Gita Satsangh: Swami Dayananda: Part IV: Gita Chapter VII Verses 29 to 30

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Namaste:

 

Poojya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the founder of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam

studied under the guidance of Swami Chinmayanandaji and he is a great

Vedantin. Swamiji's commentary and explanation are from the Advaita

Philosophical point of view. Let me take this opportunity to thank

Swamiji for granting permission to post his Homestudy Gita Notes to

the list. The Gita Homestudy Gita Notes along with chanting of the

entire Gita verses are available at

Arshavidyagurukulam.(.http://www.arshavidya.org/)

 

Part IV: Gita Chapter VII Verses 29 to 30

 

HOW TO FREE ONESELF FROM PAPA-KARMA

In the beginning you use your will against papa-karma and later it is

not necessary. For example, in every culture there are swear words.

Suppose a person has been brought up in an environment where it is

common to use these words. One day he decides that he is not going to

use them any more. In the beginning, especially when he gets angry,

they will come to the tip of his tongue. But using his will he can

curb them there. Very cautiously, very wilfully he will choose words

which are more objective. He will have to do this for some time.

Afterwards those words do not even come to his mind; they just

disappear from his language. No will is required. They are out of his

system.

This is how you change. The tendencies for papa-karma cannot remain in

you when you keep doing punya-karma. There is a reason for this. When

you do any type of action, it produces a samskara. The more you do it,

the more you reinforce a tendency for that type of action, a samskara.

If water flowing down a mountain repeatedly follows the same track,

the track becomes deeper and deeper. This is also true with reference

to samskara. Karma creates a samskara and because of the samskaras we

tend to repeat the karma. This is why criminals become habitual

offenders. They are prone to a given type of offence and a certain way

of doing it. Some are burglars. Then among them, one always comes

through the window, another through the door. That tendency, once it

is formed is like water running down a mountain creating a deeper and

deeper track and making it more and more impossible for the water to

go anywhere else. Similarly, samskaras create thought ravines that

result in habitual actions. A tendency is formed to do the same thing

and the more it is done, the stronger the tendency becomes.

To break out of it, one has to use one's will. And to do this, one

must undergo a cognitive change. He has to look at his life

differently and that is possible only by some grace, some help. Once

he gets it, the course of his life changes and the old tendencies

start to fall away.

For the punya-karmas, for those who do punya-karmas, the

papa-samskaras themselves have been eliminated. And the papas, which

were done before are neutralised to a great extent. Such people have

reached the end of their papa-karmas. That is, they have almost

reached the end. It is not complete because both papa and punya will

go away only with knowledge. These are people whose minds are more or

less unaffected by papa-karmas. The mind abides. It is a pure mind.

FREED FROM DELUSION, ONE SEEKS ISVARA

Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktah — they become completely liberated from the

delusion of the opposites, raga-dvesas. Mukta means `liberated,'

nirmukta means `totally liberated.'

Because of powerful likes and dislikes, one can only think of what one

wants. Right and wrong are not considered; naturally, he will do

papa-karma. But if these likes and dislikes are taken care of, the

mind will present him with what is proper and what is not. Then he is

freed from the inner torpor, the delusion of the dvandvas.

Mam bhajante — they worship me. People like this are the ones who

recognise what is really to be sought in life. Then they see the

meaning of all the words of the sastra. Before, because of

raga-dvesas, they had no time even to look at the sastra. Now the

words all become alive and they seek Paramesvara, paramatma. Who are

they?

THIS SEEKING REQUIRES COMMITMENT, SANNYASA

Drdha-vratah are people with a firm commitment. Vrata is a vow, a

commitment; drdha means `firm.' These are people of firm vows, of

great commitment. Sankara says that only in this way can you gain the

truth, paramartha-tattva. It requires a firm resolve. Because of that,

they give up all other pursuits. They are no longer under the spell of

raga-dvesas and pursue only those desires useful to their purusartha,

which is moksa. They become sannyasis either in spirit or take to the

order itself.

