Bhagavad Gita · 15.12 · The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality·12 of 20
यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम्।यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् ॥
yad āditya-gataṁ tejo jagad bhāsayate ’khilam
yach chandramasi yach chāgnau tat tejo viddhi māmakam
Sanskrit recitation
The supreme person · 15.12–15.20 · Teaching
Translation
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.
Meaning
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.
After Swami Sivananda
The supreme person· 15.12–15.20→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
15.12That 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.
- 15.13Permeating the earth, I support all beings with My energy; and having become the watery moon, I nourish all herbs.
- 15.14Having become the fire Vaisvanara, I abide in the bodies of living beings and, associated with the Prana and the Apana, digest the fourfold food.
- 15.15And 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.
- 15.16Two Purushas there are in this world: the perishable and the imperishable. All beings are perishable, and the Kutastha—the unchanging—is called the imperishable.
- 15.17But distinct is the Supreme Purusha, called the highest Self, indestructible and Lord, who pervades the three worlds and sustains them.
- 15.18As 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.
- 15.19He who, undeluded, knows Me as the highest Purusha, he, knowing all, worships Me with his whole being (heart), O Arjuna.
- 15.20Thus, 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.
Word-by-word→
- cha
- also
- tat
- that
- yat
- which
- agnau
- in the fire
- jagat
- solar system
- viddhi
- know
- akhilam
- entire
- tejaḥ
- brightness
- māmakam
- mine
- bhāsayate
- illuminates
- chandramasi
- in the moon
- āditya-gatam
- in the sun
Themes
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