THE HOLY GITA CHAPTER 13 VERSES 27 AND 28 KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 27

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

samam sarveshu bhooteshu tishtthaantam paramesvaram

vinasyatshv avinasyantam yah  pasyati sa pasyati

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

samam = equally: sarveshu = (in) all: bhooteshu = in beings:  tishtthanatam = existing: paramesvaram = the Supreme Lord: vinasyatsu = among the perishing: avinasyantam = the unperishing: yah = who: pasyati = sees: sah = he: pasyati = sees.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord, remaining the same in all beings, the undying in the dying.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Parameswara is the Chit-aakaasa or Chidambaram or the Screen of Consciousness. It is the persisting Substratum. On this screen, the perishing pictures of the Jagat and Jivatman –the universe and the beings—appear and disappear. As the cinema screen remains ever itself while the projected pictures on it come and go, the Paramatmam is ever Himself unaffected and unmodified by the appearance and disappearance of the phenomenon. The Jnaani takes note of the background, Parameswara who provides apparent life and consciousness to the Prakriti clinging on to Him. In his vision, the universe is not independent of the Paramatman. Whereas to the ignorant man, the phantom of the universe seems real while the Paramatman remains unknown.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

The sun is spreading his light equally everywhere and he is visible in all parts of the extensive world. Still, a small patch of cloud hides him from our sight. Similarly, Maya hides the all-pervading Brahman from our cognition. When the veil of Maya is removed the Sat-chit-ananda Brahman is cognized everywhere and in all beings and things.  

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

He who sees the Universal Spirit in all things sees and becomes himself universal.

“Never perishing when they perish.” If all things are in a continual state of evolutionary development, then there is no unchanging God. Bergson, for example, makes God wholly immanent in the world, changing as it changes. An evolving God who is conceived as a part of the process of development of the world will cease to exist when the universe ceases to move. The second law of Thermodynamics suggests a condition of eventless stagnation and perfect rest. An evolving or emergent God cannot be either the creator or the saviour of the world. He is not an adequate object for religious emotions. In this verse, the Gita assures us that God lives and endures even when the universe ceases to exist.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

He who beholds the Supreme Lord through the inner eye of wisdom, Him who is seated in all beings from the Creator down to the unmoving objects and Who is not destroyed even when all beings are destroyed, he is said to have realised the Self.

In different kinds of fire, the heat is the same. Gold is the same in different form of ornaments. The light from many lamps is the same. So also in all living beings, the soul is the same. The soul or the Self is uniform everywhere. The Self is the same in ants, elephants, kings, beggars, saints and rogues.

The Self is indestructible; all living beings are perishable. It is the Supreme Lord when compared to the body, senses, mind, intellect, the Unmanifested Nature and the individual soul.

Birth is the root-cause of the Bhava-Vikaras or the modifications, viz., change, growth, decay and death. The other changes of state manifest themselves after the birth of the body. 

The Supreme Lord is one and changeless as He is birthless, decayless and deathless. He is the one common consciousness in all beings. He sees rightly who sees the Supreme Lord as now described. He is a Jivanmukta. He has knowledge of the knower of the field or the immortal Self. He is the real seer or a liberated sage.

The sage alone sees properly on account of knowledge. The whole world sees erroneously on account of ignorance. He who is suffering from defective vision beholds many moons. He sees erroneously. But he who sees one moon only sees in the proper manner, correctly. Even so he who beholds the one immortal indivisible Self in all beings really sees the Truth. He alone sees. He who sees many distinct selves erroneously does not really see though he sees. He is like the man who beholds many moons. (Cf. VIII.20)

Comments by the blogger:

So the Atman of the Rig-veda is the undying in the dying. When the inner essence leaves the body, it is said the body has died. But nothing untoward happens to the Soul. It leaves the body and then takes another body through which it enjoys the World. Though the Atman in the individual being has no action for itself, It gets confused on account of Maya or Illusion of the Lord and identifies with the body. This is important for the worldly life of Man. It gives place to ahankara or the Iness or the Ego, but for which life on the earth is not possible. Real Atman is utterly actionless. When a man dies the body alone perishes; that is, the gross body alone decays and dies. Then the subtle bodies in the same shape as that of the gross body before death leaves the world to other Lokas or Worlds. Lokas or Worlds are innumerable. Nevertheless, Swami Bhaskarananda says, Hinduism speaks of fourteen lokas including this earthly plane (Bhoorloka). The Lokas, according to the Swamiji, are Satyaloka, Tapoloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Svarloka, Bhuvarloka, Bhoorloka, Atalaloka, Vitalaloka, Sutalaloka, Rasaatalaloka, Talaatalaloka, Mahaatalaloka and Paataalaloka. These Lokas are different types of Consciousness only. Our life on the plane of the earth also is a case of Counsciouness. Among these Lokas the first six are considered the higher lokas, and the last seven are considered the lower lokas. When the human body dies, the Atman or Soul leaves with several subtle sheaths; the subtle body or the astral body consists of the mind, intellect, sense organs, motor organs and vital energy.

The mind leaves with all the impressions and experiences of the being’s body and these impressions become part of the Sanchita Karma. The Sanchita Karma is the accumulated experiences and impressions of all the past lives of the particular individual. From out of these karmas and the thought the man experienced at the time of death gives rise to a new set of the Praraptha Karma and this is how the Praraptha Karma are formed. And according to the Praraptha Karma the individual Self selects a body to work out the latest Praraptha Karma.

As we saw earlier,  God’s inalienable part of Soul is present in all beings. So every one of us has the Supreme Lord dwelling in us. All human beings have the one and the only Soul! This notion and knowledge are peculiar to Hinduism. The Christians are addressed at Church Mass “Oh, Sinners!” According to their theology, all human beings are Sinners and they must bear the cross of this Consciousness in their heart of hearts. Mohammedanism is an offshoot of Christianity.

But, according to Hinduism, all human beings are the Possessors of God and as and when they individually realize the Atman or Soul, they become One With God! So theoretically speaking, we are all God indeed!

Who sees God in all human beings sees properly and whoever sees in the human beings the perishable body only sees improperly. His perception is grossly defective and untenable. Nothing could be far from  Truth.  

