As we have seen earlier Bhagavad Gita is a smriti
grantha, secondary scriptures, and it is based on the shruthi which are the
primary scriptures. Being a secondary scripture the Gita contains the essence
of the whole Veda. The first shadgam is predominantly karma pradhana as to how
one should perform karma as yoga for chitta shudhi. The second section
predominantly deals with meditation or upasana especially the Lord as Vishwa
rupa Ishwara. This is for chitta ekagirta (one mindedness of the mind and also
expansion for mind). The third shadgam is jnana pradhana that deals with the
culmination of spiritual sadhana. Like the 13 and 14th chapter this
chapter also deals with jnanam only. In fact 15th chapter is the
last philosophical chapter of the Gita. In the next two chapters Krishna will
prepare one for knowledge. In this chapter Brahman or Ishwara is called
purushotamah and therefore this chapter gets the title “purushotamah yoga”.
This chapter contains only 20 verses but it is an important chapter for it
contains the essence of the scriptures. Many people use this chapter for
parayanam too.
The
whole chapter can be divided into three portions. The first portion is “samsara
varnanam”; the description of human problems is given so we may develop
vairagyam. So that we can say: Annapoorne
Sada Poorne, Shankara Prana Vallabhe, Jnana Vairagya Sidhyartham. And without vairagyam or attachment one cannot
seriously enter into enquiry and therefore samsara is described so that we will
develop some detachment. The next portion is “moksha sadhanani” where
primary and secondary disciplines are mentioned that will help us come out of
samsara. The final portion is “Ishwara swarupam” or nature of God in
which Krishna will present both the higher nature and lower nature of God.
Apara prakruthi – para prakruthi in chapter 7, the empirical nature as well as
the absolute nature of God.
In samsara varananam;
Lord Krishna compares human bondage to a huge tree – Ashvatta tree. urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham asvattham prahur avyayam
chandamsi yasya parnani yas tam veda sa veda-vit. This comparison is not an invention of
Krishna but it is borrowed from Katho Upanishad. Krishna himself tells Arjuna
in the beginning of Gita; I am not telling you anything new but only reviving
the wisdom in the scriptures. Why is the creation compared to a tree?
Comparison is only possible when there are common features. Shankaracharya in
his commentary gives similarities between the creation and a tree, vruksha. The
first common feature is “mahatvam” or
widespread. The human samsara or bondage is widespread. Bondage is caused by
relationship and sambandah. That is why a relative is called “bandhuh”. Even if
your relative is in California, his ups and downs will affect me in Chennai.
Something happens in Chechnya; we don’t even care for we don’t have any
relations there. Every relations that spreads wide is a form of bondage and
Krishna says, Ashvatta tree is also widespread (mahatu and samsara is also
mahatu.
The second common feature
is “aadhyantha rahitam”. One cannot trace
the beginning of samsara. When we enquire they will say your current birth is
due to past karma in the previous birth; how did that previous birth happen?
Likewise we can keep tracing to past karma till we reach the first karma which
we don’t know. So we say samsara is anadi (eternal). Because of karma, janma
comes and becomes of janma, karma comes. The janma-karma cycle goes on and on
exactly like the tree. The tree is there because of the seed; that seed is from
a previous tree which is because of a precious seed. So when did the first seed
come? Anadi. The “aadi” cannot be talk about, the “antha” cannot be talked
about. Therefore both are eternal.
The next common feature
is “aneervachaniyam” – both are
inexplicable, indefinable, unclassifiable. Take a particular janma and ask
whether it is the cause or an effect?
One cannot answer this question for this janma is an effect from the
view of previous janma and at the same time it is a cause with respect to the
next janma. Whether it is karyam or karanam, you cannot say. The same is true
with respect to the tree also. You can never say whether it is a cause or
effect; therefore it is aneervachaniyam or mitya. The more you analyze the more
mysterious it becomes; even in Science the deeper they go the vaguer it
becomes. That is why they discovered the Uncertainty principle. That is mystery
or maya.
The fourth common feature
for both the samsara and the tree is both have got roots for the sustenance.
The tree has very strong roots, invisible and below, called the mulam. Just as
invisible supports the visible tree there is invisible sustainer for the
visible jagat. And that sustainer is Ishwara who is aprameyah or sarva indreeya
agocharah. Therefore the fourth common feature is “mulavatvam”.
The first verse starts with urdhva-mulam and
here mulam means ishwarah.
The next common feature
is both of them have got branches, “Chakatvam”.
