Passage 13

¹To understand the value of the Gītā, one must first approach it with reverence. An outward examination and careful observation are necessary; only when its inner meaning is understood does its depth become evident. The Upaniṣads are the cows, Arjuna the calf, Gopāla the one who milks them, those of good understanding the drinkers, and the sacred nectar of the Gītā the milk. Ah, what unfathomable holiness! Some say that this sacred fragrance belongs only to the age of the Mahābhārata. That is not reasonable. Whatever may be said about the date of the book's composition, its tattva—its essential truth—is beginningless. ²The meaning of the first three ślokas of the fourth chapter, Jñāna Yoga, makes this clear. Kṛṣṇa Paramātma Himself says that He first taught this Yoga to the Sun, that it was then given to Manu, and from Manu passed to Ikṣvāku, thus coming down through a lineage. Therefore this Gītā is beginningless; understand that it belongs neither merely to today nor merely to that earlier time. The Gītā is above all a book of Sādhana. One who truly takes up Sādhana will surely attain Siddhi. In Sādhana there should be no anger or aggressive insistence. Determination is essential, but obstinacy is of no use. In every chapter of the Gītā, disciplines that help one toward Siddhi are taught. ³The message of the Gītā stands like a boat for man: it frees him from imagined bonds, leads him toward Mukti, and carries him back to his original freedom and serene state. The Gītā teaches action—Karma—that is not tainted by the vāsanās which lie at the root of the cycle of birth and death. Again and again it teaches Niṣkāma Karma: man has taken a body in this field of action in order to perform Karma, not in order to possess its fruits. ⁴It is the vāsanās that create attachment to actions and to their fruits. Therefore the teaching of the Gītā begins by giving the foundation for uprooting these vāsanās. The Gītā is a compendium of the essence of all Vedānta. It explains outward disciplines such as yajña and yāga, the mental disciplines of upāsanā, and the Jñāna Yoga that becomes possible through them. However great or learned a person may be, once delusion arises, sorrow obstructs his natural activity. Arjuna was a great hero, a renunciate in spirit, and a man of knowledge; yet his moha took the form of reluctance toward battle, and the grief born of that moha obstructed him. The Gītā gives the knowledge that corrects the confusion between body and Ātma: it shows that worldly conditions, the three īṣaṇās and all the attributes of saṁsāra do not truly belong to the Ātma, though through ignorance the unreal saṁsāra is taken as real and its attributes are superimposed upon the Self. This first moha is not Arjuna's alone; it is common to the whole human race. The Gītā should therefore be thought of as the 'swimming' by which one crosses the ocean of saṁsāra. Just as swimming supports the body in crossing a river, the Gītā supports the mind in crossing the ocean of worldly existence. ⁵Such a sacred Gītā arose directly from the lotus-mouth of Kṛṣṇa Paramātma; otherwise countless millions would not have taken refuge in it. The subject taught consistently at the beginning and the conclusion of a śāstra must be regarded as its central subject. The very first śloka of the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā begins with 'dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre'; the word Dharma comes first. At the very end of the eighteenth chapter, in the śloka beginning 'yatra yogīśvaraḥ kṛṣṇo…', that same Dharma is again conveyed in brief. The intention of the Gītā is therefore clear: remember Dharma; practise Dharma. See how profound the very word Dharma is. ⁶Why say more? The chief purpose of all the śāstras is to determine the svarūpa and svabhāva—the essential nature and character—of Dharma. All Dharmas are contained in the Gītā, and their tattva is explained there with clarity. Arjuna is the jīva, the body is the chariot, and Kṛṣṇa is the Teacher. The Brahman who impels the intellect in the Gāyatrī mantra—'dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt'—is Kṛṣṇa Paramātma, the charioteer. The Kauravas possess āsuric wealth; the Pāṇḍavas possess divine wealth. There is always conflict between these noble and ignoble tendencies. In that conflict, Kṛṣṇa, the very embodiment of the Ātma, stands on the side of Dharma. Therefore, if we want Kṛṣṇa on our side, we must cultivate daivī sampat, the divine qualities. Wherever Dharma is, Bhagavān is there. ⁷This does not mean that Bhagavān is not all-pervading. Butter pervades milk, yet only when the milk is made into curd and churned does the butter become visible in a definite form. In the same way, although Paramātma is everywhere, where Dharma ripens fully He becomes manifest in a perceptible form. 'Yato dharmas tato jayaḥ'—where Dharma is, victory is certain. ⁸Because Arjuna's vision was fixed only on bodies, the aim of all Sādhana is to grant the vision of the Ātma by distinguishing the body from the Self. Kṛṣṇa's teaching is given precisely for this purpose. Even before Arjuna fully states every doubt, Kṛṣṇa raises the doubt and answers it: 'Arjuna! You grieve because you think that you and the kings related to you will die because of you. You speak of Dharma, yet the wise grieve neither for the dead nor for the living. Why do they not grieve? Is it not for bodies that you grieve? Did you grieve over the earlier changes that came to the body? From infancy to childhood, from childhood to youth, from youth to adulthood, from adulthood to old age, and then the condition called death—death too is only one among these changes. Did you grieve over each of the earlier changes? Where now is the childhood body with which you played with your brothers? It is gone. Does the childhood body that once bound and brought Dhṛṣṭadyumna remain today? Yet you still remember those events. In the same way, though the states of the body change, Prajñāna, the Ātma, forever remains of the nature of immortality. This is the mark of the jñānī.' ⁹'But,' you may say, 'when bodies with which we have lived closely for so long are no longer seen, will sorrow not arise?' If you begin grieving on that basis, for how many will you grieve? Pleasure and pain are like night and day. They must be borne with steadiness; they do not depart because we tell them to go, nor arrive because we call them. 'These pairs of pleasure and pain belong to those who identify with the body; they do not belong to the Ātma. One who rises beyond their affliction is fit for Mokṣa,' Kṛṣṇa Bhagavān taught. The first chapter in which these teachings arise is called Arjuna Viṣāda Yoga. It is like the foundation of the mansion of the Bhagavad Gītā. Only when the foundation is firm can the building stand secure. If this Gītā-mansion, raised five thousand years ago, still stands without crumbling, one may reflect on how firm the foundation is and how skilled the Master who laid it. ¹⁰Even viṣāda—sorrow—can become a blessing when, like Arjuna's, it is free of deceit and leads a person with honesty and steadiness to take refuge in Bhagavān. Such sorrow too becomes a Yoga. The Gītā that begins with Viṣāda Yoga ends with Sannyāsa Yoga. If Viṣāda Yoga is the foundation of the Gītā-mansion, Sannyāsa Yoga is its completed structure. If Viṣāda Yoga is the seed of the Gītā-tree, Sannyāsa Yoga is its fruit. A reader may wonder why Arjuna is called pure in nature. The meaning is present in his very name: Arjuna is one whose name and nature correspond, one whose nature is clear and stainless. Because he was such a pure one, he could become intimate with Kṛṣṇa Paramātma, become a vessel for His grace, and stand as the instrument through whom nectar could be shared with the whole world. ¹¹Although Kṛṣṇa Paramātma repeatedly uses the word Yoga in the Gītā, and describes the state of the jīva in Yoga or union, a careful reader may wonder whether what ordinary people call 'Yoga' has any full correspondence with the meaning Bhagavān gives the word. Kṛṣṇa sometimes praises Vairāgya, and indicates that supreme freedom comes through worship of the Divine without distinctions among persons. ¹²Through Bhakti He explains to Arjuna many paths by which the highest state may be reached. The eighth chapter contains a brief description of Rāja Yoga, but the whole Gītā cannot therefore be called merely a treatise on Rāja Yoga. Equanimity, discernment, renunciation of the fruits of Karma, complete self-offering to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, freedom from the threefold bondage of Prakṛti, and steadfast adherence to righteous action—these are among the Gītā's central truths. Bhagavān calls them the highest knowledge and the most inward secrets. Indians regard the Gītā as a universally valid Veda, yet its true meaning has not been grasped by everyone. Famous