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 28

KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA:

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

samam pasyan hi sarvatra samavashthitam eesvaram

na hinasty aatmanaa ‘tmaanam tato yaati paraam gatim

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

samam = equally: pasyan = seeing: hi = indeed: sarvatra = everywhere: samavashthitam = equally dwelling: eesvaram = the Lord: na = not: hinasti = destroys: aatmanaa = by the self: aatmaanam = the self: tatah = then: yaati = goes: paraam = the highest: gatim = the goal.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Because he who sees the Lord, seated the same everywhere, destroys not the self by the self, therefore he reaches the Supreme Goal.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Ignorance is the cause of all the evils committed by man. And the worst of all evils is the belief that man is the body and not the Atman. For, the continuity of the births is kept up by this belief. As long as he wallows in this delusion, he cannot help meeting with death repeatedly. The indestructible Atman is held by him as being destroyed by death. Due to ignorance man further believes that beings are separate, one from another. That they are all mere modifications of the one Cosmic Entity remains denied by him. Injury is done to the others because of the belief that they are separate. Whereas the knower of Brahman cognizes nothing alien to Brahman. His beholding Brahman in and through all the manifestations is the Supreme Goal that he attains while yet in body.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

When the nest is dismantled the bird flies away in the sky. Similarly, when the body-consciousness is negated and attachment to the world annihilated, the Jivatman flies away into the sky of the Paramatman, only to be merged into Him.     

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

This is the vision of a liberated sage. The Supreme Self abides in all forms. There is nothing apart from It.

An ignorant man destroys the Self by identifying himself with the body and the modifications of the mind and by not seeing the one Self in all beings. He has a blurred vision. His mind is very gross. He cannot think of the subtle Self. He is swayed by the force of ignorance. He mistakes the impure body for the pure Self. He has false knowledge. But the sage has knowledge of the Self or true knowledge and so he beholds the one Self in all beings. An ignorant man is the slayer of his Self. He destroys this body and takes another body and so on. But he who beholds the one Self in all beings does not destroy the Self by the self. Therefore he attains the Supreme Goal, i.e., he attains release from the round of birth and death. Knowledge of the Self leads to liberation or salvation. Knowledge of the Absolute annihilates the ignorance in toto. If the ignorance is destroyed and false knowledge is also destroyed, all evils are simultaneously destroyed.

Those who have realised that unity of the Self in all these diverse forms is never caught in the meshes of birth and death. They attain the state of Turia (the fourth state beyond waking, dreaming and deep sleep) where form and sound do not exist.

The self is everybody’s friend and also his enemy as well. The idea first expressed in chapter VI, verses 5 and 6 is repeated here.  

Comments by the blogger:  

It has already been uttered by the Lord of Gita that He is present in all; that He pervades the whole universe. God is present in both the sentient and insentient. All these have been already uttered by the Lord. Repetition is one of the Virtues of Bhagavad Gita.

But the Lord adds a different thought in each Sloka or Verse.

In this verse, He says he who sees the Lord, seated the same everywhere, DESTROYS NOT THE SELF BY THE SELF, therefore he reaches the Supreme Goal. Are there two Selves in the same human body? Certainly not! One Self fills all the sentient and insentient in this world. Then how can one destroy his self by the self? One's self is capable of doing both according to the individuals’ predominating Guna or Nature. Our Mind is one of the sheaths which cover our Self. We have already seen this. The beauty of the human mind is that it can not only work and oversee the working and happenings in other organs like the eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, etc., but the human mind can also oversee its own work! The human mind is fully capable of witnessing its own work. Not only witnessing but supervise its own work. It is like the Earth revolving on its axis while going around the Sun! The mind can do both acts; work and supervise its own work.

If that is the case of the human mind, the actionless Soul’s case is more perplexing!

One’s own Soul can be one’s friend as well as an enemy.

One who sees the Lord, seated the same everywhere, the Soul is the Great Friend of One. But if one gives in to the sensual pleasures of the world, of which there is no limit in the world, his own self becomes his chief enemy. It gives free rein to the Mind and the intellect is dimmed because of Mind’s waywardness, and thus one’s own self can be a formidable enemy of one. But if one becomes a disciple of an emancipated Guru or Master and  is properly initiated in the art of Meditation and thus regularly meditates under the supervision of the Master, in spite of all hurdles and hiccups the wayward Mind is reined in and the self of the man becomes his own friend and well-wisher and helps  one to make great strides in the spiritual path. But the soul of the one who is helplessly given to the constant enjoyment of the sensual things of the World, one’s soul turns one’s staunch enemy. It gives free rein to one and witnesses one’s degradation which results in fetching a very base birth next time if at all one comes back to this world as a human being. But great and heinous sins like murdering and raping send men to take birth as beasts of various kinds and it would tantamount to a great fall from the Graces of the Lord.

He who sees the Lord, SEATED THE SAME EVERYWHERE, destroys not the self by the self, therefore he reaches the Supreme Goal. So God is pervasively present in everyone and everything in this universe. He is present in all and everything. Then why should we go to the Temples, Churches and Mosques? If God is there in all, sentient and insentient in the Cosmos, we need not go to the Temples indeed. But the truth of the matter is that though God is equally present pervasively in all and everyone, He is not manifest equally in all things. This is the reason we need to go to places of worship.

Our supreme Goal is attaining oneness with the Supreme Lord. That is facilitated by the Atmic or Soul culture of seeing the Lord in all and everything.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

THE HOLY GITA CHAPTER 13 VERSE 26 KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 27

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

samam sarveshu bhooteshu tishtthaantam paramesvaram

vinasyatshv avinasyantam yah  pasyati sa pasyati

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

samam = equally: sarveshu = (in) all: bhooteshu = in beings:  tishtthanatam = existing: paramesvaram = the Supreme Lord: vinasyatsu = among the perishing: avinasyantam = the unperishing: yah = who: pasyati = sees: sah = he: pasyati = sees.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

He sees, who sees the Supreme Lord, remaining the same in all beings, the undying in the dying.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Parameswara is the Chit-aakaasa or Chidambaram or the Screen of Consciousness. It is the persisting Substratum. On this screen, the perishing pictures of the Jagat and Jivatman –the universe and the beings—appear and disappear. As the cinema screen remains ever itself while the projected pictures on it come and go, the Paramatmam is ever Himself unaffected and unmodified by the appearance and disappearance of the phenomenon. The Jnaani takes note of the background, Parameswara who provides apparent life and consciousness to the Prakriti clinging on to Him. In his vision, the universe is not independent of the Paramatman. Whereas to the ignorant man, the phantom of the universe seems real while the Paramatman remains unknown.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

The sun is spreading his light equally everywhere and he is visible in all parts of the extensive world. Still, a small patch of cloud hides him from our sight. Similarly, Maya hides the all-pervading Brahman from our cognition. When the veil of Maya is removed the Sat-chit-ananda Brahman is cognized everywhere and in all beings and things.  

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

He who sees the Universal Spirit in all things sees and becomes himself universal.

