Shri Bhagavad-Gita 9 страница

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Him—by me, who am His body,and therefore His instru

ment. And therefore no notion of'

my-ness'or owner-

•ship ofacts done,I can entertain.'

1. See note 4, p. 21. This name

js synonymous with Param-dimd.

2. ‘ Prasdsitaram saryeshim,’ &c,

Manu: XITI-112,

Thus shall thy fever leave thee,—the fever or mental

trouble evinced by thy thoughts:'how am I goingtoescape

from the enormous mass ofsins committed in the immemo

rial past etc.?'

Thou mayst thus cheerfully enter on the duties pres

cribed for thee—Karma-Yoga—reflecting that by them,

thou dost but worship theSupreme Spirit; and He so wor

shipped delivereth theefrom bondage.

That Paramapurusha^ is the Supreme Lord {Sarves-

varahy Supreme Master(Sarvaseshi),'^ is declared

in such ^rutis as:—

Him,the Great Supreme Lord of Lords,—Him the

Supreme Devata ofthe Devatas,etc.'*

'The Master of the universe'*.

The Master of masters'« etc., etc.

livaratva,Lordship: is Niyantritva,Kingship or Com-

mandership.

Patitva, Mastership: is the relationship between the

Lord and the liege,or Master and the disposable right He

has for His property(the liege).

That such is the actual quintessence ofall Upanishad

teachings is now shown:—

. tr ^ &c.

31. 'Whoso, men, will follow this eternal behest of

Mine,filled with faith or(atleast)void of ill-will,

shall be released from all deeds.

1. See note 4, p. 21-

2. All-Lord (97th name).

3. The all-Disposer.

4. ‘Tamisvarajam paramam

Mahesvaram, tam daivatanam para-

maficha Daivatam.’ Svet; Up’. VI-7.

5- Patim visvasya etc: Mahd

Narayana Up®: X1-3.

6. Patim patinam etc. Svet: U°.

VI-7.

7. See note under BA: Gi. [V-1.

Madhavas=men,the descendants of Manu',and there

forethe followers of ^astras. They determine to themsel

ves what the main import of the l^astras is,—which

(3astras)are no other than My Will formulated—and con

duct themselves in accordance therewith.

There are those, who,ifthey cannot bring the Sastra-

canons into practice personally, may yet be faithful

believers in the tenets inculcated therein.

There may again be those, who though not earnest

and believing, may not yet range themselves with

blasphemers,and doubt the truthfulness,authority(and so

on)of the -^^astra-injunctions;in other words,who will not

try to detect errors in Sastras,laying claim,as they may,to

perfection.

All these three classes of men shall be delivered

from the effects of their vast accumulation of past fructes-

cent deeds,causing their bondage.

7V-2-//=theyalso,oratleastthey:referringto the unvi-

lifying class, is to impressively show that even if they be

not men ofearnestness, but if only they keep a passive

attitude,they are entitled to salvation(gradually.)

This verse thus declares that even those who are un

abletoexemplify the Sastra-teaching by actual conduct,but

if they are earnest in believing its precepts;and that even

those who m^ not beearnest,but if they at least do not

blaspheme, are entitled to absolution from past deeds, the

cause ofbondage. The(positive)attitude of faith or at least

the (negative) attitude of absence of ill-will gradually

leads them on to actual conductas enjoined by ^astra,and

then on to liberation {mokska)finally.

The evil to the non-observers of Aupanishad-com-

mandments,the non-earnest,and the blasphemers,is stated

thus:—

^ &c.

32. 'But whoso,blaspheming,carry not out this. My

edict,—know them to be blind to all knowledge;

and, bereft of understanding,(te be)lost.'

My edict or truth is that to all atma-essence I am

theProp. It is to Me as My body, standing to Me in the

relation of disposable property {seska-bhiliam); and it de

rives all its impulses from Me(explained in verse 30, ante)-

Whoso,then, do not contemplate and act conformably

tothis law or truth; who.so,otherwise,are notearnest; whoso,

otherwise again, may take to cavilling, know them all to be

utterly destitute of any knowledge. Therefore they are

to be considered as deprived of understanding and lost'.

