GITA Summary, Chapter - 15 of 18 .

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Hare Krishna. Pranam to all Vaishnavas,

I surrender unto the lotus feet of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, begging for His merciful blessings to, advise Gita-rahasya to His Bhaktas of this group .

GITA Summary of Chapter – 15 ( Purusottama Yoga)

( The Yoga through Understanding the Supreme Person )

Preface

In this chapter, Bhagavan Krishna reveals that , this material world extends from the lower to the higher planetary systems. Living beings are separate parts of Krishna and are bound by their ‘karma’ (deeds) to struggle hard in the miserable ocean of material world .

However, the devotees surrender to Krishna, and worship Him , knowing that Krishna alone is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Purushottama). By doing so, Krishna’s devotees rise above the material entanglement and achieve all their duties .

CREATION IS LIKE A TREE CREATED BY THE POWERS OF MAYA

Krishna describes the eternal ‘banyan tree’ having its roots above (in unmanifest Brahman) and its branches below (in the earth) whose leaves are the (Vedic) hymns. The branches (of this tree of Maya) spread below and above (or all over the cosmos). The tree is nourished by the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas , Tamas) ; sense pleasures are its sprouts; and its roots (of ego and desires) stretch below in the human world causing bondage of fruitive

activities.

HOW TO CUT THE TREE OF EGO & DESIRES AND ATTAIN SALVATION BY TAKING REFUGE IN GOD

The real form of this tree cannot be perceived here on the earth. No one can understand where it begins, where it ends, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down the firm roots (the desires)of this tree by using the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must surrender to Krishna and seek to attain His supreme abode.

The attachment for sense enjoyment and lording it over the material nature is very strong. The Supreme God, Krishna, is the origin from whom everything has emanated. To gain the favor of Krishna , one has only to surrender to Him (by doing so one becomes detached automatically from the material entanglement) , and this is a result of performing devotional service by hearing, chanting, etc.

 

The surrendering process is described in this chapter very nicely. The first qualification is that one should not be deluded by pride. For one who is always expecting some honor in this material world, it is not possible to surrender to Krishna. Pride is due to illusion. Because the conditioned soul is puffed up, thinking himself the lord of material nature. One should know by the cultivation of real knowledge that

Krishna , the Supreme Godhead is the true Lord of material nature.

KRISHNA IS PUROSOTTAMA (THE SUPREME PERSON)

Krishna says “ I am seated in the heart of all beings. I am the one which is to be known by the study of all the Vedas. I am, indeed, the author as well as the knower of the Vedas. Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedic scriptures as the Purushottama (Supreme Person.) ”

The Supreme Lord is situated as Paramatma in everyone's heart, and it is from Him that all activities are initiated. The living entity forgets everything of his past life, but he has to act according to the direction of the Supreme Lord, who is witness to all his work. Therefore he begins his work according to his past deeds. Required knowledge is supplied to him, and remembrance is given to him, and he forgets, also, about his past life. Thus, the Lord is not only all-pervading; He is also localized in every individual heart. He awards the different fruitive results. He is worshipable not only as the impersonal Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the localized Paramatma, but as the form of the incarnation of the Vedas as well. The Vedas give the right direction to people so that they can properly mold their lives and come back to Godhead, back to Krishna’s abode. The Vedas offer knowledge of the Supreme Godhead, Krishna.

Krishna instructs Uddhava (Bhagavatham 11.11.20 -21) “ My dear Uddhava an intelligent person should never take to literatures that do not contain descriptions of My activities, which purify the whole universe. Indeed, I create, maintain and annihilate the entire material manifestation. Among all My pastime incarnations, the most beloved are Krishna and Balarama .Any so-called knowledge that does

not recognize these activities of Mine is simply barren and is not acceptable to those who are actually intelligent. Coming to this conclusion of all knowledge, one should give up the false conception of material variety that one imposes upon the soul and thus cease one's material existence. The mind should be fixed on Me, since I am all-pervading.”

Summary

Sloka 1sri bhagavana uvaca :

urddhva-mulam adhah-sakham / asvattham prahur avyayamchandamsi yasya parnani / yas tam veda sa veda-vit(Sri Bhagavan said: The wise speak of the eternal ‘banyan tree’ having its roots above (in unmanifest Brahman) and its branches below (in the cosmos) whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who understands this is a knower of the Vedas.)

Sloka 2adhas corddhvam prasrtas tasya sakhaguna-pravrddha visaya-pravatahadhas ca mulany anusantatanikarmanubandhini manusya-loke(The branches (of this world tree of Maya) spread below and above (or all over the cosmos). The tree is nourished by the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas , Tamas) ; sense pleasures are its sprouts; and its roots (of ego and desires) stretch below in the human world causing bondage of fruitive activities.)

Slokas 3-4na rupam asyeha tathopalabhyatenanto na cadir na ca sampratisthaasvattham enam su-virudha-mulamasanga-sastrena drdhena chittvatatah padam tat parimargitavyamyasmin gata na nivarttanti bhuyahtam eva cadyam purusam prapadyeyatah pravrttih prasrta purani(The real form of this tree cannot be perceived here on the earth. No one can understand where it begins, where it ends, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down the firm roots (the desires)of this tree by using the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must seek that supreme abode reaching where one does not come back to the material world again . And there surrender to that

Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything began and from whom everything has extended since time immemorial.)

