CHAPTER 9 –RAJAVIDHYA RAJAGUHYA YOGA
BRAHMAVIDYA THE ROYAL SECRET
SREE BHAGAVAAN UVAACHA
1. idham thu the guhyathamam pravakshyaami anasooyave
jnaanam vijnaanasahitham yath jnaathvaa mokshyaseaSubhaath
I am going to explain to you the most secret knowledge with its practice knowing which you will be free from all evil.
This is the elaboration of the jnana and vijnana outlined in the seventh chapter. Jnana is the knowledge of Brahman and vijnana is the practice of the path of attaining Brahman. In other words jana and vijnana together means theory and practice. It is called guhayathama or most secret because it is most difficult to comprehend and only told to those who have faith and do not cavil. Asooya is to cavil or finding fault with something due to lack of faith, usually in something or someone possessing good qualities. Krishna says by knowing this one can get rid of evil tendencies which cause transmigration.
2. raajavidhyaa raja guhyam pavithram idham utthamam
prathyakshaavagamam Dharmyam susukham karthum avyayam
This is the royal science and royal secret and it is the best and pure. It is in accordance with dharma and capable of direct perception. It is imperishable and easy to practice.
The Brahmavidhya, is called rajavidhya and most secret, rajaguhyam , pure, pavithram and the greatest, utthamam. By learning which, said Krishna, in the previous sloka, one will be liberated from evil. This is called rajavidhya because it is the science of great minds and it is rajaguhyam, royal secret, because the great-minded alone are capable of keeping the secret knowledge
This self knowledge, is directly perceivable,prathyakshaavagamam, in accordance with dharma, dharmyam, and easy to do, karthum susukham. It is directly perceivable to those who have the insight, it is in accordance with dharma as it provides the means of attaining the supreme good. It is said to be easy to practise in the sense to the one who has the right knowledge and skill to do a thing comes easily to him. It is avyaya, imperishable, since the attainment of it results in eternal bliss.
To cite an example, surgery on the heart or the brain, is the most difficult to understand, and it is secret in the sense that it is taught only to those who are qualified for it and not to everyone who wants to know. In this sense it is rajavidhya, known only to eminent surgeons, the kings of surgery and rajaguhyam royal secret known only to those. But once they know how to do it and have the necessary ability to do it becomes easy to do . Susukham karthum. Also they must have absolute faith in what they have learnt or else they may start having doubts. Once he becomes a qualified and experienced, that is he has jnana and vijnana, the surgeon simply does even 12 operations or more in a day with as much ease as he drinks a cup of coffee. If this is the case even with the worldly things how much more it could be so with brahmavidhya knowing which one never returns to the earth but attains the Lord!
3. aSrddhaDhaanaaH purushaaH Dharmasya asya paranthapa
aprapya maam nivarthanthe mrthyusamsaaravarthmani
Those who have no faith in this discipline return to this world of death and transmigration without attaining Me.
The necessary qualification for this Brahmavidhya is sraddha and those who has no faith, do not reach the ultimate even after many births. Any goal can be reached only by steadfast and faithful plan of action, and it is more so with respect to Brahmavidhya the means of attaining the highest goal. Krishna has indicated that Arjuna has the qualification required for Brahmavidhya by saying 'pravakshyAmi anasooyavE' in the very first sloka of the adhyaya. This means only one who does not cavil deserves this instruction. The tendency to cavil comes from lack of faith. That is why Krishna says in the last adhyaya, "never tell this to one who has no faith or devotion."
4. mayaa thatham idham sarvam jagath avyaktha moorthinaa
mathsThaani sarva bhoothaani na chaaham theshu avasThithaH
The entire world is pervaded by Me, in my unmanifest form; All beings dwell in Me but I do not dwell in them..
“idham sarvam “denoted the entire world of sentient and insentient beings. This is a reflection of the upaishadic statement eeSaavaasyam idham sarvam yath kincha jagathyaam jagath(Isa.up.1.1) whatever exists in this world all that is pervaded by Brahman. yatho va imaani bhoothaanjaayanthe yena jaathaani jeevanthi yasmin abhisamviSanthi thath vijijnaasasva thath brahma (Thath.Up.) From which all these beings emerge, by which they are sustained and into which they merge in the end , know that to be Brahman. The Lord is like the outer circle of two concentric circles in which the smaller is in the larger but not the larger is in the smaller.
5. na cha mathsThaani bhoothaani paSya me yogam aisvaram
bhoothabrth na cha bhoothasTho mamaaathmaa bhoothabhaavanaH
Neither do things exist in Me. Behold My sovereign yoga. It is My Self bringing the beings into existence and sustain them yet does not dwell in them.
In the previous sloka Krishna said that all the beings are in Me but I am not in them and now He says " neither are they in Me.'
These two statements appear to be self-contradicting and Krishna illustrates the idea contained in these two slokas by the next one:
Yogam aisvaram means the power of the Lord in pervading all but not connected with them in any way. He is bhoothabhrth the support of everything but na cha bhoothasThaH , He is not in them.
He is the sustainer in the sense that all exists because of His support like the spokes of the wheel are supported by the axle. Yet He is not different from the universe He supports not like a basket which supports the fruits but like the soul to the body.
Upanishad says `vaachaarambhaNam vikaaraH naamaDheyam mrttthikethyeva sathyam `(Chandhogya) which means that when you see a pot or a jar or a plate made of mud, the differences are due only to name and form but the essential and basic material is the mud which alone is real while others ,viz.name and form changes. Thus the only reality in the universe of sentient and non-sentient beings is the Lord without whom nothing can exist. In this sense He is the bhoothabhrth.
Mamaaathmaa- The universe is His sarira, body of which He is the self being the antharyaamin, indweller.
`Esha tha aathmaa antharyaamyamrthah' (Brhadhaaranyaka up.)
`eko vasI sarva bhUtAntarArmA rUpam rUpam pratirUpo bahisca' (Katopanishad)
The One Lord manifesting Himself as the souls of all beings who have different external forms.
bhoothabhaavanaH- He creates everything and gives them existence, bhoothaani
bhaavayathi and saththayaa sthaapayathi. It also means He makes them flourish. and grow, vikaasayathi,pushpyathi, vardhayathi vaa.
He makes all things grow by providing what makes them sustained, nourished and making them enjoy.
tAni dhAraka poshaka bhogyapradAnena vardhayati iti bhUta-bhAvanah
For example if plant has to grow it needs earth to sustain it, water to nourish it and air and sunshine for it to enjoy. All this are provided by the Lord and the whole nature is provided for the sake of man for him to grow.
6. yaThaa aakaasasthiTho nithyam vaayuH sarvathragomahaan
thaThaa sarvaaNi bhoothaani mathsThaani ithi upaDhaaraya
Just as the vast air eternally subsists in space and moves everywhere even so all beings exist in Me.
"They are in Me and I am not in them," and neither do things exist in Me," have to be understood as in the case of wind which stays in the akasa and moves in it yet the akasa is not in any way connected with the wind. Another example can be given by the sky in which the clouds exist and move, is not in any way connected with them. This is what is meant by ."they are in Me but I am not in them." The sky or akasa remain the same with or without the clouds or the wind. But the next statement "neither do they exist in Me ," is not that easy to comprehend. This can be illustrated by an example. When we say things are in something else like the fruits in a basket, which supports them they are two different things and have separate existence apart from each other. But Brahman , though the supporter of all is not the container like a basket and has independent existence not connected with the beings created and supported by Him. But the beings have no separate existence apart from Brahman, as the fruits in the basket . Hence they are not really in Brahman as they are non-eternal
7. sarvabhoothaani kountheya prakrthim yanthi maamikaam
kalpakshaye punaH thaani kalpaadhou visrjaamyaham
All beings enter into My prkrthi at the end of the cycle of time and again I let them out at the beginning of the cycle
The prakrthi which the Lord calls His in the sense that it is controlled and supervised by Him, gives rise to the world of beings as stated in a subsequent sloka.10.
8. prakrthim svaam avashtabhyavisrjaami punaH punaH
bhothagraamam iamam krtsnam avaSam prakrtheh vaSaath
Controlling the prakrthi, which is My own, I send forth again and again all this multitude of beings, which are helpless under the sway of Prakrthi
All beings when they become unmanifest but possess their karma in subtle form, manifest at the time of creation in their original form like the seed of mango tree becoming a mango tree only and not a tamarind tree. This is akin to the time of deep sleep when all beings are of the same nature as they merge with their self which is the same in all. But when they wake up they do so in the same form and with the same attitude as before.
The Upanishad describes this as `tha iha vyaaghro vaa simho vaa vrko vaa varaaho vaa keeto vaa pathango vaa dhamSo vaa masako vaa yath yath bhavanthi thath aabhavanthi.'
Whatever these creatures are here. Tiger or lion or wolf or boar or worm or fly or mosquito etc. they become the same again.
That is , they remain unaware of their identity and merge in the Supreme being without being aware of it where there is difference between one soul and another. Because of this absence of awareness due to ignorance they are reborn again according to their past tendencies.
The created beings are controlled by prakrthi comprising of the three gunas, and act accordingly. But by saying this is 'my prakrthi' the Lord is open to criticism of being partial and cruel as there is so much suffering in the world. The answer to this is given in the next sloka.
9. na cha maam thaani karmaaNi nibaDhnanthi Dhananjaya
udhaaseenavath aaseenam asaktham theshu karmasu
These acts, (meaning creation, sustenance and annihilation,) do not bind Me because I am detached from them as though indifferent.
The activities of the created beings are in accordance with their karma and the creation takes place accordingly. The words "I create" is to be understood not in the sense of the potter and the pot or even clay and the pot but like the waves of the sea that come in different shapes and sizes and as long as the wave exist as such it has to experience the inequality according to its own nature and duration but when it merges back into the sea it loses the distinctness only to rise again in different form and size etc. So the sea may say that "I only create the waves but I am not bound by and not attached to their action."
To cite another example, the electricity is the cause of all activities of the instruments of electricity but what is done with the instrument is not in any way affects the electricity. The current passes equally to a life saving equipment in a hospital as well as to an electric chair used in execution. Similarly the creation etc . are caused by the Lord but He is not in any way affected by them, since the action was neither ego- centric nor desire-motivated. The similar idea was expressed in the sloka22of chapter3.
10. mayaaDhyaksheNa prakrthiH sooyathe sacharaacharam
hethunaa anena kountheya jagath viparivarthathe
Controlled and supervised by Me the prkrthi gives birth to the world of sentient and insentient beings. And due to this the world revolves.
The world revolves meaning that the creation sustenance and annihilation happens again and again in each kalpa, which means at the end of one life time of Brahma when all including Brahma merge in the absolute . But except those who attain salvation the other beings lie dormant in unmanifest form and at the time of creation they come out in their original form and attitude.
11. avajaananthi maam mooDaaH maanusheem thanum aaSritham
param bhaavam ajaananthaH mama bhoothaahesvaram
The fools show disrespect to Me in human form, because they do not know Me to be the higher self, the master of all.
This secret is not known to the dull-witted and those of deluded intellect. They consider the Lord, like Kamsa or Duryodhana, to be a human being and not knowing His higher nature detest Him, or ridicule Him and waste their lives.
This statement of Krishna. should not be merely considered in its historical implication. The essence of every being is Brahman and due to ignorance man identifies himself and others with only body, mind and intellect and get deluded. In other words the true nature of the self is not understood and hence man behaves like asuras and rakshasas,as described in the next sloka.
12. moghaaSo moghakarmNaHmoghajnaanaa vichethasaH
raakshaseem aasureem chaiva prakrthim mohineem SrithaaH
Their desires, actions and knowledge are all in vain. They exhibit the deluded personalities like rakshasas and asuras.
