BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVII. 11 - 13

Gita Series – 156: Chapter - XVII. Verse 11 – 13

 

“The sacrificial rites performed as per the scriptural directives, with a focused mind and without any attachments to the fruits of such rites are sattvic in nature and are to be performed as a duty. When sacrificial rites are performed with publicity, with an intent on the fruits of rites, belong to rajasic nature. Sacrificial rites performed in violation of śāstra-s, with no food offered in charity, without payment to those who perform such sacrificial rites, without recitation of mantras and without faith belong to tamasic nature.”

 

One should understand the meaning of scriptural directives. Such directives are the directives found in śrautasūtra-s. The sacred scriptures known as sūtra-s are based on Veda-s. There are a number of such sūtra-s Āpastamba, Āśvalāyana, Kātyāyana, Drāhyāyaṇa, etc named after the respective authors. These sūtra-s elaborately explain fire rituals or sacrifices. There are a number of rituals such as haviryajña and soma yajña. For example, Āpastamba śrauta sūtra lays down guidelines for performing such rituals. While performing such rites, one should strictly follow the guidelines prescribed by this and any deviation is considered as sin. Since such scriptures are based on the precepts of Veda-s, violations are considered as serious offence. When Kṛṣṇa mentions about scriptural directives, He only refers to these sūtra-s and not the śāstra-s of later origin.

 

The rituals prescribed in these sūtra-s should be performed with utmost faith and concentration without any attachment to the fruits of such rituals. Generally some of the elaborated rituals, extending to several days are performed for the welfare of the society as a whole. Veda-s are recited during these rituals and a number of Vedic scholars participate and perform the yajna-s. They are to be adequately rewarded for their participation. As such yajna-s are rarely performed, there will be many who witness these rituals to the Vedic hymns and mantra-s. They are to be fed with quality food. These rituals are sattvic in nature and are bound to bring in a lot of prosperity to the region and the people who live there.

 

If such rituals are performed for personal gains and with motives attached, they become rajasic, irrespective of other conditions being fulfilled. If these rituals are performed without adequately rewarding Vedic scholars, helpers and others, who are closely associated with the performance of rituals, such rituals turn out to be tamasic in nature. Feeding the onlookers of these rituals is one of the important conditions for performing such rituals. Abstaining from feeding also makes such rituals into tamasic quality, yielding no benefit to the society. When such rituals are performed to satiate one’s ego and pride, naturally, no beneficial results accrue. If mantra-s and hymns are not recited properly, there is no point in organising such rituals. All these negative features, either independently or jointly play spoilsport of the sanctity of these rituals. Such rituals, if performed as per the directions contained in sūtra-s, bring in enormous amount of benefits to the society, as the vibratory power of the mantra-s generates positive energy. The sound emanating from mantra-s and sacred hymns has enormous capacity to produce positive vibrations resulting in all round prosperity. Only rituals performed with tamasic mentality are capable of producing positive results.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVII. 8 - 10

Gita Series – 155: Chapter - XVII. Verse 8 – 10

 

“Food that promotes longevity, intelligence, vigour, health and happiness are juicy, sebaceous, bland and wholesome in nature and are liked by those who have sattvic quality. Food that is bitter, sour, salty, overheated, pungent, dry and hot is consumed by those with rajasic quality. This type of food causes discomfort, grief and sickness. Food that is not cooked properly, stale, tasteless and spoilt are impure and liked by those with tamasic quality.”

 

The type of food that one consumes determines the guṇa or the quality of a person. Ayurveda says that there are three kinds of causes to any disease. They are wrong utilisation, non- utilisation and over utilisation of time, mental faculties and sense organs. Balanced utilisation of these factors alienates all type of diseases. The quality of the food that is consumed determines pathogenic factors of the body. For example, food with vāyu, pitta and kapha (that produces gas, bile and phlegm) causes rajasic and tamasic qualities. A man keeps a perfect health only if his food is balanced. A balanced food keeps mind, body and soul in perfect harmony as they constitute the substratum of everything. Inappropriate food affects this perfect harmony and causes changes in one’s inherent quality, which in turn afflicts one’s mind. Therefore, irrespective of one’s inherent quality, the food one consumes is capable of altering the nature of a person. That is why, Kṛṣṇa attaches importance to the quality of one’s food consumption. Ayurveda elaborately deals with types of food.

 

A person with sattvic quality has a liking for sattvic types of food, like fruits, vegetables, ghee, milk, etc. Food prepared with more of chilies and spices are capable of not only affecting the quality of a person, but also capable of affecting one’s health. A person with sattvic quality does not consume this kind of food. He always likes a bland food with more of fruits, vegetables and milk products. These kinds of food are wholesome in nature and provide all kinds of nutrients to the body and mind. Sattvic food, particularly fruits and vegetables are capable keeping the mind serene and active. Spicy food not only affects the digestive system, but also affects the mind. Nothing needs to be said about the stale food. Only those persons, who are totally deluded by ignorance, consume state food. Saints and sages follow disciplined eating habits. They do not take food that is more than six hours old. They do not consume spicy food. They take more milk and ghee, which are capable of keeping their body cool. Their bodies become warm because of their penance. Particularly during kundalini meditation, one’s body heat is bound to go up. Adequate consumption of milk and milk products maintain normal body temperature.

 

It is also said that one should never take food to fill up his entire stomach. Food should be taken to fill only half of the stomach. Another quarter of the stomach should be filled with water and the balance quarter of the stomach should be left for air. When the stomach is full, the movement of duodenum gets affected causing the lungs to function with reduced capacity. Only when the duodenum is fully expanded, air fills the entire lungs. Deep, slow and steady breathing is ideal for keeping the mind calm. Spicy food makes the breathing shallow, fast and erratic, which in turn corrupt the mind, by inducing amorous thoughts and agitated temperament.

 

Those who truly long to pursue the true spiritual path have to choose sattvic food, like fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products. Rjasic and tamasic types of food not only affect the digestive system but also corrupt the mind, which is the primary factor in spirituality.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVII. 5 - 7

Gita Series – 154: Chapter - XVII. Verse 5 – 7

 

“Those who resort to severe austerities indiscriminately, not approved by scriptures, are full of hypocrisy and egotism and are obsessed with desire, attachment and pride. Those who debilitate the elements of their body by resorting to such practices also cause injury to Me, the Supreme Soul, dwelling in their hearts. They are senseless persons with demoniac qualities. The food that is consumed also depends upon the innate qualities of men, is also divided into three groups. In the same way, sacrifice, penance and charity are also of three kinds. Now listen to these differences.”

 

Self denial beyond a particular level is dangerous and causes irreparable damage to the five basic elements in the body. It is not advisable to fight against the nature, and even if one resorts to such practices, nothing is attained except damaging the inherent nature of the body composition. Causing such imbalance injures the soul as well. A soul is nothing but the Lord’s direct representative. It can also be said that individual soul is a miniscule representation of the Lord Himself. Depletion of the potency of the basic elements causes sickness. For example, if one undertakes fasting, the digestive fire burns without fuel (food and water), and causes heat related problems. Ayurveda explains at length, the necessity of maintaining the equilibrium of the elements in the body. Generally, people resort to austerities to appease gods. Austerities never appease the Lord, as it causes damage to the body, the Lord’s abode. Instead of appeasing Him, one deluded by ignorance, causes discomfort to Him. Such austerities are not advocated by Holy Scriptures. They are not necessary, as they affect the body and in no way purify the mind, which alone is the essential factor in spiritual life. Kṛṣṇa says that those who pursue such austerities not approved by the sacred scriptures, to demonstrate their unfounded powers, are hypocrites, egoistic and prideful. Those who are endowed with these qualities have the tendency to indulge in pleasures and enjoyments thereby afflicting the mind. Kṛṣṇa calls these men as senseless and berserk. It is to be understood that the Lord can be realised only by peaceful means and without causing any damage to the body. When the Lord within is called sanctum sanctorum, the body that covers the sanctum sanctorum is called the temple. The temple or any place of worship should always be kept clean, as the Lord can never be realized amidst impurities.

 

Everything that exists in the universe is broadly divided into three categories and food is not an exception. The purity of the mind is directly related to the quality of food that one consumes and a man consumes food depending upon his guṇa. Food, mind and guṇa are interrelated. Kṛṣṇa explains this further in the next few verses.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVII. 1 - 4

Gita Series – 153: Chapter - XVII. Verse 1 – 4

 

The 17^th Chapter of Bhagavad Gita is known as “śrddhātrayavibhāgayoah”, known as the “yoga of three kinds of faith”. Kṛṣṇa deals in this chapter not only about three kinds of faith, but also talks about the importance śāstra-s. This chapter has twenty eight verses.

 

The chapter begins with Arjuna’s question to Kṛṣṇa. “What is the position of those, by setting aside the precepts of the Scriptures, worship gods with absolute faith? Do they belong to which of the guṇa-s, sattvic, rajas or tamas?”

 

Kṛṣṇa said, “The innate faith belongs to all the three types of guṇa-s, sattvic, rajas and tamas. Listen to me now. The faith of men depends on their mental attitude. The man is an embodiment of faith and whichever faith he is endowed with, he belongs to that faith. Men with sattvic guṇa worship gods, men with rajasic guṇa worship yakṣa-s and demons and those with tamo guṇa worship spirits and ghosts.”

