ is diminished to ‘me’ alone. At that stage, he who spent the whole life
toiling for the ‘my family’ is shattered.
Only he who does not stick to worldly objects, one who regards self as
something beyond all these and stands aloof escapes this tragedy.
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शरीरं यदवाप्नोति यच्चाप्युत्क्रामतीश्वर: ।
गृहीत्वैतानि संयाति वायुर्गन्धानिवाशयात् ॥ ८ ॥
When the Lord obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes
these and goes, as the wind takes scents from their seats (the flowers).
(XV - 8)
What is Vaasana? Vaasana is scent. Where is it?
It is in the flowers and other products like perfume. (In fact every object has its own unique
scent. Experts say, every man has a
unique smell.) When the wind touches the
flower or other scented products, it carries the odour along. If our fingers touch these objects, Vaasana
sticks to our fingers and lingers on for few moments. This is physical or sensual vaasana. The Jeeva is associated with the body for a
short time. It sticks to the senses and
the Manas. It attaches with the
experiences through these. When it
finally leaves the body, it carries with it the Vaasanas of the senses and
Manas. It seeks and gets a new body. It regains senses and the Manas. It attaches again with these and seeks
experiences of the older Vaasanas and gains newer Vaasanas. This is a cycle and it continues.
We have got a
five-layered body. The outer most one is
the gross body we all know. It is called
Annamaya Kosham or the layer made of food.
We leave this, we discard this at the moment of death. But the attachment with this body is very
strong. We have celebrated the body the
whole life. We have expressed our vanity
for the body in so many ways. We have
looked at the mirror with pride, so many times.
We have decorated it with so much passion. We have sought its protection from diseases
and destruction in so many ways. Now,
even after death, with the body cremated, the Jeeva hovers around the bones for
a few days. It continues its onward
journey only after the ash and the bones are scatterd and immersed in
water. That is the strength of its
attachment with the body. Only the gross
body is left here. The Jeeva carries
with it, the subtler layers of the body, the manas, Buddhi and Prana. Man needs two types of Shakti to survive. One is Prana Shakti and the other Icchaa
Shakti. Prana Shakti starts depleting
the moment Jeeva takes up a body and heart starts beating. The depletion is continuous till the moment
of death, when it is reduced to zero. Icchaa
Shakti, or the power of Vaasana, on the other hand, is potent enough to grow
every moment. It is not destroyed even
after death occurs to the body. It fixes
to the Jeeva and gets out. (Rather, the
Jeeva holds on the Vaasana and takes it along.)
The Jeeva holding on the Vaasanas, searches and finds a new body to
facilitate fulfilment of Vaasanas. The
Vaasanas decide the character, qualities, attitudes of the new life. Nature is exhibited be a child even before it
is exposed to worldly experiences. The
nature, attitude, capacity of each child is unique and different from those of
others. We see two children reacting to
a particular situation in entirely different ways. Most men do not change, do not even try to
change their attitudes, nature etc. and continue with, till death, whatever
they brought from previous birth. The
communities which do not accept this idea of rebirth, try to cast all children
in the same mould. That is unnatural and
damaging.
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श्रोत्रं चक्षु: स्पर्शनं च रसनं घ्राणमेव च
अधिष्ठाय मनश्चायं विषयानुपसेवते ॥ ९ ॥
Presiding over the ear, the eye, the touch, the taste, and
the smell, as also the mind, He experiences objects.
(XV - 9)
Indriyas (Senses) are
not the organs, eyes, ears, tongue, nose and skin. The Indriyas are the potentials of these
organs. The potential to see, that hear,
to smell, taste and the potential to know through touch are the five Indriyas
of knowledge. The five respecive objects
for these senses are scene, sound, scent, taste and touch sensation. A scene is food for eyes. The eyes see, but Manas experiences. The eye does not classify the scenes into
likeable and detestable, as beautiful and ugly.
It merely sees. The Buddhi
recognizes. It is the Manas that grades
these experiences and qualifies those as likes and dislikes. The Manas commands the eyes to chase the
likeable scenes and avoid the repugnant ones.
Sight is said to be food for the eyes, but it is the Manas that
experiences the sight through the eyes.
