Bhagavad Gita

who has given up all thoughts of reward will become a Yogin, a man of steadfastness, a steady-minded mati, inasmuch as all thought of reward which is the cause of unsteadiness has been given up. Action is a stepping-stone to Dhyana-Yoga. Thus, having regard to the likeness between pure Sawmyasa and Karma- Yoga in so far as the devotee in either case renounces (the thoughts concerning the. fruit of action), Karma-Yoga has been represented in \i. 2. as Sawmyasa with a view to extol it. And the Lord extols it because the Karmi-Yoga, practised without regard to the fruit of action, forms an external aid (bahira//ga) to Dhyana-Yoga, /.<:., leads the devotee to Dhyiina-Yoga (in due course). He now proceeds to show how Karma- Yoga is a means to Dhyana-Yoga. j. For a devotee who wishes to attain to Yoga, action is said to be the means. For the same (devotee), when he has attained to Yoga, quiescence (sama) is said to be the means. For a devotee (muni) who has given up the fruit of action, and who wishes to attain to Yoga,—/, c. who has not already risen to it, who is unable to remain steady in DhyanaYoga, — action (karma) is said to be the means '•' of attaining his end. For the same devotee, on the other hand, when he has attained to Yoga, quiescence — i.e., the abstaining from ,all action — is said to be the means (of attaining his end). The more thoroughly does he abstain from action, the more free he is from trouble, the more the senses are controlled.

His end is Dhyana-Yoga, and this the niinU aiiU ihca citaies dcsiru und he attains by action 'which first purffies capacity for Dhyana-Yoga. 1/0 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VI. and the more steadfast his mind remains. Then he becomes a Yogkrudha, one who has attained to Yoga. Accordingly it is said in the Mahabharata : " For a Brahma»a there is no wealth equal to this, viz., (knowledge of) oneness and homogeneity (of Brahman in all creatures), truthfulness, character, steadiness, harmlessness, straightforwardness, and renunciation of the several actions." — (Santiparva, 175-38). Who is a Yogin ? When is a man said to be a Yogariir^ha, to have attained to Yoga ? — The answer follows : 4. When a man, renouncing all thoughts, is not attached to sense-objects and actions, then he is said to have attained to Yoga. When a Yogin, keeping the mind steadfast, feels no attachment for the objects of the senses such as sound, nor thinks that he has to do any action, — whether nitya (obligatory) or vaimittika (obligatory and incidental) or hdmya (done with a motive) or pratishiddha (forbidden by law), — regarding it as of no use to him; and when he has learned to habitually renounce all thoughts which give rise to desires for objects of this world and of the next, then he is said to have become a Yogaruiha, to be one who has attained to Yoga. — The words " renouncing all thoughts" imply that all desires as well as all actions should be renounced. For, all desires spring from thoughts, as the smnti says :

" Verily desire springs from thought (sawkalpa), and of thought yaj/ias are born."— (Maz/w ii. 2). 3 — 5] nilVANA-YOGA. I7I " O Dssire, I know where tliy root lies. Thou art born of thouj^^ht. I sIkiU not think of thee, and thou shalt cease to exist as well as thy root," — (Mahabharata, 5antiparva, 177-25). On the abandonment of all desires, the abandonment of all actions necessarily follows, as passages in the sruti like the following show : '• Whatever forms the object of desire, that he wills; and whatever he wills, that he acts."— (Bri. Up. 4-4-5). Reasoning also leads to the same conclusion. For, on surrendering all thoughts, one cannot move at all. Wherefore, by saying that the aspirant should renounce all thoughts, the Lord implies that he should abandon all desires and all actions as well.y When a man has attained to Yoga, then the self is raised by the self from out of the numerous evils of sa/wsara. Therefore, 5. Let a man raise himself by himself, let him not lower himself; for, he alone is the friend of himself, he alone is the enemy of himself. Let a man lift up himself who is drowned in the ocean of sawsara, /. ^., let him so train himself as to become a Yogaru^ha, let him practise and attain to Yoga. Let him not lower himself; for, he alone is the friend of himself. There is indeed no other friend that can lead to liberation from sa;«sara ; nay, the so-called friend is only inimical to him who seeks liberation, as the former forms an object of affection, which is the cause of bondage. Hence the emphasis ' he alone is the friend of himself.' And he alone is the enemy of himself. The other enemy who is outside is made an

^72 THE. BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VI. enemy, only by himself. Hence the emphasis ' he alone is the enemy of himself.' It has been said that ."he alone is the friend of himself, he alone is the enemy of himself." Now it may be asked, what sort of a nian is the friend of himself and wliat sort of a man is the.ehemy of himself? — The answer follows : 6. To him who has conquered himself by himself, his own self is the friend of himself, but, to him who has not (conquered) himself, his own self stands in the place of an enemy like the (external) foe. His self is the friend of himself who is self-controlled, who has brought under control the aggregate of the body and the senses. But in the case of a man who is not selfcontrolled, his own self does injury to himself, just as any external foe may do injur}' to him. 7. The self-controlled and serene man's Supreme Self is steadfast in cold and heat, in pleasure and pain, as also in honour and disgrace. When a man has subdued the aggregate of the body and the senses, when his mind*(anta/«-kara»a) is tranquil, when he has renounced all actions, then the Supreme Self actually becomes his own Self.

8. The Yogin whose self is satisfied with knowledge" and wisdom, who remains unshaken, who has conquered the senses, he is said to be a saint, — for whom a lump of earth, a stone and gold are equal. When the Yogin is satisfied with knowledge (j»ana) of things as taught in the scriptures, and with wisdom (Yij??ana), 5 — lo] dhyAna-yoga. 173 i.e., with the realisation (in his own experience) of the things so taught,... then he is said to be saint (yukta), he is said to have attained samadhi or steadfastness of mind. 9. He is esteemed, who is of the same mind to the good-hearted, friends, foes, the indifferent, the neutral, the hateful, relatives, the righteous, and the unrighteous. He is esteemed: HeJ_s_the best among the Yogarurfhas, among those who have attained to Yoga. [There is also another reading which means 'he is liberated.'" Who is of the same mind : who thinks not of a man as to what he is or what he does. A ' good-hearted ' man does good to another without expecting any service in return : an ' indifferent ' m.an is one who is partial to neither of two contending sides ; a ' ncittraV man is one who means well by both the contending sides. The righteous are those who follow the Sastras, and the unrighteous are those who resort to forbidden acts.

Directions for the practice of Yoga. Wherefore, to attain the highest results, 10. Let the Y'ogin try constantly to keep the mind steady, remaining in seclusion, alone, with the mind and body controlled, free from desire, and having no possessions. Yogin : he who meditates. In seclusion ; in a mountaincave, or the like. The words 'in seclusion ' and 'alone' evidently show that he should resort to renunciation (sa?/;- nyasa). Not only should he renounce the world when he practises Yoga, but he'should also abandon all possessions. 174 '^^^ BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VI. Now, in the sequel, the Lord proceeds to prescribe for him who practises Yoga particular modes of sitting, eating, recreation and the like as aids to Yoga, as also to define the characteristic marks of the man who has attained Yoga, and to describe the effects of Yoga and other particulars in connection with it. First of all. He prescribes a particular mode of sitting as follows : 11. Having in a cleanly spot established a firm seat, neither too high nor too low, with cloth, skin, and kusa grass thereon ; ChanJy : either naturally so, or made so by artificial improvements. Cloth, &c., should be spread on the seat in the reverse order of their enumeration here.

What should be done after establishing the seat ? , 12. Making the mind one-pointed, with the actions of the mind and the senses controlled, let him, seated there on the seat, practise Yoga for the purification of the self. He should withdraw the mind from all sense-objects before concentrating it. The self: the anta/j-kara.'/a, the inner sense, the mind. The external seat has been described. Now, what should be the posture of the body ? — Listen : 13. Holding erect and still the body, head, and neck, firm, gazing on the tip of his nose, without looking around ; An erect body may be in motion ; hence the qualification * still.' He is to gaze as it were on the tip of his nose Here we have to understand the words ' as'it were' ; for, the Lord means to prescribe, not the very act of ' gazing on the tip of his nose', but the fixing of the eye-sight within (by withdrawing it from external objects) ; and this, of course, depends on the steadiness of mind, /if, on the other hand, the very act of 'gazing on the tip of his nose' were meant here, then the mind would be fixed only there, not on the Self. As a matter of fact, the Yogin is to concentrate his mind on the Self, as will be taught in vi. 25, ' Making the mind dwell in the Self.' Wherefore the words ' as it were ' being understood, ' gazing 'means here ' the fixing of the eye-sight within.' /

14. Serene-minded, fearless, firm in the vow of godly life, having restrained the mind, thinking on Me, and balanced, let him sit, looking up to Me as the Supreme. The vow of a godly life (Brahmachari-vrata) consists in doing service to the Guru, in eating of the food obtained by begging, &c. He should strictly observe the vows of godly life. He should also restrain the mind, i.e., repress its modifications. He should ever think of Me, the Paramesvara, the Supreme Lord. He should also regard Me as the Supreme. A lover may always think of a w^oman, but he never regards her as supreme. He regards either his sovereign, or Mahadeva (the Great God), as the case may be, as the Supreme. The Yogin, on the other hand, ever thinks of Me, and also regards Me as the Supreme Being. Now the fruit of Yoga is described as follows : 15. Thus always keeping the mind balanced, the Yogin, with the mind controlled, attains to the 176 THE BHAGAVAD-GiTA. [DiS. VI. Peace abiding in Me, which cuhninates in Nirva;ia Thus : in the manner prescribed above. Here follow regulations as regards a Yogin's food, &c : 16. Yoga is not possible for him who eats too much, nor for him who does not eat at all, nor for him who is addicted to too much sleep, nor for him who is (ever) wakeful, O Arjuna.

Eats too much : eats more food than what is suited to him. The sruti says : " Whatever food is suited to oneself, that protects ; it injures not. A greater quantity injures and a smaller quantity protects not." — (5atapatha-BrahmaHa). The Yo-jin should therefore eat neither more nor less than what is suitable for him. Or it may mean this : Yoga is not possible for him who eats more than the quantity prescribed for a Yogin in the Yogasastra. The quantity of food is thus prescribed : "Half (the stomach) for food and condiments, the third ((quarter) for water, and the fourth should be reserved for free motion of air." How then can Yoga be achieved ? — The answer follows : 17. To him whose food and recreation are moderate, whose exertion in actions is moderate, whose sleep and waking are moderate, to him accrues Yoga which is destructive of pain. To him who resorts to food and recreation (such as walking) within prescribed limits, and who sleeps and who wakes up at the prescribed hours, to him accrues Yoga which is destructive of the misery of sa;//sara. When does he become a saint (Yukta) ? — The answer follows :

18. When the well-restrained thought is established in the Self only, without longing for any of the objects of desire, then he is said to be a Saint. Well-restrained: which attained to one-pointedness or concentration. In the Self only : having abandoned all thoughts of external objects, the thinking principle (chitta) remains steadily in the Self. Objects of desire : seen or unseen. The simile of such a Yogin's steadfast mind is described below : ig. 'As a lamp in a sheltered spot does not flicker,' — this has been thought as the simile of a Yogin of subdued thought, practising Yoga in the Self. This simile has been thought out by those versed in Yoga, by those who know the ways of the thinking principle. Having thus, by virtue of the practice of Yoga, become one- pointed (fit for concentration), like a lamp sheltered from the wind, 20. When thought is quiescent, restrained by the practice of Yoga ; when, seeing the Self by the self, he is satisfied in his own Self; When the mind is restrained from all quarters by practice of Yoga, the Yogin sees the Self— the Supreme Intelligence lyS THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VI. (chaitanya) and the All-resplendent Light — by self (the anta/;kara/za, the inner sense), by the mind which has been purified by samadhi, and attains satisfaction in the Self. And:

21. When he knows that Infinite Joy which, transcending the senses, can be grasped by reason ; when, steady (in the Self), he moves never from the Reality ; He : the wise man. That joy can be grasped by reason (buddhi), independently of the senses. It lies beyond the ken of the senses ; it is not produced by sense-objects. 22. When, having obtained it, he thinks no other acquisition superior to it • when, therein established, he is not moved even by a great pain; It : the gain of the Self. Therein : in the real Self. Pain : such as may be caused by a sword-cut, etc. This Yo^a, — this peculiar state of the Self which has been described in so many of its attributes in the verses beginning with vi. 20 : 23. This severance from union with pain, be it known, is called union (Yoga). That Yoga must be practised with determination and with undepressed heart. Sevctance from union with pain is called Yoga (which means union) by a sort of irony. Having thus concluded speaking of the effect of Yoga, the Lord again refers to the necessity of it, with a view to show that determination and non-depression (self-reliance) are necessary means to Yoga. That Yoga :

the Yoga which can produce the resuhs described above. Further directions concerning the practice of Yoga. 24. Abandoniiif^ without reserve all fancy-born desires, well-restraining all the senses from all quarters by the mind ; By the mind : endued with discrimination. 25. Little by little let him withdraw, by reason ( buddhi ) held in firmness ; keeping the mind established in the Self, let him not think of anything. He should make the mind constantly abide in the Self, bearing in mind that the Self is all and that nothing else exists. This ■'■ is the highest form of Yoga. Now, as to the Yogin who thus strives to make the mind abide in the Self, 26. By whatever cause the wavering and unsteady mind wanders away, from that let him restrain it and bring it back direct under the control of the Self. Sound and other objects are the causes which make the , mind wander away. It is a natural weakness of the mind to be thus led away by sense-objects. By convincing oneself of the illusoriness of sense-objects through a-n investigation into their real nature, and by cultivating indifference to worldly objects, the mind can be restrained from senseobjects and brought back to the Self wherein to abide firmly. In virtue of this practice of Yoga, the Yogin's

* The steadiness of mind.— (A.) l8o THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VI. j mind attains peace in the Self. The effect of Dhyana=Yoga. 27. Supreme Bliss verily comes to this Yogin, whose mind is quite tranquil, whose passion is quieted, who has become Brahman, who is blemishless. Whose passion, &c.: in whom all passion, including attachment and other causes of pain, has disappeared ; who has become a Jivan-nmhta (a man whose soul is liberated while still alive), convinced that all is Brahman ; who has no bbmish whatsoever, who is not affected by dharma and a-dharma. 28. Thus always keeping the self steadfast, the Yogin, freed from sins, attains with ease to the infinite bliss of contact with the ( Supreme ) Brahman. Always : unimpeded by any of the obstacles to Yoga. Now will be described the effect of Yoga, the perception of oneness with Brahman, which leads to the cessation of all sawsara : 29. The Self abiding in all beings, and all beings (abiding) in the Self, sees he whose self has been made steadfast by Yoga, who everywhere sees the same. He sees all beings — from Brahma, the Creator, down to a clump of grass — as one with the Self ; and in all the different beings — from Brahma, the Creator, down to inanimate objects — he sees the same ; i. e., he sees that the Self and Brahman (the Absolute) are one.

