Three different examples have been given to illustrate how desires and the consequent anger delude our rational capacity and choke our discrimination. Repetition is an unpardonable crime against the “scriptural-style,” and the Geeta faithfully follows the immortal style common to all Bibles of the world. There is no redundancy, or wasteful repetition in the Divine Song. With this understanding, when we try to readthe stanza we find that there are subtle implications in the three different illustrations used by the Lord. More is meant here than meets the eye.
The discrimination in man is screened off and obstructed in its exercise due to the attachment in his mind for the ever-changing worldly-objects. We all know that our attachments to things can fall under three distinct categories. Our desires can either be low and vicious — mind for the flesh-fleshy carnal pleasures — or our ambitions may be for an active exertion in order to achieve power and wealth, to gain strength and might, to win fame and glory. There can also be a burning aspiration to strive and to achieve a diviner perfection and a Godly Self-illumination. Thus, our desires can fall under three headings according to the quality of the attachment — inert (Tamasic), or active (Rajasic), or noble and divine (Sattwic). The veilings that are created over our discrimination by these different types of qualities (gunas) are indicated here by the three different examples.
AS FIRE BY SMOKE — A smoky fire-place, shrouded by dark curling smoke can sometimes, if not totally, at least partially, veil the brilliance of the light emitted by the flames. A wick without a chimney is less bright than with a chimney, proving the example under review. Even Sattwic desires veil the infinite glory of the Spirit.
AS DUST ON A MIRROR — This illustrates the veiling caused by agitations that cover the purer intellect due to our thick desires for glory and power (Rajasic). Compared with the former, this is indeed more complete, and the removal of it is, naturally, more difficult. The smoke rolls off even at a passing whiff of breeze, while the mirror cannot be cleaned even by a storm. It can be polished only by our own efforts at dusting it clean with the help of a clean, dry duster. Through the smoke, however thick it might be, the fire can be perceived; through the dust, if it be thick, no reflection at all can be seen in the mirror — if at all seen it will only be dim.
AS THE FOETUS IN THE WOMB — This is an illustration to show how completely the Diviner aspect in us is screened off by the low animal appetites and the vulgar desires for the sensuous. The foetus is covered by the womb until it matures, and there is no method of observing it as long as it is in the womb. The veiling is complete, and it can drop off only after a definite period of time. Similarly, the desires for the flesh-fleshy enjoyments build, as it were, a womb around the discriminative power in us, and such low mental pre-occupations (Tamasic) can drop off only after a longer period of evolutionary growth undergone by such a deluded mind-and-intellect.
In the true scriptural style, Krishna thus distinguishes between the different textures in the veils that come to cover the soul when the individual is entertaining different types of desires. In short, desire is that which hides the Divine in us.
IN THIS STANZA IT IS NOT CLEARLY STATED, WHICH COVERS WHAT; THE LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE WORDS AS THEY STAND IN THIS COUPLET ONLY SAYS, “SO IS THIS COVERED BY IT.” THE TWO PRONOUNS, ‘IT’ AND ‘THIS,’ ARE DEFINED IN THE FOLLOWING STANZA AND THEREIN WE FIND AN EXPLANATION OF BOTH:
