Bhagawad Gita Ch.4 Ver. 23-29 [Sri Adi Shankara]

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[i would like to express my profound thanks to Shri Shankar, from Botswana,

whose continuous work is making us to read this great text full of wisdom]

 

23.0 'Giving up attachment to the fruits of works' (IV.20)-in this verse

is set forth 'the absence of work' for one who, due to operative work,

continues to work as some occasion or other for it arises. He does this in

spite of ahis realization that the inactive Brahman is His Self and, as

such, renunciation of all works is appropriate for him. In fact he has had

the perception that there is neither a real agent, nor work, nor purpose to

be served by it. In spite of his continuing to work, 'he does nothing at

all' (Bhagavad Gita IV.20). Of such a sage as this:

 

23. Whose attachment has vanished, who has been liberated, whose mind has

been established in knolwedge and who works as a sacrifice, all works are

dissolved.

 

23.1 'Whose attachment has vanished' means one who is attached to nothing

whatsoever. He has been liberated, all bondage due to righteousness and

unrighteousness having fallen off. His mind has been established in

knowledge. He works as a sacrifice. Hence, together with 'ends' or fruits

all his works 'are dissolved'-they perish. This is the idea.

 

 

24.0 Why does the work that is done fail to produe its result, and

instead get wholly dissolved? Because,

 

24. The means of the sacrificial offering is Brahman; Brahman is the

oblation placed in the fire of Brahman and by Brahman is the sacrifice made.

This sacrificer, who concentrates on the act that is Brahman, reaches

Brahman alone.

 

24.1 The means by which the Brahman-Knower offers the oblation in the

fire, is seen by him to be Brahman only. He sees it as nothing but Brahman,

just as in the nacre one sees the total absence of silver. Thus is affirmed

the fact that the instrument of offering is Brahman alone, as one may say

that what seems to be silver is only nacre. The words Brahman and arpana

are uncompounded. The sense is: that which the plain man takes to be the

instrument is Brahman only for the Brahmna-Knower. So is oblation

Brahman-i.e., what is taken to oblation is only Brahman for him.

'Brahmna-fire' is a compund. The fire in which the oblation is offered by

the agent is also Brahman. That agent, the sacrificer, too is Brahman. His

action, namely, the sacrifice or hutam, is also Brahman. the fruit he has

to reap too is Brahman. The action of offering is also Brahman. He who

concentrates thereon, is the agent who repairs to Brahman.

 

24.2 Thus even the work performed by one seeking the world's welfare is,

metaphyscially, no work at all; for, the knowledge of Brahman has wiped out

all his Karma. the picturing of knowledge as a sacrifice, even in regard to

the renouncer of all works, all of whose works have ceased to be, is

eminently in order. Its object is the laudation of right perception. This

laudation takes the form of identifying auxiliaries, well-known in the

context of sacrificial rites, with Brahman in the spiritual context of the

sage who has won the realisation of the supreme Truth. Otherwise, the

exclusive description of these auxiliaries alone as Brahman will be

pointelss since all things, in reality, are Brahman. Therefore, for the

sage who knows all the world to be Brahman there is no work to perform. All

ideas of auxiliaries of work have ceased to hold good for him. A rok like

sacrifice is unthinkable in the absence of ideas relating to auxiliaries.

The normal experience is that works like the fire-sacrifice are invariably

preceded by notions conveyed by Sruti, of deities to whom offerings are

made, and also by the conceit of agency and the desire for the fruits of

works. They are not preceded by the dissolution of these distinctive ideas

or the absence of the conceit and the desire referred to.

 

24.3 But the text refers to work marked by the disappearance of ideas

relating to fruit, work, and auxiliaries due to all-dissolving

Brahman-knowledge. Therefore, this is no work at all. thus has it been

elucidated in 4.18, 20; 3.28; 5.8; etc.

To demonstrate this, the Lord dissolves in these texts the ideas of

difference among work, auxiliaries, and fruit. And in the context of the

fire-sacrifice prompted by desire, its character as 'desire-pompted' is seen

to be wiped out when the desire in question is dissolved. Also, it is a

matter of experience that deliberate or spontaneous works produce

distinctive results. In the present context also, for the sage whose sense

of difference among auxiliaries, work, and fruit is dissolved by

Brahmna-knowledge, work or apparent movements of limbs cease to be work.

Hence the statement 'all works are disssovled' (4.23).

 

24.4 Some interpreters assert: Brahman is the auxiliaries of sacrifice.

It seems that Brahman alone assumes a five-fold character as the auxiliaries

and performs work. the idea of being the instrument etc., of work does not

cease; rather the idea of being Brahman is instilled into them, just as in

an image the idea of being Visnu is instilled, or in a name, the idea of

being Brahman (vide Chandogya Upanishad 7.1.5).

