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)
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