Gita Satsangh Chapter 13 Verses 17 through 19

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Dandavat pranams to all!Gita Satsangh Chapter 13 Verses 17 through 19

 

Note: I have included 3 verses in this post, since verse 19 is considered a conclusion of the immediate topic under discussion:To listen to Swami Brahmanananda of the Chinmaya Mission chanting this Chapter...

 

Avibhaktam cha bhooteshu vibhaktamiva cha sthitam; Bhootabhartru cha tajjneyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha. (17)

 

17. And undivided, yet He exists as if divided in beings; He is to be known as the supporter of beings; He devours and He generates also.

 

Sankara Bhashya (Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

 

 

17. And the Knowable, though undivided, appears to be existing as divided in all beings, and It is the sustainer of all beings as also the devourer and originator.

 

And further, tat, that; jneyam, Knowable; though avibhaktam, undivided, remaining the same in all beings like space; iva sthitam, appears to be existing; as vibhaktam, divided; bhutesu, in all beings, because It is perceived as existing in the bodies themselves. And just as a rope etc. are with regard to a snake etc. That are falsely imagined, similarly that Knowable is bhutabhartr, the sustainer of all beings, sinced It sustains all during the period of their existence; grasisnu, the devourer, at the time of dissolution; and prabhavisnu, the originator, at the time of creation.

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

THIS BRAHMAN, WHICH CAN BE REALISED WITHIN OURSELVES AS SELF, IS ONE AND THE SAME IN ALL, AND REVELS AS THE SELF IN ALL. THIS IS EXPLAINED BELOW:

17. And undivided, yet He exists as if divided in beings; That is to be known as the Supporter of Beings; He devours and He generates.

UNDIVIDED, AND YET, IN BEINGS, IT EXISTS AS IF DIVIDED --- Electricity is All-pervading, and yet, conditioned by the bulb it manifests as effulgence at the filament. So too, though the Paramatman is All-pervading, It individualises itself as special manifestations only at points where equipments are available. Though space is one, it can manifest as room-space, pot-space etc., only when seemingly conditioned by the four walls of the room, or the pot.

IT IS THE SUPPORTER OF ALL, DEVOURING AS WELL AS GENERATING THEM --- The post is the supporter of the ghost. It "creates" the ghost vision and "devours" it. The earth is the supporter of all plants. It creates and it devours them all. The ocean is the supporter of all waves, waves are born from the ocean, and they are devoured by the same ocean. Similarly, Truth is that solid Omnipotent Substratum upon which is projected the world-of-plurality by the deluded mind and intellect; and when the mind and intellect are transcended, the vision of samsara gets devoured in the very experience of the Tranquil, just as, on waking, the dream merges into the essence of the waker's mind.

IT IS TO BE KNOWN --- The theme of all the discussions in the previous stanzas (Stanza 13 onwards) was "THAT WHICH IS THE KNOWABLE." This is to be "known" by a mind that has been prepared for it through the disciplines advocated in the earlier section.

IF THERE BE THUS AN ALL-PERVADING TRUTH, EVER PRESENT IN US, AND IF WE CANNOT PERCEIVE OR EXPERIENCE THIS SELF, IT MUST BE SURELY A PRINCIPLE OF DARKNESS. THIS IS NOT SO. LISTEN:

Jyotishaamapi tajjyotistamasah paramuchyate; Jnaanam jneyam jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam. (18)

18. That, the Light of all lights, is beyond darkness; it is said to be knowledge, the Knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all. Sankara Bhashya (Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

Further, it the Knowable is not perceived though existing everywhere, then It is darkness? Not! What then?

 

18. That is the Light even of the lights; It is spoken of as beyond darkness. It is Knowledge, the Knowable, and the Known. It exists specially [A variant reading is dhisthitam.-Tr.] in the hearts of all.

 

Tat, that Knowable; is the jyotih, Light; api, even; jyotisam, of the lights-of the sun etc. For the lights like the sun etc. shine because they are enkindled by the light of consciousness of the Self, as is known from Upanisadic texts like, 'Illumined by whose light the sun shines' (Tai. Br. 3.12.9.7), 'By Its light all this shines variously' (Sv. 6.14), and from the Smrti also, as here (in the Gita) itself: 'That light in the sun....' (15.12), etc.

 

It is ucyate, spoken of as; param, beyond, untouched by; tamasah, darkness; ignorance. For cheering up anyone who may become disheartened by thinking that Knowledge etc. is difficult to attain, the Lord says: It is jnanam, Knowledge-humility etc. (verse 7, etc.); jneyam, the Knowable, which has been spoken of in, 'I shall speak of that which is to be known' (12); and jnana-gamyam, the Known. The Knowable itself is referred to as jnanagamyam, when after being known, It becomes the result of Knowledge. But when It is an object to be known, It is called jneyam. All these three which are such, visthitam, specially exist; hrdi, in the hearts, in the intellects; sarvasya, of all, of all creatures.