Mogha means wasteful or in vain. aaSaah, desires are of no use if they do not lead one towards the Lord. The desire , kama must be in accordance with dharma and should be for Moksha. All the other karma, desire-motivated activities, including those prescribed in the Vedas for acquiring the object of desire in this world or in the next, are termed as mogha, wasteful and those who indulge in them are moghakarmaaNaH.
moghajnaanaah are those who waste their time in acquiring knowledge other than brhmajnana. This is what Sankara means in his bajagovindam sloka as sampraapthe sannihithe kale na hi nahi rakshathi dkrjnkaraNe, "when your end approaches this suthra will not protect you," to an old man who was committing to memory the Paninisuthra `dkrjnkarane' instead of chanting the name of Govinda.
There are 64 subjects mentioned in the sasthras to be learnt in the secular field. Though these are not undermined by the term moghajnana, these are not conducive to spiritual progress and hence one who concentrates on these only for material gains is wasting his life which was to be used in getting him nearer to God. At the same time the knowledge acquired thus can be utilized for uplifting oneself by infusing divine outlook in whatever one learns or does.
13.mahaathmaanasthu maam paarTha dhaiveem prakrthim aasrithaaH
bajanthi ananyamansaH jnaathvaa bhoothaadhim avyayam
The great souls, Oh Arjuna, possessing of divine nature , worship Me with single-pointed mind, knowing Me as the primal immutable cause of all beings.
14. sathatham keerthaynatho maam yathanthaSchadhrDavrathaaH
namasyanthyaScha maam bhakthyaa nithyayukthaaupaasathe
They worship always, Singing My glory all the time persisting with steadfast vow, bowing down to Me with devotion.
The great souls referred to here are the devotees who have divine nature as described subsequently in chapter 16 where Krishna enumerates the divine and demonic qualities. They have no other attachment except that towards the Lord and think of Him all the time. This devotion is described again later in chapter 10 in sloka 9.
The attitude described here and in chapter 10 , sloka 9 is that which makes a devotee say, kaayenavaacha mansaendhriyairvaa budDhyaathmanaa vaa prakrtheH svabhaavaath karomi yath yath sakalam parasmai narayaaNaayaethi samarpayaami.
`Whatever I do physically, by speech or by my mind, or intellect or my indhriyas,or by my inherent nature , I offer all to Lord Narayana.'
To them later in the chapter the Lord says yogakshemam vahamyaham. "I will look after their welfare."
15. jnaanayajnena chapi anye yajantho maam upaasathe
ekathvena prThakthvena bahuDhaa viSvathomukham
Others offering knowledge as sacrifice worship Me as one, distinct, many and multifaceted.
Eko dhevaH sarvabhootheshu goodaH sarvavyaapee sarvabhoothaantharaathmaa says the upanishat.
There is only one Brahman who is hidden in all beings, all-pervading and the self of all. This is the idea expressed in the above sloka.
This jnana is the awareness that everything is in God and God is in everything. Jnanayajna denotes the way to acquire this jnana and consists of the yogic disciplines like learning the scriptures, practising the self control and cultivating viveka, discrimination and vairagya, detachment.
Sankara explains the sloka as meaning that some look at the Lord as being one with their self, some as different, some as having different manifestations and others as existent everywhere. The view that the Lord is one is described by him as ekameva param brahma iti, the supreme Brahman is one only. The view that the Lord is distinct or different means aadhithyachandhraadhibhedhena sa eva bhagvaan vishNuH avasThithaH, the same Lord Vishnu is taking different forms as the Sun and the Moon etc. bahuDhaa and viSvatho mukhaH are treated as one by sankara as meaning bahuDhaa avasThithah sa eva bhagavaan sarvatho mukhaH viSvaroopaH, the same Lord existed as many with face turned everywhere in His cosmic form.
Ramanuja however takes this sloka as a continuation of the previous one describing the great souls who worship the Lord with singing His praise etc., by saying that they also worship the Lord through the knowledge that He is one as well as many. He says bahuDhaa prThakthvena jagadhaakaareNa viSvatho mukham, viSvapraakaaram,avasThitham maam ekathvena upaasathe.
bahuDhaa- in various forms as all beings sentient and insentient, which are His body, thath aikshatha bahu syaam prajayeya.(Chan.up) The one Brahman willed to become many.
viSvathomukham, with faces everywhere denotes the all pervading nature., the cosmic form.
prthkthvena- The Lord is seen as different entities with distinct name and form. anenaroopeNa aathmanaa anupraviSya naama roope vyaakaravaaNi, says the upanishat. "I will enter into these beings as their inner self and give them name and form."
Ekathvena- Those with knowledge and devotion see Lord Vasudeva everywhere . Vaasudhevasssarvam ithi as mentioned earlier (ch.7-19) But also they know that he is one, not many.
The potter knows that it is only clay , yet he also sees the various forms like pot, jar etc. Similarly a goldsmith is able to distinguish between various ornaments though he knows that they are nothing but gold. So too a devotee with knowledge sees the Lord everywhere but is also aware of the different entities as such. But he has the samabuddhi, equal-mindedness in all and is not affected by their differences. He knows that all of them are only the Lord in their essential nature. Sukabrhamarshi was sent to Janaka for acquiring brahmajnana by his father, sage Vyasa, as he himself could not instruct his own son. When he went inside the palace Janaka asked him "What all have you seen on the way to the palace.?" Suka replied that he saw shops, people and roads etc all made of sugar. That is , even though he was aware of the differences in their forms, to him they were all of one essence, sweetness, denoted by sugar because he was full of the joy of Brahman and he saw only that reflected outside. Then Janaka understood that Suka was already a brhamajnani and he took instruction from Suka instead. This is the jnanayajna described in the sloka.
16. aham krathuh ahaam yajnaH svaDhaa aham aham oushaDham
manthro aham aham eva aajyam aham agnih aham hutham
I am the krathu, I am the yajna, sacrifice, I am svadhaa, the offering made to pithrs, I am the herbs , I am the manthra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire and the act of offering.
This is the elaboration of the sloka 24 in chapter 4 where the Lord has said that the sacrifice, oblution, the fire, everything is Brahman. It means that all the actions and materials vedic or otherwise is nothing but Brahman.
