Bhagwad Gita - Post 190

Verse 17

But distinct is the Supreme Purusha called the highest Self, the indestructible Lord who, pervading the three worlds, sustains them.

Verse 18

As I transcend the perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, I am declared as the highest Purusha in the world and in the Vedas.

The Supreme Purusha is different from both the purusha and prakriti mentioned. He is called Paramatma, the Supreme Self. We may call the purusha of the Sankhya as a kind of self, but this is a Supreme Self which includes every other kind of self, and all selves are subsumed under this universal inclusiveness. 

In this verse (no. 18), the Supreme Lord Krishna confirms His position as Purushottama the Supreme Being of all existence by His validation of transcendence to both the kshara or perishable and akshara or imperishable.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad V.VI.I beginning manomayo-ayam puruso states: The resplendent Supreme Being is the ruler and lord of all governing all that exists.

Chinmaya explains in his own unique way, 

“If two trains are both moving at the same speed no movement is recognized by perceivers in both the trains. If the changes in the world of Matter --- the body, the mind and the intellect are recognized, then there must be a steady principle that illumines all these different changes. This constant factor among the Perishing is called the Imperishable.

This illumining factor gathers its status as the "Imperishable" only with reference to the "Perishable" realms. Once the perishable realms are transcended, the Imperishable amidst them Itself comes to shine forth as the Pure Infinite, which is the Purushottama. Since the Truth, Purushottama, is experienced only on transcending both the 'Perishable' and the 'Imperishable,' It is known by the term the 'Highest-Spirit' --- Purushottama. This term is used to indicate the Supreme-most Self, both by the ancient sacred volumes (Vedas), and by the poets and writers of the world.”

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 189

Verse 16

Two Purushas there are in this world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are the perishable, and the Kutastha is called the imperishable.

There are two realities in this world, one being imperishable, the other being perishable. Which one is perishable, and which one is imperishable? 

All visible objects, including all jivas, are perishable. 

Yaddrsyam tannasyam is a brief sutra of Acharya Sankara:

Whatever is visible is perishable. This entire world is visible and, therefore, it has to be considered as Kshara, or perishable. This is cosmically true as well as individually true. 

But there is a Kutastha Atman inside us which transcends the five Koshas, beyond the physical, subtle and causal bodies there is a transcendental light shining within us; that is our real Self, that is the Atman, that is the Kutastha Chaitanya. It is the imperishable in us. 

Thus, there appears to be a twofold reality in this world, almost amounting to the peculiar relationship between the Purusha and the Prakriti of the Sankhya. 

For the Sankhya, there is nothing above Purusha and Prakriti. According to the Sankhya, there are only two realities—Consciousness on the one side and matter on the other side—and everything can be explained by the juxtaposition and the interaction of Purusha and Prakriti.

But, interestingly and very specially, the statement made here in this Bhagwad Gita verse is that there is a Being transcending this so-called Prakriti, and it is above even the Purusha. 

The perceiving consciousness and the perceived object are transcended in a universal consciousness that absorbs both into its original essence. 

It is here alone, in the Bhagawad Gita, that a transcendent opinion is held that there is an Absolute beyond the seeing or witnessing consciousness and the witnessed world. God is not simply consciousness; 

He is not simply an object of perception in the form of the whole universe. “Unthinkable Reality, Supreme Transcendence, Purushottama am I.”

Reader’s attention is drawn to the relevant exposition already covered under the theme “Creation of the Universe”, as under:-

“…….In the Gita, an entity / existence beyond Purusha and Prakriti is explained as PURUSHOTTAMA.

In the Gita, Purusha and Purushottama words are used frequently and one is used for the other term. Thus, if the existence of Purushottama is not properly grasped by the readers, then Purusha word used in the Gita may be interpreted as Purusha explained in the Sankhya.

In the Sankhya, Purusha and Prakriti, where Prakriti is not different from Purusha but only the primordial matter of the Purusha existing as spirit, are understood to be responsible for the creation.

If that be so, where were this Purusha and Prakriti (or the identity of Purusha as Spirit and Matter) before the creation took place?

Vedanta gives the answer, which aligns with the flow given above:

“Purusha (as described in the traditional Sankhya philosophy) and Prakriti are both latent in the Supreme. At the time of creation, they became operative”.

