Bhagavatgita-Part III-Adhyayas13 to 18

Bhagavatgita-Part III-Adhyayas13 to 18

Chapter17-The field and the knower-Adhyaya13

If the Gita is divided into three parts of six adhyayas each, the first thrika, consisting of adhayayas 1 to 6 deal with the nature of the Self, Brahman synonymous with Narayana of the Visishtadvaita and the means of attaining it through jnanayoga and karmayoga.The second thrika , adhyayas 7to12 outlines the path of bhakthi yoga. through the knowledge of the nature of the Lord, the supreme Self and the inner Self of all. Now in the last part we find a detailed exposition of these topics propounded in the first two parts.

In this adhyaya titled kshethrakhethrajna yoga, the differentiation of the known and the knower is explained. The topics dealt with are,

1.dhEhAthmanaH svaroopam - The nature of body and the self

2.dhehayATHAthmya SOdhanam- enquiry into the real nature of the physical body.

3.dhEhaviyukthAthmaprApthyupAyaH - The means of attaining the Self after leaving the body

4.viviktha Athmasvroopa samSodhanam- The nature of the Self in the disembodied state.

5. thaTHA vidhasya AthmanH achit sambandhahEthuH- Explanation of how and why does the Self become associated with the body.

6.viviktha anusandhAnaprakAraH -The mode of discriminating between the body and the self.

The discourse in this adhyaya starts with the words of Krishna,

idham Sareeram kounthEya kshEthram ithyabhidheeyatnE

EthadhyO vEtthi tham prAhuH kshEthrajnO ithi thadvidhaH (BG.13.1)

The physical body is called the field, kshEthra and He who knows it, meaning the Self, is called the knower, kshEthrajna., by those who know the real nature of the Self.

All that is known including the physical body, mind and intellect are the kshethra , field of experience because all these become the object of knowledge as in "this is my body, my mind is upset, my intellect is not functioning "etc. Apart from this, all the world experienced by the senses and the mind also is the kshethra. This naturally leads to the conclusion that there must be a knower who knows all this, and that is the Self, kshethrajna.

The individual self, however is the knower in that particular embodiment through which he field of experience is known and when the soul is separated from the body the experience of the world does not exist anymore. But there is an eternal knower, says Krishna in the next sloka.

kshEthrajnam chApi mAm viddhi sarvakshEthrEshu bhAratha

kshEthrakshEthrajanyorjnAnam yath thath jnAnam matham mama

The Lord says that he is the knower of all the fields and the true knowledge consists of that about the field and the knower.

The Lord is the knower in all the fields being the inner self of all. Those who know this are the real knowers and this is the real knowledge.

In BrhadhAraNyaka Upanishad it is said,'yah Athmani thishTan AthmanaH antharaH yam AthmA na vEdha yasya AthmA Sareeram yah AthmAnam antharO yamayathi sa tha AthmA antharyAmyamrthaH' (Brhd.3-7-22)

' He who dwells in the individual self as its inner self, whom the individual self does not know, to whom the individual self is the body, who controls the individual self from within, He is your inner controller and immortal Self.' Hence the real and ultimate knower is the Lord or Brahman. From the advaita point of view also the real self is Brahman, and hence there is no discrepancy. In the Gita itself it is said earlier 'ahamAthmA gudakesa sarvabhoothASayasThithaH. I am the Self of all beings ,'(BG.10.20), 'nathadhasthi vinA yathsyAth mayAbhootham charAcharam, nothing that moves and does not move, exist without me.'(BG.10-39)

Then Krishna starts describing the field, kshethra and the individual self, kshethrajna in detail. The distinction between the body and the self has been laid out in the scriptures by vedic hymns and Brahmasuthras through reasoning and reiterated by the sages, says Krishna to make it clear that this was not something of his concoction.

The kshethra, prakrthi and its evolutes

'mahAbhoothanyahamkAro buddhiravyakthamEva cha;

indhriyANi dhasaikam cha panch chEndhriyagocharAh.'(BG.13.5)

The kshethra comprises of,

1. avyaktha -The unmanifest, Prakrthi, the premordial element.

2. buddhi- also known as Mahath thathva, the evolute of Prakrthi

3.ahamkAra- the evolute of buddhi, and of three kinds, Satthvik, rajasik and thAmasik

4. mahAbhoothAni- evolutes of thAmasa ahamkAra, the five subtle elements, panchathanmathras giving rise to the five gross elelments, panchabhoothas.

5. indhriyANi-dhaSa +Ekam-the ten sense and motor organs + mind are the evolutes of sAttvik ahamkAra

6.indhriyagochrAH-pancha-the five sense objects., sound,touch,form, taste and smell.

The classification given above is based on the sankhya system of philosphy according to which there are two reals, Prakrthi, the insentient matter and Purusha, the sentient soul. The kshethra described here is the Prakrthi which is the evolvent of all and the evolution of the world is given to be as above.

Saankhya philosophy holds a prominent place in the Indian philosophical system as all the other schools are found to either refute or agree with its concepts. Sankara says that he finds it necessary to refute saankhya doctrines specially because it is akin to vedanta in some respects but differs from the main concept of vedanta, namely ,the causality of Brahman.But the thathvas of sankhya are accepted by all.

The evolutes of Prkrthi

Prakrthi

Mahath ( Buddhi )

Ahamkaara

---------------------------------------------------------------

| | |

Saatvik Rajasic Thamasic

| only activates the others |

Five jnanendhriyas(sensorial organs) Five subtle elements

ear, skin, eye tongue and nose ( Thanmathras)

Five karmendhriyas(motor organs) |

organ of speech,hands, feet and organs of

Fivegross elements

excretion and reproduction ( pancha bhoothas)

Mind

Totalling to 11 Totalling to 10

Prakrthi is basically made up of three gunas, sattva, rajas and thamas and everything else that is described as kshethra are the modifications of the three gunas. Even the emotions such as desire, hatred, pleasure and pain usually attributed to the self are only modifications of prakrthi arising from the association of the self with prakrthi. This in brief, says Krishna is the kshethra and its modifications.

Next the third topic , namely the means for the attainment of Self is discussed.

chapter18-the means of attaining the knowledge and the nature of the knower-Adhyaya13 continued

Certain qualities necessary for attaining the knowledge of the Self are enmerated now.

They are:

amAnithvam,modesty especially towards the eminent.

adhambhihvam,absence of ostentation. dhambha is the flaunting of one's virtues and good deeds and adhambhithvam is the absence of it.This trait is subsidiary one to modesty.

ahimsA, non-violence in thought ,word and deed.

kshAnthi , patience even when provoked.

Arjavam, integrity of thought word and deed as mentioned in the sloka , 'yaTHA chittham thaTHA vAchaH , yaTHA vAchaH thaTHA kriyA;chitthE vachi kriyayam cha mahatham Ekaroopatha, for the great souls,the words correspond to thier thoughts and their actions correspond to their words and hence their thought word and deed are one pointed.'

AchArya upAsanam, service to the preceptor as envisaged in the sloka 'thadhviddhi praNipAthEna paripraSnEna sEvaya,'(BG.4-34)

Soucham , inner and outer cleanliness as specified by yama and niyama disciplines.

stTHairyam, unshakable faith in the sastras concerning the self.

AthmavinigrahaH, dispassion in all that is non-self.

IndhriyArTHEshu vairAgyam, absence of desire for sense objects.

anahamkAra, absence of egotism.

janmamrthyujarAvyAdhiduhkhadhOshAnudharsanam, perception of evil in birth, death, old age, disease and sorrow. That is, to view the cycle of birth and death as evil.

asakthiH, detachment.

anabhishvangaH puthradhAragrhAdhishu, absence of clinging to son, wife house etc.

nithyam cha samachitthathvam ishtAnishtaupapatthishu, even- mindedness in all desirable and undesirable events.

mayi cha ananya yOgEna bhakthiH avyabhichariNee, constant devotion directed to the Lord alone.

viviktha dhESasevithvam, resorting to solitude.

arathiH janasamsadhi, avoidance of crowds.

aDHyAthma jnAnanithyathvam, constant contemplation on the knowledge of the self.

thatthvajnAnarTHa dharSanam, reflection on the knowledge of the truth.

All these attributes contribute towards the attainment of the Self.

Now the nature of the khethrajna, the knower is elaborated.

jnEyam yatthath pravakshyAmi yathjnAthvA amrtham aSnuthE

anAdhimath param brahma na thath sath na asath uchyathE(13-12)

" I shall declare that which is to be known, knowing which one attains the immortality.It is the Supreme Brahman, beginningless, and is said to be neither being nor non-being."

In Bhagavatgita we always find the highest philosophical concept outlined here and there which may sound baffling to the ordinary intellect. Krishna was also aware of it and subsequently starts elucidating.