“Never perishing when they perish.” If all things are in a continual state of evolutionary development, then there is no unchanging God. Bergson, for example, makes God wholly immanent in the world, changing as it changes. An evolving God who is conceived as a part of the process of development of the world will cease to exist when the universe ceases to move. The second law of Thermodynamics suggests a condition of eventless stagnation and perfect rest. An evolving or emergent God cannot be either the creator or the saviour of the world. He is not an adequate object for religious emotions. In this verse, the Gita assures us that God lives and endures even when the universe ceases to exist.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

He who beholds the Supreme Lord through the inner eye of wisdom, Him who is seated in all beings from the Creator down to the unmoving objects and Who is not destroyed even when all beings are destroyed, he is said to have realised the Self.

In different kinds of fire, the heat is the same. Gold is the same in the different form of ornaments. The light from many lamps is the same. So also in all living beings, the soul is the same. The soul or the Self is uniform everywhere. The Self is the same in ants, elephants, kings, beggars, saints and rogues.

The Self is indestructible; all living beings are perishable. It is the Supreme Lord when compared to the body, senses, mind, intellect, the Unmanifested Nature and the individual soul.

Birth is the root-cause of the Bhava-Vikaras or the modifications, viz., change, growth, decay and death. The other changes of state manifest themselves after the birth of the body. 

The Supreme Lord is one and changeless as He is birthless, decayless and deathless. He is the one common consciousness in all beings. He sees rightly who sees the Supreme Lord as now described. He is a Jivanmukta. He has knowledge of the knower of the field or the immortal Self. He is the real seer or a liberated sage.

The sage alone sees properly on account of knowledge. The whole world sees erroneously on account of ignorance. He who is suffering from defective vision beholds many moons. He sees erroneously. But he who sees one moon only sees in the proper manner, correctly. Even so, he who beholds the one immortal indivisible Self in all beings really sees the Truth. He alone sees. He who sees many distinct selves erroneously does not really see though he sees. He is like the man who beholds many moons. (Cf. VIII.20)

Comments by the blogger:

So the Atman of the Rig-veda is undying in the dying. When the inner essence leaves the body, it is said the body has died. But nothing untoward happens to the Soul. It leaves the body and then takes another body through which it enjoys the World. Though the Atman in the individual being has no action for itself, It gets confused on account of Maya or Illusion of the Lord and identifies with the body. This is important for the worldly life of Man. It gives place to ahankara or the Iness or the Ego, but for which life on the earth is not possible. Real Atman is utterly actionless. When a man dies the body alone perishes; that is, the gross body alone decays and dies. Then the subtle bodies in the same shape as that of the gross body before death leaves the world to other Lokas or Worlds. Lokas or Worlds are innumerable. Nevertheless, Swami Bhaskarananda says, Hinduism speaks of fourteen lokas including this earthly plane (Bhoorloka). The Lokas, according to the Swamiji, are Satyaloka, Tapoloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Svarloka, Bhuvarloka, Bhoorloka, Atalaloka, Vitalaloka, Sutalaloka, Rasaatalaloka, Talaatalaloka, Mahaatalaloka and Paataalaloka. These Lokas are different types of Consciousness only. Our life on the plane of the earth also is a case of Consciousness. Among these Lokas the first six are considered the higher lokas, and the last seven are considered the lower lokas. When the human body dies, the Atman or Soul leaves with several subtle sheaths; the subtle body or the astral body consists of the mind, intellect, sense organs, motor organs and vital energy.

The mind leaves with all the impressions and experiences of the being’s body and these impressions become part of the Sanchita Karma. The Sanchita Karma is the accumulated experiences and impressions of all the past lives of the particular individual. From out of these karmas and the thought the man experienced at the time of death gives rise to a new set of the Praraptha Karma and this is how the Praraptha Karma is formed. And according to the Praraptha Karma, the individual Self selects a body to work out the latest Praraptha Karma.

As we saw earlier,  God’s inalienable part of Soul is present in all beings. So every one of us has the Supreme Lord dwelling in us. All human beings have the one and the only Soul! This notion and knowledge are peculiar to Hinduism. The Christians are addressed at Church Mass “Oh, Sinners!” According to their theology, all human beings are Sinners and they must bear the cross of this Consciousness in their heart of hearts. Mohammedanism is an offshoot of Christianity.

But, according to Hinduism, all human beings are the Possessors of God and as and when they individually realize the Atman or Soul, they become One With God! So theoretically speaking, we are all God indeed!

Who sees God in all human beings sees properly and whoever sees in the human beings the perishable body only sees improperly. His perception is grossly defective and untenable. Nothing could be far from  Truth.     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

THE HOLY GITA CHAPTER 13 VERSE 25 KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 25

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

anye tv evam ajaanantah srutvaa  ‘nyebhya upaasate

te ‘pi chaa ‘titaranty eva mrrtyum srutiparaayanaah

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

anye = others: tu = indeed: evam = thus: ajaanantah = not knowing:  srutvaa = having heard: anyebhyah = from others: upaasate = worship: te = they: api = also: cha = and: atitaranti = cross beyond: eva = even: mrrtyum = death: sruti paraaayanaah = regarding what they have heard as the supreme refuge.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

Still others, not knowing thus, worship as they have heard from others; they too go beyond death by their devotion to what they have heard.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Among the four Yogas, Bhakti Yoga is the easiest. Scriptural knowledge and keen discrimination are not necessarily auxiliaries to this all-absorbing path. the Gopis of Brindavan were uneducated and devoid of intellectual equipment. Still, through pure devotion, they made the Lord of the universe their own. But if learning and wisdom can be properly utilized and if pure devotion is also side by side developed, progress in spirituality becomes easier still.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Devotion to the Lord may be compared to a ferocious tiger. As the latter destroys the cattle, the former destroys lust, greed and such like enemies to man. If Bhakti comes up but once, there is no more fear of being disturbed by lust and anger which will be all exterminated from the mind. The Gopis of Brindavan were free from these taints because of their extraordinary love of the boy Krishna.

SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANTA CONTINUES:

The Karma Yoga, the Raja Yoga, the Bhakti Yoga and the Jnana Yoga—all these four yogas are given equal status and importance in the Bhagavad Gita. Any one of these four great paths is sufficient to lead the sadhaka or practitioner to perfection. Still, the salutary course is to harmonize all the four paths. The Karma Yoga provides man with efficiency. The Raja Yoga adds to the stamina of the mind. The Bhakti Yoga unifies beings in a sweet relationship. The Jnana Yoga sharpens the intellect and makes it luminous. All these great qualities and divine elements require to be perfectly blended to evolve an all-absorbing divinity out of humanity.

COMMENTARY NOTE BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Even those who rely on the authority of teachers and worship according to their advice, have their hearts opened out to the grace of the Lord and thus reach life-eternal.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

The three paths, viz., the Yoga of meditation, the Yoga of knowledge and the Yoga of action to attain the knowledge of the Self were described in the previous verse. In this verse, the Yoga of worship is described.

Some who are ignorant of the methods described in the previous verse listen to the teachings of the spiritual preceptors regarding this great Truth or the Self with intense and unshakable faith, solely depending upon the authority and contemplation of them attain immortality. They are devoted to their preceptor. Some study the books written by realised seers, stick with great faith to the teachings contained therein and live according to them. They also overcome death. Whichever path one follows, one eventually attains the knowledge of the Self and final liberation from birth and death,--salvation (Moksha). There are several paths to suit aspirants of different temperaments and types of equipment.

Freeing oneself from ignorance with its effects through the knowledge of the Self, is crossing the Samsara or attaining immortality or overcoming death or obtaining release or salvation.

Comments by the blogger:

The Raja Yoga,  the Jnana Yoga and the Karma Yoga are not very easy to practise. There are several dos and don’ts and the very way of life of the sadhka or practitioner must be in sync with the daily practice of them. Among these three kinds of Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga are very difficult to practise. They require a special and exclusive state of mind. One should always be on the alert and should not yield to any kind of mental weakness and even a slight aberration from the daily practice and way of life can be productive of uninvited outcomes. Even in the case of Karma Yoga in its exclusivity is not easy of practice. For a certain mentality is required in the sadhaka or practitioner and one should put the self-interest next only to that of the requirements of Karma Yoga. In other words, Karma Yogi must be on the constant vigil so that not even the slightest of selfishness should creep in and a Karma Yogi must surrender all the fruits of his actions to the Lord. Otherwise, the fruits of such selfish acts will bind the sadhaka or practitioner to this world and as such the Yogi cannot go beyond death, to use the parlence of Gita.

In Bhakti Yoga, which can be practised even by a rank unlettered and ignorant person, there are some in-built facilities, which are not there for the practitioners of the other three kinds of Yoga described in verse 24. All it requires is a total surrender of one’s self-interest to the Lord, which mentality easily comes to the practitioner of Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion, and an unflinching faith in God. Whatever happens to him, a Bhakti Yogi is never assailed by doubts. Moreover, in the Yoga of Knowledge and the Raja Yoga, constant practice of concentration and continuous meditation for several hours together every day is a must. One cannot practise them for a certain number of days and take rest for a couple of days. For the meditation involves the absolute concentration of all the faculties of the mind on one thing steadfastly; the practitioner should always be mindful of his goal, salvation. Not a day’s rest from the practice of meditation can be availed of. Moreover, if the practitioner is overjelous and practise for half an hour more than the prescribed duration for him at a particular stage or if there creeps in the daily practice of meditation any mistake or aberration or if the practitioner indulges in such Yogic techniques without a Guru’s guidance, there is a possibility of becoming deranged in mind and such an outcome is disasterous to the practitioner. He might become a mentally affected person needing treatment from a psychiatrist.

In Bhakti Yoga no such risks are involved. And there is no duration prescribed for the Practitioner and actually, no Yogic Technique is involved. A practitioner of the Yoga of Devotion can practise the Yoga throughout the waking hours. He will soon realize that he should surrender his will to the Will of the Lord and go through life without losing sight of the goal, emancipation. Even an ignorant person can practise Bhakti Yoga. Nandanar is a case in point. He belonged to the Scheduled Cast which was, in his time, without any privileges whatsoever. Nandanar was untouchable in those days. People belonging to his cast were considered to be impure and but for carrying out the dirty works for the upper-cast people like carrying the night soil, etc., etc, they were not given any privilege in the society in those days. But Nandanar became, through his unflinching faith in and devotion for the Lord Master, Shiva, one of the Saints and Savans of the Saivaite system of worship of Lord Shiva. By practising Bhakti yoga no one runs the risk of becoming mentally deranged.

In India, Bhakti Culture is well-embedded on the gene of the common populace. We are first Bhaktas or Devotees of the Lord and all other Yoga should take only the next place. There are Sat Sangas and periodical discourses by religious scholars. By hearing the discourses by great souls even an ignorant person can practise the Yoga of Devotion. For those who are educated, there are Puranas and Itihasas like Ramayana and Mahabharata and other works. By reading them the literate can become great Bhaktas or Devotees.

This is how people who have not heard of the other three forms of Yogas can practise to the fullest extent Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

THE HOLY GITA CHAPTER 13 VERSE 24 KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 24

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

dhyaanenaa ‘tmani pasyanti kechid aatmaanam aatmanaa

anye saamkhyena yogena karmayogena chaa ‘pare

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR  MEANING IN ENGLISH:

dhyaanena = by meditation: aatmani = in the sef: pasyanti = behold: kechit = some: aatmaanam = the Self: aatmanaa by the self: anye = others: saamkhyena yogena = by the yoga of knowledge: karma yogena = by Karma yoga: cha = and: apare = others.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

By meditation some behold the Self in the self by the self, others by the yoga of knowledge and yet others by karma yoga.

COMMENTARY NOTES BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Of the four universally accepted yogas, the Raja Yoga, the Jnana Yoga and the Karma Yoga are mentioned in this stanza. Here the self refers to the Jivatman and the Self to Paramatman.

COMMENTARY NOTE BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Saamkhya here stands for jnaana.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

There are several paths to reach the knowledge of the Self according to the nature or temperament and capacity of the individual. The first path is the Yoga of meditation taught by Maharshi Patajnjali. The Raja Yogins behold the Supreme Self in the self (Buddhi) by the self (purified mind). Meditation is a continuous and unbroken flow of thought of the Self like the flow of oil from one vessel to another. Through concentration, hearing and the other senses are withdrawn into the mind. The senses are not allowed to run towards their respective sensual objects. They are kept under proper check and control through the process of abstraction. Then the mind itself is made to abide in the Self through constant meditation on the Self. The mind is refined or purified by meditation. The mind that is rendered pure will naturally move towards the Self.  It is not attracted by nor is it attached to the sensual objects.  

Sankhya Yoga is Jnana Yoga. The aspirant does Vichara (analysis, reflection) and separates himself from the three qualities of Nature, the three bodies and the five sheaths and identifies himself with the witness (Self). He thinks and feels, “I am immortal, eternal, self-existent, self-luminous, indivisible, unborn and unchanging”.

The Karma Yogi surrenders his actions and their fruits to the Lord. He has Ishvarararpana Buddhi (intelligence that offers everything to God). This produces purity of mind which gives rise to knowledge of the Self. Karma Yoga brings about the concentration of the mind through the purification of the mind. It leads to Yoga through the purification of the mind and so it is spoken of as Yoga itself.