 

For these three are, indeed, perceived there.Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

18. That (BRAHMAN) , the Light-of-all lights, is said to be beyond darkness; (It is) Knowledge, the Object-of-Knowledge, seated in the hearts of all, to be reached by Knowledge.

Brahman, the illuminator in all, is the One Consciousness by which everything is known intellectually, realised intuitively, and experienced spiritually. Since the Consciousness in us brings our various experiences within our understanding and knowledge, it is generally compared with light. To see an object, it is not only sufficient that the object is in line with a healthy pair of eyes, but the object must also be bathed in light. Taking this experience in the outer world of cognition as an illustrative analogy, within us too we must have some "Light" to illumine, since we can see and have the knowledge of the different types of emotions and thoughts that arise and exist in our bosom. This Light-of-Wisdom, by which we become aware of our own mental and intellectual conditions at any given moment, is called the "Light" of the Soul, or the Self, the Consciousness.

By the "Light" of Consciousness, every thought is brilliantly lit in the awareness of our life. Thus, it has become a spiritual tradition to call Consciousness as "Light."

The moment the student comes across such an expression, he is apt to misunderstand it as the LIGHT he has experienced in the world. The brilliance of the light experienced in the outer-world belongs to the realm-of-objects, and it cannot be the subject that is conscious of it. Therefore, it is necessary that the teacher should indicate, in some way, what exactly is meant by such familiar terms as "the Illumination of the Soul,the Effulgence of the Self,the Incandescence of the Consciousness."

LIGHT-OF-ALL-LIGHTS --- To indicate the Subject, we have to negate the entire field-of-objects. Sources of light such as the Sun, moon, stars, lightning or even fire, are described as having no illumination at all in the blinding luminosity of the Self. Therefore, Krishna indicates that the Self, in each, is the "Light" which illumines all other perceptible lights! Even the Sun, though it has light of its own, is immaterial to the living world of beings, if the Consciousness in them does not illumine it. If I am not aware, but I am told by some wise-looking sage, that I have a pair of horns, it does not matter to me, because they are not available for my enjoyment, nor are they useful in my life, as long as I am not aware of them. My world can give me my quota of cherished joys and pains only when I am conscious of it. Light, as a principle manifested, can serve my world only when it comes into my awareness. Thus, all sources of light are illumined by my Consciousness. Therefore, the Self is indicated as the Subject that experiences the entire world of objectified light.

THAT IS SAID TO BE BEYOND DARKNESS --- Even after the indication that the Self is Consciousness that illumines all other Lights of the world, the impression of Light, as an object of our experience is so powerful in our finite intellect that the average student can still retain only his "relative concept" of light. In the world outside, light, in its empirical sense, is that which we comprehend as a contrast to darkness. If there were no light, there would have been no days; in the Sun there is no meaning for the word light, since the Sun knows no darkness! Thus, to indicate the Absolute nature of the Infinite "Light" of the Soul, it is stated that it is beyond the concept of darkness; it is Absolute Light, the Consciousness.

Even to say that THERE IS darkness, we must be conscious of it. The "Light" of awareness is so subtle and Absolute, that It illumines not only the various sources of light in the world, but also the experience of darkness itself! That which illumines both light and darkness must be a factor that transcends both these experiences. Thus, the Spirit is indicated as that which transcends even darkness.

The second line indicates that the Spirit is (a) Knowledge (Jnanam), (b) that which is to be known (Jneyam), and © that which is to be reached by knowledge (Jnana-gamyam). In short, this is the final experience that is to be gained for which we have prepared ourselves through moral perfections such as "humility," etc., (XIII-5 to 11) and have tried to concentrate upon the "Knowledge" (XIII-12 to 17). This is the point-of-concentration for the head and the heart that have been already disciplined for the final flight in meditation. The Consciousness that transcends our experiences and illumines our life is the very goal in all spiritual endeavours, at all times, and everywhere.

DWELLING IN THE HEART OF ALL --- If there is an Infinite Light of Knowledge to be known --- without which life is impossible, in the presence of which alone all experiences can have a meaning and existence --- then this Infinite Goal is certainly to be acquired and possessed. Where am I to seek it? What pilgrimage must I undertake? Am I capable of making an expedition? Probably, I am not in possession of it today as it must be something to be experienced yonder in some unknown time and place. To negate all such misconceptions, it is boldly declared here that this Infinite dwells in the hearts of all.

