Chapter One

gauruka sat-kumuda-pramod
svbhikhyay gos-tamaso nihant
r-ka-caitanya-sudha-nidhir me
mano dhitihan svarati karotu
prcna-vca suvicrya so ham
a!o pi gt mta-"ea-"ipsu
yate prabhor eva mate tad atra
santa kamadhva aragatasya
May the ocean of nectar, r Ka Catanya, who emanates goden
rays, gvng |oy to the whte water es of santy devotees, and who
destroys the darkness of the earth by Hs spendorous beauty, be
present n my mnd and bestow on me attracton for Hmsef.
Though I am gnorant, after carefuy consderng the prevous
commentares, I desre to obtan a drop of the nectar of the #t (and
have thus wrtten ths commentary). May you devotees pease toerate
ths work of a surrendered sou, whch s wrtten accordng to the vews
of my sannys master, r Catanya
The son of Vasudeva, para brahman n human form, the orgna
Bhagavn whose otus feet are desred by a the scrptures n ths
word, descended drecty n Mathur, and, most nconcevaby,
became vsbe to the eyes of a peope of the matera word.
Deverng the peope of the unverse who were drownng n the ocean
of matera fe, He submerged them nstead n the great ocean of Hs
own prema, by bestowng on them a taste of the sweetness of Hs
beauty.
Estabshed n Hs great vow to protect the rghteous and destroy the
ev, on the pretext of reevng the earth of ts burden of sufferng, he
gave the greatest protecton--n the form of beraton--even to those
who were devoured by the crocode of matera fe--to the most ev
persons, even to those who dspayed great hatred towards Hmsef. In
order to dever the vas who woud be affcted after Hs
dsappearance by amentaton and uson arsng from the bondage of
begnnngess gnorance, and n order to uphod Hs gorous reputaton
sung by the sages, the makers of scrptures, He snged out Ar|una, Hs
dear frend. Ar|una then became affcted by amentaton and uson
at the commencement of war by the Lords own desre, n order to
fuf the Lords purposes. The Lord thus manfested to Ar|una the
hghest goa of humanty, makng t most rea and attanabe, n the
form of the #t, wth eghteen chapters contanng eghteen types of
knowedge, ornamented wth the |ewes of the utmate mport of the
$edas composed of three sub|ects.
1
Through the frst sx chapters of the #t He presents nikma-karma-
yoga, through the second sx chapters He presents bhakti-yoga, and
through the thrd sx chapters He presents !na-yoga. %hakti-yoga s
paced between karma and !na-yoga because of ts confdenta
nature,
2
because of ts superorty by whch t s abe to gve fe to the
other two,
3
and because of ts beng most rare.
4
And moreover,
because these two are useess wthout bhakti, ony by beng mxed wth
bhakti do they become acceptabe.
There are two types of bhakti: keva" bhakti (pure bhakti) and pradhn
bh&t bhakti (a process predomnated by bhakti). The frst s
ndependent and strong. Wthout the mxture of karma and !na, t s
pure and powerfu. It s known by such terms as anany bhakti and
aki!cin bhakti.
5
The second type s mxed wth karma and !na. A of
ths w be descrbed ater n the text.
dhtarra uvca
dharma-ketre kuru-ketre samavet yuyutsava '
mmak p(av caiva kim akurvata sa!aya '')''
1. Dhtarra sad: O Sa|aya, what dd my sons and the sons of
Pu do, havng gathered wth the desre to fght at Kuruketra, the
pace of dharma?
How dd Ar|una become bewdered and fa nto gnorance? The
speaker of the *ahbhrata , Vaampyana, started expanng the
topc to |aname|aya n the Bhma Parv, wth the foowng words.
1
The phrase here s k(a-traytmika-sarva-veda, referrng to karma+ !na and upsana
k(as.
2
Beng paced n the mdde, t s not so obvous.
3
Snce t s n the mdde, t touches the other two, gvng them fe. If the sx chapters
concernng bhakti were paced at the begnnng or the end, they woud ony touch one
of the other topcs.
4
Therefore t s protected by the other two topcs on ether sde.
5
Other names are uttam bhakti+ uddh bhakti, and keva" bhakti.
Dhrtarra sad, "Pease te me what my sons, headed by
Duryodhana, and the sons of Pu, headed by Yudhhra were
dong, havng gathered together for fghtng at Kuruketra?"
"But you yoursef have sad that they were desrous of fghtng, so why
are you askng what they dd?"
"Ths pace s a hoy pace (dharma ketra). ,ruti says:
kuruketra deva yaanam
Kuruketra s a pace for worshppng the Lord. ,atapatha
%rhmaa, *adhyndinya, 14.1.1.2
It s famous as a pace whch produces dharma. Due to assocaton wth
ths great pace, the ev Duryodhana and company may gve up ther
anger and take to the path of dharma. The Pavas are naturay
foowng dharma. Then both sdes woud have ntegence to see that
they shoud not k ther own reatves and frends, and woud
negotate peace."
Externay, he desred to show Sa|aya that he woud be reeved f ths
were so. Internay, however, he found t hard to restran hs
depresson, for f there were a concaton, then t woud be dffcut for
hs sons to cam the kngdom. "As Bhma, who s on our sde cannot
be defeated by Ar|una, t s better that we fght. Let that happen!" It
was not sutabe however to show such desres externay.
There s a hdden meanng n the word ketra (fed) n the phrase
dharma-ketra. The fed was a pace for growng the grans of dharma,
n the form of pous Yudhhra, who was the very ncarnaton of
dharma,
-
aong wth hs supporters. The fed, a pace for exertng
onesef n the work of cutvatng, was the pace n whch Ka, the
noursher of dharma, woud encourage Yudhhra. The fed, a pace
for many pro|ects ke bockng rrgaton dykes and waterng, was the
pace where Ka woud assst Yudhhra n many ways to estabsh
the grans of dharma. The same fed s aso a pace for weeds to grow.
The weeds, enemes of the grans, n the form of Duryodhana and
others, aso grew there, but woud be destroyed by Ka.
sa!aya uvca
dv tu p(avnka vy&(ha duryodhanas tad '
6
He was the son of Dharma or Yamar|a.
cryam upasa/gamya r vacanam abravt ''0''
payait p(u-putrm crya mahat cam&m '
vy&(h drupada-putrea tava iyea dhmat ''1''
2. Sa|aya sad: Seeng the array of the Pavas troops, Duryodhana
approached hs teacher Droa and spoke these words.
3. "O teacher, see ths great army of the sons of Pu, arranged for
batte by your ntegent dscpe, the son of Drupada."
Understandng that Dhtartra wanted war, Sa|aya then spoke, to
make hm aware that there woud be war, but that the resuts woud be
the opposte of the fufment of hs desres.
Duryodhana, seeng the arrangement of troops (vy&(hm) beng
prepared by the Pavas, then speaks, reveang hs nner fear n nne
verses, startng from the thrd verse.
He crtczes Drocrya. He tes hm that he s very foosh because
Dhadyumna, the son of Drupada, was arrangng the troops of the
enemy. That person was Droas student, havng been taught by hm,
even knowng that he was born to k hm.
7
"Dhadyumna s very
ntegent (dhmat) because he has ganed the knowedge of how to
k you from you yoursef, hs enemy. See what w fnay resut from
ths greaty ntegent act n the future!"
atra &r mahevs bhmruna-sam yudhi '
yuyudhno vira ca drupada ca mah-ratha ''2''
dhaketu cekitna kira ca vryavn '
puruit kuntibhoa ca aibya ca nara-pu/gava ''3''
yudhmanyu ca vikrnta uttamau ca vryavn '
saubhadro draupadey ca sarva eva mah-rath ''-''
4. Here are brave men, skfu wth great bows, equa to Bhma and
Ar|una n batte: Styak, Vrta, and Drupada, a mah-ratha.
5. Here are Dhaketu, Cektna, the vaorous kng of K , Puru|t,
Kuntbho|a and abya, the best of men.
7
Kng Drupada was forced to gve part of hs kngdom to Droa. As he was ess
powerfu, he performed a sacrfce to obtan a son who woud k Droa.
Dhadyumna and Draupad emerged from the fre. A ceesta voce procamed
that hs son woud k Droa n the future. The news spread, but Droa dd not mnd.
When Dhadyumna approached hm to earn the art of weaponry, Drona taught
hm. Durng the war, Dhadyumna eventuay beheaded Droa.
6. Here are mghty Yudhmanyu, vaant Uttamau|, Abhmanyu, and
the fve sons of Draupad, a mah-rathas.
"The eaders of ther troops, havng great bows (ivs), w be
mpossbe to cut down." That s the suggeston by hs mentonng the
bows. 4uyudhna refers to Styak. 5aubhadra refers to Abhmanyu.
6raupadey refers to the fve sons of the Pavas by Draupad, such
as Pratvndhya.
eko daa sahasri yodhayed yas tu dhanvinm
astra-stra-prava ca mah-ratha iti smta
amitn yodhayed yas tu samprokto tirathas tu sa
caikena yo yudhyet tan-ny&nordha-ratha smta
8
A mah-ratha s one who can fght aone wth ten thousand
archers, who s expert n both weapons and scrpture. An atiratha
s one who fghts wth unmted troops (or ess than ten thousand
but more than a thousand). A rathi s one who fghts wth one.
One who does ess than that s caed ardha-ratha.
asmka tu vii ye tn nibodha dviottama '
nyak mama sainyasya sa!rtha tn bravmi te ''7''
7. O best of the brhmaas, understand who s on our sde, the
commanders of my army. I w st them so you can competey
understand.
Understand (nibodha) who s on our sde. I w te you n order that you
competey understand (sa!rtham). The word s anayzed as samyak
(compete), !na (knowedge).
bhavn bhma ca kara ca kpa ca samiti-aya '
avatthm vikara ca saumadattir tathaiva ca ''8''
8. There are yoursef, Bhma, Kara, Kpa, wnner of wars,
Avatthm, Vkara, and Bhrrav.
Saumadatt refers to Bhrrav, the son of Somadatta.
8
Ths s quoted by rdhara Svm and Baadeva, but the source s not gven.
anye ca bahava &r madarthe tyakta-vit '
nn-astra-prahara sarve yuddha-virad ''9''
9. There are aso many other brave men who have gven up ther ves
for my sake, skfu at fghtng, armed wth varous msses and
weapons of cose combat.
"They are wng to gve up ther ves n order to hep me (tyakta-
vit)." Ths s the ntended meanng of Duryodhana, though the
tera meanng s "They have gven up ther ves." Actuay however,
Ka w ater say:
mayaivaite nihat p&rvam eva nimitta-mtra bhava savyascin
These warrors have aready been ked by Me before the war
has started. You be My nstrument, O Ar|una. %# 11.33
Thus, the tera meanng of Duryodhanas words are thus competey
true.
aparypta tad asmka ba"a bhmbhirakitam '
parypta tv idam ete ba"a bhmbhirakitam ''):''
10. Our army protected by Bhma s nadequate, but ther army,
protected by Bhma s adequate.
Our troops are not up to standard (aparyptam): we cannot fght
aganst the Pavas.
Even though protected a around by Bhma, who has fne ntegence
and s experenced n fghtng and theory, Bhma has sympathy for
both partes. The Pavas are very we protected (paryptam
abhirakitam) by Bhma, though he has gross ntegence and s not
thoroughy conversant wth fghtng and theory. In other words, they
are we equpped to fght aganst us.
ayaneu ca sarveu yath-bhgam avasthit '
bhmam evbhirakantu bhavanta sarva eva hi ''))''
11. Stuated n your postons for attack, you shoud protect Bhma on
a sdes.
Therefore you shoud be very carefu. Though you are dvded nto
dfferent groups (yath-bhgam) for the purpose of enterng nto the
enemy nes (ayaneu), you shoud not gve up your desgnated
postons on the battefed. Beng fxed n your respectve postons,
protect Bhma on a sdes, so that he w not be attacked from
behnd whe engaged n fghtng wth others. The mpcaton here s
"Ony by the strength of Bhma w we survve."
tasya sa!anayan hara kuru-vddha pitmaha '
siha-nda vinadyoccai a/kha dadhmau pratpavn '')0''
12. Then the ma|estc eder among the Kurus, the grandfather, n order
to brng |oy to Duryodhana, makng the sound of on, bew hs conch
oudy.
Bhma, the eder of the Kurus, |oyfu on hearng respect gven to hm,
and to produce |oy n Duryodhana by drvng away hs fears, roarng
ke on, bew hs conch she. The phrase siha-nda vinadya uses
the same root nad twce. The tera meanng s "roarng the roar of a
on." The ntended meanng s "roarng ke a on," accordng to the
s&tra upamne karmai. (;dhyy, Pn 3.4.45)
tata a/kh ca bherya ca paavnaka-gomukh '
sahasaivbhyahanyanta sa abdas tumu"o <bhavat '')1''
13. Then conches, kette drums, sma drums, and arger drums were
suddeny sounded, makng a tumutuous roar.
Both sdes became eager to fght. Ths s descrbed n ths verse.
=aava s a type of drum. >naka s a kette drum. #omukha s a type of
trumpet.
tata vetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau '
mdhava p(ava caiva divyau a/khau pradadhmatu '')2''
14. Then Ka and Ar|una, standng n a arge charot yoked wth
whte horses, bew ther dvne conches.
p!caanya hkeo devadatta dhana!aya '
pau(ra dadhmau maha/kha bhma-karm vkodara '')3''
anantaviaya r kunt-putro yudhihira '
naku"a sahadeva ca sughoa-maipupakau '')-''
15-16. Ka bew Pca|anya, Ar|una bew Devadatta, and Bhma of
fearfu deeds bew the great conch Paura. Yudhhra, son of Kunt,
bew Anantav|aya, and Nakua and Sahadeva bew ther conches
Sughoa and Manpupaka.
The names of the conch shes are sted here, startng wth Kas
Pca|anya.
kya ca paramevsa ikha( ca mah-ratha '
dhadyumno vira ca styaki cparita '')7''
drupado draupadey ca sarvaa pthiv-pate '
saubhadra ca mah-bhu a/khn dadhmu pthak pthak '')8''
17-18. Then the kng of K, the greatest archer, kha, a mah-
ratha, Dhadyumna, Vra and Styak, who coud not be defeated,
Drupada, the sons of Draupad, and mghty-armed Abhmanyu bew
ther conches one after the other.
The word aparita means unconquerabe. However, t can be read
cpa rita, by ncudng the prevous ca as part of the word nstead a
separate word meanng "and", n whch case t means "equpped wth
a bow."
sa ghoo dhrtarr hdayni vyadrayat '
nabha ca pthiv caiva tumu"o bhyanundayan '')9''
19. That tumutuous sound, fng the sky and earth, spt the hearts of
Dhtarras sons.
atha vyavasthitn dv dhrtarrn kapi-dhvaa '
pravtte astra-sapte dhanur udyamya p(ava ''0:''
hkea tad vkyam idam ha mahpate '
senayor ubhayor madhye ratha sthpaya me <cyuta ''0)''
yvad etn nirke <ha yoddhu-kmn avasthitn '
kair may saha yoddhavyam asmin raa-samudyame ''00''
yotsyamnn aveke <ha ya ete <tra samgat '
dhrtarrasya durbuddher yuddhe priya-cikrava ''01''
20-23. O Kng, then, as the armes prepared to fght, Ar|una wth
Hanumns nsgna on hs fag, seeng the sons of Dhtarra
standng there, takng hs bow n hand, spoke to Hkea: O Acyuta
pease staton my charot between the two armes, so I can vew at the
commencement of the war those stuated wth a desre to fght, and
those wth whom I shoud fght. I see that those who have gathered
here, desrng to pease the foosh sons of Dhtarra, are ntent on
fghtng.
evam ukto hkeo gu(keena bhrata '
senayor ubhayor madhye sthpayitv rathottamam ''02''
bhma-droa-pramukhata sarve ca mah-kitm '
uvca prtha payaitn samavetn kur&n iti ''03''
24-25. When Ar|una spoke to hm thus, Hkea, statonng the best
of charots between the two armes, n front of Bhma, Droa and a
the prnces, spoke: See these Kurus gathered here.
The Lord, Hkea, though Hmsef the controer of everyones
senses, was thus ordered by Ar|una, controed |ust by hs words. See
how the Lord s controed by prema! Ths s the mpcaton of cang
the Lord Hkea.
Here s the sgnfcance of the word Gukea. kea means Vu (),
Brahm (ka) and va (a). Gukea means Ar|una who gves them
(kea) the experence of the sweetness of the Lords affecton |ust as
sugar (gu() gves the experence of sweetness.
9
Therefore, Gukea
refers to he who, by brngng Ka under hs contro, gave Vu,
Brahm, and va the opportunty to experence Kas sweetness.
Where the Supreme Lord Ka, the crown |ewe, source of a avatras,
beng controed by prema, foowed the orders of Hs servant Ar|una,
how coud Vu, Brahm and va, Hs mere expansons as gua
avatras, show off any of ther powers? Instead, they fet they had
reached the pnnace of perfecton by manfestng affectonate feengs
for the Lord themseves (nspred by Ar|una).
The ord of the sprtua sky (Mahvu) sad:
dvitmama me yuvayor didku
I brought the brhmaas sons here because I wanted to see the
two of you.
5% 10.89.58

9
Lteray the word woud mean "He who s the sugar for Brahm, Vu and va."
Gukea can aso mean the ord (a) of seep (gu(k), the controer
of the senses. Even Ka, who s the drect controer of bhakti ,
became controed by Ar|unas prema. Thus Ar|una was abe to conquer
despcabe my or seep. He spoke n front of Bhma, Droa and a
the kngs.
Though the word pramukhata s compounded ony wth Bhma and
Droa, t refers to everyone. Thus the meanng s "puttng hs charot n
front of Bhma, Droa and a the other kngs."
tatrpayat sthitn prtha pit?n atha pitmahn '
cryn mtu"n bhrt?n putrn pautrn sakhs tath ''
vaurn suhda caiva senayor ubhayor api ''0-''
26. Ar|una saw standng there fathers, grandfathers, teachers,
materna unces, brothers, sons, grandsons, frends, fathers-n-aw and
we-wshers on both sdes.
=utra and pautra refer to the sons and grandsons of Duryodhana and
others on the opposng sde.
tn samkya sa kaunteya sarvn bandh&n avasthitn '
kpay parayvio vidann idam abravt ''07''
27. The son of Kunt, seeng a hs reatves stuated there, overcome
wth compasson and depressed, spoke as foows.
dvemn svaann ka yuyutsu samupasthitam '
sdanti mama gtri mukha ca pariuyati ''08''
vepathu ca arre me roma-hara ca yate '
g(va srasate hastt tvak caiva paridahyate ''09''
28-29. O Ka, seeng a my reatves and frends gathered to fght,
my mbs are weakenng, my mouth s dryng up, my body s trembng
and my hars are standng on end. My bow s fang from my hand and
my skn s burnng.
Seeng a these known peope, my mouth has dred up. The phrase "As
I stand here" shoud be added at the begnnng of the sentence. "As I
stand here seeng ths, my mbs become weak."

na ca aknomy avasthtu bhramatva ca me mana '
nimittni ca paymi vipartni keava ''1:''
30. I cannot stay fxed and my mnd seems to whr about. I see
contrary resuts n ths batte, O Keava.
@imitta s used n the sense of "end resut", |ust as the goa of money
s a good resdence. I w not get happness by attanng the kngdom f
I wn the war, but rather w suffer sorrow, the opposte resut.
na ca reyo <nupaymi hatv svaanam have '
na k/ke viaya ka na ca rya sukhni ca ''1)''
31. I do not see any good resut, after kng my own peope n war. I
do not desre vctory, kngdom or happness, O Ka.
"I do not see any beneft n kng n ths manner (na reyo paymi).
The scrptures state benefca resuts for the person ked:

dvv imau puruau "oke s&rya-ma(a"a-bhedinau
parivr( yoga-yukta ca rae cbhimukhe hata
The sannys engaged n yoga and the warror who des facng the
enemy attan the sun panet. =arara 5mti 3.30
However, there s no pety for the person engaged n the kng. (Thus
t s better that I de rather than k them.) "
"But by fghtng you gan tangbe resuts n the form of kngdom and
fame."
"But I do not desre vctory, kngdom or happness."
ki no ryena govinda ki bhogair vitena v '
yem arthe k/kita no rya bhog sukhni ca ''10''
ta ime <vasthit yuddhe prs tyaktv dhanni ca '
cry pitara putrs tathaiva ca pitmah ''11''
mtu" vaur pautr y" sabandhinas tath '
etn na hantum icchmi ghnato <pi madhus&dana ''12''
api trai"okya-ryasya heto ki nu mahkte '
nihatya dhrtarrn na k prti sy anrdana ''13'''
32-35. What s the use of kngdom, en|oyment or even vng? Those for
whom we desre kngdom, en|oyment and happness--teachers,
fathers , sons and grandfathers, maternaunces, fathers-n-aw,
grandsons, brothers-n-aw and reatves-- are standng on the
battefed, rskng ther ves and weath. I do not desre to k them,
even f I were to be ked by them, O Madhusdana, even for
soveregnty over the three words, what to speak of ths earth. O
|anrdana, what happness w we acheve, havng ked the sons of
Dhtarta?
ppam evrayed asmn hatvaitn tatyina '
tasmn nrh vaya hantu dhrtarrn svabndhavn '
svaana hi katha hatv sukhina syma mdhava ''1-''
36. In kng these aggressors we w ony ncur sn. Therefore we
shoud not k the sons of Dhtarra wth ther reatves. O Mdhava,
how can we ve happy, havng ked our own reatves?
But t s sad:
agnido garada caiva astra-pir dhanpaha
ketra-drpahr ca a( ete hy tatyina
The arsonst, one who posons, one who attacks wth weapons,
the thef, the steaer of property and the steaer of ones wfe are
consdered aggressors. $asiha 5mti 3.19
And aso t s sad:
tatyinam ynta hanyd evvicrayan
ntatyi-vadhe doo hantur bhavati kacana
Wthout consderaton, one shoud k the aggressors, as there s
no faut n kng them. *anu 5mti 8.350
Thus the scrptures prescrbe kng n the case of aggressors.
Ar|una answers wth ths verse. Kng them, we w reman vng, but
we w be snfu. The above nstructons are from artha-stra, but
those nstructons are weaker than those from dharma-stra.
Ya|avakya says:
smtyor virodhe nyyas tu ba"avn vyavahrata
artha -strt tu ba"avn dharma-stram iti sthiti
It s estabshed that where there s confct of rues n two smti
statements, reasonng must preva n choosng the correct rue.
However, n reasonng, the rues of dharma stra are stronger
than those of artha-stra. 4a!ava"kya 5mti 2.21
Thus, though they are aggressors, they are aso cryas. In kng
cryas, we w ncur sn. We cannot aso be happy n ths fe. Thus he
says "How can we be happy n ths fe, havng ked our own peope?"
yady apy ete na payanti "obhopahata-cetasa '
ku"a-kaya-kta doa mitra-drohe ca ptakam ''17''
katha na !eyam asmbhi ppd asmn nivartitum '
ku"a-kaya-kta doa prapayadbhir anrdana ''18''
37-38. Even f they, overcome by greed, do not see the faut of
destroyng the famy and the sn n kng frends, shoud not we, who
see the faut n destroyng the famy, know how to wthdraw from ths
sn, O |anrdana?
"Why does the opposng sde want to fght then?" He answers wth
ths verse.
"They, overcome by greed, do not see any faut n destroyng the
famy, or any sn n kng frends."
ku"a-kaye praayanti ku"a-dharm santan '
dharme nae ku"a ktsnam adharmo <bhibhavaty uta ''19''
39. Wth the destructon of the famy, the eterna proper conduct of
the famy s destroyed. When that dharma s destroyed, the famy s
competey fed wth adharma.
The rght conduct mantaned by the famy, whch has been passed
down from many generatons (santan ku"a-dharm), w be
destroyed wth the destructon of the famy (ku"a-kaye).
adharmbhibhavt ka praduyanti ku"a-striya '
stru dusu vreya yate vara-sa/kara ''2:''
40. From prevaence of adharma, the women of the famy become
contamnated. O Ka, when the women are spoed, mxed varas
arse.
When adharma s prevaent, the women of the famy w become
spoed (praduyanti), by becomng aduterous.
sa/karo narakyaiva ku"a-ghnn ku"asya ca '
patanti pitaro hy e "upta-pi(odaka-kriy ''2)''
41. Mxed caste n the famy brngs he for those who have destroyed
ther famy members. The forefathers fa, beng deprved of pi(a and
water offerngs.
doair etai ku"a-ghnn vara-sa/kara-krakai '
utsdyante ti-dharm ku"a-dharm ca vat ''20''
42. Both caste and famy rues are destroyed by ths faut of mxed
varas caused by the kers of famy members.
By the fauts of mxture of castes, both the caste rues and the famy
rues w be destroyed (utsdyate).
utsanna-ku"a-dharm manuy anrdana '
narake niyata vso bhavatty anuuruma ''21
43. O |anrdana, we have heard that those men whose famy rues are
destroyed ve n he permamenty.
aho bata mahat ppa kartu vyavasit vayam '
yad rya-sukha-"obhena hantu sva-anam udyat ''22''
44. We are ntent on commttng great sn, snce we are ready to k
our own peope for gan of happness of a kngdom.
yadi mm apratkram aastra astra-paya '
dhrtarr rae hanyus tan me kematara bhavet ''23''
45. It woud be better for me f the sons of Dhtarra, weapons n
hand, were to k me wthout weapons and wthout opposton.
sa!aya uvca
evam uktvruna sa/khye rathopastha upviat '
visya saara cpa oka-savigna-mnasa ''2-''
46. Speakng n ths manner, Ar|una, gvng up hs bow and arrows,
mnd dsturbed wth amentaton, sat down on hs charot amdst the
warrors assembed for batte.
Sttng on hs charot (rathopahe) amdst the assemby of warrors
(sa/khye), Ar|una gave up hs weapons.

Thus the commentares on the frst chapter of the #t, 5rrtha
$ari, has been competed for gvng |oy to the hearts of devotees,
foowng after the tradton of our cryas.
Chapter Two
sa!aya uvca
ta tath kpayviam aru-p&rku"ekaam '
vidantam ida vkyam uvca madhus&dana '')''
1. Sa|aya sad: Madhusdana spoke these words to Ar|una, whose
eyes were fed wth tears, and who was overcome wth compasson.
In ths second chapter, after destroyng the darkness of bewderment
and amentaton of Ar|una by dstngushng the sou from the body,
Ka speaks about the characterstcs of the berated sou.
r-bhagavn uvca
kutas tv kama"am ida viame samupasthitam '
anrya-uam asvargyam akrti-karam aruna ''0''
2. The Lord sad: How has ths bewderment come upon you at the
tme of batte? It s aganst dharma, precudng Svarga n next fe and
fame n ths fe.
Why (kuta) has ths bewderment (kama"am) at ths crtca |uncture
of the war (viame) come upon you (upasthitam)? Ths bewderment s
not to be experenced by persons of good reputaton (anrya-uam),
and s aganst both happness n next fe (asvargyam) and ths fe
(akrt-karam)?
k"aibya m sma gama prtha naitat tvayy upapadyate '
kudra hdaya-daurba"ya tyaktvottiha parantapa ''1''
3. Do not become a coward. Ths s not sutabe to you. Gve up ths ow
weakness of mnd and rse, O affcter of enemes!
"Do not become cowardy (k"aibyam); do not become mpotent. O
Prtha, though you are the son of Pth, you have acted ke ths! Do
not yed to ths. Ths may occur among other nferor katriyas, but n
you, My frend, t s not proper at a!"
"Do not worry about my ack of bravery. Do not thnk I am a coward.
One must consder the precepts of dharma n regards to Bhma,
Droa and other eders, and aso consder the aspect of compasson n
regard to the sons of Dhtarra, who, beng weaker than I, beng
affcted by my weapons, are about to de."
"Ths s not dscreton from prncpes of dharma nor s t mercy. It s
bewderment and amentaton, whch are ndcatons of a weak mnd
(kudra hdaya-daurba"yam). Therefore gve up ths weakness of mnd
and rse up. O conqueror of enemes (parantapa), you, who affct
enemes, fght!"
aruna uvca
katha bhmam aha sa/khyedroa ca madhus&dana '
iubhi pratiyotsymi p&rhv ari-s&dana ''2''
4. Ar|una sad, "O Madhusdana, ker of enemes, how w I fght n
the batte wth arrows aganst Bhma and Droa, who are worthy of
worshp?"
"Accordng to scrptures of dharma, not respectng those worthy of
worshp s a cause of bondage: pratibadhnti hi reya p&ya-p&-
vyatikrama.
10
Therefore I wthdraw from fghtng. How can I k them?"
The form prati yotsymi (parasmaipada) s used nstead of the form prati
yotsye (tmanepada, for onesef).
10
Source s unknown. It s aso quoted by Baadeva.
"But those two eders are fghtng aganst you. Why are you not abe to
fght aganst them?"
"No, I cannot do so, for they are worthy of worshp (p&rhau): I shoud
offer fowers to ther feet n devoton rather than sharp arrows n
anger. O frend Ka! Even You n|ure ony the enemes n batte, and
not Your own guru Sndpan Mun or your frends the Yadus, O
Madhusdana, ker of Madhu!"
"But I am a descendent of Madhu,
11
n the ancent neage of the Yadu
dynasty. Therefore I am caed Mdhava. How coud I have ked
Madhu?"
"No, I do not mean that Madhu. I am speakng about the demon named
Madhu who was Your enemy (ari-s&dana)."
gur&n ahatv hi mahnubhv!
reyo bhoktu bhaikyam apha "oke '
hatvrtha-kms tu gur&n ihaiva
bhu!ya bhogn rudhira-pradigdhn ''3''
5. It s better to eat by beggng n ths fe, not kng such great eders.
Havng ked eders who were desrng weath, I w en|oy ob|ects
contamnated wth ther bood.
"If you dont want the kngdom, then how w you ve?"
"Not kng my eders, I w ve by beggng, though t s condemned for
the katriya to do so. It s better to eat the food got from beggng.
Though t w brng nfamy n ths fe, t w not be nauspcous for
future ves. One shoud not say that these gurus, beng obedent to
Duryodhana, shoud be re|ected because they have become proud, and
do not know rght from wrong, by ctng the scrptures:
guror apy ava"iptasya krykryam anata
utpathapratipannasya paritygo vidhyate
11
Madhu was the father of V, whose ater descendents ncuded Vasudeva and
Devak. The demon Madhu aong wth hs brother Katabha appeared after Brahm
appeared from the otus of Vus nave, and stoe the $edas from hm. Vu
consequenty ked them.
One shoud re|ect the guru who s proud, does not know proper
behavor, who becomes engaged n snfu fe. *ahbhrata
5.178.24
They, on the contrary, are great sous (mahnubhvn). What faut s
there n Bhma and others who have contro over tme
12
and ust?"
"But Bhma sad to Yudhhra,

artha sya puruo dso dsas tv artho na kasyacit
iti satya mahra baddho smy arthena kauravai
Man s a servant of weath. Weath s not a servant of anyone. O
kng, I have been bound by weath to the Kauravas.
*ahbhrata 6.41.36
Therefore, has not ther great character been destroyed by such desre
for weath?"
"That s true, but f I k them, I w be unhappy. Even n kng those
Kurus who are greedy for weath (artha-kmn), f I shoud en|oy the
weath, t w be contamnated wth ther bood. The meanng s ths:
though they have desre for weath, they are st my gurus. Therefore
n kng them, because I commt the sn of kng guru, my en|oyment
w be mxed wth that sn."
na caitad vidma kataran no garyo
yad v ayema yadi v no ayeyu '
yn eva hatv na ivimas
te vasthit pramukhe dhrtarr ''-''
6. We do not know whch s better--whether we shoud conquer them or
whether they shoud conquer us. These sons of Dhtartra, by kng
whom we do not wsh to ve, are stuated facng us.
Moreover I do not know f I sha be vctorous or defeated even f I am
prepared to k them. And I do not know whch w be better, vctory or
defeat: f I conquer them or they conquer me. And even f I am
vctorous, that aso s defeat, for I w not want to ve.
krpaya-doopahata-svabhva
12
Bhma coud de when he chose, and made a vow to reman unmarred for fe.
pcchmi tv dharma-sam&(ha-cet '
yac chreya syn nicita br&hi tan me
iyas teha dhi m tv prapannam ''7''
7. My nature has been overcome by weakness. My mnd s bewdered
about dharma. I ask You what s best. Pease te me wth certanty. I
am Your student. Pease nstruct me, who have surrendered to You.
"Indeed, whe speakng the meanng of scrpture to brng out a
concuson, though you are a katriya, you have decded to become a
beggar! What s the use of My speakng?"
"Gvng up my natura courage as katriya s my weakness (krpayam).
My ntegence has become bewdered n tryng to understand the
mpementaton of dharma, as the path of dharma s very subte:
dharmasya s&km gati. (*ahbhrata 3.198.2, 1.188.11) Therefore t s
better that You decde and te me."
"But f you defeat My words by posng yoursef as earned, how can I
speak?"
"I am Your student, and w no onger useessy oppose You."
na hi prapaymi mampanudyd
yac chokam ucchoaam indriym '
avpya bh&mv asapatnam ddha
rya surm api cdhipatyam ''8''
8. I do not see who can remove ths sorrow whch s dryng up my
senses, even f I attan an unrvaed prosperous kngdom on earth and
even soveregnty over devas.
"But you have a frendy reatonshp wth Me, not one of respect.
Therefore how can I make you a student? You shoud thus surrender to
someone ke Veda Vysa, whom you greaty revere." Ar|una answers
wth ths verse.
"I do not see even one person at a (pra paymi: pra ndcates "to a
hgh degree") n a three words except You who can remove
(apanudyt) my sorrow. I do not know anyone more ntegent that
Yoursef--even Bhaspat. Therefore, to whom ese shoud one who s
fu of sorrow surrender? Due to that sorrow (yad) my senses have
dred up competey, |ust as ntense summer heat dres up competey
(utoa means utkarea oa) a sma pond."
"Now you are fu of gref, but f you fght, by conquerng the enemy
you w attan a kngdom. Absorbng yoursef n the en|oyment of that
kngdom, your gref w dsappear."
"Even f I attan a kngdom over the whoe earth, or soveregnty n
Svarga, controng a the devats, my senses w st be dred up."
sa!aya uvca
evam uktv hkea gu(kea parantapa '
na yotsya iti govindam uktv t& babh&va ha ''9''
9. Sa|aya sad: Havng thus spoken to Hkea, Gukea, affcter of
enemes, teng Govnda "I w not fght," became sent.
tam uvca hkea prahasann iva bhrata '
senayor ubhayor madhye vidantam ida vaca ''):''
10. Hkea, smng sghty, spoke these words to the depressed
Ar|una, n the mdst of the two armes.
"You have shown such ack of |udgment!" Laughng at hm as a frend,
Ka coud put Ar|una n an ocean of embarrassment for hs unworthy
actons. However, because now Ar|una took the poston of student,
aughng woud be mproper. Thus Ka suppressed that augh by
cosng Hs ps. Instead He sghty smed (prahasann iva). The Lord of
the senses (hkea) was prevousy controed by the words of Ar|una
out of ove for hm (%# 1.24), and now He became the controer of
Ar|unas mnd, agan out of ove, for the beneft of Ar|una. Ar|unas
de|ecton and Kas offerng consoaton to hm were seen drecty by
both armes (senayor ubhayor madhye).
r-bhagavn uvca
aocyn anvaocas tva pra!-vd ca bhase '
gats&n agats& ca nnuocanti pa(it ''))''
11. The Lord sad: You, whe amentng for what s not worthy of
amentaton, are speakng words of wsdom. The wse men do not
ament for the gross body or the subte body.
"O Ar|una, ths amentaton of yours caused by attachment to frends
and reatves s the cause of bewderment. Your power of dscernment
arsng from your concerns startng n verse four wth How can I fght
aganst Bhma and Droa? are the cause of ack of wsdom." That s
stated n ths verse.
"You are contnuay amentng (anu oca) for what s not worthy of
gref (aocyn). Thus you are utterng words of wsdom to Me, who am
tryng to enghten you. You speak words (vdn) of wsdom (pra!) as
n verse four." The ntenton behnd the Lords words s the opposte:
"Actuay you have no wsdom."
"Ths s because those who are wse (pa(it) do not ament for the
gross bodes from whch fe has passed (gata as&n)--snce the bodes
are destructbe by ther very nature. Nether do they ament for the
subte bodes from whch the fe ars have not passed (agata as&n),
13

for those subte bodes w certany be destroyed before beraton.
They do not ament because they accept the nherent natures of a of
the gross and subte bodes. But foos ament when fe ars pass from
the gross bodes of fathers and others, and do not generay
understand about the subte bodes. Enough of such foos! A these,
ncudng Bhma, are sous equpped wth gross and subte bodes.
Because of the eterna nature of ther sous, there s no cause for
amentaton. Prevousy you sad that dharma-stra was stronger than
artha-stra. But I say here that !na-stra (teachng about tm) s
stronger than dharma-stra."
na tv evha tu nsa na tva neme andhip '
na caiva na bhaviyma sarve vayam ata param '')0''
12. It s not that I, you and these kngs dd not exst, and nor n the
future w we not exst.
"Now, O frend, I w ask you a queston. When you see the death of a
person you ove, you ament. But s the ob|ect of affecton whe the
person s n ths word the sou or the body? ukadeva says that the
sou s most dear n a vng bengs:
13
The fe ars go wth the subte body after death, and enter a new body aong wth
the subte body at brth. Vvantha has taken as asu teray as the fe ar, and
agats&n as those bodes from whch the fe ars do not depart, the subte bodes. If
we were to take agats&n as meanng the gross body from whch the fe ar has not
yet departed, then there woud be no reason for even the foo to ament for t.
sarvem eva bh&tn npa svtmaiva va""abha. (5% 10.14.50) If the
sou s the ob|ect of affecton, the sou shoud not be the ob|ect of
amentaton, because t cannot suffer death, snce both types of tm,
the va and vara are eterna." Wth ths ntenton, He speaks ths
verse.
It s not that I, the Paramtm, have ever not been n exstence, but
rather I have aways exsted. You aso, a vtm+ have aso aways
exsted. These kngs aso, vtms, have aways exsted. Here the Lord
shows that prevous non-exstence (prg-abhva) s absent for a sous.
And t s not that I, you, and a these kngs (sarve vayam) w not exst
n the future. Rather we w certany exst. Here he shows that the
sou s devod of destructon (dhvasa abhva). By ths he concudes that
snce the Paramtm and the va are both eterna, there s no cause
for amentaton. The ruti says:
nityo nityn cetana cetannm eko bah&n yo vidadhti kmn
He s the chef eterna among a eternas. He s the chef
conscous entty among a conscous enttes, the one fufs the
needs of a others. ,vetvatara Apaniad 6.13
dehino smin yath dehe kaumra yauvana ar '
tath dehntara-prptir dhras tatra na muhyati '')1''
13. As the sou passes through boyhood, youth and od age, so t
attans another body after death. The wse are not bewdered by ths.
"Ones body becomes the ob|ect of affecton as t s reated to the sou
(whch s most dear to the sef.) By reaton wth that body, ones sons,
brothers or other reatves become ob|ects of affecton. And by
reatonshp to them, even ther sons aso become ob|ects of affecton.
So when ther bodes persh, there w certany be amentaton."

In answer to ths, He speaks ths verse. "In the body beongng to the
va (dehina) one attans stages such as boyhood. After boyhood s
destroyed one attans youth. When youth s destroyed one attans od
age. In the same manner, one attans another body (after death). |ust
as (yath) one does not ament for the destructon of the ob|ects of
affecton n the form of boyhood and youth of the body whch are
reated to the sou (and therefore dear), so (tath) one shoud aso not
ament for the destructon of the ob|ect of affecton, the body, whch s
aso reated to the sou."
"But wth the destructon of youth and attanng od age, one does
ament."
"But then agan, wth the destructon of boyhood and attanment of
youth one re|oces. And wth the destructon of worn out bodes of
Bhma and Droa, they w attan new bodes and w aso become
|oyfu."
Another meanng s: |ust as n one body a va attans varous states
such as boyhood, the same va attans varous bodes fe after fe
(and therefore one shoud not ament).
14

mtr-spars tu kaunteya toa-sukha-dukha-d '
gampyino nitys ts titikasva bhrata '')2''
14. O son of Kunt, the experence of the sense ob|ects gves
sensatons of cod and heat, happness and dstress, aways temporary,
appearng and dsappearng. O Bhrata, toerate these.
"Yes ths s ndeed true. I have shown such ndscreton. My mnd,
producng nonsense, useessy covered wth amentaton and
bewderment, causes me sufferng."
"It s not the mnd aone. The varous functons of the mnd, n the form
of a the senses such as skn, experencng ther sense ob|ects,
produce ths probem (anartha). One has the experence (spara) of the
sense ob|ects (mtr). In the hot season, cod water s peasant, and n
the cod season, t s panfu. Ths happens n an uncontroed manner,
appearng and dsappearng (gama apyina). Therefore you must
toerate these experences of the sense ob|ects. Toeratng them s part
of dharma prescrbed n the scrptures. One shoud not gve up the bath
n the month of Mgha because t gves pan, snce t s prescrbed n
the scrptures. Foowng dharma graduay rds one of a ow quates.
You must toerate that sons gve |oy when they are born or earn
money, and gve sorrow when they de, by ther temporary appearance
and dsappearance. One shoud not gve up ones scrpturay
14
In the frst nterpretaton one shoud not ament because changes from boyhood to
youth and change of body are a ncdenta to the tm whch remans most dear. In
the second nterpretaton one shoud not ament for the dead body because a person
w get another body after death.
prescrbed duty to fght by that consderaton. Not performng the
prescrbed duty eventuay brngs about great probems."
ya hi na vyathayanty ete purua puruarabha '
sama-dukha-sukha dhra so mtatvya ka"pate '')3''
15. O best of men, the ntegent person, equa n happness and
dstress, who s not paned by these sense ob|ects, attans beraton.
Practcng toerance wth ths dscernment, the experence of the sense
ob|ects w, wth passage of tme, not gve dstress at a. When a
person reaches ths state where there s no dstress from the ob|ects of
the senses, beraton of the tm s cose at hand; he s quafed for
beraton (amtatvya).
nsato vidyate bhvo nbhvo vidyate sata '
ubhayor api do ntas tv anayos tattva-daribhi '')-''
16. There s no permanent exstence for the body, and no cessaton of
exstence for the sou. Those who see thngs n truth see ths
concuson about both of these.
The prevous verse descrbed the resuts for those who have attaned
the eve of dscrmnaton. Actuay as ruti says, the sou s not
attached to matter: asa/go hy aya purua. (%had >rayaka Apaniad
4.3.15) Thus, the va does not have a reatonshp wth the subte or
gross bodes and ther products such as amentaton and
bewderment. Ths reatonshp s caused by gnorance. Ths s
expaned n ths verse.
For the sou, there s no exstence (bhva) of amentaton and
bewderment for ther sheter, the body (asata), snce they have
quates opposed to the quates of the sou. And there s no non-
exstence (abhva) of the va wth ts eterna form (sata). The
concuson (anta) about these two--the body and the sou--has been
seen by the seers of truth.
By ths concuson, there w be no amentaton or bewderment
arsng from seeng the body and thngs reated to the body, because
Bhma and others of the opposng party as we as you and your
aes are ndestructbe, beng eterna. How can Bhma and others be
destroyed, and why do you ament for them? That s the meanng of
ths verse.
avini tu tad viddhi yena sarvam ida tatam '
vinam avyayasysya na kacit kartum arhati '')7''
)7. Know that the sou by whch the body s pervaded s ndestructbe.
No one can destroy that whch ndestructbe.
Ths verse carfes the meanng of the prevous verse. "Know ths va
(tat) whch s spread throughout the body (sarvam idam tatam) s
ndestructbe."
"But, beng spread throughout the body by ts conscousness, ths sou
woud be mpermanent because t s of medum sze ony (beng the
sze of the body).
15
"
Ths s not so, for the Lord says, s&kmnm apy aha vaB of sma
thngs I am the va". (5% 11.16.11) As we, ruti says:
eo ur tm cetas veditavyo yasmin pra pa!cadh savivea
One shoud know by the pure conscousness the sma tm near
whch the fve fe ars rest. *u(aka Apaniad 3.1.9
b"gra-ata-bhgasya atadh ka"pitasya ca bhgo va sa vi!eya
One shoud know that the va s the sze of one ten thousandth
of the tp of the har. ,vetvatara Apaniad 5.9
rgra-mtro hy aparo pi da
The nferor sou s seen to be the sze of the tp of a spoke.
,vetvatara Apaniad 5.8
By these statements of ruti we understand that the va s very sma.
It has the power to spread tsef throughout the whoe body, |ust as
puverzed gems or herbs when apped to the head have the power to
spread ther nourshng nfuence throughout the whoe body. There s
nothng contradctory n beng sma and pervadng the body.
15
In Nyya phosophy there are three szes: mnute (paramu or atoms), medum
sze (combnaton of atoms), and a pervadng. A medum sze ob|ect, beng made of
the combnaton of atoms, s sub|ect to destructon and therefore cannot be eterna.
Because of ts dependence on updhis (mstaken dentty), the sou
goes to varous bodes n heaven and he. In ths way the sou s sarva-
gata+ gong everywhere (pervadng everywhere).
16
Datttreya (n the
form of the avadh&ta brmana) says how the va, takng sheter of the
mahat-tattva at the begnnng of creaton, goes to dfferent bodes:
tm hus tri-gua-vyakti sant vivato-mukham
yasmin protam ida viva yena sasarate pumn
Accordng to great sages, that whch s the bass of the three
modes of matera nature and whch manfests the varegated
unverse s caed the s&tra or mahat-tattva. Indeed, ths unverse
s restng wthn that mahat-tattva, and due to ts potency the
vng entty undergoes matera exstence. 5% 11.9.20
Thus the sous pervason of the body (and st beng mnute) s not
contrary to ts eterna nature stated n the prevous verse. Therefore
the word avyayasya s used n ths verse aso. It refers to the sou beng
eterna or nitya. No one can destroy the eterna sou. As the ruti says:
nityo nityn cetana cetannm eko bah&n yo vidadhti kmn
The Lord s the chef eterna among a eternas (sous). He s the
chef conscous entty among a conscous enttes. He s the
one person who fufs the needs of a others. ,vetvatara
Apaniad 6.13

Or the meanng of the verse can be as foows.
The body, the va and the Paramtm are a seen everywhere n a
forms such as human and anma. The frst two, the body and va,
were mentoned n the prevous verse. The thrd, Paramtm s
mentoned n ths verse. It s ndestructbe and spread everywhere n
the unverse (idam)
17
. The word tu serves to dstngush Paramtm
from the body and va. The Paramtm s by ts very nature dfferent
from matter and the va.
antavanta ime deh nityasyokt arria '
16
Ths s another meanng of sarvam ida tatam. The vas are spread throughout the
unverse n dfferent bodes.
17
In the frst nterpretaton idam referred to the body. Here t refers to the unverse.
anino prameyasya tasmd yudhyasva bhrata '')8''
18. The bodes beongng to the eterna, ndestructbe, sma sou are
sad to be temporary. Therefore, fght, O Bhrata.
Ths verse aso carfes verse 16. The possessor of the body (sarria),
the va, s beyond measurement, or dffcut to understand, because t
s very, very sma (aprameyasya). Therefore you shoud fght. Ths
means that you shoud not gve up your dharma as prescrbed n
scrpture.
ya ena vetti hantra ya caina manyate hatam '
ubhau tau na vinto nya hanti na hanyate '')9''
19. Those who thnk that the sou ks and those who thnk that the
sou s ked do not know that the sou does not k or get ked.
"O frend Ar|una! You, a sou as we, are nether the performer of
kng nor the ob|ect of kng." That s expressed n ths verse.

He who thnks the va (enam) s the ker--that Ar|una s the ker of
Bhma and others, and he who thnks that the va s ked--that
Ar|una s ked by Bhma, are both gnorant. Therefore, what s your
fear of nfamy from the words of gnorant peope who say that Ar|una
ked hs guru?
na yate mriyate v kadcin
nya bh&tv bhavit v na bh&ya '
ao nitya vato ya puro
na hanyate hanyamne arre ''0:''
20. The sou s never born, nor does t ever de. Nether was t born n
the past, nor w t be born n the future. It has no creaton n the past,
present or future, and no destructon n past, present or future, and s
therefore eterna. It s most ancent but not sub|ect to ageng. It s not
ked when the body s ked.
The eterna nature of the va s here ceary proven. The frst ne
negates the possbty of brth and death for the va at the present
tme. The second ne negates brth and death n the past and the
future. Therefore t s unborn (aa): n past, present and future.
Because of no brth, t has no prevous non-exstence (prag-abhva). It
exsts at a tmes (vata), meanng that at no tme n past, present
or future, w t be destroyed (dhvasa). Therefore t s eterna (nitya).
"But because the sou exsts for a ong tme, t can grow od."
"No, though t s od (pur), t s as f new (na for nava)
18
, because of
absence of the sx states of transformatons.
19
"
"Wth the death of the body, w t not de aong wth the body?"
"It does not de when the body des. Because t s not |oned
permanenty wth the body, the sou s not subservent to t."
vedvinina nitya ya enam aam avyayam '
katha sa purua prtha ka ghtayati hanti kam ''0)''
21. He who knows constanty, that ths sou s ndestructbe, unborn,
and eterna, ks whom and how? Whom does he cause others to k
and how?
Wth ths knowedge, nether you who are fghtng nor I who am urgng
you to
fght have any faut. Here nityam s used as an adverb: "He who knows
constant"y that the sou s ndestructbe, unborn, and eterna..."
The words descrbng the sou are used to negate the ob|ectons of
Ar|una about destructon. "Whom do I (sa purua), the Lord, cause to
be ked (by advsng you to fght)? And how do I cause anyone to be
ked? And whom do you k? And how do you k?"
vssi rni yath vihya
navni ghti naro pari '
tath arri vihya rny
anyni sayti navni deh ''00''
22. As a man gves up od cothes and accepts new ones, so the sou
gves up the od bodes and attans new ones.
"But by my fghtng, a va w gve up the body known as Bhma.
Then you and I w be the cause of that."
18
Ths s the nterpretaton of the word "pura" by rdhara and Baadeva as we.
19
These are brth, mantenance, growth, maturty, decay and death.
"What faut s there n a person gvng up od worn coth to put on new
coth? In a smar way, Bhma w gve up an od body and attan a
new dvne body. What faut s there for Me or you n that?"
naina chindanti astri naina dahati pvaka '
na caina k"edayanty po na oayati mruta ''01''
23. Weapons do not cut the sou. Fre does not burn t. Water does not
wet t. Wnd does not dry t.
Aso, t s not possbe to n|ure the sou at a by the weapons used by
you n the batte. That s expaned n ths verse. Weapons such as
swords cannot cut t. The fre weapon cannot burn t. The ran weapon
cannot wet t, nor can the wnd weapon dry t out.
acchedyo yam adhyo yam ak"edyo oya eva ca '
nitya sarva-gata sthur aca"o ya santana ''02''
avyakto yam acintyo yam avikryo yam ucyate '
tasmd eva viditvaina nnuocitum arhasi ''03''
24. The sou cannot be cut, cannot be burned, cannot be mostened or
dred. It s eterna, traveng n a bodes, and stabe.
20
25. It s mperceptby sma, pervadng the body nconcevaby, and
wthout changes. Knowng t thus, you shoud not ament.
Therefore the tm s descrbed n ths way (takng the descrptons of
the prevous verse): t cannot be cut, burned, dred or mostened. The
repetton of the words sgnfyng the eterna nature of the sou n ths
secton (such as the use of the words nitya and santana n ths verse,
and statements of prevous verses) s for the purpose of precsey
defnng the sou for those of confused nteect, |ust as one w repeat
severa tmes n order to make certan that everyone understands,
"Ths s the dharma of Ka-yuga, ths s the dharma of Ka-yuga."
5arva-gata (gone everywhere) means that the sou goes nto a sorts
of bodes such as human, anma and deva by ts karma.
21
5thu and
20
Ths transaton and others as we s accordng to the expanaton of the words
gven by Vvantha n hs commentary. Each crya may have dfferng opnon on
the meanng of partcuar words.
21
The other meanng s pervadng everywhere, but ths meanng s not taken snce
the sub|ect s the va , who pervades ony hs own body.
aca"a have the same meanng, "havng stabty,"
22
and the repetton
makes the meanng cear.
Because t s very fne, t s caed avyakta. Because t pervades the
body wth conscousness, t s caed acintya, beyond concepton. Beng
devod of the sx changes such as brth, t s caed avikrya.
atha caina nitya-ta nitya v manyase mtam '
tathpi tva mahbho naina ocitum arhasi ''0-''
26. Even f you thnk the sou s aways born and aways des, st you
shoud not ament, O Mghty-armed one!
"I have presented to you the concusve truth accordng to the
scrpture. Now I w present the truth accordng to matera vson.
Pease understand t." Then He speaks ths verse.
If you thnk that the sou s aways born (nitya-tam) when the body s
born, and aways des (nitya mtam) wth the death of the body, you
shoud not ament for t. O mghty-armed Ar|una, beng a brave
katriya, ths war s your dharma.
As %hgavatam says:
katriym aya dharma prapati-vinirmita
bhrtpi bhrtara hanyd yena ghoratamas tata
The code of sacred duty for warrors estabshed by Lord Brahm
en|ons that one may have to k even hs own brother. That
ndeed s the most dreadfu aw." 5% 10.54.40
tasya hi dhruvo mtyur dhruva anma mtasya ca '
tasmd aparihrye rthe na tva ocitum arhasi ''07''
27. For what s born, death s certan. For what s dead, brth s certan.
Therefore, snce both are unavodabe, you shoud not ament.
Snce (hi) death s certan (dhruva) wth the depeton of karmas meant
for ths fe, and brth s aso certan because of the karma accrued by
that body whch |ust ded-- snce both death and brth are unavodabe
(aparihrye arthe)--do not ament.
22
Baadeva expans sthnu as "havng a stabe svar&pa."
avyaktdni bh&tni vyakta-madhyni-bhrata '
avyakta-nidhanny eva tatra k paridevan ''08''
28. Lvng enttes are nvsbe n the begnnng, manfest n the
mdde, and nvsbe at the end. What s there to ament n ths?
Thus from the pont of vew of the sou, havng no brth and death
(verse 20), and from the pont of vew of the body, for whch brth and
death are certan (verse 27), the causes for amentaton have been
emnated. In ths verse the Lord argues aganst amentaton usng
both deas-beng eterna and havng certan brth and death (but wth
a purey materastc argument).
6evas, humans and anmas are not vsbe before ther brth. However,
ther subte and gross bodes do exst nvsby n a potenta form, from
the exstence of the causa ngredents such as earth. They become
vsbe n the mdde perod, and nvsbe after death. Even at the tme
of mahpra"aya these bodes exst n a subte form through the
contnued exstence n subte form of karmas and other eements. Thus
a vng enttes bodes are nvsbe before brth and after death, and
are vsbe n the nterva.
Ths s stated by the personfed $edas n the %hgavatam:
sthira-cara-taya syur aayottha-nimitta-yua
O eternay berated, transcendenta Lord, Your matera energy
causes the varous movng and nonmovng speces of fe to
appear by actvatng ther matera desres, but ony when and f
You sport wth her by brefy gancng at her. 5% 10.87.29
What cause s there for amentaton (paridevan)?
As Nrada says:
yan manyase dhruva "okam adhruva v na cobhayam
sarvath na hi ocys te snehd anyatra mohat
O Kng, n a crcumstances, whether you consder the sou to be
an eterna prncpe, or the matera body to be pershabe, or
everythng to exst n the mpersona Absoute Truth, or
everythng to be an nexpcabe combnaton of matter and
sprt, feengs of separaton are due ony to usory affecton and
nothng more 5% 1.13.44.

carya-vat payati kacid enam
carya-vad vadati tathaiva cnya '
carya-vac cainam anya oti
rutvpy ena veda na caiva kacit ''09''
29. Some see the sou wth amazement. Others speak of t n
amazement. Others hear about t wth amazement. Hearng about t,
speakng about t or seeng t--st, no one knows t at a.
"What an astonshng thng you are descrbng! And t s so astonshng
that though I am beng enghtened by You, my ack of dscernment
does not go away."
"Yes, the tm s truy astonshng." Wth ths ntenton the Lord then
speaks ths verse.
The word enam n ths verse stands for the sou and the body, the
combnaton of both, whch consttutes the whoe word. (The meanng
woud be: Yes, peope see ths combnaton of sou and body, whch
consttutes a vng bengs, as amazng.)
23

deh nityam avadhyo ya dehe sarvasya bhrata '
tasmt sarvi bh&tni na tva ocitum arhasi ''1:''
30. O Bhrata, the sou n the body of a enttes can never be ked.
Therefore you shoud not ament for any beng.
"Therefore speak ceary. What shoud I do and not do?"
"Do not ament, but rather fght." In two verses, Ka expans ths.
sva-dharmam api cvekya na vikampitum arhasi '
23
The sanskt for ths rather cryptc statement s enam tmnam deham ca tad ubhaya
r&pam sarva "okam. The meanng as taken by Bhaktvnoda n hs transaton of the
verse s: the sou s amazng snce peope understand ths sou n competey dfferent
ways: ths va tattva s seen as a matera entty or body, devod of conscous
substance (deham); as a conscous entty whch s not eterna (tad ubhaya-rupam); and
as one sou ony, as n Advata phosophy (sarva-"okam). In Vvanthas commentary
he takes the meanng of carya as "astonshng" n the sense of "hard to
understand," modfyng enam, the tm. Thus they msunderstand t as a matera
ob|ect, as a temporary sprtua eement, or as one a- pervadng sou.
dharmyd dhi yuddhc chreyo nyat katriyasya na vidyate ''1)''
31. Consderng your own dutes, you shoud not be fearfu. There s
nothng better for the warror than to fght for the rght cause.
Because the sou cannot be destroyed, you shoud not fear kng
(stated n the prevous verse). And consderng from the pont of vew
of your partcuar dutes (snce there s nothng better than fghtng for
dharma), you shoud not fear kng. That s the reaton of the two
verses.
yadcchay copapanna svarga-dvram apvtam '
sukhina katriy prtha "abhante yuddham dam ''10''
32. Warrors are the happy who obtan such a batte whch comes by
chance and whch opens the doors to heaven.
Moreover, more than even the vctors, those who de n a |ust batte
attan happness. By kng Bhma and others, you make them
happer. Even wthout dong karma-yoga, one can attan Svarga through
the batte, wthout any obstructons (apvtam).
atha cet tvam ima dharmya sagrma na kariyasi '
tata sva-dharma krti ca hitv ppam avpsyasi ''11''
33. If you do not take part n ths rghteous war, gvng up your duty
and fame, you w nstead reap sn.
In four verses he descrbes the faut n dong the opposte.
akrti cpi bh&tni kathayiyanti te vyaym '
sabhvitasya ckrtir marad atiricyate ''12''
34. They w speak ncessanty of your nfamy. For one who has great
poston, dshonor s worse than death.
;vayayam means "contnuay." 5ambhvitasya means "of great
poston."
bhayd rad uparata masyante tv mah-rath '
ye ca tva bahu-mato bh&tv ysyasi "ghavam ''13''
35. The great warrors, by whom you were regarded hghy, and w
now be regarded wth contempt, w thnk that you have abandoned
the battefed out of fear.
.
Those who have hgh regard for you as a warror, even though you are
an enemy, w no onger gve you respect f you gve up the batte. The
mah-rathas ke Duryodhana w thnk that you have fed n fear from
the battefed. They w not thnk of any other reason for the katriya
to eave the fed than fear. Strong bonds of frendshp w not be
consdered.
avcya-vd ca bah&n vadiyanti tavhit '
nindantas tava smarthya tato dukhatara nu kim ''1-''
36. They w speak many unspeakabe words about you, crtczng
your abtes. What coud be more panfu?
.
They w speak of you n terms (avcya-vdn) such as "coward."
hato v prpsyasi svarga itv v bhokyase mahm '
tasmd uttiha kaunteya yuddhya kta-nicaya ''17''
37. Beng ked, you w attan heaven. Beng defeated, you w en|oy
the earth. Therefore, rse, O son of Kunt, and fght wth determnaton.
"In ths batte, my vctory s not even certan. Therefore, why shoud
you encourage ths war?" He answers n ths verse.
sukha-dukhe same ktv "bh"bhau ayayau '
tato yuddhya yuyasva naiva ppam avpsyasi ''18''
38. Beng equa n happness and dstress, n gan or oss, n vctory or
defeat, engage n the batte. You w not ncur any sn.
In a ways, your fghtng s an act of dharma. If you fear that t w
produce sn, I have shown you that t w not be a cause of sn.
Therefore fght. The Lord gves ths nstructon n ths verse.
Beng equa n happness and dstress, whch are caused by gan and
oss--such as gan and oss of a kngdom, whch are n turn caused by
vctory and defeat n the war; understandng that both resuts are
equa through a dscernng mnd--equpped wth that knowedge, you
w not ncur sn at a. It w aso be stated ater:
"ipyate na sa ppena padma-patram ivmbhas
One s not touched by sn, as a otus eaf s not touched by water.
%# 5.10
e te bhihit s/khye buddhir yoge tv im u '
buddhy yukto yay prtha karma-bandha prahsyasi ''19''
39. I have taught you understandng necessary for the process of !na.
Now hear about understandng necessary for the process of bhakti. By
engagng your ntegence n ths yoga, O son of Pth, you w become
free from the bondage of karma.

In ths verse, Ka concudes the topc of !na-yoga whch he has |ust
taught. 5/khya means "that by whch true knowedge of thngs (vastu-
tattvam) s perfecty (samak) reveaed (khyyate)." In other words,
s/khya means a perfect process of knowng. The ntegence (e) to
be mpemented n that process has been expaned. Now hear about
the ntegence necessary to mpement bhakti-yoga (yoge) whch w
now be expaned. Endowed wth ths understandng concernng the
sub|ect of bhakti-yoga, you w gve up sasra
24
(karma-bandham).
nehbhikrama-no sti pratyavyo na vidyate '
sva"pam apy asya dharmasya tryate mahato bhayt ''2:''
40. In ths process, there s no oss by stoppng wthout competon,
and no sn ncurred by dong so. One s devered from brth and death
even by practcng a tte of ths process.
There are two types of yoga expaned n ths secton of the chapter:
actvtes of bhakti, ncudng hearng chantng and other such actvtes;
and prescrbed dutes offered to the Lord wthout persona desre
(nikma-karma-yoga), whch s expressed ater startng wth the verse
karmay evdhikras te (%# 2.47). Before that, however, bhakti s
dscussed. Because bhakti aone, and no other process, s beyond the
three modes, a person transcends the modes ony by performng
bhakti-yoga. Thus the statement nistraiguyo bhava to Ar|una (%# 2.45)
ndcates that ths secton s about bhakti. The nirgua nature of bhakti s
aso we supported by the statements of the Eeventh Canto of
24
5asra refers to repeated brth and death n ths word.
%hgavatam.
25
C!na and karma cannot be sad to be nistraiguya
because of the presence of sattva n !na, and raas n karma.
And the bhakti found n karma-yoga n the form of offerng ones
prescrbed actons to the Lord s present there |ust makes karma ose
ts useessness and bear matera fruts. Ths process of karma-yoga
does not have the desgnaton of bhakti proper because predomnance
of bhakti s absent. If one consders karma offered to the Lord to be
bhakti, then what woud the desgnaton karma refer to? If one says that
t refers to prescrbed karma not offered to the Lord, that cannot be, for
Nrada says,
naikarmyam apy acyuta-bhva-varita
na obhate !nam a"a nira!anam
kuta puna avad abhadram vare
na crpita karma yad apy akraam

Knowedge of sef-reazaton, even though free from a matera
affnty, does not ook we f devod of a concepton of the
Infabe |God|. What, then, s the use of frutve actvtes, whch
are naturay panfu from the very begnnng and transent by
nature, f they are not utzed for the devotona servce of the
Lord? 5% 1.5.12
Ths statement ndcates that karma devod of the Lord s competey
useess.
Therefore, n ths verse and n the verses t verse 45, bhakti,
characterzed ony by hearng, chantng, and other devotona acts,
practced ony to attan the sweetness of the Lords otus feet, s beng
descrbed. @ikma-karma-yoga w aso be descrbed. Both of these
are ndcated by the word buddhi-yoga mentoned n verse 39. In the
phrase dadmi buddhi-yogam ta yena mm upaynti te (%# 10.10D+ the
word buddhi-yoga ndcates bhakti-yoga. In the phrase durena hy avara
karma buddhi-yogd dhana!aya (%# 2.49), the word buddhi-yoga
ndcates nikma-karma-yoga.
25
The twenty-ffth chapter of the Eeventh Canto expans n many verses how bhakti
and thngs reated to bhakti are beyond the guas. Many of these verses are quoted n
Vvanthas commentares on verse 45 of ths chapter and verse 28 of the
eghteenth chapter.
Thus, ths present verse s a gorfcaton of the process of bhakti wth
hearng and chantng, whch s beyond the modes of nature. In bhakti-
yoga (iha) there s no destructon (na), and there s aso no sn
ncurred (pratyavya), f the practce has |ust begun (abhikrama) and
then stopped. If karma-yoga, however, s begun and then stopped,
there s both destructon of the fruts of karma-yoga and snfu reacton
as we for the performer.
26

"But then, by non-performance of bhakti whch he s supposed to do,
the asprng practtoner aso shoud not get any resuts."
"Whatever tte bhakti was there by the nta practce (sva"pam apy
asya dharmasya), even that sma amount, w certany dever hm
from the bondage of sasra (mahato bhayat)."
Ths s understood from such verses as the foowng:
yan-nma sakcchravat pukkao pi vimucyate sasrd
Merey by hearng the hoy name of Your Lordshp ony once,
even ca("as men of the owest cass, are freed from a matera
contamnaton. 5% 6.16.44
And t s aso seen n the exampe of A|ma and others.
One can see that the foowng statement by the Lord has the same
meanng:
hy a/gopakrame dhvaso mad-dharmasyoddhavv api
may vyavasita samya/ nirguatvd ania
My dear Uddhava, because I have personay estabshed t, ths
process of devotona servce unto Me s transcendenta and free
from any matera motvaton. Certany a devotee never suffers
even the sghtest oss by adoptng ths process. 5% 11.29.20
In the %hgavatam verse quoted above, Ka aso shows the cause of
ndestructbty of bhakti. As t s beyond the guas, t never can be
destroyed. The same reasonng shoud aso be apped to the present
26
The Mmsakas say that f the actons are not competed they bear no resut.
Further, sn s ncurred by not competng the act.
#t verse. One cannot say however that nikma-karma-yoga, even by
beng offered to the Lord, s beyond the modes of nature, for t s sad:
mad-arpaa nipha"a v sattvc nia-karma tat
Work performed as an oEEering to *e, wthout consderaton of the
frut, s consdered to be n the mode of goodness. 5% 11.25.23
Ths verse ndcates that nikma-karma-yoga, even by the power of
beng offered to the Lord, s n the matera mode of sattva (and
therefore sub|ect to destructon).
vyavasytmik buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana '
bahu-kh hy anant ca buddhayo vyavasyinm ''2)''
41. Resoute ntegence s ony one n ths process, O son of the Kurus.
The ntegence of those who are rresoute has many branches of
acton and unmted desres.

Moreover among a types of ntegence, that ntegence
concentrated on bhakti-yoga s the best. Resoute ntegence fxed n
bhakti-yoga s ony one. The meanng of ths s ustrated as foows.
"My sdhana s to serve the otus feet of the Lord, to remember and
gorfy Hm as nstructed by my guru. That s aso my goa (sdhya). It s
my fe sustanng medcne, for I cannot gve up the sdhana and the
sdhya. Ths s my most desrabe ob|ect, my duty, and nothng ese s
my duty; nothng ese s desred, even n dreams. There may be
happness or sorrow. 5asra may be destroyed, or may not be
destroyed. That s no oss for me. Let there ony be resoute
ntegence fxed n pure bhakti."
It s sad:
tato bhaeta m bhakty raddh"ur d(ha-nicaya
My devotee shoud reman happy and worshp Me wth great Eaith
and conviction. 5% 11.20.28
The ntegence of others however s not ek. Those nteects have
many branches, and thus the nteects are unmted (anant) rather
than one, because of the unmted desres to fuf n karma-yoga. For
nstance, n !na-yoga, n order to purfy the mnd, one must frst fx
the ntegence on nikma-karma. When the mnd s purfed, the
ntegence then concentrates on gvng up acton (karma-sannysa).
Next, the ntegence concentrates on !na, knowedge. But the
ntegence at that tme must aso concentrate on bhakti so that !na
does not become devod of resuts. The ntegence then concentrates
on gvng up !na, as the Lord says, !na ca mayi sannyaset one
shoud surrender such knowedge n order to attan me. (5% 11.19.1)
Thus the ntegences or mnds, concentratng on dfferent ob|ects, are
sad to be nfnte or many. And the types of dfferng sdhanas are aso
many, snce karma, !na and bhakti must a be performed.
ym im pupit vca pravadanty avipacita '
veda-vda-rat prtha nnyad astti vdina ''20''
42. The unntegent peope, absorbed n dscussng the $edas, who
propound the theory that matter s everythng, attractvey speak
fowery words.
Ths verse speaks of the persons wth waverng ntegence, nvoved
n sakma-karma, who are very du wtted. They speak exceenty (pra
vadanti)
27
peasant words of the $edas whch are ke a posonous but
attractve fowerng pant. Snce ther conscousness has been deuded
by those words, they are not endowed wth fxed ntegence, (tay
apahta cetasm vyavasytmik buddhi samdhau na vidhyate). The
sentence s competed n verse 44. Because of the mpossbty for
them to accept, that fxed ntegence s not taught to them. Why do
they speak n ths way? They speak n ths way because they are foos
(avipacith), because they nterpret the words of the $edas (veda-vda-
rat) such as the foowng:
akayya ha vai cturmsya-yina sukta bhavati

One who has worshped by means of the vows of cturmsya
attans pous credts whch never become depeted. >pastamba
,rauta 5&tra+ Fa 4aur $eda 8.1.1
apma somam amt abh&ma
27
=ra here stands for praka, whch means "attractvey."
We drank soma and became mmorta. Gg $eda 8.48.3
They say that there s no God other than ths (na anyat asti).
kmtmna svarga-par anma-karma-pha"a-pradm '
kriy-viea-bahu" bhogaivarya-gati prati ''21''
43. Fed wth desre, anxous for heaven, they speak many words
concernng rtuas for attanng power and en|oyment, words for gvng
the fruts of ther acton n the form of hgher brth.
What type of words do they speak? They speak words about varous
rtes gvng many resuts
28
for attanng power and en|oyment, words
whch gve good karma n terms of brth.
bhogaivarya-prasaktn taypahta-cetasm '
vyavasytmik buddhi samdhau na vidhyate ''22''
44. For those peope, who are attached to en|oyment and power,
whose conscousness has been deuded by that tak, the resoute
ntegence, fxed on one pont, does not take pace.
Those whose mnds are attracted by the fowery words, who are
attached to power and en|oyment, do not have the determned
ntegence fxed frmy on one pont (samdhau), fxed ony on the
Supreme Lord. The form of the verb na vidhyate s refexve passve
(karma-kartari), meanng n ths case "s not attaned." Ths
commentary s rdhara Svms verson.
traiguya-viay ved nistraiguyo bhavruna '
nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kema tmavn ''23''
45. The sub|ect of the $edas s the three modes. Rse above the three
modes, Ar|una, and be free of duates, stuated wth the eterna
devotees, devod of desre for gan or preservaton, and be engaged n
the ntegence gven by Me.

Gve up a sdhanas of dharma, artha, kma and moka, and |ust take
sheter of bhakti-yoga. That s the ntenton of ths verse.
28
He anayzes the word bahu"a as "gvng much" from the root ", meanng "to gve"
combned wth bahu, many.
The $edas have the abty to revea ony karma and !na and other
topcs composed of the three modes (traiguya viaya) for persona
gratfcaton. The suffx ya n traiguya viaya here denotes sef-nterest.
Ths statement of course means that the ma|orty of texts dea wth
matera sub|ects. However the rutis ($edas) do say:
bhaktir evainam nayati
%hakti aone eads to the Lord. *hara ,ruti
29

yasya deve par bhaktir yath deve tath gurau
One shoud have as much devoton n guru as one does n the
Lord. ,vetvatara Apaniad 6.23
As we, the pa!cartra and smti scrptures, and other Apaniads ke
the #t Apaniad and #op"a Hpan Apaniad make nirgua-bhakti
the sub|ect of dscusson. If the $edas dd not speak of bhakti at a,
then bhakti coud not be substantated.
Do not nvove yoursef wth those statements of the $edas deang wth
!na and karma affected by the three guas (nistraiguya bhava). But
you shoud aways foow the Vedc statements deang wth bhakti. By
foowng those n|unctons, you are free from faut:
ruti-smti-purdi-p!cartra-vidhi vin
aikntik harer bhaktir utptyaiva ka"pyate
Wthout foowng the rues of ruti, smti, puras and pa!cartra,
pure bhakti to the Lord creates dsaster. %hakti Iasmta 5indhu,
1.2.101 quoted from %rahma-yma"a

By ths, one can understand that the $edas dea wth both matera and
sprtua topcs, topcs nvovng the three guas and topcs beyond the
guas. But you shoud be devod of the guas (nistraiguya bhava). By
foowng the path of nirgua bhakti offered to Me, cross over the paths
deang wth the three guas.
29
Ths quotaton s gven n =rti 5andarbha and attrbuted to the *hara ,ruti.
Then, such a person w be free of the duates (nirdvanda) wthn the
guas, such as respect and dsrespect, and w reman wth the eterna
vng enttes (nitya sattva), My devotees. If one were to say that nitya
sattva stha means to be stuated n sattva gua, that woud be a
contradcton to the statement nistraiguya bhava.
You w be free from the desre to acqure what you ack (yoga) and to
protect what you have attaned (kema), because of your taste for My
bhakti-rasa. Ths s because I, out of affecton for My devotee, carry the
responsbtyB yoga-kema vahmy aham. (%# 9.22) You w be fxed n
the ntegence gven by Me (tmavn).
Here there w be an examnaton of the meanng of nistraiguya and
traiguya. It s sad n the Eeventh Canto of %hgavatam:
mad-arpaa nipha"a v sattvc nia-karma yat
rasa pha"a-sa/ka"pa his-prydi tmasam
Work performed as an offerng to Me, (occasonay) wthout
consderaton of the frut, s consdered to be n the mode of
goodness. Work performed wth a desre to en|oy the resuts s n
the mode of passon. And work mpeed by voence and envy s
n the mode of gnorance. 5% 11.25.23
In ths statement nipha"am v means "occasonay devod of desres
for the resuts of executon of dutes."
kaiva"ya sattvc !na rao vaika"pika ca yat
prkta tmasa !na man-niha nirgua smtam
Absoute knowedge s n the mode of goodness, knowedge
based on duaty s n the mode of passon, and foosh,
materastc knowedge s n the mode of gnorance. Knowedge
based upon Me, however, s understood to be transcendenta.
5% 11.25.24
vana tu sttviko vso grmo rasa ucyate
tmasa dyuta-sadana man-niketa tu nirguam
Resdence n the forest s n the mode of goodness, resdence n
a town s n the mode of passon, resdence n a gambng house
dspays the quaty of gnorance, and resdence n a pace where
I resde s transcendenta.
5% 11.25.25
sattvc krako sa/g rgndho rasa smta
tmasa smti-vibhrao nirguo mad-apraya
A worker free of attachment s n the mode of goodness; a
worker bnded by persona desre s n the mode of passon, and
a worker who has competey forgotten how to te rght from
wrong s n the mode of gnorance. But a worker who has taken
sheter of Me s understood to be transcendenta to the modes of
nature. 5% 11.25.26
sttvikydhytmik raddh karma-raddh tu ras
tmasy adharme y raddh mat-sevy tu nirgu
Fath drected toward sprtua fe s n the mode of goodness,
fath rooted n frutve work s n the mode of passon, fath
resdng n rregous actvtes s n the mode of gnorance, but
fath n My devotona servce s purey transcendenta. 5%
11.25.27
pathya p&tam anyastam hrya sattvc smtam
rasa cendriya-preha tmasa crti-duci
Food that s whoesome, pure and obtaned wthout dffcuty s n
the mode of goodness, food that gves mmedate peasure to the
senses s n the mode of passon, and food that s uncean and
causes dstress s n the mode of gnorance. (Accordng to
rdhara Svm the word ca ndcates "But food offered to Me s
beyond the modes.") 5% 11.25.28
sattvc sukham tmottha viayottha tu rasam
tmasa moha-dainyottha nirgua mad-aprayam
Happness derved from the sef s n the mode of goodness,
happness based on sense gratfcaton s n the mode of passon,
and happness based on deuson and degradaton s n the mode
of gnorance. But that happness found wthn Me s
transcendenta. 5% 11.25.29
The ast verses, after showng the ob|ects n the three modes of nature,
expan the conquest of the three modes stuated to some degree
wthn onesef, by the process of nirgua-bhakti, n order to reach
compete transcendence of the modes.

dravya deas tath k"o !na karma ca kraka
raddhvasth-ktir nih traiguya sarva eva hi
Therefore matera substance, pace, resut of actvty, tme,
knowedge, work, the performer of work, fath, state of
conscousness, speces of fe and destnaton after death are a
based on the three modes of matera nature.
5% 11.25.30
sarve guamay bhv puruvyakta-dhihit
da rutam anudhyta buddhy v puruarabha
O best of human bengs, a states of matera beng are reated
to the nteracton of the en|oyng sou and matera nature.
Whether seen, heard of or ony conceved wthn the mnd, they
are wthout excepton consttuted of the modes of nature. 5%
11.25.31
et sastaya puso gua-karma-nibandhan
yeneme nirit saumya guvena citta
bhakti-yogena man-niho mad-bhvya prapadyate
O gente Uddhava, a these dfferent phases of condtoned fe
arse from work born of the modes of matera nature. The vng
entty who conquers these modes, manfested from the mnd by
the process of devotona servce, can dedcate hmsef to Me and
thus attan pure ove for Me. 5% 11.25.32
Thus, ony by the process of bhakti can one conquer over the three
modes. There s no other way. Later, n answer to the queston, "How
can one surpass the three modes of nature?" the Lord says:
m ca yo vyabhicrea bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gun samattyaitn brahma-bh&yya ka"pate %# 14.26

rdhara Svm expans that verse as foows: the ca word ndcates
excusveness. "He who serves ony Me, the Supreme Lord, through
undevatng bhakti-yoga, surpasses the guas."
yvn artha udapne sarvata sap"utodake '
tvn sarveu vedeu brhmaasya vinata ''2-''
46. As the purposes of a wes are fufed by a arge water body, so
a the resuts of a types of worshp mentoned n the $edas are
fufed |ust by knowng and worshpng the one Supreme God.
The gory of bhakti-yoga, beng nikma and nirgua, s such that t goes
wthout sayng that t s wthout oss or sn, even f started and
dscontnued. That even a tte performance of bhakti makes one
successfu s stated by Uddhava n the Eeventh Canto.
na hy a/gopakrame dhvaso mad-dharmasyoddhavv api
may vyavasita samya/ nirguatvd ania
My dear Uddhava, because I have personay estabshed t, ths
process of devotona servce unto Me s transcendenta and free
from any matera motvaton. Certany a devotee never suffers
even the sghtest oss by adoptng ths process. 5% 11.29.20
However, even bhakti wth matera desre (sakma-bhakti) s known by
the term vyavasytmik buddhi (snce there s worshp of ony one
person). Ths s shown through an exampe.
The snguar case s used to ndcate a whoe cass of wes. "Whatever
purposes the wes serve" s the meanng of yvn artha udapne. Some
wes are used for ceanng the body after passng nature. Some others
are used for brushng teeth. Others are used for washng cothng.
Others are used for washng har. Others are used for bathng. Others
are used for drnkng water. A the purposes of a the dfferent wes
are served by a arge body of water ke a ake. In that one ake, one
can perform a the actvtes such as ceanng the body or brushng the
teeth. Whereas by usng dfferent wes for dfferent purposes, one
becomes tred of wanderng around, that s not the case n usng the
ake. The outstandng quaty of the ake water however s ts sweet
taste, whereas that of the we s not tasty.
Thus, whatever purposes are served by worshp of a the devats
mentoned n a the $edas are acheved through worshp of the one
Supreme Lord, by the person n knowedge, one who knows the $edas
(brhmaasya). He who knows the $eda (brahma), s caed brhmaa.
One may know the $edas, but one who knows the mport of the $edas,
bhakti, s a speca knower (vieato nata J vinata).
It s sad n the Second Canto of %hgavatam:
brahma-varcasa-kmas tu yaeta brahmaa patim
indram indriya-kmas tu pra-kma prapatim
One who desres to be absorbed n the mpersona brahmayoti
effugence shoud worshp the master of the $edas, one who
desres powerfu sex shoud worshp the heaveny Kng, Indra,
and one who desres good progeny shoud worshp the great
progentors caed the Pra|pats. 5% 2.3.3
But then t s sad:
akma sarva-kmo v moka-kma udra-dh
tvrea bhakti-yogena yaeta purua param
A person who has broader ntegence, whether he be fu of a
matera desre, wthout any matera desre, or desrng
beraton, must by a means worshp the supreme whoe, the
Personaty of Godhead. 5% 2.3.10
|ust as the sunshne, unmxed wth couds or other obstructons, s
ntense, bhakti-yoga, unmxed wth !na, karma or other poutants, s
ntense (tvrea bhakti-yogena). One attans fufment of many desres
by worshppng many devats. Ths requres many types of menta
concentraton. But one can attan a those desres from the one
Supreme Lord, from |ust one porton of ones concentraton on the one
Lord. One shoud understand that ths concentraton on one
personaty (and attanng many goas) arses from the exceent
quates possessed by the ob|ect of concentraton, the Lord.
karmay evdhikras te m pha"eu kadcana '
m karma-pha"a-hetur bh&r m te sa/go stv akarmai ''27''
47. You have quafcaton for prescrbed work, but not the resuts of
the work. Do not be the cause of resuts of work. Do not be attached to
not dong work, or dong snfu work.
The Lord wanted to speak about the processes of !na, bhakti and
karma-yoga to Ar|una, who was hs dear frend. Havng spoken of !na
and bhakti-yoga, the Lord then consdered that these two were not
sutabe for Ar|una. Thus He now speaks of nikma-karma-yoga.
"You are quafed for works. But those who crave the resuts are very
mpure n conscousness. But you have an amost pure heart. I can say
ths about you snce I know you."

"But n dong actons, a resut must come."
"By dong an acton wth a desre for a certan resut, a person
becomes the cause of that resut. But you shoud not act n that
manner. I gve you that bessng. And do not become attracted to non-
performance of your duty, or n dong sn (akarmai), rather you shoud
hate dong that. I gve you that bessng aso."
However, n the next chapter, Ar|una says, "My ntegence s
bewdered by these equvoca words." Ths apparent ack of
connecton between the prevous and ater statements shoud be
understood to be ntentona, havng a purpose. "|ust as I stand as your
charoteer awatng your order, you aso awat My order." One shoud
see that Ka and Ar|una actuay had rea agreement of mnd.
yogastha kuru karmi sa/ga tyaktv dhana!aya '
siddhy-asiddhyo samo bh&tv samatva yoga ucyate ''28''
48. Beng stuated n ths nikma-karma-yoga, perform your dutes,
gvng up attachment, and beng equa to success and faure, O
conqueror of weath! Such equa mndedness s caed yoga.
Wth ths verse, Ka starts teachng the method of nikma-karma.
Actng n ths way, seeng vctory and defeat as equa, O Ar|una, you
shoud perform your duty of fghtng. Ths performance of nikma-
karma-yoga transforms nto !na-yoga. C!na-yoga shoud be understood
from the prevous and atter portons of the work.
d&rea hy avara karma buddhi-yogd dhana!aya '
buddhau araam anviccha kpa pha"a-hetava ''29''
49. O conqueror of weath, actons wth desre are far nferor to
nikma-karma-yoga. Surrender to ths buddhi-yoga or nikma-karma-
yoga. Those who seek resuts from ther work are wretched (and
receve bondage).
Ka here crtczes karma done wth matera desres (sakma-karma).
The actons done wth matera desre (avara karma) are far nferor to
nikma-karma-yoga offered to the Supreme Lord (buddhi-yogt). Take
sheter of nikma-karma-yoga (buddhau). In ths verse buddhi-yoga
refers to nikma-karma-yoga rather than bhakti-yoga.
buddhi-yukto ahtha ubhe sukta-dukte '
tasmd yogya yuyasva yoga karmasu kaua"am ''3:''
50. He who s engaged n nikma-karma-yoga gves up both pous and
mpous reactons. Therefore engage n ths yoga. Among a types of
acton, ths performance wthout attachment s a sk.
Therefore be engaged n the yoga as descrbed here (yogya yuyasva).
Among a actons done wth or wthout desre (karmau), acton
performed wth ndfference to resuts (yoga) s a sk (kaua"am).
30

karmaa buddhi-yukt hi pha"a tyaktv mania '
anma-bandha-vinirmukt pada gacchanty anmayam ''3)''
51. Beng engaged n ths nikma-karma-yoga, havng gven up the
resuts of work, the ntegent peope, freed from the bondage of brth,
attan the pace of no sufferng.
yad te mohaka"i"a buddhir vyatitariyati '
tad gantsi nirveda rotavyasya rutasya ca ''30''
52. When your ntegence has competey crossed the denseness of
uson, you w be ndfferent to a that has been heard and a that
w be heard.
From the performance of nikma-karma-yoga offered to the Supreme
Lord, you w deveop ths neutraty (yoga). When your ntegence has
surpassed partcuary (vi) and competey (ati) the denseness of
uson, at that tme you w become ndfferent to a the sub|ects
about whch you w hear, and have aready heard. Ths you w
acheve by destructon of doubts and msconceptons, through hearng
30
Sk means here that acton s performed but does not accrue reactons.
nstructons of scrpture from Me. You w thnk "At the present, I must
practce my sdhanas contnuousy."
ruti-vipratipann te yad sthsyati nica" '
samdhv aca" buddhis tad yogam avpsyasi ''31''
53. When your ntegence s ndfferent to the $edas because of beng
fxed, and you are stuated n samdhi, then you w attan the status of
van-mukta.
1)
At that tme, you w become detached from hearng about a sorts of
matera and Vedc sub|ects, because of beng averse to the agtaton
created by these sub|ects (nica"). And your ntegence w be fxed
n samdhi (samdhau aca"), as descrbed n the sxth chapter. At that
tme, by achevng drect reazaton, you w acheve the status of
van-mukta (yogam avpsyasi).
aruna uvca
sthita-pra!asya k bh samdhi-sthasya keava '
sthita-dh ki prabheta kim sta vraeta kim ''32''
54. Ar|una sad: O Keava, what s the descrpton of ths person
stuated n samdhi, the sthita-pra!a? What does he speak, how does he
st, how does he move?

Hearng about ntegence fxed n samdhi Ksamdhav aca" buddhiD,
Ar|una asks about the characterstcs of that yog. 5thita-pra!a n ths
verse has the same meanng as aca" buddhi n the prevous verse:
fxed ntegence. What quates can descrbe the sthta-pra|a (k
bhs)? What are the quates of the person stuated n samdhi,
samdhi stha? Actuay the terms sthita-pra!a and samdhi-stha both
refer to the van-mukta. What w that person say n the face of
happness and dstress, respect and dsrespect, prase and
condemnaton (kim prabheta)? What w he say, ether oudy or to
hmsef? In what way w hs senses reman unresponsve to the
externa ob|ects (kim sta)? In what way w hs senses respond to the
ob|ects (vraeta kim)?
r-bhagavn uvca
31
Wth dscusson of samdhi the topc now swtches to !na-yoga. Ths w be made
cear n the next chapter.
praahti yad kmn sarvn prtha mano-gatn '
tmany evtman tua sthita-pra!as tadocyate ''33''
55. The Lord sad: When he competey gves up a desres whch arse
from the mnd aone, and s satsfed wth the sou aone by that mnd,
he s caed sthita-pra!a.
Step by step, Ka answers each of the four questons, from ths
verse unt the end of the chapter. (Ths verse answers the frst
queston: What s the nature of the van-mukta?)
He gves up a desres, so that not even one desre remans for any
ob|ect. He s abe to gve up these desres because they beong to the
mnd (manogatn); they are not the ntrnsc quaty of the sou. If they
were the ntrnsc quaty of the sou, they coud not be gven up, |ust
as fre never gves up heat. The cause for ths s stated. He s satsfed
by the sou whose very nature s bss (tman tua), n the mnd
(tmani) whch has wthdrawn from sense ob|ects. The ruti says:
yad sarve pramucyante km ye sya hdi rit
atha martyo mto bhavaty atra brahma samanute
When a the desres stuated n the heart are ceared away, the
morta becomes mmorta and en|oys Brahman. Faha Apaniad
6.14
dukhev anudvigna-man sukheu vigata-spha '
vta-rga-bhaya-krodha sthita-dhr munir ucyate ''3-''
56. The sage whose mnd s not dsturbed by the appearance of
sufferng, who has gven up a desre durng opportuntes for
happness, who s devod of attachment, fear and anger, s caed a
sthita-pra!a.
Ths verse and the next verse, the Lord answers the queston "How
does he speak?"
Hs mnd s not dsturbed by adhytmika sufferng n the form of hunger,
thrst, fever, or headache, by the adhibhautika sufferng comng from
snakes or tgers, or by the adhidaivika sufferng arsng from extremes
n wnd or ran. When someone asks about hs wefare, he says
32
smpy
that ths sufferng s hs prrabdha-karma whch he must unavodaby
endure. He s not agtated wth sufferng (dukhev anudvigna-man).
Otherwse, nternay he w thnk n ths way f not asked. Ths
absence of dsgust at hs stuaton s understood by the ntegent
person to be the symptom of an undsturbed person. Fase ndfference
to sufferng, the mark of the mposter, however, s detected as such by
the wse man. Such a pretender s caed faen or depraved.
In the face of opportuntes for happness, he s wthout desre and says
to hmsef or others that t s smpy hs prrabdha-karma whch he must
toerate. And the ntegent person recognzes by ths hs quaty of
beng devod of desre for happness.
These quates are made cearer. He s devod of attachment to
en|oyment (vta-rga), and devod of fear from such thngs as tgers
that want to eat hm. He s devod of anger towards frends who have
attacked hm. As an exampe, |aa Bharata n front of the Goddess
Durg, dd not show fear or anger towards the ca("a eader who
wanted to k hm.
ya sarvatrnabhisnehas tat tat prpya ubhubham '
nbhinandati na dvei tasya pra! pratihit ''37''
57. He who has no motvated affectons at a, who does not re|oce on
attanng good fortune or curse on attanng msfortune, s stuated n
pra!.
That person s wthout affectons whch are sub|ect to matera
condtons (anabhisneha). Uncondtona affecton out of mercfuness
however shoud reman to some degree. He s fxed n those quates.
On recevng somethng favorabe to hmsef (ubham), through respect
or feedng for nstance, he does not approve, and recevng dsrespect
(aubham), such as a punch from someones fst, he does not
dsapprove. He does not say, "Oh, you are so regous, servng a great
devotee. I bess you wth happness." Nor does he curse the
dsrespectfu person sayng, "Go to he, you snfu creature." He s
pra! pratihit, stuated n samdhi (samdhim pratihita), or we
stuated n pra! or samdhi.

yad saharate cya k&rmo /gnva sarvaa '
32
The commentary mentons what the person says n order expan that ths verse
ustrates the answer to the queston "How does he speak?"
indriyndriyrthebhyas tasya pra! pratihit ''38''
58. When he draws hs senses away competey from sense ob|ects ke
a turte wthdrawng ts mbs, he s stuated n pra!a.
Ths verse answers the queston, "How does he st?" (kim sta)
He wthdraws hs senses such as the ear from the ob|ects of the senses
such as sound. Stoppng the movement of the ndependent senses
towards the externa ob|ects, he estabshes them wthout movement
nternay. Ths s the "sttng" of the person stuated n pra!. An
exampe s gven. He does so, |ust as the turte fxes hs senses such as
mouth and eyes wthn tsef by ts w.
viay vinivartante nirhrasya dehina '
rasa-vara raso py asya para dv nivartate ''39''
59. One who refrans from eatng aso stops the sense ob|ects from
functonng, but the desre for en|oyment remans. Havng seen the
Paramtm, one can stop the desre as we.
"But even the foo who s fastng because of sckness s abe to stop
the movement of hs senses."

For one who stops eatng (nirhrasya), the ob|ects of the senses
dsappear, but not the desre for ob|ects (rasa-varam). The desre (rasa)
for ob|ects does not dsappear. For the person stuated n pra!
however, havng seen the Paramtm, the desre for ob|ects does
dsappear. Ths s not a devaton from the quates of the sthita-pra!a.
The abty to reaze the sou drecty s somethng that has to be
attaned through practce, not somethng that s naturay possbe for
everyone (such as the gnorant person fastng.)
yatato hy api kaunteya puruasya vipacita '
indriyi pramthni haranti prasabha mana ''-:''
60. Even for the wse man who endeavors, O son of Kunt, the
agtatng senses take away the mnd by force.
The effort at the stage of sdhana s very great, wthout power to turn
back the senses competey at a tmes. =ramthni means "causng
agtaton."
tni sarvi sayamya yukta sta mat-para '
vae hi yasyendriyi tasya pra! pratihit ''-)''

61. The yog who s devoted to Me, after restranng a the senses, w
reman seated, unresponsve to sense ob|ects. He whose senses have
thus been brought under contro s sthita-pra!a.
*at-para means My devotee. Wthout devoton to Me, one cannot
conquer the senses. Ths w be seen everywhere n ater verses of the
#t. Uddhava has aso sad:
pryaa pu(arkka yu!anto yogino mana
vidanty asamdhnn mano-nigraha-karit
athta nanda-dugha padmbua has rayeran
O otus-eyed Lord, generay those yogs who try to steady the
mnd experence frustraton because of ther nabty to perfect
the state of trance. Thus they weary n ther attempt to brng the
mnd under contro. Therefore, O otus-eyed Lord of the unverse,
swanke men happy take sheter of Your otus feet, the source
of a transcendenta ecstasy. 5% 11.29.2-3
The person whose senses have been brought under contro (vase hi) s
the sthita-pra!a. Ths dstngushes hm from the sdhaka, the person
attemptng to do so.
dhyyato viayn pusa sa/gas te&payate '
sa/gt sa!yate kma kmt krodho bhiyate ''-0''
62. For the person who medtates on the sense ob|ects, attachment
arses. From attachment arses desre. From desre arses anger.
The sthita-pra!a contros aso the mnd. That ndeed s the cause of
contro of the senses. If one does not have contro of the mnd at a,
pease hear the resut.
A person who thnks of the sense ob|ects deveops attachment (sa/ga)
to them. And by that attachment, he deveops strong desre (kma) for
those ob|ects. From desre, anger deveops due to obstructon to
fufng hs desre, caused by someone or somethng.
krodhd bhavati samoha samoht smti-vibhrama '
smti-bhrad buddhi-no buddhi-nt praayati ''-1''
63. From anger arses bewderment. From bewderment comes oss of
memory. From oss of memory comes oss of ntegence. From oss of
ntegence one becomes competey destroyed.
From anger deveops absence of dscrmnaton of what shoud be done
and what shoud not be done (samoha). From bewderment deveops
oss of remembrance of ones own beneft derved from the nstructons
of scrptures (smti-vibhrama). From that comes a destructon of
resove for sprtua practces (buddhi-na). Then one fas nto the hoe
of samsra.
rga-dvea-vimuktais tu viayn indriyai caran '
tma-vayair vidheytm prasdam adhigacchati ''-2''
64. One whose mnd s submssve, who engages n the sense ob|ects
wth the senses freed of attachment and repuson, under the contro of
the mnd, attans peace.
Ths verse answers the queston, "How does the sthita-pra!a go?"
(vraeta kim) The Lord expans that t s not a faut to accept the
ob|ects of the senses, f t s done wth controed senses, wth absence
of attachment of the ob|ects n the mnd.

Accordng to ;mara Foa, vidheya means "submssve, stuated n
words, compant, controed, we behaved, pote, and equa."
One whose mnd (tm) s submssve to nstructons (vidheya tm),
(who contacts ob|ects wth senses controed by the mnd, senses
devod of attachment and repuson), attans peace (prasdam).
Contactng the sense ob|ects s not a faut. Rather t s a good quaty
for one who does so wth contro.
In other words, for the sthita-pra!a, acceptng the renuncaton of
en|oyment of ob|ects, ether by wthdrawa of the senses (sana) or by
engagng the senses (vraana), s benefca.
prasde sarva-dukhn hnir asyopayate '
prasanna-cetaso hy u buddhi paryavatihate ''-3''
65. From ths peace arses destructon of a dstress. Oucky the
ntegence of the peacefu-mnded person becomes competey fxed.
The ntegence s fxed n ts desred goa competey (pari avatisthati).
A dstress s destroyed, but because of no desre for en|oyng the
ob|ects, the person, acceptng necessary ob|ects of the senses for hs
survva, has tranquty. He has a peacefu conscousness (prasanna-
cetasa), |ust because of bhakti.
The Frst Canto of %hgavatam states that, wthout bhakti, one cannot
have a peacefu mnd.
33
Vysadeva, even though wrtng the $ednta-
s&tras, dd not have happness of mnd, but he ganed peace of heart
through bhakti taught by Nrada.
nsti buddhir ayuktasya na cyuktasya bhvan'
na cbhvayata ntir antasya kuta sukham ''--''
66. For the person wth uncontroed mnd, there s no ntegence fxed
on the sou, and no medtaton on the Paramtm. Wthout medtaton
he has no peace. Wthout peace, where s bss?
Ka makes hs statement cear by statng the effects of the opposte
condton.
For one who has not controed the mnd (ayuktasya), there s no
ntegence, no pra!a, fxed on the sou. For one who not havng such
pran arsng from controed mnd, medtaton on the Supreme Lord
(bhvan) aso s not possbe. Not performng medtaton (abhvayata),
he does not have peace, the cessaton of agtaton from sense ob|ects.
Ths person wthout peace does not have bss (sukham) from the sou.
indriy hi carat yan mano nuvidhyate '
tad asya harati pra! vyur nvam ivmbhasi ''-7''
67. The mnd whch foows one of the movng senses steas away the
ntegence, as wnd moves a boat on the water.
Ths verse examnes the person wth no ntegence due to ack of
contro of the mnd (ayuktasya buddhi na asti descrbed n the prevous
verse).
33
Ths s probaby %hgavatam 1.2.20
Among a the senses movng towards ther respectve sense ob|ects,
the mnd foows after one sense. In ths way a person foows each of
the senses. Such a mnd takes away the ntegence or pra! of the
person, |ust as unfavorabe wnd takes a boat off course whch s beng
steered somewhere on the water.
tasmd yasya mah-bho nightni sarvaa '
indriyndriyrthebhyas tasya pra! pratihit ''-8''
68. He who competey restrcts the senses from the sense ob|ects, O
mghty-armed one, s fxed n pra!a.
He who contros hs mnd restrcts hs senses from sense ob|ects. He s
fxed n ntegence. O mght-armed one (mah-bho), |ust as you
contro your enemes wth your strength, you shoud aso contro your
mnd.
y ni sarva-bh&tn tasy garti sayam '
yasy grati bh&tni s ni payato mune ''-9''
69. The sthita-pra!a s awake n the nght when a other vng enttes
seep. The nght of the observant sthita-pra!a s the tme durng whch
the a vng enttes are awake.
The sthita-pra!a s abe to contro hs senses very naturay. There are
two types of ntegence: that drected towards sou and that drected
towards matter.
The ntegence drected towards the sou s nght for a other enttes.
|ust as n the nght, peope seepng do not know what s happenng at
that tme, so a vng enttes do not know the thngs whch are beng
perceved by the ntegence drected towards the sou. But durng that
nght, the sthita-pra!a or sayam, controng hs senses, s awake, not
seepng. In other words he drecty reazes the bss from fxng hs
ntegence on the sou. When the vng enttes are awake, wth
ntegence drected towards matera sense ob|ects, they reaze
drecty the happness, amentaton and bewderment of those sense
ob|ects upon whch ther ntegence s fxed. They are not seepng.
But that s nght for the muni, the sthita-pra!a, who does not
experence fxng hs nteect on those ob|ects at a. But he does see
those ob|ects. He ooks upon (payata) a those sense ob|ects whch
gve happness and dstress to the peope bound n samsra wth
dsnterest. Ths means that he accepts the requred sense ob|ects for
hs survva wthout beng affected.
p&ryamam aca"a-pratiha
samudram pa pravianti yadvat '
tadvat km ya pravianti sarve
sa ntim pnoti na kma-km ''7:''
70. |ust as the rvers enter the ocean whch has fxed shores and s
never qute fu, so the ob|ects of en|oyment enter nto the sthita-pra!a,
but he remans peacefu. Ths s not so for the desrer of those ob|ects.

Ths verse descrbes the sthita-pra!as condton of not beng affected
or agtated when he accepts the sense ob|ects. |ust as n the rany
season, rvers (pa) here and there enter nto the ocean, amost fng
t up (--amost, p&ryamam--fed), but not beng abe to competey
f t up, not beng abe to go beyond the shore (aca"-pratihamD, n a
smar manner the ob|ects of sense en|oyment (kma) come to the
sthita-pra!a for hs en|oyment (but cannot dsturb hm). |ust as,
whether the rvers enter or do not enter the ocean, the ocean s not
dsturbed at a, the sthita-pra!a (sa) remans undsturbed whether he
gets ob|ects of en|oyment or not. He attans the stage of !na (ntim).
vihya kmn ya sarvn pum carati nispha '
nirmamo nirahakra sa ntim adhigacchati ''7)''
71. He who gves up a ob|ects of en|oyment but carres out acton
wthout desres for them, beng devod of possessveness and ego,
attans peace K!naD.
Ths verse descrbes the person who, , does not en|oy the semse
ob|ects at a because he has no fath n them. He s devod of
possessveness and ego regardng hs body and ob|ects reated to the
body (nirmama niraha/kra).
e brhm sthiti prtha nain prpya vimuhyati '
sthitvsym anta-k"e pi brahma-nirvam cchati ''70''
72. L son of Pth, ths s the stuaton for attanng Brahman.
Attanng that state, one s not bewdered, and attans brahma-nirva
even at the tme of death.
Ths verse concudes the topc.
%rahm means "that whch gves attanment of Brahman." Even one at
the pont of death (anta-k"e), what to speak of one of young age, by
ths practce, attans brahma-nirva.
34
Havng presented very ceary !na and karma and ndrecty bhakti,
ths chapter s caed the s&tra (abbrevated form) of the #t.
Ths s commentary on the second chapter of the #t for the |oy of
the devotees mnds, foowng after the great devotees.

Chapter Three
aruna uvca
yyas cet karmaas te mat buddhir anrdana '
tat ki karmai ghore m niyoayasi keava '' ) ''
1. Ar|una sad: If t s Your opnon that ntegence s superor to
acton, O |anrdana, then why do You engage me n ths terrbe acton.
O Keava?
In the thrd chapter, acton offered to the Lord wthout persona desre
s descrbed. The dscrmnaton necessary for a person desrng to
conquer over ust and anger s shown.
Havng accepted the superorty of bhakti whch s transcendenta to the
guas, over !na-yoga and nikma-karma-yoga n prevous statements,
now, manfestng hs own eagerness (for knowedge), Ar|una n a
frendy manner censures the Lord who s encouragng hm to fght
accordng to hs dharma.
"If fxed ntegence (buddhiD, bhakti, transcendng the guas, s superor
(yyas), then why do You engage me n ths terrbe acton n the form
of war? O |anrdana, by Your order You are causng pan (ardana) to
Your own assocate (ana). It s aso not possbe to avod foowng
Your order, O Keava, controer of even Brahm and va!" Fa
means Brahm, a means va, and va means vayase, "You contro."
vymireaiva vkyena buddhi mohayasva me '
34
Later ndcatons show that ths brahma-nirva s merey moka.
tad eka vada nicitya yena reyo ham pnuym ''0''
2. You bewder me wth Your mxture of words. Now speak ceary so
that I may attan the hghest beneft.
"O My frend Ar|una, t s true that bhakti, beyond the guas s supreme.
But snce that s obtaned ony by the mercy of My great pure devotees
n an unexpected manner, t s not attaned by the efforts of the
ndvdua. Therefore, I have gven a bessng to you: be
transcendenta to the guas (nistraiguya bhava): be transcendenta to
the guas by transcendenta bhakti. When ths bessng matures, you
w attan bhakti by such unexpected mercy of the pure devotee. As t
s fttng to the present crcumstances, drectng you to engage n
actvty s aso vad, usng the words karmay evdhikras te: you are
quafed for acton."
"Then why do You not ceary te me to engage n actvty? You throw
me nto an ocean of doubt. You bewder my ntegence by those
words whch are mxture of varous meanngs (vymirena).
35
Though
you have mentoned about acton (karmay evdhikras te), you aso
speak of !na usng the word yoga n such statements as the foowng:
yogastha kuru karmi sa/ga tyaktv dhana!aya
siddhy-asiddhyo samo bh&tv samatva yoga ucyate
Beng stuated n ths nikma-karma-yoga, perform your dutes,
gvng up attachment, beng equa to success and faure, O
conqueror of weath! Such equa mndedness s caed yoga. %#
2.48
buddhi-yukto ahtha ubhe sukta-dukte
tasmd yogya yuyasva yoga karmasu kaua"am
He who s engaged n nikma-karma-yoga gves up both pous
and mpous reactons. Therefore engage n ths yoga. Among a
types of acton, ths performance wthout attachment s a sk.
%# 2.50
35
The anayss of vymirea s vi for vieata, "partcuary"; for "competey";
mira, meanng mxture.
And you speak ony of knowedge n such statements as yad te moha-
ka"i"a buddhir vyatitariyati: when your ntegence has competey
crossed the denseness of usonM (%# 2.52).
36

The word iva ndcates that "Your words are not actua""y fed wth
many meanngs, and t s not Your desre to bewder me, as You are
mercfu. Nor s t that I do not know the meanng, but you shoud
speak ths ceary."
The deep sense s ths: compared to karma n the mode of passon,
karma n the mode of goodness s superor.
37
Superor to that s !na,
whch s aso sattvc. And bhakti, beyond the modes, s superor to that.
If You say that bhakti s not possbe for me, then nstruct me on !na
aone. Then I w be free from the bondage of sasra and msery.
r-bhagavn uvca
"oke smin dvi-vidh nih pur prokt maynagha '
!na-yogena s/khyn karma-yogena yoginm ''1''
3. The Lord sad: I have spoken n the ast chapter of two types of
quafcaton for peope of ths word. Those quafed for !na are
known as practtoners of !na-yoga, and those quafed for nikma-
karma are known as practtoners of karma-yoga.
Here the Lord answers. You have asked Me to ndcate ceary one of
ether karma-yoga or !na-yoga, snce I have expaned both n an
mparta way. The two processes that I have expaned are for persons
quafed for karma and !na, accordng to dfferent crcumstances. It
s not that these peope are equay sutabe for beraton. Ths s now
expaned n two verses.
I have expaned n the prevous chapter (pur prokt) two types of
quafcaton. For those engaged n knowedge (s/khynm), who have
rsen to the state of knowedge by purty of the heart, there s
steadness n !na-yoga. That s ther mted fed. They are known n
ths word for cutvaton of knowedge. Ths s shown n verses such as
the foowng:
36
Confuson arses n Ar|unas mnd because of the use of the word "buddhi" and
"ama" whch are assocated wth !na. In karmay evdhikras te the Lord aso
speaks about compete renuncaton of the fruts. And by the end of chapter two
Ka shows that nikma-karma matures nto !na.
37
Ths s nikma-karma-yoga, n ts mature stage.
tni sarvi sayamya yukta sta mat-para
vae hi yasyendriyi tasya pra! pratihit
The yog who s devoted to Me, after restranng a the senses,
w reman seated, unresponsve to sense ob|ects. He whose
senses have thus been brought under contro s sthita-pra!a.
%# 2.61
For those who are not abe to ascend to the patform of knowedge
because of mpurtes of the heart, there s a means to ascend to that
patform. They become fxed n nikma-karma-yoga, actvtes wthout
desre, offered to Me. They are known as those engaged n karma.
Verses such as the foowng ustrate ths yoga.
sva-dharmam api cveka na vikampitum arhasi
dharmyd dhi yuddhc chreyo nyat katriyasya na vidyate
Consderng your own dutes, you shoud not be fearfu. There s
nothng better for the warror than to fght for the rght cause.
%# 2.31
The karm and !n are dfferent n name ony. Actuay the persons
engaged n karma become pure hearted !ns by ther actons. And
the !ns become berated by bhakti. Ths s the meanng of a My
words.
na karmam anrambhn naikarmya puruo nute '
na ca sannyasand eva siddhi samadhigacchati '' 2 ''
4. Wthout performance of prescrbed karmas, a person cannot attan
purty. |ust by renuncaton of actvtes, an mpure person cannot
attan perfecton.
Ths verse expans that wthout purty of heart, !na does not arse.
By not engagng n actvtes recommended n the scrptures, one
cannot attan !na (naikarmyam). One wth an mpure heart cannot
attan !na by renuncaton of actvtes recommended n the scrptures
(sannyast).
na hi kacit kaam api tu tihaty akarma-kt '
kryate hy avaa karma sarva prakti-air guai '' 3 ''
5. No one can reman wthout dong actvty even for a moment. A are
forced to engage n acton by the guas arsng from prakti.
Rather, the person of mpure heart who gves up scrptura actvtes
becomes engrossed n matera actons. That s expaned n ths verse.
"But sannysa, renuncaton of actvtes, means a negaton of a
tendences for both Vedc and matera actvtes, does t not?"
"Beyond ones w (avaa), one w engage n acton anyway."
karmendriyi sayamya ya ste manas smaran '
indriyrthn vim&(htm mithycra sa ucyate ''-''
6. He who, controng the acton of senses, remans rememberng
those ob|ects of the senses n hs mnd, s bewdered, and s caed a
pretender.
"But we see some such sannyss, devod of actons of the senses, wth
cosed eyes." Ths verse answers.
He who contros the senses of acton such as speech or hands
(karmendriyi)
38
but remans rememberng the ob|ects of the senses,
under the pretense of medtatng, s a cheater (mithycra).
yas tv indriyi manas niyamyrabhate runa '
karmendriyai karma-yogam asakta sa viiyate ''7''
7. He who, free from attachment, controng the senses by the mnd,
begns karma-yoga wth hs actve senses, s superor.
In contrast to ths, the househoder (not the sannys), who performs
scrptura actons (karma-yogam) wthout ongng for fruts of hs actons
(asakta) s superor. Rmnu|crya says n ths regard that he s
superor to the person practcng !na because of the mpossbty of
gong astray by ths method.
niyata kuru karma tva karma yyo hy akarmaa '
38
The fve senses of acton are the hands, feet, voce, anus, and genta.
arra-ytrpi ca te na prasidhyed akarmaa ''8''
8. Perform your day scrptura dutes. Ths s better than not actng.
You cannot even mantan your body by non-acton.
Therefore you shoud engage n day obgatory actvtes such as
sandhya-vandana (niyatam karma). Ths s better than renuncaton of
these actons (karma-sannysa). By renuncaton of a actons you w
not even be abe to mantan your body.
ya!rtht karmao nyatra "oko ya karma-bandhana '
tad-artha karma kaunteya mukta-sa/ga samcara ''9''
9. Wthout performng actons for the purpose of sacrfce, the peope
of the word are bound by ther actons. O son of Kunt, perform
actons for that purpose, freed from attachment to resuts.
"The smti scrptures say that one s bound by actons: karma
badhyate antu. ( *ahbhrata 12.241.7) Therefore, I w become
bound by performng actons."
"No, acton offered to the Supreme Lord does not bnd one." That s
expaned n ths verse.
"6harma (scrptura dutes) offered to Vu wthout persona desre s
caed ya!a. Persons become bound by karma by any other actons for
any other purpose. Therefore you shoud perform actons (karma
-amcara) for the accompshng such dutes (tad-artham)."
"But even f I perform actons whch are offered to Vu, f I perform
them wth desres, then I w st become bound."
"One shoud become devod of the desre for resuts (mukta-sa/ga)."
Thus the Lord spoke to Uddhava:
sva-dharma-stho yaan ya!air an-kma uddhava
na yti svarga-narakau yady anyan na samcaret
asmiN "oke vartamna sva-dharma-stho nagha uci
!na viuddham pnoti mad-bhakti v yadcchay
My dear Uddhava, a person who s stuated n hs prescrbed
duty, propery worshpng by Vedc sacrfces but not desrng the
frutve resut of such worshp, w not go to the heaveny
panets; smary, by not performng forbdden actvtes he w
not go to he.
One who s stuated n hs prescrbed duty, free from snfu
actvtes and ceansed of matera contamnaton, n ths very fe
obtans transcendenta knowedge or, by fortune, devotona
servce unto Me. 5% 11.20.10-11
saha-ya! pra sv purovca prapati '
anena prasaviyadhvam ea vo stv ia-kma-dhuk ''):''
10. Brahm, havng created the popuaton aong wth sacrfce, ong
ago spoke: May you prosper by ths sacrfce. May t fuf a your
matera desres.
Therefore, one wth an mpure heart shoud perform actons wthout
desre, rather than gve up acton. Now, f you cannot be wthout desre
n the actons, then you shoud st perform actons offered to Vu
Oith desre, rather than gve up actons competey. Ths s expaned n
seven verses.
Long ago, aong wth ya!a, Brahm created the creatures quafed for
offerng to Vu and sad, "Increase more and more the popuaton
by ths dharma or ya!a. May ths ya!a bestow a desred en|oyment
(ia-kma-dhuk)." By ths he ndcated that they had matera desres.
The compound saha-ya! s formed by the rue vopasaranasya
(;dhyy, Pn 6.3.82). The compound saha-ya!a s used nstead
of sa-ya!a.
devn bhvayatnena te dev bhvayantu va '
paraspara bhvayanta reya param avpsyatha ''))''
11. "By that sacrfce, pease the devats and the devats w pease
you. Beng mutuay peased, you w a attan the hghest beneft."
Ths verse expans how the ya!a yeds a desres. "By ths ya!a
(anena), pease the devats. You make them peased by the sacrfce.
The devats aso w pease a of you." %hva ndcates affecton n ths
verse.
in bhogn hi vo dev dsyante ya!a-bhvit '
tair dattn apradyaibhyo yo bhu/kte stena eva sa '')0''
12. The devats, peased wth the sacrfce, w bestow on you desred
en|oyment. He who en|oys what s gven by the devats wthout offerng
to them s ndeed a thef.
To make ths pont cearer, he speaks of the faut of not performng ths
actvty. He who en|oys what s gven by the devats, such as food
through the ran, wthout gvng anythng to them through performance
of the pa!ca-mah-ya!a
19
and other rtes, s a thef.
ya!a-iina santo mucyante sarva-ki"biai '
bhu!ate te tv agha pp ye pacanty tma-krat '')1''
13. Those respectabe peope who eat the remnants of sacrfce are
free from a sns. Those snfu persons who cook for themseves suffer
from sn.
Those who eat the food remnants of ya!as such as the vaivadeva-
ya!a
40
become freed from a sns caused by the fve types of voence
to vng enttes. The fve voent actons (pa!ca-s&n) are descrbed n
the smti:
ka(an pea cu"" udakumbh ca mran
pa!ca-s&n ghasthasya tbhi svarga na vindati
The ghastha does not en|oy Svarga by commsson of the fve
voent actons towards other vng enttes caused by usng the
mortar, grndng stone, the stove, the broom and water pot.
$iu 5mti 59. 19-20
41
annd bhavanti bh&tni paranyd anna-sabhava '
39
The fve great sacrfces consst of sacrfce to Pts, worshp of devas, rectaton of
the $edas, feedng humans, and feedng other vng enttes.
40
Usuay at noon tme sma quates of food are supposed to be offered to varous
devats and to Agn.
41
The tems are mentoned there, but wth sght varaton n the text. Aso found n
*anu 5mti, and 5a/kha 5mti.
ya!d bhavati paranyo ya!a karma-samudbhava '')2'|
14. A creatures arse from food. Food arses from ran. Ran arses
from sacrfce. Sacrfce arses from prescrbed actons.
One shoud perform the ya!a because t causes the cycc movement n
the unverse. From food vng enttes exst. Food s the cause of the
bodes of the enttes, and from food arses the heath of the bodes of
the vng enttes wth transformaton nto semen and bood. The cause
of food s ran. By the ran, food s produced. The cause of ran s the
ya!a. By peope performng ya!a the couds produce suffcent ran.
The cause of ya!a s karma, prescrbed acton. The ya!a s produced
from the actons of the prest and the patron.
karma brahmodbhava viddhi brahmkara-samudbhavam
tasmt sarva-gata brahma nitya ya!e pratihitam '')3''
15. Acton arses from the $edas. The $edas arse from the Brahman.
Therefore ths a-pervadng Brahman s eternay stuated n the
sacrfce.
The cause of ths acton s the Veda (brahma). The actons reated to
the ya!a arse
from hearng the statements of the rues enuncated n the $edas. The
cause of the $edas s Brahman (akaram), as the $edas arse from the
Lord. The ruti says:
asya mahato bh&tasya nivasitam etad g-vedo yaur-veda sma-
vedo th/grasa
The Gg+ 4aur+ 5ma and ;tharva $edas are the breathng of the
Supreme Lord.
%had >rayaka Apaniad 2.4.10
Therefore the a pervadng (sarva-gatam) Lord s present n the ya!a.
Ths means that by performance of the ya!a one attans the Lord.
Though, by cause and effect, from food to the Lord, many tems have
been mentoned, among them a, the ya!a s mentoned by the
scrptures as an necessary performance for the human beng.
Ths process s mentoned n the smti as we.
agnau prsthuti samyag dityam upatihate
dity yate vir ver anna tata pra
The offerng to the fre goes to the sun. From the sun arse ran,
food and bodes of the vng enttes. *anu 5mti 3.76
eva pravartita cakra nnuvartayatha ya '
aghyur indriyrmo mogha prtha sa vati '')-''
16. He who does not foow the movements of ths cyce, and nstead
eads a fe of sn, en|oyng hs senses, ves n van.
Ths verse speaks of the sn nvoved n not performng the sacrfce. He
who does not partake of the nsttuted cyce movng from begnnng to
end-from ya!a to ran; from ran to food; from food to nourshment of
men; from men to performance of ya!a; from ya!a to ran-he who
does not nsttute the cyce by performance of ya!a--eads a fe fu of
sn.
42
Who w not snk to he?
yas tv tma-ratir eva syd tma-tpta ca mnava
tmany eva ca santuas tasya krya na vidyate '' )7 ''
17. The human who s attracted to the tm, satsfed n the tm+ and
competey satsfed wth tm aone, has nothng to do n regard to
fufng desres.
It has now been stated that f you cannot be wthout desres, you can
perform actons wth desres. But he who reaches the stage of !na
because of purty of heart never performs actons out of desre. That s
expressed n two verses.
Because he s en|oyng n the sef, s bssfu by reazaton of the bss
of the tm, he does not engage at a n the peasure of matera
42
The cyce s as foows: Supreme Lord, $edas, acton, sacrfce, ran, food, and
producton of vng enttes. The new vng enttes then study the $edas arsng from
the Lord, perform acton, and sacrfce (wth the Lord present wthn) agan. At the
same tme as fufng ones matera needs by sacrfce one can attan the Lord.
Rmnu|a takes brahman as the body and akara as the sou, whch s necessary for
the body to functon. Then the cyce s: sou n the body, acton, sacrfce, ran, food,
nourshment of the body wth a sou (bhutni); then acton, sacrfce etc. Madhva
takes brahman as the Lord and akara as the $edas. $edas revea the Lord, the Lord
nspres prescrbed acton, then sacrfce, ran, food, nourshment of bodes, study of
$edas, reveaton of the Lord, nspraton to acton etc.
ob|ects. Beng engaged ony n the tm (tmny eva), he does not
perform any actons reated to the externa ob|ects (tasya kryam na
vidyate).
naiva tasya ktenrtho nkteneha kacana '
na csya sarva-bh&teu ka cid artha-vyapraya '' )8 ''
18. He does not gan by performance of acton, nor ose by not
performng acton. For hm, nothng n ths word s worthy of pursung
for fufng hs desres.
By performance of acton there s no accrua of desred resuts. And by
not performng the acton there s no oss, because nothng n the
whoe unverse, from Brahm down to the nanmate ob|ects, s a
worthy ob|ect of sheter for fufng hs goas.
The word vyapraya s used smary n the =uras as foows:
vsudeve bhagavati bhaktim udvahat nm
!na-vairgya-vry neha kacid vyapraya
Persons engaged n devotona servce to Lord Vsudeva, Ka,
have naturay perfect knowedge and detachment from ths
matera word. Therefore such devotees are not nterested n the
so-caed happness or so-caed dstress of ths word. 5%
6.17.31
kirta-h&ndhra-pu"inda-pu"ka
bhra-umbh yavan khasdaya
ye nye ca pp yad-aprayray
udhyanti tasmai prabhaviave nama
Krta, Ha, ndhra, Punda, Pukaa, bhra, umbha, Yavana,
members of the Khasa races and even others addcted to snfu
acts can be purfed by takng sheter of the devotees of the Lord,
due to Hs beng the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectfu
obesances unto Hm. 5% 2.4.18
argo sytha visarga ca vtti-rakntari ca
vao vanucarta sasth hetur apraya
O brhmaa+ authortes on the matter understand a =ura to
contan ten characterstc topcs: the creaton of ths unverse,
the subsequent creaton of words and bengs, the mantenance
of a vng bengs, ther sustenance, the rue of varous Manus,
the dynastes of great kngs, the actvtes of such kngs,
annhaton, motvaton and the supreme sheter. 5% 12.7.9
From these statements t s seen that the addton of apa to raya has
the meanng of "perfect sheter."
tasmd asakta satata krya karma samcara
asakto hy caran karma param pnoti p&rua '')9''
19. Therefore aways perform prescrbed actons wthout attachment.
Performng acton wthout attachment, a person attans beraton.
Therefore (tasmd) snce you do not have quafcaton for rsng to the
patform of !na, and performng actons wth desres s not sutabe for
you snce you have sprtua ntegence, you shoud perform acton
wthout desre. That s expaned n ths verse. Therefore you shoud
perform obgatory prescrbed actons wthout attachment. By dong
ths you w attan beraton (param).
karmaaiva hi sasiddhim sthit anakdaya
"oka-sa/graham evpi sampayan kartum arhasi ''0:''
20. |ust by performance of prescrbed actons, |anaka and others
attaned success. And |ust wth the consderaton of settng exampe
for others, you shoud perform prescrbed work.
He gves proof of such actons n the frst part of the verse. In the
second part of the verse he says that f you thnk that you are quafed
for !na, even then, you shoud perform acton n order to teach the
peope.
yad yad carati rehas tat tad evetaro ana '
sa yat prama kurute "okas tad anuvartate ''0)''
21. Whatever actons the superor performs, other persons w aso
perform. What you do accordng to scrptura authorty, others foow.
In ths verse he expans how the peope are taught: by foowng
exampe.
na me prthsti kartavya triu "okeu ki!cana '
nnavptam avptavya varta eva ca karmai ''00''
22. For Me, O son of Pth, there s nothng n the three words that
has to be done, that has not been attaned, or whch must be attaned.
But I aso perform dutes.
In three verses the Lord uses Hmsef as an exampe.
yadi hy aha na varteya tu karmay atandrita '
mama vartmnuvartante manuy prtha sarvaa ''01''
23. If I were not to engage n work attentvey at any tme, men woud
foow My exampe n a respects.
;nuvartante (they do foow) s used wth the meanng anuvarteran
(they woud foow).
utsdeyur ime "ok na kury karma ced aham '
sa/karasya ca kart sym upahanym im pra ''02''
24. If I were not to work, a peope woud be destroyed. I woud be the
cause of mxed castes, and woud poute the descendants.
Takng Me as an exampe, the peope, not performng dharma, woud
be contamnated. Mxed castes woud resut. I woud be the cause of
ths. I woud poute the progeny.
sakt karmay avidvso yath kurvanti bhrata '
kuryd vidvs tathsakta cikrur "oka-sa/graham ''03''
25. |ust as the gnorant work wth attachment, O Bhrata, the wse,
desrous to teach the peope, shoud perform work wthout attachment.
He summarzes here that acton shoud be done even by a person
estabshed n !na.
na buddhi-bheda anayed a!n karma-sa/ginm '
oayet sarva-karmi vidvn yukta samcaran ''0-''
26. The wse man shoud not dsturb the ntegence of the gnorant
attached to resuts of work. Engagng n a work hmsef wth
detachment, he shoud engage them n actvty.
You shoud not dsturb the mnds of those attached to acton because
of ther mpure hearts by sayng "Ths karma s despcabe! Gve up
acton and become successfu ke me by the practce of !na." Instead
you shoud engage them n acton (oayet) by sayng "Perform acton
wthout desre and become successfu." Dong those actons, you set
an exampe for others.
"But accordng to the %hgavatam, ths s contrary to the statement of
the Lord:
svaya nireyasa vidvn na vakty a!ya karma hi
na rti rogio pathya v!chato pi bhiaktama
A pure devotee who s fuy accompshed n the scence of
devotona servce w never nstruct a foosh person to engage
n frutve actvtes for matera en|oyment, not to speak of
hepng hm n such actvtes. Such a devotee s ke an
experenced physcan, who never encourages a patent to eat
food n|urous to hs heath, even f the patent desres t." 5%
6.9.50
True, but ths s n reaton to nstructons gven about bhakti. It s not
contradctory to gvng nstructons n ths way about !na. C!na s
dependent on purty of the heart, and purty of the heart s dependent
on acton wthout desre. But bhakti s by nature very strong, and s not
dependent even on the purty of the heart. If t s possbe for you to
produce fath n bhakti n other person, then you may dsturb the mnds
of those attached to acton, for those who have fath n bhakti have no
obgaton for performng karma. Ths shoud be understood from such
statements as the foowng:
tvat karmi kurvta na nirvidyeta yvat
mat-kath-ravadau v raddh yvan na yate
One shoud contnue to perform the Vedc rtuastc actvtes
unt one actuay becomes detached from matera sense
gratfcaton and deveops fath for hearng and chantng about
Me. 5% 11.20.9
dharmn santyaya ya sarvn m bhaet sa tu sattama
Havng taken compete sheter at My otus feet, however, a
santy person utmatey renounces such ordnary regous
dutes and worshps Me aone. He s thus consdered to be the
best among a vng enttes. 5% 11.11.32
sarva-dharmn parityaya mm eka araa vraa
Gve up a dharmas and surrender to Me aone. %# 18.66
tyaktv sva-dharma carambua harer
bhaann apakvo tha patet tato yadi
If someone gves up hs occupatona dutes and works n Ka
conscousness and then fas down on account of not competng
hs work, what oss s there on hs part? And what can one gan f
one performs hs matera actvtes perfecty? 5% 1.5.17
prakte kriyamni guai karmi sarvaa '
aha/kra-vim&(htm kartham iti manyate ''07''
27. The person bewdered by prde thnks that he s the doer of actons
whch are beng done competey by the senses made of prakti.
The doubt may arse: how to dstngush the person n knowedge
(vidvn) from the gnorant person, f the man n knowedge aso
performs actons. Two verses expan the dfference. The gnorant
person thnks that he s the performer of a the actons, whch are
actuay performed competey by the matera senses, whch n turn
are the products of the guas (prakte guaih).
tattvavit tu mah-bho gua-karma-vibhgayo '
gu gueu vartanta iti matv na saate ''08''
28. But the wse person, who knows the dvsons of the guas and the
factors of acton, O Mghty-armed, s not contamnated, understandng
that ony the senses are engaged wth the sense ob|ects
The ntegent person, however, knows the truth (tattva-vit) about the
dvsons of guas and actons (gua-karma-vibhagayo). The dvsons of
the guas are sattva+ raas and tamas. The dvsons of acton are
accordng the effects of the guas: devat (sattva), senses (raas), and
sense ob|ects (tamas). One who knows the nature of these two s caed
tattva vit. The senses such as the eye (gu) admnstered by ther
devats are engaged wth the sense ob|ects such as form (gueu). The
ntegent person s not attached, knowng ths. He thnks, "I am not at
a the senses, nor the sense ob|ects. There s no reaton between me
and the senses or the sense ob|ects at a."
prakter gua-sam&(h saante gua-karmasu '
tn aktsna-vido mandn ktsna-vin na vic"ayet ''09''
29. Those bewdered by the senses made of prakti are attached to
the sense ob|ects.
One who knows everythng does not dsturb those foosh persons who
do not know.
If the vas are separate from the senses and the sense ob|ects,
wthout reatonshp to them, then why s t seen that peope are
attached to the sense ob|ects? Ths verse answers.
By absorpton n the senses made of matter, vas become bewdered.
|ust ke a man possessed by a ghost thnks hmsef a ghost, the vas
absorbed n the senses made of matter thnk themseves to be the
senses. Then they become attached to the sense ob|ects (gua-
karmau). The man who knows a (ktsnavit) does not dsturb those
who are gnorant. He does not attempt to make them reaze that they,
as vas, are dfferent from the senses, that they are not the senses.
Instead he engages them n acton wthout desre, whch w remove
the absorpton n the senses. One does not cure a man possessed of a
ghost even by nstructng hm even a hundred tmes, "You are a man,
not a ghost!" Instead one cures hm by use of mantras, |ewes and
medcnes whch w remove that affcton.
mayi sarvi karmi sannyasydhytma-cetas '
nirr nirmamo bh&tv yudhyasva vigata-vara ''1:''
30. Offerng a actvtes to Me, beng fxed n the sou, beng wthout
possessveness or desre, devod of fever, fght.
The word adhytma s here taken as an avyaybhva compound,
meanng "n (adhi) the tm." The phrase adhytmam-cetas therefore
means "wth conscousness fxed n the tm."
Therefore, offerng (sannyasya) a works to Me, by conscousness fxed
n the tm rather than n matera ob|ects, beng wthout desres for
the resuts, beng nikma (nirih), devod of possessveness n a
respects (nirmama), fght.
ye me matam ida nityam anutihanti mnav '
raddhvanto nas&yanto mucyante te pi karmabhi ''1)''
31. Those who aways foow My teachng wth fath and wthout envy
are free from the bondage of actons.
In ths verse the Lord speaks to encourage peope to take up Hs
teachng.
ye tv etad abhyas&yanto nnutihanti me matam '
sarva-!na-vim&(hs tn viddhi nan acetasa ''10''
32. But know that those who, devod of a knowedge, devod of proper
conscousness, and hoste to ths teachng, do not foow t, are ost.
In ths verse the Lord speaks of the bad effects of dong the opposte.
sada ceate svasy prakter !navn api '
prakti ynti bh&tni nigraha ki kariyati ''11''

33. Even the man of knowedge acts accordng to hs nature. A vng
enttes act accordng to ther natures. What can nstructons of karma
and !na do for the most faen?
"Woud they not be afrad of not foowng Your nstructons, the
nstructons of the Supreme Lord, or the nstructons of a kng?"
"No, they are not afrad."
"Those who engage ther senses for en|oyment, even f they are
ntegent, cannot consder the orders of the kng, the Supreme Lord.
Ths s because of ther nature." The Lord expans ths n ths verse.
If the person of knowedge engages n sn, he w receve hesh
punshment, |ust as a kng punshes. And he w aso bear nfamy. St,
even the person of dscrmnaton performs actons whch yed a
burden of sufferng, foowng hs prevous snfu habts.
Therefore a foow after ther natures. The nstructons of scrpture
(nigraha) made by Me or the kng, n the form of nikma-karma-yoga,
are abe to purfy and enghten the mpure hearted, and n the form of
!na-yoga, are abe to purfy and enghten the pure hearted. But
nether can purfy the extremey mpure (nigraha ki kariyati).
However, bhakti-yoga arsng from My unpredctabe mercy can dever
even those most snfu persons. As the 5kanda =ura says:
aho dhanyo si devare kpay yasya te kat
nco py utpu"ako "ebhe "ubdhako ratim ucyate
My dear frend Nrada Mun, you are gorfed as the sage among
the demgods. By your mercy, even a owborn person ke ths
hunter mmedatey became ecstatc. Ths s caed bhva or rati.
indriyasyendriyasyrthe rga-dveau vyavasthitau '
tayor na vaam gacchet tau hy asya paripanthinau ''12''
34. Attachment and repuson are frmy fxed n each of the sense
ob|ects. One shoud not come under contro of attachment and
repuson. They are the two obstaces.
Snce the rues and restrctons of scrpture do not have effect upon
those of ev nature, one shoud mt the senses, f one s not under the
nfuence of snfu nature arsng from past snfu habts. That s
descrbed n ths verse.
The word indriya s repeated to ndcate each of the sense ob|ects of
each of the senses. Attachment (rga) for what s forbdden by
scrpture, such as gvng gfts to others wves, or seeng or touchng
ther bodes; or repuson (dvea) for what s prescrbed by scrpture,
such as dstrbutng gfts to, servng, seeng and touchng the guru, the
brhmaa, the hoy paces and vstors, are frmy fxed (vieena
avasthitau) n a the sense ob|ects (form, sme, taste, touch and
sound). One shoud not be under the contro (vaam) of attachment
and repuson.
Another meanng s ths. Attachment means seeng a woman (ob|ect of
the eye) and hatred for those that obstruct that en|oyment. Therefore,
the mnd s attracted to what heps one attan ones goas. The mnd s
attracted to tasty, tender rce as t s favorabe for ones goas, and the
mnd has dske of tasteess hard rce, as t s aganst ones goas. One
has attachment to hearng and seeng ones own sons, but dskes
seeng or hearng the sons of ones enemes. One shoud not fa under
the contro of such attachment and repuson.
reyn sva-dharmo vigua para-dharmt sv-anuhitt '
sva-dharme nidhana reya para-dharmo bhayvaha ''13''
35. It s better to perform ones own dutes even f n a fauty way, than
to perform others dutes abet very we. Destructon n the course
ones dutes s benefca. Performng others dutes s fu of danger.
In ths verse the Lord answers those who desre to perform the dutes
of others such as non-voence, because t s easy to execute and aso
not ndependent of dharma, and because of nabty to fght the batte
due to attachment and repuson.
One shoud body perform ones dutes, even though they may have
some sght faut. Ths s better than performng others dutes even f
those dutes are executed we and are fu of good quates. The
reason s gven. Destructon n the course of performng ones dutes s
better. Performng others dutes s dangerous. The Seventh Canto of
%hgavatam speaks of performng others dutes, para dharma, as
rregon:
vidharma para-dharma ca bhsa upam cha"a
adharma-kh pa!cem dharma-!o dharmavat tyaet
There are fve branches of rregon, appropratey known as
rregon, regous prncpes for whch one s unft, pretentous
regon, anaogca regon and cheatng regon. One who s
aware of rea regous fe must abandon these fve as rregous.
5% 7.15.12
aruna uvca
atha kena prayukto ya ppa carati p&rua '
anicchann api vreya ba"d iva niyoita ''1-''
36. Ar|una sad: O descendent of the Vs, by what does man engage
n sn, though unwng, as f by force?
Referrng to verse 34 about rga and dvea, n ths verse Ar|una asks
about the attachment to the ob|ects of the senses such as en|oyment
wth others wves, even though t s forbdden by scrpture.
Though wthout desre to engage n sn because of knowedge of the
rues and prohbtons of the scrptures (anicchan), by what nfuence
(kena prayukta) does one engage n the act as f by force? Ths means
that the desre for the ob|ect strongy arses under the nfuence of the
ob|ects stmu.
r-bhagavn uvca
kma ea krodha ea rao-gua-samudbhava '
mahano mah-ppm viddhy enam iha vairiam ''17''
37. The Lord sad: It s ust and then anger, arsng from the mode of
passon. Know ths as the great devourer, the great ferocous one, the
enemy.
Lust, composed of the desre for the sense ob|ects, mpes a man to
sn. A man, beng urged by ust, engages n sn. Ths ust, appearng n
a dfferent form, becomes vsbe as anger. Ths means that ust, beng
obstructed by someone, transforms nto anger. Lust arses from the
mode of passon, and from ust n mode of passon arses anger n the
mode of gnorance.
"But after the fufment of desre, the desre shoud be fnshed."
"No, ths ust s a great devourer. It s mpossbe to satsfy the
expectatons of desre."
As the smti says,
yat pthivy vrhi-yava hiraya paava striya
n"am ekasya tat sarvam iti matv ama vraet
Understandng that a that s avaabe on earth n the form of
food, god, anmas and women s not enough for one person, one
shoud go about wth peacefu mnd. *ahbhrata, ;nuana
=arv, Ch.13
43
43
There s a smar verse n %hgavatam 9.19.13
"If t s not possbe to make an aance wth ust by gvng (dna), then
s t possbe to brng under contro by sma and bheda?"
"No, ust s a very great demon (mah-ppm)."
dh&menvriyate vahnir yath-daro ma"ena ca '
yatho"benvto garbhas tath tenedam vtam ''18''
38. As fre s covered by smoke, the mrror by dust, or embryo by the
womb, so the unverse s covered by ust.
Lust s not |ust an enemy for some, but an enemy for a. Ths s
expaned wth exampes. The exampes ustrate varous degrees of
ust: shaow, deep and very deep. The fre, though covered by smoke,
st performs ts functon of burnng. Because of the dsappearance of
ts natura carty, the mrror covered by dust does not carry out ts
functon of refectng mages propery, though t s known as a mrror
by ts form (n spte of the dust coverng t). The fetus covered by the
womb cannot perform ts functons of stretchng ts hands and feet. Its
true form cannot be understood wthn that coverng. When ust s
shaow, t s possbe to remember the sprtua goas. When ust s
deep, t s not possbe. When t s very deep, one becomes
unconscous.
In ths way, the unverse (idam) s covered by ust.
vta !nam etena !nino nitya-vairi '
kma-r&pea kaunteya dup&rena"ena ca ''19''
39. The knowedge of the knower s covered by ths eterna enemy n
the form of ust, whch s ke an unsatsfed fre.
Ths verse expans that ust s ndeed gnorance of the va, for t
covers the knowedge of the va. The phrase "eterna enemy"
ndcates that ust must by a means be ked. By ths gnorance n the
form of ust, compared to an unsatsfed fre, knowedge s covered. Pa
means "ike n ths sentence. It s sad:
na tu kma kmnm upabhogena yati
havi ka-vartmeva bh&ya evbhivardhate
As suppyng butter to a fre does not dmnsh the fre but
nstead ncreases t more and more, the endeavor to stop usty
desres by contnua en|oyment can never be successfu. 5%
9.19.14
indriyi mano buddhir asydhihnam ucyate '
etair vimohayaty ea !nam vtya dehinam ''2:''
40. The senses, mnd and ntegence are the seats of ths ust. By
these, ust, coverng the knowedge of the sou, bewders the sou.
Where s ths ust stuated? Ths verse expans. The great fortresses
and ctes of ths enemy ust (adhihnam) are the senses, mnd and
ntegence. And the sense ob|ects startng wth sound
44
are the
provnces
45
rued by the kng caed ust. Lust bewders the va
(dehinam), by coverng knowedge, usng the senses, mnd and
ntegence.
tasmt tvam indriyy dau niyamya bharatarabha '
ppmna praahi hy ena !na-vi!na-nanam ''2)''
41. Therefore, as a frst step, by controng the senses, O best of the
Bharata neage, k ths demon, whch destroys knowedge and
ntegence.
The rue s that, by conquerng the sheters of enemy, the enemy can
be conquered. The sheters of ust are the senses, the mnd and
ntegence, whch are respectvey ncreasng dffcut to conquer. The
senses may be dffcut to contro, but they are easer to conquer than
the other tems. Therefore, frst the senses shoud be conquered; you
shoud contro the senses. Though the uncontroabe mnd wants to
stea others wves or propertes, one shoud not engage the senses, by
carefuy consderng the stuaton of the functonng of the senses such
as eyes, ear, hands or feet. K ths ferocous ust (ppmnam). Ths
means that by restrctng the senses, after some tme the mnd w
become freed of ust.
46

44
The sense ob|ects or viaya, are sound, touch, form, taste and sme.
45
The provnces noursh to the ctes.
46
Prevousy stoppng the senses was not recommended, snce the mnd st w
dwe on sense ob|ects. Here Ka s statng that the senses shoud be controed by
proper engagement, but not stopped, and ths w hep contro the mnd from
dweng on en|oyment. Mnd and ntegence shoud aso be controed by sutabe
engagement, but utmatey, f effort s not made to understand the tm and deveop
taste n the tm, a endeavors to contro senses, mnd and nteect w be fute.
indriyi pary hur indriyebhya para mana '
manasas tu par buddhir yo buddhe paratas tu sa ''20''
42. It s sad that the senses are supreme. But superor to the senses s
the mnd. Superor to the mnd s the ntegence. What s superor to
the ntegence s the sou.
One shoud not try to conquer over the mnd and ntegence frst,
because of the mpossbty. That s conveyed n ths verse.
The senses are consdered superor, for they cannot be conquered
even by warrors who conquer the ten drectons. But the mnd s
superor to the senses as t s even stronger, not beng destroyed
durng dreams when the senses do not functon. But compared to the
mnd, the ntegence, wth the form of vi!na, s stronger. Durng deep
seep, even the mnd does not functon, but the ntegence remans
undestroyed, beng present n genera form. But compared to the
ntegence, that whch s superor n strength, because t exsts n you
even when ntegence s destroyed by the practce of !na, s the
famous ivtm, whch s the conqueror of ust. After conquerng the
senses, mnd and ntegence, the vtm+ whch s the most powerfu
than a of them, can conquer ust. It s thus understood that s not an
mpossbe task to conquer ust.
eva buddhe para buddhv sastabhytmnam tman '
ahi atru mah-bho kma-r&pa dursadam ''21''
43. Thus, understandng that the sou s superor to the ntegence,
beng estabshed n the sef by the sef, destroy the enemy n the form
of ust, whch s dffcut to conquer.
Ths verse concudes the topc. Understandng that the ivtm s
superor to the ntegence, understandng that t s separate from a
coverngs, destroy the unconquerabe ust by beng frms n the sef by
the sef.
47

Ths chapter chefy speaks of nikma-karma as a sdhana, and aso
speaks of !na, ts goa, n a secondary way.
48
47
Baadeva, Rmnu|a, Madhva and rdhara a take the verse as "fxng the mnd
by the ntegence." The |ustfcaton for Vvanthas verson (akra hods the
same vew) coud be that the sef s the strongest, and therefore shoud be
estabshed n ts poston frst. But that can ony be done by tsef, not by somethng
nferor. When the sou s frm, then t contros senses, mnd, ntegence and ust..
48
Ths refers to the verses startng from verse 39.
Ths s the commentary on the thrd chapter of the #t, for the |oy of
the devotees mnds, foowng the ne of the cryas.
Chapter Four
r-bhagavn uvca
ima vivasvate yoga proktavn aham avyayam '
vivasvn manave prha manur ikvkave bravt '')''
1. I spoke ths ndestructbe knowedge to Vvasvn. He spoke t to
Manu, and Manu spoke t to Ikvku.
In the fourth chapter, the Lord speaks about the reasons for Hs
appearance, the eterna nature of Hs appearance and actvtes, and
aso speaks of the exceence of !na n such thngs as the brahma-
ya!a.
In ths verse, the Lord prases !na-yoga (ima yogam), the goa of
nikma-karma, whch He had aready mentoned n the two prevous
chapters.
eva parampar-prptam ima rarayo vidu '
sa k"eneha mahat yogo naa parantapa ''0''
2. The santy kngs understood ths knowedge receved n ths dscpc
successon. By the powerfu nfuence of tme, ths !na-yoga was ost,
O affcter of enemes.
sa evya may te dya yoga prokta purtana '
bhakto si me sakh ceti rahasya hy etad uttamam ''1''
1. As you are My devotee and frend, I have spoken ths yoga, the
utmate secret, unto you today.
In ths verse, the Lord gves the reason for speakng ths yoga to Ar|una.
You are My devotee and My frend. Apart from these two reasons, He
gves another reason for not speakng ths to nferor persons: t s most
secret.
aruna uvca
apara bhavato anma para anma vivasvata '
katham etad viny tvam dau proktavn iti ''2''
4. Ar|una sad: You have appeared after Vvasvn. He was born
prevous to You. How can I understand that You spoke ths yoga n the
begnnng?
In ths verse, Ar|una asks about the mpossbty of what Ka has
|ust spoken. "Your brth s recent (aparam) and Vvasvns brth s
ancent (param). How can I understand that You spoke t to hm?"
r-bhagavn uvca
bah&ni me vyattni anmni tava cruna '
tny aha veda sarvi na tva vettha parantapa ''3''
5. The Lord sad: You and I have gone through many brths. I know a
of these, but you do not, O affcter of enemes.
In ths verse, the Lord expans that He nstructs through the agency of
Hs avatras.
I appear as varous avatras, and you aso appear as My companon at
that tme. I know, snce I am omnscent, beng the Supreme ord. You
do not know, snce I cover your knowedge for fufng the purpose of
My pastmes.
49
Wth knowedge covered, O affcter of the enemy, you
affct (tapa) the enemes (param) by thnkng of yoursef as the son of
Kunt, a katriya, durng n ths fe.
ao pi sann avyaytm bh&tnm varo pi san '
prakti svm adhihya sabhavmy tma-myay ''-''
6. Though I am unborn and the ord of a enttes, havng an
mpershabe body, I appear wth My own body by My own energy.
In ths verse, He descrbes the manner of Hs appearance.
"Though I am wthout brth, I appear. I descend n the forms of devas,
humans and crawng anmas and other forms."
49
Ths s the nfuence of yoga-my.
"But what s remarkabe about that? The va s aso actuay wthout
brth, and s born agan after the destructon of the gross body."
The Lord answers: "I have an ndestructbe body (avyaya tm). The
va s wthout brth n the sense that he s a sou apart from hs body.
He takes brth |ust because of hs reatonshp wth the body whch
produces gnorance. But My beng wthout brth and My takng brth are
not separate from My body, snce I am the Lord. Both My brth and My
not beng born are ntegra to My svar&pa. As such a condton s
dffcut to occur, t s certany astoundng and nconcevabe. And
there s no worry that I w take brth n a sorts of wombs ke the va
who s under the nfuence of ppa and puya, for I am the ord of a the
vng enttes (bh&tnm vara), not under the contro of karma."

"But the va receves bodes of deva, human and anma accordng to
karma by hs subte body whch causes hs bondage. You, the Supreme
Lord, are wthout a subte body, and you are a pervadng and contro
karma, tme and a other eements. The ruti says bahu symB may I
become many. (Phndogya Apaniad 6.2.3) From that, t s understood
that you are the form of the whoe unverse. When you say I appear n
ths partcuar way, I thnk that must mean that Your brth means
smpy that You are reveang to peope the muttude of body forms
throughout the unverse, whch are aso eterna as types."
"But how can that be? I make My appearance, stuated n My own form
(prakti svm adhihya)."
If the word prakti meant the externa matera energy, then ts
controer, the Supreme Lord, becomes, by nference, a matera form,
not a speca ob|ect of reazaton. Therefore, n conformty to the
;mara Foa dctonary meanng (sasiddhi-prakt tv ime svar&pa ca
svabhva ca), the word prakti means svar&pa n ths verse. It does not
refer to the matera energy whch arses from Hs svar&pa. The Lords
svar&pa s sac-cid-nanda, fu of eterna sprtua knowedge and bss.
Concernng the word prakti, Srdhara Svm says, "Acceptng a form
(prakti) whch s composed of uddha-sattva (svm)." Rmnu|crya
says, "=rakti means ones own nature (svabhva). Thus the phrase
means Beng stuated n My nature, I appear wth My svar&pa (svam) by
My own w." In ths case, prakti means the Lords nature, whch s
condensed sac-cid-nanda-rasa, whch s dstnct from matera energy.
The word svam aong wth prakti thus ndcates "My own svar&pa, My
true form."
For the ruti says:
sa bhagava kasmin pratihita sva mahimni
Dear sr, n what s the supreme stuated? It s stuated n ts own
gory. Phndogya Apaniad 7.24.1
Madhusdana Sarasvat gves the foowng meanng. "I appear,
stuated n My svar&pa. Beng stuated sprtuay, I act wthout duaty
of sou and body."
"But f You have ndestructbe bodes such as Matsya or Krma, then
why do Your present form and the prevous forms not appear a at
once?
"I appear through My my comng from My sef (tm means sef, thus
tma-my means My own my), through My yoga-my, the functon
of the cit-akti, whch both covers and reveas My svarpas. I appear
reveang My present form, havng covered the prevous forms."
rdhara Svm says sambhvami tma-myay means, "I appear by
My energy of !na, ba"a and vrya whch strongy manfest."
Accordng to Rmnu|a+ tma-myay can aso mean "By My own
knowedge," snce mya can mean knowedge n ths context: my
vayunam !nam. The usage s stated: "He contnuay knows the sn
and pety of a enttes by knowedge (myay)." Madhusdana
Sarasvat says: "*y means the awareness through that body (tm)
that I am the Lord, Vsudeva, devod of dfference between body and
sou."
yad yad hi dharmasya g"nir bhavati bhrata '
abhyutthnam adharmasya tadtmna smy aham ''7''
7. Whenever there s destructon n dharma, O Bhrata, and a rse n
adharma, I manfest My own body.
"When do I appear?" Ths verse answers.
I appear when I cannot toerate both the destructon (g"ni) of dharma
and the ncrease (abhyutthnam) of adharma, n order to reverse the
stuaton. I manfest My body (tmnam). Madhusdana Sarasvat says,
"I show that body whch exsts eternay, as f t were created by My
energy."
paritrya sdh&n vinya ca duktm '
dharma-sasthpanrthya sabhavmi yuge yuge ''8''
8. In every age I appear n order to protect the devotees, to destroy
the demons and to estabsh dharma.
"But Your devotees, the raris and brahmaris can rectfy the
destructon of dharma and the ncrease of adharma. Then why s t
necessary that You make an appearance?"
"That s true. But I come and perform feats whch are very dffcut for
others to do." That s expressed n ths verse.
I appear for deverng (trya) My dedcated devotees (sdh&nm)
whose hearts are burstng wth ongng for Me, who are sufferng due
to ther devoton; for destroyng the ev-mnded persons ke Rvaa,
Kasa and Ke, who gve sufferng to My devotees, and who cannot
be ked by anyone except Me; and for estabshng n a frm way, the
supreme dharma of medtatng on Me, worshppng, servng Me and
sngng about Me, whch cannot be nsttuted by anyone but Me
(sasthpanrthya
50
).
I do ths n every yuga n the day of Brahm, or n every ka"pa (day of
Brahm). In ths act, one shoud not worry that the Lord s beng
pre|udced n punshng the ev-mnded. By kng them, the Lord
devers even those most snfu asuras from samsra and from recevng
hesh punshment due to ther varous snfu actons. The Lords
punshment n the form of kng shoud thus be seen as Hs mercy.
anma karma ca me divyam eva yo vetti tattvata '
tyaktv deha punar anma naiti mm eti so runa ''9''
9. He who understands n truth My sprtua brth and actvtes, attans
Me on gvng up hs body, and does not take brth agan.
50
The prefx sam stands for samyak, correcty. The meanng of sasthpanrthya
therefore s "for correcty estabshng dharma" whch others cannot do propery.
You w be successfu |ust by knowng n truth about My brth whch
was prevousy descrbed, and after My brth, My actvtes. That s
expressed n ths verse.
Rmnu|crya and Madhusdana Sarasvat say that divya means
"non matera, sprtua." rdhara Svm says divya means
"uncommon." As ths means that t s not reated to ths matera word,
t aso means "sprtua." Beng sprtua, beyond the guas, means that
the Lords brth and actvtes are eterna. |va Gosvm aso expans,
quotng from %hgavatam n the %hagavat 5andarbha that the Lord has
no matera brth or actvtes:
na vidyate yasya ca anma karma v
na nma-r&pe gua-doa eva v
tathpi "okpyaya-sambhavya ya
sva-myay tny anuk"am cchati
The Supreme Personaty of Godhead has no matera brth,
actvtes, name, form, quates or fauts. To fuf the purpose for
whch ths matera word s created and destroyed, He comes n
the form of a human beng ke Lord Rma or Lord Ka by Hs
orgna nterna potency. He has mmense potency, and n
varous forms, a free from matera contamnaton, He acts
wonderfuy. He s therefore the Supreme Brahman. I offer my
respects to Hm. 5% 8.3.8
Or the word divya can mean "not approachabe by ogc," or
"nconcevabe," on the strength of the words of ruti and smti. The
=urua %odhin ,ruti (4.3) of the Pppad branch of the $edas says:
eko devo nitya-""nurakto bhakta-vyp bhakta-hdayntartm
The one Lord, who s nconcevabe (deva), engaged n eterna
pastmes, s spread n the devotees and resdes n the devotees
heart.
51
The eterna nature of the Lords brth and actvtes s mentoned
frequenty n the %hgavatam as we.
51
The dea of ths quotaton s that somethng whch pervades everywhere s
nconcevabe (deva or divya), accordng to the defnton gven to the word acintya n
chapter 2.
4o vetti tattvata means "he who knows that My brth and actvtes are
tru"y eterna," based on My statements that I am unborn and wth
ndestructbe body (ao pi san avyaytm) and that My brth and
actvtes are non matera (anma karma ca me divyam), and not |ust an
appearance of beng eterna, dependent on some sort of trck.
4o vetti tattvata can aso mean "one who knows Me as the very form
of Brahman." Ths s because ater Ka w say o tat sad iti nirdeo
brahmaas trividha smta: the three words om tat sat a ndcate
Brahman. (%# 17.18) Therefore tattva means the state of beng
Brahman (tat). 4o vetti tattvata means "one who know Me as the form
of Brahman."
That person does not take brth agan, but rather, attans Me. The
words tyaktv deham ony ndcate the ast condton of fe, for, not ony
on gvng up the body one does not take brth agan, but even whe
not gvng up the body, before that, one attans Me.
Rmnu|crya says, "Destroyng a sns whch are unfavorabe for
surrender to Me by true knowedge of My sprtua brth and actvtes,
takng sheter of Me n ths fe n the prescrbed way, that person who
hods Me aone as dear, constanty thnkng of Me, attans Me."
vta-rga-bhaya-krodh man-may mm uprit '
bahavo !na-tapas p&t mad-bhvam gat ''):''
10. Havng gven up attachment, fear and anger towards the demons,
absorbed n Me wth hearng and chantng, havng taken sheter of Me,
many persons, purfed by the austerty (toeratng opposton) of that
true knowedge of My brth and actvtes, attaned ove for Me.
Not ony at the present tme can one attan Me |ust by knowng about
the nature of My present brth and actvtes, but n ancent tmes aso,
n prevous ka"pas when I appeared, peope attaned Me by knowng the
nature of My brth and actvtes. That s the purport of ths verse.
Regardng the meanng of !na-tapas, Rmnu|crya says, "They
became purfed by the austerty of reazaton about the nature of My
brth and actvtes as prevousy stated."
Or the meanng can be: "They, havng attaned reazaton of the
eterna nature of My brth and actvtes, became purfed by austerty
n the form of toeratng the burnng poson of wrong deas, wrong ogc
and wrong arguments."
Rmnu|crya quotes the foowng ruti n ths regard.
tasya dhr parinanti yoni
The wse men know about the Lords method of brth. Haittirya
>rayaka 3.13.1
Such wse persons have gven up attachment to or affecton for
persons who speak nonsense deas (vta-rga). My devotees have no
fear of them, nor anger towards them. Why? Because they are
preoccuped wth medtatng on, thnkng of, hearng and sngng about
My brth and actvtes (man-may). They attaned prema for Me (mad-
bhvam).
ye yath m prapadyante ts tathaiva bhamy aham '
mama vartmnuvartante manuy prtha sarvaa ''))''
11. I respond to persons accordng to the amount that they surrender
to Me. A men foow My path, O son of Pth.
"Your dedcated devotees consder Your brth and actvtes to be
eterna, but others such as |!ns, surrenderng to You for the purpose
of perfectng !na or other goas, do not consder Your brth and
actvtes to be eterna."
"In whatever way they worshp Me (prapadyante), I aso gve them the
fruts of ther worshp (bhami) n an approprate manner."
The meanng s ths. Those who thnk that My brth and actvtes are
eterna and, havng a partcuar desre for those pastmes, worshp and
pease Me. And I, because I am the Lord, can respond, or not respond,
or respond n a dfferent way than they expect. But, makng them My
assocates, I appear and dsappear wth them n ths word at the
approprate tme, n order to gve My brth and pastmes ther eterna
nature. Favorng them at every moment, I bestow upon them the frut
of ther worshp.
The !ns and others who surrender unto Me whe thnkng of My brth
and actvtes as temporary, and thnkng of My dety forms as
matera--I throw those !ns agan and agan nto the noose of my
wth ts temporary brths and acton, and bestow upon them the
sorrows of brth and death. Ths s the approprate frut of ther worshp
(They receve temporary bodes because they thnk My body s
temporary.)
But those !ns who accept the eterna nature of My brth and
actvtes, consder My dety form to be sac-cid-nanda, and surrender
to Me for perfecton of ther !na-- I berate those !ns, snce they
desre the destructon of ther gross and subte bodes, and I gve them
the bss of Brahman. I bestow upon them the desred resut of ther
worshp: the destructon of brth and death born from gnorance.
Therefore, not ony devotees surrender to Me, but rather everyone
(sarvaa), a men, !ns, karms+ yogs, and worshppers of the
devats, foow My path (they surrender ether drecty or ndrecty).
C!na, karma and other processes are a My path, snce I am the
essence of a those paths.
k/kanta karma siddhi yaanta iha devat '
kipra hi mnue "oke siddhir bhavati karma- '')0''
12. Among men, those desrng resuts from ther work worshp the
devats. The resuts comng from such actons appear qucky.
However, among men, those who are fu of desre gve up the path of
bhakti even though t s comng drecty from Me, and foow the path of
karma whch gves quck resuts. That s expaned n ths verse. The
resuts of ther actons (karma- siddhi) such as gong to Svarga,
come qucky.
ctur-varya may sa gua-karma-vibhgaa '
tasya kartram api m viddhy akartram avyayam '')1''
13. The four varas were created by Me accordng to dstnctons of
quaty and work. Though I made the system, know that I, beng
ndestructbe, am aso not the maker of the system.
"Indeed, the paths of bhakti and !na gve beraton, but the path of
karma eads to bondage. Therefore, there s some nequaty n You, the
creator of a paths, the Supreme Lord."
"That s not so at a. I have created the four varas for peope who
want ther own en|oyment." The suffx ya n the word ctur-varya
ndcates sef-nterest n the four orders.
The brhmaas+ predomnated by sattva, perform actvtes such as
controng the senses and mnd. The katriyas, who are predomnated
by raas and sattva, perform actons such as warfare and acts of
herosm. The vaiyas, predomnatey tamas and raas+ do farmng and
rase cows. The &dras, predomnated by tamas, serve others. I have
created ths system of four varas dvded accordng to gua and
actvty, takng sheter of the path of dharma. Know Me as the creator
(krtram) of the system, snce t s created from the guas of prakti
whch s My energy. In that way I am the creator, but actuay I am not
the creator, snce My svar&pa s beyond the guas and prakti.
Therefore, I am sad to be ndestructbe (avyayam). I am not at a
smar to the varas or matter, though I have created them.
na m karmi "impanti na me karma-pha"e sph '
iti m yo bhinti karmabhir na sa badhyate '')2''
14. Actons do not contamnate Me. I have no desre for the fruts of
work. One who knows ths about Me s not bound by actons.
"Let a that be, but now You have appeared n a katriya famy, and
day perform actvtes obgatory to the katriya. It seems You are
subsstng as a katriya."
"But these actvtes do not contamnate Me as they contamnate the
va. Nor do I have desre for resuts of those actons, such as desre for
Svarga. Beng fu of My own bss because I am the Supreme Lord, the
ony reason for My dong these actons s to encourage manknd. He
who knows ths s not bound, but he who does not know t s bound by
karma."
eva !tv kta karma p&rvair api mumukubhi '
kuru karmaiva tasmt tva p&rvai p&rvatara ktam '')3''
15. Those desrng beraton n ancent tmes performed actons
knowng ths. Therefore, perform acton whch the ancents performed.
Understandng how I have acted wthout beng bound, prevousy
person ke |anaka performed karma n order to promote t wth the
peope.
ki karma kim akarmeti kavayo py atra mohit '
tat te karma pravakymi ya !tv mokyase ubht '')-''
16. Even the wse are bewdered about acton and nacton. I w speak
to you about that acton, by knowng whch you w be berated from
sasra.
Moreover, acton s not to be performed by the ntegent person |ust n
an mtatve way. It shoud be performed after havng understood ts
varetes. Frst, the dffcuty n understandng karma s descrbed.
karmao hy api boddhavya boddhavya ca vikarmaa '
akarmaa ca boddhavya gahan karmao gati '')7''
17. One shoud understand about karma+ vikarma and akarma. The truth
about these s dffcut to understand.
One shoud understand the truth about vikarma--that performance of
forbdden actons eads to msery. As for the truth about akarma--
avodance of acton by the sannys--how can that ead to
auspcousness? How w one obtan the hghest goa wthout knowng
the truth about these? The rea truth (gati) about karma, akarma and
vikarma s hard to understand. In the ast ne the word karma s used to
represent a three types.

karmay akarma ya payed akarmai ca karma ya '
sa buddhimn manuyeu sa yukta ktsna-karma-kt '')8''
18. He who sees nacton n acton and acton n nacton s ntegent
among men. He performs a actons.
Ths verse gves an understandng of the truth of acton and non-
acton. He s ntegent who sees that persons of pure heart fxed n
knowedge ke |anaka who do not renounce actvty, but rather engage
n acton, n nikma-karma-yoga, do not accrue karma (akarma); and
who sees that one who does not perform actons, renouncng actons
as a sannys, beng of mpure heart wthout knowedge, though takng
profusey of knowedge because of knowedge of scrptures, actuay
obtans bondage of karma eadng to msery. He engages n a
actvtes; he does not renounce acton even through nstructons or
assocaton of those who thnk themseves knowedgeabe, takng a ot
about !na.
The %hgavatam says:
yas tv asayata-a(-varga praca(endriya-srathi
!na-vairgya-rahitas tri-da(am upavati
surn tmnam tma-stha nihnute m ca dharma-h
avipakva-kayo <smd amumc ca vihyate
One who has not controed the sx forms of uson--ust, anger,
greed, exctement, fase prde and ntoxcaton--whose
ntegence, the eader of the senses, s extremey attached to
matera thngs, who s bereft of knowedge and detachment,
who adopts the sannysa order of fe to make a vng, who
denes the worshpabe demgods, hs own sef and the Supreme
Lord wthn hmsef, thus runng a regous prncpes, and who
s st nfected by matera contamnaton, s devated and ost
both n ths fe and the next. 5% 11.18.40-41
yasya sarve samrambh kma-sa/ka"pa-varit '
!ngni-dagdha-karma tam hu pa(ita budh '')9''
19. The wse say that he s earned who, engagng n a actvtes, but
beng devod of desre for en|oyment, has burned up a actons by the
fre of knowedge.

