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CHAPTER VII.
God and the World.
God is Nature and Spirit. Bhagavadgītā Translation &
Highlighted Text by Dr. Radhakrishnan Sanskrit Text, Transliteration, word
translation By Veeraswamy Krishnaraj |
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श्रीभगवानुवाच मय्यासक्तमनाः
पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रयः
। असंशयं
समग्रं मां यथा
ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु
॥७- १॥ śrībhagavān uvāca śrībhagavān uvāca śrībhagavān uvāca
=
Sri
Bhagavan said: pārtha3 = O Partha;
[your] āsakta2Amanāḥ2B = mind2Battached2A; mayi1 = to Me; yuñjan5 = practicing; yogam4 = Yoga; [and] madāśrayaḥ6 = taking refuge in Me; śṛṇu13 = hear; tat12 = that; [as to] yathā10 = how; [you] jñāsyasi11 = will come to know; mām9 = Me; asaṁśayam7 = without doubt; [and]
samagram8 = completely. 7.1 The Blessed Lord said: (7.1) Hear then, O
Pārtha (Arjuna), how, practicing yoga, with the mind clinging to Me, with Me as thy refuge, thou shalt know Me in full, without any
doubt. The author wishes to give a complete or integral knowledge
of the Divine, not merely the Pure Self but Its manifestation in the world. |
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ज्ञानं
तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं
वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः
। यज्ज्ञात्वा
नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते
॥७- २॥ jñānaṁ tehaṁ
savijñānam idaṁ
vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ jñānam1 te2 aham3 sa4 vijñānam5 idam6 vakṣyāmi7 aśeṣataḥ8 aham3 =
I; vakṣyāmi7 = will explain; te2 = to you; aśeṣataḥ8 = in full; idam6 = this; jñānam1 = Knowledge; [which is] sa4vijñānam5 = Realized experiential
Knowledge; [after knowing] yat9 = which; jñātvā10 = knowledge; avaśiṣyate16 = there remains; na11 = nothing; iha12 = here [in this world]; bhūyaḥ13 = again; jñātavyam15 = knowable; anyat14 = besides [this]. 7.2 (7.2) I will declare to thee in full this wisdom together with knowledge by knowing which there
shall remain nothing more here left to be known. ■
See
III, 4I
note. Jñāna
is interpreted as wisdom, the direct spiritual illumination
and vijñāna as the detailed rational knowledge of the principles of existence. We
must have not merely knowledge of the relationless Absolute but also of Its
varied manifestation. The Supreme is in man and nature though these do not limit Him. |
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मनुष्याणां
सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति
सिद्धये । यततामपि
सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां
वेत्ति तत्त्वतः
॥७- ३॥ manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye manuṣyāṇām1 sahasreṣu2 kaścit3 yatati4 siddhaye5 sahasreṣu2 = among thousands; manuṣyāṇām1 = of people; kaścit3 = some one;
yatati4 =
strives; siddhaye5 = for excellence or perfection.
[Among] siddhānām8 = the perfected ones; api7 = in fact; yatatām6 = who are striving; kaścit9 = one by chance; vetti11 = knows; mām10 = Me; tattvataḥ12 = in truth. 7.3 (7.3) Among thousands of men scarcely one strives for perfection
and of those who strive and succeed, scarcely one knows Me in truth. Another reading: yatatām ca sahasrāṇām:
"and
of thousands of strivers." Most of us do not even feel the need for perfection. We
grope along by the voice of tradition and authority. Of those who strive
to see the truth and reach the goal, only a few succeed. Of those who gain
the sight, not even one learns to walk and live by the sight. |
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भूमिरापोऽनलो
वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव
च । अहंकार
इतीयं मे भिन्ना
प्रकृतिरष्टधा
॥७- ४॥ bhūmir āponalo
vāyuḥ khaṁ
mano buddhir eva ca bhūmiḥ1 āpaḥ2 analaḥ3 vāyu4 kham5 manaḥ6 buddhiḥ7 eva8 ca9 bhūmiḥ1 = Earth; āpaḥ2 = water; analaḥ3 = fire; vāyu4 = air; kham5 = ether; manaḥ6 = mind'; buddhiḥ7 = Buddhi; eva8 =
in truth; ca9= and; ahaṅkāraḥ10 = ego; me13 = of Mine; iti11 = thus; [are] aṣṭadhā16 = eightfold; bhinnā14 = divisions; [of] iyam12 = this; prakṛtiḥ15 = Prakriti,
(MAyA power of the Lord). 7.4 (7.4)
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind and understanding and self-sense-this is
the eightfold division of My nature. prakṛtiḥ15 : Nature,
which is identified with śakti or māyā,I the basis of the objective world.2
These are the forms which unmanifested nature, prakṛti, takes when it
becomes manifested. This is an early classification which later
becomes elaborated into twenty-four principles. See XIII,5.
The senses, mind and understanding, indriyas, manas and buddhi, belong to the
lower, the material nature. For, according to the Sāṁkhya
psychology, which is accepted by the Vedanta, they effect contact
with objects and consciousness results only when the spiritual subject, puruṣa,
illuminates them. When the self illumines, the
activities of the senses, of mind and of understanding become processes of
knowledge and objects become objects of knowledge. Ahaṁkāra or the
self-sense belongs to the "object" side. It is the principle by
which the ego relates objects to itself. It attributes
to itself the body and the senses connected with it. It effects the false
identification of the body with the spiritual subject and the sense of ''I"
or "my" is
produced. I māyākhyā
parameśvarī śaktir
anirvacanīyasvabhāvā triguṇātmikā. Madhusūdana. 2 jaḍaprapañcopādānabhūta. Nīlakaṇṭha. |
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अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां
प्रकृतिं विद्धि
मे पराम् । जीवभूतां
महाबाहो ययेदं
धार्यते जगत्
॥७- ५॥ apareyam itas
tvanyāṁ prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām aparā1 iyam2
itaḥ3
tu4
anyām5
prakṛtim6 viddhi7
me8
parām9 tu4 = However; itaḥ3 = besides; iyam2 = this; aparā1 = lower; prakṛtim6 = Prakrti
[Material Nature]; viddhi7 = know; me8 = My; anyām5 = other; parām9 = Superior [Nature]; mahābāho11 = O Might-armed One: jīva-bhūtām10 = the Life-Being [the
Universal soul]; yayā12 = by which; idam13 = this; jagat15 = world; dhāryate14 = is maintained. 7.5 (7.5) This is
My lower nature. Know My other and higher nature which is the soul, by which
this world is upheld. O
Mighty-armed (Arjuna). The Supreme is Īśvara,
the personal Lord of the universe who contains conscious souls [Kṣetrajña)
and unconscious nature (Kṣetra). The two are regarded
as His higher (parā) and lower (aparā) aspects. He is the life and form of every
being.1The Universal Being of God
includes the totality of the unconscious in His lower nature and the totality
of the conscious in His higher. The embodiment of the soul in body, life,
sense, mind and understanding gives us the ego,
which uses the material setting for its activity. Each individual has two
sides, the soul and the image, Kṣetrajña and Kṣetra.
These are the two natures of Īśvara who is superior to them both.2
The Old Testament teaches creation out of nothing. Plato and Aristotle assume
a primitive matter to which God gives form. God is an artificer or architect
rather than a creator, for primitive substance is thought of as eternal and uncreated and only form is due to the will of
God. For Christian thinkers, God creates not from any pre-existent matter but
out of nothing. Both matter and form are derived
from God. A similar view is set forth in this verse. The Jīva is only a partial manifestation of the
Supreme.3 The integral undivided reality of
the Supreme appears
divided into the multiplicity of souls.4
The unity is the truth and multiplicity is an expression of it and so is a
lower truth but not an illusion. 1
viśuddhāṁ prakṛtiṁ mamātmabhūtāṁ viddhi
me parāṁ prakṛṣtāṁ jīvabhūtaṁ
Kṣetrajñalakṣaṇaṁ, prāṇadhāraṇanimittabhūtam.
s 2Cp.
the Bhāgavata. Salutations
unto Thee the Self, the sovereign of all, the witness, the great spirit, the
source of souls as well as of the ever productive nature.
Kṣetrajñāya
namas tubhyaṁ sarvādhyakṣāya sākṣine puruṣāy
ātmamūlāya mūlaprakṛtaye
namaḥ. -- VIII. 3 13. 3
XV, 7. 4XIII, 10.
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एतद्योनीनि
भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय
। अहं कृत्स्नस्य
जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा
॥७- ६॥ etadyonīni bhūtāni sarvāṇīty upadhāraya etat1 yonīni2 bhūtāni3 sarvāṇi4 īti5 upadhāraya6 upadhāraya6 = Understand; īti5 = thus; sarvāṇi4 = all; bhūtāni3 = entities [sentient and
insentient]; [have] etat1 = these [two Natures of Mine];
[as] yonīni2 = the source. aham7 = I; [am] tathā12 = also; prabhavaḥ10 = the origin; [and] pralayaḥ11 = the dissolution; kṛtsnasya8 = of the whole; jagataḥ9 = world. 7.6 (7.6) Know that all beings have their birth in this. I am the origin of
all this world and its dissolution as well. ■ The world with all its becomings is from
the Supreme 1 and at the time of dissolution is withdrawn into Him. Cp. Taittīrīya
Up., III. God includes the universe within Himself, projects it from and
resumes it within Himself, that is, His own nature. 1 Cp. XIV, 3, mama yonir mahad brahmā. See also Muṇḍaka
Up. I, 1, 6 and III, 1, 3. akṣaraṁ bhūtayonim ... puruṣaṁ
bhūtayonim Brahma Sūtra: yonis' ca gīyate. I, 4, 27. |
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मत्तः
परतरं नान्यत्किंचिदस्ति
धनंजय । मयि सर्वमिदं
प्रोतं सूत्रे
मणिगणा इव ॥७- ७॥ mattaḥ parataraṁ
nānyat kiṁcid asti dhanaṁjaya mattaḥ1 parataram2 na3 anyat4A kiṁcit4B asti5 dhanañjaya6 asti5 =
There is; na3 = no; anyat4A = other; kiṁcit4B = thing ; parataram2 =
higher; mattaḥ1 = than Me; dhanañjaya6 = O Dhannjaya. sarvam9 = All; idam10 = this [universe] protam11 =
is strung mayi8 = on Me; iva14 = like; maṇigaṇāḥ13 = pearls; sūtre12 = on a thread. 7.7 (7.7) There is nothing whatever that is higher than I, O Winner of
wealth (Arjuna). All that is here is strung on me as rows of gems on a string. ■ There is no other higher
principle than Īśvara who effects everything and is everything. The
existences of the world are held together by the Supreme Spirit even as the
gems are by the string. |
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रसोऽहमप्सु
कौन्तेय प्रभास्मि
शशिसूर्ययोः
। प्रणवः
सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः
खे पौरुषं नृषु
॥७- ८॥ raso.aham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśisūryayoḥ rasaḥ1 aham2 apsu3 kaunteya4 prabhā5 asmi6
śaśi-sūryayoḥ7 aham2 =
I [am]; rasaḥ1 = the taste; apsu3 = in water; kaunteya4 = O Kaunteya.
asmi6 = I am; prabhā5 = the light; śaśi-sūryayoḥ7 = of the moon and the sun. [I
am] praṇavaḥ8 = Om [AUM];
sarva9 = in all. [i am] vedeṣu10 = the Vedas; śabdaḥ11 khe12 = the sound11 in the Ether12; [and] pauruṣam13 nṛṣu14 = virility13 in men14. 7.8 (7.8)
I am the taste in the waters, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), I am the light in the
moon and the sun. I am the syllable Aum in all the Vedas; I am the sound in
ether and manhood in men. |
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पुण्यो
गन्धः पृथिव्यां
च तेजश्चास्मि
विभावसौ । जीवनं
सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि
तपस्विषु ॥७- ९॥ puṇyo gandhaḥ
pṛthivyāṁ ca
tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau puṇyaḥ1 gandhaḥ2 pṛthivyām3 ca4 tejaḥ5 ca6 asmi7 vibhāvasau8 asmi7 =
I am; puṇyaḥ1 = pleasant; gandhaḥ2 = fragrance; pṛthivyām3 = in the earth; ca4 = and; tejaḥ5 = brightness; vibhāvasau8 = in the fire; ca6 = and; jīvanam9 = life; [in] sarva10 = all; bhūteṣu11 = beings; ca13 = and; asmi14 = I am; tapaḥ12 = the austerity; tapasviṣu15 = of Tapsvis
or ascetics. 7.9 (7.9) I am
the pure
fragrance in earth and brightness in fire. I am the life in all existences
and the austerity in ascetics. ■
Cp, "Thou art Reality, the Divine Spirit, not material,
not lifeless. Thou art the life of the universe, the life of all creatures.1 1tvaṁ
satyaṁ devadevātmaṁ
na jaḍo na mṛtopi
vā, jagatāṁ jīvitaṁ ca tvam prāṇināṁ
jīvitaṁ tathā. |
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बीजं मां
सर्वभूतानां
विद्धि पार्थ
सनातनम् । बुद्धिर्बुद्धिमतामस्मि
तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम्
॥७- १०॥ bījaṁ māṁ sarvabhūtānāṁ viddhi
pārtha sanātanam bījam1 mām2
sarva-bhūtānām3 viddhi4 pārtha5 sanātanam6 pārtha5 =
O Partha; viddhi4 = know; mām2 = Me; sanātanam6 = the eternal; bījam1 = seed; sarva-bhūtānām3
= of
all living beings; asmi9 = I am; buddhiḥ7 = the intellect; buddhimatām8 = of the intelligent; aham12 = I am; tejas10 = the brilliance; tejasvinām11 = of the brilliant. 7.10 (7.10) Know Me, O Partha
(Arjuna), to be the eternal seed of all existences. I am the intelligence of
the intelligent; I am the splendor of the splendid. |
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बलं बलवतां
चाहं कामरागविवर्जितम्
। धर्माविरुद्धो
भूतेषु कामोऽस्मि
भरतर्षभ ॥७- ११॥ balaṁ balavatāṁ
cāhaṁ kāmarāgavivarjitam balam1 balavatām2 ca3 aham4
kāma5 rāga6 vivarjitam7 aham4 = I; [am] balam1 = the strength; balavatām2 = of the strong; vivarjitam7 = free from; kāma5 = desire; ca3 =
and; rāga6 = passion. asmi11 = I am; kāmaḥ10 = desire; dharma-aviruddhaḥ8 = not opposed to righteousness; bhūteṣu9 = in beings; bharata-rṣabha12 = O the Best of Bharata
clan. 7.11. (7.11) I am
the
strength of
the
strong, devoid of desire and passion. In beings am I the desire which is not
contrary to law, O Lord of the Bharatas (Arjuna). ■
kāmarāga: desire
and passion. S.
