Teachings of Dnyaneshwari

TEACHINGS
OF
DNYANESHWARI
(Chapter wise Summary)
V V. Shirvaikar
A-23 Yashodhan Society

Chintamaninagar 2
Bibwewadi, Pune 411037
2003
2
Published Privately: JULY 2003

Copyright: Dr. V. V. Shirvaikar
A-23 Yashodhan Society
Chintamaninagar 2
Price: Nil for this edition.

All correspondence regarding the book may be sent to the author.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI PREFACE i
PREFACE
These Teachings are the summarised philosophy of Dnyaneshwari. I
undertook preparing a short summary of Dnyaneshwari on the instructions
of my Guru. This was to have been in Marathi, but it was easier to type and
edit an English text with the advent of computers and for this reason I took
the route of an English translation first. However, though English
translations of Dnyaneshwari were available I preferred to use the original
Marathi version and made my own translation.
Of the several Dnyaneshwari versions available, I found the by A. B. Bhide
more appealing. It gives besides the original verses and corresponding prose
translation, the relevant Gita shloka, translation of Gita into Marathi by past
pundits e.g. by Vamanpandit, Moropant and Mukteshwar. This helped to
tally the commentary with the original Shlokas since I have not studied
Sanskrit. Other versions which were found appealing were the prose
translation by the great scholar late M. R. Yardi and another by the well-
known saint Keshavamaharaj Deshmukh, both from Pune. Actually, Mr
Yardi has authored Dnyaneshwari translations in Hindi as well as in
English, but it was more appealing to use the original Marathi version.
Later I came across two more versions of English translations: one by
Swami Umanand Saraswati, a disciple of Swami Muktanand and another by
Mr Lokapur.
I had read Gita three or four times earlier but it was never clear to me what
specifically Shri Krishna wanted to say except for the assertion that an
individual is not the perishable body but the imperishable soul. I had read
Dnyaneshwari also once but with the same result. Reading Dnyaneshwari
required more patience because of its size..
When I sat for summarising Dnyaneshwari, I found the reason why I was
getting nowhere with understanding it. The poetical part used to distract so
much that it was difficult to come back to the main thread of philosophy. So
the first step was to make a copy (in Marathi) by removing all the similes,
metaphors, prayers and praises. I came across a few ovis that were vague.
The translators of prose differed in their translations. In such cases the
meaning best appealed to me was adopted. Finally I had a reduced version
that made the understanding of the philosophy easier. Next step was to
translate this edited text into English and write it into a computer file, polish
the language and print it. On taking stock I found that the text had reduced
to two thirds of the original and was quite understandable.
My friend Mr Dietrich Platthaus from Essen Germany who is very much
interested in the Indian philosophy was very happy to read the text which I
sent him by E-mail. He wanted to translate it into German. While doing the
translation, he pointed out many typing errors and parts of text which could
not be well understood. Mr Platthaus was my colleague when we were
working on some technical guides at the International Atomic energy agency
in Vienna. I knew Mr Platthaus to be very sincere and meticulous in his
work and valued his suggestions. The text improved tremendously after his
suggestions were implemented. I am very grateful to him for these
suggestions. Both of us had agreed that there should be no question of any
financial gains from this venture. There was therefore no attempt for
publication in book form, and since the purpose was to make the philosophy
of Dnyaneshwari available to whoever was interested, it was decided to put
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI PREFACE ii
the translated text on some Internet website. Hinduweb.org was kind

enough to offer free sites and this text is available on their domain, freely
accessible through a Search Engine. Mr Platthaus used his own website for
his German translation. The sites are mentioned in the Introduction to this
book. Interested readers may freely download the text, but if used anywhere
they are requested to acknowledge the source as a matter of etiquette.
The present book is a further condensation of the above text by removing all
repetitions. With the notes and comments provided where appropriate, the
reader should understand the philosophy of Dnyaneshwari easily. Such a
text is most useful to readers who are interested in spiritual matters but due
to occupational duties have limited time at their disposal. Even if a single
person gets spiritual benefit from this work then it must be said that the
efforts were worth it. Millions of people worship God but only a few in a
million are worthy to take up the spiritual path; and of those still fewer who
make it to their goal and that too not necessarily in this lifetime.
Speaking of efforts, I must confess that throughout this work the spiritual
force of my Guru was behind me and there were no problems. Without that
support the task could not have been finished at all. Thanking him is
superfluous.
The reader will find notes and comments in this book some of which criticise
the erroneous statements in our scriptural literature. I am a research
scientist by profession and consider it my duty to point out such
inconsistencies to the reader and present the reader with correct scientific
facts. That is one way of eradicating blind beliefs in the simple minds of the
pious and save them from the unscrupulous persons roaming the spiritual
field. Some of the facts about Gita, Mahabharata and Shri Krishnas role in
are discussed in the Introduction, while facts related to time scale etc. are
given in the main text.
I am very grateful to late Mr Yardi whom I had met twice and who was kind
enough to provide me with his publications which I have mentioned in the
Introduction. Reading his statistical analysis has cleared my mind of many
puzzling doubts related to Chronology and history of ancient events when I
read Mahabharata (Marathi translation of the original Sanskrit) and other
spiritual texts. People like him are the guiding lights to knowledge and
understanding.
I am also grateful to Dr. Amiya Kumar Sahu, editor of SAI ARPAN, a
quarterly publication of Shri Shirdi Sai Baba Spiritual and Charitable Trust
Mumbai for providing the computer facilities. Chapters of this book are
being serialised in ten parts in the above magazine.
Offered at the feet of Sadguru Shri Shankar Maharaj.
( V V. Shirvaikar )
A-23 Yashodhan Society June 2003
Chintamaninagar 2
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION iii
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI
(Chapter wise Summary)
INTRODUCTION
GITA AND DNYANESHWARI

Gita, also known as Bhagvadgita, is one of the most widely read books, both
in original Sanskrit and in translation. People of India read and recite the
original Sanskrit text as a religious text, while thousands read it, both in the
original as well as in translation, for understanding philosophy in it. Many
spiritual seekers look at it as a guide.
Until the British settled in India in the early nineteenth century, almost all
our Hindu religious literature was in Sanskrit and not accessible to common
man. British not only spread the educational base to all segments of society,
but also, fascinated by the oriental texts and the philosophy it contained,
translated the texts into English. This new field of oriental philosophy
attracted other European scholars who studied Sanskrit in order to be able
to study the huge philosophical treasure contained in the Vedas, Puranas,
Shastras, Darshanas etc. they translated them into English, German and
French and opened the doors of knowledge to the whole world. That
paradoxically included the Indians also, for the taboos imposed by religious
codes like Smritis confined the reading of the above mentioned literature,
especially the Vedas, only to male Brahmins, not even to their wives and
daughters.
The opening of the scriptures to world public happened during the last
century and half. But a little more than seven centuries ago, Nivruttinath, a
yogi belonging to Nath Sect, saw the need for bringing the religious
philosophy to common folk, the rustic farmers and artisans, who could
barely read and write. He instructed his disciple Dnyananath (also known
as Dnyaneshwar) who was his younger brother, younger only by two years
and in his teens at that time, to write a commentary on the Bhagvadgita in
Marathi, the language of the common people. This commentary, originally
named Bhavarthadeepika, came to be known as Dnyaneshwari after its
author and became famous for obvious reasons. This composition is in
Marathi verse and in ovi style, suitable for melodious singing. Thus, while
the British brought the religious knowledge by the force of their being the
conquerors, these two great saints brought the essence of that knowledge,
the contents of the Gita by virtue of their compassion. Since then, like Gita,
Dnyaneshwari is being read and recited in thousands of households in
Maharashtra, educated as well as uneducated. Like Gita, thousands study
its philosophical contents, in original as well as in translation, for it is the
easier way of understanding the philosophy of Gita.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION iv
ABOUT DNYANESHWARI
Gita has 700 verses (shlokas). Dnyaneshwar Maharaj explains each of the
700 shlokas of Gita elaborately, makes skilful use of similes and metaphors
pertaining to familiar natural phenomena and to the daily life, in order to
enable the reader to grasp the difficult statements in Gita. The total size of
Dnyaneshwari is naturally quite big, viz. 9032 ovis.
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj began the commentary in the year 1287AD and
finished it two and half years later in 1290AD. It was committed to written
text by his disciple Sacchinanadbaba. Dnyaneshwar Maharaj was very
young when the commentary was written, though he was already an
accomplished Nath yogi. His guru and elder brother Nivruttinath was a
disciple of Gahininath, one of the famous groups of the nine Nath yogis
(Navnaths). There is a difference of opinion regarding the age of
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj at the time of its writing. Some put it at twelve while
others put it as twenty-one. However, that aspect is irrelevant to us. We are
interested in understanding the contents of the commentary.
During the two and half centuries after Dnyaneshwari was written, the text
suffered many corruptions for two reasons. In old days, there was no
printing technology and books had to be copied by hand. This introduced
some errors. But a worse reason was the despicable tendency of many poets
to insert their own compositions. Fortunately, Saint Eknath (1533-1599AD)
collected several copies of Dnyaneshwari and tried to recreate the original.
We must thank Saint Eknath today for these efforts, which are gigantic
when we consider the lack of communications and facilities available in
those times. The copies we have today do differ from each other but only in
a minor way.
Dnyaneshwari was meant for common public, most of whom could barely
read. But today, even a man well educated in Marathi finds it difficult to
understand the original text, because Marathi language has changed
considerably over the last seven hundred years. Many words do not have
the same meaning they used to have in the days of Dnyaneshwar Maharaj.
However, prose translations in Marathi, Hindi as well as English are
available for an interested reader. There are also verse-for-verse versions
composed in todays Marathi. A list of some published versions in prose and
verse in Marathi and other languages is given elsewhere in this book.
TWO TYES OF READERS

Gita and Dnyaneshwari have two types of readers: the pious and the
(intellectually) curious.
Pious readers
Gita is read and recited by thousands of people in India as part of the daily
spiritual routine. Entire recitation may take couple of hours. Many read or
recite Gita out of pious belief that it would add to their account of merit. It
is their belief that contents of Gita are the advice given by Shri Krishna to
Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield when the latter refused to fight at the
thought of the large scale destruction of his friends and relatives, many of
them at his own hands. Shri Krishna is accepted by most people as the
eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, therefore the words in Gita are
considered as words of God. We shall discuss these aspects later.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION v
People who read or recite Gita piously are not always bothered about the
meaning in depth of its contents, though some amount of philosophical
principles definitely seep in and get well embedded in the mind due to the
deep faith, slowly and surely.
Intellectual readers
But there is another class of people who read Gita to understand the
philosophy presented therein. They may be pious or agnostic, but they are
curious to understand what Gita, the book intellectuals talk about, contains.
Often that curiosity turns into devotion. Gita itself talks about four types of
devotees out of which the curious is one. Of course, that devotion need not
necessarily be towards God in the image of Shri Krishna, but can be as the
supreme entity described in Gita as Brahman or Parabrahman. Such
readers are basically followers of the path of knowledge. It is for such
intellectually curious persons that summaries like the present one are
useful. Such intellectual class of persons belong to the modern educated set
who wish to go beyond their professional duties to learn about their
relationship with the Almighty, but have limited time for it. They may be
engineers, businessmen, business administrators, educators, lawyers and
even politicians.
The above statements also apply equally to Dnyaneshwari, since it is a
commentary on Gita.
ESSENCE OF GITA/ DNYANESHWARI

Let us now briefly see what advice Gita/ Dnyaneshwari give.
According to Gita an individual should first be aware that he is not really his
body but the soul residing in the body. When we say, I have pain in my
body, or I work with my hands, it is intuitively implied that I is different
from the body and there is an implication of ownership of the body by the
individual who refers to himself as I. But in spite of this intrinsic usage of
separateness of the body from I, an individual is not in the habit of
considering himself as separate from the body. When we say that a
particular individual has died it only means that the body has died but his
real Self, the soul, which is imperishable, continues to exist. The soul
subsequently is reborn as another individual in another body. The reborn
individual has to again go through the cycle of birth-childhood-youth-old
age-death. Every individual has to pass through thousands of such birth-
death cycles. The place, conditions and the species in which he is reborn
depend upon the Karmas or the aggregate of actions he did in his all earlier
lifetimes. Good actions lead to rebirth in better conditions and sinful actions
in conditions where he has to suffer.
A liberation (Moksha) from these cycles is the aim of spiritual efforts
(Sadhana). A person working towards liberation is called a seeker (Sadhak).
Sadhana leads the seeker to attain Self-realisation i.e., realisation that ones
real Self is the Soul and not the body. Soul or the Self is the same as
Brahman, the ultimate entity that pervades this universe and is the cause of
its existence. Self-realisation cannot be achieved just by reading about it or
by logical arguments. It has to be experienced through meditation, a state of
mind in which all thoughts stop and the mind gets the awareness of the
Divine i.e. the Soul or the Brahman.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION vi
Gita presents the seeker with four paths as follows

Path of Knowledge in which a person contemplates on the relation between
himself, God or Brahman, Universe etc. and through meditation on these
experiences the Brahman.
Path of Action in which a person carries out his religious and social duties
sincerely, but without any desire for the fruits of his actions. He offers the
fruits to God, thus becoming a non-doer in spite of doing the actions. This
attitude negates his Karmas, Therefore, when all karmas are negated, he is
nor reborn.
Path of Yoga in which the seeker practices Yoga and meditation by which the
Kundalini force is activated. This Kundalini force cleans the body and mind
and leads to an experience of the Brahman and thus, liberation.
Path of Devotion (Bhakti) in which the seeker becomes devoted to God his
mind becomes free of all thought except of God and thus the seeker becomes
one with Him and gets liberated. The seeker may, to start with, be
interested in devotion with personal materialistic motives but in the end,
devotion overrides all worldly desires.
The seeker chooses a path depending upon his own mental make-up. (See
the discussion later). The four paths are not mutually exclusive. Every path
is intermixed to some extent with the other three. Especially, the element of
Bhakti or devotion is always present in the other three paths.
It is essential for a seeker to control the mind and the organs. Gita
repeatedly stresses on the need to develop an attitude of detachment
towards all worldly matters, of desirelessness, giving up of ego and
development of the sense of discrimination towards what is proper and
improper. Spiritual progress is not possible without these.
While Gita states the Vedantic philosophy of Brahman and Maya it also
discusses the Sankhya philosophy of the theory of creation of the universe,
the hypothesis of Purusha and Prakriti as the creators of the universe and
the constitution of the body including the mind and the intellect. Unlike
Vedanta philosophy, Sankhya philosophy does not believe in a supreme God,
but Gita synthesises the two by proposing a Supreme Purusha that is above
the Purusha and Prakriti duo.
This entire universe is created by God, is sustained by God and finally will
get destroyed and merge into God. Every thing in this world, living or non-
living, is not only pervaded by Him, but is Him. Thus God, who is called
Brahman above, is in everything and even beyond that, He is everything.
It explains the aspects of body-soul relationships and guides on the attitudes
and behaviour necessary for success in the path of Self-realisation. It
further explains how a Self-realised person can finally become one with the
Brahman or God. In Gita, that God is Shri Krishna.
It also discusses the existence of the three attributes Sattva, Raja and Tama
in everything in the universe (except the Brahman), and how different
proportions of these attributes decide the nature of every living and non-
living object in the universe. Mans actions are also affected by the three
attributes and Gita stresses on the need for the seekers to develop the Sattva
attribute more.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION vii
It states how people who worship deities with selfish desires are distanced
from God. They do not realise that the Supreme God is present in those
deities who are as impermanent as themselves and it is really that Supreme
God fulfils their desires. What is needed to become one with God and thus
attain liberation is not the rituals like fasting etc which merely punish the
body, but love and devotion. A fruit, or even a leaf or merely a little water
offered with love and devotion is accepted by God ant takes the devotee to
Him. Thus, by dispensing with elaborate rituals, which generally only higher
caste men can perform, Gita opens the doors of spiritual uplift to all men
and women irrespective of their caste, education, learning etc. This is the
greatness of Gita.
Actually, it is not necessary to perform any specific spiritual practice at all. It
is enough if a person leads a righteous life, does his duties which come his
way and does them honestly, but always without any desire for the fruits of
his actions. He should not keep an ego that it was he who did the action
and offer all the fruits to God. This will clean his account of Karmas and
thus he will not be reborn.
Gita is thus a guide for anyone who is about to tread the path to Self-
realisation and answers all his doubts about basic spiritual matters.
Diverse interpretations
The first reading of Gita (generally a translation) leaves many a reader
confused. Some of the reasons for this are: There are many reasons for this.
A difficult subject of Self-realisation has been explained in just 700 shlokas,
without detailed explanations. Secondly, in the discussion of the different
paths there is no clear delineation of the text. Jnanayoga and how one must
follow it are not clearly explained. There is some vagueness and confusion
about the scope of the terms yoga, Sankhya yoga, Jnanayoga, Buddhiyoga
and Sanyas. Without auxiliary reading or explanatory comments by experts,
many of the terms and statements are difficult to understand. Non-dualism
has been introduced at the beginning through the concept of Brahman, but
later the concept of Purusha and Prakriti, which implies dualism, has been
presented so reader does not know which one should be accepted.
The reader feels need for explanations on many points which are available
only in the translations which give explanatory notes. Commentaries written
by eminent scholars are no doubt useful but most commentaries are partial
to one or the other of the several paths mentioned in the Gita. For example,
Lokmanya Tilak is partial to the path of Action. Adi Shankara interprets
Gita based on Advaita (non-dualism) philosophy, while Acharyas belonging
to the Dvaita (dualism) dogma interpret it accordingly. Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj supports Advaita (non-duality) philosophy of Adi Shankara. He is
the first commentator to have given details about the path of Yoga but his
inclination is towards the Path of Devotion, which supports dualism.
NEED FOR A SUMMARY

Dnyaneshwari appears to be the best available commentary on Gita. For an
intellectual reader its outdated language is not really a hurdle. A non-
Marathi reader cannot read the original text anyway. He has to make do
with a prose or verse translation. One of the problems is the voluminous
text. Such a large text requires many sittings. It takes more than a week to
read the text from end to end and that requires both time and a firm
motivation.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION viii
But for a reader who wishes to study mainly the philosophy embodied in
Dnyaneshwari, there is another hurdle. As mentioned earlier, Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj has made use of many similes and examples in his commentary.
Sometimes several different similes are used in succession to explain a
statement. This no doubt makes Dnyaneshwari a beautiful poetry, but for a
reader who is interested only in the train of philosophical arguments, it also
becomes a major distraction. Todays reader is a well-read person
conversant with many fields of knowledge. He does not need these similes,
let alone multiple similes. A modern reader needs, unless he is set out to
appreciate the poetry and not the philosophy, is an edition with minimum
number of similes and also of other material like praise of deities and saints.
The author was instructed by his Guru to make a short summary of
Dnyaneshwari some years ago. When the author set out to make it, he was
faced with this above mentioned distraction and opted first to make a
translated version of Dnyaneshwari in English that gave only philosophical
part of the text, retaining only those similes that might aid the
understanding. This reduced the volume of the text significantly to about
two-thirds of the original, but made the text smoother.
Availability on the Internet
The reduced text of Dnyaneshwari is available on the Internet at the site:
www.hinduweb.org/home/dharma_and_philosophy/vshirvaikar/
It can also be easily accessed through the home page of Hinduweb at the
site: www.hinduweb.org, or by searching for Dnyaneshwari using a search
engine on the Internet.
Authors friend Mr Dietrich Platthaus from Essen, Germany has translated
the above version in German and that is also available on the internet at the
following site: http://www.dj6qo.de/dnyg/dnyentry.htm
A Shorter Summary
This book is a shorter summary. It was noted that even the reduced version
above was pretty long. It was possible to reduce the text and also make it
smoother by eliminating many repeated topics. In the present version,
repetitions have been removed as far as possible. Some repetitions had to be
retained however, otherwise it would have required the reader go back and
forth to search for the context. Where possible, the context has been
provided through notes.
Explanatory notes and comments have been inserted in the text where it was
deemed desirable. Many statements in Gita/Dnyaneshwari contradict the
modern scientific knowledge. These contradictions and authors comments
on them have been provided also through notes. Such contradictions are
inevitable because of the lack of theoretical and experimental scientific
knowledge at the time Gita was written. The incorrect scientific statements
are not a stigma on the philosophers of the old days. On the contrary, one
should appreciate their boldness in putting forward their hypothesis to
explain many phenomena like rebirth, process of birth, system of measuring
time etc. What cannot be appreciated is the tendency of the conservatives to
aver that whatever our Rishis said is always right even when modern science
has proved them wrong.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION ix
It is hoped that this summary would be of considerable use to intellectual

type of readers who may like to understand the philosophy of the Gita, at
least as Dnyaneshwar Maharaj interpreted it.
HISTORY VS. BELIEF

There are often contradictions between common beliefs and historical
findings as with common beliefs and scientific facts. This is true about
Mahabharata, authorship of Gita, position of Shri Krishna as an avatar in
Mahabharata and as Bhagwan in the Gita etc.
Historians use all available means to discover historical truth. They analyse
words and language and information given in various ancient texts, legends,
archaeological findings, astronomy, geography and even modern scientific
means to create the historical scenarios as best as possible. Some of these
contradictions are discussed in the following paragraphs.
Mahabharata who wrote it and when
Gita is a part of Bhishmaparva in the epic Mahabharata. People believe that
Maharshi Vyas, who was alive during Pandava times, was the author of
Mahabharata. He did write a short narration (about 24,000 Shlokas) of the
conflict between Kauravas and Pandavas. He presented the war and the
events preceding it as a family feud between Kauravas and Pandavas who
were cousins. This was narrated by Rishi Vaishampayana couple of
generations later during the snake sacrifice performed by King Janamejaya,
the great-grandson of Arjuna. This version was known as Bharata and had
21,262 Shlokas. This Bharata became Mahabharata after various writers
made additions to it over the next ten centuries, increasing the size of the
epic to more than three times.
Some people believe that the original version was named Jaya and had
8,800 Shlokas, but there is no support for this since this name is not
mentioned anywhere in Mahabharata.
Writers who made the additions were: Suta (17,284 shlokas) and his son
Sauti (26,728 shlokas) who were great puranics (mythological story tellers) of
the fifth century BC. As late as in the second century BC one
Harivanshakara added 9053 shlokas, mostly describing the life of Shri
Krishna. The last addition, of 1369 shlokas, was made in the first century
BC by an unknown person, mentioned today only as Parvasangrahakara,
bringing the total size of the epic to 75595 shlokas.
In Bharata, Maharshi Vyasa did not take sides between Kauravas and
Pandavas. He mentions impartially the unethical deeds of both. He even
describes how the sky shone bright, gandharvas played music and gods from
heaven showered flowers on Duryodhana when he announced that he had
lived righteously and since he had died in a battle he will go to heaven while
Shri Krishna and the Pandavas who had used dirty tricks to win the war will
linger on this earth. He also tells how Shri Krishna justified the unethical
stratagems to win the war on the basis of exigencies. It was Suta who
introduced for the first time a partiality towards Pandavas making them the
symbol of good and Kauravas the symbol of evil. He presented arguments to
justify the dirty tricks by inventing stories of curses passed on Duryodhana
and other Kauravas for unrighteous behaviour. This transformed
Mahabharata into a history of conflict between good and evil, something
against the principle of impartial historical analysis.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION x
The above information is given by Mr M.R Yardi, an eminent scholar, based

upon the best available version edited in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research
Institute (BORI) in Pune. Other versions of Mahabharata show it to be of
about the same size.
Orientalists have known for a long time that the above writers had made the
additions. But it was only about two decades ago that Mr Yardi made a
statistical analysis of the structure of the Shlokas of Mahabharata, which
are in Anushtup metre. By this analysis Yardi could identify the different
style structures of each of the above authors. Thus, he was able to separate
the additions made by each and chart the development of Mahabharata.
Readers should refer to the original publications (Mahabharata a synthesis
by M.R.Yardi pub. by BORI, Pune. The same authors have added similarly
to the original Valmiki Ramayana and that analysis done by Yardi has also
been published by BORI).
The major contributor Sauti, who was also the author of Gita, lived in about
450BC i.e. a little later than Buddha. The large number of stories and
discussions of topics like ethics and spiritual philosophy added by Suta and
Sauti made Mahabharata virtually a spiritual encyclopaedia. It is natural
that the socio-economic picture presented in these additions reflects the
conditions prevailing in their age. For example, derogatory mention of
Buddha Bhikshus is made in a story though neither Buddha nor his religion
existed in Mahabharata times.
Authorship of Gita
The real author of Gita is therefore Sauti who included it as part of the
additions made by him, and not Maharshi Vyas as pious people believe.
Next question is: Did the dialogue between Arjuna and Shri Krishna on the
Kurukshetra battlefield on the first day of the Mahabharata war really
occur?
Intellectuals do not agree that it did. First of all, it is inconceivable that
such a long discourse, lasting two to three hours would have taken on the
battlefield with the eager armies waiting on either side. Secondly, it was
neither time nor place to go into the extensive details of spiritual philosophy.
It is possible that Arjuna became sad and disheartened at the thought of the
large-scale genocide that included his near friends and relatives. But for a
person of Arjunas intelligence a few words of advice should have been
sufficient. Actually, part of the advice offered in the second chapter of Gita
itself appears to be good enough to have made Arjuna go back to fighting.
Sauti obviously presented his composition on spiritual philosophy i.e. Gita,
making skilful and convenient use of the Mahabharata war as the backdrop.
Sauti tried to synthesise the philosophies known in his time, namely the
Vedanta, Sankhya, Yoga and Pancharatra (Bhakti or devotion) and presented
a compatible mixture, in spite of the many mutual contradictions among
those philosophies. The status of the Gita today shows he did produce a
palatable mixture.
By Sautis time Shri Krishna was already considered as a deity and an
avatar of Vishnu (who was further identified with Narayana, the supreme
deity of the Panchratra system) while the war scenario was a convenient
backdrop for the dialogue. It was natural for Sauti to present Shri Krishna
as Bhagwan (God) and a personification of the Supreme Brahman
(Parabrahman). Philosophical works are many but what makes Gita holy is
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xi
that the advice, presented in first person, comes from the lips of Bhagwan
Shri Krishna the Supreme Brahman
Shri Krishna as Bhagwan
Does history support the claim that Shri Krishna was Bhagwan? In many
places in Mahabharata, (i.e. those added by Sauti), Shri Krishna has been
presented as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and that he as well as others were
aware of his being an avatar. This has given rise to many ridiculous
situations. But actually, in Mahabharata time Shri Krishna was not
recognised as an avatar but only as a human being. During a dialogue with
Bhishma regarding the glory of Lord Shiva, Shri Krishna refers to himself as
a mere human being and therefore not in a position to know that great God
who is the final goal of all good men. Shri Krishna, like Shri Rama,
worshipped Shiva. Shri Krishna had propitiated Lord Shiva to obtain a boon
of a son from Rukmini and again from another wife Jambavati.
Krishnas first Guru was Sandipani, but he later became a pupil of Ghora
Angirasa from whom he learnt the Upanishadic philosophy (i.e. Upanishads
composed up to those times. Many have been written much later, e.g.
Chandogya Upanishad has been written between Shri Krishnas and
Buddhas time). It is said that Shri Krishna was opposed to the priestly
influence of the Vedic religion and preached the doctrines taught by Ghora
Angiras. In the teachings of the latter, mans life is compared to a sacrifice.
His going without comforts and in hardships are his initiation, his
enjoyments are the breaking of the fast by milk, his virtues such as
austerity, charity, uprightness, non-violence and truthfulness as the gifts
(dakshina) given to the priests. The death is the final bath of purification.
The final instructions from Ghora Angiras were: You are indestructible, you
are immovable, you are the essence of life. These teachings have found their
way to the Gita.
Shri Krishna began to be considered as a deity and an avatar of Vishnu
during the few centuries after his death (Shri Krishna died 36 years after the
Mahabharata war, at the age of 108). The idea of an avatar seems to be a
concept among the Vaishnavaites. This probably is consistent with the idea
that out of the Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, Vishnu has the role of
the deity responsible for sustaining the universe and therefore save it from
evil from time to time. But how, a worshipper of Shiva came to be
recognised as an avatar of Vishnu?
If one looks at how the various deities gained and lost their importance over
the centuries, an interesting picture is revealed. There were 33 Vedic deities,
namely: 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, 12 Adityas, Indra, Prajapati. Vishnu was only
a minor deity, subordinate to Indra and hence also known as Upendra.
Towards the end of the Vedic times, a few generations before the time of Shri
Rama, the Vedic culture amalgamated with the local Indian culture. Shiva,
the deity of the original inhabitants was accepted by the Aryans as the
Supreme Entity and widely worshipped. This is how both Shri Rama and
Shri Krishna became worshippers of Shiva the contemporary deity. As a
parallel development, with the Aryans settling from nomadic economy to
agricultural economy, there was no longer any need for the war-god Indra
and he lost his importance. Aryans used to propitiate Indra in the Yajnas,
but now they looked for a deity connected with vegetation and fertility, a
need of those times, for propitiation. Their choice was Vishnu who was
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xii
described in the Rigveda as innocuous and bountiful and a generous

protector. This image, that of a sustainer survives even today.
Around Krishnas time, Narayana came to be worshipped as the supreme
God by certain clans, among them the Varshni clan to which Shri Krishna
belonged. It has been suggested that this clan already considered Shri
Krishna as their leader and thus had a Divine element in him. In this age,
Pancharatra or Bhagwat Dharma gained prominence. This was a cult of
devotion to Narayana later identified with Vishnu. Krishna died 36 years
after the Mahabharata war, which experts put as having occurred in late
eleventh century BC. (There is a tendency for many conservative groups find
it more prestigious to push this age two thousand years earlier, despite the
scientific analysis of all the available information). Shri Krishna who was
greatly revered for his qualities as a great king, a warrior, a diplomat, a
philosopher, a yogi, a family person and a friend came to be identified by
Sautis time as an avatar of Vishnu or Narayana. There is no doubt that he
was fit to be named an avatar.
Who is an avatar?
It is common in spiritual circles to speak of avatars and incarnations. We
also note that the concept of avatars is applied mostly to Vishnu. One does
not speak as much about avatars of Shiva or of mother Durga. Is it because
the two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and one of the largest
Puranas the Bhagawt Purana, which have a strong hold on people of India,
are predominantly Vaishnavite? Except for the yogis and followers of the
path of knowledge, whose number is small, majority of the Hindu public may
be considered to be inclined towards the path of devotion. The above three
works have a big sway over their thinking and it is not surprising that the
Vaishnavite concept of avatars of Vishnu has taken root in the minds of
general public. Even traditionally Shaivaite people concede to this concept.
It is of course mentioned in most scriptures that it is a sin to consider Shiva
as different from Vishnu, but strict Vaishnavaites, especially in Southern
India consider even uttering the name of Shiva as sin. But that is an
extreme. For the most part, avatars of Vishnu are accepted by an average
Hindu. They also believe in incarnations of saints, e.g. Saint Tukaram is
considered as an incarnation of Saint Namdeo, a contemporary of
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj.
But then what is an avatar? There are many people born with special gifts.
Some are born musicians, born mathematicians and born philosophers,
while some are born with high spiritual status. Not all of them can be
explained by genetics. One can only say that they carry these
characteristics from past births i.e. they are incarnations of some highly
gifted persons.
But an avatar is something different. In this context, Dr Radhakrisnan
states in his introductory essay to Gita that the theory of avatar expresses
the spiritual law requiring God to save man from evil. For this He must
manifest Himself, whenever the forces of evil threaten society. By taking
avatar it is God that descends into man, man does not rise to be God. That
happens with a liberated soul. Man can become an instrument of divine life.
The Divine Consciousness uses human life and body for Its purpose. An
ordinary unrealised human consciousness does not have similar absolute
control.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xiii
Coming to the avatars of Vishnu, he is said to have taken a number of

avatars, from fish to man. Common man is familiar only with ten of his
avatars, but some scriptures quote twenty-four. Among his principal
avatars in human form are: Narasimha (half man-half lion), Vamana,
Parshurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and a future predicted avatar Kalki.
His other avatars include the Rishis: Sanatkumar (the mind son of
Brahmadeo), Narada (a Divine Rishi and a son of Brahmadeo), Kapil (known
for Sankhya philosophy), Rishabha and Vyasa, the kings Prithu and
Balaram (Krishnas elder brother) and the great avadhut Dattatreya.
Actually, Buddhists do not like Buddha to be designated an avatar because
that degrades Buddha whom they consider as the Supreme Entity. Jains
consider Rishabha as the founder of their religion and put him in the same
class. Kalki avatar is a pure fantasy. He is supposed to come riding a horse
from the northeast to save mankind from the evil. But why a horse in the
days of technologically advanced vehicles? Perhaps by the time the avatar
takes place the days of technology will be over and we return to the primitive
days due to depletion of resources, but evil will continue to come and go.
But it is more likely that when these avatars were conceived, there was no
concept of technological advancement.
Gita itself suggests that Divine element is present in whatever is best in the
universe and that includes kings, great warriors, leaders and thinkers. Even
though the Divine power uses the human frame to save mankind from the
evil, people may not recognise this in that persons lifetime. This is realised
much later, sometimes centuries later. The person is then recognised as an
avatar and then all sorts of imaginary legends are woven around the now
recognised avatar. This is what has happened to Shri Rama, Shri Krishna
and even to Jesus Christ.
Philosophy Shri Krishna knew
Now, a person cannot write about so many philosophies without close
familiarity with them. So who was that person? It does not seem to be Sauti
who was a Puranic. Yardi gives the following arguments to suggest that the
originator of the synthesis was Shri Krishna himself. His arguments are as
follows:
The additions made by Suta and Sauti contain an unusually large number of
stories related to the clan of Bhrigus, descendents of Rishi Bhrigu of Vedic
times. Shri Krishna comes under that lineage by virtue of his being a
descendant of King Yadu. (Starting from Yadu, Shri Krishna is the 30 th in
line). Yadu was the son Yayati married to Devayani, daughter of
Shukracharya (also known as Ushanas) the grandson of Rishi Bhrigu.
Shukracharya was the chief priest of the Asuras. Bhrigu clan continued to
have an influence over many centuries. Bhrigus must have held Shri
Krishna in high regard because of his Bhrigu lineage (via Devayani) and
decided to preserve his philosophical teachings.
It has already been mentioned that Shri Krishna studied Vedanta under
Ghora Angiras. He himself belonged to the Varshni clan that practiced
Pancharatra system that lays stress on the path of devotion. He already
knew Vedas but did not like the ritualistic aspect of the Vedas and the
influence of the priests from those. Shri Krishnas life is evidently that of a
Karmayogi. Thus he was a right teacher who could synthesise these
philosophies into one common guide. Shaunaka Muni, himself a Bhargava,
must have known about these teachings and prevailed upon Sauti, whom he
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xiv
met during the twelve year yajna session conducted by him in the Naimisha
forest, to incorporate them in the Mahabharata. Thus, though the scene
depicted by Sauti about Shri Krishna advising Arjuna on the battlefield is a
fiction written to fit the text, the philosophy itself is what Shri Krishna had
learnt partly from Ghora Angiras. Shri Krishna by that time was already
being worshipped as a deity and was legendary figure. Thus, even though
the contents of the Gita may not be the actual words of Shri Krishna, there
is no doubt that that was the philosophy he knew in his lifetime. It was
therefore natural that since Shri Krishna was considered as an avatar of
Vishnu, he was given the role of Bhagwan, the Supreme Brahman.
Is Gita a Vaishnavite text?
Most people, not only in India but also abroad, have high respect and
admiration for Gita. However, it has detractors too. E. Viswanathan, in his
book Am I a Hindu, written for the America-born Hindu children of Indian
origin, remarks that many Shaivaites, especially in south India, feel that
Shiva has been given a secondary position in the various Vaishnavaite texts
like Bhagavat Purana and Bhagvadgita. In these texts, the ultimate
principle or Brahman is identified with Vishnu and not with Shiva. In the
Shaivaite texts, it is the other way round. Many Shaivaites in southern India
shun Gita as avidly as the Vaishnavaites shun anything connected with Lord
Shiva. That is unfortunate because it has been strictly mentioned in the
scriptures that he who considers Shiva and Vishnu as different is a sinner.
Sadgurus like Shri Saibaba, Shri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot, and Shri
Shankar Maharaj etc. and the Nath Panthi yogis never bothered about even
religion of their disciples, leave alone their caste or creed. This narrow
mindedness is peculiar to the disciples who do not really understand the
universality of the Brahman that their Guru taught them.
There is no doubt that Sauti has presented Shri Krishna as Bhagwan and as
Brahman, the ultimate Entity to whom everybody must surrender for
salvation. It is possible that he did this under pressure from Shaunaka Muni
who was a Bhargava and wanted to give importance to Shri Krishna who
also was connected to Bhargava lineage as mentioned in the previous
section. It is true that present version of Mahabharata, Ramayana as well as
many Puranas (e.g. Bhagwat and Markandeya) appear to depict Vishnu
(Narayana) as the ultimate Principle, equivalent to Vedantic Brahman. His
avatars, particularly Krishna and Shri Rama are not considered different
from Narayana or Vishnu. But if one thinks carefully, very few statements in
Gita are specific to Shri Krishna as a Vaishnavaite deity though it does
depict him as personification of the Absolute. It would not be difficult to
convert Gita to Shaivaite style e.g., presenting it as a traditional dialogue
between Shiva and Parvati as is done in Guru-Gita and many other texts..
Shri Krishna was a king, related to the Pandavas and Kauravas and thus
conveniently fitted the plot of Mahabharata. Lord Shiva on the other hand is
a recluse living on the crematory grounds far away from the splendour of the
kings. Also, Shiva is not credited with many avatars as Vishnu has been.
Thus, it was natural and convenient for Sauti to choose Krishna in the role
of the propounder of the Gita by creating a scenario of Arjunas despondency
on the battlefield.
About Caste system
It hurts a modern reader to read the statement in Shloka 4.13 from Shri
Krishna as Bhagwan that he was the creator of the caste system. How can
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xv
God, supposed to be impartial to all, create a caste system, which anyway is

practiced only in India, a small portion of this vast earth? We can only say
that it was the system practiced in India in those times and naturally had to
be incorporated. The caste system has made inroads into every phase of life
in India and even the word swadharma is defined as the performance of
righteous duties as per the individuals caste. This definition is carried over
in Dnyaneshwari also. Somehow, even though Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and
his brethren suffered at the hands of Brahmins because their father had
come back into family life after adopting Sanyas, and though he belonged to
Nath Panth which does not believe in the caste system, none of them seems
to have repudiated it, so deep has been its incursion into the Hindu psyche.
The caste system got a temporary knock from Buddhism. Many subsequent
sects like the Nath and the Mahanubhava did not bother about the caste
system or even religion. But that was only temporary.
The caste system of Mahabharata days defined duties for each caste (See the
main text) but it also permitted a person of lower caste to enter a higher
caste through performing of deeds of religious merit. The dialogue between
Shiva and Parvati presented in the original Bharata shows the attitude of
those days. Shiva says, With the aid of meritorious deeds, Oh Goddess, a
person who is born in a lower caste, say a Shudra, may become a Brahmin,
when he becomes well-versed in the Vedic lore and is cleaned of all stains.
On the other hand, a Brahmin who is wicked and does not observe his
dharma falls from his status of a Brahmin and becomes a Shudra. If pious
nature and righteous deeds are seen in a Shudra, he should be considered a
Brahmin. Neither birth nor purificatory rites nor learning nor humility can
be regarded as grounds for conferring the status of a Brahmin on anyone. In
this matter the conduct of a person is the sole test. But over the passage of
time this was forgotten. Saints like Chokha Mela, outcast in his times, were
tortured. So was Saint Tukaram, a vaishya.
Even today, there is no significant improvement on this front even after five
decades of independence, modern education and exposure to other parts of
earth and other religions that do not practice caste system,.
History irrelevant to spiritual path
The above discussion of historical facts, many of which are contrary to
common beliefs, raises a question. Are historical truths relevant to a seeker
who is after the spiritual truths? Here again we may take the help of history
itself to answer this point.
Consider the character of Radha. Tremendous amount of folklore has been
composed about the love between Radha and Krishna. Even sects came to
be formed with this as predominant theme over the last few centuries.
Radha is worshipped along with Shri Krishna in many temples especially in
the northern part of India and by foreign-based sects like ISKCON. But
Radha is neither mentioned in Mahabharata (450BC), nor in Harivansha (2 nd
century BC) nor in Bhagwat Purana of around the same era. First mention
of Radha in the mythological texts is said to have been made in 900AD.
Historians think that Radha is not a historical figure but a poetical fictional
character. But hundreds of persons have achieved Self-realisation through
the feelings of this love. Saint Meera considered herself to be a reborn Gopi
and described in her compositions her memories of Gokul and Brindavan
days with Krishna. Her unification with Shri Krishna at Dwarka temple is
legendary.
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xvi
It does not matter if Shiva is an Aryan God or Non-Aryan, he has responded

to the devotion of all. The power of devotion, if we have to believe the
legends regarding several devotees is very strong. It is because of this
devotion that Shri Krishna worked as a domestic servant under the name
Shrikhandya with Saint Eknath (16th century); came in the form of Sena the
royal barber to shave the Muslim king to prevent the latters wrath falling on
the real Sena because he did not attend the king on time, being busy
welcoming some saints; came as Vithu to pay the compensation for grains
distributed to the poor during a drought by the great devotee Damaji of
Mangalwedhe and thus saved him from the wrath of the Muslim king. It is
because of that devotion that Saint Tulsidas conversed with Shri Rama and
Hanuman, and Ramakrishna Paramahansa talked with Mother Kali.
Historical facts are thus totally unimportant to a spiritual seeker. What he
needs is just a symbol, real or imaginary, as a representation of the Divine
for devotion and worship. It may be a crude stone, an idol or an animal or a
human being. The devotional love brings Divine power in them. God is said
to appear before the devotee in the form he worships Him, it may be a stone
or an animal or a normal human being or a human form with many hands
and heads.
Historical facts are no doubt interesting but only from an intellectual point
of view. As spiritual literature tells, Divine is beyond the intellect. It starts
where the intellect ends. On the other hand, historical facts are needed to
reign in blind beliefs often misused by the unscrupulous that are plenty in
the spiritual field. The historical presentation above should be seen with
this attitude.
MODERN PSYCHOLOGY
The classification of spiritual paths in four types is not quite arbitrary. It
has a psychological basis. In olden days, it must have been done by
observing diversity of human nature. Gita classifies persons based upon the
relative predominance of the three attributes Sattva, Raja and Tama in man.
A person with predominance of Sattva attribute and less of Raja and Tama
goes to the path of Knowledge and Bhakti while a person of predominant
Raja attribute is more suited to the Path of action, which may also include
the Yoga path. Modern psychology (Re: Carl Jung) classifies persons
somewhat differently. Man may be classified broadly as introvert and
extrovert. The former can be further classified as intellectual introvert and
emotional introvert. The path of knowledge is suitable to the intellectual
introvert, the way of action to the extrovert and the way of devotion to the
emotional introvert. The introvert seeker, through the grace of his Guru,
controls the mind through discipline and yoga and gradually gives up desire
and ego, until they no longer interfere with the development of the higher
consciousness.
USE OF THE TERM YOGA

In Gita, the term yoga has been used frequently with different implications.
Popularly, the term Yoga is used for Hathayoga, which is a system of control
of the body through certain body postures together with Pranayama or
breath control. However there are many other systems of Yoga techniques in
which one meditates sitting in a single posture e.g., of Padmasana (or lotus
posture) or Sahajasana (or easy posture also known as half-lotus posture),
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI INTRODUCTION xvii
concentrating on a point in between the eyebrows and sometimes on breath,

as prescribed by ones teacher.
However, in Gita, the term Yoga is used with different implied meanings. For
example, title of each chapter is described as yoga. The first chapter is
named "Arjuna-Vishada-yoga" which literally means "Yoga of Arjunas
despondency".
The term Yoga is derived from the root yuj, which means "to harness or to
yoke". It is also used to mean (1) to join or to unite, (2) to concentrate the
mind and intellect. Yoga would therefore imply combining i.e. uniting the
actions of the body and of the mind (meditation, attitude etc.) to attain a
goal, which, to spiritual seekers, is the Self-realisation. It is often used to
mean the union of the individual soul or consciousness with the Cosmic
spirit or Brahman through the process of meditation. In the Gita, the term
Yoga is used more liberally to mean a system of approach towards liberation
or Self-realisation, which is the same as the union with the Brahman. This
is how the terms Jnyanayoga (or the Yoga of Knowledge) and Karmayoga (or
the Yoga of Action) have been used. Reader should understand the implied
meaning from the context to avoid confusion.
Note for readers
Gita/Dnyaneshwari is usually presented either piously as a divine work or
intellectually as a philosophy. In the former case readers strongly believe
Shri Krishna as an avatar of Vishnu and they also believe the events referred
to in the Puranas as real. The intellectual type of reader usually is
indifferent to these. In this presentation, I have maintained a historical bias
as mentioned in the earlier paragraphs. In addition, references made to
Puranic events are also explained in historical terms. E.g., there is a
reference in Ch 4 to Vivaswan whom some Puranas present as sun-God but
who is actually Rishi Kashyaps son also according to some other Puranas.
This approach should not hurt the pious readers who should really be
indifferent to history, but it would be of interest to the intellectual class for
whom Gita/Dnyaneshwari are real guides.
Though the philosophical text begins in the second chapter, a brief
background of the war is presented in the first chapter. Secondly, many
tracts of discussion are presented as bulleted text for easier and logical
grasp. Ovi numbers are not given because some text has been shuffled to
make the presentation cogent. Being a summary, there is no detailed
discussion but it is believed that with the above mode of presentation it will
not be needed. Where necessary however notes have inserted in brackets. I
request the reader to bear with this mode.
Both Shri Krishna and Arjuna have been mentioned by various names in
Gita. But here they have been mentioned only as Shri Krishna and Arjuna
throughout
It is intended therefore to present these teachings of Dnyaneshwari as
chapter-wise summaries starting with the second chapter where the
philosophical text in the Gita or Dnyaneshwari really starts. The points
made in the Dnyaneshwari will be presented where possible in an itemised
fashion in order to make the reading easier.
End Introduction
--<ooOoo>--
TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI Chapter 1 : 1
CHAPTER 1 - THE OPENING SCENE
THE WAR
The opening of the Gita is quite dramatic. The first chapter describes the
battleground scene of Pandava and Kaurava armies facing each other for the
war to begin. Arjuna expresses to Shri Krishna, who had agreed to be his
charioteer, his desire to look over the great warriors he was going to kill.
Shri Krishna takes the chariot to the centre of the battlefield where Arjuna
sees facing him, the Kauravas and other cousins, his revered grand-uncle
Bhishmacharya, teacher Dronacharya, Karna and all others whom he
revered and loved but who had chosen to fight with the Kauravas as well as
all the kings and warriors from both sides. The thought that all these people
would be killed in the war, some by his own hands, unnerves him and he
lays down his bow and arrow, refusing to fight.
Shri Krishna then tries to restore Arjunas courage by telling him that when
he fights he is merely doing his duty as a Kshatriya, irrespective of whom he
would be killing. The dialogue between Arjuna and Shri Krishna is what
constitutes Gita.
End Chapter 1
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 2 - THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE
PRELIMINARY
Shri Krishna tries to remove the impression in Arjunas mind that all these
people would be killed by his (Arjunas) hands. He tells him that by the
design of the natural laws all these people are already dead; that Arjuna was
merely an instrument for their actual death. Arjuna was bound, as a
Kshatriya, to do his righteous duty (Dharma) of fighting and kill the enemy if
necessary in order to defeat him. Shri Krishna then explains certain aspects
of the Yoga of Knowledge (Jnanayoga) of the Sankhyas.
YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE (JNANAYOGA) OF THE SANKHYAS

Shri Krishna explains:
Birth and death have been natural and inevitable occurrences from
time immemorial. What is born must die and is reborn again.
An individual is not just his body as he thinks but the Soul or the
Self, that resides in the body. In death, only the body dies but the
soul does not. The individual is subsequently reborn in another body.
This world is pervaded by Maya (the power that is responsible for
creation of the material world) but there is a basic mysterious
underlying principle in the world that is called the Brahman (which is
the same as the Self or the Soul). The Soul or Brahman which does
not die, is permanent and fundamental, while whatever is
impermanent (like a body) and delusive is inconsequential. The body
that an individual occupies between the birth and the death is the
projection (an illusive image) of Brahman created by Maya.
This permanent, eternal Soul is pure, without birth and without form.
It is indestructible. Weapons cannot cut it, even flood waters cannot
drown it, fire cannot burn it and wind cannot suck it. It totally
pervades everything.
One cannot understand it by reasoning. It can be experienced
only through meditation. This infinite unbounded supreme entity is
inaccessible to the mind and is unobtainable through implements or
techniques. It is without the three attributes (Sattva, Raja and Tama),
timeless, beyond shape and form and all encompassing.
The all-pervading indestructible Brahman that exists within
everybody is the cause of birth and death of every creature (through
Maya).
The realisation that I am not the body but really the Soul is called
Self-realisation. One may know this as an information, but Self-
realisation is actually an experience of ones unity with the Brahman.
A person who seeks freedom (moksha) from the birth-death cycles is
called a seeker or a mumukshu. Self-realisation destroys all worldly
sorrows. A person who has achieved Self-realisation is free from the

birth-death cycles and is not reborn.
The feeling that this is born or that has died is a delusion created
because of Maya (illusion). People do not realise this because man is
a slave to the senses, which are part of the body functions. The
senses cause the feelings of happiness and sorrow with reference to
sense objects. (E.g. comfortable heat and bitter cold, softness of
pillow and hardness of stone, an enchanting music and unbearable
noise etc.). These feelings make a person get involved with sense
objects through his liking for pleasure and dislike for pain. He then
gets attached to the sense objects and through them to the body.
Thus, the truth that the individual is the imperishable soul and not
the perishable body gets shadowed behind these attachments to the
body. However, pleasure and pain do not touch a person who is not
influenced by the sense objects. He does not have to go through
rebirth.
Some seekers desirous of experiencing their real self often lead a
secluded, austere life. Concentrating on that pure Self and not thinking
any more about the material world, some become detached and
dispassionate towards sense-objects and develop steadiness of mind. I
am the body feeling leaves some of them while some others become one
with the Self. Just as the river flow merging into the ocean does not
revert, similarly, superior yogis, once their intellect merges with the Soul
(i.e. Brahman) become one with it and they are not reborn.
[NOTES:
1. It has been mentioned above and also elsewhere in Dnyaneshwari
that the soul is permanent and the body is impermanent. This
impermanence refers to the decay of the body after death. But most
people are not aware that the body constituents themselves are
impermanent. To a person watching a river from the bank the river
itself does not appear to change but the water he sees from one
moment to another is not the same because of the flow. Similarly,
though the body appears the same as it was a moment ago, there is a
change in the constituent tissues. Individual organs are completely
renewed over certain time periods as follows: Stomach lining is
completely renewed every five days, liver every two months, skin every
six weeks. Ninety-eight percent of the atoms of your body are replaced
in one year. This non-stop chemical replacement is a sure sign of life.
Once the body dies there is no replacement because there is no life
and no metabolism; there is only decay.
2. All worldly things, concrete or abstract are qualified by three
attributes Sattva, Raja and Tama in different proportions. These
attributes carry the following characteristics with them.
Sattva is the attribute of stability, purity, wakefulness, clarity
and light;
Raja represents dynamic movement and causes sensations,
feelings and emotions;
Tama is the tendency towards inertia, darkness, ignorance and
heaviness. It is responsible for lethargy, deep sleep and
confusion].
SWADHARAMA ANG KARMAYOGA

So far, Shri Krishna talked about the Jnanayoga of the Sankhya philosophy,
which recommends meditation for Self-realisation. Shri Krishna now
introduces Swadharma or the code of righteous actions for an individual,
as the basis of karmayoga or the path of actions.
Not every seeker however, need lead a hermits or an austere life (and
meditate) in order to realise the Self. If his day-to-day behaviour and actions
are guided by his own Dharma i.e. Swadharma (Swa = own and dharma =
Code of righteous conduct or duty), then it leads to the fulfilment of all
desires and removes all sins. Swadharma should never be given up under
any circumstances. The actions must however be done without desire for
fruits thereof (Nishkama Karmayoga), even though they are as prescribed
according to Swadhama. He who is endowed with this attitude of performing
his duties without the desire of the fruits thereof becomes immediately free of
all encumbrances (of birth and death).
While acting according to Swadharma, one should not feel ecstasy by
happiness nor feel aggrieved by sorrow. Nor should one think about gains
and losses but accept whatever comes to ones lot. Actions performed with
this attitude of equanimity do not lead to any blemish.
YOGA OF INTELLECT (BUDDHIYOGA)

Having so far talked about Jnanayoga of the Sankhyas, and having
introduced the idea of swadharma, Shri Krishna gives further advice based
on Buddhiyoga i.e. the yoga of intellect (of Karmayogis). By following this
yoga of intellect together with the path of action, one does not miss the
worldly pleasures and at the same time, one is also assured of liberation.
The opening of this advice was already made earlier under Path of
knowledge.
The first thing is to adopt the attitude of desirelessness. One should
perform ones duties but without bothering about the fruits of his
actions (as in the case of Swadharma).
Next thing is to have desireless intellect. It is the desire that leads to
worry about sin and merit (which are related to the attainment of
heavenly pleasures). By virtue of the merit of earlier births, one may
have an intellect that is not touched by the thoughts of sin or merit, is
extremely subtle and steady and is not stained by the three attributes
Sattva, Raja and Tama. If such a desireless intellect illuminates the
mind even slightly it destroys the fear of the material world.
Desireless intellect is the righteous intellect.
This righteous intellect, even when it occurs slightly, is the one that
results in reaching God and is very rare (because it requires the merit
from the earlier births). It has no other goal than attainment of God.
All other types of intellect are corrupted intellects affected by passions
that enrapture persons who do not possess discrimination. Such
persons may attain heaven, earth or hell but never the bliss of the
Self.
Persons with corrupted intellect perform Vedic rituals like yajna but
with the desire of fruits like the pleasures of heaven. Unfortunately,
by keeping heaven as the goal, they forget the very God in whose
name they conduct the rituals. Effectively, they sell the Dharma for
the benefit of pleasure.
Vedas, which comprise of Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and
Upanishads, are definitely associated with the three attributes Sattva,
Raja and Tama. The attributes of various components of the Vedas
are as follows:
Upanishads and other philosophical works - Sattva (because they tell
about Brahman and its realisation).
Samhitas, Brahmanas, and Aranyakas - Raja and Tama attributes,
because they discuss rituals and other exercises for attainment of
heaven.
Though Vedas tell many things and suggest many rituals, one should
choose only those that are beneficial for him.
A balanced attitude of mind towards both successful and
unsuccessful actions is hailed as the best state of Yoga. Equanimity
of mind, where mind and intellect work together, is the essence of
yoga (Buddhiyoga). A task, even if it remains unfulfilled (incomplete),
becomes automatically complete when its offering is made to God.
[NOTE: A person possesses both mind and intellect. These are explained
later in Ch 13. For the time being, we may consider mind, which is
considered as the eleventh organ of the body, to be the place where all the
experiences are stored and various thoughts, desires, emotions arise and
feelings of pleasure and pain are generated. Mind links sense organs to the
intellect. Intellect analyses and interprets the information from sense
organs, the thoughts, emotions etc. in the light of the experiences stored in
the memory and classifies them as pleasant or painful, good or bad, pure
or impure etc. It decides which action gives pleasure and which gives pain.
Mind then decides to do or not to do actions. Thus, the mind and intellect
work together in practice and often people do not distinguish between the
two. Discrimination is a quality of the intellect and therefore it is possible
to increase the Sattva attribute in a person through the intellect by doing
only righteous actions with desirelwess attitude and thus go towards Self-
realisation. Meditation stills the mind by silencing the thoughts, emotions,
desires etc. Desireless mind also leads to desireless intellect which can
lead to oneness with the Brahman.
The Jnanayoga of the Sankhyas does not refer to the Sankhya
philosophy given in Ch 13].
KARMAYOGA (THE PATH OF ACTIONS)

Though on the surface, the path of action appears to be inferior to the yoga
of intellect (Buddhiyoga), actually the latter is achieved only through path of
actions with the actions performed with a desireless attitude. This is
because the negation of the actions (by offering them to God) leads naturally
to the state of yoga (unity with the Brahman) and steadiness of the mind.
(The term Buddhiyoga seem to have been used interchangeably with
Karmayoga). The stages in which a seeker can attain the state of yoga are as
follows:
First, give up the delusion that I am the body.
Then the very pure mystical Knowledge will rise within him.
Then his mind will automatically become dispassionate. In this state,

the thoughts of gaining more knowledge or remembering whatever
was learnt in the past do not arise.
The intellect that was led astray by the sense organs easily steadies
itself in the Supreme Soul (God).
When it becomes steady, he will reach a state of samadhi, the steady, quiet
bliss and only then he will attain the state of yoga.
STABLE INSIGHT AND STABLE INTELLECT

Now that Shri Krishna has mentioned steadiness of intellect and the state of
samadhi associated with it, Arjuna asks three questions:
Who should be called a person of stable insight (Sthitapradnya) and
how to recognise him.
What are the characteristics of a person of stable intellect
(Sthirabuddhi)?
How to recognise a person who perpetually enjoys the state of
samadhi?
[NOTE. Pradnya is the power of deep understanding (intuition or insight)
while Buddhi is the faculty by which one analyses using logic and the
memory of past knowledge and experiences].
Shri Krishna replies:
A person of stable insight (Sthitapradnya) is one who is always
contented and permanently rid of sense pleasures. He is neither
enthralled by happiness nor disheartened by sorrow. He always
remains immersed in the bliss of the Supreme Self. Such a person
always has an unchanging and impartial attitude towards all.
A person of stable intellect (Sthirabuddhi) is one who is in complete
control of his sense organs, remains unperturbed in the face of
distress and is not lured by pleasure, with his mind free from Desire
and Anger. Having reached a state of perfection, he is totally free of
fear, and being free of these restraints, has reached oneness with the
Brahman.
[NOTE: Both Sthitapradnya and Sthirabuddhi are persons who have attained
Self-realisation and are in complete control of their sense organs. In some
interpretations, Sthitapradnya is considered the same as Sthirabuddhi, but
others make a subtle difference between the two. The difference seems to be
that a Sthitapradnya has an attitude of equality towards all and also towards
happiness and sorrow, while a Sthirabuddhi remains unperturbed in the face
of distress, is not lured by pleasure and his mind is free from Desire and
Anger. Sthitapradnya seems to be the stage after attaining Sthirabuddhi].
CONTROLLING SENSE-ORGANS
Attaining these states requires control of sense organs. Shri Krishna
explains:
Controlling Sense organs is essential for a seeker of Self-realisation.
But even after attaining Self-realisation he must continue to control
them because if he pampers them then he can be trapped in the

sorrowful consequences of the material world.
These organs cannot be brought under control by any external means
(like rituals and fasting) but only by internal means like meditation.
The sense organs are so powerful that they can make even yogis
deviate from their path by enticing them to use the Siddhis gained by
them for the benefit of sense-pleasures.
Out of all the sense organs the tongue especially is very difficult to
control because our life depends upon food. One can get entangled
through the tongue into other kinds of sense-pleasures. However,
when a seeker attains Self-realisation, the tongue naturally gets
controlled and since the I am the body feeling has left him, he
forgets all sense-pleasures. Such a person alone is worthy of the
trust set by yoga i.e. the steadiness of intellect. He has the knowledge
of the Self and never forgets God.
On the other hand, he who outwardly gives up sense-objects but
keeps on thinking about them must be considered as involved only in
the materialistic world. A slightest memory of desires lingering in the
mind destroys discretion and can raise passions. Passion leads to
anger. Anger leads to thoughtlessness. Thoughtlessness leads to loss
of memory. The ignorance then engulfs the intellect, which loses
direction and leads to destruction of all knowledge. Thus, even
occasional memory of the sense-pleasures can lead to ones downfall.
Anger and hate are automatically destroyed when sense-pleasures are
totally removed from the mind. And then, even when the organs
become engaged in the sense-pleasures, they do no harm because of
the detachment towards sense-objects. Free of desire and anger, he
remains engrossed in the bliss of the Self and may be considered
without doubt to have a stable intellect. The heart of such a person
is always cheerful and his mind remains naturally focused on God.
Like a flame in windless air, that person with stable intellect achieves
the yogic state and becomes united with the Brahman.
But a person in whose mind the thoughts of Buddhiyoga do not take root,
gets entangled in the trap of sense objects. The intellect of such person is
never stable nor does he desire it to be stable. Because of lack of stability,
he cannot attain peace and therefore happiness either. Instability of mind is
the cause for sorrow. Therefore, it is best to control the sense organs.
A PERSON OF PERFECTION
A person of perfection, a yogi is ever wakeful towards the Brahman while
everyone else is oblivious to it. On the other hand, he does not bother about
the (material) things for which everyone else struggles. Such a person
should be recognised as a great sage, free of attachments. He is not
bothered about whether or not he has achieved the Riddhi-Siddhis (Occult
powers). Satiated with Self-realisation he moves about while remaining in
the state of bliss of the Self, bereft of ego and desires. Recognise him as
truly a person of stable insight. This state is what is called the extreme state
of the Brahman that the dispassionate people experience and effortlessly
become one with it. By virtue of this state a man of stable insight does not
suffer any disturbance of the mind at the time of physical death and oneness
with the Brahman.
[NOTES: The jnanayoga (yoga of knowledge) mentioned above and in the
next chapter refers to the Sankhya philosophy supposed to have been
propounded by Rishi Kapil (16th century BC). This philosophy of the
structure of the universe seems to have been well influenced the thinkers
and with some modifications has been accepted by Vedanta philosophers.
Rishi Kapil is considered as an avatar of Vishnu therefore it is not surprising
that this philosophy finds its place in the Gita (and hence in the
Dnyaneshwari). It may be noted that the concept of avatar is mainly among
the followers of Vishnu. Gautam Buddha is also considered as an avatar of
Vishnu but the Busddhists do not like it for they consider Buddha to be like
Brahman, the Ultimate, beyond everything. Many great persons have been
considered as avatars of Vishnu. In contrast avatars of Shiva or Durga or
other deities are hardly mentioned anywhere.
Though Gita mentions the path of Jnanayoga detailed guidance about how
to follow it has not been given. What Shri Krishna tells in Dnyaneshwari in
this context is:
In this world which pervaded by Maya, there is a mysterious principle about
which all philosophers agree. (2:126). When a man of Knowledge ponders over
what is universe etc., matters related to the material world get eliminated and
what remains for him to think about is only that principle which is the Self (or
soul). Having come to a definite conclusion about what is truth and what is
untruth, he is oblivious to an impermanent thing like the body. Careful
thinking leads to a conclusion that whatever is impermanent and delusive is
inconsequential and what is permanent is fundamental. He who created this
universe is devoid of attributes like colour or form. He is all-pervading and
beyond birth and death. (2:125-135): Gita Shlokas 16,17.
This suggests that Jnanayoga is the yoga of the philosopher and thinker who
ponders over what the universe is, who created it, how it is sustained,
mystery of birth, death and purpose of life, who created it etc. This
contemplation may be supported by the study of classical texts such as the
Vedas, Upanishads, the six Darshanas viz. Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya,
Yoga, Karma-mimamsa and Vedanta, the Puranas as well as study of the
works of mediaeval and modern philosophers. Such study and discussions
with his Guru and other sages can help him to go beyond the visible,
material reality to the absolute reality of the Brahman with which he
ultimately attains unity. His Guru may clear some of his doubts and even
enhance his insight and intuition by touch, but he has to contemplate by
himself and experience also by himself. Readers may have noted that
jnanayoga mentioned by Shri Krishna here specifically refers to the Sankhya
philosophy which is one of the six Darshanas mentioned above.
Throughout this process, a jnanayogi is expected to practice detachment,
dispassion and discernment, not get entangled with worldly pleasures. Gita
warns about the pride that a seeker may develop from his learning. This
pride can come in the way of his Self-realisation].
End Chapter 2
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 3 - PATH OF ACTIONS
ARJUNA HAS A DOUBT

Arjuna mistakenly thinks that Shri Krishna was against actions and asks
why in that case he was advising him to fight. Shri Krishna explains:
JNANAYOGA AND KARMAYOGA - BOTH HAVE COMMON GOAL

Both Jnanayoga and Karmayoga have the same goal, namely
liberation (Moksha) through Self-realisation. However,
Through the practice of Jnyanayoga, (the Yoga of knowledge) of the
Sankhyas a seeker attains Self-realisation and becomes one with him
immediately.
Karmayoga (Yoga of Action) is a slow-speed path in which a seeker
diligently continues doing actions according to Swadharma and
attains liberation at an appropriate time.
Both paths, though outwardly different, lead to the same result. But
which path to follow depends upon the capability of the seeker. (See
Introduction)
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj compares these two paths to a fruit (Self-realisation)
on a tree, which a bird (Jnanayogi) can fly and eat directly while a human
being (Karmayogi) has to laboriously climb the tree, branch after branch, to
get at it.
ACTION AND NON-ACTION

Abandoning action is not non-action
It was mentioned in the previous chapter that an Action does not bind (i.e, it
becomes a Non-action by not being added to the aggregate of ones karmas) if
it is done without desire for the fruits thereof and offering them to God.
Non-action does not mean not doing any action or duties. Actions
cannot be avoided as long as one is in his body and has desires.
Duties naturally come with the body i.e. as soon as a person is born.
Certain natural duties cannot be avoided as long as one lives, e.g.
earning livelihood, preparation of food, having progeny etc. Even if
one stops doing one's duties, the organs have to continue with their
natural duties like breathing, eating etc.
It is Maya that controls the material universe. Therefore, a person
under the control of Maya or nature (i.e. one who has not achieved
Self-realisation) cannot give up actions.
One who wants to achieve non-action should never give up the
prescribed actions but understand that actions become non-actions
when one is ceaselessly content i.e. there are no desires.
One may pretend outwardly to have abandoned actions, but as long
as thoughts about actions continue to occupy ones mind non-action
cannot be achieved.
Performance of actions with desireless attitude as per Swadharma

(i.e. as per the directions laid down for the four caste system see
note below) is equivalent to performing a ceaseless Yajna. It prevents
sins from entering ones mind and leads to his liberation.
Since worldly duties cannot be abandoned, indulging in prohibited
actions is not justified. One who prefers improper actions (against
Swadharma) gets bound to the worldly birth and death cycles.
Even desireless actions are relevant only until one attains Self-realisation. A
person always engrossed in the Self, even while going about doing his duties,
does not get bound by the actions because he is satiated with the knowledge
of the Self and with that he has finished the duties of his lifetime. Therefore,
he does not get loaded by his actions (karmas).
(NOTE. Today, Swadharma is mistakenly interpreted as the Hindu religion.
In the days of Sauti, Swadharma was defined as the righteous behaviour
prescribed for members of each caste in the then prevalent four-caste
system. This custom continued even after the British conquered India. It
progressively changed with the new socio-economic situation brought about
by the new regime, especially the clerical jobs which required a routine not
quite compatible with the classical Hindu routine. The education and
learning, confined earlier to the study of the Vedas and scriptures, was
extended to the study of foreign languages, sociology, history, geography,
science, engineering and modern mathematics. This was opened to all
castes. Brahmins, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas entered the professions in the
field of engineering and technology earlier practiced by the Shudras.
Opening of the services as well as education to all castes and religions
contributed to weakening the caste system as far as jobs were concerned.
However, the caste system still remains deep-rooted in the minds of people
at least as far as social interactions like marriages are concerned especially
in rural areas. What the new Swadharma would be under these conditions
is not well defined but it is reasonable to assume that it would have an
ethical base and would imply compliance with the national and international
laws which are all well codified. Of course, since Sautis time many religions
like Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist have been founded and all try to assert
their own superiority).
Characteristics of a Desireless Person
Outwardly, a Desireless Person may appear to behave like others, but
internally he is steady, always absorbed in meditation on the Supreme Self.
Being in control of his sense organs he is not afraid of sense-objects and nor
does he avoid his duties. While he lets his action-organs do their task he is
not affected by the resultant feelings (of pleasure or pain or the ego that he is
the doer). He is not influenced by temptations or by lust. His inner state is
not apparent to others since outwardly he behaves like the rest. Such a
person may be considered as liberated and should be specifically called a
yogi. (Shri Krishna advises Arjuna to be one].
Brahmadeo's Advice on Behaviour
Shri Krishna told Arjuna the following old legend:
When Brahmadeo created this world and with it the humans, he also created
the code of behaviour of actions (Dharma) for them. But the code, being
subtle, could not be understood, so they asked Brahmadeo what the basis of
their existence in the world was.
Brahmadeo replied that:

They should be guided by the code of actions depending upon the
caste of each person.
They need not trouble their bodies by Vratas, penance, pilgrimage,
techniques like yoga, mantra and tantra techniques with desire in
mind or worship other deities.
They need perform only the natural yajna of doing actions as per the
code and the actions will become successful. The deities will be
pleased and fulfil their desires and sustain them. This will result in
the development of a mutual love between the deity and man.
Brahmadeo also warned that,
if any person, after thus gaining wealth given to him by the deities for
worshipping God, became lusty and behaved by the tendencies of the
sense objects,
did not give offerings to Fire and donate food,
did not show devotion to his Guru,
did not welcome guests and satisfy his community,
then he would face many calamities, lose his wealth without being able to
enjoy it.
He who forsakes the code loses his liberty. Fate punishes him considering
him a thief and snatches everything from him. Even if he asks for mercy he
is not set free until the end of time. Therefore, one should always be alert
and follow one's code.
Brahmadeo further advised that,
he who, with desireless mind spends his wealth for the duties
prescribed by Swadharma,
worships Guru, well-wishers and Fire, and
after performing Shraddha of forefathers and other yajna rituals
through the hands of brahmins, partakes of the remaining food along
with his family, gets his sins washed and becomes free of all
blemishes. Therefore, wealth earned by actions according to
Swadharma should be spent according to Swadharma and whatever
remains should be enjoyed with satisfaction.
Shri Krishna then states that,
all wealth is a means of yajna in the form of Swadharma-based
actions and should be offered to God with this attitude;
one should practice one's own Dharma, even if it is painful and
difficult to practice, because it is what makes one's afterlife happy.
Even if one has to sacrifice ones life while practising Swadharma, it is
good because it will establish ones greatness in both the worlds.
Shri Krishna further warns that,

Persons who think mistakenly that they are only the body and not the
soul, who consider the sense-objects as merely means of enjoyment,
and instead of considering their earned wealth as the material for
yajna, use it selfishly for their own pleasures, prepare tasty food and
consume it themselves, actually consume sin.
Therefore, a proud and arrogant person who does not behave properly
as per Swadharma and instead spends time in physical pleasures is a
sinner and a burden to this earth. His life and actions are wasted
being fruitless.
Particularly, people who have attained Self-realisation and reached a
perfectly desireless state should perform duties for the guidance of
others because others note and follow their example thinking their
actions to be the prescribed actions and would thereby be saved from
pitfalls.
Even an avatar like Shri Krishna himself has to follow the path of
actions only because all creatures are dependent on him. If he were
to remain engrossed in the Self and people emulated him in that
condition, the entire world will stop functioning.
Therefore, particularly a capable person who has attained Knowledge
should not abandon actions. It is essential that the society be
protected in every way and one should never show that he is
different from the others.
JNANAYOGA NOT TO BE TOLD TO THE UNFIT

Shri Krishna then advises Arjuna
Never to tell about the path of knowledge (non-action) to a person who
is fit only for path of action. Such a person should be guided only
towards the path of actions by setting him an example by own
behaviour.
Also, not to tell about this profound spiritual path to an ignorant
person who, ignoring the fact that all actions are caused by Maya,
thinks that he is the doer because of the ego and narrow thinking.
Maya, the creator of all actions is absent in a Self-realised person
(because he has attained Brahman which is beyond Maya). Actions of
such persons do not bind them because they give up the I-am-the-
body ego, understand the unique relation between the attributes
(Sattva, Rajas and Tama) and actions and live with uninvolved
attitude.
Only such persons as are under the influence of the attributes and
act with a worldly attitude are affected by actions. This is because
such a person claims to be the doer of the actions done by his
organs, which behave according to their nature and under the
influence of the attributes.
Therefore, one should not harbour an ego like This is action, I am its
doer and I am going to do it. One should not go after this body,
should shed all desires and enjoy or endure whatever comes to your
lot.
The desire for sense-pleasures causes anger and destroys the

intellect. Desire and anger are both extremely dangerous therefore
one should stay away from them.
DESIRE AND ANGER OBSTRUCT LIBERATION

Shri Krishna further elaborated on the influence of desire and anger as,
Desire and anger are the two merciless culprits who are capable of
distorting the thinking of even persons of knowledge and make them
go astray. They keep people away from Knowledge and devotion.
They are generated from the Rajas (action) attribute in the mind,
thrive on ignorance and are the root of wickedness. Though they arise
from Raja attribute, they are favourites of Tama attribute, which is
the main constituent of indiscrimination and delusion. They operate
through hope and delusion.
Desire and anger are closely connected with ego and temptation.
Because of them falsehood and hypocrisy have prevailed over truth.
They have caused the minds of even saints to be polluted by
destroying peace and by the importance given to worldly matters.
They destroy the sense of discrimination and dispassion and prevent
control over senses. They destroy happiness by destroying Knowledge
and subject people to the three forms of torture (personal, external
and elemental).
Desire and anger are attached to the physical body after birth. They
reside in the mind and therefore even Brahmadeo cannot discover
them.
Desire and anger ruin the personality of even a person of Knowledge
and are difficult to control. Knowledge is always associated with
desire and anger and is veiled by them. Therefore, one should first
conquer them before attaining knowledge.
It is however very difficult to do so because more one tries more it
helps them to strengthen their hold and because of this, even
Hathayogis are defeated.
There is only one method of bringing them under control and that is
to exercise control on the sense organs, their original residence. This
will restrain the mind from the pleasure-seeking tendency. It will free
the intellect and thus they will lose their support.
Once a person loses anger and desire, he will realise Brahman and enjoy its
bliss.
End Chapter 3
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 4 - YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
This chapter, titled as Yoga of Knowledge, begins first continues with the
discussion on the Yoga of Action (Karmayoga) from the previous chapter
before coming to the aspects of Knowledge.
Shri Krishna tells Arjuna that Karmayoga was really very ancient and he
had told it to Vivaswan who in turn told it to his son Vaivaswat Manu. From
him it reached royal yogis. However, people in the course of time had
forgotten about it.
(NOTE: Readers may take note that historically Vivaswan was not really
Sun-God as many think but one of the sons of Rishi Kashyap, Rishi
Marichis son. (Rishi Marichi, according to Puranas, was one of the seven
sages (Saptarshis), the mind born sons of Brahmadeo). Due to similarity in
nomenclature and the usual distortion of historical facts in the Puranas,
Vivaswan the son of Kashyap through Aditi (one of his 13 wives) is identified
with Vivaswan the Sun God. Vaivaswat Manu, son of Vivaswan, was a
philosopher and scholar king. He was forced by his father and uncles to
migrate to the Indian subcontinent from their abode in what today is
Afghanistan. Since he was the founder of the Aryan settlement in India and
was responsible for the population growth in his tribe, (a need of those
times) he is depicted in the Puranas as Manu the originator of human race.
Historians put the time of Vaivaswat Manu as about 3000BC.)
Shri Krishna is now shown in the role of the personified Absolute who has
taken many avatars, all of which he remembers. He tells Arjuna:
KARMAYOGA IS ANCIENT
Karmayoga is quite ancient and I (Shri Krishna as God) had told it to
Vivaswan (the Sun-deity) from whom it was passed on to his son Vaivaswat
Manu and the successive generations of royal yogis. However, in the course
of time people had started giving secondary importance to or even ignoring
the bliss from the Knowledge of the Self and instead had become attracted
towards carnal pleasures, which they considered as the highest kind of
happiness. Both of us have gone through many births but while I remember
all My incarnations, you (Arjuna) have no memory of them. Shri Krishna
adds,
Though I take birth and assume form by means of Maya, I remain birthless,
formless, indestructible and attributeless. It is My traditional duty to protect
the Dharma (the code of righteous conduct), whenever evil predominates over
good, therefore I take birth in each yuga (era) in order to protect My devotees
and to destroy the ignorance, thus making the whole world happy. Only
persons of Knowledge know this secret of Mine. He who understands this
reaches Me (God) when he dies.
GRACING DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVOTEES

Shri Krishna then explains how he graces his devotees. He says:
People worship me by their natural tendency and I grace them according to
the manner by which they express their devotion to me.
The desireless attain moksha.
Those of my devotees who are unconcerned about the past or the
future are not affected by anger and desire.
By becoming unattached and immersed in the knowledge of the Self
they become one with me and spend their life only for serving me.
Those with desire attain fulfilment
Though I am one and the only God, most people imagine Me in
different forms which they call as deities and assign different names
to them.
They qualify these forms as superior or inferior. They worship these
deities with desire in their minds and gain the fruits therefrom.
But these fruits are actually the fruits of their actions because only
actions can give fruits.
I am the witness to the worship of all these deities but each
worshipper gets the fruits according to his attitude.
FOUR CASTES
Shri Krishna tells, Though all persons are alike, I have divided them into
four types according to their qualities and actions, thus creating the four
castes. The actions prescribed for each caste have been determined taking
into account the combination of their natural tendencies and qualities.
Therefore, even though the four castes have originated from me, I am not
their creator and one who understands this is liberated from the ties of the
actions.
(NOTE: This statement makes the origin of the caste system as divine.
There is a basic question here of how the Almighty could have proposed
castes which are nowhere else in the world except in India. Lack of
universality in anything naturally casts a doubt on its divine origin.
There appears to be a paradox in this paragraph, which requires a proper
interpretation. Shri Krishna calls all people to be alike yet differing in
qualities and actions. The four castes have been defined on this basis. The
four castes have originated from him but he is not their creator. I have tried to
interpret this paradox as follows:
Though all people are alike as a species, individuals differ in their qualities,
natural tendencies and actions, which are all influenced by and depend
upon his karmas of previous birth. Only the individual is responsible for
those karmas. These qualities and natural tendencies can be classified into
a number of classes or types, each becoming a caste, and the number
traditionally selected here is four. The classification being natural is of
divine origin according to Shri Krishna and the castes naturally follow this
classification. Being natural, he has not created them.
Today, the castes has proliferated into sub castes which may number more
than hundred. The classification of people on social and economic basis is a
natural fallout of human ego. Such classifications exist in all societies but
what is peculiar to the Hindu society is that caste system, originally based
on qualities and capability of a person has turned into a birth-based system.
The action and capability based system continues elsewhere in the world.)
SHRI KRISHNA ELABORATES ON ACTION AND NON-ACTION

The actions of even spiritually very powerful persons have turned out to be
desireful actions because of a wrong notion of actionlessness. Even the wise
are puzzled about the significance of action and non-action, therefore they
should be interpreted properly and not as one likes.
One should understand that the formation of the universe is the fruit
of an (divine) action.
One should also understand what the appropriate actions are for each
caste and the fruits thereof.
Also, one must understand the nature of the prohibited actions so
that one does not get involved in it.
This world is governed by actions therefore the scope of actions is very
mysterious.
ACTIONS OF A PERFECT PERSON

An enlightened and perfect person does not consider himself to be the
doer of his actions.
His actions are done only as a duty, without expectations of fruits
thereof. This attitude is called actionlessness.
He enjoys the worldly pleasures without being attached to or affected
by them.
He is always content but seeks the experience of the Self unendingly.
Shedding expectations and ego, he is happy in whatever comes to his
lot.
His actions merge into him because he does not see anything other
than Self in this world. Such a person is liberated in all ways,
remains actionless even while doing the actions and attributeless even
though outwardly he may appear to have attributes. Such a person
should be considered as Supreme Brahman itself.
YAJNAS
Dravyayajnas and Dnyanayajnas
Shri Krishna now tells about various kinds of Yajnas. Traditionally, yajna
needs a fire in which the sacrificial offerings are made.
The yajnas described in the Vedas needing external actions (like burning
materials in fire) are all dravyayajnas i.e. yajnas involving wealth leading
only to attaining heavenly plane and are very inferior to the Dnyanayajnas
(yajnas of knowledge) which have liberation as their goal.
Dnyanayajnas require shedding of the grime from the mind. After the
ignorance about the Soul is burnt away only its pure form remains. Then the
difference between the sacrificial fire and the performer of sacrifice vanishes,
the sacrifice ends and all actions get nullified. In this stage, thoughts do not
enter the mind, the duality ends and with the ultimate Knowledge that
remains, they experience the unification with the Brahman.
Others lead a wasted life
But those, who after being born as human beings do not practice yoga or
perform yajnas or practice self-control lead a useless life in this world. Their
status in the after world need not even be mentioned.
Some Dnyanayajnas:
Daivayajna:
This is a yajna performed with the intention of attaining Self. It is necessary
first to give up indiscrimination from his nature, become dispassionate and
attain maturity. The seeker then sacrifices the ignorance and the mind in
the fire of (i.e. with the help of) the mantras given by his Guru.
Brahmayajna:
This yajna is done by followers of the path of knowledge in order to attain
Brahman. In this type of yajna, Knowledge itself is burnt as an offering in
the fire of Brahman until Knowledge and the knower become one with the
object to be known i.e. the Brahman.
(NOTE: These two yajnas are mentioned in Gita Shloka 4:25 which is
translated as Some yogis worship the deities alone while others offer sacrifice
itself by the way of sacrifice in the fire of Brahman. This is difficult to
understand!).
Yajna of Self-control
Some people sacrifice the sense pleasures by practicing control of body,
speech and mind. Some others develop dispassion and controlling their
mind and using the mantra I am the Brahman they burn their desires and
ambitions from the five sense-organs. Guru-mantra
Some others, with dispassionate attitude and the continuous chanting of the
mantras given by their Guru, develop the urge for Knowledge (of the Self).
After avoiding the trap Siddhis (occult powers) they achieve the first spark of
Knowledge. After controlling the mind and burning the desires and the
worldly matters like family ties, and through control of breathing
(Pranayama) they become one with the Brahman. What remains is the bliss
of the Knowledge of the Self.
Some Dravyayajnas
These include: Dravyayajna or offering of wealth, Tapoyajna or performing
penance, Yogayajna or practising Yoga, Vagyajna. Offering of words i.e.
speech as Yajna,
Other types of Yajnas
There are still others who practice Pranayama i.e. breath control. Such
yogis are called Pranayamis. Some others use a technique called Vajrayoga
in which diet is controlled and Pranas are sacrificed into Prana.
SERVING SAINTS GIVES KNOWLEDGE

Shri Krishna advises:
Saints are the depositories of Knowledge and are fit to be Gurus. Serving
them leads to Knowledge. Therefore, if you desire to gain Knowledge you
should serve them in every way. You should shed the ego, be their servant,
ask them questions about whatever you wish to know and they will explain
it to you. Once you understand it, desires will not enter your mind. You will
lose all your fears and be fit to attain Brahman. You will see everything
including yourself as My form. Thus, your (I am the body) delusion will
vanish once you get the favours of the saint who is a true Guru.
GETTING KNOWLEDGE AND PEACE

Knowledge is so powerful that it can remove the ignorance in the mind of
even a worst sinner even if he is full of illusion and delusion. This
Knowledge is all encompassing and cannot be compared with anything
except itself just as if one asks the taste of nectar the answer is like nectar
and nothing else.
Knowledge seeks a person who prefers the pleasure of Self-realisation to the
sense-pleasures and does not allow desires enter his mind, does not feel
responsible for the things which occur naturally and who has become happy
by faith. Once the Knowledge becomes firm in his mind, he attains Self-
realisation. Peace then reigns in his mind and duality about this is mine
and that is another persons vanishes from his mind.
UNINTERESTED PERSON'S LIFE MEANINGLESS

Death is preferable to the life of a person not interested in Knowledge. A
person may not have gained Knowledge but if he shows even a little interest
in it then there is some hope that he will gain it. But if he shows no such
interest then he will surely be afflicted by doubts and can be definitely
considered as lost to the happiness in this world as well as the next. A
doubting person does not differentiate between truth and falsehood, proper
and improper, beneficial and harmful. Therefore, there is no greater sin
than the doubt. The one means of destroying it is the Knowledge.
End Chapter 4
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 5 -RENUNCIATION
ARJUNA'S DOUBT
Arjuna is confused because he thinks Shri Krishna has told him two
mutually contradictory things: to give up actions (karmasanyas) on one
hand and insisting on doing actions (karmayoga) on the other hand. He
asks Shri Krishna to clarify which of the two paths was better. (It would be
clear from earlier chapters that according to Jnanayoga, actions should be
performed without desires of fruits thereof).
KARMAYOGA AND KARMASANYAS ARE SAME IN EFFECT

Only ignorant persons think that Jnyanayoga (of the Sankhyas) and
Karmayoga are different, but those who have experienced Self know that
they are not different.
Karmasanyasa (renouncing actions) is not different from Karmayoga
(performing actions), provided the Karmayogi does actions without
desire for fruits thereof. Both lead to liberation.
Karmayoga is clearer to most people and easier to follow. Because the
actions are done without desire for fruits, the fruits of Karmasanyasa
are also gained automatically.
However, Karmasanyasa and Karmyoga are same only in the case of a
sanyasi.
But who is really a sanyasi? Dnyaneshwar Maharaj gives the following
explanation.
QUALITIES OF A SANYASI
Wearing conventional ochre robes does not make one a sanyasi.
What is essential is the attitude of a sanyasi.
A person has first to give up desires in order to attain the qualities of
a sanyasi (renunciate).
The mind of a sanyasi is steady. He is indifferent to his gains or
losses - he does not feel elated by gains nor does he grieve if he has
lost.
He does not have feelings like me and mine at all.
Such a person is forever a renunciate (sanyasi) even if he remains at
home with his family and possessions, because his mind is completely
dissociated from any desires concerning them.
Because his intellect is free from desires, the actions do not bind him
(i.e. whatever he does is not included in the account of his Karmas.
He therefore remains ever happy.
Such a person is effectively a non-doer in spite of his doing actions.
One who follows the Yoga path, attains the bliss of the Brahman very soon
but one who cannot succeed in it wastes his efforts and cannot be a real
sanyasi (renunciate).
A NON-DOER
In the following, qualities of a non-doer are explained further.
A person, whose mind becomes free of delusion and is merged in the
Self after purifying it with the aid of Guru's mantra, himself becomes
the Self or Brahman. Such a person is rid of all desires.
The consciousness of such a person pervades the expanse of the three
worlds (earth, heaven and the nether), even by remaining in one
place.
He does not use the language of ego like "This is done by me" or "I
want to do this".
Such a person remains a non-doer in spite of his actions. Even
though, outwardly, his behaviour and bodily functions are normal, he
is not even conscious of his body or possess ego about his actions.
GOD IS A NON-DOER
The Almighty God creates this expanse of the three worlds without getting
involved with the act of creation. He is not even aware about the creation
and destruction of the universe. He is therefore a non-doer. Therefore, to
say that He creates, maintains and destroys the universe is ignorance or
delusion.
This delusion goes when the non-doing nature of God becomes clear. Once
a person is convinced in his mind that God is a non-doer, then the
fundamental idea that "He is not different from me" gets established
naturally. (Explanation: Body then becomes an illusion; therefore, "I"
becomes something that was not created i.e., the Brahman).
Once this sense has arisen in his mind, then he does not see himself
different from anything else in the three worlds. He considers the world to
be as liberated as he himself has become. Such persons are men of
Knowledge, who have a sense of equability towards everything in this world.
They do not notice any differences between different creatures.
AN EQUABLE PERSON
A Sthitapradnya is an equable person, the very Brahman personified. He
enjoys the limitless internal bliss of the Self. He is not attracted towards the
external worldly pleasures. He is not even aware that he is enjoying them,
because he is in a state of egolessness and oneness with the Supreme.
But those who have not yet experienced this internal bliss think that the
realm of impermanent pleasures is the only real thing and cannot do without
them.
How to reach this state
These persons reached this stage while still living. First, with dispassion,
they gave up the pleasures and meditated, concentrating at the point in
between the eyebrows, with their eyes turned inside backwards while
controlling the breath (Pranayama). Thus, their mind turned inwards and
through the state of samadhi (deep trance), they took the life-force and the
mind upwards towards the experience of the Brahman. When mind
dissolves, all desires and ego also dissolve. Therefore he who experiences
the bliss becomes, even while still living, one with the Brahman.
[NOTES: Most spiritual masters prescribe meditation as the main vehicle
towards Self-realisation. Some prescribe mantra-japa (repetition of the given
mantra) or Nama-japa (repetition of the given name of a deity). Shri Sai Baba
of Shirdi recommended different practices to different people depending
upon their mental make-up. Regarding meditation, he said, (ref
SAICHARITRA) "To get the knowledge (realisation) of the Self, Dhyana
(meditation) is necessary. If you practice it continuously the Vrittis (thoughts
or tendencies) will be pacified. Becoming quite desireless, you should
meditate on the Lord who is in all creatures. And when the mind is
concentrated, the goal will be achieved. Meditate always on My formless
nature, which is Knowledge incarnate, consciousness and bliss. If you
cannot do this, then meditate night and day, on My Form from top to toe, as
you see it here. As you continue doing this, your Vrittis will concentrate on
one point and the distinction between the Dhyata (meditator), Dhyana (act of
meditation), and the Dhyeya (the object of meditation) will be lost. The
meditator will then be one with the Consciousness and will be merged in the
Brahman. He remarked that the relation between the Guru and disciples is
like a tortoise and her babies, whom she gives nutrition from a distance by
mere glance. By and large most sages, not attached to any particular
organisation, advise similarly.
Many people aspire for a mantra from a Guru, and think that it will
automatically take them across to realisation of the Brahman without doing
anything themselves. However, receiving a mantra or any other instruction,
like doing meditation from a Guru, is only the beginning. The disciple has to
regularly practice it. As Shri Shankar Maharaj said You must not give up
efforts. If you have to appear for an exam, then it is you who have to
prepare for it. Even if a Guru gives guidance and strength, it is your own
spiritual efforts that make you progress.
While on the subject of Guru, it has been rightly said that the reason why
people seek a Guru is that they do not wish to take the pains of disciplined
spiritual exercise themselves. A typical seeker thinks that Guru should
favour him by his powers, say by keeping his hand on the seekers head, to
make him attain Knowledge instantly. This is a popular misconception
obtained from biographies of saints written by the followers and from
Puranas. Such people forget the hardships the Guru went through in the
earlier part of his life to attain the spiritual status and the Siddhis ].
End Chapter 5
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 6 - MEDITATION
YOGI NOT DIFFERENT FROM SANYASI

From spiritual considerations, there is no difference between
Karmayoga and Sanyas (Karmasanyas) except in the name.
Only a person who performs actions without being attached to the
fruits thereof should be considered as a yogi Karmayoga.
Similarly, a person who performs actions appropriate to his caste and
circumstances without maintaining the ego about his being the
doer and does not permit the desire of the fruits to touch his mind, is
a sanyasi.
Hence, a sanyasi is doubtless a yogi too. (NOTE: The subtle
difference between the two seems to be that of maintaining ego as the
doer).
On the other hand,
He who feels his routine and incidental duties (like making offerings
to forefathers etc.) to be a shackle and a burden and therefore turns
to become a sanyasi, gets himself entangled into unnecessary
problems. Why should one give up the burden of family life only to
burden himself with the life of a sanyasi?
The essence of yoga is attained only when one is free from desire
hence a sanyasi is a yogi.
YOGI SHOULD NOT ABANDON ACTIONS

One who follows the yoga path should not give up the path of actions. By
assuming proper posture and breath-control, by steadying the intellect,
controlling the organs and separating them from the sense-pleasures, he
should turn the consciousness inwards, and meditate with continued
abstraction of mind (Dharana). This will lead to elimination of the
tendencies. Then the means (sadhana) becomes one with the goal (sadhya)
and one attains steadiness in the state of samadhi. Continued practice
leads the yogi to perfection.
[NOTE: Dnyaneshwar Maharaj now introduces the yoga practice in which
certain sitting postures are adopted while practicing meditation. This is
discussed in more details later under the sub-heading Kundalini Yoga].
CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERFECT PERSON

Sense objects do not enter the mind of a perfect person and he stays
engrossed in the Knowledge of the Self. pleasures and sorrows do not excite
him nor do pleasures entice him. Even if he has to perform actions, he does
not care about the fruits thereof. He does not do needless actions, they are
just sufficient for the survival of his body. Such a person may be considered
as one settled in yoga. (These characteristics were given earlier in Ch 2 and
will be repeated further. They are repeated in this summary for convenience
and effect).
EGO, AN OBSTACLE TO SELF-REALISATION
Events in a dream appear real until the dreamer wakes up and realises it
was only a dream; similarly, life and death appear real due to ignorance
though actually they are unreal. But once the ignorance goes he becomes
aware that he himself is the Brahman.
This awareness comes when the ego leaves him. Therefore, one should give
up this ego using discrimination. Really speaking, I-am-the-body ego arises
by nurturing desire and by being infatuated by the body. The intellect
restrains him from realising that his individual self is the Brahman. But one
who is not thus restrained is the real knower of the Self.
A MAN WHO HAS ATTAINED BRAHMAN

For a person who has conquered his mind and calmed his desires and in
whom the false ego has completely vanished the Supreme Self is not far. He
becomes one with the Brahman that is within himself. The thoughts of hot
and cold, happiness and sorrow, honour and insult are not possible in such
a persons mind.
Just as whatever comes in the path of the sun gets illuminated, whoever
encounters such a perfect person becomes like him. The thoughts like
these deeds are good and those are bad do not enter his mind because he
has become devoid of duality by the unity with the Brahman.
When he ponders over the nature of the world, he finds that it is unreal.
And when he searches for the knowledge about the Reality, he experiences
that that Reality is himself. Because now his feeling of duality with
Brahman has vanished, he finds that he is no longer bound by space and
time and is all-pervading.
He, who has conquered his senses while remaining in his body, has
automatically reached the level of Brahman. Such a person should be called
a yogi who is the master of his senses. The differences like big and small do
not enter his mind. A lump of earth, a precious stone or gold are same to
him. Then how can the ideas like friend and foe, a relative or a stranger,
come to his mind? To him everything in this world appears as Brahman.
One who has experienced that this world is pervaded by Brahman, is a
person with vision of equanimity to everything. Even if one remembers such
person, he becomes like that person. But there is no limit to the praise of
such a person.
[NOTE: The above description of a person who has realised Brahman is so
concise and beautiful that I have not even attempted to summarise it any
further. This is the apt description of great saints like Shri Swami Samarth,
Shri Saibaba, and Shri Shankar Maharaj, Shri Gajanan Maharaj etc.].
KUNDALINI YOGA
[NOTE: So far, Shri Krishna was talking about actions as prescribed by
Swadharma. These actions pertain to socio-religious category. Now he
mentions actions of a more personal nature, namely the practice of Yoga,
which also requires routine actions. The reference to yoga so far implied the
state of unity with the Brahman. Now the term Yoga refers to the practice
of meditation and breath control (i.e. pranayama) adopting certain sitting

postures. This practice is called Rajayoga aimed at the spiritual progress.
The yoga system so popular now-a-days in the westernised world as a
pathway to health is known as Hathayoga. It gives importance to the control
of the body for which various body postures (asanas) including sitting
postures are adopted. The postures are supported by pranayama and
together lead to the ability to control both the body and the mind.
The Hathayoga together with Pranayama practice has been adopted by
various experts to reduce mental and physical stresses and thereby
maintain good health. Some experts have used their own variations of the
techniques to develop attitude of positive thinking and thus become
successful in the world. Unfortunately, this adaptation for materialistic use
has been so much commercialised that a few Gurus have even patented
some of the yogic processes adopted by them so that others cannot use
them. Many commercial organisations, having realised the potential of this
kind of yoga training, make their executives undergo yoga courses to
increase their effectiveness. Even Governmental organisations, especially
those involved in the intelligence work seem to use these techniques for their
personnel.
Fortunately, the aim of Rajayoga has so far been only spiritual. The
classical Rajayoga, based on the Yogasutras of Patanjali is also called
Ashtangayoga because it involves observance of eight aspects: 1. Restraints
(yama), 2. Discipline (niyama), 3. Postures (asanas), 4. Control of breathing
(pranayama), 5. Turning attention inwards (pratyahara), 6. Concentration
(dharana), 7. Meditation (dhyana involving prolonged state of concentration)
and 8. Deep Trance (Samadhi). Many spiritual Gurus have introduced
several variations of the Rajayoga. These eight aspects purify both the body
and the mind as well as character. This will be clear from the following
aspects of Yama and Niyama:
Yama: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing),
Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha (Non-receiving or non-
accumulation of property).
Niyama: Shoucha (internal and external purification), Santosha
(contentment), Tapa (austerity), Swadhyaya (study) and Ishwarpranidhana
(Worship of God)].
Some variations of Rajayoga developed by various spiritual masters are: e.g.
Siddha yoga (Swami Nityananada centre at Ganeshpuri near Mumbai,
Shaktipat Yogay (Gulavani Maharaj Ashram in Pune and Swami Loknath
Tirtha centre in Nashik), Kriya Yoga (Swami Paramhansa Yogananda), Laya
yoga and Sahajayoga.
The variation mentioned here in the Dnyaneshwari is often termed as
Kundalini Yoga because the main aim of the practice is to awaken the
Kundalini, a dormant force present in all human beings, located near the
base of one's spine between the anus and the sexual organs. This location is
called the Muladhar Chakra or base centre. The Kundalini can be awakened
by yogic practice described in this chapter, but a capable Guru also can
awaken it in a disciple by using his own energy. This latter process is called
Shaktipat. This technique is used by the Swami Nityananda school of
Siddhayoga at Ganeshpuri and by the Gulawani Maharaj school in Pune.
Before we proceed, it would be advantageous to understand a few things

about Prana, Nadi and Chakras
(i) About Prana:
In common parlance, prana means life, but it is also used to mean Life-
force. Prana also means vital breath that supports life therefore it also
means life-force. Prana is also translated as Awareness with which life is
always associated. In yoga parlance prana implies a subtle force that
supports life. Pranayama implies control of prana by control of breathing.
Oxygen supports life hence it is called Pranavayu (vayu=gas).
This life force prana manifests itself through various processes in the body
e.g. breathing, blood circulation, hunger, thirst, digestion and activities of
the organs. Actually, prana has ten different names, five main and five
secondary, according to the particular action and its location. The main
types are Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana and Udana. Secondary pranas are
Naga, Kurma, Krikala, Devadatta and Dhananjaya. Dnyaheshwar Maharaj
tells about the following functions of these Pranas in the 18th chapter which
for convenience are summarised here as follows:
The vital air has ceaseless power of action. It is called vital air (Pranavayu)
when it gives rise to the Aum sound while moving from navel to the heart.
The same vital air when it moves around in the upper parts is called Udana,
when it comes out through the lower end it is called Apana and when it
occupies the whole body it is called Vyana. When it supplies the alimentary
juices to all corners of the body and fills in all the joints then it is called
Samana. Actions like yawning, sneezing, burping etc. are the manifestations
of the minor aspects of the vital energy namely Naga, Kurma, Krikal etc.
Thus, the power of action of Prana has different names according to its
behaviour in different places. But there are also slightly different definitions
of Prana and Apana.
In the older texts, when physiological processes were not well understood, it
was believed that prana originates in the heart. But we now know that the
lungs and the heart together maintain the most vital blood circulatory
system. The body gets energy for its activities by utilising the nutrients
during which process the oxygen in the blood is used up and replaced by
carbon dioxide. The heart collects the impure blood from all parts of the
body and pumps it to the lungs where the carbon dioxide in the blood is
replaced by oxygen from the inhaled air and the carbon dioxide loaded air is
exhaled. Following description is an adaptation of the classical process
based upon the modern knowledge of physiology.
There are three stages of the breathing process: Puraka or inhalation,
Rechaka or exhalation and the internal Kumbhaka or the in-between stage
when the lung is kept filled with the inhaled air. The stage between Rechaka
and Puraka is called external Kumbhaka during which the lung is empty.
During Rechaka, the air leaves the lungs as Prana and comes out of the
nose extending out to about 15 cm. From here it returns via the nose to the
lungs as Apana. Prana air is warm while Apana is cool hence Prana is said
to be like the Sun and Apana like the moon. It is clear that Prana takes the
carbon dioxide air out of the lungs and Apana brings fresh air in. During the
internal Kumbhaka, the impure blood pumped by the heart into the lungs
gets purified by exchanging the carbon dioxide in it for fresh oxygen from the
inhaled air during the Puraka stage. The purified blood goes to the heart and
is pumped to various parts of the body. As Dnyaneshwar Maharaj has
mentioned (see above) Prana in the lower part of the body is also called
Apana. This has a role to play in the Kundalini process as will be seen later.
In the older texts it is stated that Prana assists in the digestion of the food
while Apana cools the heart. It is also stated that the state when Prana
merges with Apana during the internal Kumbhaka, is important from the
consideration of stabilising the mind. Hence the four stages of breathing
must be properly controlled in order to reach a harmonious state of the
mind. This is what is called Pranayama. For proper harmony it is
recommended that if the Puraka lasts for four counts (i.e. counting one to
four), the Kumbhaka should be for sixteen and Rechaka for eight. (To be
practised only under expert guidance otherwise it can be harmful).
(ii) About Nadi and Chakras
The spinal column is a very important organ of the human body in the
context of Kundalini Yoga. The spine is said to have three Nadis or
channels starting from the base. These channels are not material channels
but subtle channels not to be found in the anatomical map. The Ida Nadi or
Surya (Sun) Nadi is to the right, Pingala Nadi or Chandra (Moon) Nadi is to
the left and the Sushumna Nadi is in the centre. When the Kundalini is
dormant it blocks the lower end of the Sushumna nadi. The upper end ends
in the brain.
Once the Kundalini is awakened in the Muladhar Chakra, continued yoga
practice enables the Kundalini to rise upwards through the Sushumna Nadi
through five more charkas. These are: the Swadhishtan Chakra located a
little above the Muladhar Chakra and below the navel; the Manipur Chakra
near the navel; the Anahat Chakra near the heart; the Vishuddha Chakra at
the throat; and Adnya Chakra in between the eyebrows. Finally, it rises
further up to the Sahasrara or the centre of thousand lotus petals on the
vertex crown. This is also called Brahmarandhra or the aperture of the
Brahman. This is when the yogi enjoys the bliss of the unification with
Brahman. The time taken between the Kundalini awakening and the
ultimate realisation can be several years or even several lifetimes, depending
upon the efforts of the seeker. Spiritual status in earlier birth and Gurus
grace can make the attainment of Brahman faster. The yoga postures
described here should not be practiced without guidance from a
teacher.
Most of the variations of the Rajayoga, which is more common now-a-days
require Lotus or half-Lotus sitting posture as compared with the relatively
difficult Hathayoga postures of Vajrasana as described by Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj. Practice of Hathayoga was common among the Nath Sect yogis for
disciplining the body and hence the mind. It is natural that Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj who was himself a Nath yogi should recommend the Hathayoga
route].
Shri Krishna now tells about the technique of Kundalini yoga as follows.
This path of (Kundalini) Yoga is the king among all yoga paths. One gains
innumerable fruits of detachment through deliberate actions by following
this path. A person who has taken up this path forgets about day, night or
even his bodily needs. Every step in this path takes one nearer to liberation.
The progress on this path occurs quietly but definitely.
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj then gives instructions (not given in Bhagvadgita)

about the practice of meditation. The instructions are summarised as
follows:
Selection of location
The seeker should first select for his Yoga practice a proper location where
one can seat and practice the yoga without disturbance. If the location is
away from habitation then food (e.g. fruits and roots) and water should be
available round the year. After selecting the place of practice one should sit
there alone for a long time and check whether or not the mind becomes
calm.
Preparation of the seat
Next, the seeker should prepare a proper seat that should be neither too
hard nor too soft. It should be covered with a clean washed cloth over it.
The seat should be of such a thickness as to make it steady and comfortable.
(Dnyaneshwar Maharaj suggests deer skin over the seat but that is not
possible in this age).
Stabilising the mind
The seeker should then sit there concentrating the mind while remembering
one's Guru until the mind is filled with Sattvic (pure) feelings in order that
the ego is blunted, mind is rid of thoughts of sense-objects and the organs
do not stir. He should remain in this state until he experiences that the
mind has merged with the heart. In this state the body automatically
becomes steady and airs in the body (pranas) come together. Subsequently,
the mind stabilises, interest in worldly affairs gets inhibited and he
effortlessly attains the state of deep trance (samadhi) as soon as he sits on
the seat.
Yogic posture
Having attained control over the mind the seeker should practice the yoga
postures as follows:
First sit with the calves of the legs pressed against the thighs
keeping the left leg on the other leg at a slight angle, press the right
sole steadily on the anus, keeping the sole of the left foot naturally
pressed on the right foot.
Pressing the heel tightly at the centre of the space between the anus
and the base of the generating organ, balance the body on it.
Keeping the two ankles straight lift the base of the spinal column.
This will make the whole body to be supported and balanced on the
heel. This is the characteristic of the Mula Bandha posture (the knot
at the root or base) also known as Vajrasana. Once this posture is
successful then the downward path of the Apana part of the vital
breath (or life force) gets blocked and it starts receding inside.
Then let both palms held in cupped shape rest on the left leg which
will make the shoulders rise. The head automatically gets in between
them. The eyes then remain in half-closed state and the sight turns
inwards. Even if it turns outwards it can look only up to the tip of the
nose. The desire to look around vanishes. Then the neck gets
contracted and the chin presses against the chest hiding the throat.
This posture of the neck and chest is called the Jalandhar Bandha or
knot.
Then the belly becomes flat and the navel gets raised. The posture of
the part of the body between the navel and the anus is called
Odhiyana Bandha or knot.
Thus the Yoga practice starts with the external parts of the body while
internally, the thoughts, desires and other affairs of the mind vanish. He is
not aware anymore of hunger and sleep.
[NOTE: Dnyaneshwar Maharaj suggests the Vajrasana posture that is part of
the Hathayoga system. However, Padmasana and Half-Padmasana or
Sahajasana (i.e. easy posture) are the postures used today in the Rajayoga
practice].
Awakening of Kundalini
Once this posture is easily achieved, the next stage is the awakening of the
Kundalini. The Apana breath then hits the Muladhar Chakra (see note above)
and removes all the impurities accumulated there since childhood. It then
rises to the Manipur Chakra and starts hitting against it removing the
impurities from there similarly. It then enters the abdomen and eliminates
the phlegm and bile. Then it reaches the centres of the seven essential
elements of the body (viz. flesh, blood, muscles, bones, marrow, chyle and
semen), gets rid of the fat and drives the marrow out from the bones. It
cleans the blood vessels and relaxes the organs. This may frighten the seeker
but he should not get frightened. By creating these ailments it throws the
diseases out from the body. Then the Apana breath brings the solid flesh
and bones and the liquid blood together.
While Apana does all this, the hitherto dormant Kundalini force awakens by
virtue of the heat created due to the constriction by the Mula Bandha of the
yogic posture. .
Course of the Kundalini
Once the Kundalini is awakened it swallows the Apana which has occupied
the space in the region of the heart. It then swallows the fat and excess
flesh from the region of the heart and wherever else it can find flesh. It goes
to every organ including palms and soles, purifies the skin and makes it
touch the bones. Then it cleans the insides of the bones and scrapes the
interior of the blood vessels with the result that the roots of the hair are
burnt. It then drinks off the seven essential elements and makes the body
hot and dry.
Pushing tne Prana and Apana aside, Kundalini eats off the Earth principle
(solid part) and also completely licks off the Water principle (liquid part) from
the body and feeling satiated becomes mild and rests at the Sushumna
(central) nerve in the spine. At this stage the heat leaves the body which now
becomes cool from inside as well as from outside and the lost strength
returns.
The flow in the Sushumna stops and the functions of the remaining nine
Pranas also stop. Because of this the body becomes still. The Ida and
Pingala nerves in the spine meet, the three knots get loosened and the
curtains of the six Chakras open. Then the vital breaths passing through
the right (Ida) and left (Pingala) nostrils fade to quietness. At this time, the
intellect gets stilled and the remaining fragrance in the Prana enters the
Sushumna nerve along with the Kundalini. Then the spiritual nectar
(Ambrosia or Amrit) situated at the crown of the head spills into the mouth of
the Kundalini and then gets absorbed throughout the body including the ten
Pranas.
Body gets rejuvenated
All organs show their bright aura. The aging process gets reversed. The yogi
gets back his lost childhood and he looks like a boy. He gets new nails and
(small pearl-like) teeth. Tiny hair grow on the body. The palms and soles
become red and the eyes become so clean that even with half-closed eyes he
can see afar. Though the colour of his skin becomes golden, his body
becomes light as air because now there is no earth and water principles in it.
He is able to see beyond the seas and understand what is going on in
heaven. He is able to understand what is in an ant's mind and he can ride
the wind. Even if he walks on water his feet do not get wet. Thus he attains
such spiritual powers (Siddhis).
Divine experiences
The rising Kundalini now may be considered as the expression of the
Supreme Soul. The yogi then starts hearing the divine Anahat sound. The
intellect becomes active and is now able to hear some of this Anahat sound.
The Anahat sound reverberations near the heart persist as long as Air principle
is not destroyed. The reverberations in the Sky principle (space) open the
window of the Brahmarandhra (Sahasrar) easily. There is another space above
the Sahasrar where the Consciousness (Chaitanya) resides. Finally, the
Kundalini force enters the Brahmarandhra or the Sahasrara. It is here that
he becomes one with the Brahman and enjoys the bliss of the Self. This is
also called the point where Shiva principle and Shakti, his active creative
principle meet.
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj says, "Using the body itself to devour the I-am-the-body
ego is the principle of the Nath Panth (sect). Shri Krishna has merely mentioned
it in the Gita, but I have put the details before the audience.
Thus the soul, which was separated from the Brahman by virtue of acquiring
the body, enters the Brahman. Shri Krishna tells Arjuna that this
phenomenon is not something explicit that can be understood by listening to
words. There is nothing more remains for him to know. I can only say that
if one is fortunate then one should experience the Brahman and be one with
it. But to talk about it is meaningless.
That (Brahman) is the root of the universe, fruit of the yoga, and the energy
of the bliss. That is where the forms dissolve. It is the place of liberation.
Beginning and end disappear there. It is the seed of the five principles and
brightness of the Great Effulgence. (Shri Krishna says,) When I take avatar,
I take it from there. The great bliss of this state is beyond description.
Persons who have realised Self by steadily striving for it have become pure
and reached My status.
[NOTE: Indian philosophy postulates the world to be made of five principles
or elements, Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky or Space. This is as per the
understanding of the thinkers at the beginning of human civilisation When
seen from the modern physical point of view, the first three are the three
states of matter namely solid, liquid and gaseous states. The fourth
represents the energy while the fifth is the space. Modern science has found
more than 100 elements, about 92 of them occurring naturally. But this
does not change the basic arguments in the Indian philosophy].
WORTHINESS FOR YOGA PRACTICE

However, in order to become successful in this yoga, the seeker must be
worthy and capable of doing it. But worthiness can be acquired only by
performs the prescribed actions with detachment. Moderation in behaviour
helps to become worthy of practising Yoga. It should be understood that:
One who does not perform prescribed actions does not become worthy
of yoga practice.
One who is a slave to the pleasures of the tongue and of sleep does
not have the right to practice yoga.
Also, one who diets obstinately by suppressing his hunger and thirst
and does not sleep properly cannot control his body and therefore
cannot succeed in yoga.
The lesson is that one should neither pamper the sense-pleasures nor
abandon them totally. In other words,
One should eat, but it should be proper and in moderation.
One should undertake only a limited number of tasks. One should
talk only what is necessary, walk within limits and sleep at proper
times only.
Even if one has to stay awake for some reason, it should not be
beyond some specific limit.
By such regular routine, the essential constituents of the body remain in
balance. And when the senses are satisfied in proper proportions, the mind
also remains satisfied. Once the external organs get regulated, the internal
happiness increases and the yoga is achieved even without practice. Thus,
practising yoga by remaining regular leads to experiences the Self.
A person whose mind becomes steady and remains so until death, may be
called a person who has achieved yoga. In this stage, his mind may be
compared to a flame in windless air.
[NOTE: This is a very valuable advice. Many people think that fasting, or
otherwise torturing the body is beneficial spiritually. One should never
forget that all types of spiritual sadhana are aimed at controlling the mind to
make it steady. Mind cannot be disengaged from the body except in the very
advanced stages of sadhana (see the next paragraph). Therefore, it is
essential for sadhaks who follow this path to observe moderation as
prescribed. But this is not applicable to Bhakti path. A devotee may
continue bhajans and kirtans unaware of space and time. His mind is fully
engaged by the Object of his devotion].
GAINS FROM YOGA PRACTICE

Just as a beneficial thing often appears to be painful, the practice of Yoga
also appears to be difficult. But the sense-organs can be disciplined only
with the practice of yoga, by sitting steadily in the posture as described
earlier. Once that is achieved, the mind automatically sets towards the Soul.
And when it looks back after reaching there, it realises that I have been
That all the time. It then gets immersed in bliss and dissolves in the
Brahman, beyond which nothing else exists.
In this state, his mind remains steady, and his awareness about the body
vanishes even if it is afflicted by severe pains. The mind forgets the desires
and is no longer mindful of the worldly matters.
ATTITUDES FOR STARTING YOGA PRACTICE

Shri Krishna now tells about the attitude to be adopted for taking up the
yoga practice.
First step is that one should get rid of desire and anger that arise
from the thoughts in the mind.
o Once the sense pleasures are eliminated and organs are
controlled, then the mind becomes calm.
o Thus, once dispassion sets in, desires do not enter the mind
and then courage supports the intellect.
o Once the courage helps the intellect, it turns the mind towards
Self-realisation.
Even if this does not happen, there is another easy way to achieve
Self-realisation.
o First, one should make a rule that once a resolution is made, it
will not be changed.
o It is well and good if this makes the mind steady. But if it does
not happen, then allow the mind to wander freely. Then bring
it back from wherever it has wandered. It will then be
naturally steady.
o Once the mind is able to remain steady for some considerable
time, it will, by itself, come towards the Self; and when it sees
the Self, it will become one with it.
If you are not able to do even this, then there is still another way
which is to practice the outlook of equality, due to which you will see
the universe in yourself and be one with it.
o One should fix the thought in the mind that, I am in the body
of every being and everything is in Me. This universe and all
living beings are interlinked.
o Needless to say that, one who sees My presence in every being
with the feeling of equality, without any discrimination based
on the outwardly differences between them, is undisputedly
one with Me.
A person who has experienced Self, even if he goes about looking outwardly
to be happy or unhappy like any other person, is himself Brahman by virtue
of his experience. Therefore, there is nothing worth achieving other than
this outlook of equality.
DIRECTING THE MIND

Shri Krishna then replies to Arjunas doubt: The nature of the mind is to
resist control. Then how can mind become steady and impart the sense of
equality? Shri Krishna says,
The mind is mercurial, but if, with the help of dispassion, one turns it
towards the practice of yoga, then after some time it will become
steady.
The mind has one good quality. It develops a liking for whatever it
gets attracted to. Therefore one should make it develop a liking for
the experience of the Self.
It is impossible for those who are not dispassionate and who do not practice
yoga, to control the mind. But how can it become steady unless one
practises regulated behaviour (Yama-Niyama) with an attitude of dispassion
and refrains from getting immersed in sense pleasures?
WHAT IF THE SEEKER DIES HALFWAY?

To this question from Arjuna, Shri Krishna replies.
A person who longs for liberation gets nothing other than liberation. If he
dies halfway, then it must be considered that he is merely taking rest for
some time. Had he succeeded in his yoga practice, he would have attained
liberation even before death. Death may have stopped him in the middle,
but liberation is reserved for him.
After death he easily reaches the higher planes, but gets sick of the
enjoyments on these planes because he considers them as impediments in
his path to liberation. Then he returns to the earth and is born in a
religious ethical family, where he again starts making spiritual progress. Or,
he is born into the family of a yogi of high level. Because of his past, the
person, even as a child, is already loaded with Knowledge. He has a mature
intellect, therefore he naturally knows all branches of knowledge. His
intellect develops further from the point when he died in the earlier birth and
he is able to grasp mysterious subjects and even difficult things told by a
Guru. Somehow, Yoga practice also comes easily to him, and he can attain
the samadhi state effortlessly. He attains Siddhis even in the acolyte stage.
He has now reached the shores of Self-realisation after overcoming the
impediments of thousands of births. In time, he becomes one with the
Brahman with the consequent indescribable and unfathomable bliss. He
reaches this state while still in his body. Consider him as my life-force. He
experiences that he is the triumvirate of a devotee, devotion and the deity of
devotion. This union of love between him and me can be described only as I
being the body in which he is the soul.
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 7 - WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE
KNOWLEDGE, WORLDLY KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE

After telling Arjuna about the Yoga technique, Shri Krishna now tells about
knowledge. He says the following:
There are two types of knowledge:
o Knowledge of the Brahman and
o Worldly knowledge.
To think that worldly knowledge is the true knowledge is Ignorance.
True knowledge is beyond the worldly knowledge. It is where the
intellect cannot enter, thoughts stop, and logic does not work.
When Knowledge (of the Brahman) is experienced, the intellect puts
behind the worldly knowledge. Therefore, it is necessary to know
about the latter first.
Millions of people desire for Knowledge of the Brahman but rare is he
who manages to get that desire fulfilled.
Shri Krishna says that how to eliminate ignorance is a profound problem
and very difficult to explain, but proceeds to explain it to Arjuna.
HOW TO ELIMINATE IGNORANCE

The world is my projection
Like the shadow cast by a body, the principles like Mahat etc. from which
this material universe is created, is my projection. This projection is called
Maya or Prakriti. It consists of eight parts, and is the one that creates the
three worlds. The eight parts are: the five elements (earth, water, air, fire
and sky), the mind, the intellect and the ego. (This is as per the Sankhya
philosophy).
Para Prakriti
The state of equilibrium of these eight parts is my basic, subtle or Para
Prakriti. It is also known as the Jiva (individual being). It is the principle of
action in the life-force. It creates the feelings of sorrow and temptation in
the mind. Association with it is what gives the intellect the capability to
know. It runs the affairs of the world with the support the ego originating
from it.
[NOTE: Prakriti literally means "exceptional ability". It is the wonderful
nature out of which the vast material world in all of its intricate aspects
takes shape. Prakrti is characterized by the three gunas of Sattva, Raja,
and Tama.
The first principle created by Prakriti is Mahat, the Cosmic intelligence,
equivalent to the intellect or Buddhi in humans. The next principle is the
Ahankara or ego, the sense of self-identity (not personal pride), and the
centre in our consciousness from which we think, act and react. This false
sense of identity separates one's real Self from everything else and focuses it
upon matter leading a person to think, "I am this body, this is mine, and this
is for me." This Ahankara is what is responsible for the material universe.
Ahankara expresses itself in three universal attributes or qualities: Sattva,
Raja and Tama. (See notes in Ch 2)
The mind, the five senses and the sense organs and the five
organs of action are born from the essence of the Sattva
attribute (the attribute of stability, purity, wakefulness, clarity and
light);
Sensations, feelings and emotions are caused due to the Raja
attribute that represents dynamic movement;
The five elements (earth, water, fire, wind and the sky) that form
the material world are created from the Tama attribute (the
attribute responsible for the tendency towards inertia and
lethargy, darkness, heaviness, deep sleep, ignorance and
confusion).
For more details one should consult some work on Sankhya philosophy].
CREATION OF LIFE
When this subtle or Para Prakriti creates the gross Prakriti of the living
beings in the world, four types of life, belonging to different species, are
produced
Jaraja or born through uterus,
Andaja or born through eggs,
Swedaja or from sweat e.g. lice etc., and
Udbhija or born through seeds i.e. plants.
There are 8.4 million of such species and their number in each is countless.
(NOTE: The number of insect and animal species on earth, estimated by
scientists, closely agrees with this number).
It is the Prakriti that creates lives in each species from the five elements and
controls their population. It controls their birth, life and finally the death
that results in their return to the five elements. However, the Prakriti
itself is My projection, and therefore it is I who am the beginning,
middle and the end of this world.
Just as the mirage originates in the Sun and vanishes with i, similarly, this
visible universe is created from the original state, which is Me and finally
dissolves and reaches the same original state. Thus, whatever is created and
destroyed is in Me and I support it from inside and outside.
I am the principle in everything
Thus, the liquid principle of water, the touch of the wind, the light of
the sun and moon are all Me, the natural fragrance of the earth is Me
and the sound from the sky is also Me.
The sound of Aum (from the Vedas) is also Me.
The virility in man is Me, the essence of the ego is Me.
The basic energy in the fire is Me.
This world contains different kinds of living creatures that survive on
different kinds of food; and I exist inseparably in the means for their
survival.
This universe is created, remains apparent during its existence and is

finally annihilated into its original state. That which expands at the
time of creation to become the universe and does not vanish even
after the created universe is annihilated, that formless entity, that self
generated seed of the Universe, is Me.
The penance of the ascetics is My form only.
I am the strength of the strong and the intellect in the intelligent.
I am the desire in all creatures by virtue of which the prescribed
behaviour (Dharma) and earning of the livelihood are possible.
Though this desire is controlled by the sense organs, it does not let
them go against the Dharma. When it is free of the tendency towards
prohibited actions it is guided by self-restraint. Because of this, the
prescribed actions come to a successful conclusion and a worldly
person achieves liberation.
One can go on indefinitely like this. The principle to be understood is that
all this expanse of the material world has been rooted in Me.
MAYA CREATED BY ME BUT VEILS ME

The feelings of the mind, having the three attributes Sattva (purity), Raja
(passion, action) and Tama (sloth), have been created from Me; but even so, I
am not in them. [Simile: seed gives rise to a tree and then to wood, but this
seed is not in the wood].
But this Maya, even though it is my projection and created from Me, veils
Me. This prevents creatures from realising Me, even though they have been
created from Me and acquired life due to Maya. Instead of becoming one
with Me (by shedding desires) they get blinded by desires due to selfishness.
GOING BEYOND MAYA

The problem is how to go beyond this Maya and realise Me. This is possible
only if proper and effective steps are taken.
Ineffective steps
People do take steps to cross this river of Maya, but some of those steps can
be harmful. For example,
Those trying to cross it on the strength of their intellect get lost.
Those trying to cross it using knowledge are swallowed by pride.
Those taking the help of the Vedas are burdened by the ego and are
consumed by arrogance.
Those trying to use their youthful strength are caught in the sexual
lust and eventually, becoming old and demented, die sad and
frustrated.
Those who perform Yajnas get trapped in the wedge of heavenly
enjoyment.
Those who perform ritualistic actions with the goal of liberation get
caught in the issues of right and wrong.
Proper steps
What are essential for crossing this River of Maya are an attitude of
detachment and discrimination; and for those who can do so, also an all
round yoga practice.
Only those who are single-mindedly devoted to Me can cross this
River of Maya. Actually they do not even have to cross it because they
have rid themselves of the illusion of Maya even before they die.
Those who follow the path of Knowledge to attain unity with the
Brahman, under guidance by a True Guru, shed the ego, calm the
mind, avoid desires, and leaping towards liberation, attain it with the
strength of their detachment and with the conviction "I am That". But
such devotees are very rare.
All other types of devotees are affected by ego, and forget the Self. Totally
unaware of the purpose of their rebirth, they get engrossed in sense-
pleasures, passions and ego. They do not realise the purpose of their
rebirth, even when affected by pain and sorrow, because Maya clouds their
minds. They therefore miss attaining Me.
FOUR TYPES OF DEVOTEES

There are four types of devotees who profit by their devotion to Me:
1. Arta (distressed), who becomes My devotee because he desires to be
rid of his distress
2. Jijnasu (curious), who worships me because he wants to know about
Me out of an intellectual curiosity
3. Artharthi (desirous of wealth) who worships Me for wealth and
4. Jnani (enlightened). My real devotee, who wants nothing but Me for
My own sake.
A Jnani devotees is My soul
Though I like even those devotees who come to Me with selfish motives, the
devotee I really love is the Jnani type. A Jnani achieves oneness with Me
even while he is in the body, but the peculiar thing is that even after becoming
one with Me, he wishes to remain My devotee. He may appear to be My
devotee from his external actions but internally he has become Me and
knows that I am his soul. Therefore, feeling satisfied, I too consider him as
My soul. Just as water is within and without a vessel dipped in it, so is he
within Me and I within him and outside him as well. But all this cannot be
expressed in words.
WORSHIP WITH SELFISH INTENT

Devotees other than of the Jnani type, worship Me only with selfish desires.
Deprived of the light of Knowledge, remaining internally and externally in the
darkness of ignorance, they are distanced from Me.
They heartily worship other deities with elaborate rituals, paying detailed
attention to the rules, means and offerings. But though they think that it is
the deities that have fulfil their desires, it is really I who fulfil them, because
I am present in all the deities. The devotee however, does not believe so and
thinks that the various deities are different from each other. The deities
whom a selfish devotee worships are as impermanent as the fruits they are
supposed to give. On the other hand, it is only I who am eternal.
Such devotees do not know Me because they do not come out of their narrow
thinking. On the other hand, only those, who choose to be My devotees with
their body and mind, attain on death, oneness with Me who is eternal. But
his is not what the common man does and therefore puts himself to loss.
An enigma
It is really an enigma why a person should get chained by the craving for the
fruits of actions (success) instead of flying high on the wings of Self-
realisation; why he should try to measure the immeasurable bliss of the Self;
why he should consider the formless, unmanifestable Me as manifestable
and having form; why he should try to create rituals for reaching Me when I
am in all creatures. People are blinded by the veil of Maya and therefore are
not able to see me, though I am in the form of light. Is there anything in
which I am not present? I alone pervade the entire universe.
All life is an illusion
I was in every creature who ever lived; and at this moment I am in all
creatures that are living and I am not separate from those who will be born
in the future. But this is only in a manner of speaking. Actually nothing is
born and nothing dies. All life is an illusion. Thus, though I am eternally
in all, yet they are still caught in the birth and death cycles. But there is a
reason for it.
PITFALLS FROM DESIRE

Ego and (love for) the body give rise to desire. When desire combines with
hate the delusion that I am the body which is different from the soul is
born. This delusion is fostered by the ego. Ego makes a person shun
courage and self-control. Fed on hope, it causes the delusion to grow.
Dissatisfaction makes one indulge more and more in sense-pleasures, and
this increases the delusion. It brings impediments in the path of devotion
and paves the path of evil deeds. Because of it, people get confused, go
astray in life and come under the heavy burden of sorrow.
But those who are devoted become free from doubts and delusion. They
avoid sinful actions and come speedily near Me through meritorious actions
and thus escape the clutches of desire and anger.
Sometime or other, they succeed in attaining the goal of experiencing the
perfect Brahman. When the novelty of this experience fades away, they find
the world to be full of bliss. They gain peace of mind and there is no more
need for actions. They then develop a sense of equality and attain unity with
Me. When, with the impetus of their Knowledge, they look at Me as the
Supreme deity of the yajnas or the Supreme Soul, they do not grieve death.
This is in contrast with the common man who feels that death is a big
calamity. Nobody knows how, but those who have become one with me, do
not leave me even when they die. Those who have gained this perfect
Knowledge are the real yogis.
[NOTE: According to this, there are stages of spiritual progress. First is to go
nearer God. Second is Self-realisation. Third is to get used to this state of
Self-realisation. Fourth is to enjoy bliss, gain peace of mind. Finally lose the
duality with God and be one with Him. But this is not the end. They should
realise that He is also the Supreme Soul. Once all this happens, there is no
fear of death left, because he is liberated even while he is living].
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 8 - THE IMPERISHABLE ABSOLUTE
This chapter opens with some questions of theoretical nature from Arjuna.
But the discussion later leads again to Brahman and how to attain it.
ADHIBHUTA, ADHIDAIVATA ETC.
Arjuna requests Shri Krishna to clarify the meaning of the terms Brahman,
Karma, and Adhyatma, and also to explain what Adhibhuta, Adhidaivat and
Adhiyajna are. Shri Krishna explains as follows:
Brahman (Parabrahman)
Brahman is that which does not leak out in spite of being contained in the
porous body, that which is subtle but not non-existent, and which pervades
the sky and the material world.
Adhyatma (Supreme Soul)
Adhyatma is the natural state of the principle of the Brahman which is not
created but takes form; and even after losing the form does not get
destroyed.
Karma
Different elements or principles like Prakriti, Mahat (cosmic intelligence), Ego,
the five principles etc., are created from that formless Brahman. These give
rise to birth, sustenance and death of countless different life species. The
limitless Brahman pervades them all. But who created the world and why it
was created is something that one cannot find. The act of creation without
the creator, attributed to the Brahman, is called Karma.
[NOTE: Creation is attributed to the Brahman, but it is not the creator
because it does not create it directly. It makes use of its creative aspect
Prakriti for the creation. Thus, though the Brahman is responsible for the act
or Karma of creation, it is not the creator and therefore is a non-doer or
without Karma].
Adhibhuta (Supreme Spirit)
Adhibhuta is that impermanent entity which is formed from one-fifth part of
each of the five principles (Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Sky or Space),
becomes apparent because of them but is destroyed as soon as it is
separated from them.
Adhidaivata (Supreme Being)
Adhidaivata is the living individual. He is actually the ultimate Self but due
to ego, he gets trapped in the struggle in life and experiences happiness,
sorrow etc. He enjoys whatever is created by Prakriti. He is the one that
activates the life force (consciousness), is the master of the organs and one
by whose association, the thoughts, desires etc. continue to exist even after
the body dies. Ordinarily understood as the living being, he may be called
Adhidaivata of the body, which is made of the five principles.
(NOTE: The material body is the visible body made of the five principles.
Associated with the material body is the subtle body called lingadeha. It is
really the atman (soul) veiled by avidya i.e. ignorance. All our desires,
impressions, memories of our actions (karmas) are associated with the
lingadeha. Lingadeha continues to exist after death and along with all the
impressions, desires etc, travels to other planes, from where the person to
whom it belongs is ultimately reborn on earth. Thus we see that the
Adhidaivata is the lingadeha).
Adhiyajnya (Principal Sacrifice)
One who eradicates the I-am-the-body feeling in the body is the Adhiyajnya
that is Me. I, the Supreme Brahman, am both Adhibhuta (Supreme Spirit)
and Adhidaivata (Supreme Being), but both are veiled in normal persons by
I-am-the-body ignorance,. Therefore, they think that both are different from
Me. The true realisation that both are same as Me comes when this I-am-
the-body ignorance is burnt in the fire of the Adhiyajnya i.e. Principal
Sacrifice. When the I-am-the-body feeling vanishes, the original unity with
the Brahman becomes evident. Where this happens, that Adhiyajnya is Me.
This leads to liberation, the state where all living things ultimately come to
rest. As told earlier in Ch 4, all yajnas are performed through actions.
ATTAINING LIBERATION
Shri Krishna suggests the following steps for attaining liberation.
Control the senses and avoid sense-pleasures with dispassionate
attitude.
Practise yoga technique (using Vajrasana, breath and mind control) in
order to attain Knowledge of the Brahman. That Knowledge is called
Adhiyajnya. (Note: Knowledge of the Brahman is the same as the
Brahman which is the same as God).
A person who knows Me as Adhiyajnya, dwells in the Self. For him the body
is a mere cover. Such a (Self-realised) person does not have awareness
about external matters. By becoming one with Me, he automatically sheds
the cover of the five principles from his body. He becomes the Brahman
living in the Brahman. Even while living he is not aware of his body and he
does not feel grief for its loss by death.
The intellect of a Self-realised person becomes one with the Brahman,
therefore it does not get destroyed at death. I pervade the intellect of a
person who remembers me at the time of death, therefore he becomes one
with Me on death.
[NOTE: Dnyaneshwar Maharaj gives a beautiful simile for explaining the last
mentioned point. He says, A vessel immersed in water has water inside as
well as outside. Does water break if the vessel breaks? Similarly, even if the
body gets destroyed, Brahman continues to be everywhere. Therefore, how
can the intellect, which has become one with it, get destroyed? Therefore,
those who remember me at the time of death, become one with me.]
AKSHAR AND KSHAR

The Brahman has been called Akshar i.e. immutable or indestructible by
men of Knowledge. On the other hand, Kshar or mutable is that which can
be sensed and assessed by the senses. Akshar is the same as the highest
Soul and is above Prakriti.
STATE AFTER DEATH

[NOTE: Common man is afraid of death for many reasons. He is attached to
his body, to his material possessions, to friends, relatives etc. and is unsure
about what is going to happen about them after his death. There is also a
fear, the fear of the repercussions of bad deeds he has done in his lifetime.
There is distress about pending and unfulfilled obligations to others and
from others. There is also the fear of the unknown, for, he has no knowledge
of what lies beyond death. The desires and fears remain as long as he has
not experienced Self. On the other hand, a Self-realised person has
experienced Brahman and has become one with it. For him the body is a
temporary cage in which he is trapped by rebirth. Being dispassionate, his
actions are more as a duty not related to the sense pleasures. Such a
person is not aware of his body and is liberated even while living. He does
not fear his death.
Yogis like Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, Shri Shankar Maharaj and Shri
Tailanga Swami etc. have the freedom and capability to decide when to leave
their body and take Sanjeevan Samadhi by letting go of the life-force (Prana)
via the prescribed route in the body. Some yogis like Shri Swami Samarth,
Shri Saibaba, Shri Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon etc. prefer to leave their
body through some worldly causes like an illness, for every event must have
a cause.
These points have been expressed earlier by Shri Krishna. Now he tells
some important things about what happens when a yogi leaves his body,
and what a seeker, who is not a yogi, should do at the time of death].
Importance of thoughts at the time of death
Shri Krishna tells Arjuna, Understand that for every person,
Whatever state a dying persons mind dwells on at the time of his
death is the state he attains after death. ( i.e. if he thinks of material
things, he will be reborn on earth again getting involved in the
material things; but if he thinks of his Guru or a particular deity then
he will reach their plane).
Whatever one longs for in life, comes to the mind at the time of death
and he attains that state. Therefore, one should make a habit of
always remembering Me. Make sure that whatever you hear, think,
see, speak is throughout about Me and then I shall always be with
you. I assure you that if you offer your mind and intellect to Me then
you will attain only Me.
Purify your conscious mind by this practice and lead it to the spiritual
path. If the wandering mind gets engrossed in the Self, then who
cares or remembers whether the body exists or not? The mind merges
with Consciousness, which is the bliss.
Uniting With Brahman by Yoga
The above does not apply to a yogi who is in complete control of his mind
and is completely desireless and dispassionate. At the time of death, a yogi
or person of Self-realisation sits in the appropriate position (in lotus
position, facing north), while internally concentrating with steady mind on
Brahman, enjoying the eternal bliss gained by the practice of desireless
actions. He is completely aware:
- that the faultless Brahman is formless and without birth and death,
- that It witnesses all, is older than the sky and subtler than the
atom,
- that It gives birth to the entire visible world and the world lives by It,
- that It is beyond logic and beyond imagination,
- that even in broad daylight the eyes cannot see It,
- that It always appears lustrous like a sunbeam to men of
Knowledge, but
- that It never sets,
Using the yogic techniques mastered for attaining It quickly, he brings the
life-force (Prana) from the Manipur Chakra (near the navel), through the
Sushumna (central nerve) route, to the Brahmarandhra (aperture on the
crown). Here, the life-force merges with the sky-principle. The steady mind
and the life-force appear outwardly to have merged. But using the strength
of the yogic power, the stable mind and the steady devotion, the life force
eliminates the worldly considerations, enters the centre of the eyebrows and
vanishes there. Just as the sound of a bell vanishes in the bell itself, the
devotee leaves his body and merges into pure Brahman, which is my
lustrous form.
Concentrating on Aum at Death-Time
By breaking the habit of the mind to wander, one should steady the
mind in the heart. But this is possible only when the senses are
controlled with determination.
After the mind becomes steady one should meditate on Aum, and
bring the life-force (Prana) to the Brahmarandhra.
Then, by concentrating, it should be brought to the boundary of
Consciousness. Then, when the A, U and Ma merge in the half
syllable Ma, it should be made steady in the Consciousness. The
uttering of Aum then stops and the life-force also dissolves in the
Consciousness but the bliss that is Brahman remains.
AUM is my monosyllable form. He who dies while meditating on it,
undoubtedly reaches Me. There is nothing more for him to be attained
beyond that.
I AM THE SERVANT OF DEVOTEES

[NOTE: Reader will naturally wonder how, with all the load of material
worries, fear of the unknown etc., a dying person would be able to positively
remember God. But Shri Krishna (as almighty Bhagwan) explains how this
is possible for devotees and that explanation will bring tears of devotional
love to readers eyes. I have not condensed this part].
Shri Krishna says, Arjuna, you may perhaps doubt as to how anyone can
remember Me at the time of death when the senses are under its shadow
and the joy of living is lost. You may also wonder as to how, in the state of
mind likely to occur when a person knows that his death is imminent, he
can sit up, control the senses and recite Aum. But do not let such doubts
trouble you because, for one who serves Me constantly, I become his servant
at the time of his death.
Such persons give up sense-pleasures, control their active life; keeping Me in

the heart, they experience the joy of the Self and thus worship Me by being
constantly engrossed in Me and close to Me. What use is this worship if I
were to come to my devotees only if they remember me at the time of their
death? Do I not rush, purely out of compassion, to any person or even a
creature that prays for my help at the time of distress? (Reference is made
here to the well-known story of Gajendramoksha i.e. saving the elephant
devotee from the jaws of the crocodile). If I were to wait for devotees
prayers before I go to help them, then who would like to be a devotee? I
must rush to them the moment they remember Me. Otherwise I shall not be
able to bear the burden of their devotion.
It is for this reason,, that is, to pay the debt of their devotion, that I go to the
devotees to serve them at the time of death. In order that the weakness of
their bodies does not cause them distress, I keep them bound to the state of
Self-realisation, make their mind calm and steady and thus bring those dear
ones to Me.
The devotees too are not sorry to leave their body, because they do not have
attachment for it. Also, they do not feel that I need come to them to take
them to Me at the time of death because, they have already become one with
Me while they are still alive. Those who have attained this infinite Me are
not reborn.
EVEN GODS CANNOT AVOID LIFE CYCLES

Brahmaloka is the abode of Brahmadeo the creator. Those fortunate
persons who, by virtue of their spiritual progress, reach this loka (plane),
never come back. But even Brahmadeo has to suffer the life and death
cycles. Brahmadeos life span is 100 Brahma years where one Brahma year
equals 311,040 crores of earth years. Brahmadeos one day and night are
equivalent to 864 crore earth years. Even the life of Indra, the king of gods,
is less than this, because 14 Indras come and go in just half of Brahmadeos
daytime.
When the day dawns in Brahmaloka, the formless Brahman gives birth to
the material Universe, which vanishes when Brahmadeo's night starts. The
cycle again starts at the next dawn. But even this Brahmaloka, so vast as to
contain the seed of this universe, is caught in the cycle of life and death.
During the death stage at night, the manifestable universe merges with the
Brahman and is not different from It. This state of oneness with the
unmanifestable is called the state of equality.
[NOTE: The time scales mentioned above should not be taken literally in the
light of todays scientific findings. What the above two paragraphs imply is
that, even deities like Brahma, Vishnu etc., are not imperishable, though
they may have a much longer life span than other creatures. Readers
interested in further details about time scales may please see the comments
at the end of the chapter].
BRAHMAN IS MY HIGHEST ABODE

Shri Krishna further elaborates on the topic of the state of equality:
In this state of equality, the five elements are not manifested.
In Brahman alone do both the manifestable and unmanifestable
attributes occur.
But Brahman itself is neither manifestable nor unmanifestable. It is

neither eternal nor destructible. It is beyond these two attributes and
is axiomatic. The name Akshar itself signifies its indestructibility. It
is called the ultimate state (Paramagati) since there is nothing beyond
it.
The Brahman or the Soul, which occupies the body, appears as if it is
dormant, because it neither does actions nor causes them to be done.
But, in spite of its apparent lack of participation, the affairs of the
body like the awareness of the intellect, transactions of the mind,
plays of the organs and movement of the life-force continue nicely.
Since it (Akshar) dwells quietly in the body, it is known as Purusha
(Supreme Being or Soul).
Also, since It is loyal to Prakriti, it is called Purusha. It is all
encompassing and superior yogis call it as the Supreme Being
beyond ego (Paraatpara).
It comes searching for the true devotees and rewards them for their
devotion.
It is the dwelling place of those who believe that the universe is the
form of Brahman.
It is the place of glory for the ego-less, Knowledge to those beyond
attributes, kingdom of happiness for the desireless; it is like the food
served to the contented; it protects like a mother those devotees who
do not bother about worldly problems.
The path of devotion is the direct approach to It. There is no
rebirth after Self-realisation.
It is my highest abode. I am revealing this secret to you.
YOGIS FATE AFTER DEATH

[NOTE: Recall the last two paragraphs of Ch 6 on what happens if a yogi
dies before attaining Self-realisation]
Archira Path
If a yogi has to leave his body accidentally then he has to take rebirth.
The factors favourable for yogis to leave the body in order to attain
Brahman are,
o internally the strength of the fire principle within the body,
and
o externally (i) the bright fortnights (ii) the period of Uttarayana
(the six months of the northward passage of the sun which now
starts on December 22), and (iii) daytime.
This is the best set of conditions and is called Archira Marg. Yogis who leave
their body under these favourable conditions become the Supreme Brahman
themselves. Herein lies the greatness of the yoga path, which is the
straightforward path to liberation.
Because the fire principle (heat) is active in the body when death is near, the
yogis intellect, memory and mind function properly; and because of the
protection by the experience of the Brahman, all organs remain bright, this
brightness lasting until death.
Smoky Path
However, conditions may not always be favourable for various reasons, and
that may prevent or delay the liberation. E.g.,
If the auspicious time is not met, then the yogi has to take rebirth.
It may also happen, (even when the time is auspicious) that the body,
due to harmful airs, is filled throughout by phlegm at the time of
death thus destroying the intensity of fire principle. Then there is no
vigour in the life-force and the intellect therefore does not work, the
power of action (Chetana) in the body does not survive and the body is
like a lump of mud. The yogi then has to spend the remaining time of
his life in darkness. He loses his memory and his past spiritual
achievements become ineffective prior to death. Thus he has to take
rebirth.
This internal state of the body, together with the external conditions:
(i) dark fortnight, (ii) night-time and (iii) the six months of
Dakshinayan (the southward passage of the sun which now starts on
June 21) can only lead to rebirth.
A yogi who dies under these conditions, because he is a yogi goes to
Chandraloka, (Moon plane) and is reborn after some time. This is the smoky
path to rebirth in contrast with the easy, pleasant and liberating Archira
Path.
BETTER ATTAIN BRAHMAN WHILE LIVING

In practice however, whatever falls to a yogis fate is his real path. But, to
those who attained Brahman while still in the body, that is not relevant
because they do not bother about the body or its death. Therefore, one
should be equipped with Yoga to attain Brahman. Then, irrespective of
when and where you shed your body, the unification with Brahman will be
eternal.
[NOTE: The statement about yogis fate being his real path may raise a
question What use are the yogic efforts if, after all, one has to depend upon
fate? Actually yogic path is also a kind of Karma yoga. The lesson therefore
is to continue its practice without getting concerned with the fruits thereof.
If you succeed in attaining the Archira path, well and good. If not, then the
failure may be ascribed toearlier Karmas, and you have to suffer one more
birth. Your efforts have not fully gone waste, because you start from where
you left off in the earlier birth. See also the note on Archira path above. Note
that the yogi mentioned therein had to take one more birth, that of a girl,
before his final liberation].
[NOTES AND COMMENTS:
1. Comments on the Archira path etc.: The path the yogis and other
persons take after death towards higher planes and towards rebirth on the
earth plane have been similarly described in different Upanishads. E.g.,
Chandogya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishads state:
Having dwelt there as long as there is residue (of good karmas), they return
by that course by which they come to space, from space into air; after
becoming the air, they become the smoke; then they become mist; then they
become cloud and after having become cloud he rains down. They are born
here as rice and barley, herbs and trees, as sesame plants and beans. From
thence the release becomes extremely difficult. For, whoever eats the food
and sows the seed, becomes like unto him.
Persons with good karmas will quickly attain a good birth of a Brahmin or a
Kshatriya, or a Vaishya. But those whose conduct has been evil, will quickly
attain an evil birth, the birth of a dog, the birth of a hog or the birth of a
Chandala.
These accounts, which differ from Upanishad to Upanishad, are obscure and
will appear imaginary to a modern reader. The lokas or planes are given
planetary names like Moon, Sun etc. In the age when man has landed and
walked over the moon and knows that the Sun is not a planet but a hot
inhabitable star, these names appear to be only symbolic. The description of
the return path of an individual soul to earth can only be termed as
ridiculous in the light of scientific knowledge of today. It is apparent that in
the Upanishadic days, there was hardly any scientific culture, much less any
information and recourse was taken to imaginative hypothesis in order to for
explain and describe natural phenomena.
Also note that many great yogis, including Shri Saibaba of Shirdi and Shri
Gajanan Maharaj of Shegaon left their physical bodies during Dakshinayana
period. Shripad Shrivallabh, the first avatar of Shri Dattatreya also took
samadhi during the dark half of the month of Ashwin that falls in
Dakshinayana.
2. Rebirth - Swami Krishnanands experiences: Readers may contrast the
above with some true information given by (late) Swami Krishnanand of
Bhadran, near Anand in Gujarat in his book True Experiences. Swamiji
travelled more than 90,000 miles by rail, road and on foot, in jungles and
desert, met and lived with many saints, yogis and yoginis, good persons,
frauds and crooks and even met and talked to a spirit (see later). His
experiences vividly describe the various facets of common mans nature in
the worldly domain and that of the yogis and yoginis in the spiritual domain.
In the context of the phenomenon of rebirth, he gives the following true
information on the processes involved in reincarnation, told to him by a yogi
at Jagannathpuri a couple of days before leaving his body. The yogi said that
he would be reborn two months later (on 25-2-1954) in his final birth cycle,
as a girl in a blacksmith family that lived in Behala, Calcutta and also that
the girl would live only up to age of sixteen. Further, in this new lifetime his
spiritual powers and activities would be suspended and the girl would live a
simple life. Swamijis understanding was that it should take at least nine
months to be reborn as another person. But the Yogi explained that the soul
to be reborn attaches to the foetus between seventh and eighth month. Until
then, the foetus is merely a blank body of blood, bone and flesh, nourished
through the mothers soul-force and fed by the building essences through
the umbilical chord. It is only after the merger of the astral body with it that
the unborn baby begins to experience pain and pleasures and remembers its
past lives. After birth, the babys umbilical cord is cut off and from then
onwards it derives the sustaining energy and the life current from the subtle
body that has taken over. This is made possible through the silver cord,
which joins the subtle body to its physical one. Para-psychological studies
support this information. There is another power, which determines, taking
into consideration his karmas, as to which foetus he is supposed to be

attached to. Swamiji did go to Calcutta, met the blacksmith found that his
wife was expecting a baby but not until late March according to the doctors.
But the girl was born on the exact date (25-2-1954) as stated by the yogi.
What he had told about the girls life also came true. The girl, named Rekha,
was a simple, calm, quiet child and used to spend her time in a nearby
temple. One day she was found to be playing fearlessly with a snake.
Swamiji met her last when she was 14, but could not bring himself to reveal
to her parents about her short life.
Swami Krishnanand has narrated details about his own two previous births
told to him in 1946 by a Mahatma in Central Provinces i.e. todays Madhya
Pradesh.
Two births earlier, Swami Krishnanand was born in a (Muslim) family of
basket weavers in Egypt. His parents died when he was about 8. A Muslim
saint took him to Basra (in Iraq) and looked after him. The boy died 4-5
years later and was reborn in the same region i.e. near Basra, in a Muslim
family of farmhands. When he was four months old, a businessman from
Burma who had come on a visit to Mecca-Medina bought his parents as
slaves. The businessman took the parents and the child to Burma and the
boy grew there. There he used to go and play in a Buddhist monastery
situated near his masters bungalow. The monks treated him with affection.
His mother died when he was 8 years of age. His father became mad, went
away and died too. The master suffered losses and left the place leaving the
boy in the monastery. But he was soon driven away due to his mischievous
nature. At nine years of age he began earning livelihood working as a coolie
and doing other domestic jobs. He died at the age of 14.
He was reborn (his present lifetime) in 1920 to very rich Hindu parents in
Burma itself. His mother in this life was actually his Egyptian father. He
graduated in 1940 and was a Gold Medallist in English Literature. Due to
political events the family repatriated to India from Burma and settled in
Nagpur. His parents were not religious but his maternal uncle was, and
because of him he came in contact with many saints. He left his house at
the age of 23 and roamed all over India until he met his Guru Mastharamji
at Sukker in Sindh, now in Pakistan. He left Sukker on the instructions of
his Guru and after a lot of wanderings, settled as Swami Krishnanand at
Bhadran near Baroda in Gujarat where he has a large following.
The story of his rebirth does not stop here. A devotee friend of Swamiji had
seen a certain temple in Bhubaneshwar in a dream. Swamiji had promised
him that he would search for that temple in Bhubaneshwar during his visit
to Jagannathpuri in December 1960. One morning during this visit, as
Swamiji was descending the Jagannath temple steps, a man came to him
and asked to be given eleven and half annas. (An anna was a coin with a
value of one sixteenth of a Rupee). He explained that he was living in
Jagannathpuri and was practicing yoga meditation. Previous night he had a
dream in which he was instructed to meet the sadhu (ascetic) who would be
descending the steps and would be at that particular step at that particular
time; that in his earlier birth he was born a Muslim in Burma and was his
partner in the coolie trade. In that birth, had owed him eleven and half
annas and he should not only collect that amount from the sadhu but also
help him in finding the temple that the sadhu was searching. Instructions as
to how to find it were also given.
It is evident that the Divine arranged to clear Swamijis debts of earlier life.
It is also clear that many, if not all events are predestined.
In his book, Swamiji also narrates about his conversation with a spirit. The
spirit was that of Chidambar Kulkarni, a hotel owner in the state of
Maharashtra, who had died eight years earlier. Two births earlier he was a
Frenchman. Swamiji had detailed discussions with him on the nature of the
spirit world and their behaviour.
After giving guidance and solace to people for 37 years Swamiji left his
physical body in August 1989. His experiences go to show that there is no
restriction of geographical boundaries, religion or gender as to where a
person should be reborn. These parameters are man-made for satisfying his
ego and ambitions. Only governing parameter in rebirth seems to be the
karmas. It is also seen that company of saints in both the previous births
made the Swami himself a saint. Such is the power of the company of saints
as described in Ch 4.
There are many more instances of rebirth mentioned in literature
e.g.Gurucharitra mentions a washerman reborn as a Muslim king by the
grace of Shri Shripad Shrivallabh. Saicharitra mentions Shri Saibaba telling
about his devotee Mrs Khaparde that In former birth the lady was a
merchant's fat cow yielding much milk. Then she disappeared and took
birth in a gardener's family, then in a Kshatriya family and married a
merchant. Then she was born in a Brahmin family. I saw her after a very
long time, let Me take some sweet morsels of love from her dish." Saicharitra
gives two more instances of humans taking rebirth as animals: in one case
two brothers reborn as goats after killing each other out of enmity and the
other, two greedy persons, enemies of each other, reborn as a frog and a
snake. Reader should read these from the original ].
3. Comments on Puranic time scales: Reader should be aware of the
irrationality of the Puranic time scales in the light of modern scientific
knowledge. The Puranic time scales mentioned above are not supported by
scientific findings. Scientific studies put the age of the entire universe at
about 1300 crore years and that of the Sun and earth at only 460 crore
years. According to anthropology, the first life forms on earth were of
simplest microbial type. These appeared on earth about 250-300 crore years
ago. Man evolved from these only about 30-50 thousand years ago. On the
other hand, Puranic version assumes the creation of man and all other life
forms simultaneously, right in the beginning of the creation of the universe.
Thus the Puranic picture of creation of the universe and of man differs
substantially from the scientific findings and the principle of evolution,
which are based on observations.
Actually, there is no clear-cut definition in Puranas of what constitutes the
universe. Sometimes it is used to mean only the earth and the living and
nonliving things on it and sometimes it includes the stars and planets, but
not as a part of solar system. Otherwise, one cannot explain the Puranic
description of flooding by water (confined only to earth) that is supposed to
destroy the entire universe. According to modern findings, the earth itself is
a negligible part of the whole universe that consists of limitless space,
containing innumerable galaxies of innumerable stars in various states of
evolution.
We must ascribe this imaginary Puranic description to a tendency to look for
a regularity in the phenomena which makes the Brahman, the cause of the
universe, as without a beginning and end. Techniques of scientific

investigations as well as the technology required for it were not yet developed
in Puranic days. What is not excusable is to swear by that description in the
modern age.
Some Puranas mention a deluge at the end of each Manvantar, in which all
living creatures are destroyed. This deluge is supposed to last for a period of
length of one Kritayuga. Manvantar is the end of a Manus rule. There are
14 Manus in one day of Brahmadeo. The creatures are then again created.
But scientific findings give a different picture. Man has depleted the earth of
natural resources so much, that there is no chance of any life cycle, except
the primitive one, repeating on earth. We must consider the Puranic
version as an unsubstantiated imaginative but failed hypothesis.
4. Shri Yukteshwars yugas: Not all believe the Puranic description. For
example, Shri Yukteshwar, Guru of Swami Paramhansa Yogananda, has
proposed a different system of yugas. He gives the same names to the
yugas, but proposes much shorter lengths for them and a somewhat
modified cycle. His propositions are based on the shift in the timings of the
occurrences of equinoxes. Currently, equinoxes occur on 23 March and 21
September. But these dates shift continuously and repeat after a cycle time
of 24000 years. According to his hypothesis this occurs because the sun
revolves around another similar star. He names the mystic centre of this
revolution as Vishnunabhi. The revolution brings the sun progressively
closer, and then progressively further away from Vishnunabhi. The cycle of
yugas takes place twice in each 24,000 year revolution. As the sun recedes
from Vishnunabhi, the ages pass in the usual order: Satya 4800 y, Treta
3600y, Dwapara 2400y, Kali 1200y. As the sun approaches Vishnunabhi,
the yugas pass in the opposite order: Kali, Dwapara, Treta, Satya. He calls
the yugas during the approach to Vishnunabhi 'as ascending' yugas; and
those during the retreat from Vishnunabhi as 'descending' yugas. According
to him, the most recent ascending Kali Yuga began in 499 AD and we are
presently in the ascending Dwapara Yuga since 1599 AD, with consequent
advances in human culture and knowledge. According to Shri Yukteshwar,
the error was made in the Puranas and this occurred during the dark years
of Kali Yuga when scholars misinterpreted the scriptures. Thus, by Shri
Yukteshwars hypothesis, we are right now not in Kaliyuga at all but in
Dwapara Yuga
However, from astronomical considerations, his premise that sun revolves
around another similar star is not correct. The nearest star for us, Alpha
Centauri, is about 260,000 times farther from the earth than the sun is, or
3,868,800 crore kilometers. It is too far to have this effect.
Actually, the cycle time is not 24,000 years but 25,920 years and occurs
because the earth axis precesses on account of its not having a perfect
spherical shape and also because the Moon and other planets exert a pull on
it. This effect was discovered by a Yugoslav scientist, Milutin Milankovitch
(1879-1958). Shri Yukteshwar obviously could not know about this in his
time. There are two more periods too, one of 41,000 years and the second of
93,408 years. But all these periods are far removed from the Puranic length
of 432,000 years for Kaliyuga and 4,320,000 years for a Mahayuga.
The concept of the yugas itself is inconsistent with the theory of evolution,
which has no cyclicity but goes in one direction only.
This information further confirms that Bhagvadgita was composed by man,

not told by God. For, how can God tell untruths? But be aware that all this
exposition does not invalidate the basic philosophical premise of the
Bhagvadgita and Upanishads, that all worldly things are perishable and only
Brahman is not. One should look at Bhagvadgita as a guide for choosing
ones attitude to life and an appropriate spiritual path to liberation.].
End Chapter 8
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 9 - SOVEREIGN KNOWLEDGE AND SOVEREIGN MYSTERY
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj describes this ninth chapter as containing the

substance of the entire Bhagvadgita.
Shri Krishna now tells Arjuna that He is going to reveal to him the greatest
secret in His heart, namely the root of Knowledge. He has chosen Arjuna
for this because of his devotion, clean mind, pure intellect, because he does
not slander others and is faithful. It is all right to tell His secrets to such a
devotee. What He is going to tell is about Knowledge of the Self and in
addition, about knowledge of the world (i.e. material knowledge) too. A
seeker leaves the worldly affairs to the world and reaches the state of
liberation when he obtained these two types of knowledge.
[NOTE: This topic was first opened in the beginning of Ch 7. But the stress
there was on the description of ignorance (i.e. thinking that worldly
knowledge is true knowledge) and how to remove the ignorance. In this
chapter the stress is on Knowledge itself and how to gain it through
devotion].
KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF AND OF THE WORLD

This supreme Knowledge (of the Self) is the most secret, most holy and the
basis of the entire Dharma. A person attaining this knowledge is not reborn.
A disciple can easily acquire this Knowledge of the Self from his Guru. Once
obtained, it does not get lost, nor does it get reduced by experiencing it.
People do not gain this Knowledge because though I, giver of all types of
happiness, am present right within the hearts of all, yet they fall prey to the
worldly desires due to delusion resulting from the influence of Maya. Ego
and affection hinder them from crossing this stream of worldly affairs and
reach Me. Instead, they go on shuttling between the two banks of life and
death (i.e are caught in the life-death cycle).
EVERYTHING IS ME
Like the Sun, I am in front of all, but unlike the Sun that appears only
during the day and then disappears, I am always present. My formless,
unmanifestable form has taken shape in the form of this vast universe. All
the principles starting from Mahat to the body are really created from
Me, but even so, I am not in those principles because everything is Me.
The statement all principles are in Me is false because everything is Me.
(See the NOTE in Ch 7 for explanation of Mahat etc.).
Ignorance puts one in the clutches of I-am-the-body attitude. In this
situation, the he does not at all realise himself to be really the soul (that is
Me). That Knowledge comes after Self-realisation. Between these two states
of ignorance and Knowledge there is a twilight zone where thoughts crowd
the mind and make the insight dim and I continue to appear to be separate
from the beings. But once the twilight of thoughts vanishes then it becomes
clear that I am undivided from the beings.
But the existence of the beings itself is a delusion caused by Maya Once
Maya dissolves, then what remains is My pure form.
Thoughts cause the illusion that the five elements (i.e. material things
including creatures) are present in the undivided Brahman. But when the
thoughts are eliminated one cannot even dream that the elements are
in Me and I am in the elements. (Explanation: The idea that the
elements are in Me and I am in the elements implies duality between the
individual and Me. When this duality is destroyed then the idea that all is
Me becomes clear).
Therefore, the idea that I am the soul of this universe or I am the
support of all creatures is false like a mirage. But just as the sun is not
separated from its brightness, I am also not different from the elements
and that is the Divine scheme. Therefore the creatures are not different
from Me and I am also not different from them.
Air, unless it moves, appears to be same as space that contains it. Similarly,
creatures appear to be in Me only if one imagines so. But in a thoughtless
state (Nirvikalpa) of samadhi this illusion vanishes and it becomes
apparent that it is only Me everywhere.
ILLUSION THAT BEINGS EXIST

The idea that beings exist or do not exist arises because we imagine that it
is so. This imagination originates in ignorance. Once ignorance vanishes
then they also vanish. **
If you understand this Divine scheme by attaining Self-realisation, then you
will realise that what is pervading this living and nonliving universe is only
you (because you are the Soul or Brahman or Me). Therefore, you should
eliminate permanently the dualism in your mind, by following the path of
pure Knowledge of the Brahman.
I CREATE EVERYTHING THROUGH MAYA

It is only Maya (also known by the name Prakriti) which does the acts of
creation and destruction of all creatures.
I have already told you that Prakriti is of two kinds. (See Ch 7).
One of them manifests itself in eight forms (Earth, water, air, fire, sky,
mind, intellect and ego), and
the second (i.e. Parapraktiti) is in the form of individual life.
At the time of the great deluge, all elements dissolve in Prakriti in
unmanifestable form. Thus, at the end of the deluge all that is created by
Prakriti returns to it.
(NOTE: It is not clear which deluge is implied: the deluge at the end of
Manvantara of a period of 1,728,000 years equal to the length of Kritayuga
or the grand deluge at the end of Brahmadeos day i.e. 4,320,000,000 solar
years. But both are imaginary and besides irrelevant to the basic theme
being discussed here).
CREATING THE UNIVERSE

Listen again to the explanation of the legend about My creating the universe.
When this universe is created I merely establish the Prakriti, which then
assumes the form of the universe made up of the five elements. It is like a
person waking up from a dream into the wakeful state.
Once I establish Prakriti, the life forms in the universe develop automatically
by its support in the same way as plant-forms sprout and grow from the
seeds with the help of the earth.
All life is thus controlled by Prakriti, therefore, the responsibility for creation
of life and its support is not mine. These actions do originate in Me but are
removed from Me. Since these actions also ultimately merge in Me they
cannot bind Me.
Though the material world created by Prakriti has My support, I am
indifferent to all that and I neither do those actions (of creation etc.) nor
cause them to be done. Though I am in all creatures I have no
connection with their actions.
I create this living and non-living universe through the establishment of
Prakriti therefore logically I am the cause of its creation.
Therefore in the light of Knowledge, understand the Divine principle that all
living things are in Me but I am not in them or (going still further), all living
things are not in Me and I am not in them.
(NOTE: This statement appears to be contrary to what has been repeatedly
said earlier that I am in everything and everything is in Me. In this context
three basic statements have been made in this chapter.
1. First statement is: I am in everything and everything is Me. But
this implies duality that vanishes with Self-realisation and leads to
the contents of the second statement below.
2. The second statement is All is Me which no longer shows duality.
This has been amplified further later in the chapter.
3. The third statement contained in the paragraph flagged by **
above, as well as in Ch 8, states that the very idea of existence of
beings arises due to imagining about them. Since God cannot be in
imaginary things, the above statement is true and consistent for Self-
realised persons who have experienced Brahman. However, for
persons who still carry duality in their mind, it is not true because the
realisation that the world is imaginary has not yet come. This
realisation is same as Adi Shankaracharyas well known statement
Brahma satya, Jaganmithya).
This fundamental principle is My most guarded secret, which should not be
forgotten but enjoyed through meditation after dissociating the mind from
sense-organs. Nobody can understand My true nature unless this is
understood. However, it cannot be understood through logic, it has to be
experienced (through meditation). People speak about Self-realisation
without experiencing it but that is mere talk. You must remember this
fundamental thing if you are afraid of this world and you really desire Me.
DELUSION THAT I HAVE FORM

Shri Krishna now describes common peoples ideas about God and where
they stand vis--vis Self-realisation. This has been presented below without
summarising but in an itemised fashion. It shows our shortcomings in the
path of Self-realisation. [Many readers will see their own thinking reflected
in it]. Shri Krishna (as Bhagwan) says:
Some people see Me with gross (materialistic) eyes. These ignorant people
say confidently that they know Me, but actually they do not. Their shallow
knowledge comes in the way of attaining real knowledge.
Those who get deeply entangled in the worldly affairs and yet try to seek Me,
are like a person trying to reach the moon reflected in water rather than the
real moon; or like a person who drinks rice water and expects the effects of
nectar from it.
Such people consider Me to be a human being out of delusion and assign to
Me human attributes. For example
they apply the laws of birth and death to me who is birthless;
assign a name to Me who is nameless;
attribute actions to Me who is actionless; bodily functions to Me who
is without body;
imagine social behaviour by Me who is beyond all rules of conduct;
assign attributes to one without attributes;
assign a measure to the immeasurable Me; location to one who is
everywhere;
assign manifestability, desire and satiety to Me though I am
unmanifestable, desireless and self-satiated;
look for My origin when I am the creator of this universe;
imagine a form for Me when I am formless; imagine ears, eyes etc. on
me and put clothes or ornaments on Me; assign race, caste and form
to Me when I am without any;
make My idol and install it with ritualistic breathing of life into it even
though I am self-born; they invoke My presence and revoke it;
assign childhood, youth and old age for Me; when I am immortal they
imagine death for Me and grieve imagining that I died;
assign the feelings of friendship and animosity in Me when I am
present equally in all;
describe me as if I belong to some particular family or race though it
is not so;
describe Me as desirous of various pleasures though I am the
storehouse of bliss;
slander Me saying I am partial to some and destroy others out of
anger, though I am the soul of the entire universe;
call an idol as God and if the idol breaks then they throw it, saying
there is no God in it.
Thus, they attach human attributes to Me and think that it is real Me.
The state of their knowledge is opposite of the real one and comes in the way
of their gaining real knowledge. In short, one who has such ideas about Me
lives in vain. Shame to the life of such fools and their actions. Their
learning of Scriptures is useless.
CONSEQUENCES OF MATERIALISTIC OUTLOOK

Similarly, the learning and actions of those who have no control on their
mind also become useless. Such people get caught in the grip of Prakriti, get
entangled in worldly affairs. Their mind comes under the influence of the
Tamas attribute that affects their reason and discrimination. Desire and
violence generate dissatisfaction in them leading to unrighteous behaviour.
Knowledge is destroyed by hate. Persons with materialistic thinking are
victims of Prakriti and are affected by delusion. Afflicted by the Tamas
attribute, they do not have righteous thinking and therefore they cannot be
saved.
I AM WHERE THE SAINTS ARE

Shri Krishna now describes the qualities of a saint who does not have
materialistic thinking. He says:
Saintly persons are benevolent, righteous and ethical. They have
clear conscience, are detached, and their intellect works with
discrimination.
Having experienced the perfect Brahman they have attained peace.
These great souls, by knowing My true nature, become devoted to Me
with increasing love. They never feel that they are different from Me.
Their devotion has reached such a peak that they do not desire
liberation. Thus, they serve Me even after they become Me. But
there is an interesting aspect to it.
Such of the devotees who dance with abandon during Kirtans
(discourses) have no need for atonement because they have no sin
left.
They are verily the personifications of self-restraint, self-suppression
and places of pilgrimage.
They destroy the sorrows in the world by My name alone.
They brighten the world with their effulgence and by singing My name
everywhere.
It is a pleasure to sing the qualities of such a saint. They are my
abode and I love to reside there.
These devotees sing My name under the spell of which they forget
everything and remain happy. That is one place where you can
always find Me.
They move about everywhere uttering continuously My names:
Krishna, Vishnu, Hari, Govinda etc., discussing spiritual matters and
singing My praises.
They sit in the vajrasana position, totally controlling the body and
mind. Practising pranayama they reach the state of samadhi. Helped
by the mind and the life-force they experience complete Self-
realisation under the influence of the light flashes of Kundalini.
Thus, the path of devotion is profound and mysterious and those who follow
it realise that I completely pervade everything, living or nonliving.
Understanding that all beings, from Brahmadeo to the tiny gnat, are all My
forms, they respect them. It is natural for them to be humble and polite to
every living being. This is the nature of the great devotion.
[NOTE: The last marked statement referring to Kundalini Yoga is applicable
to Yogi devotees only. In practice, followers of the path of pure devotion like
saints Tukaram, Namdeo, Gora Kumbhar etc. are not known to have
practiced yoga but to have spent their time mosly in singing the name and
praises of their object of devotion, in their case, Shri Krishna or Vithoba of
Pandharpur. But Dnyaneshwar Maharaj was both a Nath yogi as well as a
devotee. That is why probably, at many places in the Dnyaneshwari he
combines the yoga path with that of the path of devotion, though Yoga path
is really a kind of Karma Yoga].
YAJNA OF KNOWLEDGE
Having told about people following the path of devotion, Shri Krishna now
tells about those who worship Him through the path of Knowledge (Already
told earlier in Chapter 4). He describes this metaphorically in terms of a
yajna of Knowledge.
In this yajna of Knowledge, the fire (of Knowledge) is ignited in the two pits
(the mind and the intellect) and kept alive by pouring and burning the ghee
(of ignorance). The altar for the yajna is the attitude of equanimity towards
pleasure and pain. The materials to be used in the yajna are the special
attributes of the five elements, namely the five organs and the five types of
vital breaths (Pranas). The sacrificial animal is dualism tied to the the pole
of thought that I am one but desire to be many.
The yajna is performed under the pandal (temporary tent like structure) of
the five elements. The host (the seeker) performs the yajna using Peace as
the pair of vessels sruk and sruva. Using the vessels of experience, the
mantra of discrimination and rituals of Knowledge, he sacrifices the dualism
and destroys the ignorance. What remains then is only the host (seeker) and
the rituals. And when the seeker gets the purifying bath by the water of
Self-realisation, he finds that the elements, organs and their objects are one
and not separate from each other. The talk of his being an individual living
being ends and he believes that the Supreme Soul has pervaded everything
from Brahmadeo downwards. Thus do some people worship Me by attaining
Brahman through the yajna of Knowledge.
Some others perform the yajna in another way. They believe that though the
material world is varied and with different names, basically they all are
aspects of the same fundamental entity. They recognise that people as well
as their nature are different but I am in all of them. Their minds are full of
the knowledge of the Brahman and they know that everything in the world is
Brahman. This also is a Yajna of Knowledge but of a different kind in which
they do not allow ideas of duality to touch their minds. I completely occupy
the expanse of their knowledge of the Brahman and this itself is their
worship (upasana), which they achieve without doing anything.
But people who do not understand this are not able to attain Me. This is
because they are too foolish to understand that every action done by every
person using various means ultimately reaches Me.
But as soon as a person gets that knowledge, it becomes clear to him that
basically, I am the Vedas and I am also the Kratu (sacred rite) to be
performed according to the rituals given in them. The yajna that emerges
from the sacred rite, in all its main and secondary aspects, is also Me. The
uttering swaaha with which offering is made to gods is also Me. Different
herbs like Soma are also Me. The fire of the yajna is Me. The offerings in
the fire (of the yajna) like ghee and firewood, the mantra with which the
offering is made, the priest who makes the offering, are all Me.
I AM THE FATHER AND THE MOTHER OF THE UNIVERSE

This living universe survives and grows only with My support. I am its
father, mother as well as grandfather.
I am the father of the universe because Prakriti created it by
association with Me.
I am also its mother since the female aspect is also contained in Me
like the Ardhanari-natshwara form of Shiva.
I am also its grandfather because the pair Prakriti and Purush, which
gave birth to it, was created through My mindless state.
Everything unites in Me
I am the place where all paths of knowledge meet.
Actually I am the subject of Knowledge and the aspect about which
different streams of thought merge in agreement.
I am the AUM sound that is the source of the primary sound sprouted
from the seed of the Brahman.
The three Vedas namely Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda and the
family of the subsequent literature is also Me because these three
Vedas were born of the three letters A, U and Ma constituting the
AUM.
The highest place where Prakriti, the creator of this living and non-
living universe, takes rest when tired is also Me.
I am the husband of that Prakriti who enjoys her attributes in her
association.
I COMMAND THIS UNIVERSE

Under my watchful eye the various agencies of nature perform their tasks by
my commands. It is I who decides that the sky should be everywhere, wind
should ever flow, fire should burn, clouds should rain, earth should bear the
burden of all living things etc. Sun moves only if I move it, Prana (life-force)
the driving force of the universe moves only if I move it; it is by My command
that living things die. Thus I am the master of this universe.
I CREATE, SUPPORT, DESTROY AND RECREATE THIS UNIVERSE

I perform actions through the living universe by taking many diverse
forms and using the different attributes of Prakriti.
I am the support of this entire universe and the cause for its creation,
sustenance and destruction as well as its re-creation.
The universe is rooted in the thought originated in Me and finally

dissolves in it. The place where that thought returns to rest at the
end of the Kalpa period, until the thought to recreate occurs, is also
Me.
I fill this world with name and form and I am the support of that
name and the form.
The universe is in Me and I am in the universe.
My Own Forms do not Recognise Me
I liberate from the birth and death cycles those who surrender to Me
with single-mindedness. Hence I am the only proper shelter for such
persons.
I am the One who exists with equal affection in all creatures, from
Brahmadeo to the lowest form of life. I make water bodies dry up
using my form as the Sun and again fill them up by rain using my
form as Indra. (It was believed that Indra the king of gods controlled
rain).
Creatures who die and those who kill them are both My form.
Therefore, I am perishable and as you know, also imperishable.
Is there a place where I am not present? But it is their misfortune that
people do not see Me.
It is surprising that those who are My own forms do not recognise Me. Their
Karma comes in the way of their believing in My existence.
Therefore, one cannot do what one ought to do without attaining Knowledge
and the good deeds are wasted.
SIN AND MERIT

There are persons who perform yajnas and other rituals in order to
accumulate merit (Punya) so that they may go to heaven after death. But
during all this they forget that I am the entity to whom the yajnas reach and
prefer instead a temporary spell in heaven. What they really gain from these
performances is not really merit but sin under the name of merit.
Actually, people think that there is happiness in heaven because they
compare it with the tortures of hell. They do not understand that oneness
with Me is the only perfect and permanent bliss. Paths towards heaven
and hell are actually the two diversions from the path towards Me.
The basic principle concerning merit and sin is that:
Sin in the form of merit leads one to heaven;
pure sin leads to hell;
pure merit leads to Me. .
Yajnas performed to propitiate deities like Agni, Indra, Sun, Moon etc., all
reach Me because I am everything. But by performing such yajnas, people
do not attain Me after they die, but only the propitiated deities; e.g.
Those who perform rituals for propitiating Manes (Pitra) reach the
world of Manes and
those who propitiate Vetal and other ghost deities for evil ends attain
the ghost state when they die.
Thus, the fruits of the actions are as per the desire behind them.
But those who worship Me only for My sake attain Me even while they live;
therefore, how can they go anywhere else after death? A tree has many parts
like roots, branches, flowers etc., but only the roots do the task of absorbing
water. Giving water to parts of the tree other than the roots is therefore
useless. In the same fashion, any worship done without knowing Me is
fruitless. Actions must be backed by Knowledge and this Knowledge must be
pure.
I SUSTAIN ALL DEVOTEES

I am the servant of the devotees
who have completely surrendered to Me,
who think there is nothing better than Me,
who consider that their whole life belongs to Me and thus,
who meditate on Me and worship Me with extreme faith.
The responsibility of taking their care in all respects fell on Me the moment
they accepted the path of My worship. I was compelled then to do whatever
they should have done for themselves, (but do not do because they are
engrossed in My devotion)..
Therefore, like a mother bird taking complete care of her babies who have
not yet learnt to fly, I take care of My devotees who have kept complete faith
in Me.
If they want moksha (liberation) leading to oneness with Me, I take
them towards it.
If they like to serve Me then I offer them My love.
I give them whatever they want and having given, I guard it also for
them.
I sustain all those who give themselves to Me completely.
HOW TO AND NOT TO WORSHIP ME

Shri Krishna now gives very useful tips on how not to worship Him (i.e. God).
Those seekers, who worship Me and have surrendered themselves to
Me, attain Me. No other method will make a seeker attain Me unless
he totally surrenders to Me.
But he who merely claims to know Me does not really know Me. He
who boasts about his achievements is imperfect and immature.
The Yajnas, penance and other rituals that people perform and boast
about are not even worth a blade of grass for attaining Me.
Even Vedas are not able to describe My nature. They describe Me as
"Not this and not that" (Neti, Neti) which confuses even the greatest of
the sages.
One can attain Me only when he becomes humble by giving up all

thoughts about how great and scholarly he is.
Therefore, one must give up first the love of the material body, the
consciousness about his own qualities, the pride about his
possessions, and then surrender himself completely to Me.
I ACCEPT ALL OFFERINGS MADE WITH LOVE

Shri Krishna then tells how He loves even the smallest offerings made by a
devotee who loves Him and has completely surrendered to Him. He says,
When the devotee, with boundless love, offers Me a fruit from a tree I
anxiously spread My palms to receive it and eat it without even
waiting to remove the stem.
If he offers Me a flower, I should really smell it but overcome by his
love I put it in My mouth and taste it.
But why talk of flower? Even if he offers Me a leaf I do not bother to
see whether it is fresh or dry; I eat and savour it.
And may be even that leaf is not available, but there is no dearth of
water which is available free. When that devotee offers that water
with complete devotion, then even if it were free, I feel as if he has
built immense temples for Me, given Me jewels more valuable than
Kaustubha and served Me delicacies better than manna (Amrit). You
are aware how I devoured the fistful of rice brought by my poor
childhood friend Sudama.
I look only at the devotion and accept the offering without
differentiating between rich and poor, big and small.
Really speaking, fruit, flower, leaf etc., are only means of manifesting the
devotion and are useless unless offered with the feeling of devotion.
OFFER ALL ACTIONS TO ME

Shri Krishna continues and tells Arjuna about the attitude one should take
regarding ones actions. He says: Therefore I am telling you a easy way.
Do not permit yourself to forget Me. Whatever work you do, whatever
things you enjoy, whatever yajnas and other rituals you perform,
whatever donations you give to worthy persons and pay to your
servants or whatever penance or observances you do, do them for the
sake of love for Me.
And after they are done make an offering of them to Me with such
pure and desireless attitude that you should not even remember
having performed them.
Then, just as a roasted seed does not germinate, the actions offered to
Me do not bear fruit. It is only when residual Karma remains that it
gives rise to its fruits of happiness or sorrow and leads to rebirth in
order to compel one to experience them.
On the other hand, if the action is offered to Me then immediately the
rebirth is avoided and one is saved from the pains accompanying it.
Therefore Arjuna, avoid getting trapped into the bonds of the body and thus
getting drowned in the ocean of happiness and sorrow and so, by following
this easy path, become one with Me.
(NOTE: This appears to be the easiest of the four paths to liberation. But
reader may wonder how he should offer his actions to God. He cannot very
well say to God, Here I offer my actions to You. And what about bad
actions? Proper way to offer your actions to God is to understand that every
phase of your action was done by His power. Action first originates in the
mind as a thought. Therefore, you should have the attitude that even the
thought of doing a particular action was not your own but was put in your
mind by God. Further, it was only He who put the thought in your mind
about how to do it. Also, that the action was done by the strength provided
by Him. The decision whether the action should succeed or fail was also
His. Thus, the I-am-the-doer ego does not arise at all. The karma account is
therefore not loaded, because it is not you but God who is responsible for the
action. Once you thus surrender to God, question of bad actions also does
not arise).
UNIFICATION BY DEVOTION
I am present in all creatures equally without making distinction among
them.
Those persons who know this nature of mine, who abandon their ego and
are devoted to Me with their heart and by their actions, are really in Me even
if they are actually in their own body, and I too am fully in their hearts.
The difference between My devotee and Me is in name only. They are
unattached to their body. Whatever ego is left in them takes My form and
therefore is merged in Me.
Those who are thus devoted to Me with love are not reborn whatever may be
their nature.
DEVOTION NULLIFIES PAST SINS

Now, a person gets in his next birth whatever he contemplates on at the time
of death. A person might have been crooked and might have committed sins
in the earlier part of his life. But if his final span of life is spent in devotion
to Me, then he should be considered as the finest among people, because I
am in his mind and he attains Me on death. The sins committed in the
earlier part of one's life get washed by the devotion in the later part.
Therefore, even a crooked person can become one with Me if he washes his
sins with sincerity in the waters of repentance. He becomes noble and pure
and a fulfilment enters his life. He has the same credit as those who have
studied Vedas and Yoga.
Why say anything further? He who has immutable faith in Me alone and
with that faith entrusts Me with his mind and intellect, becomes free from
the bonds of his actions.
Total devotion to Me
But he does not have to wait for his death to reach My state. He really
attains Me even when living as soon as his consciousness reaches Me. He
who is devoted to Me remains in My form. Then he attains My permanent
qualities of peace and effulgence.
Therefore, anyone who wants to attain Me should not forget devotion

to Me. All greatness of wealth, nobility and caste are in vain if there is
no devotion.
One may not belong to a noble family, one may be a low caste person
or be even an animal, what matters is his devotion.
If a person has a steady feeling about Me, if he always utters My
name, sees My form, thinks of nothing else but Me, listens to nothing
except My praise, if he is proud to be of service to Me and
unconcerned with sense objects, and would rather prefer to die than
not know Me alone, then such a person is not less than Me.
A person without devotion accumulates only sins and his life is an
invitation to sorrow.
Caste and gender differences do not matter
Differences like Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, woman, untouchable etc. are
relevant only as long as a person does not attain Me. Once they attain Me,
then all these differences of caste and gender vanish completely.
Initial intentions do not matter
It does not matter how or why a person is attracted towards Me. In the
course of time such a person reaches My form. For example, Gopis attained
Me through love, Kamsa through fear, Shishupal through hate, Yadavas
through relationship of race, Vasudeva (Krishnas father) etc. through
parental love, and Narada, Dhruva, Akrur, Sanatkumar etc. through
devotion.
Thus, I am the ultimate destination of all paths, be it devotion, dispassion or
even enmity. There is no dearth of methods to reach Me. One may be born
in any species, be devoted or inimical to Me, but he should be devotee or
enemy of Me alone. Through either relation he will attain My form. What
matters is the devotion and not who a being is.
DEVOTION LIBERATES
I am the existence and liberation of royal Rishis and brahmins who consider
Me as their place of pilgrimage, contemplation and shelter.
Arjuna, having been born on this earth full of pain and unhappiness, how
can anyone stay away from worshipping Me.
Do they believe they will get happiness from learning and youth without
worshipping Me? All the material things are for the enjoyment of the body
but that body itself is in the jaws of death.
Who has heard of real happiness in this world? .
The lack of concern of the people who have taken birth in this
impermanent world is really surprising. They do not spend even a
paisa on things which would help them in this and the after-world.
But they spend huge sums of money on harmful things.
They consider a person engrossed in sense pleasures as a happy
person and consider a person who is burdened by lust and desire as a
man of wisdom.
They make obeisance to elders whose strength and intellect are

weakened and whose death is approaching.
As a child grows, the parents are full of joy and celebrate birthdays,
not realising that as it grows its life also is getting shorter.
People cannot tolerate the word death and cry when a person dies.
But they do not think about the fact that their own life is also getting
shortened day by day.
How topsy-turvy are the ways of this world? Arjuna, you have taken birth in
this world by virtue of your Karmas. Free yourself of this burden by
following the path of devotion. That will beget you the pure permanent
position in Me.
Concentrate your mind in Me, develop love for devotion to Me and make
obeisance to everything, knowing that I am in everything. He who gets rid of
all thoughts and desires by concentrating in Me is known as My devotee.
When you succeed in this then you will reach Me.
I have told this secret of mine to you. You will reach perfection by knowing
this secret which I have hidden from everybody.
End Chapter 9
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 10 -DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS
EARLIER CHAPTERS SUMMARISED

The first nine chapters of Dnyaneshwari/Gita contain the essence of the
Bhagvadgita. Dnyaneshwar Maharaj summarises the intent of these nine
chapters after first praising his Guru Nivruttinath and humbly asserting that
it was due to his Gurus grace alone that he could succeed in writing this
commentary on Bhagvadgita. His summary is as follows:
The first Chapter describes how Arjuna felt despondent due to the
thought that his friends and relatives would be annihilated in the war.
In the second chapter, Karmayoga (the yoga of action) is explained
and at the same time the difference between it and Jnyanayoga, the
yoga of knowledge of the Sankhyas is also discussed.
In the third chapter, Karmayoga is recommended.
The fourth chapter explains the same Karmayoga, in combination
with knowledge.
In the fifth chapter the principle of Yoga is extolled.
In the sixth chapter the same principle is explained further. Details
about its practice, starting from the initial posture to the state of
union with the Brahman are given. Also explained are what the state
of yoga is and the fate reached by the yogis who have deviated from
the path.
In the seventh chapter, four types of devotees who worship God by
destroying the effect of Maya are described.
In the eighth chapter, seven questions (about Brahman, Karma and
Adhyatma, Adhibhuta, Adhidaivat and Adhiyajna) are first answered.
The topic of the state of the mind at the time of death is discussed in
rest of the chapter.
Regarding the ninth chapter, Dnyaneshwar Maharaj states that the
greatness of the ninth chapter cannot be stated in words. The
philosophy of the Vedas is contained in the hundred thousand
shlokas of Mahabharata; whatever it contains may be found in the
dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, which is the Gita, and the
substance of its seven hundred shlokas is concentrated in the
ninth chapter alone.
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj then proceeds with the second part of Dnyaneshwari,
namely the remaining chapters 10-18,
I AM DIFFICULT TO KNOW
Shri Krishna has by now tested Arjunas powers of concentration and finds
him fit to receive a complete explanation about knowledge of the Self. He
really likes him and likes to chat with him.
Shri Krishna now tells his profound secret namely, what Arjuna was seeing
as Shri Krishna was really the Universe. But nobody really knows Him. He
says,
Vedas have been unable to describe Me. No god can know Me because they
are born from within Me. Even after aeons the great Rishis have still not
come to a definite conclusion as to who I am, how big I am, where and to
whom I was born.
GIVE UP PLEASURES AND EGO TO KNOW ME

However, he who
gives up the worldly pleasures by being disinterested in them;
gives up the ego and the I-am-the-body attitude; and by remaining
steady in this condition of mind,
sees my form, which has no beginning, in the light of Self-realisation
and
understands that I am the original power behind the universe,
is, among all men, a part of Me. Even though he may appear outwardly to
be an ordinary person, his sins get automatically nullified. He who knows
Me becomes freed of all desires.
MY NATURE AND ASPECTS

If you are thinking about how to realise Me, then listen first to what my
nature is and what my different aspects (Bhava) are. These aspects of Mine
occur in different beings according to their nature, and are spread
throughout the universe. Among these aspects:
The first is the intellect, then come the infinite knowledge, freedom
from delusion, tolerance, forgiveness and truthfulness.
Next come both self-control and victory over the senses, happiness
and sorrow in the world and birth-death.
Fear and fearlessness, non-violence and even-mindedness,
contentment and austerity are also my aspects.
Charity, success and fame, which are seen everywhere are generated
in the creatures from Me.
Out of the different aspects, some are useful and help to realise Me but some
are not so useful.
Knowing Me or otherwise depends upon one's destiny, hence different
creatures acquire different aspects. Thus this earth is completely entwined
in my aspects.
DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS AS THE CREATOR

There are eleven more aspects which are the guardians of this universe and
who influence the behaviour of all people. These are the seven great rishis
(Kashyap, Atri, Bharadwaj, Vishwamitra, Gautama, Jamdagni and
Vashistha) and the four main Manus (Swayambhuva, Swarichisha,
Chakshusha, Vaivaswat) from among the fourteen Manus.
In the beginning I was alone. Then mind was created from Me. From that
mind the seven rishis and the four Manus were born. They created the eight
Prajapatis (governors), who in turn created various types of creatures. All
the living population in the universe has thus been generated.
(NOTE: This again is the description of creation given in the Puranas. It has
no scientific base. Historians consider it as a distorted and metaphorical
description of how the great Rishis organised the society; and together with
the Manus, increased the human population, a great need of those times. Of
the above Manus, Vaivaswat Manu is the only really historical person).
Thus I have created this entire expanse and therefore these aspects
are my divine manifestations with which this universe is filled.
Thus, from Brahmadeo down to an ant there is nothing in this
universe that is not occupied by Me.
One who understands this realises the Brahman and becomes free
from the thoughts of differences like big and small, good and bad.
He who experiences that I, my divine manifestations and creatures
showing these manifestations are all same, becomes without doubt
one with Me. I surrender myself to such a devotee.
As explained in Ch 6, this yoga of devotion goes on uninterrupted even if the
devotee dies while leading his life of such devotion qualified with the
realisation of oneness with Me.
TRUE BHAKTI (DEVOTION) PATH

Now Shri Krishna explains about the nature of the devotion with oneness
with God with an apt simile. He says,
Just as waves are generated in water, remain in water and are dissipated
also in water, so is the creation and sustenance of this universe done by Me.
(i.e., the universe is created by Me, remains in Me and dissolves in Me). Just
as the waves cannot occur without water, there is nothing in this universe
without Me.
Self-realised persons know my all-pervading nature and are devoted to Me
with true love. They remain aware of the fact that place, time and the
present are not different from Me; and they live happily while keeping their
minds occupied with Me. They consider every creature they meet to be the
God. Such persons are the followers of the real Bhakti (devotion) path.
DEDICATED LOVE IS THE ONLY PATH TO KNOW ME

When Self-realised, liberated persons meet each other, they mutually
exchange only the bliss of the Self-realisation. Satiated by gaining Me, they
loudly sing my praises and utter even the secret mantras told by their Guru.
They forget the consciousness of the body and suddenly become quiet and
dissolve themselves in that forgetfulness. Due to this excessive emotion of
love for Me, they are not aware of whether it is day or night. Heaven and
even liberation are nothing compared with the pure and complete bliss of my
form they have gained for themselves.
(Note: Shri Krishna points out here the significant difference between
followers of the path of devotion and followers of others paths. The latter are
interested in Self-realisation, attainment of Brahman and liberation. But a
devotee longs for the object of his devotion (in this case Shri Krishna), and
prefers not to be liberated since it means separation from this object. Thus,
this is a case of oneness with duality).
Love and devotion for Me is the gift I wish to give them but they have already
obtained it. Only thing that now remains to be done is to see that this love
grows and does not decrease later.
For the superficially devoted persons I have created the two paths of heaven
and liberation and have put myself bodily, along with my consort Laxmi, in
their hands. But bliss of the Self, which is beyond the consciousness of the
body, is something I have reserved only for My loving devotees. I am their
vanguard holding the torch, destroying the darkness of ignorance and
creating the permanent illumination of Knowledge.
ARJUNA WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

Arjuna is now fully satiated with the Knowledge Shri Krishna has given him.
He has now realised the real meaning of life. He is now free from the fire of
birth and death. He praises Shri Krishna calling him the ultimate Brahman
and the master of the Soul and the universe. He requests Shri Krishna to
show him His Divine manifestations (aspects), especially the principal Divine
manifestations (Vibhuti) by which you pervade throughout the universe.
INNUMERABLE DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

Shri Krishna said, "My Divine manifestations are innumerable and I myself
am not able to understand them nor am I able to understand My nature and
My magnitude. Therefore, listen to the well-known manifestations and then
you will understand not only the minor manifestations also but actually the
whole world.
I exist in every living being as the Soul. I am present in their inner self and
in the outer shell or body. I am their beginning, their existence and their
end. Now I shall tell you about My principal manifestations. (Note:
Sequence in the original text has been changed in the following).
SOME DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS

I am Vishnu among the twelve Adityas; Marichi among the forty-nine
Maruts; Agni among the eight Vasus; Shankar (Shiva) among the
eleven Rudras; Kuber the guardian of wealth among the Yakshas and
demi-gods; Chitraratha among the Gandharvas.
I am Indra among the gods. Among the generals I am Skanda, son of
Shankar; I am Madan the god of love among the creative entities.
Among all the aquatic entities I am Varuna the master of the Westerly
direction. Among all the Manes (Pitras) I am Aryama. Among the
controllers, my principal manifestation is Yama who takes note of all
the good and bad deeds of creatures, examines their conscience and
gives reward or retribution according to their karma.
I am Brihaspati among all the priests; Narada among the divine
Rishis; Bhrigu among the great Rishis; Kapilacharya among the great
Siddhas. I am Vyasa among all the sages and Ushanacharya among
poets.
I am the Sun among all the shining bodies and the Moon among the
stars;
I am the Margashirsha (lunar month which falls in December) among
the twelve months and Vasant (Spring) among the six seasons.
I am Meru, the tallest among the mountains; Himalaya among all the
stationary mountains; the ocean among all the water bodies. Among
all the trees my principal manifestation is the Ashwattha (Peepul or
Ficus Religiosa) tree. I am the wind among the speedy entities that
can go round the seven seas on the vast expanse of this earth at one
stretch in less than a Ghatika (24 minutes). Ganga is my principal
manifestation among the rivers.
Among the organs I am the eleventh i.e. the mind, the natural
consciousness in creatures.
Among all the syllables I am the AUM the abode of eternal Truth; I am
Samaveda among the Vedas. Brihatsam within the Samaveda and
Gayatri metre among all the metres.
I am the Japayajna, the best among all the yajnas. Namajapa with
syllables AUM etc. leads to liberation from all the Karmas, and its
performance does not need external rituals like taking bath etc. Both
proper and improper deeds get sanctified by it. According to Vedas it
is the path that leads to the realisation of the Brahman.
Among the alphabets I am the first letter "A" and among the
compound words I am the Dwandwa mode of compounding (double
syllables).
I am Ucchaisrava among the horses; Airavat (Divine elephant) among
the elephants; Kamdhenu the wishing cow among the cows. Among
the snakes I am the King Vasuki and among the cobras I am the
Cobra Ananta. I am the lion among predators and forest animals.
Garuda is my principal manifestation among birds and therefore he is
able to carry Me on his back. Among the aquatic animals having tails
I am the crocodile.
I am Amrit (immortalising nectar) among the objects obtained when
the ocean was churned.
Among men I am the king whom all people obey and serve.
Vajra is my principal manifestation among all the weapons.
Among the demons, Prahlad is my principal manifestation and that is
how he was not affected by their qualities.
I am Shri Rama among all the weapon wielders because it was he
who, by means of his bow alone succeeded in saving Dharma, which
had come in great danger from Ravana during the Tretayuga. He
saved the honour of the gods and revived the Dharma and became the
sun of the Solar dynasty.
I am the brightness of all the shining objects and success among all
desires.
Among the manifestations expressed by feminine gender there are
seven main ones. I am the fame that never fades, and the fortune
which is accompanied by generosity. I am the speech that uses

discrimination and is supported by justice. I am the memory that
comes as soon as one sees an object. I am also the intellect that is
beneficial to one's well-being. Courage and forgiveness are also my
principal manifestations. Thus these seven powers expressed as
feminine gender are Me only.
Knowledge of the Self is my principal manifestation among all
branches of knowledge.
Among debates I am the debate that does not end, but creates more
and more interest among listeners and sweetness in the speech of the
speakers.
I am the destroyer who swallows everything from an ant to
Brahmadeo, the earth along with all the mountains, the ocean which
floods the entire universe during the deluge and which accommodates
the entire space.
And I am also He who creates the universe again. It is I who creates
all creatures, sustain them and finally destroy them therefore I am
also the Death.
I am the gambling among all the games of cheating; therefore, nobody
can help a person who is looted even in public by gambling.
Among all professions I am that which brings out justice.
I am the goodness among all the good people
I am Shri Krishna among all the Yadavas whose life history and
actions you (Arjuna) have seen for yourself. Even though you eloped
with my sister Subhadra, I did not feel inimical towards you because
you and Me are one.
Among all administrators, I am the sceptre that administers control
over everybody from an ant to Brahmadeo.
I am the moral science among all the sciences.
I am the Silence among all the secrets because even Brahmadeo
cannot do anything to a person who observes silence.
I am the knowledge that occurs in the learned.
But how long should one go on like this? Even hundreds of births will not be
sufficient to cover even half of my manifestation.
Recognising a divine manifestation
Shri Krishna then tells Arjuna a broad characteristic by which His
manifestation may be recognised. He says, In whichever creature you see
wealth and kindness occurring together, know that that is my manifestation.
He who is obeyed by all, should not be considered as lonely or poor.
Actually the splendour of the universe is within him. The signs by which
one can recognise such a person is that the whole world bows to him and
obeys him. Persons with these signs are my Avatars, and to say that a
particular Avatar is better than the other is committing a sin because I am
all the universe.
I am the seed which causes the propagation of life; therefore, one should
never qualify anything as big or as small, should not differentiate between
high and low and realise that all beings are my forms.
[NOTE: By the above description of manifestations, one can see that every
excellence in the universe, in nature or in individuals, like leadership and
wisdom, has a divine element in it. This applies even to bad practices like
gambling. One cannot achieve such best qualities without divine grace].
KNOWING MANIFESTATIONS NOT ENOUGH

Therefore, trying to measure the extent of my limitless form through
consideration of My manifestations in order realise Me is simply a waste
efforts. It takes just a fraction of Me to cover the entire universe. Therefore
abandon the idea of duality and be devoted to Me with an attitude of
equality.
End Chapter 10
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 11 - VISION OF THE COSMIC FORM
This chapter is unique among all the spiritual literature. Here, Shri Krishna
shows Arjuna His Cosmic Form with all the fury and splendour of the
universe contained in Him. Many devotees get Lords vision, but in the form
they visualise Him and worship Him. But the vision described here is
beyond the ordinary.
ARJUNAS MIND IS NOW CALM

In the previous chapter, it was mentioned that Brahman is the root place of
the Supreme Soul from where first the Prakriti (Maya) and then the three
attributes (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas), the five elements etc. are created as
the foundation for creation of the universe. It is also the place where all
these entities merge at the time of its dissolution. Shri Krishna revealed this
secret, which is not given even in the Vedas, to Arjuna because of their
mutual love. After understanding the various manifestations of the Lord (i.e.
Shri Krishna), Arjuna now regards the universe as His form. The realisation
that he was not a separate entity from Shri Krishna (as Bhagwan) now
humbles Arjuna. But worldly customs regrettably compel him to speak as if
he was different from Him.
Arjunas ego that he was an individual named Arjuna, his impression that
Kauravas were his relations, his worry that killing them would be a sin for
which he would receive punishment in the afterlife, have all vanished with
this realisation. He expresses his gratitude for getting rid of his ignorance
and for having been introduced to the Ultimate Principle that is the
Brahman. His mind has now become calm.
ARJUNA REQUESTS TO SEE THE COSMIC FORM

Arjuna is now eager to see Shri Krishnas incomprehensible, Divine Cosmic
form which, by mere thought, creates the expanse of this universe and then
destroys it. This is the form, which Shri Krishna called His original form
from where He takes avatars for Divine purposes (of saving Dharma) and
returns after that purpose is fulfilled. Arjuna now requests to be shown this
form provided of course he was worthy of seeing it. But he is sure that Shri
Krishna, who is so large-hearted as to grant liberation even to His enemies
(Kamsa, Shishupal etc.) and charitable towards both the fit and unfit, will
show it to him. He wishes to see this Cosmic form with his own eyes.
SHRI KRISHNA SHOWS HIS COSMIC FORM

Shri Krishna agreed to the request and began to show him the entire
universe contained in His divine form.
Diverse forms within the Cosmic form
There were all kinds of forms within the Cosmic form. The forms had diverse
characteristics: lean and fat, short and tall, spread out and straight,
uncontrollable and tame, active and inactive, impersonal and loving, alert
and negligent, shallow and deep, generous and miserly, angry and calm,
noisy and silent, awake and sleepy, armed and unarmed, very fearful and
very sociable, some decimating people in anger and some merely witnessing
everything. Also, forms that were limitless, very strict, arrogant, quiet,
happy, sociable, greedy, detached, satisfied, in difficulties, frightening,
strange, in trance, some busy in social work and some busy lovingly
sustaining them. There were countless forms like this in it with various
colours, shapes, brightness and beauty.
Activities of the forms
The forms were active, creating and destroying different entities, soft as well
as fierce. For example it was seen that the twelve Adityas (suns) are created
and vanish with the opening and closing of the eyes of the forms. The eight
Vasus (Pavaka etc.) are born from the flames emanated by the form and the
eleven Rudras are born when the eyebrows of the form meet together in
anger.
But when the form becomes soft, countless life-givers like Ashwinikumars
are formed, and various Vayus are generated through the ears. Thus, by the
simple play of the same form, gods and siddhas are created. And there are
countless number of forms in the Cosmic form which neither Vedas nor
Brahmadeo could fathom.
Shri Krishna said that the seeds of the world were carried in each pore of the
forms. Many universes flew around in the joints of the organs of the forms.
[NOTE: 1: Though Puranic of Universe does not agree with the scientific
findings of today, this particular description surprisingly is the same as what
the astrophysicists description of the universe today. 2: The entities
mentioned above are the 33 Vedic Gods consisting of 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras,
12 Adityas and 2 Ashwinikumars].
ARJUNA UNABLE TO SEE COSMIC FORM

But Shri Krishna suddenly noticed that Arjuna was silent and unresponsive,
though his face still showed eagerness. Realising that the Cosmic form
cannot be seen with ordinary eyes of ignorance, He immediately bestowed
the power of divine vision upon Arjuna. Arjuna could now see the glory of
the Cosmic form.
Arjuna noticed that the entire familiar world as well as his sense of direction
had vanished. Surprised, he looked around and immediately saw the four-
armed form of Shri Krishna before him. But it was not of the usual form he
was familiar with, but a colossal one present everywhere, and everything was
Shri Krishna.
[NOTE: It is implied here that Arjuna knew Shri Krishna as an avatar of Lord
Vishnu with a four-armed form ascribed by the pious to Lord Vishnu.
Mahabharata does not depict Shri Krishna as a four-armed person except
when he gives that vision to his devotees. This exposition of Shri Krishna
creates very ridiculous situations in the Mahabharata scenarios, but the
pious love it, believe it, get visions of it and even have realised the Brahman
through it. As mentioned earlier in the Introduction, spiritual path is a mind
exercise wherein the mind itself is used to silence the mind through various
means. Since the goal is noble and has been achieved by many, the means
do not matter as long as they are not harmful].
COSMIC FORM - BEAUTIFUL AND FRIGHTENING

Arjuna observed the many faces of Lord Vishnu, all full of beauty and
magnificence. They were heavenly and soft as well as mysterious and
frightening, but he could not see where the faces ended.
He noticed rows and rows of eyes like opened lotus flowers of various
colours, shining like the sun. He realised that there were innumerable such
wonderful scenes in the single Cosmic form.
All the organs of that limitless Cosmic form were bedecked with ornaments.
This ornamentation was actually the Divine effulgence that lights the auras
of the Sun and the Moon and illuminates this universe. The ornaments,
which Shri Krishna the Cosmic form was bedecked with, were also He. The
hands of the Cosmic form were straight, holding weapons shining like the
deluge of fire.
Shri Krishna Himself was the organs, Himself the ornaments, Himself the
arms and the weapons held in them, Himself the individual soul and Himself
the body. The stars were bursting like popcorn due to the rays from the
weapons held in the innumerable hands; fire itself was getting scorched by it
and trying to take shelter in the ocean.
The neck, the crown and rest of the body were all decorated in the manner of
the usual four-armed image (with garlands, yellow cloth i.e, pitambar etc.,
with sandal paste on the body).
The form was visible even when Arjuna closed the eyes or turned his back.
The brilliance of that Cosmic form was more than that of the combined
brilliance of twelve suns. The entire expanse of the whole universe could be
seen on the Cosmic form.
[Sun as a deity is known by twelve different names. One of the names is
Aditya. Adityas are also the sons of Aditi (from Rishi Kashyapa). There were
twelve Adityas. Sometimes, the names are associated with the twelve
months. There is a lot of poetic imagintins involved in the Puranas].
Duality vanishes
Seeing the all pervading, all devouring form on the body of Shri Krishna the
Supreme God, whatever feeling of duality he had about the universe being
different from himself vanished and his mind dissolved. He was flooded
internally with joy and his external organs loosenrd. From head to foot hair
on his body stood erect and he was drenched in sweat. The internal bliss
made his body shake. Tears of happiness flowed and his mind choked with
emotions. But even in that bliss of the Brahman there still remained some
degree of non-identity between him and Shri Krishna. Because of it, Arjuna
looked around, sighed and prayed to Shri Krishna with folded hands
describing what he was seeing in the Cosmic form.
ARJUNA DESCRIBES THE COSMIC FORM
Arjuna said,
Everybody and everything, including deities like Brahmadeo, Shiva, Parvati,
families of all the great Rishis, the creation and destruction of living beings
and in short, all the fourteen worlds are contained in the Cosmic form.
I see that all your hands are active at the same time. Your limitless bellies
look like treasures of Cosmic eggs thrown open. Your thousands of heads
look like fruits hanging on the tree that is the Brahman. Similarly, there are
rows and rows of countless mouths and eyes. The heaven, the nether world,
the earth, the directions and the space have lost their distinguishing
identities and the entire universe appears on your Cosmic body. Not an iota
of space may be found to be without you. You have occupied everything and
pervaded all the different kinds of creatures in this universe.
I realise that you need no support because you are your own support. You
are without origin and are self-born. You are neither standing nor sitting,
you are neither tall nor short; you yourself are above you and below you too.
Your back, belly are all yourself and I find that whatever I see is all you. You
do not have a beginning, a middle or an end.
Oh Shri Krishna, in spite of your being all-pervasive, you assume this loving
human form only to shower favours on your devotees. Mind and eyes get
satiated seeing your four-armed dark form and if one desires to embrace it, it
can be easily embraced by the span of two arms. Our sight is limited,
therefore we think of it as ordinary. Now, because of the divine sight you
have bestowed upon me, this deficiency has gone and I can see your true
greatness.
[NOTE: Though Aryans are generally fair skinned, Shri Krishna and Shri
Rama (and so also Arjunas wife Draupadi) were of darker shade. Lord
Vishnu is also depicted as having darker skin].
But the brightness of this vast form is unbearable. It is getting increasingly
intense and scorching. Even with my divine sight, I cannot bear looking at
the brightness, which is like the fire dormant in the third eye of Lord Shiva.
You are the Brahman

Shri Krishna, you are the immutable Supreme Brahman and are beyond
the sound AUM of three and half syllables. You are the root of all forms, and
one and the only place in which the universe dissolves. You are
inexhaustible, unfathomable and imperishable. You are the life of Dharma
and though birthless you are ever new. You are the master of this universe,
and you are, beyond the thirty-six principles, the thirty-seventh principle
Purusha (The thirty-six principles are explained in Ch 13). You have limbs all
over. Sun and Moon are your eyes exhibiting the play of pleasure and
displeasure, punishing some and supporting others with benevolence.
Your Form is Frightening

But your form has frightening aspect too. Your mouth spits fire and the
universe is getting scorched by its heat and from the brilliance of your
Cosmic form. I see that the heaven and the nether world, earth and the sky,
the ten directions and all horizons are all pervaded by you alone.
I cannot even imagine this gigantic and all-pervading form of yours and
neither can I bear the brilliance of that ferocious form. Instead of feeling
pleased by watching your Cosmic form I find it difficult even to survive.
Until I saw your Cosmic form I used to enjoy the pleasures of the worldly life
but now I am disgusted with them and actually feel frightened. Oh! How the
desire of seeing your Cosmic form has been fulfilled!
Sages, Gods, all Surrender to You

I am seeing that some of the sages are happily dissolving into your form
after burning the seeds of their karmas by your brightness; while some
others are frightened and have surrendered to you in all aspects, praying to
you to save them from ignorance and the web of sense-objects.
The eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, eight Vasus, all Sadhyas,
Ashwinikumars, Vishwedeo and Vayu with all their splendour as also the
Manes, Gandharvas, Yakshas, demons, Indra and other gods and all
siddhas are observing your divine form from their respective planes. And
wonder-struck, they are bowing to you. Seeing your form itself is the reward
for their humble obeisance.
But even the gods are feeling frightened by your all encompassing form
because from whatever direction one looks it is always facing the observer.
Though the form is one, it has strange, frightening mouths and eyes and
countless hands wielding weapons. This form has countless beautiful arms,
legs and stomachs and various hues and each mouth appears to be eager to
swallow. These huge mouths of yours appear frightening because they are
not able to hide the teeth.
You have reduced me, a person of whom even Rudra and Yama are afraid,
to a state of shivering inside and out, due to fright. It is really surprising
that this plague, frightfulness of which defeats very fear itself, should be
called Cosmic form.
[NOTE: It is mentioned in Mahabharata that Aarjuna fought Rudra (Shiva)
and Yama the god of death].
I have started feeling the fear of death. Seeing your Cosmic form has made
me lose my knowledge and understanding. I have doubts whether even the
consciousness will survive. Oh Master, my desire to see your Cosmic form is
now fulfilled and I am now satisfied.
Arjuna now repents for having asked Shri Krishna to show him the Cosmic
form and prays to him to wind up the show, describing how he is watching
the Kauravas, Bhishmacharya, Dronacharya, Karna and all the kings and
warriors from both sides (See Ch 1) entering the jaws of the Cosmic form
along with their horses and deadly weapons. He thinks that it is his prayers
to show the form that has brought about this destruction.
Thus, Shri Krishna tried to remove Arjunas delusion that he was the slayer
and the Kauravas were the slain. Shri Krishna showed him the Cosmic form
to remove this misunderstanding and to demonstrate to him that nobody
kills anybody but it is He, Shri Krishna who destroys everybody. But Arjuna
still could not reach that realisation and was feeling distressed by the fright.
He then repeated the description of the destruction he was observing in the
Cosmic form and asked why He, the creator of the three worlds should
appear to be so eager to swallow them and why he was holding in His hands
so many weapons and competing with death.
SHRI KRISHNA TELLS WHO HE IS

Shri Krishna then told Arjuna who He was and why He had assumed this
ferocious form in the following terms:
I am really death and am extending my form to destroy the universe. My
mouths are extended everywhere and I am going to swallow all people except
you Pandavas who are mine and are safely outside the range of the calamity
of destruction. You have seen this universe enter my mouth and surely,
nothing out of it will survive. The boasts of this army are meaningless.
Their utterances may appear to be sharp and scorching, but these warriors
are merely decorative toys. I have already destroyed their life force. These
warriors are now as lifeless as the statues in a potter's house. The gathering
of the army is only an illusion. They were dead at the instant you saw them
falling into my mouth. I have already killed them. You will merely be
instrumental in killing them.
So Arjuna, come to your senses, get up, fight and be victorious. Let the
world say that those relatives, who had become oppressive by their
arrogance and unconquerable by their strength, were destroyed effortlessly
by Arjuna."
Arjuna then asked why He was playing the role of the destroyer of the
universe when it is not yet time for it. To this Shri Krishna replied that he
had demonstrated that the life span of this army was over and that other
persons would die in their own time.
And then He disabled the divine vision from Arjuna who now saw the world
as it was earlier.
ARJUNA PRAISES SHRI KRISHNA

Arjuna now started praising Shri Krishna for sustaining the world in which
good beings (like gods, humans, Siddhas, Yakshas) and all the living and
nonliving bow to Him out of joy with great love for Him, while the demons
are running away from Him because He destroyed the evil. The reason why
they are running away is that He was the source of inner light and had
appeared in person; therefore the demons were blown away like dust.
The vision of the Cosmic form had made Arjuna see this unworldly greatness
of Shri Krishna and he continued his praise. Substance of the praise was
that Shri Krishna was the eternal limitless Principle beyond the truth and
the untruth. He was the origin of both Prakriti and Purusha and was beyond
Maya. He was the sustainer of this world and He alone knew the past and
the future. He was the highest place in which the Brahman rests after the
end of the universe. In short, it was Shri Krishna who had created this
expanse of the universe and therefore it was impossible to describe Him. All
the forms were merely His manifestations.
[NOTE: Describing Arjuna as the highest place in which the Brahman rests
etc. implies that Shri Krishna is Para Brahman, i.e; beyond Brahman].
Arjuna also felt repentant at having behaved with Shri Krishna in the past
as if He was an ordinary person and asked His forgiveness for any
indiscretions committed directly or indirectly. He then begged to be shown
Shri Krishnas usual more relaxing four-armed form.
SHRI KRISHNA RESUMES HIS MATERIAL FORM

Hearing this, Shri Krishna rebuked Arjuna for being cowardly and getting
frightened by the Cosmic form which was His most secret form that no
human being or even Brahmadeo had ever seen. He usually showed His
favours by granting only worldly things. He had arranged this
demonstration of the Cosmic form only for Arjuna. The Avatars like Krishna
etc. take place only from this Cosmic form. It is formed of only the
effulgence of Knowledge and pervades the universe. There is no end to it, it

is steady and is the root of all world. Nobody has seen or heard of this
Cosmic form because it cannot be seen by any external means like
yajnas, yoga, study of Shastras, penance(Tapas) etc. Arjuna should
therefore consider himself fortunate instead of getting frightened.
The four-armed form was not his real form and Arjuna should not indulge in
loving it eagerly. He should leave the desire for the four-armed form and
should not ignore the Cosmic form. He may meditate on the four-armed
form for external satisfaction, but should not let his faith deviate from the
Cosmic form even if it was frightening and vast. Shri Krishna then resumed
his human form. And Arjuna heaved a sigh of relief.
(NOTE: Thus Shri Krishna has told once more that idol worship by itself is
infructuous but may be practised only as an aid. One should concentrate
only on the formless Brahman).
REALISATION ONLY THROUGH DEVOTION

Shri Krishna once more reminded Arjuna that there were no worldly means
(like yajnas, yoga, study of Shastras, Tapas etc.) of reaching the Cosmic
form. It can be found by only one means and that is by filling the mind with
devotion. Shri Krishna added,
But, in order to reach Me and become one with Me, that devotion must be
ceaseless and with all the feelings. Real devotion is that which sees My
presence everywhere, right from a small ant onwards and in all living and
non-living things. And when the devotee sees thus, then he will experience
My form and naturally see Me. As soon as he experiences it, his ego will be
destroyed and duality will vanish. He will then realise the natural oneness
between himself, Me and the entire universe. What is more, by becoming
one with Me, he will get absorbed in Me.
All actions of such a devotee are for My sake alone and apart from Me he
loves nothing else in this world. I am his goal in life and the fruits of his
actions in this world as well as the next. He forgets the word "creatures"
because he sees Me in everything and thus, with an attitude of equality and
without enmity, he worships everything. Such a devotee, when he leaves his
material body, reaches Me and remains unified with Me."
End Chapter 11
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 12 - YOGA OF DEVOTION
Readers must have noted that Dnyaneshwar Maharaj extols the path of
devotion out of the four paths: Jnana, Karma, Yoga and Bhakti. This
chapter is entirely devoted to the Bhakti path.
WHO IS BETTER - SAGE OR DEVOTEE

Arjuna asked Shri Krishna, "It is clear that you have both the formless,
attributeless state as well as material state with form and attributes.
Devotional path leads to your material form, while the path of yoga (of
Knowledge) leads to the attributeless form.
To your devotees you are their highest goal. To achieve that goal, they
treasure your form in their heart and serve you, merging all their desires and
thoughts in their devotion towards you.
On the other hand, the sages (men of knowledge) meditate on the Brahman,
with the feeling "I am That"
Please tell me which of these two really attains knowledge?
DEVOTEE IS A SUPERIOR YOGI

Shri Krishna replied, "Those devotees whose faith steadily increases with
continued devotion, in whose heart love upsurges, who concentrate their
attention on Me day and night and offer themselves completely to Me are
really superior yogis.
YOGA PATH INVOLVES MORE LABOURS

"The followers of the Yoga path do attain unity with the Brahman, but for
that they have to restrain the organs, eliminate the sense pleasures with
courage and detachment, and then practice yogic postures to awaken the
Kundalini force. Then they have to be equable towards everything and
everybody and sacrifice their ego. But what they attain after all these efforts
is only Me. Thus they do not gain anything special from yoga other than
more labours.
There are other dangers too. Those who hope to attain Brahman through
yoga path but without devotion get lured by the Riddhis and Siddhis.
Desire, anger etc. impede their progress. They have to suppress hunger and
thirst, face the elements like wind, sun and rain, heat and chill, taking
shelter of some tree. In short, what the followers of this path of yoga get is
only sufferings for their body.
Those who follow the path of devotion do not have to undergo these
sufferings.
A DEVOTEE OFFERS EVERYTHING TO ME

The devotees happily perform whatever prescribed duties that come to their
lot, carefully avoiding prohibited actions. They then burn the fruits of these
actions (karmas) by offering them to Me.
Their mental and physical tendencies are directed only towards Me and not
anywhere else. Due to such ceaseless worship, I make my presence in their
hearts when they meditate on My form.
They forsake pleasures as well as liberation in order to be able to lovingly
indulge only with Me. They sacrifice with unexceptionable devotion, their
body, mind and wealth at My feet.
Is it possible to describe these devotees in mere words? Arjuna, I am obliged
to satisfy all their wishes.
I LOVE MY DEVOTEES
I love my devotees as they are (like a mother loves her child, ugly or pretty),
and I consider that taking care of their problems is My responsibility. My
devotees need not worry about their worldly problems. They are like My
family members. Is it not My obligation therefore to save them from
difficulties?
I am the sustainer of this universe and I feel embarrassed to see that this
world is in the throes of life and death. Who will not get frightened by this
ocean of earthly life one has to cross? It is for this reason therefore that I
take Avatar and rush to my devotees lest they get frightened. I help my
devotees in different ways.
For those who are single and unencumbered, I set them on the path
of meditation, while for those who have a family, My thousand names
(Vishnusahasranam) is like a raft to cross this ocean.
For some devotees I tie the lifebelt of love and bring them to the shore
of liberation.
Even for animals, as long as they call themselves my devotees, I make
them worthy of occupying a place in my kingdom in Vaikuntha.
My devotees do not at all worry because I am ever ready to save them.
I become obsessed with my devotees as soon as they surrender their
mind and consciousness to me.
Therefore Arjuna, you should follow this singular Bhakti path to become a
superior devotee.
VARIOUS WAYS TO SELF-REALISATION THROUGH DEVOTION

Shri Krishna now suggests various ways for attaining Self-realisation
through devotion.
Concentrating on My form
Ego automatically accompanies mind and intellect, therefore let the
mind and body be concentrated in My form and let it remain steady
there. You will then attain My all-pervading form and I swear that no
difference will remain between you and Me.
Yoga of practice
And if you are not able to concentrate your undivided attention on
Me, then try to practice Abhyasayoga or Yoga of practice as follows:
During the entire day, turn your mind to Me at least once even for a
moment. The very instant your mind enjoys the bliss of the
experience of My contact, a dislike will be created in your mind
towards sense pleasures. With practice, it will slowly and steadily
come out of the worldly matters and enter in Me until it becomes one
with Me. Nothing is difficult to attain by this yoga of practice.
May be you do not have the strength to adopt this Yoga of practice, but do
not worry because there other ways too.
Offer actions to God
You need not control your sense organs or leave your pleasures and
give up your ego. But you should follow the family traditions and the
rules of law. And, whatever you may do or decide to do, see that you
do not claim "I did it" because, all actions are done at the pleasure of
the Almighty God. Without bothering about whether the action was
complete or incomplete, be one with the Self. Giving up the pride of
being the doer and steadying your concentration on Me, make an
offering of the fruits of your actions to Me. If you develop this attitude
then you will be liberated after your death.
[NOTE: As mentioned in the note in Ch 9 summary, offering your actions to
God implies developing an attitude that "Whatever has happened, from the
thought of doing the action to its execution, successfully or without success,
was all due to the will of God and you are only an instrument in the
process").
Shed desire for fruits
And Arjuna, if you are not able to perform actions for My sake, then
just be devoted to Me. There need not be even a feeling that I should
be remembered or the actions should be performed for Me. You need
not bother about offering Me your actions if you find it difficult to do
so. Only, let your intellect be alert to restraining the organs and
shedding the desire for the fruits of your actions even as they are
done. The fruits of actions will then vanish into nothingness.
This sacrifice of the actions may appear to be easy but it is the greatest
among all the Yogas. The actions, which are nullified by surrender do not
accumulate and one does not have to take rebirth after death.
STEPS TO ATTAIN PEACE

By practice (of abandonment of fruits of actions), one can get knowledge, by
knowledge one gains success in meditation; and once one is engrossed in
meditation, actions (karmas) go away. Once actions go away, the fruits also
accompany them automatically. One then gets uninterrupted peace. This is
the step-by-step method of practice to achieve peace.
Arjuna, Knowledge is superior to practice and meditation is superior to
knowledge and renouncing the fruits of actions is superior to meditation and
peace is superior to renunciation of fruits of actions. These are the successive
steps in this path that lead to peace or bliss of the Brahman.
[NOTE: Thus, the primary task is to control the mind, so that there are no
desires for the fruits of ones actions. The type of actions implied here those
related to ones righteous duties and not those connected with pleasures.
Actions of the latter type are prevented when the mind is under control, so
that one does not become a slave to sense pleasures. This does not
necessarily mean that one should live an austere, uninteresting life but
implies that one should enjoy the pleasures as they come without craving for
them and running after them].
WHAT A DEVOTEE IS LIKE

Now Shri Krishna elaborates on the qualities of a devotee.
My true devotee is an equable person with no feelings of hatred for
any creature. He is equally friendly towards all and cares for them.
He does not have egotistic or possessive feelings like "mine" and
"yours".
He is not even conscious of the feelings of pleasure or sorrow.
He possesses forgiveness like mother earth that forgives even those
who ravage her.
In his heart he and the Supreme Soul (Paramatman) have become
one. Bliss is always apparent in him. He is happy without external
aids. He restrains his mind with staunch and true determination.
Enriched by the wealth of yoga, he surrenders his mind and intellect
in Me. Having been purified internally and externally by this
surrender, he is devoted to Me with love. Such a devotee is THE
devotee, THE liberated one and THE yogi.
I love such a devotee as a husband loves his wife. I love him like My own life
but even this simile is inadequate. The love for a person is like an
enchanting mantra. It is not something that can be expressed in words, but
I am compelled to tell you because of your faith. And that is why I gave the
simile of husband and wife, otherwise how else is it possible to express this
love?
THE DEVOTEE I LOVE

Now Shri Krishna tells about the characteristics of the devotee for whom He
(as Bhagwan or God) keeps a place in His heart.
My devotee does not feel offended by the rude world and others also do not
feel embarrassed by him. He feels he is one among all the creatures.
Therefore, he is not fed up with them. He thinks of the world as his own
body; therefore, thoughts of likes and dislikes vanish from his mind. Thus,
dwaita or the sense of being different from the universe disappears from his
mind and feelings of glee and anger also vanish.
Oh! How I love him who, having been thus liberated from the feelings of
happiness and pain, fear and sorrow, worships Me! Free of all desires, he is
fully satiated with the bliss of the Self and has reached perfection.
His company is liberating
The company of such a saint is more fruitful for liberation than a pilgrimage
to holy places like Kashi or Himalaya or taking bath in the Ganges. In Kashi
one has to die to get liberation; Himalayas are dangerous; and while taking
bath in the Ganges one may get drowned or be eaten by crocodiles. But the
company of a saint is free of all dangers. On the contrary, one who keeps a
saints company gets liberated even while still living.
He insists on a special kind of dualism
Such a saint becomes by his holiness, the shelter of even holy places. His
company destroys bad thoughts from a person's mind. He is pure from
inside out and experiences the Brahman. His mind is all pervading but he is
always happy and unconcerned about everything. His actions are without
ego as the doer. He becomes possessed of peace and is marked for liberation.
Having experienced Brahman, he has no dualism. But he does desire a
special kind of dualism for the sake of the bliss he gets from devotion: he
splits himself into two, calling one the devotee and the other as God. Even
after reaching the goal of the fourth duty i.e. the liberation, My devotee
continues to follow the path of devotion and sets an example to the world.
It is only such devotee that I am obsessed with. He actually become for Me
the object to meditate upon. I feel happy when I meet him. It is for him that
I take birth as an Avatar and come into this world. I like him so much that I
sacrifice My life for him.
A desireless Sthitapradnya
Enjoying the bliss of Self-realisation he does not like any kind of physical
pleasures. He has no desires left. He does not fear death because he
believes firmly that his real Self will never get destroyed. Having attained a
state of steady insight, he becomes an equable person. He does not have
feelings like "This is good" and "That is bad." Thus, even after having
attained the ceaseless Brahman he remains My devotee. I state on oath that
no one, other than such a person is closer to Me. I hold him on My head like
a crown.
Everybody bows before a superior person but before such a devotee, the
whole world prostrates. Only a true Guru like Lord Shiva can explain this
respect towards devotion, but praising Lord Shiva is like praising Myself.
He has attained the authority to decide who should be accorded the
liberation and who should not be but even then he is very humble. And it is
because of this that I bow to him and wear his footmark on My chest.
[NOTE: According to a Purana legend Rishi Bhrigu a devotee of Lord Vishnu
kicked Him on the chest and Lord Vishnu proudly carries that footmark].
I take birth on this earth just to be in his company. Not only do I like him to
the extreme, I also like extremely those who listen to his life story and praise
him.
What I have told you is the yoga of devotion. Its greatness is such that I
personally love such a devotee and hold him in My mind and carry him on
My head.
I ALSO LIKE THOSE WHO TELL ABOUT DEVOTEES

Arjuna, I like those who,
after listening to this nectar-like narrative, experience it themselves
by becoming My devotees, and
in whom the devotion grows by virtue of their faith and

by becoming firm in the heart makes them practice it, and
who, even after they get the benefits of the devotion, continue to love
Me and consider that I alone am their ultimate goal and their all in
all.
I am always concerned about such devotees. Those who have a liking for the
stories of God are themselves the holy places and holy persons. I meditate
on them. They are My deity of worship and I do not like any other persons.
I am obsessed by them, they are My treasure and meeting them satisfies Me.
What more, I consider those who narrate the stories about My loving
devotees as the highest deity.
End Chapter 12
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 13 - THE FIELD AND THE KNOWER OF THE FIELD
So far, Dnyaneshwar Maharaj covered practical aspects about how to follow

the four prescribed paths. Qualities and characteristics of a person who has
successfully followed the paths were also enumerated. Now Dnyaneshwari
enters into more theoretical aspects of the relation between an individual,
his body, universe and God. In this thirteenth chapter, Shri Krishna defines
and explains the terms Field, Knower of the field, Prakriti. Knowledge and
Ignorance. He also explains the inter-relations between these entities.
DEFINITIONS
Shri Krishna explains:
This body is called the Field (Kshetrs)and one who knows it is the Knower of
the Field (Kshetrsjna). Actually, it is God (here, same as Shri Krishna in the
role of Bhagwan) who is the Knower of the Field. He is also the sustainer of
all the Fields. [Note: The definition of the Field has been extended later to
mean the Prakriti].
Shri Krishna now begins to explain the following aspects of the Field.
Why the body is named as Field.

Where and how it is created.
Which processes make it grow.
Whether it is exactly three and half cubits long or not.
Whether it is a wasteland or a fertile land.
To whom does it belong and
All its qualities.
IGNORANCE ABOUT THE FIELD

What this Field (i.e. the body) is has been discussed by many branches of
philosophy without coming to a definite conclusion about it. What different
philosophers say about it is as follows:
The Vedas do not say anything specific about it.
The six Darshanas (Theories about the structure of the living and
non-living universe; these are: Nyaya, Vaisheshic, Sankhya, Yoga,
Purvamimansa and Uttarmimansa or Vedanta) have also not come to
any conclusion.
Atheists do not believe in the Vedas; They indulge in the affairs of the
body (taking it to be the individual).
Yogis practice yoga to save the body from death. For this they lead a
life in seclusion practising Yama and Niyama.
[NOTE: Practitioners of yoga are enjoined to practice control of their
behaviour and tendencies in order to purify the mind and the body. These
require certain restrictions which are called Yama and Niyama, each having
five types of restrictions as follows:
o Yama: Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya

(non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy) and Aparigraha
(Non-receiving or non-accumulation of property).
o Niyama: Shoucha (internal and external purification),
Santosha (contentment), Tapa (austerity), Swadhyaya
(study) and Ishwarpranidhana (Worship of God)].
Karmayogis consider that the Field (i.e. the body) belongs to the
Individual Soul. Prana (the life force) occupies the body and keeps it
alive and active with the help of its four aspects viz. Apana, Vyana,
Samana and Udana under the supervision of the Mind. Mind also
controls the sense and action organs and indulges in sense pleasures.
If the individuals actions are unjust and not righteous then the
accumulated sinful Karmas cause him to be reborn millions of times.
But if he performs righteous duties then he enjoys happiness for
hundreds of rebirths.
The Sankyhas do not consider the body (Field) as belonging to the
Individual soul. He occupies it only temporarily. Prana takes care of
the body day and night. It is the Prakriti (described by the Sankhyas)
that temporarily owns the Field. The body or the field is basically born
from the three attributes Sattva, Raja and Tama which themselves are
born from Prakriti. The three attributes qualify the actions by the
individual and those actions (Karmas) accumulate with time.
The intellectuals do not agree with the Sankhyas. They say that it is
the Supreme Brahman and not the Prakriti that is responsible for
everything. After dissolution of the universe the Divine Will remains
dormant. On its reawakening, the three worlds (heaven, earth and
the nether i.e. Patala), which had vanished by the dissolution, take
form again. Then the Will brings together the five principles (Air,
Water, Earth, Fire and Sky) and builds the four kinds of life, i.e. those
who are born from sweat, those born from eggs, those through mating
and those born from seeds. The Will also creates two barriers on
either side of life viz. that of action and that of non-action. The Divine
will arranges the individual lives using ego and intellect. The living
individuals are confined between these two barriers but routes are
provided to go beyond them. Actions (Karmas) lead to rebirth after
death and non-actions enable the crossing over to the Brahman. Thus
the Divine Will, which branches out of the Brahman, is the root of the
universe.
Naturalists (Swabhavavadi) believe that just as events like rain and
wind are natural, the Field is also natural. No particular person has
any proprietary right over it. Whoever does actions gets its benefits,
not anybody else.
The Fatalists say that it is the Death, which rules the Field.
Thus there are various opinions about this Field. The Rishis have debated
on it extensively but this Field is of such a nature and so extensive that
nobody has ever found out whom exactly it belongs.
Shri Krishna now begins to explain the nature of this Field.
CONSTITUTION OF THE FIELD

This Field is made up of thirty-six principles, which are:
the five elements (or principles),
the ego,
the intellect,
the Unmanifestable (Prakriti),
the ten organs (five sense organs and five organs of action),
the mind which is the eleventh organ,
the ten objects of the senses and actions,
desire,
aversion,
bliss or happiness
sorrow,
the aggregate (Sanghat) of all the above,
the life-principle (Chetana) and
fortitude.
These are explained below.
The Five elements and the ego
The five elements are the earth, water, fire, air and sky. The ego is hidden
within the Prakriti. When the five elements come together to form the body,
it is this ego that makes this body play around. The surprising thing about
this ego is that it does not affect ignorant persons but gets its hold on the
learned ones, putting them into all sorts of difficulties.
Intellect
Desire exposes the individual through the sense organs to a variety of
pleasures and pains. The intellect decides about which is pleasure and
which is pain and where they come from. It also decides about which deed is
meritorious, which is sinful, which is pure and which is impure. Intellect is
the basic means of gaining knowledge. It enables an individual to
differentiate between various qualities like good and bad, small and big etc.
It is due to this intellect that the Sattva attribute in a person grows (through
discrimination). Thus, it the meeting place of the individual with the Soul.
(This is why only human beings can reach Self-realisation because only they,
among all creatures possess intellect).
Unmanifestable
The Unmanifestable is the same as the Prakriti of the Sankhya philosophy.
In the seventh chapter, during the discussion of the Sankhya philosophy, A-
Para and Para, were described as the two different aspects of Prakriti. Out of
these two, the Unmanifestable is the Para which is the Life (or life-force).
When an individual dies, the soul is separated from the five principles that
constituted the body. The five principles, after shedding the gross qualities,
merge into the Unmanifestable. However, all the impressions of actions
throughout the lifetime get associated as karmas with the subtle body
(Sukshma Deha or Linga Deha) of desires. This subtle body continues to exist
even after death.
The Ten Organs
Ears, nose, eyes, skin and tongue are the five sense organs. Once the
information from all the senses is pooled together, then the intellect decides
about whether they give pleasures or pains.
The organs of speech, hands, feet, anus and the sex organs are the five
organs of action. The body has the power to perform actions through these
organs while it is alive.
Mind
It is difficult to explain what exactly mind is. It links the sense organs to the
intellect. It gets its support from the Raja attribute. It can create deceptive
impressions (like e.g. the blue colour of the sky or like the waves in a
mirage).
When the body takes shape out of the five principles (elements) after the
union of mans semen and womans ovum, the air principle (Prana) gets split
into ten parts with ten different aspects. They get themselves established in
ten different parts of the body according to the properties and functions of
each.
[NOTE: There are ten classes of Prana (vital breath), five main and five
secondary. The main types are called Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana and
Udana. The secondary Pranas are Naga, Kurma, Krikala, Devadatta and
Dhananjaya].
The fickleness of the air principle implants itself firmly between the intellect
and the ego with the help from Raja attribute. It is this fickleness that has
been named mind. Actually it is only a concept. It is because of the mind
that the Soul gets to be associated with the body. It induces the inclination
for action.
It strengthens the lust and always incites the ego. It increases the desire,
strengthens the hope and nurtures fear. Because of it the duality (disunity)
is created, ignorance prevails and it provokes the organs into sense-
pleasures.
It creates conceptual worlds and immediately destroys them too. It
assembles stacks of ambitions and disassembles them. It is a storehouse of
delusion and is the inner core of the air principle. It has closed the doors of
the intellect. This then without doubt is the mind.
Objects of sense and action organs
1. Sense-objects
Touch, sound, form, taste and smell are the objects of the five sense organs
through which knowledge is gained.
2. Action-objects
The pronunciation of vowels and consonants, the action of taking or
throwing, walking, passing of faeces and urine are the objects of the five
organs of action through which the body functions.
[NOTE: Functions of sex organs does not seem to have been included in this
list].
Desire
Desire is that which
excites the emotions after remembering or hearing about the past
events,
generates craving when the senses encounter sense objects,
makes the mind wander and the organs to step in where they should
not go,
makes the intellect crazy and

has a liking for the sense objects.
Aversion or hatred
It is the feeling in the mind (about something) when the organs do not get
the desired sense pleasures (from it).
Bliss or happiness
The bliss or happiness is that which makes an individual forget everything
including one's body, when the activities of the body and mind have ceased.
This is the state of the mind in which the life force is inactivated, goodness
in the nature grows, the tendencies of the sense organs get lulled and the
individual meets the soul.
[NOTE: This happiness is obviously different from the pleasure rooted in
sense organs].
Sorrow
On the other hand, the state of mind where these things do not happen is
called sorrow. One does not gain happiness when desires and ambitions are
present but it comes automatically when they are absent. Therefore, the
presence and the absence of desire and ambitions are the causes of sorrow
and happiness respectively.
Chetana
Chetana is the unattached, uninvolved power of consciousness over the
body. It is the vital power or life-principle. It functions throughout the body
right from the toenail to the hair on the head and remains unchanged
throughout the three states of the body viz. wakefulness, dream and sleep. It
brings freshness to the mind, intellect etc. and keeps the world active and
cheerful. It is present in some measure or other in all animate and the
inanimate objects. It puts life into an inanimate body when associated with
the Soul.
[NOTE: There is no exact equivalent word for Chetana in English. It is
translated also as intelligence or awareness].
Fortitude
The five principles are natural enemies of each other. Water destroys the
earth and is itself dried away by fire. Wind fights with fire and is itself
devoured by the sky (space). These five principles come together in the body;
and abandoning the mutual conflict they help each other through their
individual characteristics. The quality, which causes this rare unity to occur
and sustains it, is called the fortitude or courage.
Sanghat
Sanghat is the assembly of all the above thirty-five principles including the
life principle.
These are then the characteristics of the thirty-six principles that constitute
the Field. When these thirty-six principles come together that aggregate is
called the Field. Figuratively also it is called the Field because the crop of
meritorious and sinful deeds is harvested in this aggregate. Some call it the
body and some others by other names. It should be remembered that
whatever is created and is destroyed, between the material world up to this
side of the Brahman, is all Field.
[NOTE: The above constituents are enumerated in Gita in Shlokas 5 and 6.

Of these the Shloka 5 enumerates twenty-four, namely the five elements (or
principles), the ego, the intellect, the Unmanifestable (Prakriti), the ten
organs (five sense organs and five organs of action), the mind, the five
objects of the senses. These are the twenty-four principles of the Sankhya
philosophy constituting the body. Shloka 6 mentions the following seven
which are the mental traits of an individual: desire, aversion, bliss, sorrow,
Sanghat, Chetana and fortitude. These mental traits are also part of the
Field.
Note that though Dnyaneshwari gives thirty-six constituents of the field, Gita
enumerates only thirty-one. This is because Gita does not mention the five
objects of action. These seem to have been added by Shri Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj].
Effects of Attributes and Karma
Living creatures are born in various species such as deities, humans,
reptiles etc. They are born so according to the influence of the three
attributes (Sattva, Raja and Tama) and the Karma. The details about these
attributes will be discussed in Chapter fourteen.
KNOWLEDGE
Shri Krishna now discusses the importance of Knowledge
People perform difficult penance, yajnas and other worship rituals in the
hope that they would attain this Knowledge some day, in some birth. Some
ardently follow the path of devotion. Some others follow the path of
Kundalini yoga and spend hundreds of lifetimes in the service of their Guru
in the hope of attaining this Knowledge some day. Yogis prefer to practise
the difficult path of yoga in order to attain Knowledge rather than heaven
and Siddhis.
This Knowledge induces indifference to the senses, numbs the tendency for
materialistic actions and removes the unhappiness from the mind. It
destroys the ignorance and unifies the individual with the Brahman.
Knowledge causes the duality to go and makes sense of equality to prevail.
There is no language of "I" and "others" any more. It removes arrogance and
destroys delusion.
With Knowledge, the materialistic attitude goes and desirelessness sets in.
One can then experience with ease the difficult-to-know ultimate principle of
Brahman. The impure mind becomes pure with the holy, pure knowledge. I-
am-the-body feeling goes after attaining it. One then becomes indifferent to
the body and bodily affairs. In the light of the Knowledge, the intellect is
able to understand what it could not do so before and the individual rolls in
bliss.
Really speaking, this Knowledge cannot be explained. It has to be heard and
understood through intellect because it is not visible to the eyes. But once it
is understood by intellect it becomes visible to the eyes through the actions
of the organs.
[NOTE: It has been mentioned later in Ch 14 that all organs of a man of
Knowledge are able to sense and see].
BODY SIGNS ON A MAN OF KNOWLEDGE

The presence of this Knowledge in a person is indicated through certain
characteristic signs on his body (and his behaviour). There are eighteen such
characteristics These are: 1. humility or lack of pride, 2. unpretentiousness,
3. non-violence, 4. tolerance and forbearance, 5. uprightness, 6. devotion to
Guru, 7. purity, 8. steadfastness, 9. self-restarint 10. dispassion, 11.
absence of ego, 12.awareness about evilness of birth and death cycles, 13.
detachment, 14. equability towards pleasure and pain, 15. devotion to God,
16. liking for seclusion, 17. Certain that Knowledge leads to Self-realisation
and 18. dedication to knowledge. These are explained below:
Humility
A man of Knowledge does not have pride. He does not like to be praised or
honoured and greatness conferred on him. To avoid them he hides his
wisdom and pretends to be a simpleton, sometimes deliberately goings
around like a mad person. He does not like to discuss Shastras because
that might make him famous. He prefers to sit quietly wishing strongly that
people should ignore him. He prefers to live in solitude and feels happy in
deserted places. He likes to be one with nature. He who has these
characteristics of pridelessness may be considered as having attained
Knowledge.
Unpretentiousness (inostensibility)
A man of Knowledge does not make a show of his achievements. He does
not speak about his meritorious actions. He keeps his charitable and
benevolent deeds or the favours he has done to others a secret. He does not
boast about his learning and does not sell his knowledge for public
applause. He will not spend anything on himself but he is very generous
when it comes to spending for others, especially for charity or religious work.
He is wise in the religious duties, generous in charity and clever in spiritual
discussions but behaves like a simpleton in other matters. A person who has
these characteristics may be considered to be having Knowledge in his
grasp.
Non-violence - (some misconceptions)
People from different schools of thought define non-violence in different
ways. For example, according to Purvamimansa, certain acts of violence
performed for general benefits, (e.g. cutting the branches of a tree to fence its
trunk or performing yajnas to prevent drought. Drought does kill animals
but in a yajna too animals are killed). Under this situation how can one
achieve non-violence? It is like looting the poor to distribute free food in
charity or like burning one's blanket to warm oneself.
In one religion (Jain) they drink water after filtering it, but the filtering kills
many living organisms. Some others, afraid of committing violence, eat the
raw uncooked grains. But this indigestible food causes pain and brings
them on the verge of death. This is nothing but violence. Thus, in all the
above cases, permitted violence is considered as non-violence.
Non-violence - (Real)
Now Shri Krishna gives his opinion about what the real characteristics of
non-violence are. A person with these characteristics is a person who has
attained Knowledge. Whether non-violence is ingrained in a person or not
may be found from his behaviour. Similarly, the non-violent behaviour of a

man of Knowledge is as follows:
He radiates friendly feelings. His compassion makes him tread the ground
very carefully to avoid hurting even the minutest living beings that he knows
are present around. He treads on the ground so delicately that if his feet
touch by mistake any living being then it actually gets comfort from it. He
feels that if he were to walk stamping his feet, then the sleep of the all-
pervading Lord would get disturbed and His health would get affected.
His kindness is apparent even in his speech. His talk, truthful but soft,
limited but straightforward is like the flow of nectar. Contradiction,
arguments, irritating harsh words, ridicule, torture, maliciousness,
obstruction, irritation, nastiness, showing false hope, doubt, falsehood are
completely absent in his talk.
Also, his gaze is such that his eyebrows are never raised. The reason is that
he believes every living creature has a soul and is afraid that his gaze might
hurt it. He generally does not therefore look at anybody and if at all he
looks, it is out of the inner kindness. And the creature at whom he looks
feels a sense of satisfaction.
Nothing more remains to be done for him, his hands are therefore inactive.
He does not like to hold even a staff or stick in his hand, then why talk of a
weapon? He does not stroke his body lest it disturbs the hair on his body.
And he grows his nails because he feels that cutting them is like committing
violence. He may feel shy to raise his hands in reassurance or give a
supporting hand to a falling person or gently stroke a suffering person but
his loving touch helps to remove the suffering of others.
The mind expresses itself through the organs. Any action or thought is
created in the mind first and is then expressed through speech, looks or
hands. If there is no place for violence in the mind itself then how can it be
seen in actions? The mind imparts the kindness in it to the limbs and
makes them behave with non-violence. Thus, he who has abandoned all
violence from his mind, body and speech is the beautiful temple of
Knowledge. Not only that, he is the Knowledge personified. If you wish to
see non-violence, the greatness of which we hear and read about, then you
see that person and your wish will be fulfilled.
Tolerance and Forbearance
Where there is forbearance (forgiveness) without regret there is Knowledge
present. Forbearance gets nurtured within a man of Knowledge. Such a man
is tolerant to good as well as bad situations. He does not feel perturbed by
personal, external or elemental difficulties. He continues to feel contented
whether he gains or suffers unexpected losses. He accepts honour and
insult, pleasure and pain, praise and slander with the same calmness
without losing his balance. He does not feel uneasy by the heat of the sun
nor does he shiver by cold. He does not feel frightened in any situation.
There is nothing that he cannot tolerate and he is not even aware that he is
tolerating. He considers that all the sufferings and enjoyments that his body
goes through are he himself; therefore he does not feel that he is doing
something out of the ordinary. Persons who possess such forbearance
without regret are really the essence of Knowledge.
Uprightness
An upright person is an impartial person. His mental attitude and behaviour
does not change from person to person. He is able to mix with anybody and
does not have prejudice against anybody. His mind being pure his actions
are pure too.
He knows the nature of the world thoroughly and behaves as if he has
known it since ages. He does not therefore know the meaning of "mine" and
"yours".
He has complete control on his mind. He neither reins it nor lets it go adrift.
There are no desires or doubts in his mind. Since he is fully satisfied due to
Self-realisation, he does not spend his time in thoughts.
He has a straightforward nature. All his actions are straightforward, pure
and without deceit. His five vital airs (Pranas) also are always free.
He cannot hide anything in the corners of his mind. He does not hesitate to
express his mind before people. He does not have deceit in his mind or
vagueness in his words and he never behaves with ill will towards anybody.
Knowledge resides in a person having these qualities of uprightness
Devotion to Guru
[Dnyaneshwar Maharaj was extremely devoted to his Guru Nivruttinath (who
was also his brother elder by mere two years). He has expressed this
devotion at several places in the Dnyaneshwari, though it is not included
here. In the following he gives one more expression in great detail to this
devotion through the medium of Shri Krishna who now tells in great detail
about how a devoted disciple expresses his devotion to his Guru. What is
presented below is only a summary. Shri Krishna tells that:
Service to the Guru leads to fortunes of all kinds. By the power of this
service, an individual can attain Brahman even when he is in a sorrowful
state.
Total devotion to ones Guru is essential part of Guru-tradition that should
be followed with complete dedication. A truly devoted disciple yearns to be in
the company of his Guru and to serve him in all respects.
He imagines his Guru to be his mother nurturing him on the breast milk of
Knowledge. Another time he imagines his Guru to be the husband and he
the wife and experiences his loving admiration. He may be staying far away
from his Guru because he was instructed so. But even if he is not bodily
near his Guru, his mind is always there. Knowledge is always at the service
a person with this kind of love for the Guru tradition.
He meditates on his Gurus image and imagines various fancy relations with
him. For him the Guru is sometimes the idol in the temple of his heart, he
himself being the temple priest. And he performs the worship using articles
of worship (like sandal paste, kumkum i.e. vermilion and flowers) which he
imagines are all himself. In this worship he burns his ego as Dhup (myrrh)
and performs arati with the lamp of Knowledge. He offers non-duality as
naivadya in this worship. [ Arati: Singing of a praise cum prayer song while
waving a lamp clockwise before an idol or revered person. Naivadya:
Offering of food. This os then distributed among those present as grace from
the worshipped entity].
He resolves to serve his Guru in the best possible ways, including in the
daily activities of his Guru like taking bath, eating and strolling. He desires
to thus gain his Gurus admiration and affection. And if the Guru wishes to
give him a boon, he wants that boon to be that he should be able to serve his
Guru in all possible ways. He wishes that his Guru would shower his love
on him and on him alone.
His desire to serve his Guru is not confined to this lifetime. He feels that
even when he is dead and his body has reunited with the five principles, he
should be able to serve his Guru. He thinks, Wherever the feet of my Guru
touch, I shall mix the Earth principle of my body into that earth and where
he will touch water I shall mix the Water principle of my body into it. I shall
mingle the Fire principle from my body into the light of the lamps used for
Gurus arati and also into those lighted in the temple. I shall merge the Air
principle into my Gurus fly-swap and fan and be the breeze that comforts
his body. Wherever my Guru goes with his entourage I shall introduce the
part of my Sky (space) principle in that space. But on no account shall I let
the service to my Guru be interrupted, whether during my lifetime or after
death and neither shall I let other people serve my Guru. Aeons will pass
while I thus serve my Guru.
He who holds such courage and serves his Guru with limitless devotion does
not bother about time or about the magnitude of the task. On the other
hand, he feels happier if his Guru asks him to do more. He strives hard,
using all the faculties, to fulfil his commands --- even those made in jest.
He considers the rules of his Guru's tradition as the prescribed duties
(Dharma) and devotional service to his Guru as his daily duty.
To him, Guru is the place of pilgrimage, Guru is the deity, mother and father
and there is nothing beyond Guru's service. He considers the water touched
by his Gurus feet to be holier than all other holy waters from the three
worlds.
He has brotherly love for all those who serve his Guru. He always has on his
tongue, the Mantra given by his Guru whose words are the only ones he
listens to or studies in preference to the Shastras. He prefers the leftover
food from his Guru to the bliss of Samadhi. To him, even a particle of dust
raised when his Guru walks is like the bliss of liberation. There is no end to
how much one can talk about his devotion to ones Guru.
The comments Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj makes about the Guru devotion
discussed above indicates clearly his immense love for his Guru. He says,
I am saying all this because I am overcome by the feelings of devotion
towards my Guru. One who likes this feeling of devotion does not find
anything sweeter than to be of service to the Guru. Such a person is the
abode of Self-realisation. Knowledge itself gets respectability because of him.
In such a person lies Knowledge sufficient for the whole world and to spare.
I am extremely anxious about service to the Guru and therefore I have
described it extensively but I am handicapped in all respects in this regard.
However, the extreme love I have in my heart for my Guru compelled me to
expand on this topic. I am praying to him to accept it and give me an
opportunity to serve him so that I shall be able to explain this book further
in a better way."
Now to continue Shri Krishnas elaboration on the qualities of a man of
Knowledge.
Purity
Purity can be seen in a sage both externally and internally. He has become
pure on the outside by his actions and from the inside by his Knowledge.
Keeping the body clean without the internal purity is nothing but mockery.
With internal purity one automatically attains external purity too, otherwise
pure Knowledge and pure action could not have been found together.
Pure feelings in the mind are reflected in the body. Passions do not touch
him even if he comes in contact with sense-objects. There are no more
desires and doubts when the heart is pure, and one is very clear about what
is proper and what is improper. Knowledge surely occurs in whomsoever
purity is evident.
Steadfastness
A steadfast person is the life-force (Prana) of Knowledge. His mind remains
undisturbed internally even while his body performs external actions.
Calamities do not discourage him. He is neither afraid of poverty or pain nor
affected by fear and sorrow. Approach of death does not frighten him nor
does his mind waver under the pressure of the rumblings of various
diseases, nor does it waver in the face of slander, insult, punishment, desire
and greed. This is what steadfastness is. Whosoever has it ingrained in him
is the treasure cove of Knowledge.
Self-restraint
Such a sage is dispassionate and desireless by practising self-restraint. He
does not permit thoughts of sense pleasures enter his mind.. Through yogic
practices he steadies his state of meditation into Samadhi. His
consciousness then unifies with the Divine energy and merges in it. This is
what is called controlled state of the mind. Knowledge is manifested where it
occurs. He whose commands are respected by the mind is the Knowledge
personified.
Dispassion
He is ever apathetic to sense-pleasures and does not like them to be even
mentioned in his presence. His body becomes lean by staying away from
them. He likes Shama (control of the mind) and Dama (restraint of the
senses). He likes to live in isolation and practise yoga. He performs penance
and austerities constantly. He finds worldly pleasures and heavenly
enjoyment distasteful. This kind of detachment from the sense-pleasures is a
sign of Self-realisation and such a person should be considered as one who
has attained Knowledge.
Absence of ego
He may carry out daily duties as well as works of public benevolence but
they are done without a sense of pride. This characteristic of his mind is
called egoless-ness. There is no doubt that Knowledge occurs where this is
fully evident.
Awareness about evil of birth, death etc.
A man of Knowledge, even if he is reborn for some reason, is ashamed at
having had to take birth. At an early age itself, when old age, pain, disease
and death are far away, he is careful to behave in a way that he would not be
reborn by his actions in this birth. Even when he is in his youth he listens to
good things worth hearing, visits places of pilgrimage, commits good
quotations to memory and gives away wealth in charity before the organs
become weak and useless. Because the mind may not remain pure after
reaching such a situation, he ponders in detail on Self-realisation. He who
remembers that he is going to become old some day and takes steps, before
getting disabled by old age, of doing righteous actions in youth itself, is to be
considered as having Knowledge.
(NOTE: Dnyaneshwar Maharaj makes the following statement in this
paragraph: He says to himself, "Alas! I am born through the mixing of
semen with impure blood and came out through the urinary channel. Then
I licked the sweat on the breast of my mother. Feeling disgusted about this
he resolves not to do anything that will cause him to be reborn.
Modern readers should note that some older literature considers the body as
dirty, represents women in bad light as the cause for sin etc. Many
kirtankars or even popular saints also speak on these lines. They do not
realise that they are denigrating their own mother and sisters; also, as has
been said elsewhere in Dnyaneshwari, that this human body is a gift of God
gained after millions of births in lower species and it is only while one
occupies the human body that spiritual practice can be done to achieve
liberation. Some older literature misrepresents the process of conception and
rebirth as something very filthy and painful to the unborn baby; it says that
the foetus has to spend time in blood, urine and faeces inside the womb.
This totally incorrect idea seems to have arisen because in older days
knowledge about growth of the baby inside the womb and the birth process
was not common as it is today. Modern reader knows that the unborn baby
is well cushioned and protected inside the womb by the uterine fluid inside
the womb and that fluid is not urine. The baby does not float in blood but is
well nurtured through mothers blood via the umbilical cord until it is born
and that the birth does not occur through the urinary channel at all.
Therefore such remarks should not be taken very seriously or literally).
Detachment
A man of Knowledge is very detached towards his body. He does not have
any affinity for his home, his wealth or his family. His mind does not waver
by pain or pleasure and his sense of balance does not change. Knowledge
resides in such a person. [Recall the text under Tolerance and Forbearance
above].
Equability to pleasure and pain
A man of Knowledge has equable attitude towards pleasure. He is composed
and his mind does not waver by pain or pleasure. Knowledge actually exists
in such a person.
Devotion to God
A man of Knowledge has only one goal and that is Me. For him nothing else
is better than Me. He has developed so much love for Me that we both have
become one. And even after becoming one with Me he keeps on worshipping
Me with devotion in all sorts of ways. He who becomes one with Me with
dedication and worships Me is Knowledge personified.
Liking for seclusion
A man of Knowledge is certain that there is no goal in this world other than
Me. The extent of his love for Me (i.e. God) is such that we both have become
one. And even after becoming one with Me he keeps on worshipping Me with
devotion in all sorts of ways. Such a person does not like living in cities but
likes instead to live at places of pilgrimage, near holy riverbanks, in forests

and caves in seclusion.
Certain that Knowledge leads to Self-realisation
He is certain that the real Knowledge is only that which leads to the
experience of Supreme Soul and the knowledge of the worldly life and heaven
etc. are all ignorance that leads to delusion. He directs his mind and
intellect only towards Self-realisation, ignoring worldly matters and the
desire to go to heaven. He becomes one with Me once the Knowledge gets
completely ingrained in his mind. But unless Knowledge becomes fixed in a
person, he cannot be called a person of Knowledge. He has to steady his
sights on the Brahman, which is the fruit of gaining pure knowledge. If after
gaining Knowledge one does not experience the Brahman then it is as good
as not gaining the Knowledge.
(NOTE: Thus, according to this statement, Self-realisation, i.e. realisation
that I am not the body but the soul is merely the first step and not quite
the end of the spiritual path. The second step is to experience the Brahman.
Last is to be one with the Brahman).
Dedication to knowledge
If the intellect cannot reach the Supreme Brahman in the light of Knowledge
then it must be considered as blind. With the desire for the right kind of
Knowledge however, he finally gains it and that leads him to experiencing
the Supreme Brahman. His intellect has developed as much as his
Knowledge therefore he becomes the Knowledge personified.
Thus, Shri Krishna explained the eighteen characteristics of a person of
Knowledge. Next, he proceeds to explain what ignorance is and its
characteristics.
[NOTE: So far, the characteristics and qualities of a perfect person, a man
of knowledge were enumerated a number of times but not those of an
ignorant person. An ignorant person was defined as one who does not
realise he is really the soul but thinks he is only his body. Bhagvadgita
does not give the details about the characteristics of an ignorant person. It
merely says that the characteristics of Ignoranceare opposite to those of
Knowledge. Dnyaneshwar Maharaj has however gone into great details about
the characteristics of an ignorant person. Many readers may find, on
introspection, some of these characteristics within themselves and their
acquaintances. Paragraphs with the following sub-headings should be
interesting: False pride, Infatuation with family, Slave to pleasure and
sorrows, Dislikes quiet and holy places, Prefers black arts to holy knowledge
and Attachment to wife at the cost of parents.
Note that the text refers mainly to men and not women because until
recently the society was male dominated. With the age of emancipation of
women the text today applies to women too].
IGNORANCE
Shri Krishna explains ignorance and its characteristics as follows.
What is not Knowledge automatically becomes Ignorance. Main signs of an
ignorant person are:
An ignorant person lives for status.
He eagerly awaits honour and is pleased by felicitations.
He remains stiff with pride and unbending.

He brags about his religious actions.
He makes a big noise about his learning.
He makes public announcements of his good deeds though all of them
are done in order to get prominence and greatness.
He deceives his followers by external appearances (e.g. he poses as a
religious person by applying ash, sandal-paste etc. to the body).
An ignorant person has one or more of the following characteristics:

Cruel nature
A person of violence, whose actions make the whole world suffer and whose
words, even casual ones, hurt people is an ignorant person. He thinks of
doing only malevolent deeds.
Slave to emotions
He becomes elated when he meets his loved ones and depressed when they
depart. He feels elated by praise and dejected by even the slightest criticism.
Secretive
He may outwardly appear to be frank but actually he is very secretive. He
shows friendship towards one but helps another. He maintains good
relations with straightforward type of persons and wins the minds of good
people but with an ultimate aim of harming them.
Disrespect for Guru
He is ashamed of his Guru tradition and does not like to serve his Guru. He
is disrespectful to his Guru even after acquiring knowledge from him. It is a
sin to even utter the name of such a person but this can be atoned for by
uttering the name of the Guru's devotee.
Impure mind and Greed
An ignorant person neglects his duties; his mind is full of impure thoughts
and therefore he is impure from inside and outside. He is very loose
regarding women. He is greedy, always with his eyes on money and does not
hesitate to swallow wealth of others. He has no liking for righteous deeds
and no shame in doing sinful deeds. He does not feel shame if he misses
the usual time for performing his routine prescribed actions or his incidental
duties. His mind is always full of doubts. He does not bother about the rules
of the rituals, family traditions and about what is proper or improper. Such
a person is like a statue of ignorance.
Fickle-minded
An ignorant person is fickle-minded. He does not have the strength of
determination. He does not stick to his resolutions and does not mind
changing his ideas for the sake of personal gains. He cannot remain steady
in one location therefore he wanders from place to place. He gets engrossed
in flights of imagination. Frightful situations and unpleasant news shake his
morale. If he has to do penance, he abandons it halfway. His mind wanders
unrestrained in thoughts of sense-pleasures.
Passion-lover
He does not give up the desire for sense pleasures. He thinks it is
inauspicious to meet a dispassionate person and if perchance he meets one
he takes bath to clean himself. He struggles incessantly for sense pleasures
throughout his life. He never gets tired of sense-pleasures and remains

unsatisfied until his death. Not only that, in order to enjoy pleasures even
after death he makes preparations to attain heaven for the sake of pleasures
there.
Infatuation with family
From birth to death an ignorant person is infatuated with his family. In his
childhood he is infatuated with his parents. In youth he gets attracted to
female body. While he is busy enjoying the marital life and begets children
he directs his love towards his children. In the company of his wife and
children and with growing affluence that intoxicates him, he does not see
that he is going to be separated from his sons etc. and his wealth one day.
Slowly and steadily, old age and death approach but he ignores them and
spends all his time with his children.
False pride
He performs his duties no doubt, but because of the I-am-the-body attitude
he carries the ego that it is he who does them. The same ego makes him feel
unhappy if he has not been able to perform his actions well.
During his prime, he is swollen with pride about his youth and learning. He
goes around stiffly and says, "I alone am great, I alone am wealthy. Who else
is there with a behaviour as good as mine?" He is jealous of virtuous
persons. He is proud of his own learning and knowledge and of the strength
gained from penance. He thinks there is none as great as himself, that he
knows everything and that he is popular. Swollen by pride, he refuses to
bend. He does not feel kindness. Even virtuous persons cannot bring him to
his senses. In such a person, ignorance only increases with time.
Forgets birth-death cycles
An ignorant person bothers a lot about his household, body and wealth in
this lifetime but never about his past and future births. Even when his body
is infected with disease, he does not regret the indulgence in sense pleasures
that was the real reason for reaching that state. He may see babies
wallowing in faeces and urine but the thought that he also once did it does
not touch his mind. His life progressively approaches the end but he does
not worry about death or the next lifetime after rebirth. Feeling very sure
that he will continue to live, he refuses to accept the possible existence of
death. Such a person is the king of the land of ignorance.
Engrossed in eating and sleeping he does not realise that his destruction lies
in those very same things. As long as his appetite and sleep are good and he
continues to keep good health, he does not bother about the possibility that
he may fall ill in future. As time passes and the body grows older, his
indulgence in sense-pleasures also grows. The shadow of death falls
increasingly on his life but he does not see it approaching. During youth he
does not understand what would be his condition when he would become
old. And even when he attains old age, which is the sign of the approaching
death, delusion about his own youth does not leave him. When he sees a
lame or a bent person he mocks him but he does not think that he too is
going to reach the same condition. Understand that such a person is
undoubtedly an abode of ignorance.
Indulgence
A person who does not restrain the sense organs letting them go astray is
also ignorant. In the prime of his youth, he indulges in all sorts of pleasures
without bothering about whether they are proper or improper. He thinks

about things he should not think about and does things he should not do.
He behaves in a manner he should not behave. He blabbers about things
about which he should not utter a word without realising that he will get the
blame for it. In short, he does things that please the body and the mind
without bothering about their propriety. It does not enter his mind that
such actions may lead to his committing sin for which he will have to suffer
in hell.
Association with such a person leads to the spread of ignorance to such an
extent that even sages get affected.
Attachment to wife at the cost of parents
An ignorant person is totally attached towards his home and his wife. He
cannot get his mind away from them. His interest is confined to his his wife
whose body he adores without any thought about his own welfare. While a
sage gets totally engrossed in Brahman resulting in stoppage of the worldly
actions, an ignorant person surrenders himself completely to his wife. He
dances to her tunes and does not care for his losses, public shame or
slander. He gives little to charity and does not do many righteous deeds. He
fulfils all the desires and needs of his wife even if he has to cheat his family
and clan. He has little time to worship even his family deity or serve his
Guru but instead he serves his wife with unstinted dedication. He tells his
parents excuses that there is not enough money to give to them but brings
various articles of pleasure for his wife. He gives her the best and costly
articles but for other persons in the family he does not give enough even for
their bare survival.
He feels doomed if anybody gives improper looks to his wife or behaves
improperly with her. He satisfies her every command. His wife is everything
to him and he feels special love for the children born of her. Whatever things
she possesses and her wealth are more valuable to him than his own life.
Such a person is ignorance personified.
Slave to pleasure and sorrows
An ignorant person is a puppet of pleasure and pain. He feels happy when
he gets what he wants and extremely sorry if he doesnt. Such a person who
is deeply affected by favourable and unfavourable circumstances is really an
ignorant person however highly intelligent he may be.
He may be devoted to God and may make a great exhibition of it but all that
devotion is for material gains and pleasures only. If his desires are not
fulfilled then he stops being devoted, saying that the talk of God etc. is all
lies. He worships one deity for some gains and if he fails to get them then he
worships another deity.
He joins that Guru tradition where there is a great pomp and show, receives
Guru-mantra and considers other people as ordinary.
He showers special love on a stone idol of a deity but is cruel to living
creatures. But even that love is not steady. He installs the idol for worship
in a corner of the house but goes on pilgrimage to places of other deities. He
may worship his family deity but on auspicious occasions he worships other
deities as well and makes vows to them for his gains.
On the day of Shraddha he belongs to the forefathers. He worships cobras on
Nagpanchami day and Vishnu on Ekadashi day. On Chaturthi day he
becomes a devotee of Ganapati and on Chaturdashi day he avers, "Oh

Mother Durga, I am a devotee of you only." He leaves the daily rituals and
incidental actions during Navaratri and sits for the reading of Navachandi.
On Sunday he gives an offering of Khichadi to the deity Bahiroba. Then on
Monday he rushes for offering Bel leaves to Shivalinga. In this maner, he
somehow manages to perform the worship ritual of all deities. His
performing the worship ritual of all deities without taking rest even for a
moment is just like a prostitute who demonstrates her love for all the people
in the town. Such a devotee who rushes every now and then to a different
deity is ignorance reincarnated.
Dislikes quiet and holy places
A person who feels disgusted at the sight of quiet forests meant for penance
and of places of pilgrimage and instead feels happy living in the town, likes
to sit in a crowd and spend time in gossip is also ignorant.
Prefers black arts to holy knowledge
A person with mere book-knowledge ridicules the real knowledge i.e. the
knowledge that leads to Self-realisation. Such a person does not study
works like the Upanishads nor does he like the science of yoga. He may be
intelligent enough to have curiosity about Soul etc., but his mind wanders
astray and does not turn towards spiritual science.
Also, a person may be an expert in ritualistic techniques, know the Puranas
by heart. He may be an expert astrologer with ability to predict the future
correctly. He may be skilled in sculpture or in architecture or be an expert in
culinary art. He may know the mantras from Atharvaveda (Black magic,
charm, voodoo etc.), the secret of snake charming or be a master in the
science of love. He may be skilled and well versed in medicine. He may be
able to give discourses on Mahabharata and be an authority in other
branches of knowledge. He may know Smritis well and have a mastery of the
Vedas. He may be an expert in grammar and be learned in the science of
justice. But all that is useless if he does not have the knowledge of the Self.
One should ignore such a person.
Except for the spiritual science, all other branches of knowledge are
meaningless. Therefore a person with only book-knowledge is a fool who
has not realised the Self. Everything he does has the stamp of ignorance on
it. He does not understand the principles of Knowledge.
Turn your back to ignorance
The characteristics of ignorance discussed above are contained in the
eighteen characteristics of knowledge explained earlier. The characteristics
of Knowledge when applied in reverse become the characteristics of
ignorance. One should turn away from them and make a good, firm resolve
regarding Knowledge. By means of that pure Knowledge its objective namely
the Brahman will be realised.
[NOTE: Above discussion on the characteristics of ignorance is a great gift
from Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj to the beginners on the spiritual path.
Ritualistic path demands that the worshipper, his clothes as well as the
place of worship be clean. Spiritual path on the other hand lays stress on
cleansing of the mind rather than that of the body. Hardly any seeker would
have a clean mind to start with. The mind must be trained to be clean by
getting rid of certain habits and attitudes pointed out above by Shri
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj as indicative of ignorance. Curing the mind of the
ignorance is like curing the body of a disease. The disease must first be
identified in order to cure it. The seeker must first identify his own
shortcomings by honest introspection and decide which of the
characteristics enumerated above pertain to him. Next step is to make a
conscious effort to get rid of those shortcomings. Unless this is done
spiritual progress will face obstacles. It is generally accepted that many
shortcomings get cured in the company of saints.
Readers should note, as explained in the next chapter, that Ignorance is not
really lack of Knowledge or opposite of Knowledge but a doubt about real
truth. As defined in Ch 7, To think that worldly knowledge is the true
knowledge is Ignorance].
OBJECT OF KNOWLEDGE
Brahman is the Object of Knowledge. It cannot be attained by any means
other than Knowledge. After a seeker attains it there is nothing more left for
him to do because the Knowledge unifies him with itself. Seeker then gives
up worldly matters and remains immersed in the bliss of the Brahman. That
Object has no beginning and naturally it is called the Supreme Brahman
(Para Brahman).
One cannot deny the existence of Brahman because one can see it in its
manifestation as the visible universe. But that universe is not the Supreme
Brahman but an illusion (Maya) because the Supreme Brahman by itself
does not have form, colour or shape and is not visible.
This aspect raises some questions. For example, how can anyone say that it
exists, that it is invisible, without form etc.? On the other hand, if its
existence is denied then where have the principles like Mahat etc. (that
create the universe) sprung from? The fact is, just as earth takes the form of
a pot similarly Brahman has taken the form of the universe and has
pervaded it throughout space and time.
This Brahman acts through Prakriti. It has been symbolically called by
various names styled after various organs of a person, though of course
being formless it has no such organs.
It has been called Vishwa-Bahu or arms of the universe because it

inspires actions everywhere, all the time and in all ways.
Vishwandhri because it remains present everywhere at the same
time.
It is called Vishwachakshu or eyes of the universe by the Vedas
because like the sun it observes all forms by its own light.
It is called Vishwamurdha or intellect of the universe because it is
present always and everywhere in everyone's head.
It is called Vishwatomukh or mouth of the universe by the Vedas
because it accepts all things through the (yajna) fire.
It is called "that which listens everywhere" because its ears engulf all
sounds just as space engulfs all objects
Really speaking, one cannot speak in terms of hands, feet, eyes etc. about
something which is the essence of void (i.e. nothing), but certain similes
have been used to explain its all-pervasiveness. Otherwise, how can there
be the sense of the pervader and the pervaded in the Brahman that is
everywhere? It is necessary to make this differentiation in order to explain

what Brahman is. Just as for indicating zero or nothing one writes a small
dot, similarly one has to use dualism to explain non-dualism. If this is not
done then all dialogue between Guru and disciple will stop. It is for this
reason that it has been customary to explain non-dualism using the
language of dualism.
HOW BRAHMAN PERVADES OBJECTS

Now Shri Krishna explains how Brahman pervades objects which are visible
to the eyes.
Brahman shows its presence in all objects in various forms or aspects. For
example, the water or liquid principle that is present in water; brightness
aspect of a lamp that occurs in the form of a lamp, odour aspect that is
present in the form of camphor or action that occurs in the form of the body,
are all manifestations of its presence. But these aspects become the
attributes of the objects and not of the Brahman that is without attributes.
Brahman appears to be like mind and other organs or like the three
attributes. But just as sweetness of jaggery does not lie in the shape of its
block, Brahman is different from the mind and the attributes. The relations
between name and form are applicable to the form and not to the Brahman.
Attributes appearing in the Brahman are an illusion because of which the
ignorant think that the attributes belong to the Brahman. Therefore one
should not mention attributes in relation to the Brahman.
Same Brahman pervades all
Though there are diverse moving and non-moving objects in this universe,
the Object of Knowledge i.e. the indestructible Brahman that pervades them
is the same entity. Its pervades as a single entity without break in all the
four types of beings namely, born through sex, eggs, sweat and seeds. It is
present inside the body as well as outside, is near as well as far and is
unique without duality, pervades everything totally. It is also the cause of
the creation of the universe and is supported by it.
At the time of creation we call it Brahmadeo, during sustenance we properly
call it Vishnu and when the universe dissolves we call it Rudra. And when
all the three attributes vanish we call it cipher (zero). And that which
swallows the nothingness of space and destroys the three attributes is this
great cipher as explained in the Upanishads.
Brahman - the basic principle in all principles
Brahman is the ultimate origin of the universe and the basic principle in
every aspect of it. Actually, one may call it the root of the origin, growing of
the growth, intelligence of the intellect and life-force of life, the mental
power of the mind, vision of the eyes, hearing of the ears, power of speech of
the tongue, vitality of the life-force, feet of the motion, activity of the action.
Creation, growth and destruction occur by its power. The five principles viz.
earth, water, air, fire and sky (or space) derive their characteristics from it.
In short, it is because of it that all objects appear in the universe and
actually everything is Brahman and no duality exists.
Once Brahman is experienced, the seer and the seen, the means and the end
become one and the difference between Knowledge, the object of the
Knowledge and the Knower vanishes. One cannot speak of duality in the
context of that which exists in the heart of all.
Shri Krishna thus concludes his explanation of Field, Knowledge, the
characteristics of ignorance and the Object-to-be-known i.e. the Brahman.
He advises Arjuna that taking into consideration the subjects discussed
above, his devotees long to attain Him. By giving up the attachment to the
body they concentrate their mind and feelings on Him. These devotees, after
they know Him, take Him in exchange for their ego and thus become one
with Him. This is the easiest scheme for being one with Him.
PURUSHA AND PRAKRITI (SANKHYA)

For easier understanding of the Brahman, Shri Krishna had arranged the
discussion in four parts on four aspects viz. the Field, Knowledge, Object-to-
be-known and Ignorance. But he is still doubtful whether Arjuna has really
understood this discussion. Now he tries to make Arjuna understand
Brahman in another way. Instead of dividing into four parts he divides it
into only two parts namely the Soul and Non-soul (Purusha and Prakriti).
This is based on the Sankhya philosophy propounded by Kapil Rishi. (Kapil
Rishi is considered as an avatar of Vishnu).
Prakriti is same as the Field explained earlier, while Purusha is the Knower of
the Field. Both Purusha and Prakriti are without beginning. They are an
inseparable couple, always associated with each other like e.g. a shadow to a
form. Purusha is the power and Prakriti is the one causing all actions (with
that power).
Intellect, organs and mind etc. that are responsible for emotions and
passions, the three attributes Sattva, Raja and Tama, all arise from Prakriti.
They are the cause of actions (Karmas).
Actions rooted in desire and ego
In this framework, Prakriti first generates desire in the intellect. That creates
the ego demanding the fulfilment of that desire. The need for fulfilment gives
cause for action. The procedure used for achieving a desired object is called
action. When desire becomes strong it activates the mind and makes it get
the tasks done through the organs. This is what is called the effect of the
Prakriti.
Therefore, Prakriti is the root of the action, its cause and effect. When this
trio comes together the Prakriti becomes active but the nature of its actions
is governed by the three attributes.
The action in which the Sattva attribute predominates is a good

righteous action.
That which takes place due to the Raja attribute is a medium or
mixed type of action and
that which takes place due to the Tama attribute is a prohibited and
unrighteous action.
Actionless Purusha and Gunamayi Prakriti
Thus, it is the Prakriti that is responsible for actions. The actions cause
pleasure or pain according to whether they were good or bad respectively
and it is the Purusha and not the Prakriti that experiences this pleasure and
pain.
The affairs of this couple Prakriti and Purusha are strange. Whatever the
wife earns the husband enjoys without himself making any efforts. This
couple does not come together and yet Prakriti the wife gives birth to this
universe.
Purusha is actionless, without form, without attributes, unique and older
than the oldest of the objects. He is Purusha (male) only in name; actually
no one can say whether he is male, female or a neuter. He does not have
eyes, ears, hands, feet or any other organs, nor shape, colour and name.
Such is this husband of Prakriti whom she makes experience pain and
pleasure in spite of his being actionless, unattached and non-indulgent.
Prakriti uses her (manifested) form and attributes to create a strange drama;
therefore Prakriti is called Gunamayi (made of attributes). She ever takes a
new form every moment and her vitality makes even the passive objects
active. Names are assigned, love is felt and sense organs are able to sense
because of her. She makes the mind, even though it is neuter (incapable of
creation), to wander in the three worlds. Such is her capability.
[NOTE: It is mentioned above and elsewhere too that it is the Purusha or
soul that experiences the pleasure or pain, for the creation of which Prakriti
is responsible. On the other hand it has also been mentioned that the soul,
Brahman ot Purusha is without attributes, formless, actionless etc. and is
merely a witness to all actions. How can then Purusha experience pleasure
and pain? The explanation is, it is only when the Purusha or soul is in the
body and is bound by the I-am-the body attitude, that it suffers pleasure
and pain through the body. Once he is freed from this attitude there is no
pleasure or pain. Thus the statement is applicable only to the bound phase
of the soul. It is explained later that the Soul resides in the body not in its
original form but only as a projection. Thus the entity that sufferts plasure
or pain is not the Soul but its projection, the original Soul remaining only as
a unattached witness to all these happenings].
Play of Prakriti
This Prakriti, also known as the divine Maya, is the creator of illusion. She
occupies everything, pervades everything. She creates this material world
and ceaselessly invades it with materialistic way of life. She generates
emotions, fosters passions and creates temptations.
She nurtures language and makes it grow. All arts and skills are born of
her. Desires, knowledge and actions are created from her. All the tunes and
sounds are born of her. In fact, everything that happens in the world is her
play. The creation of the world and its dissolution are her morning and
evening respectively. She is thus the wonderful illusionist.
She is the mate of the lonely Purusha and companion of the unattached
(Brahman). She resides in the void. Her capability is so high that she keeps
the uncontrollable Purusha under control. Actually, Purusha is not attached
to anything but this Prakriti becomes everything for him. She becomes the
creation of the self-born (Purusha), form of the formless (Purusha) and his
very existence and base.
Illusion of attributes
Thus, Prakriti, by her power, creates passions in that dispassionate Purusha
shadowing his effulgence. Once Purusha surrenders to Prakriti his
brightness vanishes and he gets affected by the attributes. He has to suffer
the impact of birth and death by association with her. Different
combinations of the three attributes make it appear as if the birthless

Purusha takes births in a low or high caste. But all that is only an illusion
and therefore the Purusha does not experience the effects of Karmas.
Purusha is beyond Prakriti
Prakriti has the support of Purusha but there is a vast difference between the
two. Prakriti is created and is dissolved but Purusha is eternal. Prakriti
exists because of him and it is by his power alone that she creates the world,
therefore he is the Lord of Prakriti. It is really Purusha that controls
everything right from Brahmadeo downwards. The world, which has been
going on in cycles since the endless past, dissolves in him at the end of the
aeon. He is the Lord of the Mahatbrahma (i.e. Prakriti). He controls the
whole universe and envelops it entirely by his expanse. Really speaking, he
is the Supreme Soul said to exist in the body.
One who understands
that this Purusha is one and the only one and all the actions and
attributes belong to Prakriti,
that Purusha and Prakriti are like the form and the shadow or like
water and mirage,
may be considered as having understood the difference between Purusha
and Prakriti. Even if he performs actions by virtue of possessing a body, he
does not get tainted by them. He does not feel attachment to his body even
while he lives and is not reborn when he dies. The realisation of the
difference between Purusha and Prakriti becomes favourable to him in this
unworldly way.
OTHER WAYS OF ATTAINING SELF-REALISATION

There are many other ways also by which one can get this realisation..
Some contemplate on the Soul and on everything that taints it to give

the I-am-the-body attitude(e.g. attributes, ego, desires etc.). After
deeply pondering on these aspects they are able to burn away the
impurity of the worldly attributes and reach Self-realisation.
Some others identify the thirty-six principles (discussed earlier in this
chapter (viz. the five principlesor elements, the ego, intellect, the
Unmanifestable, the five sense organs and five organs of action, the
mind which is the eleventh organ, the ten objects of the senses,
pleasure, pain, desire, aversion and the aggregate or Sanghat of all
these, the consciousness and fortitude), as separate from the soul and
thus realise the Self.
Some follow the principles of the Sankhya philosophy and attain
liberation.
Some others follow the path of action (Karmayoga) and attain
liberation.
There are also others who get rid of pride, keep faith in Guru's words
to which they listen attentively, offering themselves to him respectfully
with all they have. Once Guru accepts them, he cares about what is
good or bad for them, feels for their miseries and mitigates them,
makes them feel relaxed and happy by inquiring after them. They
keep aside all their work in order to be able to hear his words and are
prepared to sacrifice even their life for him. These people also finally
attain liberation from the birth-death cycles.
Thus, there are many ways to experience the Supreme Soul in this world of
mortals.
Shri Krishna now tells Arjuna what he calls the cream of the philosophy of
these methods.
INTERACTION OF THE FIELD AND THE KNOWER

The entire world is created from the mutual interaction of the Field (Prakriti)
and the "Knower of the Field" [The Soul, Brahman or Purusha) explained
earlier.
[NOTE: Though the Field was earlier defined as the body, it is now used with
a broader meaning to imply Prakriti. In the next chapter too, Field refers to
Prakriti].
All the movable and immovable things and the entity that we call Jiva (life)
is created out of the union of these two. Therefore materials or persons are
not different from Purusha.
Even though cloth is not the same as thread, it is made of it. In the same
way one should see by insight the sameness between Purusha and the
material world. All creatures are different forms of the same entity and they
are basically the same. Their names are different, their behaviour also is
different and they appear outwardly different. But it is essential to realise
that they are not really different. Unless this realisation comes there cannot
be any escape from this birth and death cycles even in a million years.
Even though there are innumerable lives, the soul inside all of them is the
same. The physical appearances of individuals are illusive and destructible
but the soul inside all of them is real and indestructible. Thus, Soul is not
different from the individual; but while the individual possesses attributes,
the Soul inside him is not tainted by them. He who understands this is the
man of vision among all men of Knowledge and the most fortunate of men.
[NOTE: This idea was presented earlier in this chapter. See the paragraph
with sub-heading Same Brahman pervades all ].
MAN OF KNOWLEDGE IS LIBERATED WHILE IN BODY

This body is made up of the five principles. It is full of wind, biles and
phlegm (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) and is like a horrible bag filled with the three
attributes and the organs. It is a snare in which the individual Self is
entrapped and is subjected to pleasure, pain and rebirths. The soul desires
to be freed from the snare of the impermanent body and become again the
eternal Self. Only a man of Knowledge becomes unaffected by the snare of
the body and ultimately reaches the state of the Brahman. This is the state
to attain which yogis practice yoga and thereby skip across millions of
births. When they leave their body they are not reborn. The formless
Supreme Brahman, which is in the realm of vibrations (sound), is the final
resting place of all destinations including that of liberation.
An equable person
An equable person looks at everything with eyes of equality. He considers
that individuals, though differing in external appearances, are not really
different but are the same soul. Such a person experiences the bliss of the
Brahman while he is still living. He is not caught in the throes of birth-

death cycles. And he fully knows that it is Prakriti that causes actions
through the agency of the mind, the intellect, the five sense organs and the
five organs of action. Prakriti aided by the three attributes sets up different
kinds of acts in the light of the Soul but the Soul itself remains steady and
unaffected by it. He who understands this has realised the Soul. Wherever
he may cast his eyes he sees that all is full of Brahman. He attains endless
bliss. One should completely know this arrangement of Prakriti and Purusha
by experience.
Shri Krishna now tells couple of more ideas of profound nature.
SOUL LIVES IN BODY AS A PROJECTION

What is known by the name Supreme Soul always remains in its pure state,
even though it exists in the body.
Actually it is not correct to say that Soul resides in the body. The soul is
said to be in the body in the same way as when one looks at one's face in the
mirror he says it is his face. It is totally meaningless to say that soul is
related to the body.
Body is strung in the thread of the five principles and it rotates in the wheel
of birth and death. With time it faces annihilation by fire or by rotting. On
the other hand, the soul is eternal, self-illuminating, self-sufficient and
beginningless.
[NOTE: Thus, what experiences pleasure and pain is the projection and not
the real Soul the latter being only a neutral witness].
Soul is neither this nor that
The Soul cannot be described or qualified in definite terms.
Because it is without attributes it cannot be said that it has phases
nor can it be said that it is without phases; it is neither active nor
inactive, neither fat nor thin.
Because it is without form, it is neither visible nor invisible, neither
bright nor dull, neither less nor much.
Because it is a void it is neither full nor empty; it is in no way without
company nor it has company; it is neither shapeless nor does it have
shape. Since it has the form of the Self it has neither bliss nor
sorrow; it is neither one nor many; it is neither free nor bound.
Since it has the form of the Self it has neither bliss nor sorrow. It is
without characteristics, it is neither this much nor that much, neither
ready-made nor prepared, neither able to speak nor dumb.
It is not born along with the creation of the universe and does not get
destroyed when the universe gets destroyed. It is the place of
dissolution of being and not being. It is dimensionless therefore it
cannot be measured or described. It does not grow nor does it
diminish, fade or get exhausted. Such is the nature of the Soul.
It is unbroken therefore it neither takes the form of the body nor
rejects it but remains as it always was.
Just as days and nights occur in the sky, so are bodies acquired and given
up by this Soul. Therefore he does not do anything in the body nor cause it
to be done nor does it get involved in any of the affairs of the body. But
nothing happens to its nature. Not only that, even though it is in the body it
is unattached to it. Though Soul is in all bodies it does not get tainted by
their characteristics. One should firmly impress on ones mind the
characteristic of the Soul that the Knower of the Field is different from the
Field.
Soul resides inside the body but it is not the body. It is the power behind the
functioning of the body. It illuminates all the living bodies.
Intellect with real sight
The intellect that understands the difference between the Field and the
Knower of the Field is the intellect with real sight. It alone can assimilate
the essence of the meaning of words. People try various ways to know that
difference. Wise persons frequent the abodes of sages; intellectuals acquire
the priceless peace and study Shastras, while some practice yoga while
others serve saints respectfully ignoring worldly matters. Knowledge of
those who understand the difference between the Field and Knower of the
Field is something that should be highly respected. .
Such people know the real nature of Prakriti or Maya, which is spread
everywhere in different forms and in manifestations like the five principles.
Those who are convinced in their heart that Prakriti is different from the
Purusha have attained Brahman. The Brahman is more extensive than sky;
it is the outer border of Prakriti and after attaining it the feelings of similarity
or dissimilarity vanish. Shape, feeling of being alive and duality vanish in It
and It remains as one and only one Supreme Principle. This Supreme
Principle is attained by those who understand that the Purusha and Prakriti
are different.
End Chapter 13
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 14 - THE THREE ATTRIBUTES
QUESTION ABOUT HOW SOUL EXPERIENCES PAIN ETC.

In the thirteenth chapter Shri Krishna told Arjuna that the universe is
created through the union of the Field and the Knower of the Field (i.e.
Prakriti and Purusha), and by association with the three attributes the soul
becomes involved in the worldly affairs. The soul, when it comes in the grips
of Prakriti experiences pleasure and pain but if it gets rid of the three
attributes then it becomes liberated. In this chapter Shri Krishna elaborates
on the following topics:
How does the non-attached soul get attached to Prakriti?
What is the meaning of the union of the soul and Prakriti (Knower of
the field and the Field)?
How does the soul experience pleasure and pain?
What are these attributes and how many are they?
How can these attributes be wound up?
What are the characteristics of a person who is beyond the attributes?
MEANING OF PARA.
Shri Krishna decides to explain to Arjuna again what Knowledge is because
he realises that Arjuna has not yet experienced it in spite of his having
explained it in many different ways. He starts with explaining again the
meaning of the word Para.
Para the supreme knowledge
Except for the Knowledge of the Self, the scope of all other branches of
Knowledge does not extend beyond this world and heaven. Only the
Knowledge of the Self goes beyond that and therefore it is called Para.. It is
the best knowledge that stands high above any other type of knowledge. It
brings liberation within our reach. Worldly thoughts do not enter the mind
anymore once it is experienced. Men of knowledge control their mind with
the help of the mind itself, become relaxed and attain peace. They then
ignore the bodily affairs and cross the bounds of the body to become one
with the Supreme, attaining all its qualities viz. perfection, being eternal,
infinite, blissful and the ultimate truth. There is no more thoughts of duality
like "you" and "I" and everybody exists at the same level. These persons are
not reborn even when the entire universe gets reborn (after dissolution).
HOW THREE ATTRIBUTES TRAP THE SOUL

Now Shri Krishna explains how the three attributes entangle the Supreme
Soul or Purusha in the traps of different bodies and how the Purusha
creates this universe with the help of Prakriti.
Prakriti
Prakriti is called the Field because it gives rise to the harvest of living
creatures from the seed by the union with Purusha. Since it is the place
where Mahat and other principles reside, it is also called Mahatbrahma
(Universe of Mahat, Ahankara etc.).
It is the name given by the Sankhya philosophy. Others know it by different

names, e.g. people who believe that the universe is not expressible call it
"Unmanifest". Vedantis call it Maya. But by whatever name one calls it, it is
the same as Ignorance.
Ignorance is the very entity due to which we forget our real Self. It vanishes
once we start thinking about the nature of our Self. Sometimes a person
cannot make up his mind about whether what he is seeing is a pole or a
man but he knows he is seeing something; similarly he is not sure whether
what he realises is Soul (Brahman) or not. Just as at the time of twilight in
the evening it is neither day nor night, similarly, Ignorance is neither true
knowledge and nor contrary knowledge but the middle stage of doubt about
the Soul.
The Knower of the Field is really the Soul entangled in Ignorance (i.e. the
inividual). Forgetting the real Self and increasing the ignorance is the
characteristic of the Knower of the Field. Understand properly that this is
the yoga or union of the Field and Knower of the Field. This union is the
basic nature of the Self. Thus, by union with the Field the Knower of the
Field or individual forgets its original form due to ignorance and takes
different forms.
[NOTE: It was stated earlier that the Knower of the Field was Bhagwan, or
Purusha or the Soul. But a further qualification is added here that the
Knower of the Field is the Soul entangled in Ignorance and is the same as
the individual. This individual does not mean the body of a person but the
soul residing in the body and has attributes].
What is world
Whatever is not the Soul or the Self is called the world and that world is
created out of Purusha. The world is like a scene from a dream. The same
principle may be explained in another way.
Outcome of Ignorance
The beginningless Prakriti has indescribable qualities. She does not possess
a specific form and her expanse is very large. Ignorant persons consider her
to be the only truth while men of Knowledge ignore her. As a result of her
union with the Self she gives birth to eight aspects (viz. the Mahat principle,
ego, mind and the five principles or elements].
From the union of the Self and the Prakriti the intellect is born first. Then
mind is born from the intellect. Mind, in union with affection, gives rise to
ego. From ego are born the five principles. The sense-objects and the sense
organs being naturally parts of the five principles are also created along with
them. When passions develop the three attributes also raise their head and
start spreading through the seed of desires.
Just as a seed coming in contact with water sprouts and becomes a tree
similarly, as soon as Maya becomes united with Purusha, the universe with
diverse forms, names and aspects is conceived. From it are formed the four
types of creatures namely, oviparous i.e. those born through eggs, those
from sweat e.g. lice etc., through seeds i.e. plants and through uterus (i.e.
mammals).
Oviparous creatures come from foetuses that have more of the sky
and wind principles.
Foetus possessing Tama and Raja attributes and with more of the
water and fire principle is the foetus that creates life through sweat.
Foetus that is having the inferior Tama attribute and more of the
water and earth principle is the non-moving foetus born of seed.
The foetus which is aided by the five sense organs and five organs of
action and with further support from mind and intellect is the uterine
foetus.
Thus Maya (i.e. Prakriti) gave birth to a system of universe encompassing the
three worlds and having
the four types of creatures described above, with 8.4 million species
the eight-fold Prakriti ,
activism,
renunciation,
the eight species of the deities,
the blissful heaven,
the mortal world and
netherworld.
This is the description of the living and non-living universe that exists
during Brahmadeos daytime and is annihilated during his night. It is
created when Brahmadeo wakes up in the morning, sustained by Vishnu
during his day and when night is about to fall, Shiva destroys it, to be
created again next morning. With the universe is born the ignorance of the
Self which is aspect of Prakriti, other aspects being the will and the ego.
Since Maya gives birth to this universe by union with Purusha, figuratively
Purusha is the father, Maya is the mother and this huge world is their child.
Diversity
One sees diverse kinds of creatures in the universe. They have all come from
the same seed namely Purusha. Though outwardly they appear different, the
mind, intellect etc. are the same among them and therefore the outward
differences should be ignored. The relation between Purusha and the
universe is similar to a tree which, though grown out of a single seed has
different types of branches, some short, some long and some bent. That is,
in spite of the differences it is not correct to say that the universe and
Purusha are mutually related, because Purusha has taken the form of the
universe and is the universe.
Purusha shows different forms in different bodies because he is bound in
them by different attributes. This binding however goes after Self-realisation
and the person experiences non-duality.
[NOTE: This point was already made in Ch 13. See the paragraph entitled
Interaction of the Field and the Knower].
Now Shri Krishna explains about what the attributes are, how they came
into existence, their nature and properties and the type of bindings to which
each attribute leads.
THE THREE ATTRIBUTES

The three attributes viz. Sattva, Raja and Tama arise from Prakriti. Out of
these, the Sattva attribute is the best, Raja attribute is medium and the
Tama attribute is inferior. All three attributes may be seen in the same
nature. The nature that develops when ignorance is embraced gets not only
the Sattva and Raja attributes but the Tama attribute as well.
This is how these attributes bind a person. At the time of birth of a soul as
an individual he develops the I-am-the-body attitude and gets in the
clutches of the attributes. From birth until death he imagines the functions
of the body to be his own.
Sattva attribute
The Sattva attribute traps the individual through pleasure and learning. A
learned individual roars due to vanity and kicks around due to conceit and
misses the bliss of Self-realisation. He feels elated when people honour him
for his learning. Even small gains make him feel happy and he goes around
bragging that very little satisfies him. He says how fortunate he is to have
none as happy as himself. He is flooded with the eight righteous Sattva-
attributed emotions. As if this is not enough, another trap, the pride of his
being learned, trails him. He does not feel sorry that he has lost the
realisation of his being the Soul. On the contrary he swells with the pride of
his worldly knowledge.
The soul in the body, because of the worldly outward knowledge considers
himself as the body. He knows the art of handling worldly affairs and
becomes expert in the rituals of yajnas. His knowledge may be good enough
to take him to heaven but not towards liberation. But he thinks that there is
none as knowledgeable as himself and that he alone is clever. In this way
the Sattva attribute pulls this lame individual like a bull with the reins of
pleasure and learning.
Raja attribute
The Raja attribute binds the individual in the following manner. It always
keeps him amused. Even a slight touch of Raja attribute keeps an
individual infatuated with passions and lust. His desire becomes so wild
that even painful things appear to him as pleasure giving. No amount of
wealth can satisfy him. His desire to acquire more wealth is so strong that
he is prepared to give even his life for it. To prevent his wealth being
squandered he starts big industries. He performs yajnas and makes vows
and fulfils them with the aim of reaching and surviving in heaven. He builds
wells and lakes for the public. If he does any penance it is only to get his
desires fulfilled. He thus keeps himself busy day and night in such activities.
A person with Raja attribute is fickle minded. He is impatient to finish any
work quickly and gets deeply involved in it. This is how the Raja attribute
strongly binds the individual soul occupying the body.
Tama attribute
Tama attribute creates delusion to veil the practical view of a person. It
makes the whole world dance with delusion. Ignorance makes it grow.
Persons of Tama attribute are thoughtless and ignorant. They consider the
body itself to be the Soul. Once Tama attribute starts growing in the living
and non-living world it does not leave scope for anything else.
Other characteristics of a person of Tama attribute are: heaviness of all
organs, dull mind, laziness and desire to spend time in yawning and sleep;
once he lies down and sleeps he does not even turn over. If he sits, he tends
to stay like that without moving. And he sits in the hopeless pose either
with his hands on the forehead or his head between his knees.
He does not like any kind of work and if he is forced into it he becomes blind
with anger. He does not know proper behaviour or what is good for him. He
goes out to do things that should not be done. He tends to make mistakes.
Thus the Tama attribute binds the free individual (soul) with the three
tentacles of sleep, lethargy and mistakes.
EFFECT OF PREDOMINANCE
Though the individual is caught in the tentacles of the three attributes (as
outlined above), yet he thinks that the characteristics of those attributes are
actually his own characteristics.
When Sattva attribute grows more than the Raja and Tama, the individual
thinks he is happy. When Sattva and Raja attributes wane and the strength
of Tama increases, the individual is easily prone to committing mistakes.
Similarly when Raja predominates over Sattva and Tama that individual
thinks that there is nothing better than action.
Predominance of Sattva
The signs which are apparent when the Sattva attribute predominates over
the Raja and Tama are as follows.
He is full of knowledge and this can be noted from his external appearance
itself. All his organs are able to discriminate and even limbs are able to see.
The organs themselves discern what is good or bad and are in control. The
ears do not hear what should not be heard, eyes do not see what should not
be seen and his tongue avoids speaking what should not be spoken.
Thought of doing prohibited actions does not enter his mind. His intellect
becomes active in all branches of knowledge and Knowledge pervades his
mind.
His desires vanish, tendency towards actions reduces and he feels disgust
for sense- pleasures. Such a person remains happy in this world as well as
the next. After death he is reborn among men of Knowledge. He takes
rebirth in the highest class of family of those who are not affected by the
three attributes, three stages of life (Childhood, youth and old age), three
types of body (the material, causal and subtle) and easily attain the fourth,
that is, the Self.
With the Sattva in predominance, knowledge grows and with it the intellect
also grows. Then, contemplating on Prakriti and the principles like Mahat
etc. created by it, he reaches the state of Self-realisation. This principle of
the Self may be called the thirty-seventh principle beyond the thirty-six
principles proposed by the Vedantis or the twenty-fifth principle beyond the
twenty-four principles of the Sankhya philosophy (cf. Ch 13).
[NOTE: Four paragraphs earlier, it was mentioned how persons with Sattva
attribute get trapped by pride of learning, vanity etc. That was merely an
aspect of behaviour attributable to the Sattva attribute when it is not
predominating and other attributes are also present. What is told in the
above paragraph pertains to the condition when the Sattva attribute
predominates over the other two].
Predominance of Raja
When Raja attribute predominates over the Sattva and Tama attributes, it
plays havoc in the body and the following signs become apparent.
The person indulges freely in sense-pleasures. He is not bothered about

morals regarding sex. He becomes so greedy that he does not hesitate to
snatch other peoples property. He does not hesitate to do any kind of work,
moral or immoral.
He does undertake tasks like building a temple or performing an
Ashwamedh (Horse sacrifice) yajna or even establishing towns, building
lakes or develop large forests. But he remains unsatisfied. His desires grow
tremendously.
His hopes and ambitions extend far and wide. To fulfil them he does not
mind if he has to roam over the whole world. He belongs to the class of
persons who do not have any rest during the day or night from the worldly
business.
When such person with predominating Raja attribute dies, he is reborn as a
human being in another body having the same characteristics or in the
family of ritualistic persons.
Predominance of Tama
When the Tama attribute predominates over the Sattva and Raja, the
following signs may be seen.
His mind is full of darkness of ignorance. He has a dull intellect, cannot
think properly and has a poor memory. His behaviour is thoughtless,
arrogant and foolish. He has the tendency to do prohibited, bad deeds and it
lasts until his death. He talks incoherently like a drunkard or a madman.
His ecstasy is not the same as the samadhi of meditation but because he is
infatuated by something.
Such a person when he dies is reborn with the Tama attribute. He is reborn
in lower species such as an animal or a bird or a tree or a worm.
FRUITS OF THE THREE ATTRIBUTES

Sattva attribute is the causal agent for Knowledge. A person of Sattva
attribute gains the fruits of righteous deeds. These are the natural
happiness and Knowledge.
The Raja attribute is the cause for greed. Fruits from Raja attribute
may appear to be sweet from outside but in effect they are bitter.
The Tama attribute is the one responsible for the three defects namely
delusion, ignorance and mistakes. Fruits of Tama attribute cannot be
anything other than ignorance.
Those with the Sattva attribute live in heaven after death. Those with the
Raja attribute are reborn on earth as human beings after death. Those with
the Tama attribute are allotted hell after death.
Thus, the Raja and the Tama cause one's downfall while one does not attain
Knowledge without the Sattva attribute. Therefore a seeker should live
throughout his life with the Sattva attribute.
HOW TO ACHIEVE LIBERATION

The immutable Soul, though its own form does not change, is subject to the
workings of the attributes. Therefore, what we see beyond the workings of
the attributes is only the form of the Self. These three attributes (being
created by Prakriti) appear in the individual body by the strength of the Soul.
These three attributes become the body inclusive of the mind, therefore they
become the cause of the binding. It is really a miracle that such a complex
intertwining of the attributes with the body does not hinder the path of
liberation. These three attributes make the body move towards progress or
regress according to their nature but that does not hinder anyone from going
beyond them to attain liberation.
Effect of Self-realisation
It was told earlier (Chapter 13 Shloka 23 of Bhagvadgita) that
Consciousness (or Purusha), though in the clutches of the attributes, does
not become like them. The individual realises this once he gets Self-
realisation. They no longer affect him because he is now beyond them. The
individual then becomes merely a witness to their workings. He then
realises that "I am the Brahman" and with this attitude says,
I am not the doer but only a witness to the action and it is the attributes
that control the actions.
All actions occur through the differences in the nature of the three attributes
Sattva, Raja and Tama, therefore they are the afflictions of the attributes.
But actually it is Purusha who is the ultimate power behind the attributes
and the actions that they control. But throughout this, Purusha remains the
non-doer in the body. It is he who causes the attributes to be apparent and
nurtures their characteristics. And what remains when they are destroyed is
also Purusha. In this way the individual in whom Knowledge has arisen is
obviously beyond the attributes even while he is in the body. The three
attributes may play with their full strength in his body but he does not let
his ego look at them. He is so steady inside that he is not aware of the
affairs of his body. Therefore the six qualities like birth, old age, death etc.
which are associated with the body are absent in a man of Knowledge.
GOING BEYOND ATTRIBUTES

Even a man of Knowledge has to move about in the world in which the play
of the three attributes is ever present. A man of knowledge, when compelled
to perform actions under the influence of the Raja attribute, does not carry
any egoistic thought that he is the doer nor does he feel sorry if he is not
able to perform them. When the Sattva attribute predominates, even his
appearance shows that he is a man of Knowledge but he does not become
euphoric about it. And when the Tama attribute predominates, even then he
is not engulfed in delusion nor is he ashamed of ignorance. If he moves
under the spell of delusion he does not aspire for Knowledge. Similarly he
does not avoid actions when he achieves Knowledge. Thus, his attitude is
not affected by the attributes. Actually, he himself is the attributes as well
as their tasks.
Such a person remains in the body like a traveller temporarily occupying a
rest-house. His actions are not due to the influence of the attributes. It is
not that he has conquered the attributes but that he is indifferent to them.
He is only a witness to their play. When the Sattva tendency makes one bend
towards righteous deeds, the Raja tendency towards the enjoyment of
pleasures and the Tama tendency towards delusion, he considers that all
these actions take place by the power of the attributes. A person beyond the
attributes may thus be recognised by these qualities.
His behaviour
Once he attains Brahman, he sees only Brahman in all the living and non-
living things. Therefore his mind remains balanced whether happiness falls
to his lot or sorrow. He no longer possesses the I-am-the-body attitude. He
does not get angered by slander nor pleased by praise. Nothing disturbs his
equanimity. Whether people consider him to be a god and worship him or
consider him to be a thief and beat him, it is all the same to him.
There is no feeling of inequality in his mind. Another quality he possesses is
that he does not do any kind of transactions. He does not commence any
work and he no longer has a consistent tendency for actions. The fruits of
his actions burn away in the fire of his Knowledge. He whose behaviour is
thus developed should be considered as a person beyond the attributes.
I AM NOT SEPARATE FROM UNIVERSE

Shri Krishna speaking in the role of Bhagwan (God) says,
He who is unwaveringly devoted to me can get rid of these attributes.
Therefore I must explain to you as to who I am, how to be devoted to Me and
what the signs of dedication are.
Understand that the thing that is called universe is all Me (which is the
same as the Brahman). People may think that they will merge into Brahman
once the awareness of the universe is dissolved. But that attitude is not
correct. On the contrary, I must be realised along with the universe.
Realising Me with this attitude of oneness is actually the unadulterated
devotion. If one imagines a difference between Me and the universe then it is
adulterated devotion. Since I am not different from universe, in effect I am
in Me. Devotion is really an attitude of equality that one is not different from
God. This outlook is the best form of Knowledge and the essence of yoga.
Because of it the attitude that "I am Brahman" comes to the surface. When
the difference vanishes the knowledge also vanishes. The illusion that the
devotee is on this shore and I am across, disappears and what remains is
only the oneness between the two. Then the question of conquering the
attributes does not remain because with the entwinement of oneness they
also disappear.
This state is called the state of oneness with the Brahman. He who is
devoted to Me attains it.
He who serves Me with the outlook of knowledge is the crown jewel of the
oneness with the Brahman. Attaining this state of oneness is the liberation
while still in the body or the fourth achievement (i.e. Moksha or liberation).
Devotion to Me is the ladder for reaching this oneness with the Brahman.
But if you are thinking that the means of attaining Me is different from Me,
that is not so.
Brahman is only My name and I am mentioned by that name. There is no
difference between the Brahman and Me. That Brahman is the incomparable
entity which is constant, steady, open, having the form of the code of living
(Dharma) and which gives infinite bliss. I am the Ultimate Form and the
place where Knowledge, after its task is over, dissolves.
[NOTE: The statement I must be realised along with the universe above
apparently means that Self-realisation must be achieved while in body on
this earth and while following one of the four paths, always remembering
that God is everywhere and in everything in the universe and not only that
God is the universe (but not vice versa).
End Chapter 14
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 15 - THE SUPREME PERSON
COMMENTS BY DNYANESHWAR MAHARAJ

Dnyaneshwar Maharaj says, "There is no doubt that Knowledge leads to
liberation but it must be steady in a person (i.e. a person must be constantly
aware that he is the Soul). This requires the mind to be very pure. Also,
Knowledge cannot be steady without detachment. Shri Krishna has
discussed how the mind can get completely detached once the idea of the
impermanence of this world gets stamped on it. The detachment thus
gained does not leave you even if you try to get rid of it.
In this fifteenth chapter Shri Krishna compares the universe to a tree for
explaining how the world is impermanent. This tree (referred here as world-
tree) has some unusual characteristics. He then elaborates further on the
entities Kshara and Akshara Purushas (Persons) discussed in Ch 8 and
introduces the concept of Purushottam or the Superior Person who is beyond
both.
[NOTE: Readers will note that the discussion of the Brahman, appearance of
Prakriti or Maya, formation of the universe from it, formation of life,
destruction of the universe etc. discussed through the simile of the tree is
not very different from what was presented in the earlier chapters. There
sems to be a definite purpose in repeating the same concepts a number of
times in different ways and that is to make the reader grasp the difficult
points of philosophy in every possible way. Hence many topics, like those
related to the characteristics of a man of Knowledge, have been repeated
many times. Though the topics are repeated, the comparison makes the
reading very interesting and better understandable. In this chapter the
discussion gives weightage to Vedanta philosophy instead of the Sankhya
philosophy].
THE WORLD-TREE
Shri Krishna said, What comes in the way of Self-realisation is not the
expanse of the universe but its set-up. To explain this Shri Krishna
compares the set-up of the universe to that of a giant tree. This tree is not
like the other trees that have roots below and branches above. The tree is
upside down, i.e. the roots are above and the branches with foliage are
below. It has proliferated on all sides and its tuft roots also have grown
branches like a banyan or a Pipul tree. It has branches mainly below but
innumerable branches have spread out on the upper side also. Looking at
the world-tree gives the impression as if the three states viz. those of
creation, sustenance and destruction have assumed this form. Thus, the
dense tree with roots above may be considered to be like this universe. Its
expanse cannot be measured. Even if burns its roots or axes them, it
proliferates instead of getting destroyed. It is always green but does not bear
flowers or fruits. This upside down world tree occupies whichever objects
occur in this world. It is this giant world tree that creates the illusion that
the universe is real, the very illusion that comes in the way of Self-
realisation.
MORE EXPLANATION ABOUT THE TREE

Shri Krishna now explains the following questions about this world-tree. He
tells about
who is above this tree, who is at its root,
what its characteristics are,
why it spreads downwards,
which are its branches or
which are the branches that grow the upward branches
how they are created and
how it received the name Ashwattha and
what the Self-realised persons concluded from it.
Brahman is the upward root
Brahman is the root of this universe, which is why this tree has its roots
above. Brahman is one and unique. It does not have middle, above or below
but is everywhere. It is invisible but sees here, there, in front, at back and
everywhere without sight. It becomes the universe with shape and name
when it comes in contact with qualifications and attributes. Otherwise it is
pure Knowledge free of either the Knower or the Object-to-be-Known and is
pure bliss pervading the space. By itself it is neither the cause nor its effect
(i.e. action). There is no duality or non-duality associated with it. It is
something that can be understood by an individual only through Self-
realisation. In this way this pure Brahman is the upward root of the world-
tree. And the shoots of the root are as follows.
PROPERTIES OF MAYA
The entity that is known as Maya does not exist. One cannot say that Maya
is real nor that it is unreal. Maya does not exist for a person once he attains
Knowledge. Yet it is mentioned as having no beginning. Maya holds many
principles (Mahat etc.). The universe is formed in her. She creates all sorts
of forms and shapes. She is the root of the world-tree, source of the worldly
affairs illuminated by the dim light of improper unrighteous knowledge. She
exists with the power of the Brahman and is supported by it. But she makes
Brahman forget its own nature and creates the I-am-the-body ignorance.
This is the first basic root of the world-tree. Non-realisation of the Self as
Brahman is the main root-bulb of the tree at its top. It is called
"Beejabhaava" or "the root principle" in the form of Maya in Vedanta
philosophy. This deep ignorance is like the state of sleep and is called its
"Bijankurabhaava" or "seed-sprout principle" while the dream and wakeful
states are its "Phalabhaava" or "fruit principle". This is how Vedantis
express the aspects of Maya but understand that in all this the basic root is
the ignorance.
[NOTE: So far the terms from Sankhya philosophy, like Purusha and Prakriti
were used. Now the discussion uses the terms from Vedanta philosophy like
Maya].
EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE

Roots sprout upwards and downwards from the pure Soul (Brahman) which
is at the top. These roots become strong in the base-soil of Maya. Then
shoots sprout in all directions from the centre of that root. Thus the world
tree gets its strength from the Brahman.
The eight principles

Then the world tree develops bunches of shoots from below.
The first to sprout among those is the delicate green leaf of Mahat
principle in the form of (cosmic) awareness (Chit).
Next sprouts the three-leaf shoot of the ego with the three attributes
Sattva, Raja and Tama on the lower side.
Later it sprouts another shoot, that of intellect which fosters the
growth of the feeling of differentiation between objects, which in turn
gives rise to the twig that is the mind and keeps it fresh.
Thus, gaining strength from the sap of ignorance, the root sprouts four types
of young twigs namely consciousness, ego, mind, and intellect.
From these twigs (branches) further branches of the five principles: sky, air,
fire, water and earth rise straight. The five sense organs and their sense
objects are the tender soft leaves growing on these branches. Out of these,
When the shoot of the sound grows, the hearing organ gives rise to
the branches of desires.
Then the creeper of the body and the leaves of skin give rise to the
sprout of touch leading to an abundance of novel passions.
Then the leaves of the form grow and the eyes rush to that branch
leading to growing delusion.
Then the leaves of taste grow and the tongue develops endless
cravings.
The leaves of smell give rise to increasing desire by the nose, which
leads to greed.
In this way the Mahat principle (Cosmic intelligence or awarenes) , ego, mind
and the five principles cause the world to grow. It grows only by means of
these eight parts.
The world-tree grows more and more branches creating an illusion that the
Brahman has taken the form of the world-tree. This illusion becomes the
root of (I-am-not-the-soul-but-the-body) ignorance.
WHY THE TREE IS CALLED ASHWATTHA

This tree is called Ashwattha for the following reasons: The prefix A means
not and "Shwa" means morning or tomorrow. This world-tree does not
remain the same even until tomorrow. Therefore it is called Ashwattha.
[NOTE: This Ashwattha it is not the same as the common peepul (Ficus
Religiosa) tree which is also known by the same name, but an imaginary tree
conceived as a symbol for the universe]. It gets destroyed every moment but
it is also reformed continuously, therefore it is indestructible.
Continuous growth, death and regeneration
Over the passage of time the branches that represent the animal kingdom
dry and fall down but millions of shoots grow again. However, one cannot
understand when the first branch fell down and when the millions of other
branches sprouted. Hence this world-tree appears to be indestructible. At
the time of the deluge the branches of this world-tree fall down and at the
time of creation they sprout into a veritable forest.
But though this world tree appears to be indestructible, its existence is only
momentary. It is created millions of times during the batting of an eyelid. He
who realises this and knows fully well that the tree appears real only due to
ignorance is the person who knows everything. He is the one who knows the
principles of Vedanta and becomes one with the Brahman.
FOUR KINDS OF LIFE

Then four large branch-shoots of four types of life namely oviparous, those
born from sweat, born through seeds and born through uterus. From each
branch are created 8.4 million branches of species of life. The criss-cross
branches growing from these straight branches are the different species.
Individuals are divided into male, female and neuter that clash with one
another due to the pressure of passions. The branches bend under their
own weight and get entangled in one another. Then the attributes take the
world tree like a storm and cause the part of the world tree with upward
roots to split in three places.
INFLUENCE OF THE THREE ATTRIBUTES

Effect of Raja attribute
When Raja attribute is strong the branch of human race grows rapidly,
shoots grow abundantly in the middle part on this branch, (i.e. on the mortal
earth plane), rather than on the upper or lower side. These shoots are those
of the four castes. These branches grow the leaves of righteous and
unrighteous codes for actions constantly.
Of the four dutiful actions ( 1:Dharma or righteous living, 2: Artha or earning
livelihood, 3: Kama or sexual satisfaction and 4: Moksha or liberation), the
Raja attribute influences two, namely, earning and sex. These give rise to the
shoots of passing pleasures. The increasing tendency to action causes
countless shoots of good and bad actions (karmas) to grow.
By the time the past Karmas are annulled by suffering or enjoying and the
dry branches of the bodies of past life drop off, the branches of new bodies
sprout in another place (meaning rebirth). And then new foliage of art and
literature and similar subjects, grows constantly decorating the tree by their
natural hues. Thus, when the winds of Raja attribute blow, the human race
gets established on the earth.
Effects of Tama attribute
Under the influence of the Tama attribute, the same branches of human
beings grow foliage of low passions. Twigs of wicked tendencies sprout on the
lower side, giving rise to foliage of sinful actions. Young leaves of the
prescribed rules and injunctions (laid down by the three Vedas (Rigveda,
Yajurveda and Samaveda) grow at the end of these branches. Leaves of
Agamas in which mantras and techniques of black magic to trouble others
are given, emerge and the creeper of passions spreads.
Later, as and when the roots of evil actions grow, numerous branches of
rebirth sprout. The large branch of Chandalas and other very low caste
persons then emerges from the tree and evildoers who have been attracted
by evil deeds have to be reborn in those castes.
Many horizontal branches of animals, birds, pigs, tigers, scorpions, and

snakes shoot out. In this manner, new branches continue growing on the
tree and they give fruits of suffering in hell. The branches of violence and
wickedness grow for many lifetimes. In this way the shoots of immovable life
forms like trees and grass and nonliving forms like iron, soil and stones are
formed and they also give similar fruits.
Therefore, the branch of human beings may be considered as the root of the
branches of other living beings and non-living things and that the lower part
of the world tree spreads from it.
Human body and karma
If one considers that the original root is at the top, the above branches may
be considered as occurring in the middle. From here the branches of evil
actions corresponding to the Tama attribute go downwards and those of
good actions corresponding to the Sattva attributes go upwards. Thus, the
branch of the human beings is the root for the branches of accumulated
actions (karmas) since the code of the Vedas (Dharma) is applicable only to
human beings and not to others. The branches and roots of all trees,
including the world-tree, are mutually related in that when branches grow
the roots go deeper and when roots go deeper the branches grow more. The
same principle is applicable to the body and the karmas, Body also behaves
similarly, i.e. as long as there is the accumulation of karmas (actions) one is
compelled to acquire the body in this world and as long as one is in the body
actions cannot be avoided. Therefore human body is the root of the
branches of actions and there is no getting away from it.
Effect of Sattva attribute
When the Sattva attribute predominates, the same branches of human
beings sprout good desires from which shoots of Knowledge grow (upwards).
Shoots of sharp intellect grow from these shoots of Knowledge and expand
within moments. Then, strengthened by inspiration the intellect develops
discrimination. From there grows the beautiful foliage of devotion filled with
the essence of intellect and straight shoots of good tendency come out from
it. These in turn produce many shoots of good actions and leaves of proper
social behaviour and rituals like Yajnas. Then the branches of austerity
(tapas) with bunches of self-controlled and regular behaviour and young
twigs of detachment grow. Shoots of some specific austerities (vratas) arise
from the sharp sprouts of courage and go up rapidly. As long as the Sattva
attribute is strong the twigs of knowledge grow with force from the thick
foliage of the Vedas. And then a straight twig of wealth comes out and grows
giving rise to a cross branch of fruits like heaven etc. A second red branch
of detachment also grows getting continuously new foliage of liberation.
Next come the cross branches of the planets Sun, moon etc., the manes,
rishis, Vidyadhars etc. Branches come out even higher than these and they
get fruits like Indralok. From these branches sprout other high level
branches of rishis like Marichi, Kashyap etc. who excel in austerity and
knowledge. Thus, the rows of branches grow and expand more and more on
the upper side and therefore though the tree is small at the base it has
become big due to being full of fruits.
[NOTE: We note in the above that while the meaning of the universe is
generally limited to the earth, sometimes extended to the heaven and nether,
cognisance is taken here of heavenly bodies and other spiritual planes].
The branches, which come even above these, get shoots like Brahmaloka
and Kailas and due to the weight of fruits, the upper branches bend down
up to the root. In other trees also when branches become heavy with fruits
they bend towards the root. Similarly due to attainment of deep knowledge
the branches of this world tree bend towards the root i.e. the Brahman from
which the tree sprouted in the first place. Therefore, an individual cannot go
above the level of Brahmaloka or Kailas. If he goes above that he himself
becomes Brahman. But the branches of Brahmaloka etc. are nothing in
comparison with the root Brahman. The branches of renunciates like Sanak,
Sanatkumar, Sanandan and Sanatan (the mind-children of Brahmadeo) etc.
do not get fruits or roots because they are like the Brahman itself. Thus, the
branches of Brahmaloka etc. that are above those of human beings have
gone very high up. They have grown out of the branches of human beings,
therefore the latter which are at the lower side are their roots. Thus this
unworldly world-tree has the roots on the upper side and branches on both
the upper and lower sides (the latter corresponding to Tama attribute and
evil deeds).
HOW TO UPROOT THE TREE

Though this tree is vast and strong, the uppermost branches reaching the
Brahmaloka, its root in the formless Brahman, its downward branches
spread in non-living undergrowth and the mortal world spread in its middle
part, it is not difficult to uproot it.
This world-tree is not real and the description about its roots and branches
is meaningless. The tree was used metaphorically to describe Maya. Where
ignorance itself is an illusion then how can the actions arising from it be
otherwise? Therefore it does not require courage to uproot it.
Since the tree is imaginary, it has no beginning, no end and its intermediate
state is also unreal. The tree has proliferated because of the ignorance about
ourselves. What is needed to uproot this unreal tree rooted in ignorance is
Knowledge, and one cannot get Knowledge unless discrimination is
generated in a person. It has to be felled by the axe of Self-realisation. Until
then delusion makes this unreal tree appear as real and beautiful to an
ignorant person. But this illusion of the universe is momentary and hollow.
It appears real but when one tries to grasp it slips away.
Persons engrossed in methods miss liberation
A person who is bothered about the methods to be used for destroying the
unreality of the world misses Self-realisation and therefore his impression of
the world being real actually strengthens. Only the sword of Knowledge can
destroy the world created from ignorance. But to use that sword of
knowledge with ease the intellect requires constant support of detachment.
Only when the detachment becomes firm can the binding to the religious
code, to the need for earning livelihood and to passions vanish.
The detachment becomes strong only when one gets disgusted with every
worldly object. Next, the intellect requires to be made free from ego. This
ego-free intellect should make use of discrimination to develop the feeling of
"I am the Brahman" and be steady in it. One can then attain the knowledge
of the Self. Continued use of discrimination and meditation will bring about
the sense of non-duality with the Brahman and will not let any part of the
world-tree survive. Thus, metaphorically, one can cut all the branches of the
world tree by the sword of Self-realisation. Once the non-duality with the
Brahman is steadily experienced then the seeker will see Brahman in
himself and himself in the Brahman. That primeval place seen without
seeing and known without knowing is called the Primeval Person (Adya
Purusha). But to describe him one has to take recourse to the use of
attributes, giving him a name and form.
Realisation of the Self
Both worldly life and life in heaven lead to rebirth. But people who are
disgusted with it and are determined that they will not be reborn, turn to
yoga and Knowledge. Practising detachment they turn their back to worldly
life. Brahmaloka is the highest stage attainable by the path of action but
they desire to cross that and go higher. They march ahead and shaking off
the feelings of ego etc. attain the Self.
Before experiencing the Self, they were under the delusion that this universe
was real and they were filled with the spirit of "I and you" duality. The Self
is something that must be experienced by oneself. Once this Self-realisation
is attained one does not return from it to be reborn. People who are full of
Knowledge only can reach this state.
Consequence of Self-realisation
When ignorance leaves such (Self-realised) persons, delusion, doubts and
pride also leave along with it. Passions do not affect them any more. Their
actions gradually cease. The consciousness and I-am-thebody feeling
vanishes. They cannot see duality between themselves and others any more.
They are indifferent to pain and pleasure experienced by a body and hence
to the fruits of their actions i.e. whether they are sinful or meritorious. They
keep away from worldly affairs and get immersed in the bliss of the Self.
Before Self-realisation they used to see the Brahman only in its diverse
manifested form but once they gained the vision of Knowledge they see the
Brahman as one continuous entity in all objects. Having become desireless
they are not troubled by hope and longings. Emotions do not enter their
mind therefore it is not agitated by feelings of lust. They do not like sense
pleasures even to be mentioned before them. In this way those who have
burnt all sense pleasures in the fire of knowledge go and get merged "there".
If you ask where this "there" is then it is that indestructible place which
cannot be seen even if you try to see it, cannot be known even if you want to
know it or can be described with reference to any known object. It cannot be
seen even when everything else is made visible by light of the sun or a lamp.
The world is apparent only when the Self is hidden. Sun, moon etc. shine
only when light from the entity of Self is shaded (by Maya). That entity is
extremely bright and all encompassing. Even the sun and the moon that
illuminate the material world derive their light from this entity (i.e. the Self
or the Brahman). When Brahman is not shaded by Maya the world
disappears and no material object appears. Shri Krishna (as Bhagawan,
says, This is my highest abode. Those who reach there do not come back.
Those who become one with Me by means of pure knowledge are not reborn.
[NOTE: the material world vanishes and only the indestructible Brahman
remains when there is dissolution of the universe at the end of an Aeon. But
in the above paragraph, the vanishing of the world refers to the perspective
of a Self-realised person, a person of Knowledge. For him the material world
and worldly matters do not exist even during the sustenance stage of the
universe because of his indifference to them and because of his
preoccupation only with the Brahman].
Shri Krishna adds, "Persons who reach Me do not return whether they
become one with Me or remain separate from Me. Actually, if one thinks
deeply instead of superficially, it will be seen that either type is not separate
from Me. It is only ignorance that makes one think about the separateness,
and it is the influence of Maya that creates this ignorance.
It creates a doubt, "Who am I?" and itself gives the answer "I am the body".
When Knowledge of the Self gets bounded by the body, it is seen as only a
part of Me because of its smallness, just as waves on the sea appear to be
part of the ocean. It is I who am the giver of vitality to the material body and
creator of the I-am-the-body ego and who becomes apparent in the form of
an individual.
The activity seen by the limited intellect of the individual is called the living
world which is merely My projection. In this living world birth and death are
considered as real. Also, there is an illusion that I am the doer and the one
who experiences, though I continue to be beginningless and a non-doer.
Prakriti
Actually, when this pure soul interacts with Prakriti he forgets himself and
gets involved with her, considering himself to be similar to her. It then
appears to him as if her properties e.g. mind and the five sense organs
belong to him and he gets engrossed in the worldly activities. He becomes
an individual. His mind wanders, sense organs viz. ears, eyes, skin, tongue
and nose get busy in doing their duties of experiencing the sense-objects.
He gives the impression that he is the doer and one who experiences. His ego
increases and he gets engrossed in the pleasures and pains of the sense-
objects. When the individual dies he leaves his body but takes with him the
mind and the five sense organs. And when he takes rebirth on this earth or
gets an abode in heaven, they continue to accompany him.
An ignorant person thinks that the soul entered the new body and
experienced the sense-objects. However, taking birth and dying or doing and
experiencing are the properties of Prakriti, though people mistakenly
consider that they belong to the soul.
When the little body (of a baby) starts making movements due to vital force
people say the individual is born. When the organs experience their
respective sense objects then they say that that the individual is
"experiencing". Then when the body becomes weak and gets destroyed
people cry that the individual has gone. People blinded by delusion
determine that the birth and death of a body are actually those of the soul.
It is the people with Knowledge who know that the soul is in his own place in
the body and he merely witnesses its activities. People of knowledge
consider the body to be merely a cover for the soul and do not get involved in
its affairs. Those with a high sense of discrimination who have reached the
stage of self-realisation are the ones who know the soul. The individual
though covered in the body is actually the soul.
Persons of Knowledge know that I (i.e. the Soul or the Brahman) remain
unaffected and uninterrupted while bodies are imagined in ignorance as
being created and destroyed; and they know me as I always am. They also
know that the soul does not grow or diminish, he does not do actions nor
cause them to be done.
Now, it must be remembered that even though a person has attained this
knowledge, even though he has a fine intellect and is highly learned, he will
not experience Me (i.e. the Souls or the Brahman) unless this learning is
accompanied by a lack of ego and by detachment with aversion towards
sense objects, even though I am everywhere.
[NOTE: This is a beautiful and concise summary of the interactions of the
Brahman (soul), Prakriti and an individual vis--vis birth, death, life, Self-
realisation and experiencing Brahman. It is quite clear that Realisation is
not possible with only intellect. It requires other qualities as described
above].
I ENCOMPASS ALL BEINGS

Shri Krishna (as Bhagwan) now explains how He encompass all beings. He
says,
I am the radiance
The radiance which illuminates the world and in the light of which people
see the its affairs, is Mine. This radiance remains in existence from the
beginning of the world to the time it ends. In daytime it takes the form of
sunlight and at night of moonlight. The strong radiance (of the fire) that
does the functions of burning and cooking is also Mine.
I support the earth
The earth does not get dissolved in the limitless ocean because I enter the
earth and give it support. With that same support the earth is able support
the countless creatures.
I give life and support it
I nurture the entire plant kingdom through the nursing rays of the moon in
the sky. Thus, I give life to all creatures in the form of food by means of
growing and nurturing grains etc.
I digest all the food
Individual creatures eat the food thus grown; and I am the fire in the
stomach that digests the food and feel satisfied. By circulating the Prana
and Apana airs day in and day out I consume immeasurable quantities of
food. It is I who digests the four types of food :dry, fatty, cooked and raw.
I am all creatures
Thus, I am all creatures, I am their life i.e. the food and I am the digestive
fire that burns and digests this food that sustains life. I am all encompassing
and all pervasive; and there is nothing in this world other than me.
Why some creatures are happy and others unhappy
Though I pervade everything, everywhere and am everything, I appear
differently to different persons according to individual intellect. Persons of
Knowledge gain happiness from Me while the ignorant ones feel unhappy.
I am the ego, Knowledge and ignorance

Actually, I am also the ego that "I am so and so." in the hearts of all
creatures. But by keeping company of saints, by practice of yoga and
Knowledge, serving one's Guru with detachment and by good behaviour this
ignorance disappears and the ego dissolves into the Self. When this
happens the individual knows Me and with the realisation of the Self he
becomes happy.
On the other hand, those whose ego is involved only with the body, act out of
desire to gain worldly pleasures while they live and to attain heaven after
death. This leads to sorrow. But here also I am the base for the I-am-the-
body illusion due to their ignorance. It is an established fact that I alone am
the root of both Knowledge as well as ignorance. I know My pure, unique
and unattached form, free of the worldly affairs and I am the cause of its
realisation.
On this, Arjuna requested Shri Krishna to tell again about the
qualificationless nature that he had described while telling about His all-
pervasiveness.
QUALIFICATIONS
Shri Krishna goes on to describe two types of qualifications. Before telling
about the qualification-less form it is necessary to discuss first about
qualifications itself.
This world is filled with only two types of entities: the first is Kshara which
is blind, foolish and crippled; the second is Akshara with all his organs in
good shape. They give company to each other. Who Kshara and Akshara
are and their characteristics are explained below.
Field
It has already been explained earlier and also through the analogy of the
world tree that universe is the same as the Field formed out of eightfold
Prakriti and the thirty-six principles. It includes everything from the Mahat
principle and ego to a grass blade, whether small or big, moving or
stationary. It is what is intelligible to both mind and intellect. After its
formation from the five principles it acquires form and gets into the grip of
the three attributes (Sattva, Raja and Tama). It is where living beings live
constantly in the shadow of death. It is created and destroyed every
moment (i.e. it continuously undergoes changes). Knowledge of this
universe is not different from delusion and ignorance.
KSHARA, AKSHARA AND SUPERIOR PERSONS

Kshara Purusha
The Soul disregards its primary form, imagines the world to be its residence
and becomes like it. It is as if the Soul is asleep and dreaming. In this
dream state his ego makes him think in terms of "I" and "mine", "I am
happy" or "I am unhappy, This is my father", "This is my mother", "I am
fair skinned or dark or perfect", "Are not this son, this wealth, this woman
mine?" etc. This Soul, who is now under delusion of the dream, is known as
Kshara Purusha.
In this state, the Knower of the Field, known as the individual, disregards
his original nature of the Self and behaves like all living creatures, hence he
is called Kshara Purusha. He is Purusha because he is the Soul. Another

reason to call him Purusha is that he resides in the body (See Ch 8), even
though he is in the sleep state (not aware that he is the Soul), because Puri
means a town; body is likened to a town in which the Soul resides as stated
earlier. However, he is also qualified as Kshara or perishable, (though
basically he is the imperishable Soul) because he has been tainted by
qualifications. The impermanent qualifications make him also appear
impermanent. But once the qualifications are destroyed he appears again as
the imperishable Soul. Thus, all living creatures may be considered as
Kshara.
Akshara Purusha
The second type of Purusha is the Akshara Purusha (immutable person). He
is like a disinterested witness, not getting involved either with knowledge or
with ignorance. He does not assume non-dualistic nature by proper or true
knowledge nor does he assume dualistic nature by improper knowledge.
Detached non-awareness is his natural form. A lump of mud prepared by
mixing earth and water for making a pot can no longer be called earth and
has not taken yet the form of a pot either, but is in an intermediate stage;
similarly, the Akshara Purusha also is in a similar in-between state. The in-
between state of unawareness, between the stage when delusion of the world
has vanished but knowledge of the Self has not yet occurred, is the state
known as Akshara. It may be compared with the sleep state that occurs
between the state of wakefulness and the dream state.
Manifestable and Unmanifestable
When all qualifications of the individual soul vanish he dissolves into the
Unmanifestable (Brahman). The state of deep sleep is also the state of
complete unawareness (ignorance). In Vedanta Philosophy it is called the
root or seed aspect of the Unmanifestable. The dream and the wakefulness
states are produced from the deep sleep state, they are called the fruit
aspect. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, this root aspect (of the
Unmanifestable) is the abode of the Akshara Purusha. It separates the
Unmanifestable and the Manifestable, therefore it is just a step lower than
the abode of the Unmanifestable i.e. the state of attainment of Brahman.
This sleep state or the abode of the Akshara Purusha is where the
Manifestable (duality or universe i.e. Prakriti) and the Unmanifestable (non-
duality or Brahman) meet. When improper knowledge originates from here, it
creates the states of wakefulness and dream, which give rise to diverse ideas
and fancies, misguiding the intellect into thinking that the universe is real.
Really speaking, if the individual had not reached the wakeful or dream
states from the state of sleep then he would have reached the state of the
Brahman. Instead, under the shadowing influence of Purusha and Prakriti
the Akshara Purusha experiences an illusion of the Field and the Knower of
the Field. In the context of the world tree, Akshara Purusha is the root of the
inverted world tree.
The reason why he is called a Purusha or individual when he is really a Soul
is that he takes a slumber in the town (puri) of Maya.
Also the state in which the comings and goings of passions, which is a type
of ignorance, is not felt is really the sleep state. Therefore this Akshara
Purusha does not get destroyed by itself and nothing except knowledge can
destroy it. Therefore he is well known as Akshara in the great principle of
the Vedanta philosophy. Thus, Akshara Purusha is actually the

Consciousness (Chetana) which assumes the form of an individual due its
being qualified by Maya.
Superior Person ( Purushottam)
Improper knowledge gives rise to the two states, of wakefulness and dream.
These are the states of deep ignorance. Disappearance of that ignorance
gives rise to Knowledge. That Knowledge itself disappears after giving you an
experience of the Brahman. (Knowledge merges into Knowledge that is
Brahman). Thus, after Knowledge has destroyed ignorance and also
destroyed itself, the state of experience of the Self which remains without the
Knowledge itself should be considered the Superior Person.
This third type of person is different from the two (Kshara and Akshara)
discussed earlier. The nature of the difference is like fire which intrinsically
exists in wood but is different from it. The Superior Person (Purushottam) is
a state of experience of the Self. In this state, no trace of the three states of
dream, sleep and wakefulness remains. Since all the three states have been
nullified, neither non-dualistic nor dualistic state is experienced. Sense of
being or not being is also not experienced. This state is also called the
Supreme Soul. But calling Him by this name is possible only if one remains
somewhat separate as an individual by not dissolving oneself into Him. To
give a simile, a person standing on the shore can speak about drowning in
the river but not the person who has drowned. It is on this basis that Vedas
consider Kshara and Akshara as inferior as compared with the Superior
Person and identify Him with the form of the Supreme Soul. Understand
therefore that the term "Supreme Soul" (Paramatma) thus signifies the
Superior Person (Purushottam).
The Supreme Soul is such that He is spoken about without actually
speaking, about whom knowing nothing is actually same as knowing Him,
who occurs without any happening. There, even the aspect of "I am that"
vanishes, the speaker becomes the spoken and view disappears along with
the viewer.
Whatever one experiences in this situation should be considered as His
form. The light which occurs besides the illuminated object, the controller
who is besides the controlled, exists in His own form. He who is the realm of
sound that gives the power to hear, the realm of the taste that gives the
power to taste, the cosmic bliss that creates the bliss, the pinnacle of
perfection, Supreme Person among all persons, the resting place of the
repose, bliss of the bliss, brilliance of the brilliance and the place of
dissolution of the zero of the big naught, who is beyond the growth and
dissolution, who is larger than the largest, bears the universe without
becoming it.
I AM BEYOND ALL
The universe and the Supreme Soul are not different. He is the one
responsible for the expansion and contraction of the universe. He does not
change if He takes the form of the universe or if the universe dissolves. He
does not get destroyed by anything under any circumstances. He can be
compared only with Himself.
Shri Krishna (as Bhagwan) tells,

I am that unique Entity that illuminates Itself, in whom no duality occurs,
he who is beyond form and superior to Kshara and Akshara and therefore is
called Supreme Person. He who understands Me as such is near to the
dawn of Knowledge. After the onset of Knowledge the whole universe
appears to be meaningless to him. Once he attains My knowledge he no
longer gets deceived by the illusion of this world. Knowing My real form he
gives up the sense of distinction and says, "I myself am a self-created true
bliss existing everywhere, and he knows Me as not being different from
himself. It is difficult to state that he has known everything because no
sense of duality exists within him. Therefore he alone is worthy of My
devotion just as sky alone is fit to embrace sky. The relation between Me and
the devotion of one who is devoted to Me with the sense of oneness with Me
can be compared only with the Sun and its aura, which are not different
from each other.
IN PRAISE OF THE GITA

Dnyaneshwar Maharaj has put the following words in the mouth of Shri
Krishna, in praise of Gita.
Really speaking, this Gita is not a shastra that can be told through words. It
is the science of conquering this world. The letters of this Gita are mantras
which can lead you to attaining the Self. Arjuna, by telling you this Gita I
have brought forth my secret treasure. If my conscious Self is compared to
Lord Shiva then you who have managed to bring out the Ganges of the Gita
from his head are like the Sage Gautama. Arjuna, because the impurity of
the three attributes has left you, you have become My abode along with the
Gita. The Gita is My creeper of knowledge and he who understands it
becomes free of all delusions. But what is there to wonder if delusion
vanishes when one understands the Gita perfectly? That Knowledge of the
Self leads him to the form of the Self. After this Knowledge of the Self is
attained Karma also dissolves realising that its life work is over. When the
pinnacle of Knowledge is installed over the temple of Karma, Karma ceases
automatically. Therefore a person who has attained Knowledge has no
reason to perform duties.
End Chapter 15
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 16 - DIVINE AND DEMONIACAL ENDOWMENTS
ENDOWMENTS AFFECT SPIRITUAL PATH

When a liking for any subject goes deeper and deeper into the mind it
develops into a love for that subject. This is what happens to seekers of
Knowledge. They start with a curiosity regarding Knowledge and that
curiosity turns into a liking and desire for Knowledge; but as long as that
liking does not develop into love they are not sure whether they would ever
gain Knowledge and if they do gain it, whether it would last. Therefore the
seeker should first ponder over the questions:
"How that pure Knowledge may be attained and how it will last after it
is attained?, or
"Why am I not attaining that Knowledge?
He should also worry about
"Which is that powerful entity against Knowledge that can set one on
the wrong path?
In this chapter Shri Krishna, in order to enable the curious seekers to get
rid of things that impede the path of knowledge and concentrate on those
which are beneficial, speaks about
the Divine endowment (Sampatti) that gives rise to Knowledge and
increases peace; and also
the Demoniacal endowment which, with its terrible nature, become
impediments in the path of Knowledge by supporting the evil feelings
like anger and hate.
This topic, namely that of how the two types of natures cause good and bad
effects was already mentioned in the ninth chapter but was not discussed in
detail there. Therefore this sixteenth chapter may be considered as an
extension of the ninth chapter. The present topic concerns the fact that the
power of these two endowments causes a good or a bad form to be imparted
to Knowledge.
The Divine endowment will be discussed first. The Divine endowment guides
the seekers to cross the darkness of delusion. Now, collection of several
objects that support one another is called wealth. Divine wealth creates
happiness. One gets it as a gift from the Divine and therefore it is called
Divine endowment. There are twenty-six qualities of the Divine endowment
that make the Divine wealth create happiness.
THE TWENTY-SIX QUALITIES OF THE DIVINE ENDOWMENT

Fearlessness
Fearlessness is the best among the qualities of this Divine endowment. A
person who has abandoned the ego completely is not afraid of this world. He
develops the sense of non-duality and realises that the whole universe is
filled with Brahman. This spirit of non-duality destroys fear. These are the
indications of the quality of fearlessness. It is part of the path towards true

Knowledge.
Purity
The quality of the purity of the mind is indicated by the following. After one
gives up the tendency towards desires and doubts and frees himself of the
effects of the Raja and Tama attributes, the intellect is attracted towards
contemplation about the Self. It does not get enticed by sense objects any
more. Having developed a liking for the Self he becomes a dedicated seeker.
This is what is called purity of the mind.
Steadiness
Keeping the mind steady on the selected spiritual path (that of Knowledge or
of Yoga) for attaining Self, while abandoning other tendencies of the mind
and ridding one's mind of all doubts is the third quality called steadiness,
Charity
Practising charity by helping a distressed person in every possible way and
in all sincerity, even if he were an enemy, giving whatever one can and not
sending him away empty handed is a quality which shows the path to real
Knowledge.
Self-restraint
A yogi does not indulge in sense pleasures. He keeps his mind away from
sense objects by controlling the organs by discipline. He fosters detachment
to expel the tendencies for sense objects hidden in the corners of the mind.
He ceaselessly observes routines stricter that those of breath control
(Pranayama). These are the indications of self-restraint.
Yajna or sacrifice
All men and women should perform religious actions as appropriate to their
caste and according to the Shastras. This is a kind of Yajna or sacrifice. A
Brahmin observing the six rituals and a Shudra making obeisance to him,
both do a like sacrifice. But this performance should not be contaminated
by the desire of fruits or by the I-am-the-doer ego. This is what is called
appropriately conducted sacrifice and should be considered as a
knowledgeable guide in the path to liberation.
Personal study of the Vedas
God is the subject of discussion in the Vedas which one should study
constantly in order to understand Him. For attaining Self, Brahmins should
contemplate over the writings related to the Brahman. Others should
frequently sing songs praising God or utter His name. This is what is called
the personal study of Vedas.
[NOTE: In todays situation, the term Vedas may be replaced by
scriptures]
Austerity (Tapas)
Best way of using ones possessions is to give them all away and that is real
austerity. To extend the same principle, straining one's body, organs and
life force for experiencing the Self is also austerity. People speak of many
types of austerities but apart from the above two, the rest must be critically
examined to determine if they fit the above principle.
Austerity keeps the sense of discrimination which separates I am the living
soul feeling from the I am the body feeling alive in a person. While
contemplating on the Self, the intellect turns inwards. Just as when one
wakes up both sleep and dreams vanish, similarly that which makes a
person turn to contemplating about the Self is the real nature of austerity.
Uprightness
To show gentleness to all, because all have the same life-force, is called
uprightness.
Non-injury
To behave by words, actions and feelings with the intention of making the
world happy and not to hurt anybody, is the indication of non-injury.
Truthfulness
Truthfulness is pointed but soft and bright but comfortable. It is hard like
iron in crushing doubts but is sweet to the ears. With its strength it
penetrates the principle of the Brahman. In short, that which is sweet but
not deceptive (like the song of a trapper), and which does not hurt and
proves to be true and which is without evil aspects, is to be considered as
truthfulness here.
Absence of wrath
The state of mind in which a person does not get angry by even the harshest
words is called absence of wrath.
Relinquishment
Relinquishment is the giving up worldly affairs by freeing oneself of the I
am the body" attitude.
Tranquillity
Tranquillity is the state in which both the knower and the Knowledge
dissolve after knowing the Knowable (i.e. experiencing the Brahman).
Non-calumny
When one sees somebody drowning, he does not bother whether that person
is a Brahmin or an untouchable, but thinks that saving him is his first duty.
Such a person, instead of bothering about the failings of another, tries to
overcome them by his own good qualities and does not taunt him about
them. Not taunting people for their failings by comparing them with perfect
persons is the indication of non-calumny. There is no doubt that this is one
of the resting stages in the path to liberation.
Compassion
Compassion is the tendency and desire to help remove the miseries of the
unfortunate without ever distinguishing between high and low. When he
sees the sorrows of others he thinks nothing of sacrificing everything he
possesses in order to mitigate them. His life is spent in helping the
miserable. Such a person is compassion personified. Even God becomes
indebted to him.
Lack of greed
When one is averse to enjoying the pleasures of this world or the next, even
if they are available to him at his mere wish and when one has no desire of
any kind for sense-pleasures, that state of mind is the indication of lack of
greed.
Gentleness
A tender loving behaviour towards all creatures and a life devoted to welfare
of the world is the indication of gentleness.
Humility
When a person feels ashamed of being imprisoned in this body of three and
a half hand-span length, of being born and dying again and again, of
remaining in the uterus immersed in blood and urine to be cast as a human
being, is the sign of humility. Only persons without blemish feel so
ashamed, but others take pleasure in it. [See earlier notes in Ch 13 on
foetus being immersed in blood and urine in the uterus].
Absence of fickleness
When life-force is controlled the organs of action become slow. Similarly, the
sense-organs become dull after the mind is controlled. Thus, all the ten
organs become inactive by the control of mind and life force. This condition
is called absence of fickleness.
Spiritual vigour
When the determination to follow the path of Knowledge for attaining God is
very strong then there is no dearth of strength. The individual, anxious to
realise his master the Soul, follows the difficult path towards the formless
Brahman, treating the sense objects like poison. In this path he is not
hindered by the ritualistic rules nor is he attracted by the great Siddhis.
This quality of mind, which goes towards God automatically, is called
spiritual vigour.
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is the quality of being tolerant without being proud about it.
Fortitude
The quality which keeps a person from feeling distressed in the face of
calamities by maintaining ones courage and enables him to tolerate all
distresses of spiritual, divine and earthly origin, is called fortitude.
Cleanliness
Doing actions without desire of fruits and maintaining discretion in the mind
is the indication of Cleanliness. A person, with cleanliness from inside and
outside, liberates others who are bound to this world and removes the
difficulties of the afflicted. He gains his goal by helping others to be happy.
Absence of envy
The idea of hurting anybody for his own success never touches the mind. Of
a person in whom there is an absence of envy.
Lack of pride
Feeling shy after one gets recognition (as an achiever) is the quality called
lack of pride.
These are the twenty-six qualities of Divine endowment and are the gift of
the great Emperor of Liberation.
THE SIX FAILINGS OF THE DEMONIACAL ENDOWMENTS

Just as one should know about good qualities, one should know about bad
qualities also, so that they can be avoided. The failings of the demoniacal
endowment lead to failures and causes sorrow, therefore one must know
fully about them. The serious defects which together subject people to
horrible tortures of hell are actually the demoniacal endowment. It is the
storehouse of all failings. These failings are described below.
Hypocrisy
The principal among the failings of the demoniacal endowment is hypocrisy.
Dharma (the code of righteous conduct) is ones companion and friend in life,
in this world and the next. But if one publicises his practising of Dharma
then, instead of helping to take him towards liberation it actually becomes a
hindrance. The righteous behaviour becomes in effect unrighteous behaviour
(Adharma). This doing of Adharma in the name of Dharma must be
considered as hypocrisy.
Arrogance
Possession of women, wealth and learning, listening to praise and honour
bestowed on him makes a person haughty. Swelling by pride of his
possessions and position is called arrogance.
Conceit
Whole world adores and worships God because of Faith. People
enthusiastically praise God with a desire to gain a high position and reach
heaven. But there is always a person who burns with jealousy and says that
he is going to swallow God, poison the scriptures (Vedas) and destroy their
power by his strength. Overcome by pride, he is unable to tolerate people
uttering Gods name. His nature is such that he gives step-motherly
treatment to his own father for the fear that he will be a claimant to his
wealth. Such a person is said to possess conceit and is arrogant. Such
conceit is a certain path to hell.
Wrath
A person gets angry by seeing the happiness in others. He is annoyed at
seeing the learning, development, wealth and fortune of others. This is what
is called wrath.
Harshness
A person with poisonous mind, penetrating looks, burning speech, whose
actions as well as external and internal behaviour are troublesome to others
is a very contemptible person and an icon of harshness.
Ignorance
Being blind to thoughts of evil deeds, lack of understanding of what is good
and what is bad is called ignorance.
These six failings make the demoniacal endowment become strong. That
there are only six failings does not mean that they are unimportant. On the
other hand the coming together of these six can create horrible
consequences for a person. He who immerses himself in the worldly affairs,
ignoring his inclination towards the path of liberation, descends down the
ladder of rebirth to states even below that of the non-moving species (trees
etc.).
WARNINGS ABOUT DEMONIACL ENDOWMENTS

Of these two endowments, the first i.e. the Divine endowment is like the
dawn before the sunrise of liberation while the second, the demoniacal
endowment is really like iron shackles in the form of delusion.
There are well-established modes of behaviour of people possessing these

two types of endowments. Out of these the Divine endowment has been
discussed earlier in detail. The following discussion pertains to the
demoniacal endowment.
The demoniacal endowment does not become evident unless it has taken
shelter in the body. After taking shelter in the body it takes its possession
and grows with it.
People afflicted with demoniacal endowment do not understand what is
action and what is non-action. They do not even dream about what is
purity. Thoughts that one should be inclined towards meritorious actions or
averse to sinful actions do not enter their minds.
They do not bother about prescribed actions, do not follow the path of their
elders and do not even know what proper behaviour should be. Their
behaviour is uninhibited and they are always averse to truth. They may not
have done anything bad yet, but by nature they are evil.
WHAT PEOPLE AFFECTED BY DEMONIACAL ENDOWMENT THINK

Those people not affected by demoniacal endowment believe that this
universe has been going on from time without beginning and is controlled
and ruled by God; that Scriptures (Vedas), which speak about God and the
universe, clearly state about what is moral and what is immoral. Immoral
people are punished by being sent to hell while the moral go to heaven where
they remain happily.
On the other hand, the thinking of the persons afflicted by the failings of the
demoniacal endowment is perverse. They say the strangest things, for
example, they say
that this arrangement (about moral people being rewarded and
immoral getting punished) which has been going on since time
immemorial, is all false;
that people who perform yajnas get cheated;
that those who love God worship idols and those who become yogis by
wearing ochre coloured clothes get deceived by the illusion of
Samadhi;
that one should enjoy whatever one can get by own capability. There
is no merit other than this;
that the real sin is not to be able to enjoy sensual pleasures due to
physical weakness;
that though it is a sin to kill the rich, the wealth one gets from it is
the result of merit;
that if strong destroying the weak is objectionable and sinful then
how is it that big fish that eat small fish do not become extinct?
that marriages are arranged between boys and girls of good families
on auspicious time with the intention of producing progeny. But who
arranges the marriages of birds and animals that produce abundant
progeny?
They question whether anybody has ever been poisoned by stolen
wealth. Or,
whether anybody has ever been afflicted by leprosy because he had

loved and had sexual relations with another mans wife.
They ridicule about Vedas saying that God is the ruler of this universe
and He rewards or punishes people according to their righteous or
unrighteous behaviour and the fruits of the deeds in this world are
obtained in the next. They remark that one can neither see God nor
the other world therefore it is all false.
They ask. If the person who does meritorious or sinful deeds himself
dies then who is there left to enjoy or suffer for them?
They say that a worm lives contentedly in the mud as much as Indra
lives happily with Urvashi in heaven.
They aver that in view of the above, heaven and hell are not the
consequences of meritorious or sinful deeds because in both places
the lust is satisfied.
They further aver that when man and woman come together inspired
by lust, the world is created therefore whatever is beneficial to the
world is all supported by lust. And because of the mutual enmity it is
the lust that destroys the world.
Thus, the people afflicted with demoniacal endowment say that there is no
reason for the creation of the world other than the sensual pleasure.
Evil Nature
They despise god and spend time in meaningless talk. Having already
decided that God does not exist, they openly profess to be atheists. Atheism
is well entrenched in them. Belief in the existence of heaven or fear of hell
has completely disappeared from their minds. They are then caught in the
trap of the body and like a bubble of gas in dirty waters they get immersed in
the mire of sensual desires. Persons with demoniacal endowment are born
for destruction of people. They are like living victory towers of sin. Like fire
which does not care about what it burns, they destroy everybody who comes
near them.
They sustain insatiable lust, the foremost among the insatiable desires and
add hypocrisy and pride to it. As they grow in age these persons with
demoniacal endowment become arrogant. To the obstinacy is added
foolishness too. And then who can say what they decide to do? Right from
birth their tendency is to do things which create misery for others or destroy
their life. They treat the world as trivial and brag about their own deeds.
They spread the net of their desires in all directions. The persons with
demoniacal endowment increase their load of sins with great vigour.
Pining for futile sense-objects, the persons with demoniacal endowment
worry endlessly about attaining them. The idea that there is nothing better
than enjoyment of sex is fixed in their minds. They are then ready to go to
heaven or hell or to the four corners of the world.
All their actions are thus governed by this approach as long as they live.
And they worry in the same way about their future after death. The
boundless worry about the future after death does not leave them until the
end.
The Trap of Desire and Anger

People afflicted with demoniacal endowment have such a desire for sense
objects that it makes them heedless of the consequences. If their desire is
not fulfilled then they wistfully hope that it will get fulfilled some day and if it
is still not fulfilled then immediately the frustration creates hatred and
anger.
Now, how can a desire be satisfied without money? Therefore they raid the
world for earning enough money to satisfy the desires at least. They scheme
and plot to destroy somebody. They waylay and kill people and loot their
wealth and feel happy by the illicit gains.
The person with demoniacal endowment says, I have taken away the wealth
of many. I am happy and satisfied. And immediately, greedy thoughts of
looting more people rise in his mind. He decides to use his gains to earn
more estate and to own ultimately everything that he sets his eyes on in this
world. He says, I shall kill bigger enemies than what I have destroyed so
far and I alone shall enjoy the wealth. Then they would become my servants.
Besides, I shall destroy others and become the master of the living and non-
living universe. I shall be the king of this mortal world and gain all
happiness. Even Indra will be put to shame when he sees my splendour.
How can anything fail when I apply my mind to it? Who is there more
powerful than me to command? Time may brag about his power as long as
he has not seen my power and me. I am really the bundle of all happiness.
Kuber is wealthy no doubt but he is nothing as compared to me; and even
Vishnu, husband of Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth is not as wealthy as I
am. The greatness of my family, my friends and relatives is such that even
Brahmadeo will be lower in comparison. Therefore, none of those who
consider themselves superior in the name of God can be compared with me.
Now I shall revive the forgotten techniques of black magic and perform
yajnas that will cause distress to people. As for people who sing my praises
and entertain me by dances and dramas, I shall give them whatever they
ask. I shall enjoy the pleasure of intoxicating food and drinks and of
embracing women in these three worlds.
The crazy persons of demoniacal endowment thus hope to smell celestial
flowers and babble away their thoughts like a person in delirium. Their
ignorance raises their hopes and makes them daydream. They desire endless
sensual pleasures and then one day their daydreams get shattered. As
delusions grow in their minds, their desire for sensual pleasures also grows.
That gives shelter to sins. When sins become strong and numerous, he has
to suffer like hell even while he is alive.
And after death, the persons with demoniacal endowment reach a horrible
place where trees have leaves like sharpened swords, where mounds of
embers smoulder and oceans of boiling oil rage. They reach hell where
agonies are lined up for them and Yama the Lord of death imposes fresh
kinds of suffering every day.
These unfortunate people are destined to suffer only hell but some of them
born in some better situations, may be found to perform yajnas. Now, their
yajna rituals are more of a show business, which makes the rituals fruitless
rather than beneficial. Their yajna need not have proper arrangements like
kunda, vedi or a pandal (a roofed enclosure) nor the usual materials. They
are averse to following prescribed rituals. They cannot tolerate the names of
deities uttered in their presence. These persons invite people for the yajna
and loot them by accepting presents from them. Thus the performance of
yajna is for their own benefit with desire that others should lose everything.
Then they make a fanfare and pretend that they have been initiated in the
learning. With this false status these crafty people become all the more
conceited; and their ego and excesses multiply. They use their power to
ensure that no name other than theirs is mentioned around. Once their ego
increases so does the arrogance. Once arrogance becomes unleashed then
lust also rises and the combination of the two makes anger flare up. When
ego intensifies and arrogance gets entangled in lust and anger they will kill
any creature they feel like killing.
Shri Krishna (as Bhagwan) laments, These so-called initiated persons
waste their own blood and flesh by getting obsessed with black magic. When
they do this, the exertion they cause to their body harasses Me, the soul
occupying their body. And when they harass others by black magic, since I
am in their bodies, again it is I who is really harassed.
If any person luckily escapes their black magic then they bombard him by
nasty talk. Saintly women, saints, donors, performers of yajnas, great
tapasis, sanyasis, or devotees and great souls all of which are favourite
places of My presence, rendered pure by fire-sacrifices are the targets of
their sharp poisonous talk.
Shri Krishna then tells how He punishes these sinners who try to hold Him
in enmity.
HOW I PUNISH THEM

These sinners are really fools occupying human body but hate the world. I
punish these fools in various ways. Some of them are punished by making
them to be reborn not as human beings but in species of Tama attribute, of
type that have to suffer the worst kind of filth and tortures. They are made
to be born as tigers, scorpions etc. in places where not even a blade of grass
grows for them to eat. They bite their own flesh to feed their hunger and
after death they are reborn in the same species. Or, I make them be born as
snakes who burn their skin by their own poison and confine themselves to
holes.
I do not permit these evil souls even a breathing time for taking rest. And I
do not take them out of this situation even after millennia pass. But this is
only the first stage of their journey towards the final destination. Imagine
the extent of tortures they would suffer when they reach this low state due
to their demoniacal nature.
Then I snatch whatever little rest they get in species like tiger etc. and put
them in pitch darkness. Thus these vile people reach this lowest state after
suffering through rebirths in all the species of Tama attribute.
This Tama attribute is so terrible that even the tongue weeps when
describing it. Its very memory causes the mind to shudder. Alas! How these
fools have earned hell! Why do they nurture the demoniacal endowment
that leads to such a downfall? Therefore the company of those who possess
all the six aspects of demoniacal endowment should be totally shunned.
Inauspicious things and misfortunes occur and people experience pain and
sorrow wherever desire, anger and greed prevail. These three failings are the
real detriment in the world. They are the lowest type of failings and the
gateway to hell. But one need not at all worry about reaching the various
kinds of hell after death if the mind does not let them in. Therefore it is
important to totally give up this harmful trio of desire, anger and greed. It is
only then that one can be successful in fulfilling the four obligations (viz.
Dharma or righteous conduct, Artha or earning, Kama or conjugal life and
Moksha or liberation).
Only he who rids himself of desire, anger and greed is able to become happy
and attain the Self. Such a person gains the company of saints and gets set
on the path of liberation. Finally, with the power of the company of saints,
with the help of righteous actions and Gurus benevolence he crosses the
stage of births and deaths, attains Self-realisation and gains peace.
But there are people who are not inclined towards Self-realisation. They get
engrossed in passions and commit self-destruction. A person of this type
does not heed Vedas, which are like a guiding lamp showing what is good,
and what is bad. He does not bother about moral behaviour and instead
indulges in sense pleasures without considering the consequences. He
misses the enjoyments not only of this world but of the world beyond as well.
How can then there be any scope for liberation? Therefore, one should not
show disrespect to the edicts in the Vedas. The disciple who listens sincerely
to the advice given by the true Guru gains Self-realisation. Similarly one who
desires to achieve success in the four obligations should be reverent to the
Shrutis (Vedas) and Smritis (Codes of religious and social conduct).
Shri Krishna thus explained to Arjuna the signs of demoniacal endowment
and their ill effects.
[Comments: The description of persons affected by the demoniacal
endowment aptly applies to erstwhile dictators like Hitler and Stalin who
caused wars and death of millions of innocent people under the banner of
ideologies, which are totally defunct today. But as the simile of tree shows,
the birth, rise to power and death of such demons is perpetual; new ones
are born every now and then and vanish in the course of time. In olden days
they came in the form of marauders like Attilla the Hun, Chenghij Khan etc.,
tyrant kings, emperors and their men. Today we see them in the garb of
fundamentalists and terrorists who are not averse to killing the innocent,
even women and children under the name of religion. They even consider it
as religion.
Another class of people under the influence of the demoniacal endowment
are the political opportunists and commercial swindlers who try to hold
power over others. They are the very personifications of ego, desire, greed,
lust and anger. The keen observation of human nature by Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj is really astounding. Fortunately, saints like him negate many of
the consequences of the demoniacal endowment by their Divine endowment.
It may appear that this negation occurs only after the acts of the demons
have taken their toll.
In the the biography of Shri Aurobindo of Pondicherry by his personal
secretary Nirodabaradan, instances of Divine intervention are mentioned.
During the Second World War the Divine Power was taking steps against the
destructive demoniacal actions of Hitler-Tojo-Mussolini axis, through
Aurobindo and Mataji. Nirodabaradan has given instances of how German
attacks on England were prevented. Even before Hitler raided Poland,
Aurobindo had sensed the rise of the dark evil powers and instead of
remaining a mute witness or critic to the war, he had donated funds to fight
the war saying, This war is being fought for upholding the human culture
and the highest cultural, social and spiritual values and for the good of
humanity. Mataji had told Nirodbardan that Things have been decided
much earlier, even before your and my birth. Our work is going on
accordingly for years. Do not believe your narrow mind and get confused.
This struggle is of Divine against evil powers. Leave everything to God.
Many of the characteristics mentioned in connection with the demoniacal
endowment may be seen in people we know and even in ourselves if we
introspect honestly. These bad tendencies are required to be conscientiously
removed if spiritual progress is desired and even for a better life. For
pointing this out in clear terms we must feel highly indebted to
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj. In the final reckoning, real saints are our only hope].
End Chapter 16
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 17 -THREE KINDS OF FAITH
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Three is an important number in Hindu philosophical system. For example,
The number of attributes defined is three viz. Sattva, Raja and Tama;
There are three states of consciousness viz. wakefulness, sleep and
dream;
The universe is supposed to pass through three stages, that of
creation, sustenance and dissolution;
Three deities namely Brahmadeo, Vishnu and Shiva are supposed to
be respectively responsible for the above three stages (these deities are
known as Trinity or Trimurti and Shri Dattatreya is considered as the
deity with the qualities of all the three);
Universe is supposed to be divided into three regions (Triloka): Earth
(Bhu), Heaven (Swarga) and Nether (Patal);
Lord Shiva has three eyes and is called Trinetra, Bel leaves with three
segments are used in his worship. Trident is one of his weapons.
Trident is also a symbol of Nath Panth to which Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj belonged.
Basic Vedas are three namely, Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samaveda.
Atharvaveda has verses from these three Vedas. Vedas contain three
types of writings: Richa (verse), Yaju (Prose), Sam (to be sung).
There are three types of fires: Dakshinagni, Avahani and Garhapatya.
Even in Ayurveda the science of medicine, three basic afflictions of the
body system viz. wind, phlegm and bile (Vata, Kapha and Pitta) have
been defined.
The basic primordial sound Aum has three letters A, U and M.
Attributes of a person or of an entity determine the nature of that person or
entity according to their relative predominance. Hence parameters like
actions, behaviour, thoughts, faith, diet etc related to an individual may also
be similarly classified according to the attributes. In this chapter, faith
classified into three types on this principle is discussed.
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

In the last i.e. sixteenth chapter it was concluded that ones behaviour, good
or bad must be guided by what is laid down in the Shastras. But on this,
Arjuna got a few doubts of practical nature such as:
Shastras differ among themselves, so which Shastra is correct and
who decides that?
And even if one finds a common ground who has the time to act
according to it?
Therefore it is not always possible to act according to the Shastras

and in that case what should the ignorant seekers do?
He asked why an individual couldnt attain liberation without the Shastras?
Because of factors like lack of facilities, non-availability of proper teacher or
even because one is not endowed with intelligence due to past Karmas, it
may not be possible for everyone to learn Shastras. What would be the fate
of such persons? And what would be the fate of those who (because of the
lack of study) blindly follow persons learned in the Shastras and worship
Shiva or other deities, donate land etc. in charity, perform yajnas etc.?
In this chapter Shri Krishna explains these points. He explained as follows.
ATTRIBUTES DETERMINE THE NATURE OF FAITH

It may be very difficult to attain liberation by studying Shastras but it is not
easy either to attain it only through faith. The basically pure faith gets
tainted because the power of Maya causes the nature of the individual to be
tainted by the three attributes. The natural tendencies of an individual are
moulded according to the relative predominance of the three attributes.
Ones natural tendencies mould the mind, actions follow the mind, and the
individual takes rebirth according to the accumulated effect of actions i.e.
the karmas. This is the chain of factors that affects a person from birth to
birth. Even when a creature is reborn countless number of times, no change
occurs in the three attributes. The faith, which has come to the lot of a
creature, is therefore according to these attributes.
Increase in the Sattva attribute leads to acquiring of Knowledge and Pure
faith based on Sattva attribute fructifies into liberation, but other two
attributes, Raja and Tama oppose it. When Raja attribute overrides the
Sattva attribute then the faith, now tainted by the Raja attribute, causes the
karmas to accumulate. And when the Tama attribute becomes strong the
faith breaks down, entangling the creatures in all sorts of sense-pleasures.
Thus, the faith cannot be separated from the three attributes is qualified or
tainted by them. Therefore the faith is qualified by the three attributes
Sattva, Raja and Tama. This is just like water that becomes fatal if mixed
with poison, pungent if mixed with pepper and sweet if mixed with
sugarcane juice.
The creature that dies during the prevalence of the Tama attribute is reborn
with a Tamasic faith i.e. faith tainted by the Tama attribute. Thus the faith
of a Tamasic creature is Tamasic. Similarly the faith of a Rajas (i.e. one
tainted by Raja attribute) creature is Rajas and a Sattvic creature Sattvic
(i.e. one tainted by Sattva attribute). Therefore one must understand the
effect of the three attributes on faith that affects the structure of the
universe. Just as one can recognise the nature of the past Karmas of a
person from his condition in this life, similarly there are signs that can
indicate the three different forms of faith. Shri Krishna now describes these
signs.
THREE TYPES OF FAITHS

As mentioned earlier, there are three types of faith namely Sattvic, Rajas and
Tamasic.
Those, whose constitution is made of Sattvic faith, have their

thoughts turned towards heaven. They acquire all knowledge and
choosing proper types of yajnas they reach the abode of gods.
Those whose constitution is made of Rajas faith worship Yakshas
and demons who travel in the sky.
But those who are constituted of Tamasic faith are like mountains of
sins and are extremely hard-hearted and cruel. They sacrifice
animals in cremation grounds to propitiate spirits and ghouls.
It is evident that it is the Sattvic faith that must be adopted and maintained
while the Rajas and Tamasic faiths should be rejected. Nurturing of the
Sattvic faith facilitates the attainment of liberation. A person may not be
learned in subjects like Brahmasutras or the Vedas and he may even be a
fool, but if he emulates the conduct of those who behave according to
Dharma and live with Sattvic faith then he also gets same fruits as them.
Those who are averse to the study of Shastras and dislike them, those who
tease their elders who perform daily worship by following the Shastras and
and those who mock the learned during their discourses are no different
from the atheists who become swollen by the pride of their high status and
arrogant due to their wealth. Instead of following the rituals prescribed in
the Shastras, they perform yajnas in which they offer human blood to
inferior deities and even sacrifice young children to fulfil their vows. They
seek boons from the same inferior deities for which they obstinately observe
austerities like seven-day long fasts and perform many other rituals also.
What they propagate by such actions are the concepts of self-torture and
torture of others that have made their home in their Tamasic heart but
ultimately they reap the harvest accordingly. They come under the sway of
delusion and desires, and when these are not fulfilled they are overcome by
anger and hurt others. In this way they cause pain to themselves and others
but actually it is I (Bhagwan i.e. God), who am the Soul, that suffers the
pains. One should not even utter the name of such a sinner. If any one
happens to see such a person he must think of God, for there is no other
atonement for it. To avoid reaching such a low state one should always
maintain Sattvic faith by keeping in touch with things that help to increase
it.
THREE TYPES OF DIET

Diet is the most effective means of moulding ones nature. It is therefore
essential to adopt a proper diet in order to develop Sattvic nature. A person
gets afflicted by wind, phlegm or biles (Tridosha or three defects viz. Vata,
Kapha and Pitta, in the body system as per Ayurveda) according to the food
he eats. Different chemicals are produced in the body accordingly to what
one eats. The feelings in the mind and its state depend upon these
chemicals therefore a Sattvic diet makes the Sattvic quality grow. Any other
diet would lead to growth of the Rajas and Tamasic natures.
Actually, the same diet affects the eater in three different ways depending
upon the attributes affecting the eater. The cook prepares food according to
the taste of the eater but the eater is a slave to the three attributes. He
therefore behaves with three different types of mental attitudes according to
the relative predominance of the three attributes. This makes the actions by
a person like yajna, charity and austerity (tapas) also of three types.
What a Sattvic diet is and what the indications of Rajas and Tamasic diets
are, is explained in the following.
Sattvic food
Sattvic food items are by nature juicy, sweet, very oily and properly cooked,
with the liquid part in it well absorbed within by the heat of the fire. They
are not big in size and are soft to touch. They feel tasty and melt on the
tongue. One feels satiated by eating even a little quantity of such food. Its
effects are also sweet. A Sattvic person has a special liking for such food.
Such a Sattvic diet is the most appropriate diet for increasing the Sattva
attribute. It increases the life-force of the eater and increases his physical
and mental strength; hence disease cannot enter there. Eater of Sattvic food
enjoys the fortune of good health. His actions bring happiness not only to
himself but also to others. Thus, the effect of the Sattvic diet is great and is
useful to the body from inside and outside.
Rajas food
A Rajas person loves food with strong tastes even if it may not be digestible.
He likes food that tastes bitter like poison, burning like lime but sour, with
large quantities of salt and salty materials added to it. He takes pleasure in
eating hard food that needs grinding the teeth. He likes dry and hot food,
hot enough to burn the tongue. Salad, already hot and pungent with
mustard added on top and causing the mouth and nose to burn, is what a
Rajas person likes more than his life. After eating cloves and ginger he rolls
on ground in pain and to reduce it he drinks pots of water. A Rajas person
surrenders himself madly to the taste buds. What he eats is not really food
but something that will awaken the diseases in the body. Thus, the Rajas
type of food leads only to sorrow.
Tamasic food
The food a Tamasic person likes is disgusting. A Tamasic person does not at
all like well-cooked and fresh food. Instead, he prefers food that is half
cooked or burnt. He prefers stale, leftover and rotten food and does not
realise that it will be harmful to him. What is cooked in the morning he eats
in the afternoon or the next day. If perchance an occasion comes for him to
eat good food, instead of eating it immediately he keeps it aside like a tiger
keeps his prey until it starts smelling.
When eating with his family, instead of eating in individual dishes, he eats in
a common dish the tasteless food which, by having been kept for a long time,
has become dry or rotten, infested with worms and turned into slime by
having been handled by children. He feels happy with such dirty food.
In short he desires strongly those things that have been prohibited by the
Shastras. The result is that he is immediately penalised for it, because
consuming such desecrated food makes him liable for sin. For, what he eats
is not food but an affliction that fills the stomach. He undergoes a lot of
suffering but he bears it all. One need not tell about the effects of Tamasic
food any further.
THREE TYPES OF YAJNAS

Yajnas are also of three types viz. Sattvic, Rajas and Tamasic. .
Sattvic yajna
Sattvic yajna is performed using all the inner tendencies in order to gain
spiritual benefits without bothering about selfish material gains. One who
performs a Sattvic yajna does so with the body and mind completely
dedicated to the yajna rituals without any personal desires or expectations.
He is completely detached about everything except for the desire to behave
as per Swadharma. He performs the yajna systematically in all its aspects,
e.g. arranging the Kunda (fire-pit), pandal, platform etc., exactly as
prescribed in the Shastras. The yajna thus performed without any desire for
self-importance or for fruits should be considered as Sattvic yajna.
Rajas yajna
Rajas yajna is also performed in the same systematic manner as the Sattvic,
but purely with the intention of benefits like attaining heaven after death,
getting honoured in public as an initiated person etc.
Tamasic yajna
Tamasic yajna is performed out of compulsion. It is not bound by any rules.
The Tamasic person performing the yajna is without faith. He is not
bothered about ritualistic rules and not even about proper mantras. He is
inimical to Brahmins so there is no thought of honorarium (dakshina) to
them. Though a lot of money is wasted, even a fly does not get any food
there. A Tamasic yajna only superficially looks like one.
THREE TYPES OF TAPAS (BODY RELATED)

Tapas (austerity) also is of three types according to the three attributes. One
of them leads to emancipation and others lead to sin. But it is necessary to
understand first what tapas is before coming to the discussion of how it can
be of three types. Depending upon how the body is used to perform it the
tapas may be classified as corporal, vocal or mental.
Corporal Tapas
The person who does corporal tapas strains his body in various ways to
perform the worship rituals and for serving God.
He uses his feet for pilgrimage, his hands for decorating the temple etc. and
bringing materials for worship and prostrates his whole body before
Shivalinga or an idol of Vishnu and serves learned, humble Brahmins. He is
always ready for providing succour to people in distress or those tired by
travel. He serves his parents and Guru. Fired by Swadharma, he practises
yoga to remove the impurity of ego. He makes obeisance to all creatures
realising that the same Soul exists in all of them. For the same reason he
does not tread on even a blade of grass and does not break anything. He is
in control of his desire for sex.
When the affairs of the body are thus purified, the corporal tapas may be
considered as having reached perfection.
Vocal tapas
The speech of a person who performs vocal tapas is straightforward and
pleases the listener without hurting him. He speaks to one but it is
beneficial to all. His words make one shed bad thoughts and lead to
realisation of the Self.
Actually, he does not waste his time and energy in speaking to others. He
speaks only when somebody asks him something otherwise he keeps himself
busy studying Vedas or in repeating the name of God. Name of Shiva,
Vishnu or some other deity is always on his tongue. This should be
understood as the vocal tapas.
Mental tapas
The mind of a person doing mental tapas is engrossed in the Self. He sees
the Self as light without heat or space without vacuum. He has no doubts of
any kind and having lost its fickleness one may say that his mind does not
exist any more. In this state he becomes detached easily and is free of greed
and fear and endowed with the realisation of the Self. Having attained Self-
realisation, his mind loses its mind-ness. It is free of feelings as well as
tendencies towards sense pleasures. When the mind reaches this state it is
fit to be called mental tapas.
Thus, these are the three kinds of tapas divided according to the aspects of
body, speech and mind. Now, the three types of tapas classified according to
the three attributes will be discussed.
TAPAS ACCORDING TO THREE ATTRIBUTES

Sattvic Tapas
When the above three types of tapas are performed with total faith and
without keeping any desire for the fruits from them, that tapas is called
Sattvic tapas.
Rajas Tapas
When a person intends to reach the pinnacle of greatness, desiring that only
he himself and nobody else gets the praise, respect and honours, that all
important pleasures should be only his, and makes a show of his tapas for
increasing self-importance, that tapas is called Rajas tapas. But the tapas
done for earning fame becomes infructuous and when he sees it is so, he
abandons it halfway. Therefore such tapas does not have stability. Thus,
the Rajas tapas not only is unproductive bit remains incomplete too.
Tamasic Tapas:
With Tamasic type of tapas one gains neither heaven nor fame. Foolish
people perform such tapas by torturing their body. They burn their body by
inciting the five fires within. Some burn myrrh on their head, some pierce
themselves with hooks on their backs, some light fire around them and
cause burns on their body, some perform fast at the same time holding their
breath, some hang themselves upside down in smoke, some people stand
immersed neck-deep in ice-cold river water on rocky floor and some cut off
pieces of flesh from own body. The tapas thus performed by torturing the
body and with the intention of destroying others is called Tamasic tapas.
THREE TYPES OF CHARITY

Charity also gets classified into three types according to the three attributes.
Sattvic charity
Donating respectfully to the needy wealth earned through righteous
behaviour is Sattvic charity. Seed, even when it is of the right quality cannot
sprout without proper soil and water. Similar is the case with charity.
Charity becomes Sattvic when Sattva attribute is coincident with favourable
place, time, a right beneficiary and wealth.
Therefore, one should make efforts to choose a holy place for the act of
charity. Charity done at an auspicious time, such as when a solar or lunar
eclipse occurs, is considered as beneficial. Also, the receiving person
should be worthy of the charity. He should be a learned Brahmin of high
moral character. Thus, choosing the proper place and time, the worthy
person should be donated land etc. with desireless attitude i.e. without
expecting anything in return for it. And there should be no feeling of
differentiation that I am the giver and he is the receiver. The charity that
fulfils all these conditions is the Sattvic charity, faultless, just and the best
among charities.
Rajas charity
The charity made with the intention of future returns from it is of Rajas
type. It is made with the desire of pleasures of the after-world and of so
little an amount that it will not even suffice for a single meal and that too
with a feeling that one has been totally robbed.
Tamasic charity
Tamasic charity is improper charity. Some people go in the evenings or at
night to various public places or to jungles or where foreigners live to give
away wealth generously but it is stolen wealth. That too they give to
jugglers, prostitutes, gamblers or witches having become attracted to them.
They visit dancers, join others in showering on them false praises of their
dancing skills and falling under the spell of their beauty, the fragrance of
flowers and scents used by them, they give away in charity what they have
looted from others. This type of charity is Tamasic charity.
A Tamasic person, when he visits a holy place, does not show proper respect
even to a worthy person. Because of his swollen pride he may feel like
offering him a few coins in charity but that too given without respect,
without offering him a seat or water and sometimes even with insults. The
charity in which only money is utilised is called Tamasic charity.
Adopt only Sattva attribute
In view of the above, in order to achieve Self-realisation, one should shun the
Raja and Tama attributes and adopt only Sattva attribute while doing ones
righteous duties. Though Sattva attribute has the power to bring success,
what really gives liberation is a different thing altogether. With its help alone
can one enter the realm of liberation.
AUM TAT SAT

The ultimate supreme principle that we call by the name Brahman is also
known by the three syllable name AUM TAT SAT. This name is a mantra
created by the Vedas. It is by the power of this mantra that Brahmadeo
could create the universe after he repeatedly recited it. The characteristics
of the mantra are as follows.
Aum is its first syllable, Tat the second and Sat the third. Thus, AUM TAT
SAT is the threefold name of the Brahman. A person becoming one with this
name and adopting Sattvic behaviour gets liberated.
This name should be deployed properly as prescribed in the Shastras while

doing good actions otherwise those actions are wasted. The three syllables
AUM, TAT and SAT should be deployed in the beginning, in the middle and
at the end of a ritual (or an action) respectively as explained below.
Deployment of Aum
Proper use of the syllable Aum by Self-realised persons leads to attainment
of Brahman. Learned people concentrate their minds on the syllable Aum
while performing yajnas and other rituals and utter it in the beginning
pronouncing it clearly. They perform yajnas through the hands of Brahmins
in order to propitiate benevolent deities, offering them a lot of materials
earned in ways prescribed by Dharma. By performing various types of
yajnas they give up undesirable worldly attachments. They give away land
and wealth in charity to holy Brahmins choosing proper time and place.
They drain their body by fasting or by observing penance (tapas). The rituals
like yajna, charity and tapas are known to be binding (non-liberating) but
the same rituals, when performed after pronouncing the syllable Aum in
their beginning, facilitate the attainment of liberation.
Deployment of Tat:
The syllable Tat is used when it is seen that the actions are taking fruits.
The Supreme Brahman, which is the root cause of the universe and
witnesses everything by itself is also known as Tat. Keeping this in mind it
is to be pronounced clearly. The Self-realised persons, by offering the
actions to the Brahman in the form of Tat but disclaiming that they are the
doers, become disentangled from the web of their Karmas.
Deployment of Sat
Now, it may appear that the action which started with Aum and executed by
Tat has reached Brahman, but that is not quite correct because duality still
remains within the doer of the action. To assume that the action has
reached Brahman itself is duality between himself and the Brahman. The
word Sat has been reserved so that this duality goes and Self-realisation is
achieved,. When the action performed by uttering Aum and Tat reaches
Brahman it is an appropriate action and ready for deployment of the syllable
Sat.
This word Sat destroys the untruth and makes the true nature of Brahman
appear clearly. The Sat principle is realised in the form of the Self but this
visible universe, because it is is unreal, is not a part of the Sat principle.
Sat makes a righteous action take the form of the Supreme Brahman and
removes the duality between it and the doer. The action which becomes
apparent due to Aum and Tat, dissolves into the form of Sat i.e. the
Brahman. This should be understood to be the internal deployment of the
word Sat.
The word Sat is useful to Sattvic actions in another way. An action, even
though basically good, may sometimes have some shortcoming e.g. it may
lack some quality that turns it into an evil action. At such a time, Sat with
the help of Aum and Tat elevates its status. With the strength of its Sattvic
attribute it removes its evilness and raises it to the status of a good action.
An action may sometimes take a forbidden path due to some error. If
inadvertently the limits are crossed then the action becomes an evil one.
But if the word Sat is used in preference to the other two (Aum and Tat), it
turns that evil action into a good one. When the word Sat is uttered by
understanding its essence then it will be realised that it is nothing but the
Brahman.
The letters lead a seeker to the Brahman, the creator of the material world.
Aum-tat-sat is the name which indicates the inner aspects of the pure and
attributeless Brahman and it is also supported by it. Its utterance leads to
attainment of the Brahman, therefore it is not just a name but the very
Brahman itself.
Whatever actions one does, be it a yajna, charity or tapas, whether they be
complete or incomplete, if they are given in offering to the Brahman then
they take the form of the Brahman and they can no longer be qualified as
complete or incomplete. If faith in Aum-tat-sat grows then it liberates one
from the birth and death cycles.
But if one leaves this path then even if millions of yajnas are performed with
tenacity, even if the entire earth filled with precious stones is given in
charity and even if tapas is performed by standing on one toe for thousands
of years, all those efforts are a waste. By such actions one does not get
happiness in this world then why expect that one would get it in the next?
Therefore, whatever actions one does without keeping faith in the name of
the Brahman is nothing but a tiresome exercise.
End Chapter 17
--<ooOoo>--
CHAPTER 18
RELEASE THROUGH RENUNCIATION
THIS CHAPTER IS THE PINNACLE

This last chapter is supposed to contain the entire wisdom of the
Dnyaneshwari. Dnyaneshwar Maharaj says, This eighteenth chapter is like
the pinnacle of a temple. Once one sees it from a distance then he knows
that the goal is near and it gives a feeling as if one has actually met the deity
inside. In the same way the eighteenth chapter brings the whole essence of
the Gita in perspective. It reviews the entire Gita from the beginning to the
end.
ARJUNA THINKS RENUNCIATION IS BETTER THAT ACTION

At the end of the seventeenth chapter it was mentioned that actions done
without any faith in Aum-Tat-Sat, the name of the Brahman, are evil and
wrong. On hearing this Arjuna thought that Shri Krishna was faulting
persons who follow the ritualistic path (path of actions) and many doubts of
practical nature arose in his mind. He thought,
An individual being ignorant does not really understand the nature of God.
Then how can we expect him to know anything about Aum-Tat-Sat, i.e.
Brahman?
Besides, as long as Raja and Tama have not gone from within him, his faith
also would remain impure, then how would he have faith in the name of the
Brahman?
Doing actions is very tricky. Many impediments are faced by the time an
action is completed. If actions are completed successfully then the doer
becomes worthy of attaining knowledge otherwise the same actions can
cause his downfall and entangle him in birth and death cycles. When would
then a follower of the path of action get his turn to be liberated?
Therefore it is better not to follow the path of actions and instead adopt the
path of renunciation (sanyas), which has no such shortcomings.
Renunciation and abandonment are not known to be affected by karmas,
and with their help the attachment to the material world can break and Self-
realisation can be attained.
With these doubts in mind, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to explain if there
was any difference between renunciation (Sanyas) and abandonment. This
eighteenth chapter contains the reply given by Shri Krishna
ABANDONMENT AND RENUNCIATION

Though the words Renunciation (Sanyas) and abandonment both outwardly
signify abandonment, there is a basic difference in their meanings. The
difference involves what it is that has to be abandoned.
Abandoning of all (ritualistic) actions is called Sanyas, but
Abandoning only the fruits of actions and not the actions themselves
is called abandonment.
Actions are of two types namely, routine (habitual) and wilful. Routine
actions are done naturally. Wilful actions are done with a desire behind
them and require will.
Renunciation (Sanyas)
Wilful actions e.g. yajnas, rituals with a lot of formality etc. and charitable
works like digging wells, making gardens, establishing new towns, gifting
away lands etc., binds the doer to the fruits of enjoyment from them.
Once a desire-based action is done, whether deliberately or inadvertently,
the fruits thereof remain in waiting to make the doer enjoy or suffer for
them, whether he likes it or not. Therefore a seeker should be careful not to
do such actions even in fun. They should be abandoned like poison. This
abandoning (of desire-based actions) is called Sanyas or renunciation. It
implies a complete destruction of passions in ones mind.
Routine actions
Duties (ritualistic actions like washing mouth, taking bath, eating meals,
daily worship, study, recitation of mantras etc.) that are to be done daily at
appropriate times are the daily routine actions (Nityakarma). This
performance of routine actions is, like the fragrance within sandalwood,
intrinsically virtuous and cannot be avoided.
Incidental actions
Some ritualistic actions are required to be done only on certain occasions
though they are part of the routine duties as per Swadharma. In this class
fall the rituals required to be done at the time of an eclipse (like taking bath,
charity, recitation of mantras etc.) and for welcoming rituals a guest. These
are called incidental (Naimittic) actions because they are to be performed
only when the occasion arises.
Abandonment
Because these routine and incidental actions must be done anyway some
people think there is nothing to be gained by doing them and are useless.
But that is not correct because they remove the blemishes from ones mind,
raise ones worth and lead one to a good state in the after-world. But
however good the fruits of routine and incidental actions may be, one should
abandon them totally. This is called abandonment..
Trick of abandonment
When one adopts renunciation, one need not bother about actions done with
desire (because there are no actions).
Prohibited actions are not done because they are prohibited and the routine
and incidental actions are automatically nullified when their fruits are
abandoned. By this trick, those who abandon the fruits of the routine and
incidental actions and renounce the desire-based actions acquire the
knowledge of the Self, which comes when the account of all the actions
(karmas) is nullified.
But those who do not adopt this trick and try instead to practice
abandonment by guesswork, do not at all achieve it and get into more
complications.
Proper righteous actions should not be abandoned, while improper or
prohibited actions should be abandoned and not coveted. If one misses the
trick of abandonment then that abandonment becomes a burden. But a

truly detached person does not even think about the prohibited actions.
On the other hand, people who are not able to free themselves of the desire
of fruits of their actions charge that all actions are binding. Persons having
desire for fruits and incapable of abandoning them blame the actions
themselves and choose to abandon them. Some others think that only
rituals like yajna etc. purify the mind and should be performed ardently to
purify it quickly. Unfortunately, many people turn to ritualistic actions
because they think actions are arduous. Thus, there are different opinions
about what abandonment is.
Having explained what Sanyas and abandonment are, Shri Krishna goes to
explain the real nature of abandonment and to remove any disparity in
thinking regarding it.
THREE TYPES OF ABANDONMENT

There are three types of abandonment the essence of which has already been
explained. Shri Krishna avers that what he is going to tell is the truth since
He is all-knowing.
In order to make a steady progress towards liberation, one should not
abandon the essential actions like yajna, charity and tapas until one is
certain about attaining Self-realisation. One should actually perform them
with more attention. When actions (rituals) are performed with faith and
according to the prescribed rules, the Raja and Tama attributes are
destroyed completely and the importance of the purity of the Sattva attribute
is brought out. Such actions remove the internal impurities in a person and
liberate a seeker from the binding. Performing more rituals is helpful for
achieving the state of non-action. There is a trick in doing actions by which
the binding actions nullify themselves and lead to liberation. The trick is to
perform the actions (like yajnas etc.) properly but without carrying the ego
about being the doer, giving up the desire for fruits and also giving up I-am-
the-body consciousness. He who does actions adopting this trick encounters
the Self.
Tamasic abandonment
Abandoning all actions, thinking that they bind, is a Tamasic abandonment.
Because of this confusion, the Tamasic person does not understand the trick
explained above. Therefore he abandons the duties themselves that have
come to his lot by his Swadharma.
Rajas abandonment
A Rajas person knows fully what his entitlements and duties are but avoids
them because of lethargy. He does not like to toil and make efforts. Even if
he undertakes an action, he abandons it in the middle as soon as it becomes
laborious. He thinks that it is by great fortune that he has gained the
human body and he does not wish to subject it to the pains of hard work.
Instead, he wants to let it enjoy the luxuries now rather than enjoy them in
the future. Abandoning actions because they are laborious is called Rajas
abandonment. Though this is also an abandonment, it does not give the
fruits of one because he forgoes actions due to of his attachment to the body.
Such abandonment of actions out of ignorance does not lead to liberation
therefore the Rajas abandonment should not at all be considered as an
abandonment.
Sattvic abandonment
A person who practices Sattvic abandonment performs systematically and
with love, whichever prescribed actions that have come to his lot. He does
them without the attitude of being the doer and without the desire of their
fruits, the attitude and desire that make actions binding and come in the
way of liberation. Abandoning them leads to liberation, therefore this
abandonment is known as Sattvic abandonment. Abandoning the fruits of
actions destroy the Raja and Tama attributes, after which the pure Sattvic
attribute causes the light of Self-realisation to shine and removes the illusion
about the reality of the world.
A person of Sattvic attributes has the attitude of a Sthitapradnya (See Ch 2).
He does not harbour thoughts like a particular duty being auspicious or
inauspicious and does carry feelings of happiness or otherwise about it.
The feelings of duality that This is the duty and I am the doer of that
duty, which separate the duty and the doer do not enter his mind and the
abandonment becomes of Sattvic type. Actions then get completely
abandoned with such abandonment. If they are abandoned in any other
manner then they bind you more.
TURNING ACTIONS INTO NON-ACTIONS

Those who are apathetic to their duties once they are born on this earth are
not better than rustic simpletons. It is foolish to try to abandon actions as
long as Self-realisation is not achieved and I-am-the-body feeling persists.
Certain natural actions such as those associated with the body cannot be
abandoned e.g. even if a person is asleep or sits doing nothing, his breathing
action continues automatically. But when the actions are done without the
desire of the fruits thereof and the fruits are offered to God then by His
benevolence one attains Self-realisation and that destroys all actions as well
as the ignorance. Abandoning actions in this manner is the real
abandonment. It turns the actions into non-actions.
Unfavourable, favourable and mixed actions
Rebirth is the consequence of only the fruits of actions. Therefore, there is
no rebirth if the fruits are abandoned after doing the actions. All life,
including deities, humans and immovable life (trees etc.) occurring in this
world are the result of fruits of actions.
The fruits of actions are of three types, namely unfavourable, favourable and
mixed.
The fruits of actions of persons who are full of lust and who
transgress in their behaviour by doing forbidden evil deeds lead to
their being reborn in low forms such as worms, insects, earth, stones
etc. These are called unfavourable fruits of action.
The fruits of actions of persons who respect Swadharma and do
meritorious deeds attain the bodies of deities like Indra etc. These are
known as favourable fruits of actions.
The fruits of actions of a mixed nature, containing good and bad
deeds, lead to being reborn as a human being. These are called mixed
fruits of actions.
Nullifying the fruits of actions

Individuals who get entrapped in the desire of the fruits of actions must
enjoy or suffer them. It may appear that some individuals are fortunate or
blessed to have advanced materially through their actions. But after death
they have to undergo the enjoyment or suffering for those actions.
When a grain from an ear of corn falls on ground it sprouts and gives rise to
another ear of corn. The grain from that ear again falls on ground and again
sprouts to give another ear and this cycle goes on. Similarly, new fruits of
actions are created while undergoing effects of the fruits of earlier actions.
The burden of the fruits increases in the order of the goal and the means
and those who do not give up the desire of the fruits of actions get entangled
in the material world. On the other hand, the effects of the fruits cease in
the case of those who nullify actions even while doing them by giving up the
desire of the fruits thereof.
When Self-realisation is achieved by means of pure moral behaviour and by
Gurus benevolence, the attitude of duality ends. The three types of fruits of
actions that are responsible for the creation of illusion of this universe being
real, vanish. In this state, when the material knowledge vanishes (and the
seeker attains unity with the Brahman), the deeds are not different from the
doer. The fruits and their enjoyer both dissolve. Those who have been
successful in adopting knowledge-based renunciation (sanyas) of actions are
liberated from the troubles of birth and death arising from the fruits of
actions. Therefore in the case of a renunciate (Sanyasi) the talk of actions is
not at all applicable.
[NOTE: In summary, the type of actions decide what the next birth should
be, whether as a god in heaven, or a human being or a creature of lower
species or in plant kingdom, as mentioned earlier. Doing actions but
abandoning the fruits thereof is abandonment, while abandoning of
ritualistic actions is Sanyas. Not all actions can be abandoned in either
case e.g. actions related to the sustenance of the body. Actions done
without the desire for fruits thereof turn actions into non-actions and do not
make them binding to the birth-death cycle. A Sanyasi may perform actions
but those are done without desire and are effectively non-actions. Thus, the
desire behind the actions is what decides whether an action is an action or
non-action].
CAUSES OF ACTIONS
There are five basic causes for actions by an individual as described in
Sankhya philosophy. The five causes together give a shape to the actions.
The very same five causes are also the purpose of the actions.
Soul is not connected to any action by an individual. It neither does actions
nor assist in leading the action to completion. Actually they occur without
his knowledge. Thus the Soul itself is detached and does not constitute a
cause or an incidental motive for any action, whether good or evil.
First cause
Body is the first cause (of actions) and is the base cause. It is called base
cause because the enjoyer along with the (sense) objects to be enjoyed is
based inside it. There is no other place for an individual to experience the
pleasures and sorrows created due to the I-am-thebody ego by using the
ten organs. The question as to which actions are binding or liberating is

resolved here.
[NOTE: Re the last statement: Whether an action is binding or not depends
upon whether it is done with detachment towards the fruits thereof or not.
Detachment is an attitude of mind and mind is part of the body being its
eleventh organ. Hence whether an action is binding or not is decided in the
body].
Second cause
Second cause of actions is the doer. This doer is the projection of the
Consciousness. It resides in the body under the illusion I am the body,
forgetting its own real nature of the Self. Under the influence of this illusion
this consciousness is known as an individual. The individual is pledged to
live with the body in every way and claims that all actions done by the body
are actually done by him. Therefore that individual is called the doer.
Third cause
The power of the intellect to understand is manifested differently through
different sense organs i.e. eyes, ears etc. This is called manifold distinct
functions (Prithagvidha Karan). It is the third cause of actions.
Fourth cause
The vital air (prana) has ceaseless power of action. It manifests itself
differently in different places. When it appears through the tongue, it is
known as speech, when expressed through hands it is called give-and-take
transaction, when manifested through feet it is called walking and when it
goes through urine and faeces it is called cleansing. It is called vital air
(Pranavayu) when it gives rise to the Aum sound while moving from navel to
the heart. The same vital air when it moves around in the upper parts is
called Udana, when it comes out through the lower end it is called Apana
and when it occupies the whole body it is called Vyana. When it supplies
the alimentary juices to all corners of the body and fills in all the joints then
it is called Samana. Actions like yawning, sneezing, burping etc. are the
manifestations of the minor aspects of the vital energy namely Naga, Kurma,
Krikal etc. Thus, the power of action of the vital air, which has different
names according to its behaviour in different places, is the fourth cause of
action.
Fifth cause
The intellect is uniquely the best inner element in an individual. It excels by
support from the organs. The functioning of different organs is supported by
the group of the presiding deities. The presiding deities like Sun etc. give
strength to respective organs like eyes etc. This group of presiding deities is
the fifth cause of actions.
[NOTE: Bhagvadgita (Shloka 14) uses the term Daivam which is interpreted
by Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj as referring to deities presiding and
controlling the various organs. Others e.g. Saint Mukteshwar and Dr S
Radhakrishnan interpret it as (unforeseen) providence. In both
interpretations a supernatural hand is indicated but in the latter case it is
implied that there is always an element of providence and luck in all actions.
Some actions are inspired by the past karmas and by the will of God. This is
in conformity with the principle of desireless actions in which one is entitled
only to do actions but not to its fruits as mentioned in Chap. 2].
Thus, these are the root causes of all actions and lead to countless actions.
There are five purposes (Hetu) due to which this happens as explained
below.
BIRTH OF ACTIONS
Mind generates the intent to act and once that intent is born it finds its
expression through speech. Speech makes the path of action clear and the
doer begins the task of doing the action. These actions of mind, speech and
body become the purpose of mind, speech and body because they (mind,
speech and body) are involved in the actions by them.
Actions are born when body, speech and mind join the five causes (body
etc.).
The action that takes place when the purpose and the cause come
together is a blind action.
The same action when done consciously and according to the
Shastras becomes a just action and also the cause for just behaviour.
But if not done as per the Shastras then it becomes an unjust action
and leads to immorality.
Thus, the actions that take place due to the five causes have also five
purposes and the soul is also involved in them due to its being in contact.
The soul makes the actions discernible without himself becoming an action
and without being the doer. The Soul is only a witness to everything.
But when the intellect of an individual is limited by I-am-the-body illusion
he is in dark about the Self and considers the body itself as the Soul, God
and Brahman. He has never heard that he himself is the Soul and is beyond
actions, being only a witness to them. He has come to the conclusion that
the body is the doer but for him body and soul are not different. Such a
person who ignores Shastras or Guru can only be called a fool. He has
effectively imprisoned himself within the body with the strong walls of
actions and has to account for them for millions of aeons.
NON-ATTACHMENT TO ACTIONS
A person who is not attached to his actions is a liberated person. Not only
that he himself is liberated but even thinking of such a person can liberate
others. Therefore, one should think of saints and sing and hear their praise
in order to achieve Self-realisation. Characteristics that would help
recognise such a person are discussed below.
Sees Brahman in everything
By close association with ones Guru and by his grace a seeker realises I
am that (i.e. the Soul) and attains Self-realisation. The feeling of I and
mine disappears from his mind. Whatever visible object he sees merges
together with himself into the Self. The knower and the knowable are now
united within him and having lost the I-am-the-body feeling he lives only in
the state of the Self.
Does actions but is not the doer
He continues doing actions as long as he has his body but without the ego of
being the doer because nature, having created the body, gets the actions
performed by that body. The five causes (body etc.) make him do the actions
naturally without any involvement of the Soul. The karmas of the earlier
births induce him to do these actions. Though the rest of the world
considers him as the doer, he himself is not aware of it.
He himself is action, doer and cause
His intellect is not affected by the thoughts of sin and merit. He himself has
become the triad namely, action, doer and the cause and therefore he does
not get bound by the actions done by the triad. But in persons with the I-
am-the-body ignorance the same triad is responsible for improper type of
knowledge and hence binding to the birth-death cycle.
IMPROPER TYPE OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge, knower and the knowable
There is another triad namely, knowledge, knower and the knowable that is
the root of the universe. The inclination to act comes from it. These three
are explained in the following.
Knowledge
Knowledge is what an individual gets by experiencing pleasure and pain.
This knowledge vanishes while in deep sleep. (This knowledge is material
knowledge and not the Knowledge of the Self. See below).
Knower
The individual is the knower who experiences the knowledge. This
knowledge, gained by the individual through sense organs, is born of
ignorance of the Self. It distributes itself in three parts as soon as it is
created. It keeps the knowable in its front and knower at its back and
connecting them creates interaction between the two. This knowledge, the
reach of which is limited only up to the boundary of the knowable and which
gives different names to different things is only ordinary knowledge.
Knowable
Sound, touch, form, smell and taste are the five ways through which
knowable becomes known. Just as the same mango is known by taste,
colour, smell and touch, similarly even though the knowable is one it is
known through five organs. Therefore knowledge is of five types. The place
where knowledge obtained through organs ends is the knowable or the sense
object. This knowable becomes the cause of three types of actions
(unfavourable, favourable and mixed).
The knowable, classified as of five types depending on the five senses viz.
sound, touch, form, smell and taste, may be either liked or disliked by the
knower. When the knower knows even a little about a knowable object he
tends to either accept it or reject it and act accordingly. Therefore, all
actions originate from knowledge, knowable and knower.
The doer
The knower, by using his organs for doing actions, develops the ego of being
the doer.
The doer uses the four internal organs viz. intellect, mind, awareness
(Chitta) and ego and the five external sense organs skin, ears, eyes, tongue
and nose to decide on the actions as follows.
He uses his inner organs to decide whether a particular action would give
pleasure or pain. (Thus he becomes the knower). If he thinks that the
action is going to give him pleasure then he makes the five sense organs
(eyes, ears, skin etc) and five organs of action (hands, feet etc.) work until he
gets the outcome. On the other hand if he thinks that the action would
result in pain or unhappiness then he inspires the ten organs to abandon it.
When the knower thus engages the organs to accept or abandon the action
he is called the doer and becomes responsible for the actins.
The organs are the means of action because the doer engages them to do
actions. That which encompasses the acts done using these means is what
is meant by action. Such are the characteristics of action, doer and the
means of action. Here, the knower, knowledge and knowable are the
provokers of actions while the doer, the means and the deed are the
aggregation of actions. The triad of the doer, means and the act of doing are
the lifeline of action. Therefore, wherever there is an ego of I am the doer of
this deed" the Soul keeps away from such actions, which makes the Soul
different from actions.
KNOWLEDGE, ACTION AND THE DOER

The three attributes (Sattva, Raja and Tama) cause each of the entities:
knowledge, action and the doer to become of three kinds. Of these, the
Sattva attribute alone is capable of leading to liberation. The other two
attributes, namely Raja and Tama, lead to binding to the birth and death
cycles.
The features of Sattva attribute are clearly explained in the Sankhya
doctrine. This doctrine is an ocean of thoughts, leads to Self-realisation and
is the best among the knowledge-giving doctrines. By its light one can
distinguish between Prakriti and Purusha (Nature and the Supreme Self) who
are enmeshed together like the day and the night. This doctrine gauges the
immeasurable ignorance by means of twenty-four principles (cf. Ch 13) and
leads one to the experience of the bliss of the Supreme Principle. The
features of the three attributes described by the Sankhya doctrine are as
follows.
These three attributes have turned all things in the world into three types by
their power and consequently everything from Brahmadeo to a tiny insect
has been transformed to the three types of attributes. Shri Krishna now
goes to tell about the principle by which this entire universe has come into
the clutches of these three attributes. But just as eyesight has to be clear
first to see anything clearly, the knowledge has to be pure in order to
understand the real nature of things. Shri Krishna tells about Sattvic
knowledge first because the pure Knowledge is connected to the Sattva
attribute.
Three Types Of Knowledge
Sattvic knowledge
Sattvic knowledge is that into which, once obtained, the knowable merges
together with the knower and no difference is perceptible any more between
the three viz. the knower, the knowledge and the knowable.
One sees no difference between different entities, not even between Lord
Shiva and a blade of grass and tends to ignore worldly matters. The knower
sees knowable as knowledge (which is also himself). This Sattvic knowledge

is the temple of liberation.
Rajas knowledge
The knowledge that considers things as different from each other and
distinguishes them as big and small is the Rajas knowledge. Rajas
knowledge fosters duality due to which one sees diversity and differences
among creatures. Thus, it distances an individual from the non-duality.
The knower is tricked into supposing that this world is real and he is
different from the soul. Thus, it screens him from Self-realisation and
individual sees the play of the three states of wakefulness, dream and sleep.
Tamas knowledge
Tamas knowledge does not fit in the framework of the Shastras (scriptural
rules). Shastras consider this knowledge as despicable and not belonging to
Vedic culture. Such knowledge does not follow any rules in corporal
relations, nor does it find any object objectionable.
A person with this type of knowledge rushes to enjoy whatever sense
pleasures he comes across. Without bothering about what should be eaten
or avoided, what is proper or improper, he thinks that only what he likes is
sacred. He thinks that women are for sexual enjoyment only and is eager to
keep relation with them. He keeps friendship only with those whose contact
is profitable to his selfish motives and not with his kin.
A person with Tamas knowledge thinks that the whole world is meant for his
benefit, something that should be enjoyed; and that all actions are for filling
the belly. He is ignorant about what actions are proper and what should be
avoided. His intellect does not go beyond the thinking that body is the soul
and God is nothing better than a stone idol. He thinks that after death the
soul is destroyed along with actions and no one is left to experience the
fruits of action. He says, If God watches a persons actions and makes him
experience the fruits thereof then why not sell away the idol of God and
spend the money. If the village (local) deities control people in the village
then why do the hills from where stones were used to make the idols keep
quiet about it? He thinks that the concept of sin and merit is false and one
should enjoy the sense pleasures avidly. He is certain that what is visible
and what pleases the sense organs is the only reality.
The Tamas knowledge is meaningless and useless. It is called knowledge in
the same way as an undrinkable liquid is called a drink. Actually, instead of
knowledge it should be considered as Tama attribute itself.
Three Types Of Actions
The doer does actions based knowledge, which is of three kinds, and
accordingly the same action becomes of three kinds.
Sattvic actions
The action that comes to ones lot according to his entitlement is the proper
routine action. When regularly performed it gives decorum to the
entitlement itself. When perchance, incidental action also is done with the
routine action, the two together make a benign combination. But whatever
actions one does, they should be performed with complete dedication of
ones mind and heart, making an offering of it to God without desire for
fruits thereof and with the attitude of equability towards success or failure of
the action. Actions done in this skilful way may be called Sattvic actions.
Rajas actions
A Rajas doer prefers actions of pleasure and lust for which he goes to any
extent. But when it comes to the essential routine and incidental actions he
is not prepared even to get up from his seat to do them. He is disrespectful
to his parents but like a fool shows respect to everybody else.
Such a Rajas doer does not spare any amount of labour in order to gain the
fruits of his efforts. Towards this end he does many actions systematically
as prescribed but because of his ego he publicises his actions to the world
distributing gifts to establish that he is religious. A Rajas doer likes to
labour but with the attraction of the pleasures in heaven. The action, which
is thus laborious and done with desire of fruits, is Rajas action.
Tamas action
Tamas actions are prohibited actions worth only of slander. Such actions
done by toiling the valuable body and spending wealth are a waste because
they do not yield any good fruits but only destroy the happiness of the world.
A Tamas action not only destroys everything belonging to the doer and
injures him as well as others.
While doing an action, a Tamas doer, due to indiscretion and ego, sets upon
the work without bothering about his own capability, propriety of the
occasion, whether he will gain anything by it, or the propriety of the means
and the action itself.
This is how action has become of three types due to the differences in the
three attributes.
Three Types Of Doers
The doer also becomes of three types due to the three types of actions.
Sattvic doer
A Sattvic doer performs his routine and incidental acts willingly. His actions
are themselves fruits hence they never go waste. He does his actions with
sincerity but never keeps ego of being the doer. His acts are worthy of
offering to God and for this he selects proper time and place and chooses his
acts as per the Shastras. Throughout his life he takes care to develop
excellent courage in order to be able to control his organs. He follows proper
rules and uses his organs for the actions without bothering about the fruits
thereof. He does not feel sorry if his actions remain incomplete nor feel
victorious if he has finished his duty successfully. He performs his duties
only for his love for Self-realisation without bothering about physical
happiness. He does them with single mindedness without bothering about
sleep, hunger or any bodily pleasures or even his life. He in whom such
qualities are found should really be called a Sattvic doer.
Rajas doer
A Rajas doer is full of worldly desires and failings. He goes for acts that can
be done easily and he will try to get maximum benefits from them even at
the cost of his life. He is after amassing wealth and is ready to swallow other
peoples property while guarding his own. He works for his own gains
without bothering about the welfare of others and uses all his faculties to
give trouble to them He does not mind doing any kind of work even if he is
incompetent to do it. He has no sense of sanctity about anything in this
world. If he is successful then he mocks at the world in the surge of
happiness and if he is unsuccessful then he denounces it, stricken with

grief. Such a person is a Rajas doer.
Tamas doer
A Tamas doer is like a repository of evil deeds. He is inclined to do evil deeds
that can destroy others and while doing them he is not aware of what he is
doing. This Tamas doer surpasses a madman; there is no relation between
his acts and his intentions. His behaviour is unrestrained and being
controlled by nature he does not know what is proper or improper. He
swells by the satisfaction of his own evil acts and under the influence of
pride he does not bow even before God.
He lives by enjoying the pleasures of the organs. He is always deceitful
about enjoying the sense pleasures. His behaviour is stealthy and his looks
shifty. In other words, his whole body is made up of falsehoods and his life
is like a gamblers den and should be considered as the home of a selfish
robber. Nobody should get involved with him because by his involvement
the good deeds of others turn into bad deeds. He gets enraged when he sees
good deeds of others. He considers good qualities of others as bad qualities
and he turns nectar into poison. When it is time to do beneficial deeds he
feels lethargic and contrarily when evil deeds are to be done he controls his
lethargy. He burns with jealousy when he sees the advancement of others
and remains jealous throughout his life. Such a person, who is definitely a
pile of sin, may be considered as a Tamas doer.
THREE TYPES OF INTELLECT

The intellect, which is the mirror through which an individual sees himself,
also becomes of three types (due to the three attributes) when shadowed by
delusion and doubt. Fortitude is also similarly divided. Shri Krishna now
goes to explain about the three divisions of intellect first.
He begins by first explaining about the three types of behaviours namely,
superior, medium and inferior that lead a creature to be reborn in this
world. These three types of behaviour are respectively,
(i) Doing prescribed acts - superior,
(ii) Doing fruit motivated acts - medium, and
(iii) Doing forbidden acts - inferior.
These three ways lead a creature into this fearsome world. Superior way is
doing the prescribed routine acts according to ones entitlement. It should
be practised with the aim of attaining Self-realisation. This practice frees
one from the fear of this world and facilitates liberation. It should be the
basis of renunciation of the routine actions.
Sattvic intellect
Sattvic intellect is that which has the inclination towards doing the
prescribed routine deeds. It knows which deeds are proper and which are
not proper. It does not turn towards fruit-motivated deeds that cause fear of
the world. It is also afraid of forbidden deeds because they entangle one in
the birth-death cycles and keeps away from it.
Rajas intellect
Rajas intellect does not understand which a good deed conforming to the
code of Dharma is and which is not, missing the latter only by good luck. It
considers both good and evil kind of deeds as alike.
Tamas intellect
Tamas intellect considers all religious deeds as sinful, good qualities as bad,
real things as false and interprets the meaning of the Shastras and Vedas in
a perverse manner. It is improper in the context of any religious deeds.
THREE TYPES OF FORTITUDE

Now, when the intellect decides to perform a deed, fortitude supports it.
Fortitude is also of three types.
Sattvic fortitude
When the Sattvic fortitude is created, the activities of the mind, the life-force
and the organs come to a stop, the association of the ten organs with the
sense-objects breaks. They turn inwards towards the mind instead of
towards sense objects. The life force, the upper and the lower pathways of
which are now blocked, brings together its nine aspects and goes to the
Sushumna Nadi. Mind is freed of will and doubt and the intellect rests
quietly in its rear. Thus, when one meditates, the fortitude that has stopped
the activities of mind, life-force and the organs keeps them so during
meditation. And when the Supreme Soul is realised, they no longer disturb
the seeker.
Rajas fortitude
An individual who gets engrossed in gaining happiness on this earth and in
heaven by means of righteous ways of living, earning and family life, attains
his ambitions on the strength of the Rajas fortitude. Rajas fortitude is the
fortitude with which he puts in efforts making certain that they would give
four times as many gains.
Tamas fortitude
This fortitude is made up of all mean qualities. It shelters lethargy and
sleep. A person with Tamas fortitude loves his body and wealth therefore he
always has fear in his mind. He befriends everything and everybody and
hence he always has grief in his heart for one reason or other. Perpetual
dissatisfaction put him constantly in the grips of sorrow. And he always
harbours arrogance because attraction for youth, wealth and lust grow
within him. The fortitude that has clutched these five failings of lethargy,
sleep, fear, grief and arrogance should be considered as Tamas fortitude.
Fortitude necessary for completion of tasks
Intellect decides about the three kinds of actions. Fortitude takes the actions
to completion. For example, after sunrise one may see the path clearly but
an individual has to walk on the path with his own feet and for that walking
also fortitude, i.e. the determination of mind is necessary. The fruit of this
action is called happiness. Because actions are of three types, happiness -
their fruit, is also of three types. Shri Krishna now explains how this
happiness in the form of fruit becomes of three types due to the three
attributes.
THREE TYPES OF HAPPINESS

An individual feels a little happiness when he starts experiencing the self.
This happiness grows by proper practice until he realises the self and he no
longer feels sorrow for being in a body. That happiness is the bliss of the
Self. That bliss of the Self also has become of three types because of the
three attributes.
Sattvic bliss
In order to achieve the bliss of the Self one has to first suffer the pains of
observing self-restraints, rules etc. in the beginning itself (Yama-Niyama
see Notes in Ch 13 under the Paragraph :Ignorance about the Field). The
strong detachment that then develops, removes all the likes and dislikes and
subsequently also removes any liking for worldly affairs and for acts which
can merely lead to heaven. Practice of strict discretion and observing of
strict austerities strengthens the intellect. Through the practice of Yoga the
vital airs Prana and Apana are routed through the Sushumna Nadi. In this
process the organs suffer and it is very difficult to ignore the sense objects
but these pains are to be faced with courage and detachment. By suffering
the pains in the beginning itself one achieves the highest kind of bliss. After
the detachment gets matured by the knowledge of the Self, all sorrows
originating in ignorance, including the detachment vanish. Intellect
becomes one with the Soul and non-duality is automatically experienced.
This is the Sattvic bliss, which is rooted in detachment and ends in the
peace of the Self-realisation.
[NOTE: This implies that Yoga path is necessary for experiencing the Sattvic
bliss. But elsewhere it has also been said that the path of devotion also leads
to Sattvic bliss].
Rajas happiness
Rajas happiness comes through sense-pleasures. Such happiness does not
last, it destroys life and does not add to merit. Towards the end, all sense
pleasures enjoyed earlier look like a dream and what remains is only sorrow.
Thus, Rajas happiness is calamitous in this life and detrimental for the
after-life. Thus Rajas happiness is worldly happiness that is sweet in the
beginning but is ultimately harmful leading to a bitter end and should
therefore be avoided.
Tamas happiness
The pleasure obtained from drinking the undrinkable, eating the uneatable,
or in the company of a woman of loose morals or by ruining others,
snatching other peoples wealth or by listening to ones praise by others or
the pleasure that proliferates by lethargy and sleep may be considered as
Tamas happiness. Persons engaged in Tamas happiness cannot progress
because of the delusion that these are the only right kind of pleasures.
Thus, Shri Krishna clarified about how the three attributes divide the
actions and the resulting happiness into three types.
No escape from attributes
The three attributes are woven in the triad of the doer, the deed and the fruit
thereof. This is the triad that makes this world, therefore there is no living
or nonliving object on this earth or in heaven that is not affected by these
attributes. Even the unique God has been turned into three (Brahma,
Vishnu and Mahesh) by these three attributes. It is because of them that
the three worlds (heaven, earth and nether) were created and the four castes
and their duties have been constituted differently.
DUTIES OF THE FOUR CASTES

The four castes
The caste system divides people into four types viz. Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
Vaishyas and Shudras. Of these the Brahmins are the most superior. The
next two, the Kshatriyas and the Vaishyas are of the same level as the
Brahmins because they are entitled to perform Vedic rites. The Shudras do
not have the right to the Vedas, hence they depend on the first three castes
for sustenance and come in contact with them. Because of this contact with
the twice-born (i.e. the first three castes), Shrutis have included Shudras also
in the caste system.
[NOTE: Members of the upper three castes have to undergo mounjibandhan
or thread ceremony in their boyhood before the age of seven, after which
they are formally entitled to study Vedas and perform Vedic rites. This is
considered as being reborn as a person of that caste. Thus he is once born
(without caste) as a person in the world and second time he is born in the
caste. Note that whatever system of caste-based duties might have been
prevalent in the recent and remote past, it is no longer quite valid in todays
world. Today, Vedas are available to anyone who can buy them from a
bookstore an in various languages. They are available freely even on the
Internet].
Shri Krishna now tells about the duties of the four castes. These duties
have attributes and are therefore also of three types. By virtue of the duties
performed as per the entitlement for ones caste, a person can escape from
the clutches of the birth and death cycle and attain God. These duties are
assigned to the four castes according to the three attributes of nature.
Attributes and castes
The mankind, which is basically one, has been divided into four types by the
three attributes. In this framework,
Sattva attribute has entered equally in Brahmins and Kshatriyas.
Raja attribute mixed with the Sattva attribute has entered the
Vaishyas and
Tama attribute mixed with the Raja attribute has entered the
Shudras.
The duties for each caste are therefore separate according to this
qualification by the attributes. These have been explained in the Shastras.
The nine qualities of a Brahmin
Nine qualities qualify a Brahmin and his actions Viz. Shama, Tapas,
Shouchya, Kshamaa, Aarjava, Jnana, Vijnan (Wisdom) and Astikya. These
are explained below.
Shama
Intellect becomes serene and stable when it controls the mind in order to
restrain the bodily tendencies and desires. It then meets the Self. This
serene, stable state of the intellect is called Shama which is the first quality.
(By association, Shama is also used to mean control of the mind). Actions fit
for a Brahmin are rooted in such serene intellect.
Dama
The second quality Dama is the restraining of the external organs from
unrighteousness. It helps Shama the first quality.
Tapas
Ever thinking about God is called Tapas or austerity and is the third quality
of the action of a Brahmin.
Shouchya
Tapas requires both the internal purity of the mind with pure feelings and
the external purity of the body with good deeds. This purity, called
Shouchya, is the fourth quality of this type of action.
Kshamaa
Kshamaa or forbearance is the fifth quality. It enables one, as the earth
does, to tolerate all pains.
Aarjava
To behave in a straightforward manner, even with an individual who is
against you, is the sixth quality called Aarjava or uprightness.
Jnana
Understanding that behaving as prescribed in the scriptures leads to God-
realisation is jnana or Knowledge and is the seventh quality of action.
Vijnan
Steadfast unification of the intellect with the Supreme person by means of
the power of knowledge of the Shastras or by meditation after the mind is
purified, is called Vidnyan or Wisdom and is the eighth quality.
Astikya
Astikya means accepting that what is prescribed by the Shastras is the same
as belief in God. It is the ninth quality of action. Action, which has this
quality, is the true action.
Action in which these nine qualities i.e. serenity etc., are present is the
natural duty of a Brahmin. This string of nine jewels of the nine qualities is
an ornament of a Brahmin who is never without it.
Seven qualities of a Kshatriya
Actions of a Kshatriya are guided by seven qualities viz. Bravery (Shourya),
Martial lustre (Teja), Courage (Dhriti), Alertness (Dakshatva), Extreme
fighting spirit (Apalayana), Generosity (Datritva) and Awareness of being a
Divine element (Ishwarbhava).
Bravery
The inborn bravery displayed by a Kshatriya without external support is his
first and best of the qualities.
Martial lustre
Martial lustre is the second notable quality exhibited by a Kshatriya. By this
quality he astonishes the world by his strength and does not get disturbed
under any circumstances.
Courage
Courage or fortitude is his third quality by means of which his mind and
intellect do not experience fear even under worst circumstances
Alertness
By this quality a Kshatriya overcomes the emotional effects (joy, sorrow, fear
etc.) resulting from many calamities and with alert intellect survives them
and finally wins. This is the fourth quality of a Kshatriya.
Extreme fighting spirit
Extreme fighting spirit is his fifth quality. He faces the enemy and avoids
retreat from him. This fifth quality is superior among all the qualities.
Generosity
Generosity is the sixth quality of a Kshatriya by which he gives limitlessly in
charity to fulfil peoples wishes and needs.
Awareness of being Divine element
A king must be a Kshatriya if he has to rule and protect his subjects. He
must carry the awareness that he harbours a Divine element (Ishwarbhava)
in him and with this awareness he must do his Godly duty of protecting and
fostering his subjects with love and to receive their services in return. His
power lies in this sense of being Gods representative, which should be
reflected in the behaviour of a Kshatriya. This is the seventh quality that is
the best among the qualities.
A Kshatriya is adorned by these seven qualities. The action that becomes
sacrosanct by these seven qualities is the natural action of a Kshatriya.
Duties of a Vaishya
Actions natural and proper for a Vaishya are to make a lot of profit from
farm, seeds and ploughs, in short, to live by farming, maintaining cattle or
buying goods cheaply and selling them at profit.
Duty of a Shudra
The three castes Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaishya are termed as dwija or
twice born. To serve them is the only true prescribed duty of a Shudra.
There is no other duty for shudras than serving the twice born.
Fostering detachment
It is proper for a person to do whatever actions fall to his lot as per the rules
of the four-caste system. One should understand from the Shastras his
duties and entitlement as per his caste and resolve firmly to do them
naturally.
A person who does actions in this manner, but laying stress on doing them
gladly with dedication of body and mind, without lethargy and without desire
for fruits of the actions, does them exactly as prescribed by the Shastras and
becomes detached. This detachment brings him to the border of liberation,
because he does not allow himself to be tainted by avoiding the prescribed
deeds or by doing the prohibited ones. He is therefore not affected by the ills
of the worldly affairs. He considers actions with desire to be like shackles
and does not bother about them.
And because he gives up the fruits of the other actions (i.e. the routine
actions) and thus nullifies them, he reaches the boundary of liberation. In
this way he avoids the traps of sin and merit and stands at the gates of
liberation in the form of detachment.
IMPORTANCE OF DETACHMENT
The most fortunate of the seekers obtain the Divine grace (prasad) of
detachment, which is the endpoint of the labours of the path of action.
Attainment of detachment means that Self-realisation is not very far. In that
state of detachment the attention is concentrated on God and there is a
complete aversion to the worldly pleasures. By this total attention to Him
the seeker achieves oneness with Him and becomes worthy of Self-
realisation.
Highest service to God is performing prescribed actions
Shri Krishna (as Bhagwan) avers that performing prescribed actions is the
highest kind of service to Him who is the Supreme Soul. When the
prescribed duties are performed it puts an obligation on God. Therefore by
doing them one doubtlessly attains God. Doing anything other than this is
merely dancing to the tune of the three attributes due to ego and ignorance.
Performance of a prescribed duty does not amount to action. It amounts to
obeying the commands of God from whom the five principles came into
existence.
IMPORTANCE OF SWADHARMA
(NOTE: In present day conditions Swadharma should be interpreted as the
rules of righteous conduct in ones own social set-up. These rules change
with time due to several factors e.g. need to co-exist with other societies,
changes in the social set-up due to interaction with other societies, changes
in the means and mode of living with technological progress, environmental
changes etc.).
Swadharma may be difficult to observe but that is what everyone should
observe by doing only what is prescribed for him, keeping in mind the fruits
one would gain from it. It will liberate him from the worldly troubles. To
adopt other peoples behaviour because it appears good is perverted
thinking. (To give a simile, fish cannot live in ghee even though it has better
qualities than water,. What is poison to others is like nectar to the
organisms living in it).
As discussed earlier, actions cannot be avoided as long as Self-realisation is
not attained. Actions always appear to be difficult in the beginning therefore
it is not correct to blame Swadharma for it. One should remember that even
actions that we like involve labours. Not doing actions as prescribed by
Swadharma only leads to accumulation of sins. It is not only a waste of
labour but waste of the time of ones life as well. On the other hand,
practice of ones own natural Dharma is not different from worshipping God.
It destroys the Tama and Raja attributes from the mind and fills it with
Sattva attribute. Worldly matters no longer carry any interest due to
detachment and ultimately it leads to liberation, the highest among the four
obligations of man (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha).
Shri Krishna now tells about how the doer becomes a seeker once this state
of detachment is mastered and what he gains by it.
BECOMING A SEEKER
A person who has developed such detachment is not interested in worldly
matters. He does not consider his sons, family and wealth as his even if
they behave as per his wishes. His intellect, which was so far influenced by
sense pleasures, becomes introspective. The seekers mind goes towards
oneness with God and turns its interest towards the Soul. Now, because the
mind is controlled, his desire for the worldly and after-world subjects
vanishes. He realises that the world is an illusion and he attains true
Knowledge (of the Self). His past karmas get nullified by going through the
process of enjoying or suffering for them and no new karma is created
because the ego of being the doer of the actions has already vanished. This
state is called Karma-samya-dasha or the state of null karmas. When this
state of null karmas is attained he automatically meets his Guru and then
his actions and his responsibility as doer stops. The ignorance of the seeker
then is destroyed by the blessings of the true Guru.
[NOTE: This procedure applies only to followers of the path of action and
not to other paths. Jnana and yoga paths need a Guru pretty well in the
beginning. Bhakti path does not necessarily need a Guru because Bhakti or
devotion is an internal state of mind. But at some stage, as history shows, a
devotee surrenders to another more spiritually advanced saint].
State of actionlessness
Once ignorance is destroyed then there are no more actions nor the doer nor
the act of doing and therefore no karma also. It is the ignorance that is the
root cause of all actions and when that vanishes the seeker realises that the
knowable that he was endeavouring to know until then is he himself. When
ignorance goes, it also takes with it the worldly knowledge and what remains
is the actionless consciousness. Therefore that state of pure knowledge is
called non-doing (or actionlessness). The state of complete actionlessness is
a Siddhi that is the most superior among the Siddhis. There is nothing more
to be gained beyond the state of actionlessness attained by the blessings of a
true Guru.
But not everybody can reach that state. What a person, who has not yet
been able to reach the state of Self-realisation should do is the following.
He should first prepare himself, (by attaining detachment through the
practice of swadharma and offering the fruits of the actions to God, thus
nullifying the past and present karmas) to become worthy of meeting his
Guru. When one achieves detachment and also meets the True Guru
(sadguru), discrimination takes root in the mind. Using that discrimination,
the mind decides that Brahman alone is real and all the other worldly things
are an illusion. But the state of oneness with the all-pervading and the
supreme Brahman where the path to liberation ends, is achieved only
step by step in due time. The essential steps a seeker takes are described
below.
Purification and control of mind and body
The seeker develops discrimination by the path shown by the Guru. This
purifies his intellect. He becomes equable towards happiness and sorrow
and gets engrossed in contemplation of the Self. He does not long any more
to enjoy or suffer the fruits of the karmas of past lives. He does not get
entangled any more with the five pleasure subjects. This purifies his organs
and gives him courage to adopt the path of yoga.
Control of mind and body

Completely indifferent to personal likes and dislikes he lives alone in a cave
or forested hills where there is no disturbance from people; the only
company he has there being his own organs. In silence, he makes all efforts
to control the mind and the organs. He is oblivious to the passage of time as
he contemplates the mantra given by his Guru. He eats just enough to
sustain life, not caring for taste and in quantities that will not make him
sleepy or lethargic. He does not lie on ground except when he prostrates
before the deity for worship. He moves his limbs only for getting food for the
survival of the body. In this way he keeps his mind and organs under
control by not permitting his tendencies to reach even the threshold of
mind.
Meditation
Now that the body, speech, mind and external organs are conquered he
masters meditation. With the power of the mantra given by his true Guru he
maintains a steady interest in Self-realisation. He meditates in such a way
that the meditation and the subject on which he meditates become one with
the meditator i.e. himself. To achieve this the seeker resorts to the practice
of yoga.
Practice of yoga
He first selects a proper location and a seat and by adopting prescribed
postures (as described in Ch 6) and breath control, he practices yoga to
awaken his Kundalini. With continued practice the Kundalini power breaks
through, travels through the Sushumna nadi along the centre of the spine
through all chakras viz. Muladhar, Swadhishtan, Manipur, Anahat,
Vishuddha and Adnya, purifying and rejuvenating the body as it travels, and
finally reaches the Brahmarandhra or Sahasrar (the thousand petal lotus at
the crown of the head). This is when he becomes one with the Brahman.
The nectar (amrit) from Sahasrar now flows down up to the Muladhar
Chakra.
Then he makes an offering of his mind and the pranas to the consciousness
active in the Adnya chakra (in between the eyebrows). While this power of
Kundalini is being maintained active he continues his practice of meditation
in the background.
The detachment he has attained assists him to continue the practice of yoga
(Rajayoga) uninterrupted without impediments. He continues meditation
practice until he attains the final unification with the Self and wins the
liberation. These continued efforts are like a battle against certain enemies
that try to impede his progress. The enemies he has to conquer are as
follows:
First enemy- Body ego
This is the ego of I-am-the-body feeling, which does not leave a person from
birth to death, and even after death. This ego binds the individual to the
body. A seeker has to conquer this enemy for progress.
Second enemy- Strength
Strength is the second enemy. Lure of sense-pleasures makes a person
acquire more strength. Strength is what puts the whole world in the throes
of death. However, the seeker can conquer this enemy by meditation.
Third enemy- arrogant pride

The third enemy is the arrogant pride. This arrogant pride makes a person
rejoice when he gets the things he likes but it also makes the seeker go
astray from the good ways and take to non-righteous ways. Anger, the
biggest of the failings that even the greatest of the tapaswis (observers of
tapas) dread, arises from it.
Fourth enemy-lust
And the next failing is lust which grows more demanding the more one
satisfies it. If lust is destroyed then anger also gets destroyed with it.
Fifth enemy- Parigraha
Parigraha or tendency to possess is the enemy that grows with possessions.
It introduces bad qualities in the seeker and makes him dependent on family
attachment. By means of activities like acquiring disciples, collecting books,
building religious centres, exhibiting yogic prowess like Khechari Mudra etc,
it has enticed even hermits into company of people. Even if he leaves home
and goes to the forest, Parigraha manifests itself in the form of creatures and
articles from the forest and pursues him even if he moves around naked. By
destroying Parigraha the seeker enjoys the pleasure of having conquered the
world.
Once these enemies are conquered, he gains the qualities like humility etc.
(mentioned in Ch 13). He continues to follow the path of actions in the three
states of wakefulness, dream and sleep. The discrimination drives away the
visible world and the state of union with Brahman welcomes him. He gains
Riddhi and Siddhi, the occult powers. And as unity with Brahman
approaches near he becomes full of bliss. No duality that might have made
him say that this is my friend and that is my enemy is left in him. In fact,
there is nothing left in the world which he can say belongs to him because
he has become one with the Brahman. Since he has embraced the entire
universe there are no more narrow feelings like attachments. He has
reached now the stage of a Siddha.
His Rajayoga practice becomes automatically steady and he can now loosen
the strong detachment for some time. There is nothing left to be destroyed
by meditation therefore he relaxes his strict controls that helped it. As soon
as it is apparent that Self-realisation would soon be experienced he does
away with the means of spiritual practice. When the detachment has
reached perfection, Knowledge matured and the fruits of yoga practice seen
in the form of peace pervading throughout his person, the seeker is then
worthy of becoming the Brahman himself.
Worthiness for attaining Brahman
A river appears to be unsteady only where it enters the sea but the water
that has become part of the sea remains calm. The relation is similar
between the Siddha who becomes Brahman and the Brahman itself. By
virtue of the pervading peace he soon becomes Brahman itself. But if,
instead of becoming Brahman the seeker experiences It then it is called
worthiness to become Brahman. That person who has reached the state of
worthiness of becoming Brahman gains cheerfulness of mind. The labours
made for attaining Self-realisation are thus mitigated. This is the state,
which is gained by Self-realisation, which is well known by the term Atma-
bodha-prashasti or serene cheerfulness.
Having developed equanimity, he does not grieve any loss nor does he desire
anything in particular. After he experiences Self-realisation he cannot see
duality in anything wherever he may cast his glance. Because of this,
whatever improper knowledge is gained during the states of wakefulness
and dream dissolves in the basic ignorance of Maya. When Self-realisation
advances that ignorance progressively decreases and dissolves into
Knowledge.
Now in the light of the merger of the seeker (knower) with Brahman, Shri
Krishna elaborates on the topic of devotion to Him as the Brahman. He
says,
MORE ON DEVOTION
As the knowable becomes less and less and the knower merges with Me
along with Knowledge, then all ignorance vanishes. He gains the fourth kind
of devotion to Me (i.e. that of a jnani) wherein he cannot see anything other
than Me. This devotion is called of the fourth type of devotion because as
explained in Ch 7 there are three other categories of devotion (Ch. 7) like
Arta (distressed), Jijnasu (curious), Artharthi (desirous of wealth) of lesser
quality.
Actually, there is really nothing like devotion of the first type or of the fourth.
Devotion is the name given to My natural state, though ignorant people are
misled into worshipping some other form, calling that worship as devotion.
But a devotee sees Me in the form he worships Me. It is the same devotion,
which manifests itself as deep desire in an Arta (distressed) devotee where
the subject of the desire also is Me. In Jijnasu (curious) devotee the same
devotion becomes the desire for knowledge. The same devotion becomes the
desire for wealth that also becomes Me. Thus in this devotion to Me,
because of ignorance, the devotee considers Me, who is the seer, as an object
to be seen. Out of ignorance, he imagined a visible form for Me. After the
ignorance is removed I am again understood as the seer.
But it is different when I am seen through the path of Knowledge. When I
am thus seen, it is only I who gains Me and the seer also vanishes as a seer.
This fourth type of devotion to Me is beyond the commonly practiced paths.
You have already heard that the devotee who becomes one with Me with this
knowledge based devotion, becomes nothing other than Me. I have already
sworn to you (in Ch 7) that a person of Knowledge is my soul. This type of
devotion is the best among all types of devotions. Persons of knowledge call
it Swasanviti (Knowledge); the Shaivaites call it Shakti. We call it
Extreme devotion. A Karmayogi attains it at the time of becoming one with
Me. Then he realises that it is I who has pervaded the whole universe. In
this condition, detachment with discrimination, binding with liberation and
activism with renunciation totally disappear.
He remains aloof and attains unity with my pure and immaculate form,
which is beyond the means and the goal, and enjoys the bliss of the
Brahman.
BEING ONE WITH ME

One might ask how there can be enjoyment of the Self after oneness with It
which is really Me.
A person knows Me only after he has attained unity with Me and therefore
until then it cannot be said that I am real for him and therefore that he is
devoted to Me. A Karmayogi becomes one with Me and enjoys My form even
without doing actions. Actions nullify when non-duality is achieved but
devotion definitely continues. That devotion cannot be expressed in words
but is to be experienced. When such a devotee calls Me or utters My name
then I do respond to his call but it is as if it was I that made those
utterances. Speaking to Me is as good as speaking to himself, therefore
under these conditions silence constitutes My best praise. That silence is
My praise.
Similarly, whenever he sees any object through his eyes or intellect the
object disappears and what he sees instead is the form of the seer himself.
In that oneness he is not even conscious that he is the seer. What happens
due to the oneness with Me is that both the object and the seer vanish along
with the action of seeing. This state in which the object is seen as well as
not seen is My real vision. In this state he gains the sight that is beyond the
visible object and the seer.
Because he has completely attained My form he becomes stable and quiet.
He had gone away from Me because of his I-am-the-body feeling and he has
now returned to Me. Therefore this going and coming is his pilgrimage to the
non-duality that is Me.
No action done after becoming one with Me can be called an action.
Shedding of the I-am-the-doer ego that turns actions into non-actions is the
sign of My worship and the action a superior worship.
In this way, whatever he speaks becomes My praise, whatever he sees
becomes My vision and his walk becomes pilgrimage to non-duality that is
Me. Whatever he does becomes My worship. Whatever he thinks becomes
My Japa, and the state he is in becomes My samadhi. He becomes one with
Me through the yoga of devotion.
He is full of joy with the knowledge that the visible universe he sees in the
states of wakefulness, dream and sleep is all Me who is the seer. And that
joy is not different from himself.
I am attributeless
He knows that I am the birthless, ageless, inexhaustible, indestructible,
without past and limitless bliss. He also knows that I am also immovable,
not liable to fall down, infinite, incomparable, root of everything, formless as
well as with form, bender of the ruling powers as well as the ruler, without
beginning, indestructible, fearless, support of objects as well as the
supported objects. He also knows that I am the master of everything, and
am ever, natural, unceasing everything, in everything and beyond all. That
which is most recent and also the oldest, with form of nil and complete,
biggest and tiniest, is all Me. That which is actionless, companionless and
without sorrow is also Me. All things are in Me and I am in all things. Thus
I am the Superior Person. I am without words, without ears, form or lineage.
I am the uniform, independent and the ultimate Brahman. Thus, by
becoming one with Me he knows Me through his incomparable devotion and
also realises that this knowledge is also Me.
He also realises that the power of knowledge that knows this non-duality is
also Me. When he knows that the one and the only Soul beyond the duality
and non-duality is undoubtedly only Me and actually experiences it, then
with the awareness of I am he having dissolved in the bliss of the Self he

enters My form. Therefore the reference to he becomes irrelevant and
consequently reference to I also becomes baseless and he merges into My
form. Just as when one is subtracted from one, the remainder is zero,
similarly when being and non-being are subtracted from each other what
remains is Me. In that state, it is meaningless to talk about the terms
Brahman, Soul and God; and it is also meaningless to say that nothing
exists. Just as not speaking is as good as speaking a mouthful, realisation
comes without the awareness of knowledge and ignorance. In that state,
realisation realises realisation, bliss enjoys bliss, happiness becomes happy,
gain begets gain, brightness becomes bright and surprise dissolves in
surprise; control of mind becomes silent, repose relaxes, and experience gets
obsessed with experience. In short, he gains the pure fruits of becoming Me
through the practice of Karmayoga i.e. the yoga of action. Karmayoga is the
proper road that leads one to unity with Me. I am not attainable by means
of choosing a place, time or substance because I am naturally present in all,
therefore no difficulties are faced in attaining Me. I can be attained easily by
following the Karmayoga.
The Guru-disciple system has been established for learning how to attain
Me. Though I am always available, just as wealth present in the earth
requires efforts to extract it, I can be attained only by certain means.
PRAISE OF GITA
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj now praises Gita as being superior to all Shastras.
According to him, the excellence of the Gita lies in the fact that liberation is
achieved by all the means suggested in it whereas the methods told in other
Shastras are not all proved ones. Shastras are merely educative but not
qualified to give knowledge of the Self. They have in fact to look up to Gita
for guidance. In this last chapter Dnyaneshwar Maharaj gives a summary of
the teachings of earlier chapters wherein various methods for Self-realisation
were discussed in detail. The principles presented in the middle chapters
are not the main principles of Gita but have been presented to explain the
main theme.
THE ESSENCE OF THE GITA

The main topic of this Gita is destroying ignorance; attaining liberation is its
fruit, and these are to be achieved through Knowledge as the means. This
Knowledge has been discussed in detail in various ways in this book.
The advice of the Gita in the words of Shri Krishna to Arjuna is as follows:
A Karmayogi, by becoming one with Me with such dedication, remains
eternally so. By worshipping Me with flowers of prescribed duties he
receives My grace in the form of the faith in the knowledge of the Self. Once
that faith is achieved, then the devotion to Me grows and he becomes happy
by becoming one with Me. He observes Me, the Soul and the illuminator of
the whole world, as pervading everything. While he follows Me with intellect,
words and body, and thus comes under My shelter, he may sometimes do
improper deeds. But just as the stream of dirty street water and the big
river are same once they meet the Ganges, both good and evil become the
same once My knowledge is attained. The differences like good and evil
appear only until one gets My all-pervading illumination. Therefore, as soon
as he meets Me his karmas are nullified and he becomes one with the
Brahman. He achieves My eternal position, which is not affected by location,

time or nature. All in all, one who has gained My pleasure does not need
any other gains. Therefore, surrender all actions in Me.
Concentrate on discrimination without abandoning the routine duties. That
discrimination will enable you see My form that is without blemish and
which is different from action. You will observe that Maya, the root of all
actions has gone far away from you. You will also find that Maya, being a
projection of the Soul, is not separate from it. Once Maya is negated then
total renunciation of all the actions (karmas) occurs effortlessly and once all
karmas vanish what remains is only the Soul. If you now dedicate your
intellect to it then it (i.e. intellect) will remain singularly united in Me. At
that time, your mind will abandon all other issues and become devoted to
Me. Thus, by abandoning all subjects of contemplation, the mind will be
concentrated in Me.
When your mind becomes one with Me by this exceptional devotion, you will
definitely receive My complete grace. All creatures have to suffer the sorrows
of birth and death, but however hard be the sorrows they will become
pleasurable because, after the I-am-the-body attitude is completely
destroyed by My grace, there cannot be any fear of any worldly matters. In
this way, you will be saved from the downfall caused by the worldly matters.
But if, under the influence of your ego, you ignore My advice then you will
have to suffer the injuries due to the body awareness even after being
liberated and becoming indestructible. In this realm of the awareness of the
body there is not a moments respite in suffering death at every step without
even dying.
Due to lack of discrimination and fostered ego, you may call your own body
as Arjuna, bodies of others as relatives and think that a battle is a sinful
action and decide not to fight. But your inborn nature is that of a Kshatriya
with the inborn qualities like bravery, martial lustre, alertness etc.
Therefore, because you are bound by these qualities, your nature will not let
you keep quiet without fighting. You have been destined to be born as a
Kshatriya and the power of God will not let you behave in any other way
except as a Kshatriya. That God resides in your heart as well as in the
hearts of all beings and manifests Himself through various facets of the
mind. Through the veil of His Maya, He singly moves the strings of 8.4
million shadows and makes them dance. It is He who gives shape to
everybody from Brahmadeo to a worm according to its worth. And when He
sets up an appropriate body for a creature that creature occupies it with the
feeling I am this body. And the body, though separate from itself, sees
itself in it. In this way, by seating the creatures on the contraption of the
body, God moves the strings according to their karmas. The particular
creature for whom an independent string is allocated according to its pre-
birth karmas goes about according to that string. Thus, the affairs of all
creatures are carried by the power of God through their basic natures. God
is the Master of all and controls Prakriti and one should therefore use ones
organs to do actions pleasurably appropriate to Prakriti. Therefore, leave to
Prakriti, the decision about whether you should fight or not. Keep in mind
that Prakriti is under the control of the God in your heart.
Merge into God by making an offering to Him of the body, speech, mind and
ego. Then you will attain complete peace by His grace and you will be
engrossed in the Self with the bliss of the Self. You will be the master of that
indestructible state of the Self where creation is born, where repose takes
rest and which the experience experiences.
Gita is the essence of the Vedic literature. One achieves Self-realisation
through it. This Knowledge of the Self, which is customarily known only as
Knowledge, through which even I the unmanifestable seer of all can be seen,
is my secret treasure. Arjuna, I have given you this treasure because I feel
the greatest compassion for you. Thus, I, the knower of all, having
considered all aspects, have told you the true Knowledge. Now you ponder
on it properly and do what you consider proper.
Gita is the Knowledge by which ignorance about the real nature of the world
is destroyed and only I am seen in everything. I have advised on Knowledge
of the Self in various ways. You should shed, by means of that Knowledge,
the ignorance that creates confusion about proper and improper codes of
behaviour (Dharma and Adharma), which lead one to heaven or hell
respectively. This world is a dream and just as the dream goes away on
awakening and only the dreamer remains, similarly nothing other than Me
remains. Then with the idea that he is Me he becomes one with Me.
Shedding the separateness from Me and realising the oneness with Me is
what is called surrender. Once you surrender to Me you will become one
with Me, therefore surrender to Me and be one with Me.
But remember that you cannot surrender to Me and at the same time live
as an individual too. If anyone tells you that you will remain bound to the
worldly life even after meeting Me the God of the universe, do not believe it.
To serve Me by being one with Me is My natural devotion. Gain knowledge
through it. After you surrender to Me by the realisation of non-duality the
issues of prescribed and prohibited actions will not touch you. There is no
reason at all to look for anything other than My all-encompassing form after
becoming one with Me. Therefore do not worry about these things or about
sin and merit. Understand that I shall become your sin and merit.
Being separate from Me is the sign of binding to the karmas. Knowledge
about Me dissolves that sin. Wise Arjuna, when you surrender to Me with
undivided mind you will be one with Me and will thus automatically be free
of all bindings. Accept Me and I shall free you by My light. Therefore there
is no need for you to worry any more. Wise Arjuna, surrender to Me alone.
So saying Shri Krishna embraced Arjuna by extending his right arm. But
that was only a pretext to impart to Arjuna the Knowledge which intellect
does not understand and words cannot describe.
Once the two hearts touched, the secrets from Shri Krishnas heart entered
Arjunas heart and by demolishing the non-duality he made Arjuna attain
Self-realisation.
--<O>--
Thus ends the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna that is the Gita.
The dialogue discusses the structure of this universe in which we live and
are part of it, nature of the Supreme being that created the universe through
Prakriti or Maya, and ways and means to get liberated from the binding to
the birth and death cycles in the universe by becoming one with that
Supreme being that speaks here through Shri Krishna, His incarnation.
Dnyaneshwar Maharaj now states that-- while reading of the Vedas has been
restricted only to the upper caste men, Gita, which contains the essence of
the Vedas can be read by anyone, male or female of any caste. He now
indicates in the following where the three parts of the Vedas namely action,
worship and Knowledge have been imprinted in the Gita.
CHAPTERWISE SUMMARY
Chapter 1
In the first chapter is mentioned how the science of the Gita originated.
Chapter 2
The second chapter elucidates the Sankhya philosophy, which stresses on
Knowledge and which is independently capable of leading to liberation
without any other help.
Chapter 3
In the third chapter the beginning of the discourse on the means for
attaining liberation of persons who are in the grip of ignorance has been
made. Those who are shackled by the I-am-the-body feeling should abandon
actions done with desire for fruits and also the prohibited actions and
should do the prescribed actions with care. Actions should thus be done
with good intentions. These are what Shri Krishna has recommended in the
third chapter. This should be considered as the Path of Action.
Chapters 4-11
If one thinks how the same routine and incidental action frees one from
ignorance then the explanation given by Shri Krishna is that when bound
persons reach the stage of a seeker, they should do all actions with the
attitude of their being an offering to the Brahman. Whatever prescribed
action occurs through the body, speech or mind should be done with the
intention of attainment of God. This expression of devotion to God through
the path of action has been discussed from the fourth chapter until the end
of the eleventh chapter on the vision of the Cosmic form. Thus in these eight
chapters I have unveiled the section on worship.
Chapters 12-15
The true knowledge, the knowledge of love (devotion) which is created
through the benevolence of God and through the Guru-disciple system is
described in the twelfth chapter from the Shloka Adweshta (Shloka No 13)
or in the thirteenth chapter from the Shloka Amanitva (Shloka No 7).
Therefore the twelfth chapter has been included in the section on
Knowledge. In the four chapters from the beginning of the twelfth to the end
of the fifteenth, the topic of discussion is the matured fruit of Knowledge.
Therefore the section on Knowledge has been covered by the four chapters
up to the end of the fifteenth. Thus the Gita which elucidates the three
sections is like a loveable Shruti. This Shruti, which contains the three
sections, tells you loudly to gain the fruit of liberation.
Chapter 16
The class of ignorance, which is always inimical to the means of knowledge,
has been described in the sixteenth chapter.
Chapter 17
One should conquer this enemy with the help of Shastras is what has been
told in the seventeenth chapter. In this way from the first chapter to the end
of the seventeenth, Shri Krishna has discussed the Vedas created from his
breath.
Chapter 18
The essence of all these chapters is contained in this pinnacle that is the
eighteenth chapter.
This dissertation named Bhagavdgita which has been perfected in 700
shlokas is the very form of the Vedas but is more generous than them
because women, shudras etc., who suffer tortures from this world, are not
allowed under their shelter. I feel that in order to remove these earlier
mentioned faults and with the intention of giving benefit to all, the Vedas
have reappeared in the form of the Gita. Not only that, the Vedas are
available to anybody through the Gita when its meaning enters in the mind,
by listening to it or by reciting it.
BENEFITS OF THE GITA

He who always reads this Gita or remains in the company of one who reads
it or distributes it to people by making copies of it, gives food of the bliss of
liberation to all. If people come to listen to the Gita, then without bothering
about whether they are good or bad he gives away the bliss of liberation and
peace to the world.
However it is also warned that since the Gita is a Shastra, proper rules
should be followed regarding it, because knowledge obtained through Gurus
pleasure becomes fruitful only if the customs of the (Gurus) sect are
observed. The rules are:
Shri Krishna warns Arjuna never to tell Gita to persons of the following
types:
A person devoid of austerity.
An austere person but not sincerely devoted to his Guru
An austere person sincerely devoted to his Guru but not interested in
listening to it
An austere person sincerely devoted to his Guru and also interested
in listening to it but is irreverent towards Shri Krishna, slandering
Him or good persons.
The austerity, devotion and intellect of such a person are deceitful therefore
even if such a person is devoted, intelligent and austere he should not be
allowed to come in touch with this Shastra of Gita. Gita should be told to a
superior devotee who is austere, sincerely devoted to his Guru, interested in
listening to it and who praises Shri Krishna.
Shri Krishna avers, I love with my heart the devotee who explains the
meaning of the Gita, even if he is separated from Me by his body. I like him
more than a person of learning, an observer of ritualistic actions and an
austere person. There is none dearer to Me on this earth than he who tells
the Gita to a group of devotees. He who reads the Gita, making his mind
steady with love for Me, becomes an ornament among saints. And the sins
of one who listens to the Gita with pure mind and faith, by abandoning
slander in whichever possible way, run away instantly as soon as words of
the Gita fall in his ears.
Having come to the end of the discourse on the Gita, Dnyaneshwar Maharaj
pays his tributes to his Guru Shri Nivruttinath to whom he gives all the
credit for the discourse.
TRIBUTES TO
GURU SHRI NIVRUTTINATH
I have composed this book in the form of ovis that are beautiful to
sing, or interesting even if they are not sung. These letters, strung in
the ovi metre, give a taste of the Brahman for the young and old. One
goes in trance just by listening to it, then will it not cause an
obsession if one listens to its discussion? Even a simple reading of this
book makes learning bloom and its sweetness makes the listener forget
about nectar. Listening to the perfected verses gives more satisfaction
than contemplation and meditation. This listening will impart bliss of
the Self to the listener and satiate all organs. Persons of spiritual
authority understand the secret of the science of spirituality but
others become happy even by skilful presentation of it. This is all due
to the greatness of Shri Nivruttinath therefore this is really not my
book but the result of his blessing.
On some occasion, Lord Shiva told the spiritual knowledge in His
consort Parvatis ears. That knowledge was obtained by
Matsyendranath who was hiding in the stomach of a fish in that sea of
milk. When Matsyendranath met the limbless Chouranginath at
Saptashringi, the latter regained his limbs. Then, in order that he
himself should enjoy the bliss of the samadhi without interruption,
Matsyendranath gave his state of the yoga to Gorakshanath and
installed him in his own position, Gorakshanath being the only one in
whom yoga could bloom and who could fight sense pleasures. Then,
by tradition, the bliss of non-duality which has descended from Lord
Shiva, was obtained from Gorakshanath by Gahininath. Seeing that
the people of the world are troubled, Gahininath instructed Shri
Nivruttinath to take up the tradition which has descended to him from
the Primeval Lord Shiva and save these people immediately from the
influence of Kali (Note: Kali is the agent of strife and inspirer of strife in
the present aeon known by its name Kaliyuga. Not to be confused with
Kaali the form of Goddess Durga). Shri Nivruttinath was already
compassionate by nature and inspired by the instructions from his
Guru he immediately set upon to bring peace to the world. Feeling
pity for the distressed he showered peace on them on the pretext of
explaining the Gita. At that time I was anxiously waiting before him for
his favour therefore he elevated Me to the position of fame. Thus, he
handed over the wealth of meditation to me through this book.
Otherwise, how could I have achieved the worthiness for composing
this book since I have neither studied nor read and I do not know how
to serve my master. But in reality, Guru Maharaj has given shelter to
the world by composing this book making me the incidental pretext.
This book, which all you saints have caused to be completed through
my hands so that it is useful to the three worlds, is incomparable.
Only thing that now remains for me to do is the service to you.
Finally, Dnyaneshwar Maharaj offers prayers to the almighty Lord for his
benevolent grace towards the universe
PRAYERS FOR THE UNIVERSE

Now, may the Supreme God who is the soul of the entire universe
be satisfied by this discourse and grant me His grace.
May the wicked shed their sinister outlook and
May they develop liking for good deeds and
May all individuals develop friendship with each other.
May the universe lose its darkness of sin and
May the dawn of righteous duties come and
May the desires of all creatures be fulfilled.
May the assemblies of devotees of God who shower all that is
auspicious on this earth meet all creatures.
These devotees are walking seeds of the wish-trees, a living
community of wish-stones or talking oceans of nectar.
May these saints who are like moon without spots or sun without
the scorching heat, be the friends and relatives to all creatures.
Why ask for more?
May all creatures in the three worlds be perfect and happy and
May every creature carry desire for ceaseless devotion to the
Primeval Supreme Being. And,
May those who live by the support of this book gain happiness in
this world and the next.
On hearing this, Lord of the universe said,
I have given you this grace.
And by that boon Shri Dnyanadeo was very happy.
(18:1794-1802).
END OF DNYANESHWARI

OFFERED AT THE FEET OF SADGURU SHRI SHANKAR MAHARAJ

TEACHINGS OF DNYANESHWARI Bibliography : 181
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S.Radhakrishnan, Harper Coll9ins India Ltd, (1993), 388p
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Research Inst, Pune. (1991) 376pp.
Dnyaneshwari by Balkrishna A. Bhide, Keshav Bhikaji Dhavale, Girgaon
Bombay 400004. (Contains Gita, Corresponding Ovis by Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj, and Marathi prose translation)
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Teachings of Dnyaneshwari

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TEACHINGS

A-23 Yashodhan Society

Published Privately: JULY 2003

Price: Nil for this edition.

the translated text on some Internet website. Hinduweb.org was kind

GITA AND DNYANESHWARI

TWO TYES OF READERS

ESSENCE OF GITA/ DNYANESHWARI

Gita presents the seeker with four paths as follows

NEED FOR A SUMMARY

It is hoped that this summary would be of considerable use to intellectual

HISTORY VS. BELIEF

The above information is given by Mr M.R Yardi, an eminent scholar, based

described in the Rigveda as innocuous and bountiful and a generous

Coming to the avatars of Vishnu, he is said to have taken a number of

God, supposed to be impartial to all, create a caste system, which anyway is

It does not matter if Shiva is an Aryan God or Non-Aryan, he has responded

USE OF THE TERM YOGA

concentrating on a point in between the eyebrows and sometimes on breath,

CHAPTER 1 - THE OPENING SCENE

CHAPTER 2 - THE PATH OF KNOWLEDGE

YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE (JNANAYOGA) OF THE SANKHYAS

sorrows. A person who has achieved Self-realisation is free from the

SWADHARAMA ANG KARMAYOGA

YOGA OF INTELLECT (BUDDHIYOGA)

KARMAYOGA (THE PATH OF ACTIONS)

Then his mind will automatically become dispassionate. In this state,

STABLE INSIGHT AND STABLE INTELLECT

them because if he pampers them then he can be trapped in the

CHAPTER 3 - PATH OF ACTIONS

ARJUNA HAS A DOUBT

JNANAYOGA AND KARMAYOGA - BOTH HAVE COMMON GOAL

ACTION AND NON-ACTION

Performance of actions with desireless attitude as per Swadharma

Brahmadeo replied that:

Shri Krishna further warns that,

JNANAYOGA NOT TO BE TOLD TO THE UNFIT

The desire for sense-pleasures causes anger and destroys the

DESIRE AND ANGER OBSTRUCT LIBERATION

CHAPTER 4 - YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE

GRACING DIFFERENT TYPES OF DEVOTEES

SHRI KRISHNA ELABORATES ON ACTION AND NON-ACTION

ACTIONS OF A PERFECT PERSON

SERVING SAINTS GIVES KNOWLEDGE

GETTING KNOWLEDGE AND PEACE

UNINTERESTED PERSON'S LIFE MEANINGLESS

KARMAYOGA AND KARMASANYAS ARE SAME IN EFFECT

YOGI NOT DIFFERENT FROM SANYASI

YOGI SHOULD NOT ABANDON ACTIONS

CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERFECT PERSON

A MAN WHO HAS ATTAINED BRAHMAN

of meditation and breath control (i.e. pranayama) adopting certain sitting

Before we proceed, it would be advantageous to understand a few things

Dnyaneshwar Maharaj then gives instructions (not given in Bhagvadgita)

WORTHINESS FOR YOGA PRACTICE

GAINS FROM YOGA PRACTICE

ATTITUDES FOR STARTING YOGA PRACTICE

DIRECTING THE MIND

WHAT IF THE SEEKER DIES HALFWAY?

CHAPTER 7 - WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE, WORLDLY KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE

HOW TO ELIMINATE IGNORANCE

This universe is created, remains apparent during its existence and is