When the intellect crosses over the morass of delusion, when it sloughs off its delusions, the stanza here assures Arjuna, that it will develop a disgust, “FOR ALL THAT IS ACTUALLY HEARD AND THAT IS YET TO BE HEARD.” Here the term “WHAT IS YET TO BE HEARD” must be understood as a representative term standing for all “sense experiences that are yet to be experienced.” Naturally so; when the intellect becomes purer then it loses all its erstwhile charm for sense experiences — what it had before, and what it may gain in the future.

Essentially Godly and Divine, Spiritual Consciousness seems to fall under a self-delusion, which, when analysed, becomes perfectly evident as to its effects. This cause of delusion is conceived of as the indescribable power called Maya. Like unmanifested electricity, Maya, as such, is not perceptible except in its different manifestations. It is a phenomenon that can be fully estimated and accounted for through its varied expressions.

Observing and analysing the effects of Maya within the constitution of all individualised and embodied souls, the Vedantic masters have beautifully concluded that it comes to play in two distinct modes of expression, at two different layers of the human personality. Thus, at the intellectual level it expresses itself as a film of doubt and hesitation in its understanding, or experiencing, of the Self in us. This expression Maya is termed by the Masters as the “Veiling-Power” (Avarana-Shakti).

Due to this mist of ignorance, that envelops the intellect, when it is unconscious of the Spiritual Reality behind it, the mind starts projecting forth the world of the not-Self and superimposes upon it two firm ideas that: (a) “it is true” (Satyattwa), and (b) that “I am nothing other than the projected world” (Atmabuddhi). This is Maya’s expression as “Projecting-Power” (Vikshepa-Shakti).

In this stanza it is said that, once the intellect in us is purified through the art of steady-work, called ‘Devotion through Work,’ it becomes possible for it to peep over the veil of ignorance that separates it from the splendour of the Spiritual Entity. When the intellect sloughs off its delusions, it goes beyond its attachment for the charms of the sensuous world. But before this happens, the intellect, ignorant of its spiritual destiny, pants to fulfil itself and surges forward seeking satisfaction amongst the finite sense-objects of the world.

But, when the intellect discovers in itself a capacity to pierce through the dreary veil of ignorance, it comes to live its own Real Nature of Bliss Infinite. Each fleeting joy in the sense-world only sharpens its appetite for the Infinite Bliss which is Its Real Nature. To the extent the clouds have moved and the sun has emerged, to that extent he who is warming himself at the fireside moves away from the fire-place and walks into the open, to bask in the all-enveloping warmth of the blazing sun. Similarly, to the extent the illusion of ignorance melts away in an integrated intellect, to that extent its wanderings in the sensuous-world are curtailed.

The sense-world is beautifully indicated by two representative terms “what has been heard (Shrutam),” and “what is yet to be heard (Shrotavyam).” We must include in them ‘the seen and the unseen,’ ‘the smelt and the unsmelt,’ ‘the tasted and the not-tasted,’ and ‘the touched and not-yet-touched.’ The intellect of such a purified Karma-Yogin does not relive its memory of the sensuous joys it had experienced in the past and also does not remember that it has to experience still more joys in the future through the sense-organs, in the world of sense-objects.

If we take the word meaning of these terms literally we get the usual interpretation of the commentators: “When the seeker’s mind is not tossed about by the seemingly different and often opposing conclusions of philosophers, when they do not upset him any more, then he is established in inward purity.

“SHANKARA CONNECTS THIS STANZA WITH THE FOLLOWING: “YOU MAY NOW ASK, ‘WHEN SHALL I ATTAIN TRUE CONVICTION OF THE SELF, AFTER CROSSING BEYOND THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE, AND OBTAIN WISDOM THROUGH THE DISCRIMINATION OF THE SELF AND THE NOT-SELF? ‘ LISTEN:”

When is attained that wisdom which arises from the purification of the mind brought about by the pursuit of (karma-) yoga? This is being stated: Yada, when, [Yada: when maturity of discrimination is attained.] at the time when; te, your; buddhih, mind; vyatitarisyati, will go beyond, cross over; moha-kalilam, the turbidity of delusion, the dirt in the form of delusion, in the form of non-discrimination, which, after confounding one’s understanding about the distinction between the Self and the not-Self, impels the mind towards objects — that is to say, when your mind will attain the state of purity; tada, then, [Tada: then, when the mind, becoming purified, leads to the rise of discrimination, which in turn matures into detachment.] at that time; gantasi, you will acquire; nirvedam, despassion; for srotavyasya, what has to be heard; ca, and; srutasya, what has been heard. The idea implied is that, at that time what has to be heard and what has been heard [What has to be heard…has been heard, i.e. the scriptures other than those relating to Self-knowledge. When discrimination referred to above gets matured, then the fruitlessness of all things other than Self-knowledge becomes apparent.] becomes fruitless.