THE SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA

NOTE FOR THE READERS

After reading Srimad Bhagavad Gita for a couple of times I developed a fondness for it –you will feel it too. But I felt the meaning continued to differ every time I read it. There is no doubt that a devotee like Arjuna was able to grasp its essence for the first time itself, after all, he was a devoted Karma Yogi. Therefore, it is very natural that we will face problems in understanding it. Turning every time to a different source for comprehending its essence can also be one reason for not being able to understand it. Hence, these miscomprehensions created a strong impetus within me to compile Gita’s essence in plain prose. In chapter number eighteen of the Bhagavad Gita; Lord Krishna has stated the value of imparting this supreme knowledge to fellow men. On remembering that, all doubts vanished away and my mind became steady, so without any commentary from my side, I wrote it in simple prose. I hope that the readers will be able to align to its meaning according to their needs.

तत्क्षमयेत्त्क्म्मयेहप्मयेमेयमये्तमयेह

Krishna Chandra Shukla

NOTE OF THE PUBLISHER OF THIS TRANSLATION:

Sri Krishna Chandra Shukla, who happened to be a nephew of the great scholar and sadhaka Sri Gopinath Kaviraj, wrote this beautiful summary in Hindi many years ago and encouraged the readers to give it freely to others. It was reprinted and distributed to hundreds of devotees, and lovers of the Gita. But its circulation was restricted only to the Hindi-speaking people. This is a humble effort of making it available to larger audiences worldwide.

The Bhagavad Gita of 700 slokas has been commented on by many saints of India. Those who study the Gita soon find that there are many repetitions over the 18 chapters. This small booklet avoids those repetitions as much as possible and gives the crux of the essential nectar extracted in a unique way that does not leave out any important teaching of Lord Krishna. One special feature in this booklet is a unique diagram of creation and the evolution of souls in the cycles of creation. It is very thought-provoking.

Modern man does not find time for reading the entire Gita on a regular basis. It is hoped that he will be able to do so by just reading these 25 pages at least once in a week, or once a month.

This work was done by two sweet devotees of ParamahansaYoganandaji. May they be blessed and inspired to follow these teachings to the end of their lives.

This e-version is being brought out on Gita Jayanti Day, 25^th of December, 2020. May Lord Krishna bless us all.

OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA!

 IMPORTANCE OF BHAGAVAD GITA

Srimad Bhagavad Gita is like the holy Ganges flowing out of God’s mouth. It is described as the butter of all scriptures. By reading and understanding it, one receives peace and satisfaction in their mind. Besides, that one feels motivated to do good actions and does not feel discouraged on not receiving the fruit of actions. One’s virtues grow and vices fade away. In solely reading Gita repeatedly and absorbing oneself in the service of Lord Krishna one is sure to receive salvation.

SRI BHAGAVAD GITA

On the eve of the war of Mahabharata, when Arjuna stood at the point between the two armies beholding all those relatives arrayed before him, he got trapped in the web of delusion and attachment. Arjuna’s mind started picking holes with the idea of slaying his own kinsmen in the battle. Problems such as 1) annihilation of the clan 2) annihilation of the age-old religious rites of the clan 3) annihilation of time-old rites (dharma) of the caste 4)corruption of clan women by adultery resulting from destruction of men 5) adultery producing admixture of castes whose offspring are being devoid of family religious rites are consigned to reside in hell along with the family itself. After telling these to Lord Krishna, Arjuna declared that he will not fight the war and flung away his bow and arrow.

GYAN YOGA (Knowledge of the Self)

The grief-stricken Arjuna, who was ensnared in the web of attachment and delusion, was addressed by the Lord who said that it was his ignorance that had overwhelmed him with pity. In this hour of peril, he must forsake weak-heartedness. But Arjuna was overwhelmed with pity at the thought of slaying his beloved grandfather Bhishma and other revered teachers like Drona. He was experiencing cowardice. Therefore, he took refuge in the Lord and pleaded for divine guidance again.

Then the blessed Lord said to the lamenting Arjuna, that you only utter words of wisdom but follow them not, as the truly wise mourn neither for those who are living nor for those who have passed away. O Arjuna, the death of the body does not kill its soul. It is like passing from childhood to youth to old age. The soul acquires another body, only the body is perishable, not the individual soul.Just as a person changes his worn-out clothes and wears ‘new ones’, similarly the soul leaves the old body and takes on a new one.

To further elaborate on the concept of soul and the physical body the Lord said that even though his Absolute Self is made of the same element yet it is known by different names such as Brahman, Para-Brahma, Purshotamma, Paramatma, ParamaAkshar, Shiva, Mahakaletc. This Supreme Spirit is Immutable and remains within and without all that exists, the animate and the inanimate, and is beyond all tenets of truth and untruth. It is also known by other names, such as Allah, Onkar, God, and so on.

Para-Brahma’s one part is Brahma which manifests itself in three forms as Nirgun-sakaar (with form but beyond qualities) Sagun-nirakaar(with qualities but without form) and Sagun-sakaar (with both form and qualities). (It is at this level that Krishna, Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh exist)

On the third level, this Brahma part is divided into two more principles which are Purusha(Spirit) and Prakriti(Nature).These are called by other names like Para- Purusha(the Supreme Spirit), Para-Prakriti(higher level of Nature), Apara-Prakriti(lower level of Nature), matter-consciousness, body-soul etc. This Prakriti or Nature aspect is also known as Maya (delusion) or Shakti (Cosmic Energy, the feminine power of God)

Out of these two, the conscious aspect (the soul) is always directly attached to Brahma whereas the root or material aspect (the ego) only appears to be distinct from Brahma but in reality, it is not.

