Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 9 - Raajavidyaa Raajaguhya Yogah - Yoga Of Royal Knowledge And Royal Secret

 

 

CONTENTS

 

• PREAMBLE
• SOVEREIGN MYSTERY
• GREATNESS OF THAT KNOWLEDGE
• ELUCIDATION OF THE SOVEREIGN WISDOM
• HOW THE LORD SUPPORTS THE WORLD?
• MAYA IS THE CAUSE FOR CREATION & DISSOLUTION
• IS THE LORD PARTIAL?
• DEVOTION TO THE SUPREME BRINGS ITS GREAT REWARDS
• NON-WORSHIPERS ARE CAUGHT IN THE WHEEL OF BIRTH & DEATH
• WORSHIPING OF OTHER GODS
• DEVOTION  AND ITS EFFECTS
• WHY AT ALL THE LORD REQUIRES OFFERING FROM A SEEKER?
• RESULT OF SUCH DEDICATION OF ACTIVITIES
• CONCEPTS & ISSUES
• LIVE AS THE GITA TEACHES YOU TO LIVE
• POINTS TO PONDER

Preamble

This chapter explains how the Self - Atman - pervades  the entire world. The wise seek the Self while the ignorant, disregarding the  Self, lead an empty life with vain hopes and unfulfilled aspirations. They go  through the endless cycle of birth and death. Confirming the truth behind the  saying that whatever one strives for, be it material or spiritual, one attains  that particular goal, the ignorant gain their limited, mundane ends but never  find accomplishment in their lives, whereas, the wise pursue the ultimate goal  of Realization and find absolute peace and bliss in their own Self. Sri Krishna,  therefore, advises Arjuna to seek the Self, to subsume all worldly activities  to the Self until Spiritual Enlightenment is reached.

Krishna begins the chapter by offering to impart the  knowledge of Reality that pervades the world and also as to the means of achieving  this supreme knowledge and thereby free oneself from all agitations and sorrows.

The previous Chapter of the Gita dealt with liberation by  stages through the process of meditation. But this way is not the only means of  emancipation. A direct way is described in this Chapter. This knowledge being  unknown to the mankind at large, Krishna terms it as a supreme secret and hence  this Chapter is called ‘Yoga of Royal Knowledge  and Royal Secret’.

All living beings and inert things arise from the supreme  Reality, exist in the Reality and ultimately merge into the Reality. The  periods of manifestation of the world and its dissolution run into billions of  years. The supreme Reality acts as the disinterested Self, witnessing the entire  creation and dissolution. Those who fail to pursue this knowledge remain bound  to the world of mortality. Krishna, therefore, appeals to the seekers to free  themselves from the manifest world and reach the unmanifest Reality and to  discover the Divinity that supports the pluralistic phenomenal existence.

SOVEREIGN MYSTERY

sri bhagavaan uvaacha
    idam tu te guhyatamam  pravakshyaamyanasooyave
    jnaanam vijnaanasahitam yajjnaataa  mokshyase’shubhaat  // 9.1 //

Sri  Bhagavan said
    To  you, O Arjuna, who do not criticize, I will propound this, the greatest mystery  of knowledge combined with realization, by understanding which you will bee  released from evil.

In  this opening verse Sri Krishna assures Arjuna that He will reveal the  theoretical knowledge of the Self combined with Its intuitive perception. Such  knowledge is the direct means of attaining liberation. This knowledge about the  Self dwelling in the body, and about the identity of the individual self and  the Supreme Self, is considered most profound mystery because it has only to be  realized through one's own experience or spiritual intuition and cannot be  expressed in any words.

Arjuna  is considered to be the most suitable candidate to know this deep mystery because  he is free from jealousy and does not belong to the category of those who  always find fault with whatever others do or say. Jealousy-free mind only can  absorb deep knowledge, for jealousy is another form of ignorance.

Sri  Bhagavan says that the one who receives this knowledge (a realized person)  shall be free from all irksome problems of life, can rule over circumstances  and face adversities with a smile. Krishna assures that by understanding that  knowledge one will be released from the evil i.e. bondage of the world.

GREATNESS OF THAT KNOWLEDGE

raajavidyaa raajaguhyam  pavitramidamuttamam
    pratyakshaavagamam dharmyam susukham  kartumavyayam // 9.2 //

It  is the Royal Science, Royal mystery, and the supreme purifier. It is perceived  by direct experience. It accords with Dharma, it is easy to practice and it is  imperishable.

In  order to develop enthusiasm in the pursuit of Self, perfection is praised in  this verse. Here the word secret or mystery means that which is too deep and  striking and hence Vedanta is a secret for the uninitiated which has to be unraveled  by a person endowed with scriptural knowledge.

Sri  Krishna says that Vedanta, the science of life which is sovereign in its  import, deep in its substance and supreme in its purifying effects, is clearly  comprehensible since it can be verified by direct experience. It is knowledge  by acquaintance and not by description.   The truth is waiting to be seen by us, if the obstructing veils are  removed. The Supreme is to be seen by one as one's own Self, through one's  developed and purified intuition. The gains obtained by pursuit of this Royal  Science are of imperishable nature.

As  a lamp, when lit in a room, instantly destroys the accumulated darkness of the  ages, so the knowledge of Brahman, when realized in the heart, reduces to ashes  the accumulated karma of all the past ages. Hence it is called supreme  purifier.

The  Bliss of Brahman is as directly perceived as the feelings of pleasure and pain.  An object endowed with great qualities can also be against Dharma; but such is  not the case with the knowledge of Brahman which is easily acquired when taught  by a qualified teacher. It is always in accordance with Dharma. The Bliss  arising out of the knowledge of Brahman, though easily acquired, is eternal.  Therefore the knowledge of Brahman should be pursued by all who desire peace  and happiness.

ashraddhadhaanaah purushaa dharmasyaasya  parantapa
    apraapya maam nivartante  mrityusamsaaravartmani // 9.3 //

Those  who have no faith in this knowledge of the Self and regard physical body itself  as the Self, O Parantapa, return to the path of mortal living.

Faith  or unswerving conviction of the existence of God, the soul and immortality is  the prerequisite of spiritual life. Those without faith mean those who regard  the physical body as the self and do not believe in the indestructibility and  immortality of the soul.

ELUCIDATION OF THE SOVEREIGN WISDOM

mayaa tatamidam sarvam  jagadavyaktamoortinaa
    matstaani sarvabhootani na chaaham  teshvavasthitah // 9.4 //

All  things in this universe are pervaded by Me in My unmanifest aspect; all beings  exist in Me but I do not exist in them.

na cha matsthaani bhootaani pashya me  yogamaishwaram
    bhootabhrinna cha bhootastho mamaatmaa  bhootabhaavanah // 9.5 //

And  yet the beings do not exist in Me; behold, that is My Divine mystery. My Spirit  which is the support of all beings and the source of all things does not dwell  in them.