The Supreme Brahman is anadhi as declared by the upanishad, 'sadheva soumya idhamagra Aseeth EkamEva adhvitheeyam,(ch.6-6-1) that Being , meaning Brahman, alone existed in the beginning ,one only without a second.' Also it is said that by knowing that everything else becomes known.Again it is said in the upanishad 'asath vA idham agra Aseeth;,thathO vai sath ajAyatha,( Tait.2-7) in the beginning there was non-existence from which the being came into existence.' Then to say that the Supreme Brahman is neither sath nor asath seems to be contrary to the Upanishadic declarations, which themselves sound self contradictory.

This has to be examined in the light of the real nature of Brahman outlined in the Upanihads. It is said 'yathO vAcho nivarthanthe aprapya manasA saha, both speech and mind are returning without able to reach the Supreme reality.' That is, .Brahman cannot be limited by words or thought. This is the meaning of the phrase 'neither sath nor asath.' There is a term that describes Brahman 'sva abhAva aprthiyogi.' A thing is the prathiyogi , counter-correlate of its own non-existence. For instance a pot is the prathiyogi of its non-existence, ghatabhava. Now Brahman being the only on without a second, there can be no non-existence of it , that is , no sva abhAva of Brahman. So Brahman cannot be the prathiyogi of its own non-existence. Only an existent thing can be a prathiyogi of its nonexistence, . hence Brahman is neither existent nor non-existent.What it really means is that Brahman cannot be proved by any pramana as being existent as all the pramanas, means of valid existence, have limited scope and cannot determine something which is not limited by expression. Similarly it cannot be proved as non-existent since there can be nothing without it.

Krishna starts explaining the implication of the last sloka..

The supreme self is transcendent and imminent because,

sarvathah pANipAdhamthath sarvathO akshi Siromukham

sarvathaH SruthimAn lOke sarvam Avrthya thishTathi.(13.13)

Everywhere are His hands and feet, everywhere are His eyes, head and mouth; His ears are on all sides and He stands all-pervading. Even though this seems to be the description of the visvaroopa of the Lord, seen in the 11th chapter, this is actually a reflection of the words of the Upanishad 'apANipAdhO javanO grheethA paSyathachAkshuH SrnOthyakarNah, (Svet.3-19) without feet or hands He moves swiftly and seizes things;he sees without eyes, He hears without ears.'This speaks about the transcendence of Brahman.

The imminence is shown by 'bahiranthaScha bhoothAnAm acharam charamEva cha;sookshmathvAth thadhavijnEyam dhoorasTham chAnthike cha thath, He is within and without all beings; unmoving and yet moving; so subtle that none can comprehend, far away yet very near.'

Brahman is within all beings as their inner Self. He is without, because everything exists in Brahman. He is unmoving because He is everywhere yet moving as everything moves only because of Him. He is subtle being beyond sense apprehension and cannot therefore be comprehended. He is far away for those whose intellect is covered with ego born of ignorance but very near to the enlightened.

avibhaktham cha bhoothEshu vibhaktham iva cha sThitham

bhoothabhrth cha thath jnEyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha(13.16)

This Self is undivided yet appears to be divided among beings; supports all beings, absorbing them and generating.

When seen as the transcendent and imminent reality the Self is undivided being one whole. But to the unenlightened and ignorant, the diversity of the world seems to be real and hence the Self is not seen as one. As one actually sees only the Self everywhere, knowingly or unknowingly it is said to be divided. The aspect of being the supporter, absorber and generator is the reflection of the upanihadic declaration 'yatho va imAni bhoothAni jAyanthE yEna jAthAni jeevanthi yasmin abhisamviSanthi thath vijnAsasva thath brahman, know that to be Brahman from whom all beings come , by whom they are supported and into which they merge back.' Brahman is the cause and the world is the effect.

The means of attainment of reality and the real nature of the Self , that is the third and fourth topics are discussed above.

Thus the kshethra, knowledge and the object of knowledge all have been elucidated. Next the last two topics set out in the beginning of the chapter, namely the cause of the association of the Self with the non-self and the way of discriminating between the two are explained.

The self , purusha of sankhya, and the world of sentient and insentient beings, prkrthi are both beginningless and all the modifications and attributes are those of prkrthi only as purusha is changeless and without gunas.The modifications of the body,and the sense organs are the effect of prkrthi and its three gunas. while the experience of pleasure and pain is due to the action of purusha who associates himself with prkrthi.

The term purusha refers to the indiviual soul , atman, while the term prakrthi repesenta all that is anathman, non-self. The question may arise as to how the jiva, individual soul and the prkrthi are both said to be without beginning which goes contrary to the upanishadic statement 'sath alone was in the beginning , one only without a second.' Let us see how this is explained from the view point of advaita and visishtadvaita.

According to advaita Brahman alone is real and the world, including the jiva is unreal, being the effect of avidhya , which is anadhi, beginningless. Hence purusha , the individual self and prkrthi the world are beginningless. According to visishtadvaita there are three reals, namely, Isvara, jiva and jagat, Isvara the inner self of all, jiva , the individual self and the world, jagat. This is not contrary to the upanishad because Brahman or Narayana is the cause of everything, all-pervading and imminent, being the inner Self. When the cause is real the effect is also real as a real thing cannot give rise to something which is unreal. Hence the world and the jiva are all modifications of the cause and form the sarira of Isvara the inner self..

Krishna now proceeds to explain how the individual self , who is of the nature of pure bliss experiences the joy and sorrow when it is associated with the body.. The self when embodied, becomes identified with the body which is the effect of prkrthi constituted of the three gunas and as a result, experiences the joy , sorrow etc which are the effects of the three gunas. This attachment to the gunas and its effects is the cause of the birth of the individual soul in different bodies. Acting through the body, influenced by the gunas, the jiva has to experience the results of the actions induced by the gunas, sinful or meritorious depending on the respective gunas which propell the actions.

The self is thus while in the body, is called spectator,upadhrAshtA, approver, anumanthA,supporter,bharthA,experiencer,bhokthA,the Lord, mahesvara and the Supreme Self, paramAthmA.

The Self is upadhrashtA , the witness because it is actually not affected by the experiences of joy and sorrow resulting from the wrong identification with the body. But since no action or experience is possible with out the accordance of the self , it is called anumantha, the approver. Since the body is supported by the Self it is the bhartha, supporter. Due to the identification with the body the self seems to experience joy and sorrow and without it no experience is possible and so the self is called bhoktha, experiencer.As the body is subservient to the self who is the master, it is called Mahesvara, the over-lord and in reality the self is nothing but the Supreme Self , the inner controller and hence called as ParamAthma..

The last topic, namely the discrimination between the Self and the Prkrthi , is elaborated next.

Krishna says, 'ya Evam vEtthi purusham prkrthim cha guNaissaha; sarvaTHA varthamAnopi na sa bhooyO abhijayathE,' one who understands the self and the prakrthi thus along with the gunas of the prakrthi, is not born again. To know the nature of the self and its being different from the body one may pursue jnanayoga or bhakthiyoga or karmayoga but the result is the same, namely , freedom from the cycle of birth and death.

All that is born, movable or immovable, are so only by the conjunction of the kshethra and kshethrajna. The real perception consists in seeing the Supreme ruler dwelling alike in all bodies who never perishes when the bodies perish. 'samam sarvEshu bhoothEshu thishtantham paramEsvaram; vinaSyathsu avinaSyantham yaH paASyathi sa paSyathi.' Such a seer understands that all actions are done by prakrthi and the Self is not the doer.

The discourse on kshethra and kshethrajna is concluded with a definition and description of the nature of Brahman.

anAdhithvAth nirguNathvAth paramAthmA ayam avyayaH

SareerasTHOpi kounthEya na karOthi na lipyathE(13-31)

The supreme self , though dwelling in the body, is immutable and beginningless. Since it is without gunas it neither acts nor affected by the action. Krishna gives two examples to illustrate how the self though dwelling in the body is not affected by the actions of the body which are caused by the gunas.

1. 'yaThA sarvagatham soukshmyAth AkASam nopalipythe'- The space is everywhere but being the subtlest it is not affected by the things that are in it and connected with it.

2.yaTHA prakASayath EkaH krthsnam lOkam imam ravih- The Sun illuminates the whole world. Similarly the Self illumines the whole field, that is the body.

Thus endowed with the knowledge of the Self, and the differnce between the non-self, kshethra and the knower, kshethrajna, one becomes free of bondage and attaining the Supreme and the means of attainment is cultivation of the attributes like amanithvam , adhambithvam etc. mentioned at the outset.

Chapter 19-ahdyaya14-The three gunas

The cause of the bondage of the individual soul who is free by nature is shown to be the its identification with the three gunas. In this chapter the interplay of three gunas and their effect on the individual soul is explained. Krishna starts the discourse by saying that knowing about the three gunas and their effects the wise become free from bondage.Hence he calls it jnanam utthamam, highest knowledge, resorting to which one attains a status of brahman and thereafter never riverts back to bondage.

In the previous chapter it is said that whatever being born is through the combination of the kshethra, prakrthi and the kshethrajna, purusha. Krishna now declares that the birth of the aggregates of beings so born, is brought about by the Lord Himself.

The prakrthi is the great womb of all beings and the Lord is the sower of the seed., the father of all beings.the three gunas, satthva rajas and thamas are born from Prakrthi and they bind the immutable self.

Then Krishna describes the three gunas.

thathra satthvam nirmalathvAth prakASakam anAmayam

sukhasangenabaDhnathi jnansangena chAnagha (BG 14-6)

Satthva is pure and hence nothing marring its purity shines in all its glory and produces , light and happiness.. Light denotes knowledge and happiness results due to the absence of illness, Amaya. Nevertheless satthva also binds the soul by creating an attachment ot happiness and knowledge. It makes one desirous of acquiring knowledge, secular and spiritual and causes rebirth to satisfy the desire, though this is preferable to desire born out of rajas and thamas.

rajO rAgAthmakam viddhi thrshNAsangasamudhbhavam

thannin baDhnAthi kounthEya karamsangenadhehinam (BG-14.7)

Rajas is of the nature of thrshNa, passion and sanga, attachment. ThrshNa is desire for sensual enjoyment and sanga is the attachment towards them, denoted by the term eeshanAthrayam, longing for wealth, wife and son and attachment towards them. All the actions born out of rajas are towards securing these and causes bondage rsulting in several lives.

thamasthu ajnAnajam viddhi mohanam sarvadhehunAm

pramAdhAlasyanidhrAbhih thannibaDHnAthi bhAratha (BG-14.8)

Thamas is ignorance causing delusion , that is false knowledge, which deludes all beings into believing in what is erroneous. Thamas causes negligence, lethargy and sleep. Not to do what has to be done is negligence, pramAdha and it leads to lethargy, Alasya, resulting finally in inactivity inducing sleep.People overcome with thamas are seen to eat and sleep all the time. Even when thamas induces activity it is always directed towards erroneous action. While satthva induces attachment towards happiness, rajas creates attachment to action and thamas leads to negligence.

These three gunas are present in everyone and at different times each one of them subdues the others and becomes predominant depending on the previous karma and the present way of life.When satthva predominates the light of knowledge can be seen emerging from all the jnanendhriyas. One becomes greedy, restless and possessed with longing when rajas becomes predominant. When tahmas is surfaced, one become indolent and deluded. At the time of death if satthva predominates the departed soul reaches the worlds conducive to self knowledge, is born among thodse attached to work if rajas is the uppermost. Those who leave the body when thamas predominate are born in the wombs of beings lacking in intelligence such as animals.The result of sAttvika action is pure , of rAjasik is pain and thAmasik action results in ignorance.

Then Krishna describes the souls predominant in satthva who rise above as compared to rajasic ones who stay in the middle while those with thamasic qualities go down in evolution. The one who has increased his satthva and rises above perceives that the agent of action is no other than the gunas and transcends the gunas and attains the state of Brahman., that is, he becomes free from birth age, death and pain and attains immortality.

Here Arjuna comes out with a question. He wants to know the signs by which a man who has transcended the gunas can be known and also the way to do it.

kairlingairsthreen guNAn EThAn atheethO bhavathi prabhO

kimAchraH kaTHam cha EthAn treen guNAn athivarthathE (BG_14.21)

Krishna starts giving the description of a guNAtheetha. One who has transcended the gunas has no attachment nor aversion for the effects of the three gunas and simply perceives them with an attitude of indifference knowing that the gunas are interacting with gunas. Since there is no identification with the body and the senses he simply observes the happenings, whether pleasing or otherwise and does not feel joy or sorrow.

To him , who dwells in the self, pleasure and pain are the same and he treats a clod of earth, a stone or a piece of gold as having equal value.. When one looks upon a friend and foe alike, praise and insult or honour and dishonour as the same , he has risen above the gunas. He rises above the body, mind and intellect and all these mentioned above are only related to the realms of the three, namely , body, mind and intellect. Hence he is not affected by the opposites such as joy and sorrow.

In answer to the question of Arjuna as to the means of achieving the state of gunaAtheetha, Krishna says,

mAm cha yO vyabhichArENA bhakthiyogEna sEvathe

sa guNAn samatheethya EthAn brahmabhooyAyakalpathE(BG-14.26)

The one who with unswerving devotion serves the Lord transcends the gunas and becomes fit to attain the state of Brahman.

brahmaNOhi prathishTA aham amrthasya avyayasya cha

SASvathast ya cha dharmasya sukhasya aikAnthikasya cha (BG-14.27)

The reason for following the path of devotion is given by the Lord at the end of the chapter. The state of Brahman is immutable and immortal and "I am the source of all that is immortal and immutable and I am the source of eternal bliss, " says the Lord. In the chapter on bhakthiyoga it was mentioned that jnana is the result of bhakthi and in 7th adhyaya Krishna, mentioning about the four kinds of devotees who resort to Him , describes jnani as ' thEshAm jnanee nithyayukthaH eEkabhakthih viSishyathe,'(BG-7.17) the one who has unswerving devotion.

The central idea of this chapter is that seeking refuge with the Lord is the only means of transcending the gunas and the attainment of self-realisation as it is made out in the 7th adhyaya ,

dhaivee hyEshA gunamayee mama mAyA dhurathyayA

mAmEva ye prapdhyanthe mAyAm EthAm tharanthi thE.(BG-.7.14)

The maya is due to the three gunas and only those who resort to the Lord are able to transcend it.

Chapter20-The tree with roots above and branches below –[adhyaya15-The Supreme purusha, All pervading Being]

Oordhvamoolam aDhahshAkham Svattham prAhuravyayam

cchasndhAmsi yasya parNAni yastham vedha sa vedhavith(BG15-1)

In the adhyaya dealing with kshethra and ldhethrajna, (BG-13) Krishna has elucidated on the nature of prakrthi, the insentient matter and of purusha the sentient soul and the connection between the two. Her in this chapter The Lord is talking about the Supreme Self , Brhaman , described as ‘anAdhimath param brahma ,’ (BG.13-12),who is all pervading. ,’sarvam AvrthyathishTathi,’ (BG.13-13)

The prakrthi, the cause of bondage of the purusha , the individual self, is compared to as aSvattha, banyan tree, with its roots above and branches below, oorDhvamoolam aDhasshAkham. Its leaves are the Vedas, cchandhAmsi yasya parNAni. He who knows this knows the Vedas.

The above meaning of the sloka has to be explained further to understand its import. This idea is the reflection of the Upanishadic declaration ‘oorDhvamoolo avAkshAkhah Esha aSvatthah sanAthanah,(Kat.up.2-3-1) this peepul tree has roots above and branches below. This tree is the samsara, the effect of the bondage of purusha caused by identification with prakrthi. Since both prakrthi and pusrusha originate from Brahman their substratum and the original cause of the universe of the sentient and the insentient, Brahman is the root of the tree and it is said to be situated above meaning not the physical position but because it is high above everything being the subtlest and unmanifest.

The tree is said to have branches below as the whole creation is originated from Brahman and proceeds below, that is away from the reality, being the effect of karma causing bondage. The branches represent the whole creation from devas to the lowest forms of life and also the immovables. Its leaves are said to cchandhAmsi or Vedas. All karma that are done with an expectation of fruit are enjoined in the Vedas and they are necessary for the worldly life as the leaves are for the tree. Hence the Vedas are compared to parNas, leaves. One who understands this will desist from doing desire motivated karma which will cause the cycle of births and deaths. Hence it is said that one who knows this tree, knows the Vedas, meaning that he will understand the real nature of the Vedas.

aDhaschOrDhvam prasrthAsthasya SAkhAh

guNa pravrddhA vishaypravAlAh

aDHascha moolAnyanusanthathAni

karmAnubanDheeni manushyalOke (BG.15-2)

The branches of the tree extend both above and below, nourished by the guNas. Their shoots are the sense objects. The secondary roots of the tree extend downwards resulting in acts which bind men to the world.

The branches which shoot upwards mean the actions of those who elevate themselves by meritorious deeds and take birth as celestial beings and those that go downward denote the karmas which take souls to the lower births into animals etc.

The tree is nourished by the gunas as all the activities are based on the gunas and the sense objects are termed as the shoots that make the tree grow.

The secondary roots are the actions done which cause further bondage and become the roots of further condition of samsara.

Na roopam asya iha thaTHopalabhyathe

nAntho na chAdhirna cha samprathishTA

Asvatthamenam suvirooDamoolam

asangaSasthrENa dhrDEna cchithvA (Bg.15- 3)

This tree , says Krishna is not seen at all and hence not understood. That is why it was said at the outset that one who knows this will understand the import of the Vedas. The human beings bound by their karma see them selves as identified with their body only and unaware that it is the gunas which are responsible for their actions as explained in the previous chapter. So it is something like seeing only the branches and not the roots of the tree.