26 — 32'] DHYANA-YOGA. l8l Now will be described the efiect of this perception of the unity of the Self: 30. He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, to him I vanish not, nor to Mc does he vanish. He who sees Me, Vasudeva, the Self of all, in all beings, and who sees Brahma, the Creator, and all other beings, in Me, the Self of all ; — when he has thus seen the unity of the Self, I — who am the Isvara — never leave his presence, nor does that wise man leave My presence ; for his Self and Mine are one, and one's own Self cannot but be manifest to oneself. Now, referring to the knowledge imparted in the preceding verse — namely that ' I Myself, the Self of all, am the seer of the unity of Self, — the Lord will speak of moksha as the effect of that knowledge : 31. Whoso, intent on unity, worships Me who abide in all beings, that Yogin dwells in Me, whatever his mode of life. This man of right knowledge dwells in Me, in the supreme state, in the state of Vishwu ; he is ever liberated ; nothing obstructs his path to moksha.

32. Whoso, by comparison with himself, sees the same everywhere, O Arjuna, be it pleasure or pain, he is deemed the highest Yogin. He sees that whatever is pleasant to himself is pleasant to all creatures, and that whatever is painful to himself is painful to all beings. Thus seeing that what is pleasure or 1 82 THE BHAGAVAD-GtTA. [DiS. VI pain to himself is alike pleasure or pain to all beings, he causes pain to no being ; he is harmless. Doing no harm, and devoted to right knowledge, he is regarded as the highest among all Yogins. Practice and Indifference are the surest means Seeing that the Yoga above described, the Yoga of right knowledge, is very difficult of attainment, Arjuna wished to know the surest means of attaining it, and said : 33. This Yoga in equanimity, taught by Thee, O Destroyer of Madhu, — I see not its steady continuance, because of the restlessness (of the mind). This is a well-known fact : 34. The mind verily, is, O Krishna, restless, turbulent, strong and obstinate. Thereof the restraint I deem quite as difficult as that of the wind. ' Knsh;/a ' is derived from ' k;'ish ' to scrape. Knsh;?a is so called because He scrapes or draws away all sins and other causes of evil from His devotees. — Not only is the mind restless, but also turbulent : it agitates the body and the senses and makes them subject to foreign influences. It is not possible to restrain it by any means, as it is quite irrepressible. It is as impossible to cut it as to cut the tantunaga, the Varu«a-pa5a, a kind of shark. To restrain the mind of such a nature is even more difficult than to restrain the wind.

The Lord says : — So it is, as you say : The Blessed Lord said : 35. Doubtless, O mighty-armed, the mind is hard to restrain and restless ; but by practice, O son of Kunti, and by indifference it may be restrained. * Practice ' consists in constantly repeating the same idea or thought regarding some one object of thought. ' Indifference ' means freedom from desire for any pleasures seen or unseen, attained through a constant perception of evil in them. It is by practice and indifference that vikshcpa, the passage of thought in the direction of external objects, can be restrained. — It is thus that the mind is restrained. But as regards him who is not self-controlled : 36. Yoga, methinks, is hard to attain for a man of uncontrolled self; but b}' him who (often) strives, self-controlled, it can be acquired by (proper) means. Uncontrolled self: the anta/i-kara?/a not controlled by means of constant practice and by indifference to worldly gain. Self-controlled : who has subdued the mind. Failures in Yoga and the after=career. On engaging in the practice of Yoga, all works which are the means of attaining success in this world and in the other wovld have been renounced, while the right knowledge, which is the result of perfection in Yoga and which is the means to moksha, has not yet been attained ; and the Yogin's mind strays away from the path of Yoga at the time of death. Arjuna thought that such a man would meet destruction and therefore asked :

184 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VI. Arjuna said : ^•j. He who strives not, but who is possessed of faith, whose mind wanders away from Yoga, — having failed to attain perfection in Yoga, what end, O Krishna, does he meet ? He has faith in the efficacy of Yoga but does not strive in the path of Yoga ; and during the last moments of life his mind wanders away from Yoga, with memory lost. Having failed to attain the fruition of Yoga — namely, right knowledge — what end does such a man meet ? 38. Having failed in both, does he not perish like a riven cloud, supportless, O mighty-armed, and perplexed in the path to Brahman ? Both : the path of Karma and the path of Yoga. The path to Brahman : the path by which Brahman can be reached. 39. This doubt of mine, O Krishna, do Thou dispel completely ; for none other than Thyself can possibly destroy this doubt. None other : be he a R'lshi or a Deva. Thou alone canst destroy this doubt. The Blessed Lord said : 40. O Partha, neither in this world nor in the next is there destruction for him ; none, verily, who does good. My son, ever comes to grief.

He who has failed in Yoga will not be subject to a lower birth than the present one either here or hereafter. My son : [Sk. ' tata ' is translated into ' son 'j . ' Tata ' in Sanskrit means ' father ' because the father propagates (Sk, root 'tan') himself in the form of his son. Since thus the father himself is the son, the son also is called tata. Even a disciple^ though not a son, is addressed as son because he is like a son. What, then, will happen to him ? 40. Having attained to the worlds of the righteous, and having dwelt there for eternal years, he who failed in Yoga is reborn in a house of the pure and wealthy. This is said, as the context shows, of a sawnyasin engaged in the path of (Dhyana-) Yoga. The righteous : those who worship by the asva-medha or horse-sacrifice, &c. Having completely enjoyed the pleasure (he is entitled to) in such a world, he is reborn in a house of the pure and wealthy. The pun : acting according to the prescribed rules. 42. Else, he is born in a family of wise Yogins only. This, verily, a birth like this, is very hard to obtain in this world.

Or else he is born in quite a different family, that of poor wise Yogins. A birth in a family of this sort, in a family of poor Yogins, is more difficult to obtain than the one mentioned above. And for the following reason : 43. There^he gains touch with the knowledge that was acquired in the former body and strives more than before for perfection, O son of the Kurus. Motx than before : with greater vigour than that with which he strove in the former birth. 44. By that very former practice is he borne on, l86 THE BHAGAVAD-GiTA. [DiS. VI. though unwilling. Even he who merely wishes to know of Yoga rises superior to the Word-Brahman. The man who failed in Yoga is borne on towards perfection by the force of the practice of the former birth. If he had done no unrighteous deed (a-dharma) which could overpower the tendency caused by the practice of Yoga, then, certainly, the tendency of Yoga prevails. If a-dharma be stronger, then, even the tendency born of Yoga is certainly overpowered by a-dharma. But on the exhaustion of adharma t]ie_tendency caused by Yoga begins to produce its effects : that is to say, it is not liable to destruction though it may have long been in absyance. Thus he — i. c, as the context shows, a sawnyasin who has failed in Yoga — -who works in the path of Yoga, only wishing to know its nature, even he will free himself from tlie Word-Brahman (5abdaBrahman), from the effects of the observance of Vedic Karma : what need is there to say that he who knows Yoga and practises it in steady devotion will be free from its effects ?

The best of the Yogins. And why is the life of a Yogin preferable ? 45. Veril}-, a Yogin who strives with assiduity, purified from sins and perfected in the course of many births, then reaches the Supreme Goal. In the course of many births he acquires facility in Yoga little by little, and by the aggregate facility thus acquired in many births he is perfected. Then he obtains right knowledge and reaches the Supreme (loal. 46. A Yogin is deemed superior to men of austerity, and superior to even men of knowledge ; 44 — 47*] DIIVANA-YOGA. iSj he is also superior to men of action ; therefore be thou a Yoi^in, O Arjuna, Knowledge: of tlie. teachings of the sastra. Action: such as Agnihotra, worship of the sacred fire. 47. Of all Yogins, whoso, full of faith, worships Me with his inner self abiding in Me, he is deemed by Me as most devout. Yogins : those who meditate upon Rudra, Aditya, etc. The inner self abiding in Me: The anta/z-kara-va kept steadfast in Me, \^isudeva.

Realisation of the Lord by meditation. Having given in vi. 47 an occasion for further interrogation, and wishing to teach, without being asked, that " so and so is My Real Being, and such and such is the one whose inner self abides in Me," the Lord said : The Blessed Lord said : 1. With the mind intent on Me, O Partha, practising Yoga, and finding refuge in Me, how in full without doubt thou shalt know Me, that do thou hear. The Yogin's mind is intent on Me, the Supreme Lord, possessed of such attributes as will be mentioned below. He practises Yoga or steadfastness of mind and finds refuge in Me alone, the Supreme Lord. He who seeks a human end resorts to some action such as Agnihotra, or to an austerity, or to a gift or the like, as a means of attaining that end. The Yogin, on the other hand, resorts to Me alone, abandoning all other means with his thought intent on Me alone. Now, listen to what 1 am going to say as to how you also, thus acting, will, without doubt, know Me in full, possessed of infinite greatness, strength, power, grace and other attributes ; you will know Me undoubtingly, that " The Lord is so and so only."

2. I shall fully teach thee this knowledge combined with experience, which being known, . nothing more besides here remains to be known. I — 4.] VIJNANA-YOGA. l8g And this knowledji^e concerning Me, as borne out by My own experience, I shall relate to thee in full. — In the latter portion of the verse the Lord extols the knowledge which is going to be taught, with a view to prepare the hearer to follow it. — Nothing more ; no other means to a human end. He who knows Me in truth becomes omniscient. Thus the knowledge is productive of great results and is therefore very hard to obtain. How ? — Listen : 3. Among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection ; even among those who strive and are perfect, only one perchance knows me in truth. Perfect : they are indeed perfect who strive for moksha. Evolution of the Universe out of Divine Prakriti. Having prepared the hearer for the teaching by inducing in him a taste for it, the Lord proceeds thus : 4. Earth, water, fire, air, ether, thought (Manas) and reason (Buddhi), egoism (Ahamkara) — thus is My Prakriti divided eightfold. Earth stands for the subtile rudimental element or Tanmatra, the Prithivi-tanmatra or the subtile rudimental element of earth ; and so water, fire, air and ether stand for the Tanmatras of water, etc. Thought (Manas) stands for its c?LUse Ahamkara or egoism ; reason (Buddhi) for the Mahat principle, which is the cause of Aha7«kara ; and Aha;«kara for the Avyakta, the Unmanifested, conjoined with Avidya or nescience. Just as food which is mixed with poison is itself called poison, so the Avyakta, the First Cause, conjoined

igO THE BIIAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VII. with the vasana, or latent unconscious impression, of Aha7//kara, is itself called here Ahawkara inasmuch as Egoism is the impelling cause of all. As a matter of fact, we find, from our ordinary experience, that egoism is the cause of the activity of every being. Thus divided eightfold is My Prakyiti, the Maya belonging to the Isvara. 5. This is the inferior (Prakriti) ; but as distinct from this know thou My superior Prakriti, the very life, O mighty-armed, by w^hich this universe is upheld. This Prak;'iti is inferior, impure, productive of evil, itself constituting the bondage of sa^z/sara; but the superior Prab'iti is pure : it is My very Self, the Kshetraj/^a, that by which life is sustained, that which enters within the whole universe and sustains it. 6. Know that all beings have their birth in these. So, I am the source and dissolution of the whole universe. These, My inferior Nature (Prakriti) and My superior Nature (Prakriti), matter (Kshetra) and spirit (KshetraJ7/a), are the womb of all creatures. Because my Prakriti is the womb of all beings, I am the origin and the end of the whole universe. That is to say, through this twofold Prakriti, I, the omniscient Isvara, am the cause of the universe.

