Gita Satsang - Chapter 7, verses 1-7; June 26, 2001

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

mat chittaaH mat gata-praaNaaH bodhayantaH parasparam.h .

kathayantaH cha maa.n nitya.n tushhyanti cha ramanti cha ..

 

shriimad-bhagavad-giitaa 10:9

 

'With their thought on Me, with their life absorbed in Me,

instructing

each other, and ever speaking of Me, they are content and delighted.'

 

Ch.10:v.9.

 

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atha saptamo.adhyaayaH . Chapter 7 : Verses 1-7

with Shankara-Bhashya, tr. Sw.Gambhirananda]

 

j~naana - vij~naana yogaH . The Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom .

 

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After giving rise to an occasion for further enquiry in the verse,

'Even among all the yogis, he who adores Me with his mind fixed on Me

and with faith, he is considered by Me to be the best of the yogis',

(now) with a view to instructing that 'the reality about Myself is of

this kind, and one should have his mind fixed on Me in this way,'

[The main themes in the first six chapters are renunciation of

actions

as the means to attaining Knowledge, and the ascertainment of the

word

'Thou' (in 'Thou art That'). The next six chapters are devoted to

the

adoration of the Lord and the ascertainment of the meaning of the

word

'That'.] on His own-

 

shriibhagavaanuvaacha .

 

mayyaasaktamanaaH paartha yogaM yu~njanmadaashrayaH .

asa.nshayaM samagraM maa.n yathaa j~naasyasi tachchhR^iNu .. 1..

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

1. O Partha, hear how you, having the mind fixed on Me, practising

the Yoga of Meditation and taking refuge in Me, will know Me with

certainty and in fullness.

 

O Partha, mayi asaktamanaah, having the mind fixed on Me- one whose

mind (manah) is fixed(asakta) on Me (mayi) who am the supreme God

possessed of the qualification going to be spoken of-. yogam yu~njan,

practising the Yoga of Meditation, concentrating the mind-.

madaashrayaH, taking refuge in Me-one to whom I Myself, the supreme

Lord, am the refuge (aashraya) is madaashrayaH-. Anyone who hankers

after some human objective resorts to some rite such as the Agnihotra

etc., austerity or charity, which is the means to its attainment.

This yogi, however, accepts only Me as his refuge; rejecting any

other

means, he keeps his mind fixed on Me alone. shruNu, hear; tat, that,

which is being spoken of by Me; as to yathaa, how, the process by

which; you who, having become thus, j~naasyasi, will know; maam, Me;

asa.ashayam, with certainty, without doubt, that the Lord is such

indeed; and samagram, in fullness, possessed of such qualities as

greatness, strength, power, majesty, etc. [strength-physical;

power-mental; etc. refers to omniscience and will.] in their fullness.

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j~naanaM te.ahaM savij~naanamidaM vakshyaamyasheshhataH .

yajj~naatvaa neha bhuuyo.anyajj~naatavyamavashishhyate .. 2..

 

2. I shall tell you in detail of this Knowledge which is combined

with realization, [From the statement, 'j~naasyasi, you will know',

in the earlier verse, one may conclude that the Lord is speaking of

indirect or theoretical knowledge. The word 'idam, this' rules out

such a conclusion; and it has also been said that this Knowledge is

'savij~naanam, combined with direct experienece, realization'; it is

Consciousness.] after experience which there remains nothing else

here

to be known again. aham, I; vakshyaami, shall tell; te, you;

asheshhataH, in detail, fully; of that (Knowledge) about Myself,

which

is idam, this; j~naanam, Knowlege; which is savij~naanam, combined

with realization, associated with personal enlightenment;yat

j~naatvaa, after experiencing which Knowledge; avashishhyate, there

remains; na anyat, nothing else, anything that can be a means to

human

ends; j~naatavyam, to be known; bhuuyaH, again; iha, here. (In this

way) the Lord praises that Knowledge which is intended to be spoken,

in order ot draw the attention of the hearer. Thus, 'he who knows Me

in reality becomes omniscient.' This is the idea. Therefore

Knowledge

is difficult to attain because of its superexcellent result. How so?

This is being answered:

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manushhyaaNaa.n sahasreshhu kashchidyatati siddhaye .

yatataamapi siddhaanaa.n kashchinmaa.n vetti tattvataH .. 3..

 

3. Among thousands of men a rare one endeavours for perfection. Even

of the perfected ones who are diligent, one perchance knows Me in

truth.

 

sahasreshhu manushhyaaNaam, among thousands, among a multitude of

men; kashcit, a rare one; yatati, endeavours; siddhaye, for

perfection. [For perfection: for the rise of Knowledge through the

purification of the mind.] siddhaanaam api, even of the perfected

one; yatataam, who are diligent-they (those diligent ones themselves)

being (considered to be) verily perfect because they are striving for

Liberation; of them-; kashcit, one perchance, indeed; vetti, knows;

maam, Me; tattvataH, in truth. Having drawn the attention of the

hearer by arousing interest, the Lord says:

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bhuumiraapo.analo vaayuH khaM mano buddhireva cha .

aha~Nkaara itiiyaM me bhinnaa prakR^itirashhTadhaa .. 4..