If the Manas does not stand by the eyes, the eyes do not see. The tongue is a piece of flesh and blood and
is an organ of the body. It merely sends
in the taste signals. It is the Manas
that experiences the tastes. It lashes
the tongue to run after the tastes liked by it.
The Manas says, “You are eating bitter guard. I do not like that. You are irritating me. Why don’t you eat ‘Gulab Jamuns’? That will give me pleasure. Why did you stop with two Ras gullas? Why not have two more? I’ll enjoy that”. The tongue becomes lifeless and dead, if the
Manas does not stand behind the tongue and is plunged in some thing else. The skin merely touches. It is only the Manas that qualifies the touch
as comfortable or painful. The Manas
says, “You are on a hard wooden bed.
This touch is painful for me. Go
and lie down on soft cotton bed”.
Despite utter exhaustion of the body, despite urgent need for sleep and
rest, the Manas does not allow the body to sleep. It is the Manas that experiences. It is the Manas that demands or
protests. It is the Manas that chases
for more and more. If happiness is
gained by objects and wealth, then every rich man must be happy. That is not so. We find many affluent men unhappy and
sad. There is no pleasure in
objects. It is the Manas that
superimposes pleasure or pain on objects and experiences, either enjoys or
hates.
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उत्क्रामन्तं स्थितं वापि भुञ्जानं वा गुणान्वितम्
विमूढा नानुपश्यन्ति पश्यन्ति ज्ञानचक्षुष: ॥ १० ॥
Him while transmigrating from one body to another, or
residing (in the same) or experiencing, or when united with the Gunas, the
deluded do not see. But those who have
eyes of wisdom, behold Him.
(XV - 10)
Utkraamantam: The common talk is that ‘he has left the body’
or ‘life is gone’. Jeeva is in the body
as long as the heart beats. It remains a
little more time. (Probably this is what
is called ‘brain dead’.) The Paramaatman
is said to be Immobile and Steady. How
then can Jeeva, an essence of Him, leave?
Jeeva is bound with Sookshma Shareera or the subtle bodies. These are parts of Prakriti.
Sthitam: The Jeeva stays in a body. The womb develops as a child. Science tries to know the stages of
development. We think the food and
nourishment we give to the mother develop the body of the child. We are ignorant and do not know that Jeeva,
an essence of the Paramaatman, Knower of everything, resides in the body.
Bhunjaanam: Instead of knowing that the eyes see, tongue
taste, mind enjoys, the body feels hungry, the brain works, the Jeeva bound
with the Prakriti thinks it is doing all these.
It is convinced that there is no greater pleasure than these and plunges
deeper in Vaasana.
Gunaanvitam: As it is bound with the Gunas, the Jeeva
goes, stays, enjoys, etc. In fact, the
Aatman is unrelated to the Gunaas. Lured
by the Maaya, it seeks pleasure in the world and gets bound to Gunas with
chords of ‘me and mine’. Mother died and
Narada thought ‘door to liberation has opened’.
Sant Tukaram Maharaj was very poor, yet spent all the bags of corn sent
to his doorsteps by the rich farmer whom he had helped, in feeding the rural
folks. He said, “May this corn given by
Vittala reach him back”. All his three
sons died on the same day, but Shri Meher Baba thought, “He had given. He has taken them back” and dedicated his
life to God. But, man usually wants to
get entangled in world. If he faces loss
in trade, he takes loan and starts a new trade.
Wife dies and he takes one more wife through remarriage. If he does not get a son, he adopts a child
and continues in his effort to get bound.
He talks on the Gita and advocates non-attachment, but organizes the
audience into a group and establishes buildings in the name of Gita. He seeks pleasure, attains pain but never
stops in his efforts. All these defects
are due to binding self with the Gunas of the Prakriti. The ignorant does not know this. One, who is plunged in pleasures and
accumulation of objects for the same can not see this. Only the one with Gyaana chakshu or eyes of
knowledge sees this.
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यतन्तो योगिनश्चैनं पश्यन्त्यात्मन्यवस्थितम्
यतन्तोsप्यकृतात्मानो नैनं पश्यन्त्यचेतस: ॥ ११ ॥
The Yogees striving (for perfection) behold Him dwelling in
themselves; but the unrefined and
unintelligent, even though striving, see Him not.