Understanding or intelligence (chetah) is that which

gives to one the true knowledge of things; in its absence

their knowledge would be pervert or crooked {yiparita-

jUdna), and uttermost ignorance then prevails.

Thus, it has been shown that'

actorship' arises from

union with matter,from its (matter's) qualities (gunas)be

ing provoked by the contact;and that this is(ultimately)

dependent on the Supreme Spirit.

Reflecting in this manner, Karina-Yoga is meet,both

for him who is competent for the Kartna-Yoga^

and for him who is competent for the Path ofJflana-Yoga.

Karma-Yoga is meet for both (it was explained), on ac

count ofits facility, exemption from dangers, and requir

ing no help of other methods for its prosecution, inasmuch

as in it is involved a(required amount ofthe)knowledge

ofatma; whereasjHana-Yoga is difficultto practise,suscep

tibleoffailures,and inasmuch assome karma,—such as that

required to find the wherewithal to maintain bodily exis

tence—is necessarily demanded (without which how is any

one to perform any yoga at all?)

I. Lost means, incapable of rising

to those heights of perfection which is

in the power of souls, Also read

note I, pz 120,

Also it was pointed out how necessary it was for a

man of distinction to specially engage in karma (as an

example to the world).

What the difficulties and the dangers are in respect of

Jnana-Yoga,ds&novf explained in the remaining portion of

this(third)Lecture:—

&c.

33. 'Even t\\Qjfldnifollows the bent of his nature*;

all creatures follow nature* ; what can {Sdstra)-

restriction avail?'.

The jftdni,—the man of wisdom—is well acquainted

withthe Sastra-declarationsasregardsthe distinctive nature

ofatma from matter(prakriti),and knows also full well that

atma should form the sole object of his contemplation.

And yet the force ofold habits(in connection with matter)

is such that he is carried along in the current of old

nature's tendencies,and he finds occupation with material

objects. The reason is that creatures become confirmed

in whatever habits they form with nature,—whatever habits

they create from their association withthe inertcompanion

«c//f/=(matter); and in those habits they persist.

In the face ofthese inured habits,what availeth Sastra,

which would impose restraint(on these habits)?!'*

How one(slavishly)follovYS (material) nature is now

explained:—

1. Nature here means the sum ol

tendencies, dispositions, tastes, incli-

nations &c., which are seen to evoke

in each individual,—the man thus

apparently unaccountably differing

from another,—the varieties so exhi-

bited being accounted for by the

habits formed in previous births,

which eventuate in the present birth.

(Read my Articles on ‘ Predestination

and Free-will.? In the 7heosophi'st,

1896-97).

2. Cf. the Mahdbhfrata verse :

‘Janmantara sahasreshu yd buddhit

bhavita nrijam, t4m eva bhajate

jantur upadeso nirarthakah.’

33^. 'Loves and hates are rooted in the objects of

every sense.'

The objects ofthe sensesofknowledge(or perception)

viz., hearing etc, are respectively, sound etc., and the

objects ofthe senses ofaction,viz., tongue etc.,are respect

ively,speech etc. For each ofthese objects, one has affec

tion or love, or desire to enjoy, generated by ancient

indurated habits(vasana=predilection or reminiscence).

And hate or aversion is inevitably present in thesame

objects,as soon as there is the least hindrance in the way,

preventing enjoyment thereof.

Such loves and hates hold down the person who would

passthrough thejHdna-Yogacourse,—who would subjugate

his senses. The loves and hates hold him in their(iron)

grip, and drive the man to the committal ofacts conform

ing with the(material) nature(he has inherited).

He is thus turned from his purpose ofrealizing the

bliss of atma-nature and is lost.^

&c.

34. '

Noneshall get under their power;they are verily

his enemies.'

No one after embarking on the course ofJflana-Yoga,

shall get again under the influence of loves and hates,and

thus work his own destruction. For,they will be his most

invincible foes,indeed, frustrating his endeavours towards

Jfldna-Yoga.

&c.

35. '

Though wanting in merit,better is one's own

1. Mash{ah is literally he whois

lost. Vedantacharya explains that

‘the loss’ means that the man becomes

incapacitated to work for higher spi-

ritual objects (purushdrth-dyogyam).

See note I, page 118.

Dharntay than another's Dharma^ well perform

ed. In one's own Dharma, death is noble;

others'Dharrita^ is danger-fraught.'*

For reasons stated,one's own Dharma^ or prescribed

duty(by Sastra)viz., karma-yoga, is the best, albeit it be

destitute of great virtues in it. Such duty {dharma) is

easy to discharge,and unattended with risk. Whereas,to

the man who is wedded to matter,jildna-yoga,—though

assuredly it is most excellent—is most difficult ofachieve

ment. Jfldna-yoga is besides surrounded by danger,

though the Path indeed is shorter than karma-yoga.

Karma-yoga comes to a man easily and most naturally

befitting him. Death,he may encounter, before, by this

method,he is able, in one life, to achieve his purpose; but

his progress does not get barred by any obstacles. In his

next birth,the thread of previously accomplished progress

is ecisily picked up and continued.^

Whereas to one who is allied(or tied)to matter, the

attempt to tread the Path of j'fldna is surrounded by

dangers, which beset its Path,and which deter one from

adopting that scheme readily. Jfldna-yoga isthus difficult.

Arjuna(now)asks:—

&c.

36. 'Whatis it then,Varshneya*!prompted by which

one wallows in sin? as ifforced into it against

his will ?'.

What is it,(Krishna!)that impels a person—dragged

as it were by force,into the ways ofevil,—who is desirous

ofembarking on the course ofJfldna-Yoga?

4, Prescribed duty. The ways of

virtue.

2, Cp. XVIII-45 to 48; Vish:

Pur, II-7-20; Bhag. XI-21-2.

3. Cp. II-40, and VI-4o.

4. <A patronymic of Krishna (vide

Genealog : Tree at end of Lec: I.),

^rl Bhagavan(Krishna)answers:—

m 5^:&c.

37. '

Lust (kamd)it is,—hate {krodha)it is—,which

is begotten of rajo-guna} This foe, here (on

earth), know,is all-consuming, all-polluting.'^

What obstructs a person in his pursuit ofJildna-Yoga

is this lust, this appetite or longing for sense-objects,such

as sound etc.,sharpened all the more by past habits; be

cause the person i.s attached to matter,the gunas* of which,

rising and falling, constantly influence all beings.

This lust is a most devouring (or exacting) foe, and

inveigles him into its province ofsense-pleasures.

This self-same lust,when hampered in its course,turns

into hate (or wrath)—the most sinful—displayed against

those who come in the way(of gratification), and resulting

in the perpetration of violent acts against(such) creatures.

Know this lust is begotten ofrajo-guna^ and it is the

adversary, hostile toJfldna-Yoga.

&c.

38. 'Like the fire enveloped by smoke, the mirror

by stain, and the embryo by the amnion,so is

this(world)wrapped in it(lust).'

r.4«=all creatures(the world):isimmersed in desires,

likesmoke envelopingthe fire; like the stain obscuring the

brightness of a looking glass,like the foetus ensheathed in

its(membraneous)cover®.

1. See hote 1, p. 67.

2. Read II-62 to 64.

3- Ulba:—Sruti defines it as ‘* Ut-

tarm va ulbaj jarayuh.”

4. J/ildna is a term in Samskrit,

which, according to the place where

it occurs, variously means, knowledge,

wisdom, reason, understanding, sense,

intelligence, intellect, consciousness

and sentiency. In Vedanta works, all

these terms are used with reference to

spiritual matters. Sir William Hamil-

‘ton in his Metaphysics (i-193) says:

‘consciousness and knowledge each

involves the other,’ and yet each term

finds its appropriate use according to

the tenor of particular passages which

have to be elucidated.

How it envelopes is explained:—

&c.

39. "The understanding (jMnay of thejhani (the

wise man), Kaunteya'! is enwrapped by this

eternal foe, in the guise of lust,insatiable and

inexhaustible.'

The intellect or understanding of the intelligent or

enlightened man,in respectofatma-knowledge,is becloud

ed by the eternal foe which comes in theshape of lust,—

that which generates a fascination for object-enjoyments.

It is dushpura or insatiable,i. e., it hungers and thirsts

after gratifications,though inaccessible to it§ grasp.

It \'sanala^ or inexhaustible,i.e,, nothing will complete

ly satisfy lust. When it gets one object it desired for,

it will want another. It is unappeasable. (Inexhaustible

greed is never satisfied).

What are the instruments by which lust takes posses

sion of atma? It is said:—

1«TI' &c.

40. '

The senses, the and the buddhi* are its

seats. By beclouding the understanding,it be

witches the embodied (soul).'

Thesenses{indriydni),the mind [matias),and the deter

minativefaculty(ofthe minA=buddhi)are saidto betheseats

of lust (or desire), as by establishing itself in these,it ex

ercises dominion over atma. By these,—the senses, manas

and buddhi,—its instruments,—become saturated with

cravings after object-experiences (or delights), lust seizes

hold of,or entices the embodied (atma),—embodied(atma)

is the matter-consorted {prakriti-samsrishtd)soul—, by be

cloudingitsintelligence{jAdnd). Vi-mohayntimeansvividham

mohayati, i. e.,(lust)entices(the soul) in many ways. That

is to say, it makes the person blind (or opposed) to all-

knowledge ofatma,and plunges him into objective revel

ries(or sense-indulgences).

1. A matronymic of Arjuna, see

Note I. p. 42.

2. Bu-idhi is generally translated as

understanding, Will and :o on. Indian

philosophy understands by it, the

judging, discerning, ascertaining or

deciding faculty of the mind. Vide

note 4, below, on ‘ Manas.’

3- Aa#ala meansalso fire. In which

case, lust is like fire, which, once it

attacks a thing, will burn it outright.

So lust burns a man out.

4. Manas is generally translated

as mind, but mind in English Psycho-

logy is a general term denoting In-

tellect (or Thought), Will (or Volition)

& Feelings (or Emotions); but in

Indian Psychology, savas is subs-

tance, the 11th organ, the internal

organ of perception and actions

Manas, the mind that functions

in the world is the instrument of

objective consciousness ; whereas drd-

dh may be considered as the sudyec-

tive or spiritual consciousness.

Manas or the worldly mind constitutes

the personality of an entity contermin-

ous with a single incarnation on the

material plane; and constitutes also

the individuality of the entity as well

in its various transmigrations from in-

carnation to incarnation; the fersona-

lity being distinguished in the stile

or gross visible bodily manifestation,

and the ruadividuality being distin-

guished in the s#dshma, dinga, or

subtle zavissd/e bodily saanifestation,

and experiences thereof in dream,

Svarga etc. Whereas Jduddh?z is

consciousness pure, exempt from all

material conditions, and is an in-

separable adjunct of the soul. It is

spiritual consciousness which eter-

nally adjectivally co-exists with soul

(d/m@). In the Yudhishthira-Aja-

gara-Samvada (vide, Alahkdbhdridla,

Aranya Parva, 181st Adhyaya) Aja-

gara (or the dragon) gives a short and

clear definition of duddht, and mranas,

worth quoting here :—

‘ Buddher atmanug-&ativa, utpa-

te na vidhtyate,

Tadasrita his& jileya, Buddhis

tasya-ishiyi bhavet. 25.

“Buddher utpadyate karydn,

manas t-iitpannam eva hi.

