Bhagavatgita- a detailed study-chapter 7-knowledge and experience

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12.ye chaiva saathvikaa bhaavaaH raajasaasthaamasaascha ye

 

mattha evethi thaan vidDhi na thu aham theshu the mayi

 

 

All the beings sentient and insentient, constituted of the three gunas, sprung from Me only. I am not in them but they are in Me.

 

 

Krishna sums up the description of the nature of Brahman. "All the beings constituted of the three gunas are from Me, but I am not in them, they are in Me," says the Lord. Brahman is all pervading and hence He is in all things and they are in Him as the AkAsa is in all and all are in it. But the statement 'I am not in them ,' seems to be a little bit confusing. Actually it is not so. It only means that Brahman is not conditioned by the qualities like the individual self in transmigration. AkAsa is in everything but is not contaminated by them and pervades everything so that everything is in it. Just because it pervades all it cannot be said that the akasa is in them Similarly Brahman pervades all so that they are in Him but He is not in them in the worldly sense of the term. The space outside the pot and the space inside is the same. But it is not correct to say that the space is inside the pot because the pot is in space and not vice versa. But ghatakasa nevertheless exists though not different from mahakasa, the space outside. Hence in this sense the Lord says that He is not in them but they are in Him.

 

The rope is misunderstood as a snake due to ignorance of its real nature created by dim light. This is the maya. The snake is in the rope because without the rope the snake cannot exist. But the rope is not in the snake as when the rope is seen snake is no more seen. To take another example, the waves are in the ocean but the ocean is not in the waves.

 

13.thribhiH gunamayaiH bhaavaiH ebhiH sarvam idham jagath

 

mohitham na abhijaanaathi maam ebhyaH param avyayam

 

The whole universe is pervaded by the three gunas. Those who are deluded do not understand Me to be different form them.

 

All that which is non-self is constituted by the three gunas of prakrthi and the evolutes of prakrthi. The individual self gets deluded into believing that the world is the reality without understanding that there is the absolute reality apart from all this, the higher and the immutable. This delusion is created by the wrong identification of one self with the body, mind and intellect due to ego which is the product of ignorance which creates the delusion.

 

The reaction to the sensations are due to the three gunas and the deluded one believes that he is the agent of action instead of knowing that the gunas inside are reacting with the gunas outside. This was explained in the third chapter (slokas27 to 29) When you see the rope snake is no more and when you know the ocean, you see that the waves are nothing but the ocean. The idea in the above sloka can be very well understood by the Tamil saying from the thirumandhiram of Thirumoolar. It is as follows:

 

maraathai maraitthadhu maamadhayaanai

maratthil maraindhadhu maamadhyaanai

paratthai maraitthadhu paar mudhal bhootham

paratthil maraindhadhu paar mudhal bhootham

 

An elephant is made of wood and who sees it as the elephant, perhaps a child, does not see the wood and who sees only the wood, perhaps a carpenter, does not see the elephant. So it is said above that the elephant concealed the wood and vice versa. Similarly the world of five elements concealed the Brahman and vice versa. When one sees the world it is real for him and he does not see that all is nothing but Brahman, but to the one who has the knowledge, `sarvam khalu idham brahma,' he sees only Brahman everywhere.

 

Then who can get rid of this delusion? This is answered in the next sloka.

 

14. dhaivee hyesha guna mayee mama maayaa dhurathyayaa

 

maameva ye prapadhyanthe maayaam ethaam tharanthi the

 

This divine delusion formed by the gunas created by Me is difficult to cross and those who resort to Me alone are able to cross over.

 

This delusion born out of ignorance is mama maayaa says Krishna, meaning that till one has the right perception the reality is hidden from him by the Lord Himself in the form of maya because as long as the ego causes identification with the body, mind and intellect, the reality cannot be understood. The Lord removes the delusion only of those who resort to Him. He says maam eva, meaning "Me alone" which denotes ananyabhakthi. This is not partiality on the part of The Lord. Those who surrender to Him with unflinching devotion to Him alone, give up attachment to the world and purify their mind of all sins through devotion. To them naturally the maya is removed like the darkness is gone when the sun rises as mentioned in the sloka `theshaam aadhithyavath jnaanam prakaaSayathi thath param..' (Chapter5.16)

 

Then why not everybody resort to the Lord and get rid of their maayaa? The answer is given in the next sloka.

 

15. na maam dhushkrthino mooDaaH prapadhyanthe

naraaDhamaaH

 

maayayaa apahrtha jnaanaaH aasureem bhaavam

aasRithaaH

 

Those who have committed sin , who are ignorant and the wicked do not resort to Me. They have acquired the demonic nature with their wisdom being robbed by the delusion.

 

Those who are deluded by the maya seek sensual gratification and indulge in sinful activities. They become wicked and they are fools in believing that the pleasures of the worlds is real and everlasting which goads them into wickedness in order to satisfy their desires. Such men, says Krishna will never come to Me but acquire demonic nature which will take them lower and lower.