Those who practise Sankhya Yoga are the highest class of spiritual aspirants. Those who practise the Yoga of meditation are aspirants of the middling class. Those who practise Karma alone are the lowest class of spiritual aspirants. The aspirants of the middling and lowest class soon become aspirants of the highest class through rigorous Sadhana or spiritual practices. (Cf. V.5;  VI.46)

Comments by the blogger:

Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga are described by the Lord of Gita. And He leaves out the fourth form of Yoga, namely, Bhakti yoga. It is intentional. It might be due to the fact that the Karma Yoga cannot be practised in isolation like Raja Yoga or Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga go hand in hand. We need not go too far in search of an example. The 20^th Century Prophet, Mahatma Gandhi was a vigorous practitioner of both Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. His end, incidentally, came when he was coming to practise Bhakti Yoga or to the Daily Prayer Meeting in the evening. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. When the fool, Nathooram Godse, came up to him and after saluting the Mahatma shot at the 20^th Century Prophet three times in the chest, Gandhiji fell down, but according to those people who were close to him in the crowd, Mahatma Gandhi was continuously mumbling, “He Ram! He Ram! He Ram!” till his death! In the Gita, Sri Bhagavan Krishna says that those who think of Him or say His Name at the time of death would come to Him only! Mahatma Gandhi was continuously chanting the Name of the Lord till his last breath. This is the culmination of Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga! You can’t practise Karma Yoga in isolation. It is not possible.

Some twenty-five years ago, I had a personal experience of chatting up a Yogin in Tiruvannamalai, the Holy  Abode of Lord Shiva in His Linga Form. The temple and the place are well-known for the immortal saint, Sri Ramana Maharshi. I had been returning from another Holy Hill, Tirupati, after worshipping Lord Venkatachala; inside the temple, I offered worship both to the presiding Deity Annamalai, a Form of Lord Shiva, and Sri Ramana Maharshi. Then I entered the huge hall where chanting the Names of the Lord and singing songs were going on. Near that place, by the side of a wall, an American Lady was practising Meditation. I had heard and read about the kind of Meditation Sir Ramana Maharshi had taught to his disciples. Sri Ramana Maharshi, in the beginning, had started to meditate on the Lord and various aspects of the Lord. But nothing would work for him! So he tested all the methods of meditation and vichara or analysis or reflection. None would seem to work for him! Like Lord Buddha, Ramana Maharshi also experimented many forms of concentration and meditation. At long last, he came upon with the one simple way of inquiry. “Who Am I?” This simple question seemed to be appropriate for the young saint and soon he continued to practise meditation and his continuous thought was this simple question, “Who Am I!” And this was how Sri Ramana Maharshi became a fully God realized Soul!

We have distracted from the subject, the American Lady, we were talking about. She was seated in the perfect yogic pose, namely, Padhmasana. She was a sight to behold! For many foreigners sitting on the floor in Cross-legged posture is very difficult, not to speak of assuming the Lotus Posture! And here she was, seated in the perfect yogic posture and with the eyes closed, silently and inwardly asking the question, “Who Am I?”. As a matter of fact, she was meditating continuously on that ineffable question, Who Am I?. I could see and tell, from the restful posture and breathing very much in a regulated manner,  that this lady had gone deep in her daily meditation. I felt a keen attraction to the Lady, the Yogin. So I selected a place some ten feet away from her and kept listening to the music and songs that were going on without a break. I had to wait for more than half an hour before the American Lady would stop with her meditation. I wondered how long she had been meditating like that before I chanced on her. After assuming the Sukasana, she kept sitting there for five minutes listening to the songs going on there on the stage. Then she rose slowly and made her way out of that huge hall. And I rose to my feet and made a beeline toward the doorway following her closely. I lost no time and quickly went up to her and introduced myself. At first, she frowned at me and tried to avoid me. This was the time for me to show her that I knew something about Sri Ramana Maharshi and his way of meditation. And I asked her if she had been armed with a rosary or a chain or necklace made of strung beads. She, for the first time, smiled at me. “No, I don’t keep count of the times I ask the question!” she said. Then, with the ice having been broken, I spoke to her about Bhagavad Gita. She showed great interest in what I was speaking about. “Are you an accomplished Yogi?” She could very well ask me that question, for even then, I had lost much of the hair on my head which gave, at that time, an aura to me! “No, I haven’t read Bhagavad Gita, as yet!” I told her. She found it difficult to digest this. “At your age, one would assume that your inner heart is turned to God!” Then I spoke to her about my real age, which was on the right side of thirty. This time she was really shocked. “One would think you would be above fifty!” she said in answer. “Yes, that’s right,” I continued without any inhibition and further said “I purchased one of the famous Commentaries on Gita which was authored by a great Swami, Sivananda. But I am at a loss to understand both the verses and the commentary on them!” Thus we were speaking for some time, still standing outside the huge hall we had emerged from. In the course of our conversation, I had come to know something about her past. That she was twenty-six and unmarried. That, after much-reading books on The Indian Philosophy and the main Scriptures of the Hinduism she developed a keen interest in the Hinduism. That she had always been attracted to Hinduism ever since she could remember and she at last read about Sri Ramana Maharshi in Tamil Nadu, India. She paid a visit some five weeks ago. And she had been initiated by a monk at the Ashrama there and she was already enjoying the daily sessions of Meditation! And I asked her if she remained a faithful Bible Reader and Church-goer. With a laugh, she said she was very devout to the Lord Jesus Christ and a regular reader of the Holy Bible! That she never missed attending the Church on Sundays and all that.

The reason why I related to you about the story of that American Lady is to demonstrate to you that people belonging to other religions can take to Meditation and become a practising yogi without, shall we say, betraying their religious Faiths and worship. Even Bhakti Yoga can be practised by folks belonging to other religions with the devotion to their personal religious Faith remaining intact! Not only the Hindus but anyone in the world, may practise any form of the four Yogic Systems and become enlightened in due course! But the same could not be said about the Scriptures and Practices of other religions. A Christian and a Muslim are of the deep conviction that his own religion is the right path to God-realization and all other religions are inspired by Saturn! But only the Hindu religion has come up with the ways of God-realization which any person in the world including a Christian and or a Muslim and become enlightened without losing faith in his or her own religion!

But the irony is that both the Christians and Muslims are hell-bent to convert the hapless Hindus in economically poor areas by giving them money and other things, by corrupting their minds that the Hinduism is unfit for the realization of God, and only unenlightened persons would remain faithful to the Hinduism!