It is through the merging of both of these aspects of matter and consciousness, that a person experiences various objects of senses. It is the ‘ego consciousness’ in the subtle body that experiences the sensory objects and makes such experiences of the sensory world possible. Even though it may seem that the ‘ego’ and ‘soul’ aspects are different from each other, in reality, they both are part of the same Absolute Spirit, Brahma, similar to the unity of the pot and the space in it. It is the subjectivity of experience which traps the ‘consciousness’ aspect into the delusion of being the ‘doer’ which then remains entrapped in this creation life after life.

Then the Lord said that this ‘soul’ cannot be pierced by a weapon nor can it be consumed by fire. Hence, the soul, being eternal, is unchangeable. The ‘soul’ cannot be understood by senses, mind, or intellect. Only a great sage can fully experience it.

Further, the Lord said that, O Arjuna, know that my Prakritihas threefold nature or qualities (gunas). The three gunas of manifestation are – sattva(purity), rajas (passion- energetic), and tamas(inertia). Because this entire creation projects threefold nature in its different aspects. The elements which arise out of this are : 1) Ahamkara(Ego- consciousness) 2) Buddhi(discriminative intelligence) 3) Manas(sensory mind ) 4) the five cosmic elements (earth,water, fire ,air, ether) 5) five tanmatras or subtle objects of the senses, 6) five instruments of knowledge 7) five instruments of activity. Similarly all other emotions such as likes and dislikes, pleasure and pain, happiness and sadness take form. Hence, these  are also affected by three qualities. Therefore, all the aspects of creation be it visible-invisible, animate-inanimate , creatures and communities etc are generated by this Nature , thus all portray these triple modes of creation.

The experience of subjectivities the ‘ego-consciousness’ is born when the root part ‘ego’ and the conscious part ‘soul’ (even though always delinked) seem to be merged in each other. Then the Lord said that He manifests through: instruments of activities, instruments of knowledge, mind, intellect, ego and soul (awareness of real Self) which are all more powerful than their grosser counterparts. Contacts of the senses with their objects of hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell gets them attracted to those objects.

This is the innate nature of the qualities of the senses. This is what is called dwelling, or identification, roaming of the senses in their objects, or of the gunas in themselves.

The controller of the five senses is the ‘sense mind’ which guides these senses to engage in the material world of insatiable longings. Here, delusion reminds one repeatedly of the pleasure received by earlier engrossments so that it stays in this loop of desire and delusion. It is the power of the ‘discriminate intelligence’ that counsels the sense mind to discipline the senses and then destroy desire which is the annihilator of wisdom. This discriminatory power also keeps receiving guidance from the ‘soul’. If the discriminatory power gets dominated by the sense mind and sense mind in turn comes under the sway of the five senses and allows these senses follow their own way then that discrimination becomes rajasic(passionate) and tamasic(inertial) natures.

Whereas, if it becomes sattvic(pure) then it enlightens the soul in regard to the distinction between ‘consciousness’ and ‘ego’ being  separate from each other. In reality the threefold nature of Prakritiis not only ever prevalent in the creation but is also engaged in actively performing actions to keep the creation going. Therefore the ‘soul’ is not the ‘doer’ but only an ‘observer.’

Selfless Karma Yoga

Lord Krishna started giving Arjuna a discourse on Karma Yoga after seeing him ready for the war.He Had finally understood that duty is higher than the result of the war and he should fight the war regardless of victory or failure . On following the path of wisdom, one  breaks the bonds of the soul (which is only an appearance of bondage), and fully realizes the real nature of the ‘soul’ thus receiving moksha or liberation. But it is not easy to stay steadily in that state of liberation. It is only after repeated practice  that some great yogis are able to attain this steady liberated state. Consequently, the  actions performed by this liberated sage are not only free from ego-consciousness but are also inspired by discriminative intelligence of the soul. They are motivated only by sattvic qualities and are always done for the welfare of the society.

O Arjuna, both Gyan Yoga and Karma Yoga lead to divine union where the former leads through wisdom and the latter through right activity. Only the pathways are different; the end goal remains  the same. On the path of Karma yoga, of foremost importance is the steadiness of intuitive discrimination. This steady wisdom does not get tempted even by the pleasures of heaven, such is this state of even mindedness.

Therefore the actions performed in this steady state go beyond the effect of virtue and vice and one becomes indifferent to happiness and sorrow ,profit and loss, triumph and failure. Therefore,  Arjuna you too forsake attachment by becoming indifferent to the resultant success or failure of the war.

Thus, one should remain focused on the path of action and never on the resultant fruit . While performing actions one should neither be bothered with pleasing mankind nor with satisfying his own material desires. One has the right for activity only, never for the resultant fruit. But O Arjuna, one can only follow this path of Karma Yoga when one attains mental evenness and does not get bewildered by the variety of revealed truths.Hence, a devoted Karma Yogi who follows this path is sure to attain liberation.

Further, the Lord answered regarding the qualities of a man of steady wisdom. Hesaid that when a man completely relinquishes all desires of mind, and is entirely contended within his soul-awareness, only then he can be considered to be settled in wisdom. This man’s consciousness is not shaken by likes or dislikes, pleasure or pain, fear or wrath. Just like a tortoise withdraws its limbs, he also fully retires his senses from the objects of perception. He not only relinquishes the object of desires but also the cravings for those objects. So, O Arjuna, such a desire-less yogi finally gets established in Brahman.

PROBLEMS

Lord Krishna said that this kind of steady wisdom is hard to attain because the restless senses do not allow the fickle mind to attain stability. On recalling the pleasures received through fulfilment of previous desires, leads one to fall in the trap of attachment. Then brooding on these sense objects causes attachment, attachment breeds craving, craving breeds anger, anger breeds delusion; delusion breeds loss of memory. It is this loss of memory which ultimately causes destruction of wisdom thus leading men into ignorance. But a man of self-control is not trapped in delusion even if he roams among material objects. It is only the unstable mind which remains restless. He does not harbour belief in God, nor does he have faith or devotion.

