S.Y. University Oriental Series No. 12

Gl#nerlll E.dltor: Dr. $, Sankaranaray.nan

SRiMADBHAGA VADGITAWITH

GiT ARTHASANGRAHAOF

ABHINA VAGUPT A

PART TWO: TRANSLATION

8yOr. S. SANKARANARAYANAII,

DIRECTOR,

S.V. University Oriental Research Institute, TlrupoU

PUBLISHEDby

THE DIRECTOR,

SRI VENKATESWARA UNIVERSITY

ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, TIRUPATt

1985

© SRI VENKATESWARA UNIVERSITY,TIRUPATI

First Edition: 1985 - 500 Copies

" J~ t~\ tt ~1J'/NiitedatS.V. UNIVERSITY PRESS

TlRUPATI -m 502

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CONTENTS

PAGE~

ijijlfurr. iii

Acknowledgement vii

CHAPTER ODe 3" Two 17" Three 49

" Four 75

"Five 105

" Six 119"

Seven 141

" Eight 159"

Nine 185

"Ten 205

"Eleven 215

"Twelve 231

"Thirteen 243

" Fourteen 255

•• Fifteen 267

"Sixteen 281

" Seventeen 289

" Eighteen 303

INDICES

Ii Index of Authors ~3S

II. Index of Works 336

III. General Index 338IV. Index of Sanskrit Words .u 342

Addi dOllS .u H. :H6Corrections ... 358

,ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I once again thank our revered Vice-Chancellor Prof.G.N. Reddy Garu for making this part see the light of tbe day.

The members of the Research Staff of the OrientalResearch Institute have checked tbe press copy and correctedproof pages often. The Clerical Staff members of the ORI havealso taken pain for bringing out the Volume. ParticularlySoot. Pramila has shouldered the entire burden of typing tbefirst and final-press copies of tbe translation. To all thesefriends and colleagues my sincere thanks are due.

The press copy of this part was with the S.V. UniversityPress since 1979. There had been many difficulties in the Press.Yet, tbe S.V. University Press has made it possible to print andrelease this part, with nice get-up. For this, I am thankful toProf. K. Narayana Reddy, the Director of Publication, to SriSomasekbara, S.V. University Press Manager in-charge IInd tobis sta fT.

I place this volume as a humble offering at the feet of theLord Sri Venkateswara. It is indeed His Grace that bas mademe write and bring out this volume. I request the scholars':

Sf~l:lr~~ ~~'"fl :q ~ ij~: ~il~r

'if~~ ~ilr~ .

l1lf;:g W!1 :q ~q<r;l:ll3;,II

Oriental Research Institute,Sri'Venkateswara University, ~ S. SANKARANARAYANANTUl.uPATI.

4th May, 1985

* The Foreword, Introduction etc. of these two parts are included in Part I.NOTE: In the English translation in this book the matter shown within

square brackets [ ] is addition making the sense of a givensentence complete and that given within round brackets ( )represents explanation or Illternative rendering.

BHAGAVADGiTAwith- - .GITARTHASANGRAHA

of

ABHINA VAGUPT A

PART TWO

Translation

Chapter One

He, Who is the repository of the light of knowledge; Whois the destroyer of ill-luck; Who is in the form of the birth-cycle(or multitude) of dIverse beings extensively manifesting; Whosuffers mutual differences; Who (therefore) attains the conditionof being an object; by contemplating on Whose oneness, [tbeaspirant] attains id<:ntity-connection1 with Him - that Sambbuis Supreme. (I)

This well-known scripture (the Mahiibhii. ala), consistingof a hundred of thousand [verses], has been composed by thes ge Dvaipiiyana. In it, emancipation IS chiefly displayed as thereward2 (object of human pursuit) while the other rewards [like]the di,charge of duty etc, are sung in order to augmentthat (2)

What is called emancipation is the di,solution [of oneself]into the ever rising. worshipful Absolute Lord, Whose form isintrlllsically not different from anything; Whose ampiciousintrinSIc nat\lre is omniscience, omnipotence etc; and Who istotally devoid of any cravlDg. Thls much has been displayedbriefly (3)

Of course, in this scripture emancipation is sung in othercont,'xts [also]; yet the Songs of the Bhagavat correctly give theattalllment of that (emancipation). (4)

Of course, commentaries on these (Songs) have beenwritten in plenty by other earlier writers. Even then, my effort,throwing light on their hidden purport is not without pro-priety,) (5)

Having pondered with my mind for long, over the sacredtext, [Iearm] from Bhatta Induriija, this Gitlirthasangraha (the

Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasailgraha [Ch.

summary of the purport of the Glta) is written by Abhinava-gupta. (6)

The first chapter is introduced in order to show that bothknowledge and nescience are of the nature of mutually cancellingand mutually being cancelled. Indeed, the recipient of teachingis neither the one in whom not an iota (If knowledge has risen,nor the other who has rooted out the entire world of nescience.For, if a person stands firmly on one particular point of viewit is impossible to cause him to deviate from that point. Thestatement that is [generally] declared, viz., 'the men of ignoranceand the men of wrong notion deserve t,aching' i~ applicableonly in a few selected cases. Even in those cases [tbe real qualifi-cation of the taught] is the expectancy [on his part], which isnothing but [his] doubting stage regarding the subject-matterthat is to be taught. Hence, it is declared that an instruction isjust an antidote of a doubt, and that the doubt is born of thecollision4 between (or the union of) the respective accessories ofknowledge and nescience. The c ea tion of the g)dss (the godly)and the demons (the demoniac) represents knowledge andnescience. Hence, teaching tbe path of emancipation commenceswith their story [in the scriptures].

Here the purport is this: Knowledge is the main thing,[but] actions (Vedic rites) too are to be performec (or shouldnot be averted);SA because the actions have their finality (fulfil-ment) in knowledge, the actions, even jf they are performed, donot lead to bondage; the importance is for the knowledge, while[its] inevitable connection [alon?) is for actions; but never theknowledge and action are clubbed together as things having equalimportance. In this way we shall explain in suitable contexts[in the sequel1 the intention of the Sage (Dvaipayana). Hencewhat is the use of empty bombas ts with others (or what is theuse6 of other empty bombasts) resulting only in obstructing one'sway to see truth?

Dhrtara~tra said -o Safijaya l What did my men and the sons of

paIJ.Q.udo in the Kuruk~etra, the field of righteousness,where the entire warring class has assembled?

I] Translation

Or

o Sanjaya! What did the selfish intentions andthe intentions born of wisdom do in the human bodywhich is the field-of-dutie3, the repository of the sense-organs and in which all the murderous ones (passionsand asceticism etc.) are confronting [each other]. (1)

Dharmak~etre etc. Here some [authors] offer a differentexplanation as':- Kuruk~etra: the man's body is the k~etra i.e.,the facilitator, of the kurus, i.e., the sense-organs.8 The sameis the field of all worldly duties, since it is the cause of theirbirth; which is also the field of ihe righteous act that has beendescribed as :

'This is the highest righteous act viz., to realise the Selfby means of the Yoga'; 9

and which is the protectorlO [of the embodied Self] by achievingemancipation [hy means of this], through the destruction of allduties, It is the location where there'is the confrontation amongall k~atras, the murderous ones - because the root k~ad means'to kill' - viz.> passion and a,ceticism, wrath and forbearance,and oihers that stand in the mutual relationship of the slayerand the slain. Those that (xist in it are the mlfmakas, - i.e.,the intentions that are worthy of man of ignorance and are theproducts of ignorance - and those that are born of P01}q,u: i.e.,the intentions, of whicb the soul is the very knowledge itselfl1and which are worthy of pen ons of pure knowledge. What didthey do? In other words, which were vanquished by what?Mamaka: a man of ignoran.:e as he utten [always] 'mine',12Pal1q,u: the pure one.13 (I)

Safijaya said-Seeing the army of the sons of Pa1).qu,marshalled

in the military array, the prince Duryodhana approachedthe teacher (Dro1).a) and spoke at that time, thesewords: (2)

Bhagavadglti with Gitlirthasangraba ECho

o teacher! Behold this mighty army of the sonsof PaJ;lc;lu,marshalled in a military array by Drupada'sson, your intelligent pupil. (3)

The heroes and mighty archers, comparable inwar to Bhima and Arjuna, here are: Yuyudhana, theking of the Virata country, and Drupada, the mightywarrior; 14 (4)

Dhr.'?taketu, Cekitana and the valourous king ofKasi, and Kuntibhoja, the conqueror of many,IS andthe Sibi king, the best among men; (5)

And Yudhamanyu, the heroic, and Uttamaujas,the valourous, the son of Subhadra and the sons ofDraupadi-all are indeed mighty warriors. (6)

o best among the twice-born! However, pleasealso take note of the most distinguished amongst us, whoare the generals of my army and who are accepted asleaders by the heroes in the mighty army [of mine]; Ishall name them to you. (7)

Your goodself, and Bhi$ma, and KarQ.a, Krpa,salya, Jayadratha, Asvatthaman, and VikarlJ.a. andSomadatta's son, the valourous; (8)

And many other heroes, giving up their lives formy sake; fighting with various weapons, all very muchskilled in different warfares. (9)

Why this exhaustive counting? The reality of thingsis this:

Thus the army guarded by Bhima is unlimited (orinsufficient)for us; on the other hand, the army guarded

I) Translation

by Bhi$ma IS limited (or sufficient) for them (thePa1;l<;lavas). (10)

Aparyiiptam etc. For us, the Pii1;l~lVa army guarded byBhImasena is unlimited, i.e., it is not possible to vanquish; orit is not sufficient, i.e., very insignificant when compared withour army. This is the meaning. On the other hand, for thesePa1,1Qavas,this army guarded by Bht~ma, belonging to us, islimited i.e., it is possible to vanquish; or it is sufficient i.e., toomuch; in other words it is not possible to be vanquished in thewar by these (PiiJ?4avas). (10)

Stationed firmly in all [your] respective paths,everyone of you without exception should guardBhi$ma, above all. (11)

Ayane,u etc. Paths,' rows. (11)

Generating joy in him, the powerful paternalgrandfather (Bhi$ma), the seniormost among theKurus, roared highly a lion-roar and blew his conch-sheIl. (12)

Then all on a sudden, the conch-shells, drums,tabors, trumpets, and cow-horns were sounded; thatsound was tumultuous. (13)

Then, mounted on mighty chariot, yoked withwhite horses, Midhava (Kr$I.1a)and the son of Pa1;l9.u(Arjuna) blew their heavenly conch-shells; (14)

Hr$ikesa (Kr$J).a)blew the Paficajanya; Dhanai'i-jaya (Arjuna) blew the Devadatta; and the Wolf-bellied(Bhima), of the terrible deeds, blew the mighty conch-shell, PauJ).gra; (15)

8 Bhagavadgita with Gitirthasangraha (Ch.

Kunti's son, the king Yudhi;;thira blew theAnantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew [respectively]the Sugho;;a and the MaI).ipu;;paka. (16)

And the king ofKasi, a great archer, and SikhaI).9.iu,a mighty warrior; Dhr.;;tadyumna and the king ofVirata, and the unconquered Satyaki; (17)

The Pincda king, a mighty archer; and Draupadi'ssons, who are five in number; and the mighty-armedson of Subhadra: blew their own conch-shells indivi-dua~. (~)

Revibrating in both the sky and the earth, the tumul-tuous sound shattered the hearts of Dhrtara?tra'smen. (19)

o king! Then observing Dhrtara~tra's men,arrayed when the armed clash had [virtually] begun, atthat time, PaI).<;lu'Sson, the monkey-bannered one(Arjuna) raising his bow spoke these sentences. (20)

Arjuna said-o Acyuta! Please halt my chariot at a centre

place between the two armies, so that Imay scrutinizethese men who are standing with desire to fight andwith whom Ihave to fight in this great war-effort. (21)

"I may scrutinize those who are ready to fight,who have assembled here and are eager to achievein the battle, what is dear to the e'Vil-mindedson ofDhrtara.?tra. (22)

1J Translation

Safijaya said -o descendant of Bharata (Dhrtara$tra)! Thus

instructed by Gu<;la:kesa(Arjuna), H:r$ikesa halted thebest chariot at a place in between the two armies, infront of Bhi$ma and DrolJ.a and of all the rulers of theearth; and he said: 0 son of Prtha! Behold theseKurus, assembled. (23-24)

There in both the armies, the son of Prthi obser-ved his fathers, and paternal grandfathers, teachers,maternal uncles, brothers, sons, sons' sons and com-rades, fathers-in-law, and also friends. (25)

Noticing all those kinsmen arrayed [in the army],the son of Kunti was overpowered by utmost compas-sion; and being despondent, he uttered this: (26)

Arjuna said-o Krg1a! On seeing these war-mongering kins-

folks of my own, arrayed [in the armies], my limbsfail and my mouth goes dry; (27)

Shivering and horripilation arise in my body; theGal).<;liva(the bow) slips from my hand and my skinalso burns all over. (28)

I am unable even to stand steady; and my mindseems to be confused; and I see adverse omens,o Kesava! (29)

I also do not foresee any good by killing my ownkimmen in the battle. 0 Krgla! I wish neither victory,nor kingdom, nor the pleasures [thereof]. (30)

10 Bhagavadgila with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

o Govinda! Of what use is the kingdom to us?Of what use are the pleasures [thereof] and the lifeeven? (31)

For whose sake we seek kingdom, [its] pleasuresand happiness, the very same persons stand arrayed tofight, giving up their life and wealth. (32)

[These are our] teachers, fathers, sons and alsopaternal grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law,sons' sons, wives' brothers, and (other) relatives. (33)

o slayer-of-Madhu (Kr$l:la)! I do not desire toslay these men - even though they slay me - even forthe sake of the kingdom of the three worlds - what tospeak for the sake of the [mere] earth. (34)

Na ca sreyalf, etc., upto mahikrte Those who are wronglyconceived as object of slaying, with the individualizing idea that'these are my teachers etc.' 16 would necessarily generate sin.Similarly, the act of slaying even of those deserving to be slainin the battle-if undertaken with the idea that 'This battle is tobe fought for the apparent results like pleasures, happiness etc.'-then it generates sin necessarily. This idaa lurks in the objection[of Arjuna]. That is why a reply is going to be given [byBhagavat) as 'You must undertake actions simply as your oWl!-duty, and not with an individualizing idea'. (30-304)

By slaying Dhrtara:?tra's sons what joy would beto us, 0 Janiirdana? (35)

Nothing but sin would slay these desperadoes andtake hold of us. Therefore we should not slay Dhrta-ra~tra's sons, our own relatives. (36)

How could we be happy indeed, 0 Midhava,after slaying our own kinsmen? (37)

I) Translation 11

Of course, these (Dhrtara~tra's sons), with theirintellect overpowered by greed, do not see the evil con-sequences ensuing from the ruin of the family and thesin in cheating friends. (38)

But, perceiving clearly the evil consequencesensuing from the ruin of the family, should we nothave a sense to refrain from this sinful act [of fightingthe war], 0 Janardana? (39)

When a family ruins, the eternal duties of thefamily perish; when the duties perish, impiety inevitablydominates the entire family. (40)

Because of the domination of impiety, 0 Krsl)a,the women of the family become corrupt; when thewomen become corrupt, 0 member of the Vrsl)i-c1an,there arises the intermixture of castes; (41)

The intermixture leads the family-ruiners and thefamily to nothing but the hell; for, their ancestors(their individual souls) fall down [in hell], beingdeprived of the rites of offering rice-balls and water[intended to them]. (42)

On account of these evils of the family-ruinersthat cause the intermixture of castes, the eternal caste-duties and family-duties fall into disuse. (43)

o Janardana! Dwelling in the hell is quite certainfor men with their family-duties fallen into disuse: thiswe have heard. (44)

Nihatya etc. upto anususruma. Sin alone is the agent inthe act of slaying these desperadoes. Therefore here the idea isthis: Theie enemies of ours have been slain, i.e., have been

12 Bhagavadgitii with Gi tiirthasangraba [Ch.

takell possession of, by sin. Sin would come to us also afterslaying them. Sin in this context is the disregard, on account ofgreed etc., to the injunous consequences like tbe ruination of thefamily and the like. That is why Arjuna makes a specific men·tion of the [ruin of the] family etc., and of its duties in thepassage 'How by slaying my own kinsmen etc.' (35-44)

The act of slaying, undertaken with an individualizingidea about its result, and with a particularizing idea about theperson to be slain, is a great sin. To say thiS very thing pre-cisely and to indicate the intensity of his own agony, Arjuna saysonly to himself-

Alas! What a great sinful act have we resolved toundertake! For, out of greed for the joy of kingdom,we are striving to slay our own kinsfolk! (45)

Aho bata etc. We del1ote~one and all who were divided [intothe opposite camps] by the division among the Kauravas and thePii\l9avas. (45)

When everyone is indiscriminate, what act is proper forme, while I am endowed with the faculty to discrimina te? Ofcourse, it is proper to turn back from the battle. Yet, says[Arjuna], what is much more propa is this:

It would be more beneficial for me if Dhrtari$tra'smen with weapons in their hands, should slay me, un-resisting and unarmed. (46)

Safijaya said-Having said this much about the battle, and letting

his bow fall with arrows, Arjuna sat down on the backOfthe chariot, with his mind agitated with grief. (47)

Thus ends the FIRST CHAP1ER in tbeHoly BhagavadgUii

I]

Here is the Catch-verse:

Translation 13

When an aspirant has lost control of himself due to themutual rivalary and collision between both knowledge andnescience, he, abandoning both the sides by bis reasoning faculty,should remain silent without judgement.17 (47)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS TO ALL!

Thus ends the FIRST CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgitarthasangraha, written by the revered Rajiinaka

Abhinavagupta, the illustrious great teacher of the MaheSvaras.

Notes

I. Identity-connection: i.e, the recognition (protyaMijnti), 'UndoubtedlyI am that very Absolute Lord (<i;f lj ~~s~)'. In this first lovo-catory verse Abhinavagupta gives in nutshell. the basic doctrine ofthe Pratyabhijiia school of the Kashmir Saivism, according to whichthe Absolute Anuttara - because of Its Supreme Sovereign IndepeIl-dence (~?<;fuRn:)-has manifested, through different stag's, as theuniverse and o!'jects; and by a process of meditation, an aspirant canattain the reali.ation of his total identity with Him. All these pointswill become c1..ar in the sequel, Yet it is worth to note that the saidprocess has bee.l beautifully described by Abhinavagupta himself as:

oo:fu uRn'if'liIfo'~

~<WR '!T~lf'l:~: I

~1f~~:l!1Rn+rll)'=q~i11<Tm<::~:II etc. (PS. verses 47 If.)

2. Emancipation is displayed as the reward etc. Cf.

+rll)',:rR~SN ~~ W<Ri8T'l'T;:!ff<lfir~1J('1T051f~ml:1l~l'R~flT;ff

«+rT~(f!?;Cffir<re:Tfffi~Tw..rr Wili~m m!:1T.~Tf~5l<l~!:1~~lfffi

+rr~~!'(flTf:~~: l!1T-IDW~ !IlO<!(f<rTM-'I'!'(fTfit1S[<K~1lRm-: ... m+<:i't\W i:~rF:(ff:, l'[r!'(f~!'(flTf:~cwf: ~:!ff~t, ~~l:~qrTf:

~tlr~ fir!f!'(fTfErlSf;q~ ~Tl1Ram~ ~qm;:Rt .•,••. Ananda·

14 Bhagavadgitii with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

varddhana, Dhvanyiiloka, Uddyota Iv, under verse 5.

And also Cf.

~ ~ 'ifllr 'q .wr "t +flit) 'q ["~(f~11 I ~~fu:r ~'<i?f ~fu:r

Of (ftf,~ II] (MB, ;mfu:. 56. verse 33.) ~~; (fl!lTflt'<R'IT~~~T

~: - ~ !:1"+rf~ifiTl1T<ri~~ ffi"~;rr~~=1 ~''l"=1 Of ~;;fct; ffl!lTN

qi"(fm;'J(~~'fl'f~<lffi"l1,; +flit) <!l<q', (f~ mw ~'f ~.tffi"mRr \'"- Ag. thereunder,

4. Doubt is born of co/lision etc, Cf.

ff=1'fT~r:r~~ if RvrRt 3llr "'11<1:WTCfa; ~ (f~! ~m 3llr \ (NB, I,i, 1)

And also

~;;T~~: ~;;rRrq~: ~S~~!;<jOlf'f~H(f'ljf ~M~ ~l1U:

<f.n<r: \ (NS, T, i, 23).

5. The creatioll of the gods etc. Cf.~!:f(qllifiTm'C~""'[;rr'l" 5iWIT: ~I1Tfcr'f~'1T ~<nWT '31WT: ;

(fl!lTcrm:'l\lm: ~~fcr!\<j",t?t~"""',,i'lk1~ICl'fTit~T: <m~ff+fl~r:rIWTfI1-

11if.if<r ~ ~Rr ~'<rrfl:l'{~~'1: $lT;r ~ ~~m~ ~~~T!!~;r: ~<R"5l'[~: ' .. ~ ~ ~~T ;mlS;<rr~~~ er;rf-

'"~<f<l"lifii~;rr<1 ~~ - Sankara under Ch. U, I, ii, I,

Also see the observation of the same author under Br U" T, iii, 1.

SA See the Tippa~' on the commentary here.

6. Hence what is the us- etc. Cf

~ lH~"1t..•.•...• ~ ~qllTf.r~~iJt;ry~fq~'l""~OI - Sankara, underBS, U. ii, 1.

7. Different explanation: An explanation which is different from theone which is apparent.

8. Sense-organs: The intended etymology of ~~er: - is perhaps : !!i~~

~~ (:1l+'li 'to go' +fimJ 'the sense-organs that behave crookedly',

9. This hemistitch has been taken from the Yiijnavalkyasm!ti Therethe entire verse runs as :

I] Notes

{-'l1filT~~li~~l><rr~1lfI+J; I

~ !IWIT l:llTf ~~ II (I, 8)

15

10. Which is th~ prdtector etc. For Ago's etymology of k§~tra, intendedhere, see his own remark under Gm: XIII, 2-3.

11 Knowl~dge itself: The etymology of par:1u, is; q-r~; - ~ ~~ ;

m- ~ ("'1'1. arT. ij) ~.-p;lfT~C'lm:(U,J. 37) 1§:; ~~ClfTa:. <{roi:- VS under AK, I, v, 13.

12 Mamaka: Dissolve: 11~ ~ l{1l{!fiT: (11lp.f;+'3f1lfJ Theform !fiT<rfcr

is from the root ~ 'to sound' ("lfT). Hence the intended etymology

of+l+fit seems to be +l+f+~-r~: (suffix by a{;:it6<fN ~<Rt PA, III, ii,

101; fWc'lTCr, ~:)

13. PlIr:1u, 'white colour' denotes purity.

14. Mighty warrior: Maharatha has a technical sense. Cf.

~ ~fUr <TI~1I l:Tf;'l<rT~Im~~wfi1lfl:l ~~'Q" ~ffi ~'re":11

- quoted by MS, under the present verse.

15. Conqueror of many. Dissolve: ~fUr ~f.r ~ffifu ~~ I

16. These are my teachers etc. Cf

~;r'f ~rn~'>l'i~l:T~;:~ ~!ji, I1q~ ~<i Q~ll'-

f.r~~IAArnffi ~~I1'f: mP.iimit >lG:roiTI '!fiti ~lll ~lt'~1~1 - Sankara under Gitii, II,ll.

17. R,main silent without judgement: I.e., to receive instructions fromthe master. See Ag.'s introduction to the present chapter.

Chapter Two

Saiijaya said -

To him (Arjuna) who was thus possessed by com-passion, whose eyes were confused and filled with tearsand who was sinking in despondency, Madhusiidanatold this [following] sentence. (1)

The Bhagavat said -

o Arjuna! At a critical moment, whence did thissinful actl come to you which is practised by men ofignoble (low) birth and which is leading to the hell andis inglorious? (2)

Kutal1 etc. To commence with, the Bhagavat exhortsArjuna just by following the woddly (common) practice; but. indue course, He will impart knowledge. Hence He says2 'practisedby men of low birth'. (2)

Uttering words of rebuke such as 'unmanliness' etc., theBhagavat causes [Arjuna] to know that he misconceives demeritas meritorious:

Stoop not to unmanliness, 0 son of Kunti:! Itdoes not befit you. Shirking off the petty weakness ofheart, arise, 0 scorcher of the foes! (3)

Arjuna said-How shall I with arrows fight in battle against

Bhi~ma and DroI).a, both being worthy of reverence?o slayer of Madhu, 0 slayer of foes! (4)

952 - 2

18 BhagavadgWi with Gitirthasangraha ECho

It is good indeed even to go about begging in thisworld without killing the elders of great dignity; butwith greed for wealth, I would not enjoy, by killing myelders, the blood-stained objects of pleasure. (5)

Whether we should conquer [in the battle], or theyshould conquer us - we do not know this viz., 'which[of these two] is better for us'. [For], having killedwhom, we would not wish to live at all, the same personsstand before us as Dhrtara~tra's men. (6)

Katham etc. upto Dlziirtaralitrii1}. By the portion 'Bhi~maand DroJ?a in war' etc., and by the portion 'I would [notJ enjoy theobjects of pleasure', the Sage indicates that in Arjuna's objec-tion, the intention for a particular act and the intention for aparticular result are the points deservlDg rejection. By theportion 'We do not know this' etc., he speaks of the intentionfor a particular action. For, without intention no action ispossible. Certainly one does not proceed on a war with anintention of getting defeated. '[In the present war] even ourvictory would be surely our misfortune.' This he says by theportion 'It is good even to go about begging without killing theelders'. It is also impossible to conclude "Whether we desirevictory or defeat"; for even in the case of our victory our rela-tives would perish to tall y.' (4- 6)

With my very nature, overpowered by the taint ofpity, and with my mind, utterly confused as to theright action [at the present juncture], I ask yOU: Tellme definitely what would be good [to me]; I am yourpupil; please teach me, who am taking refuge in1{ou. (7)

I do not clearly see what would drive out mygrief, the scorcher of my sense-organs, even afterachieving, a prosperous and unrivalled kingship in this

II] Translation 19

earth and also the overlordship of the gods [in theheaven]. (8)

Sanjaya said -o scorcher of foes (0 Dhrtarii?tra) ! Having spoken

to Hrsikesa (the master of sense-organs), Govinda(Kri?l)a)in this manner, and having declared 'r will notfight', GUQ.likeSa(Arjuna), became silent! (9)

o descendant of Bharata (0 Dhrtarai?tra)t Hg;i-kesa, as if [he was] smiling, spoke to him who wassinking in despondency in between two armies. (10)

I

Kiirpat!ya-etc. upto vaca1}. By the portion 'in betweenthe two armies' etc., [the Sage] indicates this: Being possessedby doubt, Arjuna had not abs tai net! from tbe war totally; for,he says thus: 'Please teach me, who am taking refuge in you'.Therefore while he stilI remains just in between both knowledgeand ignorance, he is taugbt by the glorious Bhagavat. (7-10)

The Bhagavat said-You have your self, overpowered by the human

tendency, and your power of proper understanding,disappeared due to crippling effect of grief and delusion;you are taken hold of by compassion on seeingyour relatives who have taken refuge in the Death'smouth. (11)

Tvalfl mlil1u~yet!aetc. Human tendency. the human nature.These presons have, on their own accord, entered into themouth of the Death. So what harm can there be for you? (11)

While lamenting for those who cannot be lamentedon and those who do not require to be lamented on, youdo not talk like a wise man! The learned do not lament

20 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraba [Ch.

for those of departed life and those of non-departedlife. (12)

Asocyan etc. You lament for the body that cannot belamented over, because it is of incessantly perishing nature;and also for the Soul that does not require to be lamented. Noone, either of departed life, i e., the dead, or of non-departedlife, i.e., the living, is to be mourned for. As for instance, theSoul is ever non-perishing. What sort of lamentability can befor It, as It is pleasantly travelling in different bodies? Nor isit right to say that Its lamentability is due only to Its travel inanother body. For, in that case, It should be lamented for, evenwhen the stage of youth etc., IS attained.3 (12)

In this manner, the two ideas [the Lord] relates:

Never indeed at any time [in the past] did I notexist, nor you, nor these kings; and never shall we allnot exist hereafter. (13)

Just as the boyhood, youth and old age come tothe embodied Soul in this body, in the same manner isthe attaining of another body; the wise man4 is notdeluded at that. (14)

Na hi etc. DehinaJ;. etc Never indeed di<l I not exist, butI did exist [always]. Likewise are you and tbese kings. If therecan be lamentability for one, on attaining change in physicalform then why is one not lamented over when one attains theyouth from the boyhood? He, who is wise, does not lament.But. wisdom is easily attainable for him whose concern isnot even for this [present] body. Therefore you must seekwisdom. (13-14)

o son of Kunti:! But the touches with the miitriiscause the [feelings of] cold and heat, pleasure andpain; they are of the nature of coming and going andare transient. Forbear them, 0 descendent ofBharata ! (15)

II] Tra 11sla tion 21

Mom! etc. But the unwise lament even over those passingsituations of cold and heat, pleasure and pain that are createdby those touches i.e , the contacts of the sense-objects - referablewith the term memos - with the Soul through the door ofthe sense-organs; but the wise do not do so Thus says [theLord].

Or, the passage may be interpreted as: The touches(contacts) of these objects are with the miUriis,6 Le., with thesense-organs, and not dIrectly with the Supreme Self. Coming:birth. Going: destruction, Those situations that have thesetwo' you must forbear i e., put up with. (15)

o the best among persons! That wise personbecomes immortal whom these (situations) do nottrouble and to whom the pleasure and pain areequal. (16)

But, because all thes~ dIfferent situations are of thenature of coming and going, on that account itself are they notto be lamented on? It is not so. As for instance; What is thiswhich is termed 'coming'? If it is 'birth', what is that 'birth'itself? It is wrong to say that it is the same as gaining the selfby what is non-existent. For, to be of the nature of non-existence, is indeed to be devoid of every inherent nature and tobe devoid of the very self. If a thing is devoid of the self anddevoid of every nature, how is it possible8 to conve:t it intowhat has an intrinsic nature? Surely, it is impossible to convertthe non-blue into blue For, it is faulty and undesirable to con-clude that a thing with certain nature changes to be of a differentnature. Hence the scripture goes -

'The intrinsic nature of beings would not cease toexist, e.g., the heat of the sun'. 9

On the other hand, if the 'birth' signifies the gaining of self justby what [really] exists, even then, why the lamentability on itscoming? For, what has gained a self, could never be non-existent and consequently it would be eternal.

22 Bhagavadgili with Gitiirthasangraha ECho

Likewise, is the act of 'going' also meant for the existentor the non-existent? What is non-exIstent is just non-existent[for ever). How can there be a non-existence-nature even in thecase of that which is of the existence-nature? If it is said thatit is of the non-existence-nature in the second moment [since itsbirth], then it should be so even in the first moment; and sonothing would be existent. For, the intrinsic nature [ever]remains unabandon ed.

But is it not that the destruction of it (i.e., of a giventhing, like a pot) is brought about by the stroke of a hammeretc.? Yet, if that destruction is altogether different [from theexistent one Le ,the pot], then what does it matter for what isexistent? But, it is not to be seen [at that time]? Yet, what isactually existent (pot) may not be seen just as when it is coveredwith a cloth; but it ha~ not turned to be altogether different.In fact, it has been said [in the scriptures] that this is notdifferent [from the existent].lo Summarising all these, [theLord] says -

Birth (or existence) does not happen to what isnon-existent, and destruction (or non-existence) to whatis existent; the finality of these two has been seen bythe seers of the reality. (17)

Nasatal1 etc. And then, also following the common worldlypracticel1 [the Lord] says this: There is no [real] existence forwhat is non-existent i.e., the body [etc.], that is continuouslyperishing; for it is changing incessantly by stages. Again, neverthere is destruction for the ever existing Supreme Self, becauseof Its unchanging nature. So sa}s tbe Veda too:

'Lo! This Soul is of unchanging nature12 and [hence]is destructionJess' (the Dr. U, IV, V. 14).

Of these two: of what is existent and what is non-existent.Finality: the point of boundary where they come to anend,13 (17)

But is this permanent or transient which is perceived bypersons who are prone to see the truth? Having raised thisdoubt, [the Lord] says:

II] Translation 23

And know That to be destructionless, by Whichall this (universe) is pervaded; no one is capable ofcausing destruction to this changeless One. (18)

Avinasi etc [Here] IU is in the sense of ca 'and'. So,'and' the Soul is not of perishing nature. (18)

These physical bodies that have an end and sufferthe peculiar destruction, are declared to belong to theeternal embodied Soul, Which is destructionless andincomprehensible. Therefore fight, 0 descendent ofBharata! (19)

Antavantalp etc. The bodies, at the time of their attainingthe unobservable stage,14 meet their apparent destruction. Thiswould be impossible if they do Dot suffer the peculiar destruc-tion, that is to say they undprgo changes every moment. For, ithas been said -

'By observing the dilapidated condition of beings attheir last moment, the loss of newness is verymoment is inferred'

The same has been said by the Sage (Vyasa) also as-

'In every bei'1g, in every moment, there is mutualdifference between its tiny partslS that have diffe-rent purposes. But on account of its subtlity, it isnot clearly comprehended' 16 (MB, Santi., Mok~a.Ch. 308, verse 121).

[In the above passage] having different purposes amounts to say'because they perform different acts having their own respectivespecial purposes'

Now, the bodies have their end and are ever changing. Onthe other hand, the Self is destructionless, because It is incom-prehensible. Changing nature belongs only to the insentientthing which is comprehensible, but not to what is non-insentientand is exclusively consciousness in nature. Because, it is notpoasible [for one] to gain an altogether different na~ure. Thus,

24 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha ECho

the hodies meet permanently their end and hence they cannot belamented for; the Self ever remains without destruction (orwithout changing) and hence need not be lamented for. Thus asingle krtya-suffix17 has been employed on both the sensessimultaneously by the sage in the expression asocyan. (19)

Whosoever views This to be the slayer and who-soever believes This to be the slain, both these do notunderstand: This does not slay, nor is This slain. (20)

Ya enam etc. Whosoever views This i.e., the Self and thebody,18 to be the slayer and the slain, ignorance is in him. Thatis why he is in bondage. (20)

The same [point the Lord] clarlfies-

This is neither born; nor ever dies; nor, havingnot been at one time, will This come to be again. Thisis unborn, destructionless, eternal and ancient and isnot slain [even] when the body i~ slain. (21)

Najayate etc. Having not been at one time, This etc.: thisSelf will corne to be, having not been at any time non-existent,but only having been existent. Therefore This is not born, Thisdoes not die too. For, having been [at one time), This willnever be non-existent [at another time]; but certainly This willbe [always] existent. (21)

Whosoever realises This to be changeless, destruc-tionless, unborn and immutable, how can that personbe slain; how can he either slay [anyone]? 0 son of~~! ~

Veda etc. Whosoever, because of his realisation, under-stands this Self as 'This neither slays [anyone], nor is This slain[by anyone] - how could there be any bondage for him? (22)

Just as rejecting the tattered garments, a mantakes other new ones, in the same way, rejecting the

II] Translation 25

decayed bodies, the embodied (Self) rightly proceeds toother new ones. (23)

VasG1?/-si etc. Just as a well-dressed person, on the destruc-tion of his garment, gets bimself dressed ill another more suitablegarment, and he does not perish on that account, in the sameway the Self, dressed with different bodies [behaves]. (23)

Weapons do not cut This; fire does not burn This;water does not (make) This wet; and the wind does notmake This dry. (24)

This is not to be cut; This is not to be burnt; (Thisis) not to be made wet and not to be dried too;This is eternal, all-pervading, stable, immobile andeternal. (25)

This is declared to be non-evident, imponderable,and unchangeable. Therefore understanding This assuch you should not lament. (26)

Nainam etc. upto arhasi. The weapons etc., that causedestruction, hardly do anything to Tbis. For, being, by nature,exculsively pure Consciousness, remaining without support, hav-ing no component parts and being independent, This cannot bedestroyed through the process of either assumption of an altoge-ther different nature, or tbe destruction of the support, or themutual separation of the component parts, cr tbe rise of anopponent, and so on. Nor the act of going to another body is anew thing for This. For, even when This is [apparently] with asingle body, This travels always to different body; for the bodydoes not remain the same even for a moment. By understandingthis Self to be as such, you sbou ld not lament This (24-26)

On the other hand, if you deem This as beingborn constantly or as dying constantly, even then, amighty-armed one, you should not lament This. (27)

26 Bhagavadgiti with Gltirthasailgraha [Ch.

Atha Vii etc. On the other hand if yo u deem 'This' to bethe body and to be born constantly, - because its stream doesnot stop - even then, there is no necessity to lament. Or, if,following the [Vainasika Buddhists'?] doctrine of continuousdecay of things, you deem This to be constantly dying, eventhen where is the need for lamenting? If you, in the samemanner, deem the Self to be constantly born or to be constantlydying on account of Its contacts and separations with bodies,even then it is unwarranted, on every account, on the part ofthe men of rational thinking, to lament. (27)

Otherwise this [division of) permanence and imperma-nence does not stand reasoning. For-

Death is certain indeed for what is born; andbirth is certain for what is dead. Therefore you shouldnot lament over a thing that is unavoidable. (28)

Jatasya etc. Destruction comes after birth, and after thedestruction comes birth. Thus, this series of birth-aod-deathis like a circle. Hence to what extent is this to be lamented~? ~

Furthermore -

a descendant of Bharata! The beings have anunmanifest beginning, manifest middle and certainly theunman ifest end. On that account why mourning? (29)

Avyaktadini etc Whether beings are permanent or imper-manent, this much is certain: The person, who laments over agiven object - as far as that person is concerned, that object is atthe beginning unmanifest and at the end also it is unmanifest.Its manifestation in between is therefore a deviation fromits natural state. Rather, there may be need to lament overthe deviation from natural state and not over the natural state19

[itself]. Further, whatever has been approved as its root cause,20that itself permanently exhibits, withtn itself, a variety of diffe-rent and endless crea tion, sustenance and absorption as its own

II] Translation 27

manifold nature, in a set pattern.21 Hence what is the necessityfor lamenting over the same nature of this (its effect)? (29)

And enowed with the above mentioned na ture -

This someone observes as a wonder; similarlyanother speaks of This as a wonder; another hears Thisas a wonder; but even after hearing, not even oneunderstands This. (30)

Aicarya~at etc. But,22 if this Self is, in this manner,changeless (or destructionless), why is This not observed just assuch by all? It is so because, as ifby a rare chance, only some oneobserves [This]. Even after listening, not even one understandsThis i.e., realises ThIs. (30)

o descendant of Bharata! This embodied Onein the body of everyone is for ever incapable of beingslain. Therefore you should not lament over allbeings. (31)

Dehi etc. On these grounds,23 the permanent destruction.lessness of the Self [is established]. (31)

Further, considering your own duty, you shouldnot waver. Indeed, for a K~atriya there exists no dutysuperior to fighting a righteous war. (32)

Sva-Dharmam etc. Because one's duty cannot be avoided,wa vering with regard to fighting the war is not proper [on thepart of ArjunaJ. (32)

o son of Prth1i! By good fortune, K~atriyas,desirous of happiness, get a war of this type [to fight],which has come on its own accord and which is an opendoor to the heaven. (33)

YadrcchaYii etc. A war of this nature, because it is con-duci ve to the heaven, should not b.e avoided even by other sucb

28 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

K~atriyas who are full of desires 24 How much less [it is to beavoided] in the ca~e of one to whom the science of knowledge ofthis nature has been taught? Thi, is what is intended to beconveyed [here]. And the verse does not at all end with [deter-mining how to attain] the heaven.24A (33)

The very thing (i.e sin), fearing which you withdraw fromthe battle, will befall you branching off hundredfold. This [theLord] says -

On the other hand, if you will not fight thisrighteous war then you shall incur the sin by avoidingyour own duty and fame. (34)

The creatures will speak of your endless ill-fame;and for the one who has been highly esteemed the ill-fame is worse than death. (35)

The mighty charioteers will think of you as havingwithdrawn from the battle out of fear: having beenhighly regarded by these men, you shall be viewedlightly. (36)

Slandering your ability, the enemies will talk ofyou many sayings that should not be talked of. Isthere anything more painful than that? (37)

If you are slain you shall attain heaven; or if youconquer, you shall enjoy the earth. Therefore, 0 son ofKunti! stand up with resolution made in favour of[fighting] the battle. (38)

Atha ca etc., upto krta-nisrava~. Accepting what theopponent has stated, this pentad of venes is narrated as anargument: 'If your goodself prefers to abide by the generallyaccepted practice, even then this [fighting] must be undertakennecessarily' (34-38)

II] Translation 29

Viewing alike, pleasure and pain, gain and loss,victory and defeat, you should get then ready for thebattIe. Thus you will not incur sin. (39)

Sukha-du~khe etc. For you, performmg actions as yourown duty, never there is any connection with sin. (39)

Listen, how this knowledge, imparted [to you] foryour sankhya, is [also] for the Yoga; endowed withwhich knowledge you shall cast off the bondage ofaction, 0 son of PrtM ! (40)

E~i'i Ie ctc. And this knowledge in the form of determi·nation has been declared [(0 you] for your sankhya, Le , perfectknowledge.25 Now, how26 the self-same determinate knowledgeis also taught for the Yoga i.e., dexterity in action - in thatmanner only you must listen to by mean, of which determinateknowledge you ~hall avoid the binding nature of the actions.Truely, the actions do not them,elves bind as they are insentient.Hence, it is the Self which binds Itself by means of the actionsin the form of mental impressions. (40)

Here there is no loss due to transgression, andthere exists no contrary downward course2CA (sin); evena little of this righteous thing saves [one] from greatdanger. (41)

Neha etc. Here in this determinate knowledge there arisesno loss through transgression, an offence due to negligence;because negligence is [itself] absent there. And just as a burningoil in the boiler get cooled soon, due to a limited quantity ofsandal (put in it), in the same way due to this knowledge ofYoga - eventhough it is very little - the great danger in the formof the cycle of birth-and-death perishes completely. (41)

And this knowledge is not introduced as a new thing. Thenwhat?

30 Bhagavatgita with Gitarth1sangrllha ECho

o source of joy to the Kurus! The knowledge inthe form of determination is just one; [but] the know~ledge (thoughts) of those who do not have determina-tion, has many branches and has no end. (42)

Vyavasayatmikii etc. The knowledge in the form of deter-mination is just one and natural ill the cabe of everyone; but itsuffers manifoldedness according to the objects to be deter-mined.27 (42)

Therefore -

o son of Prtha! Those, whose very nature isdesire, whose goal is heaven, who esteem only theVedic declaration [of fruits],28 who declare that thereis nothing else, who proclaim this flowery speech aboutthe patbs to the lordship of tbe objects of enjoyment29-[the paths] that are full of different actions - and whodesire action alone as a fruit of their birth30 - they aremen without insight. (43-44)

Those, who are very much attached to the owner-ship of enjoyable objects and whose minds have beencarried away by that (flowery speech)-their knowledge,in the form of determination is not prescribed31 forconcentration. (45)

Yam imam etc., up to na vidhiyate. Those, who crave forobjects of desire, speak, 00 their own accord, of this floweryVedic speech which is pervaded by the fruits i.e., the heaven inthe future; and who, hence, desire the action itself as the fruitof their birth - these are men without indght. Further, havingtheir miod carried away by the same Vedic sentence imagined bythemselves, these persons, eventhough they are endowed with thedeterminate knowledge, are not fit for concentration, becausethey do not decide this (conceDtration) asa fruit [of tbeir action).This is the purport of the triad of these v~rses. (43-45)

II] Translation 31

And hence-

The Vedas bind by means of the three Strands.[Hence] 0 Arjuna, you must be free from the threeStrands, free from the pairs [of opposites]; be establishedin this eternal Being; be free from [the idea of]acquisition and preservation; and be possessed of theSelf. (46)

Traigu'1ya - etc. The Vedas bind very much31A [only] bymeans of the three Strands and they do not bind on their ownaccord. For, the rituals prescribed in the Veda~, create bondageif they are performed with an intention of plea- ure, or of (avoid.ing) pam, or with an illusion of attachment. Hence the triad ofStrands in the form of desire (or in a pleasing form) must beabandoned.

If the present passage w~re intended to condemn theVedas, then the act of fighting the battle in question would bespoiled, because there is nothing other than the Vedas to helpone in deciding one's OV.D duty. But. the Vedas do not bindthose, from whom the desire for fruit has completely gone. (46)

Because the Vedas alone are useful for proper knowledgein the case of those persons [free frOIDthe Strand,], hence [tbeLord] says-

What portion in a reservoir, flooded with watereverywhere, is useful [for a man in thirst], that muchportion [alone] in all the Vedas is useful for an intelli-gent student of the Vedas. (47)

Yiiviin etc. He, according to whom the importance liesin his own duty alone or in the knowledg~ - for him the purposeis served even from a limited portion of the Vedic teaching (47)

Therefore -

Let your claim lie on action alone and never onthe fruits; you should never be a cause for the fruits ofaction; let not your attachment be to inaction. (48)

32 Bhagavatgitii with Gitiirthasangraha ECho

Karma1]i etc. YOll should be concerned in the action alone,but not in the fruits of actions. But, if an action ha~ beenperformed, then will not its fruit just inevitably befall [to theperformer]? No. It is not so. For, in that case, if you arecovered with the dirt of desire for fruits, then you become acause for the fruit of action. What is prayed for is known to bethe fruit; and it does not befall him who does pot desire it.32

Thus, what attachment a person entertains with regard to (henegation of action, that alone is like a firm seizure, and i, of thenature of false conception, and hence it must be abandoned. (48)

Then what? -

o Dhallafl.jaya! Established in the Yoga, performactions, abandoning attachment, remaining even-

.minded in success and failure; for, the even-mindednessis said to be the Yoga. (49)

YogasthalJ etc. Being established in Yoga you must per-form actions. Evenness [of mind] is the Yoga. (49)

He is a man of renunciation and he is a man ofintelligence, whose beginnings here are all devoid ofbondage of craving and whose possessions are all offeredas oblation into the [fire of] renunciation. (50)

Yasya sarve etc. [Be is a man of intelligence] each ofwhose activities is not bound by the knot, in the form of cravin·g.It is indeed the craving tbat binds. (50)

o Dhanafijaya! The inferior action stays away ata distance due to Yoga of (one's contact with) deter-mining faculty; in the determining faculty you mustseek refuge; wretched are those who constitute thecauses33 for the fruits of action. (51)

Dure1]a etc, Due to the contact [one has] with determiningfaculty [one's] inferior action i,e., the action that bears badfruits and is empty, remains far away [from him]. ' Therefore

II] Translation 33

seek Le., pray for a refuge in the determining faculty of thatnature, on account of which that determining faculty isgained. (51)

Whosoever is endowed with determining facuIty -he casts off both of these viz., the good action and thebad action. Therefore strive for Yoga; Yoga is profi-ciency in action (52)

Buddhiyuklalf t:tc. Both indicates the mutual exclusion[of the good and bad actions]. Therefore [siriyej for Yoga etc.:Working in that manner alone constitutes the supreme profi-ciency, by' [working] in which manner the good action and the badaction perish. This j. the idea here (52)

By renouncing the fruit, born of action, theintelligent ones endowed with determining faculty andfreed from the bond of birth, go to the place that isdevoid of illness. (53)

Karmajam etc. The persons who are endowed with thedetermining faculty with relard to the Yoga, renounce the birth-bondage, by renouncing the fruit of actions; and they attain theBrahman-existence. (53)

When your determining faculty goes beyond theimpregnable thicket of delusion, at that time you willattain an attitude of futility regarding what has to beheard and what has been heard. (54)

When your determining faculty, that had been[earlier] confused by your hearing [of scriptural declara-tion of fruits] shall stand stable in concentration,34 atthat time you shall attain the Yoga. (55)

Yadll Ie etc. Sruti-etc. At the time, when the determiningfaculty with regard to the Yoga is attained, the clear sign ofrecognizing it, is this: An attitude of futility about the revealed

952 - 3

34 Bhagavad/liti with Gitarthasailgraha [Ch.

literature that has to be listened to, tbat has been listened toand that is being declared. What has been declared by the aboveis this: 'The present view of yours about the ruination of yourrace is out of place and it is due to the influence of yourdeceptive notion, born of mental impressions created by yourlistening to the teachings of those scriptures that favour theobservers who are fallen deep into the course of ignorance. But,that view shall vanish when the respect for such a teachingdisappears. (54-55)

Arjuna said -o Kesava! What is the connotation of sthita-

prajiia (a man-of-stabilized-intellect), [applied] to aman fixed in concentration? What would sthira-dhil}(the fixed-minded) convey? Where would the fixed-minded abide? And what would he reach? (56)

Sthita-prajnasya etc. By the statement 'When the deter-ming faculty shall stand [firm in concentration, at that time youshall attain Yoga - above 11, 55]' it has been [virtually] statedthere that the appellation sthita-praFia (man-of-stabilized-intel-lect) is a nomenclature signifiying man-of-Yoga who is fixed inconcentration. Now, wh'it is the connotation of it, i.e., what isthe basis for the usage of tbis nomenclature? For, [connotationis that] basing on which a particular meaning is connoted bywords. Does the appellation sthlta-prajia of the man-of-Yogaspeak of him tbrough its tr4ditional (or conventional) force ofthe word or through its force of etymology? This is the firstquestion. Of course, regarding the traditional force of the wordthere is no doubt at all. [For, it has no such force in it]. Yet,the present question is to make the etymological meaning-though it is already available - clear by explaining the basis fOfdefinition of 5pecial nature.

The expression 3thira-dhiJ, has for its imports both theexpression [itself] and its m~lning 'the fixed-minded'. Of them,docs the expression sthira-dhiJ, denote that meaning alone whichis indicated by the force of its components; or else does it denotethe ascetic also? This is the second question.

II] Translation 35

Again, where would that firm-minded man-of-Yoga abidei.e., what would he practise; or what would hh firmnessdepend on? This is the third [question].

And what would he achieve by practising? This is thefourth [queltion].

These four questions are decided one by one by theBhagavat [in the sequel]. (56)

The Bhagavat said-o son of Prtha! When a man casts off all desires

existing in his mind and remains content in the Self bythe self (mind), then he is called 'a man-of-stabilized-intellect. (57)

Prajahati etc. [The expression 'a man-of-stabillud-intellect' denotes] a man whf'se intellect has stabilized, i.e., hasgrown roots. Growing roots i~ growing roots permanently on theSelf. For, if that is achieved, the agitation in the form of desireborn of the diitraction by sense-objects comes to an end.Therefore, the nomer. clature 'a man-of-stabilized-intellect'applied to a man-of-Yoga, has an etymJlogical sense and it isappropriate in this way. In this manner one question has beenanswered. (57)

He, whose mind is undisturbed in the midst ofsorrows; who is free from desire in the midst of plea-sures; and from whom longing, fear and wrath havetotally gone - he is said to be a firm-minded sage. (58)

Dul!khe~u etc. Only that sage whose mental attitude isfree from desire and hatred in the midst of pleasure and pain,and not anyone else, i~ a man-of-stabilized-intellect.3s (58)

This is also proper. For-

He, who has no desire in anything; and whoneither rejoices nor hates 'on getting this or that, goodor bad-his intellect is properly stabilized. (59)

36 Bhagavatgltii with Gltirthasangraha ECho

YaJ: sarvatra etc. There is no joy or sorrow in him whilemeeting the good or the bad. (59)

When he withdraws all his sense-organs fromsense-objects, just as a tortoise does all of its ownlimbs, then he is declared to be a man-of-stabilized-intellect. (60)

Yada sa1f£harate etc. The nomenclature i~ not an expres-sion having a composite of both the forces of etymological andtraditional meanings, like the word pankaja 'a lotus'. But it hasonly the etymological force like the word piicaka 'a cook'.Whenever he (the sage) withdraws just in his own Self-just asa tortoise keeps its limbs in its bassom-from the sense-objectsi.e., warding off from the sense-objects, then and then [only] heis a man-of-stabilized-intellect.

Or [the passage may mean:] Whenever he withdraws,within his own Self, [all], beginning from the sense-o bjects uptosense-organs i.e., when he appropriates in his own Self all in theform of sense-objects and sense-organs,36 (60)

But, how is it that the nomenclature 'a man-of-stabilized-intellect' does not hold good in the case of an ascetic? It isanswered -

Leaving their taste [behind], the sense-objectsretreat from the embodied who abstain from food; histaste too disappears when he sees the Supreme. (61)

VI~ay'iil!etc. Of course, in his (ascetic's) case there is nocontact with sense -objects, colour and the rest that are enjoy-able. Yet, the sense-objects retreat [from him] leaving a tastein the form of longing that exists in his internal organ.Hence he is not a man-of-st8bilized - iuteJlect Some (commen-tators) say that 'taste' denotes the sWeet~ess etc., of the objectsof experience. But, in the case of a man of Yoga. there exists nolonging as he has seen the Supreme Lord. On the other hand, inthe case of the other, i.e an ascetic, this does not retreat(disappear). (61)

II] Translation 37

For, the turbulent sense-organs do carry away byforce, the mind even of this person of discerning, 0son of Kunt! I (62)

Yattasyapf etc. For, the mind of that ascetic too is carriedaway by the sense-organs. Or, the expression yattasya aptdenotes 'even of one who exerts'. [So], it is but the mind that isto be subdued by a man of Yoga. Thus the second [question]is decided. (62)

Restraining them (the sense-organs) by mind, themaster of Yoga would sit making Me his goal; for, theintellect of that person is stabilized whose sense-organsare under control. (63)

il'ani etc. He, who restrains his sense-organs in thismanner by means of his mind, but not by inactivity-he aloneis a man-of-stabiiized-intellect. He would remain viewing Mealone as his goal i.e., he would concentrate his attention onnothing but Me, the Supr'me Lord, the Consciousness-Self. (63)

In a person, meditating on sense-objects, attach-ment for them is born in succession; from attachmentsprings passion; from passion arises wrath. (64)

From wrath delusion comes to be; from delusionis the loss of memory; from the loss of memory is theloss of capacity to decide;37 due to the loss of capacityto decide, he perishes outright. (65)

Dhyayatal]. etc. Krodh1it etc. In the case of an ascetic, thevery act of abandolling sense-objects itself results in und ertakingthe sense-objects. For, they abandon indeed by meditating [onthem]. and at the very time of such a meditation, attachmentetc., are born in regular succession. Hence the act of abandon-ing objects is 4armless only in the case of a man-of-stabilized-~~~ ~

38 Bhagavadglti with Gltirthasangraha [Ch.

On the contrary, one who moves about (consumes)the sense-objects by means of his sense-organs that arefreed from desire and hatred and are controlled in theSelf-such one with a disciplined self (mind) attainsserenity [of disposition]. (66)

On attaining serea.ity, there arises in successionthe extinction of all miseries; the capacity to decidegets stabilized soon indeed in the case of a serene-minded one. (67)

38Thecapacity to decide is not for one who is nota master of Yoga; and concentration of mind is not forone who is not a master of Yoga; and peace is not forone who does not concentrate; wherefrom could happi-ness come to one who has no peace? (68)

That mind, which is directed to follow the wander-ing (enjoying) sense-organs - that mind carries awayhis knowledge just as wind does a ship on waters. (69)

Therefore, 0 mighty-armed one, the intellect ofthat person is stabilized, all of whose sense-organs,starting from sense-objects have been well restrained.'!}

(70)

Raga-dvel1a - etc. upto pratil1thitii. Here the purport isthis: He, who controls his mind, is not tossed by the waves ofwrath etc., even while he is enjoying the sense-objects; hence healone is a man of Yoga, a man-of-stabilized-intellect. (66-70)

Extraordinary is the man of Yoga, even while he is attend-ing tv the worldly business. While examining this point, thecharacteristic 'mark of his (man of Yoga), is briefly related bythe Supreme Lord -

11] Translation 39

What is night for every [other] being, in that aman of self-restraint is awake; wherein [every other]being is awake, that is night for the sage who sees [thetruth]. (71)

Yii nisa etc. 39AInfatuating is the Illusion which is nightfor aU beings. In that, the sage is awake (vigilant) with thothought 'How It could be avoided' The stage where the worldlymen keep awake i.e., perform multifarious [worldly] activities,that stage is the night for the sage, as he is ignorant regardingtho worldly activities.

It amounts to this statement: What is well-known 'lS

Illusion, Its nature is indeed two-fold, viz., to delude and alsoto wear a decep~ive appearancc40 of spinning pleasure. Of them(the two nature.l), the worldly man, not considering Its formernature, remains with a memory well tied to the secondnature. On the other hand, The man of Yoga, who is contraryto the other, observ~s Its deludlOg nature in order to root It out.Thus the man of perfect knowledge, while seeing [properly],pays no attention to Its nature of spinning pleasure. His indiffe-rence to Its nature of spinning pleasure is due to the destructionof his false knowledge. That stage is night to him, even whilehe sees. Hence this is strange. The man of Yoga is awake (orunderstands) in the field of wisdom, where everyone else isunconscious (or totally perplexed); but in [the field] of ignorancehe is not awake (or does not understand), where ordinary man isawake (or understands well). This is also strange. (71)

That is why -

Just as waters enter into the ocean which isbeing filled continuously and which is [yet] firmly esta-blished,41 in th~ same way, he into whom all objects ofdesire enter-he attains peace; not he who longs for theobjects of desire. (72)

Apuryamii~amete. The man of Yoga does not run out forthe sake of pleasure; but, rather just as the floods of the rivers

40 Bhagavadglti with Gitarthasangraha ECho

enter into the sea, the objects of pleasure [themselves] contin-uously enter into him on account of their being peculiar attri-butes of the sense-organs; and they do not create in him waves[of agitation). Thus the third question is decided. (72)

That person, who, by abandoning all desires, con-sumes [objects]42without longing, without a sense ofpossession and without egotism - he attains peace. (73)

Vihiiya etc. Because he has renounced all desires, the manof Yoga, attains emancipation in the form of peace. (73)

o son of Prtba! This is the Brahmanic state;having attained this, one never gets deluded [again];and even by remaining in this [for a while] one attainsat the time of death, the Brahman, the Tranquil One!3

Thus ends the SECOND CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadguii•

E~a etc. This is the Brahman-existence, by remaining,i.e., having dwelt in which, even for a moment, one attains theSupreme Brahman [after] one's body breaks.44 Thus [a.ll the]four questions have been decided. (74)

MA Y THERE BE HAPPINESS TO ALL!

Here is the Catch-verse:

Lo! Indeed, strange is the way of the mind; for, it verilydoes climb up the 'sense-objects by abandoning [them]! Butwhile taking resort to them, one must completely abandonthem.4S

Thus ends the SECOND CHAPTER in the HolyGiliirthasangraha written by the illustrious ven erable rlljllnaka

Abhinavagupta, the best among the illustriousgreat teachers of the MiheSvaras.

II) Notes

Notes

41

1. Sinflll act: cr. ~11~, llmi,- Rlc.

2. Hence He says etc. For, from the point of knowledge none is low orhigh on any account.

3. It should be lamented ••.•..atlained. For, the body, at the stage of olle'syouth, is different from that of his at the stage of his boyhood or child-hood.

4. Wise man: Cf. ei1\:, ~: - Rk. Elsewhere All. quotes 'fiorf{ + ++;or~umr: and gives the purport of it as :

af.R 1'( '3tWlf.r ~l'lrtf~6'R: ~\iWie~~~ ~~ ~ll~ll. - IPVV, under J, i, (Vol, I, p. 65-66).

5 Mil/rll: The etymology suggested here may be: ~. 51+1t~ ~1fllIIT: 'those that are measured or known', from the root mil 'to measure''to knOW',with the Ul)adi suffix !if'f. (U. 607). Cf. the ~aokhya tenn/an-marra, 'primary or subtle element:

6. Ma/ras: Now the etymology may be : lit~ ~ ~r..fcr I 'thosewho measure or know', from the same root with same suffix. Cf•

•••q'f'if:, <llTfi:r~ ~~: ~fcr~~,f)~<flfi;f ••• Saokara

and ••• ~ aifiiRfcr fJ(lfr ••• :qw~!fCrf <l'lK!~ 1 - RIc.

7. These two: I.e. both the contacts as well as the cold etc.

8. How is it possible etc.; Cf. ~~: ~l'fllit ;or W~, TA.IX, verse 14,

!}. The entire verse, as quoted by M.S. under 'li f{ 'l' ~~ etc. (II,J5) runs:

~T lfi'!f~~~ l'll ~ ~~ I

;r f{ ~ $ffl'{filt ~'1dJr""~l<it:IIThat author too like Ag., does not mention the source of the verse.Yet, one may not be: totally wrona to ascribe it to the Sankhya schoolthat maintains: It is the Prakrti and not the SOUl, that Is the agent ofactionsl and tbe Soul ever rem~ins stainless like tbe lotus-leaf :

42 Bhaga vadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

Now if Madhusiidanasarasva !i's quotation is correct, will tbe verse bein tune with tbe stand taken by the Saiva Absolutists I For, they main-tain that it is the Supreme Soul Siva, Wbo is the agent. Cf. ~S6!ff.rreef: wf fiS"!::ijtsimr: 5l~: I (quoted by Jayaratha under TA,

XIII, 113-114); Flfu:<ffi'f~ M-~~: (PH, su. I).

10. This destruction is not different etc. The idea is this: The destlUetionof a given pot is nothing but its dissolution Of going back to .its mate-rial cause viz., the mud, whicb is existent.

Further, even the destruction must only be of tbe existence.nature.Otherwise it would be, lIke the son-of-a-barren-woman ('f"6~a~)a non-being; and a non -being cannot affect a being .. Really, one can-not be beaten by the son-of-berren-woman. So, the destmction is ofthe existence-nature. Now, if this destruction were to have any conne-'ction with the pot thus 'destroyed, then a connection of them isto be accepted, even during the stage of destruction. Otherwisethe destruction cannot be the destruction of the pot. Hence it isnecessary to conclude that the pot continues to be existent even attbat time. For, the existent destructIon cannot have any connectionwith what is non-existent. Really it does not have any connection withtbe non-exIstent son-of-barren-woman. There cannot allO be anyconnection between the given two that are non-existent. Can a son-of-barren-woman pluck a sky-flower (ijf~) 1 Thus, even duringthe destruction, the pot is existent; and both the pot and destruction areone as sat (the things existent), just as the Advaitins would say that thepot, the ,cloth and their mutual negation (~:) are one ~ause they arenot dIfferent from the existence. Cf. ~'\lqj iJ'\~~o M.S.on the Gila verse under study .. ,•• ,' ,

11. Following common wordly practice: Cf. Ag's observation at the verybeginning of the present chapter. The second explanation by Ag. is,mo,re or less the same as, the one offered by ~ankara, Rk., M.S. etc. forthe verse.

12 Unchanging nature: The word viniiSa generally means 'destruction.'But in tbe given quotation from Br.U. the word UcchUti means the same.Hence, with a view to avoid repetition Sankara glosses on lh~ i.rp~nisadicpassage as: ;r lirnTm, fciojl~I~I"d."f!!~ ... ,<Jf;;sre: is''08i\:, a{~: ..Ag. also seems to follow this path of Sankara here and also in Ch. IT.]9 bdow, where anta and vinasa occur side by side.

13. The point of boundary etc. : Cf. o:r~ ;r f!!~ etc' - fA, IX, 15.

14. Unobfervable sta'ge; Nirupakh;ya. (derived from f.!t ~, arr and, the

II] Notes 43

root lQ~ 'to relate or to declare') lit. 'undeclarable' has been usedby the Vainasika school of the Buddhists to denote a thing remaining asa non-existent or as a mere negation, Cf. •.• ~: ••• ~ a{~[lf-

ifl~ ~lI'f4fcr ~l'~ etc, - Saokara under as, II, ii, 2.2

But according to the SatkarJlav;;da, it is impossible, as we havealready seen, for the existent to attain a state of a non-being. HoweverAg, speaks of the mlii~or, following common parlance (~-

'i'm~). He seems to have been tempted to use this Buddhist termby the present context of speakinll of beings changing every momentas advocated by the Vainasikas.

15. Tiny partl: I.e. the elements, vb:., tke Earth, the Water, the Fire, theWind and the Ether that form parts of every object.

16. See also the next verse in the MB, running as :

;r ~ "J;;r~ ~ Ql1lijTsflt 'q I~~~~ <t)q~ql~ iffu: II

17. Tbe krtya - suffix in the present context is according to the rulesPA, III, iii, 169 and 172.

1&. This i.«. th« &1/ and th« body: Other commentators inCluding Rk.,take ~ in tbe sense of 'the Self,' But the text of the conunentary,as it is available to us. would show that according to Ag. 'this (~~)'denotes both the Self and the body. Have we to believe that even thebody according to Ag. is not slain on the ground that it is of perishingnature by itself and hence no one can have the credit of slaying it ? Cf.ar~ ~ ~ ~ Qlf <6t llTl:T: 1 - Ag, under GHa. II, 11.

Yet, can Ag's abov.l interpretation of ~l'f. be in tune with;r ~ ~r.r 'l~ of the next verse in the Gita? Or, can we takeliberty to correct the available text ~ll1'i ~~ if etc. of the com-mentary into ~ ~ <tt {~ if iRf ••.•.! Will not this be morein tune with this Kathopani~adic passage 1 .

~~~~~{Q~{Q~I

'3"11"t ~ ;r ~iftm' 'fTli ~ ;r ~ It (II. 19)

For, on the pattern of the above passage the present Gita verse h as been,framed.

19: N~«d to lam«nt .... _ natural $tat«. Thus, it would be logical to lamentfor a thilla, only during the time of its life which is its unnatu-

44 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

ral state. cf.!Ruf~: 1lR'lft:lJ!T m>Rr~~ ~~: I The Raghu-va'!'sa, VII, 87.

20. Whatever .,•..• its root cause: I.e. the Miilaprakrti according to theSaokhyas or the Absolute Consciousness according' to the Saiva Ab~o·lutists and so on.

21. A set pattern: I.e. Being unmanifest, then becoming manifest andagain turning to be unmanifest.

22. But etc. This objection serves as an alternative or an additional contextfor the verse under study. The answer It is so because etc. gives adifferent interpretation of verse· In the former interpretation an~

\

'as a wonder' serves as an adjective of the object of the sentence viz.,1ffiI: ·this', while in the latter interpretation It has been taken asadjective of the subject 'li~ 'someone'. Both these interpreta-tions have been offered by Saok~ra and RIc. alsl) while Bhaskara givesonly the former one. But M.S. goes a step forward by treating anllli!fC!:as an adverb also mOdifying the verbs <r~<!Rr, er<i:Rr and ~uitRr.

23. These grounds: I.e. the reasons given in verses 11 ff., in the presentchapter.

24. K~Qtriyas who arefuU of deSires: '31~Sfii ~ 'liT+!lPrr:~: seemS' tosuggest 'that most probably Ag, read in the third quarter of the presentGita verse §1i<It~ ~:. Otherwise his commentary would have nobasis. But the Kashmir version reads g~(flcr ~: and 'theVulgate has Wlll'f: ~fS!<!T:, Belvalkar too does ~t record ~~etc. Etymology of~: would be glll~;:ffifcr W2<!: (glll"+~+~+~). See the Siddhiintakaumudi. under 'f ~~: (PA. VI, iv,85) and the commentaries thereon.

24A. The reference here is perhaps to Bhaskara.

25. Perfect knowledge: Cf. mli!<i CR:111~"I<j'll~l'l~ - Sankara; ~<iT-m:~~OT'\'T ~<!T" QTl1~ 'lJ<i ~~ t3A~q<!T l;p2<T ~-~fi1m<ffi ~ ~N ~~, 'f ~ 'lifiim~"l'Rr+L - Rk.

26. Now, how etc. The reading <WI <N1 -'m as against <W'f ~ ~'but listen ta this (knOWledge)with regard to the Yoga' of the vulgate isan.!irnportan~ one, Stressing on :g of f~ Sankara and othlll>.Ad-

II] Notes 45

vaitins try to establish the theory of the mutually excluding nature ofthe path of knowledge and the path of action, while Bhaskara ignores~. However the Saiva Absolutists have their own theory of themutually inclusive nature of knowledge and action. Cf. 'if F-ii<m:~~;f 'if ~'R~ f.n<rr (Ag under G. III, 4-5)

It is interesting to note that while regarding fcll1lT, Rk., has tolabour a little to explain it in his favour, while Av., also most probablyreading ~, has to take the word \1 in the sense 'again' and has toignore ~r altogether (by not even including the word in his gloss),Ag. could find it quite easy to accommodate the verse by reading in it~ instead of~. But it must be confessed that not a singleauthority, other thall Ag. reads ~. If so, can one be totally wrongin suspecting a textual manipulatian on the part of Ag.? For similaralleged textual manipulation on the part of Bhaskara see Belvalkar,Introd. p. xix.

26A. Contrary downward course. Dissolve ~1<f as :Iifff (contrary), ~If

(downward), 3l<I' (course).

27. Here Ag. introduces the Salva theory of the unitary nature to the deter-minate knowledge. For details of the theory see Dr. L.N. Sharma'sbrief and scholarly discussion on the point iKashmir Salvism, Pt). 90-95).However Cf. -

••• o<!'mRITfu:f.!;r Fr~Rl'f'6T ~ ~: ~1~'-r{\<:1a~~'fTfor'6T ~r~mi'l" ... Sankara •. , ,

Also Cf•

.•. 3lTc;rr~~~~: ~qj1.fa': ~'!F::T~If, m:;;r Fr~: I

~~,,~ S! ~ Frl'iil<rl\Tffi:,'if Fr~: - Rk.

28. The Vedic d~claration of fruits: Cf.

~~~s;{ ~<rl+rr5rf!!!;f1~~~.nS'flT~:, 1m

it,,\<! '1~sNbTr;:f crf ~ ~ Cf~ ~tl'r ij mr: - Rk.

29. The ownership of the objects of enjoyment: .cf . .wr~~~fu~lTd'r: firfircr;rrm;r.- Rk.

30, Action alone ete, Dissolve - ~lf 'fi<;i ~~; Oil:lR: 'Ii&t~+J:,~:I

31. Not prescribed: Cf. ;; fir~, ~ - Rk ..

46 Bhagavadgitii with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

31A. Bind very much: The word vi~aya is usually derived as fir',ery much' + ~, 'to bind' + ('1'l1~) ~ (PA, Ill, i, 134). cr.flI~Rr flI~:IlI'''~ ... ~ m: -STK, under SK, 5.

)2. What is prayed for who does not desire ir: Cf.

~l'TR' 'Mi ~ ;rrf.r;;9~~ I

- .sV, Sambandhak~epaparlhara section, verse 111, under Sil.I, i. 5,

And also Cf.

'li+f~ ~m;l:T~ ~~'f 3~ .,,;rf.(r, "r !:l ar-rf't-ml:T~ I \'flIT 'I' ll",",T" 1l1~: - <l{;rrml.'f: ~~ ~ lfiif

WRr '1: (GWl:,VI, I).- Parthasarathi MiSra on the above,

33, Those who constitute the causes etc. Cf. the commentary under II, 48.Cf. also - ~/f: , arf.rei 'tm~~ ~ ~: ;mfT,"'f~!i ~~<fil,tri~~-Rk.

34. Stable in concentration: Cf. above II, 45.

35. Freefrom desire etc. Cf.

~~m~~ "r ~ i.'! 1:\lf ~T: I - Kumara.ambhava, I,59.

36 These two interpretations - though they' are somewhat laboured onesfrom the textual point of view - have been purposely offered by Ag"because according the Saiva Absolutists. the highest spiritual achieve-ment consists not in rejecting the sense objects - as other commen-tators of the Gitli would believe - but in viewing everything, inCludingobjects and sense-organs, as just manifestations of the Self. Thispoint will be made clear in the sequel.

37. Loss of capacity to decide: Cf. ~fm;jma- <ro-1Wf.r~;t ~ ~- Rk. '

38. Th is verse 'fTR<:!!1m:: etc. and the next one ~TIi: etc. have notbeen commented by Rk. too.

39. Starting from unse-objeets etc. Cf. AI. gloss under II. 60 above.

39A. At one instance the Dhvanikara quotes the present GTtli versem mr etc. It is good to note what Ag. has stated thereunder, sothat his point will be much clearer :_

II] Notes 47

~lfl' ~T~I'RTPcfr;;i ~~RTl'lN ~m;ri '1fTFroT 0<!nm:~1

(f~~: ~ ~ 'l\'T<rnr ''-fiti ll~' ~Rr I ;; g~-+rr~Of ~~1Rr <lTIf~I ~ qT ~liQf.rm<rt ~ :orrqffi

'~~f4<i~I.ff' ~ I <rW g fW;I.ff~1 ~ffUr lJ..mf.r iffi>TRr ••• ~T

1m uf5r: 315!fu;ftl:lM"q<j':, ~ ~ ~<rt ;;r~1 ~: •..The Dhvunyl1/oka with Locana, (Chowkhamba ed. '940) p.214-215),

40. A deceptive appearance etc. Cf. Gila, Ill, 39.

41. Filled continuously etc., Cf. 31T'l~+rr0fq:, fi;r<rllror+rfir '3f'<l\i!'51Rrs3~lXlT<m:qtl\lRf.r:orr~;;q, - Rk.

42. Consumes objects: Cf. ~~; fiM"<rr'l. 'fRRr, '3{!f~ - Rk.

43 The Tranquil One: See under GIta, v, 25-26, for the meaning of nir-YOl}a,

44. Perhaps Ag. construes as: ami W-rclfTsN:a{Pcf'lil€rf.1crfoi ~~ ~Rr,For the significance of this, see Ag. under Gila, VIII, 5 ff.

The rendering of:a{~ into :rrm~cr indicates that accordingto Ag. the Seventh Case-ending in ~~ is not by the grammati-cal rule ~~!;f'li\ct '<l(PA, II, iii, 36) and hence does not denote the

base of action 'iiffili8Rr; but it is by the rule ~~ 'IiR'lillsit(PA, II, iii. 7) and it is indicative of the interval between the twoactions viz., the 'dwelling (~) and attaining the Brahman

('!;'liaRr) as in the sentence 3ffllJ..~Ts<i il:~ [ll~[T ~T.

Here Ag. seems to be particular in introducing the idea of intervalbetween the realisation and the attainment of the Brahman. Maybe hehas in his mind the theory contained in the Upanifadic passage:(Rll' m~!£ fiR l:fT!f'lT~ ~ ~ (Ch. U. VI, xiv, 2). It tells us:The person with reaUsation remai ns in the body as long as he is notfreed from the action-effect that maintains the body; and on its fall, heimmediately becomes one with thy Brahman.

45. Cf. Ag. under Glta II, 48, 64-65. The version found in the N, seemsto be not a very happy one, eventhough it is not an impossible one. SeeGita n, 49-S3 etc.

Chapter Three

Arjuna said-o Janardana, if knowledge is held to be superior

to action by You, then why do You engage me inaction that is terrible, 0 Kesava? (1)

You appear to perplex my intellect with Yourspeech that looks confusing. Hence tell me, withcertainty, that particular thing by which I may attainthe good (emancipation).! (2)

Jyayasi etc. and Vyamisref}a etc. Action has been taughtand knowledge too. Now it is proper [to attach] importance notto both, but only to knowledge. Now if with the strength ofknowledge the action is to be destroyed from its very root,according to the instruction 'The man of wisdom casts off [boththe good and the bad action]', then what is the utility of action?This is the itdea of [Arjuna's] question. (1-2)

But the Bhagavat gives the answer:

The Bhagavat said-The two·fold path in this world - [the one] with

Yoga of knowledge for men of reflection [and the other]with Yoga of action for men of Yoga - has been declaredto be one2 by Me formerly, 0 sinless one! (3)

Lake etc In the world, this twofold path is well known.Knowledge is important for men of reflection and action for menof Yoga But that path has heen declared by Me to be only one.For, the Consciousness consists predominantly of knowledge andaction.3 This is the idea here. (3)

952 - 4

50 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha ECho

For this [the Lord continues] -

A person attains actionlessness not [just] by non-commencement of actions; and not just by renunciation,he attains success (emancipation). (4)

For, no one can ever remain, even for a moment,as a non-performer of action; because everyone, beingnot master of himself, is forced to perform action bythe Strands born of the Prakrti (Material cause) (5)

Na karmat}ltm etc Na hi etc. Knowledge, deserted byaction, does not exist; and the action, coml:>ined with dexteritydoes not exist, [if it is] deserted by knowledge. Thereforeknowledge and action constitute one and the same thing. Henceit has been declared:

'Knowledge is not deserted by action and action isnot deserted by knowledge. [Hence] a teacher whois well accomplished in knowledge and action, isthe cutter of the fetters of the fettered'.

Therefore the action that is included within the knowledge cannotbe avoided. For, the body, the organ of speech and the mind are,by nature, in a perpetual motion;4 and hence an individual, beingsimply under the control of other than himself, necessanlyperforms one action or the other. For, the body, the speech-organ and the mind are of the nature of throbing. (4-5)

Controlling organs of actions, whosoever sitswith his mind, pondering over the sense objects - thatperson is a man of deluded soul and [he] is called aman of deluded action. (6)

Karmendriyo1!-i etc. If he does not act with his organs ofaction, then he necessarily acts with his mind. At the sametime he is the man of deluded action; For, the mental actionscan never be avoided totally. (6)

111] Translation 51

But, controlling sense-organs by mind, whosoeverundertakes the Yoga of action with the action - senseshe, the detached one, is superior [to others], 0Arjuna ! (7)

Yas tu etc. When actions are being performed [by him},there is no loss of his knowledge. For, when the mind does notfunction, he does his work like a machine-man. (7)

Therefore -

You must perform your action which has beenenjoined. For, action is superior to inaction; and eventhe maintenance of your body could not be properlyaccomplished through inaction. (8)

Niyatam etc. you must perform action which has beenenjoined i.e., prescribed in the scriptures. For, even the justsubSIStence or body depends on action. (8)

Because -

The world is fettered by action which is other thanthe Yajiiiirtha action; hence, 0 son of Kunti. being freedfrom attachment, you must properly perform Yajiiiirtha~oo. ~

Yajnarthat etc. Binding are the actions which are differentfrom the one that is YaJnartha,5 i.e., the one that is to be per-formed necessarily. The action, that is to be performed nece-ssarily, doe~ not yield6 an. fruit. if it is performed with noattachment for the fruit. (9)

Having created creatures formerly [at the time ofcreation] together with necessary action, the Lord ofcreatures declared: 'By means of this, you shall propa-gate yourselves; and let this be your wish-fulfilling-cow.' (10)

52 Bhagavadgltii with Gitiirthasangraha ECho

Saha-etc. The Lord of creatures, the Supreme Soul,created creatures, just together with actions. It has also beendeclared by Him that the procreation i.e., lineage of creatures isthrough actions alone; these alone would give them what isdesired viz., either the cycle of birth-and-death or emancipa-tion - the cycle of birth-and-death is due to attachment andemancipation, due to the freedom from attachment. (10)

The sense-objects deserve to be enjoyed only by those forwhom emancipation is the most important. This is declared:

'With this you must gratify the devas and let thedevas gratify you; [thus] gratifying one another, youshall attain the highest good.' (II)

Devan etc. Devas: those that have a tendency ofplaying i.e., the deities7 who preside over the organs and whodwell in the senses (or who are nothing but the sensitive facultyof the senses) and who are well-known in the Rahasyasastra.8'You must gratify these deities by this action i.e., feed themcompatibly with sense-objects. Then, being satisfied, let thesedeities gratify (cause) you to have emancipation suitable exclusi-vely to the intrinsic nature of the Self. For, [then alone youattain] a capacity to remain in your own Self. Thus when themutual gratification - you gratifying the [deities of the] senses,and they letting [you] be absorbed in the Self - in the uninter-rupted series of periods of being extrovert and of meditation,you shall soon undoubtedly attain the highest good i.e., theSupreme that is marked with the total disappearance of [all]mutual differences.' (11)

This path of the said nature is to be followed not merelyfor emancipation, but also for gaining all super-human powers(or success siddhi). This [the Lord] says-

The devas, gratified with necessary action willgrant you the things sa(;rificed. [Hence] whosoeverenjoys their gifts without offering them to these devas -he is surely a thief. (12)

1II] Translation 53

ISfan etc. [The deities of] the senses, gratified by thenecessary actions, bind [the aspiran fs mind] to the state ofremaining firm on some object of meditation. Therefore whenthey are at work,9 the things, i.e., the objects are granted [tohim] by none but the [deities of the] senses, through recollection,resolution, meditation etc., of their objects. If these objects arenot offered for the enjoyment of the deities, then it would amountto the status of a thief i.e., to an act of thief, because he is actingdeceitfully. Indeed it has already been declared by the Bhagavatthat 'He is called a man of deluded action'.10 Therefore theidea in the passage [under study] is this: Whosoever is desirousof attaining by easy means, the supernatural power (like Qfjimiietc.], or of attaining emancipation, he should enjoy the objectsas and when they are brought, [and enjoy] just with the aimof simply alliviating the impatience of the [deities of the]senses. (12)

The righteous persons, who eat the remnants(objects enjoined) of the actions to be performed neces-sarily, are freed from all sins. But those who cook,intending their own selves, are sinners and eat sin. (13)

YajiiaSi#a-etc. Those who enjoy the pleasures of objectsthat have come to them on the authority of laws enjoiningwhat is to be necessarily performed; and who enjoy them viewing[the enjoyment] only as a secondary (or intermediate) actionand consequently as a subsidiaryll having no separate purpose;and again those who enjoy the remnant of the necessary actionin the form of gratifying the group of the devas of the sense-organs - that residue of food marked with bliss in being firmlyestablished in their own Self - that is to say, those who havemounted upon the Self and are desirous of enjoying objects,only as a means to achieve this end - they are freed from allfaults of good and bad. Those, who for their own selves etc.; Onthe other hand, those who believe, under the influence of igno-rance, the sheer superficial enjoyment of objects as their tillalgoal, and act with the notion 'We perform this (act] for thesake of ourselves' - those persons alone gain the sin in the formof good and bad. (13)

54 Bhagavadglta with GItiirthasangraha ECho

From food arise the things that are born; fromthe rain-cloud the food arises; from the sacrifice therain-cloud arises; the sacrifice arises from action; (14)

Action arises from the Brahman, you should knowthis; the Brahman arises from what does not streamforth; therefore the all-pervading Brahman is perma-nently based on the sacrifice. (15)

Annat etc.12 Karma etc. The things, that are born andare of diversified nature, arise from the food viz , the one whichis of the nature of being undifferentiate.d object of enjoyment,and which is somehow called by different synonyms like maya,vidya, kala etc.13 The said food also [arises] from the 'rain-cloud' i.e., the Self, which is of the nature of uninterruptedConsciousness. For, the state of being an object of enjoymentgains its existence depending on the enjoyer. That 'rain-cloud'14too viz., the enjoyer, [arises] from the sacrifice (yajna) i.e., theact of enjoying.15 For, the state of being an enjoyer depends onthe act of enjoying. And the act of enjoYing [arises] fromaction, i.e., from the strength of freedom of action-energy(freedom in assuming any and every from),16

The said freedom also, though it is uninterrupted, [arises]due to the good touch of the Brahman Which is full of freedomand offorms that are conditioned and are many, (or which is fullof freedom and of many forms and isnot conditioned); and whichis the Supreme Soul, Brahman assuming the beings (tatlvas), viz.,the mighty fsvara (or Mahesvara) [and the Sadasiva] skippinghigh on It (Brahman),17 That Brahman, having the rising Lord-ship (or might) that is pure and unvieled, arises from what doesnot stream forth viz., the pure Supreme Consciousness in whichthe entire waves of might and Lordship have totally calmeddown.ls Thus, the sacrifice weB established [as an axil] in thismanner, causing a six spoked wheel to rotate, spins the [two-fold] yarns - the yarn of emancipation by employing that partfitted with three spokes,19 and the yarn of [birth-and-death]activity by looming with the part of the [other] three spokes.:lO

III] Translation 55

Thus, the Brahman Which is charming with rolling waves ofwisdom and ignorance, is established on nothing but thesacrifice.

But certain other commentators [interpret the passage as]:The food is indeed the cause of beings tl1rough its gradedchanges into semen veri Ie and blood; the food arises from therain-cloud through the rains; that rains too arise from the [Vedic]sacrifice according to the principle:

'The oblation offered into the [sacrificial] fire, pro-perly reaches the sun etc. (Manu. III, 76).21

The sacrifice [arises] from the action; the action follows theknowledge,22 and the knowledge is from the Imperishable

Still others [explain] differently: The food that is beingenjoyed is the pentad of sense-objects; depending on it, thebhula~ (elements) i.e., the sense-organs, act; the objects are ofthe nature of the sparkles of the Self.23 Therefore, it is onlythe Self that is being nourished by enjoying sense-objects.24Hence the all-pervading Brahman is established in action.2sFor It is identical with that. (14-15)

Whosoever does not roll forward the wheel, thusset in motion in this world, he is a man of sinful liferejoicing in the senses; and he lives in vain, 0 son ofPrtha! (16)

Evant etc. On the other hand, he, who does not accept asstated above, is full of sins. For, he enjoys only in the sensc-organs and not in the Self. (16)

But the man, who simply rejoices in the Self; andwho is satisfied in the Self; and who delights in theSelf alone-there exists no action for him to be per-formed. (17)

No purpose is served for him by what he hasdone or by what he has not done. For him there is

56 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

hardly any dependence on any purpose among allbeings. (18)

Therefore, unattached always, you should per-form action that is to be performed; for, the person,performing action without attachment, attains theSupreme. (19)

Yas ca etc. up to pi1rulial!, However, for a person, whorejoices in the Self and performs action simply as a [routine]business of organs of action, there is no difference between (his)action and nonaction. That is why he inflicts punishment on, ordoes favour to, every being, not with desire for any gain forhimself, but with a conviction that it a is thing that deserves tobe performed. Therefore, just unattached, one should performaction that is to be performed. (17-19)

It was by action alone that Janaka and othershad attained emancipation. Further, at least havingregard to hold the world (the society) together youshould act. (20)

Karma,!"" aiva etc. Therefore, Janaka and others areexamples for the fact that emancipation is even for those whoperform action. (20)

Whatsoever a great man does, other commonersdo the same; whatever standard he sets up, the worldfollows that. (21)

o son of P~tha.! For Me, in the three worldsthere is nothing that must be done; nor is there any-thing unattained [so far] to be attained; and yet I exertin action. (22)

Yad yad acarati etc. Na mt etc. The Bhagavat citesHimself as an example to illustrate the ide~ that to favour theworld js the [only] purpose for s1,!cha person to exert in action,

UI] Translation 57

eventhough he has already attained whatever is to be attained,and is fully satisfied in his mind. (21-22)

For, if I were ever not at work unwearied, allmen would follow My path, 0 son of Prtha.! (23}

These worlds would perish if I were not to per-form action; and I would be a cause of confusion; Iwould destroy these people. (24)

[Therefore) just as the unwise persons, beingattached to action, do, 0 son of Prtha, so the wiseshould perform, [but] being unattached and desiring tohold the world together. (25)

Yadi etc. upto loka-sangraham. Further, if a well-in-formed person were to abandon action, that would createin the society, a split for bad in the form of being ilI-rooted, because of the binding force - viz., the regard for aparticular well-known theory - being loosened. For, tbey areable neither to cast off their tendency of action nor to occupythe tradition (or stream) of wisdom. Consequently they becomeweak. (23-25)

.Because these (common men) are not purified by correctknowledge, therefore to break i.e., to shake their mind would behighly harmful for them. Hence, for their benefit, one shouldnot disturb their mind. This [the Lord] says:

Let the wise master of Yoga fulfil (or destroy) allactions by performing them all, and let him not createany disturbance in the mind of the ignorant personsattached to action. (26)

Na buddhi-etc. Himself knowing in this way, let himperform actions and let him not disturb the minds of commonmelt, (26)

58 Bhagavadglta with Gltarthasangraha [Ch.

[In the last verse] reference is made 'of the ignorantpersons'. [The Lord] now demonstrates their ignorance-

The actions are performed part by part, by theStrands of the Prakrti; [yet] the person, having his self(mind) deluded with egoity, imagines '1 am [alone] the~~. ~n

Prakrtel1 etc. Indeed the actions are performed by theStrands, Sattva etc., belonging to the Prakrtj,26 But the foolunnecessarily binds himself by wrongly comprehending 'I amthe doer'. (27)

But, 0 mighty-armed one, the knower of the realnature of the divisions of the Strands and of their[respective] divisions of work, realises: 'The Strandsare at their [respective] purposes' 27 And hence he is notattached. (28)

TatiVavit tu etc. On the other hand, the knower of thereal nature of divisions of the Strands and of their actIOns, setshimself free by viewing 'The Prakrtl a~ts; what comes tome?' (28)

The ignorant men have been described as being attachedto action (above III, 26). That attachment [of theirs, the Lord]demonstrates:

Men, completely deluded by the Strands of thePrakrti, are attached to the actions of the Strands.Man, who know fully, should not confuse them, thedullard, who do not know fully. (29)

PrakrtelJ. etc. The deluded persons, under the influence ofthe Strands, Sattva etc., are attached to the actions performedby the Sattva etc., which are the Strands belonging to theprakrti. (29)

III] Translation S9

In the same context (III, 26) it has been said: 'Thereforebeing a master of Yoga, let [the wise] fulfil actions'. How to dothat? [The Lord] clarifies:

Renouncing all actions in Me, with mind thatconcentrates on the Self; being free from28 the act ofrequesting and from the sense of possession; and [con-sequently] being free from [mental] fever; you shouldfight. (30)

Mayi etc. You should perform the worldy act of fightinga war, being desirous of doing favour for the world; renouncingall actions in Me with the thought 'I am not the doeI [of any act]';and being convinced 'None but the Sovereign Supreme Lord isthe doer of all acts, and I am nobody'. (30)

Those who constantly follow this doctrine ofMine - such men, with faith and without finding fault[in it], are freed from [the results of] all actions. (31)

But those who, finding fault, do not follow thisdoctrine of Mine - be sure that these men to be highlydeluded in all [branches of] knowledge and to be lostand brainless. (32)

Ye Me etc. Ye tvetat etc. Taking shelter in tbis doctrinewnosoever performs any action, it does not bind him. On theother hand those, who have no faith in this knowledge, are losttotally; for, they are constantly soaked in the fear of birth,death etc. (31-32)

Even a man of knowledge acts in conformity tohis own Prakrti;29 the elements go [back] to the Prakrti;[and] what will the restraint avail? (33)

Sadrsam etc. There is hardly any difference30 in theworldly activities like eating etc., of him who is a man of wisdom.But he too acts only in conformity to the Sattva etc., just know-

60 Bhagavadgiti with Gitiirthasangraha (Ch.

ing in this manner: 'Because the elements like the Earth etc.get absorbed into the Prakrti; and the Self is also a non-doerand ever-freed; therefore tbe erradication of birth etc., are forwhose sake ?' (33)

Then how can there be bondage at all [for a man a f worldlylife]? That is as follows, it is said:

[For a man of worldly life] there are likes anddislikes clearly fixed with regard to the objects of eachof his sense organs. These are the obstacles for bim.[The wise] would not come under the control ofthese. (34)

Better is one's own duty, [tbough] it lacks inmerit, than the well-performed duty of another; betteris the ruin in one's own duty than the good fortune31

from another's duty. (35)

Indriyasya etc., Sreyan etc. A person living the worldlylife does entertain likes or dislikes towards every sense-object.For, due to his total ignorance he imagines that actions areperformed only by his Self. Thus tbere is this difference betweena man of knowledge and a man of worldly life, eventhough theyperform alike their [respective] worldly activities such as eatingetc.

The established view of ours [in this regard] is this: Fora person, who, freed from attachment in every way, performshis own duty, there is hardly any bond of merit or demerit.Indeed one's own duty never disappears from one's heart and itis certainly rooted there deeply as a natural taste. Not a singlecreatute is born without that. Hence it should not be given~ ~~~

Arjuna said-Then, induced by what, does tbis person [of the

world] commit sin - eventhough he does not desire it -as if instigated by a force, overpowering [him] ? (36)

III] Translation 61

Atha etc. The question is this: Eventhough a man knowsa sin to be a sin, why does he proceed on it? The idea in raisingthis question is this: If one's own duty cannot be (or shouldnot be) given up, because it does not vanish from one's ownheart, tben how to account for the sinful acts of these men [ofthe world]? This amoUlo1tsto say: What is one's own duty bywhich the creature is never deserted? (36)

Eventhougb one's own duty rests in one's beart, the con-fusion (or evil) is created by the interruption (or covering) of anintruder, and it is not created by the absence of that duty-withthis purport in mind, an answer to the above question -

The Bhagavat said -This desire, this wrath, born of the Rajas-Strand,

is a swallower of festival [and] a mighty bestower ofsins. Know this to be the enemy here. (37)

Kama ella" etc. A total absence of difference among thesetwo (desire and wrath) is indicated by tbe word e/ia1} 'this' twiceuttered. These desire and wrath are ever interrelated andremain in an inseparable mutual co-existence. Hence [the Lord]well describes them only as identical. This is a swallower i.e.,a devouer of the morsel of f~~tival i.e., the happiness. Thewrath alone31A is a bestower of sins as it is the cause ofgreat £in8. This a man of intelligence should view to be anenemy (37)

But, if the na,ure of wbat obstructs the purpose is known,then only it would be easy to avoid it. With this idea -

Arjuna said-o Kr~I}.a! How does this (desire-warth) come to

be? How does this flourish? Of what nature is tbis?And of what behaviour is this? Please tell that to me;I am curious. (38)

Bhavaty efalf etc, What is the cause in its birth? Andwhat is the reason for its growth? And what is its nature like?

62 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraba [Ch.

Being born and having grown roots what action does it perform?I.e. what does it do? These are the questlOns [asked]. (38)

In this regard the answer -

The Bhagavat said -This supreme foe is subtle; seated in the sense-

organs of the embodied as if to expand happiness, itgets established, deluding [the embodied], 0 son ofPrtM ! (39)

E~a~ etc. This desire-wrath is indeed subtle and at thetime of its birth it is unnoticed in the sense-organs. B"havingas such it takes birth as if to expand happiness But, in fact,being a product of the Tamas, it is sImply of the natureof misery and delusion. That is why [the Lord says]'deluding'. (39)

[The foe] that is made of the desire-wrath, isterrible; is the very self-conceit born of delight32 createdby pride; is of an erroneous conception of oneself andis invincible for men of sinful act. (40)

By putting an end to the [real] joy of the embo~died, this foe gives him (a man) sorrow and generatesfear in him, just deluding him again and again. (41)

Kama - etc. Har~am etc. Pride: erroneous high opinionof oneself on account of [one's] family etc. The delight: theone which is created by thaP3 and is in the form 'f am such andsuch a person'. That is why [the Lord] says 'It is the very self-conceit'. Therefore the foe flourishes from pride; is of thenature of erroneous high opinion of oneself; and takes its birthby way of a [wrong] notion of happiness. Thus, [the first] threequestions [of Arjuna] are answered. (40-41)

o Dhanafijaya! The same foe is foul and meanIt closely observes loopholes [of persons]. It is what

III] Translation 63

has risen from (or after) the Rajas. It is of the natureof delusion and is a trouble~maker for mankind. 34 (42)

Sa e~a etc. It closely observes the loop -holes [of person]lty planning: 'With this loop-hole let me destroy both thisworld and the other world of him'. The same has been said inthe discourses on the Mok,adharma (right conduct leading toemancipation) as:

'Whatever sacrifice a man of wrath performs, whatevergift he gives, whatenr penance he observes, or whateveroblation he offers - Vaivasvata (god of death) snatchesa way all of his; the exertion of the man of wrath is invain.' (MB Santi. Ch. 288, verse 27)

What has riS/!n from (or afler) the Rajas: i.e., what is of thenature of the ramas. (42)

As the fire is concealed by smoke and a mirror bydirt, and as the embryo is concealed by membrance-cover, so He is concealed by this (foe). (43)

Dhume'fa etc. fThe foe's tripple nature viz.] bring amlschivou" append.lge, himself creatlllg mischieves, and beingan object of di'gust, is explained by the triad of these similes.He: the Self. (43)

o son of Kunti! The knowledge of the wise isconcealed by this eternal foe, which looks like a desiredone, and which is the fire insatiable. ( .4)

Avrlam etc. Looks like a desired one for it acts whenthere is desire. It i' fir~. because it is like fire impossibleto satiate For, it burns down both the visible and the invisibleresults [of righteous actions]. (44)

Its basis is said to be the sense-organs, the mindand the intellect. With tbese it deludes the embodiedby concealing knowledge. (45)

64 Bhagavadgita with Gltiirthasangraha ECho

Iltdriya1fi etc. In tbe beginning, it stands on the senseorgans at work. For example, when an enemy is sighted witheyes, he generates wrath about himself at the very place ofthe perceiver's sense-organ, then in the mind3s i.e., fancy, thenin the intellect, i.e., resolve; and producing delusion in this way,it destroys knowledge. (<45)

[The Lord] speaks of the means for avoiding this focas:

Therefore, 0 best among the Bharatas, by con-trolling completely the sense-organs in the beginning[itself], you must avoid this sinful one, destroying theknowledge-action. (46)

1'asmat etc Therefore at the beginning [itself] one mustcontrol the sense-organs, i.e., one must not allow wrath, etc., inthe sense-organs at first 36 Because it destroys knowledge, i.e.,the knowledge of the Brahman and action, i.e., the actionabsorbed in the Bhagavat, therefore avoid the sinful wrath.

Or the passage jniina-vijnifna-nifsana may be an adverb[modlfymg the verb 'must avoid'] meaning 'by destroying it i.e.,by keeping it off by mans of knowledge (thought) i.e., by meansof the mind and by means of superior knowledge (superiorthought) i e., by means of the intellect.' The intention is this:One must not allow, in the fancy, [the wrath] risen in the sense-organs, and must not make any resolve about [the foe],fancied. (46)

The logic 10 this regard (in the anove means) [the Lord)explainS in a couple of verses:

Different are the sense~organs [from their objectsJ,they say; from the sense··organs different is the mind;from the mind too the intellect is different;37what is.different from the intellect is That (Self). (47)

III] Translation 65

Thus being conscious: 'That is different from theintellect'; and steadying the self with the Self; kill thefoe that is of the form of desire and that is hard toapproach. (48)

Thus ends the THIRD CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadgita

Indriya~i etc. Evam etc. 'Because the sense-organs aredifferent from the sense - objects that indicate the foe [inquestion]; from them the mind is different; from that too diffe-rent is the intellect; what is intrinsically different from theintellect also is the Self; so due to wrath, risen at the sense-organs, how can there be a disturbance in the mind, in theintellect or in the Self?' Let one contemplate in this manner.This is what is meant here.

This is the intention of the experts of the Rahasya [litera-ture]: The Supreme I -consciousness38 viz., the awareness 'AllI am', which remains beyond the intellect, and the essence ofwhich allows no difference - tha t is indeed the highest identity.Therefore no frustration (or cut) can be for That which is com-plete all around; hence wrath etc., do not rise [in It]. Therefore,taking hold of the Supreme Energy which in essence is Conscious-ness, you must slay the foe, the wrath which is ignorance inessence. (47-48)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS TO ALL!

Here is the Catch-verse:

What do the mental confusions do for him who contem-plates wealth, wife and the body as different [from the Self] ?

Thus ends the THIRD CHAPTER in the HolyGitiirthasangraha written by the illustrious venerable rajanaka

Abhinavagupta, the best among the illustriousgreat teachers of the Miihesvaras.

952 - 5

66 Bhagavatgltii with Gltirth:l.s~Dgraha

Notes

2. Declared to be one: See the gloss under the text.

[Ch.

3. Knowledge and action: Here the reference is to the Supreme Con-sciousness which is, according to the Pratyabhijiia school, Prakasa-vimadamaya. See blow.

4. Perpetual motion: According to the Saiva Absolutists, the Sup,emeSelf is prakllsavimarsamaya i.e., It is of the nature of Self-revelationand of Self-Consciousness, full of kno\\ ledge and action, whichCaUse the world proceSS. This Consciousness has infinite powelS andSoverlgn Freedom (svatantrya) to manifest the world. Cf.

f.itfu: ~q.:5"fl ~"i{fu~: - PH, 1.

'The absolutelv independent Consciousness-power is the causeof the process of the Universe'.

This power of freedom 'is known under various names such asperfect egoity, energy, spanda etc.' (L.N, Sharma, p. 218). Hence thebody, organ of speech and mind, being manifestations of thisSpanda-sakti would be acting on their own accord, eventhough theindivdual may outwardly appear to have nOI commenced any action.

5. Yajiiiirtha: Here Ag has obviously taken this as a synonym ofkratvartha, which, as defined by the Piirvamlmamsakas, denotes thataction which IS known only from the scripture; and not from anyother ~ources, and which is different from the puru~iirtha or actioQfor personal ending i.e., an action undertaken for joy. Cf.

!j;~ It :m~;jT"'1lTP.lft,~ I ar~~w It~: ~T I

~ «: mRmr<Ff: ~ ~pq:, ~~ ~fafctQ"&:"'Rr: ~~: -SB IV, i, 2.

Hence yajiilirtha may rightly be taken to mean 'an action to ben 'cessarlly performed without one's own choice or desire'. That iswhy the Bhagavat says ij'fi$r: ~+rM\.Perhaps Ag. is totally uniquein offering th's sort of explanation for the expression, and probablyhe ti-kes ~l~ in the figurative sense «~f4<1' (!fi(f{¢f4<1')lT~I~.

Further the word kratu is explained by tbe MTmamsakas asl!iiI~S?l~mrn: (Bha!tadfpikll. IV, i, 2). Therefore Yajiia, asynooym of kratu may also technically mean 'action-with-no-choice',

III] Notes 67

i.e. 'a necessary action'. Thus Yajna may denote 'sacrifice', 'neces-sary action'. Ag. has chosen this way of explanation because heintends to universalise the doctrine of Karmayoga and not to confineit to the first three castes of the Hindu Society, as done by othercommentators. Hence in the next verse ~: etc., the word>!ilT: may be taken to stand for all persons without exception and<R'fT: in the sense 'necessary actions' and not in the sense of Vedicsacrifice alone. Cf.

a:[51<r~~orl'\ 3fTl[!(<r'fi'li!{fq'8"~11lT~ll;- Venka!anatha's Brahm'ii-nandagiri, under Gita Ill, 10.

6. Does not yield etc, I.e. It does not yield any fruit for the enjoymentof the performer.

7. Deities: Here Ag. takes deViJ~in the verbal sense (fc;:". 'to play') andunderstands the word in the sense of deities presiding over the senses.Cf.

~!fT: ~<rij~~ :tTT~QT ~~: - Sankara underCh. U, I, ii, 1.

And~~ ~wrr ~~rfc;:'!i<:'W-lT:.- Sankara, under Jlu. U. III,ii, 7.

8. RahasyaS(istra: Has Ago'Smind in this context been influenced by theconcept the Dutly'iiga which is enjoined in the secret literature of theKaula system of Kashmir Saivism as a means to the realisation ofthe Supreme Reality 1 For details see K.C Pandey, op. cit. p. 623.

9. When they are at work: i.e. when they are receiving sense objects insacrifice. This seems to indicate that Ag. takes istlln of the text inthe sense of 'sacrificed' and not in the sense of' :desired' as somecommentators do.

'Ill. A man of deluded action: Or 'a man who acts stealthily', if thereading ~"lT<:: is accepted.

11. Sub.idiary: Cf. the MlmalJlsakas' observations:

~;;;f~~ 3f~~ll; ~<rll;

'That is subsidiary for which no purpose has been prescribedindependently';

And

68 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

'That which has no purpose of its own and is found 10 theproximity of what has a purpose, is the subsidiary of that [hav-ing a purpose].'

]2. Annat etc The explanation of Ag, on these two verses is highlytechnic I and mystic and at the same time it is too brief. Hence,ca,h word here requIres careful attention. Let us try to understandAg. here as far as we can.

Ag. does not specifically say, what he means by 'food (anna)'.

Vet his description of anna as 3l~~l~~~T~ is clear enough toindicate that he has in mind, only the Prakrti-tattva otherwise knownas Pradhiina which is the first of the objective manifestations. ~~~ lit. meaning 'the object which is being enjoyed' Here it isgood's to see Ag's. descrIption of Prak!'ti elsewhere.

Q}i ~~ <re: g~:~fcf;it~;:r: I

~~<re <re: \iff: >TRri (fffi!l:<rTc+f.li+rIR::o: II - TA, IX, 22()"221.

[~~:J;:~~+P-6(f<rr ~~ ~~~: I 131l:<rT,+r'li+l"3l~mfJ1fql1,.]

Cl also:

••••. 3{'l[li: ~ ~;j<re ~~~, 3lO<rf'1Xi l3T!:TI<:oT'li1<:<mI... , •••

(f(T~;;<fI'tiffi(f,;;<!'~ffi~\'L a:r~ - Sailkara. under Mu. U,ifl I, i, 8

1hus it would aprear that Ag. m y be well justified in taking anna inthe 'cnse of the prime obj ct of enjoyment V1Z, Prak!'ti, instead inthe . ense of mero food as has been done by other commentators.Though the Sankhya conception of Prak!,ti is different from that ofSalv, Ab,olutists, both "gree to s"y that it is the undifferentiatedstate of the three ,tr.'nds and i' is prime cause of all that are born.

13. Ma I ii etc Maya is the first manifestation of the impure creatioo aodit split the unity of the Universal Self; and this Maya is the mostdistinctive power of the Universal Self. Cf.

+r1<rT:q if1+r ~~ :ltm~of\" I it<:;l!f~~~ .... TA.IX, 149-:0.

Vid}1I is a tatt~a tbat delimits the omniscience of the UniversalCoosclOu'ness. Cf•

... ••• ffi~~~l~>r'lit ~ I ~f;l;:q:(<rRr l3T film •.• TA, IX, 192.

Kala is a tattva that creates a time limit to the kartrlva of theUniversal Consciousness. Cf••

ili] Notes 69

And'licf(~ '~\ci, 'li\mr, ~fi:r' ~ "Slclrn;(f;qT:!qq~ 'lifa.rrjq-'lifur~- Jayaratha thereon.

The Vidya and the Kala toge h r with other th ee rarlvas namedKala, Ra£a and Niyati are said to be the five kancukas 0 coveri gs ofthe Maya to obscure the Universal Self. So. the Kala, Raga nd NI}atiare ObVlOuslymeant by adi of Kaladi in the commentary. Be, "us,, theMaya and its coverings VIZ., the other five tatrvas ro, ntio ed aboveare the c',uses of the aona i.e, the Prakr i acco ding to the S4 vaAbsolutists, tbeir names can figura,ively so ehow ('lil:l'RiaJ denotetheir product VIZ" anna i e., Prakrtl. JUSI as slIver d~note, the coinmade of silver so also the term an'na may litera Ily cenote Prakrti, andfiguratively, the said six tatlvas v z, the Maya etc., - thus seventallvas in total.

Similarly bhutani denotes all that are born of the Prakrt;, viz.,tbe twenty-four tallVas s["rting f,O'n the Budd"i, dnwn to the ·PrthivI.Thus a;>2fTil:err..q Wnf.r as !Dterp,eted by Ag. would account for 31tattvas (7+24) of the list of 36 catego[los of the pratyabhijna school.Of them the Maya and its five coverings aro the s.xth to the 01- venthtattvas of the list, Prakrti ISthe ;Jth and all th"t are rorn of it aro the14th to 36th••

14. Rain-cloud: It is obvious that according to Ag., parjanya 'rain-cloud'denotes the individual ~oul which is the perceiver and enju)er ofobjects. It is the 12th tallva in the list of categories [But accordingto Jayaratha, It is the 25th. Cf q'''lfei:ti 'tffl;:if'fi:rc~<ffi under T,·., IX.205.] and It ISknown by other name, Puman. A(lu, Pudgala.

The 'coverin~s of Maya' are of course attribut~s of the enjoyer.the individual Soul. Yet Ag. here clubs them with anna the enjoyableFor, in the classification of categories und.r two heads VlZ., theenjoyable and the enjoyer, the 'covermgs' m~y ,have to be put underthe former head. Cf.

~~)''1~T~ N~ (f[if'q fu:f!!orl'!, - Jayaratha under TA, VI,203.

Further, according to the school of Kii hmIr S I vism roth theenjoyer and the object of enjoyment are gi yen bi, th slOlultaneouslyby the Kala tattva, as Ag. hImself has shown ehewhere :

~ ~ ~)ni'il' ~RnIi'il' 5l~<ffi I ~ •••• - fA, IX, 215.

Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

Hence Ag. explains If;;\;:<;flli('l[~11'er: (lit. 'birth of the object of enjoy-ment from 'the rain-cloud' i.e., the enjoyer-Self') in the sense of 'thestate of being object of enjoyment gains its eXIstence depending onthe enjoyer.'

Further Ag. has not made it clear how parjanya, almost invari-ably used in other places to mean 'the rain-cloud' can be used tomean the bhoktlJ 'the enjoyer-Soul'. However we may S\Iggest this:It is well-known that all that are enjoyed owe their eXistence, asobjects of enjoyment, to the rain-cloud, as well as to the enjoyer-Soul. ':;0 par janya can denote figuratively what belH\veS like therain-cloud i.e., the Soul (lf~ ~ 'l"ot«r: I cr. ffi~: in the well-known example ~ 111"T'f.6:), Further, PGlianya, derived eitherfrom the root 'llif 'to make wet' or from the root If 'to fill up', mayalso literally mea; 'what nourishes all Or fills up ~verything.' Indeedin the act of copulation, bhoktii is he who wets; the Vedic metaphortoo calls the sky (that wets) 'the father' and the earth (that gets wet)'the mother'. TB, Ill, vii, 5. 4-5.

Of course according to the Spanda school, the enjoyer standseverywhere and always in the form of the object of enjoyment: ","'r<iiif~~l'fli:lif l3<\:1 ~5! ~~: - SK. II, 4. Yel, in view of the arti-ficial difference created by the Maya, object is said to depend on theenjoyer. Of course, Ag. himself in the Tantriiloka, seems to speakof the mutual dependence of the object and the subject of enjoyment:

•.•..•..•.•.•.• 3ffor~'ti 'R~l'l:. Il1~1{t'<rlm<:nif ~(i, fif<jT'Tl'll 'R~lf\tt. II (IX, 215-16).

Yet', he speaks here the dependence of the enjoyed on the enjoyer,because the latter is known to continue, without a separate objectduring the deep-sleep, meditation {samiidhi} and the emancipationstages, as an uninterrupted Consciousness (or awareness). This, heindicates by 3l'f'lfl;8om'lICfl<:;lmif:.

15. Yajiia: For its meaning 'act of enjoying', see Ago'S gloss under thelast verse.

16. Any and every form. Cf. ~T~~ll' ~~Rn: (quoted in p 7 inthe lntrod. to PH.)

Again Ag. does not specify which taltva he actually means byKarman Yet.' its descriptionn b'y ~~QT?'l etc., denotes Idat

iII] Notes 11

it is the fifth tatlVa known as Sadvidya or Suddhavidyii in the Saivaliterature. For, the fir~t five tath'as VIZ •• Siva, ~Lkti, Sadiis.va, iSvaraand Sadvldyii ,re said to be charactel'ised by the predomioance,respectively of Cit, Aoanda, !ccha, Jilana and Kriyii Saktis. cr.

f~ra:qlJJTflr<rf.l;<rrUli ~: 1f:rr<n1futtr~m<r~ (ft~'6q: 11 T4, IX. 50-51.

See also Jayaratha thereunder.

17. Brahman: It obviously denotes the Supreme Brahman, the fir,ttattva, Siva, ready (unmukha) for world-pr"ce,s. The descri, tion ofIt as a{;:rqfi;8;;rr<r~m'>~of etc. or a{llfi;8'ilT'PG etc may be com-pared witb

G~T l%: <i'l~~R'iofcr<rr ~~: II'>. • "0 IT •• \0- ,>., 0I., :~<riifSl'l ~1'l1<:'lifOCi~;;j:;nG,II T,4. VI, 52-53.

and with

~(f"'T+m:rc+<rrct..•••.•.. fij'i;8~ ~&: <i'l!(+rFr '31if08~ 'I'~~'ll"fTRr. - Jayaratha thereunder.

Because. without the Secood or the ~akti tattva characterised byAnanda, this readiness (aunmukhya) is not possible, this taltva is tobe assumed to bave heen Virtually mentioned. POSSIblythe Aoan~aaspect of tbis tattva is suggested by samucchalat 'that ",hicb skipshigb', as skipping higb indtcates delight or Ananda. Cf. also ~-'08f%r([T :rrRn:.... (Utpaladcva. as quoted in the PH, Eog lntrod. p. 10).

MaheSvara is the fourth tattva. Though the third or the Sadiisivatat/va, is not mentioned, we may assume tbat it had bee'! VIrtuallyindicated or mentioned originally. For, there is not much difl'erlncebetween these two tattvas and it is this third tatlva that connects, asAg. bas himself shown in the Tan/falaka, the Saktl and the iSvaratattvas. The word ucchalar! in our text is actually an adjective ofSadiisiva and Isvara and llldicates their aunmukh,1a and Sakli aspectthat leads to manifestation of the Sadvidyii tartva, mention,od last.

cr .. " • <1m ~~~~;:r 0<IT1IT{: l!1fultRci. (['!IT ~lf:rr<rft1lj~fil'~~(ft"fuRr ..•. Jayaratha under TA. VI. 51.

For further analysis of the text of the commentary, see notes there.under.

18. The pUre ?upreme Canciousness ••.• calmed down: Ak~ara has beentaken naturally by Ag. to denote what is beyond and higher than tho

72 Bhagavadgiia with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

Thirty-six tattvas starting from the Siva to the Earth. This stand ofAg. may be due to the influence of the Kaula system. (See K.C·Pandey op. cit. pp.334-35). For, the teachers of the Pratyabhijiiaschool, like Utpaladeva, admit only 36 tattvas. The said 37th tallvais called Anuttara in the Kaula system. This name Anuttara has beentaken by Ag. himself to denote that tal/va, that state of Consciousness, beyond and superior to which there is nothing; with regard towhich there can be neither a question nor an answer: which bears thenames Para, ParipUrI)a and Parabhairava-Sarpvit; and in which Saktitoo loses Itself. Cf.

;jf:J:ffi".fi:rfer - if mrcr ~fl::T~ <li'f: •.• 'l""iT fu: \i't''lTra-ufOr

li]"2:f,l~m ;jfifTmcrrn-<fq<lf;:fflR CR:~''l;jfEfT:J:!follflT~Tf;::<:fffl!fl~fEf~

<i"f'f,,+rf~"fi<lmr, ~cf ffi qR:'ll1ff q<:~<:'f~; ff\<lT: W::T~.t~-ifqI'..1Q'!fT"l+rC"fiT<:~TH:«fTi'f,I fflfl if M-~ :a-m .II~.IIRr'f'q~ <!5! -Ag.'s VivaraJ}aon the PT, verse 1.

Further the syllable 'A' is believed to represent this transcendentalAnuttara (ibid., p. 20; K.C. pandeya op. cit., p. 643). Henceakfara of the present Gita verse may very well denote the Anuttara.Cf. ;jf1([UITfT+r'ifiRtsfu:!(Gila, x, 33).

19. Three spokes: Viz. the Parjanya, the anna and the bhii.tas, goingdownward.

20. Other three spokes: Viz. the karman. the Brahman. and the Akfaragoing upward. Thus the idea of wheel or carka has becn brought outbeautifully-and successfully too-more successfully than in any otherwell-known cOffimentarks on the GHa. Because the world process is anever ending one, the wheel of carka rotates on continuously for ever.It may be noted that in the said rotating wheel, while the stage of dis-solusion into the Anuttara is being reached with reference to a parti.cular wolrd already created, then with reference to the next world, tobe created, there is automatically in the wheel, the stage of emanationinto the Siva. Sakti etc. down to the BhUtas of the world. Cf.

fi.1'lT~: f~T~pi'f\<lTtrm (1~ srr~~ ~~ <IT ~~~:

atlJrit'l '3"~~~mq1('l?tT ~;~li.f4:; tTm ~!!l¥t~li.:~~~u R~li.fil;:ft fq-"ll~qr - K~emaraja under theSpk. T, 1.

It may be noted that the three spokes of the sarnsara viz, theanna, the bhilta and the parjanya are already kllo:.vn from otherdarsanas like that of the Sa:nkhyas, while the other three spokes viz.the karman, the brahman and akfara, and again the axil yapia, asunderstood here, are known only from the Kaula s)'stem of Kashmir.

ttI] Notes

21. The complete verse in Manu runs as :

'31;;ft 5!T«,!fSm: ~;:!f'TT~<?Iat[mg~ I

'31f~<?If'"lf<Ri '!fu:<f~ ([Ii: ~: II Manu. HI. 76.Also cr.

1i~f~ij;§;~tr ~!i[1~/f ffi: ~;;: I

<lBf Ii'll"51;;n~~.. , ..•..•.. T A, III, 231.

22. The knowledge: So, it is obvious that these commentators takebrahman of the verse as a synonym of jiiiina 'knowledge'. Indeed theBrahman, if id,;ntical with the Supreme, is the very knowledge itself;and if it is identical ",iLll the Vedic literature, then it is a source of allknowledge.

The commentators quoted by Ag, here seem to belong to theschools of Sunkara or Bhilskara, more probably the former as thequotation may indicate, However both these teachers take Brahmanin the sense of 'Veda'.

23. Sparkles 0/ the Self: So, these commentators concur with Ag., intaking parjanya in the sense of iitman, 'the Self'.

24. By enjoying sense objects: This is the explanation of ~m, I1'/fRr

t[~:. As with Ag. so with these commentators too yajna seems tomean 'the act of enjoying sense-objects"

25. Actioll: I.e. the necessary action of enjoying objects.

26. The Pralmi is the first objective manifestation, according to the SaivaAbsolutists, and it represents the equilibrium of the three Strands viz.,the Sattv~, the Rajas and the Tamas.

27. Their respective purposes: cr. ~lJff: ~-cq-f,,1i:~<lrr~@51m~ - Rk.

28. Free/rom etc. Cf. f.rom:, anm~1f: m~~m ~: R*r:,+r~,,~m ... 51Rrq~:f,rG;Wq: - Rk.

29. His own Prakrti: As in the case of the Silnkhya system, so in the caseof tbe Trika system too, the Prakrti exists in a state of equilibrium ofIts Strands. But, there is a basic differellce between these systemsregarding the conception of the Prakrti. For, while the Silnkhyasview the Prakrti as one al)d universal for all the Purusas, the SaivaAbsolutists believe that each Purusa has a separate Prakrti. Hence theGltii has 'his own rrak,ti',' •

74 BhagavadgWi with Gltirthasangraha [Ch.

30. There is hardly any dij}'erence: I.e. difference from the ~ctivities ofthe men of worldly life.

31. Good fortune: Cf. e-<::<1":'l;[:nrenl1T~: - Rk.

31A. The wrath alone etc. From this it would appear that Ag. views mahlI.sana and mahlIplIpman as adjectives respectively of kama and kradha.

32. Born of delight etc Dissolve: ;:;;n:11'!im <It ~:, Cflffiq: ~~mRr;:;;n:11{~~: I

33. The delight ... created by that: It m1Y be noted that the foe in ques.tion, though born of a delight (verse 40) is a destroyer of the realdelight (verse 41).

34. The words employed in the present verse of the GHa are suggestive ofthe penis, which is impure ('li~qr);always unhappy due to (sex)hunger (~crT umm ~:); looks for fissure i.,~., woman's sexual pass-

age (fEii\~1;T1); acts aftel the woman's menstruation (<:'If:3f-l'\i:);

causes folly ("lre:I(l1T); and makes fluid on what comes nearby (;;rq~q'l;it i\'fRr l\Rr ~q:). These words are employed obviously tocreate a disgust for the foe under description. Cf also Ago's obser-vation under the next verse. However, the style of this verse as well asthat of the previous five verses - not found in the Vulgate - seemsto be Ii bit foreign to the Gila.

35. The mir.d etc.: Cf. the well-known definitions <i'fi~crf'I''1;i'fcrTR<r-1ji[;:Cf:'RIIfiR;+HJ,l1"1':' f.r~fcq'Wii:~Qj~R;:~: I

36. Sense-organs at first: I.e. because the sense-organs ure the first andexistent basis of the foe.

37. Different: All famons commentators, including Rk, take the wordpara of these verses in the sense of 'superior' or 'subtler'.

38. This Supreme I-consciousness under description is nothing but theVimarsa, also called Ahambhayu. Cf:

{q-~ ~ a:'l~ ~~ m;rf~ <fCf: I PK, 1, viii, 11.And

.~ '1"II ~~~l'l1~l'fT rerl'fm ~ 'lil'$~ 'il\"ll~

'lII~, WliT1!T~CfT ~T;:f, Cf~'l ~(f;::;<!KqT~:~, {q-~~ar-:Cf:~WliTU: ~ rerl'ft ~ Cf'l;T'flit1T<rT~m.....~~rerl1UltIr~, ~ '1'f "T ~~ •••• Ag. thereunder.

Chapter Four

The Bhagavat said-

This changeless Yoga I had properly taught thusto Vivasvat; Vivasvat correctly told it to Manu; andManu declared to Ik~vaku. (1)

Thus the regal sages knew this, received in regularsuccession. By the passage of long time, this Yogahas been however lost, 0 scorcher of enemies! (2)

The self-same ancient Yoga has been taught nowby Me to you on the ground that you are My devoteeand friend too. This is the highest secret. (3)

El'am etc. upto utlamam. Eventhough it ha~ come downby regular succession of teachers, it is lost now. By this [It ate-m~nt] the Bhagnat indicates the rarity (or difficulty) and respect-iibility of this kn 'wledge. You are My devotee and friend too:You are a devotee having nothing but Me as your final goal andyou are a friend too. This 'too' indicates the secondary impor-tance [of the friendship]. Hence, just as in the sentencel'wander begging food [etc]', the importance lies in the act ofbegging food, but unimportance in the act of bringing the cow;in the same way, in the present case it is devotion towards theteacher that is important and not the friendship also. This isthe idea intended here. (1-3)

Arjuna said-

Your birth is later, [while] the birth of Vivasvatis earlier; how am then to understand that You hadproperly taught [him this] in the beginning? . (4)

76 Bhagavadgita with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

Even though he knows the nature of the Lord, Arjunaasks this question in order to publisize it to the world) (4)

The Bhagavat said -

o Arjuna, many births of Mine, as well as ofyours have passed. All of them 1 do know, but youdo not, 0 scorcher of foes! (5)

Though [I am] unborn and the changeless Self;though 1 am the Lord of [all] beings; yet presiding overMy own nature I take birth by My own Trick-of-Illusion. (6)

For, whenever there is a decay of righteousnessand the rise of unrighteousness, then, 0 descendant ofBharata, I send forth (or create) that in which the Selfis unimportant. (7)

For the protection of the good people, and forthe destruction of evil-doers, and for the purpose offirmly establishing righteousness, I take birth in every•. 00

Whosoever knows thus correctly the divine birthand action of Mine, he, on abandoning the body doesnot go to rebirth, [but] goes to Me, 0 Arjuna! (9)

Bahuni etc. upto A.rjuna. Indeed the Bhagavat is Himselfdevoid of all bodily connections on account of His having thegroup of the 'six attributes'S in toto. Yet, out of His nature ofstabilising [the universe], and out of compassion, He sends forth(or creates) that in which the Self is secondary. The meaning isthis: He takes hold of a body, in which the S<llf, with the groupof 'six qualities' in full, remains secondary because of Its roleas a helper of the body. On account of this, His birth is divine •.For, it has been created not by the results of actions, but by His

IV] Translation 77

own Trick-of-Illu,ion, by the highest knowledge of Yoga, andby the energy of Freedom of His own. His action too is divine,as it is incapable of yielding fruits [for Him]. Whosoever knowsthis truth in this manner i.e., realises in his own Self also inthis manner,' he necessarily understands the Bhagavat Vasudeva5

being. (5-9)

Many persons, who are free from passion, fearand anger; are full of Me; take refuge in Me; and havebecome pure by the austerity of wisdom - they havecome to My being. (10)

Vita-etc. Therefore many persons, who realise in thismanner are free from anger etc., because they have [all] their desi-res completely fulfilled, due to their being full of Me; and whoperform actions which are to be performed and which do notyield any fruit [for them] -they have attained My own nature. (10)

For -

The way in which men resort to Me, in the sameway I favour them. 0 son of PrtM, all sorts of menfollow the path of Mine. (11)

Those, who are desirous of success of theiractions, perform sacrifices intending the deities. For,the success born of [ritualistic] actions is quick in theworld of men. (12)

Ye yathii etc. and Kink~anta;etc. Different persons withdilferent forms in their mind take refuge in Me Assuming thesame[respective] forms forlthem I favour them. Only in this manner,those who are full of Me and those who are not so-all just followMy path. For [even the performance of sacrifices] Jyoti~tomaand so on, is not a different path; that is a]s(, My own will ofthat nature. Indeed it is going to be declared [by the Lord] as'the four-fold caste-structure has been created by Me'.

78 Bhagavadgiti with GWirthasailgraba [Ch.

Some one says: Tbe Present TeDse (anuI'Gmanle) is in thesense of Potential. Just as in the sentence 'They take hold of thegroup of Isixteen in the Atira-tra [sacrifice]',6 the expression'They take hold of' means 'They should take hold of' in thesame way in the present sentence too 'they follow', means 'theyshould follow'.

The success [of the action] viz., the enjoyment and eman.cipation is [achieved] here alone in this world of men and notanywhere else. (11-12)

The four-fold caste-structure has been created byMe, according to the division of (their respective]qualities and actions. Though I am the creator of this,know Me as a changeless non-creator. (13)

Actions do not stain Me; nor do I have a desirefor the fruits (of actions] also. Whosoever comprehendsMe as such, he is not bound by actions. (14)

Ciitur-vart}yam etc. Na mam etc. How can there be taintof actions in Me Who remain like the ether? The comparisonwith ether is due to the absence of desire [in botb]. As such etc. :whosoever, with this sort of thought, takes refuge in the Bh.ga.vat i.e. contemplates everywhere at all times on the Bliss-denseSupreme Lord as 'There exist. nothing other than Vasudeva [theAbsolut.]' - for him can there be any bondage by actions?

(13-14)

Realizing in this fashion, action had been under-taken also by ancient seekers of salvation. Beace, youtQo should perfo~m, by all means, the more ancientaction that had been performed by the ancients. (15)

Evam etc. Therefore beiDa purified by this [sort of] con~viction you too should perform actions that are to be necessarilyperformed. (15) •

IV] Translation 79

But, if it is said that success would result just from thenon-performance of action, that is not correct For-

Even the wise are perplexed about what is actionand what is non-action; I shall properly teach you theaction, by knowing which you shall be freed fromevil. (16)

Something has got to be understood of [good]action also; and something is to be under,>tood of thewrong action; and something is to be understood ofnon-action. Difficult is to comprehend the way ofaction. (17)

Kit!. karma etc. K.arma1Jal} etc. The classification of[good] action and non-action is difficult to comprehend. That isto lay there is bad action even among the action that has beenordained [in the scriptures], just as the animal-slaughter in the[pious] Agni~toma sacrifice.? Again, even in the midst OJaction, that goes against [the scripture], there is auspiciousaction; for example there is an end for the trouble of the people.in the act of killing a murderous animal. Even in the case ofnon-performance of ac tion, there do exist [both] the auspiciousand inauspicious acts; for there will be necessarily [some] actsperformed by the sense of speech and by the mind as they arcdifficult to avoid without wisdom. Therefore OD account of itsmysterious nature, even the experts have not properly under-stood the action as: 'Prosperity would be for us by this [particu-lar] auspicious action; and emancipation would be for us by that'[particular] non-undertaking of [certain] actions'. Therefore,it is the fire of wisdom taught in the sequel, that alone is capableof positively burning down the fuel of all the auspicious andinauspicious actions; and hence that is to be 'sought after as arefuge. This is what is intended by the Bhagavat. (16-17)

In order to clarify the same, [the Lord] says -

He, who finds non-action in the action, and actionin- the non-action, is an intelligent one, among ,men

80 Bhagavadgtta with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

and is said to be a performer or destroyer of allactions. (18)

Karmatpi etc.: He who finds the action s, [seem-ingly] of his own, to be non-actions [of his), on account ofhis being non-performer [of lIny action], because of his state oftotal tranquility; and he who recognises the non-actions [of his]i.e., the actions performed by others, as actions being performedby himself (or who recognises the non-acdons undertaken byothers as being undertaken by himself), betause of his intrinsicnature of the fully risen state; that persoll alone is a man ofintelligence in the midst of all; and he [alone] performs actionfully i.e., in its entirity. Therefore what f;uit should be bornefor him by what action? This is at the stage of rising.S But, atthe stage of total tranquility he injures, or cuts all actions.Thus he performs all action or performs no action.9 This is thesecret and sacred knowledge, got by sitting near (by serving) thefeet of the preceptors. (18)

Therefore -

He, whose every exertion is devoid of intentionfor the desirable objects, and whose actions are burntup by the fire of wisdom - him the wise call a man oflearning .. (19)

Yasya etc. The actions, performed wi thout intention forthe desirable objects, - i.e., the fruits desired for - are burntup by putting them into the fire of wisdom, the nature of whichhas. been earlier described, and also is to be described in thesequel. (19)

By abandoning attachment for fruits of actions,remaining ever content and depending on nothing, thatperson, even though he is engaged in action, does notat all perform anything. (20)

Being rid of cravings, 10 having mind and' self{body)l1 all controlled, labandoning all sense of posse-

IV] Translation 81

sion, and performing exclusively bodily action, he doesnot incur any sin. (21)

TyaktviJ etc. NiraSiJ,. etc. Even though he setS upon: even-though he is directly exerting in. Bodily action: the action whichis in the form of activity of the organs for simply maintainingthe l:lody, and which is not coloured (desired) 10 much by themind and intellect. (20-21)

Remaining contended with the gain brought bychance, transcending the dualities (pairs of opposites),entertaining no jealousy, and remaining equal in successand in failure, he does not get bound, even when heacts. (22)

Yadrccha-etc. He does not get bound even when he acts:Here nibadhyate 'gets bound' is a usage of transitive verb withits object functioning as the subject.12 [Hence} the meaning is:The Self binds Itself by undertaking the dirt of mental impre-ssions for fruits [of action]. Otherwise\3 [the usage would amountto attribute] freedom of actions to the insentient in hinding[the Self] - a proposition which is not a very happy one. (22)

The action gets dissolved completely in the caseof the person who undertakes it for the sake of sacri-fice; who is rid of attachment and is freed; and whohas his mind fixed in wisdom. (23)

Gatasangasya etc. For sacrifice (yaj;;aya): The singularnumber is to be construed with the class [yajiiatva]. [Hencethe meaning is]: 'The sacrifices' that are being defined In theseque1.14 (23)

It has been said 'for the sake of sacrifices etc.' Now theirgeneral nature, [the Lord] describes:

The Brahman-oblation that is to be offered to theBrahman, is poured into the Brahman-fire by the Brah-

952 - 6

82 Bhagavadgltii with Gttirthasangraha [Ch.

man; it is nothing but the Brahman that is to beattained by him whose deep contemplation is the [said]Brahman-action. (24)

Brahmarpa~am etc. That is to be offered to the Brahman(1st) : that, the offering of which is in the Brahman i.e., thereentrance of which is only into That, just from Which ithas originated. The Brahmall (2nd): That which is the lame asthe entire universe what we see - this is that very oblation. [ntothe Brahman-fire. into the fire which is the same as the Brahman,the highly tranquil Supreme Consciousness. By the Brahman:by one or the other action, [s poured: is offer~d for the augmen-tation of It's lumination. Hence, a man of Yoga, whose Brah-man-action of this sort is itself a deep concentration - by him,the Brahman alone is [a goal] to be attained i.e., to be realised,not anything else; for there is no other thing.

Alternatively [in the verse] the meaning 'by him' hringsin, by implication,15 the meaning 'by whom' So, the follow-ing is the alignment [of words]: The action, in which theBrahman-oblation, intended to be an offering to a deity of theBrahman-nature, has been indeed poured into the Brahman-fireby the sacrificer, identical with the Brahman - that very Brah-man-action of this sort is itself a deep contemplation, because itis the means to gain the innate nature of the Self. And what isattained by this Brahman-action-contemplation is the veryBrahman Itself and not any other fruit. Indeed it has beenmaintained [by the Lord] as :

'The way in which men resort to Me,[in the same way I favour them]'. (IV, 11)

'Those, who have cultivated the nature of performing sacrificewhich is nothing but Me, but of the delimited nature - theyattain, therefore, the fruit of similar (limited] nature. This isdifferent matter. But, with regard to those who have realisedthe nature of the sacrifice identical with Me (the Supreme Cons-ciousness), the Unlimited and Complete; how could they be16

entertaining a craving for a bit of limited fruit?' Tbis is theidea here.

IV] Translation 83

Thus, a top secret is furnished by this and by the succeed·ing verses. That has been also detailed by us (Ag.) - eventhough our intelligence is limited - IS far as our intelligencepermits, by not transgressing the instructions of our preceptors.Maybe, for a person without a regular courae of the oral tradi-tion [of the system], this looks like a picture painted on the skyand does not appeal to his mind. Oll that account we should notbe blamed.

It has been declared by some, 11 in thh context, that [herein this verse] the oblation, the fire and the instruments like sruk[used for offering the oblation into the fire in the sacrifice] andalso the act [of otreritlg] are all adjectives qualifying the Brah-man. This [explanation] deierves to be ignored. For, thesecommentators have not trodden on the p:lth of the secret tradi-~. ~

Certain other men of Yoga are completely devotedto yafiia, connected with the devas and offer that yajiia,simply as a yajiia, into the insatiable fire of theBrahman. (25)

Daivam etc. The Devas are the sense-organs that are play-ful.IS The yajiial9 that stands based on them is nothing but the actof receiving objeets of their own. Cl:lrtain persons are thoroughlydevoted only to that yajiia, i.e., they gain the gain of theirown 8el(20 by examining this (yaFfa) from its root. That iswhy they are men of Yoga; for, they arc absorbed in the Yogapermanently at all stages. Indeed in Yogin the suffix ini, asynonym of matup, 21 here signifies 'perpetual connection'.Further, they (Yogins) pour, as an olrerin:, the self-sameyajiia, aboVl defined, into the Brahman-fire that is insatiablei.e. that cannot be satisfied.2) Thus [the yerse] has b~enin terpreted by some.

However, the Sage (the author of the GitiJ) does notviolate the context.l2A Hence, that meaning which exists in hisheart we shall show: Certain masters of Yoga perform godlysacrifice i.e., sacrifice, consisting of external objects, and intend-ing only deities like Indra etc., of varied forms. Further, with a

84 Bhagavadgita with Gltarthasangraha ECho

single conviction that 'It is a Yajiia and a thing to be performed',i.e.) with no craving for fruit, they offer the same sacrifice, thatis being performed, into the Brahman - fire which is insatiablei.e., difficult to satisfy. Thus even those, who perform sacrificialrites with material objects, attain the Supreme Brahman. For,it is going to be declared in the sequel; 'All these persons toohave understood sacrifice' 23 (IV, 30 below). The Vedic text also[says] :

'The gods offered sacrifice [just} as sacrifice'. (RV, 1,164,SO; TS, III, v, 11,5; etc.) (25)

[Yet] others offer the sense-orgam like sense-of-hearing and the rest into the fires of [their] restrainer;others offer the objects like sound and the rest into thefires of the sense-organs. (26)

Srotriidini etc. But others [offer] the sense-organs intothe fires of the restrainer. Restrainer: 24 the mind. Its fires arethe tongues of flame that are in the form of subdued views ofobjects and are capable of burning up desires. Into them theyoffer the sense-organs. Hence, they are the performers ofpenance-sacrifices. Still others offer objects into the fires ofsense-organs that are fully set ablaze by wisdom and that arecapable of burning up the fruits [of actions]. I.e., they seekenjoyment only for destroying the [past] mental impression ofdifferences (between the enjoyer and the objects of enjoyment].This is the secret and sacred truth. Hence I (Ag.) have myselfstated in the Laghvi Prakriyl!2S (the Little processJ"as:

'The object of enjoyment does not manifest as differentfrom you, the enjoyer. Because, it is the [process of]enjoyment that itself is the identification (or unity) of theenjoyer and the object of enjoyment'.

In the [work] Spanda also [it has been said] :

'It is the enjoyer hi mself who remains in all the instancesand at all times, in the form of the object of enjoy-ment' ,26 (26)

IV] Transla tion 85

Some others offer all actions of their sense-organsand the actions of their life-breath into the fire of Yogaof the self control, set ablaze by wisdom. (27)

[These] are [respectively] the performers of sacri-fices with material objects, the performers of sacrificeswith penance, and the performers of sacrifices withYoga. Likewise [there are] yet other ascetics withrigid vows whose sacrifices are the svadhyaya-know-ledge. (28)

Sarval1i etc. Dravyayaj;;iiT, etc. Again all the activities oftheir sense-organs, the activitIes of their mind, and the activitiesof their vital airs, such as iss uing through the mouth and nose,driving down the urine etc., other [seekers] establish in the fireof concentration, named Yoga, which is the means for subduingthe self i.e., the mind, and which is set ablaze by i.e., to be filledwith, knowledge. The idea is this: With their intellect that hascompletely abandoned aU other activities due to their concentra-tion on the object, they receive the object that is being perceivedor conceived. That has been stated in the Sivopani!ad: 27

'When the intelltct, concentrated on a certain object, notrejected, would not go to another object, at that time themeditation, remaining in the core of the objects, blossomsvery much.'28

Thus the Yoga-sacrifices are explained. (27-28)

So far the performers of the material-abject-sacrifices,the austerity-sacrifices, and the Yoga-sacrifices have been defi-ned. Those, who are the performers of the sviidhyiiya-know-ledge-sacrifices are defined now [as] -

[Some sages] offer the pra1pa into the apiina; like-wise others offer the apana into the pra'IJa. Havingcontrolled both the courses of the prii'IJa and apiina,'the same sages, with their desire fulfilled by the aboveactivities, and with their food restricted, offer the

86 Bhagavadglta with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

priiftas into priiftas. All these persons know whatsacrifices are and have their sins destroyed by sacri-fices. (29-30)

Apane29 etc. Apare etc. Pra"a (1st) : the rising one i.e.,the nilda30 which has, a5 its end, that one where the first syllabicinstance of PraI,llva dissolves. Into the apana: into what setsdown, and is of the nature of entering into the Svananda.3!They offer: Thus i~ the sv~dhyiiya of the nature of the firmnessof the body is described.32

What sets down, some [sages] establish on what rises Up,33so that the pupil's self (mind) may learn the processes of sendingout and drawing in [the vital airs]. By [lh us] uniting these two,34they bestow emancipation on their own Self and on the Self of thepupils; and they, on that account, remain with their mind firmlyestablished on the sviidhyifya-sacrifice full of Svananda (i.e.,Nijiinanda) and Pariinanda3s - a sv'Ctdhyaya of the nature of exa-mining,36 enlightening, entering and uniting [the praIJa and apana]in their own Self and in the Self of the pupils. That is why theprocess of filling [the vital air] in has been first mentioned; andthe process of emptying the same out at the last.37 Further, theprocess of the inward turning of the act of enjoying objects, issuggested by the first quarter of the verse (29), and by thesecond quarter the act of coming out for enjoying the objectsthrough the processof havin: the supreme state-of-bodylessness.Therefore, the performers of the sacrifice of wisdom arenot37A different from the performers of the svadhYllya-sacrifice.

The same sages'S have the desires of their own and oftheir pupils fulfilled on account of their thorough practice of thesaid activity;39 control both the said paths, restrict their food40

viz., enjoyment of objects; and offer prll"a3 into the prat}as,i.e., they offer, by means of the quietude at the ~tage of stopping[the vital air],4! the rising of all the mental modifications intothe splendour of rising waves of ParaDanda and Nirananda.42 Allthese persons know the truth (or Bature) of the sacrifices, start-ing from the material-sacrifice upto the wisdom-sacrifice; onlyby that means they have eradicated their sins; that is to say.

IV] Translation 87

they have uprooted the mighty delusion43 with its roots, madeof mental impressions of duality. (29-30)

The eaters of the sacrifice-ordained (or sacrificialremnant) nectar, attain the eternal Brahman. [Even]this world is not for a non-sacrificer, how can there bethe other? 0 best of the Kurus! (31)

Yajna-etc. They enjoy the nectar of the Pariinanda andthe Nirinanda, which is of the nature of relaxing in their ownSelf and which has been ordained - i.e., brought about - by thesacrifice and which is the remnant of the sacrifice in the form ofsatisfying [the deities of] their own sense-organs. Yet, remain-ing as Brahman Itself, they get themselves mixed [in thismundane life] to their heart - content.

Here we refrain [ourselves] from the free talk: of clearlydisclosing what is highly secret. Further, here a good amountof tasty secret has been kept weIl hidden. Yet, this becomesan object of [actual] chewing and [thus] becomes the cause forenjoying (realising) what is Real, in the case of those personswhose [bodily and internal] elements have been equalised bythe powerful medicines of the tradition learnt from the reveredteachers, pleased with service .• laden with very assiduousdevotion.

In this context other explanations have been offered by[other] commentators. However, let the inteIlectuals weigh anddecide for themselves, those explanations and the etymologicalinterpretations offered by our revered preceptors. So, look!What is the use of the sport of criticising the statements of thosecommentators? Hence let us stick to only what we have begunwith. (31)

Thus, sacrifices of many varieties have been elabo-rated in the mouth of the Brahman. Know them all ashaving sprung from actions. By knowing thus youshall be liberated. (32)

88 Bhagavadgiti with Gltirthasangraha [Ch.

Evam etc. AU these sacrifices have been detailed in themouth of i.e., at the entrance to, i.e., as means to [attain], theBrahman. In them there lies the practice of actions as commonfactor. By knowing in this manner, you too shall attain libera-tion from bondage. (32)

The speciality here is this:

The sacrifice by knowledge is superior to thesacrifice by material. 0 son of Pftha, scorcher offoes! All actions, leaving no bit, meet their total end inknowledge. (33)

Sreyan etc. The sacrifice, illuminated by knowledge, ismuch more superior to the sacrifice consisting of materialsexclusively. The exclusive nature [of it] is indicated by thesuffix maya~ [in dravyarnaya]. For, all actions attain theirfinality in. knowledge,44 (33)

This you should learn [from those, endowed withknowledge], by prostration, by inquiry and by service[all offered to them]; those who are endowed withknowledge and are capable of showing the truth willgive you the truth nearby; (34)

By knowing which you shall not get deluded onceagain in this manner, 0 son of Pi!).Q.u;and by whichmeans you shall see all beings without exception in[your] Self i.e., in Me. (35)

Tat etc. Yaj=jiiiJtvlt etc. This: the knowledge. By pro_stration: by devotion. By inquiry: by the consideration of prosand cons, by good reasoning etc. By urvice: by practice. Youshould learn [this], For, those that are endowed with knowledgei.e., your own different sense-organs, that are exceedinglyfavoured by consciousness, will point out nearby i.e., will leadthe truth to you if you remain practising in the said manner.For this, it has been said thilt they (sense-organs) are capable of

IV] Translation

showing the truth i.e., they show nothing but the truth. That hasbeln said:

'The Yoga alone is the teacher of Yoga [practice]'45

and

'On [reaching] that [seeded Yoga]46 [there arises] aninsight, truth-bearing' (YS, I, 48).

If 'those that are endowed with knowledge' is interpretedto mean47 'other wise persons', then it would amount to say thatwhat the Bhagavat Himself had taught is untruth. Or, thepurpose of saying in this manner may be to teach a conventionalrule: Other persons too should learn from the men of wisdomonly by prostration etc., and not by any other means.

The [locatives] iltrnani 'in your Self' and mayi 'in Me' arein the same-case-relationshi.p, and they mean 'in your Soul thathas attained (reaUsed Its) identity with Me'. Atho is an exple-tive. In order" to establish the [total] sameness (identity) of theAbsolute with the [individual] S~lf, a certain characteristic mark48

[of the two] is mentioned [here]. If the non-sameness (oon-identity) [of these two] is intended, then the meanings 'choice'etc., [of athol have no relevance here.49 (34-35)

Saying that 'the sin also perishes' in the first verse [offollowing two], in order to clarify the earlier statement 'allactions, leaving no bit, [meet their end in knowledge' - verse 33above]; indicating. by 'all actions' - in the second verse- that thelugiested meaning of 'leaving no bit (verse 33)' is 'not even a bitof mental impressions [of actions] survives'; [the Lord] explains-

Even if you are the highest sinner amongst allsinners, you shall cross over [the ocean of] all the sinjust by the boat of knowledge. (36)

Just as the fire, well inflamed, reduces the fuelsto ashes, so also the fire of knowledge reduces allactions to ashes. (37)

gO Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [ Ch;

Api eet etc. Yathli etc. The idea is this: One should exertin such a way so that the fire of knowledge remain; well fuelledwith the knotSOoffirmness of conviction born of practice. (36-37)

In this world there exists no purifier comparableto knowledge. One who becomes perfect in Yogafinds this, on his own accord, in his Self in course oftime. (38)

Na hi etc. There exists no purifier similar to the know-ledge. The purity of other things is due to the touch of Con-sciousness and is not intrinsic. This point is not elaborated herefor fear of a lengthy discussion. This purifying nature of theknowledge, one would understand for himself on reaching thestage of being perfectly enlightened. (38)

He, who has faith, gait).s knowledge, if he issolely intending upon it and has his sense-organs well-controlled; having gained the knowledge, he attains,before long, the Peace Supreme. (39)

But he, who is ignorant and has no faith, perishes,with his self (mind) full of doubts. Neither this worldnor the other, nor happiness is for a person, who is bynature is full of doubts. (40)

Sraddhlivlin etc. Ajnal} etc. Here the idea of the passageis this: The incoming of faith and the performance of activitiesintending this [knowledge], both spring up soon no doubt, if one,being a believer, entertains no doubt. Therefore, one shouldremain being favoured by the preceptors and the scriptnres, andnot el1tertaming any doubt,SI For, the doubt is a destroyer ofeverything [good]. Indeed a person with doubt knows nothinl,because he does not have faith. Hence one should remainwithout doubt. (39-40)

The subject matter that hag been elaborated in this entirechapter is now summarised by a pair of the [following] verses:

IV] Translation 91

o Dhanaiijaya! Actions do not bind him who hasrenounced [all] actions through Yoga; who has cut offhis doubts by the sword of knowledge; and who is amaster of his own self. (41)

Yoga-etc. Renunciation of actions becomes possible onlythrough YOla and not otherwise. This has been discuned(earlier) and will be discussed also [in the sequel]. (41)

Because it is so,

Therefore, thus cutting off, by means of know-ledge-sword, the doubt that has sprung from ignoranceand exists in [your] heart, practise the Yoga! Standup! 0 descendant of Bharata! (42)

Thus ends the FOURTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadg'itii.

T4smiit etc. Cutting asunder the doubt, you must practise,by the said method, the Yoga, the dexterity in action; and thenstand up i.e., perform your acti,.ities simply with the idel thatthey are to be performed. (42)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

Here is the Catch-verse:

Whatever action one performs exclusively following thedesire of [tho deities of] the sense-organs - by that alone thedeities of the sense-organs52 would be pleased and becomebestowers of fortunes [on him].

Thus ends the FOURTH CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgilifrthasaifgraha, written by the revered Rifjiinaka

Abhinavalupta, the best among the illustriousgreat teachers of the Miibesvaras.

Bhagavadgitii with Gitiirthasangraha

Notes

[Ch.

1. As in the sentence etc. I.e. in the sentence Nl8Tlt2: 'Ii "l1'l"<r 'Wanderbegging for food and bring the cow too',

2. Even though he knows etC. Sankara too - but not Bhaskara - views thepresent question of Arjuna in the same light, But, in fact Arjunaseems to realise the supreme nature of the Lord only after he actuallywitnesses His greatness as described in chapters X and XI below,

3. The six attributes are: (I) Omniscience, (2) Contentment, (3) Enligh-tenment with no beginning, (4) Freedom, (5) Perennial undeminish-ing Power, and (6) Incomprehensible Energy. Cf.

wf~ffi :~C[: ~([;:'1([Tf.r~l'[~C([:U~: I

atFt'~:r:ufffi*f~l'\1f1ifC[~:lil'STI?;<:lfTf.f +r%:~ II - Vedantaka/po-toru under Bhamati, Introd. Verse 3.

And also cr. « "l 'l'f'T'lT'l;~~"<1<f:rrfffii[~'lrr~itN:lJGJ ~:Saokara in Gita-Introduction.

4. Rea/ises ..... ·manner; I.e. realises that his birth and action are divine.For, both the embodied Soul and the Absolute are identical. It maybe noted that no commentator other than Ag. has succeeded, to thisextent, in explaining logically how the knowledge of the Lord'sbirth and action as divine ones could be the means to attaining theLord Himself.

5. Vasudeva: 'Supreme Lord', Cf. 'l~: «~: ~ <i«Rr ~~'1T~ <i~Rr~ <iT - The sabdakalpadruma, s.v. 'IT!;!: •

6. The usually known form of the injunction is 31Rrml ~:sf:u;f >;!~,"fTfir.7. S/aughterin sacrifice: Cf. m'l~~~fEf.I;:~ ~Ml1];fu:a;T<rrm-:u~: -

SK,2.

8, The stage of rising: According to the Kashmir school of Saivism,the Absolute and Its power of creation (visarga) constitute a couple(i.e., two stages) - the one in which the A.bsolute rests and is calledvisriima or prasanta; and the other which is Its first stir or aunmukhya,and is called udaya or rising stage, So, if the Absolute Soul is viewedin the former stage, It is the performer of no action and If It is viewedin the latter stage, It is the performer of all actions.

9, He performs etc. Dissolve - W~ l!ill WRr (§' ~, 'li\iil QTl1'~:)

~, ~ (~'OSl\;r ~~:) ~ <iT!i~~,1 Elsewhere also Ag.quotes this verse and briefly gives both these meanings as:

IV] Notes 93

- IPVV. onder I. v, 3.Thus there is no necessity to assume that the description of the seer asa performer of all actions is a mere praise. Cf.

~ffl~'li'i{ ~ ~Rrl;~ <ii+rf1li'fIJfTR~~'\ml - Sankara.

10. Rid of craving: Cf. Fro'll, arrml-<l: 5lT~1'<IT f.!1;!IfiT;:a': - Rk.

11. Self, (body): Cf.:am+rT, mrl:;; Av.

12. Transitive verb•.••••.. subject: I.e. in order to denote the markedfacility of :lctiOD.

13. Otherwise R'l's<fct is to be taken as a Passive usage in which caseit is thc action that would be the Agent of the action mentioned bythe Verb.

14. In the sequel: T.e. not the sacrifice (yaflia) that has been alreadyspoken of in the last chapter in verses 9·11 and so on.

15. By implication. The theory of ~f~'i or implication of certain word-meaning by another word.meaning is usually attributed to thePrabhakara Mlmamsakas. But the Bhatta Mimarnsakas, the Naira-yikas etc., refute the above view and fav~~r the Im'plication of wordsonly. Yet. they too favour implication of mere word-meaning whereit may Dot lead to any complication. Certainly the implication of themeanitlg of yat by the m,aning of tat, as stated by Ag. cannot resultin any complication. See the Nyayasiddhantamuktavali and theDi'lakari etc, thereunder (Chowkhamba Ed. 1<)72)pp. 308-309.

16. How could they b.eetc. Cf.

rm.~~'f ~ "lllffRH'pn~l'fT'f;:r<rr I

~~iJT Rr~~~sil'ij G':qTl'f'fRr II

~qjfG:fq-fcm~CTlJmc+rr;f 1m ~ ~S~(f I

<ii"liWf~<.I ~lf('r ••••• " •. PS, 61, 65·66.

94 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

17. By some: While Ag. seemS to view that in the present verse theYogin's action is described by employing a metaphor of the Vedicsacrifices, the commentators referred to by Ag. appear to take theverse to contain an instruction regarding how a wise man should viewthe different accessories of the Vedic sacrifices. If this is true, thenwe may believe that these commentators perhaps belong to thesame school of thinkers whose view is referred to by Sankara as:

~ ~~S: - ~ ~ ern:. '3l'f!J'fT<t1R; ~If ~ trti!J'fT~ <i"l-~~ ~ifl Ci<M'fttl~ lC{Cf ~ 'ifj.)fu etc.

\

Anandagirl calls these thinkers as sl'ayiithyas or those belonging to acertain school of Advaitins. And the theory in question is of thatschool to which Bhiiskara belonged.

18. PlaY/III: Deva is from the root ~'t'to play'. Cf. ~ ~ in theIPV, I. viii, 11. See also above Ch. III, note 7.

19. Yajiia: Here root ~,"!:,from which ~ is to be derived, is taken in thesense 'to have proper relation [with objects]'. Cf. <{ot~;jfr-~-

'fi\U'Rl'~f,t;);- Pal)ini, Dhlitupo!ha, No. 1002. See. Ag.'s commentaryunder III, 11 tr., for Ago's own interpretation of diiva and yaFla inthese senses.

20. They galn ...Self: Because the root ~ means 'to exist', ~ seemsto be taken in the sense of ~~: i.e. ~<ifM' ~l'{~.

21. Matub •..slgnifies etc Cf.

~l1R+<:;rsro~~f,r~<WtSRrm<f.r I~WfsfWFq-"[I{I1<IT l'{crf.<:r 11~'{~: II

- See the Klisikli under PA, V, ii, 94.

22. That cannot be satisfied. This meaning seems to be got from ap~eof the text. Para, usually derived from the root Pf 'to fill up' maymean 'fulfilment' or 'satisfaction'. Dissolve:;r 'R: <R!fi:T~.

22A. For a discus.ion on this theory see Introduction.

23. It is going to be iedared etc. Perhaps this is the reason why Ag.does not favour the former interpretation in the present context. i.e.,the interpretations of yajna, deva etc., which he had himself suggestedearlier under III, 11 ff.

24. Restralntr: The etymology intended here is: ~ ~lVr ~~:,l=[;r:l

IV] Notes 95

25. Laghvl Prakriyii: K.C. Pandey includes this work in the list of Ag.'sworks known only from references (op. cit, p. 39, no. 10). Possiblythe Gltiirlhasangraha is the only work known to refer to this Lalhvlprakriya.

26. It is the second half of a verse from the SpandakCIrikCI(U, 4). Thefirst half runs:

~Ei~~;:m~ <r ~S~ <r <ITWr: I

27. Sivopani~ad: The verse quoted by Ag. here is found in the Tantrawork generally known as Vijnanabhairava. It had perhaps anothername Sivopani~ad as Ag seems to .uggest. Or, the Vijifanabhairavaitself has taken the verse from an earlier work called Sivopani~ad.

28. When .••. very much: While rendering this quotation in this mannerwe feel compelled by the conteKt in which <\g. has quoted it. How-ever, It is to be confessed that the verse, taken from the Vijiianabhai-rava (verse 62), seems to require a different rendering in the contextin which it occurs In that work immediately after

;:rl{<i'tlli"f<i't~ S<rlCm liS'; WlTY;ifi:!a:I~'l"<l ~ Z<l~Ct1TliS~ mer 5f.fiTmf It 61 It

Further, in the verse l{f,f etc., quoted by Ag. as published in theVijnanabhairava, we find ~ or ~ in the place of ~; andthe commentator takes nyakle as a Vedic usage (81"~: 5l~:) andrenders it as ~~ ~ 'hidden', 'unseen' and treats it as asynonym of ~.

29. Apane etc. The gloss of Ag. on these two verses is highly technicaland contains many expressions, all with hidden meaning. In order tounderstand what Ag. has got to say here it is good to bear in milldthe following facts: In the Fifth Ahnika of the Tantriiloka, Ag. dealswith a certain path to realisation which he calls A'!avopaya.

arror~<r ~f5T'fT 'Rli[Tl'f

~~R~(i~ItIIl

In this path. the intellect, the vital air and the physical body-though all the three are the pseudo perceivers-are made use of, forSelf-realisation on the ground that it is there that we find the Reality,the Self, shining.

(f:{ ~ (f~ mU'r ~ "'iTN ~ I~~SQ!~ 'R+lT~: ~ II 7 II

96 Bhagavadgita with Gltarthasangraha [Ch.

By discarding the insentient aspect in all the three, the seek.er maybecome one with the Reality.

~miit('fm~~u~ ~r~CTT Iat mu!:Tf<r iforrciT ~~1111<iT ~~ II

- quoted by Jayaratha under TA.V, 10-11.

Of these three, the body IS useful as it keeps up the sense-organs, theobjects and the v Ital airs together as a slngle unit, which is thecharacteristic mark of the embodied Soul.

~a:rM~a-R~~ ~: II 19 II

The intellect is of the nature of contemplal1on and the five modifica-tions of the vital air constitute 'Utterance', For example, the very act'living' itself constitutes the supreme 'Utterance' in the case of thefirSt of the five airs (viz. Pra~a).

~f.(;:15<rfifl1<lT(f'f mllf ::O'i!RUflmi.fi: n 17 II

::o~ 'if ml1ff<m ¢<ll'fRH: r:j'ij '['i'lIl: I

an'll'! ~ 5f!ur<rrf\1lii<rrq~\rfc+r!ir ~'1l(f,II 18 II

[mU[ifrf~€1ff, ;m;:qum'T~r ;sft'l'1r~cr<Tf<rrmUfiflfT~\1fllT]

Further Ag. describes the contemplation as the real or direct path torealisation.

('f?f 15<rrifl1<Tmq":l~~ II I9 II

[~ qro:rrmq:]After dealing with the details of this contemplation (verses 20-42) Ag.gives the five functions of the vital air as a mean~ to the reaJisationof the Anuttara stage:

a{([ ~ <IT'i~: mUfifroT Fr~furr I

('[~<r('f<rf 'Lm~~q: II 43 U

Ag. also gives the details of seven stages of experiencing Bliss thatare possible to attain by means of' utterances' of the different aspectsof the vital air. They are (1) N ijananda, (2) Nirananda, (3) Para-nanda, (4) Brahmansnda, (5) Mahaaanda, (6) Cidiinanda, and(7) Jagadananda. For our present purpose here, it is enough if weunderstand a little about the first three that are connected with thepra~a and apana which are the concern of the Gila verse under study.

The Nijananda is the Bliss of the Self - callea Pramata - in whichall objects are absent (sunya) i.e., which is to be dissociated fromall objects. Experiencing this Nijananda at his heart, the seekershould contemplate on the Nirananda. The Nirananda is that stageof the Bliss which is reached due to the experience of extrovert from

IV] Notes 97

the Self, while letting out the vital air, called Pramana. This processAg. calls prii1Jodaya 'rising up of the vital air', on the ground that itrises up from the heart, during the process, upto what is called Dvli.dasiinta 'the distance of twelve-fingures',

The Pariinanda is that stage where the Bliss is experienced due tothe experience of objects as aspecU of the Self. The seeker, beingestablished in the Apina aspect - cal1ed Prameya - of the vit&! air,should contemplate on this Pariinanda; and he should remain therein the Parananda, being content with the enjoyment of objects andbeing illuminated by the moon of the air Apllna, This he should dowhile filling up the heart with air from the said Dvidasinta:

f.r~ m:rr~~IiT~ ~ gu ~: I

~qHrr'!f<n;I..(lM('I"~ fi!rl:!~ II 44 II

m~ 3;~ a qwr;i{ fit'lrm, I

a'fl\i~~"lT~: II 4S II

'Rl~fcr~~ aro<rofumfi:r(f: II etc.

[~+rf.r ~m~, fit~~ mvrrsi1:<rfitwr~ !;;~fWt,f.r'3f: f.mTfi:lCi!f1tl: liil'flq~(f: arRf<l{: '" .•• I'I'f •••••• ~: ~~ .••.••• , •• l>lIiT"fRl'l'if:m~ ~100 ~ ~q;nit~ ... f.roif~ f.r~

~~ ~ ~~Tfif~ ••••.. ~Q •••••• ~ wi'~, <RuT ~ ~ arRf;:<i fiim~ l ••• ~.~ ~~11.'{Tij,

3f~ Q'U'l'rl(f.m~ I•••••••••~ aroiJ ~ ~Q<!T mft......•€A' mfl:rQ: ~!fi~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~~~~: ~~: J

The A¥!aiiga Yoga system recognises the concentratioD on Niida asa means to attain the Samiidhi stage (Cf,~~13'~lifm~ - HP,IV, 81).

Elsewhere Ag. tells us that Siva viz., A, followed by Niida viz.,HA remains everywhere in the entire universe as father-cum·mother :

iIi~ 'lT~3~ lRllcl~~1i!f!fi:Iro.rt If[ffiiij-~if lliQ'T~ ~: II (1 A, m, 200-01)

On this Jayaratha glosses 'lT~if ~ ~; and he quotes:

am~~~~ ~~: ~ ,fit~~~R<:r ~fl"lf~mRlf II

Further it is also stated that this AHA joined with M -the later calledBindu or Kundali - constitutes the mystic AHAM 'which denotes theSelf and which' is the best of all the mantras (ibid. 2011f). This AHAM

952 - 7

98 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

has been described as the very Vimada (also known Pratyavamarsa)aspect of the Supreme Consciousness:

'1fT~ f!rmf.:afii~:<:i'tS@'r~'If~- quoted by Ag. in his Tattvaviveka under the Paratri'r'sika.verse 1. (K.S. No xvm, 1918, p. 58)

51~'I'+rofcmsmRtRr:~~I~ QU 'IT''lT I

~~l~-

!foflTGTT ~~;;qr '" n[;:rat ~ l>:Rr "1iEi~:] - quoted in the f. n. ibid p.55.

The course of the vital airs Prana and Apana, their connectionwith the heart and the Dvadasanta ~nd the consequential rise of themystic AHAM all are described in the PH also (See under the sutras18-20). All 'these ideas Ag. tries to compress in a few sentences andthis adds to the difficulty in clearly understanding the text.

Certain grammatical points are also involved in Ago's explana-tion. He seems to take svadhyl1ya as consisting of sva adhi a aya(from the root ay 'to gO') 'coming or entering upon the Self'. Simi-larly he takes Pra'!a and Apana in the literal senses pra ana and apaana (from the root an 'to move') meaning respectively 'one that risesup' and 'one that sets down' • However. by suggesting these etymolo-gies he is not excluding the process of oral teaching by the teacher tothe students (~~,IJff'i~~); the vital air that moves up-ward and the air that moves downward, But the movements meanthere are only in between the heart on one hand - where the air is filledin by inhaling - and the Dvadasanta. mentioned above - where theair is expected to hit. Cf •

•• •• ~: ~<t<fl'(, 31-<1"~: B:TG:m::a:;o~: munw;:r-fcr~l~ffi f.r~T<iR~- PH. under surra 18.

Bearing these remarks in mind let us try to understand what Ag.•the mystic, has got to say here.

30. Nada: As we have already seen nl1da denotes HA. First syllabicinstance of Pra'!ava etc. Dissolve: 51arCf~ aif.lrr~ a{!~ a{!~~JlT:aU'IiR: ~ 'I{3f ~o 5fijjCfT~<!T5{T<if<I:a{~+fT~ +r'IiR:, «!'if ~~

:'P'6~U~I"1i'lf'IfT f~'If~, ;:r 31-<1":~ ~ I

31. Svl1nanda etc. Thus the meaning of svadhyaya is brought in. Dis-solve ~ <mc~ an~, atfEf~: an a{'If: ~:, ;:r ~ '3fR+lT~ Q'RH~,1 The expression <m~: etc. is suggestive of A. Cf.

IV] Notes 99

3lTc+riift';;r+J:3f.liTi i'{ ~r~ ~~ i'{ - the Uddhiirakosa ofDak~il)limjjrti, (Delhi, 1978) V, verse 5.

Here sviinanda is the same as the nijiinanda mentioned above. Sva issubstituted for nija in order to bring in the svlidh)'ii)'a-concept. Thussviidhyiiya at the levels of both the intellect and the vital air isexplained.

Thus Ag. seems to take '3fqf.[ ~ m"!+i. to mean - 'They utterHAM after A'.

32. Firmness of body: For pi,:gasthiti see above. Thus svlidhyliya is alsoat the level of body.

33. What sets down etc. 1.e some sages place the setting HAM onrising A.

34. By uniting these two etc. Thus MAHA-A is formed by invertingAHAM. The general Tlintric belief is that the creative state is AHAMbecause it starts with A, the Self; and the annihilatory state is

, MAH A-A because it ends with A, the Self. Cf.

3lTCll'r~: ~<rfu:, );f~~l?;jf am+TRf:- Saokara under BS, II, iii, 15.

The sages are stated to take recourse to the latter state only to helptheir students in their effort for emancipation. Further, Ag. seems tobring in here the relation between the teacher and the taught obvio-usly following the generally accepted meaning of adhyayana that hasbeen defined as ~ir;m:U'fT'f."lR0Tll. Cf•

• •• •• •~~ ~Rfisrm;rQ<IT~r'fTl;;<rrm.T '~ ~; .... ~-+R51OTT;rQ<IT~l!]~ 'lWdf' ~fu.....

- Ag. under parlitrirrzsikii, verse (p. 11) 1•

•••... \'reI fit+r~:~;r<fq~l1r~'liml::, ;r ~if: ~I1T<ftl1rq~~-

~O'f!l~ '~' ~~~ ~ - Ibid. p.58.

In this regard the Mlilinlvijayottaratantra speaks of the method to befollowed by a preceptor to initiate a pupil: In order to uplift thepupil spiritually, the preceptor, favouring the pupil, should meditateupon AHAM as a source etc. of all and convey the same by reversingthe order of the letters i.e. as MAHA-A :

~ Tl' (fffil!]~~~51~ I

;rra,:Tl'R9~WIT~f~.tO'f: II

100 BhagavadgIti with Gltirthasangraha

~oi (f@' !!i& m-lflTl5llj'q-<Wrq: I

<rrWTtTm"T m'fT Q; Ii ~~~~ I

(Ch.

:ac~ ffif: ~it cr~!{Tg~hl'll

- Ch. XX, verses 49-52,59, 65.

[~<rn'f~~q~-(f@' f~ iFf. ~a:r~ ,f~lfl: ,~it:sil;: ~'3'1R ~<r+fTorrlfl: .n5ll1f1: 3HlTm<rr: tit<im If.(ll1, ~"T 3f.61~"T ~-

~ G~,- ,~l1HT5lTfq-~ i['li~ 3f.IiR~5~ ~(~mlfl'q - ami~ ro~lfl<r ~ \ crT{~lfl 'l!f ~ fq-llflfl :a{5W;'f'Jflfl ~ :a{~ :a{+J'.

~ ~~'1~q<!lr~T, ~ 6i5~cr: ~ ~,' aRt jW+rR 'f'Jf~

"'Il, ~ ~+rT"fll. i3T&llI' ~\'( I +r ~ :a{~m~~ ~mlfl'lCi,1 ]

The whole idea is made highly mystic. For, the Kaula systemkeeps everything secret and declares M AHA-A to he all the moresecret

...... ~-'ilj'~~~a:~ ..- Ag.'s Tatlvavlveka under Paratrlo/-Sika, verse 1 (op. cit p. 55)

35. For the meaning of the technical term Pariinanda see above.

36. Examining etc. Ag perhaps views that these four acts are suggestedrespectively by the four constituents 8vaadhi a 1Jyaof sVlldhyaya.

37. The process of emptying the same 0111: By this statement Ag. seems toindicate that the AHAMand MAHA-A stages of the Tantra are thesame as the puraka and recaka of the A~!iingayoga system. Here inthe Gita too Priil)a is mentioned first and the word prlllJa is alsoderived from the root prll 'to fill'.

Further it may be noted that Ag. says that recaka comes last andhe does not say that it comes next to puraka. For, there is kllmbhakain between. Again when Ag. says that 'puraka has been mentionedfirst', he does not Seem to confine himself to the present GIla versealone. For, puraka precedes the other two even in the Astiingayoga.Cf.• '

~~ ~<ft moT ~Of ~ Il:1R~T l:j1[n.1fffi~: liilror ~ It

- HP.II, 7.

IV] Notes

or course the YS reads

If[\m'l'<!''cmq;I1lRt: .••. (II, SO)~

101

denoting an order like "caka, puraka and kumbhaka. But in theliaht of what we have seen, we may have to think that there too pro.bably puraka is intended to come first, even though the word hahyadenoting recaka figures as the first member of the Dvandva compoundfoilowing the grammatical rule an;:~('1; (PA, II. ii, 34).

37A. Ag.'s introduction to the Gita verses 29-30 and the tenor of his glosson the same under study clearly suggest this: Ag. wants his reader tounderstand that the sacrifices concerned with the course of the Pranaand the Apana dealt with in these verses, thcmsel ves constitute theSvadhyliya-sacrifice and Wisdom-sacrifice. Hence it is obvious thatone no has been somehow missing in the present sentence of the com.mentary. And we have supplied the same.

38. The same sages: Ag. perhaps gets this sense from apare'(verse 30) bydissolving it as if <it. Cf. the compound <af~: 'not he'.

39. Thorough practice of the said activity: Ag. seems to explain m"Il~·:il1TU«UIT:by splitting it into sr, '3R, arT, 'Wi, ~, 'R, <af</ifand by

the compound word ~ - etc. See '!ippll1!l.

40. Restrict their food: Thus the pratyahara idea of the A~!ailgayoga istouched. Cf. YS. II, 54-55.

41. Stopping the vital air: Thus the apparent meaning of m1l'/T<!1~<1lJ!r:is also not ignored.

42. For Parlinanda etc .• see above. Thus Ag. seems to touch the A~!anga-yoga concept that through priilJayiima. the mind becomes capable ofconcentrating on the Self. Cf.

&1\"I1!.! '<{ <ifu!m l1iflJ: (YS. II, 53).

43. Uprooted the mighty delusion: The YS too says that a mastery overthe pralJiiyiima destroys what covers the true knowledge. Cf.

ffii: ~ 5f.liTmlR"lll. (II. 52)

44. Attain their Finality etc. See below Ag. under verses 36-37.

45. The sentence ~ ~Cf etc .• has been taken from YB under CRl{ fitlj,~i3'!<!t<T: IIII.6).. There the complete sentence in question runs:

102 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraha [Ch;

~r ~r ~llr:~(1:l:;r<it<r ll;eitl1Tl::<rr<r:I'Yoga alone is the spiritual guide in showing,"This particular stage is next to that particular stage,"

To substantiate tbe above statement Vylisa quotes an authority (notnamed) :

<Wt'f <i'l<i't~r~ <i'l<i't<!Terrel"ll'lif€t,46. Seeded yoga: Cf. ff5[ ~ •••••• ~ ~<Wt (Viji\linabhik~us'

YogavGrttika). This seeded Yoga, otherwise known as Sa,!,prajiiata-samadhi, is said to be a state of trance conscious of the object, to beknown. From this it is clear that one step in the Yoga shows theseeker a higher step in it. By quoting the Bha~ya first and the Sutraimmediately next both having the same purport does Ag. indicatethis? Why should Vyasa go all the way to an unknown authority(<iTiFr <nm ~r(fO<i; etc.) to substantiate the statement <it<r ll;'ft-l1T!;~<r: , while there is Pataiijali's own sutra is readily available?

For, ~ =i{<l1~ ~~ fifi+rillflhi ~, ~

47. If jiianina!, is interpreted to mean etc.: I.e. as has been done by'Sankara and Bhaskara. But the main objection that can be possiblyraised against Ag, interpretation is this: Can one offer prostrationetc., to one's own sense-organs, as advised by the Gitli? Perhaps toward off this difficulty, Ag. suggests an alternative interpretation'Or, the purpose etc.'.

48. Characteristic mark. The idea is this: If all beings witout exceptionswere to exist in the individual Soul and were to exist at the same timein' the Absolute, then the identical properties do establish the mutualtotal identity of the individual Soul and the Absolute. -

49. The meaning 'choice' etc. Cf. iINI~...• fer.t;\!'~'1'llI«:'''lI",+;:r-~~ - The Medini Kosa (as quoted in the VS under AK, III, iii, 247).The idea here is this: If the total identity of the two is intended,atho serves no purpose. If non-identity is intended, even then themeanings 'alternative' etc" capable of being conveyed by atho has norelevency in the present context. For, the statement 'You shalJ seeall beings without exception either in You or in Me' and the like,would be rather ridiculous. Its conjunctive sense or the sense oftotality (samuccaya) too can have hardly any relevence here. For, onecannot be right in finding 'all-beings without-exception' in both theindividual Soul and int he Absolute together. Of course, one can beright in observing all bean-attribllt~s without exception in two or

IV) Notes 103

more bean-seeds together. But those bean-attributes are of exclusivenature and are not to be found anywhereelse and hence identicalattributes can be found in two or more seeds together. On the otherhand, the all-inclusive attributes 'all-beings-without-exception' cannothave its parellel- in that case it would not be 'all-beings-without-exception' - and hence cannot be found in two thi ngs together oralternatively. Thus the said all-inclusive property establishes thetotal identity of the individual Soul and the Absolute and hence athois expletive only.

50. Knot (bandha): Cf. the Tamil palldam (from Skt. bandha) denotingthe knot in a conspicuous size, made of cloths etc., soaked in oil etc.,set ablaze and used as torch.

51. If one can have the liberty to correct the present sentence in the com·mentary, then one may tentatively suggest an em<::ndation like CffllTi'i~m ~ql'\l'[i!t ("'arrq#~:r'[~)if 11T<i<fll, "Therefore one shouldnot entertain doubt regarding what is favoured by the preceptors andscriptures". This may be one way of avoiding an apparent contradic-tion between Ago's initial stress on the importance of doubt for aninvestigator (Introd.) and his present statement.

52. Deities 01 the sense-organs etc.: Cf. Ago's gloss under IV, 31 and 34.Cf. also his own gloss under II!, 11 ff.

Chapter Five

Arjuna said-o Kr~I,1a,you commend renunciation of action

and again the Yoga of action; which one of these twois superior [to the other]? Please tell me that forcertain. (l )

Sa1!Jnyasam etc. Is renunciation superior or Yoga? Thisis the question of the doubting person (Arjuna). (1)

The Bhagavat said -Both renunciation and the Yoga of action effect

salvation. But, of these two, the Yoga of action isbetter than renunciation of action. (2)

Sa1fJnyasal] etc. Renunciation and the Yoga of action - notonly one, but two-are mentioned here. Happily joining togetherthey yield salvation. [However), the superiority of the Yoga[over the renunciation) is due to the fact that but for the Yoga,renunciation does not exist. (2)

That person may be considered a man of perma-nent renunciation, who neither hates nor desires. For,o mighty-armed! he who is free from the pairs[of opposites] is easily released from bondage [of~tio~. 0)

Jneyal} etc. Therefore he alone is all the time man-of-renunciation, by whom both desire and hatred have beenrenounced from his mind. Because his intellect has come outof the pairs of ange'r, delusion and others, he is released justeasily. (3)

106 Bhagavadgita with Gi tarthasangraha ECho

The childish, and not the wise, proclaim the pathsOC knowledge and the Yoga as different. He, who hasproperly resorted to even one [of these two], gets thefruit of both. (4)

What state is reached by men of knowledge-path,the same is reached by men of Yoga subsequently.l[So] whosoever sees the knowledge-path and the Yogato be one, he sees [correctly]. (5)

Sli1ttkhya-Yogau etc. Yat Si'ifjtkhyai1J. etc. There is nothingto differentiate as 'This is path of knowledge' [and] 'This isYoga'. [ndeed both these are ever inter-connected. Know-ledge is not without Yoga;2 and Yoga also is not withoutknow ledge. Hence the identity of these two.3 (4-5)

o mighty-armed (Arjuna)! Renunciation iscertainly hard to attain excepting through Yoga; thesage who is the master of Yoga4 attains the Brahman,before long. (6)

Sa1f/>nylfsastu etc. [Here] the word tu is used in the senseof 'affirmation' and it is to be construed in a different order.[Hence the meaning is]: For a person without Yoga, it is certainlyhard to attain renunciation. Because, as it has been alreadyshowns logically, it is difficult to renounce actions. But, it iscertainly easy for men of Yoga to attain this,SA That has beensa id earlier. (6)

A master of Yoga, whose self (mind and intellect)is very pure and is fully subdued, the sense-organscontrolled, and Soul is [realised to be] the Soul of allbeings - he is not stained, eventhough he is a performer[of actions]. (7)

A master of Yoga, knowing the reality wouldthink 'I do not perform any action at all'. For, he

V] Translation 107

who, while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating,going, sleeping and breathing; (8)

Talking, rejecting, receiving, opening and closingthe eyes, bears in mind that the sense-organs areon their respective objects; and (9)

Who performs actions by offering them to theBrahman and giving up attachment - he is notstained by sin just as the lotus-leafis [not stained] bywater. (10)

Having given up attachment, the men of Yogaperform action, just with the body, with the mind,with intellect and also with sense-organs, for attainingthe Self. (11)

YogayuktaT, etc. upto iftma-siddhaye. He, whose (by whom)Self is [realised to be] the Self of all beings, is not stained,eventhough he performs all [sorts of] actions. For, he hasundertaken neither what is enjoined nor what is prohibited.Hence, even while performing actions such as seeing and thelike, he bears in mind, - i.e., he resolves with [all] firmness ofobservation, - that 'If the sense-organs like eyes etc., functionon their respective objects, what does it matter for me? Indeedone is not stained by what another does'. This act is noth-ing but dedicating one's actions to the Brahman. In this regardthe characteristic mark i~ his detachment. Due to that he isnot stained. Because they do not have attachment, the men ofYoga perform actions clllly with their body etc., that are freedfrom attachment and do not depend on each other. (7-11)

Having abandoned [the attachment for] the fruitof actions, the master of Yoga attains the highest Peace.[But] the person, other than the master of Yoga, atta~ched to the fruit of action, is bound by his action bornof desire. (12)

Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha ECho

Yuktalf etc. Highest: that from which there is noreturn. (12)

Having renounced all actions by mind, a man ofself-control, dwells happily in his body, a nine-win~dowed mansion, neither performing, nor causing othersto perform [actions]. (13)

Sarva - etc. [He would view as]: 'Just as for a personwithin a house there is no connection with dilapidation etc.,that are found in the house, in the same way for me too residingin the body-house beautified with nine windows in the form ofopenings like the eyes etc., there is no connection with itsattributes.' (13)

For-The Lord (Self) acquires neither the state of being

a creator of the world, nor the actions, nor the con-nection with the fruits of their actions. But it is theinherent nature [in It] that exerts. (14)

Na kartftvam etc. This Soul does not do anything foranything.6 But, Its exertion is only Its inherent natureand it is not due to any desire for results. For, the Bhagavat,the Conscious Energy Itself Whose ultimately true inherentnature is the IlIumination-Bliss-Freedom-of-Will, and Whichbrings out, merely by Its own nature, the continuous series ofcreation, maintenance and withdrawal of all (the Universe);hence in It, there is never a departure, even to a little extent,from Its own inherent nature. Hence there is no such thing as aparticular stage of being a creator i.e., a creatorhood separate[from Itself]. Because that does not exist, what actions can bethere? If actions are not there, the fruit is to he of what or forwhom? Then what connection could be there with the fruit ofaction?

[Further], 'action' in tbis context is [only] the kriyil-[sakti] or creative energy [which is nothing but His wiU], and

V] Translation 109

'reinlt of action' too is only the fruit of this kriya. Forexample, the activity like rotating the [potter's] wheel by thestick is not [actually) different [from what is to be created i.e.,the pot]. Nor the creator of the pot is different from it. For,all exist within the Conscious Energy. Therefore, it is only theAnimate Sovereiln Supreme Lord that manifests in this and thatform. Therefore there exist no activity and ili result etc.,apart from That. This is the demonstrated conclusion [of thescriptures]. (14)

So, if there is no activity or its result [as stated above],then even the result, ordained in [the scriptural] injunctions7

cannot have a status of being produced by the unseen [cause].sAfter saying this in the first hemistich [of the following verse],the Lord justifies in the other hemistich the same statement withreference to the men of mundane life:-

The Omnimanifest (Soul) takes [upon Itself] neithersin nor merit [born] of any [action]. But, the perfectknowledge is clouded by Illusion and hence the crea-tures are deluded. (15)

Niidattc etc. The sinful acts and the like have been effec-ted not by the Soul; but they have been effected by the Illusionbelonging to It, just as a poison is effected in the nectar by adoubt.

Therefore -

In the case of those whose Illusion has been,however, destroyed by the Self-knowledge, then forthem that knowledge illumines itself, like the sun. (16)

.miinena etc. When however the Illusion is destroyedby knowledge, then the natural capacity of knowledge, in illumi-nating itself and other things starts to work automatically justai the sun does when the darkness is lost. Indeed when thedoubt (of poison] is completely rooted out, the nectar does thework of the nectar just automatically. (16)

110 Bhagavadgita with Gitiirthasangraha ECho

But this is possible for those who have their intellect andmind gone to This [Self] and have abandoned [all] other activi-ties. To make this idea clear [the Lord] says -

Those, who have their intellect and self (mind)gone to This; who have established themselves in Thisand have This [alone] as their supreme goal; and whohave washed off their sins by means of [perfect] know~ledge - they reach a state from which there is no morereturn. (17)

Because it is only the inherent nature that exerts thus,therefore [the Lord] says that the men, who have destroyedtheir Illusion would remain as follows -

The wise men look, by nature, equally9 upon aBrahmal}a, rich in learning and humility, on a cow, onan elephant, and on a mere dog and on a dog-cooker(an out-caste). (18)

Vidyii-etc. So, regarding a BrahmaJ,la these men of Yogaentertain no such view as 'I shall become a man of merit byserving him' and so on; regarding a cow, no [idea] like 'It ispurifying and sacred' and so on; regarding an elephant, nothought of wealth and so oni regarding a dog, no conviction thatit is impure, mischievous and so on; and with regard to a dog-cooker no opinion that he is a sinner, is impure and so on. Thatis why it is said that 'they look equally (upon these]' and notthat 'they act equally [with them]. This has been said as-

The Self, which is of the nature of pure Conscious-ness, [shines] in the bodies of all; no discriminatingfactor exists anywhere. Hence, the person who hasconquered the cycle of birth-and-death, remainsconsidering all as fully absorbed in That (Conscious-ness) (VB, verse 100).

Here too nothing butthis stream ofthoughtlO has been mentionedby 'remains considering'. (18)

Translation 111

The proper mental disposition of a man of wisdom, says[the Lord], would be like this:

The Brahman-knower, who is disillusioned, whois established in Brahman and has a firm intellect,would neither rejoice on meeting a friend nor get agi-tated on meeting a foe. (19)

Na prahr~yet etc. In the case of this person, who habitu~ally looks [upon aU] alike, the classification of foes and friendsis at the level of mundane business alone, and not internally, ashe is firmly established in the Brahman. (19)

He who, with his self (mind) not attached to theexternal contacts, finds happiness in the Self-that per-son, with his self engaged in the Yoga, pervades easily,suffering no loss, the Brahman.ll (20)

He, in whom there is no desire for the external touch viz.,the object-he thinks says as follows the Bhagawat -

The enjoyments that are born of contacts [withobjects] are indeed nothing but sources of misery andhave beginning and end. [Hence], an intelligent mandoes not get delighted in them, 0 son of Kunti ! (21)

Ye hi etc. He considers indeed as follows: 'All enjoy-ments born of the external obj~cts are in the form of causes ofmisery; and even otherwise, they are impermanent'. (21)

Whosoever, right here, before abandoning thebody, is capable of bearing the force sprung from desireand wrath - he is considered to be a man of Yoga and ahappy man. (22)

Saknoti etc It is not easy to accomplish this; [for], if thisforce of wrath and desire, hard to bear. is endured till the last

112 BhagavadgIti with Gita:rthasailgraha [Ch.

moment of the body, not for a moment alone - then is thetotal Bliss achievement,12 (22)

He, whose pleasure, delight and again light arejust within - 0 son of PrtM! he attains the supremeYoga, himself becoming the Brahman. (23)

Yo'ntah etc: Within: For him there is happiness nowherebut within and it does not depend on any external object; therealone he rejoices; his lustre is there only. But, there is an appa~rent ignorance [of him] in his worldly dealings. That has beensaid as -

'[A man of realisation] would wander, like a fool,with no inclination for discussion.' (PS, 71)13 (23)

The seers, whose dirts have decayed; by whomdualities have been out off; whose self (mind) is cont~rolled; and who are delighted in the welfare of all; theygain the Brahman, the Tranquil One. 14 (24)

Labhante etc. This [goal] is however possible to attain forthose in whom the double knots in the form of dualism anddoubtl' have been cut off. (24)

At all times there is the tranquil Brahman for theascetics who have severed their connection with desireand anger, who have controlled their mind and haverealised their Self. (25)

Kama - etc. For them at all times i.e., at all stages,there is Brahman-Existence, the ultimately true one, 16 and it doesnot look for the time of control17 [of the mind (mediation)] (25)

Warding off the external contacts outside; makingthe sense of sight in the middle of the two wanderingones; counter-balancing both the forward and back-

V] Translation 113

ward moving forces that travel within what actscrookedly; (26)

The sage, who has controlled his sense-organs,mind and intellect; whose chief aim is emancipation;and from whom desire, fear and wrath have departed-he remains just free always. (27)

Sparsin etc.; Yatendriya- etc. Warding off outside, i.e.,not accepting, the external contacts (objects); establishIng allthe sense-organs17A - indicated by 'sense of sight' - in the middleplace in between the two wandering ones, i.e., the right and theleft views in the form of desire and wrath18 viz., in that particu~lar place which is free from both these; he would remain fixinlin equipoise (or making neutral) both the forward (upward) andbackward (downward) moving forees viz., the pious and impiousacts,19 within the mental modification. Nii:s{j20 'that which actaarookedly'. This is mental modification, becauie it behavescrookedly i.e., inequally due to anger etc. The same is in theexternal plane.21 A man of Yoga of this type is just free, thouahhe transacts all mundane business. (26-27)

Having known. Me as the Enjoyer of [the fruitsof] sacrifices and austerities, as the great Lord of allthe worlds, and as the Friend of all beings, he (theman of Yoga) attains peace. (28)

Thus ends the FIFTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagaradgitil.

Bhokiitram et.:. [The Lord is deemed to be] the enjoyer inthe case of their fruit of the sacrifices. For, it is in favour ofHim that the fruit is renounced. The same is with regard to theausterities. By knowing the nature of the Lord as such, • manof Yoga is released, whatever way he may remain in. (28)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

'52 - S

114 Bhagavadgita witb Gltiirthasailgraha [ Ch.

Here is the Catch-verse:Even tbe fool-like mundane business of a pel'Son (man of

Yoga) who views here al! beings, without exception, as equall,turns to be just for emancipation [of him].2~

Thus ends the FIFTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadgitarthasangraha written by the revered

Rajifnaka Abhinavagupta, the best among the illustriousgreat teachers of the Miihesvaras.

Notes

1. Is reachlld.••••subuquently : Cf. ~ q-!llT\\.~Tl1r~ ~ -R.k.

2. Knowledge il not without YOla: It may be noted that Arjuna's ques-tion is with regard to the relative importance of what are calledsamnyasa and yoga, the two terms ordinarily denoting renunciation[of action] and the action-Yoga. The Bhagavat's answer also com-mences with them in verse 2 and 3 above and it deals with the same inverses 6 if., below. But in between, in verses 4 and 5, it deals with theidentity between what are called samkhya and yoga, - two termsgenerally used in the sense of 'knowiedge' and 'the action-Yoga',Other commentators like Sankara, Bhiiskara. Riimiinuja, MadhusiidanaSarasvatl etc., point out this inconsistency and follow their ownrespective ways to arrive at a sort of consistency. Ag. however doesnot seem to bother himself with this problem and so is Rk. too. Bothtake samnyasa and sl!mkhya in their ordinary senses. However, theultimate' idea intended' to be conveyed by la,!,nyl!la and la'!'khyaSCCmstobe one and the same even according to Ag. as it is so accord-ing to Sankara and Bhiiskara. Cf. '€fillmfr m f.r:~~ ~: I ~

~ ~m if ~11!ffu(under verse 2 above) and ~ if ~ fir.rr;"sflt;r ~ f<r.n (under verses 4-5).

3. Th, identity 0/ theu two: The Gita tries to establish the identity ofthe Siitpkhya and the Yoga on the basis of the identity of their pur-pose. To arrive at the same cOllclusion Ag. adds another reason viz••their co-extensiveness.

4. Master o/Yoga: Yukta and yuiijana are generally employed to denoterespectively the one who has already completely mastered the Yogaand the one who is on the way to that stage,

S. Already shown: I.e. in Ill, 13 ft. abovo.

V] Notes 115

5A. This statement of Ag. is clear enough to suggest that he most pro-bably concurred with Sankara in taking brahman (2nd half of theverse) as a term indicating samnyasa itself mentioned in the first halfof the verse, and that he does not subscribe to the text-twistingmethod of Bhliskara in this context.

6. This Soul ••.anything etc. In this paragraph as well as in the next oneviz. Further. actioll etc., Ag. gives the Satkaryavada (a theory accord-ing to which the effect - even before it seems to take birth - existsin its causes) as accepted by the Saiva Absolutists. This theory laysfoundation for the Abhasavada or the theory of manifestation.

Moreover the wOld kriyii in the passage ~ ~ f.ir;<rr has a tech-nical import. The Lord, the Self desires to know or to act; and thatdesire is called kriya (i.e. kriyasakti) in the Pratyabhiji\ii: literature.Cf.

~ ~8~ (f;;~1t ~ !IT~Cl"1f ~ I

[~8"1f, fiiST<!f~lI[!(~if.t~)] - (Siva•• I, 19).

and the commentary thereunder. See also

!!17f~ffi:Cf<!Et:~: 'lil'r~~ I~ ~qmi{~: ~ 0l{t[fi\1r;.r€t II

in the commentary thereunder. Further the entire statement of Ag.under the present Gita verse may be better appreciated in the light ofthe following:

1. ;{tiR~W~: ~~lfT I

~ ~: ~ ~ m:~ atfT fiR;': 11

ClWa;. ~ 11;'" l1'f!IT'i. ~ ~<l''lit ,(ill!! iN! m~: ~cr ll\~: 11

~ :iffl ~ $n$ 3[~ I

~W'llT~~\'l'~:1

~~~T~:~'l"~,11

- Siva. IV, 42-49.

~~lf:~: ll\if~: iN! atfT _: ~ ~~

~ (~Rr) ~ ft ~ ~'6rofltf.m~T ~-~~;.rm<rt[~~~] ~\f ~ [cr'U]i>R~ IIiCli

~17f~ 'Ii\'llT~ "'~: ~: ••.•.•.Utpaladeva·.Vivrli thereunder.

116 Bhagavadgltii with GItirthasab.graha [ Ch.

3. ~.l{<nI~ '1f ~<\USlf<;:<n~ I

f:o<r l{lf ~ m Q~l1Tl3fq-~:'liT imrnCiT I

~11I ~!fQS~Il{l{I«'fla:. I

NWIi~ 'l'f<;:~ ~'l'!filf<;:+n;<MT: II

~~ ft1<ft~{~'li~: I~ tf~: mfi:rnl;\tsfil ~l{T: '!iRr: II

'" • - TA, IX, 36-39.

7. The results ordained injuctiOus: Or 'the result [generally believedto have been] brought about by the Fate.'

8. The unseen cause: I.e .• the unseen effect otherwise known as apilrvawhich is believed to be directly produced by the good or bad actionsof the individuals and to be the eventual cause of pleasure and pain.

9. By nature, equally: Cf. tr~if:J ~li ~ 3lfcmi ~'Ri~ ~Qtll~li!T:- Rk. However, our rendering follow; Ag. \;ho seems totreat ~ as an Adverb. Perhaps this is due to the fact that theKashmir recension, wihch Ag. had with him did not contain the verse:

~~~:~~lSft~~+R":1

f.r~ ffl: 'lifll ~ \Rl11,\~ ij ~l: IIa verse that is met with after verse 18, in the Vulgate. But evenwithout this verse with him, Rk. has taken ~ of ~;r: asthe object of d!s, as Sankara and others have done:

10. Cf. Nothing bitt this ,tream of tholtght etc. Bhiivana ordinarily means'imagining, fancying' as in l£Fcrm<IT fu!!' l{l~. But fa/lcyingdoes consist of an element of wrong notion. Hence Ag.'s gloss onbhlIvayan. Cf.

$fllf'l!iilRr - 'f,rlif~~ ~rerJ ~ ;{t1:ifqlf l:TR~J if fI~~ ~ ~Uif>lt'"lifTm; .'1fqrl:.+H'<l~:J. 'i\Rr ~l~ ~:

••••••••• 8i vopadhyaya's Viv!ti on the present verse ill the VB.

11. Hi, self engaged in the Yoga Brahman: Cf.~ tr+Hm ~~lt1 ~<rT f.r<:1ll!f~:~ur:; ij~~~,~ ~8'li~, ~ arr~ ~ ~Rk.

12 See the "!,ippal}i on the passage concerned.

13. The quotation is from the Paramllrtnasara of Ag. himself, and it, occurs in the context of describing the beha viou! of the man of reali-

sation. The completo verse runs -

V] Notes 117

~~l1r;f~~<::~I1~off I

f.r:~51i!f~lilir '>Is~<rfq~~: II (verse 71)

14. Th< tranquil one: Dissolve: f.r,fff 'ffii ~<f <ilHT<:t (j'q: f.r<rfllT~.See below. Cf. R<rflll', (fl'l'~!]n~(~ >lll1T~ ~, qi (f~-Rk.

15. Dualism and doubt: Dvaidha has been taken in the sense of sa'!lsaya'doubt' by Samkara and Bhaskara, and in the sense of dvaita-pratyaya'sense of duality' by Rk. while Ag. combines both these senses.

16. That is ultimately true which is not annnlled anywhere at any time inanything. Probably the idea of 'ultimately true existence' has beensuggested by nirva~za of the Gita verse under study for which a tenta-tive etymology has been suggested in the 'fIppal;!"

17. The time of control of mind: Or 'the time of the destruction [ofbody].

17A. Establishilll all sense-orgam etc. As we have earlier seen more thanonce, the S"aiva Absolutists do not subscribe to the view that a sageshould not accept the external objects, a thing which is apparentlyprescribed by the statement in the first quarter of the verse 26. HenceAg. seems to feel obliged to elucidate the point so that there may notbe any contradiction. '

18. Desire and wrath: The word hllrii is to be derived from the rootMra", 'to wander' (1 Class) or from the root bhram 'not to remainquiet' (V Class). In either case, the dual bilruvo~ can denote angerand desire as well as the left and the right· views because they dofluctuate and do not remain quiet.

19. The pious and impious acts: Generally pral;!aand apana are derivedrespechvely from pra 'forward' or 'upward' plus the root an 'to go'(II Class), and from apa 'backward' or 'downward' plus the same an'to go'. Hence, these two words may literally denote the pious andimpious acts respectively, as they are responsible for the movementsboth forward and backward. No doubt Ag. in this context has in hismind an authority like:~. ~

li[+{llTmr~e:q IT+rr+T!iR<JTq:'l1q~erl1llT I

'Due to virtue is the ascent to the higher region;due to vice is the descent to the lower region' - SK. 44.

20. Nasa: Usually nasa is derived from niis 'to sound' (I Class).However All. appears to derive it from lias 'to behave crookedly'(I Class) (~~ ~ '1m, ~q ~1<:1T). So nasii can denote the mentalmodification. because it beha ves always crookedly or in equally. Fora reference to the association of niisa with crookedness cf.

118

and

Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha

wi ~1lll ~<:i~ erR'lT..i'l''f if[~l'fl1!:TPfof"-"'l":

- Srihar~a's Nai~adhl)'acarita, IX, 41.

, ,~«~bTl\<fl~~l~ f<Ig<ii ~ '!~erif[~nqiR if[~-

\l'?Ior a{m-:w:~ !:Tl~~ll 'Ilffi:ff: 1- Mallinitha's JlvlJtu thereunder.

Two of the MSS of the Amarapadavivrti derive niisii from nas. See theAK. I, Adyar Ed., p.419.

21. Th, same is ..•.•.plane: This statement seems to mean that the etymo-logies given above of hold good even with regard to the external orphysical entities that go generally by these terms viz•• the eye-brow,the upward breath, the downward breath and the nostril. It may benoted that only these physical entities are meant in these Gttii versesby other commentators like Sankara, Bhiiskara/etc.

Now because, according to Kashmir Sai vism. the sense objectslike touch etc., do not fall outside the all-inclusive Supreme Self-Consciousness, a slight emendation of the text has been suggested (see'fippani), so that man's wrath and desire, the idea of right andwrong'etc. alone are declared to be outside the Consciousness.

22. The idea expressed in this verse may be compared with above verses19 and 24 as well as with Ag.'s comments thereon.

Chapter Six

The subject matter that has been thus established in theseries of the preceding chapters is summarised by a couple ofvrescs.

The Bhagavat said:

He who performs his bounden action, not depend-ing on its fruit, is the man of renunciation and also theman of Yoga! and not he, who remains [simply]without his fires and actions [is a Sarp.nyasin or aYogin] (1)

What [the learned] call renunciation, 0 son ofpa1J.Qu, know that to be [the same as] the Yoga. Forwithout renouncing intention [for fruit], one does notbecome a man of Yoga. (2)

.4.nairitaTp etc. Yam etc. Bounden: Ordained [in the lawbooks] according to one's caste etc. [Thus] man-oj-renunciationand man-oj-Yoga are synonyms. That is why [the Lord] says,'what [the learned] call renunciation' etc. Therefore, withoutYoga no renunciation is possible. Similarly Yoga is not possiblowithout renouncing the intention [for fruit]. Consequently, theYoga and renunciation are ever interlinked. The idea, suggestedby 'not he who remains [simply] without his fires etc.' is this:He remains neither without fires, nor without actions and yet he.i. a man of renunciation, Hence this is strange. (1-2)

Of course, following the principle [involved in the state·ment] 'Playing dice is the kingship, without throne',! and fol·lowing logic it has been asserted already that renunciation is notpossible for a person who remains simply without action •. Yet';'"

l~O Bhagavadglti with Gi tlirthasangraba eCho

For a sage, who is desirous of mounting upon theYoga, action is said to be the cause; for the same[sage], when he has mounted upon the Yoga, quietudeis said to be the cause. (3)

Aruruk~o1}. elc For a sage: For a man of wisdom.Action: that which requires to be performed. Cause (1st): ameans to attain. Quietude: to remain uninterrupted at the stage[already] achieved. Here Cause (2nd) is an indicator.2 (3)

The same idea is made clear as-

When, a person indulges himself neither in whatis desired by the senses nor in the actions [for it],then [alone], being a man renouncing all intentions, heis said to have mounted on the Yoga. (4)

Yadii etc. What is desired by the senses: Objects of senses.Th, actions for them: actions such as earning the objects and so~. ~

In this [path of] knowledle one should be necessarilyattentive. This [the Lord] says -

Let a person lift the Self by self and let him notdepress the Self. For, the self alone is the friend ofthe Self and self alone is the foe of the Self. (5)

The self is the friend of that Self by Which theself has been verily subdued; but [in the case of] a per-son with an unsubdued self, the self alone would abidein enmity like an enemy. (6)

Uddharet etc. Bandhul]. etc. In this [path] there is no othermeans excepting the self i.e. nothing but one's mind. Indeed thelubdued mind is a friend and it lifts up [the Self] from thehighly dreadful cycle of birth and death. But the unsubduedone does the act of enmity as it throws [the Self] down in thehorrible hell. (5-6)

VI] Translation 121

this:The characteristic mark of the subdued-minded man is

The thinking of the person, with subdued mindand [hence] with complete calmness, remains in equili-brium in the case of others and of himself, in cold andheat, in pleasure and pain, like-wise in honour anddishonour. (7)

lita-etc. A p~rson with complete calmness: a person with-out ego. [The thinking etc.]: A thinking that entertains nodifference in the case of others and of himself, and of cold andheat etc., i.e., [entertains) no like and dislike [for them]. (7)

He, whose self (mind) is satisfied with knowledgeand with what consists of varied thoughts; who remainspeak-like and has completely subdued his sense organs;and to whom a clod, a stone and a piece of gold arethe same - that man of Yoga is called a master ofYoga. s (8)

Ji:iiina - etc. Knowledge: a knowledge which is differentfrom the false one. ,What consists a/varied thoughts: the actionin which varied thoughts are involved, i.e. the action4 that isborn as a result of preceding thoughts ofreasoning. (8)

He whose mind is equal in the case of the friend,companion, enemy, the indifferent one, the one whoremains in the middle, the foe, the relative, the righteousand also the sinful - he excells [all]. (9)

Suhrt etc. Friend is one whose heart remllins good hadauspic;ious without cause (on its own accord). C.mpanionsld,is [that which is felt] mutua!ly. Enmity is [also that which is felt]-between one another The indifferent one: the one, who is free{rom both these. One who remains in the middle: he who ispartly a friend and partly an enemy. Foe: he who deserves tobe hated, [but} cannot be hated. Relative: the one [connected]

Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasatigraha

by marital bondage. Whosoever is with his mind equal to allthese as well as to the righteous and the sinful; he exce!!s [all]i.e., stage after stage he goes out of the cycle of birth-and-death. (9)

By the worshipful-footed persons of this sort -

Here itself, birth is overcome by them whosemind is established in equality. Verily the Brahmanis defectless and equal; hence they remain in theBrahman. (10)

lha etc. Here itself: even while the bodily connection stillexists. Birth is overcome: because of their being established inequality. The cycle of birth and death doel not bind them, asthey are firmly established in equality; and equality is the veryBrahman, (10)

It has been said [in verse 7 above] that [the thought] ofthe subdued-minded person [is in equilibrium]. But how tosubdue that mind? [Having] this doubt [in mind the Lord]teaches certain means - like holding one's body erect and soon - for the mind-control for the sake of one, desirous ofmounting [on the Yoga]. -

, Let the man of Yoga yoke always the self (mind)by remaining alone in a lonely place, with his mind andself (body) controlled, without desire and without thesense of possession. (11)

Setting up in a clean place his own [suitable]firm seat which is predominantly of cloth,S skin andkusa-grass, and which, is neither too high nor too lowfor him; (12)

Sitting there on the seat and making the mindsingle-pointed, let him, with the activities of his mindand senses subdued, practise Yoga' for self-purifica-tion .. (13)

VI1 Translation

Holding the body, the head and the neck erectand motionless; remaining firm; looking properly athis own nose-tip; and not looking at [different}directions; (14)

Being calm-minded, fearless, firm in the vow ofcelibacy; controlling mind fully; let the master of Yogaremain, fixing his mind in Me and having Me [alone]as his supreme goal. (15)

Yoking his self (mind) incessantly in this manner,My devotee, with mind not attached to anything else,realises peace which culminates in the nirl'ii~la and is inthe form of ending in Me. (16)

Yogi etc. upto adhigacchati. Self: the mind. L!t him yokeit: let him make it single-pointed. Always: not for a limitedperiod of time. If the conditions like remaining alone etc., arefulfilled, this [controlling of mind] is possible and not otherwise.On accout of the firmness of seat, the time-nerve6A (or thebody?) remains firm and due to this, mind remains film. He,by whom the mental activities i.e., those that are in the formof intention, and other activities of the sense-organs are subduedi..e., are brought under full control; [he is the person of thesubdued mental and sensual activities]. Holding: i.e., witheffort. If the nose-tip is looked at, [it is possible] not to lookat [different] a.irections, Let him remain endowed with thestate of having Me alone as supreme goal. This is the meanini[here]. He who yokes i.e., concentrates his stlf (mind) in thismanner, there arises for him Peace in which the culmination -as far as the eud7 - is the same as attaininl Me. (11-16)

Yoga is neither for him who eats too much; norfor him who totally abstains from eating; nor for himwho is prone to sleep too much; and nor for him whokeeps awake too much. (17)

The Yoga becomes a misery-killer for him whoseeffort for food is appropriate, exertion in activities is

124 Bhagavadgitii with Gltirthasangraha ECho

proper, and sleep and waking are proportionate. (I 8)

Yogosri etc. Yuktahiira-etc. For foods: for sense·objects that are being brought [by sense-organs]. Effort: activitylor enjoying [them]. Its appropriateness is neither to haveunlimited indulgence, nor to have unlimited abstention. Thesame is in all cases. The rest [of the text] is clear. On theauthority of the Sage [Vyisa], the form jiigarata1} etc. [may beviewed correct] as those in the Vedic literature.' The same isin other similar instances also (17-18).

When [his] well-controlled mind gets establishedin nothing but the Self and he is free from craving forany desired object - at that time he is called a master ofYoga. (19)

Yadii etc. The distinguishing mark of this man of Yogais: Having his mind controlled in nothing but the Self, he doesnot crave at all [for anything]. (19)

'Just as a lamp in the windless place does notshake' - This simile is recalled in the case of the man ofYoga, with subdued mind, practising the Yoga in theSelf. (20)

Yathet etc. Just as a lamp existing in the windless pIa".does not shake, so is the man of Yoga. Shakinf in his cas. isthe efforts like acquiring sense objects and so on. (20)

Now, the characteristic of this Brahman - Itself beingIts own nature8A - is described indirectly with a good number ofadjectives. This is different from the characteristics assumed inother systems-

Where the mind, well-restrained through Yoga-practice, remains quiet; again where, observing, bythe self, nothing but the Self. he (YogO is satisfied inthe Self; (21)

VI] Translation

Where he realis~s that limitless Bliss Which is tobe grasped by intellect and is beyond sences; remainingWhere he does not stir out from the Reality; (22)

And having attained Which, he does not think ofany other gain as superior to That; being established inWhich he is not shaken much by misery, howeverpowerful that may be; (23)

That he would realise to be the cause for [his]cessation of [his] contact with misery and to be the onemade known by Yoga. With determination That is tobe yoked in Yoga by a person of undepressed mind (orof the depressed mind). (24)

Yalra etc. upto anirvi'!-'!-4-cetasa. Where the mind well re$-Irtli"ed remains quiet: i. •. , on its own accord. Where he realisesthe limitless Bliss: because the dirts created by the sense.objectsare absen t. "fit)' other gailt : the gain obtained throullh the closccontacts with wealth, wives, children etc. The idea is:With regard to othcr objects, the notion of their being sources ofpleasure disappears; and it is the na ture of the thing in question.Not shaken much: not shaken to a great extent; [hence] thereis yet [a little] shakin! in him, purely due to [former] mentalimpression; and it lasts only for a moment due to his compassion[towards all creatures], and not due to the wrong notions like'AilS! I am undonc! What is to be done by me.' and so on.That, dUI to which thc cessation of contact with8B misery results-that must be yoked i.e., practised (concentrated upon) by allmeans, with determination i C., with faith, born of the belief [intbe Self]. Of undepressed mind: i.e., because the g011 bas beenreached. Or of depressed mind: i.e., depressed that the birth-and·dcath-cyclc is very firm and is full of misery. (21-24)

The means for abandoning desire is to abandon intention.This [the Lord] says:

In order to renounce9 completely all desires thatare born of intention, let a person, restraining the

126 Bb.agavadgitii with Gitiirtb.asangraba [Cb.

group of sense-organs from all sides by mind alone; (25)Very slowly remain quiet, keeping the mind well

established in the Self by means of the intellect heldin steadiness; and let him not think of anything(object). (26)

Satpka/pa - I:tc, Sanail} etc. By mind alone: i.e., not bywithdrawing from activities. Holding steadiness; thinning, stepafter step, the misery born of desire; let him not think any thin:like receiving and abandoning objectl and 10 on.

Others bave explained [the paslage] as 'Let him think onlynegation (or void).lO But this (explanation) ia not up to ourtalte. For, that would result in the doctri.e of nihilism. (25-26)

What is to be achieved is not a mere withdrawal [of one-lelf] from the objects. This is stated as -

By whatever things the shaky and unsteady mindgoes astray, from those things let him restrain it andbring it back to the control of the Self alone. (27)

Indeed the Supreme Bliss comes to this highl}tranquil-minded man of Yoga, whose passions remainquietened, who has become the Brahman and who isfree from sins. (28)

Thus yoking the self always, the man of Yoga,with subdued mind, easily attains a complete union[viz.,] the Brahman. (29)

Yatal} etc. upto adhigacchati. From whatever objectsthe mind returns, immediately after its return, let him quietenit on the Self. Otherwise, b~ing not firmly established [in theSelf], the mind would again take hold of nothine but the sense-objects. But the Bliss, assuming the roll of an agentll (orsubject, kartr-bhuta) comes to the object (karmabhii.ta), Vii.,the man-of-Yoga, whose mind remains quite in the Self. By thisway afone the men-of-Yoga attain the Br'ahman easily and notby [anytdifficult Yoga ete. This is the idea [here]. (27-29)

VI) Translation 127

He, who has yoked the self in Yoga and observeseverything equallyllA perceives the Self to be abiding inall beings and all beings to be abiding in the Self. (30)

Sana - etc. Let him consider the Self to be entering into(i.e., inherent in and manifesting as) all beings as a perceiver(or as a subject); again let him unify all beings in the Selfthrough his realisation of the Self liS being object [for them).lJAs a result of this, there arises II capacity to observe equallyand also arises the Yoga. This is in short what is meant here.The details have been dealt with by myself (AI.) in [my] manual,like the Bhtdavadavidiiral}a and [my commentary], the Devistotra-Viv.r'l}a;13 and hence they may be ascertained there only. (30)

The same idea is made clear [as] -

He who observes Me in all andMe - for him I am not lost and he toome.

observes all inis not lost for

(31)Yo Mllm etc. Loss: i.e., on account of serving no purposo

[on the part of a thing]. For example: He who does not se ••the all-pervasive nature of the Supreme Self, from him the Sup~reme Self has fled away, because It does not reveal Its ownnature. Further, this aggregate of objects, which is being per-ceived, remains settled down in the Supreme Self, which is thevery nature of their illumination (being known). Now, whosoeverfails to view the object as such, he gets lost from the nature ofthat Supreme Self. For, nothing shines without It. On tileother hand, he who finds Me (the Supreme Consciousness) 1IIimmanent in all- for him I am not 108t; because I appear [to him)in my own nature. [Again], when he perceives objects in Me-when his perceiverhood is complete on account of the possibilityof illumination and manifestation of these objectll due toThisl4 - th.n he is not lost for the Supreme Self. (31)

He, who, established firmly in the oneness (of Me),experiences Me immanent in all beings - that man ofYoga, is never stained, in whatever stage he may be. (32)

128 Bhagavadglti with Gltarthasangraha [Ch.

Sarva- etc. Whosoever is completely possessed of theknowledge of this kind, he necessarily realises the Bhagavat asone and immanent in all and does not get stained [by any of hisactions] in whatever conditiOll he is. (32)

Whosoever finds pleasure or pain eqal1y in all asin the case of himself - that person is considered to bea great man of Yoga, 0 Arjuna ! (33)

Atma-etc. 'That he finds the pleasure and pain of all onanalogy of himself'. This is only a statement of characteristicmark [of the Yogin]; and it is not an injunction15 enjoining anew action. (33)

Arjuna said:

This Yoga of equa1-mindedness which has beenspoken of by You, 0 slayer of Madhu, I do not find[any] proper foundation for it, because of the unsteadi-ness of the mind. (34)

o Kr~lJa! The mind is indeed unsteady, destruc-tive. strong and obstinate; to control it. I believe, isvery difficult, just as to control the wind. (35)

Yo 'yam etc. Canealam etc. By this and which, the twowords denoting [respectively] what is actually perceived andwhat is not perceived, the following is indicated: Thanks to theseries of methods spoken just before by the Bhagavat, theBrahman is of course clear and has been no doubt shown as if byperception. Yet, It remains at a great distance due to the un-steadiness and wickedness of the mind, and It behaves as if It isbeyond perception. [Destructive]: The mind destroys both the.visible and invisible [ends of man's action]. Strong: powerful.Obstinate: imposible to ward off from evil acts. (34-4S)

Now the answer -

The Bhagavat said:

VI-] Translation 129

o mighty-armed! No doubt, the mind is unsteadyand is hard to control. But it is controlled by practiceand through an attitude of desirelessness, 0 son ofKunti! (36)

ASQ1flsayam etc. Through an attitude of desirelessn.ss,the craving for sense objects is destroyed. Through practice,stage after stage, the side of emancipation is occupied [by themind]. Hence both are included. Regarding this, it has beensaid by the revered author of the Bha~yal6 as:

The restraint of mental modifications depends onboth [the attitude of desirelessness and practice].!' (36)Hence is this solemn declaration:

My belief is that attaining Yoga is difficult for aman of uncontrolled self (mind); but it is possible toattain by [proper] means by a person who exerts withhis subdued self. (37)

Asamyata - etc. In no way whatsoever, is the Yoga~ttainable for a lIlan with uncontrolled self i.e., for a lIlan with-out desirclessness. One, with subdued self: one, with an attitudeof desirelessness. By him who exerts: by him who has practice.By means: by undertaking the: means enjoined in many scriptu-res of the Siddhinta and the rest.IS (37)

Arjuna said -A person who has faith and is desirous of reaching

the path (goal) of the good; [but) whose mind has seve-red from the Yoga; and who [therefore) strives not andis quite perplexed in the path to the Brahman; (38)

Who has an undecided mind. is very much wan-dering [in mind} and has come under the sale control ofdelusion - to which goal does he go, having failed toattain the success in Yoga? 0 Kr!?I}a! (39)

952 - 9

130 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasanllraha [Ch·

Does he, fallen from both, get lost like a brokencloud?l' Or, 0 mighty-armed! having no support,does he meet total destruction? (40)

Please dispel this doubt of mine completely. Butfor Yourself, 0 Kr~!.la, no eradicator of this doubt ispossible (41)

Ayatol-f etc. upto no hyupapadyatt. Even if his mind hasmoved away from the Yoga, he had reached, the faith in [his]mind is not lost. For, a person - even if he has achieved thoYoga - makes all [achievements] useless, if his faith is comp~letely lost. That has been said :-

'Even after attaining the perfect knowledge, if itgets vitiated due to the caprices of mind,20 thatvery moment it perishes soon, just as a heap ofcotton does due to fire'.

If a complete success in the Yoga has not been achieved, thenhaving come out of this [materia]] world, and having not yotgot himself absorbed in the Brahman, would he get lost? Or,because he has not yet got established in the Brahman, does hepermanently get destroyed as the other world (heaven) is [also]ruined for him? This is the question. (38-41)

On this [questionl, the conclusion -

The Bhagavat said -o dear Partha! Neither in this [world], nor in the

~ther is there a destruction for him. Certainly. noperformer of an auspicious act does ever come to agrievous state. (42)

Partha etc., The idea [here] is: There is no [question of]destruction for the fallen-from-Yoga, either in this world or illthe other; because his faith is not lost. He has indeed performedan auspicious act of seeking the Bhagavat, and that act IS not ofperishing nature as the :4gni~toma sa~rifice etc., are. (42)

VI) Translation 131

Having attained the worlds of performers ofpious acts, [and) having resided there for years ofSii5vata, the fallen-from-Yoga is born [again] in thehouse of the pure persons, who are rich. (43)

Prapyaetc. OfSa.MiICl? ofViglU (personal god). [His)ytars: three years of ViglU.21 Of Ihe pure persons: of thosewhose mind is prone to touch (to meditate upon) the body(al?lsa)22 of the Lord. (43)

Or, he is born (reborn) nowhere other than in thefamily of the intelligent men of Yoga; for, this birthis more difficult to get in the world. (44)

.A.tha va etc. If emancipation is destined to come to himby way of difference (or in grades), then he is reborn nowhere butin a family of the men of Yoga. That is why [the Lord] says:'For, this birth is more difficult to get'. Indeed in the house ofthe rich there are necessarily many obstacles. (44)

There in that life, he gains (regains) that link ofmentality transmitted from his former body. Con-sequently once again he strives for a full success, 0rejoicer of the Kurus 1 (45)

Being not a master of himself, he is dragged onlyby that former practice (its mental impression); only aseeker of the knowledge of the Yoga passes over whatstrengthens the [sacred] text. (46)

After that, the assiduously striving man of Yoga.having his sins completely cleansed and being perfectedthrough many births, reaches the Supreme Goal. (47)

Tatra etc upto parii'lft gatim. For a (ull success: foremancipation. Being not a master of lrtmself: Indeed beingexclusively under the control of other [force], he is forCiblydriven towards the practice of Yoga by that [mental impression

132 Bhagavadgita: with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

of his] former practice. This is not an ordinary thing. For, hi.a~t of passing over what strengthens the [sacred textual] soundis only due to his desire for knowing the Yoga. He passes over,i.e., he does not undertake, what strengthens the sound i e., thatwhich is of the nature of hymn-recita tion etc. After that: after[the rise of] desire for knowing (Yoga]. Striving by methodof practice, he attains the Vasudevahood (identity with theSupreme) at the time of destruction of his body. It should DQtbe regarded that he has achieved success by (his practice in] thatsingle body alone. Instead, it should be regarded that he hadpractised during the course of many a life-period. Therefore,it may be concluded that the falIen-from-Yoga is he who cravelcontinuously for activities of [attaining] the Bhagavat by aban ••doning all other activities.23 (45-47)

The superiority (or importance) of the Yoga, [the Lord]describes:

The man of Yoga is superior to the men ofausterities and is considered superior even to themen of knowledge; and the man of Yoga is superior tothe men of action. Therefore, 0 Arjuna! you shallbecome a man of Yoga. (48)

Tapasvlbhyolr elc. The superiority [of Yogin} over themen of austerities has already been indicated. The knowledgeis the fruit of Yoga. Hence Yogin's superiority24 over the menof knowledge. He is superior to men of action, because he aloneknows how to perform action. (48)

The God-discarding difficult Yoga, does not itself yieldsuccess. This is stated [as] -

He, who has faith and serves Me with his innerself gone to Me, he is considered by Me as the bestmaster of Yoga, among all the men of Yoga. (49)

Thus ends THE SIXTH CHAPTER in thelIoly Bhagavadgitif.

VI] Translation 133

Yoginifm etc. He, who establishes Me in his intemalorllan; who is totally addicted to devotion and faitb and whoserves i.e., internally experiences Me alone, and not anythingelse, fallowing the method of tradition, learnt by renderingservice to the revered teachers - he alone among all theYogins, is tne best mast~r of the Yoga i.e., one who is fullyabsorbed in the Supreme Lord. Thus the superiority of theYOlla with Godly knowledge over all [othor means] has beenexplained. (49)

MA Y THERE BE HAPPINESS TO ALL !

Here is the Catch-verse:

All is achieved just on the pn!tper attainment of the nameof the Bhagavat.25 On getting the rains, the paddy cropsbear good yield.

Thus ends THE SIXTH CHAPTER in theHoly Gitarthasangraha written by the revered Rajiinaka

Abhinavagllpta, tne best among the illustriousgreat teachcn of the Miibesvaras.

Notes

1. Playing dice etc. Cf. <Iff ~ ;;r+r~f*r~~ ~r;rl1l1: of Vamana'sVrtti under his own Kl1vy?Iiailkarasiltra (IV, iii, 24). which is itself aquotation from the Mrcchaktl{ika. Act, II. sentence preceding verse 7.See NSP Ed. (1910), p.52.

The statement in question indicates that simply playing dicewithout throne cannot go to make tIte kingship, and hence indi-cates the inevitability of the throne for royalty. On the sameanalogy, the first verse of the chapter establishes the necessity ofaction for becoming a master of renunciation. The logic of theinevitability of action in this regard is indicated in the secondverse.

2. Indicator: I.e., a necessary distinguishing attribute. The idea isthis: The supreme quietude of the person concerned causes the on-lookers to discern that he has already mounted upon Yoga. It maybe recalled that while commenting upon :rr!~~ (BS, I, I, 3)

134 Bhagavadglt1i with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

Sankara ctc" have explained yoni, a synonym or karal.la 'cause' inthe sense "means of knowledge".

Here the expressions 'one who is desirous of mounting uponYoga', 'one who has mounted on the Yoga', and 'quietude' seem tobe suggestive of the mahout-a nd-elephan t simile lndeed the mahoutdesirous of climbing up the animal has to perform certain action toreach the back of the elephant. When he has mounted on it, he isto sit on it well; and having his elephant in between his legs he hasto remain firmly in a particular posture that would indicate that heis a well trained mahout and he would reach his goal.

3. Master of Yoga: i.e., the yuktas (those who have completely masteredthe Yoga). Cf. ~: <i't1TT~: - Rk,

4. The action etc. Or 'the action that has been mentioned earlierlogica lly',

~. + •

5. Cloth: Cf. "IB ~~ ••• ' •• cr~~F mll"l:TRII,- Rk.

6. Yoga. cr. <i't<T~fuf.r~l:'!Rl{~ - Rk.

6A. The time-nerve: According to the A~\angayoga system the Sun andthe Moon Niidis, otherwise known as the Pingala and Ida Niidis,create the time in the form of day and night and the Susu~lna c~n-sumes the Time. Cf. .

'l<rf"l'~l(11\ft li[~: 'lil& \1f5if~!m~ I~:ir~5ft~r 'liT@"~:.!().li:tcr~l\TicrlI,II - HP, IV. 17,

See also Gita Ch, VBI, n,39.

7. The end: Here Ag, seems to explain nirvalla and samstha of the GUiJrespectively with the words sa1l}sthaand priJpti. '

i) Sal:,stha (so,:,+stha 'to corne to an end') 'coming to end;lIirvill.l0(nir+va 'to move') 'state of having no movement';

and againii) Sa,:,sthii (so,:,+stha 'to remain') 'remaining properly'; prapli

(pra+ap 'to attain') 'attaining properly',

8. As those in the Vedic literature: Jagratah, from the root jagr (IIClass), is the grammatically correct form and it is the reading iothe Vulgate. Yet Ag, prefers jagaratah an,j treats it as an arsa orobselets form, Cf. also:' .

:'I1''-':cr:, f.!'li~~fTf.r<:f+itS51 '5EiF'<::~:I ~~<lTl:1I q'jORRTfqr'1i~q<rf.cr - Rk,

(as quoted in the Critical Ed., by Belvalkar).

VI] Notes 135

SA. Itself being Its own nature: 'i'Ilil'1T'f~, Dissolve 'i'I~'f 'i'Ili"T1ft<r~~\'!ll

8B. ~f.Iimclose contact seems to be correct reading: However, RanieroOnoli prefers to correct it into sanmyasa 'renouncing (of)'.

9, In order to renounce etc.: Or 'Renouncing completely etc.' if thereading of the Vulgate ~"q-$fli"l[T~ 'liTl1il;~~lJT is taken intoaccount. '

10. The rendering is rather tentative. According to Ag. the na 'nega-tion' in the verse should be construed with the verb cintayet, so as tobring out the meaning 'let him not think any object'. Thus we havehere ~<r>IT1Ner. According to the other commentators, whomAg. refutes, seem to have na construed with the immediately follow-ing kindt, so as to bring out the meaning 'let him contemplate on'negation (abhava)'. So there would be here a qi"Tff. These com-mentators seem to claim to rece! ve inspiration fr~m il"fu if~Tc+rrofthe Upanieod. Ag. thinks that this sort of negative approach to theSelf will lead to nihilism. According to him the om: verse teacheshere only the abandoning of th thoughts of lower categories, inorder to achieve a concentration on the Self. Hence Negationshould not be meditated upon, lest the meditator himself should benegation itself.

Elsewhere Ag. quotes this Gila verse comments and makes hispoint clear thus: •.•••• ~<rCf1c+r-iTi:tfu :tfu ~ i!fJ1;l3"<r1ff~RqE['i'I"ll"l"-ClfT~i!f'VJ:~"! af"lTlI"i't!fii\1l +I;:<fctijrq.r -

~~~~~q\~(1 ~'lT C£Rr'lit~ I

am+I~~ +Ii'f:'~'i:!fTi'f R;r~"fit F.r;:q-it;;r1\ '(m-,'0151~ 'J"liZiRi;~f1r\~lI" '01Rl:r~~fqm- '3"qqr~q-l1., <l1!;"f\~fqilir:rR:~T<imi!fi'\T~Cf1fq~TWti!, i'f ~ ~lI" q~ ~'i:'fl1. I ~l:\~ "roC'! l:~lITTl:~ -

';n11T1ft"lio<rcWtRr'

l\~Tf<ti'f1-

'01l1rerI1FI~T'fa:. <r1'lW+r<1aTm,- IPVV under I, VI, 4-5 (Vol. II, p.298)

Cf. also af~'f ff '1'fRr I '01tr;;~fu~" ~ - TV, II, 6.

136 Bhaga\'adgIta with GItarthasangraha [Ch.

11. Bliss, assuming the roll of an azent etc : Here the idca is: The B1i~scomes on Its own accord to the Yogin, who, as an object, remainspassi ve; and not vice-versa.

llA. Everything equally: See Ag. on Ch, V; verse 8 above.

12, Here Ag. gives us the basic principle of Abhasaviida or Manifesta-tion Theory of the Saiva Absolutists. According to this theory allthat exists-whether it is subject or object-is only an abllasa ormanifestation of the Para Samvid, Absolute Consciousness. Ag.says that in order to realise the Supreme, a person should first under-stand that all abhasaj are identical wIth Samvid. He says: 'la:'n.iT-~mit'Uit"m'i "l '1\l'IT>[f['!{mlfott~: 'if~'l'~~'!: - IPV, underII, iii, 13.

Utpaladeva describes how a Yogin would view the world ofobjects: He would view that a pot, itself being identicalwith the observer Yogin, is conscious, he too, being identical withobject like pot, is consciolls; he. being identical with Sadlisiva, isconscious; and the latter, being identical with himself (Yogin), isalso conscious; [the Absolute] 8i va Himself remains conscious ofHis own Self, being identical with different beings. Cf.

<i<::TWfT'lir ijfu ~~ 1fT'iTa:Tc;{TfT\

~fu'iTWfT ~ 'if 'IT ~fu<!~()iTfT II

lit'! liT'fTc+!'l>Tl'{T'lT:ll'ii' 'if~~liiqCT: I

ll~~ ll~~~';IFn~T'lrc~q~: II

'fA'rl'{r~: ~+!Tc+!r;f ~Fr~ ~ rolf: ,-1J;cf 'if'if~ l'{r~~ 'if~~ O<T'fRmf \~ 'if~<rci 'if~ fu'f~q l1mrn(i'l: II

- rho Sivadr~!i, V. verses. 105-110 (pp. 194-195).

In this light the comments of Ag. on this verse and on the followingones are to be understood.

13. Ago's Bhedavadavidara(la, and his commentary on the Devlstotra aresaid to be known so far only from references to them in other works.For see K.C. Pandey, op. cil. p.40.

14. Illumination and manifestation of ihese objects etc.; The idea seems tobe this: The subject-object relationship is possible provided they meetone another somewhete on a common basis i.e., on the Supreme

Vlj Notes 131Consciousness. Otherwise ho\V can the subject and object meet?Can the grass, pebbles etc" drifting in different streamlets ever meet?Thtis the ablzasavadins ask. Cf.

~~~111~l,He:<ITS'i!l'F:<lm ~: ~.Wf<l: - IPK, I, vii, 3.

and3H1'1- l.111-9<1:'i!!i,\1111~'1.••.•. <n~rB<r l.H!;T~ llJ1'f<IT'11'<1'11I

'1 m: 'l>!f1i 'l~ifi rffi:aft~.m~ ~111TfT: Q:•.ftq-~,,<r: 'i!l1"'!<T

i~<mfu....~....A~. thereunder.

Elsewhere Ag, quotes the present GIla verse partly, calls it Adisi-ddhasiitra and summarises its purport as:

'In fact every gi yen object is nothing but the Consciousness;and the Consciousness is the object, and hence there is no dualityamong them' -

'f~SIa:~: '9<;: ~f'!q,~M-~<; ~fcf TfT?l$::: 'fi~a:.~fu'\fWrmfit-~~ '<IT l1i q~<1fer' ~l~'ifl - IPVV, under 1, Y, 2 (Vol. n,p.73).

15, Not an if/junction' It is so because what has to be undertaken viz.,the ekatvadarSalZa (the realization of oneness in all) has not beenprescribed in the iast two verses. Rather they describe what resultcomes from that tlarsalZa. Regarding apiirva-vidhi as "f>!ll;(fmm M-ft:1':'injunction pres~ribing what is otherwise \mknown', cf. Ag. underCh. IX, 26-27.

16. Author of the Bhafya: The authority quoted below is probably fromthe Yogasiitra of pataiijali. Hence Bha~yakft may denote patanjali.But, how is it that Ag. prefers to refer to him as Bhiifyakft insteadof 8ii.trakft? Does he then mean the VyiikaraIJa-MahabhlIfya by thesimple expression Bhiisya? Does he then subscribe to the traditionidentifying Patanjali the Mahabhasyakara with his namesake, theauthor of the Yogasiitra 1 •

17. This quotation is from Pataiijali's yozasiitra. However there thesUlra in question reads

"fl'<rT'i!~~:r<<lTl'<li(i~!;T: (I, 12)

Hence Ago's quotation may be what is called 'O{~mS~9T": 'Quota-tion of idea'.

18, Scriptures rest. What scriptures Ag. means here is not clear.Maybe SiddhalZta in this context means the sixth system of the list ofseven given in the KullIrlJal'a. These systems are the Vedic, Vai~~ava,

138 Bhagavadgiti with Gltirthasangraha [cb.

Saiva, Dak~ina, Vama, Siddhanta and Kaula, There each succeedingone is consid~red to be higher than the preceeding one. Cf.-

ff'ifl'"1:fllfr;:j'fl 'iti'\l ~1'<IT ~11[q' 'RB; I

~WJ"I~~.r~<i ~'l1~fa:rur~11+f,II

if>.:rI1[I~'\i'+i iifT.r '11'f1'l. fu~l~g~l1. I

fu'W;:(11~wi ~ '1it~Ia:If@: iT fu II(quoted by K.C. Pandey, p.845).

So, by ~idd"anta and the rest, does Ag. mean only the Siddhanta andKaula systems? However, the Siddhanta is said to be a dualisticschool which seems to have been accepted by Ag., only partially.Therefore it may be much better if we take f~f'ilF(i1~- to be whatis known as 3{(1?:"'m~R'fQmfu: (i,e. a Bah"vr'hi where the quali-ties implied are~ not take: into account with the thing itself):dissolve the expression as fu~f;:(1: <ll1fi'\: <{\If, (i\lf ~~\lf ~; andunderstand it in the sense of 'Kaula literature' only.

19. Like a broken cloud: The simile here seems to suggest a question'whether the person would get lost temporarily like a broken cloudthat gets lost temporarily and again rejoins'. Cf.

q'li'[~1!J.'ralf ~ <{;ql 'T~<rRr (1[(1,~iT: ff;:<Jl'flll~ - Rk.

The second question that follows, however, dealS with the loss oncefor all, which is indicated by the VI of vini1sa.

20, Caprices of mind IS certainly due to lack of faith.

21. Three years ofVi~,!u: Dissolve ~T1W: as l(\l~ ~1: 1!Jl~:, (1"1:lJl..reT: (Objecti ve case). S?isvata is one of the names of the LordVip:)u and it is the 56th name in the Vi~,!usahasran?ima-stotra.

We are going to see, in the Gita (VIII, 17), that 2,000 world-agesmake one full day for Brahma (personal god). Elsewhere Ag. hasstated, on the authority of the Agama literature, that 100 years ofBrahma go to make a day and 100 years a night for Vi~l)u. Cf.

~'!~Uffi'~S~ >.:r~ ~6l1f1i ft.fl=J, \1f5{llf Q1~lf+l. ••••••

- TA, VI. 145-46.And

flr~Vf[llf Cift.;f m'li 1:.1f,fcf ~ \1'itCi, I

~ crR'fIQj;f (1\<lT;~\b ~l:l'~<fflII

- Quoted by Jayaratha thereunder.

VIj Notes 139

Thus it is certain that Ag. believes that thc person who has fallenfrom Yoga, lives in the heaven for three years of Visou accordingto this standard. Ag. arrives at the number 'three; (not actuallymentioned in the Gita text) obviously in vie", of the plural numbersama!" that requires the minimum number three, following the well-known Kapiiijaliidhikarana pri nciple of the Mimamsakas, accordingto which the plural nu~ber denotes only 'three' as long as there isno authority against it (if~'f~ ffi':ij q<hf~fT;:f 'fTor~\1fct). SeePMS, XI, i, 36 ff. and the commentaries thereunder.

Though Sasvata generally should mean 'perennial', 'constant'etc., Ag. has to interepret in the above fashion, of course with abit of text-twisting and jugglery, because a permanent stay for thefallen-from-yoga in the heaven of pleasure is not the intention ofthe text. The glosses of other commentators m"ilaT: ;:r111:, ~lil..

lir'f(;:rU~ (Sankara); <f@l 'fflr: (Bhaskara); ~f,{B<;;<rr1firRr 'Ili{fm (Rk.);

>f~R:l1liiF; "i1(Tlfr: 'fm: (Ms) etc. are not answering the question'how many years? and Ag. has somethi ng like an answer.

22. The body: Cf. Ag.'s comments on ~"r~l'l'rol;[:;rr~ (GHa, IV, 7above) and l1~'ft~r:;fr'f~tili(OWi, XV, 7 below).

23. Elsewhere Ag. sllmmarises beautifully the contents of the GWIverses 43-47 as;

q<:l11tt+n..titil'~l''!f\<![;:!!Q1~ifl1f2r "flif I

g<:~'lfi\1rif\1l;fr

~f<;:('f+R1 +?r"ij !;If.if<:~ II

11ll:i:l1 "lif<1t'f~'f:+n:!JS[mc<r ~ifl11'~ I

m<i?tm ~;;'!fl1"aa'

'!f~F\T'I&ij'f~: II- PS, 100.102.

24. Yogin's superiority etc. This follows the principle 'the meal's aremore important than the end'.

25. All i. achieved. etc.: It may be noted that nowhere in the sixthchapter of the Gita, the importance of the nama or the name of theBhagavat has been extolled even in the light of Ag.'s interpretation.On the othel hand, the importance:of the Yoga with godly knowledge

14Q Bhagavadgita with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

is fonnd stressed upon as we have seen in the last verse of thechapter as explained by Ag. Hence can we take the liberty to changedrastically the text I1lT'f.if[l'f into I1lT1f::r~rif 1 Or, may we understandl1lT1f'lfTli""$rrr:li+TT'f1iJ in the sense 'Just on the proper attainment ofHim, bearing the 'name Bhagavo t (11'f'Tf'l; ~ffi if1'11 <R<!CR'!l ~-+TT'f1iJJ! Or, may we believe that Ag. gives - beyond the scope ofthe chaptet - his own idea about the efficacy of the Lord's name!Of course, the Bhofovanniima is a sure means for a devotee to achieveall, inclUding the Bhagavajjiiiina.

Chapter Seven

The Bhagavat said-

o son of Prtha, hear [from Me] how, having yourmind attached to Me, practising Yoga and taking refugein Me, you shall understand Me fully, without anydoubt. (I)

I shall teach you this knowledge in full togetherwith action; for a person who has known this thereremains in this world nothing else to be known. (2)

Mayi etc. Jnifnam etc. The wordi jnlina and vijniinamean [respectively] 'knowledye' and 'action'.! There remainsnothing apart from these [two]. For, all the knowables arerooted in the knowled~e and action2

Among thousands of men, perchance, one makeseffort for the determined knowledge.3 Among those,having the determined knowledge - even though theymake effort - perchance one realises Me correctly. (3)

Manu~yiit}am etc. All [persons] are not fit for thissubject. By this statement, [the Bhagavat] has declared that,as the subject is difficult to grasp, it is to be learnt witheffort. (3)

My nature is divided eightfold, such as the Earth,the Water, the Fire, the Wind, the Ether, the Mind,and also the Intellect and the Ego; (4)

This is the lower [nature of Mine]. Not different4

from this is My superior nature which has become the

142 Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

individual Soul and by which this world is maintained.o mighty armed (Arjuna), you must know this. (5)

BMmiT] etc. Aparif etc. [The demonstrative] 'this' denoteswhat is being perceived [as objects] through sense-organs by allmen at the stage of mundane life. This is only one and at thesame time is divided eight-fold. Therefore the universe is oneand unitary, because it is made of one single material cause.By this statement, monism is demonstrated even while followingthe Prakrti theory.s The selfsame Prakrti bas become the livin,one i.e., the personal Soul. Hence it is superior [to wbat hasbecome eight-fold]. It also belongs to Me alone and not toanybody else. This Prakrti is [thus] two-fold and varied in tbeform of the universe consisting of the knowables and the knower.That is why this Prakrti (the basic material nature), being thesubstratum of all beings reflected on the surface of the cleanmirror, viz., the Self, is nothing but Self's own nature and[hence] never leaves Him.6 This world: the Earth etc. [men-tioned in the 4th verse]. (4-5)

All beings are born of this womb.7 Hence keep[them] nearby. I am the origin as well as the dissolu-tion of the entire world. (6)

There exists nothing beyond Me, 0 DhanlJ.fijaya;all this is strung on Me just as the groups of pearls ona string. (7)

Etadyonini etc. Malta1! etc. Keep them nearby: You shouldplace them in your neilJhbourhood8 following the method ofexperience augmented by practice. Or [it may mean9 rhat] Youshould bear in mind that I, the Vasudeva, am both the ori,inand destruction of all beings. What is indicated by 'I' ~s this:Even though [it is viewed that] the AbSOlute (!Svara) is distinctfrom the Prakrti, Soul and Supreme Soul, It remains by allm~a~s immanent in, all; hence there is no room for the theory ofdualism of the Siinkhya and the Yoga schools. Just as the pearlson the siring: Just as the 'strin~ does exist unobserved in the

VII] Translation 143

-interior [in a necklace] though its form remains undetected, inthe same fashion I remain in all. (6-7)

o son of Kunti! I am the taste in waters; thelight in the moon and the sun; the best hymn (OM)lO inthe entire Vedas; the sound that exists in the ether (orthe mystic hymnal sound in the entire Vedas - a soundthat is in the ether); and the manly vigour in men. (8)

Rasa 'ham apsu etc. I am that [basic] taste which has notyet developed as to have the classification of sweetness and soon, and which is being tasted in all waters. Similarly, the light:That [light] which is devoid of gentleness and fierceness etc.[The sound that exist] in the ether in the sky. The sound thatetc. Here the emphasis is on all sounds, as they are attributesof the ether. Or, the passage denotes that empty basic soundwhich, being exclusively an attribute of the ether; which doesnot depend on any other external causes like union and parti·tion!! [of some objects]; which exists in the ether within the caveof the Brahman; which is quite intelligible to the llroups ofYogins with attentive heart (mind); which bears the nameAniihata;12 and which pervades the entire groups of the Vedas-that souad represents the Absolute. Manly vigour: that lustreby means of which one is identified as a man throughout theearth. (8)

I am the pure smell in the earth; I am also thebrilliance in the sun; I am the life in all beings andausterity in the ascetics. (9)

Pu'}yaJ} etc. By its own nature pure is that smell whichexists in the earth as its exclusive property. The' foulness, theexcessivenes~ [of the smell] are due to contamination of otherelements. That has been stated [elsewhere] as:

'[A particular thing] becomes hard because of theexc.ss of the properties of the earth; foul-smellingon account of tbe rise of tbe fire-properties; andstiff due to liberality (excess) of the properties ofwater'lJ aad so OD, (9)

144 Bhagavadr;itii with Gitiirthasangraha [Ch.

o son of Prtha! Know Me as the eternal seed ofall beings; I am the intellect of the intellectuals and thebrilliance of the brilliant. (10)

Of the strong, I am the strength that is free fromdesire and attachment. 0 best of the Bharatas, in [all]beings I am the des~re which is not opposed to attri-butes. (11)

Bijam etc. Balam ItC. The sud: the subtle prime cause.The strength, free from desire and attachment: It is of the natureof vigour and is capable of supporting all that exist. Desire:the Will,14 which is notbing but Pure Consciousness and whichis not opposed to any of the attributes (its objects) like pot,cloth etc. For, the Will, because it is the [conscious] eneriyofthe Bhagavat, is immanent in all and nowhere is it opposed,eventhough it is beiDa differentiated (i.e. the wills or desires areclassified) on account of its attributes like pot, cloth etc., whichare [only] accidental. Thus the wise, because they are devotedto this Will, art of the nature of Pure Consciousness. That hasbeen said alllo in thl Sivopanifiadl5 as -

'[A man of wisdom] would concentrate his mind onthe Will or [Self] Consciousness that arises'. (VB, 98)

[Here in this quotation] that arises means 'that has justrisen but has not yet spread outside.' 16

Ignorinr; this way of interpretation [of the Glti passage]some interprlt it so as to brini out the idoa 'He would enjoy thegroup of the three,17 not hindering mutually'. These (commenta-tors) are ignorant of the customs (krama) sanctioned by thetraditions;18 yet they interpret the secret about the Absolute!No doubt they deserve [Qur] salutation,l9 (10-11)

Whatever beings are there [in the universe]-whether they are of the Sattva or of Rajas or of Tamas(Strands) - be sure that they are from Me; I am notin them, but they are in Me. (12)

VII] Translation 145

Being deluded by these three beings of theStrands, this entire world does not recognise Me Whoam eternal and transcending these [Strands]. (13)

Ye ca etc. Tribhil} etc. The [Strands] Sattva etc.,20 arederived from Me, and not I from them. That is why he who hasachieved his identity with the Bhagavat (the Absolnte), properlyrealises all [objects] as being the Bhagavat [Himself]. On theother hand, the person who is established in the knowledge ofobjects of umpteen varieties does 110tunderstand the reality ofthe Bhagavat. This krama21 (traditional order) pleases the mindof all. With this idea only the Lord is going to declare pre-sently22 'Vasudeva is all'. There the meaning is this: He,whose internal organ is favoured by the descent of the SupremeEnergy or grace23 (Sakti-piita) that arises after [reaching thestage of] eqnableuess of effects of actions (karma-liamati'lJ24that is brought about by the enjoyment [of effects] throughmany births; and who realises the reality of Bhagavat, with con-viction 'verily all is Vasudeva' - that person is the llreat Souland he is difficult to find. But, not knowing in this manner and,on the contrary, being deluded by the Strands, Sattva etc., thisworld, fails to perceive the reality of Vasudeva, transcending theStrands. (12-13)

[The Lord] declares why the persons established exclusi-vely in the Sattva etc. (Strands), are not conscious of the realnature of the Bhagavat :

This is My play (daivi), trick-of-Illusion composedof the Strands and is hard to cross over. Those, whoresort to Me alone - they cross over the trick-of-Illusion. (14)

DaM etc. Deva means 'one who plays'.25 What is bornof (or exists in) him is daivi 'play'. Hence, the meaning is:'This is My play'. Due to this [play-trick], the [Strands]Sativa etc., even though they are not really different from theSupreme Brahman,26 the Pure Consciousness, manifest as dill'e-rent from That. This [differentiation] itself accounis for their

952 - 10

146 Bhagavadglta with Gl tarthasailgraha [Ch.

secondary nature i.e .• the nature of being an object of enjoymenti.e., being dependent on the existance of the enjoyer.27 Thispeculiarity of dual-nature is inexpJicable28 for the persons ofmundane life. Hence to them it is a trick-of-IIJusion.Therefore, those who have realised the light of the Brahman, theSupreme Reality, and find the universe as not distinct from that[Brahman], they [alone) cross over the trick-of-Illusion whichis of the nature of manifesting in duality28A and is in the formof the dependent status of the Strands, Sattva etc. This is theidea indicated by 'alone' in 'Me alone'. On the other hand thosewho would find just the manifestation of duality as they [appearto] exist - they do not cross over the trick-of-Illusion. Thus it isrightly said 'I am not in them (in the beings of the Sattva etc.)etc.' (l4)

The deluded evil-doers, the vilest men, who arerobbed of knowledge by the trick-of-Illusion and havetaken refuge in the demoniac nature-they do not resortto Me. (15)

Ni't miim etc. Those who do not take refuge with atten-tion in Me, even while their body remains fit for the purpose, theyare evil-doers and the basest of men, deluded, demoniac, i.e.given to darkness (ignorance). Hence, this is only the power ofthe trick-of-Illusion. (15)

Men of good action who worship Me always areof four types: the afflicted, the seeker of knowledge,the seeker of wealth and the man of wisdom, 0 bestamong the Bharatas ! (I 6)

Of them, the man of wisdom, being alwaysattached [to Me] with single-pointed devotion excels[others]. For, I am dear to the man of wisdom aboveall personal gains and he is dear to Me. (17)

All these are noble persons, indeed. But theman of wisdom is considered as the very Soul of [Mine].

.VII] Tianslation . 147

For, with his self (mind). that bas,mastered the Yoga,he has resorted to nothing but Me as his most supremegpal. ' '(18)

At the end of many births, one attains Me withthe conviction that 'All is Vasudeva' - that noble Soulis very difficult to get. (19)

Caturvidhaly etc., upto sudurlabha'ft. Those who worshipM,e are men of good action. They are of four types. An theseare noble ones. For, other persons, mean-minded as they are,'beg a cure of their affliction, and money etc .• from persons whohave hands, feet, stomach, body and intelligence (or bodilystrength) that are equ11 to their (the beggers) own, or even fromthose who are very much inferior. But, by comparison with theman of wisdom, [the other three under question] are of inferiorintelligence. For, they entertain, at that stage too, a sense ofduality. Because, a sense ofduality29 'I seek this from the Bha:a-vat' is clearly discernible in them. On the other hand, the man ofwisdom hangs on Me alone with a sense of identity [of him withMe]. Hence, 1am verily identical with him. It is 1alone, andnot [any other] gain, that is dear to him. That is why he is havinga mind purified by the firm conviction 'All is nothing butVisudeva'.3o (16-19)

Being robbed', of their wisdom by innumerabledesires [and] being controlled by their own nature, per-sons take refuge in other deities by following one orthe other religious regulations. ' (20)

Whatever may be the form [of the deity] a devotee-whosoever he may be - desires to worship with faith,1assume that for1;11'~hich is firm and is according to[hisl faith. ' (21)

Endowed with that faith, he seeks to worshipthat. deity and therefrom receives his desired objects

148 bhagavadgltii with OItarthasaJiaraha [Ch.

that are ordained by none but Me. (22)

But, that fruit of those men of poor intellect isfinite. Those, who perform sacrifices, aiming at thegods, go to gods, and My devotees go to Me. (23)

XlImai'IJ etc. upto miJm api. On the other hand, thosepersons, whose minds are conditioned by a variety of their ownrespective desires for the best and so on (or the desires that maybe classified as the best and so on) - they have their thinkingfaculty carried away by their desires, and worship a particulardeity who possesses nothing but My intermediate body that suitsonly to those devotees' desires. Hence, they obtain their desiredresult from Me alone. But, that result has an end of its own,because it is limited by the mental impressions of their own.Therefore those who perform sacrifice etc., with the aim ofbecoming Indra etc.,31 (Dr of attaining the houses of Indra etc.)gain their desired fruit accordingly. On the other hand, thosewhose chief aim is to attain Me, they gain Me alone. (20-23)

But, while the Absolute-being is immanent in all, how isit that the fruit achieved by the worshippers of other deities islimited? The answer is given as :

The men of poor intellect, are not conscious ofthe higher, changeless and supreme nature of Mine;and hence, they regard Me, the Unmanifest, to be amanifest one. (24)

.A.vyaktam etc. Because of their poor intellect, these[worshippers of other deities] do not at all recognise the unman i-fest and ultimately true nature of Mine. On the contrary, theyconceive Me merely as one, possessing only a manifest forlB,with a partiCUlar knowledge and a particular innate nature, aUsuitable to their own desires. [They think] not otherwise. Thatis why, no name or form [of a deity] is insisted upon [by theLord].

However, this is tho established view forth' ttacheta.f

Translation

the school] in this regard: If a person holds fast to a specificform of a deity in order to get rid of desires, that [itself) resultsin his becoming pure and emancipated.32 If the case is reversed,[the result] would be a contrary one.33 (24)

Being surrounded by the trick-of-yoga-Illusion,34I am not clear to all; [and hence] this deluded world[of perceivers] does not recognise Me, the unborn andthe undying. (25)

o Arjuna, I know the beings that are gone off,that are present and that are yet to be born; but no oneknows Me. (26)

Nlfham etc. Jledaham etc.3S I am not perceivable toall. (25-26)

But the actions themselves, if performed, would beietemancipation at the time of dissolution [of the world]. other-wise, how doos the total dissolution como to be there? Whenthis doubt arises.36 [the Bhagavat] commences [to answer] as :37

o descendant of Bharata, 0 scorcher of foes! Atthe time of creation, all beings get delusion because ofthe illusion of pairs [of opposites] arising from desireand hatred. (27)

lecha-etc. [At the time of destruction] he (the personalSoul) is led to expand exceedingly, while he still remains uncon-scious on account of his desire, aversion, anger, dellusion etc.On account of this, the entire world takes recourse to the sleepingstage while it continues to exist in its entirity within the stomachof the Prak~ti (the Prime Cause); and to exist just being (tempo-rarily) not capable of performing its activities. For, as lonl asthere is delusion, the mental impressions an to be experienced,as in the case of the Ileeping stage in the night time every day.But on that account no emancipation is gained. For, when theexperienee of loss of unconsciousncss is over (i.e., when cons-ciousness is rc&ained), again the mundane life with its varietics

l~O Bhagavadgltii with GWirthasailgraha ECho

of activities is found.38 (27)

But those men of virtuous deeds, whose sin hascome to an end - they, being free from the delusion ofpairs [of opposites], worship Me,with firm resolve. (28)

Those, who, relying on Me, strive to achievefreedom from old age and death - they realise all to bethe Brahman and realise all the actions governing theSelf. (29)

Those who· realise Me as one [identical] with whatgoverns the beings, deities and with what governs thesacrifices - they, even at the moment of their journey,experience Me, with their mind mastering the Yoga. (30)

Here ends the SEVENTH CHAPTER in theHoly BhagavadgUii

Ye~am etc. uptD yukta-celasa~. Those, in whom thedarkness (ignorance) has totally vanished, and the Self is wellsecure'd due to the decaying of the good and bad effects ofactions - they break off the canopy of their [~astle of the] mightydelusion and realise everything as the Brahman studded (purified)with the rays of the J3hagavat, emerging out of the darkness ofDid age and death; and realise 'what governs the Self, thebeings, the deities and the sacifices are an My own differen taspects.' They also experience Me at the time of their journey,on account of their having internal organ permanently immersedin the thought of the Bhagavat39• For, those who remember theBhagavat even earlier, siJlce their birth - they at the last momentwould very well remember the Absolute Lord. [Hence] it isgaod to simply keep silent with regard 1'0 those who opine'Wha t is the use of worshiping since [the time of] .birth?' (28-30)

. MAY THERE BE PROSPERITY:

He.re, is the CatcJt.;.versc..:

VII] translation 151

The distinctly cultivated devotion towards the Bhagavatis the very kalpa (wish-fulfilling) creeper. For, it would fulfilI40

the desire (of the seeker], suitable to the desire of exertion forattainment [of emancipation].

Thus ends the SEVENTH CHAPTERin the Holy GitCirthasangraha written by the revered

Riijifnaka Abhinavagupta, the best of the illustriousgreat preceptors of the Miibesvaras.

Notesl. ActiO/f: See Ago's gloss on vijnana. under VI, 8. above. Cf ..

_ 0' • .( •

rq-~Cl'li ~ •.•.•• 1>ankara under ro. II, 5.

2. The knowables .•...• action, Kriya seems to denc-te the Spandatattvaof the lSvara. According to the Spanda theory all beings in theunive~se are the manifestations of the Lord's kriya and jl1ana iaktis.Cf. also

Cf~ fu: ~~(fl<rt ~RmT ;:;\'M'<\TWITI~r.ff.I;<n "l' ~ Gfrerm :;ftq-;:f liCf;q: II - IPK, I, i,4.

3. Siddhi is taken to mean 'determined knowiedge', bearing in mind~ll<i mrlf liT (VII, 1). Cf. the expressions <ff4TGrllml1fTl'<IT ~:

and also ~!i~m-I%::as opposed to ffi6~~:rr<r:.

4. This rendering is made in view of the reading ~S<r;:<n+i,.See below.

5. The prakfli theory: I.e., the theory of Prakflipari(lama, according towhich the universe is the modification of a single basic material calledPrakrti. This is the theory upheld by the Slinkhyas. According tothis, both Purusa and Prakrti are two different categories; of themthe Prakrti modifies itself as' the universe. consisting of the Mahatdown to the Barth. This theory is not acceptable to the KashmirSaivites who uphold the theory of Saiva Absolutism according towhich the same Siva manifests (lIbhlisa) both as Puru~a and the Pra-krti, which are therefore not different from one another. Yet, thef~rmer, because it is sentient, is referred to be superior to the other,Ag. reads this theory in these Gitii verses.

152 Bhagavadgitii with Gitirthasangraha [Ch;

It may be noted that Ag. could read the above theory of identityof purusa and Prakrtihere, provided he had a text like '3l'1t<r-fiHftS"!;:~!ll:or something like that. Abhinavagupta's wording ~ ~qcq'srrccfl etc., indicates that he had such a reading with him, as against<l{q~<!fu(l1;(q;:'lf found in the Vulgate and accepted by Ramaka,?!ha andAnandavardhana also. However it is to be noted that the formerconcludes that the division of Prakrti into superior and inferior ones,and into the sentient and non-sentlent ones is only due to Illusion,(+rl'l!!'f~!fuGq~JCRi:t~ '$~ ~ 5l~T). See also our note under VII,6-7 below.

6. Here Ag. gives the basic principle of the problem of creationaccording to the Kashmir school of Saivism. According to thistheory, the entire universe is the manifestation of the Lord's naturei.e., Prakrti which is not different from Him, and which is Hispower of producing wonder (camatkara). The Lord is taken to bethe creator of the universe, only because He manifests as such, Thepresent passage may better be appreciated if it is read along with Ag. 'sfollowing verses, occurring elsewhere;

l\q:Illf~ '1'["l<H:'>!T;r!~~I1If;r I

111m ~~Ft~q '!f q~~' '(QOj!'(N '!f 11

fErll~Gl1\H:~\Cf.ih[[;;rn:.f[111~~;;<;[+lf?r\

<l{l'<!t01.l' '!f mflSN f'!11~!~lm '"l<r~GG II -PS,12-13."

Also see Yogarajas commentary thereunder.

7. This womb: I.e. the naturo, described in the last stanza as 'by whichthis world is maintained.' This supports Ag.'s interpretation of thelast verse according to which a single tat/va (i.e. ParamaSiva)becomes both the perceivable and the perceiver. Of course SankaraBhaskara, Rk., etc., take' this' of 'this womb' as denoting both theinferior and superior natures. Yet, though that is also grammati-cally possible, 'this' may more naturally denote 'the superior nature',mentioned just immediately before, or the nature which is notdifferent from the one becoming eight-fold itoJ:llsand which hasbecome the individual Soul. Hence, Ag.'s reading, we have abovesuggested, may not be an altogether imprObable one.

8. Place them etc.; 1.e•• 'Enjoy them.' According to the KashmirSaiva system, the enjoyment of object, by practicing the idea of iden-tity between the eojoyer and the enjoyed. is not a hindl'ance, but ameans to reaJise the Supreme.

9. Or it may mean: I.e., by constl'uing. iiRl:lR<i with what follows next.

VIi] Translation 153

10. Best hymn: Pra,!ava (pra 'the best'; ''!u' 'to praise') means lit. 'thebest hymn of praise.'

11. Union and partition: Usually the sound is classified three-fold as:

<3:<IT<r'5i: 'the sound born of the union of two things'; ~"[~:

'the sound born of the partition of two units'; l!!<ii~"': 'the soundborn of another previous sound.'

12. Anahota, lit 'unbeaten' denotes that sound which is never beaten i.e"never perishes and which is not born from beating [such as. of a stickon a drum] etc., I,e, not born of samyogo. This is said to be the basicinarticulated sound that is common to di!felent syllables, Cf.

'f-1it 'f['\R+riI' 'fof: ~1{C{otf<r"Tq"l~IffiS'f~firiiliiqc'lT<\"fT~ ~~~ii: \I - TA. VI,217.

This basic sound is usually described in the Pural)as as havingbeen bom in the cave of the Brahrna (personal god), as being heardonly by those who have controlled their mind and as being the basisfor aU syllabic sounds. Cf.

l:TllTj%:q[cl1<1T~ ~r: ~fW1: I

1?;;;:[1lifl!!f~~o;rr;:'r1tfuU~[fu:"T~<RI1Q~S~ l:Tl1rl<1rll'I1~;;;il:'T'lT;r;;;: \I

-The Bhllgavata PUra(la as quoted in the Sabdakalpadruma, s.v. nllda.

13. This incomplete quotation of some unknown source, is general innature and has nothing in particular regarding the smell in theearth. However it SUPPOlts Ago's contention that the foulness ofsmell is due to the contamination of the fire-element.

14. The Will etc. Here Ag. gives a dose of the Kashmir Saiva concept ofthe Sakti. He takes kama in the sense of IceM Sakti, one of theforms of the universal Sakti which manifests in three stages viz ••para, para para and apara. In the filSt stage, Sakti is said to be inthe form of sac-cid·ananda or Being - Consciousness - Bliss, and theIccha, Jiiana and Kriya Saktis exist in total identity with Cid andAnanda. No experience is possible in the absence of the Para Sakti.

In the second or the para para stage the Iccha-Sakti fully mani-fests, followed by the manifestation of Cit-Sakti (Self-Consciousness)and Xnanda. They are the functions of the Para Sakti and are of thenature of Cit (Self Consciousness), Here they have nothing to dowith sensuous pleasure.

154 Bhagavadgita with Gltirthasangraba [Ch.

From this stage ames the aunmukhya, (the first nicker of theWill) ieading tQ the third or the apara stage where the JOana andKriya Saktis (powers of knowiedge and action) are fully manifest.

These three stages are believed to exist in between the higheststdle of realisation and tbe state of mundane existence. We in tbemundane existence are in the third stage and in order to achieve reali-astion we sbould concentrate our mind on tbe second or parCiparastage. This (is what) seems to have been prescribed in the Sivopanieadpassage quoted by Abhinavagupta in the sequel.

15. The foIlowlng quotation is the first half of a verse (98) in the wellknown Salva work caIled Vijnlillabllairava. From Ag.'s remark itappears that the said work bad also the namc Sivopalliead. Thesecond half of the verse reads:

:mc~;g:'lFf~reF:[~~~i'\ii'f~ \The commentator K~emaraja, Ag.'s pupil, comments on it as :

~8F1t "lfCil113!l<iTll., 3{:q' <IT ~ OlTij ~Rr~~ ~<r 3{~~ ~ ~llT

~;:if.r~~; ~1f CRJIT~~<f 11~ •••

. . .~T~TCRq<rT<rm'lir~I1Tcf.t>.f+J,It

16. Not sprJad olltside I I.e., berore aunmukhya arises as we have seenearlier.

,17. The group·of·three: I.e. the dharma. artlla and kama. Thc commen-tators who are being rediculed by Ag. bere obviously take \;[+!y~:of the Gmt verse in the sense of 1:HI~~: or 9ifl'l: in the sense

of ~'fiT+It.

18. Tbe wording here recalls to our mind tbe Krama branch of theKashmir Saivism wbere the path of realisation is always kept secretand is trdnsmitted traditionally and oraIly by the teacher to hisdeserving pupil.

19. Note the sarcasm in this sentence.

20. The Strands, Sattva otc. Probably here Ag. gives US a principle ofPratyabhijfia system. according to which the jiiiina, kriya and mayiiof tbe Lord appears respectively as the Strands, Sattva, Rajas andTamas In the Jiva. Cf.

~~ I1fol~'1~:flf;f~ "f >.fT \

l'lT>.fT~~ ij tJ;Cf ,;;): ~;::<i~~: \I - IPK, I, iv, 3.

VII] transiation 155

21, This krama etc. Here the word Krama suggests that Ag, has in hismind that part of Kramasulra which defines Kramamudra as a stage inwhish 'the mind swings alternately between the internal and exter-nal; the internal appears as the Universal ConscioLIsness and theexternal no longer appears as merely the world, but only as the formorSiva or Universal Consciousness.' - PH, p.155.

Elsewhere Ag. himself quotes the Gita, VII 12th verse, to showthat the eutire universe consisting of the knower and things to beknown, has come out of the ahamvimark ; There he says

..• ~ ~orr \15f11'l'ffi 'IT~'f a{of,f >1m 'i1' ~Cf

,"IR'l'liT 11l'lT \T~,"TI:i{ It ~~ ~fu QTf.'l~ •. ~ ..• II' ~

~~~~~q ~<\'li~q' 'if 5f.liTl!T\1<\l1Tcrcrwr<rW1~+rn'n M'I5fl"i,

'a{l[~'~ ~'l(~'1T1.fT~ ~i\'1Tct >I:e:~fl1!:lT<r •••

IPVV. under I. i, I. (Vol. I, p. 45).

22. Presently; 1.e., in VII, 19.

23. Sakli-pala is defined as Paramesvaranugraha-sakti-pala 'descendingof the Grace of the Supreme Lord.' See TA, XlII, 116-117 andcommentary thereun der.

24, Karma-samata: According to a school of thought, this Saklipalacomes to an aspirant when he attains the stage of equipoise of theunseen results (adrslas) of both the good and bad actions of his.This equipoise is b~iieved to be effected when both the oppositekarmas. througj1 the enjoyment of their respecti ve effects, becomeequally powerful and stand neutralizing each other.

l1f<r'l'<IT<rlfTl[T(l'lJ'Rl'q;~ El\T!tr ~ Q'fu I

fW!:llii. q;+flJff ~:it'fuw: '=I'T;:'l'li~:Ul=l; II TA, XIII, 68.

However Ag. does not subscribe to this view in the TA. There,after refuting the above view, he tries to establish that the Lord'sGrace comes to a seeker on Its own accord and does not depend onthe karma-samal? Cf.

!:l~5<flfC~m~

:u~: crrm~: ~: I

ef ~CiT(f: mm:morr: ~'f.tiTI::IT:'S(~ (f'f!\"~~ ~: II - Ibid, 129.

Here in the Gillfrthasangraha it is of interest to note that Ag. acceptsthe same theoJ;Ywhich he rejects in the TA. Why this discrepancy f

156 Bhagavadgita with Gltarthasangraha [Ch.

According to K.C. Pandey, (p. 33 etc.) the Git/!rthasangraha waswritten by Ag. after T.A. If that is correct then. the discrepancymay show that Ag. changed his mind after be wrote TA.

25. One who plays: Cf. ~~ !tit~~ - Ag. under IPK. I, viii. 11.

26. Though they are not different See above n.20 under VII. 12·13.

27. Being dependent - enjoyer: A particular thing can be an object ofenjoyment. provided there is an enjoyer to enjoy it. Cf. the presentpassage l1f1f{!Q''C!f'm:w'><i l1f1<R;f with Ag:s own statement

l1f~q;?flCl1(;fT11T~ 11f«Rrr<rT: under Ch. III. 14-15.

28. Inexplicable: According to the Advaitins too Illusion is anirvacyaor inexplicable, but not for the sQ/!lsarins alone.

28A. In the literature of the Saiva Absolutists the maya or the Trick-of.JIlusion is defined as:

~'<l"~<.<ll1r<Rll'~l1T~ >f.\iffu<6T,

M-<UT:rr~rl:TT"f.li\r ll'T~fl'lI:TT~: II

l:t~c~ij 11reS~(1'l.Trs;l'Tc+rif1~~I

l!I% ~"t m:rt !fT ll'T~~Rnf.f·;;,p:l1~ II - IPK. III. i, 7-8,

29. Because a sense of duality etc.: In a slightly different way Ag. else-where clarifies his view on verse 16-18 as follows:

•.. ~:liRRT~llf.liRUfQ1f.r~ CfTg~~~~Q1f.r~

qT Q'!i11l.T~Tlf~ l{f ~rm~Ci.\'1'T~, Cf~~:m.m(1'<rT

'tT 'Rit~l.T: ~111T<it ~ I Cfl\T~- ll'Tfufcf ['<Il1f!icH q;;r~

mfu~;f] I amTf nr~~~~ - arl2ro8t.r 3I'1'iT~ll'T.r'Rll'Rl'IT.r

~fEr q:,'if [;fl.T:] , ~ f.ffl:rrfcT 11oRt, WJ~, ;rc'li~~ I ~l1"liT~jj;M-crT:I ~ ll'S;;r '3'{l'~f Pr~~'ffi: .•••.• f.r~ '<I 111f~T

~'ffi:, if ~ 'llT<uf-RTl.T't(1',~qj't f.r~Tifl1Rr>: ; Cftl1 ~11fu;: ,

l('Ii;f q~?t"'<l"tl(Cfl1fui: 'M, if ~ mEfT~ q);1r I 1il' ~'l ~

~qi ~l.T q,?t"'<l"l.:mt@l(1'l.TT1il'<reT~~l'i 13:lf[~ '~r;f[

c'l'rWr it. ,.' fifcr I ll'll' >relfl1~i't~RlRt ~ ~c+rT

<.<ll1Tif:ql.:i't~: ~~~ l1lffi a-'ffi: I if ~ mf.rif: ~ !{fer I

- IPVV. under I. i,I (Vol. I, pp. 28.29)

VII] Translation I57

30. All is Vasudeva: See also under VII, 12-13 above for Ago's obser-vation on thisverse, Cf .••• 1Ii ~~lTlcm;f 51~~: Sl'l''!l€ll ~~ ~«If'~: ~+J," ~ - Sankara.

31. With the aim of becoming lndra etc.: Umpteen instances of perform-ing sacrifices for attaining to the status of Indra etc. are known fromthe BrlihmalJaand the PuralJa literature.

32. Thus the sllkara-worship is accepted only to get rid of desire and bythat means to get emancipation.

33. If the case is reversed etc. I.e., if one holds to a form of deity for thefulfilment of his desires that itself would result in his further impu-rity and further bondage.

34. Yoga-Illusion: Here Yoga may denote the combination of the Strandsviz., the sativa etc, Cf. ~l1fl1'ft l=!11.f)<IT ~~<rr (VII, 14 above).

35, Vedliham etc. Of course Ag. does not comment on the verse, Vedi!hametc.

36. This doubt arises perhaps due to statement 'If the case is reversed,the result would be a contrary one.'

37. Commences: The answer given in the next verse, is not a directanswer, as we shall see in the sequel. Hence 'commences to answer.'

38. The idea here is this: Because 'first creation' is a contradiction interms; because at the time of re-creation the personal Soul startsexperiencing the mundane life, we have to infer that the mentalimpressions must have continued to exist, but in the subdued state,during the period between the preceding destruction and the succeed-ing creation. Hence the non-performance of actions cannot itself beregarded as emancipation at the time of the destruction of the world.The Pratyabhiji\ii school believes in two types of destructions of theworld: Ordinary pralaya (partial destruction) and Mahilpralaya(total destruction). Here Ago's question is concerned only with theformer one, though the total destruction is cited by way of example.An schools of Indian theistic philosophies believe that during thePralaya, karma, karma-samskilra or vasana exist in the individualSouls. and they lead to' the re-creation. There is a long disputeamong the thinkers as to whether there could be total destruction,and whether it could be fo1\owed by recreation, For details seeK.C. Pandey, op. cit. pp. 353 ff; etc.

Here Ag.'s introduction to, and his commentary on, the presentverse are worth comparing with YS. IV, 34, and YB and TV there-under. For the necessary extracts see our note no. 19 under Gila, XII,15-20 below.

158 Bhagavadglta with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

39. For those See Fppa~l on the concerned passage of the commen-tary.

40. Devotion wouldfulfill etc.: Cf. +rr1(f:ril\'lmT+fl1lI1 ~~'f m:r<rmSankara, Vivekacii411ma~i, verse 32.

The seventh chapter of the ora! is traditionally known as Jiillna-vijiiana-yoga 'The Yoga of Knowledge and Action' and it has thesupport of the internal evidence ~;f ~S~ ~~;ril{~ 'W1r;<r~(f:(VII, 2). However Ag. seems to thinK that the main theme of thechapter is bhakti or devotion. May be he is right. Cf.

ll'2ITij'qil'fifT: (VII, 1) ;

+rr~'1' ~ srW5 +rrliTl'tcrt m i:t (VII, 14) ;

~~ l1f Wlm: (VII, 28) ;

5[liTll!"liT~sfq :q l1f a ~~('I'lr: (VII, 30).

Chapter Eighth

What has been introduced by the Bbagavat by saying 'Theyknow that Brahman etc.,' [at the end of the Idst chapt('r], thesame [the Sage] decides by raising nine questions! [as follows] :

Arjuna Said:What is that Brahman? What is termed the Lord·

of-the-self (adhyatma)? I What is action? 0 the Best-of-persons! What is stated to be the Lord-of·material-things (adhibh~"jta)? What is called Lord-of-divinities(adhidaiva)? (1)

Who is Lord-of-sacrifices (adhiyajil,a) [and] howlsWho in this body? 4 0 slayer of Madhu! How are Youto be realised by the self-controlled ones at the time oftheir journey (i.e., death) also? (2)

Ki1!l tad Brahma etc. A.dhiyajnlJ~ etc. Who and how is theadhiyajna? Who in this body?: 'does reside' may be suppli.mented. (1-2)

The Bhagavat said:

The immutable Absolute is the Brahman. Itsintrinsic nature is called the Lord6 of the self. Theemitting activity that causes the birth of both theanimate and the inanimate6 is named 'action'. (3)

Akifaram etc. The Supreme is [called] Brahman because7

It is big and causes everything to grow [in It]. On the sameground,s what is termed 'as the Lord-of-self' is that thing whichbears the na'lle Consciousness which never t'eases to be in It(Brahman) and which is nothing but the Brahman9 (sva'IJ.bhiiva~).

160 Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasailgraha [Ch.

This Brahman, wllich is nothing but Consciousness, embracesthe Power of [creating] tile universe because of Its unlimitedaspect of being external; and on account of Its freedom in theform of supremacylO there arise. the emitting (i.e. creative)activityll [in it] in the form of manifesting Itself as the externalinanimate beings and also as vari@us external animate ones.[Tllese two aspects of] this activity cause respectively the birthof the inanimate beings - i.e. the insentient beings, and theanimate ones i e. the sentient beings like Brahma etc. [In otherwords], It manifests as varig.lted ins~ntient and sentientbeings.IlA

Again this activity bestows on what is real, its intrinsicnature i.e. creates a reality for the one from which a\1 that isfalse is excluded. This emitting activity is wbat is known as'action'. (3)

The changing nature is the lord of the materialbeings; the Person alone is the lord of the divinities;I am alone the Lord of sacrifices and I, the best ofthe embodied (Souls), dwell in this body. (4)

.4.dhibhi4tam etc. The world of material beings, like potetc., is of changing nature, because it flows or gushes forth withits innate nature of changes12 etc. Person: Self. It is the lordof the divinities, as all deities are established in It (or al1 deitiesget their perfections in It). On the same reason it is onlyMyself, the Supreme Soul, Who remain lording - as an enjoyerof sacrifice in its ontirty - over sacrifices i.e. actions that are tobe performed inevitably; and it is I only Who dweJl in the body.Thus, a pair of questions!' have been decided by singleeffort. (4)

Now, the other question tbat remains to be answered viz.,'How are You to be realised at the time of departure?', theLord decides as :

Whosoever, at the time of death also remember-ing Me alone, sets forth by abandoning his body

VIII] franslation 161

[behind], he attains My being.about it.

There IS no doubt(5)

And also remembering whatever being, a personleaves his body at the end [of his life], that being alonehe attains, 0 son of Kunti! [Because] he has beenconstantly thinking about that being. (6)

Therefore at all times keep Me in the mind andalso fight; then, having your mind and intellect dedi-cated to Me, you will doubtlessly attain Me alone. (7)

A.ntakiZle etc., upto asa"1lsayam. At the time of departurealso: i.e., not only as long as [one is] in the healthy and unmo-lested condition. Me alone: Me, with all attributes undisting-uished. But at the time of unhealthy state (at the time of death)of a person, how could the Bhagavat enter the path of hismemory, when all the activities of the senses of that person havetotally ended? Hence [to achieve this result the Lord] tea.:besalso the means or device13A by 'Therefore' etc.': The Bhagavatsurely, on His own accord, becomes [even at the time of death]the object of memory of that person from whose heart (mind)the Bhagavat has never gone away in any circumstance connec-ted with the mundane life also; who has [thus] renounced all hisactions to the Bhagavat alone; and who is full of (fully absorbedin) the Bhagavat. For this end, the means is to remain con-stantly absorbed in the thought of the Bhagavat. That is whyHe says: 'With whatever object the internal organ of a personis filled up always, that object alone is remembered by him atthe time of death, and the state of that being alone is attained[by him]. Hence, let a person, by all means, have Me alone ashis goal and be desirous of attaining Me'. This is the idea here.

The idea [intended here] is certainly not 'What is remem-bered, without fail, at the last moment that being alone isattained by him'. Because in that case the attainment of theman of wisdom would also be just like that of an ignorant man.

952 - 11

162 Bhagavadgitii with GItirthasangraha [Ch.

For, the former too [at the time of death] gets [complete] dul-ness of mind that is benumbed by tbe disorder (or defect) of theelements existing in bis entire body. Certainly it is not properto accept this bere. For, it would go against the authority ofthe scriptures. For, the fact is -

'He, who has attained liberation simultaneouslywith reaUsa tion [of the Self], and whose sorrows[therefore] have been destroyed - he attains com-plete unity (with the Absolute] even though [atthe time of death] he has lost his memory andabandons his body in a sacred place or in the houseof a dog-cooker (i.e., man of a low tribe)'. (PS,83).14

Therefore the matter-of-fact statment (or explanation) andinjunction [that are meant here] are the following:

If a person's internal organ is absorbed incessantly in thethought of a particular being, the same being is attained by himat end after departure.1s It is immaterial whether [at the timeof departure] that being is remembered or not. This secondaryimportance [of the remembrance] is indicated by the word api'also'. The word Vii16 'or' makes it clear that the rememberancedoes not exist in each and every case. The Sage (Vyisa) him-self clarifies his idea 'Let a man always remalU by all meanskeeping Me (the Absolute Lord) as his supreme goal',17 Sincethe Sage says: 'Therefore at all times keep Me (the Absolute)in your mind'. Therefore, the following is the combination ofwords [of the verse intended here] :

If a person, remembering always, or at the last moment -the use of or denotes 'or not remembering [at the last momentJ'-a particular being, leaves his body, he attains that particularbeing alone, For, he is always absorbed in the thought of thatbeing.

But others [interpret the verse~ as follow~]: When oneleaves his body at the end, just at the moment of leaving thebody i.e., at that moment which is not cognizable to the percei.vers like relatiVes, sons etc. [standing nearby]; at that moment

VIII] Translation 163

that comes last after the limb-movements, like [heavy} breath-ing, exertion, hiccup, convulsive utterance etc., [have ended];at that fraction of time when the bondage of pleasure, pain andbewilderment is weakened as a result of the weakening of thecontrol of the bodily strength; at that time that goes by theterm dehatyajana 'the moment of casting the body off'; at thatmoment whatsoever being a person remem bers, his naturebecomes entriely identical with that being, favoured (taken as anobject) by the First Consciousness. IS The cause for remember-ing (the Lord] at that moment is to remain ever absorbed in thethought 0 f Him. The word tyajati [of verse 6] is to be construedas the seventh case [meaning 'at the time of abandoning'].Hence, the purport [of the passage) is only what has been saidabove.

What is the use of such a remembrance of Him at the lastmoment? But, who told that [there] is a use [for it] ? But,the remembrance18A is certainly brought about as a naturalcourse at the last moment.

But this [proposition] would lead to an undesirable con-sequence. For, it has been observed that a person [usually]remembers at the last moment either the maintenance of hischildren, wife and relatives, or drinking of cold water and so on.So, he would become identical with those tbings.

It is not so. The moment, you speak of, is not the lastmoment. For, at that moment the existence of body is beingclearly felt. Really that last moment, which we would like tospeak of, can't be perceived by persons like you. In what formalone the remembrance should be there at the last moment isdecided by [its cause}. a potential mental impression certainlyarising at that time - even though it is far off - according to thegeneral principle:

'The rememttrance and the potential mental impre-ssign [that causes it] being identical in form, thereshould be a sequential immediacy [between them},even though they are removed [from one another],by many births, by long distance and by long pass-age of time'. (YS, IV, 9).

164 Bhaga'l'adgiti with Gltirthasailgraha [Ch.

Thus, depending on the potential mental impression, there arisesremembrance of a particular being, and because of its remem-brance one attains the identity of that being.

However in the case of certain body the same [process] isaceidentalIyl9 indicated even at the stage of healthy body-condi-tion. See for example, the remembrance of a deer etc., [bothin the healthy conditions and in the dying moment] and theconsequential attainment of the deerhood, as described in thePuraJ;11cliterature.2o That is why api ca 'and also' is employedin [the statement] like 'and also at the time of journey.'Therefore, those who constantly think of the Bhagavat withintention 'Let us become this Being'; they attain [in the follow-ing order] the identity with Absolute Lord, of the exclusivenature of Consciousness: [First] there arises the thought (sma-ra"a) of the Lord at the moment when the bodily existence is felt;then at that unperceivable last moment the potential mentalimpression, born of the said thought, gives rise to the rememb-rance of the Lord by striking down all the other potential men·tal impressions, according to the principle:

'The potential mental impression, born therefrom, makeall other potential mental impressions powerless (YS., I,50).

Then only at the moment of the fall ofthe body, because at that.time the mental impression created by [the sense of] time hascome to an end and because the differences of the Objects like'this', 'that' etc., are not felt-at that moment he attains ideo-tlty21 with the Lord. This much of discussion is enough.22

Without doubt (verse 7): one should not entertain aoydoubt in this regard. (5-7)

He, who is engaged in the after-reflection (whomeditates) on the Supreme Divine Soul with his mind,remaining fixed in the practice-Yoga and [hence]passing over no other object - that person attains [that

. Supreme], 0 son of Prtha ! (8)

Vm Translation 165

Abhyasa-etc., He, who is engaged in the after-reflection:he who reflects on the Bhagavat after the pain created by .thebody has ended following the break of [his connection with] thebody. (8)

He, who meditates continuously on the AncientSeer, the Ruler, the Subtler than the subtle, the Sup-porter of all, the Unimaginable-formed, the Sun-coloured, and That which is beyond the darkness; (9)

That person endowed with a steady mind, withdevotion and also with the Yoga-power, reaches at thetime of journey that Supreme Divine Soul, by fixingproperly the life-breath in between his eye brows. (10)

Kavim etc. Prayaf}a-etc. He who would meditate in thismanner (i.e. as described in the verse) etc. The Sun-coloured.The Sun-colour does not delimit the Absolu te (Vasudeva-tattva).However, a comparison with the sun is drawn because the Ab·solute too transcends the darkness of ignorance consisting of t!J.evaried wrong notions, like fancying forms etc. This is the 'ideahere. In between the eye-brows: [This may be understood] asabove.23 (9-'lO)

That Unchanging One which the Veda-knowersspeak of; Which the passion-free ascetics enter into;seeking Which they practise celibacy (or spiritual life);that Goal togethe.r with means [to reach It] I shall tellyou. (11)

Yad ak~aram etc. A means is called sangraha because byusing this. the end is grasped i.e., determined. That Goal,together with means I shall tell you: Let· me tell you now themeans for [your] constant practice. (11)

Properly controlling all the gates [in the body];well restraining the mind in the heart; fixing one's ownprii'fJa in the head; taking resort to the firmness of theYoga; (12)

166 Bhagavadgita with Gltirthasangraha [Ch.

Reciting the single-syllabled 011/' the very Brah-man; meditating on Me; whosoever travels well, cast-ing away [his] body-surely he attains My State. (13)

And whosoever constantly bears Me in mindnever attached to any other object-for this Yogin,ever devout, I am easy to attain, 0 son of Prth1i! (14)

Sarvadvlira'!i etc., upto Yoginal].. The gates: the senseorgans, like the eyes and not the place of excrement etc:. Rest-raining the mind in the heart: By this, only the absence ofattac:hment towards the objects, and not any seat,23A is stated.One's own PriifJa: the driver of one's own Self (the vital air).24So, the meaning is 'Fixing this PraQa in the head i.e., the verySelf with the Power-of-Will, lying beyond all categories. Thusthe controlling of body (has been prescribed]. Recitfng Ol!t:This denotes the act of controlling the seDse of speech. Medita-ting on Me: It signifies the non-wandering of the mind overother objects. Whosoever travels wIll: Whosoever travels dayaft.r day not to return back (i.e., for final emancipation). There-fore casting away the body i.e., l<'nging 'How to avoid takingonce again the body, a repository of all troubles', whosoever reomembers Me always with his mind, that thinks nothingelse-hereaches Me i.e., he realises My state. ReaJly the Sage (Vyisa)does not favour [the idea of] upward flight25 [of the Soul fromthe body] that may go against the pronounced intention of[attaining] total identity with the Absolute Brahman thatadmitsno duality. Therefore it has been said:

'If the Siva-existence (the Absolute State) is Omnipresent,then the upward f1ight26serves no purpose indeed. On theother hand, if Siva (the Absolute) is not Omnipresentthen the upward flight cannot yield Siva (the Auspiciousone, the Absolute)'.27

Alternately [the Gitli passage may be interpreted as:]If some persons have not undergone thc process of constantpractice, yet at the time of death there arises [in them] -dueto some undefinable reason, like the Free Will of the Lord2S andth.e like-a eondition,29 similar to the one mentioned above, then

VIII] Translation 167

[in the case of those persons] this condition itself - characte-rhed as 'the flight from the body' (getting oneself disassociatedfrom the body) - is stated [by the Sage] as a means obstructingall the other potential mental impressions. That is why in thepassage starting 'That unchanging one which the Veda-knowersspeek of' and ending 'I shall tell you that', [the Sage] has madea solemn declaration in order to e~plain the astonishing natureof the reflection on the Bhagavat - even though it lasts onlya moment - marked by the destruction of all the [other] poten-tial1llcntal impressions, Hence the great teachers also say:

'0 Sambhu! If You could set Your foot, atleastfor the duration of a single winking of the eye, in[my] blemishless mind, what else would You notaccomplish [for me]' .29A

That is why, with a view to satisfy those who raise thequestion 'But the breaking [of body of the wise] has been foundwithout remembrance [of the Lord] at the time of departure',here it is said 'He who [remembers Me] constantly with themind, not attached to any other thing.' The meaning of it is:'He whose mind is not attached to any other result to be achie-ved.' For him I am easy to attain: For him there is no need toundertake the trouble of searching for a suitable time fordeparture; making pilgrimage to sacred places; [waiting for] thetime of the summer solastice; taking shelter in the temples;augmenting the [Strand] Sattva,. remaining absorbed in thethought [of the Lord]; [expecting] the auspicious moment ofequinox and of the day [time]; selecting a locality that is natu-rally pure; having body free from dirt of attachment (or un-guent); wearing clean cloth; and similar other ones, Henceit has been stated earlier [under VIII, 5-7 above] 'Either in asacred place or in the house of a dog-cooker' etc. (12-14)

But it has been declared that 'He attains My State.' Willthere he rebirth for him even after att,aining that State? Consi-dering this doubt [the Lord] says:

Having attained Me, the men of great soul whohave achieved the supreme perfection, do not get thetransient rebirth, a store-house of all troubles. (15)

161\ Bhagavadglta with Gitarthasangraha ECho

Mam upetya etc. In the next verse it is going to be assert-ed that from all others (other goals) one has to return back.But [in the present verse it is declared that] 'having attainedMe, the Yogins do not again suffer from fear of rebirth etc.' (15)

Till the Brahman [is attained], people do returnfrom [each and every] world, 0 Arjuna! But there isno rebirth for one who has attained Me, 0 son ofKunti ! (16)

A Brahma etc. [This verse] has been interpreted by allas 'There is rebirth even for those who have reached the worldof Brahma (the personal god).' 30 If this interpretation isaccepted, then it would amount to the proposition that going tothe worlds that are higher than that [of Brahma], is emancipa-tion [from rebirth]. However according to US,31 with our innersight blurred by the powerful darkness of doubt, this interpreta-tion does not seem to touch the heart [of the text]. Hence, thefo\1owing is the wick of the lamp brought from the Agama lite-rature: Till Brahman: Till the status (If the Supreme Brahmanis attained. Till then all are subject to return (to rebirth) fromeach and every world, whether it lies adjacently, or above orbelow [the world of Brahma]; men run round like a wheel wan-dering without stop from one place to another. (16)

But who knows in this manner viz., 'from all the worldsthere is return'? For, it is heard [in the PuraQ.as] that [the perso-nal gods hke] Brahmi etc., themselves exist indeed for a very longperiod. How is it that they too are subject to return again?If they are subject to return, will they not be of the nature ofhaving birth and death? Expecting this objection, [the Lord]says:

Those who know the day of Brahma as compass-ing one thousand yugas (world-ages), and night [also]as compassing one thousand yugas - those men knowthe day and night of Brahma. (17,

VIII Translation 169

While the day approaches, all manifestationsissue forth from the unmanifest and while the nightapproaches they dissolve into the same that bears thename 'the unmanifest.' (18)

Being born and born again, the self.same multi-tude of beings gets dissolved while the night approa-ches, and issues forth willy-nilly while the day approa-ches, 0 son of Prtha ! (19)

Sahasra-etc., upto ahar7tgama. Those who could see afar(great seers), see [actually] the night and day even in the case ofBrahma as being marked [respeccively] by the destruction andcreation [of the world]. Accordingly, having risen from sleep,the same [Selves] continue their own respective activities everyday; they themselves, putting an end to their activities everynight, remain exclusively in the form of Energy32 [of the Abso-lute]. In this manner they come to be again and again at thetime of creation and of dissolution. No new, but only theself-same personal Souls are let loose. Their mutual differencein the form of the idea of the long and short lives is based onlyon the concept of time. This delimitation is unavoidable evenin the case of the Prajapatis.n Hence it is established that theytoo are certainly of the nature of having evolution and disso-lution. (17-19)

[The Lord] clarifies His [own] statement: 'People doreturn from each and every world; but having attained Me, theSupreme Lord, they do not do so.'

But there exists another Being which is beyondthis, and It is both manifest and unmanifest and iseternaL It is this Being that does not perish while all[the other] beings perish. (20)

[The scriptures] speak of This as Unmanifestand Changeless and declare This is to be the highestGoal. Having attained which people do not return,this is My highest abode. (21)

170 Bhagavadgita with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

The Supreme Soul. 0 son of Prtha., is attainablethrough devotion that admits no othor thing; havingattained Which Soul, the men of Yoga do not getbirth again; within Which exist the beings; and inWhich everything is well established, 0 Arjuna ! (22)

Paralp etc. upto prati~thilam. The Absolute (Vasudeva-tattva) of the above description IS beyond the concept of TimeManifest: [because] It is immanent in all beings. In spite ofbeing so, It is UNmanifest : because It is difficult to attain. ThatIt is, however, attainable by means of devotion has also beenmade clear already. In This exists this universe which is [Its]perennial nature that remains always the same.

Now, what is the meaning of the word, punalp 'again' andof the word ifvrtti 'returning'? This meaning certainly pre-supposes a condition of disruption of one's own nature forsometime in the intervening period. The auspicious SupremeLord's34 real nature is His Absolute Freedom viz., the SupremeConsciousness that tramcends the universe, yet remains identicalwith the universe, and serves as the basis of the universe; andIt is perennial. Hence, it cannot be :lssumed that there wassome disruption at any time for this real nature and that theSupreme Lord regained that nature. Hence it is rightly said'Having attained Me' etc. (20-22)

So far the behaviour of those persons who attain theBbagavat by constant practice witbout mucb labour has beendescribed. Now a difference that lies between those who, bydeparting, will (or attain) emancipation and those who willenjoyment [of mundane life], is descnbed :35

Departing at what times the Yogins attain thenon-return or the return only - those times I shalldeclare to you, 0 chief of the Bharatas ! (23)

Yafra etc. rrhe non-return; emanCipation. The return:i.e., for enjoying [worldly life). (23)

VUI] Translation 171

The northern course [of the sun] consisting of sixmonths, is fire, light, day and bright one. Departing init, the Brahman-knowing men attain the Brahman (24)

The southern course [of the sun], consisting ofsix months, is smoke, night, and al:.o dark. [Depar:j..ing] in it, the Yogin attains the moon's light andhe returns. (25)

Agnil]. etc. DhumaJt, etc. Northern: 36 upper (or uJ,iward).Course: the one taken [by the sun] during the period of sixmonths. This course, on account of its illuminating nature, isfiguratively described by the words denoting fire etc. ,37 and thecourse, contrary to this, by opposite terms. This course isintercepted with the lunar parts of enjoyment. Hence [it leadsto] the return for enjoyment.38 (24-25)

For, these two bright and dark courses are consi-dered to be perpetual for the world. One attains thenon-return by the first of these, and one returns backby the other one. (26)

Sukla-kr~1fe etc. By the first of these two courses the non-return i.e., the liberation is attained, and by the other, theenjoyment [of the mundane life]. (26)

o son of Pj:tha, not a single Yogin, knowing thesetwo courses, gets deluded. Therefore, 0 Arjuna, bepractising Yoga connected with all times. (27)

Naite etc. The idea here is this: [That Yogin does notget deluded] who knows these two courses by adopting 'theinternal method', approved by the [school of] Yoga practice.This point, if explained in detail, would lengthen our treatise.Hence let us stop here. Therefore etc. Whatsoever are the[units of] time that are internal let one practise the Yoga that isconcerned with them all.39

172 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasailgraha [ Ch.

Our preceptors have however said as: So far the pecu-liarity in the passing away [of ti1e Yogins], as indicated by theinternal times, has been described, in the middle of the dis-course, for the benefit of one and all. Having done this, nowthe chief topic, under consideration, regarding the externalunits of times, is being wound up by the words 'Therefore, con-cerned with all times etc ' (27)

Having understood all this, the Yogin goes beyondwhatever fruit of merit is ordained [in the scriptures] incase the Vedas [are recited], the sacrifices [performed],the austerities [observed], and also gifts [donated];and he goes to the Supreme primeval Abode. (28)

Thus ends THE EIGHTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadgita.

Vede¥u etc. He goes beyond: he humiliates, because he, byhis [constant] remembrance of the Bhagavat, neutralizes all themental impression of all tbe activities. When all the actions(their mental impressions) are destroyed, he easily attains theSupreme Siva. (28)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS !

Here is the Catch-verse:

If the Absolute Lord is realised as belOg immanent in allcategories, there can be no Such stage [in the life of the personof such reaIisation] in which the Omnipresent Lord does notshine.40

Thus ends the EIGHTH CHAPTERin the Holy Bhagavadgitarthasaitgraha written by the

revered Riijanaka Abhinavagupta, the best amongthe great teachers of the Mii.hesvaras.

VIII] Notes

Notes

173

1. Nine questions: Sankara and others find only seven questions hereSee their observations under VIII, 3, 28 etc. Bhaskara does not speakof any number here.

2. These terms have been explained already and will be explained inthe sequel.

3. And how? Usually commentators club these two questions regardingadhiyajna into one. However, as Ag. tells us that there are ninequestions in all, they are taken to be two here.

4. Who in the body: At the end of the last chapter the Lord has notmentioned anything about the dweller-in-body. However, as He hasspoken of the departure of some unspecified one from the body, aquestion naturally arises regarding the identity of that one.

5. Lord: Adhi has been accepted in the sense of 'lord'. Cf. adhir lSvare(PA, I, iv, 97). Hence adhyatmam etc., may be AvyaY'bh'iiva:am~'f ~'\l1.:: afsl:f!m+!. ['3l'l arrsr: ~"it,~ '<f~Rr ~~ (PA, II,

i. 6) ~mRr ~~FTr~l:famr, '<f+rT'<f:]I See also below note 10.

But the Masculine adhiyajaiia~ seems to suggest that the vigrahaintended there is Tlltpurufa <r~ affElliq: afM<ro: (~'<f~ifT-~ wfl<r:).

6. Probably Ag. is of the opinion that bhuta (~ mBt ~ "fi:)means 'one who attains what he desires' i,e. 'sentient beings'. Cf.~ il:ti ~ ~fcr!i~: as quoted in VSunder AK. 1.1,11. Like-wise bhava (bhavyate iti) may mean 'what is being thought of orattained'. i.e. 'an object. insentient being.' Further lexiconsrecognise udbhava also in the sense of 'becoming visible'. (seeM. Williams, Skt. Eng. Diet., s.v.) Cf. also udbhutarupa.

7. The Supreme is called Brahman because etc. Cf. fi'elf1ct.i&,'lr~'ll'lilipetc. - Viicaspati Misra, Bhamatl. in the introduction to the adhyasa-bhafya CBS,I. i, i).

8. On the same ground: The idea seems to be this: The GUa simplysays that the adhyatma is s,abhava and it is not stated whosesvabhava is meant here. Ag. says that because Brahman is taken todenote the Imperishable Absolute. the adhyafma-svabhava too mustbe of that Absolute. On the same ground we may have to think thatthe visarga-karman etc., too, tbat follows next must be of the Absoluteonly.

174 Bbagavadglti with Gitiirthasailgraba [Cb.

9. The Consciouslless..•... the Brahman: The !,panda school establishesthe identity between the energy and the energetic, the attribute anditl possesser. Cf. ~~~Rnli~ ~Uf:!Mm'mi1<::: I

10. Its freedom, in the form of supremacy' Cf. <1mI"?<rl1~'li~(Cj1l~<r-m~crrfit "T quoted in IPV, I, I, 1.

11. This emitting aClivity etc. According to the Saiva school of Kashmir,the Absolute Consciousness manifests as both the sentient and in-sentient beings starllllg from the personal gods, like Brahma, downto small grass. Hence, both the sentient and insentient worlds arereal. Because the consciousness is recognis,lble in the former, theyare called ajalja or sentient and b'ecaus~ it is concealed in the latter,they are known asjalja or insentient.

Cf. ms<rl1T(l11i'f+!I'l~~ ~ '1'('1': \I3fliffii'flW~~ ~rfumoro;:(flT: I'If'!1O!~1~ ~~C<R<ITRqRr;mT II TA, I, 134-135.

Further the said world-emitting activity or the world - creativeenergy oftbe Absolute Consciousness is Its energy of absolute free-dom (svatanlrya-sakli). This svatanlrya sakli is not different fromIt. And tbe creat'cd world too is not different from the AbsoluteConsciousness. Yet, the said svalanlrya-sakli has the capacity toshow the created world as if it is different from It. Hence this energyis Spanda in the Kashmir Saivism. Cf.

FrnirrI'!JOl[T~~ftr ~"'<Rl: ~cP><r~fui: 'llfcrl'!~ 3{m-ti{~<f-

~~1:R1l'l:. ... aRfl<'li1+rftr:a{~'f <::mr, ffi~c+!'li-l<R'f'ff::lmne-, ~ ~fl'!~(,1T I K~emaraja, under SpK, I, 1.

Hence the Kashmir Saivism can ligitimately claim for their theorya very good support from the Gila verse under study.

lIA. Manifesting Itself .... sentient beings. Here the translation is basedon the amended text as suggested in Tippanl on the concernedpassage of the commentary .. '

12. Hence the kfara-hflava is the principle that lords over or governs thematerial objects. Further ~'mfl<~ stands in good compa-

rison to WSm~<Rll'l:.of Utpaladeva which' has been explained byAg. himself as Rudra Who has assumed the part of the lord-deity orpresiding deity' cr 31ft:[§r~'1m(Cj l'{'Sf+iRf ••••••W l'{ll'TT;r. •••••• - Ag. under IRK, I. ii, 1.

VIII] Notes 175

13. A pair o!que,lions: I.e •• (i) 'Who is the lord of the sacrifice l' and(ii) 'Who resides in the body l' In fact the other question 'How [Heis the lord of sacrifice] l' is also answered in this second half of theverse. Its answer is made clear by Ag., by saying 'as an enjoyer of thesacrifice in its entirity'. Indeed, by dwelling in the body, He is theepjoyer of the fruits of actions, including the sacrifices.

13A. But at the time teoches a/so the means or device etc. It may benoted here that Ag. comments thus the verse Tasmat etc. first, and theverse Yam etc. next. Maybe he followed that order of verses in theGna. However the order found in the vulgate and followed by Rk.is just the reverse.

14, This verse from the PS is quoted by Ag. even in the TA. But there inTA, the reading in the second quarter is offi:~~~ 'though he may

•cast off his body' (TA, XXVIII, 312) not qf(~Ofil:.~ as we find inthe published text of the PS, and in our present text. Ag. also saysthat the expression api 'even though', signifies 'even if there isremembrance in certa in cases, it serves no purpose'; that the poten-tial form qf(~~ - signifies supposition [of casting of the bOdyin the manner described]; that the expression kala (in samaklila) signi-fies the non-causal nature of the remembrance [at the last moment] inattaining liberation; and that the word kaivalyam is intended toremove the doubt that the body may be a bondage for the person afterhis realisatlon. Cf.

arlitu-~a~~T 'IT ~~ ~ I+rfu;l~'I ITa: 5fTlI; ~ f.i; \'flIT IIe -::. <'!. "

f~ :q ~'1"T!f"fT<lf\l!To,~'1"J01ffl' iiIi~ I

~ :q 'liT~b<tFr:~ ~~'fiT~ II

~<rfiffcr :qr~T q~ <rrt<r'1"CRf:!:I~~l!fTsN Eqffi ij;r ~ II - TA, XXVIII, 314-316.

While commenting on the present Gna verse, Av. also quotesAg.'s commentary starting from ffiif ~~ 'IT upto cf ~with some changes.

IS. The same .....• departuro: This sentence is the form of a statement.

16. The word, va: I.e., both apt and va in Yaf!l YOf!l va 'pi (verse 6).

17. Let a man ..•... goal: This sentence is in the form of an injunction,

176 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

18. The First Consciousness: In Kashmir Saivism, the All-inclusiveUni versal Consciousness - a logical necessity to explain the pheno-mena of knowledge properly - is termed as prathama (the First),or Para (the Supreme), or All/ittarii (the Highest), or Pii"!il (the Per-fect) Sal1}vid.

18A. Bulthe remembrance etc. The idea here is this; The remembrancein the last moment has no result of its own, though it is a result ofsomething else.

19. Accidentally: I.e., just as the chance of a meeting between a crowand palm-frui t.

20. The reference here is obviously to the sage Jadabharata, whose storyis found in the Bhagavatapuriizza (V, 8), Vi~(llIp[;ra(1a(n, Ch. 14-16,20)etc.

21. Attains identity etc.: According to Ag. one attains identity withthe Absolute, ifhe concentrates on It with his mind free from sins,shedding off all thoughts of his body etc , and the limitations createdby time etc., and the differences of objects etc. In fact if one issteadfast in his efYortto attain the ideo lity with a particular being,he achieves surely his goal. Cf.

~~I;:rR~m~ fu;~q '\19:1fli; I

~'f m1::Tl(~Wl. •.

fer-fi<.!''l~ViRr;ijNUGCflCflCi. f:rr'l' ;;j~a:.I

<It ~~ci 'if ST<roet

~<.!''lq'!11~O\r ~if ~if ~l ~~ I

l:'!<::I'JG:lftl'fl* e<r ~ f:rroft1={~.11 TA, 1,50,51,64,211.

22. The portion within brackets after this statement in the Commentary,obviously a later addition - added as a marginal note in a Ms. -records that 'This way of interpretation also acceptable to the reveredteacher Ago' This may be true because he has not refuted it.

In this context it is good to bear in mind that Ag. quotes thepassage ~ <i '!TN ~ ..•... !!s'!( :or(Verses 6-7) in his TantrlJ'aka(XXVIII- 325-26) and discusses its purport at length (XXVIII - 317-366). Thele he gives only one interpretation, viz.• the one whichhe quotes here by saying '31-~ij etc. Therefore it is clear that hehas fully accepted this view. However, there he rejects the treat-

VIII) Notes 111

ment of tyajati as Locative and treats it as a finite verb only. ThefollowIng are the verses from the XXVIII Ahlfika of. the T A. thathave bearing on our present texts of the Glta and the commentary:

Q~~<!TOJt~~ 11 327

~T~fu0~s<i ~;r ~;;RwU: I...~ 1;'!lJT~'lfil:RI1: 5!1~: II 328

<t",,~~~q'1~: ~'Ti:f~ ~ I~ ~<:IlT'llIiTaiU'lfiorrd.Q.!q41I'I.f\ II 32'

QQtJ;Cf ~ Q~~~:~~ Im~~~~!i!Q:U 330

3{ml'<!T~~,,~l%i'lTQ~ I~ W1~fu !,!f~:f~ U 331

<!ilJf.f:!!"'~:liCT~ ~ 'IW~ I'lfiW~ ~~l!f <Rf: ~ ~ U 332

~\f.lmr UClT ~ ~q' ~ U 340

5!1"i.~ ~at ~: 5!1'ftmm!i!Mr: ~'i. Iam: <m:11ll1~'~a:.a«~Ti!!J U 341

;r om! .tRRt ~ ~~!l{~: I

<l~ <n'~&<!T~~af ~ II 342

., c$T~T~ ., ~ <rat >:r~ I

<mrfit g '-l~T~ 'ffiRT <rT~>:r~ U 343

~~~ ~f.irClllJ\j;(~!Pflf: ~: I

<T>lT~rUl ~ l!<T~"I<rr 11 344

If.r: itsfit l'\'lT'hfTCflt~~f~~er: I..if'! ~eit ~;r ~T~~ U 345

952 - 12

178 Bhagavadglta with Gi tarthasailgraha [Ch.

, I. .~~ ~~: 'lilm~, ~ Q; I~. ~~li[ lR\(f'R<l1&: <Rlil<\T n 346

QWCf~m:a.r ~~li[ lR\~i1!+l:.1

~ ~~O iiWlf ~ n 347

~~ f%: ~eri~~ 'f ~: !iif.qa: I

~~~~(f~/f~1I 360

~~'~!;l1ft;ft ~C\. tlff\1:;;l[J~"i ~l{~ I

. 1I 361

q'fC(['l{f.rf~1G:lJ.'l{ ~l'l'Rroa:I~'1<ro~'1{ ~ ~~ 1I 363

[f.Nrffi~<Ii 'iiff, a{fli"' !(~i:<rll'l: I ~~C(., '~, !(Rr If<<1C(.I

<m:umr" '~<t ~fu!:TR'f~ I ~:, ~~ffi' '[<rmma:. 'J~a: I

~~(f: 'tl<tfff, '~<tf q:roer~lf<fq:' ~<Rffiq I f.rflij"ffi<::,*>it'lilq,'q"'l(~ '!iT~~m~ ~6<r "l' ~ \] , ,

a{~ iifsfCr ~'J'!iT:m~: I~~ i1if,.fq ~;;l[Jom ~ II 364

fl1'l!~ Fmcft '\l (~ "l m1111l'l: I

C<l'I't{~ CT'1l' '=T'f .ft'f<l1<;!",<i1sf.r II 365

[ ~:, '<i <i, cr ('f'l\' ~Fcr <Rfc't~: I a{;;:!fIom 'lil'll'l:, 'tlo'Jfill~1ffil[J:I flf'll'li4t mlcft, '~'l:. 'flsN' !(fu ~l[J I ~B+ff, '«l'~fu~' ~ ~Rr'ffi1~]

23. As above: I.e., as in the case of' remembering the Lord at the timeof journey. In other words that an aspirant should Nactice in thismanner throughout his Ii f e and that it is immaterial whether at thelast moment he is capable or, not to fix up his life-breath betweenhis eye-brows. Or bhruvohmay be taken to mean, as suggested above(Ch. V, 26), 'In the middle of. the two wandering ones'.

VIII] Notes 179

23A. Not any seat: See the !ippa1}l on the concerned passage in thecommentary.

24. Prii1}a, literally meaning 'lhat one causing another to move' (prl!'Ja-yati, derived frompra, an 'to move' and nic) is taken here to mean'the breath' or 'the vital air' which is ';ell known as a controllerof the mind. Cf.

HP, IV, 29.

Thus we get a logical order, viz., the sense-organs, theil controllerviz •• the mind and its driver i.e., the breath.

Again :am+R: of the Glta may also denote the body. For thebreath is also accepted to be the controller of the body too. Cf.

srrUl 51_: 'Iif~reF\Tf/!'lT 'q <!i;fj: [Cf'\lmr, 5l1OTI~J- fA, VII, 65.

However. PrlIl}a does nC't seem to have been taken to mean 'theIntellect (~: , Ri'fi err), as Av.'s quotation would seem to suggest(See the Tippan?). Of course the intellect has been described in theUpani~ads as a'driver of the body for the individual Soul. Cf.

3{l(ltR <:N;f ~fu:~\'ti\'1.fi)<r ~~ g; w<:~ f<Ifu ..• - KU, I, iii, 3.

But, if that is accepted, then, what is prescribed here would be againdhyana which is only a mental diSCipline and not the bodily disci-pline of our context.

Ag. also describes how to straighten the Vital Air remaining inthe coiling stage and to drive it into that point of the head whelethe Icchasakti and other two Saktis remain in equal status and howthat state is above all categories Cf.

5l1"fG:U<l'~i't;:r'i,'If'l\«lit'ict etc.f=1~~flr "Iil::cerrSm- ;:rr~fur:rWI'fH'f,etc.

~T~RfSn<rT:nfffi~ 5If<r~ !;!!:IT: etc.-TA, V, 54,55,56.

Further, (1) Ag. takes ~ 'on the head' in the figurative sense'above all the Tattvas', denoting 'the Self with Icchasakti (Power-of-will); (2) Iccb.asakti is known to be the basis for the Sakti-Tattva(See above ch. III. n. 16): (3) Ag. interprets lff~~ in the sense of'non-wandering of the mind over other objects' a thing which isotherwise known as <!!<1':or f<rlt'ff/!l:~fcr:. Cf.

180 Bhagavadgitii with Gitiirthasailgraha [Ch.

All these seem to suggest that while writing aml'ffi'~~, ~8m-"1~'i!H-C*lf.'r <!fii;; ~q~, Ag, has in his mind what the A~!aiJga-yoga system would cal! the SilmbhavI Mudra where the Siva Tattva~hines. See llP, IV, 34-42 and commentary thereon for details.

25. The Sage does notfavo,,, the idea of upwardfiili"t; Cf.

ll<nfu <T'6SRr q\f ll~ <TRrl'l: - SaiJkaraand

::!6. Upward fiight: I e., of the individual Soul, from the body at thetime of death.

27. Cannot yield etc. The argument meant here seems to be like this,What is reached by the act of going must be separated again one dayor other: ~, ~5[<ITlTl;:crr:. Hence the gain by going may not bepermanent. Again, if the Lord is not Omnipresent. then He cannot be Siva and there is no guarantee that the departed Soul reachThat alone. Hence ~ ii!1Jl ~:fi!iI - BU, IV. iv, 7.

cr. also liT~ ~'f f.i;~~ll,Rq 'f "IINif+['fll~ I - PS, 60.

0<!T(tr;:<1tfuq~c;nr'ill' f.i; >r<IT"''fB; I

:aro<nftrFr <R i'l~~c;nr"ill' f.i; ~ll:, 1\- Quoted in the Vivrti thereunder.

<!~ ~'Tm ~ciT 1f~5fi'R1' !fi <!l~Rr Iap.;fl~<ri'l~ ~~~ "~CL1\

- TA, XIV. 33-34.

28. Free Will of the Lord etc. Cf,~i ~ ~Rr 5W-!i~E[i'l: I

~\.<OOli,'ffi1f~~1fil~ II etc.- TA. XXVIII. 330-31.

29. A Condition: I.e, the thi nking about the Lord with single-pointedmind, together with longing 'how to avoid taking the body onceagain'.

29A. The Kashmir Ed. identifies this quotation with the Stavacintamaniverse 114. I have no access to this work. A work by name Stav~-cintamOl}iby Bha!!aNarayana and a commentary Vivrti on it by Ag.himself is referred by K.C. Pandey, op. cit, pp. 255-57.

VIII] Notes 181

30. More or less this is the stand taken by Sankara, Bhaskara, Rima-kaq!h a etc.

31. To UI etc. Ag. says like this because of the difference of opinionamong the thinkers regarding the status of the world of the personalgod Brahml! (See BS. IV, iii. 8-14. and the commentaries thereunder)and there is no difference of opinion regarding the status of thosewho have attained the Absolute Brahman.

32. In the for m of Energy: I.e., the Energy of Stir. Cf.

ffi ~ ~~~: q\11liill'f~~\1 etc.K~emaraja, under SpK. I, 1.

33. Prajapatis: I.e., including Brahmii. Note the Plural 31OiTcr(fi;rrl1:,.

34. The auspicious Supreme Lord's etc. Here Ag. gives us a basic princi-ple of the Spanda doctrine. The Spanda 'Stir' of the Lord isnothing but the Supreme Consciousness, which as described by Ag.mani fests as uni verse. Cf.

<r:1 ~~ m-<f' 'liT.t ~ f.totqli, I~~~ FrocTISrer ~;i{~<:J:.II

- SpK, I, 2.

[a:r;:rl'!~('f[C(.. ~fu~cr("TC(.; AU!:T:. r'l"'6B<;::; :JJW-•.~U'liT~~'f[J

Cf. also

~ ~<r ~~rwoT~"<1li<i~"<1~~~U~R: ml~ liROI\1fil'TC+l<b

q~~fll<::!:T('fl ~ crl~~ ~~ afk ~q~wrrf?<'li~, ~(fr?<jCf~q ~~I~M-'><FTTl1~ - K~emaraja,thereun der.

35. Those who, by departing, will emancipation .•...•described. Here the ideais this: The Yogins are persons of realisation and hence it must beaccepted that they attain emancipation irrespective of the time oftheir departure from their bodies. This question has been very welldecided by the BS. IV. ii, 20-21. However the said authority, asinterpreted by Sankara, assumes that the present GUa verse stresseson the time of Yogins' departure as a factor deciding the destiny ofthe departed Yogins' Soul: and hence the BS sets aside the authorityof the present verse on the ground that it is after all a Smrti and itbecomes ultravires of the Sruti; according to which the time is nota deciding factor.

182 Bhagavadgita with Gitiirthasangraha [Ch,

Now it is interesting to note that Ag" obviously to avoid thesaid difficulty felt by Sankara, Bhaskara etc" says that it is thefreedom of will of the departing Yogins that decides the future oftheir Souls; and that in fact no time factor is mentioned in thepresent context, the expressions like utlarayal'}a and dakfilfayanasimply meaning tbe higher and lower courses respectively,

36. Upper (Upward) etc. It may be recalled that according to indianastronomical works, the sun's movement in the upper part of thezodiac commences when he enters Makara (Capricorn) and thiscontinues till he enters Karka!aka (Cancer). This course is knownas UttarayaI)a. His downward course commences with Karka!akaand it continues till he enters Makara again. This course is knownas Daksinayana. It may also be noted that Anandavardhana explainsthe w;d 'agni~ of the present verse as: 'WTRr i3iS~ :rr;;8Rr ~fiq: I

Of course the lexicons do recognise the word uttara in the senseof 'upper' (Cf. ut/are danta!, 'upper teeth'). But the word dakfiljadoes not seem to have been recognised in the sense 'lower'. Howeverdaksina, as opposed to uttara, could be viewed to denote 'lower'which is opposed to 'higher' .

37. This course.•....fire etc. By this simple re;nark Ag. has avoided thedifficulties that are faced by Sankara, Rk, in this context.

38. This course....•• elljoyment. Here in these verses the words sukla andkrSlla also signIfy respectively the Bright and the Dark fortnights.It 'is well known in IndIan literature that the nectar of the moon isbeing enjoyed by the gods etc., during the dark fortnight. Cf., e.g,

a:rw' 'q~~1T[ fu:!;l"T lIjtG'lIT!;l"T S'f: \mf.Q "f ~T: ,,'if «::0 q''iJ~r: 'iliffi: II

- TA, VI, 95-96.

39. Units of time that are internal .••.•... with them all: Elsewhere Ag. des-cribes various unit-times and concludes that the time is establishedin the vital air (pralfa) which con trois the mind; that starting fromthe finger tip of the foot up to the 'Brahman-crevice' at the top ofthe skull, it pervades the neu!i (nervous system) called s!l~i orsUfumna, constituting the internal and subtle units of time; andthat it travels through this time-nerves. Cf.

R1~l{5!lOflffiTfTll~T 'IT ~~a-(il ~fq-:<!T~I:f~~ ~~ <:l'rcrr~ \I

VIII] Notes 183

'l1<tfiffi~O:~~lIl&l~uC'f~r;:(f'T: I

'-liT~~\1;rer~qfct<mf~cr: II- :fA, VII 65-69 and Jayaratha thereunder.

This point has been very well dealt with, a bit elaborately, byAnandavardhana also in the present context.

40. The entire eighth chapter revolves round the answers to nine ques-tions raised in the beginning of the chapter. The answers are clearenough to establish that all beings are identical with the Absolute.Hence, whosoever has rea Used as such, he would certainly be rea lis-ing, and yoked at all times with, the Lord, as concluded at thepenultimate verse of the chapter, Compare this verse with

CRl1T'6Ei~~~;crTg if \1r~ ;r <iTfucr:~~q ~Tt'f~~ \1l\T ~ ~<:r: II

- SpK, II, 4.

Chapter Nine

The Bhagavat said:

To you, who is entertaining no displeasure, Ishall clearly declare also this most secret knowledge,together with action, by knowing which you shall befree from evil. (1)

[dam etc. Not to entertain displeasure is an importantrequisite for communicating knowledge. The words jniinaand vijiiiina [mean respectively 'knowledge' and 'action'] asabove. (1)

This shines among the sciences; (this is) the secretof monarchs; it is a supreme purifier, it is comprehen-sible by immediate perception, is righteous, easy to do,and imperishable. (2)

Raja-etc. Shines: that which illumines in the midst ofall sciences. Here [in the GHii] itself it is said 'The science ofthe Self [is the chief] among the sciences'. Here in this scienceking. like Janaka etc., have a right and previlege (adhikara) [tolearn]. It is their secret, as it is much protected (by them) byheroism easy for the K~atriyas. As they do not waver [in theirmind] because of their heroic nature that is common in themembers of the warring class, it is very easy to do i.e., toobserve. Imperishable: Unlike other actions this action ofworshipping Brahman does not perish through the enjoyment of[its result]. (2)

o scorcher of foes! Having no faith in thisDharma, persons do not attain Me and remain eter-nally in the circuit of mundane existence, wroughtwith death. (3)

186 Bhagavadgfta with Gitiirthasangraha ECho

Airaddadhiinal: etc. They remain eternally: Again andagain they are born and they die (3)

This entire universe is pervaded by Me, havingthe unmanifest form (aspect); all beings exist in Meand I do not exist in them. (4)

Maya etc. All beings exist in Me: Because no other abodeof rest is available, even if one wanders [in search of it] forlong. Tbe beings (or elements) tbat form tbe objects of know-ledge possess their well-known nature of insentiency. Whenthese beings manifest with this nature foremost, their otherinnate nature viz., seutiency, that is opposed to this [formernature], remains hidden.! This is what He says by I do not existin them. (4)

Yet, the beings do not exist in Me. Look at theSovereign Yoga of Mine. My Self is the sustainer ofthe beings, does not exist in beings, and causes beingsto be born. (5)

Na ca etc. Yet, the beings do not exist in Me: For, thepersons, who are blind with nescience, do not see the reality.The ignorant do not consider the Absolute Lord - Wbo is of thenature of infinite Consciousness - as a basis of determinateknowledge of all objects. On the other hand conceiving [like]'I, the lean Devadatta, know this, as existing here on the floor' ,IA

they view [things of] finite nature alone as the basis [of deter-mination].

But why this contradiction? On this doubt [the Lord]says Look at the Sovereign Yoga of Mine. Yoga signifies thePower [of the Abs()lutel, because it is being employed. This isindeed My Sovereignty, which is the Freedom of behavingin this manner in a highly strange way. This is the idea~~. ~

IX] Translation 187

Just as the mighty wind exists in the ether, alwaysmoving [in it] everywhere, in tbe same manner allbeings exist in Me. Be sure of it. (6)

[Again] in the same manner indeed, being un-noticed I pervade all beings by controlling the Pnme-cause of all beings (bhuta-prakrti) and with It andwithout It.1B (7)

Yatha etc. Evam etc. In spite of the concomitant con-nection between the ether and the wind, the touchability of theether is never heard of. In the same manner the Absolute per-vades the entire universe and yet remains not comprehended byall men. (6-7)

o son of Kunn, all beings pass into the nature[of Mine] at the end of the Kalpa (the age of universe);I send them forth again at the beginning of the [next]Kalpa. (8)

Sarva - etc. Nature: un manifested form. (8)

Taking hold of My own nature I send forth againand again this entire host of beings, which is powerlessunder the control of [My] nature. (9)

Prakrtim etc. Taking hold of My own nature: By this much[lilf statement] it is explalDed that this host of Beings, thoughitself insentient, attains luminosity2 as it is linked to theAbsolute nature of [Consciousness] (9)

o Dhanaiijaya! These acts do not bind Me,remaining as if unconcerned and unattached in theseactions. (10)

o son of Kunn ! On account of !vie, Who remain(only) as an observer and as prime cause, the nature [of

188 Bhagavadgi ta with Gitlirthasangraha ECho

Mine] gives birth to [both] the moving and unmoving;hence this world moves in a circle. (11)

Na ca etc. Maya etc. There is for Me no bondage ofactions, because 1 remain unconcerned. That is why, not resort-ing to any activity, I am the prime cause in the process of world-creation. (10-11)

Being unaware of the immutable highest AbsoluteSupreme nature of Mine, the deluded ones disregardMe dwelling in the human body. (12)

Avajananti etc. lam reclining within all that is born,Being the Self of all,3 I become the object of disrespect. For,[they raise the question]: 'Apart from the fourteen types ofcreation,4 like man etc., no Lord is found; hence how can Heexist ?' (12)

[They] are of futile a&pirations, futile actions,futile knowledge and wrong intellect; and they takerecourse only to the delusive nature that is demoniacand also devilish. (13)

Mogha- etc. Thelr action, knowledge and aspirationsare all futile, as these are concerned with the unreal. Thedemoniac and devilish nature etc. They are of the nature of excess-ive desire and ignorance. (13)

o son of Prthi ! The great-souled men, however,taking hold of the diviue nature and having nothingelse in their mind, adore Me by viewing Me as theimperishable ,prime cause of beings. (14)

Ever speaking of My glory, stnvmg with firmresolve, paying homage to Me and being permanentlyendowed with devotion they worship Me. (i5)

[Of them] some worship Me by knowledge-sacri-fice and others by offering sacrifices; [thus] the.ywor-

IX] Translation 189

ship Me, the Universally-faced [either] as One [or] asMany. (16)

Mahi:Jtmana'l! etc., upto Visvato-mukham. Divine naturei.e., of goodness. Offering sacrifices: i.e., by means of sacrificeswith the external materials. But others worship Me withknowledge-sacrifice only. Hence through knowledge some[worship Me] as One, while others [worship Me] as Manythrough the action.Yoga. However all conceive Me alone, astheir highest goal (14-16)

But, action certainly abounds in the idea of duality,because it is coextensive with hosts of different causes (karakas).5So how can it lead to tbe Absolute state ?6 It is answered [as] :

I am determination; I am sacrifice; I am Svadhii;7I am the juice of the herb;8 I am the (Vedic) hymn;9I am alone the clarified butter also; I am the [sacrifi-cial] fire; (and) I am the act of offering.10 (17)

I am the father, the mother, the sustainer andthe paternal-grandsire of this world; [I am] the sacredobject of knowledge, the syllable Orp., the ~k, theSaman, and the Yajus too. (18)

[1 am] the method,l1 the nourisher,u the lord,the witness, the abode, the refuge, the good-hearted(friend), the origin, the dissolution, the sustenance,the repository13 and the imperishable seed [of theworld]. (19)

1give heat; I hold back and also send forthrains; 1 am immortality and also death, the real andalso the unreal,t~ 0 Arjuna ! (20)

Aha1n kralulJ etc. upto Arjuno. The Brahman-being is ofcourse only one and admits of no parts. The action also dependsonly on the assumed [or not real] causes. Hence, it accompli-

190 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

shes the aloneness (or oneness) of the Brahman. For, if it isperformed with the realisation that all the different causes arenothing but the Self, then the action is not far away from reach"ing the Bhagavat. That has also heen stated-

'This sel f. same action-power of Siva, if it exists inthe ignorant,lS binds [him]; the same power, ,whenit is realised that it is ~ path to his own Self [Siva],then it leads to the goal (the Lord).' 16 (SpK, III, 16).

I have myself (Ag.) stated elsewhere as:

17The intellect that conforms, in the beginning, to[the duality of] the belDgs and the non-beings; thesame intellect does not conform, at the time ofwithdraw], to [the duality of] the beings and thenon-beings.

This subject has been discussed in detail in different places.Hence let us stop [the present discussion] here.

I give heat etc. This is said in the context of discussingthe One that ad mits no duality. (17-20)

But if the Brahman can be attained by means of externalsacrifices also, then, is a different god (different from Visudeva) worshipped in the sacrifices like the A.gni~toma? If it i:ladmitted, then it would lead to the doctrine of duality. If [onthe other hand] it is Visudeva Himself, then how is it thatemancipation is not attained by the performence [of these sacri-fices]? Therefore it is stated -

The masters of the three Vedas, the Soma-drinkers, purified of their sins, aspire for the heaven-goal by offering sacrifices to Me. They attain themeritorious world of the lord of gods and taste in theheaven tbe heavenly pleasures of the gods. (21)

Having enjoyed that vast world of heaven, they,when their merit is exbausted, enter the world of the

IX] Translation 19!

mortals. Thus the persons, who long for pleasure andcontinuously take refuge in the code of conduct pres-cribed by the Three Vedas, attain the state of goingand coming. (22)

Traividyal} etc. Te tam etc. Of course, they worship Me(Vasudeva) alone. However, the action [like sacrifice] is limited(or is known [to them]) by their aspiration for heaven only.Hence, on a(;count of the weakness in their own being (sattva),they condition the action solely by the result of the heaven.That is why their religious act leads to rebirth and thus theyattain the state of going and coming. But [on that account] it isnot the inherent nature of the sacrifice to beget rebirth. (21-22)

For instance:

Those men who, havi'ng nothing else [as theirgoal] worship Me everywhere and are thinking of Me[alone]; to them, who are constantly and fully attached[to Me], I bear acquisition and the security of acqui-~~ ~

Ananyiil} etc. [See for example] those who are different[from the above mentioned} and who think of Me. How [dOthey think]? They have nothing else.' They have no other fruitapart from Me to desire for. Acquisition: gaining (realising)My nature not gained (reaJised) earlier. Security of acquisition.'protection of the already achieved gain of being well establishedin the nature of the Bhagavat. On account of this there maynot be even a doubt regarding the fall from the Yoga. This isthe idea here. (23)

o son of Kunti ! Even those who are the devo-tees of other gods and worship [them] with faith,worship Me alone, [but] following non-injunction; (24)

Because, I am the enjoyer'8 as well as the lord ofall sacrifices. But they do not recognise Me correctlyand hence they move away [from Me]. (25)

192 Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

The votaries of the gods attain the gods; thevotaries of the manes attain the manes; performers ofsacrifices for the goblins attain the goblins; also theperformers of sacrifices for Me attain Me. (26)

Whosoever with devotion offers Me a leaf, aflower, a fruit, or [a little] water, I taste that offeredwith devotion by one with well-controlled self (mind).

(27)

Ye 'pi etc. upto prayaIiUmana~. Even those who, worship[gods] with other names, they too [in fact] worship Me alone,because there is nothing (no god) to be worshipped apart fromthe Brahman. But the difference is that [they do so] by non·injunction. Non-injunction: different injunctions. [This amountsto saying that] having the innate nature of the Absolute Brah-man-Existence, I am indeed worshipped by manifold injunc-tions (i.e., sacrifices enjoined by injunctions).

But non-injunction should not be explained as 'by defect-ive injunction' 19 as it has been done by others (other commen-tators), who acquire dirts of great sins by insulting other systemsof philosophy. If their view is correct then the declarationsthat are actually found viz., 'They offer sacrifice to Me alono',and 'I am alone the enjoyer of a II ~acrifices' - all would beinconsistent. Enough of talk with the sinful ones.

Our preceptors, however, explain [ye'pyanya-etc.] asfollows: Those who, following the principle of the doctrine ofduality consider certain deity as different from their O\fn Selfand as devoid of the innate nature of the Brahman, and offersacrifice to that deity only-but it is only to Me, their own Selfthat even those men Qffer their sacrifices, however by non-injunction i.e. by faulty injunction of the nature ofduality-view.2o

That is why21 [the Lord] says (in verse 25) 'They do notrecognise Me, their own Self, correctly as that deity itself, i.e.,a~ the enjoyer [of the oblation of the sacrifice]. Hence theymove away from My nature. Why? By being votaries of gods,they attain the gods etc. (verse 26). It amounts to say that

IX] Translation 193

this [act of attaining these gods] is itsllf nothing but movin!:away [from Me, the Self). On the other hand, those who realiseMy nature (i.e. Me) as being not different [from their Self],they offer sacrifices to Me alone, even though thoie sacrificesetc. are for the gods, gobli ns and manes.' [The Lord] is goingto conclude [the present topic] as: '(Thus) offering sacrifice toMe they attain Me alone' (IX-29,35).

But that alone is called a deity which is aimed at [accord-ing to injunction], for offering things (i.e. oblation). Hence, howcan a sacrifice be offered to one's own Self, a catea:ory thatcannot be aimed at ?21 For example, there is the injunction:'The oblation [of rice] of the rite priiyal1a, cooked in the milk, isintended for the deity Adit!'; and hence this Aditibecomes theobject intended [in the sacrifice], because that particular deity isan adjunct of an injunction, and because it is included in theinjunction as one to be aimed at. But [in the present case],there is no injunction that concerns the Self.23 Having [theseobjections] in mind [the Lord] says: [They offer sacrifice] toMefollowing non-injunction.

The idea is this: An injunction is required only in thecase of a deity that is different from one's own Self. For, theinjunction is one of the nature of imparting the knowledge onlyof that particular thing which is not known [otherwise].24 But,one's own Self, the Absolute Lord, is known, not following anyinjunction. For, the knowledge of the Self is not brought byinjunction.25 Certainly no action is undertaken not aiming tbeSelf. Therefore in all cases [of offerings], intended for thedeities like Indra etc., this Self of one's own is certainly inten-ded, as the Self is, by nature, the illuminator of the entireUniverse:26 as It is like a thread in a garland;27 and as It isillumining [on Its own accord], asserting Its superiority [overall others] and only serving as a background (bhittilJ, 'a screen',or 'a wall')28 of the manifestations of the deity so intended byhim [in the sacrifice]. Thus it is established by logic that eventhe votaries of gods offer sacrifices to Me (the Absolute) alone,because '1' depends on no injunction.

952 - 13

194 Bhagavadgita with Git1irthasangraha [Ch.

As far as these sacrificers are concerned, the principaleffect of the sacrifice viz., attaining 'Me', is not intended by themas their own. On the other hand, they are very much satisfiedwith attaining the status of Indra etc., just as a pries(19 is satis-fied with limited fees. To indicate this, tbe parasmaipada form(yajanri) [is used]. For, it has been stated by myself (Ag.) [else-wbere] as :

'One, who knows the Vedas and does notknow [to intend for] the status of (or tbe word)Sa.mbhu (the Absolute), would feel afflicted in des-pair. [For], aspiring for the heaven, and [hence]rejecting the status of [tbe actual] performer ofof sacrifice (yajamana), [but at the same time] per-forming sacrifice for others lyajan),30 he bas becomea [mere] priest in the sacrifice. Indeed, the diver-gently flowing floods of taste for action, withoutexception, - even though they flow from the Abso-lute consciousness - do not bestow [on tbe per-former] the migbty ocean of Bliss of one's own Selfif they do not gain a complete stability'31

Thus whosoever realises in the said manner, his sacrifice, thoughaimed at the deities like Indra, is in fact a sacrifice offered tothe Absolute Lord. (24-27)

Whatever may be the other actions of his, they too becomeacts of worshipping his own Self, the Absolute Lord, as It aloneis intended in all his action. This [the Lord] says:

Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whateveroblation you offer, whatever gift you make and what-ever austerity you perform, 0 son of Kunti, do that'as an offering to Me. (28)

Thus, you shall be freed from the good and evilr~su1ts which are the action-bonds. Having yourinnate nature immersed in the Yoga of renunciationand (thus) being fully liberated you shall attain Me. (29)

IX] Translation 195

Yat karo~i etc. $ubhasubha - etc. Because the performersof sacrifices intending other deities have III their mind onlylimited purpose, and [hence] belitle the [princi pal] result [of thesacrifice etc.]; therefore all [actions] you should offer, by themethod advised above, to Me i.e., consider them to be absorbedill Me (or to be born of Me). This is the renunciation-Yoga.Extensively it has already been made almost quite clear. (28-29)

I am the same in all beings; to Me none is hatefuland none is dear; but whosoever worship Me withdevotion, they are in Me and I am in them.n (30)

Even if an incorrigible evil~doer worships Me,not resorting to anything else [as his goal], he shouldbe deemed to be righteous; for, he has undertaken histaskS" properly. (31)

Quickly he becomes righteous-souled (minded)and attains peace permanently. 0 son of Kunti! Iswear that my devotee gets never lost."! (32)

K~ipram etc. I swear etc. This result (or subject), haslogic [as its strong basis] and now being promised by the Bhaga-vat, it becomes established most firmly.35 (30-32)

o son of Prthii, even those who are of sinfulbirth, [besides] women, men of working class, and themembers of the fourth caste - even they, having takenrefuge in Me, attain the highest goal. (33)

Certainly it should be so in the case of the piousmen of the priestly class and of the devoted royalSeers. Having come to (i.e., being born in)S4 thistransient and joyless world, you should be devoted tc)

Me. (34)

196 BhagavadgIta with Gitiirthasangraha [Ch.

Have37 your mind fixed on Me; be My devotee;offer sacrifice to Me; [and] pay homage to Me; thusfixing your self (internal organ) 38 and having Me asyour snpr~me goal, you shall certainly attain Me. ~35)

Thus ends the NINTH CHAPTER in theHoly BhagavadgUa.

Matp hi etc. upto Matparayol]alr. Those who are of sinfulbirth: I.e., the animals, birds, reptiles3BA etc. Women denotes theignorant. Men of working class denotes those who find pleasurein different vocations, like agriculture etc. Men of the fourthcaste: those who do not have any claim whatsoever for [perform-ing] the Vedic rituals and whose livelihood depend on others.By taking refuge [solelY1 in Me, eVen these all attain Me alone.The deeds of the exceedingly compassionate Bhagavat, like theone granting liberation to a chief of the elephants are heard inthousands [in the PuraJ;las].39 Certainly it must be so, for thosewhose behaviour is just the opposite to that of these persons.

Some [commentators] declare :40 The present sentence[of the Lord] intends to glorify the twice-born and members ofthe ruling class, and it is not uttered with the intention of speak-ing of the attainment of liberation in the case of the women etc.

Indeed these persons41 [aim to] break into pieces theGraceous-to-all Power of the Bhagavat by foistering upon It,a limited applicability; likewise they do not tolerate the pro-foundly compassionate nature of the Absolute Lord; theycontradict the [Lord's own] statements 'To Me none is hatefuland none is dear (IX, 30)', 'Even a highly evil-doer etc. (IX, 31)',and other similar statements, very clearly of the same import;with all effort they [strive tol bring in something indicative ofduality even in the Absolute-being, Whose non-dual nature hasbeen well e;tablished firmly by the diversity of the best reason-ings; they are not mindful of other cOlltradictions [that lurk intheir theory] with the revealed literature; when simply ques-tioned 'How is this?' 'lnd 'How is that ?', these persons, havingtheir internal organ totally possessed by the mighty devil42 of the

IX] Translation 197

caste [considerations], concealed within, and having theirtongue. face and eyes all twisted by their sense of jealousy,hypocrisy and shame - they prattle evil for the entire humanity;and thus they put upon themselves the status of being an 0bjectof ridieule. Therefore the above explanation [of ours] doesgood to all. (33-35)

MA Y THERE BE HAPPINESS

Here is the Catch-verse:

In the Non-dual Brahman there blossoms the Engery fullof Grace-for-all. Therefore effort should be made to get that[Energy].43

Thus ends the NINTH CHAPTER in the Gitarthasangrahawritten by the Rajiinaka Abhinavagupta, the best

among the great teachers of the Miihesvaras.

Notes

1. When these beings .. , ... remaills hidden: What Abhinavagupta sayshere reminds US of Sankara's reference (BS, II, i; 4,6) to certalDschool of philosophers (Sailkara's commentators describe this as abranch of Advaitins) who assume the entire universe to be ofsentient nature and explain the distinction between the sentient andthe insentient beings on the basis of their respective manifestationand unmanifestation of their sentience .

. <iTsN •.••.• <:1+r<.m<l "l<rnlf~Cfifm1F~~ ..• ~CfTfT:ifcr;;M-~T~-

wrcrf :q M-~I'RTfcf~T'l;n"<Tf ~(iO'<R/l ~mI

lA. !, the leall Devadatta .•• all the /laor: As in the case of the Advai-tins so in the case of the Saiva Absolutists too the knowledge of Selfwith any restriction is indeed a wrong knowledge. This Ag. saysclearly elsewhere as :

~~ iilm~q+rt<lmRRr I

.1'l''5ff<Rt Cf<\Tq~~if:n~Cflt. ITA. T, 39-40.

198 Bhagavadgi ta with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

Cf. also

3l"~l1~'1'f~g>lT~fUW .. , 3l"TCl'lT'lm<.<:i\<M:.~T(l1(f'e'rT)q{: '! •.•.••i\sfq ~q;j<:T~""l1TCl'lT'fl'f1W.l~(f~<:r.W 'f (fTRCf.li(2fl1~~<r~;

'~m~!f1fu:r ~<.<il"'i1T'fH:' l1:Rr ~~O<!TfCr;r:~Uq;('fli~T~ I

- Vffcaspati Misra. Bhamati. 1, i. I, introd.

lB. I.e., 'with it' at the time of creation, and 'without it' at the time ofdissolution, This verse, not found in the Vulgate and not commentedupon by Ag. is, however, illcluded here because it is found in manyof the Kashmlri MSS of the Mahabharata and is commented on byauthors like Rk.

2. Attains luminosity etc. According to the Saiva theory, freedom isthe very nature of the light of Consciousness, just as the light andheat are of fire, The innate nature of the luminoSity of Conscious-ness, as opposed to materiality, consists in ha ving freedom in respectof manifestation. In this school, this is considered as its absoluteFreedom. There appears lack of freedom only in the case of objectscharacterised by idanta or 'thisness'. This manifestation of lack offreedom is itself due to the freedom of the Absolute Consciousness.

3. Being the Self of all: Or 'being the Self of all and [at thc Same time]objcct of [their knowledge]', if the reading3l"1(l1'l'\~'«f1l1' of K is ac-cepted.

4. Fourteen types of creation: I.e •• eight types of the gods like Adityaetc., five types of the creations like animal etc., and man as a Singletype. Cf.

3l"~t'qr ~~1h~f.r~ ~l:TT "IlfRr Il1T~~fqC[: ~T~m 11"tJw.!;: ~~: II SK, 53.

and

STK. thereunder.

5. Different causes: According to Sanskrit grammar there dre sixdifferent karakas or causes for every action and their particularrelationship with the action are indicated by the six case-endings,denoting their mutual difference,.

IX] Notes 199

6. Absolute 3tafe: I.e., a state that admits no duality. The presentobjection arises on account of the statement that even those who per-form sacrifices with wordly objects keep the Absolute alone their goal.Cf. also lJ+f@1'R~<1 ~!!i<RlT1:T"f<!iilJ'Ui[;n<!I'l>I'-'li'il<ifit<;f~~ ~(iB:- SanKara under MUl}tf. U, I, ii, 11.

7. Svadha is a special formula, by chanting which oblations are offeredto the Manes. This of course may indicate. by way of upalak~al}a.the inclusion of Svaha, a formula of offerings to the gods. Howeverthe context and the general practice demands Svaha here in thepresent verse, and Svahaham is metrically allright.

8. Juice of the herh: I.e., for example the juice of the Soma herb.

9. The Vedic hymn: That by chanting which oblation is offered.

10. The act ofojfering: Cf. Sa', ~, ~'-li+f -Rk.

11. The method: Cf. '1m: , '3"CfT'lf: -Rk.

12. The nourisher : Cf. 11m, <i't!l:!-Rk.

13. The repository: Cf. 5[i!r"r.r ~cr, <r5!lqfcrn~ Ciet 5lTt:TFm+r<6 RrElTif+J:-Rk.

14. Does this henlistich indicate that immortality and death are respect-ively the nature of tbe real and tbe unreal?

15. The ignorant or posu is he who performs sacrifice and other actionswith tbe sense of duality. Cf.

*S~l:fi ~~(f!lf1T\;~S;~S'3!'l+<i'ts&fukr, if '.l ~ I <rl!!1 q~~«~'llifl+J: -BU,V, I, iv, 10.

16. It leads to the goal: The idea is tbis:- In fact both tbe means andends are different aspect of the Power-of-creation of the Absolute anddifference between tbem is only due to a sense of gross duality. Thisunity of tbe means, if not realised, leads to bondage and, if realised itleads to emancipation. Cf.

;g1:l!<Wt<1'1'fT~~FR<llil!"t<i'<r~l1"<f: I

~ 'if ~m-~~~~I~l1[+J: II

_ TA, I. 145. See also the commentary thereon

Further tbe expression 31i [yam in the verse under study, denotesshe Spanda-Sakti orSiva that hus been described in the earlier verses

200 Bhagavadgiti with Giuirthasangraha [Cb.

in the SpK, where from the quotation has been taken. That Spanda-Sakti is also called Kriya-Sakti, 'power of action' or 'operativeenergy', as it is responsible for the creation of the universe. If aperson thinks himself identical with his physical or subtle body, hispower of action binds him, On the other hand, if a person thinksthat his Self is identical with the Absolute and, in a jimited way,all his actions are His actions of creating the world and so on, andhence it leads him to the reality of Siva, then the same power ofaction secureS him the Salvation or the Supreme Bliss.

17. The rendering of this quotation is tentati ve. The context wherethis verse occurs in the original is not known. However basingon the context of the present commentary, we have tried tounderstand this enigmatic verse. The idea seems to be this: Theignorant takes the being and the non-being as they appear and con-cludes that they are diametrically opposite. Thus the dvaita- jnanabinds him. On the other hand. when he receives instructionsfrom the preceptors, and is on his way to realisatioll, he views thebeings and non-beings only as two different manifestations of theAbsolute Lord (paramesvara). This advaitabhiivanii leads him to theemancipation and Supreme Bliss. See also the !,ippa(zl on this verse,

18. I am the enitJyer etc. Here in this context and in the context ofsimilar nature, the words '1', 'Me' etc. denote only the Supreme Con-ciousness, and not the speaker SrI Krsna, son of Vasudeva. Ag,makes the point clear in the Tantrii/',;k'a while commenting uponthe present GIlli verse. There the relevant text runs as :-

l.i<f>[T;i[~~~ .ubll1T~"fi'fl'ifl'6: I

ij' ~l1"~:u;l:tfI''If <m'<r~iitq: II - TA, I, 132.

19. Defective injunction: The tone of this sentence seems to suggest thatthese commentators had tried to dub the injunctions found ill thesystems, other than thcir own as avidhis or faulty injunctions.

20. 'The faulty injunction •.... duaJity-view'. Cf. '3{firfE[: at,!!!;:f M7tT~~, ''''",

- Saokara.

Here in this context the fOllowing statements of Ag, in theTontriiloka may be of much interest:

'It has been said "They (i.e., who offer sacrifice, with a sense ofduality, to Indra etc.) do not recognise Me correctly. Hencethey move away (from Me)." Here "moving away" denotesattaining the well-restricted nature (of existence). This factitself has been made clear by saying "Whosoever offer sacrificestl1the deities attain (those) deities: On the other hand, drown-

IX] Notes 201

ing the objectivity (of the deity), whosoever views the deities asbeings of Snpreme Consciousness, they recognise the Self asunrestricted, and turn to be the devotees of Me. and attain Me".

Q~ ;r • s mi!'iTQ~(ffRr~ I

"{(ff;f S 0<f'(f-i;8~qfffi:C[ <rr Ia:<fT'l:a:er<rm<r1"q1~1~ WI ~ IIf.fl:r~ it'lTffi ~ S ff'I ~fq::+r<ff ~li. I

~~ tlR<ff-!;g.,j ~ am <rrRr +flli. II- TA, T, 129.131.

Here in the last hemistich the published text has ~: and the com-mentator Jayaratha explains as it is. However the GHa text andAg.'s gloss on it suggests that there in TA too the intended readingis only ~:.

21. That is why etc. What Ag. says in the sequel may support the inter-pretation of his own and that of his preceptor.

22. How can a sacrifice...aimed at : Cf. 'Sacrifice (ylIgaj is nothing butthe act of offering something intending a deity. Any deity cannot bethe deity of a particular sacrifice, simply because it is intended (bythe sacrificer). Rather a particular deity is the deity of a particularsacrifice, provided it is enjoined as such in the scripture'.

a:'f(iT!1~l(<r'1.IWll'T:1J <1l<rf~<ffu"..•. ;r fu i;~l!1m~or ~qT ~!Jfu" I<rr ~ <R<l»!~ tiT q~ a:<rm -

'" ,- Sabarasvamin. under PMS, IX, iv. 32

23. There is no injunction that cOncerns the Self: Cf.

~ a:<rm~~ i\O~lm <rr<r ~ l\o<mll'T1~~~~<f a:er-m ~!Jfcr;;r '1[ ~~ <$lTc+fiftEf~CM"Tcit;ft~~fSft;:rI "fi>[ll~ <rr'><K<f1l:1- Jayaratha's introduction to T A, T. 125.

24. The injllnction... not known otherwise: Cf. the Mlmaqlsakas' famousdictum 'That is the injunction which teaches something otherwiseunknown.'

~Tm~~rqi!itf'rf<if:25. The knowledge of the Self is Ilot brought by injunctioll : Cr.

~;rrfqf-i;8'lffiTI1i~~>fl{rc+r;r :~>fI1~ ;r f'rfbT:

- TA, !, 125-26.

:202 BhagavadgItii. with Gitiirthasa:hgraha [Ch.

'Therefore there cannot bc any injunctIon (to enlighten) theSelf-consciousness which is the same as the I_consciousness ofthe nature of the unrestricted self-experience etc.'

The commentator adds:'Thus it has been well said (in the Gila IX. 24) "Not requir-ing any injunction''....... ~ra-~~'\ii+l; 'amfi:T'1..~'-li'1.' ~ra-

26. The Self. .. the illumillator of the universe. Cf. 'By this SupremeBrahman all other things are illumined'

27. Like a thread ill a garland: Cf. 'All in Me like the pearls in athread' \i~+rf"T'T"TT~ (above VII, 7).

28. Serres as a background: Cf. 'That whIch does not shine on the screenof the Absolute Lord (the Consciousness), cannot manifest even as anexternal object'.

Wt~'Rfl1ffi<ref ;; >f.lim~ <:fer, ,ilT~qlf[Sflt ;; 5['1iPJa - Yogaraja, under PS, 34.

29. Just as a priest: l.e" a yiijaka, who acts in a ritLlal as an agent onbehalf of the sacrificer or yajal17iina for fees.

30. The words ll'ffi1Tii:and <:fOf'l:are derived respectively from ~and <:fm'ffwhich are, again respccti vely, in the Atmanepada andParasmaipada. The subtle point here may better be appreciated ifone bears the grammatical rule according to which the Atmanepadashould be used when the fruit of the root-meaning-(action) is inten-ded to gOto the Subject or the performer of that action. cr.

~R~CT: ~i1if1f;:lli:tW:rT~ (PA, I, iii, 72)

and

~M-mi't f,v<rTq;~~m~q+l.l q,,!~(f 1f'l'fi'liT<:T:> !;!i~f.CT ~'Ii\T:,

<rOf~ <fr~: - the Mahiibhii1ya thereunder.

Cf. also

<r: ~ ~ 1f~ci'ttf 'lir+r<ict, ffilI <rTrr:••.•.• ~: 1 '3lT(l'1;rq-,,-

mT(f I 'Ii~Nmi't ~"ra- - Sabarasvamin under PMS, 1Il,iJ 5.

IX1 Notes 203

31. Complete stability: I.e., a stability by intending the Absolute Selfin all actions.

32. They are ill Me and I am ill tlzem: I.e., 'They and I become one'. Cf.a mlr f~cr, a~ '<!l~ 3tl:r" (3ff':r;;r) ~ rnmm- +rm:ijqi ~;:r;;:-l:r"'1~<reg;fi1"i!f;rTa: ~ Rk.

33. He has ulldertaken his task: Cf. o:>;['I'R1i'f:, '2&:[ao<1'f'lT<r:- Rk.

34. My devotee is Ilever ioSI: cr. 'He is not lost to Me (~'<! it;r >f'lTlf<rffi')'- above VI, 31.

35. Promised by the Bhagavot firmly: Cf.' ..... Thus, knowing that the Lord's declarations are true, andbeing convinced that emancipation is an inevitable result ofdevotion to the Lord one should iook up to the Bhagavat as thehighest and sole refuge •

Tl.'f 'll"f'fa: l.1<i1l5!m-~(ci ~S'fT 'll"f'f~\'f:r<il1TT'r+iT~qm"li('I'I1'1'CTl<t

>f'r<fOm:~;mU;quIT l1>il~m- 'fT1f<rl~: - Saokara under Gita,XVIlI, 65.

36. Being born in: Cf. '11C"lf,;;[;:!t i!fo;o'lT - Rk.

37. This verse has not been commented upon by Ag. perhaps because itis more or less identical with XVIII, 65, which he is going to com·ment upon. However Saokara. Rk. etc. comment in both the ins-tanccs. Bhaskara's commentary on this verse in not available.

38. Internal organ: Cf. 3fW,Tifl1;, '3F(1:~lJjB: - Rk.

38A. The I!mimals.birds. reptaits etc. The passages of Ag. slands in a goodcomparison to

~sftr i'f<\l(l1(~;r ~:

q-~q-fu'«(R7:'1T;;:<r: ~~ I etc.

'PS, 91.

39. Ilf the purii(las: See e.g. the Bhaga.ata Puriiija. VIII, Cll. 2 If. (GItapress Ed.)

40. Some declare ete : This is more 01' less the stand taken by Bbaskara.

41. Indeed these persolls etc.: This lengthy refutation by Ag. in a rathervehement language may appear to be a bit out of proportion in the

204 Bhagavadgita with Gi tarthasangraha [Ch.

GitiirthasQligraha which is otherwise very brief. But, it would notappear to be so if one remembers how much stress Bhaskara had puton this verse for his theory - first in his introduction to the Gltii andthen in his commentary on the verse.

42. I.e. by splitting as mahii and graha. The expression mahlIllra/za mayalso be rendered as 'powcrfLll obstinacy (regarding)' by sphtting asmahli and iigraha.

43. Effort should be made to get that Energy: I.e. to get the Sakti-piita orthe Divine Grace or the Will th:lt leads a person in the spiritualpath.

Chapter Ten

The subject-matter that has been indicated in the previousnine chapters - the same is being detailed here in this chapter byciting individual instance~. That is why [the Bhagavat) says'Yet again etc.' (X, 1). He thus indicates 'Hear the subjectmatter, which has already been related to you, but which onceagain being explained in order to make it clear'. Arjuna toosays in the sequel likewise 'Tell me once again etc.' (X, 18).This is the purport of [this] chapter. Other items are clear bymere reciting. Hence, why to repeat them? However, whateveris doubtful that shall be decided [then and there].

The Bhagavat said -o mighty-armed [Arjuna] ! Yet, again listen to

My best message, which, with good intention, I shalldeclare to you, who are dear to Me. (1)

Neither the hosts of gods, nor the great seers knowMy origin. For, I am the first, 1 in every respect,among the gods and great seers. (2)

Whosoever knows Me as the unborn and begin-ningless Absolute Lord of the universe, that person,not deluded among the mortals, is delivered from allsins. (3)

Intellect,2 knowledge, steadiness, patience, truth,control [over sense-organs], tranquility [of mind], plea-sure, pain, birth, death,3 fear and courage; (4)

[Also] non-injury, equanimity, contentment,austerity, charity, repute and ill-repute - all these

206 Bilagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha ECho

diverse dispositions of beings emanate from none butMe. ~

BhuJ'a~1 etc. upto pf'lhagvidhaJ:. Steadiness4 is that whichinduces one. (1-5)

The ancient Seven Great-Seers5 and also the FourManus,sA of whom these creatures in this world areoffsprings - they have been born as My mental disposi-tions. (6)

He, who knows correctly this extensively mani-festing power6 and the Yogic power of Mine - he isendowed with the unwavering Yoga. Thcre is nodoubt about it. (7)

'He is the source of all and from Him all comesforth' - Thus viewing, the wise men revere Me withdevotion. (8)

Having their mind fixed on Me, their life goneinto Me, enlightening each other, and constantly talkingof Me, they are pleased and are delighted. (9)

To these persons, who are [thus] mingling [withMe] and revere [Me] with love, I grant that knowledge-Yoga by means of which they reach Me. (10)

Out of compassion only towards these men, T,who remain as their very Self, destroy with the shininglight of wisdom, their darkness born of ignorance. (11)

MaccittaJp etc., upto bhiisvala. Through tbe process ofmutual enlightening, the wisdom-shock IS transmitted to eachother On account of tbat, they get tile all-inclusive [knowledge)'fndeed all sentient subjects are only a single Absolute Lord'.By means of this extensive pervasion, they easily come to realise

X) [ranslation 207

their OWllSelf as omnipotent and omnipresent and by that theyattaill the Absolute Lordship. This is the ide<1here. (9~1l)

Arjuna said -You are the Supreme Brahman, Supreme Abode,t

Supreme Purifier. All the seers and also the divine seerNarada, Asita Devala, Vyasa describe You as theEternal Divine Soul,! the unborn, all-manifesting First-God. You too say so to me. (12-13)

What You tell me, I take all to be true, 0 Kesava !For, 0 Bhagavat, neither the gods nor the great seersknow Your manifestation. (14)

Only Yourself know Yourself by Yourself;o Supreme Puru~a, Creator of all beings, Lord ofbeings, God of gods, Lord of the Universe! (15)

You are [alone] capable of fully declaring theauspicious manifesting powers10 of Yours, by whichmanifesting power You remain pervading theseworlds. (16)

o Mighty Yogin! How should I know You,meditating on You? In what several entities, 0Bhagavat, are You to be contemplated upon byme? (17)

In detail, please expound, once again Your ownYogic power and the manifesting power. 0 Janardana !I don't feel contended in hearing Your nectar - [likeexposition J. (18)

The Bhagavat saidYes.ll 0 the best among the Kurus! I shall

expound to you, only the chief auspicious manifesting

208 BfJagavadgIti with Gita:rthasangraha [Ch.

powers of Mine. For, there would be no end to Mydetails. (I9)

o conqueror of sleep! I am the Soul residing inthe heart of all beings; I am the beginning, and themiddle and also the Very end of beings. (20)

Of the sons of Aditi, I am ViS;l)u;of the lumiJia-ries, the radiant Sun; of the Maruts, I am Marici; ofthe stars, I am the Moon. (21)

Of the Vedas, 1 am the Samaveda; of the gods,1 am Vasava (Indra); of the sense-organs, I am themind; of the beings, 1 am the sentience.u (22)

And of the Rudras, I am Sankara; of the Yak$asand the Raks;as, [I am] the Lord-of-Wealth (Kubera);of the Vasus, 1 am the Fire-god; of the mountains,I am the Meru. (23)

Of the royal priestsl3 I am the chief viz., Brhas-pati (the priest of gods), 0 son of Prthi, you shouldknow that; of the army-generals, I am Skanda [theWar-god]; of the water reservoirs, I am the ocean. (24)

Of the great seers, I am Bhrgu; of the words,I am the Single-syllable (Orp.); of the sacrifices14 [per-formed with external objects], I am the sacrifice ofmuttering prayer; of the immovables, I am the Hima:-layan range. (25)

Of all trees, I am the Pipal-tree; and of the divineseers, Narada; of the Gandharvas (the celestial musi-cians), Citraratha; of the perfected ones, the sageKapila. (26)

X) Tran ,lation 209

Of the horses, you should know Me to be thenectar-born Uccail).sravas ([ndra's h'1rse); of the bestelephants, the Aira:vata (Indra's elephant); and of themen, their king. (27)

Of the weapons, [am the Vajra [of Indra]; of thecows, I am the Wish-fullfilling Cow [of the heaven]; ofthe progenitors, I am Kandarpa (the god-of-Iove); ofthe serpents, I am Viisuki. (28)

Of the snakes, I am Ananta; of the water-beings(water-deities),15 I am VaruI).a; of the manes, I amAryaman; of the controllers, I am Yam a (the Death-god). (29)

Of the progenies of Diti (the demons), I am Prah-lada; of the measuring ones,18 I am the Time; of beasts,I am the king-of-beasts (lion); and of the birds, Vinata:'sson (Vi~I).u's bird, Garuqa). (30)

Of the purifiers, I am the wind; of the weapon-bearers, I am Rama;" of the fishes, 1am the shark;of rivers, I am the daughter of Jahnu (the Ganga). (31)

Of the creations, I am the beginnig, the end andalso the middle, 0 Arjqna! Of the sciences, [I am]the science of the Self; of arguers, I am the argu-ment.lI (32)

Of the syllables, I am A; of the compounds, theDvandva; none but Me, is the immortal Time; I amthe dispenser [of fruits actions] facing on all sides. (33)

I am the Death that carries away all and also theBirth of all that are to be born; of the wives of men,n

952 - 14

210 Bhagavadgita with Git1irthasangraha [Ch.

Iam the Fame, Fortune, Speech, Memory, Wisdom,Constancy and Patience. (34)

Likewise, of the modes of singing20[of the hymns],I am the Brhatsaman;21of the metres, I am the Gaya-tn; of the' months, I am the Miirgasir$a; of the sea-sons, I am the season abounding with flowers. (35)

Iam gambling of the fradulent; I am the brilli-ance of the brilliant; I am the victory; I am the resolu-tion; I am the energi2 of the energetic. (36)

Of the Vr$IJ.is(the members of the Vrg1i clan),I am the son of Vasudeva; of the sons of Pal).Q.u,Dhanafljaya (Arjuna) [I am]; of the sages too, I amVyiisa; of the seers, the seer Usanas.2~ (37)

Iam the punishment [at the hands] of the puni-shers; I am the political wisdom of those who seekvictory; I am also silence of the secret ones; I am thekn:lwledge of the knowers. (38)

Further, 0 Arjuna, I am that which is the seedof all beings; there is no being, whether moving ornon-moving, that could exist without Me. (39)

o scorcher of foes! There is no end to Myextraordinary manifesting power. The above details of[My] manifesting power have been declared by Me onlyby way of examples. (40)

Whatsoever24 being exists with the manifestingpower, and with beauty and vigour, be sure that itis born only of a bit of My illuminant.25 (41)

Translation 211

Or, 0 Arjuna! Why this detailed statement?I remain, pervading this entire universe with a singlefraction [of Myself]. (42)

Here ends THE TENTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadgita.

HOllta te etc. upto jagat sthitalJ. I am the Soul etc. (verse20): By this [the Bhagavat) wards off the exclusion [of anybeing as different form Him]. Otherwise the sentences2SA like'Of the immovable [f am] the the Himalayas' (verse 25) etc.,would amount to the exclu,ive statement that the Himalayanrange is the Bhagavat and not any other one. In tbat case, thein::liscriminatencss of the Brahman is not established andhence the res\isation of the Brahman would be a partial (orconditioned) one. For, the [present] text of exposition isintended for that seeker whose mind cannot contemplate on theall-pervasiveness [of the Brahman], but who [at the same time]is desirous of realising that [all-pervasiveness).Z6 Hence, whileconcluding, [the Bhagavat] teaches the theory of dua1ity-cum-unity by slying 'whatsoever heing exists with the manifestingpower' etc., and then conclndes the topic with the theory ofabsolute unity,27 as 'Or what is the use of this elaboration; .I remain p~rvading this [universe] by a single fraction [ofMyself] This has been declared indeed [in the scriptures] as:

'All beings constitute [only] His one-fourth; His[other] immorta I three-forths are in the heaven.'(JJgveda, X, xc, 3).

Thus, al1 this and the prime cause of creatures, are nothingbut the Bhagavat (Absolute). And hence, He Himself becomesthe object of knowledge of all, but being comprehended with thedifferent strange qualities. (19-42)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

Here is the Catch-yerse :

Whatever comes as an object, either to the desire or to

212 Bhagavadgitii with Gitiirthasangraha [Ch.

the [perception by the] sense-organ, let one, with eff'('rt, melt itaway [with krlowledge-fire],28 and r'~cJgnise the tranquilBrahman. (19-42)

Thus ends the TENTH CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgifijrrhasmigraha written by Rii}iinaka Abhinavagupta,

the best among the great teachers of the Miihes\'aras

Notes1. I am the first: cr. ;a:rr~:,5f"fl1: - Rk.

2. Intellect: cr. ~f.1J::, ~~<r+r<ci:'R'lf, :q<rT..• f.r~ ~ /Rf! - Rk.

3. Birth, death: cr. \1'lT\1cft, ~'+!i1<:iil - Rk.

4. Steadiness: If :a:r~+iT&::is to be a negative one, it would be commonto inanimate objects, like a pot, and it is not intended here as thecontext shows. Hence it must be a positi ve one, like those that areconveyed by the words :a:rEf~:, :a:rN<:rTetc. Hence Ag. explains it

as 'tbat which induces one'. cr. :a:r<5+iT&::, ~'1it:g ~ ~iit'$-~mu~fu: - Sankara.

5. The Seven Great-sages are Atri, Bhrgu, Kutsa, Vasis(ha, Gautama,Kasyapa and Angiras ...

5A. The Four Manus: cr. "I(lf[U +R'f: - ~<:rT1fUlf, \1~tiif, Ef~~<;:P.,1B1!!uf W <;:!l1'li!l ~~~l: - Rk.

6. Manifesting Power: This is the Absolute's nature in creating ormanifesting as the universe. cr. ~~m,"l'T(~('fl~~<=( - Rk.These two words viz. Vibhiiti and Yoga here or doubtful importhave not been unfortuna tely explai ned by Ag.

7. Abode: Or 'Light' as Rk. and Sankara say.

8. Soul: cr, ~, orom+rl'fl'l; - Rk.

9. Only Yourself know Yourself by Yourself. Cf. ~ c'lf ~ -itsffi<:ftsfu - TB, Ill, x, 3.

X] Notes 213

~::> ••• ~""10. Powers: Cf. l'f~<:rl:, ~'f'ii<!1"f":.~I:- Rk.

11. Yes: Cf. i[::~~'l'Ti't - Rk.

12. Sentience: Cf. ~('ffr. ..~~~!(jfu;: - Rk.; ~fu~fcr~fRT - Saokara.

13. Roya/priests: Cf. g~tcrm \F;l~~llffB. - Rk.

14. Sacrifices etc. Cf. <r~ifT il.¢<rR<f~r.rr <r[lTf<riJqrllff+1,- Rk.

15 Water-deities: Cf. <rl'\:r~~ ar-;~'ffiTani[ - Rk.

16. iVfeasuring ones: For the use of the root <!ii!! in the sense 'to measure',.." •........ \

see ii;f~ 'IT::~: ~1l{TlTlTif'fR+rlOT'liQ'f<!TC'!in a verse attributed to Bhartr-hari (The Nili and the Vairagya Satakas of Bhartrhari. Kale Ed. 1971,p. 45)

17. Rama; I.e. Bhargava Rama who sucessfully destroyed. as the Puriinasgo, twenty-one times the entire warrior class; or Oasarathi Rama' ofthe RlJmliyalJa fame.

18. Argument: Or 'the way of argument' known among the Nalyayikas asa means to arnve at a truth. For details, see the Nyiiyasurra, I. ii. 1;etc •

. 19. Of the wives: MadhusUdara Sarasvati. seems to refer to all the seven,viz .• Fame etc., as the wives of Dharma or the God of righteousness.Or ::rT\"rurT may mean 'of the feminine ones'. It may be noted that

all the seven words <€1m: etc •• are feminine in Sanskrit.

20. Modes @fsinging of the hymns: Cf. <.Wflrr 'lfi,lTa:T\ll§<Ol <TTfcrf<rtll!T:-Rk.

21. Brhatsiiman: That mode of singing employed to sing the Vedic hymn~fu: i['IT~ - etc.

22. Energy etc. Or 'The [Strand] Sattva of the group consisting of theSattva (i.e. the triple Strands of the Sattva, Rajas and Tamas)' Cf.ii;f~'l'l'iif ~urliff ~'5[~<ff~::rT+1, - RI<.

23. Usanas: [.e•• the family priest of the demons. He is popularly knownas Sukra.

24. Whatsoever etc •• This observation in the first quarter of the verse isfor an evolved seeker; and what follows next is for the beginner.See below.

214 Bbagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

25A. Otherwise the sentences etc.: Cf. ~Rr ~ a:[5[ (.frGl<!t) rm:111~-~ >f.IiT:uMmt~~+f" ~ i'! 111<il<i '1.fi'!{mf<;: '~mOJf ffl:ll'f~S~+f,'

~~~: 5!~~~l:Tfa::- Ag. IPVV, under I, iii, 7 (Vol. I, p_ 297).

26. The entire paragraph of Ag. here deserves to be compared with:'He who is unable to think of Me as the Self, should think ofMe in these things mentioned below.'

~ a:[fC!l'f5!~'lffcm R~ S~<T:; i'fl:\~r<fi~'1.f ~ I1f~!g

~r~+1.- Saiikara under X, 20.

Again Sankara too quotes the ~gvedic passage qf~Stll N"<lTwrrf.r under verse 42.

27. The theory of absolute unity: In the Kaula system, the realisationof unity is considered to be the direct means to emancipation. It isalso called the Siimbhavopiiya and is prescribed for the highly deve-loped seekers. The realisation of duality.curn-unity, known alsoas Siiklopiiya. is for the less developed; and the realisation ofduality, called also A(laVopiiya for persons of the lowest stratum. Cf.

a:rit~<Tll';lt;:fi ~fll~ m~ Iit~f~~<i ~ CRIOJifl\II

- TA. I. 230 etc.

28, Melt it away with kllowledge..fire: For, that alone can melt away allthe said differences. Cf.

~r.r<::~ll'fl1rRr wtm I1T~iif+f, I~~ \'Tf<rftN\ll1~ftri'f+!. II

- TA, II, 35.

The wording in the present catch verse reminds us of the passage:

~1f 5/<!(~~ [arflfl:TT'fffl1~J ~<[tfrn:iifTffi crl%:iif~ !l1m5!fuq~ \

- Sankara, under MiilJd. U, I, 2.

Chapter Eleven

Now Arjuna seeks to perceiw, with his own sense-organ(eye), what has been taught in the Jast chapter. The subjectmatter, learnt through the [teacher's] instructions, becomesquite clear if it is grasped by the knowledge of perception. Forthat end only the fo !lowing conversation is made -

Arjuna said:My delusion has completely gone thanks to the

great and mysterious discourse which is termed as ascience governing the Soul and which You have deli-vered by way of favouring me. (I)

The origin and the dissolution of beings havebeen listened to in detail by me from You, 0 Lotus-eyed One, and also to [Your] inexhaustible greatness. (2)

As You describe Yourself as the Supreme Lord[of all], it must be so. [Hence]. 0 Supreme Self,I desire to perceive Your Lordly form. (3)

o Master! If you think that it is possible forme to see that form, then, 0 Lord of the Yogins,please show me Your Immortal Self. (4)

The Bhagavat said:Behold, 0 son of Prtha, My divine forms in

hundreds and in thousands and of varied nature and ofvaried colours and varied shapes. (5)

Behold the A.dityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, thetwin Asvins, and the Maruts; 0 son of Pal).Q.U, beho Idalso many wonders that had never been seen before. (6)

216 Bhaga vadgitii wi th Gi tarthasangraha ECho

Now, behold the entire universe, including themoving and the unmoving, and whatsoever else youdesire to see-all established in one here, in My body,o GU~akesa (Arjuna) ! (7)

But, you cannot see Me simply with this eye ofyours. [Hence], I give you the divine eye. [Now]behold the Lordly form of Mine. (8)

Safijaya said:o king! Having thus stated, Hari (Kr~lJa), the

mighty Lord of the Yogins, showed to the son of Prtha[His own] Supreme Lordly form; (9)

That has many mouths and eyes, many wondroussights, many heavenly ornaments, and many heavenlyweapons held ready; (10)

That wears heavenly garlands and garments; hasthe unguent of heavenly sandal paste; it is all wonder-ful, shining (or godly), infinite; and it has faces in alldirections. (11)

If the splendour of a thousand suns were to burstforth at once in the sky, would that be equaP to thesplendour of that Mighty Self? (12)

At that time the son of Pliw;lubeheld there in thebody of the God-of-gods, the entire universe, unitedin one and [yet] divided into many groups. (13)

Then, possessed by amazement and with hisbodily hair thrilled, Dhanafijaya (Arjuna) with his headbowed to the God and with folded palms spoke [toHim]. (14)

XI] rrans latlOn 217

Arjuna said:o God! In Your body I behold all gods and also

hosts of different kinds of beings - the Lord Brahmaseated on the lotus-seat; and all the seers and all theglowing serpents. (I5)

I behold You of many arms, bellies, mouths andeyes and of infinite forms on all sides; of You, I findneither the end, nor the centre, nor the beginning too,o Lord of the universe, 0 Universal-formed One! (16)

I behold You as having crowns, clubs and discs;as a mass of radiance, shining on all sides, hard tolook at and on each side blazing like burning fire andthe ~un; and as an immeasurable one. (17)

You are the imperishable, the $upreme Being to beknown; You are the ultimate place ofrest for this uni-verse; You are changeless and the guardian of the piousact of the S1itvatas; You are the everlasting Soul, Ibelieve. (18)

Tvam ak~aram etc. Guardian of the pious acts of theSiitvatas. Satvaras' are the same as the Sa/varas i.e. those whoare established in the Truth that does not take cognizance of anydifference between the Action (Spanda) and the Consciousness;the Truth whi<.:bis nothln!! but Existential1ty3 and is in the formof Awarenes. Their pi.)us act is that act [01 meditation) oftheirs which - on account of its being continuously engaged inthe process of undertaking and rejecting [things] -consists of theact of emanation and absorption,4 and is the most superior ofall the paths [leading to salvationJ. The Lord protects thatpious act. This is the secret in this chapter and it bas beenmade almost clear by me (Ag.) in my (Ag.'s) Vivrri (Commentary)on the Devislolra5 (Goddess-Hymn). Tbat is self-evident to tbelearned readers, with critical accumao, and initiation. Hence,

218 Bhagavadglta with GIta.rthasangraha [Ch.

why to take recourse to the verbiage of explaining again andagain what is already known very clearly. (18)

I observe You having no beginning, no middleand no end; having infinite creative power,6 and infinitearms; as having the moon and the sun for Your eyes,and the blazing fire for Your mouth; [and] as scorchingthis universe7 with Your radiance. (19)

This space in between the heaven and the earthas well as all the directions are pervaded singly by You;seeing this wondrous form of Yours as such, 0 ExaltedSoul, the triple world is 'very much frightened. (20)

These hosts of gods enter into You; some frigh-tened ones recite [hymns] with folded palms; simplycrying 'Hail!', the hosts of great seers praise You withthe excellent praising hymns. (2l)

The Rudras, the Adityas, the Vasus, the Sadhyas,the Visvas (Vi svadevas) , the twin Asvins and theMaruts, and the Steam-drinkers (Manes) and the hostsof the Gandharvas, the Yak~as, the demons and theperfected ones - all gaze Oil You and are quiteamazed. (22)

o Mighty-armed One! Having seen Your mightyform that has many faces and eyes, many arms, thighsand feet, and many be1lies, and is terrible with manytusks; the worlds are frightened and so also myself. (23)

As I observe You [with form] touching the sky;blazing; having many colours, mouths wide open, eyesblazing and large; I am terrified in my inner soul(mind); and I do not get courage and peace, 0Vi~I}u ! (24)

Xl] TranslatIon 219

By merely seeing Your faces that are frighteningwith tusks and are looking like the fire of destruction,I do not know the quarters and get no peace. Havemercy, 0 Lord of gods! 0 Abode of the Universe! (25)

All these sons of Dhrtara~tra along with the entirehosts of kings, this Bhi$ma, this DrolJ.a and this son ofthe charioteer (KarI).a), together with the chief warriorsof ours too; (26)

They enter, hastening, into Your terrible mouths,frightening with tusks; some [of them], sticking inbetween Your teeth, are clearly visible with their headspowdered. (27)

Beaten up by persons of varied forms, and cutwith different types of weapons, these wariors ofYudhi~thira and of Dhrtara$tra, all without exceptionenter into Your mouth of an unconceivable form.Surely these men have been killed by Your firy energy;hence they enter into Your body.s (28)

Just as many wateHapids of the rivers race head-ing towards the ocean alone, in the same manner theseheroes of the world of men do enter into Your mouths:flamingall around. (29)

Just as with full speed, the moths enter into theflaming fire for their own destruction, in the samemanner the worlds als'J do enter, for their own destruc-tion with full speed, into the mouths of Yours. (30)

Devouring, on all sides with Your blazing mouths,the entire worlds, You are licking up; Your terriblerays scorch the entire universe filling it with theirradiance, 0 Vi~I).u! (31)

220 Bhagavadglta with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

Please, tell me who You are with a terrible form;o the Best of gods! Salutation to You, please bemerciful. I am desirious of knowing You, the PrimalOne in detail; for I do not clearly comprehend Yourbehaviour. (32)

Akhyiihi etc. 1do not clearly comprehend Your behaviour:I.e. with what intention this terrific nature of this sort [has been:mumed by You]. (32)

The Bhagavat said:I am the Time, the world-destroyer, engaged here

in withdrawing the worlds that are overgrown; evenwithout you (your fighting) all the warriors, standingin the rival armies, would cease to be. (33)

Therefore, stand up, win glory, and vanquishingfoes, enjoy the rich kingdom; these [foes] have alreadybeen killed by Myself; [hence] be a mere token cause[in their destruction], 0 ambidextrous archer! (34)

Slay DroI).a and Bhi$ma, and Jayadratha, andKarI).a as well as the other heroes of the world-allalready slain by Me. Do not get distressed; fight; youshall vanquish enemies in the battle. (35)

Tasmat etc. Drof}a etc. The world is of the nature ofperfect and imperfect knowledge and it is swallowed (comple-tely controlled) by the power of the perfect, imperfect andmixed Consciousness. Hence, here an answer is given accord-ingly by the Bhagavat. This secret is almost indicated in thischapter. Yet. for the benefit of those persons who are capableof understanding only what has been clearly marked, let us (Ag.)assume the misfortune of taking the trouble of writing a fewlines.

What is declared by the Bhagavat - viz., 'As the foes havebeen slain [by Me], be a token cause and win glory', this is by

XI] Translation 221

way of answering to what Arjuna had said earlier viz., 'We donot know WhCl, amongst both of us, is more powerful than theotber etc. (Il, 6)'.8A (34-35)

Safijaya said -On hearing this speach of Kesava, the crowned-

prince (Arjuna) had his palms folded; and tremblinghe protstrated himself to KnI).a; and stammering,and being very much afraid and bowing down, he spoketo Him again. (36)

Arjuna said-

o Lord of sense-organs (K]:";>l)a)!It is appropriatethat the universe rejoices and feels exceedingly delightedby the high glory of yours; that in fear the demons flyon all directions; and that the hosts of the perfectedones bow down [to You). (37)

Sthane etc.glory.

By high glory: by highly singing the(37)

o Mighty One! Why should they not bow downto You, the Primal Creater, Who are greater than evenBrahma (personal god)? 0 Endless One, 0 Lord ofgods, 0 Abode of the universe! You are unalterable,existent, non-existent and also that which is beyondboth. (38)

Kasmi'it etc. Existent (Sat): i.e. as a purport of words(or as material object). Non-existent (Asat): Because, theAbsolute does not become an object of perception. Or Asat9signifies negation; [in fact] it i, also well connected with thewords which denote it directly, or indicate it indirecty bydenoting what contains it; it also enjoys a form (becomes anobject) of knowledge (of its own); and [hence] it has no separateexistence other than th~ existence of the Absolute Brahman?

222 Bhagavadgi tii with Gitarthalangraha [Ch.

(It is) beyond both the existent and non-ex:islent: For, It is realisedwhen the knowledge of both of them disappears.oA (38)

You are the Primal God; You are the AncientSoul; You are the transcending place of rest for thisuniverse; You are the knower and the knowable; Youare the Highest Abode; and the universe with itsinfinite forms is pervaded by YOU. (39)

You are VayU, Yama, Agni, VaruJ).a, the Moon,Prajapati and the Great-peternal-grand-father; You arebeginningless; YOlJhave a glory, that has no compari-son; You are the Lord-of-all, having all mighty mani-festing power. (40)

Salutation and salutation thousand times to You;and again also more salutation and salutation to You;salutation to You in the front and behind; salutation toYou, just on all sides, 0 One Who are All ! (41)

Namo nama': eec. Salutation and salutation: This repeti-tion reveals the intensity of the devotion. Wbat has been taughtby the pa~t chapters by the Bbagavat regarding His own intrinsicnature, Arjuna - witnessing the same by perception - declaresit openly by way of devotional bymn. Hence, to comment onthe hymn would symply amount to the repetition [of whathas already been said by us]. Hence, let me (Ag.) abstain[from commenting on it]. (41)

o God! In the triad of worlds none but You isseen to perform unconceivable acts. You are of infinitemight and of immeasurable powers; and You pervadeall and hence You are all. (42)

Taking You for a [mere] companion, not know-iB.g this greatness of Yours, and out of my carelessnessor through even affection, whatever I have importuna-

Xl] Translatbn 223

tely called You as 0 Kr$l).a, 0 Yadava, a Comrade;and, (43)

Whatever disrespect was shown by me to You,to make fun of You in the course of play, orwhile on the bed, or on the seat, or at meals, eitheralone, or in the presence of respectable persons-for that I beg pardon of You, the Unconceivable One,o Acyuta ! (44)

You are the father of the world of the movingand unmoving; You are the great preceptor of this uni-verse; in the triad of worlds there is no one equal toYou - How can there be anyone else superior? - havinggreatness not comprehended. (45)

Hence, paying homage, and prostrating my body,I solicit grace of You, the Lord Praisworthy. 0 God!Be pleased to bear with me, just as a beloved fatherwith his beloved son and just as a dear friend with hisdear friend. (46)

The ancient seers too recall the divine, wondrousand ancient acts of Yours; none else is the Creator ofthe world; You are the sole Creator, Sustainer and theLord and the Manifester of varieties and the very~ili ~

What wondrous act would be impossible for You?What act can I declare to be possible for You [only]through means other than Yourself? Because YouYourself are the Creator of all these, therefore allthis is nothing but You, 0 Manifester of varieties! (48)

No highly wondrous act is difficult for You to do;nothing to compare to Your act (Or to what You have

224 Bhagavadgita with Gitiirthasangraha [Ch.

created); there is limit neither to the attributes nor tothe brilliance, nor to the strength and nor to theaccomplishment of Yours. (49)

I am thrilled by seeing wbat has not been seenearlier; and my mind is very much distressed with fear;show me the same (usual) form of Yours; kindly beappeased 0 God! Lord of gods! 0 Abode of tbe~rl~! (5~

I desire to see You in the same manner, wearingcrown, holding the club and the discuss in hand; pleasebe with the same form having four hands, 0 Thousand-armed One! 0 Universal Form! (51)

The Bhagavat said-Being gracious towards you, I have shown you,

o Arjuna, this supreme form, as a result of [your] con-centration on the Self ;10 this form of Mine full ofsplendour, universal, unending and primal, has beennever seen before by anybody other than your-self.

(52)

Not by the knowledge of the Vedas and sacrifices,nor by making gifts, nor by the rituals, nor by severeausterities, Can I be seen in this form in the world ofmen, by anybody other than yourself, 0 the great heroof the Kurus! (53)

Let there be no distress and no bewilderment inyou by seeing this terrific and violent form of Mine;being free from fear, cheerful at heart, behold aoain

'"this form of Mine which is the same [as before]. (54)

Safijaya said -

XI] Translation 225

Having said to Arjuna as above, Visudeva revealedHis own tiny form; assuming His gentle body onceagain, the Mighty Soul (Kr~I)a) consoled the frightenedArjuna. (55)

Arjuna said-On seeing this gentle human form of Yours, 0

Janardana, now I have regained my nature and havenow collected my thinking faculty. (56)

Dr!!tva etc. At the end of the act of withdrawing all, theBrahman assumes the highly tranquil stage of the tattva Henceat the stage of withdrilwal, gentleness is in the Bhagavat. (56)

The Bhagavat said-This form of Mine, which you have just observed

is extremely difficult to observe; even gods are alwayscurious of observing this form. (57)

Neither by reciting Vedas, nor by observingausterity, nor by offering gifts, nor by performingsacrifice, can Ibe observed in this manner as you haveseen Me now. (58)

But, through an undeviating devotion, it is possi-ble to know, and to observe and also to enter into Meas such, 0 Arjuna! 0 scorcher of foes! (59)

He, who performs actions for [attaining] Me; 11

who regards Me as his supreme goal; who is devoted toMe; who is free from attachment; and who is free fromhatred towards all beings - he attains me, 0 son ofPalJ.\lu! (60)

Thus ends of the ELEVENTH CHAPTERin the Holy Bhagavadgila.

952 - 15

226 Bhagavadgita with GitirthasaD.sraha

Bhaktyii etc. Mat-karma-etc. Those, wbose devotion,charming by the absence of any other object in it, bursts forth -to the IUd of realisation of those persons descends the vasu.deva-tattva, the Absolute being, without any effort (on theirpart) just on account of their appreciation of the advice givenearlier as 'Hwing the realisation that Vasudeva is all, one takesrefuge in Me. etc ' (59-60)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

Here is the Ca tch-verse -

If 12 one contemplates on the oneness of the Pure Con-sciousness, p~rvadiog the objects severally of the pure, theimpure, and the mixed nature, and on that account observes thetriad of the bhiir, bhuvas and svar (i.e., what they represent) asequal (as Brahman), then the sage becomes Equal (the Brahman).

Thus ends the ELEVENTH CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgit?iflhasangraha written by the revered Riij?inaka

Abhinavagupta, the best among the greatteachers of the Miihesvaras.

Notes

Would Ihat be equal etc. Cf. W(f 1 i!<r<IT ~~! ~ "Iitif\! o<rr~~-~, i'tif;; ~[mw('( ~~~ q<f1fl:~ - Rk. Cf.' also' the more orless identical view of Sankara here.

2. Salvalas; While explaining this expressio:l in the brief sentencesthat follow, Ag. introduces an important teaching of the Spandadoctrine. According to this doctrine, the Spanda. as we havealready seen, is not different from the Consciousness; and there isno existentiaIity apart from Self-awareness; persons who are notaware of this supreme truth are the pasus or the fettered Souls; andwhatever they undertake or renounce it bi nds them. On the otherhand, those who have realised the above truth - their act of medita-tion on the Spanda-tatlva as such leads them to the total identity,through Pralyabhijila, with the Supreme; and whatever they under-take or renounce - which no one can avoid - by those acts they

Xl] Notes 227

become the lords of act of emanation and absorption. We havealready seen:

€l<f f.w.rrfc+f!fiTm~: ... m>j'1'l1~~under Ch. IX, 17-20

The vigraha intended for Siitvata is ~(i~ ~+reftRr l:f~~:, (f

~ lifT(q(ff:. Ag. seems to justify the a~-suffix because the wordlif(ep:q; (Plural of m'fC\) occures (word 28?) 10 the prajiiiidiga'!a

under 51:f[1re;'-''![>;!f(PA, V, iv, 38) prescribing a~ in sviirtha. Cf. theexplanation of the Satvata given in the Piidma-Uttarakhanda quotedin the Tippani on the passage. The lexicons, however","generallyrecognise sat~ata in the sense 'that concerned with Krsna' 'hewho follows Kr~l)a' and so on. Further Mallllsmrti (X, l3)'gives thename Satvola to a low mixed caste. Both the meanings are ill suitedto the context of the Gila and particularly of the ViSvarupa whereKr~l)a stands for the Absolute and not the Yildava K:~l]a, the son ofDevaki. Hence authors like Rk, Av., explain the word as:

~fu- ;;mRll1 •.•.•• (f~ ~ lif m'lTil; ~~: rH.'~; l:f ~

~1S!ta lifl(Cf(f[: ;;[(!:If<f«:, a"lf Ef+t: '![~5[fqq[~f,n'![ffi!:!;;f~-

~: lif<\T"lR: •••.••

So these authors take recourse to the rule lifTS\l{ ~ (PA IV, d, 24).Of course these interpretations of these anthors would violate the so-called ViIrttika-smrti ~~~ restricting the applicability of thesaid rule to the hymns and oblations (See Bhaga-SOIDeSvara, Nyiiya-slldha, Chowkhamba Ed., 1901-02, p. 471). In the Santiparvan ofthe Mahabhiirata (Critical Ed. Ch. 336) we find the description of aSatvatadharma (verses 31, 51, 78) which has god Nilrayal]a as supreme(dharma Nariiya,!apariitmaka~, verse 76) and has some affinity withthe Pilncariltra sect (verses 52 if.); and following which the staunchdevotees (ekilntina~, verse 1, 6. 57 etc.y are said to enter into Niiriiyal)a.(Niiriiya,!a'!l vaj punar iivisanti, verse 77).

The Gilil vulgate however reads m'il'(flifi¥mm 'Protector of theeternal dharma'. in the case of the Santiparvan also as in the pres-ent case, some MSS read sasvata~ for satvata!l.

3. Exjstmtiality etc. Here the passage may better be appreciated if wecompare it with \'fmSS'f"G:: f.l;'![r ~: etc. IPK, IV, i. 6; and

~ ~~: '!fT1Im '1~(f1 ~'lT .. ,.~1f WIil~ Wrl!lloll'-~ f<rn~lf(Il"tl'<l+i("tl~ '&iT Rh«I~I~~~~ .•• -.- - .•Ag. thereunder.

Bhagavadgitii with Gi tarthas aitgra h a ECho

4•. 4Cls 0/ emanation and absorption: According to the Isvaradvaya vaJaof the Pratyabhijiia school, ISvara is the real creator, susta'ner anddesroyer of the univ,"se and He is identical also with thc Jiva ofthe mundane life. Then does He continue to be the creator etc., ofthe world even at the Jiva-stage? The answer is that even at thatstage, He continues to be the creator of the worldy objects in sO faras He causes the obje;ts - that are within .• to appear without. Cf

G't<i o~Srq. Q1!1furr~+rT~:n'l.I~T~l1'(RI.qr"fir-;;8<rT ~1~6:~: I - JPK, T, vi, 7.

So it is usually concluded that even in the Jivavastha, the Self isengaged in the act of the creation wi th its limited power in the limi-ted field. (See PH under sUoI). Now, what about the Satvatas who haveestablished themselves in the Prakasa-Vimarsa 1 They do not be-have like the Samsarins. Ag. tells us here that they too are inevitablyengaged in the act of undertaking and rejecting certain things and thatthey however re~lise that these acts are nothing but the l:ivara's actsof creation and dissolution.

In fact what Ag. means seems to be this: The Satvatas viz., menof perfect knowledge, would take recourse to what is called Sambhavo-paya of the Pratyabhijiia system. It is said that the follower of thisSlrmbhavopaya should meditate that the paiica-k(lyas - from thesr~!i to taya - are going on even in his own Self; he should constantlymeditate that whatever he receives or undertakes is srsti and what-ever he rejects is taya, and so on; this would help th~' aspirant inachieving the Vikatpak~aya (Shlfking of all his differences from Si va)and rising to a higher state of Consciousness, finally leading to thePrafyabhijiili.

5. This Devlstotravivrti is obviously the same as the Devlstolravivaranareferred to uader 'VI, 30 above. This book is not now availabie.(See P,.ndey, p. 40). However we have a Devlstostra written byAnandavaradhana (of tho Dhl'a~yat(}ka fame 1). Maybe Ag. hadcommented on it. However it is not possible to know what Ag. couldhave written in his commentary.

6. Creative power: Cf. ;;rl1C>lq~<:'<R'~fl~ efr<tB; - Rk

7. Scorching this universe etc. cr. i!t:srffi<i~ttor ;:~fut!r~fir~ cr<rfcr -Rk.• ,

8. This vers,-actually a verse and half-does not seem to flow well inthe main stream of the chapter. Cf. 'Warriors of Yudhisthira' hereas against 'Chief warriors of ours' in verse 26 above. F~rther w:lT~ :sr~ in verse 34 below and Ag. 's comments on it seem to sug-

Xl] Noles 229

gest that Ag. himself would not have got with him the hemist:ch,i'ft\;;r«r Fril:Cil ~mt etc. Av. too does not comment upon this. Butwe are including the verse as the K.ed. has it and as Rk.comments on it. However Rk. is not unmindful of its spuriouness·Cf. his remark:

.•••.• ~~~: ~~T~ (~8tR ~ffirllT: ~;:cf ~:i ~icf~ .••.•.

~~a:if q¢f.q .....•

8A. See under II, 6 above.

9. Or Asat etc.: While taklDg asat in the sense of 'negation' and dis-cussing th~ sullject further, Ag. had perhaps in his mind the Nyayaliterature. Cf. <fff:, i'ifff; w~i>!liTI1fB:3fcr"fq' 3f.!ilmrRi" Nyaya-bhii~ya, IntroJ. And cr. ~cfr wrrOff<tl5f'ft.... '.m, H~ 5l+rrOf\<ui1i;il<f~err<i 'l'fRr como; i! li"q;:i 5lRri'tbT~;; >rRrJRTa - Nyiiyaviirttikathereunder.

9A. See Ag.'s ,)WO quotation under Ch. IX, 17-20 above and our notethereon.

10 011 acca/fllt .••.•• Self. Cf •

.....• :am+r<rt<rri:T"ffiq+!. .••..• <rG:r•••..• +rerr «f+!. 3m+rf.r tR;R;r'I,~l{~ <rtl1' i'if+rr~ mfrq;, ~ ll;iJ~q'aq 5l<.<la:r~qlf. - Rk.

11. Actions for attaining Me. Cf.

ll"'<'1ili'ifiiJ ••••.•• 9i+rTfUr'liitRr +r""f <!~lilf~err +r,,1fm~ - Rk.

12. This verse may be co:npared w;th Ag.'s own r"mark under XI, 35above. Cf. also the TU, where \\c are told that there are threevyiihrlis viz., bhiih, bluJVah, svah; that the forth one viz., mohairdenotes the Brah~an, the' Self:' that the former three represent th~three gods (Agai. Vayu and Ajitya), the three Vedas (the ~k. theSaman and the Yajusl, and the three vital airs (the Priil)a, the Apanaand the Vyana); and that they are augmented by what is indicatedby mahall denoting the Moon, the Brahman and the Food (all beingaspects ~f the Brahman); and that the person who contemplates (\nthis truth knows the Supreme and attains certain siddhis. See~~'l'l:!f!ftm'IT1l;ffirew Q~cr<r: etc. TU, I, iv.

Chapter Twelve

Arjuna said -Those devotees who, being constantly attached

[to You], worship You thus; and also those who[worship] the motionless1 Unmanifest - of these twowho are the best knowers of Yoga? (1)

Evarn etc. The question is for getting an explanationregarding tbe superiority among those who are the wor&hippersof the Absolute with Sovereign power, by the said method andthose who worship the Self alone [without any attribute]. (1)

The Bhagavat said-Those, who, causing their mind to enter well into

Me, and being permanently attached [to Me], andendowed with an extraordinary faith, worship Me-they are considered by Me to be the best among themasters of Yoga. z (2)

Mayi etc. Those are considered by Me to be the bestamong the masters of Yoga, whose act of entering into (fixingthe miild in)3 the Supreme Lordship is a spontaneous (unarti.fieial) act of becoming one with Him. By this [statement] asolemn declaration is made [by the Lord]. (2)

Those, who contemplate on the Unmanifest/Which is motionless, undefinable, all-pervading, un-thinkable, peaklike, unmoving and fixed; (3)

Who, by restraining properly the group of sense-organs, have equanimity at all stages, and find pleasurein the welfare of all beings - they attain nothing but~. ~

232 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasangraha [Cb.

[But] the trouble is much more for them, whohave their mind fixed on the Unmanifest; for the Un-manifest-goal is attained with difficulty by men, bearingbody. (5)

Ye tu etc. upto al'iipyate. On the other hand, tbose, whocontemplate on the Self as the motionless Brahmans - by themalso all the attributes of Absolute Lord are superimposed on theSelf - the attributes tbat are indicated by the adjectives 'omni-prescnt' etc. Therefore even the contemplators of the [attribute-less] Brahman reaeh nothing but Me, of course. However, thetrounle they undergo, is much more. For, they [first] superim-pose on the Self the octonary of attributes like absence-of-sinetc.,6 aIld then comtemplate on It. Thus, ""hile without anyeffort [on th~ part of the contemplator] the Lord is readily avail-able with th~ greatness due to the host of self-accomplishedattributes, these persons undergo two-fold trouble. (3-5)

On the other hand, those who, having renouncedall their actions in Me, have Me [alone] their goal; andrevere Me, meditating on Me by that Yoga alone,which admits no other elemenf but Me in it; (6)

Of them, having their mind completely enteredin Me, I become, before long, a redeemer from theocean of the death-cycle, 0 SOlI of Prtha ! (7)

[Hence], fix your mind on nothing but Me; causeyour thought to settle in Me. Thus resorting to thebest Yoga, you will dwell in Me alone. (8)

Ye tu etc. upto as/hital?-. Those who renounce all (allactions) in Me according to the instruction related above - ofthem I am the redeemer from all the affiictionsS like obstacles[on the way (0 real.isation] etc. The act of causing the mindto enter [into the Supreme] has been explained (under XII, 2above). Therefore, this alone is the highest form of Yoga,

, because it is natural. Hence [I have said) in my Hyrnn:sA

XII] Translation

'If, during [one's] concentration,reflectingwithhigh esteem and remaining in a [particular] pos-ture, and the best process (kara'}a),9 a person causesa certain awakening to shine forth, that is not theConsciousness of Yours (i.e. of the Goddess) thatrises up pnennially and flows with its own(unadultcrated) taste; for, here (in the former)too the presence of the triad 10 is distinctly felt.

On the other hand, when [glowing] withoutfuel; holding to it, independence; following horri-pilation, [bocily] shake and tears, [all] breakingforth spontaneously; and clearly assuming the in-difference [even] to the body; the awakening fireof Consciousness suddenly shines, on its ownaccord simul tancouslj; then alone, a Goddess, thatbody of Yours, the mighty Lord (Mahesa) is re-alised - a body \\hich i, devoid of [all] supports,'and which breaks the bondage of the dependent.'

233

And so on. (6-8)

In case you are not able to cause your mind toenter completely into Me, then, 0 Dhanafijaya! seekto attain Me 'by the practice-Yoga.ll (9)

Atha etc To cause the mind [to enter into the Lord] ishard to achieve without the descent of the Lord's Grace withgreater force, and withc)ur the favour of the revered preceptors,pleas~u [by services etc 1 for a considerable period of time.Hence, pr:tctice [is prescribed]. (9)

If you are incapable of doing a [steady] practice,then have, your chief aim, of performing actions forMe. Even by performing actions for Me, You shallattain success. (10)

Ahhyase'pi etc. The con"tant practice too becomesimpossible due to the predominance of the obstacles etc. In

234 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasai:lgraha [CI1.

that case, in order to eradicate them, you ShOllld performactions like worship, repetition [of the Lord's name etc.], reci-tatiun [of scriptures], offering oblations, etc. (10)

Now, if you are not capable of doing this too,then taking resort to My Yoga renounce the fruit of allaction, with your self (mind) subdued. (11)

Atka etc. In case dlle to ignorance, you do not know themethod, enjoined in the scriptures and hence you are not ableto perform actions for the Lord, then renounce (dedicate) allthatlZ to Me, through offering your own self [to Me].12A This isthe intention [here]. HoldlOg the same intention, I have myselfdeclared in the Laghuprakriyii13 as:

'Whatever action I have done, whether it isincomplete or superfluous, not properly understood,bereft of a proper order of precedence, devoid of(good] care, and full of slip of intellect;

o Lord of All! Please, with mer~y forgive allthese of me, the afflicted and foolish devotee ofYours; for You are compassionate;

With this prayer-Yoga, I offer myself to You[so that] I do not become a receptacle of miseriesagain unnecessarily.'

The same idea may be observed in the scriptural texts ofthe Siddhanta [system] - that have the Supreme Lord as theirsubject matter - while they speak of offering oneself [to theLord]. (11)

The same purport is summed up ~

For, knowledge is superior to practice; becauseof knowledge, meditation becomes pre-eminent; frommeditation issues the renunciation of fruits of actions;and to renunciation, peace remains next. (12)

xiI] Translation

Sreyalf etc. Knowledge in the form of entering into [theLord] is superior to practice;13A for practice bears that result.Due to the entering into the Lord, the meditation i e., gettingabsorbed in the Bhagavat, becomes pre-eminent i.e, attainssuperiority, because of the achievement of what is desired.When meditation i.e., getting absorbed in the Bhagavat isaccomplished, then it is possible to renounce fruits of actions.Otherwise how can there be a renunciation in what is unknown?13BWhen renunciation of fruits of actions is achieved, there arisesan uninterrupted peace. Therefore, being the root of all[these], the knowledge a'one. in the form of fixing the mind inthe Lord. is important. (12)

He, who is not a hater, [but] only a compa-ssionate friend of every being; who is free from tbesense of 'mine', and the sense ofT; who is even-minded in pain and pleasure and is endowed withforbearance; (13)

Who remains well-content and is a man of Yogaat all times; who is self-controlled and is firmly resolute;and who has offered to Me his mind and intellect - thatdevotee of Mine is dear to Me. (14)

Adve~ta etc. Santu~tlllf etc. [Friend/ : he who has friend-liness (or goodwill) i.e. unselfishness.14 In the same manner'compassionate'15 [is to be interpreted]. 'These are mine' etc •• isthe sence of 'mine' (or sense of possessiveness); 'I am generous','I am powerful', '1 am victorious' etc., is the sense of 'I' (oregotism). In whom these two are absent that man is free fromthe senses of 'mine' and of 'I'. Forbearance: a thought thatentertains no enmity even towards an enemy who has [actually}injured. A man of Yoga at all times : because his internal organremains completely quiet even at the stage of his mundanedealings. (1 3-14)

He, on account of whom the world does not getagitated; who too does not feel agitated on account of

236 Bhagavadgita WI t h Gltirt hasa ngraha [Ch.

the world; who is free from joy and impatience, fearand anxiety - he is dear to Me. (15)

He, who does not expect [anything]; who is pure,dexterous, unconcerned, untroubled; and who has re-nounced all his undertakings all around - that devoteeof Mine is dear to Me. (16)

He, who neither delights, nor hates, nor grieves,nor craves; who has renounced both the good and thebad results [of actions] and is full of devotion [to Me]-he is dear to Me. (17)

He, who feels alike to the foe and to the friendand also to honour and to dishonour; who feels alike tocold and to heat, to pleasure and to pain; who is totallyfree' from attachment; (18)

To whom blame and praise are equal; who issilent (does 110t over-speak) and is well content withone thing or other [that comes to him]; who has nofixed thought [in the mundane life]; who is [yet] steady-minded [in spiritual practice] and is full of devotion -that man is dear to Me. (19)

Those, who resort, as instructed above, to thisduty [conducive to] immortality,16 who have faith [init] and have Me alone their goal - those devotees areexceedingly dear to Me. (20)

Thus ends the TWELFTH CHAPTER inthe Holy Bhagavadgua.

Yasmat etc. up to Me priyai!. One who has /10 fixedthought: One who has no resolution,!7 [in his mundane life] like'This ttlnue must be done by me'. He, who enjoys, with con-

XII] 237

tentment,lS both pleasure and pain as they come, and has hismin:! cJmpletely absorbed in Suprme Lord - that per.-onhappily (or easily) attains the Supreme Isolation (Emancipa-tion) 19 (15-20)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS

Here is the Catch-verse:

A person who has the wealth of avesa (total absorption ofth~ mind in the Lord) tl,at has resulted from his loosing of him-self in the highest Joy-for him trere is, on its own accordand with no eft Ht, the Brahman Existence at all stages.

Thus ends the TWELFTH CHAPTER in the Huly

GiliJrthasangraha written by the revered Rajiinaka Abhinavagupta,

the best among the illustrious great

teachers of the Miihesvaras.

Notes

I. Motionless: Ago's ili!f<if+rlmm~ perhaps suggests that the vigrahahe intends is '" ~: ~,-ai('1f~) <R1l' ere.: I Cf. M:"+iT~~<!r'<!<R-~ffi+l:.- Rk.

o B,st amo:tg the masters of Yoga: ~ql1T:, found in the answer ofthe Lord may denote the Same as <i't<rf<trll1T: of the question ofArjuna.

3. Fixinl? the mind: Elsewhere Ag. connects the present Gitii verse withVII. 17. on the basis of nitya-yukta common in both; caUs this actof fixing the mind in the Lord as Samt;"esa-l'oga; and identifies itwith constant bhakti or devotion. Cf.

(m.rr) ~~, ~ '+r:OO<1 l'f;:ft ~ l1T+J.'~'<fi'f Wll~-

<i't?r'f ~'ffi:, f.rll'i '<! 11"(~1 ~'ffi: •••••••• ,

- IPVV, I, i, (lntlod. pp. 28-29).

238 BhagavadgWi with Gitirthasangraha ECho

4. Unmanifest etc. Taking into account :!t '<lT~l1o.!fffill; (verse 1) and<l1<XRfif~~'3l,\ (\erse 5),<af01Ai+f, has been taken here as vise~ya ornOlln and 31/lR11. etc •. visefal}as or adjectives.

5. Contemplate ..... Brahman: Or 'contemplate on motionlesQ Brahmanas the Self'.

6 Absense-()f-sin etc.: Here Ag. has obviously in his mind theUp:lDi~adic rassage:

t'('-f 3fr~1 3f'1li:er:rTt:<11f<r~) f<r~~fif~it f<rnf'9cmSlWrff:,,~'liIll:

<:r<:1l~<rq:- Ch,U. V III , i, 5,

ThiS prescribes ff!luft.:rr<:r;;. Here the adjectlves llke absence-or-sin(ar~<l!~) etc., are actually 10 the form of negations of attri-butes like sin etc. Yet, Ag. may be right in treating even thesenegations as Attributes i.e., negative attributes just as the absence-of-perceptability (adrsyatva) etc., had been taken elsewhere to beattributes (gul}asJ of the Absolute. Cf. 31~~<r(ifTf<mIl[-it O[~: -BS, I, ii. 21.

Here Ag. gives a bit of the problem of the concept of Absoluteaccording to the Kashmir Saivism as against the Vedantins. It maybe noted that accordIng to the Advaita Vedantins the Brahman to be.;ontemplated (~;;m) is Sagu!)a and the Brahman to be realised(~~) is Nirgul)a. Further, according to them, the personal andthe impersonal. the Saguna and the Nirguna, the Ksara and theAksara are opposed to one ~nother; and they believe th~t the Aksaraor Nirguna Brahman alone can be Supreme, and the Godhead ~ithHis attribute cannot be Supreme. On the other hand the Saiva.Absolutists hold that the Finite and Infinite are not opposed to ODeanother as far as the Absolute is concerned. It can be both always.It is aU. Whatever may be the case, it is to be accepted by all thatwithout upasanll the Brahman cannot be reaJised. Hence Ag. saySeven those who contemplate on the Nirguna have to aSsume attributesfirst on the Nirgul)a for the purpose of ~p;;sana; and that this is anadded difficulty for them, The difficulty of contemplation i$ com-mon to both the Sagu!)a and Ni rgu!)a schools.

7. Which admits nQ ()ther element etc. Cf. ~,3ff<r<q+rFl+f~RrR~-Qffi~ - Rk.

XII] Notes 239

The redeemer from all the afflictions etc. It may be seen that whilethe Gltii describes the Lord as the redeemer of men from the ocean ofthe death-cycle, Ag. describes Him as a redeemer of men from theafflictions of obstaeles, To avoid this discrepancy we may add ca inthe commentary and read - ~iITl'~>.il".

However it is not improbable that Ag. takes ~<:reT~m'1Uffitself in the sense of w.!i(ffM-"nF<i:iIi"iITl'~:, the \'igrah~s of therd

being respectively <a~r: <:rel\: 13l.1\oi ~1'<Tr~\1I''l:: i!r ~cr'f: iijl1Jf:,i!\qr m'T\: ~l<: , (1~(f'.f:,ff<;qjG; 'from that unsurpassable ocean ofthose (vil. the klesasi responsible for the recmrence of the Death:and '8"'li<ffT~'ifT;;r:r ~ ~m: i!\'l'<r: 'from all the affliction that are inthe form of obstacles', In giving this sort of round about way ofexplanation Ag. had been perhaps influenced by the YS, wherelSl'arapra(lidh'1ma 'making the Lord as motive of action' along withtapas and sl'iidhyii)'a is said to help the seeker in attenuating thenescience, egoism etc., that are called afflictions Iklesas), because theycause afflIctions by pUlting obstacles on the Yoga-path to the realisa-tion of the Lord. It is also the conclusion of the Yoga system that theUvarapral}idhiina can lead to emancipation, not directly, but onlythrough knowledge which it produces and which is the direct meansto emancipation. Cf.

(fq:~s~,r~ni!R1Fr fln<rr<Wr:'8"lilfa"\1T'l<fTtt: iii~\orr,*>.il" I

~S~(f!"T~Il!rfi:!~m: 1t<if:rrl: 1- YS, II, H.

The TV. also says that these klesas are the causes for repeated bIrthand death and hence are to be rooted out (II, 3). cr.

~q' ffil:fT<IT<r: (('[q:~Il:i~>i~&TifT~:) .•..••• ~ifTfurT~1

:fITifTWilor,;r m~..rr~~:ll:Rr rn;;;:r<cr: - TV, ll, 2.

8A. K C. Pandey (op. cit. p. 73) reports that he had seen an oldcollection of Ag.'s Slotras in the possession of a scholar in Kashmir.

9. The Astiiiigayoga system prescribes certain processes or karanas forcertain' specific attainments. Eg. cf ..

('['11M 'Iil,oT ~ etc. - HP, III, 78 etc.

Maybe Ag. means here these karal}as in general.

240 Bhagavadglta with Gltarthasailgraha [Ch.

10. The Iriad: i.e, the triad of the subject, the object and their con-necting link viz., ,he knowledge.

11. Thepractice-Yoga ('O{~<.fT~<ft'T:)is nothing but the practice itself('O{~<.fT~it <Tm:) as is it made clear in the next verse. Ag. seemsto think that when the natural means viz., aVeSa is not possible, thenone has to undertake its means. i.e. abhylisa. What Ag. actuallymeans by ahhyiisa is not clear. However, it is clear that he viewsabhyasa as means to achieve first the preceptor's favour and theGod's Grace and then the avesa. See below.

12. All thai: In fact "g. is not clear about what he means by lalsarvam'all that', while the GIla text clearly speaks of the renunciation ofthe fruit of all actions. However his quotation, that follows next,seems to indicate that his lal-sarvam denotes only actions. It maynoted that ~1flfiir 9i+rffiir of the 6th verse above is explained simply as~~l'I,by Ag. Thus in the present context Ag. does not speak of~~~-m;;r in this context. Why he should take a different viewis not clear. The YS in this context speaks only ](;varapral.lidhiina'dedication of all works to the Lord only'. cr. qcr:<mel1f<rmlln:l1~

fll;<rr<ft<r: - YS, II, 1. (See above note 8). It is only Vyasa who in-cludes, perhaps on the authority of the present verse in the Gila. therenunciation of the fruits of action too. Cf. ~~51fUr!:[J;f~~ort

'1\+mU'ftfoi ~~f 1fT - (YB, under II, I). Perhaps we haveto think that Ag. tries to include the idea of karma-Iyaga also andhe is not against the idea of karmaphalalyiilla of the Gila.

12A. Throullh offerillil yoar OWn self 10 Me: It is the gloss on 'taking resortto My Yoga' of the Gila.

13. For remarks on the Laghuprakriyii also called lallhvl Prakriya ofAg., see above Ch. IV, n. 25. It may be of interest to note that whilespeaking on the way of dedicating actions to the Lord, VacaspatiMisra quotes a similar verse that runs:

~W~ 'fTslit <Rf,Q ~11~11+I: I

ffif,;;r<f (q"j1.r ~ ~'fCll'~: ~ \I

- TV, under II, 1.

Cf. the expression mr ~lJ, of Ago's commentary with that occurs inhis quotation and in the above quotation of Vacaspati Misra.

XII] Notes 241

13A. Here too Ag. has not gi ven US to understand what is meant by 'prac-tice'. However his sentences at the end of the present chapter seem tosuggest this: According to Ag. the practice of the virtues enumeratedin verses, ( 13-20) next following, viz. ~I!T etc. helps theaspirant in getting the Lord's Grace and in causing his mind to enterinto Him. Perhaps Ag. is correct. If not, why should those virtues belisted all on a sudden in those eight verses 1 Indeed he who practisesthese virtues is stamped again and again by the Lord Himself as Hisvery dear devotee.

13B. Ag's argument here perhaps suggests that the renunciation of fruit ofaction prescribed in verse 11 above for persons, not capable of iiveia,abyasa or action, is not a total renunciation.

14. Primdliness i.e., unselfishness: Why should Ag. explain friendlinessor goodwiJIas 'unselfishness' in a negative way 1 It may be recalledthat both goodwill and compassion, that are mentioned in the presentverse, are found prescribed in the YS for the seeker for his practice,so that his mind may become pure and it may be capable of concen-tration. By cultivating a sense of friendliness, the mind is got ridof the dirt of envy. Cf. ~ ~ 'ft<f<m: t~ f.teImt~ - TV, under I, 33. Maybe Ag. has been influenced by theabove statement atleast to a certain extent, in taking friendliness ina negative way, Possibly he feels that goodwill is to be cultivatedby a seeker to such all extent that it cleans the mind of the dirt ofselfishness that is the root of envy also.

15. In the same manner compassionate; That is to say: ~: , 'liljllfT 'RT'l-~fQ~~~ ::IRl!, 'He, in whom there is no desire to injureothers, isa compassionate person'. Cf. ~ ...• ~:~m m~-~: 'RT<r"'I~r,.",1o(f<t,I~04~ Fffifij - TV, ibid.

16. Conducive to immortality: Cf. ~'<lror;!fl'l, ~ ~'I:~Rk.; ~, ~~lf~ - Saiikara,

17. One who has no resolution: Deriving from If + f.r + fij;Q'to dwell', aniketa is usually taken in the sense of 'a person 'havingno home of his own'. However, M. Williams derives il>rr from theroot flm, ("lff~:) 'to resolve' (.4 Skt. Eng. Diet. s.v.) while V.S.Apte derives it from fij;Q("~I~:) only, but recognises it in thesense of 'will'. 'intention' (Practical Skt. Eng. Diet, s.v.)

18, With contentment: All available versions read only <MT5lT$f%rrmU;~:lq'~~:. Here heviikitii is from heviika, of an origin,yet to be decided. It is from Marathi hevii 'ardent desire' accordingto M, Williams (op. cit. s.v.); and it is 'probably derived from

1152 - 16

242 Bhagavadglta with Gltarthasangraha [Ch.

Persian or Arabic' according to V.S. Apte, a scholar of Maharashlra(Op. cil. s.v.), But both of them agree thaI the word is not Sanskrit.While former gives reference from Some Jaina works (I), the lattercites references exclusively of works of Kashmirian writers, likeKalhana and Bilhana who seem to have used the word in the sense of'ardent desire'. Ag: too was a Kashmirian and it is likely that he tooused the word in the same sense. If that is correct then we may haveto render the passage under question as 'one who enjoys pleasureand pain with ardent desire, as and when it comes'. However. wehave preferred to correct the text into <MImea' and render it in adifferent way because the above passage <MI ••• l!"':m<r: seems to bean explanation of. the Gita: text, ~~ ~ t.:r Ra: and hencet<nl%cr<1T appears to be used in the sense of ~..g\ffl<lT. Or it mayrenderedas 'with zeal'. Cf. ~!ff'li~~<n, ~M-<il1~- Pt. Vis-vanatha Sastri Bhiiradviij's commentary under Bilhal)a's Vikramiitika-devacarita, XVIII, 101 (Banaras Hindu University Ed., 1964).

19, By ~i!'<!~ 'Supreme Isolation', Ag. seems to mean the same as~ 'Braman-Existence', which he speaks of in the followingCatch-verse. The adjective parama denotes 'that there is no returnfrom this Isolatioo' as in the case of the Jivas after the Mahaprala;ya(See Ag. under VII. 27 above). Here Ag. seems to bear in mind thelast sutra of the YS and the commentary thereon., Cf •

••• ~1fi!'<i ~>lfcrnT Fmr'ufui: - YS, IV, 34.•.• ~r ~~~I1<3'l:TNfa: ~~ ~f(r~ ~<il1,(ffll! ~ aten~;f ~i!'~ - YD, thereunder.

and

~ fu: ~sN ~lffl_ ~fui:, <r ~ l{t~~(f

- ~ - TV, thereunder.

Thus the influence of the Yoga literature on Ag. is qui,te discerniblehere too as we saw in other places of the present cahpter.

Chapter Thirteen

Somewhere in the scriptures it is heard that 'The Field-sensitizer must be worshipped'. Is He the sameas the Soul, orthe Lord or an altogether different third entity? On a doubt1regarding this problem -

The Bhagavat said :-

o son of Kunti 1 This [physical] body is called'Field' [and decayer-cum-protector); He, who sensitizesit - His knowers call Him properly as 'Field-sensi-tizer'. (l)

o descendant of Bharata! You should knowMe to be also the Field-sensitizer in the Fields of all.The knowledge of the Field and the Field-sensitizer-that knowledge is [in fact] the understanding of Me. (2)

The Bhagavat instructs-Idam etc. K~etTajjiam etc. Forpersons of wordly life their body is the KljetTa 'Field' where theseeds of action grow. That is why their personal Soul coveredwith incoming (or foreign, not-natural) dirt, is called Field-sensi-tizer. In the case of the enlightened persons, the self-same bodyis [again] the K~etra.But there is difference in etimological mean-ing viz: It decays2 the fetters of the result of action by meansof consuming [it]; and it protects [tbem] from the fear of birth-and-death [cycle]. With reference to these persons, the SupremeSoul, Vasudeva3 is tbe Field-sensitizer. He who sensitizes thisField: He who causes it to know. Here tbe root vid includeswithin itself, the meaning of the causal suffix "i. Therefore [themeaning is:] He, on account of Whose grace this insentient[body] attains the status of being sentient, He alone, and no oneelse, is the Field-sensitizer. But, the [only] difference is this :3&

Taking into consideration the aspect of limited pervasiveness,

244 Bhagavadglta with Gitarthasangraha ECho

He is taken to be Soul;4 and on account of [His] unlimitedpervasiveness in all the Fields, [He is called] the Supreme Soul,the Bhagavat Vasudeva. Of Me :the Sixth Case here is in theobjective sense. Hence the idea is: I may be known by meaOlof this knowledge. (1-2)

What that Field is and of what nature it is ; whyit modifies, whence and what; and who He (the Field-sensitizer) is; and of what nature He is; listen to [all]that from Me collectively. (3)

This has been sung many times by sages, and alsohas been clearly decided in the various Vedas in dif-ferent contexts6 by means of [their] words that are sug-gestive of the Brahman (i.e. in the Upanisads)6 and arefull of reasoning. (4)

Tat Klietram etc. lJliibhil; etc. Why it modifies: due to whatthis [Field] suffi:rs modification. Collectively: not at all sepa-rately (one by one). [The Bhagavat] decides all the questionsin a general way. Of course, many a time in many a way thisbas been declared by the seers and by the scriptures. But, letMe (the Bhagavat) explain this collectively (briefly). (3-4)

The [five]great elements, the Egotism. the Intel-lect, the Unmanifest, and also the ten organs and theoneT (organ and the) five objects of the sense-organs; (5)

The desire, the hatred. the pleasure, the pain, theaggregate,S the sensibility and the feeling of satisfaction(or self-command) : This, together with modification,is what is collectively called 'the Field, together withmodification'. (6)

M ahlibhutani etc. lcchii etc. The Unmanlfest: the [prime]material cause. The organs together with the mind, they areeleven in number. The objects of the sense - organs: the colouretc, that are fiVein number •. Sensibility : the perceivine energy

XIII] 'translation 245i.e. the Individual Soul. Feeling of satisfaction (or self-command):It is well known that at tbe last moment, wben a given action is[just] begun or accomplished and desire, anger etc. (comeup and accomplished) there arises - in the case o"f ever, onefrom Brabma (personal god) down to the worm-a feeling ofsatisfaction (or self-command) as 'This much is quite sufficientfor me; what is the use of another one? Let me always be in tbismanner' ,-a feeling which upholds one's life, and is in the formof consolation and which is called by the expression rliga9 in tbehighly secret commandments. (5-6)

The Field has been explained as above; so alsolO the Fleld-sensitizer. Now [what conduces to the tfue] knowledge is men-tioned as-

Absence of pride; absence of hypocricy; harm-lessness; patience; uprightness; service to the preceptor;purity [of mind and body]; steadfastness; self-control; (7)

Absence of desire for sense-objects; and alsoabsence of egotism; pondering over the evils of birtp.,death, old age, sickness and sorrow; (8)

Non-attachment; detachment towards [one's]children, wives, houses and the like; and a constantequal-mindedness on the occurrence of the desirableand the undesirable things; (9)

And an unfailing devotion towards Me, with theYoga of non-difference; resorting to solitary place;distaste for a crowd of people; (10)

Constancy in the Self-knowledge; and viewingthings for knowing the Reality-all this is declared tobe [conducive to or manifesting] true knowledgell, andwhat is opposed to this is (conducive to or manifesting]wrong knowledge. (11)

246 Bhagavadglti with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

Amanitvam etc. up to anyatha. [Devotion] with the Yoga ofnon-difference etc.: a conviction, 'There exists nothing else diffe-rent from the Mighty Lord, tbe Supreme Soul,' - a conviction,which allows no difference and is itself a Yoga, i.e. a devotion inthe form of this conviction. Hence this never fails. For, eitherthe desires that are considered to be causes for failure are absent,or those desires which are of the form of mind-modifications,are completely absorbed in Him alone. The above may be bornein mind in all [other] cases too. What is opposed to this isf conducive to] wrong knowledge: such as pride and others. (7-11)

That which is to b, known by this knowledge is described[as] -

I shall describe that which is to be known, byknowing which one attains freedom from death: begin-.ningless is the Supreme Brahman; It is said to beneither existent nor non-existent. (12)

It has hands and feet of all,12has eyes, heads andfaces of aU, has ears of all in the world; It remainsenveloping all. (13)

It causes all the sense-qualities to shine;l" [yet] Itis without any sense-organ; It is unattached, yet all-supporting; It is free from the Strands, yet enjoys theStrands. (14)

It is without and within every being and is unmov-ing and yet moving too; due to Its subtle nature It isincomprehensible; It exists far away, yet near It is. (15)

It remains undistinguishedu (common) in the dis-tinguished [beings], and appears as if distinguished. Itis to be known as the supporter of beings, and also asIt4eir] swallower and originator. (16)

XIII] fransla tion, 241This is the Light even of [all} the lights, [and} is

stated to be beyond darkness; It is to be known by [theabove} knowledge; It is to be attained [only] by know-ledge; and It distinctly remains15 in the heart of all. (17)

Jneyam etc. upto vi~fhilam. Beginningless is Ihe SupremeBrahman' by means of tbe attributes (descriptions) like these,[the Bhagavat} describes tbe Brahman as being not separate fromtbe Supreme Consciousness '(or action) expressed in every utte·rance and [tbus] gracing [the seeker] to infer his (or Its) ownnature. Tbese attributes however have already been explained.Hence what is the use of a fruitless repetition? (12-17)

This feld as well as the knowledge and what isto be known, all are mentioned collectively; clearlyunderstanding this, My devotee becomes worthy of Mystate. (18)

Elal etc. He, who understands this triad of the Field, theknowledge and what is to be known-he alone is a devotee ofMine; and he attains My state. (18)

After making this definition, the same is now examinedas -

Both the Material Cause and the Soul too arebeginingless, you should know this; you should alsoknow that the modifications and Strands are born ofthe Material Cause. (19)

In creating [the process of] cause-and-effect, theMaterial Cause is said to be the basis; and in experien-cing pleasure and pain, the Soul is said to be thebasis, (20)

, For, the Soul, seated on the Material Cause, enjoysthe Strands born of the Material Cause; His attachmentto the Strands is the cause for his births in the good and

','e'lil wombs, ' (21)

Bhagavadglti with Gltarthasailgraha tCh.

The Supreme Soul in this [corporeal] bady iscalled the Spectator, the Assentor, the Support€r, theExperiencer, the Mighty Lord and also the SupremeSelf. (22)

Prokrtim etc. upto por4. The Material Cause also isbeginningless, because it has no other cause. Modifications: thecloth and the like. What.is known as Material Cause is the basisfor the process of cause-and-effect. But, the Soul, because ofIts importance, constitutes the enjoyer. [Thus] the MaterialCause and the Soul have verily an existence of interdependencejust as that of the lame anJ the blind.16 Hence, the nature of theSoul is described by the authors of the scriptures by nomenclatureshaving different forms such as 'the Spectator' and so on. Themeaning, intended here is this: The Material Cause, Its modifi-cations," the fourteen types of creation and also the Soul- thisis all beginningless and perennial as it is completely illuminatedby the category Brahman and is identical with it. (19-22)

Hence [the Bhagavat] said:

He who knows, in this manner, the Soul and theMaterial Cause together with Strands - he is not bornagain, even though he behaves in different ways. (23)

Ya evam etc. A men of Yoga who knows the Material'Cause, the Soul, the Strands and their modifications in this man-ner i.e., by means of this above mentioned Brahman-perceptionwhich is in the form 'All are identical with It' - he is certainlyemancipated eventhough he behaves in different ways i.e .• inwhatever manner [he chooses].

[However] by means of meditation, certain persons(Yogis) perceive the Self as the Selfu in the self ltheheart etc.); others by the knowledge-Yoga; and othersby the action-Yoga. (24)

But others, who have no knowledge of this nature,listen from others and practise reflection [accordingly]

Translation 249

they too, being devoted to what they have heard, docross over death. (25)

Dhylinena etc., Anye etc. A knowledge of thi~ sort is themain." [For this end] some practise religious meditation of theSelf as Self; others [try] by means of the Slinkhya (knowledge)mentioned already (Ch. V, Sff), while still others [strive] throughaction. Still others, bent upon hearing [from the preceptorsetc.] practise the reliaious meditation as they have heard, eventhough they do not themselves know, (have) the knowledge of thiskind. They too cross over the death, i.e., the cycle of birth anddeath. What is conveyed here is this: The category Bhagavat,if mentally reflceted upon by one means or the other, does trans-port across [the ocean of death circle]. Therefore, let oneremain in this fashion by all means. (24-25)

Whatever Iiving being is born, stationary or mov-ing, you should know that all this has a close connectionwith the Field and the Field-sensitizer. 0 the best ofthe Bharatas ! (26)

Yavat etc. Whatever is a thing, whether moving or un.moving - all this is born not as something altogether differentfrom the Field and the Field-sensi tizer .20 (26)

Whosoever perceives the Supreme Lord as abidingand as non-perishing in all beings alike'. while theyperish - he perceives properly. (27)

Therefore -

Whosoever, perceiving the Lord as abiding in allalike, does not harm the Self by the self - he attains, onthat account, the Supreme Goal. (28)

Samam etc. A man of Yoga, who's thought is on what isequal in one and all, does not harm the Self i.e., does not fellthe Self down in the ocean of the cycl. [or birth and death],.difficult to cross over. (28)

250 Bhagavadglta with Gltarthasangraha [Ch.

Whosoever views all actions as being performed(or all objects as being created), indeed by the MaterialCausell itself and at the same time views his own Selfas non-performer (or non-creator) - he views prowperly. (29)

Prakrtya etc. He whose firm conviction is of this nature'The Material Cause alone performs (or creates) tbis; I do noth-ing' - he, though he performs (or creates) all, does not perform(or create) anything (in fact]. In this manner. is the absence ofdoership in him. (29)

Or-

When he perceives the [mutualJ difference ofbeings as abiding in One, and its expansion from Thatalone, at that time he becomes the Brahman. (30)

Because This is beginnillgless, and becauseThis has no qualities, this Supreme Self is changelessand It neither acts, nor gets stained [by actions}, even-though It dwells in the body, 0 son of Kunt;:! (31)

Just as the aU-pervading Ether is not stainedbecause of its subtleness, in the same fashion the Self,abiding in the body everywhere, is not stained. (32)

Yadii etc. UplO na upalipyate. When (a man of Yoga]perceives the mutual di:ffierence i.e., separateness of all beings(all mutually dIfferent beings) in the very Self on account of Itsall pervasive nature and realises the said difference as havingsprung up from the Self alone - even then he does not get anystain. For [in that case] he would be the creator (or performer)of all. For, he is none but the Supreme Self; and though resiwding in the body, he is not stained just as the Eather is [notstaincd]. (30-32)

XIII] Translation :iSl

Just as a single sun illumines this entire world, soalso the Lord-of-the-Field illumines the entire Field,o descendant of Bharata ! (33)

Yathli etc. But, how is it that a single Supreme Selfpervades many a Field? This doubt has been removed by thewell known example, the sun. The entire Field: It mean. ,[all]the movable and immovable Fields. (33)

Those who thus understand, with the knowledge-eye, the inner SouP: of the Field and the Field-sensitizerand also the deliverance from the Material Cause of theelements - they attain the Supreme. (34)

Thus ends the THIRTEENTH CHAPTERin the Holy Bhagavadgitii.

K~etra-etc. Thus: What has been said in the presentchapter viz. that which is to be known by the knowledge;the knowledge itself; the distinction between tbe Field andField - sensitizer; and the deliverance from thc Ma terialCause of elements, because of its insignificant changing nature -those who perceive all this by means of superworldly eye-of-knowledge, nowhere blocked, they attain the state of Visudeva,(all pervasiveness) and do lain the Supreme Siva. (34)

MAY THERE BE PROSPERITY!Here is the Catch·verse-

This is the Soul; this is tbe Material Cause - this [ideaof] difference is only in the case of persons with mind totallydeluded. On the other ha.nd, the well accomplished ones(Yogins) consider the [entire] universe as manifestation of thespotless Se If.

Thus ends the THIRTEENTH CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgitiirthasangraha written by the revered R'iiJlinaka

Abhinavagupta, the best among the great teachers of theMiihesvaras.

llhagavadgita with Gitiirthasailgraha.

Notes

tCh.

1. A doubt: But this doubt does not appear to be quite natural in thepresent context. Yet, this introduction of Ag. to this chapter seemsto suggest that most probably he too did not read the passage:

3l"olif '3'lfRf -

~ffi.~1i'-i ~If ~<a'~~~ 'fi I~f<@;fir'ii81fir ~1;:f ~<i 'fi ~l(IIf II

A verse which is often found at the beginning of the chapter, but notcommented upon by Satikara, Rk. etc.

2. It decays, etc.: Cf. Ag., also under Ch. I, I above. The wordk~etram is however usually derived from the root k~i 'to dwell' and'to go'. (!l~: fa.:r:, ~'\ - U. IV, 159). But Cf.

~mC'( ~lllJT<:r~,~, ~llJTf\., ~~l ~;; ~~il:~ - Satikara in this context;

and..•..• fldoTIRram+TF'fm:m, ?IIRr a- ~ ...•.• amtSN ~+I:-Dhanapati's Bhii~Yotkar~adipik"ii on the above.

3. Viisudeva: Here this name is significant; It denotes the AbsoluteWhich dwells (<mfcr) everywhere and in which everything dwells.

Cf.

~?II~ ~~ "l" lf~~fcr ~ <Rr: 1<:rffisffi' 'l1~Rr ~: qR~ II

Or. the name signifies that Supreme, shining in the pure internal

organ: i.e. lf~ ~~:i6\Qj >f.Iilmf; Ult ~ (PA, IV, ii, 92) - See

VS, under AK, I, i, 20•

.A. While writing vite~as ta etc. Ag. has in his mind perhaps the lengthydiscussion of Saokara in this context explaining the apparent samsiirainspite of the oneness of the ktetrajna in all the ktetras.

4. He is taken to be Soul: Here the passage •••• ,q\111(lf[ •••• ~ 1I;'f ~

orr..<r:l;fifl;r<:r ••• qR~<b~qifj~~Rrltl~ etc. of Ag. maybe compar'ed with observation of Satikara who elsewhere quotingthe present Gitii verse remarks: CR ~lf anoo ~~~~qj~f'l:

'"qfij'i;g~~: mm ~~~ - See under BS, I, ii, 6.

5. in different contextl : cr•.'l~, ~~if - Rk.

XlII) Notes 253

6. In the Upani~ads: Cf. ~~~ ~l'!FTt ~, ~~ ~_Rk.

7. The one: i.e., the manas 'the mind'.

8. The aggregate: Cf. ~\'ll:~<rr~: Wmr: - Rk.

9. Raga: This term in the Kashmir Sai va Ii terature is used in thesense of one of the five kaiicukas of the Maya on account of whichthere is limitation in desire. See TA, IX, 199-200 and commentarythereon.

10. So also etc. : I.e. dealt with in XIII, 2 and 3.

II. Conducive knowledge: Cf. ~;rllrfu 3!Rfi~FlT~ - Sankara.

12. It has of all: Cf. ~ ~~ <rrf.r '1ll\1r{tf.r1{;~J <rrfit~:",1>rr?{tf.r~"tf.s\<rrfor mf.r ~ ~~: - Rk.

13. Caum .....• to shine: Cf. <rrf.r..•..• ~fOr ~t m<><;:l~![lil~(i!T<;<iT It ~l1fT: ~ 3f'flire<lfu - Rk.

14. Undistinguished etc. Cf. ~~!i lf\~!i ~ ~~-fq<\Ic+t~~<1~li'mllJ 3ff~'1ij, - Rk.

15. Distinctly remains: cr. M-m<:fli. ••••••• ~Q<rT M'm Wm+J.. - Rk.

16. Interdependence just as that of the lame and the blind. Cf.

~ ..••..... 51~

~Er![~li~ ~: - SK,21.

17. Modification etc. For the modifications of the Material Cause and forthe fourteen births see above III, 14 and IX. 12 respectively.

18. This rendering is according to Rlc.

19. Main: i.e. the main and the means to cross over samsllra, or thechief means to attain the said knowledge ..

20. See the Tippanr on the commentary. Ag.'s statement here may be betterappreciated ir'one bears in mind the interpretation offered by Saiikarafor the third quarter of the present GIta verse. That teacher in ter-prets that whatever is born whether movable or immovable-all isborn due to mutual superimposition (sQlnyoga) of the Field, the objectof perception, and Field-sensitizer, the perceiver. Ag. is a master ofDhvani and hence in a very subtle way he points out that there is no

254 Bhagavadgltii with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

question of such a superimposition. For. both the entities understudy are basically one as it has been already stated in many placeslike Ch. VII, 3~5etc.

21. Hereinafter in this chapter Material Cause may better denote theMaterial Nature of the Absolute mentioned in Ch, VII. 4 above.

22. Inner Soul: See the rippa~ion the commentary here.

Chapter Fourteen

The Bhagavat said:

Further, once again I shall explain the supremeknowledge, the best among the knowledges, by knowingwhich aU the seers have gone from here to the SupremeSuccess. (1)

Param etc. Knowledge has been described earlier; thesame I sha,ll again explain thorougbly, i.e., in detail in order toexamine individually the nature of the Strands. By knowillgwhich etc.: By this [the Bhagavat] proclaims the tested trust-worthiness and the popularity of this knowledge. (1)

Holding on to this knowledge, they have attainedthe state of having attributes common with Me; [and]they are neither born even at the time of creation [ofthe world], nor do they come to grief at the time ofdissolution [of it]. (2)

[dam etc. Vyathanti: The suffix tip (Personal Termination,Third person, Singular) is due to Vedism.1 The same may bestated in other [similar] instances of the suffixes of Case Termi.nations and Personal Terminations. (2)

Now to begin with, [the Bhagavat] speaks of the sequencein the cycle of birth and death. For, if what is to beabandoned is understood along with its cause then it is easy toabandon that:-

The mighty Brahman is a womb for Me; and inThat llay seed; therefrom is the birth of all beings, 0descendant of Bharata ! (3)

256 Bbagavatgitii with Gltirthasangraba [Ch.

Mama etc. For Me: [for Me] Who am of the nature ofthe inexplicable Supreme Bliss, the mighty Brahman: theBrahman that is identical with My own energy, allowing expan-sion [of all in It]. Taking hold of just Myown energy of Self-consciousness,2 I cause the beginningless tiny [individual] Soulsto pass through the cyele of birth and death by way offavouring them. (3)

Therefore -

o son of Kunti ! Whatever manifestations springup in all the wombs, of them the mighty Brahman is thewomb and I am the father laying the seed. (4)

Sarvayoni~u etc. In all the wombs (whatever gives birth toanything), the expansive Energy of the Bhagavat exi;ts as theprime cause; and hence It is the Mother having the innate natureof giving birth to the entire world process. But I am the Father,the Enereetic, the Inexplicable. (4)

The Strands, viz. the Sattva, the Rajas and theTamas, born from the Prime Cause (the said Mother),bind the changeless Embodied (Soul) to the body, 0mighty-armed One! . (5)

Sattvam etc. This embodied Soul is bound fast by Her (theMother) by means of Her attributes of the Sattva, the Rajas andthe Tamas for the former's enjoyment that continues till hisemancipation. (5)

The nature of these is detailed one by one-

Among them (the Strands) the Sattva-because itis dirtless-is illuminating and healthy; and it binds[the Embodied] by attachment to happiness and also byattachment to knowledge, 0 sinless onel (6)

You should know that the Rajas is of the natureof deSIreand is a source of craving - attachment; and it

XIV] Translation 257

binds the embodied by the attachment to action, 0 sonof Kunti ! (7)

But, you should [also] know that the Tamas isborn of ignorance and is a deluder of all the Em-bodied; it binds [them] by negligence, laziness andsleep, 0 descendant of Bharata! (8)

Tatra etc. upto Bharata. The Sattva is dirt less. [Sourceof craving-attachment]: that from which the attachment ofcraving springs up. Negligence: wasting the human birthwhich is difficult to get, but got by means of hundreds ofmerits accumulated for a very long period, and which is the solemeans for attaining emancipation. That has been also said -

, 3Not even a single moment of life is gained by[spending] all the gems. [Hence], he, who wastesit, is a man of negligence and is the lowest of men'.4

Laziness: i.e., in doing good deeds. Sleep: being poor totallyi.e. a contemptible course. (6-8)

o descendant of Bharata! The Sattva fuUy domi-nates [the Embodied] in the field of happiness; theRajas in action; but the Tamas also totaUy dominatesin the field of negligence, by veiling knowledge. (9)

o descendant of Bharata! The Sattva increasesby overpowering the Rajas and the Tamas; the Rajas[increases by overpowering] the Sattva and the Tamas;and the Tamas does likewise [by overpowering] theSatLvaand the Rajas. (10)

Sattvam etc. Raja1} etc. Dominates fully i.e. sets [to work].The Sattva :flourishes by overpowering the Rajas and theTamas. But, the Rajas [flourishes by overpowering] boththe Sattva and the Tamas; and the Tamas [does so by overpower-ing] both the Sattva and the Rajas. That bas been stated:

'The Strands augment by overpowering each other'.5 (9-10)

952 - 17

258 Bhagavadgitii with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

When the knowledge-light arises in all the gatesin this body, then one should also know that the Sattvahas increased predominantly. (11)

Greed, exertion, undertaking of actions, unrest,and craving-these are born when the Rajas increasespredominantly, 0 chief of the Bharatas ! (12)

Absence of [mental] illumination, non-exertion,negligence and mere delusion - these are born whenthe Tamas is on the increase predominantly, 0 darlingof the Kurus! (13)

Sana-ete. upto Kurunandana. Tn all the gates: in all thesense-organs. Greed etc., are born in succession when theRajas dominates. Similarly, absence of mental illumination andso on arise in succession only at the time of the increase of theTamas. (11-13)

But, if the body-bearer dies at the time whenSattva is on the increase, then he attains to the spotlessworlds of those, who know the Highest. (14)

By meeting death when the Raj~s [is on theincrease], he is born among those who are attached toaction; likewise meeting death when the Tamas [is onthe increase], he isborn in the wombs of the deluded. (15)

Yada etc. Rajasi etc. When the Sattva is predomi-nantly on the increase on account of ince&santly practisingactions of the Sattva throughout the entire life- at that [time]having met dissolution [of body], one attains the auspiciousworlds. Likewise whosoever bas practised throughout his life theactivities of the Rajas, he, by his [last] journey attains manhoodfor mix.ed enjoyment. Likewise: i.e. in the same order, ifone practises action of the Tamas alone by one's entire life, then[on his death] he is reborn in the bodies of the hell, of theanimals, of the trees and so on.

XIV] Translation 259

Those, who explain [the passage under study to the effect]:'These results [are for him in whom] the Sa ttva etc., havepredominantly increased only at the time of death' - thesecomJllentators have not correctly entered into (grasped) thebehaviour of the embodied. For, nothing but delusion arises,by all m,~ans at the last moment,6 without exception in thecase of one and all. However, with regard to our explanation[given above] these passages and other verses (Ch. VIII, 5ff)speak.in one voice. (14-15)

The fruit of good action, they say, is spotless andis of the Sattva; but the fruit of the Rajas is pain, andthe fruit of the Tamas is ignorance. (16)

From the Sattva arises wisdom; from the Rajasonly greed; and from the Tamas arise negligence, delu-sion and also ignorance. (17)

Those who are established in the Sattva, goupward; the presons given to the, Rajas, remain in themiddle [state]; those who are given to the Tamas, beingestablished in the tendencies of bad qualities, godownwards. (18)

When the Perceiver (the Self)finds no agentother than the Strands, and realises That which isbeyond the Strands, then he attains My state. (19)

Transcending these three Strands, of which thebody [etc.r is born, the Embodied (the Soul), beingfreed from birth, death, old age and sorrow, attainsimmortality. (20)

Karmatlah etc. upto asnute. Here, there are certainunconnected verses that have been concocted.s They are of thenature of repetition, and hence they have to be necessarilyrejected. A mode of life transcending these Strands turn to benothing but emancipation. (16-20)

260 Bhagavadglta with Gital'thasangraha [Ch.

Arjuna said-o Master! with what characteristic marks does

he, who has transcended these three Strands, exist?Of what behaviour is he? And, how does be passbevond these three Strands? (21)

Kai1J etc. But, if be has a body then how could he havetranscended the Strands? He lives certainly in one wayor other witb some mental modification, which is necessarilyone among the three Strands. With this intention Arjuna raisesthe question.9 (21)

Now [by way of giving] answer-

The Bhagavat said -o son of PaJ:).Q.u! He does neither abhor nor crave

for illumination, and exertion, and delusion too, as andwhen they arise or cease to be. (22)

Prakasam etc. Of course the illumination etc., do existin all as their respective attributive marks. Yet, the men ofYoga do not rejoice in these illumination etc. Nor do they haveany hatred [for them]. On the other hand, contemplating'These exist as attributes merely of the body; and they are notcapable of disturbing me.', these persons transcend theStrands. (22)

Hence [the Bhagavat] says -

He who, sitting like an unconcerned person, isnot perturbed by the Strands; who is ignorant that theStrands exist; (or who remain simply aware that theStrands [alone] exist); who is not shaken; (23)

To whom pain, pleasure and sleeplo are alike; towhom a clod, a stone and a lump of gold are alike; towhom both the pleasant and the unpleasant things are

XIV] Translation 261

equal; who is firm [in mind]; to whom blame andpersonal commendation are equal; (24)

Who remains equal to honour and to dishonour,and equal to the sides of [both] the friend and the foe;and who has given up all fruits of his initiatives - he issaid to have transcended the Strands. (25)

Udlisinavad etc. upto ucyate. He, who is ignorant i.e., hewho does not distinguish [even the existence and nonexistenceof the Strands) - he alone is wise, because of his ~orrect know-ledge. That is why he is not shaken i.e., he does not fan fromhis own nature. The means in this regard is the firm conviction:'The exertion that [is found in my body etc.] is nothing but theinnate nature of the body, the sense-organs etc.; and I amunconcerned with any fruit [of any action].' (23-25)

Whosoever serves Me alone with an unfailing de-votion- Yoga, he, transcending these Strands, turns tobe the Brahman. (26)

Mli1p co etc. By this [verse the Lord] teaches the basicmeans. Here the word co has been used in the sense of affir-mation in exclusion of all other things. [So the meaning is]:'He, who serves Me exclusively'. Hence, craving for fruits etc.[of action), whosoever takes hold of that fruit as his principalaim, but Me (the Supreme) as a subsidiary one-he is excluded bythis interpretation. Because the devotion of this person is notunfailing. For, he has consideration for fruit [alone). On Itheother hand, he who does not entertain any desire for any fruit;who, even when questioned [bYsomebody as) 'Why do you under.take this disagreeable (foolish) act?' would give reply by silencealone, shedding tears that roll on his both the eyes wide open,and having shake in body and bodily hair thrilled-[all] due tohis internal organ, agitated on account of being struck by theincessant devotion towards the Bhagavat-it should be born inmind that this person alone, not anybody else, is purified by theunfailing devotion which is [nothing but] the foremost Energyll(Grace) of the Bhagavat, the Supreme Lord. (26)

262 Bhagavadgitii with Gltarthasailgraha [Ch.

'I' is the place of support for the immortal andchangeless Brahman and for [Its] eternal attribute, theunalloyed Happiness. (27)

Thus ends the FOURTEENTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagavadgita.

Brahmal1a1J cle. It is '1' who is the support of the Brah-man. [For], one becomes the [very] Brahman, if '1' is served[by him]. Otherwise if the Brahman is contemplated on - becauseIts nature is like that of the insentient (i.e., simply a being)-thenit leads him (the seeker) to an emancipation which would simplybe undistinguished from the deep sleep stage12 (27)

MA Y THER'E BE HAPPINESS!

Here is the Catch-verse.

The ascetic, in whom the confusion due to egotism hasdisappeared because of the frenzy of his taste in the glowingdevotion-he has transcended the strands and remains equaleven when he stands in the midst of trampling of the strands,13

Thus ends the FOURTEENTH CHAPTER in the HolyGitarthasangraha written by the revered Riijanaka

Abhinavagupta, the best among the greatteachers of the Miihesvaras.

Notes

1. Due,to Vedism: or 'due to metrical need'. This remark is due to thearchaic form o~iJ in Parasmaipada, instead of the gramluaticaliycorrect form ~ in Atmanepada.

2. According to the Pratyabhijiia School, this Self-conciousness hastwo aspects viz. knowledge (jnlina) and creative energy (kriya),which are responsible for the world process. Cf.

XIV] Notes 263

"'1'1~'f>'l'1~ am +rr~~+i:, ~ ~1fr!rmIT ~: ~~11~ ~ m:~ ~ I Sf.lll~~iiT ~; ~cr~1".-><jI~1 ~: i%<rr, m~Sf.lllU:-

- Ag. under PK, I, viii. 11.

Further according to this system. the creation ('r~!i), sustenance(sthiti) and destruction (sa~iira) of the universe depend on the lawof Karma while the obscuration (tirodhana) and the grace (anugraha)depend entirely on the will of the Absolute. The tirodhana is thesame as the Absolute's appearing in the form of the innumerablelimited embodied Selves who are ignorant of their identity with theSupreme Self. On account of this limitedness of them, these embodiedSelves are called AlJu 'tiny', Cf.

~~~ ~~ finm ~,Cl,ij«ll~<tl~'iiil-.i «"~"l+l'-1I"".J: II

- TA, IX, 205 (See also Jayaratha thereunder).Ag. says that the Lord causes the limited Selves to pass through thecycle of birth and death for the purpose of gracing them.

3. This verse with the fourth quarter ~: ~ is found in theanthologies like (1) the Siiktiratnakara, attributed to Kaliogaraja(Trivandrum, 1938, p. 189. verse 22); (2) the Subha~itasudhllnidhi ofSayaqa (Dharwar 1968. p. 180, verse 17). For this subha~ita versewith olher variations see (1) Vallabhadeva's S"bha~itllvali (Bombay,1886, p. 543. No. 33-7) and (2) the Moh/isubha~itasoizgraho compiledby S.B. Nair, Vol. III (Hoshiarpur. 1977, p.1244, nos. 5159--l60). Thelast mentioned authority identifies the verse in question with theYogoyasiUha. VI, 175-76.

4. Here Band N add four verses occuring in the Bhllllavota Purl!lJo andthey do not seem to be quotations by Ag. himself. Because

i) he has not been found - as far as I can see - quoting from theBhiigovoto PuralJo, Dot only in the present work, but also in hisother works; and

ill these verses are not found in the Sarada MS which is theearliest of available MSS (See also .4BORI, XV. p. 248), andthese are not recorded in the K too.

5. The source of this quotation is difficult to identify. Maybe this is aq~otation-by-idea (~~:) of

~M-'l'f[»I~-~~ ~urr: - SK. 12;

64

and

Bhagavadgiti with Gitarthasangraha

~fqq~: [~l:] - STK. thereunder.

[Ch.

6. Last moment etc. What Ag. has got to say in this regard he hasclearly stated elsewhere as ;

~ ~'11<r~ lSlc+rTu~ <m;:rr<r"l"ICf:I

cm:~ l1:'f a<\l~ <f ~~l 'l'{<rRr II

9il:'llTar~5l+ftfS[:l;l!f(f;rl~; ~<:l'li~ \;il"~":I+r.tg~;;rrf.rm-li(l: m:~~l~ m.r: II

u 'fj~ ~lt URr ;r "l"~q~ +r)~sf'1 I+r\"l~ I!1Rf 'f 'ii<fi[~ '®"fflCf~l1IO!ffo\II

- PS. 93-95.

7. Strands of which the body etc. Cf.

mm:~ql~ CfRarCfl:iif Qli~~Cfll'fI'fl: ~~'fl:-Rk.

8. Concocted: It is not clear which verses Ag. has in his mind in thiscontext. Belvalkar records no extra verses here. Rk. has commentedupon all these verses and hence they are included by us in thisedition. But, the fact is that Ag. glosses only on verse 20 and thatthe verses 16-19 are more or less repetitive in nature. Is it notimprobable that Ag. held them to be interpolated? However, hehimself has elsewherebeautifully summarised the contents of verses 15and 18 as :

<ro U~ ~ S'L 31<iR~s~~ I~~<iR: 'Iilf~: II

- TA. XXVIII, 326-27.

9. Roires question: i.e., the third question. In fact this is the basicquestion. For. the other two questions-though they have been raisedfirst-depend on the third question. The idea of the question isthis; The behaviour of the person in question is well within therealm of the Strands, and hence it can only indicate that he is under,the influence of the Strands and not that he has transcended them.How can the behaviour and other marks of a drunkard indicate thathe has transcended the influence of liquor? Indeed, Ag. is stt;ikinglyoriginal and apt here. In the same vein, it may be added, the fourthquarter of the verse purports this: As long as one has body, how canfirst of all, he transcend the Strands?

XIV] Notes 265

10. Pain, pleasu" and sleep: Cf. ~:~ij{~ ~ <:1;f:l:l'<:'lCl+lI"l.'C1"i 8'W:Rk.

11. Foremost Energy: Here Ag. obviously means what is known asSaktipata.

12. It is interesting to Dote that elsewhere quoting the present verse, Ag.interprets aham of this verse in the sense of 'Self-consciousness',otherwise called as vimorSa in the school of Kashmir Saivism; and hetakes It to be the resting house of the Supreme Bliss and the Brahmanof the nature of 'Being or existence'. cr.

13. Thus the answer to the question raised under verSe 21 above isgiven.

Chapter Fifteen

The Bhagavat said-

[The scriptures] speak of a non-perishing holyFig-tree, which has root1 that is high (or above) andbranches that are low (or below) and of which the[Vedic] hymns are the leaves-he who knows this(Tree) is the knower of the Vedas; (1)

Of which (Tree) the branches, spreading down-ward and upward, well developed with Strands, havesense objects as sprouts; also below in the human worldare Its roots, stretching successively, having actions fortheir sub-knots. (2)

Urdhva-mUlam etc. Adhcn ca etc. In other scripturaltexts2 it is declared 'All is the holy Fig-tree; tha t alone is to bemeditated upon.' The present verse tells us this: What is inten-ded by that declaration is only the religious meditation of theBrahman, the Bhagavat. Root: the ·one with a highly tranquilnature.3 That is high (above): Because it can be attained byhim alone who has withdrawn himself from every other [lower]thing·3A The [Vedic] hymns are the leaves [of it] etc.: Just as thegirth, height, the fruits and the taste etc. of a tree are indicatedby its leaves, in the same fashion the idea of the Brahman-beingis through the scriptures that are included in the 'Vedic hymns'.4This is what is narrated here. With Strands: i.e., with the Sattvaetc. Well developed: i.e., starling from gods down to the stationaryones. Of this tree, the roots, that are below, are the good andbad actioos. (1-2)

The nature of this is not perceivd in that manner,nor its end, nor its beginning and nor its centre (themiddle). Cutting this holy Fig-tree - with its firmly and

268 Bhagavadglti with GItii.rthasai1graha [Ch.

variedly grown roots - by means of the sharp (or strong)axe of non-attachment; (3)

Then that Abode must be sought, having reachedWhich one would not return. [The Yogin] would attainnothing but that Primal Person from Whom the oldactivity (world creation) commences. (4)

Those who are rid of pride and delusion; have putdown the evils of attachment; remain constantly intheir own nature of the Self; have their desires com-pletely departed; and are fully liberated from the pairsknown as pleasures and pains-these undeluded mengo to that changeless Abode. (5)

Na rupam., up to avyaya'1'l tat. Cutting this [tree] etc. Herethe action [of cutting] mentioned with regard to the qualified one[viz .. the tree] appropriates for itself, the place (or word) of

.qualification [viz. the root below], just as in the case of theinjunction: 'Let the man-with-stick recite the Prai,a hymns.'sBy this way [we get the meaning]: 'Let him cut off the rootsthat are grown below. That Abode: The absolutely TranquilOne. The changeless Abode is nothing but That. (3-5)

The sun does not illumine That; nor the moonand nor the fire; That is My Abode Supreme, havinggone to Which they (Yogins) never return. (6)

Na tat etc. There is no scope for the sun etc., in [illumining]That. For, they are conditioned by time etc., because they areobjects of knowledge, [and] because they are the helpers of thesense organs. On the other hand, That [Absolute] is unrest-ricted by space, time etc. It is the knower, the one inducer ofthe sense organs and also the one transcending them. (6)

. A portion just of My own Self, having becomethe eternal individual Soul in the world of the living

XV} Translation 269

ones, draws [into service] the sense organs, ofwhich the sixth is the mind, and which rest in thePrakrti.· (7)

Mama etc, The individual Soul iy a portion just of theBrahman only: Because, due to the attribute (or, nature) viz.,the nescience, the Self does not realise Its all pervasiveness andbecause the Consciousness is also not absent, It is figurativelYreferred to as pnrtion [of the Brahman]. For, a real appor-tioning is not possible [in the Absolute}. For the scripture alsosays :7

'In the case of the Brahman (the Absolute), even theparticular manifestation (or a particular space) doesnot preclude Its all-comprehensive nature'.

This figurative usage may be resorted to wherever required.Hence there is no foom for any difference of opinion. (7)

Whatsoever body he attains to and also fromwhatsoever He goes up, the Lord proceeds taking themwith Him just as the wind takes odours from theirreceptacle. (8)

Sar1.rametc. Attains to : seizes. Goes up: abandons alongwith them. Just as the wind, going everywhere reaches an abodeof rest m:'lde of earth and carrying away thence an odour entersjust with that into another place, in the same way does the in-dividual Soul together with the octad of cities.s (8)

So far the association of the individual Soul with them(the sense organs etc.) at both the stages of creation and of with·drawal has been described. Now it is being decided that It actsonly in association with them even at tbe stage of existencewhich cDnsis'ts of acts like standing, sitting, contemplating etc.and which is a stage of receiving objects-

Presiding over the ear, the eye, the touch-sensethe taste-sense and also the smell-sense and the mind,He enjoys the sense objects. (9)

270 Bhagavadglta with Gltirthasangraha [Ch.

The deluded do not perceive; [but] the men ofknowledge-eye do see Him, as He dwells or rises up orenjoys what is endowed with Strands. (10)

The exerting men of Yoga perceive Him dwellingin the Self. [But] the unintelligent men with theiruncontrolled self do not perceive Him, even thoughthey exert. (11)

Srotram etc. upto acetasal1. Mind: the internal organ ishereby implied. Hence, due to His association of the bodilyexistence, when He rerna ins [in the body], or rises up to seizeanother body, or enjoys the sense objects - at that time tbedeluded penons do not perceive Him, because they are not wellenligbt.ened. But, considering everything as manifestat.ion (Ifthe [Self] awareness, the higbly enlightened men recognize Him.Thus they are men of unbroken cont~mplation. Becliuse theyare engrossed in their exertion.

But in the case of those who have not mastered their self(mind), even their effort does not yield any fruit, became theirpassion has not yet been fuIly decayed. Indeed the seeds ofcorn, sown during the autumnal season are not capable of yield-ing a rich harvest, even though the means like water etc., getcollected togethero Tberefore, it (the water etc.) does not cons-titute a collection of means. Indeed totally different is thewater Sent forth by the mass of clouds that had been filled up inthe month of Madhu 10 Altogether different is the earth thath:td been under the grip of the Cold-season (Sisira)lJ and has(now) brilliance by ~he simple touch of the sun-rays. In thesame way. the effort of the men of uncontrolled self, never getsto tJC ~tageOof fulfilment of aU requisiteso That is why thosewho, eV<in after r-eceiving the means like the inititation etc.necessary for the realisatiol1 of the Supreme L(\rd, continue tohave their inner vision filled with the collection of the knots(granthi) of anger, bewilderment etc., in the manner as before -in°t!leir case, even the means does never bear any fruit. Thismust be borne in mind. For, it has been said:

XV] Translation 271

'When anger etc., are seen, then even the initiatedone never gets emancipation'. (9-11)

That light which is found in the sun, which is inthe moon, and which is [also] in the fire - all illuminat-ing the entire world - know that light to be of Mine. (12)

And penetrating the earth I support [all] beingswith [My] energy; being the sapful moon, I nourish allplants. (13)

Being the digestive fire dwelling within the bodyof living creatures, and being in association with theupward and downward winds [of the body], I digestthe four kinds offood.I' (14)

Yad iJditya-etc. upto caturl'idham. While clarifying therole [of the Lord] as the Creator, Sustainer and Destroyer - arole that has been indicated in the Tenth Chapter!3 - by [thedescription of Him as identical with) the triple luminories likethe sun etc., our venerable preceptor has rightly said: Thepresent passage declares that the power, the pentad of elementshas [both] collectively and individually, to sustain the world, isthe Absolute power of the Bhagavat Himself. For instance: Thesunlight has the pow"r of illumining and sustaining, because thetwin elements of the fire and the earth are one [with theBhagavat]. This has been stated by the twin hemistitches '[Thatlight] which is found in the sun etc.' and 'And by penetratingthe earth etc.' The moon-light is illumining and nourishingbecause of its association of the elements of tile earth, the waterand the fire [with the Bhagavat]. That has been stated by theportion '[That light] which is in the moon' and by the hemistitch'Being the sapful moon I nourish all plants'. The light offire is. however, of the nature of illumining, parching, burning,sweating and ripening (or cooking). It is 'So because of thea~sociation of the elements, the earth, the water, tbe fire andthe wind [with the BhagavRt). The same has heen said here bythe portion, '[That light] which is in the fire' and also by the

212 Bhagavadg1tii with Gitirtl1as!ngraha [Ch.

[entire vel's,] 'I, being the digestive fire etco' But the[clement] ether is no doubt a1l pervasive (inclusive), because itis of the form of room which is nothing but awareness. (12-14)

Therefore, having so far explained the nature [of theAbsolute Self] as the object of knowledge, n6w, with a view toshow the Self to be conscious of the freedom that remains as abackground (or substratum) of that very nature of object ofknowledge; to be of transcending nature; to be the SupremeLord; to be independent in al1 knowledges; and to be theCreator of all; [the Lord] says -

Iam entered (the Self-couciousness is felt) in theheart of all; from Me (this Self-consciousness) comethe faculty of memory, the faculty of knowing, andalso the facuIty of differentiating; none but Me is to beknown by means of all the Vedas and I am alonethe author of the final part of the Vedas and also theauthor of the Vedas themselves. (15)

Sarvasya etc.14 The heart (core) of all objects is theAwareness which has the freedom of drawing in all [beingswithin itself]. In it exists [as identical with it] the I-conscious-ness. From This are born (1) the faculty ofknowing,15 which isillumining anything new - a faculty which is (hence) in the formthe mighty creation of the universe; (2) the faculty of differen-tiating,1SA like fancying 'This is nothing but a pot', whichfancying is in essence a sort of limiting Its status of beingeverything; which is suitable for the perceiver, full-of-I\1usionin the form of creating a bonded Soul; and (3) also the facultyof remembrance which is the faculty of reilluminating what hasbeen reduced to mental impression and has been [thus] with-drawn.16 These [threeJ17 are inclusive of all [sorts of] knowledge.Thus [the Lord's primary] doership, which is nothing but thesovereignty of WillIS and which presupposes His ominscience,has been tllught [hi this verse here] ..

By means of all [the Vedas] etc.: Indeed nothing, but theSupreme Lord is to be explained and proved by all the scrip-

XV] Tran,]ation 273

tures. (The description of the Lord] as the author 0 f the Vedasand the ends of the Vedas (lJpani~a(b) amQunt> to ,ay thls:-The Bhagavat alone has got the sovereign freedom in creatingthe entire universe, through the medium for the actions, theirresults, their [mutual] connections etc.,19 and in re.estabhshingit on His (or its) own nature afti:r rooting ir OUI. Thus theLord's creatorship with regard to the universe is explaIned.

Others say: The word apohanam denotes tbe faculty ofexcluding (viz), 'This results from this non· performance.'[Again Ved&1ntalcrt] means: 'He effects the final part oftk Vedas'i.e. by absorbing th.lm into Himself. Similarly [with] 'theVedas't{'lo. (15)

There are two persons in the world, the pedsh-ing and the nonperishing: the perishing i~ all ele-ments; [and] the peak-like Oneil is called the nonperish-ing. (.i 6)

But the High~5t Person, distinct [from both this]is spoken of as the Supreme Self, which, being thechangeless Lord, sustains the triad of the world byentering into it. (17)

Because, I have transcended the perishing andalso the nonperishing, therefore I am acclaimed inthe world as well as in th~ Veda as the Highest ofpersons. (18)

Dviiv imau etc. upto Purull0trama1:!. What bas been statedin the passage "There are two persons in th..Jworld etc.», i~ this:The body organism is made Qf the earth and other elements. Inthe w;Jrld every person, unintelligent by nature, takes tbe bodyfor the Self and [hencel views the Soul to be of perishing nature.Hence, ttie sense of duality does not come to an end with legardto the worldly persons, because of their delusion. But I am(the I-consciousness is) the One favouring all, and by cuttin's!the duality-knot I am to be realised as the One p~rvading all.

952 - 18

274 BhagavaJgi!i.i with Gitarthasangraha ECho

[I] have Irallfcended the puishing: Since the elements areinsentient. [f] have transcended the nonperishing: Since theomnipresence [of Ih~ Self] is Cllt off (not comprehended) whenthe Self is nul properly realised. In lhe world and in the Veda tooI am acclaimed as the Highest of Persons: The self sameSupreme Self, admitting no duality, is described in this mannerwith the sentences 'He is the Highest Per,on' and the like. (16-18)

He, who, being not'deluded, thus knows Me asthe Highest of persons - he knows aU and serves Mewith his entire being, 0 descendant of Bharata ! (19)

Yo miim ete. He, who knows Me thus i.e., he who medi-tates exclusively on Me a~ identical with al1, and to be the veryBrahman - he realises all to be identica 1with Me and adores (orexperiences) Me alone with his entire being viz., his form. actionand thought. [That is to say], whatever he perceives, he experi-ences it as the form of Ihe Bhagavat; and so on. Hence [it hasbeen said] by myself (Ag.) in Ibe Sivasaktyavinabhavastotra11 as:

o MOlher (Goddess)! Our praise to You isunusual one: 21A All (uttering) sounds constituteYour body indeed; in my entire body and in all[my] mental and external activities there is Yourassociation.

o Siva, 0 Alleviator of what is inauspicious!When I fully contemplate in tbis manner, then ithas been accomplished in the world, without anyeIfort [of mine], that for me there is indeed noteven a small fraction oftime withol!t praise, recita-tion [of hymns], worship and contemplation [ofYours]. (19)

Thus the most secret scripture has been taught byMe, 0 sinless one; by understanding this, let a manbecome wise and also become one who has accompli-shed what requires to be accomplished, 0 descendantof Bharata ! (20)

XVJ Tr;,nsla tion

Thus ends the FIFTEENTH CHAPTER in theHoly Bhagal'lidgila.

275

[ti etc. The most secrel [scripture): Becau\e it explains theoneness of all. One b~comes a man of wisdom by knowing thisonly and not by the knowledge of worldly affairs. One becomesa man of ,uccess22 by just understanding this, aJ1d lIot even bythe deeds like the total victory over the foes, earning wealth,enjoying women and so on. The word ca 'also' indicates awonder. Has it not been witnessed that [always] one becomes aman of success by what has been accomplished? But it is strangethat [in the present case one becomes a man of success) by justwhat has been realised.

The word Iii 'thus' indicates the conclusion of thetreatise.23 For, what is to be taught has come to an end com-pletely. That is Why in the Sixteenth Chapter the eligibility ofthe pupil, Arjuna, is exclusively dealt with; and nothing new istaught. The intention [of that chapter] is to &ayonly tbismuch; 'The divine wealth is just of that nature; but the devi-lish wealth born of illusion is of this nature; you (Arjuna) arehowever endowed with the divine wealth of wisdom'. Hence[the Lord] is going to say 'Don't worry. [You are endowed]with the divine wealth' (XVI, 5). That is why earlier in thecontext of explaining the clash between the wisdom. and igno-rance this has been indicated [by me (Ag.)]:24 'It is the confront-ation between the wisdom and ignorance that has been detailedunder the pretext of [describing] the wars between the gods anddevils.' So, while dealing essentially with the quality ofapupil, other subjects are mentioned incidentally. So also thepair of chapters (Ch. XVII & XVIII) would follow. But theteaching [proper] has come to an end completely here itself. Forwhat is to be acb.ieved is !lothing but serving (attaining) theAbsolute Lord-the serving,. which is of the nature of totalabsorption into Him by one's entire being, All other things areonly to achieve this end. This has been explained earlier.The Supreme Happiness is indeed nothing but a complete absorp-tion into the Sup~eme L~rd by one's entire being. (20)

MA Y THERE' BE HAPPINESS 1

276 Bhagav"dgilii with Gilirtbasangraha [Ch.

Here is the Catch-ver.e :

Forsaking the mighty delusion of duality and raising theConsch)Usness (or the funeral pile or sacrificial altar} of theBrahman, the sage would enter into It even at the time of hismundane activity.

Thus ends tbe FIFTEENTH CHI\PTER in the HolyGitllrthasangraha written by the revered Rt1jiinaka Abhinavagupta,

the best among the itIustrious greatteachers of the Mihesvaras.

Notes

1. Holy Fig tree which has root etc. Cf. a{lff'lffl~ i3'iS~6;r: ~~<nit ~ fq~ '(The Brahman) is the bowl with its mouthbelow and bottom up' etc, - BU, II, ii, 3.

2. In other scriplural tex/J etc. cr. i3'it;~Slflili8Tlif tNts~: ~: ...~ ern:. - KU, VI. i. and Sankara's gloss thereunder. cr. also ~V.1,24,7.

3. The one With a highly tranquil Ilature. I.e. the S'ivatattva, whichaccording to the Pratyabhijiia system is completely tranquil and isthe root of all the other Tattvas.

3A. Because it call be allailled '" thing: How the word urdhva couldyield this idea is. a bit difficult to decide. The Sabdakalpadrumaderives the word from ut +hii+ 4a (suffix). Bowever Ago's gloss appearsto suggest a derivation from ul +h<l (to rejectJ+va{l (to go or to attain)by applying the rule ~~~ (PA, VI, iii, 109). The ideais this: The root of the Samsara-tree is attained by means of higherand nobler acts, rejecting attachment for lower fruits. This root isdifferent from the roots which, as mentioned in the next verse, arebelow and are in the form the good and bad actions. Cf. i:lib<f~:

TU, I, X; and i:liS~, ~Rui Q'~ ~ •.• Sankara thereon; and ~.;.

lfTfir;rr 6it;~ ~~trVi'~ ~ ••• >llI ~ •••• ~.<lmt - Acyuta Kr~qananda Tirtha thereunder.

XV) Notes 277

4. The idea of the Brahman .... Vedic hymns. Cf. l!Iref<lf~ 'BeCause thescripture is the means of right knowledge of the Brahma;'. BS. It i, 3and the commentaries thereon.

5. In a grauta. ritual, a priest designated MaitriivarulJa is expected totake hold of a stick and to recite certain hymns called Prajsas. In thegiven injunction he is referred to as dandt 'man with stick'. Becausethis priest is already known from othcr ~~urces, the word daIJ41in thegiven injunction does not enjoin the man-with-stick, but the attributeonly viz., the stick. Cf,

'~~ ~qr~' ~Rrf.r~~ ~ ~crrilW '\~'\!i'1i1l4d I<lpitq"«f,fN:.m~Mfl:TRmr:, Qcrr;frlf$f~: I

- Sabara-Bhii~ ya III, i, 12.

6. Here 'Prakrti' denotc~ the Material Nature of the Absolute mentionedabove VU:4.

7. The scripture also says: What is given in the sequel is found in thegloss under Bharlfhari's Viikyapadlya. Brahmak'ii1!4a. verse 9. Therethe text is: am ~ ~fq" '3IT§: - (~SfH'~llIf: '-:1lq~"'I<l'1~'"

~c:r!l{'~. Hence Sruti of Ag. may have to be taken in thesense of 'the conclusion of the Srutis' and not in the. sense of 'ASruti passage'. cr. also: liFi~CR<l•.••• qRf08Vl~~I<><i'l~~?ISJtr~-m ~ftf - Sankara under BS, I, ii, 7.

8. Octado! cities: viz., the six items mentioned above and the intellectand the ego - all ruled oyer by the individual Soul. It may be notedthat the previous GIla verse speaks here only a hexad. Howeverprakrtjsth'ii"i there may indicate all the eight, enumerated in ChIVn,4.

9. Hence: That is to say, because he presides over the internal organ •

.10. Madhu: the month Caitra i.e., the April-May season. The beliefisthat the clouds, that get filled up with water in this perfod. rain inthe Sisira season.

11. SiSira: the season comprisina the Maaba-Phaillulla months i.e., theFebruary-April seaSOn.

278 Bllagavad~iti with Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

12. The four kinds of food are bhak~ya (to be bitten), bhojya (to beeaten), lehya (to be licked), and co~ya (to be sucked).

13. Cf. A.go'sconcluding remarks under Ch. X. verse 42

14. To understand this Gita verse in the light of the Sai va Absoluti!ttheory and Abhinavagupta's interpretation thereon, it is good to bearin mind a few important points on which the said school has huiltup its epistemology. The writers of the school maintain that thephenomena of knowledge are nothing but the power of self-manifes-tation of Consciousness (<.tM-\'!. or ~S~:) affected by the varietyof manifestations brought about by the subject itself which is of thenature of prakiUa and vimarsa. In its former aspect It is the back-ground or substratum of the physical images of the objects. In itsvimarsa aspect, It is capable of knowing Itself in different states andforms.

The said \'if.\cr has three powers or aspects viz • (1) the jiiana-saki! or the power'of knowing; (2) the smfli-!akl! or the power ofremembering; and (3) the apohana-§akti or the power of differentiat-ing. Without these three aspects, the entire phenomenal life cannotbe explained logically. Further, though these powers are in theembodied Soul, they. in the final analysis, exist together in theSupreme Lord. All these ideas have been made clear elsewhere. Cf .

•. • •. , •.•••• ;n:~:liDIf.rWmr: I

;r ~~;q:~~ ~~: I

~~<lt~~11- IPK, I, iii. 6-1.

Cf. also Q"lI' ~~ ~ ~ •••••• ~ ~ ~ €r.t €r.t cr~ OfI'ITm-,<m:m-, ~q<:fftr ~ I W'\1l'1I'<l14UI-

~~Rr: >IIUI:i4i1lr;,«~>Ia I;off.! f.rm, Cf.{[j'q 'R.lfRm;r ~ ~QT II

- Ag. in the same context.

The second item that is to be taken into account is the Abhisa-va:da ofthe school, with which the above theories of epistemology areclosely connected. The Saiva Absolutists show that there are twotypes of relations existing between the subject and the object, the oneis in between the knower and the known and the other is in between thecause and the effect. Of these two, the latt\lr. in fact. depends onthe former. cr.

XV] Notes 279

~ ~~l.ttr tR+rrW:, ~T;:r~lq;;ntH, i6T~::w.:urm '" I (f~ ~~.... . . ~q'l: '3'li'iR 'Ri<J'l{Tllf'ilT<l~ll; I

- Ag. in Introduction to IPK, II, iii.

We have already seen that knowledge is nothing but theI-concious-ness i.e., f.l+df:, which is being affected by the variety of manifest a-tions that are brought about by the subject. Further, the objects haveno existence independent of the subject. Again. the Saiva absolutistsmaintain that the awareness 'This is blue' and 'This blue I know' isnothing but the Self-awareness only. cr. also Ag. undeI IPK, I, v, 14:etc.

The Abhiisaviidin argues' That the Consciousness shines has beenaccepted on all hands. If It illumines only Itself, It cannot illuminethe object. On the other hand. if the light of object belongs to theobject alone, then the object cannot be perceived. Therefore. hewho accepts the Consciousness as an illuminator of the objects shouldnecessarily accept tbat the objects too are included within the COilS-clousness. If the illumination or light is different in different objectsthen no proper coordination (a{i.!~m;r)through remembrance of allobjects - which is usually found - would be possible. Cf .

. . . . •• •••am: a{~ll''fiTm ~f.i<::flro8qr iffil~msN Q'i\CfRI1fQ'

(~~~q~Q') Q;<rrWmQl;f: I ~ ~3f.mft ~ :ar-<l'q'<~li'i,

(iq, ;r ~llf'l: :a-qq;;j'+l,(~l:'l"@:~~if[C\) ~q: ~ ~rm;~!fT'l{ ~<if ~Ire: ~~: - Ag. under IPK, I, iii. 7.

15. The faculty of knowing etc. Cf.

......~~~ ~'l: am:;rN f~;;rr~l{(~~)'3l1<;rf.!'~~ 'liRiil:!fItf (f~;;rr'fi'[i)~a: (aR\':ti(ffl~~Tm-

~(fJ 'iJ~ (~~) '3l1>{T~ ~T~ I ~ :jlT;r~~:-B~ .

15A. The faculty of differentiating etc.: Cf.

<l:'l{(iq•..;:pi I1T~fcr,~W 'fl, (iq,~: ~I ~ qr~-

'lfu mr, ~"4+r<i ~~ •••... i3i{t'fiT<R.- <f'l{ f%qr (iq, ~

Q'q ~ AA8<::Rl, ~ (iq:, ~ ~~Ta:, ~ oq

mrqrn ~Rr I ;r oq Wo~ ~d': ~~lffcr~fcr~~-!fm~~ ••••••• m>iI~,,~,••.Jll;~:- ibid.

280 Bhagavadgita with Gitirthasangraba [Cb.

16. The faculty of remembrance ..•.. witlldrawn: Cf.

~~ arrl11~ a.!~'if '1f\t ~ ~&:1l;f1J~('I',\'Rll' <rn',~lli

~, i'fa:.~<cRSj'q- '3{~ ~+rqff (frn:II{<7~~ Cff~~

'RTl!uffr ~cjjrn~fcrofu;: - ibid.

J7. These three etc. Cf. aF/'I' U~O'f i\t~ ~<:T: [~:] 1-ibid.

18. Sovereignty of will etc. cr. also

FrFcr: ~!f+lufu:n' .~1<:lo?<{4<:l"tiIil<i q~~ <ro11Cil'f: II -IPK, I, v, 13.

and'.<Tl~+r~ ;;nc{~~j'q- '9

quoted from the Ajat!apramiitrsiddili in the PH, under Sutra 20.

From the above it may be observed that Ag. here, under the presentGIla verse, tries to bring in what be has said under IPK, I. iii, 6-7.quoted above in note 14,

19. Freedom in crearing collnectiolZs etc. For, all these are mentionedin the Vedas proper. Cf.

~ ~ ~: sr~!fTa:. etc. (BS, J.iii,28);

~ S! ~<r'Jit ~mi'f" (BS, III. ii, 41)

and Saakara's discussion thereunder.

20. peak-like One. cr. q~afu~ f.Mi;qi'f~ ~: ~: - Rk.

21. Sivasaktyavinl1bhiivaulJtra: According to K.C. Pandey. (01'. cit. p. 41)tbis Hymn is not available now and the present instance is the onlyreferenCe to this work. '

21A. Or 0 Mother I There is not a single thing [in me] that is not [consti.tuting] Your praise!

22. f!~l. lit, 'the state of being one who has accomplished what isto be accomplished'.

23. Here the following lengthy discussion of Ag, is perhaps aimed atSankara and also perhaps. Rk. according to whom slistra of thepresent Glta verse denotes the subject matter of the present 15thchapter only.

24. See Ag,'s own int~oduction,tp q.is Gita commentary.

Chapter Sixteen

It has been stated [at the end of the last chapter] that 'byunderstanding thi,' etc. The thing called 'understanding' comesto be [in tbe following] manner ~ After the knowledge, bornfrom hearing [the scriptures etc.], there arises a thought-processconsisting of the logical analysis, deliberation and deep medita-tion that take tbe form 'This (what i3 taught in the scripturesetc.) is like this'. The above thought-process! is of the natureof investigation, clitical examination and judgement. Fromthis thought-process one gajn~ a good knowledge of a well prac-tised form i.e., a contemplation of that object, free from thehumiliation (influence) of different category. When this isgained, understanding is achieved Hence, it will be declared:

'By critically examining in tbis way fully, act asyou please'. (Ch. XVIII, 63).

Here, only the preceptor and the scripture are mainlycapable of creating the scriptural knowledge. But in producingreasoning, deliberation and meditation the main cause is thecapacity to examine critically a thing and it is a special attributeof the pupil and it is an important one. Then'fore, witb an ideathat this is in Arjuna and with an intention to add a preparatorynote to the purposeful statement 'By criticalJy exnmining this,[act as you please]'; the Bhagavat, the Preceptor, says 'Fearless-ness etc.'

The Ignorance, born of the Tamas (Strand) occupies tbedevilish side. This is repelled (or removed) by the well augmen-ted wisdom that takes hold of the divine part. This is thenature of things [under question] 'You (Arjuna) have takenrefuge in the divine part viz., wisdom, born of the Sattva(Strand). Therefore shirking off the internal Ignorance in thenature of delusion, you should undertake the a\;tion, that hasthe sanction of the scriptures and that is of the nature of eradi-

952 - 19

282 Bhag~vadgita wit h Gitanhasailgraha [Ch;

eating the external foe having the furm of ignorance.' Thuscommence~ the [present] chapter. Hence-

The Bhagavat said:Fearlessness, complete purity of the Sattva, stead-

fastness in knowledge-Yoga, charity, and self-restraintand [Vedic] sacrifice, recitation of scriptures,IA auste-rity, uprightness; (1)

Harmlessness, truth, absence of anger, renuncia-tion, absence of attachment, absence of calumny, com-passion to living beings, and absence of greed, gentle-ness, modesty, absence of thoughtlessness; (2)

Vital power, forgiveness, fortitude, contentment,absence of treachery and absence of excessive pride -these are in the person who is born for divine wealth,'o descendant of Bharata ! (3)

Ostentation, arrogance, pride, anger, and alsoharshness, and ignorance, are in the person born forthe demoniac wealth, 0 son of PrtM ! (4)

The divine wealth is meant for total emancipa-tion and the demoniac one is meant for complete bon-dage. Grieve not, 0 son of palJ.Q.u. For the divinewealth you are born (5)

•. Abhayam etc., upto Pii1}qma. These are the identificationmarks of a person of divine parts. [Hence] they are clearlyidentified. Self· restraint : subduing the sense organs. Thought-lessness: the perfarmance of action without examining theantecedent and the sequel; its abEence is the absence of thought-lessness. Viral power: the act of casting away [all) limitationsby taking hold energy in the Self. [All] this is the divine wealthand this is for your total emancipation, as it destroys craving.Therefore, dvn't get sorrow like 'Having killed brothers etc.,

XVI] TranslatIOn 283

how can I (Arjuoa) enjoy pleasure?' [The idea of] the rest[of passage] IS clear (:-5)

There are two types of creations of beings in thisworld [viz.] the divine and also the demoniac. Thedivine one has been properly described in detail; hear[now] the demoniac one from Me, 0 son of Prtha! (6)

DVQU etc. This divine wealth has been descrited [by tbepassagt] 'Fearlessness' etc. (6)

Now the demoniac [wealth], He describes:

. The demoniac men do not know the ongm andthe withdrawal; neither purity, nor good conduct, nortruth does exist in them. (7)

Pravrttim etc. Origin: i.e. wherefrom this [universe] isborn. Withdrawal: i.e. into what this gets dissolved. (7)

They say that this world is without truth; has nobasis; and has no Lord; this is born not on the basisof the mutual cause-and-effect-relation [of the thingsJ8;it has nothing [beyond] and has no cause. (8)

Asatyam etc. [It] has nothing beyond: Here there h noother thing beyond what is seen. (8)

Clinging to this view, the inauspcious men of theruined Souls, of the poor intellect, and of the crueldeeds, strive3A for the destruction of the world. (9)

Holding to their insatiable de~ire; being possessedby hypocricy. avarice, and pride; and holding evilintention, these cruel men wander with impure re-solve. (10)

Adhering to their anxiety that is ultimited andmay end only at the time of dissolution; viewing the

284 Bl1agavadgila with Gitirtbasailgraha [Cb.

gratification of their desires alone as their highest goal;ascertaining that this much alone exists; (II)

Being bound by hundreds of ropes of longing;and being devoted to their desire and anger, they seek,by unjust means, hoards with wealth, for the purposeof the gratification of their desires. (12)

Etiim etc upto arthlJsancayam: Their anxiety ends onlyat the time of d'~solution i.e. ncver ceases, betause the rise anddissolution never end.3B lhis much a/vile: For thtm the highestgoal to be achieved is but the gratificalic,n of desires, And whenthi~ (aim) i~ just ruined. there arises unger Hence the LordS.1YS 'Devoted to tbeir craving and anger'. (9-]2)

'This has been gained by me to-day; this objectof my desire I shall attain in future; tbis is mine [now];and this wealth also shall be mine [soon]' ; (13)

'That enemy has been slain by me; and I shallslay others also; I am the lord; J am a man of enjoy-ment; I am successful, mighty and happy' ; (14)

'I am rich; I am of noble birth; who else is equalto me? I shall perform sacrifices; I shall give gifts;and I sball rejoice'-deluded by these wrong ideas; (15)

Endowed witb many thoughts; confused highly;enslaved simply by their delusion; and addicted to thegratification of desires; they fall into the hell and intowhat is foul. (16)

!dam adya etc. upto asucau. Endowed with many thoughtsetc. For, they do not hav.: any conviction. Into the hell and whatis foul: in the [hell] Avici and the IikelC and in tbe regularsuccessbn of birth and death. (13-16)

XV]] Translation 285

Self-conceited, stubborn, filled with pride andarrogance of wealth, they pretend to perform sacrificeswith hypocricy, not following injunction4 [of theVedas]. (17)

Clinging fast to egotism, force, pride, craving,and anger, these envious men hate Me in the bodies oftheir own and of others. (1st

These hateful, cruel, basest men, I hurl incessant-ly into the inauspicious demoniac wombs alone in the~yc1eof birth-and-death. (19)

Having come to the demoniac womb, birth.after birth, and not attaining Me at all, these deludedpersons, therefore, pass to the lowest state, 0 son ofKunti ! (20)

Atmasathbhiiviia~ etc. upto galim. They pretend toperform sacrifices' The mc'\ning is that their sacrifice is fruit.less,' Indeed all is ruined because of their anger. Or, nama-yajna [may mean] ';he sacrifices "hich are in name only'. Or,it [may denote] those sacrifices that are performed for one'sname sake i.e., for one's reputation, because of which one getsthe appellation as 'He is a performer of [such and such] sacrifi·ces'.6 These sacrifices, performed out of hypocricy alone, donot, however, fetch any fruit. Because these persons are rugged'with anger etc., they hate people and by tbat they hate Me only[in fact]. For, I, the Visudeva (the Universal Soul), dwell every-where. Entertaining hatred towards their own Soul, the.y per-form action, tbat is hostile to th~mselves, and responsible fortheir own fall into the bells These persons I hurl into nothingbut the demoniac wombs. (17-20)

To the hell, three-fold is the gate that ruins theSelf: [They are] desire, anger as well as greed.Hence one should avoid these three. (21)

286 Bhagavadgita with Gitatrhasangraha [Ch.

o son of Kunti! A man, who has deserted thesethree gates of darkness, does what is good for his Selfand thereby reaches the highest goal. (22)

Trividham etc. Etail] elc. Because tl1<' triad of desireetc., constitute the gate to the hell, therefore one should avoidthat. (21- 22)

What has been stated should not be lll'giected on theassumption that it is [based on] the human 'Word. On the otherhand, there is tbe authority of the eternal su iptuIe on thissubject. This is said [here] -

He, who neglects the injunction of the scriptures,and acts according to his own wilF - he attains neitherthe success, nor happiness nor the highest goal (eman-cipation). (23)

Therefore, by considering the scripture as yourauthority in determining as to what is to be done andwhat is not to be done, you should perform action,laid down by the regulations of the scriptures. (24)

Thus ends the SIXTEENTH CHAPTERin the Holy BhagavadgiUi.

Yal] sastravidhim etc. TasmiH etc. On the other hand, afall into the hell is [inevitable] for a person who rejects thescripturallDj unctions and makes, using his own intellect, ananalysis as to what is to be done and what is not to be done.Therefore, don't make a decision with your intellect aboutwhat is to be done and what ls not to be done. - This is what isin tended to be conveyed here. (23-24)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

Here is the Catcb •.verse-

In the matters that are beyond comprehensions one shouldjudge as tt) what is to be done, not by means of one's own·

XVI] Translation 287

intellect, but only by means of the injuDctic\'1s declared in tbescriptures. For, the scripture is a great augmel1tor of compre~hension.

Thus ends the SIXTEENTH CHAPTER in the HolyGitarthasaligraha written by the revered Rajanaka Abhjnava~gupta, the best among the great teachers of the Mlihesvaras.

Notes

1. This process has been prescribed in ~~ ~~ AA5~:of the Upani~ad. (BU, 11, iv,S, IV, v, 6).

IA. Recitalion of scriplurtS. Cf. also above IV, 28-30 and the com-mentary thereunder.

2. Born for divine wealth. Cf. ~cff ~l1: '•.•••• :arrf\l~~;; crt ~~-Rk.

3. Cf. ~~~~ - l119Ff1+f;;j't~~~~:lT~~: ~~: '.Ul~1If 'if

~lftffl:, ci a~: ~~l'"l151!fl~<lt~f.:cr - Rk.

3A, Sirive: Cf. J;!1l!fRr, ~~ - Rk.

3B. Because ils rise and dissolution never end. Here Ag. has perhaps inhis mind tbe commentators like Saokara, Rii:maka~!ha etc. who takethe word 5l~"'ffil1: in the senSe 'tbat which ends at the time ofdeath'. Ag. probably finds a contradiction in their interpretationthat amounts to say 'anxiety that is unlimited and yet limited bydeath' •.

3C, Hell, Avlci and Ihe like: Ag. lists three heIls as :

~~m<t1iillRR<rr: - TA, VIII,26.

4. Nol following injunctions: Cf. above IX, 24 and commentary there-under.

5. Their ~acrifice is fruitless: Cf. ;m:r~: ~fll':, ~ a{~

~~~!f ll':oRl •••..• ~~:-Rk.

288 Bhagavadgitii wi lh Gitiirthasangraha [Cb.

6. perfo,mer of such and such sacrifice: cr. ih:r<n:sft' ~~ifH1l1f:i1"

~ ~~: - Madhusiidana Sarasvati.

7. According to hi3 own will: Cf. ~\\l:, ~a~ - Rk.

8. In fhe mafters fhat are beyond comprehension etc. Cf.

~r: lij'~ it 'lJl11 ;r ~0lT ~ I

~\.<r: q~ ~ ~\lI ~a;ruri( 11 ~ferimrct. ~~ ~~~l~: - sai:tkara, BS.II, I, 27.

Chapter Seventeen

Arjuna said;

Those who remain with faith, but neglecting thescriptural injunction, - what is their state? Is itSattva, Rajas or Tamas? 0 Kr~I,1a! (1)

Ye sastra - etc. The question is this: What is the goal [tobt: relll.'hed] by those persons who faithfully perform theirworldly actionsl by not adheri ng to the scriptural injunction? (1)

Now in this regard the answer, basing on the faith, isgiven by the Bhagavat -

The Bhagavat said:The faith of the embodied persons is born of

their nature and is of three kinds [viz..] that which ismade of the Sattva; that which is made of the Rajas;arid that which is ma<;l.eof the Tamas. Listen a.boutili~. ~

Trividha· etc. Here the idea is this;- What is termed~cripture is indeed the one which is 110t created by theintellect soiled by any par.tisan spirit ;lA further it is of theform of the firmness of the recollection; and it is firmly re-collected because of the sovereign freedom of the awareness;likewise it is also of the nature of fruit etc., i.e. the nature ofthe Supreme Brahman, the ultimate purport of speech, a flow ofthe,.pure Self~Consciousn.essj because of its free course, it startsfrom the internal nature of awareness and goes as for as theext~rnal flow, beginning from the subtlest hymn (Om),. down tothe s~rie3 of pJpillar saying well-known in the worldly activities."What [the sale] says -

952 - 20

29Q Bhagavadgitii with Gitirthasangraha [Ch.

'Also the [injunctions based on] remembrance andthe virtuous conduct of the knowers of that [cons-titute authority]'. (Gautamadharmasutra, I, 2).

That scripture, by its own nature, distinguishes what is to bedone and what is not to be done, in order to teach what isbeneficial and what is not beneficial.

[Further], he whose heart is very tender by nature, be·cause of the excess of the Sattva (i.e., goodness) - in whateverway he behaves, that bas certainly a scriptural autbority.2 Butother person who is made dirty by the Rajas or the Tamas (i.e.,desire and ignorance) does not act rightly, even while perform-ing what is enjoined in the scriptures. For, he does not followthe purport (the spirit) of tbe scripture in its entirity. Thescripture (or what is enjoined in the scripture) bears fruits oniyin the case of men of the Sattva (goodness) This has beendeclared by the scripture itself as:

'He [alone] enjoys the fruit of the scripture3 (orholy bathing place) whose arms and feet and alsomind, learning, austerity and conduct are con-trolled properly'.

(MB, Ara1Jyaka, Cb. 80, verse 30).

Any other person does not enjoy [the fruit], because heremains unsubd ued [in his mindl. Therefore, what is prescribedin the scripture bears fruit in the case of those who haveabandoned desire, anger and delusion. This is the purport ofthe present chapter; an"d it is being elaborated [throughout].But iUs not explained [in every place by us (Ag.), because theidea is clear enough. But [the concerned verses] are simplywritten only to remove doubts regarding the readings4 [of thepassages concerned]. (2)

Corresponding to one's own sattva everybody hasfaith, 0 descendant of Bharata! The person predomi-nantly consists of the faith. What one has faith in,that he is (becomes) certainly. (3)

XVIIJ Translation 291

Sativa ete. The word saitva in 'correponding to one's ownsativa' is a synonym of svabhava 'primary nature'.5 This personi.e., Soul, is necessarily connected with a faith that dominatesall [his] other activities. [Hence], he is to be deemed just to bemainly consisting of that.SA (3)

The men of the Sattva (Strand) perform sacri-fice intending for the gods; the men of the Rajas(Strand) do for the spirits and the demons; and themen of the Tamas (Strand) perform sacrifices intend-ing for the imps, the dead, and the ghosts. (4)

Those men, who practise terrible austeriti~s, notas enjoined in the scriptures; who are bound to hypo~cricy and conceit, and are endowed with (i.e. impelledby) the force of passion for the desired objects; (5)

Who emaciate unintelIigently the conglamorationof elements in their physic and emaciate Me too,dwelling within the physic - know them to be of ademoniac resolve. (6)

Yajallte etc., upto i'isura.niscayan. Unintelligently: i.e.due to their lack of discrimination. Emaciating Me too:Because they do not follow the purport of the scriptures. Thatis why they undertake practising austerities invented by theirown intellect and they are rather men of t~e Tamas (Strand). (4-6)

Like faith, the food also is of three types, differentiatedby the Sattva etc., so are the sacrifice, austerity and charity.That is being detailed as :

Further, the food also, which is dear to all, is ofthree kinds. So are [their] sacrifice, austerity and·charity. Listen to this distinction of them. (7)

The foods that increase life, energy. strength,good health, happiness and satisfaction; and which are

292 Bhagavadglt1i with GItirthasangraha ECho

delicious, soft, substantial and(stomach) - they are dear to the(Strand) ..

pleasant to heartmen of the Sattva

(8)

The foods that are liked by men of the Rajas(Strand) are tho,e which are bitter,U sour, saltish, veryhot, harsh, dry, and burning; and which cause pain,grief and disease. (9)

What is old. bereft of taste, ill-smelling, and stale;what is also left after eating, and is impure - sucha food is dear to the men of the Tamas (Strand). (10)

Ahara~ etc. upto tlimaSapriyam. What is old: that forwhich [three] yamas7 have elapsed [after cooking]. (7-10)

That sacrifice is .of the Sattva (Strand), which is'offered, as found in the injunction, by men craving forno fruit, by stabilizing their mind with the thought thatit is jus\. a thing to b~ offered. (11)

What is offered aiming at fruit ~nd also only forthe sake of display - know that sacrifice to be of theRajas (Strand) and to be transitary and imperma-nent. (12)

That sacrifice they declare to be of the Tamas(Strand) which is devoid of scriptural injunction, inwhich there is no [recitation of] Vedic hymns, whereno food and [sacrifical] fee are distributed, and whichis totally devoid of faith .. (i 1)

Aphala .. etc. upto parica1:~ale. Stabilizing mind. by finn-ly believing. Also for the sake of display etc. Display: an inten-tion 'Let the world take roe to be of this nature'. Thai whichis devoid of scripTural injunclioll: that which is devoid of rituasl

XVII] ,TranslatIOn 293

prescribed in the scriptures. The same [feature] is elaboratedby the attributives 'That in which no food is distributed' etc.

(11-13)

The worship to the gods, to. the twice-born, ,tothe, elders and to the wise; the purity, the honesty, thestate of continence, and the harmlessness - all this issaid to be bodily austerity. ' (14)

The unoffending speech which is true, and whichis pleasant and beneficial; and also the practice ofregular recitation of the Vedas - all this is said to bean austerity by the speech-sense. (15)

The serenity of mind, the quietness,s the tacitur-nity," the self-control, the purity of thought - all thisis called mental austerity. (16}

Deva - etc. upto, mfinasam ucyate,' Honesty: uprightness,i.e., the courage regarding what needs no hiding. Which is. true:This is ex:plained by 'Which is pleasant and beneficial'. Plea-sant: at the time 0 f [hearing] that speech. And beneficial:sometime in future. This type of speech, but not merely speak-ing what actually happened, is called 'speaking the truth'.Purity of thought: 'Thought' denotes intention; its highestpurity. ([4-16)

This three-fold austerity,lOundertaken (observed)with best faith, by men who are masters of Yoga andhave no desire for its fruits - they call it to be of theSattva. ' .(17)

The austerity that i&practised for gaining respect.honour and reverence and with sheer showing - tha.tis called here [austerity] of the Rajas and it is unstableand impermanent, (18)

294 Bhagavadglta: with Gitirthasaligraha ECho

What austerity is practised with foolish obstinacy[and] with self-torture only in order to destroy otherperson - that is declared to be of the Tamas. (19)

Sraddhayli etc. upto tiimasam udi1hrtam. There is faith inall the three-fold austerity. The faith of a man of the Sattvais full of austerity itself. The faith of a man of the Rajas isin the Rajas i.e., showing ~or hyprocricy) etc. But, the faith(or desire) of a man we]) established in the Tamas is merely inruining others. Thus the sage speaks of all the three.foldausterity practised with faith. (17-19)

A gift which is given with the thought that 'Onemust give' and is given in a proper ·place, and atcorrect time to a worthy person, incapable of obligingin return - that gift is held to be of the Sattva. (20)

But, what is given to get a return of favour oragain with a view to a fruit, and which is very muchvexed - that gift is held to be of the Rajas. (21)

The gift which is given, at a wrong place, at awrong time and to unworthy persons; and which isconverted into a bad act and is disrespected - thatis declared to be of the Tamas. (22)

Diitavyam etc. upto udiihrtam. With the thought that 'Onemust give' ; thinking that the [scriptural) injunction 'One mustgive' is to be obeyed in order to avoid sin. Very much vexed:because of the fault of [giving) very little. A gift is convertedinto a bad one by offend1ng its recipient, and so on. Thus theactivities of the worldly men are explainfd on the basis of theirthree·fold intentions born of the Sattva and so on. (20-22)

How do those persons perform actions, ",base intellecthas gone beyond the region, that is impassable because ofthe triad of the Strands? Now that lllanner is described as -

XVII] ,Translation 295

OM TAr SAT: This is held to be the three-fold indication of the Brahman. By means of that, theVedas, and also the sacrifices had been fashionedformerlyll by Brahma. (23)

Therefore, the scripture-prescribedli acts of sacri-fice, gift and austerity of those who are habituated tohave Brahman-discourses,13 commence (or take place)invariably, with the utterance of OM. (24)

With [the utterance of] TAT and without aimingat the fruit, the acts of sacrifice and austerity and thevarious acts of gifts are performed by those who seekemancipation. (25)

In the sense of 'right one' (or 'manifesting asbeing') and in the sense of 'proper one' (or 'manifest-ing perfectly'), this word SAT is employed. Likewisethe word SAT is used with regard to the praiseworthyact; 0 son of Prtha ! (26)

The steadfastness in performing sacrifice, in aus-terity and in giving gift is also called SAT; and alsothe act for such purpose is [hence] just called SAT.(27)

OM etc. upto abhidhiyate. An indication of the Brahmani.e., an act of facing (or aiming at) the Brahman, is made bythese three words viz., OM, TAT and SAT. Of them, OM indi-cates that 'This purport of tqe scr,ipture is [to be?] accepted aslong as one has bodily connection.' 14

The pronoun TAT, which denotes genera lity and which isincapable of denoting exclusively a partitlllar, mentions, as faras the Brahman is concerned, the absence of intention for fruit,An intention is not possible without re,ference to somethingparticular. No doubt [TAT] may, denote all particulars [ingeneral]. But it would lead to intending the fruits and the doer-

296 Bh.ag"vadgitii with Gitarthasangraba ECho

ship with regard to all [in general].15 Even then [tbe Brahman]cannot have connection with any particular fruit.

The Vedic word SAT denotes 'praise'. The act, like thissacrifice etc , though perfo/med, turns out to be an alt of theTamas (evil act) if it is performed with the idea, 'It is an evilact'. Further, what is performed with an intention for a parti.cular fruit is not praiseworthy, and it causes nothing but bondage.Therefore, tbose, who bear in mind, 'This is a tbing to be perwformed' - they are not fettered, even though they perform actslike sacrifice etc. With this idea only. it has been said in thei.diparvar! as -

'The austerity is not dirt, nor the [Vedic] study, northe natural ritual enjoined by the Vedas, and northe act of earning wealth by all efforts. But, ifthey are struck by mind, they themselves becomedirt.'

(ME, Adi. i, 2It'l) •

. [Here in this passage] dirt' that which fet lcrs. Natural:[That is, ordained], such as -

'Without expecting anything, a Brahmal)a shouldlearn the Vedas etc., together with their six subsi.diaries' 15 etc.

By all effort .. by the act that is suitable and is well knownin the scriptures and in tbe worldly practice. By mind .. by themind that is yoked to the triad of the Strands, Sattva etc. [Thoseactions that] have been simply ruined [by that mind], are bindingand not otherwise. This is thc,idea here.

Therefore,!' the acts like sacrifice etc., and the acts, likeacqUIring [wealth] etc.,18for that purpose, have to be performedas being inevitable as long as the body exists.

Or, perhaps,t9 the word OM conveYb20 [\"ith regard to theBrahman] the idea of That in Which the entire'universe has beentotally calmed down. TAT conveys21 the idea of That ofthe nature of Sovereign Independence of Will, which.i'

XVfJ] Translation 291

nothing but comprehending the rising waves in the form of theuniverse. And tbe·word SAT denotes22 the act of manifesta-tion by the Brahman - even though I t is complete in Itself -as [the universe] having varied nature, a manifestation thatcauses differences (or duality) expanding under tbe weight of itsSover~igJ1 Independence of Will. Hence it has been said 'In thesense of manifesting as beings and in the sense of manifestingperfectly [SAT is employed].' Thus, having in front [{IS acause] that asp(ct (the Soul) of highly tr,nquil nature; andhaving in the centre that aspect which is well connected witbdesire.waves viz., the desire to make gift. the desire to performsacrifice and the desire to observe penance; this final bodyradiates (or dances) filled with a group of activities, such asoffering gift, performing sacrifice and ob,e! ving austerity, andof what are conducive to them. This triad is indeed simulta-neously the inherent nature of the Unhindered One (the Soul).So. what fruit,3 could be there? Aed to whom? How?Whence? Where? And by what means" (23-27)

The act of a person, with no faith, is an <tot of the Tamasand beau no fruit in any way and bears fruit v.hi<.:his nothingbut the labour undertaken in bringinj; together the blind (Ifmeans [of those acts]. Hence one should not on any accountremain faithless. This is being said now:

Without faith, whatever oblation is offered, what-ever gift is made, whatever austerity is practised, andwhatever action is undertaken, that is called ASA T andit is of no avail after one's death and in thisworld. (28)

Thus end~ the SEVENTEENTH CHAPTERin the Holy Bhagavadgitii.

As;'addhayii etc. ASAT: not praiseworthy (or inauspicious).Therefore Happiness just easily arises for t.ose who eKett inthe praiseworthy (or auspicious) act. (28)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

298 nhagavadgita with Gltarthasahgr:; ha tCb.

Here is the Catch· ver.e :The act of taking possession of the means of action is the

same [as that of the ignorant] and the aetio,n also is the same,and not different; yet in the case of the men of wisdom it,resultsin [his] emancipation.24

Thus ends 'the SEVENTEENTH CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgitlirthasangraha written by the r'iijanaka

Abhinava!lupta, the iIIustriou. best teacherof the great Mlihesvaras.

Notes

1. Their worldly action: i.e. both the religious and secular acts.

IA. The olle ..•partisort spirit: Thus Ag. would seem to view that thesacred law (whlch tbe Mimiil11sakas etc., take to be oplluru~eya 'notorigidated from men') ate pak~apatllru.rita-bllddhyajanya, 'not ori-ginated from the intellect influenced by tbe partisan spirits [that arecommon in men]'. Thus Ag. seems to lean towards the view of theNaiyiiyikas who define the verbal authority as ~m: :ij'i<t: (NS

I. i, 7) and anccr: ~ ij"TlliIC!iG!ifm <mT~ f~li!<m~<!T ~~ (NB, thereunder). Ag:s this definition of las/ra, just like thatof the Naiyayikas, is inclusive of the Vedas, the scriptures com-posed by tbe sages and the noble fcreigners. Cf. 'J!!;'G<!T~;;;EiT'l'f~llT;f~~orl1, (Ibid).

In the succeding scntenees (f1!fT etc., Ag. goes on to explain thestages through which the scripture, called Smrti (what is rememberedby human teachers) came to be: How the !=xperience, or the purports ofthe Smti recollected by teachers; how it takes the form of the internalword-sounds; and how it flows out in the form of auidable sounds,ranging frOm the tiniest one to the very lengthy Smrti.

2. Whatever way .....• autlrar.ity. In indian tradition th'e behaviour ofthe good personS is also a source of valid knowledge of what is to bedone and what is not be done. The Silo of the Galltamadharmasu/raincludes aciira too (See Maskari, under Gautama 1,1,). Hence, Ag.now defines ac/lra; perhaps bearing in mind Manu's ~~tjf '<f

XVII] Notes

~;;:Il1., an'<lr(~ \Jl~l1: (ll. 2) which is parellel to Gautamasulraquoted above. It is to be noted that according to some commenta.tors of the Manusmrti the word Sila in smrti-Sile signifies abandoningdesire, anger etc. and this together wilh smrti constitutes an autho·rity in deciding the Dharma.

3, Scripture: Tlrtha has been rendered as 'scripture' only to be ill tunewith the cOntext in which Ag. has quoted the verse with an introduc-tory remark ~l~ "l 'if'1:!\lI"Q"mcr 'l'i'ff'ffi ~fu:m~il:. However, thecontext in which the verse occurs in th~ MahiibharaJa viz., IfrthayattOsection of the Ara1Jyakaparvall is this: Bhi~ma puts question to thesage Pulastya regarding the results of the pilgrimage undertaken by aperson'. The present verse occurs in the midst of Pulastya's answerto the above question and there according to that context tl,thameans 'holy bathing place'. Having this in view, one may betterrender the Brst fastram in the above sentence of Ag., as 'what isenjoined in the scripture'.

4, But ..... r<gardinll the reading etc. This sentence smacks of interpola-tion by one or the other copyist. Indeed serie, of verses had been leftunexplaiged by Ag. in chapters 10, 11 etc., on the professed groundthat their purpo'rt is self-evident; and we do not find any remarkthere. as the present one.

5. In.the previous Verse faith ha~ been classified into three viz. Sl!t(vikl.R(ljasl and Tamas!. Hellce ill the present verse ~,,"~q'l~'ilJcannotmean 'the faith corresponding to the Sattva Strand', Hence Ag, takes3attv~ in the sense of 'primary nature' of the person. Cf: ~

~fm:~'li~~or;:o:~OlI~~Cfl - Saokata.

SA. Cf. ~ 'ij'Z!' !!il!l1<r: .~oit <1'Ili!fi~~ ~ aW lfcrRr ('fer~: ll&lil!fcr 'if: - Ch. U. III, xiv, 1-2.

'Now verily a person consists of purpose. According to thepurpose a p'erson has in tbis world, so does he become on departingfrom ,here_, •.' Sraddhii. is usually rendered as .faith' , However inthe present 'context it seemS to include also (ldara 'carc' and koilksii."endeavour Or striving to obtain" Cf. "'~S~~ '<I'liia.:n~ of thcMediltlkos/J.

6. Bitter: cr. ~~l: f.\1:t!~~:- Rk.

7. YOma denotes the eighth part of the day i.e., three hours. Hence,Ago'S ylJm1ih denotes three Yamas at least or nine hours, Ag. of theKashmir hi'Us would allow about ninc hours for a cooked food to

~oo g haga vadgiti wi Ih Gitiirlhasangraba [9·get spoilt, while SrIdhar a of the plains would allow only' one yama orthree hour,: </I(i: >.1Tll: ~: <R<I •••• (in:. >.1T(i>.1Tl1+J:.

8. Quietness: Cf. B~c<i, mnr.:erffi - Rk.

9. Tacitumity is both the eause and effect of the purity of thought.Hence it is a sort mental austerity ..

10. This tJ:ree-fold austtrity: I e. the austerities of the body, the speechand the mind; and the austerities born of the Sattva; the Rajas andthe Tamas.

11. FashiOltedformerly: Cf. - ~T, Ff<:cll'fr;:r,~~~Cf ~1liI(,[ !il;~r:' Rf;r;:rr:-Rk.

12. Scriptllre-prescribed: Cf. !il;lifr;f:m~~',~r: - Rk.

13. Those who ..... discourses: cr. j{lR!fr~, i;f'el{l{B1~~'l1<::;rmI~;;rl'!,-Rk. Also see the '['ip pal}i under XVIII verses 26· 28 below.

14. Thispurport bodily cOllnection: cr.~{l'Tlf~<it 'lf9:(f llllrorm- '-6Rlfff: I

<mm ('fa~1 ;lTfllT~(!!TSsmf.rllif>.1Tt\ II:....Sankata, under BS, I, f,4.

The OM, though used often as a mystic mono-syllable. has beenrecogl1i~ed in the sense of 'respectful assent' (AK, JH, iv, 12).However, how A,. could bring into it also the idea 'as 1011gas thereis bodily conl1eetion' .. Yet, onc may venture to offer a tentativesuggestion as follows: Prabably Ag. believes that in the present eon•.text OM comists of two more units viz., a and a besid<;s OM. Ofthem vlz•• a, a and OM, the first unit Ii (i.e .• {In) is in the sense of~s f.:'r as' ("Iflrf!!fer:) as approved by Pal}ini himself (an ••, ll~"f-]lfE'l!f;, 11, i, 13). The second unit a may sland for 'O'llli., which.as we have already seen (note under IV, 29-30) is a mantra or a mystio:syllable denoting the embodied Soul, just as a stands for Anuttara.the highest principle. Because OM Is uttered at the beginning ofreciting the scripture, 'the purport of the scripture' is obtained bythe very COlllext. As we have already seen, the Simple OM denotesacceptance. Thus an, a:rand an together may denote the accep-tance of the purport of. the scripture as far as the bodily connectioncontinues. Further an and "I can merge inlo an following thegrammatical rule av.n: lJ...uT~: (PA, n. i, 101) ~nd the resultant.an followed by "II+!, can merge into :airq, according to the rule

XVII] Notes 301

aUmWtJ.:if (PA, VI, i, 95). This sort of splitting and iI1terpretingwords are not unknown to the school of Kashmir Saivism. Eg. theysplit ~\'f into 111 (~~q5f.lil-:rr:), a:r (1f'1'ft~:), 811 (8lTiffifcrmRr:

3fTif;:1:\:), ~ (~'Qm),~ (~EiT<rT~mf.q: ~m<i:), ~(\'l<rRr, \lRr CfT)and Of(~l'f~Rr CfTRr'fr)· and they combine them ingeneously into~ ~, ,"f\Of: following suitable grammatical rules and interpret the word as:

~'l'5f.Iil~(i<[T ff~"<l\: '5~~111~l1'(TRr "1:\IRr 'fIRr, a:r~ifO~Rr "l,e/e.

as done' by K~emoriija under-

l1<rT '5~ i:"f<!Rr ~~ ll<rTqitsf~<1t I

~Rr~\,,~~ ~mft'llRfJ!T~8'l:II - VB, 130,

15. !rllendillg .... ill gelleral- For, what is general is nothing but thetotality of particulars., Cf. ~~l!l' <r lJIl'fl'<r+(, 'Generality cannot exist without reference to particulars.'

16. Without eJCpectillg .••..• six subsidiaries: Cf.

811m[: 11f~<ritr -;Jf1~ ~~ enl: ~ 'il~S5it(f.* ~~f(f- Patanjali, Mahabha'Fya, introd.

17. Thuefore etc ,is Ag:s comment on the Gila verse 27.,

18. The other reading is ~q; is to be rendered as 'very muchbenificial' and not as 'ordained'. Por it is to be noted that theMimamsakas, like Sabarasvlimin etc., maintain that the aet ofacquiring property, either by receiving gifts (by the Brahmaqas) orby conquest (by the K~atriyas) or by agriculture (by the VaiSyas).subserves not the purpose of sacrifice (~) etc" but only man'sdesire for happiness (~r,q:) - even if that act il undertaken formeeting the expenditure of the religious sacrifice. See the Sllbara-bhll'Fya under PMS, IV~ i, 2 and the Var/lika etc., thereon.

]9. Or, perhaps etc. So far, the passage OM TAT SAT etc., has beenexplained in such a way as to detail the process of the actions of thOle

'men who have gone beyond the triad of the Strands. Now, becausethe Absolute is also beyond all the Strands, the same passage is beingexplained ill another way in order to bring out the process of worldcreation as generated by the Absolute.

p,lTther, it i\ done purposely '0 bec:\us~ OM, TAT noel S,JT arestaled to be the three-fold IDdicatols' of the Absolute. Thirdly, accord-ing to the Salva Absolutists, both the Absolute and the individualsundertake the fUllctions of creation etc., of the universe, though theindividuals do that in a limited scale.

302 Bhagavadglta with Glta:rthasailgraha

20. OM conveys etc. The Upal)i~ads too declare:

'6iTfil~(fi\~, ~ ~~ (f~!irqo<fJ~~B: (Mo'ltJ. u. I, 1)'This OM is what does not stream forth [the universe]; all this(universe) is Its 5upplementary explanation'.

We hay. already seen that according to the Kaula School ak~aradenotes the Anuttara, not streaming forth the universe. See aboveCh. Ill, verse 15; Ag.'s comments and notes thereon.

21. TAT conveys: It i's well-known for the students of the Upani~adsthat in the Mahavakya viz. Tat tvam asi (Ch. U, VI, viii. 7; etc.) theworld TAT denotes the Supreme Brahman defined as a backgroundof the manifestation. Cf. ~~;:<f+l: (Ved(jntaparibha~{l,Adyar. 1971, p. 135) and f.fflif<ilWf~f<\r<r(if m (!f~qf.•• <\1T~1:IIf-

q'fuJrl{llFf m~gT;f I.f[ (ibid p. 117).

According to the Kaula School the Brahman is a stage, as wehave already seen above (III, 15) next to the Ak~ara and it assumes atthis stage the Freedom-of-WilI-or ~'ilm~fu;.

22. SAT denotes etc: In next stage the Brahman assumes, as a result ofthe above Freedom. the ~~ or the cuergy to start the world pro-cess, according to the pr[nciple ~e;m lfS"W ~Tlt~ etc. (Cil. U, VI.ii. 3) and the Absolute at this stage has been referred to as SA T Inthe Upanlsad. Cf. lJ~ ~i\;[!:l' ifTlift(j' etc. (Ibid •• VI. ii, I) •. ,

The Kaula school believes that these three viz. Anuttari, Icchiand Unme~a are the most important Saktis of the Absolute. Ag.tries to explain in his own way, the present Gitil verse in that light.Cr. .

M-l1:Tml1:T~<IT '<{ ~~s;r ~'ffi<1:I

~T t$8T '<{ 'i\mw:rr~(n I

~~lG;~ ~ f.f~~ II- TA. III, 248-49.

23. What fruit: Construe f.i; with 'li<!fB: I

24. Yet.••••.emanctpation: Cf. this catch verse with the verse ~ M-mr .~~:etc, quoted by Ag. under Ch. IX. verseS 17-20, above.

Chapter Eighteen

Arjuna said-o Mighty-armed! I desire to know severally the

distinctive nature of renunciation and of relinquish-ment, 0 Hr~ikesa! 0 Slayer of Kesin! (1)

Satfmyiisasya etc. It has been declared earlier that 'He[alone] is a man of relinquishment and is also a man of wisdom'(II, 50); and 'He [alonej j, a man of renunciation and a man ofYoga; but not he who remains without his fires (VI, I)', and soon. Thus, because a man of relinquishment and a man ofrenunciation are both found mentioned, now arises this questionfrom a person (Arjuna) who is desirous of understanding theirdifference. (I)

Now [by giving] the answer --

The Bhagavat said-The seers understand the act of renouncing the

desire-motivated actions as renunciation; the expertsdeclare the relinquishment of the fruits of all actionsto be relinquishment. (2)

Kiim)'i'lnlim etc. The desire-motivated ac/ions: the Agni-~toma (sacrifice) etc. All actions etc.: The relinquishment isthe relinquishment of fruits, even while performing all actionsthat are to be performed daily or occasionally,! Whateverremains to be spoken in this chapter had been examined indetail even by the pre\ious commentators'like the revered BhaHaBhaskara and otners. Hence why should we take the trouble ofrepeating. For, our main conCern is to fulfil the proml"e to showonly the hidden purport of thIS [work}. (2)

Therefore' now Jthe Bhagavat] relates different views inorder to determine the best in this regard -

304 , Bhagavadgitawith Gitarthasangraha [Ch.

'Therefore the act o,f injury known from the Vedas'oto,2 - (SV, I, i, 2.23)

Certain wise men declare that the harmful actionis to be relinqui.hed while others say that the actionsof performing sacrifices, giving gifts and observingausterities should not be relinquished. (3)

Tyi1jyam etc. The harmful: that which is connected withsin, because it consists of act of injury etc. Such an action mustbe relinquished and not all action that has auspicious result. Inthis W<iy certain p~rsons - as if they are attached (as domesti-cated animals do) to the house of the Siilkhyas - think of adistinction in relinquishing. But there are other learned personswho put on the coat IJf the Mlmiimsakas and who, basing exclu-sively the script\lre~, classify what action to be performed andwhat action not to be performed. They opine: The act of killingthat constitutes the technical aspect of execution of a sacrificeis [1Il fact] not an act of injury at all in view of the principles,like

'The action intended for sacrifice is indeed knownfrom the scripture only' lA_(SB, IV, i, 2)

and

t

For, the general rule 'Don't injure' is annulled in this case.But, at the same tim~ the Syena-sacrifioe 'etc., is an act ofkilling, Because, .

'The injunctive suffix does not prescribe what fallswithin tbe purview of fruit of an action of theinjunction.' (SV, I, i, 2.222).3

Ta<lrefore ot'ler [IldlCJ sacrifices one should !lot relinquishc:venthough they are ~onnected with. an act of inj~ry. (3)

o best of Bharata's descendants! Listen to Myconsidered view about relinquishing: Indeed the act ofr.elinquishing is rightly spoken to be three-fold, 0 bestamong men! (4)

X.VlIIJ Translation 305

The actions of [Vedic] sacrifice, gift and austerityshould not be relinquished and they must necessarilybe performed; for the men of wisdom the [Vedicsacrifice, gift and also austerity are the means ofpurification. (5)

Even these actions too'must be performed byrelinquishing attachment and fruits: This. is my consi-dered best opinion, 0 son of PrtM! (6)

The renunciation of the enjoined action does notstand to reason; and completely relinquishing it, out ofignorance is proclaimed, on all sides, as an act of theTamas (Strand). (7)

He who would, out of fear of bodily exertion,relinquish an action~ just because it is painful - thatperson, having [thus] made relinquishment, an act ofthe Rajas (Strand), would not at all gain the fruit of[thatJ relinquishment.' (8)

'This is a thing to be performed.' - just on thatground whatever usual action is performed relinquish-ing attachment and also fruit - that act of relinquish-ment is deemed to be of the Sattva (Strand) .. (9)

The man of relinquishment, who is well possessedof the Sattva, is wise and has his doubts destroyed -he hates not the unskilled action and clings not to theskilled action. (10)

Indeed, to relinquish actions entirely is not possi-ble for a body-bearing one; but whosoever relinquishesthe fruits of actions, he is said to be a man of [true]relinquishment. (11)

952 - 21

306 Bhaga vadgi tli with' Gi tarthasangraha

Ni!icayam etc. upto abhidhiyate. The conclusion here isthis: Due to the manifoldness of the nature of the Strands,that have been defiiled earlier, the act of relinqui.shment itselfis performed with a certain mental disposition which is a modi-fication of the Sattva, the Rajas and the Tamas (the Strands).Because it reflects (is contaminated by) the nature of the personhaving the same (the said mental disposition), what is calledthe real (unalloyed) relinquishment is the performance of theactions by the knowers of the Supreme Brahman by giving updesire to achieve fruits and by avoiding the craving and hatredon account of their equanimity to [the pairs of opposites like]success and failure etc. That is why [the Bhagavat] says: 'Bythe act of relinquishment born of the Rajas or of the Tamas(Strands), no connection with the fruit [of relinquishment] isattained', However, for an act of relinquishing, born of theSattva (Strand), there is the fruit in the form of honouring thepurport of the scriptures. The application of the term 'relin·quishment' stands to reason, in fact, only in the case of a sage'who has relinquished his holding on the mulrirude of theStra\1ds (4-11)

The three-fold fruit of action, viz., the undesired,the desired and the mixed, accrues [even] after deathto those who are not men of relinquishment, but neverto those who are men of renunciation. (12)

Ani~tam etc. To those who are not men of relinquishment:to those who are full of [desire for] fruit. (12)

Even at the stage of mundane life, where all the fivefactors do exist for actions, tho~e persons, blind with theirignorance, obstinately burden their own Self with the entireload of agency, Hence they fetter their own Self with their ownthinking. But, in fact, there is no 1:>ondagefor Him (the Self).This is now being laught as :

o mighty-armed one·! Learn from Me thesefollowing five causes tbat have been declared in tbe

XV!Il] Translation 307

conclusion of deliberations' [on proper knowledge],for the accomplishment of all actions. (13)

The basis, as well as the agent, and diverseinstruments, and distinct activity of various kinds andDestiny, which is certainly the fifth [factor]. (14)

o Arjuna! Whatever action is undertaken withthe body, speech or the mind, whether it is lawful orotherwise, its factors are these five. (15)

But this being the case, whosoever views himselfas the sole agent (cause of actions) due to his imper-fect intellect - he, the defective-minded one, doesnot view [things rightly]. (16)

He, whose mental disposition is not dominatedby the sense'!', and whose intellect is not stained -he, .even if he slays these worlds, does not [really] slayany and he is not fettered. (17)

Panca etc. upto na nibad/lyate. Conclusion: tbe estab1i-~hed cnd, beca usc here a decision is ·arrived at. Basis: them'l teria I object. Destiny: the good and bad result [of actions]previously accumulated. These five viz., the basis etc., eonsti-tut." th~ entire assembly of factors and hence they are the caUiesfor e l<:haction.

But other [commentators give an etymology of] adhifithiina'basis' to mean 'that by which all actions are governed';. and ontbat gr,)und they believe that it denotes that actIOn which existsin the intellect; which comes to be due to the Rajas, and i$being proue to transform itself into the pentad of (the mentaldispositions viz.) the content, the faith, the happiness, thedesire to know and the aversion to know; which is refera ble bythe term karma-yoga (that which Jokes man iuto actiVl~Y); andwhich is described at times by the term praJ'Qtllll 'effort'.

308 BhagavadgIta with GItarthasangraha ECho

Agent: the ascertainer characterised by the inte !lect.Instrument: [the personal instruments viz.] the mind, theeye etc., and also the external 011es like sword etc.A.ctivity: the activity of upper life-breath, nether life-breath etc.The effects of the righteous and unrighteous acts are indicatedby the term Destiny. All the dispositions located in the intellectare indicated by these ,two. Still other commentators, howt:ver,take Basis to be the Absolute Lord.

Due 10 his imperfect intellect: because of his h:iving inde-cisive knowledge. But he, who performs actibns witb thestability dut.l to disappearance of the I-sense (limited) and [astability] refined by hundreds of reasoning, as detailed earlier-he does not 'get the fetters, because he is a man of perfectintellect. This is what is intended [in tbe passage understudy]. (13-17)

The instrument of knowledge, the object-of-knowledge, and the knowing subject - the prompting-in-action", consisting of these three-fold elements' is[itself] the proper grasping of action with three-foldelements viz., the instrument, the object and theagent. (18)

HiCinam etc. Prompting-in-action: the will to exert. Atthat time those things which - because they exist in one'sthought alone - are referable by the terms7 knowledge, object-of-knowledge and knowing-subject; at the time of that will (toexert) taking the form "I shall enjoy it; for it is caused by me~as well as at the time of executing the act, the very samethings - because they are fully absorbed [in desire for fruits] -get the name3 instrument, object and agent. Therefore, beca1j.sethere is no such absorption [in desire for fruits] in the case ofthe men of Yoga, there is no room in their action for the expres-sions insrrument etc.; rather they exist only as know ledge etc.This i~ the purport here.8 (18)

, Now [the Lord] speaks to explain, in briel', the classifica-tion of all these six items, basing on the classification of theStrands :-

XVIII] Translation 309

The instrument of knowledge, the object and theagent are just three kinds because of the differences inthe Strands - thus it is declared in enumerating theStrands. These also you must listen to [from Me) asthey are. (19)

Jnanam etc. In enumerating the Strands: In the consider-ed conclusion of the Siiilkhya where the Strands are decidednumerically, these instruments of knowledge etc., are declaredto be of three types. That you must listen to. This is what isconveyed by the association of words (or ideas) here. By instru-ment-of-knowledge (j1ianam) the two-fold instruments viz. that ofknowledge and of activity, are spoken of. Similarly object(karman) speaks of both the object of knowledge and the objecto{activity and agent (kartr) refers to both the knower and theperformer. (19)

Now the three verses Sarvabhute~u etc. (20-22) speak of·the three-foldness of the. instrument of knowledge. That is whythe Instrumental Yena is employed.9 The nature of. all theinstruments of knowledge and of action is described by thismuch of portion. The three-foldness of object of both the typesviz. the object of knowledge and the object of action is describedby the tripple verses Niyatam etc. (23-25). The three-fold nature'of the agea t of both the categories viz. the knower and the doeris briefly explained by the three verses 'Muktasanga~ etc. (26-28).The three types of the intellect is examined by three verses,Pravrttim, etc. (30-32), in order to explain the different nature ofthe two· fold instruments (i.e. of knowledge and of action). Bythis means the three- fold nature of other instruments is alsoindicated. The instrument requires techni<:al know-how, andthis technical know-how, of course, consists of the pentad thatincludes content and so on.IO However, because faith [includedin this pentad] has already been dealt with (XVII,2ff.), andb~cause the desire to know and the aversion to know (bothbelonging to the pen tadl are obta ined by inference through thefirmness and happiness [of the p~ntad], the three-fold division ofthe last two is expiained by the verses Dhrtya yayii 'etc. (33-35)

310 Bhagavadgiti with Gitlirthasangraha [Ch.

and Sukham tu idlinim etc. (36-39). All this [the Lord] declares[one by one] :-

That instrument~of-knowledge, by means of whichone perceives in all beings the singular immutableExistence, the Unclassified in the classified ones - thatyou must know to be born of the Sattva (Strand). (20)

That instrument-of-knowledge, by means ofwhich one considers the varied natures of different sortsin all beings as [really] different - that is regarded tobe of the Rajas (Strand).' (21)

That [instrument-or-knowledge], because of which,one, not realising the whole, gets indulged, withoutreason, in a particular activity, and which is uncon-cerned with the real nature of things and is insignifi-cant 11 - that is declared to be of the Tamas(Strand). (22)

Sarvabhute~u etc. upto samudahftam. In the classifiedones: i.e., [classified] as gods, human beings, etc.'2 Considersas [really] different: i.e., with the thought 'Here on this dependsmy pleasure; htre in that lies my displeasure'. Without reason:To take recourse to wrath, desire etc., slavishly under the influ-ence of one's own addiction and also without examining thecause, is. named as a tb:ing born of the Tamas (Strand). (20-22)

The object that has been acquired with determi-nation, without attachment and without desire orhatred, by one who does not crave to reap the fruit [ofhis action] - that is declared to be of the Sattva(Strand). (23)

The objcet which is abundant in afflictions; andwhich is further required by one who craves to attain the

XVIII] Translation 311

desired thing with the feeling of'!,dered to be of the Rajas (Strand).·

that is cons!(24)

The object which is gained, dne to ignorance,without considering the result, the loss, the injury toothers and the strength [of one's own] -- that is dec-lared to be of the Tamas (Strand). (25)

Nfyatam etc.: up to Tamasam ucyate. With determination:13

i.e., it is a thing to be acquired. Abundant in afflictions: spreadthrough14 by nescience etc15 Due to ignorance: i.e. due to thatwhich is born of addiction. (23-25)

The agent who is free from attachment; who doesnot make any speech of egoism; who is full of content-ment and enthusiasm; and who does not change [ment-ally] in success or in failure-- that agent is said to beof the Sattva (Strand) nature. (26)

The agent, who is a man of passion; who cravesfor the fruit of his action, and is avaricious; who isinjurious by nature, is impure and is overpowered byjoy and grief--that agent is proclaimed to be of theRajas (Strand). (27)

The agent, who does not exert, is vulgar, obsti-nate and deceitful; who is a man of wickedness and islazy, sorrowful, and procrastinating-that agent is saidto be of the Tamas (Strand). (28)

Muktasanga"ft. etc. upto Tiimasa ucyate. He who does nor makespeech of egoism : He who does not claim '1 am tbe agent' i.e.,be who is different from the one who claims so by natural incli-nation, or claims as such with an intention that 'I should doso', or claims so in an efficient manner.I6 This t}ini (suffix em-ployed in Qilahamvadi) does not prohibit for a Yogin, the speech'I do' under the influence of the cover of tbe mundane life.

312 Bhagavadgitii with GWirthasangraha [Ch.

Who is overpowered by ,joy and grief: i.e., at the time of suc-cess and failure [respectively]. Wickedness: cruelty. (26-28)

You must listen [from Me] to the three-fold divi-sion of the intellect and also of content both being ex-pounded completely and individually, [by Me] basingon the Strands, 0 Dhanafijaya ! (291

Buddhel]. etc. [lItel/ecl : the faculty of resolving. Content:satisfaction. After having performed either good or wickedaction, everyone, at the end, feels 'what is to be necessarilyperformed has been performed; so why further more?' Or elsewhat could be the cause for [one's] retiring from that action?Therefore in everyone there is content. This is the meaningintended here. The word-meaning, that is not clearly known-that alone' is certainly explained [hereinafter]. (29)

The intellect which knows the activity and thecessation from the activity, the' proper and improperactions, ,the fear and non-fear. and the bondage andemancipation--that intellect is considered to be ofthe Sattva (Strand). (30)

The intellect, by means of which one decidesincorrectly the righteous and the unrighteous ones andwhat is a proper action and also an improper one--that intellect is of the Rajas (Strand), 0 son ofPftha ! (31)

The intellect which, containip.g darkness (igno-rance), conceives the unrighteous one as righteous andall things topsy-turvy--that intellect is deemed to be ofthe Tamas (Strand) .. (32)

Pravrttim etc. upto Tamasi mall!.. lncorrect/y: not pro-perly .. (30-32)

XVIII] Translation

The unfailing content because of which one res-trains, with Yoga, the activities of mind, the livingbreath and the senses - .hat content is considered tobe of the Sattva (Strand). (33)

o Arjuna! The content by which one restrainsone's bounden duty, pleasure and wealth, and consequ-ently desiring the fruits [of action]-that content is ofthe Rajas (Sti"and), 0 son of Prthii! (34)

The content, whereby a foolish man does not giveup his sleep, fear; grief, despondency and also arro-gance--that content is deemed to be of the Tamas(Strand). (35)

DhrtYii etc. upto Tlimasi mata. One restrains the activitiesof his mind, living breath and senses, with Yoga: i.e., thinJdng 'What'is the use for me by enjoying etc. ? Let me be delighted in the Selfby all means.' Consequently: not with much iudulgence. Thatcontent whereby one fixes pleasure as his goal only in sleep,fight etc.--that content is of the Tamas (Strand). (33-35)

o best among the Bharatas! Now from Me youmust also listen to the three-fold happiness where onegets delighted by practice,17 and attains the end' ofsuffering. (36)

[The happiness] which is like poison at its time butis like nectar at the time of its result-that happiness,born of serenity of the Soul and intellect, you mustknow to be of the Sattva (Strand). (37)

[The happiness] which is like nectar at its timedue to the contact between the senses and sense-objects;but which is like poison at the time of its result-that isconsidered to be of the Rajas '(Strand). (38)

314 Bhagavadgita with Gitarthasailgraha [Ch:

The happiness which, [both] at the beginning andsubsequently, is of the nature of deluding the Self; andwhich results from sleep, indolence and heedlessness-that is stated to be of the Tamas (Strand). (39)

:Sukham etc. upto udl1hrtam. At its time: at the time of itspractice (use). Like poisoll (18t): Because it is extremely diffi-cult to give up the attachment' for sense-objects cultivatedduring hundreds of [previous] life-periods. That has been saidin the revealed literature as :

'[The path of spirituality] is the edge of a razor,painful and difficult to cross over etc.' 18

The serenity of intellect (Qr mind) results from serenityin the Self, as thcre exists nothing else to be aspired for. The[Riijasic] happiness springs from the mutual contact between thesense-objects and senses, just as in the case of tbe eye due toits contact with colour. That happiness which is due to sleep,indolence and heedlessness, explained earlier, is of the Tamas(Strand). (36-39)

Whether on the earth, or again among the gods inthe heaven, there exists not a single, being, which isfree from these three Strands, born of the Material-Nature. (40)

Na tad a~ti etc. In this manner, the agent, the objectand the instrument, the intellect and content, and happiness areclassified under different heads of the Sattva etc. Because theyhave a mutual relationship of subordinate-and-principal or ofthe oppressed-and-opresoor or of the togetherness; because theybave modifications occurring either together or in a specificsequence; and becau!e they, on that account, have varietiesbeyond all counting; they are capable of bringing forth fruits(results) of umpteen variety. This (statement) logically demon-~trates in detail the uncomprehensibility of actions (theirresults) Which ~as been indicated earlier (above IV, 1711".). All,

XVIII] Translation 315

these beings, starting from the gods down to the immovables, donot transcend the relation with the triad of the Strands. Indeedit bas been said-

'Commencing from Brahmi (personal god) down tothe [insignificant] worm, no one is really happy;all, without exception, having desire to live, under-take different Hcts of agitatioD (or commit diffe·rent frauds to appear to he happy).'

Indeed the real happiness is [only] to him whose mind has gonebeyond the Strands and not to anyone else. This is what isintended here. (40)

So far, the three-fold nature of each of the six items19 andalso of the content etc., has been explained. 'Among them, hewho is occupied with the group of the Sattva (Strand) and whohas attained the divine wealth is fit for tl>e subject under study;and you are of that sort' - telling in this manner, Arjuna hasbeen encouraged.20

Now the following is declared:' If you engage yourself inthe action with this resolve for correct knowledge, then becauseof your undertaking of your own righteous action and becauseof your sanctity through wisdom, there is no bondage of actionfor you. On the other hand, if you don't follow tbi~, [even]then there must necessarily be some activity in you; becauseyour birth itself stands to that effect. Since, being controlledby its own intrinsic nature, everything, though it may have, fora short while, its nature concealed due to some fault, regains itsown nature that becomes perceivable when the concealing agentdisappears. For example, the nature of the castes is of thisnature. Thus when an effort necessarily takes place,therewould be [for its agent] its fruit. This [the Bhagavl] says-

The dutiesU of the Brahmal}.as, the K~atriyas,the Vaisyas, and of the Sudras are properly classifiedaccording to the Strands which are the sources of theirnature,'· 0 scorcher of foes! (41)

316 BlJagavadgltii with Gitlirthasangraha [Ch.

Quietude, self-control, as well as purity, for-bearance, and also straightforwardness, knowledge,wisdom, and faith in another world are the duties ofthe Brahmal).as, born of their nature. (42)

Heroic deed, fiery energy, firmness, dexterity,and also non~fIeeing from battle, giving gifts, over-lordship, are the duties of the K:?atriyas, born Oftheir nature. (43)

Ploughing, cattle-tending and trading are theactions of the Vaisyas, born of their nature. Theaction, in the form of service, is of the Siidras, bqrnof their nature. (44)

A man, devoted to his own respective action,attains success." Devoted to one's own action, howone attains Ruccessthat you must hear from Me. (45)

That, whence the activities of the beings arise;by which this universe is pervaded - worshippingThat by one's own prescribed action, a man attainssuccess. (46)

Better is one's own prescribed duties, [born ofone's nature, even though] it is devoid of quality, thananother's duty well executed; the doer of duty, depen-dent onl4(or prescribed according to) one's ownnature, does not incur sin. "(47)

o son of Kunti! One should not give up thenature-born duty, even if it is (appears to be) defective.For, all beginningsS5 are enveloped by harm.just as thefire by smoke. (48)

XVrII] Translation 317

He, whose mind entertains no attachment to any-thing, who is self-conquered and is free from craving-he attains by means of renunciation the supreme suc-cess of actionlessness. (49)

Having attained the success, how he attains theBrahman, an attainment which is confirmed to be thefinal beatitude of true knowledge - that you must learnfrom Me briefly. (50)

He, who has g~t a totaHy pure intellect by fullycontrolling hi') self (mind) with firmness, and renouncingsense-objects, sound etc., and driving 'out desire andhatred; (51)

Who enjoys solitude, eats lightly, has controlledhis speech-organ, body and mind; who is permanentlydevoted to the meditation-Yoga; and who has takenshelter in the perennial desirelessness; (52)

Relinquishing egotism, violence, pride, desire,wrath, and the sense of possession - he, the unselfishand calm one, is capable of becoming the Brahman. (53)

Having become the Brahman, the strene-mindedone neither grieves nor rejoices; remaining equal to allbeiQgs, he gains the highest devotion to Me. (54)

Through devotion he comes to know of Me: WhoI am and how, in fact, I am'~- having correctly k;nownMe, he enters Me. Th~n aft~rwards, (55)

Performing all [his] actions all the time andtaking refuge in Me, he attains, through My Grace, theeternal, changeless state. (56)

318 Bb.agaI'adgita with Gi ~arthasa ugraha [Ch.

[Hence] renouncing by mind all actions in Me, 0descendant of Bharata, and taking hold· of the know-ledge-Yoga, you must always be with your thought-organ [turned] towards Me. (51)

Having your thought-organ turned towards Me,you shaJj pass over all obstacles by My Grace. On theother hand, if you don't give up your sense of ego, youwill not liberate yourself, [instead] you will perish. (58)

In case, holding fast to the sense of ego, youthink (decide) 'f shall not fight', that resolve of yourswill be just useless. [For] your own natural conditionwill incite you [to fight] .. (59)

o son of Kunti! Being bound fully by your ownduty, born of your own nature, and also being [hence]not independent, you would perform what you do notwish to perform, because of your self·delusion. (60)

Brahmot)Q - etc. up to avasopi tat. Surely the intnns,cnature of the Briihll1anas etc., does not violate what has beendefined [above] by way of cla;sifying their' duties. Therefore,as far as you are concerned, Yt'U have the intrinsic quality of theK~atriya (warrior), and your nature i.e., intrinsic qualtty, does.withollt fail, assume the part of the inciter of yoursel f, eventhough you dou't like it. For, a per,on who acts simply beingincited by that (n \ tlIra I c'.•ndition), there is the strong bondageof the merit or demerit. Therefore, perfotm actions followingthe mean, of correct kn )wledge, taught by Me. In that case,the bondag~ wOLliJdis.ppear. The intention of the principalsentence (statement of [he entire passage under btudy) is tohelp to get this ide~. The meaning of the' subordinate sentences(statements) is evident.

Briefly (verse 50) : in short. Knowledge: i.e. the one whichha; b~ell e~plliaed elrlier. Ni~thii conveys', avoiding verbal

XVTII] Translation 319

jugglary, the me10ing 'what has been det~rmined·.27 He who isendowed with intellect lotally pure ~tc.: All this has been almostexplained already. Hence, no mor~ trouble h taken [to com-ment upon it]. (41-60)

o Arjuna ! This Lord dwells in the heart's of allbeing~, causing, by His trick-of-Illusion, all beings towhirl round [as if they are] mounted on a [revolving]rp.echanical contrivance.~9 (61)

To Him alone you must go for refuge with allyour thought,"o 0 descendant of Bharata! ThroughMy Grace you will attain the success. the eternalabode (62)

!svaral! etc. Tarn eva etc. Thi~ Lord, the Supreme Self,must be taken hold of as refuge. When that Supreme Ruler,the [real] Agdnt-Jf-all-actions, the [real] Knower, the V~JY Selfof your own,31 i; reflected UpJD, there (in the heart) the [effectsof] actions do not en}JY any locus standi. Indeed, tbe deer-calves which :He of wavering mind [by nature) and are notedonly for their power of running away to escape, do not takerecour;.; to their skill ill pursuing freely their [usual] activitieswhile there dwells in the [nearby] cave a lion-calf, the glory ofwl1o,e valeur has been made evident by the accessories in theform of the he:tp; of pearls scattered from the elephants' templ~sbroken opm with the very shll'p edges of his (lion-calf's) cAcell-ent claws.

By theconcluJing statement that commences 'To Him aloneyou must go for refuge' and [runs] as 'Th.rougb My Graee ete.',the Bhagavat indicates the. Lord Supreme Self, and VasudevaKrgia! to be identica1.31A (6!-62)

Thus the [path of] wisdom, a better secret than allthe secrets has been expounded to you by Me; COmpre-hend it fully-and then act as you please. (63)

320 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraba [Ch.

Iii te etc.: The [path of] wisdom has been taught to you.It is a better secret tban the secret literature i.e., tbe last portionof the Veda, (the Upani~ds), as it reveals the supreme Non.duality (Advaita-philosophy). Comprehend it fully and then:Deliberate on the purport of it and then. (63)

That purport has been, no doubt, elucidated by us bytaking-by·horn-method (directly) whenever occasion arose. Yet,a clear reflection of the entire subject matter is shown here.Because it' is the choicest one, the mind, i~ never satisfied, whenit is being elucidated and listened to. The most secret thing isbeing determined here. The method by which that is known,you must listen to now - so He says :-

Yet again, you must listen to My ultimate (orsupreme) message which is the highest secret of all.You are My dear one and have a firm intellect. HenceI shaH tell you what is good to you: (64)

Be with your mind fixed in Me; be My devotee;offer oblation to Me and render salutation to Me; youshall come to Me alone. Really I promise you,(because) you are dear to Me. (65)

SarVQ - etc. Manmanif1} etc, By the portion 'Be with yourmind fixed in Me' etc., ii. is determined ,that in the scripturesthe importance completely lies only in dedicating [everything) tothe Brahman; and it is d~cJare,l that this present scripture (theHoly Bhagavadgitll) is of use [only) in the case of one whocultivates [the attitude of] dedication to the Brahman. (64-65)

Abo He says -

Abandoning all attributes. come to Me as yoursole refuge; I shall rescue you from all sins; don't besorrowful. (66)

Sarvadharmiin etc. 'Abandoning all attributes: This act ofslaying the kinsmen and the like that arises incidentally while

XVIII] Translation 321

fighting a war - not owning those acts as your own attribute byyour thought 'I am the doer of all these'; al>o givirg up bymind, the notion 'If the act of slaying the teacher etc., is avoid-ed, ment wi]] accrue to me', Come to Me: Come to Me alone,the Agent-of-all-actions, the Supreme Lord, l~e Sovereign. Asyour Refuge: it, the Guardian of all your natura] impulses. Onthat account I, the Omniscient, shall rescue you from all the sins.Don't be sorrowful: Don't get perplexed 'What to be dont:' .31B (66)

This [knowledge] is for you, and it should neverbe imparted to one who does not observe austerities;to him who has no devotion; to him who has no desireto listen; and to him who is indignant towards Me, (67)

Idam etc. If the secrecy of this knowledge is maintainedit would yield succes', because it is out of reach of all [ordmary]persons. When the knot of sin is cut off through obselvingausterities, then only the results of good act is ready to becomerlpe. Hence, austerity comes first. Due to austerity, faith isbom. The same (f,lith) is devotion here. The faitb, even If it isborn, does not grow well, in case it becomes visible only for amoment and then perishes like lightning. 1 herefore. to helpits growth, the desire to listen to is [next]. In the case ofcertain person, even all tbis arises with regard to the uselessknowledge of the dry Siiilkhya (reasoning) system that admits noSupreme Lord. Even with regard to a system that admits theSupreme Lord, it may, in the case of another penon - onaccount of his craving for fruit of action - emerge by raisingtile fruit-of-action alone to the status of importance and byhumbling down oDe's own Worshipful Self to tbe role of aninstrument in achieving that fruit It bas been declared:

'The agent also [is an auxiliary], because he is forthe action [enjoined].' (IS, III, i, 6) ;

and'Actions als.) [are auxiliary] because they are forthe purpose of fruits.' 32 (JS, III, i, 4).

Thus in both the instances there is indignation, meaning 'dis-regard' with the Bh:lgavat (Self) - This is the purport. ,(67)

952 - 22

322 BhaglVldgita with Gila rhasangraha [Ch.

Whosoever shall declare this highest secret to Mydevotees, he, cultivating an utmost devotion towardsMe, and not entertaining any doubt, shall reach Me. (68)

Ya idam etc. The very act of explaining this among Mydevotees is itself an act 0 f cultIvating devotion towards Me.Whosoever shall declare etc : Whosoever directs the mind [of thedevotees] by face·to·face method, following the best procedureprescribed in the scripture>; i,e. ht: who shall impart [this know-ledge] - he becomes one with Me. This is an Injunction [con-cerning the result] and not a sentence of praise. Likewise is[the case] in other places al,o. (68)

And, excepting him there would be nOne am:)ngmen who is the best performer of what is dear to Me;and other than him there ~hall be none else who isdearer to Me on earth (69)

Whosoever would learn this sacred dialogue ofboth of us, by him I am worshipped (delighted) throughthe knowledge-sacrifice: This is My opinion (70)

A man who would at least hear to [this] with faithand without indignation - he too, freed [from sins],will attain the auspicious worlds of men of meritoriousacts. (71)

o son of Prtha! Has this been ht'ard by you withattentive mind? 0 Dhanafijaya! Has your strongdelusion, born of ignorance, been totally destroyed? (72)

Arjuna said :-

My delusion is destroyed; recollection is gainedby me through your Grace, 0 Acyuta! I stand firm,free of doubts; I shall executea your command. (73)

XVIIIJ Trall&lanon 323

Na~talJ etc, By the p~ssnge '[My] delusion is destroyedetc " it is lndieateJ t!Jat [aftu hearing the Lord's instruction],only an inclination III fight has risen in ArjuDu, but lhe pcrfectrenlisution of th::: Rral.m<in lS nc-t yet born in h'm. Whlle indi-ca tmg so, [the sage Vyasa] pr0vidcs a scope fM the IVollld-besubject matter for the Anugita.'3A (73)

Sanjaya said.

Thus I have heard this wonderful and thrillingdialogue of Vasudeva and the mighty-minded SOn ofPrtha (74)

Through the grace of Vyasa, I have heard thishighly secret supreme Yoga from Krg1a, the Lord ofthe Yogins, while He was Himself imparting it perso-nally. (75)

o kiilg! By recollecting and recollecting thiswonderful pious dialogue of Kesava and Arjuna, I feelalso 'delighted again and again. (76)

o great king! On recalling in the mind that extre-mely wonderful supreme form of Hari, '1 am amazedand I feel joyous again and again. (77)

Where Kr~l).a, the Lord of Yagins remains, wherethe son of Prthii holds his bow, there lie fortune,victory, prosperity and firm justice - so I believe. (78)

Thus ends the EIGHTEENTH CHAPTERin the Holy Bhagav:Jdgifti.

ltyaham etc. upto malir mama While concluding the[Kr~\la-Arjuna] dialogue with Saiijaya's speech, tbe [sage Vyasa]teaches this: What leads to the Absolute Brahman is nothingbut the recollection of the purport of the dialogue - a recoil ec-tion that is led finally to the ,lalus of the highly vivid, dil eel

324 Bhaglvadgirii with Gitarthasailgraha ECho

cognitIon admitting no differentiation Lbetween its subject andobject], resulting from tbe contlOuity helped by the series ofincessant contemplations [on the purport of the dialogue]according to the method of firmly fixing.34 Thus, only throughthe recollection of the dialogue of the Bhagavat ~nd Arjuna, theReality could be reached and due to that come fortunes, victo-ries and prosperity. (74 78)

MAY THERE BE HAPPINE'>S !

Here is the Catch·verse:

Having broken the fancy which is varied on account of theSattva etc" and which is made of the obstacles (or which is thevery Manthara mountain) in the form of imperfect notion an:!delusion; and havbg attained (ex;:enenced), through tbe ~xcell-ence of experiencing one's own Self, the difference - transcend-ing Omnipres~nt (Vi~t}U); 15 whosoever remains only "ith theactivities of the sen~e-orglns themselves, ansing on tbeir ownaccord - whatever insig:nifican t ac tion that person undertAkesall that becomes source of prosperity for him.

Thus ends the EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER in the HolyBhagavadgiliinhasangraha, wri Iten by the revered Rajiinaka

Abhinavagupta, the glorious preceptor of the great Mabesvaras.

[THE EULOGY OF THE COMMENTATOR]

There lived the celebrated Katyayana who was likeVararuci36 and was revelling iR throbbing wisdom. Therewas b~rn, as an ornamwt of his family, a person by nameSausuka who was a man with firm intellect and •.•.as a greatsC:lOlar. Then th~re was his son, the BriibmaI.Jl Sri-Bhfitirija,:l great p~rson, by ",horn all these folks fallen into darkness(ignor lnee), h'lVe been raised, just a~ by the Sun. (I)

Abhinavagupta, the very bee on the lotus-feet of him(SrI-Bhutiraja) wrote the Bhagavadgitarthasangraha (a summaryof the purport of the Songs of the Bhagavat), at the instance ofLo~aka a pious twke-horn, (2)

XVlIlj Translation 325

ThercfMe whether this is tot::l!ly in conformity with thepurp", t [of the GHa] or otherw,O'e - in either way thi~ neednot be a subject of the Indignation of scholars. For, this actis for the sake of my friends (01' kinsmen). (3)

[The Universal] Energy, whi.:h is Ablzinal'a (ever new)37and the G:ld Mahesvara38 (the playful Mighty Lord), who isGupta (prJtccted or ;oncealed) by that Energy39-tbus the doublyspotless One40 viz., SIV,l, the very Abhinavagupta, I adore.41 (4)

Complete is thls Holy Bhagavadgilarthasangl'aha which isa beautiful work of Abhinavagupta, who has attaioed a great"lIccess (01' fame) through hi, intensive reflection on the feet ofthe Three eyed (God Siva),4:

MAY THERE BE HAPPINESS!

OM

Notes

1. B~~~ i, taken onl) in the sense of Fr@~fl:rRi'4i~<fby Sankalli. also.f{owever the Sarad. manuscript of the Glturthasmigraha reads Rii?1-~ .....••.~••.... t'"l'T+rRlVlifl'lf.li+lIlJP{ \

IA. The present quotation j, fro,n the Plirvaf1l1111:1!ISu-:,hu~ya of Sabara-sviimin under the JS, lV.i, 2, where the differences betw~en (I) thekrall'arlila (the means for the successful completion of the cnjoinedact l;ke the Ag/li~!oma) and (2) th, puru~Z:rl!ra (m:ans for fulfillingthe personal desire) are dIscussed.

2. The quotation is from the SVon JS, l, i, 2 w,th a slight change inthe position of the words. There the cJmp'ete hemi,titch runs:

(flCli1C1: q;c;!t~ <IT ~m ~f€;:'lit BT Frf€p;<R! (verse 23)

[Ago'S reading of it seems to be (f'31T<m ~f1;:'fj"tW,:;:rr q;;ffijJ tfT R~S<Rf].It may be rendered 'Therefore the act df injury, being within thepurview of the fruit of an action [enjoined in the Vedas vlz.

ECho

Jf~'fTfl.i"l~~ <:6tcr] is being rrohibitod lby thc Plohibitory rule +IT

f~li'lTa; '9"Cff 1J:,nlf.r], eventhough it is known frOI11 the Vedas (said

abJv~).'

3. Tbis quotation is also from thc samc authorl(y (Ibid) und (hc purportof th, p",sage ffiJY be better apprcd,ted if It I, read with the plssagethat precedes and runs as:

•.•......... fufifq' "l ~ 'Ii~r:I<8rrffu: SiT(11~ n5f ;;r~crT'fRr'lil1fi'f. II

3fRr'liqOJ ~tITfu: m~~frcr~f'f{r~'f:qf I

'fji;fiJi "'fT'f'f1111Q ;;r~'-i'r 'f feicrfo;f'li: II(ibid verscs 221-22).

4. Delibi'Yaliolls ctc. s~c Ag.'s gloss on salikhya undcr II, 40.

5. I.e. karma-cadalla.

G. ('ollsisting of Ihcs" three-j:Jd clements: ])isso1\c: Rr'* McH: (Il'lif'l:f:

'l1f'ff«11:) <RlIi '9"f B1fifl:lT. Likcwise 1S f5rfifer: •

7. Terms: .:;rtFr: mJY denote clymologically what i, hcard ~.:icr~Rr '-TRr:.

8. What Ag. secnis to drive hO:ll" to us under th~ present Gitii v~,-scseems (0 be (hi,: As \\e havc seen eurller, m:)!c than onc~ (sec e.g.,

eh VII, no(C 14) the Will (~af~Rn:) and the Action (ffi'11~Rn:)arc not two ddfercnt entities, but only t"o manifestations of onePure Consciousnc;S. What are known a, mCans Df knowledge etc., atthe plane of the Will, (he very same things c011stilutc 'the instrumentetc.' at the plane of Action. All this !tipple fOld division arc duc toonc's intention for fruit and it has no rclevance in tbc case of a

YDgin who has realised that all is nothing but Vasudeva ('ff!;!~1f:

':r~B:.).9. Illslrumental Yena is employed: It is of interest to notc that in thc

next vcrse knowledge (11~~T'fB:.) has been taken to mean the instru-

ment of knowledge (it'f ~T;'j-'f) by Sankara nnd his follo\\ers in view

of the (extual requirement. Possibly Ag, thinks that the very samething bas been clearly inll,ca(ed by the prescnt ver>e itself. No doubtin tune with this, the next verse is to be understood. H~nee, in the

next verse too, it'f ;l1m may ha\ e to be taken not to mean 'by means

of which knowledge'l but o:1ly to mean 'by me,lnS of the instrumcntof know ledge'.

XVlllj Notes 327

10. The pel/tad that iW'ludes etc. Sec Ago's commcntary under XVII],J 3-17 abo,c

It. Insignificant: i.e. in itS nature and in its result.

12, Classified as gods, hI/man beings etc. See note on above IX, 12.

13. D'terminativn: Niyatalll may as well mean 'ordained' and it may bean adjecthe of karma.

14. Or 'expanded or ,tretched out by nescience etc.'

15. Nescience ct.:.: I.~. nescience, egoism. attachment, aversion andaddiction. Cf. 3{f!r~ISR>RrHJIT~"flj;IR~:m: ~l: (YS, 1I, 3).

16 By natural inclinatioll .... ·jfiCiellt mallner. The terms Cfi'8fiif: etc. areexplain'cd in the KZi!idd, as-

a) cr;;gfiif:, '1: <!'['11'!i'l: '!i'iff;'r~ihr~"'l 5!'lcf~ 'Taechiia is one whoundertakes the action (mentioned by the verb) by natural incli-nat'on. and not prompted by his contcmplation of its result;'

b) i'l~+fT, '1: ~!:!l:if +f+fl<rm-Fci):f'fcfe f!r'1'lfcr :IT'f<'l''1'' Taddhalll1a is 0newho undertakes the action not by habit, but by thinking thatit is his duty;'

C) i'l<"3fll"lir(f, <rt !;Tfcifqm~ "liufu' f!r<rlS[q l1fr#t'1' etc. 'Siidhukllrinis one, "h,' puforms the action mentioned by the verb, in anefficient way etc.'.

17. By practice, cr. 3{1'<rrffTC'\,f.r'~:IT'tiif'1'lC'\, - kk.

18. The quotation is an adaptation of a part of the Ka!hapani,'ad 1, iii, 14of which the hemistitch runs:

@'{~ cm:r Fr[Um ~@<:f! ~ q-q~(i, 'li'fm 'le:f.:rr I

19. Six items: I.e .• those that hId been t~lJ in the preface to the venes20 If above.

20. Arjl/na .••..• encollraged: I.e., in XVI, 5 abovc.

21. Duties: cr. 'li+flTUr, ~r~?["lTfu:(iT: f?!;'!lIf!rUISII:- Rk.

22. SOl/rces of the!r nature: Dissolve ~1'f1'lHr Ji'l1'l: ~I'<r: I ~:.

Bhlgavadgitii with Gitarthasallgraha

24. De pendellt on etc. Dissolve: <:?/>lliit., R1:f('fl1:.

25. All heCinj,ings etc. The idea is this: The act of beginning another'sduty must be preceded by a craving for the frUits of that duty andby the hatred towards one's own duty. Hence such a beginning isshrouded by these enemy-Ijke undesirable craving and hatred, just ns

the fire etc., by the smoke etc. Cf. ~i'I'Hm1:f~ 1ffi:;T: ctc, above 111, 43,

26. Who f am and hall' 1 ~/II: Cf. ~Ts;i '1(<:?/~q:, 2f!:ifIR<:r '1"iT l'f'fTfil -

Rk.

27. M. WIlliams recognises lIi~!ha in the sense of 'decision' and citesRi'ijatarangi(11 as reference.

28. Heart; I.e. where you are conscious oT each and everything,

29, Mechanical contrivance; a merry-go-round, run by a machme,

30. AU your thought: Or 'ell tire heing' i.e., by body, by mind and byin tel lee!.

31 The very Self of your OWII: Docs Ag. use the sufih <i2fC:,of ~1(<i11i'r

in the sense of identity?

31 A. The Laid Supreme Self an-/ Vasudeva to be idenllcal; Cf.

'1m~'fB~Hf'1iit2f(iit., "l 31qftfil(f~~'!f1~q~ q~ ;;fi\1 <fr(fT~~~:n T;:cR~

('f"MerR~., (if;;er>rfufu: - Dhl"al1)'aloka, under IV. 5.

31 B. Don't get perple~ed 'what to be dOl/e': While explaining "T cr"!: ill thismanner, Ag. evidently tak:> into consideration above Ch. II. verses7-8.

32. The agent a/so etc. Actions also elc. These two quotations occur inthe P"r"aI111mal!'SUs"tra of Ja,minl in the context of enumerating'auxiliaries'. (III, i, 3-6) where Jaimini gives his own view (insiitras 4-6) on the subject as against that of a teacher called BadarI(sii.3). The complete siitra4 and the order of the satras are:

'li+Irul(N *fi:rf.r: 'fi(ifr~('IT(f (4)g~ll[ 'fil'[~("1~ (6) ,

In betweon these two, there is the sui,.,,:'fiB "l :3~r;rl::1('flC\. (5)'The fruit also [IS auxiliary], because it is for the agent',

It may be of interest to note that Ag. not only reversed the order of

XV1rI] Notes 329

the "ii/rac< (evidently for the convenience of his way of argument) anddropped the name Jaimini, but also dropped the sillra in between,perhaps because it is not very convenient for him. Further Ag,'s glosson <iTs~:q~<rfucommences with ~~'{sftr etc. and concludes with thequotation from the PiirvQmlmifmsiidarsalla. But, It is a point ofdl,pute whether that Darsana reaily acce~ts ISvara.

33. [ shall execUle Cf. 1iT1tit f?l;:q:qr<:iql"~ - Rk.

33A. The sage Vyasa pro"ides scape far ..... I!!e Alluglta: The chapters 16-50Il1 the Asvamedhapraval! of the MB make AIll/gilii. Cf. Ag,'s remarkIe ere with that of R.D. Karmarkar who holds that this portIon (con-taIning the Anugltii proper, the Brahma-gita and the Crmlsi"'Ya-salil-"ado) lias nothing to do wJth the moin subject and comeS in qUIteawkwardly. See the ASl'amedhaparrall, critical Ed lntrod. p. xxiv.

The words of Ag. here are directed rerhaps against Sallkara whowrites, under the present velse as....•.

...•.... <Iff! ~l'fl;+rr~"nrr: ~'?:f~'"I\.1?"m.......• ~G.l;fi c9'OBItI;r

~cirsfu:r <Ti'fm~: 'fiR~lj 9"1.r i'f'! I '3!~i"'!eJ;[/3TG.r":'!'Vi'fr~:,

iT ~ ~.:q+rffif ~c<rf"W<J':I

34. Probably Ag. has here in his mind the YS. where we read: ff::!"r~"lll~~\;G<!~1ff'lilui!tf9m '[1l~fiT: (I, 14)' 'But this becomes con-, 'firmed. if it has been cultivated for a long time Dnd uninterruptedlyWIth earnest attentIOn.'

35. ViSIII/, the Omnipresent: The Saiva Absolutists too, lIke the Vediln_tl~; admit that the Absolute trdnscends all determinants and conse-queutly all ideas of differentiations. Hence lhe first half of thepresent ,erse of Ag. stands in a good com"ari;on to the second halfof the invocatory verse in the Ad,aitasi:ldlri of MadhusUdana Sara-svati, that runs:

fiTl::qr•••~i<!~,,~ 'R+rr;r.~'lii"fr'flcWl;

<ir~f >IfF! ~ ~<i i<!;;r<J'ai<!~~"ll(i'qrfJ",i'f: II

The present verSe of Ag. as well as his first invoca'ory wrse atthe begi nning, m.lY be studbd together and may be compared withthe said verse of MadhusU,!Jna Sarasvati. of which the first halfruns:

+rT<J'r"ll~qi'flfT<ri'fm~lS[l~i'fwr'€lf'jjl:f:

ffc<J'~"g~)(+r9i: .';:Tfufm:~T~u~~rqf"l\:

330 B'lag,lvddgita with Gitarthasangr<::ba

Furth:r Ag.'s description of tbc man of re.:lisation "s 'One, whohas attain~d YlsnU - whatever he does becomes Saiikara'. makcs avery beautiful p';etry with a pleasing VirodJ.iibhasa (figure of speech),Indee j the present Catch-verse helps us to catch the core of theGIlii.

36. Vi/rarlld is th, famous alllhor of the VyiikaraJ,za-Viirtfika. He hadanother n.\l11e Katyayan~ and his e\traordinary intelligence is de;cri-bed at I~ngth in the Kalhiisaritsiigaro. The comparison hele mayindicate th.lt tl1is Katyay"n.\ of the prescnt verse was a great intellect-cua! and wa' all authority in Sanskrit grammar.

37. Energy which is ever nell'. Elsewhere Ag, explains '3fM-if<f; as-

'3fM-if'f: "{1T[91l.1'1R.~('fI;mfCr if "fic;rf~(f: ; ~., .,Cfif<f: .••.••.• ~~

'1qfu - (IPV, II, iii, 2).

38. Maltesl'ara: He is described as one who is full of the wonderful joy of

creativity, Cf. '3f:rf'S[fEr"<l,«m'1iT~+r<[; ?.,j'r.,I~ "~"'I~:(PH. under 20).

39, Prorccted by that Energy: cr.~ql~il <ii(lTfu:+r~Cf ?J,ei ?<[l<if'filJ:, - (TS, I, vii), 0)

andt~EfI 1i!;\~ i{q~[\f'll ;oft 'ls ;,\19B - (TS, 1'1, v, 10)

40. The doubly spot'ess One· As we have already seen, according to theSaiv., Absolutists, tile Siva talll'Q is tbe tlrst creative stage and theSakti, the secJnd tallva is nothing but the S iva-tatll'a itself in itscreative aspect creating all, starting from the .,adasLva-tattva down tothe P!'tbivi-tattva.

41. SiVa, the I'ery .4bhtlwvagapta I adore: H'ore Ag seems to indicate tl',athe is a man of liberated Soul. According to the PratyabhijnlI school,'Liberation' meaM the recognition (Pr6lyobhijna.' of one's own truenature \;.0. one's iden tity with the Supreme). Cf.

~.,I~ .,~~~r~'la'1c;rI';q I:o'1c;r;E[\fr"!fiT~Ia;

['i'f~<{R<1lifu ;qit~lJ:, II ( PS, 81 )

["~~\Eqc;rl';q, \f~~'fl'1~f~~3;if'1R:~\<I[I<:!..JS~, having realised Muhesvar.J, A~hinavagllpta has come to e~peri-enee Him as the exoeriencer (Ag,) himself.

XViilJ Notes 331

"4:. Abhillavagl/pta who •.•.. God Siva Cf.

-BfWff ~r~:j~Rr1!.<5+!,\3fN'iif!!r.$r +r<Tf

~1'f'if\fJj~fJj~if II (rs, 105)

~~r ~i;~rrHT<lOfr~<l~ t!t! '"lr<i<lT ,!'"[Frcrt lJOf~r(!f~: ~.frfrr<H~: fttcrrS~lf:

THE END

Indices

I nd ices

1. INDEX OF AUTHORS

335

Acarya 278AcyutJk:~!)ananda Tirtha 276Anandagiri 94Anandavardhana (A V) 13,45,9],152.

175,179, 182-83,227-29Apte, V S. 24\-42Bada" 328Belvalkar 44-45, J 34Bhanrhari 213, 277Bhask"ara 44-45, 73,92, 94. 102, 114-

18,139,152, 173, 181-~2, 203Bhasyakrt 137Bi1hana' 242Daksi~amurti 99Dha~;pati 252Dhvanikara 46Dvaipayana ]Gnoli, Raniero 135Induraja Bhaga 3Jaimin i 328Jayaratha 6,9,42,69,71,96-97,138,

183,201,26]Kalhana 242Kal ingaraja 263Kapila 44Karmarkar, R.D. 329Kityiyana 330K?emarltja 72,154, 174.181,301lvladhusiJdana Sarasvati (!vIS) 15.

41-42,44,114,139,213,288.329Mahabhli~yakara 137Mallinatha 118Maskari 298Muku\a 173Nlirliya!)a Bha!!a 180Nilakargha 180

Pandey. K.C. 67, 72, 95. 136, 138,156-57, 181\ 228. 2]9, 280

Pa!)i"i 94,300Parthasi!:rathi Misra 46patan;ali 102, 137, 301Ramaka~!hs (Rk.) 41A7, 66, 73-74,

93,114,116-17.134,138-39,152,175, 13H2, 198-9~, 203,212-14.226-29,237-38, 241, 252-53, 264-65, 280, 287-88, 299-300

Rlimanuja 114Sabarasvamin 201-02, 30t, '25Sankara 14-15,41-45,67-68,73,92-

94,99,102.114-18,134, 139, 151-52,157-58,173, 180-82.197, 199,200,203,212-14.226,241,252-53,276-77,283.287-88

Si!:yaryu 263Sharma, L.N. 45, 66-67, 95Si vopadhyaya 116SomeS'vara Bhatia 227Sridhara 300Srihar~a 118Utpaladeva 71-72,115, 136, 174Vac~spatimisra 173,198,240Vallabhadeva 263Vamana 133Vararucl 324,33lJVenka\anatha 67Vijilana bhiksu 102Visvanatha Sastri Bharadvnj 242Vyasa 23, 102, 124, 162, 166-67, 240.

322, 329Williams, M. 173, 241, 328Yogaraja 152,202

336 Bhagavadglta with Git1irthasangraha

II. INDEX OF WORKS

Adhyiisabhiisya 173Advaitasiddh i 329Ajadapramiitrsiddhi 280Amarakosa (AK) 15, 102, 118,173,

252, 25~, 300Amarapadavrtti 118AnugItii 329Araryyakaparvan 290,299Asvamedhaparvan 329Bhagavatapuriirya 153,176,203,263,Bhamatl 92,173,198Bhiisya 129Bha~yotkarsadjpika 259Bha!jadipika 66-67Bhedavadavidararya 127,136Brahmagitii 329Brahmakanda 2'77Brahmana~dagiri 67BrahmasTItra (BS) 14, 43, 99, 133,

173, 181, 197,238, 252, 277, 2~0,288, 300

Brhadiiraryyakopanj~ad (Br.U) 14,22,42, 180, 199.276,287

Chiindogyopanisad (Ch.U) 14,46-47,67,238,299: 302

Devistotra 136,217,228Devistotravivararya (-vivrti) 127,228Dbatupii!ha 94Dhvanyaloka 13-1~, 46-47,228, 328Dinakarl 93GautamadharmasUtra 298-99Gurusisyasamviida 329Ha!hayogapradipika (HP) 97, 100,

134,179-80,239Hymn (Stotra) 232, 238Uvarapratyabhijnakiirikii (IPK) 137,

151, 154, 156, 174, 227-28, 263,278-80

lSvarapratyabhijnavivrti r IPV) 94,136, 174

Isv arapraty abhijiia vi vrt ivimarS' i ni(IPVV) 41, 93-94; 135-37, 152,155-56, 174,214, 237, 265, 330

Jaiminisiitra (JS) 321,325.328Jiviitu 110, 118

Kasika 94, 327Katbasaritsiigara 330Kajhopani~ad (KU) 43,179,276,327Kavyalankarasutra 133Kramaslitra 155Kularryava 137Kumarasambhava 45-46Laghu(ghvI)prakriya 84,95,234,240Locana 46-47Mahabhiirata (MB) 3, 13-14,23,43,

63, 198,227, 299, 329Mahiibhiisya 202, 301Mahasubha,itasangraha 263Miilinivijay~ttaratantra 99Mary9iikya upani~ad (Ma,!cf. V) 214Manu(smrti) 55,73,227,299Medinikosa 102,299Mok~adharmaparvan (Mokfa.) 23,

63Mrcchakajika 133-34Mury9akopani~ad (MII,!cf. V) 67-68,

199, 202,214,302Nai~adhlyacarita 118!'.Iti andVairagya Satakas 213Nyayabha~ya (NB) 14,229Nyayasiddhiintamuktiivali 93Nyayasudhii 227Nyayasutra (NS) 14,213Nyiiyaviirtttka 229Piidma-uttarakha~9a 227

Piil)iniyii~jadhyayi (PA) 15,43-44,46-47,94, 101, 173,202, 227, 252,276

Paramarthasiira (PS) 13, 93, 112,116, 139, 152,162,175. 180, 202-203,264, 330-31

paratrimsikii 72,98 -I 00Pratyabhijiiiihrdaya (PH) 42-43,66,

70-71,80, 155, 228,280,330PTIrvamimiif!lsabhii~ya 325Purvamimaf!lsaslIlra (PMS) 139,201-

202, 301, 328-29Raghuvamsa 44Riijatarao'giryi 3-,8Riimiiyarya 213

Indices 337

~gveda (RV) 84, 211, 276

Sabarabhasya (SB) 66, 207, 301, 304S3bdakalpadruma 92, 153, 276SalJlkhyakarika (SK) 46,92, 117.198,

253.263~iimkhyatattvakaumudl (STK) 46,

. 198. 264Santiparvan (Santi.) 23,63, 227Siddhantakaumudl 44Sivadrsti 115, 136Slvas~ktyavinabhavastotra 274,280Sivopanisad 85,95. 144,154Slokavarttika (SV) 46, 304.325-26Spanda:karika (SpK) 70, 72, 74. 84,

95,174, 18J, 183,190,200Spandasastra 135Sruti 277,326Stavacintamani 180SUbhasitasudhanidhi 263Suktiri\tnakara 263

Taittirlyu Brahma~a (TB) 70, 212Taittirlya Samhita (TS) 84, 330TaittirlyoDanisad (TU) 135. 151,229,

239-42, 276Tantraloka (T A) 41-42. 68-71. 73,

95-97,116.138,152, 155-56, 174-77, 179-80. 182-83,197, 199-201,214,253,263-64, 287,302

Tattva vaisaradI (TV) 157,239-42

952 - 23

Tattvavlveka 98.100TYrthayatriiparvan 299

Uddharakosa 99U~iidisUtra (U) 15,41.252Vakyapadlya 277Viirttika (MimalJlsii) 301Viirttika (Vyiikaral)a) 330Varttikasmrti. 227vediintakalpataru 92Vediintaparibhiisii 302Vijiiiinabhairava 95, 110, 116, 144,

154. 301Vikramiinkadevacarita 242Visnupuriina 176Vis~usahasraniimastotra 138Vi~~kacGdiimani 158Vivrti or' Abhinavagupta 72. 180,

'217,228Vivrti of Sivopiidhyiiya 116Vivrti of Utpa1adeva 115-16VrttiofViimana 133VYiikaral)a Mahabha~ya 137VyakhyiisudM.(VS) 102.173,252Yajiiavalkyasmrti 14Yogabha~ya (YB) 101_02,157,240,

242YogasGlra (YS) 89, 101-02, 137, J57,

163-64,239-42,327,329Yoga viirttika 102

338 Bhagavadgiti with Gltarthasangraha

HI. GENERAL INDEX

Abhlisavadins 278-79Abode, Supreme 268Absolute Freedom 170Absolute Lord 162Abso] ute State 166Action-bonds 194Action-Yoga ]89,248Activity 308After-reflection 165Agent 308-09Age of UnIverse 187Ancient Seer 165Appropriateness 124Assentor 248Astangayoga system 134, 180, 239Aitributes, six 76,92Austerity 293,294,296, 300Austerity sacrifice 85

Basis 307-08Beneficial 293Birth cycle 3Births, fourteen 253Bliss 97Brahma 315Brahman-action 81Brahmana literature 157Brahma~-crevice \82Brahman-Existence 40, 237, 242Brahman-fire 81-84Brahman-nature 82Brahman-oblation 81Brahman-perception 248Brahmanic state 40Bright course 171

Cancer 182Capricorn 182Cark'ii 72Case Terminations 255Cause 120Companionship 121Concept of time 170Conclusion 307Conscious Energy 108-09Content 31Z

Creation, fourteen types 188

Daksina system 138Dark course 171Defective injunction 200Delight 62Demoniac nature 188Destiny 307-0RDevilish nature 188Dharma's wives 213Display 292Divine Grace 204Divi"ne nature 188, 189Dualistic school 138Duality-cum-unity 211,214Duality view 192Dual-nature, inexplicable 146Duties 327

Earth 43, 60, 72, 141-43, 151Effort 124Ego, Egotism 141,244,245Emancipation 237Energy, foremost 261Energy of Freedom 77Energy of Stir 181Energy of the Absolute 169Enmity 12]Ether 43, 143,250Experiencer 248External times 172

Fame 213Fate U6Father 256Fettered Souls 226Field 243-45, 247, 249, 251, 253Field sensitizer 243-45,249,251,253Fig-tree, hOly 267Fin ite 238Fire 43First Consciousness 163,176Forbearance 235Foe 121, 135Food 124, 229Fourth caste 196Free will 166

indices 339

Friend 12l,235

Ga tes 165-66,258Goddess 233Godhead 238God of righteousness 213Graceous-to-all-power 196-97

Hindu Society 67Honesty 293Human tendency 19

Illumination-BltssFreedom-of -w ill 108

lIlusion 109-10.156Indiffereot one 121Indra 83Infinite 238Injunction, tlefectivc 192Insignificant 327Instrument 308Instrument of knowledge 309Intellect 141,244,312Internal times 172Isolation, Supreme 237

Jains. .works 242Jiva-stage 228

Kashmirian writers 242Kashmir Saiva Ilterature 253Kashmir Saivism 13,67,69,92, 118,

J 52-54,174,176,238,253Kallia system 72, 100, 138, 214, 302,Knowing Subject 308Knowlegde-eye 251Knowledge-sacrifice 188-89Knowledge-Yoga 248

Law of Karma 263Laziness 257Life-breath 178Locative 177Lord-of-the-field 251Lower nature 141Lunar parts 171

MaitravarUl)a 177Manes 199Manifest 170ManifestatIOn Theory 136Manly vigour 143

Manus, Four 212Mariithi 241Material cause ~O, 247, 243, 250Material Nature 254, 277, 314Material-sacrifice 85-86Mind 141, 270Mixed caste 227Modificatiol1 253Monism 142Moon 229Moon-nadi 134Mother 256, 274

Negation 136Negative attributes 238Negligen;;e 257Nescience 327Nihtlism 125, 136Non-existent 221Non-injunction 191-93Non-return 170-71Nurthern course 171Nyaya literature 229

Object 309Object of Knowledge 308Organs, ten 244

Pancaratra sect 227. Pandam 103Peace Supreme 90Perceiver 253Persian 2<42Personal Termination 255Pleasant 293Potential (Form; 78, 175Power-of-Will 166, 179Practice-Yoga 164,233,240praisa hymn 268prakrti theory 142,151pratyabhijiia school 13,66,69,115,

154, 157, 226,228. 262, 276frayer-Yoga 234Preceptors I 72Present Tense 78

Pride 62Priestly-ctass 195Primal Person 268Primary Nature 291

340 Bhagavadgitii with Gitarthasangraha

Prime Cause 187-89.256Primeval A bode 172Prompting-in -action 308Puraqic literature 157.164.168

Qualities. six 76

Rain-cloud 54. 69Recollection, Remembrance 289-9uRelative 121Renunciation-Yoga 194-95Restrainer 84Returning 170Root 267Royal seers 195

Sages, Seven 212Saiva Absolutist~ 42-47, 68-69, 73,

115, 117, 136-38, 151, 156, 174,197-98, 202, 278-79, 329-30

Saiva literature 71Saiva system 138Sai va theory 45Sakara worship 157Same-case- relationship 89Saq1sara-tlec 276Saokhya system 142,309Satisfaction 245Scripture 289-93, 295Seed, Eternal 144Self-command 245Sensibility 244Seventh Case 13Shaking 124-25Siddhanta scripiures 129Siddhanta system 137-38,234Sin ]2Sinful birth 1965iv~ 274Siva-existence 166Sixth Case 244Sleep 257Soma-drinkers 190Southern course 171Sovereign Yoga 186Spanda doctrine 181,226Spanda school, theory 70, 15], 174

181,199,226Specta tor 248

Srauta: ritual 277Stdte-of-bodilessness 86Steadiness 205-06Subject-abject-relationship 136Sun-coloured 165Sun Niidi 131Superimposition 253-54Superior nature 141Supporter 248Supreme Bliss 256Supreme Energy 65Supremc Goal 131,249Supreme success 255Sviidhyiiya knowledge 85Sviidhyi:iya s1crifice 86, 1015yena sacrifice 304

Thought 293Time-of-Journey 164Time-nerve 123, 134, 182Tranquil one 268Trick-of-llIusion 76-77,146, 156,

319Trick-of-Yoga-Illusion 149True 293

Universal consciousness 68Universally-faced 189Universal Self 68Unmanifest 32,169-70,231,244Upani?ads 273,302.320Utterance 96

Vain~sikas 43Vai?l]ava system 137Vima system 138Vasudeva 200,319Vasudevahood 132Veda 280Vedic hymn 189, 267Vedic system ]37Vedlsm 255, 262Vital air 166. 179, 182

Water 43,141, 143Wickedness 312Wind 43, 141Wisdom-sacrifice 86, 101Working clasl' 196World Ages 168

Indices 34i

World-creative Energy 174World-emitting activity 174Yoga-Illusion 157Yoga Ii tera ture 242

Yoga of non-difference 245-246Yoga-path 239Yoga-sacrifice 85Yoga school 142

342 ahagavad@,ltii with Gitarthasangraha

IV. INDEX OF IMPORTANT SANSKRIT WORDS

:aT, <l{<6T'\ : 72,97,99-10°,:;00 :a:rc<!<!'lll. 99

aim: J:; 9,214 :a:rc<!Rllll. 159,173

:a:r1J,Rll. 71-72,238,3°2 :a:rc::!~'ffI[t 100

a:r1J,R'l.11TI"II<!: 153 :a:r'l;;;:;q:[iit'l: ] 238

arm: 182, 229 ~I,ft 3Ila:r.: 79,13°,19°,3'25 <3;;:!1'!ffRj:lT 174

a:[f('I'll. 67 :a:r;rl'!~ 181

a:r~: 174- a:r'llf'>laf~'f[ (f~l1] 72a:r~'lll. 197 a:r'l!®": [-:rr~:J 143,153:a:rUf,Q~'![: 227 :a:rm(f: 24-1a:rfoTl1l 53 3l'Rerl'O'![!\ 156:a:r~: 69,263 ~lJ~ II4-

'31~",~iif'il1'i~~"rfij:: 138 '31ilm:: 263:a;fa,\[5f : 78,92 a:r:!~'\l:ll. (-'\:) 13,72,96,~~ 95 3°0-02-aT~ 89,102-°3 ~'f{'\I., 176:a:rf&:fu: 93 ~~1;[I'lll. 279:a:rst~ 238 '31"(1"; 42,178aTi':'lll. 155,177,180 aT"(f: 'fj'(\J]ll. 212aT~cr"fI9'!1 200 :a;~ 68-70,72-73~crit<::I~: 23~ a:r<r\iif;:n 198'3l~fu;r : 44,95,156,197 31'R<:<r'\~~crl1, 287:a;l:1~m'lil~llJ: 135 altf'(1~1 153-54-

• :a;'I1::a;l:1l'f: 17,212 94,101:a;f1;[: 173 am:crcrttl1('fll. 238:a;f!;['liJ\: 18) :a;<r1'l: 85-86,97-99,~~(1"l1, 159,174- 101,1I7,229'3lf1;[~i"fll, 159 :a:rftr 162,175,178:a;f1;[~ : 159,173 '31'fG''<l 164-3TfilIDffi 100 :a:rri,~W1;[: 137:a:rfl:1\lIQ.~~[ 174- i31'Cf~illl. 273:a;f1;[\l~ 3°7 ~~Rn: 278-79

Indices 343

<l1"ti)~l'i. 298 3ffl"a: 135 ,2Z1,229,297

31>flll~yqit mbT: 137 3T~: 212

3Tfi!"fEf: (fuq:) 33° 3Tg\r: 14-3Tfl:RCfW'l: (mer:) 325 3TR<1crT 239

3Tf1'l~1 325 ~~: 15531f'lf¥r.rr : 239 31i1liRl~Cf<::: 19831l1IfirfbT: 3°° ~ 98,156,201

3M~<1: 214- ~ 97-99,200,265a{ 1'<!T~: 137,151, ~I'ler: 198

240-41,327 ~"11i{: 74,993T1'<!Ti;[~~ 177,180 3Tftm 2123T1'<1re~: 24031l1r"fT 100 3TT 3°13T~er+l:, 241 a:rl'lJll': 1683T<!"fll 7 ~: 204attf: 14,154 am: 3°0~S~ifli\: 137,263 arrem:: 298~T~: 93 3TTm<r : 95,21431iifT<::ltfu: 117 am+rcr~ 13531f.f.t;~Cfll'l!f: 176 3TTCl'!Fr 89~~~"1T!r: 70 '~l1; 202,2623Tm,r 239 "'1~'i'f~~q~t1 19831mbT : 200,202 3T1Cl'!~ 99~'ffil1: 253 3lWlifl5P1, 237al'ftRf: 284,287 3T1Cl'!~: 2293{C<Mil1; 238 3Tmrer~: 180

~ 95 3ffii!1 70,93,179,203,

~ Il6,173 238,252~l1; 68 am+rtu: 1393T~"!~,r~Q.I~'f~'R:l 174 ~~ 198,229

~~ 24- ~fu;[~ 1:37

~~ 1I6 ~: 97,153,301

a:m~: 97,lOq,IOl ~<::~fui: '71'O{-lf:

"101 3TT~: " ~2~8

344 Bhagavadglti with Gitiirthasangraba

an;m:T~ 96 '3i%8re: 42

amif~U: 298 ~+{ 72,182

~<!'li!f(~!T 97 ~T<!llT+{ 182

an\tTWlT<::: IlS,136,278 ;m;rfra : 180

an'1TWlT~: 137 ~~llT+{ 100

an'1Tm: 136-37 'ffi'ffi : 99

an\:<r-m:'lre : 101 ~: 74,92

an~: \wWr:) 134 ~U+n:i'+{ 201

an'!m~l'[T 174 ~: 173

~re: 170 ~Q~ 173

arf.t~: 237,240-41 ~~: 71~: 302

~ 301 .~~~: 72V('08T 3<>1~EiFff~QjT M

'3"+il:~: 3°2lIS

~:V('OEiT~: 71,153,179-80,

74

302,326aq~ IS2

~'i8T~Rfll;<rr~mr.r~i{ 179~: J79

~~l 134~~llT+{ 199

~ 275~~\tT'f: 199

~: 83~ 238

~ll:: 193-94,200~Ollil 238

~~<!: 14 ~l>,f~: 180.~'<Ii<f: 41 ~S~: 276

~Qj 179 'lI!;~ 189,229~lf. 67 ~fcr 46

~ 301 •~~Tlf:

~(ll"~i{ 137301 l1;lli\'r~: 156

~~: 54.71,93, ~~: 227142,15.1,228

~~m ',' 174 ~: 198~~en;J+{ 1.39"40 ~~ 212-13

~~T~: 228 all+{ 98,143,166,189.:~5~ .-':,.0,., __ ,_

71 :1,89,295-97,300-02.

. Indices 345

:4t~IO<!l't 71,72,154 $'\'f: 5,14$'~~:iFL 4,5

~'filFr 253 ~~~qT 280~Ofm-f'E[~'T+I: 139 ~<1l5fi'!l<T: 24,43

239 < 92'fi{Of+J, ~~(f,

'li~: 241 ~tor: q~: 182~T 241 ~: 241'fi'iC:'Ii: (~f~: 182 " 175,242.'li'l<?<!l't

'lieIT 100, II6,309 ~~+I: 67,72,13868-69 <6t([flT~: 214

~~,~lO<:!+I: 174 ~: 66• 70, 7~,II 5,157,309 • 66,301 ,325'fil1 'fi(if~:

~..n~T 326 '6l'f: 144-4s.r54-55• 240''fil1<1lTiT: 'Iil'{!lllJ 155~~TiT: 240 M 74, lIS, 151, I 54,262~: 67,307 M~ 202'lid~'liT~: 157 f.n<rFlit<r: 239,240

• 145,155 f.n<rm~: 70-71,108-09,1I5,'lil'lllmfT'$lirfVr 155,327 151,153-54,199-200,~<rrfVr 253 227,326~ 69,182 ~"': 74'6<?'l": 151,187 cffl~~or+J: 239ifimi;l'+{, 41 cfflm: 239.1'IlQIJI"i~ 178 ~;nfVr 5<iiT!i: 226 ~: 185vcmll'f: 324 ~'11'f: 174-lWl": 14>74,1.53-54 ~+I: 238~:' 288 ~: 72<m:'liTfVr 189,198 ~: 74'liTi!f: 54,68-69,175,179 ~,~: 5,15,243-44,252-53~~1 182-83mffi' : 213 ~ .p~ 99-'98~: 100-01 qRr: 199

952 - 24

346 Bhagavadgita with Gitiirtbasangraba

, <

198"I{O'ti[!f: liTl'!: Ol<if: 174-~umM<Tt\iF;:: 174- Ol<s~cr: 176~am<lT l'Il!!l 157 ~('[:, 0f11Rf: 124-,134-~un: 238,253 ~ll3"l 156!1tl: 325 Olfer:,;;ftcrr: 154,228,242~'t'!l-Rurl'f(f\OJB: 98,99 'l!~1{ 152l!,.GRl1\: 67 ~~ 228,,~: 270 ~liff.!;<n~'1l:!!lI'ffl. 227mf: 204 ~ 71,74,14-1,15 I, I 53,mtFm: 155 154,158,185,197,

253,262,278,309261,275 ~l~~ 64

"l"i:;: 100 ~1<r<Vq: 158'q"lf~l\: 72,152 ~1{ 239~ ...~: 177 ~<i liflP 238~~ 20Jfif';;8!1ro: 71, J 53,278 AA: (~ll:) 3IIFmr: 42,66,93,98~Rn: 242 ('f08f\n: 327R~ 179 Q'<:!. 29 5-97,301~02~l\: 96 Q'~, mcnf.r 54,69-72,15,2,~q: II5 179,225R'aRl: 182 ~f 32.7'-~~ 135 ~ lOaR~~: z37 ~l: 4;1~q;rr 213 Qq: 239,240,:itwrr~'f~"lq : 197 mm: 299.,:%~ 197 ftrq~<r: ~55~: (11m:) 277 mul:\['fll 263

~ :1199m~:~: 95 11 106

74 ~: W8~.wr 163,177-78,~~: 96 ~ ,73

tndic~s 347

f-!~lil: 326 ;;lit~ 179f-!~ll.~: 179 <rrit+rr~ : 100

;nl\ : 86,97-9~,153«~: 212 <rT+r 139,287

"f~ 138,182 <rT+I~ : 285"fir~l{ 182 <m:Tl:f'll: 227i\Tm:~ ~111: 213 'iiRl<!ornl1lfit lil+f: 227'l$rr<r : 67 ;n<:lT II7-18,133~:,~!: 14,52-53,67, <r!<:lT'N: lIS

74,83,94,145 Fr~: 86,96-97.99~Q1 201 R(;!l~: 237~'il'f+i, 163 FrtiTT<rl{ 199~!<r'lil;;r: 177 f<r<mr: 178~'G: 178 R<{~<fct 81.83•. • 198 R~Il..~:q:l{: ;a<r: 72~ 145 ~l{ 327S::OWT<l: 88 M<lfu : 69ijJ<:)lrFff+i, 97-98 ~: ' 86,96-97~~: 239 Frol{it: 13,93~ff+1. 198 ~~ 42-43~~l'fl{ ( -'I~P.f: ) Il7,200 f.rw:rT~<lam\!f : 43~tiTl{ II7 f.t<T0Q' 238

RJlf: 73tiT;,:! 176 r.mar+{ 47,1l7,134l:l"+1: 14,II7~154,:H3 f.fm 46~1i~11, 5 R~<!: 45"71tiTliffin: 238 Frn! 318,328l:IRarl 101 ~<nmr: 93,213,298lilR: 41,46 .<ffli 95\;<!T<rl{ 179 .~ 14\;l{R: 253

qf(m~~;;r.~ 29&;; 135 ~ 36;n>r1 182 'N!i(;!l!f.r 228

348 Bhagavadglti with Gi larthasaugraha

q<q[~ 100 ql"-lU'lllGl'{ 21.7

tR: 74,94 q"lo:!il1: 178qtQ~ 180 q']~: (clan) 13~\ll"fi 72 ~: 5. I5" "'~q<1'l:f" 2.42 fi'lWi!fifFs.'\ 134q~~~ 24° ~('f: 176tR~OT; 152,176 ~WiRr: 79~ 242

~~'<:1{l'{ 69~:(('f'l:~) 152.<romm 156,252

~<;'[: 69

• ~'1: 17°'l\lU~ : 95'H.l11~~m: 136 ~'!. 69

t t ~ 300~l'[1'T: 139~: II5,200,227 ~\11lJl\ 177

~'<i\flifu: 2.02 ~i'1Jlf.r 153,157,168,196,203

~~l!lRmm: 155 ~ 15

tRi{~l!l: 156 ~: 42,73,151-52,

'ft~ 194,202,2.62 174,2II.2.53,'ftl 72 ~~: 13,14,66,301

'ftl~: 86· 87 ,g6~97, ~"Hl: 325IOO-OI,1I4 ~;fuq;l'{ 278

q\ltRI~l . 153-54 ~: 299,~~'ftr;ro : 97 97,100-01

'1'\mm 74,153 'tllJf*,(1".. 176tR\!lT~ 98 't~w.!il: 66-67lRJ:rrRn: 153 '~J'l"'Q"'l'{ 69,330'RT~~a:. '" t 198136,176 q'l: l:FT:

~llJf 72 qm'i'f: l3"~: 198• 69-7°,72-73 Wfim: 278q;r-<! :

~~ 14 5I'mI~: 66.214,228

~: 135 ~:nmllJl\ 101

'~:, 'lm': 199,226 ~: 41-42,50,58-60,~1iT1f: 156 68-69,73,142,149,~: 36 151-52,269,277

tnd ices 349

sr.'e'fl1:, 68 5ITOTG:U;S: 179~'1R:"1T": 151 srT"I'fl1:, 9q,1775f;;jT: 67 m"l'[fu : 182;:r;;j)'1iJ<l': 169,181 m"lT:!lTif: 1015f"1Cf: 98,153 5flOlT<!'l+I'ffl<f1lTl: IOl

5f"1q-T~;lT>!T(![<r: 98 m~<l': 975ffOfl:TT'fl'l: 239-40 m~fu'li(e!~: 190~~m+rT 157,214 3lr\B; 134~t'l~T 13,45,66,73, mQ1 203

II5,226 mm~iw.f;r: 93~fir~rll<:r\ 330 m<f1lTl1:, 193, " 268,2775f~if+rm: 98 5lllfT:

sr~'!T:q-: 45 or.:or: 103~ls.r~: 101>l'!I+fl 13f!!a: 176

'!s'f~ 139'~ifu: 101

5lcrT'fli, 253 f'A. 9751\lCfr.iJ "'.287 M-~l<fT 9851~~: 200 ~: 69,74,1795f+n~ 97 ~~ 2535f+rTffi 96-97 <ITl:T: 200~ 97 lit~~~: 201~~: .307 ~T: 43WilUf.IiH!r: 158 ~iilT'ff.rifu: 176SI:!f["1l1:, 165 ~ 40,54-55,71-73,li<1I<f: 99,157 8I-83,II5,I3S,5f~;:ffi 287 139,173,202,229,5f~l"iJ~ 92 232,244.250~srfu~: 135 Ofll.TCfTf<r-r: 3005liitlffCf : 156 ~T 242srTotTlf~ : 198 ~>!~: 253mIlT: 85-86,96,98-10Q, 0fll.TT 139,1'53,160,

II7,165-66.179, 168-69,174,181,182!229 245,315

~50 Bhagavadglti with Gltarthasangraha

ii{1pl;rl';;:: 96 llJ,:, ~ift: II7,17~~: 198OlT~r.r 157 +I'6l:: 182

+lift 94~: 158,237 +I~: 270,277~<r!f~T<nt. 140 l'T'f: 74,179~'l!f'2{1li 140 l'T'fCf: 212'liat 199 ~l~: 179l1'fT~ 212 +l1',,!T: 97"IT 3°1 ~: 324'l1~i~: 93 ~ 83,88'l1!lfifl:.1+f: 213 f1~ 89"l1'r: 173 +I~-'3{ 99,100'l1T~ n6 ~: 229"fT~lIfl{ 99 ~, 151"fTCf<R: 116 l11f1~: 204Mffl: 193 l1ll:T;;;':<\: 9611;'1: 226,229 l1lf1lfltllT 74~: 226,229 l1lf1SHif<l': 157,242wr: 173 ~~: IS~\l1IiiRr : 187 l11f1'1l~ 302~cn:, "twiu 46 l1lf1UTr: 74~Cl1f.r 55,69,72 ~u: 233'i,Rr<:1"f: 324 ~~: 54.71,92,325,330~m: 102 l1T'Of'liT<?!J~ 277it;;:: 42 l1T5lT: 20-:n ,41~itl\m: 138 < 198+!T~:'=ftf:~it~<l'; 2I4 +!l1l"liT; 5,15~qr<l': 214 l1T<l'T 54,68-69,154,"~: 3m 156-57,253'li!<reT 7° +IT<rFP1T~'Ri'tl;:: 152~~~: 200 m~ 214il1);<rc~ 156 ~: 179• 198 ~: 46

Indices 351

Ifrl1i1J~ : 66-67,139,201, <IT'Tferlfitf : 173

1.98.301,304 <IT<rr~ ; 134-

'ife<r 179-80 <IT:;ro"ll1J : J37

~ll~(f: 44- <lrRr: J34-

~~~R1Jl<rl:: 239,,-<> <: 301+!'llCffllT: 277~?[r '241 <:l!f:, <:l!j'r J79

lir~: 13,176,180,242<:n-l1': 100

lita:r'!i~ 203 <:fhr+rrSfl 100

m~\l: 239<:«: 34

~c+rr 74- <:~ 52,65,67<

U~: 1J'1": 198

<[-5lRr, <[~ 202- \l'T: °9,239,245,253<[Wi.. 194,202 U~: 36

<JOlRr 194- <:ll'[: 2J3

<JOll'[l'f: 194-,202 ~: 174-

<!~: 189,229 ~: 97, 100~01

:zr~: :zr'lll: 54,66-67,72-73,~~I1lJT"<!t"~:

'81,83,84.93-94-,213151

<FI: J79-80,228~~~ 81

~~~ 51,66175

. ;;fl;r: 178~ 37 ~ffiW'I<:;:<!lIlT: ~: 198

4-3~'li: 324-

<!l<1: 201

<!l0f.li: 202 ""S<!l~: 42<!l<:;: 213 ~lf: 252<[l~<l[: 227 C[J 162,178<!1l1': . 30,292,299 ~ 138

~'qi: 114-,134 ~: 229

~: 237 C[J1F!T 157,178

~T: 168 'lTii: 92

~'f: .114- .: 46,77-78,92~142,

~'f 309 145,147,157,190-91,

~: ;'37 244,251-52,285,326,328

352 Bhagavadgita with Git1irthasangraha

'1Tg~(f'i'l:[+!, 165,170,226 ~ 228

feF-n'.llTTR'!fl1: 134 ttRroer : 153

~~'1: 176 i[6llT<I: 13

~~'1~l:f: 228 'i.!G::, ~~T: 45,143,172.19°-91,

~<I: 239 194,244-M~T"'l'+!, 141,151,158,185 ~;:q: 253

~, 243 'i.!G:Rf¥, 273

~~ 54,68-69 'i.!G:TRR': 238,329

ferm~fu;: 156 ~ifTro'li&T; 26,49

MerT"'l'+!, 3°° ~T«i+!, 137mer : " 63201 ~;

fir.lTl!I: 42,138 ~6~ .138f.rm'HT: 153 ~Gl1f'f+!, 138

fir~Rr:,fcr~ij<1: .101,212-13 Q~f.q, Q<[t{~ 262

fcr+nj : 74,98-99,:168, Q'l"ffiT<rTml 45278-79 Q<[f{fu'q; 203

ml!l~+R!6R:; 227 Q~: 228f!rUm~'ffi: 33° 0<fT"r: 96,229mr~llT+f, 238 ~<I: 229fir~ 238fuJ~1 175 ~; 71,97,99,153,M~; 92 179,330fuqqfu:. 227 ~~; 13~ 69 ~fu;tmr : 145,155,177,~+!, 227 180,204,265fcr'lifcl1l 253 ~;r. 99~; 46 ~rRnTfu;l:r~*,: 174f~~: 179--80 ':6q 178

'fi!~ 253 ~: 298~: 131,138- 39,324, ~"I; 153

329-3° ~1!: 3,96-97,167,194f4ri; 92 ~ 179~ 173 mRr"<l: 177

~ 301 ~m . 97

Indices 353

~l~TqFf; 214 ~fcr~~: 228m'~QW'L 101 <ro<r: 14,II7:fIT"(\": 'Jf: 13 ~R: 72,239,252-53m~.,.ifr !Ji2:T 180 ~~TR"I: 156,228m~l1'iM<r : 214,228 ~fu'l%::: 327m~: 252 ~l 134m~: (-~:) 138-39,227

~R: 263~T~~.rt<m 227

~~T~fcrlfii::m..rot: 138-3999

:m~+r. 298-99 ~~~ 180

WI: 42,71-72,95,97, '3"'!i'<l>!ltr: 137

116,136,151,155, tr!!"I;j'1p 238

166;172,176,180 '3"!!.mq-r~+i.. 238

183,190,199,200, <!jl?;l1f 442:a.8,251,276,325 ,330 ~: 165

m~ 180 <!jerrcr : 253

fufu~: 27°,277 trfi\T"Ff~ (~~:) 153

~ 298-99 ~ 227,229,295-97,

~:,q~: 182 301-02

~ 71 ~ 178•

~ 138 ~'"~: 43, 1I5

m: 326 tr~T 227

?ilRr • 14,181,298 ~ 291'" .~: 66 tr~: 94

tr~~~ 203titdr 92 ~:,~"l;,~: 223,228

~"lR: 2271~: 94 ~fuq: 54; 71,136,176,330~: 253 ~ 71~O!: 153 ~: 135

~ 72.96-97.136, ~: 1I4-15176-77,253,278 ~ 1I9

~: n6 ~lft 178~~wftf: 214 ~~: io~

952 - 25

354 BhaglVadgltii with Gitarthasangraha

l;Tli'liT<!fq,

"l1<;[:u'f ;,,11l<[<r ;

~mIT;

~f!:T:

\'!+nfbT1'lTQ;rq,

l;T111~:o<niT:

~;

~'ii8<!\Cf,

~ffi!l1Tf!:T:

~if;:bTl~~n::

~111'R1o •,,'f'fil1o •.

@f'fil1'fi<;f!if;:1fIl:f:

mrnit!:T~$f[";owmt~

l;1[lj;jl:l1T1f;rl

.w.'lt\

~r;

ol;1[~l:il+r:

li\1't'<r;:rr;

li\1tI'IiT~l;TTs$<r:l;1[s<rf'6fu::mil", l;1Il1rf.[

li\1R[1~

~:

fu~r~~fuf.l;::,~:~~.:

175 'i!I1Tmq,II6 ~f'r:, g~o.n137 tt~:1 16 ~fu:139 <l~'11Qll.;;<rl~:

70,97,rr6,229 ~:239 €tSQ:~237 l:f~qq,

102 illij'li:71 ,qnr~Ri:

102 ~11~~l:f!fWf:

46 ~fUr175 ~('](~)>r~:325 ~fu:240 ~(Ql135 ~<:!:T1:136 !?-l~(f<rf'r1;1"I1:

154 ~l\:29,44,73 ,II4, ~<rr«Q~

249,3-21,326 ~~Ri:41,44,68,72,73, ~",,:rrRli:

151,304 ~q",,:o~227 Gl'W

217,221,227-28 ~<:or+J:327 ~fu:151 ~:rrRli:151 ~~

189,213,229 ~:68 ~1'lTq;

179 ~~138 ~>rI1:

138 ~:52,151,229 ~q:srRrnT

44 ~T1f:

263134,182

100228,263

99199

98-ro 1

300

324101

74239

34263

46

34199

66,174,217,226151,181,228

182

66,181,199-200135z:J.7164-

175,181,298-99278,2.80

83226,2:"9159,173189,199

·:401"

94;.24;z.

,,"',~' ~,,' 13?

Indices jss

'1ilff~1:f~ 66,174, I8! ,280 iI<1; 99,100'91iP?Wfffi : 13,174 fuel! 325~+!G~~ 201 §G~ 199<f!M1<T: 86,98-roo,239-40 ~"f'.flnrr: 153'91"F« : 86,98-99 %l'f~ 99li'I~l 199 ~;~: 100

iI'li11:: 97-98, roo ~'lT, torr'.flT,~mrr 241-42

~FG 213 ~'l~~T 242

~ Bhagavadglti with G1tlirthasangraha

ADDITIONS .Pale 47, line 32. Add: As per the corrected text (See

the Tippa'!i) the rendering would be 'Lo it would verilyclimb the sense-objects by abandoning them; but, taking resortto them, it would forsake them totally'. See Ag's observationunder II, 64-65 above.

Page 73, I. 34. Add: But see the Tippat1i for differenttreatment of the passage.

Page 74, I. 34. Add: See the '(ippal!i for further discus.sion on the portion in question.

Page 95, J. 23, Add: Tn this context it i. good to bear inmind the spirit of the following verses:

~'ll'<-l l}up(rlfP:lff w~r ~rwrr ~: I

'~rcrr~er~~'l\~Tcftiff WCf,C;:'l~II

~ ~O'rsa.{~r~CTreftfcrCf,~qTf<l:1re-~~ I~'ffi~ fi:;j~~~~<:?q§; f:qre-~~rII

~mTf\:rU~~~ tl:m<lI~Slft~<l~ ICT~if~~~f~C'( mr +r5~firctlc?~l: II

if! 'i~~wq-g;~To/F~~ ~I;;::lf:IR~~~F~ ~q~CTrqm:~r~ II

TJ;<tirn:~~l!5r~W!;fi~q~R~ifl\ ,~1JfT~lJ~CTf ~~fC{ ~~)1er<liTf~N: II

SrI Sankara's LaghuvakyavFtti, verses 8-12

Page 157, I. 40. Add: Just as 'first creation' is a contra-diction in terms, so is 'final total destruction (i.e. a total destruc-tion not accompanied or followed by creation)' also. For, the

Additions

Supreme never ceases to be devoid of the Pancakrlyas. Cf. 'Therise and dissolution never ends' -Ag. under ch. XVI, 12, below.

Page 253, 1. 2. Add: To a traditionalist brahmasutra inthe Gila cannot denote the famous work of that name viz. theBrahmasutra of Biidarayana. For, that work itself, as inter-preted by Sankara and others, refers to, more t4ao once, to theBhagavadgilii as a smrti.

3"SS Bbagavadglti with Gitarthasangraba

CORRECTIONS

Page Line

13 5 Delete (47)" •.13 29 Read ~l;fOfifll:.m:l:~if:23 9 " descendant23 17 newness in every30 28 " the same viz., the Vedic34 1-2 " 1iteratur~ that has to be listened to

and that is being desired.44 14 " Sankara50 30 " action. For54 25 Supreme Sou I (Brahman)54 32 " six-spoked65 3 " that looks like desirable one and that

is hard66 18 " not commenced70 20 " SpK74 21 " SpK81 3 Even th~ugh he is engaged in97 4 " twelve-fingers97 30 " TA, III, 200-0197 34 latter

100 27 " the root Pr 'to fill'111 16 " - be thinks as follows, says the

Bhagavat -112 14

"have been cut off

115 30 ;;[~ <ijf..ll';;[!

120 11 " are desired ••.... [for them)120 14 What are desired121 6 " likewise123 22 " seose-ac ti vi ties125 2 " beyond senses128 12 " equable-mindednessm 5 OJ Sifsvata131 21 " is dragged certainly by143 33-34 -and cold, due146 18 " Na mi1m155 2-3 in which

Corrections 359

Page Line Read

155 36" Why this con tradiction ?

158 9 " Maybe he is also right.160 26 " in its entirety167 32-33 " Will there be rebirth?174 26 " legitimately176 22 m~~g;177 8 •• ~r ~~r'T -177 19 " ~~~:196 4 " Supreme goal199 16 " 51err'fl~211 9 [I am] the Himalayas.217 26 " acts of222 22 " simply226 3 " realisation-on those229 16 " 10. As a rem/t ...... Se/f. Cf.242 30 " present chapter247 12 This field257 27 " Dominates totally261 32-33 " borne in mind263 4 " under IPK270 9 Hence,9 due272 6 " show the Self to be of the nature of

tbe [same] knowledge, conscious of276 13 " Br.U296 18 .. dirt: tha t300 19 " However, it is not clear how Ag.326 16 " ~~~:I