A real sannyasi's mind is the most mature mind because it has no

concern for tomorrow. Such a mind can be either careless or mature. A

foolhardy, misadventurous person also does not think about tomorrow.

He squanders everything today and tomorrow, he begs. Even though he

has a lot of desires to fulfil, he does not plan for the future. That

is foolish. Whereas a sannyasi is a person who does not care about

tomorrow because he knows tomorrow will take care of itself. And he is

content with what he has. Such a person has the sanest mind. You think

about it. There is no saner mind. It is not born of carelessness but

of a certain contentment and a trust in oneself and in Isvara.

He understands that a person's daily requirement is very little and he

will always get it. That is sannyasa. Such people of firm commitment,

`seek Me and they gain Me,' says the Lord. Bhajante can mean both the

above; but `they seek' is more appropriate in view of the following

verse. Totally free from the delusion of the opposites they seek

Isvara. They give up everything else to recognise paramatma.

For what purpose do they seek you? What do they gain?

jaramaranamoksaya mamasritya yatanti ye

te brahma tadviduh krtsnamadhyatmam karma cakhilam Verse 29

jara-marana-moksaya — for freedom from old age and death; mam asritya

— having taken refuge in Me; ye yatanti — those who make effort; te—

they; tad brahma — that Brahman (the cause of creation); krtsnam

adhyatmam — wholly as themselves; karma ca akhilam — and karma in its

entirety; viduh — know

Having taken refuge in Me, those who make effort for freedom from old

age and death, they know that Brahman wholly as themselves and they

also know karma in its entirety.

Bhagavan says, `Those who make effort for freedom from old age and

death, jaramaranamoksaya ye yatanti, by taking refuge in Me, mam

asritya, they know that Brahman wholly as themselves, tad brahma

adhyatmam viduh. One always wants freedom only from what is

undesirable never from the desirable. Old age is undesirable. No one

wants to age because it means death is nearing. A human being is

allotted only a finite number of years. Therefore, every year that

goes by is a year closer to death. That is one problem with old age.

The second problem is that one by one, the bodily functions begin

leaving you. The presiding deities of the sense organs, take their

leave as though to say, `This is enough. I supported you for so many

years. What did you accomplish? Good-bye.' When the presiding deities

which make the eyes see, the ears hear, etc., leave, all that remains

is a cavity, a golaka, where once there was sight, hearing etc. As

these deities depart, one by one, you find that the sense organs are

no longer as efficient as they once were; everything becomes a

nuisance. Nobody wants that.

The rest of the body also begins to disintegrate. The joints become

stiff and it becomes difficult to take the body around. Getting up is

a chore; lying down is a chore. Then getting up from lying down is a

chore. Sometimes the peristaltic movement stops functioning and even

eating is a chore. Remembering becomes a very big task. This is jara,

old age. Who wants it? Everyone wants freedom from it. And certainly

nobody wants death, marana. There is always a love to be free — free

from ageing, free from death.

Ageing and death stand for all the other changes a body goes through —

birth, growth, metamorphosis, decline, as well as all the mental

modifications such as, doership and enjoyership in the form of

pleasure and pain. All our notions about ourselves are based on these

and it is from these that we want to be free.

The intense desire for this freedom is born of the conclusion, `I am

subject to ageing; I am mortal.' As long as such a conclusion is

there, there will be a desire for release. But it is not possible and

we know that. So, there is always a desire to live a day more. And we

know that is not always going to be possible. So, there is a

helplessness and naturally, a fear. If you could help yourself, there

would be no fear. But you cannot stop ageing, much less death.

DISCERNING THE PROBLEM

A person who is not under the spell of raga-dvesas has a mind that can

discern this and seek a real solution. He understands what has value

in this life and seeks paramatma — now, before old age and death come.

He discerns that he wants to get out of this problem entirely not just

out of the ageing body. He wants to get out of the notion, `I am

subject to old age and death.'