7. There is naught else higher than I, O Dhana7?jaya : in Me all this is woven as clusters of gems on a string. There is no other cause besides Me, the Supreme Lord : I alone am the cause of the universe. Wherefore all beings as Avell as the whole of this universe are woven in Me, as a cloth in the warp, or clusters of beads on a string. The Divine Principle penetrating the Universe. What are Thy attributes showing that the whole of this is woven in Thee ? — Listen : 8. I am the sapidity in water, O son of Kunti. I am the light in the moon and the sun. I am the syllabic Oiii in all the Vedas, sound in ether, humanity in men. The essence of water is sapidity. In Me who am that sapidity waters are woven. — So in all cases. — Just as I am the sapidity in waters, so am I the light in the moon and the sun ; I am the Pra/^ava, the syllable Om in all the Vedas : in Me who am that Prawava all the Vedas are woven. So also, I am humanity in men, i.e., I am tliat in a person which makes that person regarded a human being. In I\Ie as humanity all persons are woven. Sound is the essence of iikasa : in Me as sound Tdcasa is woven.

q. And I am the agreeable odour in the earth and the brilliance in the fire, the vitality in all beings, and I am the austerity in ascetics. la Me as odour the earth is woven, — -OdouY by itself is agreeable ; the disagreeableness of odour in the earth and of the like being due to the combination of one element with some other element or elements under the influence of the avidya anda-dharma of individual souls in the world. The Tg2 THE BHAGAVAD-GiTA. [DiS. Vll« agreeableness thus spoken of with reference to the earth appHes also to the agreeableness of the sapidity in waters, and so on. — 1 am the vitality in all beings, that by which all beings live. In Me as austerity the ascetics are woven. 10. Know Me, O Partha, as the eternal seed of all beings ; I am the intelligence of the intelligent, the bravery of the brave. Seed : the cause of growth. Intelligence ; the discriminative power of the anta/j-kara»a. 11. And of the energetic am I the energy devoid of passion and attachment ; and in (all) beings I am the desire unopposed to dharma, O lord of the Bharatas.

Passion (Kama) : thirst for objects not present to the senses. Attachment (raga) : love for those presented to the senses. I am that energy which is necessary for the bare sustenance of the body, certainly not that which causes thirst and attachment ( for sense-objects ) in the case of worldly mortals. So I am the desire not opposed to the teaching of the scriptures : I am, for instance, the desire for that much of eating and drinking, etc., which is necessary for the bare sustenance of the body. 12. And whatever beings are of Sattva or of Rajas or of Tamas, know them to proceed from Me : still, I am not in them, they are in me. Know that all beings, whether formed of Sattva, or of Rajas, or of Tamas, and which come into existence as the result of the respective karma of living beings, proceed from Me. Though they thus proceed from Mc, I am not subject to them like mortal beings (sa;«si'irins). On the other hand, they are subject to Me : they are dependent on Me. Maya : How to overcome it. The Lord now expresses His regret that the world does not understand Him, who is thus the Supreme Lord ; who by nature is eternal, pure, intelligent and free ; who is the Self of all beings, devoid of all attributes ; by knowing whom they might burn up the evil which is the seed of sa/wsara. — What is this ignorance on the part of the world due to ? — Listen.

13. Deluded by these three (sorts of) things composed of gunas, all this world knows not Me as distinct from them and immutable. All living beings are deluded by such things as love, hatred and attachment, which are all modifications of gu7?as. Immutahle : devoid of such changes as birth and the like, which pertain to all things in the world. How then can one surmount this Divine Illusion (Maya) of Vish;ai made up of the three gu7?as ? — Listen : 14. Verily this Divine Illusion of Mine, made up of gu»as, is hard to surmount. Whoever seek Me alone, they cross over this Illusion. This Illusion (Maya), formed of gu;/as, is inherent in Me, Vishnu, the Lord. Such being the case, whoever abandon all formal religion (Dharma) and completely devote themselves to Me, their own Self, the Lord of Illusion, they cross over the Illusion which deludes all living beings: they are liberated from the bondage of sawsara. 194 '^^^ BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VII. If those who resort to Thee cross over the Illusion, why do not all resort to Thee only ? — Listen : 15. Not Me do the evil-doers seek, the deluded, the vilest of men, deprived of wisdom by Illusion, following the ways of the Demons.

Me, the Supreme Lord, Naraya;/a. The tmys of the Demons are cruelty, untruth, and the like. Four classes of devotees. But as to the best of men, men of good deeds : 16. Four kinds of virtuous men worship Me, O Arjuna, — the distressed, the seeker of knowledge, the seeker of wealth, and the wise man, O lord of the Bharatas. The distyessed : he who is in distress, overpowered by a robber, a tiger, illness or the like. Knowledge : of the real nature of the Lord. The iiise man : he who knows the real nature of Vish;m. 17. Of them the wise man, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels; for, excessively dear am I to the wise, and he is dear to Me. Of the four, the wise man, as knowing the truth, is ever steadfast, and devoted to the One, finding no other object of worship. Thus, he who is devoted to the One is superior to all others. Since I am his very Self, I am excessively dear to the wise man. — It is well-known to all in this world that the Self is dear to every one. Therefore Vasudeva, as the Self of the wise man, is dear to him. — And the wise man is My very Self and is therefore very dear to Me.

Then the three others, the distressed and the rest, are not dear to Viisudeva ? — Not so. — What then ? 18. Noble indeed arc all those ; but the wise man, I deem, is the very Self; for, steadfast in mind, he resorts to Me alone as the unsurpassed goal. These are all noble indeed ; i.e., those three also are dear to Me. There is no devotee of Mine but is dear to Me, Vasudeva. There is, however, this difference : the wise man is excessively dear to Me. — Why so ? — It is my conviction that the wise man is the very Self, not different from Me. /The wise man strives to reach Me, firm in the j faith that he himself is the Lord Vasudeva and is no other j than He. He seeks Me only, the Supreme Brahman, as 1 the highest goal to be reached. The wise man is again extolled : ig. At the end of many births, the man of wisdom comes to Me, (realising) that Vasudeva is the all : he is the noble-souled (Mahatman), very hard to find. ^At the end of many births occupied in spiritual regenera- j tion as preparatory to the attainment of wisdom, the man of mature wisdom resorts to Me, Vasudeva, the innermost Self (Pratyagatman). — How ? — Realising that Vasudeva is the i All. /He who thus comes to Me, Naraya;/a, the Self of All, is a Mahatman, a man of high soul ; there is no other either equal to him or superior to him. Therefore such a man is very hard to find ; it has indeed been said that " among thousands of men, one perchance strives for perfection " (vii. 3.)

196 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VII. The ignorant worship inferior Gods. Now will be shewn the cause of (the people) not seeing that the Self or Vasudeva alone is the All : 20. Those whose wisdom has been led away by this or that desire resort to other Gods, engaged in this or that rite, constrained by their own nature. Their desires for progeny, cattle, svarga and the like deprive them of their power of discrimination, and they resort to other Gods (Devatas), other than Vasudeva, the Self. They engage in rites peculiar to the worship of these Gods ; they being constrained to do so by their own nature (praknti), by that peculiar tendency (sawskara) which they acquired in the previous births. Of these lustful men, 21. Whatever devotee seeks to worship with faith what form soever, that same faith of his I make unflinching. Whatever form of God (Devata) a man of desire worships in devotion and faith, I confirm his faith in the worship of that same form. By whatever faith a man is naturally actuated and seeks to worship a particular form of Devata, 22. Possessed of that faith he engages in the worship of that (form) ; thence he obtains his desires, these being indeed ordained by Me.

Possessed of that faith ordained by Me, he engages in the worship of that form of God. From the God worshipped in this form he obtains the objects of his desire as ordained by Me, the Supreme Lord, the Omniscient, as I alone know the precise relation between actions and their fruits, liecause their desires are all ordained by the Lord Himself, therefore the devotees are sure to obtain them. Another interpretation is also given which would make the last part of the verse mean that desires are beneficial. But desires can be beneficial only in a secondary sense ; for, strictly speaking, they are beneficial to nobody. Because they are unwise and full of desires and resort to the means of attaining finite results, therefore, 23. That result indeed is finite, (which accrues) to those men of small intellect. Worshippers of Gods (Devatas) go to Gods (Devatas) ; My de- ^ votees come unto Me. Though there is the same amount of exertion (in the two kinds of worship), people do not resort to Me so that they y may attain infinite results. Alas ! it is very miserable. — i/O^ Thus does the Lord express His regret. Why do they not come unto Me ? — it may be asked. The answer follows :

24. The foolish regard Me as the unmanifested coming into manifestation, knowing not My higher, immutable, unsurpassed nature. . Not knowing my higher nature as the Supreme Self, the ignorant think that I have just now come into manifestation, having been unmanifested hitherto, though I am the ever luminous Lord. To what is their ignorance due ? — Listen ; igS THE BMAGAVAD-GlTA. [DiS. Vllg 25. I am not manifest to all, veiled (as I am) by Yoga-Maya. This deluded world knows not Me, unborn and imperishable. I am not nianJest to all people ; that is to say, I am manifest only to a few who are my devotees. I am veiled by YogaMaya. — Yoga- Maya is the Maya which is none other than the Yoga or union of the three guwas. — Or, Yoga is the firm will of the Lord or Isvara. The Illusion or veil thereby spread is called Yoga-Maya. — Wherefore people are deluded and know Me not as unborn and imperishable. That Yoga- Maya by which I am veiled and on account of which people do not recognise Me, is Mine, i. c, subject to My control, and, as such, it cannot obstruct My knowledge— the knowledge of the Isvara, of the possessor (or wielder) of the Maya, just as the glamour (maya) caused by a juggler (mayavin) does not obstruct his own knowledge. Wherefore,

26. I know, O Arjuna, the past and the present and the future beings, but Me nobody knows. Nobody knows Me, except that one man who worships Me and seeks refuge with Me. Just for want of knowledge of My real nature, nobody worships Me. The root of ignorance. It may be asked, " What is that obstacle to their knowledge of My real nature, whereby deluded, all creatures that are born know Me not ? " — Listen : 27. From the delusion of pairs caused by desire and aversion, O Bharata, all beings are subject to illusion at birth, O harasser of thy foes. The very desire and aversion which are opposed to each other like heat and cold, and which, arising in connection with pleasure and pain and their causes, occur to every being in its turn, are known as pairs (dvandva). Now, when desire and aversion arise on the occurrence of pleasure and pain or of the causes thereof, they cause delusion in all beings and create obstruction to the rise of a knowledge of the Supreme Reality, the Self, by subjugating to themselves the intelligence of those beings. To one whose mind is subject to the passions of desire and aversion, there cannot indeed arise a knowledge of things as they are, even of the external world ; and it needs no saying that to a man whose intellect is overpowered by passion there cannot arise a knowledge of the Innermost Self, inasmuch as there are many obstacles in its way. All creatures coming into existence are born subject to this delusion. Wherefore every being has its intelligence obscured by the delusion of pairs ; and thus deluded it knows not that I am the Self, and therefore worships Me not as the Self.

Divine worship leads to realisation. Who then are free from the delusion of pairs and know Thee and worship Thee as their Self according to the Teaching (5astra) ? — In answer to this, the Lord says: 28. Those mortals of pure deeds whose sin has come to an end, who are freed from the delusion of pairs, they worship Me with a firm resolve. Those persons of good deeds — good deeds causing purity of mind — whose sin has almost come to an end are freed from the delusion of pairs spoken of above and worship Me, their Highest Self. They resolutely abandon all else, firm 200 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VII. in the conviction that " This is the Supreme Reality and no other." With what object do they worship ? — Listen : 29. Whoever resorting to Me strive for liberation from decay and death, they realise in full that Brahman, the individual Self, and all action. Those who, with the mind steadfast in Me," the Supreme Lord, strive for liberation from decay and death, realise in full, That, the Supreme (Para) Brahman. They realise in full the Reality underlying the Innermost individual Self (adhyatma), and they know all about action (karma).

30. Those who realise Me in the Adhibhuta (physical region), in the Adhidaiva (the divine region) and in the Adhiyajwa ( region of Sacrifice ), realise Me even at the time of departure, steadfast in mind.

The seven things to be realised by meditation. In vii 29, 30 such things have been mentioned by the Lord as have given occasion to Arjuna to put a question. Accordingly Arjuna proceeds to ask thus : Arjuna said : I — 2. What is that Brahman ? What about the Individual Self (Adhyatma) ? What is action (Karma), O Purushottama ? And what is declared to be the physical region (Adhibhutal ? And what is the divine region (Adhidaiva) said to be ? And how and who is Adhiyajna (the Entity concerned with Sacrifice) here in this body, O Aladhusudana, and how at the time of death art Thou to be known by the self-controlled ? The Lord proceeds to answer these questions in their order : The Blessed Lord said : 3. Brahman is the Imperishable (Akshara), the Supreme. The Ego is said to be the Individual Self (Adhyatma, He who dwells in the body). The offering which causes the origin of physical beings is called action (Karma). Brahman is the Akshara, the Imperishable, the Supreme Self (Paramatman) ; the sruti says " O Gargi, it is at the 202 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VIII. command of this Akshara, the Imperishable Paramatman, that heaven and earth remain, held in their places." (Bn. Upanishad, 3-8-9). ' Akshara' does not here mean the syllable " Om " ; for, the latter is subsequently specified thus ; — "Uttering the syllable 'Om,' the Brahman" (viii. 13). And the epithet ' supreme ' applies better to Brahman, the Imperishable, who transcends all, (than to the syllable 'Om').

