Bhagwad Gita - Post 56

Verse 24

BRAHMAARPANAM BRAHMAHAVIR

BRAHMAAGNAU BRAHMANAA HUTAM;

BRAHMAIVA TENA GANTAVYAM

BRAHMAKARMASAMAADHINAA.

(Brahman is the oblation; Brahman is the melted butter (ghee); Brahman is the oblation poured into the fire of Brahman; Brahman verily shall be reached by him who always sees Brahman in action.)

For this special verse, let us first get the translation word by word.

Brahma	Supreme Spirit. (Brahman)
Arpanam	Offering / oblation
Havih	Ghee
Agnau	In the fire of consummation
Brahmana	By the spirit soul
Ahutam	Offered
Brahma	Brahman (abode / state of Brahman)
Eva	Certainly
Tena	By Him
Gantavyam	To be reached
Brahma	Brahman
Karma	In all activities
Samadhina	By complete absorption

Brahma-arpanam, the ladle is Brahman: The knower of Brahman perceives the instrument with which he offers oblation in the fire as Brahman Itself. He perceives it as not existing separately from the Self, as one sees the non-existence of silver in nacre. 

In this verse, Brahma word is used six times. It is not the Brahma of the trinity Brahma Vishnu Maheswara. Brahma here refers to the supreme principle, pure consciousness, formless, attribute less, which was / is / will be there before creation ever came into existence / during many creations / upon involution or ceasing of creation or what we call as pralaya.

In Upanishad times or when Bhagwad Gita was composed, there was no concept of personal God. 

So, even in all the verses in Gita where Krishna refers Himself as the supreme God, to whom we have to surrender totally etc., Krishna is expressing all that not as a physical God but as the supreme principle / pure consciousness which He  refers himself as.

Now, let us go back to the verse.

Brahma-arpanam, the ladle is Brahman: The knower of Brahman perceives the instrument with which he offers oblation in the fire as Brahman Itself. He perceives it as not existing separately from the Self, as one sees the non-existence of silver in nacre. 

Apparently, the analogy used in this verse is about the Yagna /Homam performed in the ancient days when Fire used to be lit up and sacred offering used to be performed to the Agni / Fire. 

Brahma arpanam - The one to whom we offer, is Brahman. 

Similarly, brahma-havih, the oblation (ghee) is Brahman: What is seen as oblations to Him  is nothing but Brahman. 

In the same way, brahma-agnau, (this is a compound word), the fire into which oblation is hutam, poured by the brahmana, (by Brahman) is Brahman Itself. 

The meaning is that Brahman Itself is the agent (of the offering). The act of offering - that is also Brahman.

And the result that is gantavyam, to be reached by him; that also is brahma eva, surely Brahman. 

Brahma-karma-samadhina, by him who has focus/full concentration   on Brahman as the only objective.

Brahman Itself is the objective (karma); he who has concentration (samadhi) on That is brahma-karma-samdhih. The goal to be reached by him is Brahman alone. 

Dear All,

Till now, all that we (most  of us if not all of us) knew about this verse is that we recite this verse along with another verse “aham vaisvanaro...” before partaking food so that the food gets purified. 

Bhagawan has explained about the significance of this verse in the context of partaking food, which is available in net and therefore it is not being taken up here in detail.

However, when we read the above explanation of this verse and contemplate, the implication, the result of our absorption is far beyond food aspect. 

Even if we start from the food aspect, then it directly goes and aligns with the Pujari- Prasad analogy which was covered in an earlier post and also given by way of talk to a few.  

When we offer prasad to God and in turn partake the same prasad after offering to God and receiving as prasad, do we ever analyze / think about the quality of such a prasad?

This also has to draw our mind to a very important aspect. What should be our frame of mind/our thoughts when we offer the prasad or when we partake the prasad (let us take the food that we partake daily as prasad for this purpose).

Only when the mind is pure, devoid of violent / disturbing / immoral thoughts, only when our mind is at rest / peace, the food that we partake serves the real purpose and it provides us the required physical strength and it also gets digested properly.

Are we not aware of the story where, intoxicated with / in God consciousness, when Mira was given poison and she took it, did that poison itself not turn out to be pure food (amrtha) for her instead of killing her??

That was about the “food” aspect related to this verse.

Extending the essence of the above commentary, it turns out that not only food, in fact each and every act of  ours have to be understood as under:

·       The one who is offering (all actions / thoughts),

·       The one to whom they are offered

·       The act of offering,

All are the same one supreme principle – BRAHMAN. 

Taking the implied subtler yet deeper essence of the above, let us consider the following aspects:

·      The one who is experiencing

·      The one who is the object of experience and,

·      The process of experiencing.

The difference in the above three things get erased / transcended upon realization of Brahman / SELF and one exists verily as Brahman (Brahmaiva tena gantavyam Brahma Karma Samadhina).

SO, THERE IS NOTHING APART FROM THE ESSENCE BRAHMAN, THE PURE CONSCIOUSNESS.  

Actually, when all the above three are transcended, the state of existence is such that there is no one to even think or be aware that He/ She is Brahman. 

This transcendental, ultimate state is " beyond awareness of awareness".

What a revelation through a verse which we were just chanting before partaking prasad till now!!!!

Thus, even the action undertaken by one who desires to prevent mankind from going astray is in reality inaction, for it has been illumined by the realization of Brahman. This being so, in the case of the monk from whom action has dropped off, who has renounced all activity, viewing his Knowledge as a (kind of) sacrifice, too, becomes all the more justifiable from the point of view of praising full realization. 

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam states:

Sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ paśhyed

bhagavad-bhāvam ātmanaḥ

bhūtāni bhagavatyātmanyeṣha

bhāgavatottamaḥ

(11.2.45) [v20]

“One who sees God everywhere and in all beings is the highest spiritualist.” 

For such advanced spiritualists whose minds are completely absorbed in God-consciousness, the person making the sacrifice , the object of the sacrifice, the instruments of the sacrifice, the sacrificial fire, and the act of sacrifice, are all perceived as non-different from God (Essence or Tatwa of God / Brahman).

Referring / taking " sacrifice" referred in the above para as dhyana or meditation for a deeper understanding, it turns out that the meditator, the object of meditation, the one who is meditated upon, the process of meditation- all of these ultimately reach and merge in one essence which the sadhaka now exists as!!!

Love.