Bhagavat gita adetailed study-chapter 9 -Brahmavidya the royal secret

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28.Subhaasubhaphalairevam mokshyase karmabanDhaanaiH

sannyaasa yogayukthaathmaa vimuktho maam upaishyasi

Thus you will be released from bondage and its good and bad results. You will attain Me, liberated through renunciation.

One who offers everything to the Lord is not affected by the result of his actions and thus gets released for karma. He becomes totally renounced of all actions and their results and attains the lLord in the end.

Saying that one who offers everything to Me and worships will get liberated may ascribe partiality to the Lord towards His devotees. This doubt is dispelled by the next sloka.

29.samoham sarvabhootheshu na me dhveshyo asthi na priyaH

ye bhajanthi thu maam bhakthyaa mayi the theshu

chaapyaham

I am equal to all and I have no friend or foe. Whoever worships Me with devotion they are in Me and I am in them.

The Lord is the karmaphalaDhaathaa, one who apportions the fruit of the karma of everyone. In His incarnations also He is not acting out of desire of anger but simply personifies the destiny of each one according to his actions. Like the mother who punishes the naughty child and rewards the good one, the Lord punishes the wicked, to reform them and rewards the good to encourage them. Thus His retribution if for redemption.

Like the wind which will help the boat only when the sails are opened, and the light can be seen only when the eyes are open, God will help only those who come to Him. If one sees Him as an enemy He will appear only in that form because He comes to you as you see Him.

To emphasize His impartiality Krishna further says ,

30. api cheth sudhuraachaaro bajathe maam ananyabhaak

saDhureva sa manthavyaH samyak vyavasitho hi saH

Even if one is a confirmed sinner, if he worships Me with a steadfast mind, he is to be considered as a good person with good resolve.

Even if a person is most sinful. if he worships the Lord with undivided devotion he is to be counted among the good. The devotion absolves him from all the sins. But he should be sincere and wishing to redeem himself, which is denoted by ananyabhAk, with no other thought than the love of the Lord, which naturally destroys all sinful impressions from his mind.

But what is the meaning of the upanishadhic statement ' na avirathO dhuscharithaath na ashaantho na asamaahithah na ashaanthamaanaso vaapi prajnaanena enam aapnuyaath, ' (Kata.1-2-24) One who is not turned away from bad conduct, is not tranquil, is not composed and also not calm in mind, cannot obtain the Supreme through knowledge? This holds good only for one who has not mended his ways. What happens when he does?

Krishna replies in the next sloka,

31. kshipram bhavathi Dharmaathmaa saSvath Saanthim

nigacChathi

koutheya prathijaaneehi na me bhakthaH praNaSyathi

He becomes a righteous person immediately and attains everlasting peace. Arjuna, proclaim from Me that My devotee never perishes.

Quickly he becomes righteous and obtain everlasting peace. There were examples of this in the epics and puranas like Valmiki and Bilvamangala, otherwise known as Leelasuka, and even Purandharadhasa., all who changed from men of worldly desires to great bhakthas in a matter of moments. Therefore Krishna gives a guarantee in the second line of the sloka that His devotees will never perish.

To attain the Lord, devotion is the only qualification irrespective of caste creed or sex., Sabari, Guha, ThiruppANazvar, and so many like them are examples of this.

32. maam hi paarTha vyapaaSrithya ye syuH paapayonayaH

sthriyo vaiSyaaH thaThaa SoodhraaH the api yaanthi

paraam gathim

Those who resort to Me Arjuna, even if they are of sinful birth, women or vaiSyas or Sudhras they also attain the supreme state.

Of the four varnas except Brahmins and kshathriyas the others, including women are not qualified to study the Vedas and follow the scriptural disciplines outlined therein.

This is the traditional explanation of this sloka. But let us see how far it is applicable to modern days. Even in olden days there were instances when women and people born in castes other than Brahmin or kshathriya, like Thirumazisai azvar, were learned in vedas. Gargi, and the wives of the rshis like Vasishta were examples of this. Upanayanam and gayathri were common to women also and there are proofs of this in ithihasas and puranas. Some the rshis of mantras were women. So instead of saying that they are not qualified we can say that they do not have to learn the Vedas as they could get salvation simply by following their svadharma. The wife of a brahmin and the butcher in the story of Kousika, the yogi are examples to this fact.

Kousika a yogi was doing penance under a tree and stork droppings fell on him. Angered he looked at the bird above and it was burnt to ashes. Arrogant with his power he went to a house or alms and the wife of the Brahmin was looking after her husband and delayed in coming out. The yogi stared at her and she said that she was not the stork. Surprised and humbled he begged her to instruct him and she told him to go to a man called Dharmavyadha and when he went there and found that he was a butcher. Dharmavyadha asked Kousika whether the brahmin lady sent him. When Kousika asked him how did he get the power, Dharmavyadha replied that he knew nothing except doing his duty and serving his parents sincerely.

In modern days when we have the translations of Vedas and Brahmasuthras by the foreigners like Thibaut and Maxmuller, this restriction by castes based on birth is irrelevant.

But in this sloka the implication should be well understood. The term women signifies those who lack strength of mind and conviction necessary to follow the rigorous discipline of the Vedas. Similarly the vaisya stand for the materially minded who would not have inclination to self control and the word sudras imply those who are predominantly thamasik.

The main idea is that devotion and surrender is the only qualification to deserve the grace of the Lord irrespective of caste or sex.

33. kimpunarbraahmaNaaH puNyaaH bhakthaaH raajarshayaH

thaTha

anithyam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajasva maam

What more could be said of holy brahmaanas and devoted kshathriyas.?

If this were the case of lowliest, can there be any doubt about those who were born in the noble sections of society, learning vedas and practising spiritual disciplines!

 

The world , the Lord says, is anithyam, transitory, asukham. Joyless. The pleasure obtained in this world which is destructible , is also temporary and bring sorrow in its wake. The human life is given for evolving oneself through jnana and bakthi and to became free from bondage that causes rebirth. Hence one should worship the Lord on being born in this world.