As a boat on the waters is carried off course by a gale, so an individual’s discrimination is driven from its intended path when the mind succumbs to the wandering senses. These senses are not one but five in number, so one can imagine the kind of pull they have on the sense mind. It is only the stable minded who is able to absorb all desires within, like a brimful ocean which remains unmoved (unchanged) by waters entering into it. By repetitive practice and dispassion one can attain this state of equilibrium in oneself and with time it becomes one’s natural state which finally leads  to liberation.

Arjuna asked Lord Krishna that out of the two paths that he told (Karma and Gyana), which one will lead to the highest good. On this Lord replied that both paths lead to one goal of liberation only and he further explained how right actions are indispensable. Lord said O Arjuna, no one can stay for even a moment without working; all are indeed compelled to perform actions. The activities of the mind like thoughts and memory are ever going on. But O Arjuna, if one subdues his senses outwardly only but inwardly he continually broods over objects of his deprivation which may prove useful in the initial period of his sadhana, but if he practices the same in the latter period also, then he is said to be a hypocrite, who is deluding himself. Because, along with the subjugation of the senses, control and steadiness of mind should also be practiced.

O Arjuna, one should perform those actions that are obligatory like rituals and occupational duties. One who performs his dutiful God-ordained actions in the spirit of selflessness and non-attachment, is free from karmic effects of actions. Prajapati (Brahma as Creator) who made mankind in the very beginning also commanded to perform Yajnas i.e . fire-ceremonies. It is through these yajnasthat men and devas help each other. Accepting anything without being grateful for it is a theft, a sin. See,how the origin of everything goes back to God, all beings  from food, food from rain and rain from sacrificial rite, action from Vedas and Vedas have originated from God. One should follow and act according to this sequence of creation. But for one who is always one with his soul and is contented in the soul alone, for him no duty exists. Therefore, O Arjuna, follow the path of Karma and fight the war. By following the path of right action alone, Janaka and others like him reached perfection. What the superior persons and leaders do, others follow them . Nothing in this world is unattainable for Me, but I still keep on performing action so that others also similarly follow Me.

Miserable are those who perform actions for their fruits and think of themselves to be the doers of actions. A wise man should not take these things lightly and should avoid doing actions for their fruits alone. The ignorant should be motivated not by words but actions of the enlightened men to work selflessly without any expectation of fruits.. Both the ignorant and the wise act according to their own nature and can try to be detached from the fruits of actions. Such effort and practice must go on. O Arjuna, during the experience of union of senses with the objects of senses, rag and dwesh (likes and dislikes) are generated, which hinder one from attaining salvation. One must overcome likes and dislikes and do one’s God-ordained duty with equanimity.

Further, Arjuna questioned Lord Krishna to understand what it is by which man is compelled, as it were, even against his will, to perform evil.

To this the Lord answered that the root cause of compulsive action is desire and anger, which originate from the RajoGuna(the activating quality). This desire is man’s greatest enemy. Desires are like unquenchable fires that absorb everything within it. As a mirror gets covered by dust, or smoke gets cover by ash, the same way the wisdom gets concealed by this desire. O Arjuna, the senses, mind and intellect are also the habitats of this desire, through which it traps the soul with delusion and ignorance. Therefore first discipline the senses, and the mind, then with the purified intellect destroy this enemy of desire, the annihilator of wisdom. The mind is superior to the senses and superior to mind is intellect but beyond it is the ‘soul’ which is even more superior to the intellect. Thus, by cognizing the Self as superior to the intelligence, and disciplining the ego by the soul one can annihilate this foe of desire.

LORD KRISHNA AS GOD

The Lord said to Arjuna that he first gave this knowledge to Vivasvat (the sun-god) who passed it to Manu (the Hindu law-giver) from where it further got disseminated to sages henceforth. But this knowledge got lost with time. To this Arjuna responded with suspicion that isn’t your birth of now? Then the Supreme Lord said that O Arjuna I am myself the Absolute Spirit, which is unborn and hence changeless of Essence. By using the illusionary power of my Prakriti; I keep reappearing again and again.

Whenever virtue (dharma) declines and vice (adharma) predominates, I incarnate as an Avatar .In visible form I appear from age to age to protect the virtuous and destroy evildoers in order to re-establish righteousness.

After describing  the path of Karma and Yoga, the blessed Lord started the explananing  the path of devotion, he said that whosoever is able to even get a glimpse of his Divine Manifestation is sure to receive salvation. O Arjuna, in whatever way people are devoted to Me, in that measure I manifest myself to them. Men desiring success of their actions here on earth adore the gods (various ideals) also attain the desired result. So all men in every manner (of seeking Me), pursue the path of Me.

O Arjuna, it is imperative to perform yajna(fire ceremony) on the path of karma yoga but the most pious yajna is that in which the doer, fire, and offering, everything is considered as Brahma. The result of this Brahma yajna will be attainment of Brahma Himself. Other ceremonies include self-restraint, mind control, donations, worshipping deities, pranayama, self-study and study of scriptures etc. There are many types of ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas and scriptures, which should be learned to become disciples of the wise ones.

The best are yajna of chanting and yajna of wisdom . O Arjuna, all karma-yajna, and even the greatest sins get consumed in this fire of wisdom. A man of equanimity and devotion attains the state of final liberation immediately through the path of wisdom whereas those who are without devotion and of doubtful mind do not receive any happiness or peace at all.

Therefore you must keep aside all kinds of doubts and follow the path of action thus fight the war. O Arjuna, even though these two paths (of action and wisdom) are different but both of them lead to salvation. Yes, the path of action is easier but it is also essential because it is not possible to attain the state of inaction without first following the path of action .O Arjuna, a Karma Yogi performs all his actions by renouncing all types of attachment from it, with equanimity, whereas for the Gyan Yogi perceives himself to be doing nothing –even though he sees, hears, touches, smells, eats, moves, sleeps, breathes etc–having realized that it is the senses that work amid sense objects. The God-united devotee abandons fruits of actions and attains the peace unshakable whereas the one ruled by desires and attachment remains in bondage. O Arjuna, the Lord  does not perform his actions in creation with attachment to them but it is in a detached way that he is able to run this creation. All the creatures, their actions and the effects of their actions all are generated by the effect of His three gunas (qualities) of Prakriti (Nature). It is  due to ignorance that one becomes estranged from his own soul and God, thus feeling himself to be the doer of actions. But whose ignorance of this delusion is banished becomes firmly situated in God’s presence. Thus this sage beholds with an equal eye for a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and an outcaste. This illumined one thus having attained even- mindedness experiences an ever new joy in divine bliss.

O Arjuna, the pleasures of the senses, mind, and intellect are momentary. When they come to an end, they give rise to sorrow. Therefore, a truly happy man possesses bliss within himself in his soul. He is rooted firmly in divine bliss. By fixing his gaze at the middle of the eyebrows and by neutralizing the currents of prana(inhalation) and apana(exhalation) in the nostrils, such a muni (united with one) wins complete emancipation. Having merged his consciousness in God, he becomes free from all bondage.

BHAKTI YOGA

The Lord now moved further to start his discourse on Bhakti Yoga which is the union of soul in Spirit through devotion. The Lord said that this path of devotion to God (of surrendering everything to God) is easier to both Gyan Yoga (of wisdom born out of inaction) and Karma Yoga (of relinquishment of fruits). On this path every action  is surrendered  to God. One part of  Bhakti Yoga is to devotedly serve God in all  His different forms. Even before acting, to consider the action as God’s will, and then to carry it out, is the second form of BhaktiYoga.

While performing the activity and after the activity is done, the devotee surrenders the action as well as the fruit of the action back to Lord is the third form of this Bhakti Yoga.

The Lord said O Arjuna, one who worships Me with form and qualities (Sagun- Sakaar) is the best of devotees. One who worships Me as formless attains Me only, but worshipping the formless is rather difficult than the worshipping the manifested form. These devotees have their mind always concentrated in Me, they sing and listen to songs of My praises, and see me everywhere. All their attention is focused on pleasing Me.

Therefore, this devotee follows all the dharma’s and does everything with the desire to please the Lord .So all his actions are done with goodwill for everyone and through his righteous activity he serves the mankind. This selfless devotion leads him to salvation just like the devotees on the path of Karma Yoga and Gyan Yoga.

O Arjuna, you should also immerse your mind in me by surrendering all your actions to me and thus fight the war. If you’re not able to do this type of devotion than you must choose the path of activity which is your dharma as a Kshatriya.

O Arjuna, there are four types of devotees .Some do devotion to end their suffering and to attain increasing happiness. I too do my part in partially granting their desires. Some do devotion out of curiosity for wisdom and by my grace they become knowledgeable devotees. These knowledge seekers are extremely dear to Me and they attain Me in the end. O Arjuna steadfast devotee, who is constantly meditating, goes beyond all qualities of rage, happiness, greed, sorrow. Even a sinner who constantly seeks Me with devotion and sincere repentance; I save him. I am a shelter to all devotees. It is only an unconditional seeker, who works solely to please Me. I fulfil all his needs without his asking for them. O Arjuna, I advise you again to take shelter in me and I will free you from all the cause-effects of your karmas.

DIVINE QUALITIES (GUNAS)

The Blessed Lord further explained about the divine and demonic qualities. Those persons endowed with the divine qualities are themselves essentially liberated. They are not bound by karma and having attained Me, they are freed from the karmic cycles of birth and death. But, O Arjuna, those who are filed with the demonic qualities get sent to the lower astral worlds (hell) and then are reborn in lower species again and again.

O Arjuna, basically men receive these divine and demonic traits also through the karma of their past reincarnations. If a man follows the virtuous path, with devotion and perseverance he too becomes free from bondage . Through practice of  self-effort, good company and by my blessings he too receives divine qualities. Lust, anger, greed –these constitute the threefold gates of hell leading to the destruction of the soul's welfare. Only by abandoning these three, he attains the divine qualities. O Arjuna, it is not easy to understand the deep workings of karma. Therefore, one should not work in accordance with the dictates of the limited faculties of the mind and intellect; he should rather take the scriptures as a guide in determining what should be done and what should be avoided. Consequently, following this, the mind becomes pure and manifests divine qualities. But he who ignores the scriptural command and follows his own desires can lead to  good or righteous as well as bad or unrighteous deeds, according to his faith.

Thy Lord explained the twenty-six ennobling qualities which are as follows:

1. Fearlessness means faith in God: Faith in his protection.
2. Purity of heart means that the heart or chitta should not be influenced from the distortions of attachment and repulsion to sense objects.
3. Steadfastness in seeking wisdom and in practicing yoga is essential in reaching liberation.
4. Almsgiving expands the consciousness as unselfishness and generosity link the soul to the presence of God within all other souls.
5. Self-restraint is the power to control the senses when excited by the pleasant sensations of sight, hearing, smell, taste, ortouch.
6. Religious rites : A devotee , according to his state of development, may perform the symbolic traditional outward rites of pouring clarified butter into fire, or the mental rite of burning wrong desires in the flames of wisdom.
7. Right study of scriptures leads to emancipation as a true devotee does not suffer with mental indigestion as does one gorges himself on scriptural lore without understanding its meaning and without assimilating it into his life.
8. Self-discipline includes celibacy, restraint of appetite, and various methods of training the body to withstand cold, heat and other discomforts without the usual mental agitation.
9. Straightforwardness is a quality of an honourable man. The aspiring devotee strives to be free from guile and crookedness and regains the sahaja or natural state of his true being he makes himself as open and candid as thesun.
10. Non-injury is referred to as “virtue entire” in the Mahabharata. It is the avoidance of harm to any living creature in thought or deed.
11. Truth is the foundation of the universe. By honouring the principle of truth in his thoughts , speech and actions , a devotee puts himself in tune with creation and with theCreator.
12. Absence of wrath is the quickest way to peace of mind as anger is caused by the obstruction of one’s desire therefore a desireless man has no anger.
13. Renunciation is the wise path trod by the devotee who willingly gives up the lesser sense pleasures thus clearing the ground for the manifestation of soul qualities.
14. Peace is a divine quality in which one is free from any mental state of upheaval.
15. Absence of fault-finding and calumny hastens one’s spiritual evolution by freeing the mind from concentration on the weakness of others to focus wholly on the full- time job of bettering oneself.
16. Compassion towards all beings is necessary for divine realization, for God himself is overflowing with this quality.
17. Non-covetousness, absence of greed, is possessed by one who has mastered his senses and hence harbors no desires for gross pleasures and material objects.
18. Gentleness is characterized by spiritual patience and a spiritually patient does not feel ill toward anyone, even the most evil.
19. Modesty is the power to feel shame at any wrongdoing and to be willing to correct oneself. 
20. Absence of restlessness enables one to avoid physical and mental roaming and useless activities.
21. Radiance of character comes from the cosmic fire of God’s supreme consciousness, the flame of awareness within man and other sentient creatures.
22. Forgiveness in the man of God consists in not inflicting or wishing to inflict punishment on those who harm or wrong him.
23. Patience or Fortitude enables the devotee to bear the misfortunes and insults with equilibrium.
24. Cleanliness of body and purity of mind is respect for the indwelling taintless Spirit. One who is physically clean and is also rid of the mental taints of uncontrollable desires and restless thoughts indeed invites the Lord to manifest Himself in the purified temple of his life.
25. Freedom from hatred should be practiced by everyone. A devotee who feels malice toward others loses the power to see God in all.
26. Lack of conceit signifies absence of excessive pride.

DEMONIC QUALITIES

Further the Lord talks about the qualities of those souls who shun the divine he says that pride in any form is the most evil of all demonic qualities. The deeply deluded egocentric individual, addicted to his false convictions and self-serving ambitions, establishes his colossal ego as an idol on the altar of lust for power, possession, and sensual gratification. They strive to provide for physical enjoyments by amassing wealth dishonestly. They say, “This I have acquired today; now another desire I shall satisfy .This is my present wealth; however, more shall also be mine. I have killed this enemy; and others also I will slay. I am the ruler among men; I enjoy all possessions; I will give alms and make formal sacrifices .I am successful, strong, and happy. I am rich and well-born; can any other be compared with me?” Demonic qualities are opposite of divine qualities and the God has counted them as such:

1) Ego/pride 2) Anger 3) Lust 4) Slovenliness 5) Harshness 6) Being untruthful 7) They lack proper conduct as when to perform an action and when to refrain from it 8) Feeble-minded 9) Doing harm to others 10) Cruelty in action  11) Injustice  12) Hatred 13) Criticism 14) Amassing wealth dishonestly 15) Corruption in relation to fulfilling of desires 16) Worry-Misery 17) Bound by selfish hopes 18) Being confused between what should be done and what shouldn’t be done consequently considering the unrighteous as righteous and vice versa. They do not believe in any creator or God and believe the world to be running by the culmination of lustful desire and nothing more. They even ignore all scriptural commands and follow their own selfish desires.

Why? Why do these divine and evil tendencies exist? Why does a man perform good or evil actions? Why aren’t all men bestowed with divine qualities only? The answer is that Para- Brahma’s one part Brahma is split  into two parts – Pravrutti (outgoing tendencies) and Nivrutti (the ingoing tendencies) to run the cycles of creation. According to these each individual  is given specific powers to perform their roles to the best of their abilities. The Prakriti(triple modes of Nature) plays its role actively whereas Purusha(Spirit) remains as a witness and guides the triple modes of Nature spontaneously. For infinite incarnations this drama goes on. It is in this cosmic drama that good-evil and divine-demonic qualities are attained by the individual.

Thus, by  beautifully describing the play of triple qualities of Nature, the Lord goes on to say , O Arjuna, I am Para-Brahma Myself. This Prakriti of triple qualities is the great womb of my creation, moving or motionless. It is out of this Mother Nature (Prakriti) that different kinds of species of creatures, visible or invisible, are formed by a mixture of different principles (tattwas) and feelings (bhavas). Know Me to be like a father who grants the seed i.e. consciousness to all creation. Apart from this all other work is done by my Prakritionly. There seems to be a bond between this conscious ‘soul’ and the material ‘body.’ This realization is the first starting point of ignorance. .If one is able delink this connection between soul and body by following any path of action, wisdom or devotion , then the whole creation gets dissolved for that individual. Then that individual transcends the triple qualities and becomes liberated.