 

Primarily, guṇa-s constitute the personality of a person. At the time of conception, all the three types of guṇa-s are present in equal proportion. As the foetus grows, one of the three guṇa-s become predominant and in association with one’s karma, decides the personality of the concerned person. The dominant guṇa in association with inner psychic apparatus viz. mind, intellect and ego (or mind, intellect, consciousness and ego) determine the character of that person.

 

Arjuna asks Kṛṣṇa that a person with utmost faith, worship gods of his choice, choosing to ignore the sayings of the scriptures, what would be his predominant guṇa. The question is whether following the teachings of scriptures are important or faith and devotion are important. Kṛṣṇa says that man is bound by one faith or the other. Without faith, a man cannot become an existent. The predominance of a particular guṇa depends upon one’s inner psychic apparatus. In the Lord’s act of creation, sustenance and dissolution, interdependency plays a predominant role. Not a single factor can function on its own. There is always checks and counterchecks in His creation, so that, nothing goes wrong in His administration. For example, let us take guṇa. Guṇa cannot become predominant on its own and has to depend upon mind, intellect and ego. The inner psychic apparatus cannot function independently, and it has to depend upon guṇa. Man needs oxygen for his survival that is produced by the plants and the carbon dioxide required for the plants is produced by man. Because of interdependency, and checks and counterchecks, the universe is being sustained with the highest precision. A small deviation would lead to annihilation of the universe.

 

The men with sattvic guṇa are mentally pure and worship gods and goddesses. The one with rajasic guṇa, resorts to the worship of demigods and goddesses. The one with tamo guṇa, invokes spirits and ghosts. One’s type of worship is based on one’s predominant guṇa. Worshipping gods and goddesses indicate the purity of one’s mind. Worshipping demigods indicate one’s moderate mental state. But those who worship spirits and ghosts remain in the realms of deep darkness, harming others. Generally spirits and ghosts are used to injure others. Their minds are totally deluded and defy all sorts of reasoning. Whatever form men worship, ultimately they become that. A person worshipping a god becomes that god as he is able to establish his consciousness with that form of god. The one who worships demigods and goddesses become celestial bodies. But, the one who are associated with spirits and ghosts become spirits and ghosts and suffer eternally through transmigrations.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVI. 17 - 24

Gita Series – 152: Chapter - XVI. Verse 17 – 24

 

“Afflicted with narcissism, stubbornness, vanity and pride they perform sacrificial rites without following the prescribed norms. Embroiled with egotism, brutal force, arrogance, lust and anger, these demoniac creatures hate Me, who not only dwell in their own selves but in the selves of everyone. These perpetrators of cruelty, worst amongst the humanity are made to transmigrate by Me through demoniac wombs. They fail to attain Me in all their births and descend to the lowest level. Lust, anger and greed are the three dreadful destroyers of the soul and are the three gates to hell and therefore should be abandoned. One should work for his own salvation, by freeing himself from these three evils. The one, by ignoring scriptural precepts but following his own fanciful ideas, does not attain perfection, happiness and liberation. Scriptures alone are your guide as to what should be done and what should not be done. Therefore, Arjuna, you should perform all the actions as prescribed by scriptures.”

 

Kṛṣṇa sums up the serious afflictions of remaining in demoniac nature while concluding this chapter and explains briefly the benefits of dispelling demoniac nature. Narcissism is a quality that attaches importance to his own self, which is in contrast to universal consciousness. Extending warmth of love to the fellow beings and compassion to plant and animal kingdom takes a person to the Lord, without any serious effort on one’s part. This is basically because of the fact, that the Lord is omnipresent. One has to be flexible in one’s approach to the society. Adamancy has no place in a peaceful and compassionate society. The Lord hates vanity and pride. Any rituals associated with vanity and pride, do not connect with the Lord. A yogi is the one, who is able to establish a link between the Lord and himself. When a ritual is performed with pomp and vanity, it becomes a gross violation of commandments of Sacred Scriptures. None of the Holy Scriptures advocates any rituals with pomp and vanity as they are associated with conceitedness. The Lord is never pleased with such conceited rituals. The Lord is an embodiment of love and compassion. He has capacity to look deep within oneself. One can never think of deluding Him.

 

Egotism, brutal force, arrogance, lust and anger are the qualities of a stupefied person and hence are referred to as demoniac qualities. If ego is destroyed, rest of the qualities will never become evident. It is only the ego that makes a person inhumane, arrogant and lusty. A person with haughtiness always remains mentally derailed. Lust is another aspect that makes a person to stoop down to any extent. Gods, goddesses, sages and saints are affected by lust. Stories are abounding about gods and sages getting affected by lust. When a person is afflicted with lust, he loses his metal sheen, where amorous thoughts predominate. Anger is directly related to desire. When one becomes devoid of desire, his temper is always under his control. Such a person never succumbs to the evil effects of anger. If one did not get what he had desired, the resultant factor is anger.

 

Demoniac personalities are called creatures because they do not possess human qualities. Mind is the foremost factor in humanity and when the mind is afflicted beyond repair, they are treated as demons. Kṛṣṇa subtly conveys the importance of His omnipresent nature. He says that He also resides in the selves of demoniac personalities. Without His presence, any manifestation does not happen. The Lord does not distinguish between good and bad, as they manifest because of their own karmas. Kṛṣṇa gives such a lengthy sermon to Arjuna, in the form of Bhagavad Gita, only to motivate him to perform good karmas in order to attain liberation. The Lord is only the source of energy for all the beings. He does not make a person good or bad. It is only the mind, intellect and ego that are responsible to shape the personality of a person. But, the Lord dwells all the time within a physical body, acting as a witness to the actions that unfold due to one’s karmas. Karmic law is the law of the Lord that is incapable of any amendments. It is a law without any complications. The crux of the karmic theory is ‘what one sows, he reaps only that’.

 

Persons with demoniac qualities are lead by their past karmas. They do not make attempts to salvage their karmic afflictions and on the contrary, go deeper and deeper into darkness of ignorance, thereby making their souls to transmigrate a number of times. Karmic afflictions can be nullified only by performing good karmas. Any amount of prayer to the Lord does not absolve a person from his karmic afflictions. Kṛṣṇa says that lust, anger and greed are the three most dreadful enemies to the path of liberation. If one gets afflicted with these evils, it is very difficult swim across their inherent current. Kṛṣṇa says that these three qualities drag down a person to the lowest planes of darkness, where one’s mind remains completely subverted. As already discussed, purity of mind is the only factor for liberation. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa makes it abundantly clear that one’s consciousness alone is responsible for the dawn of spiritual wisdom. One has to strive hard for realizing the Self by resorting penance. Penance does not mean that one should sit in a meditative posture all the time. Penance means the purification of mind, by getting rid of evil thoughts. Holy Scriptures lay down guidelines for pursuing a life that leads to the stage of bliss and the ultimate liberation. For example, all the Upanishads intricately explain the process of liberation. Bhagavad Gita is another example, where the Lord Himself teaches the spiritual path. Knowledge and wisdom are the two important constituents while pursuing spiritual path that is very difficult to pursue without regression.

 

CHAPTER XVI OF BHAGAVAD GITA IS CONCLUDED.

BHAHAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVI. 13 - 16

Gita Series – 151: Chapter - XVI. Verse 13 – 16

 

“They always assume, ‘This has been attained by me today. This desire of mine has been fulfilled today. I have this much of wealth. I am going to acquire further wealth. This enemy has been killed by me today. I will kill the rest also. I am the god. I am the enjoyer of wealth. I have attained all the siddhi-s. I am strong and happy. I am rich and born in a great family. There is none equal to me. I am going to perform yajna-s. I am going to give alms. I am going to enjoy pleasures’ and thus get deluded by ignorance and stay confused all the time. They are afflicted with desires and sensual pleasures and embroil themselves in complete demoniac qualities and sink deep into all types of hell.”

 

Kṛṣṇa says that those who possess demoniac qualities do not think properly and their thoughts are totally corrupted, always thinking about their selves alone. It is the spiritual ignorance that makes them completely bewildered. They become highly egocentric with no concern for others. They find happiness in sadism, which become the cause, for their ultimate fall. They do not have inclination to secure their future by following spiritual path. They are concerned with accumulating wealth to satiate their sadistic pleasures. They erroneously believe that they have attained supernatural powers. Supernatural powers are not that easy to attain, as one has to do severe penance to attain such siddhi-s. They do not have time and inclination to do penance and hence it is not possible for them to attain such siddhi-s. Further, their minds are corrupted with afflicted thoughts that prompt them to indulge in actions that cause mental and physical agony to others. They defy the logic of omnipresent nature of the Lord. Such illusionary mind set makes them to consider them as gods and expect others to worship them as their saviour.

 

In order to boast their ego, they perform sacrificial fire rituals. The Lord never comes to a place that is full of pomp and vanity. The Lord appears in person only in those places that is full of love and compassion. They also claim that they hail from a family of great lineage. Generally, a person’s lineage can be found out from his behaviour. They are completely engulfed with ego. Ego and spirituality are the two extreme ends. Ego leads to destruction and surrender leads to liberation. Except physical strength, they have none to be truly proud of. Selfishness, egocentric, pride, sadistic desires, craving for wealth, pomp, vanity, injuring others are the qualities that ultimately pull them down to destruction. They face death with extreme pain, with serious of dreadful transmigrations awaiting them. There will be no liberation for such souls till the universe is annihilated by the Lord.

 

Kṛṣṇa says that one has to be extremely careful with the path they pursue. After all, what is sown is reaped.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVI. 7 - 12

Gita Series – 150: Chapter - XVI. Verse 7 – 12

 

“The one with demoniac qualities do not know which action is right, and which is wrong, as a result of which, they become impure both internally and externally. They do not speak truth and end up in impropriety. They also say that the universe is unsupported, without Lord and created out of lecherousness. Devoid of knowledge, these afflicted souls become immoral and always think of injuring others, indulge in evil acts and strive for the destruction of the world. Persisting with insatiable desires and pursuing falsified precepts they exist as personifications of hypocrisy, pride and arrogance. Indulging in everlasting pleasures and full of worries till their death and believe that this is all their existence. Thinking that their life is only for sensual gratifications, they embezzle wealth in illegal ways and bound by desire and wrath.”

 

Demoniac qualities arise out of darkness of ignorance causing infrangible illusion. Their minds shake off its human tendency and become beastly in nature. Mind loses its capacity to think and gets totally afflicted with sensory influences, leaving no room for intellect to prevail. This results in losing out their capacity to think logically, leading to enacting of evil acts. A person with a right frame of mind will have the capacity to circumspect, whereas the one with an afflicted mind is not concerned with the consequences of his actions and always remains in a frenzied mood all the time, causing injuries to others. They are called impure, both internally and externally because the frame of mind is reflected through their bodies.

 

The qualities of such beastly men are being explained. They do not speak truth and indulge in all kinds of inappropriate actions. They derive jubilation in harming others, both physically and mentally. They are not concerned with karmic afflictions, as they do not believe in the existence of God. They believe that the world has come into existence through carnal knowledge. They do not know anything about the formation and existence of the universe or galaxies. They live on impulses and momentary and carnal pleasures and never look beyond their present existence. They perpetually lay afflicted with ignorance of the highest order and always remain in darkness. That is why scriptures describe demons as black in colour. Because of their evil acts, they proceed to impregnate the world with all kinds of evils and wickedness leading to its destabilisation and destruction. When their evil acts go unabated, the Lord incarnates Himself and wipes them out. Demons in scriptures subtly refer to the darkness of ignorance about spiritual life. There is no harm even if a person does not pursue the spiritual path, but he should not denounce the one, who follows the spiritual path.

 

They are never satisfied with evil oriented desires. Their desires always remain unabated and they go un-confronted because of their might. They are unaware of divine commandments and they have their own un-established and unconventional precepts to follow. They have falsified pride and arrogance, making them incompatible to peaceful co-existence. There is no peace and harmony around them. They always remain submerged in carnal pleasures. Their ungratified desires and lust, virtually lead them to their own graves and they ultimately perish with a lot of pains. They always indulge in conceitedness and in order to sustain themselves, they loot the innocent and make money through all unethical means. When they are unable to satiate their desires, they turn themselves into a powerhouse of wrath and cause huge destruction not only to themselves, but also to the society at large. They are of the opinion that their birth is to cause damage to the society and to the world at large.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVI. 4 - 6

Gita Series – 149: Chapter - XVI. Verse 4 – 6

 

“Pride, arrogance, wrath, harshness and ignorance are demoniac qualities. Divine qualities lead to liberation and demoniac qualities lead to bondage. Do not grieve Arjuna, as you are endowed with divine qualities. There are only two types of men in this world, one possessing divine nature and the other having demoniac nature. Divine qualities have been already explained to you and now listen to the details of demoniac qualities.”

 

The nature of any man should be either good or bad. There is no intermediate position between good and bad, such as neutral. Kṛṣṇa had already discussed about twenty six types of divine qualities. Before elaborating the details, Kṛṣṇa brings out some of the worst demoniac qualities, such as pride, arrogance, anger, harshness and spiritual and moral ignorance. When one has all these evil qualities, all the human lineaments get assassinated, thereby qualifying that person to be a beast. The one with divine qualities is totally endowed with sattvic guṇa and the one with demoniac qualities has the combination of rajo and tamo guṇa-s, where there sattvic guṇa remains totally absent. Sattvic quality leads to gaining of knowledge, as a person with divine qualities commands love and persons endowed with knowledge come to him on their own and impart knowledge. A typical example towards this is Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Because of Arjuna’s sattvic nature, Kṛṣṇa willingly imparts knowledge of liberation, without Arjuna asking for it. Arjuna resorted to Kṛṣṇa to share his mental condition in the battle field. But knowing the nature of Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa had on his own, imparted knowledge about the Self to Arjuna.

 

The quality of actions by those endowed with divine nature and the quality of actions by those afflicted with demoniac nature are opposite each other, though it is extremely rare to find a person with all the twenty six divine qualities. The activities of a person with sattvic qualities, always make him move forward in his spiritual pursuit, thereby making him as a true spiritual aspirant. The person afflicted with rajo and tamo qualities, is induced to indulge ininjuring others, marking him as an embodiment of hatred, evilness and cruelty. Such a wicked person is never prompted to think about the consequences of hurting other beings, as he totally remains submerged in the darkness of ignorance and illusion. The darkness of ignorance pushes him deeper into karmic afflictions and he continues to suffer from the pains of transmigrations for ever.

 

Possibly, Kṛṣṇa might have noticed the signs or fear in Arjuna’s face, when Kṛṣṇa said the demoniac qualities will continue to be deluded by bondage with no signs of liberation. That is why Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna that he is endowed only with divine qualities.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XVI. 1 - 3

Gita Series – 148: Chapter - XVI. Verse 1 – 3

 

The XVI chapter of Bhagavad Gita is known as “daivāsurasampadvibhāgayogaḥ”, the yoga of discrimination between godly and demonic properties. This chapter has 24 verses. This chapter deals with moral virtues that are to be pursued and the demonic qualities that are to be shunned.

 

Kṛṣṇa begins this chapter by saying, “Fearlessness, purity of mind, pursuing the yoga of knowledge for realizing the Self, charity, conquering senses, performing sacrificial rites, to study holy scriptures, controlling impulses, straightforwardness, practicing non-violence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquillity, criticizing others, compassion to all the beings, absence of avariciousness, politeness, modesty, devoid of restlessness, devoid of faithlessness, magnanimity, patience, courageousness, purity, absence of hatred, absence of vanity are the divine qualities.”

 

Kṛṣṇa enumerates twenty six types of divine qualities. These divine qualities are considered as essential components to pursue the spiritual path.

 

1. Fearlessness arises out of ignorance and causes the depletion of energy level of the body. Mostly, fear is unfounded and causes a huge dent in one’s awareness. Fear also causes a weak foundation for spiritual pursuit. Fearlessness also forms the foundational principle of all other qualities and causes alignment of all other principles to fall in line with one’s spiritual pursuit.

 

2. Purity of mind is being repeatedly stressed by Kṛṣṇa, as the spiritual unfoldment happens only in the mind that remains un-afflicted by senses. Sensory inputs cause deep impressions in the mind making the mind impure. When the mind is embedded with impressions, it loses its luster making a person susceptible to distraction. A distracted mind cannot progress in a meaningful meditation. Meditation can advance only if thoughts are silenced. As long as the mind remains with the remnants of thoughts, it cannot be purified. Any amount of meditation will be of no help if meditation is not done with a purified mind.

 

3. Yoga of knowledge or jñāna yoga is another important aspect in spirituality. But what is knowledge that is being spoken of here? It is the purest form of consciousnesses. Knowledge and consciousness are interrelated. The higher the level of consciousness, higher would be the level of one’s knowledge. It is only the knowledge that helps a spiritual aspirant to seek the Brahman through his mind. Knowledge alone makes a person to differentiate between what is perishable and what is imperishable.

 

4.. Charity reflects one’s unselfishness and generosity. Charity does not depend upon the money or material. Charity should be done only within one’s means. It is only the inclination that matters in charity. It is important to give charity, only to the deserving one.

 

5. Conquering senses is not easy. Senses are prone to enjoyment and pleasure. Conquering senses can be begun by talking less. Senses lead to desires and attachments.

 

6. Performing sacrificial rites is the symbolic representation of pouring in as oblation, one’s spiritual ignorance in the fire of supreme knowledge. Sacrificial rites also refer to religious practices that are prescribed by śāstra-s. It is always advisable to begin spiritual pursuits after learning religious practices along with reasoning, which form a strong foundation for spirituality.

 

7. Study of Holy Scriptures is important to attain knowledge about the Brahman. Unless one fully understands what is sought by him, it is not possible to achieve the goal with perfection. If one does not know the route to reach his destination, he cannot obviously reach the destination. Spirituality culminates in the realization of the Brahman, in His total glory. Who is Brahman and how can He be attained are taught only by the scriptures.

 

8. Impulses are the results of sudden spurt of desires and anger. If the mind is kept under restraint, impulses will never sprout. The results of impulses are sometimes disastrous. Impulses are mostly associated with anger and lust. Conquering senses will never lead to impulsive desires.

 

9. Straightforwardness, honesty and sincerity always go together. If there is a marginal affliction in any of these, the qualities of all the three get affected.

 

10. Non-violence is the source to compassion. Nothing can be achieved by resorting to violence. Violence arises out of impulsions.

 

11. Speaking truth gives less strain to the mind. Suppression of truth leads to enormous pressure on the mind, as one lie leads to series of lies in order to corroborate each other that ultimately prove to be disastrous.

 

12. Anger also arises out of impulsions. A calm and steady mind never becomes repulsive.

 

13. Renunciation is often referred to, in all the scriptures. Renunciation is not the end of a spiritual journey, but the commencement of it. When one practices renunciation, most of the qualities described here automatically blossoms forth.

 

14. Tranquillity evolves from a quietened mind. Pursuing spiritual path to its logical conclusion, realizing the Brahman, surely needs a tranquil mind. A restless mind is the source for too many thoughts, unconnected to spirituality.

 

15. Criticizing others exposes one’s own inability and causes serious agitation in his mind. If one finds fault in others, it is always advisable to call him in privacy and discuss with him, his shortcomings. This not only corrects the person, but also exposes one’s magnanimity. Particularly, this is helpful in working environment.

 

16. Compassion is a divine quality. It is only the compassion that leads to universal love, a form of divine manifestation.

 

17. Avariciousness never gives satisfaction and leads to unabated desire and greed and overrides most of the qualities discussed here.

 

18. Politeness is the quality in man that embellishes most of the qualities discussed here. This is one of the qualities that outshine most of the other qualities, when one is nearing the Lord. By being polite, one commands respect.

 

19. Modesty leads to simple way of living, which avoids most of the desires. The Lord never likes pomp and vanity. Modesty establishes grace in a person.

 

20. Restlessness becomes the worst quality in general and becomes worst quality for any spiritual seekers. Restlessness is a clear symptom of an agitated mind. Spiritual realization is a slow process and is directly relevant to one’s efforts and dedication. Any minor impediment in the mind is sure to postpone the realization of the Self.

 

21. Faithfulness is another important aspect in spirituality. It can also be said that faithfulness forms the foundational factor of spirituality. One has to repose faith in his spiritual preceptors. Being unfaithful, makes a person treacherous and unreliable and no guru would ever take this kind of man as his disciple.

 

22. Magnanimity wards off ego. It is yet another quality, when practiced, enables a person to command respect and love. One has to always remain generous in nature.

 

23. Patience is the inevitable quality in spirituality. One has to patiently pursue the spiritual path, waiting for the time of liberation.

 

24. Purity of mind and body is important. By keeping the body pure, mind automatically becomes pure, as the mind receives its inputs from the sensory organs. A polluted mind becomes incapable of proper perception of the Lord.

 

25. Hatred causes mental agitation. If the mind is to be calmed down, hatred is to be eliminated. Hatred is the emotional swing of the mind, causing irreparable mental degradation.

 

26. Vanity is a trait of being unduly vain and conceited pride. Even while performing rituals, vanity is to be totally avoided as the Lord Himself is devoid of pride and vanity. Vanity is yet another manifestation of one’s ego. If one continues to be affected by ego, the mind can never be cleansed.

 

All these qualities are related to the mind. Kṛṣṇa has not included even a single quality about matter. While pursuing the spiritual path, one should not get deluded with matter, the main source of all negativities. Unless one is able to differentiate between mind and matter, spiritual progression cannot be made. The mind has to always remain in sublime state, as no one knows, when realization will take place.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XV. 18 - 20

Gita Series – 147: Chapter - XV. Verse 18 – 20

 

“I am beyond the perishable matter (also known as prakṛti, kṣetra and gross form) and the imperishable soul (also known as puruṣa and kṣetrajña). Therefore I am the Supreme, known as Puruṣottama, in the worlds and Vedas. The wise, who knows Me thus, worships Me at all times and through all means. Sinless Arjuna, I have imparted the most secret knowledge. Knowing this, a man transforms into a sage, with all his duties fully accomplished.”

 

Kṛṣṇa concludes this chapter by asserting His Supremacy in the entire universe. He is Prakṛti and Puruṣa, He is the gross body as well as the subtle body, He is the field and the knower of the field, yet He is beyond all these and He is known as Puruṣottama, the Ultimate. Puruṣottama literally means the highest being. Only from Puruṣottama, souls and prakṛti originate. They are also sustained by Him, they get dissolved unto Him during annihilation and are recreated again due to His compassion. Beyond Puruṣottama, there is nobody and He pervades the universe everywhere. Without His command and will nothing moves in the universe. Upaniṣad-s say that sun shines fearing Him, the air blows fearing Him and every activity happens at His command.

 

The wise know well, that Puruṣottama can be realized only through highly refined spiritual knowledge and Kṛṣṇa Himself had chosen to impart this kind of knowledge through His sermons to Arjuna. That is why, Bhagavad Gita is considered as the best source to attain spiritual knowledge. Kṛṣṇa said that He had imparted the secretive knowledge to Arjuna. The secretive knowledge can be explained thus: ‘Souls and prakṛti are created by Puruṣottama, which are nothing but His different manifestations which augurs well with His omnipresence. A soul interacting with prakṛti causes manifestation of a gross body. Sense organs get embedded in the gross body that get connected to antaḥkaraṇa, the inner psychic apparatus (comprising of mind, intellect, consciousness and ego) to unfold the impressions of the mind, caused during his previous births in conjunction with one’s own karma. The soul is imperishable, whereas every other thing is perishable. The soul continues to remain imperishable as long it is associated with impressions of mind and karma. The cessation of the soul becomes possible only if one could understand its creator Puruṣottama by acquiring enough knowledge to realize Him. He can only be realized and not be seen, as He is devoid of forms, but remains as the only source of energy for all that happens in the universe. If He is understood and realised, one is able to merge into Him, with no more births.’

 

A man, who proceeds to know the Supreme Puruṣottama, transforms into a sage. The moment when this transformation is complete, his goal of having born in this universe is achieved and he continues to exist with his consciousness is totally fixed on Puruṣottama, till his body dies. A soul can merge with the Brahman only during human birth, as the merger happens only through the mind.

 

BHAGAVAD GITA CHAPTER XV IS CONCLUDED

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XV. 15 - 17

Gita Series – 146: Chapter - XV. Verse 15 – 17

“I am seated in the hearts of all beings. From Me alone come memory and knowledge or their absence. Truly, I am the one, who is to be known through Veda-s. I am the author of Vedānta and the knower of Veda-s. There are two Puruṣa-s in this world, one is perishable, and another is imperishable. All beings are perishable and the kūṭastha is imperishable. Beyond these, there exists the Supreme Soul, the indestructible Brahman, who pervades all the three worlds and maintains all.”

 

The Brahman is seated in the heart of all the beings. But, what Kṛṣṇa refers to, is not the biological heart. Kṛṣṇa calls this as hṛd, meaning the seat of feelings and emotions, where one’s soul and mind are seated. This can be safely referred to as the anāhata cakra (chakra), in the middle of which the soul is said to reside. This does not override the theory of omnipresence of the Lord. A soul is said to reside in a particular place, in the occult heart, merely to enable a person to concentrate within. In spirituality, concentration or awareness, which is popularly known as consciousness, is one of the important requirements to reach the logical end, the liberation. To enable the aspirants to develop the highest level of consciousness, soul is said to reside in the metaphysical heart, so that one can develop the skills of connecting his soul with the cosmos. It is easier to conceive a connection between the metaphysical heart and the Self illuminating Brahman in the imperceptible cosmos.

 

From this soul, the direct representative of the Lord or may even be called a part of the Lord, knowledge is derived. The impressions of the previous births are embedded in the subtle body along with one’s karma that get manifest in subsequent births. They together determine the quality of a person. Therefore, knowledge or ignorance that continue from the impressions of the previous births is derived from the subtle body and the soul, that are nothing but the Lord Himself. He is the knowledge incarnate and all the sacred teachings such as Veda-s and Upaniṣad-s focus their teachings only to realize Him. Veda-s, though refer to a number of gods, they are nothing but the different functional energy sources of the Brahman. Therefore, all these teachings exist, only to reveal Him.

 

Vedānta is different from Veda-s. Vedānta begins from the place where Veda-s end. The teachings of Veda-s and Upaniṣad-s lead to Vedānta. Vedānta reduces the number of gods enumerated in the Veda-s to just the Brahman and declare Him in relative term to the universe and individual souls, for easier understanding. Veda-s lead to Upaniṣad-s and Upaniṣad-s lead to Brahma Sūtra-s and Brahma Sūtra-s lead to Vedānta. One could say that Vedānta is the extract of all these sacred scriptures including Bhagavad Gita.

 

The two Puruṣa-s, that Kṛṣṇa talks about are kṣara and Akṣara. Kṣara means perishable and Akṣara means imperishable. Kṛṣṇa had explained the difference between the two, perishable and imperishable, on several occasions in the earlier chapters like para and apara, adhibhūta and adhyātma, and kṣetra and kṣetrajña. The Self alone prevails everywhere and there is no second to Him. All that we see with our biological eyes are nothing but the reflections of the Brahman only. They are seen only as reflections because of māyā. The illusionary effect of the Brahman is the creation that we see.

 

The difference between the two can also be explained this way. The Supreme Consciousness in its purest form is the Brahman, from whom all sentient and insentient beings evolve. The sentient and insentient things put together are called matter. Matter is always subjected to changes and modifications resulting in their ultimate destruction. Whatever grows has to ultimately cease to exist one day. The universe along with all the sentient and insentient things will cease to exist at some point of time, as they are all growing. The source for their growth is derived from the Brahman, who alone remains Imperishable as He does not undergo any changes or modifications. When the Brahman has assumed the form of a matter, He becomes perishable. Beneath the matter, the soul, the imperishable remains and when the life of the matter has come to an end, the soul or the imperishable leaves and remains as imperishable till it manifests as another matter. The matter is known as prakṛti and the energizing soul is known as the Self. Kṛṣṇa calls the imperishable as kūṭastha as against the perishable prakṛti.

 

Beyond the perishable prakṛti and imperishable kūṭastha, there is the Brahman, from whom alone souls and prakṛti originate. This Supreme Soul or the Brahman can be realised only if prakṛti is transcended and the soul is realised. When one is able to cross these two, what remains there is the Brahman, the ultimate of the entire creation, from whom alone has come the entire creation, by whom alone the creation is being sustained and unto whom alone the creation is dissolved. When Kṛṣṇa refers to the three worlds, He means the three stages of consciousness, active state, dream state and deep sleep state. Whatever happens in these three stages of consciousness, the Lord alone prevails.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XV. 11 - 14

Gita Series – 145: Chapter - XV. Verse 11 – 14

 

“The yogis strive hard to realise Him within. But the ones, who are not perfected and remaining impure, cannot know the Self within, in spite of their best efforts. The effulgence of the sun, which illuminates the whole world, the light of the moon and the fire, all originate from Me. I permeate the earth with my energy and support it. I become the ambrosial moon and nourish the plants. I become the fire and abide in the body of all beings and uniting with inhalation and exhalation, I consume the four types of food.”

 

Kṛṣṇa says that even the yogis find it difficult to realise Him within. Yogis are those who are able to unite their selves with the Self. Yoga means union and yogi (the correct usage is yogin) means the one, who has accomplished the connection between Self and self. Even a yogi, who has perfected himself, finds it difficult to realise the Self within. Here comes the difference between devotion for the Lord and love for the Lord. Though, both may appear to be more or less the same, there is significant difference between the two. According to many, devotion is nothing but to pray to Him and offer Him something at the appointed time. Rest of the time, they do not think about the Lord. This is not devotion, but only a practice or custom. This type of devotion is too shallow and is not the devotion that Kṛṣṇa had spoken about, in the earlier chapters. The true devotion is longing for Him deep from the heart, may be in some conceptualized forms. There is nothing in between the aspirant and the Lord here. Both of them stay together. This type of devotion over a period of time, blossoms forth, as love for the Lord. This love will not blossom out, until a person has reached the higher states of devotion, not merely making offerings to Him. The Lord never wants anything from anyone except one’s mind, saturated with His thoughts. The eternal love for Him again matures with time and the aspirant gradually dispenses the form of his Lord and begins to understand His true nature, His blinding effulgence. Kṛṣṇa says that even yogis are finding it difficult to realise the Self Effulgence within, there is no question of a person with an afflicted mind, anywhere close to realizing Him. Irrespective of one’s perseverance, dedication, long hours of practice, etc. without a clean mind, he cannot make any significant spiritual progression, as the Lord is realized only in the realms of the mind.

 

Kṛṣṇa gives further explanation on the Self. The whole world sustains itself on the light energy of the sun. The energy of the light gets modified into different energies and interpenetrates the earth to sustain different aspects of creation. Without the energy of light, no action can happen in the universe. Hence, Kṛṣṇa says that all the sources of light originate from Him, as He alone is Self illuminating, from whom the sun and fire draws energy. The moon draws the energy from the sun, making the moon dependent on the sun. In Lord’s creation, each aspect of life is interdependent on some other aspect, for effective sustenance. There are certain medicinal herbs that grow only in the moon light. These plants cannot grow to its full potency during sunlight and can produce the medicinal properties only during moonlight. Moon rules over water, the basic necessity for plants to grow. Moon also represents joy, generosity, stability and sacrifice. Apart from the light energy, all other energies are produced by the Lord Himself, though they may appear to originate from the sun. Nature also known as prakṛti is the creation of the Lord. Prakṛti is nothing but His own play field, where the entire manifestations take place and appear as māyā, His illusory aspect. He conceals Himself from the ignorant through veils of māyā.

 

The Lord is the cause for the fire in the body. The body needs certain temperature for sustenance. The Lord manifests as Vaiśvānara, the digestive fire of human beings present in the stomach. If the food is not burnt by Vaiśvānara, food cannot be assimilated. This fire is fuelled by breath, known as prāṇa comprising both inhalation and exhalation. The inhaled air in conjunction with Vaiśvānara breaks into prāṇa and apāṇa and aids in assimilation and elimination. Vaiśvānara being the Lord’s own manifestation, Kṛṣṇa says that He consumes four types of food. When Vaiśvānara extinguishes, the soul leaves the body causing death. The four types of food are i) solid food that requires chewing; ii) liquids like curd, milk, etc that can be swallowed; iii) licking with the help of the tongue; and iv) sucking directly, for example mango pulp, sugarcane juice, etc. Manipulating prāṇa through proper breathing exercises known as prāṇāyāma, not only energises the body, but also helps to control the mind. This is another example of interdependence in His creation.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XV. 7 - 10

Gita Series – 144: Chapter - XV. Verse 7 – 10

 

“The individual soul is a tiny particle of Mine, which draws towards it, mind and the five senses, that prevail in prakṛti. Like the wind taking away with it, the fragrance of flowers, the soul that controls the body takes away with it, the mind and subtle senses from the body and enters another body. The soul enjoys the sensory world while presiding over the senses and the mind. The ignorant do not understand this concept of the soul, either during their life time or at the time of death. Neither do they understand the soul when it is connected to the three guṇa-s, nor during enjoying sensory pleasures. Those who are endowed with the eye of knowledge alone perceive it.”

 

Kṛṣṇa begins to explain Soul and soul. The individual soul forms a tiny part of the Lord, who is also referred as Soul. There is no difference between Soul and soul, except for the fact that soul forms a miniscule part of the Lord. There are two aspects to any living being. One is gross and the other one is the subtle. Subtle is the source of energy to make the gross form to act. A motor car without fuel is the shell or the body. The motor car can function only if it is filled with fuel. The fuel is filled with a dispenser, a tool to aid filling. Now the motor car is the physical body, fuel filled in the motor car is the soul or self and the reservoir of fuel from which the fuel is drawn is the Self or the Brahman. Thus, a soul becomes the source of energy for a body to function.

 

The soul alone cannot manifest. When a soul is ready to manifest, as discussed in the earlier chapters, it conjoins with prakṛti, which is full of kinetic energy. The soul, when it conjoins with prakṛti, attracts towards it, the mind and subtle elements and when this conjugation is complete, the gross form begins to sprout. The gross body begins to manifest around the soul, making it as the source for all its actions. Though the soul becomes the primary source for manifestation, the soul itself does not partake in any action that is done by the body. This can be compared to sun and its rays. The sun being a witness to all the happenings in the earth merely provides its energy to the earth. But the sun does not directly get involved in any of the actions that happen in the earth, nor does the sun decide how its energies are to be utilized. But, the sun still watches how his rays cause various actions in the earth. The sun merely acts as a witness for actions caused by its own energy. In the same way, a soul merely acts a witness to all the actions that unfold through the gross body. Irrespective of all the actions that take place due to the energy of the sun, the sun itself does not undergo any changes. The soul also does not get modified due to the actions of the body that primarily unfold due to antaḥkaraṇa, the internal faculty along with five rudimentary elements such as sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Through this combination, the soul seated within, enjoys the actions of the body. Though actions of the body do not modify the soul within, which is nothing but the Brahman Himself, actions of the body leave lasting impressions in the mind called vāsanā. The five basic elements are produced from the five subtle elements (tanmātra-s). The tanmātra-s are a portion of the subtle body.

 

When the soul departs from the body at the time of death, it leaves along with the subtle body where the mind and rudimentary principles are found, leaving the gross body to disintegrate and perish. The gross body is consumed to prakṛti, from where it actually originated. The soul along with mind and five subtle elements after leaving the body enter another body to unfold their actions again. This time, the actions depend upon the impressions left in the mind and dominance of a particular guṇa is determined. Kṛṣṇa says that spiritually ignorant men do not understand this concept of the soul during their life time or even at the time of death, because of their absolute bewilderment. This process can be understood only by those who have spiritual eye, which is also called the eye of wisdom or the third eye.

 

At the time of leaving the body, the soul has three options. One is merge with the Soul, second is to sojourn and the third is to enter another body.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XV. 3 - 6

Gita Series – 143: Chapter - XV. Verse 3 – 6

 

“The real nature of this tree, its origin, its end and its sustenance is not understood by ordinary men. But, the wise destroy this deep rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment. Thereafter, the wise aspirant should seek the Supreme State of the Lord, with a resolve to seek refuge in the Primeval Puruṣa, the eternal source of energy of everything. Those who are free from pride and delusion, having won over the miseries of attachment, perpetually connected with the Lord, whose desires have ceased to exist, totally freed from dyads reach the supreme state of immortality. That Supreme Abode of mine is not illuminated by sun, moon or fire and those who reach here, never go back to the material world.”

 

The Brahman manifests in the form of all existents. He is not to be construed as different in size, shape or form. He, being omnipresent and subtle, is able to pervade all that exists in this universe. An individual self, who realizes this fact and experiences the firm conviction that “I am the Supreme Brahman” attains instantaneous liberation. He affirms again and again that “I am the That pure and formless Brahman, without attributes and qualities”, as result of which, the pleasures and pains do not affect him. The inverted peepul tree typically represents illusionary aspect of creation, afflicted with sensory perceptions and deceptive knowledge. They are so engrossed in the delusory knowledge do not have any inclination to acquire the true knowledge, the only source to attain liberation. When one attains knowledge, he will forthwith destroy his desire, attachment and ego and all that is connected to “I” ness. The peepul tree represents all attachments and the axe that is used to cut the peepul tree is one’s will power. If one has a strong will power, then alone, he will be able to get away from the clutches of saṁsāra.

 

Once, “I” ness is totally destroyed, there is enough time to manoeuvre his mind to look within to explore the Self. When he is able to make mental affirmation that the Brahman is not someone different from him, but he himself is the Brahman. The knowledge that he has gained enables him to understand that the Brahman is omnipresent. Because of the omnipresent nature of the Brahman, when He is present in him, He has to be present everywhere and in all the beings. This results in understanding universality of the Brahman and by his sheer perseverance, he understands this and gets transformed into a yogi or a saint. There is no need for him to change his appearance and no dress code applies to him. He continues to remain one amongst us.

 

He becomes eligible to be addressed as a saint or a sage or a yogi when he transcends the opposites. For him there is neither an enemy nor a friend, as everyone is the same Brahman to him. When his individual consciousness transforms into universal consciousness, he transcends all the dyads like joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, etc. His transformation from existence to ethereal happens due to his knowledge and will power. He is now able to understand the words of Ramana Mahaṛṣi, “I am not the gross body, nor am I the subtle body. I am also not the casual body. I am the kinsman of the universe. I am the one, who is of the nature of transcendental knowledge. I am the Lord, the taintless one, the one who is devoid of three states of consciousness and the one who is devoid of the universe.”

This affirmation absolves all his sins and makes him pure. The process of merger with the Lord begins with this purification. His body begins to illuminate. Purity and effulgence are the two qualities of the Lord, with which he is now endowed with. When his soul departs, it reaches the abode of the Lord, which is full of illumination. This illumination is not due to the luminaries. It is the illumination of the Supreme Self and other souls like him. There is no darkness there and the Place is ever illuminated. The one, who has reached there, will never come back to mundane existence. When the time is ripe, his soul merges with That Self illuminating Light.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XV. 1 - 2

Gita Series – 142: Chapter - XV. Verse 1 – 2

 

The XV chapter of Bhagavad Gita is known as “puruṣottamayogaḥ”. Puruṣottam refers to the Brahman, the Supreme Spirit. This chapter consists of 20 verses.

 

Kṛṣṇa said: “The one who is aware of the inverted eternal peepul tree, with its root upwards and leaves below, knowing its roots as the Lord, its stem as Brahmā, the god in-charge of creation, its leaves as Veda-s, is the real knower of Veda-s. This tree is nourished by the three guṇa-s and sensory objects forming the foliage of the branches, spread above and below. Its roots going down, cause the bondage arising out of actions.”

 

Kṛṣṇa begins to provide further elucidations on the Brahman, as it is only the Brahman, who is to be realised. Kṛṣṇa has taken an inverted peepul tree for example. This tree is with thick foliage and a huge trunk with deep roots. Its branches and leaves are used for various religious purposes. Now, one has to visualize this peepul, tree upside down. This inverted tree represents saṃsāra, the normal mundane and materialistic life. The roots that are important to nourish the tree is now on the upper side, is the abode of the Brahman. The root, through which the tree is nourished, is the Brahman, who is atop of this inverted tree. Without roots, tree cannot sustain and without the Brahman, the universe cannot sustain. Since, the Brahman is the highest amongst all the existence, a comparison is drawn to an inverted tree. One may argue that when leaves are the cause of photosynthesis, why the tree should be inverted. The simple answer is that a tree can survive without leaves, but not without roots. This tree as such represents the creative aspect of prakṛti, endowed with guṇa-s. A human form can be compared to an inverted tree; brain to the roots, trunk to organs of actions and foliage to organs of perception. If a tree as such, is drawn for comparison, then their roots, the main life giving part of the tree remains underneath. If the Brahman is referred to the foliage of a normal tree, obviously, the foliage is not the life giving one.

 

In the inverted tree, the root is the Brahman, its trunk is the lord of creation, Brahmā and its foliage represent all the living beings. Veda-s represent knowledge here. When the foliage is pruned, the growth of the tree is also affected and this goes to prove the importance of knowledge in shaping one’s life. The foliage of a tree undergoes changes, depending upon the season like autumn and spring, which indicates the death and birth of beings. The root does not undergo any changes like the foliage. This also goes to prove that the Brahman alone is eternal and all the beings are perishable. The knower of this fact is called the knower of Veda-s. Veda-s teach the importance of the Imperishable Brahman, from whom alone, the entire universe manifests. The Brahman is the life giving force like the root of the tree and the beings, like the tree’s foliage undergo birth and death, signifying the transmigration of the beings.

 

Basically, a man is nourished by his inherent qualities. Neither a saint will become a villain nor does a villain transform into a saint, overnight. One has to fight it out to overcome the impingement of guṇa-s. The guṇa-s are always inherent in prakṛti and are the cause for saṃsāra, the materialistic life comprising of desire, attachment, etc for which sensory organs are used. These sensory organs cause deep impressions in the mind, making the mind corrupt and polluted with multifarious thoughts, leaving no room in the mind for contemplating the Lord. The impact of impressions is so great that one is not able to free himself from the bondage and on the contrary goes further down into the miseries of bondage. This leads to a situation, where a person is not able to redeem himself from the painful process of transmigration. Either by acting or by reacting, he accumulates more karma and gets sunk in the deep ocean of miseries and pains of repeated transmigrations.

 

There is a reference to this inverted tree in Kaṭha Upaniṣad (II.iii.1) which says, “This world is like a big peepul tree that is rooted high above (the Brahman) and has its branches (living beings) spread out below. The phenomenal world is timeless as it comes and goes like waves of ocean. The root of the three, the Brahman is pure and immortal and all the worlds rest on it. Nothing can surpass it and this is truly That.”

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XIV. 19 - 27

Gita Series – 141: Chapter - XIV. Verse 19 – 27

 

“When one understands that there is no factor other than the three guṇa-s and realises Me beyond these guṇa-s, enters My being. When he transcends these three guṇa-s, the cause for physical body, he is freed from birth, death, old age and all kinds of sorrows and his soul attains immortality.”

 

Arujna now asks Kṛṣṇa, “How to recognize a person who has transcended these three guṇa-s and what will be his behaviour? How he has transcended the three guṇa-s?”

 

Kṛṣṇa replies, “When one is indifferent, whether guṇa-s are present in him or not, realising that guṇa-s pervade the entire creation, without wavering mind and always established in the Lord, unaffected by dyads such as pleasure and pain, considers a mass of earth, a stone and a piece of gold as equal in value, possessing wisdom, unaffected by either by appreciation or criticism and pleasant or unpleasant experiences, treats alike a friend or enemy, who has renounced the doership is said to have transcended the three guṇa-s. He who worships me through firm devotion and transcending these guṇa-s becomes eligible to attain the Brahman. For, I am the abode of the imperishable, immortal, everlasting dharma and the eternal Bliss.”

 

The Brahman is the Ultimate and He is the cause of everything, be it good or bad. Brahman has two aspects, one is the illuminating aspect, and the other is the illusionary aspect. It depends upon a person whether to look at the illuminating side of the Lord or the illusionary side of the Lord. The one who sees the bright side of the Lord gets illuminated and the one who sees the darker side of the Lord, the cause of illusion, remains deluded in darkness of ignorance. Illusion and ignorance can be compared to a projector that beams images on a screen. The beam from the projector is the illumination of the Lord. What one sees on the screen is only illusionary, though appears to be real. When a character in the screen cries, the audience also cry, and where there is a comedy scene on the screen, audience also laugh with the characters. Though fully aware, that what one sees on the screen is nothing but images, still audience get entangled with the characters on the screen, failing to realize that the images are only the beams that come out of the projector. None of the audience thinks about the projector in a cinema hall. But the one, who knows that the projector is the cause of images, is a realised person and those who get involved with the characters of the movie are submerged in delusion.

 

The one, who thus understands that the Lord alone is the cause of guṇa-s, who simply sits and watches the guṇa-s unfolding in men and causing the formation of their gross bodies, become eligible for liberation. The primary condition for liberation is to transcend the guṇa-s and look beyond. It was discussed earlier, the equilibrium of the three guṇa-s is disturbed when a soul unites with prakṛti, causing the formation of a physical body. Therefore, one has to understand that cause for the soul as well as prakṛti is only the Lord who creates, sustains and dissolves the universe. If the omnipresence nature of the Lord is believed, one has to believe that the Lord is the embodiment of illumination and darkness. The one, who understands this fundamental principle, attains liberation.

 

At this point, Arjuna has a doubt. He wanted to know how to identify a person who has transcended the three guṇa-s and how does he behave? Arjuna also wants to know from the Lord, his practical guidance to go past these guṇa-s.

 

Kṛṣṇa begins to clarify Arjuna’s doubts. All the three guṇa-s always pervade the universe (in prakṛti), as the quality of a living being is determined on the basis of predominance of a particular guṇa. A lion cannot be of sattvic guṇa and by nature it has to be rajasic. Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest is based on these guṇa-s only. Only in the human beings, one has the option of choosing either one of the guṇa-s. The one with knowledge go past these guṇa-s and make efforts to realize the source of these guṇa-s, the Brahman. A wise man fights against his underlying human nature by controlling his senses, purifying mind, etc only to get liberated. The thought of attaining liberation dawns in one’s mind, only he has acquired sufficient knowledge to purse the path of spirituality. This thought attains gigantic proportions over previous births and is implemented during this birth to cease his shunting up and down all the time.

 

Kṛṣṇa now begins to elucidate the qualities that are necessary to transcend the guṇa-s, to become one with the Lord. Irrespective of the nature of one’s own guṇa and considering it as the one that pervades every being, one should fix his concentration on the Lord all the time with unshakable faith. He should ensure that his mind does not oscillate between any of the extremes, for example, emotionally charged during the moments of joy or sorrow. Serenity of the mind is an essential feature of spirituality. During rituals, one uses his senses and during spiritual practice one has to necessarily use, only his mind. Unless the sensory afflictions are controlled, cleansing of the mind is not possible. Emotiveness is the inherent factor and one has to fight it out to purify his mind. For him, a piece of gold and a mass of earth do not make any difference, as he is unconcerned with their values. This aspirant is not concerned with mercenary values as he has the capacity and ability to discriminate between what is Real and what is illusionary. He knows that Reality is beyond guṇa-s and what he sees with his biological eyes is nothing but the illusionary world. In view of his true spiritual knowledge about the divine, he is not deluded by dyads, as his mind firmly fixed on the Lord all the time.

 

The aspirant also fulfils yet another primary condition in spiritual progression, the surrender of his ego. He truly understands the omnipresence of the Lord and for his convenience, he adores the Lord within. He knows that his soul within is the Lord Himself. He has become genuinely wise in not seeking Him elsewhere. He knows that the Lord pervades in the form all the beings, both sentient and insentient. He worships Him all the time in his mind and not considering the Lord as someone extraneous to him. He knows that the Lord walks when he walks and the Lord speaks when he speaks and the Lord sleeps when he sleeps. His mind and body is totally submerged in the blissfulness of the Lord, all the time. He also knows that his external form or the physical body is nothing but superimposition on the Lord.

 

The aspirant becomes aware that Lord is the embodiment of imperishable dharma or virtuousness. His devotion has culminated into pure love for Him and his body becomes a vehicle for the Lord to move about. His body radiates with the effulgence of the Lord within. In spite of all this, he continues to live just as an ordinary person, one among the beings. He completely conceals his oneness with the Lord. He is endowed with supernatural powers, but he does not use them. He knows that future should always remain as divine secret. The soul of this sage merges with the Brahman to become one with Him.

 

CHAPTER XIV OF BHAGAVAD GITA CONCLUDED

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XIV. 14 - 18

Gita Series – 140: Chapter - XIV. Verse 14 – 18

 

“When a man dies, while sattva guṇa is predominant, he attains the world of sages. When a man dies while rajo guṇa is predominant, he is reborn in the earth amongst those who are attached to actions. When a man dies, while tamo guṇa is predominant, he is reborn amongst plant and animal kingdoms. The fruit of sattva guṇa is happiness and joy; rajo guṇa is pain and sorrow; and tamo guṇa is ignorance. Knowledge arises from sattva guṇa, greed arises from rajo guṇa and stupefaction and ignorance arise from tamo guṇa. Those who abide in, sattva guṇa go upwards; rajo guṇa stay in the middle; and tamo guṇa sinks down.”

 

At the time of death, what one thinks, he becomes that. Kṛṣṇa had earlier said that at the time of death one should fix his consciousness between the two eyebrows and contemplate on Him, in order to reach His abode. The same concept is explained here. When a person dies while sattva guṇa is predominant, his soul moves up to the astral world, where souls of sages and saints sojourn. Their ascendance to the higher plane is not rebirth, as the soul takes a sojourn without ego. Karmic afflictions unfold only through gross forms. In the case of a person whose soul leaves his body when rajo guṇa is predominant, he is born again as a human being, among those who are greatly attached to actions with intent to reap the fruits of actions. His mind is always crowded with thoughts. When a person dies while tamo guṇa is predominant in him, he is born as senseless creatures like plants and animals. This is also confirmed in Chāndaogya Upaniṣad (V.10.7).

 

When a person is endowed with sattva guṇa, he always remains in the state of contentment, leading to blissful state of mind. He pursues the path of liberation with the help of knowledge he has gained, through perseverance and dedication. When a person has rajo guṇa predominant in him, he becomes attached to materialistic way of life and as a result of which, he undergoes the pains of mundane life. Life is full of pains and miseries, as long as one is attached to the fruits of his actions. He becomes greedy as he is never satisfied with his possessions. When tamo guṇa is predominant in someone, he becomes slothful and remains in the stage of ignorance and delusion, fully riddled with sensory desires and lust. It is very difficult for him even to move up to rajo guṇa. He continues to remain confused all the time, doing nothing except injuring others.

 

When a person has predominantly sattva guṇa, he seeks knowledge to realise the Brahman. He becomes wise by acquiring knowledge as a result of which he pursues the path enlightenment and consequent liberation. Those with rajo guṇa have unending desires, one leading to another. They never get satisfied and always long for more and more. Unsatiated desires result in greed and prompt them to do more hasty and rash actions. He has no time to pursue the spiritual path, in full earnestness. Majority of men fall under this category. This category can be classified under two sub-categories. The first category of men think just about their sustenance and lead a normal life. Though they are attached to material prosperity, they are not avaricious. The second category of men are avaricious and cross all the permissible limits to lead a life, full of pomp and vanity. Those with tamo guṇa always remain in inertia and darkness. They become the source of all negativities with no solution in sight. Those who are in the nearby vicinity also get affected by their negative energy.

 

Kṛṣṇa says that the consciousness of those firmly established in sattva guṇa moves up to the higher planes, meaning the purity of the consciousness. The consciousness of those with tamo guṇa gets totally corrupted with no possibility of spiritual liberation in the near vicinity. They can never have purified consciousness. Those with tamo guṇa continued to be deluded by worldly afflictions and bondage. This type of men can transform themselves by practicing sattvic qualities, which could liberate them in their future births. But there is a distinct possibility for them to fall into the ambits of tamo guṇa as well. Hence they are said to be in the middle. They are like cat on the wall.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XIV. 9 - 13

Gita Series – 139: Chapter - XIV. Verse 9 – 13

 

“Sattva leads one to happiness, rajas to actions and tamas shrouds knowledge and makes one, an evil doer and slothful. Sometimes, sattva is predominant overpowering rajas and tamas; sometimes rajas prevails over sattva and tamas and yet another time tamas prevails over the other two. When a person beams with knowledge, it means the prevalence of sattva guṇa. When a person is greedy, indulges in activities with selfish motive, restless and with desires for enjoyment, it means the prevalence of rajo guṇa. When tamo guṇa is predominant, one is afflicted with sloth, negligence of duties and delusion and gets drowned in darkness.”

 

When a person is endowed with sattvic nature, he becomes soft and sweet and commands love and respect. A person with rajo guṇa is aggressive, even though for selfish interest, commands only respect and not love. But a person with tamo guṇa is not liked by anyone as he is filled with the thoughts of slumber and hatred. All the three guṇa-s are present in all the men, but one among them dominates. A person’s quality is determined only on the predominant quality.

 

When one decides to pursue the spiritual path, sattvic guṇa alone should prevail. The other two guṇa-s make a person to indulge in actions with selfish motive. As selfishness has no place in spirituality, these two guṇa-s do not help and are surely to be abandoned.

 

One’s karma also plays a significant role in deciding one’s qualities. A person endowed with bad karmas cannot become sattvic in nature, as a result of which, he will not be able to pursue the path of liberation. That is why, it is said that one should always nurture good thoughts and perform good actions. Sattva guṇa is that state of mind, where compassion and love for fellow beings are predominant. If one learns to love fellow beings, sattva guṇa automatically blossoms forth. The transition of the mind from the lower guṇa-s to sattva guṇa is possible by positive thinking.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XIV. 4 - 8

Gita Series – 138: Chapter - XIV. Verse 4 – 8

 

“Of all embodied beings, prakṛti is the mother who conceives and I am the seed giving father. Sattva, rajas and tamas born of prakṛti, tie down the imperishable soul to the body. Of the three guṇa-s, sattva is pure, illuminating and immaculate and binds a soul with joy and wisdom. Rajas is of passion, avariciousness and attachment and binds a soul through actions and their fruits. Tamas is of ignorance and binds a soul through delusion, laziness and slumber.”

 

Prakṛti has two aspects, combined or samaṣṭi, the aggregate aspect of māyā and individual or vyaṣṭi, the partial aspect of māyā on an individual soul. When an individual soul interacts with primordial prakṛti, when all the three guṇa-s remain in equal proportion, the equilibrium gets disturbed and creation commences. The equilibrium gets disturbed, only when a soul conjugates with prakṛti, and the creation comes about in prakṛti, the womb of all creations. Every creation is born only out of prakṛti which is fathered by puruṣa. Hence, Kṛṣṇa says that He is the father and Prakṛti is the mother of the universe. Soon after a form is created, it begins the process of evolution, undergoing modifications. During the process of evolution, one of the three guṇa-s alone become prominent and accordingly, the character of a person is determined. Sattva guṇa means the quality of purity and knowledge. The presence of other two guṇa-s is not very prominent in sattva guṇa as this guṇa is endowed with the highest purity. Rajo guṇa is the activity of passion. Tamo guṇa is inertia or ignorance. These two guṇa-s have higher trace of other guṇa-s. Guṇa-s are the inherent qualities of Prakṛti. Ego and intellect originate from guṇa-s that are present in all the evolutes of prakṛti, but distributed in unequal proportions in each individual. The predominant guṇa that prevails in an individual is reflected through his thoughts and actions. Guṇa of a person is susceptible to changes, based on his thought process.

 

Kṛṣṇa says that guṇa-s are the cause to bind a soul, because creation happens due to the disturbance in the equilibrium of the three guṇa-s that happens in prakṛti, due to the conjugation with a soul.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XIV. 1 - 3

Gita Series – 137: Chapter - XIV. Verse 1 – 3

 

The fourth chapter of Bhagavad Gita is named as “guṇatrayavibhāgayoaḥ” or “the yoga of division of guṇa-s. The three guṇa-s are the essential constituents of Prakṛti about which, preliminary discussion was made in the previous chapters. Guṇa can be explained as quality that determines the quality of a being. This chapter consists of 27 verses.

 

Kṛṣṇa said: “I will again discuss about that supreme knowledge, the knowing of which, sages have attained the final perfection. The one who follows this knowledge merge into Me, are not born at the commencement of a new cosmic cycle, nor disturbed at the time of annihilation. My primordial nature, known as the Brahman (Brahma, Lord) is the womb of all beings, where I placed seed of all life. The creation follows from the union of Matter and Spirit.”

 

Though, guṇa-s have been touched upon in the earlier chapters, Kṛṣṇa says that He is going to explain in detail about the guṇa-s, again in this chapter. Guṇa-s determine the nature of a person. There are three types of guṇa-s, sattva, rajas and tamas. When sattva guṇa is predominant in a person, he follows the path of goodness and remains virtuous. In whom, rajo guṇa is predominant, he becomes passionate. Tamo guṇa means ignorance and the one with tamo guṇa is sluggish and remains in darkness. The guṇa-s are further elucidated in subsequent verses.

 

A thorough understanding of guṇa-s is essential to pursue the path of liberation, as one has to transcend the guṇa-s. For transcending anything, one needs to have the knowledge of the object that is to be transcended. Unless the force of the water current is understood properly, one cannot reach the other side of the bank safely. If the whirlpool is too powerful, he has no option, except to get sunk. Therefore, unless the nature of guṇa-s are thoroughly understood, it is not possible for an aspirant to move beyond guṇa-s. If guṇa-s are not important while pursuing spiritual path, Kṛṣṇa would not have chosen to explain about the guṇa-s again. The Lord further says that saints and sages have perfected their knowledge for final liberation, only by thoroughly understanding the three guṇa-s. A spiritual aspirant can move to the status of a saint, only if he thoroughly understands the implications of the three guṇa-s inherent in Prakṛti. The one who thoroughly understands the intricacies of guṇa-s are eternally liberated and he is not disturbed even at the time of creation and dissolution of yuga-s (the long mundane period of years).

 

The primordial nature of the Brahman is called mūlaprakṛti. Prakṛti at best can be explained as Nature. It can also be called as māyā. Prakṛti in combination with the individual soul, mind, intellect and ego form the creation. In fact, soul has to depend on prakṛti to manifest. Prakṛti holds the three guṇa-s or qualities, sattva, rajas, and tamas and three types of creative actions icchā, jñāna, and kriya (desire, wisdom and action). At the time of manifestation of origin of life, the prakṛti beholds the individual soul by its sheer enticing powers of the guṇa-s and creative actions (the powers of māyā or illusion), makes the soul to manifest. The soul on its own is passive in nature and has to purely depend upon the prakṛti to get the karma-s embedded in it to unfold.

 

Prakṛti is said to be the kinetic form of energy. This is also known as māyā or the Brahman with attributes. Apart from playing a significant role in creation, the prakṛti plays a vital role in sustaining the creation. At the time of origin of the universe, the Supreme Self alone prevailed. When the origin manifests into creation, it first becomes space then air, fire, water and earth. From earth plants, animals, man etc unfolded. Prakṛti in its un-manifested form is called avyakta. This is the state of prakṛti where all the three guṇa-s are found in equilibrium. Any change in this equilibrium of guṇa-s in prakṛti leads to desire, wisdom and action. This in combination with ego and intellect give rise to further creation. Therefore, prakṛti is the root of all creations. This is also known as the Brahman with attributes or saguṇa Brahman. The Brahman is the root of all creations as there in nothing beyond that.

 

The prakṛti is potentially a powerful tool that binds the soul to manifest in the form of bodies discussed above, just to manifest and unfold the karma-s embedded in the soul. When the soul is under the lustful embrace of prakṛti, the soul that was part of the Supreme Brahman forgets its own nature, and identifies itself with ego. The deceptive and illusionary nature of prakṛti engulfs the soul with all sorts of addictions, afflictions and confusions and makes the soul totally discombobulated.  The subtle body consisting of the five vital forces, the mind, the intellect and the ten organs is produced from the five basic elements. This paves the way for the soul to experience the result of actions or in other words it causes karma-s. The subtle body is of two kinds, superior and inferior. The superior one is the subtle body of hiraṇyagarbha and the inferior is the subtle body of living beings. The subtle body of hiraṇyagarbha is called as mahat or the cosmic intellect and the subtle body of living beings is called ego.

BHAGAVAD GITA. CHAPTER XIII. 29 - 35

Gita Series – 136: Chapter - XIII. Verse 29 – 35

 

“The one who understands that all actions are done by Prakṛti alone and not by the soul, who merely acts as a witness, is the beholder of truth. When one perceives, that all the individual entities originate from the Brahman and disseminate, he becomes one with the Brahman. The Brahman, without beginning, devoid of attributes and imperishable, dwells in the body, but, neither partakes in any actions, nor gets tainted. Like the all permeating ether that remains untainted, because of its subtle nature, the Self, though pervades in the entire body, does not get tainted. Just like the sun illuminating the entire world, He illuminates the entire kṣetra. Those who understand the difference between kṣetra and kṣetrajña, and the process of liberation from Prakṛti and its evolutes, go to the Supreme.”

 

Kṛṣṇa begins to conclude this chapter by highlighting his teachings in a concise manner. For example, a body is considered as the field, where matter originates, evolves and dissolves. The matter cannot function on its own without energy being infused. The matter remains inert without being activated by energy. This energy is known as soul. When the energy is infused, actions in the field take place and if the energy is withdrawn, all the actions come to a close, thereby meaning birth and death. The soul is the cause for all the actions, but does not involve in any actions. Since the soul acts merely as a witness to all the actions, it remains the same without any modifications. Soul is the direct representative of the Self. Innumerable souls constitute the Self or the Brahman or the Lord. In all the individual souls, the Self remains the same, be it a human or an insect. All these souls originate from the Brahman, sustained by the Brahman and dissolves into the Brahman. To put it the other way, all the souls disseminate from the Brahman to get absorbed again into the Brahman during the annihilation of the universe. Ultimately, it is only the soul that becomes responsible, to cause actions, when manifested through a gross form. Men bound by ignorance fail to realise this truth and consider, that the body is responsible for all the actions. Due to delusion, they tend to forget the source for all the actions of the body. Though, the soul is the cause for all the actions, it is only in the prakṛti, all the actions take place. Therefore, all the actions are done only by prakṛti, deriving energy from the soul. No actions take place in a soul, who is majestically seated as witness watching the unfolding actions. Kṛṣṇa says that the one, who understands this, becomes one with the Brahman.

 

Irrespective of the nature of actions, either good or bad, a soul is not affected in any way. It remains the same, births after births and at all the times. A soul can be explained as the Brahman Himself or a direct representative of the Brahman. An individual soul is in no way different from the Brahman, in confirmation of the theory of His omnipresence. Because of the subtle nature of the Brahman, He remains omnipresent and is able to pervade every nook and corner of the universe. Even in a physical body, He pervades everywhere, in every blood cell, every neuron, etc. Only for the purpose of easy understanding, it is said that He is seated in heart. If He is seated only in the heart, His omnipresence nature becomes disputable. Kṛṣṇa draws comparison to the sun. Like the sun illuminating the entire galaxy, the soul infuses energy to the entire body.

 

A soul gets liberated only if it does not unite with the prakṛti, because, all the actions take place only in the field of prakṛti. When a soul merges into the Brahman ahead of annihilation of the universe, is known as liberation. When a person understands the difference between puruṣa and prakṛti; and kṣetrajña and kṣetra, based on the above discussions, he gets liberated from the afflictions of prakṛti and his soul goes back to its source of origin, the Lord. The source of his understanding could be meditation, knowledge or devotion. When one purses the path of devotion, he automatically attains knowledge, as a true devotee becomes very dear to the Lord, who becomes his spiritual master.

CHAPTER XIII OF BHAGAVAD GITA IS CONCLUDED