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Shri Bhagavad-Gita 15 страницаto be grouped into one class. The comparison between him and them is as between the Mount of Meru,^ and a handful of mustard seed. Between one seed and ano ther, differences certainly do exist, but that difference is impalpable when compared with that which subsists bet ween theseed and the huge Mount Meru.^
1. This is the golden mountain, according to the Puranas, in the centre of Jambu-dvipa. Its height is
* eighty-four thousand yojanas (yojana =Q miles); its depth below the sur- face of the earth sixteen thousand ; its diameter at the summit is thirty two thousand and at its base sixteen- thousand.
The inmost manas immersed in Me' means:that out of his overflowing love for Me,all his manas('heart,life and soul')is merged in Me. His nature is thus unique, sing ling him out from all other kinds ofyogis. Aptar-afma,=i'inmost manas'is so called from its being the receptacle ofall internal and external experiences. Sodrunk in(God-)Love is this yogi,that he is unable, without Me,to support his very existence. In this way he is merged in Me as one. ^raddhavan:is one full ofearnestness or faith. The earnestness in worshipping Me,comes from the inordinate desire which impels him to find Me,for, the intensity of yearning Lovethat he has for Me is such that he is unable to tolerate a moment's separation from Me,— Me, to Whom, the emanations, -sustentations, and immanations ofthe Kosmos,abounding in objectsofenjoy ment,enjoyers,and enjoying instruments—viz; body and senses—are but sport. Me, the Treasury ofthe countless groups of glorious attributes,—antidotal to evil,— such as wisdom or omnisci ence power (bald),* dominion [aisvaryd),^ energy (r'rrya),*capacity(sakti),^ lustre (tefos)* etc., etc.. Me,whose Divine Figure is a synthesis ofevery thing beautiful, becoming Me, inconceivable, transcendent, mirific, imperishable, invulnerable, super-excellent etc.,— suchasradiance(aufjvalya),loveliness(soundaryd),fragrance (sau-gandhyd),softness (sau-kumdryd),grace(Idvanyd),and youth(^yauvand)',
1. /fana=of Himself, He, all things, in every respect, and at every moment, cognizes directly.’
2+ 3 Bal-atsvarye=‘All things thus cognized, He ever supports and controls.’
4e Virya = ‘Nevertheless, is never exhausted,”
5- Sahti=‘Works miracles, or transcends our very conception.’
6. YejaszOverpowers all, Him- self being unaided or undaunted. by anything P. 64. S. Parthasdrathi Aityangir’s English Trans: of Tatva- trpya.
Me,in essence and in attributes, beyond mind to con ceive,and speech to extol; Me, the unbounded majestic Ocean of compassion (kdrunya),condescension {sausilya),love(vdtsalya), bounty {auddrya)etc.. Me,the Saviour or the Impartial Asylum of all the worlds ; Me,the Reliever ofthe distresses of my supplicants; Me,the sole ObjectofpassinateLovefor My postulants; Me, Who become theophanous, or become ocularly demonstrable to all men; Me, incarnate in Vasudeva's house, without laying aside my true(Divine) nature(on that account); Me,illumining all the Universe by My infinitely sub lime glory; Me,the Promoter of the well-being of,or the Filler with gladness,the whole Universe,by the resplendent glory of My Divine Self; Whoso meditates on Me in this-wise, I hold him to be the nearest to Me,the most estimable to Me above all others. Because, I am Omnipresent and i]Omniscient in Eter nity,I know all this:(that what I say is the Truth). OM TAT SAT Thus closes The Sixth Discourse, Named,Abhydsa-Yoga, or the Practice of Meditation With Sri Rdmdnujd's Commentary thereon, Between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, In the Science of Yoga, In the Divine Knowledge ofthe Upanishads, Or the Chants of Sri Bhagavdn., The Bhagavad-Gitd.
