Even a very intelligent man will need repeated consolation when he is extremely agitated by any dire emotion. He who identifies himself with his outward personality and behaves as a finite mortal, cannot, in his life of agitations and sorrows, easily comprehend and appreciate that in his essential nature, he is the Infinite, the Divine. Spiritual truths are to be constantly repeated, again and again, by the teacher, until the student’s rebellious intellect apprehends them sufficiently. A mother feeding a little baby in an Indian home is a typical example; the mother will have to coax the child repeatedly until sufficient food goes into its stomach. Similarly, spiritual ideas will have to be repeated many times by the teachers until they develop into strong inward personal convictions in the student.
Therefore, the chapter opens with a declaration by the Lord, “AGAIN WILL I TELL THEE.” Not that the Supreme theme has not yet been declared, but, for the purposes of elucidation and correct appreciation, repetition is unavoidable.
The theme of this chapter declared here is, “THAT SUPREME KNOWLEDGE WHICH IS BETTER THAN ALL OTHER KNOWLEDGES.” This should not be taken too literally. The subject-matter of the chapter deals with the behaviour of man and the different influences that play on his subtle body in life. This cannot be the Supreme theme in philosophy. But it is declared here as the “highest Knowledge,” inasmuch as, without a correct understanding of this theme, and without self-detection and timely self-correction of the mental mechanism, it will be impossible for a seeker to walk safely the path divine.
HAVING KNOWN WHICH, ALL THE MUNIS HAVE ATTAINED TO THE HIGHEST PERFECTION — A precise knowledge of the gunas, it is claimed here, will make the pilgrimage easier for all seekers. A true and exhaustive knowledge of the ‘path,’ the possible dangers en-route, the difficulties that might arise — these should pre-warn a pilgrim and he can undertake his journey well equipped to meet all these possible dangers. An understanding of the possible mischiefs of the mind is a healthy warning to a diligent student of spirituality, so that he can easily avoid the usual dangers, and meet his subjective problems efficiently whenever they arise in him.
Muni does not mean an old man with a beard, living in a jungle, eating roots and berries, but it means, “A man of reflection and contemplation” (Manana Sheelavan). Thus, an understanding of the gunas, their nature and their tyranny, when and how they rise up in revolt against our peaceful progress, are all preliminary information useful for all Men-of-Reflection, who constantly digest and assimilate their experiences in life and thereby gain “wisdom.”AFTER THIS LIFE — The attainment of Perfection is promised here, as in many Upanishads, “AFTER THIS LIFE.” Some thinkers take this declaration too literally and say that Perfection cannot be gained in this life while living here. Very efficiently and logically, Shri Shankaracharya and others break up this argument and assert, again and again, that Perfection can be gained, here and now, by any diligent seeker. According to these Acharyas “AFTER THIS LIFE” means “at the end of our ego-centric misconceptions of life.”
Even in our life, we find that the bachelor must die to become the married man; the virgin must die before she becomes a mother. In the above cases, the person is not dead but bachelor-hood and virginity have ended, so that they may acquire husband-hood and mother-hood. Thus, the individuals remaining the same, their status changes. Through right reflection and true understanding, our false values-of-life can end, and in the newly found “wisdom,” a life of better illumination and greater equanimity can be lived. This hatching of the ‘perfect,’ out of its shell-like imperfections around, is achieved in the inward warmth of constant contemplation. The mind of an individual who lives diligently with intellectual dynamism, may come under the destructive influences of any of these gunas, and thereby lose its serene equilibrium in contemplation. Avoid it and cent-percent success is assured. Thus a knowledge of the three gunas and their behaviour helps indirectly every enthusiastic seeker.
THE LORD NOW PROCEEDS TO DECLARE THAT THIS “KNOWLEDGE” DEFINITELY LEADS TO SUPREME PERFECTION:
