Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 15 - Purushottama Yogah - Yoga of the Supreme Spirit

 

 

CONTENTS

• PREAMBLE
• THE COSMIC TREE
• MANIFESTED LIFE IS ONLY A PART
• THE LORD AS THE LIFE OF THE UNIVERSE
• THE SUPREME PERSON, PURUSHOTTAMA
• FRUIT OF THAT KNOWLEDGE
• CONCEPTS AND ISSUES
• LIVE AS THE GITA TEACHES YOU TO LIVE
• POINTS TO PONDER

 

Preamble

The  last six Chapters of Gita state that the ever changing finite world of  multiplicity is nothing but a projection of the Infinite and that the endless painful experiences are all caused by our misapprehensions of the Reality. The world of Matter and Spirit, the Field of experience and the Knower of the Field  were discussed. It was proved that the Knower of the Field without the Field of  experience is the Pure Consciousness, Pure Awareness which is infinite and permanent.

Upto the thirteenth chapter we get an idea that the world of matter - the Cosmos -  is one homogeneous entity and the Spirit is nondual and infinite. The  variations in the expressions of the same Spirit and Matter in different  individuals are on account of the play of the three Gunas.

In  this Chapter Sri Krishna discusses the nature of the Spirit in all its  implications and explains the Unknown from the Known manifested objects of  perception, emotion and thought. Infinite is defined as the Imperishable (Akshara) with reference to the  perishable (Kshara) equipments of  matter.

Speaking of the Kshara Purusha (Kshetra), the Akshara Purusha (Kshetrajna) and the  Supreme Person (Brahman), it explains  how Brahman is superior to both ‘Kshara’ and ‘Akshara’, why he is called the  Supreme Person, what is the value of   knowing him as the Supreme Person and how can He be realized. Hence this  Chapter is entitled “Purushottama Yoga” or the Yoga of the Supreme Person or  Supreme Spirit.

The  previous Chapter ended with a note that to worship the Lord with undeviating  love leads to liberation. But such love is not possible without detachment from  the world. So the Lord begins the present discourse with a description of the World  Tree in order to create in the aspirant an intense dispassion leading to love  and knowledge of the Supreme Lord, Brahman.

THE COSMIC TREE

sri bhagavaan uvaacha
    oordhwamoolam adhahshaakham ashwattham praahur avyayam
    chhandaamsi yasya parnaani yastam veda sa vedavit  // 15.1 //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    They  (the scriptures) speak of the imperishable Asvatta tree (peepal tree) as having  its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the Vedas and he who knows  this is the knower of the Vedas.

With  roots above and branches below, this world tree is eternal. It is Samsaravriksha, the cosmic tree. This  tree of samsara or cosmic existence  rests on a continuous series of births and deaths without beginning and end.  This tree cannot be cut down except by the knowledge and experience of man’s  identity with Brahman.

The  word ‘Asvatta’ means that which does not endure till the next day. The  phenomenal world is compared to the Asvatta tree on account of its ever-changing  nature. In an ordinary tree the roots extend downwards. But in the tree of the  world the roots are stated to be above. This is because the roots are Brahman  with maya (Saguna Brahman) since the Immortal Absolute (Nirguna Brahman) is  beyond the category of causality and Brahman with maya is very subtle and very  great and is supreme over all things.

The  branches are the cosmic mind, egoism, five subtle elements and the other cosmic  principles which are stated to extend downwards because as they go downward  they become more and more gross.

Just  as the leaves protect a tree, so the Vedas serve to protect the tree of the  world. They formulate its dharma and adharma with their causes and effects  and also show the way to prosperity and well-being in the relative world. The  knowledge of the Vedas gives men knowledge of the gods and the cosmos and hence  nothing else remains to be known beyond the tree of the world and Brahman.

adhashchordhwam   prasritaastasya shaakhaa
    gunapravriddhaa vishayapravaalaah
    adhashcha moolaanyanusantataani
    karmaanubandheeni manushyaloke // 15.2 //

Its  branches extend below and above, nourished by the Gunas with sense objects for  its twigs and below, in the world of men stretch forth the roots, giving rise  to actions.

Upward  and downward its branches spread: The flow of life in the individual is  sometimes for a higher evolution but very often it is to satisfy animal nature  i.e. towards a lower purpose. Thus the tree of life has its branches growing  both upwards and downwards.

Nourished  by the Gunas: The tendency to lead a higher or lower life is determined by the  dominance of any of the three Gunas.

Sense  objects are twigs:  Nodular twigs are  potential branches. Sense objects (shabda,  sparsha, roopa, rasa, gandha) are twigs because in the presence of these objects  there is a tendency to throw away higher values to attain carnal satisfaction.

Downward  the roots extend: When the main root of the tree is firmly fixed high above In  the Absolute, the subsidiary roots grow all around including downwards in the  world of men initiating action. These secondary roots are vasanas created in us  as a result of our past deeds driving us for actions and reactions, good or  evil, in the world. Just as the secondary roots bind the tree to the earth firmly;  these actions and reactions bind the individual to the plane of likes and  dislikes, profit and loss etc.

The  following two verses explain how we can cut down the tree and thereby  experience the pure source of the life's manifestation, the Infinite Life.

na roopamasyeha tathopalabhyate
naanto na chaadirna cha sampratishthaa
ashwatthamenam suviroodhamoolam
asangashastrena dhridhena chhitwaa // 15.3 //

Its  form is not perceived here as such, neither its end nor its origin, nor its existence;  having cut as under this firmly rooted peepal tree with the strong axe of  non-attachment.

tatah padam tat parimaargitavyam
yasmin gataa na nivartanti bhooyah
tameva chaadyam purusham prapadye
yatah pravrittih prasritaa puraanee // 15.4 //

Then  that goal should be sought from where having gone none returns again praying “I  seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha from whom has come forth this cosmic  process”.

In  order to avoid misunderstanding about the tree, The Lord says that its form is  not perceived here as such. The tree of life mentioned in the previous verses  represents the entire field of manifested life.

It  (The Tree) starts from the ignorance of reality, ends on the realization of the  Self and exists only so long as the desires function. Very few understand this implication.  The strongly rooted manifested world can be cut only with non-attachment. The  experience of life is known through Consciousness. If the Consciousness is  withdrawn from the body, mind and intellect the perception, emotion and thought  necessarily end. This removing of Consciousness from the inert body matter is  detachment with which alone multiple experiences can be wiped out. Detachment  from perception, emotion and thought will be nothingness.

To  avoid the nothingness Sri Krishna adds that one should aspire for that goal  from where there will be no return. The seeker of the Divine should withdraw  more and more from the worldly perceptions, emotions and thoughts and meditate  upon the Higher - the source from which the tree of life itself draws its  sustenance. The method suggested to achieve this goal is to take refuge in the  Primeval Purusha who is the source of all expressions of life. How one can visualize  this Primeval Purusha is the theme of this chapter.

nirmaanamohaa jitasangadoshaa
adhyaatmanityaa vinivrittakaamaah
dwandwairvimuktaah sukhaduhkhasamjnair
gacchantyamoodhaah padamavyayam tat // 15.5 //

Free  from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling  constantly in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from  the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach the  eternal goal.

Sri  Krishna explains certain disciplines or conditions by following which one can  reach the Divine experience and live a life of supreme fulfillment.

•Free from pride and delusion: Pride and erroneous judgment indicate a false sense of importance or arrogance. These qualities always create mental preoccupation to maintain them leaving no opportunity to think about the greater values.

•Evil of attachment conquered: Mere sensuous way of life is nothing but a life wasted without realizing its nobler purpose.

•Ever dwelling in the Self: Detachment from worldly objects is not possible without attachment to precious ideals as human equipment cannot function in a vacuum. However to avoid attachment to evil the seeker should divert his concentration to the Self.

•Desires completely at rest: Desire is the activity of the intellect. To discipline the intellect pleasures arising out of worldly objects should be discouraged. A mind without desire becomes calm and serene.

•Released from the pairs of opposites: Mind is the focal point at which pleasure or pain is contacted. Once the mind recognizes the pairs of opposites, it likes that which is agreeable and hates that which is disagreeable. This continuous process of liking and disliking destabilizes the mind. Hence it is advised that one should be equanimous towards the pairs of opposites.

The  Lord assures that such a person reaches the eternal Goal.

MANIFESTED LIFE IS ONLY A PART

na tad bhaasayate sooryo na shashaangko na paavakah
yad gatwaa na nivartante taddhaama paramam mama // 15.6  //

Neither  does the sun illumine there, nor the moon, nor the fire; having gone there they  never return; that is My supreme abode.

Neither  sun nor moon nor fire illumine there: It is explained that the spiritual goal  is the one having gone into which none returns. Perfection gained is never to  be lost. The goal - the state of Perfection - is described here. Sun, moon and  fire are sources of light by which eyes get vision. Light indicates the power  of illumination for the sense organs like hearing by the ears, tasting by the  tongue, feeling by the mind, thinking by the intellect etc. This is the light  of Consciousness by which we become aware of all experiences.

This  light of Consciousness cannot be illumined by any outside gross agents of light  perceived in the world such as sun, moon and fire. In fact the very light of  sun, moon and fire are the objects of consciousness. An object of perception  cannot illumine the subject that perceives it since the subject and the object  cannot be one and the same at any time. The awareness by which we experience  our lives is the Eternal Self and to realize that Consciousness is the goal of  life.

My  Supreme Abode: On transcending the agitations of the mind and intellect one  reaches the state of Consciousness which is the Abode of the Divine. Once this  state is attained the seeker is assured by The Lord that there is no risk of  sliding back to the world of plurality - `to which having gone none returns'.

THE LORD AS THE LIFE OF THE UNIVERSE

mamaivaamsho jeevaloke jeevabhootah sanaatanah
    manah shashthaaneendriyaani prakritisthaani  karshati // 15.7 //

A  fragment of My own self, having become a living soul, eternal, in the world of life,  draws to itself the five senses with the mind for the sixth, that rest in  nature.

The  nature of Jiva, ego, is explained in this verse.

A  portion of Myself: Although the Infinite has no parts or divisions, the Infinite  when expresses through a limited entity called body, is considered limited by  the ignorant, just as pot space and total space.

The  eternal Jiva suffers no limitation although it undergoes pain and pleasure when  it is associated with the body. Hence the Self in man is eternal Jiva.

Attracts  senses: The Consciousness gives life to the entire body and maintains the sense  faculties and mental capacities around itself. The power of seeing, hearing  etc. is really the power of Consciousness functioning through the sense organs.  Hence It is referred to as functioning with the mind and five senses. The  conditioned Self is experienced as the limited ego, Jiva, the mortal, or an  imaginary part of the Indivisible Whole, because of our ignorance.

The  Jiva or the individual soul is that aspect of the Supreme Self which manifests  itself in every one as the doer and enjoyer. It is limited because of ignorance;  but in reality both (individual soul and Supreme Soul) are one and the same. It  is like pot space and outer space. The pot space is a portion of the outer  space and becomes one with the latter on the destruction of the pot, the cause  of the limitation.

shareeram yadavaapnoti yacchaapyutkraamateeshwarah
    griheetwaitaani samyaati vaayurgandhaanivaashayaat  // 15.8 //

When  The Lord obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes these (senses and mind)  and goes with them as the wind takes the scents from their seats (flowers etc.)

When  The Lord acquires the body and leaves it: The Infinite conditioned by mind and  intellect is Jiva and the Jiva takes various bodies from time to time. From the  time Jiva enters the body and till it leaves i.e. constantly it keeps the sense  faculties and mental impression with itself.

At  death the subtle body departs from the gross body and it is left inert.  Although the dead body is found to maintain its physical frame it neither has  the sense faculty nor mental and intellectual capacity which it had before  death. These physical, mental and intellectual expressions gave the body its  individual personality and they are called subtle body. The gross body is  called dead in the absence of the subtle body.

It  is stated here that at death the subtle body moves off taking with itself all  faculties -senses, mind and intellect - as the wind takes away the scent from  its source i.e. flowers. Thus the mind is a bunch of vasanas which can exist  only in Consciousness. This light of  Awareness  illumining the vasanas is called the Individual Personality - Jiva.

The  Jiva is called The Lord here because the Individual Personality is the ruler of  the body regulating all actions, feelings and thoughts.

shrotram chakshuh sparshanam cha rasanam  ghraanameva cha
    adhishthaaya manashchaayam vishayaanupasevate // 15.9  //

Presiding  over the ear, the eye, touch, taste and smell, as well as the mind, He enjoys  the objects of the senses.

The  subtle body is explained in more details. The Jiva enjoys the world of objects  through sense organs and mind. Consciousness never directly illumines any  object but when reflected upon mind and intellect It becomes Intelligence in  which the sense objects become illumined. The Jiva, using the mind along with  sense organs, enjoys the sense objects such as sound, touch, taste, smell etc.

utkraamantam sthitam vaapi bhunjaanam vaa gunaanvitam
    vimoodhaa naanupashyanti pashyanti  jnaanachakshushah  // 15.10 //

The  deluded do not see Him who departs, stays and enjoys, united with the Gunas;  but they who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.

The  Self is visible to the eye of knowledge only. Though the Self is the nearest  and comes most easily within the range of their consciousness in a variety of  functions, still the ignorant and deluded do not see Him because of their  complete subservience to the sense-objects.

But  those who are with intuitive vision could see the Self. Those with the inner  eye of knowledge behold the Self as entirely distinct from the body.

yatanto yoginashchainam pashyantyaatmanyavasthitam
    yatantopyakritaatmaano nainam pashyantyachetasah //  15.11 //

The  seekers striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the self; but the  unrefined and unintelligent, even though striving, do not find Him.

Two  conditions are necessary if meditation is to yield results. 

•The purification of the mind - removal of agitations created by attachments to sense objects. 
•The intellect has to be tuned to the correct understanding of the Self and thus all doubts about its perception are removed through study, reflection and practice.

If  these two requirements are not met through devotion (Bhakti) and service  (Karma) all attempts at meditation in the Path of Knowledge will be futile.  Those minds which are not purified despite sincere meditation have no chance of  realizing the Divine because of attachment to sense objects.

So  far the Self has been indicated as 

•that which cannot be illumined by the known physical source of light  like sun, moon and fire, 
•that which, having reached, none returns from the state of perfection 
•that of which the individual entity is Jiva.

To  show that this goal is the essence of all and the reality behind all experiences Sri Krishna gives in the following four verses a summary of His manifestations. He is described as 
•the illuminating light of the consciousness 
•the all sustaining life 
•the subjective warmth of life in all living organisms. 
•the Self in all.

yadaadityagatam tejo jagad bhaasayate'khilam
    yacchandramasi  yacchaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam // 15.12 //

That  light which, residing in the sun, illumines the whole world, that which is in  the moon and in the fire - know that light as Mine.

Sri  Krishna says that the very light emerging from the sun which illumines the  whole world is the light that is emerging from Him, the Infinite Consciousness.  Not only are this but even the light coming from the moon and the fire all  expressions of the Infinite Reality expressing through the moon and the fire.

The  manifestations are different because the equipments are different just as the  same electrical energy manifests in a bulb, in a fan and in a heater in  different ways. Consciousness expressed through the sun is sun-light, through  the moon is moon-light and through the fuel is fire. Yet all these  manifestations are nothing but one Infinite Reality. The Infinite manifests  itself in various forms in order to create conducive environment for the world  to exist.

gaamaavishya cha bhootani dhaarayaamyahamojasaa
    pushnaami chaushadheeh sarvaah somo bhootwaa  rasaatmakah // 15.13 //

Permeating  the earth I support all beings by My energy; and having become the watery moon,  I nourish all herbs.

The  Lord says that the capacity in the earth to sustain life and nourish it, are  all His own vitality, meaning the same Consciousness expressing through the sun,  the moon, the earth, the atmosphere provide nourishment to all living beings. The  energy of The Lord holds the vast heaven and earth together. The sun, the moon  and the fire are the sources of all energy in the world, but that which gives  these phenomenal factors the capacity to give out energy from them is the  Consciousness which is common to all of them. Moon is considered to be the  repository of all fluids which nourish the living beings.

aham vaishwaanaro bhootwaa praaninaam  dehamaashritah
    praanaapaana samaayuktah pachaamyannam chaturvidham  // 15.14 //

Having  become the fire, Vaiswanara, I abide in the body of living beings and  associated with Prana and Apana, digest the fourfold food.

The  same Supreme Consciousness is that which expresses itself as warmth of life in  all living beings: if there is no warmth in the body it is considered as dead.  Metabolism creates heat in the body and this process continues so long as there  is life. That Eternal Reality which is indicated as Life manifests as Digestive  Fire (Vaishwaanara) which assimilates  food. This digestive power assimilates food in four ways through masticating, swallowing,  sucking and licking. The power in the digestive system is nothing but a  manifestation of the Principle of Life. Prana and Apana are the  physiological   functions of perception  and excretion that are present in all living creatures. It is The Lord that  helps us to swallow the food, assimilate it and eliminate the wasteful  by-products.

sarvasya chaaham hridi sannivishto
    mattah smritir jnaanam apohanam cha
    vedaishcha sarvairahameva vedyo
    vedaantakrid vedavideva chaaham // 15.15 //

And  I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge, as well as  their absence. I am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am  indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas am I.

I  am seated in the hearts of all: A peaceful joyous mind settled in tranquility  capable of concentrating on the higher inspirations is what is called the  heart. The Lord is self-evident during meditation in the heart of the  meditator.

Memory,  knowledge and their absence: From the Supreme Consciousness alone all memory,  knowledge and forgetfulness come to us. A capacity to forget is an essential  requisite for acquiring new knowledge because unless the imperfect knowledge is  thrown out new knowledge cannot be assimilated.

To  be known by all the Vedas: The Infinite Consciousness is the one common factor  that has been glorified in all the Vedas and to realize this is the fulfillment  of existence.

Author  of Vedanta and the Knower of Vedas: Since the very essence of Vedas is that  Consciousness which is the Ultimate Reality, everything else is a projection  upon it. The seeker who listens to the Vedas, who reflects upon their wisdom  and who finally experiences the fulfillment of his life is also considered as nothing  other than Consciousness.

In  short, the phenomenal powers, the material world, the matter and its functions  are all the manifestations at different levels of the One Infinite Eternal Divinity.  This is the very theme indicated in the Vedas as the Eternal Reality and to  know it and bring it under our experience is to know the Infinite.

Till  now the glories of The Lord in manifested forms have been described. In the  following verses The True Nature of the Infinite is pointed out as  
•The Unconditioned,  
•The All Pervading and  
•The Eternal

This  Infinite reality is above all concepts such as Finite and the Infinite, the  Perishable and the Imperishable. This section is the heart of this Chapter and is the basis for its nomenclature.

THE SUPREME PERSON, PURUSHOTTAMA

dwaavimau purushau loke ksharashchaakshara eva cha
    ksharah sarvaani bhootani kootastho’kshara uchyate  // 15.16 //

Two Purushas are there in this world,  the Perishable and the Imperishable. All these existences are the Perishable  and the unchanging is the Imperishable.

In  the Thirteenth Chapter, Field of the Matter and Knower of the Field were  elaborated. In this Chapter it was made clear that the sun, earth, plant  kingdom and man and his capabilities etc, consisting of the Field of the matter  are nothing other than the Supreme Self. Thus the Field of the matter is the  Spirit, the Consciousness, the difference being that when the Spirit expresses  as matter It looks as if It were subject to change and destruction. Thus the  realm of the matter is described in this verse as Kshara Purusha - the Perishable. With reference to this Kshara  Purusha the Spirit is the Imperishable, Akshara  Purusha. With reference to the ever changing world of the matter,  Consciousness is Imperishable and Changeless. This Consciousness Principle is  referred to here as Akshara with reference to and contact with the Kshara.

The  Self in the midst of changes remains changeless and all changes can take place  only in contact with It just as an anvil (Kootastham) remaining changeless allows all the iron pieces kept and hammered on it to  change their shapes.

uttamah purushastwanyah paramaatmetyudaahritah
    yo lokatrayamaavishya bibhartyavyaya eeshwarah // 15.17  //

But  other than these, is the Supreme Purusha called the Highest Self, the indestructible  Lord who, pervading the three worlds (waking, dream and deep sleep), sustains  them.

The  Imperishable is the quality attained by the Spirit with reference to the Field  surrounding It. A man occupying a high position in an office acquires the dignity  and the status of that position. Even if that position is removed the man never  ceases to exist; he exists as an individual living being.  When the Field of the matter is removed from the  Knower of the Field what remains is the Knowing Principle, the Pure Knowledge.

Similarly,  when the perishable is transcended what remains is not the Imperishable but  that which played as the Perishable and Imperishable Purushas. This is the Pure  Spirit, the Supreme Self which sustains the three worlds or the three states of  experiences viz. waking, dreaming and deep sleep states of consciousness. The  Self alone is the illuminator in all these three states of existence.

Thus  there are no three types of Purushas - Perishable, Imperishable or Supreme. If  a pot is kept in a room we feel that there are three different types of space,  one completely differing from the other - Pot space, room space and the total  space. But in fact there is only one space which can be understood if the  factors conditioning or limiting the space are removed i.e. if the pot is  broken and the room is dismantled. The unconditioned pot space and room space  are nothing but the total space itself.

Thus  the Consciousness is itself Perishable, Field in another form and as the knower  of the Field the same Consciousness is the Imperishable Reality in the  perishable conditionings. But when these conditionings are transcended the same  Self is experienced as the Supreme Self - the Paramatman, Purushottama.

yasmaat ksharam ateeto'hamaksharaadapi chottamah
    ato'smi loke vede cha prathitah purushottamah // 15.18  //

As  I transcend the perishable and am higher even than the Imperishable, I am  celebrated as the Supreme Person, Purushottama, in the world and in the Vedas.

The  Lord explains here how He is the Purushottama, the Supreme Person. He says that  Pure Consciousness is higher than both the Perishable and the Imperishable. The  Perishable can continue the process of change only against the Imperishable  Truth as no change is perceptible without reference to a changeless factor. If  the changes in the matter-body, mind and intellect-have to be recognized there  must be something which is steady that illumines these changes. This constant  factor among the perishable is called the Imperishable.

The  illumining factor can be called Imperishable only when it is compared to the  Perishable. Once the Perishable spheres are crossed over, the Imperishable  Itself becomes the Pure Infinite which is Purushottama.

Since  the Truth, Purushottama, is experienced only after transcending both Perishable  and Imperishable, the Absolute Truth is known as the Highest Spirit,  Purushottama. This term is used to indicate the Supreme Spirit both in the  Vedas and by the men of the world.

FRUIT OF THAT KNOWLEDGE

yo maamevam asammoodho jaanaati purushottamam
    sa sarvavidbhajati maam sarvabhaavena bhaarata // 15.19  //

He,  who undeluded, knows Me thus as the Highest Purusha, he knowing all, worships  Me with his whole being (heart) O Bharata.

The  Lord tells the fruits gained by the one who realizes the Supreme Truth.  Undeluded is the one who never looks upon the physical body as himself or as  belonging to himself. To know means not only the intellectual comprehension but  the subjective experience that he is the Purushottama-principle. Sri Krishna  declares that such a seeker is the greatest of the devotees because such knowledge  leads to devotion.

The  Highest Spirit, Purushottama, being the Infinite Consciousness, is the  all-knower because he knows that the principle of Consciousness is behind all  perception, feeling and thought.

iti guhyatamam shaastram idamuktam mayaanagha
    etadbuddhwaa buddhimaan syaat kritakrityashcha  bhaarata // 15.20 //

Thus  this most secret science (teaching) has been taught by Me, O Sinless One. On  knowing this, a man becomes wise and all his duties are accomplished, O  Bharata.

In  this concluding verse The Lord praises the Purushottama theme which gives  liberation from all sorrows and agitations. He says that He taught this most  secret science; secret because It (the spiritual science, Brahmavidya) is a  knowledge that cannot come to any one of its own accord unless one is initiated  into it by the Knower of Reality. The secret is also that Purushottama is the  substratum of every thing. Sinless means the one with steady mind. The  knowledge of the Self which gives emancipation from the cycle of births and  deaths and freedom from the bonds of Karma is eulogized here.

He  who has realized the Purushottama-state of Consciousness becomes wise in as  much as he cannot thereafter make any error of judgment in his life creating  confusion and sorrows all around. The second benefit is the enjoyment of a  complete sense of fulfillment, the joy of accomplishing what is expected of him  (achieving the goal of life which is realization of Brahman).

If  this most profound teaching is understood it makes a man wise. After this there  is nothing for him to learn or strive for. He has attained the goal of life and  the aim of human existence. He has the complete knowledge of the Supreme Being  and gets Brahma Jnana. He becomes Jivan Mukta, who is beyond  body-consciousness, three Gunas, three states of consciousness- Waking, Dream  and Deep Sleep - pairs of opposites and the cycle of births and deaths. There  is no rebirth for him. When a person has realized the Self, he has discharged  all the duties of his life. 

This  Chapter is the essence of the Gita, the Vedas and the Upanishads. It is  generally recited before taking food as a mark of sacred offering to the Lord.

om tat sat iti  srimadbhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre sri  krishnaarjuna samvaade purushottama yogo naama panchadasho'dhyaayah ||

Thus  in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal,  the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the fifteenth  discourse entitled  The Yoga of the  Supreme Spirit.

Concepts and Issues

  Sri  Krishna describes Samsara or the created world, comparing it to an inverted  tree. Its root which is on the top is Brahman, the Absolute. The three Gunas  are its branches, the Vedas its leaves and the Vedic rituals are its subsidiary  roots. They have spread out below. However it is not seen as such. Neither its  origin, nor its end, nor its middle can be discerned. One has to cut this tree  by the weapon of detachment and search for that by reaching which, there is no  return to mundane existence.

One  has to take refuge in that primeval person from which this tree of Samsara has  emanated. Only those bereft of egoism, delusion and attachment, who are free  from desires and pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, who are devoted to  The Lord, can attain that eternal abode. Neither the sun nor the moon nor the  fire can light up that abode. After reaching it there is no return.

The  Jiva or the individual soul is a little part of the Supreme Lord and eternal.  While being born here, he attracts to himself the mind and the five organs of  knowledge. While leaving the body he takes them away with him even as wind  carries away the smell. The Jiva enjoys the sense objects through these sense  organs and the mind. He is too subtle to be perceived by the ignorant whereas  the wise do perceive him. The Yogis striving for perfection succeed in seeing  him.

Sri  Krishna says that He is The Lord, the Light of lights. It is He who supports  the earth and He who sustains vegetation through the moon. It is again He that  is responsible for the digestive process in the body, as the Vaisvanara fire. He is the spirit  established in the hearts of all. He is the one sought by the Vedas. He is the  creator of Vedanta.

In  this world there are two Purushas or beings - Kshara, the perishable and the  Akshara, the imperishable. But He is the Paramatman, the Supreme Self, the  Purushottama, the Being par excellence, different and distinct from them and  pervading all the three worlds. Whoever realizes Him as such, becomes  omniscient and worships Him in all respects.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live

  In  this Chapter the core teaching is that Sri Krishna (Brahman) alone exists in  all names and forms, either movable or immovable objects of the universe. All  the planets including the sun, the moon and the stars move and shine with a  fraction of His energy. He alone exists as Consciousness in human beings in the  physical, mental and intellectual levels. He who knows Him as the Supreme  Purusha is the knower of all and worships Him with his whole heart. He who  understands this secret knowledge becomes wise; all his doubts and sufferings  in the world come to an end spontaneously and he becomes the performer of all  the duties.

Points to Ponder

•Why the Samsara is depicted as an inverted tree with its roots up?
•What are the contributions of the Three Gunas towards the destruction of men?
•Analyze the term Purushottama.
•How can one reach the goal of human life - God Realization?
•Write short notes on:   
a. Kshara and Akshara   
b. Vaisvanara fire   
c. Kootasth am   
d. Paramatma

    HARIH OM