This Asvattha tree is suvirooDamoolam, very deep rooted and it I not possible to cut it. A man bound by his karma is like one sitting on the branch of a tree and hence cutting it is not possible for him. So how to get free from bondage and samsara?

Krishna gives the answer in the second line of the sloka. ‘asangasasthreNa DhrDena cchitthvA’, one can only cut off this tree by the weapon of asanga, detachment.

The shoots of the branches which make the tree grow are the sense objects which arouse desire and the activities motivated by desire are due to the gunas. So the root cause of samsara is the desire risen out of gunas. Hence the axe that cuts the tree is detachment.

Krishna stops the previous sloka with an unfinished sentence, ‘cutting the tree with the weapon of detachment,’ giving rise to the question, what next? The answer is given in the next sloka which is in relevance with the topic of the adhyaya15, the supreme purusha.

Thathah param thath parimArgithavyam

Yasmin gathA na nivarthanthi bhooyah

thamEva chAdhyam purusham prapadhye

yathah pravrtthih prasrthA purANee (BG.15-4)

Then the Supreme reality, attaining which there is no more return to samsara, is to be sought after. That supreme reality is the Supreme purusha from whom this beginningless activity has sprung forth because both purusha and prakrthi have come form Him only.

Who are those who attain this state of release?

The answer is given in the next sloka.

nirmAnamohA jithasangadhOshA

aDhyAthmanithyA vinivrttha kAmAh

dhvandhvairvimukthAh sukah duhkhasamjne

gacchanthyamooDAh padham avyayam thath (BG.15- 5)

Devoid of egoism and delusion, overcoming the flaws of attachment, firmly established in the knowledge of the self, free from desires, released from the dualities like pleasure and pain, the wise reach the imperishable state.

Armed with aDhyAtmavidyA, knowledge of the Self, the wise do not identify themselves with their body, mind and intellect and hence devoid of ego. Knowing that everything is the interaction between the gunas and the sense objects they have no attachment because they are free from desires. As a result of their equanimity they are not moved either by sorrow or joy being and therefore they have risen above the dualities. This is the state described as ‘EshA brAhmee sthithih,’ in the second adhyaya, in which one attains brahmanirvaNa.

This state is further described as the one reaching which there is no more lapsing back into samsara. Krishna says that neither the Sun nor the moon shines there! This may make one wonder whether the state of Brahmanirvana is one of total darkness! Definitely not! The parampadha is self illumined and its brilliance eclipses that of the Sun and the Moon and hence they do not shine there. The Upanishad says

‘thameva bhAntham anubhAthi sarvam thasya bhAsA sarvamidham vibhAthi,’ meaning that all shine because of the light of the Supreme purusha as He is the giver of lustre to all.

Krishna then proceeds to describe the Supreme purusha in detail.

Chapter21-The supreme purusha-(adhyaya15 continued)

MamaivAmSo jeevaloke jeevabhoothah sanAthanaH

manaH shashtTAneendhriyANi prakrthisThAni karshathi (BG-15-7)

In the tenth adhyaya Krishna has said , vishtabhyAham idham krtsnam EkAmSEna sThitho jagath,’(BG-10-42) that is, whatever possesses power, splendour or energy is only a fragment of the that of the Lord. And He sustains all with a fragment of His power. The same idea is reiterated here.

To the objection that how can Brahman be possessed of parts is ruled out by the upanishadic declaration, ‘poorNamadhaH poorNamidham poornAth poorNamudhachyathE, poorNasya poorNam AdhAya poornameva avaSishyathE.’ The parts mentioned here are like the quarters of a rupee coin. Half rupee or quarter rupee is also full and not broken. Likewise the Lord appearing as the beings is also full and b not divided, like the Sun reflected in water.

The mind along with the indhriyas only transmigrates and not the soul. The jeeva is the conflagration of these and seems to have a separate identity like the waves of the ocean and moves in the sea of the Supreme purusha. Like the air which takes the smell from the places it blows but is not contaminated by the sweetness or foulness of it the individual soul takes the mind along with indhriyas on its transmigration. But the unenlightened never distinguish between the soul and the conflagration of mind and indhriyas. Only the wise are able to do so.

Krishna then starts talking as the Supreme purusha and says,

yadhAdhithya gatham thEjaH jagathbhAsayathe akhilam

yacchandhramasi yacchAgnou thatthejO viddhi mamakam (BG_15-12)

The light in the Sun, Moon and the fire is Mine.

This reflects the text of the Upanishad, ‘thameva bhAntham anubhAthi sarvam thasya bhAsA sarvamihm vibhAthi,’ all luminous bodies follow Brahman which shines and they shine because of His light. This idea has been already explained in the sloka ‘na thadhbhAsayathe suryah---‘

Brahman is the source of all energy and power by which all are sustained and is the inner fire, vaisvAnara, of all living beings that help to digest the four kinds of food. ‘Aham vaisvAnaro bhoothvA prANinAm dhehamASrithah prANApAna samAyukthaH pachamyannam chathurviDham.’ (BG-15.14)

The four kinds of food are known as bojya, masticated, bakshya, swallowed, choshya, licked and lehya, sucked.

Now Krishna sums up by saying,

Sarvasya chAham hrdhi sannivishtO matthaH smrthiH jnAnam apohanam cha

Vedaischa sarvairahameva vedhyah vedanthakrth vedhavidheva chAham (BG-15-15)

“I dwell in the heart of all and from me spring memory, knowledge as well as loss of memory. I am the subject to be known of all the Vedas and I am the maker of vedantha and the knower of them all.”

Being the inner self the Lord dwells in all the hearts and hence the knowledge, memory and loss of it which pertains to the mind and intellect arise from Him alone. The loss of memory is also included here because, like the knowledge and the memory of it which is due to the grace of the Lord the loss of memory also is due to His mercy only. If the mind is not able to forget what is unpleasant and painful the life would be a hell and also if the memory of the last lives are not lost we cannot imagine any sanity in life.

He is the maker of Vedas and vedantha and as such He could be known only through the Vedas and He is the only purport of the Vedas. As the knowledge of the Vedas require the divine grace He is aldo the knower of Vedas and vedanthas, being the inner self of all.

Krishna then summarises what He has been elaborating so far in the last few slokas of the adhyaya thus:

There are two entities in this world of beings, kshara and akshara, the perishable and the unperishable. The former is the self reflected through the body, mind and intellect and consists of ego which is the perishable self and the other is the individual self or kutastha who does not perish even when the former does.

But there is another Supreme self, the inner self of all who enters into everything and sustains them. He is the Purushotthama or the supreme Lord.

Utthamah purushasthu anyah paramAthma ithi udhAhrthah

Yah lOkathrayam AviSya bibharthi avyaya Isvarah (BG-15.17)

He is known as ParamAthmA, supreme self, avyaya, immutable and Isvara the omniscient Lord.

The one who knows this is undeluded and adores the Lord. He becomes wise and he will have done all his duties. There is no more to be done by him.

Chapter22-Divine and demoniac qualities- (adhyaya16)

In this chapter Krishna enumerates the qualities that are the result of the three gunas divide into divine and demoniac. This serves as a means of self analysis which helps us to eradicate the qualities which bind man to transmigratory existence and cultivate those qualities which effect in the release from bondage.

First he starts with the divine qualities.

abhayam satthva samsuddhih jnananyogavyavasThithih

dhAnam dhamascha yaknascha svADhyAyasthapa Arjavam (BG.16-1)

Fearlessness, mental purity, persistence in the practice of knowledge, charity, sense-control, sacrifice, study of scriptures, penance and uprightness,

ahimsa sathyam akrODhah thyAgah shanthih apaiSunam

dhayA bhootheshu alolupthvam mArdhavam hreeh achApalam

(BG.16-2)

Non-violence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, tranquility, absence of envy, kindness to all beings,uncovetousness, gentleness, modesty and dignity,

thejah kshamA Dhrthih Soucham adhroho nAthimAnathA

bhavanthi sampadham dhaiveem abhijathasya bhAratha

(BG.16-3)

Splendour, patience, vigour, cleanliness, benevolence, an bsebce of vanity, these qualities pertain to one inheriting divine attributes.

1. Fearlessness,abhayam, denotes courage both physical and moral. Web fear only the unknown or something other than ourselves. One is not afraid of himself. To the enlightened there is nothing other than himself and hence no fear. But how can we still under the realm of ignorance cultivate fearlessness. It is done by accepting what come. When the fear of death is conquered as elucidated in the second adhyaya, nothing else arouses fear. When we give up desires there is nothing to be afraid of because the desire in its wake brings the fear of losing what we acquire.

2.Mental purity. Soucham, comes out of eradicating desire and anger which give rise to impure thoughts.

3. Persistence in the practice of knowledge means applying the knowledge one gains out of spiritual discipline to one’s life persistently. This means not being a platform vedantin but a practical one.