How many branches? Since the ashvatta tree is a huge tree it has many braches;
some of them are upper branches and some are lower branches. For the samsara
vruksha also there are many branches; upper, middle and lower known as “chatur
dasha bhuvanani” and uttama, adama, and madhyama sharirani. The deva sharirah
correspond to higher branches and animals/plants correspond to lower shariram,
lower branch. We as human beings are in the middle. There are 14 lokas which
means there are many branches.
The next common feature
is “phallatvam” – both the tree as well as
samsara produces fruits. What kind of fruits? Sweets ones, bitter ones and
mixed ones. Just as a tree produces three kinds of fruits the samsara vruksha also
produces pleasure, pain or pleasure-pain mixture. The next common feature is wherever
fruits are available the birds will come. And they will be perching on the
higher, middle or lower branches and they will be eating these fruits with a
lot of noise. Similarly in the samsara vruksha also there will be millions of
living beings (compared to birds) sometimes eating pleasure fruit, and
sometimes pain fruits. The jiva birds are perched on the samsara tree as
bhogtas, enjoying pleasure and pain and make it a noisy tree. Noisy from
laughter or uncontrollable sobbing!
Even though the ashvatta
tree is a huge tree when there is wind its branches sway and move. In the same
way the entire samsara vruskha also moves from the wind of karma. The karmas of
all the jiva rashis are taking us from one place to another. Some people come
and say, “ Swamiji we are transferred to Assam”. Some say,” Swamiji my income
is not sufficient in India and so I am going to Saudi Arabia”. It is karma that
drags an individual here and there. Not only in one janma but from janma to
janma also we are dragged helplessly. When we leave this world and go to the
next world, we don’t decide but the prarabda karma decides. Both the tree and
samsara vruksha are moved by the wind, “chalatvam”.
Pakshi ashairatvam”: was the previous one.
One more feature Krishna
himself says is the tree has many leaves, paranavatvam.
The leaves are important for the sustenance of the tree for they draw water
through osmosis and cooks food through photosynthesis. Similarly samsara vrusha
also has leaves in the form of karmakanda; manifold karmas. Because karma alone
produces phallam and phallam will produce punar janma and that janma there
will be karma; punarapi jananam punarapi maranam, punarapi jananii jathare
shayanam. Therefore the karmakanda by dealing with varieties of karma and
making the people do all kinds of karma will sustain the samsara vruksha. Karma
is required for sometime after sometime it becomes counterproductive. As
continuous karma sustains jivatma it is like the leaves of a tree.
Even though these
helpless situations are caused by the powerful samsara tree there is one light
at the end of the tunnel. Both the tree and samsara are destructible. A tree is
cut-able, totally uproot-able. Even though samsara is anadi kalah we can uproot
samsara and achieve moksha. This is the first topic of samsara varnanam which
makes me a helpless creature and constantly consuming pleasure and pain and
without my control. I am enslaved by this samsara like some people who are so
habituated to stay in slums that they will not move out to a cottage even if
given freely. Similarly we are also habituated to samsara. Having listened to
the description of samsara some rare beings get vairagyam. They feel they don’t
want to continue in this bondage; I want to come out of this samsara vruksha.
Then what should I do? This is the second topic “moksha sadhanani” or
“samsara nivritti upaya”. Krishna mentions a set of disciplines and I will
mention three of them.
The first discipline
Krishna teaches is “Reduce your dependence on the world.”
Now you are highly attached to the world in the form of attachment to people,
relations; attachments to possessions, status. Your happiness and security is
heavily dependent on them. You are getting used to the crutches. The world is
samsara and violently changing from prarabda wind. Since prarabda is
unpredictable anyone I lean upon is also unpredictable, therefore unreliable.
Your youth is impermanent, wealth is impermanent, and even love of a wife is
not reliable in our age. Learn to reduce your dependence on the world and learn
to depend more and more on Ishwara. Even verbally stop saying “I am depending
on his offer or assistance” instead learn to say “I am depending on God alone”.
This is sharangathi, prapathih or bhaktihi; from world dependence to god
dependence. At this stage I don’t know the nature of God; so choose any God
like Rama, Krishna, Devi, or Balaji or Muruga or Ganesha and learn to talk to
the Lord also. When you have worries nobody listens to you; since God has no
engagement you can talk to him!
The second discipline is
“Dvandhai vimuktah”. Learn to accept the pairs
of opposites in life for life is a mixture of opposites. That is why it is
called an empirical world or relative world where everything has a corresponding
opposite. If you have got victory, then there is also parajayah. If there is
gain then there is also loss. If there is growth there is also decay. If there
is association then there is dissociation. Light and darkness, if there are
good there then there are also terrible people. If there is health, then there
is sickness. Therefore the world is a mixture of
opposites. As long as we live in this world we have to face both of
them. Therefore accept the pairs of opposites and don’t allow them to stifle
your mind; let them not torment your mind. Some people even get upset with a
mosquito; learn to ignore the pinpricks of life. Don’t run for prayachitam or
astrologers, learn to suffer and withstand. This toughness or tolerance of mind
is important if the mind has to go to Vedanta vichara.
And the third and the
most important discipline is “parimarga tavyam”
or enquiry. Enquiry into the nature of God; Ishwara vijnanaha or Brahma
jignasa. How is that enquiry conducted? Through two important factors without
which enquiry is impossible - Acharya and Sastram. So with the help of guru and
sastram may you know more about God. Don’t confine to your definition of God as
a person in Kailasa or Vaikunda. Such a concept of God is an incomplete concept.
This is okay in the beginning but one should not die with this idea. To make
God a finite person is to make God a limited being with a boundary. And any
limitation is being a samsari. Therefore we have to enquire into the higher
nature of God. That is called parimargavam or brahma vichara. These are the
three disciplines: God dependence, kshema or toughness of the God, and finally
enquiry into the nature of God. Krishna gives some more disciplines which we
will see in the later chapters. The first two disciplines are supporting or
secondary sadhana while Brahma Vichara is a primary sadhana as jnana yoga is
the culmination of all sadhanas.
Now Krishna talks about
the phallam on the discovery of real nature of God. Which means the other
nature is unreal nature! na tad bhasayate suryo na sasanko na pavakah yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama. Krishna
says Brahman or Ishwara cannot be illumined by the sun or by the moon or any
light source. It can never be illumined by anything. By the word “illumination”
we mean “making it known”. When I say the light illumines the room, I mean
because of the light the hall is known. So generation
of knowability is illumination. By this definition event the
sense-organs are called light in Vedanta not just the sun, moon and fire
because they make known rupa, shubha, rasa, sparsha, ganda knowable to us.
Because of eyes we are able to see forms; so we can say that eyes illumine the
forms. Even in conversational English we have this nice expression: it was an
illumining lecture. Meaning that lecture made many things known to us. The mind
is also called light because in the presence of mind alone things can be known.
Mind helps in making things known; therefore it is also “jyotih”; mano jyotih.
Krishna says that none of these lights or jyotih illumine Brahman. Why do we
say nothing illumines Brahman? Because everything else is illumined by Brahman.
It is the illuminator of everything and never illumined
by anything. Chaitanyam or consciousness is the only thing that
illumines everything. Because of I, the consciousness,
I am aware of the mind, I am conscious of the sense-organs, I am aware of the
world. I am the eternal knower and never the known. Consciousness is the
ever the subject and never the object. Just as the eyes can see everything
around but it cannot be seen by itself. Consciousness can never become known by
anything. That chaitanyam is Brahman. And where is this consciousness?
Everywhere. In you consciousness is there and in me consciousness is there.
What is the proof? Without consciousness you cannot ask this question. Every
word you hear in this lecture is due to consciousness. Even in sleep you are
experiencing sleep because of consciousness. From the tiniest microcosm to the
most brilliant human being consciousness pervades everyone. That pervading
consciousness is Brahman or the infinite one. And if Brahman pervades
everywhere what will be his form? Formless. Therefore the formless all
pervading space like consciousness is the real Ishwara. Krishna is maya manusha
veshadari; that is the lower form of God meant for uplifting humanity. But the
higher nature of Krishna is formless Krishna pervading everywhere. Formed
Krishna is for a beginner; formless Krishna is the culmination. This is the
second topic and the phallam is the discovery of Ishwara.
Then comes the third
portion, Ishwara Swarupam the heaviest part of this chapter. Krishna
talks about the lower empirical form as well as the higher form. To show the
lower form Krishna divides the entire world into two that is the sentient
living beings called “bhogtru prapanjam” or “chetana prapanja” They are the
experiencers, the sentient beings. The second part of the world is insentient
bhogya prapanjam (the inert objects). Chetana-achetana; bhogtru-bhogya. The
bhogtrus is called jiva rashis and bhogya is jagat. Jivas and jagat makes the
whole creation. Krishna tells,” hey Arjuna both the jivas and jagats are myself
only. I am just putting a drama. When I am as a non-dual higher god there is no
charm. I divided myself; one bhagawan divides himself to both chetanam and
achetanam. For what purpose? To enjoy transactions. How is it possible? It is
possible for you yourself do it regularly in your dream state. You are just one
person in the bed and yet you create sun, moon, mountains, planes, different
characters in your dream. You divide yourself into many parts in the dream and
you yourself experience different plots and sub-plots. You can enjoy the dream
if you know this fact but what happens,” I forget”. The dream drama is so real
that it becomes a nightmare for me. In the same way one Ishwara is appearing as
jivas and jagats.
The universe is inert
matter and it does not have sentiency. All of you are listening to this talk
but the mike does not listen as it is inert. The chairs do not listen, they are
achetanam. Our physical bodies are similarly inert by itself. Still greater
wonder is the mind is made of subtle matter only. That is why when there is a
chemical imbalance it can affect your body and mind also. That is why
psychiatrist gives drugs for depression; the fact that the mind is affected by
matter indicates that the mind itself is matter. Therefore the world is inert matter, body and mind is also inert
matter; all are achetanam only. The mind is matter but such a fine
subtle matter that it is capable of reflecting the all pervading Brahman. Just
as electricity through water nothing happens but when it passes through
tungsten filament it has a glow. Tungsten is also matter but it has special
properties like conducting electricity. In the same way the mind conducts Brahman
and acquires sentiency; captured consciousness or reflected consciousness. In
the scriptures it is called “chidabasa” or “prati bimba chaitanyam”. Where is
it reflected? Wherever the mind is. How much reflection it pervades? As much
pervasive the mind so much the pervasion of reflected consciousness. Exactly
like a mirror reflecting sunlight. If the mirror is clean then it becomes
capable of reflecting other objects which a piece of cloth cannot do. The
mirror does not become bright not because of its innate brightness but by
borrowing sunlight. The sun has got natural light while the mirror has got
incidental borrowed light. Similarly the mind has got reflected consciousness
(chidabasah) and this chidabasha is called “jivah”. The chidabasha illumines the
mind and the mind becomes sentient and that makes the body sentient and there
upon all transactions begin. When I am experiencing consciousness through the
body I am experiencing Ishwara alone; Brahma chaitanyam has trickled down
through the mind and the body. Krishna says that everything you experience in
life is because of Ishwara alone. The very fact that you are able to hear this
talk is because you are alive and it is Ishwara prasada alone. Not only are the
jivas my manifestation but the creation which is inert matter is also my apara
prakruthi; my lower nature. Therefore I am both chetanam-achetanam.
Instead of enlisting all the objects Krishna takes a few
examples like the sun, moon, agni the fire. All of them are useful and Krishna says
they are my manifestation only. The sun illumines the world during the day,
moon during the night and fire during the amavasya night when both are not
there. The very same external fire principle is extended to the inside like the
digestive fire principle because you are able to eat and digest. Not only am I
outside in the form of sun, moon and fire; I am inside also. I am everything; the
knower I am and the known I am. I am the experiencer and I am also the
experienced. Bhogta and Bhogya and sarvam I am. This is the dualistic or
lower nature of the Lord.
Then Krishna talks about his higher nature also. In the
16, 17 and 18 verses of chapter -15 Krishna divides the whole creation into three
parts; Kshera purusha, akshera purusha and utama purusha. The first two are the
material aspects of creation; matter is divided into two for it has two
manifestations or two states. One is manifest matter and another is unmanifest
potential form of matter which you call energy. Matter is visible and tangible while
energy is invisible and intangible. Matter alone becomes energy and energy
alone becomes matter. In the same way the world is now in manifest form and
during pralayam it goes into unmanifest matter. Like water remaining as steam;
kshera purusha the matter and akshera purusha are Krishna’s lower or inferior
nature. There is a third part which is not inert, it is beyond matter and
energy and it is the knower of matter and energy. It is the witness of matter
and energy and it is chaitanyam tatvam which Krishna calls utama purusha.
Krishna says this is MY superior nature; the nirguna
nirvishehah chaitanyam is my higher nature. Since I am utama purushah,
reversing that I am well known in the world as “purushotamah”. Purushotama does
not refer to any particular form of God but it refers to formless,
attributeless chaitanya swarupam. You should know all
the three forms of God otherwise your knowledge of God is incomplete.
And if you know both the lower and higher nature; it was para-apara prakruthi
in chapter 7, kshetra-kshetrajna in chapter 13, saguna-nirguna in the chapter
14 and here we are calling it kshera, akshera, and uttama purushah. Whoever
knows this Ishwara he becomes omniscient and totally fulfilled. This
self-fulfillment is called moksha and therefore Arjuna; this is the most secret
science I have rarely given to you. May you know this and attain freedom. Since
the main theme is purushotama ishwara the chapter is called “purushotama yoga”.
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