The same Supreme Brahman existing as the Ego, as the Innermost Self, as the Pratyagatman, in every individual body, is said to be Adhydtma: that which first shows itself as the Innermost Self in the body and turns out in the end to be identical with the Supreme Reality, the Brahman, is known by the term ' Adhyatma '. The sacrificial act which consists in offering cooked rice, cakes and the like to the Gods (Devatas), and which causes the origin of all creatures, is known by the term ' Karma ' ; for, it forms the seed as it were of all beings ; it is in virtue of this act that all beings, animate and inanimate, come into existence, after passing through rain and other regions of life. 4. The physical region (Adhibiita) is the perishable existence, and Purusha or the Soul is the divine region (Adhidaivata). The Adhiyaj;ia (Entity concerned with Sacrihce) is Myself, here in the body, O best of the embodied. The Adhibhuta is that which gathers itself round the whole animated creation and is composed of the whole perishable existence, i. c, of every thing that has birth. Purusha is, literally, that by which every thing is filled, (pri=to fill) or that which lies in the body (pur), i. e.j the

3 — 7-] ABHYASA-YOGA. 2tf3 Ilira/jyaj^arbha, the Universal Soul abiding in the Sun i^ (Aditya), the Sustainer and the Stimulator of the sense'- organs of all living beings. T\\& Adkiyajnaxs He who identifies himself with all acts of sacrifice, the Deity named Vishjui ; the sruti says : " Yaj«a (Sacrifice) is verily Vish/ai." (Taittiriya-Sawhita, 1-7-4) He is verily Myself. I am the Deity concerned with all acts of sacrifice in the body. — As an act of sacrifice (yaj//a) has to be performed by the body, it is said to be inherent in it, and as such it may be said to rest in the body. 5. And whoso, at the time of death, thinking of Me alone, leaves the body and goes forth, he reaches My being ; there is no doubt in this. Me : Vish/Hi, the Supreme Lord. My being : My real being as Vish;m. In this : as to whether he reaches or not. Constant meditation of the Divine is necessary. Not to Me alone does this rule apply ; but also : 6. Of whatever Being thinking at the end a man leaves the body. Him alone, O son of Kunti, reaches he by whom the thought of that Being has been constantly dwelt upon.

Being: a particular Devata or Deity. At the end: at the time of life's departure. Him alone : Only the Being thought of, and no other. Dii/elt npon : constantly meditated. Because thus the final thought determines the character of the body to be attained next, 7. Therefore at all times do thou meditate on Me and fight : with mind and reason fixed on Me thou shalt doubtless come to Me alone. Meditate: According to the Teaching (sastra). Fight : do thou perform thy proper duty of fighting. Me: Vasudeva. Come to Me : as meditated upon by thee. The Divine Being to be meditated upon. 8. Meditating with the mind engaged in the Yoga of constant practice, not passing over to any thing else, one goes to the Supreme Purusha, the Resplendent, O son of Pritha. Pyactice consists in the repetition of one and the same idea, uninterrupted by any other thought, with reference to Me, the sole object of your thought. Such a practice is itself said to be Yoga. With the mind thus solely engaged in Yoga, not passing over to any other object, the Yogin who meditates according to the teaching of the scripture and of the teacher — of the sastra and acharya — reaches the Purusha, the Transcendental Being in the Solar Orb.

What sort of Purusha does he reach ? — Listen : g — 10. Whoso meditates on the Sage, the Ancient, the Ruler, smaller than an atom, the Dispenser of all, of unthinkable nature, glorious like the Sun, beyond the darkness, (whoso meditates on such a Being) at the time of death, with a steady mind endued with devotion and strength of Yoga, well fixing the life-breath betwixt the eye-brows, he reaches that Supreme Purusha Resplendent. Sage : the Omniscient. The Rtilev : of the whole world. Dispenser : who allots to all living beings actions and their results in all their variety. It is very difficult for anybody to conceive of His form though it exists. Like the Sun, He is gloyiotis with the splendour of His Eternal Intelligence (Nitya-Chaitanya) which is beyond the davkness of delusion or nescience (Aj;/ana). The siiciigth of Yoga consists in the steadiness of mind which results from the after-effects of the (constant practice of) samadhi. /At first the mind ' (chitta) is subdued in the lotus of the heart (hndayapu^rfarika) ; then, by means of the up-going narfi (sushumna), after gradually obtaining control over the several stages of matter (earth and the other four rudimental elements), the life-breath of the heart is drawn up and carefully fixed betwixt the eye-brows. By this means the wise man, the Yogin, reaches the Supreme Purusha, who is resplendent. /

Meditation of the Divine in the Pranava. The Lord now assigns a name to that Brahman whom the Yogin wishes to reach by means to be pointed out again in the sequel, and who will be now described in such terms as ' being declared by the knowers of the Veda,' &c. : II. That Imperishable Goal which the knowers of the Veda declare, which the self-controlled and the passion-free enter, which desiring they load the godly life, — That Goal will I declare to thee with bre\ity. Those who understand the teaching of the Veda declare the Imperishable as devoid of any attribute whatsoever. The sruti says : " This verily is that (which you wished to know of), the Imperishable, O Gargi, as the brahma;/as ( the knowers of the Brahman ) declare, ' not gross, not subtle'" &c, (B>'i-Upa. 3-8-8.) The sawnyasins, ever controlling themselves, free from passion, enter the Imperish- 206 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VIII. able, on attaining to right knowledge. And desiring to know the Imperishable they enter on godly life (Brahmacharya) with a Garu. Of That Goal which is called Akshara, the Imperishable, I shall tell thee with brevity. Having started with the words " He who verily among men meditates on the syllable ' Om ' till death, what region will he thereby attain to ? " he (Pippalada) said to him (Satyakama) : " O Satyakama, this, the Brahman, the Higher and the Lower, is the syllable ' Om '." (Prasna-Upanishad, 5 — i, 2) ; and it was subsequently said: " He who will meditate on the Supreme Purusha by the three-lettered syllable ' Om '—he is borne up by the Sama-hymns to the Brahma-loka, to the region of Brahman." {Ibid, S'S)-

Again, having started with the words " Elsewhere than in dharma and elsewhere than in a-dharma, tell me what thou seest ; " (Ka^ha-Upanishad, 2-13), thesruti says, "that goal which all the Vedas speak of {i.e., are intended for), which all the austerities speak of, desiring which they lead the life of Brahmacharya (celibacy), that goal I tell thee in brevity : It is this, the syllable 'Om.' " {Ibid 2-14). In such passages as these, the syllable ' Om ', regarded either as an expression of the Para-Brahman or as a symbol of Him like an idol, is intended for persons of dull and middling intellects as a means of knowing the Para-Brahman ; and the contemplation of the 'Om' is said to produce moksha at a subsetjuent period. Now, the same contemplation (conjoined with firmness in Yoga) of the syllable 'Om', productive of mukti at a subsequent period — the ' Om ' forming, as shown above, a means of knowing the ParaBrahman described here (viii. g, 11) — has to be taught here as well as some minor matters connected with the main subject. With this view, the Lord proceeds with the sequel : 12-13. Having closed all the gates, having confined mind in the heart, having fixed his life-breath in the head, engaged in firm Yoga, uttering Brahman, the one-syllabled 'Om,' thinking of Me, whoso departs, leaving the body, he reaches the Supreme Goal.

/ Having closed all the avenues of knowledge and having concentrated thought in the lotus of the heart, and with thought thus controlled, he ascends by the NcWi which passes upwards from the heart, and then fixing life-breath in the head, he utters the syllable ' Om ', the appellation of the Brahman, and meditates on l\Ie./-' Leaving the hody^ shows the mode of departure. The departure takes place by the Self leaving the body, not by the Self being destroyed. No re= birth on attaining to tlie Divine Being. 14. Whoso constantly thinks of Me and long, to him I am easily accessible, O son of Pritha, to the ever-devout Yogin. He who thinks of Me, the Supreme Lord, long — i. e., not for six months or a year, but uninterruptedly throughout life, — to that Yogin who is ever steadfast in thought, I am easily accessible. This being so, therefore, without thinking of another, one should ever dwell steadfast in Me. It may be asked, " What if Thou art easily accessible ?" — Listen ; I shall tell you of what use is My being thus easily accessible : 2o8 THE RHAGAVAD-GtTA. [DiS. VIII. 15. Having attained to Me, they do not again attain birth, which is the seat of pain and is not eternal, they having reached highest perfection.

Having attained to Me, the Isvara, having reached My being, they are not again subject to birth. Birth here is the seat of ah pain arising from the body, etc., and is of an everchanging nature. Having reached the highest stage called moksha, they do not attain birth again. Those, on the other hand, who do not attain to Me, return again (to the earth). Do those again return who have reached any other being than Thyself? — Listen: 16. (All) worlds including the world of Brahma are subject to returning again, O Arjuna ; but, on reaching Mc, O son of Kunti, there is no rebirth. The Day and the Night of Brahma. Why are all the worlds including the world of Brahma subject to returning? — Because they are limited by time. — How? 17. They — those people who know da}' and night — know that the day of Brahma is a thousand yugas long and the night is a thousand yugas long. Brahma is the Prajapati, the Viraj. Those persons who know how to compute Time know that Brahma's day is a thousand yugas long, and that His night is of the same duration as His day. Because the worlds are thus limited by time, therefore they return again.

What takes place during the Prajapati's day and what takes place during His night will now be described : 18. From the Unmanifestcd all the manifestations proceed at the coming on of day ; at the coming on of night they dissolve there only, in what is called the Unmanifested. The Unmanifested (Avyakta) is the sleeping condition of the Prajapati who is asleep. Out of That, all manifestations (vyaktisj, all creatures, unmoving and moving (sthavara i^ and ja;/gama), are manifested at the coming on of day, i. e., when Brahma awakes. So, at the coming on of night, i. e., when Brahma goes to sleep, all the manifestations dissolve there only, in what is called Avyakta, the one already spoken of. With a view to avoid the fallacious implication that a man reaps the fruits of what he has not done, or that he does not reap the fruits of what he has done, with a view to show that the teaching of the scripture concerning bondage (bandha) and lib3ralio:i (moksha) has a purpose to serve, and with a view further to teach detachment from sawsira by shovving that, as the effect of karma caused by avidya (nescience) and other sources of evil, all creatures involuntarily come into being again and again and dissolve, the Lord says :

ig. This samj multitude of beings, having come into being again and again, is dissolved at the coming on of night, .not of their will, O son of P/'itha, and comes forth at the coming on of da}'. This multitude of beings comprising those that move as well as those that do not — the same multitude that existed in the preceding kalpa or age, and no other — involuntarily comes into being at the coming on of day, and is dissolved again at the coming on of night, at the close of the day. 210 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VIII. Again, at the coming on of day, it involuntarily comes into existence. The Highest Goal — how reached. In viii. 13, etc., has been shown the way, by which to reach the Imperishable (Akshara) described above. Now, with a view to indicate ths nature of the Akshara, with a view thus to specify that so and so is the thing to be reached by this path of Yoga, the Lord proceeds as follows : 20. But that other eternal Unmanifested Being, distinct from this Unmanifested (Avyakta), — He does not perish when all creatures perish. ' But' indicates that the Akshara who is to be described now is distinct from the .Vvyakta. Being: the Supreme, the Para-Brahman, called the Akshara. Though distinct from the Avyakta, one may suppose that He is of the same nature as the Avyakta. To remove this impression, the Lord qualifies Him by ' other ', meaning thereby that He is of a different nature from the Avyakta. He is unmanifested, imperceptible to the senses. He is distinct from the Avyakta mentioned abov-e, which is Avidya itself, the seed of the whole multitude of created beings ; that is to say, H e is of quite a different nature from the Avyakta. He does not perish when all beings from Brahm'i downwards perish.

21. What is called the Unmanifested and the Imperishable, That, they say, is the highest goal ; which having reached none return. That is My highest place. Th.ii : that Avyakta which is called Akshara, the Imperishable, the Unmanifested Bsins:. Havins: reached that state, none has returned to sa;«sara, the mundane life. That is INIy {i. e. Vish;/u's) Supreme Abode. The means of attaining to that state will now be pointed out : 22. Now, that Highest Purusha, O son of Pntha, within Whom all beings dwell, by Whom all this is pervaded, is attainable by exclusive devotion. Purusha is so called because He rests in the body, or because He is full. Than Him none is higher. He is attained by exclusive devotion, i.e., by J7?tlna or knowledge of the Self. All the created beings abide within the Purusha; for, every effect rests within its cause ; and by that Purusha the whole world is pervaded. The Paths of Light and Darkness. Now it is necessary to speak of the Uttaramarga, ' the Northern Path', the Path of Light by which the Yogins just spoken of attain to Brahman, — those Yogins who meditate here on Brahman as inhering in the Pra//ava, in the syllable ' Om ', and who attain to moksha later on. '•' And this will be taught in the section beginning with viii. 23. The path of return is also described, only with a view to extol the other path.

23. Now, in what time departing, Yogins go to return not, as also to return, that time will I tell thee, O chief of the Bharatas. ' In what time' should be construed with 'departing.' 'To return ' means to be reborn — ' Yogins ' stand for those who are engaged in meditation {i. e., those who are properly * At the end of the kalpa. 212 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS, VIII. called Yogins) as well as for Karmins, i. e., those who are engaged in karma or action. The latter are spoken of as Yogins only by courtesy ; and they are so spoken of in iii. 3. — I shall tell you, when dying the Yogins are not born again, and when dying they will be born again. He speaks of that time : 24. Fire, light, day-time, the bright fortnight, the six months of the northern solstice, — then departing, men who know Brahman reach Brahman. ' Fire ' is the deity presiding over time ; so also is 'light ' a deity presiding over time. — Or, it may be that ' fire ' and ' light ' are the deities so called ; the reference, however, to the path as a whole by the expressions ' in what time ' and ' that time ' being due to the predominance of the deities presiding over * time.' — The ' day-time ' is the deity presiding over the day-time, the ' bright fortnight ' is the deity presiding over the bright fortnight.

The six months of the northern solstice : here also, it is the deity that forms the path. The principle on which this interpretation of the passage is based has been established elsewhere. '■' Those who die, having been engaged in the contemplation of Brahman, reach Brahman by this path. The expression "in course of time" should be understood after 'reach'; for, those who are firm in devotion to right knowledge and attain to immediate liberation have no place to go to or to return from.

25. Smoke, night-time, and the dark fortnight, the six months of the southern solstice, — attaining by these to the lunar light, the Yogin returns. * Sariraka-Mimamsa, iv. 3-4. ' Smoke,' * night time' the ' dark fortnight,' and the 'six months of the southern solstice,' are all deities presiding over smoke and periods of time spoken of. By this path, the Yogin — the Karmin who performs sacrifices (to Gods) and other works — attains to the lunar light, and, on the exhaustion thereof, returns again to earth. 26. These bright and dark Paths of the world are verily deemed eternal ; by the one a man goes to return not, by the other he returns again. The one is bright '•' because it illumines knowledge ; the other is dark '■= because it is wanting in that light. The twopaths are open to those only in the world who are engaged in action or devoted to knowledge ; they are not open to the whole world. They are eternal, because sawsara is eternal. By the one : by the bright one. 27. Knowing these paths, O son of Pritha, no Yogin is deluded : wherefore at all times be steadfast in Yoga, O Arjuna.

The Yogin who knows that one of the two foregoing paths leads to sawsara and that the other leads to moksha is no lonijer deluded, f Now, hear of the greatness of that Yoga * The two paths are respectively ■ 1 11 . u j 1 ■ a - „- ^ ' ■" mine knowledge, is reached by avidya or called Devayana and Pitiiyana. the path . , . . . ^. j. . u ^ nescience, and is marked throughout by to the Devas and the path to the Pitris. , . , , , , . smoke and other dark things . The one is said to be bright because it x , .u i- • ■ 1 j u v. .u r t As the \ogm includes the Path of illumines knowledge and is reached by t • u» • u- tit j-. ^- u n " ■' Light in his Meditation, he will not re- knowledge, and its course is marked throughout by bright objects ; the othei is said to be dark because it does not illu gard the other path as the one he should throughout by bright objects ; the other resort to.— (A.)

214 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. VIII. 28. Whatever fruit of merit is declared to accrue from the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and gifts, — beyond all this goes the Yogin on knowing this ; and he attains to the Supreme Primeval Abode. Whatever fruit of merit is declared by the scriptures to be attainable when the Vedas are properly studied, when the sacrifices are performed in all their parts, when austerities are well practised, — beyond all this multitude of fruits rises the Yogin who rightly understands and follows the teaching imparted (by the Lord) in His answers to the seven questions, and he then attains to the highest abode of Isvara — which existed even in the beginning ; — He attains Brahman, the Cause.

Brahma-=Jnana is the best Religion. In the eighth discourse has been declared the Yoga of concentration (dhiira«a) through nkdl " as well as its process f, and its result has been shown to be none other than the attainment of Brahman — at a subsequent period, through ' fire and light ' and the like, — whence there is no return. Now, with a view to give no room to the supposition that the attainment of moksha is possible only by this means and by no other, the Lord proceeds as follows : The Blessed Lord said : I. To thee who dost not cavil, I shall now declare this, the greatest secret, knowledge combined with experience, t which having known thou shalt be liberated from evil. This : the Brahma-jwana, tjie knowledge uf Brahman, which is going to be declared, and which has been declared in the preceding discourses. Nott' : this word points to the superiority of knowledge (over Dhyana): this right knowledge alone forms the direct means of attaining moksha, as declared in the sruti and the smnti : " Vasudeva is the AH" — (Bhagavadgitd, vii. ig.) * The Siislu4!niiu 'the bright.' Con- f Such as closing all the gates (viii. 12, 13. centration (dharana) is only an anga or i 5dA:s/ia/A«ra, intuitive or direct percep- ^ auxiliary of Yoga. tion.

2I§ THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. IX. " All this is the Se\L"—{Chhdnd. Upa., 7-25-2.) " One only without a second " — {Ibid, 6-2-1.) And nothing else is a direct means to moksha, as the passages of the sruti like the following declare : " Now the other princes who understand otherwise than thus,* they shall attain to perishable regions." — {Ibid, 7-25-2.) On attaining this knowledge you will be liberated from the bondage of sawsara. 2. The Sovereign Science, the Sovereign Secret, the Supreme Purifier is this ; immediately comprehensible, unopposed to Dharma, very easy to perform, imperishable. Of sciences it is the king, because it is of great splendour. Indeed, the science of Brahman is tlie most brilliant j of all sciences. So also, it is the king of secrets. Of all the purifiers, this knowledge of Brahman is the best purifier. That it is a purifier needs no saying, since it reduces karma to ashes in an instant, root and all, — all the karma, dharma and a-dharma, which has been accumulated during many thousand births. Moreover, it j can be comprehended by pyatyalisha, by immediate perception, like the feeling of pleasure and so on. What is possessed of many a desirable quality may be opposed to dharma ; but not so is the know-

* That all this I3 one Brahman. with the Brahmu-juana, revoaled by the % Greater reverence is shewn to those sruti and the smriti, it is not known who know Brahman than to other men through revelation solely, but it is known of learning. by pratyaksha, by immediate or intuitive § The Brahma-j«ana or its effect. Un- perception, as welt like the other things which are, equally ledge of Atman opposed to Dharnia ; on the other hand it is not separable from Dharma, i. e., not opposed to it. Even then it may be supposed that it is very difficult to attain ; but it is not so, says the Lord. It is very easy to acquire, like the power of discriminating gems. '■"'■ Now, of the other acts, those which involve little trouble and are easily accomplished are seen to be productive of small results, and difficult acts are found to be productive of great results. Accordingly it may be imagined that this Brahma-j«ana which is so easily attained perishes when its effect is exhausted : to prevent this supposition, the Lord says that it is imperishable. It does not perish like an act when the effect is exhausted. Wherefore knowledge of Atman (Self) is worth acquiring.

3. Persons having no faith in this Dharma, O harasser of thy foes, without reaching Me, remain verily in the path of the mortal world. Those who have no faith in this Dharma (law, religion) viz., knowledge of the Self, those who do not believe in its existence or in its effects, the sinful who follow the doctrine of the Demons (Asuras), regarding the physical body itself as the Self, — these greedy and sinful persons do not attain to Me, the Supreme Lord. — The attaining of Me is certainly out of question ; wherefore, the implication is that they do not attain even to devotion (Bhakti) which is one of the paths leading to Me ; they are sure to remain in the path of * Verily this knowledge is easily ac- Brahma-jndna. quired when taught by an adept ; so is 2l8 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. IX. the mortal world, in that path only which leads to hell y (naraka) and to the lower kingdoms of animals, etc. All beings rest in the Lord. Having prepared Arjuna (to listen to the Doctrine) by extolling it, the Lord says: 4. By Me all this world is pervaded, My form unmanifestcd. All beings dwell in Me ; and I do not dwell in them.

All this world is pervaded by My Highest Being, My form being invisible to the senses. In Me, of unmanifested form, dwell all beings from Brahma down to the plant. No being devoid of the Self can ever become an object of experience. Wherefore they dwell in Me, i. e., they are self-existent (or have an individual existence) through Me, the Self, {i. c, they are what they are in virtue of Me, the Self, underlying them all.) 'Since I am the Self of all those beings, it would seena to the deluded as though I dwell in them. Wherefore I say : I do not dwell in those beings, because of the absence of contact with others, unlike corporeal things. I am, certainly, the innermost essence even of the , akasa. That which is unconnected with any object cannot I indeed be contained anywhere as though in a receptacle. Wherefore, as I am unconnected with any object, 5. Nor do those beings dwell in Me ; behold My Divine Yoga ! Sustaining all beings, but not dwelling in them, is My Self, the cause of beings. And yet these beings, from Brahma downwards, dwell not in Me ; behold My Divine working, the Divine Mystery,

the real nature of the Self. Accordinf^ly, the sruti speaks of the unattached condition of the Self, seeing that He is unconnected with any object : " Devoid of attachment, He is never attached." — ( Brih. Up. 3-9-26.) Behold, there is yet another mystery. Though unattached, My Self supports all beings, but does not dwell in them, as shown above with reasons. "•' — Then how to justify the Lord's words, 'My Self? — We answer : Separating ( from the Real Self ) the aggregate of the physical and other material environments, and regarding that aggregate as the ' I ', the Lord speaks of the Self as ' My Self, — so far following only the popular conception ; not certainly that He believes, as the masses ignorantly believe, that the Atman, the Self, is distinct from Himself, f And further it is Myself that cause all beings to come into being, that cause all beings to grow. By way of illustrating by an example what has been taught in the two preceding verses, the Lord says : 6. As the mighty wind moving everywhere rests ever in the akasa, so, know thou, do all beings, rest in Me.

It is observed in our ordinary experience that the wind, moving everywhere and mighty in expanse, ever rests in the akasa ; so also in Me, who am all-pervading like the akasa, do all beings rest, without any contact at all. The Lord is the source and the end of all beings. Thus, as the wind rests in the akasa, so do all beings rest in Me as long as the world lasts. ♦ Because the Self is unconnected + Because such a relation between the with any object. — (A. ) Self & the bodily aggregate is illusory. (.A.) 220 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. IX. 7. All beings, O son of Kunti, go into My Prakriti at the end of a kalpa. I send them forth again at the beginning of (the next) kalpa. Pvakviti : the inferior one composed of the three gu//as. The end of a kalpa is the time of dissolution (pralaya), and the beginning of a kalpa is the time of production (utpatti). Resorting to My Prakriti, I again and again send forth this whole multitude of beings, powerless under the control of the Prakriti. With the help of the Prak^'iti, i.e., of Avidya, which is subject to Me, I cause all these beings we now see to emanate again and again from the Praknti ; all of them being rendered powerless by avidya and other sources of evil under the influence of the Prakriti, i. c, of Svabhava or Nature.

The Lord is not bound by His acts. Then as creating this multitude of beings of unequal conditions, Thou, the Supreme Lord, shalt be subject to dharma and a-dharma arising from that act ? — In reply, the Lord says : 9. Nor do these acts, O Dhanawjaya, bind Me, remaining like one unconcerned, unattached to those acts. The acts involved in the unequal creation of the multitudinous beings do not bind Me, the Isvara. — Now, the Lord gives the reason why He is not affected by the acts: — I, knowing the immutability of the Self, remain like one who is unconcerned, without attachment for the fruit of the act, j.^., without the egotistic feeling 'I do. ' Wherefore, in the >^ case of others also, the absence of the egotistic feeling of. agency and the absence of attachment for results is the cause of freedom (from dharma and a-dharma ). Otherwise, tjie deluded man is bound by bis own acts like the silk- worm in the cocoon. Now, the statements ' 1 send forth this multitude of beings ' (ix. 7) and ' remaining like one unconcerned ' involve a self-contradiction. In explanation thereof, the Lord says :

10. By Me presiding, Prakj'iti produces the moving and the unmoving ; because of this, O son of Kunti, the world revolves. By Me presiding : as a mere viewer on evey side and the immutable witness. My Maya, i.e., the Avidya, composed of the three gu«as, produces the universe comprising the moving and the unmoving objects. So says the chant : ' The one, the luminous, hidden in all beings, all- 1 pervading, the Inner Self of all, the superintendent of all acts, the abode of all beings, the witness, the perceiver, alone, and free from qualities.' — {Svetasvatara-Up. 6-1 1). Because I am the witness, because I preside, this universe comprising the moving and the unmoving objects, the manifested and the unmanifested, moves on through all stages. Indeed, all activity in the world— such as ' I shall enjoy this,' ' I see this,' ' I hear this,' ' I feel pleasure,' ' I feel pain,' ' To gain this I shall do it,' ' I shall learn this ' — arises by way of forming an object of consciousness ; it has its being in consciousness and has its end in consciousness. Such chants as ' Who in the Supreme Heaven (of the heart) is the witness of this ; ' (Tai. Br. 2-8-9)

111 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. IX. point only to this view. Accordingly'" as there is no conscious entity other than the One Divine Being, there cannot be a separate enjoyer ; and it is therefore irrelevant to ask or to answer the question f , ' Of what purpose is this creation by the One, the Divine, the pure all-witnessing Spirit or Consciousness, having really no concern with any enjoyment whatever ? ' So says the srutit : 'Who could perceive (It) directly, and who could declare whence born and why this variegated creation? '— (Tai. Br. 2-8-9). The Lord has also said : ' Wisdom is enveloped by unwisdom; thereby mortals are deluded,' S — (v. 15). The life of the impious. Though I am thus eternal, pure, wise, and free by nature, Omniscient, the Self of all, II. Fools disregard Me clad in human form, not knowing My higher being as the Great Lord of beings. Fools, unable to discriminate, despise Me living among them with a human body, these fools not understanding My • The /svara being the creator of the ^'o"" '^ Creation intended to secure niok- Universe is the mere witness thereof. s^'"'' because it is opposed to moksha^

t It is not right to ask or answer the Thus, neither the question nor an answer question ' %vhat is the purpose of Crea- to it is possible ; and there is no occasion lion ?' We cannot say that it is meant for for it, as Creation is due to the Maya of the enjoyment of the Supreme ; for, the the Supreme.-(A. ) Supreme really enjoys nothing. It is pure I This sruti means that it is very hard consciousness, a mere witness. And there to ^ow the Supreme Self. is no other enjoyer, for there is no other >> This passage shows that creation is conscious entity. The /svara is one only ; ^^ue to aj«ana or nescience, and what is not conscious cannot enjoy. higher being, — not knowing that I am the Supreme Self, that I am, like sYkasa, more intimately connected with things than even akasa, that I am the Great Lord, the very Self, of all beings. Then by continually despising Me, these poor creatures are ruined. How (is their condition pitiable) ? 12. Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge, devoid of discriijiination, partaking only of the delusive nature of Rakshasas and Asuras.

They cherish vain hopes. The agnihotra and other actions performed by them are fruitless, because they insult the Lord, because they neglect their own Self. Even their knowledge is fruitless. They are devoid of discrimination. They partake of the nature of Rakshasas and Asuras.* They see no self beyond the body and engage in cruel deeds, their rule of conduct being 'cut, break, drink, devour, rob others' property.' The vva3's of the faithful devotees. But, the faithful who are engaged in devotion (Bhakti) to the Lord, i. c, who walk in the path of moksha, 13. The Mahatmans, O son of Pntha, partaking of the nature of the Devas, worship Me with mind turned to no other, f knowing (Me) as the imperishable source of all beings. Mahatmans: the high-souled.j The nature of the Devas ^ * After deuth such people will be born + with the mind resting on Me, the as Rakshasas or Asuras. The nature of Innermost Self, who am no other than Rakshasas consists in committing deeds their own Self. of cruelty, and that of Asuras in rob- J Those whose mind (sattva) has been bing another's property, in the absence purified by yajna or sacrifice, &c. of charity and of sacrifice.

224 T"E BHAGAVAD-GiTA. [DiS. IX. (Gods) consists in their control over the body, mind and the senses, in kindness, in faith and the hke. Beings : bhutas, all living creatures as well as all elements of matter. How (do they worship) ? 14. Always talking of Me, strenuous, firm in vows, and reverent, they worship Me with love, always devout. They always talk of Me, .their Lord, the very Brahman. They ever strive by way of subjugating the senses, by way of cultivating the virtues of self-control, kindness, innocence, and the like. Firm in their vows, they worship Me in love, Me who am their very Self lying in the heart. In what different ways do they worship ? — Listen : 15. Worshipping by the wisdom-sacrifice, others adnre Me, the All-faced, in various ways, as One, as different. Knowledge of the Lord is itself a sacrifice. Worshipping by this sacrifice of wisdom, others* adore Me, having abandoned all other forms of worship. And that knowledge varies thus :-^Some worship with the knowledge of the real truth that ' One, verily, is the Para-Brahman.' Some worship with the knowledge that the Lord Vish/m Himself exists as different beings, as the sun, the moon and the like. Others worship Him, — who exists in all forms — as the Allfaced, thinking that the one Lord exists in all the different forms, with his face on all sides./

AH worship goes to the Lord. If they worship in so many different ways, how do they (as Thou sayest) worship Thee only ? — The Lord says : * The Brahma-nishihas, those who are devoted to Brahman. i6. I am kratii, I am yajna, I am svadha, I am aushadha, I am ma»tra, Myself the butter, I am fire, I the act of offering. Kratti is a class of Vedic sacrifices. Yajiia is the worship enjoined in the smnti. Svadha is the food offered to ancestors (Pitns). The aushadha means plants in general, including rice and barley, eaten by all living beings. — Or, svadha is food in general, and aushadha is the medical ( food ) serving to alleviate sickness. — I am the mantra, the chant with which the oblation is offered to the Pitns and the Devatas. I am the fire into which the offering is poured. 17. I am the father of this world, the mother, the dispenser, and grandsire ; I am the knowable, the purifier, the syllable ' Om,' and also the T^ik, the Saman, and the Yajus also. The dispenser ; of the fruits of action. 18. I am the Goal, the Sustainer, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Shelter and the Friend, the Origin, Dissolution and Stay ; the Treasure-house, the Seed imperishable.

I am the goal, the fruit of action I am the witness of ] what is done and what is not done by all living beings. I am the abode wherein all living beings dwell. I am the shelter for the distressed ; I relieve from distress those who / come to Me. I am the Friend : I do good without ex- \ pecting any return, I am the source of the world. I am ' that in which it is dissolved, and that in which it stays. I \ 226 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. IX. am the treasure-house, that which living beings shall enjoy in a future period. I am the imperishable seed, that which causes the growth of all things that germinate, and which endures as long as the world ( saw/sara ) endures. / Nothing indeed springs up without a seed ; and since growth is constant, it is understood that continuity of the seed never fails. ig. I give heat, I hold [back and send forth rain, I am the immortality as well as death, existence and non-existence, O Arjiina. As the sun I give heat by some powerful rays ; by certain rays I send forth rain ; and having sent it forth I take it back by certain rays during eight months, and again send it forth in the rainy season. I am the immortality of the gods (devas) and the death of the mortals. I am existence, (the manifested, the effect), which manifests itself in relation (to the cause) ; and I am the reverse, the non-existence (the unmanifested, the cause). — Indeed the Lord can never be altogether non-existent; nor (can it be said ) that the effect is existence and the cause is non-existen^."''

The fruits of interested acts of Vedic ritual. Those men of wisdom who are devoted to Me, adoring Me by the sacrifices mentioned above, leading lives of Retirement in various forms described above, and regarding Me as One or as different, — they reach Myself according to * The manifested world of effects is spoken of as non-existence, as it is imspoken of as 'existence' and the un- possible to conceive existence arising out manifested cause as 'non-existence. ' We of non-existence ; for the sruti itself says, cannot indeed hold that the Divine " How can existence come out of nonessence is non-existence, for then we are existence ? " — (Chhand. Up. 6.) driven to nihilism; nor can the cause be l8 — 22] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 227 their knowledge. But as regards those who are ignorant and who long for objects of desire, 20. Men of the three Vcdas, the soma-drinkers, purified from sin, worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the goal of heaven ; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the Gods and enjoy in heaven the heavenly pleasures of the Gods. Men who know the three Vedas, the R\k, the Saman and the Yajus ; who drink Soma and are thereby purified from sins ; who worship Me as the Vasus and other gods by sacrifices such as the Agnish^oma ; who seek for Svarga as the reward of their sacrifices ; — they go to the world of Indra who had performed a hundred sacrifices, and there enjoy supernatural (a-prakrita) pleasures.

21. They, having enjoyed that spacious world of Svarga, their merit (pu»ya) exhausted, enter the world of the mortals; thus following the Dharma of the Triad, desiring (objects of) desires, they attain to the state of going and returning. The Dharma of the Triad : mere Vedic ritual (karma) that which is enjoined by the three Vedas. They have to go and return, and never attain independence anywhere. The Supreme watching over His devotees' interests. Now, as regards those men of right knowledge who are free from desires, 22. Those men who, meditating on Me as nonseparate, worship Me all around, — to them who are ever devout, I secure gain and safety. 228 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS, IX. I Those men of renunciation (sa;;myasins) who worship Me I all around,* ever meditating on Me, regarding themselves 'as non-separate, — i.e., looking upon the Supreme God, Narayana, as their own Self, — to these who see the Reality, who are ever devout,! I secure gain. I secure to them i what is not already possessed ; and I secure to them safety, 1 i.e., preservation of what is already possessed. /As said in vii. 17, 18, they form My very Self and are dear to Me.

[Objection): — To other devotees also the Lord secures gain and safety. [Answer) : — True, He undoubtedly secures (to them gain and safety) ; but there is this difference : while other devotees work themselves also for their own gain and safety, x^hose who see nothing as separate from themselves do not work for their own gain and safety. Indeed these latter never cherish a desire for life or death ; the Lord alone is their refuge. Wherefore the Lord Himself secures to them gain and safety.^ Other devotees do but worship the Supreme in ignorance. [Objection) : — If other gods (Devatas) are Thyself only, their devotees also worship Thyself. [Answer) : — Just so, indeed : 23. Even those who, devoted to other Gods, worship Them with faith, worship Myself, O son of Kunti, in ignorance. * i. e, , Who see Me all around, as + Constantly and earnestly engaged in infinite,— (A. ) dhyana. 22 — 25.1 SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 22g With faith: believing in the efficacy (of the worship of those Gods). \\'hy dost Thou say that they worship in ignorance ? — For, 24. I am indeed the Enjoyer, as also the Lord, of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in truth ; whence they fail.

As the Devatii, - ' (i. e., as the God to whom sacrifices are offered) I am the Enjoyer and the Lord of all sacrifices enjoined in the sruti and the smnti. I am indeed the Lord of yaJHa or sacrifice, as said in viii, 4. So they do not know Me as I am ; whence, having worshipped in ignorance, they fail to attain the fruit of the sacrifice. + The fruit of sacrifice certainly accrues I to them also who, devoted to other gods, worship Me in ignorance. — How ?— 25. Votaries of the Gods go to the Gods ; to the Pitris go the votaries of the Pitris ; to the Bhutas go the worshippers of the Bhutas ; My worshippers come to Myself. The votaries of the Gods, those whose devotion and vows are directed to the Gods, go to the Gods. The votaries of the Pitns such as the Agnishvattas, engaged in performing sraddha and other rites in devotion to the Pitns, * As the Vasus and other Devatas to region to which they attain as the result whom the sacrifices are offered, I am the of their sacrifice. Enjoyer of all sacrifices; iind as the Antar- : The worship of the Gods is not quite

yamin, as the Inner Regulator of the useless. The worshippers do attain results Universe, I am the Lord of all sacrifices. suited to the form of worship, but they t Not having dedicated their actions to have to return to this world after a time. Me, they return to this world from the 230 THE bhagavad-gIta. [Dis. IX. go to the Pitns. The Bhutas are the Vinayakas, the hosts of MatJ'is, the four Bhaginis and the Hke. My worshippers, i.e., Vish?m's votaries, come to Myself. Notwithstanding the equahty of' trouble, people do not worship Me alone, because of their ignorance. Wherefore they attain very small results. Facility in Devotion to the Supreme. Not only do My devotees attain an endless result, i. e., attain a state from which there is no return to this world, but it is also easy for them to worship Me. — How ? — 26. When one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, — that I eat, offered with devotion by the pure-minded. Because it is co, therefore, 27. Whatever thou doest, whatever thou eatest, whatever thou sacrificest, whatever thou givest, in whatever austerity thou engagest, do it as an offering to Me.

Whatever thou doest of thy own accord [i.e., not enjoined in the sistra) and whatever thou offerest in sacrifice as enjoined in the sruti or the smriti, whatever thou givest — such things as gold — to the brahma7?as and others, ...do all that as an offering to Me. Now listen as to what will accrue to you doing thus : 28. Thus shalt thou be liberated from the bonds of actions which are productive of good and evil results ; equipped in mind with the Yoga of renunciation, and liberated, thou shalt come to Me. 25 — 29.] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 23 1 Thus : when you thus offer everything to Me. This (act of ofTering everything to Me) constitutes the Yoga of renunciation. It is renunciation inasmuch as everything is off'ered to Me ; and It is also Yoga inasmuch as it is an action (karma). Thus, wath mind equipped with Yoga and renunciation, thou shalt be liberated from bonds while yet living ; and when this body is dead, thou shalt come to Me. The impartiality of the Supreme. (Objection) : — Then the Lord has love and hatred, since He b)estows His grace on His devotees, not on others.

(Ansiiey) : — Not so : 29. The same I am to all beings ; to Me there is none hateful or dear ; but whoso worship Me with devotion, they are in Me, and I am also in them. I am like fire : just as fire does not ward off" cold from those who are at a distance and wards it off" from those who go near it, so I bestow My grace on My devotees, not on others. Those who worship Me, the Lord, with devotion are in Me, as a matter of course, but not owing to any attachment on My part. In them also I am, only as a matter of course, not in others. By this behaviour, I cannot (be said to) hate the latter. '•' ' Those who are devoted to Me, where, is reflected in a clean mirror, so performing the duties of their caste and also is the Supreme . Lord present as a order, become pure in mind, in virtue of matter of course in those persons only that very devotion of unthinkable grand- from whose minds all dirt has been re- eur ; and they are in Me, i. c, their minds moved by devotion. It has been said in

are rendered fit for My presence. And, ix. 13 that those are devoted to the Lord, bjing in their presence as a matter of who partake of the nature of the devas. course, I ever do good to them. Just as — (A) hj Sun's light, though pervading ever y- 232 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. IX. Even the Iow=born attain salvation by Devotion. Now I shall tell you how excellent a thing devotion to Me is : 30. If one of even very evil life worships Me, resorting to none else, he must indeed be deemed righteous, for he is rightly resolved. He is rightly resolved : he is a man of good resolution. By abandoning evil ways in his external life, and by the power of his internal right resolution, 31. Soon he becomes righteous and attains eternal peace ; do thou, O son of Kunti, proclaim that My devotee never perishes. Listen, this is the real truth : thou mayest proclaim that He who is devoted to Me in his inner soul never perishes. 32. For, finding refuge in Me, they also who, O son of Pritha, may be of a sinful birth — women, vaisyas as well as siidras, — even they attain to the Supreme Goal.

The Yoga of Devotion. 33. How much more then the holy brahma»as and devoted royal saints. Having reached this transient joyless world, do thou worship Me. Holy : of pure birth. This world : the world of man, human birth * which is the means of attaining spiritual « As non-human bodies such as those human birth should lead a life of devotion of animals are not fit for a life of devotion to the Lord, to the Lord, those who have attained to aspirations (purushartha), and which is very hard to attain. ^Moreover, 34. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thus steadied, with Me as thy Supreme Goal, thou shalt reach Myself, the Self. Me : Vasudeva. Steadied : in thought (chitta). I am the Self of all beings, and I am the Supreme goal.

The Lord is the source of all manifestations. In the seventh discourse and in the ninth, the essential nature of the Lord and His manifestations have been pointed out. Now it is necessary to point out in what forms of being the Lord should be thought of; and it is also necessary to describe the essential nature of the Lord, — though it has been described already, — as it is a hard thing to understand. With this view, the Lord says : The Blessed Lord said : 1. Again, O mighty-armed, listen to My Supreme word, which I, from a desire for thy well-being, shall speak to thee who art delighted. Supreme : as revealing the unsurpassed Thing. Delighted : you are intensely delighted with My speech, as though you are drinking the immortal nectar. Why should He speak of it ? — The Lord says : 2. Neither the hosts of the Gods nor the Great i^ishis know my origin ; for I am the source of all the Gods and the Great i^ishis. Prabhava (interpreted as oyigin) may also mean " Great Lordly Power." Rishis : such as BhHgu. 3. He who knows Me as unborn and beginningless, as the great Lord of the worlds, he among mortals is undeluded, he is liberated from all sins.

Because I am the source of the Gods and the Great i^ishis, none else exists as the source of My existence ; wherefore, I am unborn and beginningless. Because I am beginningless, therefore I am unborn. Undeluded: devoid of delusion. All sins: consciously or unconsciously incurred. For the following reason also I am the great Lord of the worlds : 4-5. Intelligence, wisdom, non-illusion, patience, truth, self-restraint, calmness, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, and security ; innocence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, shame ; ( these ) different kinds of dispositions of beings arise from Me alone. Intelligence (buddhi) is the power which the inner sense ( anta/f-karawa ) has of understanding subtle objects of thought. He, indeed, is said to be intelligent who is possessed of this power. Wisdom is the knowledge of the Self and other such things. Non-illusion consists in acting with discrimination when any thing has to be done or known at the moment. Patience : not being agitated in mind when assaulted or abused. Truth : giving utterance to one's own actual experience of things, as heard or seen, with a view to impress it on the mind of another. Selfnstraint: quieting the external senses. Calmness: the tranquillity of the inner sense or anta/;-kara«a Innocence: not

injuring living beings. Contentment : being satisfied with one's present acquisitions. Atisterity: bodily torture accompanied with the restraint of the senses. Benejicence : sharing (one's own things) with others as far as one's own means may permit. Fame : due to dharma. Shame : due to adharma. All these different dispositions of living beings mentioned above, such as intelligence, arise from Me alone, the Lord (Isvara), according to their respective karma. Moreover, 6. The seven Great i^ishis as well as the four ancient Manus, with their being in Me, were born of mind ; and theirs are these creatures in the world. The seven great /^ishis such as Bhngu, as well as the four Manus of the past ages known as Savarwas, had directed their thoughts to Me exclusively and were therefore endowed with the power ot Vish^m. They were produced by Me by mind alone. Born in the creation of these Manus and of the Great i?ishis are these creatures comprising the moving and the unmoving beings.* Knowledge of the Lord's Glory conduces to Yoga. 7. He who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine is endowed with unshaken Yoga ; there is no doubt of it.

* The Lord is not only the material Lords. Both these belonged to the pri- cause ( prakriti ) of all, but, as the Omni- meval age and were born of the mind of sclent Lord of all. He is also the Ruler the Lord. The Great ifishis and the of all , for He produced the Great Tfishis Manus had their thought directed to the and the Manus. The Great iJishis, from Omniscient Lord and were therefore en- Bhcigu to Vasish/ha, were omniscient dowed with the power of Vishou and and were the original teachers of the Tra- obtained wisdom and power. The present ditional wisdom. The Manus were the denizens of this world are their creatures, Rulers of creatures and were themselves by birth and by knowledge.— (A.) He who knows in truth this vast extent of My being * and My achievement (Yoga) — or Yoga may here stand for what is born of Yoga, viz., the power of achieving and controlling mighty things as well as Omniscience t — he is endowed with unshaken Yoga, i. c, with steadiness in right knowledge. :J What is that unshaken Yoga with which they are endowed ? — The answer follows :

8. I am the source of all ; from Me everything evolves ; thus thinking the wise worship Me, endowed with contemplation. I, the Supreme Brahman, termed V^sudeva, am the source of the whole world. From Me j alone evolves the whole universe in all its changes, including existence and disappearance, action, effect and enjoyment. Thus thinking, the wise who know the Supreme Reality*^ worship Me, ardently engaged in the contemplation of the Supreme Reality. g. With their thought on Me, with their life absorbed in Mc, instructing each other, and ever speaking of Me, they are content and delighted. * He who knows Me as infinite. — (A.) the Inner Regulator, every thing moves + ,-. e. , he who knows the fact that the °" '" accordance with the Law. - (A. ) Great ieishis and the Manns possessed Hit 'S only those who see the emptiness their power and wisdom, as partaking of f/jhc^vorldly life that are fit for a life of a very small portion of the Lord's devotion to the Lord. When men know power and wisdom . - (A. ) '^^ Lord as the Self of all, the Cause of all, the Omniscient Lord of all, they become devoted to Me. The knowledge of the Supreme Reality leads to love, regard and earnestness, and these lead to devo- § Controlled and impelled by Me as tion to the Lord. — (A . )

t The knowledge of the Conditioned is the doorway leading to the knowledge of the Unconditioned. — (A.) 238 THE BHAGAVAD-GlTA. [DiS. X. All their senses (pnwas) such as the eye are absorbed in Me. Or — according to another interpretation — their very life (prana) is devoted to Me. They ever speak of Me as possessed of supreme wisdom, power, might and other qualities. They thus obtain satisfaction and are delighted as if in the company of the beloved. The Lord endows His devotees with wisdom. As to those who worship Me devoutly in the ways mentioned above, 10. To these, ever devout, worshipping Me with love, I give that devotion of knowledge by which they come to Me. To them who are ever devout, worshipping Me, not for any purpose of their o'vn, but out of love for Me, — to them I give that devotion of right knowledge (buddhi-yoga) 0/ My essential nature by which they =■'— those who worship Me " with their thought on Me" (x. 9) and so on — kno\v^Me, the Supreme Lord, the Self, as their own Self. Why doest Thou give the devotion of knowledge (buddhiyoga) to Thy devotees ? — And what is that obstacle in the path leading to Thee which the devotion of knowledge that Thou givest to Thy devotees serves to remove ? — In answer to this question, the Lord says :

11. Out of mere compassion for them, I, abiding in their self, destroy the darkness born of ignorance, by the luminous lamp of wisdom. * Those alone who are thus devoted to karana produced by Dhyiina, by which the Lord can attain to Buddhi-Yoga, that they reach that form of the Lord which is extremely superior condition of the antn h- devoid of all limitations. — (A. ) g — 13.] DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS. 239 /Out of men compassion : out of mercy, anxious as to how they may attain bliss. I dwell in their anta/i-lvara«a''= which is engaged, in thinking exclusively of the Self and destroy the darkness of ignorance, — that illusory knowledge which is caused by the absence of discrimination, — by the lamp of wisdom, by the lamp of discriminatory knowledge, fed by the oil of pure Devotion (Bhakti-prasiYda), fanned by the wind of earnest meditation on Me, furnished with the wick of right intuition purified by the cultivation of piety, chastity and other virtues, held in the anta/i-kara«a which is com- \ pletely detached from all worldly concerns, placed in the \ wind-sheltered enclosure of the mind which is withdrawn | from the sense-objects and untainted by attachment and aversion, and shining with the light of right knowledge generated by incessant practice of concentration and meditation. /

Arjuna's question about the Lord's manifestations. Having heard of the Lord's Glory and His mysterious power, Arjuna says : Arjuna said : 12-13. The Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Light, the Supreme Purifier art Thou. All the * i- e., ill the anta/i-karaHa functioning an Intellectual state that is found to illu- on the plane of Spirit exclusively. Dark- mine an object unknown before. Hence ness here includes both the beginningless it is that the Spirit removes ignorance by nescience and the illusory perception itself shining through a state of the intel- resuliing from that nescience. It cannot lect such as the one induced by the teach- be removed by matter or any material ing of the 5astra.^It is either the Spirit phenomenon, belonging as it does to the manifesting itself through an intellectual same class as darkness; therefore the state, or an intellectual state pervaded Lord has said that He Himself destroys by the Spirit, that can destroy nescienc«3 darkness. But the Spirit (Chaitanya) can- and illusory knowledge, not directly remove darkness. It is only 240 THE BHAGAVAD-GJTA. [DiS. X. i^ishis declare Thee as Eternal, Divine Purusha, the Primal God, Unborn, Omnipresent ; so said the divine sage Narada, as also Asita, Devala and Vyasa ; and Thou Thyself also sayest (so) to me.

The Supreme Brahman', the Highest Self. The Primal God : the God who existed before all other Gods. Rishis : such as Vasish^ha. 14. I believe to be true all this which Thou sayest to me ; for neither the Gods nor the Danavas, O Lord, know Thy manifestation. Because Thou art the source of the Devas and others, therefore, 15. Thou Thyself knowest Thyself as the Self,* O Purusha Supreme, O Source of beings, O Lord of beings, O God of Gods, O Ruler of the world. Knowest Thyself: as the .Lord,t as the Is vara possessed of unsurpassed wisdom, sovereignty and other powers. 16. Thou shouldstt indeed tell, without reserve, of Thy divine Glories, by which Glories Thou remainest pervading all these worlds. 17. How§ shall I, ever meditating, know Thee, O Yogin; in what several things, O Lord, art Thou to be thought of by Me ? * Thou Thyself, i. e , without being + Since Thy nature, which it is necess- taught ; knowest Thyself, i. e. the uncondi- ary to t;now, is invisible to others. (A.) tioned nature of Thyself. As the Self: § In what manner should I, who am \ not as something external. —(A. ) of dull understanding, meditate constant-

+ Not even Thy conditioned nature as ly on Thee, in order that my reason may the Lord of the Universe, Scd , can be thereby be purified so as to be able to seen by others. — (A. ) know Thy unconditioned being: — (A. ) 18. Tell mc afjain in detail, O Janardana, of Thy power and Glory, for there is no satiety for me in hearing the immortal. Tell me in detail of Thy mysterious power (Yoga) and sovereignty (aisvarya) and the various things to be meditated upon. — Janardana is so called because He sends — or causes to go (ardayati) — the Asuras, those people (janas) who are the enemies of the Gods, to hell and the like ; or because He is prayed to by all people for worldly success and salvation. — Tell me again of them, though described before ; for, there is no satiety in hearing the immortal (ambrosia) of the speech issuing from Thy mouth. The Lord's enumeration of His manifestations. The Blessed Lord said : ig. Now will I tell thee of My heavenly Glories, in their prominence, O best of the Kurus; there is no limit to My extent.

Now I will tell you of My heavenly Glories, in their prominence, i. e., where they are severally the most prominent. It is not, indeed, possible even in a whole century to describe all of them, as there is no limit to the extent of My Glories. Now, listen to this, in the first place : 20. I am the Self, O Guc^akesa, seated in the heart of all beings; I am the beginning and the middle, as also the end, of all beings. You should think of Me as the innermost Self, seated in the heart within of all beings. — 'Guddkesa' means either ' conqueror of sleep ' or ' thick-haired ' — He who is unable to think of Me as the Self should think of Me in those 242 THE BHAGAVAD-GiTA. [DiS. X« things which are mentioned below ; for I am the source, the stay, and the end of all beings. 21. Of the Adityas I am Vish«u ; of the radiances, the resplendent Sun ; I am Marichi of the Maruts; of theasterisms, the Moon. Of the twelve Adityas, I am the Aditj^a known as Vishnu. Maruts are a kind of Devatas. 22. Of the Vedas I am the Sama-Veda, I am Vasava of the Gods, and of the senses I am the mind, I am the intelligence in living beings.

Gods : such as the Rudras and the Adityas. Vasava: i.e., Indra. Of the eleven senses I am the mind. Chetana, sentiency or intelligence, is that state of '■' the intellect (buddhi) which manifests itself in the aggregate of the body and the senses. 23. And of the Rudras I am Sawkara, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas the Lord of wealth, and of the Vasus I am Agni, of the mountains I am the Meru. The Rudras are eleven in number, and the Vasus eight. The Lord of ivealth : Kubera. 24. And of the household priests of kings, O son of P/'itha, know Me the chief one, Brihaspati ; of generals I am Skanda, of lakes I am the Ocean. Byihaspati is the chief of priests, because he is the household priest of Indra. Skanda is the general of the Gods. Of •^ It exhibits itself in the aggregate tation of the Spirit or Consciousness body, pervading it throughout till death. (Chaitanya.), — (A. ) and forming the medium for the manifes- the natural — i.e., made by the Gods — reservoirs, I am the Ocean. 25. Of the Great /^ishis I am Bhrigu ; of words I am the one syllable ' Om ;' of offerinp^s I am the offerin°j of Japa (silent repetition), of unmovin<:j things the Himalaya.

26. Of all trees (I am) the Asvattha, and Narada of divine i^ishis, Chitraratha of Gandharvas, the Sage Kapila of the Saints (Siddhas\ Divine Rishis : Who are Devas and are eft the same time i^ishis or seers of mantras. The Saints (Siddhas) : those who at their very birth attained to a very high degree of Dharma, of knowledge, of detachment ( vairagya ) from worldly concerns, and of supremacy. 27. Know Me among horses as Uchchaissravas, born of Amrita, of lordly elephants the Airavata, and of men the king. Uchchais-sravas is the name of the kingly horse, who was born in the ocean when it was churned for the amrita (ambrosia). Know Me among kingly elephants as the Airavata, the offspring of Iravati. 28. Of weapons I am the thunderbolt, of cows I am the Kamadhuk, I am the progenitor Kandarpa, of serpents I am Vasnki. The thunderbolt : the Vajra made of Dadhichi's bone. Kamadhuk : that cow of Vasish^ha which yielded all objects desired ; or any cow in general which may yield plenty of milk. Kandarpa : Kama or love. Vdsuki : the lord of serpents. 29. And Ananta of snakes I am, I am Varu;/a

THE BHAGAVAD-GITA, [DtS. X. of water-beings, and Aryaman of Pitris I am, I am Ananta : the king of snakes. Vavnna : the king of waterf^ods. Water-heinss : the Devatas or Gods connected with waters. Aryaman is the king of Pit?'is. 30. And Prahlada am I of Diti's progeny, of reckoners I am Time, and of beasts I am the lord of beasts, and Vainateya of birds. The lord of beasts : the lion or the tiger. Vainateya : Vinata's son, Garutmat. 31. Of purifiers I am the wind, Rama of warriors am I, of fishes I am the shark, of streams I am the Ganges. Of those who bear weapons I am Rama, Dasaratha's son. 32. Of creations I am the beginning and the middle and also the end ; of all knowledges I am the knowledge of the Self, and Vada of disputants. I am the source, the stay and the end of all evolution. — At the commencement (x. 20) it was said that He is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all sentient existence ; but here the whole creation in general is referred to. The knowledge of the Self is the chief among all knowledges, because it leads to moksha. By ' disputants ' we should here understand the several kinds of disputation, — vada, jalpa, vita7jia," &c. Vada is the chief of them, as it is a means of determining truth.

* ' I'ii(/rt is that way of arguing, of of his adversary by overbearing reply or which the object is to arrive at truth re- wrangling rejoinder. ' Vitandii ' consists girding a certain question. 'Jalpa' is an in idly carping at the arguments or asser- argument in which a disputant tries to tions of another without attempting to assert his own opinion and to refute that establish the opposite side of the question Z3- Of letters the letter 'A' am I, and dvandva of all compounds; I am, verily, the inexhaustible Time ; I am the All-faced Dispenser. * Time' here refers either to what is generally so called, — viz., ' ksha;/a,' a moment, the ultimate element of time, — or to the Supreme Lord who is the Time (Kala=the Measurer) even of time. I am the Dispenser of results of actions to the whole world. 34. And I am all-seizing^ Death, and the prosperity of those who are to be prosperous ; of the feminine (I am) Fame, Fortune and Speech, Memory, Intelligence, Constancy, Endurance. Death is of two sorts, he who seizes wealth, etc., and he who seizes life. Of them the seizer of life is the all-seizer. I am He. Or, I am the Supreme Lord who is the All-seizer, because of His carrying all away at the time of pralaya or dissolution. I am the prosperity — and the means of attaining it — of those who are to be prosperous in future, who are fit to attain prosperity. I am Fame, &c., the best of the feminine; and possessed of the mere semblance thereof, people regard themselves successful in life.

35. Of Samans also I am the Brihat-Saman, of metres Gayatri am I, of months I am Margasirsha, of seasons the flowery season. ' Brihat-Saman ' is the chief of the Samans. Of the Riks, composed in Gayatri and other metres, I am the Gayatri Rik. The flowery season is what is called Vasanta, the spring. 36. I am the gambling of the fraudulent, I am the splendour of the splendid, I am victory, I am effort, I am the goodness of the good. 2^f^ riiK nnAOAVAnotTA. fDis. X. (tafMhlin^: surli ;\s dice-play. 1 am ilu> victory of the victorious; I i\\\\ the clYort of tliosc who make an ctTort. 37. Of tl\c V/ishMJs 1 .uu N'nsmlova. of the rAni/avas 1 .mi Phanat\jaya. anil of tlic saints 1 am \"yAsa, of tlio saj^cs 1 ,un UsanAs tl\o sai;c. I'llofM*/*'*'.! : Myself, who am yoiu fiicml. I'tishnis: the ilosctMulants of VaiUi. The saints : those whv> aie en^rosseU in meditation and know all thinj;s. vS\j,y5 : iliosc> o{ extensive knowledj;e, the omniscient beings. jS, Ot punishcrs 1 am the sceptre, oi' those who sock to con^luc^ 1 au\ the polity, auvl o( thinj^s secret 1 am alsi^ silence, the knowlcdj;e o{ kni>\vcrs .u>\ 1.

30. \n\ what is tl\e seed of all l>eini;s, that also am I. O Arjima. There is no beini;. whether movinj; or unmoviui;. that can exist without me. To conclude the present section, the Lotd summarises His Glory (vibhv^ti) as follows: — There is no beini^ without Me ; for, anything into which I ha\ e not entered would be ! without Self (could not exist) auvl wv>uld be void (siinya). .Wherefore, everything is of My nature, (i.**., 1 am the \ essence of everything)y' 40. There is no end of My heavenly Glories, O harasser ot thy foes: but the details of My <.«lory have been declared only by \\a\ of instance. It is indeeti not possible for anybody to describe or know the exact extent of the Pivine Glories of the Lord, the Self of all. 30^42-] DIVINE MAMFEbTATIOKS. 247 Divine Olory de/M:ribed in brief 42. Whatever being is {glorious, prosperous, or stronj(, that know thou to be a manifestation of a part of My Splendour. My : the Lsvara's. 42. 15 Jt, of what avail to thcc is this vast thing being known, O Arjuna? I stand sustaining this whole world by one part (of Myselfj. Of what avail to you can be this knowledge of vast but imperfect details ? Listen, I will tell you completely of it. I stand sustaining firmly this whole world by one part, by one limb, by one foot ; i. e., one part of Myself constitutes all Ixjings. So says the chant :

Arjuna's prayer for a vision of the Universal Form. The Glories of the Lord have been described. Now, on hearing the Lord's statement that ' I stand supporting the whole world by one part of Myself,' Arjuna was desirous to see with his ow^n eyes that Primal Form of the Lord which is manifested as the universe, and accordingly said : 1. By that speech which has been delivered by Thee for my benefit, — that highest secret which is called Adhyatma, — this, my delusion, is gone. Adhydtma : that which treats of the distinction between the Self and the non-Self. Delusion: non-discrimination. 2. The origin and the dissolution of beings, verily, have been heard by me in detail from Thee, O Lotus-eyed, as also Thy inexhaustible greatness. In detail : not in brevity. Lotus-eyed : having eyes like lotus-leaves. 3. So it is, as Thou, O Supreme Lord, hast declared Thyself to be. (Still) I desire to see Thy form as Isvara, O Purusha Supreme. Form &c.\ that of Vish;m, as possessed of (infinite) wisdom, sovereignty, strength, power, prowess and splendour. I — 7.] THE UNiViERSAL FORM. 249 4. If Thou, O Lord, thinkest it possible for me to see it, do Thou, then, O Lord of Yogins, show me Thy Eternal Self.

Then : because I am very anxious to see. Arjuna endowed with heavenly sight where = with to see the Universal Form. Thus implored by Arjuna, the Lord said: The Blessed Lord said : 5. See, O son of P;'itha, My heavenly forms, by hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, and of various colours and shapes. Heavenly: Supernatural. By hundreds and thousands: innumerable. Colours: such as blue, green and the like. Shapes : arrangements of parts. the Asvins, and also the Maruts; behold many marvels never seen before, O Bharata. Behold the twelve Adityas, the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the two Asvins, the seven heptads of Maruts. Behold also many other marvels never seen before by you or anybody else in this world of man. Not this alone : 7. Now behold here in My body, O Gu^/akesa, the whole world established in one, — including the moving and the unmoving — and whatever else thou desirest to see. Whatever else : Your success or defeat, about which you have entertained a doubt (ii. 6). $56 THE bhagavad-gIta. [Dis.XL 8. Thou art not indeed able to see Me with this thy eye alone ; I give thee a divine eye ; behold My lordly Yoga.

Me : putting on the Universal Form. This : Praknta, of prak^'iti, natural, (fleshy, of the earth). I give thee a divine eye, by which you will be able to see Me. By that eye, behold My great miraculous power of Yoga, that which belongs to Me as Is vara. The Lord's manifestation of tlie Universal Form. g. Having thus spoken, O King, then, Hari, the great Lord of Yogins, showed to the son of Pntha the Supreme Form as Isvara. King : Dhntarash^ra. Hari : Naraya;fa. Form : the Universal Form. 10. Containing many mouths and eyes, possessed of many wondrous sights, of many heavenly ornaments, of many heavenly weapons held up ; Such a form He showed. 11. Wearing heavenly garlands and vestures, anointed with heavenly unguents, all-wonderful, resplendent, boundless, with faces on all sides. With faces on all sides : as He is the Self of all beings. Such a form He showed; or, such a form did Arjuna see. Here follows an illustration, by an example, of the splendour of the Lord's Universal Form : 12. If the splendour of a thousand suns were ever to present itself at once in the sky, that would be like the splendour of that Mighty Being.

In the shy : in antariksha or the middle loka ; or in the heavenly region, which forms the third (from here). The Mighty Being : the Universal Form. — If no such thing can ever exist, then the splendour of the Universal Form excels all else. 13. There, in the body of the God of Gods, the son of Pa«du then beheld the whole world established in one, and separated into many groups. There; in that Form. Many groups: Devas, Fitns, men and other sorts of beings. The son of Pdndu : Arjuna. God of Gods: Hari. 14. Then he, Dhana»jaya, filled with amazement, with his hair standing on end, bowed down with his head, and, with joined palms, thus addressed the God. Then: having seen Him. The God: putting on the Universal Form. With joined palms : in order to bow down. How ? — Arjuna declares his own experience, viz., that he sees the Universal Form shewn by the Lord : 15. I see all the Gods, O God, in Thy body, as also hosts of various classes of beings : Brahma, the Lord, seated on the lotus-seat, and all ivishis and heavenly serpents. 252 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DiS. XI.

Variotis classes of beings : both animate and inanimate, and of various forms. Brahiiid : the Four-faced, the Lord of creatures. He is seated in the centre of the Earth-Lotus, on the Meru which forms the cup or seed-vessel as it were of the Earth-Lotus. Rishis : such as Vasishfha. Serpents: such as Vasuki. 16. I see Thee of boundless form on every side with multitudinous arms, stomachs, mouths and eyes ; neither Thy end nor the middle nor the beginning do I see, O Lord of the Universe, O Universal Form. Middle : what lies between two extremities. Moreover, 17. I see Thee with diadem, club, and discus; a mass of splendour shining everywhere, very hard to look at, all around blazing like burning fire and sun, and immeasurable. Immeasurable : whose limits cannot be fixed. Vishnu is one with the Unconditioned. From this vision of Thy power of Yoga ( wonder-working ) I infer, 18. Thou art the Imperishable, the Supreme Being worthy to be known. Thou art the great Abode of this Universe ; Thou art the undying Guardian of the Eternal Dharma, Thou art the ancient Purusha, I deem. To be known: by seekers of liberation.

The Universal Form (continued.) ig. I sec Thcc without beginninj:^, middle or end, infinite in power, of manifold arms; the sun and the moon being Thy eyes, the burning fire Thy face ; heating the whole Universe with Thy radiance. 20. This space betwixt heaven and earth and all the quarters are filled by Thee alone. Having seen this. Thy marvellous and awful form, the three worlds are trembling, O High-souled Being. Thcc : in Thy Universal Form. Now, in order to remove the doubt entertained by Arjuna (ii. 6) as to his success, the Lord proceeds to show that victory for Pa«rfavas is certain. Seeing Him, Arjuna goes on : 21. Into Thee, indeed, enter these hosts of Suras ; some extol Thee in fear with joined palms ; " May it be well! " thus saying, bands of great ivishis and Siddhas praise Thee with hymns complete. These hosts of Suras : these warriors now fighting, all of them Devas, — the Vasus and others, — who have incarnated themselves as human beings for lightening the earth's burden. They are seen entering into Thee. Some of them only call out to Thee, unable even to flee. Having discovered portents and other forebodings of evil as the war approached, the great i?ishis and Siddhas say ' May it be well for the world ! ' and offer their prayers to Thee in full hymns.

The wonderfulness of the Universal Form. 254 '''"^ bhagavad-gIta. [Dis. XI. 22. The Rudras, Adit5'as, Vasus, and Sadhyas, Visvas and Asvins, Maruts and Ushmapas, hosts of Gandharvas, Yakshas, Asuras, and Siddhas, — they are all looking at Thee, all quite astonished. Ushmapas : a class of Pitns. Gandharvas : such as HS,ha and Huhu. Yakshas ; such as Kubera. Asuras : such as Virochana. Siddhas : such as Kapila. The terribleness of the Universal Form. 23. Having seen Thy immeasurable Form, possessed, O Mighty-armed, of many mouths and eyes, of many arms and thighs and feet, and of many stomachs, and fearful with many tusks, the worlds are terrified, and I also. The zDorlds : all living creatures in the world. Here follows the cause (of my terror) : 24. On seeing Thee (Thy Form) touching the sky, blazing in many colours, with mouths wide open, with large fiery eyes, I am terrified at heart and find no courage nor peace, O Vish»u. Many colours ; fearful, putting on different shapes. 25. Having seen Thy mouths which are fearful with tusks and resemble Time's Fires, I know not the four quarters, nor do I find peace ; be Thou eraciousl O Lord of GDds and Abode of the Universe !