The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality

The Blessed Lord said: They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree, with its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the meters or hymns; he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.

The description of the universe as a peepul tree is only metaphorical. This peepul is said to be eternal because it cannot be cut except by the axe of knowledge.All persons depend upon the Lord for the fruits of their actions, because He alone knows the right relation between the actions and their fruits. He alone is the dispenser of the fruits of actions of human beings. The wise persons also depend upon the Lord for the fruit of their knowledge. The Lord alone removes the veil of ignorance through His grace and mercy. The inclination for Advaita Vedantic Sadhana arises through the Lords grace. The desire for the realisation of the Oneness is produced in the minds of wise men by the grace of the Lord, which is the antidote to all fears. (Avadhuta Gita, I.1)Those who serve the Lord with unswerving or singleminded devotion go beyond the three alities of Nature through His grace. They attain knowledge of the Self through the grace of the Lord and get release from the round of birth and death. Those who have a right understanding of the real nature of Brahman or the Supreme Being also get emancipation easily.The Lord teaches Arjuna in this discourse about the real nature of Brahman or the Supreme Self and the path that leads the soul to union with Him

Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the Gunas; its buds are sense-objects, and its roots stretch forth below in the world of men, originating action.

The countless objects, large and small, which life needs are all products of the five elements through the activity of the alities. This tree of Samsara is nourished by the three alities of Nature. The senseobjects are its buds and the roots which grow downwards are the bonds of Karma for those who lead a life of passion and attachment in this world, who are under the sway of likes and dislikes. The sprouts of this marvellous tree are the charming objects of the senses with their characteristics of sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. The roots, the Karmic tendencies from the past lives, grow downwards to generate the bonds of Karma in the world of men. These roots strengthen the bondage by further actions.The primal root is ignorance from which arises the eightfold Nature -- the five elements, mind, intellect and egoism. From the stem of the tree spring four branches called Svedaja, Andaja,,Jarayuja and Udbhijja. Eightyfour lakhs (eight million and four hundred thousand) of species came into being.One branch shoots straight upwards. This is the branch of Dharma which yields the fruit of enjoyment in heaven. Another branch is the branch of dispassion which yields the fruit of Selfrealisation. The sun, the planets, the manes and the sages have also come out of this wonderful tree. Above them are the branches of the worlds of Indra and the gods

Its form is not perceived here as such, nor its end, origin, foundation, or resting place; having cut asunder this firmly rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment.

The idea is continued in the next verse.So long as one is under the sway of ignorance, he cannot understand the form of this tree, its end, origin and foundation (middle). O Arjuna Thou mayest perhaps consider that such a huge tree cannot be uprooted by any means whatever. It is not so. However firmly rooted it may be, it can be cut by the powerful axe of nnattachment or dispassion within the twinkling of an eye.After cutting this tree you will have to look within, meditate on the Self and behold the Supreme.Tatha As such As described above. Is it necessary to pull down castles in the air or to break the horns of a hare or to pluck a flower growing in the sky or to get butter from the milk of a tortoise or oil from stone Similarly, O Arjuna, there is no reality in this tree. Therefore why should you entertain any fear as to whether it may be uprooted or not Its form as such is not perceived by anybody here it is like a dream or a mirage or an imaginary city in the sky formed by the clouds or caused by a juggler. It appears and disappears. This tree has DrishtaNashtaSvarupa like the mirage. That object which is destroyed when one beholds it is DrishtaNashta. Nobody has perceived the end, the origin or the foundation of this illusory tree. No one can say that it has arisen from such and such a place or point.Samsara or the peepul tree is inveterately deeprooted

Then, that goal should be sought for, to which, having gone, none returns again. I seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha, from whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.

That which fills the whole world with the form of ExistenceKnowledgeBliss is Purusha. Or, that which sleeps in this Puri (city) of the body is the Purusha.Singleminded devotion which consists of ceaselessly thinking of or meditating on the Supreme Being is the sure means of attaining Selfrealisation. Taking sole refuge in the Primeval Purusha is the means to know or realise that supreme goal goind whither the wise do not return again to this world of death.The aspirant should know the abode of Vishnu. He should struggle hard to reach it. He should seek it by taking refuge in the Primeval Purusha. If he reaches this immortal abode of Vishnu or the imperishable Brahmic seat of ineffable splendour and glory he will never return to this mortal world.The Primeval Purusha or the pure, Supreme Being Who is ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute is the goal or the supreme abode or the abode of Vishnu. Just as illusory objects like elephants, horses, etc., come forth through the jugglery of the magician, so also this ancient energy or the original divine power or emanation of this tree or illusory Samsara has streamed forth from that Primeval Purusha.What sort of persons reach that goal eternal Listen.

Free from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, they, the undeluded, reach the eternal goal.

Wherever there is pride there is stiff egoism. Absence of discrimination between the Real and the unreal is Moha. Perversion is Moha. Infatuation is Moha. Those who are free from likes and dislikes even when they attain pleasant or unpleasant objects have triumphed over the,evil of attachment. Kartritva Abhimana or the idea I am the doer is Sanga. Likes and dislikes are the Doshas or the evils. Heat and cold, pleasure and pain, honour and dishonour, censure and praise, etc., are the pairs of opposites. Only those who have destroyed ignorance and who have attained the knowledge of the Self reach the eternal goal.Adhyatmanityah Ever engaged in the contemplation of the nature of Brahman or the Supreme Being.Vinivrittakamah All the desires vanish in toto without leaving any trace or taint behind. They who have reached this stage become Yatis or Sannyasins. In the fire of wisdom all desires are burnt. As the birds fly away from a tree which has caught fire, so do desires go away from him.Tat That (the goal) described above.

Neither does the sun illuminate there, nor the moon, nor the fire; having gone there, they do not return; that is My supreme abode.

That supreme abode is selfillumined for Brahman is selfluminous. It existed before the sun, the moon and the fire came into existence during creation. It remains even after they dissolve into the Unmanifested during the dissolution of the world.This verse is taken from the Kathopanishad The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor does this lightning shine and much less this fire. When It shines, everything shines after It, by Its light, all these shine (Chap.II,5.15). The same idea occurs in the Svetasvatara Upanishad (6.14) and the Mundaka Upanishad (II.2.10). The sun, the moon, etc., derive their light from Para Brahman. Nothing else is needed for illuminating the Supreme Being because It is selfluminous.Dhama paramam Supreme abode or superexcellent seat or Para Brahman.Though the sun is endowed with the power of illumining all, it cannot illumine the Supreme Being.यत् धाम वैष्णवं पदं गत्वा प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते यत् च सूर्यादिभिः न भासयते तत् धाम पदं परमं मम विष्णोः।That abode, to which having gone, none returns, and which the sun, moon, stars, lightning and fire do not illumine, is the highest abode of Vishnu.(Cf.VIII.21)

An eternal portion of Myself having become a living soul in the world of life, draws to itself the five senses, with the mind as the sixth, abiding in Nature.

Now the Lord explains how the individual soul comes into being. The individual soul is a ray of the Lord. A ray of the Supreme Being enters Nature, draws to itself the five senses and the mind and becomes an embodied soul (Jiva) by assuming a body. Here is a description of how the subtle body or LingaSariria enters the gross body.Although the sun is reflected in water, it is not in any way tainted. When a crystal comes in,contact with a red cloth or red flower, it seems to be red but it is really not so. Even so the Supreme Beings is not in any way tainted by the actions of the individual soul.Ignorance is the limiting adjunct of the individual soul. On account of the limitation caused by this ignorance the soul experiences that it is the doer and the enjoyer. In essence the individual soul is identical with the Supreme Being or Brahman. When ignorance, the limiting adjunct or principle, is destroyed, the individual soul (Jiva) realises it identity with the Supreme Being (Brahman).Just as the ether in the pot becomes one with the universal ether when the limiting adjunct, the pot, is broken, so also the individual soul becomes one with Brahman when the limiting adjunct, ignorance, is annihilated

When the Lord, as the individual soul, obtains a body and when He leaves it, He takes these with Him, just as the wind takes the scents from their seats (flowers, etc.).

Here is a description of how the subtle body leaves the gross body.When the Jiva, the Lord of the aggregate of the body and the rest takes up this body he brings in with him the mind and the senses when he leavs the body at its dissolution he takes with him the senses and the mind, just as the wind carries with it the fragrance from the flowers. Wherever he goes and whatever form he assumes he again operates through these senses and the mind.Lord Jiva, the Lord of the aggregate of the body and the rest.The Self appears to be an agent or an enjoyer only when he possesses or assumes a body.

Presiding over the ears, eyes, touch, taste, smell, and mind, it enjoys the objects of the senses.

Here is a description of how the subtle body remaining in the gross body enjoys the objects of the senses.The individual soul uses the mind along with each sense separately and enjoys or experiences the objects of the senses such as sound, touch, colour (form), taste and smell.It sits on the marvellous car of its mind, passes through the gateway of the ear in the twinkling of an eye and enjoys the various kinds of music of this world. It holds the reins of the nerves of sensation, enters the domain of touch through the portal of the skin and enjoys the diverse kinds of soft objects. It roams about in the hills of beautiful forms and enjoys them through the windows of his eyes. It enters the cave of taste by the avenue of the tongue and enjoyes dainties, palatable dishes and refreshing beverages. It enters the forest of scents through the door of the nose and enjoys them to its hearts content.It makes its abode in the ears, the eyes, the skin, the tongue and the nose, as also in the mind and enjoys the objects of the senses. It gains experiences of the outer world through the mind,,intellect, subconscious mind, egoism, the ten senses and the five vital airs.Ghranameva cha The word cha (and) indicates that we shall have to include the five organs of action, and also the fourfold inner instrument (mind, intellect, subconscious mind and egoism)

The deluded do not see Him who departs, stays, and enjoys; but those who possess the eye of knowledge behold Him.

Though the Self is nearest and comes most easily within their field of vision or consciousness, the ignorant and the deluded are not able to behold Him, because they are swayed by the alities of Nature their minds constantly run towards the sensual objects and are saturated with passion they identify the Self with the body their vision is engrossed in external forms. But those who are endowed with the inner eye of intuition do behold Him.Yama said to Nachiketas The selfexistent Brahma created the senses with outgoing tendencies therefore man beholds the external universe and not the internal Self. He aded But some wise men with their senses turned away from the objects, desirous of immortality, turn their gaze inwards and behold the Self within (seated in their heart). (Katha Upanishad IV.1)Those who possess the inner eye of knowledge behold that the Self is entirely distinct from the body. They realise the Selfs separate existence from the body and know that the body moves and acts on account of Its presence therein, just as the iron moves and acts in the presence of the magnet.

The yogis striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and unintelligent, even though striving, do not see Him.

The description of the evolution of the individual soul is now complete.The Yogins who strive with an iron determination, fiery resolve, faith, earnestness and wellbalanced mind, see Him established in their hearts. They behold Him dwelling in their own mind or intellect. They recognise Him -- This I am. But those who are of full intellect and without proper discipline of the mind and the senses, who have not been purified by austerity, selfless service and charity, who have not subdued their senses, who have not practised regular meditation, who have not given up their evil ways, who have not eradicated lust, pride, egoism, anger, greed and hypocrisy, who have not developed true discrimination between the Real and the unreal, however hard they may struggle to know Him by means of the study of the sacred scriptures, do not behold Him. They are not able to attain Selfrealisation. Mere study of scriptues alone cannot help one who has an impure mind to attain Selfrealisation. The aspirant should have a calm and pure mind. He should practise constant, protracted and profound meditation on the Self

That light which resides in the sun, illuminating the whole world; that which is in the moon and in the fire—know that light to be Mine.

The immanence of the Lord as the allilluminating light of consciousness is described in this verse.I am the cause and the source of the light by which the sun illumines the world, as also the reflected light of the sun in the moon and that of fire.Tejah Light The light of consciousness.If that is so, an objector says The light of consciousness exists alike in all moving and unmoving objects. Then why has the Lord mentioned this special qualification of light as residing in the sun, moon and fire Please explain. We say The higher manifestation of the light of consciousness in the sun, etc., is due to a large concentration of Sattva in them. Sattva is very brilliant and luminous in them. That is the reason why there is this special qualification.Here is an illustration. The face of a man is not at all reflected on a wall, piece of wood or a block of stone, but the same face is reflected beautifully in a very clean mirror. The degree of clearness of the reflection in the mirror is acording to the degree of transparency of the mirror. The more the transparency of the mirror, the better the reflection of the face the less the transparency, the worse the reflection. Even so Gods light shines in the sun and also in the pure heart of a devotee.

Permeating the earth, I support all beings with My energy; and having become the watery moon, I nourish all herbs.

The immanence of the Lord as the allsustaining life is described in this verse.Ojas The energy of the Lord (Isvara). The vast heaven and earth are firmly held by this energy. It permeates the earth to support the world. This energy is destitute of passion and attachment. As the vast earth is supported by the energy of the Lord, it does not fall, it is not broken down to pieces and it does not sink into the nether worlds.The Lord penetrates the earth and supports all movable and immovable objects by His energy.Rasatmakah somah The watery moon The moon is regarded as the repository of all savours or,fluids (Rasas). I, becoming the watery moon, nourish all herbs and plants such as rice, wheat, etc., by infusing sap into them, and make them savoury. I feed the vegetable kingdom with My vital juice (Ojas) which pervades the soil and generates sweet juice or sap in herbs, plants and trees. The watery or savoury moon nourishes all herbs and plants by infusing sap or savours into them.Moreover --

Having become the fire Vaisvanara, I abide in the bodies of living beings and, associated with the Prana and the Apana, digest the fourfold food.

The immanence of the Lord as the gastric fire in all living beings is described in this verse.Vaisvanara The fire that abides in the stomach. This fire is fanned by the bellows of the incoming and the outgoing breaths continuously and large antities of food are digested. Inside the wonderful laboratory of the stomach I digest the food by taking the form of this gastric fire.Four kinds of food (1) Food which has to be eaten by mastication (Bhakshyam). (2) That which has to be sucked in (Bhojyam). (3) That which has to be licked (Lehyam). (4) That which has to be devoured or swallowed (Choshyam). Another classification is as follows (1) Rice is PrithiviAnnam (solid food) for human beings. (2) Water is Apyannam (watery food) for birds like the Chataka. (3) Fire is Tejasannam (hot food) for certain creatures. (4) Air is Vayvannam (air as food) for serpents.अयमग्निर्वैश्वानरो योऽयमन्तः पुरुषः येनेदमन्नं पच्यते।।

And I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me come memory and knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily That which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas.

I am seated in the hearts of all sentient beings as their innermost Self. Therefore from Me, the Self of all beings, are memory, knowledge and their loss. Righteous persons have knowledge and memory as a result of virtuous deeds. Sinful persons have loss of memory and knowledge as a result of vicious deeds. Virtue promotes peace and hence intellectual powers.Apohanam Loss (destruction or absence) of memory and knowledge, as also of the reasoning faculty. The loss of memory and knowledge is due to lust, anger, grief and delusion.Smriti Memory. It is a special modification of the mind (Antahkarana Vritti) born of the Samskaras that causes the revival of the past experiences or enjoyments of sensual objects of this life in a worldy man who has not practised Yoga. A Yogi gets revival of experiences of his past lives and transcendental knowledge that is beyond time, space and causation and visible nature.I am the central topic of the Vedas. To understand the Vedas is to Know Me. I, the Supreme Being, am to be known in all the Vedas. It is I Who know the Vedic teaching or the meaning of the Vedas. I cause the teaching of the Vedanta to be handed down in regular succession

Two Purushas there are in this world: the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable, and the Kutastha—the unchanging—is called the imperishable.

Now the Lord describes the three aspects of the divine existence. One is the individual soul called the perishable, the second is the imperishable or the Maya Sakti of the Lord and the third is the Purushottama or the Supreme Being.The perishable comprises the whole world of changing forms. From Brahma down to the tiny blade of grass, all movable and immovable objects, all that can be thought of by the mind, all that is made up of the five elements, all that is changing, all that has names and forms, all that appears to the naked eye and what is described as the body and the modifications of the field, in the thirteenth chapter, are Kshara or the perishable. Kshara is the changing one. It is the everchanging form of matter which is inert or insentient. Akshara is the changeless.In Samsara there are two categories arranged in two separate groups of beings, called Purushas, as they are the limiting adjuncts of the Purusha. Maya Sakti, the illusory power of the Lord, is the seed from which the perishable being takes its birth. It is the seat of all the latent impressions of desires, actions, etc., of various perishable creatures. Maya Sakti is the Akshara Purusha. The unmanifest condition is generally described as deep ignorance or sleep for there is neither consciousness nor unconsciousness. It is only a potential state

But distinct is the Supreme Purusha, called the highest Self, indestructible and Lord, who pervades the three worlds and sustains them.

Purushottama is beyond the universe though He pervades the three worlds. Therefore He is called the Supreme Being by the Vedas and men of this world. He pervades the three worlds and upholds them yet, He is not tainted by the world. He is above the world or worldliness.Just as the waking state is different from the dram or the deep sleep states, just as the orb of the sun is different from his rays or the mirage they casue, so also is the highest Purusha different from the perishable and the imperishable Purushas.The highest Purusha is the haven of peace. In Him all take their refuge and eternal rest. He is incomparable for He is selfcontained there is nothing like Him. He can only be compared to Himself. The imperishable Being (Akshara Brahman) Who is beyond the world and the Avyaktam (the Unmanifested) are essentially the same as the Purushottama Who transcends both the Kshara and the Akshara.The Purushottama is ite distinct from the two -- Kshara and Akshara. He is the Supreme Being. The physical body, the astral body and the causal body are also termed the Self. But these are secondary selves. Paramatma or the Supreme Self is the primary Self. Purushottama or Paramatma is the supreme or the highest when compared with the other secondary selves created by ignorance. He is the innermost consciousness of all beings. He is the support of everything

As I transcend the perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, I am declared to be the highest Purusha in the world and in the Vedas.

Purushottama is a wellknown name of the Lord. The name is ite appropriate as He is the supreme Purusha.Kshara The perishable -- the tree of Samsara.Akshara The imperishable -- the seed of the tree of Samsara.Because I excel the perishable (the tree of illusory Samsara) and am more excellent also than the imperishable (the seed of the tree of the illusory Samsara) and because I am thus superior to the perishable and the imperishable, I am proclaimed in the world and in the Vedas as the highest Purusha. Devotees know Me as such. Poets also describe Me as such.I am beyond all limitations. There is no trace of dualism in Me. Therefore, I am called by all and by the scriptures the highest Purusha.

He who, undeluded, knows Me as the highest Purusha, he, knowing all, worships Me with his whole being (heart), O Arjuna.

The glory of the knowledge of the Self is described in this verse.Asammudhah Undeluded, free from delusion. The undeluded does not identify himself with the physical body. He never looks upon the physical body, the lifeforce, senses, mind, intellect and the causal body as the Self or as belonging to himself, because he is resting in his own essential nature as ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute and because he identifies himself with Brahman or the Supreme Being.That aspirant who knows that Sri Krishna is not a human being and that He is the highest Purusha or the Supreme Being is undeluded. Such an aspirant or devotee alone worships Him with his whole being. He is the Sarvavit or Sarvajna, allknower. He knows and realises that Lord Krishna, the supreme Lord, is the Inner Self of all beings. He beholds the One in the many, and the many in the One. For him there is neither high nor low, neither pleasure nor pain, neither virtue nor vice, neither good nor evil, neither likes nor dislikes.Me The Lord as specified above.Sarvavit One who knows everything in detail.Knows that I am He.Sarvabhavena With all his heart, with his whole being, wholeheartedly with his whole thought devoted exclusively to the Self of all with his whole mind centred on the Supreme Self alone.

Thus, I have imparted to you this most secret science, O sinless one; by knowing this, one becomes wise, and all their duties are accomplished, O Arjuna.

Guhyatamam Most profound secret.Buddhiman means here a knower of the Self or Atmart.The knowledge of the Self which gives emancipation from the round of birth and death, and freedom from the bonds of Karma is eulogised in this verse. If this most profound teaching is rightly understood, known or realised, it makes a man wise and gives him illumination. After this there is nothing left for him to know or strive for. He has reached the goal of life or the aim of human existence. He has arrived at the end of his journey. His endeavour for Selfrealisation is over. He has attained perfection. He has complete knowledge of the Supreme Being. He gets Brahma Jnana. He moves in the consciousness of the Divine. He beholds the Self everywhere. He lives in Brahman. He regards all activities as His divine play.When one realises Brahman, he has discharged all the duties of life. He is liberated from the bonds of Karma. He becomes a Jivanmukta or illumined sage who has transcended the bodyconsciousness, the three alities of Nature, the three states of consciousness (wakeful state, dream and deep sleep), the pairs of opposites and the cycle of birth and death. He knows fully well that rirth has been destroyed, that what has to be done has been accomplished, that lifes highest goal has been reached and that he has nothing more to do or to learn