Krathu is the sacrifice prescribed in the Vedas like agnishtoma, asvamedha etc. The word yajna denotes here all activities done with the spirit of yajna including the pancha maha yajnas prescribed fro the householder in the smrthi. SvaDhaa is the offering made to the pirthrs. Oushadham may mean all food good for the body and mind including the herbs used as medicine.
The Lord says he is the manthra, meaning the manthras used in the sacrifices as well in any ritualistic act. That is He is the means to get the result as well as the result.
Aajyam is the clarified butter used as an offering in the sacrifices which includes all offering like the soma juice etc. made into the fire by way of oblation. Not only the offering made into the fire but He is also the fire itself as made out in the earlier sloka referred to above.
hutham is the act of offering. Vide, brahmarpanam brahmahaviH brahaagnou brahmaNaa hutham, sloka 24 of chapter 4.
17. pithaa aham asya jagathaH maathaa DhaathaapithaamahaH
vedhyam pavithram omkaara rkyajussaama eva cha
I am the father of this universe , the mother, the provider and the grandsire. I am the one to be known, pure, the pranava and the three Vedas, rk, yajus and sama.
The Lord is the pithaa , the father as everything came from Him, "I am the one who places My seed into prkrthi which gives birth to this universe," He says in the 14th chapter, sloka 3. He is also the matha because the prakrthi is also a part of Him.
He is the Dhaathaa, the provider, who gives like and means of livelihood and also apportions the fruit of karma to everyone.
Pithaamaha means paternal grandfather. As Brahma is the creator of all and the Lord Narayana has created Brahma , he is the pithamaha of the universe.
Vedhyam means that to be known. The Lord is the one and only thing to be known by which everything else comes to be known automatically. In Chandhogya Upanishad Uddhalaka AruNi asks his son Svethakethu whether he has learnt that by knowing which one knows all. When the son replied in the negative the father starts giving him the instruction on Brahman and what ensued was the famous upadesa `thathvamasi.' Krishna says in chapter 15 sloka 15 that he is the sole import of all the Vedas .'vedhaiScha sarvaih aham eva vedhayaH.' This is termed in the Vedanta ekavijnaanena sarvavijnaanam. In the chapter seven also Krishna said yath jnaathvaa na iha bhooyo anyath jnaatham avaSishyathe, knowing which you need to know nothing more. This is the knowledge of Brahman which is meant by vedhyam in this sloka.
pavithram omkaaram- The syllable Om which is synoymous with Brahman and which is the purifier of the mind. Omithekaaksharam brahma, says the Upanishad. The word pavithram could also be used separately, meaning ,"I am the purifier." We call the Ganges water as being pavitram because it purifies one destroying the sins. Similarly the Lord is referred to as pavithra as the thought of Him purifies the heart. PavithraaNaam pavithram yo mangalaanaam cha mangalam, says Bhishma in his discourse on Vishnu sahasranama.
Not only He is the purport of the Vedas but He Himself is the Vedas. Hence the Lord says here rkyajusssaama eva cha (aham eva) I am the Vedas rk, Yajus and saama.
18. gathiH bharthaa prabhuH saakshee nivaasaH saranam suhrth
prabahavaH pralayaH sThaanam niDhaanam beejam avyayam
I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the friend. I am the seat of origin and dissolution, the base for preservation and imperishable seed.
This is just a forerunner of what Krishna is going to say in the next adhyaya (vibhoothiyoga-adhyaya10)
gathiH- the goal. The final goal of all beings is to attain the Lord and realize their real self. The human life is given for the purpose of elevating ourselves and to attain liberation from bondage. But ignorant use this life for degrading themselves following sensual pleasures, pampering their ego aspiring for wealth, power and fame with wrong conception of attaining happiness through them which, in reality are only gateways of suffering and bondage.
bharthaa- bibhrathi ithi bharthaa- One who bears or supports everything. The Lord supports all the worlds which are His body, by being their inner self.
prabhuH – The controller and master of the Universe. The upanishat says that the elements and planets and the deities like Yama function under His rule.
saakshee- He is the witness self, not affected by the actions of all beings which form His body like the soul which is not affected by the activities and the transformation of the body, which fact was confirmed in the slokas (Ch. 4.14 and 9.9)
nivaasam – The abode of all. mathsThaani sarvabhoothaani(9.4) The word Narayana means naaraaH asya asthi ithi all beings are in Him. It is like the aakaasa in which everything exists while it is not in contact with anything. (9.6)
saraNam- The resort of all. maamekam saraNam vraja (ch18.66) Ramanuja describes Brahman in his dhaynasloka of Sribhashya as having taken the diksha, vow of protecting His bhakthas, vinatha vidhitha bhoothavraatharakshaikadheekshe. Bhootha, means all beings, who are Vinatha, surrender to Him and vidhitha, who follow the path of devotion, may it be man bird or beast, as can be seen in the case of Vibheeshana, Gajendhra and Jatayu It is His only vow as Rama says when Vibheeshana surrenders to Him,
Sakrdheva prapannaanaaya thavaasmi ithi yaachathe abhayam sarvabhoothebhyo dhadhaami ithi vratham mama
'It is my vow to give protection to all beings whoever surrenders to me saying, "I am yours." He ultimately gives them moksha also.
suhrth- friend in the real sense of the term. The word suhrth means Sobhanam hrdh asya asthi ithi, one who has good heart. A suhrth is one who does good without expecting anything in return The heart of the Lord is full of daya, mercy and He rushes to help His devotees as He did to Gajendhra and Droupadhi
prabhavaH pralayaH sThaanam- Prabhava means the source, pralaya is the final dissolution and sThanam means preservation. Yatho vaa imaani bhoothaani jaayanthe yena jaathaani jeevanthi yasminabhisamvisanthi thath vijinjnaasasva thath brahma, says the Upanishad, meaning, from which all these beings emerged, by which they are protected and into which they merge back, know that to be Brahman.
niDhaanam is the base or substratum in which all beings exist.
beejam avyayam- the imperishable seed of all. The term imperishable is applied to the word seed because a seed ceases to exist as such when the plant comes out of it. But the Lord remains for ever and does not undergo any change. PoorNam adhaH poorNam idham poorNaath poorNam udhachyathe poornasya poorNam aadhaaya poorNameva avaSishyathe. That is whole;. this is whole; what has come out of the whole is also whole. When the whole is taken out of the whole, the whole still remains whole.