 

24.5 Well, thsi might have been the case, if the context had not, as its

theme, the glorification of knowledge as sacrifice. Of course here

knowledge as sacrifice refers to right perception , and relatively to

numerous activities as sacrifice. The Lord lauds knowledge in the words,

"Knowledge as sacrifice is superior to material sacrifice" (4.33). The

articulation in 4.24 secures the character of sacrifice for knowledge as

already explained. But, for those who hold that just as in the case of the

idea of Visnu vis-a-vis an image, the idea of Brahman too has to be

instilled into the sacrificial auxiliaries, the theme of the context will

cease to be Brahman-knowledg either expressly or by implication; for them

knowledge will refer only to sacrificial auxiliaries.

 

24.6 Nor can the fruit of emancipation be secured by means of a cognitive

construction. On the other hand, the text asserts, "By him will Brahman be

attained." The achievement of emancipation without right perception is

self-contradictory. This stance also runs counter to the contextual theme

which is right perception, vide 4.18. The conclusion , too, rests on this

theme. This Chapter conlcudes with the laudation of right perception in

4.33 and 4.39. Therefore, it is illogical to argue that, all of a sudden,

the instilling of the ideas of Brahman in sacrificial auxiliaries is taught

as that of Visnu in an image. Hence the meaning of the verse 4.24 is as set

forth by us.

 

25.0 Now having high-lighted right perception as sacrifice, other

sacrifices too are introduced for belauding that perception in the verses

that follow:

 

25. Some yogins offer sacrifices to deities; others sacrifice in the fire

of Brahman by means of the sacrifice itself.

 

25.1 'Sacrifice offered to deities' is that by means of which the deities

are propitiated. To that alone some 'Yogins' or activists attend. This is

the sense. 'In the fire of Brahman'-Brahman being what the following

passages affirm: Truth, knowledge, the Infinite is Brahman (Taittriya

Upanishad 2.1); experiential knowledge, bliss, is Brahman (Brhadaranyaka

Upanishad 3.9.28); that direct and immediate entity is Brahman, the Self

innermost (Ibid. 3.4.1). These and similar passages affirm that Brahman is

beyond all empirical attributes like hunger and thirst (Brhadaranyaka

Upanishad 4.4.22). That which is Brahman the fire-the receptacle of

oblation-is Brahmanfire, in whihc 'some' Brahmna-knowers offer 'sacrifice'.

Sacrifice here means the Self. Metaphysically this Self is the supreme

Brahman. But it is conjoined to adjuncts like the intellect. On it are

superimposed the attributes of all these adjuncts. It takes on the

character of an oblation. Some activists deliberately cast it in 'that

fire'. The sacrifice in that fire means the perception of the self with

adjuncts as the Supreme Brahman devoid of all adjuncts. This sacrifice they

perform. The idea is that the renouncers devote themselves to the

perception of the identity of Brahman and Atman.

 

26.0 This sense of right perception introduced in verse 4.24 etc., is

subsumed under sacrifices to deities in order to glorify it in the verse

4.33: "Scourge of foes! the sacrifice by knowledge is superior to material

sacrifice."

 

26. Others sacrifice the senses, hearing etc., in the fires of

restraints; yet others sacrifice objects like sound in the fires of the

senses.

 

26.1 Some Yogins sacrifice senses, hearing etc., in restraints. The

plural is used because each sense has a corresponding restraint. The

restraints are the fires. The meaning is that they practise restraint

alone. Others sacrifice objects, sound and so forth, in the fire of the

senses. Cognition of objects by means of senses they deem a sacrifice.

 

And,

 

27. Yet others sacrifice all sense-activities and all activities of vital

breaths in the fire of self-restraint, kindled by knowledge.

 

27.1 'Activities of the senses and those of vital breaths'-the vital

breath is air in the living body. Its activities are bending, extending and

so forth. A set of Yogins, sacrifice i.e., offer these in the Yoga-fire of

self-restraint, self-restraint being deemed the Yoga-fire. As a lamp of

light is kindled with oil, so is the Yoga-fire by discriminative knowledge.

'Offering there' means total dissolution.

 

28. Other ascetics, subject to severe disciplines, sacrifice their

material possessions, their penances, spiritual exercises, prescribed

lessons, and knowledge.

 

28.1 'Those who sacrifice materials' expand, in the spirit of sacrifice,

their wealth in holy places. The ascetics who deem their penances as

sacrifice constitute the next group. Those who deem breath-restraints,

withdrawals, etc., as sacrifice their spiritual exercises. Similarly others

deem their methodical prescribed study of the RgVeda adn so forth as a

sacrifice. Those reckon knowledge a sacrifice who deem their masterly

knowledge of sastras itself as such. They are tireless in application;

their disciplines are 'sharp', i.e. sharpened to the utmost severity.

 

29. Some intent on breath-control, blocking the movement of the in-breath

and out-breath, sacrifice the in-breath in the out-breath, and, similarly,

sacrifice the out-breath in the in-breath.

 

29.1 In 'the out-breath', in its movements, they 'sacrifice'-cast-the

movements of the in-breath; they practise a phase of breath-control, called

the in-filling. So in the in-breath they sacrifice the out-breath, they

practise the phase called the emptying out. The movement of in-breath refers

to its exit through mouth and nostrils. In contrast, the downward movement

is that of the out-breath. Restraining these two movements, those who are

devoted to the practise of breath control perform the kumbhaka, the

immobilization of breath. This is the idea.