HOLY GITA
CHAPTER TWO
SAMKHYA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
VERESE NUMBER 70
Text in Transliteration:
Aapooryamaanam achalapratishtham
Samudram aapah
pravisanti yadvat
Tadvat kaamaayam pravisanti sarve
Sa saantim aapnoti
na kaamakaamee
Text in English:
Not the desirer of
desires, but that man attains Peace, in whom all desires merge even as rivers
flow into the ocean which is full and unmoving.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
It is not possible
for any one to add to, or subtract the volume of the ocean. Though all the
rivers of the world continue to empty themselves into it, its magnitude remains
ever the same. If the rivers ceased to flow in and evaporation went on as
usual, even then the expanse of the ocean will be the same. It is ever full. The
mind of the Muni is like the ocean. The sensations brought in by the sense-organs
get themselves dissolved in the ocean of consciousness. No modifications of the
mind such as desires, aversions, longings, feelings and thoughts take shape. The
question of the mind getting muddled does not arise there. It is a vast
waveless ocean of consciousness. Not a speck of mentation may be noticed in
that infinitude. He who is in this blessed state is a Jivan-mukta—a free soul,
even though embodied. The very presence of an emancipated soul is a boon to the
society. In his presence the minds of aspirants automatically become pacified.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:
There are
mountains, hills, dales valleys and plains at the bottom of the ocean. But they
are not discernible on the surface. Akin to it the jnani in Samadhi experiences
infinite—existence-knowledge-bliss. Modifications such as I and mine get merged
in that beatitude.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIVANANDA:
Just as the ocean filled with waters from all sides remains
unmoved, so also the sage who is resting in his own Svarupa or the Self is not
a bit affected though desires of all sorts enter from all sides. The sage
attains peace or liberation but not he who longs for objects of sensual
enjoyment and entertains various desires. (Cf. XVIII.53, 54)
Comments of the blogger:
The bodies of water
on earth may be differently situated, like tanks, ponds, rivers, oceans and the
icebergs apart from moisture content in the air or atmosphere. But the volume
of water never finds increase or decrease. The volume of the earth’s water ever
remains the same. The surfaces of the water bodies, including the oceans are
the main sources for the cloud formation. And out of the clouds rains come to
be falling on the earth creating various water bodies. But the volume of the
water remains the same. The ocean seems to be unmoved in spite of all the
rivers discharging into it; it is because of its size. If we take a drop of
water from the ocean, then there must be a decrease, and if we pour a glass of
water in the ocean there should be an increase. That is science. In spite of
this fact, Sri Krishna uses this example for easy understanding.
But there is a truth.
Like the volume of the earths water remains ever the same,
the volume, as it were, of the triguna, namely satvic, rajasic and tamasic consciousness
remains the same. Like various water bodies and vapour and moisture, these
triguna finds houses in the human beings mind and make them move. If we refuse
to entertanin any desire, they would not be nullified. They would be turned
into their original gunas and will discharge into the ocean of consciousness in
the whole mighty universe.
The Upanishads say that when there was an equilibrium
between these trigunas there was no creation. Only when there was a disturbance
in that equilibrium creation started!
When all created beings become devoid of any speck of desire
then there would be reestablishment of the equilibrium between the trigunas! But
it can only be conceived as a possibility theoretically. It will never happen. There
would be teeming millions of beings ever filled with desires of all kinds and
God’s universe will go on schooling the individual atmans through countless
rebirths!
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