 

4. This Prakrti of Mine is divided eight-fold thus: earth, water,

fire, air, space, mind, intellect and also egoism.

 

iyam, this; prakR^itiH, Prakrti, [Prakrti here does not mean the

Pradhana of the Sankhyas.] the divine power called Maya; me, of Mine,

as described; bhinna, is divided; ashhTadhaa, eight-ford; iti, thus:

bhuumiH, earth-not the gross earth but the subtle element called

earth, this being understood from the statement, 'Prakrti (of Mine)

is divided eight-fold'. Similarly, the subtle elements alone are

referred to even by the words water etc. aapaH, water; analaH, fire;

vaayuH, air; kham, space; manaH, mind. By 'mind' is meant its source,

egoism. By buddhiH, intellect, is meant the principle called mahat

[Mahat means Hiranyagarbha, or Cosmic Intelligence.] which is the

source of egoism. By aha~NkaaraH, egoism, is meant the Unmanifest,

associated [Associated, i.e. of the nature of.] with (Cosmic)

ignorance. As food mixed with poison is called poison, similarly the

Unmanifest, which is the primordial Cause, is called egoism since it

is imbued with the impressions resulting from egoism; and egoism is

the impelling force (of all). It is indeed seen in the world that

egoism is the impelling cause behind all endeavour.

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apareyamitastvanyaaM prakR^iti.n viddhi me paraam.h .

jiivabhuutaaM mahaabaaho yayedaM dhaaryate jagat.h .. 5..

 

5. O mighty-armed one, this is the inferior (Prakrti). Know the other

Prakrti of Mine which, however, is higher than this, which has taken

the from of individual souls, and by which this world is upheld.

 

O mighty-armed one, iyam, this; is aparaa, the inferior (Prakrti)-not

the higher, (but)-the impure, the source of evil and having the

nature

of worldly bondage. viddhi, know; anyam, the other, pure; prakR^itim,

Prakrti; me, of Mine, which is essentially Myself;

which,tu,however;is

paraam, higher, more exalted; itaH, than this (Prakrti) already

spoken

of; jiiva-bhutaam, which has taken the form of the individual souls,

which is characterized as 'the Knower of the body (field)', and

which

is the cause of sustenance of life; and yayaa, by which Prakriti;

idam, this; jagat, world; dhaaryate, is upheld, by permeating it.

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etadyoniini bhuutaani sarvaaNiityupadhaaraya .

ahaM kR^itsnasya jagataH prabhavaH pralayastathaa .. 6..

 

6. Understand thus that all things (sentient and insentient) have

these as their source. I am the origin, as also the end of the whole

Universe.

 

upadhaaraya, understand; iti, thus; that sarvaaNi, all; bhuutaani,

things; etat-yoniini, have these (etat) as their source (yoni)-things

that have these lower and higher Prakrtis, charcterized as the

'field'

and the 'Knower of the field (body)', as their source are

etat-yoniini. Since My two Prakrtis are the source, the cause of all

things, therefore, aham, I; am the prabhavaH, origin; tathaa, as

also; the pralayaH, end, the termination; kR^itsnasya, of the whole;

jagataH, Universe. The maning is this: I, who am the omniscient God,

am the source of the Univese through My two Prakrtis.

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mattaH parataraM naanyatki~nchidasti dhana~njaya .

mayi sarvamidaM protaM suutre maNigaNaa iva .. 7..

 

Since this is so, therefore-

7. O Dhananjaya, there is nothing else whatsoever higher than Myself.

All this is strung on Me like pearls on a string.

 

O Dhananjaya, asti, there is; na anyat ki~nchit, nothing else

whatsoever, no other cause; parataram, higher; mattaH, than Me, the

supreme God; i.e. I Myself am the source of the world.

Since this is so, therefore, sarvam, all; idam, this, all things, the

Universe; protam,is strung, woven, connected, i.e. transfixed; mayi,

on Me, the supreme God; like cloth in the warp, [Like cloth formed by

threads constituting its warp and woof.]

and iva, like; maNigaNaaH, pearls; suutre, on a string.

 

 

[to be cotd.

 

 

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For Gita Dhyana Shlokas/Mantras and Mahatmya

/message/advaitin/6987

 

----

 

Adi Shankara's commentary, translated by Swami

Gambhirananda, at URL:

[kindly supplied by Madhava-ji]

 

advaitinGita/Shankara1/gmbCH6.htm

 

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Swami Chinmayananda's commentary at URL:

[kindly supplied by Ram-ji]

 

advaitinGita/Chinmaya/COMM6.HTM

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

Let me give a brief summary of my understanding of the verses under

discussion. The Gitacharya beautifully catches the attention of the

readers in this chapter by glorifying God using number of adjectives.