4.Charity, dhAna, is giving away or sharing according to one’s resources. That is, to help others to the best of our capacity.

5.Sense-control, dhama, is the external discipline of the senses.

6.sacrifice, yajna, means the performance of the rituals advocated by the Vedas and in modern times this means doing every act with the spirit of yajna, or as an offering to god.

7.Study of scriptures, svDhyAya, is acquiring spiritual knowledge in order to get rid of the ignorance, the cause of samsara.

8.Penance, thapah, is the austerity, which doses not n mean tormenting the body because it then denotes demoniac qualities as outlined later in the chapter but endurance of what ever happens treating it as a penance.

9.Uprightness, Arjavam, is straight forwardness in all your dealings.

10.Non-violence- in word thought and deed. Often we commit violence not physically but by word when we insult someone or speak unkindly and by thought when we harbour hatred.

11.sathyam is honesty or truthfulness. This alone will lead one to salvation as the supreme reality is sathyam. To be honest is not merely desisting from lying but consists in being true to one self and should be in accordance with the other virtues. For instance one can be cruel by telling the truth,or cause harm to others, which is not what is meant by sathyam here.

12.akrodhah- absence of anger.

13.thyAgah- renunciation, the kinds of which is elaborated further in the 18^th ahdyaya.

14.Shanthih- equanimity.

15.apaiSunam- paiSunam is belittling others due to envy and apaiSunam is the absence of it.

16.dhayA bhootheshu, kindness to all.

17.alolupthvam- absence of hankering after senseobjects.

18.mArdhavam means gentleness or softness in dealing with others, not being harsh.

19.hree is sense of shame in doing wrong things and modesty.

20.achApalam- refraining from useless activities.

21.thejah- splendour arising out of practice of these virtues.

22.Dhrthi is patience or fortitude.

23.Soucham- cleanliness both inside and outside.

24.adhrohah can be translated as non-betrayal of trust.

25. athimAnathA is pride or arrogance and na athimAnatha denotes the absence of it. These are the dhaiveesampath or divine qualities.

Then Krishna briefly mentions the asuric or demoniac qualities and elaborates on them a little later.

Dhambho dharpo athimAnaScha krodhah pArushyameva cha

ajAnam cha abhijAthasya pArTha sampadham Asureem

(BG.16-4)

Hypocrisy, arrogance, excessive vanity, anger, harshness and ignorance are the demoniac attributes.

Hypocrisy, dhambhah consists in ostentation or pretentious display.

Dharpah, is arrogance due to wealth, power, beauty, knowledge etc.

athimAnah is explained already in the previous sloka.

Krodha is anger and pArushyam is harshness in speech.

These are the Asuree sampath, demoniac qualities, says Krishna, which lead to bondage while the dhaivee sampath secure release.

Perhaps Krishna read consternation in the face of Arjuna indicating his doubt as to which class he belonged to and in order to reassure him says ‘mA Suchah sampadham dhaiveem abhijAtho asi pAndava,’(BG.16-5) meaning “ you do not worry because you have inherited dhaiveesampath only.”

Krishna further elaborates on Asuree sampath because they have to be known in detail in order to be eradicated.

Those possessing the Asurik qualities do not distinguish between the path of action and that of renunciation. They lack purity, right observances and truth. They declare that the world is devoid of truth, has no basis and there is no God. In short they are atheists and materialists. They hold that the creation is the result of physical union between man and woman. Relying on this philosophy they are fierce and out to destroy the world. Krishna calls them nashtAthmAnah, those who have lost their souls, alpabuddhayah, of mean intellect.

They pursue their desires, which are never satisfied, believe that their view alone is true, and filled with arrogance, hypocrisy and vanity they follow the path of unrighteousness. Their attitude is vividly described by the following slokas which reminds us of politicians and thugs of today.

idham adhya mayA labDhamidham prApsye manoraTham

idham asthi idham api me bhavishyathi punarDhanam

(BG. 16-13)

“Today I have won this; I shall fulfil that hope soon; Now this wealth shall also be mine.”

Asou mayA hathah sathruh; hanishyecha aparAn api;

Eesvaro aham aham bhogee siddhoham balvAn sukhee

(BG.16-14)

“I have killed this enemy; I will kill the others also; I am the mighty Lord, the enjoyer; I am well established strong and happy.”

ADyo abhijanvAn asmi koanyo asthi sadhrSomayA

Yakshye dhAsyAmi modhishye ithi ajAna vimohithAh

(BG.16-15)

“I am wealthy and high-born; who is there to equal me ?

I perform yajna and give gifts and make merry”---- thus they are deluded by ignorance.

These beings will fall into a hell that is foul because they were self-exalted, stubborn, arrogant with wealth and conceited though they may offer nominal worship defying rules with hypocrisy.

“Them, I throw eternally into demoniac wombs and they go through repeated births without attaining Me ,” says the Lord, and concludes by saying that there are three gates to hell, namely, desire, kama, anger krodha, and greed, lobha. One who is free from these attain salvation.

How to achieve this ?

thasmAth SAsthram pramANam the kAryAkAryavyavasTHithou

jnAthvA sAshthraviDhAnoktham karma karthum iha arhasi.

(BG.16-24)

Therefore, says Krishna, let sasthra be your guide in what to do and what not to do. Sasthra means the sruthi and smrthi.

Chapter23-adhyaya17-Three kinds of faith, sacrifice and charity.

In the previous chapter Krishna said that sasthra must be the authority in all actions. Now Arjuna gets a doubt as to whether those who perform ritualistic actions with full faith but without recourse to sasthras will get results. Here the people that are meant are not those who neglect the injunctions of the sasthras but those who have full faith in scriptures but lack the capacity to learn them and understand them and do the rituals as taught by the elders without knowing their significance and with blind faith. Arjuna further wants to know whether such faith can be classified as Satthvik rajasik or thamasik.

Krishna starts classifying faith in this adhyaya and also the food, sacrifice, penance and acts of charity into three kinds, satthvik, rajasik and Thamasik.

Faith is the result of karma and varies according to the mental impressions due to three gunas, which ever among the three is predominant at the time.

Those predominantly satthvik in nature offer sacrifice to the devas, and the rajasik to the supernatural beings and monsters. The thamasic offer sacrifices to the ancestral spirits and ghosts.

Krishna further explains the reason why the vast majority of people are attracted towards rajasik and thamasik only.

Those who are moved by greed and desire and hungering for power resort to rajasik rituals to attain these. They torment their bodies and thus persecute the Lord also who is inside them. This kind of people include asuras such as Hirnayakasipu, Ravana etc. In modern days those who perform rituals for fame and power also come under this category. Those that perform abhichara homas propitiating the spirits come under thamasik kind.

Next Krishna classifies the food according to the three gunas. It is useful in modern days also to know which food is conducive to your spiritual progress.

AyussatthvabalArogya preethivivarDhanAh

rasyAsnigDhAsThirA hrdhyA AhArAh sAtthvikapriyAh (BG. 17.8)

The sAttvik kind of food promotes longevity, strength of mind, power, health, comfort and pleasure and the food that is delectable, oily, firm and appetizing are that which is enjoyed by people of satthvik temperament.

Katvamla lavaNA athyushNa rooksha vidhAhuinah

AhArA rajasasya ishtA duhkha Soka AmayapradhAh (BG.17.9)

The food which is excessively bitter, sour, saltish, hot, pungent, harsh, burning, which causes pain and suffering and ill-health is liked by the rajasik people.

yAthayAmam gatharasampoothi paryushitham cha yath

ucchishtamapi cha ameDhyambhojanam thAmasapriyam (BG.17-10)

The ill-cooked, tasteless, smelling, decayed, refuse and impure is the food that is eaten by thamasik people.

Similarly Krishna classifies yajna into three kinds.

The sAthvik yajna is the one which is done without expectation of fruit, aphalAkAnksha and as enjoined in the scriptures with the resolve that it has to be done, that is as a rite to be performed.

The rAjasik yajna is the one undertaken with the expectation of result or for ostentation.

The thAmasic is the one done without scriptural sanction, with no offering of food, without proper chanting of manthras and without gifts to the priests and without faith.

Austerity, thapah, is threefold, namely, physical, verbal and mental.

The worship of devas, Brahmins, elders and preceptors and the learned, cleanliness, guilelessness, celibacy and non-violence are the austerities of the body.

The speech that is inoffensive, truthful, pleasant and beneficial together with regular reading of scriptures constitute verbal austerities.

Mental calmness, gentleness, silence, self control, extreme emotional purity are the austerities of the mind.

When these threefold austerities are performed with supreme faith, by men whose mind is integrated it is sAthvik and that performed with hypocrisy to win respect honour or reverence is rAjasik, the fruit of which is uncertain and fickle. That which is done with obstinacy, with tormenting self or others is thAmasik.