The body does not say, `I am afraid of old age.' It just survives the

years like a stone or any other inert object. It has no notion that it

is getting older. You are the one who recognises yourself as someone

subject to old age and death. Therefore, moksa is not from physical

old age or physical death. It is from the notion that I am subject to

old age and death. From that notion alone is freedom and that is the

only freedom possible.

It is also the only freedom required because `I,' aham, alone is the

problem. All the problems are centred on `I.' This problem of self

identity is what causes fear. Therefore, for release from it, one

seeks paramatma.

HOW DOES ONE SEEK FREEDOM FROM DEATH?

Taking refuge in Isvara, they make effort — mam asritya yatanti. Mam

means Me, Isvara. So, pursuits based on their likes and dislikes are

given up and now they are seeking Isvara. After analysing their

experiences, they find that fulfilment of raga-dvesas is not exactly

what they are seeking. That I am subject to raga-dvesas is the

problem. If that is very clear to a person, his refuge is Isvara and

he becomes a jijnasu.

Now that he is no longer under the spell of his likes and dislikes and

the tendency for improper actions is gone, discrimination has arisen.

He wants only to know what Paramesvara is and seeks his grace for that

knowledge. And to know Paramesvara is to know him as oneself. There is

no other Isvara. He is not separate from you nor is he separate from

the world. If there is any sense of separation it is due to ignorance.

Therefore, Bhagavan says, `Taking refuge in Me, invoking My grace,

they seek to know Me.' For this they make efforts — yatanti.

How? With a mind absorbed in Me through sravana, manana, and

nididhyasana. These three things keep one absorbed. Previously the

mind was dwelling upon the objects of raga-dvesas and now it is led to

dwell upon Paramesvara through inquiry into the sastra.

To see the difference between this and all other pursuits, just

observe your mind when you turn the pages of an attractively printed

catalogue. Potential raga-dvesas, even unheard of raga-dvesas would

surface. You see something you had never even thought about and

suddenly it is a want. That is one type of mind.

Then see what happens when you read the pages of the Upanisads or

Gita. The mind is entirely different. The words of the sastra create a

mind that is fulfilled, resolved, the opposite of a mind in pursuit.

That is why they say that listening to the sastra is to be done again

and again — paunah punyena sravanam kuryat. It creates an orientation.

Even though there is only one thing to be understood, and that is the

statement, tat tvam asi, the elaborate study of the sastra is to keep

the mind exposed for a good length of time to this thinking about

realities. While doing sravana, there is naturally manana. Doubts are

raised and answered. Through this exposure you get a certain insight.

A certain vastu-jnana takes place. That you contemplate upon and gain

increasing clarity. This is nididhyasana.

Spending one's time in these three — sravana, manana, and nididhyasana

— is reflecting on Paramesvara. This is the brahma-abhyasa that we saw

previously — tat cintanam tat kathanam anyonyam tat prabodhanam.

Reflecting on the subject matter, talking about it to others and

discussing with fellow students trying to understand and help each

other is all part of brahmabhyasa. This is what is meant by taking

refuge in Paramesvara.

It is important to understand the meaning of expressions such as this.

One commentary I read long ago interpreted taking refuge in Isvara to

mean going to him for protection as one would go to a stronger person

when one is in trouble. Such appeals will definitely bless you. Any

good karma will give its result. But to think that Isvara is just

another person who is protecting you is simplistic. Paramesvara-asraya

is something that requires understanding. It is not a simple thing. It

is an absorption, a committed thinking and dwelling upon, which is

accomplished by sravana, manana, and nididhyasana. This is

paramesvara-asraya.

THE RESULT OF SEEKING ISVARA DIRECTLY

Te brahma tad viduh — having resorted to Paramesvara, these people –

te, come to know – viduh, that Brahman – tad brahma. It is clear from

this that asraya is in the form of enquiry and the result is that they

come to know Me as not separate from themselves. Tat is param brahma,

who is satyam jnanam anantam brahma and the cause of the whole

creation. Taking refuge in Me, the cause of everything, coming to know

Me, he naturally knows everything.