(XV - 11)
He only sees, who has
the eyes of knowledge. Here, He explains
one such man. Practise, Pure mind and
awakened Viveka are his three traits.
Practise is continuous and systematic effort. Viveka is the insight that sees good from the
bad, the right from the wrong. Practise
needs to be done with complete awareness.
The mind should be focussed. Mind
tends to loiter away to other subjects.
It has to be consciously brough back to the subject being studied. An organised, focussed mind practises and
practice produces a focussed mind. A
focussed mind does not ensure purity or nobility. The wicked, the men with evil intention also
can attain through rigorous practise, a focussed mind. This is where purity of mind comes in. It is very essential for seekers.
Power is one. It differs with the hands that handle
it. Power in the hands of a wicked man
is applied for evil action and that in good man supports good actions. The Rshis in Bharata had kept many shastras
in secret. These were taught only to a
right student. Many shastras disappeared
an are lost due to this attitude. But,
it ensured that knowledge did not go to wrong hands. Ekalavya learnt on his own in front of a
statue of Drona. He stood by Duryodhana
in the war. Long back, around three
thousand years back, China had learnt the art of making gun powder. But this knowledge was used to make light
crackers for fun and entertainment during festivals. They never prepared weapons that could kill
humans. This went into the hands of Europeans
a couple of centuries back. Bombs and
Guns were the products Europeans made out of this knowledge. Rasputin, the personal consultant of Russian
king Czar, had mystical powers. He had
visited Tibet to acquire those. His
touch cured a strange disease of the prince.
Rasputin turned out to be one of the most cruel personalities in the
previous century. Purity of mind, not
mere powers acquired through knowledge, is essential to know the Aatman. The Manas that remains stable while facing
dualities like pleasure and pain or progress and fall, gets pure. Man usually falls unconscious while facing
death. One who had lived a conscious
life can face death consciously.
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यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेsखिलम्
यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ॥ १२ ॥
The light which residing in the Sun illumines the whole
world, that which is in the Moon and in the Fire – know that light to be Mine.
(XV - 12)
‘The Light of Sun, Moon
and the Fire is Mine’ says Shri Krishna.
Is Shri Krishna being a little ‘Egoistic’ in saying this? Doe His ‘Me’ appear bloated? The way we have elevated Him to Godhood
suggests that we think so. We may think
as we wish. His intention is clear. Shri Krishna is saying this to boost His ‘Me’
but to help Arjuna surrender. In surrender,
the one who surrenders is benefitted, not the one he is surrendering to. Arjuna will be benefitted by
surrendering. Shri Krishna is a mere
excuse. What is so special in
surrendering before one who is greater in all respects? Surrendering before one after putting him to
severe tests and after coming to conclusion that ‘he is worth being adored’, is
no surrender at all. Shri Krishna’s only
concern is that Arjuna should surrender.
If He had said, “I am not, you are not.
Only Paramaatman Is” in Gyaani’s language, Arjuna would have probably
replied, “You may not be. I surely
am.” The final message of Shri Krishna
in the Gita is also about surrender. He
says, “Forget everything else and surrender to me”. (XVIII - 66).
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गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा
पुष्णामि चौषधी: सर्वा: सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मक: ॥ १३ ॥
Entering the earth with My energy, I support all beings, and
I nourish all the herbs, becoming the watery moon.
(XV - 13)
If a line is to be
shortened without erasing, a longer line is to be drawn near it. Shri Krishna wanting to destroy the ‘me’ in
Arjuna, places a larger ‘Me’ before him.
I am The Sun among the suns. I
give Light to Moon and the fire. I bear
all the lives and sustain them. I, as
moon, sustain the herbs and plants through nutrients.
Man regards himself as a
dim, dull lamp. He holds on firmly to
the dim light. This light is the
brightest possible light, according to him.
He lies intoxicated, bound down in that light. His eyes also are shrunk due to continuous staring
at the dark, dim light. The Sun has
risen. Shri Krishna wants him to turn
his eyes towards the Sun and see the Sun.