Philosophically, "heart" means the area in the mental zone from where noble and pious thoughts spring forth. In an atmosphere of goodness, when the intellect steadily contemplates upon the "Light" that lies beyond darkness --- the Absolute Non-dual Self that exists, transcending all --- but also immanent in its subtle all-pervading nature --- It can be contacted and realised, and therefore, the "heart" is considered as the dwelling place of the Self.

The Consciousness functioning in the seekers' mind and intellect, if lived and experienced by Itself, must give the experience of the Infinite, just as by knowing the composition of a minute particle of salt, the world of sodium-chloride is understood.

SEEK THE "LIGHT" THROUGH DEVOTION: HERE FOLLOWS A CONCLUDING REMARK FOR THE THEME DISCUSSED SO FAR:

Iti kshetram tathaa jnaanam jneyam choktam samaasatah; Madbhakta etadvijnaaya madbhaavaayopapadyate.

19. Thus the Field as well as knowledge and the Knowable have been briefly stated. My devotee, knowing this, enters into My Being.

Sankara Bhashya (Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

This verse is begun for concluding the topic under discussion:

 

19. Thus has been spoken of in brief the field as also Knowledge and the Knowable. By understanding this My devotee becomes qualified for My state.

 

Iti, thus; uktam, has been spoken-commencing from 'I shall speak of that which is to be known' (12) and ending with 'It is spoken of as beyond darkness' (17); samasatah, in brief; the ksetram, field -beginning with the 'great elements' and ending with 'for titude' (5,6); tatha, as also; jnanam, Knowledge-beginning from 'humility' (7) and ending with 'contemplation on the Goal of the knowledge of Reality' (11); and the jneyam, Knowable.

 

All this has been stated by way of summarizing the purport of the Vedas and the Gita. Who is fit for this true knowledge? The answer is: madbhaktah, My devotee, who attributes the fact of being the Self of all to Me who am God, Vasudeva, the Omniscient, the supreme Teacher, (and) whose conviction has been saturated with the idea that whatever he sees, hears or touches, all that verily is Lord Vasudeva. Vijnaya, by understanding; etat, this, the aforesaid true knowledge; he upa-padyate, becomes qualified; mad-bhavaya, for My State (bhava) -the State of being the supreme Self; for that State of Mine. He attains Liberation.

 

There in the Seventh Chapter have been presented the two aspects [Cf. 15.16-18.] of God, viz the higher and the lower, characterized as the field and the Knower of the field. And it has also been said, '(Understand thus) that all things have these as their source' (7.6). The explanation as to how creatures have the two aspects, the field and the Knower of the field, as their source is now being stated:

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

19. Thus the Field, as well as the knowledge and the knowable have been briefly stated. Knowing this, My devotee enters into My Being.

What has been described in this chapter so far is the whole doctrine, the doctrine of the Vedas, taught in brief as the doctrine of the Geeta. The FIELD described above (XIII-6 & 7) beginning with the 'Great Elements' and ending with 'Fortitude'; KNOWLEDGE comprising the moral and ethical rules ordering our right relationship with the world, (XIII-8 to 12), starting with 'humility' and ending with 'the perception of the end of knowledge' and the KNOWABLE described just now, (XIII-2 & 7), these have been briefly dealt with.

Now the question is: Who among the seekers is really fit for this great "Knowledge"? It is prescribed by the Lord that His "DEVOTEES ALONE ARE FIT FOR MY STATE." Devotion here is not merely an emotional surrender in love unto the Lord, but an intellectual apprehension of the Truth, through a correct discrimination between the 'Field' and the 'Knower-of-the-Field.' One who is able to recognise the one Vaasudeva, who is the vitalising Conscious-Principle in all Fields-of-matter-envelopments (VII-5), is the true devotee "WHO IS FIT FOR MY STATE" (Mat Bhava).

THE "FIELD" AND THE "KNOWER-OF-THE-FIELD" TOGETHER IN THEIR COMBINATION PROVIDE US WITH ONE WORD FOR THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE...

(to be continued)

Hare Krishna!!!

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste Satsanghis:

 

Here are my observations and they are very specific with respect to verse # 18.

 

Jyotishaamapi tajjyotistamasah paramuchyate;

Jnaanam jneyam jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam. (18)

 

18. That, the Light of all lights, is beyond darkness; it is said to be

knowledge, the Knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.

 

The Brahman is the illuminator of all external lights such as the sun, moon,

lightning and stars, of all psychic lights viz., the intellect, mind and senses

etc, and of all celestial lights in the shape of deities presiding over the

different worlds and objects. Even the power of illumination inherent in all

these is only a fraction of Him. That is why He is the light of all lights, that

is, the illuminator of all, the source of all light; He is illuminated by none.

Sruti also says: " Neither the sun nor the moon, nor stars shine in that realm;

nor again does lightning flash there. How, then, can this fire shed its luster?

All these reflect His light; all this borrows its light from His. " (Katho

Upanisad VI.l4) The Gita also says in XV. 12 that " the light in the sun, which

illumines the entire universe, and that which exists in the moon and in the

fire, know it to be My effulgence. "

 

The word `Tamasah' in this verse stands for darkness and ignorance. And the Lord

is self effulgent and the True Knowledge Itself; Darkness and ignorance cannot

exist near Him. Hence He has been spoken of as entirely beyond altogether

from-Maya. The word `Jnanam' (True Knowledge) denotes the essential nature of

the Self.

 

Again, the qualification `Jneya' used with reference to It is intended to

reveal that the highest duty of man is to know the Self. The word `Jneyam'

indicates that it is essential to know Him. Here it may be asked: How is He to

be known? Anticipating this query, the Lord says that He can be known by means

of true wisdom acquired through the practice of virtues like `absence of pride'

etc, referred to in the foregoing verses as conducive to Knowledge. God should

be known by acquiring true wisdom through the practice of the above virtues.

 

Although the Lord is equally present everywhere, it is in the heart that He is

particularly manifested. It is just like the light of the sun, though diffused

everywhere uniformly is particularly reflected in a mirror. The reflection is

not so strong in other objects. Even so the human heart is the seat of God's

manifestation. In the heart of an illumined soul, of course, He stands directly

manifested. It is to bring this out clearly that God has been spoken of as

particularly seated in the hearts of all.

 

Here is a story to illustrate that the Lord resides in the hearts of the devotee

with a pure heart filled with petals of virtues. Once Sita gave Hanuman a

necklace of pearls. After a while, the residents of the city observed him

breaking the necklace and inspecting each pearl minutely. Intrigued they asked

him the reason. " I am looking for Rama and Sita, " replied Hanuman. Laughing at

his apparent naivety the spectators pointed out to him that the royal couple was

at the moment seated on the imperial throne. Hanuman the great devotee (bhakti)

replied: " But Rama and Sita are everywhere, including my heart. " Not

understanding the depth of his devotion, they further teased him: " So Rama and

Sita live in your heart, can you show them to us? " Unhesitatingly, Hanuman stood

up and with his sharp talons tore open his chest. There, within his throbbing

heart, the astonished audience were taken aback to find the smiling Rama and

Sita. One of popular artist's portrayal is the picture of Hanumanji piercing his

chest to show the presence of Ram and Sita.

 

The message is very subtle and if we pay attention, we can recognize the Divine

presence. Everyday we can recognize the origin of spoken words – whether it

comes from one's heart or from one's mouth. When it comes from the heart, the

words reflect Truth, full of wisdom, love, kindness and compassion. The divine

resides within our hearts reveal Its presence and we experience peace and

happiness. All great poems have the divine origin and were generated from the

heart of the poet. This may also explain why the Indian Classical music is

considered as divine – necessarily its origin is the heart of a well disciplined

singer with great devotion and dedication. (Same is also true with Gospel

singing, Quron singing, Vedic chanting, etc. all fall into the same category).

 

With my warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

advaitin , " Radhe " <shaantih wrote:

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- On Sat, 3/7/09, Ram Chandran <ramvchandran wrote:

..

 

Jyotishaamapi tajjyotistamasah paramuchyate;

Jnaanam jneyam jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam. (18)

 

18. That, the Light of all lights, is beyond darkness; it is said to be

knowledge, the Knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.

 

As I understand

 

Jyotishaam api tat jyotiH -

 

External Light even though is self-shining and hence does not need another light

to light it, it still cannot be seen unless the eyes are open and the mind is

awake. The knowledge that external light exists can be known only by a conscious

entity, the consciousness that enlivens the mind and lights up the VRitti that

is associated with perception of the light.

Without that light of consciousness illumining the vRitti associated with the

observed external light, the external light cannot be seen.Hence a mind at sleep

cannot see the sun or the external light.

 

Thus Consciousness has to 'light-up' even the external light for us to have the

knowledge of the existence of the external light, be it sun or lamp.

 

Thus all the lights that we see have to be 'lighted up' by the light of

consciousness.

 

If such is the chain of events, then the question can be asked what 'lights-up'

the light of consciousness. If we need another light for that, then it will lead

to infinite regress.