We know that the Lord is everywhere. Does it mean that He fragments himself and is present in all beings? No. He is present everywhere in His complete form only. .For example it is not possible to cut the aakaasa into parts because it is one whole. But the space inside the pot is seen as ghataakaasa while the space outside is mahaakaasa. But both are the same and forms one whole. Similarly the Brahman being one whole is present everywhere as one whole..
19. thapaami aham aham varsham nigrhnNaami uthsrjaami cha
amrtham chaiva mrthuScha sadhasat chaaham arjuna
I give heat and hold back and release rain. I am the immortality as well as death , being and nonbeing.
The Sun gives heat and causes rain. The power behind the Sun is the Lord Himself and hence it is He who gives heat and rain. When the rain is withheld it is also the act of the Lord.
He is amrtham , immortality. The amrtha or nectar obtained by the devas was only capable of securing a relative immortality as they cease to exist at the end of the kalpa. It is by the attainment of the feet of the Lord alone one becomes immortal, never to be born again. So He is the amrtha.
mrthyu is death. The Lord is the annihilator as He Himself says in the eleventh chapter, kaalo asmi lokakahsyakrth paravrttho, I am the Kala, the annihilator who destroys all the worlds. Hence He is the mrthyu.
Sath- that which exists. or what is real. Brahman is defined as sath, existence, chith, knowledge and aanandha, bliss in the Upanishat. The sattha, existence in everything is the Lord without whom the whole universe of sentient and insentient will cease to exist.
Asath- that which does not exist. Brahman is existent as well as nonexistent because the things which do not exist as such and hence can be called asath still exist in Brahman in unmanifest form. When the pot exists it is sath and when it does not it is asath. But it is asath only as a pot but sath when we consider it in its causal form as the clay.
In advaita the world is explained as not total asath but as vyaavahaarikasathya, empirical realty as compared to the praathibhaasika sathya which is absolutely unreal. Thus the world is unreal or asath when viewed as the absolute reality, Brahman. But till one has the true perception of Brahman everywhere the world is real and this reality is termed as empirical reality by the advaitin, like the snake in the rope. Their contention is that the rope exists in its true form and therefore real, sath. But it is also unreal when viewed as the snake. Similarly Brahman is real in its true form but when viewed as the world it is unreal.
Ramanuja however explains the term unreal as that which did not exist in the past nor going to exist in future but exists only at present. The pot exists at present but did not exist as pot in the past nor going to exist in future when it is broken. But in the past it had existence as clay and going to exist in future as potsherds. In all the three states it is clay only. Similarly in unmanifest state, the world existed as Brahman and going to exist so after dissolution and exists as the world at present. In all the three states it is Brahman only and hence the Brhaman is both sath and asath.
20. thrividhyaa maam somapaaH poothapaapaaH
yajniH ishtvaa svargathim praarThayanthe
the puNyam aasaadhya surendhralokam
aSnanthi dhivyaan dhivi dhevabhogaan
Those who have learnt the karmakanda of the Vedas pray for attainment of heaven by performing yajnas, drinking soma juice offered therein. They, purified from their sins and earning merit, go to heaven and enjoy the divine pleasures there.
The Lord has already said that until one reaches the brahmaloka all the other worlds cause the return to earth. Here in these two slokas He describes the plight of those who follow the ritualistic part of the Vedas poorvamimamsa, without resorting to the Vedanta, which forms the uttaramimamsa., the later part of the Vedas, which deals with the Brahman and salvation.
thrividhyaaH means those who have learnt the three Vedas. aTharvaveda is normally not included in the reference of vedic learning because it contains thaanthric sections which are used for evil purposes like abhichara homa etc. which are supposed to lead one towards hell. The later part of aTharva also contains vedantic truths and some sthothras from aTharvaveda have found their way in the ritualistic worship but the veda as such is not learnt as the regular curriculam of vedic studies.
somapaaH - those who perform sacrifices. The term denotes the drinking of soma juice as a ritual in the yagas. There is some misconception about drinking soma as consuming liquor by some ignorant persons. Soma juice is squeezed out of the soma creeper and only few drops are taken as the prasada.
poothapaapaaH- only when the sins are destroyed and merit is acquired one can go to heaven. This is the necessary qualification for the performer of yajna for the sake of attaining heaven, in order to reap the benefit of the yajna So it requires the austerities performed for inner and outer purification as a prerequisite for performance of a yajna.
dhevaabhogaan- divine pleasures which mean pure sensual pleasures without suffering as a consequence as on earth.
21. the tham bhukthvaa svargalokam viSaalam
ksheeNa puNye marthyalokam visanthi
evam thrayeeDharmam aanuprapannaaH
gathaagatham kaamakaamaa labhanthe
After enjoying the pleasures in the svargaloka which is wide, they enter the earth again when their merits are exhausted. Thus those who follow the path of Vedas obtain the state of going and coming as they are desire-motivated.
devalokam viSaalam – The heaven is called viSaala, expansive in terms of the enjoyment and the duration which lasts for many human lives. There is a story that the king Raivatha of Ikshvaku race, father of Ravati, went to Brahmaloka to pray to Brahma for a suitable bridegroom for his daughter and was waiting there for one moment. In the meanwhile 27 chathuryugas have passed on earth and Brahma said the Lord has taken birth as Balarama on earth and he will be the suitable bride for his daughter. The story goes that since she was born in a much earlier times she was very tall and Balarama reduced her height by placing his plough on her head.
ksheeNe puNye marthyalokam visanthi- They return to earth when their merit is exhausted. The heaven can be enjoyed according to the merit acquired by austerities and a result of yajna performed to that effect. But the fruits of any karma , be it yajna or thapas is limited as long as it is done for the purpose other than attaining moksha. The merit earned is like a visa to heaven and as when the period of visa is over they have to come back to their own country and should try again to get a visa , those who go to heaven have to come back and do more thapas or yajna again. This is what Krishna means as thryee dharmam anuparapannaaH gathaagatham labhanthe, those who follow the karmamarga of the Vedas, which are prescribed for the kaamakaamaH , those who have desires to be fulfilled by the vedic rituals, get in to a state of going and returning.
22. ananyaaH chinthayantho maam ye janaah paryupaasathe
theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam yogakshemaam vahaamyaham
For those people, who think of me without any other thought and persistent in my devotion always, I take care of their welfare.
The Lord promises that He will look after those, who think of Him and worship Him, persistently and consistently, in this world and the next. Yoga is attainment and Kshema is preservation of that which is attained. The Lord looks after the acquirement and preservation of the needs of his ardent devotees in this world and takes the responsibility of bringing them to Him and preserving them in that state forever. It means that they do not return to samsara.
This sloka interpreted with a secular slant proves to be the formula for success in any endeavour, most valuable in management sciences. If one thinks of nothing else except the work at hand, and works on it persistently and consistently the work itself promises success. This and the sloka in second chapter 'karmaNyEvdhikarasthE' (ch.2.47) taken together will be invaluable principles in worldly pursuits for one who aims for success. When the same work done without the expectation of result and as an offering to God it becomes karmayoga.
The important words to be remembered in this sloka are paryupaasathe and nithyaabhiyukathaanaam. When one thinks of an ideal or goal to be reached he should remember it always , nithyaabhiyuktha, and continuously, paryupasathe. A worker who works relentlessly on his work, may it be painting, singing or studying etc. he is crowned with success. This is because he gets totally involved in his work becomes dedicated when, even the thought of success never enters his mind. But the work performed thus takes care of the result. This is the implication of yogakshemam vahaamyaham even taken in the worldly sense.
The same dedication and involvement towards the Lord, and puts the responsibility of taking care of the devotee on His shoulders and He says "I will look after the welfare of such a devotee." The life history of all the saints is the proof of this. When the devotee says,
kaayena vaachaa mansendhriyairvaa budDhyaathmanaa vaa prakrthersvabhaavaath karom yath yath sakalam parasmai naaraayaNaayethi samarpayaami,
Meaning, whatever I do feel and think I offer it to Narayana, the onus is on Narayana to look after him.
He cut vegetables in the house of Ghorakumbha, prepared cowdung cakes for Bhaktha Jana, helped in the daily worship for Ramanuja and some others, repaid the loan of Badrachala Ramadas, and protected the money given to Thyagaraja by a devotee from the thieves, whatever He had not done for His devotees! It produces horripilation even to mention these acts of love of the Lord and they are countless, starting from early yugas right down to Kaliyuga. In this sloka the Lord shows the easiest way to attain His grace.
There may arise a doubt regarding this sloka where the Lord says, yogakshemam vahaamyaham. We often see that the devotees of the Lord are not very prosperous in the world and how could yoga , attaining and kshema, preservation holds good in the case of one who has no possessions? Here the word yoga should be understood as attaining the Lord and kshema is the preservation of the means of attaining Him. The real devotee does not know anything else except the love for the Lord. Hence like the mother who takes care of her child by giving him what he needs and removing what is not good for him, the Lord gives the devotee what all that are necessary for his attaining the goal and takes away from him which is not conducive for that. He looks after the devotee by securing his basic needs like food etc. which help him to carry on in his spiritual journey and protects him from that which may obstruct his path . This is the yogakshema mentioned in the sloka.
23. ye api anya dhevathaa bhakthaah yajanthe SraddhayaanvithaaH
The api maameva kountheya yajanthi aviDhipoorvakam
Even the devotees of other deities who worship them with sacrifices etc. with faith , only worship Me in reality but not in the proper way
24. aham hi sarvayajnaanaam bhokthaa cha prabhureva cha
na thu maam abhijaananthi thathvena athaH chyavanthi the
I am the Lord of all sacrifices and the enjoyer. But they do not know this and they slip from the final stage.
Even those who worship other deities, which includes those who do sacrifices to please Indra etc., actually worship only the Supreme Self, because He is the power behind them. So, provided they worship their ishtsdevatha with faith, through them the Lord gives results. Krishna says that He is the sacrifice, sacrificed and the sacrificer, without knowing which, the people who worship others fall back into samsara.
Those who worship other deities desiring for particular results will get only those result provided their faith is true. Even though the Lord only gives those results they will not get the final result of moksha which His devotees get and hence Krishna says that they swerve from the final goal.
25. yaanthi dhevavrathaa dhevaan pithRn yaanthi pithrvrathaaH
bhoothaani yaanthi bhoothejyaa yaanthi madhyaajinopi maam
Those worship devas will go to the worlds ordained by such ritualistic worship and get the results which are in the power of such deities to give. The worshippers of Pthrs reach the pthrs and the worshippers of demonic forces go to them. Those who worship me come to Me.
The overall meaning of this sloka is that those who worship the devas attain the realm of experience like that of the devas. That is they go to heaven. When their merit is exhausted they return to earth. Those who do the sraaddha and other rituals pertaining to the pithrs go to pithrloka and they also return after their stay there . Those who worship the evil forces also go to their region and come back to reap the fruit of their acts. Only those who worship the Lord attains moksha and do not return to earth.
But this sloka along with the one before the previous, that is the 23rd, should be examined in the light of the 22nd, ananyaaschinthayantho maam , because of the word SraddhayaanvithaaH, with full faith.
It is explained in the sloka 22nd that whatever one contemplates with involvement and dedication will provide results. The word deva refers to the power behind the indhriyas. Sun is the devata of eyes, Indra of hands etc. Hence the devas worshipped for the sake of sense satisfaction provide that only. The sacrifice performed for wealth or power or even for attaining heaven which is only a realm of sensual experience ensures whatever one wishes for. This is the meaning of dhevaan dhevavrathaan yaanthi. Alternatively it may mean that if one tries for sensual pursuits like acquiring wealth, and other possessions diligently, working for it with full faith and involvement with dedication will get it.