THE THREE QUALITIES OF DIVINE NATURE

The Lord says, “O Arjuna that there are three modes inherent in my divine nature – sattvic (purity), rajas (passion), and tamas (inertia).”Out of these three gunas, sattva is the highest, pure, without defects and gives enlightenment and health .It binds man to happiness and knowledge. Rajas binds man to desire and attachment to work. Tamas arising from ignorance binds men to misconception, idleness and slumber. Generally, all three qualities are found mixed together.

It is only through undeviated devotion and consistent practice of detachment that one is able to transcend the bonds of these gunas, thus reaching a liberated state. The following table illustrates the nature of the three gunas  and how all that we do in our lives is influenced by them:

When the Lord talked about the man who has transcended the three modes of Nature, then Arjuna curiously asked about the qualities of this man who is beyond these triple qualities (gunas). The Blessed Lord said that O Arjuna this liberated one is not affected by any experience arising from these qualities as good or bad nor does he aspire for liberation from these . The yogi, having attained the state of a detached witness/seer, beholds everything with equanimity and remains unaffected by everything in the phenomenal world around him. This man is beyond the experience of pain and pleasure and he has unconditional devotion towards Me. I am the Guardian of such a person established in the bliss of his Soul. Consider such a man as liberated. O Arjuna, this is the highest knowledge, knowing which man gets immediate liberation.

Arjuna questioned the Lord that what will be the consequences if one is not able to remain steadfast on the spiritual path. The Lord said that man should remain extremely cautious when on spiritual path as he (his soul) becomes his own greatest enemy as well as a friend. He should have constant self-discipline with steadfastness in brahmacharya(remaining celibate). Through a life of balance, proper diet, relaxation, work, and yoga one becomes centered in spiritual life. Then that devotee does not become unstable, whether as a karma-yogi or a gyan-yogi.

O Arjuna, undoubtedly the fickle mind gets deviated into the world of senses but the yogi, who constantly controls it from wandering, becomes, through practice, firmly established in union with God. Even if this ascetic gets corrupted by desires and fails in the middle, still he gets good results .This fallen yogi, gains entry into the world of the virtuous, remains there for many years; afterward he is reborn on earth in a good and prosperous home or he may reincarnate in a family of enlightened yogis. There, he develops all good qualities and tries harder to gain spiritual success. Even if it may be after a few births, that seeker yogi does attain salvation. Whereas,other souls may stay stuck in the vicious cycle of birth and death life after life in various worlds, till the end of that cycle of creation.

DIVINE FORM OF GOD

The Lord said, O Arjuna, now listen the ways in which I express myself in the world. In the dual nature of Mine, the pure (para) and the impure (apara) Prakriti, are the womb of all beings. The entire creation emanates from Me and I am also reflected in all creation. I am the Progenitor and also the Dissolver of the entire cosmos. Only those, who take shelter in Me, become free from this power of illusion and attain Me. This world of mortal beings does not perceive Me, unchangeable and beyond all qualities, because they are deluded by the triple modes of nature. Other devotees, according to their own inclination, seek shelter in lesser gods and gain limited results, yet they do not understand my true nature.

On hearing this Arjuna prayed to the Lord to explain his true manifestations of Spirit in a greater detail. To this the Lord said that O Arjuna, I will indeed tell thee but only the most outstanding expressions of Mine, for there is no end to My variety. I am the source of everything; from Me all creation emerges and at the end of a cycle, all visible-invisible Nature merges back in My unmanifested state. At the beginning of the next cycle, again I cast them forth through emanation of Mine own Prakriti again and again. Of this world I am the Father, Mother, the Ancestor, the Preserver, and Sanctifier. O Arjuna, whatever is manifest and whatever is can only be imagined is all the creation of My Prakriti. Out of that also whatever is the supreme; there I manifest myself in a special, unique way.

I am the Self in the heart of all creatures. I am the mind among the senses. O Arjuna, among the luminaries I am the radiating sun, among heavenly bodies I am moon, among the gods I am Indra. Of the Yakshas and Rakshasas (astral demi-goblins) I am Kubera ( lord of riches); among the Daityas ( demons and giants) I am Prahlada; among the priests, I am Brihaspati. Of the healers, I am Shukracharya; among the sages I am Ved Vyasa; among the Maharishis (mighty sages), I amBhrigu; among the devarishis ( divine sages), I am Narada  among the munis(saints), I am Kapila; among the Pitris (ancestral parents), I am Aryama; among all controllers, I amYama ( the god of death); among wielders of weapons , I am Rama; among the Vrishnis (Vrishni or Yadava Dynasty), I am Vasudeva (Krishna); and among Pandavas, I am Dhananjaya(Arjuna).

O Arjuna, among the Vedas, I am Sama Veda; among words, I am the syllable Aum; among all letters, I am letter A; among metres, I am Gayatri; I am the wisdom of all knowers ; among the branches of knowledge I am the wisdom of the Self ; among yajnas(holy ceremonies) , I am japa-yajna ( silent , superconscious chanting ). I am Immutable Time; and I am the Omnipresent Creator (the all-pervading Dispenser of Destiny), whose face is turned on all sides. I am all-dissolving Death; and I am Birth, the origin of all that will be.

Among the mountain peaks I am Meru; among stationary objects, I am Himalaya; among expanses of water I am the Ocean; among streams, I am Ganga; among trees, I am Ashvattha (the pipal or holy-fig tree); I am life-force which brings forth all plant forms; among months I am winter month of Margasheersh; among seasons I am Spring; among weapons I am Vajra (the thunderbolt); among stallions, I am the nectar-born Uchchaihshravas; among elephants I am Airavata; among the cows I am Kamadhuk (celestial cow that fulfils all desires); among serpents I am Vasuki; among the Naga serpents, I am Ananta (Sheshanag); among the birds I am Garuda; among the animals, I am the king of beasts (the Lion); among aquatic creatures, I am Makara (vehicle of the God of Ocean).