A gift which is made at the right place and time to a deserving recipient with the attitude that it has to be done without expecting anything in return is sAthvik dhana while the one given with expectation of something in return and unwillingly is rAjasik. ThAmasic dhAna is the one offered improperly and insultingly at wrong place and time and that given to undeserving people.

So far the distinctions according to gunas of sacrifices, austerities and gifts have been explained. Now the definition of vedic rites according to their association with pranava is explained.

Om thath sath ithi nirdhesobrahmanh thriviDhah smrthah

brAhmanAsthena vedhascha yajnAscha vihithAh pura

(BG.17-23)

Brahman is denoted by the three syllables ‘Om, thath and sath’. Brahman also means the Vedas and associated with these Brahmanas, Vedas and the sacrifices are ordained in the past.

The veda enjoined acts of sacrifices, austerities, gifts etc. are begun with the syllable ‘om’ by the knowers of Brahman

Those aspirants who perform these acts without expecting a reward, with the only aim of attaining release begin their actions with the syllable ‘thath.’

All the aorldly activities enjoined in the Vedas are begun with the syllable “sath,’ denoting existence and goodness, and stands for auspiciousness and devotion. That which is not associated with faith is called ‘asath ’ and will result only in bondage and not in salvation.

Chapter24- Liberation through renunciation-adhyaya18

The second and 18^th adhyayas of the gita comprise the epitome of the teachings of the Gita. In this adhyaya the following points are elucidated.

1. The identity between thyaga and sanyasa

2. The nature of thyaga.

3. Attributing agency of all actions to the Lord.

4. Elaborate description of satthva, rajas and thamas.

5. The means of liberation.

6. Bhakthi yoga

Arjuna first asks the difference between thyaga, abnegation and sannyasa, renunciation.

Krishna starts elucidating on thyaga and sannyasa.

kAmyAnAm karmaNAm nyAsam sannyAsam kavayo viDhuh

sarvakarmaphalthyAgam prAhussthyAgam vichakshaNAh

(BG-18.1)

Sannyasa is giving up all action motivated by desire and thyaga is giving up the fruit of action. Krishna says that this is the view of sages and the wise. Here sannyasa means karmasannyasa while thyaga is karmaphalathyaga.

Now the question is which are the actions to be renounced? Krishna answers that some are of the opinion that all karma have to be abandoned as even the karma sanctioned by the Vedas are accompanied with results and as such may kindle desire. But others hold the view that the vedic karma like sacrifices etc. should be performed even by the aspirants of salvation.

Shankara explains that these alternatives apply only to those who have not acquired the knowledge of Brahman, the Arurukshu, referred to in the fifth adhyaya and not to the already enlightened or yogarooDa. Hence the three kinds of thyaga or abandonment described further refer only to karmin or one who is still under the influence of three gunas and inclined for activity.

Krishna now gives his decision on the abandonment of action. He says that yajna, dhana, thapas are not to be abandoned because they help to purify the mind. But they have to be performed without attachment and with no expectation of the fruit.

Now the thyaga is classified into three kinds.

Niyathasya thu sannyAsah karmaNo na upapadhyathe

mOhAth thasya parithyAgah thAmasah parikeerthithah

(BG.18-7)

The obligatory actions which one is expected to perform while being in this embodiment have to be undertaken and relinquishing them out of delusion is thamasik.

Obligatory works her means the daily and occasional ceremonies like the panchamaha yajnas prescribed for the householder. These works help in acquiring knowledge and purity of the mind and hence abandoning these is not proper and is only thamasik.

Duhkaham ithyeva yath karma kAyakleSa bhayAth thayjeth

Sa krthvA rAjasam thyAgam naïve thyAgaphalam labheth

(BG.18-8)

He who renounces his actions because they are difficult and painful due to physical hardships that may be involved, does only rajasik thyaga and will not get the fruit of it.

WE find that in this world today most of us do only rajasik thyaga. The work that are obligatory may be performed by most people but they tend to abandon the work which can be avoided propelled by fear of physical suffering. As an example the reluctance of a student to work hard afraid of the hardship it involves or an office worker reluctant to better himself by improving his efficiency and qualification fearing the hard work that is essential for it can be cited and there may be thousands of examples in our everyday life.

kAryam ithyeva yath karma niyatham kriyathe arjuna

sangam thyakthvA phalam chaiva sa thyAgah sAtthviko mathah (BG.18-9)

When actions are performed because they ought to be done with out attachment and renouncing the fruit it is sAtthvik thyaga.

The idea emphasized by the above slokas is the renunciation is not the mere abandoning of action but the true renunciation consists not in giving up of action but in giving up of the fruit and attachment. Whatever path one follows, jannamarga , karmamarga or bhajkthimarga, this is the important criterion. As Sankara says in his bajagovindha, where he describes the brahmajnani, that it is not necessary to relinquish any activity to attain renunciation.

‘Yogaratho vaa bhogaratho vaa sangaratho vaa sangaviheenah yasya brahmani ramathe chiththam nandhathi nandhathi nandhathyeva.’ Whether he is seen practicing yoga or seemingly indulgent in bhoga his inner bliss remains unalloyed. He is always happy because his mind is revels ever in Brahman. Sankara repeats the word nandhathi three times to emphasize the eternal and continuous nature of bliss. Also it implies that the happiness is experienced at all three levels of body, mind and intellect.

Though this is said about an enlightened soul it applies equally to the aspirant. To do the work without attachment and giving up the fruit induces the purity of mind and awakens the awareness when one becomes fit to meditate on the self and acquires knowledge.

What is the state of mind of such a person who gives up attachment and result of the fruit of action?

Na dveshtyakuSalam karma kuSale nAnushajjathe

thyAgee satthvasamAvishto medhAvee chinnasamSayah

BG.18-10)

He does not hate disagreeable acts nor does he gets attached to the agreeable ones because he is saturated in satthva and wise to whom there is no doubt as to what is to be done and how. This means that neither sin nor merit accrues to such a thyagee through all his actions. Sometimes in life we have to perform some disagreeable actions for the sake of others or as a duty. These are looked upon by the enlightened one as actions to be done without attachment and dislike for the result. Similarly the pleasant actions are also not makes him feel elated because he has no desire for the result.

Hence renunciation does not mean giving up of work, says Krishna because as long as one is in embodiment one has to perform some action or other. So a thyagee is the one who has given up the fruit of actions.

Chapter25- Action, knowledge and agency

What is action and how and why is it performed?

The answer is given in the forthcoming verses.

aDhishTAnam thaThA karthA karaNam cha prthagvidham

viviDhAscha prthakcheshta dhaivam chaivAthra panchamam

(BG.18-14)

SareeravAngmanobhiryath karma prArabhathe narah

nyAyyam vA vipatreetham vA panchaithe thasya hEthavah

(BG. 18-15)

Whatever action is undertake by man, with his body, mind or intellect, whether right or wrong, that is, enjoined by the sasthras or forbidden, there are five causes that help the accomplishment of an action. They are, the seat of action, the agent, sense organs, different and distinctive functions of the vital air and the divinity as the fifth.

1. The seat of action is the body, which is the conglomeration of the five elements because all actions are performed only through the body, words or mind.

2. The agent is the individual self who is also the knower.

3. The sense organs are the instruments of action

4. The functions of the vital airs sustain the body and the sense organs.

5.The divinity the supreme self is the inner ruler who is the main cause in completing an action.

The Supreme self is the controller of the agency of the individual self, who is supported and empowered by the former. Those with perverted mind does not see this at all.

On the other hand,

Yasya nAhamkrtho bhavahbuddiryasyasna lipyahte

HatthvApi sa imAn lokAnna hanthai na nibhadhDhyathe.

(BG.18-17)

“The one to whom no sense of agency belong is not tainted by the actions and he is not bound even if he kills all these men,” says Krishna to make Arjuna understand that he is not the slayer of Bheeshma etc. but only an instrument in the hands of the Lord as it was said by Krishna in the adhyaya11, ‘mayaivaithe nihathAh poorvameve nimitthamAthram bhava savyasAchin, ‘ that is the emn iffront of Arjuna were already killed by the Lord and Arjuna is only a pretext for the destruction.

Now Krishna explains how the action is induced and what are the constituents of action.

Knowledge, jnanam, the knowable, jneyam and the knower, parijnAthA are the inducement to work while, the instrument ,work and the agent are the constituents of work. Among these action itself, karma, which is the object of knowledge, jneya, is briefly described as three-fold., namely , the instrument , agent and action.

The knowledge of one who sees unity in diversity is sAtthvika and that which makes one see the diversity as if it is separate is rajasik and the thAmasik knowledge is the one which creates a clinging to the particular as though it is the whole. This clinging to a particular thing as if it alone matters is normally found in people who crave for worldly things like power or wealth etc. But it could exist even about good things which becomes an obsession. In Srimadbhagavatham the Lord says that if one worships Him and does the rituals but shows no love towards His creations is not dear to the Lord and such a person will not get the fruit of his pious acts.