If he is able to see the Luminance in Shri Krishna, he will give up this
dim light. In due course, he will be
able to see the Bright Sun within himself.
We feel the earth is supports
us. The earth is sustained by Him. The Hindu idea of plant lives says that the
moon is the source of nutirents for herbal plants. Energy for living is got from the Sun and
nutrients for growth from the moon. The
Full moon night and the bright fortnight is special for plants. The child in mother’s womb also gets
nutrients during those days. The
Paramaatman bestows nutrients to the moon.
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अहं
वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रित:
प्राणापानसमायुक्त: पचाम्यन्नं चतुर्विधम् ॥ १४ ॥
Abiding in the body of living beings as (the fire)
Vaishvaanara, I associated with Praana and Apaana, digest the fourfold food.
(XV - 14)
We take four types of
foods. Food that is chewed and swallowed
(rice, chapaati etc.), semi-solid ones
that are gulped (fruit pulps, porridge etc.), fluids that are sucked in and
drunk (fruit juices, Rasam etc.), pasty ones that are licked and taken in
(pickles, honey, chutney etc). Various
juices secrete in the abdominal region to help digest these foods. Digestion is chiefly the work of Jatharaagni,
digestive fire in the stomach. This heat
stimulates the functions of glands, intestines and other organs involved in
digestion. Digestion is impaired if this
fire cools down. This is also called
Vaishvanara. Shri Krishna says, ‘I am
that Agni, which digests four types of foods’.
We can not do a work, if
we are not used to it, if it is new to us.
We need practise to do that. Who
digests the food? We fed on mother’s
breast. Mother’s milk was our only
food. That was digested. We started eating solid food like rice,
pulses, etc. in one year of age. That
was also digested. Now, as an adult, we
push in all sorts of items, most of those new to our digestive system. All these food stuffs are digested. Is it the intestine which digests? The intestine, pancreas, bile secrete juices
in right proportion to digest various food stuffs. Who determines the rate and amount of
secretion? Does the brain digest? The intestine and other organs in digestive
system are mere instruments. The brain
is a more potent instrument. But, it is
also an instrument. It is the Paramaatman
that offers powers to all these instruments.
He empowers the brain to grasp and know, to the intestine to digest and
the glands to secrete various juices.
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सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्त: स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च ।
वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥ १५ ॥
I am centered in the hearts of all; memory and perception as well as their loss
come from Me. I am verily that which has
to be known by all the Vedas, I indeed am the Author of the Vedanta, and the
Knower of the Veda am I.
(XV - 15)
‘I reside in the hearts
of lives as ‘Antaryaami’, the one who knows the hidden, one who knows that
buried deep inside’. We see and know the
body. We see and know the experiences of
the senses. We see and know the
thoughts. We see and know the riotous
run of Manas. We see and know the play
of Ahankaara. The one who sees must be
different from the one being seen.
Hence, we are not any of these.
The Vedas say, ‘Neti’, neti’, not this, not this. Shri Adi Shankara wrote a song named ‘Manasa Panchakam’. He puts forward this same idea. ‘I am not Manas, Buddhi, Ahankaara and
Chitta. I am not the five Gyaanendriyas
or the five Karmendriyas. I am not the
five elements, or the five Pranas or the five Vayus, or the five layers (kosha)
of body. I am not the emotions like
desire, hate, attachment, greed, delusion, arrogance or jealousy. I am not the four Purposes, Dharma, Artha,
Kaama and Moksha. I am not the virtue or
sin. I am not Veda, I am not Yagya, I am
not Mantra, I am not Teertha, I am not the food or the eater. I am not birth or death. I am not the caste. I am not mother, father, Guru or disciple’. ‘Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham’, he
concludes. I am Shiva, I am Light, I am
Joy. All the methos of dhyaana apply
this technique of eliminating one by one, like peeling off an onion. In the end remains only the Light of Aatman.