Ths concept s further expaned n fve verses. One who competey
engages n actvty (samrambh) devod of desres to attan ob|ects of
en|oyment performs actons consumed by the fre of knowedge,
whether the actons are prescrbed (karma) or forbdden (vikarma). In
ths way the nature of vikarma shoud be understood.
52
|ust as the
quafed person sees that karma does not ead to bondage, he aso
sees that vikarma or forbdden acton do not accrue bondage. Ths
verse s n agreement wth the prevous verse (seeng nacton n
acton). Later t w be sad:
api ced asi ppebhya sarvebhya ppa-kt-tama
sarva !na-p"avenaiva vina santariyasi
52
$ikarma s not drecty dscussed n the text, though t was mentoned n verse 17.
yathaidhsi samiddho gnir bhasma-st kurute runa
!ngni sarva-karmi bhasma-st kurute tath
Even f you are consdered to be the most snfu of a snners,
when you are stuated n the boat of transcendenta knowedge
you w be abe to cross over the ocean of mseres. As a bazng
fre turns frewood to ashes, O Ar|una, so does the fre of
knowedge burn to ashes a reactons to matera actvtes. %#
4.36-37
tyaktv karma-pha"sa/ga nitya-tpto nirraya '
karmay abhipravtto pi naiva ki!cit karoti sa ''0:''
20. Though ntenty engaged n actons, havng gven up the desre for
resuts of acton, beng aways satsfed, non-dependent on others, ths
person does nothng at a.
Ths person s aways satsfed by hs own bss (nitya-tpta). He does
not take sheter at a of anythng for hs vehood (nirraya).
nirr yata-citttm tyakta-sarva-parigraha '
rra keva"a karma kurvan npnoti ki"biam ''0)''
21. Havng gven up a sense of takng from others, beng wthout
desre and controed n mnd and body, performng acts ony to
support hs body, he does not ncur sn.
He s controed n mnd (cit) and gross body (tm). For the purpose of
mantanng hs body he may accept thngs even from snfu persons,
but does not ncur sn. Ths s an extended expanaton of the
statement "one must understand the truth concernng vikarma."
yadcch-"bha-santuo dvandvtto vimatsara '
sama siddhv asiddhau ca ktvpi na nibadhyate ''00''
22. Satsfed wth what comes of ts own accord, free of duates, free
of envy, cam n the face of success or faure, though engagng n
work, that person s not bound.
gata-sa/gasya muktasya !nvasthita-cetasa '
ya!ycarata karma samagra pravi"yate ''01''
23. Devod of desre for resuts, free from attachment, absorbed n
knowedge, and engaged n actons of ya!a, he does not accrue karmc
reactons.
For one who performs actons for the purpose of ya!a, whch w now
be descrbed, karma dssoves. The state of non-acton or no reactons
to work s attaned by ths.
brahmrpaa brahma havir brahmgnau brahma hutam '
brahmaiva tena gantavya brahma-karma-samdhin ''02''
24. The obaton consstng of Brahman, wth Brahman as the ade, s
offered nto the fre whch s Brahman, by the person who s Brahman.
The person Brahman attans Brahman by beng absorbed n actons of
Brahman.
It has been stated n the prevous verse that one shoud perform
actons for the purpose of ya!a. What type of ya!a s ths? Ths verse
expans.
;rpaam refers to the nstruments such as the wooden spoon used to
offer the ghee nto the fre. Ths s Brahman. The substance used as
obaton s Brahman. The fre n whch the obaton s paced s
Brahman. The performer of the ya!a s Brahman. The person who sees
thngs n ths way attans Brahman aone, not any other resut. Why? It
s because he has concentrated hs attenton on the acton whch s
composed ony of Brahman (brahma-karma-samdhin).
daivam evpare ya!a yogina paryupsate '
brahmgnv apare ya!a ya!enaivopauhvati ''03''
25. Others however, karma-yogs, engage n worshp of devats+ and the
!na-yogs offer the va nto the fre of Brahman by means of the
mantra o.
Hear about many other types of ya!as. The Lord expans ths n eght
verses. 6aivam refers to that n whch devats ke Indra and Varua
are worshpped. Thus the phrase daivam ya!am means worshp havng
Indra and other devats as sub|ect. Ths s derved from the rue ssya
devat (;dhyy, Pn 4.2.24).
53
In ths worshp, t s ndcated that
53
By ths rue deva becomes daiva, meanng "beongng to the deva."
there s ack of conscousness of Brahman.
54
The karma-yogs (yogina)
worshp the devats.
Others, the !na-yogs, offer the va (ya!am) (what s caed tvam: you)
as the obaton nto the fre of Brahman or Paramtm (what s caed
tat: that), usng the mantra praava as the nstrument (ya!ena). Ths
!na-yoga w be prased ater (verse 33). The words ya!a and ya!ena
used as ob|ect and nstrument refer to the pure va and praava
through the use of metaphor caed prathama atiayokti.
55

rotrdnndriyy anye sayamgniu uhvati '
abddn viayn anya indriygniu uhvati ''0-''
26. The naihik brahmacrs offer the senses nto the controed
mnd. Other brahmacrs offer the sense ob|ects nto the fre of the
senses.
Others, naiik brahmacrs, offer the senses such as ear nto the fre
of the controed mnd. Ths means that the senses competey
dsappear n the pure mnd.
56
Others, ess controed brahmacrs, offer
the sense ob|ects such as sound nto fres of the senses. The sense
ob|ects dsappear n the senses.
57
sarvndriya-karmi pra-karmi cpare '
tma-sayama-yoggnau uhvati !na-dpite ''07''
27. Others offer a the actvtes of the senses and the pras nto the
fre of the sou, t by knowedge.
Others, knowedgeabe of tvam, the pure sou, offer the actvtes of a
the senses, such as hearng and seeng as we as the actvtes of the
ten pras nto the fre of purty (sayama) of the va (tvam).
58
These
yogs make the mnd, ntegence, senses and ten pras dsappear.
54
Ths s ndcated by the word eva, here meanng "but." Ths comes from rdharas
commentary.
55
In ths type of metaphor the ob|ect of comparson s not mentoned by name.
56
Ths means that the senses stop functonng n reaton to externa ob|ects, turnng
nward when the mnd attans samdhi.
57
Ths means that the senses contact sense ob|ects, but reman detached.
58
tm here refers to sou rather than mnd, because offerng sense to the mnd has
aready been stated n verse 26, and t cannot mean param brahman snce that has
been stated n verse 25.
They thnk that ony the sou percevng nwards (pratyag-atm) exsts,
not anythng ese such as the mnd or other thngs.
The actons of the ten pras are as foows. The pra goes outward
(exhang), the apna goes downwards (expeng). The samna
assmates food and drnk. The udna eads upwards and the vyna s
pervadng, reguatng the other pras.
59

udgre nga khyta k&rmas t&nm"ane smta
kkara kut-karo !eyo devadatto vimbhae
na ahti mte kvpi sarvavyp dhana!aya
@ga governs bechng, k&rma causes openng of the eyes,
kkara causes sneezng and hunger, and devadatta causes
yawnng and seep. 6hana!aya, pervadng the whoe body,
ngers after death, causng decomposton. #hera(a-sahit
5.64
dravya-ya!s tapo-ya! yoga-ya!s tathpare '
svdhyya-!na-ya! ca yataya saita-vrat ''08''
28. Others engage n severe vows of charty, austertes, a/ga-yoga,
and studyng the Vedas.
Those who offer goods n charty (dravya-ya!a), those who perform
austertes ke cndryaa-vrata (tapo-ya!a), those who engage n
a/ga-yoga (yoga-ya!a), those who put effort nto engagng n
knowedge by studyng the $edas-a these engage n very severe
vrata.
apne uhvati pra pre pna tathpare '
prpna-gat ruddhv pryma-parya '
apare niyathr prn preu uhvati ''09''
59
Here s a more compete descrpton. =ra, ocated n the chest area, s assocated
wth breathng and speech. ;pna, ocated beow the nave, s responsbe for
excreton and gves energy to the ower organs n the body, ncudng ntestnes,
genta and anus. 5amna, ocated n the soar pexus, s responsbe for dgeston and
assmaton of food. Adna, contros the head regon, swaowng, movement of mbs
and erect posture. $yna, pervadng the whoe body, causes crcuaton of bood and
coordnates the actvtes of the other pras.
29. Others, dedcated to controng the breath, stoppng the
movement of pra and apna, offer the pra nto the apna. Others,
controng eatng, offer the senses nto the pras.
Others who are expert n pryama offer the upward pra nto the
downward apna. At the tme of fuy nhang, they merge the prna
wth the apna. At the tme of fuy exhang (recaka) they offer the
apna nto the pra.
60
At the tme of kumbhaka, they stop the
movement of both pra and apna, and become competey absorbed
n the practce of pryma.
Others, desrng to conquer the senses, contro the eatng process; that
s, they eat tte. They offer the senses (prn) nto the pras whch
are subsstng on restrcted eatng. When the pras become weak, the
senses, beng dependent on the pras, become ncapabe of graspng
the sense ob|ects, and become merged n the pras.
sarve py ete ya!a-vido ya!a-kapita-ka"ma '
ya!a-imta-bhuo ynti brahma santanam ''1:''
30. A of these knowers of sacrfce destroy sn through sacrfce.
Eatng the sweet remnants of the sacrfce, they attan the eterna
Brahman.
A of those who know the characterstcs of ya|a as descrbed
prevousy (ya!a-vida) attan Brahman by !na. The secondary,
unsought fruts are here descrbed. They en|oy the sweet remnants of
the ya!a such as sense en|oyment and power (bhoga-aivarya). The
sought resut s then descrbed: they attan Brahman.
nya "oko sty aya!asya kuto nya kuru-sattama ''1)''
31. The person who does not perform sacrfce attans nothng n ths
fe, what to speak of the next, O best of the Kurus.
The resuts of not actng n ths way are descrbed n ths verse. One
who does not perform ya!a does not attan the tte happness
60
Ths refers to the practce of p&raka+ n whch the nhaaton s proonged, and
recaka, where the exhaaton s proonged. Fumbhaka s stoppng the breath after
ether nhang or exhang.
avaabe on ths panet, what to speak of attanng the panet of the
devats.
eva bahu-vidh ya! vitat brahmao mukhe '
karma-n viddhi tn sarvn eva !tv vimokyase ''10''
32. Thus many types of sacrfce have been descrbed n the $edas.
Know that they are a based on actons of body, mnd and words.
Knowng ths, you w be berated.
%rahmaa means the $edas. The phrase vitat brahmao mukhe whose
tera meanng s "spread n the mouth of the $edas" actuay means
"ceary spoken of by the $edas themseves." Farma-n means based
on the actons of the body, mnd and words.
reyn dravya-mayd ya! !na-ya!a parantapa '
sarva karmkhi"a prtha !ne parisampyate ''11''
33. O affcter of the enemes, the sacrfce nvovng !na s hgher
than the sacrfce of materas. Wth attanment of knowedge, O son of
Pth, a actons cease.
Among these sacrfces, the !na-ya!a descrbed n verse 25 wth the
words brahmgnv apare ya!a ya!enaivopauhvati s superor to the
sacrfce of matera ob|ects such as obatons of ghee descrbed n
verse 24. Why? Wth the attanment of knowedge, a actons whch
bear frut (akhi"am)
61
are fnshed. After attanng knowedge, reactons
to work no onger reman.
tad viddhi praiptena paripranena sevay '
upadekyanti te !na !ninas tattva-darina ''12''
34. Know ths by surrender, questonng and servce. The seers of
truth, the !ns, w teach you ths knowedge.
Ths verse speaks of the method for attanng that knowedge. It s
attaned by offerng respects, bowng down to the guru, the nstructor;
and by askng questons, such as "O master, why am I n ths word of
msery? How can ths word of brth and death be stopped?" And t s
attaned by servce to the guru. Ths s ustrated n the ruti:
61
5arvam meanng "a" has aready been stated. ;khi"a means "a," but aso "not
barren". To avod repetton, ths meanng has been taken by Vvantha.
tad vi!nrtha sa gurum evbhigacchet samit-pi rotriya
brahma-niham
Wth fue wood n hs hand, the student shoud approach the
guru, knowedgeabe of the $edas and fxed n Brahman, n order
to attan knowedge of Brahman. *u(aka Apaniad 1.2.12

ya !tv na punar moham eva ysyasi p(ava '
yena bh&tny aeea drakyasy tmany atho mayi ||35||
35. O son of Pu, knowng ths, you w no onger be bewdered. By
ths oss of bewderment, you w see that a enttes are ndvdua
tms and are stuated n Me.
The resut of knowedge s descrbed n three and a haf verses.
Understandng that you are not the body but the sou, you w not
have bewderment, whch s the quaty of the mnd. By destroyng
bewderment through the attanment of the natura knowedge of the
eternay perfect sou, you w see a vng enttes, such as men and
beasts, as vtm (tmani), but stuated as separate creatures by
matera dentfcaton, and you w aso see them stuated n Me
(mayi), the supreme cause, snce they are My products.
api ced asi ppebhya sarvebhya ppa-kt-tama '
sarva !na-p"avenaiva vina santariyasi ''1-''
36. Even f you are the most snfu among snners, you w cross over
a sns |ust by the boat of knowedge.
Ths verse s a gorfcaton of knowedge.
The verse states "If you are more snfu than a snners..." But how
coud a person who s snfu be pure hearted, and wthout purty of
heart, how coud he attan reazaton of knowedge? Actuay, t s not
possbe for one who has attaned knowedge to commt snfu acts.
Madhusdana Sarasvat expans: the words api and cet are used to
show the assumpton of the mpossbe; though the commsson of sn
woud be mpossbe, the assumpton s made to show the resuts of
attanng knowedge.
yathaidhsi samiddho gnir bhasmast kurute runa '
!ngni sarva-karmi bhasma-st kurute tath ''17''
37. As a bazng fre burns to ashes a fue wood, the fre of knowedge
turns to ashes a actons.
Knowedge arsng from purty of heart destroys a karmas except the
prrabdha-karmas.
62
Ths verse ustrates wth an exampe. Samiddha
means "bazng."
na hi !nena sada pavitram iha vidyate '
tat svaya yoga-sasiddha k"entmani vindati ''18''
38. In ths word there s nothng as pure as knowedge. After some
tme t s attaned of tsef from wthn, through practce of nikma-
karma-yoga.
In ths word, among those who engage n austertes, yoga and other
processes, there s nothng to compare to knowedge. That knowedge
s not easy attaned by everyone, but s fuy attaned (sam siddha)
63

by practcng nikma-karma-yoga. It s not unobtanabe, but s attaned
n tme, not mmedatey. That knowedge s attaned spontaneousy
wthn the sef (tmni), not by acceptng externa sannysa.
raddhvn "abhate !na tat-para sayatendriya '
!na "abdhv par ntim aciredhigacchati ''19''
39. Havng fath n scrpture, beng fxed n practce of nikma-karma-
yoga, and fnay attanng contro of the senses, one attans knowedge.
Attanng knowedge, one qucky attans freedom from sasra.
How and when does ths happen? Havng fath n the meanng of the
scrptures that knowedge w arse by purty of heart through practce
of nikma-karma (raddhavn), beng fxed n executon of that
nikma-karma-yoga (tat-para), and fnay attanng controed senses,
a person w attan knowedge (of tm). Then he w attan
destructon of sasra (prm ntim).
62
=rrabdha-karmas are those whch are beng experenced n ths fe. ;prrabdha-
karmas are those whch are watng for future fe tmes, not ths fe. C!na destroys
the aprrabdha-karmas but not the prrabdha-karmas. %hakti destroys a karmas.
63
5am stands for samyak, meanng "competey".
a!a craddadhna ca saaytm vinayati '
nya "oko sti na paro na sukha saaytmana ''2:''
40. The person gnorant of scrpture, or one who knows scrpture but
has no fath n t, or one who s doubtfu of attanng the goa even wth
fath, pershes. One who s affcted wth doubt attans nothng n ths
fe, nothng n the next, and no happness.
Havng spoken of the person who was quafed wth knowedge, n ths
verse Ka speaks of the person wthout quafcaton for knowedge.
That person pershes who s gnorant ke an anma, or who, though
knowng the scrptures, does not beeve n anythng, because of
seeng the arguments between varous factons (araddhadna), or
who though even havng fath, s affcted wth doubt whether he can
attan the goa. Among these persons (gnorant, fathess, and
doubtng), the doubtng one s especay crtczed n the ast ne.
yoga-sannyasta-karma !na-sa!chinna-saayam '
tmavanta na karmi nibadhnanti dhana!aya ''2)''
41. Actons do not bnd the person who has renounced a acton
through nikma-karma-yoga, who has then cut a doubts through
!na-yoga, and who has then attaned drecty reazaton of the tm.
In such a state, a person w reach a state of no karma (naikarmyam).
Havng renounced a actons by sannysa, after performance of
nikma-karma-yoga, and havng eradcated a doubts through practce
of !na, actons do not bnd that person, who has attaned reazaton
of the sou.
tasmd a!na-sabh&ta ht-stha !nsintmana '
chittvaina saaya yogam tihottiha bhrata ''20''
42. Therefore, cuttng a doubts whch have arsen from gnorance wth
the sword of knowedge, takng sheter of nikma-karma-yoga, rse, O
Bhrata.
Ths verse concudes the topc. Cuttng the doubts stuated n the
heart, takng sheter of nikma-karma-yoga, rse up n order to fght the
batte.
Havng spoken of the varous means of beraton, !na s prased n
ths chapter. But the means to !na s karma. That has been ponted
out n ths chapter.
Thus, the commentares on the fourth chapter of the #t for the
peasure of the devotees mnds have been competed foowng after
the cryas.
Chapter Fve
aruna uvca
sannysa karma ka punar yoga ca asasi '
yac chreya etayor eka tan me br&hi su-nicitam '')''
1. Ar|una sad: You prase both gvng up acton and performng acton
through karma-yoga. Pease te me defntey, whch of the two s
better.
In the ffth chapter the Lord expans that karma as superor to !na,
because t strengthens !na, and expans knowedge of Paramtm,
aong wth quates such as seeng thngs wth equa vson.
Beng worred about the contradcton between the two statements at
the end of the prevous chapter, Ar|una asks a queston.
In verse 41 of the ast chapter you spoke of renouncng karma by !na
arsng from karma-yoga (yoga-sannyasta-karmam) but n verse 42 You
agan spoke of takng up karma-yoga (yogam tihottiha bhrata). It
s not possbe to perform both renuncaton of acton and karma-yoga
at once because there s essenta contradcton between the two, |ust
as there s contradcton between remanng statonary and movng.
Therefore the man of knowedge shoud ether renounce karma or
perform karma-yoga. Snce I do not understand Your ntenton, I am
askng. Among these two, whch one s better? Pease te that
defntey to me.
r-bhagavn uvca
sannysa karma-yoga ca nireyasa-karv ubhau '
tayos tu karma-sannyst karma-yogo viiyate ''0''
2. The Lord sad: Both renuncaton of work and karma-yoga produce
the hghest beneft. But of the two, karma-yoga s better than
renuncaton of karma.
Farma-yoga s better. Even for the !n, performng acton s not at a
a faut. Rather, by performance of nikma-karma, the heart becomes
fxed n purty. From that, !na becomes fxed. Sometmes there may
arse dsturbance n the heart of the sannys. In order to aevate that
dsturbance, s t forbdden to engage n karma? Dsturbance n the
heart certany obstructs the practce of !na, but takng up en|oyment
of sense ob|ects (rather than performng nikma-karma) s a rea
degradaton.
!eya sa nitya-sannys yo na dvei na k/kati '
nirdvandvo hi mah-bho sukha bandht pramucyate ''1''
3. O Mghty-armed one, the person engaged n nikma-karma wth
pure heart, who s wthout duaty, nether hatng nor desrng, s known
as the constant sannys. Easy he s freed from bondage.
It shoud not be sad that takng sannysa (renouncng a dutes or
karma) gves beraton and not takng sannysa does not gve
beraton. The pure hearted person engaged n acton shoud be known
as the constant sannys (nitya-sannys). He s a true warror who
conquers the cty of beraton, O Mghty-armed one (mah-bho).
s/khya-yogau pthag b" pravadanti na pa(it '
ekam apy sthita samyag ubhayor vindate pha"am ''2''
4. The gnorant speak of !na and karma-yoga as dfferent, but the wse
do not. Performng one of these competey, one attans the resuts of
both.
Your statement about whch s the better of the two does not actuay
appy, because ntegent peope do not see any dfference between
the two. The word s/khya refers to beng fxed n !na. An a/ga
(component) of that practce s sannysa. The foos, not the wse, speak
of the dfference between sannysa and karma-yoga. As the prevous
verse mentoned, "one shoud know the karma-yog to be the rea
sannys." Thus, performng one of the two gves the resut of both.
yat s/khyai prpyate sthna tad yogair api gamyate '
eka s/khya ca yoga ca ya payati sa payati ''3''
5. The goa acheved by !na s the goa acheved by karma-yoga. He
who sees !na-yoga and karma-yoga as one actuay sees.
Ths verse carfes the ssue. What s acheved by sannysa (s/khyai)
s acheved by nikma-karma (yogai). The pura (snguar woud be
s/khyena and karma) s used to show respect for the processes. He
who sees that these two whch appear dfferent are actuay one by
ntegence actuay sees. He s a wse man wth vson.
sannysas tu mah-bho dukham ptum ayogata '
yoga-yukto munir brahma na ciredhigacchati ''-||
6. Renuncaton s dffcut to attan wthout karma-yoga. The !n
engaged n karma-yoga qucky attans Brahman.
5annysa gves sufferng for the !n who cannot fx compete purty n
hs heart. Farma-yoga however gves peasure. The ntended meanng
of what was spoken earer s made cear. Because of not performng
karma-yoga whch can pacfy the dsturbance of the heart, sannysa
may gve rse to sufferng, f t s accepted wthout proper quafcaton.
Thus t s sad by the wrters of the $rtik:
pramdino bahi citt piun ka"ahotsuk
sannysno pi dyante daiva-sand&itray
64
One sees sannyss who are absorbed n sense gratfcaton, wth
ev mnds, fond of argung, who are contamnated sheters of
sprtua fe.
The personfed $edas aso says:
yadi na samuddharanti yatayo hdi kma-a
Members of the renounced order who fa to uproot the ast
traces of matera desre n ther hearts reman mpure, and thus
You do not aow them to understand You. 5% 10.87.39
%hgavatam aso says:
yas tv asayata-a(-varga praca(endriya-srathi
!na-vairgya-rahitas tri-da(am upavati
surn tmnam tma-stha nihnute m ca dharma-h
avipakva-kayo smd amumc ca vihyate
64
Ths s aso quoted by rdhara Svm. $rtik means a commentary.
One who has not controed the sx forms of uson, ust, anger,
greed, exctement, fase prde and ntoxcaton, whose
ntegence, the eader of the senses, s extremey attached to
matera thngs, who s bereft of knowedge and detachment,
who adopts the sannysa order of fe to make a vng, who
denes the worshpabe demgods, hs own sef and the Supreme
Lord wthn hmsef, thus runng a regous prncpes, and who
s st nfected by matera contamnaton, s devated and ost
both n ths fe and the next. 5% 11.18.40
Therefore, the !n (muni) engagng n nikma-karma-yoga (yoga-
yukta) qucky attans Brahman.
yoga-yukto viuddhtm viittm itendriya '
sarva-bh&ttma-bh&ttm kurvann api na "ipyate ''7''
7. One engaged n karma-yoga, havng controed hs ntegence, mnd
and senses, though he s engaged n work, s not contamnated, and s
the ob|ect of ove for a vng enttes.
The !n by performng karma s not contamnated. That s stated n
ths verse. The !ns engaged n karma-yoga are of three types: those
who have controed ther ntegence (viuddhtm), those who have
controed ther mnds (viittm), and those who have controed ther
senses (itendriya). The order of superorty s from ast to frst:
havng controed ntegence s the best. A vas are attracted to such
a ghastha. Hs body (tm) becomes the ob|ect of ove (tma-bh&ta) for
a vng enttes (sarva-bh&ta).
naiva ki!cit karomti yukto manyeta tattva-vit '
paya! van spa! ighrann anan gacchan svapa! vasan ''8''
pra"apan visan ghann unmian nimiann api '
indriyndriyrtheu vartanta iti dhrayan ''9''
8-9. The person engaged n karma-yoga, havng knowedge,
understandng that the senses aone are nteractng wth the sense
ob|ects whe he s seeng, hearng, touchng, smeng, eatng
65
, gong,
seepng, breathng, speakng, excretng (through genta or anus),
65
These are the actons of the !na indriya.
recevng
66
, openng and cosng the eyes, thnks, "I am dong nothng
at a."
The Lord teaches the method by whch one s not contamnated by
actons. Athough the karma-yog (yukta) s engaged n seeng and other
actons, by verfyng wth hs ntegence that the senses aone are
engaged n the sense ob|ects, he thnks, "I am dong nothng at a."
brahmay dhya karmi sa/ga tyaktv karoti ya '
"ipyate na sa ppena padma-patram ivmbhas ''):''
10. He who, gvng up attachment, offers hs actons to the Supreme
Lord, s not contamnated by sn n those actons, |ust as a otus eaf s
not touched by water.
Moreover, he who, offerng a hs actons unto Me, the Supreme Lord
(brahmai), gvng up attachment to actons, gvng up fase
dentfcaton of "I am dong t", performs actons, s not contamnated
at a by any actons, of whch some coud be snfu. =pena here
represents a actons, not |ust snfu ones.
67
kyena manas buddhy keva"air indriyair api '
yogina karma kurvanti sa/ga tyaktvtma-uddhaye ''))''
11. The karma-yogs perform acton, gvng up attachment to resuts,
for purfcaton of the mnd, usng voce, mnd, ntegence or even the
senses aone.
The karma-yogs perform actons usng the body, mnd, ntegence and
even the senses aone, whe gvng up attachment, for purfcaton of
the mnd (tma-uddhaye). At the tme of makng offerngs of obatons
usng the senses, the mnd may wander. Ths s the manner n whch
ony the senses are empoyed (keva"ai indriyair api).
yukta karma-pha"a tyaktv ntim pnoti naihikm '
ayukta kma-krea pha"e sakto nibadhyate '')0''
66
These are the actons of the karma indriya, except for seep and breathng, whch
are actvtes governed by the pras. Openng and cosng eyes are representatve of
the fve secondary pras. Ths s Rmnu|as opnon. Madhusdana Sarasvat says
seepng s the functon of the mnd.
67
=uya s aso contamnatng.
12. He who s engaged n karma-yoga whe gvng up the resuts attans
beraton. One not engaged n karma-yoga+ beng attached to the
resuts out of ust, becomes bound up.
Performng acton wth no attachment eads to beraton and
performng acton wth attachment eads to bondage. The performer of
karma-yoga (yukta) attans steady peace (naihikm ntim). Ths
means he attans beraton. The karm wth desres (ayukta), who s
attached to the resuts, due to performng actons out of ust (kma-
krea), becomes bound.
sarva-karmi manas sannyasyste sukha va '
nava-dvre pure deh naiva kurvan na krayan '')1''
13. Renouncng the actvtes by the mnd whe engagng n them,
controng the senses, he remans comfortabe n the body whch s a
cty wth nne gates, knowng that he does nothng, nor causes anyone
to do anythng
If one performs actons wthout attachment, as prevousy stated n
verse 3, he s the rea sannys. If one performs actons wth the
externa body, but renounces n the mnd, one resdes happy,
controng the senses (va). Where? One resdes n the cty of nne
gates, n the body devod of the msconcepton of "ths s me." The
dweer n the body, the va (deh), havng attaned knowedge, does
nothng at a, knowng that he s not the cause of happness through
hs actons and that he s not the cause of others dong actons.
na karttva na karmi "okasya sati prabhu '
na karma-pha"a-sayoga svabhvas tu pravartate '')2''
14. The Lord does not create doershp of the va nor does He force the
resuts of acton on the va. Ths takes pace by the vas nature.
"We f the va s actuay not the doer of actvtes, then, from seeng
the va dong and en|oyng everywhere n the unverse created by the
Supreme Lord, I thnk that the Lord has created the vas (usory)
doershp and en|oyng, forcng t upon the va. Therefore, n|ustce and
cruety must be present n the Lord."
No, that s not true at a. He does not make the va do actvtes nor
does He gve the va the resuts of hs actvtes. Rather the nature of
the va n the form of hs begnnngess gnorance aone produces ths.
That gnorance makes the va assume the fase dentfcaton as the
doer.
ndatte kasyacit ppa na caiva sukta vibhu '
a!nenvta !na tena muhyanti antava '')3''
15. Thus, the Lord does not receve the snfu or pous reacton from
those actons. The vas knowedge s covered by gnorance. Because
of ths, vng enttes are bewdered.
Snce the Lord does not make the va do ether good or bad actons,
he does not experence the resuts n the form of sufferng or
en|oyment. He does not accept (na adatte) them. (He s not responsbe
for them). However, one of Hs assocates, Hs akti caed gnorance
(a!nena) covers the nherent knowedge of the va. Because of ths
(tena), the vas are bewdered (and hence act. and suffer or en|oy
ther karma).
!nena tu tad a!na ye nitam tmana '
tem ditya-va !na prakayati tat param '')-||
16. When the vas vidy destroys avidy, that vidy, ke the sun,
reveas the sprtua knowedge wthn the va.
As gnorance or avidy covers the knowedge of the va, the Lords
other energy caed vidy destroys gnorance and reveas knowedge.
By the vidy-sakti (!nena), avidy (a!nam) s destroyed, and
knowedge of the va s produced. |ust as the gow of the sun destroys
darkness and reveas ob|ects ke pots and coth, so vidy destroys
avidy and reveas the sprtua (param) knowedge n whch the va s
convnced of hs sprtua nature. Thus, the Lord does not bnd anyone
nor does He berate anyone, but vidy and avidy whch are quates of
prakti berate and bnd the va.
68
The quates of prakti are the
causes of bondage n the form of nstgatng the va to become the
68
|va Gosvm n =aramtma 5andarbha expans that vidy and avidy are two
aspects of my.
doer and the en|oyer, and they are the causes of beraton n the form
of such quates as detachment and peace.
The respectve quates of prakti are awakened by the Supreme Lord,
functonng n the capacty of Supersou. He s ony the ntator of
praktis functons through ths aa or expanson. Thus, He does not
show any n|ustce or cruety towards the va.
tad-buddhayas tad-tmnas tan-nihs tat-parya '
gacchanty apunar-vtti !na-nirdh&ta-ka"ma '')7''
17. Those whose nteect, mnd and fath are fxed on Me, Paramtm,
who are absorbed n gorfyng and servng Me, beng washed of a
gnorance by knowedge, never take brth agan.

But ths vidy reveas knowedge about the vtm+ not knowedge of
the Paramtm.
The Lord says, bhaktyham ekay grahya: I am attanabe ony by
bhakti. Therefore the !ns must addtonay practce bhakti n order to
obtan knowedge of Paramtm.
69
That s stated n ths verse.
The word tat refers to the Supreme Lord prevousy mentoned as vibhu
n verse 15. Those who pace ther ntegence n the Supreme Lord,
who are dedcated to contempaton on the Lord usng nteect (tad-
buddhaya), who are medtatng on the Lord usng the mnd (tad-
tmna), who fx ther knowedge n the Lord, gvng up sattvc
knowedge of the sou apart from the body, and becomng fxed ony n
the Lord (tan-nih) (snce the Lord says one shoud surrender that
knowedge to Hm: !nam ca mayi sannyaset. (5% 11.19.1); who
become absorbed n the processes of hearng and chantng about the
Lord (tat-parnaya)-these persons do not attan brth agan. It w
be sad ater:
bhakty mm abhinti yvn ya csmi tattvata
tato m tattvato !tv viate tad-anantaram
I am to be known n truth ony by bhakti. Knowng Me n truth,
one attans Me. %# 18.55
69
From ths t s understood that tma !na s not enough to gve beraton. %hakti,
producng Paramtm reazaton, s aso necessary for beraton.
Those persons gnorance has been prevousy competey destroyed
by vidy (!na-nirdh&ta-ka"ma).
vidy-vinaya-sapanne brhmae gavi hastini '
uni caiva vapke ca pa(it sama-darina '')8''
18. The wse man sees equay the brhmaa endowed wth knowedge
and good conduct, the cow, the eephant, the dog and dog-eater.
Those who are beyond the guas have no desre to see any ob|ect
made of the guas n comparatve terms of better or worse. They have
equa vson. They do not see those n the mode of sattva, such as
brhmaas and cows, those n the mode of passon such as the
eephant, and those n the mode of gnorance, such as dogs and dog-
eaters, as superor or nferor. Beng earned, they see equay. Equay
(sama) means that they are beyond the guas, so that they do not see
the partcuar dstnctons due to the guas. They have the abty to see
Brahman whch s beyond the guas.
ihaiva tair ita sargo ye smye sthita mana '
nirdoa hi sama brahma tasmd brahmai te sthit '')9''
19. Those whose mnds are stuated n equaty conquer over the word
of brth and death. They are wthout faut, seeng equay everythng as
Brahman. Therefore they are stuated n Brahman.
Ths verse prases the abty to see equay. In ths word (iha eva), they
have defeated sasra, that whch has been created (sarga ita).
na prahyet priya prpya nodviet prpya cpriyam '
sthira-buddhir asam&(ho brahma-vid brahmai sthita ''0:''
20. He whose ntegence s fxed, who s free of bewderment, who
has knowedge of Brahman, and who s stuated n Brahman, does not
re|oce on attanng what s dear, and does not become agtated on
attanng what s not favorabe.
Such a person s equa n the face of ob|ects both dear and not dear n
ths word. Attanng dear ob|ects he does not re|oce and attanng
unwecome ob|ects he does not become dsturbed. The potenta mood
of prahyet and udviet stands for the ndcatve present n ths verse,
or can mean that the person shoud practce that mood durng the
stage of sdhana. (Attanng dear ob|ects, he shoud not re|oce and
attanng unwecome ob|ects he shoud not become dsturbed.) He s
not bewdered (asam&(ha), snce bewderment arses ony from
dentfcaton wth |oy, amentaton and other emotons.
bhya-sparev asakttm vindaty tmani yat sukham '
sa brahma-yoga-yukttm sukham akayam anute ''0)''
21. He who has attaned the happness of Paramtm wthn the sou
and s not attached to the happness from sense ob|ects, beng totay
absorbed n Paramtm, attans permanent happness.
Hs mnd s not attached (asakttm) to the happness of sense ob|ects
(bhya spareu), snce he experences n the sou (tmani) happness
from havng attaned Paramtm. He then attans that happness
permanenty (akayam), snce, n constanty reshng the sweetness,
he does not resh ower thngs.
ye hi saspara bhog dukha-yonaya eva te '
dy-antavanta kaunteya na teu ramate budha ''00''
22. The en|oyments arsng from sense ob|ects are causes of sufferng,
and have a begnnng and end. An ntegent person does not en|oy
them.
An ntegent person (budha) does not attach hmsef to matera
peasure.
aknothaiva ya so(hu prk arra-vimokat '
kma-krodhodbhava vega sa yukta sa sukh nara ''01''
23. He who can toerate n ths word the agtaton arsng from ust and
anger before beng berated from the body s a yog and s happy.
Though faen n the ocean of sasra, ths person aone s the yog
(yukta), and he aone s happy.
yo nta-sukho ntar-rmas tathntar-yotir eva ya '
sa yog brahma-nirva brahma-bh&to dhigacchati ''02''
24. He whose happness s wthn, whose en|oyment s wthn, and
whose sght s wthn, s a yog, and, havng attaned the stage of
Brahman, attans beraton.
Ths verse states that one who transcends sasra attans reazaton of
the state of Brahman, whch s happness. He who has happness n the
sou (antara), because he en|oys n the sou (not by externa ob|ects),
and therefore drects hs vson to the sou (antar yoti), attans the
happness of Brahman.
70

"abhante brahma-nirvam aya ka-ka"ma '
chinna-dvaidh yattmna sarva-bh&ta-hite rat ''03''
25. The sages, devod of gnorance, devod of duates, wth controed
mnd, engaged n the wefare of a bengs, attan beraton.
Ths verse shows how many persons attan perfecton through ths
practce.
kma-krodha-vimuktn yatn yata-cetasm '
abhito brahma-nirva vartate vidittmanm ''0-''
26. Those who have become free of ust and anger, who sncerey
endeavor, and who, havng weakened the subte body, have reazed
Paramtm, soon attan brahma-nirva beraton.
When w those who have reazed the sou and then Paramtm
(viditmanm) attan the happness of brahma nirva? Ths verse
expans. 4at-cetasm means those who have reduced the functons of
the mnd, weakened the subte body. Beng freed from ust and anger,
and havng weakened the functons of the mnd, they attan brahma-
nirva competey, n a ways (abhita). Ths means wthout much
deay, they attan brahma-nirva.
sparn ktv bahir bhy caku caivntare bhruvo '
prpnau samau ktv nsbhyantara-criau ''07''
yatendriya-mano-buddhir munir moka-paryaa '
vigatecch-bhaya-krodho ya sad mukta eva sa ''08''
27-28. That person, keepng the sense ob|ects outsde, focusng the
eyes between the brows, equazng the pra and apna movng n the
70
Later Vvantha comments that ths phrase means beraton.
nostrs, and thus controng the senses, mnd and ntegence,
competey dedcated to beraton, thus freed from desre, fear and
anger, s ever berated.
The heart becomes purfed by performance of nikma-karma-yoga
offered to the Lord. Then arses !na, whose sub|ect s the sou (tvam).
Then arses bhakti, for ganng knowedge of the Lord, Paramtm (tat).
By the appearance of that knowedge of the Lord whch s beyond the
modes, one gans reazaton of Brahman. Ths has been stated n ths
chapter.
Now n three verses (27-29), the Lord speaks n abbrevated form what
He w expan n the sxth chapter: that the process of a/ga-yoga,
practced after havng purfed the heart by nikma-karma-yoga, s
shown to be superor to the process of !na-yoga for producng
reazaton of Brahman.
The word sparn (touches) stands for a the sense ob|ects--sound,
touch, form, taste and sme. Externazng these from the mnd when
they enter, that s, wthdrawng the mnd from the sense ob|ects
(pratyhra), pacng the eyes between the eye brows, wth haf cosed
eyes, the yog shoud fx hs gance between the brows n order to
prevent both seep and wanderng eyes. By extngushng the upward
and downward motons of the pra and apna whch move n the
nostrs through nhang and exhang, one makes them equa. By that
means, the senses, mnd and ntegence are brought under contro.
bhoktra ya!a-tapas sarva-"oka-mahevaram '
suhda sarva-bh&tn !tv m ntim cchati ''09''
29. Knowng Me who am the ob|ect of worshp of the karms and !ns
who do sacrfce and penance, the ob|ect of worshp of the yogs as
Paramtm, and the ob|ect of worshp of the devotees-- the frend of
a vng enttes by gvng nstructons on bhakti-- ths a/ga-yog
attans beraton.
Ths verse expans that yogs who act n ths way, by obtanng
knowedge of Paramtm through bhakti, ke the !ns, attan
beraton.
I am the guardan (bhoktram) of the ya!a of the karma-yogs and the
austertes (tapasm) of the !ns. That means that I am the ob|ect of
worshp of the karma-yogs and !ns. I am the great controer of a
peope (sarva-"oka-mahevaram), the Paramtm: the ob|ect of worshp
of the a/ga-yogs. I am the frend of a enttes: I am the person who
gves beneft to a vng enttes by nstructons about bhakti, through
the medum of My devotees, out of My mercy. I am the ob|ect of
worshp for the devotees.
One cannot attan reazaton of Me, who am beyond the modes, by
sattva-gua-!na. I have sad that I am attanabe ony by bhakti:
bhaktyham ekay grahya. In the same way, the yog, ony by bhakti
whch s beyond the modes, by reazng Me as Paramtm (!tv
mm), the ob|ect of hs worshp, attans beraton (ntim).
Ths chapter expans that the !n and the yog, by nikma-karma-
yoga, attan beraton, after reazng both tm and Paramtm.
Thus ends the commentary on the ffth chapter of the #t for the |oy
of the devotees, through the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Sx
r-bhagavn uvca
anrita karma-pha"a krya karma karoti ya '
sa sannys ca yog ca na niragnir na ckriya '')''
1. He who performs hs work out of duty whe not seekng resuts s a
sannys and yog, not one who ghts no fre and performs no work.
In the sxth chapter, the method of controng the fcke mnd,
acheved by the yog who has controed the senses through the
process of a/ga-yoga, s descrbed.
In commencng the practce of a/ga-yoga, one shoud not suddeny
gve up nikma-karma-yoga whch purfes the heart. He who performs
actons prescrbed by the scrpture as nescapabe duty (kryam karma)
wthout expectaton of resuts (anrita karma-pha"am) s caed a
sannys, snce he renounces the resuts of hs actons. He s caed a
yog because hs mnd does not dwe on the en|oyment of ob|ects of
the senses. A person who merey renounces actons such as the fre
sacrfce s not caed a sannys. Nor s one who merey haf coses hs
eyes wthout externa body actvty (akriya) caed a yog.
ya sannysam iti prhur yoga ta viddhi p(ava '
na hy asannyasta-sa/ka"po yog bhavati kacana ''0''
2. O son of Pu, know that the meanng of sannysa s the same as
the meanng of yoga. One who has not gven up desre n hs actons s
never a yog.
5annysa means to renounce the resuts of ones actons. 4oga means
to have a mnd whch s not agtated by the desre to en|oy sense
ob|ects. Therefore t shoud be understood that both words mean the
same thng. He who has not gven up the desre to en|oy ob|ects
(asannyasta-sa/ka"pa) s not caed a yog.
rurukor muner yoga karma kraam ucyate '
yogr&(hasya tasyaiva ama kraam ucyate ''1''
3. For the sage wshng to attan yoga, acton s sad to be the cause of
eevaton. For the sage who has aready attaned yoga, cessaton of
acton s sad to be the cause of mantanng that state.
"But then the practtoner of a/ga-yoga woud have to practce
nikma-karma-yoga for hs whoe fe."
Ths verse therefore speaks of the mts of karma-yoga. The practtoner
of yoga (mune), desrng to rse to the stage of steady medtaton
(yogam), produces hs eevaton by prescrbed acton, karma, because
that purfes hs heart. One who has attaned steadness n medtaton
(yogr&(hasya) mantans that eve by cessaton (sama) of a actons
whch produce agtaton. In other words, the asprant for steady
medtaton does not have compete purty of heart.
yad hi nendriyrtheu na karmav anuaate '
sarva-sa/ka"pa-sannys yogr&(has tadocyate ''2''
4. When a person has no attachment to the sense ob|ects or to acton
to attan them, havng renounced a desres, he s caed yogr&(ha--
one who has attaned steady medtaton.
Ths verse speaks of the characterstcs of the person who has attaned
steady medtaton Kyogr&(haD+ one who has a competey pure heart.
He s not attached ether to the sense ob|ects such as sound, nor to
actons for attanng en|oyment of the ob|ects of the senses (karmau).
uddhared tmantmna ntmnam avasdayet '
tmaiva hy tmano bandhur tmaiva ripur tmana ''3''
5. One shoud dever the sou by the mnd, not degrade t. The mnd s
the frend of the sou and ts enemy as we.
Snce the sou has faen nto the we of sasra by attachment to
ob|ects of the senses, wth effort one shoud dever that sou. One
shoud dever the sou (tmnam) by the mnd whch s devod of
attachment to ob|ects of the senses (tman). One shoud not et the
sou fa nto the we of sasra by the mnd whch s attached to
ob|ects of the senses. Therefore, the mnd (tm) s both the frend and
enemy of the sou.
bandhur tmtmanas tasya yentmaivtman ita '
antmanas tu atrutve vartettmaiva atru-vat ''-''
6. The mnd s a frend of that sou whch has conquered the mnd. The
mnd s an enemy of that sou whch has not controed the mnd.
The mnd s whose frend and whose enemy? Ths verse answers. The
mnd (tm) s a frend, causng beneft, to that va who has conquered
the mnd. The mnd acts as an enemy, causng harm, to that va who
does not contro the mnd (antmana).
ittmana prantasya paramtm samhita '
toa-sukha-dukheu tath mnpamnayo ''7''
7. The yog who has conquered the mnd and s devod of a
attachments has hs sou stuated n deep trance--n a condtons of
heat and cod, happness and dstress, and honor and dshonor.
Three verses show the quates of the person who has attaned steady
medtaton (yogr&(ha). The yog who has controed the mnd
(ittmana), who s devod of attachment to ob|ects (prantasya), has
hs sou (tm) competey (param) stuated n samdhi (samhita), n
a condtons of duaty--heat and cod, happness and dstress, respect
and dsrespect.
!na-vi!na-tpttm k&a-stho viitendriya '
yukta ity ucyate yog sama-"orma-k!cana ''8''
8. He who s satsfed by scrptura teachngs and reazaton, who s
pervaded by one nature, competey n contro of the senses, and who
consders a ump of earth, stone and god as the same, s caed a yog.
He s devod of desres, beng satsfed by knowedge attaned by
teachngs (!na) and reazaton (vi!na). He remans stuated n one
nature at a tmes (k&a-stha).
71
Snce he has no attracton for any
ob|ect, he sees as equa a ump of drt ("oa), rock and god.
suhn-mitrry-udsna-madhyastha-dveya-bandhuu '
sdhuv api ca ppeu sama-buddhir viiyate ''9''
9. He sees the natura we-wsher, the frend, the neutra person, the
medator, the enemy, and the reatve, the snner and pous person as
the same.
The yog sees equay the person who wshes one we (suht) by hs
nature, one who actuay does good out of affecton (mitra), the ker
(ari), one who s neutra n tmes of confct or honor (udsna), the
medator who tres to resove confct between the two sdes
(madhyastha), the person who deserves hatred because he harms one
(dveya), the reatve (bandhu), the foower of dharma and the foower
of adharma. Ths poston s superor to that of seeng drt and god as
the same.
yog yu!ta satatam tmna rahasi sthita '
ekk yata-citttm nirr aparigraha ''):''
10. The yogr&(ha shoud aways absorb hs mnd n samdhi, vng
aone n a sotary pace, beng controed n mnd and body,
72
wthout
desre, and wthout possessveness.
The yog performs yoga wth ts a/gas. That descrptons starts wth ths
verse and ends wth sa yog paramo mata n verse 32. He who has
71
He does not change but remans fxed n tm.
72
The meanng of yata citttm s taken from 4.21.
attaned the stage of yogrha, the stage of steady medtaton (yog),
shoud reman engagng the mnd (tmnam) n samdhi (yu!ita).
ucau dee pratihpya sthiram sanam tmana '
nty-ucchrita nti-nca cai"ina-kuottaram ''))''
tatraikgra mana ktv yata-cittendriya-kriya '
upaviysane yu!yd yogam tma-viuddhaye '')0''

11-12. Estabshng hs own sod sana n a cean pace, not too hgh
and not too ow, wth kua, then deer skn, and coth on top, sttng on
the sana, concentratng the mnd on one pont, controng the
actvtes of the mnd and senses, he shoud engage n yoga for
purfcaton of conscousness.
He estabshes hs own sana whch has kua on the bottom, then deer
skn, and fnay coth on top. The yog engages n medtaton for
purfcaton of the nner organ or conscousness (tma-visuddhaye). Ths
freedom from dsturbance, whch makes the nterna organ very subte,
s sutabe for the drect reazaton of Brahman. The ruti says, dyate
tv agryay buddhy sukmay sukma daribhi: paramtm s seen by
fne, concentrated ntegence by the seers of the subte. (Faha
Apaniad 1.3.12)
sama kya-iro-grva dhrayann aca"a sthira '
saprekya nsikgra sva dia cnava"okayan '')1''
pranttm vigata-bhr brahmacri-vrate sthita '
mana sayamya mac-citto yukta sta mat-para '')2''
13-14. Keepng the body, hand and neck straght, motoness and frm,
gazng at the tp of the nose, wthout ookng n other drectons, wth
peacefu mnd, fearessness, and cebacy, wthdrawng hs mnd from
sense ob|ects, medtatng on Me, the yog ramns absorbed n devoton
to Me.
Fya refers to the mdde secton of the body. One shoud hod the
mdde of the body, the head and neck straght wthout movement.
Wthdrawng the mnd from ob|ects (mana sayamya--pratyhra), the
yog remans thnkng of Me, the beautfu form wth four hands (mac-
citta), absorbed n devoton to Me (mat-paryaa).
73

yu!ann eva sadtmna yog niyata-mnasa '
nti nirva-param mat-sasthm adhigacchati '')3''
15. Constanty engagng the mnd n medtaton, because hs
conscousness s devod of sense ob|ects, the yog attans destructon
of bondage--the patform where beraton and reazaton of the
mpersona Brahman can be attaned.
Contnuay engagng the mnd (tmna yu!an) n dhyna-yoga because
the conscousness s devod of sense ob|ects (niyata-mnasa), he then
attans the dssouton of sasra (ntim), n whch supreme beraton
(nirva) can be attaned, and n whch he attans contnuous exstence
n Me as the nirviea Brahman (mat-sasthm).
nty-anatas tu yogo sti na caikntam ananata '
na cti-svapna-"asya grato naiva cruna '')-''
16. 4oga s not possbe for one who eats too much, or who does not
eat, for one who seeps too much, or does not seep, O Ar|una.
Two verses descrbe the rues for makng practce of yoga steady. One
who eats too much s not a yog. It s sad:
p&rayed aanenrdha ttyam udakena tu
vyo sa/carartha tu caturtham avaeayet
74
One shoud f the stomach haf wth food, one quarter wth
water, and one quarter for the movement of ar.
yukthra-vihrasya yukta-ceasya karmasu '
yukta-svapnvabodhasya yogo bhavati dukha-h '')7''
17. If one has reguated eatng, reguated wakng, reguated use of
organs n both matera and sprtua actvtes, reguated seep and
reguated wakng, hs yoga destroys a sufferng.
73
As wth !na, as mentoned n BG 5.17, yoga must aso ncude bhakti, n order to
reaze Paramtm.
74
Ths s quoted by Madhusdana Sarasvat as we. Source s not mentoned.
4ukta here means "controed." One who contros eatng and wakng
(ahra+ vihrasya), and contros actons such as speech (ceasya)
durng executon of both matera and sprtua dutes (karmau),
performs yoga whch destroys sufferng.
yad viniyata cittam tmany evvatihate '
nispha sarva-kmebhyo yukta ity ucyate tad '')8''
18. When the motoness conscousness fxes tsef n the sef aone,
free from desres for a ob|ects of en|oyment, one s sad to be perfect
n yoga.
When does the yog perfect that yoga? Ths verse descrbes that
stuaton. When the conscousness stops a movement (viniyata
cittam), and s frmy fxed wthout dstracton n the sef aone (tmani
avatihate), t s sad to be perfect yoga.
yath dpo nivta-stho ne/gate sopam smt '
yogino yata-cittasya yu!ato yogam tmana '')9''
19. The motoness conscousness of the yog engaged n medtaton on
the sef s consdered exacty smar to a fame whch does not move,
beng paced n a wndess pace.
It s consdered exacty (yath) smar (upam) to a amp, whch does
not move (na i/gate) when n a wndess pace (nivta-stha). The eson
of sa wth upam to form sopam s accordng to the rue soci "ope cet
pda-p&raam
75
(;dhyy+ Pn 6.1.134) What s the comparson?
That amp s compared to the conscousness of the yog , devod of
movement.
yatroparamate citta niruddha yoga-sevay '
yatra caivtmantmna payann tmani tuyati ''0:'
sukham tyantika yat tad buddhi-grhyam atndriyam '
vetti yatra na caivya sthita ca"ati tattvata ''0)''
ya "abdhv cpara "bha manyate ndhika tata '
yasmin sthito na dukhena gurupi vic"yate ''00''
75
The norma form woud be sa upam, but accordng to the rue, t can be sopam for
metrca reasons.
ta vidyd dukha-sayoga-viyoga yoga-sa!itam '
sa nicayena yoktavyo yogo nirvia-cetas ''01''
20-23. Wheren the conscousness, competey controed, becomes
nactve by the practce of yoga; wheren, seeng the Paramtm wth
the ad of Paramtm, the yog s satsfed n the sef; wheren he
knows extreme bss through sprtua ntegence, but not through
matera senses; and wheren he does not move from hs true sprtua
nature; wheren he consders, havng obtaned ths, nothng more can
be attaned thereafter, and beng so stuated, s not dsturbed by the
greatest caamty--know such a state, separated from a msery, to be
yoga. Ths yoga must be practced wth determnaton, devod of
depresson.
In verse 16 and the verses foowng, the word yoga referred to beng
stuated n samdhi. 5amdhi s of two types: sapra!ata and
asapra!ata. 5apra!ata-samdhi has many types accordng to
dfferences of savicra and savitarka.
76
What s asapra!ata-samdhi ke? Three and a haf verses answer. In
that state of asapra!ata-samdhi, the conscousness does not touch
any ob|ects at a (cittam uparamate), because of compete stoppage
(niruddham). As Pata|as s&tra says: yoga citta-vtti-nirodha : yoga
means stoppng the functons of the conscousness. (4oga 5&tra 1.2)
The word yatra (n whch state) extends ts meanng to verse 23.
In that samdhi, the yog, seeng the Paramtm (tmnam) by hs
nterna organ (tman) whch takes the form of Paramtm,
77
s
satsfed. In that state of samdhi, he then experences extreme bss,
whch s comprehended by ntegence n the form of the sou
(buddhy),
78
devod of contact wth matera senses and sense ob|ects.
76
These are descrbed n Pata|as 4oga 5&tras. 5ampra!ata-samdhi nvoves
medtaton on ob|ects. If the ob|ects are gross, t s caed savitarka. If the ob|ects are
subte, then t s caed savicara. ;sampra!ata-samdhi s medtaton wth no ob|ect at
a.
77
There seems to be two versons here. In one verson, tmnam means
paramtmanam. Thus by the nterna organ whch takes the form of paramtmt, the
yog sees Paramtm. In the other verson the yog sees the tm by the nterna
organ n the form of Paramtm. Snce the functons of mnd etc. have stopped, and
tm s not reazed, the Paramtm must functon at ths tme to gve hm awareness
of hs own sef and Paramtm.
78
Snce he has reazed the sou, t functons wth ts own ntegence, not matera
ntegence, whch has stopped.
Then, n that state he does not move from the true state of the tm,
hs true form (tattvata). Havng attaned that state, he does not
consder attanng anythng ese. In that state, he s separated from a
contact wth sufferng. One shoud know that state of samdhi as yoga.
"Though I cannot attan t qucky, certany I can attan ths yoga." By
such certanty (anirvia cetas) one shoud practce. One shoud not be
dscouraged, sayng, "After such a ong tme, I have not acheved
perfecton. What s the use of a ths hard work?" One shoud practce
wth mnd convnced, "What s t to me? Let me attan perfecton n ths
fe or n the next."
Gauapda has gven an exampe:
utseka udadher yadvat kugreika-bindun
manaso nigrahas tadvad bhaved aparikhedata
One shoud graduay contro the mnd wthout companng,
though t s ke takng drops of water from the ocean to dry t up
wth a tp of a kua.
There s a story to expan ths. The ocean stoe wth ts strong waves
the eggs of a brd whch were stuated on the oceans shore.
Determned to dry up the ocean, the brd took one drop of water at a
tme usng ts beak. The ocean, beng empted of many drops by the
brds beak, was not at a affected. Though dscouraged by Nrada,
who happened to come there, the brd agan made the promse n front
of hm. "In ths fe or the next, I w dry up the ocean."
Then mercfu Nrada, by the w of the Lord, send Garua to hep the
brd, sayng "The ocean has dsrespected you by offendng your
reatve, ths sma brd." The ocean, becomng dred up by the wnd
comng from Garuas fappng wngs, became frghtened, and then
returned the eggs to the brd.
Thus one shoud be convnced that the Lord w bestow Hs mercy on
the resoute person who enthusastcay begns yoga, !na or bhakti
wth fath n the words of scrpture.
sa/ka"pa-prabhavn kms tyaktv sarvn aeata '
manasaivendriya-grma viniyamya samantata ''02''
anai anair uparamed buddhy dhti-ghtay '
tma-sastha mana ktv na ki!cid api cintayet ''03''
24-25. Gvng up competey a desres born of thoughts, controng a
the senses competey by the mnd, graduay one shoud cease a
menta functons by determned ntegence. Havng fxng the mnd on
the sef, one shoud then not thnk of anythng matera at a.
In such practce of yoga, the frst and ast actons are mentoned n two
verses (24-25).
The frst acton s to gve up desres and the ast acton s not to thnk
of anythng at a.
yato yato nicarati mana ca!ca"am asthiram '
tatas tato niyamyaitad tmany eva vaa nayet ''0-''
26. Restranng the fcke, unsteady mnd from wherever t wanders,
the yog shoud keep t under contro, fxng t on the sef.
If the mnd, contactng the mode of passon, happens to become
unsteady due to the appearance of prevous attachments, one shoud
agan practce yoga.
pranta-manasa hy ena yogina sukham uttamam '
upaiti nta-raasa brahma-bh&tam aka"maam ''07''
27. Supreme bss comes to that yog who has pacfed mnd, s devod
of passon, free of sn, and thus on the eve of reazaton of Brahman.
Then, as prevousy, the yog agan w en|oy the happness of samdhi.
5ukham s the sub|ect of the sentence.
yu!ann eva sadtmna yog vigata-ka"maa '
sukhena brahma-sasparam atyanta sukham anute ''08''
28. Thus constanty engagng hs mnd, the yog+ free of a sn, easy
attans the ntense bss of contact wth Brahman as a van-mukta.
Then, he attans success. Attanng bss means he becomes van-
mukta+ berated even n ths fe.
sarva-bh&ta-stham tmna sarva-bh&tni ctmani '
kate yoga-yukttm sarvatra sama-darana ''09''
29. The yog whose conscousness has become Brahman reazes the
Paramtm as the ndweer of a vng enttes and as the restng
pace of a vng enttes. He sees everythng as Paramtm.
Ths verse shows the van-muktas drect experence of Brahman.
He, whose conscousness has taken the form of Brahman (yoga-yukta
tm), reazes by sprtua percepton (ikate) the Paramtm who
resdes n a enttes (sarva-bh&ta-stham tmnam), and s the restng
pace of a enttes (tmani sarva-bh&tni). Thus He sees everythng as
Brahman (sama-darina).
yo m payati sarvatra sarva ca mayi payati '
tasyha na praaymi sa ca me na praayati ''1:''
30. He who sees Me as Brahman everywhere and sees everythng n
Me, never oses sght Me, nor do I ose sght of hm.
The resut of ths sprtua reazaton s stated. I, the Brahman, never
become nvsbe to that person (na praaymi). Snce I am contnuay
present before hm, the yog (sa), My worshpper, s never ost to Me.
sarva-bh&ta-sthita yo m bhaaty ekatvam sthita '
sarvath vartamno pi sa yog mayi vartate ''1)''
31. The yog who worshps Me as the one vng beng who s the cause
of a, exsts n Me, no matter what hs manner of worshp.
The yog who worshps Me as Paramtm stuated everywhere, even
before drect reazaton, s beyond the rues. He who, acknowedgng
that the Paramtm aone exsts, snce He s the cause of a (ekatvam
sthita), worshps Me through hearng and chantng, resdes n Me, not
n sasra, whether performng the acts ndcated n the scrptures or
not (sarvath vartamno pi).
tmaupamyena sarvatra sama payati yo runa '
sukha v yadi v dukha sa yog paramo mata ''10''
32. I consder that practcng yog who sees equay everythng as
equa to hmsef n a crcumstances, whether n happness or
sufferng, to be the topmost yog.
Moreover, t has been stated that even the yog at the stage of sdhana
shoud have equa vson everywhere. Ths verse expans the most
mportant type of equa vson. He sees what s good for hmsef and
what s bad for hmsef as equay appcabe to a others; he desres
happness for a others, and does not desre sufferng for anyone. That
yog I consder the best.
aruna uvca
yo ya yogas tvay prokta smyena madhus&dana '
etasyha na paymi ca!ca"atvt sthiti sthirm ''11
33. O Madhusdana, I do not see that ths yoga wth equa vson that
you have descrbed can be astng, because of the fcke mnd.
Seeng that t woud be dffcut to attan such equa vson, Ar|una
speaks. "I do not see the permanence of ths yoga whch has acheved
equa vson. Ths yoga w not ast forever. Ths state w ast for three
or four days. Why? Because the mnd s unsteady (ca!ca"atvt). You
spoke of seeng the happness and dstress of a vng enttes of the
word as ones own happness and dstress. One can mantan such
equa vson for frends or neutra persons, but t s not possbe to
mantan equa vson for enemes, who wsh to cause you harm, for
those who hate you or crtcze you,. It s not possbe for me to see as
equa, at a tmes, the happness and dstress of Yudhhra and
Duryodhana. Even f by ntegence you see equay the va,
Paramtm, pras , senses and body eements of onesef and ones
enemes, that asts ony for two or three days, because the fcke mnd
s stronger than the dscrmnatng nteect. One sees that the mnd,
attached to matera en|oyment, overcomes the nteect."
ca!ca"a hi mana ka pramthi ba"avad d(ham '
tasyha nigraha manye vyor iva su-dukaram ''12''
34. The mnd s fcke, agtatng, strong and frm. I thnk t s more
dffcut to contro than the wnd.
In ths verse, Ar|una speaks of the fcke mnd.
"But Ar|una, t s possbe to contro the mnd by the dscrmnatng
nteect, accordng to the scrptures. The ruti says:
tmna rathina viddhi arra ratham eva ca
The sou s the passenger, and the body s the charot. Faha
Apaniad 1.3.3
The smti says:
hu arra ratham indriyi hayn abh&n mana indriyeam
vartmni mtr dhiaa ca s&tam
Transcendentasts who are advanced n knowedge compare the
body, whch s made by the order of the Supreme Personaty of
Godhead, to a charot. The senses are ke the horses; the mnd,
the master of the senses, s ke the rens; the ob|ects of the
senses are the destnatons; ntegence s the charot drver; and
conscousness, whch spreads throughout the body, s the cause
of bondage n ths matera word." 5%7.15.41
"But the mnd very strongy agtates the nteect (pramthi)
79
."
"How can that happen?"
"|ust as a strong dsease does not recognze the medcne whch s
supposed to cure t, the strong mnd by ts very nature gnores the
dscrmnatng nteect (ba"avat). Moreover, the mnd s very frm, ke
ron whch s mpossbe to perce by the fne neede of nteect
(d(ham). I consder t s dffcut to overcome the mnd by a/ga-yoga.
That s ke tryng to contro the voent wnd n the sky by stoppng the
breath wth kumbhaka."
r-bhagavn uvca
asaaya mah-bho mano durigraha ca"am '
abhysena tu kaunteya vairgyea ca ghyate ''13''
35. The Lord sad: O Mghty-armed, certany the mnd s dffcut to
contro and fcke. But t can be controed by repeated practce and by
detachment.
Acceptng what Ar|una has sad, Ka gves a concuson.
79
=ra stands for prakarea, very strongy. *ath means to churn.
What you have sad s certany true. But though a dsease may be very
serous, by takng the rght medcne accordng to the doctors
prescrpton repeatedy, after a ong tme the dsease gets cured.
Smary, thought the mnd s dffcut to contro, t s possbe to contro
t by repeated practce accordng to the drecton of the guru, by
constant appcaton of the process of medtaton on the Supreme Lord
(abhysena) and by dssocaton from the ob|ects of en|oyment
(vairagyea). Pata|a says n hs s&tras, abhysa-vairgybhy tan-
nirodha (4oga 5&tras 1.12): the mnd s controed by practce and
detachment.
Snce you defeated many great warrors n batte (mah-baho), and
even defeated Lord va, can you not defeat the mnd? If you are abe
to defeat the soder caed the mnd by the weapon of the great
process of yoga, then you can be caed "mghty-armed." O Kaunteya,
you shoud not fear: as you are the son of My aunt Kunt, t s proper
that I hep you.

asayattman yogo duprpa iti me mati '
vaytman tu yatat akyo vptum upyata ''1-''
36. It s My opnon that yoga s not possbe for one whose mnd s
wthout practce and detachment. But t s possbe to attan for one
who endeavors and contros the mnd by the ntense practce.
The Lord ctes Hs own concuson. 4oga s dffcut for a person whose
mnd s not controed by practce and detachment (asayata tman).
4oga or samdhi, characterzed by stoppng the mnd, can be attaned
after a ong tme by a person who makes effort wth the mnd
controed (vaytman), because of ntense practce (upyata).
aruna uvca
ayati raddhayopeto yogc ca"ita-mnasa '
aprpya yoga-sasiddhi k gati ka gacchati ''17''
37. Ar|una sad: O Ka, what s the destnaton of one who, though
havng fath, does not contnue the endeavor, because of unsteady
mnd, and does not attan the goa of yoga+ samdhi?
You have sad that yoga can be attaned by a person who endeavors
through practce and detachment. What happens to the person who
does not endeavor, who does not practce, and does not have
detachment? He puts n ony a tte effort (ayati).
80
He starts the
practce of yoga wth fath n the yoga scrptures, and s therefore not an
mposter. But, he devates from yoga, for hs mnd turns to ob|ects of
en|oyment because of ack of practce and detachment. Thus he does
not attan compete perfecton (sasiddhim).
81
But he has attaned some
resuts, snce he has begun the frst stage of progressng n yoga, after
the stage of asprng for yoga.
kaccin nobhaya-vibhraa chinnbhram iva nayati '
apratiho mah-bho vim&(ho brahmaa pathi ''18''
38. Does he not dsappear ke a fragmented coud, the yog who fas
n both ways, not havng acheved the goa, and bewdered about the
method of achevng Brahman,?
Fvacit ndcates ony a queston. Havng faed on both sdes, havng
gven up the path of karma and taken competey to the path of yoga,
and havng gven that up aso, does he not dsappear ke a coud
whch separates from the orgna coud and does not become another
coud, but nstead dsappears n the mdde of the sky? The dffcuty s
that from havng entered the path of yoga, one deveops a desre of
gve up en|oyment of matera ob|ects, and because of ack of rea
detachment aso, has a desre to en|oy those ob|ects. Because of not
dong actvtes eadng to Svargaoka and aso not competng the
practce of yoga eadng to beraton, he attans nether Svarga nor
beraton. Thus, becomng bewdered n the method of attanng
Brahman, not havng acheved the goa Kapratita), does he get
destroyed or not? Ths I ask You.
etan me saaya ka chettum arhasy aeata '
tvad-anya saayasysya chett na hy upapadyate ''19''
39. You shoud fuy destroy my doubt, O Ka. No one can be the
destroyer of ths doubt except You.
Qtat (etan) stands for etam (accusatve case).
r-bhagavn uvca
80
The prefx a n the word ayati ndcates "a tte" rather than "no", as n a phrase
ke "cooress porrdge," whch actuay means "porrdge wth nsuffcent coor."
81
5am stands for samyak, compete.
prtha naiveha nmutra vinas tasya vidyate '
na hi ka"ya-kt kacid durgati tta gacchati ''2:''
40. O son of Pth, he does not meet destructon n ths fe or the
next. One who has done the auspcous work of yoga does not meet an
unfortunate end, O My son.
He does not have destructon n ths fe (iha) or the next (amutra).
Havng performed yoga whch gves auspcousness (ka"ya-kt), he
does not attan a destnaton of sufferng.
prpya puya-kt "okn uitv vat sam '
ucn rmat gehe yoga-bhrao bhiyate ''2)''
41. After attanng the words of the pous and vng there for ong
years, the faen yog s born n the house of the regous and weathy.
Then what destnaton does he attan? He attans the panet where
those who perform avamedha sacrfces go (puya-ktn "okn). The
resut of yoga s both beraton and matera en|oyment. In ths case,
the mperfect yog, havng desre for en|oyment, havng faen from
yoga, attans matera en|oyment. The perfected yog however, because
of not havng desres for matera en|oyment, attans beraton. Some
yogs, even though perfected, by fate have a desre to en|oy, and then
accept such en|oyment. Exampes are Kardama Mun and Saubhar.
Such faen yogs (after en|oyng materay) are born n the houses of
those performng proper regous acts (ucnm) and who are weathy
merchants or kngs (rmatm).
atha v yoginm eva ku"e bhavati dhmatm '
etad dhi dur"abhatara "oke anma yad dam ''20''
42. Or, f he has practced a ong tme, he s born n the famy of
ntegent yogs. Such a brth s more dffcut to obtan n ths word.
The destnaton of yogs who fe after dong a tte practce has been
descrbed n the prevous verse. Ths verse descrbes the dfferent
destnaton of yogs who fe after practcng for a ong tme. They are
born n the fames of yogs such as Nm.
tatra ta buddhi-sayoga "abhate paurva-dehikam '
yatate ca tato bh&ya sasiddhau kuru-nandana ''21''
43. In those two stuatons, he attans the state of hs prevous brth
aong wth fath n Paramtm, and strves agan for compete
perfecton, O son of the Kurus.
In these two types of brth (tatra), he attans the state of mnd of hs
prevous fe (paurva-dehikam) wth fath n the Paramtm (buddhi-
sayogam).
p&rvbhysena tenaiva hriyate hy avao pi sa '
i!sur api yogasya abda-brahmtivartate ''22''
44. He s attracted to that prevous practce even aganst hs w.
Inqustve about yoga, he surpasses the materastc path of the $edas.
Attracted by prevous practce, he becomes nqustve about yoga and
surpasses the path of karma mentoned n the $edas (abda-brahma),
but ths tme remans fxed on the path of yoga.
prayatnd yatamnas tu yog sauddha-ki"bia '
aneka-anma-sasiddhas tato yti par gatim ''23''
45. That yog, unke before, strvng wth fu effort, becomng purfed
of hs fauts and reachng fu perfecton after many brths, fnay
attans the supreme goa of beraton.
The cause of fang from the path s ack of effort. That has been
mentoned before: though he has fath, he puts forth tte effort
(ayati). It has been mentoned that the faen yog wth ax practce
attans the practce of yoga agan n the next fe. However, he does not
attan perfecton. That w ony be attaned after many brths when hs
practce becomes mature. But he does not become ax n the yoga
practce, and cannot be caed a faen yog.
The perfecton takes pace ony after many brths of practce. Kardama
Mun says:
bahu-anma-vipakvena samyag-yoga-samdhin
drau yatante yataya &nygreu yat-padam
After many brths, mature yogs, by compete trance n yoga,
endeavor n secuded paces to see the otus feet of the Supreme
Personaty of Godhead. 5% 3.24.28
Thus t s mentoned n ths verse that he does not attan perfecton n
one brth. He makes great effort (prayatnd yatamna) n ths fe, n
contrast to hs prevous fe (tu), and burns up a fauts, but even then
he does not attan perfecton n one fe. Fnay, he attans beraton
(par gatim).
tapasvibhyodhiko yog !nibhyopi matodhika '
karmibhya cdhiko yog tasmd yog bhavruna ''2-''
46. Accordng to Me, the yog s better than the tapasv, better than the
!n, and better than the karma-yog. Therefore be a yog, Ar|una.
Among those practcng karma, !na, tapas and yoga, who s the best? It
s My opnon that the yog, worshpper of Paramtm,
82
s better than
the performers of austertes such as the dffcut cndryaa vrata,
83

and s better than the !ns worshppng Brahman. If the yog s better
than the !ns, t goes wthout sayng that he s better than the karms.
yoginm api sarve mad-gatenntar-tman '
raddhvn bhaate yo m sa me yuktatamo mata ''27''
47. But I consder he who worshps Me wth fath, wth mnd attached
to Me, to be greater than a types of yogs.
Then s there no one better than the yog?
No, that cannot be sad. In ths verse the possessve case of yoginm
stands for the abatve as n the prevous verse as t s more sutabe to
the context. He who worshps Me wth fath s greater than a the yogs,
who are greater than the !ns, tapasvs and karms. The devotee s
not |ust superor to one type of yog, but s superor to a types of
perfected yogs--those n sampra!ata-samdhi and those n
asampra!ata-samdhi.
82
However, many end up mergng nto the mpersona Brahman as stated n verse 15.
83
Ths s a fast n whch every day food s decreased by a mouthfu durng the wanng
phase of the moon, and ncreased by a mouthfu per day durng the waxng phase.
Or another meanng s: Among a the processes (yoga) such as karma-
yoga, !na-yoga, tapa-yoga, a/ga-yoga and bhakti-yoga, he who
worshp Me, he who s My devotee, has the best process (yukttm).
The karms+ tapasvs and !ns are consdered yogs. The a/ga-yog
s a better yog. He who practces bhakti wth hearng and chantng
however s the best yog.
As t s sad n %hgavatam:
muktnm api siddhn nryaa-paryaa
sudur"abha pranttm koiv api mah-mune
O great sage, among many mons who are berated and
perfect n knowedge of beraton, one may be a devotee of Lord
Nryaa, or Ka. Such devotees, who are fuy peacefu, are
extremey rare. 5% 6.14.5
Ths verse, a concse statement of bhakti whch w be defned n
mdde sx chapters, s the thread-ke ornament on the neck of the
devotees. The frst chapter ntroduces the daogue n the #t. The
second, thrd and fourth chapters dea wth nikma-karma. The ffth
deas wth !na and sxth wth a/ga-yoga. But the man topc of the
frst sx chapters s karma-yoga.
The commentary on the sxth chapter for the |oy of the devotees has
been competed by the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter 7
r-bhagavn uvca
mayy sakta-man prtha yoga yu!an mad-raya '
asaaya samagra m yath !syasi tac chu '')''
1. The Lord sad: Wth your mnd attached to Me, estabshng a
reatonshp wth Me, surrendered to Me aone, you w know Me n My
compete form, wthout doubt. Pease sten.
When w I take sheter of Mahprabhus feet, whch are a sweet ocean
of mercy, made of eterna bss? Then, somehow or other, I w attan
the nectar of prema through the path of bhakti, whch shuns beraton.
The seventh chapter descrbes the powers of Ka, the powers of the
Lord who s most worthy of worshp. The four types of persons who
worshp and do not worshp Ka are aso descrbed.
In the frst sx chapters of the #t, !na and a/ga-yoga whch ead
to beraton, and depend upon nikma-karma-yoga whch frst purfes
the heart, have been descrbed. In the mdde sx chapters, two types
of bhakti w be descrbed: that bhakti whch yeds s"okya and other
types of beraton by beng ether wthout desre or wth desre,
because of mxture of karma, !na or other eements; and the man
type of bhakti whch yeds beraton n the form of becomng an
assocate of the Lord wth prema. Ths type of bhakti s ndependent of
karma, !na or other processes, and, moreover, ndependenty yeds
a goas such as Svarga and moka wthout performance of any other
process. Though easy to perform for a peope, t s most rare.
yat karmabhir yat tapas !na-vairgyata ca yat
yogena dna-dharmea reyobhir itarair api
sarva mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto "abhate !as
svargpavarga mad-dhma katha!cid yadi v!chati
Everythng that can be acheved by frutve actvtes, penance,
knowedge, detachment, mystc yoga, charty, regous dutes
and a other means of perfectng fe s easy acheved by My
devotee through ovng servce unto Me. If somehow or other My
devotee desres promoton to heaven, beraton, or resdence n
My abode, he easy acheves such benedctons. 5% 11.20.32-33
"But the ruti says tam eva viditv ati mtyum eti: knoOing t, one
surpasses death (,vetvatara Apaniad 6.15). How can you then say
that wthout knowedge, |ust by bhakti, one attans beraton?"
Ths s not a correct concuson. The meanng of that ruti statement s:
knowng Paramtm (tam), havng drect reazaton of Paramtm (the
word tat refers to Paramtm, not va), one surpasses death. It does
not mean "Knowng the ndvdua sou (tva padrtham), or prakti or
any exstng ob|ect at a, one surpasses death." |ust as the cause of
tastng sugar s the tongue, not the eye or ear, so the cause of tastng
the para-brahman, s bhakti. It s possbe to grasp the Brahman whch s
beyond the guas ony by the process of bhakti whch s aso beyond the
guas, and not by sattvc knowedge of the tm beng dfferent from
the body (tma-!na). Ths s understood from the Lords statement
bhaktyham ekay grahyaB I am obtaned ony by bhakti. (5% 11.14.11)
And I w eaborate on ths n the commentary on the verse bhakty
mm abhinti yvn yas csmi tattvataB I can be known as I am ony
by bhakti. K%# 18.55)
And the accompshment of beraton through !na and a/ga-yoga s
brought about ony through the nfuence of bhakti whch s a
subordnate eement wthn those practces. It s stated n many paces
n the scrptures that wthout bhakti, those two processes are
nsgnfcant.
Moreover, because of the absence of the word eva (ony) after viditv,
there s another meanng. Ths sentence wthout eva does not ndcate
that excusvey by knowng Paramtm, one attans beraton.
Rather, knowng Paramtm or not knowng, one attans beraton.
Therefore, one can get beraton by knowedge beyond the guas--
knowedge of Paramtm, whch arses through bhakti; and sometmes
aso, one can attan beraton wthout Paramtm knowedge arsng
from bhakti--by bhakti aone. It s |ust ke eatng matsya(ika whch
cannot be tasted, due to mafuncton of the tongue. But graduay
taste s restored and as we, the sckness s destroyed (one acton
accompshes two resuts). Accordng to ;mara Foa, matsya(ika s a
transformaton of sugar.
84
nanv varo <nubhaato <viduo <pi skc
chreyas tanoty agada-ra ivopayukta
It s true that the Supreme Lord Hmsef awards Hs bessngs
even to an gnorant worshper, |ust as the best medcne works
even when taken by a person gnorant of ts ngredents. 5%
10.47.59
In the *oka 6harma, there s a statement made about Nryaa:

yo vai sdhana sampatti pururtha catuhaye
tay vin tad pnoti naro nryaraya
84
Perhaps the prevous sentence s a quotaton from some scrpture, and thus n the
next sentence Vvantha expans the meanng of the word matsya(ika.
Even wthout performng actons for attanng the four
pururthas (artha, dharma, kma and moka), the person who
surrenders to Nryaa attans the goa.
As quoted above aready, %hgavatam says:
Everythng that can be acheved by frutve actvtes, penance,
knowedge, detachment, mystc yoga, charty, regous dutes
and a other means of perfectng fe s easy acheved by My
devotee through ovng servce unto Me. If somehow or other My
devotee desres promoton to heaven, beraton, or resdence n
My abode, he easy acheves such benedctons. 5% 11.20.32-33
yan-nma sakc chravat pukkao pi vimucyate sasrt
Not to speak of seeng You personay, merey by hearng the
hoy name of Your Lordshp ony once, even ca("as, men of the
owest cass, are freed from sasra. 5% 6.16.44
Thus, accordng to many such statements n the scrptures, beraton
can be attaned by bhakti aone.
Now, et us return to the verse.
"In Your statement at the end of the ast chapter (yoginm api
sarvem), I have understood that You have ndcated the unque
quaty of Your own devotee who absorbs hs mnd n You (mad
gatenntartman) and has fath n You. But what type of devotee s he?
One woud expect that he s quafed wth knowedge (!na) and
reazaton (vi!na)." The Lord then answers n two verses.
Reazaton w occur graduay n proporton to the ntensty of the
worshp.
bhakti parenubhavo viraktir
anyatra caia trika eka-k"a
prapadyamnasya yathnata syus
tui pui kud-apyo <nu-ghsam
Devoton, drect experence of the Supreme Lord, and
detachment from other thngs-these three occur smutaneousy
for one who has taken sheter of the Supreme Personaty of
Godhead, n the same way that peasure, nourshment and reef
from hunger come smutaneousy and ncreasngy, wth each
bte, for a person engaged n eatng. 5% 11.2.42
|ust as by eatng a handfu of food one does not attan satsfacton or
nourshment but by takng a ot of food one does get satsfacton and
nourshment, when you have attaned the stage of attachment to Me
(mayy sakta man) n My form of ymasundara wth yeow coth,
you w know Me. Hear how (yathD you w reaze Me ceary.
What type of yoga s ths? You w graduay attan a reatonshp wth
Me (sayogam yu!an). You w take sheter of Me aone, not karma or
!na (mad-raya), snce you are My ananya-bhakta. You w be
absoutey wthout doubt about whch s better--My mpersona aspect
or My persona aspect, as ndcated ater n chapter 12 wth My words:
k"eo dhikataras tem avyaktsakta-cetasm
avyakt hi gatir dukha dehavadbhir avpyate
Those who are attached to the mpersona aspect endure great
dffcutes. The mpersona goa gves dffcutes for one a body.
%# 12.5
Moreover, that Brahman s |ust an expresson of My greatness, as I, n
the form of Matsya, say to Satyavrata:
madya mahimna ca para brahmeti abditam
vetsyasy anughta me sampranair vivta hdi
You w be thoroughy advsed and favored by Me, and because
of your nqures, everythng about My gores, whch are known
as para brahma, w be manfest wthn your heart. 5% 8.24.38
In the #t I w ater say, brahmao hi pratihham: I am the bass of
Brahman. Thus, n comparson to knowedge about Me n My persona
form, whch s compete (samagram), ths knowedge of mpersona
Brahman s ncompete. Therefore you w know Me competey
(samagra mm), wthout doubt.
!na te ha sa-vi!nam ida vakymy aeata '
ya !tv neha bh&yo nya !tavyam avaiyate ''0''
2. I w expan to you knowedge of My powers (!na) aong wth
knowedge of My sweetness (vi!na), knowng whch nothng ese
remans to be known.
Before attanng the stage of attachment to Me, the devotee
understands (!nam) about My powers. After that, he reazes
(vi!nam) My sweetness. Hear about both of these. Knowng ths,
nothng ese remans to be known, for knowedge and reazaton of My
mpersona aspect are ncuded n t.
manuy sahasreu kacid yatati siddhaye '
yatatm api siddhn kacin m vetti tattvata ''1''
3. Among thousands of men, some attan success n ther endeavors.
Among those who attan success, hardy anyone knows Me.
Knowedge of Me and reazaton of Me are rare for the !ns and yogs
who were descrbed n the prevous sx chapters. Frst, the Lord speaks
of the rarty of reazng the sweetness of the Lord (vi!na) among
those persons.
Among the countess vas, one may be a human beng. Among
thousands of humans, one of them may work for sprtua progress.
Among thousands who work for sprtua progress, ony one w know
Me. Ony one person w drecty reaze Me, truy, n the form of
ymasundara. Ths mpes that the bss from reazaton of persona
Brahman s thousands of tmes greater than the bss from reazaton
of the mpersona Brahman.
bh&mir po na"o vyu kha mano buddhir eva ca '
aha/kra itya me bhinn praktir aadh ''2''
4. Earth, water, fre, ar, ether (as we as ther sense ob|ects), mnd,
ntegence, fase ego (wth the ten senses and mahat-tattva) are My
separated energy n eght dvsons.
And, knowedge n reaton to bhakti aso means knowedge of the
Lords powers, not knowedge of the tm beng separate from the
body (whch s knowedge n reaton to the process of !na). In
defnng knowedge of the Lords powers, the Lord speaks of Hs two
energes (prakti), superor and nferor, n two verses.
85
By the stng
of the fve gross eements begnnng wth earth, the subte eements,
known as the sense ob|ects sme, taste, form, touch and sound, are
understood to be ncuded as we. By the word fase ego, the ten
senses whch arse from t, and the mahat-tattva, ts cause, are aso
understood to be ncuded. Mnd and nteect are sted separatey to
show ther greater mportance among a the eements.
apareyam itas tv any prakti viddhi me parm '
va-bh&t mah-bho yayeda dhryate agat ''3''
5. Ths s My nferor energy. Understand My superor energy whch s
dfferent from ths nferor energy. It s the vas, by whom the nferor
energy s empoyed for ther en|oyment.
Ths prakti s caed the externa energy. As t s not conscous, t s
nferor (apar). Know aso the other energy, tataha-akti, whch
gves rse to the vas, whch s superor (parm), because t s
conscous. Why s the va consdered superor? The unconscous
matter (idam agat) s empoyed (dhryate) by ths conscous va, for
vas own en|oyment.
etad-yonni bh&tni sarvty upadhraya '
aha ktsnasya agata prabhava pra"ayas tath ''-''
6. Know that a thngs have ther orgn n these two energes, and that
I am the orgn and dssouton of the whoe unverse.
The Lord s the cause of the word, by these two energes. Know that a
movng and non-movng enttes arse from these two energes, my-
akti and va-akti, ketra and ketra-!a. I aone am the creator of a
ths unverse, snce these two energes arse from Me, and I aone am
the destroyer of the unverse, snce t merges nto Me, the possessor of
these two energes.
matta paratara nnyat ki!cid asti dhana!aya '
mayi sarvam ida prota s&tre mai-ga iva ''7''
85
The prevous verse spoke of the Lords sweetness (vi!nam). Ths and the next
verse descrbe the Lords powers (!nam), by descrbng Hs nferor and superor
energes.
7. There s nothng superor to Me, O conqueror of weath. Everythng s
pervaded by Me, as pears are strung on a thread.
Because of ths, I am everythng. That s expressed n ths verse.
There s nothng superor to Me, because I am both the cause and the
effect, and I am the akti and aktimn. As the ruti says, ekam
evdvitya brahmaB there s ony one Brahman and nothng ese
(Phndogya Apaniad 6.2.2); and neha nnsti ki!cana: there s no
varety at a. (%had >rayaka Apaniad 4.4.19)
Havng thus spoken about Hs own dentty wth everythng, the Lord
then speaks about Hs entrance nto everythng. The whoe unverse
(sarvam idam), composed of conscous and unconscous prakti, s
dentca wth Me, because t s My effect. St, everythng s pervaded
by the Paramtm (I am n everythng), as pears are strung on a
thread. Madhusdana Sarasvat says that beng strung ke pears
means ony that everythng s pervaded by the Lord, and does not refer
to matera causaty. A sutabe exampe of matera causaty woud
be god and god earrngs.
raso ham apsu kaunteya prabhsmi ai-s&ryayo '
praava sarva-vedeu abda khe paurua nu ''8''
8. I am the taste of water, and the ght of the sun and moon. I am
praava n the $edas, sound n the ether and successfu efforts of men.
|ust as I have entered nto the unverse, My effect, n the form as
Paramtm, aso I exst n the form of the cause of those effects (as
sound n ether), or n the form of the essence of those thngs (as n
success n man). Ths s expressed n four verses. The waters taste,
whch s ts cause, s a manfestaton of My power (vibh&ti). Lkewse
one can fnd a smar meanng n the tems foowng. I am ght tsef
whch gves ght to the sun and moon. I am okra, the source of the
$edas. I am sound n the ether, as sound s the cause of the ether.
86
I
am the dstngushng efforts (pauruam) of men, snce effort s the
essence of humans.
puyo gandha pthivy ca tea csmi vibhvasau '
vana sarva-bh&teu tapa csmi tapasviu ''9''
86
Sound gves rse to ether, touch gves rse to ar, form gves rse to fre, taste gves
rse to water, and sme gves rse to earth.
9. I am the fragrance of the earth eement, the heat n fre, the fe n
a enttes, the austerty n the tapasv.
=uya means "peasng" or "natura" accordng to ;mara Foa. I am
the natura fragrance of earth eement. Pa ndcates that ths
statement appes to a the eements. Thus, I am the peasng taste of
water, the peasng form of fre as we as the natura fragrance of the
earth eement. I am the power of fre, the essence-that whch can
burn, umnate, and reeve cod n a thngs. I am the fe span of a
enttes-ther essence. I am the toeraton of sufferng, the essence of
those performng austertes.
87
ba m sarva-bh&tn viddhi prtha santanam '
buddhir buddhimatm asmi teas teasvinm aham ''):''
10. I am the eterna, orgna cause of a enttes, O son of Pth. I am
the ntegence of the ntegent peope and the ma|esty of the
ma|estc.
%ia or seed means the cause before transformaton, the pradhna.
5antana means eterna. Integence s the essence of the ntegent
persons. I am that ntegence.
ba"a ba"avat cha kma-rga-vivaritam '
dharmviruddho bh&teu kmo smi bharatarabha ''))''
11. I am the strength of the strong whch s devod of ust and anger. I
am that ust whch s accordng to dharma, O best of Bharata neage.
I am the strength of the strong, not dspayed out of anger or used wth
the desre to mantan to ones own festye. I am ust not contrary to
dharma, drected towards ones wfe ony for the producton of chdren.
ye caiva sttvik bhv rass tmas ca ye '
matta eveti tn viddhi na tv aha teu te mayi '')0''
12. Know that a thngs n sattva, raas and tamas come from Me. I am
not n them, but they are n Me.
87
In ths verse the Lord s the essence of a tems, except the fragrance of earth.
Fragrance s the cause of earth.
The expressons of My powers (vibh&ti), beng the cause of thngs or
the essence of thngs and beng the vng enttes such as Rkasas
88

have thus been mentoned to some degrees. There s no need to st
these more extensvey. A thngs are dependent on Me, and are an
expresson of My power. Those thngs (bhv) n the mode of goodness,
ke sense and mnd contro and the devats; those thngs n the mode
of passon, such as ust and prde, and the asuras ke Hrayakapu;
and those thngs n the mode of gnorance ke amentaton, uson
and the Rkasas--these are a the products of the guas of prakti
beongng to Me. I do not exst n them: I do not depend on them ke
the vas. But they exst n Me: they are dependent on Me.
tribhir gua-mayair bhvair ebhi sarvam ida agat '
mohita nbhinti mm ebhya param avyayam '')1''
13. The whoe word, bewdered by the ob|ects and persons made of
three guas, does not know Me, the unchangng, who am above a of
those thngs.
"Then f You are a thngs, why do peope not know You, the Supreme
Lord?"
A the vas born n the unverse (sarvam ida agat), beng bewdered
by the states such as sense and mnd contro n the mood of goodness,
|ubaton n the mode of passon, and amentaton n the mode of
gnorance, stemmng from the nature of the guas, do not know Me,
who am superor to them (param) and wthout change (avyayam), snce
I am beyond the guas.
daiv hy e gua-may mama my duratyay '
mm eva ye prapadyante mym et taranti te '')2''
14. My my made of the guas, ft for vas peasure, s hard to
surpass, but those who surrender to Me aone can cross over my.
"Then how w they be devered from ths bewderment of the three
modes?"
88
The reference seems uncear snce Rkasas have not been mentoned n the
above st of vibh&tis.
The word daiv comes from deva, whch means "those who sport wth
sense en|oyment." It refers to the vas. Thus daiva makes t
possessve: that beongng to the vas for ther peasure. 6aiv
therefore means that whch bewders the vas.
Ths my s the bewderer of the vas who en|oy sense ob|ects (daiv).
It s made of the guas, and by mpcaton, t s a great noose of three
strands (gua means rope). Ths my, the externa energy, beongs to
Me, the Supreme Lord. It s dffcut to surpass. As a noose, t s
mpossbe for anyone to unte or to cut t. Touchng Hs chest, the Lord
says, "Have fath n My words. Anyone who surrenders unto Me, the
form of ymasundara, crosses over ths my."
na m duktino m&(h prapadyante nardham '
myaypahta-!n sura bhvam rit '')3''
15. The fasey ntegent, consstng of the anmastc humans
engrossed soey n matera peasure, the condemned humans who
gve up bhakti after practcng t, the deuded thests who thnk My body
s matera, and the demons who attack My form, do not surrender to
Me.
"Do not the wse then surrender unto You?"
Yes, those who are wse surrender to Me but those who ony thnk
themseves wse do not. 6ua means ev or spoed, and ktinah
means cever. Those who have ev ntegence (dusktina) are of four
types. One s the m&(ha, the foo equa to an anma. He pursues ony
(anmastc) en|oyment through hs work. It s sad:
n&na daivena nihat ye ccyuta-kath-sudhm
hitv vanty asad-gth puram iva vi(-bhua
Because they are averse to the nectar of the actvtes of the
Supreme Personaty of Godhead, they are compared to stoo-
eatng hogs. They gve up hearng the transcendenta actvtes
of the Lord and nduge n hearng of the abomnabe actvtes of
materastc persons. 5% 3.32.19
mukunda ko vai na seveta vin naretara
89
89
%hgavatam 5.15.11 s smar. Perhaps the quotaton s a dfferent verson of the
text.
Who woud not serve Mukunda except a non-human?
Others are nardhamas. For some tme, they attan the status of a
human by acceptng the process of bhakti, but they then re|ect t by
ther own w, thnkng that t s not usefu as a practce for attanng
ther goas. They become the owest bengs (adhama) because of gvng
up bhakti (after attanng t).
Others, though havng studed the scrptures, have ther knowedge
stoen by my. They thnk that Nryaa resdng n Vakuha s
obtanabe by constant bhakti, but not Ka or Rma, whom they
consder humans. It s sad, avananti m m&(h mnu tanum
ritam (%# 9.11). These foos thnk that I have a human body. Ths
means that though they surrender to Me (n some forms), they actuay
do not surrender to Me.
Others take sheter of the mood of the asuras. ;suras ke |arsandha,
seeng My form, attack t wth arrows. They even try to destroy My
form n Vakuha by ther bad arguments, based on fauty ogc such
as nsstng on vsbe proof. They do not surrender at a.
catur-vidh bhaante m an suktino runa '
rto i!sur arthrth !n ca bharatarabha '')-''
16. Four types of regous persons worshp Me, O Ar|una: the sufferer,
the nqurer, the en|oyer and the !n.
"Then, who worshps You?"
Four types worshp Me. Those who foow the rues of varrama
(suktina), worshp Me. Among them some desre reef from affcton,
from caamtes ke sckness; some desre knowedge of tm or desre
knowedge of scrptures wth grammar; and some desre en|oyment n
ths fe and the next wth and, eephants, horses, women, god and
other such thngs. These persons worshp Me. These three are sakma
ghasthas. The fourth type, the !n, a sannys wth pure heart who
worshps Me wth devoton, s nikma, wthout matera desre.
90
90
In ths defnton the !n does not have a desre for beraton. The devotee
desrng beraton s mentoned at the end of the chapter as a sakma-bhakta.
These four types of devotees, quafed for pradhn bh&t bhakti (n
whch bhakti s the prncpe component), have been enumerated. The
frst three types of persons have karma-mira-bhakti. The fourth type
has !na-mira-bhakti. Later n the book, yoga-mira-bhakti w aso be
descrbed n verse ke sarva dvrni sayamya (%# 8.12).
But keva" bhakti, unmxed wth karma or !na, was aso descrbed n
the begnnng of ths chapter wth the words mayysakta mana prtha
(%# 7.1). Feva" bhakti w aso be descrbed n the eghth chapter wth
ananya cet satatam (%# 8.14), n the nnth wth mahtmnas tu mm
prtha (%# 9.13) and wth anany cintayanto mm (%# 9.22). The Lord
descrbes these two types of bhakti, pradhn bh&t and keva" bhakti, n
the mdde sx chapters of the #t.
A thrd type of bhakti, gu bh&t bhakti (processes n whch bhakti s a
secondary eement) s seen n the karms, !ns and yogs, who
predomnanty desre resuts for ther actons (bhukti and mukti).
Because of the ack of predomnance of bhakti, and nstead a
predomnance of karma, !na or yoga, ths gu bh&t bhakti t s not
cassed as bhakti. As thngs shoud be cassed by predomnance of
quaty, these processes are cassed as karma, !na and yoga, and the
practtoners are not cassed as bhaktas, but as karms, !ns or yogs.
The resut of sakma-karma s Svarga, the resut of nikma-karma s
!na-yoga, and the resut of !na and a/ga-yoga s nirva moka,
mpersona beraton. The resuts of the two types of pradhn bh&t
bhakti are descrbed as foows. Among the types of pradhn bh&t
bhakti, the frst three are karma-mira-bhakti, or sakma-bhakti. The
resut of ths bhakti s attanment of the respectve desres (deverance
from sufferng, attanment of scrptura knowedge wth materastc
method, gan of matera benefts). And after that, because the
superor nature of ther ob|ect of worshp (the Lord), those devotees
attan beraton n the form of s"okya (attanng the same panet) wth
predomnance of happness and powers (sukha and aivarya). And
there s no fa down as n the case of exhaustng en|oyment n Svarga
as a resut of karma. It w be sad, "Those who worshp Me come to
Me." (%# 9.25)
The resut of !na-mira-bhakti, whch s superor to the other three
types, s nta rati (bhva), as n the case of Sanaka and others.
Sometmes, because of exceptona mercy of the Lord and Hs devotee,
the resut of !na-mira-bhakti s the supreme poston of prema, as n
the case of ukadeva.
If sakma-bhakti (the frst three types) becomes nikma, wthout
desres, the resut s !na-mira-bhakti, and the resut of that !na-
mira-bhakti s as stated above (nta-rati). Sometmes, those who have
!na-mira-bhakti or karma-mira-bhakti attan prema n dsya and
hgher rasas on ther own (wth no apparent assocaton of devotees n
ths fe), because of nfuence of assocaton wth devotees n prevous
ves. However, that prema s predomnated by a mood of reverence
(aivarya).
The resut of pure bhakti unmxed wth !na+ karma or yoga, caed
anany bhakti aki!can bhakti or uttam bhakti, whch has many types, s
that one becomes an assocate of the Lord wth dsya+ skhya, and
other rasas. Ths s expaned eaboratey n the commentares on the
%hgavatam. As t s a matter reated to the topc at hand, the
dstnctons n perfected bhakti have been brefy dscussed.
91
te !n nitya-yukta eka-bhaktir viiyate '
priyo hi !nino tyartham aha sa ca mama priya '')7''
17. Of these four types, the !n, who s constanty engaged n
thnkng of Me, who s practcng bhakti aone, s the best. I am
chershed by that !n, and he s chershed by Me.
Among these four types who are quafed wth bhakti (those wth
pradhn bh&t bhakti), who s the best? Among them the !n s the
best. He s absorbed n Me constanty (nitya-yukta). Ths means that
because hs conscousness has been brought under contro by practce
of !na, he has fu concentraton n the mnd. The other three types do
not have ths quaty.
"But does the !n |ust worshp you out of fear that hs !na w be
neffectve wthout bhakti?"
91
Though the topc s sdhana, the resuts of sdhya, prema, are aso descrbed here to
ustrate the dfference n the sdhanas.
No, he has a predomnance of bhakti (eka-bhakti), not ke other !ns
who have a predomnance of !na; or the meanng can be "He has
great attachment to the process of bhakti aone, and s a !n n name
ony." I, n the form of ymasundara, am exceedngy (atyartham)
dear to such a !n. He cannot gve Me up ether n the stage of
sdhana or perfecton. I aso hod hm very dear. Ths s accordng to the
reasonng that I respond to the devotee n proporton to hs amount of
surrender to Me.
udr sarva evaite !n tv tmaiva me matam '
sthita sa hi yukttm mm evnuttam gatim '')8''
18. They are a exated, but the !n s My sou, because he s frmy
convnced that I aone am the hghest goa. That s My opnon.
"Then, that means that the other three are not dear to You?"
No, they are a dear to Me. Those who worshp Me, acceptng ob|ects
they have desred, but whch I wanted to gve them anyway, are
certany dear to Me, who have affecton for My devotees. Ths s
because I gve generousy to them. But the !n s Mysef. He worshps
Me and does not desre anythng at a from Me, nether Svarga nor
moka. Thus I am dependent on hm: he s My sou. Ths s My opnon.
Ths s because he s frmy convnced (asthita) that I aone n the form
of Symasundara, not My mpersona aspect as brahma-nirva, am the
hghest goa (anuttam gatim) to be attaned. The !n, who has a
predomnance of bhakti and no matera desres, s consdered by the
affectonate Lord as Hs own sef. But the keva" bhakta, the pure
devotee, s consdered by the Lord to be dearer than Ris very se"E.
na tath me priyatama tma-yonir na a/kara
na ca sa/karao na rr naivtm ca yath bhavn
My dear Uddhava, nether Lord Brahm, Lord va, Lord
Sakaraa, the goddess of fortune nor ndeed My own sef are as
dear to Me as you are.
5% 11.14.15
nham tmnam se mad-bhaktai sdhubhir vin
O best of the brhmaas, wthout santy persons for whom I am
the ony destnaton, I do not desre to en|oy My transcendenta
bss and My supreme opuences. 5% 9.4.64
tmrmo py arramat
Smng upon hearng these despondent words from the gops,
Lord Ka, the supreme master of a masters of mystc yoga,
mercfuy en|oyed wth them, athough He s sef-satsfed. 5%
10.29.42
bah&n anmanm ante !navn m prapadyate '
vsudeva sarvam iti sa mahtm sudur"abha )9''
19. The !n, seeng Vsudeva everywhere, surrenders to Me through
devotee assocaton after many brths. He has a steady mnd and s
very rare.

"You say that ths !n s fxed n You as the supreme goa.
Consequenty ths !n bhakta attans You. But after how ong does a
!n become quafed as a devotee?"
He who possesses knowedge, seeng Vsudeva everywhere, after
many brths surrenders to Me. Such a santy person surrenders to Me
through chance assocaton wth devotees. That !n-bhakta has a very
steady mnd (mahtm), and s very rare. As I have sad, manuyn
sahasreu, out of thousands, one person may know Me n truth. What to
speak of the rarty then, of the keva"a or eknta bhakta? Such a person s
even rarer.
kmais tais tair hta-!n prapadyante nya-devat '
ta ta niyamam sthya prakty niyat svay ''0:''
20. Those who have become foosh because of ther many desres
worshp varous devats, adoptng varous rues, under the contro of
ther ow natures.
"It s understood from what you have sad that the sakma-bhaktas,
because they worshp You, the Lord, who responds to them, become
somewhat successfu. But what happens to those who have matera
desres and worshp the devats wth the desre to remove ther
sufferng or gan matera peasure?"
Four verses answer ths queston. These peope, havng no ntegence
(hta-!na), thnk that the devats ke Srya w gve mmedate reef
from affctons ke sckness, whereas Vu w not. They therefore
surrender to the devats. They are under the contro of ther natures
(prakty niyat svay), whch are corrupted, averse to surrender to Me.
yo yo y y tanu bhakta raddhayrcitum icchati '
tasya tasyca" raddh tm eva vidadhmy aham ''0)''
21. I gve those persons frm fath n those devats whose forms they
desre to worshp wth fath.
You shoud not say that the devat, peased wth beng worshped, w
produce fath n worshppng the Supreme Lord, n order to gve beneft
of the worshpper. As those devats cannot even produce fath n ther
foowers to worshp the devats, how then can they produce fath n
ther foowers to worshp Me? When those peope desre to worshp
forms (tanum) such as Srya, whch are actuay My forms snce they
are My vibh&tis, I, as Paramtm, gve the fath n those forms of
devats. The devats do not gve the fath.
sa tay raddhay yuktas tasyrdhanam hate '
"abhate ca tata kmn mayaiva vihitn hi tn ''00''
22. Endowed wth the fath gven by Me, that person worshps the
devat, and attans hs desred ob|ects, whch are gven ony by Me.
That person, endowed wth that fath, performs (hate) worshp of that
devat. He obtans the resuts of that worshp (kmn) from the worshp
of that partcuar devat. But those devats cannot fuf those desres.
It s I who fuf those desres.
antavat tu pha"a te tad bhavaty a"pa-medhasm '
devn deva-yao ynti mad-bhakt ynti mm api ''01''
23. The resuts obtaned by these foosh persons are temporary. Those
who worshp devas attan the devas, and those who worshp Me attan to
Me.
"But then You gve the devotees of the devat temporary resuts,
whereas You gve Your devotees permanent resuts. It s un|ust for You
to do that, snce You are the Supreme Lord."
No, t s not un|ust. Those who worshp the devats attan (ynti) the
devats. Those who worshp Me attan Me. The meanng s ths. It s very
ogca that a person attans what he worshps. Thus f the devat are
temporary, how can ther devotees become permanent, and how can
the resuts of worshp be permanent? Thus t s sad here that the
devotees of those devat are not ntegent (a"pa-medhasm). The
Supreme Lord however s eterna, and therefore Hs devotees are aso
eterna. Ther bhakti and a the resuts of ther bhakti are eterna.
avyakta vyaktim panna manyante mm abuddhaya '
para bhvam ananto mamvyayam anuttamam ''02''
24. The unntegent thnk that the mpersona Brahman has
manfested an usory form as Mysef. They do not know My
transcendenta nature (consstng of form, quates and actvtes),
whch are eterna and most exceent.
What to speak of the worshppers of the devat beng foosh and not
recognzng Me, even those who study a the scrptures such as the
$edas do not know the truth about Me. Lord Brahm has sad to Me:
athpi te deva padmbua-dvaya-
prasda-"enughta eva hi
nti tattva bhagavan mahimno
na cnya eko <pi cira vicinvan
My Lord, f one s favored by even a sght trace of the mercy of
Your otus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your
personaty. But those who specuate to understand the Supreme
Personaty of Godhead are unabe to know You, even though
they contnue to study the $edas for many years. 5% 10.14.29
Thus, apart from My devotees, everyone ese s foosh regardng
knowedge of Me. Wth ths ntenton He speaks ths verse.
The unntegent thnk that the formess Brahman beyond the matera
word (avyaktim) has taken brth as Mysef n the house of Vasudeva
(vyaktim) wth an usory form: what s now vsbe s |ust an usory
form. Ths s because they do not know My transcendenta state. They
do not know that My form, brth, actvtes, and pastmes are beyond
my (mama para bhvam). What type of state s ths? It s eterna
(avyayam) and most exceent (anuttamam).
Accordng to Medn, bhva means exstence, nature, ntenton,
endeavor, sef, brth, acton, pastme and meanng of a word. r Rpa
Gosvm n hs %hgavatmta has descrbed ths eterna nature of the
Lord: the Lords form, quates, brth, actons, and pastmes are eterna
snce they have no begnnng and no end. rdhara Svm has aso
sad, "%hvam means form, and avyayam means eterna. .It s a pure
form of sattva endowed wth great power."
nha praka sarvasya yoga-my-samvta '
m&(hoya nbhinti "oko mm aam avyayam ''03''
25. Beng covered by My yoga-my, I am not vsbe at a tmes even
to My devotees n My sprtua abodes. And the foosh do not
understand that I, though appearng as the son of Vasudeva, am
wthout brth and certany have no matera brth.
"If You have eterna form, quates and pastmes, then why do we not
see these thngs at a tmes?"
"I am not manfest to a peope vng at a tmes and paces. I am
aways present wth My assocates, quates and pastmes n some
unverse, at some tme, but |ust as the sun s not vsbe to a peope at
a tmes, but ony sometmes, snce t gets covered by Mount Meru, I
aso am not vsbe at a tmes, beng covered by yoga-my. Though
the sun s stuated wthn the zodac and s aways present there for a
the vng bengs, t s not vsbe to a peope at a tmes and paces.
Smary I am not vsbe to a peope at a tmes n the varous
sectons of Bhrata."
"But as the sun s aways vsbe n ts own abode, why s Ka not
aways vsbe to a the peope presenty dweng n Hs abodes such
as Mathur and Dvrak?"
"Snce Meru s present n the mdde of the zodac, then the sun, when
covered, s not vsbe. In the same way, wthn Kas effugent
abodes, yoga-my s aways present ke Meru. Ka, ke the sun,
covered by that Meru n the form of yoga-my, s not vsbe
constanty, but ony sometmes. Ths s a wthout faut. As we, the
foosh peope do not understand that I, n My form as ymasundara
(mm), though appearng as Vasudevas son (aam), am free from
matera brth (aam avyayam). Thus, fnay re|ectng Me, the ocean of
auspcous quates, they worshp My mpersona aspect, Brahman."
vedha samattni vartamnni cruna '
bhaviyi ca bh&tni m tu veda na kacana ''0-''
26. I know a thngs n the past and present, Ar|una. I know everythng
n the future as we, but no one knows Me.
But My own knowedge s not covered by externa my or the nterna
yoga-my, snce I cannot be bewdered by that to whch I gve sheter.
I know everythng. But no one, whether matera or sprtua, not even
va or the most omnscent person, knows Me competey, snce
knowedge of Me s covered by ether my or yoga-my accordng to
the quafcaton of the person.
icch-dvea-samutthena dvandva-mohena bhrata '
sarva-bh&tni samoha sarge ynti parantapa ''07''
27. Snce the begnnng of creaton, a vng bengs have been
ntensey bewdered by the gnorance caused by duaty arsng from
ke and dske.
When do the vas become bewdered by Your my? At the begnnng
of the creaton of ths unverse (sarge), a the vas (sarva-bh&tni)
become bewdered. How? Desre for ob|ects favorabe to the senses,
and hatred for thngs whch obstruct the peasure of the senses, arsng
from prevous actons, gve rse to uson of duaty--of respect and
dsrespect, hot and cod, happness and dstress, and woman and man.
A person thnks "I am happy, beng respected." "I am sad, beng
dsrespected." "Ths s my wfe." "Ths s my husband." Ths duaty
gves rse to compete gnorance (moha). That n turn gves rse to
compete bewderment (samoham)--extreme attachment to wfe and
sons.
Those who are extremey attached are not quafed for devoton to Me.
I w expan ths to Uddhava:
yadcchay mat-kathdau ta-raddhas tu ya pumn '
na nirvio nti-sakto bhakti-yogo sya siddhi-da ''
If somehow or other by good fortune one deveops fath n
hearng and chantng My gores, such a person, beng nether
very dsgusted wth nor attached to materia" "iEe, shoud acheve
perfecton through the path of ovng devoton to Me. 5%
11.20.8
ye tv anta-gata ppa ann puya-karmam '
te dvandva-moha-nirmukt bhaante m d(ha-vrat ''08''
28. But those whose sns have been destroyed by pous acts, beng
free of the gnorance arsng from duaty by worshppng Me, then
worshp Me wth determnaton.
Then who s quafed for bhakti? Ths verse answers. Those who have
puya karma, who have destroyed sns partay, deveop a
predomnance of sattva-gua and dmnshed tamo-gua. The resut of
ths s a decrease n uson. Consequenty they become ess attached.
Then they have chance assocaton wth My devotees. They then
become competey free of sn by practce of worshp. Beng freed
competey of uson (dvandva-moha-nimukt), they become steady
(d(ha-vrath) n worshppng Me. Thus, one shoud not consder that
puya karma s the cause of any type of bhakti.
92
For the Lord has sad:
ya na yogena s/khyena dna-vrata-tapo-<dhvarai '
vykhy-svdhyya-sannysai prpnuyd yatnavn api ''
Even though one engages wth great endeavor n the mystc yoga
system, phosophca specuaton, charty, vows, penances,
rtuastc sacrfces, teachng of Vedc mantras to others,
persona study of the $edas, or the renounced order of fe, st
one cannot acheve Me. 5% 11.12.9
In many paces, t s stated that puya-karmas are dependent on keva"
bhakti, and not ts cause.
ar-maraa-mokya mm ritya yatanti ye '
te brahma tad vidu ktsnam adhytma karma ckhi"am ''09''
92
Assocaton wth the devotees s the cause.
29. Those yogs who, takng sheter of Me, strve for freedom from brth
and death, know Brahman, the va, and rebrth of the va due to the
nfuence karma.
It has been sad that the three types of sakma-bhaktas who worshp Me
become successfu, but the worshppers of devats (aso sakma) fa.
Those who are not quafed for worshppng the Lord have aso been
descrbed. Now the Lord speaks about a fourth type of sakma-bhakta.
Those yogs who strve to destroy od age and death (ar-maraa-
mokya yatanti), who desre beraton (moka-km), and
consequenty worshp Me, know a about the famous Brahman (the
Lord).
93
They know about the va (adhytmam), present as the
controer (adhi) of the body (tmnam), and the repeated bodes of the
va generated from a types of actons (karma akhi"am), due to the
power of devoton to Me.
sdhibh&tdhidaiva m sdhiya!a ca ye vidu '
praya-k"e pi ca m te vidur yukta-cetasa ''1:''
30. Those who know Me aong wth matter, who know Me as the
controer of devas, and who know My presence n sacrfce, fxed n
knowedge, w know Me even at the tme of death.
Those who deveop such knowedge of Me by the nfuence of devoton
to Me mantan that knowedge even at the tme of death. It s not ke
the ntegence of others, estabshed by karma, whch vares accordng
to the future body. The terms adhibh&ta+ adhidaiva and adhiya!a w be
expaned n the next chapter.
The devotees aone, enumerated as sx types,
94
who know the truth
about the Lord, cross over my. Ths has been presented as the
meanng of the chapter.
Thus, the commentary on the seventh chapter of the #t has been
competed for the peasure of the devotees mnds, through the mercy
of the cryas.
93
Brahman w be defned as akara, n verse 3 of the next chapter, and akara w
be defned as Nryaa n verse 21.
94
These types are three sakma devotees mentoned n verse 16, the moka-kma-
bhakta mentoned n vesre 29, the niskma-!na-mira-bhakta mentoned n verse 16,
and the keva"a-bhakta mentoned n verse 1.
Chapter 8
aruna uvca
ki tad brahma kim adhytma ki karma puruottama '
adhibh&ta ca ki proktam adhidaiva kim ucyate
'')''
adhiya!a katha ko tra dehe smin madhus&dana '
prayak"e ca katha !eyo si niyattmabhi ''0''
1-2. Ar|una sad: What s Brahman, what s adhytma, what s karma,
what s adhibh&ta and what s adhidaiva, O Supreme Person? Who s the
adhiya!a, and how s he known n the body? How are You to be known
at the pont of death by those wth concentrated mnds?
In the eghth chapter, the Lord speaks about pure bhakti and yoga-
mira-bhakti, n repy to Ar|unas questons. He aso descrbes the two
destnatons of the yogs.
At the end of the prevous chapter, the Lord mentoned knowedge of
seven tems (Brahman, adhytma, karma, adhibh&ta+ adhidaiva+ adhiya!a,
and Hmsef, Ka). Wantng to know about these thngs, Ar|una asks
questons about them n the frst two verses of ths chapter.
Who s the ruer of ya!a n the body (atra dehe) and how shoud He be
known n the body at the pont of death? The sentence s competed
wth the next ne of verse 2.
r bhagavn uvca--
akara brahma parama svabhvo dhytmam ucyate '
bh&ta-bhvodbhava-karo visarga karma-sa!ita ''1''
3. The Lord sad: the Brahman s the supreme ndestructbe entty.
;dhytma s the va. Farma refers to transmgraton arsng from the
creaton of bodes made of matera eements.
The Lord answers. Brahman refers to the akara--that whch does not
get destroyed, that whch s eterna and supreme. The ruti says etad
vai tad akaram grgi brhma abhivadanti: the knowers of Brahman
ca the Supreme Lord (tad) the ndestructbe (akaram).
95
(%had
>rayaka Apaniad 3.8.8)
5vabhva means "that whch produces ones sef (sva bhvayati), from
mposton of a body." In other words, t means the va, snce t
creates the body. The va s caed adhytma. Or the meanng of
svabhva can be "that whch causes one to attan the Paramtm (sva
meanng the Lord n ths case). In ths case adhytma refers to the
purfed va, snce ony the pure va s quafed to attan Paramtm.
The word karma refers to transmgraton (visarga) of the va, the
creaton of bodes (bhva) through the matera eements (bh&ta). It s
caed karma because t s produced from actons.
adhibh&ta karo bhva purua cdhidaivatam '
adhiya!o ham evtra dehe deha-bht vara ''2''
4. ;dhibh&ta refers to a the temporary matera ob|ects. ;dhidaiva
refers to the unversa body of the Lord. I, on the other hand, am the
adhiya!a stuated n the body, O Ar|una, best among sous stuated n a
body.
The word adhibh&ta refers to temporary ob|ects (karo bhva) such as
pots and coth. The word adhidaiva refers to the person representng
the totaty of the unverse, understood from the dervaton of the word
adhidaiva as "He wthn whom a the devats exst as Hs sub|ects". In
the body (atra), I, the Paramtm, am the adhiya!a, the person who
nduces others to perform actons ke ya!a.
But why shoud the word eva (for emphass) be used wth aham, snce
the Paramtm, antarym, s ony My expanson or aa? It s because
ths antarym+ though an aa, s not dfferent from Me, whereas the
other tems such as adhytma (va) are dfferent from Me.
O best person (vara), among those havng bodes (deha-bhtam), you
are the best of a n ths body, because you have a drect reatonshp
wth Me as frend.
anta-k"e ca mm eva smaran muktv ka"evaram '
95
In verse 21 Vvanatha says that the akara s Nryaa.
ya prayti sa madbhva yti nsty atra saaya ''3''
5. At the pont of death, he who eaves the body whe knowng Me n
truth, attans a nature smar to Mne. Of ths there s no doubt.
Ths verse answers the queston "How are you to be known at the tme
of death?" 5maran means rememberng Me, knowng Me n truth, not
ke knowng pots or coth. The method of knowng or rememberng
the Lord s now expaned n fourteen verses.
ya ya vpi smaran bhva tyaaty ante ka"evaram '
ta tam evaiti kaunteya sad tad-bhva-bhvita ''-''
6. Whatever one thnks of when eavng the body, one attans a state
smar to that ob|ect of constant thought, O son of Kunt.
Ths verse expans that |ust as, by rememberng Me, one attans Me
(stated n the prevous verse), so by rememberng somethng ese, one
attans that ob|ect. Beng nfuenced (bhvita) by constant thoughts
(bhva) of that ob|ect, a person becomes smar to the ob|ect
(bhvita).
tasmt sarveu k"eu mm anusmara yudhya ca '
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mm evaiyasy asaaya ''7''
7. Therefore, at a tmes rememberng Me, fght. Wthout doubt, one
whose ntegence and mnd are offered to Me attans Me.
The mnd creates the decson to thnk of Me. The ntegence creates
the determnaton to reman fxed n thnkng of Me.
abhysa-yoga-yuktena cetas nnya-gmin '
parama purua divya yti prthnucintayan ''8''
8. Contnuousy contempatng Me wth mnd engaged n the practce of
repeated remembrance, wthout devaton, one attans the
transcendenta supreme person.
Therefore, that person who practces remembrance of Me durng hs
fe w naturay remember Me at the tme of death, and by that, he
w attan Me. Therefore, rememberng Me by the mnd s the hghest
yoga. That s expressed n ths verse. ;bhysa means to repeatedy
remember Me. The mnd shoud be engaged n ths method (yoga) of
repetton of rememberng Me. It shoud not wander to other ob|ects of
remembrance. By ths practce one w conquer of the nature of the
mnd.
kavi puram anusitram
aor aysam anusmared ya '
sarvasya dhtram acintya-r&pam
ditya-vara tamasa parastt ''9''
praya-k"e manasca"ena
bhakty yukto yoga-ba"ena caiva '
bhruvor madhye pram veya samyak
sa ta para puruam upaiti divyam ''):''
9-10. At the tme of death, a person endowed wth devoton and wth
unwaverng mnd, who concentrates between the brows through the
strength of yoga practce, and who remembers He who s omnscent,
begnnngess, the teacher, smaer than the smaest, the contaner of
everythng, the nconcevabe, an ndependent form ke the sun, who
s above prakti--that person attans the transcendenta supreme
person.
Wthout practce of yoga t s dffcut to wthdraw the mnd from sense
ob|ects. Wthout wthdrawng the mnd from sense ob|ects, t s
dffcut to thnk constanty of the Lord. Therefore one shoud execute
bhakti aong wth some type of yoga practce. The Lord here speaks of
such bhakti mxed wth a/ga-yoga (yoga-mira-bhakti) n fve verses.
The Lord s omnscent (kavi). But though one may be omnscent, ke
Sanaka and others, one may not be eterna. Therefore, the Lord s
descrbed as pura, wthout begnnng. Though He s both omnscent
and wthout begnnng, ths does not ndcate that He becomes the
nstructor of bhakti as Paramtm. Therefore He s caed anusitram,
the teacher, who by Hs mercy gves nstructons about devoton to
Hmsef when He appears as Ka or Rma. Though He s mercfu, He
s st a dffcut ob|ect to know factuay: compared to the smaest He
s even smaer. Then, s He ke the va, the sze of an atom? No, He s
aso of the greatest sze, spreadng everywhere, snce everythng s
contaned wthn Hm (sarvasya dhtram). Thus He s sad to be
nconcevabe n form (acintya-r&pam). Though He appears of medum
sze, as a human beng, Hs manfestaton s ndependent of a others.
Thus He has a form (vara) whch s ke that of the sun (ditya),
reveang both Hmsef and a others. Thus, though He s the possessor
of my-akti (prakti), Hs form s transcendenta to prakti or my
(tamasa parastt).
At the tme of death (praya-k"e), wth unwaverng mnd, engaged n
bhakti wth constant remembrance of Me as descrbed above, the yog
attans Me. How does he attan unwaverng mnd? He attans t through
the strength of hs practce of yoga (yoga-ba"ena). The yoga process s
then descrbed. Fxng hs pra n the !-cakra (bhruvor madhye), he
attans Me.
96
yad akara veda-vido vadanti
vianti yad yatayo vta-rg '
yad icchanto brahmacarya caranti
tat te pada sa/grahea pravakye ''))''
11. Aong wth the method, I w speak of the fna goa whch the
knowers of the $eda ca om, and whch the sannyss who have gven
up attachment attan. Desrng ths, they practce cebacy.
"|ust by Your mentonng that the yog shoud concentrate the pra at
the !-cakra, I cannot understand ths yoga. What s the manner of
dong ths yoga? What shoud be chanted? Upon what shoud one
medtate? What s to be obtaned by ths yoga? Brefy You shoud te
me." Ka speaks three verses to answer hm.
Pease sten as I descrbe what w be factuay attaned (padam) aong
wth the method of attanment (sa/grahena)
97
--that Brahman whch the
knowers of the Veda ca om (akara), whch the sannyss attan.
sarva-dvri sayamya mano hdi nirudhya ca '
m&rdhny dhytmana pram sthito yoga-dhram '')0''
om ity ekkara brahma vyharan mm anusmaran '
ya prayti tyaan deha sa yti param gatim '')1''
12-13. He who eaves hs body whe wthdrawng the senses from
senses ob|ects, concentratng the mnd n the heart, fxng the pra at
96
From verse 13 t seems that attanng the Lord means attanng Hs abode, attanng
a dstant reatonshp wth the Lord.
97
5a/graha s anayzed as "the means by whch somethng s competey (samyakD
understood (ghyateD."
the !-cakra, competey absorbng hs thoughts n Me, utterng "om"
and rememberng Me constanty, attans My panet.
Eaboratng what was prevous spoken, the Lord descrbes the method
of yoga. Wthdrawng the openngs of a the senses (sarva-dvri) from
the externa ob|ects; confnng the mnd to the heart, wth no desre for
other ob|ects; fxng the pra between the brows (m&rdhni); and takng
sheter of Me competey (yoga-dhram); utterng |ust one syabe,
om+ the form of Brahman; and medtatng contnuousy upon Me (mm
anusmaran) represented by om-- gvng up hs body, he attans
s"okyam (param gatim).
98
ananya-cet satata yo m smarati nityaa '
tasyha su"abha prtha nitya-yuktasya yogina '')2''
14. The devotee who remembers Me day, at a tmes, wthout
devaton to other processes, persons or goas, and who desres
assocaton wth Me, easy attans Me.
Havng spoken of pradhn bh&t bhakti, bhakti mxed wth karma,
mentoned n rto i!sur arthrth (%# 7.16), and wth desre for
beraton n ar-maraa-mokya (%# 7.29), and aso bhakti mxed wth
yoga n ths chapter (verse 9-13), now the Lord speaks of keva" bhakti,
the best bhakti, devod of any matera tnge. The mnd of that devotee
s free from performng other processes such as karma-yoga or !na-
yoga,
99
free from worshp of other persons or devats, and free from
other goas, such as attanment of Svarga or moka. Thus he s caed
ananya-cet, wth mnd not thnkng anythng ese except the Lord. He
remembers Me every day, (nityaa), constanty (satatam), not
dependng upon approprate tme, pace, person, or purty. I can be
easy attaned (su"abha) by that person, by that bhakti. It s not mxed
wth the dffcutes encountered n practcng yoga, !na or other
processes. He constanty desres assocaton wth Me (nity-yuktasya).
Ths grammatca form expresses desre n the future as we as the
98
From ths statement t woud appear that ths yoga-mira-bhakta attans a smar
state as the three types of sakma-bhaktas mentoned n chapter 7.
99
The !na-mira-bhakta, referred to as the !n n the enumeraton of the four types
does not have a desre for matera resuts nor for beraton. Therefore he has not
been mentoned n the prevous sentence. However, the !na-mira-bhakta retans
some eements of the !na process whe practcng bhakti and s thus dstngushed
from the keva"a-bhakta who performs ony bhakti.
past. 4ogina here refers to the person dong bhakti-yoga. Or t can
mean a person who has a reatonshp (yoga) wth the Lord, n dsya+
skhya or other reatonshps.
mm upetya punar anma dukh"ayam avatam '
npnuvanti mahtmna sasiddhi param gat '')3''
15. Attanng Me, those great sous do not return to a brth whch s fu
of sufferng and temporary, havng attaned the hghest goa of
persona servce to Me.
"What happens to that person who attans You?"
Attanng Me, they do not attan brth agan whch s fu of sufferng
(dukh"ayam) and temporary, but attan a brth smar to Mne, whch
s fu of |oy, because t s eterna. Accordng to the ;mara Foa,
vata means certan, eterna, contnua, everastng. When I take My
brth, whch s fu of |oy, sprtua, and eterna, n the house of
Vasudeva, My devotees, beng My eterna assocates, w aso take
such brth, and not at other tmes (caused by karma). Other devotees
attan perfecton, but those who excusvey thnk of Me (ananya-cet)
attan the very hghest perfecton (param sasiddhim)--a poston as
an assstant n My pastmes. Ths ndcates the observabe superorty
of the keva"a-bhakta over a other types of devotees mentoned.
-brahma-bhuvan" "ok punar-vartino runa '
mm upetya tu kaunteya punar-anma na vidyate '')-''
16. O Ar|una, a persons ncudng the nhabtants of Brahmaoka take
brth agan. But havng attaned Me, O son of Kunt, a person does not
take brth agan.
A vas take rebrth even f they have great puyas. But My devotees
do not take such rebrth. Even the nhabtants of the panet of Brahm
(-brahma-bhuvan" "ok) take rebrth.
sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmao vidu '
rtri yuga-sahasrnt teho-rtra-vido an '')7''
17. The knowers of the day and nght of Brahm, knowng that a day
asts one thousand cyces, aso know that a nght of Brahm asts one
thousand yuga cyces.
It s sad n %hgavatam:
amta kemam abhaya tri-m&rdhno dhyi m&rdhasu
Deathessness, fearessness and freedom from the anxetes of
od age and dsease exst n the kngdom of God, whch s beyond
the three hgher panetary systems and beyond the matera
coverngs. 5% 2.6.19
"But some say that there s fearessness on Brahmaoka as we, and
thus, t s not possbe for the sannys to de there, f they desre to
stay there."
No, f even Brahm, the master of that panet, must de, what can we
say of others? Those who are knowedgeabe of scrpture, who know
that the day of Brahm asts a thousand yugas, aso know that the nght
asts a thousand yugas, because they are knowers of day and nght. By
such days, fortnghts and months pass. A hundred of such years make
the fe of Brahm. Then after that, Brahm des. However, a Brahm
who s a Vaava attans beraton.
avyaktd vyaktaya sarv prabhavanty ahar-game '
rtry-game pra"yante tatraivvyakta-sa!ake '')8''
18. At the comng of day, a thngs become manfest from the seepng
state of Brahm, and at the approach of nght they agan become
unmanfest.
Those who are nferor, resdng wthn the three panetary systems,
persh day after day. Madhusdana Sarasvat says: the word avyakta
refers to Brahm n hs seepng state (not a tota dssouton), snce
durng the day creaton and dssouton of the unverse, the eements
reman ntake. Then from a seepng state (avyaktt), through Brahm,
the paces of en|oyment n the form of bodes and ob|ects of en|oyment
manfest (vyaktay), or become sutabe for use. At the comng of nght,
when Brahm seeps, everythng dsappears wthn hm.
bh&ta-grma sa evya bh&tv bh&tv pra"yate '
rtry-game vaa prtha prabhavaty ahar-game '')9''
19. In ths way a the movng and non-movng enttes, havng
appeared, dsappear at the comng of nght, beyond ther contro, and
reappear at the approach of day.
Thus, a the movng and non-movng vng enttes (bh&t-grma),
after appearng, repeated dsappear.
paras tasmt tu bhvo nyovyakto vyaktt santana '
ya sa sarveu bh&teu nayatsu na vinayati ''0:''
20. Superor to the unmanfest state of Brahms nght s another
unmanfest state whch s eterna, whch s not destroyed when
everythng ese s destroyed.
Superor to that state of dssouton, to the Hrayagarbha or Brahm,
superor to what has so far been descrbed (para tasmt avyaktt), s
another state, the cause of Hrayagarbha, whch s ndeed unmanfest
(avyakta), and wthout begnnng (santana).
avyakto kara ity uktas tam hu param gatim '
ya prpya na nivartante tad dhma parama mama ''0)''
21. That whch was descrbed as eterna and unmanfest s caed the
supreme goa. Attanng that eterna form, they do not return.
The word avyakta of the prevous verse s expaned. That whch s
avyakta s wthout destructon (akara): Nryaa. As the ruti says, eko
nryaa sn na brahm na ca a/kara: ony Nryaa exsted, and
not Brahm or va.
100
Attanng My eterna form (mama parama
dhma), they do not return.
The word akara may aso be nterpreted as the mpersona Brahman,
n whch case dhma parama mama means "My form of ght," snce
dhma aso means "ght."
101

purua sa para prtha bhakty "abhyas tv ananyay '
yasynta-sthni bh&tni yena sarvam ida tatam ''00''
100
eko ha vai nryaa sn na brahm neno s found n the *ah Apaniad. The
quotaton s probaby another verson of the same passage.
101
Ths woud be the attanment for !ns and yogs who aso perform a sma
amount of bhakti wthout offense.
22. That supreme person, wthn whom exst a enttes and by whch
ths unverse s pervaded, s attaned by pure anany bhakti, O son of
Pth.
That supreme person, who s |ust My aa+ cannot be known by other
means, whch have n them desres for karma-yoga or !na-yoga. As I
prevousy sad, ananya-cet satatam.
yatra k"e tv anvttim vtti caiva yogina '
prayt ynti ta k"a vakymi bharatarabha ''01''
23. O best of Bharatas neage, I w now expan about the paths by
whch the yogs return or do not return.
"You have sad n verse 21 that anyone who attans You does not come
back, but You have not mentoned about any partcuar path that the
devotee must traverse. Snce the devotee s beyond the guas, hs path
s aso beyond the guas, not a sattvc path such as gong through the
sun panet. But I am askng about the path taken by the yogs, !ns
and karms. I w speak about the path (k"am)
102
of return and no
return that they traverse when they have ded."
agnir yotir aha uk"a a-ms uttaryaam '
tatra prayt gacchanti brahma brahma-vido an ''02''
24. The knowers of Brahman (|!ns) who depart on the path of fre and
ght, the waxng fortnght, and the northern progress of the sun attan
Brahman.
He speaks n ths verse about the path of no return. The words agnir
yotir (fre and ght) ndcate the presdng dety of the sun accordng
to the ruti statement te Srcisam abhisambhavanti: they go to the sun
panet. ;ha ndcates the dety of the day, and uk"a ndcates the dety
of the fortnght of the waxng moon. The sx months of uttaryaa
means the dety who presdes over the uttaryaa. The !ns (brahma
vida) who go on the path of these devats attan Brahman. As the ruti
says:
102
F"a usuay means "tme," but n ths context means "path."
te rciam abhi sambhavanti arcio rahna p&ryama-pakam
p&ryama-pakd yn a-msnuda//ditya eti m"ebhyo deva-
"okam

They reach the dety of fre. From there they go to the dety of
the day, from there to the dety of the waxng fortnght, and from
there to the uttaryaa dety. Phndogya Apaniad 5.10.2
dh&mo rtris tath ka a-ms dakiyanam '
tatra cndramasa yotir yog prpya nivartate ''03''

25. Departng on the path of smoke, the nght, the wanng fortnght,
the southern course of the sun, and attanng Svargaoka, the karma-
yog returns.
Ths verse descrbes the path of return taken by the karm. 5moke
ndcates the dety of smoke, and smary night ndcates the dety of
nght. Smary there are the dety of the dark fortnght and the dety
of the dakiyana. The karma-yog who goes on the path represented
by these devats attans Svarga ndcated by the words cndramasa
yoti. Havng en|oyed there, he returns.
uk"a-ke gat hy ete agata vate mate '
ekay yty anvttim anyayvartate puna ''0-''
26. These two paths, of ght and darkness, are consdered eterna n
ths word. By one path, one does not return, and by the other path,
one returns.
The Lord summarzes the two paths mentoned. They are consdered
wthout begnnng (vate), snce the transmgraton of the vas s
wthout begnnng. By the path of ght one attans no return, and by
the path of darkness, one takes brth agan and agan on the earth.
naite st prtha nan yog muhyati kacana '
tasmt sarveu k"eu yoga-yukto bhavruna ''07''
27. The yog who knows these two paths s never bewdered.
Therefore, at a tmes have a concentrated mnd, Ar|una.
Knowedge of these two paths produces a sense of dscrmnaton. Ths
verse prases such dscrmnaton. Therefore at a tmes you shoud
have a concentrated mnd (yoga-yukta).
vedeu ya!eu tapasu caiva
dneu yat puya-pha"a pradiam'
atyeti tat sarvam ida viditv
yog para sthnam upaiti cdyam ''08''
28. Knowng ths, the yog endowed wth devoton surpasses a the
pous resuts decared by studyng the $edas, performance of sacrfce,
austerty and gvng n charty. He attans the sprtua, eterna pace.
Ths verse reates the resuts of knowng what has been expaned n
ths chapter. Surpassng (atyeti) a the resuts of other processes, the
yog, possessng devoton,
103
attans the best pace, whch s non-
matera (param) and eterna (dyam).
The superorty of the devotees has been prevousy stated. It s made
cear n ths chapter. As we, n ths chapter, the supreme poston of
the ananya-bhakta among a types of devotees has been ndcated.
Thus the commentary on the eghth chapter of the #t for the
peasure of the devotees has been competed by the mercy of the
cryas.
Chapter 9
r-bhagavn uvca
ida tu te guhyatama pravakymy anas&yave '
!na vi!na-sahita ya !tv mokyase <ubht '')''
1. The Lord sad: I w speak to you, who have no envy, the most
secret knowedge, bhakti+ aong wth reazaton of Me, knowng whch
you w be freed from sufferng.
The ma|estc aspect of the Lord as the ob|ect of worshp, sutabe for
Hs servants, and the exceence of that pure devotee are descrbed
ceary n the nnth chapter.
103
Ths seems to ndcate that ths verse refers to the yoga-mira-bhakta. A mere yog
wthout bhakti coud not attan the pace of the Lord or even beraton. A yog wth a
sma amount of bhakti coud attan beraton. Such yogs were descrbed n chapter
6. A devotee wth some mxture of yoga however attans s"okya.
%hakti s superor to karma, !na, yoga and other processes. As
descrbed n the seventh chapter, such bhakti s ether pradhn bh&t
or keva". And amongst the types of bhakti, the supreme poston of
keva" bhakti, whch s extremey powerfu, not dependent of purty of
heart or other eements ke !na, has ceary been shown.
The nnth chapter begns to speak about the powers of the Lord
requred as knowedge n order to perform that pure bhakti (keva"
bhakti). The #t s the essence of a scrptures, and essence of the
#t s the mdde sx chapters. The mdde of those sx chapters, the
nnth and tenth chapters, s the further essence of the sx chapters.
In three verses, the Lord prases what He w be descrbng n the
chapter. The !na whch gves beraton descrbed n the second, thrd
and other chapters s guhya, or secret. The knowedge whch I reveaed
n the seventh and eghth chapter, whch s sutabe for attanment of
Me--the method of knowedge,
104
bhakti, by whch Bhagavn s known--
s guhyatara, more secret. In ths chapter, I w speak to you knowedge
about keva", or uddh bhakti, whch s by far guhyatama, most secret.
By the word !na or knowedge, one shoud understand that t means
ony bhakti, not the we known !na mentoned n the frst sx chapters.
In the second verse, by usng the ad|ectve avyayam or ndestructbe, t
must be understood that ths knowedge s beyond the guas. It s
bhakti whch s beyond the guas, not the !na mentoned earer, whch
s n sattva-gua. In verse 3, the word dharma means ony bhakti as we.
I w teach ths most secret bhakti to you, to one who s not hoste or
sefsh (anas&yave). Ths ndcates that there s a rue that bhakti shoud
ony be taught to one who s not sefsh or nmca. I w teach you ths
bhakti (!na), cumnatng n drect reazaton of Me (vi!na-sahitam),
by whch you w be freed from rebrth, or freed from a obstaces to
bhakti (aubht).
ra-vidy ra-guhya pavitram idam uttamam '
pratyakvagama dharmya susukha kartum avyayam ''0''
104
C!na s defned as "that by whch somethng s known." Thus bhakti s caed !na
snce by bhakti Bhagavn s known.
2. Ths s the hghest type of bhakti, the most secret type of bhakti, the
most purfyng of a methods. It s drecty reazed, the hghest
dharma, easy to execute, and eterna.
Moreover, ths knowedge (bhakti) s the kng of knowedge (raa-vidy),
meanng the kng of worshp. There are varous types of bhakti and ths
s the kng, or n the hghest poston, exceedng a others. The usage
of raa-vidy s smar to the word raa-danta or front teeth. As n the
usage raa-danta (front teeth: kng of teeth), there s reversa of the
norma order of the eements of the compound word. Ths s permtted
accordng to the rue ra-dantditvd (;dhyy, Pn 2.2.31). Of
a secrets, t s the hghest. %hakti of any type s very secret, and of a
the types of bhakti, ths keva" bhakti s the kng, the most secret (raa-
guhyam).
It s caed most purfyng (pavitram uttaman), because t acts as the
atonement for a sns. It s even more purfyng than knowedge of the
sou (tva padrtha). Accordng to Madhusdana Sarasvat, snce t
mmedatey uproots a the snfu reactons spread over many
thousands of fetmes whch are stuated n the gross and subte
bodes, and as we uproots the cause of a sns, gnorance, t s caed
the most purfyng of a thngs.
It gves drect reazaton (pratyakvagamam):
bhakti parenubhavo viraktir
anyatra caia trika eka-k"a
prapadyamnasya yathnata syus
tui pui kud-apyo <nu-ghsam
Devoton, drect experence of the Supreme Lord, and
detachment from other thngs-these three occur smutaneousy
for one who has taken sheter of the Supreme Personaty of
Godhead, n the same way that peasure, nourshment and reef
from hunger come smutaneousy and ncreasngy, wth each
bte, for a person engaged n eatng. 5% 11.2.42
From ths verse of %hgavatam, t shoud aso be understood that the
reazaton s constant, snce the reazaton comes n accordance wth
the worshp (and the ananya-bhakta constanty worshps the Lord).
It does not devate from dharma (dharmyam), because, though one may
fa to perform a dharmas or regous dutes, those dharmas are
fufed smpy by executng bhakti. Ths s understood from the
statement of Nrada:
yath taror m&"a-niecanena
tpyanti tat-skandha-bhuopakh
propahrc ca yathendriy
tathaiva sarvrhaam acyutey
As pourng water on the root of a tree energzes the trunk,
branches, twgs and everythng ese, and as suppyng food to
the stomach envens the senses and mbs of the body, smpy
worshpng the Supreme Personaty of Godhead through
devotona servce automatcay satsfes the demgods, who are
parts of that Supreme Personaty. 5% 4.31.14
Unke karma, !na and other processes, bhakti s easy to execute
(susukha kartum). There are no extreme pans to the body, voce or
mnd by renuncaton of the senses, snce bhakti makes use of the ears
and other senses as prncpa eements n hearng chantng and other
processes.
Because t s beyond the guas, the process of bhakti s eterna
(avyayam), unke such processes as karma and !na whch are
temporary.
araddadhn puru dharmasysya parantapa '
aprpya m nivartante mtyu-sasra-vartmani ''1''
3. O affcter of enemes, those who do not have fath n ths bhakt do
not attan Me and reman fxed on the path of transmgraton and
death.
"We f ths dharma s so easy to execute, who w reman n ths
word?" Ths verse answers.
Usng gentve (possessve case) nstead of ocatve case n the phrase
dharmasya asya s poetc cense. Those who do not have fath n ths
process of dharma, who thnk that the supreme poston gven to bhakti
n the scrptures s |ust exaggeraton, and who do not accept t wth
fath, do not attan Me, even though they make efforts to attan Me by
other methods. They reman competey (nivartate s equa to nitarm
vartate) on the path of transmgraton (sasra-vartmani), pervaded by
death.
may tatam ida sarva agad avyakta-m&rtin '
mat-sthni sarva-bh&tni na cha tev avasthita ''2''
4. I pervade ths whoe unverse by My form nvsbe to matera
senses, snce I am the cause. A enttes are stuated n Me, snce I am
ther cause, but I am not n them, snce I am competey detached.
In seven verses, the Lord speaks of the knowedge of the powers of
God requred by devotees who are stuated n dsya-bhakti.
Ths whoe unverse s pervaded by Me, whose form s nvsbe to the
senses (avyakta), snce I am the cause of the unverse (I am n the
unverse). And as we, a the vng enttes movng and non-movng
are stuated n Me (mat-sthni), a form of pure conscousness, snce I
am ther cause (The unverse s n Me). But I am not stuated n a
these enttes (I do not pervade them), as cay s present n ts product
a pot, because I am competey ndependent of everythng.
na ca mat-sthni bh&tni paya me yogam aivaram '
bh&ta-bhn na ca bh&ta-stho mamtm bh&ta-bhvana ''3''
5. And the vng bengs as we are not stuated n Me. See my power
of yoga. My body, mantanng them and protectng them, s not n
them.
"Though everythng s stuated n Me, they are not stuated n Me, snce
I am competey ndependent of everythng."
"But ths s contrary to what You sad before: that You are pervadng
the unverse and that You are the sheter of the unverse."
"See My supernatura (yogam) power (aivaryam), My extraordnary sk
n dong what cannot be done! And see aso somethng ese whch s
astonshng. Even though I am the mantaner of a the vng bengs
(bh&t-bht) n the unverse, and the protector of them a (bh&t-
bhvana), I, n My sprtua body (mamtm), am not stuated n them
(na bh&t-stha)."
Snce n the Lord there s no dfference between the body and the sou,
the expresson "My body" (mamtm) s empoyed n the manner of the
expresson "the head of Rhu." Though Rhu and hs head are non-
dfferent,
105
as Ka and Hs body are non-dfferent, the possessve
case s used, makng some dstncton.
The meanng s ths: the vas accept a body, protect t, and,
deveopng attachment to t, reman n that body. But though I accept
a the vng bengs and protect them-- though they are My matera
body consstng of a creatures--I am not stuated there, because I am
not attached."
yathka-sthito nitya vyu sarvatra-go mahn '
tath sarvi bh&tni mat-sthnty upadhraya ''-''
6. Pease understand that |ust as the wnd, gong everywhere and
greaty expansve, s stuated n the ether, so a bengs are stuated n
Me.
Though the vng bengs are n Me, who reman detached and
ndependent, they are not n Me; and though I am n them, I am not n
them. An exampe s gven n ths verse to ustrate.

The wnd remans aways stuated n the ether, whch has a nature of
beng detached. The wnd has a nature of beng restess, gong
everywhere (sarvatra-ga) and s great n sze (mahn). Because of the
detachment of the ether, the wnd s stuated n t, but not stuated n
t--the ether, though n the wnd, s not n the wnd, because of
detachment. Smary, a thngs such as ether, whch are great n
dmenson and are movng everywhere, are stuated n Me, but are not
stuated n Me, snce I aso have the nature of detachment. Pease
consder and accept ths fact.
"But You have sad that Your powers are nconcevabe: paya me
yogam aivaram. How then can those powers reman nconcevabe f
they are |ust ke common ether and wnd?"
Ths s expaned as foows. Ether has detachment because t s
unconscous by ts very nature. Among conscous bengs however,
detachment does not exst anywhere, eTcept in the Uord+ even though
He s at once contans everythng and dwes n everythng. Ths fact
estabshes the nconcevabty of the Lord. In any case, ths exampe,
105
Rhu has ony a head and no other body part.
comparng ether to the Lord, s gven for the understandng of the
common man.
sarva-bh&tni kaunteya prakti ynti mmikm '
ka"pa-kaye punas tni ka"pdau vismy aham ''7''
7. O son of Kunt, a thngs w enter My prakti at the tme of
destructon. At the tme of creaton, agan I create everythng.
"I understand that a these thngs whch can presenty be seen are
stuated n You, but at the tme of destructon where w they go?" Ths
verse answers.
A these thngs w merge nto My energy caed prakti composed of
the three guas. At the end of the perod of destructon, at the tme of
creaton, (ka"pa-kaye), I w agan create everythng n deta (vieea
smi).
prakti svm avaabhya vismi puna puna '
bh&ta-grmam ima ktsnam avaa prakter vat ''8''
8. Beng stuated n prakti, whch beongs to Me, I create agan and
agan a the enttes who are a dependent, beng under the contro of
ther natures caused by ther prevous actons.
"But how can You create f You are detached and are unchangeabe by
nature?" Ths verse answers.
By beng stuated n My (svm) energy (praktim), I agan create a
enttes who are dependent on acton and other factors (avaam), snce
they are under contro of ther own natures (prakter vat), whch are
caused by actons of prevous ves.
na ca m tni karmi nibadhnanti dhanaaya '
udsna-vad snam asakta teu karmasu ''9''
9. O conqueror of weath, these actons do not bnd Me, who am
stuated ke an ndfferent party, unattached to these actvtes.
"But then, snce You do so much actvty, how s t that You do not get
bound ke the vas?" Ths verse answers.
Actvtes ke creaton do not bnd Me. Bondage arses from
attachment to acton. Because a My desres are fufed
spontaneousy wthout havng to act, I do not have attachment to
acton, and have no bondage. I am ke an ndfferent person who s not
affected by the mxture of happness and dstress of quarreng partes
(udsnavad).
maydhyakea prakti s&yate sa-carcaram '
hetunnena kaunteya agad viparivartate ''):''
10. By My drecton, prakti gves rse to the unverse of movng and
non-movng enttes. By ths cause, O son of Kunt, the unverses
appears agan and agan.
"I cannot accept that You are ndfferent n Your acts such as creaton."
By My drecton as the effcent cause (nimitta),
106
prakti gves rse to
ths unverse of movng and non-movng enttes (s&yate). I am ony the
drector. It s ke the dutes of the kngdom gong on under the kngs
ke Ambara through ther mnsters. In that stuaton, the kng
remans aoof. But |ust as nothng can be done by the mnsters wthout
the kng sttng on the throne, so unconscous matter can do nothng
wthout My drectorshp n the form of My presence and authorty. By
ths cause (hetun), by My presence, ths word s repeatedy created.
avananti m m&(h mnu tanum ritam '
para bhvam ananto mama bh&ta-mahevaram ''))''
11. The foos derde Me n ths human form, not knowng that I am the
great Lord of the Brahman, hgher than a ese.
"That we known Mahpurua yng on the Kraa Ocean wth sat-cid-
nanda form, spreadng Hmsef through mons of unverses, who
creates the unverse by Hs own energy, s ndeed You. But some say n
deprecaton that when You come as the son of Vasudeva wth human-
ke form t s |ust an aa of that Mahpurua." In response the Lord
speaks ths verse.
Yes, they derde ths human-ke form that I assume. They do not know
that ths human-ke body s the supreme form (para bhvam). It s My
svar&pa, My actua form, more attractve than and superor to the
106
The effcent cause (nimitta) s dstngushed from the matera cause (updna),
prakti. The potter s the effcent cause and the cay s the matera cause of the pot.
Mahpurua yng on the Kraa Ocean and other forms as we. What
type of form s ths? It s the hghest truth (bh&ta), meanng Brahman;
and t s the great ord (mahevaramD. The phrase "great ord" excudes
other meanngs of the word bh&ta. Accordng to the ;mara Foa, bh&ta
has varous meanngs such as truth, the eements ke earth, or beng
ft.
The ruti says:
tam eka govinda sac-cid-nanda-vigraha vndvana-sura-
bh&ruha-bhvansna satata sa-marud-gaoha paramay stuty
toaymi
I constanty satsfy wth prases aong wth the Maruts that one
Govnda wth sat-cid-nanda form sttng beneath a desre tree.
#op"a Hpan Apaniad 1.35
The smti says narkti-para-brahma: the supreme Brahman has a
human form. ($iu =ura 4.11.2) Thus My knowedgeabe devotees
descrbe My human-ke body as beng sat-cid-nanda. My mother
Yaod aso saw that sat-cid-nanda form durng My chdhood, that
form whch extended over the whoe unverse.
Or another meanng of para bhvam
107
s as foows. The ast ne
descrbes the reaty of that mnus tanum. That human form s the
most exated state (param bhvam), viuddha-sattva, a svar&pa of sat-cid-
nanda. ;mara Foa says bhva means state, ones nature or ntenton.
That hghest state s then detaed. I am the great ord (mahevram) of
bengs such as Brahm (bh&ta) whom I create. Ths means that I, the
ord of Brahm and others, unke the vas, snce I am ther ord, am
not dfferent from My human body. I am My body. My body s Mysef.
That body s Brahman. ukadeva, who s knowedgeabe, says My body
s drecty Brahman:
bda brahma dadhad vapu
Then, n the Satya-yuga, the otus-eyed Supreme Personaty of
Godhead, beng peased, showed Hmsef to that Kardama Mun
107
The frst meanng of para bhvam was that t was superor to the form of
Mahvu.
and dspayed Hs transcendenta form, whch can be understood
ony through the $edas.
5% 3.21.8
Ths shoud be accepted by persons ke you.
mogh mogha-karmo mogha-!n vicetasa '
rkasm sur caiva prakti mohin rit '')0''
12. Among those who cannot dstngush ths truth, those who are
devotees do not gan s"okya, those who are karms do not attan ther
matera fruts, and those who are !ns do not attan beraton. They
assume the nature of Rkasas and asuras.
What s the destnaton of those who do not accept You, Ka, as the
Lord and thnk that You have a human matera body? Even f devotees
are n ths condton, ther aspratons are n van (mogha). They do
not acheve s"okya or whatever ese they have desred. If they are
karms, they do not attan the desred resuts of ther actons such as
Svarga (mogha-karmaa). If they are !ns, they do not attan the
resut of knowedge, beraton (mogha-!na). Then what do they attan?
They assume the nature (praktim) of Rkasas.
mahtmnas tu m prtha daiv praktim rit '
bhaanty ananya-manaso !tv bh&tdim avyayam '')1''
13. The fortunate sous, attanng deva nature, worshp My human form
wth no dstractons, knowng that My human-ke body s the cause of
a thngs and s ndestructbe, beng fuy sprtua.
But those men who attan greatness by unpredctabe mercy of My
devotees attan the nature of the devas (daiv praktim) (rather than
asuras), and worshp Me n My human-ke form. Ther mnds do not
dwe on such thngs as desres for !na or karma (ananya manasa). By
knowedge of My powers (may tatam ida sarvam), they know that I
am the cause of a the unmted bodes startng wth Brahm
(bh&tdim). They know that I am ndestructbe (avayayam), snce I have
a body of sat-cid-nanda. For understandng that I am worthy of
worshp, they shoud have at east ths much knowedge of Me.
Knowng ths (!tv), they worshp Me. It shoud be understood that
ths bhakti, whch s not dependent on karma or !na whch am at
reazaton of tm (tvamD, and whch s excusvey centered on the
Lord, s the best of a, the kng of knowedge, the kng of secrets.
satata krtayanto m yatanta ca d(ha-vrat '
namasyanta ca m bhakty nitya-yukt upsate '' )2 ''
14. They worshp Me at a tmes wth devoton, n the form of sngng
about Me, havng strct vows, desrng to be My assocates, wanderng
about to gan assocaton, and offerng unto Me respects as we as
other devotona acts.
In the ast verse, t was mentoned that they worshp Me. What type of
worshp do they perform? They worshp aways (satatam), not as n
karma-yoga whch s dependent on sutabe tme, pace, person and
purty for ts executon. The smti says:
na dea-niyamas tatra na k"a-niyamas tatha
nocchihdau niedho sti r-harer nmni "ubdhaka
For one eager for the name of Har, there are no restrctons of
tme, pace or mpurty. $iu 6harma
|ust as poor househoders strve for money at the door of a weathy
man n order to support ther fames, My devotees seek out (yatanti)
the assemby of devotees n order to obtan devotona processes ke
chantng. Attanng that, they repeatedy recte the scrptures teachng
bhakti. They have strct rues for themseves (d(ha-vrat), thnkng, "I
must do ths number of rounds of chantng, ths many obesance, ths
much servce." They offer ther obesances. The word ca ndcates that
they aso perform a the other process of bhakti such as hearng, and
servng the otus feet whch are not mentoned n the verse. They
desre to be n eterna assocaton wth Me (nitya-yukt). There s a
rue that desre can be expressed by the past tense. Here the past
tense expresses the present condton of desrng.
108
Sngng about Me,
they worshp Me. Ths parae constructon ndcates that the sngng
and other acts are ther form of worshp. Thus there s no faut n
repetton of the word mm.
!na-ya!ena cpy anye yaanto mm upsate '
ekatvena pthaktvena bahudh vivato-mukham '')3''
108
Rmnu|a gves the same meanng.
15. Others worshp Me through knowedge sacrfces, thnkng of
themseves as non-dfferent from Me, worshppng Me n many
dfferent forms, and worshppng Me as the unverse n many ways.
Thus, n ths chapter and the prevous chapter, the ananya-bhakta, aso
caed the mahtm (%# 8.15), s shown to be superor to the other
devotees such as the one who approaches the Lord to rd hmsef of
sufferng. Now the Lord shows three other types of devotees who have
not been mentoned prevousy, who are nferor to the prevousy
mentoned ones: those who worshp themseves, those who worshp
pratka or secondary forms, and those who worshp the vivar&pa.
Madhusdana Sarasvat expans the verse as foows. These others
are unabe to practce the sdhana of the mahtm mentoned
prevousy. They worshp by the sacrfce of knowedge mentoned n
the ruti n ths way: tva v aham asmi bhagavo devate aha vai tvam asi
: O Lord, I am You and You are I.($arha Apaniad 33) They worshp
soey by a process of knowedge n whch they dentfy themseves
wth God. Thus t s caed !na-ya!a. Pa means "ony" and api
ndcates that they gve up other practces. Thus the meanng s: some,
not desrng any other form of sdhana, worshp Me through the
sacrfce of knowedge, denyng dfference, smpy by contempatng
the non-dfference of the worshpper and the ob|ect of worshp
(ekatvena). These are the best of the three types.
109
Inferor to ths type
are others who, thnkng of dfference (pthaktvena) between
worshpper and ob|ect of worshp, worshp Me through sacrfce of
knowedge n dfferent externa forms (devats) representng the Lord,
accordng to the ruti statements such as dityo brahmety deaB the
sun s Brahman, ths s the nstructon. (Phndogya Apaniad 3.19.1)
Others who are nferor to that, and are unabe to worshp ether n
non-dfference or dfference, worshp Me as the sou of a (vivato
mukham), vivar&pa, by many methods (bahudh).
Accordng to the Tantrc dea, one who does not dentfy wth the deva
cannot worshp that deva: ndevo devam arcayet.
110
Such worshp n
whch one thnks, "I am Gopa" s caed ahagrahopsan. The worshp
of the vibh&tis of the Lord, takng one and worshppng separatey, s
caed pratkopsan. In such worshp the person thnks, "The Supreme
Lord Vu s non-dfferent from the sun, He s non-dfferent from Indra,
He s non-dfferent from Soma." Worshp of the totaty of the vibh&tis,
109
Ths s Madhusdana Sarasvats opnon, not the Vaava phosophy.
110
Ths s quoted n Hattva and %hakti 5andarbhas as we.
thnkng "Vu s everythng" s caed vivar&pa upsan. These are
the three types of !na-ya!a.
Or the meanng of ekatvena pthaktvena can mean that the two states "I
am Gopa" (oneness) and "I am the servant of Gopa," (dfference)
are smutaneousy contempated by one person, |ust ke the rver
gong to the ocean s dfferent and non-dfferent from the ocean. In ths
case there are ony two types of !na-ya!a.
111
aha kratur aha ya!a svadhham aham auadham
mantro <ham aham evyam aham agnir aha hutam '')-''
pitham asya agato mt dht pitmaha '
vedya pavitram okra k sma yaur eva ca '')7''
gatir bhart prabhu sk nivsa araa suht '
prabhava pra"aya sthna nidhna bam avyayam '')8''
tapmy aham aha vara nighmy utsmi ca '
amta caiva mtyu ca sad asac cham aruna '')9''
16-19. I am the sacrfces mentoned n the ruti and smti+ the offerng
to the Pts, the herbs, the mantra, the ghee, the fre and the act of
offerng. I am the father of the unverse, the mother, the mantaner,
the grandfather, the ob|ect of knowedge, the purfer, om, the Gk+
5ma and 4aur $edas. I am the resut, the master, the controer, the
wtness, the abode, the sheter, the frend. I am creaton, destructon
and mantenance, the treasure, the ndestructbe cause. I create heat,
wthdraw ran and then shower t. I am beraton and bondage, the
subte and gross, O Ar|una.
"How one can worshp You as vivar&pa n many ways (bahudh)?" The
Lord speaks four verses n response.
Fratu means sacrfces mentoned n the ruti ke the agnioma. 4a!a
refers to sacrfces mentoned n the smtis ke vaivadeva-homa.
;uadham refers to food made from herbs.
I am the father (pit) because I gve rse to ndvdua and tota
ngredents (matera cause) for a the unverses. I am the mother
(mt) because I hod wthn My womb the unverse. I am the noursher
(dt) of the unverse. I am the grandfather, because I produce the
111
The other worshp woud be worshp of vivar&pa.
creator of the unverse, Brahm. I am the ob|ect to be known and the
ob|ect whch purfes.
I am the resut (gati), the master (bhart), the controer (prabhu), the
seer of a good and bad thngs (saki), the abode (nivsa), the
deverer from dangers (araam), and the motveess benefactor
(suht). I am the act of creaton, destructon and mantenance
(prabhava-pra"aya-sthnam). I am the treasures (nidhnam) such as
padma-nidhi and a/kha-nidhi,
112
the cause (bam), whch s
ndestructbe (avyayam), unke rce and other seeds whch are
temporary.
Beng the sun, I cause heat n the summer, and shower ran n the
rany season, and sometmes I aso hod back the ran. I am beraton
(amtam), and repeated brth and death n bondage (mtyu). I am the
subte and the gross (sad-asad). Thus the person, thnkng that I am a
of ths, worshps Me as the form of unverse. These verses are thus
connected wth the ast part of verse 15 whch mentons the unversa
form.

traividy m soma-p p&ta-pp
ya!air iv svar-gati prrthayante '
te puyam sdya surendra-"okam
ananti divyn divi deva-bhogn ''0:''
20. Knowers of the three $edas, worshppng Me ndrecty through
sacrfce, drnkng soma and becomng purfed, pray for Svarga.
Attanng puya n the form of the panet of Indra, they en|oy n heaven
the ceesta peasures of the devas.
Those devotees who worshp Me through those three methods, and
know Me as the Supreme Lord, become berated.
113
But those who
foow matera karma do not become berated. Ths s expaned n two
verses. Those who study and know the three $edas, Gk+ 4aur, and
5ma, or those who are absorbed n the karmas descrbed n those
three $edas, not knowng that Indra and other devats are actuay My
forms, and consequenty worshp Me (ndrecty) through worshppng
112
These are some of Kuveras treasures.
113
These three types of devotees were cassed as nferor to the other types, and
performed !na-ya!a as part of bhakti. Because the worshp s nferor to that of the
ananya and mxed devotees, they attan ess than s"okya.
those forms (mm iv), drnk the remnants of the sacrfce (soma-
p), and thus attan puya.
te ta bhuktv svarga-"oka vi"a
ke puye martya-"oka vianti '
eva tray-dharmam anuprapann
gatgata kma-km "abhante ''0)''
21. Havng en|oyed the vast peasures of Svarga and exhaustng ther
mert, they return to ths panet. Foowng the rtes of the three $edas,
desrng ob|ects of en|oyment, they take repeated brth and death.
Beng fed wth desres for en|oyment, they take repeated brth and
death (gatgatam).
anany cintayanto m ye an paryupsate '
te nitybhiyuktn yoga-kema vahmy aham ''00''
22. But I carry the burden of suppy and mantenance of those who
desre constant assocaton wth Me, and who, thnkng ony of Me,
worshp ony Me.
On the other hand, the happness of My ananya-bhaktas s gven by Me.
It s not obtaned by pous acts. They are at a tmes (nityam) we
versed n matters concernng Me (abhiyuktnm) and are aways
gnorant of a other thngs. Or the phrase can mean that they
constanty desre to be n My assocaton. For such persons, I take care
of ther attanment of weath (yoga) and ther mantenance (kemam),
though they do not expect such thngs. It woud be unsutabe for the
Lord smpy to say that he performs these acts. Thus the word vahmi
meanng "carry," s used. The use of the word vahmi ndcates that the
Lord bears the burden of mantanng ther bodes, n the manner that
the househoder takes the responsbty for mantanng hs own wfe
and chdren. Thus, one shoud not say that, ke others, ther
attanment or preservaton of body needs s due to karma.
"St, snce You are tmrma, en|oyng wthn, and ndfferent to a
thngs as the Supreme Lord, where s the queston of You bearng ths
responsbty?"
"The ruti says:
bhaktir asya bhaana tad ihmutropdhi-nairsyenmumin mana-
ka"panam etad eva naikarmyam

%hakti s worshp of the Lord, concentratng the mnd on Hm,
renouncng a matera desres for en|oyment (updhi) n ths
word and the next. It destroys a karmas. #op"a Hpan
Apaniad, 1.15
Because My ananya devotee has no karma due to ack of desre
(naikarmayam), hs happness s gven by Me. Though I am ndfferent
to a ese, I have great affecton for My devotee. Ths s the cause.
One shoud aso not say that n gvng the burden of ther mantenance
to ther worshpabe Lord, the devotees show ack of prema. In fact,
they do not gve to Me that burden. Rather, I, by My own w, accept t.
It shoud aso be understood that I am not bearng t as a duty, n the
manner that I create and mantan the unverse by My w aone.
Rather, beng attached to My devotees, I take the greatest peasure n
takng care of ther needs, ke carryng the weght of ones over."
ye py anya-devat-bhakt yaante raddhaynvit '
te pi mm eva kaunteya yaanty avidhi-p&rvakam ''01''
23. Those who are devoted to other gods and wth fath worshp
them--they aso worshp Me, but by the wrong method, O son of Kunt.
"In verse 15, You have mentoned the three types of worshp, and then
to expan the thrd type of worshp (vivar&pa) You have rected verses
to ustrate t (verse 16-19). Some others worshp Indra and others as
part of ther practce n karma-yoga (verse 20). Though they
predomnanty worshp other devats, they are aso Your devotees. Why
do they not get beraton? Rather, You sad, They agan take repeated
brth and death (verse 21) and Men of sma ntegence worshp the
demgods, and ther fruts are mted and temporary." %# 7.23
Ths verse answers. Yes, they do worshp Me (te mam eva yaanti).
However, they worshp wthout any rues for attanng Me (avidhi-
p&rvakam). Thus they return to ths word.
aha hi sarva-ya!n bhokt ca prabhur eva ca '
na tu mm abhinanti tattventa cyavanti te ''02''
24. I am the en|oyer and master of a sacrfces. Those who do not
know Me n truth fa down.
Ths verse expands on the phrase avidhi-p&rvakam. I am the ony
en|oyer of the fruts, , and I am the ony master (prabhu), and the ony
gver of fruts, through the forms of these devats. But they do not
know ths about Me factuay. For nstance, such persons thnk, "I am a
worshpper of the sun. May the sun be peased wth me and gve me
my desred resuts. The sun s the Supreme Lord, not Nryaa. He
gves me fath to worshp hm, and gves the resuts of my worshp."
Thus ackng true knowedge about Me, they return to ths word.
But those who worshp Me as the form of the unverse, understandng
that they are worshppng Nryaa, the Supreme Lord through the
form of the sun, attan beraton. It s thus ndcated here that one
must worshp the Lords vibh&tis such as the sun whe understanding
that they are vibh&tis of the Lord.
ynti deva-vrat devn pit?n ynti pit-vrat '
bh&tni ynti bh&tey ynti mad-yino <pi mm ''03''
25. The worshppers of the devas go to the devas, and the worshppers
of the Pts go to the Pts. The worshppers of ghosts go to the ghosts,
and worshppers of Me go to Me.
"But they are |ust worshppng those partcuar devats accordng to the
rues estabshed n the books descrbng the method of worshppng
those devats. The Vaavas worshp Vu accordng what s stated n
the books dedcated to Vu worshp. What s wrong f those
worshppers foow the nstructons of those books?"
"That s true, but the rue s ths: the devotees of those partcuar
devats w attan ony those partcuar devats. And because the
devats are destructbe, how can the worshppers of those devats
become ndestructbe? But t s understood that My devotees are
eterna. They are mpershabe, |ust as I am eterna and mpershabe."
Both ruti and smti confrm the eterna nature of both the Lord and
the devotee:

bhavn eka iyate ea-sa!a
At that tme, You aone reman, and You are known as Ananta.
5% 10.3.25
eko nryaa evsn na brahm na ca a/kara
Nryaa aone exsted, not Brahm or va. *ah Apaniad 1
parrdhnte so budhyata gopa-r&po me purastd virbabh&va
At the end of Brahms nght, He arose from yoga nidr and
appeared before me as before n the form of a cowherd boy.
#op"a Hpan Apaniad 1.27
na cyavante ca mad-bhakt mahati pra"aye pi
My devotees are not destroyed even at the tme of pra"aya.
5kanda =ura
patra pupa pha"a toya yo me bhakty prayacchati '
tad aha bhakty-upahtam anmi prayattmana ''0-||
26. I accept that whch s offered wth ove from the genune devotee,
havng pure body and mnd, who gves |ust a eaf, fower, frut or water.
For the worshppers of the devats, there s extreme troube, but ths s
not so for My devotees. In ths verse, the word bhakyt n the
nstrumenta case teray means "by the devotona process." But then
wth the next phrase bhakty upahtam (offered by the process of bhakti),
there woud be unnecessary repetton. The sentence woud read, "I
accept that whch s offered by devoton from whoever offers by
devoton." Thus the word bhakty n ths verse shoud mean bhakty
sahita+ ndcatng n ths sentence "a person endowed wth genune
devoton--the rea devotee." Thus the meanng shoud be "I accept that
whch s offered wth bhakti from the rea devotee even f he gves |ust
a eaf, fower, frut or water." Thus, I do not accept what s offered by
persons who are not My devotees, who have ony some temporary
spurt of devoton. But whatever My devotee gves, I en|oy t n a
sutabe way (anmi). What type of offerng s t? He does not offer t
because someone tod hm to offer t, but he gves t out of ove (bhakty
uphtam). But f My devotee has an mpure body, I do not accept even
that offerng. He must have a pure body (prayattmana, rtuay pure
body). Ths excudes persons from offerng durng menstrua cyce or
wth other mpurtes. However, the word prayata tmanah can aso
mean a person wth pure mnd. No one except My devotee has a pure
mnd.
As Parkst says:
dhauttm purua ka-pda-m&"a na mu!cati
A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been ceansed
by the process of devotona servce never renqushes the otus
feet of Lord Ka, for they fuy satsfy hm, as a traveer s
satsfed at home after a troubed |ourney.
5% 2.8.6
The sgn of ther purty s the fact that they cannot gve up the servce
to My otus feet. Even f there s a trace of ust or anger, t s
nsgnfcant, ke the bte of a toothess snake.
yat karoi yad ansi ya uhoi dadsi yat '
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruva mad-arpaam ''07''
27. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrfce,
whatever you gve, whatever austerty you perform, offer t to Me, O
son of Kunt.
"Among a the types of bhakti You have mentoned startng wth
menton of the bhakti of the sufferer, the desrer of weath, the
nqustve and !n, whch bhakti shoud I perform?"
O Ar|una, because you cannot re|ect karma, !na and other processes
n your present state, and are not quafed for the supreme bhakti,
keva" bhakti, and because you shoud not degrade yoursef to perform
the nferor sakma-bhakti, you shoud perform bhakti, wth a sght
mxture of karma and !na (karma-!na-mira pradhn bh&t bhakti),
but whch s nikma.
114
Ka expans ths n two verses.
114
Ths s predomnatey bhakti wth some mxture of other eements. It s smar to
karma-yoga because actvtes are performed, but t superor to karma-yoga and
nikma-karma-yoga because a actvtes, even beyond prescrbed dutes, are offered
to the Lord wthout desre. It s smar to !na-mira-bhakti because the person has
knowedge of tm and Paramtm. But t s superor to !na- mira-bhakti because t
has abundant apprecaton of the persona features of the Lord. But because the
conscousness s not aways fxed on the Lord, the actvtes are offered after
performance rather than before. Thus t cannot be cassed as anany bhakti.
Whatever you do, whether foowng rues of the $eda or whether
performng wordy acton, whatever you eat or drnk n ordnary fe,
whatever austertes you perform, do t n such a way that t becomes
an offerng to Me. One shoud ca ths nether nikma-karma-yoga nor
bhakti-yoga. The practtoners of karma-yoga offer actions prescribed in
the scriptures to the Lord, but not a of the actons they do n ordnary
fe. Ths vew s accepted by everyone. The devotees, however, offer
to the Lord a the actons of ther mnd, pras and senses. The method
of bhakti s stated:
kyena vc manasendriyair v
buddhytman vnusta-svabhvt
karoti yad yat saka"a parasmai
nryayeti samarpayet tam
In accordance wth the partcuar nature one has acqured n
condtoned fe, whatever one does wth body, words, mnd,
senses, ntegence or purfed conscousness one shoud offer to
the Supreme, thnkng, "Ths s for the peasure of Lord
Nryaa." 5% 11.2.36
"But when you menton that I shoud offer n sacrfce, that sacrfce s
derved from arcana, whch s an a/ga of bhakti, amng at the peasure
of Vu. And when you menton austertes, t means vows such as
Ekda fast. Ths s a anany bhakti. How can You say that t s not?"
True, but anany bhakti does not mean that you perform an acton and
then offer t to the Lord. Rather, n anany bhakti the acton s done
after frst offerng t to the Lord. Ths s mentoned by Prahda when
he says iti pusrpit viau bhakti cen nava-"aka kriyeta bhagavaty:
ths bhakti of nne types after beng offered to the Lord shoud then be
performed for the Lord. (5% 7.5.24)
rdhara Svm has expaned ths Bhgavatam verse. "In anany
bhakti, actons, frst beng offered to the Lord, shoud be performed,
rather than performng the acts and then offerng them ater."
Thus, the present verse s not ncuded n keva" bhakti, snce the acts
are performed and then offered.
115
115
Nor s t consdered nikma-karma-yoga because a acts are offered, not |ust
prescrbed dutes.
ubhubha-pha"air eva mokyase karma-bandhanai '
sannysa-yoga-yukttm vimukto mm upaiyasi ''08''
28. By ths process of bhakti mxed wth nikma-karma and !na, you
w be free from the bondage of karma wth ts pous and snfu
reactons. Beng engaged n renuncaton of resuts, beng specay
berated, you w attan Me and serve Me ntmatey.
You w be berated from the bondage of karma n the form of
unmted snfu and pous reactons. The ruti says,
bhaktir asya bhaanam
tad ihmutropdhi-nairsyenaivmumin mana-ka"panam
etad eva ca naikarmyam
%hakti s worshp of the Lord, concentratng the mnd on hm,
renouncng a matera desres for en|oyment n ths word and
the next. It destroys a karmas. #op"a Hpan Apaniad 1.15
You, wth mnd engaged n renuncaton of the resuts of acton
(sannysa-yoga), w not ony be berated, but beng preemnent among
the berated sous (vimukta), w attan Me. You w come cose to Me
to serve Me drecty.
5mti says:
muktnm api siddhn nryaa-paryaa
sudur"abha pranttm koiv api mahmune

O great sage, among many mons who are berated and
perfect n knowedge of beraton, one may be a devotee of Lord
Nryaa, or Ka. Such devotees, who are fuy peacefu, are
extremey rare. 5% 6.14.5
ukadeva has aso sad:
mukti dadti karhicit sma na bhakti-yogam
Those engaged n gettng the Lords favor attan beraton from
the Lord very easy, but He does not very easy gve the
opportunty to render drect servce unto Hm. 5% 5.6.18
Ths achevement, wth drect servce to Me, s far superor to
beraton. That s ndcated n ths verse.
116
samo <ha sarva-bh&teu na me dveyo <sti na priya '
ye bhaanti tu m bhakty mayi te teu cpy aham ''09''
29. I am equa to a vng bengs. I do not hate anyone nor do I favor
anyone. To whatever extent a person worshps Me wth devoton, I am
attached to them n a smar way.
"You berate the devotees and then gve Yoursef to Your devotees,
but not to the non-devotees. But then do You not show pre|udce,
arsng from attracton and repuson?" The Lord refutes ths n ths
verse.
I am equa to a. I nether hate nor favor anyone. The Lord then says,
"But the devotees who worshp Me wth devoton exst n Me, and I
exst aso n them." There s nothng speca n ths statement snce the
whoe unverse exsts wthn the Lord, and the Lord exsts everywhere
n the unverse. Thus the statement shoud actuay mean "As those
who worshp Me wth devoton are attached to Me (te mayi), so I am
attached to them (aham teu)." Ths takes nto consderaton the
statement "As they surrender to Me, I respond to them."
To compare the Lord to a ka"pa-vka, whch gves to a persons
wthout dscrmnaton, s ony partay correct. Those who take sheter
of that tree do not become attached to t wthout desre for the frut.
Nor s the ka"pa-vka attached to those who take sheter of t. Nor does
t hate the enemes of those who have taken sheter. But the Lord ks
wth s own hands the enemes of Hs devotee. The Lord says to
Prahda:
prahrdya yad druhyed dhaniye pi varoritam
I sha k Hranyakaspu mmedatey, despte the benedctons of
Brahm.
5% 7.4.28
116
Those who perform bhakti attan more than beraton, whch s reserved for the
!ns and yogs. Ths bhakti s superor to sakma-bhakti and nikma-!na-mira-
bhakti, whch yed s"okya and nta rasa respectvey. It yeds drect servce to the
Lord.
Some persons expan that the word tu ndcates a dfferent ntenton.
"I am equa to a, but st I favor My devotee." Thus t means that the
Lord has some pre|udce, cassed as affecton, for the devotee. But,
they expan, n the Lord, ths s an ornament or enhancement, not a
faut. The affecton of the Lord for Hs devotee s we known. He does
not have affecton for the !n or the yog. |ust as other persons have
affecton for ther own servants and not for the servants of others, the
Lord aso has affecton for Hs devotees, and not for the devotees of
va or Durg.

api cet sudurcro bhaate mm ananya-bhk '
sdhur eva sa mantavya samyag vyavasito hi sa ''1:''
30. Even f the most snfu person worshps Me wth no other desre
than to pease Me, I consder that person to be My devotee, as he has
fxed hmsef competey n Me.
My attachment to My devotee s My very nature. That attachment does
not decrease even f the devotee commts wrong, for I make hm come
up to the hghest standard. If someone wth bad conduct, addcted to
voence, thevery, or adutery (sudurcra), worshps Me, and
worshps no one except Me, and does not foow any other process ke
karma or !na, and has no other desre than My desre (ananya-bhak),
he s My devotee (sdhu).
"But, consderng hs bad conduct, how s he a devotee?"
"He s to be respected (mantavya) as a devotee because of hs
devotee quates. It s a command. Not dong so s offense. My order s
the authorty."

"So he shoud be consdered a devotee n that porton where he
worshp You, and as a non-devotee n that porton where he commts
adutery?"
"No, he shoud be consdered as a devotee (eva) n a hs parts. You
shoud not see hs bad quates at a. He s competey convnced
(samyak vyavasthita). He makes a spendd resouton: I w go to he
for my snfu actons whch are hard to gve up, but I w not gve up
dedcated worshp of Ka."
kipra bhavati dharmtm avac-chnti nigacchati '
kaunteya pratinhi na me bhakta praayati ''1)''
31. Very qucky he becomes a rghteous person, and becomes
competey devod of contamnaton. O son of Kunt, you decare that
My devotee never pershes.
"How can You accept the worshp of such a snfu person? How can you
eat the food and drnk offered by a heart contamnated wth ust and
anger?"
"Very qucky he becomes rghteous." The present s used and not the
future to express the fact that havng commtted sn, by rememberng
the Lord, he becomes repentant, and thus very qucky becomes
rghteous. "O how unfortunate I am! There s no one as ow as I,
brngng bad name to the devotees." Repeatedy (avat), he fees
competey (ni for nitarm) dsgust (ntim) for those actons.
Or, the use of the present tense can ndcate that n the future he w
deveop rghteousness fuy, but even rght now t exsts n a subte
form. After takng medcne, though the destructve effects of fever or
poson remans for some tme, t s not consdered serousy. Thus, wth
the entrance of bhakti n hs mnd, the snfu actons are not taken
serousy. And the traces of sn such as ust and anger shoud be
consdered nsgnfcant, ke the btng of a toothess snake. Thus he
attans (nigacchati) compete cessaton of ust and anger (ntim)
permanenty (avat). In nigacchati, ni stands for nitarm, competey.
Ths means that even durng the stage of havng tendency to commt
sn, he has a pure heart.
"If he eventuay becomes rghteous there woud be no argument.
However, f a devotee s snfu rght up t hs death, what s hs
poston?"
The Lord, affectonate to Hs devotees, then speaks oudy wth a tte
anger. "O son of Kunt, My devotee s not destroyed. At the tme of
death, he does not fa."
"But arguers wth harsh tongues w not respect ths."

Ka then encourages the worred, amentng Ar|una. "O Kaunteya,
gong to the squabbng assemby, wth a tumutuous sound of drums,
throwng your hands n the ar, you shoud fearess decare ths."
"Decare what?"
"Decare that My devotee, the devotee of the Supreme Lord, though
commttng sn, does not persh, but rather reaches success.
Arguments defeated, prde defated, they shoud undoubtedy respect
you as a guru." Ths s rdhara Svms expanaton.
But why does the Lord order Ar|una to decare ths, when He coud do t
hmsef? As He w say ater, mm evaiyasi satya te pratine priyosi
me: I decare to you that you w truy come to Me. You are very dear
to Me." (%# 18.65) In the same way, why does He not now say, "I
decare, Kaunteya, that My devotee does not persh."?
The reason s expaned here. The Lord consdered as foows. Beng
affectonate to My devotee and not toeratng even a sght degradaton
of My devotee, I w under a crcumstances uphod the decaraton
made by My devotee, whereas I can break My own promse and accept
crtcsm of Mysef--|ust as, n breakng My own promse n fghtng wth
Bhma, I fufed Bhmas promse. Thus, hearng a decaraton from
My mouth, the materastc dsputers w augh, but they w accept
Ar|unas decaraton as f wrtten on stone. Therefore, I w have Ar|una
make the decaraton.
And thus, one shoud not accept the statements of the fasey
ntegent persons, who, after hearng about anany bhakti even of the
greatest snner, thnk that ths decaraton made by the pure devotee
cannot appy n cases where attachment to wfe and chdren, snfu
acts, amentaton, uson, ust, anger and other despcabe quates
manfest.
m hi prtha vyapritya ye <pi syu ppa-yonaya '
striyo vaiys tath &drs te <pi ynti par gatim ''10''
32. Women, vaiyas and &drs, and even the outcastes, f they
surrender to Me, attan the supreme goa.
Is t so remarkabe that My bhakti does not consder the accdenta
fauts arsng by actons of My msbehavng devotee? For My bhakti
does not even consder the nherent fauts of such a person whch arse
from hs very brth. Even those of snfu brth (papa-yonaya), outcastes
or m"ecchas, who surrender to Me, attan the supreme goa.
kirta-h&ndhra-pu"inda-pu"ka
bhra-umbh yavan khasdaya
yenye ca pp yad-aprayray
udhyanti tasmai prabhaviave nama
Krta, Hua, ndhra, Punda, Pukaa, bhra, umbha, Yavana,
members of the Khasa races and even others addcted to snfu
acts can be purfed by takng sheter of the devotees of the Lord,
due to Hs beng the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectfu
obesances unto Hm. 5% 2.4.18
aho bata va-paco to garyn
ya-ihvgre vartate nma tubhyam
tepus tapas te uhuvu sasnur ry
brahmn&cur nma ganti ye te
Oh, how gorous are they whose tongues are chantng Your hoy
name! Even f born n the fames of dog-eaters, such persons
are worshpabe. Persons who chant the hoy name of Your
Lordshp must have executed a knds of austertes and fre
sacrfces and acheved a the good manners of the ryans. To
be chantng the hoy name of Your Lordshp, they must have
bathed at hoy paces of pgrmage, studed the $edas and
fufed everythng requred. 5% 3.33.7
What then to speak of women, vaiyas or others who are mpure or
sub|ect to bad quates such as yng?
ki punar brhma puy bhakt rarayas tath '
anityam asukha "okam ima prpya bhaasva mm ''11''
33. What then to speak of devotees who are pure brhmaas or kngs?
Therefore, havng come nto ths mpermanent word of dstress,
worshp Me.
What then to speak of brhmaas born n pure fames, of good conduct
who are devotees? Therefore, you shoud worshp Me.
man-man bhava mad-bhakto mad-y m namaskuru '
mm evaiyasi yuktvaivam tmna mat-paryaa ''12||
34. Concentrate your mnd on Me. Be My devotee. Worshp Me. Offer
respects to Me. Havng absorbed your body and mnd n Me,
surrenderng to Me, you w come to Me.
In ths verse the Lord concudes by descrbng the method of worshp.
Therefore, havng absorbed your body and mnd n Me (tmna yukta),
you w certany come to Me.
That supreme poston of pure bhakti, the topmost secret, whch does
not dscrmnate between who s quafed or unquafed, and by ts
contact purfes a persons, has been descrbed n ths chapter.
Here ends the commentares on the nnth chapter of the #t for the
peasure of the devotees mnds, by the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Ten
r-bhagavn uvca
bh&ya eva mah-bho u me parama vaca '
yat te ha pryamya vakymi hita-kmyay '')''
1. The Lord sad: Agan, O Mghty-armed one, hear My supreme
teachngs, whch I w speak to you, who are quafed wth prema,
because I desre to gve you beneft.
Startng from the seventh chapter, after reveang Hs powers, Ka
spoke of bhakti. Now n the tenth chapter, He speaks of the confdenta
eements of bhakti aong wth a descrpton of Hs vibh&tis.
By knowng the powers of the Lord, one understands that the Lord s
worthy of worshp. These powers have been descrbed startng from
the seventh chapter. Now the Lord w expan the powers n deta for
the peasure of those who have devoton. Accordng to the rue that the
is speak ndrecty and the Lord s fond of such ndrect statements,
and thus, because ths knowedge s somewhat dffcut to
comprehend, the Lord speaks agan (bh&ya).
paroka-vd aya paroka ca mama priyam
The Vedc seers and mantras dea n esoterc terms, and I aso
am peased by such confdenta descrptons. 5% 11.21.35
"Agan (bh&ya), hear My words." Ths means, "Agan I w speak about
the kng of knowedge, the kng of secrets."
"O Mghty-armed one, you dspay your supreme power of your arms.
Ths power s greater than that of a others. In the same way, you
shoud dspay the supreme power of your ntegence n ths topc.
Lsten to the words I speak." Ths mpes that Ar|una shoud mt hs
attenton to what s spoken, though he s aready stenng.
"These words are even superor to what I have spoken prevousy
(parama vaca). I speak these words to you, n order to cause you
astonshment." Use of the datve case (te) wth a verb (vakymiD
ndcates a suppressed nfntve of purpose, by the rue
kriyrthopapadasya ca. (;dhyy, Pn 2.3.14)
117

The reason for speakng to Ar|una s then gven: "I w speak to you
because you are fed wth prema (priyamya)."
na me vidu sura-ga prabhava na maharaya
aham dir hi devn mahar ca sarvaa ''0''
2. The devats and great is do not know about My extraordnary brth,
for I am the source of the devats and great is.
"My appearance can be known ony by My unprecedented mercy and
by no other means. The devats do not know My most extraordnary
(pra) brth (bhavam) from Devak."
"We, the devats may not know because they are absorbed n matera
peasure, but the sages must know."
"No, they aso do not know (na maharaya)."
The Lord expans the reason why they do not know: "Because I am the
cause of a of them, n a ways, they do not know about My brth, |ust
as the sons cannot know about the brth of the father."
One shoud not thnk of another meanng of the word prabhavam+
))8

because n verse 14, Ar|una says n confrmaton of that meanng that
nether the demons nor devas know about the appearance (brth) of the
Lord: na hi te bhagavan vyakti vidur dev na dnav.
117
Use of te (datve case) wth the verb vakymi ndcates there s a hdden nfnte
whch shoud be understood. Thus+ aham te vakymi, nstead of smpy meanng "I
speak to you" means "I speak to you n order to amaze you, mpress you, pease you
etc."
118
=rabhava means "power" as we as "brth."
yo mm aam andi ca vetti "oka-mahevaram
asamm&(ha sa martyeu sarva-ppai pramucyate ''1''
3. He who, wthout bewderment, knows that I am unborn snce I have
no begnnng, and aso am born, and knows that I am the ord of a
panets, s freed from a sns n ths word and performs bhakti wthout
mpedments.
"But certany the devats and is know about brth of ths body
beongng to You, the supreme Brahman, who are unmted by a tme
and space."
Pacng Hs ndex fnger on Hs chest the Lord speaks ths verse. "He
who knows that I am wthout brth and am begnnngess s free from
sn."
"Does not everyone know that Brahm s not begnnngess, but that
you, Paramtm, are caed aa, wthout brth, because of havng no
begnnng (aam andim)?"
"He who knows that I am unborn, and a"so born to $asudeva, and am
st wthout begnnng, s freed from a sns." ca here sgnfes that He
s aso born. By usng the word mm KmeD+ Ka ndcates Hs
partcuar brth from Vasudeva. Ths refers back to the Lords prevous
statement n chapter four, "He who knows that My brth and actvtes
are transcendenta..."
"I take brth, but because I am Paramtm, I am eternay wthout
brth." Both these condtons are absoute truth, a demonstraton of the
acintya akti. The Lord has sad, ao pi san avyaytmM sambhavmi,
"Though I am unborn, I appear." Uddhava aso says:
karmy anhasya bhavo bhavasya te
durgrayo thri-bhayt pa"yanam
k"tmano yat pramad-yutrama
svtman-rate khidyati dhr vidm iha
My Lord, even the earned sages become dsturbed n ther
ntegence when they see that Your Greatness engages n
frutve work athough You are free from a desres, that You take
brth athough You are unborn, that You fee out of fear of the
enemy and take sheter n a fort athough You are the controer
of nvncbe tme, and that You en|oy househoder fe
surrounded by many women athough You en|oy n Your Sef. 5%
3.4.16
The commentary n the Uaghu %hagavatmta says:
tat tan na vstava cet syd vid buddhi-bhramas tad
na syd evety ato cinty aktir ""su kraam
If a ths were not true, then a perceptons woud be usory.
But that s not so. Thus the acintya-akti s the cause of Hs
pastmes. Uaghu %hgavatamta 1.5.119
In My chdhood, durng the Dmodara-, t s nconcevabe that I
coud be bound by strngs of bes, but not by the cords of mother
Yaod. In the same way, My brth and non-brth are aso
nconcevabe.
The Lord then speaks of Hs powers, whch are hard to understand. He
who knows that, though I am your charot drver, I am aso the great
controer of a the panets ("oka-mahevaram)--he aone s not
bewdered among men, and s free of a sns, whch are an obstace to
bhakti. But he who, though acceptng that the Lord s unborn, wthout
begnnng and s the controer of a bengs, thnks that Hs beng born
s |ust a sembance of brth, s bewdered, and s not freed from a
sns.
buddhir !nam asammoha kam satya dama ama '
sukha dukha bhavo bhvo bhaya cbhayam eva ca ''2''
ahis samat tuis tapo dna yao yaa '
bhavanti bhv bh&tn matta eva pthag-vidh ''3''
4-5. Integence, knowedge, freedom from uson, toerance,
truthfuness, sense contro, mnd contro, peasure, pan, brth, death,
fear, fearessness, non-voence, equanmty, satsfacton, austerty,
charty, fame, nfamy--a these varous states of the vng bengs arse
ony from Me.
Even those who are knowedgeabe of scrptures cannot know about
Me by ther ntegence. Because ntegence and other eements are
generated from the matera guas ke sattva, and though they a
orgnate n Me, n themseves they are not sutabe for understandng
about Me who am beyond the guas. The st of tems n these verses s
gven to show ths.
Integence (buddhi) s capabe of dscernng the fne meanng of
thngs. Knowedge (!na) refers to the abty to dstngush between
tm and non-tm.
119
Non-bewderment (asamoha) means to be
devod of perpexty. These three quates, though they are regarded
as causng knowedge of Me, are not reay causes of that knowedge.
The other states seen n peope whch arev mentoned here aso do not
arse on ther own (they come from Me). Toerance (kam), to speak
the truth (satyam), contro of the externa senses (dama), and contro of
the nterna sense (ama) are sattvc. Happness s sattvc and sorrow s
tamasc. Brth and death, types of sorrow, and fear, are tamasc.
Fearessness arsng from knowedge s sattvc, but f t arses from
raas or tamas, t s ra|asc or tamasc. Non-voence and seeng others
as ones sef (samat) are sattvc. Satsfacton, f uncondtona s sattvc,
and f condtona, s ra|asc. Austerty and charty, f uncondtona, are
sattvc and f condtona, are ra|asc. Fame and nfamy are smary
ether sattvc or ra|asc. A these arse from My energy. Because of the
non-dfference of the energy and the source of energy, t s sad they
arse from Me (matta).
maharaya sapta p&rve catvro manavas tath
mad-bhv mnas t ye "oka im pra ''-''
6. The seven great sages, and before them, the four Kumras, and the
fourteen Manus, whose descendants are the peope of ths word, arose
from Me, from My mnd.
Not havng mentoned that ntegence, knowedge and non-
bewderment cannot gve rea knowedge of the Lord, the Lord n ths
verse states that these thngs cannot gve true knowedge of the Lord.
The seven great sages begnnng wth Marc,
120
the four Kumras such
as Sanaka, and the fourteen Manus begnnng wth Svyambhuva, take
brth from Me n the form of Hrayagarbha (Brahm). They arose from
My mnd. The brhmaas and others exst as the offsprng, sons and
grandsons, or students, and students of students of the seven sages,
the four Kumras and the Manus.
121

119
Even knowedge of tm dstnct from the body s ony sattva gua.
120
The seven sages are Bhgu, Marc, Atr, Puastya, Puaha, Kratu, and Vasha.
et vibh&ti yoga ca mama yo vetti tattvata '
so vika"pena yogena yuyate ntra saaya ''7''
7. He who knows My vibh&tis, whch w be rected n ths chapter, and
the process of bhakti-yoga, and who accepts ths as the hghest truth,
becomes fxed n unfnchng bhakti wth knowedge about Me. Of ths
there s no doubt.
But accordng to My own statement, I can be attaned ony by pure
bhakti: bhakty ham ekay grahya: (5% 11.14.21) Ony My ananya-
bhakta, recevng frm fath n My words by My mercy, knows the truth
about Me. That s stated n ths verse.
He who knows the vibh&tis of whch I w speak n summary and who
knows bhakti-yoga (et vibh&ti yoga ca); who then becomes endowed
wth even stronger fath, thnkng "Ths aone s the hghest truth
(tattvata), because My master Ka has sad so," becomes endowed
wth unwaverng (avika"pena) bhakti-yoga-whch s characterzed by
knowedge of My true nature (yogena). There s no doubt about ths.
aha sarvasya prabhavo matta sarva pravartate '
iti matv bhaante m budh bhva-samanvit ''8''
8. I am the source of everythng. Due to Me everythng operates.
Convnced by ths knowedge, the ntegent persons, endowed wth
ove, worshp Me.
Here He speaks of Hs vibh&ti characterzed by great power. I am the
cause of the exstence and manfestaton of everythng--both matera
and sprtua (prabhava). Because of Me aone (matta), n the form of
Paramtm, the whoe matera word operates (sarva pravartate). As
we, because of Me aone, n the form of avatras ke Nrada (matta),
a the sprtua sdhanas such as bhakti, !na, tapas and karma and the
goas of these sdhanas operate (sarva pravartate). He then descrbes
the yoga whch s anany bhakti. Beng convnced through fath by ths
knowedge (iti matv), the ntegent persons endowed wth bhva n
the forms of dysa+ skhya or other reatonshps (bhva-samanvit),
worshp Me.
122

121
Because a of these persons wth great ntegence and wsdom arse from the
Lord, they cannot understand about the Lord.
mac-citt mad-gata-pr bodhayanta parasparam '
kathayanta ca m nitya tuyanti ca ramanti ca ''9''
9. Wth mnds greedy for Me, beng competey dependent on Me,
mutuay hearng about Me, and sngng about Me, they contnuousy
experence satsfacton and en|oyment.

Such ananya-bhaktas, who have attaned sprtua ntegence (buddhi-
yoga) by My mercy, attan factua knowedge of Me mentoned
prevousy, whch s hard to understand.

Ther mnds are greedy for My form, name, quates pastmes and the
taste of sweetness (mac-citt). They are unabe to mantan ther ves
wthout Me (mad-gata-pr), |ust as men are competey dedcated to
food (anna-gata-pra-nara), snce they depend on t to ve. They
expan to each other wth frendness about the types of bhakti and
the rea nature of bhakti (bodhayanta). They tak about Me, a great
ocean of very sweet form, quates and pastmes (kathayanta) and
gorfy Me by narratng about My form, quates and pastmes. Snce
smaraa (mac-citt), ravaa (bodhayanta) and krtana (kathayanta)
are the best among a types of bhakti, they have been specfcay
mentoned here. Thus, by ths bhakti aone, these devotees are
satsfed and experence happness. Ths s the mysterous aspect of
bhakti.
123
Or the meanng of "satsfacton and en|oyment" can be as foows.
They are satsfed even at the stage of sdhana, by contnua
performance of ther worshp brought about by good fortune, and they
take peasure n thnkng of ther future attanment of prema, and en|oy
wth ther Lord through the mnd. Ths nterpretaton ndcates
rgnuga-bhakti.
te satata-yuktn bhaat prti-p&rvakam '
dadmi buddhi-yoga ta yena mm upaynti te ''):''
10. I appear wthn the heart of those who constanty desre to be wth
Me and worshp Me wth great ove. By ths appearance n ther heart,
they attan My drect assocaton.
122
Thus the vibh&ti and the yoga mentoned n the prevous verse have been expaned
n ths verse.
123
Materasts cannot understand how devotees can en|oy wthout dependence on
externa matera stmuaton.
"It s understood that the |oy of the devotee descrbed n the prevous
verse s sprtua bss beyond the modes. But by whch method do the
devotees gan drect contact wth You? Who gves them the method of
reazng You?" Antcpatng such a queston, the Lord speaks ths
verse.
I gve buddhi-yoga (bhakti) to those who are constanty desrous of
assocaton wth Me (satata-yuktnm). Ths means that the Lord aone
causes buddhi-yoga (bhakti-yoga)-I aone appear wthn the functons of
ther mnds. Ths buddhi-yoga cannot be obtaned at a from any other
source and t does not appear on ts own. The statements means that
reazaton of Me s gven ony by Me and receved ony by the devotee.
By ths bhakti, they attan Me; they attan drect assocaton wth Me
(upaynti-they come near Me).
tem evnukamprtham aham a!naa tama '
naymy tma-bhva-stho !na-dpena bhsvat ''))''
11. To show favor to them, I, by Mysef, stuated n ther menta
functons, extngush the darkness born of gnorance wth the shnng
amp of knowedge.
"Wthout the functonng of knowedge and other such eements, how
can they attan You and how can they even strve for that goa?"
A ths s not at a necessary. Havng the ntenton of gvng them
mercy by a means, even wthout them havng to worry about
attanng My mercy, snce I Mysef make the endeavor to gve them
mercy (team eva anukamprtham), I, beng stuated wthn the
functonng of ther nteects (tma-bhvastha)--by the amp of
knowedge, knowedge arsng from bhakti whch s beyond the guas,
not sattvc knowedge, snce bhakti aone can revea Me--destroy the
darkness born of gnorance n them aone, and not n other persons
such as the yogs . I aone (aham eva) do ths, a on My own. Why
shoud they strve for ths purpose? I have aready sad that I carry the
responsbty of ther sprtua and matera wefare (yoga-kema
vahmy aham). I accept responsbty to suppy a ther matera and
sprtua requrements.
These famous four verses whch have been narrated are the essence of
a topcs n the #t , removng the msery and producng compete
|oy for the vas.
aruna uvca
para brahma para dhma pavitra parama bhavn '
purua vata divyam di-devam aa vibhum '')0''
hus tvm aya sarve devarir nradas tath '
asito deva"o vysa svaya caiva bravi me '')1''
12-13. Ar|una sad: You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme body,
the most purfyng. The sages, Nrada, Asta, Devaa and Vysa,
therefore decare You to be the eterna human form, beyond the guas,
unborn, the source of a, and the greatest. And so aso do You decare
t to me.
Desrng to hear n deta what was |ust spoken brefy by the Lord,
Ar|una speaks by frst prasng the Lord.
You are param brahma and You are the most attractve body n the form
of ymasundara (para dhma). Accordng to ;mara Foa, dhma
means house, body, ght and gory. That Brahman s You. You have no
dfference between Yoursef and Your body, unke the va. What type
of body s ths? It s supremey purfyng, takng away the
contamnaton of gnorance for the person who sees t (parama
pavitram). Therefore a the is speak of the eternaty of You n the
human form (vata puruam hu).
sarvam etad ta manye yan m vadasi keava '
na hi te bhagavan vyakti vidur dev na dnav '')2''
14. I accept as true a that you have tod me, Keava. But, O Lord, the
devas and Dnavas do not know about Your brth.
I do not doubt at a what You say to me. But these is say that Your
supreme body s wthout brth. They do not know about Your brth
(vyaktim). They do not understand how You wth Your svar&pa of para-
brahma can be both unborn and born. What You have sad n verse
10.2--that nether the devats nor is know about Your brth--I accept
as competey true (sarvam etad ta manye). O Keava, You bnd up
even Brahm and va wth gnorance of Your true nature.
(kaJBrahm, a=va, va=to bnd). Then, certany t must be sad
that the devats and Dnavas aso do not know You.
svayam evtmantmna vettha tva puruottama '
bh&ta-bhvana bh&tea deva-deva agat-pate '')3''
15. O supreme among the creators, the ord of creators of a creators,
the performer of pastmes, the master of a n ths unverse, You aone
know Yoursef by Yoursef.
Therefore, You aone know about Yoursef. Your devotee knows that
actuay You do have brth and are aso wthout brth, though such a
condton s dffcut to exst. But he aso does not know by whch
method t can happen. You aone (eva) know that. You know through
Yoursef (tman) aone, not through any other means. Therefore,
among a the purua avatras, who are creators of the mahat-tattva and
other eements, You are supreme (uttama). Not ony are You supreme
among them. You are the ord of those ords up to Brahm, who have
become the creators of a matera bodes (bh&t-bhvana-bh&tea). Not
ony are You the ord of a of them, You are aso the performer of
pastmes (deva ),
124
takng the devas as nstruments n Your pastmes
(deva-deva ). Moreover, out of Your nfnte mercy, You are the master
of those ke me (|ust a dsa) dweng wthn the unverse (agat-pate).
A four of these terms startng wth puruottama and endng wth agat-
pate are n the vocatve case.
Another meanng s as foows. These words may be taken as terms
descrbng the nature of beng the supreme person (puruottama). You
are father of a creatures (bh&t-bhvana). But snce sometmes a
father s not respected, Ar|una says "You are the controer of a
creatures (bh&tea)." But sometmes even a controer s not so worthy
of worshp. Therefore he says "You are the deva among a the devas."
Though the devas are worshpabe, sometmes they do not gve
protecton. Therefore he says "You are the protector of the unverse
(agat-pate)."
vaktum arhasy aeea divy hy tma-vibh&taya
ybhir vibh&tibhir "okn ims tva vypya tihasi '')-''
16. You shoud speak about Your vibh&tis n deta, at east about those
by whch You reman pervadng ths unverse.
124
The word deva comes from the root div and means "one who pays."
"It s dffcut to understand the truth about You. Therefore, I want to
know about Your vibh&tis. Your vibh&tis are very attractve (divya). You
shoud speak about them fuy."
"But t s mpossbe to speak of a of My vibh&tis fuy."
"Speak about those vibh&tis by whch You spread Yoursef n ths
word."
katha vidym aha yogis tv sad paricintayan '
keu keu ca bhveu cintyo si bhagavan may '')7''
17. O master of yoga my, by what method of thnkng can I know You
at a tmes? How shoud I thnk of You wth devoton n varous
ob|ects, O Lord?
"O Lord, one who possesses the yoga-my-akti (yogin)!" Ths s smar
to the constructon of vanama"in, one who wears a garand of fowers.
How can I, thnkng of You, know You (vidym) at a tmes? Of course
you say bhakty mm abhinti yvn ya csmi tattvata: ony by bhakti
can I be known as I am n truth. (%# 18.55) But n whch ob|ects
(bhveu) can I thnk of You? Ths means "How can I perform bhakti by
thnkng of You n varous ob|ects?"
vistaretmano yoga vibh&ti ca anrdana '
bh&ya kathaya tptir hi vato nsti me mtam '')8''
18. O |anrdana, pease te me agan n deta about Your vibh&tis and
Your bhakti-yoga. Hearng Your nectar, I have no sataton.
"I have aready sad that I am the source of everythng and everythng
moves because of Me: aha sarvasya prabhava. Therefore you shoud
understand that everythng s My vibh&ti. And by sayng, "Knowng ths,
they worshp Me" (iti matv bhaante mm) I have ndcated bhakti-yoga."

"But speak n deta about Your vibh&tis and about bhakti. O |anrdana,
n peope such as me (ana), by the sweetness of Your benefca
nstructons, you create ongng. You make us agtated (ardana), and
You make us beg. What can we do? For me, hearng nectar n the form
of Your nstructons, reshng through a tongue n the form of my ear,
there s no sataton."
r-bhagavn uvca
hanta te kathayiymi divy hy tma-vibh&taya '
prdhnyata kuru-reha nsty anto vistarasya me '')9''
19. The Lord sad: By My mercy, I w te you about the chef of My
exceent vibh&tis. O best of the Kurus, there s no end to My
manfestatons.
Oh (hanta), out of mercy, I w te you about these vibh&tis. I w speak
of the chef ones, because there s no end to ther number. $ibhutaya
s used for vibhut (femnne pura accusatve). These vibh&tis are
exceent (divya), not ke grass or brcks. The word vibh&ti ncudes
both matera and sprtua manfestatons of power of the Lord.
Because they a arse from the akti of the Lord, they shoud a be
consdered as worthy of medtaton as forms of the Lord, though some
are preferabe to others.
aham tm gu(kea sarva-bh&taya-sthita '
aham di ca madhya ca bh&tnm anta eva ca ''0:''
20. O conqueror of seep, I am the sou of prakti, stuated as the sprt
wthn each unverse, and wthn each vng entty. I aone am the
creaton, mantenance and destructon of a creatures.
Frst you shoud thnk of Me aone as the cause of a these vibh&tis by
usng |ust one of My portons. I am tm, the sou wthn prakti; I am
the creator of the mahat-tattva, the purua, the Paramtm
(Karaodakay). O one who conquers seep (Gukea), you are
quafed for medtaton snce you do not seep. I am stuated n the
aggregate of a bengs (vairas), as the antarym of the vir
(Garbhodakay). I am aso stuated wthn the hearts of a vng
enttes, as the antarym of the ndvduas (Krodakay). (Two
meanngs are gven to the phrase sarva-bhutaya-sthita). I am the
cause of the creaton (adi), the mantenance (madhyam) and the
destructon of a enttes.
ditynm aha viur yoti ravir aumn '
marcir marutm asmi nakatrm aha a ''0)''
21. Among dtyas I am Vu, and among ghts, I am the many-rayed
sun. Among the wnds, I am Marc.
125
I am the moon amdst the stars.
The gentve case s use for the rest of the chapter to ndcate a
specfc head of group of tems and aso to ndcate a reaton to a
group. Among the tweve dtyas, I am Vu, one of the names of the
sun.
126
Ths s My vibh&ti. Among a ghts, those thngs whch revea, I
am the sun, wth a muttude of rays. Marc s outstandng among the
wnds.
vedn sma-vedo smi devnm asmi vsava '
indriy mana csmi bh&tnm asmi cetan ''00''
22. Among the $edas, I am the 5ma, and among the devats, I am
Indra. Among the senses, I am the mnd. In a vng creatures, I am
the power of awareness.
Among the devats, I am Indra (vsava). I am !na-akti (cetan)
reated to a bengs. Here the use of the gentve s reatona.
rudr a/kara csmi vitteo yaka-rakasm '
vas&n pvaka csmi meru ikharim aham ''01''
23. Among the Rudras, I am akara
127
, and among the Yakas and
Rkasas, I am Kuvera.
128
Among the Vasus, I am fre.
129
Among the
peaked mountans, I am Meru.
$ittesa, ord of weath, means Kuvera.
purodhas ca mukhya m viddhi prtha bhaspatim '
sennnm aha skanda sarasm asmi sgara ''02''
24. Among head prests, I am the chef one, Bhaspat. Among eaders
of armes, I am Krtkeya. Among reservors of water, I am the ocean.
125
The story s tod n 5% 6.18. Indra entered Dts womb and cut her son nto forty-
nne parts. In ths way the forty-nne knds of ar known as the Maruts appeared.
126
The sun s gven tweve names accordng ts poston n the tweve zodac sgns
throughout the year. The names are Dht, Aryaman, Mtra, Varua, Indra, Vvasvat,
Pan, Par|anya, Ama, Bhaga, Tva and Vu.
127
Lord Brahm sad: My dear boy Rudra, you have eeven other names: Manyu,
Manu, Mahnasa, Mahn, va, Atadhva|a, Ugraret, Bhava, Ka, Vmadeva and
Dhtavrata. 5% 3.12.12
128
Kuvera s a Yaka.
129
The eght Vasus are pa, Dhurva, Soma, Dharma, Ana, Pvaka, Pratyua and
Prabhsa.
5kanda means Krtkeya. The form sennnm s poetc cense (the
other form woud be senniyam).
mahar bhgur aha girm asmy ekam akaram '
ya!n apa-ya!o smi sthvar him"aya ''03''
25. Among the great sages, I am Bhgu. Among words, I am o. Among
sacrfces, I am apa. Among mmovabe ob|ects, I am the Hmayas.
Qkkara, one syabe, refers to the praava om.
avattha sarva-vk devar ca nrada '
gandharv citraratha siddhn kapi"o muni ''0-''
26. Among the trees, I am the pippa"a.
130
Among the dvne sages, I am
Nrada. Among the Gandharvas, I am Ctraratha. Among perfected
bengs, I am Kapa.
uccairavasam avn viddhi mm amtodbhavam '
airvata gaendr nar ca nardhipam ''07||
27. Know that among horses I am Uccarava who rose from the
nectar ocean. Among eephants I am Arvata.
131
Among men I am the
kng.
Among horses, I am Uccharava who arose from the churnng of the
nectar ocean (amtodbhavam).
yudhnm aha vara dhen&nm asmi kma-dhuk '
praana csmi kandarpa sarpm asmi vsuki ''08''
28. Among weapons, I am the thunderbot. Among cows, I am the
Kmadhenu. Among types of ust, I am that for producng offsprng.
Among snakes, I am Vsuk.
Among the cows, I am Kmadhenu (kma-dhuk).
132
Among the types of
ust, I am ust for the purpose of producng offsprng (praana).
130
Ths tree s regards as a representatve of Vu.
131
The eephant aso arose from the churnng of the ocean.
132
Ths cow was born from the churnng of the mk ocean. She gves unmted mk.
ananta csmi ngn varuo ydasm aham '
pit?m aryam csmi yama sayamatm aham ''09''
29. Among Ngas,
133
I am Ananta. Among nhabtants of water I am
Varua. Among the Pts, I am Aryam. Among punshers, I am Yama.
Among the nhabtants of the water (ydasm), I am Varua. Among
those who punsh (sayamatm), I am Yama.
prah"da csmi daityn k"a ka"ayatm aham '
mg ca mgendro ha vainateya ca pakim ''1:''
30. Among the demons, I am Prahda. Among controers, I am tme.
Among anmas, I am the on. Among brds, I am Garua.
Among sub|ugators (ka"ayatm), I am tme. Among anmas, I am the
on (mgendra). Among brds, I am Garua (vainateya).
pavana pavatm asmi rma astrabhtm aham '
ha makara csmi srotasm asmi hnav ''1)''
31. Among purfers and the swft, I am the wnd. Among hoders of
weapons, I am Paraurma. Among the fshes, I am the makara. Among
rvers, I am the Gag.
Of movng or purfyng agents, I am the wnd. Among bearers of
weapons, I am Paraurma. He s sutabe as a vibh&ti because He s an
avevatra, and because He s an outstandng va among those who
have been gven powers by the Lord.
134
=adma =ura, quoted n
%hagavatmta says "O dev, I have rected to you the story of
Paraurma, a aktyavea avatra of the Lord." Aso t says, "He took
brth as an empowered va." The characterstcs of the avevatra are
aso mentoned n the %hagavatmta. "Where a va s fed wth
portons of !na-akti or other akti of the Lord, he s caed
avevatra." (Uaghu %hagavatmta 1.4 .39, 1.4.38, 1.1.18) Among fsh
133
Ngas have many heads, whereas sarpas, reguar snakes, have ony one head
each.
134
Rma s taken as Paraurma rather than Rmacandra, snce he s a va . A va
can be a vibh&ti, but not the Lord Hmsef.
(ham), I am the makara, a speca type of fsh. Among rvers
(srotasm), I am the Gag.
sargm dir anta ca madhya caivham aruna '
adhytma-vidy vidyn vda pravadatm aham ''10''
32. I am the creaton, destructon and mantenance of a eements.
Among types of knowedge, I am knowedge of the sou. Among types
of debate I am vda.
I am the creaton (adi) and destructon (anta) of ether and other
eements (sargm), and the mantenance of them as we. One shoud
medtate upon creaton, mantenance and destructon as My vibh&tis.
Ths means that I, the Supreme Lord, am the creator, mantaner and
destroyer. Among types of knowedge, I am knowedge of the sef.
Among types of argumentaton n order to estabsh ones own dea and
defeat others deas, such as a"pa and vita(a, I am vda+ whch
attempts to dscern actua truth wth the goa of comng to a
concuson.
135

akarm a-kro smi dvandva smsikasya ca '
aham evkaya k"o dhtha vivato-mukha ''11''
33. I am the etter "a" among a etters. Among compounds, I am the
dvandva. Among destroyers, I am va and among creators, I am
Brahm, wth four faces.
The dvandva compound s superor among compounds snce ts
eements are equa.
136
Among destroyers I am ndestructbe tme. Ths
refers to Mahka, Rudra, famous as the destroyer. Among the
creators I am Brahm (dht), wth four faces (vivato mukha).
135
$da+ a"pa and vita(a are famous as the three types of argument. When both
partes desre to wn by estabshng ther own opnon wth proofs and arguments,
and refutng the opponents vew wth crcumventon (cha"a), fase generazaton
(ti) and syogstc faut (nigraha-sthna), t s caed a"pa. When one party refutes
the opponents vew (by the above means), wthout estabshng hs own opnon, t s
caed vita(a. These two types of debate, wth a desre to wn, smpy dspay sk n
debatng and bear no resut. That dscusson havng a desre for truth s caed vda.
136
In the avyaybhva compound the frst eement s more mportant: adhytma, n the
sou. In the tat-purua compound the second eement s more mportant: gutita,
surpassng the guas. In the bahu-vrhi compound both eements are unmportant,
dependng on reference to a thrd eement: mah-bahu, one who has strong arms.
mtyu sarva-hara cham udbhava ca bhaviyatm '
krti rr vk ca nr smtir medh dhti kam ''12''
34. Among deaths, I am that whch takes away a memory. Among a
transformatons of the body whch w take pace, I am the frst one,
brth. Among women I am Krt, r, Vk, Smt, Medh, Dht and
Kam, and other wves of Dharma.
Among a types of deaths whch are happenng at every moment, I am
death whch takes away a memory. It s sad mtyur atyanta-vismti:
death s extreme forgetfuness. (5% 11.22.39) Among the
transformatons whch w take pace for the vng enttes n the
future, I am brth, the frst transformaton. Among women, I am fame,
beauty, and refned speech (vk), these three and aso the four:
memory, ntegence, forttude and toerance. Pa ndcates the other
wves of Dharma such as Mrt
137
.
bhat-sma tath smn gyatr chandasm aham '
msn mrga-ro ham t&n kusumkara ''13''
35. Among the smas, I am the %hat 5ma. Among meters, I am
gyatr. Among months, I am Mrgara.
138
Among the seasons, I am
the sprng.
The Lord has aready sad that he s the 5ma among the $edas. Here
he says that among the verses to be sung he s the %hat 5ma n the
verse whch begns tvamrddhim havmahe. (Gg $eda 6.46.1) Among
meters I am gyatr, and among seasons I am sprng (kusumkara),
fed wth fowers.
dy&ta cha"ayatm asmi teas teasvinm aham '
ayo smi vyavasyo smi sattva sattvavatm aham ''1-''
36. I am gambng n the cheaters. Among conquerors, I am ther
vctory. Among those who endeavor, I am the endeavor. Among the
strong, I am ther strength.
137
Dharma marred thrteen daughters of Daka. raddh, Matr, Day, Snt, Tu,
Pu, Kry, Unnat, Buddh, Medh, Ttk, Hr and Mrt are mentoned n 5%
4.1.49. *ahbhrata gves a dfferent st whch ncudes Krt, r, and Dht. Vk
does not seem to be one of Dharmas wves.
138
Ths s the frst month n one caendar system.
Reated to those who mutuay cheat each other, I am gambng. Here
gentve case s used to show reatonshp wth the cheaters. Among
the conquerors, I am vctory. Among those who endeavor, I am effort.
Among the strong, I am strength (sattvam).
vn vsudevo smi p(avn dhana!aya '
munnm apy aha vysa kavnm uan kavi ''17''
37. Among the Vs, I am Vasudeva. Among the Pavas, I am
Ar|una. Among the sages, I am Vysa. Among the wse, I am Uanas.
Among the Vs, I am Vasudeva, who s My father.
139
He s My vibh&ti.
The rue s gven as foows: pra!ditvt (;dhyy, Pn 5.4.38).
140

Sometmes the ong can have the same meanng as short a. The ong
s used to ndcate sef-nterest. Others woud propose that the
meanng s "Among the Vs, I am Mysef, the son of Vasudeva." Ths
however s not agreeabe, as t does not mean anythng.
da(o damayatm asmi ntir asmi igatm '
mauna caivsmi guhyn !na !navatm aham ''18''
38. I am punshment among those who punsh. In those who desre
vctory, I am proper pocy. In secrets, I am sence. I am knowedge n
those who have knowedge.
Among those who punsh, I am punshment. Here the gentve s used
to ndcate reatonshp.
yac cpi sarva-bh&tn ba tad aham aruna '
na tad asti vin yat syn may bh&ta carcaram ''19''
39. I am that seed whch causes a vng enttes to manfest, O
Ar|una. No movng or non-movng enttes can exst wthout Me.
I am the seed of a bengs, the cause of ther sproutng, because
wthout Me, movng and non-movng creatures woud not exst. Ths
means they woud be fase thngs.
nnto sti mama divyn vibh&tn parantapa'
139
Baadeva says that Vsudeva refers to Baarma, snce Vsudeva usuay means
the son of Vasudeva. In ether case, takng Vsudeva as father or brother avods
makng Ka hs own vibh&ti.
140
Vsudeva usuay means the son of Vasudeva. However sometmes by the rue
gven, Vsudeva can smpy mean Vasudeva.
ea t&ddeata prokto vibh&ter vistaro may ''2:''
40. There s no end to My wonderfu vibh&tis, O affcter of enemes. I
have ony brefy decared the expanse of My vibh&tis.
Now the Lord summarzes the sub|ect. There s no end to My vibh&tis.
Brefy ony (uddeata), n name ony, I have spoken of the muttude of
My vibh&tis.
yad yad vibh&timat sattva rmad &ritam eva v '
tat tad evvagaccha tva mama teo-a-sabhavam ''2)''
41. Whatever ob|ect n past, present or future dspays ma|esty,
exceence, or strength, know that t has arsen from |ust a fragment of
My power.
In ths verse the Lord brngs together a the vibh&tis of past, present
and future whch were not prevousy mentoned. Whatever ob|ect
(sattvam) has ma|esty (vibh&timat), exceence (rmat), or
extraordnary strength or power (&ritam), know that t comes from a
porton of My power.
atha v bahunaitena ki !tena tavruna '
viabhyham ida ktsnam ekena sthito agat ''20''
42. But what s the use of a ths knowedge for you, Ar|una? Pease
understand: by |ust one porton of Mysef, I am frmy estabshed n
ths unverse.
Know the resuts that come from these many separate peces of
knowedge. By one porton aone, by the Paramtm n human form,
fxng Mysef (viabhya) n the word whch I have created, supportng
ths created word by beng ts bass, superntendng the word by beng
ts ruer, controng the word by beng ts controer, pervadng the
word by beng pervasve, and creatng the word by bengs ts cause, I
am stuated n ths word.
Everythng n ths unverse s Ka aone, and He s thus worthy of
servce. By ntegence gven by that reazaton, one shoud taste Hs
sweetness. Ths has been expaned n ths chapter.
Here ends the commentares on the tenth chapter of the #t for the
peasure of the devotees mnds, by the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Eeven
aruna uvca
mad-anugrahya parama guhyam adhytma-sa!itam '
yat tvayokta vacas tena moho ya vigato mama '')''
1. Ar|una sad: By Your mercy, my uson concernng Your powers s
gone, through hearng the words you spoke concernng the hghest
secret of your vibh&tis aong wth knowedge of the sou.
In the eeventh chapter, Ar|una, seeng the unversa form, prases t n
reverence. When Ka shows Hmsef agan, Ar|una becomes peased.
At the end of the ast chapter, hearng about one aa of hs dear
frend, the adipurua who s the sheter of a the vibh&tis, wth the
words viabhyham ida ktsnam ekena sthito agat+ Ar|una became
submerged n the hghest bss and desred to see that form. He prases
what the Lord has |ust spoken n three verses.
"The words spoken by You reveang vibh&tis present n Yoursef
(adhytma) have removed my gnorance concernng Your powers
(moha)." The word adhytma s here taken as an avyaybhva
compound of adhi (n) and tm (sef), meanng "n the sef."
bhavpyayau hi bh&tn rutau vistarao may '
tvatta kama"a-patrka mhtmyam api cvyayam ''0''
2. O otus-eyed one, n deta I have heard about the creaton and
dssouton of a bengs arsng through You, as we as how You reman
unaffected as we.
I have heard penty about the creaton and destructon of the vng
enttes comng from You (tvatta) n the mdde sx chapters, n such
statements as aha ktsnasya agata prabhava pra"ayas tath: I am the
creaton and destructon of the unverse. And I have aso heard how
You reman aoof and unaffected n spte of beng the creator and
destroyer (mhtmyam avyayam), n such verses as may tatam ida
sarvam: I am pervadng a ths unverse; and na ca m tni karmi
nibadhnanti: these actons do not bnd Me.
evam etad yathttha tvam tmna paramevara '
draum icchmi te r&pam aivara puruottama ''1''
3. O Supreme Lord, what You have spoken about Yoursef s a true. O
Supreme Person, I desre to see that powerfu form of Yours.
Whatever You have sad about Yoursef, such as "I am supportng the
whoe unverse by one of My portons," s ndeed true (evam etad). I do
not have any doubt about t. But st, desrng to be fuy satsfed, I
desre to see that form dspayng Your powers. I now want to see, Oith
my eyes, that expanson form of Yours by whch You support ths word.
manyase yadi tac chakya may draum iti prabho '
yogevara tato me tva daraytmnam avyayam ''2''
4. If You thnk that I am quafed to see that form, O master, O Lord of
quafcaton,
then show to me that ndestructbe form.
The word yogevara ndcates that though Ar|una s unquafed (ayogya),
the Lord wth Hs power of quafcaton (yoga), can make hm quafed
to see that form.
r-bhagavn uvca
paya me prtha r&pi atao tha sahasraa '
nn-vidhni divyni nn-varktni ca ''3''
5. The Lord sad: O son of Pth, see My hundreds and thousands of
wonderfu forms, of varous types, of varous coors, and varous
shapes.
"Frst I w show hm that form descrbed n the purua-s&kta as
sahasra-r purua sahasrka sahasrapt: that form wth a
thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. It s My own
expanson, the frst purua avatra (Mahavu), the antarym of
prakti. Later, by havng the necessary quafcaton, I w show hm My
form of tme." Consderng n ths way n Hs mnd, the Lord faced
Ar|una, teng hm to pay attenton. Thus He speaks ths verse.
"See these hundreds and thousands of forms (r&pi). In My one form,
My svar&pa, see hundreds of My svar&pas, whch are My vibh&tis."

paydityn vas&n rudrn avinau marutas tath'
bah&ny ada-p&rvi paycaryi bhrata ''-''
6. See the dtyas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the two Avns and the
Maruts. O descendant of Bharata, see many astonshng forms not
seen before.

ihaika-stha agat ktsna paydya sa-carcaram '
mama dehe gu(kea yac cnyad draum icchasi ''7''
7. Now, n ths pace, see n one part of My body ths whoe unverse
wth ts movng and non-movng enttes, O conqueror of seep, and see
whatever ese you desre to see.
On ths occason (iha), ths unverse, whch s mpossbe for you to see
competey even f you wander wthn t for mons of years, s stuated
n |ust one part of My body (eka-stham). See that unverse and whatever
ese you desre to see, such as your vctory or defeat (yac ca anyat), n
My body, whch s the sheter of the unverse, beng ts cause.
na tu m akyase draum anenaiva sva-caku '
divya dadmi te caku paya me yogam aivaram ''8''
8. But you w not be abe to see wth your matera eye aone. I gve
you the eye of the devas. Behod My ma|estc power.
Ar|una shoud not thnk that ths s some form caused by magca trck
or matera uson. For the purpose of gvng hm fath that the form
whch contans ths whoe unverse s sat-cid-nanda, He speaks ths
verse.
By your matera eyes (anena) you cannot see Me. You cannot see My
purey sprtua form. ,aknose stands for aknosi. Therefore, I gve you
dvne (divyam) eyes. See wth those dvne eyes. By ettng hm see
wth those eyes, the Lords ntenton was to gve a tte astonshment
to Ar|una, who was thnkng hmsef to be a matera person.
Actuay, because he s a prncpa assocate of the Lord, and therefore
prevousy had appeared as Nara aong wth the Nryaa avatra,
Ar|una does not have matera eyes ke ordnary matera persons.
What s the ogc n gvng sprtua eyes to Ar|una n order to see a
mere expanson of the Lord, when that same Ar|una wth hs very eyes
drecty reazes the sweetness of hs Lord?
But, on the other hand, t can be sad that the superor eye whch sees
ony the great sweetness of Kas human pastmes, as n the case of
the ananya-bhakta, does not at a accept the gores of the Lords
pastmes performed wth the devats (deva ""). One who has tasted
the |uce of the whte otus cannot resh sugar candy wth hs tongue.
Thus the Lord, wantng to show the ma|estc nature of Hs pastmes
wth the devats (deva-""), n order to cause astonshment n Ar|una
who had requested |ust that, gave to Ar|una non-human eyes sutabe
for seeng deva-"" (divyam), ma|estc n quaty. The ntenton of gvng
such eyes w be expaned at the end of the chapter.
sanaya uvca
evam uktv tato ran mah-yogevaro hari '
daraym sa prthya parama r&pam aivaram ''9''
9. Sa|aya sad: O Kng, havng spoken thus, Ka, the master of great
yoga, showed to Ar|una Hs supreme, ma|estc form.
aneka-vaktra-nayanam anekdbhuta-daranam '
aneka-divybharaa divynekodyatyudham ''):''
10. It had many mouths and eyes, many astonshng aspects, many
wonderfu ornaments, upftng many wonderfu weapons.
divya-m"ymbara-dhara divya-gandhnu"epanam '
sarvcarya-maya devam ananta vivato-mukham ''))''
11. That form wore astonshng garands and dress, astonshng
perfumes and ontments. It was shnng, greaty amazng, nfnte, wth
faces n every drecton.
$ivato mukham means "whose faces are everywhere."
divi s&rya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthit '
yadi bh sad s syd bhsas tasya mahtmana '')0''
12. If the spendor of a thousand suns rose smutaneousy n the sky,
that effugence woud be somewhat smar to the effugence of ths
great form.
If at one tme the effugence (bh) of a thousand suns arose, then t
woud be somewhat smar to the effugence (bhsa) of the unversa
form (mahtmana).
tatraika-stha agat ktsna pravibhaktam anekadh '
apayad deva-devasya arre p(avas tad '')1''
13. On the battefed, Ar|una saw parts of the unverse n varous parts
of that body n varous ways.
In that pace (tatra), on the batte fed, n the body of the Lord (deva-
devasya), t was mpossbe to take nto account the whoe unverse.
Therefore Ar|una saw a part stuated n one part of the body at
dfferent moments (pravibhaktam+ eka-stham)--a part stuated n the
Lords pore or a part stuated n Hs bey, and n varous ways
(anekadh). That s, he saw that form made of earth, made of god,
made of |ewes, or measurng ffty koi yoanas, or a hundred koi
yoanas or a hundred thousand koi yoanas.
tata sa vismayvio ha-rom dhana!aya '
praamya iras deva kt!a"ir abhata '')2''
14. Then, overcome wth wonder, har standng on end, Ar|una, bowng
hs head before the Lord and fodng hs hands n prayer, spoke.
aruna uvca
paymi devs tava deva dehe
sarvs tath bh&ta-viea-sa/ghn '
brahmam a kama"sana-stham
ca sarvn urag ca divyn '')3''
15. Ar|una sad: In Your body I see a the devats+ as we as the mass
of a the bengs. I see Lord Brahm, seated on a otus, a the is, and
shnng snakes.
I see a muttude of vvparous anmas (bh&t-viea) and Brahm
stuated on Mount Meru at the center of the otus of the earth panet.
aneka-bh&dara-vaktra-netra
paymi tv sarvato nanta-r&pam '
nnta na madhya na punas tavdi
paymi vivevara viva-r&pa '')-''
16. I see You everywhere wth nfnte form, wth many arms,
stomachs, mouths and eyes. O ord of the unverse, orgn of a ths! O
form of the unverse! I do not see a begnnng, mdde or end of ths
form of Yours.
$ivevara means the orgna person, the orgn of ths form.
kirina gadina cakria ca
teo-ri sarvato dptimantam '
paymi tv durnirkya samantd
dptna"rka-dyutim aprameyam '')7''
17. I see You wth crown, cub, cakra, a mass of ght shnng
everywhere, dffcut to behod, wth mmeasurabe radance on a
sdes ke the bazng of fre and sun.
tvam akara parama veditavya
tvam asya vivasya para nidhnam '
tvam avyaya vata-dharma-gopt
santanas tva puruo mato me '')8''
18. You are known as the supreme Brahman. You are the pace of
destructon of ths unverse. You are ndestructbe, the protector of
eterna dharma. I know that You are the eterna person.
You are known by the strvers for beraton as Brahman (akaram). You
are the pace of destructon of a thngs (nidhnam).
andi-madhyntam ananta-vryam
ananta-bhu ai-s&rya-netram '
paymi tv dpta-huta-vaktra
sva-teas vivam ida tapantam '')9''
19. I see You are wthout begnnng, mdde or end, possessed of
nfnte strength, nfnte arms, wth the sun and moon for Your eyes,
wth a mouth of bazng fre, burnng ths unverse wth ts heat.
Wth words ke andi, Ar|una seems to repeat hmsef. Do not fnd faut
however wth the repetton n the words of Ar|una, who was
submerged n the ocean of the rasa of great astonshment (mah-
vimaya-rasa). It s sad: prasde vimaye hare dvi-trir-ukta na duyati:
repetton of statements two or three tmes due to |oy, astonshment or
kndness s not a faut.
dyv--pthivyor idam antara hi
vypta tvayaikena dia ca sarv '
dvdbhuta r&pam ida tavogra
"oka-traya pravyathita mahtman ''0:''
20. The space between heaven and earth and a drectons are fed
wth You aone. Seeng ths astonshng and ferocous form of Yours,
the three words have become terrfed, O great sou.
Now that Ar|una had the proper quafcaton, the Lord shows hm Hs
form as tme. Ths s descrbed n ten verses.
am hi tv sura-sa/gh vianti
kecid bht pr!a"ayo ganti '
svastty uktv mahari-siddha-sa/gh
stuvanti tv stutibhi puka"bhi ''0)''
21. Ths host of devats enters nto You. Some n fear prase You wth
foded hands. Shoutng "5vastiVW the host of great sages and Sddhas
prase You wth exceent verses.
Hv stands for tvm.
rudrdity vasavo ye ca sdhy
vive vinau maruta coma-p ca '
gandharva-yaksura-siddha-sa/gh
vkante tv vismit caiva sarve ''00''
22. The Rudras, dtyas, Vasus, Sadhyas, Vvas, Avns, Maruts, Pts,
Gandharvas, Yakas, Asuras, and Sddhas a ook at You n
astonshment.
Ama-p refers to those who drnk hot vapor of food. That refers to the
Pts.
The ruti says &mabhg hi pitara: the Pts eat the steam. (Haittirya
%rhmaa, 4aur $eda, 1.3.10.6)
r&pa mahat te bahu-vaktra-netra
mahbho bahu-bh&ru-pdam '
bah&dara bahu-dar-kar"a
dv "ok pravyathits tathham ''01''
23. O mghty-armed one, seeng ths great form wth many mouths and
eyes, many arms, many thghs and feet, many stomachs, fearfu wth
many teeth, the word and I as we are fed wth terror.
nabha-spa dptam aneka-vara
vyttnana dpta-vi"a-netram '
dv hi tv pravyathitntar-tm
dhti na vindmi ama ca vio ''02''
24. O Vu, seeng You touch the heavens, shnng n many coors,
wth gapng mouth, and wde, bazng eyes, I have become dstressed
n mnd, and do not fnd any satsfacton or reef.
,ama means reef or tranquty.
dar-kar"ni ca te mukhni
dvaiva k"na"a-sannibhni '
dio na ne na "abhe ca arma
prasda devea agan-nivsa ''03''
25. Seeng Your mouth wth sharp teeth, ke the fre of cosmc
destructon, I cannot recognze the drectons and I fee no comfort. O
master of the devas+ abode of the unverse, be mercfu to me.
am ca tv dhtarrasya putr
sarve sahaivvani-p"a-sa/ghai '
bhmo droa s&ta-putras tathsau
sahsmadyair api yodha-mukhyai ''0-''

vaktri te tvaram vianti
darkar"ni bhaynakni '
kecid vi"agn daanntareu
sandyante c&ritair uttam/gai ''07''
26-27. A the sons of Dhtarra aong wth the host of ruers of the
earth, Bhma, Droa and Kara, together wth our promnent
warrors, enter swfty nto Your fearfu mouth wth sharp teeth. Some,
wth ther heads ground up, are stckng between Your teeth.
yath nadn bahavo mbu-veg
samudram evbhimukh dravanti '
tath tavm nara-"oka-vr
vianti vaktry abhiviva"anti ''08''
28. As many swft currents of rvers fow towards the sea, so these
heroes of the word enter Your famng mouths.
yath pradpta va"ana pata/g
vianti nya samddha-veg '
tathaiva nya vianti "oks
tavpi vaktri samddha-veg ''09''
29. As moths wth ncreasng speed enter a bazng fre to meet ther
destructon, so men enter Your mouths wth ncreasng speed to meet
ther destructon.
"e"ihyase grasamna samant"
"okn samagrn vadanair va"adbhi '
teobhir p&rya agat samagra
bhsas tavogr pratapanti vio ''1:''
30. Swaowng a these men a around wth Your fery mouths, You
are ckng Your ps repeatedy. O Vu, Your ferce rays, fng the
whoe unverse wth ther spendor, are burnng t up.
khyhi me ko bhavn ugra-r&po
namo stu te deva-vara prasda '
vi!tum icchmi bhavantam dya
na hi pranmi tava pravttim ''1)''
31. Te me who You are, wth ths terrfyng form. I offer respects to
You. O best of the devas, be mercfu to me. I desre to know You, the
frst beng. I do not understand Your purpose.
r-bhagavn uvca
k"o smi "oka-kaya-kt pravddho
"okn samhartum iha pravtta '
te pi tv na bhaviyanti sarve
ye vasthit pratyankeu yodh ''10''
32. The Lord sad: I am tme, the destroyer of the words. Increasng n
power, I am here engaged n destroyng these men. Even wthout You,
a these warrors arrayed n confrontng armes w cease to be.
tasmt tvam uttiha yao "abhasva
itv atr&n bhu/kva rya samddham '
mayaivaite nihat p&rvam eva
nimitta-mtra bhava savyascin ''11''
33. Therefore rse and gan fame. Conquerng the enemes, en|oy a
prosperous kngdom. These have a been ked by Me aready. |ust be
an nstrument, O Ar|una!

droa ca bhma ca ayadratha ca
kara tathnyn api yodha-vrn '
may hats tva ahi m vyathih
yudhyasva etsi rae sapatnn ''12''
35. Say Droa, Bhma, |ayadratha, Kara and other brave warrors,
who have aready been ked by Me. Do not greve. Fght and you w
be vctorous over the enemes n the war.
sa!aya uvca
etac chrutv vacana keavasya
kt!a"ir vepamna kir '
namasktv bh&ya evha ka
sa-gadgada bhta-bhta praamya ''13''
35. Sa|aya sad: Hearng the words of Keava, Ar|una, wth foded
hands, trembng, offered hs respects; and agan overcome by great
fear, offerng respects, spoke to Ka n faterng voce.
@amasktv s poetc cense. The norma form s namasktya.
aruna uvca
sthne hkea tava prakrty
agat prahyaty anurayate ca '
raksi bhtni dio dravanti
sarve namasyanti ca siddha-sa/gh ''1-''
36. Ar|una sad: O controer of the senses, rghty the word re|oces
and becomes attracted to You by Your gorfcaton. Rghty aso, the
frghtened Rkasas fee n a drectons, and the host of devotees
bow down to You.
Suddeny reazng that the peasng form and ferocous form of the
Lord were ob|ects of attracton and repuson, he expans ths fact and
prases the Lord. 5thne+ an ndecnabe, here means "sutabe."
O Hkea, You nspre the senses of Your devotees to turn towards
You, and You nspre the senses of the non-devotees to turn away from
You! The unverse becomes |oyfu (prahyati) by the sa/krtana
gorfyng You (prakrtya), and becomes attracted to You (anurayate).
Ths s reasonabe (sthane) snce the unverse s favorabe to You. The
Rkasas , asuras, Dnavas, Pcas and others (raksi) however,
becomng fearfu, fee to the drectons (dia dravanti). Ths s aso
reasonabe snce they are unfavoraby ncned to You. And the whoe
group of those who are perfected by devoton to You (siddha-sa/gh)
offer ther respects to You. Ths aso s reasonabe, snce they are Your
devotees. Ths verse s famous n mantra-stra for ts abty to gve
protecton from Rkasas .
kasmc ca te na nameran mahtman
garyase brahmao py di-kartre '
ananta devea agan-nivsa
tvam akara sad asat tatpara yat ''17''
37. O great sou, why shoud they not offer respects to You, the frst
creator, greater than Brahm? O nfnte one, ord of the devas+ abode
of the unverse, You are the Brahman, above cause and effect.
Why shoud they not offer respects to You? Certany, they shoud offer
respects to You, for You are Brahman (akaram), above both cause and
effect (sad-asat param)?

tvam di-deva purua puras
tvam asya vivasya para nidhnam '
vettsi vedya ca para ca dhma
tvay tata vivam ananta-r&pa ''18''
38. You are the orgna deva , the odest person, the fna pace for the
unverse after destructon. You are the knower, the ob|ect of
knowedge, the transcendenta form. O nfnte form! You pervade ths
whoe unverse.
@idhnam means the pace of mergng at the tme of destructon.
=ara dhma means the transcendenta form of the Lord beyond the
guas.
vyur yamo gnir varua a/ka
prapatis tva prapitmaha ca '
namo namas testu sahasra-ktva
puna ca bh&yo pi namo namas te ''19''
39. You are Vyu, Yama, Agn, Varua, the moon, Pra|pat, and the
great grandfather. I offer respects to You a thousand tmes, and agan I
offer respects to You.
nama purastd atha phatas te
namostu te sarvata eva sarva
ananta-vrymita-vikramas tva
sarva sampnoi tato si sarva ''2:''
40. I offer respects from the back, from the front, from a sdes, O
person who s everythng! You have nfnte power, wth mmeasurabe
sk. You pervade everywhere, and therefore You are everythng.
You pervade a of ths unverse (sarva sampnoi), snce t s Your
product, ke god n earrngs and braceets. Thus You are everythng.
sakheti matv prasabha yad ukta
he ka he ydava he sakheti '
anat mahimna taveda
may pramdt praayena vpi ''2)''
yac cvahsrtham asat-kto si
vihra-ayysana-bhoaneu '
eko tha vpy acyuta tat-samaka
tat kmaye tvm aham aprameyam ''20''
41-42. I beg pardon from You, not knowng ths greatness of Yours,
and through want of consderaton or through affecton, ookng upon
You, the mmeasurabe, as a frend, for whatever I have sad rudey,
such as addressng You "O Ka, O Ydava, O frend", and for
whatever dsrespect I have shown to You n fun, whe payng, yng,
sttng together or dnng, whether aone or n the company of others.
"O, I have commtted the greatest offense to You, who are fed wth
such great, great powers." In ths way, Ar|una manfests great regret.
"O Ka (he ka), You are we known as the son of Vasudeva who
s not famous, who was a human, a medocre fghter stuated on the
same charot as another fghter (ardha ratha). I, Ar|una, am we known
as the son of a kng, Pu, a great warror fghtng on hs own charot
(atiratha).
141
O Ydava (he ydava), You do not have the kngs poston
n the Yadu dynasty. But I have kngshp over the Puru dynasty. (The
sandhi of sakha wth iti s poetc cense) O frend (he sakha), my
frendshp wth You s not because of the greatness of Your forefathers
nor because of the reputaton of Your famy, but t s smpy based on
famarty. I beg pardon for such rough words (prasabham) I have
spoken, for ntendng the above meanngs." The sense of verse 41 s
contnued n verse 42 wth the verb kamaye. The proper form of the
verb woud be kamaym (I shoud beg for forgveness).
Ether through neggence or out of affecton, not knowng You as the
unversa form (mahimnam), I have treated You bady durng esure
and other tmes, n order to |oke. I have scoded You wth sarcastc
words sayng that You are truthfu, nnocent, and very gube. I beg
forgveness for the thousands of offenses produced when You were
aone, not n the presence of frends, or when You were surrounded by
frends who were |okng (tat samakam). O master, I beg You to forgve
me (kamaye).
pitsi "okasya carcarasya
tvam asya p&ya ca gurur garyn '
na tvat-samo sty abhyadhika kuto nyo
"oka-traye py apratima-prabhva ''21''
43. You are the father of the word, of a movng and non-movng
bengs. You are most deservng of worshp and as the teacher, even
141
Ths s the mpcaton of Ar|una cang out "Ka." Each of the three names of
address mpes that Ka s n a ow poston, not sutabe n addressng the
Supreme Lord.
more deservng of worshp. No one s equa to You, or greater than You
n the three words, O person wth unsurpassed gory.
tasmt praamya praidhya kya
prasdaye tvm aham am (yam '
piteva putrasya sakheva sakhyu
priya priyyrhasi deva so(hum ''22''
44. Therefore, bowng down, prostratng my body, I beg pardon from
You, the Lord, most worthy of worshp. O Lord, You, so dear to me,
shoud toerate me, so dear to You, |ust as a father toerates hs son, or
a frend toerates hs frend.
=raidhya means pacng the body on the earth ke a rod, out of
respect. The sandhi n priyyrhasi s poetc cense.
ada-p&rva hito smi dv
bhayena ca pravyathita mano me '
tad eva me daraya deva r&pa
prasda devea agan-nivsa ''23''
45. I am deghted, havng seen what was unseen before, but at the
same tme my mnd s greaty troubed wth fear. O Lord, show me that
peasng form of Yours. Be knd to me, O ord of the devas, the restng
pace of the unverse at destructon.
Though I am deghted, havng seen Your body composed of the form
of the unverse whch has not been prevousy seen, my mnd s
dstressed wth fear because of ts ferocty. Therefore, show me that
form (tad eva r&pa), the form of the son of Vasudeva, the form of
sweetness, whch s mons of tmes dearer to my fe. Show favor to
me-do not dspay to me that form of great power any onger. I have
now seen You as the Lord of the devats (devea), the restng pace of
the unverse (agan-nivsa). It shoud be understood that Ar|una dd
not see the body of Ka n human form whch was the orgn of a
the forms seen by Ar|una when Ka dspayed the unversa form,
because hs vson was covered by yoga my.
kirina gadina cakra-hastam
icchmi tv draum aha tathaiva '
tenaiva r&pea catur-bhuena
sahasra-bho bhava viva-m&rte ''2-''
46. I wsh to see You wearng a crown, hodng a cub and cakra. O
thousand-armed one, form of the unverse, appear wth that four-
armed form.
Moreover, when you show Your form wth power, show that powerfu
form fed wth the hghest rasa, whch gves |oy to the mnd and eyes
of peope ke us, whch we saw before, n the form of the son of
Vasudeva for performng human ke pastmes-- and not the ma|estc
form whch s dstastefu to our mnd and eye, reveaed as the
unversa form, reated to pastmes wth the devats, whch was never
seen before. Wth ths ntenton Ar|una speaks.
I desre to see that same form wth a crown of vauabe |ewes (tath
eva) whch we saw prevousy sometmes, and whch Your parents saw
when You were born. O form of the unverse, now havng thousands of
hands, wthdraw that form and appear (bhava) n that form wth four
hands.
r-bhagavn uvca
may prasannena tavruneda
r&pa para daritam tma-yogt '
teo-maya vivam anantam dya
yan me tvad-anyena na da-p&rvam ''27||
47. The Lord sad: Beng peased wth You, I have shown ths supreme,
brant, nfnte, orgna form of the unverse, whch has not ever been
seen by any except you, by My own yoga-my.
"O Ar|una, you have sad that you desred to see My ma|estc form
(verse 3) and by your request, I have shown the form of the unverse
whch s one of My parts. Why has your mnd become dsturbed on
seeng t? Is t not astonshng that you pead wth Me, wantng now to
see My human form?" Thus the Lord speaks ths verse.
Beng peased wth you, I have shown ths form to you (tava) aone, and
not to anyone ese, snce t has not been seen prevousy by anyone. In
spte of that, do you not want to see that form?
na veda-ya!dhyayanair na dnair
na ca kriybhir na tapobhir ugrai '
eva-r&pa akya aha n-"oke
drau tvad-anyena kuru-pravra ''28''
48. Not by study of the $edas, by sacrfce, by recta of the scrptures,
by chartes, by rtuas, or by severe austertes can ths form been
seen n ths word by anyone except you, O hero of the Kurus.
Ths form whch I have shown to you s rarey seen even by those who
study the $edas and foow other processes. I cannot be seen n ths
form (evam r&pa) by anyone except you. The absence of visarga and
consequent sandhi to form akyo ham nstead of akya aham n ths
verse s poetc cense.
Therefore consderng ths, that you have attaned somethng whch s
not attanabe by others, fx your mnd on ths form, dffcut to see for
everyone-a form whch s certany the Lord. Havng seen that form,
you shoud forget about the human form you are agan desrng to see.
m te vyath m ca vim&(ha-bhvo
dv r&pa ghoram d/ mamedam '
vyapeta-bh prta-man punas tva
tad eva me r&pam ida prapaya ''29''
49. Do not be fearfu, do not be bewdered, havng seen that terrfyng
form of Mne. Devod of fear, peased n mnd, see agan ths form of
Mne.
"O Supreme Lord, why do You not understand me? You are forcby
gvng me somethng whch I do not want. Seeng ths form of Yours,
my mbs are dstressed, my mnd s paned. Constanty, I am fantng.
Let me offer my respects agan and agan to that ma|estc form from
far away. I w never agan pray to see that form. Forgve me, forgve
me. Show to me that human form wth moon-ke face, covered n
showers of nectar through the sweetest smes. Pease show that to
me."
The Lord then speaks ths verse n a comfortng mood to Ar|una who s
dstressed n the above manner.
sa!aya uvca
ity aruna vsudevas tathoktv
svaka r&pa daraym sa bh&ya '
vsaym sa ca bhtam ena
bh&tv puna saumyavapur mahtm ''3:''
50. Havng spoken to Ar|una thus, Vsudeva showed hm Hs persona
four-handed form agan. Then agan, appearng n Hs peasant two-
handed form, the great sou gave comfort to the fearfu Ar|una.
|ust as the Lord has showed the very ferocous form, whch arose from
|ust one of hs parts, He agan showed Hs own, very sweet persona
form (svaka r&pam) wth four hands, crown, cub, cakra and other
ornaments, whch was requested by Ar|una, and whch was a mxture
of sweetness and grandeur. Then agan that great sou became the two
handed, peasant form (saumya-vapu), wearng braceets, earrngs
turban and yeow coth, and comforted the fearfu Ar|una.
aruna uvca
dveda mnua r&pa tava saumya anrdana '
idnm asmi savtta sa-cet prakti gata ''3)''
51. Ar|una sad: O |anrdana, seeng ths peasant human form of
Yours, I have reganed my conscousness and have ganed composure.
Then Ar|una, seeng the very sweet form of Ka, bathng n an ocean
of bss, spoke. "O |anrdana, now I have reganed my conscousness
(sa-cet savtta), and have ganed composure (prakti gata)."

r-bhagavn uvca
su-durdaram ida r&pa davn asi yan mama '
dev apy asya r&pasya nitya darana-k/kia ''30||
52. The Lord sad: Ths form of Mne whch you have seen s very
dffcut to see. Even the devas are aways eager to see ths form.
Here the Lord gorfes n three verses Hs vivarupa whch He showed.
The devats desre to see the vivar&pa, but cannot see t. But you do
not desre that form at a. How can your two eyes, whch contnuay
taste the great sweetness of My human form, whch s the orgna
form, en|oy that unversa form? Therefore, I gave you divya eyes to
see t: divya dadmi te caku. But though I gave divya (heaveny)
eyes, I dd not gve you a divya mnd. Thus, by those divya eyes aone
you cannot en|oy competey that form, because your mnd reshes
ony the great sweetness of My human form. If I had gven you a divya
mnd, then you woud have reshed that svar&pa of the purua as the
unversa form |ust as devats do.
nha vedair na tapas na dnena na ceyay '
akya eva-vidho drau davn asi m yath ''31''
53. Not through the $edas, not through austertes, not through
chartes, nor through performance of sacrfce, s t possbe to see Me
as you have seen Me.
Moreover, pease understand that others--who desre as the goa of
ther ves that svar&pa whch s not desred by you-- cannot see that
form or know that form even by such practces as study of the $edas.
bhakty tv ananyay akya aham eva-vidho runa '
!tu drau ca tattvena praveu ca para/tapa ''32''
54. Ony by anany bhakti t s possbe to know Me, see Me, or even
merge wth Me, O Ar|una.
Then, by what practce can ths vivar&pa be attaned? By bhakti I can
be known and seen. The droppng of visarga () wthout sandhi to form
akyo ham, the norma form, nstead of akya aham n the present text,
s poetc cense.
Even f one desres nirva-moka, then one can merge (praveum)
wth the Brahman (tattvena) ony by anany bhakti and not by other
processes. The gu bh&t bhakti of the !ns remans as a sma
amount of anany bhakti after the renuncaton of !na at the tme of
death. By that, they attan syuya-mukti. I w substantate that pont
ater wth the verse tato mm tattvato !tv viate tad anantaramB
Knowng Me as Brahman, they then enter Me. (%# 18.55)
mat-karma-kn mat-paramo mad-bhakta sa/ga-varita '
nirvaira sarva-bh&teu ya sa mm eti p(ava ''33''
55. He who works for Me, who hods Me as supreme, who s devoted to
Me, wthout matera attachment, devod of hatred of any vng beng,
attans Me, O Ar|una.
In order to summarze the sub|ect of bhakti, n ths verse the Lord
speaks about the genera characterstcs of varous types of devotees
who were descrbed startng n the seventh chapter. 5a/ga-varita
means devod of matera attachment.
Ar|una understood that hs vctory on the batte fed was dependent on
the great power of Ka aone. Ths s the meanng of ths chapter.
Here ends the commentares on the eeventh chapter of the #t for
the peasure of the devotees mnds, by the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Tweve
aruna uvca
eva satata-yukt ye bhakts tv paryupsate '
ye cpy akaram avyakta te ke yoga-vittam '')''
1. Ar|una sad: Who are the best knowers of yoga-- those devotees who
worshp You as |ust descrbed, wth desre to constanty assocate wth
You, or those who worshp the unmanfest Brahman?
In the twefth chapter, the superorty of a types of devotees to the
!ns s descrbed, and among the devotees those who are endowed
wth wonderfu quates ke ack of hatred are prased. Ar|una heard
the great superorty of bhakti at the begnnng of the topc of bhakti n
the foowng words:
yoginm api sarve mad-gatenntar-tman
raddhvn bhaate yo m sa me yuktatamo mata
But I consder he who worshps Me wth fath, wth mnd attached
to Me, to be greater than a types of yogs. %# 6.47
Ar|una, desrng to hear about the superorty of bhakti, even f t s n
summary, asks a queston. The devotees descrbed as beng constanty
engaged, worshp You as ymasundara, mentoned at the end of the
ast chapter wth - mat-karma-kn mat-parama (%# 11.55). Others
worshp the Brahman (akara) wth no quates (avyakta means
nirviea) descrbed n the rutis wth statements such as etad vai tad
akara grgi brhma abhivadanty asth&"am anav ahrasvamB O Grg,
that akara, whch s not wde, not sma and not short, s caed
Brahman. (%had >rayaka Apaniad 3.8.9) Among these two types of
persons who know yoga, who are the best knowers of yoga (yoga-
vittama)? Who know the best process for attanng You? Or, do they
not know the process for attanng You?
In a comparson nvovng two tems, usuay the form yoga-vittara
(whch of the two types know yoga better) woud be used. The word
yoga-vittama shoud be understood to suggest that among the better of
the two types of knowers of yoga (yoga-vittarD+ who are the best
knowers of yoga (yoga-vittamD?
r-bhagavn uvca
mayy veya mano ye m nitya-yukt upsate '
raddhay parayopets te me yuktatam mat ''0''
2. The Lord sad: I consder those who worshp Me, desrng to
assocate wth Me constanty, absorbng ther mnds n Me, endowed
fath beyond the guas, to be the best knowers of yoga.
Among them, My devotees are the best. Those who absorb ther mnds
n Me, ymasundara, those who desre to be constanty unted wth
Me (nitya-yukt), wth fath whch s beyond the guas (paray
raddhay)--they, My ananya-bhaktas, are the best knowers of yoga
(yuktatam).
Concernng fath, t s sad:
sttviky dhytmik raddh karma-raddh tu ras
tmasy adharme y raddh mat-sevy tu nirgu
Fath drected toward sprtua fe s n the mode of goodness,
fath rooted n frutve work s n the mode of passon, fath
resdng n rregous actvtes s n the mode of gnorance, but
Eaith in *y devotiona" service is pure"y transcendenta". 5%
11.25.27
From ths t shoud be nferred that nferor to these ananya-bhaktas are
those havng bhakti mxed wth !na, karma or other processes, who
are caed yoga-vittar. Thus t shown here that bhakti s better than
!na, and that, among the types of bhakti, anany bhakti s the best.
ye tv akaram anirdeyam avyakta paryupsate '
sarvatra-gam acintya ca k&a-stham aca"a dhruvam ''1''
sanniyamyendriya-grma sarvatra sama-buddhaya '
te prpnuvanti mm eva sarva-bh&ta-hite rat ''2''
3-4. But those who worshp the unnamed, formess entty, a-
pervadng n space and tme, the nconcevabe, unchangng, eterna
Brahman, competey subdung ther senses, ookng on a thngs
equay, ntent on the wefare of a, attan Me aone-- n the form of
mpersona Brahman.
Those who worshp My mpersona svar&pa known as Brahman are
nferor because of ther state of sufferng. Ths the Lord states n two
verses. Those who worshp the Brahman (akaram) whch s not
possbe to desgnate (anirdeyam), because t s wthout form or other
quates (avyaktam), whch s spread everywhere (sarvatra-gam),
beyond ogc (acintyam) and extendng over a tme (k&a-stham),
devod of ncrease or other change (aca"am) and eterna (dhruvam),
attan Me n the form the mpersona Brahman. He says that they
attan "Me" because the Brahman s non-dfferent from the Lord.
;mara Foa says that k&asha means "that whch pervades tme wth
one form."
k"eo dhikataras tem avyaktsakta-cetasm '
avyakt hi gatir dukha dehavadbhir avpyate ''3''
5. Those who are attached to the mpersona reazaton encounter
extreme dffcutes. The unmanfest goa brngs sufferng to those who
have bodes.
Ths verse descrbes a tte of ther nferor poston. Those who are
attracted to ony Brahman (avyaktsakta-cetasm), who desre ony
reazaton of Brahman, undergo excessve dffcutes n attanng t,
because (hi) by what means at a can somethng wthout quates be
made manfest? That goa s attaned by the vas endowed wth bodes
(dehavadbhi) ony by undergong sufferng (dukham). The senses have
the power for partcuar knowedge such as sound, not for somethng
whch does not possess partcuar quates. Therefore, stoppng of the
senses s necessary for those who desre knowedge of the mpersona
wthout partcuar quates (nirviea). But stoppng the senses s ke
stoppng rvers. Stoppng the senses s dffcut. Sanat Kumra says:
yat-pda-pa/kaa-pa"a-vi"sa-bhakty
karmaya grathitam udgrathayanti santa
tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo pi ruddha-
sroto-gas tam araa bhaa vsudevam
The devotees, who are aways engaged n the servce of the toes
of the otus feet of the Lord, can very easy overcome hard-
knotted desres for frutve actvtes. Because ths s very
dffcut, the non-devotees-the !ns and yogs -athough
tryng to stop the waves of sense gratfcaton, cannot do so.
Therefore you are advsed to engage n the devotona servce of
Ka, the son of Vasudeva. 5% 4.22.39
kcchro mahn iha bhavravam ap"ave
a(-varga-nakram asukhena titranti
tat tva harer bhagavato bhaanyam a/ghri
ktvo(upa vyasanam uttara dustarram
The ocean of nescence s very dffcut to cross because t s
nfested wth many dangerous sharks. Athough those who are
non-devotees undergo severe austertes and penances to cross
that ocean, we recommend that you smpy take sheter of the
otus feet of the Lord, whch are ke boats for crossng the ocean.
Athough the ocean s dffcut to cross, by takng sheter of Hs
otus feet you w overcome a dangers. 5% 4.22.40
Furthermore, even that goa of mpersona Brahman whch s attaned
by such sufferng s attaned ony by havng a mxture wth bhakti.
Wthout bhakti to the Lord, the worshppers of the mpersona Brahman
obtan ony sufferng, and not Brahman. Brahm says:
tem asau k"ea"a eva iyate
nnyad yath sth&"a-tuvaghtinm
As a person who beats an empty husk of wheat cannot get gran,
one who smpy specuates cannot acheve sef-reazaton. Hs
ony gan s troube. 5% 10.14.4
ye tu sarvi karmi mayi sannyasya mat-par '
ananyenaiva yogena m dhyyanta upsate ''-''
tem aha samuddhart mtyu-sasra-sgart '
bhavmi na cirt prtha mayy veita-cetasm ''7''
6-7. O son of Pth, I qucky dever from the ocean of repeated brth
and death those who medtate on Me and worshp Me wth anany
bhakti, havng surrendered to Me and gven up a other processes for
attanng Me.
But the devotees, even wthout !na, by keva" bhakti aone,
comfortaby attan beraton from sasra. Havng gven up (sannyasya
means tyga or renuncaton) a other process for the purpose of
attanng Me (mayi), they worshp Me by anany bhakti-yoga (ananyena
yogena)-whch s devod of karma, !na, tapas or other eements. It s
sad:
yat karmabhir yat tapas !na-vairgyata ca yat
yogena dna-dharmea reyobhir itarair api
sarva mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto "abhate!as
svargpavarga mad-dhma katha!cid yadi v!chati
Everythng that can be acheved by frutve actvtes, penance,
knowedge, detachment, mystc yoga, charty, regous dutes
and a other means of perfectng fe s easy acheved by My
devotee through ovng servce unto Me. If somehow or other My
devotee desres promoton to heaven, beraton, or resdence n
My abode, he easy acheves such benedctons. 5% 11.20.32-33
In the *oka 6harma, Nryaya porton t aso says:
y vai sdhana m sampatti pururtha catuaye
tay vin tad apnoti naro nryaraya
Whatever among the four goas of human fe can be acheved by
varous sprtua practces s automatcay acheved wthout such
endeavors by the person who has taken sheter of Lord
Nryaa, the refuge of a persons.
"St, what s the method by whch they cross sasra?"
"There s no queston about the method by whch they cross sasra,
because wthout even havng a method, I take them over t. I qucky
become ther deverer from the ocean of sasra." Imped here s that
the Lord has affecton for Hs devotees, but not for the !ns.
mayy eva mana dhatsva mayi buddhi niveaya '
nivasiyasi mayy eva ata &rdhva na saaya ''8''
8. Concentrate your mnd ony on Me. Fx your ntegence on Me. You
w attan resdence wth Me after eavng the body, wthout doubt.
"Snce bhakti s the best, pease perform ony bhakti." He teaches ths
bhakti n three verses.
The word eva excudes the mpersona aspect of the Lord. Concentrate
your mnd on Me ony, remember ony Me (mayy eva mana dhatsva),
that form of ymasundara, wth yeow coth and forest garand--and
not the mpersona Brahman. And aso, fx your ntegence, whch has
the power of dscrmnaton, upon Me. Ths means to contnuay refect
on the statements of scrpture usng ntegence, whch w resut n
medtaton. Such contempaton s caed manana. Thus, you w attan
resdence near Me. @ivasiyasi s a poetc form of nivatsyasi (future of
nivas) for metrca purpose.
atha citta samdhtu na aknoi mayi sthiram '
abhysa-yogena tato mm icchptu dhana!aya ''9''
9. Otherwse, f you are not abe to concentrate your mnd on Me
steady, then seek to attan Me by the method of repetton of fxng
your mnd on Me, O conqueror of weath.
The Lord then speaks of a method to attan the state of remembrance
mentoned above, f one s unabe to remember the Lord wth no
preparaton. Repeatedy wthdrawng the mnd when t goes here and
there, and fxng the mnd on Me s caed abhysa. By ths method of
abhysa (abhysa-yogena), endeavor to attan Me.
In common words, ths means, "Stop the movement of mnd, whch ke
a rver cannot be controed, and whch gravtates to vugar sense
ob|ects such as taste, and estabsh the mnds movement n My
beautfu form and taste. O Dhana|aya, havng conquered many
enemes, you have taken much weath. Now, conquerng the mnd, you
can take the treasure of medtaton."
abhyse py asamartho si mat-karma-paramo bhava '
mad-artham api karmi kurvan siddhim avpsyasi ''):''
10. If you are unabe to practce n ths manner, then perform
transcendenta servces for Me. Performng actvtes for My peasure,
you w attan perfecton.
"As the tongue contamnated by |aundce does not ke sugar candy, so
the mnd contamnated by gnorance does not accept Your form, even
though t s sweet. Therefore, t s not possbe for me to combat ths
very strong, uncontroabe mnd."
"If you shoud thnk n ths way, then I answer wth these words."
"Become engaged n My supreme actvtes, n actvtes meant for the
hghest beneft (mat-karma-parama). Dong servces (karmi kurvan)
such as hearng and sngng about Me, bowng to Me, worshpng Me,
sweepng and washng My tempe, pckng fowers,
142
even wthout
remembrance of Me as prevousy descrbed, you w attan perfecton
(siddhim), characterzed by beng one of My assocates n prema."
athaitad apy aakto si kartu mad-yogam rita '
sarva-karma-pha"a-tyga tata kuru yattmavn ''))''
11. If you cannot do ths, take sheter of dedcatng a prescrbed
actons to Me. Whe controng your mnd, act wth detachment from
the resuts of the work.
If you are unabe to do ths, then takng sheter of the process of
offerng a your actons to Me (mad-yogam rita), gve up a the
resuts of your actons as descrbed n the frst sx chapters (karma-
yoga).
The meanng s ths. In the frst sx chapters, the Lord spoke of
nikma-karma-yoga offered to the Lord, a method to attan beraton.
In the second sx chapters, the Lord spoke of bhakti-yoga, the method of
ganng the Lord Hmsef. %hakti-yoga has two types: beng fxed n
bhakti through nterna senses, and beng fxed n bhakti through
externa senses.
The frst type of bhakti, usng nterna senses, has three sub categores:
smaraa tmika and manana tmika (mentoned n verse 8, usng mnd
and nteect), and for those who desre remembrance, but cannot do
contnua remembrance, practce of the above, caed abhysa-r&pa
(verse 9). These three are dffcut for a person wth poor ntegence,
and easy to perform for one wth good nteect and no offenses.
The second type, reyng on externa senses, s composed of hearng
and chantng (verse 10). It s easy to perform for everyone. Those who
are quafed for performng both methods (nterna and externa) are
most outstandng. Ths was stated n the second sx chapters. Those
142
These are externa actvtes of bhakti.
who cannot do ths, who do not have fath n fxng the senses on the
Lord, those who are quafed for nikma-karma offered to the Lord as
mentoned n the frst sx chapters of the #t , are n an nferor
poston to the devotees (verse 11).
reyo hi !nam abhys !nd dhyna viiyate '
dhynt karma-pha"a-tygas tygc chntir anantaram '')0''
12. *anana s better than practce, but medtaton s better than
manana. From medtaton, one easy becomes detached from the
resuts of work n the form of bhukti and mukti. From ths detachment
one fnay attans astng peace (absorbng hs senses ony n Me.)
In ths verse, the Lord makes cear the successve superorty of
abhysa, manana and smaraa (medtaton) mentoned prevousy.
Better than practce s fxng the ntegence on Me (!nam or
mananam). By performng practce aone, t s dffcut to acheve
medtaton. By performng manana, easy one can come to medtaton.
Therefore, by ths dstncton, t s concuded that medtaton (mayi
mana dhatsva, or smaraa) s better than !na (manana). Why? From
medtaton one becomes devod of desre for fruts of sakma-karma n
the form of Svarga, and the fruts of nikma-karma n the form of
beraton. Even though Svarga and beraton are attaned wthout hs
endeavor, the devotee becomes ndfferent to them. Before the
devotee reaches steady medtaton, when he has not yet attaned rati
(bhva), he has |ust a desre to gve up beraton. But when he
becomes fxed n medtaton (at bhva stage), he becomes dsgusted
wth moka. He takes beraton as nsgnfcant. That medtaton s the
cause for ndfference to moka. Ths s stated n %hakti Iasmta
5indhu, where bhakti s gorfed wth sx quates:
k"ea-ghn ubhad moka-"aghutkt sudur"abh
sndrnanda-vietm r-kkara ca s
%hakti s characterzed by destructon of sufferng, bestowa of
good quates, dsregard for beraton, rarty, ntense sprtua
bss and attractng even Ka.
143
%hakti Iasmta 5indhu
1.1.17
na pramehya na mahendra-dhiya
na srvabhauma na rasdhipatyam
na yoga-siddhr apunar-bhava v
mayy arpittmecchati mad vinnyat
The devotee who has offered hs sou to Me does not want
anythng f t s separate from Me-not the poston of the
supreme demgod of the unverse, Brahm, nor that of Lord
Indra, nor kngshp over the entre earth or over the ower
panetary systems, nor the mystc perfectons of yoga, nor even
freedom from the cyce of rebrth. 5% 11.14.14
In that verse, the phrase mayy arpita tm means "fxed n dhyna on
Me."
After deveopng dstaste for the fruts of acton, he then attans peace
n the form of stoppng the senses from dweng on a ob|ects except
My form and quates. Ths expanaton drecty nks the successon of
stages from the two words reya and viiyate n the frst ne to
anantaram n the second ne. No other expanaton can be consdered.
adve sarva-bh&tn maitra karua eva ca '
nirmamo niraha/kra sama-dukha-sukha kam '')1''
santua satata yog yattm d(ha-nicaya '
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir yo mad-bhakta sa me priya '')2''
13-14. That devotee who s wthout hatred towards any person, who s
a frend to a vng enttes, who s mercfu, wthout possessveness,
wthout fase dentfcaton wth hs body, who s equa n happness
and dstress, toerant, satsfed wth what comes of ts own accord,
constanty engaged n bhakti-yoga, restraned n mnd, fxed n
determnaton, and wth mnd and ntegence offered to Me, s dear to
Me.
143
The frst two quates appearng durng sdhana-bhakti, the second two, ncudng
ndfference to beraton, appear durng bhva-bhakti, or rati. The ast two quates
appear n prema-bhakti. The state of medtaton s equated wth bhva-bhakti. One s
naturay detached from both bhukti and mukti at that stage, achevng karma-pha"a-
tyga mentoned n ths verse.
What s the descrpton of the devotee who has attaned such peace? In
response to ths queston, the dfferent natures of many types of
devotees are descrbed n eght verses.
;dvea means that a person does not have hatred even for those who
hate onesef. Rather one has frendness towards them (maitra). One
s mercfu to them, thnkng that they shoud not end up n unfortunate
crcumstances (karua).
"But by havng what type of dscrmnatng powers can one attan
frendness and mercy even to enemes?"
"One shoud not make dstnctons at a. By non-possessveness of
chdren and wfe (nirmama), by not thnkng of the body as the sef
(niraha/kra), My devotee never deveops hatred towards others. Why
shoud he accept such dstnctons, f he wants to reduce sufferng
produced from hatred (a dstncton)?"
"But then one w be sufferng pan n the body by gettng punched or
kcked by others."
"It s sad by Sva:
nryaa-par sarve na kutacana bibhyati
svargpavarga-narakev api tu"yrtha-darina
Devotees soey engaged n the devotona servce of the
Supreme Personaty of Godhead, Nryaa, never fear any
condton of fe. For them the heaveny panets, beraton and
the hesh panets are a the same, for such devotees are
nterested ony n the servce of the Lord. 5% 6.17.28
Thus one shoud consder happness and dstress equay (sama-
dukha-sukham). Moreover, that person thnks that he shoud
necessary endure hs prrabdha-karmas.
144
In beng equa to happness
and dstress, he shoud be toerant of the sufferng (kam)." Fam
means havng toerance, comng from the root kam meanng to
endure.
"But how w such a devotee be abe to mantan hs fe?"
144
=rrabdha-karmas are those whch w manfest resuts n ths fetme. ;prrabdha-
karmas w manfest n future bodes, though the acts have been commtted n past
ves.
"He s satsfed to eat what comes of ts own accord, or wth very tte
effort (santuha)."
"But snce You have sad that one shoud be equa n happness and
dstress, then how can one express satsfacton (santuta) wth
gettng somethng to eat?"
"That person s constanty engaged n bhakti-yoga (satata yog). He s
actng for the purpose of attanng perfecton n bhakti.
145
It s sad:
hrrtha yatataiva yukta tat-pra-dhraam
tattva vimyate tena tad vi!ya para vraet
If requred, one shoud endeavor to get suffcent foodstuffs,
because t s aways necessary and proper to mantan ones
heath. When the senses, mnd and fe ar are ft, one can
contempate sprtua truth, and by understandng the truth one
s berated. 5% 11.18.34
"Moreover, f by chance he does not attan hs requred food, hs mnd
s restraned (yata tm); t s wthout agtaton. Even f hs mnd
happens to become dsturbed, he does not resort to a/ga-yoga or
other processes to brng about peace. He remans convnced that he
shoud ony perform anany bhakti (d(ha-nicaya). Hs devoton does
not become weakened. The cause of a of ths s mentoned: he s
absorbed n medtatng on and contempatng Me (mayy arpita mano
buddhi). Such a devotee greaty peases Me (me priya)."
yasmn nodviate "oko "okn nodviate ca ya '
harmara-bhayodvegair mukto ya sa ca me priya '')3''
15. He who does not agtate others, nor s agtated by others, he who
s free from matera emotons such as |oy, |eaousy, fear and anxety,
s dear to Me.
Moreover, t s sad:
yasysti bhaktir bhagavaty aki!can
sarvair guais tatra samsate sur
145
He w express satsfacton because t s hepfu for hm to execute bhakti-yoga.
One who has unfnchng devoton for the Personaty of Godhead
has a the good quates of the demgods. 5% 5.18.12
By ths statement t s understood that other quates whch pease the
Lord aso automatcay appear by the constant performance of bhakti
to Me. Pease hear about these. Fve verses descrbe these quates.
The quates mentoned here--beng freed from matera |ubaton,
anger, fear and anxety--are mentoned agan n verse 17 n order to
show the dffcuty n becomng free from those eements.
anapeka ucir daka udsno gata-vyatha '
sarvrambha-parityg yo mad-bhakta sa me priya '')-''
16. He who s devod of expectatons from hs work, s cean, skfu n
a stuatons, detached from other persons, wthout dstress, and who
re|ects a undertakngs, s dear to Me.
;napeka means devod of expectatons from matera work. Adsna
means to be unattached to matera persons. He has the quaty of
gvng up a matera endeavors n the present and future, and even
some sprtua endeavors such as teachng scrpture (sarvrambha-
parityg).
yo na hyati na dvei na ocati na k/kati '
ubhubha-parityg bhaktimn ya sa me priya '')7''
17. The devotee who nether re|oces or hates, nether aments nor
hankers, who gves up a snfu and pous actons, s dear to Me.
sama atrau ca mitre ca tath mnpamnayo '
toa-sukha-dukheu sama sa/ga-vivarita '')8''
tu"ya-nind-stutir maun santuo yena kenacit '
aniketa sthira-matir bhaktimn me priyo nara '')9''
18-19. The devotee who s equa to enemy and frend, equa n respect
or dsrespect, n cod or heat, happness or dstress, who s free from
attachments, equa n crtcsm or prase, sent, satsfed wth whatever
s there, unattached to hs house, and steady n mnd, s dear to Me.

;niketa means that he s not attached to hs matera house.
ye tu dharmmtam ida yathokta paryupsate '
raddadhn mat-param bhakts te tva me priy ''0:''
20. But those devotees who competey take up the nectar of these
quates |ust taught, who are fu of fath and most devoted, are most
dear to Me.
Summarzng the quates fxed n varous types of Hs devotees whch
He has |ust mentoned, the Lord now descrbes the resut of hearng
and deberatng on the these quates by devotees desrous of
obtanng a those quates. Snce these quates arse from sense
contro (nti, mentoned n verse 12), whch n turn arses from bhakti,
they are thus not matera quates. bhakty tuyati ko a guai:
Ka s peased by bhakti, not by good matera quates. (=adyva" 8)
Such statements are nnumerabe n the scrptures.
Hu here ndcates dfferentaton. The varous devotees prevousy
mentoned were fxed n ther ndvdua natures wth certan quates.
But those practtoners who desre a of the quates of a the types of
devotees are superor to those |ust mentoned, who have attaned ony
some of the quates. Therefore, the word atva (surpassngy) s used.
Such devotees, who take up a the quates, are even dearer to Me.
146

The astonshng quates of bhakti, whch s supreme and bssfu,
whose goa can be attaned by a, and whch s easy to perform, have
been expaned n ths chapter. Though t has been shown that !na s
btter ke nma frut and bhakti s sweet ke grape |uce, st, these two
processes are taken up ther respectve foowers who crave that
partcuar taste.
Thus end the commentares on the twefth chapter of the #t , to gve
|oy to the hearts of devotees, through the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Thrteen
aruna uvca
prakti purua caiva ketra ketra-!am eva ca
etad veditum icchmi !na !eya ca keava '')''
1. Ar|una sad: O Keava, I desre to know about prakti+ purua, the
fed and knower of the fed, as we as the process of knowng and the
ob|ect of knowedge.
147
146
=aryupsate means "to competey take up."
147
Ths verse s omtted n some edtons.
Let me offer my respects to the Lords bhakti, whch, by ts mercy,
resdes wthn !na and other processes to a sma degree n order to
brng about success n those processes. In the ast sx chapters of the
#t, !na mxed wth bhakti s deneated. Wthn these sx chapters,
keva" bhakti aso s shown ndrecty to be supreme. In the thrteenth
chapter, the body where va and Paramtm resde, the practce of
!na, the va and prakti are descrbed.
In the mdde sx chapters, t was mentoned that by keva" bhakti one
attans the Lord, Bhagavn, and three other methods of worshp,
startng wth worshp of onesef, were then descrbed. Lberaton
arsng from !na mxed wth bhakti practced by foowers of nikma-
karma-yoga and the process of !na were brefy descrbed n the frst
sx chapters. The thrd sx chapters expan ths !na n deta by frst
examnng the fed, the knower of the fed, the process of knowedge
and the ob|ect of knowedge.
r-bhagavn uvca
ida arra kaunteya ketram ity abhidhyate '
etad yo vetti ta prhu ketra-!a iti tad-vida ''0''
2. The Lord sad: O son of Kunt, ths body s caed the fed. Those n
knowedge ca the person who knows ths fed the knower of the fed.
Ths verse answers the queston "What s the fed and who s the
knower of the fed?" Ths body wth senses, the abode of en|oyment,
s the fed, snce t s the bass for sproutng the tree of repeated
brths. He who knows that body n terms of "I and mne" n the
condtoned state due hs attachment to that body, and he who, beng
devod of the concepton of "I and mne" n the berated state, knows
that he s not attached to that body, s the va. He s caed the knower
of the fed, stuated n these two condtons. Lke one who poughs the
fed, he s the knower of the fed, and s the en|oyer of the frut. The
Lord says:
adanti caika pha"am asya gdhr
grme-car ekam araya-vs
has ya eka bahu-r&pam iyair
my-maya veda sa veda vedam
Those usty after matera en|oyment and dedcated to famy fe
en|oy one of the trees fruts, and swanke men n the renounced
order of fe en|oy the other frut. One who wth the hep of the
bona fde sprtua masters can understand ths tree to be a
manfestaton of the potency of the one Supreme Truth
appearng n many forms actuay knows the meanng of the
Vedc terature. 5% 11.12.23
The meanng of ths verse from %hgavatam s as foows. #dhra
means "those who desre."
148
Those who have desre and who move n
socety, the condtoned vas, eat one frut of the tree caed dstress,
because the tree has the abty to generate dstress, even wth ts
rpened fruts of Svarga. The swans, whch ve n the forest, the
berated vas, eat another frut caed happness, because the tree has
abty to generate happness n the form of beraton. Thus, the one
tree of sasra has many forms snce t has the capacty to et one
attan he, Svarga, and beraton. It s caed my-mayam, made of
my, because t s generated from the Lords my-akti. He who
knows ths tree wth the hep of the worshpabe gurus (iyai) knows
the $edas.
Had-vida n the #t verse refers to persons who know the fed and
the knower of the fed.
ketra-!a cpi m viddhi sarva-ketreu bhrata '
ketra-ketra!ayor !na yat ta !na mata mama ''1''
3. O descendent of Bharata, know that I aso am the knower of the fed
n a bodes. Accordng to Me, knowedge means knowedge of the fed
and knowedge of the two types of knowers of the fed.
It has been sad that the va s the knower of the fed because of hs
knowedge of hs body. But the Paramtm aso s the knower of the
fed because He knows a bodes competey. "Know that I, the
Paramtm stuated as the montor n a the bodes, am the knower of
the fed. Each va has knowedge of hs partcuar body, but not of a
bodes. But I, though one person, have knowedge of a bodes
competey." Ths dstncton shoud be understood. What s
knowedge? Knowedge of the va and Paramtm, both knowers of
the fed, aong wth knowedge of the fed, s caed knowedge
accordng to Me.
148
Ths word aso means "vuture."
Expanng ths verse n a dfferent way, sayng that there s ony one
va n exstence, one knower of the fed,
149
cannot be accepted, snce
that opnon s contradcted by the ater statement uttama puruas tv
anya paramtmety udhta: but there s another supreme person
caed the Paramtm. (15.17)
tat ketra yac ca ydk ca yad-vikri yata ca yat '
sa ca yo yat-prabhva ca tat samsena me u ''2''
4. Hear from Me brefy what s the composton of ths fed, what are
ts quates, what are ts transformatons, from where t orgnates, by
what varetes t s known, who s the knower and what are hs powers.
Now the Lord begns to eaborate on what He has sad prevousy n
abbrevated form.
Hear from Me n bref of what the body conssts (yac ca)-- a
congomeraton of fve gross eements, pra, senses and other thngs;
what quates t exhbts (yadk)-- such as desre and hatred; what ts
transformatons are (yad-vikri)-nto desrabe or undesrabe thngs;
from what t arses (yata)--from the combnaton of matter and sou;
by what t s dstngushed (yat)--by dfferences among varous movng
or non-movng bodes; and who (ya) s he (sa)--the knower of the
fed--the va and the Paramtm.
The neuter form snguar yat and tat are used nstead of the mascune,
though va, Paramtm and the fed are referred to, by the rue of
grammar napusakam anapusakennaikavac ca (;dhyy, Pn
1.2.69). If there s a group of tems wth the same base of varous
genders ncudng neuter, the neuter gender can be used to ndcate a
of them. Ths operaton s caed eka-ea (snge remander).
ibhir bahudh gta chandobhir vividhai pthak '
brahma-s&tra-padai caiva hetumadbhir vinicitai ''3''
5. Ths has been descrbed by many is, by many verses of the $edas
and by the ogca, very decsve words of the %rahma 5&tras.
"You are descrbng ths brefy. Who then has descrbed ths n deta?"
149
Ths s the case n Myvda phosophy. Baadeva n hs commentary expans
and defeats ths nterpretaton.
It has been descrbed by is such as Vasha n the scrptures
deang wth yoga, by the $edas (chandobhih) and by the words of the
%rahma 5&tras. The %rahma 5&tras, through ther words (padai) such
as athto brahma i!sa ($ednta-s&tra 1.1) make known (padyate)
Brahman. But what type of words are they? They are words of ogc
(hetumadbhir), whch are very decsve (vieata nicitai). Exampes
are as foows:
kater nabdam
Brahman s not nexpressbe by words, because t s seen that t
s conveyed through the words n the $edas. $ednta-s&tra 1.1.5
nandamayo bhyst
The word nandamaya refers to para brahman because of the
repeated use of the word brahman n reaton to t. $ednta-s&tra
1.1.13
mah-bh&tny aha/kro buddhir avyaktam eva ca '
indriyi daaika ca pa!ca cendriya-gocar ''-''
icch dvea sukha dukha sa/ghta cetan dhti '
etat ketra samsena sa-vikram udhtam ''7''
6-7. The fed n bref s sad to consst of the fve gross eements, fase
ego, mahat-tattva+ prakti, the ten senses, the mnd and the fve sense
ob|ects, desre, hatred, happness and dstress, the body, and
conscous determnaton, aong wth ts transformatons.
In ths verse, the nature of the fed s descrbed. *ahbh&tni refers to
ether, ar, fre, water and earth. ;ha/kra refers to fase ego, the cause
of the mahbh&tas. %uddhi refers to mahat-tattva, composed of vi!na,
the cause of aha/kra. ;vyakta refers to prakti, the cause of mahat-
tattva. Xndriyi refers to the ten senses: eye, ear, nose, skn, tongue,
hands, feet, genta, anus and voce. Qka refers to the mnd. The fve
indriya-gocar are the sense ob|ects--sound, touch, form, taste and
sme. The fed s made of these twenty four eements.
150

5a/ghta s the body, evovng from the twenty four eements. Xcch+
dvea+ sukha and dukha are we known. Petan s the menta functon
150
4ac ca of verse 3, "what s the fed composed of," has been descrbed here.
consttuted of knowedge. 6hti s perseverance. Xcch and other
quates mentoned n ths verse are quates of the mnd not the sou,
and thus they are ncuded n the fed.
151
These are representatve of
sa/ka"pa and other quates mentoned n the ruti (not beng an
exhaustve st of the quates of the mnd):
kma sa/ka"po vicikits raddh dhtir hrr dhr bhr ity etat
sarva mana eva
Desre, determnaton, uncertanty, fath, ack of fath,
perseverance, ack of perseverance, humty, ntegence, and
fear are a products of the mnd. %had >rayaka Apaniad 1.5.3
By ths st, the quates of the fed whch was prevousy promsed by
the word yadk n verse 3 have been shown. Ths fed whch has sx
transformatons (savikra), such as brth and growth,
152
has thus been
brefy descrbed (udhtam).
amnitvam adambhitvam ahis kntir ravam '
cryopsana auca sthairyam tma-vinigraha ''8''
indriyrtheu vairgyam anaha/kra eva ca '
anma-mtyu-ar-vydhi-dukha-donudaranam ''9''
asaktir anabhiva/ga putra-dra-ghdiu '
nitya ca sama-cittatvam iniopapattiu ''):''
mayi cnanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicri '
vivikta-dea-sevitvam aratir ana-sasadi ''))''
adhytma-!na-nityatva tattva-!nrtha-daranam '
eta !nam iti proktam a!na yad atonyath '')0''
7-12. Freedom from prde; ack of ostentaton; non-voence;
forbearance; sncerty; worshp of the teacher; purty; steadness;
contro of the mnd; detachment from en|oyment of sense ob|ects; ack
of dentfcaton wth body; understandng that a states of exstence
such as brth, death, od age and dsease gve rse to sufferng;
freedom from attachment to others, ack of dentfcaton wth the
condton of sons and others; equanmty of mnd n the face of
desrabe or undesrabe events; devoton to me wth undevatng
attenton; resortng to sotary paces wth dstaste for crowds; constant
engagement n knowedge of the sef; and aways keepng n mnd the
151
Ths does not mean, however, that the sou does not have quates such as
perseverance.
152
The sx transformatons are brth, growth, mantenance, maturty, decne and
death.
goa of beraton--a of these are decared to be knowedge. What s
otherwse s gnorance.
The two knowers of the fed, the va and Paramtm, whch are to be
known by dstngushng them from the fed |ust mentoned w be
descrbed n deta. The twenty factors to be used for ganng that
knowedge are frst mentoned n fve verses. Of these, eghteen are
common to both the devotees and the !ns. However the devotees
zeaousy engage n the one eement mentoned n the eeventh verse,
mayi cnanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicri. The other seventeen tems
manfest automatcay for those who engage n that one tem. The
bhaktas do not devote effort to the seventeen tems ndvduay. Ths s
the tradton. The ast two tems are especay for the !ns. The
meanng of the tems such as amnitva s cear, therefore no comments
are gven.

,auca refers to both nterna and externa ceanness. The smti says:
auca ca dvividha prokta bhyam abhyantara tath
m-a"bhy smta bhya bhva-uddhis tathntaram
There are two types of ceanness descrbed, nterna and
externa. Externa ceanness s by water and earth. Interna
ceanness s purty of mnd.
153

;nudaranam means to observe constanty the detrmenta effect of
sorrow, caused by brth, death, od age and dsease.
;sakti means to gve up affecton for sons and others.
;nbhiva/ga means of ack of dentfcaton wth the happness and
dstress of sons and others.
5ama-cittatvam means to reman cam n the face of recevng ether
favorabe or unfavorabe treatment or events.
One shoud have bhakti, unmxed wth karma, !na, tapa or yoga (mayi
ananya yogena bhaktir avyabhicri), unto Me, ymasundara. The
word ca here ndcates that bhakti may aso be performed wth a sght
mxture of !na or other eements (!na-mira-bhakti). The frst, the
unmxed type, w be executed by the devotees. The second type w
be executed by the !ns. Some devotees say however that ths
153
There s a smar verse n ,andi"ya ApaniadB auca nma dvividha bhyam
ntara ceti
tatra m a"bhy bhyam mana uddhir ntaram
statement, beng n the ast sx chapters, s for showng that |ust as
anany bhakti produces prema, t s aso necessary to practce for
reazaton of Paramtm. And f the sentence refers ony to !ns,
then the phrase ananya yogena means "by thnkng of everythng as
tm." ;vyabhicri means that one shoud do t day. Madhusdana
Sarasvat says the word avyabhicri refers to bhakti whch cannot be
stopped by any means at a.
;dhytma-!na means knowedge reated to the tm. One shoud
engage onesef n that knowedge constanty. Ths means that one
shoud be fxed n the purty of the sef (adhytma-!na-nityatvam). One
shoud aways keep n mnd ones goa of moka n ones cutvaton of
knowedge of truth (tattva-!nrtha-daranam).
These twenty eements are the common means of attanng knowedge
of va and Paramtm. (C!nam here refers to the means of knowedge
rather than knowedge tsef). The addtona methods necessary for
reazng Paramtm w be expaned ater. Dong the opposte of ths,
such as exhbtng prde nstead of ack of prde, s caed gnorance.
!eya yat tat pravakymi ya !tvmtam anute '
andi mat para brahma na sat tan nsad ucyate '')1''
13. I w now speak about the ob|ect of knowedge, knowng whch you
w attan beraton. Ths supreme Brahman, Paramtm, s wthout
begnnng, takng sheter of Me, and beyond matera cause and effect.
Thus, by means of the methods mentoned above, one shoud know
the va and Paramtm. The Paramtm however s present n a
bengs and s known as Brahman. That Brahman s worshped by the
devotees as persona, wth quates, and by the !ns as mpersona,
wth no quates. As the ob|ect of medtaton wth four hands stuated
wthn the body, Brahman s known as Paramtm. Ths verse speaks
of that Brahman frst.
That form has no begnnng (andiD. That means that snce t s Hs
svar&pa, t s eterna. *at-param means "of whch I aone am the
supreme sheter (para)." What s t? It s caed brahman (Paramtm),
of whch I aone am the supreme sheter, and whch s beyond cause
and effect (na sad na asad). The Lord w ater say brahmao hi
pratihhamB I am the bass of Brahman.
sarvata pi-pda tat sarvato ki-iro-mukham '
sarvata rutima" "oke sarvam vtya tihati '')2''
14. Everywhere ths Brahman has Hs hands and feet. Everywhere
Brahman has Hs eyes, heads and mouths. Everywhere are Hs ears.
Brahman covers everythng n the unverse.
The doubt may arse that f ths Brahman s wthout cause and effect,
then that contradcts the statements of ruti such as sarva kha"v ida
brahma (Phndogya Apaniad 3.14) and brahmaiveda sarvam (*u(aka
Apaniad 2.2.12): everythng s Brahman.
Though Brahman n ts essenta nature s beyond cause and effect,
ths Brahman (Paramtm) s aso cause and effect because of non-
dfference between the energy and the source of energy.
154
That s
stated n ths verse. Ths Brahman has Hs hands and feet everywhere.
By the manfestaton everywhere of hands and feet of a creatures
from Lord Brahm down to the ant (Hs effects), one can say that
Brahman s endowed wth countess hands and feet. Smary, Hs
eyes, head, and face are everywhere.
sarvendriya-gubhsa sarvendriya-vivaritam '
asakta sarva-bhc caiva nirgua gua-bhokt ca '')3''
15. That Brahman umnates a the senses and sense ob|ects, but s
devod of a matera senses. He s wthout attachment, but mantans
everythng. He s wthout matera guas, but He s the en|oyer of a
guas.
He umnates a the senses and sense ob|ects (gua). The ruti says
tac cakua caku (Fena Apaniad 1.2): He nspres the sght of the
eye. Or the meanng can be "He shnes forth or s endowed wth a the
senses and ob|ects of the senses such as sound." He however s aso
wthout a senses (sarvendriya vivaritam). Ths means He s wthout
matera senses. Thus the ruti says:
api-pdo avano graht payaty acaku sa oty akara.
154
The Lord s the creator of matera bodes snce prakti produces the bodes, but
prakti, beng the energy of the Lord, s non-dfferent from Hm. Thus as prakti, He s
a cause of the matera bodes.
Wthout hands and feet He moves and receves. Wthout eyes He
sees. Wthout ears He hears. ,vetvatara Apaniad 3.1
parsya aktir bahudhaiva r&yate svbhvik !na-ba"a-kriy ca
The energy of the Lord s dvded nto !na, ba"a and kriy aktis.
,vetvatara Apaniad 6.8
Ths meanng s vad because t s we known n the rutis that He s
the abode of the svar&pa akti, Hs sprtua energy.
155
He s wthout
attachment (asaktam), and aso mantans everythng by Hs form of
Vu (sarva-bht). He has a form wthout the matera guas of sattva,
raas and tamas (nirgua). But He s the en|oyer or taster of the sx
guas or bhagas known as aivarya+ vrya+ yaas+ r+ !na and vairgya
(gua-bhokt).
156
bahir anta ca bh&tnm acara caram eva ca '
s&kmatvt tad avi!eya d&ra-stha cntike ca tat '')-''
16. He s outsde and nsde a bengs. He aone s a movng and non-
movng bengs. He s dffcut to understand because of Hs subte
nature. He s far away and aso very near.
He exsts wthn and outsde of a vng enttes, who are Hs products
(bh&tnm means arsng from Hm), |ust as ether and other eements
exsts wthn and outsde a bodes of whch they are the cause. A
non-movng and movng bengs are ony the Lord, snce He s the cause
and they are the effect. He cannot be ceary known (tad avi!eyam). In
other words, for the gnorant, He s stuated far away at mons of
yoanas dstance and for the wse He s near, as f vng n that persons
house, snce He s stuated as the antarym wthn the person. The
ruti says:
155
The Lords energes enabe the Lord to fuf Hs desres, |ust as a vng enttys
senses enabe hm to fuf hs desres. He s therefore not devod of organs to fuf
those desres.
156
The sx quates of Bhagavn are defned as foows. ;ivarya means the Lords
natura contro of everythng. $rya s refers to the Lords nconcevabe potences, by
whch he manfests va and prakti and expands as unmted avatras. 4aa refers
to the Lords ocean of good quates reatng to body, mnd and speech. ,r refers to
the Lords eterna, beautfu, youthfu body. C!na refers to the Lords omnscence.
$airgya refers to the Lords detachment from a matera affars.

d&rt sud&re tad ihntike ca payatsv ihaiva nihita guhym
He s further than far, and very cose. In the body He s stuated
n the heart, n those who see. *u(aka Apaniad 3.1.7
avibhakta ca bh&teu vibhaktam iva ca sthitam '
bh&ta-bhart ca ta !eya grasiu prabhaviu ca '')7''
17. He s undvded, and aso dvded n a the vng enttes. He s to
be known as the mantaner, the destroyer and the creator.
As the cause, whch s one (avibhaktiam), He s stuated n a the
movng and non-movng enttes, and as the effect or product, He s
stuated separatey as each ob|ect. As the form of Nryaa, He s the
protecton of the vng enttes (bh&t-bhart) durng the duraton of
mantenance, the destructon (grahiu) at the tme of pra"aya, and the
creaton of a bengs (prabhaviu) at the tme of creaton. The word
prabhaviu whch usuay means "ord" s taken here as meanng
"what s created" snce the word can aso mean "he who s the product
(prabhavana) because the cause s manfest n the effects."

yotim api ta yotis tamasa param ucyate '
!na !eya !na-gamya hdi sarvasya vihitam '')8''
18. Ths ght of a umnares s sad to be beyond darkness. He s
knowedge, what s to be known, and s obtaned by the process of
knowedge. He s stuated n the heart of a.
Of the sun, moon and other ght bodes, He s the umnator (tad-
yotih), by whch the sun shnes, by whose power ght radates. The
ruti says:
yena suryah tapati teasendhah
By Hs power the sun burns. Haittirya %rhmaa 3.12.9.7, 5
na tatra s&ryo bhti na candra-traka
nem vidyuto bhnti kutoyam agni
tad eva bhntam anubhti sarva
There, the sun does not shne, nor do the moon or stars. There,
ghtnng does not fash, what to speak of fre. Everythng shnes
n obedence to He who shnes. Faha Apaniad 2.5.15
aditya vara tamasa parastt
He s ke the sun, beyond gnorance. ,vetvatara Apaniad 3.8
C!nam means what s reveaed by the functon of ntegence. The
Lord s that !nam (awareness). C!eyam means that awareness whch
deveops a specfc form, quates etc. (!eyam). The Lord s that ob|ect
of awareness. He s attaned by the process of knowedge
(prdeessness etc.) mentoned prevousy (!na-gamyam). Beng the
form of Paramtm, He s stuated as the reguator n the hearts of a
vng enttes (dhihitam).
iti ketra tath !na !eya cokta samsata '
mad-bhakta etad vi!ya mad-bhvyopapadyate '')9''
19. Thus I have descrbed concsey the fed, the process of knowng,
and the ob|ect of knowedge. My devotee, understandng ths, attans
prema.
In ths verse the Lord summarzes the topc about the fed and other
tems prevousy descrbed, aong wth the resut for those who
practce. The fed conssts of the tems startng wth the fve gross
eements and endng wth dhti or perseverance n verses 5 and 6.
Knowedge was descrbed startng wth prdeessness (amnitvam) and
endng wth revewng the goa of beraton (tattva-!nrtha-daranam)
n verses 7 through 11. The ob|ect of knowedge to be attaned by the
process of knowedge was descrbed n verses 12 through 18, startng
wth the word andi and endng wth the word dhihitam. The one
truth known as Brahman, meanng Bhagavn and Paramtm, has thus
been brefy descrbed.
The !n endowed wth some devoton (mad-bhakta), knowng ths,
merges wth Me (mad bhvya). An aternate meanng of the sentence
s "My ekanta-bhakta, understandng that I, hs master, have such
powers (etad vi!ya), becomes endowed wth prema (mad-bhvya) for
Me."
prakti purua caiva viddhy and ubhv api '
vikr ca gu caiva viddhi prakti-sabhavn ''0:''
20. Know that both prakti and the va are wthout orgn. And know
that the guas and ts transformatons a arse from prakti.
"You have descrbed the Paramtm as the knower of the fed. But
speakng of the va who s aso the knower of the fed, how does the
va come n contact wth my and when dd t start?"

Know that my (prakti), and the va (purua) are both wthout an
orgn (andi), havng no frst cause. Ths s because they are aktis of
Me, the Lord who s aso wthout orgn (andi). In verses 4 and 5 of
chapter 7 t was sad:
bh&mir po na"o vyu kha mano buddhir eva ca
aha/kra itya me bhinn praktir aadh
apareyam itas tv any prakti viddhi me parm
va-bh&t mahbho yayeda dhryate agat
From ths t s understood that, because matter and va are both
wthout orgn, beng My aktis, ther connecton s aso wthout orgn
(andi). But there s a rea dfference between them, even though they
are mutuay connected. Know that the body, senses and other
eements (gun) and the transformatons of the guas such as
happness, dstress, amentaton and uson (vikrn), a arse from
prakti. Know that the va s very dfferent from that prakti whch has
transformed nto the fed.
krya-kraa-karttve hetu praktir ucyate '
purua sukha-dukhn bhokttve hetur ucyate ''0)''
21. =rakti s sad to be the cause of the connecton, because of
suppyng the body, senses and sense devats. The va s sad to be the
cause of the connecton, beng the en|oyer of happness and dstress.
In ths verse the Lord shows the vas connecton wth prakti. =rakti
s the cause of the vas unfortunate condton by offerng the body
(krya), the senses whch produce happness and dstress (kraa) and
the presdng detes of the senses (kart). =rakti, by assocaton wth
the va, transforms nto the form of body, senses and sense devats,
and, by ts functon of gnorance, t becomes the bestower of the vas
msdentfcaton.
The va (purua), havng the poston as the en|oyer of the happness
and dstress produced by prakti, s aso the cause of the connecton.
The meanng s ths. Even though the body, the senses, the sense
devats and the vas capacty for en|oyment (bhokttva) are a
quates of prakti, because of the predomnance of unconscousness
n the body, senses and sense devats, and the predomnance of
conscousness n experencng happness and dstress (bhokt), the two
get separatey desgnated as causes accordng to predomnance.
Accordng to ths reasonng, t s sad that prakti s the cause, by
producng the body, sense and sense devats, and va s the cause by
hs capacty to experence happness and dstress.
purua prakti-stho hi bhu/kte prakti-n gun '
kraa gua-sa/go sya sad-asad-yoni-anmasu ''00''
22. The va, dentfyng wth prakti n the form of hs body, thnks he
s experencng happness and dstress whch are born from hs mnd.
Ths s caused by hs assocaton wth the body, whch causes hs brth
n varous bodes of devat and anma.
But the va, |ust by msdentfcaton caused by begnnngess
gnorance, thnks that hs capacty for acton and en|oyment are hs
very nature, though they are |ust the nature of thngs reated to hm
(body, senses). From ths, he takes repeated brth. Stuated n the
body produced from prakti and dentfyng wth t (prakti-stha), the
va en|oys and suffers by dentfyng as hs own (bhu/kte) the
amentaton, uson, happness and dstress (gun) whch are quates
of hs mnd (prakti-n). The cause s the contact of the sou (asya) wth
the body, made of guas (gua-sa/ga). Though the sou does not
actuay contact the body, the contact s fabrcated through gnorance.
Where does the va en|oy? In repeated brths n fe forms ke devats
(sad-yoni) or anmas (asad-yoni), produced by hs pous or snfu
actons.
upadranumant ca bhart bhokt mahevara '
paramtmeti cpy ukto dehesmin purua para ''01''
23. There s aso a supreme person n the body, caed Paramtm, the
great ord, who s the wtness stuated cose to the va, mercfu to the
va, the supporter and protector of the va.
Havng spoken of the va, the Lord now speaks about the Paramtm.
Though the Lord aready descrbed Paramtm n genera and n deta
from verses thrteen to eghteen, t shoud be understood that the
present statement s made n order to ceary show that the
Paramtm s stuated n a bodes aong wth the va, but dfferent
from the va.

In ths body, there s another, supreme purua, the great Lord, caed
the Paramtm (paramtm iti ca api ukta). The word parama n
Paramtm ceary ndcates a persona expanson of Lord (sva),
dstnct from the va, n order to defeat those who propound the
theory of one sou ony. He s the wtness (dra) stuated cose to
(upa) each va, but separate from hm. He s the bestower of favors
(anumant), showng mercy by Hs very coseness to the va. The ruti
says saki ceta keva"o nirgua ca: He s the wtness, the
conscousness, pure, beyond the matera guas. (#op"a Hpan
Apaniad 2.96) He s the supporter (bhart) and the protector (bhokt)
of the va.

ya eva vetti purua prakti ca guai saha '
sarvath vartamno pi na sa bh&yo bhiyate ''02''
24. He who knows the Paramtm, prakti, and the va, aong wth the
guas, does not take brth agan, though encounterng a sorts of
crcumstances.
The resuts of ths knowedge are stated n ths verse. He who knows
Paramtm (puruam), prakti or my-akti (aong wth ts quates),
and the va (ndcated ony by the word ca), does not take brth agan,
even though n ths fe he may be stuated n a sorts of unfavorabe
crcumstances (sarvata vartamno pi), such as beng overcome by
seep and havng uncontroed mnd or other such probems.

dhynentmani payanti kecid tmnam tman '
anye s/khyena yogena karma-yogena cpare ''03''
25. Some see Paramtm through medtaton n bhakti-yoga. Others
practce !na-yoga or a/ga-yoga, and others practce nikma-karma-
yoga.
Aternatve methods are mentoned n two verses. Some devotees, by
contempaton of the Lord (dhynena) n the mnd (atmani) wthout hep
from any other process, spontaneousy (tman), not by any other
process except bhakti, see the Paramtm. Ths s understood from a
ater verse: bhakty mm abhinti (%# 18.55), ony by devoton am I
known. Others (anye), !ns, by dstngushng sou from body
(s/khyena), and others (apare), yogs , by a/ga-yoga (yogena), and
others by nikma-karma (karma-yogena), see Paramtm. In ths
regard, !na-yoga, a/ga-yoga and nikma-karma-yoga are successve
causes of each other and not drect causes of seeng Paramtm. That
s because ther nature s sattvc (and thus the resut can ony be
sattvc) but the nature of Paramtm s beyond the guas. Moreover, t
s sad by the Lord:
!na ca mayi sannyaset
A sef-reazed person who has cutvated scrptura knowedge up
to the pont of enghtenment and who s free from mpersona
specuaton, understandng the matera unverse to be smpy
uson, shoud surrender unto Me both that knoO"edge and the
means by Ohich he achieved it. 5% 11.19.1
bhakyham ekay grhya
Ony by practcng unaoyed devotona servce wth fu fath n
Me can one obtan Me, the Supreme Personaty of Godhead. 5
11.14.21
Thus, after gvng up !na, ndcated n the frst of the verses quoted,
becomng free from !na, one sees Paramtm by bhakti aone,
ndcated n the second verse.
anye tv evam ananta rutvnyebhya upsate '
te pi ctitaranty eva mtyu ruti-parya ''0-''
26. Others who perform worshp, though not knowng, but hearng from
others, aso surpass death, beng ntent on hearng.
Others, who worshp Paramtm, hearng taks from varous sources,
aso surpass death.
yvat sa/yate ki!cit sattva sthvara-a/gamam '
ketra-ketra!a-sayogt tad viddhi bharatarabha ''07''
27. Know that a enttes, whether movng or non-movng, hgh or ow,
appear from the combnaton for matter and va, O best of Bharatas
neage.
From ths verse t the end, the Lord expands on the meanng of what
He aready spoke. Know that a vng enttes (sattvam), whether ow or
hgh, non-movng or movng, are born from the combnaton of fed
and knower of the fed.
sama sarveu bh&teu tihanta paramevaram '
vinayatsv avinayanta ya payati sa payati ''07''
27. One who sees the ndestructbe Paramtm stuated n a
destructbe bodes actuay sees.
One shoud therefore know Paramtm. He who sees the Paramtm
stuated n the destructbe bodes (vinayatsu) of a bengs, actuay
sees. He s an actua !n.
sama payan hi sarvatra samavasthitam varam '
na hinasty tmantmna tato yti par gatim ''08''
28. He who sees Paramtm stuated everywhere equay does not
degrade the sou by the devatng mnd, and attans to the supreme
goa.
He who sees Me stuated everywhere does not make the sou
(tmnam) fa down (hinasti) by the mnd (tman), whch wanders on
the wrong path.
praktyaiva ca karmi kriyamni sarvaa '
ya payati tathtmnam akartra sa payati ''09''

29. He who sees a actvtes beng done by matter aone, and sees the
sou as dong nothng, actuay sees.
One who sees that a actons are done by prakti n the form of body
and senses, and who sees that the va (tmnam) s the doer ony by
thnkng hmsef the body, but s not actuay the doer, actuay sees.
yad bh&ta-pthag-bhvam eka-stham anupayati '
tata eva ca vistra brahma sapadyate tad ''1:''
30. When one sees that a separate bengs are stuated n one prakti
at the tme of dssouton, and arse from that prakti at the tme of
creaton, the person becomes Brahman.
When one perceves that the varous forms of the vng bengs, movng
and non- movng (pthag-bhvam), are stuated n the one prakti at the
tme of pra"aya, and sees at the tme of creaton the expanson of vng
enttes from prakti, he becomes Brahman (brahma sapadyate).
157

anditvn nirguatvt paramtmyam avyaya '
arra-stho pi kaunteya na karoti na "ipyate ''1)''
31. Because He s the supreme cause and everythng arses from Hm,
ths ndestructbe Paramtm, though stuated n the body, does not
thnk Hmsef the doer and s not contamnated.
"You have sad that the va n contact wth hs body takes repeated
brth (verse 22). The va, by thnkng hmsef the body by beng n the
body, becomes contamnated by the guas and takes repeated brth.
But the Paramtm does not become contamnated. Why?"
He s caed andi because He has no orgna cause. But |ust as
anuttama can mean parama uttama takng the abatve sense of the
word (no one hgher than Hm), so andi, "havng no cause", can mean
the supreme cause (no other cause than Hm). Therefore because He
s the fna cause (anditvt), and because the guas such as creaton
and destructon arse out of Hm (nirgata + gua = nirguatvt), ths
Paramtm s dstngushed from the va. At a tmes, n a
crcumstances, He s wthout decrease n Hs own knowedge, bss and
other quates. Though stuated n the body, because He does not take
up the quates of the body, He does not thnk He s a doer ke the va
(na karoti)-- He does not become an en|oyer--nor does He get
contamnated by the guas of the matera body (na "ipyate).
157
Brahman woud here mean that the va attans quates smar to the Lord.
yath sarva-gata saukmyd ka nopa"ipyate '
sarvatrvasthito dehe tathtm nopa"ipyate ''10''
32. |ust as the ether, whch spreads everywhere, s not contamnated,
because of ts subte nature, the Paramtm, though stuated
everywhere n the body, s not contamnated.
In ths verse the Lord gves an exampe. |ust as the ether, stuated n
mud and other paces, s not contamnated because t s most subte--
not contactng the mud at a, the Paramtm s not connected wth
the guas or fauts of the matera body, and therefore s not
contamnated.
yath prakayaty eka ktsna "okam ima ravi '
ketra ketr tath ktsna prakayati bhrata ''11''
33. |ust as one sun ghts up the whoe word, ths Paramtm
umnes the whoe body, O descendent of Bharata.
Usng an exampe, the Lord shows how the Paramtm, beng the
source of umnaton, s not connected wth the quates of what He
umnates. |ust as the sun, the umnator, s not connected to the
quates of what He umnates, the Paramtm (ketrD umnes
everythng and s not affected. The ruti says:
s&ryo yath sarva-"okasya cakur
na "ipyate ckuair bhya-doai
ekas tath sarva-bh&tntartm
na "ipyate oka-dukhena bhya

|ust as the sun s the eye of a peope but s not contamnated by
the matera fauts of the eyes, so the Paramtm wthn a
bengs s not contamnated by amentaton and sufferng of the
matera word. Faha Apaniad 5.11
ketra-ketra!ayor evam antara !na-caku '
bh&ta-prakti-moka ca ye vidur ynti te param ''12''
34. Those who know the dfference between the two knowers of the
fed as we as ther dfference from the fed, and aso the process for
beraton from prakti for the vng enttes, attan the supreme goa.
The Lord summarzes the contents of the chapter.
Those who know the dfference between two knowers of the fed
(ketra-!ayo), the va and Paramtm, aong wth the fed, and aso
the method of beraton (moka) from prakti for the vng enttes
(bh&ta), such as medtaton, acheve the supreme goa.
Among the knowers of the fed, the va, en|oyng the quates of the
fed, s bound up, but s aso berated by knowedge. Ths s the
meanng of the chapter.
Thus end the commentares on the thrteen chapter of the #t for the
peasure of the devotees mnds, by the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Fourteen
r-bhagavn uvca
para bh&ya pravakymi !nn !nam uttamam '
ya !tv munaya sarve par siddhim ito gat '')''
1. The Lord sad: Agan I w speak the hghest knowedge among a
types of knowedge, by knowng whch a the sages attaned the
hghest perfecton.
In the fourteenth chapter, the bondage caused by the guas and the
symptoms are descrbed. The many symptoms of the dsappearance of
the guas, and the cause of dsappearance, bhakti, are aso descrbed.
In the prevous chapter, t was descrbed that the contact of the va
wth the body made of guas s the cause of hs takng repeated brths:
kraa gua-sa/go sya sad-asad-yoni-anmasu. What types of resuts
come from contact wth the guas? What are the symptoms of those
assocated wth the guas? How s one berated from the guas? In
antcpaton of these questons, the Lord promses to speak about the
above topcs whe prasng them. "Knowedge" here means teachngs
by whch one gans knowedge.
ida !nam upritya mama sdharmyam gat '
sarge pi nopayante pra"aye na vyathanti ca ''0''
2. Those who, takng sheter of ths knowedge, have attaned a form
ke Mne, do not attan rebrth n ths word, and do not experence
pan at the tme of death.
He who has taken sheter of ths knowedge and attaned beraton n
the form of sr&pya, smarty of form wth Mne (sdharmyam), does not
experence pan at the tme of death. The form vyathayanti s used
nstead of vyathayante (tmanepada).
mama yonir mahad brahma tasmin garbha dadhmy aham '
sabhava sarva-bh&tn tato bhavati bhrata ''1''
3. The great expanse caed prakti s My womb. In that womb I pace
the seed n the form of a vas. The brth of a bengs comes from
that, O descendent of Bharata.
In order to expan how the contact of the va wth the guas through
begnnngess gnorance creates bondage, the Lord speaks about the
method of appearance of the fed and knower of the fed. My
(Supreme Lords) pace of mpregnaton s prakti, caed mahat+
because t extends through a pace and tme contnuousy. It s caed
brahma because t s the cause of ncrease (root s bh). In some ruti
texts, prakti s referred to as brahma.
I pace the seed (garbha) wthn that prakti. The Lord sad itas tv any
prakti viddhi me par va-bh&tm: know ths other prakti of Mne,
whch s superor and whch gves rse to the vas. (%# 7.5) From ths t
s understood that there s a mass of conscousness, the va-prakti,
whch s caed the tataha-akti. Ths s caed the seed (garbha),
because t s gves fe to a bengs.
Then (tata) from My acton of pacng the seed (va-akti) n the
prakti, the appearance of a the enttes such as Brahm and others
takes pace.
sarva-yoniu kaunteya m&rtaya sabhavanti y '
ts brahma mahad yonir aha ba-prada pit ''2''
4. O son of Kunt, prakti s the mother and I am the father of a forms
that arse n a wombs n ths word.
Not ony at the tme of creaton of the unverse s prakti the mother
and I the father, but at a tmes. =rakti, mahad brahma, s the pace of
brth (yoni), the mother, of a those forms of movng and non-movng
creatures whch appear n a wombs from devas to grass, and I am the
gver of the seed. I am the father, the gver of the seed, the gver of
the vas.
sattva raas tama iti gu prakti-sabhav '
nibadhnanti mah-bho dehe dehinam avyayam ''3''
5. The guas of sattva+ raas and tamas arsng from prakt bnd the
unchangng va n ths body, O Mghty-armed one.
After the Lord has descrbed the appearance of a the vng enttes
through prakti (mother) and purua (father), how are the guas to be
descrbed? What type of bondage arses for the va from assocaton
wth these guas? Ths verse answers these questons.
In the body, the product of prakti, the guas bnd up the va (dehinam)
stuated there by hs dentfcaton wth t, due to the assocaton wth
the guas arsng from begnnngess gnorance, even though the va
actuay s wthout change (avyayam) and not attached.

tatra sattva nirma"atvt prakakam anmayam '
sukha-sa/gena badhnti !na-sa/gena cnagha ''-''
6. The mode of sattva+ whch s peacefu and gves knowedge, bnds
the va wth fase conceptons of happness and knowedge, O sness
one.
Ths verse descrbes how sattva-gua bnds the va. It s wthout
dstress (anmayam); t s peacefu. The assocaton of the va wth
happness, whch s the product of peacefuness, and the assocaton of
the va wth knowedge, whch s the product of umnaton
(prakakam), produce the mstaken dentty of "I am happy, I am
earned." Thus, from happness and knowedge whose quaty s to
produce these desgnatons, from ths gnorance, the va deveops hs
msconcepton of hmsef. These bnd hm.
O pure one (anagha), do not accept mpurty n the form of such
msconcepton of "I am happy" or "I am earned."
rao rgtmaka viddhi t-sa/ga-samudbhavam '
tan nibadhnti kaunteya karma-sa/gena dehinam ''7''
7. O son of Kunt, know that raas, consstng of attracton, arsng from
ongng for the unattaned and attachment to the attaned, bnds the
va wth attachment to acton.
Know that rao-gua conssts of attracton (rgtmakam). When one does
not obtan ones desred ob|ects, one deveops desre (ta), and when
one obtans ones ob|ects, one deveops attachment (sa/ga). Iao-gua
gves rse to these two. Iao-gua bnds up the sou (dehinam) by
attachment (sa/gena) to actons, n quest of present and future goas.
Attachment to acton arses by desre and attachment (ta and
sa/ga).
tamas tv a!na-a viddhi mohana sarva-dehinm '
pramd"asya-nidrbhis tan nibadhnti bhrata ''8''
8. Know that tamas, whch produces gnorance, whch causes confuson
for a vng bengs, bnds the va wth nattenton, azness, and seep.
If tamas tv a!na am means "tamo-gua arsng from gnorance," then
tamo-gua woud appear to arse from ts own resut, snce tamo-gua
produces gnorance. Therefore the meanng of a!na-am must be that
tamo-gua produces gnorance. *ohanam means confuson or error.
=ramda means nattenton. ;"asya means ack of effort. @idr means
seep, arsng from ack of energy n the conscousness.
sattva sukhe sa!ayati raa karmai bhrata '
!nam vtya tu tama pramde sa!ayaty uta ''9''
9. 5attva produces attachment to happness; raas produces
attachment to acton; and tamas, coverng knowedge, produces
attachment to nattenton, O descendent of Bharata.
The Lord summarzes what He has |ust sad n ths verse. 5attva
sub|ugates or bnds the va who s attached to the happness he has
acheved from hs actons. Iaas bnds the va who s attached to the
actons he performs. Hamas bnds the va who s nattentve to hs
works, and produces gnorance n hm (!nam vtya).
raas tama cbhibh&ya sattva bhavati bhrata '
raa sattva tama caiva tama sattva raas tath ''):''
10. When raas and tamas dsappear, sattva becomes promnent, O
descendent of Bharata. When raas and sattva vansh, tamas becomes
promnent. When tamas and sattva dsappear, raas becomes
promnent.
Wth regards to ther respectve effects, how do the guas arse? When
raas and tamas are ecpsed, sattva appears. It appears because these
two become nvsbe. Thus, rao gua appears from the ecpse of
sattva and tamas. Hamas appears from the ecpse of sattva and raas.
sarva-dvreu dehe smin praka upayate '
!na yad tad vidyd vivddha sattvam ity uta ''))''
11. When umnaton n the form of knowedge arses n a gates of
the body, know that sattva has ncreased.
It has been stated that the promnent gua appears when the other two
guas become weak of ther own accord. Now the Lord speaks of the
quates of ncreased guas n three verses. When umnaton or
knowedge, rea awareness of thngs through the sound of the $edas,
appears n a the doors such as the ears, one shoud understand there
s an ncrease n sattva through such symptoms of knowedge. The
word uta (aso) ndcates there w aso be an appearance of happness
arsng from the sou. When knowedge and happness appear, one
shoud understand there s an ncrease n sattva.
"obha pravttir rambha karmam aama sph '
raasy etni yante vivddhe bharatarabha '')0''
12. Greed, absorpton, ntense efforts n actons and ncessant
en|oyment of ob|ects arse wth an ncrease of raas, O best of the
Bharata neage.
Greed, absorpton n varous endeavors (pravtti), effort n actons
such as budng a house, and the non-cessaton of en|oyment of
ob|ects (aama) and desre appear wth the ncrease of raas.
aprako pravtti ca pramdo moha eva ca '
tamasy etni yante vivddhe kuru-nandana '')1''
13. Absence of dscernment, absence of effort, nattenton and
absorpton n the fase appear wth the ncrease of tamas, O son of the
Kurus.
Absence of dscrmnaton, acceptng sound and other sense ob|ects
not approved by the scrptures (apraka); absence of a effort
(apravtti); nattenton, for exampe, convcton that one does not
have anythng when hodng t n ones hands (pramda); and
absorpton n the wrong or fase (moha) appear wth the ncrease of
tamas.
yad sattve pravddhe tu pra"aya yti deha-bht '
tadottama-vid "okn ama"n pratipadyate '')2''
14. When a person wth predomnance of sattva des, he attans the
pure panets of the worshppers of Brahm.
When a person wth a predomnance of sattva des (pra"aya yati), he
attans the pure words of the worshpers of Hrayagarbha (uttam-
vidm) and others, words whch gve happness.
The word uttama vidam means "of those who attan (vindanti) the
supreme (uttama)."
raasi pra"aya gatv karma-sa/giu yate
tath pra"nas tamasi m&(ha-yoniu yate '')3''
15. He who des n the mode of raas attans a poston among persons
attached to work. He who des n the mode of tamas s born n the
wombs of the foosh.
Those who de n the mode of raas are born among men attached to
work (karma-sa/giu).
karmaa suktasyhu sattvc nirma"a pha"am
raasas tu pha"a dukham a!na tamasa pha"am '')-''
16. The resut of sattvc work s purty and absence of dstress. The
resut of raas s sorrow. The resut of tamas s gnorance.
The resut of sattvc (sukrtsya) work s purty wthout dstress
(nirma"am). The resut of raas work s sorrow. The resut of tamasc
work s senseessness or unconscousness (a!nam).
sattvt sa!yate !na raaso "obha eva ca
pramda-mohau tamaso bhavato !nam eva ca '')7''
17. Knowedge arses from sattva. Greed arses from raas. Inattenton,
confuson and gnorance arse from tamas.

&rdhva gacchanti sattva-sth madhye tihanti ras
aghanya-gua-vtti-sth adho gacchanti tmas '')8''
18. Those stuated n sattva go to hgher panets. Those n raas reman
n the word of humans. Those of the owest gua, tamas, go downwards
to he.
Accordng to the amount of sattva one can go upwards to Brahmaoka.
Those n rao gua dwe on the human pane (madhye). Those of the
owest (|aghanya) gua, wth tamasc behavor ke nattenton and
azness, go to he (adha).
nnya guebhya kartra yad dranupayati
guebhya ca para vetti mad-bhva so dhigacchati '')9''
19. When the va sees that acton s beng performed by the guas, n
the form of the doer, the acton and the ob|ects of the actons, and
understands that the sou s separate from ths, he attans a state of
mergng wth Me.
Havng shown the repeated brths caused by assocaton wth the
guas, the Lord now shows beraton, whch s beyond the guas, n two
verses. When the va (dra) does not observe any other doer than
the guas, whch change nto the form of agent, the acton and the
ob|ect--when he reazes that ony the guas are aways the doers, and
knows the sou s separate from the guas--the va attans
(adhigacchati) mergng wth Me (mad-bhvam). It shoud be understood
from the second to ast verse n ths chapter that one must st
perform bhakti even after practcng such !na, n order to get ths
resut.
gun etn attya trn deh deha-samudbhavn '
anma-mtyu-ar-dukhair vimukto mtam anute ''0:.''
20. Surpassng the three guas whch gve rse to the body, free from
the sufferng of brth, death and od age, one attans eterna fe.
That person s beyond the guas. That s expaned n ths verse.
aruna uvaca
kair "i/gais trn gun etn atto bhavati prabho '
kim-cra katha caits trn gun ativartate ''0)''
21. O Lord, by what symptoms s a person known to be beyond the
guas. What s hs conduct? How does he surpass the guas?
Ths s the same queston asked n chapter two: sthita-pra!asya k
bhs (pease descrbe the sthita-pra!a). However, out of extreme
desre to know, Ar|una asks agan. One queston s "By what
symptoms shoud one understand a person s beyond the guas?" (kair
"i/gai) The second queston s "What s hs behavor?" (kim cra)
The thrd queston s "What s the means of attanng transcendence of
the guas?" (katham ca etn)
When Ar|una asked hs queston n chapter two, he dd not ask how a
person coud transcend the guas. But now he asks ths queston aso.
That s the dfference.
r-bhagavn uvca
praka ca pravtti ca moham eva ca p(ava '
na dvei sapravttni na nivttni k/kati ''00''
22. One who s beyond the guas does not ament at the appearance of
umnaton, actvty or confuson, nor re|oce at ther dsappearance.
Ka answers the queston "What are the symptoms of one who s
beyond the guas?" Iumnaton (praka) s the effect of sattva gua,
as mentoned prevousy n the verse sarva dvreu dehe smin praka
upaayate. Absorpton n varous pro|ects (pravtti) s the effect of rao
gua. Absorpton n the fase (moha) s the effect of tamo gua. These
three words are representatve of a the other quates (mentoned
prevousy) of the respectve guas.
He who does not ament when a these effects of the guas,
umnaton, absorpton n actvtes and absorpton n fasty appears
suddeny, nor re|oce when the effects of the guas dsappear, s sad to
beyond the guas.
The ast phrase of verse 25, sa gutta ucyate s understood to appy to
a the verses precedng. Usng the neuter gender n the word
sampravttni s poetc cense.
udsna-vad sno guair yo na vic"yate '
gu vartanta ity eva yo vatihati ne/gate ''01''
23. One who remans unmoved by the guas, who s stuated
ndfferenty, who remans wthout acton, understandng that ony the
guas are actng, s sad to have surpassed the guas.
Ka answers the second queston, about the conduct of the person
beyond the guas, n verses 23-25. He who s not dsturbed by the
effects of the guas (guai), n the form of happness and dstress, who
does not move from hs svar&pa as tm (guai na vic"yate), who
remans sent (avatihati), knowng "The guas aone are gvng these
effects; I have no reatonshp wth ths happness and dstress," (gua
vartante iti evam), who does not strve for body needs (na i/gate), s
sad to be beyond the guas. ;vatihati s used for avatihate as
poetc cense.
sama-dukha-sukha sva-stha sama-"oma-k!cana '
tu"ya-priypriyo dhras tu"ya-nindtma-sastuti ''02''
mnpamnayos tu"yas tu"yo mitrri-pakayo '
sarvrambha-parityg gutta sa ucyate ''03''
24-25. He who s frmy stuated, who s equa n sorrow and |oy, who
sees a ump of earth, a stone and god as the same, who regards dear
and not dear as the same, who regards crtcsm and prase as the
same, who remans equa n respect or dsrespect, who s equa to
frend and foe, who has gven up a undertakngs, s sad to be beyond
the guas.
On seeng such symptoms and conduct of the person beyond the guas,
one shoud descrbe that person as beng beyond the guas. One who
merey taks about the possbty of beng beyond the guas s not sad
to be beyond the guas.
m ca yo vyabhicrea bhakti-yogena sevate '
sa gun samattyaitn brahma-bh&yya ka"pate ''0-''
26. He who serves Me n pure devotona servce surpasses the guas,
and s quafed for Brahman.
In ths verse, the Lord answers the thrd queston about the method of
surpassng the guas. Pa n ths verse means eva: "ony". He who
serves ony Me (mama ca)--n My form as ymasundara, the Supreme
Lord--by bhakti-yoga, he aone s quafed for becomng Brahman, or
reazng Brahman (brahma-bh&yya ka"pate). Ths statement s
supported by the use of the ad|ectve ekay n the statement
bhaktyham ekay grahyaB I can be attaned by bhakti aone. And n the
statement mm eva ye prapadyante mym etm taranti teB those who
surrender to Me surpass the matera word+ from use of the word eva
(ony), t s confrmed that wthout bhakti (to the Lord ony), reazaton
of Brahman cannot be attaned. It cannot be attaned by any other
method.
What type of bhakti-yoga s ths? It shoud be wthout devaton
(avyabhicrea). That means t s wthout mxture of karma, !na or
other eements, because there are statements re|ectng nikma-
karma, and statements re|ectng even !na by the !n n hs fna
stage. !na ca mayi sannyaset: One shoud surrender that !na to Me.
(5% 11.19.1) But there are no statements about the re|ecton of bhakti-
yoga anywhere. Thus, by bhakti-yoga, after gvng up even !na-yoga,
|ust as he has prevousy gven up karma-yoga, the !n surpasses the
guas. There s no other means. However, the anany bhakta s aready
beyond the guas, as understood from the statement n the Eeventh
Canto nirguo mad apraya: one who surrenders to Me s beyond the
guas. (5% 11.25.26)
Here s the prncpe.
sattvc krako sa/g rgndho rasa smta
tmasa smti-vibhrao nirguo mad-apraya
A worker free of attachment s n the mode of goodness; a
worker bnded by persona desre s n the mode of passon, and
a worker who has competey forgotten how to te rght from
wrong s n the mode of gnorance. But a worker who has taken
sheter of Me s understood to be transcendenta to the modes of
nature. 5% 11.25.26
It s understood that those who are free from attachment are practcng
ether karma-yoga or !na-yoga on the eve of sattva. And the person
who s beyond the guas, havng taken sheter of the Lord, s practcng
sdhana-bhakti. The !n, havng reached the perfecton of !na,
becomes transcendenta to the guas by then gvng up the eve of
sattva. But the devotee, even at the begnnng stage as a sdhaka, s
beyond the guas. Ths s the meanng of the %hgavatam verse.
rdhara Svm aso says that ca gves the meanng of mtaton,
"ony". Madhusdana Sarasvat says the meanng s "He who serves
ony Me, the Lord, Nryaa, by undevatng bhakti-yoga as descrbed n
the twefth chapter, quafes for beraton."
brahmao hi pratihham amtasyvyayasya ca '
vatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikntikasya ca ''07''
27. I am the bass of mpersona Brahman, the bass of ndestructbe
beraton, the bass of the eterna method bhakti and the bass of the
bss of the unaoyed devotee.
"But why woud Your devotees attan the mpersona Brahman, whch
happens ony for those who reaze oneness wth God?"
"That s because I am aso the bass of that famous Brahman, snce I
am the supreme bass of everythng. The meanng of pratiha s
sheter, that upon whch somethng s standng frmy, as ths aso s
the meanng used everywhere n the rutis , such as n the descrpton
of the annamaya-purua n the Haittirya Apaniad. And I am the bass
or sheter of nectar (amtasya)."
"Does ths mean the nectar of Svarga?"
"No, t s ndestructbe (avyayasya): therefore amta means beraton. I
am the bass of beraton. Aso I am the bass of the eterna method
(vatasya dharmasya), whch s eternay present, both n the stage of
sdhana and perfecton, the supreme method caed bhakti. And aso I
am the bass of happness--of prema (sukhasya) n reaton to the
ekntika devotee (aikantikasya), who s quafed to receve t. And
because everythng s dependent on Me, he who worshps Me wth a
desre to be one wth God merges nto the Brahman and attans the
status of Brahman."
rdhara Svm gves the foowng meanng of the verse: "I am the
bass of Brahman" means "I am the condensed Brahman," |ust as the
sun gobe s condensed ght. |ust as the sun, though beng the form of
ght, s aso acts as the bass of ght, so I, Ka, am the form of
Brahman, but I am aso the bass of Brahman.
In ths regard, $iu =ura 6.7.76 provdes the authorty: subhraya
sa cittasya sarvagasya tathtmana. Ths statement s expaned by
rdhara Svm. "He s the sheter (raya), or the pratiha, of the
supreme Brahman (sarvagasya tmana). Thus t s stated by the Lord: I
am the sheter of Brahman (brahmao hi pratihham)."
Aso n the Vu Dharmottara, concernng the sub|ect of Naraka
Dvda, t s sad:
praktau purue caiva brahmaypi ca sa prabhu
yathaika eva puruo vsudevo vyavasthita
The Lord, one person, Vsudeva s stuated n prakti, the va
and the Brahman.
In reaton to msarka worshp t s aso sad:
yathcyutas tvam parata parasmt sa brahmabh&tt parata
partm
|ust as Acyuta, Paramtm s superor to a others, he s superor
to Brahman. $iu 6harma 26.13
The Lord speaks to Ar|una n reaton to brngng back the chdren of
the brhmaa n Rari Vaa, $iu =arv 114:
tat param paramam brahma sarvam vibhaate agat
mamaiva tad ghanam teo ntum arhasi bhrata
That supreme Brahman umnates the whoe unverse. You
shoud know that the condensed ght beongs to Me.
%rahma 5ahit says:
yasya prabh prabhavato agad-a(a-koi-
kov aea-vasudhdi-vibh&ti-bhinnam
tad brahma nika"am anantam aea-bh&ta
govindam di-purua tam aha bhami
I serve the Supreme Personaty of Godhead Govnda, the
prmeva Lord, whose transcendenta body effugence, known as
the brahmayoti+ whch s unmted, unfathomed and a-
pervasve, s the cause of the creaton of unmted numbers of
panets, etc., wth varetes of cmates and specfc condtons of
fe. %rahma 5ahit 5.40
In the Eghth Canto, the Lord says:
madya mahimnac ca para-brahmeti abditam
vetsyasy anughta me sampranair vivta hdi
You w be thoroughy advsed and favored by Me, and because
of your nqures, everythng about *y g"ories+ Ohich are knoOn as
param brahma, w be manfest wthn your heart. Thus you w
know everythng about Me. 5% 8.24.38
Madhusdana Sarasvat expans as foows: "But Your devotee shoud
attan You. How s he quafed merey for the state of Brahman
(brahma-bh&yya ka"pate), when You are dfferent from Brahman? Ths
verse answers that. I aone am the end, the concuson or parypti of
Brahman." Accordng to the ;mara Foa, the word parypti means
compete funess. Wth the foowng verse Madhusdana Sarasvat
offers hs prase to Ka:
parkta-mano-dvandva para brahma narkti
saundarya-sra-sarvasva vande nandtmaa maha
I offer my respects to the son of Nanda, |oy personfed, the very
essence of a beauty n human form, the supreme Brahman,
devod of duates of the mnd.
Ths chapter expans the msfortune n beng bound by the guas and
the satsfacton n beng free of the guas, whch s produced by bhakti
aone.
Thus end the commentares on the fourteenth chapter of the #t for
the peasure of the devotees mnds, by the mercy of the cryas.
Chapter Ffteen
r-bhagavn uvca
&rdhva-m&"am adha-kham avattha prhur avyayam '
chandsi yasya parni yas ta veda sa veda-vit '')''
1. They speak of ths ndestructbe avattha tree whch has ts roots
upwards and branches downwards and whose eaves are the Vedas. He
who knows ths tree knows the Vedas.
The ffteenth chapter states that detachment s the cause of cessaton
of brth, that the sou s an aa of the Lord, and that Ka s superor
to matter and the va.
The second to ast verse of the ast chapter stated that by bhakti-yoga
one attans the status of Brahman:
m ca yo vyabhicrea bhakti-yogena sevate
sa gun samattyaitn brahma-bh&yya ka"pate %# 14.26
The queston may be asked "How does a person attan mpersona
Brahman by bhakti-yoga rendered to the Lord who possesses a human
form?"
True, I am human n form, but I am the bass of Brahman, the supreme
sheter of Brahman. Ths statement, whch functons as a s&tra , forms
the begnnng of chapter ffteen. You sad that the devotee, surpassng
the guas (sa gun samattya), attans the status of Brahman. What s
ths matera word made of the guas? From where dd t begn? Who
s that va who surpasses sasra by devoton to You? You aso spoke
of the va beng quafed for Brahman (brahma-bh&yya ka"pate). What
s that Brahman? And who are You, the bass of the Brahman?
Antcpatng these questons, the Lord now speaks. Frst, wth use of a
metaphor, the matera word made of guas s compared to an avattha
tree. Above a panets, n Satyaoka, ves four-headed Brahm, who s
the one root of the tree of the matera word, and who s composed of
mahat-tattva, the frst sprout from prakti (&rdhva-m&"a). The branches
of the tree are beow, composed of devas, Gandharvas, Knnaras,
asuras, Rkasas , Pretas, Bhtas, humans, cows, horses and such
beasts, brds, nsects, worms, moths, and mmobe creatures at the
bottom, n the reams of Sva, Bhuva and Bhoka.
Ths avattha tree s the best tree because t ets one fuf ones goas
of artha, dharma, kma and moka. But accordng to the vewpont of
bhakti, ava means that whch w not ast t tomorrow (a= not, va=
tomorrow). ;vattha therefore means that whch s bound to persh. For
the non-devotees however, t appears to be ndestructbe (avyayam).
Phandsi refers to the $edas, whch expound karma n such verses as
the foowng:
vyavya vetam "abheta bh&mikm
Desrng weath and power one shoud sacrfce a whte horse n
the northwest. Haittirya 5ahit 2.1.1.1
aindram ekdaaka-p"a nirvapet prakma
Desrng offsprng one shoud offer eeven obatons n the east.
%audhyana ,rauta 5&tras 13.2.120.7
Because they expand the bondage of the matera word, they are
caed the eaves (parni). Wth these eaves the tree becomes
attractve. He who knows ths tree s the knower of the $edas.
Fatha va"" ruti says:
&rdhva-m&"ovk-kha eo vattha santana
Ths eterna avattha tree has ts root s upwards and branches
downwards. Faha Apaniad 2.3.1
adha cordhva prasts tasya kh
gua-pravddh viaya-prav" '
adha ca m&"ny anusantatni
karmnubandhni manuya-"oke ''0''
2. The branches, nourshed by the guas+ wth sense ob|ects for twgs,
spread up and down. Secondary roots spread out everywhere n the
word of men, and are causes of contnued acton.
The branches of ths tree spread down (adha) n the form of anmas
and others, and upward n the form of the brth of devats and other
eevated bengs. These branches ncrease and ncrease by the
waterng process n the form of actons of the three guas (gua-
pravddh). The sma twgs on the branches are the sense ob|ects such
as sound (viaya-prav"). Moreover, t can be nferred that, at the
base of the tree, unknown to a peope, s some great treasure. There
are externa roots from the branches of the avattha, meanng n ths
case a banyan tree,
158
whch s dependent for support on both the man
root and the externa roots. These secondary roots, the cause of
contnued acton, spread out everywhere (anusantantni) beow
Brahmaoka (adha), n the panet of humans. Farma anubandhni
means that after en|oyng the resuts of ones actons n one fe, those
actons become stmuus for actons n another human brth.
na r&pam asyeha tathopa"abhyate
nnto na cdir na ca sapratih '
avattham ena su-vir&(ha-m&"am
asa/ga-astrea d(hena chittv ''1''
tata pada tat-parimrgitavya
yasmin gat na nivartanti bh&ya '
tam eva cdya purua prapadye
yata pravtti prast pur ''2''
3-4. The rea form of ths tree, ts end, ts begnnng, and ts sheter,
cannot be perceved n ths word. Cuttng down ths tree whch has
158
The avattha tree does not have these secondary roots from the branches.
roots sproutng everywhere, usng the axe of detachment, a person
shoud search out the treasure, attanng whch he does not return
agan. He shoud seek refuge n that orgna person from whom the
ancent actons of sasra have orgnated.
Moreover, the rea form of the tree cannot be perceved n the word of
men. Ths s because of the great varety of opnons such as "The
word s rea. The word s fase. The word s eterna." One cannot
understand ts end (na anta), and because t seems unmted, one
cannot understand ts begnnng as we. Because t seems to have no
begnnng, one cannot understand ts sheter (sampratih) or support.
One cannot understand what t s, because of ack of rea knowedge. In
any case, knowng that detachment s the weapon to cut down the
tree, whch s the ony cause of the sufferng of a vas, one shoud cut
down the tree wth that detachment, and shoud ook for the treasure
stuated at the base of the root.
The word asa/ga here means detachment, or compete renuncaton.
Havng cut the tree down wth the axe (astrea) of compete
detachment, separatng t from onesef, one shoud then search
(parimrgitavyam) for the ob|ect (tat-padam), Brahman, the great
treasure, exstng at the root. What type of thng s that? One shoud
ook for that ob|ect whch havng attaned (yasmin gata), one does not
return. He then expans the method of searchng. I worshp (prapadye)
that orgna person from whom the ong standng (pur) acton of
sasra (pravtti) has spread out: one shoud search by the process of
bhakti.
nirmna-moh ita-sa/ga-do
adhytma-nity vinivtta-km '
dvandvair vimukt sukha-dukha-sa!air
gacchanty am&(h padam avyaya tat ''3''
5. Those who are free from the deuson of prde, who are devod of
attachment, who are absorbed n refectng on Paramtm, who have
renounced matera desre, who are free of duates of happness and
dstress, and who are wthout bewderment, attan that ndestructbe
goa.
Performng bhakti, what quates do the peope attan, so they can
attan that goa? Ths verse expans. ;dhytma-nitya means "those
who make a rue of constanty consderng about adhytma; those who
are absorbed n refectng on Paramtm."
na tad bhsayate s&ryo na a/ko na pvaka '
yad gatv na nivartante tad dhma parama mama ''-''
6. The sun, moon and fre do not umnate ths supreme ght of Mne.
Havng attaned ths ght one does not return.
What are the quates of that ob|ect whch s attaned? The words
"Sun, moon and fre do not ght t" means that t s sef- reveang, sef-
dependent, sef-suffcent, and devod of mseres such as heat and
cod (caused by the sun, moon and fre). tad dhma parama mama
means that ght (dhma)
159
whch s non-matera, beyond the matera
senses (paramam), whch umnates or reveas everythng ese, and
whch beongs to Me (mama). The Rari Vaa says:
tat para parama brahma sarva vibhaate agat
mamaiva tad ghana teo !tum arhasi bhrata
That supreme Brahman ghts up ths whoe unverse. You shoud
know that ths ntense ght beongs to Me, O Bhrata. Rari
Vaa 2.114.12
The ruti says:
na tatra s&ryo bhti na candra-traka
nem vidyuto bhnti kutoyam agni
tam eva bhntam anubhti sarva
tasya bhs sarvam ida vibhti
The sun does not shne there, nor do the moon or stars. Nor does
ghtnng shne. How, then, can fre burn? When He shnes, a of
these shne. Through Hs ght, a thngs shne. Faha Apaniad
2.2.15
mamaivo va-"oke va-bh&ta santana '
mana-ahnndriyi prakti-sthni karati ''7''
159
6hma can mean ght, pace and form.
7. Ths eterna va, one of My parts, drags wth t the senses and the
sxth sense caed the mnd, whch are stuated n the bewderng
prakti.
Who s that va who, crossng sasra by devoton to You, attans that
pace?
160
In the $arha =ura t s sad:
sva ctha vibhinna iti dvedhyam iyate
vibhinnas tu va syt
There are two types of aa of the Lord, the sva and
vibhinna. The vibhinna s the va.
The va s eterna (santana), and n the condtoned state, drags the
senses, the sxth of whch s the mnd, stuated n prakti, stuated n
deuson--ke a person who drags chans boted on hs feet, whch he
proudy accepts, thnkng "These are mne."
arra yad avpnoti yac cpy utkrmatvara '
ghtvaitni sayti vyur gandhn ivayt ''8''
8. Whenever the va accepts or eaves a body, he takes these senses
wth hm n the subte body, |ust as ar takes fragrances from ob|ects
and goes esewhere.
In draggng around the senses, what does the va do? When the va,
the master of hs senses (vara), accepts a body and eaves the
body, he goes away, takng these senses aong wth the subte body.
Ths s ke the wnd takng the fragrances wth ts subte eements from
the receptaces of fragrance (ayt), such as garands or sandawood,
and gong esewhere.
rotra caku sparana ca rasana ghram eva ca '
adhihya mana cya viayn upasevate ''9''
9. Takng sheter of the ear, eye, touch, tongue and nose, the va
en|oys the ob|ects of the senses.
160
Ths was one of the questons asked n the commentary on the frst verse of ths
chapter, n response to the ast verses of the prevous chapter.
Havng gone nto a body, what does he do? Takng sheter (adhihya)
of the senses such as the ear and aso the mnd, he en|oys the ob|ects
of the senses (viayn), such as sound.
utkrmanta sthita vpi bhu!na v gunvitam '
vim&(h nnupayanti payanti !na-cakua ''):''
10. The foosh do not understand when the va s eavng the body,
resdng n t or en|oyng the sense ob|ects. Those wth eyes of
knowedge perceve ths.
Do we not reaze at a that body from whch we depart, wthn whch
we resde n the body and resdng there, how we en|oy peasures?
Persons wth no ntegence (vim&(h) do not recognze when the va
s eavng the body, resdng n the body or en|oyng the present sense
ob|ects wth the senses (gunvitam). But men of dscrmnaton (!na-
cakua) observe ths.
yatanto yogina caina payanty tmany avasthitam '
yatanto py akttmno naina payanty acetasa ''))''
11. Endeavorng yogs see ths sou stuated n the body. Those wth
mpure heart, though they may endeavor, do not see t.
Those persons of dscrmnaton are the endeavorng yogs . They see
the sou n the body. Those of mpure conscousness (akttmna),
even endeavorng, do not see the sou there.
yad ditya-gata teo agad bhsayate khi"am '
yac candramasi yac cgnau tat teo viddhi mmakam '')0''
12. Know that the ght of the sun, moon and fre, whch umnates ths
unverse, s My ght.
Whatever the va attans n hs bound state, I, beng the essence of
the sun, moon and other ob|ects, suppy that. Ths s expaned n three
verses. The ght stuated n the sun, rsng n the mornng on Udaya
Parvata, umnates the word n order to cause acton for the attanng
present and future en|oyment. That ght, and a ght (akhi"am) that s
n the moon and fre, beong to Me aone. What are known as the sun,
moon and fre, are actuay Me. Know that these are My vibh&tis.
gm viya ca bh&tni dhraymy aham oas '
pumi cauadh sarv somo bh&tv rastmaka '')1''
13. Enterng the earth by My power, I support a bengs. I noursh a
pants, becomng the moon, fu of sweet |uce.
Enterng the earth (gm) by My own akti Koas), and beng stuated
there, I mantan the movng and non-movng enttes (bh&tni).
Becomng the sweet-|uced moon, I cause pants such as rce to
ncrease and grow.
aha vaivnaro bh&tv prin deham rita '
prpna-samyukta pacmy anna catur-vidham '')2''
14. Becomng the fre of dgeston, I take sheter wthn a bengs. I
dgest the four types of food usng the pra and apna.
Becomng vavnara, the fre n the stomach, takng sheter of the
bodes of vng enttes, aong wth the pra and apna+ whch
stmuate the fre, I dgest the food of four types. The four types of food
are: chewed wth the teeth (bhakya), ke roasted chck peas; savored
by the tongue wthout usng the teeth (bhoya) such as soup; cked
("ehya) such as raw sugar; and sucked tems (coya), n whch the
chewed porton s dscarded, such as sugar cane stck.
sarvasya cha hdi sannivio
matta smtir !nam apohana ca '
vedai ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vednta-kd veda-vid eva cham '')3''
15. I am stuated n everyones heart. From Me come remembrance,
knowedge and forgetfuness. And I am aso known by a the $edas. I
am the maker of the $ednta snce I aone know the $edas.
|ust as I am the fre n the stomach, I am aso dweng n the hearts of
a movng and non-movng enttes, n the form of the eement buddhi ,
ntegence. From Me n the form of ntegence (matta), there s
remembrance of sensatons from ob|ects prevousy perceved. From
Me there s aso knowedge, arsng through contact of the senses wth
the sense ob|ects, and aso the remova of both knowedge and
memory.
Havng tod how He heps the va n hs bound state, the Lord then
tes how He asssts the va to attan beraton. I am known through
the $edas. I aone made $ednta through Veda Vysa, because I aone
know the $edas (veda-vit): I know the rea meanng of the $edas, and no
one except Me knows the rea meanng.
dvv imau puruau "oke kara ckara eva ca '
kara sarvi bh&tni k&a-stho kara ucyate '')-''
16. There are two conscous bengs n ths unverse: the coectve vas
and Brahman.
The coectve vas are a these vng enttes. The Brahman s fxed
wth one form for a tme.
Because I am the knower of the $edas, I w speak n bref the essenta
meanng of a the $edas n three verses. Pease sten.
In the matera unverse made of fourteen words ("oke), there are these
two conscous bengs (imau dvau puruau). He then descrbes who they
are n bref. One s the va, caed kara, because he s n a devated
(kar means to fa) condton from hs svar&pa or true nature. The other
s Brahman, caed akara, whch does not devate from ts svar&pa. The
ruti says:
etad vai tad akara grgi brhma abhivadanti
The knowers of Brahman know ths as akara, O Grg. %had
>rayaka Apaniad 3.8.3
The smti says:
akara brahma paramam
The akara s the supreme Brahman. %# 8.3
From these quotatons, t s seen that the word akara means Brahman.
Now the Lord makes cear the meanng of these two words. A the
vng enttes are one aggregate va (sarvni kara). The coectve
va, faen from hs svar&pa by begnnngess gnorance and sub|ect to
karma, becomes the varety of vng enttes up to the movng enttes
ke Lord Brahm. The snguar number of kara s used to express a
cass. The second conscous beng, akara, s stuated for a of tme
wth s one svar&pa, whch does not fa.
;mara Foa says "That s kua-stha whch s stuated over a tme
wth one form."
uttama puruas tv anya paramtmety udhta '
yo "oka-trayam viya bibharty avyaya vara '')7''
17. But the hghest person s dfferent from ths. He s descrbed as the
Paramtm, who havng entered the three words, though beng the
controer and unchangng, supports t.
Havng |ust spoken about the mpersona Brahman, whch the !ns
worshp, the Lord now speaks about the Paramtm whch the yogs
worshp. The word tu ndcates a dstncton from what was prevousy
spoken. As the yog s a dfferent worshpper than the !n, the ob|ect
worshpped by hm w aso be dfferent.
The Lord shows the nature of Paramtm. Paramtm s He who,
though havng the nature of commandng (vara) and beng
unchangng (avyaya), enters nto the three words competey and
supports and protects t (bibharti).
yasmt karam atto ham akard api cottama '
ato smi "oke vede ca prathita puruottama '')8''
18. Because I am superor to the vas, to the Brahman and to the
purua known as Paramtm, and even to the other forms of
Bhagavn, I am ceebrated n the $edas and the smtis, as the
Supreme Person.
Havng spoken about the ob|ect of worshp of the yogs , Paramtm,
the Lord now speaks about the ob|ect of worshp of the devotees,
Bhagavn.
161
Though He n Hs form as Ka s aso Bhagavn, He
denotes the supreme exceence of Hs own svar&pa as Ka by usng
the name puruottama.
161
Ths answers the ast queston rased n the commentary on the frst verse: what s
the bass of Brahman?
I am superor to the va (karam), and I am superor to the Brahman
(akart), and aso to Paramtm (the ast statement s ndcated by
the word api.)
yoginm api sarve mad-gatenntar-tman
raddhvn bhaate yo m sa me yuktatamo mata
Of a yogs , he who, absorbng hs mnd n Me, worshps Me wth
fath, s consdered by Me to be the best yog . %# 6.47
From the dfference n the worshpper, one can concude that there s a
dfference n the worshpabe ob|ect. The word ca ndcates that Ka
s superor even to the Lord of Vakuha and other forms of Bhagavn,
as ukadeva has expaned n the %hgavatam:
ete ca-ka" pusa kas tu bhagavn svayam
These are a parts or parts of parts. Ka s Bhagavn Hmsef.
5% 1.3.28
Though Hs one sat-cid-nanda form s caed by the names Brahman,
Paramtm and Bhagavn, actuay there s no dfference at a
between them. 5var&pa-dvaybhvtB
there s no duaty n Your form. (5% 6.9. 36) However, because of
observng dfference n the worshppers, n terms of sdhana and the
resuts, dfference has been desgnated. That s to say, the sdhana
respectvey of the !n, yog and bhakta produces reazaton of
Brahman, Paramtm and Bhagavn. The resut of !na and yoga s
mere beraton, and the resut of bhakti s to become an assocate of
the Lord wth prema. Aso wthout bhakti, the !n and yog do not
even attan beraton. Ths s understood from the foowng verses:
naikarmyam apy acyuta-bhva-varita na obhate
Knowedge of sef-reazaton, even though free from a matera
affnty, does not ook we f devod of a concepton of the
Infabe God. 5% 1.5.12
pureha bh&man bahavo pi yoginas
tvad-arpiteh nia-karma-"abdhay
vibudhya bhaktyaiva kathopantay
prapedire !o cyuta te gati parm
O amghty Lord, n the past many yogs n ths word acheved
the patform of devotona servce by offerng a ther endeavors
unto You and fathfuy carryng out ther prescrbed dutes.
Through such devotona servce, perfected by the processes of
hearng and chantng about You, they came to understand You, O
nfabe one, and coud easy surrender to You and acheve Your
supreme abode. 5% 10.14.5
The worshppers of Brahman and Paramtm must necessary perform
bhakti to Bhagavn n order to acheve the fna resuts of ther sdhana
. The worshppers of Bhagavn however do not perform worshp of
Brahman or Paramtm to acheve the resuts of ther sdhana .
tasmn mad-bhakti-yuktasya yogino vai mad-tmana
na !na na ca vairgya prya reyo bhaved iha
Therefore, for a devotee engaged n My ovng servce, wth mnd
fxed on Me, the cutvaton of knowedge and renuncaton s
generay not the means of achevng the hghest perfecton
wthn ths word. 5% 11.20.31
yat karmabhir yat tapas !na-vairgyata ca yat
yogena dna-dharmea reyobhir itarair api
sarva mad-bhakti-yogena mad-bhakto "abhate !as
svargpavarga mad-dhma katha!cid yadi v!chati
Everythng that can be acheved by frutve actvtes, penance,
knowedge, detachment, mystc yoga, charty, regous dutes
and a other means of perfectng fe s easy acheved by My
devotee through ovng servce unto Me. If somehow or other My
devotee desres promoton to heaven, beraton, or resdence n
My abode, he easy acheves such benedctons. 5% 1.20.31-32
y vai sdhana -sampatti pururtha-catuaye
tay vin tad pnoti naro nryaraya
Even wthout the usua requrements for achevng the perfecton
of fe, a person w gan that perfecton f he s smpy a
surrendered devotee of Nryaa. @ryaya
Therefore, by worshp of Bhagavn, t s possbe to attan a of the
resuts: matera en|oyment, beraton and prema. But by the worshp
of Brahman and Paramtm aone, t s not possbe to attan
en|oyment, beraton or prema. Therefore, t s sad that Bhagavn s n
a superor poston even though He s not dfferent from Brahman and
Paramtm. It s |ust as the huge fre s consdered superor among a
sma ght, a amp and a huge fre, because of ts superor abty to
aevate the pan of cod, even though a the tems are essenta the
same energy.
However, among the forms of Bhagavn, Ka s consdered to be the
supreme attractve form, |ust as the sun s consdered superor to the
huge fre. Why? Because Ka aone gave nirva-moka, the fna
frut of worshp of Brahman, even to Hs enemes such as Agha, Baka
and |arsandha, who were most snfu. Ths verse has been expaned
accordng to rdhara Svms commentary on the verse brahmao hi
pratihham.
162

Madhusdana Sarasvat says:
Men skfu at pous work worshp Ka repeatedy, who appears
contnuay to reeve the burden of the earth, who enabes the
ntegent to cross the matera ocean, who s the deght of the
women of Vra|a, the essence of the beauty of the ran coud as
descrbed n the $edas, and the form of knowedge and bss.
I do not know any truth hgher than Ka, who has otus eyes, a
face beautfu as the fu moon, and ps red ke the bimba frut;
who has the compexon of a ran coud; who wears yeow coth;
and who hods a fute n hs hand. Madhusdana Sarasvats
commentary on verse 19
Those foos who cannot toerate the gores of Ka whch have
been ascertaned wth vad proof go to he. Madhusdana
Sarasvats commentary on verse 20
162
He expaned that Ka s the condensed form of Brahman.
There shoud be no ndgnaton at the expanaton of these three
verses (16-18) whch estabsh the supreme poston of the form of
Ka. I offer my respects to the mpersonasts.
163
yo mm evam asamm&(ho nti puruottamam '
sa sarva-vid bhaati m sarva-bhvena bhrata '')9''
19. He who wthout bewderment knows Me as Bhagavn knows
everythng. He worshps Me wth compete ove, O descendent of
Bharata.
"Though ths has been estabshed by You, phosophers w argue over
the meanng."
Let them argue! They are bewdered by My my, and the devotee s
not bewdered. He who s not bewdered by the arguments of these
phosophers (asam&(ha) knows everythng. Even though he has not
studed the scrptures, he s the knower of the meanng of a
scrptures. The other person, though he has ndeed studed and taught
a the scrptures, s reay a compete foo (sam m&(ha). He who
knows Me worshps Me wth compete ove. The other person, though
he worshps somethng, does not worshp Me.
iti guhyatama stram idam ukta maynagha '
etad buddhv buddhimn syt kta-ktya ca bhrata ''0:''
20. Thus I have spoken the most secret teachng, O sness Ar|una.
Knowng ths, you w be ntegent and w have attaned the goa, O
descendent of Bharata.
Ths verse concudes the chapter. In these twenty verses (iti), I have
thus spoken competey the most secret teachng.
In ths chapter, the casses of matter and conscousness have been
reveaed by He who makes a thngs happen, and the supreme
poston of Ka has been expaned.
Thus the commentares on the ffteenth chapter of the #t have been
competed for the peasure of the devotees hearts, by the mercy of
the cryas.
163
Madhusdana Sarasvat was actuay a famous supporter of mpersonasm, but
has aso wrtten such devotona verses n hs Gt commentary. Vvantha s here
gvng hm credt for that, though aso recognzng hs mpersona stance.
Chapter Sxteen
r-bhagavn uvca
abhaya sattva-sauddhir !na-yoga-vyavasthiti '
dna dama ca ya!a ca svdhyyas tapa ravam '')''
ahis satyam akrodhas tyga ntir apaiunam '
day bh&tev a"o"uptva mrdava hrr acpa"am ''0''
tea kam dhti aucam adroho ntimnit '
bhavanti sapada daivm abhitasya bhrata ''1''
1-3. Fearessness, purty of conscousness, havng knowedge of the
methods of !na, charty, sense contro, worshp of the Lord, study of
the $edas, austerty, sncerty, non-voence, truth, absence of anger,
ack of possessveness, peace, not crtczng others, mercy to vng
bengs, absence of greed, genteness, humty, steadness, strength,
forgveness, forttude, ceanness, avodng n|ury of others, and ack of
prde manfest n a person born at a tme ndcatng sattvc quates.
In the sxteenth chapter, the deva and demon quates as we as the
resuts of these two condtons w be descrbed.

Rememberng that the fruts of the avattha tree of sasra had not
been descrbed n the ast chapter after mentonng them, the Lord n
ths chapter descrbes the fruts of the tree whch are of two varetes:
those whch cause beraton and those whch cause bondage. Frst, he
descrbes those gvng beraton n three verses.
;bhayam means freedom from the fear of "How w I ve, beng aone
n the forest wthout wfe and chdren?"
5attva-sasuddhi means purty of conscousness.
C!na-yoga vyavasthita means beng competey famar wth the
methods of attanng !na, for exampe ack of prde, mentoned n
chapter thrteen.
6na means to dstrbute food or other tems of ones en|oyment to
others
6ama means controng the externa senses.
4a!a means worshp of the Lord.
5vadhyya means studyng or rectng the $edas.
The other tems after ths are cear.
Hyga means to gve up possessveness of wfe, chdren and other
thngs.
;"o"uptam means absence of greed.
These twenty sx tems beong to the person born at a moment
ndcatng sattvc nature.
dambho darpo timna ca krodha pruyam eva ca '
a!na cbhitasya prtha sapadam surm ''2''
4. Fase pretence, prde, attachment, anger, cruety and ack of
dscrmnatng power manfest n one born at a tme ndcatng tamasc
or ra|asc quates.
The Lord now speaks of the fruts whch cause bondage.
6ambha means to announce onesef as regous even though one has a
snfu nature.
6arpa means prde due to weath, knowedge and the ke.
;bhimna means to desre respect from others or attachment to wfe,
sons and other thngs.
Frodha means anger.
=ruya means cruety.
;!na means ack of dscrmnaton.
These are the quates of the asura, whch ndcate other types of
bengs, such as Rkasas as we. These quates beong to the person
born at a moment ndcatng attanment of ra|asc or tamasc quates.
daiv sapad vimokya nibandhysur mat '
m uca sapada daivm abhitosi p(ava ''3''
5. The daiva quates ead to beraton and the asurc quates ead to
bondage. Do not worry Ar|una, you have been born wth the sattvc
quates.
The Lord shows the effects of these two attanments n ths verse.
"It appears that I have the asurc trats whch w ead to bondage n
sasra, snce I desre to k enemes by shootng arrows and am thus
fed wth cruety and anger."
To comfort Ar|una who was thus worred, the Lord speaks. "Do not
worry. You are born wth the daiva quates. O Pava! For one born
n a katriya famy, anger and cruety durng war are prescrbed by the
scrptures. To do otherwse woud make you of the asurc nature,
possessng voence and other bad quates."

dvau bh&ta-sargau "okesmin daiva sura eva ca '
daivo vistaraa prokta sura prtha me u ''-''
6. There are two types of created bengs n ths word-- the dvne and
demonc. I have descrbed the dvne at ength. Hear from Me about
the demonc, O son of Pth.
Now Ka begns to expan about the asurc quates to the
despondent Ar|una. I have spoken about the dvne persons n deta
aready, n verse 1-3.
pravtti ca nivtti ca an na vidur sur '
na auca npi ccro na satya teu vidyate ''7''
7. Demonc peope do not understand dharma and adharma. They do
not have ceanness, reguated actvtes, or truthfuness.
=ravttim means dharma and nivttim means adharma.
asatyam apratiha te agad hur anvaram '
aparaspara-sabh&ta kim anyat kma-haitukam ''8''
8. They say the word s fase, wthout a foundaton, wthout a creator,
havng arsen wthout cause. What ese can be sad? Its cause s |ust
some specuaton accordng to ones desre.
Ths verse descrbes the thnkng process of the asuras. They say that
the word s an usory concepton, based on fasty (asatyam); that t s
wthout sheter (apratiha), not havng even the bass of a fower n
the sky; that t s wthout creatorshp of a controer snce t s fase
(anvaram). Because t has arsen from nowhere ke enttes from
perspraton, t has not arsen from a cause (aparaspara-sabh&tam).
What ese can be sad (kim anyat)? Its cause s |ust accordng to the
desre of those who propound theores about t (kma haitukam). If they
can magne that the word arses ony by uson, then that becomes
the cause.
Others expan the verse thus: It has no proof, no confrmaton from the
$edas, =uras or other sources of knowedge (asatyam). It s sad:
trayo vedasya kartro bha(a-dh&rta-nicar
The makers of the three $edas are |ackas mtatng wse men.
164
It has no state of dharma or adharma (apratiham). The deas of dharma
and adharma are both mstaken conceptons. The Lord aso s
conceved on the bass of mstake or bhrama (anvaram).
"It s observed that the word arses ony from the mutua nteractons
of men and women." Ths s not a fact. The word does not arse from
ther nteracton (aparaspara-sabh&tam). Though t s sad that the chd
arses from the mother and father, t s a mstaken dea, ke fase
knowedge that the pot has arsen from the potter. What shoud be
sad? The cause of the word s smpy a specuaton of ones whm
(kma-haitukam). By ogc, whatever dfferent persons speak about
atoms, my or God, they tak of that as the cause.
et dim avaabhya natmno "pa-buddhaya '
prabhavanty ugra-karma kayya agato hit ''9''
9. Takng sheter of ths vewpont, beng depraved, unntegent,
performng voent actons, these men are born to brng destructon to
the word.
Some of these asuras who speak n ths way are ost sous
(natmaa), some have tte ntegence, some are voent, dong
whatever they want, vng hesh exstence. Ths s descrbed n eeven
verses. ;vaabhya means takng sheter of ths concepton.
kmam ritya dup&ra dambha-mna-madnvit '
mohd ghtvsad-grhn pravartante uci-vrat ''):''
10. Takng sheter of nsatabe ust, fed wth fase pretense, prde
and passon, wth mpure vows, they engage n a sorts of fase
doctrnes out of bewderment.
They engage n fase doctrnes (asad grhn). They perform vrata
wthout pure conduct (auci vrat).
164
Ths s the phosophy of Crvka and others of the Lokyata schoo. Ths s quoted
by rdhara Svm as we, but the source s not gven.
cintm aparimey ca pra"ayntm uprit '
kmopabhoga-param etvad iti nicit ''))''
11. Takng sheter of unmted thoughts and worres, they concude
that the goa s to en|oy sense ob|ects to the utmost.
Unt death (pra"ayntm) they take sheter of unmted thoughts. They
are convnced that the ony purport of scrpture (etvan iti nicit) s
to et the senses en|oy sense ob|ects, and why worry about t?
-pa-atair baddh kma-krodha-parya '
hante kma-bhogrtham anyyenrtha-sacayn '')0''
12. Bound by hundreds of shackes of desre, surrendered to ust and
anger, they strve to amass heaps of weath through ega means n
order to en|oy sense ob|ects.
idam adya may "abdham ida prpsye manoratham '
idam astdam api me bhaviyati punar dhanam '')1''
13. I have ganed ths today. Next I w fuf my other desres. I have
ths weath now. Ths weath w aso be mne.
asau may hata atrur haniye cparn api '
varoham aha bhog siddhoha ba"avn sukh '')2''
14. I have ked my enemy. I w k others aso. I am the ord. I am the
en|oyer. I am perfect, strong and happy.
(hyo bhianavn asmi ko nyo sti sado may '
yakye dsymi modiya ity a!na-vimohit '')3''
15. I am weathy and hgh born. Who s equa to me? I sha perform
sacrfces, gve charty and re|oce. In ths way, they are bewdered by
gnorance.
aneka-citta-vibhrnt moha-"a-samvt '
prasakt kma-bhogeu patanti narakeucau '')-''
16. Msed by many thoughts, covered by a net of uson, and
extremey attached to en|oyng ob|ects, they fa nto an uncean he.
Attached to the en|oyment of ther desred ob|ects, they fa to uncean
he, nto such paces as Vatara (fed wth bood and pus).
tma-sabhvit stabdh dhana-mna-madnvit '
yaante nma-ya!ais te dambhenvidhi-p&rvakam '')7''
17. Respected by the unntegent, unsubmssve, fed wth the
ntoxcaton of prde n ther weath, they perform worshp for show
ony, through fase ya!a, wthout foowng scrptura rues.
>tma-sambhvit means those who have attaned worshpabe status,
but are not respected by any we bred peope. Therefore they are
unsubmssve (stabdh). They perform worshp by actons whch are
sacrfce n name ony (nma-ya!ai yaante).
aha/kra ba"a darpa kma krodha ca sarit '
mm tma-para-deheu pradviantobhyas&yak '')8''
18. Surrendered to ego, strength, arrogance, ust, and anger, they hate
Me stuated n ther own and others bodes, and fnd faut n the
quates of the devotees.
They dsrespect Me (pradvianta), the Paramtm, who am stuated n
ther own and others bodes (tma-para-deheu). Or they hate Me who
am stuated n the bodes of the devotees who are surrendered to
Paramtm (tma-para-deheu mm). They hate Me, snce they hate the
devotees who have surrendered to Me. And they fnd faut n the
quates of the devotees (abhyas&yak).
tn aha dviata kr&rn sasreu nardhamn '
kipmy aasram aubhn surv eva yoniu '')9''
19. I cast those hatefu, crue, and owest of humans, constanty dong
ev, nto repeated brth and death n the wombs of demons.
sur yonim pann m&(h anmani anmani '
mm aprpyaiva kaunteya tato ynty adham gatim ''0:''
20. Takng brth as demons brth after brth, these foos, not attanng
Me, then go to the owest poston, O son of Kunt.
Not attanng Me, the asuras attan ow brths. However, those asuras n
the form of Kasa and others attaned Me, Ka, who appeared at the
end of Dvpara-yuga n the twenty eghth cyce of Vavasvata Manus
regn. Though hatng Me, they attaned Me n the form of beraton.
Because I am an ocean of mercy, I gve even such snfu asuras
beraton, whch s ony attaned by the perfecton of bhakti and !na.
The Personfed $edas say:
nibhta-marun-manoka d(ha-yoga-yuo hdi yan
munaya upsate tad-arayopi yayu smarat
Smpy by constanty thnkng of Hm, the enemes of the Lord
attaned the same Supreme Truth whom sages fxed n yoga
worshp by controng ther breath, mnd and senses. 5%
10.87.23
Ths wdens the scope of My supreme attractve poston whch I
mentoned prevousy.
But as the %hagavatmta Frik says:
m ka-r&pia yvan npnuvanti mama dvia
tvad evdhama yoni prpnuvantti hi sphuam
In as much as those who hate Me do not attan Me n My form as
Ka, t s cear that they attan the owest brths.
trividha narakasyeda dvra nanam tmana '
kma krodhas tath "obhas tasmd etat traya tyaet ''0)''
21. Lust, anger and greed, the three gates eadng to he, destroy the
sef. Therefore one shoud gve up these three.
Thus the Lord has descrbed the nature of the asura n deta. The Lord
has aso correcty sad, "Do not worry, O Ar|una, you are born of the
dvne nature." (%# 16.5) to confrm that ths s true, He then says that
there are ndeed three nborn tendences of the asuras n ths verse.
etair vimukta kaunteya tamo-dvrais tribhir nara '
caraty tmana reyas tato yti par gatim ''00''
22. The person who s free from these three gates eadng to darkness
acts n the best nterest of the sef, and then attans the supreme goa.
ya stra-vidhim utsya vartate kma-krata '
na sa siddhim avpnoti na sukha na par gatim ''01''
23. He who gvng up the rues of scrpture acts accordng to hs own
whm does not attan perfecton, happness, or the supreme goa.
In ths verse the Lord expresses that t s benefca for a person to
foow the scrptures. He speaks of the person who does not foow
scrpture, and does whatever he wants (kma-krata).
tasmc chstra prama te krykrya-vyavasthitau '
!tv stra-vidhnokta karma kartum ihrhasi ''02''
24. Therefore scrpture s the authorty n determnng what to do and
what not to do. Understandng what s stated n the scrpture, you
shoud perform actons n ths word.
Ths chapter has descrbed how those who foow the scrpture attan
the supreme goa and those who do not foow scrpture go to he.
Thus the commentares on the sxteenth chapter of the #t have
been competed for the peasure of the devotees hearts, by the mercy
of the cryas.
Chapter Seventeen
aruna uvca
ye stra-vidhim utsya yaante raddhaynvit '
te nih tu k ka sattvam ho raas tama '')''
1. Ar|una sad: O Ka, what s the poston of those who gve up the
rues of scrpture but act wthout desre for sense en|oyment. Is ths
sattva+ raas or tamas?
In the seventeenth chapter accordng to the questons of Ar|una, the
Lord gves a descrpton of the sattvc, ra|asc and tamasc thngs.
"After descrbng the asurc persons, You concuded by sayng that,
gvng up the n|unctons of scrpture, they do as they ke and do not
attan happness n ths fe or the next. I have a queston about ths."
Thus Ar|una speaks ths verse.
You have spoken of those who gve up scrptura authorty and act out
of persona desre (kma-krit). But what s the foundaton (nih) of
those who gve up the rues of scrpture, and accordng to ther
ncnaton perform worshp, such as tapa-ya!a, !na-ya!a or apa-ya!a,
but wth fath, wthout desre to en|oy as they ke (raddhaynvit)? Is
t sattva, raas or tamas? Pease te me that. >ho s an nterrogatve
partce.
r-bhagavn uvca
trividh bhavati raddh dehin s svabhva- '
sttvik ras caiva tmas ceti t u ''0''
2. The Lord sad: The fath of emboded bengs s of three types, arsng
from ther prevous mpressons. It s made of sattva+ raas or tamas.
O Ar|una, frst hear from Me the stuaton of those who worshp wthout
gvng up the rues of scrpture. After that I w speak to you about the
condton of those who gve up the rues of scrpture. Hear about the
three types of fath whch arse from svabhva--partcuar mpressons
from prevous experences.
sattvnur&p sarvasya raddh bhavati bhrata '
raddh-mayo ya puruo yo yac-chraddha sa eva sa ''1''
3. Ths fath corresponds to the nature of the nterna organ, O
descendent of Bharata. Man s made of hs fath. He becomes smar
to whatever form he worshps wth fath.
5attvam here means the heart or nterna sense organ (antakaraa).
There are three types of antakaraa: n the mode of sattva, raas and
tamas. Accordngy, those who have sattvc antakaraa have sattvc
fath. Those wth ra|asc antakaraa have ra|asc fath, and those wth
tamasc antakaraa have tamasc fath. He becomes smar to
whatever he fathfuy worshps-deva, asura or Rkasa (yac raddha).
yaante sttvik devn yaka-raksi ras '
pretn bh&ta-ga cnye yaante tmas an ''2''
4. Those wth sattvc nature worshp the devas. Those wth ra|asc
nature worshp the Yakas and Rkasas. Those wth tamasc nature
worshp the Pretas and Bhtas.
The Lord carfes what He has sad. Those wth sattvc antakaraa,
wth sattvc fath, wth rues of sattvc scrpture, worshp devats.
Because of havng fath n those devats, they are sad to be deva. In
the same way, those wth ra|asc and tamasc antakaraas take up
such fath, and worshp Rkasas and Bhtas or Pretas,
165
and are sad
to be Rkasas and Bhtas.
astra-vihita ghora tapyante ye tapo an '
dambhhakra-sayukt kma-rga-ba"nvit ''3''
karayanta arra-stha bh&ta-grmam acetasa '
m caivnta-arra-stha tn viddhy sura-nicayn ''-''
5-6. Know that those peope are demonc n nature who, out of
ostentaton and prde, fed wth attachment, ust and strength to
endure, havng no dscrmnaton, undergo extreme austertes not
prescrbed n the scrptures, and affct the eements n the body and
Me resdng n the body.
"You asked the queston What s the poston of those who, gvng up
the rues of scrpture but wth fath, and not smpy en|oyng as much
as possbe, perform worshp? Now hear the answer." The Lord
answers n two verses.
They perform austertes whch are harmfu to vng enttes (ghoram).
The menton of austertes s representatve of other acts such a apa
and sacrfce as we. They perform a these acts aganst the rues of
scrptures. The absence of whmsca en|oyment and endowment of
fath (sraddhnvit) are understood n ths context. But they are
endowed wth ostentaton (dambha) and prde (aha/kra) because
wthout those two, they coud not transgress the rues of scrpture.
They aso have desre for eterna youth, eterna fe, kngdom and such
thngs (kma), attachment to ther partcuar austerty (rga), and
abty to perform the austerty (ba"a), ke that Hrayakapu and
others. Endowed wth these quates, they starve or cause sufferng
(karyanta) to a eements such as earth (bh&t-gramam), to Me (mm)
165
Accordng to Baadeva, the Pretas are the sprts of those who have faen from
caste dutes, or ese a type of Pca. The Bhtas are accordng to some, the seven
mothers, or the foowers of va.
and to My aa the va, stuated n ther bodes. Know these peope to
be aso stuated on the eve of asuras.
hras tv api sarvasya trividho bhavati priya '
ya!as tapas tath dna te bhedam ima u ''7''
7. The food that peope en|oy, ther sacrfce, austerty and charty
have three dvsons aso. Pease hear about these.
I have descrbed n the prevous chapter those who gve up scrptura
rues and do thngs accordng to ther desre, and n ths chapter I have
descrbed those who, accordng the asuras scrptures, worshp Yakas,
Rkasas , Pretas and other bengs (verses 4); and I have aso
descrbed those who perform austertes and other acts (whch appear
regous) wth no scrpture at a (verses 5 and 6). These a end up as
asurc bengs. Pease consder and understand, n ke manner, as
much as possbe, the categores of deva and asura assumed by foods
and other thngs to be descrbed accordng to dvson of the three
guas. Thrteen verses descrbe these tems.
yu-sattva-ba"rogya-sukha-prti-vivardhan '
rasy snigdh sthir hdy hr sattvc-priy ''8''
8. Foods whch proong fe span, ncrease w, strength, mmunty to
dsease, happness and appette, and are tasty, md, substanta, and
benefca are dear to those n sattva gua.
It s we known that sattvc foods ncrease the fe span (yu). They
aso ncrease strength of w (sattva) as we as physca strength,
freedom from dsease, happness and deghtfuness n eatng them.
The food shoud be tasty or |ucy (rasy). |aggery has taste but s
coarse or dry. Sattvc food shoud thus be md, wth o (snigdh). The
foam of mk, though tasty and md, s nsubstanta. Sattvc food
shoud be substanta, wth ong astng effect n the body (sthir). |ack
frut and other tems are sweet, md, and substanta, but are not
benefca to the stomach and other organs. Sattvc food shoud thus
aso be benefca to the heart, stomach and other organs (hdy) as
we. Thus t s understood that foods such as rce, wheat, other
grans, mk and sugar are dear to the sattvc peope, because they
have a four of the above mentoned quates. As those foods are
dear to them, the foods are understood to be sattvc. However, even f
food has those four quates, f t s mpure, the sattvc peope do not
ke t. Thus, purty shoud be added as a quaty of sattvc food. One
shoud compare the descrpton of tamasc food mentoned ater. The
ad|ectve used to descrbe tamasc food s amedhya+ rtuay mpure, not
to be offered n sacrfce.
kav-am"a-"avaty-ua-tka-r&ka-vidhina '
hr rasasye dukha-okmaya-prad ''9''
9. Foods that are excessvey btter, sour, saty, hot, pungent, dry and
burnng, and whch produce pan whe eatng, sorrow afterwards and
fnay dsease, are dear to the ra|asc person.
In ths st the ad|ectve "extremey" shoud be added to each quaty.
Very btter food (kau) means such food as nma. Very sour, very saty
and very hot foods are we known. Very sharp foods (tka) are
turmerc root and other tems, or pepper. Very dryng foods (r&ka) are
hing and kodrava. Burnng foods (vidhina) are those that cause
nterna heat, such as burned chck peas. These cause sufferng
(dukha), amentaton (oka), and dsease (mayam). The word
"sufferng" here refers to sufferng when eatng, causng pan to the
tongue, throat or other organ. "Lamentaton" means afterward, n the
future, those foods cause despar. >maya means dsease.
yta-yma gata-rasa p&ti paryuita ca yat '
ucchiam api cmedhya bhoana tmasa-priyam ''):''
10. Stae food, food wthout taste, bad-smeng or rotten food,
eftovers from others, and mpure foods are dear to the tamasc
person.
4ta ymam means food whch has remaned three hours (ymam)
after cookng, or n other words, that whch has become cod after
cookng. #ata-rasam means food from whch the natura taste s
mssng, or has been extracted, or such tems as the skn and seed of
the rpe mango. =uti means bad smeng. =aryuitam means over-rpe.
Acchiam refers to the eftovers other than that from the guru or other
smar persons. ;medyam means nedbe tems such as ka"a!a. From
revewng the st of foods, one shoud concude that those nterested
n ther own wefare shoud partake of sattvc foods. The Vaavas
however re|ect any food not offered to the Lord, even f t s sattvc
food. Food offered to the Lord s dear to the devotees who are beyond
the guas. Ths s understood from the %hgavatam.
apha"k/kibhir ya!o vidhi-do ya iyate '
yaavyam eveti mana samdhya sa sattvc ''))''
11. That sacrfce whch s performed accordng to scrpture, wthout
desre for matera resuts, wth the mentaty that t shoud be
performed because of scrptura n|uncton, s sattvc.
Wth ths verse the Lord begns to speak of the three types of sacrfce.
That s sattvc sacrfce whch s performed accordng to the rues, wth
no desre for resuts. What woud be the mpetus for sacrfce f there
were no desre for resuts? The mnd s fxed n performng the sacrfce
wth the dea that t shoud be done because the scrptures prescrbe t
thus (yaavyam eva iti).
abhisandhya tu pha"a dambhrtham api caiva yat '
iyate bharata-reha ta ya!a viddhi rasam '')0''
12. Know that the sacrfce performed wth ntenton of en|oyng the
resut, or for ostentaton, s ra|asc, O best of Bharatas neage.
vidhi-hnam asnna mantra-hnam adakiam '
raddh-virahita ya!a tmasa paricakate '')1''
13. They say that the sacrfce whch s contrary to scrpture, wth no
food gven n charty, wthout proper mantras, n whch the prests are
not pad, and whch s performed wthout fath, s tamasc.
;sa annam means wthout gvng food n charty.

deva-dvia-guru-pr!a-p&ana aucam ravam '
brahmacaryam ahis ca rra tapa ucyate '')2''
14. Sattvc austerty of the body conssts of worshp of devas+
brhmaas+ guru and the wse, as we as purty, sncerty, cebacy and
non-voence.
Speakng of three types of austerty, frst the Lord speaks of three
types of sattvc austerty n three verses.
anudvega-kara vkya satya priya-hita ca yat '
svdhyybhyasana caiva v/-maya tapa ucyate '')3''
15. Speech whch does not dsturb others, whch s true, agreeabe and
benefca, and as we, the rectaton of the Vedas, s sattvc austerty
of speech.
;nudvega-karam means that n cang out to other persons who have
done harm to onesef, one does not cause any dsturbance to them.
mana-prasda saumyatva maunam tma-vinigraha '
bhva-sauddhir ity etat tapo mnasam ucyate '')-''
16. Sattvc austerty of the mnd conssts of tranquty, genteness,
sence, contro of the mnd, and purty of the heart.
raddhay paray tapta tapas tat tri-vidha narai '
apha"k/kibhir yuktai sattvc paricakate '')7''
17. When these three types of austerty are undertaken wth fu fath,
and wthout ongng for resuts, they are sad to be sattvc.
The three types of austerty are those of body, words, and mnd (tat
tri-vidham).
satkra-mna-p&rtha tapo dambhena caiva yat '
kriyate tad iha prokta rasa ca"am adhruvam '')8''
18. Austerty undertaken for prase from others and for respect from
others, or undertaken for show aone, s sad to be ra|asc. It s
temporary and uncertan.
The austerty performed wth ostentaton, for the purpose of verba
respect by others who w say he s a great man, for the purpose of
ganng body respect from others by havng them stand up when he
approaches, and for the purpose of ganng menta respect from others
whch w manfest n the future as gfts of money and other thngs, s
ra|asc austerty. Its resuts are very temporary (ca"am) f they appear
at a, and t s uncertan (adhruvam) that they w appear.
m&(ha-grhetmano yat p(ay kriyate tapa '
parasyotsdanrtha v tat tmasam udhtam '')9''
19. Austerty performed out of fooshness, nfctng pan on onesef, or
for the purpose of harmng others, s tamasc austerty.
*&(ha-grahea means to be performed out of fooshness. =arasya
utsadana artha m means performed wth the ntenton of harmng
others.
dtavyam iti yad dna dyate nupakrie '
dee k"e ca ptre ca tad dna sattvc smtam ''0:''
20. That charty performed wth the convcton that s shoud be gven,
and gven to a proper person who cannot repay, at the proper pace
and tme, s known as sattvc charty.
One shoud be convnced that the gft shoud be gven (dtavam iti). It
s understood here that there s no desre for persona gan.
yat tu pratyupakrrtha pha"am uddiya v puna '
dyate ca parik"ia tad dna rasa smtam ''0)''
21. That gft gven wth expectaton of recprocaton, wth desre for
resuts, gven unwngy, s sad to be ra|asc.
=arik"iam (reuctance) means that one repents after gvng the
charty, thnkng "Why s t necessary to gve so much money?" Or t
can mean that though not desrng to gve, one gves charty ony
because the guru or someone ese ordered hm to do so. Or t can
mean to use nauspcous tems, snce one dd not do the charty
wngy.
adea-k"e yad dnam aptrebhya ca dyate
asat-ktam ava!ta tat tmasam udhtam ''00''
22. Charty gven wth dsregard and as a resut, wth dscourtesy, to an
undeservng person at the wrong pace and tme, s sad to be tamasc
charty.
The resut of dsregard (ava!atam) s offence (asat-ktam).
o tat sad iti nirdeo brahmaas tri-vidha smta
brhmas tena ved ca ya! ca vihit pur ''01''
tasmd o ity udhtya ya!a-dna-tapa-kriy
pravartante vidhnokt satata brahma-vdinm ''02''
23-24. The three words o tat sat were reveaed by the ancent sages.
Brahman n the form of these three sounds created the brhmaas, the
$edas and sacrfce. Therefore,
sacrfces, austertes, charty and other works of the present seekers
of Brahman are aways started wth the utterng of o.
The three types of austerty, sacrfce, charty, foods and fath have
been descrbed generay for a human bengs. However, among the
sattvc peope there are aso the seekers of Brahman. A of ther
sacrfces, chartes, austertes and food ndcate Brahman. That s
expaned n ths verse.
The three words o tat sat+ ndcatng Brahman, have been reveaed by
the sages (smta). Among those words, o s we known n a the
rutis as the name of Brahman. The word tat s we known to
desgnate the cause of the unverse, and s aso known to sgnfy the
obterator of what s not tat-- the matera word. 5at s defned n the
rutis as that whch exsts before everythng ese (eterna): sad eva
saumyam agre ast. (Phndogya Apaniad 6.2.4) Snce the brhmaas,
sacrfces and the $edas were created (vihit) n ancent tmes by
Brahman tsef (tena) n the form of these sounds o tat sat, the
sacrfces, austertes, charty and other works of the present seekers
of Brahman are started utterng (udhtya) the name of Brahman, o.
tad ity anabhisandhya pha"a ya!a-tapa-kriy
dna-kriy ca vividh kriyante moka-k/kibhi ''03''
25. Utterng tat, persons asprng for beraton performed sacrfce,
austerty and charty wthout seekng resuts.
Utterng the word tat (tad iti), udhtya beng understood from the
prevous verse, they perform actvtes such as charty. ;nabhisandhaya
means wthout seekng resuts.
sad-bhve sdhu-bhve ca sad ity etat prayuyate
praaste karmai tath sac-chabda prtha yuyate ''0-''
26. The word sat s used n reaton to Brahman and aso to the seekers
of Brahman. Thus the word sat s used n performng a auspcous
actvtes.
Because the word sat ndcatng Brahman s present n the most
exceent or auspcous thngs, t shoud be used n a auspcous
actvtes whether matera or sprtua. That s expaned n two verses.
The word sat ndcates Brahman (sad bhve) and the seekers of
Brahman (sdhu bhve).
ya!e tapasi dne ca sthiti sad iti cocyate
karma caiva tad-arthya sad ity evbhidhyate ''07''
27. Beng the goa of sacrfce, austerty and charty, sat s stuated n
those works, whch are caed sat. Any work dedcated to Brahman s
caed sat.
5at s stuated (sthiti) n sacrfce and other works snce t s the goa
of those works. Any work sutabe for servng Brahman (tad-arthyam)
such as ceanng the Lords tempe, s caed sat.
araddhay huta datta tapas tapta kta ca yat
asad ity ucyate prtha na ca tat pretya no iha ''08''
28. O son of Pth, whatever s offered n the fre, whatever s gven n
charty, whatever s undertaken as austerty, but whch s done wthout
fath, s caed asat snce t bears no resut now or n the next fe.
"I have heard about sat actons (those ndcatng Brahman). What
about asat actons?"
Whatever obaton s offered, whatever charty s gven, whatever
austerty s undertaken, whatever other actons s performed, s asat f
performed wthout fath. If there s no fath,
166
whatever obatons are
offered are actuay not offered, whatever charty s gven s actuay
not gve, whether austerty s performed s actuay not gven, and
whatever s done s actuay not done. Everythng s asat, snce one
obtans no resuts n the next word (pretya) or n ths word (iha).
Ths chapter descrbes how sattvc actons of varous types, performed
wth fath, ead to beraton.
166
5attvika fath s understood here.
Thus the commentares on the seventeenth chapter of the #t have
been competed for the peasure of the devotees hearts, by the mercy
of the cryas.
Chapter Eghteen
aruna uvca
sannysasya mah-bho tattvam icchmi veditum
tygasya ca hkea pthak ke-ni&dana '')''
1. Ar|una sad: O Mghty-armed one, controer of the senses, ker of
Ke, I desre to know the true meanng of sannysa and the dfferent
meanng of tyga.
The eghteenth chapter speaks of the three types of sannysa, !na
and karma, defnes beraton, and ndcates bhakti as the hghest secret
of a.
"You stated n the prevous chapter Utterng the word tat, wthout
seekng resuts, sacrfces, austertes and chartes are performed by
those wth desre for beraton from the atat matera word. Those
wth a desre for beraton are sannyss. But there seems to be others
who are detached from a the resuts of ther work, as mentoned by
You when you sad sarva-karma-pha"a-tyga tata kuru yattmavn: gve
up a the resut of your work wth great attenton. (%# 12.11) What s
the tyga of these others?" Wantng to know the dstncton, Ar|una
asks a queston n ths verse.
"If the words sannysa and tyga have dfferent meanngs, I desre to
know the dstnct essence of these two. But f they mean the same
thng, n Your opnon or others opnon, I desre to know what s that
one meanng as we.