Swami Vivekananda went to America and became famous instantly when he addressed the audience of the religious congress in Chicago and then gave lectures all over America and by his speeches about Hinduism and Hindu way of life which made even the Clericals of the American Church to think that India is safe and its religion is not Satanic in nature!

The Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narandra Modi persuaded the UNO to observe a day every year dedicated to Yoga! Bhagavad Gita has been inspiring many a Christian and other peoples belonging to the Protestant church and the general people owing allegiance to the Holy Bible.                                                                                                                                                        

         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

THE HOLY GITA CHAPTER 13 VERSE 23, KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 23

KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA:

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

ya evam vetti purusham prakrrtim cha gunaih saha

sarvathaa vartamaano ‘pi na sa bhooyo ‘bhijaayate

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

yah = who: evam = thus: vetti = knows: purusham = Purusha: prakrrtim = Prakriti: cha = and: gunaih = Gunas: saha = with: sarvathaa = in all ways: vartamaanah = living: api = also: na = not: sah = he: bhooyah = again: abhijaayate = is born.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

He who thus knows the Purusha and Prakriti together with the Gunas, is never born again, in whatever way he may live.   

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

A perfect mirror exactly reflects the things placed before it. But on that account, the mirror undergoes no modification whatsoever. Like that, Brahman is in no way affected by the presence of Prakriti in His proximity. That Jivatman who cognizes the Supreme Brahman in his heart becomes Brahman; for, that is his real state. Thenceforth he is not affected by the Praarabdha karma that keeps the body going. This karma may produce good and bad effects on the body, but the Brahma jnaani is not affected by them. Like the reflections in a mirror, Prakriti is cognized in his pure heart. His eulogizing it or his ignoring it is all the same to him. His body floats on as long as the past momentum maintains it. Apparently, he resides in it as a Jeevan mukta. A burnt rope may retain its form, but it is no more useful for tying. The aagaami karma and the Sanchita karma are all burnt out in the fire of wisdom. There is, therefore, no motive power to produce a new body. The Enlightened one merges in Brahman, never again to be born.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

When the unburnt pots get damaged, the potter makes new pots out of them. But when a pot burnt in a kiln breaks, the broken pieces are rejected as useless. Similarly, the man in ignorance is to be born and reborn. But that man whose karma is burnt out by the fire of knowledge is not reborn. He enters the Absolute.

COMMENTARY NOTE BY DR.S.RADHKRISHNAN:

sarvadh vartamano ‘pi: though he acts in every way, whatever state of life he may be in. Ramanujar.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

 One who knows the Soul and Nature with its qualities, whatever his conduct may be, frees himself from the cycle of births and deaths. Such is the advantage he gains from the discriminative knowledge of Spirit and Matter. He knows that he is eternal and changeless and that all changes are due to the modifications of Nature on account of its qualities. The self through ignorance identifies itself with the body and suffers rebirth.

In whatsoever condition he may be, whether he is engaged in prescribed or forbidden act (like Indra who killed the Purohita Visvarupa and may Sannyasins), he is not born again, because the actions (which are the seeds of rebirth), of one who knows the Spirit and Matter, who has gained the knowledge of the Self, are burnt by the fire of that knowledge. Just as the seeds that are fried in fire do not sprout again, so also the actions burnt in the fire of knowledge cannot produce new bodies or further births. A burnt cloth cannot serve the purpose of the cloth.

Those actions which are done with egoism and desire (expectation of fruits) will produce fruits or results. In the case of a wise man, the seeds of evil, viz., ignorance, egoism, attachment, etc., are burnt by the fire of knowledge. Therefore he cannot have rebirths.

The Karmas (Prarabdha) which have already started their operation by producing this present birth do not perish, notwithstanding the dawn of the knowledge of the Self. When an arrow is once sent out from a bow at a mark, it pierces the mark and continues to act till it falls to the ground when the full force with which it was discharged is exhausted. Even so, the Prarabdha Karma which has given rise to the body continues to act till the inherent force is fully exhausted, although the sage has attained Self-realization through his body. But he is not in the least affected by this, because he has no identification with the body, and as he has identified himself with Brahman or the Absolute. If a carbuncle or cancer arises in the body on account of Prarabdha Karma, he will not suffer a bit as he has risen above body-consciousness, and as he stands as a witness of his body. But a bystander or a spectator wrongly imagines that the liberated sage is also suffering like an ordinary worldly man. This is a serious and sad mistake. From the viewpoint of the liberated sage, he has neither body nor Prarabdha Karma.

An arrow that is placed ready on the bow but not discharged with force can be withdrawn. Similarly, the Karmas which have not begun to generate their fruits or effects can be neutralised or destroyed by the knowledge of the Self. Therefore it is proper to say that the liberated sage is not born again. He will not take another body when the body through which he attained knowledge perishes. As ignorance, the cause of this body is destroyed by the knowledge of the Self, birth, the effect of ignorance, is also destroyed. As one takes birth through virtuous and vicious actions, a sage will not take birth as his virtuous and vicious actions (the whole Sanchita or accumulated Karmas of his previous births) are destroyed by knowledge of the Self. The Karmas done by him after he has attained Self-realisation cannot touch him at all as he has neither egoism (agency) nor desires. (Cf. XIII.32)

Comments by the blogger:

He who thus knows the Purusha and Prakriti together with the Gunas, is never born again.

How does the Lord mean by his words “knowing the Purusha and Prakriti together with Gunas?

