visvanath gita commentary

8/12/2019 Visvanath Gita Commentary

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Chapter Onegauruka sat-kumuda-pramodsvbhikhyay gos-tamaso nihant

r-ka-caitanya-sudha-nidhir memano dhitihan svarati karotu

prcna-vca suvicrya so hama!o pi gt mta-"ea-"ipsu

yate prabhor eva mate tad atrasanta kamadhva aragatasya

May the ocean of nectar, r Ka Caitanya, who emanates goldenrays, giving joy to the white water lilies of saintly devotees, and whodestroys the darness of the earth !y "is splendoro#s !ea#ty, !e

present in my mind and !estow on me attraction for "imself$%ho#gh & am ignorant, after caref#lly considering the previo#scommentaries, & desire to o!tain a drop of the nectar of the #t'andhave th#s written this commentary($ May yo# devotees please toleratethis wor of a s#rrendered so#l, which is written according to the viewsof my sannysmaster, r Caitanya

%he son of )as#deva, para brahmanin h#man form, the original*hagav+n whose lot#s feet are desired !y all the script#res in thisworld, descended directly in Math#r+, and, most inconceiva!ly,

!ecame visi!le to the eyes of all people of the material world$elivering the people of the #niverse who were drowning in the oceanof material life, "e s#!merged them instead in the great ocean of "isown prema, !y !estowing on them a taste of the sweetness of "is!ea#ty$

-sta!lished in "is great vow to protect the righteo#s and destroy theevil, on the prete.t of relieving the earth of its !#rden of s#ffering, hegave the greatest protection//in the form of li!eration//even to thosewho were devo#red !y the crocodile of material life//to the most evilpersons, even to those who displayed great hatred towards "imself$ &norder to deliver the vaswho wo#ld !e afflicted after "isdisappearance !y lamentation and ill#sion arising from the !ondage of!eginningless ignorance, and in order to #phold "is glorio#s rep#tations#ng !y the sages, the maers of script#res, "e singled o#t 0rj#na, "isdear friend$ 0rj#na then !ecame afflicted !y lamentation and ill#sionat the commencement of war !y the 1ord2s own desire, in order tof#lfill the 1ord2s p#rposes$ %he 1ord th#s manifested to 0rj#na the


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highest goal of h#manity, maing it most real and attaina!le, in theform of the #t, with eighteen chapters containing eighteen types ofnowledge, ornamented with the jewels of the #ltimate import of the$edascomposed of three s#!jects$3

%hro#gh the first si. chapters of the #t "e presents nikma-karma-yoga, thro#gh the second si. chapters "e presents bhakti-yoga, andthro#gh the third si. chapters "e presents !na-yoga$ %hakti-yogaisplaced !etween karmaand !na-yoga!eca#se of its confidentialnat#re,4!eca#se of its s#periority !y which it is a!le to give life to theother two,5and !eca#se of its !eing most rare$6 0nd moreover,!eca#se these two are #seless witho#t bhakti, only !y !eing mi.ed withbhaktido they !ecome accepta!le$

%here are two types of bhakti7 keva" bhakti'p#re bhakti( and pradhnbh&t bhakti'a process predominated !y bhakti($ %he first isindependent and strong$ 8itho#t the mi.t#re of karmaand !na, it isp#re and powerf#l$ &t is nown !y s#ch terms as anany bhakti andaki!cin bhakti$9%he second type is mi.ed with karmaand !na$ 0ll ofthis will !e descri!ed later in the te.t$

dhtarra uvcadharma-ketre kuru-ketre samavet yuyutsava 'mmak p(av caiva kim akurvata sa!aya '')''

3$ htar+:ra said7 O ;a# do, having gathered with the desire to fight at K#r#etra, theplace of dharma?

"ow did 0rj#na !ecome !ewildered and fall into ignorance? %hespeaer of the *ahbhrata , )ai@amp+yana, started e.plaining thetopic to Aanamejaya in the *hma =arv+, with the following words$

1%he phrase here is k(a-traytmika-sarva-veda, referring to karma+ !na and upsanak(as$2*eing placed in the middle, it is not so o!vio#s$3;ince it is in the middle, it to#ches the other two, giving them life$ &f the si. chaptersconcerning bhakti were placed at the !eginning or the end, they wo#ld only to#ch oneof the other topics$4%herefore it is protected !y the other two topics on either side$5Other names are uttam bhakti+ uddh bhakti, and keva" bhakti$


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hrtar+:ra said, B=lease tell me what my sons, headed !y#ryodhana, and the sons of =+>#, headed !y #dhi:hra weredoing, having gathered together for fighting at K#r#etra?D

B*#t yo# yo#rself have said that they were desiro#s of fighting, so why

are yo# asing what they did?D

B%his place is a holy place 'dharmaketra($ ,rutisays7

kuruketra deva yaanam

K#r#etra is a place for worshipping the 1ord$ ,atapatha%rhmaa, *adhyndinya, 36$3$3$4

&t is famo#s as a place which prod#ces dharma$ #e to association with

this great place, the evil #ryodhana and company may give #p theiranger and tae to the path of dharma$ %he =+>avas are nat#rallyfollowing dharma$ %hen !oth sides wo#ld have intelligence to see thatthey sho#ld not ill their own relatives and friends, and wo#ldnegotiate peace$D

-.ternally, he desired to show ;a


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cryam upasa/gamya r vacanam abravt ''0''payait p(u-putrm crya mahat cam&m 'vy&(h drupada-putrea tava iyea dhmat ''1''

4$ ;aavas2 troops, #ryodhanaapproached his teacher roa and spoe these words$

5$ BO teacher, see this great army of the sons of =+>#, arranged for!attle !y yo#r intelligent disciple, the son of r#pada$D

Fnderstanding that htar+tra wanted war, ;a


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J$ "ere are mighty #dh+many#, valiant Fttama#j+, 0!himany#, andthe five sons of ra#pad, all mah-rathas$

B%he leaders of their troops, having great !ows 'ivs(, will !eimpossi!le to c#t down$D %hat is the s#ggestion !y his mentioning the!ows$ 4uyudhnarefers to ;+tyai$ 5aubhadrarefers to 0!himany#$6raupadeyrefers to the five sons of the =+>avas !y ra#pad, s#chas =rativindhya$

eko daa sahasri yodhayed yas tu dhanvinmastra-stra-prava ca mah-ratha iti smtaamitn yodhayed yas tu samprokto tirathas tu sacaikena yo yudhyet tan-ny&nordha-ratha smta

0 mah-rathais one who can fight alone with ten tho#sandarchers, who is e.pert in !oth weapons and script#re$ 0n atirathais one who fights with #nlimited troops 'or less than ten tho#sand!#t more than a tho#sand($ 0 rathiis one who fights with one$One who does less than that is called ardha-ratha$

asmka tu vii ye tn nibodha dviottama 'nyak mama sainyasya sa!rtha tn bravmi te ''7''

7. O !est of the brhmaas, #nderstand who is on o#r side, thecommanders of my army$ & will list them so yo# can completely#nderstand$

Fnderstand 'nibodha( who is on o#r side$ & will tell yo# in order that yo#completely #nderstand 'sa!rtham($ %he word is analyGed as samyak'complete(, !na'nowledge($

bhavn bhma ca kara ca kpa ca samiti-aya 'avatthm vikara ca saumadattir tathaiva ca ''8''

$ %here are yo#rself, *hma, Kara, Kpa, winner of wars,0@vatth+m+, )iara, and *hLri@rav+$

;a#madatti refers to *hLri@rav+, the son of ;omadatta$

8%his is I#oted !y rdhara ;v+m and *aladeva, !#t the so#rce is not given$


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anye ca bahava &r madarthe tyakta-vit 'nn-astra-prahara sarve yuddha-virad ''9''

$ %here are also many other !rave men who have given #p their livesfor my sae, sillf#l at fighting, armed with vario#s missiles and

weapons of close com!at$

B%hey are willing to give #p their lives in order to help me 'tyakta-vit($D %his is the intended meaning of #ryodhana, tho#gh theliteral meaning is B%hey have given #p their lives$D 0ct#ally however,Ka will later say7

mayaivaite nihat p&rvam eva nimitta-mtra bhava savyascin

%hese warriors have already !een illed !y Me !efore the war

has started$ o# !e My instr#ment, O 0rj#na$ %#33$55

%h#s, the literal meaning of #ryodhana2s words are th#s completelytr#e$

aparypta tad asmka ba"a bhmbhirakitam 'parypta tv idam ete ba"a bhmbhirakitam ''):''

3N$ O#r army protected !y *hma is inadeI#ate, !#t their army,protected !y *hma is adeI#ate$

O#r troops are not #p to standard 'aparyptam(7 we cannot fightagainst the =+>avas$-ven tho#gh protected all aro#nd !y *hma, who has fine intelligenceand is e.perienced in fighting and theory, *hma has sympathy for!oth parties$ %he =+>avas are very well protected 'paryptamabhirakitam( !y *hma, tho#gh he has gross intelligence and is notthoro#ghly conversant with fighting and theory$ &n other words, theyare well eI#ipped to fight against #s$

ayaneu ca sarveu yath-bhgam avasthit 'bhmam evbhirakantu bhavanta sarva eva hi ''))''

33$ ;it#ated in yo#r positions for attac, yo# sho#ld protect *hma onall sides$

%herefore yo# sho#ld !e very caref#l$ %ho#gh yo# are divided intodifferent gro#ps 'yath-bhgam( for the p#rpose of entering into the


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enemy lines 'ayaneu(, yo# sho#ld not give #p yo#r designatedpositions on the !attlefield$ *eing fi.ed in yo#r respective positions,protect *hma on all sides, so that he will not !e attaced from!ehind while engaged in fighting with others$ %he implication here isBOnly !y the strength of *hma will we s#rvive$D

tasya sa!anayan hara kuru-vddha pitmaha 'siha-nda vinadyoccai a/kha dadhmau pratpavn '')0''

34$ %hen the majestic elder among the K#r#s, the grandfather, in orderto !ring joy to #ryodhana, maing the so#nd of lion, !lew his conchlo#dly$

*hma, the elder of the K#r#s, joyf#l on hearing respect given to him,and to prod#ce joy in #ryodhana !y driving away his fears, roaring

lie lion, !lew his conch shell$ %he phrase siha-nda vinadya#sesthe same root nadtwice$ %he literal meaning is Broaring the roar of alion$D %he intended meaning is Broaring lie a lion,D according to thes&traupamne karmai$ ';dhyy, =+ini 5$6$69(

tata a/kh ca bherya ca paavnaka-gomukh 'sahasaivbhyahanyanta sa abdas tumu"o nakais a ettle dr#m$ #omukhais a type oftr#mpet$

tata vetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau 'mdhava p(ava caiva divyau a/khau pradadhmatu '')2''

36$ %hen Ka and 0rj#na, standing in a large chariot yoed withwhite horses, !lew their divine 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 '')''


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39/3J$ Ka !lew =+ra$ #dhi:hira, son of K#nt,!lew 0nantavijaya, and a#la and ;ahadeva !lew their conches;#ghoa and Manip#paa$

%he names of the conch shells are listed here, starting with Ka2s=+, a mah-ratha, h:ady#mna, )ir+:a and ;+tyai, who co#ld not !e defeated,

r#pada, the sons of ra#pad, and mighty/armed 0!himany# !lewtheir conches one after the other$

