Verse 48
Na vedayajnaadhyayanairna daanair
Na cha kriyaabhirna tapobhirugraih;
Evam roopah shakya aham nriloke
Drashtum twadanyena karupraveera.
Neither by the study of the Vedas and sacrifices, nor by gifts, nor by
rituals, nor by severe austerities, can I be seen in this form in the world of
men by any other than thyself, O great hero of the Kurus (Arjuna)!
“This form, this Viratsvarupa, this Universal
Spirit, in which form you have beheld Me — this cannot be beheld by any kind of
ritual, by study of the Vedas, by teaching, by charity,
by ritualistic
performances, by tapas or austerity of any kind. Whatever be
the intensity and ferocity of that tapas, nothing of the kind can
touch Me.”
In most cases, we see people
ardently take up different techniques of worship, penance, study and so on, but
tend to get so attached to those techniques that they lose sight of the real
goal which is liberation. They go so far as to claim the efficacy of one
technique versus the other.
Human action cannot touch Eternity, because
all action is in the process of time. All action is in space and in time.
This Eternal terror which was beheld by Arjuna is not in space, not in
time. Therefore, our studies of the Vedas, our tapasyas, our
charities, our philanthropies, our deeds — whatever their merit, they are,
after all, like performances in the dream world.
When we wake up, the merits of all our good
deeds in dream disappear. Similarly, in the quality of the perception of the
Supreme Being, actions of the human being in the world of space and time bear
no relevance. No action which is conditioned by time can take us to the
Unconditioned Reality, which is not in time.
Explaining why Arjuna deserves a special
congratulation for having gained this extra-ordinary experience, the Lord says
that none can 'SEE' this Universal-Form merely because of one's study
of the Vedas, or on the strength of one's sacrifices. Nor can one gain it by
the merits gained through the distribution of gifts, or through
performing rituals, or even through constant practice of severe austerities.
These are, no doubt, necessary and always
helpful in preparing the seeker to realize the essential unity beneath the
perceived plurality, but neither a mere book-study, nor empty ritualism, nor
physical tapas in themselves will, as an effect of them, bring about this
understanding and the Final Experience. It can come only when the mind is
steady. This "Vision" can be illumined only in the
clear light of an integrated 'in-turned intellect.'
In thus making light of the study of the
Vedas, performance of sacrifices, distribution of gifts, practice of rituals
and a life of grim penance, Lord Krishna should not be misunderstood as
ridiculing these great prescriptions of the Vedas. He merely means to say that
although these are means, preparatory to the final end, they are not to be
confused with the goal.
Katha Upanishad says,
“The Imperishable, Eternal Reality
cannot be contacted through the instrumentality of perishable deeds.”
Actions, deeds that we perform in this world
have a beginning and an end. They are not eternal. How could we have the vision
of that Eternal, contact with the Eternal or attain realization of that
Eternal, which is timeless, when the instruments that we are using for that
purpose are in time?
Dear All,
This is in perfect sync with
what was explained in last week satsangh with respect to upasana, taking the
reference of a verse from Kenopanishad which says:
“That by which the eyes / ears / prana / mind / intellect
are able to function, know THAT to be the real essence, not the one which you
have been worshipping otherwise.”
Explaining this drastic
declaration by shrutis, he said, Upasanas, ritual worships etc. are by
themselves very important in the sense, they prepare us for evolving,
channelizing our higher intellect to the ultimate Goal of Self-realization.
The sadhaka must not start
and end his life in Glorifying the Rama nama, roopa but he must start and proceed
in his spiritual journey from Nama and Roopa of his chosen God to ultimately
experience the Essence, i.e., The Tattwa of that God, within the cave of his
heart.
Love.