 

Hence it is called swayam jyotiH - truly self-shining one - it is THE LIGHT OF

ALL LIGHTS - jyotishaam api jyotiH. No light can be seen without this light and

this light requires no other light for it to be lighted.

 

tamas param - beyond the ignorance/darkness - When I enter into pitch dark room

- I say I cannot see anything since it is covered by darkness. Hence all

knowledge similarly covered by ignorance - I have no knowledge of astrology -

and will gain that knowledge when my ignorance of astrology is removed by proper

pramaaNa or means of knowledge.

 

But I know that the room is dark because of which I cannot see any object. In

what light I can see that it is dark since I need to illumine the object

(darkness) for me to see. That light which illumines even darkness without

destroying is not opposite to darkness (like other external lights) but

ontologically beyond the darkness. Similarly because of ignorance I do not know

astrology. But I know that I do not know astrology - that is I have the

knowledge of my ignorance of astrology. That knowledge which illumines even the

ignorance has to be beyond the ignorance. That light of consciousness is beyond

the ignorance and darkness - that illumines both of them for me to know that I

am ignorant and it is dark out there.

 

ucyate - it is said - Even Krishna does not claim authorship for this - It is

said in the Vedas - Already declared that RishibhiH bahudaa giitam .. The

Rishiis have sung in so many ways - Rishiis are Veda dRishaTaas. Vedas become

pramaaNa for this knowledge - hence Krishna says - uchyate - It has been

declared.

 

It is of the nature of jnaanam - knowledge - as we discussed in the knowledge

series, pure knowledge cannot be defined; what is defined is knowledge of X

where x is some object, chemistry, astrology etc. Hence Tai. Up declares that

Brahman which cannot be defined is pure knowledge - satyam jnaanam anantam

brahma - Brahman is not knowledge of but pure knowledge. In Brahman there is no

ignorance - since that jnaanam is one without a second and hence anantam or

infinite and it is the absolute reality, satyam. Hence the mahaavakaya -

prajNaanaanam brahman - pra is added since it is that which light up all lights

too - jyotishaama api tat jyotiH.

 

Jneyam - to be known - Here we are coming done to vyavahaara level. Even though

it is self-effulgent entity, it has to be 'known' as the very object of the life

pursuit - as purushaartha - moksha by those who are ignorant of it. Thus those

who do not know that I Brahman or jnaana swaruupam have to know that they are,

since they feel that they are - this (BMI) which is nothing but an object which

is embodiment of ignorance. Hence it is jneya vastu for those who do not know.

 

Hence it is jnaana gamyam - the goal to be achieved through saadhana - Gita

upadesha is essentially meant for that - It can only be known through the mind

if and when the mind is pure. To purify the mind, Krishna says you need the 24

values enumerated earlier - amaanitvam adambhitvam etc.

 

It is not some object to be knowen somewhere - it is

hRidisarvasya vishtitam - it is abiding in everyone's heart. The heart is the

inner core of individual - the individual starts with his introductiono as 'I am

+ this and that. The essence or the inner core of him without any added inert

this and that is nothing but pure 'I am'. That is the essence of any individual

- nay, the essence of all living entities.

 

That is to be jneyam - to be known is the essence of this chapter - and that

knowing principle is kshetrajna that is knower in all the fields. kshetrajnam ca

api maam viddhi sarva kshetreshu bhaarata.

 

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

[Guest guest]

advaitin , Ramji wrote:

>

> Here are my observations and they are very specific with respect to verse #

18.

>

> Jyotishaamapi tajjyotistamasah paramuchyate;

> Jnaanam jneyam jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam. (18)

>

> 18. That, the Light of all lights, is beyond darkness; it is said to be

knowledge, the Knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.

 

Hari OM!

Thanks much for sharing very insightful verse.

 

Light always seems to hold a significant part in spirituality and

Science. No worship begins without lighting lamp even today in

any temple. Almost universally, light seems to lighten up spirits-

be it Christmas lights or Northern lights. Few comments by Swami

Jyotirmayanandaji, again with light in name not coincidentally,

touched me. Paraphrasing to the extent I recall.

 

Suppose a lamp is burning in a room. With gusting winds making it

flicker, the light cannot lit the contents of room well. When

winds cease, the same light now burns serenely and lits up the room

perfectly. When distracting winds of desires agitate the stream of

awareness, Self, world and their relationship is not seen clearly.

When agitations of mind " vikshepa " cease, same awareness shows Self

and world clearly than ever. In words of Swami Chinmayanandaji,

" then we do not see any thing new, but see everything ANEW " !

==================================

Hari OM!

-Srinivas