Buddher guya-vidhir nasti, manas

tad-gunavad bhavet.’ 26.

Meanin p: Buddihi (or intelligence)

is the ever indissoluble attribute of the

soul (atma), and is to be known. as

dependent on the soul, and ministe-

Buddhei is the evolvent of

effects (or cause) whereas manas is

the evolute (or effect). Buddhi is not

circumscribed by the gusas (or pro-

perties of matter, whereas sanas

ring to it.

changes according to the gusas.

41. 'By first constraining! the senses therefore, O

Bharatarshabha!,'do thou vanquish this sinner

(lust), the destroyer ofjilana^ and viJAdna.*

One, who is desirous ofentering on the Path oijHdna-

yog&y has to cease from the natural out-going tendencies of

the senses; but lust, his foe in that disguise,creates, on the

one hand, antipathy for atma, and creates on the other

hand,love(or sympathy)for sense-delights.

Thou shalt, therefore, accustomed as thou art to the

senses working in their own natural spheres,—because of

thy intimate union with matter {piakriti)—constrain the

senses to busy themselves,in their appropriate occupations

pertaining to Karma-yoga.

[Discarding (or repelling) lust from thee in this

manner] vanquish that foe,the great sinner,the destroyer

ofjftdna^ and vijilana,*

Jildna^ is knowledge relating to atma-nature.

Vijddna^ is deeper,inner or discriminative knowledge

of the same.

1. Constraint is here used in pre-

ference to restraint or repression, to

mean that the senses are to be ‘ res-

trained’ from material pursuits, and

‘constrained’ to employ themselves

in the performance of Sastra-enjoined

duties.

2. Epithet of Arjuna, meaning

the Bull (or Lion) of the Bharata race.

3. The beginnings of atma-know-

ledge, or wisdom collectively.

4- The thorough, complete or dis

criminative a4tma-knowledge or wis-

dom, in a distributive sense.

34+4. For example, to know gener-

ally that there is an immortal entity,

atma, constitutes /Ada, but to know it

deeper in its nature as atomic, essen-

tially blissful, and so on, constitutes

wjtdna. Or sadna is previous know-

ledge, and 72/#dna, after-knowledge;

vide Commentary on this verse and

also on XVIII-42; XVITI-73. Vide

also Vilakshana mokshddhthe@ra

nernaya, p. §1 (Telugu edition, 1891)

on the various kinds of /#dza.

The chief of the obstacles which hampers the under

standing, is(now) mentioned:—

42. 'The senses,they say,are the chief; manas,^ even

more than the senses; yet buddhi*, more than

manas^ but that{sah^=kd7na=\\ist)is even more

than buddhi^.

The senses are said to be the chief impediments to

knowledge in the hostile camp arrayed against it; for while

the senses are occupied with objective concerns,knowledge

can never develope as regards atma.

But manas (the fickle mind, the lord of feelings),

surpasses the senses (in its obstructive character.) This

means that the senses may be quiescent, but if the mind

is full of objective thoughts, no knowledge of atma can

develope.

But buddhi (the intelligence or the intellect, which

judges,ascertains, which is one ofthe four functions of the

antahkarand) even exceeds manas. This means that the

manas may be quiet, but if the intellect or intelligence is

ill-directed along the channels ofworld-activities,(a perver

sion of intelligence quickens or)no wisdom developesin the

realms ofatma.

' See note 3. p. 125.

See note 2. p. 125.

See note 2. p. 123.

4. This pronominal particle has

been wrongly interpreted to mean

‘Him? or ‘Brahm’ or ‘atma,’” by other

YS Fr

commentators, Ramanyja,

whose interpretation, that it means

lust or desire, is justified by the tenor

except

of the subject-matter, which Gita

deals with just here,

Cf: Dhammapeda, V-203, which

Says :—* Desire is the worst of dis-

eases ; if one knows ?Aa/ truly, that is

Nirvana.’ |