scholars, writers of keen intellect, even sharp minds, have failed to seize its deepest purport. Some commentators have selected one doctrine in the Bhagavad Gītā and exalted Vairāgya and independence alone; others have adapted it to Western Vedāntic categories and begun instructing young minds through them. Vairāgya is certainly a very high Dharma, but only a few can live it in its fullness. If a religion is to be universal, it must offer ideals and disciplines sanctioned by Veda and śāstra that every person can actually practise and experience within his or her own life and own field of Karma. ¹³To carry out one's svadharma with courage is itself the highest Dharma. But what is duty? In this very question arises the apparent conflict between religion and ethical action. 'Gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ'—the course of Karma is deep and difficult, says Bhagavān. The wise have been troubled, and continue to be troubled, over what is duty and what is not, what is Karma and what is not. Yet Bhagavān says: I shall give you a knowledge by which the path of practice need not be difficult. That supremely secret and supremely noble teaching is this: ¹⁴'Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru; mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo 'si me.' ¹⁵'Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja; ahaṁ tvā sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ.' ¹⁶Its purport is: Let your mind dwell in Me. Be devoted to Me. Worship Me. Let your sacrifice be for Me. Bow to Me. You shall come to Me alone. This is My teaching and My promise to you, for you are dear to Me. Relinquish all limited claims of Dharma and take refuge in Me alone. Do not grieve; I shall free you from all pāpa and from every evil. ¹⁷Ah! The subtle essence of these two ślokas is Ātma-arpaṇa—self-offering. Is that not enough to cross over, to delight the Lord, and to attain Mukti? 'Man-manā' means seeing Him in every being, keeping Him always in awareness, remaining conscious of Him and dwelling in joy. 'Mad-bhakta' means establishing an unbroken unity with Him through Bhakti and Prema. 'Mad-yājī' means offering every action, great or small, to Paramātma—to Kṛṣṇa—as an act of surrender, giving up the egoistic sense of doership and claim to the fruit, and remaining immersed in good action for the sake of that divine joy. Complete surrender is indeed difficult for man. Yet if he makes even the smallest sincere effort, Bhagavān Himself can show and grant all that is needed for success. He becomes Guru, protector and friend through Prakṛti itself. 'Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt'—even a little of this Dharma saves man from great fear. Kṛṣṇa Paramātma teaches that the practice of Dharma is joyful and accessible. 'Mām evaiṣyasi'—'you shall come to Me alone'—means that he comes to know Me, enters into Me, and comes to share My nature. These words point toward sādṛśya, likeness to the Divine; sālokya, dwelling with Bhagavān; and sāyujya, the experience of unity with Bhagavān. The sacred Gītā teaches what it is to dwell in God. ¹⁸When the experience of the Divine becomes abiding in every being; when the senses of knowledge see Him, hear Him, taste Him, touch Him and smell Him; when the jīva can live in this body as a portion of Him—why should there be any doubt that divine unity can be realised in this very body? Even a little practice of this Dharma brings fresh strength, pure Ānanda, complete well-being and holiness. This Dharma was not created only for persons of extraordinary capacity. Bhagavān declares that it is for the whole human family, for every person with discrimination and every heart drawn to God. Even one burdened by great sin, if he takes refuge in Paramātma with heartfelt repentance, becomes purified. Therefore Jagannātha's command is that each person practise his or her own svadharma. Rooted in the spiritual principle that forms the foundation of one's civilisation, one should cast aside a merely material outlook and allow divinity to dance through every action, every word, every piece of writing, every feeling, every desire, and even through one's food and health. Then Bhārata can reveal its Sanātana Dharma to the world and become a messenger of peace to humanity. Sanātana Dharma, the spiritual principle, gives the Ātma-strength to face even the most difficult conditions. Such is the fruit bestowed by this sacred Gītā.