The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Translation and Illustrations – Sri A.P.M. Raj Urs Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay COPYRIGHT NOTICE This is a unique literary and art work in the form of a book. This is to universally promote the wonderful message of the Bhagavad Gita in an illustrative and simplified format. © Vikramaditya Raj Urs, 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without the prior permission of the copyright holder. CONTACT: vrajurs@gmail.com The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter The Essential Message Expression of Gratitude Sanskrit Transliteration Guide Title, Number Of Verses Pages 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Chapter one Chapter two Chapter three Chapter four Chapter five Chapter six Chapter seven Chapter eight Chapter nine (Arjuna Vishaada Yoga, 47 verses) (Sankhya Yoga, 72 verses) (Karma Yoga, 43 verses) (Jnana Karma Sannyasa Yoga, 42 verses) (Sannyasa Yoga, 29 verses) (Atma Samyama Yoga, 47 verses) (Jnana Vijnana Yoga, 30 verses) (Akshara Brahma Yoga, 28 verses) (Rajavidya Rajaguhya Yoga, 34 verses) (Vibhuti Yoga, 42 verses) (VishvarupaDarshana Yoga, 55 verses) (Bhakti Yoga, 20 verses) (KshetraKshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga, 35 verses) (Gunatraya Vibhaga Yoga, 27 verses) (Purushottama Yoga, 20 verses) (DaivasuraSampad Vibhaga Yoga, 24 verses) (Shraddhatraya Vibhaga Yoga, 28 verses) (MokshaSannyasa Yoga, 78 verses) 1- 29 30- 84 85-121 122-164 165-187 188-224 225-256 257-280 281-311 312-348 349-397 398-415 416-447 448-477 478-499 500-520 521-540 541-603 10. Chapter ten 11. Chapter eleven 12. Chapter twelve 13. Chapter thirteen 14. Chapter fourteen 15. Chapter fifteen 16. Chapter sixteen 17. Chapter seventeen 18. Chapter eighteen The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay THE ESSENTIAL MESSAGE “A picture speaks a thousand words.” I hope many of us are aware of this popular saying. Our version of Srimad Bhagavad Gita is based on this idea and caters to all those who are finding it difficult to grasp the inner meaning of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is not a myth, story, song, neither novel, nor even history. This is the simplest yet sophisticated, traditional yet modern, materially useful yet spiritually inclined, transcendental science yet the most confidential knowledge that is very much essential for self-realization and also for attaining the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is one universal encyclopedia that contains all that one needs to know in order to live here and beyond. Srimad Bhagavad Gita is a storehouse of various philosophies. Many scholars and philosophers have gained inspiration from this classic and have formed their own opinions out of it, thereby most of them misleading with their views, while others leading towards the right path. Let such scholars, who do not respect Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Lord Sri Krishna prove their mettle by writing something original, not by writing dogmatic, ignorant, and misleading commentaries on our holy scriptures. One should read and hear only from authoritative sources about Srimad Bhagavad Gita and submissively offer the self to Lord Sri Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Authoritative sources are those (commentators) who come in disciplic succession such as Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We had the utmost benefit of getting initiated from his disciple, Sri Gopala Krishna Goswami Bhagavatpad. He inspired to render illustrations and summary for the Srimad Bhagavad Gita using our artistic and writing skills. A President is only a designation for a particular person, but that person also has a personal name. Similar is the case with God. If asked about the name of God, there are various innumerable names that people know of, but the truth is one ultimate name, and that is Lord Sri Krishna. In the end of all rituals, people say “Sri Krishnarpanamastu”. Why? This is because He is the Ultimate of everything. He is the Ultimate Refuge. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Therefore, let us not divert ourselves with ignorance and pride and lose track. There is only one thing we need to do: and that is to surrender ourselves submissively unto Lord Sri Krishna, for He is the cause of all causes, and the Ultimate destination for anything and everything. Sri Shankaracharya stopped at Brahma, yet sang of Govinda. Sri Ramanujacharya guided us to Vishnu. Sri Madhwacharya led us to the path and designated the Lord as Sri Hari. Finally the Lord Himself had to appear as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and clearly specify what form of God we need to worship and surrender unto. And that form of God is Lord Sri Krishna. There will be many philosophies to confuse humanity, but once we know the truth, let us not become ignorant of that imperishable truth, Lord Sri Krishna. We are born humans and have reasoning and are the most intelligent species of life. This is our only chance to improve ourselves, make our lives sublime, and attain to the Kingdom of God-Lord Sri Krishna, which is known as Goloka Vrindavan. If we miss this opportunity then we never know which of the 84,00,000 species we shall fall into. There is no guarantee that the next life will be of human, unless we practice the regulative principles as prescribed in Srimad Bhagavad Gita. With the help of illustrations, we have tried our best under the able guidance of the spiritual master to help even a child (of five years) understand the innermost secrets of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. We hope to help everyone understand the message of Godhead in this process. This soul remains servant of the servants of Lord Sri Krishna Sri A.P.M. Raj Urs (Initiated as “Sri Raja Ram Das Adhikari”) 1936 - 1998 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE The following persons have contributed excellently with their service for the cause of making this book a reality. They have rendered their true services in the process of its preparation. We like to express our gratitude and heartfelt thanks to them. Digital Photography Text Proofreading Sri Kiran Krishna Smt. Susheela Sri Krishna Prasad Book Design, Page Layout Design, Text rendering, Editing, Formatting, Image Handling, and PDF Generation Sri Vikramaditya Raj Urs The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay SANSKRIT TRANSLITERATION GUIDE The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Chapter 1 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya! Assembled to fight, what did my sons and Pandu’s sons do in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra? ||1-1|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 1 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 [The Gita is very auspicious as it begins from the word Dharmakshetre, that means - a place of pilgrimage. This is very important. We must know why the battlefield of Kurukshetra is a place of pilgrimage. This significant fact has not been told by any commentator of Gita. Everyone has told that Kurukshetra is a place of pilgrimage. But the fact is, King Kuru, son of King Samvarna had ploughed the area of 8 x 8 kos (one kos = 2 miles) with a golden plough, and had planted ten types of Dharma seeds in that area. As a result of which Righteousness, Truthfulness, Compassion, Forgiveness, and other such fine qualities were produced. We can see the spiritual background of this place in our sacred books. According to Encyclopedia Brittanica and Devi Bhagavata, the area of Kurukshetra is 257 kms. It was selected because it had no defect and hence was a place of Dharma. In the Satyayuga, Lord Mahavishnu expanded His seat and killed the demons Madhu and Kaitabha, in the water. So the place where Lord Mahavishnu sat is exactly the place of Kurukshetra. After killing those demons, their blood, bones, and other parts of the body fell in various locations of the world but the place where the Lord was sitting became uncontaminated. This place where the Lord sat became a virtuous place. That means Mahabharata war was fought for the sake of Dharma, headed by the Lord Himself. Thus, even today people living in this place do not take the ashes of the dead bodies to other pilgrimages like Haridwar, Pushkar or Prayag. The piece of land situated in between the rivers Saraswati and Dhrastavati is Kurukshetra, anyone pure at heart breathes in this land is sure to attain Moksha (liberation). Here we find a total of 360 pilgrimages such as Thaneshwar, Pihowa, Phalgu, Ramaraya, Pindra, Hatakeshwar, Parashara, Barasola, and others. According to Mahabharata, the demigods of Indian pilgrimages come together on every New moon, Solar eclipse, and Lunar eclipse to reside in the lakes here. Lord Brahma saw Lord Surya in this place for the first time. This place is also called Suryakunda. Therefore, its connection with Solar eclipse is enhanced. A kunda is a lake or a tank. This lake is 472.44 mts long and 137.16 mts wide and is surrounded by many temples such as Dhukah Bhanjaneshwara, Dhruva Narayana and that of Lakshminarayana. There is another tank called Brahma sAra which is 1219.2 mts long and 609.6 mts wide . This lake is also called Kurukshetra lake. This Kurukshetra place has now been improved very much and is an attraction for many people, as a place of pilgrimage.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 2 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Sanjaya said: O King! After seeing the army of Pandavas, Duryodhana went to his teacher (Drona) and spoke as follows: ||1-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 3 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Dear Sir, behold this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arranged for battle by your intelligent disciple, the son of Drupada. ||1-3|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 4 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 There are mighty archers, equal in valiant to Bhima and Arjuna, such as Yuyudhana, Virata, and the great chariot warrior Drupada. ||1-4|| There are also powerful warriors such as Dhrstaketu, Cekitana, Kasiraja, Purujit, Kuntibhoja and Saibya along with Yudhamanyu, mighty Uttamauja, the son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu) and the sons of Draupadi. All these warriors are great chariot fighters (Maharathis). ||1-5,6|| [A Maharathi is one who is capable of fighting single handedly with 10,000armed warriors.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 5 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 O best of the Brahmanas, know the heroic warriors and leaders of my army too. I now name them for your information. ||1-7|| Your own self, Bhishma, Karna, Kripa, Ashwatthama, Vikarna, and the son of Somadatta (Bhurisrava) are invincible in battle. ||1-8|| And there are many other warriors who are well equipped with various weapons; all well experienced in warfare and ready to lay down their lives for my sake. ||1-9|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 6 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 And our strength is unvanquished as Bhishma protects our army, whereas their strength is inadequate as their army is limited because Bhima protects them. ||1-10|| [Great grandfather Bhishma was not an ordinary man. He was most experienced in war and had immense strength. Here Duryodhana is comparing the side of Pandavas with his own army and tells his teacher Drona not to worry about anything.] Now all of you, stationed in your respective positions on all fronts, should guard Bhishma and give full support to him by all means. ||1-11|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 7 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Then, to cheer him (Duryodhana), Bhishma, the grandsire of Kauravas blew his conch shell aloud like the roar of a lion. ||1-12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 8 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 After that, conch shells, kettledrums, bugles, trumpets, drums and horns were all suddenly sounded and the combined vibrations were terrific. ||1-13|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 9 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 10 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 After that, Lord Sri Krishna, and Arjuna who were sitting in a chariot drawn by white horses blew their divine conch shells. Lord Sri Krishna blew His conch shell called Pancajanya, Arjuna blew his conch shell named Devadatta and Bhima, who performs terrific deeds, blew his mighty conch shell named Paundra. ||1-14,15|| [Here Hrishikesha means the master of mind and the senses. Lord Sri Krishna having killed the demon named Pancajana, who appeared in the form of a conch, accepted him in the same form. So His conch was named as "Pancajanya". Dhananjaya is the name of Arjuna and means conqueror of wealth. He gained the wealth of many rulers by winning over them at the time of the Rajasuya sacrifice and offered it to his elder brother Yudhishthira. Thus he is called Dhananjaya.] The elder son of Kunti known as Yudhishthira blew his conch shell Anantavijaya, while his brothers Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conch shells, Sughosha and Manipushpaka respectively. ||1-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 11 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 The King of Kashi- a great archer, Shikandi- the great chariot warrior, Dhristadyumna (son of Drupada), Virata, and invincible Satyaki. ||1-17|| And also Drupada, the five sons of Draupadi, and the mighty armed son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu), all of them blew their respective conch shells again and again. ||1-18|| The sound of these conch shells was terrifying. It echoed through the earth and the sky, smashing the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons (Kauravas). ||1-19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 12 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 13 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Now, seeing Dhritarashtra's sons arranged for battle, Arjuna the son of Pandu, who was seated in his chariot with the flagstaff of Hanuman, took his mighty bow and spoke the following words to Hrishikesha. O Acyuta, please place my chariot between the two armies and station it there until I have carefully observed them (the side of Kauravas) who are desirous of fighting with whom (the side of Pandavas), I must fight this war. I desire to observe the well-wishers of evil-minded Duryodhana, who have come here and are now ready for this battle. ||1-20,21,22,23|| [Here Acyuta means one who does not fall from his exalted position.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 14 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Sanjaya said: O King, thus addressed by Gudakesa (Arjuna), Lord Sri Krishna placed the celestial chariot between the two armies in front of Bhishma, Drona and all other warriors and said, "O Partha, see the assembled Kaurava warriors here". ||1-24,25|| [Here, Gudakesa means one who has curly hairs. It also means one who has conquered sleep. Thus Arjuna had curly hairs and had conquered sleep. And Hrishikesha means the master of the senses. The word Partha means the son of Pritha, (Kunti).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 15 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Then Arjuna, the son of Pritha saw on either sides of the armies, his brothers, cousins, uncles, teachers, fatherly people, grandfathers, sons, grandsons, friends, maternal uncles and also his well wishers. Arjuna thus saw his relatives and friends present on the field. ||1-26,27|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 16 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 17 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 He was filled with extreme compassion and spoke these words: “My dear Krishna, seeing my relatives and friends standing before me with an intention to fight, my limbs start trembling, my mouth is becoming dry, my body is shivering and my hairs are standing erect. ||1-28, 29|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 18 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 And my Gandiva bow is slipping from my hand, my skin is burning. My mind is reeling and I am unable to stand. ||1-30|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 19 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 O Keshava, I even see bad omens; also by killing my own people in battle, I do not even find any good. ||1-31|| O Krishna! I do not want victory or happiness or kingdom. O Govinda! What is the use of such a kingdom, happiness or life? ||1-32|| Because for whom we desire this kingdom, luxuries, and happiness are here arrayed on the battlefield, leaving their wealth and love for life. ||1-33|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 20 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 There are teachers, fatherly people, sons, grandfathers, maternal uncles brother-in-laws, grandsons, and many other relatives before me. ||1-34|| O Madhusudana! Even if they kill me, I would not like to slay them. I would not like to kill them even for the sake of the three worlds, then why for this mere earth? ||1-35|| [Arjuna became so sad and he expresses his feeling not to fight with his own relatives. When he does not want kingdom or the happiness of the three worlds then how can he fight for the sake of this mere earth? Many people have told this policy of non-violence. Arjuna too expresses the same feeling. From the beginning itself he had acquired many weapons for this battle, but now he does not want to kill his relatives. So we can know how the illusion of the Lord works.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 21 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 O Janardana! How can we gain happiness by killing even the sons of Dhrtarashtra? We will get sin if we kill such aggressors. ||1-36|| [Here Janardana means one who is worshipped by people for prosperity and liberation. According to Vedic principles there are six kinds of aggressors. 1) one who gives poison 2) one who sets fire to houses 3) one who attacks with weapons 4) one who steals others property 5) one who takes away another’s land, and 6) one who kidnaps another man’s wife.] Therefore, O Madhava, it is improper to kill the sons of Dhrtarashtra because how can we be happy by killing our own relatives. ||1-37|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 22 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 These people with greedy minds do not see the destruction of their own family and also do not care if they become enemies to their own friends. In this manner, they do not see the sin caused by it. ||1-38|| Yet O Janardana! When we know that by destruction of our own family we commit sin so why shouldn't we think of preventing such a sinful act? ||1-39|| With the destruction of a family, the age long family traditions are spoiled and when this happens the complete family will be bound by sin and will thus be ruined. ||1-40|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 23 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 O Krishna! When the sin becomes immense the women of the family get polluted and O Varshneya when the women are polluted there will be mixture of castes producing unwanted progeny (children). ||1-41|| [Here Varshneya means Krishna who belonged to the Vrshni class. If the castes of father and mother are different, then their offspring will be of a hybrid caste. This is called Varnasankara, which will be dominating the Kaliyuga, leading to unlimited Adharma (irreligion), and sin. To stop all this, once again God has to descend on the earth.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 24 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 This mixture of castes puts the family and the people who destroy the family tradition into hell. Deprived of food and water, the ancestors (Pitrus) of such families will also have a downfall. ||1-42|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 25 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 By the evil deeds of such a Varnasankara, the age long caste traditions and family customs of the race destroyers are completely ruined. ||1-43|| O Janardana! We have heard about those who have lost their family traditions, live in hell for an unlimited period of time. ||1-44|| Alas! Driven by the lust for the throne and sensual enjoyment we are bent upon killing our own relatives, and thus were about to commit a great sinful act. || 1-45|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 26 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 If the sons of Dhrtarashtra kill me on the battlefield when I am unarmed and unopposed, even then I would consider it to be better for me. ||1-46|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 27 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Sanjaya said: Saying thus, Arjuna overwhelmed by grief on the battlefield sat on the chariot laying his bow and arrows aside. ||1-47|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 28 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-1 Here ends the first chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Arjuna-Vishaada Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 29 Chapter 2 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Sanjaya said: Madhusudana addressed the following words to Arjuna who was sad and his eyes were filled with tears of compassion. ||2-1|| [Madhusudana is Lord Sri Krishna who killed the demon named Madhu.] Lord Sri Krishna said: Arjuna, how did you get this ignorance at this odd hour? Because, this is not the deed of great people, nor does it give fame nor heaven! ||2-2|| [It is not wise for a person at his duty hour to talk of philosophy. If he acts unwise then he will not gain fame or heaven.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 30 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Therefore O Partha! Do not gain this impotence. It does not suit you. Leave this useless weakness of the heart and stand up to wage war. ||2-3|| [Lord Sri Krishna refers to a person who turns away from his duty as a eunuch. Just as an impotent does not have any courage, in the same way Arjuna, who fought valiantly with Lord Shiva to obtain Pashupatastra (a special weapon) is now ready to give up the battle like a cowardly eunuch.] Arjuna said: O Madhusudana! How can I kill grandfather Bhishma, teacher Dronacharya with my arrows in the battlefield? O destroyer of foes! For me, both of them are worth of worship. ||2-4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 31 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 It would be better for me to live on alms in this world rather than killing these elders. Because, after killing them we have to enjoy the bloodstained pleasures in the form of wealth and sense enjoyments. ||2-5|| [Here the thoughts of Arjuna are like those of hypocrites, because, for the sake of kingdom they had to undergo many troubles and lastly, when it could not be decided peacefully, they declared for war. On the battlefield with everything set Arjuna on seeing his elders turns back and wants to live on alms rather than killing them. From this we can understand that illusion had covered the mind of Arjuna who was such a great warrior. While performing our duty we must have our minds fixed on the Lord and not on the person for whom we do our duty.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 32 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 And we do not know what is beneficial to us, nor do we know whether we will win over them or they will win over us! The sons of Dhrtarashtra, after killing whom we do not wish to live, are standing in front of us. ||2-6|| [Arjuna shows compassion towards his cousins too and is failing in his decision for war. That is the reason why he cannot decide whether they will win or the Kauravas will win. He also tells whether the Kshatra (Kingly) dharma is suitable or not. Therefore, a duty bound person should never fall prey to attachment and affection. He must always do his duty for the sake of the Lord's pleasure only.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 33 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Therefore O Lord! Guided by the act of cowardliness and smitten by the words of Dharma, I ask unto you to show me the right path. Please teach me as I am your disciple and have come in shelter to you. ||2-7|| [From this verse, we must know how a disciple must act with his guru or with the Lord. Unless one surrenders completely, he cannot obtain the knowledge of the Self.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 34 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Because, even if I become the owner for the entire kingdom on earth and also if I obtain the Lordship of demigods in heaven, I do not see a solution that could take away the sorrow which is drying up my senses now. ||2-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 35 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Sanjaya said: After addressing Hrishikesha, (master of the senses) thus, Arjuna- the Conqueror of sleep, said to Lord Sri Krishna: "Govinda, I will not fight" and became silent. ||2-9|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 36 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Dhrtarashtra! Lord Sri Krishna, the master of the senses, addressed the following words smilingly to the sorrowful Arjuna in the midst of the two armies. ||2-10|| Lord Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna! You are grieving for that which is not worthy of grief, and yet speak the words of wisdom. The wise neither grieve for the living nor for the dead. ||2-11|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 37 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The soul is ever permanent. Therefore, it is not proper to grieve. It is not that myself, yourself or these kings never lived in the past. Nor is it that we (souls) shall cease to live in the future. ||2-12|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna specifies that the soul exists forever. It may change bodies that do not exist for long, yet the soul is permanent.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 38 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Just as a soul, when receives a body, experiences childhood, youth, and old age. In the same way, a soul receives another body at death (of the body). But the wise person never laments for this (phenomenon). ||2-13|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 39 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O son of Kunti! When the senses are in contact with the material nature, there arise feelings of heat and cold, pleasure and pain, which are temporary. Therefore O descendent of Bharata, accept them patiently and remain unaffected by them. ||2-14|| Because, O best among men! The wise person who treats pain and pleasure alike and does not get deluded by the senses is certainly qualified for liberation (Moksha) ||2-15|| [Here a person who controls or treats all dualities as equal and has constant devotion in the Supreme Lord is considered to be eligible for liberation from this material world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 40 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The unreal has no existence and the real has no deficiency. This is the conclusion of real and unreal by the seers of truth. ||2-16|| [Here, the real is the soul while the unreal is the body. The body undergoes many changes but the soul existed before the birth of this body, and shall exist even after the death of this body. Similarly God also remains the same but the world undergoes many changes every moment.] According to this law, the real can never be destroyed. Because no one is able to destroy the imperishable soul, and that real (soul) is pervading the entire world ||2-17|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 41 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O descendent of Bharata! These bodies of the indestructible, indefinable, and all pervading soul are all described as perishable. Therefore you must fight. ||2-18|| Those who think that they can destroy the soul and those who think of it as dead do not know the reality. The reality is: the soul neither dies nor can be killed (destroyed). ||2-19|| [Here it is confirmed that the soul does not have death, while the body has death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 42 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 This soul does not take birth at any time nor does it die; nor does this soul having been will cease to exist in the future. The soul is unborn, eternal, everlasting, and primeval. Though the body is perished the soul never perishes. ||2-20|| O Partha! How can a person who thinks of the soul as unborn, eternal, everlasting, and primeval kill anyone or cause any one to be killed? ||2-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 43 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Just as a person takes off old clothes and wears new clothes, similarly the soul also leaves the old body and enters into another new body. ||2-22|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 44 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The soul is so powerful that weapons cannot cut it, nor can fire burn it. The water cannot immerse it nor can the air make it dry. ||2-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 45 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 This soul cannot be broken, nor can it be burned or dried or wetted. The soul is eternal, all pervading, stable, constant and everlasting, and is thus primeval. ||2-24|| This soul is invisible (it is different from the senses), unimaginable, and unchangeable. Therefore, knowing the soul as such, it is not proper for you to grieve. ||2-25|| [Here we must not doubt with this description of the soul (Atma) because this is the real description of the soul as given by Lord Sri Krishna Himself.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 46 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O mighty armed Arjuna! Even though you think of this soul as constantly taking birth and death with the body, then the way you grieve is not proper for you. ||2-26|| [The soul is ever permanent. If one thinks that the soul dies with the body or not, there is no cause for lamentation. A person who performs the prescribed duties for the sake of the Lord hardly cares for such matters.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 47 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Because, one who dies has to take birth and one who takes birth has to die. Therefore you should not grieve over such unavoidable matters. ||2-27|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 48 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O descendent of Bharata, all beings are without bodies before birth and also after death. It is only in the middle that they seem to have bodies. Then what is the use of lamenting over it? ||2-28|| [When the present body of a soul dies then the soul gets astral body or a body to sustain terrific pains in hell according to its previous activities. After that, the soul gets a material body again. Therefore when a person dies we must not consider him as dead forever. He will be born again in some other form; it may be of human, animal, or of a ghost.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 49 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The knowledge of the self is very inaccessible. Therefore some people look at it as amazing, some describe it as amazing and some hear of it as amazing but others, even after hearing about it are unable to understand. ||2-29|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 50 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Bharata! The souls residing in the bodies of all can never be killed. Therefore do not grieve for any being. ||2-30|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 51 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 And do not fear upon seeing your Dharma, (Kshatra dharma) because there is no great duty than to fight a righteous war for a Kshatriya. ||2-31|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 52 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Partha! Those Kshatriyas who get such a war are lucky, because it has come on its own and is like an open gateway to heaven. ||2-32|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 53 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 And if you do not fight this righteous war, then by abandoning your duty and losing fame you shall attain sin. ||2-33|| [A person who does not perform one’s duty (svadharma) shall certainly incur sin. That means without doing one’s own duty in the name of the Lord, if that person does it for self sensual pleasures, then that person will have to attain the sin of rotating in the cycle of birth and death.] And everyone will talk of your ill fame that will remain for many years. And such ill fame is worse than death for a man of honour (esteem). ||2-34|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 54 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The great chariot warriors who highly honour your name and fame will consider you to be a coward and will say that you turned your back from the battlefield out of fear. ||2-35|| And your enemies will disregard your valour by saying many cruel words. Then what is of greater sorrow than this for you? ||2-36|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 55 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Kaunteya! Fighting this war is in all ways beneficial to you. If you die, you shall attain heaven or if you win, you shall enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore decide for war and stand up. ||2-37|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 56 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Treat pleasure-pain, loss-gain, victory-defeat alike, and get ready for war. By doing so you shall not attain sin. ||2-38|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 57 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Partha! I have so far told you the Sankhya yoga, which tells about the identity of the Lord. Further I tell you the knowledge of yoga by which one works without aspiring for the result. By the practice of this yoga you shall very intelligently free yourself from the clutches of Karma (action). ||2-39|| This knowledge of selfless action (or action done with a disinterest towards the result) does not provide loss of effort, nor does it give any adverse effect. By practising even a little of this yoga, one can be freed from even the greatest fear. ||2-40|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 58 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O son of Kunti! This path of Karma definitely provides the mind to offer everything to the Lord. The minds of the ignorant people are filled with many types of branches (it is filled with unlimited, lusty material desires). ||2-41|| [Without doing Karma (work) one cannot get the result. For example, if a worker wants money then certain work has to be done. In the same way, if one does work such as worshipping, meditating, donating, performing sacrifices etc., with desires and does not wish to have its result; As a result of that person’s performance a certain result is guaranteed. Therefore, people, until they live, must do selfless action always in the name of God. By doing so, such lives will not be attached to sin. Such a person performing even a little bit of selfless action will not be tainted by the past and future sins, and also will become a wise man having knowledge of the self. If any person does not perform the duties prescribed to him/her shall degrade from his/her level. A person not worshipping the Lord shall attain sin. Such a person will not gain knowledge. Therefore one must perform the prescribed duties. Everyone must perform selfless (Nishkama) action according to his/her Varna (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra) and Ashrama (Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa). Even knowledgeable persons perform their duties. Such people are authorized to get liberation. If they work with desire also enjoy the results, then they might be delayed of getting liberation. Therefore, forsaking desires and following the knowledge, one must perform his/her duties for the sake of Lord Sri Krishna. This is called Vishnu Dharma and is the path for liberation (Moksha).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 59 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Partha! Persons with many desires get attracted by the words of the Vedas and think of heaven as the supreme goal. They claim that there is nothing beyond heaven. In order to attain the sense gratified and opulent life, they talk of many words that glorify the various fruitful activities. Such talks are always flashy. ||2-42,43|| People who are carried away by such attractive words and are interested only in pleasure (sense gratification) and prosperity (gathering material opulence) do not have a determination towards performing service to the Lord in their minds. ||2-44|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 60 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Arjuna! All the Vedas are reflecting upon the three modes of material nature. Do not get attached to them. Rise above the dualities in nature. Do not aspire for the gain and safety from things. Instead become established in the self. ||2-45|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 61 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 When one gets a completely filled reservoir of water, he does not go to the smaller reservoirs. Similarly, when one receives enlightenment, then that person finds no reason to have Vedas for pleasure. ||2-46|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 62 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 You only have the right to perform your duty and not to aspire for the result. Also, never think of yourself to be the cause of the results of your work. Thinking this way, you should never be free from doing your duty. ||2-47|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 63 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 [Having the right to perform duty but not to aspire for its result. Many socalled scholars have misinterpreted this verse. One who strongly thinks that Lord Sri Krishna is the cause for all causes, the reservoir of pleasure, has the right to perform his/her prescribed duty. But he/she does not have the right to aspire for the result. Even those with knowledge have to perform duties i.e. for the maintenance of the body. There will be a result for every action. And to give the fruit, only God is allcapable. To obtain liberation one must perform selfless action. If anyone leaves his/her duty he/she shall definitely incur sin. i.e. to worship the Lord is the first priority (work). One must not think about the consequences but must perform his/her duty sincerely. One must think that he/she is not doing that work but the Lord is getting the work done through him/her. Whether you get the result for your work or not, you must perform your duty with a constant mind i.e. surrendering every action unto the Lord. This is called Nishkama Karma (selfless action). Persons practicing such actions are sure to attain liberation. Working like an animal for 18 hours, 20 hours would yield nothing; our national leaders give such persons the title karma yogi. This is wrong. Performing duties without surrendering unto the Lord will lead to the disaster of falling back into this sinful world again and again. Therefore with a pure mind, we must constantly meditate on Lord Sri Krishna without any desires. Then we are sure to attain salvation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 64 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 O Dhananjaya! Abandon all desires, keep an even mind in success and failure and do your duty that is prescribed to you. This steadiness of mind is called Yoga. ||2-48|| O Dhananjaya! Fruitful activities are very inferior while compared to activities performed with devotion (evenness of mind). Therefore take refuge in this evenness of mind because people who are aspiring for fruitful activities are indeed misers. ||2-49|| [Any work done with an intention to obtain its result is the most inferior task. Hence, we must perform all actions with evenness of mind and by surrendering everything unto the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 65 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Persons with an evenness of mind free themselves from the good and evil of karma (actions). This means they will not be attached to such actions. Thus, even if they perform karma, they are not bound to it. To attain this stage, one must strive for Yoga ||2-50|| The wise persons with evenness of mind renounce the fruits of their actions and obtain the liberated state, which is like nectar and free themselves from the birth and death cycle. ||2-51|| When your mind gets completely freed from the illusionary swamp, only then you will be able to attain indifference to what has been heard and what is to be heard further. ||2-52|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 66 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 When your mind, which has heard various types of philosophies and yet remains unconfused, will stand constantly in the meditation on God. At this stage, you shall attain the art of self-realization. ||2-53|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 67 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Arjuna said: O Keshava! What are the qualities of an even minded person who is fixed in trance? How does such a person speak? How does that person sit? And how does that person move around? ||2-54|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 68 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna! When a person takes out (removes) all desires of the mind, and is satisfied by the self and in the self, then, that person is regarded as even minded (stable) in wisdom. ||2-55|| [Here sthitaprajna means one who controls all the dualities and has steady devotion towards the Lord. The mind is greater then the senses. The mind is also of material nature. Therefore, from such a mind one must renounce all types of desires and with the help of knowledge one must unite with the ATMA i.e. to attach the mind slowly, by way of practice with the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. It is only then that a person shall be elevated to the spiritual platform. When a person reaches that spiritual platform it is not at all possible for that person to return to this material platform. This is because that person realizes that the soul does not have the bodily concept of life. Therefore, persons who feel the soul and have steady devotion towards the Lord are said to be sthitaprajna. The consciousness of such a person becomes transcendental and constantly remains with God. It also means that at such a stage the mind and senses do not get degraded.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 69 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 A person whose mind remains undisturbed in sorrows, and who does not rejoice when there is happiness and is free from passion, fear, and anger. Such a sage is said to be of stable wisdom (sthitaprajna). ||2-56|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 70 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 A person who is unattached everywhere, who is neither happy on obtaining good nor hates on obtaining bad is said to be stable in mind. ||2-57|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 71 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Just as a tortoise draws in its limbs, similarly, such a person when withdraws the senses from all sides and from sense objects, then the mind will become fully stable. ||2-58|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 72 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Such a person restricts himself from sense enjoyment, but the taste for sense objects is present. Further, the taste also disappears when he realizes the Supreme Soul (God). ||2-59|| [As a diseased person cannot feel the sense enjoyments like taste, thirst, hunger, viewing, and others, still, that person has thoughts like I must eat, I must drink, I must see, I must talk, and others. But, for a person having stable mind even such thoughts are absent because that person has realized the Lord.] O son of Kunti! Even the minds of such wise men practicing self-control are forcibly carried away by the turbulent senses. ||2-60|| [Even a knowledgeable person sometimes becomes a servant of his/her violent senses. In that case, fools, ignorant people, angry people, selfish people, irreligious persons undoubtedly become the servants of their own senses. There is no doubt in it.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 73 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 By controlling all the senses one must concentrate his mind on me. This is because a person whose senses are fully controlled is said to have a stable mind. ||2-61|| [When all the senses are put in the service of the Lord only then, the mind gets fully concentrated on the Lord. This is because the mind is very flickering in nature and to control it one must surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Otherwise it cannot be controlled by any other mundane means. This is the truth.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 74 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 75 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Persons thinking of material objects get interested towards them. From interest, arises desire and if that desire is unfulfilled there arises anger. From anger arises delusion, which causes ignorance. Due to ignorance the person loses memory and at then the intelligence is lost. When intelligence is lost everything is lost and such a person is completely ruined. ||2-62, 63|| [According to scientists, when a person thinks too much, his/her memory is lost. The same thing is been confirmed here. When we think of any material object, we gain interest, from which we get desire to obtain it and when we fail to obtain it, we become angry. From anger arises attachment and from which there is loss of memory. Due to this the intellect is lost. At this stage such a person will be considered mad. But here, intellect means consciousness. If that is lost i.e. spiritual consciousness, then one has to fall again and again in this cycle of birth and death and he/she shall remain sad every time. Therefore if one surrenders to the Lord then all such matters will never cling to that person.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 76 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 But the person, who is free from attachment and heartedness, frees his mind and keeps it under control. In this way he is capable of controlling the senses and enjoys the objects. He then becomes firmly fixed in God, and enjoys the bliss. ||2-64|| [Even today and also in the past many ways have been shown by many people for controlling the senses. But all these are artificial ways, which can be used only for some days. Controlling the mind by service of the Lord is exactly the right path, which confirms permanent bliss. We must keep all our five senses in the service of the Lord. To see the Lord’s deity by the eyes, to hear His praises by the ears, to smell the flowers, sandal etc., presented to the Lord by the nose, to praise and sing of Him by the mouth, to worship Him by the hands, to go to temples of the Lord using our legs. In this way we must constantly engage our senses in the service of the Lord. By doing so, the mind becomes pure and bright and thus gets freed from the material contaminations. This must be perfectly practiced. Other ways than this are all temporary and unsatisfactory. Therefore we must always do service or work only in the name of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 77 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Such a blissful person is completely freed from all sorrows and his mind is thus quickly fixed in God. ||2-65|| [Here it is confirmed that without the order of the lord one’s mind cannot be fixed in Him. Therefore by doing constant service unto the Lord, one can obtain His order or bliss.] A person whose mind is not fixed in God cannot have any intellect and such a person does not believe in the existence of God. For him, there is no peace and without having peace how can he gain happiness? ||2-66|| [Happiness can be obtained only if one’s mind is completely God conscious. For this we must think that the Lord is the cause for all causes. Without His permission nothing can be done. We must not give room for our desires. I, mine, due to me, to me, such ignorant thoughts must be thrown out of the mind. Only then shall one obtain permanent happiness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 78 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Just as wind carries away the boat on the water (sea), the mind, which is amidst any one of the wandering senses, robs away intellect of man. ||2-67|| [When we do not control our senses our mind is not constant. It will be like a boat on the ocean, which may be driven away by the wind at anytime and get destroyed. Therefore we must check our senses for the service of the Lord, then the mind will be under control and we will obtain happiness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 79 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 Therefore, O mighty armed Arjuna! His intellect is stable, whose senses are always controlled such that they are not driven towards the (temporarily satisfying) material objects ||2-68|| [To defeat any enemy we must have great strength. Similarly, by controlling our senses and engaging them towards the service of the Lord, we can gain victory over the senses. Otherwise they shall spoil our intellect. Here our senses can become our own enemies if not controlled and put under check. This should be understood properly.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 80 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 What other living beings observe as night is the time of enlightenment for the self-restrained; and the time of staying awake for all living beings is night for such an introspective sage. ||2-69|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 81 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 [Normally materialistic people do all sorts of works for the sake of obtaining pleasure to their senses. This is caused by ignorance. But the self-realized person is free from all such pleasure seeking activities and remains awake due to his/her knowledge. This means that the actions of such a self-realized person seem to be ignorant for others engaged in materialistic activities. They sleep during such periods due to their self-ignorance and lack of knowledge. But the self-realized person remains awake and does not fall in the darkness of ignorance. He/She always remains steady. His/Her consciousness is always illuminated.] As water from different rivers enter the ocean, which remain undisturbed though completely filled. In the same way, though all material enjoyments enter into a self-realized person he attains peace and never desires to fulfill his senses by enjoying them. But the person who falls for the desires does not attain peace. ||2-70|| [Here the quality of a self-realized person is described. The ocean, though constantly receives water from rivers and rains, never tries to raise its limit. Similarly the self-controlled person too has desires but he/she is not disturbed by them. For such a person, the Lord fulfills his/her necessary wants. Such a person need not aspire for desires any further.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 82 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 A person who gives up all aspirations and moves away from attachment, ignorance (ego) and desires, will attain, peace. ||2-71|| [Many people have misunderstood this verse. By giving up all desires, attachment, ignorance, and aspirations people think that leaving homes and families they must become sannyasi (renounced order of life). This is not correct. Whatever is the desire, we must surrender it to the Lord. Then peace shall come automatically. There is no necessity to leave home, father, mother, society etc., for obtaining peace. Please think and act wisely.] O Partha! This is the state of the person who is self-realized. He does not get deluded after having gained such a state. Even at the time of death, established in this state, he attains the supreme abode of the Lord. This is called Brahmanirvana. ||2-72|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 83 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-2 [Here the word nirvana is speculated wrongly by many people and is told in many divergent ways. Such as to merge into the Lord, to become God Himself, etc., but it is not like that. Nirvana means to end up with the familial or material way of life. Buddhists and Jains most commonly use this word Nirvana. But Gita does not approve it. Because, when materialistic life ends spiritual way of life begins. Even here if he/she is God conscious only then shall he/she attain the supreme spiritual abode. This depends on the constant practice and thought of the person who wants to attain it. This second chapter deals with Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga. A little of Bhakti Yoga is also discussed. Therefore the second chapter is considered as the summarized study of the entire Bhagavad Gita.] Here ends the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Sankhya Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 84 Chapter 3 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 Arjuna said! O Janardana! If you speak of knowledge to be superior to action then, O Keshava, why do you want to place me in such a horrible task (fighting the war)? ||3-1|| [In the previous chapter, the Lord instructed the Sankhya philosophy, which is mainly knowledge, but Arjuna, thinking it to be cause for misery wants to get rid of the war. Thus he is asking this question. Here Arjuna says, thinking the Lord as cause for all causes and serving Him to obtain bliss is better than doing actions like a common man. For this the Lord answers further.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 85 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 I have been confused and my mind is bewildered by your perplexed talks. Therefore, please instruct definitely by which, I shall be benefited. ||3-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 86 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Here Arjuna thinks that the Lord has confused him. But it is only due to his lack of understanding and affection towards his relatives that he is not following the words of the Lord. But still he does not give up and wants to find the right way to properly understand the scriptures. A disciple must have devotion towards the guru (teacher) and whenever he gets even a little doubt he must clarify it immediately. This is the true quality of a disciple and here Arjuna is doing the same thing.] The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O sinless Arjuna! In this world there are two types of paths meant for self-realization. As I told before, one is the path of knowledge for those who are meditative in nature and the other is the path of action for those who perform various tasks. ||3-3|| [In order to realize the self two groups of people are found in this world. One, which speculates on the nature of living and non-living things and the other, which performs actions thinking it to be the service of the Lord. These two paths are meant for self-realization. Of these two, performing actions for satisfaction unto the Lord is of highest priority because, here a person becomes completely God conscious and performs every action for the Lord's pleasure. By doing so he/she is not attached or bound to his/her duties. There will be result for every action but by doing actions for the Lord's pleasure one is not bound to aspire for the result. However those of speculative minds remain suffering births and deaths due to their ignorance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 87 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 Man cannot obtain selfless action by inaction nor does he attain selfrealization by renouncing everything. ||3-4|| [If a person performing selfless action does not purify the self and becomes renounced even then he/she does not attain the perfection of selfless action. Because, in order to perform selfless action one needs to be righteous in his/her path. By doing so, one must purify one’s mind and self to obtain the renounced order of life and then he/she is able to attain perfection. But this way or path is always filled with many obstacles and does not provide a constant mind. Therefore we must offer every righteous work unto the Lord so that we are free from all obstacles. And such a person need not attain the renounced order of life separately.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 88 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 No one can remain without performing action even for a moment, at any time. Undoubtedly, everyone is made to act helplessly by the three modes of material nature. ||3-5|| [The soul is ever active in nature. Depending on that activeness, the body performs the actions. Therefore, we must offer ourselves through the body towards the service of the Lord so that we attain permanent bliss. Otherwise, the activeness of the soul will put the body in mundane actions and due to ignorance it will suffer forever in this cycle of birth and death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 89 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 The foolish person who prevents the organs of action by force and thinks of the sense objects in mind without performing action, will have lack of understanding and shall be called as a hypocrite. ||3-6|| [The so-called Sannyasis, Yogis and Jnanis of this day are all hypocrites according to this verse. A true seeker of knowledge puts his/her mind and senses completely in the service of the Lord and performs the prescribed duties. Any one who speaks one thing and performs the other thing is termed as a hypocrite.] And O Arjuna! The person who controls the senses and keeps them steady by the mind and performs action without getting attached them (senses) is superior to others. ||3-7|| [It is better to perform selfless action rather than becoming a hypocrite.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 90 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 You perform your duty which is prescribed to you, because action is superior to inaction and also you will not be able to maintain your body if you do not perform any action ||3-8|| [Every one has to perform their own duties as prescribed in the scriptures or else they shall be degraded. Such duties must be performed only for the sake of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 91 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 O son of Kunti! Without performing actions prescribed unto the Lord, people will be found doing useless actions. Therefore, forsaking desires, perform actions usefully for the sake of the Lord. ||3-9|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna clearly mentions that how a person should perform actions. We must always think that whatever we are doing is only for the sake of the Lord and must perform that action in a right way.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 92 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 At the dawn of creation, Brahma created mankind and sacrifice (yajna) together and said, “Attain prosperity through this sacrifice and this will certainly fulfill all your desired wants”. ||3-10|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 93 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [At the dawn of creation, men fulfilled their wants by pleasing the Lord, performing sacrifices (yajna). But nowadays (Kaliyuga), there are no facilities to perform sacrifice, i.e. there are no proper reciters of Vedic mantras, no sanctified persons, people lack knowledge, and also there can never be the pure materials needed for performing any sacrifice. Therefore we must perform the sacrifice of Hari Nama Sankirtana which is nothing but chanting the names of the Lord. This is the only way to purify ourselves and get liberated from all material bondages.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 94 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 “By this sacrifice, satisfy the demigods and in turn the demigods shall satisfy you. In this way fostering each other you shall attain to the Supreme good”. ||3-11|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 95 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Demigods are the powerful leaders of this material world. If we please them by means of sacrifices they shall provide us in turn with rain, food, and other natural goodness. Thus, pleasing each other we must try to help ourselves in serving the Lord.] Pleased by the sacrifices, the demigods will provide you all the pleasures. Anybody who enjoys such pleasures without giving something to them in return is definitely a thief. ||3-12|| [Nor have humans or demigods created anything. But the demigods are given the responsibility to look after all this. Air, water, light, minerals, food, etc., are not created by humans. Therefore to obtain them as per our needs, we need to please the demigods by performing sacrifices so that they fulfill our needs. Otherwise, we will be in shortage of our daily needs and will have to suffer for it. Foolish scientists do not believe this and also the government having faith in such scientists have forsaken our scriptures and are acting on their own. They are simply wasting their time. Materialistic people do not have any goal in life and such people cannot understand about sacrifice. The government running under such people cannot prosper and cannot take care of the people's welfare. Therefore we must perform the Sankirtana yajna to get rid of this materialistic way of living. This means we must simply chant the holy names of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 96 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 The righteous people who eat the remnants of the sacrifice are freed from all sins. But those sinful people who cook for their own sake are actually eating (incurring) sin. ||3-13|| [The Lord Himself gives all things. Therefore we must be ever grateful to Him and must offer our food to Him first and later eat it. This is accordingly to the scriptures. But some wicked rascals say that where is the sin when we work hard, grow, cook, and eat it. They say working hard is divine. This is a wrong notion. In fact do we grow the plants? Do we make the rains to come? Do we blow air? Our labor is only to maintain it, that's all. Therefore we must surrender all our duties into the Lord and must be freed from its result.] All living beings take birth from food. Whereas food is produced from the rain and the rain is caused by yajna (sacrifice) and that sacrifice is born of karma (action). ||3-14|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 97 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 The action is born from the Vedas. Knowledge and the Vedas are born from the Imperishable (God). Therefore, the all-pervading infinite (God) is always situated in sacrifice. ||3-15|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 98 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [The Vedas tell us to please the demigods by way of sacrifices. All the demigods worship the Supreme Lord and when we worship that Supreme Lord Sri Krishna, then it will be same as pleasing the demigods themselves. Therefore, before eating we must offer it to the Lord and then eat. This is the rule.] O Partha! A person in this world who does not act according to this wheel of creation and gets engaged in sensual activities lives a sinful life and thus his life is a waste. ||3-16|| [Attracted to the words of the sinful materialistic devils who say ‘Prosperous life’ ‘work is worship’, ‘work hard’ etc., many people are being misguided and spoilt due to various doubts in their minds. Therefore, we must follow the wheel set by the Vedas as told here. This is the only right path and has no room for doubts.] But the person who enjoys only in the self, who is satisfied with the self and who is happy in the self only, is free from all duties (activities). ||3-17|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 99 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [This verse is of great importance. A person who is happy, satisfied, and content with the service of the Lord need not perform any other activities. There are many great persons who are of such nature like Suka muni, Narada muni, Kardama Rshi and many others.] In this world such a person has no interest. For, though he does any work or not, there is no use. Nor does he depend on any other living being for his own welfare. ||3-18|| [The devotee of the Lord need not perform any other prescribed material duties such as offering oblations, performing sacrifices, doing his daily activities etc., because such a devotee performs all duties for the service of the Lord.] Therefore, perform your duties constantly without attachment and with full devotion because by doing (proper) action, an unattached person can attain the Supreme Lord. ||3-19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 100 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Here Parama or Supreme means Lord Sri Krishna Himself. This refers only to the devotees of the Lord and not to other useless action doers. It is only the pure intellect devotee who can perform action without aspiring for the result. To work for pleasing the Lord is also same as not aspiring for the result. Therefore offering our duties unto the Lord is the best action, and the easiest way. This can be obtained by constant practice.] Even people like King Janaka too attained the Supreme goal by way of action. Therefore, you must also perform action for the maintenance of the world. ||3-20|| [Though King Janaka was self-realized, just for the sake of showing or teaching to the people he used to do various actions such as Yajna (sacrifice) etc., even in self-realization there are various levels. Sushupti, Samadhi, Turiya, Aruda, Hansa, etc., The Jnanis above the state of Turiya are freed from the platform of action. For them, it is not necessary that they perform action. But persons below this level have to strictly perform their prescribed duties. This is because the mind is fluctuating in nature. In order to train it, there is a need for constant practice. This is of utmost importance and must not be ignored.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 101 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 Whatever a great man performs, other people follow the same accordingly. And whatever he proves is followed by the world. ||3-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 102 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Here a great person is prescribed greater responsibilities; because whatever he/she does others follow blindly. Therefore such a person must be very precautious while talking, quoting, conversing, performing rituals, etc., If he/she does good and that good shall be followed by others. This will lead for a good society. Otherwise, if he/she talks one thing and does another thing, then others following him/her shall be doomed. But nowadays following the useless ideals of politicians and film actors’ people are doomed.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 103 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 O Arjuna! I have no duties to be performed in the three worlds and there is nothing unattained by Me. Yet, I engage myself in action. ||3-22|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 104 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Many foolish people compare Lord Sri Krishna to a common man. They show their hopeless knowledge by saying that He came from the womb of his mother, He lived like common people, He left His body and died, and what not nonsense. But for those so-called Vidwans, this verse gives the answer. In all previous incarnations of the Lord (Matsya, Kurma, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, etc.,) He never told so clearly and precisely “I am Purushottama (God)”. The Supreme Lord says, “In these three words there is nothing to be done by Me”. Just imagine how can any human being or any celestial say with such clarity, boldness and daringly that “I am the Supreme Lord”. Therefore, leaving all speculative knowledge, one must follow the traditional words that have come from infinite ancient generations. Only then shall peace reside in this world.] Because O Arjuna! If I do not engage myself in action, then by all ways men will follow My path. ||3-23|| [From time immemorial spiritual knowledge has gained utmost importance in India. In order to gain such knowledge, to develop ourselves in it, and to bring the social equanimity there are many traditional ways. There is no need for Lord Sri Krishna to perform such traditional rituals, still He has shown to us by performing them, such as offering daily oblations, sacrifices, righteous duties, etc., This can be found in Srimad Bhagavatam. He is a model for Himself. Otherwise, the whole world would have been filled with disorder. Now the same thing is happening. We do not want God, nor do we need righteousness, cleanliness, scriptures, etc., but we only require house, food, clothes and luxury. Is it not? Is it not a downtrodden and fallen life?] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 105 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 If I do not perform action, all these worlds will be spoilt and I shall become the cause for mixture of castes and thus the destroyer of these people. ||3-24|| [Varnasankara is mixture of castes. It is the unwanted population caused due to illicit sex. According to Sanatana Dharma- following the Varnashrama principle of life is traditional and the right path. In ancient days, people used to live only to attain the Supreme Lord i.e. self-realization. Even sex life was meant only to obtain children who would turn towards God. But now there is no interest towards Dharma, lack of knowledge is most common. Thus people are attracted by the lust for sense objects and are not caring for their Varnas, but are bringing forth children from any Varna. This behavior is like that of an animal. Due to this, sin is present in every sphere of our life. Therefore we must follow the Lord's actions but must not try to imitate them. If we imitate them we shall suffer and will be spoiled.] O Bharata! As the ignorant men interested in action perform their duties, so should an unattached wise man perform action wishing for the world’s welfare. ||3-25|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 106 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 A wise person should never distrupt or bring inaction in the minds of the ignorant people interested in action. But he must perform his duties with devotion and should bring such a mentality in them too. ||3-26|| [Wise men with knowledge and those who follow the scriptures must engage other ignorant people in their path of devotional action only if they heed their advice. They should try and bring them to the right path.] All the actions are being constantly guided and done by the three modes of nature, but still, a man whose mind is filled with ignorance thinks that “I am the performer of activities”. ||3-27|| [A person who is bodily conscious thinks that I am the doer of action and performs action due to ignorance. But a devotee of God always thinks that all actions are done by God, and performs his action with devotion. With bodily consciousness one is bound to this material world but if one is God conscious then he/she is liberated from this world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 107 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 O mighty armed! But the person, who knows the difference between the philosophies of the modes of nature and their actions, thinks that it is only the modes that are acting on the modes and thus he never gets attached to them. ||3-28|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 108 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Once a person realizes his self, then he is not attached to his activities. This means he does not care for the result. He always sees in his heart the divine form of the Lord. Therefore, performing his actions in the name of the Lord he attains eternal peace.] Persons attracted by the modes of nature get interested in them and their actions. But the man of perfect knowledge should not divert the minds of such ignorant people who do not know properly. ||3-29|| [Although ignorant people follow their prescribed duties, perform it with a bodily concept and always aspire for the result. But a person of knowledge must try to lead them towards God consciousness and if they are not interested after such repeated attempts then he/she must not force them.] Therefore surrendering all actions unto Me, having the mind fixed on Me without desire, and free from sorrow and affection, you fight. ||3-30|| [This verse tells us about how people in this world must perform their duties. Whatever we do, we must do it only for Lord Sri Krishna. We must never feel proud of what we are doing.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 109 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 All those people who regularly follow this teaching of Mine with faith, interest, and without a hatred mind, will certainly be freed from all bondage of actions. ||3-31|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 110 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is God Himself. Here He has told to all mankind, the right path. He has expressed His teachings clearly. Because after experiencing all forms of life one gets this human life and if one misses this life too without following the Lord, then he/she will have to fall again and again into this cycle of birth and death. Therefore the human form of life is meant for returning back to the spiritual Abode of God.] And those fools who discriminate and do not follow according to My teachings, such materially inclined people are devoid of all knowledge and know them to be doomed to destruction. ||3-32|| [All religions, concepts, castes, creeds formed by man are doomed but only the religion of God is the greatest and acceptable too. This is because there are no drawbacks in God's principle. Also, He gives the guarantee for liberation from this material world but no one else can give such a guarantee. Therefore please follow the religion of God and make your life sublime. If we forsake the Government law then we shall be punished. Similarly, if we forsake God, we shall perish. Therefore, there is still time to at least try for reaching our original home i.e. the Abode of God.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 111 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 All living beings follow their own nature. Even, men of knowledge act according to their own nature. Then how can anyone control it? ||3-33|| [All beings act accordingly to the three modes of nature. Therefore there is no use in controlling these modes. Thus, in order to cross this illusion of the Lord (though we are filled with the modes of nature), we must offer our duties for the sake of Lord Sri Krishna. Then only shall we be freed from all these modes of material nature.] Attachment and detachment for the sense objects persist in the senses. No one should get attracted by these two (attachment and detachment), as they are the main enemies who obstruct on the path of self-realization. ||3-34|| [As the living beings take birth and live in this nature they are strongly subjected to its three modes. If a person tries to suppress these modes of nature by force then he/she shall be subjected to the cycle of birth and death. Unless the attachment for action gets dejected one cannot obtain liberation. Therefore, to deject ourselves from action we have only one way out, which is to follow the religion of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 112 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 Although the duty of another person is well discharged, one's own duty, which may be spoiled, is better than that of others. If one dies in the course of performing one’s own duty, it is better than following another's duties (dharma) because, to follow another's path is very dangerous. ||3-35|| [All living beings have forgotten their real recognition with God and are rotating constantly in the wheel of life and death. Following other duty or religion means body consciousness. If one gets attached to it and dies in such a state he/she shall be taking births after births that may be of any lower species of the 84,00,000 species of life. Here dharma means not Hindu, Christian, Jain or any other man made ones but the real Dharma, which is the Dharma made by God. We must be cautious that Lord Sri Krishna is telling Gita to Arjuna, who is not an ordinary person, but is a great warrior who even fought with Shiva. He is a great devotee and follower of Lord Sri Krishna. But still, as he had a material body he was a little body conscious. Due to which he got carried away at the sight of his relatives on the battlefield. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna instructed Gita to Arjuna. This is according to circumstances and is filled with complete knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 113 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 O Varshneya (Krishna)! Then how is it that a person performs sin although he does not like to commit it, and who enforces him to do so? ||3-36|| [Many persons of the world ask this same question of Arjuna, today. Let us not consider the people who get detached from their real duty or religion but let us consider those who do not like to be detached from their duty and yet they sometimes get forced to commit sin. How is it that they are attracted towards sin? This is the enquiry here.] The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: It is the desire, which is anger and is born from the mode of passion. It is all devouring, never content like fire and is most sinful. In this matter, know this (desire and anger) to be the enemy. ||3-37|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 114 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [When a soul enters this material world, it receives a material body and then it forgets its real identity with God. Also, when the mode of passion gets added up, it converts into lusty desires. And when the desire is unfilled anger springs out. These two are thus the greatest enemies for any human being. After Lord Sri Krishna, He came as Lord Buddha and preached the same philosophy- “Desire is the cause for all sorrows”. Therefore, those who desire can never rise to the spiritual platform. It will then be same as living with an enemy and thinking him to be his friend false fully.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 115 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 Just as fire is covered by smoke, mirror by dust, and embryo by the womb. Similarly, this (knowledge of self) is covered by the desires. ||3-38|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 116 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [Even many persons with knowledge are sometimes covered by desires. Knowledge or Ignorance stay according to their nature but if there is any difference in their nature due to lust or desire then the knowledge gets completely covered by it. Desire is always an enemy of knowledge. It is like a large fire that can never be subdued. Although we try to subdue it, it gets increasing more and more. Therefore, many people with knowledge have become the servants of desire. How to bring it under control? The Supreme Lord is the master of everything and has everything under His control. If we seek refuge in Him then desire cannot disturb us. Or else, if we worship God to fulfill our desires then we are certainly headed in the wrong direction.] And O son of Kunti! This enemy of wise men, which cannot be satisfied and which resembles fire, is the desire that even covers their own acquired knowledge. ||3-39|| [Here it is clear that one cannot live without desires. Desires cannot be subdued by enjoying sense objects. It is just like fire that cannot be extinguished by fuel. Therefore, to overcome desires one must take shelter of Lord Sri Krishna or else, the desires will lead one's life to the darkest ignorance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 117 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 The residing places of such desires are: mind, intellect, and the senses. Desire covers the knowledge through these (mind, intellect, and the senses) and illusions the embodied soul. ||3-40|| [Lord Sri Krishna has clearly told how to overcome desires about 5100 years ago. Still, we are forming many useless religions and opinions and fighting among ourselves. Without any peace we are still clinging to this materialistic life. This is the most shameful thing. Therefore, let us all follow the religion of Lord Sri Krishna and become blessed.] Therefore, O best of Bharatas! Firstly, keeping the senses under control, kill this sinful destructor (desire) of knowledge and self-realization ||3-41|| [Keeping the senses under control does not mean that one must remain a bachelor nor to do it by force. It means to offer every good action as service to Lord Sri Krishna, and thus bringing the senses to the right direction. Then selfless action will become easy and the soul shall attain liberation. Those who have this knowledge and practice it are indeed blessed.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 118 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 It is been told that senses are superior than the body, more superior than the senses is the mind, but the intellect is far more superior to the mind, and that which is very much superior than intellect is called the soul. || 3-42 || The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 119 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 [This material body has desires filled in it. In order to materialize them the senses are essential. Thus, the senses are superior to the body. But if one surrenders his/her senses unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna's service, then the desires won't get activated at all. Therefore, we must make the mind and intellect to work for the Lord through the senses. This should be constantly practiced and must be firmly established in our minds.] O mighty armed! Thus, knowing the soul to be superior than intellect and keeping the mind under control by the intelligence, slay the unconquerable enemy who is in the form of desire. ||3-43|| [Lastly, here Lord Sri Krishna has mentioned how to win over desires. We all know that Rudra burnt Kama (desire) into ashes, but that is an ignorant way and was done due to anger. Desire cannot be subdued by anger or force. How can a fire be subdued by another fire? It is impossible. Nowadays, whatever artificial ways to conquer desire being taught are all hopeless. But Lord Sri Krishna has here declared firmly to follow His path. If we forsake His words, sin will be immense and there shall be no Dharma (righteousness).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 120 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-3 Here ends the third chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Karma Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 121 Chapter 4 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Lord Sri Krishna said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the Sun. He then instructed it to Manu and Manu in turn instructed it to his son Ikshvaku. ||4-1|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 122 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [This Bhagavad Gita is not only 5100 years old but is as old as the Sun. It was instructed by Lord Sri Krishna to Surya (Sun) and has come in all the worlds to the ruling class. Rulers required learning Gita for efficient caretaking of the people.] O slayer of enemies! In this way, the knowledge of Gita was known traditionally by the Rajarshis (saintly kings) and has been obtained in disciplinal succession, but this science of yoga had become so old that it appeared to be lost in this world. ||4-2|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna has clearly stated that He Himself has told the Gita. Narrow-minded philosophers must not speculate on this. Because when the Lord Himself tells it then it has become as pure as the Vedas themselves. Any human does not make this knowledge; it is the most ancient, beyond human perceptions and the most confidential knowledge. Many so called scholars have taken up Gita to write commentaries of their own but they have made it for the purpose of money and though they have translated it they include their own speculative thoughts and refuse to accept Lord Sri Krishna as God. If one reads commentaries on Gita written by hypocrites then such a person will be filled with doubts and shall not have faith in God. Therefore, we must read only those commentaries, which have come in the disciplinal succession, so that we gain real knowledge without any doubts.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 123 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 You are my dearest friend and devotee. Therefore, I have instructed you today, the same ancient and excellent science of yoga, which is the supreme secret. ||4-3|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna clearly about His yoga. Although Arjuna was a friend, devotee, relative and contemporary of Lord Sri Krishna he could not realize Him as God. He had heard of His childhood activities and even though he was hearing Gita from Him, he had considered Lord Sri Krishna to be a commoner. Then how can the people of this world with halfbaked knowledge understand Lord Sri Krishna as God? Everyone is after food, shelter, clothing and other material things, but nobody wants to turn towards God. Such is the ignorance of people.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 124 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Arjuna said! Your birth has taken place in this age but Sun god has taken birth very long back, then how shall I understand that You instructed this science of Yoga to him in the past. ||4-4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 125 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [This science of Yoga (Gita) has to be obtained from authoritative sources. Here, Arjuna has asked his doubt without feeling shy. His doubt is “Surya has been present before the dawn of creation, but Lord Sri Krishna is of present age then how could He instruct Gita to Surya?” This doubt is natural. Here Arjuna has not asked this question for himself but he has asked it for the sake of people who do not believe in Lord and are evil minded. We are not as great as Arjuna therefore we must accept the Lord's verdict and must follow it by accepting Lord Sri Krishna as God.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 126 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 O Arjuna! Many births of yours and Mine have passed away but, O slayer of enemies! You do not remember them but I remember all of them. ||4-5|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 127 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna have passed many births. Foolish people mistake this and they treat both of them as taking birth and dying like commoners. But the real fact is the births of Lord Sri Krishna are His incarnations such as Matsya, Kurma, Narasimha, Vamana, etc., At that time Lord Sri Krishna had come in his own original form, because in all His previous incarnations he never mentioned clearly that He is God. Now, He is clearly and distinctively mentioning Himself to be the Supreme Lord. Therefore He knows everything about His previous births but Arjuna has forgotten everything. This does not mean that he was not with Lord Sri Krishna in all his births. Arjuna had been His associate in all the forms. Principally Arjuna is Nara and Krishna is Narayana in the form of NaraNarayana.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 128 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Although I am unborn, imperishable, and the controller of all beings, yet I manifest Myself in the nature (divine form) and appear from my Yoga Maya (internal potency) ||4-6|| [Here ‘the Lord appears’ means not like us. Coming out of mother's womb, undergoing childhood, youth, old age, and death do not apply to the Lord at all. If we carefully analyze this verse we shall know the specialty of how the Lord appears. He is free from birth. He is the controller of all beings and is infinite and thus imperishable. He comes to this world from His divine form. Can we take birth like that? Never. And also He can remember all His previous births but we cannot even remember many incidents from the present day itself. Then how can we remember our past births? Even then many foolish scholars try to equal themselves to Lord Sri Krishna. And do not accept Lord Sri Krishna as God. Why? Because, they are filled with ignorance and are body conscious. Every time we die and we again obtain a material body. But for God He always comes in His Spiritual Divine form. Lord Sri Krishna appeared in His original form on this earth. He is away from the modes of nature and is never contaminated by the material nature and is thus always situated in the form of permanent bliss. Nowhere in the world do we find the old age photo of Lord Sri Krishna because he is all beautiful, ever youthful, and full of bliss. The knowledge about Lord Sri Krishna must be attained from a well-known devotee of the Lord. If we hear from any other unauthorized person then we will spoil our lives.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 129 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 O Bharata! Whenever there is decline or fall in Dharma and development or increase in Adharma then I shall descend with My divine form. ||4-7|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 130 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Many scholars mistake the word ‘Srjamyaham’ for ‘I shall create’. This is wrong. Because, God is ever present, controller, absolute truth and the cause for all causes. He does not come to the state of creation. This is clarified in the last verse. But still He tells that ‘He shall descend’, that means He shall manifest Himself when Dharma is lost in this material world. This verse has to be carefully analyzed and thought.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 131 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 In order to uplift the righteous wise people and to destroy the irreligious bad people and also to reestablish Dharma, I shall appear millennium after millennium. ||4-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 132 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Many wise people follow the principle of Dharma told by Lord Sri Krishna, while there are many bad people who try to spoil them in their path of perfection. The Lord descends to slay such cruel people and saves His devotees. Then He establishes the Dharma, which has been forgotten. This verse is also misunderstood. Here the word Dharma means rules or Law. If any one breaks the Law he/she shall be duly punished. Similarly if any one disobeys the Lord's principles, to slay such people the Lord Himself has to descend in any suitable form. The all powerful, all pervading Supreme Lord Himself has to come to establish the fallen principles of Dharma.] O Arjuna! Whoever realizes clearly the philosophy of My birth and action to be spiritual (non-materialistic), leaves his body and does not attain birth again but attains Me only. ||4-9|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna assures everyone that if anyone understands Him, shall be freed from all bondages and will attain the supreme. Whoever performs his/her actions in the name of Lord Sri Krishna and clings only to the right path shall attain the abode of Lord Sri Krishna after death. He shall never be born again in this material world. The demigods cannot give such a guarantee.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 133 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Having forsaken attachment, fear, and anger, with minds fixed constantly on Me and fully surrendered to Me. Such people are many who have been purified by the penance of knowledge and have already attained My Supreme Being. ||4-10|| [In this material world the body is temporary, filled with ignorance and being the most sorrowful, it fails to understand the transcendental qualities of the Lord. But a true devotee unattached to this material world is away from attachment, fear, and anger. In this way such a person is constantly engaged in the service of Lord Sri Krishna. That person attains the divine bliss of the Lord, and is liberated from this material world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 134 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 O Arjuna! Whoever surrenders or worships Me in whatever way, I shall bless him in accordance to that way. Knowing this, intelligent persons follow My path in all ways. ||4-11|| [Here the Lord assures us of another guarantee. Whoever worships Him in whatever way he/she desires, he/she shall be blessed in the same way. However directly worshipping the Lord one can achieve liberation very easily and quickly.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 135 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 In this material world, people aspiring for the results of their actions, worship the demigods. Because, success can be attained very quickly through action. ||4-12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 136 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [This world is meant for performing action. Here, by performing action unto a particular demigod yields the wanted result. But the Lord Himself gives the main result. Though a person fulfils his/her desires by worshipping demigods, such results are temporary and last only for a few days. Also this process of worship will be opposite to that described in the Gita. Therefore worshipping Lord Sri Krishna, who is the master of all demigods, is the right way. Even creator Brahma and annihilator Shiva cannot be compared to the Lord. What is the use of talking about other demigods? Even the leader of impersonalists, Sri Shankaracharya has described Lord Sri Krishna as different from this material nature. Lord Sri Krishna's name and forms are most divine and everlasting. While those of others subside at the time of annihilation. Only Lord Sri Krishna remains after everything. The sage Markandeya has confirmed this. Even then, many materially developed scholars and leaders do not understand this fact and keep on arguing that Lord Sri Krishna is not the God. This is very shameful to our country.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 137 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 According to the modes of nature and action, I have formed the four castes (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra). Although I have created them, know Me, the Immortal Lord to be the non-doer. ||4-13|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 138 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [The Supreme Lord is the cause for all creation. Through Him all are born, sustained and annihilated. Whatever enters the Lord at the time of great annihilation once again comes out at the time creation and gets filled with their modes, caste, and action. This itself is confirmed here. But Lord Sri Krishna does not belong to any caste. The four castes are: 1. Sattva (mode of Goodness) 2. Rajas (mode of Passion) 3. Tamas (mode of Ignorance) 4. Their modes and actions. Therefore, the ‘Caturvarnya’, which has these qualities is divided further as follows in humans: Brahmana (Intellectual class), Kshatriya (Ruling class), Vaishya (Merchant class), and Sudra (labor class). Similarly, in animals also we find the same divisions such as Sattvic, Rajas, and Tamas forms. The Supreme Lord is not attached to all these modes of nature nor their actions. Therefore He is called ‘Trigunatita’ by the Vedas, which means one who is beyond the three material modes of nature. Those who know this fact are called Vaishnavas and are even greater than Brahmanas. Such a Vaishnava is more intellectual than a Brahmana and always resides in the transcendental form of Lord Sri Krishna and is also beyond the material modes and action. Try to understand that the castes are not hereditary, and a Brahmin’s son need not be a Brahmin unless that person qualifies the certain qualities of a Brahmana. This division is based on Guna (nature) and Karma (action) not by birth. No body is of any particular caste by birth. It is the Guna (nature) and Karma (action) of that person that define his/her caste. Please understand this properly and avoid quarrels among yourselves for the sake of caste or creed or even religion. Nothing is proprietary without you have the qualities to gain them.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 139 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 As I am not interested in the fruits (results) of actions, the actions do not disturb Me. In this way whoever knows Me through the truth is also not bound by actions. ||4-14|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 140 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Though the Lord is the creator of everything, He is not interested in the fruits (results) of His own creation. Therefore He is not attached to it. But still, to destroy the Sinner, He appears in this world and plays His pastimes. Those who have understood this truth properly are also liberated from performing action.] The ancient seekers of liberation, having known this, performed action. Therefore, you also perform the action similar to what is been done by the ancient people. ||4-15|| [In ancient times, sages, saints, saintly kings, etc., performed selfless action and became liberated. In the same way, if a person follows that path then he /she is sure to attain salvation. Therefore everyone should act according to the words of Lord.] Even the wise intellectuals are illusioned about the difference between What is action? and what is inaction? Therefore, I shall tell to you the truth of action by knowing which you shall be liberated from all evils. ||4-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 141 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Even knowledgeable men are confused about what is action? and what is inaction? The meaning and truth of these words should be heard from a sincere devotee of the Lord. Then only can one get liberated from the bondage of action.] The truth of action must be known, the truth of inaction must be known, and also the truth of forbidden action must be known, because the nature of action is mysterious. ||4-17|| [What Lord Sri Krishna has instructed is the real path of selfless action. What others say and also whatever exists other than the Lord's verdicts are all forbidden actions. Not doing action is inaction. As told earlier it is not possible to remain quiet without doing action. Therefore, whatever action we perform we must do it in the name of the Lord and must surrender fully unto Him. This is the path for liberation.] Whoever sees inaction in action and who sees action in inaction, is intelligent among men and that Yogi is the performer of all actions ||4-18|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 142 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Many scholars of this age instruct people to follow inaction or forbidden action. This is wrong. To get freed from the bondage of actions, if one does not perform any action then it is called inaction. And that which is not prescribed, be it action or inaction is called forbidden action. Therefore, most of the people do not understand this properly and are not performing their prescribed duties. Thus becoming hypocrites they call themselves as Sannyasis and are spoiling the minds of the people. They are living their lives like businessmen.] One whose actions are all away from will and desire, such actions are burnt in the fire of wisdom and such a person is called as a ‘pundit’ (sage) by the wise men. ||4-19|| [Here it is told about the qualities to be called as a Pundit. One does not become Pundit, by gaining material knowledge or PHD.] One, who is unattached and ever content, abandons attachment to actions and fruits of such actions. Such a person, though fully engaged in action does nothing in reality. ||4-20|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 143 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [In this material world everyone is dependent in some way or the other to another. Without dependence there is no life. But a Pundit is directly and ever dependent on the Lord. Therefore, he/she is ever content, unattached to action and though he/she performs action, he/she seems to be away from it.] Having the mind and body under control and giving up all material possessions of enjoyment, such a person having no desires performs action only for the maintenance of the body and thus never attains sin. ||4-21|| [One who thinks that ‘everything is being done by the Lord and God is the controller’, performs actions only for maintaining his/her body. Such a saintly person never attains sin and is liberated from this world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 144 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 A person who is self-content with whatever is obtained without effort, risen above the state of dualities, devoid of envy, even minded in success and failure, such a person although performs action is not bound to them. ||4-22|| [This is the assurance given by the Lord Himself. If we understand and act accordingly then we are sure to attain liberation. Many people think that after death there is nothing and everything is finished. If it were to be like that, then why would Lord talk about liberation? Therefore, by wisdom we must keep faith in God, and must follow His words. Then shall we be blessed and our goal in life i.e. to attain liberation will be fulfilled.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 145 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 All the actions of a person who is free from desires, whose mind is fixed in knowledge, and who works for the sake of sacrifice are all merged (dissolved). ||4-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 146 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Here, merged means to get deducted. Which means if we perform all actions for the pleasure of the Lord wisely, then all the good and evil of such actions are merged into God Himself. The doer freed from all good and evil is thus qualified to be liberated from this cycle of birth and death, in this way such a doer attains the abode of the Supreme Lord.] The act of offering is Brahma (God), the sacrificial oblation is Brahma (God), the fire is Brahma (God) and the doer in the form of Brahma (God) performs the sacrifice. Therefore, the person engaged in performing action in the form of God is capable of obtaining the same Brahma (God). ||4-24|| [Brahma means, different meanings in various circumstances. Brahma means Veda, soul, spiritual abode, knowledge, supreme, four-headed creator Brahma and so on. By the activities of Buddhists, Sannyasa dharma and the Vedas were deteriorated. In that age Sri Shankaracharya reestablished the Vedas and in order to attract the Buddhists, he used the word Brahma and declared ‘Aham Brahmasmi’. The real meaning of this word was Aham = I, and Brahma = Soul, or ‘the practitioner of Vedas’, and Asmin =am. Thus it either meant, I am the soul or I am the practitioner of Vedas. But his disciples and others misunderstood it as ‘I am God’. If he were to be God, then he must not have had entered another's body to experience sexual pleasures. This meant he was not complete in knowledge. But one thing is clear that there are many meanings to the word ‘Brahma’.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 147 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Some Mystics (Yogis) perform sacrifices unto the demigods perfectly, while others perform sacrifices in the fire of the Supreme Lord. ||4-25|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 148 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Here ‘to offer oblation to the sacrifice where the God like fire is present’ means to remain constant with even mind in the Supreme Lord by knowledge. Whoever performs the sacrifice of surrendering everything to Lord Sri Krishna becomes the perfect mystic (Yogi). Such a person gives away all his actions to such sacrifice with the help of the fire of knowledge. By doing so he is liberated from all bondages of good and evil.] Some offer hearing and other senses as sacrifice into the fire of the controlled mind, while others offer sound and other objects as sacrifice into the fire of the senses. ||4-26|| [The life of a human being is not to enjoy sense gratification like animals but to obtain perfection in the spiritual path. For this purpose, the scriptures have provided four Ashrams or divisions, such as Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa. The Brahmacharis or student bachelors irrespective of any caste used to be away from women and used to learn spiritual knowledge by a qualified teacher. This stage is up to 25 years of one’s lifespan (age). The Grihasthas or married people after attaining knowledge from Gurukula used to marry a suitable girl and would earn their livelihood through the knowledge gained before. Thus being constantly engaged in the service of the Lord they used to take care of the family. This was for another 25 years. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 149 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Vanaprastha stage was meant to leave family affairs and practice whatever one had learnt in the student life. Before going to this stage, one needs to fulfill all family duties and then engage fully in the thought of the Lord. This was for another 25 years. Sannyasa or renounced order of life was the last stage and to enter this, one would leave all family compassions and be always situated in the thought of the Supreme Lord. In this way one had to fully devote his/her life for the purpose of serving the Lord. All these divisions are meant for the constant service of the Lord, to restrict from illicit sex, and perform pious activities. The sex life was meant only for a Grihastha but even there he had to control it and must act accordingly only to obtain religious children who could help him in his path of selfrealization. This is called restricted sex life. But now everything is spoiled and this needs no clarification. Because of our downtrodden mentality we have lost peace in the society and are all forgetting the Lord. Therefore, now at least there is time left to realize this and return back to our home, the abode of Godhead.] Some others offer all the functions of their senses and the breathing action as oblations into the Yogic fire of self-control, brightened by divine knowledge. ||4-27|| [Samyama is the control of mind in offering service to the Lord by the senses. This leads to self-realization.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 150 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Some others offer their wealth as sacrifice for the welfare of the people. Similarly some others offer their austerities as sacrifice. And some others offer their yoga (spiritual exercises) as sacrifice, while others of self-control and strict vows offer study of the scriptures and transcendental knowledge as sacrifice. ||4-28|| [Dravyarupa Yajna = to spend one’s wealth for the welfare of the people by building charitable institutions, hospitals, schools, orphanages, etc., and thereby pleasing the Lord. Tapoyajna = to practice severe austerities. (Yoga Yajna = It is the eight fold Yoga system, conceived by Patanjali. They are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dhyana, Dharana and Samadhi, practiced for spiritual advancement.) Svadhyaya yajna = to be engaged in the study of Vedas, Upanishads, and many other philosophical scriptures for self-realization. Jnana Yajna = to be engaged in worshipping the Lord through knowledge. If by performance of all these sacrifices, one does not realize to serve Lord Sri Krishna, then there will be no use. To get freed from the birth and death cycle, one needs to surrender himself/herself completely to the Lord, and all these paths are just an addition to it.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 151 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Some offer the incoming breath (Pranavayu) in the outgoing; similarly, others offer the outgoing breath (Apanavayu) in the incoming, as sacrifice. While some others stop the course of the incoming and outgoing breaths, and become absorbed in the control of breath. ||4-29|| [According to the Pranayama process, by stopping the breath one needs to practice the control of mind. Recaka means to inhale the outer air into the body. Kumbhaka means to stop the breath (air) inside the body. Puraka means to exhale the air out of the body. These processes of Pranayama can stop the air. Thus, by concentrating the mind on one object we control the mind by force and meditate. This is also a kind of sacrifice. Many mystics practice this process. But all these forms of sacrifices build up one’s virtue and do not yield for liberation. If anyone gains virtues or sins, then he/she has to be born again in this material world. To get liberated our sins and virtues have to be balanced out and nothing should remain.] Others, by regulating their diet, offer the life into the life breath as sacrifice. In this way, they are all knowledgeable about sacrifice and their sins are all washed away by it (sacrifice). ||4-30|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 152 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 O Best of the Kurus! Those who perform sacrifices and eat the sacred food, which is like nectar that remains after a sacrifice, attain the supreme eternal Absolute (God). And those who do not perform such sacrifices remain unhappy in this world; then what to talk about the other worlds. ||4-31|| [To get freed from the material world, this human life is the most suitable of all other living forms. To understand one’s own self and to get engaged in the devotional service of Lord Sri Krishna when one is born as a human, is the right path to attain liberation.] In this way, many types of sacrifices have been uttered elaborately from the mouths of the Vedas. Know them to be born of actions and knowing thus, you shall be liberated. ||4-32|| [According to the verdict of Lord Sri Krishna, liberation can be attained if one understands the true meaning of Vedas and acts according to them.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 153 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 O destroyer of enemies! Superior to any material sacrifice is the sacrifice in form of knowledge, because, O Partha! All actions end up in knowledge itself. ||4-33|| [The main object of performing sacrifices is to have complete knowledge even while performing actions; to be away from all material sorrows and to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. All these deeds of the sacrifices are a secret. This must be firmly and clearly established in the mind. Without knowledge, the performance of sacrifice remains in the material platform. Thus, liberation becomes impossible.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 154 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 By surrendering yourself through prostration, service, and by way of asking questions humbly, know that knowledge. Those wise men knowing the core of philosophy shall instruct the knowledge unto you. ||4-34|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 155 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [Through the Gita, spiritual and scientific knowledge can be obtained. After knowing science we must go in seek of a guru who could teach us the knowledge to surrender unto the Lord. To such a teacher we must be obedient and faithful and must gain knowledge of the self through humble questions. This is how the Lord wants anyone interested in gaining knowledge to approach a suitable guru and also how to behave with that guru. But here, Arjuna is a man of knowledge and is clearing all his remaining doubts from the Lord Himself. Therefore, we are all lucky to have such a treasure of knowledge, which is the verdict of the Lord Himself, and thus it is worship able as it is the Absolute knowledge of the Supreme.] O Pandava! After knowing which you shall never be illusioned like this, and by that you shall see all beings in the self and then all of them in Me. ||4-35|| [All beings are the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. But according to our actions we are taking different types of bodies. When we get the knowledge of God everywhere, then we shall see the Lord in all the beings, and see all beings in the Lord. At that stage, we are cleansed from illusion, attachment, and ignorance and receive pure knowledge. When that happens, all dualities are removed and we see the Lord everywhere.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 156 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 If you are the most sinful of all sinners, even then, you shall definitely cross over all sins by the boat of knowledge. ||4-36|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 157 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [This material world is like a big ocean of ignorance and is thus unable to cross. However experienced may be the swimmer but he/she cannot cross the ocean. Similarly the sorrows, pains, losses present in this material world cannot be overcome by mundane efforts. But if we keep faith in God and move further, then He shall save us from this ocean of pains and sorrows. For that, the only way is to adopt these teachings of Gita. If we clearly understand and perfectly practice this, then no material disasters can overcome us.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 158 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 O Arjuna! Just as the blazing fire burns the fuel (wood) to ashes, similarly the fire of knowledge burns all actions to ashes. ||4-37|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 159 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [When a living being gets knowledge in the mind, at that moment itself all the virtues and sins, and results of actions etc., get immersed in God and that person becomes pure to attain the abode of the Lord. This itself is called liberation or salvation.] There is certainly nothing in this world, which is equal to knowledge in purifying. One, who has become perfect in Yoga, finds that in the self in due course of time. ||4-38|| [The knowledge told here in Gita is pure, and is of utmost importance for development in spiritual life. One who practices such knowledge, experiences it in the self and remains ever blissful.] An interested person always engaged, and who has won over the senses gains knowledge. Having gained such knowledge, he at once attains the supreme peace. ||4-39|| [If one has firm belief in words of Lord Sri Krishna then only he/she can attain peace. Interest, patience, control of senses (to render service to the Lord without being attached to material pleasures) are essential for gaining the knowledge of the Supreme.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 160 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 A person having ignorance, disinterestedness, and have doubtful nature definitely perishes. For the doubtful person, there is no peace, nor in this world nor in the world beyond. For him everything is lost. ||4-40|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 161 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [One who is ignorant about the scriptures and does not have interest towards them, although he/she has knowledge about them and if he/she is doubtful about it then he/she shall perish. This applies even to the people who have interest in Gita but do not accept Lord Sri Krishna as God. Similarly, a doubtful person is not happy in this world or in the other worlds.] O Dhananjaya! A person who offers all his actions with an even mind to the Lord and whose doubts are all cleared by knowledge, such a self-realized person cannot be bound by actions. ||4-41|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 162 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 Therefore O Bharata! Having yourself situated in Yoga cut all your doubts born of ignorance in the heart by the sword of knowledge and stand up (to fight). ||4-42|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 163 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-4 [The Gita being the verdict of Lord Sri Krishna is the most ancient science of Yoga. Instead of practicing this knowledge in the material platform it is better to practice it in the spiritual platform so that one can attain the supreme abode where permanent peace and supreme bliss exist.] Here ends the fourth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled JnanaKarmaSannyasa Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 164 Chapter 5 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 Arjuna said; O Krishna, you have praised the renunciation of actions and then (also praised) the selfless action. Therefore, please tell me which one of these is certainly better. ||5-1|| [Arjuna has asked this question and it is natural that everyone gets this doubt.. In the last chapter it is told to perform selfless action and by doing so one must gain detachment from them. But as Lord Sri Krishna had defined the word karma, He had not defined the word sannyasa; this is the cause for Arjuna's confusion and doubt. Though the Lord had explained to render everything to Him in various ways, Arjuna could not grasp it to be renunciation. By karma sannyasa he thought of forsaking actions. Therefore he has asked this question.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 165 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: The renunciation of actions and selfless action, both certainly lead to salvation. But of the two, the performance of selfless action is better than the renunciation of actions. ||5-2|| [Here Karma sannyasa or renunciation of actions means to give up the complete ownership of performing actions by the mind, body, and the senses. This path is tough. And Nishkama karma or selfless action means to perform actions in order to please the Lord and to fully surrender unto Him. This path is easier, because if one performs actions for enjoyment of his own senses then he/she will to take many more births. This will be the cause for bondage. Thus by performing actions with devotion unto the Lord, one's bondage of actions is cut and he/she obtains salvation. Therefore, this is the better and sacred path confirmed by Lord Sri Krishna Himself.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 166 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 O mighty armed! A person who never hates or desires anything is said to be ‘ever renounced’, because staying away from the dualities of nature that person is happy and becomes free from all bondages. ||5-3|| [One, who performs actions for the Supreme Lord does not have desire, aspiration, hatred, and such ill feelings within. For such a person there is no bondage of actions.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 167 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 The foolish people say that renunciation of action and selfless action are different from each other. But the person who is well established in any one of them gets the fruit of both. ||5-4|| [Those who know the path of liberation do not differentiate between action and inaction. Both are the same and if any one of them is well performed, then the fruits of both are obtained without extra effort.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 168 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 Men of selfless action attain the position, which is attained by men of renunciation. Therefore one, who sees that the ways of renunciation and of selfless action are one in result, sees the reality. ||5-5|| [Just as the research for the Absolute philosophy or Self-realization is the main aim in life, similarly performance of renunciation and selfless action are two different paths to reach the same goal.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 169 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 But O mighty armed! Without selfless action, it is difficult to attain renunciation and meditating on the Lord, the performer of selfless action quickly attains the Supreme Lord. ||5-6|| [The performance of actions having devotion unto the Lord with full concentration is defined as Karma Yoga. By such performance, liberation can be attained, otherwise if one keeps on performing actions without any devotion to Lord, then that person attains only sins or virtues depending upon the type of action performed.] One who has conquered the self, who has subdued the senses, whose mind is pure, and whose self is the self of all beings, though performs selfless actions is not bound to what he acts. ||5-7|| [One who is constantly engaged in the devotional service of Lord Sri Krishna is undoubtedly the master of his/her senses and has the knowledge that all souls are verily his/her. Thus he/she is not bound to actions. Such a person thinks everyone as himself/herself and performs actions by which he/she is happy and peaceful.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 170 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 171 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 One who knows the philosophy of God, such a yogi, although is seeing, listening, touching, smelling, eating, walking, sleeping, breathing, talking, discarding, accepting, and even though opening his eyes and closing them, thinks that the senses are acting accordingly and undoubtedly knows that he is not doing anything. ||5-8,9|| [A yogi is always unaware of his/her daily activities and thinks that the senses perform their actions accordingly. Thus he/she remains in peace. Such a yogi is aware of the fact that he/she is not the performer of any activity. This ultimately means that he/she does not have body conscious and thus is free from any bondage because body conscious is the cause for all bondage and suffering.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 172 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 A person, who offers all his actions unto the Lord and performs actions without desires, is compared to a lotus leaf in water unattached to all contaminations (sins). ||5-10|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 173 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 [A person performing actions by thinking everything belongs to the Lord is not bound to their results. He/she is similar to a lotus leaf which although stays in water, cannot be wetted by water and remains pure, uncontaminated from all sins. Thus he/she is free from all actions.] A yogi forsakes desires even by the senses, mind, intellect, and body and performs action for the purification of the self. ||5-11|| [No one can stay without doing action, then here it is explained that how a yogi lives. A yogi always performs actions only for purification of the self. Without performing action how can one render service to the Lord? If one does not perform service to the Lord then the senses, mind, intellect, and body will move towards material enjoyments, and from it one gets bound to them. Therefore even yogis perform actions. When yogis also perform action then, Arjuna is just a warrior. Shouldn't he perform actions?] A performer of selfless action forsakes the results of his actions and thus attains the Supreme peace of the Lord. But, the attachments bind the person with desires who aspires for the results. ||5-12|| [Here the difference between a person of body consciousness and a person of Krishna consciousness is explained.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 174 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 A person who has control over his self, undoubtedly neither performs actions nor causes others to perform. Thus, situated in the bodily house having nine doors such a person forsakes all actions through the mind and gets situated in the Supreme bliss. ||5-13|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 175 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 [A Krishna conscious person does not force to control his/her senses and mind, because they are constantly, directly, and eternally engaged in the service of the Lord. Such a soul although situated in a house of nine doors, remains peaceful and gets situated in the Supreme bliss.] The Lord does not create agency (ownership of actions), neither actions, nor does He connect actions with their results for the world. But it is the nature alone that performs everything. ||5-14|| [Although both the soul and Supreme soul reside in the body, the Supreme soul does not participate in any activities of the body but remains only a witness to them. The Lord has decided everything for this material world and has left it in control of His own small portion called Brahma. Therefore for a yogi, all his/her performance of actions and results are decided and controlled by that Brahma.] The all-pervading Supreme Lord neither takes the sin nor the virtue of anybody. Just as knowledge is covered by ignorance (Maya), similarly all beings are put under illusion. ||5-15|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 176 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 [Here Vibhu means the all pervading Supreme Lord. He is not bound to any sin or virtue. He is ever content and full of bliss. Everything is in His control but He is not attached to anything. People who cannot understand this are deluded by ignorance.] But whose ignorance of the mind is destroyed by the knowledge of the self, their knowledge lights up the Supreme self like the sun. ||5-16|| [Those who have forgotten Lord Sri Krishna have certainly being deluded or illusioned. But those who have faith in Lord Sri Krishna and serve Him with devotion are not illusioned and are blessed. Though they are in the body they seem to be out of it and enjoy the Supreme bliss.] When one's intelligence, mind, faith, and shelter are all engaged in the Supreme Lord, then he becomes pure by the complete knowledge. Remaining sinless and doubtless, he attains the supreme abode (liberation). ||5-17|| [To know the Lord clearly and having faith in Him is the absolute Supreme knowledge. Such a person has his/her mind, intelligence, faith, and shelter fixed in the Lord and thus becomes eligible to attain liberation. This has been stressed very much in the Gita.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 177 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 The pundits see a brahman who is learned and humble, a cow, elephant, dog, and an outcaste with equanimity of mind (God’s form in all of them). ||5-18|| [Sages (yogis) engaged in service of Lord Sri Krishna never consider nor discriminate the castes or species of life to be different. They have a super eye that is greater than the bodily eye. Therefore, they do not bother for differences between the material bodies. They act accordingly thinking that everyone is a part and parcel of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 178 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 And those who have equanimity of mind have conquered the world in their present life itself, because the Lord is pure and equal to all. Therefore such persons are well established in Brahma (God). ||5-19|| [Those who are equal minded and pure like God, have in their present body become situated in the Lord. This is because such yogis do not discriminate between others and think that even a brahman and a dog are one. This is self-realization. To obtain this knowledge we are all born as humans. So we should not waste time in other useless affairs.] He who never feels happy on obtaining the desired object nor feels angry on getting the undesired object and who is firm in mind being doubtless, such a knower of God is always established in the Lord. ||5-20|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 179 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 [Here the qualities of a self-realized person is explained. They never think that the present body is their own, but always have the complete knowledge that they are also a part of the Supreme Lord. Although they attain or do not attain any material object, they never feel happy or sorrow for it, instead remain ever blissful. This is because their knowledge is fixed that the body is temporary and anything connected to this body is also temporary and in this way they never get illusioned. The mind of such a person is always constantly fixed on the Supreme Lord.] A person, who is not attracted to material objects and interests, attains in his self, the Supreme bliss of the Lord. And such a person having completely fixed himself with God enjoys eternal bliss of the Supreme. ||5-21|| [A person who drinks cows milk, well prepared, by adding many sweet ingredients cannot find the same pleasure in drinking milk made from milk powder. Similarly when a person enjoys the Supreme eternal bliss he/she never feels pleasure in any material, lusty enjoyments, because such persons always get situated in the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 180 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 O son of Kunti! The material pleasures borne of the senses and their contacts are undoubtedly the cause of sorrow and have a beginning as well as an end. Therefore, a wise, intelligent person never dwells in them. ||5-22|| [In the Fifth canto, Fifth chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Rishabhadeva says to his children – “My dear children! In this material world, the human form is definitely not meant to enjoy sense gratification. This sense pleasure is only meant for the stool eating pigs and other animals. From this human body, transcendental penance must be performed, from which the inner self shall be cleaned, because it is only from this way only can one attain the eternal bliss”. Therefore, Yogis do not aspire for material pleasures and always are situated in the supreme eternal bliss.] The person, who is capable of controlling the speed of desire and anger, even before he gives up his body, is a yogi in this world and he is the only happy person. ||5-23|| [Here it is said of a happy person. Gaining material pleausres and prosperity cannot give happiness. One who controls or wins over desire and anger, and always engages himself in the Supreme Lord’s service is the only happy person in this world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 181 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 He who is happy within himself, who is relaxed within himself, and who is illumined with knowledge in himself. Such a person attains the Supreme Lord by constantly engaging himself in His service. ||5-24|| [How can a person who is interested in material pleasures, involved in sense gratification, and always hard working enjoy happiness? If one follows accordingly as said above in the verse, then he/she can attain happiness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 182 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 Those whose sins are destroyed, doubts (dualities) cleared, those who love to do good to all creatures, and whose minds are firmly fixed in God, such holy persons attain the Supreme Lord (Brahma Nirvana). ||5-25|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 183 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 [Many people have misunderstood and misinterpreted the meaning of the word ‘Dvaidha’. ‘Dva’ means dualities such as heat/cold, happiness/sorrow, loss/gain, victory/defeat, etc., Therefore ‘Dvaidha’ means one who has control over the dualities of nature. Therefore one must interpret the right meaning of the words according to suitable circumstances. And in any case of doubt, get clarified by sanctioned teachers of knowledge.] Persons who are delivered (freed) from desire and anger, who have won their minds, and who have realized the self, such wise persons attain the Supreme Lord from all sides. ||5-26|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 184 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 185 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 By forsaking the outer objects to outside, fixing the vision of eyes between the eyebrows and equaling the inner and outer breaths moving in the nostrils, doing thus the sage who has controlled the senses, mind, and intellect becomes free from desire, fear, anger, and intent on liberation and is thus certainly ever liberated. ||5-27,28|| [After knowing the Lord, one must try to raise his/her spiritual level by the Ashtanga Yoga process, which is composed of Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. They are described shortly as follows: Yama and Niyama is the strict performance of Vedic principles. Asana is the various sitting postures for maintaining good health. Pratyahara is the process to keep the mind away from sound, touch, form, sweet, and smell. Pranayama is the process of breath control. Dharana is the process of meditating on the forms and opulence of the Lord. Dhyana is the process of constantly thinking about the Lord's form and pastimes, with concentration. Samadhi is the process of totally forgetting the bodily conscious of life and get completely situated in the Lord. This is the Ashtanga Yoga process. But in this age ordinary people cannot follow these processes. Therefore the simplest process is to perform every action always considering them to be a service to Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 186 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-5 One who knows Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all the worlds, and the well wisher (friend) of all living beings, attains the eternal peace. ||5-29|| [All living beings are trying to attain peace. But when the Lord Himself is telling the path to attain eternal peace, why should we be foolish and ignorant to follow other people’s words? We must follow the words of the Lord and thus we shall be liberated from the cycle of life and death. For beyond this cycle lies the eternal peace.] Here ends the fifth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Sannyasa Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 187 Chapter 6 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: A person who performs his duty without aspiring for its result is both a Sannyasi and a Yogi. Not the one who does not light the sacred fire and also does not perform any action. ||6-1|| [Everyone has to perform action but must not aspire for the results. Every action should be performed in the name of the Lord. A person who does not perform action is not a sannyasi or a person who performs Ashtanga yoga without surrendering to the Lord is no yogi, and also there is no use of it. But nowadays majority of the people are of these types.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 188 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 O Pandava! What is called sannyasa know it to be same as yoga, for, no one can become a yogi without forsaking desires of the world (will). ||6-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 189 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Sannyasa, Yoga, or devotion is the same if they are done for pleasing the Lord. The Supreme Lord only is all-independent, whereas a soul cannot have such independence; because when the soul comes to this earth it is bound by illusion. Thus the soul is dependent completely and bound to the material nature, and to its fruits of action. Therefore, one should try to rise above these levels and must be bound only to the service of Lord Sri Krishna. If one does not understand this, then all the gained knowledge and yoga is only a waste. Everything can be fulfilled easily by the grace of the Lord. Thus the selfish mentality is lost and liberation can be attained.] To the meditative soul, which aspires to rise to the stage of equanimity of yoga, the performance of selfless action is the only preferred path. And for one who is established in selfless action, the suppression of all material activities is the only path for perfection. ||6-3|| [To keep one’s relationship with God is called Yoga. This yoga process is only like a ladder to the path of self-realization. It cannot be told that all practitioners of yoga have attained self-realization. In yoga there are Karma yoga, Jnana yoga, Dhyana yoga, Bhakti yoga, and many other ways. An achiever should start from Karma yoga and must ultimately reach Bhakti yoga progressively. The purpose of all these yogas is to gain control of the senses and employing them (senses) in the service of Lord Sri Krishna. But those who are already in the service of the Lord need not practice all such yogas. Such a person is therefore considered to be sannyasi or a yogi.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 190 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 When a person forsakes the interests of the senses and also the attachment for actions, then such a person having renounced all material desires is said to have attained yoga. ||6-4|| [Here the Lord has clearly explained about the control of senses and performance of actions. Actions must be performed, but only for the sake of Lord Sri Krishna. Then such a perform of actions is free from all activities.] A person must elevate himself by his own self; let him not degrade himself. This is because, for the soul, mind itself is its friend and mind itself is its enemy. ||6-5|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 191 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Atma means soul, body, mind etc., this applies according to circumstances. But here it is referred as mind of the soul. If it engages itself in the service of the Lord then it is a friend to the soul but by ignorance, if it degrades itself by forgetting God then it is an enemy to the soul, and will not help to progress on the path of liberation. Therefore, the mind itself is the enemy and friend to the soul. One must not therefore engage the mind in material desires; for these desires put the person in the darkness of ignorance from where the path of liberation becomes invisible.] To him, who has subdued his self by the mind, his own self acts as the friend, but to him, who has not subdued the mind, his own self acts as the enemy. ||6-6|| [Yoga is essential to control the mind in a particular path. Performing yoga without controlling the mind is only a waste of time. One who cannot control the mind is his/her own enemy and spoils his/her own self by separating from the path of liberation. Self-realization is the ultimate goal of yoga.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 192 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 The person who has controlled his mind, and remains calm in dualities such as heat or cold, happiness or sorrow, honour or dishonour has in his knowledge only the all-pervading Supreme Lord. ||6-7|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 193 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Everything contains a portion of the Lord. In particular, He can be seen present in the humans in the form of intelligence. This must be wisely understood and followed. It is only by the will of the Lord that everything is working. When the mind of any person turns towards the Lord, then the Lord attracts that person towards Himself and never leaves that person. The Lord leads that person to the path of liberation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 194 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 When one is self-content with Jnana and Vijnana, and whose condition is absolutely pure, whose senses are well subdued and controlled. Such a person interested only in the Lord sees everything as equal; whether it is sand, stone, or even gold. This is told about a self-realized soul. ||6-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 195 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Jnana is knowledge. Vijnana is a branch of knowledge referred to as ‘science’ nowadays. This reference is not ideal. The modern science is perverted. In essence, Vijnana should be the use of knowledge that makes our lives easier in attaining Self-realization. No doubt, many innovations today are useful in making our lives easier. But, we need to understand that our lives should get easier only to concentrate on the Lord without any problems affecting us. This should be the real thought behind our science. In ancient India, there were many Rshis who were actually scientists on the spiritual platform. They would create innovations and then use them for getting closer to God. When that was not needed (mission accomplished), such innovations would get subdued in their minds. But, today’s innovations, if are not needed have to be thrown away and thereby causing dumping issues. There are more problems than comfort from our modern innovations, such as pollution, crime, diseases, accidents, injuries, and even untimely death. Well, it is up to the intellectuals to decide what to use and how to use in this complex scheme of material things. It is good to be judicious and use only such things that help us get closer to God. We are humans, not animals. We can think and decide. Let us decide for our welfare, rather than destruction. Our ultimate welfare lies not in making our bodies adorable, but in getting away from this material world forever-travel back to Godhead. Coming back to the essence of this verse: when one is constantly engaged in the service of Lord Sri Krishna, for such a person all material objects are of no value and are considered equal but instead that person sees everywhere the forms, names, and pastimes of the Lord. Such a person is suitable for liberation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 196 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 A person who treats a well-wisher, friend, enemy, impartial, mediator, hater, relatives, saints, and even sinners, as indifferent and equal is recognized as fully advanced. ||6-9|| [Persons practicing ordinary yoga (bodily exercises) can never elevate or act as said above. This is because such ordinary people are only entangled in body consciousness. I, Me, Mine, etc., is the cause for all bondages. Therefore, an intelligent person must always offer all actions unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. Only then can one advance quickly on the path of liberation.] A yogi should always concentrate his mind on the Supreme self in a lonely place all by himself. Such a person will have certainly won over his mind, senses, and body and will be free from all desires and possessions ||6-10|| [Here ‘rahasi’ means secretly, solitarily one should constantly engage the mind in the Supreme Lord without showing himself or herself to anybody. He/she should forsake all attachments and must not be attracted by anything. Only then can the bondage of actions be released and the path of liberation becomes simple.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 197 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 In a clean place with kusa grass, a deerskin, and a pure cloth placed one above the other, one should not raise the seat too high nor too low and thus being situated on the seat, concentrating the mind, one must control the thoughts and actions of the senses and must practice yoga for the purification of the self. ||6-11,12|| [Here it is explained about the place and requirements of performing yoga. A clean place means the pilgrimages, where the Lord resides. They are Vrindavan, Mathura, Haridwar, Prayag, Hrishikesh, and others. This understanding is for commoners. However, any place that is clean and also the surroundings are clean can be considered. In such places being alone, prepare a seat of kusa grass on the bottom, deerskin above it and a fine cloth above all. The mind must be controlled from indulging in material activities or thoughts and must be let free in the service of Lord Sri Krishna with a pure heart. This is the procedure for practicing yoga. Not just sitting somewhere and performing exercises only to maintain the body without any concentration towards God. This mentality is unhealthy for those in the path of self-realization.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 198 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 199 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Keeping the body, head, and neck straight and steady with firmness and looking only at the tip of his nose without seeing elsewhere. Situated in the vow of Brahmacharya (free from sex life), being fearless, calm and vigilant in mind and having subdued the mind, one should fix it (mind) on Me thinking of Me as the Supreme Goal in life. ||6-13,14|| [To know Lord Sri Krishna, is the ultimate goal in life. By keeping this goal as the main aim, a yogi must be constantly engaged in the Lord’s thoughts. Lord Sri Krishna, who resides in everyone's heart in the form of Sri Vishnu is the Supreme Lord. The Lord Himself has confirmed this here.] In this way, constantly engaging the mind in the form of the Lord, the yogi of subdued mind, attains the Supreme eternal peace residing in Me. ||6-15|| [Here Nirvana means liberation. The residence of the Supreme Lord is Vaikunta and attaining that abode itself is liberation. Only those people who act accordingly as explained in the verse can attain this.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 200 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 O Arjuna! Yoga is not for him who eats too much nor for him who does not eat at all. And not for him who sleeps very much nor for him who is always awake. ||6-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 201 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Here it is explained for a yogi about his food and sleep. Limited vegetarian food and limited sleep are essential. A performer of yoga must not sleep for more than six hours a day. One must not smoke, intoxicate nor should one have excessive sex. The lazy, drowsy, and ignorant people do not have any right to practice yoga.] Only one who takes limited (suitable) food, limited recreation, performs suitable actions, regulates sleep and wakes up suitably and accordingly, attains yoga-which is the destroyer of all sorrows. ||6-17|| [Here the daily activities of a yogi are described as moderate and suitable. Limiting all our material wants such as sleep, food only to bare necessity one must be situated in Krishna consciousness to perform yoga with a pure mind. This is the quality of a yogi.] When such a perfectly controlled mind gets fully situated in the Lord, then, at that time, free from desires of all sense gratifications, such a person is considered to be well established in yoga. ||6-18|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 202 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Just as a lamp placed in an airless place does not flicker, similarly it is said of the minds of the yogis situated in the meditation of God that they also do not flicker. ||6-19|| [The mind of a yogi constantly meditating on the Lord is here compared to a lamp, which does not flicker in an airless place.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 203 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 When the mind, subdued by the practice of yoga comes to rest, and when the pure intellect realizes the Lord, it becomes satisfied in the Lord itself. And when one enjoys the Supreme eternal bliss that is beyond the perception of senses and obtainable only through the intelligence, a yogi situated in such a condition never deviates from the Supreme self. And having gained such a The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 204 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 condition he does not consider anything as more profitable than this. And a Yogi situated in such a position is never afflicted even by the greatest sorrow. That which is away from the union of painful world is called Yoga and must be clearly known. And such yoga must be decisively practiced by the constant, undisturbed mind. This stage of perfection is called trance (Samaadhi). ||6-20,21,22,23|| [A Yogi is attracted towards the Lord gradually by practice, and slowly that yogi gains disinterestedness in material life. Such a yogi always sees the Lord everywhere and in everything. Therefore that yogi enjoys eternal bliss and does not bother about any sorrow but always keeps himself or herself engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. Examples of such devotees are Prahlad, Dhruva, Ambarisha, Meera, and many others. Such a stage where one sees nothing but only the Lord is called Samaadhi. Sama-adhi means to remain equal and constant in all the dualities. In such a stage, a yogi experiences the enjoyment of staying with the Lord Himself.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 205 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Completely giving up all desires arising from will and thoughts, and fully controlling the senses from all sides by the mind, and practicing gradually, one must attain the stage of trance. And by courage and firmness, the mind must be fixed on God with the help of intelligence and must not think of anything else. ||6-24,25|| [With full determination and courage, one must fix his/her mind with the help of intelligence on the Lord and must gradually attain the stage of trance. While progressing on that path, it is necessary to quit the thoughts of sense enjoyments and material pleasures completely. Our thoughts must only be fixed on enjoying the eternal bliss of the Lord. The human form is meant for God-realization so we must not waste time and should surrender fully unto the Lord.] Although this unsteady and fickle mind tries to go by any reasons into the material pleasures, such reasons must be always stopped and must be repeatedly made to concentrate on God. ||6-26|| [The mind is the most fickle thing in the world. It does not even remain quiet for a second. It naturally roams in the material pleasures. But a yogi tries to divert it now and then to reside in the thoughts of the Lord. It is the duty of a yogi to do so. After certain amount of repeated practice, the mind does not waver any more.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 206 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Because for the one whose mind is very calm, who is free from sins, whose passions are subdued, such a yogi who has his identity with God attains the highest order of eternal bliss. ||6-27|| [The person free from dualities, whose mind is calm, whose intellect is pure and is always engaged in the service of the Lord is suitable for liberation.] A sinless yogi, thus constantly engaging his own self into the Supreme self, experiences joyfully the eternal bliss of attaining the Lord's Absolute peace at all times. ||6-28|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 207 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 A yogi, who is attached perfectly to yoga, sees everyone with an equal vision. He sees the Lord present in everyone and all beings present in the Lord. ||6-29|| [A yogi’s vision is equal in all living beings. Such a yogi sees the Supreme Lord in every living being and everything in the Supreme Lord. Such is the vision, because he/she now has the knowledge that every moving or nonmoving object is a part of the Lord Himself. Thus, knowing the eternal truth he/she sees everything to be the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 208 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 One who sees Me present everywhere, and in everyone, and sees everything existing in Me, for such a person, I am ever visible and that person is also ever visible to Me. ||6-30|| [It means for such a devoted yogi, Lord Sri Krishna is ever with him/her and he/she also is always with the Lord. They both stay together.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 209 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 One, who is established in Me worships Me as present in everyone although acting in various circumstances resides only in Me. ||6-31|| [This is an expression of transcendental experience. Sometimes we are so much engaged in our work that we even do not care for our body, time, and action. In such circumstances, our thoughts would have surpassed the modes of nature. Such a condition always exists in a yogi, but at that time he/she only thinks of the Lord although performing actions and is thus always situated with the Lord.] O Arjuna! The yogi, who by his equanimity of mind treats everything as equal and also treats happiness and sorrow to be the same, is considered to be the most perfect one. ||6-32|| [‘sarve janah sukhino bhavantu’ which means ‘let all people be happy’. This has been told from ancient times. Formerly many yogis were of the same attitude and therefore even commoners who followed them treated everyone The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 210 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 as equal and lived in peace. But now, such yogis are very rare to find but various hypocrite people in form of bogus sannyasis are forming many groups. They are separating the people and introducing newer useless castes or groups. They are creating situations for people to fight among themselves and this is really happening! People are unaware of their deeds. Therefore we must now get aware of ourselves and be situated always in the service and chanting of the Lord. We must not go to such money making institutions managed by so called swamijis and should be always firm in mind to perform actions only for the sake of the Lord. If we do so, then gradually peace shall certainly rest among us.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 211 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 212 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Arjuna said: O Madhusudana! This yoga of equanimity taught by You seems impossible to be perceived by me because the mind being restless and unsteady cannot remain constant for a longer period of time. O Krishna! The mind is restless, unsteady, turbulent, firm, and very strong. Therefore for me to control it, it seems as difficult as controlling the wind. ||6-34|| [Truly the mind is very unsteady and restless and to subdue it will be a difficult task. Somehow the wind can be controlled, but to control the mind and to place it in a particular place seems more complicated. Arjuna is asking a very good question. This is just like a lecturer who tells about a complex mathematical algorithm and asks the students whether they understood it. Naturally without having solved examples, the students would never understand the logic behind the algorithm. Similarly, Arjuna is telling the Lord that this practice of controlling the mind is highly impossible. This is because Arjuna has just received the theoretical aspects of such a practice.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 213 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 O mighty armed! Undoubtedly, the mind is restless and is difficult to control. But, O son of Kunti! By constant practice and detachment it can be controlled. ||6-35|| [Even the Lord Himself has said that the mind is difficult to control. But He also says that by constant practice and detachment it can be controlled. Practicing constantly to set the mind in the service of Lord Sri Krishna and becoming detached from other material objects and activities gives a way to subdue the mind. This is the opinion of Lord Sri Krishna Himself.] A person who cannot control his mind cannot attain yoga. And a person with controlled mind and who is always practicing can naturally attain yoga by such a practice. This is My own opinion. ||6-36|| [There is an English saying ‘Practice makes man perfect’. But, the Lord Himself has told this many years before. By practice, even the impossible things become possible and can be attained.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 214 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Arjuna said: O Krishna! One, although having faith and interest but being unable to practice necessarily, if deviates from yoga and does not attain perfection then what does that person attain to? ||6-37|| [Here Arjuna has asked if a person practicing yoga deviates from it then what is the result? This question is based on reasoning, because even while practicing yoga, one has to involve someway or the other in material activities and in case if he/she cannot control the mind then his/her material state will be very bad and in the spiritual life too, such a practitioner will be losing. Thus, Arjuna has asked this question out of curiosity.] O mighty armed Krishna! Deviated in the path of attaining God, without any support, would not such a person perish like a broken cloud, deprived from both sides of God-realization and material enjoyment? ||6-38|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 215 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 O Krishna! You are the only able person to clear this doubt of mine completely, because there is nobody other than You, who can clear this doubt that has arisen in me. ||6-39|| [It is clear that until now, Arjuna had completely understood that Lord Sri Krishna is the only able person to clear all his doubts. Because He is the Lord of past, present, and future and can explain them clearly. Therefore, here Arjuna thinks that the Lord's opinion shall be considered and accepted by all. This is the right approach for a disciple to seek clarity from a sanctioned guru or teacher. There should be humbleness, and a firm belief in the guru. One should seek answers in a submissive way. Arjuna has displayed the perfect qualities that are required to be present in any seeker of knowledge.] The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O Partha! Such a person does not meet with destruction neither in this world nor in the other worlds because anyone performing pious activities never meets with destruction. ||6-40|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 216 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 But a person who falls from yoga, thus being an unsuccessful yogi, attains the celestial worlds meant for virtuous people and after enjoying for many years there, he is born again in this world in the houses of either righteous people or aristocratic people. ||6-41|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 217 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [If one performs pious deeds destruction never comes to such persons. Then, what to talk of persons engaged in the service of Lord Sri Krishna. They are constantly performing service to the Lord and thus never fall from their elevated spiritual height. A yogi who is not perfect in the service of Lord Sri Krishna is a gainer in all ways. Because after his/her death, he/she attains virtuous heavens, and after enjoying there, he/she once again takes birth in pious families or rich families. Due to this, he/she is able to continue the aborted yogic process of spiritual realization without any drawbacks or difficulties.] Or he is born in a family of enlightened, transcendental and spiritually advanced yogis. But this kind of birth is undoubtedly very difficult to attain in this world. ||6-42|| [Sometimes, if the yogi, unsuccessful in attaining liberation has developed dispassion, then without going to heavenly planets for enjoyment, takes birth very quickly in the family of spiritually advanced people. But this type of birth is very uncertain to obtain. This is the opinion of Lord Sri Krishna. The yogi whose mind always wants the Lord but is not capable of achieving it in this birth takes birth in such families. The yogis, who are always engaged in action and fix their minds not very often on the Lord thus becoming unsuccessful, attain heavenly planets and return back after enjoying there. Therefore an unsuccessful yogi can never be a loser but is always a gainer, but that yogi must utilize this gain only for the service of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 218 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 O Son of Kuru! Such an unsuccessful yogi after attaining this birth regains all the former knowledge of his previous life and by the influence of which he tries to make further progress in order to attain perfection. ||6-43|| [Just as one fails in the exam, again tries to sit for the next exam and pass the exam, similarly, an unsuccessful yogi also tries to attain perfection in the next birth with the help of his/her former knowledge. This procedure is of great secret, and cannot be known by ordinary people. But there are many such instances in the lives of great spiritual devotees.] The person who takes birth in an aristocratic family although involved in sense objects undoubtedly gets attracted towards the Lord by his former practice. Because, the seeker of yoga of equanimity also rejects the fruit of actions performed with some motive as told in the Vedas. ||6-44|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 219 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [The yogi engaged in the service of the Lord for self-realization and liberation is not bound to the principles of scriptures. This is because the scriptures (Vedas) are only the starting lessons on the path of selfrealization. Therefore, an unsuccessful yogi need not practice the Vedas again and again. For this, many examples of great personalities can be quoted such as Veda Vyasa, Madhvacharya, Buddha, Mahavira, Shankaracharya, Meerabai and many others.] The yogi who is enhanced in spirituality from many births and who practices with great effort, gets cleaned from all sins and attains the Supreme abode of the Lord by the influence of his own endeavors. ||6-45|| [By taking birth in aristocratic or rich families, one must try to recover the past knowledge and must become steady on the path of self-realization. By performing in this way for some births that person shall attain perfection and also liberation. Therefore, those born in aristocratic families must not heed towards materialistic living but must think it to be a golden opportunity for them to become steadfast in Krishna consciousness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 220 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 A yogi is superior to ascetics, superior even to men of knowledge, and he is also superior to ritualistic performers. Therefore O Arjuna! Be a yogi. ||6-46|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 221 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Here, the superiority of a yogi is described. A yogi is greater than a materialistically inclined worker who builds temples, schools, hospitals, etc., The yogi is greater than a person having knowledge of scriptures, and the yogi is also greater than a person who desires to attain powers and enjoyments by performing austerities. Thus, a yogi is superior to all these people as the aim of a yogi is only to attain God-realization and for this he/she always remains in the Lord's thoughts and spends life only according to his/her karma. Such a yogi is therefore superior to everyone.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 222 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 Even of all yogis, the devoted yogi who always worships Me with his mind fixed constantly on Me is considered by Me as the greatest and perfect yogi. |6-47|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 223 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-6 [Here all yogis means, Karma yogi, Jnana yogi, Dhyana yogi, Hatha yogi, and other yogis who practice. Although such yogis perform yoga for the pleasure of the Lord, they are not completely involved in the devotional thinking of the Lord. Because they are struck with the ignorance of ‘I, My, Mine’ etc., But the yogi who is free of dualities according to the past devotional practice and constantly thinks of the Lord is freed from ignorance and lives forsaking all. Whatever that yogi does is performed fully surrendering unto the Lord and everything is offered to Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore in the Lord’s opinion, such a yogi is considered to be the greatest among all others. Everyone must therefore make their lives sublime by surrendering unto Lord Sri Krishna. This is the greatest yoga.] Here ends the sixth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Aatmasamyama Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 224 Chapter 7 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O Partha! Now, listen from Me how you would know Me completely with your mind fixed to Me, taking shelter in Me, and by practicing yoga. ||7-1|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna is firmly and decisively telling us that He alone is God. Therefore we must employ ourselves in the worship of Lord Sri Krishna with full devotion. But some ignorant scholars do not believe this and call Him as a cowherd, sexual person, super human, coward, etc., For such people it is confirmed in the ‘Brahma sutras’. In its first sutra, Lord Sri Krishna is described as the cause for all causes, and also free from all bondages. Sage Parashara also confirms Lord Sri Krishna as God. He tells us that there is only one Supreme Lord and He must have the following six qualities: 1) All beautiful 2) All strength, 3) All knowledge, 4) All wealth, 5) All fame, and 6) All renunciation. All these six qualities are complete and ever present only in Lord Sri Krishna. Nobody other than Him has all these in full. We must not depend on any demigods, for we have Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Therefore, we must surrender fully unto Him with devotion and faith.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 225 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 I shall now tell you this secret knowledge in full by knowing that, nothing more remains to be known in this world. ||7-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 226 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Among thousands of men, any one person strives to attain this knowledge of perfection. And even among many such strivers, only one person knows Me through real knowledge. ||7-3|| [Everyone speaks of having faith in God. But of such faith, there are three types, such as goodness, passion, and ignorance. Among these three, whatever type of faith a person has, they attain such a form. Sometimes there may be difference in it due to the past life's karma. Thus, one's faith cannot be determined by simply seeing the outlook.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 227 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego-even these eight types of divisions constitute of My nature. ||7-4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 228 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Here the subject relating to knowledge of the senses has begun. The abovementioned eight energies are only a temporary phase of the Lord. Among these eight energies, the first five: earth, water, fire, air, and ether comprise of basic creation of which five sense interests such as sound, touch, form, taste, and smell are involved. Totally all these ten comprise of material science. The other three: mind, intelligence, and ego are subtle creations. Material scientists leave these three and consider the other five. Thus they are not able to attain perfection in their knowledge. Totally all these ten comprise of the basis for material creation. Therefore this universe forms only a temporary and external manifestation of Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 229 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O mighty armed! This nature is very insignificant and inferior, but the other one from this, is superior and know it to be My internal energy by which the whole universe is being sustained. ||7-5|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 230 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [The external energy of the Lord is the insignificant nature. This external energy is controlled by the Lord’s internal energy. But still the Supreme Lord is free from all natures. As the material world is under the external energy, here we find the Lord's subtle creation such as mind, intelligence, and ego in man. Those who have clearly understood His gross (earth, water, air, fire, and ether) and subtle (mind, intelligence and ego) creations completely are not bound to them and this itself is the absolute truth and secret.] Know that all beings have evolved from these two natures (superior and inferior) and I am the origin of the entire creation and also the destroyer of it. ||7-6|| [The cause for all causes, ever independent, filled with all forms, complete with all opulences. etc., form the qualities of Lord Sri Krishna who here tells that He is the only creator. Therefore He only is capable of saying “Aham Brahmasmi” and no other person can say so.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 231 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O Dhananjaya! There is nothing else without Me. All the worlds are bound to Me like pearls bound to a thread. ||7-7|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna has clearly mentioned Himself as God. Though all the worlds are bound to Him, He is not bound to them. There is no one superior to Him and everything has emerged from Him. He expresses Himself as the absolute truth.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 232 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O son of Kunti! I am the taste in water. I am the light in the Sun and moon. I am the sacred Om in all the Vedas. I am the sound in ether, and I am the ability in man. ||7-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 233 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 I am the sacred smell in earth, I am the heat in fire, I am life in all beings, and I am the austerity in ascetics. ||7-9|| [In the world, every thing has a typical smell of its own. The form of such smell is the Lord Himself. He is the sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. If He is not present, then there will be no smell. In this way the Lord is present everywhere.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 234 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O Partha! Know Me to be the eternal seed (cause) of all beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent, and the splendor of the splendid. ||7-10|| [Lord Sri Krishna here confirms Himself as the original seed or cause of all beings. He has created everything. Such beings created by Him are in the form of 84,00,000 species.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 235 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O Best of Bharatas! I am the strength or capability of the strong, free from desire and passion. And I am sex or desire in all beings with accordance to the scriptures. ||7-11|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 236 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Performing sex in the household life for pleasure of the Lord is in accordance to Dharma and that life is the Lord Himself. Therefore, a righteous person does not have sex for mere sense enjoyment but only by the will of the Lord to produce righteous children. Otherwise useless and unwanted children will be born and shall be the cause of damage to the world. This is exactly happening today and the world is populated and polluted by such unwanted children. They will be corrupt, ignorant, nonintelligent, untruthful, pain givers and very cunning and cheating. Thus there will be always sorrow and pain in the world, whereas good children are only the gift of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 237 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 And also, know that anything made of goodness, passion, and ignorance have all been evolved from Me but in reality I am not in them nor are they in Me. ||7-12|| [Though the Lord has created the three modes of nature, He remains away and above all of them. Therefore He is called as Gunatita (above the modes) and Nirguna (unattached to the modes).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 238 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 The whole world is being illusioned by the three modes of nature and thus does not know Me, for I am above these modes and also imperishable and eternal. ||7-13|| [This whole material world is being illusioned by the three modes of nature. Every being is subjected to the clutches of this material nature and is absorbed through body, mind, and intellect in it. Therefore such persons have forgotten God due to ignorance of darkness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 239 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Because, this magnificent illusion of Mine consisting of the three modes is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered fully unto Me will easily cross through it. ||7-14|| [To overcome the illusion (Maya) of the Lord, one has to completely surrender and must have full faith in the Lord. Otherwise there is no other way out.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 240 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Those whose knowledge is invaded by illusion, those of demonic nature, the lowest of men, and the foolish people performing evil acts do not surrender unto Me. ||7-15|| [Lord Sri Krishna has confirmed Himself as the absolute truth and the cause of all causes. Then why do all people forsake His verdict? Why don't they surrender unto Him? The reason being that they are illusioned by Maya and thus are not ready to accept Him as the Supreme Lord. Those who do not believe in Lord Sri Krishna and perform all other nonsense are called Naradhama (the lowest of men). He may be a politician, worker, scholar, scientist and what not, but when he does not accept the Lord then he is a degraded person. Now the position of our country and people is the same. Some miscreants have taken up the maintenance of the country who do not know anything about it but are spoiling everything. Gradually God, laws, religion, peace are all vanishing from the society. Such Naradhamas are not only spoiling themselves but are also spoiling others.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 241 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 242 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O best of Bharatas, Arjuna! Four types of virtuous men worship Me. They are: the seeker of wealth, the distressed, the seeker of knowledge and the man of wisdom. Even among them best is the man of wisdom who is always situated in My thoughts and has immense love and devotion towards Me. In this way, I am extremely dear to him and he is extremely dear to Me. ||7-16,17|| [The above-mentioned four types of people believe in God and worship Him. But they are not pure devotees, because they worship the Lord only to fulfill their desires and ambitions. The pure devotees do not expect anything from the Lord, nor do they aspire for anything. They simply worship the Lord and fully surrender onto Him. This is the difference. The Lord Himself is the foundation for a person of wisdom. Such a person worships the Lord only for the Lord's pleasure. Such a person is away from selfish thoughts. A distressed person worships the Lord only to remove his/her sorrows. A seeker of wealth worships the Lord only to gain wealth. A seeker of knowledge worships the Lord to attain knowledge. In this way everyone worships the Lord only to fulfill his or her desires. But a person of wisdom worships the Lord only to please Him and whatever he/she performs is selfless action, surrendering to the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 243 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 All others are of noble character but the man of wisdom is of My own self. This is My opinion because such a man has a constant mind and is thus situated completely in Me alone, thinking of Me as the Supreme goal. ||7-18|| [Lord Sri Krishna has told very clearly and decisively about Himself, but still many foolish scholars show their own speculations and due to ignorance of thought cannot follow the Gita completely and write or tell whatever nonsense they have in mind. Thus forming many doubts. They only try to show their scholarly attitude and not the real truth. Though such people seem to be highly learned and materially developed are in fact, the greatest fools in the world. Such population is very large in this world. Therefore we must only believe in the divine words of Lord Sri Krishna so that we make our lives sublime.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 244 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 After taking so many births (in various species of life), the man of wisdom takes shelter in Me, realizing that ‘everything is Vaasudeva (Krishna)’. Such a great soul is very rare indeed. ||7-19|| [It is indeed very difficult to attain the knowledge of realizing everything as Lord Sri Krishna. But by practicing in the service of Lord Sri Krishna with faith and devotion from several births, such knowledge is sure to be attained. The person having such knowledge is very rare to be found.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 245 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Those filled with desires and having lost their intelligence go in shelter of demigods and worship them through vows and austerities depending on their own nature of faith. ||7-20|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 246 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Though everything is Lord Sri Krishna, many people worship the demigods according to their nature of worship such as vows, rules, sacrifices, etc., in order to attain material enjoyment. Such devotees having desires are not firmly fixed in Lord Sri Krishna. Whoever he/she may be he/she must worship or surrender only unto Lord Sri Krishna.] Whichever demigod a devotees wants to worship with faith, to such and such devotees I make the faith of him to be steady in that particular deity alone. ||7-21|| [From the above verse, we understand that faith is very important. If any person not directly worshipping Lord Sri Krishna worships any other demigod then the Lord gives that person immense faith to continue worshipping the preferred deity. Thus the Lord is worshipped indirectly through the demigods. This is like a round about process. But here faith is of utmost importance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 247 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Such a person filled with that faith worships a particular demigod and certainly attains his desired enjoyment from that demigod which is provided by Me. ||7-22|| [The demigods are only the messengers of the Supreme Lord. Without His order even the demigods cannot provide anything to their devotees, because everything belongs to the Lord. But a true devotee directly worships the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna. The Lord thus pleased bestows everything to such a devotee.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 248 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 But the enjoyments or results of such less intelligent are temporary; those worshipping demigods attain the demigods only while My devotees attain only Me and none else. ||7-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 249 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Though the demigods can fulfill the desires of a person, such desires are perishable in nature. But those worshipping Lord Sri Krishna attain the supreme, eternal, permanent, and imperishable Abode of Him called as Goloka Vrindavan, and never return to this material world. Even all the upper planets or worlds are perishable in nature at the time of total annihilation (Pralaya). Therefore, without aspiring for perishable results, one must surrender fully unto the Supreme Lord to attain His own Abode. This process is very simple and thus one must not waste time in his human form for it is provided only to return back to the spiritual abode.] The less intelligent people do not understand My higher nature, which is imperishable and eternal. They consider Me, who am unmanifested as having being manifested. ||7-24|| [What to talk of modern impersonalists, even in the time of Lord Sri Krishna demonic persons like Duryodhana and others had not known Him. They thought Him to be a cowherd, prince, or strong person, clever, etc., but for them in the Gita itself (9:11) it is confirmed about the Lord and the mentality of ignorant people about Him. Even then, many scholars try to understand Him but it is not possible as they are in modes of passion and ignorance. Also in the Srimad Bhagavatam (10:14:29), Gopalatapani Upanishad (1:35) and Brahma Samhita, the supremacy of Lord Sri Krishna as God is clearly established. Though a person is materially advanced if he does not believe in Lord Sri Krishna then he is the greatest fool. Even Sri Shankaracharya, the master of impersonalists has rightly sung ‘Bhaja Govindam’, his succession of disciples are not following his words. Therefore, one must not fall refuge to unrighteous people. To know the real knowledge, one needs to study with faith, the scriptures like Gita and Bhagavatam in order to make their lives sublime.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 250 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Covered by My internal potency (Yoga Maya) I am not manifest to all. That is why these ignorant people do not recognize Me as the Unborn and imperishable Supreme Lord. ||7-25|| [When Lord Sri Krishna Himself had come to this world, only a few people knew Him as the Supreme Lord, such as Bhishma, Vidura, Uddhava, Pandavas, and many other saints and sages. But Duryodhana and others did not realize Him due to their minds covered by ignorance. Their intellect was subjected to the modes of nature and was thus lost. Even today we see many persons resembling Duryodhana.] O Arjuna! I know every being in the past, present, and the future, but nobody knows Me. ||7-26|| [If Lord Sri Krishna was to be a commoner, then how could He know about the past, present and future? When we do not exactly remember what incidents happened today then, how could we hope to remember completely of the past, present and future? Formerly, in the Gita Lord Sri Krishna has told that He has explained Gita to the Sun God. Though the Lord has told many times of His supremacy, many hopeless, foolish, and mischievous people do not understand and even if they do, they try to hide the truth. Thus we must hear only to Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 251 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 O Arjuna! In this world, illusioned by the dualities born of desire and hatred ness, all living entities are attaining self-deception (ignorance). ||7-27|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 252 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Duality is the nature of Maya (Illusion). Born of such illusion, the entities cannot easily understand Lord Sri Krishna, because He is beyond the modes of nature; eternal, unborn, and filled with all qualities and is thus the cause for all causes. Thus the living beings subjected to illusion fail to or refuse to consider Lord Sri Krishna as God. Therefore they are called foolish and degraded people.] But those who perform pious activities and those persons whose sins are all destroyed, such persons freed from the illusion of dualities, and having firmly established in mind, worship Me by all means. ||7-28|| [Here the condition of a person worshipping Lord Sri Krishna is explained. Those who are freed from all sins, away from all dualities, and those performing pious activities involve themselves in the service of the Lord. While others degrade due to illusion and suffer due to ignorance.] Those who come in shelter of Me and try to get liberated from old age and death such persons know Brahman (infinite), complete spiritual knowledge, and entire field of action. ||7-29|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 253 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Here Lord Sri Krishna has explained about the entities that surrender unto Him. Here Brahman refers to the Lord Himself, Adhyatma means the knowledge of self-realization, and the field of actions means that they have the knowledge of how Lord created everything and also how He is maintaining everything. Knowing thus, those who surrender to Lord Sri Krishna are filled with knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 254 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the master of material manifestation, as the master or base of all the celestials (demigods even Brahma), and as the maintainer of all sacrifices; such intelligent minded persons even know Me or realize Me at the time of death. ||7-30|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 255 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-7 [Here Adhibhuta, Adhidaiva and Adhiyajna refer to the base of all material, celestial and sacrificial manifestations respectively. Those who worship only the Lord realizing Him in all these states are always thinking of the Lord. And as a result of which they get His thoughts even at the time of death, and thus will be liberated from the material world. Such an intelligent person engages the mind, senses, and actions only in the service of the Lord. In this way, that person is undoubtedly liberated due to the sincere faith, devotion and dedication towards Lord Sri Krishna.] Here ends the seventh chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled JnanaVijnana Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 256 Chapter 8 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 257 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 O Purushottama! What is that Brahma? What is Adhyatma? What is Karma? What is Adhibhuta, and what is called as Adhidaiva? O Madhusudana! Who is Adhiyajna here and how does it reside in this body, and how are You to be realized at the time of death by persons with able mind? ||8-1,2|| [Here Arjuna is very inquisitive to know about all that Lord Sri Krishna told. He wants to know how the Lord is situated in the body, and how to remember Him at the time of death because at the time of death, the life air moves out of the body with enormous speed. At that moment the person loses control over the mind and body and to forget about the Lord is very common. Some people do not even know that they are going to die. In such a condition how can a person remember Lord Sri Krishna? Also Arjuna asks for the process of remembering Him at the time of death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 258 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: The Supreme, eternal, and imperishable entity is Brahma. His eternal nature is called Adhyatma, and the immediate cause of living entities having come into existence is called Karma. ||8-3|| [Brahma means soul, self, Vedas, etc., Para Brahman means beyond and different from Brahma, which means the Lord Himself. To know the real difference between these two itself is the true knowledge. Those who perform sacrifices and please the demigods attain heaven and after enjoying there for a limited period they come once again to this earth along with rain. There it enters the crops (seed) and then reaches the semen of living entities from where it enters the female body and thus gains birth. This birth depends on their nature of action and attains any form suitable to their Karma in the 84,00,000 species of life. Such Karma is performed for the soul to come into existence.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 259 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 O best of the embodied! All perishable objects are Adhibhuta, Brahma is Adhidaiva, and I residing here in this body am Adhiyajna. ||8-4|| [Adhibhuta, Adhidaiva and Adhiyajna have all emanated from the Lord Himself. Here Lord Sri Krishna is Adhiyajna, present in every living entity in the form of Vishnu. He is present in the material nature, cosmic form, and in every body. Thus by worshiping such Lord Sri Krishna, the living entity can gain perfection and salvation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 260 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The person who at the time of death leaves his body in My thoughts shall definitely attain My own form. In this matter there is no doubt at all. ||8-5|| [Generally at the time of death nobody remembers the Lord. But the person, who had always been in the service of Lord Sri Krishna throughout life, shall easily remember the Lord at the time of death. This is achieved only by constant practice and devotion. Therefore everyone must try to remember Lord Sri Krishna everyday and everywhere. This has to be practiced, in order to get liberated from this material world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 261 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 O son of Kunti! While leaving the body whatever a person thinks about at the time of death, shall be certainly attained by that person. But that person must always be constantly absorbed in the thought of it. ||8-6|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 262 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 [Whatever we think of at the time of death, we attain the same thing in our next birth. For this, the example of Emperor Bharata is suitable. He renounced everything and went to perform penance in the forest. But there he got attached to a deer and always began thinking of it and consequently died in thought of it. In his next birth he was born as a deer, but later he understood. Likewise king Khatvanga had only some time left for his death, he renounced everything and within that short span he was able to attain liberation. But we cannot know when we are going to die. Therefore we must start practicing constantly engaging ourselves in the service of the Lord so that we surely get His remembrance at the time of death.] Therefore always think of Me at all times and also fight. In this way, having surrendered your mind and intellect unto Me, you shall certainly attain Me without doubt. ||8-7|| [At regular intervals, Lord Sri Krishna is decisively informing Arjuna about His supremacy and tells Arjuna what to perform in order to attain Him. He has told him to be in constant thought of the Lord (Himself). By doing so, at the time of death he shall be easily filled with His thoughts and shall certainly attain liberation. This also refers to all other living beings and other humans. By chanting the holy names of Lord Sri Krishna one can surely attain His abode and His form.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 263 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 O Partha! The person, whose mind is held constant in the form of practice of yoga and always remains in the thought of the Lord, attains only the eternal divine Supreme Lord. ||8-8|| [By chanting or remembering the names of the Lord, the mind and intellect of a person gets purified. In this state, such a person meditates on the Supreme Lord even at the time of death and thus attains the divine abode of the Lord and also His divine form. This is decisively confirmed here.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 264 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 265 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 Who, at the time of death is steady in mind, and filled with devotion stations his life air between the eyebrows through yoga and remembers the Supreme Lord as being eternal, one who knows everything, the controller of everything, smaller than the smallest, the maintainer of everything, having unimaginable form, ever shining like the sun and beyond all darkness of ignorance. Contemplating thus with full devotion, he certainly attains only the Supreme divine Lord. ||8-9,10|| [Here the process of meditation is only meant for persons practicing yoga in the service of Lord Sri Krishna. Such persons must fix the life air between the eyebrows in a place called ‘Agnacaksha’ and must constantly meditate only upon the Supreme Lord. Those who are not engaged in yoga cannot remember the Lord so easily at the time of death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 266 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 I shall now briefly explain to you about that salvation which is called as imperishable by the Vedic scholars. Into which, enter the unattached and ever practicing Sannyasis (persons of the renounced order) and those aspiring to attain it perform celibacy (Brahmacharya). ||8-11|| [The Ashrama principle is laid down by the Vedas. In this, Brahmacharya has been given utmost importance by our saints and sages. In the Gurukula system, this Brahmacharya used to start from the age of 5 or 6 and end up with the 25th age, in which yoga, knowledge, science, arts, and many other essential concepts were taught by keeping the mind and senses in control. After completing his studies he would become perfect in his knowledge and thus being situated in the Lord, he would bear children only for the good. This practice is very essential for the student's advancement in spiritual life. But nowadays there is no scope for such practice because education has become commercial and from the very beginning of one’s studies boys and girls are made to study together. This disturbs and weakens and eventually ruins the mental state. The so-called Yoga classes being conducted are only a place for body exercises and not for self-realization. Therefore, in this age (Kali Yuga), the only remedy left is chanting and preaching the holy names of the Lord, and the scriptures restrict all other means. Always one must remember and chant the holy names of Lord Sri Krishna. This is the only remedy for all sorrows and can be followed easily by everyone.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 267 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 268 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 If a person having controlled the senses from all sides, fixing the mind in the heart and situated in yoga, utters the one syllable Om and thus leaves his body thinking of Me shall attain the Supreme abode (salvation) without fail. ||8-12,13 || [The syllable Om comprised of A, U, mA is the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself. It represents the imperishable Lord Sri Krishna who is free from the modes of nature. One must always chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and by chanting thus if one leaves the body he/she shall attain the abode of Lord Sri Krishna Himself. This is clearly mentioned. Have no doubt in the Divine words of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore everyone irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, sex, age, land, time, or any other differences must chant His name to make our lives sublime.] O Partha! One who always constantly keeps his mind in Me and always remembers Me without fail, for such a Yogi always situated in Me, I am easily available to him. ||8-14|| [The Lord has given a very easy way for us. To constantly remember the Lord is the real practice of yoga and those who perform this are surely pleased by the Lord and He is easily available to them.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 269 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The great souls having attained Me do not get rebirth, which is temporary and the abode of sorrow because they have obtained the highest perfection. ||8-15|| [The ultimate and absolute truth is Lord Sri Krishna only. And those who worship constantly with devotion to the Lord shall surely attain His eternal, spiritual abode, and will never take birth in this temporary and distressed material world. Who other than the Lord Himself can provide such a guarantee, which is ever permanent?] O Arjuna! All the worlds even the abode of Brahma and below it are all temporary (subjected to creation and destruction). But, O son of Kunti, on attaining Me there will be no rebirth (return). ||8-16|| [From the lowest planet to the highest planet in this material universe, all are subjected to annihilation according to time. They are created and submerged many times, and those who go there have to return. But the abode of Lord Sri Krishna is not so, because it is spiritual and permanent just like Lord Sri Krishna. And the great soul who comes to the Lord’s abode never returns to take rebirth. He is freed from all material universes and rests in peace only with the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 270 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The day of Brahma is a span of one thousand yugas (ages) and the night also lasts for another thousand yugas (ages). The yogis, who know this reality, know the philosophy of time (day and night). ||8-17|| [Even the creation of the material universe is subjected to a definite span of time. As the living beings have their own life span, similarly the creation also has its own life span. Those who know such philosophy of time do not take rebirth in this world again; such is the science which has been told by our ancient sages who discovered it by their power of thousands of years of penance, and what ever they mention is exact and perfect. To preserve such knowledge is our first and fore most duty. One Yuga is one of the four yugas (Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga). Here the reference of one thousand yugas means these four yugas rotating a thousand times make up for a day of Brahma, and similarly the four yugas rotating a thousand times comprise of Brahma’s night. Now these two combined together form one complete day of Brahma. Let us see the calculations for such a day in Brahma’s life. Satya Yuga lasts for 17,28,000 years, Treta Yuga lasts for 12,96,000 years, Dwapara Yuga lasts for 8,64,000 years, and Kali Yuga lasts for 4,32,000 years. Totaling these, we get 43,20,000 human years. This multiplied by 1,000 is the span of Brahma’s day, and the same again is the span of Brahma’s night. Totaling these two, 8,64,00,00,000 human years is equivalent to a complete day of Brahma. And even such a Brahma is not free from the cycle of birth and death, then what to talk of others? That is why it is said: One who knows this reality is the knower of time and its effects.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 271 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 All living entities come into being from Brahma when his day is manifest and at the arrival of Brahma’s night they are all annihilated in him. ||8-18|| [Whatever is visible to our eyes remain in the supreme Maha Vishnu till many innumerable years. Again when Brahma is born, with him all the forms of life are born. In this way creation goes on. Those who worship and chant the names of Lord Sri Krishna do not come under such creation. Instead they remain ever blissful in the spiritual Abode of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 272 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 O Partha! This group of beings, subjected to the control of nature takes birth again and again. This gets annihilated at the beginning of Brahma’s night and again gets created at the commencement of his day. ||8-19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 273 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 [From this verse we can realize the dependability of all creation. The souls take birth in the world according to their past activities (karma) and experience the respective results by taking birth and death in the bodies thus attained. In order to get freed from this cycle of birth and death we must chant the holy names of Lord Sri Krishna. Lord Sri Krishna from time to time in the Gita has repeatedly told this.] But even beyond this manifested (Brahma), there is a nature which is different, eternal, transcendental, and unmanifested which does not get destroyed even though all beings are destroyed. ||8-20|| [There is an unmanifested nature that is entirely different from the material world. Being eternal and transcendental it is called as spiritual universe or Sri Krishna Loka. This is ever permanent and always blissful with true existence. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna is also permanent and eternally existing.] That which is unmanifested and imperishable is said to be the Supreme goal; and by attaining which nobody returns. That is My Supreme Abode. ||8-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 274 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 [Here Lord Sri Krishna has clearly spoken about His Supreme Abode. This subject is not found in any other literatures of the world, because the other literature works such as Quran, Bible, Buddhist, Jain, etc., have not come in disciplinal succession (in the order of disciples). Here the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself has spoken this truth. The Supreme Abode of Lord Sri Krishna is the most sanctified place than any other spiritual abode. It is called as Goloka Vrindavan. Those who go there never return back. Therefore we must believe in the words of the Lord. His Abode is not visible to any materialistic person. The Katopanishad (1:3:11) tells us about Lord Sri Krishna’s Abode.] And O Partha! In whom all beings reside and by whom this entire world is pervaded (filled), such eternal Supreme Lord is attainable only by uninterrupted exclusive devotion. ||8-22|| [The Abode of Lord Sri Krishna is full of eternal bliss, to be the master of such Abode, the Lord also is blissful and such Supreme Lord is attainable only by constant uninterrupted devotion and by no other means or ways.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 275 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 And O best of Bharatas! I shall now tell you the time when the yogis who, after leaving their body never return and also the time when they leave to return back. ||8-23|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna wants to explain the types of yogis who take birth here again and also about those yogis who never return here, to the material world.] Those who know the Supreme Brahman pass away from the world through the God of fire, God of light, God of daytime, God of the bright fortnight, and God of six months in which Sun travels in the north; and travelling thus, they attain the Supreme Lord (Brahman). ||8-24|| [Here the presiding deities of light, fire, daytime, bright fortnight, and six months of Sun travelling northwards make suitable arrangements to the soul which knows the Supreme Lord, to pass from the material world, and never return back. But the condition being that, he/she must be a devotee of the Lord because none other than the devotee can know the Supreme Lord. Therefore we must not think that anybody who dies in such situations or conditions of time shall be liberated. It is only mentioned here for the devotees of the Lord. But, be it any condition, either auspicious or inauspicious, a pure devotee of the Lord never returns back.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 276 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The yogis devoted to motivated actions pass away from the world through the God of smoke, God of night, God of dark fortnight, and God of six months in which the Sun travels in the south; and travelling thus, they attain the shining moon planet and again come back. ||8-25|| [Formerly in the Gita it is explained of the yogis who perform fruitful actions attain the moon planet at death and live there enjoying until their fruits of actions are finished. Then they return back to this world to take birth again according to their previous Karma (action).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 277 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 These two paths of the world being the bright and the dark are considered to be eternal (very ancient) paths. In them, when one passes in bright, never returns back, while one passing in the dark has to return back. ||8-26|| [Here again, the condition is that any person who is not a devotee of Lord Sri Krishna and who does not surrender unto Him can never attain salvation. Even though that person dies in the bright or dark, it makes no difference. That person has to be the Lord’s devotee to attain ultimate salvation.] O Partha! The yogis (devotees) who know these two paths are never bewildered. Therefore O Arjuna! Be always established in yoga (devotion) of equanimity. ||8-27|| [Here it means that one must not feel afraid or bewildered about the various ways at the time of leaving the body. The only thing essential is to be always situated in the service of Lord Sri Krishna with full devotion. This is the real yoga, and one must fix the mind only in the Supreme Lord and no where else.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 278 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 279 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-8 The yogi who knows this secret of philosophy undoubtedly ignores the results of virtue gained by studying the Vedas, performing sacrifices, austerities, giving alms, or charities etc., and certainly attains the Supreme, eternal Abode. ||8-28|| [Observances, performance of action, and other deeds must be done as a service to Lord Sri Krishna. Such a yogi who acts thus is sure to attain the Supreme Abode of the Lord. This is the real truth and must be faithfully understood and performed by the mind, intellect and senses only for the pleasure of the Lord. This is the greatest service to the Lord.] Here ends the eighth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled AksharaBrahma Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 280 Chapter 9 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: As you are never envious, I shall now tell you the most secret knowledge with confidence and realization, knowing which you will be freed from all sorrowful evils. ||9-1|| [Here ‘never envious’ means one who is never envious towards Lord Sri Krishna. Many people are filled with envy towards Lord Sri Krishna. Of them scholars, commentators, and many other knowledgeable have written of Gita wrongly according to their own speculative and materialistic ideas. Such so called scholars do not believe in Lord Sri Krishna and being envious of Him preach wrongly about Him and lead others on the wrong path. Such persons can never understand the confidential knowledge as told by the Lord Himself because to know it they must be devotees of the Lord and must have full faith in the Lord. Otherwise they are miscreants in the society.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 281 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 This is the king of all knowledge and the king of all secrets. It is the Supreme holy, most excellent, easily understandable, filled with virtue, very easy to practice joyfully, and is imperishable. ||9-2|| [This chapter has all the essence of the previous chapters. This is like a king having the highest state in knowledge. By performing this, one can attain all knowledge. Many people are illusioned by material nature and other forms of knowledge but are not heeding towards this knowledge. It can be learnt without any cost. For example Narada Muni in his previous birth was the son of a servant woman, but due to his association with wise men and devotees and by hearing to the names of the Lord, he also had engaged himself in the service of the Lord. He used to eat their remnants of food and was serving them with due respect and thus he was directly realized by the Lord and in his present birth, he attained liberation due to the association of the Lord. Then he was awarded the post of the Lord's associate. This is explained in the Bhagavatam. Therefore devotion is necessary to practice this knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 282 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 O slayer of enemies, showing disinterest in this philosophy of knowledge, the person having not attained Me keeps revolving in this path of mortal world and suffers in the cycle of birth and death. ||9-3|| [Lord Sri Krishna has instructed the whole world through Arjuna to worship Him, remember Him, attain Him, etc., but still persons enveloped in ignorance talk about the non-existence of God. Such persons are very common and appear in the form of leaders, politicians, rich persons, impersonal sannyasis, and scientists.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 283 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 My unmanifested form has pervaded (filled) all these universes. All beings are in Me, but I am not present in them (personally). ||9-4|| [The Lord pervades the universe. All beings are in Him in the subtle form, He is inconceivable to the material senses and is thus invisible to us. Here ‘I am not present in them’ means that the Lord is not personally present but is present in the form of His various different energies. The person who has full faith and devotion in the Lord can only understand this.] Look at My divine yogic power. Although I am the maintainer of all living beings and Myself being the creator of all entities, I am not situated in them. ||9-5|| [Though the Lord has created everything, He is not bound to them. This is the meaning for not being situated in them. He is not attached to them. Some fools misunderstand the Lord’s words and spoil others minds.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 284 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Just as the mighty wind moving everywhere rests always in space, similarly being born of My will, know that all being are situated in Me. ||9-6|| [The Lord has Himself given an example. Just as the wind is spread throughout the space, which means there is no place without air. Similarly the Supreme Lord is also evenly spread throughout the creation and all creation is situated in Him. Though the sky seems to be there, and it is not easily approachable, similarly the Lord seems to be there, but He is not easily available.] O son of Kunti! At the end of the Kalpa (millennium) all beings enter (merge) into My nature and at the beginning of the Kalpa I create (generate) them again. ||9-7|| [This creation, maintenance, and destruction are all working according to the will of Lord Sri Krishna only. From His direct manifestation of Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma is born and through him all material creation takes place. Then at the end of the Kalpa, Lord Shiva, also a manifestation of the Lord, annihilates everything and thus everything merges into Maha Vishnu. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 285 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 In this way, although Lord Sri Krishna is the original creator, He is not involved in them and performs all actions through His various manifested forms. He is thus called as cause for all causes. In the Chandogya Upanishad (6:2:3) it is told that, He is one, but manifests Himself into various forms.] By the influence of My nature and having controlled it, I create all the living entities again and again, according to their fruits of actions. ||9-8|| [All the material creation is being created again and again by the nature under directions from His Divine form. All this is done by the will of His Divine potency. But still, the Lord is away from them and is not attached to them.] O Dhananjaya! I am never interested or attached in those actions and thus being ever detached those actions can never bind Me. ||9-9|| [Here it is explained about the importance of selfless action. The Lord is performing everything but is ever detached to them. He has set an example for us to perform actions like Him so that we are not bound to them.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 286 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 O son of Kunti! Under My supervision, nature is producing all animate and inanimate beings. In this way, by nature, this world is rotating (birth and death cycle). ||9-10|| [Here, by rotation of the world, the Lord means creation and destruction from time to time in the birth and death cycle. The Supreme Lord here is confirmed to be the only independent, and above the Nature and thus supervising it, He is Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 287 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 When I am in the human form, ignorant people do not know My supremacy, and not knowing Me as the Supreme Lord of all beings, they easily disregard Me. ||9-11|| [Though Lord Sri Krishna appeared like a commoner. He was in fact the Supreme Lord in His Divine form. Foolish, ignorant, and bodily conscious people cannot understand this reality.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 288 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 The ignorant fools with vain hopes, vain actions, and vain knowledge have attained the illusionary form (nature) of demonic and atheistic views. ||9-12|| [Although many people think that they are worshipping the Lord have actually being illusioned by ignorance due to their atheistic views. Such persons can never be liberated from the bondage of actions, and make fun of Lord Sri Krishna. They are therefore considered as demonic. Pious people should never mingle with them. This is clearly expressed by Lord Sri Krishna Himself.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 289 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 But O son of Kunti! Those great souls who are under the protection of My divine nature, consider Me as the eternal cause for all beings and of imperishable form. Knowing me thus, they worship Me constantly with an undisturbed mind. ||9-13|| [In this verse, the definition for a Mahatma is given. One who thinks of the Lord as the cause of all causes, imperishable, and engages the self only in the devotional service of the Lord, such a person is called Mahatma. The spiritual identity of the Lord is of Divine nature. For such a Divine nature the Lord is the Master, cause for all causes, and above all material natures. In this way, He is beyond time. Lord Sri Krishna must be considered as the Supreme Goal. Therefore we must surrender unto Him and perform all our duties for His satisfaction and in His thoughts alone.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 290 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 The strong willed devotees constantly chanting My names and glories, striving to attain Me and prostrating before Me, worship Me with exquisite devotion being always situated in My thoughts. ||9-14|| [Here the qualities of a Mahatma are explained. By such observances and steady mind they will be liberated from the bondage of action and shall become fully qualified to attain salvation easily. With this type of practice, anyone is sure to make his/her life sublime.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 291 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Others worship Me in My Universal Form through their knowledge and consider Me to be one. While still others worship Me in My various celestial forms. And many others worship in many different ways. ||9-15|| [Formerly it was told about four types of devotees: sorrowful, seeker of wealth, seeker of knowledge, and persons of wisdom. According to the above verse, there are three more types of devotees: 1) One who considers the Lord as one without a second and worship Him. 2) One who worships the various manifested forms of the Lord (Brahma, Shiva, Indra, and others). 3) One who worships the Lord in His Universal form. Although these three types of people worship the Lord, they are not called Mahatmas because they do not worship directly Lord Sri Krishna. Such persons who think the Lord to be one, those who worship other celestials and those who worship the Lord’s nature have not clearly understood the meaning of Gita. They are also not firmly determined as they are under the spell of illusion (Maya).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 292 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 I am the Vedic rituals, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the departed ancestors (Pitrus'), I am the medicinal herb, I am the transcendental mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, and I am the act of offering oblation to the fire. ||9-16|| [All the above mentioned are necessities for a yajna. Those who worship or meditate on Lord Sri Krishna are equal to performing all such yajnas (sacrifices).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 293 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 I am the sustainer, father, mother and grandfather for this whole universe, and I am the knowable, pure sacred syllable OM. I am also the Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Yajur-Veda. ||9-17|| [The Supreme Lord is all pervading. Therefore He only is Advaiti (only one without a second). There is nothing remaining without Him.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 294 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 I am the ultimate goal, the maintainer, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the shelter, the unselfish friend, the origin, the end (annihilation), the resting place, the basis of everything, and the imperishable, eternal seed (cause) of this universe. ||9-18|| [Here NidhAna means, the form and name of the Lord in which all beings in their subtle form merge at the time of complete annihilation (Pralaya). Lord Sri Krishna is the ultimate goal; Lord Sri Krishna is the basis of creation and the resting place for all beings after annihilation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 295 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 O Arjuna! It is I who radiate heat, attract monsoons and send forth rain. I am immortality as well as death. I am both being and non-being too. ||9-19|| [Living and non-living i.e. Truth and false are all Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Everything is Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 296 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Those who know the three Vedas, those who drink the soma juice (energetic drink), being free form all sins, worship Me through sacrifices indirectly and desire to attain the heavenly planets. Such persons as a result of their virtues attain the abode of Indra and enjoy the celestial pleasures of the demigods in heaven (Swarga). ||20|| Having enjoyed in the extensive heavenly planets, they return to this mortal world upon completion of their virtues (Punya). In this way, those desiring worldly pleasures seek the shelter of the motivated actions as prescribed in the three Vedas and thus they repeatedly go and come. ||9-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 297 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Those persons who have situated themselves in Me with undivided devotion, worship Me constantly always staying in My thoughts alone. To such persons of constant devotion, I Myself provide gain and security. ||9-22|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 298 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 [To be completely absorbed in the service of the Lord is called yoga (gain), and to safeguard such service is called Kshema (security). Here it is confirmed that the Lord Himself safeguards His true devotees. That means He saves them from falling back into this birth and death cycle. According to the ‘Gautamakhalapramana’ the meaning of the word ananya is described as: to be a pure devotee one must not worship even Brahma, Rudra, Indra or other demigods as Supreme. Devotees are performers of selfless actions; they always worship the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna through their body, mind, senses and intellect, irrespective of time or place. To such devotees sincerely worshipping the Lord, He looks after them and safeguards them personally. Therefore to be constantly engaged in Lord Sri Krishna’s thoughts without turning to any other demigod is the meaning of Ananya. This is because the result of worshipping other demigods is only temporary. They are incapable of liberating us from this mortal world and life-death cycle. However, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna can provide us liberation from all bondages and gives us the permanent, Supreme, Divine bliss, in His Abode. Therefore we must perform all actions only in the name of Lord Sri Krishna. Only then can we reside in peace.] O Son of Kunti! Being filled with faith, those devotees who worship other demigods also worship Me only, but their process is not according to the prescribed rules and is due to ignorance. ||9-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 299 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 [Worshipping the demigods is not the correct or direct way. Lord Sri Krishna showed this in His childhood when He stopped people worshipping Indra and rescued them. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna does not prescribe us to worship the demigods who are a little more elevated souls. Since Lord Sri Krishna Himself is mastering all the spiritual and material universes, He has told us through various examples to worship Him. But we being ignorant are condemning His worship. This is foolishness.] I am the enjoyer and Lord of all sacrifices, but they do not know Me in reality and hence they all fall (take rebirth). ||9-24|| [Here more clarity is seen about the Supremacy of Lord Sri Krishna. He has rightly called Himself as the enjoyer and Master of all sacrifices. Those who do not consider His Supremacy fall into this cycle of birth and death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 300 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Those who worship the demigods will attain the demigods; those who worship the ancestors will attain the ancestors; the worshippers of ghosts and spirits reach ghosts and spirits. But those who worship Me, will attain only Me. ||9-25|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 301 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 [The Lord has mentioned so clearly about this. But, we due to our foolishness, anger, mischief, ignorance, and half-baked knowledge desire to enjoy only material happiness and are sometimes worshipping demigods, sometimes ancestors, or sometimes ghosts and spirits. In this way, we are wasting our time and this most valuable life, which is meant only for God realization. We are dooming ourselves by our very own self. Not only this, we also try to spoil other people, who are innocent and immature in such matters. Therefore by sincerely worshipping Lord Sri Krishna with complete faith we should strive to free ourselves from this material pain, miseries and clutches of Maya (Ignorance).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 302 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 If anyone offers me with love and devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I accept such devotional offerings that are offered with love. ||9-26|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 303 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 [Lord Sri Krishna will accept a leaf, flower, fruit, and even water offered with devotion. But here He has not asked to offer Him meat. Therefore we must understand that He shall never accept such offering. To any great personality among us we offer flowers, fruits, jewels, or clothes but nobody offers meat; nobody even dares to do that. Then how can we offer meat to the Lord? Draupadi gave Him a leaf, Vidura’s wife gave Him fruits, Gajendra offered Him a flower, and Rantideva offered Him water. And all of them pleased the Lord. Therefore, we must offer whatever possible as mentioned above to the Lord with full devotion. This is called as worship.] O Son of Kunti! Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give to others, whatever austerities you perform, you should offer it all to Me. ||9-27|| [Whatever we do or perform, it must all be first offered to Lord Sri Krishna. This is explained clearly here. Therefore whatever pious activities we perform we must offer it to Lord Sri Krishna and then we shall find peace. All other methods will put us in trouble and shall drag us to eternal darkness of ignorance causing complete destruction. The Lord says, you should offer all to Me. This means, even if you don’t offer to Him directly, it will eventually reach Him. Why don’t we realize this and worship Him directly?] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 304 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Thus offering to Me and having set yourself in the yoga of renunciation, you will be free from all reactions, which have good and bad results and shall be liberated from the bondage of actions. And thus liberated by them, you shall attain Me. ||9-28|| [Therefore, while performing our daily actions such as working for a living, eating, playing, talking etc., we must be pure in mind offering and surrendering everything to Lord Sri Krishna. Performing thus, we shall not be bound to them and will be free from their good and bad results. Thus we shall be liberated. This is very clearly told here but still, we are fools and are ignoring the Lord and His words. Those who perform actions with a mind to the Lord are called Mahatmas or Karma yogis, not those who simply perform actions for their living.] I am equal to all beings (demigods, demons, ghosts, humans, birds, animals, reptiles, and everything). Nor there is any enemy to Me, nor is anybody dear to Me. But those who serve Me with Love and devotion they are in Me and I am also in them. ||9-29|| [Although the Lord has created everything, He saves those devotees who worship Him with Love, faith, and devotion with special attention. They reside in the Lord and the Lord resides in them.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 305 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 A person worshipping Me sincerely although appears to be the greatest sinner, should now be considered a saint. Because he is properly situated in Me with complete dedication and is thus very near to Me. ||9-30|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 306 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 [Here importance to the dedication and determination in devotion is given. Valmiki and Ajamila appeared to be the great sinners but they worshipped the Lord with exquisite dedication and thus attained knowledge. Here it does not mean that a sinner should think himself/herself to be a devotee of the Lord. Sinner means, sometimes the devotees of the Lord seem to be acting as sinners but when they realize, they turn back to the Lord. This turnaround requires the Lord’s help. A devotee might be turned to a sinner due to the past actions (karma) but when time comes, he/she realizes himself or herself as the Lord’s servant and then engages completely in the service of the Lord. Such a devotee is very pure and near to the Lord.] Such a person thus becoming virtuous quickly attains the everlasting peace. O son of Kunti! Therefore know it with certainty that My devotee never perishes. ||9-31|| [As told earlier, one who worships demigods, ancestors, ghosts and spirits shall perish (fall). But worshipping Lord Sri Krishna can definitely save one. That person shall not perish. Here also the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna has called Himself as the cause for all causes. He is the only definite, complete, independent, and the Supreme Lord. These words have never been told by anybody with such clarity since time immemorial. Nobody can say like that. Therefore we must think of Lord Sri Krishna always and although we are experiencing our past karma, we must always be in His thoughts; this is the only way for liberation. Therefore we must always practice to think of the Lord under any circumstances.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 307 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Because O Partha! Even women, Vaishyas (merchants), Sudras (laborers) and those of the sinful clan, whoever they may be, they also can attain the Supreme goal by surrendering unto Me. ||9-32|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 308 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 [By engaging themselves in household matters, always involved in commercial activities and working in the farms, fields or as laborers the women, merchants, and even laborers respectively can attain liberation by surrendering their actions and deeds unto the Supreme Lord with full faith and devotion. This is because they cannot perform sacrifices, worship, studying etc., due to paucity of time. But if they constantly remain in the Lord’s thoughts then they shall gradually attain liberation.] Then what to talk about the virtuous Brahmins, saintly kings and the devotees? Therefore, on attaining this unhappy and temporary world, engage yourself in My worship. ||9-33|| [In this world there are various categories of people. This world is temporary and sorrowful. This world is an unfit place for an able person. This world is not false, but is only temporary. This world has been created in reality and is true, but is not meant for permanent stay. This also has a definite span of time. The only permanent planet is the Supreme Abode of Lord Sri Krishna. To such a planet even women, merchants and laborers who sincerely worship the Lord can reach, then what to talk of devotees, staunch Brahmins, and saintly kings? Therefore, here Lord Sri Krishna has instructed Arjuna these words because he is a saintly king, and this world is not a suitable place for such able persons. Therefore rendering service unto the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is the easiest way to attain His Abode. Vaishya, Sudra, and Brahmin are all not by birth; these are to be taken into account judging their Guna (nature) and Karma (activities). Please do not get mislead by miscreant scholars in this matter.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 309 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Therefore engage your mind always in Me, be devoted to Me, worship only Me, bow down only unto Me, surrender unto Me, and thus constantly absorbed yourself in Me and depending fully on Me, you shall certainly attain Me. ||9-34|| [The words of the Lord are direct, precise, perfect, and clear. Unless we surrender fully unto Him, nobody else can save us from this bondage of the world. Therefore knowing Lord Sri Krishna to be ‘the Supreme Goal’ we must worship Him with complete and unalloyed devotion.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 310 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-9 Here ends the ninth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled RajavidyaRajaguhya Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 311 Chapter 10 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Once again, O mighty armed, listen to My Supreme word, which I shall tell you only because you are my loving friend, and also for the cause of your benefit. ||10-1|| [Until now, we have known that Lord Sri Krishna is the Supreme Lord (God). Sage Parashara has already confirmed this. He is filled with all the six qualities such as strength, knowledge, wealth, fame, beauty, and renunciation. Thus He is the Supreme Lord. He is capable of controlling everything and is thus called Purushottama. Therefore those worshipping Him shall never be destroyed. Lord Sri Krishna has here expressed Arjuna as His friend because Arjuna is the son of Krishna’s Aunt and also remained ever friendly with Him. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna has instructed the Gita to him. Through Arjuna Lord Sri Krishna has revealed His original identity. But fools do not understand this.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 312 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Neither demigods nor the great sages know the secret of My origin because I am the source of all demigods and great sages in all respects. ||10-2|| [In the Brahma Samhita, it is confirmed ‘Ishvarah Paramam Krishnah’ which means Lord Sri Krishna is the only Supreme Absolute Lord. He is the source of everything and cause for all causes. Neither do celestials nor great sages know about Him. Then what to talk of the foolish so called scholars of this world. Such scholars get easily illusioned by Lord Sri Krishna’s external energy (Maya). He descended to this world and told that He only is the Supreme Lord, yet we are not capable of understanding Him.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 313 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 One who knows Me as unborn (eternal), without beginning, and Lord of the worlds, such a person being the most wise among humans, gets liberated from all sins. ||10-3|| [Those who turn towards the Lord are superior to all others. They do not get illusioned, and knowing the Lord as the cause for all causes, eternal, the source of everything; they get freed from all sins and are thus eligible to attain liberation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 314 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Intelligence, knowledge, reality, forgiveness, truth, control over senses, control over mind, pleasure, sorrow, birth and death, fear and fearlessness, non-violence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame, and disrepute - such diverse feelings of living beings have come from Me alone. ||10-4,5|| [All feelings mentioned in the verse above have come from the Lord alone. To know this, is the real knowledge. And from this knowledge worshipping constantly the Lord is the real yoga. From this yoga, liberation can be attained.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 315 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 The seven great sages, and before them the four others (sages) and the Manus, residing in My thought, were born of My mind (will). And all beings of the universe have come from them. ||10-6|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 316 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 [Here Lord Sri Krishna has concisely told about the ancestors of the universe. But He is above all of them. There is no one before Him and no one beyond Him. To attain His Abode is called liberation. Here the seven great sages (Saptarshis) are Marichi, Angira, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and Vashishta. They are appointed to help Brahma in his work. The four other sages are Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanatkumara. They are the first four sons of Brahma born out of his mind. They always remain like children of five years old. The Manus are fourteen and are the progenitors of Mankind. They are Svayambhu, Svarochisha, Uttama, Tamasa, Raivata, Cakshusha, Vaivasvata, Savarni, Dakshasavarni, Brahmasavarni, Dharmasavarni, Rudrasavarni, Devasavarni, and Indrasavarni. All these sages and Manus are born out of Brahma. But who is Brahma? Brahma is also a manifestation of the Supreme Lord. Therefore here the Lord says that they all came from His mind. This must be properly understood.] One who knows this glory (opulence) and yogic power of Mine in reality shall certainly be situated in Me through constant yoga of devotion. There is no doubt in this matter. ||10-7|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 317 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 I myself am the cause for everything. From me all things evolve. Knowing thus with faith and devotion intelligent wise people worship only Me. ||10-8|| [The knower of Vedas in its true essence and who are devoted to the Lord worship Him alone with complete faith.] With their minds fixed on me, their lives surrendered unto me, always instructing one another about me, and ever speaking about me, they remain ever content and blissful. ||10-9|| [The true devotees always speak of the Lord among themselves, they perform kirtana (jointly chanting the holy names of the Lord) and surrendering their minds and lives onto Him they remain ever content and blissful. These are the qualities of true devotees of the Lord. Without these, they are never happy with other activities, nor are they interested about worldly affairs. They are always in constant thinking of Lord. For such devotees the only literature will be Srimad Bhagavatam. They gain happiness and peace by reading or listening to it.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 318 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 For such persons ever devoted and worshipping Me with Love, I bestow upon them the yoga of wisdom by which they can come to Me. ||10-10|| [Even if we turn a little towards the Lord, He shall bestow upon us all the facilities and knowledge to return back to Him as early as possible. This is an experienced fact. Keeping faith and love in Him is very important. These are the basis for developing devotion towards Him. The Lord Himself shall bestow the intellect and mind for such a task. But we must maintain it. This is the reality.] In order to shower My grace on them, I, residing in their hearts, destroy the darkness born out of ignorance by the shining lamp of wisdom. ||10-11|| [Lord’s grace means even a dumb can talk, a buffalo can say Vedas, etc; There is nothing impossible for the Lord. Those who please the Lord, their ignorance is all washed out or burnt by the lamp of wisdom through the Lord. Therefore we must worship Lord Sri Krishna with faith, devotion, love, and humility. Only then shall we attain the Supreme goal through His help. Nobody except the Lord can help us to attain the Supreme goal. No other demigod can offer such benediction, but Lord Sri Krishna rightly claims Himself to be the real authority.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 319 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 320 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman (Lord), the Supreme Abode, the Supreme Purifier, Eternal, Divine person, Lord of all Lords, unborn and all pervading. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa have proclaimed this of You, and now You Yourself are proclaiming this to me. ||10-12,13|| [Arjuna had already learnt from various great sages such as Vyasa and Narada about the supremacy of the Lord Sri Krishna in various circumstances. But now by hearing this from Lord Sri Krishna himself on the battlefield all his doubts seem to be cleared. This is nothing but the grace of Lord Sri Krishna. To understand Gita clearly one must accept these two verses. Because, in various other scriptures, Lord Sri Krishna has been confirmed as the cause for all causes, free from all attachments, Supreme controller, and the Supreme Lord. In spite of all this, many foolish scholars say that there are many Krishnas and ask mischievously about the right one. For them the right answer is that, the teacher of Gita, the son of Vasudeva and Devaki who appeared in this world to play His Divine Pastimes and who returned from this world to His own Abode is the real Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme personality of Godhead. This has been clearly declared in the Bhagavatam. Therefore leaving our speculative talks and mischievous deeds, we must accept Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Lord and must worship him sincerely. Here Arjuna has forsaken all speculations and accepts Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 321 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 O Keshava! Whatever You told me, I consider them all as true. O Lord, Your Divine personality cannot be known by the demons, nor can the demigods know it. ||10-14|| [In this verse Arjuna totally accepts Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord Sri Kirshna Himself has revived the Gita that was forgotten from ages by instructing it to Arjuna. Therefore one must try to practice Gita through an able teacher who has come in disciplinal succession. If any one who is not in disciplinal succession writes on Gita, we must not read it, because such a person has not attained the knowledge through any able teacher (traditional). They write on their own speculative thoughts. This causes many disturbances and gives rise to never ending doubts. Be it Western or Indian, many so-called scholars have written commentaries on Gita. They have no right to do so, because they are not devotees of the Lord. Lord Sri Krishna instructed Gita to Arjuna just because he was His pure devotee. Only devotees of the Lord have been granted qualification to write on Gita. Therefore we must never read Gita written by a non-devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. Here after hearing from Lord Sri Krishna Himself, Arjuna became free from all his doubts and accepted Sri Krishna as the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 322 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 O creator of all entities, O Lord of beings, O God of gods, O Lord of the Universe, O Supreme person, You alone know yourself by Your own self (No one else). ||10-15|| [Only Lord Sri Krishna knows completely about Himself. Nobody else can know Him properly and completely. In order to believe Lord Sri Krishna as God, Arjuna addresses Him as the father of everyone, Supreme person, the controller of everything, the Lord of Lords, and the Master of everything. Therefore similar to Arjuna we must also accept Lord Sri Krishna as the Absolute Truth and the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 323 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 You yourself are capable of telling all your divine glories (opulences) completely, by which you have pervaded all the worlds and remain in them. ||10-16|| [After knowing Lord Sri Krishna as God, Arjuna wants to know from Him about His divine glories. This question has been asked for the sake of impersonalists, ignorant, hypocrites, and for those persons who do not believe in God.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 324 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 O Yogeshvara! How shall I know You by constantly thinking about You? O Lord in what various aspects are You to be meditated upon by me? ||10-17|| [Here Yogeshvara means the master of all yogas. Just as an Emperor being surrounded by his lower generals, and is thus not visible to common people similarly Lord Sri Krishna is surrounded by His own potency called Maya and is not available to common people. Here common people are scholars, yogis, non-believers of God, fools, ignorant people, materialistic people, impersonalists, and many more. But whoever worships Lord Sri Krishna directly with faith and devotion, they only can see the Lord. Therefore here Arjuna asks the Lord to tell him such ways, so that he may meditate on Him.] O Janardana! Please tell me again in detail about Your mighty potencies and glories. Hearing Your nectarine words I am never tired. ||10-18|| [Here Janardana is a name for Lord Sri Krishna. Hearing about the glories and pastimes of the Lord has been given much importance. Hearing the Lord’s pastimes does not tire any one. Even after hearing many times one finds more and more interest in them. It always gives a new experience. Therefore hearing about the glories of the Lord is equal to relishing nectar. Such new experience cannot be gained by reading other stories, novels, discourses, or biographies.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 325 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O best of the Kurus, now I shall tell to you My most prominent divine glories (manifestations) because there is no end to the details of My manifestations. ||10-19|| [Nobody can understand completely the detailed manifestations of Lord Sri Krishna, because the Supreme Lord Himself says that it is never ending. Such manifestations are eternal, and are coming like the waves of the ocean spontaneously without any limit. But the most prominent among them can be known. Even for knowing them the blessings of the Lord is essential.] O Gudakesha! I am the self, seated in the hearts of all beings. I am the beginning, the middle, and also the end of all beings. ||10-20|| [Here Gudakesha refers to Arjuna and means ‘the conqueror of sleep’. Among His first manifestations, the Lord has told that He is the self or soul of all beings and is thus situated in them. Among His three primal manifestations, Maha Vishnu sleeps in the causal ocean and looks after the creation, maintenance, and annihilation of this material world. That form of Vishnu is situated in the soul of all beings in form of Paramatma (God).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 326 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Of the Adityas I am Vishnu; of luminaries I am the bright-rayed Sun; of the Maruts I am Marichi; and of the stars I am the Moon. ||10-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 327 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 [Adityas are twelve and they are: Dhata, Mitra, Aryama, Shakra, Varuna, Ansha, Bhaga, Vivasvan, Pusha, Savita, Tvashta, and Vishnu. Among them the Aditya named Vishnu is the manifestation of the Lord. These twelve suns are divided on the basis of twelve Masas (months) according to Hindu tradition. Of them, the Aditya named Vishnu comes in the month of Kartika. There are 49 Maruts, they are: Sattvajyoti, Aditya, Satyajyoti, Tiryagjyoti, Sajyoti, Jyotishman, Harita, Ritjit, Satyajit, Sushena, Senjit, Satyamitra, Abhimitra, Harimitra, Krita, Satya, Dhruva, Dharta, Vidharta, Vidharaya, Dhvanta, Dhuni, Ugra, Bhima, Abhiyu, Sakshipa, Idrik, Anyadrik, Yadrik, Pratikrit, Rik, Samiti, Samrambha, Idriksha, Purusha, Anyadrishka, Chetasa, Samita, Samidrikshna, Pratidrikshna, Maruti, Sarata, Marichi, Disha, Yajuhu, Anudrik, Sama, Manusha and Vish.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 328 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Among the Vedas, I am Sama-Veda; among demigods I am Indra; among the senses I am the mind; and I am the consciousness (knowledge) of the living beings. ||10-22|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 329 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Among the Rudras, I am Sankara; among the Yakshas and Rakshasas, I am Kubera (the Lord of wealth); among the Vasus, I am Fire (Agni); and of the mountains, I am Meru. ||10-23|| [There are eleven Rudras, they are: Hara, Bahurupa, Tryambaka, Aparajita, Vrishakapi, Shambu (Sankara), Kapardi, Raivata, Mrigavyadha, Sarva, and Kapali. There are eight Vasus; they are: Ahaha, Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Anila, Anala (Agni), Pratyusha, and Prabhasa. Agni is said to be the mouth of the Lord through which oblations reach the deities.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 330 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 O Partha! Among priests, know Me to be the chief: Brihaspati; among generals (commanders), I am Skanda; and among reservoirs of water, I am the ocean. ||10-24|| [Indra is the chief of demigods. The priest for demigods is Brihaspati. The commander of demigods is Skanda, the son of Shiva. The ocean is also a manifestation of the Lord. All these are powers of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 331 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Among the great sages, I am Bhrigu; of the words I am the single syllable OM; of all sacrifices I am the japa yajna (sacrifice of chanting the Lord’s name); and of all immovable things, I am the Himalaya Mountain. ||10-25|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 332 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Of all trees, I am Ashvatha (the holy fig tree); among all Celestial sages, I am Narada; among the Gandharvas (celestial singers), I am Chitraratha; and among the Siddhas (perfect beings), I am the sage Kapila. ||10-26|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 333 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Of all horses, I am Uccaihshrava born from the churning of the ocean along with nectar; among all elephants, I am the elephant named Airavata; and of all humans, know Me to be the King. ||10-27|| [While the demigods and demons churned the milk ocean, there arose many things such as the poison named Halahala, the horse named Uccaihshrava, and the elephant named Airavata, Chandra, goddess Lakshmi devi, and many more things of which, nectar (Amrita) was the last to appear.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 334 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Of all weapons, I am the Vajra (the thunderbolt); of all cows, I am the celestial cow Kamadhenu; I am the Lord of sexual urge in living beings called Kandarpa (Manmatha or cupid); and I am Vasuki, the chief of all serpents. ||10-28|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 335 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Of the Nagas (snakes), I am Ananta; of all aquatic creatures, I am their Lord Varuna; among the Pitrus (Principal ancestors), I am Aryama; and among maintainers of law, I am Yama, the Lord of death. ||10-29|| [The seven Pitrus are Kavyavaha, Anala, Soma, Yama, Aryama, Agnishwatta and Barhishat.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 336 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Among the demons, I am Prahlad; among suppressors, I am the Time wheel; among beasts, I am the Lion; and among birds, I am Garuda (Vainateya). ||10-30|| [Here Vainateya refers to Garuda. He is called so, because he is the son of Vinata. Garuda is the powerful bird that carries Vishnu upon him.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 337 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Among purifiers, I am the Pavana (wind); among those equipped with weapons, I am Lord Rama; among the sea dwellers, I am the whale named Makara; and of all rivers, I am Jahnavi (Ganga). ||10-31|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 338 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 O Arjuna! I myself am the Beginning, the End, and the Middle of all creations; among all knowledge, I am the spiritual knowledge of the Self, and I am the Logic among all logicians. ||10-32|| [To establish one’s opinion through debates is called Vaada (logic). To oppose others opinion is called Jalpa, but to oppose others opinion without firmly established in one’s own opinion is called as Vitanda. Therefore the first one being logic is conclusive and superior to the other two.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 339 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Of the letters, I am ‘A’, and among word compounds; I am the dual compound (dvandva); I am the imperishable Time; and I am the sustainer of all, known as Brahma, who has many faces. ||10-33|| [Of all these verses we find I, myself, etc., these must be understood as the manifested representatives of Lord Sri Krishna. Because they all have the strength of the Lord and work accordingly only for Him.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 340 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 I am the all-destroying death, I am the cause for future beings, and I am the Fame, Prosperity, Speech, Memory, Intelligence, Faith and Forgiveness among women. ||10-34|| [Death comes along with birth. A person’s age starts decreasing as he/she is born. This process is like a reverse timer. Such death is the representative of God. All beings have six qualities: to take birth, to grow, to survive, to regenerate, to grow weak, and to die. Taking birth is the basis of everything. Therefore one must try to avoid such birth by surrendering to Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 341 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 And of the Saama hymns I am Bruhatsaama; of Chandas I am the Gayatri verse; of the twelve months I am Margashirsha (Nov-Dec); and of seasons I am the flowery spring (Vasanta). ||10-35|| [Bruhatsaama is sung in midnights; Gayatri verse is the most important spiritual verse. By its chanting one can reach the spiritual abode.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 342 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 I am the Gambling instinct among cheaters; I am the Glory of the glorious; I am the Victory of the victorious; I am the Adventure of the adventurous; and I am the Goodness of the good. ||10-36|| [Here we can see that a winner in gambling, gainer of glory, victorious, adventurous, and goodness if present in any person must be considered as the grace of Lord Sri Krishna because He is the base of all these.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 343 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 I am Vaasudeva among the members of Vrshni clan; I am Dhananjaya among the Pandavas; I am Vyasa among the sages, and I myself am Ushana (Shukracharya) among great thinkers. ||10-37| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 344 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 [Here it is told as Vaasudeva, who is the son of Vasudeva. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His immediate expansion is Vaasudeva. Both Krishna and Balarama can be considered as Vaasudeva. Dhananjaya means the gainer of wealth and is Arjuna, the dear most friend of Lord Sri Krishna. The great sage Veda Vyasa, the complier of Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharata and other Shastras is also a manifestation of Lord Sri Krishna. To arrange the scriptures is not an easy task and the Lord Himself by manifesting as Veda Vyasa has done the great work. Many fools try to hide this fact and tell that Vyasa was the son of a fisherwoman. The achievements of Vyasa are above that of a common man or a super human because he is the form of the Lord Himself. Among the great thinkers, Ushana i.e. Shukracharya, the teacher of the demons is also a form of the Lord.] I am the Punishment of punishers; I am the Principle in those who seek victory; among all confidential matters, I am the Silence; and I am the Wisdom of the wise. ||10-38|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 345 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 And O Arjuna! I am the Seed of all beings, because there is no creatureliving or non-living that can exist without Me. ||10-39|| [Here, Seed means Lord Sri Krishna is the cause for all causes. There is nothing existing beyond Him. He is the base (seed) of everything. He creates everything and is thus called as Aadimula (the base).] O conqueror of enemies! There is no end to My divine glories (manifestations). This is only a brief summary of the extent of My glories. ||10-40|| [Even the Lord Himself does not want to tell His complete glories because they are limitless, countless, and never ending. Even the thousand mouths of Aadishesha cannot describe them. The Lord’s Glories are coming constantly. There is no limit or end to them. Therefore, the Lord Himself describes a few important ones here. The glories described here have pervaded the whole universe, then what to talk about His other glories?] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 346 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Whatever it be, if it is glorious, brilliant, or powerful; then know it to be a manifestation from the part of My splendor. || 10-41|| [Whatever present in the spiritual or material universe is nothing but a part of the unlimited splendor of the Supreme Lord. If such a part of His splendor is so powerful and brilliant then how could His whole unmanifested splendor be? Please think a little. We will not perceive it. Therefore, we must bow our heads in front of His Supreme Splendor with faith and devotion. We must leave all our ignorance unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and must meditate only on Him.] O Arjuna! What use do you have by knowing this detailed knowledge? I support and pervade this entire universe just with a single fragment of My own self. ||10-42|| [Nobody is greater or equal in strength to Lord Sri Krishna. He has pervaded the entire universe by just His single fragment of energy. Therefore He is in the form of Paramatma (Lord Vishnu) in every being. This much is enough for us. We need not gain any other knowledge. Therefore, by knowing Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Lord and Paramatma we must constantly chant His names and must render service unto Him. This is our foremost duty.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 347 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-10 Here ends the tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Vibhuti Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 348 Chapter 11 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Lord Sri Krishna displaying His Viswaroopa (Universal Form) Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Arjuna said: To shower your blessings upon me, You have told me the most confidential spiritual teachings by which all my ignorance has been destroyed. ||11-1|| [After knowing so much, Arjuna is cleared of his doubts borne due to ignorance. He has gained complete knowledge by having firm belief in Lord Sri Krishna. He has also understood that the knowledge gained by him is due to blessings of the Lord. Similarly we must also adore Lord Sri Krishna as the cause of all causes and the Supreme Lord with firm belief and devotion. Then all our ignorance and doubts will be cleared by the knowledge of Lord Sri Krishna. This has no contradictions and is always clear but some foolish scholars have misguided us. Now we must all try to worship Lord Sri Krishna.] Because, O lotus eyed one! I have heard from You in detail about the creation and annihilation of all beings and have also heard about Your imperishable glories. ||11-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 349 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [By hearing the Divine words of Lord Sri Krishna in an exact manner, Arjuna is joyfully thanking Him.] O Supreme Lord! You are exactly what You have described Yourself. But O greatest of all personalities! I would like to see Your Divine and Opulent form. ||11-3|| [Arjuna, after listening to the Lord’s glories wants to see His Divine opulent form. Arjuna longs to see the Lord’s form which is sustaining the whole universe. In one way he wants to know the Identity of Lord Sri Krishna. Nowadays there are many so-called Bhagavaans. To such rascals this is an open challenge. If they are real Bhagavaans then let them show their Vishvarupa that is like an identity to call oneself as Bhagavaan. Obviously nobody except Lord Sri Krishna can perform such a feat. Therefore we must be very careful with such rascals who call themselves as God and should have faith only in a the words of Lord Sri Krishna (Gita).] O Yogeshvara! If you think that I am worthy of seeing it, then O Lord! Please show me that imperishable Universal form. ||11-4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 350 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [Lord Sri Krishna shows His Universal form out of His own will because it cannot be seen by the material senses. He reveals Himself only to His sincere devotees, but those who do not believe in Him and mock at Him, for such persons He is never visible. We must also note the submissiveness of Arjuna while asking Lord Sri Krishna to show His Universal form.] The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O Partha! Behold My divine forms in hundreds and thousands of various types, different colours, and shapes. ||11-5|| [‘Nana vidhani’ means many different and various forms, such as demigods, celestials, sages, humans, animals, etc., those forms are divine, excellent, and completely spiritual. To exhibit such various divine forms in a single time is only possible for Lord Sri Krishna, because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 351 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Bharata! See here the different Adityas (12), Vasus, Rudras, Ashwin kumaras, Maruts, and also see many more marvelous forms, which you have never ever seen before. ||11-6|| [The Adityas are 12, Vasus are 8, Rudras are 11, Ashwin kumaras are 2, and Maruts are 49. For their names, refer verses 21 and 23 in chapter 10. Arjuna sees the Universal forms of the Lord, which was never seen by anyone from ages. Here Lord Sri Krishna is giving an introduction about His Universal form.] O conqueror of sleep! Now behold within this body of Mine, the entire creation consisting of living and non-living situated at a single place and also see whatever else you desire to see. ||11-7|| [Even the greatest scientist of today cannot understand this verse, because no one can think of seeing the happenings of the past, present, and future at a single place and time. But the devotees of the Lord such as Arjuna are given the chance to see the Universal form of Lord Sri Krishna by His grace only.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 352 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 But you cannot see Me with your human eyes; therefore I bestow upon you the divine (spiritual) eye, by which you will be able to see My Divine Mystic Opulence (manifestations). ||11-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 353 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [The Supreme Lord is unperceivable and so brilliant that the human eyes made of material skin cannot see Him. Because, we are not able even to see the Sun by our eyes then how to see the form of the Lord, which is much brighter than innumerable millions of Suns. This is the greatness of the Lord’s brightness. The true devotees never aspire to see such form of the Lord because they are always engaged in His thoughts and service. Therefore here Arjuna has been provided the Divine eye by which he will be able to see the Universal form of the Lord. Such grace is bestowed only upon the Lord’s sincere devotees and nobody else.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 354 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Sanjaya said: O King, the Supreme Lord of all Yoga, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Hari) after speaking thus, showed to Arjuna His Divine Opulent form. ||11-9|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 355 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [By the grace of Sri Veda Vyasa, Sanjaya was benefited with the Divine eyes of knowledge and was thus telling Dhrtarashtra about the Divine words of Lord Sri Krishna. Here it is told that ‘It was showed to Arjuna’ that means only Arjuna was made to see the Lord’s Universal Form.] The Universal form was filled with many mouths and eyes, it showed many wonderful sights, it had many divine ornaments, in its various hands were many divine weapons, it was wearing divine garlands and clothes, it was smeared all over with divine scents, it was filled with all magnificent things, being infinite and with faces on all sides, such Universal form of the Lord was seen by Arjuna. If there were the brightness of a thousand Suns rising at once in the sky, then that would most likely resemble the splendour and brilliance of the mighty Lord. ||11-10,11,12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 356 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 At that time Arjuna could see the different types of divisions of the whole universe in the body of the God of gods, situated together all at one place. ||11-13|| [‘There’ means in the battlefield. Sitting on the chariot, Arjuna saw the entire cosmic manifestation of the universe in the body of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. At that time Arjuna was mesmerized at seeing through the divine eye, the Divine Universal Form of the Lord.] Then, he having struck with wonder, his hair standing on one end, Dhananjaya bowed his head to the Universal form of the Lord and thus joining his palms, he told as follows: ||11-14|| [Arjuna had thought Lord Sri Krishna to be his relative and friend, but when Lord Sri Krishna showed him His Universal form, Arjuna gained respect in Lord Sri Krishna. By seeing His Universal form, Arjuna got amazed and surprised. He bows down his head to the Supreme Lord and starts praising Him with devotion filled prayers.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 357 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 358 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Lord! I see in your body all the demigods and all the multitude of different beings. Brahma seated on the lotus seat, Shiva, all the sages, and all the celestials, divine serpents are seen by me. ||11-15|| O Lord of the universe! I see You, as having many hands (arms), bellies, faces and eyes, and behold You in infinite forms. O Universal form, I do not see your end, or middle, or the beginning. ||11-16|| [It means, there is no end or beginning to the innumerable forms of Lord Sri Krishna. Arjuna sitting in a single place has witnessed such a divine form.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 359 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 I see You with different crowns, maces, and discuses; You are covered all around by the shining splendour, having brilliance like that of fire and sun. You are dazzling and difficult to be seen and I see Your immeasurable form from all sides. ||11-17|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 360 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 You are the imperishable Supreme Being to be realized. You are the ultimate support to this universe. You are the protector of the eternal Dharma, and also You are the only imperishable, and eternal person. This is my opinion. ||11-18|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 361 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 362 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 I see you without beginning, middle, or end. You are filled with infinite power, innumerable arms. Your eyes are the Sun and the Moon, Your face is so bright as the blazing fire, and I also see You as heating this entire universe by Your radiance. ||11-19|| O Great Soul! The space between heaven and earth and all the sides are pervaded completely by You alone, and upon seeing this marvellous and terrible form of Yours, all the three worlds are greatly bewildered. ||11-20|| [All the living entities residing in the three worlds and in space have become afraid upon experiencing the most terrible Universal form of Lord Sri Krishna. Here Arjuna did not see any where else, but in the body of the Lord itself.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 363 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 364 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 All the demigods are entering into You alone. Some being afraid, are praising You with joined palms, great sages and Siddhas are telling “may good happen”, and are praising You with excellent hymns. The Rudras, Adityas and Vasus, Sadhyas, the Vishvedevas, Ashwini kumaras and Maruts, the Ushmapas, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, and Siddhas are all seeing You alone in great amazement. ||11-21,22|| [11 Rudras, 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus, 49 Maruts and other names are already given. There are 12 Sadhyas, namely: Mana, Anumanta, Prana, Nara, Yana, Chitti, Haya, Naya, Hamsa, Narayana, Prabhava and Vibhu. The 10 Vishvedevas are Kritu, Daksha, Shrava, Satya, Kala, Kama, Dhuni, Kuruvan, Prabhavan, and Rochmana. The Ushmapas are the 7 principal ancestors. They are called so because they eat hot food. The Gandharvas are born of Kashyapa’s three wives namely Muni, Praadhaa, and Arishtaa. The Yakshas are born of Kashyapa’s wife Khasaa.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 365 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Mighty armed personality! Upon seeing Your great form with many faces, eyes, many arms, thighs, legs, many bellies, and many terrible teeth, all the worlds are bewildered with terror; and so am I. ||11-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 366 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Because O Vishnu! When I see Your form touching the sky and radiant with many colours, and Your mouths spread with shining wide eyes, my heart trembles with fear and I cannot attain courage or peace. ||11-24|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 367 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 368 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 369 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 By seeing Your mouths with terrible teeth, and Your faces shining as the fire at the time of destruction I am not finding any directions and even peace is not attained by me. Therefore O Lord of Lords, and abode of the universe be kind to me. All the sons of Dhrtarashtra along with their host of kings are entering into You; and Bhishma, Drona and that Karna along with the chief warriors on our side are quickly rushing and entering into Your terrible mouths with horrible teeth. Some are seen with their heads crushed and struck in between the teeth. As the various rivers along with their many torrents enter into the large ocean, similarly, these warriors of the mortal world are entering into Your bright mouths. Just as moths rush eagerly into the blazing fire to get destroyed (by illusion) similarly, all these people are also entering eagerly into your mouths to get destroyed. ||11-25,26,27,28,29|| [Here Arjuna upon seeing the universal form and it’s terrible images, is afraid and thus without finding any way is pacifying the Lord. Arjuna saw the future of the Kurus in that Universal form. All warriors and relatives were struck in the dreadful mouth with the teeth resembling death. He saw them dying in that condition. The Supreme Lord has also shown to Arjuna, the future fate of all the warriors and kings present there on the battlefield.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 370 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Vishnu! I see You as swallowing and licking all the worlds with Your blazing mouths. Your scorching rays fill the whole world with radiance and are burning them. ||11-30|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 371 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Lord of Lords! Please tell me who are You of the ferocious form? I bow down to You. Please be happy. I wish to know You, the primal one with reality because I do not know Your purpose. ||11-31|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 372 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 373 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: I am Time, the destroyer of all the worlds. Now I am engaged in devouring all the worlds. Even without you, all the warriors situated here will not survive (even if you do not fight they shall be slain). ||11-32|| Therefore, you arise and attain glory. And by conquering your enemies, enjoy the prosperous and luxurious kingdom. All these warriors have already been slain by Me, and you O Savyasachi, are merely an instrument (cause) here. ||11-33|| [Here the Lord speaks the absolute truth. Everything is going on according to the master plan of the Lord. We are all just merely the instruments. But the real player is the Lord Himself. Here Lord Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna to fight and perform his duty with devotion unto Him. Similarly, we too must perform our duties. The result, be it gain or loss, is already sanctioned by the Lord. Here Savyasachi means ‘one who can shoot arrows with the left hand also’ and is referred to Arjuna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 374 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Slay Drona, Bhishma, Jayadratha, Karna, and many other mighty warriors who are already killed by Me. Do not be sorrowful or afraid, for you shall conquer your enemies in battle. Therefore you just fight. ||11-34|| [Everything is functioning according to the Lord’s plan. The Supreme Lord is so merciful that He includes His sincere devotees in His plan of action and thus gives them fame and glory. Similarly, the Lord wants Arjuna to fight according to His plan.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 375 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Sanjaya said: After hearing those words of Lord Keshava, Kiriti, with joined palms and trembling, prostrated himself. Still having fear, he bowed to Lord Sri Krishna and addressed Him in a choked voice. ||11-35|| [Here Kiriti, refers to Arjuna, He is called so because he was once honored with Indra’s kirita (crown) when he was in Heaven. From then, he came to be known as ‘the crowned one’. When Arjuna heard that Bhishma, Drona and others had already been slain by the Lord, he became afraid and knowing Lord Krishna to be the Supreme Lord, he prostrated and bowed again and again to Him. This is because, now he was filled with fear, astonishment, and also respect for Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 376 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Arjuna said: O Hrishikesha! The world becomes very joyful upon chanting Your names and glory, and is filled with love; while the terrified demons are running in all directions overcome by fear and all the Siddhas are bowing onto You. ||11-36|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 377 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O great one! Why wouldn’t they bow to You? For You are the greatest of all, and also the creator of Brahma. O unlimited one, O Lord of Lords, O Abode of the Universe, You are that Imperishable person which is above all the causes and is beyond both being and non-being. ||11-37|| [Here we come to know that Lord Sri Krishna is the creator of this material universe. Thus, everyone shall bow onto the Supreme Lord because, He is the cause for all causes, beyond time, greater than Brahma, and is the absolute Truth.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 378 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 You are the Primal God, the Eternal person, the Ultimate savior of the universe, the Ultimate knowledge and the Supreme Abode. O Lord of innumerable forms, you have pervaded the entire Universe. ||11-38|| [The Lord is the ultimate knowledge to be known. Only intellect people try to attain Him. Therefore we must not aspire for women, land, prosperity, or for any other material things. We must always perform our duty only for the sake of Lord Sri Krishna, for He only can liberate us from all bondages.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 379 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 380 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 You are the wind god, the god of death, the fire god, the water god, the moon, Brahma, and even the father of Brahma. Therefore let there be thousands and thousands times salutations unto You; Again and again I offer my salutations unto You. ||11-39|| [The wind god called Vayu is the basic necessity of every being. Such Vayu is the foremost representative of Lord Sri Krishna, and is thus the supporter of life.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 381 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Lord of infinite ability! I offer my salutations unto You from front, behind and from all sides, because You, possessing unlimited strength have pervaded completely all the Universe and therefore You are “All-Complete”. ||11-40|| [Arjuna has now got the real knowledge. He is telling with utmost affirmativeness that everything is the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself. This is not any speculation or any misconception. He is telling everything whatever he is seeing. This is only his real experience and no fiction. He explains Lord Sri Krishna as the Lord of all Lords.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 382 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Thinking You as a friend and not knowing this greatness of Yours I have called You rashly due to carelessness or love as, ‘O Krishna,’ ‘O Yadava,’ ‘O Friend.’ ||11-41|| And O Acyuta! I have dishonored You many times while taking rest, sitting, playing, or eating together, sometimes alone, and sometimes even in company. O Lord of infinite glory! Please, I beg You to forgive me. ||11-42|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 383 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [The bliss of the Lord is very kind that, here Arjuna although seeing the universal form by the Divine eyes is remembering the past deeds with the Lord. Many scholars say that Arjuna was in trance when he witnessed the Universal form. But for a person in trance he/she will not have consciousness upon the body and will be completely forgetful about the happenings around them. How can such persons remember the life’s past deeds? Never. Therefore that logic is not correct, and Arjuna was completely aware of the happenings around him, and was naturally thinking of his past deeds with Lord Sri Krishna as a friend or a relative, that means to say a pure devotee although seeing the divine opulence of the Lord, does not forget the relationship with the Lord, because the Supreme Lord is All pervading and He will be everything for the devotee.] You are the father, greater than the greatest teacher (guru), and the Supremely worshippable of this complete animate and inanimate creation. O Lord of infinite glory! There is none equal to You in all the three worlds, then how can anyone excel You? ||11-43|| [Being the cause for all causes, the Supreme Lord is the Father of everyone. Since He instructed the Vedas to the greatest teacher Brahma, the Lord is even a greater teacher than Brahma. As He is sustaining everything, He is greater than the greatest, and possesses infinite fame and glory. Thus there is nobody equal to or greater than the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 384 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 385 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Therefore, I prostrate myself unto Your feet and thus bowing down, I offer my respects unto You, who is the Lord capable of worship. O Lord, please forgive me and bear with me just as a father bears with a son, as a friend bears with a friend, and as a husband bears with his wife, for You alone is capable of showing mercy. ||11-44|| [By worshipping the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna as a son (Yashoda), as a lover (Radha), as a friend (Sudhama), and in many other relations we will be blessed, for such persons, the Lord will clean their sins and will show His mercy upon them.] I am rejoiced upon seeing this unseen and surprising form of Yours and at the same time my mind is disturbed by fear. Therefore O Lord, please show me Your previous Divine form (Vishnu). O Lord of Lords, O Abode of the Universe, be pleased. ||11-45|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 386 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 I would like to see You in the same form of wearing the crown, holding the mace and discus in hands. Therefore O Universal form, O thousand armed, please become Your former form of four hands only. ||11-46|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 387 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [Arjuna has become terrified upon seeing the Universal form of the Lord and is not able to see it any further, thus he asks the Lord to show His real previous form of four hands only. Arjuna had previously heard that Lord Sri Krishna is Maha Vishnu Himself. He had learnt this from sages such as Narada, but had never seen that form. Therefore here he is asking the Lord to show His merciful four-handed form. Before the war, when Lord Sri Krishna had come on His peace mission to the court of Dhrtarashtra then He had shown a part of His Vishvarupa to Duryodhana and others. But here, Arjuna saw the Lord’s Universal form in full. Arjuna has herein confirmed that nobody had seen such form of the Lord previously.] The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O Arjuna! Being pleased with you, I have shown you through My internal potency (power) this Supreme, Brilliant, Primal, and Infinite Universal form, which is not seen by anyone but you. ||11-47|| [Lord Sri Krishna had never before shown His Universal form to anyone. This is completely clarified here by the Lord Himself. As Arjuna was the true devotee of Lord Sri Krishna, he was given a chance of seeing the Universal form of the Lord, upon his request.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 388 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O great hero of the Kurus! In this mortal world I, in this form cannot be seen by anyone except you, either by the study of Vedas, nor by rituals, nor by charity, nor by actions, and not even by severe austerities. ||11-48|| [By properly understanding the philosophy of Gita, one can know the meaning of this verse. All devotees cannot get Divine vision. First, one has to become a pure soul like the demigods then worship Lord Sri Krishna with complete faith and devotion, for such a devotee there are possibilities of getting the Divine vision based on his choice or desire to see the Universal form. One cannot rise to the platform of demigods even by worship, sacrifices, study of scriptures, charity, or any other thing, then how can Divine vision come to such a person.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 389 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Seeing such a horrible form of Mine do not be afraid nor be illusioned. With a fearless and peaceful mind now you will see that form of Mine, which you desire to see. ||11-49|| [It is natural that Arjuna was filled with fear and distress, because to kill Bhishma and others, it was verily impossible for Arjuna. But when he saw them all dying in the Universal form, he became really afraid. Thus Lord Sri Krishna advises Arjuna not to attain fear or distress for, they are already killed before the war.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 390 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Sanjaya said: Lord Vaasudeva after saying this to Arjuna once again assumed His true form. The Lord being blissful and gentle consoled the frightened Arjuna. ||11-50|| [Arjuna had seen Lord Sri Krishna since his childhood in form of a human being. But when he heard of the Lord coming in the four-handed form to Vasudeva and Devaki and then assuming the child’s form, he became anxious to see that four-handed form of the Lord. Here the Lord has also satisfied this desire of Arjuna and finally, assumes His real form as Lord Sri Krishna. Although the various forms of Lord Sri Krishna are not of different from Him but still, there remains His original main form, which is the prime deity. And that is the two-handed (human) form of Lord Sri Krishna, in which He appeared on this very earth.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 391 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 Arjuna said: O Janardana! Upon seeing this most gracious human form of Yours, now my mind is peaceful and thus I have restored to my own nature. ||11-51|| [Here we come to know that the two-handed form is the original form of Lord Sri Krishna, because by this two-handed form, He gained the Universal form and then the four-handed form. And finally gained His original twohanded form. Many foolish scholars consider Him as a common man and make fun of Him. For them, the clear answer is here. Therefore those who have correctly and clearly understood the Gita do not speculate or doubt on its matters (contents). As practitioners of Gita, we must never listen to wrong commentators of the Gita. Doing so we will be doomed.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 392 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: The form of Mine which you are seeing (two-handed form) now is very difficult to see, because even the demigods are always eagerly desiring to see this form. ||11-52|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 393 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [According to this verse, the two-handed form is the original form of the Lord and is very difficult, and almost impossible to be seen. Even the demigods are longing to see that form because the demigods are only the elevated souls, which have received a better position from this material world. They desire to see the true form of the Lord because, they are present only to enjoy the fruits of their activities, and are thus not qualified to go to the abode of Lord Sri Krishna. But for a devotee, be it a demigod, human, demon, or anybody else he/she is capable of seeing Lord Sri Krishna and also His abode. Those who criticize the Lord, (even though one is aristocratic, filled with knowledge, wealthy, or a strong person) can never see the Lord.] Neither by the study of the Vedas, nor by penance, nor by charity, nor by rituals can I be seen in this form (two-handed) as you have seen Me. ||11-53|| [The same meaning of this verse is also told in the 48th verse. Therefore by forsaking all useless desires, we must think of the main two-handed form of the Lord (Sri Krishna). Then He shall gracefully show Himself to us.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 394 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Arjuna! I can be seen in this form (of two hands), I can be known in true essence, and I can be reached only by strong devotion towards Me. ||11-54|| [Lord Sri Krishna can be seen only through devotion. It is confirmed here. This cannot be neglected by anybody, because it is the voice or verdict of the Lord Himself, who is Eternal, Complete and ever Blissful. We cannot understand Him by condemning ideas or by mere speculative thoughts.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 395 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 O Pandava! One who works for My sake, depends on Me, is devoted to Me, has no attachment and is free from envy towards all beings. In this way, that person certainly attains Me. ||11-55|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 396 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-11 [Anybody who performs all actions in thoughts of Lord Sri Krishna and for the Lord’s sake, being pure in heart, and kind towards all beings such a person always in thoughts of Lord Sri Krishna reaches Him only. The Lord has told this many times. But still we are not aware or awake about His words.] Here ends the eleventh chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Vishwaroopadarshana Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 397 Chapter 12 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 Arjuna said: Which one is more perfect in yoga? Those who are always constantly engaged in Your devotional service or those who worship the Imperishable and Unmanifested (impersonal) Lord? ||12-1|| [There are two types of people worshipping the Lord; one is the group, which worships the Lord in His form. The other group worships the Lord in a formless state. The former one is called the personalist devotee and the latter being the impersonalist devotee. Here Arjuna inquires that who is greater or perfect among these two. This question of Arjuna can be considered for all the ages- former, future, or at present. The soul is not just matter- it has a subtle form. Lord Sri Krishna has a personalist form; whoever thinks of the Lord at the time of death shall reach the Lord’s abode. In t his way, those who think of His personalist form are considered as great yogis. Those who are not interested in the Lord’s personalist form take His impersonalist form for worship, such as the Lord’s brilliance or light etc.; Therefore Arjuna wants to know that which one is considered to be perfect among these two types.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 398 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: Those devotees constantly engaged with a steady mind in My thoughts and with great faith, worship Me in this personalist form of Mine are considered by Me as the greatest yogis. ||12-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 399 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 [Lord Sri Krishna has clearly, quickly and precisely answered Arjuna’s question. He says that He treats those who worship Him in His personalist form to be the greatest yogis. Therefore it is confirmed that the Lord has a definite form. To the impersonalists and hypocrites, the Lord is definitely telling about His own form thinking of which one can attain the Lord Himself. But still these hypocrite scholars do not accept it because of their ignorance and are acting as mischievous rascals in the society.] But those who control the sense perfectly and worship with a constant mind upon the Inconceivable, All pervading, Indefinite, Omnipresent, Unchanging, Immobile, Unmanifested and Imperishable, Impersonalist form of the Lord shall be engaged in the welfare of all beings and thus evenminded in everybody they shall also come to Me. ||12-3,4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 400 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 [Those who worship the Lord in the impersonalist form shall also attain Him, but they practice and worship in many births and at last by the grace of the Lord they come to know about the supremacy of Lord Sri Krishna and then they worship Him in His saguna or personalist form. Then, they shall attain Him. For impersonalist persons to reach the Lord, it is more difficult. They have to control their senses perfectly, must have an even-mind, and must be always in the welfare of others. Then only it will be possible for them to attain the Lord, or else it is not at all possible. This process of worshipping the impersonalist form is most difficult and dangerous. Therefore Lord Sri Krishna suggests us to take the easy way of worshipping His personalist form.] The minds of those interested in the Unmanifested form of the Lord have difficulties in their path of advancement because the goal of the Unmanifested Lord is hard to reach by the embodied beings. ||12-5|| [Here the state of impersonalists is explained. To attain the Lord in this way one needs to control the senses perfectly and must have loving attitude towards all beings. This process seems most difficult as per the words of the Lord Himself. Therefore it is clear to worship the manifested form of the Lord for, the advancement in this path becomes easy.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 401 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 402 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 But those who worship Me, by surrendering all actions to Me as the Ultimate goal, meditating upon Me with undivided devotional service. O Arjuna, to such persons with minds are set in Me, I deliver them quickly from this ocean of birth and death. ||12-6,7|| [These words of the Lord are of utmost importance because this is the only path prescribed by the Lord Himself to get liberated from all bondages. Only great devotees who are lucky enough, get freed from the clutches of material nature. To be always engaged in the devotional service of Lord Sri Krishna and performing every action for Him is the only perfect path to get liberated from this dreadful ocean of birth and death. The Lord Himself directly helps such persons. This path is not very difficult because all the actions performed by the senses are eventually surrendered only to Lord Sri Krishna. To think that the Lord is everywhere and in everything is the main idea, which comes to the mind. This completely and naturally leaves the body conscious out and helps in gaining Lord Sri Krishna as early as possible.] Fix your mind on Me; fix your intellect in Me alone. Then you shall reside in Me (attain Me). There is no doubt about it. ||12-8|| [Therefore, by worshipping the personalist form of the Lord, undoubtedly we can attain the relationship with Lord Sri Krishna. This is clearly expressed here.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 403 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 If you are unable to fix your mind firmly in Me then, O Dhananjaya try to reach Me by practicing constant concentration of thoughts in Me. ||12-9|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 404 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 [‘Practice makes man perfect’ is the proverb based on these teachings. Practice is very strong. Everything rests upon practice. Therefore devotional service unto the Lord must be developed by constant practice. By this practice of concentration on the Lord one can attain the Supreme Abode of the Lord.] If you are unable to practice concentrating on Me then, perform actions only for Me. Just by performing actions for My sake, you shall attain perfection. ||12-10|| [Even among those who perform actions unto the Lord’s sake, there are two types of people. Those who are interested in the Lord and the others are those not interested in the Lord. This is just like a person who although not interested in a Government job works there just for salary, while the other person works in accordance to the Government with interest. Although these two work for the Government, one who works with interest is quickly recognized and awarded, while the other receives only salary. Similarly, persons who perform actions with full interest towards the Lord attain the Lord quickly and easily, and those who are not interested attain material pleasures. Such pleasures are not permanent. Therefore, we must try to attain permanent positions, which are always imperishable and full of bliss.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 405 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 If you are not even capable of doing this, then try to give up all results of your actions to Me by subduing your mind and surrendering yourself unto Me. ||12-11|| [If there are disturbances in the services mentioned previously then we must give up all results of our actions to the Lord. Without aspiring for such results and performing our actions with devotion will lead us to perfection. This has to be constantly practised in order to engage oneself in perfect devotion.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 406 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 Even if you cannot practice this, then engage in the study of My knowledge. For, My knowledge is greater than such practices and better than My meditation. Superior to this, is the Renunciation of the fruits of action and from renunciation (fruits of action), one can immediately attain eternal peace. ||12-12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 407 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 [Of all the processes, the process of renunciation of the fruits of all actions is the most superior and it provides the eternal peace. If we perform actions without aspiring for their results, moreover by surrendering them to the Lord then peace will come on its own. By such peace, the Supreme Lord is easily available.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 408 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 409 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 One who is not envious of all beings, who is friendly and kind, who is free from attachment and ignorance, who is equal minded in both happiness and sorrow, who is always forgiving, ever content, self controlled, firmly determined in Me with mind and intellect dedicated to Me, such a Yogi being My devotee is very dear to Me. ||12-13,14|| [Again and again the Lord tells us to worship Him with the idea of renunciation of fruits of all actions, because the aspiration for the result is the main cause for bondage to all actions. Therefore we must leave the main cause unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord with complete knowledge. Then such a devotee will be dear to the Lord.] One who does not disturb the world, and who is not disturbed by the world, and one who is free from happiness, envy, fear, and distress, such a person is very dear to Me. ||12-15|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 410 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 One who is free from desires, who is pure, capable, expert, disinterested (in material things), free from all sorrows, and who renounces all initiative actions, such a person being My devotee is very dear to Me. ||12-16|| [Always engaged in Lord’s thoughts, forsaking desires and thus purifying the mind, intellect and body, and any sorrows, and having no aspiration to lead life materially, such a person is very dear to the Lord. Here the Lord refers only to Lord Sri Krishna for He is the Lord of all lords, and thus the Supreme Lord. Such a person becomes the pure devotee of the Lord and surrendering everything to the Lord, that person resides in peace only in the thoughts of Lord Sri Krishna, and is thus very dear to the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 411 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 One who neither becomes happy nor envious, neither grieves nor desires, and one who has renounced the results of all good and evil deeds, such a devoted person is very dear to Me. ||12-17|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 412 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 [To become happy on gaining the desired things or to grieve if they are not attained is the quality of an ordinary person. But to be a devotee of the Lord one must leave all good and evils in the name of the Lord and must reside in peace. Then the Lord will quickly recognize that person and will be immensely pleased.] One who is equal to friends and enemies, and also in honour and dishonour, alike in dualities such as heat and cold, happiness and distress, and who is always free from attachment, one who treats blame and praise as equal, who is silent, ever content with anything, careless for any place of residence, and one who is fixed in knowledge thus being a devoted person is very dear to Me. ||12-18,19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 413 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 [Throughout this chapter it is explained about those persons who are very dear to Lord Sri Krishna. The qualities of persons expressed here if present in anybody then, such a person has to be considered as a great yogi and such a great yogi being a devotee of the Lord is very dear to Him. There is no mention of caste or creed here. At higher levels of consciousness and realization, it is only the qualities that differentiate one person from another. Not the stupid birth factor as normal people follow while considering status.] And those who follow this immortal wisdom of devotional service with complete faith and thinking of Me as the Supreme goal, such devotees are very most dear to Me. ||12-20|| [This wisdom of Dharma as explained by Lord Sri Krishna is the most superior knowledge and is also nectarine knowledge which is in full accordance with the scriptures. Human beings are bound to follow the rules laid down by such scriptures. By following them if any person engages the self with full faith in the service of Lord Sri Krishna, then that person is most dear to the Lord. This yoga has to be performed by subduing the mind and intellect in the service of Lord Sri Krishna completely surrendering to the Lord. This is the right way to worship and such devotional service unto the Lord is the greatest of all processes of yoga or worship.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 414 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-12 Here ends the twelfth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Bhakti Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 415 Chapter 13 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 arjuna uv ca prakrtim purusam caiva ksetram ksetra-jñam eva ca | etad veditum icch mi jñ nam jñeyam ca ke ava ||13-1|| Arjuna said: O Keshava, I would like to know about nature and the ultimate enjoyer (of nature), and the field and the knower of the field; also I would like to know about knowledge and the object of knowledge. ||13-1|| [This chapter is of great importance. Many so-called scholars have misunderstood and misinterpreted the essence of this chapter. Prakrti is Nature. Purusha is the enjoyer of Prakrti. Thus Purusha is the ultimate enjoyer. Kshetra is field; Kshetrajna is the knower of the field. The Lord in the subsequent verses will give all these definitions. Arjuna’s inquisitiveness has gained a very exalted position. He now is completely desirous of knowing all that is pervading this universe and who is doing so. What lies within and what lies beyond.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 416 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O son of Kunti! This body is called as Kshetra (field), and one who knows this is called Kshetrajna (the knower of the field) by seekers of knowledge. ||13-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 417 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [The body is called as field and the soul residing in the body is called as knower of the field. We need a place to grow plants and thus we plough seeds in a particular land. Similarly, the body is also a place for the soul to experience its past deeds. Thus the body is called as the field and that (soul) which experiences its results is called as the knower of the field. It is not difficult to understand the relationships such as body and soul or house and owner. The body keeps on growing from infancy until the old age and the soul residing in the body remains constant without any change. The soul gaining the body thinks I, Mine etc., such conditions are explained further. This body is Kshetra. One who knows that this body is not permanent, and also knows the nature of such a body is really knowledgeable about this body (Kshetra). And such a person is called Kshetrajna by seekers of knowledge. This is exactly the first level of understanding about Kshetra and Kshetrajna. The summary is as follows: Body = Kshetra; One who knows the truth about this body (a realized Soul) = Kshetrajna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 418 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 And O descendent of Bharata! Also know Me to be the Kshetrajna (Supreme soul) in all the Kshetras (bodies). In My opinion, understanding this Kshetra and Kshetrajna is called knowledge. ||13-3|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 419 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [In every body Lord Sri Krishna in the form of Paramatma (Supreme soul) resides with the Jivatma (soul) as a witness to its actions. He does not take part in the actions of the soul. He will be the Supreme soul. The soul residing in a body knows only of that body but not of others; while the Supreme soul residing in everybody knows everyone and everything about them. To understand this fact is called as real knowledge. So now, the second level of understanding about Kshetra and Kshetrajna is: Body = Kshetra; The Supreme Soul (Paramatma) residing in all the Kshetras (bodies) is known to be = Kshetrajna. He is the real knower, the ultimate knowledgeable Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the opinion of Lord Sri Krishna, knowing this much is said to have attained knowledge.] Now hear from Me briefly about that Kshetra, what it is like, what are its changes, when it came, and who that Kshetrajna is, and also about its powers. ||13-4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 420 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 The truth about the Kshetra and Kshetrajna has been told by the great sages in many ways, it has been explained separately through various Vedic literatures and hymns, and similarly has been told in the conclusive and reasoned text of the Brahma sutras. ||13-5|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 421 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [Lord Sri Krishna is the basis and authority of all knowledge; but still He has told about the various authoritative sources such as great sages, Vedic hymns, the Brahma sutras-the conclusion of all the Vedas, also known as Vedanta-sutras. The Supreme Lord now provides only a brief summary and for detailed knowledge about this, one must refer the above-mentioned scriptures. The study of this knowledge should be done in a similar manner as told by the Supreme Lord and not by any other speculative means.] The five great elements, ignorance (ego), intelligence, the unmanifested, the ten senses, the mind and five sense objects, desire, hatred, happiness, sorrow, the physical body, consciousness, and firmness. In this way, this Kshetra has been briefly explained with its modifications. ||13-6,7|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 422 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [The five great elements are: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. The three types of nature are: ignorance, intelligence, and the unmanifested. The single one is the mind. Of the ten senses, five are organs of action such as voice, legs, hands, the anus, and the genitals. While the other five are for acquiring knowledge such as the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin (touch). The five sense objects are sound, taste, touch, colour, and smell. All these 5+3+1+10+5=24 constitute the Kshetra and its elements. The other things described such as desire, hatred, happiness, sorrow, the physical body, consciousness, and firmness are the modifications of the Kshetra. This has been briefly summarized here but for detailed study one must study the previously mentioned scriptures such as Brahma sutras.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 423 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Humility, uprightness, non-violence, forgiveness, simplicity, service to the teacher (guru), cleanliness, consistency, self-control, detachment towards sense objects, absence of ignorance (ego), contemplating again and again on the evils and sorrows of birth, death, old age, and disease, unattached to children, wife, home, and other material desires, even minded in good and bad events and their results, absence of attachment, constant and steadfast devotion unto Me, nature of living in clean and lonely places, dislike for the crowd of people, ever fixed in spiritual knowledge, seeking God as the object of true knowledge: all these are declared to be the real knowledge and anything other than this is said to be ignorance. ||13-8,9,10,11,12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 424 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [The processes explained above are all true knowledge. If one follows them then, that person shall be turned towards the Supreme Lord. For the soul, which has been residing in the body made up of 24 ingredients explained earlier, this process of knowledge is the only way out. These processes of knowledge end up in the service of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore if one engages the self in devotion of the Lord then, all knowledge shall come to such a devotee easily. But without a proper guru, this process of knowledge cannot be successfully implemented. Those who preach this knowledge to others are called as people of non-violent ideas and those who are against these ideas are violent people. Non-violence must be practised with tolerance. This path has dishonour and infamy to the striver of non-violence (like Prahlad Maharaja). Non-violence is the term referring here to the thoughts of those people who have all the aforesaid qualifications (not mere leaders or politicians). Therefore, one can know about the origin of the Kshetra but the origin of the Kshetrajna cannot be traced, because it is eternal. Similarly Paramatma is the Supreme soul and is also eternal. Such eternal Supreme Lord is called Supreme Brahman. Therefore the word Brahma here does not refer to Jivatma (soul), because the soul is always in service of the Supreme soul. Now the further verses explain about the material world and the Supreme soul.] I will now completely explain to you the object of knowledge, knowing this you will savour the eternal. That is called Brahman; having no beginning and remaining subordinate to me, it lies beyond the Sat (cause) and Asat (effect) of (this material universe). ||13-13|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 425 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 With hands and legs spread everywhere; with eyes, heads, and mouths on all sides; with ears everywhere, He is situated and existing by pervading everything. ||13-14|| [The Universal form of the Lord must be understood properly. The all pervading and eternal Para Brahman has created many universes and living creatures and He is situated in all those universes and living entities. Every being will have eyes, ears, nose, hands, legs, head, face, and other organs. The Supreme Lord situated in all living forms will also tend to have those innumerable hands, legs, and other organs. This is explained briefly in the Universal form. This means the Lord has infinite organs. Though He is situated in every being He has His own abode and He also resides there. This is Lord Sri Krishna’s Supreme power, which remains unparalleled. He accepts the offerings given to Him and thus He says that He accepts anything offered with devotion unto Him. We may say how can the Lord situated in Vaikunta accept our offerings? But the answer is, just as He is present everywhere and in everyone He accepts them very easily without any hardship. This is His unequalled power. One must not doubt about this power of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 426 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Although perceiving all sense-objects, He is without any senses. He is unattached and above the modes of nature, but at the same time He is the sustainer of all and the enjoyer of the modes of nature. ||13-15|| [The Supreme Lord’s qualities are described here. His organs or senses are not physical as those found in the material world. They are spiritually divine. Therefore He is unattached to the three modes of nature (gunas) and is thus called Nirguna (having no material attributes), or Trigunatita (above the three modes of material nature). Although He is situated in the material bodies in form of Paramatma, He remains unattached to them and remains outside from the whole of material boundaries. Then how can we understand Him when He transcends himself to this material world? As He has to mingle with the material nature He appears along with His internal potency. This is called ‘Pratyaksha’ (seen). He is eternal, complete with all knowledge, intelligence, strength, wealth, fame, and renunciation. When one understands such Supreme Lord, only then only can the Lord’s cosmic form be seen. Having these impure senses we are totally unfit to see Him. By acquiring the divine sight of true knowledge we can see Him. The impersonalists can never understand this simple fact.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 427 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 He has pervaded inside and outside all the beings and even constitutes the living and non-living, and because He is subtle, He cannot be known. He is also situated very near to all and is also very far away. ||13-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 428 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [Lord Sri Krishna is here explaining Himself and is sometimes deluding us but the Lord is glorifying Himself. This must be clearly understood. Here the supremacy of the Lord is described. He is situated within the beings and inside the five great elements and also in the senses. But He cannot be realized through material conception. But still, those who engage their mind, body, intellect, and senses in the complete service of the Lord and thus purify them, they can see the Lord. Such persons perceive the Supreme Lord within and outside them. This is true knowledge.] He is undivided and yet He seems to be divided in all the beings. He, being the only object worth knowing is the sustainer of all beings, the destroyer and the creator of all. ||13-17|| [The Supreme Lord is only one and is situated in one place only but is spread everywhere. This means, He is spread everywhere in the form of Paramatma. He has pervaded everything just as the sky appears scattered in the pots kept on earth. He devours everything at the time of ultimate destruction (Pralaya). Such Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is situated like the Sun at a single place but as the Sun is present everywhere even in the form of heat and we feel Him. Similarly the Supreme Lord in His various forms is present everywhere evenly. But we are unable to feel Him just because of our ignorance. These are the confirmed words of the Vedas (scriptures).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 429 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 He is said to be the light of all lights, beyond the darkness of ignorance. He is knowledge, object of knowledge, and the goal of knowledge and is situated in the hearts of all. ||13-18|| [The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is explaining Himself and none else. This has to be firmly established in mind. The Supreme Lord is the source of all lights. He Himself is the form of light and from His luminance the Sun and Moon are receiving light. The material universe requires the light of the Sun, but the light of the Supreme Lord illuminates the Supreme abode forever. He is beyond the darkness of ignorance and is never devoid of light.] In this way, the Kshetra (body), knowledge, and the object of knowledge (God) have been briefly described: knowing this clearly in reality My devotee attains to My nature. ||13-19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 430 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [Now Lord Sri Krishna says ‘Me’ and ‘My’, that clearly means that the previously explained ‘He’ and ‘Lord’ are none other than Lord Sri Krishna Himself. He has explained Himself clearly and briefly, for nobody other than Him can explain Him. To understand the body, knowledge, and God is called as Vijnana (science). Such science and knowledge of the Supreme Lord when clearly understood through a proper teacher yields to the Lord’s absolute and ever blissful grace. To know this is the main objective of all beings and for this reason the human form of body is provided to go back to the Supreme abode. If this is realized then the life becomes sublime otherwise it remains only base and nothing else, just in dark ignorance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 431 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Know that Prakrti (material nature) and Purusha (soul) are both without any beginning and also know that all modifications and modes of nature have evolved from the Prakrti. ||13-20|| [Here Prakrti means the material nature and Purusha means the soul. The material nature and soul are beginning less (permanent). It must be known that the three modes of nature namely: goodness, passion, and ignorance and also their modifications are born from this material nature.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 432 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Prakrti (material nature) is said to be responsible for bringing forth the evolutes, and the instruments; while the individual soul (Purusha) is said to be the cause for the experience of happiness and sorrow. ||13-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 433 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [Here, the five subtle elements are: earth, fire, water, air, and ether. The five sense objects are: sound, colour, taste, touch, and smell. Totally these ten constitute the kaarya (evolutes). While the three psychic organs: intellect, mind, and ego and the five senses of feeling such as ear, eye, tongue, skin, nose, with the five organs of action: tongue, hand, feet, generative organ, and anus. Totally these thirteen constitute the karana (instruments). Bound by the three modes of nature, the soul is striving great hardships. It is experiencing pleasure and pain by residing in the 84,00,000 species of life. Some struggle hard and attain happiness while some others are struggling only in pain. One attains such pleasures and pains due to the previous actions. When the soul gets a body, due to its ego it is bound by the modes to strive in that body. For example, when one gets a body of a pig, it has to live in the gutter and it sometimes receives pleasure and sometimes pain. This is bondage and happens according to the laws of material nature. Bondage comes due to action. The soul has to live according to the body it has gained, be it of a human or of a demigod. But the Supreme Lord resides in everybody in the form of Paramatma and He remains uncontaminated from the modes of nature. He only remains as a witness to our activities in various bodies.] The soul being seated in the nature enjoys the modes born of such nature. The contact and attachment to the modes is the cause of its birth in good and evil species of life. ||13-22|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 434 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [This verse tells us about the process by which the souls attain various bodies. When a soul is subjected to the rule of this material nature then due to the contact with its modes, it forgets its true identity and performs actions to accumulate sins and virtues, due to which it attains further different bodies. Thus the soul suffers on attaining various bodies in this material world and gets entangled in the cycle of birth and death. The soul is ever permanent and an ever-blissful part of the Lord. But due to its association with nature, it loses its true knowledge of such a real identity with God. The soul can attain the bliss by overcoming the modes of nature. Therefore intelligent persons do not waste their lives in aspiring and desiring for material objects. They always engage themselves in the faithful loving devotional service of the Lord. Even if they have any troubles it will be due to their past actions which yield results in this birth. But complete surrendering to the Lord washes away all sins and provides the path to return to our real place, the abode of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 435 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 The soul although present in this body has no affinity with it because the Supreme soul present in this body is said to be the witness, permitting authority, sustainer, experiencing, and such a Great Lord is known as Paramatma. ||13-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 436 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [If the soul is the part of the Lord then why does it come to this painful material world? Why does it experience pains and pleasures in the various species of life? Why does it suffer and gets attached to actions when the Lord is in it? The reasons are: 1) Without surrendering or without being obedient to the Lord and aspiring to attain His qualities, we all became ignorant and envious of Him. Thus the Lord kept us in this cage of material nature. 2) By entangling ourselves in this material nature and its attributes such as goodness, passion, ignorance and other modifications, we perform various virtuous and sinful actions due to which, the Lord provides us pleasure and pain accordingly. 3) But the Lord is so merciful that without leaving us alone He too stays within us and at times inspires us to turn towards Him. But still as we do not accept Him, we are suffering and are bound to actions. However, those who know these reasons from the perfect teacher who is full of knowledge, and practice faithfully and devotedly unto the Supreme Lord, they again return back to the Divine Abode of the Supreme Lord with His blessings. And such souls never return to this material universe.] In this way, one who knows the soul and the nature with the modes he, regardless of his positions and actions never again takes birth here. ||13-24|| [This verse is confined to those who learn clearly about the Soul, God, Nature, and its modes through a proper teacher. And even though they seem to be disregarding the boundaries of the scriptures, they are freed from all bondage of actions and thus, they get liberated from this cycle of birth and death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 437 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Some perceive the Lord (Paramatma) through meditation in the heart with their sharp intellect, others through the discipline of knowledge, while still others through the discipline of action. ||13-25|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 438 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [In this material world, many people worship in various ways the Supreme Soul (Paramatma). Some try to perceive Him through meditation, some through knowledge (discussions), and some others through the performance of selfless action. Those who practice any of these three ways with faith and devotion and purity of mind see the Lord situated in their hearts. This is called as self-realization. After this realization, there is no necessity to be bound to actions or to the rules given in the scriptures. The person at such a stage will be above all these levels and thus liberated, becomes permanent and ever blissful. This is the real aim or ambition to be attained by everyone.] And other than these, there are people who, not knowing thus, listen and practice from others. And those persons able to listen only are also certainly qualified to overcome this cycle of birth and death. ||13-26|| [Other than meditation, discussion, and selfless action, the people who listen these from persons of knowledge with complete faith and try to see the Lord are also liberated from this material world. Nowadays, spiritual knowledge is generally not liked by all. Everybody has turned towards luxury and enjoyment in life. To attain such enjoyments they are wandering here and there day and night and are forgetting the Lord, and are acting like animals. However, if anybody hears about the Lord from real authorities with interest and faith, they too get liberated from this bondage. If they do not get interested in the Lord or spiritual knowledge, then it is because from ages they are bound to this material nature and experiencing again and again the birth and death cycle, they consider it as permanent and think that there is nothing beyond it. Thus due to their ignorance and lack of proper guidance they lose interest and faith in God. To regain it, the mercy and grace of the Lord and also the teachings of a perfect teacher are most essential. It will be possible only if we show real interest towards such knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 439 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 O greatest of the Bharatas! Whatever entity is born, animate or inanimate know it to be born from the union of the Kshetra (body) and the Kshetrajna (knower of the field, soul). ||13-27|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 440 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 [Anything present in the creation has been born by the union of the body and the soul or the soul with the nature. The animate or inanimate beings cannot survive without the presence of Paramatma (the Supreme soul). This union of animate and inanimate with the nature has been ever present and is only due to the Lord’s potency. The meaning for Kshetra and Kshetrajna here is in the first level of our understanding: Kshetra = body; Kshetrajna = Soul.] One who sees the imperishable Supreme soul (Paramatma) situated equally in all the perishable beings; sees only the truth. ||13-28|| [Although the Supreme lord is present as a witness in all the beings, He is in no way attached or connected to them. That means, He is uncontaminated by the modes of nature. That also means, He seems to be absent even though present. Even if the entire universe is destroyed, He remains undestroyed. This is because the universes are temporary and the Supreme Lord and His abode are ever permanent. Those who know this are the real persons of knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 441 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Because, one who sees the Lord present equally everywhere does not destroy himself by himself, thereby he attains to the Supreme goal. ||13-29|| [One who sees the Supreme Lord present everywhere through knowledge does not degrade himself or herself by thinking only about the present body. Instead, such a person regards the self to be eternal, as it is the soul. In this way, such persons knowing about their self and about the Lord in them attain to the Supreme goal.] And one who sees all actions having performed in all ways by the nature itself and sees the soul as the non-doer sees only the truth. ||13-30|| [Nature is different. Soul is different. Nature is doer and the soul is the nondoer. As the body belongs to the nature it performs actions with the will of it. Nature is created out of the Lord’s will and the soul is situated in the nature. The soul is ever blissful but because of its connection with nature, it feels as if it is the doer. But one who realizes the self as the non-doer and the nature as the doer is truly fixed in knowledge. Such a person gains the true knowledge of the Absolute.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 442 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 When one realizes that the different state of beings is centered at one place (in the Lord) and is an expansion from that position alone, then he attains the Supreme Brahman. ||13-31|| [When one realizes that everything is a form of the Lord and the Lord has pervaded everywhere; then such a person easily attains the Supreme Brahman (Lord).] O son of Kunti! The Supreme soul being eternal, beyond the modes, and permanent, though residing in the body, does not perform action nor does it get entangled to it. ||13-32|| [Although the Supreme Lord is present in this material body made up of the material nature, He remains eternal, unattached, and beyond the modes, and thus is permanent. He is not subjected to the actions nor is bound to their results. Similarly, the soul is also permanent, beyond the modes, and thus eternal. Those who know this clearly and properly are the real persons of knowledge and are truly liberated.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 443 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Just as the all-pervading space (sky) is not entangled to anything due to its subtle nature, similarly the soul although situated everywhere in the body does not get entangled (mixed) to it. ||13-33|| [The ether, though present everywhere is not mixed with anything similar to oil present on water. Although oil is there in water, it is not immersed or mixed by water. This is exactly how the soul always remains different from the body. It only seems to have assumed the body but it always remains different from the body.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 444 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 O Bharata! Just as the single Sun is illuminating this entire universe similarly the knower of the field (Kshetrajna, soul) is illuminating the whole field (Kshetra, bodies). ||13-34|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 445 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 In this way, one who knows the difference between the field (body) and the knower of the field (soul), with the liberation of beings from nature through the eye of wisdom, such a person attains to the Supreme goal. ||13-35|| [One should know the distinction between the body, the soul, the Supreme soul, and the nature. Anyone who has clearly understood the distinction between these has in reality become eligible to attain the Supreme goal.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 446 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-13 Here ends the thirteenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled KshetraKshetrajnaVibhaaga Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 447 Chapter 14 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: I shall now tell you that Supreme knowledge which is the best of all knowledge. Knowing which all sages have attained the highest perfection and got liberated from this material world. ||14-1|| By acquiring this knowledge and having attained into My being, such persons are not born at the time of creation nor are they destroyed (disturbed) at the time of final annihilation. ||14-2|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 448 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O Bharata! My nature that is known as the great Brahma is the source of all creatures; in that source (womb) I place the seed of all life. Then by the combination of these with the soul, all beings take birth. ||14-3|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 449 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [The threefold material nature and the souls are capable only to take birth from the Supreme Lord. Cosmic intelligence is the cause for the creation of this material universe. Therefore it is known as Great Brahman. The Supreme Lord places the seed of cosmic intelligence in the womb of nature and thus produces innumerable universes. Such a seed in the womb has all the creations in it. And the cause for that seed is only the Supreme Lord. Therefore He is called as cause for all causes.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 450 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O son of Kunti! Of all the bodies that take birth from different species of life, this Maha Brahma is the mother and I am the seed-giving father. ||14-4|| [That means the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is the father of all creations and is the cause for all causes. Everything rests in Him in the form of seed and from Him, Maha Brahma is evolved to create and develop the further creation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 451 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O mighty armed! The three modes born out of nature namely: goodness (Sattva), passion (Rajas), and ignorance (Tamas) bind the imperishable soul in the body. ||14-5|| [The individual soul in reality is imperishable and permanent; but due to its association with the three modes of nature, it becomes subjected to bondage in the material body.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 452 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O Sinless one! Of these, the mode of goodness being uncontaminated is illuminating and pure, and thus it binds by creating attachment towards happiness and knowledge. ||14-6|| [The Supreme Lord is situated in the purest goodness form, but He is away from sinful actions. Similarly the soul as a part of the Lord is also in the mode of goodness and is away from sorrows and sins, but due to the attachment towards happiness and knowledge it gets bound to the nature.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 453 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O son of Kunti! Know the emotional mode of passion to be born from desire and attachment. It binds the soul through attachment to actions. ||14-7|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 454 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [This mode of passion is full of activities. When this mode increases in a person then that person becomes activated for the lust of material enjoyment. The thirst of the senses keeps on increasing. That person then tries to attain a companion, children, house, land, and what not. That person works hard for various activities. This material world is running only on this mode of passion. Human civilization seems to have started developing on the mode of goodness but it is now understood to be in the mode of passion and along with it the mode of ignorance has pervaded everywhere and is thus leading to destruction.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 455 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 And O Bharata! Know that the mode of ignorance which illusions all living entities to be born from the darkness. It binds the soul through madness, laziness, and drowsiness. ||14-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 456 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [Mode of ignorance means sleepy, laziness, forgetfulness, darkness, lack of knowledge, and such other things. This is completely opposite to the mode of goodness. Some people, in spite of being mentally or physically strong, lose their aim of life through sleep or laziness. Death is inevitable to all but still, people are accumulating wealth and other sense enjoyments even though they are not in need for them. There must be a limit, a limit to our desires. For such accumulation, everybody being unaware or ignorant of his or her soul is striving hard day and night without any proper guidance. Though somebody guides them on the spiritual path they are not in a position to hear and are not interested in them. Such a person is easily known to be guided by the mode of ignorance. Those filled with goodness or even passion try to learn the knowledge of the self are real intellectuals. Not those who earn money, accumulate houses, lands, properties, wealth, and other material things. Whatever one may acquire but have to leave them one day. When the body, which enjoys sense objects, is itself perished then what is the use of all material things. Knowing this truth one must acquire only what is essential to lead the life. And to strive for attaining knowledge of the self from a proper teacher must become the main goal in life, and for that the ignorant mode has to be completely subdued and forsaken.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 457 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O Bharata! The mode of goodness puts one to happiness, the mode of passion puts one to action, and the mode of ignorance covers the knowledge and puts one to madness. ||14-9|| [Persons with the mode of goodness have knowledge and thus engage themselves in the spiritual path to uplift themselves. Persons having mode of passion perform fruitful actions working hard to attain material objects for sense enjoyment. While the persons having the mode of ignorance do not perform anything for anyone. They are ignorant even for their own rise.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 458 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 And O Bharata! When the mode of goodness is active, it subdues the passionate and ignorant modes; when the mode of passion is active, it subdues the goodness and ignorant modes; and when the mode of ignorance is dominating, it subdues the modes of goodness and passion. ||14-10|| [When one mode increases, the other two get subdued. But for those who prefer to live the spiritual path, this mode of goodness has to be firmly practised. These modes are attained according to our own thoughts. There is a very popular saying: “I think, therefore I am.”] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 459 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 When the body, inner self, and the senses are illumined and filled by knowledge, then it has to be understood that the mode of goodness is predominant (active). ||14-11|| [That means when one hears, sees, or smells a good thing through ears, eyes, nose, mouth etc., then if these processes are purified by knowledge then the person must be known to be situated in the mode of goodness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 460 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O best of Bharatas! When the mode of passion is predominating, then greed, activeness, performance of actions, unsteadiness of mind, and lust for sense enjoyments are all seen. ||14-12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 461 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [A passionate person never sits for a while nor wastes time. Such a person always keeps on working constantly like ants and dogs to acquire companion, children, houses, properties, wealth, etc., though having one house, such a person is not satisfied and to make more and more houses he works hard forgetting his own self, and also not knowing that the self is temporary with this body, such a person will be illusioned and deluded by the material nature and spends the whole lifetime only for the satisfaction of the senses. Such persons are most commonly seen and they must be understood to be in the mode of passion. Nowadays, seeing the materially opulent nations, other so called developing nations are also getting spoiled by imitating them. People are striving greedily to acquire more and more money.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 462 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 O son of Kuru! When the mode of ignorance is predominating, then darkness, inactivity, madness, performing useless tasks, and illusion are all seen. ||14-13|| [Illusion, drowsiness, inactiveness, disinterestedness, useless actions, madness, and darkness are the marks of an ignorant person. Therefore no one must develop this mode of ignorance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 463 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 When a person leaves the body (dies) during the predominance of the mode of goodness then that person goes to the heavenly planets of excellent and pure sages. ||14-14|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 464 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 When a person leaves the body (dies) during the predominance of passion then that person takes birth again in this world among those engaged in fruitful actions. And when a person leaves the body (dies) during the predominance of ignorance then that person takes birth in the species of deluded creatures (animals). ||14-15|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 465 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [Many persons think that after their death there is nothing and if there is something then let it happen and thus they say ‘whatever we do here is great’ and always keep on doing useless, nonsense actions which degrades them. Still others say that after death in a human form, there is no degradation and there is birth again in the human species. But this verse is condemning such thoughts and is proving them false. The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna has clearly mentioned about the rebirth of persons who leave their body in various modes. If one does not worship God with faith then there is no guarantee for a human form once again. This is because from this gained human body one may be driven to the animal species depending upon the modes of our acquired nature and from there such a soul will have to develop stages of coming up in the species of life. If it is capable to do so, fine, otherwise it is lost forever in the darkness of births and deaths in the 84,00,000 species of life. This is the real process. Therefore by taking shelter in the mode of goodness one must try to attain the absolute goal - the goal of reaching the abode of the Supreme Lord. Even in the human form there are various degrees of births in goodness, passionate, and ignorant families. But due to an increase in goodness such a soul takes birth only in similar families and thus continues its process of self-realization. This must be clearly understood and constantly practiced.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 466 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 The fruit of good actions is said to be faultless and pure; the fruit of passionate actions is sorrowful; and the fruit of ignorant actions is foolishness. ||14-16|| [The actions performed in the mode of goodness provides purity, virtues and happiness free from all illusions. The fruit of actions performed in the mode of passion are sorrowful and painful. When we work for ourselves or for companion, children, land, house etc., there is sorrow, pain or unhappiness. There might be a little happiness, but it is not the true happiness. And the fruit of actions performed in the mode of ignorance result in delusion, foolishness, and fruitlessness. The animals always remain in ignorance and thus when one dies in ignorance such a person is sure to attain the animal species of life. A person of ignorant nature by slaying animals takes birth back in the animal species and suffers. Nowadays in this modern world the modes of passion and ignorance have increased verily and to such an extent that unhappiness, distress, murders, robberies, quarrels, wars, illicit sex, and many other useless actions are seen in large quantities in every sphere and walk of life. The Governments and politicians are also of the same mentality, due to which the whole world is being misguided in a wrong and disastrous path. This path on which we are being led is very dangerous and full of sorrows and yet we seem to be happy. This is called as illusion or Maya. To get freed from this path, politicians and Governments must provide ways for the people to move only in the path of goodness so that the real goal of life is accomplished.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 467 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 Knowledge arises from the mode of goodness, greed undoubtedly arises from the mode of passion, and madness, illusion, attachment and lack of knowledge arises from the mode of ignorance. ||14-17|| [Here knowledge means not the college or school education. These college and schools are useless places of creating illusion, attachment and ignorance. Knowledge means that education which teaches us as to how to get freed from this cycle of birth and death. Such knowledge is only attainable by the persons in the mode of goodness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 468 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 Persons situated in the mode of goodness go to the higher planets (heavenly), those in the mode of passion stay in the middle (earthly) and those in mode of ignorance being engaged in sleep, madness, and laziness go downwards (hellish planets). ||14-18|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 469 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [As previously mentioned, people nowadays are engaged and involved in the modes of passion and ignorance predominantly. Therefore we have to try and develop the mode of goodness in large quantities, so that we may subdue the other two. Though the higher planets are gained or not, but for a person of goodness, good wisdom, mental peace, and great prosperity prevails. For a person of passion, prosperity may be attained in a little quantity or may be large but such a person will never have mental peace or even good wisdom. And for a person of ignorance, knowledge, wisdom, peace and prosperity are totally absent and sorrow prevails. Any ignorant or passionate person can strive to attain for goodness but those who do not strive to attain it cannot reach the goal of life forever.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 470 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 When the true seer perceives no other agent than the modes and also knows in reality the Supreme Lord beyond the modes, such a person then gains (access to) My Spiritual Form. ||14-19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 471 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [Nothing beyond the modes means, the Supreme Lord has Himself created the modes, but still He is beyond the modes. The soul getting entangled in the modes of this material nature when realizes from a proper teacher about its coming here, gains the true knowledge. If not such a soul becomes helpless in the clutches of these modes. When a soul crosses the modes and sees its true form as a servant to the Lord and gains self-realization. It gets access to seeing the Spiritual form of the Lord. After leaving the body, it attains the form of the Lord but does not become one with God nor does it become God.] When the embodied soul rises above these three modes out of which the body is evolved, and getting liberated from birth, death, old age and other sorrows, such a soul attains immortality (the Supreme Lord). ||14-20|| [The three modes of nature have been already described. These are the most powerful three types of strong nets, which bind a soul due to its presence in the body. The ignorant net is the most difficult to get liberated from; the passionate net is a little tough, but the goodness net is lesser tough to get liberated from. In reality, all three nets are difficult to surpass. By cutting across these three nets and crossing over the material nature’s clutches, one will surely attain liberation and shall never again fall to these strong nets again.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 472 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 Arjuna said: What are the symptoms present in a person who is beyond these three modes and what are his behaviors of conduct? And O Lord, how does he transcend the three modes? ||14-21|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 473 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [This question of Arjuna is remarking and natural to human thinking. The material nature and its modes are already explained. After knowing these modes what needs to be known next is Arjuna’s inquisitive question. That means how to recognize a person who has crossed the three modes of nature? How does such a person live? How does such a person behave? And Arjuna also asks that how does such a person cross these modes of nature.] The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: O Pandava! He does not hate illumination, activity, and illusion when they are present nor does he long for them when they are absent. ||14-22|| He who, sitting like a disinterested person is not disturbed (moved) by the modes, and knowing that the modes alone act in the modes, he becomes firmly established and never degrades from that elevated position. ||14-23|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 474 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 He treats happiness and sorrow alike, resides in his own self, regards sand, stone and gold alike, is firm and views equally the praise and blame, evenminded in pleasant and the unpleasant, remains the same in honour and dishonour, and treats friends and enemies alike. He has given up all fruitful actions and responsibilities and is thus said to have risen above the modes of nature. ||14-24,25|| [One who has risen above the modes never takes the dualities explained above to the mind but remains always in the service of the Lord with the senses, mind, and intellect and thus treats everything alike. When the senses are engaged in the service of the Lord then gradually they are restrained from gaining material enjoyment. When the senses are restrained, then the modes of nature cannot bear their effects on them. And at that particular stage, the soul becomes completely freed from the clutches of material nature and thus gets liberated from the cycle of birth and death.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 475 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 And he who serves Me constantly with exclusive devotion rises above these three modes very easily and thus becomes qualified to attain the form of Brahman (God). ||14-26|| [This material world is progressing on the basis of these three modes of nature. These modes are extremely powerful. As the soul is a part of the Lord it also has some powers but it does not recognize them due to its bondage with the modes of material nature. However those who render every service unto the Lord with exquisite devotion and firm faith shall be certainly eligible to recognize their real form - the form of the Supreme Lord Himself. This does not mean that such a person becomes God. No. It means that the soul reaches the abode of the Lord and attaining the form of the Lord serves Him with pure devotion. Here Brahman means the Supreme Lord and none else.] And I myself am the basis of the imperishable Brahman that is the abode of immortality, eternal Dharma, and absolute (single) bliss. ||14-27|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 476 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-14 [Brahma here refers to the soul and is on the basic level. Paramatma on the middle stage, and the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is the absolute stage with eternal bliss. The soul being a part of the Supreme Lord is also a storehouse for the eternal bliss because it is permanent, imperishable, indestructible, ever blissful, beyond the modes of nature, and filled with all knowledge. In the Taittariya Upanishad it is expressed ‘Raso Vai Sah’ (2:7:1) which tells the absolute eternal bliss. It means, “He is filled with complete bliss”. Therefore to attain such absolute bliss, we need to constantly move on the path of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna’s service with utmost faith and devotion unto Him.] Here ends the fourteenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Gunatrayavibhaaga Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 477 Chapter 15 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: There is a banyan tree, which has its roots upwards, and its branches downward and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. It is called as ‘Imperishable’ and whoever knows such a tree in reality knows the Vedas. ||15-1|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 478 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 [This chapter tells us that what are the Vedas and what is its message. Everyone commonly sees the banyan tree. Its roots, branches and leaves are very interesting. Its branches are innumerable. The worship of Banyan tree is very common and of great importance in India, because our ancestors have told that women, men, and children can grasp spiritual knowledge by this banyan tree. Observing materialistically if we engage ourselves in these branches i.e. the various actions told in the Vedas, then the Supreme Brahman cannot be realized. But if we realize that the roots of this tree have started from the abode of Brahma, then we can be released from the clutches of this material nature. From its main roots Sankhya, nature, soul, modes, five elements, ten senses and minds etc., have spread downwards. Thus, only by knowing the essence of the Vedas one can be released from the relationship with the material world. The base of the roots is permanent. But without knowing this fact if we get entangled in the various material fruitful actions born of the three modes then having struck ourselves in the branches, we will have to wander from one branch to another branch. This clearly means, we gain a particular branch of knowledge and find it unsatisfying, and then we try to gain another type of knowledge and feel incomplete. This process will continue unless we reach the real knowledge – the knowledge of self-realization. The knowledge that answers queries such as, why we are here, how to get liberated and also to understand God and our relationship with such a God is the real knowledge. The essence and message of the Vedas is to understand and see the Supreme Lord, who is the basis of all spiritual knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 479 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 480 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The branches of such a family tree extend below and above being nourished by the three modes of nature in which the twigs are the sense objects, its roots have also extended below which bind the souls according to their actions in the material world. ||15-2|| [This banyan tree is spread in all directions. In the lower parts of the branches, the creation of man, animals, birds, etc., are described. In the higher parts of its branches, the creation of demigods, Gandharvas (celestial singers), and many other celestial beings are explained. The twigs are the senses such as mouth, eyes, skin, nose, and ears. The leaves are the sense objects such as sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. By the modes of nature the senses are nourished. By the senses many types of interests are experienced. The roots are the different varieties of suffering and sense enjoyment in this material world. By performing actions we must elevate from lower planets to higher planets, and from there we must reach Brahma bhava, which is the abode of the Supreme Lord. This is a process of gradual elevation and depends on the performance of our actions.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 481 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 Its similar real form cannot be seen (found) here, for it has neither beginning, nor end, nor even stability. Therefore having cut-off this firm rooted banyan tree with the strong weapon of detachment, then that Supreme goal (God) must be sought for, having attained to which nobody returns back to this world. Thinking thus, surrender to Him by saying, “I take shelter in that Primeval Person Himself, from whom this eternal (ancient) creation of the world has progressed.” ||15-3,4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 482 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 [Here the banyan tree is quoted only as an example. Such a tree is not visible to our eyes. Its branch forms can be definitely seen by the wise people who learn through proper teachers. Then such a person must surrender and go in shelter of the primeval, eternal person who is the Supreme Lord and the cause for all causes. This is because only He can free us from all material contaminations. Here detachment refers to keep ourselves away from the relationship of sense objects and sense enjoyment.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 483 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The wise people who are free from pride and illusion, who have won over the evil of attachment, who constantly are in spiritual union with God, whose desires are all completely ceased and being liberated from the dualities such as pleasure and pain, they reach that Supreme imperishable state. ||15-5|| [This verse tells us how to surrender or seek shelter in the Supreme Lord. Such a person must first forsake anger and false ego. Then forsaking pride one must not try to receive honour. After that, one must leave illusion or attachment. One must not treat anything as personal, even physically and mentally. One must always keep in mind that everything is supplied or given by the Lord (God). One must leave bad association, people who are not interested in spirituality, and those who are always engaged in sense gratification. Thus forsaking bad association one must not have any desires. One must leave all dualities of nature and must not be arrogant or ignorant. Those who possess these are the real wise people and such wise persons if surrender unto the Supreme Lord shall attain salvation by His grace.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 484 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 That imperishable state cannot be illuminated by the Sun, nor by the Moon and nor by the fire; and by attaining such a state nobody returns back. That itself is My Eternal Abode. ||15-6|| [Here ‘My’ means Lord Sri Krishna’s, and the Supreme eternal abode of Lord Sri Krishna called as Goloka Vrindavan is expressed here. That abode of the Lord cannot be lightened up by the Sun, Moon, fire, or electricity. It is not in need for them. This material universe is completely illuminated by the single Sun alone, but the spiritual universe is completely self-illuminating and each planet present there is also self-illuminating. Many Vaikuntas are present in the spiritual universe of which, the Vaikunta named Goloka Vrindavan is the chief and prominent among all, for it is the abode of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself, who always plays His pastimes there with His devotees. Here Lord Sri Krishna is clearly mentioning about His own abode in this verse ‘Mama’= mine and i.e. of Lord Sri Krishna. It is the permanent and ever blissful place for all the souls and to return there, we need to surrender with devotion and faith unto Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 485 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The living soul residing in this body is My own eternal and fractional part, and it is attracting the mind and the five senses towards itself, which reside in the nature. ||15-7|| [The soul is a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord Himself. But being engaged in this conditioned life of the material world, it is getting attracted towards the mind and the five senses and thus forgets the Supreme Lord. It is bound to these modes of material nature. It is verily the fractional part of the Supreme Lord. For example if we cut a small bit from a bar of gold it is also called as gold and has the properties of gold; but there is difference in the quantity. Similarly, the souls although being a part of the Supreme Lord have enormous difference in quantity. The soul is also eternal as the Supreme Lord. Thus the soul and the Supreme Lord are both permanent. But the relationship between the Supreme Lord and the soul is that of a master and a servant. Therefore the duality between them is always present.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 486 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 Just as air carries away fragrance from the scents, similarly the Lord (soul), taking the mind and senses from the body leaves it (body) behind and migrates (attains) to the body that it gains. ||15-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 487 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 [The soul thus revolves by taking its former birth’s fruits of action from one body to another. Here one point is to be noted carefully. A soul takes its mind and senses while leaving the body. Thus it has got some freedom and it must be utilized to attain an even higher body. This depends on its level of consciousness. Whatever a soul thinks at the very time of death in the mind, it attains to a similar body according to the thoughts of mind reserved by the nature. For example, if one thinks of an animal and dies, in the next birth the soul takes birth as an animal. If the soul thinks of demigods, women and anything at the time of death, it attains similar bodies. Therefore to chant the names of the Supreme Lord at the time of death is according to our Sanatana culture. This has been totally spoilt by the advent and influence of outsiders. But now we must re-establish and revive these Godly systems. For such a process, the history of Emperor Bharata stands proof in the Bhagavatam.] This soul while dwelling in the senses of hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling, and in the mind thereby enjoys the sense objects. ||15-9|| [On attaining a body and dwelling in it, the soul enjoys the sense objects through the senses. This is the highest truth and greatest science. This must be taught to the further younger generations. By knowing it, the future embodied souls may reside in peace and happiness. By imitating others completely we are now losing our peace and happiness and are attaining sorrow, pain, ignorance, darkness, arrogance, and ultimately illusion.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 488 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The foolish, ignorant people do not know the soul leaving the body or dwelling in the body, it enjoying the sense objects or even covered by the modes. Only wise persons having the eyes of wisdom are able to realize it completely. ||15-10|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 489 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 [Who is the luckiest (prosperous) person in the world? It is one who knows this absolute fact or even tries to know it. Because having money yields illusionary prosperity; for money is not permanent and it never resides permanently with anyone. It may come today and go tomorrow but wisdom (knowledge) is permanent and never yields to sorrow. What is the reason for our presence in this temporary world? And after leaving one’s body where do we go to? If any person knows these two facts from a proper teacher then it is the real prosperity. Others are all ignorance. Those who are not interested or ignorant about this knowledge are all called foolish persons. They are the ignorant persons without any knowledge. They may have houses, cars, and wealth in abundance but are considered to be fools by the Supreme Lord. Everybody must attain such prosperous spiritual knowledge, which helps differentiating material wealth and spiritual peace. Everyone must return to the Supreme Abode. This is the essence of the Gita expounded by Lord Sri Krishna.] Striving Yogis are also able to realize this soul established in their hearts. And those ignorant persons whose hearts have not been purified, do not know this soul in spite of their striving efforts. ||15-11|| [Only a self realized person knows the activities of the soul, but one who is not a self realized person fails to attain the knowledge of the self in spite of the best efforts to attain it. By practice of physical yoga one can build the body and keep it fit but cannot attain knowledge of the self. And the socalled yogis who teach only body exercises are in fact misguiding the people from the knowledge of the self.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 490 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 The brilliance present in the Sun that illuminates the entire world and that of the Moon and that of the fire must be known as My own brilliance. ||15-12|| [The light of the Sun, Moon, fire, and electricity must be known to be the light of the Supreme Lord. We must try to understand this fact. Scientists say that the Sun is matter and is a large ball of fire but any ball or matter cannot burn constantly from time immemorial. The Sun is burning constantly from many innumerable years. What is the cause of such brightness and what are the constituents present in it, which provide that brightness. The scientists, thinking the Sun to be burning due to chemical reaction, stupidly and ‘supposedly’ answer such questions. But in the Gita and Bhagavatam, Lord Sri Krishna declares that it is He who enters them and thus illumines them. Such subject matters being the absolute truth attract only the spiritually inclined but not those who are disinterested, stupid, arrogant, and engaged in the sense objects. Nowadays the world is completely filled with arrogant and disinterested rascals. But they can gain interest by putting a little effort, like by start with the habit of reading Lord Sri Krishna’s pastimes in Bhagavatam and Gita. Then they shall gradually gain interest in them and from interest arises faith and from strong faith arises devotion which leads us to the path of liberation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 491 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 And by entering into the earth I support all beings with My vital energy, and having become the nectarine Moon, I nourish all herbs (plants). ||15-13|| [The Supreme Lord has pervaded in each and every atom. All planets and universes have been stationed in the sky through His vital energy. He is situated in each and every being. By becoming the Moon, He provides the life juice to all herbs and plants. His power and strength is incomparable and unimaginable. This must be understood first.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 492 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 Having situated in the bodies of all beings I take the form of Vaishvanara fire and united with the Praana (incoming) and Apana (outgoing) airs, I digest the four types of food. ||15-14|| [The fire that resides in the stomach is called Vaishvanara and it digests the food that is eaten. Without it the food cannot be digested and the bodily activities start malfunctioning. For sustenance of life, the Prana air and to push the food downwards the Apana air is essential. These two absorb in the Lord and remain in equal quantities for proper functioning. But if any of these two is less or more, then the body becomes unhealthy. In the body there are five primary vital airs: Praana, Apaana, Samaana, Udaana, and Vyaana; and the five secondary vital airs are: Naaga, Kurma, Krukara Devadatta and Dhananjaya.] The above-mentioned four types of food are: 1) Bhojya - taken by chewing 2) Peya - taken by swallowing 3) Choshya - taken by sucking 4) Lehya - taken by licking. Thus the Supreme Lord digests these four kinds of food by becoming the gastric fire in the abdomen.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 493 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 And I Myself am situated in the hearts of all. Memory, knowledge, and clearance of doubts come from Me and I am the only one to be verily known by all the Vedas. I myself am the author of the Vedanta and also the knower of the Vedas. ||15-15|| [The activities of the soul are in reality super checked by the Supreme Lord in the form of Paramatma. This is the meaning explained in this verse. Because He is situated in the hearts of all and without Him, the soul cannot function and without the soul functioning, the body cannot perform actions. The Supreme Lord also bestows all knowledge, memory, and also forgetfulness. The essence of all the Vedas is to know the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. There is nothing other than Him in this world and beyond.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 494 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 There are even two types of Purusha (persons) in this world. They are called as perishable and imperishable. Of which the bodies of all beings are perishable the embodied soul is called as imperishable. ||15-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 495 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 [Here Kshara means perishable and refers to the bodies of all the beings while Akshara refers to the Jivatma (soul) and is imperishable. These two categories have already been discussed under the names of Apara and Para Prakrti (7-4,5); under the names of Adhibhuta and Adhyatma (8-3, 4); and under the names of Kshetra and Kshetrajna (13-1) Thus, these two are entirely different from each other. The term ‘kutastha’ refers to the soul residing in all bodies. It remains same under all circumstances and thus never changing it is called ‘kutastha’ or immutable (never changing).] The Supreme Purusha (person) is however other than these, who has entered the three worlds and is sustaining everyone; and is called as the indestructible Lord and the Supreme soul. ||15-17|| [The Supreme Lord (God) is however one, but is called by various names of His various forms famous for His various actions. Although He has attained various forms, He remains aloof from all of them and thus being single and primeval Lord, He is declared to be Lord Sri Krishna by the scriptures. Lord Sri Krishna is the only primal Lord. Just as many candles are lit from a single candle, similarly many forms have come from a single form and that form is that of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 496 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 This is because I am completely beyond the perishable (body) and even higher than the imperishable (soul). Therefore I am declared to be the Supreme Person in the world and even in the Vedas. ||15-18|| [Even here, Lord Sri Krishna is expressing His supremacy with complete clarity. He is indestructible and superior to anything else and He is declared and thus famous by the name Purushottama (Supreme person) by the Vedas and also in the world. Therefore there is only one God and that refers to Lord Sri Krishna only and none else.] O Bharata! The wise person knowing me to be the Supreme Person is the knower of all and worships Me constantly with complete devotion. ||15-19|| [Lord Sri Krishna is again and again stressing us to realize Him as the Supreme Person, the Lord of all Lords, the Supreme Lord, the cause for all causes, the Supreme controller, the Supreme master, and the Supreme imperishable Lord. Even then, many of us are not realizing Him and are thus wandering in the streets of sorrow.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 497 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 O sinless Bharata! I have thus told this most confidential secret teaching. By knowing this, a person becomes wise and fully satisfied. ||15-20|| [Lord Sri Krishna tells that any one who know this knowledge of Him in essence, become victorious in the path of self-realization and can see the Lord. Therefore everyone must study the Gita with complete faith, devotion, and firmness upon Lord Sri Krishna and must thus render service unto Him with a faultless mind. Then their lives will be fully satisfied and shall definitely attain to the Supreme Abode of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 498 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-15 Here ends the fifteenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled Purushottama Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 499 Chapter 16 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 500 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: Fearlessness, perfect purity of mind, well composed in yoga for knowledge, charity, control of senses, sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity, simplicity of mind and actions, non-violence, truth, absence of anger, renunciation, calmness (peace), free from criticizing others, compassionate towards all beings, absence of attachment to the sense objects even during their contact with the senses, gentleness, bashfulness, steadiness, brilliance, forgiveness, courage, cleanliness (purity), adherent, and absence of pride. O Bharata, these are the qualities of a person who is born with the divine properties (nature). ||16-1,2,3|| [The divine properties or nature mentioned here can never come to a person who is born from mere sexual association. To obtain a child endowed with such divine nature, the parents must sincerely perform the Garbhadaana samskaara that is told in the Vedic scriptures. But unfortunately this divine practice is now out of sight. Nowadays man and woman are uniting merely for sexual association without any rules and regulations, thus giving births to unwanted waste population. The sexual life is also written in the scriptures and is the Supreme Lord’s manifestation. But if sex is performed with the knowledge of surrendering to the Lord, then good, virtuous children can be easily obtained. And if mere sexual thirst arises then, the children born will be definitely animals; there is no surprise in this fact. The divine properties mentioned here must be present in all the beings. Lord Sri Krishna says this and for attaining them, He instructs us to take shelter in the Vedic scriptures. If not we shall be doomed.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 501 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 O Partha! Hypocrisy, arrogance, pride, anger, harshness, and ignorance are all the qualities of one who is born with demoniac properties (nature). ||16-4|| [The qualities mentioned here are present in optimum quantities in this age of Kali (quarrel) because almost everyone is born without performing the process of Garbhadaana samskaara. Such persons possess these qualities from the womb of the mother itself, and as they keep growing, these qualities also grow largely with them making them arrogant persons. We are verily seeing this truth in front of our own eyes. We cannot deny this fact.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 502 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 The divine qualities lead to liberation, whereas the demoniac qualities are meant for bondage. Therefore O Pandava! Do not grieve, for you are born with the divine qualities. ||16-5|| [Lord Sri Krishna has revealed Arjuna who was grieving to slay his relatives and friends of his true qualities. Arjuna was endowed with the divine nature by birth. He never exhibited nor had demoniac qualities. But now he wanted to turn away from war, which was his duty and thus he showed a little bit of demoniac quality which is cleared by Lord Sri Krishna for, the Lord Himself is the provider of all divine qualities.] O Partha! In this world there are two types of beings. One is called the divine and the other demoniac. I have described the divine in detail; therefore now hear from Me about the demoniac. ||16-6|| [The divine and demoniac qualities are present everywhere in the vast creation. The humans, animals, birds, and even plants and trees exhibit these two qualities. One type follows Dharma (rules) while the other does not. This is clearly discussed further.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 503 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 The demoniac persons do not know what is to be done and even what is not to be done. Therefore neither cleanliness nor good conduct nor truth is found in them. ||16-7|| [In the scriptures some rules and regulations are laid down for the welfare and strong foundation of the society. Those who follow them are called Aryans (civilized) and those who do not follow them are called Anarya or Asura (uncivilized). There has always been a strong opposition between these two types. Among the castes, the Brahmana, Kshatriya and Vaishya were having divine qualities and the Sudras were not much civilized. This description of caste is on the basis of Guna (nature) and Karma (activities) of that particular individual, and not by birth. But now in this age of Kali (quarrel) the mixture of castes and creeds have made everybody Sudras. The four Ashrams (Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sannyasa) have completely become spoilt with no orderly discipline in them. The topmost class endowed with divine qualities called the Sannyasa has now become the most degraded and demoniac group. They have become real businessmen and are building demoniac qualities. Competition, pride, politics, and business have become the main motives of Sannyasis. Thus seeing them, others are also being spoiled. Uncleanliness, anger, bad conduct, pride, arrogance, ignorance, illicit sex and many other uncivilized performances are seen in full quantities. The children born in such environments can never gain good qualities. Therefore the only way left over for the uplifting of people is hearing, reading, talking, and listening to discourses of Gita and Bhagavatam from proper teachers. If practised daily then we shall definitely regain even a little divine or good quality.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 504 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 They say: “This world has no foundation, being unreal and without any Supreme controller (God), it is born by the sexual union of male and female and is thus produced for lust alone; what else than this?” ||16-8|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 505 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 [Nearly 5100 years back Lord Sri Krishna has given a clear picture of today’s social life. The impersonalists or Mayavadis declare this world to be unreal, untrue and without any foundation. The ignorant foolish scholars and politicians say that there is no such Supreme controller called God, and nature itself is performing everything. Many people say the world to be created by the sexual union of male and female. Nowadays many people are having their own useless divergent views of the creation and maintenance of this world. They do not have true knowledge of the scriptures and even if some of them know, they are ignorant about them and thus not following the rules in the scriptures they are acting arrogantly and ignorantly in the name of God. Thus all persons in this age have become hypocrites and ignorant rascals with no respect to elders and scriptures.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 506 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 Accepting such false views, the ruined persons of less intelligence, cruel deeds, and enemies of mankind rise up for the destruction of the world. ||16-9|| [This verse is clearly applicable to today’s world. The demoniac persons thinking that they are progressing are spoiling others with their less intelligence, cruel deeds, and unkind behaviour. Thus if such persons get hold on rules, Dharma, kingdom, administration, discussions, and thoughts then ruining all these they shall pollute the entire atmosphere. Now we speak of air, water, and other pollutions but when the mind itself is polluted then what to talk of other things. The mind is the basis of everything, it may be cleared or polluted and the pollution of the mind leads to pollution of everything. Now on one side we have ignorant, wicked, arrogant hypercritic, and atheist politicians and on the other side to support them in their activities and to destroy the world, scientists have and are creating dangerous implements and weapons. In such demoniac conditions of the world how can we ever hope to be peaceful and happy? Therefore, the only way to save ourselves is to take shelter in the Supreme Lord and the scriptures. We must hear or read Lord Sri Krishna’s pastimes and must try to live a life of nonmingling with demoniac persons.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 507 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 Taking shelter of never ending desires filled with hypocrisy, pride, arrogance, and accepting illusionary, ignorant views, they act with impure conduct in the world. ||16-10|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 508 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 [Persons with demoniac qualities are always filled with never-ending, unsatisfied desires (lust). They always remain more interested towards worldly temporary things, increase their demands, and are always engaged in ignorant actions with fear and delusion. Forsaking pure conduct of actions they accept the impure and unwanted conduct of actions, such as taking intoxications, eating meat, playing dice, and always engaged in illicit sex showing much interest towards women. These are their modes of conduct and they criticize others who are not in their company. Filled with such persons, the world is completely spoiled and only such persons receive all honours, glories, awards, prizes etc, Though they heed towards darkness filled with sin, yet they proclaim and think themselves to be pure, great, and civilized persons. Collecting worldly pleasures or things and engaging in sexual life at all times are their two main aims in life. They always live in arrogance and pride, thinking themselves to be all perfect and pure. Such is the condition of every person in this world. In general, nobody is an exception to these qualities in the world.] They become a prey to the innumerable thoughts that end up only in death and believe that enjoying sense gratification is the prime goal in life. Thus bound by hundreds of ropes of desires and filled with lust and anger they strive hard by illegal means to secure money and other things just for sense gratification. ||16-11,12|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 509 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 [These verses give us clear pictures of the activities of demoniac persons in the world. ‘Whatever you do, however you do, make money and make merry’ has become the slogan common to all. In order to enjoy sense gratification, persons are losing their minds and are thus striving hard by illegal means day and night to make money and to acquire worldly things. Death is inevitable, but the time of death is not known. In such a situation, we are trying to acquire money, trying to enjoy women, trying to have houses, wealth, clothes, ornaments etc., and thus bound in unlimited desires we have forgotten that we must leave them all one day and then, everything will be a waste and of no use to us. Such demoniac persons console their minds by saying hypocritical talks such as “death is natural and within our hour of death we shall enjoy as much as sense gratification as possible. Who knows what may happen after death.” Saying thus they are spoiling their own lives and also the lives of others. One must earn money. OK. But how much? Only that much, which meets the daily needs of one’s life. Without this idea if we acquire money with greediness then it will be a total disaster to us.] Such a person thinks: “This much has been attained by me today and I shall gain this ambition. I have this much wealth with me and in the future it shall be increasing.” ||16-13|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 510 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 “That enemy has been killed by me and I shall even kill other enemies. I am the Lord and the enjoyer. I am filled with all perfections and am also powerful and happy.” ||16-14|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 511 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 “I am wealthy and own a large family; there is nobody equal to me. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give alms, I shall remain happy.” Thinking thus such a person is illusioned by the darkness of ignorance. ||16-15|| [The thoughts, views and talks of demoniac persons are expressed in the last three verses. Such persons do not have a limit in earning money. They always remain unsatisfied with their earning. They adopt various methods, be it even illegal, to earn money. They do not have respect, courtesy or even shame towards others. They think that their earning is due to their capability, intelligence, and strength alone. But never realize that how they got those capability or even intelligence. They remain ignorant about such thoughts, and thus filled with pride and arrogance say that they can achieve or gain anything. The condition and mentality of all persons in this world especially the scientists, politicians, and wealthy persons is expressed here.] Having minds bewildered variously, entangled in the trap of illusion and thus always interested in sense gratification, they fall into the most contaminated hell. ||16-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 512 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 [Previously, Ravana, the great demon king had proclaimed that anybody can attain the heavenly planets even by not following the rules prescribed in the Vedas. Similarly politicians and wealthy people are spending lots and lots of money on the scientists so that they can go to other planets. But they do not realize that they are trapped in the illusionary network of the Supreme Lord. When people think of heaven why don’t they feel the existence of hell? This is Maya or illusion. Those trapped in the hands of Maya definitely go to hell.] Those stubborn persons thinking themselves as self-superiors, filled with wealth, pride and arrogance, disregarding the Vedic principles, perform sacrifices only to gain fame with hypocrite views. ||16-17|| [People having disinterest in the Vedas and lack of knowledge are always illusioned by ignorance. To get praised by other people, they perform sacrifices only as a showy attitude. They proclaim themselves to be Godly. Such hypocrite persons have overpopulated the world.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 513 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 Being subjected to false ego, strength, pride, desire (lust), and anger, such demoniac persons who criticize others become envious of Me, who is situated in their own bodies and even in the bodies of others. ||16-18|| [The demoniac persons do not believe in the existence of God, nor do they worship Him. They are always envious of the existence of Paramatma and thus act in a hypocritical way. The reason for this is, only the false ego collected by them in their various previous births from time immemorial. Although they know that God is present, they do not believe in Him and thus become envious of Him. They also spread many nonsense views about God. This is their nature of soul and life. They can never be changed. If at all they are changed then it is only due to the grace of the Lord Himself.] To those envious, sinful, cruel and lowest among humans, I throw them again and again into the divergent demoniac species of life. ||16-19|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 514 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 [The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna tells us about the rebirth of such demoniac persons. They, due to envious nature towards God, hate Him, and thus become evil and wretched persons with degradation among humans. The Lord provides such a person strength, wealth, and beauty. So that others may learn from that person that they should not to be in that state of living. Providing such a person all such qualities, the Lord puts that person in hell and revolves again and again in the births of various demoniac species of life. Thus the Supreme Lord is capable of providing suitable births to suitable persons, and also according to His will. Therefore bearing children is not a sudden happening as the scientists say but it is a definite and very massive plan. It comes according to our previous actions and those who understand this properly are the real intellectuals.] O son of Kunti! Those fools having attaining the demoniac species of life from birth to birth, never attain to Me, but attain even lower states. ||16-20|| [Others think that such a person is punished by God but in reality, that person is punishing himself or herself by performing wrong actions. But if we are obedient, faithful, truthful, and sincerely devoted towards the Lord then, we can be liberated within only a few births. At the same time, the demoniac persons due to hatredness and cruelness suffer birth after birth and thus cannot have any chance to get liberated. The human form of life is meant for realizing all these facts and to turn towards God. But if we misuse this golden chance then we are doomed forever.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 515 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 Desire, anger, and greed - these are the gates to hell that bring about the destruction of the soul. Therefore one should renounce all these three. ||16-21|| [Anger and greed arise from desire. Therefore a true seeker of knowledge must basically renounce all desires because desire is the cause for everything. All these three must be given up, as they are the cause for the degradation of the soul. The basic foundations of demoniac qualities are these three: anger, greed, and desire.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 516 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 O son of Kunti! The person, who is freed from these three gates to darkness, practices for self-uplifting and then attains the Supreme goal (God). ||16-22|| [Desire, anger and greed lead a person to the darkness (hell). This is clearly mentioned already but if anybody renounces them, then liberation is guaranteed for them. Therefore we must try to upgrade ourselves by believing and having devotion unto the Supreme Lord. Many foolish scholars mistake these words and interpret their own mischievous views. But our lives are controlled by the material nature under directions from the Supreme Lord. Therefore, although we are not independent we have the intelligence of choosing the right and wrong for us, which is provided by the Supreme Lord Himself. By utilizing it, we must regulate and form our lives according to the spiritual practices and love in God, and not according to material practices.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 517 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 One who forsakes the rules of the scriptures and acts according to his own will, such a person neither attains perfection nor the Supreme goal, and not even happiness. ||16-23|| [Based on the rules and principles told in the scriptures, the Varnashrama system has been advocated. But if we ignore the Varnashrama system and the rules mentioned therein and act on our own, then we are sure to attain self-deception and eternal hell. We can never attain happiness neither in this world nor in other planets. To relate this fact we are seeing many incidents with our own eyes.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 518 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 Therefore, the scriptures alone are the authority in determining what must be done and what must not be done. Knowing thus, one should act according to the rules laid down in the scriptures. ||16-24|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 519 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-16 [The scriptures alone are the guide and authority. That authority is the reality, that reality is the goal of life, such a goal is the path for liberation, and to walk in that path never yields us sorrows but always bestows happiness. This is clearly explained by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna and for this reason, He once gain gave the instruction of Gita, which was forgotten from ages: “whatever you do, however you do, wherever you do, always be engaged in the thoughts of Lord Sri Krishna.” He alone is the cause for all causes and by serving Him, we shall very easily and quickly be freed from this material world.] Here ends the sixteenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled DaivasuraSampadVibhaaga Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 520 Chapter 17 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Arjuna said: O Krishna! What is the position of those people who renounce the principles of the scriptures but perform sacrifice with faith? Is it of goodness, of passion, or of ignorance? ||17-1|| [Here we find three types of faith amongst people. One is to worship with faith in accordance to principles of the scriptures, second is to worship with faith without knowing about the scriptures. The first two are explained already. Now the third type is asked by Arjuna and Lord Sri Krishna answers it in the following verses.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 521 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: Now hear from Me about the naturally born faith in people, which is of three kinds namely: goodness, passionate and ignorance. ||17-2|| [One may appear to have renounced all the principles of the scriptures but is still bound by the three modes of nature, and attains the faith according to that particular mode of action done in previous birth. Whoever is friendly with a good teacher, certainly follows the principles of the scriptures. But it depends on the previous births, actions, and faith. A person may change from one mode to the other but this depends only on that person’s faith. A particular aim and proper teaching are very essential to develop any faith.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 522 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 O Bharata! The faith of everyone is in accordance with their own nature. A person is said to be having a particular faith only according to the modes possessed by that person. ||17-3|| [Even faith comes only according to one’s sanctity. The soul is in fact without any modes but when it comes to this world, it is bound by the three modes and thus is made to act accordingly. This nature of the soul goes on increasing as it gains many births. We should realize this fact.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 523 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Persons in the mode of Goodness worship the demigods, persons in the mode Passion worship Yakshas, demons; and the other Ignorant persons worship the spirits and ghosts. ||17-4|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 524 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 [Humans possessing particular modes worship such similar personalities. Persons of goodness nature worship the demigods, persons of passionate nature worship the demons, and the persons of ignorant nature worship ghosts and spirits. But these different persons do not worship God. Te right type of worship is worshipping the Supreme Lord, and only persons situated in the mode of pure goodness practice this. This is the right type of worship.] Those who perform severe penances not sanctioned by the scriptures, filled with hypocrisy, ego, lust (desire), and pride of power; and who give pain and trouble to their bodily sense organs as well as Me dwelling in their hearts, know such ignorant and senseless people to have a demoniac nature. ||17-5,6|| [Performance of severe penances, austerities and rituals not recommended by the scriptures gives harm and torture to the body made of the five elements. Therefore one must not perform or act in any way that is not recommended by the scriptures. Such persons performing these feats must be known to be ignorant, senseless, and demoniac in nature.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 525 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Even food is dear to all those three types (of persons). Similarly sacrifice, austerity, and charity are also of three types each. Hear the distinctions of these. ||17-7|| [To eat anything, to give anything in alms, to perform any sacrifice, or to do any penance are not the right way for performance. Certain types of food, sacrifice, charity, and penance are meant for only certain groups of people. This must be understood properly and done accordingly. To perform or do whatever one likes is foolishness and yields no result.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 526 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 527 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Foods that increase the duration of life, provide intelligence, strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction, and which are sweet, soft, nourishing, and agreeable are dear to the persons in the mode of goodness. Foods that are bitter, sour, salty, over hot, irritant, dry, and burning and which cause pain, suffering, grief, and disease are dear to the persons in the mode of passion. Foods that are half cooked, tasteless, having bad smell, stale, decayed and also polluted, are dear to the persons in the mode of ignorance. ||17-8,9,10|| [Food is very essential and helpful for the growth and maintenance of the body. In order to develop good mind, health, and activities, it is necessary to take good foods such as milk, fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat, and others. Eating hotter, chilly, spicy, cold foods are not very good for health. And the stale, decayed, rotten, polluted, and bad odour foods spoil the mind, body, and intelligence. Nowadays a stale box called refrigerator is used to keep all foods for days together, and to eat the foods kept in it have become the fashion of modern living. This is not correct. This helps developing diseases even earlier and faster. To offer good foods to the Lord and to eat them afterwards is the most suitable way of eating. Nowhere it is mentioned to offer meat, eggs, or stale foods to God. Lord Sri Krishna tells us to offer Him with devotion, leaves, fruits, or even water. Eating meat by killing another living being yields pain and distress to both. Therefore everyone must try practicing to eat only good foods dear to the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 528 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 The sacrifice, which is performed duly, recommended by the scriptures and which the persons upon controlling their mind perform without expecting any fruit from it, is of the nature of goodness. ||17-11|| [Any yajna or sacrifice when performed has some purpose in mind. But without any material purpose, one must perform sacrifice only to please the Lord and not for one’s own enjoyments. Such a sacrifice being in the mode of goodness must be performed with a duty of serving God.] And O best of Bharatas! The sacrifice, which is performed with some purpose and fruit in mind and only for the sake of display with pride, must be known as passionate by nature. ||17-12|| [These types of sacrifices are commonly performed nowadays. By having some purpose and thinking of expectations from it and to make it visible to other persons with pride. These are said to be passionate in nature] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 529 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 A sacrifice performed without scriptural principles, without food distribution, without the chanting of hymns, without paying fees to the priests, and performed without faith is said to be of ignorant nature. ||17-13|| [Such sacrifices are also very common nowadays. Ramanavami, Ganesh caturthi, Durga festival etc., spending millions and performing sacrifices only for show, without faith, hymns, oblations, food distribution, nor even proper fee to the priests and later, spending nights in intoxication, smoking, gambling etc., yields no result to the society. Associations performing such sacrifices must be prohibited. Even the Government should not support such activities. But...who cares?] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 530 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Worship of the Supreme Lord, demigods, Brahmanas, elders, spiritual master and of the wise persons; and maintaining cleanliness (purity) simplicity, celibacy, and non-violence are said to be the austerity of the body. ||17-14|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 531 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 [To perform any pious activity one must perform certain austerities concerned with the body such as faith and devotion in God, respect in the Brahmanas (qualities ascribed to Brahmanas, not those by birth), obedience in elders such as spiritual master, practice of celibacy, becoming pure internally as well as externally, exhibiting non-violence (love towards others). These are the austerities to be performed by the body and are thus concerned with the body.] The speaking of non-disturbing, truthful, pleasant, and beneficial words; and the regular practice of studying the Vedas is undoubtedly said to be the austerity of speech. ||17-15|| [When one talks something it must be pleasant, truthful, non-annoying and beneficial to the listener. The conversations must be very joyous to the mind. Such speech and the study of the Vedas is also said to be a type of austerity by wise persons. This is called austerity of speech. ] Cheerfulness of mind, gentleness, silence (thinking of God), self-control, and purity of thought - all these are said to be the austerity of mind. ||17-16|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 532 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 [The austerities of body and speech are already explained. Now the most important being the austerity of mind is explained. The mind is the cause for everything. Therefore to be always cheerful in mind, to remain in peace, not to have bad thoughts, not talking very much and always in the thought of God, to restrain the mind from sense gratification and to keep the thoughts of the mind always pure - all these must be thought of as the austerity of the mind. If one engages the self by these three austerities of body, speech, and mind in the constant service and devotion of Lord Sri Krishna then certainly that life will become sublime.] The threefold austerity practised by persons (yogis) with Supreme faith, and without expecting any return is said to be of goodness in nature. ||17-17|| The austerity, which is performed for gaining respect, honour and worship or performed with false prestige and pride, yields an unstable and temporary result. This is said to be of passionate in nature. ||17-18|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 533 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 That austerity, which is performed foolishly with arrogance, filled with all sufferings of mind, speech and body, or is performed to cause harm to others is said to be of ignorant in nature. ||17-19|| [All these three types of austerities can be seen performed by various persons even today. The scriptures forbid the ignorant austerity. Such austerities were performed by great demons like Hiranyakashipu and Ravana. This yielded pain to them as well as to others, and ultimately the Supreme Lord in His various forms killed them. Therefore, performing austerities with any desires or expectations is completely forbidden as per the opinion of Lord Sri Krishna.] That charity, which is given in a proper place, proper time, and to a worthy person without expecting anything in return, and donating out of duty is said to be the charity of goodness in nature. ||17-20|| [Charities, alms, or donations must be given to a worthy person at a pilgrimage on special days, or in temples at a proper time. This is in accordance with the scriptures. Such a charity must not be given by expecting something and such a charity is said to be of goodness in nature.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 534 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 That, which is given with ill-will, with the hope of a return, or for the purpose of some result; then such a charity is said to be of passionate in nature. ||17-21|| [One must not give alms by grumbling, or feeling ill will towards others, or with a sorrowful mind. Charity must be always given with a pure heart and only for the pleasure of the Supreme Lord.] And that charity, which is given without any respect, or with a mocking nature at a wrong place, wrong time and to an unworthy person is said to be of ignorant in nature. ||17-22|| [Giving charity to a drunkard, gambler, sinner, or any other unworthy person and giving charity by mocking and disregarding to a worthy person cannot yield any fruitful result. These are all useless and non-beneficial charities. Thus the scriptures forbid them all.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 535 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 OM, TAT, and SAT these are said to be the threefold designations of the Supreme Absolute Truth (Brahman). Formerly at the beginning of creation, the Brahmanas, Vedas, and sacrifices were created by it. ||17-23|| [Everything in this material universe is polluted. Therefore, to perform all sacred actions one must say these three syllables OM, TAT, and SAT at the beginning and in the end in order to designate the Supreme Lord. We must start and end with these three syllables. This pleases the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 536 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Therefore the Brahmavadis (transcendentalists) always perform acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity as recommended, by saying “OM” at the beginning. ||17-24|| The seekers of liberation utter “TAT” at the time of performing sacrifice, austerity, charity, and other pious activities without expecting any return or fruits from them. ||17-25|| The word “SAT” is used in the sense of truth and goodness. And O Partha, the word “SAT” is also used in the sense of a praise worthy act. ||17-26|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 537 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 The real position in sacrifice, austerity, and charity is also called as “SAT” and also the actions performed to please that Supreme Person is undoubtedly called as “SAT”. ||17-27|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 538 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 [There are many actions or activities from the Garbhadaana Samskaara till the Shava Samskaara prescribed in the Vedic scriptures. In all such religious, pious, and even virtuous activities, the sacred syllables OM TAT SAT are to be uttered. This is the order and principle laid down in the Vedic scriptures. At the performance of every action these sacred syllables must be uttered without fail.] O Partha! Whatever oblation is offered, whatever charity is given, whatever austerity is performed, and also whatever acts are done without faith are all said to be “ASAT” (temporary) and are thus are considered useless both here or hereafter. ||17-28|| [Any action performed without faith is totally useless and a complete waste. Faith is the basis of every fruitful activity and thus, if faith is present then devotion shall naturally arise in God. And from devotion one certainly attains liberation i.e. the abode of Lord Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 539 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-17 Here ends the seventeenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled ShraddhatrayaVibhaaga Yoga. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 540 Chapter 18 of 18 in the Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Arjuna said: O mighty armed, O master of senses, O killer of the Keshi demon! I would like to know the true nature of renunciation and of the renounced order of life each separately. ||18-1|| [The two names of the Supreme Lord, Hrishikesha and Keshinishudana are very significantly mentioned. The Supreme Lord is the controller of all animate and inanimate beings. He is the master of the senses in all beings. Arjuna wants to hear everything in summary so that there is no room for doubts. Lord Sri Krishna had killed a demon in the form of a horse called Keshi in His childhood. Similarly Arjuna wants the Lord to destroy his doubts which have grown within like a demon.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 541 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna said: The sages consider Sannyasa (renounced order of life) as the giving up of all actions prompted by desire; and the great thinkers declare the giving up of the fruits of all actions as Tyaaga (renunciation) ||18-2|| [Sannyasa means to abandon all actions that are motivated by desire. The daily actions performed by us are all motivated by desires. To leave such actions is referred as Sannyasa or the renounced order of life. And to give up the fruits of all actions is called as Tyaaga (renunciation). Such Tyaaga is the real Sannyasa, and such state of person gives them the name Tyaagis. The Lord has told this in the 17th chapter. Therefore we have to understand these two words properly. Nowadays the so-called Sannyasis and Tyaagis are all hypocrites and in fact true businesspersons.] Some philosophers consider all actions as contaminated and thus declare them to be given up; while others say that actions in the form of sacrifice, charity, and austerity are not worth giving up. ||18-3|| [Lord Sri Krishna is expressing the views of two types of people. All actions are contaminated and must be renounced. This is said by one type of people while the other type says that if one renounces all actions, then how to perform worship? Therefore they say, the performance of actions in the form of sacrifice, charity, and austerity are not worthy of giving up. In this way two major groups form their own theories.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 542 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O best of the Bharatas! Now hear My definite conclusion (final decision) in that matter of Tyaaga (renunciation). O best of men! The Tyaaga has been declared to be of three types: ||18-4|| [Lord Sri Krishna authoritatively confirms to hear only His decision rather than hearing to others thoughts and beliefs. The Supreme Lord now wants to confirm the real truth by clearing the matter and giving no room for doubts.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 543 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The acts of sacrifice, charity, and austerity are not worth giving up, they must be certainly performed. This is because sacrifice, charity and austerity are the purifiers of wise persons. ||18-5|| [Mahatmas means the wise persons of wisdom who are also yogis. Such persons are also recommended to perform action of sacrifice, charity, and austerity. They are not liable to give them up. For the uplifting of mankind, these acts must be necessarily performed. If they are not performed, then the lives of such yogis are a waste.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 544 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Partha! These and other good acts must be performed without attachment (desire) and without any expectation of result. This is My final concluded best opinion. ||18-6|| [Whatever actions when performed, must be away from the contaminations namely: attachment and hope for the fruit. According to Lord Sri Krishna, performing such actions only as a matter of duty without any expectations is the best way to follow.] But the giving up of prescribed duties is not suitable (correct). Therefore renouncing them by illusion is said to be in the mode of ignorance. ||18-7|| [One must give up the acts of sense gratification, but not the activities that are prescribed in the scriptures. If one renounces the prescribed duties then it is said to be the mode of ignorance by wise persons. Everyone must perform their duties as prescribed in the scriptures. But those duties or actions must be performed only to please the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 545 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Thinking the actions to be troublesome and sorrowful and thus if anyone gives up their duties thinking them as strain to the body; such a person performing renunciation in the mode of passion does not even attain the results of renunciation. ||18-8|| [One must not leave the prescribed duties thinking them as strain to the body. For example, one must get up before sunrise and not sleep thinking it to be cold and discomfort rising early, taking bath, performance of daily rituals or worship. Working is necessary and so the earning. Nothing can be stopped but the fruits of these actions must be surrendered to Lord Sri Krishna and actions must be performed as a duty in the Lord’s thoughts.] O Arjuna! That which is performed as a duty and is performed according to the principles of the scriptures by giving up attachment (desire) and the results (fruits) is considered as the renunciation in the mode of goodness. ||18-9|| [Considering them as the prescribed duties one must perform actions. And while doing so, one must not attach the self with the actions and must also not aspire or expect for their results. Such a renunciation is considered to be in the mode of goodness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 546 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Anyone situated in the mode of goodness is a person of intelligence (wisdom) and thus having no doubts he is a person of true renunciation for, neither he hates inauspicious work nor does he like auspicious work. ||18-10|| [An intelligent person endowed with the mode of goodness never hates inauspicious actions nor likes auspicious actions. Such a person however having cleared of all doubts performs actions only for the pleasure of Lord Sri Krishna and is thus referred here as a person of true renunciation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 547 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 This is because, for an embodied person, complete renunciation of all actions is not possible. Therefore anybody who gives up (abandons) the fruits of actions is said to be the truly renounced person. ||18-11|| [According to ||3-5||, nobody can remain quiet or idle without performing any action. Therefore both the performer of actions and the renunciation of fruits of actions must surrender all their actions to Lord Sri Krishna. This is the real renunciation and the performer is the real person of renunciation. Such a person need not wear saffron clothes to show up as a Sannyasi.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 548 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 A person who has not renounced has three types of fruits for the performed action after death. They are: suitable, unsuitable, and mixed. But for a renounced person there are no such fruits. ||18-12|| [A renounced person or sannyasi is not the one that we see neatly dressed in saffron robes. They are merely hypocrites and rascals. One who performs actions as his or her duty forsaking the desire for results need not experience the fruits of such actions after death. That means they neither have pleasant, unpleasant, nor mixed fruits. In this way, such a person is truly liberated.] O mighty armed! For the accomplishment of all action know from Me these five factors (reasons) prescribed in the Sankhya philosophy. ||18-13|| [For everything, the ultimate decisive answer is given in the Vedic scriptures. Here Lord Sri Krishna is prescribing the five factors or instruments of action laid down in the Sankhya philosophy.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 549 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 They are: the place of action (body), the performer (ego), various instruments (senses), various different endeavors, and lastly the fifth being the Daiva or destiny. ||18-14|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 550 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [The ignorance or ego in the mind performs all actions by the body through the various senses. A person performs various endeavors according to the will of the Supreme Lord called Daiva. But those who are constantly engaged in the service of the Lord are never bound to any actions or to their results.] These five are the contributing factors for the actions performed (started) by a person through the mind, speech, and body, whether right or wrong. ||18-15|| But even in such a case, if a person of impure intellect sees his own self as the performer in such matters, he possessed with ignorance does not see the real things as they are. ||18-16|| [One who thinks himself or herself to be the performer of all actions and the owner of his or her own destiny is the most non-intellect person. That person does not even realize the presence of Paramatma within the self. Such persons are nowadays more in number and are also are misguiding others.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 551 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 One who does not have the mark of false ego (I am the doer) and whose intellect is unattached to worldly activities, such a person although having killed people in the world is not the slayer and nor is that person bound to his actions nor any sins. ||18-17|| [Here Lord Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna, who thought that he will have to fight with his relatives but the Paramatma who is situated inside the body is the real performer and is thus the cause for all causes. The living entity due to ignorance and false ego decides that it itself is the real cause for all the actions performed by it. But the person who knows all these in reality is never bound to the fruits of such actions and performs them only as a duty.] The knower, knowledge, and the object of knowledge - these three are the motivators of action. While the performer, the organs, and activity - these three are the constituents (basis) of action. ||18-18|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 552 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [All types of action contain the above said factors such as, the knowledge of it, the knower of it, and the object of it. And then the doer, the senses or instruments, and the activity are its constituents. To begin any action, planning about it is the knowledge of it and is called inspiration. This is very subtle in nature. Then knowing about its various details or knowledge action is performed. The sense organs perform such action. Thus the work takes the form of action when it is properly arranged as above. This knowledge of action is very secret and very pure. The real performer is the Paramatma in us and when we know this, then such knowledgeable persons renounce the fruits of such actions.] In the branch of knowledge dealing with the modes - knowledge, action, and performer are also said to be of three kinds due to the modes of nature. Hear them also clearly from Me. ||18-19|| [The three modes present in the material nature are goodness being illuminating, passion being enchantment, and ignorance being darkness. All these three modes are cause for bondage, and never promote for liberation.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 553 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 That by which a person perceives one imperishable form as undivided and equally present in all individual beings; know that knowledge to be in the mode of goodness. ||18-20|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 554 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [Right from demigods - the higher order of life to the insects and worms the lowest forms of life, the Supreme, Imperishable, and single undivided Paramatma is present in everyone. This is the reality and one who knows such knowledge has his/her knowledge situated in the mode of goodness. Such persons having the knowledge in the mode of goodness are on the highest platform.] That knowledge, by which one knows the manifold entities of different kinds as differing from one another, must be known as the knowledge in the mode of passion. ||18-21|| [To say that every embodied soul is different from one another is of the material platform and is thus in the mode of passion. Or else to say that the body itself is the soul or the soul is in the form of body is using passionate words. But to say that the body is temporary and once the body falls, the soul enters into another body is the mark of real knowledge.] And that knowledge by which one is interested only to one kind of work thinking it to be everything, which is reasonless, without any foundation and thus being very degraded, such knowledge is said to be in the mode of ignorance. ||18-22|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 555 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [All living entities are covered by ignorance at the time of birth. Knowledge grows only with the growth of the body, but if that knowledge is limited only to the activities of the body then, it is said to be passionate and if it is utilized for self-realization it is in the mode of goodness. And if such good knowledge is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord, then it becomes Shuddha sattvic (purely goodness) and only that leads to liberation.] That action which is prescribed by the scriptures, and performed by the person without any ego, without the expectation of results and also without love or hate is said to be in the mode of goodness. ||18-23|| That action, which is filled with great efforts and is performed by the person with arrogance and with the expectation of results and desires, is said to be in the mode of passion. ||18-24|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 556 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 And that action which is started to perform without thinking about the future consequences, about the loss, pain to others, and without judging one’s own capability is said to be in the mode of ignorance. ||18-25|| [Performing all duly actions as prescribed without any expectation and only as a matter of duty is said to be a good action. Expecting some results or exerting great efforts with arrogance is said to be passionate action. And that action which disregards the scriptures, brings loss to others, and even pain to everyone (mentally and physically), also which is performed with ignorance, and without any goal is said to be an ignorant action.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 557 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The worker who is free from all attachments, who never speaks arrogant words, who is filled with courage and enthusiasm, who is even minded in success or failure, and who is without any mental contaminations; such a worker is said to be in the mode of goodness. ||18-26|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 558 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The worker who is filled with all attachments, who is interested in the want of results, who is greedy, who gives pain to others, whose conduct is impure, who is bound by happiness and sorrow, such a worker is said to be in the mode of passion. ||18-27|| [Always interested in one’s companion, children, occupation, lands, relatives, friends, and ready to perform painful, impure and unwanted acts for them and thus sometimes being happy and sometimes being unhappy, such a worker must be understood to be in the mode of passion.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 559 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The worker who is against the principles of the scriptures, who is useless and uncultured, who is arrogant, cheater, and destroyer of others livelihood, who is of sorrowful nature, who is lazy and prolongs even simple work, such a worker is said to be in the mode of ignorance. ||18-28|| [One must not work against the principles of the scriptures and such a worker is verily materialistic. Such persons have the above-mentioned qualities and are bound by the material modes. They are said to be ignorant workers.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 560 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Dhananjaya! According to the material modes of nature, there are even three kinds of Intelligence and firmness. Now hear from Me in detail about them fully and distinctively. ||18-29|| [Until now Lord Sri Krishna talked about knowledge, the knower, and the worker or performer and He also told about the three modes of material nature. Now the Lord wants to explain about the types of understanding and firmness or steadiness.] O Partha! That intelligence which determines the paths of activity and renunciation, what must be done and what must not be done, fear and fearlessness, and also bondage and liberation, such intelligence is in the mode of goodness. ||18-30|| [Pravritti mentioned here is performance of action in accordance to the scriptures and Nivritti means leading a life without body consciousness and always being established in the thinking of the Supreme God. One who does not know the scriptures is subjected to bondage. This is similar to a person who is unaware of the law, commits crime and falls into the hands of police. To know such various discriminations correctly is said to be the intelligence in the mode of goodness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 561 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Partha! That intelligence which does not help in determining correctly the positions of Dharma (the right) and Adharma (the wrong), and also what must be done and what must not be done, such intelligence is in the mode of passion. ||18-31|| And O Partha! That intelligence which having covered by darkness regards the wrong (Adharma) to be the right (Dharma), and sees all things contrary to the truth and thus being perverted, such intelligence is in the mode of ignorance. ||18-32|| [The persons with ignorant intellect perform all actions opposite to the way they must be performed. They do not perform good deeds and always perform the impious or bad deeds. They regard everything contrary to their reality and thus they see all things upside down. Such intelligence is in the mode of ignorance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 562 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Partha! The ever-steadfast firmness, which through yoga helps to control the activities of the mind, life, and the senses, is the firmness in the mode of goodness. ||18-33|| And O son of Pritha, Arjuna! The firmness by which a person hoping for results gets attached with extreme desire to Dharma (duty), wealth, pleasure, and sense gratification, such firmness is in the mode of passion. ||18-34|| [Whatever actions one performs hoping for accumulation of Dharma, pleasures, wealth, and sense gratification such desires bind the person and that person works hard with this type of firmness. This particular mentality is now widespread and very commonly found. Such firmness is of passionate nature.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 563 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Partha! That by which the evil-minded people do not give up sleep, fear, grief, sorrow, and arrogance, such firmness is in the mode of ignorance. ||18-35|| [Having determined for deep sleep, always sleeping, always filled with fear about the future consequences, and grieving over experiencing inconveniences, staying depressed and sorrowful thinking of diseases and troubles and yet not leaving arrogance and illusion, such firmness is said to be in the mode of ignorance.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 564 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Now hear from me even about the three types of happiness. O best of Bharatas, where one rejoices by practice, and definitely comes to the end of distress or sorrow. ||18-36|| [With practice, such a person experiences happiness and rising above material comforts and luxuries, that person finally leads towards the Supreme Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 565 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 That happiness which is like poison in the beginning, but like nectar in the end; In this way that which provides awakening to self-realization, such happiness is said to be in the mode of goodness. ||18-37|| [For self-realization, one bears many pains by observing various rules and regulations but they are only the pains in the beginning and later on, if one is steadfast in the mission, then gradually those pains are turned into the nectarine happiness and such happiness is said to be in the mode of goodness.] That happiness which is born from contact of senses and sense objects, it is like nectar in the beginning but in the end it is like poison, therefore such happiness is said to be in the mode of passion. ||18-38|| [This passionate happiness is most commonly seen nowadays. First it provides joy and then it is certainly sorrowful. For example: the so called love nowadays is only due to the bodily attraction of male and female, although it is joyful in the beginning but later it is the most sorrowful and painful state which even leads to suicide and death. Such bodily love affairs have completely filled the earth. This is not proper. One must have certain discrimination and must clearly understand the meaning of this verse for gaining pure happiness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 566 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 That happiness which illusions the soul at the beginning and at the end; that happiness, which is born from sleep, laziness, and arrogance, is said to be in the mode of ignorance. ||18-39|| [The very good example for an ignorant person is Kumbhakarna, the brother of Ravana who had lost his intelligence and life, just due to sleep and laziness. Similarly even today many people are spoiling their lives just because of sleep and laziness. This is wrong. The soul is very active and that activeness must be always utilized in works of goodness. For, by practice in that path one can attain the happiness of self-realization. This is the real goal of life.] Again on the earth, or in heaven, or among the demigods there is no such being which has been liberated by these three modes born out of material nature. ||18-40|| [In the complete material universe all creatures - demigods, humans, and demons have these three modes born out of the material nature. Those who do not possess these three modes are certainly not born here and they are truly liberated. But such persons are indeed very rare.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 567 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O destroyer of enemies! The duties of the Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas as well as of the Sudras have been divided according to the modes born of their nature. ||18-41|| [Remember, these Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas as well as Sudras are all to be classified based on a person’s Guna (nature) and Karma (activities). And not based on their birth in such a particular family. Lord Sri Krishna condemns such (based on birth) a caste formation. In the following verses, we will find the definitions of these divisions precisely. These are the guidelines for identifying such persons, not their birth or even appearance.] Calmness, self-control, cleanliness (purity), austerity, forgiveness, simplicity, belief in God, knowledge (wisdom), self-realization and honesty are verily the natural duties of a Brahmana. ||18-42|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 568 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Valour, vigour, firmness (courage), capability, never fleeing from battle, liberality (charity), and superiority (Lordship) are verily the natural duties of a Kshatriya. ||18-43|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 569 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Farming, rearing of cattle, and trade (commerce) are the natural duties of a Vaishya; while the service of other classes is the natural duty of a Sudra. ||18-44|| Persons engaged in their own individual natural duties attain perfection (God-realization). Now hear from Me that how a person engaged in his own natural duty attains perfection. ||18-45|| Any person performing his own duty and also worshipping the Supreme Lord, who is the creator of all beings and by whom this entire universe is pervaded, can attain perfection. ||18-46|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 570 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [All the human divisions must perform their natural duties by surrendering and worshipping the Supreme Lord. One must perform only their prescribed duties and not anything else. For, by changing one’s natural duty there is loss and pain to all people in the society.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 571 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 One’s own duty is better although having imperfections, than the duty of another being well performed. For one who performs his natural prescribed duty shall never attain sin. ||18-47|| [The performance of prescribed duties yields virtues and they must be performed only in the service of the Lord. Everyone should perform suitable prescribed actions based on their own individual nature. Performing thus, the remembrance and worship of God must be simultaneously present. This verily yields to perfection.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 572 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O son of Kunti, although having imperfections, the natural prescribed duties must not be renounced because all duties (actions) are covered by imperfections just as the fire is covered by smoke. ||18-48|| [All the duties or actions are made impure by the three modes of material nature. A very good example is given here. Even though the fire is pure, it is covered by the impure smoke and is called impure. But still, the fire remains pure. Similarly Brahmins being non-violent have to sometimes perform unpleasant duties. Kshatriyas have to wage wars. Vaishyas have to cheat sometimes, and the Sudras although not interested at times, have to carry their master’s orders. With all these imperfections one must not leave their prescribed duties, and must perform them to the best of the ability by surrendering and worshipping God. This is the right path and never leads to destruction and also never incurs sin.] One whose intellect is unattached everywhere, whose mind is subdued, and who has no desires attains by the Sankhya yoga, the Supreme state of perfect renunciation of actions. ||18-49|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 573 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [One, who always thinks himself or herself to be a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord and by surrendering to Him, renders service unto Him, is a real person of renunciation (sannyasi) and never claims himself or herself to be the enjoyer of results of the work performed. The Supreme Lord will enjoy such results of work, and thus that person becomes completely situated in the thoughts of Lord Sri Krishna. This is real renunciation.] O son of Kunti! Know from Me in brevity that how a person of perfection attains to the state of Brahman and also know that Supreme state of knowledge. ||18-50|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 574 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Filled with a pure intellect, residing in solitude and pure place, eating only little, controlling speech, body and mind, and one who has attained firm detachment, ever engaged in meditation and concentration, firmly selfcontrolled, giving up sound and other sense objects, destroying attraction and attachment, having forsaken egoism, strength, arrogance, desire (lust), anger and accumulation, devoid of compassion and being ever peaceful in mind-such a person becomes qualified to attain the Supreme Brahman. ||18-51,52,53|| [Attaining Brahman means the stage of self-realization of Brahman and that stage is called “Brahma-Bhuta” stage. To become qualified in order to attain that stage, the first thing is to have a pure intellect, and for that one must always engage the self by practice, in the service of the Supreme Lord. By engaging thus anger, desire, arrogance, attachment, hatred, egoism, greed and other ill qualities vanish and then the mind becomes purified and thus peaceful. Such a person becomes qualified to attain the “Brahma-Bhuta” stage (self-realization).] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 575 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 In this way cheerfully and transcendentally situated, that person never laments nor desires but, staying even mined in all the beings such a person attains Supreme devotion unto Me. ||18-54|| [In this material universe sorrow is inevitable to the one, who entangles the self in the sense objects. But in the spiritual universe, there is no such sorrow because when the intellect and mind become peaceful and pure then there is no heed to sorrow. As the Supreme Lord is transcendentally situated similarly that person also attains that stage. But that stage is not attained easily to all. Therefore one must practice hard to attain it. And such practice must be constant without any hesitation, and then shall we attain to that divine stage.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 576 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Through devotion he comes to know Me in reality, who I am, and how great I am, and thus knowing Me in truth, he attains Me. ||18-55|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 577 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [“He attains Me” means such a devotee attains the Supreme Abode of Lord Sri Krishna called Goloka Vrindavan. Impersonalists have perceived this fact wrongly and also preach wrongly. They give the example of ocean and the rivers. This is not correct. The ocean is the origin of all rivers and so the water of the ocean becomes water vapour and then made into clouds, it pours rain on the earth to form rivers, and once again enters the ocean. But the soul emanated from the Lord does not become one with God, instead it having attained His form stays with Him in His abode, like Him and eternally blissful. Such souls never return to this material sphere. Whatever is the inquisitiveness in this regard, but the concluded truth is explained clearly by Lord Sri Krishna. There must be no difference in opinion about the words of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 578 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 579 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 One who has taken shelter in Me, although performing actions all the time he attains the Supreme eternal and imperishable state due to My very grace. Therefore upon surrendering all actions unto Me by the mind and being devoted to Me by adopting the yoga of equanimity, have your mind constantly fixed on Me. ||18-56,57|| [Here the Lord confirms that the devotee attains the Lord’s Abode but does not become one with Him. The Supreme Abode means here the Vaikunta named Goloka Vrindavan. Therefore Gita must be clearly and properly understood through an expert and authoritative teacher. Foolish scholars cannot give a clear picture of the real meaning and one must therefore only approach true devotees to gain the clear perspective. A true devotee is one who has accepted Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead without any doubt and works only to please the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 580 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 You, having fixed your mind on Me shall overcome all obstacles easily by My grace and if at all due to arrogance (ego) you do not heed to My advice then you shall perish. ||18-58|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 581 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [This verse is of utmost importance because when the Lord is speaking to Arjuna and is telling him that he shall perish if he won’t listen to His words, then what to talk of us who are most insignificant. Therefore casting aside false pride and arrogance and being situated in Krishna consciousness we must try to work only for the pleasure of Lord Sri Krishna. There is no other way than this. Therefore ‘to be blessed’ or ‘to be perished’ is in our own hands, in our own control. The only thing left is to choose the right one, and that is to surrender unto Lord Sri Krishna.] If filled with ego you think that ‘I shall not fight’, then this decision of yours is verily false. Because your nature (Kshatriya) will compel you (to fight). ||18-59|| [Whatever one may attempt to do but the modes of material nature shall engage that person in the particular work and only unto a limited extent. Although Arjuna has decided not to fight but his inner nature of a Kshatriya shall certainly compel and engage him in warfare. This is the opinion expressed here by Lord Sri Krishna.] O son of Kunti! Due to illusion, you having bound by your very own acts that are born of your nature shall helplessly perform the acts, which you do not want to perform. ||60|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 582 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 The Supreme Lord situated in everybody’s heart, makes the living entities (souls) seated in this bodily machine (body) to wander by His illusive energy (Maya). ||18-61|| [All the living entities (souls) seated in this machine called the body are made to wander by the illusion of the Lord and under the direction of the Lord. The grip of Maya (illusion) is very strong and nobody can escape from it. Although one wants to escape from it, that person’s nature and past karma or acts bind him up and place him in that illusion. Even though Arjuna had decided not to fight, his Kshatra dharma of a warrior never heeded to his decision and he was compelled to fight because the Supreme Lord being the controller is inspiring him to do so. This is the real truth.] O Bharata! By all means go only in the shelter of that Supreme Lord for, by His grace you shall attain the eternal happiness and the permanent abode. ||18-62|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 583 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [Everyone must go in shelter of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna for He is the creator, maintainer, sustainer, director and the destructor all by Himself. His will is the last will and without His will nothing can be performed, because He is the only independent and we are all under His supremacy. If we go in shelter of that Lord then He shall free us from all contaminations and sorrows and shall bestow upon us the Supreme happiness and His eternal, permanent abode.] Thus confidentially, I have explained this most secret knowledge to you. Having pondering over it fully, do as you please. ||18-63|| [Until now Lord Sri Krishna explained the knowledge of Brahman and Brahma-Bhuta. In that stage, one becomes peaceful and even blissful. This is the most confidential secret of all secrets. Therefore one, who learns this, has no sorrow at all. Here the knowledge of the Supreme is explained. To surrender unto Him is the most elevated and best stage of worship. But here the Lord has provided some freedom to the living entities (i.e. to surrender or not to surrender has to be determined by the living entities themselves). But to follow the words of the Lord as they are, is the best and the very best path. Therefore after having told everything to Arjuna, the Lord gives him the freedom to act as he pleases.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 584 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Hear again, My Supreme word, which is the most secret of all. You are extremely dear to Me and therefore I shall tell you what is beneficial for you. ||18-64|| [This confidential knowledge has been imparted to Arjuna for the benefit of all humanity. The secret here is to “surrender completely unto the Supreme Lord”. Here secret does not mean that nobody should know it, but it means that it is the forgotten knowledge and everyone must have it, for it is certainly in their benefit. That which is forgotten or has not been properly understood is called confidential secret. And here, the Lord has revealed it. Therefore this Gita is the essence of all Vedas and scriptures. Everyone must practice and try to adopt it properly, and must worship it daily. At least one verse should be pondered daily and properly.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 585 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Always fix your mind on Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me and prostrate (bow) unto Me. Thus you shall come to Me without fail. I truly promise you this, for you are very dear to Me. ||18-65|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 586 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [This verse contains the absolute truth that must be clearly understood. Here the Supreme Lord is Lord Sri Krishna alone and none else. Thus, by always thinking of Him, by becoming His devotee, by bowing to Him one shall certainly attain Him (abode). This is the verdict of Lord Sri Krishna and is thus the greatest secret to be revealed. The secret is already revealed, that the worshippers of demigods, ancestral gods, ghosts and spirits reach their planets respectively i.e. they reach only the material planets; but one who worships and surrenders unto Lord Sri Krishna with complete faith and devotion shall attain His eternal, blissful, and everlasting planet called Goloka Vrindavan. This must be the aim of every individual being. To attain this, many persons have been finding their own paths but the right and exact path has here been mentioned clearly by Lord Sri Krishna. One must always think of the bluish boy with two hands, flute and peacock feather, one must always think of His pastimes and thus association with His devotees is a must for quicker and perfect understanding. Anyone who performs in this way is a true devotee of Lord Sri Krishna and forsaking all material contaminations such a person attains the divine Abode of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 587 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Abandoning all duties, take shelter in Me alone. I shall thus liberate you from all sins. Do not grieve. ||18-66|| [Formerly Lord Sri Krishna has explained various Dharma, Gunas and Karmas such as duty of Varnashrama, material duties, duty of the senses, duty of the mind, duty of knowledge, duty of action etc., And after saying all this, Lord Sri Krishna says to surrender and take full shelter only in Him by abandoning all other duties, thus He guarantees to liberate us from our sins and shall provide Eternal Divine Bliss. This is clearly mentioned but many foolish scholars say about ‘Sarva dharma’ that to abandon religions such as Hindu, Muslim, Christian etc., such commentary is not at all correct, for such scholars have not clearly read and understood the philosophy of Gita. Because these so called religions Hindu, Muslim, etc, are nowhere mentioned in the Gita - instead material, sensual, Varnashrama, mental and intellectual and other duties (Dharma) have been mentioned. Therefore instead of involving or engaging in such duties and suffering duly why shouldn’t we directly surrender to the creator of all such duties and take shelter in Lord Sri Krishna? Lord Sri Krishna has confirmed and guaranteed us to provide liberation from all sins and sorrows. Therefore having faith in Gita and in the words of Lord Sri Krishna, we must surrender unto Him so that we reach the ultimate goal of life. There is no sorrow, fear, hesitation and illusion in the words of Lord Sri Krishna.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 588 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Never should you impart this (Gita) to one who is not austere, nor to him who lacks devotion, or even to one who does not tend to hear due to disinterest, and also not to that person who criticizes Me and finds fault with Me. ||18-67|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 589 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [Even today there are many people like Duryodhana who are envious and criticize Lord Sri Krishna. They envy the Lord because they do not understand Him properly and also their nature is like that. Without understanding the Lord’s divine words, one must not write any commentary on Gita. Many foolish scholars who have no faith and interest in Lord Sri Krishna criticize Him as an uncivilized person, a cowherd, a sexual person, and with what not nonsensical thoughts. One should not read the commentaries of such persons. They may be great scholars, politicians, critics, saints, or logicians but when they fail to accept Lord Sri Krishna as God, then all their knowledge is an utter waste. How can such persons understand Gita? They write commentaries on such scriptures only to gain name and fame. If they are really great, then let them write something of their own, not to base their writings on this pure Gita. Therefore we must be careful in selecting and reading such commentaries on Vedic literatures. Only true devotees who accept Lord Sri Krishna as God and also who come in disciplinal succession are eligible to write commentaries and nobody else. Lord Sri Krishna Himself has already confirmed this.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 590 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Anyone who, with Supreme devotion unto Me teaches (imparts) this Supreme secret to My devotees, shall certainly and doubtlessly come to Me. ||18-68|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 591 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [As told here, the person who has not properly understood Lord Sri Krishna and His divine words are not perfect and thus the suggestion here for such persons is to become perfect first. When such persons do not understand Lord Sri Krishna then how can they understand His confidential incarnation of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or Madhvacharya the incarnation of Wind god? Therefore, those who speculate on such matters must never be imparted this Supreme secret of Gita. If imparted to true devotees then the devotion shall gradually rise making them pure and enabling to reach the Supreme Abode of Lord Sri Krishna. This is the opinion of this verse.] And except him, there is no such person among humans who does loving service unto Me and there is none greater than him on earth who is dearer to Me. ||18-69|| [“Him” refers to those devotees of the Lord who impart this Supreme science to other devotees of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 592 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 And whoever studies this sacred conversation of ours (Gita), he shall worship me through the sacrifice of knowledge. Such is My opinion and declaration. ||18-70|| [Anyone who studies or reads daily with devotion and faith, this blissful conversation between Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna in the form of Gita shall be equally worshipping the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna by the sacrifice of knowledge. This is the declared opinion of Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Worshipping or pleasing the Lord through any other sacrifice is painful and troublesome but, anyone who studies this divine Gita by their intelligence and knowledge will be performing the greatest of all sacrifices i.e. pleasing the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna by the sacrifice of knowledge.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 593 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Any person, who even listens with faith and without envy, shall also be liberated and will attain to the auspicious planets of the virtuous. ||18-71|| [Anybody can attain to the happy worlds of the virtuous but they must first worship and respect the words of Lord Sri Krishna with faith and devotion. This is very essential. There is no path other than this, to attain to the virtuous, auspicious planets. For example Dhruva Maharaja attained a separate highest planet for himself called Dhruva Loka by worshipping and surrendering sincerely to the Supreme Lord. Therefore, we must also surrender unto Lord Sri Krishna with full faith and devotion and must listen attentively to the words of Lord Sri Krishna stored in the Gita.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 594 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Partha! Have you attentively heard my words with a constant mind? And O Dhananjaya, has your illusion born of ignorance been destroyed? ||18-72|| [Lord Sri Krishna after completing His divine words and seeing Arjuna look satisfied has asked these questions. Thus here, Lord Sri Krishna has shown Himself to be the Supreme spiritual master. He has invited His disciple Arjuna to clear doubts. When the Lord Himself speaks, there is no room for doubts.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 595 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O Acyuta! All my illusions are destroyed by Your Divine Grace and I have regained my memory (knowledge); having been cleared from all doubts, I now stand firm to act according to Your words. ||18-73|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 596 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [Arjuna has now regained his senses and memory and thus all his illusions are destroyed. He is now cleared of all his doubts. He has a firm hold in the words of Lord Sri Krishna. Now he is ready to wage war mentally and physically according to the words of Lord Sri Krishna. He has now fully surrendered to Lord Sri Krishna. To destroy the evil minded people and to redeem the earth of sinful persons, Arjuna has now become ready to fight according to the will of Lord Sri Krishna.] Sanjaya said: Thus I have heard this wonderful and thrilling conversation between Lord Vaasudeva (Krishna) and the great soul Partha (Arjuna). ||18-74|| [Sanjaya was able to see and record the instances occurring in the battlefield just as we see from a Television and record it on a VCR/DVD. He thus used to tell all the instances fully to Dhrtarashtra without fail and without any fault. Sri Krishna Dvaipayana Veda Vyasa provided him with the divine sight. After hearing fully the conversation between Arjuna and Lord Sri Krishna, Sanjaya has become thrilled and is also happy. This is really wonderful and mysterious because Lord Sri Krishna has described Himself; His powers, glories and other branches of knowledge, Sanjaya who heard them through divine sight narrated them fully to king Dhrtarashtra, as-it-is.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 597 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 By the grace of Sri Vyasa, I heard this Supreme and most secret Yoga directly from Lord Sri Krishna Himself, who is the Lord of all Yogas. ||18-75|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 598 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [By the grace of Sri Vyasa means Sanjaya’s guru was Sri Veda Vyasa and therefore upon the request of Dhrtarashtra, Vyasa bestowed the divine sight unto Sanjaya. Due to that divine sight Sanjaya saw and heard the divine wonderful conversation directly and narrated as-it-is to King Dhrtarashtra. That means Gita must be learnt only from a proper guru. Arjuna learnt it from the Supreme Guru Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Lord Sri Krishna is the Lord of all Yogas, whereas Lord Shiva is the Lord of all Yogis-who practice Yogas. Thus, one is Yogishvara and the other is Yogeshvara, and the greater among the two is Yogeshvara - Lord Sri Krishna.] O King, as I remember again and again this wonderful and holy conversation of Lord Keshava (Krishna) and Arjuna, I become thrilled with joy at every moment. ||18-76|| [The study or remembrance of Gita gives immense joy and pleasure. This feeling is expressed in this verse. One who understands or reads this holy conversation of Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna becomes virtuous and peacefully situated without any contaminations and thus that person becomes completely blissful in Krishna consciousness.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 599 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 O King! Even upon remembering again and again the most wonderful form of Sri Hari (Krishna), great is my wonder and I rejoice again and again. ||18-77|| [Sanjaya had also seen the universal form of Lord Sri Krishna because he was also a devotee of the Lord. If he is the disciple of Sage Veda Vyasa then he has to be a devotee of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore he was also able to see the true form of the Lord. As sage Veda Vyasa was the incarnation of Sri Narayana, His disciple Sanjaya with the divine sight provided by Sri Vyasa was also able to hear, see, and understand the conversation of Gita. Blessed are these souls like Sanjaya and Arjuna who could interact directly with the Supreme Lord, and blessed are those who clearly understand this from an authoritative teacher, a devotee of the Lord.] The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 600 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga and wherever there is Partha, the wielder of the bow, there shall be prosperity, victory, glory, and firm righteousness. This is my opinion. ||18-78|| The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 601 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 [The Bhagavad Gita starts with King Dhrtarashtra’s inquiry about the consequences of the war and also to know that who would win, his sons or the sons of Pandu? In answer to it, Sanjaya has here confirmed that wherever there is Lord Sri Krishna and Arjuna, there shall reside prosperity, victory, glory, and firm righteousness - indicating the victory of the Pandavas. This Gita is the Supreme knowledge of instruction. This is confirmed in ||9-34||. To surrender fully unto Lord Sri Krishna is the end of all instruction and Dharma, and is thus the highest state. Everything rests on Lord Sri Krishna for He is the cause for all causes. Though the Lord appears to be different for various objects, He is never different, and is always one and the same. This is shown by Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in their philosophy of ‘Acintya Bhedaabheda’ which means the living entities are simultaneously one with and different from the Lord. The Dvaita philosophy has been born from Lord Sri Krishna Himself. He says in ||8-3|| about the Dvaita philosophy. Therefore Sri Madhvacharya’s philosophy of Dvaita also comes here. All the creation has duality, happiness-sorrow, hot-cold, pain-joy, Paramatma-Jivatma and thus everything is dual in nature. The liberated souls even after reaching the Supreme Abode and having attained the form of the Lord cannot become one with the Lord but remain different from Him. This is the real absolute truth. Through Arjuna, Lord Sri Krishna gave birth to Dvaita some 5100 years ago. But the preaching of its philosophy became less and the Mayavadis took hold on their impersonalist (Advaita) philosophy and when that became widespread Lord Sri Krishna sent forth the all pervading Vayu god (Wind god) to accomplish His task of reestablishing the Dvaita philosophy. And later to indicate complete clarity in His philosophy, He appeared as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal some 550 years ago, and clearly deciphered all that needs to be known in attaining Him. According to Advaitis, Brahma is attribute less and truth, while all other things are false. Doesn’t this mean, according to their own words that, Brahma is different and other things are different, isn't it? Even there Dvaita exists. Advaitis say Paramatma and Jivatma are one and the same; the difference is only ignorance. But claiming it as false - Paramatma is eternal, imperishable, permanent, ever blissful, and always pervading everywhere. Paramatma has also pervaded the inanimate things while Jivatma is certainly a part and parcel of the Lord and has all the qualities in an extremely negligible minute quantity. Yet Jivatma cannot pervade The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine 602 Aaem! nmae _agvte vasudevay Chapter-18 everywhere but can only reside in the body it wishes to take according to its past Karma. This is the difference, which forms the Dvaita or duality between them. Even if one is self-realized or lies in ignorance, duality exists in both the states. Becoming one with God means to enter His abode. This is the real truth as told by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself. Let us understand this and make our lives sublime by surrendering everything and ourselves completely unto Lord Sri Krishna.] Here ends the eighteenth and final chapter of Bhagavad Gita titled MokshaSannyaasa Yoga. . svRm ! k&:{aapR{amStu . 603 OM, in this way everything is offered to Lord Sri Krishna submissively. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine AUTHOR INFORMATION Sri A.P.M Raj Urs May 17, 1936 – August 21, 1998 (Sri Raja Ram Das Adhikari) Shi A.P.M. Raj Urs, initiated as Sri Raja Ram Das Adhikari was a spiritual visionary who envisaged of enlightening the minds of young and old alike by way of his artistic talents. He was an artist, writer and sculptor – thus being multitalented, he thought of doing some thing by which his artistic skills come to use in making resourceful things for mankind. He tried hard in convincing people about his visions, but perhaps he could not make the right contacts. Support came in lots of verbal assurances, but nothing really happened. Time was running short for him, and yet he kept working on this project, thereby completing his part of creating the illustrations and translation. He was suffering severely from chronic asthma, and yet his spirits never went down. In spite of not getting the proper support from the people he approached, he was determined and has done a unique work, which is now in the form of this book. We seek to make this effort reach every person in this world who has become blind with restless activities and extreme modernization. The Illustrated Bhagavad Gita – The Song Divine