The pithrs signify the culture and tradition and those who worship the pithrs are those who do the Sraaddhas and other ritualistic ceremonies according to their varna and asrama. They will reach the realm of pithrs and will be born as custodians of culture and tradition..
The bhoothas represent the elements and may refer to the secular sciences and pursuits like engineering or agriculture. Even these disciplines followed faithfully fetch results. If bhoothas are understood as evil spirits the followers will get results no doubt but will also be doomed for an eternity of damnation until they reform themselves. Krishna says in a later chapter that he pushes them into aasuric wombs, kshipaami ajasram aSubhaan aaasyureeshvevayonishu.(BG.16.19)
This also affirms what is said in the previous sloka , aham hi sarva yajnaanaam bhokthaa cha prabhurevacha, because it is only the Lord who gives the result to all according to their actions. Without knowing this they resort to other means that will provide only temporary result causing their return into samsara.
26. pathram pushpam halam thoyam yo me bhakthyaaprayacachathi
thadhaham bhakthyupahrtham aSnaami prayathaathmanaH
Whatever you give Me, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, with devotion , I will take it with pleasure.
Bhishma says to Yudhishtira about the highest dharma of all, yadbhakthyaa pundareekasham sthavairarcheth narah esha dharmassanaathanah,' the worship of the Lotus eyed Lord is the age old dharma. This is aadhikyena abhimatham, considered the greatest because it can be done without depending on anything or anybody and without disturbing others, can be done by anyone without distinction of caste, creed or sex. The last point is stressed by Krishna later in the chapter.
It is said in the Mahabharatha that the Lord expects nothing more than poornakumbha, offering of a pot of water, , padhasevana, worshipping His feet and kusalaprasna, loving words.;.'anyath poorNodhapAm kumbhAth anyath pAdhAvvanejanAth anyath kuSalasampaSnAth na chECCHathi janArdhanah.
The Lord accepted the humble food in the house of Vidhura offered with bhakthi, bhakthyupahrthamm, and refused the grand feast offered by Duryodhana without love. Similarly He took by force and relished the flaked rice which Kuchela brought, but was ashamed to offer, and enjoyed the fruits given by Sabari with devotion.
This sloka shows that the path of devotion is the easiest.
Why and how the path of devotion is the easiest is denoted by the next sloka
27. yathkaroshi yadhaSnaasi yajjuhoshi dhdhdaasi yath
yatthapasyasi kountheya that kurushva madharpaNam
Whatever one does, eats, offer, give away and whatever austerity one practises he should do it all as an offering to God.
Once Krishna and Arjuna were going towards devaloka when Arjuna saw huge heaps of flowers on the way. Arjuna asked Krishna about it and Krishna replied that they were the flowers offered to him in worship by Bheema. Arjuna was surprised as he had never seen Bhima doing any pooja. Arjuna thought that the flowers offered by himself in worship must be a bigger heap as he used to do pooja everyday and asked Krishna where were the flowers he himself worshipped and Krishna pointed to a miserable small heap and said that those were the flowers Arjuna offered. When Arjuna was piqued Krishna said that Bheema used to offer what ever he saw to Krishna by way of worship but Arjuna offered only those he had at the time of his pooja. This illustrates the importance of offering everything one does to the Lord.
This seems easily said than done but there is a lot of sense in it. For instance when a servant is doing a job for his master whom he adores, he will do it in the best of his ablity but he does it with the attitude that the result and the agency of action belongs not to him but to his master. Thus he is not riddled with anxiety and hence will be able to do it well.
This actually combines karmayoga and bhakthiyoga as the former is easier to do with the spirit of bhakthi. The simplest method for spiritual evolution is to surrender to the Lord and do everything as His kainkarya, may it be for sustenance of the body, or maintaining a family or vaidika karma. This attitude will rid one of ego and desire. It is not at all difficult but to have that attitude one must first acquire devotion for which also we require His grace. So the first and foremost prayer should be to ask for unswerving devotion and rest will automatically fall in place.
28.Subhaasubhaphalairevam mokshyase karmabanDhaanaiH
sannyaasa yogayukthaathmaa vimuktho maam upaishyasi
Thus you will be released from bondage and its good and bad results. You will attain Me, liberated through renunciation.
One who offers everything to the Lord is not affected by the result of his actions and thus gets released for karma. He becomes totally renounced of all actions and their results and attains the Lord in the end.
Saying that one who offers everything to Me and worships will get liberated may ascribe partiality to the Lord towards His devotees. This doubt is dispelled by the next sloka.
29.samoham sarvabhootheshu na me dhveshyo asthi na priyaH
ye bhajanthi thu maam bhakthyaa mayi the theshu chaapyaham
I am equal to all and I have no friend or foe. Whoever worships Me with devotion they are in Me and I am in them.
The Lord is the karmaphalaDhaathaa, one who apportions the fruit of the karma of everyone. In His incarnations also He is not acting out of desire of anger but simply personifies the destiny of each one according to his actions. Like the mother who punishes the naughty child and rewards the good one, the Lord punishes the wicked, to reform them and rewards the good to encourage them. Thus His retribution if for redemption.
Like the wind which will help the boat only when the sails are opened, and the light can be seen only when the eyes are open, God will help only those who come to Him. If one sees Him as an enemy He will appear only in that form because He comes to you as you see Him.
To emphasize His impartiality Krishna further says,
30. api cheth sudhuraachaaro bajathe maam ananyabhaak
saDhureva sa manthavyaH samyak vyavasitho hi saH
Even if one is a confirmed sinner, if he worships Me with a steadfast mind, he is to be considered as a good person with good resolve.
Even if a person is most sinful. if he worships the Lord with undivided devotion he is to be counted among the good. The devotion absolves him from all the sins. But he should be sincere and wishing to redeem himself, which is denoted by ananyabhAk, with no other thought than the love of the Lord, which naturally destroys all sinful impressions from his mind.
But what is the meaning of the upanishadhic statement ' na avirathO dhuscharithaath na ashaantho na asamaahithah na ashaanthamaanaso vaapi prajnaanena enam aapnuyaath, ' (Kata.1-2-24) One who is not turned away from bad conduct, is not tranquil, is not composed and also not calm in mind, cannot obtain the Supreme through knowledge? This holds good only for one who has not mended his ways. What happens when he does?
Krishna replies in the next sloka,
31. kshipram bhavathi Dharmaathmaa saSvath SaanthimnigacChathi
koutheya prathijaaneehi na me bhakthaH praNaSyathi
He becomes a righteous person immediately and attains everlasting peace. Arjuna, proclaim from Me that My devotee never perishes.
Quickly he becomes righteous and obtain everlasting peace. There were examples of this in the epics and puranas like Valmiki and Bilvamangala, otherwise known as Leelasuka, and even Purandharadhasa., all who changed from men of worldly desires to great bhakthas in a matter of moments. Therefore Krishna gives a guarantee in the second line of the sloka that His devotees will never perish.
To attain the Lord, devotion is the only qualification irrespective of caste creed or sex., Sabari, Guha, ThiruppANazvar, and so many like them are examples of this.
32. maam hi paarTha vyapaaSrithya ye syuH paapayonayaH
sthriyo vaiSyaaH thaThaa SoodhraaH the api yaanthi paraam gathim
Those who resort to Me Arjuna, even if they are of sinful birth, women or vaiSyas or Sudhras they also attain the supreme state.
Of the four varnas except Brahmins and kshathriyas the others, including women are not qualified to study the Vedas and follow the scriptural disciplines outlined therein.
This is the traditional explanation of this sloka. But let us see how far it is applicable to modern days. Even in olden days there were instances when women and people born in castes other than Brahmin or kshathriya, like Thirumazisai azvar, were learned in vedas. Gargi, and the wives of the rshis like Vasishta were examples of this. Upanayanam and gayathri were common to women also and there are proofs of this in ithihasas and puranas. Some the rshis of mantras were women. So instead of saying that they are not qualified we can say that they do not have to learn the Vedas as they could get salvation simply by following their svadharma. The wife of a brahmin and the butcher in the story of Kousika, the yogi are examples to this fact.
Kousika a yogi was doing penance under a tree and stork droppings fell on him. Angered he looked at the bird above and it was burnt to ashes. Arrogant with his power he went to a house or alms and the wife of the Brahmin was looking after her husband and delayed in coming out. The yogi stared at her and she said that she was not the stork. Surprised and humbled he begged her to instruct him and she told him to go to a man called Dharmavyadha and when he went there and found that he was a butcher. Dharmavyadha asked Kousika whether the brahmin lady sent him. When Kousika asked him how did he get the power, Dharmavyadha replied that he knew nothing except doing his duty and serving his parents sincerely.
In modern days when we have the translations of Vedas and Brahmasuthras by the foreigners like Thibaut and Maxmuller, this restriction by castes based on birth is irrelevant.
But in this sloka the implication should be well understood. The term woman signifies those who lack strength of mind and conviction necessary to follow the rigorous discipline of the Vedas. Similarly the vaisya stand for the materially minded who would not have inclination to self control and the word sudras imply those who are predominantly thamasik.
The main idea is that devotion and surrender is the only qualification to deserve the grace of the Lord irrespective of caste or sex.
33. kimpunarbraahmaNaaH puNyaaH bhakthaaH raajarshayaH thaTha
anithyam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajasva maam
What more could be said of holy brahmaanas and devoted kshathriyas.?
If this were the case of lowliest, can there be any doubt about those who were born in the noble sections of society, learning vedas and practising spiritual disciplines!
The world , the Lord says, is anithyam, transitory, asukham. Joyless. The pleasure obtained in this world which is destructible , is also temporary and bring sorrow in its wake. The human life is given for evolving oneself through jnana and bakthi and to became free from bondage that causes rebirth. Hence one should worship the Lord on being born in this world.
34.manmanaabhava madhbhaktho madhyaajee maamnamaskuru
maameva eshyasi yukthvaa evam aathmaanam mathparaayaNaH
"Focus your mind on Me; be My devote; be My worshipper. Bow down to Me. Engaging your mind in this manner on Me as the supreme goal you will come to Me."
Krishna ends the discourse on Brahmavidhya or rajavidhya by describing the nature of bhakthi.
manmanaa bhava- with the mind always engrossed in the Lord. What has been said in the chapter so far is reiterated here. ananyaaH chinthayantho maam (sl.22) is the explanation of manmanaabhava. This is the qualifying term for the next word madhbhakthaH, the devotee, who has been described in the sloka 14 as sathatham keerthayantho maam. The true devotee not only thinks of the Lord always but also talks and sings of nothing but Him ,as described in the next chapter macchitthaah madhgathaH praanaaH (10.9)
madhyaajee- they offer everything to the Lord as made out in the sloka 27, yathkaroshi yadhaSnaasi, earlier in the chapter.
maam namaskuru maameva eshyasi- What has been said in the earlier sloka 25 is repeated here that those who worship the Lord attains Him because it is the real goal of a devotee, who is termed as mathparayaNaH, who integrates his body, mind and intellect on the Lord, yukthvaa enam aathmaanam.
Bhishma in expounding the Vishnusahsaranama, answers the question of Yudhishtira `Kimekam daivatham loke kimvaapyekam paraayanam,' who is the supreme deity and which is the supreme goal, by saying that Lord Narayana, (the Brahman of visishtadvaita,) is the paramam paraayanam He is pavithraanaam pavithram, purity in the pure things, because the holiness of the water like that of the Ganges is only through His association and He is the auspiciousness, mangalam of the auspicious, mangalaanaam. He is daivathaanaam daivatham, the divinity in the divine beings because He is the creator bhoothaanaam avyayafpitha. Hence He is the paramamparaayanam, the supreme goal.