There is a story to illustrate this. A man was praying earnestly to God to come in front of him and God appeared in his dream and told him that He would come the next day. The man prepared all things for worship and to offer to God and waiting anxiously. Then a beggar came to his door but he had no patience lest God might walk in any time and drove him away. Next an old woman came asked for food and even her he turned out because he was waiting for God and could not waste time in looking after her needs. It was nearly night and still there was no sign of God and lastly a weary traveller came to his door and asked shelter for the night. The man was furious and showed him the door. Then the day ended and he went to bed disappointed. God appeared to him in his dream and the man asked God why did He not come as promised. God replied, “I came to you thrice but you sent me away!”

Next the action is classified threefold.

Niyatham sangarahitham arAgadhveshathah krtham

aphalaprepsunA karma yath thath sAthvikam uchyathe

(BG.18-23)

An obligatory action done without hatred and desire and with detachment and not expecting result is sAthyvik. The same idea has been elucidated in the earlier sloka ‘kAryamithyeva yath karma---‘ (BG.!8-9)

Yatthu kAmepsnA karma sAhamkAreNa vapunah

Kriyathe bahulAyAsam thadhrAjasam udhAhrtham

(BG.18-24)

Any action done by exerting oneself for gaining the fruit of desire or out of pride and arrogance is rAjasik.

The thAmasika action on the other hand is started with a deluded intellect, without worrying about the consequences, or loss or injury to others is thAmasik. It is done purely on selfish motive relentless of who gets hurt or what is lost as a result.

Of the three inducements to action mentioned earlier, jnanam is the knowledge explained above whole the jneyam is the karma known through the knowledge and the agent of action karthA is the parijnAtha the knower.

Now the agent of action , kartha is classified.

The sAthvik agent is the one who has given up attachment, mukthasangah, is without ego, anahamvAdhee and is endowed with firmness and zeal. He is not affected by success or failure. This is because he has given up the sense of agency.

The one who is moved with desire with expectation of fruit, greedy, harmful to others and impure in his thoughts is rAjasiK agent of action.

A thAmasik doer is one who is unqualified, unrefined, stubborn, depraved, dishonest, indolent despondent and procrastinating.

The actions are directed by the intellect which is also classified into three, the intellect which has a clear perception of what is right and wrong, that which is riddled with doubt and has no clear notion and the intellect which has perverted notion and imagines the wrong to be right and vice versa are sAthvik, rAjasik and thAmasik respectively.

All actions are undertaken with the expectation of joy and no one proceed to do something which will bring him unhappiness. But the concept of joy and sorrow differs according to the temperament and to enjoy eternal joy one must have a right idea of joy.

There are two paths prescribed to man, one is that of preyas and the other is that of Sreyas. The former is the pleasant course of action but not conducive to spiritual welfare. The latter is not pleasant or easy to follow but secures permanent happiness in the end. Hence Krishna classifies even the joy as threefold.

Yadhagre visham iva pariNAme amrthopamam

Thathsukham sAthvikam proktham Athma buddhiprasAdhajam

(BG.18-37)

That which is like poison at first but becomes like nectar in the end born from the serene state of mind focusing on the self, is sAthvik pleasure.

vishayendhriyasamyogAth yath thath agre amrthopamam

pariNAme visham iva thath sukham rAjasam smrtham

That pleasure arising from the sense contacts with the objects , which is like nectar at first but turns out to be like poison in the end is rAjasik.

Any discipline conducive to spiritual welfare is difficult to pursue and hence like poison in the beginning but when it starts yielding results it is like nectar. But the one who is full of desire and enjoys his life goes on and on in to a cycle birth and death, never getting a respite from samsara.

Even in the worldly sense all that fetch longstanding joy are distasteful in the beginning like working hard to become successful or to study hard to pass with flying colours. Only the one who sacrifices his comforts in his youth, may he be a student or a business man, is able to enjoy later the fruit of his labour . On the contrary, one who enjoys his life while young comes to grief in his old age either due to disease or due to poverty.

Yadhagre cha anubanDhe acha sukham mohanam Athamanah

nidhrAlasya pramAdhottham thath thAmasam udhAhrtham

(BG.18-39)

That pleasure which is deluding both in the beginning and in the end, like that of sleep laziness and or mistaken notion is thAmasik. These may delude the individual into feeling happy but it is not a real joy but a delusion. Typical example can be that of a drunkard or drug addict.

Next Krishna shows that the attitudes and actions of people in general follows the three gunas. This is just an elucidation of the earlier statement,

chathurvarNyam mayA srshtam guNathrayavibhAgaSah

(BG.4-13)

Krishna here describes the attributes of the four varnas according to the three gunas.

Samo dhamah thapah Soucham kshAnthih Arjavam eva cha

jnAnam vijnAnam Asthikyam brahmakarma svabhAvajam

(BG.18-42)

The nature of actions of a brahmana is described as that consisting of control of senses and the mind, austerity, purity, forbearance, uprightness, knowledge, and application of it and faith.

Souryam thejo Dhrthih dhakshyam yuddhe cha apalAyab nam

dhAnam eesvarabhAvascha kshAthram karma svabhAvajam

(BG.18-43)

Valour, invincibility, steadiness, adroitness, and non-fleeing from battle, generosity and lordliness are the traits of a kshathriya.

Krishih gorakshyavANijyam vaiSyakarma svabhAvajam

paricharyAthmakam karma SudhrasyApi svabhAvajam

(BG.18-44)

Agriculture, cattle-breeding and trade are the natural duties for a vaisya and for sudhra it is one of service.

So whichever karma that is natural to one is due to the texture of the three qualities that makes the individual and this makes it all the more clear that the varnas are by nature of the individual and not by birth.

Each one should take up the work which is suitable for his disposition and aspire for salvation through that only, by doing it as worship.

Neat comes the sloka which was misinterpreted often and was the cause of the evil that is perpetrated by the caste system.

SreyAn svadharmO vigunah paradharmAth vanushtithAth

svabhAva niyatham karma kurvan Apnothi kilbisham

(BG.18-47)

Better is one’s own duty, however badly done than that of another because by doing his duty ordained by his nature no one incurs stain.

Krishna has explained so far about doing work as worship and the work which comes naturally to one is that to be undertaken. So there is no mention about doing the work which is assigned to the caste in which one is born because the caste- distinction is man-made and has no sanction of the scriptures.

Here it should be noted that Arjuna wanted to give up his duty as a kshathriya because it involved killing of his elders and opted for the life of a hermit and Krishna, in saying that his own work , though considered to be faulty is better than that of another , namely that of a recluse, though it may seem to be superior. The reason for this is given in the next sloka.

Sahajam karma kountheya sadhoshamapi na thayajeth

sarvArambhA hi dhosheNadhoomerAgnirivAvrthAh

BG.18-48)

One should not relinquish one’s own work, though it may be imperfect because all work is enveloped by imperfections as the fire with smoke.

The meaning is that any work undertaken may be difficult at first and may present a picture that the grass is greener on the other side. It is usually the case in the world. Everyone complains about his lot and thinks that the other man is doing a much simpler job and getting better results. but when he switches jobs he finds that he was not cut out for it and finds himself to be a square peg in a round hole. This is most important in students when they select a course of study just because that presents a possibility of getting more lucrative jobs, instead of pursuing course for which they have the aptitude. This they do out of their own desire or by the persuasion of their parents.

Spiritually speaking, it means that till one is ready for jnanayoga karma yoga is the best. Krishna elaborates on the jnana yoga next and culminates His discourse by extolling bhakthiyoga.

Chapter 26- jnanayoga and bhakthiyoga(adhyaya18)

Who is qualified for sanyasa? The answer is given as,

Askthabuddhih sarvathra jithAthmA vigathassprhah

Naishkarmyasiddhim paramAmsannyAsena aDhigacchathi

(BG.18-49)

He, who is detached in all respects, who has conquered himself, who is free from desires, attains perfection that transcends all activity by renunciation. Dhyana or contemplation is the consummation of jnanayoga consisting of cessation of all activities.

Then Krishna gives a description of the one who has attained perfection.

buddhyA viSuddhyA yukthah DhrthyAthmAnam niyamya cha

SabdhAdheen vishayAn thyakthvArAgadhveshou vyudhasyacha

(BG.18-51)

Viviktha sevee laghvaSee yathavAkkAyamAnasah

DhyAnayogaparo nithyam vairAgyaaaamsamupASrithah

(BG.18-52)

Ahamkarambalam dharpam kAmamkroDham parigraham

Vimuchya nirmamaSSAnthah brahmabhooyAya kalpathe

(BG.18-53)

He is endowed with purified understanding that the Self is the reality. He makes his mind ready for meditation by turning it away from the sense objects and casting aside love or hate of them.

