Gita Chapter 9

The Self is not a vague imperceptible Spirit of Existence in all fields of divine activities — sans-emotion, sans-relationship, sans-qualities. In order to show that there is an ardour of love that permeates the very essence of the Self everywhere, the finite relationships of the world are mentioned to indicate the mass of love that the Self is. “I AM THE FATHER, THE MOTHER, THE SUSTAINER, THE GRANDSIRE, THE PURIFIER OF THE WORLDS.”

The verse insists, “I AM THE ONE THING TO BE KNOWN” — and this is the repeated assertion in all the scriptures. The Self is “That, having known which, everything else becomes known.” To know the Self is to destroy the consciousness of imperfection, the existence finite, the sorrows poignant. To live in the ego, as a mere embodied self, is to live self-exiled from all the Divine potentialities that one is heir to. To re-discover this infinite Beatitude is the only satisfying end and goal of life, where alone an awakened intellect can discover a haven of peace and an enduring existence in perfect tranquillity.

The Self, the Substratum of the entire universe, is symbolised by the Vedic mantra called Omkara. Life is conceived of as ‘the flow during our waking, dreaming, and deep-sleep states.’ The Substratum for these three states and their experiences must be something other than these three, inasmuch as the rider is always different from the ridden, the container is different from the contents. The Substratum is different from the superimposition upon it.

This fourth-state, supporting and embracing the three ordinary states of consciousness in every one of us, is termed as Turiya by the Upanishad Seers. The one symbol representing all these four states is called Omkara, and naturally, therefore, the Ultimate indicated by OM, is the Self, conceived of, for the purpose of worship, as Krishna in Shrimad Bhagavata.

The Self is the Essence indicated by OM, and this Absolute Reality is the One theme, tacitly expressed, or indirectly implied, in all the Vedas, and therefore, it is said “I AM ALSO THE RIK, SAMA AND YAJUH.”FURTHER:

Asya, of this; jagatah, world; aham, I; am pita, the father; mata, the mother; dhata, ordainer, dispenser of the results of their actions to the creatures; (and the) pirtamahah, grand-father. I am the vedayam, knowable-that which has to be known; the pavitram, sanctifier; [Virtuous actions.] and the onkarah, syllable Om; eva ca, as also Rk, Sama and Yajus. [Brahman, which has to be known, is realizable through Om, regarding which fact the three Vedas are the authority. The ca (as also) is suggestive of the Atharva-veda.] Moreover,

Continuing the theme of the status of the Self as the very essence behind the seeming plurality of the world — recognised in our ignorance, and in fact nothing but a dreamy superimposition gathering its existence from the Reality behind it — the Lord describes Himself with a host of suggestive words strung together to form this exquisite verse, pregnant and full, for all students of meditation.

I AM THE GOAL (Gati) — All our seeking ends when all imperfections vanish in the total experience of the Perfect. To one frightened by the vision of a delusory serpent in a piece of rope, consolation and satisfaction can come only when his delusion has ended by the discovery of the rope. The Self is the Substratum of the sorrow-ridden universe of multiplicity; to realise the Self is to transcend all the choking sense of limitations. The Knowledge-Absolute by gaining which all becomes known, is shown here as the Self.

I AM THE SUPPORTER (Bharta) — Just as the desert supports the illusory pool of water, which the thirsty traveller sees in his delusion, so too, the Self is the Supporter of everything. As Absolute-Existence It lends a semblance of reality to the perceptions of the sense organs, and thus holds together the flood-of-change into a consistent pattern, called life.

I AM THE LORD (Prabhu) — Even though the Self thus lends Its grace to the realm of imperfections sustained and maintained by the agitations of the mind, as the Pure Awareness, It is ever beyond the sorrows and joys of the apparent and illusory universe. Through different equipments, electricity may pass, manifesting different expressions of its own glory, but in none of them does electricity lose itself, if we consider the current as pure energy.

In all this panorama of expressions, the Self, though It lends Existence to them, Itself remains as a mere Witness. “I am the Witness” (Sakshi) — he is considered a true witness of an incident, “who is not in the incident, but who happened to witness it, not from too far, with neither attachment nor aversion.” When things happen of their own accord in one’s presence then one becomes the witness of that happening. The Infinite is but a witness of the finite inasmuch as the Self is an uninterested illuminator of what is happening in the harem of the intellect, in the arena of the mind, in the courtyard of the body, and in the wide expanse of the world without.

I AM THE ABODE (Nivasah) — Truth is the House of all, of every being and thing. On an innocent wayside post, it is reported that some travellers saw a grinning ghost, others a smiling ghost, and yet others, a ghost with a bleeding mouth and sparkling eyes, naked and horrid, and some an innocent ghost, dressed in white, invitingly smiling and lovingly guiding them onto the right track. All of them saw delusory projections of their individual minds upon the same wayside post. Naturally, the post is the “Abode,” of the smiling, of the grinning, of the bleeding, of the horrid, and of the tender ghost, that different minds, on different occasions, projected upon the same post. Similarly, wherever our equipments of experiences gain the apprehension of the pluralistic phenomena, for all of them the Self, the Awareness, is the ABODE, the place of existence and security.

I AM THE REFUGE (Sharanam) — Delusion breeds sorrows, Knowledge produces joy. The universe is pain-ridden because it is delusion-projected. Naturally, the harbour of tranquillity, projecting a confused ego from the mountainous breakers of the stormy ocean-of-samsara is the rediscovery of the Substratum, the Essence of Self. When once the Self gets individualised, when it walks out to identify with the play, through the equipments of the intellect, mind and body, it is wandering away from the safety of the shore into the stormy, high seas of adventure. When the frail boat of the ego is thus threatened from all sides — the darkening clouds above, the bumping sea below, and the screaming storms all round — the sailor’s only refuge is to come back to the tranquil harbour, the Self!

The above descriptions put together, add up to give the conception of the Reality as a heartless noumenon, a dignified deity, an un-approachable realm of Perfection. To wipe off this idea from the tender heart of emotional seekers — and Arjuna was one — the Eternal, in the form of the beloved friend of man, Krishna, is using here more humane terms in defining himself.

I AM THE FRIEND (Suhrit) — The Infinite is a friend of the finite, not a nodding acquaintance from whom you can borrow a match-box, but a friend, whose only anxiety is for the security and the well-being of the befriended.

I AM THE ORIGIN AND DISSOLUTION, THE SUBSTRATUM, THE STOREHOUSE — As gold in all ornaments and mud in all pots, the Self is in the whole universe, and therefore, all things can come to manifestation from and dissolve into the unmanifest, the substratum, which can hence be considered as the “the storehouse” of all names, forms and qualities that constitute the multiple world.

I AM THE IMMUTABLE SEED (Beejam Avyayam) — There is a contrast here with all other seeds, which perish when they germinate and produce trees. The Self is no doubt the Origin of the “Tree-of-Samsara,” but in the production of this tree, the Self is not transformed, It being ever Immutable. The idea of the Eternal Principle, modifying itself to become the created world is a disgrace to the logic of human thinking, and Vedanta discards such a philosophically fallacious notion. The dualists, however, are compelled to take it up, or else, the very edifice of their arguments will crumble down like a castle of clouds, built upon an autumnal sky.

This, as we have already indicated, is a verse replete with simple terms, each an avenue for the meditator to reflect upon, and in a pleasant stroll reach the gateway of Truth.

FURTHER:

(I am) the gatih, fruit of actions; the bharta, nourisher; [The giver of the fruits of actions.] the prabhuh, Lord; the saksi, witness of all tha is done or not done by creatures; the nivasah, abode, where creatures live; the saranam, refuge, remover of sufferings of the afflicted who take shelter; the suhrt, friend, one who does a good turn without thought of reward; the prabhavah, origin of the world; the pralayah, end, the place into which the world merges. So also, (I am) the sthanam, foundation on which the world rests; the nidhanam, store, which is for future enjoyment of creatures; and the avyayam, imperishable; bijam, seed, the cause of growth of all things which germinate. The seed is imperishable because it continues so long as the world lasts. Indeed, nothing springs up without a seed. And since creation is noticed to be continuous, it is understood that the continuity of the seed never ends. Further,

I GIVE HEAT — The electricity can rightly say that it gives heat in the heater, light in the bulb, cold in the refrigerator, because electricity conditioned through those equipments expresses itself as the above-mentioned — heat, light and cold. Similarly, the Self, the one Existence, identifying with the phenomenon called the Sun becomes the source of all heat for the entire universe.

I WITHHOLD AND SEND FORTH RAIN — Not only do the modern meteorologists understand the influence which the Sun has upon the climatic conditions of the world, but the Rishis of old too had a perfect knowledge of the ways and behaviour of nature, and had well understood that the position, condition and nature of the Sun determines the climate that comes to bless, or curse, the world. The influence of the Sun controls the fields of experience of every living creature on the globe, since it controls the climatic conditions. If the Sun were to send out a few more degrees of heat the entire flora and fauna of the world would change. So too, will be the transformation, complete and total, of the entire look of the world, if the Sun were to withhold even a few calories of the heat that it is radiating now. Immediately, there would be a march from the north pole and the south pole towards the equator, driving men and beings towards the central belt of the globe, causing more intense sorrows of over-population and lack of sufficient food!

I AM IMMORTALITY AND ALSO DEATH — If life, the Consciousness, were not illumining experiences, it would become meaningless and purposeless, and the Self, being the Spark of life, is the essential stuff that gives a realistic experience of existence to the very phenomenon of death. To realise the Self as the Immutable and the Eternal, isto reach the State of Immortality. Change is death, and therefore, the phrase is to be understood as saying that “the Self is the illuminator of change, Itself ever the Changeless.”

I AM EXISTENCE AND NON-EXISTENCE — To perceive and experience ‘Existence’ and ‘Non-existence,’ a positive illuminator of both is necessary, and the illuminating Consciousness must be able to embrace both Sat and Asat in its all-comprehending Knowledge. It is impossible to know and gain an experience of the total Non-existence; wherever we experience Non-existence, we experience it as “the Non-existence that exists.”Apart from this highly subtle philosophical interpretation there is a simpler significance for the phrase. Sat and Asat are terms used in Vedanta to indicate the ’cause’ and ‘effect’: the UNMANIFEST and the MANIFEST. The Self being that Illuminating Factor — without which we can experience neither the unmanifest (THOUGHTS) nor the manifest (OBJECTS) — the Self Eternal is conceived of as the Essence in both the manifest and the unmanifest. Without the mud, no pot is possible; with mud all pots can exist; and therefore, the mud can claim: “I am the pots of all sizes, shapes and colours.”

This stanza can provide a lifetime inspiration to the meditators at their seat of contemplation, while “barrelling their thoughts,” before shooting forth into the voiceless and Nameless.

THOSE WHO DEVOTE THEMSELVES IN THE WORSHIP OF THE ETERNAL WITH DESIRES, WILL COME TO THEIR FULFILMENT… HOW?

O Arjuna, aham, I, in the form of the sun; tapami, give heat through some intense rays. Through some rays utsrjami, I pour down; varsam, rain. Having poured down, again nigrhnami, I withdraw it through some rays-for eight months. Again I pour it down in the rainy season. I am eva ca, verily; the amrtam, nectar of the gods; and mrtyuh, death of the mortals. I Myself am sat, existence-the effect which has come into bneing in relation to its cause; and its opposite, asat, nonexistence. [Nonexistence: the cause which has not become manifest as the effect possessing name and form, It cannot be admitted that the effect has absolute existence, for the Upanisad says, ‘All transformation has speech as it basis, and it is name only’ (Ch.6. 1. 4). Nor can it be said that the cause has absolute non-existence, for there is the text,’…by what logic can the existent come verily out of nonexistence? But surely,…all this was Existence, one without a second’ (op. cit. 6.2.2).] It is not that the Lord is Himself absolutely nonexistence; nor are effect and cause (absolutely) existence and nonexistent (respectively). Those men of Knowledge who meditate of Me while worshpping Me according to the respective forms of sacrifices mentioned above-regardomg Me as one or multifirious, etc.-, they attain Me alone according to their conceptions.

Vedanta is no religion in the ordinary concept of the term, which implies the formalistic observance of some physical and mental discipline, in some House of God, during a specific day of the week, for a prescribed length of time. If we consider religion as an “Art of Right Action,” then Vedanta is indeed the noblest of religions, because it provides a scientific explanation for the entire way of right living. Krishna here glorifies it: “THIS IS THE ROYAL SCIENCE, THE ROYAL MYSTERY, PURE AND VERY HIGH.”

Even if there be a Science, royal in its import, deep in its profundity, and “supreme in its purifying effect,” unless it be available for our comprehension, it is almost useless. Here, Krishna promises that it is “CLEARLY COMPREHENSIBLE,” since it can be apprehended directly by an immediate experience of the Self.

Also it is a science “pertaining to Dharma” (Dharmyam). The term Dharma has already been explained. Man is nothing but a parcel of minerals in their gross and subtle states, if the Conscious Principle were not blessing them with awareness. This Awareness, called the Self, is then the Dharma of man, the Principle of Life in him. the Spiritual Science, that the Lord of Vrindavana promises to enunciate in this chapter, is neither the physical science of the biology of the objects of the world, nor the science of psychology that explains the field of emotions and thoughts — but the Science of the Self, the deepest essence in each individual.

VERY EASY TO PERFORM — Religion is a subjective technique to be pursued and accomplished by each in himself. If this great science, into which Lord Krishna is proposing to initiate Arjuna, is an extremely difficult proposition in life, then, naturally, it is a futile philosophy. The poverty of a country is not removed by the declaration of its scientists that there are inexhaustible quantities of unclaimed gold, awaiting free transportation, on Mars! In order to remove this vague fear, it has been fully confirmed that the technique of self-integration and the ultimate gaining of complete mastery over oneself is an art easy to master for the sincere and the diligent.

Even if it be easy, no intelligent man can pursue the path, if the gain acquired thereby is perishable and temporary. It is endorsed here that the gains acquired through a faithful pursuit of this Royal Science of self-development and self-mastery are “OF AN IMPERISHABLE NATURE.” To realise the Self is to become the Self, the Eternal, the Infinite Reality behind the phenomenal world of appearances.

AS A CONTRAST TO THOSE WHO ARE SEEKING, THE DESTINY OF THOSE WHO ARE NOT SEEKING THE IMPERISHABLE IS DECLARED TO BE THE DISTURBED LIFE OF SAMSARA:

And that is raja-vidya, the Sovereign Knowledge, the kind among sciences because of the abundance of its radiance. Indeed, this knowledge of Brahman shines most brilliantly among all kiinds of learning [The word raja means a king, or figuratively, the greatest; or, derived from the root raj, to shine, it may mean shining.-Tr.] So also, idam, this; is raja-guhyam, the Sovereign Profundity, the kind among profundities; uttamam, the best; pavitram, sanctifier. This knowledge of Brahman, which sanctifies all things that purify, is the greatest. Shine it reduces to ashes in a moment (the results of) all actions-righteous, unrighteous and others-together with their roots, accumulated over many thousands of births, therefore, what to speak of its sanctifying power! Besides, it is pratyaksavagamam, directly realizable, directly perceivable like happiness etc. Even though possessed of many qualities, a thing may be noticed to be contrary to righteousness. The knowledge of the Self is not opposed to righteousness, in that way, but it is dharmyam, righteous, not divorced from righteousness. Eeve so, it may be difficult to practice. Hence the Lord says it is susukham, very easy; kartum to practise, like the knowledge of the distinction among jewels. It is seen (in the world) that, actions which require little effort and are accomplished easily yield meagre results, whereas those that are difficult to accomplish yield great results. Thus the contingency arises that this (knowledge of Brahman), however. which is easily attained, perishes when its result gets exhausted. Therefore the Lord says it is avyayam, imperishable. From the point of view of its result, it is not perishable like (the results of) actions. Hence the knowledge of the Self should be highly regarded.

Those, again, who are ignorant and desirous of pleasures, trai-vidyah, who are versed in the three Vedas, who know the Rk, Yajus and Sama Vedas; somapah, who are drinkers of Soma; and who, as a result of that very drinking of Soma, are puta-papah, purified of sin; prarthayante, pray for; the svargatim, heavenly goal, the attainment of heaven-heaven itself being the goal [Ast. adds this portion-svareva gatih, heaven itself being the goal.-Tr.]-; istva, by worshipping; mam, Me, existing in the forms of gods such as the Vasus and others; yajnaih, through sacrifices such as the Agnistoma etc. And asadya, having reached; surendra-lokam, the place (world) of the kind of gods, of Indra; (which is) punyam, the result of righteousness; te, they; asnanti, enjoy; divi, in heaven; the devyan, divine, heavenly, supernatural;; deva-bhogan, pleasures of gods.

When those who are well-read in the three Vedas and who know the prescriptions laid down for the rituals, perform those sacred acts of devotion and sacrifice with a desire to enjoy the celestial bliss, “THEY COME TO ENJOY, IN HEAVEN, THE DIVINE PLEASURES OF THE DEVAS.”

The Soma drink is the milky juice of a creeper-plant which is used in the rituals and taken in very small quantities at the end of the function. Thus, the phrase “DRINKING THE SOMA-JUICE” is to be understood as ‘when the performance of the ritual has concluded.’

These desire-prompted ritualisms yield finite results and Krishna indicates that these ego-centres, after having enjoyed in the celestial realms, “ENTER THE MORTAL WORLD ON EXHAUSTION OF THEIR MERITS.”The disgust which the Lord feels for such men and their unintelligent seeking for the finite, is clearly expressed when He concludes how these ritualists, “

ABIDING BY THE INJUNCTIONS OF THE THREE VEDAS, DESIRING DESIRES. THEY REPEATEDLY COME AND GO.”

WHAT ABOUT THOSE MEN WHO WORSHIP THE ETERNAL WITH DESIRELESS LOVE, AS THE SUBSTRATUM FOR THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE?

Bhuktva, after having enjoyed; tam, that: visalam, vast; svargalokam, heavenly world; te, they; visanti, enter into; this martyalokam, human world; ksine, on the exhaustion; of their punye, merit. Evam, thus, indeed; anuprapannah, those who follow in the manner described; trai-dharmyam, [A variant reading is trayi-dharmam.-Tr.] the rites and duties prescribed in the three Vedas-merely the Vedic rites and duties; and are kama-kamah, desirous of pleasures; labhante, attain; only gata-agatam, the state of going and returning, but never that of independence. This is the meaning.

Here is a stanza which, with equal emphasis, discloses a secret by which glorious success can be assured for the spiritual as well as the material seekers. It is significant that this stanza is almost in the centre of the Geeta. We shall try to follow the implications, both spiritual as well as secular, of this stanza, one by one.

Those who, with a single-pointed mind, thus meditate upon Him as the One and the Only Reality behind the entire universe, Krishna promises here that “TO THEM EVER SELF-CONTROLLED, I BRING YOGA AND KSHEMA,” meaning more and more spiritual vigour (Yoga) and the final experience of Beatitude (Kshema) which is liberation resulting from the fulfilled Yoga.

Now, considering it as a tip for the men in the market-place, sweating and toiling in the world, the very same stanza yields a code of secret instructions by which they can assure for themselves complete success in their worldly life. In any undertaking, if a man is capable of pouring out his self-willed thought (sankalpa) constantly and with a singleness-of-purpose, he is sure to succeed. But unfortunately, the ordinary man is not capable of successfully keeping his thoughts in one channel of thinking. Therefore, his goal seems to be ever receding and flickering. His determination to achieve a particular goal ever changes, since his goal itself seems to be ever-changing. To such a man of haphazard determination, no progress is ever possible in any line of undertaking.

The greatest tragedy of the age seems to be that we ignore the obvious fact that thoughts alone create. Activities gain a potency from the thought-power that feeds them. When the feeder behind is choked and dissipated, the execution-power in the external activities becomes feeble in strength and efficiency. Thoughts, from a single-pointed mind, must flow steadily in full inspiration, enthusiasm and vigour towards the determined goal which the individual has chosen for himself in life.

Mere thinking, in itself, is not sufficient. No doubt, actions are necessary. Many of the present-day youths, though capable of consistently maintaining a goal-of-life in their intellect, are not ready to get into the field and act as best as they can for its achievement. The term ‘Upasana’ means “worship.” Through worship we invoke the deity, meaning “the profit potential in any given field” and the prefix Pari to this familiar term ‘Upasana,’ indicates a total-effort in which no stone is left unturned for carving out one’s victories in one’s field of endeavour.

So far, two main secret factors without which success in life will not be assured are revealed — (a) CONSISTENCY OF WILLING AND THINKING, and (b) POURING OUT OURSELVES WITH A SINGLENESS OF PURPOSE in meeting the situation in its entirety. The third main factor that is essential in the constitution of one who is marked out for spectacular success and brilliant gains in life is (c) SELF-CONTROL.

As an aspiring individual, consistently maintaining his ambition in mind, walks out into his fields of activity to battle with the immediate problems, he will meet with many a tempting channel of more fascinating plans, through which he can dissipate himself and get exhausted, rendering himself incapable of conquering the highest success in his own field. To keep oneself SELF-CONTROLLED, so that one may not thus get derailed as one shoots forward to reach the temple of success, is the third great factor that is to be kept in mind and lived fully, in order that success in life be assured.

The terms ‘Yoga’ and ‘Kshema’ defined as “the power to gain (Yoga), and the power to guard (Kshema)” respectively, by Shankara in his commentary, are quite applicable in the context of our discussion. In life, all conflict and contests, all struggles and sorrows, whatever be the form in which they may appear, are always different from individual to individual, from place to place, and from time to time, and all of them distinctly fall into two groups, as (a) the struggles to gain, and (b) the efforts to guard what might have been gained. These two tensions tear into bits the joy and tranquillity of life. He who is without these two preoccupations is the luckiest, in the sense that he has gained all that is to be gained; and when these two factors are totally blotted out from one’s life, one is dead to the world of sorrows — and one awakens to the world of joy imperishable.

It is promised here by the Lord that to the one who is capable of maintaining the three factors described above, and pursuing them diligently, there need be NO ANXIETY TO GAIN, NOR WORRY TO GUARD, because these two responsibilities will be voluntarily undertaken by the ‘Lord Himself.’ Here the term Lord may be understood as the “Law” behind the world-of-plurality and all the happening therein. When water is let out from a height for purposes of irrigating the lower planes, we have only to allow it to flow in the right direction, to reach the required area — and nature itself will carry it down, for, it is the ‘law of nature’ that water always flows from a higher to a lower level. Similarly here, to one who is working, fulfilling the three great laws pertaining to the physical, mental and intellectual disciplines, success SHALL dog the heels of such a careful ruler of circumstances.

OPENING UP A NEW SECTION, TO DISCUSS THE MISGUIDED WORSHIPPERS, WHO ADORE AT THE ALTARS OF THE DEITIES THAT PRESIDE OVER FINITE, MATERIAL GAINS, THE FOLLOWING IS SAID:

On the other hand, ye janah, those persons, the monks, who are desireless and fully illumined; who ananyah, becoming non-different (from Me), having realized the supreme Deity, Narayana, as their own Self; and cintayantah, becoming meditative; [‘Having known that I, Vasudeva, am the Self of all, and there is nothing else besides Me’.] paryu-pasate mam, worship Me everywhere; [‘They see Me the one, all-pervading, infinite Reality.’] tesam, for them; who have realized the supreme Truth, nitya-abhiyuktanam, who are ever attached (to Me); aham, I; vahami, arrange for; both yoga-kesamam, securing what they lack and preserving what they have. Yoga means making available what one does not have, and ksema means the protection of what one has got. Since ‘but the man of Knowledge is the very Self. (This is) My opinion’ and ‘he too is dear to Me’ (7.17,18), therefore they have become My own Self as also dear. Does not the Lord surely arrange for securing what they lack and protecting what they have even in the case of other devotees? This is true. He does arrange for it. But the difference lies in this: Others who are devotees make their own efforts as well for their own sake, to arrange for securing what they lack and protecting what they have. On the contrary, those who have realized non-duality do not make any effrot to arrange for themselves the acquisition of what they do not have and the preservation of what they have. Indeed, they desire nothing for themselves, in life or in death. They have taken refuge only in the Lord. Therefore the Lord Himself arranges to procure what they do not have and protect what they have got. ‘If you Yourself are the other gods even, then do not their devotees too worship You alone?’ ‘Quite so!’

All the people in the world do not worship at the same altar. Not only is this physically impossible, but it is psychologically absurd, since tastes differ from person to person.

The devotees, during their respective worship at the different altars, adore the same Vitality that is the Substratum for the created world of change. Even when they worship different deities, if their devotion is sufficiently reinforced with perfect faith, they are invoking nothing but the one Eternal Truth expressed through the form of their adoration. When once we accept the Infinite Reality as “One-without-a-second,” remaining the same in the past, present, and future, it is evident that the Self, as Consciousness — that expresses through the equipments of all Saints and Sages, Prophets and Incarnations of the past — is one and the same.

Toleration is the very breath of the Hindu creed, and we have already discussed earlier, how non-dualists, accepting the Absolute as Infinite, cannot but be tolerant. Intolerance is the creed of those who accept a single Prophet as God. Even among Hindus, all these who worship as members of a particular creed or sect, are generally found to be unrelenting fanatics. Some crude examples are even noticed where a devotee of one deity believes that, to utter blasphemies against the deities of others is adoration of his own beloved Lord! These are mere perversions, obnoxious and vulgar, which have no sanction in the Bible of the Hindus or anywhere in the cultural tradition initiated by the Rishis. The large-heartedness and endless love in the heart of Krishna makes him declare here that “THEY TOO WORSHIP ME ALONE, EVEN THOUGH BY WRONG METHODS.”

The stanza, viewed as an instruction for the external life in the work-a-day-world, suggests that, instead of seeking the infinite profit of the Bliss of Self-hood, those devotees who are trying to invoke other limited gains in the different fields of human activity, are also invoking the Grace of the Self — only “BY THE WRONG METHOD.”

Even the most sensuous, when he is planning to earn, to save and to spend so that he may procure, possess and enjoy the sensuous objects, is invoking the dormant capacities that lie in the Self in him. Sans Self none will be able to act either negatively or positively. Even in the case of suicide, a person is invoking Life, inasmuch as, even in the act of raising a weapon against himself, he is misusing the Grace of the manifested Life in him.

In this context the phrase “BY THE WRONG METHOD” only indicates that ultimately, it leads the seekers to the wells of dejection and sorrow that lie in the darkness of the not-Self, instead of leading to the Bliss-of-Perfection which is the nature of the Self.

WHY DO WE CALL THEIR METHODS AS “AGAINST WHAT THE LAW ORDAINS”?

Api, even; ye, those who; anya-devata-bhaktah, being devoted to tother deities; and anvitah sraddhaya, endowed with faith; yajante, worship (them), te api, they also; O son of Kunti, yajanti, worship; mam, Me; eva, alone; (though) avidhi-purvakam, following the wrong method. Avidhi implies ignorance. So the idea is that they worship (Me) ignorantly. ‘How it is that they worship (Me) ignorantly?’ [i.e. the worshippers of other deities worship them knowingly, and hence, how can the question of their ignorance arise?] This is being answered: Because-

In all ritualistic sacrifices, the Self alone is “THE ENJOYER AND THE LORD.” It is the Self, in one form or another, expressing some special power that goes to form the different deities, for the invocation of whom the various sacrifices are performed by the seekers of their grace. Here the Lord says “I am the Immutable Reality” that is behind all the deities that are invoked during every sacrifice with faith and devotion, be it in a Temple or a Church, in a Mosque or a Synagogue. But because they invoke “limited potentials in Me” (Devatas) they do not come to realise “My Infinite Glory revelling as their Self,” and therefore, jumping from one worship to another, they slip down to fall into delusory confusions and endless entanglements.

Applying it to life, in all fields of activity wherein men strive (Yajna), they are invoking some finite profit or the other (deity), and do not strive to improve spiritually so as to come to rediscover the Self as their own essential nature. Treading on the slippery slopes of sensuality, they fall to the levels of brutal animalism and prove themselves a disgrace to the dignity and status of man.

Complete happiness and satisfaction, perfect contentment and peace, lie only in the innermost precincts of the bosom and not in the extrovert fields of profit and success, glory and fame. Unmindful of this enduring profit that lies within themselves, men, bitten by a thousand scorpions of desire, run amuck — bringing about chaos and sorrows not only to themselves but to others walking the same road. Necessarily, therefore, when a generation of such deluded people come to live, freely encouraging their own mental weaknesses, and never caring to pause and estimate their own actions, the history of that period can be written only upon the face of a blasted world with the very blood of the killed and the maimed — diluted with the tears of the bereaved mothers and widows! Indeed, they return to the sorrows of the mortals (Chyavanti te).

HOW CAN WE SAY THAT EVEN THOSE WHO ARE INVOKING THE ETERNAL BY METHODS WHICH THE LAW DOES NOT ORDAIN, COME TO ENJOY THEIR CERTAIN FRUITS?… LISTEN:

As the Self of the deities (of the sacrifices), aham, I; hi, indeed; am the bhokta, enjoyer; ca eva, as also; the prabhuh, Lord; [The Lord: ‘I being the indwelling Ruler of all.’] sarva-yajnanam, of all sacrifices enjoined by the Vedas and the Smrtis. A sacrifice is verily presided over by Me, for it has been said earlier, ‘I Myself am the entity (called Visnu) that exists in the sacrifice in this body’ (8.4). Tu, but; na abhi-jananti, they do not know; mam, Me as such; tattvena, in reality. And atah, therefore, by worshipping ignorantly; te, they; cyavanti, fall from the result of the sacrifice. [‘Although they perform sacrifices with great diligence, still just because they do not know Me real nature and do not offer the fruits of their sacrifices to Me, they proceed to the worlds of the respective deities through the Southern Path (beginning with smoke; see 8.25). Then, after the exhaustion of the results of those sacrifices and the falling of the respective bodies (assumed in those worlds) they return to the human world for rembodiment.’-M.S. (See also 9.20-1.)] The result of a sacrifice is inevitable even for those who worship ignorantly out of their devotion to other deities. How?

It is the law-of-life that as you think so you become. The thoughts entertained at a given moment get crystallised to form a blue-print for the individual’s character formation in days to come. This is a fact, very well realisable by everyone in his own life. Applying this natural law of psychology in the field of spiritual self-development, Lord Krishna says: “VOTARIES OF THE DEVAS GO TO THE DEVAS,” etc. The worshippers of the Devas, ancestors (Pitris), and the elements (Bhutas), as a result of their worship and adoration with single-pointed mind for a sufficiently long time, come to attain the desires of their constant meditation.

Devas, we have seen, represent the various sense-organs, through which we experience the world. To indicate the work done, by the term denoting the instrument with which the work is executed, is quite common in life. To axe, to scissor, to knife, to hammer, to steer, to pen, etc., are examples wherein the name of the instrument is employed to indicate the work done with it. Similarly, here also, the plural noun ‘Devas,’ may be taken to mean “the entire field of all physical experiences.” Those who are courting the external world of joys and successes consistently and with the required amount of devotion, come to gain that field of demanded experiences.

Accepting the term ‘Pitri’ as denoting the ‘ancestors,’ ‘votaries of ancestors’ would mean ‘persons who are enthusiastically alive to the cultural purity and tradition of their ancients, and who are striving to live up to those ideals.’ An individual, who is constantly endeavouring to live up to the ancient cultural tradition of spiritual India, as a result of his constant self-application, comes to gain the beauty and the shine of the exquisite life of purity and perfection.

The ancient Seers of our land did not overlook the fact that, apart from the spiritual aims, in any society, there would also be active scientific enquiries and repeated discoveries that were possible among the folds of Mother Nature’s own garments. The active quest in the field of “objective-sciences” is a part of man’s hunt for knowledge, and therefore, the “worshippers of the Bhutas,” are the secular scientists who try to observe, codify and systematize the observed knowledge of physical nature and behaviour of things and beings as it is now done under such classifications as Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Zoology, Botany, Engineering, Agriculture, Politics, Sociology, Geography, History, Geology, and so on — an endless array of specialised lines of investigation, adopted, pursued and accepted by the modern world. A large portion of the Atharvana Veda gave us the accepted theories of nature and its behaviour, as finally conceived of by the Rishis of that time. The psychological theory, which Krishna is observing here, is applicable to all branches of human endeavour — that is, if one were to pursue diligently even in the secular field, success would be assured in direct proportion to the amount of self-application put forth by the seeker.

Thus, if consistency of meditation upon the Devas yields the Devas; if constant meditation upon the “ancestors” takes us to our ancestral heritage; and if diligent self-application in the fields of intellectual enquiry (Bhutas) can ultimately assure us a positive success in ripping open the secret vaults of nature — then, according to the same principle, we are assured that, “MY VOTARIES COME UNTO ME.” By constant meditation, with a single-pointed mind, upon the nature of the Self, the meditator can, in the long run, successfully discover his total identity with the Self, Eternal and Immutable. In our elementary text-books on Vedanta, this technique of the ego’s constant meditation on the Self and its ultimate transformation into the Divine Self, has been indicated by comparing it with the manner in which a “worm” is transformed into a wasp.

The attempt of the Geeta is to give, not only the Jnana but also to supply the Vijnana. In order to convince the student that this elementary technique can take the seeker to the highest achievements, this stanza is given. Just as consistent pursuit with all dedicated self-application brings, in the end, sure success in all fields of activity of art or science, so too, in the realm of the “within,” and ultimately in the field of spiritual achievement, constant meditation will definitely pay. The logic behind this assurance is given here by the Lord.

CAN MERE WORSHIP WITH DEVOTED THOUGHTS, HOWEVER SINCERE, BRING ABOUT SUCH AN ABSOLUTE SUCCESS? IS IT NOT NECESSARY THAT WE SHOULD PURSUE ALL THE ELABORATE RITUALS THAT THE VEDAS PRESCRIBE, AND OFTEN SEEM TO INSIST UPON?… LISTEN:

Deva-vratah, votaries of the gods, those whose religious observances [Making offerings and presents, circumambulation, bowing down, etc.] and devotion are directed to the gods; yanti, reach, go to; devan, the gods. Pitr-vratah, the votaries of the manes, those who are occupied with such rites as obsequies etc., who are devoted to the manes; go pitrn, to the manes such as Agnisvatta and others. Bhutejyah, the Beings such as Vinayaka, the group of Sixteen (divine) Mothers, the Four Sisters, and others. And madyajinah, those who worship Me, those who are given to worshipping Me, the devotees of Visnu; reach mam, Me alone. Although the effort (involved) is the same, still owing to ingorance they do not worship Me exclusively. Thereby they attain lesser results. This is the meaning. ‘Not only do My devotees get the everlasting result in the form of non-return (to this world), but My worship also is easy.’ How?