‘I am the memory, that
which is forgotten, the memory that is clogged by Maaya’. Elders say, ‘remember who you are’. He is the memory. That is remembered is Him. He is the one who builds up memory. ‘I am the Knowledge’. Knowledge is not what we seem to gain by reading
books, by listening to lectures in classrooms and by writing examinations. Knowledge is not the paper degree we recieve
in universities. That, on knowing which,
there remains nothing further to know, is Knowledge. He creates Knowledge. He is the Knowledge. And, He is the One to be Known. He is the instrument, He is the work. He is the reason for work. Apohanam is the state wherein there are no
doubts, that state wherein there is no right and wrong, argument and counter
argument. Memory, Knowledge and Apohanam
rise from Me..
I am the One to be known
in entire Vedas. The word ‘entire’
denotes the entire spectrum of knowledge, the Vedas, Upanishads, and all the
shastras written based on the Vedas.
Shri Krishna is forthright and leaves no scope for doubts. I am the One to be known. The goal of study of the Vedas is to Know
Him. Shri Krisna does not seem to
approve ‘Vedas being used to gain money and other worldly benefits. Shri Krishna probably says this as most of us
are turned towards the world. Anything
we get is invested to gain worldly objects.
“May others do as they please.
You do not get trapped. You
firmly pursue your mission”, He says to the seekers. ‘I am the One to be Known in the Vedas. I am the Knower of the Vedas. I am the creator of the Vedas.’ In the first shlokam, He had called the one
who knows the Samsaara tree in essence as VedaVit. Here, He says ‘I am the VedaVit’. Thus, one who has known the Samsaara verily
the Paramaatman.
Shri Krishna has listed
His Vibhootis at many places in the Gita.
In the seventh chapter from shlokam 8 to 12, He named the seventeen
basic elements in creation as His Vibhootis.
In the ninth chapter, shlokam 16 to 19, He mentioned thirthy seven acts,
attitudes and objects as His Vibhooti. The
tenth chapter is Vibhooti Yog and is full of His Vibhootis. Here in the 15th chapter, He has
mentioned thirteen Vibhootis in shlokams 12 to 15. It is Paramaatman everywhere!
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द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च
क्षर:
सर्वाणि भूतानि कूटस्थोsक्षर उच्यते ॥ १६ ॥
There are two Purushas in the world, - the perishable and
the Imperishable. All beings are
perishable, and the Kutastha is called Imperishable.
(XV - 16)
This is a capsular
shlokam. This contains essence of many
chapters in the Gita. There are only two
aspects in creation. Shri Krishna calls
both Purusha. One is Kshara Purusha and
the other Akshara Purusha. Anything that
has been created, anything that has form, anything that is pesievable, anything
that is perishable is Kshara Purusha: Everything from MahadBrahma to petty
grass. This was called ‘Ashtadaa
Prakriti’ in the seventh chapter and ‘Kshetra’ in thirteenth. All the bodies made of the five basic
elements come under ‘Kshara Purusha’.
The gross bodies as well as the subtler bodies like Manas and Buddhi are
Kshara. The bodies of lives appear
individual and different, but are all part of Samashti (Universe). Once the Praana is exhausted and the subtle
bodies leave, the physical body disintegrates to facilitate merger of the
elements in Samashti. Similarly, the
individual ‘manas’ and Buddhi are parts of Samashti. The Jeeva attaches itself with the individual
body and regards that as ‘me or mine’.
Kootastha is Akshara
Purusha. Aksharam mentioned here is the
same as the Jeevaatman. He had said in
the seventh chapter that the Jeeva is my ‘Sanaatana Amsha’ (part of Me
always). ‘Koota’ is the mould in which
metals are cast. The mould may take many
types of molten metals. The casting is
put in shape using hammer blows. The mould
does not get deformed. Similarly, Jeeva
may birth as any life, it may take any body, it may lead the life in any
world. It is not deformed. It is unaffected. This word is also used to denote the
Paramaatman. The Jeevaatman and the
Paramaatman are essentially One and the same.
In the eighteenth shlokam He says, ‘Paramaatman is beyond Kshara and greater
than Akshara’. It is different from
Kshara and though essentially same as Akshara, It is Greater. As the Jeevaatman degrades self by attaching
to Kshara with the feeling of ‘me and mine’.
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उत्तम:
पुरुषस्त्वन्य: परमात्मेत्युदाहृत:
यो
लोकत्रयमाविश्य बिभर्त्यव्यय ईश्वर: ॥ १७ ॥
But, (there is) another, the Supreme Purusha, called the
Highest Self, the Immutable Lord, who pervading the three worlds, sustains
them.