He resorts to a lonely place away from hindrances to meditation and eats a little just to keep himself alive, restrains the activities of body, mind and intellect, engaged fully in meditation, with detachment from all other objects not conducive to meditation.

He abandons ego, that is considering non-self as self, which causes pride, desire, anger and possessiveness. Free from the notion of ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ he becomes worthy of the state of Brahman.

Next Krishna refers to the bhakthiyoga.

Brahmabhoothah prasannAthmA na Sochathi na kAnkshathi

amassarvEshu bhoothEshu madhbhakthim labhathe parAm

(BG.18-54)

This refers to the fourth class of devotees outlined in the seventh adhyaya, 16^th sloka, namely jnani.

He who resorts to the Lord, acquires jnana as a result of his devotion as it was said ‘dhadhAmi buddhiyogam tham,’ in adhyaya10, sloka 10. Such a jnani, who is brahmabhootha, realized the state of Brahman, is tranquil, prasannAthmA, who has neither grief or longing, regarding everything to be equal. He is the one who has parA bhakthi.

He sees the Lord everywhere and does all his actions as an offering to Him and attains the eternal abode of peace and bliss due to the grace of the Lord.

Hence Krishna tells Arjuna to relinquish all sense of agency and surrender to the Lord, mentally offering all the actions to Him. Then, the Lord will steer His devotee through all difficulties. As the nature is stronger no resolve to give up action, as in the case of Arjuna who said that he will not fight, will be fruitful because the natural instinct will overpower him soon and when that happens he will find that the circumstances are not as favourable as they are at the moment. This refers to the sloka 32 of adhyaya 2 where Krishna told Arjuna that the battle which he finds himself in is not of his own making and according to dharma and he is fortunate to get such an opportunity to discharge his duty as a kshathriya whose main role is to protect dharma.

Ten comes the final advice to Arjuna and through him to the whole mankind.

Eesvarah sarva bhoothAnAm hrddhese arjuna thishTathi

bhrAmayan sarvabhoothAni yanthrArooDAnimAyayA

(BG.18-61)

The Lord is situated in the heart of all beings, spinning them as though mounted on a wheel, by His power of maya.

The wheel of maya is the prakrthi consisting of three gunas according to which the individual self is propelled into action. The Lord is the inner self of all as mentioned in the Upanishad ‘yah srveshu bhootheshu thishTan sarvebhyo bhoothebhyo antharah, yam sarvANI bhoothAni na vedha,yasya sarvANi bhoothAni Sareeram,yah sarvANi bhoothANii antharo yamayathi,esha tha AthmA antharyAmyamrthaH.’ (Brhd.Up.3-7-15)

This means,

‘He who dwells in all beings and is within them, whom none of the beings know, whose body is all beings,, and who controls all beings from within, is the inner controller, your own self and immortal.’

This idea has already been expressed in the sloka 8of the 10th adhyaya and in sloka 15 of the 15^th adhyaya as ‘And I am seated in the hearts of all,’ and ‘ from Me proceed everything,’ etc.

“So,” says Krishna , “ seek refuge in Him alone by whose grace you shall find supreme peace and eternal abode.”

Then Krishna winds up His discourse by saying that the secrets of janayoga, karmayoga and bhakthi yoga have been instructed thus and asks Arjuna to choose which ever suits him. But at the same time Krishna did not want to leave His disciple in doubt and as the Jagatguru He says that bhakthi yoga is the most secret of all and is it good for him to follow the bhakthi marga.

Next are the two most quoted and well remembered slokas of the Gita.

manmanAbhava madhbhakthah madhyAjee mAm namaskuru

mAmeva eshyasi sathyam the prathijAne priyoasi me

(BG.18-65)

‘Focus your mind on Me. Be My devotee. Be My worshipper. Bow down to Me. You shall come to Me only. I promise you truly as you are dear to Me. ‘

This is the promise given by the Lord not only to Arjuna but to the whole mankind.

In SvethASvathara Upanishad we have the passage, ‘vedhAhametham purusham mahAntham , Adhithya varNam thamasah parasthAth; thameva vidhithvA athi mrthyum ethi, nAnyah panTha vidhyathe ayanAya.’

’ I know this great person who is resplendent like the Sun and is beyond darkness. By knowing Him alone one transcends death. There is no other path to go by.’

The words manmanA bhava means that one should know, meditate and worship that which is the object of direct perception with constant remembrance, dhruvasmrthi, with love and devotion.

Madhbhakthah madhyAjee mAm namaskuru means to worship with excessive love as the one who is most dear and bowing down in submission and love.

Renouncing thus all ego-centric impulses the devotee becomes dear to the Lord as He has said in the seventh adhyaya, sloka 17 that the jnani who is with single minded devotion is dear to the Lord. To such a person the Lord promises “You will come to Me.”

The next sloka is the famous one taken to teach bhakthiyoga and called the caramasloka, considered to be the sloka enjoining prapatthi by vaishnavites. It forms one of the three important chants of vaishanvas the other two being the moola manthra and dhvaya.

sarvaDharmAn parithyajya mAmekam saraNam vraja.

Aham thvA sarvapApebhyah mokshayishyAmi mA Suchah

(BG-18-65)

Completely relinquishing all Dharmas, seek Me alone for refuge.

Relinquishing all dharmas means complete relinquishment of all sense of agency, fruits etc., whatever may be the path pursued, jnana, karma or bhakthi. This has reference to the concept of abandonment , thyaga, elucidated in the beginning of the chapter.

If one practices such abandonment, the Lord says that He will be released from all sins, meaning the sins which results from time immemorial due to past karma, because once a man becomes a devotee giving up agency and fruits of action no sin can accrue to him any more.

This sloka gives solace to the devotees who may fear that they may not attain the goal due to the evil karma that they have done before the rise of bhakthi. Krishna has already given a promise to this effect in the ninth ahdyaya in sloka 30-31 where He said that even a worst sinner will be redeemed if he resorts to the Lord.

Krishna ends up saying that this discourse which contains most secret doctrine, should not be disclosed to anyone lacking austerity or devotion or indifferent or one who slander the Lord. And one who expounds this to other devotees of the Lord will attain Him and he is the dearest to the Lord. The study of this discourse is tantamount to the worship of the Lord through jnanayoga and one who listens to it with faith and without cavilling shall also be released from bondage.

Any work should have four requisites, anubandhachathushtayam, namely, the grantha, work , vishaya, subject matter, adhikari, one qualified to study it and prayojana, utility or the fruit. Even though Bhagavatgita is not a separate work but a part of the epic Mahabharatha, it has come to be treated as an independent work by itself and hence we could say that the first two have been set out in the beginning by Sanjaya that it is a discourse of Krishna to Arjuna and by the words of Arjuna himself ‘yacchreyassyAth nischitham broohi thanme,’ that it is Sreyas, about what is good for him. Now the other two, namely, the adhikari and prayojana are specified.

The adhikari is the one possessing devotion, austerity, wish to serve the Lord etc. and the prayojana, or the fruit is set out as attaining the supreme by listening, studying and expounding the discourse.

The particular prayojana, that of extricating Arjuna from the delusion is also specified by the question Krishna puts to him next.

Kaschith ethath Srutham pArThathvayA ekAgreNa chethasA

Kaschith ajAnasammohah praNashtasthe paramthapa

(BG.18-72)

Krishna says,

“Have you heard attentively all that was told and has your delusion caused by ignorance vanished?”

This is the question we should ask ourselves after the study of the Gita and should be able to answer as Arjuna did as,

Nashto mohah smrthirlabDhA thvath prasAdhAth mayA achyutha

sThithosmi gatha sandhehah karishye vachanam thava

(Bg.18-73)

“ Destroyed is the illusion and I have gained knowledge by Thy grace. Freed from doubts I am steadfast and will do Thy command.”

Not only Arjuna but also Sanjaya was elated to have heard the conc versation between Krishna and Arjuna due to the grace of the sage Vyasa and extols the discourse as ‘yogam yogesvarAth krishnAth sAkshAth kaThayathah svayam,’ the highest knowledge from the mouth of the Lord Himself who is the master of all yoga, and says that remembering it he rejoices at his good fortune again and again and filled with wonder. He concludes by saying,

Yathrayogesvarah Krishnah yathrapArTho DhanurDharah

Thathra sreeh vijayo bhoothih DhruvAneethih mathirmama

(BG.18-78)

Wherever there is Sri Krishna, the Lord of the yoga and Arjuna the archer, there is always fortune, victory, wealth and firm justice .

The implied meaning of this statement is that when the Lord is there to command and when the individual is fully equipped to do His command and acts as the instrument in the hands of God always ready to listen to the voice within, the success is waiting for such an individual.

Let us also be like Arjuna , armed with detachment and discrimination born out of devotion, act on in this world as the servants of the Lord to do His bidding out of love and attain peace and joy.

This is the end of the great gospel of humanity, the Bhagavatgita.

OM thath sath