Thus, Bhagawad Gita conveys in a subtle manner that though one talks of Kshetra and Kshetrajna with respect to their  activated human body and for all such bodies, there is Kshetra and Kshetrajna, there is one Kshetrajna common to all, who is the Purushottama.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 188

Verse 14

Having become the fire Vaiśhvānara, I abide in the body of living beings and, associated with the Prana and Apana, digest the fourfold food.

Sri Krishna says that God exists inside all living beings as Vaiśhvānara, meaning “fire of digestion,” which is ignited by the power of God.  The Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣhad has also stated:

ayam agnir vaiśhvānaro yo ’yam antaḥ puruṣhe yenedam annaṁ achyate (5.9.1)

“God is the fire inside the stomach that enables living beings to digest food.”

It is a wonder that we are able to eat such a large variety of food, and yet derive enough energy to keep our bodies running throughout our lives, all due to the functioning of the Vaiśhvānara fire. 

It is supported by two vayus or forces known as the Praana and the Apaana vayus. 

The Praana vayu brings food towards the digestive organs. Vaiśhvānara is the process of digestion and metabolism. 

The Apaana vayu pushes non-essential portions of the food out into the world.

When the prana and the apana conjointly act at the root of the naval within the stomach, they operate in a different manner altogether, and go by the name of samana; and that creates a kind of heat in the stomach, which is necessary for the digestion of food. 

This heat is known as Vaiśhvānara-agni, the Universal Fire. It is the energy of God that operates through the metabolic process of individuals and causes the digestion of the four kinds of food—pachamyannam chaturvidham. 

Chaturvidham means four types and annam means food. Food is categorized into four types: 

1. Bhojya - Foods that are chewed, such as bread, chapatti, etc.  

2. Peya - These are mostly liquid or semi-solid foods which we have to swallow or drink, such as milk, juice, etc.  

3. Kośhya - Foods that are sucked, such as sugarcane.  

4. Lehya - This includes foods that are licked, such as honey, etc.

The expressions that He becomes the light of the sun, moon and fire etc. are meant to indicate the predicated relationship that these objects have in regard to Him. 

According to Ayurvedic sastra, we understand that there is a

fire in the stomach which digests all food sent there. When the fire is not blazing, there is no hunger, and when the fire is in order, we become hungry. 

Sometimes when the fire is not going nicely, treatment is required. In any case, this fire is representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 

Vedic mantras also confirm that the Supreme Lord or Brahman is situated in the form of fire within the stomach and is digesting all kinds of foodstuff. Therefore since He is helping the digestion of all kinds of foodstuff, the living entity is not independent in the eating process.

Unless the Supreme Lord helps him in digesting, there is no possibility of eating. He thus produces and digests foodstuff, and, by His grace, we are enjoying life. 

In the 10th chapter Krishna has referred to the vibhūtis of the Supreme. He has explained how the Supreme, otherwise imperceptible and omnipresent, remains incomprehensible, though manifest in the whole creation. 

“What need is there for all this detailed knowledge, O Arjuna? Simply know that by one fraction of my being, I pervade and support this entire creation.”

(Chapter 10, verse 42)

In order to facilitate a full comprehension of the Supreme, Krishna lists a variety of objects and qualities. 

The references include letters, words, mountains, war-weapons, fame, patience, will, memory, spirituality and the rest. Finally he declares that all put together, the entire visible glory around us is merely one small fraction of the Supreme.

So we see that production, distribution and ultimate consumption of energy that happens in us, and happens in any other living being, is nothing but Easvara / Supreme Consciousness. 

Remembering the above essence is a great way to reduce our ego and see our oneness with the world. 

Love.

  

Bhagwad Gita - Post 187

Verse 6

Neither doth the sun illumine there, nor the moon, nor the fire; having gone thither they return not; that is My Supreme Abode.

Lord Krishna briefly explains some characteristics of that imperishable Supreme state, His eternal abode. 

There the light of the sun or the moon or fire is not necessary because His eternal abode is self-illuminating and self-effulgent without any association with material existence and always beyond the darkness of nescience. 

This is confirmed in the Svetasvatara Upanishad III.VIII beginning: veda hametam purusam meaning: The Supreme Lord, more resplendent then the sun, illuminates all within and without, only by realizing Him is a jiva or embodied being able to transcend samsara the perpetual cycle of birth and death, there is no other possibility. 

This glorious sun, with so much brilliance, does not shine there. 

Kathopanishad says, 

na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṃ

nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto'yamagniḥ

tameva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṃ

tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhāti

The sun does not shine there; nor do the moon and the stars, nor do these lightnings shine. How could this fire? Him shining, all shine after. All this shines by his light.

Sankara’s Commentary for the above verse,

“The reply here is that it shines and is perceived as shining. The sun, though the enlightener of all, does not shine in the Brahman, being his âtman, i.e., the sun does not illumine the Brahman. 

Similarly, the moon and the stars do not; nor do these lightnings illumine. How could this fire, perceivable by us? Why say much? All these, the sun and the rest who shine, shine only after him, the lord of all; as water, firebrand, etc., from their contact with fire, burn after the burning fire and not by their own inherent virtue. 

It is by his light only, that all this, the sun and the rest shine. This being so, that Brahman alone shines and shines variously. 

From the various kinds of light possessed by its effects, the self-luminosity of the Brahman is inferred. It is not possible for one to impart to another luminosity, which one does not possess, because pots, etc., are found incapable of illumining other objects and the sun and the rest, luminous in their nature, are found capable of that.”

Na tad bhāsayate sūryaḥ: The sun does not shine there, because the light of the sun is like darkness before that radiance. 

Na śaśāṅkaḥ: Not even the moon is there. 

Na pāvakaḥ: The radiance of the earth, which is born of the fire and heat, that too is not there to illumine. 

Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama. Because of the impurities in the mind, we cannot understand the meaning of ‘not coming back’. So the great Vedanta Shastras—the Upanishads, Bhagavadgita, etc., are supposed to be studied with pure mind,  not attached to family, things, and the value of the earth—minds, without  considering  this earth as very solid 

Na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: “My abode is that, after having attained which, you will not return to this world of sorrow.” 

We may put a question: “After reaching that state, what will I do there?” Many people ask this question: “What shall I do there, after reaching that place? You don’t want me to come back, so will I sit there gazing at the face of God? But how long I will gaze? I will be tired.” 

There is no necessity to have fear of this kind, and it is impossible to describe in words why it is not good to come back, and why it is good to be there. By any kind of logic or scriptural quotation, one cannot be convinced as to why that attainment, from where there is no return, is necessary. 

Let us take a dream. Did we not see many people in dream? We were fathers, we were mothers, we had children and family, and there was a big society of people. Why did we wake up, leaving them all in the dream world? We could have waited until all of them had woken up. We suddenly woke up, leaving all the family, etc., in the dream world. What happened to those many individuals whom we saw in dream? And the whole dream world with which we were concerned so much—what happened to it now that we have left it and, like a selfish person, have woken up into waking consciousness? 

These are some illustrations that will clear the cobweb of our mind and make us feel inwardly convinced that it is good to reach God, and it is not good to come back from That. 

Yad gatvā na nivartante: “After having reached That, you will not come back.” Tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: “That is My Abode.” 

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 186

Verse 4

Then that goal should be sought after, whither having gone none returns again. Seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.

There is an analogy in the Mundaka Upanishad.  

On a large tree, two birds are perched. One of the birds is busy eating the sweet berries, the fruits that are yielded by this wonderful tree, but, unfortunately, these are forbidden fruit. 

So delicious is this fruit, so rapidly is the bird gulping the fruit, so insatiable is the desire to eat it, and so endlessly is this activity of eating going on, that it has lost consciousness that there is another bird sitting by its side. 

The bird that is by the side of this indulging bird is not eating anything. It is just sitting there and gazing at all the wonders of this manifestation of the tree, knowing everything about it, root and branch, but not concerned with either the majesty of the tree, the size of the tree, or the beauty of its product, the fruit. 

The bird that is eating the fruit of this tree is attached. The bird that is unconcerned and is just looking at the tree is detached. 

The tree cannot affect the bird that is detached, but the bird that is attached is bound hand and foot. When the eating is over and it is satiated, and cannot eat any more, the bird looks around and sees another bird sitting by its side. 