These  two verse are very popular but yet difficult for easy comprehension. They  require considerable reflection.

As  we have seen earlier whenever Bhagavan uses the word ‘ME’ it does not refer to  him as any individual but it means the Supreme Lord, the Ultimate Cause of All,  the Uncaused Cause. His unmanifested form is Consciousness, Atman which is  imperceptible to the senses. All things in the universe denote from the highest  Brahma, the cosmic Spirit, to a blade of grass. Nothing can exist in this world  unless the Lord, the Spirit, forms its substratum. Upanishads declare that the  Lord, after creating the objects entered them as their indwelling consciousness  to enliven them. Brahman, God, exists as the unmanifest Reality and pervades  everywhere. Nothing exists other than Brahman. Yet because of delusion we see  only the manifested world of beings and not it’s underlying Reality. We  superimpose the illusory world on the eternal Reality, Brahman.

This  is like a deluded person misunderstanding a post as a ghost in darkness. He is  said to superimpose the figure of ghost on the post on account of his wrong  perception. The post is the substratum of the ghost; the post pervades every  part of the ghost; the ghost cannot exist unless there is the post but the post  can survive in spite of the absence of the ghost. Similarly Brahman exists  without the world, but the world’s existence depends upon Brahman.

Hence  Krishna declares this truth in Verse 4 above that All things in this universe  are pervaded by Him in His unmanifest aspect  and that all beings exist in Him but He does not  exist in them. This is just like saying that the ghost exists in the post but  the post does not exist in the ghost. The post remains the source of the ghost.  There can be no ghost without the post, but the post can remain without the  ghost.

A  thing devoid of inner reality cannot exist or be an object of experience. The  Lord is the inner reality of everything. The reality of the Lord makes real  everything in this world. But the reality of the Lord does not depend upon the  world. He always exists whether the universe of names and forms exists or not.

The  Lord is incorporeal and therefore has no real contact with the material world.  He cannot be contained in any object. He is self-existent and self-luminous.  Only a fraction of His majesty illumines the sun, the moon and the universe.  But He himself is transcendental.

Having  said that, the Lord further declares in the Verse 5 that “All beings do not  dwell in Me; My spirit which is the support of all beings and the source of all  things, does not dwell in them”. On the face of it, this verse seems to  contradict what was stated in the previous verse. Verse 4 admits the existence  of beings in Brahman while Verse 5 denies the existence of beings in Brahman. A  little critical analysis will remove this apparent mismatch of ideas.

Applying  the same previous example of the post and the ghost to this verse, it is like  the post telling that ‘The ghost is not in me nor I am in the ghost. In fact,  there never was a ghost. The ghost you perceive is only your imagination and  not based on any fact or reality. The only reality is I, the post. I was, I am  and I will be (the post only). This is the only truth from my standpoint’.

Thus  the contradiction between these two verses is reconciled if we understand that  there is no real existence of the universe and the beings. The existence of  beings admitted in Verse 4 has only an illusory appearance to the eyes of the  deluded. Beings do not actually exist, Brahman alone exists. Those who are  fortunate to have wisdom clearly perceive and experience this truth. They see  Brahman alone supporting the illusory phenomenon of this universe.

While  in dream state we do not see the connection between the dream world and our  mind. Only on waking up we understand such connection. Our mind alone projected  the dream world which on waking up disappeared. Similarly, on tuning to  God-consciousness, upon realizing the Self, we see the relation between the  universe and God, Brahman.

What  is this relation? The infinite Lord cannot be contained in a finite universe.  Then why cannot the universe and the beings dwell in Him? The Lord, in reality,  is neither the container nor the contained. In Him there is not the slightest  trace of duality. In His purest essence He is above the law of cause and  effect. In the final realization, the object and the subject become one; the  whole universe merges in the Lord. In that state the Lord remains as One  without a second, a homogeneous concentration of consciousness. The concepts of  container and contained, cause and effect, apply to the realm of manifestation  or maya. Through maya even though the Lord manifests in the tangible, relative  universe, and appears to be its cause and support, yet He is always One without  a second, transcendental, incorporeal and unattached. This is His eternal  mystery - ‘My Divine Mystery’ as the Lord puts it in the Verse 5.

 

HOW THE LORD SUPPORTS THE WORLD?

yathaakaashasthito nityam vaayuh  sarvatrago mahaan
    tathaa sarvaani bhootani  matsthaaneetyupadhaaraya // 9.6 //

As  the mighty wind moving everywhere rests always in space (The Akasa), even so  you know that all beings rest in Me.

It  is really difficult for the ordinary intellect to comprehend the idea that a  substance which exists everywhere, allowing everything to exist in it, but at  the same time it in itself does not get conditioned by the things existing  in it.

Although  the wind moves everywhere in the space, exists in the space and is supported by  the space yet the wind does not put any limitation on the space. Space holds  them all but is touched by none. This illustrates the relationship between the  Self and the Not-Self. When the wind moves the space does not move. None of the  qualities of the wind is the quality of the space. So also, the Real supports  the unreal which seemingly lives in the Real and yet the unreal full of misery  and sorrow can never condition the Real.

On  the same analogy, without affecting the Lord in any way, good and evil, pain  and pleasure, and the other traits of this universe do not touch the Lord  because from His point of view they are illusory. He can never be touched by  anything happening in time and space. As a light cannot be affected by the good  or evil deed done with its help, so the soul, which in its essence is one with  the Lord, cannot be affected by the good and evil action of the body and mind.

MAYA IS THE CAUSE FOR CREATION & DISSOLUTION

sarvabhootaani kaunteya prakritim  yaanti  maamikaam
    kalpakshaye punastaani kalpaadau  visrijaamyaham // 9.7 //

O  son of Kunti, all beings, go back to My nature at the end of a time-cycle (Kalpa);  I send them forth again at the beginning of the next cycle.

prakritim swaamavashtabhya visrijaami  punah punah
    bhootagraamamimam kritsnamavasham  prakritervashaat // 9.8 //

Controlling  My own nature, I again and again send forth all this multitude of beings,  helpless under the sway of maya.


  In  these two verses Sri Krishna describes how His power of maya is instrumental in  the process of creation and dissolution of the universe.

The  whole process of creation, preservation and dissolution is due to the Lord’s  maya, His lower prakriti or nature consisting of the three gunas in  their undifferentiated state and yet He is unaffected by it. Vedanta while  recognizing the fact of creation does not approve of the act of creation. The  Lord does not create the universe from nothing or void, for nothing only can  come out from nothing. Therefore Vedanta believes that the Lord, because of His  power of lower nature, maya, projects out of Himself (manifests) all the names  and forms at the time of creation. Consciousness or His higher nature endows  them with life.

