Bhagwad Gita - Post 182

CHAPTER 15

THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME SPIRIT

Verse 1

The Blessed Lord said:

They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree, having its root above and branches below, whose leaves are the metres or hymns; he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.

Verse 2

Below and above spread its branches, nourished by the Gunas; sense-objects are its buds; and below in the world of men stretch forth the roots, originating action.

Verse 3

Its form is not perceived here as such, neither its end nor its origin, nor its foundation nor resting place; having cut asunder this firmly-rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment.

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.

Verse 5

Free from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach the eternal goal.

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.

Verse 7

An eternal portion of Myself having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to (itself) the (five) senses with the mind for the sixth, abiding in Nature.

Verse 8

When the Lord obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes these and goes (with them) as the wind takes the scents from their seats (flowers, etc.).

Verse 9

Presiding over the ear, the eye, touch, taste and smell, as well as the mind, he enjoys the objects of the senses.

Verse 10

The deluded do not see Him who departs, stays and enjoys; but they who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.

To be continued...

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 181

THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME SPIRIT

Summary of Fifteenth Discourse

This discourse is entitled “Purushottama Yoga” or the “Yoga of the Supreme Person”. Here Lord Krishna tells us about the ultimate source of this visible phenomenal universe from which all things have come into being, just like a great tree with all its roots, trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers and fruits which spring forth from the earth, which itself supports the tree and in which it is rooted.

Sri Krishna declares that the Supreme Being is the source of all existence, and refers allegorically to this universe as being like an inverted tree whose roots are in Para Brahman, and whose spreading branches and foliage constitute all the things and factors that go to make up this creation of variegated phenomena. 

This is a very mysterious “Tree” which is very difficult to understand, being a product of His inscrutable power of Maya; and hence a marvelous, apparent appearance without having actual reality. One who fully understands the nature of this Samsara-Tree goes beyond Maya. 

To be attached to it is to be caught in it. The surest way of transcending this Samsara or worldly life is by wielding the excellent weapon of dispassion and non-attachment.

In verses four and five of this discourse the Lord tells us how one goes beyond this visible Samsara and attains the supreme, imperishable status, attaining which one does not have to return to this mortal world of pain and death.

Lord Krishna also describes for us the wonderful mystery of His Presence in this universe and the supreme place He occupies in sustaining everything here. The Lord declares that it is a part of Himself that manifests here as the individual soul in each body. He Himself is the indwelling Oversoul beyond the self. He is the effulgence inherent in the sun, moon and fire. He is present as the nourishing element in the earth. He is the inner witness of all beings. 

He is the Supreme Knower even beyond Vedic knowledge. He is the resplendent Person who is beyond both this perishable phenomenal creation as well as the imperishable individual soul which is a part of His eternal essence. 

Thus, because He is beyond perishable matter and superior to the imperishable soul (enveloped in Maya), He is known in this world as well as in the Vedas as the Supreme Person.

Love.

Bhagwad Gita - Post 180

Verse 24

Alike in pleasure and pain, who dwells in the Self, to whom a clod of earth, stone and gold are alike, to whom the dear and the unfriendly are alike, firm, the same in censure and praise.

Loshta-Ashma-Kaanchana: Whether he sees a nugget of gold or a big boulder of granite, it makes no difference to him. A clod of earth and a ball of gold have the same value to the eye of this great soul who has transcended the operation of the three gunas.

“clod, stone or gold”. The three items are carefully chosen – there is one from each Guna, representing Tamas, Rajas and Sattwa respectively. 

Whether a person considers the Jnani to be dear to him or not; whether he censures or praises the Jnani; in both cases the Jnani always considers that person as being a human being to be unconditionally loved and praised. 

This is not to say that the Jnani is unmindful of the value of gold, or a dear friend, or an insult, etc. It is just that his response to them is not determined by his ego. He responds, but from a selfless standpoint. 

Verse 25

The same in honour and dishonour, the same to friend and foe, abandoning all undertakings—he is said to have crossed the qualities.

The same remarks apply when the person shows honour or dishonour to the sage; or whether he considers the sage as a friend or a foe. To the Jnani he is worthy of honour and always a friend unconditionally. 

Praise and censure mean the same thing. It makes no difference to such a person whether he is glorified or condemned. 

Tulyo mitrāripakṣayoḥ: Let a friend come or let an enemy come; there is no difference. 

Sarvārambhaparityāgī: He will still do nothing. He will be like a kutastha. He will be seated calm and quiet in himself, as if the world does not exist at all for him. Such a person is a gunatita, one who has transcended the operation of the three gunas.

Combining the essence of both the above verses, it is worthwhile to go through the description of a Jivanmukhta in Jivanmukti Viveka, written by Sage Vidyaranya.

The Jivanmukta is one for whom this phenomenal world, in which he moves and acts, has ceased to exist. In the case of an ordinary person, his mind reacts to the various forms in the world and gives him knowledge of their variety and their differences from one another. 

But the mind of the Jivanmukta does not get so transformed and so he does not see differences, but sees all forms only as Brahman. In deep sleep the mind does not undergo any transformation, but the seed for transformation remains. So sleep cannot be equated with the state of Jivanmukti. 

The Jivanmukta remains unaffected by both pleasure and pain. He is not elated by something good happening, nor is he depressed when a calamity occurs. 

He does not crave for anything, but subsists on whatever comes of its own accord. Though his senses function and can experience everything, his mind is absolutely calm and does not react to anything. 

Though his eyes see everything before him, his mind does not judge them as good or bad, favorable or unfavorable and so he is free from agitation and attachment or aversion. The senses themselves do not cause any harm. It is the mind which judges what is experienced by the senses and develops likes and dislikes in the case of an ordinary person. Since the mind of the Jivanmukta does not make any such judgment, he is free from all attachment and aversion. 

Because of the absence of transformation of the mind, the Jivanmukta is free from Vasanas. His mind always remains pure. He never looks upon himself as a doer of actions since he does not identify himself with the body-mind complex which alone performs all actions.

Consequently he is neither elated nor depressed by the good or bad results of the actions. Others do not have any reason to fear him, because he never insults or harms others in any way. He is also not afraid of any one. He remains unaffected even if some wicked man insults or harasses him. He does not distinguish people as friend or foe. Though full of learning, he never exhibits it. 

His mind is absolutely free from worldly thoughts and is always fixed on contemplation of the Self. He remains cool even in matters concerning himself, just as a man attending a marriage or other ceremony in another's house remains unaffected by the gain or loss of that other person. 

This coolness is due not only to his freedom from worry, but also to his awareness of the fullness of his own Self. These are the characteristics of the Jivanmukta.

Love.