It is not enough to just form an idea or intellectual knowledge about the Purusha and Prakriti together with the Gunas. One should realize the Truth about the Purusha and Prakriti first. What is the nature of the Purusha? Well, the Purusha is our Soul. So one who realizes his Atman or Soul and the Prakriti or Nature in their true colour, there could be knowledge about THEM. Well, what does it mean to know of the Purusha and the Prakriti? How do we mean by that knowledge? Well, it is not a piece of theoretical knowledge. We have already said it in another manner. Is it so easy to realize one’s Soul? The illusory world acts as though It is of some great power you can tape into. We are forced and enamoured to enjoy Nature’s bounty through our senses. This is how most of the people are fully given to the gratification of the sensual matters. And when we first sit in meditation, it is the Prakriti which strives furthermore to spoil our concentration. Wave and wave of thinking and imagination are born in the Mind owing to the pressure exerted by the Prakriti or Nature. Nature acts like our enemy! It always tries its level best to enslave us through satisfying our bodily needs and kama or Desire of the Mind. Absolute concentration for one full minute takes a year or number of years' continual meditation. The mind is like a monkey. It demoralizes us when we try to gain good concentration. Mind throws up umpteen number of thoughts and desires just when we want our Mind to stay fixed on a particular object like a fruit or a flower. It is a great tug of war between our Soul which wants and encourages us to master our Mind and become concentrated for hours together. It takes a long striving and unflinching efforts to rein the Mind which goes from the place we sit in meditation to all over the world! Mind acts very much like a drunken monkey! It is as though It has a mind of its own which is concentrated and fixed on the things and enjoyments of this World or Prakriti or Nature. That is why Hinduism prescribes many dos and don'ts. For example, in Raja Yoga, the yogic process consists of eight steps: 1. Yama or inner restraint, 2. Niyama or cultivating good habits, 3. Asana or posture, 4. Pranayama or the art of controlling the breath, 5. Pratyahara or withdrawal of the senses, 6.dharana or fixing the mind on a chosen object, 7. Dhyana or meditation and 8. Samadhi or intense mental concentration. We have to first become amiable to our Master or Guru and desist from acts and thinking about the worldly things. When we perfect our mind in concentration, it would be a great but initial victory. At this stage, after several years’ of practice we will have attained the power to focus our inner being on a single article or a flower or any such things. Having striven for years, while living a very austere life and by being mindful of all the dos and don'ts, the Sadhka or Practitioner of Concentration might become powerful to focus the Mind on one thing or article and for several minutes! It is only then, ironically, the power of our Mind grows very much. Our Mind becomes powerful. All these while Nature or Prakriti will be acting as our enemy by throwing up worldly thoughts and by tripping us up at every juncture. But once we attain the mastery over our Mind by our power to stand absolutely still for several minutes on a chosen thing or article, ironically, the Prakriti or Nature becomes our friend! The power of our Mind becomes multifold. The same Prakriti which was acting like our sworn enemy will start to facilitate like a mother or father to persevere on the yogic course. At this time our Master or Guru will take our concentration to a higher level or stage. He will say that we should be able to fix our Mind on one article or thing and after a minute or two we should completely withdraw our Mind and focus it fully for a minute of two totally on a different thing or article. When we master this process of meditation too, we would become entitled to more grace and benediction of our Master or Guru. We will be encouraged to fix our Mind, which has become very powerful through unwavering concentrating power, on a thought or ideal. For example the Truth! We would start to fix our Mind on that idea or thought for several months. Once we master this too, then only the process of meditation will be taught. While concentration means the ability to focus our Mental energy fully on a chosen thing or thought or idea,  meditation means the great and sharp ability to think for an hour or so about a particular thought or idea. Here the Mind’s power becomes fluid, as it were, inasmuch as we would be thinking continuously with the absolute concentration on a particular idea or thought. This is how we will be encouraged to meditate on any given thought or idea. By this time two-three years would have rolled by. But now we would feel very powerful, having attained mastery and full control of our Mind. Our Mind no more acts like a drunken monkey which was bitten by a scorpion! We would feel it is a great power and a gift. Now our Mind will not run after the worldly things and luxury or cravings for sexual gratification. We would feel very pure and exclusively important to our Lord. What is very important for an ordinary and average man or woman would come to have absolutely no attraction over our Mind. All things about this material world would cease to exert any power over us or our Mind. Then our Guru would encourage and bless us to sit in meditation for long hours in seeking our emancipation. Our total self will be tethered to our realization of our Goal, which is the realization of our Soul. We would start to seek knowledge about our Self. When the seeking becomes constant for hours together every day,  the attainment of emancipation or the realization of our Soul would be just a matter of years’ practice. NOW, WE WILL KNOW OR HAVE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE PURUSHA OR OUR SELF AND THE PRAKRITI OR NATURE. TO GET TO KNOW THE PURUSHA AND THE PRAKRITI WOULD AMOUNT TO OUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE GUNAS OF THE PRAKRITI WHICH WE HAVE NOW TRANSCENDED AND BECOME A JIVAN MUKTA OR A REALIZED SELF WHILE STILL LIVING IN THIS WORLD!              

     (THERE WILL BE NO POSTING FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AS I WILL BE OUT OF STATION FROM TOMORROW)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

THE HOLY GITA, CHAPTER 13, VERSE 22, KSHETRA KSHETRAJNA VIBHAGA YOGA OR THE YOGA OF THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA AND THE KSHETRAJNA

THE HOLY GITA

CHAPTER NUMBER 13

VERSE NUMBER 22

TEXT IN TRANSLITERATION:

Upadrashttaa ‘numantaa cha bhartaa bhoktaa mahesvarah

Paramaatme ‘ti chaa ‘py ukto dehe ‘smin purushah parah

SANSKRIT WORDS AND PHRASES AND THEIR MEANING IN ENGLISH:

Upadrashtaa = the spectator: anumantaa = the permitter: cha = and: bhartaa = the supporter: bhoktaa = the enjoyer: mahesvarah = the Great Lord: paramaatmaa = the Supreme Self: iti = thus: cha = and: api = also: uktah = is called: dehe = in the body: asmin (in) this: purushah = Purusha: parah = Supreme.

TEXT IN ENGLISH:

The Supreme Purusha in this body is also called the Spectator, the One who permits, the Supporter, the One who experiences, the Great Lord and the Supreme Self.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

Manifold are the activities taking place in the human body. The Jivatman enshrouded in ignorance imagines himself the author thereof. But the fact is that this Jivatman is merely a reflection of the Great Lord enshrined in the body. And His glories are as follows:

Upadrashttaa—the Spectator. The person who witnesses the game or the person who acts as the referee is able to see better into the orderliness and fouls in a game. The Lord resides in the human heart as a witness to all that takes place in the body and the mind.

Anumantaa—the One who permits. To one who has no ear for music, a fine melody in classical music is no more than meaningless sound. His approval or permission for the musical performance to go on counts for nothing. Whereas when an expert critic who enjoys that melody, pleads for its continuance, there is pleasure and purpose in that act. More seriously and effectively than this, the Lord witnesses the activities of the Jivatman, knows them in their true perspective and permits those of the activities which are conducive to the progress of the Jivatman. He is, therefore, the One that permits.

Bhartaa—the Supporter. More important than witnessing a play and approving of it, is to materially aid and support it. In that way, the Lord is the Supporter of the Jagat and the Jivatman.

Bhoktaa—the One who experiences. A husband is not only the supporter of his wife, but he is also a partner, enjoyer and the one that experiences the family life. In this wise, the Omniscient Lord is the One that experiences the insentient Prakriti.

Maheswara—the Great Lord. Gaining the devoted love of a chaste wife is more important in family life than gathering a variety of experiences in it. An ideal wife is never self-willed but subordinates her will to that of her husband. Prakriti is eternally spoused to Eswara: and the functions ever subservient to her Lord. Because of His complete mastery over Prakriti,  He is adored as the Great Lord.