"O controer of the senses (hkea), you have made ths doubt arse
n me snce You are the nstgator of my ntegence. O ker of Ke
(ke-nis&dana), You w k ths doubt of mne |ust as You ked Ke.
O Mghty-armed one (mah-bho), You have great strength n Your
arms, and I have nsgnfcant strength n my arms. You have become
frendy wth an expanson such as me, rather than wth Your other
expansons wth vast knowedge. Therefore I am not afrad to ask ths
queston, snce You have become somewhat frendy wth me."
r-bhagavn uvca
kmyn karma nysa sannysa kavayo vidu
sarva-karma-pha"a-tyga prhus tyga vicaka ''0''
2. The Lord sad: The earned know that sannysa means to gve up a
actons performed for persona beneft. The earned say that tyga
means gvng up the resuts of a actons.
Takng up the former dea frst, the Lord expans the dfferent
dervatons of the two words. To renounce (nysa) at the very root
actvtes performed for fufng persona desres (kmyn karmam)
s caed sannysa. Persona desres are ndcated n such statements as
the foowng:
putra-kmo yaeta+ svarga-kmo yaeta
One wth a desre for a son shoud worshp. One wth desre for
Svarga shoud worshp. >pastamba ,rauta 5&tra 3.9.4, 19.10.14
Ths does not mean that one shoud re|ect day obgatory actvtes
(nitya-karma) such as sandhya worshp.
167

Hyga means that one shoud gve up the resuts of a actvtes n
performance of actons wth persona desre (kmya-karma) or n
performance of obgatory actons (nitya-karma), rather than to gve up
those actvtes competey.
For the rutis aso promse resuts even for the obgatory actons
(nitya-karma).
karma pit"oka
By the obgatory actons one goes to Ptoka. %had >rayaka
Apaniad 1.5
dharmea ppam apanudati
167
@itya-karmas are actvtes ordered by the scrptures as obgatory for certan
persons. Fmya-karmas are actvtes descrbed n the scrptures for persons havng
certan desres such as desre for weath or sons. These are not obgatory for anyone,
but are performed accordng to persona desre.
By foowng dharma, one eradcates sn. *ahnryaa Apaniad
15.7
Therefore, n tyga, one shoud perform a kmya-karmas and nitya-
karmas wthout seekng resuts, whereas n sannysa one performs ony
obgatory dutes (nitya-karma) wthout the desre for resuts, and
competey re|ects rtuas for persona gratfcaton (kmya-karma). Ths
s the dstncton of the two words sannysa and tyga.
tyya doa-vad ity eke karma prhur mania
ya!a-dna-tapa-karma na tyyam iti cpare ''1''
3. Some earned persons say that a actons shoud be gven up
because they are a fauty. Others say that actvtes ke sacrfce,
charty and austerty shoud not be gven up.
In ths verse, the Lord descrbes other opnons about the meanng of
tyga. The skhya phosophers (eke mania) say that a actvtes
descrbed n the scrpture, because of beng defectve by ncuson of
voence or other bad quates, shoud be gven up competey. On the
other hand, the Mmsakas (apare) say that actvtes such as
sacrfce cannot be gven up because they are prescrbed by the
scrptures.
nicaya u me tatra tyge bharata-sattama
tygo hi purua-vyghra tri-vidha samprakrtita ''2''
4. Hear from Me the concuson regardng tyga, O best descendent of
Bharata. O tger among men, tyga s sad to have three types.
In ths verse the Lord states Hs opnon. Hyga has three types: n
sattva, raas and tamas. The Lord deays descrbng these three types t
verse seven, and then starts wth a descrpton of tyga n the mode of
tamas. From the use of the word sannysa n descrbng tamasc tyga n
that verse, t s understood that tyga and sannysa have the same
meanng n the opnon of the Lord.
ya!a-dna-tapa-karma na tyya kryam eva tat
ya!o dna tapa caiva pvanni manim ''3''
5. Sacrfce, charty and austerty shoud not be gven up but shoud be
performed, snce they purfy even the wse.
Accordng to the Lord, even among kmya-karmas (optona), those
sacrfces, chartes and austertes whch are sattvc n nature, , shoud
be performed wthout desre for resuts.
168
Ths s expaned n ths
verse. Sacrfce, austerty and charty must be done, because they
cause purfcaton of the conscousness.
etny api tu karmi sa/ga tyaktv pha"ni ca
kartavynti me prtha nicita matam uttamam ''-''
6. These actons must be done, but wthout the msconcepton of beng
the doer and wthout ongng for resuts. Ths s My fna opnon.
In ths verse the Lord shows the method by whch these actons
become purfyng.
Gvng up the msconcepton of beng the doer (sa/ga tyaktv) and aso
gvng up the quest for resuts (pha"ni), one shoud perform those
actons. Gvng up the dea of beng the doer and gvng up seekng
resuts s tyga and ths s aso caed sannysa.
niyatasya tu sannysa karmao nopapadyate
moht tasya paritygas tmasa parikrtita ''7''
7. It s not recommended to gve up nitya-karmas even for the sannys.
Re|ecton arsng from gnorance of scrpture ends n gnorance.
Startng the descrpton of the three types of tyga, the Lord here
descrbes tamasc tyga. Gvng up day actvtes (niyatasya karmaa)
s not recommended. To re|ect the nitya-karmas out of gnorance of the
meanng of scrptures (moht) s caed tamasc tyga. The sannys can
re|ect kmya-karmas snce they are not obgatory, but nitya-karmas are
not to be re|ected. That s the suggeston of the word tu. The resut of
such tamasc tyga s gnorance, nstead of attanment of knowedge,
whch was the very goa n re|ectng the nitya-karma.
dukham ity eva yat karma kya-k"ea-bhayt tyaet
sa ktv rasa tyga naiva tyga-pha"a "abhet ''8'
1682
In the second verse, sannysa was defned as gvng up kmya-karmas.
8. One who gves up the obgatory actons out of fear of body pan,
thnkng t s an unnecessary nconvenence for the body, performs
tyga n the mode of raas, and does not attan the ntended resut of
that tyga.
Even though one knows that performance of nitya-karma s necessary
and to do t s praseworthy and to negect to do t s a snfu, f one
re|ects the acton thnkng t s useess troube to the body, t s known
as ra|asc tyga. One w not attan the desred resut of tyga,
knowedge, by dong so.
kryam ity eva yat karma niyata kriyate runa
sa/ga tyaktv pha"a caiva sa tyga sttviko mata ''9''
9. O Ar|una, that tyga n whch obgatory actons are performed out of
duty, wthout sense of doershp and desre for resuts, s consdered
tyga n the mode of sattva.
Performng the nitya-karma (niyatam karma) thnkng "ths shoud be
done" whe re|ectng doershp and desred resuts s caed sattvc
tyga. It s understood here that the resut of renouncng the fruts and
not renouncng the acton n ths sattvc tyga s knowedge.
na dvey akua"a karma kua"e nnuaate
tyg sattva-samvio medhv chinna-saaya ''9''
10. The wse renuncate stuated n sattva, devod of doubt, does not
hate uncomfortabe dutes nor prefer comfortabe dutes.

Ths verse descrbes the characterstcs of one fxed n such sattvc
tyga. ;kua"am means those actvtes whch brng sufferng to the
body, such as bathng durng the wnter. Fua"a means those actvtes
whch are peasurabe for the body, such as bathng durng the
summer.
na hi deha-bht akya tyaktu karmy aeata
yas tu karma-pha"a-tyg sa tygty abhidhyate ''))''
11. As t s not possbe for one wth a body to gve up a actons
competey, he who gves up the resuts of acton s consdered a tyg.
Therefore, actons ordaned by scrpture shoud not be gven up. It s
not possbe for one wth a body to gve up actvtes. ,akyam s used
for the proper word akyni. The Lord has aready sad that not for a
moment can the person reman wthout dong acton: na hi kacit
kaam api tu tihaty akarma-kt. (%# 3.5)
aniam ia mira ca tri-vidha karmaa pha"am
bhavaty atygin pretya na tu sannysn kvacit '')0''
12. Those who do not renounce n the prescrbed way get resuts n the
form of hesh sufferng, heaveny en|oyment or human brth n the
next fe. Ths s not so for one who renounces n the correct manner.
The faut of not foowng ths process of tyga s descrbed. Those who
do not renounce n the prescrbed way get resuts n the form of
sufferng of he (aniam), the peasures of Svarga (iam) and human
brth (miram) n the next fe (pretya).
pa!caitni mah-bho krani nibodha me
s/khye ktnte proktni siddhaye sarva-karmam '')1''
13. O Mghty-armed one, earn from Me the fve factors necessary for
competon of acton, whch are mentoned n the $ednta, whch
speaks about the destructon of karma.
"But how can dong acton not gve karmc resuts?"
In order to estabsh that there s no contamnaton of karma when
performng actons wthout fase dentfcaton, the Lord speaks fve
verses.
For the competon (siddhaye) of a actons, know these fve factors
from My words (me). Skhya means to speak (khy) drecty (samyak)
about the Paramtm. These fve causes are mentoned n the
$ednta scrptures (s/khye), whose purpose s to destroy karma
(ktnte).
adhihna tath kart karaa ca pthag-vidham
vividh ca pthak ce daiva caivtra pa!camam '')2''
14. These fve factors are the body, the fase ego, the senses of varous
types, the fe ars wth varous functons, and the Supersou.
The fve causes are sted. ;dhihnam means the body. Fart means
the aha/kra+ whch tes together the sou wth the body.
169
Faraam
means the senses of many types (pthag-vidham) such as eyes or ears.
Pe refers to the fe ars such as pra and apna, whch have
varous functons (pthak). 6aiva refers to the antarym who sets
everythng n moton.
arra-v/-manobhir yat karma prrabhate nara
nyyya v viparta v pa!caite tasya hetava '')3''
15. These fve are the causes of a actons both dharmc and adharmc
that man performs wth hs body, words or mnd.
Actons are of three types: physca, voca and menta. These are a of
two types: foowng dharma (nyyam) or not foowng dharma
(vipartam). The fve are causes of a these actons.
tatraiva sati kartram tmna keva"a tu ya
payaty akta-buddhitvn na sa payati durmati
16. Though these fve are the causes of acton, the unntegent foo
who sees ony hmsef as the doer does not see.
Then what happens? Though these fve are causes of acton (tatra
evam), one who sees ony that the sef, the va, s the doer, though
actuay the va s not assocated wth acton at a, does not see, beng
a foo (durmati), because of mpure ntegence (akta-buddhitvt). One
may say that such a foosh person s bnd.
yasya nha/kto bhvo buddhir yasya na "ipyate
hatvpi sa imN "okn na hanti na nibadhyate '')7''
17. He who does not thnk he s the doer, and s not attached to actons
by thnkng them good or bad, does not k even though he ks, and s
not bound.
Who then s ntegent wth good eyes? One who does not have the
nature of aha/kra (aha/kto bhva), who s not thnkng hmsef the
169
Vvantha does not ncude the va as a factor n acton because n the next
verses, the Lord expans that the va s not a doer.
doer, who s not attached to actons by thnkng the acton w gve
good or bad resuts (yasya buddhir na "ipyate), does not obtan reactons
of karma. What ese can be sad? Though he may do pous or snfu
acts, he does not do them. Though t may appear from ordnary vson
that he has ked a these vng bengs, he does not k, from hs own
vson, because he has no motve for the acton. Therefore he s not
bound. He does not receve the reactons of karma.
!na !eya pari!t tri-vidh karma-codan
karaa karma karteti tri-vidha karma-sa/graha '')8''
18. The rues for acton are the process for knowedge, the ob|ect of
knowedge and the knower. The factors n performance of acton are
the nstrument, the ob|ect and the sub|ect.
The sattvc tyga or sannysa |ust descrbed and approved by the Lord
s for the !ns. The bhaktas however re|ect karma-yoga by ts very
nature. In the Eeventh Canto of %hgavatam t s sad:
!yaiva gun don maydin api svakn
dharmn santyaya ya sarvn m bhaet sa ca sattama
He perfecty understands that the ordnary regous dutes
prescrbed by Me n varous Vedc scrptures possess favorabe
quates that purfy the performer, and he knows that negect of
such dutes consttutes a dscrepancy n ones fe. Havng taken
compete sheter at My otus feet, however, a santy person
utmatey renounces such ordnary regous dutes and worshps
Me aone. He s thus consdered to be the best among a vng
enttes. 5% 11.11.32
rdhara Svm has expaned the meanng of the %hgavatam verse
as foows.
"He who gvng up hs dutes prescrbed by Me n the form of the $edas
and worshps Me s the best. Is not such a person gnorant or an
athest? No, though knowng that foowng the prncpes of dharma has
good quates ke purfcaton, and on the other hand, knowng the sn
of not foowng dharma, he gves up these practces wth the frm
convcton that |ust by beng My devotee, a w be accompshed, as
these other thngs cause dstracton to medtaton upon Me."
"Gvng up dharma" n the verse does not mean mere gvng up the
resuts of those practces. It shoud be understood that there s no oss
at a n gvng up the resuts of those practces.
The meanng s ths. Understandng of the statements of %hgavatam
and the expanatons of the commentators requres purty of the
conscousness. In proporton to the degree of purfcaton of the heart
by nikma-karma, there w be an awakenng of knowedge. There s
no other way. Therefore for attanng the awakenng of knowedge
even the sannyss must perform karma-yoga. However, such karma s
no onger necessary for those who have attaned compete purfcaton
of the heart by such karma. It s sad:
rurukor muner yoga karma kraam ucyate
yogr&(hasya tasaiva ama kraam ucyate
For one who s a neophyte n the eghtfod yoga system, work s
sad to be the means; and for one who s aready eevated n
yoga, cessaton of a matera actvtes s sad to be the means.
%# 6.3
yas tv tma-ratir eva syd tma-tpta ca mnava
tmany eva ca santuas tasya krya na vidyate
But for one who takes peasure n the sef, whose human fe s
one of sef-reazaton, and who s satsfed n the sef ony, fuy
satated-for hm there s no duty. %# 3.17
But bhakti, beng ndependent, supreme and most powerfu, does not
rey on purfcaton of the heart.
It s sad:
vikr(ita vraa-vadh&bhir ida ca vio
raddhnvito ya uyd atha varayed ya
bhakti par bhagavati pari"abhya kma
hd-rogam v apahinoty acirea dhra
Anyone who fathfuy hears or descrbes the Lords payfu affars
wth the young gops of Vndvana w attan the Lords pure
devotona servce. Thus he w qucky become sober and
conquer ust, the dsease of the heart.
5% 10.33.39
Supreme bhakti enters from the begnnng of practce (sdhana-bhakti)
nto a person affcted wth matera dsease, whch causes sufferng,
and removes ust and other mpurtes.
pravia kara-randhrea svn bhva-saroruham
dhunoti ama"a ka sa"i"asya yath arat
The sound ncarnaton of Lord Ka, the Supreme Sou |.e.
,rmad-%hgavatam|, enters nto the heart, sts on the otus
fower of hs ovng reatonshp, and thus ceanses the dust of
matera assocaton, such as ust, anger and hankerng. Thus t
acts ke autumna rans upon poos of muddy water. 5% 2.8.5
Thus, f bhakti aone can purfy the heart n such a way, why shoud the
devotees perform prescrbed dutes?
Now et us get back to the text at hand. The process of knowedge
means to do acts wth understandng that one s dfferent from hs
body (!nam). The ob|ect of knowedge (!eyam) s the whoe sub|ect of
tm. The sheter of such knowedge s a !n, the knower (pari!t).
But ths s not a. These three are reated to acton. Thus these shoud
be understood by the sannys. The verse expans ths.
The word codana means "rue." The earned say that codana means
teachng or rue. The frst haf of the verse s expaned n the second
haf as foows. Knowedge (!na) s the means of acton or
nstrumenta case (karaa), snce knowedge teray means "that by
whch somethng s known." What s to be known (!eyam), vtm
tattva, s the ob|ect of acton (knowng) or the accusatve case (karma).
The knower (pari!t) s the sub|ect (kart) or nomnatve case. These
-the nstrumenta, the accusatve, and the nomnatve--are the three
factors n brngng about acton (trividham). These three are accepted
n the performance of nikma-karma (karma sagraha). Farma-
sagraha therefore acts as an expanaton of karma-codana. Thus, the
process of knowedge, the ob|ect of knowedge and the knower act as a
base for performance of nikma-karma.
!na karma ca kart ca tridhaiva gua-bhedata
procyate gua-sa/khyne yathvac chu tny api '')9''
19. Hear about the three types of knowedge, acton and the knower,
whch are descrbed n the scrptures deang wth the guas.
sarva-bh&teu yenaika bhvam avyayam kate
avibhakta vibhakteu ta !na viddhi sattvcm ''0:''
20. Know that the process of knowedge s sattvc n nature when the
ndvdua ndestructbe sou wth ndvdua form s seen to exst
successvey n dfferent bodes.
Ths verse speaks of sattvc process of knowng. Seeng one sou (ekam
bhvam), wth one form (avibhaktam) whch s ndestructbe (avyayam)
resdng successvey n dfferent forms (vibhakteu) such as human,
devat, or anma for the purpose of en|oyng varous fruts, whch are
temporary, through knowedge reated to acton (verse 18), s known
as sattvc knowedge.
pthaktvena tu ya !na nn-bhvn pthag-vidhn
vetti sarveu bh&teu ta !na viddhi rasam ''0)''
21. Know that knowedge to be ra|asc n nature by whch one
understands varous types of knowedge and varous opnons
concernng the sou whch s camed to be dfferent n each body t
accepts.
Ths verse speaks of ra|asc knowedge. That knowedge whch one
sees the sou as dfferent n each body that t accepts, acceptng the
asurc dea that the sou pershes wth the body, wth a dfferent sou n
every body that arses; that knowedge by whch one knows varous
opnons arsng from such asurc scrptures, such as "the sou s the
sheter of happness and dstress, the sou s not the sheter of
happness and dstress, the sou s unconscous, the sou s conscous,
the sou s a pervasve , the sou s atomc, the sous are many, the
sou s one" s known as ra|asc knowedge.
yat tu ktsna-vad ekasmin krye saktam ahaitukam
atattvrtha-vad a"pa ca tat tmasam udhtam ''00''
22. That knowedge whch s wthout reason, attached to one matera
acton, not concerned wth truth, and whch s scant, s known as
knowedge n tamo gua.
Ths verse speaks of tamasc knowedge. Knowedge whch s
specuatve ony (ahaitukam--not wth reference to any scrpture), whch
s extremey attached to performng one matera actvty such as
eatng or bathng, drnkng or en|oyng wth a woman, wth dsregard
for Vedc actvtes ke sacrfce, wth no dea of rea truth (atattva artha
vat), knowedge whch s scant ke that of an anma, s known as
tamasc knowedge.
Knowedge of tat+ whch s dfferent from the body s sattvc. Knowedge
of scrptures of ogc and such, whch gves rse to varous doctrnes, s
ra|asc. Knowedge, whch s ony of bathng, eatng and other matera
actons, s tamasc. Ths s a summary of the three types of knowedge.
niyata sa/ga-rahitam arga-dveata ktam
apha"a-prepsun karma yat tat sattvcm ucyate ''01''
23. That acton whch s done reguary, wthout attachment or
repuson, wthout desre for resuts, s caed sattvc.
Havng expaned the three types of knowedge, the Lord now expans
the three types of acton. The work whch s performed reguary
(niyatam), whch s wthout attachment (saga rahtam), performed wth
nether ke or dske Karga-dveata), done wthout desre for resuts
(apha"a-prepsun), s caed sattvc work.
yat tu kmepsun karma sha/krea v puna
kriyate bahu"ysa tad rasam udhtam ''02''
24. That work s performed wth desre for resuts, wth tte or great
prde, wth penty of sufferng, s caed ra|asc work.
That work whch s performed wth desre for resuts (kma ipsun),
ndcatng a tte prde, or wth great prde (sha/krena) s caed ra|asc
work.
anubandha kaya hism anapekya ca pauruam
mohd rabhyate karma yat tat tmasam ucyate ''03''
25. That work eadng to bondage, whch s destructve, harmfu to the
sef, and performed wthout pror consderaton, s caed tamasc work.
That work whch eads to ater bondage by the servants of Yama, by a
kng or by theves (anubandham), whch destroys dharma, knowedge
and other good quates (kayam), whch destroys onesef (hism),
whch s performed wthout pror consderaton (anapekya), whch s
performed ony by materastc persons (pauruam), commenced out of
gnorance (moht), s caed tamasc work.
mukta-sa/go naha-vd dhty-utsha-samanvita
siddhy-asiddhyor nirvikra kart sattvc ucyate ''0-''
26. The agent free from attachment and fase ego, endowed wth
forttude and enthusasm, unperturbed n success or faure, s n sattva
gua.
The three types of work have been descrbed. Now, the three types of
workers are descrbed.
rg karma-pha"a-prepsur "ubdho histmako uci
hara-oknvita kart rasa parikrtita ''07''
27. The agent who s attached to hs work, who desres the resuts of
hs actons, who s attached to the en|oyment of the sense ob|ects, who
gves pan to others, who s uncean and sub|ect to |oy and sorrow, s
known to be n the mode of raas.
Ig means one who s attached to hs work. Uubdha means one who s
attached to en|oyment of sense ob|ects.
ayukta prkta stabdha aho naiktiko "asa
vid drgha-s&tr ca kart tmasa ucyate ''08''
28. One who does what shoud not be done, whose acts accordng hs
nature, who s ndfferent to work, who s decetfu, who offends others,
who s azy, de|ected, and deays the work, s known as a tamasc
worker.
One who does what shoud not be done s ayukta. One who acts
accordng hs nature, so that whatever occurs n hs mnd he does,
rather than accordng to the nstructon of the guru s caed prkta.
One who offends others s naiktika.
The !ns must perform the sattvc tyga descrbed here, must take
sheter of the knowedge fxed n sattvc karma, must perform sattvc
work, and must become a sattvc doer. Ths s the sannysa of the !n.
Ths s essenta meanng of the secton.
The knowedge (!nam) possessed by the devotees however s beyond
the guas. Ther work (karma) for Me, caed bhakti-yoga, s beyond the
guas. The doers (bhaktas) are aso beyond the guas. Ths s stated by
the Lord n the %hgavatam:
kaiva"ya sattvc !na rao vaika"pika tu yat
prkta tmasa !na man-niha nirgua smtam
Absoute knowedge s n the mode of goodness, knowedge
based on duaty s n the mode of passon, and foosh,
materastc knowedge s n the mode of gnorance. Knowedge
based upon Me, however, s understood to be transcendenta.
5% 11.25.24
"akaa bhakti-yogasya nirguasya hy udhtam
The characterstcs of bhakti-yoga whch s beyond the guas are
manfested.
5% 3.29.11
sattvc krako sa/g rgndho rasa smta
tmasa smti-vibhrao nirguo mad-apraya
A worker free of attachment s n the mode of goodness; a
worker bnded by persona desre s n the mode of passon; and
a worker who has competey forgotten how to te rght from
wrong s n the mode of gnorance. But a worker who has taken
sheter of Me s understood to be transcendenta to the modes of
nature. 5% 11.25.26
Not ony these three tems--the knowedge, acton (bhakti-yoga) and
doer (bhakta)--are beyond the guas, but rather everythng reated to
bhakti s beyond the guas accordng to the phosophy of bhakti.
sttviky dhytmik raddh karma-raddh tu ras
tmasy adharme y raddh mat-sevy tu nirgu
Fath drected toward sprtua fe s n the mode of goodness,
fath rooted n frutve work s n the mode of passon, fath
resdng n rregous actvtes s n the mode of gnorance, but
fath n My devotona servce s purey transcendenta. 5%
11.25.27
vana tu sttviko vso grmo rasa ucyate
tmasa dyuta-sadana man-niketa tu nirguam
Resdence n the forest s n the mode of goodness, resdence n
a town s n the mode of passon, resdence n a gambng house
dspays the quaty of gnorance, and resdence n a pace where
I resde s transcendenta.
5% 11.25.25
sattvc sukham tmottha viayottha tu rasam
tmasa moha-dainyottha nirgua mad-aprayam
Happness derved from the sef s n the mode of goodness,
happness based on sense gratfcaton s n the mode of passon,
and happness based on deuson and degradaton s n the mode
of gnorance. But that happness found wthn Me s
transcendenta. 5% 11.25.29
Thus, for the devotees who are beyond the guas, thngs reated to
bhakti such as knowedge, acton, fath, resdence and the happness
derved from t, are a beyond the guas. For the !ns who are n the
mode of sattva, thngs reated to !na are a n the mode of sattva.
Everythng reated to karms actng n the mode of raas s ra|asc. For
the unrestraned person n the mode of tamas, everythng reated to
ther acton s tamasc. Ths shoud be understood by ookng over the
contents of the #t .
It has aso been stated n the fourteenth chapter that even the !n, at
the ast stage, after gvng up !na, attans a poston beyond the guas
ony by the power of pure bhakti, whch remans at that pont.
buddher bheda dhte caiva guatas tri-vidha u
procyamnam aeea pthaktvena dhana!aya ''09''
29. O conqueror of weath, sten to the three types of ntegence and
determnaton, whch w be dscussed competey and ndvduay.
In order to show that the !ns shoud ony accept sattvc tems, the
Lord now speaks of three types of ntegence and other tems.
pravtti ca nivtti ca krykrye bhaybhaye
bandha moka ca y vetti buddhi s prtha sttvik ''1:''
30. The ntegence of sattva-gua understands the dfference between
dharma and adharma, what shoud be done and what shoud not be
done, what s to be feared and not feared, and the dfference between
bondage and beraton.
The person of sattvc ntegence understands the dfference between
fear caused by sasra and fearessness caused by freedom from
sasra.
yay dharmam adharma ca krya ckryam eva ca
ayathvat pranti buddhi s prtha ras ''1)''
31. That ntegence s of rao-gua, whch does not understand
correcty what s dharma and adharma, and what s to be done as duty
and what s not to be done as duty.
The person of ra|asc ntegence does not correcty understand
(ayathvat) the dstnctons.
adharma dharmam iti y manyate tamasvt
sarvrthn vipart ca buddhi s prtha tmas ''10''
32. That ntegence s n tamo-gua by whch one consders adharma to
be dharma, and sees a thngs contrary to the truth.
4 manyate s used for yay manyate. The ntegence by whch one
consders everythng opposte of the truth s tamasc ntegence. The
statements n these verses, such as ths verse, whch teray says "the
ntegence whch consders adharma to dharma" but actuay means
"the ntegence by whch a man consders adharma to be dharma" are
smar to sayng, "The axe cuts the tree" nstead of sayng "the man
cuts the tree usng an axe."
dhty yay dhrayate mana-prendriya-kriy
yogenvyabhicriy dhti s prtha sttvik ''11''
33. Determnaton by whch one restrans the actvtes of the mnd, fe
ars and senses, usng unswervng concentraton of mnd, s n the
mode of sattva.
Three types of determnaton are now descrbed.
yay tu dharma-kmrthn dhty dhrayate runa
prasa/gena pha"k/k dhti s prtha ras ''12''
12. That determnaton desrng resuts, by whch one restrans the
senses and mnd to attan dharma+ artha and kma wth great
attachment, s n the mode of raas.
yay svapna bhaya oka vida madam eva ca
na vimu!cati durmedh dhti s prtha tmas ''13''
35. That determnaton by whch one does not free onesef from seep,
fear, amentaton, de|ecton and passon s n the mode of tamas.
sukha tv idn tri-vidha u me bharatarabha
abhysd ramate yatra dukhnta ca nigacchati ''1-''
yat tad agre viam iva parime mtopamam
tat sukha sattvc proktam tma-buddhi-prasda-am ''17''
36-37. O best of Bharatas neage, hear from Me about the three types
of happness. That happness whch brngs |oy and destroys sorrow
wth practce, whch appears to be poson n the begnnng but
becomes nectar, whch arses from peace of mnd concentratng on the
sef s n the mode of sattva.
Now sattvc happness s descrbed n one and a haf verses. Ony by
constant practce (abhyst) does such a person en|oy. Ths means that
t s not ke happness derved from sense ob|ects, whch gves
peasure |ust on contact. En|oyng n that happness, the person
crosses over the sufferng of sasra (dukhntam nigacchati). In the
begnnng, sattvc happness s ke poson, snce restranng the senses
and mnd causes sufferng.
viayendriya-sayogd yat tad agre mtopamam
parime viam iva tat sukha rasa smtam ''18''
38. That happness whch, arsng from contact wth ob|ects of the
senses, s ke nectar n the begnnng and ke poson n the end, s
known to be n the mode of raas.
Ra|asc happness s ke nectar n the begnnng, as n the case of
en|oyng sex wth others wves.
yad agre cnubandhe ca sukha mohanam tmana
nidr"asya-pramdottha tat tmasam udhtam ''19''
39. That happness s sad to be of tamo-gua, whch arses from seep,
azness and ntoxcaton, and s an uson for the sef.
na tad asti pthivy v divi deveu v puna
sattva prakti-air mukta yad ebhi syt tribhir guai ''2:''
40. There s no vng entty on earth or n heaven who s free from
these three guas arsng from prakti.
Incudng those thngs not mentoned, the Lord now summarzes ths
secton. There s not anythng, no vng speces or non-vng thngs
(sattvam), whch s free from the three guas born of prakti. Everythng
n exstence s composed of the three guas. The meanng of ths
secton s that sattvc tems are acceptabe and those of raas and
tamas are not.
brhmaa-katriya-vi &dr ca parantapa
karmi pravibhaktni svabhva-prabhavair guai ''2)''
41. O affcter of enemes, the actvtes of the brhmaas+ katriyas+
vaiyas and &dras have been desgnated precsey accordng to the
guas arsng from brth.
However, the vng body fed wth the three guas becomes successfu
by worshppng the Supreme Lord by prescrbed actvtes accordng to
the persons nature. Ths s descrbed n sx verses. These actvtes or
dutes, desgnated precsey (pravibhaktni) by the guas of sattva, raas
and tamas, whch manfest by brth (svabhvena), are prescrbed for the
brhmaas, katriyas, vaiyas and &dras.
amo damas tapa auca kntir ravam eva ca
!na vi!nam stikya brahma-karma svabhva-am ''20''
42. The natura actvtes of the brhmaa are contro of the mnd,
contro of the externa senses, austerty, ceanness, toerance,
honesty, knowedge of scrpture, reazaton, and fath n the scrptures.
Ths verse descrbes the natura actvtes of the brhmaa who has a
predomnance of sattva. Contro of the nner sense organ (ama),
contro of the externa senses (dama), austerty of body, mnd and
words, !na and vi!na, whch arse from understandng the scrptures,
and frm fath n the purport of the scrptures (stikyam) are the
actvtes of the brhmaa arsng from hs nature.
aurya teo dhtir dkya yuddhe cpy apa"yanam
dnam vara-bhva ca ktra karma svabhva-am ''21''
43. The natura actvtes of the katriya are courage, confdence,
forttude, expertse n fghtng, not feeng from batte, charty and
controng others.
Ths verse descrbes the actvtes of the katriya, n whom ra|a gua
becomes promnent and sattva becomes secondary. Courage
(auryam), confdence (tea), forttude (dhti), and controng others
(vara bhva), and not feeng from batte are the actvtes of the
katriya.
ki-go-rakya-viya vaiya-karma svabhva-am
paricarytmaka karma &drasypi svabhva-am ''22''
44. The natura dutes of the vaiya are agrcuture, rasng cows, and
commerce. The natura duty of the &dra s servce to the other varas.
Ths verse descrbes the actons of the vaiyas predomnated by raas
wth tamas as a secondary gua. Protectng the cows and commerce are
the actvtes of the vaiya. One who protects the cows s caed go-
raka. The state of protectng the cows s caed go-rakyam. The verse
aso speaks of the &dras n whom tamas predomnates and raas s
secondary. Servng the vaiyas, katriyas and brhmaas
(paricarytmikam) s the actvty of the &dra.
sve sve karmay abhirata sasiddhi "abhate nara
sva-karma-nirata siddhi yath vindati tac chu ''23''
45. Man acheves compete success beng engaged n hs partcuar
dutes. Hear how one attans success by engagement n ones dutes.
yata pravttir bh&tn yena sarvam ida tatam
sva-karma tam abhyarcya siddhi vindati mnava ''2-''
46. Men acheve success by worshpng the Lord who s the orgn of a
enttes and s spread everywhere, through mentay offerng ther
prescrbed dutes.
Humans attan perfecton by worshppng (abhyarcya) through ther
prescrbed work Hm aone, the Supreme Lord, from whom arse the
actvtes of a vng enttes. The worshp conssts of offerng the work
n the mnd, thnkng, "By ths work may the Lord be satsfed."
reyn sva-dharmo vigua para-dharmt sv-anuhitt
svabhva-niyata karma kurvan npnoti ki"biam ''27''
47. It s better to perform ones own dutes wth faut than to perform
anothers dutes perfecty. Dong your own dutes accordng to your
nature, you do not receve sn.
Lookng at ones own ra|asc dutes wth ts varous actvtes, and not
havng a taste for them, one shoud not perform sattvc dutes. It s
better to do ones own dutes, nferor though they may be, though
done mperfecty (vigua), than dong anothers duty (para-dharmt),
though t may be preferred because t can be executed easy (su
anuhitt). You shoud not gve up your own work of fghtng because
of ts faut of kng frends, and nstead perform anothers dharma n
the form of wanderng around beggng.
saha-a karma kaunteya sa-doam api na tyaet
sarvrambh hi doea dh&mengnir ivvt ''28''
48. O son of Kunt, one shoud not gve up work, whch s accordng to
your nature, even f t has some faut. A undertakngs are covered by
faut, as fre s covered by smoke.
You shoud not thnk that ony you have probems n executng your
dutes. There are probems n others dutes aso. You shoud not gve
up work accordng to your nature (sahaam), even wth faut, because
a actons performed now and n the future are covered by faut, |ust
as fre s seen to be covered by smoke. |ust as by removng the smoke,
the heat of the fre s usefu for removng darkness and cod, so by
removng the fauty porton of your work, the good porton s usefu for
purfcaton of your exstence.
asakta-buddhi sarvatra ittm vigata-spha
naikarmya-siddhi param sannysendhigacchati ''29''
49. He whose ntegence s unattached, whose mnd s under contro,
and who s devod of desre for matera happness, attans the hghest
perfecton by compete renuncaton of acton.
The frst type of sannys gves up the fauts n hs work, characterzed
by attachment to beng the doer and attachment to the resuts. When
that sannys perfects hs sdhana over tme, then he reaches the
yogr&(ha stage. Then he gves up actons competey. That s the
second type of sannysa, mentoned here.
He whose ntegence s free from a attachments to matera ob|ects
(asakta buddhi), whose mnd s under contro (ittm), who has no
desre for the happness even of Brahmaoka (vigata-spha), then, by
compete renuncaton of a actvtes (sannysena), attans the hghest
perfecton of no acton at a (naikarmyam). In other words, at the
stage of yogr&(ha (no actons), wth attanment of naikarmyam, one
reaches the hghest perfecton.
siddhi prpto yath brahma tathpnoti nibodha me
samsenaiva kaunteya nih !nasya y par ''3:''
50. Understand from Me n bref, O son of Kunt, how a person, havng
attaned cessaton of a work, attans Brahman, the fna attanment of
!na.
Understand by whch method (yath) one attans or reazes Brahman.
Ths s the very hghest stage of !na (!nasya nih par). Accordng
to the ;mara Foa, nih means consummaton or fna attanment.
The meanng s as foows: "Pease understand the method by whch,
wth the cessaton of gnorance, and undertakng even the cessaton of
knowedge (vidy)-- gvng up even the process of !na competey--a
person w reaze Brahman."
buddhy viuddhay yukto dhtytmna niyamya ca
abddn viays tyaktv rga-dveau vyudasya ca ''3)''
vivikta-sev "aghv- yata-vk-kya-mnasa
dhyna-yoga-paro nitya vairgya samuprita ''30''
aha/kra ba"a darpa kma krodha parigraham
vimucya nirmama anto brahma-bh&yya ka"pate ''31''
51-53. That person who s endowed wth sattvc ntegence, wth mnd
controed by sattvc determnaton; who has gven up a the sense
ob|ects such as sound; who has emnated attachment and repuson;
who resorts to sotude, eats tte, contros speech, body and mnd;
who s competey absorbed n contempatng the Lord; who has taken
sheter of detachment; who s free from fase ego; who s devod of
strength reated to matera attachment, devod of prde, ust, anger,
and possessons; who s free from possessve nstnct; and who has
reached a cessaton of sattva gua, can attan Brahman.
One shoud be endowed wth sattvc ntegence (buddhy viuddhay),
controng the mnd (tmna niyamya) wth smar sattvc
determnaton.
One shoud be competey devoted to thnkng of Bhagavn (dhyna-
yoga-para).
One shoud be devod of strength (ba"a) reated to matera attachment
and desre, rather than devod of physca strength.
Wth the cessaton of gnorance (avidy) characterzed by freedom from
aha/kra, prce, ust, anger and possessons, there s aso the cessaton
of sattva-gua (nta). Ths s the achevement of !na sannysa, gvng
up !na tsef. Ths s understood from the statement n the Eeventh
Canto of %hgavatam !nam ca mayi sannyaset: one shoud offer a
!na to Me. Ths means that wthout the cessaton of both gnorance
and knowedge (a!na and !na), there can be no attanment of
Brahman reazaton. Beng freed from a these, t s possbe (ka"pate)
to reaze (bh&yya) Brahman.
brahma-bh&ta prasanntm na ocati na k/kati
sama sarveu bh&teu mad-bhakti "abhate parm ''32''
54. Havng attaned the state of Brahman, beng a pure sou, he does
not ament n oss of what he had nor does he desre what he does not
have, and ooks upon a bengs as equa. He then manfests prema-
bhakti.
Wth the remova of a msconceptons or appearances (updhi), one
attans the state of Brahman (brahma-bh&ta), by beng n a state of
uncovered conscousness. Because of the dsappearance of the
contamnaton of the guas, he s sad to be pure (prasanna) and he s
the sou (tm). And because of absence of msconceptons of body,
when he oses somethng he does not ament and when he fas to
attan somethng he does not hanker for t (na ocati na ka/kati),
unke hs prevous state.
Lke an nnocent chd, he regards a bengs as equa whether good or
bad, wthout ookng at the externas.
Wth the cessaton of !na, ke a fre whch des wthout fue, he
attans ndestructbe bhakti to Me n the form of hearng chantng and
other processes, arsng after the cessaton of !na, because, through
the acton of My svar&pa-akti, bhakti aone does not dsappear even
wth the dsappearance of vidy and avidy, beng dfferent from the
my-akti. It s caed param+ beng far superor to !na. Remanng
after the dsappearance of nikma-karma, !na and any other process,
t surpasses a others, and remans excusvey, pure. Thus param s
equa to the word keva"am.
Though bhakti was prevousy present n a sma proporton durng
practces such as !na and vairgya, |ust n order to brng about
beraton, bhakti was not ceary vsbe, beng ke the antarym n a
bengs. Therefore the word "abhate, meanng "dscovers," s the sutabe
word rather than produces, snce t was aready present wthn the
person. Though a goden |ewe remans hdden when mxed among
grans of yeow dha, when the grans are destroyed, separated from
them, the ndestructbe goden |ewe becomes keva" , attanng ts
pure state.
At ths partcuar tme, there s aso the possbty of attanng
compete prema bhakti. The resut of ther practce n ths case s not
syuya.
170
Thus, n that case, the phrase para bhaktim shoud be
expaned as meanng prema bhakti n ths verse.
bhakty mm abhinti yvn ya csmi tattvata
tato m tattvato !tv viate tad-anantaram ''33''
55. Ony by bhakti can a person know Me as Brahman. Then, knowng
Me as Brahman by that bhakti, he merges wth Me.
"After attanng bhakti, then what happens to that person?" Gvng a
partcuar case of the genera rue, the Lord speaks ths verse. By
bhakti aone one knows Me truy as ether "that" or as "Me". Thus, the
!n knows Me as tat (Brahman) and the varous devotees know Me as
mm (Bhagavn). Snce I have sad that ony by pure bhakti am I known
(bhakyham ekay grahya), then the !n under dscusson, after that
(tad-anantaram), by that bhakti aone whch functons after the
cessaton of vidy, knowng Me, enters Me. He reazes the happness of
mergng wth Me (syuya). The meanng s that snce I am beyond
my and vidy s part of my, I (even n the form of Brahman) cannot
be known by vidy.
But there may be ob|ecton, for n the Nrada Pacartra t s sad:
s/khya-yogau ca vairgya tapo bhakti ca keave pa!ca-parvaiva
vidy
Oh Keava, there are fve types of knowedge: s/khya, yoga,
vairgya, tapas and bhakti.
%hakti s thus sad to be a functon of vidy n ths verse. However, ths
actuay means that some sma porton of the h"din-akti of bhakti
enters nto vidy n order to gve vidy ts resuts, |ust as bhakti aso
enters nto karma-yoga n order gve resuts of karma. Ths can be sad
because there are many statements sayng that karma, !na, yoga and
other processes are |ust useess abor wthout bhakti. Snce nirgua
bhakti s not a functon of vidy fed wth sattva-gua, though vidy s
the cause of extngushng avidy, the cause of knowedge of tat s
bhakti aone.
170
Vvantha expans n the commentary on next verse that some !ns who aso
worshp the Lord wth genune bhakti, by assocaton of devotees attan prema.
Moreover, the smti says sattvam sa!ayate !nam: sattva gves rse to
!na. (%# 14.17) Knowedge, whch arses from sattva, s caed sattva.
|ust as the word sattva ndcates vidy, so knowedge arsng from bhakti
s often caed bhakti. Sometmes t s caed bhakti and other tmes t s
caed !na. Therefore, one shoud see that there are two types of
knowedge. Gvng up the frst type of knowedge (sattva), by the
second type of knowedge (bhakti), one w attans brahma-syuya. Ths
can be understood by consutng the %hgavatam 11, twenty-ffth
chapter.
Now, those who presume to be !ns, desrng syuya, by executng
!na aone wthout bhakti at a, obtan ony sufferng as ther frut.
They are the most heavy condemned.
There are others aso who, knowng that one cannot attan beraton
by !na aone wthout bhakti, practce !na mxed wth bhakti. But they
consder the form of bhagavan as a fasty (updhi) created by my,
and consder that the body of the Lord s made of the guas. Reachng
the state of yogr&(ha, they thnk themseves berated. They too are
condemned.
It s sad:
mukha-bh&ru-pdebhya puruasyramai saha
catvro a!ire var guair viprdaya pthak
Each of the four soca orders, headed by the brhmaas, was
born through dfferent combnatons of the modes of nature,
from the face, arms, thghs and feet of the Supreme Lord n Hs
unversa form. Thus the four sprtua orders were aso
generated. 5% 11.5.2
ya eva purua skd tma-prabhavam varam
na bhaanty avananti sthnd bhra patanty adha
If any of the members of the four varas and four ramas fa to
worshp or ntentonay dsrespect the Personaty of Godhead,
who s the source of ther own creaton, they w fa down from
ther poston nto a hesh state of fe. 5% 11.5.3
The meanng s that both those who do not worshp Me and as we
those who do worshp Me but aso dsrespect Me, even f they are
sannyss, have a ther knowedge destroyed and fa.
It s aso sad:
ye nye ravindka vimukta-mninas
tvayy asta-bhvd aviuddha-buddhaya
ruhya kcchrea para pada tata
patanty adho ndta-yumad-a/ghraya
O otus-eyed Lord, athough non-devotees who accept severe
austertes and penances to acheve the hghest poston may
thnk themseves berated, ther ntegence s mpure. They fa
down from ther poston of magned superorty because they
have no regard for Your otus feet. 5% 10.2.32
The word "foot" (a/ghri) shoud be taken to ndcate "wth bhakti." Thus
the phrase woud mean "those who do not accept Your feet wth
devoton." They accept the Lord, but n the wrong way. The phrase
andta-yumad-a/ghraya means that they dsrespect the Lord by
thnkng that the Lords body s matera.
It s aso sad:
avananti m m&(h mnu tanum ritam
The foos do not know Me. They thnk I have taken the body of a
matera human. %# 9.11
Actuay Hs form s human, but t s aso sat-cid-nanda. That form can
be seen ony by the nfuence of the Lords nconcevabe kp-akti.
It s sad n the Nryaa Adhytma:
nityvyaktopi bhagavn kKyDate nia-aktita
tm te paramnanda ka payet tam ima prabhum
The Lord who s eterna and nvsbe can be seen through Hs
own akti. Other than by that means, who can see that Lord of
the hghest bss?
That the Lord has a sat-cid-nanda body s confrmed n the #op"a
Hpan Apaniad (1.33) wth sat-cid-nanda-vigraham r-vndvana-
sura-bh&ruha-ta"snam: that form of the Lord whch s eternty
knowedge and bss was seated at the base of a desre tree n
Vndvana.
daraym sa ta katta bda brahma dadhad vapu
The Lord showed Hmsef to that Kardama Mun and dspayed
Hs transcendenta form, whch can be understood ony through
the $edas. SB 3.21.8
Thus n the rutis and smtis there are thousands of such authortatve
statements ndcatng the Lords transcendenta body. However, by
such statements as the foowng, these !ns thnk that the Lord,
Bhagavn, s a fase creaton of my (updhi).

my tu prakti vidyn myina tu mahevaram
Know ths nature to be my. The great ord s aso made of ths
my.
,vetvatara Apaniad 4.2
However, ths statement means that the Lord s endowed wth an
eterna akti caed my arsng from Hs own svar&pa.
Madhvcrya quotes ruti to expan ths statement.
ato mya-maya viu pravadanti santanam
Thus they ca the eterna Vu myamayam.
Thus the word mym n the ,vetvatara verse refers to the cit-akti
arsng from the svar&pa of the Lord, not to the akti of the three guas,
whch does not arse from Hs svar&pa. (The meanng woud then be:
Know ths cit-akti and the great ord who s the master of ths
akti.)They do not consder ths meanng of the ruti statement. Nor do
they consder that the statement coud mean "Durg s my and va
s the possessor of my".
Thus, though these !ns attan the status of van-mukta, they fa
down because of apardha to the Lord. It s sad n the =ariia $acana
of the $san %hya:
van-mukt api punar ynti sasra-vsanm
yady acintya-mah-aktau bhagavaty apardhina
The van-muktas, f they are offenders to the Lord of
nconcevabe great akti, agan enter the usons of sasra.
Attanng ther goa, they thnk sdhana s no onger proper, and thus
at the tme of re|ectng !na, they re|ect not ony !na, but aso gu
bh&t bhakti,
171
thnkng that tangbe reazaton (of form and quates)
s fase. After bhakti dsappears aong wth !na, because of offense to
the form of the Lord, t cannot be agan attaned. Because they cannot
reaze tat wthout bhakti, they are therefore known ony as persons
who thnk they are berated, havng ony fase samdhi. Ths s stated
n the verse yenyeravindka vimukta-mnina.
But those who practce !na mxed wth bhakti, and at the same tme
respect the sat-cid-nanda form of Bhagavn, graduay, wth the
cessaton of vidy and avidy, attan par bhakti. Those berated sous
are of two types. One type, performng bhakti for obtanng syuya,
attans syuya n the Lords form, reazng tat. These persons are
praseworthy.
The other type of person, such as ukadeva, beng greaty fortunate,
gves up the desre for beraton by the nfuence of unpredcted
assocaton wth knd, eevated devotees, and submerges hmsef
competey n the taste of the sweetness of bhakti rasa. Ths s the most
praseworthy type. It s sad:
tmrm ca munayo nirgranth apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaituk bhaktim itthambh&ta-guo hari
A dfferent varetes of tmrma+ those who take peasure n
tm, or sprt sef|, especay those estabshed on the path of
sef-reazaton, though freed from a knds of matera bondage,
bondage; desre to render unaoyed devotona servce unto the
Personaty of Godhead. Ths means that the Lord possesses
171
The sma amount of bhakti they perform aong wth !na sdhana.
transcendenta quates and therefore can attract everyone,
ncudng berated sous. 5% 1.7.10
Thus there are four types of !ns: two, reproachabe, fa; and two,
praseworthy, cross sasra.
sarva-karmy api sad kurvo mad-vyapraya
mat-prasdd avpnoti vata padam avyayam ''3-''
56. But that person, who, though performng a types of actons, aso
takes sheter of Me predomnanty, attans My ndestructbe, eterna
abode, by My mercy.
It has thus been sad that the !n step by step gvng up the resuts of
work, work tsef and then !na, attans syuya. Now hear from Me how
My devotee attans Me.
That devotee takes sheter of Me, even wth evdent matera desres
(vi apa raya). $i stands for vieata, meanng "partcuary," and
apa stands for apaka+ meanng "ow." He s not even a nikma-
bhakta, for he performs a actons even matera ones such as
protectng wfe and chdren as we as nitya, naimittika and kmya-
karmas. What s the queston of hs gvng up karma, yoga, !na, worshp
of devats, or other desres?
The word rayate means he competey serves. The prefx ""
emphaszes the predomnance of servce. The use of the word api
ndcates nferorty of these other actons. Thus he performs these
other actvtes, but as secondary actons. Thus, he has bhakti mxed
wth karma, rather than karma mxed wth bhakti, whch was aready
descrbed n the frst sx chapters. There s no overappng of actons
wth the prevous descrptons. That bhakta attans My eterna dhmas
(padam), such as Vakuha, Mathur, Dvrak, and Ayodhy.
172

"But w those dhmas reman after the pra"aya?"
"They are ndestructbe (avyayam). At the tme of mahpra"aya, My
dhmas w not dsappear, because of My nconcevabe power."
172
The karma mira bhakta gets s"okya.
"The !n, after many brths, havng undergone much sufferng and
austertes, havng stopped the acton of senses for sense ob|ects,
attans naikarmya, and then syuya. How does ths devotee,
performng actons and havng desres, attan Your eterna dhmas |ust
by takng sheter of You?"
"He attans t by My mercy (mat-prasdt). Know that My mercy s
nconcevabe and most powerfu."
cetas sarva-karmi mayi sannyasya mat-para
buddhi-yogam upritya mac-citta satata bhava ''37''
57. Offerng a your actvtes to Me, makng Me your ony goa of fe,
takng sheter of bhakti-yoga wth fxed ntegence, remember Me
aways, whe dong your actons and at a other tmes.
"Now, what are you ndcatng to Me partcuary? Am I an ananya-
bhakta? Or am I the sakma-bhakta |ust mentoned by You?"
"You do not have the strength to become the most exceent ananya-
bhakta. And you shoud not be the sakma-bhakta, the owest among a
the devotees. Therefore, be a madhyama devotee, a devotee
ntermedate between these two. Whe offerng to Me a of your
occupatona actvtes and your dutes of rama, you whose goa of
fe s ony to attan Me (mat-para), n other words, beng nikma,
remember Me aways (mat-citta bhava), whe dong those actvtes
and at any other tme aso (satatam), beng endowed wth fxed
ntegence, vyavasytmika buddhi (buddhi-yogam upritya)."
The Lord has prevousy sad the same:
yat karoi yad ansi ya uhoi dadsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruva mad-arpaam
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you sacrfce,
whatever you gve, whatever austerty you perform, offer t to
Me, O son of Kunt. %# 9.27
mac-citta sarva-durgi mat-prasdt tariyasi
atha cet tvam aha/krn na royasi vina/kyasi ''38''
58. Fxng your mnd on Me, you w cross over a obstaces by My
mercy. If, on the other hand, you do not sten out of prde, you w
persh.
Then what w happen? Ths verse descrbes the resut: you w cross
a obstaces.
yad aha/kram ritya na yotsya iti manyase
mithyaia vyavasyas te praktis tv niyokyati ''39''
59. If, nfuenced by fase ego, you thnk "I w not fght," that resove
s useess. Your nature w engage you n fghtng.
"For me, a katriya, the hghest dharma s to fght. But beng afrad of
the sn ncurred from kng frends, I do not desre to start fghtng."
The Lord scods Ar|una n ths verse. "Your nature (prakti) w make
you fght. Now you do not respect My words. But when your
rrepressbe natura desre to fght arses, then whe fghtng, and
automatcay kng your eders ke Bhma, you w sme at Me!"
svabhva-ena kaunteya nibaddha svena karma
kartu necchasi yan moht kariyasy avao pi tat ''-:''
60. Beng bound by actons arsng from your nature, hepessy, you
w do what you do not want to do out of bewderment.
Here the Lord expands the meanng of what he has |ust sad. You are
fettered by your actons arsng from prevous fe mpressons that gve
you quates of the katriya (5vabhva-ena).
vara sarva-bh&tn hd-dee runa tihati
bhrmayan sarva-bh&tni yantrr&(hni myay ''-)''
61. O Ar|una, the Lord s stuated n the heart of a vng enttes. He
engages them n acton by Hs energy, ke dos movng by strngs.
Havng stated the vews of the advocates of nnate nature (svabhva)
173

n two verses, the Lord now states Hs own vew. The Lord, Nryaa, s
the antarym .
173
Accordng to the theory of 5vabhva-vda, nature and ts propertes are the cause of
everythng.
ya pthivy tihan pthivy antaro+ ya pthiv na veda+ yasya
pthiv arra+ ya pthivm antaro yamayati
He s stuated wthn the earth. The earth does not know Hm.
The earth s Hs body. He contros the earth from wthn.
%had >rayaka Apaniad 3.6.3
yac ca ki!ci agaty asmin dyate r&yatepi v
antar-bahi ca tat sarva vypya nryaa sthita
Nryaa s spread everywhere nsde and outsde of everythng
seen or heard of n the unverse. *ahnryaa Apaniad
13.5
As s stated n these rutis , the Lord s stuated n the heart. What does
He do? By Hs own akti (myay) He makes a vng enttes engage n
ther respectve actons (bhrmayan).
174
The vng enttes, ke artfca
dos attached to a devce wth strngs, are made to move by my. Or
another meanng s: a vng enttes mounted n ther bodes are
made to move by my.
tam eva araa gaccha sarva-bhvena bhrata
tat-prasdt par nti sthna prpsyasi vatam ''-0''
62. O descendent of Bharata, take refuge n the Paramtm aone wth
compete devoton. Havng extngushed both avidy and vidy, by My
mercy, you w attan the eterna sprtua abode.
Ths verse expans the purpose of the knowedge |ust reveaed: take
sheter of that Lord. You w attan the cessaton of vidy and avidy
(par ntim) and then you w attan My eterna pace Vakuha
(vata sthnam). Ths surrender to the antarym s for worshppers
of the antarym (Paramtm) whereas the worshppers of Bhagavn
surrender to Bhagavn, whch w be expaned ater.
175
Ths s the
opnon of some concernng ths verse.
"My Lord r Ka, s my guru, and gve me nstructons whch are
benefca for my bhakti. I surrender unto Hm." In ths way, a person
w thnk.
174
5vabhva by tsef cannot make the vng enttes do anythng.
175
The drect process of bhakti and reazaton of Bhagavn are descrbed n verse 65
and 66.
Uddhava says:
naivopayanty apaciti kavayas tavea
brahmayuspi ktam ddha-muda smaranta
yontar-bahis tanu-bhtm aubha vidhunvan
crya-caittya-vapu sva-gati vyanakti
O my Lord! Transcendenta poets and experts n sprtua scence
coud not fuy express ther ndebtedness to You, even f they
were endowed wth the proonged fetme of Brahm, for You
appear n two features-externay as the crya and nternay as
the Supersou-to dever the emboded vng beng by drectng
hm how to come to You. 5% 11.29.6
iti te !nam khyta guhyd guhyatara may
vimyaitad aeea yathecchasi tath kuru ''-1''
63. Thus I have expaned a scrpture more secret than the secret
knowedge of karma+ !na and a/ga-yoga. Consderng ths
thoroughy, do as you wsh to do.
Here the Lord concudes the whoe sub|ect of #t .
C!na or knowedge conssts of karma-yoga, a/ga-yoga and !na-yoga.
The word !na means "that by whch one knows." Thus !na refers to
a process, n ths case scrptures, whch produce knowedge of these
sdhanas.
I have reveaed a scrpture, !na, whch s more secret than those
scrptures (guhyd guhyataram), a process that has not been reveaed n
the scrptures wrtten by authors such as Vasa, Bdaryaa or
Nrada.
Another meanng s: In reaton to ther omnscence, I am nfnte. Thus
they cannot understand the knowedge because of ts most
confdenta nature. I aso dd not teach them at a because of ts
ntensey confdenta nature. Consderng ths thoroughy (aeea), as
s sutabe to your taste, do what you want to do. Thus, the ast sx
chapters concernng !na have been competed.
These three groups of sx chapters, the #t , the crown |ewe of a
knowedge, are the box contanng the most vauabe secret treasure of
bhakti. The frst sx chapters, concernng karma, are the ower coverng
made of god. The ast sx chapters, concernng !na, are the d made
of god and studded wth |ewes. Wthn the mdde sx chapters, restng
wthn the contaner and the d, shnes the most exceent |ewe of
bhakti, more vauabe than anythng n the three words--whch brngs
r Ka under contro. %haktis servants consstng of two verses (65
and 66) of sxty-four syabes (|ewes) embedded on the d of the box
(ast sx chapters) shoud aso be understood to be pure.
sarva-guhyatama bh&ya u me parama vaca
io si me d(ham iti tato vakymi te hitam ''-2''
64. Agan hear from Me the hghest words, the supreme secret. Snce
you are very dear to Me, I w speak for your beneft.
Gancng at Ar|una, Hs very dear frend, standng senty as he began
to revew the very deep meanng of the #t scrpture, the Lord, Hs
heart metng ke butter due to Hs mercy, spoke.
"O My dear frend Ar|una, I w now speak the essence of the whoe
scrpture n eght verses. Forget about the dffcutes n havng to
revew everythng n order to understand t."
Agan (bh&ya) hear the most secret knowedge.
176
He says "agan"
because He sad the same thng at the end of the nnth chapter:
man-man bhava mad-bhakto mad-y m namaskuru
mm evaiyasi yuktvaivam tmna mat-paryaa %# 9.34

Those are the hghest words (parama vaca), the most secret
(guhyatamam), the essence of even the #t , whch s the essence of
the meanng of a scrptures. There s no secret greater than ths, n
any pace, from any cause, by any means.
He then gves the reason for speakng ths. Because you are very
(d(ham) dear (ia), My frend, I speak for your beneft. Wthout
havng such frendshp no one speaks any most confdenta topc.
176
Ths knowedge s therefore more secret than that dscussed n verse 62, whch
was more secret that the knowedge of karma, !na and yoga.
6(ha-mati (wth fxed mnd) nstead of d(ham iti s another readng
of the text.
man-man bhava mad-bhakto mad-y m namaskuru
mm evaiyasi satya te pratine priyo si me ''-3''
65. Beng My devotee, offer your mnd to Me. Offer artces to Me n
worshp.. Offer respects to Me. I promse that you w come to Me
wthout doubt, for you are most dear to Me.
The phrase bhava mad-bhakto means "Beng My devotee, thnk of Me."
The Lord says ths to excude the other possbtes. He does not mean,
"Be a !n or be a yog and medtate on Me."
Or the phrase man-man can mean: "Gve your mnd as a gft to Me,
ymasundara, wth moon-ke face, wth shnng ocks of har and
beautfu eye brows, ranng nectar n the form of gances of sweet
mercy."
And then bhava mad-bhakta can mean, "And gve a your senses such
as the ears to Me. Perform worshp of Me (bhava mad-bhakta) usng a
the senses wth such servces as hearng, chantng, seeng My m&rti+
ceanng and anontng My tempe, pckng fowers, and offerng Me
garands, ornaments, umbrea and cmara."
And then the Lord says, "Gve Me ob|ects such as gandha, fowers,
ncense, amp and naivedya. Be My worshpper. Perform My worshp."
(mad-y).
And then Lord says, "O, |ust gve Me respects (m namaskuru). Fang
on the ground wth the whoe body, offer respects, by touchng the
body to the ground wth eght mbs."
"Of these four--thnkng of Me wth the mnd, servng Me wth the
senses, worshppng Me wth tems and offerng respects to Me wth the
whoe body--do a of them or any of them, and you w attan Me (mm
eva eyasi). Make an offerng of your mnd, your senses, or tems of
worshp unto Me, and I make an oath to you (te satyam): I w gve
Mysef to you."
177

177
Ka sad, "You w come to me." Another way of sayng ths s "I w gve Mysef
to you."
The word satyam mpes somethng of whch there s no doubt.
Accordng to the ;mara Foa, satyam means an oath and truth.
"We, the peope born n the and of Mathur make such oaths n every
sentence."
178


That s true. In that case, under oath (pratine) I decare, "You are dear
to Me. No one cheats a person dear to hmsef."
sarva-dharmn parityaya mm eka araa vraa
aha tv sarva-ppebhyo mokayiymi m uca ''--''
66. Gvng up a dharmas, |ust surrender unto Me aone. I w dever
you from a sns. Do not worry.
"Am I supposed to perform the medtaton and other processes aong
wth my vara rama dutes or wthout them?"
"Gvng up a dutes of vara and rama (sarva-dharmn parityaya),
surrender ony to Me."
One shoud not say that parityaa means sannyasya, to adopt the
sannysa order, because Ar|una was a katriya, not quafed for
sannysa. As we t shoud not be sad the Lord used Ar|una |ust to
nstruct a other peope who are not katriyas to take sannysa, for
Ar|una was quafed to be the recpent of the Lords nstructons whch
coud not be taught to others. Nor shoud one expan the meanng of
parityaya n ths verse as merey "gve up a the resuts of actvtes."
For t s sad:
devari-bh&tpta-n? pit?
nya ki/karo nyam ca ran
sarvtman ya araa araya
gato mukunda parihtya kartam
Anyone who has taken sheter of the otus feet of Mukunda, the
gver of beraton, gvng up a knds of obgaton, and has taken
to the path n a serousness, owes nether dutes nor obgatons
to the demgods, sages, genera vng enttes, famy members,
humanknd or forefathers. 5% 11.5.41
178
Here s a reference to Ka promsng to return to Vra|a.
martyo yad tyakta-samasta-karm
nivedittm vicikrito me
tadmtatva pratipadyamno
maytma-bh&yya ca ka"pate vai
A person who gves up a frutve actvtes and offers hmsef
entrey unto Me, eagery desrng to render servce unto Me,
acheves beraton from brth and death and s promoted to the
status of sharng My own opuences.
5% 11.29.35
tvat karmi kurvta na nirvidyeta yvat
mat-kath-ravadau v raddh yvan na yate
As ong as one s not satated by frutve actvty and has not
awakened hs taste for devotona servce by ravaa krtana
vio |5% 7.5.23| one has to act accordng to the reguatve
prncpes of the Vedc n|unctons. 5% 11.20.9
!yaiva gun don maydin api svakn
dharmn santyaya ya sarvn m bhaet sa ca sattama
He perfecty understands that the ordnary regous dutes
prescrbed by Me n varous Vedc scrptures possess favorabe
quates that purfy the performer, and he knows that negect of
such dutes consttutes a dscrepancy n ones fe. Havng taken
compete sheter at My otus feet, however, a santy person
utmatey renounces such ordnary regous dutes and worshps
Me aone. He s thus consdered to be the best among a vng
enttes. 5% 11.11.37
The meanng of the word shoud thus be expaned usng a these
statements of the Lord wth no contradcton. The meanng can ndeed
be understood correcty by the prefx pari whch means "competey."
"Surrender ony to Me (mm eka araam vraa)." Ths means that
there shoud be no worshp of devats, a/ga-yoga, !na or dharma or
other eements n that surrender.
"Prevousy I have sad that you were not quafed for anany bhakti,
the hghest type of bhakti, and that you were quafed for karma-mira-
bhakti, when I sad Whatever you do, whatever you eat, do t as an
offerng to Me. But now, by My great mercy, you have quafcaton for
anany bhakti. That anany bhakti can ony be attaned by the causeess
mercy of My ekntika-bhakta. Though that s a rue I mysef have made,
I am now gvng the mercy Mysef, breakng My own vow, as I dd n the
fght wth Bhma.
"And by foowng My orders you shoud not fear some oss on your part
n gvng up nitya and naimittika-karmas. The order to perform these
nitya-karmas was gven by Me n the form of the $edas. Now, I am
orderng you to gve them a up competey. Is there sn n not
performng your nitya-karmas? No, rather the opposte--n performng
nitya-karmas you w commt sn, because of dsobeyng My drect
order."
"If someone surrenders to You, he becomes dependent, ke an anma
purchased for a prce. He does whatever You make hm do. If You put
hm n one pace, he stays there. If You offer hm food, he eats. These
are the characterstcs of surrender. But the $yu =ura says:
nuk&"yasya sa/ka"pa pratik&"yasya varana
rakiyatti vivso gopttve
)79
varaa tath
nikepaam akrpaya
)8:
a(-vidh aragati
>nuk&"ya means conduct whch s peasng to the Lord and accordng to
the scrptures. =ratik&"ya means the opposte. #opttva means to thnk
of the Lord and no one ese as ones protector. One shoud have fath
(vivasa) that n tmes when ones own exstence s threatened, the
Lord w gve protecton, as n the case of Ga|endra or Draupad.
@ikepaam means empoyment of ones gross and subte bodes for
Kas servce. ;krpaya means that one shoud not make a show of
ones own humty. Surrender (araa-gati) conssts of performance of
these sx tems n reaton to the Lord."
Then startng today, f I surrender to You, I shoud then do whatever
You say whether t s good or bad. If You make me perform dharma,
then I w not worry at a. But f You engage me n adharma, snce You
are the Supreme Lord and can do what You want, then what w
happen to me? Pease te me."
179
The Krshnadas edton gves bharttve as an aternatve readng both here and
further down.
180
The usua readng s tma-nikepa-krpaye.
"I w free you from a snfu reactons--from whatever reactons exst
from the far past and recent past, and from whatever reactons arse
from acts I w make you perform n the future. Ths s not mpossbe
for Me to do, though t cannot be done by anyone ese to whom you
surrender. Takng you as the means, I am gvng nstructons to the
whoe word. Do not fee gref for your own wefare or that of others.
May you and a other peope, gvng up a dharmas--your own and
everyone eses--absorbng your thoughts and actons n Me,
surrenderng to Me, reman n contentment. I Mysef have accepted the
burden of freeng you from sn, and freeng you from sasra.
anany cintayanto m ye an paryupsate
te nitybhiyuktn yoga-kema vahmy aham
But I carry the burden of suppy and mantenance of those who
desre constant assocaton wth Me, and who, thnkng ony of
Me, worshp ony Me. %# 9.22
Do not ament thnkng Oh, I have thrown my own burden on my
master! It s no stran at a for Me, who am most affectonate to My
devotee. Nothng ese remans to be nstructed."
Thus the scrpture has been concuded.
ida te ntapaskya nbhaktya kadcana
na cur&ave vcya na ca m yo bhyas&yati ''-7''
67. Ths s not to be spoken to one wthout contro of hs senses, to one
wthout true devoton, to one who does not render humbe servce, or
to one who enves Me, thnkng that I am matera.
Havng gven the nstructons of the scrpture of the #t , the Lord
now ndcates the process for passng on the nformaton, startng a
sampradya. ;tapaskya refers to one who does not contro hs senses.
The smti says:
manasa cendriy ca aikgrya parama tapa
Concentraton of the mnd and senses on one ob|ect s the
greatest austerty.
*ahbhrata+ ,nti =arv, 23
Even f a person contros the senses, f he s not a devotee, he shoud
not be taught. Even f he s quafed wth three good quates |ust
mentoned (sense contro, devoton and obedence), he shoud not be
taught f he s envous Me, f he thnks that I am a combnaton of
matera quates contamnatng the pure Brahman.
ya ida parama guhya mad-bhaktev abhidhsyati
bhakti mayi par ktv mm evaiyaty asaaya ''-8''
68. One who teaches ths supreme secret to My devotees, attans the
hghest bhakt, and fnay attans Me wthout doubt.
Ths verse and the next state the resuts of gvng nstructons on
bhakti. The nstructor frst attans supreme bhakti (par bhaktim) and
then the Lord Hmsef (mm eva eyati).
na ca tasmn manuyeu kacin me priya-kttama
bhavit na ca me tasmd anya priyataro bhuvi ''-9''
69. Among men there s no one so dear to Me. There w never be one
dearer to Me than he.
There s no other whom I ove so much as the person who teaches
bhakti.
adhyeyate ca ya ima dharmya savdam vayo
!na-ya!ena tenham ia sym iti me mati ''7:''
70. It s My convcton that he who studes ths sacred conversaton
between us two w have worshpped Me through the sacrfce of
knowedge.
181

Ths verse speaks of the resuts of studyng ths scrpture.
raddhvn anas&ya ca uyd api yo nara
so pi mukta ubh" "okn prpnuyt puya-karmam ''7)''
71. Even that person who, beng fu of fath, wthout envy, |ust hears
ths teachng, w become free of sn and attan the auspcous word of
devotees.
181
In chapter four Ka stated the the sacrfce of knowedge was superor to the
sacrfce of materas.
Ths verse states the resuts of hearng the #t .
kaccid etac chruta prtha tvayaikgrea cetas
kaccid a!na-sammoha praaas te dhana!aya ''70''
72. O son of Pth, have you heard ths wth cose attenton? O
conqueror of weath, have your gnorance and bewderment been
destroyed?
The Lord speaks ths verse wth the ntenton of teachng t agan to
Ar|una, f he were unabe to grasp the meanng fuy.
aruna uvca
nao moha smtir "abdh tvat-prasdn maycyuta
sthito smi gata-sandeha kariye vacana tava ''71''
73. Ar|una sad: My deuson has been destroyed, and my memory has
been restored by Your mercy, O Acyuta. I reman wthout doubts, and
w foow Your nstructons.
"What ese can I ask? Havng gven up a dutes, surrenderng to You
competey, wthout worres, I now competey trust You." Thus he
speaks ths verse.
"I am ready to foow You, who are worthy of surrender. That s the
duty of me, who have surrendered to You. I have no use for foowng
my vara and rama, nor !na-yoga or other processes. Startng today,
I have gven them a up."
"Oh My dear frend Ar|una, I have some remanng work to do n
reevng the burden of the earth. I want you to do that work."
When the Lord sad ths, Ar|una, wth Gva bow n hand, rose to
fght.
sa!aya uvca
ity aha vsudevasya prthasya ca mahtmana
savdam imam arauam adbhuta roma-haraam ''72''
74. Sa|aya sad: Thus I have heard ths remarkabe, har-rasng
conversaton between Vsudeva and the son of Pth, a great devotee
of the Lord.
vysa-prasdc chrutavn etad guhyam aha param
yoga yogevart kt skt kathayata svayam ''73''
75. By the mercy of Vysa, I have heard ths supreme secret of bhakti-
yoga, drecty from the master of yoga Ka whe He personay spoke
t.
ran sasmtya sasmtya savdam imam adbhutam
keavrunayo puya hymi ca muhur muhu ''7-''
7-. O Kng, rememberng ths wonderfu, sacred conversaton between
Keava and Ar|una agan and agan, I re|oce agan and agan.
tac ca sasmtya sasmtya r&pam aty-adbhuta hare
vismayo me mahn ran hymi ca puna puna ''77''
77. O Kng, rememberng agan and agan that amazng form of Har, I
am fed wth wonder, and re|oce agan and agan.
yatra yogevara ko yatra prtho dhanur-dhara
tatra rr viayo bh&tir dhruv ntir matir mama ''78''
78. Where there s Ka, the master of yoga, and where there s
Ar|una, the hoder of the bow, there w be unfang prosperty, vctory,
ever-ncreasng weath, and rghteousness. That s my convcton.
As for the commentary on the ast fve verses, whch brngs out the
purport of the whoe #t , they were wrtten on two pages, whch
have been taken away by the carrer of Ganea (a rat). I have not
bothered to wrte them agan. They were a trfng matter. Let that be.
Thus the commentares on the %hagavad #t caed 5rrtha 6arin
have been competed.
May ths shower of meanngs of the essence of scrpture, whch gve
beneft to the whoe word, deght the devotee ctaka brds wth ts
sweetness and may the peasure they derve from t ght up my heart.
Thus end the commentares on the eghteenth chapter of the #t for
the peasure of the devotees hearts, by the mercy of the cryas.