Sloka 5nirmana-moha jita-sanga-dosaadhyatma-nitya vinirvrtta-kamahdvandvair vimuktah sukha-duhkha-samjnairgacchanty amudhah padam avyayam tat(Those who are free from false prestige, illusion and false association ; who understand the eternal ; who are detached from material lust ; who are freed from the dualities of happiness and distress ; and who are unbewildered , know how to surrender unto the Supreme Person attain to attain that eternal kingdom.)Sloka 6na tad bhasyate suryo / na sasanko na pavakahyad gatva na nivarttante / tad dhama paramam mama(The sun does not illumine My Supreme Abode, nor the moon, nor the

fire. Having reached there people attain permanent liberation (Mukti), and do not come back to this material world.)Sloka 7mamaivamso jiva-loke / jiva-bhutah sanatanahmanah sasthanindriyani / prakrti-sthani karsati(The individual soul in the body of living beings is certainly My integral part . Due to conditioned life , the living entities are struggling very hard with the six sensory faculties ( including the mind.)

Sloka 8sariram yad avapnoti / yac capy utkramatisvarahgrhitvaitani samyati / vayur gandhan ivasayat(Just as the air takes aroma away from the flower; similarly, the individual soul takes the six sensory faculties from the physical body it casts off during death to the new physical body it acquires in reincarnation.)Sloka 9srotrancaksuh sparsananca / rasanam ghranam eva caadhisthaya manas cayam / visayan upasevate(The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, eye, tongue, nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.)Sloka 10utkramantam sthitam vapi / bhunjanam va gunanvitamvimudha nanupasyanti / pasyanti

jnana-caksusah(The ignorant people cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand that he enjoys sense pleasures by associating with the material body under the spell of the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) . But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.)

Sloka 11yatanto yaginas cainam / pasyanty atmany avasthitamyayanto 'py akrtatmano / nainam pasyanty acetasah(Those striving Yogis can see the Atma (self) abiding in their heart . The ignorant, however, whose heart has not been purified, can not see the ‘Atma’ in spite of their best endeavors.)

Sloka 12yad aditya-gatam tejo / jagad bhasayate' khilamyac candramasi yac cagnau / tat tejo viddhi mamakam(The light energy of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.)Sloka 13gam avisya ca bhutani / dharayamy aham ojasapusnami caudashih sarvah / somo bhutva rasatmakah(Entering the earth, I support all beings with My energy ; becoming the moon, I supply the juice of life to all the

plants.)

Sloka 14aham vaisvanaro bhutva / praninam deham asritahpranapana-samayuktah / pacamy annam catur-vidham(As the fire of digestion in the bodies of the living entities, I combine with the out-going and in-coming airs to digest the four types of foodstuffs.)Sloka 15sarvasya caham hrdi sannivistomattah smrtir jnanam apohanancavedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyovedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham(I am seated in the heart of all beings. The memory, Self-knowledge, the removal of doubts and forgetfulness

come from Me. I am that which is to be known by the study of all the Vedas. I am indeed, the author as well as the knower of the Vedas.)

Sloka 16dvav imau purusau loke / ksaras caksara eva caksarah sarvani bhutani / kuta-stho' ksara ucyate(There are two classes of living beings in this world--- the perishable and the imperishable . Of these, the bodies of all beings are perishable; while the Jivaatmaa ( embodied soul ) is imperishable. )

Sloka 17uttamah purusas tv anyah / paramatmety udahrtahyo loka-trayam avisya / bibharty avyaya isvarah(Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Paramatma (Supreme Soul) , the imperishable Supreme God (Krishna or Mahavishnu) , who has entered the three worlds and is maintaining them.)Sloka 18yasmat ksaram atito' ham / aksarad api cottamahato' smi loke vede ca / prathitah purusottamah(Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedic scriptures as the Purushottama (Supreme Person.)Sloka 19yo mam evam asammudho / janati purusottamamsa sarva-vid bhajati mam / sarva-bhavena bharata(O Arjuna, Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, , is the knower of everything. He therefore worships Me, wholeheartedly .)Sloka 20iti guhyatamam sastram / idam uktam mayanaghaetad buddhva buddhiman syat / krta-krtyas ca bharata(O sinless Arjuna , I have thus revealed to you, the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures. Whoever understands this will become enlightened, and he will accomplish all his duties.)

Thus ends the Fifteenth Chapter Purusottama-yoga of Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, which gives pleasure to the bhaktas and is accepted by all saintly persons.

Ohm Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!!!

 

 

SriKrishnaDasa Rajeev

(To Continue in next part ..)

 

NB - : GITA chapters 1 to 15 are saved in the Folder, ‘Gita’ in ’s FILES. Chapter-wise summary of remaining (3) chapters will be posted in (3) parts in the coming days.

 

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