%he word aparita means #nconI#era!le$ "owever, it can !e readcpa rita, !y incl#ding the previo#s caas part of the word instead aseparate word meaning BandD, in which case it means BeI#ipped witha !ow$D

sa ghoo dhrtarr hdayni vyadrayat 'nabha ca pthiv caiva tumu"o bhyanundayan '')9''

3$ %hat t#m#lt#o#s so#nd, filling the sy and earth, split the hearts ofhtar+:ra2s 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


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commencement of the war those sit#ated with a desire to fight, andthose with whom & sho#ld fight$ & see that those who have gatheredhere, desiring to please the foolish sons of htar+:ra, are intent onfighting$

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''

46/49$ 8hen 0rj#na spoe to him th#s, "e@a, stationing the !estof chariots !etween the two armies, in front of *hma, roa and allthe princes, spoe7 ;ee these K#r#s gathered here$

%he 1ord, "e@a, tho#gh "imself the controller of everyone2s

senses, was th#s ordered !y 0rj#na, controlled j#st !y his words$ ;eehow the 1ord is controlled !y premaE %his is the implication of callingthe 1ord "e@a$

"ere is the significance of the word P#>+e@a$ Qe@a means )i# '(,*rahm+ 'ka( and iva 'a($ P#>+e@a means 0rj#na who gives them'kea( the e.perience of the sweetness of the 1ord2s affection j#st ass#gar 'gu(( gives the e.perience of sweetness$%herefore, P#>+e@arefers to he who, !y !ringing Ka #nder his control, gave )i#,*rahm+, and iva the opport#nity to e.perience Ka2s sweetness$

8here the ;#preme 1ord Ka, the crown jewel, so#rce of all avatras,!eing controlled !y prema, followed the orders of "is servant 0rj#na,how co#ld )i#, *rahm+ and iva, "is mere e.pansions as guaavatras, show off any of their powers? &nstead, they felt they hadreached the pinnacle of perfection !y manifesting affectionate feelingsfor the 1ord themselves 'inspired !y 0rj#na($

%he lord of the spirit#al sy 'Mah+vi#( said7

dvitmama me yuvayor didku

& !ro#ght the brhmaassons here !eca#se & wanted to see thetwo of yo#$5% 3N$$9

91iterally the word wo#ld mean B"e who is the s#gar for *rahm+, )i# and iva$D


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P#>+e@a can also mean the lord 'a( of sleep 'gu(k(, the controllerof the senses$ -ven Ka, who is the direct controller of bhakti,!ecame controlled !y 0rj#na2s prema$ %h#s 0rj#na was a!le to conI#erdespica!le my or sleep$ "e spoe in front of *hma, roa and allthe ings$

%ho#gh the word pramukhata is compo#nded only with *hma androa, it refers to everyone$ %h#s the meaning is Bp#tting his chariot infront of *hma, roa and all the other ings$D

tatrpayat sthitn prtha pit?n atha pitmahn 'cryn mtu"n bhrt?n putrn pautrn sakhs tath ''

vaurn suhda caiva senayor ubhayor api ''0''

4J$ 0rj#na saw standing there fathers, grandfathers, teachers,maternal #ncles, !rothers, sons, grandsons, friends, fathers/in/law andwell/wishers on !oth sides$

=utraand pautra refer to the sons and grandsons of #ryodhana andothers on the opposing side$

tn samkya sa kaunteya sarvn bandh&n avasthitn 'kpay parayvio vidann idam abravt ''07''

4H$ %he son of K#nt, seeing all his relatives sit#ated there, overcome

with compassion and depressed, spoe as follows$

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''

4/4$ O Ka, seeing all my relatives and friends gathered to fight,my lim!s are weaening, my mo#th is drying #p, my !ody is trem!lingand my hairs are standing on end$ My !ow is falling from my hand and

my sin is !#rning$

;eeing all these nown people, my mo#th has dried #p$ %he phrase B0s& stand hereD sho#ld !e added at the !eginning of the sentence$ B0s &stand here seeing this, my lim!s !ecome wea$D

na ca aknomy avasthtu bhramatva ca me mana '


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nimittni ca paymi vipartni keava ''1:''

5N$ & cannot stay fi.ed and my mind seems to whirl a!o#t$ & seecontrary res#lts in this !attle, O Ke@ava$

@imittais #sed in the sense of Bend res#ltD, j#st as the goal of moneyis a good residence$ & will not get happiness !y attaining the ingdom if& win the war, !#t rather will s#ffer sorrow, the opposite res#lt$

na ca reyo


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54/59$ 8hat is the #se of ingdom, enjoyment or even living? %hose forwhom we desire ingdom, enjoyment and happiness//teachers,fathers , sons and grandfathers, maternal#ncles, fathers/in/law,grandsons, !rothers/in/law and relatives// are standing on the!attlefiled, rising their lives and wealth$ & do not desire to ill them,

even if & were to !e illed !y them, O Madh#sLdana, even forsovereigntiy over the three worlds, what to spea of this earth$ OAan+rdana, what happiness will we achieve, having illed the sons ofhtar+ta?

ppam evrayed asmn hatvaitn tatyina 'tasmn nrh vaya hantu dhrtarrn svabndhavn '

svaana hi katha hatv sukhina syma mdhava ''1''

5J$ &n illing these aggressors we will only inc#r sin$ %herefore wesho#ld not ill the sons of htar+:ra with their relatives$ O M+dhava,how can we live happily, having illed o#r own relatives?

*#t it is said7

agnido garada caiva astra-pir dhanpahaketra-drpahr ca a( ete hy tatyina

%he arsonist, one who poisons, one who attacs with weapons,the thief, the stealer of property and the stealer of ones wife areconsidered aggressors$ $asiha 5mti5$3

0nd also it is said7

tatyinam ynta hanyd evvicrayanntatyi-vadhe doo hantur bhavati kacana

8itho#t consideration, one sho#ld ill the aggressors, as there isno fa#lt in illing them$ *anu 5mti$59N

%h#s the script#res prescri!e illing in the case of aggressors$

0rj#na answers with this verse$ Killing them, we will remain living, !#twe will !e sinf#l$ %he a!ove instr#ctions are from artha-stra, !#tthose instr#ctions are weaer than those from dharma-stra$aj


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artha -strt tu ba"avn dharma-stram iti sthiti

&t is esta!lished that where there is conflict of r#les in two smtistatements, reasoning m#st prevail in choosing the correct r#le$"owever, in reasoning, the r#les of dharmastraare strongerthan those of artha-stra$ 4a!ava"kya5mti4$43

%h#s, tho#gh they are aggressors, they are also cryas$ &n illingcryas, we will inc#r sin$ 8e cannot also !e happy in this life$ %h#s hesays B"ow can we !e happy in this life, having illed o#r own people?D

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''5H/5$ -ven if they, overcome !y greed, do not see the fa#lt ofdestroying the family and the sin in illing friends, sho#ld not we, whosee the fa#lt in destroying the family, now how to withdraw from thissin, O Aan+rdana?

B8hy does the opposing side want to fight then?D "e answers withthis verse$

B%hey, overcome !y greed, do not see any fa#lt in destroying the

family, or any sin in illing friends$D

ku"a-kaye praayanti ku"a-dharm santan 'dharme nae ku"a ktsnam adharmo


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6N$ Rrom prevalence of adharma, the women of the family !ecomecontaminated$ O Ka, when the women are spoiled, mi.ed varasarise.

8hen adharmais prevalent, the women of the family will !ecomespoiled 'praduyanti(, !y !ecoming ad#ltero#s$

sa/karo narakyaiva ku"a-ghnn ku"asya ca 'patanti pitaro hy e "upta-pi(odaka-kriy ''2)''

63$ Mi.ed caste in the family !rings hell for those who have destroyedtheir family mem!ers$ %he forefathers fall, !eing deprived of pi(aandwater offerings$

doair etai ku"a-ghnn vara-sa/kara-krakai 'utsdyante ti-dharm ku"a-dharm ca vat ''20''

64$ *oth caste and family r#les are destroyed !y this fa#lt of mi.edvarasca#sed !y the illers of family mem!ers$

*y the fa#lts of mi.t#re of castes, !oth the caste r#les and the familyr#les will !e destroyed 'utsdyate($

utsanna-ku"a-dharm manuy anrdana '

narake niyata vso bhavatty anuuruma ''21

65$ O Aan+rdana, we have heard that those men whose family r#les aredestroyed live in hell permamently$

aho bata mahat ppa kartu vyavasit vayam 'yad rya-sukha-"obhena hantu sva-anam udyat ''22''

66$ 8e are intent on committing great sin, since we are ready to illo#r own people for gain of happiness of a ingdom$

yadi mm apratkram aastra astra-paya 'dhrtarr rae hanyus tan me kematara bhavet ''23''

69$ &t wo#ld !e !etter for me if the sons of htar+:ra, weapons inhand, were to ill me witho#t weapons and witho#t opposition$


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sa!aya uvcaevam uktvruna sa/khye rathopastha upviat '

visya saara cpa oka-savigna-mnasa ''2''

6J$ ;peaing in this manner, 0rj#na, giving #p his !ow and arrows,mind dist#r!ed with lamentation, sat down on his chariot amidst thewarriors assem!led for !attle$

;itting on his chariot 'rathopahe( amidst the assem!ly of warriors'sa/khye(, 0rj#na gave #p his weapons$%h#s the commentaries on the first chapter of the #t, 5rrtha$ari, has !een completed for giving joy to the hearts of devotees,following after the tradition of o#r cryas$

Chapter %wo

sa!aya uvcata tath kpayviam aru-p&rku"ekaam 'vidantam ida vkyam uvca madhus&dana '')''

3$ ;a


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not to !e e.perienced !y persons of good rep#tation 'anrya-uam(,and is against !oth happiness in ne.t life 'asvargyam( and this life'akrt-karam(?

k"aibya m sma gama prtha naitat tvayy upapadyate 'kudra hdaya-daurba"ya tyaktvottiha parantapa ''1''

5$ o not !ecome a coward$ %his is not s#ita!le to yo#$ Pive #p this lowweaness of mind and rise, O afflicter of enemiesE

Bo not !ecome cowardly 'k"aibyam(S do not !ecome impotent$ O=+rtha, tho#gh yo# are the son of =th+, yo# have acted lie thisE onot yield to this$ %his may occ#r among other inferior katriyas, !#t inyo#, My friend, it is not proper at allED

Bo not worry a!o#t my lac of !ravery$ o not thin & am a coward$One m#st consider the precepts of dharmain regards to *hma,roa and other elders, and also consider the aspect of compassion inregard to the sons of htar+:ra, who, !eing weaer than &, !eingafflicted !y my weapons, are a!o#t to die$D

B%his is not discretion from principles of dharmanor is it mercy$ &t is!ewilderment and lamentation, which are indications of a wea mind'kudra hdaya-daurba"yam($ %herefore give #p this weaness of mindand rise #p$ O conI#eror of enemies 'parantapa(, yo#, who afflict

enemies, fightED

aruna uvcakatha bhmam aha sa/khyedroa ca madhus&dana '

iubhi pratiyotsymi p&rhv ari-s&dana ''2''

6$ 0rj#na said, BO Madh#sLdana, iller of enemies, how will & fight inthe !attle with arrows against *hma and roa, who are worthy ofworship?D

B0ccording to script#res of dharma, not respecting those worthy ofworship is a ca#se of !ondage7 pratibadhnti hi reya p&ya-p&-vyatikrama$3N%herefore & withdraw from fighting$ "ow can & ill them?D%he form prati yotsymi'parasmaipada( is #sed instead of the form pratiyotsye'tmanepada, for oneself($10;o#rce is #nnown$ &t is also I#oted !y *aladeva$


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B*#t those two elders are fighting against yo#$ 8hy are yo# not a!le tofight against them?D

Bo, & cannot do so, for they are worthy of worship 'p&rhau(7 & sho#ld

offer flowers to their feet in devotion rather than sharp arrows inanger$ O friend KaE -ven o# inj#re only the enemies in !attle, andnot o#r own guru;+ndpani M#ni or yo#r friends the ad#s, OMadh#sLdana, iller of Madh#ED

B*#t & am a descendent of Madh#,33in the ancient lineage of the ad#dynasty$ %herefore & am called M+dhava$ "ow co#ld & have illedMadh#?D

Bo, & do not mean that Madh#$ & am speaing a!o#t the demon namedMadh# who was o#r enemy 'ari-s&dana($D

gur&n ahatv hi mahnubhv!reyo bhoktu bhaikyam apha "oke '

hatvrtha-kms tu gur&n ihaivabhu!ya bhogn rudhira-pradigdhn ''3''

9$ &t is !etter to eat !y !egging in this life, not illing s#ch great elders$"aving illed elders who were desiring wealth, & will enjoy o!jectscontaminated with their !lood$

B&f yo# don2t want the ingdom, then how will yo# live?D

Bot illing my elders, & will live !y !egging, tho#gh it is condemned forthe katriyato do so$ &t is !etter to eat the food got from !egging$%ho#gh it will !ring infamy in this life, it will not !e ina#spicio#s forf#t#re lives$ One sho#ld not say that these gurus, !eing o!edient to#ryodhana, sho#ld !e rejected !eca#se they have !ecome pro#d, anddo not now right from wrong, !y citing the script#res7

guror apy ava"iptasya krykryam anata

utpathapratipannasya paritygo vidhyate

11Madh# was the father of )i, whose later descendents incl#ded )as#deva andeva$ %he demon Madh# along with his !rother Kaita!ha appeared after *rahm+appeared from the lot#s of )i#2s navel, and stole the $edasfrom him$ )i#conseI#ently illed them$


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One sho#ld reject the guruwho is pro#d, does not now proper!ehavior, who !ecomes engaged in sinf#l life$ *ahbhrata9$3H$46

%hey, on the contrary, are great so#ls 'mahnubhvn($ 8hat fa#lt isthere in *hma and others who have control over time34and l#st?D

B*#t *hma said to #dhi:hira,

artha sya puruo dso dsas tv artho na kasyacititi satya mahra baddho smy arthena kauravai

Man is a servant of wealth$ 8ealth is not a servant of anyone$ Oing, & have !een !o#nd !y wealth to the Ka#ravas$*ahbhrata J$63$5J

%herefore, has not their great character !een destroyed !y s#ch desirefor wealth?D

B%hat is tr#e, !#t if & ill them, & will !e #nhappy$ -ven in illing thoseK#r#s who are greedy for wealth 'artha-kmn(, if & sho#ld enjoy thewealth, it will !e contaminated with their !lood$ %he meaning is this7tho#gh they have desire for wealth, they are still my gurus$ %hereforein illing them, !eca#se & commit the sin of illing guru, my enjoymentwill !e mi.ed with that sin$D

na caitad vidma kataran no garyoyad v ayema yadi v no ayeyu '

yn eva hatv na ivimaste vasthit pramukhe dhrtarr ''''

J$ 8e do not now which is !etter//whether we sho#ld conI#er them orwhether they sho#ld conI#er #s$ %hese sons of htar+tra, !y illingwhom we do not wish to live, are sit#ated facing #s$

Moreover & do not now if & shall !e victorio#s or defeated even if & amprepared to ill them$ 0nd & do not now which will !e !etter, victory ordefeat7 if & conI#er them or they conI#er me$ 0nd even if & amvictorio#s, that also is defeat, for & will not want to live$

krpaya-doopahata-svabhva12*hma co#ld die when he chose, and made a vow to remain #nmarried for life$


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pcchmi tv dharma-sam&(ha-cet 'yac chreya syn nicita br&hi tan me

iyas teha dhi m tv prapannam ''7''

H$ My nat#re has !een overcome !y weaness$ My mind is !ewildereda!o#t dharma$ & as o# what is !est$ =lease tell me with certainty$ &am o#r st#dent$ =lease instr#ct me, who have s#rrendered to o#$

B&ndeed, while speaing the meaning of script#re to !ring o#t aconcl#sion, tho#gh yo# are a katriya, yo# have decided to !ecome a!eggarE 8hat is the #se of My speaing?D

BPiving #p my nat#ral co#rage as katriyais my weaness 'krpayam($My intelligence has !ecome !ewildered in trying to #nderstand theimplementation of dharma, as the path of dharmais very s#!tle7

dharmasya s&km gati$ '*ahbhrata 5$3$4, 3$3$33( %herefore it is!etter that o# decide and tell me$D

B*#t if yo# defeat My words !y posing yo#rself as learned, how can &spea?D

B& am o#r st#dent, and will no longer #selessly oppose o#$D

na hi prapaymi mampanudyd

yac chokam ucchoaam indriym 'avpya bh&mv asapatnam ddharya surm api cdhipatyam ''8''

$ & do not see who can remove this sorrow which is drying #p mysenses, even if & attain an #nrivalled prospero#s ingdom on earth andeven sovereignty over devas$

B*#t yo# have a friendly relationship with Me, not one of respect$%herefore how can & mae yo# a st#dent? o# sho#ld th#s s#rrender tosomeone lie )eda )y+sa, whom yo# greatly revere$D 0rj#na answerswith this verse$

B& do not see even one person at all 'pra paymi7 praindicates Bto ahigh degreeD( in all three worlds e.cept o# who can remove'apanudyt( my sorrow$ & do not now anyone more intelligent thato#rself//even *haspati$ %herefore, to whom else sho#ld one who isf#ll of sorrow s#rrender? #e to that sorrow 'yad( my senses have


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dried #p completely, j#st as intense s#mmer heat dries #p completely'utoameans utkarea oa( a small pond$D

Bow yo# are f#ll of grief, !#t if yo# fight, !y conI#ering the enemyyo# will attain a ingdom$ 0!sor!ing yo#rself in the enjoyment of that

ingdom, yo#r grief will disappear$D

B-ven if & attain a ingdom over the whole earth, or sovereignty in;varga, controlling all the devats, my senses will still !e dried #p$D

sa!aya uvcaevam uktv hkea gu(kea parantapa '

na yotsya iti govindam uktv t& babh&va ha ''9''

$ ;a+e@a, afflicter of

enemies, telling Povinda B& will not fight,D !ecame silent$

tam uvca hkea prahasann iva bhrata 'senayor ubhayor madhye vidantam ida vaca ''):''

3N$ "e@a, smiling slightly, spoe these words to the depressed0rj#na, in the midst of the two armies$

Bo# have shown s#ch lac of j#dgmentED 1a#ghing at him as a friend,Ka co#ld p#t 0rj#na in an ocean of em!arrassment for his #nworthyactions$ "owever, !eca#se now 0rj#na too the position of st#dent,la#ghing wo#ld !e improper$ %h#s Ka s#ppressed that la#gh !yclosing "is lips$ &nstead "e slightly smiled 'prahasann iva($ %he 1ord ofthe senses 'hkea( was previo#sly controlled !y the words of 0rj#nao#t of love for him '%#3$46(, and now "e !ecame the controller of0rj#na2s mind, again o#t of love, for the !enefit of 0rj#na$ 0rj#na2sdejection and Ka2s offering consolation to him were seen directly !y!oth armies 'senayor ubhayor madhye($

r-bhagavn uvca

aocyn anvaocas tva pra!-vd ca bhase 'gats&n agats& ca nnuocanti pa(it ''))''

33$ %he 1ord said7 o#, while lamenting for what is not worthy oflamentation, are speaing words of wisdom$ %he wise men do notlament for the gross !ody or the s#!tle !ody$


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BO 0rj#na, this lamentation of yo#rs ca#sed !y attachment to friendsand relatives is the ca#se of !ewilderment$ o#r power of discernmentarising from yo#r concerns starting in verse fo#r with T"ow can & fightagainst *hma and roa?2 are the ca#se of lac of wisdom$D %hat isstated in this verse$

Bo# are contin#ally lamenting 'anu oca( for what is not worthy ofgrief 'aocyn($ %h#s yo# are #ttering words of wisdom to Me, who amtrying to enlighten yo#$ o# spea words 'vdn( of wisdom 'pra!( asin verse fo#r$D %he intention !ehind the 1ord2s words is the opposite7B0ct#ally yo# have no wisdom$D

B%his is !eca#se those who are wise 'pa(it( do not lament for thegross !odies from which life has passed 'gata as&n(//since the !odiesare destr#cti!le !y their very nat#re$ either do they lament for the

s#!tle !odies from which the life airs have not passed 'agata as&n(,35for those s#!tle !odies will certainly !e destroyed !efore li!eration$%hey do not lament !eca#se they accept the inherent nat#res of all ofthe gross and s#!tle !odies$ *#t fools lament when life airs pass fromthe gross !odies of fathers and others, and do not generally#nderstand a!o#t the s#!tle !odies$ -no#gh of s#ch foolsE 0ll these,incl#ding *hma, are so#ls eI#ipped with gross and s#!tle !odies$*eca#se of the eternal nat#re of their so#ls, there is no ca#se forlamentation$ =revio#sly yo# said that dharma-strawas stronger thanartha-stra$ *#t & say here that !na-stra'teaching a!o#t tm( is

stronger than dharma-stra$D

na tv evha tu nsa na tva neme andhip 'na caiva na bhaviyma sarve vayam ata param '')0''

34$ &t is not that &, yo# and these ings did not e.ist, and nor in thef#t#re will we not e.ist$

Bow, O friend, & will as yo# a I#estion$ 8hen yo# see the death of aperson yo# love, yo# lament$ *#t is the o!ject of affection while theperson is in this world the so#l or the !ody? #adeva says that theso#l is most dear in all living !eings7

13%he life airs go with the s#!tle !ody after death, and enter a new !ody along withthe s#!tle !ody at !irth$ )i@van+tha has taen as asu literally as the life air, andagats&nas those !odies from which the life airs do not depart, the s#!tle !odies$ &fwe were to tae agats&nas meaning the gross !ody from which the life air has notyet departed, then there wo#ld !e no reason for even the fool to lament for it$


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sarvem eva bh&tn npa svtmaiva va""abha.'5% 3N$36$9N( &f theso#l is the o!ject of affection, the so#l sho#ld not !e the o!ject oflamentation, !eca#se it cannot s#ffer death, since !oth types of tm,the vaand varaare eternal$D 8ith this intention, "e speas thisverse$

&t is not that &, the =aram+tm+, have ever not !een in e.istence, !#trather & have always e.isted$ o# also, a vtm+have also alwayse.isted$ %hese ings also, vtms, have always e.isted$ "ere the 1ordshows that previo#s non/e.istence 'prg-abhva( is a!sent for all so#ls$0nd it is not that &, yo#, and all these ings 'sarve vayam( will not e.istin the f#t#re$ Uather we will certainly e.ist$ "ere he shows that theso#l is devoid of destr#ction 'dhvasa abhva($ *y this he concl#des thatsince the =aram+tm+ and the vaare !oth eternal, there is no ca#se

for lamentation$ %he rutisays7

nityo nityn cetana cetannm eko bah&n yo vidadhti kmn

"e is the chief eternal among all eternals$ "e is the chiefconscio#s entity among all conscio#s entities, the one f#lfills theneeds of all others$ ,vetvatara Apaniad J$35

dehino smin yath dehe kaumra yauvana ar 'tath dehntara-prptir dhras tatra na muhyati '')1''