In the midst of His comprehensive relationship with Prakriti, He is eternally established in His Entirety and is in no way affected by the modifications of the Prakriti. He is, therefore, Paramaatmaa—the Supreme Self, residing in the human tabernacle.

SRIMAT SWAMI RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHAMSA AS QUOTED BY SRIMAT SWAMI CHIDBHAVANANDA:

The universe has come into being as a result of the union of the Purusha and the Prakriti. And do you know how it functions? The master of the family is seated somewhere absorbed in some serious thought. The housewife busies herself running here and there and attending to all the details of the affairs of the household. Now and then she acquaints her husband with what is taking place here and there and seeks his counsel too, when necessary. The man approves of what has taken place already and suggests what ought to take place next. It is in this way that the Purusha and the Prakriti function.   

COMMENTARY BY DR.S.RADHAKRISHNAN:

Here the Supreme Self is different from the psychophysical individual who becomes the immortal self by transcending the separatist consciousness, due to entanglement in the activities of Prakriti. In the Gita, no distinction is made between the knower of the field and the Supreme Lord.

COMMENTARY BY SRIMAT SWAMI SIVANANDA:

Upadrashta: A spectator, a witness, a looker-on, a bystander, one who sits near. When the priests and the sacrificer perform the sacrificial rites, an expert who has good experience in sacrificial matters sits by their side. He does not take any part at all in the sacrifice. He sits as a silent witness. He guides them. He points out their defects and corrects them. Even so, the Supreme Self does not act. It does not take any part in the activities of the body, the mind and the senses. It is entirely distinct from them. It is a silent witness of their activities. It sits near Nature and silently watches Her actions.

It may be explained in another way. The body, the eyes, the mind, the intellect and the Self are the seers. Of these the body is the most external seer; the Self is the most internal seer. Beyond the Self, there is no other internal seer.

Anumanta: Permitter. The Supreme Self gives consent. It expresses Its approval or satisfaction regarding the actions done by the sense, the mind and the intellect.  The King consents and says “Yes”. The Prime Minister and the other officers carry out his orders. Even so, the Supreme Self consents or gives permission; the body, the mind, the intellect, and the senses perform their respective functions. Or, though It Itself does not work while the senses, the mind and the intellect work, It appears to be engaged in action, It seems to co-operate with them. As It is an onlooker or mere witness It never stands in the way of the activities of the body, the mind, the intellect and the senses.

Bharta: Supporter. Just as the husband is the supporter of his wife, so also the Self is the supporter of this body, mind, intellect, life-force and the senses. It is different from them, just as the father who supports the children is different from them.

Bhokta: Enjoyer: the Self, of the nature of eternal intelligence. Just as heat is the inherent nature of fire, so also eternal intelligence is the inherent nature of the Self. All the states of the mind such as pleasure, pain and delusion are permeated and illumined by the intelligent Self. Just as Govindan who takes the food is different from the food, so also the Self is different from the intellect, the mind and the senses.

Mahesvarah: The great Lord. As He is the soul or essence of everything and as He is independent of all. He is Mahesvara. The sky is very big. Mahesvara is bigger than even the sky, and so He is called Mahesvara. Just as the King is different from his subjects, so also Self is different from Nature and the effects or modifications of Nature.

Paramatma: The Supreme Self. It is supreme because It is superior to all those things, from the Unmanifested to the physical body, which is mistaken for the Self on account of ignorance. Just as an iron piece moves in the presence of a magnet, so also the mind and the intellect which are insentient move and function in the presence of the Supreme Self. Just as the moon borrows its light from the sun, so also the mind and the intellect borrow their light from the Supreme Self. The Supreme Self is self-luminous. Mind and intellect have no self-luminosity. In the Vedas also He is called the Supreme Self. Lord Krishna says in verse 17 of the fifteenth chapter: “But distinct is the Highest Purusha spoken of as the Supreme Self”.

“Do thou also know Me as the knower of the field in all the fields,” has been described in detail and the subject is concluded in this verse.

Comments by the blogger:

Atman or Soul sits in the cave of heart; that is, in the place just right of the physical heart. (Atman is different from the physical heart.)  He is the Supreme Purusha in this body. In this body, the mind, intellect and the senses do act, while this Supreme Atman or Soul is without any action. But the mind, intellect and the senses can never do their duty but for the presence of Atman or Soul. There is a story in the Upanishad, wherein all the senses were very proud of themselves and they said they were the reason for the working of the body. Mind and intellect also said but for them, there could be no action in the body. And then the Prana (in this context the Soul), wishing to teach them a lesson, went out of the body. Alas! With the exit of the Prana, everything in the body, every action of the body came to a standstill! From this story we come to know that though the Purusha or the Soul or Atman is without any action personally is the reason for all the actions taking place in the body and through the body. When the fund of the Praraptha Karma comes to an end, the Purusha or Soul makes its exit and the same moment the body becomes totally inert and starts to decay. This is how death occurs in the body. All actions of the body are carried out because of the proximity of the non-acting Soul. When various bodily activities take place in the body, our Soul just remains as the Witness. Not even a lifting of our little finger escapes the Spectator or the Witness.

We should also be mindful of the relationship between our individual Soul and the Universal Soul. In this Universe, countless activities take place each and every second. In our Milky Way, all the planets go round the Sun. They follow a fixed pattern or the ruite, as it were, in the way they each go round the Sun. There exists mutual attraction which stabilises each planet in its course. The attraction of the Earth differs from the attraction of the Moon. If we can jump up to three feet in this earth with the same effort we can jump up to ten feet on the Moon!. Just think of it! This is because the moon exerts lesser attraction than the earth. Like this, each of the planets in the Milky Way exerts a differing attraction. They also differ in their individual mass. With the mutual attraction, they stay the course! The Big Bang should be considered as the first very big action taking place in this Universe! The earth, like any other planet in the Universe, took millions of years to cool down so that there could be life on this planet. The Universal Soul witnesses the teeming activities continuously taking place for trillions of years! Our Soul can have a continuous and patent connection with the Universal Soul. Here God is the Soul of the Universe and the whole Universe is His body! The term “Veda” not only refers to the Four Vedas that have come down to us and we read them in book forms, but the whole Universe is known as the “Veda”! So the Universe is God’s body and He is the eternal Witness to all the happenings in this Universe!

 Purusha or Soul inhering in us is not only a witness to all the actions done by this body but also is the permitting agent and the supporting agent of these bodily activities. The Human Soul which is actionless also experiences the good and bad, the bliss and the pain and all the Dualities. This Soul is the Supreme Lord. All the fields have but one Soul and the knower of the fields is also the Only One!