THE YOGA OF THE DIVINE
GLORIES
Summary of Tenth Discourse
In the Tenth Chapter we go further, to a greater emphasis of the
immanence of God — not God coming sometimes when we are in a state of distress,
not a God who provides us with what we need when we need it, but God
perpetually residing in all things which are the glories of this world.
God is both beauty and grandeur. Mostly, religions do not
consider God as a beautiful person; there is no emphasis on that. Religions prescribe fatherhood
of God, thus keep God far away from us, to be respected, to be feared. So, we
always fear God and we think that He has to be respected because of His power
and His capacity to punish us.
We do not embrace God as if He is a beautiful, beloved thing.
Sakshan manmathamanmathah (S.B. 10.32.2) is a term used
in the Bhagawata: “He is the cupid of cupids, the beauty of beauties.” Even if
the essences of all the beautiful things in the world—the quintessence of the
most beautiful things, human or otherwise, whatever they be—are taken together,
it will not stand before the beauty of God. It is very unfortunate that God
should be regarded only as a terror, as a justice, and as a fearful person. He
is the most enchanting.
The enchanting, beautiful character of God is especially brought
into high relief in the life of Bhagawan Sri Krishna, who is the might of
mights, the power of powers, and represents the fatherhood of God in this
tremendous incarnation as the height of yogic ecstasy and power; and yet, he
was the beauty of beauties.
The Bhagawata Purana and the Mahabharata also describe Bhagavan
Sri Krishna as an incarnation of God, and they remove the partial notion of God
as only a father who is merely just and legal in His attitude, rather than
compassionate and friendly.
The friendliness of God, the power of God, the transcendence of
God, the superiority of God, the beauty of God, the enchanting capacity of God,
the tremendous attraction that He exerts upon us is delineated in Bhagawan Sri
Krishna, who is the full incarnation of God.
Bhakta asks- “Where are You actually present in this world, O
Lord? You said that You are in all things. Are You in an atom? Are You in a
dustbin? Are You in a tree? Are You in a stone? Where are You?”
Lord responds- “I am in everything, no doubt, yet My presence
can be especially felt in certain exalted manifestations.” Towards that
description we are entering the most glorious chapter, the Tenth—where Sri
Bhagavan Himself starts speaking without Arjuna raising a question. “I shall
speak to you further about My glories and My supernal greatness.”
Krishna
tells Arjuna that even the Devas and highly evolved souls fail to understand
how He projects Himself as the universe and all its manifestations. He goes on
to describe the various qualities that beings manifest according to their
Karmas. All these qualities—wisdom, truth, contentment, etc.—originate
from Him.
Arjuna
accepts the descent of the Supreme in a human form but wishes to know from the
Lord Himself His Cosmic powers by means of which He controls the diverse forces
of the universe.
The
true devotees of the Lord are wholly absorbed in Him. They have completely
surrendered to Him and through single-minded devotion they are granted the
power of discrimination, the discrimination that leads them from the unreal to
the Real. Krishna emphatically declares that ignorance is destroyed, and
knowledge gained through Divine Grace alone.
Love.
