THE HOLY GITA
CHPTER NUMBER 07
JNANA VIJNANA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE AND REALIZATION:
VERSE NUMBER 28
Text in Transliteration:
yeshaam tv antagatam ;aa;am janaanaam punyakarmanaam
te dvandvamohanirmuktaa bhajante maam drdhvrataah
Text in English:
But those men of virtuous deeds whose sins have come to an end, who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites worship Me remaining steadfast in their vows.
COMMENTARY BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:
Whatever action fosters the Jivahood in one, is condemned as sin by the wise. In contrast with it, whatever action contributes to self-abnegation is deemed as virtue. Selfless service has to be carried on incessantly lest the mind should lapse into lethargy and egotism. Purity of the mind ensues from constant self-denial. Unswerving adoration of the Lord is possible to him only whose mind is free from taint.
They only who remain unruffled and unaffected by the pairs of opposites such as victory and defeat, gain and loss, praise and censure and life and death, become steadfast in their vows. Worship of the Lord is possible to such dedicated souls.
SRI RAMAKRISHNA AS QUOTED BY SWAMI SIDBHAVANANDA:
A rusty piece of iron is not actively susceptible to magnetization; but when cleansed of the rust, it readily responds. Similarly in that mind which has become rusty with attachment and aversion and likes and dislikes, devotion to the Lord does not dawn. Whereas in a pure mind bhakti or devotion rises readily.
COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:
Sin is not the violation of a law or a convention but the central source of all finiteness, ignorance, the assertion of the independence of the ego which seeks its own private gain at the expense of others. When this sin is renounced, when this ignorance is overcome, our life is spent in the service of the one in all. In the process, devotion deepens and knowledge of God increases until it reaches the vision of the One Self everywhere. That is the life eternal, release from birth and death. Tukaram says:
“The self within me now is dead
And thou enthroned in its stead
Yea, this I, Tuka, testify
No longer now is ‘me’ or ‘my’.”
COMMENTARY BY SWMAI SIVANANDA:
By the performance of good deeds the heart is slowly purified; Sattva(light) increases; Rajas(passion) and Tamas(inertia) are gradually thinned out. The mind becomes serene and calm. The little self-arrogating personality slowly dies. You grow in spirituality. The divine flame becomes brighter and brighter. You become impersonal.
Sin: To forget one’s identity with the Supreme Soul is the greatest sin. To see difference is sin. To take the body as the Self, to believe that this world is real is sin. Selfishness is sin. Egoism is sin. Ignorance is sin.
Steadfast in vows: the man steadfast in vows entertains a firm resolve: “I must realise the Self now; I will not budge an inch from my seat till I attain Self-realisation” He has the firm conviction that “Brahman is the only Reality. This world is unreal. It is like a mirage. I can attain immortality and eternal bliss if I realise the Self only. There is not an iota of happiness in the sensual objects”. Therefore the Lord says, “Those persons of pure deeds worship Me steadfast in vows”.
Comments by the blogger:
Worshipping the Lord is all He wants and expects from us.
Then, doesn’t he take notice of the great sacrifice I performed spending a lakh rupees?
Actually, no is the answer; because we have already got the dividends from the public whom we fed after the sacrifice. Friends and relations adore us. That is enough returns.
Then what of the ten lac rupees I put into the Hundy (large vessel to get the offerings of the devotees in temples) of the Lord’s temple? Well, if you spend time about your contribution to your friends and relations, their adoration is enough dividends. And if you had placed such large amount of rupees into the Hundy secretly without the knowledge of even your wife, well that is a great act in so far as the amount of rupees had been earned by you in a lawful and justified manner. Otherwise, if the amount of rupees or gold you threw into the Hundy was ill-gotten, then you are trying to make the Lord a partner to your crime.
Ok, what if I regularly go to the temples and offer prayer and break the coco nuts and perform Archana or Pooja, if these things brought about a change in your attitude, then you must be lauded. But if you become arrogant and it is business as usual then there could ensue no merits.
So, what should I do to make the Lord happy and satisfied?
Well, we must give the Lord of which he is not in possession.
How could I ever offer to the Lord something He has not? The entire Cosmos belongs to Him!
Well done! Nicely put! You are near the answer now.
So what we should give the Lord is something He does not have!
But how? The entire Universe belongs to Him only!
Well, while the Lord possesses everything in the Cosmos, He has not one thing. And that is self-glorification!
We can adore the God. The Tamil Poet Subramaniya Bharti adores Sri Krishna as a lover, friend and even as his servant!
We must adore the Lord and worship Him. Because there is no Self-worship in Him like in us. Just think how many hours we spend in front of our full-sized mirror every week! We carefully dress our body. Scents and perfumes and talcum powder are used by us. God does not have these things!
Above all, He does not have self-worship.
So we can pay what the Lord does not have. We can praise Him. We can simply pine for Him. We can worship Him. Thus we not only please the Lord but get our hearts purified of the intense worldliness. Thus pure devotion to the Lord enhances our chances to the birthless state and emancipation. That is what the great Lord asks of us.
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