35$ 0s the so#l passes thro#gh !oyhood, yo#th and old age, so itattains another !ody after death$ %he wise are not !ewildered !y this$

BOne2s !ody !ecomes the o!ject of affection as it is related to the so#l'which is most dear to the self$( *y relation with that !ody, one2s sons,!rothers or other relatives !ecome o!jects of affection$ 0nd !yrelationship to them, even their sons also !ecome o!jects of affection$;o when their !odies perish, there will certainly !e lamentation$D&n answer to this, "e speas this verse$ B&n the !ody !elonging to the

va'dehina( one attains stages s#ch as !oyhood$ 0fter !oyhood isdestroyed one attains yo#th$ 8hen yo#th is destroyed one attains oldage$ &n the same manner, one attains another !ody 'after death($ A#stas 'yath( one does not lament for the destr#ction of the o!jects ofaffection in the form of !oyhood and yo#th of the !ody which arerelated to the so#l 'and therefore dear(, so 'tath( one sho#ld also not


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lament for the destr#ction of the o!ject of affection, the !ody, which isalso related to the so#l$D

B*#t with the destr#ction of yo#th and attaining old age, one doeslament$D

B*#t then again, with the destr#ction of !oyhood and attainment ofyo#th one rejoices$ 0nd with the destr#ction of worn o#t !odies of*hma and roa, they will attain new !odies and will also !ecomejoyf#l$D

0nother meaning is7 A#st as in one !ody a vaattains vario#s statess#ch as !oyhood, the same vaattains vario#s !odies life after life'and therefore one sho#ld not lament($36

mtr-spars tu kaunteya toa-sukha-dukha-d 'gampyino nitys ts titikasva bhrata '')2''

36$ O son of K#nt, the e.perience of the sense o!jects givessensations of cold and heat, happiness and distress, always temporary,appearing and disappearing$ O *h+rata, tolerate these$

Bes this is indeed tr#e$ & have shown s#ch indiscretion$ My mind,prod#cing nonsense, #selessly covered with lamentation and!ewilderment, ca#ses me s#ffering$D

B&t is not the mind alone$ %he vario#s f#nctions of the mind, in the formof all the senses s#ch as sin, e.periencing their sense o!jects,prod#ce this pro!lem 'anartha($ One has the e.perience 'spara( of thesense o!jects 'mtr($ &n the hot season, cold water is pleasant, and inthe cold season, it is painf#l$ %his happens in an #ncontrolled manner,appearing and disappearing 'gama apyina($ %herefore yo# m#sttolerate these e.periences of the sense o!jects$ %olerating them is partof dharmaprescri!ed in the script#res$ One sho#ld not give #p the !athin the month of M+gha !eca#se it gives pain, since it is prescri!ed inthe script#res$ Rollowing dharmagrad#ally rids one of all low I#alities$

o# m#st tolerate that sons give joy when they are !orn or earnmoney, and give sorrow when they die, !y their temporary appearanceand disappearance$ One sho#ld not give #p one2s script#rally

14&n the first interpretation one sho#ld not lament !eca#se changes from !oyhood toyo#th and change of !ody are all incidental to the tmwhich remains most dear$ &nthe second interpretation one sho#ld not lament for the dead !ody !eca#se a personwill get another !ody after death$


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prescri!ed d#ty to fight !y that consideration$ ot performing theprescri!ed d#ty event#ally !rings a!o#t great pro!lems$D

ya hi na vyathayanty ete purua puruarabha 'sama-dukha-sukha dhra so mtatvya ka"pate '')3''

39$ O !est of men, the intelligent person, eI#al in happiness anddistress, who is not pained !y these sense o!jects, attains li!eration$

=racticing tolerance with this discernment, the e.perience of the senseo!jects will, with passage of time, not give distress at all$ 8hen aperson reaches this state where there is no distress from the o!jects ofthe senses, li!eration of the tmis close at handS he is I#alified forli!eration 'amtatvya($

nsato vidyate bhvo nbhvo vidyate sata 'ubhayor api do ntas tv anayos tattva-daribhi '')''

3J$ %here is no permanent e.istence for the !ody, and no cessation ofe.istence for the so#l$ %hose who see things in tr#th see thisconcl#sion a!o#t !oth of these$

%he previo#s verse descri!ed the res#lts for those who have attainedthe level of discrimination$ 0ct#ally as rutisays, the so#l is notattached to matter7 asa/go hy aya purua.'%had >rayaka Apaniad

6$5$39( %h#s, the vadoes not have a relationship with the s#!tle orgross !odies and their prod#cts s#ch as lamentation and!ewilderment$ %his relationship is ca#sed !y ignorance$ %his ise.plained in this verse$

Ror the so#l, there is no e.istence 'bhva( of lamentation and!ewilderment for their shelter, the !ody 'asata(, since they haveI#alities opposed to the I#alities of the so#l$ 0nd there is no non/e.istence 'abhva( of the vawith its eternal form 'sata($ %heconcl#sion 'anta( a!o#t these two//the !ody and the so#l//has !een

seen !y the seers of tr#th$*y this concl#sion, there will !e no lamentation or !ewildermentarising from seeing the !ody and things related to the !ody, !eca#se*hma and others of the opposing party as well as yo# and yo#rallies are indestr#cti!le, !eing eternal$ "ow can *hma and others !edestroyed, and why do yo# lament for them? %hat is the meaning ofthis verse$


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avini tu tad viddhi yena sarvam ida tatam 'vinam avyayasysya na kacit kartum arhati '')7''

)7. Know that the so#l !y which the !ody is pervaded is indestr#cti!le$o one can destroy that which indestr#cti!le$

%his verse clarifies the meaning of the previo#s verse$ BKnow this va'tat( which is spread thro#gho#t the !ody 'sarvam idam tatam( isindestr#cti!le$D

B*#t, !eing spread thro#gho#t the !ody !y its conscio#sness, this so#lwo#ld !e impermanent !eca#se it is of medi#m siGe only '!eing thesiGe of the !ody($39D

%his is not so, for the 1ord says, s&kmnm apy aha vaB of smallthings & am the vaD$ '5% 33$3J$33( 0s well, rutisays7

eo ur tm cetas veditavyo yasmin pra pa!cadh savivea

One sho#ld now !y the p#re conscio#sness the small tmnearwhich the five life airs rest$ *u(aka Apaniad5$3$

b"gra-ata-bhgasya atadh ka"pitasya ca bhgo va sa vi!eya

One sho#ld now that the vais the siGe of one ten tho#sandthof the tip of the hair$ ,vetvatara Apaniad 9$

rgra-mtro hy aparo pi da

%he inferior so#l is seen to !e the siGe of the tip of a spoe$,vetvatara Apaniad 9$

*y these statements of rutiwe #nderstand that the vais very small$

&t has the power to spread itself thro#gho#t the whole !ody, j#st asp#lveriGed gems or her!s when applied to the head have the power tospread their no#rishing infl#ence thro#gho#t the whole !ody$ %here isnothing contradictory in !eing small and pervading the !ody$

15&n y+ya philosophy there are three siGes7 min#te 'paramu or atoms(, medi#msiGe 'com!ination of atoms(, and all pervading$ 0 medi#m siGe o!ject, !eing made ofthe com!ination of atoms, is s#!ject to destr#ction and therefore cannot !e eternal$


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*eca#se of its dependence on updhis'mistaen identity(, the so#lgoes to vario#s !odies in heaven and hell$ &n this way the so#l is sarva-gata+going everywhere 'pervading everywhere($3J att+treya 'in theform of the avadh&ta brmana( says how the va, taing shelter of the

mahat-tattvaat the !eginning of creation, goes to different !odies7

tm hus tri-gua-vyakti sant vivato-mukhamyasmin protam ida viva yena sasarate pumn

0ccording to great sages, that which is the !asis of the threemodes of material nat#re and which manifests the variegated#niverse is called the s&tra or mahat-tattva$ &ndeed, this #niverseis resting within that mahat-tattva, and d#e to its potency theliving entity #ndergoes material e.istence$ 5%33$$4N

%h#s the so#l2s pervasion of the !ody 'and still !eing min#te( is notcontrary to its eternal nat#re stated in the previo#s verse$ %hereforethe word avyayasyais #sed in this verse also$ &t refers to the so#l !eingeternal or nitya$ o one can destroy the eternal so#l$ 0s the rutisays7

nityo nityn cetana cetannm eko bah&n yo vidadhti kmn

%he 1ord is the chief eternal among all eternals 'so#ls($ "e is thechief conscio#s entity among all conscio#s entities$ "e is the

one person who f#lfills the needs of all others$ ,vetvataraApaniadJ$35

Or the meaning of the verse can !e as follows$

%he !ody, the vaand the =aram+tm+ are all seen everywhere in allforms s#ch as h#man and animal$ %he first two, the !ody and va,were mentioned in the previo#s verse$ %he third, =aram+tm+ ismentioned in this verse$ &t is indestr#cti!le and spread everywhere inthe #niverse 'idam(3H$ %he wordtuserves to disting#ish =aram+tm+from the !ody and va$ %he =aram+tm+ is !y its very nat#re differentfrom matter and the va$

antavanta ime deh nityasyokt arria '

16%his is another meaning of sarvam ida tatam$ %he vasare spread thro#gho#t the#niverse in different !odies$17&n the first interpretation idam referred to the !ody$ "ere it refers to the #niverse$


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anino prameyasya tasmd yudhyasva bhrata '')8''

3$ %he !odies !elonging to the eternal, indestr#cti!le, small so#l aresaid to !e temporary$ %herefore, fight, O *h+rata.

%his verse also clarifies verse 3J$ %he possessor of the !ody 'sarria(,the va, is !eyond meas#rement, or diffic#lt to #nderstand, !eca#se itis very, very small 'aprameyasya($ %herefore yo# sho#ld fight$ %hismeans that yo# sho#ld not give #p yo#r dharmaas prescri!ed inscript#re$

ya ena vetti hantra ya caina manyate hatam 'ubhau tau na vinto nya hanti na hanyate '')9''

3$ %hose who thin that the so#l ills and those who thin that theso#l is illed do not now that the so#l does not ill or get illed$

BO friend 0rj#naE o#, a so#l as well, are neither the performer ofilling nor the o!ject of illing$D %hat is e.pressed in this verse$

"e who thins the va'enam( is the iller//that 0rj#na is the iller of*hma and others, and he who thins that the vais illed//that0rj#na is illed !y *hma, are !oth ignorant$ %herefore, what is yo#rfear of infamy from the words of ignorant people who say that 0rj#na

illed his guru?na yate mriyate v kadcin

nya bh&tv bhavit v na bh&ya 'ao nitya vato ya puro

na hanyate hanyamne arre ''0:''

4N$ %he so#l is never !orn, nor does it ever die$ either was it !orn inthe past, nor will it !e !orn in the f#t#re$ &t has no creation in the past,present or f#t#re, and no destr#ction in past, present or f#t#re, and istherefore eternal$ &t is most ancient !#t not s#!ject to ageing$ &t is notilled when the !ody is illed$

%he eternal nat#re of the vais here clearly proven$ %he first linenegates the possi!ility of !irth and death for the vaat the presenttime$ %he second line negates !irth and death in the past and thef#t#re$ %herefore it is #n!orn 'aa(7 in past, present and f#t#re$*eca#se of no !irth, it has no previo#s non/e.istence 'prag-abhva($ &t


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e.ists at all times 'vata(, meaning that at no time in past, presentor f#t#re, will it !e destroyed 'dhvasa($ %herefore it is eternal 'nitya($

B*#t !eca#se the so#l e.ists for a long time, it can grow old$D

Bo, tho#gh it is old 'pur(, it is as if new 'nafor nava(3, !eca#se ofa!sence of the si. states of transformations$3D

B8ith the death of the !ody, will it not die along with the !ody?D

B&t does not die when the !ody dies$ *eca#se it is not joinedpermanently with the !ody, the so#l is not s#!servient to it$D

vedvinina nitya ya enam aam avyayam 'katha sa purua prtha ka ghtayati hanti kam ''0)''

43$ "e who nows constantly, that this so#l is indestr#cti!le, #n!orn,and eternal, ills whom and how? 8hom does he ca#se others to illand how?

8ith this nowledge, neither yo# who are fighting nor & who am #rgingyo# tofight have any fa#lt$ "ere nityamis #sed as an adver!7 V"e who nowsconstant"ythat the so#l is indestr#cti!le, #n!orn, and eternal$W$V

%he words descri!ing the so#l are #sed to negate the o!jections of0rj#na a!o#t destr#ction$ V8hom do & 'sa purua(, the 1ord, ca#se to!e illed '!y advising yo# to fight(? 0nd how do & ca#se anyone to !eilled? 0nd whom do yo# ill? 0nd how do yo# ill?V

vssi rni yath vihyanavni ghti naro pari '

tath arri vihya rnyanyni sayti navni deh ''00''

44$ 0s a man gives #p old clothes and accepts new ones, so the so#lgives #p the old !odies and attains new ones$

B*#t !y my fighting, a vawill give #p the !ody nown as *hma$%hen yo# and & will !e the ca#se of that$D

18%his is the interpretation of the word BpuraD !y rdhara and *aladeva as well$19%hese are !irth, maintenance, growth, mat#rity, decay and death$


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B8hat fa#lt is there in a person giving #p old worn cloth to p#t on newcloth? &n a similar way, *hma will give #p an old !ody and attain anew divine !ody$ 8hat fa#lt is there for Me or yo# in that?D

naina chindanti astri naina dahati pvaka '

na caina k"edayanty po na oayati mruta ''01''

45$ 8eapons do not c#t the so#l$ Rire does not !#rn it$ 8ater does notwet it$ 8ind does not dry it$

0lso, it is not possi!le to inj#re the so#l at all !y the weapons #sed !yyo# in the !attle$ %hat is e.plained in this verse$ 8eapons s#ch asswords cannot c#t it$ %he fire weapon cannot !#rn it$ %he rain weaponcannot wet it, nor can the wind weapon dry it o#t$

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''

46$ %he so#l cannot !e c#t, cannot !e !#rned, cannot !e moistened ordried$ &t is eternal, traveling in all !odies, and sta!le$4N

49$ &t is impercepti!ly small, pervading the !ody inconceiva!ly, and

witho#t changes$ Knowing it th#s, yo# sho#ld not lament$

%herefore the tmis descri!ed in this way 'taing the descriptions ofthe previo#s verse(7 it cannot !e c#t, !#rned, dried or moistened$ %herepetition of the words signifying the eternal nat#re of the so#l in thissection 's#ch as the #se of the words nitya and santanain this verse,and statements of previo#s verses( is for the p#rpose of preciselydefining the so#l for those of conf#sed intellect, j#st as one will repeatseveral times in order to mae certain that everyone #nderstands,B%his is the dharmaof Kali/y#ga, this is the dharmaof Kali/y#ga$D

5arva-gata'gone everywhere( means that the so#l goes into all sortsof !odies s#ch as h#man, animal and deva!y its karma$435thuand

20%his translation and others as well is according to the e.planation of the wordsgiven !y )i@van+tha in his commentary$ -ach crya may have differing opinion onthe meaning of partic#lar words$21%he other meaning is pervading everywhere, !#t this meaning is not taen sincethe s#!ject is the va , who pervades only his own !ody$


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aca"ahave the same meaning, Bhaving sta!ility,D44and the repetitionmaes the meaning clear$

*eca#se it is very fine, it is called avyakta$ *eca#se it pervades the!ody with conscio#sness, it is called acintya, !eyond conception$ *eingdevoid of the si. changes s#ch as !irth, it is called avikrya.

atha caina nitya-ta nitya v manyase mtam 'tathpi tva mahbho naina ocitum arhasi ''0''

4J$ -ven if yo# thin the so#l is always !orn and always dies, still yo#sho#ld not lament, O Mighty/armed oneE

B& have presented to yo# the concl#sive tr#th according to thescript#re$ ow & will present the tr#th according to material vision$

=lease #nderstand it$D %hen "e speas this verse$

&f yo# thin that the so#l is always !orn 'nitya-tam( when the !ody is!orn, and always dies 'nitya mtam( with the death of the !ody, yo#sho#ld not lament for it$ O mighty/armed 0rj#na, !eing a !ravekatriya, this war is yo#r dharma$

0s %hgavatamsays7

katriym aya dharma prapati-vinirmita

bhrtpi bhrtara hanyd yena ghoratamas tata

%he code of sacred d#ty for warriors esta!lished !y 1ord *rahm+enjoins that one may have to ill even his own !rother$ %hatindeed is the most dreadf#l law$D 5%3N$96$6N

tasya hi dhruvo mtyur dhruva anma mtasya ca 'tasmd aparihrye rthe na tva ocitum arhasi ''07''

4H$ Ror what is !orn, death is certain$ Ror what is dead, !irth is certain$

%herefore, since !oth are #navoida!le, yo# sho#ld not lament$

;ince 'hi( death is certain 'dhruva( with the depletion of karmasmeantfor this life, and !irth is also certain !eca#se of the karmaaccr#ed !ythat !ody which j#st died// since !oth death and !irth are #navoida!le'aparihrye arthe(//do not lament$

22*aladeva e.plains sthnuas Bhaving a sta!le svar&pa$D


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avyaktdni bh&tni vyakta-madhyni-bhrata 'avyakta-nidhanny eva tatra k paridevan ''08''

4$ 1iving entities are invisi!le in the !eginning, manifest in the

middle, and invisi!le at the end$ 8hat is there to lament in this?

%h#s from the point of view of the so#l, having no !irth and death'verse 4N(, and from the point of view of the !ody, for which !irth anddeath are certain 'verse 4H(, the ca#ses for lamentation have !eeneliminated$ &n this verse the 1ord arg#es against lamentation #sing!oth ideasX!eing eternal and having certain !irth and death '!#t witha p#rely materialistic arg#ment($

6evas, h#mans and animals are not visi!le !efore their !irth$ "owever,their s#!tle and gross !odies do e.ist invisi!ly in a potential form, fromthe e.istence of the ca#sal ingredients s#ch as earth$ %hey !ecomevisi!le in the middle period, and invisi!le after death$ -ven at the timeof mahpra"ayathese !odies e.ist in a s#!tle form thro#gh thecontin#ed e.istence in s#!tle form of karmasand other elements$ %h#sall living entities !odies are invisi!le !efore !irth and after death, andare visi!le in the interval$

%his is stated !y the personified $edasin the %hgavatam7

sthira-cara-taya syur aayottha-nimitta-yua

O eternally li!erated, transcendental 1ord, o#r material energyca#ses the vario#s moving and nonmoving species of life toappear !y activating their material desires, !#t only when and ifo# sport with her !y !riefly glancing at her$ 5%3N$H$4

8hat ca#se is there for lamentation 'paridevan(?

0s +rada says7

yan manyase dhruva "okam adhruva v na cobhayamsarvath na hi ocys te snehd anyatra mohat

O King, in all circ#mstances, whether yo# consider the so#l to !ean eternal principle, or the material !ody to !e perisha!le, oreverything to e.ist in the impersonal 0!sol#te %r#th, oreverything to !e an ine.plica!le com!ination of matter and


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spirit, feelings of separation are d#e only to ill#sory affection andnothing more 5%3$35$66$

carya-vat payati kacid enam

carya-vad vadati tathaiva cnya 'carya-vac cainam anya oti

rutvpy ena veda na caiva kacit ''09''

4$ ;ome see the so#l with amaGement$ Others spea of it inamaGement$ Others hear a!o#t it with amaGement$ "earing a!o#t it,speaing a!o#t it or seeing it//still, no one nows it at all$

B8hat an astonishing thing yo# are descri!ingE 0nd it is so astonishingthat tho#gh & am !eing enlightened !y o#, my lac of discernmentdoes not go away$D

Bes, the tmis tr#ly astonishing$D 8ith this intention the 1ord thenspeas this verse$

%he word enam in this verse stands for the so#l and the !ody, thecom!ination of !oth, which constit#tes the whole world$ '%he meaningwo#ld !e7 es, people see this com!ination of so#l and !ody, whichconstit#tes all living !eings, as amaGing$(45

deh nityam avadhyo ya dehe sarvasya bhrata '

tasmt sarvi bh&tni na tva ocitum arhasi ''1:''

5N$ O *h+rata, the so#l in the !ody of all entities can never !e illed$%herefore yo# sho#ld not lament for any !eing$

B%herefore spea clearly$ 8hat sho#ld & do and not do?D

Bo not lament, !#t rather fight$D &n two verses, Ka e.plains this$

sva-dharmam api cvekya na vikampitum arhasi '

23

%he sansktfor this rather cryptic statement is enam tmnam deham ca tad ubhayar&pam sarva "okam. %he meaning as taen !y *hativinoda in his translation of theverse is7 the so#l is amaGing since people #nderstand this so#l in completely differentways7 this vatattva is seen as a material entity or !ody, devoid of conscio#ss#!stance 'deham(S as a conscio#s entity which is not eternal 'tad ubhaya-rupam(S andas one so#l only, as in 0dvaita philosophy 'sarva-"okam($ &n )i@van+tha2s commentaryhe taes the meaning of caryaas BastonishingD in the sense of Bhard to#nderstand,D modifying enam, the tm$ %h#s they mis#nderstand it as a materialo!ject, as a temporary spirit#al element, or as one all/ pervading so#l$


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dharmyd dhi yuddhc chreyo nyat katriyasya na vidyate ''1)''

53$ Considering yo#r own d#ties, yo# sho#ld not !e fearf#l$ %here isnothing !etter for the warrior than to fight for the right ca#se$

*eca#se the so#l cannot !e destroyed, yo# sho#ld not fear illing'stated in the previo#s verse($ 0nd considering from the point of viewof yo#r partic#lar d#ties 'since there is nothing !etter than fighting fordharma(, yo# sho#ld not fear illing$ %hat is the relation of the twoverses$

yadcchay copapanna svarga-dvram apvtam 'sukhina katriy prtha "abhante yuddham dam ''10''

54$ 8arriors are the happy who o!tain s#ch a !attle which comes !ychance and which opens the doors to heaven$

Moreover, more than even the victors, those who die in a j#st !attleattain happiness$ *y illing *hma and others, yo# mae themhappier$ -ven witho#t doing karma-yoga, one can attain ;varga thro#ghthe !attle, witho#t any o!str#ctions 'apvtam($

atha cet tvam ima dharmya sagrma na kariyasi 'tata sva-dharma krti ca hitv ppam avpsyasi ''11''

55$ &f yo# do not tae part in this righteo#s war, giving #p yo#r d#tyand fame, yo# will instead reap sin$

&n fo#r verses he descri!es the fa#lt in doing the opposite$

akrti cpi bh&tni kathayiyanti te vyaym 'sabhvitasya ckrtir marad atiricyate ''12''

56$ %hey will spea incessantly of yo#r infamy$ Ror one who has greatposition, dishonor is worse than death$

;vayayam means Bcontin#ally$D 5ambhvitasya means Bof greatposition$D

bhayd rad uparata masyante tv mah-rath 'ye ca tva bahu-mato bh&tv ysyasi "ghavam ''13''


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59$ %he great warriors, !y whom yo# were regarded highly, and willnow !e regarded with contempt, will thin that yo# have a!andonedthe !attlefield o#t of fear$$%hose who have high regard for yo# as a warrior, even tho#gh yo# are

an enemy, will no longer give yo# respect if yo# give #p the !attle$ %hemah-rathaslie #ryodhana will thin that yo# have fled in fear fromthe !attlefield$ %hey will not thin of any other reason for the katriyato leave the field than fear$ ;trong !onds of friendship will not !econsidered$

avcya-vd ca bah&n vadiyanti tavhit 'nindantas tava smarthya tato dukhatara nu kim ''1''

5J$ %hey will spea many #nspeaa!le words a!o#t yo#, criticiGing

yo#r a!ilities$ 8hat co#ld !e more painf#l?$%hey will spea of yo# in ill terms 'avcya-vdn( s#ch as Bcoward$D

hato v prpsyasi svarga itv v bhokyase mahm 'tasmd uttiha kaunteya yuddhya kta-nicaya ''17''

5H$ *eing illed, yo# will attain heaven$ *eing defeated, yo# will enjoythe earth$ %herefore, rise, O son of K#nt, and fight with determination$

B&n this !attle, my victory is not even certain$ %herefore, why sho#ldyo# enco#rage this war?D "e answers in this verse$

sukha-dukhe same ktv "bh"bhau ayayau 'tato yuddhya yuyasva naiva ppam avpsyasi ''18''

5$ *eing eI#al in happiness and distress, in gain or loss, in victory ordefeat, engage in the !attle$ o# will not inc#r any sin$

&n all ways, yo#r fighting is an act of dharma$ &f yo# fear that it willprod#ce sin, & have shown yo# that it will not !e a ca#se of sin$

%herefore fight$ %he 1ord gives this instr#ction in this verse$

*eing eI#al in happiness and distress, which are ca#sed !y gain andloss//s#ch as gain and loss of a ingdom, which are in t#rn ca#sed !yvictory and defeat in the warS #nderstanding that !oth res#lts areeI#al thro#gh a discerning mind//eI#ipped with that nowledge, yo#will not inc#r sin at all$ &t will also !e stated later7


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"ipyate na sa ppena padma-patram ivmbhas

One is not to#ched !y sin, as a lot#s leaf is not to#ched !y water$%#9$3N

e te bhihit s/khye buddhir yoge tv im u 'buddhy yukto yay prtha karma-bandha prahsyasi ''19''

5$ & have ta#ght yo# #nderstanding necessary for the process of !na$ow hear a!o#t #nderstanding necessary for the process of bhakti$ *yengaging yo#r intelligence in this yoga, O son of =th+, yo# will !ecomefree from the !ondage of karma$&n this verse, Ka concl#des the topic of !na-yogawhich he has j#st

ta#ght. 5/khyameans Bthat !y which tr#e nowledge of things 'vastu-tattvam( is perfectly 'samak( revealed 'khyyate($D &n other words,s/khyameans a perfect process of nowing$ %he intelligence 'e( to!e implemented in that process has !een e.plained$ ow hear a!o#tthe intelligence necessary to implement bhakti-yoga'yoge( which willnow !e e.plained$ -ndowed with this #nderstanding concerning thes#!ject of bhakti-yoga, yo# will give #p sasra46'karma-bandham($

nehbhikrama-no sti pratyavyo na vidyate 'sva"pam apy asya dharmasya tryate mahato bhayt ''2:''

6N$ &n this process, there is no loss !y stopping witho#t completion,and no sin inc#rred !y doing so$ One is delivered from !irth and deatheven !y practicing a little of this process$

%here are two types of yogae.plained in this section of the chapter7activities of bhakti, incl#ding hearing chanting and other s#ch activitiesSand prescri!ed d#ties offered to the 1ord witho#t personal desire'nikma-karma-yoga(, which is e.pressed later starting with the versekarmay evdhikras te'%#4$6H($ *efore that, however, bhaktiis

disc#ssed$ *eca#se bhaktialone, and no other process, is !eyond thethree modes, a person transcends the modes only !y performingbhakti-yoga$ %h#s the statement nistraiguyo bhavato 0rj#na '%#4$69(indicates that this section is a!o#t bhakti$ %he nirguanat#re of bhaktiisalso well s#pported !y the statements of the -leventh Canto of

245asra refers to repeated !irth and death in this world$


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%hgavatam$49C!naand karmacannot !e said to !e nistraiguya!eca#se of the presence of sattvain !na, and raasin karma$

0nd the bhaktifo#nd in karma-yogain the form of offering onesprescri!ed actions to the 1ord is present there j#st maes karmaloseits #selessness and !ear material fr#its$ %his process of karma-yogadoes not have the designation of bhaktiproper !eca#se predominanceof bhaktiis a!sent$ &f one considers karmaoffered to the 1ord to !ebhakti, then what wo#ld the designation karmarefer to? &f one says thatit refers to prescri!ed karmanot offered to the 1ord, that cannot !e, for+rada says,

naikarmyam apy acyuta-bhva-varitana obhate !nam a"a nira!anam

kuta puna avad abhadram varena crpita karma yad apy akraamKnowledge of self/realiGation, even tho#gh free from all materialaffinity, does not loo well if devoid of a conception of the&nfalli!le YPodZ$ 8hat, then, is the #se of fr#itive activities, whichare nat#rally painf#l from the very !eginning and transient !ynat#re, if they are not #tiliGed for the devotional service of the1ord? 5%3$9$34

%his statement indicates that karmadevoid of the 1ord is completely#seless$

%herefore, in this verse and in the verses till verse 69, bhakti,characteriGed only !y hearing, chanting, and other devotional acts,practiced only to attain the sweetness of the 1ord2s lot#s feet, is !eingdescri!ed$ @ikma-karma-yogawill also !e descri!ed$ *oth of theseare indicated !y the word buddhi-yogamentioned in verse 5$ &n thephrase dadmi buddhi-yogam ta yena mm upaynti te '%# 3N$3ND+theword buddhi-yogaindicates bhakti-yoga$ &n the phrase durenahy avara

karma buddhi-yogd dhana!aya '%# 4$6(, the word buddhi-yogaindicates nikma-karma-yoga$

25%he twenty/fifth chapter of the -leventh Canto e.plains in many verses how bhaktiand things related to bhakti are !eyond the guas$ Many of these verses are I#oted in)i@van+tha2s commentaries on verse 69 of this chapter and verse 4 of theeighteenth chapter$


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%h#s, this present verse is a glorification of the process of bhaktiwithhearing and chanting, which is !eyond the modes of nat#re$ &n bhakti-yoga'iha( there is no destr#ction 'na(, and there is also no sininc#rred 'pratyavya(, if the practice has j#st !eg#n 'abhikrama( and

then stopped$ &f karma-yoga, however, is !eg#n and then stopped,there is !oth destr#ction of the fr#its of karma-yogaand sinf#l reactionas well for the performer$4J

B*#t then, !y non/performance of bhaktiwhich he is s#pposed to do,the aspiring practitioner also sho#ld not get any res#lts$D

B8hatever little bhaktiwas there !y the initial practice 'sva"pam apyasya dharmasya(, even that small amo#nt, will certainly deliver himfrom the !ondage of sasra'mahato bhayat($D

%his is #nderstood from s#ch verses as the following7

yan-nma sakcchravat pukkao pi vimucyate sasrd

Merely !y hearing the holy name of o#r 1ordship only once,even ca("asmen of the lowest class, are freed from all materialcontamination$ 5%J$3J$66

0nd it is also seen in the e.ample of 0j+mila and others$

One can see that the following statement !y the 1ord has the samemeaning7

hy a/gopakrame dhvaso mad-dharmasyoddhavv apimay vyavasita samya/ nirguatvd ania

My dear Fddhava, !eca#se & have personally esta!lished it, thisprocess of devotional service #nto Me is transcendental and freefrom any material motivation$ Certainly a devotee never s#fferseven the slightest loss !y adopting this process$ 5%33$4$4N

&n the %hgavatamverse I#oted a!ove, Ka also shows the ca#se ofindestr#cti!ility of bhakti$ 0s it is !eyond the guas, it never can !edestroyed$ %he same reasoning sho#ld also !e applied to the present

26%he Mm+[saas say that if the actions are not completed they !ear no res#lt$R#rther, sin is inc#rred !y not completing the act$


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#tverse$ One cannot say however that nikma-karma-yoga, even !y!eing offered to the 1ord, is !eyond the modes of nat#re, for it is said7

mad-arpaa nipha"a v sattvic nia-karma tat

8or performed as an oEEering to *e, witho#t consideration of thefr#it, is considered to !e in the mode of goodness$ 5%33$49$45

%his verse indicates that nikma-karma-yoga, even !y the power of!eing offered to the 1ord, is in the material mode of sattva'andtherefore s#!ject to destr#ction($

vyavasytmik buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana 'bahu-kh hy anant ca buddhayo vyavasyinm ''2)''

63$ Uesol#te intelligence is only one in this process, O son of the K#r#s$%he intelligence of those who are irresol#te has many !ranches ofaction and #nlimited desires$Moreover among all types of intelligence, that intelligenceconcentrated on bhakti-yogais the !est$ Uesol#te intelligence fi.ed inbhakti-yogais only one$ %he meaning of this is ill#strated as follows$

BMy sdhanais to serve the lot#s feet of the 1ord, to remem!er and

glorify "im as instr#cted !y my guru$ %hat is also my goal 'sdhya($ &t ismy life s#staining medicine, for & cannot give #p the sdhanaand thesdhya.%his is my most desira!le o!ject, my d#ty, and nothing else ismy d#tyS nothing else is desired, even in dreams$ %here may !ehappiness or sorrow$ 5asramay !e destroyed, or may not !edestroyed$ %hat is no loss for me$ 1et there only !e resol#teintelligence fi.ed in p#re bhakti$D

&t is said7

tato bhaeta m bhakty raddh"ur d(ha-nicaya

My devotee sho#ld remain happy and worship Me with great Eaithand conviction$ 5%33$4N$4

%he intelligence of others however is not ek$ %hose intellects havemany !ranches, and th#s the intellects are #nlimited 'anant( rather


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than one, !eca#se of the #nlimited desires to f#lfill in karma-yoga$ Rorinstance, in !na-yoga, in order to p#rify the mind, one m#st first fi.the intelligence on nikma-karma$ 8hen the mind is p#rified, theintelligence then concentrates on giving #p action 'karma-sannysa($

e.t, the intelligence concentrates on !na, nowledge$ *#t theintelligence at that time m#st also concentrate on bhaktiso that !nadoes not !ecome devoid of res#lts$ %he intelligence then concentrateson giving #p !na, as the 1ord says, !na ca mayi sannyaset onesho#ld s#rrender s#ch nowledge in order to attain me$ '5% 33$3$3(%h#s the intelligences or minds, concentrating on different o!jects, aresaid to !e infinite or many$ 0nd the types of differing sdhanas are alsomany, since karma, !naand bhaktim#st all !e performed$

ym im pupit vca pravadanty avipacita 'veda-vda-rat prtha nnyad astti vdina ''20''

64$ %he #nintelligent people, a!sor!ed in disc#ssing the $edas, whopropo#nd the theory that matter is everything, attractively speaflowery words$

%his verse speas of the persons with wavering intelligence, involvedinsakma-karma, who are very d#ll witted$ %hey spea e.cellently 'pravadanti(4Hpleasant words of the $edaswhich are lie a poisono#s !#t

attractive flowering plant$ ;ince their conscio#sness has !een del#ded!y those words, they are not endowed with fi.ed intelligence, 'tayapahta cetasm vyavasytmik buddhi samdhau na vidhyate($ %hesentence is completed in verse 66$ *eca#se of the impossi!ility forthem to accept, that fi.ed intelligence is not ta#ght to them$ 8hy dothey spea in this way? %hey spea in this way !eca#se they are fools'avipacith(, !eca#se they interpret the words of the $edas'veda-vda-rat( s#ch as the following7

akayya ha vai cturmsya-yina sukta bhavati

One who has worshiped !y means of the vows of cturmsyaattains pio#s credits which never !ecome depleted$ >pastamba,rauta 5&tra+ Fa 4aur $eda $3$3

apma somam amt abh&ma

27=rahere stands for praka, which means Battractively$D


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8e dran somaand !ecame immortal$ Gg $eda$6$5

%hey say that there is no Pod other than this 'na anyat asti($

kmtmna svarga-par anma-karma-pha"a-pradm 'kriy-viea-bahu" bhogaivarya-gati prati ''21''

65$ Rilled with desire, an.io#s for heaven, they spea many wordsconcerning rit#als for attaining power and enjoyment, words for givingthe fr#its of their action in the form of higher !irth$

8hat type of words do they spea? %hey spea words a!o#t vario#srites giving many res#lts4for attaining power and enjoyment, wordswhich give good karmain terms of !irth$

bhogaivarya-prasaktn taypahta-cetasm 'vyavasytmik buddhi samdhau na vidhyate ''22''

66$ Rorthose people, who are attached to enjoyment and power,whose conscio#sness has !een del#ded !y that tal, the resol#teintelligence, fi.ed on one point, does not tae place.

%hose whose minds are attracted !y the flowery words, who areattached to power and enjoyment, do not have the determined

intelligence fi.ed firmly on one point 'samdhau(, fi.ed only on the;#preme 1ord$ %he form of the ver! na vidhyateis refle.ive passive'karma-kartari(, meaning in this case Bis not attained$D %hiscommentary is rdhara ;v+m2s version$

traiguya-viay ved nistraiguyo bhavruna 'nirdvandvo nitya-sattva-stho niryoga-kema tmavn ''23''

69$ %he s#!ject of the $edasis the three modes$ Uise a!ove the threemodes, 0rj#na, and !e free of d#alities, sit#ated with the eternal

devotees, devoid of desire for gain or preservation, and !e engaged inthe intelligence given !y Me$Pive #p all sdhanas of dharma, artha, kmaand moka, and j#st taeshelter of bhakti-yoga$ %hat is the intention of this verse$

28"e analyGes the word bahu"aas Bgiving m#chD from the root ", meaning Bto giveDcom!ined with bahu, many$


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%he $edashave the a!ility to reveal only karmaand !naand othertopics composed of the three modes 'traiguya viaya( for personalgratification$ %he s#ffi. yaintraiguya viayahere denotes self/interest$%his statement of co#rse means that the majority of te.ts deal withmaterial s#!jects$ "owever the rutis'$edas( do say7

bhaktir evainam nayati

%haktialone leads to the 1ord$ *hara,ruti4

yasya deve par bhaktir yath deve tath gurau

One sho#ld have as m#ch devotion in guruas one does in the

1ord$ ,vetvatara Apaniad J$45

0s well, the pa!cartra and smtiscript#res, and other Apaniadsliethe #t Apaniad and #op"a Hpan Apaniadmae nirgua-bhaktithe s#!ject of disc#ssion$ &f the $edasdid not spea of bhaktiat all,then bhaktico#ld not !e s#!stantiated$

o not involve yo#rself with those statements of the $edasdealing with!naand karmaaffected !y the three guas'nistraiguya bhava($ *#tyo# sho#ld always follow the )edic statements dealing with bhakti$ *y

following those inj#nctions, yo# are free from fa#lt7

ruti-smti-purdi-p!cartra-vidhi vinaikntik harer bhaktir utptyaiva ka"pyate

8itho#t following the r#les of ruti, smti,purasand pa!cartra,p#re bhaktito the 1ord creates disaster$ %haktiIasmta 5indhu,3$4$3N3 I#oted from %rahma-yma"a

*y this, one can #nderstand that the $edasdeal with !oth material andspirit#al topics, topics involving the three guasand topics !eyond theguas$ *#t yo# sho#ld !e devoid of the guas'nistraiguya bhava($ *yfollowing the path of nirgua bhaktioffered to Me, cross over the pathsdealing with the three guas$

29%his I#otation is given in =rti 5andarbhaand attri!#ted to the *hara ,ruti$


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%hen, s#ch a person will !e free of the d#alities 'nirdvanda( within theguas, s#ch as respect and disrespect, and will remain with the eternalliving entities 'nitya sattva(, My devotees$ &f one were to say that nityasattva stha means to !e sit#ated in sattva gua, that wo#ld !e a

contradiction to the statement nistraiguya bhava.

o# will !e free from the desire to acI#ire what yo# lac 'yoga( and toprotect what yo# have attained 'kema(, !eca#se of yo#r taste for Mybhakti-rasa. %his is !eca#se &, o#t of affection for My devotee, carry theresponsi!ilityB yoga-kema vahmy aham.'%#$44( o# will !e fi.ed inthe intelligence given !y Me 'tmavn($

"ere there will !e an e.amination of the meaning of nistraiguya andtraiguya. &t is said in the -leventh Canto of %hgavatam7

mad-arpaa nipha"a v sattvic nia-karma yatrasa pha"a-sa/ka"pa his-prydi tmasam

8or performed as an offering to Me, 'occasionally( witho#tconsideration of the fr#it, is considered to !e in the mode ofgoodness$ 8or performed with a desire to enjoy the res#lts is inthe mode of passion$ 0nd wor impelled !y violence and envy isin the mode of ignorance$ 5%33$49$45

&n this statement nipha"am vmeans Boccasionally devoid of desiresfor the res#lts of e.ec#tion of d#ties$D

kaiva"ya sattvic !na rao vaika"pika ca yatprkta tmasa !na man-niha nirgua smtam

0!sol#te nowledge is in the mode of goodness, nowledge!ased on d#ality is in the mode of passion, and foolish,materialistic nowledge is in the mode of ignorance$ Knowledge!ased #pon Me, however, is #nderstood to !e transcendental$

5%33$49$46

vana tu sttviko vso grmo rasa ucyatetmasa dyuta-sadana man-niketa tu nirguam

Uesidence in the forest is in the mode of goodness, residence ina town is in the mode of passion, residence in a gam!ling ho#se


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displays the I#ality of ignorance, and residence in a place where& reside is transcendental$5%33$49$49

sattvic krako sa/g rgndho rasa smta

tmasa smti-vibhrao nirguo mad-apraya

0 worer free of attachment is in the mode of goodnessS aworer !linded !y personal desire is in the mode of passion, anda worer who has completely forgotten how to tell right fromwrong is in the mode of ignorance$ *#t a worer who has taenshelter of Me is #nderstood to !e transcendental to the modes ofnat#re$ 5%33$49$4J

sttvikydhytmik raddh karma-raddh tu ras

tmasy adharme y raddh mat-sevy tu nirgu

Raith directed toward spirit#al life is in the mode of goodness,faith rooted in fr#itive wor is in the mode of passion, faithresiding in irreligio#s activities is in the mode of ignorance, !#tfaith in My devotional service is p#rely transcendental$ 5%33$49$4H

pathya p&tam anyastam hrya sattvic smtamrasa cendriya-preha tmasa crti-duci

Rood that is wholesome, p#re and o!tained witho#t diffic#lty is inthe mode of goodness, food that gives immediate pleas#re to thesenses is in the mode of passion, and food that is #nclean andca#ses distress is in the mode of ignorance$ '0ccording tordhara ;v+m the word caindicates B*#t food offered to Me is!eyond the modes$D( 5% 33$49$4

sattvic sukham tmottha viayottha tu rasamtmasa moha-dainyottha nirgua mad-aprayam

"appiness derived from the self is in the mode of goodness,happiness !ased on sense gratification is in the mode of passion,and happiness !ased on del#sion and degradation is in the modeof ignorance$ *#t that happiness fo#nd within Me istranscendental$ 5%33$49$4


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%he last verses, after showing the o!jects in the three modes of nat#re,e.plain the conI#est of the three modes sit#ated to some degreewithin oneself, !y the process of nirgua-bhakti, in order to reachcomplete transcendence of the modes$

dravya deas tath k"o !na karma ca krakaraddhvasth-ktir nih traiguya sarva eva hi

%herefore material s#!stance, place, res#lt of activity, time,nowledge, wor, the performer of wor, faith, state ofconscio#sness, species of life and destination after death are all!ased on the three modes of material nat#re$5%33$49$5N

sarve guamay bhv puruvyakta-dhihit

da rutam anudhyta buddhy v puruarabha

O !est of h#man !eings, all states of material !eing are relatedto the interaction of the enjoying so#l and material nat#re$8hether seen, heard of or only conceived within the mind, theyare witho#t e.ception constit#ted of the modes of nat#re$ 5%33$49$53

et sastaya puso gua-karma-nibandhanyeneme nirit saumya guvena citta

bhakti-yogena man-niho mad-bhvya prapadyate

O gentle Fddhava, all these different phases of conditioned lifearise from wor !orn of the modes of material nat#re$ %he livingentity who conI#ers these modes, manifested from the mind !ythe process of devotional service, can dedicate himself to Me andth#s attain p#re love for Me$ 5%33$49$54

%h#s, only !y the process of bhaktican one conI#er over the threemodes$ %here is no other way$ 1ater, in answer to the I#estion, B"owcan one s#rpass the three modes of nat#re?D the 1ord says7

m ca yo vyabhicrea bhakti-yogena sevatesa gun samattyaitn brahma-bh&yya ka"pate %#36$4J

rdhara ;v+m e.plains that verse as follows7 the caword indicatese.cl#siveness$ B"e who serves only Me, the ;#preme 1ord, thro#gh#ndeviating bhakti-yoga, s#rpasses the guas$D


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yvn artha udapne sarvata sap"utodake 'tvn sarveu vedeu brhmaasya vinata ''2''

6J$ 0s the p#rposes of all wells are f#lfilled !y a large water !ody, so

all the res#lts of all types of worship mentioned in the $edasaref#lfilled j#st !y nowing and worshiping the one ;#preme Pod$