The moment it looks at that other bird sitting there, this bird attains liberation. By the mere consciousness of the existence of that bird, without having to do anything at all with it other than the mere awareness of it being there, liberation is attained. 

There is no necessity to deal with God. The only thing that is required is to be aware that such a thing called God exists. 

The mere awareness of the existence of such a thing called God is sufficient for the liberation of the soul, and no activity is called for here. 

The unconsciousness of there being such a thing called God is the reason why we are indulging in all the wondrous binding activities of the world and are busy eating the delicacies which this world is yielding for us. 

We can see the mystery, the majesty and the enigmatic character of the working of the whole universe. There is no harm in seeing it like the movement of film in a cinema, but we should not say “It is mine; I want it”, causing thereby a desire to possess certain attractive things like the fruit of the tree. 

We have to aspire for that great Abode, reaching which people do not come back. 

Tataḥ padaṁ tatparimārgitavyaṁ yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ: 

After having achieved this almost impossible feat of non-attachment to things in this world, one should cast one’s gaze above this world and seek that transcendent Eternal Bliss, having attained and enjoyed which, no one will come back.

The word prapadye in this verse means surrender, meaning, by a mere step of surrendering unto Him, spiritual impressions, instincts and influences are activated and awakened in such a one. 

The prayer of the seeker is: I humbly seek to reach and attain that Purusha, from whom emanates the large tree of samsara.

One should keep on repeating the above mantra.  This is actually a mantra, an inward prayer of a spiritual seeker, making out that one wants nothing but that which is above the three gunas of prakriti, which causes the tree to manifest.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 185

Continuing on the Aswatta tree....

Trunk

The tree sprouts from the Root in the form of the Unmanifest; it grows through the sturdiness of that very One and it has abundance of intelligence as its trunk. 

Leaves and flowers of the tree

Chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni: All the values of life, including the Vedas and all knowledge, are hanging, as it were, like the leaves and the flowers of this tree. The Veda is considered to be the highest knowledge, and it is given a place among the leaves—not the trunk or the root. 

Twigs of the tree

The twigs of the tree are considered to be the sense objects. By development of trees of the different modes of nature, we develop different senses,   and, by the senses we enjoy different varieties of sense objects. The source of the senses—the ears, the nose,  eyes etc.—is considered to be the upper twigs, tuned to the enjoyment of different sense objects. The leaves are sound, form, touch—the sense objects. 

The roots, which are subsidiary, are the by-products of different varieties of suffering and sense enjoyment. Thus we develop attachment and aversion. The tendencies toward piety and impiety are considered to be the secondary roots spreading in all directions.

Cutting down the tree

The peepul tree is so huge that it cannot be just pulled down, its growth cannot be curbed easily.

This signifies that the living entities are enjoying the twigs of sense enjoyment and depending on the branch they are, they have a different body and different senses. The tree is so huge that, it is impossible to get away from it. 

One must cut down the tree with an Axe of detachment and renunciation. The sharpening of the Axe needs to be done by knowledge and discrimination.

If this tree is not cut totally, i.e., if the ignorance of one’s real nature as unmanifest is not totally removed, then a human being is bound to keep adding Karma due to all actions born out of  desires which arise due to the ignorance of his divine nature.

This tree can be cut down with the strong weapon of detachment, consequent upon the realization of the identity of the self with Brahman, through hearing the Vedanta texts, contemplating upon their meaning, and profound meditation thereon.  

Author glanced through some important lessons from this verse written by someone and from that, 2 points are given below.

Vedas and knowing their purpose: The Banyan tree leaves are compared to Vedic hymns. The living entity is hopping from branch to branch, trying to taste the fruits called Dharma, Artha, Kama etc. 

One should not become bewildered by the leaves and fruits of enjoyment. One needs to understand the purpose of Vedas, as explained by the Lord himself that the purpose of vedas is to know him and he is the compiler of the Vedanta. 

Surrender to the Lord to return to the Spiritual World: Lord Krishna explains that the spiritual world is a blissful place, without any miseries and is self-illuminating, does not need any electricity, Sun or Moon.

One who comes there will never think of returning to this miserable material world, unless ordered by the Lord Himself.

Love.