distinguishes
kāma as desire for what
is absent1 and rāga as affection for what one has obtained.2
Desire as such is not evil. Selfish desire requires to be rooted out. The
desire for union with the Divine is not wrong. Chāndogya Up. refers to desires as essentially
real (satya), though overlaid by what is unreal (anṛta) ,
VIII, 3. Our desires and activities, if they are expressive of the spirit in
us and derive from the true spiritual personality, become a pure overflowing of
the Divine will. 1 kamaḥ 'ṛṣṇā
asannikṛṣṭesu viṣayeṣu 2 rāgaḥ, rañjanā
prāpteṣu viṣayeṣu. |
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ये चैव
सात्त्विका भावा
राजसास्तामसाश्च
ये । मत्त एवेति
तान्विद्धि न
त्वहं तेषु ते
मयि ॥७- १२॥ ye caiva
sātvikā bhāvā
rājasās tāmasāś
ca ye ye1 ca2 eva3 sātvikāḥ4 bhāvāḥ5 rājasāḥ6
tāmasāḥ7 ca8 ye9 ye1 =
Those; bhāvāḥ5 =
states of being; sātvikāḥ4 = of virtue; eva3 = indeed; ye9 = those; rājasāḥ6 = of passion; ca2 = and; tāmasāḥ7 = of darkness; viddhi14 = know; tān13 = them; [to spring] mattaḥ10 = from Me; eva11 = indeed; iti12 = thus; tu16 = however; aham17 = I; [am] na15 = not; teṣu18 = in them;ca8 =
and; te19 = they; [are] mayi20 = in Me. 7.12 (7.12) And whatever states of being there may be, be they harmonious
(sāttvika), passionate (rājasa), slothful (tāmasa) --know thou
that they are all from Me alone. I am not in them, they are in Me. ■
The
author rejects the Sāṁkhya doctrine of the independence of prakṛti,
He asserts that everything constituted by the three guṇas is in no sense a
self-dependent essence independent of God, but springs from Him alone. While
He contains and comprehends all, they do not contain
and comprehend Him. This is the distinction between God and His creatures. They are all informed
by the Divine but
their changes do not touch the integrity of the Divine. He is not subject to
anyone else, while all things are subject to Him. |
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त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः
सर्वमिदं जगत्
। मोहितं
नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः
परमव्ययम् ॥७-
१३॥ tribhir guṇamayair
bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat tribhiḥ1 guṇamayaiḥ2 bhāvaiḥ3 ebhiḥ4 sarvam5 idam6 jagat7 idam6 =
This; sarvam5 = whole; jagat7 = universe; mohitam8 = deluded; ebhiḥ4 = by these; tribhiḥ1 = three; bhāvaiḥ3 = states of being; guṇamayaiḥ2 = made of gunas;
na9 = does not; abhijānāti10 = know; mām11 = Me; param13 = the Supreme; [and] avyayam14 = the imperishable; [different] ebhyaḥ12 = from these [gunas];
7.13 (7.I3) Deluded by these threefold modes of nature (guṇas) this whole world does not recognize
Me who am above them and imperishable. ■
S.
says that
the Supreme expresses His regret that the world does not know Him, the
Supreme Lord who is, by nature, eternal, pure, enlightened and free, the self of
all beings, devoid of attributes; by knowing whom the seed of the evil of saṁsāra
is burnt Up.1 We see the changing forms and not
the Eternal Being of which the forms are the manifestations. We see the
shifting forms as Plato's dwellers in the cave see the shadows on the wall.
But we must see the Light from which the shadows emanate. 1 evambhūtam api
parameśvaraṁ nityaśuddhabuddhamuktasvabhāvaṁ
sarvabhūtātmānaṁ, nirguṇaṁ saṁsāradoṣabījapradāhakāraṇaṁ, māṁ, nābhijānāti
jagad
ity
anukrośaṁ darśayati bhagavān. |
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दैवी
ह्येषा गुणमयी
मम माया दुरत्यया
। मामेव
ये प्रपद्यन्ते
मायामेतां तरन्ति
ते ॥७- १४॥ daivī hy
eṣā guṇamayī
mama māyā duratyayā daivī1 hi2 eṣā3 guṇa-mayī4 mama5 māyā6 duratyayā7 eṣā3 = This; daivī1 = divine; māyā6 = Maya; mama5 = of Mine;
guṇa-mayī4 = made of three gunas; [is] hi2 = indeed; duratyayā7 = inscrutable. eva9 = Certainly; ye10 =
they who; prapadyante11 = take refuge; mām8 = in Me; te15 = they; taranti14 = cross across; etām13 = this; māyām12 = Maya. 7.14 (7.14) This
divine māyā
of Mine, consisting
of the modes is hard to overcome. But those who take refuge in Me alone cross
beyond it. ■
daivī: divine.
Supernatural1 or belonging to the supreme Lord.2 ■
māyām etāṁ taranti:3 cross beyond the māyā. They cross beyond the world of māyā which is the source of delusion. ■
R.
makes out
that māyā is that which is capable of producing marvelous effects. 1alaukikī atyadbhuteti. Śrīdhara. 2 devasya jīvarūpeṇa līlayā krīḍato
mamasaṁbandhinīyam daivī.--Nīlakaṇṭha. 3 māyām
sarvabhūtamohinim
taranti, saṁsārabandhanāt mucyante. S. |
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न मां
दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः
प्रपद्यन्ते
नराधमाः । माययापहृतज्ञाना
आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः
॥७- १५॥ na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ na1 mām2 duṣkṛtinaḥ3 mūḍhāḥ4 prapadyante5 nara-adhamāḥ6 duṣkṛtinaḥ3 = The evil doers; mūḍhāḥ4 = the ignorant; [and] nara-adhamāḥ6 = the lowest among men; [who] [are] apahṛta8 = robbed of; jñānāḥ9 = wisdom; māyayā7 = by Maya; [and who] āśritāḥ12 = resort to; āsuram10 = demonic; bhāvam11 = nature; na1 =
do not; prapadyante5 = seek refuge; mām2 = in Me; 7.15 (7.I5) The
Evil doers who are foolish, low in the human scale, whose minds are carried away by illusion
and who
partake of
the nature of demons do not seek refuge in Me. ■
The
evil doers
cannot
attain to
the Supreme, for their mind and will are not instruments of the Spirit but of the ego. They do not seek to master their crude
impulses but are a prey
to the rajas and tamas in them. If we control them by the sattva in us, our action becomes ordered and enlightened and ceases to be the result of passion and ignorance. To get beyond the three guṇas, we have to attain
first the rule of sattva. We
have to become ethical, before we can become spiritual. At the
spiritual level, we cross the dualities and act in the light and strength of
the Spirit in
us. We do
not act then to gain any
personal
interest or avoid personal
suffering but only as the
instrument of the Divine. |
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Different
Kinds of Devotion चतुर्विधा
भजन्ते मां जनाः
सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन
। आर्तो
जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ
॥७- १६॥ caturvidhā bhajante
māṁ janāḥ sukṛtinorjuna caturvidhāḥ1 bhajante2 mām3 janāḥ4 sukṛtinaḥ5 arjuna6 arjuna6 =
O Arjuna; bharatarṣabha12 = the Best of Bharatas; caturvidhāḥ1 = four kinds; [of] janāḥ4 = people ; [of] sukṛtinaḥ5 = virtuous acts; bhajante2 = worship; mām3 = Me: ārtaḥ7 = the afflicted, the fallen [the
seeker of relief from affliction]; jijñāsuḥ8 = the seeker of Knowledge; arthārthī9 = the seeker of wealth; ca11 = and; jñānī10 = the seeker of Knowledge. 7.16 (7.16) The virtuous ones who worship Me are of four kinds,
the man in distress, the seeker for knowledge, the seeker for wealth and the
man of wisdom, O Lord of the Bharatas (Arjuna). ■ sukṛtinaḥ5: virtuous ones. Those who are disposed towards the
higher life on account of their past virtuous conduct.1 The
afflicted, those in distress, who have suffered losses are one class. Those who are desirous of wealth, dhanakāma (S.), who wish to improve their material position are
another. The third group are devout and upright and
wish to know the truth. They are on the right way. The fourth are the Jñānis, they who know. R.
interprets jñāna or wisdom as
devotion to one alone, ekabhakti. ■
M.B. speaks of four classes of
devotees of whom three are phalakāmā or desirous of rewards while the best are single-minded
worshippers.2 Others
ask for favors, but the sage asks nothing and
refuses nothing. He yields himself completely to the Divine, accepting
whatever is given to him. His attitude is one of selfoblivious
non-utilitarian worship of God for His own sake. I pūrvajanmasu ye kṛtapuṇyā
janāḥ. Śrīdhara. 2
caturvidhā mama janā
bhaktā evam hi me ṣrutam teṣām ekāntinaḥ śreṣṭhā ye caivanānyadevatāḥ.--Sāntiparva, 341. 33. |
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तेषां
ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त
एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते
। प्रियो
हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं
स च मम प्रियः ॥७-
१७॥ teṣāṁ jñānī
nityayukta ekabhaktir viśiṣyate teṣām1 jñānī2 nitya-yuktaḥ3 eka-bhaktiḥ4 viśiṣyate5 teṣām1 = Of them; jñānī2 =
Jnani, man of Knowledge; nitya-yuktaḥ3 = in constant union with
[Me]; eka-bhaktiḥ4 = in one-pointed devotion; viśiṣyate5 = is superior. hi7 =
Accordingly; aham11 = I; [am] atyartham10 = greatly; priyaḥ6 = dear; jñāninaḥ8 = to the man of Knowledge; ca13 = and; saḥ12 = he; [is] priyaḥ15 = dear; mama14 = to me. 7.17 (7.I7) Of these the wise
one, who
is ever in
constant
union with the Divine, whose devotion is single-minded, is the best. For I am supremely dear to him and he is dear to Me. ■
So
long as we are seekers, we are still in the world of duality but when we have attained wisdom, there is no duality. The sage unites
himself with the One Self in all. |
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उदाराः
सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी
त्वात्मैव मे
मतम् । आस्थितः
स हि युक्तात्मा
मामेवानुत्तमां
गतिम् ॥७- १८॥ udārāḥ sarva evaite jñānī tv ātmaiva me matam udārāḥ1 sarve2
eva3 ete4 jñānī5 tu6 ātma7 eva8 me9 matam10 sarve2 ete4 = All2 these4 [aforementioned four];
[are] eva3 = indeed; udārāḥ1 = noble, exalted; tu6 = but; jñānī5 = Jnani
[the seeker of knowledge]; [is] ātma7 eva8 = verily8 Myself7. [This is] me9 = My; matam10 = opinion;
hi13 =
for; saḥ12 = he; [whose] yuktātmā14 = mind is engaged; [and] āsthitaḥ11 = abiding; mām15 eva16 = in Me15 alone16; [has Me as] anuttamām17 = the unsurpassed; gatim18 = goal. 7.18 (7.18) Noble
indeed are all these but the sage, I hold, is verily Myself. For being
perfectly harmonized, he resorts to Me alone as the highest goal. ■ udārāḥ1 sarve2
eva3 ete4:
noble
indeed are all these. We pray to avoid emotional suffering (ārtaḥ),
gain practical advantages (arthārthi), obtain intellectual satisfaction
(jijñāsuḥ) or gain wisdom (jñāni).