%he glory of bhakti-yoga, !eing nikmaand nirgua, is s#ch that it goeswitho#t saying that it is witho#t loss or sin, even if started anddiscontin#ed$ %hat even a little performance of bhaktimaes ones#ccessf#l is stated !y Fddhava in the -leventh Canto$

na hy a/gopakrame dhvaso mad-dharmasyoddhavv apimay vyavasita samya/ nirguatvd ania

My dear Fddhava, !eca#se & have personally esta!lished it, thisprocess of devotional service #nto Me is transcendental and freefrom any material motivation$ Certainly a devotee never s#fferseven the slightest loss !y adopting this process$ 5%33$4$4N

"owever, even bhaktiwith material desire 'sakma-bhakti( is nown !ythe term vyavasytmik buddhi'since there is worship of only oneperson($ %his is shown thro#gh an e.ample$

%he sing#lar case is #sed to indicate a whole class of wells$ B8hateverp#rposes the wells serveD is the meaning of yvn artha udapne$ ;omewells are #sed for cleaning the !ody after passing nat#re$ ;ome othersare #sed for !r#shing teeth$ Others are #sed for washing clothing$Others are #sed for washing hair$ Others are #sed for !athing$ Othersare #sed for drining water$ 0ll the p#rposes of all the different wellsare served !y a large !ody of water lie a lae$ &n that one lae, onecan perform all the activities s#ch as cleaning the !ody or !r#shing theteeth$ 8hereas !y #sing different wells for different p#rposes, one!ecomes tired of wandering aro#nd, that is not the case in #sing thelae$ %he o#tstanding I#ality of the lae water however is its sweettaste, whereas that of the well is not tasty$

%h#s, whatever p#rposes are served !y worship of all the devatsmentioned in all the $edasare achieved thro#gh worship of the one;#preme 1ord, !y the person in nowledge, one who nows the $edas'brhmaasya($ "e who nows the $eda 'brahma(, is called brhmaa$


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One may now the $edas, !#t one who nows the import of the $edas,bhakti, is a special nower 'vieato nata J vinata($

&t is said in the ;econd Canto of %hgavatam7

brahma-varcasa-kmas tu yaeta brahmaa patimindram indriya-kmas tu pra-kma prapatim

One who desires to !e a!sor!ed in the impersonal brahmayotieff#lgence sho#ld worship the master of the $edas, one whodesires powerf#l se. sho#ld worship the heavenly King, &ndra,and one who desires good progeny sho#ld worship the greatprogenitors called the =raj+patis$ 5%4$5$5

*#t then it is said7

akma sarva-kmo v moka-kma udra-dhtvrea bhakti-yogena yaeta purua param

0 person who has !roader intelligence, whether he !e f#ll of allmaterial desire, witho#t any material desire, or desiringli!eration, m#st !y all means worship the s#preme whole, the=ersonality of Podhead$ 5%4$5$3N

A#st as the s#nshine, #nmi.ed with clo#ds or other o!str#ctions, is

intense, bhakti-yoga, #nmi.ed with !na, karmaor other poll#tants, isintense 'tvrea bhakti-yogena($ One attains f#lfillment of many desires!y worshipping many devats$ %his reI#ires many types of mentalconcentration$ *#t one can attain all those desires from the one;#preme 1ord, from j#st one portion of ones concentration on the one1ord$ One sho#ld #nderstand that this concentration on onepersonality 'and attaining many goals( arises from the e.cellentI#alities possessed !y the o!ject of concentration, the 1ord$

karmay evdhikras te m pha"eu kadcana '

m karma-pha"a-hetur bh&r m te sa/go stv akarmai ''27''

6H$ o# have I#alification for prescri!ed wor, !#t not the res#lts ofthe wor$ o not !e the ca#se of res#lts of wor$ o not !e attached tonot doing wor, or doing sinf#l wor$


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%he 1ord wanted to spea a!o#t the processes of !na, bhaktiandkarma-yogato 0rj#na, who was his dear friend$ "aving spoen of !naand bhakti-yoga, the 1ord then considered that these two were nots#ita!le for 0rj#na$ %h#s "e now speas of nikma-karma-yoga$

Bo# are I#alified for wors$ *#t those who crave the res#lts are veryimp#re in conscio#sness$ *#t yo# have an almost p#re heart$ & can saythis a!o#t yo# since & now yo#$DB*#t in doing actions, a res#lt m#st come$D

B*y doing an action with a desire for a certain res#lt, a person!ecomes the ca#se of that res#lt$ *#t yo# sho#ld not act in thatmanner$ & give yo# that !lessing$ 0nd do not !ecome attracted to non/performance of yo#r d#ty, or in doing sin 'akarmai(, rather yo# sho#ld

hate doing that$ & give yo# that !lessing also$D

"owever, in the ne.t chapter, 0rj#na says, BMy intelligence is!ewildered !y these eI#ivocal words$D %his apparent lac ofconnection !etween the previo#s and later statements sho#ld !e#nderstood to !e intentional, having a p#rpose$ BA#st as & stand as yo#rcharioteer awaiting yo#r order, yo# also await My order$D One sho#ldsee that Ka and 0rj#na act#ally had real agreement of mind$

yogastha kuru karmi sa/ga tyaktv dhana!aya 'siddhy-asiddhyo samo bh&tv samatva yoga ucyate ''28''

6$ *eing sit#ated in this nikma-karma-yoga, perform yo#r d#ties,giving #p attachment, and !eing eI#al to s#ccess and fail#re, OconI#eror of wealthE ;#ch eI#al mindedness is called yoga$

8ith this verse, Ka starts teaching the method of nikma-karma$0cting in this way, seeing victory and defeat as eI#al, O 0rj#na, yo#sho#ld perform yo#r d#ty of fighting$ %his performance of nikma-karma-yogatransforms into !na-yoga$ C!na-yogasho#ld !e #nderstoodfrom the previo#s and latter portions of the wor$

d&rea hy avara karma buddhi-yogd dhana!aya 'buddhau araam anviccha kpa pha"a-hetava ''29''

6$ O conI#eror of wealth, actions with desire are far inferior tonikma-karma-yoga$ ;#rrender to this buddhi-yoga ornikma-karma-


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yoga$ %hose who see res#lts from their wor are wretched 'andreceive !ondage($

Ka here criticiGes karmadone with material desires 'sakma-karma($%he actions done with material desire 'avarakarma( are far inferior tonikma-karma-yogaoffered to the ;#preme 1ord 'buddhi-yogt($ %aeshelter of nikma-karma-yoga'buddhau($ &n this verse buddhi-yogarefers to nikma-karma-yogarather than bhakti-yoga$

buddhi-yukto ahtha ubhe sukta-dukte 'tasmd yogya yuyasva yoga karmasu kaua"am ''3:''

9N$ "e who is engaged in nikma-karma-yoga gives #p !oth pio#s andimpio#s reactions$ %herefore engage in this yoga$ 0mong all types of

action, this performance witho#t attachment is a sill$

%herefore !e engaged in the yogaas descri!ed here 'yogya yuyasva($0mong all actions done with or witho#t desire 'karmau(, actionperformed with indifference to res#lts 'yoga( is a sill 'kaua"am($5N

karmaa buddhi-yukt hi pha"a tyaktv mania 'anma-bandha-vinirmukt pada gacchanty anmayam ''3)''

93$ *eing engaged in this nikma-karma-yoga, having given #p the

res#lts of wor, the intelligent people, freed from the !ondage of !irth,attain the place of no s#ffering$

yad te mohaka"i"a buddhir vyatitariyati 'tad gantsi nirveda rotavyasya rutasya ca ''30''

94$ 8hen yo#r intelligence has completely crossed the denseness ofill#sion, yo# will !e indifferent to all that has !een heard and all thatwill !e heard$

Rrom the performance of nikma-karma-yogaoffered to the ;#preme1ord, yo# will develop this ne#trality 'yoga($ 8hen yo#r intelligence hass#rpassed partic#larly 'vi( and completely 'ati( the denseness ofill#sion, at that time yo# will !ecome indifferent to all the s#!jectsa!o#t which yo# will hear, and have already heard$ %his yo# willachieve !y destr#ction of do#!ts and misconceptions, thro#gh hearing

30;ill means here that action is performed !#t does not accr#e reactions$


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instr#ctions of script#re from Me$ o# will thin B0t the present, & m#stpractice my sdhanascontin#o#sly$D

ruti-vipratipann te yad sthsyati nica" 'samdhv aca" buddhis tad yogam avpsyasi ''31''

95$ 8hen yo#r intelligence is indifferent to the $edas!eca#se of !eingfi.ed, and yo# are sit#ated in samdhi, then yo# will attain the stat#s ofvan-mukta.1)

0t that time, yo# will !ecome detached from hearing a!o#t all sorts ofmaterial and )edic s#!jects, !eca#se of !eing averse to the agitationcreated !y these s#!jects 'nica"($ 0nd yo#r intelligence will !e fi.edin samdhi'samdhau aca"(, as descri!ed in the si.th chapter$ 0t thattime, !y achieving direct realiGation, yo# will achieve the stat#s ofvan-mukta'yogam avpsyasi($

aruna uvcasthita-pra!asya k bh samdhi-sthasya keava '

sthita-dh ki prabheta kim sta vraeta kim ''32''

96$ 0rj#na said7 O Ke@ava, what is the description of this personsit#ated in samdhi, the sthita-pra!a? 8hat does he spea, how does hesit, how does he move?"earing a!o#t intelligence fi.ed in samdhiKsamdhav aca" buddhiD,0rj#na ass a!o#t the characteristics of that yog$ 5thita-pra!a in thisverse has the same meaning as aca" buddhi in the previo#s verse7fi.ed intelligence$ 8hat I#alities can descri!e the sthita/praj


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praahti yad kmn sarvn prtha mano-gatn ' tmany evtman tua sthita-pra!as tadocyate ''33''

99$ %he 1ord said7 8hen he completely gives #p all desires which arisefrom the mind alone, and is satisfied with the so#l alone !y that mind,

he is called sthita-pra!a$

;tep !y step, Ka answers each of the fo#r I#estions, from thisverse #ntil the end of the chapter$ '%his verse answers the firstI#estion7 8hat is the nat#re of the van-mukta?(

"e gives #p all desires, so that not even one desire remains for anyo!ject$ "e is a!le to give #p these desires !eca#se they !elong to themind 'manogatn(S they are not the intrinsic I#ality of the so#l$ &f theywere the intrinsic I#ality of the so#l, they co#ld not !e given #p, j#st

as fire never gives #p heat$ %he ca#se for this is stated$ "e is satisfied!y the so#l whose very nat#re is !liss 'tman tua(, in the mind'tmani( which has withdrawn from sense o!jects$ %he rutisays7

yad sarve pramucyante km ye sya hdi ritatha martyo mto bhavaty atra brahma samanute

8hen all the desires sit#ated in the heart are cleared away, themortal !ecomes immortal and enjoys *rahman$ Faha ApaniadJ$36

dukhev anudvigna-man sukheu vigata-spha 'vta-rga-bhaya-krodha sthita-dhr munir ucyate ''3''

9J$ %he sage whose mind is not dist#r!ed !y the appearance ofs#ffering, who has given #p all desire d#ring opport#nities forhappiness, who is devoid of attachment, fear and anger, is called asthita-pra!a$

%his verse and the ne.t verse, the 1ord answers the I#estion B"ow

does he spea?D

"is mind is not dist#r!ed !y adhytmika s#ffering in the form of h#nger,thirst, fever, or headache, !y the adhibhautikas#ffering coming fromsnaes or tigers, or !y the adhi

visvanath gita commentary

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