Gitacharya describes God using His own words - a self-portrayal of

Ishwara. Who else is qualified to describe the Lord except by Himself?

 

Lord Krishna stresses the importance of focusing one's mind on Him.

The Bhaktiyoga, or the Yoga of Devotion referred to here is the

practice of perpetual and constant remembrance of God with faith and

devotion, fixing the mind and intellect firmly on Him. God cannot be

defined or circumscribed. He permeates the countless millions of

universes, and they are all His manifestations. Whatever exists in

these universes or beyond them rests in Him, He is eternal, true and

ancient. He is the Repository of all virtues, omnipotent, omniscient,

all-pervading, all-sustaining and all-formed and takes the shape of

this world of His own accord through His own mAyA. In reality, there

is nothing apart from Him; the manifest and the unmanifest, the

qualified and the unqualified, everything is He. Knowing His reality

will remove the ignorance and Wisdom will prevail without any shadow

of doubt.

 

All the physical elements of nature, including the material bodies of

animate beings and their sensory and mental functions, may be grouped

together forming the ever-changing physical aspect of the universe.

This is called Prakriti . Behind the animate is the soul that dwells

within each being and animates it. Behind all again is the Supreme

Being whose power it is that holds together and changes visible in one

organic existence He dwells within and supports and mover everything,

but exists apart from all. The universe moves according to what are

known as the laws of nature. This code of nature is but the

manifestation of the Supreme Will. God Himself is not seen as such and

as a whole. What we see of Him we are content to call by the name of

physical and moral laws, and life proceeds as if wholly independent of

God. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, thought, reasoning and

consciousness of individuality- these are eightfold divisions of My

nature. This physical nature that I have described is My inferior

manifestation. My other and higher nature is the life-principle by

which the universe is upheld . Understand that these two constitute

the womb of all beings. I am the origin of the whole universe and

that into which it dissolves.

 

In verse # 7, He denies the existence of any thing other than Him,

which shows the identity of the universe with God.. Verses 6 and 7 may

appear to be contradictory each other. After a careful scrutiny, we

can confidently conclude that there is no real contradiction between

them. Just as the vast expanse of ether is the cause and support of

the cloud, which again is the same as ether inasmuch as it has no

existence apart from its cause, even so God being the cause and

support of the universe, the universe is but a manifestation of God,

and nothing else than God. The Yarn-beads example needs some

additional explanation. It is customary in India to make a rosary of

yarn-beads by forming successive knots on a thread, and treating such

knots as so many beads. Now just as yarn and yarn alone is present in

the thread as well as in the knots formed thereon, even so the whole

of this creation is threaded on God. That is to say, God alone

permeates all.

 

Finally, let me once again request active participation from members.

The term, "Gita Satsangh" implies interactive discussions within a

group of like minded people who want to learn. Everyone seems to

wait for someone else to ask and that someone else never exists!

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

Reference material used for this compilation

is given at the end.

-------------------------------

Gita chapter 7 is on "The Divine Immanence" :

Jnana-Vijnana-Yoga

 

Sri Aurobindo explains the implication of 7:1-2.

The implication is that the Divine Being is all ...

and therefore if he is known integrally in all his

powers and principles, then all is known, not only of

the pure Self, but the world and action and Nature.

There is then nothing else here left to be known,

because all is that Divine Existence ... the true

unifying knowledge ...

....

 

Divine's Nature (me bhinna prakrtih,

prakrtim me param)

 

---- Supreme Nature --> becomes Jiva,

the individual Self, and

by which the whole of this

moving universe is upheld.

para-prakriti, all-conscient, its entire

working is spiritually conscious,

 

---- Lower Nature apara-prakriti

inconscient Force with its 3 modes,

unconscious, knows nothing of its own workings

- earth, water, fire, air, ether,

mind, buddhi, ego

 

The mechanical universe in all its details(the

Inconscient, material) and the

conscious individual soul in life and mind and

evolution (the Conscient, Spiritual) are becomings

and manifestations of the Supreme Godhead. The

essential Oneness (Divine Reality) behind the

manifestational diversity in subjective and

objective Nature.

 

7:6 The entire Creation emerges from the Divine and

goes back into the Divine.

7:7 It is the supreme nature of Spirit, the infinite

conscious power of its being, self-conscient,

all-conscient, all-wise, which maintains these

phenomenal existences in relation to each other,

penetrates them, abides in and supports them and

weaves them into the system of its manifestation.

 

-- Compiled from "The Gita's Gospel"

in Sri Aurobindo's light,

"A movement from crisis to liberation"

By H.Maheshwari, published by Sri Aurobindo Ashram.

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With Love,

Raghava