Now look at this sentence. Mam asritya yatanti — taking refuge in Me

they make effort. And what do they get? They get to know that Brahman,

te viduh tad brahma, because I am paramatma. This makes the meaning of

yatanti very clear; the effort is for the sake of knowledge.

That knowledge is for freedom from old age and death —

jara-marana-moksaya. This means all you require for freedom is

knowledge. But by knowing how can anybody escape from old age and

death? All the jnanis are dead and gone! That is, the bodies of the

jnanis are gone. A jnani is never gone because he is param brahma; he

is not separate. Bhagavan had said earlier `jnani tu atma eva me matam

— I consider the jnani as myself.'

THE IMMEDIACY OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE

>From this we understand that they know Brahman not only as the cause

of creation and therefore, remote, paroksa, but as not other than

themselves, aparoksa. It is unlike what happens to Arjuna in the

eleventh chapter, Krsna gave Arjuna the capacity to see him in his

cosmic form. As Arjuna looked, he saw the whole cosmos within Lord

Krsna. All the stars and heavens, the earth, all the people, the

Pandavas as well as Duryodhana and his group were within him. He saw

everyone on the battle field writhing within the mouth of time,

sticking between the teeth of Lord Death as they were being consumed

by time. He saw them all, not dead, but in the process of dying. And

he was frightened. He saw the whole cause of creation in a particular

form. Everything was included in that form, both cause and effect, so,

it was impossible to distinguish them. Seeing all this, he was

frightened because he did not see himself there. That is enough for

fear. Wherever one makes even a small division, there he will have

fear, udaram antaram kurute atha tasya bhayam bhavati. So, Arjuna

asked Krsna to return to his original form and experienced a great

relief. The fear and the relief were all because Arjuna did not

include himself. So, Brahman has to be understood not just as the

cause of creation but as oneself.

They also know that Brahman entirely as themselves — krtsnam

adhyatmam. Krtsna means total, entire. Adhyatma, means with reference

to atma, with reference to yourself. You have to see that Brahman as

totally identical with yourself, pratyagatma. The truth of atma

happens to be identical with Brahman. The one who knows this

understands everything connected to atma as identical with Brahman —

krtsnam adhyatmam tad viduh.

THEY ALSO UNDERSTAND KARMA

Because of that, he now understands karma also very well — karma ca

akhilam te viduh. He understands, `I do not do any action nor do I

cause anything to be done.' At the same time actions are done. He

understands the truth of karma and the word akhila means `entirely.'

Therefore, it indicates that now he understands karma in its entirety.

The truth about karma is that the doer, the object of the action, the

means of doing the action, the purpose of doing the action, from where

the action originates, anything connected to the action, and the locus

of the action are all Brahman. We saw this in the fourth chapter. In a

ritual, the means by which an oblation is offered, the oblation

itself, the fire unto which it is offered and the one who makes the

offering are all Brahman. This is the truth of karma and he knows this

also. In his vision, karma is neither opposed to Brahman nor is it

something that has Brahman as its result. The one who knows this sees

Brahman everywhere.

What is this Brahman that these people come to know so totally?

sadhibhutadhidaivam mam sadhiyajnam ca ye viduh

prayanakale'pi ca mam te viduryuktacetasah Verse 30

ye ca — and those; mam — me; sadhibhuta-adhidaivam — as centred on the

physical world and as centred on the devata; sadhiyajnam ca — and as

centred on the rituals; viduh — know; te — they; yukta-cetasah —whose

minds are absorbed in me: prayana-kale api — even at the end of their

life; mam viduh — they know me

Those who know Me as centred on the physical world, the devatas and

the rituals, whose minds are absorbed in me, even at the end of their

life, they know me.