Among feminine manifestations, I am fame, success, the illuminating power of speech, memory, discriminative intelligence, the grasping faculty of intuition, and the steadfastness of divine forbearance. By becoming the digestive fire called

Vaishwanara, a combination of prana and apana, I digest food that is eaten. I am the reproductive seed of all beings. I am the gambling of the practisers of fraud; I am the radiance of the radiant; I am victory and striving power; I am quality of sattva among the good and for debaters I am discriminative logic. I am the rod of the discipliners; I am the art of those who seek victory; I am also the silence of all hidden things,

O Arjuna, let me reiterate that all the gods, seven Great Rishis, Manu, Sanaka,Sanandana etc were all created by Me. I am the primary reason for everything. The highest of glories emerge from Me. I have held the whole world by just one fraction of My Being. Those who know this form of Mine and worship Me with love, I impart that discriminative wisdom. Thus getting enlightened, all the actions performed by these souls are for the welfare of the society.

On having heard exhaustively about the blessed Lord’s secret wisdom of the true Self, Arjuna prayed to the Lord that he would like to see His infinite form also, if it were possible.

Then the blessed Lord gave Arjuna divine vision to see his vast-world form. The blessed Lord said, O Arjuna this form of Mine is not attainable nor by sacrifices or charity or works or rigorous austerity not even by study of Vedas .I have revealed this form to you Arjuna, as your my dearest devotee. O Arjuna, in this Infinite form of Mine you will be able to see both the invisible and the visible and whatever else you desire to see.

Arjuna witnessed Lord Krishna’s manifestation, adorned with countless celestial robes , garlands and ornaments , upraising heavenly weapons, many more time luminous and divinely fragrant than the light of thousand suns risen together. Arjuna witnessed the entire creation in one place in the limitless shapes of thousands of limbs and eyes everywhere. Awestruck with this vision, Arjuna, bowed before the Lord and said –

O’Lord, in this infinite body of Thine, I see the both Immortal Brahma and Shiva along with the divine sages and saints as well as the gods. Of this form of numerous hands and feet, many mouths and stomachs –I see no beginning, middle or end.

Beholding this extremely glorious form of yours the whole world is overpowered with fear. All the celestial Gods are taking your shelter by entering you. The great sages and seers are worshipping you and praising your name. In this Divine manifestation of ever-watching eyes of Sun and Moon I see all the warriors of this war entering in your mouth. Even I am getting distraught. Bestow your mercy on me and tell me who you are and why have you taken such a fiery form?

The blessed Lord said, I am mighty Time, the source of destruction that has come forth to annihilate the worlds. Dronacharya, Bheeshma , Karna and other brave warriors are going to be killed by Me. O Arjuna you are just an agent , so slay them without any grief.

Listening to this, Arjuna said that he has fully realized that Lord Krishna himself is Para Brahma (the Absolute Spirit). I bow to Thee again and again in every way.

Forgive me the behaviour and errors that I may have committed in my ignorance as your friend and relative .Pardon me , as a father forgives his son , as a friend his close friend , as a lover to his beloved .I pray to you to come back in your original form.

Then the Lord showed his Chaturbhuja (Four armed)formand resumed his own shape as Krishna .The Blessed Lord then said, that this Chaturbhuja form is also perceivable by His devotees only.

KNOWLEDGE/WISDOM -REVISITED

O Arjuna, let me impart you with supreme knowledge after knowing which nothing else is left to be known .Para-Brahma has taken the form of ‘the tree of life’ from the material side of Itself. Understand the Manifest and the Unmanifest both as the tree whose root and trunk are Brahma. Millions of different species and creatures, including humans, are the infinite branches of this tree. The Vedas are the sacred hearth in the form of leaves that keep it alive. Experiences of the sense objects (sensations) are its soft buds. Hundreds of feelings such as the ego, likes-dislikes, happiness, sadness etc are the infinite roots of this tree. Understand that God’s Prakrit or Maya, endowed with the three gunas to be the water which nourishes  these roots to keep them alive. This tree is eternal, everlasting and omnipresent. Cutting it from the root is possible only by wisdom born of detachment. On renunciation / detachment from the pleasures of the body and even the happiness of the heaven all the way up to ego-consciousness, man becomes truly enlightened and then the entire creation of this ‘tree of life’ disappears for that wise renunciant.

O Arjuna, this creation created by Brahma, starts at the beginning of that cycle and ends with the end of that cycle. Understand that the Day of Brahma and the Night of Brahma both consist of thousand cycles (yugas) each. At the dawn of Brahma’s Day all creation is reborn; at the dusk of Brahma’s Night all creation sinks back into dissolution. But O Arjuna, those who become true knowers of Brahma go to God through Uttrayan(the six months of the northern course of the sun) and Shukla Marg (bright half of the lunar month) and thus become free from the cycles of rebirth whereas those who follow Dakshinayan (the six months of the southern course of the sun) and Krishna Marg (the dark half of the lunar month) have to go through cycles of rebirth again to attain path of salvation.

O Arjuna, I am the One who is mentioned in the Vedas as the Absolute, Para-Brahma and Parmeshwar. All the paths of Bhakti , Karma , Gyan Yoga and all other paths lead to Me. Even at the end of life, if one takes shelter in Me and fixes his mind on Me, surrendering everything to Me with devotion, having thus united in Me as the Highest Goal, attains Me. Therefore always keep remembering Me and think of Me, so that in the final moment also you will remember Me and thus attain salvation.