All these are noble. Even if we pray for material things, turn prayer into a formal routine or use it as a mascot, we recognize the
reality of the religious sense. Prayer is the effort of man to reach God. It
assumes that there is an answering Presence in the world. If we ask, it shall be given to us. Through the exercise of prayer, we
kindle a light in our consciousness which shows up our silly pride, our
selfish greed, our fears and hopes. It is a means
for the building up of an integral personality, a harmony of body, mind and spirit. Slowly we feel that it is degrading to
pray for luck in life or success in examinations. We pray that we may know
the Divine and be more and more like Him. Prayer is a way of life. Slowly it becomes the practice of the
presence of God. It is jñāna, integral wisdom, divine
life. The jñāni who knows God as He is, loves God for
what He is. He lives in the Divine. God is dear to him as he is dear to God.
While the first three types
attempt to
use God according to their ideas, the knowers belong to God to be used according to His will. Therefore they are the best of
them all. It is possible
that, when we are in deep
distress, we may pray with such single-heartedness and intensity, to
be relieved of our agony. If such a prayer be
answered, it
may be
thwarting the purpose of God which we are unable to see in our blindness. The
jñāni, however, has the purity of heart and singleness of will to see
the plan of God and ask for its realization. "Thy will, not mine, be done." |
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बहूनां
जन्मनामन्ते
ज्ञानवान्मां
प्रपद्यते । वासुदेवः
सर्वमिति स महात्मा
सुदुर्लभः ॥७-
१९॥ bahūnāṁ janmanām
ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate bahūnām1 janmanām2 ante3 jñānavān4 mām5 prapadyate6 ante3 =
At the end; bahūnām1 = of many;
janmanām2 =
births; jñānavān4 = man of wisdom; prapadyate6 = takes refuge [in], arrive [at], resort; mām5 = to Me; vāsudevaḥ7 = Vasudeva. iti9 = As you know; [Vasudeva is] sarvam8 = all; saḥ10 = he; [who knows Me as such is] mahātmā11 = a great soul; [who is] su-durlabhaḥ12 = difficult to be obtained. 7.19 (7.I9) At
the end of many lives" the man of wisdom resorts to Me. knowing that
Vāsudeva (the Supreme) is all that is. Such a great soul is very
difficult to find. ■ bahūnām1 janmanām2 ante3: at the end of many lives. The
realization of the truth is a work of ages. One cannot expect to obtain the
reward until one has sounded well the depths of experience in its varied complexity, and all
this takes time. God lets the plant grow at its own pace. It takes nine months to make a
natural baby and it will take a much longer time to make a spiritual
one. The
total transformation of nature is a long process. ■
vāsudevaḥ7 sarvam8: Vasudeva
is all. Vasudeva is the lord of the life which dwells in all.1 God is all in virtue of His two
natures. ■
R.
means by this phrase that "Vasudeva is my all." It refers to God's
imperishable majesty felt by the devotee who is humble and trustful. God is all
while we are nothing. Like everything else, man cannot exist without God also
existing at the same time. We trustfully resign ourselves to His hands
confessing that He is all. It
is a consciousness of humility towards God who is everything
and who truly is. ■
"Vāsudeva
is the cause of all." Madhva. ■
Other
forms of entreaty and prayer are not without their value. They have their
reward. 1 vasati sarvasmin
iti vāsuḥ, tasya devaḥ. |
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कामैस्तैस्तैर्हृतज्ञानाः
प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः
। तं तं नियममास्थाय
प्रकृत्या नियताः
स्वया ॥७- २०॥ kāmais tais tair hṛtajñānāḥ
prapadyantenyadevatāḥ kāmaiḥ1 taiḥ
taiḥ2 hṛta-jñānāḥ3 prapadyante4 anya5 devatāḥ6 [They] hṛta-jñānāḥ3 =
shorn of wisdom; [and subject to] taiḥ taiḥ2 = many disparate; kāmaiḥ1 = desires prapadyante4 = take refuge; [in] anya5 = other; devatāḥ6 = gods; [and] niyatāḥ11 = restrained; svayā12 = by their own; prakṛtyā10 = nature; āsthāya9 = perform; tam tam7 = appropriate or respective; niyamam8 = rites. 7.20 (7.20) But those whose minds are distorted by desires resort to
other gods, observing various rites, constrained by their own natures. |
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यो यो यां
यां तनुं भक्तः
श्रद्धयार्चितुमिच्छति
। तस्य तस्याचलां
श्रद्धां तामेव
विदधाम्यहम्
॥७- २१॥ yo
yo yāṁ yāṁ tanuṁ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitum
icchati yaḥ yaḥ1 yām yām2 tanum3 bhaktaḥ4 śraddhayā5 arcitum6 icchati7 yaḥ yaḥ1 = Whatever; yām yām2 = whichever; tanum3 = form of a deity; bhaktaḥ4 = a votary; icchati7= wants; arcitum6 = to worship; śraddhayā5 = with faith; aham14 = I; vidadhāmi13 = reinforce; tām11 = that; eva12 = very; acalām9 = steady; śraddhām10 = faith; [in] tasya tasya8 = such and such a
person; 7.21 (7.2I) Whatever form any devotee with faith wishes to worship,
I make that faith of his steady. ■
The
Supreme Lord confirms the faith of each and grants the rewards each seeks. Exactly
as far as the soul has risen in its struggle does God stoop to meet it. Even seers who were so profoundly contemplative
as Gautama the Buddha and S.
did not
repudiate the popular belief in gods. They were conscious of the inexpressibility of the Supreme Godhead as well as the
infinite number of possible manifestations. Every surface derives its soil
from the depths even as every shadow reflects the nature of the substance.
Besides, all worship elevates. No matter what we revere, so long as our reverence
is serious, it helps progress. |
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स तया श्रद्धया
युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते
। लभते च
ततः कामान्मयैव
विहितान्हि तान्
॥७- २२॥ sa tayā
śraddhayā yuktas
tasyārādhanam īhate saḥ1 tayā2 śraddhayā3 yuktaḥ4 tasya5 ārādhanam6 īhate7 saḥ1 =
He; yuktaḥ4 =endowed; tayā2 = with that; śraddhayā3 faith; [in] tasya5 = that [diety]; īhate7= puts in the effort; [and] ārādhanam6 = worships; ca9 = and; labhate8 = gets; kāmān11 = desired results; tataḥ10 = from that [deity]; tān15 = that, which; vihitān13 = [are] bestowed; hi14 = indeed; mayā eva12 = by Me alone; 7.22 (7.22) Endowed with that faith, he seeks the propitiation
of such a one and from him he 0btains his desires, the benefits being decreed
by Me alone. ■
All
forms are forms of the One Supreme; their worship is the worship of the
Supreme; the giver of all rewards is the Supreme.1Śrīdhara. 1 sarvā api devatā mamaiva
mūrtayaḥ tad ārādhanam api vastuto mamārādhanam eva, tat tat phaladātāpi· ca'hameva. |
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अन्तवत्तु
फलं तेषां तद्भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्
। देवान्देवयजो
यान्ति मद्भक्ता
यान्ति मामपि
॥७- २३॥ antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty
alpamedhasām antavat1 tu2 phalam3 teṣām4 tat5 bhavati6 alpa-medhasām7 tu2 =
But; tat5 = that; phalam3 = fruit; teṣām4 = of theirs;
bhavati6 =
becomes; antavat1 = perishable; [for] alpa-medhasām7 = ignoramuses, the ones
with little intelligence. deva-yajaḥ9 =
The worshippers of gods; yānti10 = go; devān8 = to the gods. madbhaktāḥ11 = My votaries; yānti12 = go; mām13 = to Me; api14 = alone 7.23 (7.23) But temporary is the fruit gained by these men of small
minds. The worshippers of the gods go to the gods but My devotees come to Me. ■ As the Transcendent Divine cannot be
known easily we resort to aspects of the Supreme and offer our worship. We
realize the results we seek, for the Supreme is patient with our imperfect vision.
He accepts our prayers and answers them at the level at which we approach
Him. No devotion is worthless. Gradually even the illiterate devotee will seek his highest good in the Divine and grow into it. Those who rise to the worship of
the Transcendent Godhead which embraces and transcends all aspects realize and attain to the
highest state, integral in being, perfect in knowledge, absolute in love and
complete in will.
All other
goods are partial and limited and have a meaning only at lower levels of development. |
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The
Power of Ignorance अव्यक्तं
व्यक्तिमापन्नं
मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः
। परं भावमजानन्तो
ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम्
॥७- २४॥ avyaktaṁ vyaktim
āpannaṁ manyante
mām abuddhayaḥ avyaktam1 vyaktim2 āpannam3 manyante4 mām5 abuddhayaḥ6 abuddhayaḥ6 = Ignoramuses; [are] ajānantaḥ9 = are unknowing of; mama10 = My; param7 = supreme; avyayam11 = immutable; anuttamam12 = incomparable; bhāvam8 = state; manyante4 = think; mām5 = of Me; [as] avyaktam1 = the unmanifest; āpannam3 = having become; vyaktim2 = manifest. 7.24 (7.24) Men of no understanding think of Me, the
unmanifest, as having manifestation, not knowing My higher nature, changeless
and supreme. ■
The
forms we impose on the Formless are due to our limitations. We turn away from the contemplation
of Ultimate Reality to concentrate upon imaginative reconstructions. All gods
except the One Unmanifest Eternal are forms imposed on Him. God is not one
among many.
He is the
One behind the ever changing many, who stands beyond all forms, the immutable center of endless
mobility. |
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नाहं
प्रकाशः सर्वस्य
योगमायासमावृतः
। मूढोऽयं
नाभिजानाति लोको
मामजमव्ययम्
॥७- २५॥ nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ
sarvasya yogamāyāsamāvṛtaḥ na1 aham2 prakāśaḥ3 sarvasya4 yoga-māyā5 samāvṛtaḥ6 aham2 =
I; samāvṛtaḥ6 = covered by; yoga-māyā5 =
creative power; na1 = do not; prakāśaḥ3 = manifest; sarvasya4 = to all. ayam8 = This; mūḍhaḥ7 = deluded and foolish; lokaḥ11 = world; na9 = does not; abhijānāti10 = know; mām12 = Me; [as] ajam13 = unborn; [and] avyayam14 =
imperishable. 7.25 (7.25) Veiled
by My creative power (Yogamāyā) I am not revealed to all. This bewildered
world knows Me not, the unborn, the unchanging. ■
yoga:
S.