At  the end of the time-cycle, the names and forms of the manifested universe go  back into the seed state and remain merged in Prakriti. At this state the three  gunas of Prakriti remain in equilibrium. When this balance is disturbed, again  creation takes place. This process of creation and dissolution is without  beginning.  Thus the better terms to  indicate creation and dissolution are manifestation or evolution and mergence  or involution. The Lord, in His pure essence, remains unaffected by the  activities of His maya, though the insentient maya is activated because of its  proximity to the Lord.

Verse 8 says that the Lord, with the help of Prakriti manifests the universe. Because  of His very proximity, insentient Nature acts. Maya or Prakriti is under His  control. But Jiva or the created being is under the control of maya.

Living  beings come out of Prakriti which remains dormant at the end of the previous cycle.  Dissolution or the state in which the three gunas remain at perfect balance is  called the sleep (dormant state) of Prakriti.

The  beings at the end of the previous cycle merged in Prakriti are still under the  influence of maya or ignorance. As Prakriti becomes active at the beginning of  the next cycle, the beings also assume appropriate births according to their  past karma.

Since  the creation is falsely superimposed upon the Lord, what is perceived to be the  universe existing in time and space is, from the point of Reality, nothing but  the Lord Himself. Just as in the illusion of a rope appearing as a snake, the  falsely perceived snake is in reality nothing but the rope.

IS THE LORD PARTIAL?

na cha maam taani karmaani nibadhnanti  dhananjaya
    udaaseenavadaaseenamasaktam teshu  karmasu // 9.9 //

These  acts do not bind Me, O Dhanajaya, for I remain unattached to them as one  unconcerned.

Because the Lord is responsible for the manifestation of heterogeneous beings of  unequal conditions, a question arises whether He is guilty of partiality as we  normally think. This issue is answered here. The Lord says that He is unconcerned  about fruit of His action relating to the creation of unequal and diverse  beings.

It  is attachment to the fruit that binds. He is unconcerned because He is totally  devoid of the feeling of “I do”. The creation belongs to the realm of maya and  the Lord is beyond maya. There is no relationship between the Lord and creation  just as there is no contact between the desert and the mirage. He is totally  free from any desire, purpose, motive or agency so far as the creation is  concerned.

Wherever  and whenever egocentric actions are performed with selfish desires, they leave  behind their impressions either pleasant or unpleasant.  However, in the case of the Self which is  Eternal there is neither attraction nor aversion in these actions i.e. in the  creation and dissolution of the Universe. It is unmindful of what type of world  is projected or what kind of activities take place therein.

The  Self is neutral or indifferent to everything. It does nothing nor does It cause  anything to be done. The Self has no attachment to the fruits of Its actions  nor has It any egocentric feeling of agency or doership just as an Umpire is  not interested in the results of the game he is umpiring. Therefore, the  actions involved in creation and dissolution do not bind The Lord.

The  absence of egocentric feelings of doership and attachment to fruits of actions  is the cause for freedom from Dharma and Adharma or virtue and vice. The  ignorant man who works with egoism and with a desire for the rewards of his  actions is bound by his own actions.

mayaadhyakshena prakritih sooyate  sacharaacharam
    hetunaanena kaunteya  jagadwiparivartate  // 9.10 //

By  reason of My proximity, Prakriti produces all things, the moving and the unmoving;  because of this, O Kaunteya the world revolves.

The  finite acts because of the Infinite and yet the Infinite is said to be neutral.  This strange relationship between the finite and the Infinite is explained  here. The Lord presides over only as a witness; nature does everything. By  reason of His proximity or presence, nature sends forth the moving and the  unmoving. The prime cause of this creation is nature or prakriti.

Although  all actions are done with the help of the light of the sun, yet the sun cannot  become the doer of all actions. Similarly, the Lord cannot become the doer of  actions even though nature does all actions with the help of the light of the  Lord.

As  the Self illumines ignorance or maya, which is the material cause of this  world, the Self is regarded as the cause of this world. The magnet is indifferent  although it makes the iron pieces move on account its proximity.

Similarly,  The Lord remains indifferent although He makes the nature-Prakriti- create the  world. He presides over the world which consists of moving and unmoving objects  as a witness. By His presence the wheel of the manifested and unmanifested  beings revolves round and round.

The  question why The Lord created the world when He is a mere witness is a mystic  one. We cannot say that the purpose of creation is meant for the enjoyment of  the Supreme; for the Supreme is devoid of desire and does not enjoy. It is pure  consciousness, a mere witness. And there is no other enjoyer for there is no  other consciousness; A question arises whether is creation intended to secure heaven  for it is opposed to heaven. Thus the question regarding the purpose of  creation cannot be asked if one remembers that creation is maya or an illusion.

In  Verses 7 to 10 The Lord defines His position through easy steps leading to a  subtle concept which may appear contradictory. He begins by saying that He  projects all beings at the beginning of evolution; Prakriti is only an  instrument in His hands. Next, He says, He is not affected by the act, since He  sits by, as the one neutral, perfectly unattached. Lastly, He tells the final  truth that He really does nothing, that it is Prakriti, activated by His  proximity produces the universe. It is His light that lights up the Prakriti  and makes it live and act. This is the only relation between the Lord and His  Prakriti.

The  important point for us to note in these Verses 7 to 10 is that Sri Krishna imparts the subtle knowledge that Brahman, being neutral, remains apart as a  silent witness of all that happens in the phenomenal world of the animate and  inanimate.

DEVOTION TO THE SUPREME BRINGS ITS GREAT REWARDS

avajaananti maam moodhaah maanusheem  tanumaashritam
    param bhaavamajaananto mama  bhootamaheshwaram // 9.11 //

Unaware  of My higher nature as the Supreme Lord of all beings, fools disregard Me, when  I assume a human form.

From  time to time the Lord assumes a human form so that men may attain a godly  nature. In that state the Lord acts outwardly like a human being though always  remaining in full possession of the knowledge that He is unattached to anything  material and that He is the very Self of all beings. The deluded only see Him  acting as a man and therefore disregard Him as an ordinary human being while  the wise understand Him as the Supreme Self.

moghaashaa moghakarmaano moghajnaanaa  vichetasah
    raakshaseemaasureem chaiva prakritim  mohineem shritaah // 9.12 //

Of  vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless, they definitely  are possessed of the delusive nature of Rakshasas and Asuras.

`They'  refers to those described in the previous verse. Rakshasas are those having  Tamasic nature who indulge in acts of cruelty. Asuras are those having Rajasic  nature with qualities of ambition, greed, and the like. They cling to the world  of transient forms with the hope of finding peace and happiness and are victims  of their own deceitful nature and disregard the Lord, who dwells in them as  their underlying Reality.

mahaatmaanastu maam paartha daiveem  prakritimaashritaah
    bhajantyananyamanaso jnaatwaa  bhootaadimavyayam // 9.13 //

But  the Mahatmas (great souls) O Partha, possessing the Divine nature worship Me  with undisturbed minds knowing Me as the imperishable origin of all beings.

Deceitful  nature mentioned above is contrasted with Divine nature. People of Demoniac  nature live in their ego consciousness making it as a centre of their  activities and get lost in the fruitless Samsara missing their true destiny. On  the other hand people of wisdom who possess divine or saatwic nature and are  endowed with self-restraint, mercy, faith, purity etc., know Him as the origin  of all beings just as those who know the mud to be the origin of all mud pots  will see the mud in all pots. They worship Him with single minded devotion.  Their whole life becomes a continuous adoration of the Supreme and hence they  are Mahatmas.

satatam keertayanto maam yatantashcha  dridhavrataah
    namasyantashcha maam bhaktyaa  nityayuktaa upaasate // 9.14 //

Always  glorifying Me, striving with firm resolve, bowing down to Me in devotion,  always steadfast, they worship Me.

These  great souls always sing His glory, committed to lead a spiritual life of  self-redemption with determination to reject the False and to pursue the path  of the Real. They prostrate before The Lord with total detachment and surrender  of all false identifications with their own matter-envelopments. They worship  Him with great faith and devotion keeping in mind the nature of the Self as the  substratum of the entire Universe and the essence of all beings. They represent  the highest perfection of a combination of knowledge, devotion and work.

jnaanayajnena chaapyanye yajanto  maamupaasate
    ekatwena prithaktwena bahudhaa  vishwatomukham // 9.15 //

Others  again offer the oblation of knowledge and worship Me either as the one with  them or as the distinct from them and still others in various ways worship Me  whose form is the whole universe.

Oblation  of knowledge implies that the knowledge of the Lord is itself a Yajna. The  destruction of ignorance with fires of knowledge is called Gnana Yagna - Wisdom  Sacrifice It implies that for the purpose of invoking Right Knowledge false  ideas in us must be thrown into the flames of Right Knowledge. The Gnana Yagna  has no ritualism. It is a constant attempt on the part of the performer to see  the Consciousness Principle in every familiar name and form in all conditions  and situations. It means an understanding that the Immutable Self pervades all,  holding together the phenomenal multiplicities.

They  offer their worship from the non-dualistic view or from the dualistic view. The  man of realization identifies himself with the All-formed which is the view of  Advaita. Some worship Him by making a distinction between The Lord and  themselves which is the Dualistic view (Dvaita). Some worship Him with the  knowledge that He exists as the various Divinities like Brahma, Vishnu and  Rudra etc (Vishishtaadvaita).

aham kraturaham yajnah  swadhaahamahamaushadham
    mantro’hamahamevajyam ahamagniraham  hutam // 9.16 //

I  am the Kratu, I am the Yajna - the sacrifice, I am the Svadha - the offering  (food) to the ancestors, I am the Aushadha - the medicinal plants and herbs, I  am the Mantra, I am the Ajya - the melted butter (Ghee), I am the fire, and I  am the oblation.

Verses  16 - 19 explain how all the different types of worship performed in variety of  forms become the worship of the one Self - the essence behind the seeming  plurality of the world which is nothing but a superimposition gaining its  existence from the Reality behind it. In this verse the existence of Self  everywhere is explained giving the example of ritualistic worship widely  prevalent in Arjuna's time. He is told that all the methods of worship are  nothing but the worship of the Self.

Not  only the different ritualistic prescriptions (Yajna) are presided over by the  Self but all the vegetable food and medicinal herbs used in the sacrifice  (Aushadha), the ghee poured into the altar of fire (Ajya), the oblations  (Hutam) offered, the fire that is invoked (Agni), the mantras chanted with  which oblation is offered, the food offered to the ancestors (Svadha) and the  Kratu- a kind of Vedic rite are all nothing but the Self expressed in different  ways and through different fields.

The  Vedic sacrifice is interpreted as an offering of our whole nature, an entire self  giving to the Universal Self. What we receive from Him we give back to Him. The  gift and surrender are both His.

Through the symbol of sacrifice the Lord suggests  that He alone forms all the accessories of worship and also the act and the  result of the sacrifice.

pitaahamasya jagato maataa dhaataa  pitaamahah
    vedyam pavitramonkara rik saama yajureva  cha // 9.17 //

I  am the father of this universe - the mother, the sustainer, the grandfather,  the purifier, the knowable, the sacred mono-syllable OM and also the Rig, Sama  and the Yajur Vedas.

In  order to show that the Self permeates everywhere The Lord says that He is the  father, the mother, the sustainer, the grandfather and the purifier of the  worlds. He is the one thing to be known because the Self is that which having  known, everything becomes known. The Self, the substratum of the entire living  universe, is symbolized by the Vedic mantra called OM. Life, which is the flow  of constant experiences, implies the sum-total of all experiences in each one  of us during the waking, dreaming and deep-sleep states.

The  substratum for these three states and their experiences must be something other  than the super-impositions on it just as the container is different from the  contained. The fourth state supporting the ordinary states of consciousness in  every one of us is termed Turiya. The sacred symbol OM represents all these  four states. Therefore the Ultimate indicated by OM is the Self. This Absolute  Reality is the theme of all the Vedas and therefore it is said that ` I am also  the Rik, Sama and Yajus.

gatirbhartaa prabhuh saakshee nivaasah  sharanam suhrit
    prabhavah pralayah sthaanam nidhaanam  beejamavyayam // 9.18 //

I  am the Goal, the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Shelter, the  Friend, the Origin, the Dissolution, the Foundation, the Treasure-house and the  Seed which is imperishable.

The  Lord continues the enumeration of Brahman’s various manifestations. He is :

The  Goal (Gati): The Self is the goal because when the imperfections of the world  of multiplicities are crossed over, the Absolute abode of Reality is  experienced.

The  Supporter (Bharta): Just as the desert supports the mirage, the Self lends a  semblance of reality to the varied perceptions of the sense organs and thus  holding together the ever-so-many changes into a consistent pattern which is  called life.

The  Lord (Prabhu): The Self, as the Pure Awareness. is beyond the sorrows and joys  of the apparent and delusory universe just as electric energy is beyond the  characteristics of its own manifestation through varied equipments.

The  Witness (Saakshee): The Self is a mere witness and not a participant as It is  an uninterested illuminator of what is happening in the body, mind and  intellect as well as in the world outside.

The  Abode (Nivasah): When different minds on different occasions project different  forms and moods of a ghost on the same lamp post, the post is said to be the  abode of different ghosts. So too, whenever our sense organs experience the  pluralistic phenomena of the world, the Self or the Awareness is their abode.

The  Shelter (Sharanam): The Self is the refuge or the harbor of tranquility which  protects the confused ego from the sorrows and pains of Samsar.

The  Friend (Suhrith): the Infinite is always the friend of the finite giving the  latter security and well-being.

The  Origin and Dissolution, the Substratum and the Store-house: As mud is in all  pots, gold is in all ornaments, the Self is in the universe. Therefore, all  things can come to manifestation and dissolve into the unmanifest only on the  basis of a substratum. Hence the substratum, the Self, is the store-house of  all names, forms and qualities that constitute the world.

The  Immutable Seed (Beejam Avyayam): In contrast with the other seeds which undergo  changes when they germinate, although the Self is the origin of all beings, It remains  imperishable or unchanged even after beings arise out of it. It is therefore Immutable  i.e. It endures so long as the Samsara endures.

tapaamyahamaham varsham nigrihnaamyutsrijaami cha
    amritam chaiva mrityushcha sadasacchaaham  arjuna // 9.19 //

As  the sun I give heat; I withhold and send forth the rain; I am immortality and  also death; both being and Non-being, O Arjuna.

This  verse explains that the Self is the essence and the ruling factor behind all  phenomenal objects and happenings in the universe.

I  gave heat: Just as electricity conditioned through various equipments expresses  itself as heat in a heater, light in a bulb and cold in a fridge, the Self, the  Existence itself, identifying with the phenomenon called the sun becomes the  source of heat for the entire universe.

I  withhold and send forth rain: The sun influences the climatic conditions of the  universe thereby causing rainfall or drought.

I  am immortality and also death: Self being the spark of life, It gives realistic  experiences of existence in the world including to the phenomenon called death.  Once it is realized that the Self is Immutable and Eternal, the state of  immortality is reached. Change is what is called death and therefore the Self  is the illuminator of change, Itself ever changeless.

I  am the Being and Non-Being: Sat (existence) and Asat (non-existence) are the  terms used in Vedanta to indicate cause and effect, the manifest and  unmanifest. The Self being that Illuminating factor without which neither  manifest nor unmanifest can be experienced, the Self is conceived of as the  Essence in both the manifest and unmanifest. He is being when manifested and  non-being when the world is unmanifested.

The  main idea is that the devotees regard the Lord in various ways and follow  different methods of worship. The Supreme Lord grants our prayers in whatever  form we worship Him.

The variety of human pursuits and how each gains its  particular objective in life are described now. These pursuits fall under three  distinct types of activities in the world.   The persons belonging to the first type act with self-centered interests  in this world. They go about their activities merely fulfilling their ego and  egocentric desires. Consequently they suffer from mental agitations and sorrow (papa).

Others in the second category work unselfishly for  higher and nobler goals in life. They serve and sacrifice for their chosen  ideal. They gain the joys of heaven (punya).

The third variety seeks spiritual Enlightenment. They  strive for liberation through their devout offerings to the Supreme Being. They  oblate their actions, feelings and thoughts to their altar of Self-realization.  Such seekers become liberated from their mundane existence and gain the  ultimate bliss of Realization.

A  seeker’s direction in the spiritual path matters more than his spiritual  status. A righteous person may move towards worldly attractions and devolve  spiritually, whereas an unrighteous person may take to the spiritual path and  evolve. Therefore, in the spiritual life what really matters is not where you  are but what direction you choose to take – the path of evolution or  devolution.

The  discussion in this Chapter concludes with the encouraging words that anyone can  attain Enlightenment through devotion and dedicated effort towards the Supreme  Self.

NON-WORSHIPPERS ARE CAUGHT IN THE WHEEL OF BIRTH & DEATH

traividyaa maam somapaah pootapaapaa yajnairishtwaa swargatim  praarthayante
    te punyamaasaadya surendralokamashnanti  divyaandivi devabhogaan // 9.20 //

The knowers of the three  Vedas, the drinkers of Soma, purified of all sins, worshipping Me by  sacrifices, pray for the way to heaven: they reach the holy world of The Lord  of the Gods (Indra) and enjoy in heaven the divine pleasures of the gods.

te tam bhuktwaa swargalokam vishaalam ksheene punye martyalokam  vishanti
    evam trayeedharmamanuprapannaa gataagatam kaamakaamaa labhante // 9.21  //

They having enjoyed the vast  heaven, return to the world of mortals when their merits are exhausted; thus  abiding by the injunctions of the three Vedas and desirous of enjoyments, they  are subject to birth and death.

The Lord refers to the Vedic  Theory that those who perform rituals gain heavenly enjoyments after death and  points out how it cannot be regarded as the highest goal. Such men are bound by  the law of karma as they are still lured by desire and they will return to this  cosmic procession since they act from an ego-centre and since their ignorance  is not destroyed.

If we seek rewards in heaven, we  will gain them but we return to mortal existence so long as we do not gain the  true aim of life. Human life is an opportunity to develop soul's divine nature  from the imperfect material we are composed of. We operate from the ego-centered  consciousness, whether we seek the pleasures of this world or a future paradise  and therefore do not gain liberation from the ever running wheel of birth and  death.

ananyaashchintayanto maam ye janaah paryupaasate
    teshaam nityaabhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahaamyaham // 9.22 //

To these men who worship Me  alone, thinking of no other, to those ever self-controlled, I secure which is  not already possessed (Yoga) and preserve what they already possess (Kshema).

The case of  those who worship the Eternal (with love free from any desire) as the  Substratum for the entire Universe is illustrated here. They meditate upon The  Lord as the one and the only reality behind the entire universe. Sri Krishna  promises them Yoga - more and more spiritual enlightenment and Kshema - the final liberation resulting from the Yoga.

This verse can be interpreted to  mean that The Lord takes up all the cares and burdens of His devotees. To  become conscious of divine love, all other love must be abandoned. If we cast  ourselves entirely on the mercy of God, He bears all our sorrows. We can depend  on His saving grace and energizing care. The Lord promises complete protection  or final merger with His Immortal Being to those who love Him with all their  body, heart and soul.

This Verse conveys the central  theme of the Gita and is very famous.

WORSHIPING OF OTHER GODS

yepyanyadevataa bhaktaa yajante shraddhaya’anvitaah
    te’pi maameva kaunteya yajantyavidhipoorvakam  // 9.23 //

Even those devotees, who  endowed with faith, worship other Gods, worship Me alone, O Son of Kunti, by  the wrong method.

All do not worship at the same  altar since tastes differ from person to person. Although they worship at the  different altars, they adore the same Vitality that is the substratum for all  the created world of change. Thus even when they worship different deities with  perfect faith, all of them invoke nothing but the One Eternal Truth expressed  through different forms of worship.

Once it is agreed that the  Infinite Reality is the One without a second, which remains the same in the  past, present and future, it will be clear that the Self as Consciousness  expressed through the instruments of different saints, sages, prophets and  incarnations is one and the same wherever and whenever they are born and  functioned among the people of their times. Hence Sri Krishna declares that  they too worship Me alone, eventhough by wrong methods.

The term other Gods referred to  in this verse means different forms or aspects of the single God-hood like Indra,  Varuna etc., which the man assumes in his different Gunas. Such worshipers are  said to follow wrong methods because while worshipping when there is a  possibility of achieving the Highest - Realization of the Self, Liberation -  they pray for ordinary things of life like health, wealth etc. Because of this  ignorance they come back to the world to satisfy their unfulfilled desires.

aham hi sarvayajnaanaam bhoktaa cha prabhur eva cha
    na tu maamabhijaananti  tattwenaatashchyavanti te // 9.24 //

(For) I alone am the enjoyer  in and the Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in essence and hence  they fall (return to this mortal world).