SRI » BHAGAVAD-GITA • OR THE DIVINE LAY. WITH SRl RAMANUJA'S yisishtadyaita COMMENTARY. THE SECOND DIVISION COMPRISING. LECTURES VII to XII. ON THEOCRASY OR GOD-COMMUNION. Sri Yamunacharya. ' For Gain ofGod-vet'Ifs true Essetud Presence Blest.' ' Lome,—fruitofdeedi attdthoughts'wit—isby Mid-six exprest.' Sri Yogi PSrthasdrathy AiyangSr,
SRi BHAGAVAD-GITA OR THE DIVINE LAY, WITH SRl RAMANUJA'S visishtadvaita COMMENTARY, LECTURE VII. NAMED, PARAMAHAMSA-VIJNANA-YOGA, OR THE SUPREME SAINTLY WISDOM. " II ^ri Ydmundch&rya. ' Tie truths «fDivinity;how matter veils the same.* The Ditfsionsofthe'Saints;offaiths ;is Severn'stheme,'
AUIVI 'W "^hagavad-Gita WITH srT ramanuja's visishtadvaita commentary. THE SEVENTH LECTURE, NAMED PARAMAHAMSA-VIJNANA-YOGA, OR SUPREME SAINTLY WISDOM. PROEM. JN the the first Six Lectures (constituting the First Division ofthe Bhagavad-Glta,called Psychocrasy),the subject-matter discussed was with reference to how atma-cognition may be attained by the aspirant, by adoptingthePath of Karma,founded on the recognition of atma. Atma-cognition (or atma realized)is ancillary to the incessant devotion—upasana^—by which to effect com munion* with SrI-united-Narayana®,(or Theocrasy), Whois the ultimate Supreme Goal for any one to reach. Who is I. ' Lit: ' 1. ‘ Lit: ‘dwelling near,’ means constant reflecting or meditating on the God-head, so as to bring about a coalescence of one’s being with God’s essence. Upasana is synonymous with Bhakti, Dhyana and Vedana; see Proem to Lect. iii.
2. The Consort of (Narayaga,) the Emblem of Mercy &c., the Universal Motherand Mediatrix (or the Motherhood of God), See note 1, p: 6,
3. Seenote 5 p. 8.
the Supreme-Great (Parabrahma)/ the Indefective{nir- avadya=^e.tie.c'C),the sole Uncaused Causeofthe Universe, the Omniscient, the All-pervading Spirit, the Infallible- willed, the Great Lord of universal empire. Now,in the Mid-Section of Six Lectures(constituting theSecond Division ofthe Bhagavad-glta,called Theocrasy- Lect: VII to XII), the subject-matter discussed is the natureofthe Supreme-Great(Param-brahma),^theSupreme- Spirit(Parama-purusha),*and the modeoflovinglydevoutly meditating on Him,called Upasana or Bhakti. This mode of devout love called Bhakti, is sum marized in the closing Lecture(of this Lay,Divine)in such language as:— {Yatahpravrittih&.c);'Man attains perfection by ren dering worshipful service to Him from Whom all beings receive their impulses, by Whom all this is pervaded.' (XVIII-46);and closing up with:— (Vitmchya etc.): * Resigned, become selfless and calm, one makes for becoming Brahma-like'(XVIII-S 3. {Brahma-bhiltah etc).' The brahma-like,atma-purified (saint), grieveth not, yearneth not. Equanimous to all beings,he obtains supreme Bhakti,'(XVIII-S4). This constant meditation{upasana)oftheform ofLove {bhakti), constituting the mode by which to reach the Supreme(God),is whatisdeclared in the Vedanta passages: 'Knowing(or meditating on=viditva) Him alonethus, doth one cross over mortality.'' 'Knower of h\m={vidvdn), thus becomes immortal here';* analogous with passages:—
O(Maitreyl)!, Atma alone is to be seen intently contemplated on etc.'^ ' The all-seeing Atma alone is to be worshipped.'- ' Mind being pure, meditation is firm ; meditation being fixed,all knots untie.'® ' The knot of the heart is cut asunder,all doubts get vanished,and all deeds(karmas)do perish,to him to whom He is manifest''® etc., etc., in which the terms dhyana, upasana,etc are synonymous,expressive of the continuity of reflection or contemplation on the Divine (smfiti), so intensified as to approach tothe characteristic ofperceptive experience. Again in the Upanishad-passage: 'Not by deliberation is this atma gained, nor by concentration, nor by much hearing (learning), but is gained by him whom He may elect,and to whom He may reveal His essence.'®, conclusively affirms that what the term Upasana connotes is that incessancy of Divine Medi tation of an ecstatically blissful kind,—which makes the Divine to descend to the devotee,—blissful or felicitous by reason ofthe Object of meditation, viz., the Divinity itself, being the Object of Love. That this self-same Upasana is. Bhakti,is declared by the definition:— ' Constant memory,coupled with Love,is denominated Bhakti.'^