`Those who know Me in this form they alone gain Me.' says the Lord.

Here moksa is the phala, result i.e., the purusartha is moksa. It was

said previously in verse 28, that these people are drdha-vratas. And

Sankara had pointed out that these people are suniscita-vijnanah.

These are people who have ascertained the purusartha before they

commit themselves to the pursuit of the knowledge of Paramesvara. So,

it was said, in verse 29, that having taken refuge in Me, those who

make effort for freedom from old age and death, they know that Brahman

wholly as themselves — jaramaranamoksaya mam asritya ye yatanti, te

tad brahma viduh. Up to verse 28, Bhagavan was talking in the first

person. Now suddenly in verse 29, he put it in the third person and

said, `te adhyatmam brahma viduh —they understand the pratyagatma as

param brahma and also understand all that is connected to pratyagatma.

They understand that the karta, karma, karma-phala, etc., are all

mithya. Now in this verse he reverts back to the first person again

and continues.

He says that, previously what was said as Brahman is Myself. He says,

those who know Me, as sadhibhuta, sadhidaiva and sadhiyajna, they know

me as themselves — adhyatmam te viduh, atmatvena te viduh. Brahman as

jagat-karana is adhibhuta, adhidaiva and adhiyajna. This Brahman they

know as themselves. This is a particular way of talking. This is

called rasikrtya kathanam — a collective mention, putting everything

together and saying, `All this is Myself.' Otherwise it will be an

endless process of saying, `I am this, I am that, etc.' By saying that

I am the one who obtains in the form of all the devas, in the form of

all the factors related to yajna or yajna-purusa and in the form of

all the bhutas – the five elements or the karya-karana-sanghata, the

body- mind-sense-complex. That means sarvam brahma. This is a way of

saying that all this is Brahman. You will often find this particular

expression in the sastra — adhibhuta, adhidaiva and adhiyajna. It is

very important to know what these words mean. Bhagavan will also talk

about it in the next chapter because Arjuna is going to ask a question

about these words.

The Lord says, `They know Me, Isvara, who is sadhibhuta, sadhidaiva

and sadhiyajna — sadhibhuta-adhidaivam mam sadhiyajnam ca ye viduh.

The word sa that is compounded to the words adhibhuta, etc., is saha

which means `along with.' In all those expressions, what is indicated

is Isvara, the one who exists in the form of the Sun, Moon, stars,

etc., and all the devatas thereof.

Adhibhuta is all that is centred on the bhutas — bhutani adhikrtya

bhavati iti adhibhuta. The bhutas can be taken as the

karya-karana-sanghatas. Therefore, Bhagavan says, `What obtains in all

the karya-karana-sanghatas is Myself alone as pratyagatma. The bhutas

can also be taken to mean the five elements. Similarly, adhidaiva is

what is centred on the devatas — devan adhikrtya vartate iti

adhidaiva. adhiyajna is what is centred on the yajnas, the rituals

etc. This means that Bhagavan is the one who is the form of the very

ritual — yajno vai Visnuh, yajnadhipati because he is the real

receiver of the offerings in the yajna. And he is the one who is in

the form of karmadhyaksa and the karma-phala-data.

Thus Bhagavan says, `These people recognise Me as the one who is in

the form of this world, as adhibhuta, from whom nothing is separate

and also as all the devatas, as adhidaiva, the one from whom no devata

is separate.' Further he says, `They also recognise Me as adhiyajna.'

Yajna means a ritual. Thus he says, `These people see that the result

of the karma, the karma and the devata invoked are all Me. They

recognise Me as the truth of karma.'

Adhyatma is what is centred on the individual. In the previous verse,

Bhagavan talked only about adhyatma. He had said that they know

Brahman as adhyatma, pratyagatma. Now he converts the whole thing into

Isvara again. That is he says Isvara is Brahman. This is how it is

established that there is non-difference between Isvara and the jiva.