This verse explains why these  methods are wrong and why the pursuers of these wrong methods return to the  mortal world when they have finished enjoying the joys of heaven which were the  rewards for their merits acquired through ritualism.

These methods are wrong because  only a limited potentiality of the Supreme is invoked and Its infinite glory is  not realized. Hence they fall into the delusory mundane world again and again.

The Lord alone is the enjoyer of  all sacrifices and the lord of all sacrifices. As a result of their sacrifices  they attain a higher plane to enjoy their merits. However as they perform the  worship without recognizing the Supreme and as they do not consecrate their  actions to Him, they return to the mortal world after their merits have been  exhausted.

yaanti devavrataa devaan  pitreenyaanti pitrivrataah
    bhutaani yaanti bhutejyaa  yaanti madyaajino‘pi maam // 9.25 //

The worshippers of the Devas  or Gods go to the Devas; to the pitris or ancestors go the ancestor-worshippers;  to the Bhutas or the elements go the worshippers of the Bhutas; but those who  worship Me come to Me.

`Devas' represent the various  sense-organs by the activities of which the world is experienced. In other  words the word `Devas' means the entire field of all physical experiences.  Those who solicit the external world of joys and successes consistently and  with the required amount of devotion, come to gain such enjoyments. The worshippers  of ancestors mean those who strive to live up to the cultural purity and  traditions of their ancients. Such an individual gains the beauty and  perfection of a pure life. The worshippers of the Bhutas reach the Bhutas  indicate that even for those who diligently pursue the understanding of nature  success is assured to the extent of their efforts made.

But these are the limited forms  of the Supreme and cannot give the aspiring soul the peace that is beyond all  understanding. The result of worship is assimilation to the form worshipped and  these limited forms give limited results. But devotion to the Supreme brings  the supreme reward of merging with the Self and such persons become on with  Brahman.

DEVOTION AND ITS EFFECTS

patram pushpam phalam toyam yo me bhaktyaa prayacchati
    tadaham bhaktyupahritamashnaami prayataatmanah // 9.26 //

Whoever offers Me with  devotion and a pure mind, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water - that I  accept (the devout gift of the pure minded).

A gift, however small, is  accepted by The Lord when it is offered with profound faith and devotion. He is  satisfied even with a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water when it is  offered with single-minded devotion and pure heart. What is offered is not as  important as how it is offered. Although all the objects of the world belong to  Him only and not to the devotee, yet if they are offered to Him by a devotee  they become the conveyors of the latter's love and dedication unto The Lord.

Therefore the offerings serve  their purpose only if they are accompanied by (a) devotion and (b) pure mind  and heart. If these qualities are absent they are mere economic waste, vanity  and false belief breeding superstition. On the other hand, if properly done,  they are the means of transport in the spiritual path of self-development.

The way to the Highest is not by  way of subtle metaphysics or complicated ritual. It is by sheer self-giving,  which is symbolized by the offer of a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water.

WHY AT ALL THE LORD REQUIRES OFFERING FROM A SEEKER?

yatkaroshi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshi dadaasi yat
    yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushva madarpanam // 9.27 //

Whatever you do, whatever you  eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give away, whatever you practice  as austerity, O Kaunteya, do it as an offering to Me.

This verse explains how through  all activities of life one can constantly live in the spirit of `devout  offering' unto the Supreme. It is repeatedly said in the Gita that mental  attitude is of utmost importance than the mere physical act and this fact is  generally overlooked by the seekers.

The Lord being the creator and  sustainer of all objects needs nothing from anybody. All that is required by  Him is the devotion expressed through the spirit of offering. Sri Krishna therefore  says that even simple common tasks of daily life like what we eat, what we  offer in sacrifices, what we give as gifts and what we practice as austerity,  can be done as a sacred offering unto the Eternal and thereby a constant  remembrance of the Supreme can be maintained although undergoing the vagaries  of life.

When all the activities of life  are performed with a spirit of offering, not only our love to the Supreme  increases in us but also our entire life becomes sanctified with a nobler and  diviner focus. A devotee who constantly remembers the Substratum behind  everything in life can give to life the respect and reverence that it deserves  and in turn the life bestows its rewards on him. Love of God is not an escape  from harshness of life but a dedication for service. Karma Yoga or the way of works which starts with the duty of performance of prescribed rites concludes with the position that all tasks are sanctified when done with  disinterestedness and dedication.

The message is when all actions  are consecrated unto Him with disinterestedness and dedication they become  sanctified by which one is freed from the bondage of Karma with no re-birth to  him. The individual becomes one with the Cosmic Will.

It is appropriate to quote here a  verse from Adi Sankara’s “Siva Manasa Pooja” which reads:

Aatmaa tvam girijaa matih sahacharaah praanaah shariiram griham |
    Poojaa te vishhayopabhogarachanaa nidraa samaadhisthitih |
    Sajnchaarah padayoh pradakshinavidhih stotraani sarvaagiro |
    Yadyat karma karomi tat tad akhilam shambho tavaaraadhanam||



  You are my self, Parvati is my  understanding. My five praanaas are your attendants. My body is your  house, and all the pleasures of my senses are objects to use for your worship.  My sleep is your state of samaadhii. Wherever I walk I am walking around  you (pradakshina), everything I say is a prayer in praise of you. Whatever act is done by me, every one of them, O Lord, is worship unto You.

Dedication of all our activities to the Supreme is the corner-stone for  spiritual awakening.

RESULT OF SUCH DEDICATION OF ACTIVITIES

shubhaashubhaphalairevam mokshyase karmabandhanaih
    sannyaasa yogayuktaatmaa vimukto maamupaishyasi // 9.28  //

You shall thus be freed from  the bondage of actions yielding good and evil results. With your mind firmly  set on the Yoga of renunciation you shall become free and come to Me.

Sri Krishna continues the theme  how by living the life in a spirit of surrendering the fruit of all actions to  the Lord, an individual achieves the highest perfection. When actions are  undertaken by an individual without ego, their reactions, good or bad, cannot bind  him because the vasanas in him were already eliminated due to egoless actions  and absence of egocentric desires and the mind already got purified.

The next stage is to live a life  of Sanyasa and Yoga. The word Sanyasa does not mean physical rejection of the  world. It is a renunciation of all egocentric activities and all cravings for  fruits of actions. The offering of all works to the Lord constitutes the yoga  of renunciation.

Such a life would be possible for  those who dedicate all the end results of their actions unto The Lord. To the  one who thus lives the life of Sanyasa, Yoga is natural as through out all of his  activities he remembers only The Lord, the Self, the Infinite. Such a seeker  discovers the futility of his earlier identification with the false and realizes  his own Divine Nature. Hence the seeker is promised that he will go to the  Supreme and even while living in the body one will be free from the bondage of  action.

samo’ham sarvabhooteshu na me dweshyosti na priyah
    ye bhajanti tu  maam bhaktyaa  mayi te teshu chaapyaham // 9.29 //

I am the same toward all  beings; to Me there is none hateful or dear. But those who worship Me with  devotion, are in Me and I am also in them.

I am in all beings: The self is  one in all beings; the same Consciousness Principle illumines the emotions and  thoughts in all living creatures just as the same sun illuminates all objects  in the world and its rays get reflected on all surfaces whether polished or  rough.

To Me there is none hateful or dear:  The Self is always the same everywhere and It neither bears distinction between  the good and bad nor does It entertain love or hatred for any living being just  as the same sunlight reflects on the surfaces of different types of objects, the  quality of reflections being different on account of the varying quality of the  respective surfaces. On the same analogy if some people show better spiritual  development as compared to others it cannot be presumed that the Self is  partial towards or showing any special preference to the former or having any  prejudice against the latter.

But those who worship Me with  devotion are in Me and I too am in them: Having said that the Self has neither  love nor hatred towards anybody The Lord says that those who worship the Self  with devotion rediscover that they themselves are none other than the Self that  is worshipped by them.

The idea is that the Eternal Self  does not choose any individual for bestowing Its grace but the individuals  themselves create such environment in themselves that they rediscover the Self  in themselves. A mind pre-occupied with egocentric attachments with the  non-Self cannot realize the Bliss while the same mind if it is made to detach  itself from all the extrovert diversions it realizes its identity with the  Self. From this sense we can say that the worshipper with devotion is `blessed'  by The Lord and so he is in Him and He too is in the worshipper.

api chet suduraachaaro  bhajate maamananyabhaak
    saadhureva samantavyah samyagvyavasito hi sah  // 9.30 //

Even if the most sinful man worships  Me with unswerving devotion, he must be regarded as righteous, for he has  formed the right resolution.

Bhakti is selfless contemplation  with a single-pointed mind upon the non-dual Brahman who is none other than the  essence of the devotee himself. A constant attempt to live upto one's own Real  Nature is called single-pointed devotion. If a vicious sinner changes his evil  thoughts his behavioral pattern gets transformed. If such a person worships The  Lord with undivided devotion he is to be regarded as righteous and thoroughly  rehabilitated.

From the moment contemplation on  the Supreme is taken up with devotion, the sinner becomes a saint because he  has formed a resolution to abandon the evil ways of his early life.  He will soon grow out of himself into the  spiritual glory. The evil of the past cannot be washed away except by his  turning to God with undivided heart.

This verse does not mean that  there is an easy escape from the consequences of our deeds. We cannot prevent  the cause from producing its effect. Any arbitrary interference with the order  of the world is not suggested. When the sinner turns to God with undistracted  devotion, a new cause is introduced.

His redemption is conditional on  his repentance. Repentance is a genuine change of heart and includes regret for  the past sin and a decision to prevent a repetition of it in the future. When  once the resolution is adopted, the transformation of the lower into higher is  steadily effected.

If only human effort is to be  depended upon for this change, it may be hard, erroneous, imperfect and  difficult to overcome the ego. By surrendering the ego when one opens himself  to the Divine, The Lord takes up the burden of changeover and lifts the soul to  the spiritual plane from its contamination. A peace of charcoal loses its  blackness only when it is charged with fire.

kshipram bhavati dharmaatmaa shashwacchaantim nigacchati
    kaunteya pratijaaneehi na me bhaktah pranashyati  // 9.31   //

He soon becomes righteous and  attains to eternal peace; O Kaunteya, know you for certain that My devotee  never perishes.


  The effect of single-pointed  devotion to The Lord is stated here. Sri Krishna says that such a person soon  becomes righteous - he realizes the Divine Atman in himself. He attains eternal  peace - an inward peace which is beyond the tumults of the daily living. He  lives in tranquility free from agitations and excitements. He rediscovers in  himself his own real nature which is Supreme Peace. Such a devotee never perishes  or is destroyed. The seeker of the nobler values shall have no failures if his  resolve is firm and his application is sincere.

The import of this and the  previous verses is that the constant awareness of the Divine Principle protects  the human personality from the destructive nature of its negative tendencies.  Once we place ourselves in the hands of the Divine we cannot fall into the  chasm of darkness.

maam hi paartha vyapaashritya ye’pi syuh paapayonayah
    striyo vaishyaastathaa shoodraaste'pi yaanti paraam gatim // 9.32 //

For, taking refuge in Me, they  also O Partha, who might be of inferior birth - Women, Vaishyas and Sudras -  attain the supreme goal.

This verse requires a little  careful understanding. The words `persons of inferior birth- women, vaishyas  and sudras- should not be regarded as justifying the customs prevailing then debarring  these segments of the society  from Vedic  Study. Hinduism does not restrict salvation to any one group or section of the  community nor does it regard any class of people as inferior by birth.  More so, when the Gita , the Universal  Scripture, is addressed to the humanity in general without distinction of race,  gender or caste. This verse merely refers to the view prevalent in those  historical times and does not attribute any sanction or mandate to the social  practices then prevailing. These terms are to be understood as indicating some unique  and varying qualities of the human mind and intellect obtained in different  individuals at different points of time in history and not as denoting any  caste or gender.

This verse says that through  constant remembrance of The Lord and meditation upon the Divine Self with  single pointed mind and devotion not only men of evil ways are redeemed but  even those who cannot attune themselves to spirituality due to some impediments  in them can also achieve progress. Sri Krishna means that when the peculiar shortcomings  are removed such people also attain the Supreme Goal.

kim punarbraahmanaah punyaa bhaktaa raajarshayastathaa
    anityamasukham lokamimam praapya bhajaswa maam // 9.33 //

How much more easily then the  holy Brahmanas and devoted Royal Saints attain the goal; having come to this transitory  and joyless world, you do worship Me.

As compared to those who were referred  to in the previous verse, Sri Krishna says how much easier and natural it would  be for the Rajarishis (kings who have attained saintliness even while continuing  to discharge their duties as kings) and holy Brahmanas who are bestowed with  purity of mind to achieve Self-Realization.

The world is described by The  Lord here as transient and joyless. The most characteristic feature of the  world of experiences is that no experience is permanent at any period of time  or place. Again no experience can be entirely satisfactory to any one. The  world is lived by men in a field consisting of objects, instruments of  perception and mental moods. As all these three factors are always in a state  of variableness, the joys that come to us through these variable entities must also  be transient. When the joys are broken, it becomes a joyless world and not  merely a world of sorrows. Hence Sri Krishna advises Arjuna that he must engage  himself constantly in the worship of the Self, having taken birth in this world  which is anityam and asukham. This path alone can bring about  imperishable happiness. The Gitacharya shows us the way out of this world of  transitoriness and the curse of joylessness by asking us to take refuge in Him,  the Divine.

manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajee maam namaskuru
    maamevaishyasi yuktwaivamaatmaanam matparaayanah  // 9.34 //

Fix your mind on Me ; be  devoted to Me ; sacrifice to Me ; bow down to Me. Having thus disciplined yourself  and regarding Me as the Supreme goal, you shall come to Me.

This verse summarizes the ideas  enunciated in the entire Chapter. The technique for self-development and  self-perfection through right knowledge and meditation is `contemplation on  That, talking on That, discussing That, and to live on the bliss-concept of the  Reality'. This is called the pursuit of Brahman or Brahma Vidya. This thought  is expounded here by Sri Krishna .The Lord says `with the mind ever filled with  Me, My devotee makes all sacrifices and offers all salutations to Me at all  times in whatever activity he is engaged in'.

“It is not the personal Krishna  to whom we have to give ourselves up utterly but the Unborn, Beginningless,  Eternal who speaks through Krishna. The way to rise out of our ego-centered  consciousness to the divine plane is through the focusing of all our energies,  intellectual, emotional and volitional, on God. Then our whole being is  transformed and lifted up into the unity and universality of spirit. Knowledge,  love and power get fused in a supreme unification. Joy and peace are the result  of self-oblivion, of utter abandonment, of absolute acceptance”.  Dr.S.Radhakrishnan.

Sri Krishna promises Arjuna  `taking Me as the supreme goal you shall come to Me'. When one surrenders to  The Lord without reservation, his whole life undergoes a wonderful  transformation. His mind becomes one with the Divine Consciousness. Such a sage  gets rid of ignorance and all limiting adjuncts through direct realization of  the Self and becomes one with the Para Brahman. He attains Jivanmukti or  liberation in this very life.

om tat sat
iti srimadbhagavad  geetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre
  sri krishnaarjuna samvaade  raajavidyaa raajaguhyayogo naama navamodhyaayah


  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  ninth discourse entitled : The Yoga of Royal  Knowledge and Royal Secret.

 

Concepts and Issues

Observing  that Arjuna was endowed with faith , free from fault finding nature and  qualified to receive the sacred divine knowledge Sri Krishna  says that He will disclose the Royal  Knowledge and Royal Secret which will make him realize The Lord in him by  direct experience. This knowledge is imperishable, knowing which one will  become free from the evil of worldly existence. The Lord says that due to lack  of faith in this knowledge, in its manifest and unmanifest aspects, people fail  to realize Him and suffer in consequence.

Sri  Krishna says that all beings are pervaded by Him and dwell in His unmanifest  form like the wind moving everywhere but always resting in space. Although The  Lord is the creator, destroyer and sustainer of the world, He stands as a  witness indifferent and unattached to these processes.

The  ignorant identify Him with nature or regard Him as a mortal during His  incarnations for protecting Dharma. They do not see God in the Universe and  have no knowledge of the Self which dwells within the body. They do not see the  Unity in the Diversity. They fail to see the ocean beneath the waves. They run  after the transient objects and miss the eternal. They have no discrimination  or right understanding.

The  knowers of the Truth see the Reality in externality also. They feel a oneness  with all. They chant God's name always. They worship Him with wisdom sacrifice.  They see the formless one as distinct and manifold.

He  explains to Arjuna His identity with the Universe. The Lord’s enumeration of  His different manifestations has been tabulated below for easy reference.

If  one understands correctly the following verses dealing with the Divine Mystery  in this section of the Gita one can be aware of the concepts of Creation and  Brahman.

All  things in this universe are pervaded by Me in My unmanifest aspect; all beings  exist in Me but I do not exist in them. 9.4

And  yet the beings do not exist in Me; behold, that is My Divine mystery. My Spirit  which is the support of all beings and the source of all things does not dwell  in them. 9.5

O Son  of Kunti, all beings, go back to My nature at the end of a time-cycle (Kalpa);  I send them forth again at the beginning of the next cycle. 9.7

Controlling  My own nature, I again and again send forth all this multitude of beings,  helpless under the sway of maya. 9.8


•Non-worshippers are caught in the wheel of birth  & death 
•Worshipping of other gods 
•Devotion and its effects 
•Why at all the lord requires offering from a  seeker? 
•Result  of such dedication of activities

The Lord says that who ever offer  Him with love and devotion even water, a leaf, a flower or a fruit He accepts  it. He is not concerned with the quality of the article offered to Him by the  devotees, for He watches only their motive and devotion. Even if the worst  sinners worship Him with exclusive devotion, they will be regarded as  righteous, for they have taken a right step.

“To these men who worship Me  alone, thinking of no other, to those ever self-controlled, I secure which is  not already possessed (Yoga) and preserve what they already possess (Kshema).”  This assurance contained in the Verse 9.22 is the focus of the Lord’s advice.

Sri Krishna assures Arjuna thus:  `My devotee, who has sincerely offered his soul to Me, will never perish.  Whatever action you do in your daily life, like eating, drinking, reading practice  of austerity, offerings in sacrifice etc. do it as an offering to Me and not  with a selfish motive. Those who take refuge in Me will attain the Supreme Goal  even though they may have some impediments. So, Arjuna, fix your mind on Me, be  devoted to Me, sacrifice unto Me, bow down to Me, having thus united yourself  with Me, taking Me as the Supreme Goal, you shall come to Me'.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live

In  this Chapter Sri Krishna advises Arjuna to do every thing as an offering to The  Lord.  All actions thus become a symbol  of devotion and help remembering God.

Submission  to the Divine is the essence of spiritual sadhana. The following verses  tell us how to go about in that path.

But  the Mahatmas (great souls) O Partha, possessing the Divine nature worship Me  with undisturbed minds knowing Me as the imperishable origin of all beings. 9.13

Always  glorifying Me, striving with firm resolve, bowing down to Me in devotion,  always steadfast, they worship Me. 9.14

In this discourse The Lord  reveals the secret that nothing can exist apart from Him. He is both the  manifested and Unmanifested Reality of the Universe. He who is aware of this  secret of Reality and Existence will surely reach Him. For this the guidance is  given by the Lord in Verses 9.22, 9.27, 9.30, 9.31 & 9.34 suggesting a plan  of action for the devotees and seekers. 

Points to Ponder

  1.  What are the knowledge and secret revealed by The Lord in this Chapter? Why they are called Royal?
  2.  What is the truth behind the world we perceive?
  3.  Enumerate the different kinds of worship.
  4.  What should be the ingredients for an offering to The Lord?
  5.  Does the Lord show any partiality in bestowing His grace on the devotees?
  6.  Short notes on:

       • Divine Mystery
       • Creation
       • Brahman
       • Attributes of the Lord
       • Submission to the Lord
 7. How even the worst sinner can  reform himself to become a noble natured person?
 8. What is the Plan of Action  suggested by the Lord to reach Him?

Harih Om