(XV - 17)
He mentioned Kshara and
Akshara in the previous shlokam. Here He
is mentioning Purushottama. Akshara is
because and in union with Kshara.
Paramaatman or Purushottama was there before anything was created, is
there when Kshara is and will be when everything created will be
dissolved. It sustains all the three
worlds. Yet, It remains away from the
hustle-bustle of world. He is beyond all
attributes and qualities. Paramaatman is
Nirguna and Eashwara is Saguna. Paramaatman
is Narayana. He is Paramashiva. He is Nirguna Brahma. We attribute names to Him. We attribute gender to Him. We say ‘Him’.
That is due to incapacity of our languages. Paramaatman is neither ‘Him’ nor ‘Her’,
neither It. He is beyond genders.
He sustains, nourishes
and protects all lives. It is due to our
ignorance we bind with someone saying, ‘he feeds me’. Again it is due to ignorance some others
claim to feed so many. They say, ‘So
many depend on me for their daily food’.
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यस्मात्क्षरमतीतोsहमक्षरादपि चोत्तम:
अतोsस्मि लोके वेदे च प्रथित: पुरुषोत्तम: ॥ १८ ॥
As I transcend the Perishable and am above even the
Imperishable, therefore am I in the world and in the Veda celebrated as the
Purushottama, (the Highest Purusha).
(XV - 18)
Purushottama is an
excellent term. Kshara is Purusha. Akshara is also Purusha. Paramaatman is Purushottama, the Ultimate
Purusha, Greatest among Purushas. The
creation or Kshara is not different from the Paramaatman. (The previous shlokam mentioned these as
different as one is perishable and the other is Eternal.) Various forms that we see cognize in creation
are all manifestations of the Paramaatman.
The Akshara is also not different from the Paramaatman. He says, ‘Akshara Purusha has always been My
essence’. The Akshara Purusha loses
awareness of this and binds self with Kshara.
Creation is thus not the opposite of the Divine. That the Paramaatman is Noble or Divine and
the world is sinful, is a distorted idea.
The world is a myth as it seems to appear, it seems to be but not
so. It is Maya and Maya is the Power of
the Paramaatman. The world is Leela of
the Paramaatman. The Nitya Paramaatman
is where Leela is. Advaita declares that
Purusha can evolve to be Purushottama. Purusha
can reach Brahma declared Hindu Rshis. ‘Satyam,
Gyaanam, Anantham Brahma’ declares Taittreya Upanishad. Satyam is ‘Being’. Kshara appears to be and That which Is in
this appearance is Satya. Gyaana is
Purity, that knows Satya. Anantha is ‘Boundless’. That is beyond limits of time and space. Not binding self to limited body, family,
caste, language, Nation, human, wise man, intelligent man, wealthy man, good
man, evil man, noble minded man, and realizing self to be the Boundless Anantha
is the State of Brahma. This is easily
understood at the intellectual level but realization from depths within is
tougher. It is easier to change the
outer identities. There is a person in
Nagpur who has changed his name as ‘Manav’ or human. Naming self as Vishvam, or Anantha or Advaita
does not ensure reaching Brahma. There
are persons with the name Purushottama.
How does that matter?
The term Brahman means
‘one who is engrossed in Brahma’, ‘one who is in the state of Brahma’. At birth, everyone of us Shoodra. One becomes Brahman, nay, takes the first
step to become one after Upanayanam or Brahmopadesham. On wearing the thread, he becomes a brahmin
to grow as a Brahman. Just as Kshara is
also Purusha, so is the one wearing the sacred thread a brahmin. Brahman in real, is the one who has attained
state of Brahma. Brahman is a world
citizen, a Universal Man. He is common
to the world. He is beyond the
boundaries of communities, countries.
