Chapter 7.2 Jnana Vijnana Yoga (Yoga of knowledge and wisdom) - Slokas 16-30
Who are the different kinds of people who worship Bhagavan Krishna?
Sloka 16
Caturvidha bhajante maam janaah sukrtinor ‘juna
Aartho jijnaasur arthaarthi jnaani ca bharata rshaba
“Four kinds of virtuous people worship Me, O Arjuna; the person in distress, the seeker of systematized Knowledge, the seeker of wealth and the wise, O the best among the Bharathas”.
Now, Sri Krishna explains the four type of virtuous people who worship Him.
We may belong to any one of these categories in different stages of our life. The choice is ours.
Does Bhagavan have any “favorites” among His bhakthas?
Sloka 17 - 18
17. “Of them, the wise, ever steadfast and devoted to the One, excels; for, I am exceedingly dear to the wise and he is dear to Me”.
18. “Noble indeed are all these, but the wise man, I deem to be My very Self. For, steadfast in mind, he is established in Me alone, as the supreme goal”.
The Lord reassures us that all of His bhakthas are “noble” (udaarah). But among these four types of seekers, The Lord says He is very dear to the wise, who are “devoted to the One” (Self). The reason is that the wise person completely negates the entire world of objects and is totally consumed in devotion to the Lord. He may be completely engaged in worldly activities but constantly thinking of the Lord while at work or at home.
How does a person get to that level of “oneness” with the Lord?
Sloka 19
Bahunaam janmanaam ante jnaanavaan maam prapadyate
Vaasudevah sarvam iti sa mahaatmaa sudurlabhaha
“At the end of many births, the wise man takes refuge in Me, realizing that all this is Vaasudeva (the innermost Self); such a great soul (Mahaatma) is very hard to find”.
20. “Those whose wisdom has been looted away by this or that desire, go to other gods, following this or that norm, led by their own nature”.
Sri Krishna says that the wise man takes refuge in Him at the end of many births. At that time, the wise man Realizes that “this entire creation is Vaasudeva” (“Vaasudeva sarvam iti”). This should be understood correctly. No one knows how many births a person has taken before. This birth could be the last birth for the human being if he (she) takes refuge in the Lord and comes to the understanding that “all this is Vaasudeva”.
Sri Krishna goes on to say that people worship other gods (devatas) desiring to gain some (material) thing or other as per their “own nature”.
How does Bhagavan treat those people who worship other gods?
21. “Whatsoever form any devotee desires to worship with faith, that same faith of His I make firm and unflinching”.
22. “Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that devata (form) and from it he obtains his desires; all these being ordained by Me alone”.
23. “Verily the fruit that accrues those men of little intelligence is finite. The worshippers of the devas go to the devas but My devotees come to Me”.
Bhagavan is all compassion and all Grace. He says if someone worships any devata with faith, for gaining one “finite” thing or other, He makes that effort fruitful. He even assists that person’s faith to become firm and unflinching. Bhagavan Krishna asserts that He is in charge and ordains the wishes of all those worshippers of any form to come true. He further says that His devotees directly reach Him.
“Water seems to be flowing out from the mouth of cows, lions and tigers attached to the drain- pipes from the roof of the house. But all these waters actually come from the heavens in the form of the rain. Similarly, the words uttered by the holy ones are due to the all inspiration coming from Ishwara”. – Sri Ramakrishna
Why some people have not understood Bhagavan as He is?
24. “The foolish think of Me, the Unmanifest, having come to manifestation, not knowing My higher, immutable and peerless nature”.
25. “I am not manifest to all (in My Real nature) veiled by divine maya. This deluded world knows Me not, the Unborn, the Imperishable”.
26. “I know, O Arjuna, the beings of the past, the present and the future, but no one knows Me”.
With our human eyes, we can only see the five elements of earth, fire, water, air and akasa (ether or space). We also deal with names and forms (other humans, the interactions with them through our body, mind and intellect equipment). These are part of His lower Prakriti or nature as we saw earlier. We do not see the unmanifest and the immutable (unchanging) nature of Bhagavan. This is due to the “veil” caused by His “Divine Maya”. Only when we read the scriptures (or learn scriptures from gurus) and meditate on the Truth stated in the scriptures, we come to the understanding that there is more to Bhagavan than meets the eye. We understand that He is Unborn (Ajah) and Imperishable.
He also tells Arjuna that He knows the past, the present and the future. Due to this knowledge, Bhagavan is called “Sarvajnan” (“all Knower”).
(These slokas 25 and 26 are similar to the slokas 5 and 6 in Chapter 4, where Bhagavan Krishna tells Arjuna that He knows about the many births Arjuna and Sri Krishna have taken and how, even though Unborn and Imperishable in nature, He is born in this world by His own Maya).
Why are people deluded?
27. “By the delusion of the pair of opposites arising from desire and aversion, O Bharata, all beings are subject to delusion at birth, O Parantapa”.
28. “But, those men of virtuous deeds whose sins have come to an end, who are freed from the delusion of the pair of opposites and steadfast in vows, worship Me”.
Bhagavan Krishna addresses the cause of delusion as the pair of opposites, “desire and aversion”. We need to analyze it. Birth is always followed by death with the interval period being called as “life”. The desire for living and the aversion for death as per Sri Krishna, are due to delusion. Worship of the Lord steadfastly clears the confusion that birth and death are only modifications of the physical body and come to the understanding that the “Self” (Atman) never dies.
“Every “body” dies but “nobody” dies” – Swami Chinmayananda
How can a human being get out of this delusion?
Sloka 29
Jaraa marana mokshaaya maam aashritya yatanti ye
Te brahma tadviduh krtsna madhyaatmam karma chaakilam
“Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, take refuge in Me, they realize in full that Brahman, the whole knowledge of the Self and all actions”.
30. “Those who know Me with the adhibhuta, adhidaiva and adhiyajna, know Me even at the time of death, steadfast in mind”.
Ignorance can be removed only by Knowledge. The best medicine is to surrender to the Lord. Once a person does that, he (she) overcomes the misunderstanding that “I am this body” and Realizes that “I am The Self and I have a body”. That person Realizes the Brahman through Self Knowledge. Here, Adhibhuta means pertaining to elements (the world of objects). Adhidaiva means pertaining to the gods (sense organs). Adhiyajna means pertaining to the sacrifice (all perceptions).
The last two slokas 29-30 represent a glimpse of what is coming in the next chapter called “Akhshara Brahma Yoga” (Yoga of The Imperishable Truth).
Om Tat Sat iti Srimad Bhagavadgitasu Upanishatsu Brahmavidyaayaam Yogashastre Sri Krishnarjuna samvade jnana vijnaana yogo naama saptamo dhyaayaha
Thus, in the Upanishads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the Knowledge of Brahman, in the scripture of Yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the seventh discourse titled “The Yoga of Knowledge and wisdom or Realization”.
Summary of Chapter 7:
In this chapter, called “Jnana Vijnana Yoga” (Yoga of Knowledge and Wisdom or Realization), Bhagavan Sri Krishna explains to Arjuna about His “Lower Prakriti “and His “Higher Prakriti”. He further declares that “All the worlds are strung in Me, as clusters of gems on a string” (“Sutre maniganaa iva”). Lord Krishna describes in extensive detail as to how he is in everything. Bhagavan discusses the four types of virtuous people who worship Him and who among them, He considers as His very Self. He describes the destination of the different type of worshippers. He also explains why all the people in this world are subject to delusion at birth. Finally, Bhagavan describes how, people who strive for liberation from old age and death, overcome this delusion.
Hari Om!
Dr. Shanmugam
0