1. Bri: Up?: Il-4-§: (Atma va are! drashtavyo............ nididhyasi- tavyah).
2. Bri: Up®: 1-4-15: (Atm&nam eva lokam upAsita).
3. Chk: Ups VII-26-2: (Satva- suddhau dhriva smritih &c).
4. Mund. Up? ; I-2-8; (Bhidyate hridaya-granthih............ tasmin dri- shte par-avare).
5S. Kath. Op°: I-23: (Na-zyam atma pravachanena labhyo na me- dhaya na bahund srutena, yam evaish& vrinute &c).
6. Sneha-piirvam anudhyanam Bh- aktir ity abhidhfyate,
That the terms UpSsana and Bhaktiare equivalentin sense,is also evident from such passages as:— ' The knower of Him thus, becomes immortal here; no other Path to liberation (ayand)exists.'^ {Na^ham veddih etc):' Not by Vedas, not by aus terities, not by gifts,and not by sacrifices, am I to be seen thus,as thou hast seen (xi-53) {Bhaktyd tv-ananyaya etc.,): 'By exclusive Bhakti alone, Arjuna! am I possible to be seen thus, known thus, and essentially penetrable, Parantapa 1'(xi-54). Thus the Seventh Lecture in this Middle Division of the Gita treats of:— (1). The essential nature of Paramapurusha (the Supreme Spirit),the Object of meditation(updsana); (2). The occultation of this Divine Nature, caused by matter's veil; (3). The resignation ofoneselfto Him, in firm faith (prapatti)so as to be able to tear this veil ; (4) The classification of the updsakas (meditators) who have chosen this Path of Bhakti. And, (5). The pre-eminence among them ofthose known asjftanis(God's own Saints). Sri ^gavan addresses(Arjuna):— jPTOrfvJRT: &c. I. ' Hearken,Partha!how thou canst know Me, with certitude,in My finality, by thy mind placed in love with Me; and—relying on Me—by engaging in (bhakti-)yoga.' ^Mayy-dsakta-mandh': means he whose mind is, in friendly spirit, set on Me;so much is he attached to Me and soimpassionately doth he love Me thatifhe should ever happen tobeseparatedfrom Me,evenfora moment,orshould chance to suspend his thoughts for a momentfrom musing on My attributes,or on My doings, or should perchance forget for a moment to think ofthe magnificence of My universal Divine Estate,that would suffice to imperil his very existence. ^ Mad-asrayall'=rQ\\sx\'t on Me=he who exclusively trusts to Me as his Prop,without which he could notstand. Thus,listen, how thou canstlearn by what I am going to tell thee, how one ofthe above description, who enga ges in (bhakti-)yoga,or Love-full Divine meditation, can know Me in all my total perfection ais I am,and as I am in very truth. fPT &c. 2. 'That wisdom, with greater wisdom, I shall, in entirety,discloseto thee,—knowing which there shall remain naught else here to be known.' I shall exhaustively reveal to thee wisdom in general as well as greater wisdom,in all detail,concerning Me. Vijfldna-=greater wisdom:is special or discriminating wisdom consisting in knowing Me as contradistinguished from all that is animate and inanimate,—inasmuch as I am the Opposite of evil,—inasmuch as I am the Master of Universal Estate, possessed as I am of the countless multitudes of Infinite Blessed Attributes. This is the greater or discriminating wisdom. Along with this, I shall reveal to thee jfldna, or wisdom concerning My (manifested or expressed) nature. Briefly, it is wisdom,knowing which there shall be no more of Me to be known. How difficult it is to arrive at the wisdom—which is going to be explained—Isnow mentioned:—
One perchance amid a thousand mortals strives for perfection. Even of those who so strive for perfection,'tis seldom one knows Me truly.' Men are capable of acting in accordance with the behests ofSastra. Thousands may so act, but hardly one is found who will persevere till the end—viz:perfection,— is attained. Ofthousands again, who may be found to be sustaining in their efforts to reach the goal, scarcely one is discovered, who,understanding Me, works through Me to perfection. Ofthousands who may know Me, rarely one knows Me verily as I am. Not one, is meant.. So it is declared further on thus:— [Sa mahatma etc).: ' That great-souled one is most hard to find'(VII-19). {Mam tu veda etc): * But Me,not one knows'(VII-26).' &c. 4. 'Earth,water,fire,air, and space, mind {ntanas), buddhi and egotism thus constitute My Nature, differentiated eightfold.'*
1. Vide Bhagavata, III-24-28:‘Bahu janma-vipakvena, ‘samyag yoga-Sa- madhina, ‘drashtum yatante yata- yah, ‘stiny-dgieshu yat padam.? 2, Cp. XITI-5, and XIV-3 (mahad- brakma).
Know that this primeval matter-stuff{miila-prakriti—) is the basis(or matrix)ofthis infinite and marvellous Uni verse, ministering(tosentientcreatures=souls)in a variety of ways,as objecis ofenjoyment,instruments(ororgans)to enjoy with,and regions ofenjoyment,and it is of Me.It is divisibleinto the(chief)eightcategoriesof(I) earth (solids), (2)water(liquids),(3)fire(lightand heat),(4)air(gases),(5), space(ether),withtheirdistinguishingqualities,z/i5'.,odour(for earth etc.,respectively),(6)of mind {manas\ with its train ofsenses,(7)of3«</i!i%for»w^0/and(8)ofegotism {ahahkard)} &c. 5. ' But this (Nature) is inferior; know My other Nature,superior(than that),—thejiva(=soul),— by which, O Strong-armed! this Universe is sustained.' But this (f. e., matter-stuff) is My lower Nature. Know Myother higher Nature which is different from that insen tient Nature,the latter butcontributingto the enjoyment of My other Nature,the sentient beings. This other higher Nature is the living Nature,forming a distinct class from that of the lower lifeless Nature. This higher Nature stands to the lower Nature in the relation of the enjoyer (to the enjoyed),and the higher Nature is further charac terized by intelligence(absent in the lower Nature). (As the lower Nature[matter]is ofMe) so also is the higher Nature[soul]ofMe. By this higher Nature, all this inert or non-intelligent Nature,—the Universe.—is upheld.* "^cRTt^TR &c. 6. 'That all beings, understand, have these (two Natures)as their womb. And I am the Origin as well as the End ofall the Kosmos'.®
1. For anexplanation asto what these terms are intended to denote, vide Table at end of this Lecture, and explanations of the Table.
z. Verses 4 and 5 thus represent the Ache! and the Chit, or the Objec- tive and the Subjective aspects of Isvara (God.) Vide, note 1, pz 37, and table at end of Lec ? VII.
3. Cp. with XIV-3. Bh: Gis and
Mand: Up® Il-4. This verse refers thus to the Principle of the [svara, thus constituting the three-fold Constituents of the Kosmos, of which Achit (verse 4) and Chit (verse 5), are the material aud spiritual subs-
tances, evolving from [svara, theit Identity or Visishtadvaita. Sr! Rama- nuja’s Monism is very nearly the Monism of Spinoza, who would say :
‘‘Thereis but one Infinite Substance, and that is God. Whatever is, is in God ; and without Him, nothing can be conceived. He is the universal Being of which all things are the manifestations. He is the sole Subs-
tance ; everything else is a Mode; yet, .