Gyaana or Knowledge is common to the whole humanity. To intern knowledge by chains called ‘patent’
and ‘copyright’ or within walls of communities as Hindu knowlege or Christian
knowledge is wrong. Similarly, Brahman
is the property of the world. To bind
him within limits of communities and countries is wrong. That is why our Rshis could walk barefoot and
penniless to any corner of the world and elevate the local community. That is why the Rshis could proclaim
statements like ‘Krunvanto Vishvamaaryam’ (Let us make the whole humanity into
Aarya) or Vasudhaiva Kutumbhakam’ (the whole world is but one family) or
‘Swadesho Bhuvanatrayam’ (all the three worlds are my own country). That is why our Rshis did not bend and bow
before swords of Alexander or Babar or other autocrats. That is why Swmai Vivekananda could casually
address the world parliament of Religions as ‘dear sisters and brothers of
America’. That is why the Veda mantras
do not speak and pray for individuals or any one community but for the whole
humanity, nay, whole Universe with all its lives. That is why the Upanishads could declare in a
grand language of Universal Socialism that ‘Ishaavasyam Idam Sarvam’
(Everything here is His).
-\-
यो
मामेवमसम्मूढो जानाति पुरुषोत्तमम्
स
सर्वविद्भजति मां सर्वभावेन भारत ॥ १९ ॥
He who, free from delusion, thus knows Me, the Highest
Spirit, he knowing all, worships Me with all his heart, Oh descendant of
Bharatha!.
(XV - 19)
That which is seen as
world in a state of delusion, is visible as Paramaatman in a non-attached
state. Initially, the Paramaatman is
seen as the Base or as Sustainer of everything appearing to be different and
various. He is seen to be in
everything. Then, He is seen, only Him
is visible, though everything else is there too. The ‘many’ disappear and only One is
visible. This is ultimate state of Gyaana. On knowing this, there is nothing else to be
known. This is Bhajan, total dedication
to the Paramaatman. The one who looks at
the body, senses, manas, buddhi, and other objects of the world, the one who
regards these as ‘mine’ and clutches on to these, does not do bhajan. The detached one, whether dining, sleeping,
walking, putting in effort, does only for the Paramaatman. There is nothing else than Paramaatman in his
actions, speech and thoughts. His every
breathe, every cell of the body reverberate in thought on the Paramaatman. That is Bhajan of the Lord.
-\-
इति
गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयाsनघ
एतद्बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत ॥ २० ॥
Oh sinless one! Thus
has this most profound teaching been imparted by Me. Knowing this one attains the highest
intelligence and will have accoplished all one’s duties, Oh descendant of
Bharatha!.
(XV - 20)
Shri Krishna calls
Arjuna ‘Anagha’. Anagha is sinless, one
who does not have a defective vision, a vision that sees only defects and shortcomings. One who has no jealousy. Only the one who is plunged in self praise
and self prestiege sees defects all around him.
He who does not have such a defective vision attains Bhakti. A great secret can shared only with him. “Dear Anagha, I have divulged a great secret
to you. Become a Knower. Become a Veda Vit, Knower of the Vedas”, says
Shri Krishna.
Shri Krishna is sharing
with Arjuna the many way to Know Him, in this chapter. In shlokam 1, ‘Know the Samsaara Vruksha in
essence’, said Him. In the 4th
Shlokam, He explained the way of Surrendering to the Paramaatman after cutting
the Samsaara tree. In the 11th
shlokam, He spoke about Knowing the Paramaatman firmly based within. In the shlokam 15, He asked to Know the
Parama Tattva by the study of the Vedas.
In the 19th shlokam, He said, ‘Know and dedicate to Him as
Purushottama, Eashwara, Mahavishnu, Nirguna, and Saguna’. This chapter explaining the ways to reach
Paramaatman, it is a shastra, secretive shastra.
-\-
ॐ तत् सदिति श्रीमद्भगवद्गीतासु उपनिषत्सु ब्रह्मविद्यायां योगशास्त्रे श्री कृष्णार्जुन संवादे पुरुषोत्तम योगो नाम पञ्चदशोsध्याय:
Thus concludes ‘Purushottama
Yog’, the fifteenth chapter in the grand dialogue between Shree Krishna and
Arjuna, called the Shreemad Bhagawad Geetha, which is verily an Upanishad,
elaborating on ‘The Divine Knowledge’ and also describing the ‘Way to Godhood’.
\\\\\ HARIH OM TAT SAT \\\\\
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