Gita
essays – 11
The eighteen chapters
of Bhagavad Gita are divided into 3 sets of 6 Chapters each explaining the
Truth of the Mahavakya – “Tat Twam Asi” meaning `You Are That', You standing for Jiva
and That for Brahman. The first 6
Chapters of Gita explain the significance of the term `Twam' (You
standing for Jiva). The next 6 Chapters from the 7th to 12th explain the
term `Tat' (That standing for Brahman). The last 6 Chapters from
13th to 18th explain the meaning of the term `Asi'
(Are standing for Ikyam). This
Division is made only to indicate the pattern of thought flow from one chapter
to another in these six chapters.
According to Swami Paramarthananda Isvara svarupam, Isvara
upasana, and Isvara kripa are the three topics highlighted in the
six chapters starting from chapter 7.
In the last verse of chapter
6, Lord Krishna stated that that the yogi who devoutly worships Him with his
mind fully focussed on Him is the best of yogis. In the first verse of the
chapter 7 He follows this up by stating how He can be known in full without any
doubt. “Hear from me, Arjuna, how taking
refuge in ME and practicing Yoga with a mind which is totally absorbed in ME,
you will come to know ME completely and doubtlessly”. We should remember here that Lord Krishna is
not speaking these words as the son of Devaki and Vasudeva but as the cosmic
Supreme, Brahman, who has taken the mortal body for the protection of
the virtuous and destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of Dharma,
as he had stated earlier (Ch.4 – 8). What He means by complete knowledge He
clarifies in the next verse (7-2)
ज्ञानं
तेऽहं
सविज्ञानमिदं
वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः।(Jnaanam
te’ham savijnaanam idam vakshyaamyasheshatah)
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते।।(Yajjnaatwaa neha bhooyo’nyaj jnaatavyamavashishyate)
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते।।(Yajjnaatwaa neha bhooyo’nyaj jnaatavyamavashishyate)
I shall completely impart to
you this Jnanam along with Vijnanam gaining which knowledge nothing
more remains to be known in this life.
The knowledge of Nirguna
Brahman is called Vijnanam and the knowledge of Saguna Brahman
only, is called here Jnanam.
Jnanam with Vijnanam makes knowledge of Brahman total and
complete. Because Brahman is everything and everything is in Brahman,
everything automatically becomes known when one gains total knowledge of Brahman. If one wonders why so few only have the
complete knowledge of Brahman, Lord explains that among the innumerable
human beings, only a few develop a desire for Liberation and go for such a knowledge. Even among the few who develop such desire,
only a few have the access for the means of attaining the knowledge and strive
for it. Even among those who strive,
only a fortunate few who have conquered their vasanas and strive with
patience and perseverance succeed in acquiring the true and full knowledge of Brahman. Hence people with correct and complete knowledge of Brahman are rare in
the world.
After this brief introduction,
Lord Krishna starts giving the knowledge of His nature as Brahman from verse 5. Brahman is a mixture of two principles known
as the higher principle, the Para prakr̥ithi; and the lower principle,
the eight-fold Apara prakr̥ithi; and both of them are beginningless,
eternal. The five elements, earth,
water, fire, air, and space in their subtler aspects and the mind, intellect,
and ego in their samashti form make up the eight constituents of Apara
prakrithi. This
is called lower because it is changing, inert, finite and dependently
existent. The higher principle,
Para prakrithi, is the Consciousness principle, the very life-factor in
all beings, in Lord’s words. This is called higher because it
is changeless, sentient, infinite and independently existent
In short, Brahman has
two aspects to His nature, changing matter principle and changeless Consciousness
principle, Para prakrithi and Apara prakrithi. It is the Para prakrithi expressing
itself through the Apara prakrithi that causes the “Universe of
happenings”, as Swami Chinmayananda puts it.
So Brahman, as a combination of two prakrithis is the srishti,
sthithi, laya karanam of the universe. He is the material cause as well
besides being the intelligent cause and as material cause He pervades the karyam,
Universe. He explains quoting various instances to show that in fact there is no creation apart
from Him and He alone is the very essence of everything.
He also declares that there is no one superior to
Him and He is the “uncaused cause” of all and He holds together everything in
creation as the unseen string holds together the seen pearls in a
necklace. The same idea is conveyed by Poet Subramania Bharathi in
his song:
காக்கை சிறகினிலே நந்தலாலா!-நின்றன் (kakkai
siraginile Nandalala-ninran)
கரிய நிறம் தோன்றுதையே, நந்தலாலா! (kariya niram Thonruthaiye, Nandalala)
In the wings of crow I see only
your dark colour , Krishna!
All things (including
the different states of mind under the influence of the three gunas, Satvam,
Rajas and Tamas) are in The Lord but He is not in them just as all
waves are in the ocean but the ocean is not in them. As Sri Sankara observes it is the matter that
depends upon the Consciousness Principle for its existence and the Consciousness
principle is not in any way dependant on matter. Brahman with the three gunas, Satvam,
Rajas and Tamas, unmanifest, is called Nirguna Brahman and the other
with the three gunas Satvam, Rajas and Tamas
manifest is called Saguna Brahman. The three gunas together are
known as Prakrithi or nature and also as Maya. Everything in
creation including Jiva, the
individual, has all the three gunas but in varying proportions. Jiva
under the deluding influence of Maya fails to recognize the higher nature (parā-prakṛti)
of Brahman, which as Athma lends him life, making him sentient. Lord Krishna also advises how to get over
Maya’s illusion.
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया। (Daivee hyeshaa gunamayee mama maayaa
duratyayaa)
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते।।7.14।।(Maameva
ye prapadyante maayaametaam taranti te)
This
divine Maya of Mine which consists of the (three) gunas is
difficult to cross over. Only those who surrender
to Me cross over this Maya.
Lord here refers
to Maya as divine and mine because Maya is the power of the Lord through which
the He makes the world manifest. Sri
Sankara calls Iswara a Mayavi, magician,
in his Dakshinamurthy stotram(Sloka
2). If Iswara is magician, Maya is His magic. So one can get over
its effects through His Grace only. Therefore
He says that only those devotees who surrender to Him in devotion will be able
to get over its effects and recognise His higher nature. While He tells in this
verse who can overcome the power of this magic and discover their innate
Divinity, in the next verse He points out who cannot free themselves from its spell,.
“They do not devote themselves to Me –
the evil-doers, the deluded, the lowest of men, deprived of their
discrimination by Maya and following the way of the Asura or
evil-doers.” To escape the spell of Maya, one has to
go beyond the three gunas, which are its constituents. To go beyond the three gunas, one has to
become first a Satva dominant person.
Unless one becomes ethical, Satva-predominant, one cannot become really
spiritual. And one has to be really spiritual to convert oneself to be an
instrument of Divine eventually and cross over Maya with His Grace. So
if one is not a true devotee of the Lord, one cannot shake off the shackles of Maya.
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