without Substance, Mode cannot exist. God, viewed under the attri- butes of Infinite Substance, is natura naturans—, viewed as a manifesta- tion, as the modes under which his attributes appear, he is the #dtura naturata. He is the Cause of all things, and that immanently, but not transiently. He has two infinite at- tributes—Extension and Thought.” (Page 430, G. H. Lewes’ History of Philosophy). In Ramanuja’s phraseo- logy, there is but One God, Sae or the one Substance to whom Aci or Extension (=Srahkma [V-10] or Mahad-Baghma [XIII-2] or Sabda- Brahma [VI-44]=matter-stuff), and chit or Thought (=Jfiana or ‘in- telilgence’ or ‘sentiency or ‘con- v ciousness’= soul-stuff) are the Pra- kara, or Modes, or Viseshana or At tributes. God is Sat, or Prakari or
Substance, without whom Ac&st
(matter) and Chz# (souls) cannot have independent existence. God (Jsvara) is the uncaused Cause, or the /dentity of all effects which are ever potentially contained in Him, and at certain epochs kinetically expressed. God is thus, both the maferia/ as well as the spirttual, or in other words, both the Objective as well as the Subjective basis of. the Kosmos. /dentity in Ram4anuja’s Monism does not mean sameness, ‘but the root from which spring two opposite stems, and in which they have a common life. Man for instance, is the identity of soul and body ; water is the identity of oxygen and hydrogen.’ (Footnote to page 431, Op: Cst.). An exhaustive article on the necessity of Three Postulates to explain the Kosmos has been written separately, which see.
1. Samashtt-Srishti is general or collecteve creation, or creation into broad principles, the minor divisions of which constituting yyashts. sezshti, or particularization of the general principles or distributive creation, this function being committed to minor Lords of creation, the Demiurge or the four faced Brahma etc.
^34 the bhAgavad-gItX with rAmXnuja's commentary.[Lec.VII* This is My dual Nature, so constituting syntheti cally generally the two-fold Categories of the[samashtiy Sentient[Chit) and the Insentient(Achit) Principles. This double Nature is the womb [t. e., source or basis) out of which all things,high and low,from the Demiurge(Brahma) down to the blade ofgrass are modelled,— compounds of the Intelligent and the Non-intelligent Principles. This dual Nature is verily My own. In the same manner that they constitute the basis ofall things, under- stand that/am,in turn,their basis(womb). They belong to Me. I alone am the Origin(Projector)and the End(Retrac tor) and the Lord,of the whole Kosmos. I, Paramapurusha,^ am the womb again, (the causa causorum),of this collective compound womb,of the Uni verse, ;the Tntelligents plus Non-intelligents orpurusha plusprakriti. This is evident from ^ruti and Smriti pas sages,thus:— 'The mahat(ox ist manifest differential) resolves back into avyakta {unmani/est matter), avyakta into akshara (still subtler {invariable substance),akshara mtotamos(the still primodial undifferenced basic substance miila-prakriti, called darkness, for it is a homogeneous indiscrete nebu losity ofsubstance); and tamas merges as oneness with the Supreme Divinity {Pare Deve).'* ' Twoformsissuefrom the Supreme Nature of Vishnu, O Vipra ( =matter,)and purusha{=sov\)P ' What was described by me,as prakriti,—in its dual aspect of' differenced'and' undifferenced'—and purusha, do merge in Paramatma. And Paramatma is the Support of all, is the Highest Lord,named Vishnu,sung in all the Vedas and Vedantas.'* "TOR &c. Naught whatsoever, higher than I, exists, Dha- nafljaya!®
I. See note 4 p. 21.
2. Sugg: Up? : 22 (mahan avyak tg, liyate, aksharam tamasi Ilyate, tamah Pare Deva ekf bhavati).
3. Vish: Pur: i-2-24. (Vishgos-
svariipa paratodite dve riipe etc.,)
4- Visk: Pur:IV -4-39, 40. (Prak- ritir ya maya khy4ta, vyakt-apyakta- svariipini; purushas-chapi mae