means by it union of the three guṇas:
for Madhusūdana it
is saṁkalpa
or will. The
Supreme is not only in the world but beyond it, We mistake Him for this or
that limited form. ■
Cp, Bhāgavata: "O
Lord, All
pervading Supreme Self, Lord of Yoga, who is there in the three worlds, who can
penetrate Thy mystery, know where, when, in what manner and in how many forms Thou engagest Thyself in sport ?"1 Only Pure Being is unmanifest, everything else belongs to
the world of manifestation. 1
ko vetti bhūman bhagavan parātman yogeśvarotīr bhavatas
trilokyām kva vā
kathaṁ vā kati vā kadeti vistārayan, krīḍasi.
yogamāyām. |
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वेदाहं
समतीतानि वर्तमानानि
चार्जुन । भविष्याणि
च भूतानि मां तु
वेद न कश्चन ॥७-
२६॥ vedāhaṁ samatītāni
vartamānāni cārjuna veda1 aham2 samatītāni3 vartamānāni4 ca5 arjuna6 arjuna6 =
O Arjuna; aham2 = I; veda1 = know; samatītāni3 = the erstwhile dead [and from
the past]; vartamānāni4 = the present; ca5 = and; ca8 = also; bhaviṣyāṇi7 = the future; bhūtāni9 = beings; tu11 = but; na13 kaścana14 = no one; veda12 =
knows; mām10 = Me. 7.26 (7.26) I know
the beings that are past, that are present, O Arjuna, and that are to come but Me no one knows. |
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इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन
द्वन्द्वमोहेन
भारत । सर्वभूतानि
संमोहं सर्गे
यान्ति परन्तप
॥७- २७॥ icchādveṣasamutthena dvandvamohena
bhārata iccha1 dveṣa2 samutthena3 dvandva4 mohena5 bhārata6 iccha1 =
Desire; [and] dveṣa2 = hate; samutthena3 = rise from; dvandva4 = dual nature; [of] mohena5 = delusion; bhārata6 = O Bharata. sarva7 = All; bhūtāni8 = beings; yānti11 = become; sammoham9 = subject to delusion; sarge10 = at the time of birth; parantapa12 = O Parantapa
7.27 (7.27) All beings are born to delusion
O Bharata (Arjuna), overcome by the dualities which arise from wish and
hate, o Conqueror of the foe (Arjuna). |
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येषां
त्वन्तगतं पापं
जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम्
। ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता
भजन्ते मां दृढव्रताः
॥७- २८॥ yeṣāṁ tv antagataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ
puṇyakarmaṇām yeṣām1 tu2 (7.28) But those men of virtuous deeds in whom sin has
come to an end (who have died to sin), freed from the delusion of dualities,
worship Me steadfast in their vows. ■
Sin
is not the
violation
of a law or a convention but the central source of all finiteness, ignorance,
the assertion of the independence of the ego which seeks its own private gain
at the expense of others. When this sin is renounced,
when this ignorance is overcome, our life is spent in the service of the One
in all. In the process, devotion deepens and knowledge
of God increases until it reaches the vision of the One Self everywhere. That
is the life eternal, release from birth and death. Tukārām says: "The self within me now is
dead
And thou enthroned in its stead
Yea, this I, Tuka, testify" No longer now is 'me' or 'my',"1 1Macnicol: Psalms of the Maratha
Saints (1919), p. 79. |
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जरामरणमोक्षाय
मामाश्रित्य
यतन्ति ये । ते ब्रह्म
तद्विदुः कृत्स्नमध्यात्मं
कर्म चाखिलम्
॥७- २९॥ jarāmaraṇamokṣāya mām
āśritya yatanti
ye jarā1 ye7 (7.29) Those
who take refuge in Me and strive for deliverance from old age and death, they
know the Brahman (or Absolute) entire (they know) the Self and all about
action. adhyātmam is the reality underlying the
individual self.1 1 pratyagatmaviṣayam vastu, S. |
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साधिभूताधिदैवं
मां साधियज्ञं
च ये विदुः । प्रयाणकालेऽपि
च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः
॥७- ३०॥ sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ ca ye viduḥ sa-adhibhūta1 adhidaivam2 mām3 sa-adhiyajñam4 ca5 ye6 viduḥ7 ye6 =
They who; viduḥ7= know; mām3 = Me; sa-adhibhūta1 = on physical plane; adhidaivam2 = on divine plane; ca5 = and; sa-adhiyajñam4 = on sacrificial plane; ca11 = and; te13 = they;
api10 =
even; viduḥ14 = know; mām12 = Me; [with their] yukta-cetasaḥ15 = mind meditating on Me; prayāṇa8 kāle9 = at the time9 of death8. 7.30 (7.30) Those
who know Me as the One that governs the material and the divine aspects, and
all sacrifices, they, with their minds harmonized,
have knowledge of
Me even at
the time of their departure (from here). ■
We
are not asked to remember at the time of departure certain speculative
doctrines, but to know Him in all aspects, trust Him and worship Him. ■
Certain
new terms are used and Arjuna in the next chapter asks for their
explanations. The Supreme is to be known not only in
Itself but also in Its manifestations in nature, in objective and subjective
phenomena, in the principle of works and sacrifice. The teacher explains them
all briefly in the next chapter. Iti… jñāna vijñānayogo
nāma saptamo 'dhyāyaḥ This is the seventh chapter entitled The Yoga of Wisdom and
Knowledge. |