Gita Satsang - Chapter 7 : Verses 21-30; Sept.22, 2001

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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 shhashhTho.adhyaayaH . Chapter 7: Verses 21-30 [with

Shankara-Bhashya, tr. Sw.Gambhirananda]

 

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

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yo yo yaa.n yaa.n tanuM bhaktaH shraddhayaarchitumichchhati .

tasya tasyaachalaa.n shraddhaa.n taameva vidadhaamyaham.h .. 21..

 

21. Whichever form (of a deity) any devotee wants to worship with

faith, that very firm faith

of his I strengthen.

 

yaam yaam, whichever; tanum, form of a deity; yaH, any covetous

person- among these people with

desires; who, being endowed shraddhayaa, with faith; and being a

bhaktaH, devotee; ichchhati,

wants; architum, to worship; tam eva, that very; achalam, firm,

steady; shraddhaam, faith; tasya, of his, of that particular covetous

person-that very faith with which he desires to worship whatever form

of a deity, in which (worship) he was earlier engaged under the

impulsion of his own nature-; [Ast. takes the portion 'svabhaavataH

yo yam devataa-tanum shraddhayaa arcitum ichchhati' with the next

verse.-Tr.] vidadhaami, I strengthen.

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sa tayaa shraddhayaa yuktastasyaaraadhanamiihate .

labhate cha tataH kaamaanmayaivaH vihitaanhitaan.h .. 22..

 

22. Being imbued with that faith, that person engages in worshipping

that form, and he gets

those very desired results therefrom as they are dispensed by Me

alone.

 

yuktahH, being endued; tayaa, with that; shraddhayaa, faith, as

granted by Me; saH, that person; iihate, engages in; raadhanam, i.e.

aaraadhanam, worshipping; tasyaH, that form of the deity. And

labhate, he gets; taan hi, those very; kaamaan, desired results;

tataH, there-from, from that form of the deity which was worshipped;

as vihitaan, they are dispensed, meted out; mayaa eva, by Me alone,

who am the omniscient, supreme God, because I am possessed of the

knowledge of the apportionment of the results of actions.

 

The meaning this that he surely gets those desired results since they

are ordained by God.

 

If the reading be hitaan (instead of hi tan), then the beneficence

(-hita means beneficent-) of

the desired result should be interpreted in a figurative sense, for

desires cannot be

beneficial to anyone!

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antavattu phala.n teshhaa.n tadbhavatyalpamedhasaam.h .

devaandevayajo yaanti madbhaktaa yaanti maamapi .. 23..

 

23. That result of theirs who are of poor intellect is indeed limited.

The worshippers of

gods go to the gods. My devotees go to Me alone.

 

Since those non-discriminating men with desires are engaged in

disciplines for limited results,

therefore, tat phalam, that result; teshaam, of theirs; alpamedhasaam,

who are of poor intellect, of poor wisdom; antavat tu bhavati, is

limited, ephemeral, indeed. deva-yajaH, the worshippers of gods;

yaanti, go; devaan, to the gods. madbhaktaaH, My devotees; yaanti,

go; mam api, to Me alone.

 

'Thus, though the effort needed is the same, they do not resort to Me

alone for the unlimited

result. Alas! they are surely in a pitiable condition.' In this

manner the Lord expresses his

compassion.

 

'Why do they not take refuge in Me alone?'

 

The answer is:

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avyakta.n vyaktimaapannaM manyante maamabuddhayaH .

paraM bhaavamajaananto mamaavyayamanuttamam.h .. 24..

 

24. The unintelligent, unaware of My supreme state which is immutable

and unsurpassable, think

of Me as the unmanifest that has become manifest.

 

abuddhayaH, the unintelligent, the non-discriminating ones;

ajaanantaH, unaware; mama, of My;

param, supreme; bhaavam, state, My reality as the supreme Self; which

is avyayam, immutable,

undecaying; and anuttamam, unsurpassable; manyante, think; maam, of

Me; as avyaktam, the

unmanifest, the invisible; aapannam, that has become; vyaktim,

manifest, visible, at present [At present, after being embodied as an

Incarnation.]-though I am the ever well-known God. They think so

because they are unaware of My reality. This is the idea.

 

What is the reason for their ignorance? This is being stated:

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naahaM prakaashaH sarvasya yogamaayaasamaavR^itaH .

muuDho.ayaM naabhijaanaati loko maamajamavyayam.h .. 25..

 

25. Being enveloped by yoga-maya, I do not become manifest to all.

This deluded world does not

know Me who am birthless and undecaying.

 

yoga-maayaa-samaavR^itaH, being enveloped by yoga-maayaa-Yoga means

the combination, the coming

together, of the (three) gunas; that (combination) is itself maayaa,

yoga-maayaa; being enveloped, i.e. veiled, by that yoga-maayaa; aham,

I; na prakaashaH, do not become manifest; sarvasya, to all, to the

world. The idea is that I become manifest only to some devotees of

Mine. For this very reason, ayam, this; muuDhaH, deluded; lokaH,

world; na abhijaanaati, does not know; maam, Me; who am ajam,

birthless; and avyayam, undecaying. [in verse 13 the reason for the

non-realization of the supreme, unqualified Brahman was stated. The

present verse states the reason for the non-realization of the

qualified Brahman.]

 

'That yoga-maayaa, because of My being covered by which the world does

not know Me- that

yoga-maayaa, since it belongs to Me, does not obstruct the knowlege of

Me who am God, the

possessor of maayaa, just as the magic of any other magician does not

cover his knowledge.'

Since this is so, therefore-

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vedaahaM samatiitaani vartamaanaani chaarjuna .

bhavishhyaaNi cha bhuutaani maa.n tu veda na kashchana .. 26..

 

26. O Arjuna, I know the past and the present as also the future

beings; but no one knows Me!

 

O Arjuna, aham, I, however; veda, know; samatiitani, the past beings;

and vartamaanaani, the

present. I know ca, also; bhavishhyaaNi, the future; bhutaani,

beings. tu, but; na kashchana, no one; veda, knows; maam, Me. Except

the one person who is My devotee and has taken refuge in Me, no one

adores Me, just because he does not know My reality.

 

'What, again,is the obstruction to knowing Your reality, being

prevented by which the creatures

that are born do not know You?' In anticipation of such a question,

the Lord says this:

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ichchhaadveshhasamutthena dvandvamohena bhaarata .

sarvabhuutaani saMmoha.n sarge yaanti para.ntapa .. 27..

 

27. O scion of the Bharata dynasty, O destroyer of foes, due to the

delusion of duality

arising from likes and dislikes, all creatures become bewildered at

the time of their birth.

 

ichchhaa-dveshha-samutthena, by what arises from likes and dislikes:

icchaa, likes, and dveshha, dislikes, are ichchhaa-dveshhau; anything

arising from them is ichchhaadveshha-samutthaH. (Creatures are

deluded) by that. By what? When that is thus sought to be known in

particular, the Lord answers: dvandva-mohena, by the delusion of

duality. Delusion (moha) that originates from duality (advandva) is

dvandva-moha. Those very likes and dislikes, which are mutually

opposed like heat and cold, which relate to happiness and sorrow and

their causes, and which come into association with all beings in due

course, are termed as duality (and this deludes all creatures).

 

As regards them, when likes and dislikes arise from the experience of

happiness, sorrow and

their causes, then, by bringing the wisdom of all beings under their

control, they create

bewilderment which is the cause of the impediment to the rise of

knowledg about the reality of

Self, the supreme Truth. Indeed, exact knowledge about objects even

in the external world does not arise in one whose mind is overpowered

by the defects, viz likes and dislikes. It goes without saying that

knowledge of the indwelling Self, beset with many obstacles as it is,

does not arise in a completely bewildered person whose intelligence

has been overcome by them.

 

Therefore, bharata, O scion of the Bharata dynasty; owing to that

delusion of duality arising

from likes and dislikes, sarvabhutaani, all creatures become deluded.

parantapa, O destroyer

of foes; they yaanti saMmoham, become bewildered, come under

delusion; sarge, at the time of

their birth, i.e. at the time of their origination. The idea is that

all creatures that come

into being do so prepossessed by delusion. 'Since this is so,

therefore all creatures, being

deluded and having their wisdom obstructed by that delusion of

duality, do not know Me who am

their Self. Hence, they do not adore Me as their Self.'

 

'Who, again, are those that, becoming free from the delusion of

duality, come to know You, and

adore You as the Self in accordance with the scriptures?'

 

In order to elaborate the subject enquired about, it is being said:

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yeshhaa.n tvantagataM paapa.n janaanaaM puNyakarmaNaam.h .

te dvandvamohanirmuktaa bhajante maa.n dR^iDhavrataaH .. 28..

 

28. On the other hand, those persons who are of virtuous deeds, whose

sin has come to an end,

they, being free from the delusion of duality and firm in their

convictions, adore Me.

 

yeshhaa.n jananam, those persons; tu, on the other hand;

puNya-karmaNaam, who are of virtuous deeds, in whom exist virtuous

deeds that are the cause of purification of the mind; whose paapam,

sin; antagatam, has come to an end, is almost eradicated, attenuated;

te, they;

dvandva-moha-nirmuktaaH, being free from the delusion of duality as

described; and dR^iDhavrataaH, firm in their convictions-those who

[Here Ast. adds, 'sarva-parityaaga-vratena, through the vow of

relinquishing everything'.-Tr.] have the firm knowledge that the

supreme Reality is such alone and not otherwise are called

dR^iDhavrataaH-; bhajante, adore; maam, Me, the supreme Self.

 

Why do they worship? This is being answered:

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jaraamaraNamokshaaya maamaashritya yatanti ye .

te brahma tadviduH kR^itsnamadhyaatma.n karma chaakhilam.h .. 29..

 

29. Those who strive by resorting to Me for becoming free from old age

and death, they know

that Brahman, everything about the individual Self, and all about

actions. [They know Brahman

as being all the individual entities and all actions. This verse

prescribes meditation on the

qualified Brahman for aspirants of the middle class. Verses beginning

with the 14th speak

about the reaization of the unqualified Brahman by aspirants of the

highest class.]

 

ye, those who; yatanti, strive; aashritya, by resorting; maam, to Me,

the supreme God, by having their minds absorbed in Me;

jaraa-maraNa-mokshaaya, for becoming free from old age and death; te,

they; viduh, know; tat, that; brahma, Brahman, which is the Supreme;

they know kR^itsnam, everything; about adhyaatmam, the individual

Self, that indwelling entity; ca, and; they know akhiliam, all; about

karma, actions.

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saadhibhuutaadhidaivaM maa.n saadhiyaGYa.n cha ye viduH .

prayaaNakaale.api cha maa.n te viduryuktachetasaH .. 30..

 

30. Those who know me as existing in the physical and the divine

planes, and also in the

context of the sacrifice, they of concentrated minds know Me even at

the time of death.

 

ye, those who; viduH, know; maam, Me; sa-adhi-bhuta-adhidaivam, as

existing in the physical and

the divine planes; ca, and also; sa-adhiyaj~nam, as existing in the

context of the sacrifice;

te, they; yukta-chetasaH, of concentrated minds-those who have their

minds absorbed in God;

viduH, know; maam, Me; api ca, even; prayaaNakaale, at the time of

death. [For those who are

devoted to God, there is not only the knowledge of Brahman as

identified with all individuals

and all actions (see previous verse), but also the knowledge of It as

existing in all things

on the physical, the divine and the sacrificial planes. Those who

realize Brhaman as existing

in the context of all the five, viz of the individual, of actions, of

the physical,of the

divine, and of the sacrifices-for them with such a realization there

is no forgetting, loss of

awareness, of Brahman even at the critical moment of death.]

 

 

AUM tatsaditi shriimad.h bhagavad.hgiitaasuupanishhatsu

brahmavidyaayaa.n yogashaastre shriikR^ishhNaarjunasa.nvaade

GYaanaviGYaanayogo naama saptamo.adhyaayaH .. 7..

 

Thus, in the Upanishad of the glorious BhagavadGita, in the Science of

the Eternal, in the scripture of Yoga, in the dialogue between Sri

Krishna and Arjuna, the Seventh discourse ends, entitled : THE YOGA OF

KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM.

 

 

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For Gita Dhyana Shlokas/Mantras and Mahatmya

/message/advaitin/6987

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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