5. See note: 2, p. 70.
Inasmuch as I am the Cause of the cause ofall things, viz., the Twin-Nature(described above);that istosay,inas much as I am the Cause as the Lord-King of the com pound sum of Intelligent and Non-intelligent things; and inasmuch again as I am the Possessor of the glorious attributes such as wisdom, power,energy &c., I stand The Superior above all, and nothing is there beyond Me, or separate from Me,nor is there any one to whom attributes of the given description may be said to belong.^ &c. 7. 'Like unto a row of gems strung on a string, all this is threaded by Me.* All the sum of things, chit (intelligents) and achit (non-intelligentsj,—all that exists as the aggre gate ofcauses and effects, and constituting My body. All this depends on Me as body depends on soul,i. e., I,am their Soul;and they,are My body,in the manner that number ofgems are held together by means ofa string.* In the Antaryami-Brahmana® and other Upanishad* passages,the(substance-plus-attribute-like)co-existence of the Universe and Brahm, in the relationship of body and Soul, is set forth thus:— 'To Whom earth is body, of which He is Soul etc; ;He is the Divine Lord,the one, Narayana.'* Hence,all things constitutethe body ofParmapurusha,® Who ensouls them. All things thus are predicative to,or modesof,Paramapurusha;henceParamapurushaaloneexists (the substa'is),adjectivated by everythingelse. Alltermsare thus connotations of Him,bythe ruleofscimanddhikaranya, or therule which expresses the inseparable relation existing between substance and attribute, or the invariable co-exis tence of subject and predicate. (Any term meaning an
attribute is,by implication,necessarily connotative[or sug gestive]ofthe substance of which it is attribute). In this sense of the communal relation of terms substantive and adjectivereferringtoonesubstance in which both are indissolubly combined,the following(four) verses are addressed (to Arjuna):— &c. 8. ' The sapidity in water, Kaunteya!* I am ; I am the light of the moon and the sun; (I), the Pranava* in all the Vedas,(I), the sound in space;(I),the masculinity in men.' 5^1^'T?- &c. 9. ' And,the odour ofthe earth,and the glow of the fire, I am. The life in all beings,and the aus terity® ofthe austere {tapasvi)I am.' &c. [O. ' The primeval Seed ofall beings,Partha !¦ know Me(to be). The wisdom of the wise, I am; and the lustre ofthe illustriou^ (I am).'
1. Matronymic for Arjuna.
z. The mystic symbol of Divinity and the technical name ef AUM, con- sisting of three and a half instants;
?tymolozically, sra= excessively, and maz=to laud; that by which God is belauded and meditated on.
3. Meditation combined with mortification of the flesh.
4. Name of Arjuna,
11. And,ofthe strong, I am the strength,divorced from lust and love. And desire, unconfiicting with virtue{dharma),I am,O ChiefofBharatasi' All these things of distinguishing qualities are sprung from Me alone. They are My belongings, and constitute My body. Hence they are ever in Me. Hence I am the Sole Existence, they standing to Me in the relation of My predicates. Things are now viewed in another way :— ^yiW'hl &c. 12. 'Those things that are satvika^ and those, raja- sa' and tamasa,' know, they all deduce from Me alone. But I(am)not in them ; in Me are they.' Whatever things are in the Universe, severally ofsat- va*,-rajas,i-and tamas'-charecteristics, which combine and form into bodies and senses, and objects serving for en joyment,know,they all are emanted from Me alone. Cons tituting My body as they do, they ever abide in Me*. '/am notin them!however. In the case ofothers,atma is seen to depend on the body, deriving profit from such body,though it istruethat withoutatma,no bodycan assuch keep together. But in My case, 1 am never dependent on body; never is there any purpose served Me by the things(in which I dwell). That Iso orderthings,has no other purpose save that it is My will and pleasure;in other words,it is My sport[lild)? &c. 13. 'Beguiled is the world by things possessed of these three qualities. That I am the Exhaust- less, Superior to these, it knoweth not.'
1, Read Lect: XIV for a discourse on this subject. S#fvska things are those in which goodness and all beni- ficent qualities are predominant. Xdja- saare those in which passion, self-love and other self-seeking qualities are predominant. 7@asa are those in which badness and all maleficent
qualities are predominant. See note
I-pe 67.
2. Cp: ‘tasmin lokas-sritas sarve tadunatyeti kaschana’. ath: 2°, IT-5-8,
3. Vide Br: sutra IT-1-33 (lokavat tu ltla-kaivalyam). Heraclitus said ‘To make worlds is Jove’s pastime. Plato said: ‘Man is but the play thing of God,’
Allthis Universe,abounding in objectsanimate and in animate is Mine. At appointed periods,it emanates from Me,and at appointed periods,it immanates into Me. It is existent in Me alone,forming My body which I ensoul. Hence,I alone am the Eyer-existent, both in poten tial and in kinetic conditions. (/. e., I am both Cause and Effect). For allthings constitute Mybody,and arerelated to Me as adjuncts. Whether I beconsidered as theCause,oras Sovereign Lord(Seshi)or as the Possesser ofthe countless hosts of Glorious attributes {kalydnagundh\ and in many
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