By narrating thus the inner and outer life of the ‘man-of-Self-realisation,’ Geeta helps us to detect for ourselves, the right type of Masters from the charlatans who, though wolves, wear a goat-skin and enter the fold of the faithful. Apart from this, these passages have a direct appeal to all sincere Sadhakas inasmuch as this section gives them an easy thumb-rule as to what types of values and mental attitudes they should develop, during their practice, in order to realise the ever-effulgent Divinity in them — the Pure Awareness.

This very opening stanza in this section, is a brilliant summary of all that we should know of the mental condition of the Perfect. The words used in this stanza can be understood fully, only when we remember the significant fragrance of these words as they stand dancing among the hosts of other blossoms in the Garden of the Upanishads. He is considered a Man-of-Wisdom who has completely cast away ALL DESIRES from his mind. Reading this stanza in conjunction with what Krishna has so far said, we can truly come to enjoy the Upanishadic fragrance in these inspired words of Vyasa.

An intellect, contaminated by ignorance becomes the breeding-ground of desires, and he who has relieved himself of this ‘Ignorance’through ‘Right-Knowledge’ gained in Perception, naturally, becomes ‘desireless.’ By explaining here the absence of the EFFECT, the Lord is negating the existence of the CAUSE: where desires are not, there “ignorance” has ended, and “Knowledge” has already come to shine forth.

If this alone were the distinguishing factor of the Man-of-Steady-Wisdom, then any modern man would condemn the Hindu Man-of-Wisdom as a rank lunatic; a Hindu wise-man would then become one who had not even the initiative to desire. Desire means a capacity of the mind to see ahead of itself, a scheme or a pasttern, in which he who desires will probably be more happy. “The wise-man seems to lose even this capacity, as he goes beyond his intellect and experiences the Self,” — this is a criticism that is generally heard from the materialists.

This stanza cannot thus be condemned since it adds in its second line that the Perfect-One is “blissful” in his own experience of the Self. A Perfect man is defined here, therefore, not only as one who has no desires, but also as one who has positively come to enjoy the Bliss of the Self!

When one is an infant, one has one’s own playmates, and as one grows from childhood to boyhood, one leaves one’s toys and runs after a new set of things; again, as the boy grows to youthfulness, he loses his desires for the fancy-things of his boyhood and craves for yet a newer set of things; again, in old age, the same entity casts away all objects that were till then great joys to him and comes to demand a totally different set of objects. This is an observed phenomenon. As we grow, our demands also grow. With reference to the new scheme of things demanded, the old sets of ideas come to be cast away.

In one’s ignorance, when one conceives oneself as the ego, one has a burning desire for sense-objects, a binding attachment with emotions, and a jealous preference for one’s pet ideas. But when the ego is transcended, when the ignorance, like a mist, has lifted itself, and when the finite ego stands face to face with the Divine Reality in him, it melts away to become one with the Infinite. In the Self, the Man-of-Steady-Wisdom, ‘SELF-SATISFIED IN THE SELF,’ can no more entertain any desire, or have any appetite, for the paltry objects of the body, or of the mind, or of the intellect. He becomes the very Source of all Bliss.

Such a one is defined here by Vyasa as the ‘Man-of-Steady-Wisdom’ (Sthita-Prajna), and as the words come out from the mouth of Krishna they gather the divine ring of an incontrovertible Truth.

MOREOVER:

ALL THIS WORLD IS PERVADED BY ME IN MY UNMANIFESTED FORM — The subtlety of a thing is measured in terms of its pervasiveness and therefore, the Subtlest must necessarily be the All-pervasive. As all limited things must have forms, the All-pervasive alone can be Eternal and Infinite. All forms are perishable substances (Dravya). Thus the Self, in its essential Unmanifest nature, must be pervading everything, as the mud pervades all forms and shapes in all mud-pots.

If thus, the Infinite pervades the finite, what exactly is the relationship between them? Is it that the finite rose from the Infinite? Or is it that the Infinite PRODUCED the finite? Has the Infinite Itself become the finite, as a modification of Itself, or do they both, among themselves, keep a father-son, or a master-servant relationship? Various religions of the world abound in such questions. The dualists can afford to indulge in such a fancied picture of some relation or other between the finite and the Infinite. But the Adwaitins (Non-dualists) cannot accept this idea, since to them the Eternal Self alone is the ONE and the ONLY REALITY.

The second line of this stanza is a classical description of this “relationless-relationship” between the Real and unreal. “All beings exist in Me but I dwell not in them.” To a hasty reader this would strike as an incomprehensible paradox expressed in a jumble of empty words. But to one who has understood well the theory of super-imposition, this is very simple. The ghost-vision can come only upon the post. And what exactly is the relationship between the ghost and the post from the standpoint of the post? The innocent post, in infinite love for the deluded fool, can only make a similar statement as the Lord has made here. “The ghost,” the post would say, “is no doubt, in me, but I am not in the ghost; and therefore, I have never frightened any deluded traveller at any time.” In the same fashion the Lord says here, “I, IN MY UNMANIFEST NATURE, AM THE SUBSTRATUM FOR ALL THE MANIFESTED” chaos of names and forms, but neither in their joys nor in their sorrows, neither in their births nor in their deaths, “AM I SHARING THEIR DESTINIES, BECAUSE I DO NOT DWELL IN THEM.”

This line sounds a faithful echo of the same idea, perhaps more crisply expressed earlier (VII-12), where it was said “I AM NOT IN THEM, THEY ARE IN ME.” In short, it is indicated here that the Self which, through Its identification with the matter-envelopments, has come to “DWELL IN THEM,” is the pain-ridden mortal, while the same Self which has successfully withdrawn all Its false arrogations with the matter layers and has come to realise that, “I DO NOT DWELL IN THEM” is the Self, Immortal and Unmanifest.

THEN THERE MUST BE SOME SORT OF AN EXISTENCE FOR THE FINITE IN THE INFINITE:

To consider the ‘Path-of-Action’ (Karma Yoga) and the ‘Path-of-Knowledge’ (Jnana Yoga) as competitive is to understand neither of them. They, being complementary, are to be practised SERIALLY one after the other. Selfless activity gives a chance to the mind to exhaust many of its existing mental impressions. Thus purified, the mind gains such a flight and ethereal poise that it can steadily soar into the subtlest realms of meditation, and finally come to gain the experience of the transcendental Absolute.

Men belonging to foreign cultures find it very difficult to understand Hinduism when they approach it with all their native enthusiasm. They feel overwhelmed when they read of such a variety of ‘Paths’ and seemingly contradictory advices. But, to condemn Hinduism as unscientific because of this, would be a mistake, as colossal and as ludicrous as to say that medicine is no science at all, since, for each patient, the same doctor prescribes a different medicine, during a single afternoon!!

Religious men, men fit for spiritual discipline, fall under two distinct categories: the active and the contemplative. Temperamentally, these two classes fall so widely apart, that to prescribe for both of them one and the same technique for individual development, would be to discourage one section and ignore its progress. The Geeta is not merely a text-book of Hinduism but a Bible of humanity. As such, in its universal application, it has to show methods of self-development to suit the mental and intellectual temperaments of both these categories.

Therefore, Krishna clearly explains here that the two-fold path of Self-development was prescribed for the world-the ‘Path-of-Knowledge’ to the MEDITATIVE, and the ‘Path-of-Action’ to the ACTIVE. It is added that this classification and careful prescription for the two different types of men has been in existence from the very beginning of creation.

For the first time, Lord Krishna is giving us here in this stanza, a glimpse of the identity of the man who is the author of the Geeta. If it were given out by the son of Devaki, a mere mortal who lived in that age, he would at best, have given us only an intellectual theory built entirely upon the observed data. Observed data always have a knack of changing, and when they change, the final conclusions also must necessarily change. We have now a hundred different political and economic philosophies, and numberless scientific theories that have all become outmoded when the social living conditions, or the economic structure, or the collected and observed data have changed in their set up, or in their imperative messages. If the Geeta was the conclusion of a mere mortal Krishna’s intellect, the values of life preached therein would also have got outmoded and by now become fossilised!

Here, He clearly says that, at the very beginning of creation, these two ‘Paths’ were prescribed by ‘Me’; thereby indicating that Krishna is talking here not as the Blue Boy of Vrindavana — not as the Beloved of the gopis — not as the great diplomat of His age — but as a Man-of-Realisation, a Prophet, and a Seer, who lived in that period of Indian history. It is neither as Arjuna’s charioteer, nor as a friend, nor as a well-wisher of the Pandavas, that He is talking at this moment. Perfectly identifying with the spiritual dignity in Himself, experiencing His Absolute Nature, it is as the Eternal substratum for the entire PLURALISTIC world, as the Cause of all Creation, as the Might in all substances, that He is talking now. Transcending all time and causation, in a burning conviction of the lived Truth, He declares here: “At the very beginning of creation, these two ‘paths’ were given out by Me as the two possible methods by which the ACTIVE and the CONTEMPLATIVE could seek and re-discover the Eternal nature of their very Self.

“THE ‘PATH-OF-ACTION’ IS A MEANS TO AN END, NOT DIRECTLY, BUT ONLY AS A PREPARATION TO THE ‘PATH-OF-KNOWLEDGE’; WHEREAS THE LATER, WHICH IS ATTAINED BY MEANS OF THE ‘PATH-OF-ACTION,’ LEADS TO THE GOAL DIRECTLY WITHOUT EXTRANEOUS HELP. TO SHOW THIS THE LORD SAYS:

The traditional belief of Hinduism has not at all been shaken in the Geeta-theory that single-pointed, divine-dedicated Karma, without desire for the fruits, shall bring about inner purification, which is a condition precedent to spiritual awakening. The Geeta only gives an exhaustive exposition of this idea to incorporate in it ALL activities in the social and personal life; while in the Vedas, Karma meant only the religious and the ritualistic activities.

Philosophy is not a subject that can be rightly understood by hasty students. The stanza now under review, when not properly understood, would seem to indicate an impossible method. At best, it would look as if it was a religious sanction for the poor to continue to be poor and a sacred permission for the rich to continue tyrannising over the poor! To act in life “WITHOUT ANY EXPECTATION OF RESULTS” would seem to be almost impossible to one who is only trying to understand the stanza mentally. But when the same individual, after his studies, walks out into the open fields of life and tries to practise it there, he shall discover that this alone is the very secret of all real achievements.

Earlier, we have indicated how Krishna, through his Karma Yoga, was showing “the art of living and acting” in a spirit of Divine inspiration. Here also we shall find, as we tussle with this idea in our attempt to digest it, that Krishna is advising Arjuna on the secret-art of living an inspired life.

Wrong imaginations are the banes of life, and all failures in life can be directly traced to have risen from an impoverished mental equanimity, generally created by unintelligent entertainment of fears regarding possible failures. Almost all of us refuse to undertake great activities, being afraid of failures, and even those who dare to undertake noble endeavours, invariably become nervous ere they finish them, again, due to their inward dissipastion. To avoid such wasteful expenditure of mental energy and work with the best that is in us, dedicated to the noble cause of the work undertaken, is the secret prescription for the noblest creative inspiration; and, such work must always end in a brilliant success. This is the eternal law-of-activity in the world.

The future is always carved out in the present. Tomorrow’s harvest depends upon today’s ploughing and sowing. But, in the fear of possible dangers to the crops, if a farmer wastes his present chances of thoroughly ploughing, and carefully sowing at the right time, it is guaranteed that he shall not have any harvest at all. The present moments are to be invested intelligently and well, so that we may reap a better time in the future. The past is dead; the future is not yet born. If one becomes unhealthy and inefficient in the present, certainly he has no reason to hope for a greater future.

This fundamental truth, very well-known and easily comprehended by all, is, in the language of the Geeta, a simple statement: “If success you seek, then never strive with a mind dissipasted with anxieties and fears for the fruits.” In this connection it is very interesting to dissect carefully and discover exactly what the Shastra means when it says: “Fruits-of-action.” In fact, the reward of an action, when we understand it properly, is not anything different from the action itself. An action in the PRESENT itself, when conditioned by a FUTURE-time, appears as the fruit-of-the-action. In fact, the action ends, or fulfils itself, only in its reaction, and the reaction is not anything different from the action; an action in the present, defined in terms of a future moment, is its reaction. Therefore, to worry over and get ourselves pre-occupied with the anxieties for the rewards-of-actions is to escape from the dynamic PRESENT and to live in a FUTURE that is not yet born! In short, the Lord’s advice here is a call to man not to waste his present moment in fruitless dreams and fears, but to bring his best — all the best in him — to the PRESENT and vitally live every moment, the promise being, that the future shall take care of itself, and shall provide the Karma Yogin with the achievements divine and accomplishments supreme.

In effect, therefore, Arjuna is advised: “All that is given to you now is to act and, having known the cause of action to be a noble one, to bring into the activity all that is best in you and forget yourself in the activity. Such inspired action is sure to bear fruit, and again, it has its own reward-spiritual.”

The stanza gives the four injunctions guiding us to be true workers. A real Karma Yogin is one who understands: (a) that his concern is with action alone; (b) that he has no concern with results; (c) that he should not entertain the motive of gaining a fixed fruit for a given action; and (d) that these ideas do not mean that he should sit back courting inaction. In short, the advice is to make the worker release himself from all his mental pre-occupastions, and thus through work make him live in the joy and ecstasy of inspired self-forgetfulness. The work itself is his reward; he gets himself drunk with the joy and satisfaction of a noble work done. The work is the means; the Higher Self-experience alone is the Goal-Divine.

By thus re-acting readily to all external challenges, with his devoted attention upon Him, one can find peace easily, and a bosom thus purged of its existing vasana-bondages is, to that extent, considered better purified for the purposes of meditation and the final Vedantic-realisation of the Infinite glory of the Self.

IF A MAN SHOULD NOT PERFORM WORK PROMPTED BY DESIRES FOR THEIR RESULT, HOW THEN SHOULD HE PERFORM IT? THE REPLY FOLLOWS:

In this chapter the four-fold classification of men and the duties of the individuals belonging to each classification are given. When a man acts according to his “nature” (Swabhaava) and station-in-life (Swadharma), his vasanas get exhausted. This exhaustion of the load of vasanas and the consequent sense of joy and relief can be gained only when he learns to work and achieve in a spirit of total self-surrender.

By constantly remembering the higher goal towards which we are working our way, if we do our work efficiently, this vasana-exhaustion takes place. The goal to be constantly remembered is indicated in this stanza: “HE FROM WHOM ALL BEINGS ARISE AND BY WHOM ALL THIS IS PERVADED.” The three equipments — the body, the mind and the intellect, that flutter out into activity, are all in themselves inert matter with no consciousness in themselves. It is only at the touch of the Light-of-Life that inert matter starts singing its vasanas through the various activities.

To remember constantly, this Consciousness, the Atman — the Atman that lends, as it were, Its dynamism to the Matter that invests It in its activities — is to stand apart from all agitations in the field of strife. Just as a musician, constantly conscious of the background drone, sings his songs easily in tune, just as a dancer dances effortlessly to the rhythm of the drum, such a man is never caught on the wrong foot ever in life. A new glow of tranquil peace and dynamic love comes to shine through all his actions, and his achievements radiate the shadowless Light-of-Perfection, unearthly and Divine.

Work can thus be changed into worship by attuning our minds all through our activity to the consciousness of the Self. A self-dedicated man so working in the consciousness of the Supreme pays the greatest homage to his Creator. This subtle change in attitude transforms the shape of even the most dreary situation. Even the most dreadfully unpleasant field of activity is converted into a sacred chamber of devotion — into a silent hall of prayer — into a quiet seat of meditation!

By thus setting one’s hands and feet to work in the field-of-objects with one’s mind and intellect held constantly conscious of the Divine Presence, one can attain “THROUGH THE PERFORMANCE OF ONE’S OWN DUTIES THE HIGHEST PERFECTION.” Work results in self-fulfilment, apart from its legitimate “fruits.” The inner personality gets integrated, and such an integrated person grows in his meditation and evolves quickly.”

AND YET, WHY SHOULD I NOT GO AND MEDITATE?” SEEMS TO BE THE HONEST DOUBT IN ARJUNA’S MIND. KRISHNA ANSWERS:

The Lord, with all the emphasis at his command, is declaring, once and for all, the final conclusions that were arrived at by the Immortal Sages of yore regarding the place of right-action in Self re-discovery. Without performance of action, the renunciation of action is impossible; without having a thing we cannot renounce it; to renounce life and the world, because one has sadly been thwarted in one’s hopes and ambitions, is not renunciation.

In this sense, the polishing of the mind is a process very similar to that by which we clean metal-ware by using metal-polish. The item that is darkened by time is purified by applying some polishing chemical on its surface. The polish is the solvent of the oxide that is covering the brilliance of the vessel. After a time, when we remove the coating of the “polish,” we find that not only is the chemical-polish removed but the black oxide also is removed, threreby leaving the vessel bright and attractive.

Similarly, the mind can be purified only by the process of treating it with right action. When thus treated, the mind gets purified from its vasana-blemishes and with such a purified mind alone can we, during the deeper meditation hours, come to renounce all activities. Before this preparation, if we try to renounce activities, we may remain physically inactive, but mentally very active. Extrovertedness of the mind is not conducive to the inner polishing. In fact, extrovertedness is the very mud that sullies the Godly-beauty and strength of the mind.

This is the greatest discovery that Hindu Masters made in the ancient days, in the technique of Self-development and Self-growth.

While mental purity and meditative power cannot be gained without performance of right action with the right mental attitude, Sri Krishna gives a positive assurance here that such a conducive mental quality can be created by right actions undertaken by the seekers.

Yoga Yuktah — One who is well established in the path of selfless and unattached activities, soon develops the qualities of poise and single-pointedness of mind. Karma fulfils itself in making the Yogin fit for continuous and fruitful meditation, and when such an individual who has practised the Path of Karma diligently — either through the renunciation of his sense of agency or through detachment from all his over-anxious preoccupations with the fruits of his actions — such a meditator (Muni) soon attains the Supreme experience of the Self in himself.

No definite time-limit can be fixed for declaring when exactly the Supreme experience will come to a meditator. The indecision regarding the time-element in this promise of certainty is very well brought out by the term used, ‘Na-chirena’ — not long afterwards, meaning ‘ere-long.’With this knowledge in mind, when we read the stanza, it becomes very clear why earlier (V-2) the Lord, in his opening verse in this discourse, insisted that for Arjuna ‘performance-of-action’ is superior to the ‘renunciation-of-action.

‘WHEN THE DEVOTEE RESORTS TO KARMA YOGA AS A MEANS OF ATTAINING RIGHT KNOWLEDGE:

Samnyasa is not a mere physical escapism but a mental withdrawal from things that are unintelligent and thoughtless. It is a mental attitude and not an external symbol. Therefore, he who is a self-controlled individual and who has brought all his sense-appetities under perfect control, and renounced all his ego-centric and desire-prompted actions, comes to experience and live in a nameless joy, contentment and peace which well up from the very depths within him. He thus remains contented and happy, in the “City-of-nine-gates.”

This is a famous metaphor used in the Upanishads, to indicate the physical body of the seeker. The body is considered a fortress city, having nine main gates, which are the nine apertures in the physical structure, seven of them on the face (two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and one mouth) and the two apertures on the trunk, the genital organ and the excretory organ. Without these nine holes or at least a majority of them, life within the body is impossible. Just as the King, remaining in the fortress, rules over his kingdom through his ministers, giving them the encouragement, strength and sanction by his mere presence, so too, the Atman, within the physical structure, though Itself doing nothing, by Its mere presence, vitalises the various instruments of cognition and action, within and without and governs the “life” in them all.

This famous metaphor is used here by Sri Krishna, and he says that a self-controlled man lives within the physical body, a nameless joy of pure Divine life, ever watching over the activities of the matter-envelopments around him!! Such an individual, ever identifying with the Self, observes-on, unaffected, unattached and without agitations, all the thrilled activities in the layers of matter, but “neither does he act nor does he cause others to act.”

MOREOVER:

This is the noblest of all the stanzas in the Divine Song and this is yet the most controversial. Translators, reviewers, critics and commentators have invested all their originality in commenting upon this stanza, and various philosophers, each maintaining his own point of view, has ploughed the words to plant his ideas into the ample bosom of this great verse of brilliant import. To Sri Ramanuja, this is the final verse (Charama-Shloka) of the whole Geeta.

Most often used, and yet in no two places having the same shade of suggestion, the term, ‘Dharma’has become the very heart of the Hindu culture. This explains why the religion of India was called by the people who lived in the land and enjoyed its spiritual wealth as the ‘Sanatana Dharma.’Dharma, as used in our scriptures is, to put it directly and precisely, “THE LAW OF BEING.” That because of which a THING continues to be the THING itself, without which the THING cannot continue to be that THING, is the Dharma of the THING. Heat, because of which fire maintains itself as fire, without which fire can no more be fire, is the Dharma of fire. Heat is the Dharma of fire; cold fire we have yet to come across! Sweetness is the Dharma of sugar; sour sugar is a myth!

Every object in the world has two types of properties: (a) the essential, and (b) the non-essential. A substance can remain itself, intact, when its “non-essential” qualities are absent, but it cannot remain ever for a split moment without its “essential” property. The colour of the flame, the length and width of the tongues of flame, are all the “non-essential” properties of fire, but the essential property of it is heat. This essential property of a substance is called its Dharma.

Then what exactly is the Dharma of man? The colour of the skin, the innumerable endless varieties of emotions and thoughts — the nature, the conditions and the capacities of the body, mind and intellect — are the “non-essential” factors in the human personality, as against the Touch of Life, the Divine Consciousness, expressed through them all. Without the Atman man cannot exist; it is TRUTH which is the basis of existence. Therefore, the “essential Dharma” of man is the Divine Spark of Existence, the Infinite Lord.

With this understanding of the term Dharma, we shall appreciate its difference from mere ethical and moral rules of conduct, all duties in life, all duties towards relations, friends, community, nation and the world, all our obligations to our environment, all our affections, reverence, charity, and sense of goodwill — all that have been considered as our Dharma in our books. In and through such actions, physical, mental and intellectual, a man will bring forth the expression of his true Dharma — his Divine Status as the All-pervading Self. To live truly as the Atman, and to express Its Infinite Perfection through all our actions and in all our contacts with the outer world is to rediscover our Dharma.

There are, no doubt, a few other stanzas in the Geeta wherein the Lord has almost directly commanded us to live a certain way-of-life, and has promised that if we obey His instructions, He will directly take the responsibility of guiding us towards HIS OWN BEING. But nowhere has the Lord so directly and openly expressed His divine willingness to undertake the service of His devotee as in this stanza.

He wants the meditator to accomplish three distinct adjustments in his inner personality. They are: (1) Renounce all Dharmas through meditation; (2) surrender to My refuge alone; and while in the state of meditation, (3) stop all worries. And as a reward Lord Krishna promises: “I SHALL RELEASE YOU FROM ALL SINS.” This is a promise given to all mankind. The Geeta is a universal scripture; it is the Bible of Man, the Koran of Humanity, the dynamic scripture of the Hindus.

ABANDONING ALL DHARMA (Sarva-Dharman Parityajya) — As we have said above, Dharma is “the law of being,” and we have already noted that nothing can continue its existence when once it is divorced from its Dharma. And yet, Krishna says, “COME TO MY REFUGE, AFTER RENOUNCING ALL DHARMAS.” Does it then mean that our definition of Dharma is wrong? Or is there a contradiction in this stanza? Let us see.

As a mortal, finite ego, the seeker is living, due to his identification with them, the Dharmas of his body, mind and intellect, and exists in life as a mere perceiver, feeler, and thinker. The perceiver-feeler-thinker personality in us is the “individuality” which expresses itself as the “ego.” These are not our ‘essential’ Dharmas. And since these are the ‘non-essentials,’ “RENOUNCING ALL DHARMAS” means “ENDING THE EGO.””To renounce” therefore means “not to allow ourselves to fall again and again into this state of identification with the outer envelopments of matter around us.” Extrovert tendencies of the mind are to be renounced. “Develop introspection diligently” is the deep suggestion in the phrase “RENOUNCING ALL DHARMAS.”

COME TO ME ALONE FOR SHELTER (Mam-ekam Sharanam Vraja) — Self-withdrawal from our extrovert nature will be impossible unless the mind is given a positive method of developing its introvert attention. By single-pointed, steady contemplation upon Me, the Self, which is the One-without-a-second, we can successfully accomplish our total withdrawal from the misinterpreting equipments of the body, mind and intellect.

Philosophers in India were never satisfied with a negative approach in their instructions; there are more DO’s than DONTS with them. This practical nature of our philosophy, which is native to our traditions, is amply illustrated in this stanza when Lord Krishna commands His devotees to come to His shelter whereby they can accomplish the renunciation of all their false identifications.

BE NOT GRIEVED (Maa shuchah) — When both the above conditions are accomplished, the seeker reaches a state of growing tranquillity in meditation. But it will all be a waste if this subjective peace, created after so much labour, were not to form a steady and firm platform for his personality to spring forth from, into the realms of the Divine Consciousness. The spring-board must stay under our feet, supply the required propulsion for our inward dive. But unfortunately, the very anxiety to reach the Infinite weakens the platform. Like a dream-bridge, it disappears at the withering touch of the anxieties in the meditator. During meditation, when the mind has been persuaded away from all its restless preoccupations with the outer vehicles, and brought, again and again, to contemplate upon the Self, the Infinite, Lord Krishna wants the seeker to renounce all his “ANXIETIES TO REALISE.” Even a desire to realise is a disturbing thought that can obstruct the final achievement.

I SHALL RELEASE YOU FROM ALL SINS — That which brings about agitations in the bosom and thereby causes dissipation of the energies is called “sin.” The actions themselves can cause subtle exhaustions of the human power, as no action can be undertaken without bringing our mind and intellect into it. In short, the mind and intellect will always have to come and control every action. Actions thus leave their “foot prints,” as it were, upon the mental stuff, and these marks which channelise the thought-flow and shape the psychological personality, when our mind has gone through its experiences, are called vasanas.

Good vasanas bring forth a steady stream of good thoughts as efficiently as bad vasanas erupt bad thoughts. As long as thoughts are flowing, the mind survives — whether good or bad. To erase all vasanas completely is to stop all thoughts i. e. the total cessation of thought-flow viz. “mind.” Transcending the mind-intellect-equipment is to reach the plane of Pure Consciousness, the Krishna-Reality.

As a seeker renounces more and more of his identifications with his outer envelopments through a process of steady contemplation and meditation upon the Lord of his heart, he grows in his vision. In the newly awakened sensitive consciousness, he becomes more and more poignantly aware of the number of vasanas he has to exhaust. “BE NOT GRIEVED,” assures the Lord, for, “I SHALL RELEASE YOU FROM ALL SINS” — the disturbing, thought-gurgling, action-prompting, desire-breeding, agitation-brewing vasanas, the “sins.”

The stanza is important inasmuch as it is one of the most powerfully worded verses in the Geeta wherein the Lord, the Infinite, personally undertakes to do something helpful for the seeker in case the spiritual hero in him is ready to offer his ardent co-operation and put forth his best efforts. All through the days of seeking, a Saadhaka can assure himself steady progress in spirituality only when he is able to keep within himself a salubrious mental climate of warm optimism. To despair and to weep, to feel dejected and disappointed, is to invite restlessness of the mind, and naturally, therefore, spiritual unfoldment is never in the offing. The stanza, in its deep imports and wafting suggestions, is indeed a peroration in itself of the entire philosophical poem.

HAVING CONCLUDED THE ENTIRE DOCTRINE OF THE “GEETA-SHASTRA” IN THIS DISCOURSE, AND HAVING ALSO BRIEFLY AND CONCLUSIVELY RESTATED THE DOCTRINE IN ORDER TO IMPRESS IT MORE FIRMLY, THE LORD NOW PROCEEDS TO STATE THE RULE THAT SHOULD BE BORNE IN MIND WHILE IMPARTING THIS KNOWLEDGE TO OTHERS: