CONTENTS
GLOSSARY
FOR THE BHAGAVAD GITA
Some notes on this Glossary: By
Dallas TenBroeck
―ANTECEDENT WORDS― vii
CHAPTER I - THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA ― 1
CHAPTER II - APPLICATION TO THE SPECULATIVE DOCTRINES ― 9
CHAPTER III - THE RIGHT PERFORMANCE OF ACTION― 22
CHAPTER IV - SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE ―30
CHAPTER V - RENUNCIATION OF ACTION ― 38
CHAPTER VI - SELF-RESTRAINT ―44
CHAPTER VII - SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT― 53
CHAPTER VIII -THE OMNIPRESENT SPIRIT NAMED AS OM ― 58
CHAPTER IX -THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE AND THE KINGLY MYSTERY ― 64
CHAPTER X - DEVOTION BY MEANS OF THE UNIVERSAL DIVINE PERFECTIONS― 70
CHAPTER XI - VISION OF THE DIVINE FORM AS INCLUDING ALL FORMS ― 78
CHAPTER XII - DEVOTION BY MEANS OF FAITH ― 89
CHAPTER XIII -DISCRIMINATION OF THE KSHETRA FROM KSHETRAJNA ― 93
CHAPTER XIV -SEPARATION FROM THE THREE QUALITIES ― 100
CHAPTER XV -KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUPREME SPIRIT ― 105
CHAPTER XVI -DISCRIMINATING BETWEEN GODLIKE AND DEMONIACAL NATURES ― 110
CHAPTER XVII -THE THREE KINDS OF FAITH ― 115
CHAPTER XVIII -RENUNCIATION AND FINAL LIBERATION ― 121
SPACE
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THE Bhagavad-Gξtβ is an episode of the Mahβbhβrata, which is said to have been written by Vyasa. Who this Vyasa is and when he lived is not known.
J. Cockburn Thomson, in his translation of the Bhagavad-Gξtβ, says: "The Mahβbhβrata, as all students of Sanskrit well know, is the great epic of India, which from its popularity and extent would seem to correspond with the Iliad among the Greeks. The theme of the whole work is a certain war which was carried on between two branches of one tribe, the descendants of Kuru, for the sovereignty of Hβstinapura, commonly supposed to be the same as the modern Delhi. The elder branch is called by the general name of the whole tribe, Kurus; the younger goes by the patronymic, from Pandu, the father of the five principal leaders.
"This war between the Kurus and Pandavas occupies about twenty thousand slokas, or a quarter of the whole work as we now possess it.... In order to understand the al-
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lusions there [in the Bhagavad-Gξtβ] a knowledge is requisite of the previous history of the tribe, which will now be given as follows.
"Of the name Kuru we know but little, but that little is sufficient to prove that it is one of great importance. We have no means of deriving it from any Sanskrit root, nor has it, like too many of the Hindϋ names, the appearance of being explanatory of the peculiarities of the person or persons whom it designates. It is therefore in all probability a name of considerable antiquity, brought by the Aryan race from their first seat in Central Asia. Its use in Sanskrit is fourfold. It is the name of the northern quarter or Dwipa of the world, and is described as lying between the most northern range of snowy mountains and the polar sea. It is further the name of the most northern of the nine varshas of the known world. Among the long genealogies of the tribe itself it is known as the name of an ancient king to whom the foundation of the tribe is attributed. Lastly, it designates an Aryan tribe of sufficient importance to disturb the whole of northern India with its factions, and to make its battles the theme of the longest epic of olden time.
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"Viewing these facts together we should be inclined to draw the conclusion that the name was originally that of a race inhabiting Central Asia beyond the Himalaya, who emigrated with other races into the northwest of the peninsula and with them formed the great people who styled themselves unitedly Arya, or the noble, to distinguish them from the aborigines whom they subdued and on whose territories they eventually settled. . . .
"At the time when the plot of the Mahβbhβrata was enacted this tribe was situated in the plain of the Doab, and their particular region lying between the Jumna and Sursooty rivers, was called Kurukshetra, or the plain of the Kurus. The capital of this country was Hβstinapura, and here reigned at a period of which we cannot give the exact date a king named Vichitravirya. He was the son of Shantanu and Satyavati; and Bhξshma and Krishna Dwaipayana, the Vyasa, were his half-brothers; the former being his father's, the latter his mother's son. He married two sisters―Amba and Ambalika―but dying shortly after marriage, he left no progeny; and his half-brother, the Vyasa, instigated by divine compassion, married his widow and begat two
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sons, Dhritarβshtra and Pandu. The former had one hundred sons, the eldest of whom was Duryodhana. The latter married firstly Prξtha, or Kuntξ, the daughter of Shura, and secondly Madri. The children of these wives were the five Pandava princes; but as their mortal father, while hunting, had been cursed by a deer to be childless all his life, these children were mystically begotten by different deities. Thus Yudhishthira, Bhξma, and Arjuna were the sons of Prξtha by Dharma, Vayu, and Indra respectively. Nakula was the son of Madri by Nasatya the elder, and Sahadeva by Darsa the younger of the twin Ashwinau, the physicians of the gods. This story would seem to be a fiction invented to give a divine origin to the five heroes of the poem; but however that may be, Duryodhana and his brothers are the leaders of the Kuru, or elder branch of the tribe; and the five Pandava princes those of the Pandava or younger branch.
"Dhritarβshtra was blind, but, although thus incapacitated for governing, he retained the throne, while his son Duryodhana really directed he affairs of the state. . . . he prevailed on his father to banish his cousins,
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the Pandava princes, from the country. After long wanderings and varied hardships, these princes collected their friends around them, formed by the help of many neighboring kings a vast army, and prepared to attack their unjust oppressor, who had in like manner assembled his forces.
The hostile armies meet on the plain of the Kurus. Bhξshma, the half-brother of Vichitravirya, being the oldest warrior among them, has command of the Kuru faction; Bhξma, the second son of Pandu, noted for his strength and prowess, is the general of the other party [Arjuna's]. The scene of our poem now opens and remains throughout the same―the field of battle. In order to introduce to the reader the names of the principal chieftains in each army, Duryodhana is made to approach Drτna, his military preceptor, and name them one by one. The challenge is then suddenly given by Bhξshma, the Kuru general, by blowing his conch; and he is seconded by all his followers. It is returned by Arjuna, who is in the same chariot with the god Krishna, who, in compassion for the persecution he had suffered, had become his intimate friend, and was acting the
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part of a charioteer to him. He is followed by all the generals of the Pandavas. The fight then begins with a volley of arrows from both sides; but when Arjuna perceives it he begs Krishna to draw up the chariot in the space between the two armies while he examines the lines of the enemy. The god does so and points out in those lines the numerous relatives of his friend. Arjuna is horror-struck at the idea of committing fratricide by slaying his near relations, and throws down his bow and arrows, declaring that he would rather be killed without defending himself than fight against them. Krishna replies with the arguments which form the didactic and philosophical doctrines of the work, and endeavors to persuade him that he mistakes in forming such a resolution. Arjuna is eventually overruled. The fight goes on, and the Pandavas defeat their opponents."
This quotation from Thomson's edition gives the student a brief statement of what is more or less mythological and allegorical, but if the story of the Mahβbhβrata be taken as that of Man in his evolutionary development, as I think it ought to be, the whole can be raised from the plane of fable, and
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the student will then have before him an account, to some extent, of that evolution.
Thus looking at it from the Theosophical point of view, the king Dhritarβshtra, is the human body which is acquired by the immortal Monad in order to go through the evolutionary journey; the mortal envelope is brought into existence by means of Tanha, or thirst for life. He is blind because the body without the faculties within is merely senseless matter, and thus is "incapacitated for governing," and some other person is represented in the Mahβbhβrata as being the governor of the state, the nominal king being the body―Dhritarβshtra. As the Theosophical scheme holds that there is a double line of evolution within us, we find that the Kurus spoken of in the poem represent the more material side of those two lines, and the Pandava princes, of whom Arjuna is one, stand for the spiritual side of the stream - that is, Arjuna represents the immortal Spark.
The learned Brahmin Theosophist, Subba Row, says in his Notes on the Bhagavad-Gξtβ (Vide The Theosophist, Vol. VIII, p. 299): "Krishna was intended to represent the Logos. . . and Arjuna, who was called Nara,
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was intended to represent the human monad." Nara also means Man. The alleged celestial origin for the two branches of the family, the Kurus and Pandavas, is in perfect consonance with this, for the body, or Dhritarβshtra, being solely material and the lower plane in which the development takes place, the Kurus and Pandavas are our inheritance from the celestial beings often referred to in Mme. Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine, the one tending towards materiality, the other being spiritual. The Kurus, then, the lower portion of our nature earliest developed, obtain the power on this plane for the time being, and one of them, Duryodhana, "prevails," so that the Pandavas, or the more spiritual parts of our nature, are banished temporarily from the country, that is, from governing Man. "The long wanderings and varied hardships" of the Pandavas are wanderings caused by the necessities of evolution before these better parts are able to make a stand for the purpose of gaining the control in Man's evolutionary struggle. This also has reference to the cyclic rise and fall of nations and the race.
The hostile armies, then, who meet on the plain of the Kurus are these two collections
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of the human faculties and powers, those on one side tending to drag us down, those on the other aspiring towards spiritual illumination. The battle refers not only to the great warfare that mankind as a whole carries on, but also to the struggle which is inevitable as soon as any one unit in the human family resolves to allow his higher nature to govern him in his life. Hence, bearing in mind the suggestion made by Subba Row, we see that Arjuna, called Nara, represents not only Man as a race, but also any individual who resolves upon the task of developing his better nature. What is described as happening in the poem to him will come to every such individual. Opposition from friends and from all the habits he has acquired, and also that which naturally arises from hereditary tendencies, will confront him, and then it will depend upon how he listens to Krishna, who is the Logos shining within and speaking within, whether he will succeed or fail.
With these suggestions the student will find that the mythology and allegory spoken of by Thomson and others are useful instead of being merely ornamental, or, as some think, superfluous and misleading.
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The only cheap edition of the Bhagavad-Gξtβ hitherto within the reach of Theosophical students of limited means has been one which was published in Bombay by Brother Tookeram Tatya, F. T. S., whose efforts in that direction are entitled to the highest praise. But that one was simply a reprint of the first English translation made one hundred years ago by Wilkins. The great attention of late bestowed on the poem by nearly all members of the Theosophical Society in America has created an imperative demand for an edition which shall be at least free from some of the glaring typographical mistakes and blind renderings so frequent in the Wilkins reprint. To meet this demand the present has been made up. It is the result of a careful comparison of all the English editions and of a complete retranslation from the original wherever any obscurity or omission was evident in the various renderings consulted.
The making of a commentary has not been essayed, because it is believed that the Bhagavad-Gξtβ should stand on its own merits without comments, each student being left to himself to see deeper as he advances. The publisher of this edition holds that the poem can
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be read in many different ways, each depending on the view-point taken, e. g., whether it is considered in its application to the individual, or to cosmogenesis, or to the evolution of the Astral world, or the Hierarchies in Nature, or to the moral nature, and so on. To attach a commentary, except such an one as only a sage like Sankaracharya could write, would be audacious, and therefore the poem is given undisfigured.
The Bhagavad-Gξtβ tends to impress upon the individual two things: first, selflessness, and second, action: the studying of and living by it will arouse the belief that there is but one Spirit and not several; that we cannot live for ourselves alone, but must come to realize that there is no such thing as separateness, and no possibility of escaping from the collective Karma of the race to which one belongs, and then, that we must think and act in accordance with such belief.
The poem is held in the highest esteem by all sects in Hindustan except the Mahommedan and Christian. It has been translated into many languages, both Asiatic and European: it is being read to-day by hundreds of sincere Theosophists in every part of the world. To
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those and to all others who truly
love their fellowmen, and who aspire to learn and teach the science of devotion,
this edition of the Bhagavad-Gξtβ is offered.
WILLIAM Q. JUDGE
New York, October, 1890.
"I established this whole Universe with a single portion of
myself,
and remain separate." - Tenth Chapter.
SPACE
______index___
THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA
________
OM!
DHRITARASHTRA:
Tell me, O Sanjaya, what the people of my own party and those of Pandu, who are
assembled at Kurukshetra resolved upon war have been doing.
*
SANJAYA:
King Duryodhana, having just beheld the
*The key for reading the Bhagavad-Gita is to
be applied to this first verse. If we look at the poem in its application to a
man aspiring to devotion, then the battlefield is the body acquired by Karma and
Tanha, thirst for life, while the speaker and his party represent the lower
self, and the Pandus the Higher Self. But if this and succeeding chapters are
regarded from the cosmic standpoint, then the speaker, the plain of Kuru, the
generals described in the first chapter, together with their instruments and
weapons, are beings, forces, planes, and planets in the universe, of which it
would be out of place to treat here. As applied to ourselves, the poem is of
greater interest and importance: it opens with the battle inevitable between the
higher and lower natures of man, and then, from this viewpoint, Krishna - who is
the Higher Self, ― in order to encourage Arjuna, becomes his instructor in
philosophy and right ethics, so that he may be fit to fight and conquer.
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army of the Pandus drawn up in battle array, went to his preceptor and spoke these words:
"Behold! O Master, the mighty army of the sons of Pandu drawn up by thy pupil, the clever son of Drupada. In it are warriors with great bows, equal to Bhξma and Arjuna in battle, namely, Yuyudhβna, and Virβta, and Drupada on his great car; Dhrishtaketu, Chekitβna, and the valiant king of Kashξ, and Purujit, and Kuntibhoja, with Shaivya, chief of men; Yudhβmanyu the strong, and Uttamauja the brave; the son of Subhadrβ, and all the sons of Draupadi, too, in their huge chariots. Be acquainted also with the names of those in our party who are most distinguished. I will mention a few of those who are amongst my generals, by way of example. There is thyself, my Preceptor, and Bhξshma, Karna, and Kripa, the conqueror
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in battle, and Aswatthama, and Vikarna, and the son of Soma-datta, with others in vast numbers, who for my service risk their life. They are all of them practiced in the use of arms, armed with divers weapons, and experienced in every mode of fight. This army of ours, which is commanded by Bhξshma, is not sufficient, while their forces, led by Bhξma, are sufficient. Let all the generals, according to their respective divisions, stand at their posts, and one and all resolve Bhξshma to support."
The ancient chief, brother of the grandsire of the Kurus, then, to raise the spirits of the Kuru chief, blew his shell, sounding like the lion's roar; and instantly innumerable shells and other warlike instruments were sounded on all sides, so that the clangor was excessive. At this time Krishna and Arjuna, standing in a splendid chariot drawn by white horses, also sounded their shells, which were of celestial form: the name of the one which Krishna blew was Pβnchajanya, and that of Arjuna was called Deva-datta-"the gift of the Gods." Bhξma, of terrific power, blew his capacious shell, Paundra; and Yudhishthira, the royal son of Kuntξ, sounded Anan-
4
ta-Vijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew their shells also, the one called Sughosha, the other Manipushpaka. The prince of Kashξ, of the mighty bow; Sikhandο, Dhrishtadyumna. Virΰta, Sβtyaki, of invincible arm; Drupada and the sons of his royal daughter; Krishna, with the son Subhadrΰ, and all the other chiefs and nobles, blew also their respective shells, so that their shrill-sounding voices pierced the hearts of the Kurus and reλchoed with a dreadful noise from heaven to earth.
Then Arjuna whose crest was Hanuman, perceiving that the sons of Dhritarβshtra stood ready to begin the fight , and that the flying of arrows had commenced, having raised his bow, addressed these words to Krishna.
ARJUNA:
I pray thee, Krishna , cause my chariot to be placed between the two armies ,
that I may behold who are the men that stand ready, anxious to commence the
battle: with whom it is I am to fight in this ready field; and who they are that
are here assembled to support the evil minded son of Dhritarβshtra in the
battle."
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SANJAYA:
Krishna being thus addressed by Arjuna, drove the chariot, and, having caused it
to halt in the space between the two armies, bade Arjuna cast his eyes towards
the ranks of the Kurus, and behold where stood the aged Bhξshma, and Drτna, with
all the chief nobles of their party. Standing there Arjuna surveyed both the
armies, and beheld, on either side, grandsires, uncles, cousins, tutors, sons,
and brothers, near relations, or bosom friends; and when he had gazed for a
while and beheld all his kith and kin drawn up in battle array, he was moved by
extreme pity, and, filled with despondency, he thus in sadness spoke:
ARJUNA:
"Now, O Krishna, that I have beheld my kindred thus standing anxious for the
fight, my members fail me, my countenance withereth, the hair standeth on end
upon my body, and all my frame trembleth with horror! Even Gandiva, my bow,
slips from my hand, and my skin is parched and dried up. I am not able to stand;
for my mind, as it were, whirleth round, and I behold on all sides ad-
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verse omens. When I shall have destroyed my kindred, shall I longer look for happiness? I wish not for victory, Krishna; I want not pleasure; for what are dominion and the enjoyments of life, or even life itself, when those for whom dominion, pleasure, and enjoyment were to be coveted have abandoned life and fortune, and stand here in the field ready for the battle? Tutors, sons and fathers, grandsires and grandsons, uncles and nephews, cousins, kindred, and friends! Although they would kill me, I wish not to fight them: no, not even for the dominion of the three regions of the universe, much less for this little earth! Having killed the sons of Dhritarβshtra, what pleasure, O thou who art prayed to by mortals, can we enjoy? Would we destroy them, tyrants though they are, sin would take refuge with us. It therefore behooveth us not to kill such near relations as these. How, O Krishna, can we be happy hereafter, when we have been the murderers of our race? What if they, whose minds are depraved by the lust of power, see no sin in the extirpation of their race, no crime in the murder of their friends, is that a reason why we should not resolve to turn away from such a crime―we who abhor
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the sin of extirpating our own kindred? On the destruction of a tribe the ancient virtue of the tribe and family is lost; with the loss of virtue, vice and impiety overwhelm the whole of a race. From the influence of impiety the females of a family grow vicious; and from women that are become vicious are born the spurious caste called Varna Sankar. Corruption of caste is a gate of hell, both for these destroyers of a tribe and for those who survive; and their forefathers, being deprived of the ceremonies of cakes and water offered to their manes, sink into the infernal regions. By the crimes of the destroyers of a tribe and by those who cause confusion of caste, the family virtue and the virtue of a whole tribe are forever done away with; and we have read in sacred writ, O Krishna, that a sojourn in hell awaits those mortals whose generation hath lost its virtue. Woe is me! What a great crime are we prepared to commit! Alas! that from the desire for sovereignty and pleasure we stand here ready to slay our own kin! I would rather patiently suffer that the sons of Dhritarβshtra, with their weapons in their hands, should come upon me, and unopposed, kill me unresisting in the field."
8
SANJAYA:
When Arjuna had ceased to speak, he sat down in the chariot between the two
armies; and, having put away his bow and arrows, his heart was overwhelmed with
despondency.
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the First Chapter, by name―
THE DESPONDENCY OF ARJUNA.
index
DEVOTION THROUGH APPLICATION TO THE
SPECULATIVE DOCTRINES
______
SANJAYA:
KRISHNA, beholding him thus influenced by compunction, his eyes overflowing with
a flood of tears, and his heart oppressed with deep affliction, addressed him in
the following words:
KRISHNA:
"Whence, O Arjuna, cometh upon thee this dejection in matters of difficulty, so
unworthy of the honorable, and leading neither to heaven nor to glory? It is
disgraceful, contrary to duty, and the foundation of dishonor. Yield not thus to
unmanliness, for it ill-becometh one like thee. Abandon, O tormentor of thy
foes, this despicable weakness of thy heart and stand up."
ARJUNA:
"How, O slayer of Madhu, shall I with
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my shafts contend in battle against such as Bhξshma and Drτna, who of all men are most worthy of my respect? For it were better to beg my bread about the world than be the murderer of my preceptors, to whom such awful reverence is due. Were I to destroy such friends as these, I should partake of possessions, wealth, and pleasures polluted with their blood. Nor can we tell whether it would be better that we should defeat them, or they us. For those drawn up, angrily confronting us - and after whose death, should they perish by my hand, I would not wish to live - are the sons and people of Dhritarβshtra. As I am of a disposition which is affected by compassion and the fear of doing wrong, I ask thee which is it better to do? Tell me that distinctly! I am thy disciple; wherefore instruct in my duty me who am under thy tuition; for my understanding is confounded by the dictates of my duty, and I see nothing that may assuage the grief which drieth up my faculties, although I were to obtain a kingdom without a rival upon earth, or dominion over the hosts of heaven."
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SANJAYA:
Arjuna having thus spoken to Krishna, became silent, saying: "I shall not fight,
O Govinda." Krishna, tenderly smiling, addressed these words to the prince thus
standing downcast between the two armies:
KRISHNA:
"Thou grievest for those that may not be lamented, whilst thy sentiments are
those of the expounders of the letter of the law. Those who are wise in
spiritual things grieve neither for the dead nor for the living. I myself never
was not, nor thou, nor all the princes of the earth; nor shall we ever hereafter
cease to be. As the lord of this mortal frame experienceth therein infancy,
youth, and old age, so in future incarnations will it meet the same. One who is
confirmed in this belief is not disturbed by anything that may come to pass. The
senses, moving toward their appropriate objects, are producers of heat and cold,
pleasure and pain, which come and go and are brief and changeable; these do thou
endure, O son of Bharata! For the wise man, whom these disturb not and to whom
pain and pleasure
12
are the same, is fitted for immortality. There is no existence for that which does not exist, nor is there any non-existence for what exists. By those who see the truth and look into the principles of things, the ultimate characteristic of these both is seen. Learn that He by whom all things were formed is incorruptible, and that no one is able to effect the destruction of IT which is inexhaustible. These finite bodies, which envelope the souls inhabiting them, are said to belong to Him, the eternal, the indestructible, unprovable Spirit, who is in the body: wherefore, O Arjuna, resolve to fight. The man who believeth that it is this Spirit which killeth, and he who thinketh that it may be destroyed, are both alike deceived; for it neither killeth nor is it killed. It is not a thing of which a man may say, 'It hath been, it is about to be, or is to be hereafter'; for it is without birth and meeteth not death; it is ancient, constant, and eternal, and is not slain when this its mortal frame is destroyed. How can the man who believeth that it is incorruptible, eternal, inexhaustible, and without birth, think that it can either kill or cause to be killed? As a man throweth away old garments and putteth on new, even so the dweller in the body, having quitted its old mortal frames, entereth into others which are new. The weapon divideth it not, the fire burneth it not, the water corrupteth it not, the wind drieth it not away; for it is indivisible, inconsumable, incorruptible, and is not to be dried away: it is eternal, universal, permanent, immovable; it is invisible, inconceivable, and unalterable; therefore, knowing it to be thus, thou shouldst not grieve. But whether thou believest it to be of eternal birth and duration, or that it dieth with the body, still thou hast no cause to lament it. Death is certain to all things which are born, and rebirth to all mortals; wherefore it doth not behoove thee to grieve about the inevitable. The antenatal state of beings is unknown; the middle state is evident; and their state after death is not to be discovered. What in this is there to lament? Some regard the indwelling spirit as a wonder, whilst some speak and others hear of it with astonishment; but no one realizes it, although he may have heard it described. This spirit can never be destroyed in the mortal frame which it inhabiteth, hence it is unworthy for thee to be troubled for all these mortals. Cast but thine eyes towards
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the
duties of thy particular tribe, and it will ill become thee to tremble. A
soldier of the Kshatriya *tribe hath no duty
superior to lawful war, and just to thy wish the door of heaven is found open
before thee, through this glorious unsought fight which only fortune's favored
soldiers may obtain. But if thou wilt not perform the duty of thy calling and
fight out the field, thou wilt abandon thy natural duty and thy honor, and be
guilty of a crime. Mankind will speak of thy ill fame as infinite, and for one
who hath been respected in the world ill fame is worse than death. The generals
of the armies will think that thy retirement from the field arose from fear, and
even amongst those by whom thou wert wont to be thought great of soul thou shalt
become despicable. Thine enemies will speak of thee in words which are unworthy
to be spoken, depreciating thy courage and abilities; what can be more dreadful
than this! If thou art slain thou shalt attain heaven; if victorious, the world
shall be thy reward; wherefore, son of Kuntξ, arise with determination
fixed for the battle. Make pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat,
the
* Kshatriya is the second or
military caste of India.
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same to thee, and then prepare for battle, for thus and thus alone shalt thou in action still be free from sin.
"Thus before thee has been set the opinion in accordence with the Sankhya doctrine, speculatively; now hear what it is in the practical, devotional one, by means of which, if fully imbued therewith, thou shalt forever burst the bonds of Karma and rise above them. In this system of Yoga no effort is wasted, nor are there any evil consequences, and even a little of this practice delivereth a man from great risk. In this path there is only one single object, and this of a steady, constant nature; but widely-branched is the faith and infinite are the objects of those who follow not this system.
"The unwise, delighting in the controversies of the Vedas, tainted with worldly lusts, and preferring a transient enjoyment of heaven to eternal absorption, whilst they declare there is no other reward, pronounce, for the attainment of worldly riches and enjoyments, flowery sentences which promise rewards in future births for present action, ordaining also many special ceremonies the fruit of which is merit leading to power and objects of enjoy-
16
ment. But those who thus desire riches and enjoyment have no certainty of soul and least hold on meditation. The subject of the Vedas is the assemblage of the three qualities. Be thou free from these qualities, O Arjuna! Be free from the 'pairs of opposites' and constant in the quality of Sattva, free from worldly anxiety and the desire to preserve present possessions, self-centered and uncontrolled by objects of mind or sense. As many benefits as there are in a tank stretching free on all sides, so many are there for a truth-realizing Brahman in all the Vedic rites.
"Let, then, the motive for action be in the action itself, and not in the event. Do not be incited to actions by the hope of their reward, nor let thy life be spent in inaction. Firmly persisting in Yoga, perform thy duty, O Dhananjaya,* and laying aside all desire for any benefit to thyself from action, make the event equal to thee, whether it be success or failure. Equal-mindedness is called Yoga.
"Yet the performance of works is by far inferior to men-
*
Dhananjaya - despiser of wealth.
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tal devotion, O despiser of wealth. Seek an asylum, then, in this mental devotion, which is knowledge; for the miserable and unhappy are those whose impulse to action is found in its reward. But he who by means of yoga is mentally devoted dismisses alike successful and unsuccessful results, being beyond them; Yoga is skill in the performance of actions: therefore do thou aspire to this devotion. For those who are thus united to knowledge and devoted, who have renounced all reward for their actions, meet no rebirth in this life, and go to that eternal blissful abode which is free from all disease and untouched by troubles.
"When thy heart shall have worked through the snares of delusion, then thou wilt attain to high indifference as to those doctrines which are already taught or which are yet to be taught. When thy mind once liberated from the Vedas shall be fixed immovably in contemplation, then shalt thou attain to devotion."
ARJUNA:
"What, O Keshava,* is the description of that
wise and devoted man who is fixed in
* Keshava ―he whose rays manifest themselves
as omniscience ― a name of Krishna.
18
contemplation and confirmed in spiritual knowledge? What may such a sage declare? Where may he dwell? Does he move and act like other men?"
KRISHNA:
"A man is said to be confirmed in spiritual knowledge when he forsaketh every
desire which entereth into his heart, and of himself is happy and content in the
Self through the Self. His mind is undisturbed in adversity; he is happy and
contented in prosperity, and he is a stranger to anxiety, fear, and anger. Such
a man is called a Muni.
§ When in every condition
he receives each event, whether favorable or unfavorable, with an equal mind
which neither likes nor dislikes, his wisdom is established, and, having met
good or evil, neither rejoiceth at the one nor is cast down by the other. He is
confirmed in spiritual knowledge, when, like the tortoise, he can draw in all
his senses and restrain them from their wonted purposes. The hungry man loseth
sight of every other object but the gratification of his appetite, and when he
is become
§
Muni - a wise man.
19
acquainted with the Supreme, he loseth all taste for objects of whatever kind. The tumultuous senses and organs hurry away by force the heart even of the wise man who striveth after perfection. Let a man, restraining all these, remain in devotion at rest in me, his true self; for he who hath his senses and organs in control possesses spiritual knowledge.
"He who attendeth to the inclinations of the senses, in them hath a concern; from this concern is created passion, from passion anger, from anger is produced delusion, from delusion a loss of the memory, from the loss of memory loss of discrimination, and from loss of discrimination loss of all! But he who, free from attachment or repulsion for objects, experienceth them through the senses and organs, with his heart obedient to his will, attains to tranquility of thought. And this tranquil state attained, therefrom shall soon result a separation from all troubles; and his mind being thus at ease, fixed upon one object, it embraceth wisdom from all sides. The man whose heart and mind are not at rest is without wisdom or the power of contemplation; who doth not practice reflection, hath no calm; and how can a man without calm ob-
20
tain happiness? The uncontrolled heart, following the dictates of the moving passions, snatcheth away his spiritual knowledge, as the storm the bark upon the raging ocean. Therefore, O great armed one, he is possessed of spiritual knowledge whose senses are withheld from objects of sense. What is night to those who are unenlightened is as day to his gaze; what seems as day is known to him as night, the night of ignorance. Such is the self-governed Sage!
"The man whose desires enter his heart, as waters run into the unswelling passive ocean, which, though ever full, yet does not quit its bed, obtaineth happiness; not he who lusteth in his lusts.
"The man who, having abandoned all desires, acts without covetousness, selfishness, or pride, deeming himself neither actor nor possessor, attains to rest. This, O son of Pritha, is dependence upon the Supreme Spirit, and he who possesseth it goeth no more astray; having obtained it, if therein esablished at the hour of death, he passeth on to Nirvana in the Supreme."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme
21
Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Second Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION THROUGH APPLICATION TO THE
SANKHYA DOCTRINE.
index
DEVOTION THROUGH THE RIGHT PERFORMANCE
OF ACTION
______
ARJUNA:
If according to thy opinion, O giver of all that men ask, knowledge is superior
to the practice of deeds, why then dost thou urge me to engage in an undertaking
so dreadful as this? Thou, as it were with doubtful speech, confusest my reason;
wherefore choose one method amongst them by which I may obtain happiness and
explain it unto me."
KRISHNA:
"It hath before been declared by me, O sinless one, that in this world there are
two modes of devotion: that of those who follow the Sankhya, or speculative
science, which is the exercise of reason in contemplation; and that of the
followers of the Yoga school, which is devotion in the performance of action.
"A man enjoyeth not freedom from action
23
from the non-commencement of that which he hath to do; nor doth he obtain happiness from a total abandonment of action. No one ever resteth a moment inactive. Every man is involuntarily urged to act by the qualities which spring from nature. He who remains inert, restraining the senses and organs, yet pondering with his heart upon objects of sense, is called a false pietist of bewildered soul. But he who having subdued all his passions performeth with his active faculties all the duties of life, unconcerned as to their result, is to be esteemed. Do thou perform the proper actions: action is superior to inaction. The journey of thy mortal frame cannot be accomplished by inaction. All actions performed other than as sacrifice unto God make the actor bound by action. Abandon, then, O son of Kuntξ, all selfish motives, and in action perform thy duty for him alone. When in ancient times the lord of creatures had formed mankind, and at the same time appointed his worship, he spoke and said: 'With this worship, pray for increase, and let it be for you Kamaduk, the cow of plenty, on which ye shall depend for the accomplishment of all your wishes. With this nourish the Gods,
24
that the Gods may nourish you; thus mutually nourishing ye shall obtain the highest felicity. The Gods being nourished by worship with sacrifice, will grant you the enjoyment of your wishes. He who enjoyeth what hath been given unto him by them, and offereth not a portion unto them, is even as a thief.' But those who eat not but what is left of the offerings shall be purified of all their transgressions. Those who dress their meat but for themselves eat the bread of sin, being themselves sin incarnate. Beings are nourished by food, food is produced by rain, rain comes from sacrifice, and sacrifice is performed by action. Know that action comes from the Supreme Spirit who is one; wherefore the all-pervading spirit is at all times present in the sacrifice.
"He who, sinfully delighting in the gratification of his passions, doth not cause this wheel thus already set in motion to continue revolving, liveth in vain, O son of Pritha.
"But the man who only taketh delight in the Self within, is satisfied with that and content with that alone, hath no selfish interest in action. He hath no interest either in that which is done or that which is not done; and
25
there is not, in all things which have been created, any object on which he may place dependence. Therefore perform thou that which thou hast to do, at all times unmindful of the event; for the man who doeth that which he hath to do, without attachment to the result, obtaineth the Supreme. Even by action Janaka and others attained perfection. Even if the good of mankind only is considered by thee, the performance of thy duty will be plain; for whatever is practised by the most excellent men, that is also practiced by others. The world follows whatever example they set. There is nothing, O son of Pritha, in the three regions of the universe which it is necessary for me to perform, nor anything possible to obtain which I have not obtained; and yet I am constantly in action. If I were not indefatigable in action, all men would presently follow my example, O son of Pritha. If I did not perform actions these creatures would perish; I should be the cause of confusion of castes, and should have slain all these creatures. O son of Bharata, as the ignorant perform the duties of life from the hope of reward, so the wise man, from the wish to bring the world to duty and bene-
26
fit mankind, should perform his actions without motives of interest. He should not create confusion in the understandings of the ignorant, who are inclined to outward works, but by being himself engaged in action should cause them to act also. All actions are effected by the qualities of nature. The man deluded by ignorance thinks, 'I am the actor.' But he, O strong-armed one! who is acquainted with the nature of the two distinctions of cause and effect, knowing that the qualities act only in the qualities, and that the Self is distinct from them, is not attached in action.
"Those who have not this knowledge are interested in the actions thus brought about by the qualities; and he who is perfectly enlightened should not unsettle those whose discrimination is weak and knowledge incomplete, nor cause them to relax from their duty.
"Throwing every deed on me, and with thy meditation fixed upon the Higher Self, resolve to fight, without expectation, devoid of egotism and free from anguish.
"Those men who constantly follow this my doctrine without reviling it, and with a firm faith, shall be emancipated even by ac-
27
tions; but they who revile it and do not follow it are bewildered in regard to all knowledge, and perish, being devoid of discrimination.
"But the wise man also seeketh for that which is homogeneous with his own nature. All creatures act according to their natures; what, then, will restraint effect? In every purpose of the senses are fixed affection and dislike. A wise man should not fall in the power of these two passions, for they are the enemies of man. It is better to do one's own duty, even though it be devoid of excellence, than to perform another's duty well. It is better to perish in the performance of one's own duty; the duty of another is full of danger."
ARJUNA:
"By what, O descendant of Vrishni, is man propelled to commit offences;
seemingly against his will and as if constrained by some secret force?
KRISHNA:
"It is lust which instigates him. It is passion, sprung from the quality of
rajas;* in-
* Rajas
is one of the three great
qualities; the driving power of nature; active and bad.
28
satiable, and full of sin. Know this to be the enemy of man on earth. As the flame is surrounded by smoke, and a mirror by rust, and as the womb envelopes the foetus, so is the universe surrounded by this passion. By this―the constant enemy of the wise man, formed from desire which rageth like fire and is never to be appeased―is discriminative knowledge surrounded. Its empire is over the senses and organs, the thinking principle and the discriminating faculty also; by means of these it cloudeth discrimination and deludeth the Lord of the body. Therefore, O best of the descendants of Bharata, at the very outset restraining thy senses, thou shouldst conquer this sin which is the destroyer of knowledge and of spiritual discernment.
"The senses and organs are esteemed great, but the thinking self is greater
than they. The discriminating principle
is greater than the thinking self, and that which is
greater than the discriminating principle is He,§
Thus knowing
what is greater than the discriminating principle and strengthening the lower
The burnished metal mirrors are here
referred to.
The discriminating principle is Buddhi.
§ "He," the Supreme Spirit, the true Ego.
29
by the Higher Self, do thou of mighty arms slay this foe which is formed from desire and is difficult to seize."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Third Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION THROUGH THE RIGHT PERFORMANCE
OF ACTION.
index
DEVOTION THROUGH SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE
______
KRISHNA:
This exhaustless doctrine of Yoga I formerly taught unto Vivaswat;
* Vivaswat communicated it to Manu
╫
and Manu made it known unto Ikshwaku;
and being thus transmitted from one unto another it was studied by the
Rajarshees,§ until at length in the course of
time the mighty art was lost, O harasser of thy foes! It is even the same
exhaustless, secret, eternal doctrine I have this day communicated unto thee
because thou art my devotee and my friend."
ARJUNA:
Seeing that thy birth is posterior to the
*Vivaswat, the sun, first
manifestation of divine wisdom at the beginning of evolution.
╫
Manu, generic title for the reigning
spirit of the sensuous universe; the present one being Vaivashwata Manu.
Ikshwaku, the founder of the Indian
solar dynasty.
§ Rajarshees, Royal Sages.
31
life of Ikshwaku, how am I to understand that thou wert in the beginning the teacher of this doctrine?"
KRISHNA:
"Both I and thou have passed through many births, O harasser of thy foes! Mine
are known unto me, but thou knowest not of thine.
"Even though myself unborn, of changeless essence, and the lord of all
existence, yet in presiding over nature - which is mine - I am born but through
my own maya, * the mystic power of
self-ideation, the eternal thought in the eternal mind.
╪
I produce myself among creatures, O son of Bharata, whenever there is a decline
of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world; and thus I
incarnate from age to age for the preservation of the just, the destruction of
the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness. Whoever, O Arjuna, knoweth
my divine birth and actions to be even so doth not
*Maya, Illusion.
╪
See also the Varaha Upanishad of
Krishna-Yajur Veda, viz; "The whole of the universe is evolved through
Sankalpa [thought or ideation] alone; it is only through Sankalpa that the
universe retains its appearance."
32
upon quitting his mortal frame enter into another, for he entereth into me. Many who were free from craving, fear, and anger, filled with my spirit, and who depended upon me, having been purified by the ascetic fire of knowledge, have entered into my being. In whatever way men approach me, in that way do I assist them; but whatever the path taken by mankind, that path is mine, O son of Pritha. Those who wish for success to their works in this life sacrifice to the gods; and in this world success from their actions soon cometh to pass.
"Mankind was created by me of four castes distinct in their principles and in
their duties according to the natural distribution of the actions and qualities.
* Know me, then, although changeless and not
acting, to be the author of this. Actions affect me not, nor have I any
expectations from the fruits of actions. He who comprehendeth me to be thus is
not held by the bonds of action to rebirth. The ancients who longed for eternal
salvation, having discovered this, still performed works.
* This refers to the four great castes of
India; the Brahmin, the soldier, the merchant, and the servant. Such division is
plainly evident in every country, even when not named as such.
33
Wherefore perform thou works even as they were performed by the ancients in former times.
"Even sages have been deluded as to what is action and what inaction; therefore I shall explain to thee what is action by a knowledge of which thou shalt be liberated from evil. One must learn well what is action to be performed, what is not to be, and what is inaction. The path of action is obscure. That man who sees inaction in action and action in inaction is wise among men; he is a true devotee and a perfect performer of all action.
"Those who have spiritual discrimination call him wise whose undertakings are all free from desire, for his actions are consumed in the fire of knowledge. He abandoneth the desire to see a reward for his actions, is free, contented, and upon nothing dependeth, and although engaged in action he really doeth nothing; he is not solicitous of results, with mind and body subdued and being above enjoyment from objects, doing with the body alone the acts of the body, he does not subject himself to rebirth. He is contented with whatever he receives fortuitously, if free from the influence of 'the pairs of opposites' and
34
from envy, the same in success and failure; even though he act he is not bound by the bonds of action. All the actions of such a man who is free from self-interest, who is devoted, with heart set upon spiritual knowledge, and whose acts are sacrifices for the sake of the Supreme, are dissolved and left without effect on him. The Supreme Spirit is the act of offering, the Supreme Spirit is the sacrificial butter offered in the fire which is the Supreme Spirit, and unto the Supreme Spirit goeth he who maketh the Supreme spirit the object of his meditation in performing his actions.
"Some devotees give sacrifice to the Gods, while others, lighting the subtler fire of the Supreme Spirit offer up themselves; still others make sacrifice with the senses, beginning with hearing, in the fire of self-restraint, and some give up all sense-delighting sounds, and others again, illuminated by spiritual knowledge, sacrifice all the functions of the senses and vitality in the fire of devotion through self-constraint. There are also those who perform sacrifice by wealth given in alms, by mortification, by devotion, and by silent study. Some sacrifice the up-breathing in the down-breath-
35
ing and the down-breathing in the up-breathing by blocking up the channels of inspiration and expiration; and others by stopping the movements of both the life breaths; still others by abstaining from food sacrifice life in their life.
"All these different kinds of worshippers are by their sacrifices purified from their sins; but they who partake of the perfection of spiritual knowledge arising from such sacrifices pass into the eternal Supreme Spirit. But for him who maketh no sacrifices there is no part nor lot in this world; how then shall he share in the other, O best of the Kurus?
"All these sacrifices of so many kinds are displayed in the sight of God; know that they all spring from action, and, comprehending this, thou shalt obtain an eternal release. O harasser of thy foes, the sacrifice through spiritual knowledge is superior to sacrifice made with material things; every action without exception is comprehended in spiritual knowledge, O son of Pritha. Seek this wisdom by doing service, by strong search, by questions, and by humility; the wise who see the truth will communicate it unto thee, and knowing which thou shalt never again fall
36
into error, O son of Bharata. By this knowledge thou shalt see all things and creatures whatsoever in thyself and then in me. Even if thou wert the greatest of all sinners, thou shalt be able to cross over all sins in the bark of spiritual knowledge. As the natural fire, O Arjuna, reduceth fuel to ashes, so does the fire of knowledge reduce all actions to ashes. There is no purifier in this world to be compared to spiritual knowledge; and he who is perfected in devotion findeth spiritual knowledge springing up spontaneously in himself in the progress of time. The man who restraineth the senses and organs and hath faith obtaineth spiritual knowledge, and having obtained it he soon reacheth supreme tranquility; but the ignorant, those full of doubt and without faith, are lost. The man of doubtful mind hath no happiness either in this world or in the next or in any other. No actions bind that man who through spiritual discrimination hath renounced action and cut asunder all doubt by knowledge, O despiser of wealth. Wherefore, O son of Bharata, having cut asunder with the sword of spiritual knowledge this doubt which existeth in thy
37
heart, engage in the performance of action. Arise!"
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Fourth Chapter, by name ―
DEVOTION THROUGH SPIRITUAL
KNOWLEDGE
index
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF RENUNCIATION OF ACTION
______
ARJUNA:
At one time, O Krishna, thou praisest the renunciation of action, and yet again
its right performance. Tell me with certainty which of the two is better?"
KRISHNA:
"Renunciation of action and devotion through action are both means of final
emancipation, but of these two devotion through action is better than
renunciation. He is considered to be an ascetic*
who seeks nothing and nothing rejects, being free from the influence of the
'pairs of opposites,'
╫
O thou of mighty arms;
without trouble he is released from the bonds forged by action. Children only
and not the wise speak of renunciation of action
and of right performance of ac-
* That is, one who has really renounced.
╫ That is, cold and heat, pleasure and pain,
misery and happiness, etc.
Sankhya school.
39
tion * as being
different. He who perfectly practices the one receives the fruits of both, and
the place
╫ which is gained by the renouncer of
action is also attained by him who is devoted in action. That man seeth with
clear sight who seeth that the Sankhya and the Yoga doctrines are identical. But
to attain to true renunciation of action without devotion through action is
difficult, O thou of mighty arms; while the devotee who is engaged in the right
practice of his duties approacheth the Supreme Spirit in no long time. The man
of purified heart, having his body fully controlled, his senses restrained, and
for whom the only self is the Self of all creatures, is not tainted although
performing actions. The devotee who knows the divine truth thinketh 'I am doing
nothing' in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, sleeping,
breathing; even when speaking, letting go or taking, opening or closing his
eyes, he sayeth, 'the senses and organs move by natural impulse to their
appropriate objects.' Whoever in acting dedicates his actions to the Supreme
Spirit and puts aside all selfish in-
*
Yoga school.
╫ Nirvana, or emancipation.
40
terest in their result is untouched by sin, even as the leaf of the lotus is unaffected by the waters. The truly devoted, for the purification of the heart, perform actions with their bodies, their minds, their understanding, and their senses, putting away all self-interest. The man who is devoted and not attached to the fruit of his actions obtains tranquility; whilst he who through desire has attachment for the fruit of action is bound down thereby. * The self-restrained sage having with his heart renounced all actions, dwells at rest in the 'nine gate city of his abode,' ╫ neither acting nor causing to act.
"The Lord of the world creates neither the faculty of acting, nor actions,
nor the connection between action and its fruits; but nature prevaileth in
these. The Lord receives no man's deeds, be they sinful or full of
* This refers not only to the effect on the
man now, in life, but also to the "binding to rebirth" which such action causes.
╫ That is, the body as having nine openings
through which impressions are received, viz,: eyes, ears, mouth, nose,
etc.
The Sage who has united
himself to true consciousness remains in the body for the benefit of mankind.
41
merit. * The truth is obscured by that which is not true, and therefore all creatures are led astray. But in those for whom knowledge of the true Self has dispersed ignorance, the Supreme, as if lighted by the sun, is revealed. Those whose souls are in the Spirit, whose asylum is in it, who are intent on it and purified by knowledge from all sins, go to that place from which there is no return.
"The illuminated sage regards with equal mind an illuminated, selfless
Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even an outcast who eats the flesh of
dogs. Those who thus preserve an equal mind gain heaven even in this life, for
the Supreme is free from sin and equal minded; therefore they rest in the
Supreme Spirit. The man who knoweth the Supreme Spirit, who is not deluded, and
who is fixed on him, doth not rejoice at obtaining what is pleasant, nor grieve
when meeting what is unpleasant. He whose heart is not attached to
* In order to understand this clearly it is
necessary to remember that in the Vedic philosophy it is held that all actions,
whether they be good or bad, are brought about by the three great qualities―sattva, rajas, tamas―inherent in all throughout evolution. This is set
forth at length in the 7th Chapter, and in Chapter 13 the manner in which those
qualities show themselves is fully given.
42
objects of sense finds pleasure within himself, and, through devotion, united with the Supreme, enjoys imperishable bliss. For those enjoyments which arise through the contact of the senses with external objects are wombs of pain, since they have a beginning and an end; O son of Kuntξ, the wise man delighteth not in these. He who, while living in this world and before the liberation of the soul from the body, can resist the impulse arising from desire and anger is a devotee and blessιd. The man who is happy within himself, who is illuminated within, is a devotee, and partaking of the nature of the Supreme Spirit, he is merged in it. Such illuminated sages whose sins are exhausted, who are free from delusion, who have their senses and organs under control, and devoted to the good of all creatures, obtain assimilation with the Supreme Spirit. * Assimilation with the Supreme Spirit is on both sides of death for those who are free from desire and anger, temperate, of thoughts restrained; and who are acquainted with the true Self.
"The anchorite who shutteth his placid soul away from all sense of touch,
with gaze
* That is, direct knowledge of Self.
43
fixed between his brows; who maketh the breath to pass through both his nostrils with evenness alike in inspiration and expiration, whose senses and organs together with his heart and understanding are under control, and who hath set his heart upon liberation and is ever free from desire and anger, is emancipated from birth and death even in this life. Knowing that I, the great Lord of all worlds, am the enjoyer of all sacrifices and penances and the friend of all creatures, he shall obtain me and be blessed."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Fifth Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF RENUNCIATION OF
ACTION
index
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF SELF-RESTRAINT
______
KRISHNA:
He who, unattached to the fruit of his actions, performeth such actions as
should be done is both a renouncer * of action and
a devotee ╫ of right action; not he who liveth
without kindling the sacrificial fire and without ceremonies.
Know, O son of Pandu, that what they call Sannyas or a
forsaking of action is the same as Yoga or the practice of devotion. No
one without having previously renounced all intentions can be devoted. Action is
said to be the means by which the wise man who is desirous of mounting to
meditation may reach thereto; so cessation from action is said to be the means
for him who hath reached to meditation. When he hath renounced all intentions
and is devoid of attachment to action in regard to objects of
* A Sannyasi.
╫ A Yogi
Those ceremonies prescribed by the
Brahmanical law.
45
sense, then he is called one who hath ascended to meditation. He should raise the self by the Self; let him not suffer the Self to be lowered; for Self is the friend of self, and in like manner, self is its own enemy. *Self is the friend of the man who is self-conquered; so self like a foe hath enmity to him who is not self-conquered. The Self of the man who is self-subdued and free from desire and anger is intent on the Supreme Self in heat and cold, in pain and pleasure, in honor and ignominy. The man who hath spiritual knowledge and discernment, who standeth upon the pinnacle, and hath subdued the senses, to whom gold and stone are the same, is said to be devoted. And he is esteemed among all who, whether amongst his friends and companions, in the midst of enemies or those who stand aloof or remain neutral, with those who love and those who hate, and in the company of sinners or the righteous, is of equal mind.
"He who has attained to meditation should constantly strive to stay at rest
in the Supreme,
* In this play upon "self" the Higher and the
lower self are meant, in that the lower is the enemy of the Higher through its
resistance to true development; and the lower self is at the same time the enemy
of its own best interests through its downward tendency.
46
remaining in solitude and seclusion, having his body and his
thoughts under control, without possessions and free from hope. He should in an
undefiled spot place his seat, firm, neither too high nor too low, and made of kusa grass which is covered with a skin and a cloth.
*
There, for the self's purification he should practice meditation with his mind
fixed on one point, the modifications of the thinking principle controlled and
the action of the senses and organs restrained. Keeping his body, head, and neck
firm and erect, with mind determined, and gaze directed to the tip of his nose
without looking in any direction, with heart at peace and free from fear, the
Yogee should remain, settled in the vow of a Brahmacharya, his thoughts
controlled, and heart fixed on me. The devotee of controlled mind who thus
always bringeth his heart to rest in the Supreme reacheth that
* These directions are for those hermits who
have retired from the world. Many of the translators have variously construed
the text; one reads that the devotee has "only skin and sheet to cover him and
grass to lie upon"; another that "his goods are a cloth and deerskin and kusa
grass." "Those who know" say that this is a description of a magnetically
arranged seat and that kusa grass is laid on the ground, the skin on the grass,
and the cloth on the skin. Philological discussion will never decide the point.
47
tranquility, the supreme assimilation with me.
"This divine discipline, Arjuna, is not to be attained by the man who eateth
more than enough or too little, nor by him who hath a habit of sleeping much,
nor by him who is given to overwatching. The meditation which destroyeth pain is
produced in him who is moderate in eating and in recreation, of moderate
exertion in his actions, and regulated in sleeping and waking. When the man, so
living, centers his heart in the true Self and is exempt from attachment to all
desires, he is said to have attained to Yoga. Of the sage of self-centered
heart, at rest and free from attachment to desires, the simile is recorded, 'as
a lamp which is sheltered from the wind flickereth not.' When regulated by the
practice of yoga and at rest, seeing the self by the self, he is contented; when
he becometh acquainted with that boundless bliss which is not connected with
objects of the senses, and being where he is not moved from the reality;
*having gained which he considereth no other
superior to it, and in which,
* "Reality," Nirvana and also complete
realization of the True and the disappearance of the illusion as to objects and
separateness.
48
being fixed, he is not moved even by the greatest grief; know that this disconnection from union with pain is distinguished as yoga, spiritual union or devotion, which is to be striven after by a man with faith and steadfastly.
"When he hath abandoned every desire that ariseth from the imagination and subdued with the mind the senses and organs which impel to action in every direction, being possessed of patience, he by degrees finds rest; and, having fixed his mind at rest in the true Self, he should think of nothing else. To whatsoever object the inconstant mind goeth out he should subdue it, bring it back, and place it upon the Spirit. Supreme bliss surely cometh to the sage whose mind is thus at peace; whose passions and desires are thus subdued; who is thus in the true Self and free from sin. He who is thus devoted and free from sin obtaineth without hindrance the highest bliss―union with the Supreme Spirit. The man who is endued with this devotion and who seeth the unity of all things perceiveth the Supreme Soul in all things and all things in the Supreme Soul. He who seeth me in all things and all things in me looseneth not
49
his hold on me and I forsake him not. And whosoever, believing in spiritual unity, worshipeth me who am in all things, dwelleth with me in whatsoever condition he may be. He, O Arjuna, who by the similitude found in himself seeth but one essence in all things, whether they be evil or good, is considered to be the most excellent devotee."
ARJUNA:
"O slayer of Madhu, * on account of the
restlessness of the mind, I do not perceive any possibility of steady
continuance in this yoga of equanimity which thou hast declared. For indeed, O
Krishna, the mind is full of agitation, turbulent, strong, and obstinate. I
believe the restraint of it to be as difficult as that of the wind."
KRISHNA:
"Without doubt, O thou of mighty arms, the mind is restless and hard to
restrain; but it may be restrained, O son of Kuntξ, by practice and absence of
desire. Yet in my opinion this divine discipline called yoga is very diffi-
* Madhu; a daitya or demon slain by Krishna,
and representing the quality of passion in nature.
50
cult for one who hath not his soul in his own control; yet it may be acquired through proper means and by one who is assiduous and controlleth his heart."
ARJUNA:
"What end, O Krishna, doth that man attain who, although having faith, hath not
attained to perfection in his devotion because his unsubdued mind wandered from
the discipline? Doth he, fallen from both, * like
a broken cloud without any support,
╫
become
destroyed, O strong-armed one, being deluded in the path of the Supreme Spirit?
Thou Krishna, shouldst completely dispel this doubt for me, for there is none
other to be found able to remove it."
KRISHNA:
"Such a man, O son of Pritha, doth not perish here or hereafter. For never to an
evil
* "From both" here means the good Karma
resulting from good deeds and spiritual knowledge acquired through yoga, or
heaven and emancipation.
╫ "Without any support" refers to the support
or sanction contained in the Brahmanical law in its promises to him who keeps it,
for he who practices yoga is not abiding by the promises of the law, which are
for those who obey that law and refrain from yoga.
51
place goeth one who doeth good. The man whose devotion has been broken off
by death goeth to the regions of the righteous, *
where he dwells for an immensity of years and is then born again on earth in a
pure and fortunate family;
╫
or even in a family
of those who are spiritually illuminated. But such a rebirth into this life as
this last is more difficult to obtain. Being thus born again he comes in contact
with the knowledge which belonged to him in his former body, and from that time
he struggles more diligently towards perfection, O son of Kuru. For even
unwittingly, by reason of that past practice, he is led and works on. Even if
only a mere enquirer, he reaches beyond the word of the Vedas. But the
devotee who, striving with all his might, obtaineth perfection because of
efforts continued through many births, goeth to the supreme goal. The man of
meditation as thus described is superior to the man of penance and to the man of
learning and also to the man of action; wherefore, O Arjuna, resolve thou to
become a man of meditation. But of all devotees he is considered by me as the
most
*
That is, Devachan.
╫ Madhusudana says this means in the family
of a king or emperor.
52
devoted who, with heart fixed on me, full of faith, worships me."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Sixth Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF SELF-RESTRAINT
index
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT
______
KRISHNA:
Hear, O son of Pritha, how with heart fixed on me, practicing meditation and
taking me as thy refuge, thou shalt know me completely. I will instruct thee
fully in this knowledge and in its realization, which, having learned, there
remains nothing else to be known.
"Among thousands of mortals a single one perhaps strives for perfection, and among those so striving perhaps a single one knows me as I am. Earth, water, fire, air, and akβsa, Manas, Buddhi, and Ahankara is the eightfold division of my nature. It is inferior; know that my superior nature is different and is the knower; by it the universe is sustained; learn that the whole of creation springs from this too as from a womb; I am the cause, I am the production and the dissolution of the whole universe. There is none superior to me, O conqueror of wealth, and all things hang
54
on me as precious gems upon a string. I am the
taste in water, O son of Kuntξ, the light in the sun and moon, the mystic
syllable OM in all the Vedas, sound in space, the masculine essence in
men, the sweet smell in the earth, and the brightness in the fire. In all
creatures I am the life, and the power of concentration in those whose minds are
on the spirit. Know me, O son of Pritha, as the eternal seed of all creatures. I
am the wisdom * of the wise and the strength of
the strong. And I am the power of the strong who in action are free from desire
and longing; in all creatures I am desire regulated by moral fitness. Know also
that the dispositions arising from the three qualities, sattva, rajas,
and tamas, are from me; they are in me, but I am not in them. The whole
world, being deluded by these dispositions which are born of the three
qualities, knoweth not me distinct from them, supreme, imperishable. For this my
divine illusive power, acting through the natural qualities, is difficult to
surmount, and those only can surmount it who have recourse to me alone. The
wicked among men, the deluded and the low-minded, deprived of spiritual
perception by
*
This means here the principle "Buddhi."
55
this illusion, and inclining toward demoniacal dispositions, do not have recourse to me.
"Four classes of men who work righteousness worship me, O Arjuna; those who
are afflicted, the searchers for truth, those who desire possessions, and the
wise, O son of Bharata. Of these the best is the one possessed of spiritual
knowledge, who is always devoted to me. I am extremely dear to the wise man, and
he is dear unto me. Excellent indeed are all these, but the spiritually wise is
verily myself, because with heart at peace he is upon the road that leadeth to
the highest path, which is even myself. After many births the spiritually wise
findeth me as the Vasudeva who is all this, for such an one of great soul
* is difficult to meet. Those who through
diversity of desires are deprived of spiritual wisdom adopt particular rites
subordinated to their own natures, and worship other Gods. In whatever form a
devotee desires with faith to worship, it is I alone who inspire him with
constancy therein, and depending on that faith he seeks the propitiation of that
God, obtaining the object of his
*
In the original the word is "Mahatma."
56
wishes as is ordained by me alone. But the reward of such short-sighted men is temporary. Those who worship the Gods go to the Gods, and those who worship me come unto me. The ignorant, being unacquainted with my supreme condition which is superior to all things and exempt from decay, believe me who am unmanifested to exist in a visible form. Enveloped by my magic illusion I am not visible to the world; therefore the world doth not recognize me the unborn and exhaustless. I know, O Arjuna, all creatures that have been, that are present, as well as all that shall hereafter be, but no one knows me. At the time of birth, O son of Bharata, all beings fall into error by reason of the delusion of the opposites which springs from liking and disliking, O harasser of thy foes. But those men of righteous lives whose sins have ceased, being free from this delusion of the 'pairs of opposites,' firmly settled in faith, worship me. They who depend on me, and labor for deliverance from birth and death know Brahmβ, the whole Adhyβtma, and all Karma. Those who rest in me, knowing me to be the Adhibhϋta, the Adhidaivata, and
57
the Adhiyajna, know me also at the time of death."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Seventh Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT.
index
DEVOTION TO THE OMNIPRESENT SPIRIT NAMED AS OM
______
ARJUNA:
What is that Brahman, what is Adhyβtma, and what, O best of men! is Karma? What
also is Adhibhϋta, and what Adhidaivata ? Who, too, is Adhiyajna here, in this
body, and how therein, O slayer of Madhu? Tell me also how men who are fixed in
meditation are to know thee at the hour of death?"
KRISHNA:
"Brahman the Supreme is the exhaustless. Adhyβtma is the name of my being
manifesting as the Individual Self. Karma is the emanation which causes the
existence and reproduction of creatures. *
Adhibhϋta is the Supreme Spirit dwelling in all elemental nature through the
mysterious power of nature's illusion. Adhidaivata is the Purusha, the
*
Karma here is, so to say, the action of the
Supreme which is seen in manifestation throughout the evolution of the objective
worlds.
59
Spiritual Person, and Adhiyajna is myself in this body, O best of embodied men. Whoever at the hour of death abandoneth the body, fixed in meditation upon me, without doubt goeth to me. Whoso in consequence of constant meditation on any particular form thinketh upon it when quitting his mortal shape, even to that doth he go, O son of Kuntξ. Therefore at all times meditate only on me and fight. Thy mind and Buddhi being placed on me alone, thou shalt without doubt come to me. The man whose heart abides in me alone, wandering to no other object, shall also by meditation on the Supreme Spirit go to it, O son of Pritha. Whosoever shall meditate upon the All-Wise which is without beginning, the Supreme Ruler, the smallest of the small, the Supporter of all, whose form is incomprehensible, bright as the sun beyond the darkness; with mind undeviating, united to devotion, and by the power of meditation concentrated at the hour of death, with his vital powers placed between the eyebrows, attains to that Supreme Divine Spirit.
"I will now make known to thee that path which the learned in the Vedas call inde-
60
structible, into which enter those who are free from attachments, and is followed by those desirous of leading the life of a Brahmacharya * laboring for salvation. He who closeth all the doors of his senses, imprisoneth his mind in his heart, fixeth his vital powers in his head, standing firm in meditation, repeating the monosyllable OM, and thus continues when he is quitting the body, goeth to the supreme goal. He who, with heart undiverted to any other object, meditates constantly and through the whole of life on me shall surely attain to me, O son of Pritha. Those great-souled ones who have attained to supreme perfection come unto me and no more incur rebirths rapidly revolving, which are mansions of pain and sorrow.
"All worlds up to that of Brahman are subject to rebirth again and again, but
they, O son of Kuntξ, who reach to me have no rebirth. Those who are acquainted
with day and night
╫
know that the day of Brahmβ
is
* Brahmacharya vow is a vow to live a life of
religious study and asceticism - "following Brahma."
╫
This refers to those who have acquired
knowledge of the ultimate divisions of time, a power which is ascribed to the
perfect yogi in Patanjali's Yoga Philosophy.
61
a thousand revolutions of the yugas and that his night extendeth for a thousand more. At the coming on of that day all things issue forth from the unmanifested into manifestation, so on the approach of that night they merge again into the unmanifested. This collection of existing things having thus come forth, is dissolved at the approach of the night, O son of Pritha; and now again on the coming of the day it emanates spontaneously. But there is that which upon the dissolution of all things else is not destroyed; it is indivisible, indestructible, and of another nature from the visible. That called the unmanifested and exhaustless is called the supreme goal, which having once attained they never more return - it is my supreme abode. This Supreme, O son of Pritha, within whom all creatures are included and by whom all this is pervaded, may be attained by a devotion which is intent on him alone.
"I will now declare to thee, O best of the Bharatas, at what time yogis dying obtain freedom from or subjection to rebirth. Fire, light, day, the fortnight of the waxing moon, six months of the sun's northern course―
62
going then and knowing the Supreme Spirit, men go to the Supreme. But those who depart in smoke, at night, during the fortnight of the waning moon, and while the sun is in the path of his southern journey, proceed for a while to the regions of the moon and again return to mortal birth. These two, light and darkness, are the world's eternal ways; by one a man goes not to return, by the other he cometh back again upon earth. No devotee, O son of Pritha, who knoweth these two paths is ever deluded; wherefore, O Arjuna, at all times be thou fixed in devotion. * The man of meditation who knoweth all this reaches beyond whatever rewards are promised in the Vedas or that result from sacrifices or austerities or from gifts of charity, and goeth to the supreme, the highest place."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the
science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the collo-
* The paragraph up to here is thought by some
European Sanscritists to be an interpolation, but that view is not held by all,
nor is it accepted by the Hindus.
63
quy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Eighth Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION TO THE OMNIPRESENT SPIRIT NAMED AS OM.
index
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF THE KINGLY KNOWLEDGE
AND THE KINGLY MYSTERY
______
KRISHNA:
Unto thee who findeth no fault I will now make known this most mysterious
knowledge, coupled with a realization of it, which having known thou shalt be
delivered from evil. This is the royal knowledge, the royal mystery, the most
excellent purifier, clearly comprehensible, not opposed to sacred law, easy to
perform, and inexhaustible. These who are unbelievers in this truth, O harasser
of thy foes, find me not, but revolving in rebirth return to this world, the
mansion of death.
"All this universe is pervaded by me in my invisible form; all things exist in me, but I do not exist in them. Nor are all things in me; behold this my divine mystery: myself causing things to exist and supporting them all but dwelling not in them. Understand that all things are in me even as the mighty
65
air which passes everywhere is in space. O son of Kuntξ, at the end of a kalpa all things return unto my nature, and then again at the beginning of another kalpa I cause them to evolve again. Taking control of my own nature I emanate again and again this whole assemblage of beings, without their will, by the power of the material essence. * These acts do not bind me, O conqueror of wealth, because I am as one who sitteth indifferent, uninterested in those works. By reason of my supervision nature produceth the animate and inanimate universe; it is through this cause, O son of Kuntξ, that the universe revolveth.
"The deluded despise me in human form, being unacquainted with my real nature
as Lord of all things. They are of vain hopes, deluded in action, in reason and
in knowledge, inclining to demoniac and deceitful principles.
╫
But those great of soul, partaking of the godlike nature,
knowing me to be the imperishable principle of all things, worship me, diverted
to nothing else. Fixed in un-
* That is to say, by the power of "prakriti."
╫ This reads that "they are inclined to the
nature of the asuras and rakshasas," a class of evil elementals of beings, or,
as some say, "of the nature of the very low constituents of nature."
66
broken vows they worship, everywhere proclaiming me
and bowing down to me. Others with the sacrifice of knowledge in other ways
worship me as indivisible, as separable, as the Spirit of the universe. I am the
sacrifice and sacrificial rite; I am the libation offered to ancestors, and the
spices; I am the sacred formula and the fire; I am the food and the sacrificial
butter; I am the father and the mother of this universe, the grandsire and the
preserver; I am the Holy One, the object of knowledge, the mystic purifying
syllable OM, the Rik, the Saman, the Yajur, and all the
Vedas. I am the goal, the Comforter, the Lord, the Witness, the
resting-place, the asylum and the Friend; I am the origin and the dissolution,
the receptacle, the storehouse, and the eternal seed. I cause light and heat and
rain; I now draw in and now let forth; I am death and immortality; I am the
cause unseen and the visible effect. Those enlightened in the three Vedas,
offering sacrifices to me and obtaining sanctification from drinking the soma
juice, * petition me for heaven;
*
Among the Hindus the drinking of the soma at
the end of a sacrifice is an act of great merit, with its analogy in the
Christian faith in the drinking of the communion wine.
67
thus they attain
the region of Indra,* the prince of celestial
beings, and there feast upon celestial food and are gratified with heavenly
enjoyments. And they, having enjoyed that spacious heaven for a period in
proportion to their merits, sink back into this mortal world where they are born
again as soon as their stock of merit is exhausted; thus those who long for the
accomplishment of desires, following the Vedas, obtain a happiness which
comes and goes. But for those who, thinking of me as identical with all,
constantly worship me, I bear the burden of the responsibility of their
happiness. And even those also who worship other gods with a firm faith in doing
so, involuntarily worship me, too, O son of Kuntξ, albeit in ignorance. I am he
who is the Lord of all sacrifices, and am also their enjoyer, but they do not
understand me truly and therefore they fall from heaven. Those who devote
themselves to the gods go to the gods; the worshippers of the pitris go to the
pitris; those who worship the evil
* "The region of Indra" is the highest of the
celestial spheres. It is the devachan of theosophical literature, for
Indra is the prince of the celestial beings who abide in deva-sthan.
68
spirits * go to
them, and my worshippers come to me. I accept and enjoy the offerings of the
humble soul who in his worship with a pure heart offereth a leaf, a flower, or
fruit, or water unto me. Whatever thou doest, O son of Kuntξ, whatever thou
eatest, whatever thou sacrificest, whatever thou givest, whatever mortification
thou performest, commit each unto me. Thus thou shalt be delivered from the good
and evil experiences which are the bonds of action; and thy heart being joined
to renunciation and to the practice of action, thou shalt come to me. I am the
same to all creatures; I know not hatred nor favor; but those who serve me with
love dwell in me and I in them. Even if the man of most evil ways worship me
with exclusive devotion, he is to be considered as righteous, for he hath judged
aright. Such a man soon becometh of a righteous soul and obtaineth perpetual
happiness. I swear, O son of Kuntξ, that he who worships me never perisheth.
Those even who may be of the womb of sin,
*
These evil spirits are the Bhutas, and are
the same as the so-called spirits of the dead―the shells - worshipped or run
after at spiritualistic seances.
69
women, ╫ vaisyas, and sudras,* shall tread the highest path if they take sanctuary with me. How much more, then, holy brahmans and devotees of kingly race! Having obtained this finite, joyless world, worship me. Serve me, fix heart and mind on me, be my servant, my adorer, prostrate thyself before me, and thus, united unto me, at rest, thou shalt go unto me."
Thus in the Upanishads, called the holy Bhagavad-Gξtβ, in the science of the Supreme Spirit, in the book of devotion, in the colloquy between the Holy Krishna and Arjuna, stands the Ninth Chapter, by name―
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF THE KINGLY
KNOWLEDGE AND THE KINGLY
MYSTERY
╫ This may seem strange to those who have been
born in Christendom, and perhaps appear to be testimony to harsh views on the
part of Hindu sages respecting women, but in the Bible the same thing is to be
found and even worse, where in I Tim. 2, 11-15, it is declared that the
woman shall be saved through her husband, and that she must be subservient.
* Vaisyas and sudras are the two lower castes,
or merchants and servitors.
DEVOTION BY MEANS OF THE UNIVERSAL DIVINE
PERFECTIONS
______
KRISHNA:
Hear again, O thou of mighty arms, my supreme words, which unto thee who art
well pleased I will declare because I am anxious for thy welfare.
"Neither the assemblage of the Gods nor the Adept Kings know my origin, because I am the origin of all the Gods and of the Adepts. Whosoever knoweth me to be the mighty Ruler of the universe and without birth or beginning, he among men, undeluded, shall be liberated from all his sins. Subtle perception, spiritual knowledge, right judgment, patience, truth, self-mastery; pleasure and pain, prosperity and adversity; birth and death, danger and security, fear and equanimity, satisfaction, restraint of body and mind, alms-giving, inoffensiveness, zeal and glory and ignominy, all these the various dispositions of creatures come from me. So in former days the seven great Sages and the
71
four Manus who are of my nature were born of my mind, and from them sprang this world. He who knoweth perfectly this permanence and mystic faculty of mine becometh without doubt possessed of unshaken faith. I am the origin of all; all things proceed from me; believing me to be thus, the wise gifted with spiritual wisdom worship me; their very hearts and minds are in me; enlightening one another and constantly speaking of me, they are full of enjoyment and satisfaction. To them thus always devoted to me, who worship me with love, I give that mental devotion by which they come to me. For them do I out of my compassion, standing within their hearts, destroy the darkness which springs from ignorance by the brilliant lamp of spiritual discernment."
ARJUNA:
"Thou art Parabrahm! * the supreme abode, the
great Purification; thou art the Eternal Presence, the divine Being, before all
other Gods, holy, primeval, all-pervading, without beginning! Thus thou art
declared by all the Sages - by Narada, Asita, Devala,
*
Beyond Brahma.
72
Vyasa, and thou thyself now doth say the same. I firmly believe all that thou, O Keshava, sayest unto me; for neither Gods nor demons comprehend thy manifestations. Thou alone knowest thyself by thy Self, Supreme Spirit, Creator and Master of all that lives, God of Gods, and Lord of all the universe! Thou alone can fully declare thy divine powers by which thou hast pervaded and continueth to pervade these worlds. How shall I, constantly thinking of thee, be able to know thee, O mysterious Lord? In what particular forms shall I meditate on thee? O Janardana―besought by mortals―tell me therefore in full thine own powers and forms of manifestation, for I am never sated of drinking of the life-giving water of thy words."
KRISHNA:
"O best of Kurus, blessings be upon thee. * I will
make thee acquainted with the chief of my divine manifestations, for the extent
of my nature is infinite.
* In the original the first word is one which
carries a blessing with it; it is a benediction and means "now then," but this
in English conveys no idea of a benediction.
73
"I am the Ego which is seated in the hearts of all beings; I am the
beginning, the middle, and the end
of all existing things. Among Adityas* I am Vishnu, and among luminous bodies I am the
sun. I am Mrichi among the Maruts,╫
and among
heavenly mansions I am the moon. Among the Vedas I am the Samaveda,
and Indra§ among
the Gods; among the senses and organs I am the Manas,
ΐ
and of creatures the existence. I am Shankara among the Rudras; and Vittesha,
the lord of wealth among the Yakshas and
Rakshasas.** I am Pavaka among the Vasus,╫╫
and Meru
among high-aspiring mountains. And know, O son of Pritha, that I am Brihaspati,§§ the
*
Adityas, the
twelve Sun-gods, who at the recurrence of the time for dissolution by fire,
bring on the universal conflagration.
╫
The Gods of air.
In Western language this may be said to be
the Veda of song in the very highest sense of the power of song. Many
nations held that song had the power to make even mere matter change and move
obedient to the sound.
§ In the original it is "Vasava" which is a
name of Indra
ΐ. The heart or the mind.
Spirits of a sensual nature.
** An order of evil spirits.
╫╫ Among the first created Beings of a high
order.
Said by some to be the North Pole.
§§
Jupiter, the teacher of the Devas.
74
chief of teachers; among leaders of
celestial armies Skanda, and of floods I am the ocean. I am Bhrigu among the
Adept Kings; of words I am the monosyllable OM; of forms of worship, the silent
repetition of sacred texts, and of immovable things I am the Himalaya. Of all
the trees of the forest I am Ashwattha, the Pimpala tree; and of the celestial
Sages, Narada; among Gandharbhas * I am
Chitraratha, and of perfect saints, Kapila. Know that among horses I am
Uchchisrava, who arose with the Amrita out of the ocean; among elephants, Airavata, and among men their sovereigns. Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among
cows, Kamaduk, the cow of plenty; of procreators, the god of love, and of
serpents, Vasuki, ╫ their chief. I am Ananta
among the Nagas,
Varuna among things of the
waters; among the ancestors, Aryana, and of all who judge I am Yama.
§ Among the Daityas I am Prahlada, and among
computations I am Time itself; the lion among
* Celestial host of singers; they are a
class of elementals.
╫ Poisonous serpents.
Non-poisonous serpents of a fabled sort,
said to have speech and wisdom.
§
The Judge of the dead.
75
beasts, and Garuda
* among the feathered tribe. Among purifiers I am Pavana, the
air; Rama among those who carry arms, Makara among the fishes, and the Ganges
among rivers. Among that which is evolved, O Arjuna, I am the beginning, the
middle, and the end; of all sciences I am the knowledge of the Adhyβtma,
╫ and of uttered sounds the human speech. Among
letters I am the vowel A, and of all compound words I am the Dwandwa;
I am endless time itself, and the Preserver
whose face is turned on all sides. I am all-grasping death, and the birth of
those who are to be; among feminine things I am fame, fortune, speech, memory,
intelligence, patience, and forgiveness. Among the hymns of the Samaveda
I am Brihat Saman, and the Gayatri among metres; among months I am the
month Margashirsha, §
and of seasons spring
called Kusumakra, the time of flowers.
* Garuda, the bird of Vishnu, and also means
esoterically the whole manvantaric cycle.
╫ The highest spiritual knowledge.
A form of compound word in the Sanskrit
which preserves the meaning of the words making up the compound.
§ The month when the regular rains have
stopped and the heat abated.
76
Of those things which deceive I am the dice, and s