Understand that just as the smell is carried from one place to another by the air, so also this living-soul is carried by Me from one body to another along with its subtle mind, senses and desires, or it is finally dissolved in Me. Even though this individual soul is also imperishable, it can remain united to Me. I am a Self-illumined Supreme Being and except my own abode, all other abodes mentioned in the Vedas are of inferior category. Therefore, I am beyond the Vedas and the mind-intellect, hence I am Myself the all-powerful Being, with form and qualities or without form and qualities.

O Arjuna , “Aum-Tat-Sat”, the triple designation of Brahma is My own Name. On pronouncing ‘Aum’ one should do all the deeds for Him (Tat or Me) i.e. to please Me. On doing deeds with surrender and devotion they turn into ‘Sat’ (higher forms of spiritual action). O Arjuna! Disbelief is untrue; doubt is untrue which is called ‘asat.’ The fact is that everything here is Sat (true) and the Asat (untrue) is non-existent.

Therefore, O Arjuna, you too remember Me as ‘Aum’ and seek liberation by concentrating on ‘Tat’ whose result is good actions (‘Sat’) i.e. fight the war as it is of highest virtue for a Kshatriya (warrior).

KARMA AND KARMA SANNYAS

O Arjuna! Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras are the four varnas(castes) categorized by Me. The allocation of these categories is done according to the effect of past life actions. According to this categorization, following are the duties assigned to each of these categories:

BRAHMIN –

1. Mind control 2) Sense control 3)Self-discipline 4) Purity 5)Forgiveness 6) straight-forwardness (oneness of thought, speech and actions) 7) Faith in God and in the Shastras or scriptures, 8) Knowledge, 9)Wisdom

KSHATRIYA –

1) Valour 2) Radiance 3) Resolute endurance 4) Skillfulness 5) Not fleeing from battle6) Munificence 7) Leadership

VAISHYAS –

1) Agriculture 2) Cattle breeding 3) Business

SHUDRAS –

1) Actions that are service to others

O Arjuna, performing the assigned duties of these classes is pleasing to God and is a form of worship to Me. In this way, by doing one’s own duty diligently leads to ultimate success i.e. salvation. Rather than performing another’s duty, it is better todie performing one’s own duty (dharma). O Arjuna, doing duties of others is fraught with danger, even if they may seem superior.

Further Arjuna asked, “O Hrishikesha (Krishna), what is the true meaning of sanyasa(renunciation) and tyaga(relinquishment)?” The Blessed Lord said, it is not possible to forsake all action as the senses (indriya), mind (manas) and intelligence (buddhi) keep on working continuously at every moment without a stop. Without action even the simple maintenance of the body is not possible. Even though all actions create karmic bonds and are imperfect, still the holy fire ceremonies (yajnas) , the offering of gifts (dana) and self-disciplinary practices (tapa), should not be abandoned as they sanctify even the wise individuals. Therefore, all righteous actions, i.e. duties assigned to one’s caste, should be performed.

O Arjuna, there are five causes of any action or Karma: 1) Support or shelter 2) Instruments such as the senses 3) Apparent doer or the individual ego 4) Effort or work 5) Fate or fruits of actions of past lives. In the same way there are three motivating factors for action or Karma: 1) Knower 2) Knowledge 3) Object to be known .It is the union of these three that produces action or Karma. O Arjuna, also understand what is Karma (action), Akarma (inaction), and Vikarma (wrong action). If you take Karma to mean the activity of the senses, gunas or the inanimate Prakriti, then that Karma becomes Akarma of the individual soul.

Therefore, not doing karma is also karma in the form of renunciation (karma sanyas). Understand this as action in inaction. In this way of knowing inaction through action and action through inaction, one remains free from bonds to any karma even if he performs or does not perform any action. O Arjuna, Vikarma are the wrongdoings or sin which are caused by Tamasic qualities.

Therefore, both the doer of actions (Karma Yogi) and the one who renounces action (Karma-Sanyasi), both go beyond the dualities such as likes and dislikes, remaining content with whatever comes by itself. Those yogis who have attained perfect equanimity are also free. Although it is not possible to abandon actions completely, still he who relinquishes the attachment to action and the fruits of action can be called a renunciation. Pain and pleasure are temporary and one must learn to endure them and perform dutiful actions constantly .This is the essence of knowledge of action. Out of these the one who completely forsakes the doership of action is a Gyan Yogi or Sankhya Yogi or the renunciation (not of ashram organization) and he is the most virtuous of all. His senses always work in tune with the gunas. He himself being transformed into a spectator / non-doer remains ever absorbed in Me. The effects of all his actions are burned in the fire of wisdom .Only those actions are performed through his body and senses which are essential for the maintenance of the body. Thus, all his actions are devotional service to Me and are done for the welfare of others.

O Arjuna, an enlightened renunciant can be compared either to a Karma yogi who also attains me easily. Therefore, you be a Karma Yogi devotee and fight the war .Forsake all other dharmas(duties) and take shelter in Me alone. Thus you will become free thee from all sins and I will grant you the supreme place.

O Arjuna, I have imparted you the supreme secret knowledge .Have you listened to this wisdom with concentrated heart? Has your delusion-born ignorance annihilated? Then Arjuna said, “My delusion is gone! I have understood it thoroughly well. My dubiousness has vanished. I will act according to Thy word.”

The Blessed Lord said that these sacred truths should not be told to those who do not wish to hear them. But the person who will impart to My devotees this sacred knowledge will be dearest to Me and shall attain Me. Even those individuals who partially listen to this knowledge with reverence will reach higher astral realms of heaven. He who studies and understands this sacred dialogue of ours will worship Me through the Yajna (sacrifice) of wisdom and will attain Me.

Wherever is manifest the Lord of Yoga, Krishna; there is success, victory, attainment of powers, and unfailing law of self-discipline (which leads to liberation).

AUM-TAT-SAT