8. Resorting to My Praknti, I again and again send forth the whole multitude of, beings, powerless under the control of the Prakriti.
With the help of the Prakriti, i.e., of Avidya, which is subject to Me, I cause all these beings we now see to emanate again and again from the Prakriti; all of them being rendered powerless by avidya and other sources of evil under the •influence of the Prakriti, i.e.t of Svabhava or Nature- The Lord is not bound by His acts.
Then as creating this multitude of beings of unequal conditions, Thou, the Supreme Lord, shalt be subject to 244 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. IX.
dharma and a-dbarma arising from that act? — In reply, the Lord says: 9. Nor do these acts, O Dhana?&jaya, bind Me, remaining like one unconcerned, unattached to those acts.
The acts involved in the unequal creation of the multitudinous beings do not bind Me, the Iswara. — Now, the Lord gives the reason why He is not affected by the acts: — I, knowing the immutability of the Self, remain like one who is unconcerned, without attachment for the fruit of the act i.e.$ without the egotistic feeling * I do.' Wherefore, in the case of others also, the absence of the egotistic feeling of agency and the absence of attachment for results is the cause of freedom ffrom dharma and a-dharma) Otherwise, the deluded man is bound by his own acts like the silk-worm in the cocoon.
Now, the statements * I send forth this multitude of beings * (ix. 7) and * remaining like one unconcerned * involve a self-contradiction. In explanation thereof, the Lord says: 10. By Me presiding, Praknti produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O son of Kunti, the world revolves.
By Me presiding: as a mere viewer on every side and the immutable witness. My Maya i.e>, the Avidya, composed of the three guwas, produces the universe comprising the moving and the unmoving objects. So says the chant: 9—10] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 245 ' The one, the luminous, hidden in all beings, all-pervad- ing, the Inner Self of all, the superintendent of all acts, the abode of all beings, the witness, the perceiver, alone, and free from qualities.'— (Sveta$vatara-Up. 6-11).
Because I am the witness, because I preside, this universe comprising the moving and the unmoving objects, the manifested and the unmanifested, moves on through all stages. Indeed, all activity in the world — such as * I shall enjoy this, * I see this,* * I hear this,* * I feel pleasure,' * I feel pain,' ' To gain this 1 shall do it,' ' I shall learn this ' — arises by way of forming an object of consciousness; it has its being in consciousness and has its end in consciousness* Such chants as * Who in the Supreme Heaven (of the heart) is the witness of this; ' (Tai. Br. 2-8-9) point only to this view. Accordingly * as there is no conscious entity other than the One Divine Being, there cannot be a separate enjoyer » and it is therefore irrelevant to ask or to answer the question f, ' Of what purpose is this creation by the One, the Divine, the pure ail-witnessing Spirit or Consciousness, having really no concern with any enjoyment whatever? * So says the sruti: t ' Who could perceive (It) directly, and who could declare whence born and why this variegated creation? ' — (Tai, Br. 2-8-9.)
* The Isvara being the creator of the Universe is the mere witness thereof.
t It is not right to ask or answer the question ' what is the purpose of Creation? ' We cannot say that it is meant for the enjoyment of the Supreme; for, the Supreme really enjoys nothing. It is pure conscious- ness, a mere witness. And there is no other enjoyer, for there is no other conscious eatity. The Isvaxa, is one only; and what is, not conscious cannot enjoy. Nor is Creation intended to secure moksha, because it is opposed to moksha. Thus, neither the question nor an answer to it is possible; and there is no occasiou for it. as Creation is due to the Maya of the Supreme. — (A.)
I This sruti means that it is very hard to know the Supreme Self.
246 THE BHAGAVAD G1TA. [DlS. IX.
The Lord has also said: * Wisdom is enveloped by unwisdom; thereby mortals are deluded.'*— (v. 15).
The life of the impious.
Though I am thus eternal, pure, wise, and free, by nature^ Omniscient, the Self of all, 11. Fools disregard Me clad in human form, not knowing My higher being as the Great Lord of beings.
Fools, unable to discriminate, despise Me living among them with a human body, these fools not understanding My higher being, — not knowing that I am the Supreme Self, that I am, like akasa, that I am the Great Lord, the very Self, of all beings. Then by continually despising Me, these poor creatures are ruined.
How (is their condition pitiable)?
12, Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge, devoid of discrimination, partaking only of the delusive nature of Rakshasas and jr\sur3S» They cherish vain hopes. The agnihotra and other actions performed by them are fruitless, because they insult the Lord, because they neglect their own Self. Even their * This passage shows that creation is due to aj»ana or nescience, 10—14] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET 247 knowledge is fruitless. They are devoid of discrimination. They partake of the nature of Rakshasas and Asuras.* They see no self beyond the body and engage in cruel deeds, their rule of conduct being ' cut, break, drink, devour, rob others * property.'
The ways of the faithful devotees. But, the faithful who are engaged in devotion (Bhakti) to the Lord, i.e., who walk in the path of moksha, 13. The Mahatmans, O son of Pritha, par- taking of the nature of the Devas, worship Me with mind turned to no other,f knowing (Me) as the imperishable source of all beings.
Mahatmans; the high-soul ed^ The nature of the Devas (Gods) consists in their control over the body, mind and the senses, in kindness, in faith and the like. Beings: bhutas, all living creatures as well as all elements of matter.
How (do they worship)?
14. Always talking of Me, strenuous, firm in vows, and reverent, they worship Me with love? always devout.
* After death such people will be born as Eakshasas or Asuras The nature of Rakshasas consists in committing deeds of cruelty, and hat of Asuras in robbing another's property, in the absence of charity d of sacrifice, t With the mind resting on Me, the Innermost Self, who am no other than their own Self.
J Those whose mind (sattva) has been purified by yaj»a or sacrifice, etc.
248 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. IX.
They always talk of Me, their Lord, the very Brahman. They ever strive by way of subjugating the senses, by way of cultivating the virtues of self-control, kindness, innocence, and the like. Firm in their vows, they worship Me in love, Me who am their very Self lying in the heart- In what. different ways do they worship? — Listen: 15. Worshipping by the wisdom-sacrifice, others adore Me, the All-faced, in various ways, as One, as different* Knowledge of the Lord is itself a sacrifice. Worshipping by this sacrifice of wisdom, others* adore Me, having abandoned all other farms of worship. And that knowledge varies thus;— Some worship with the knowledge of the real truth that ' One, verily, is the Para-Brahman * Some worship with the knowledge that the Lord Vishnu Himself exists as different beings, as the sun, the moon and the like. Others worship Him, who exists in all forms — as the All-faced, thinking that the one Lord exists in all the different forms, with his face on ail sides.
All worship goes to the Lord.
If they worship in so many different ways, how do they (as Thou sayest) worship Thee only? — The Lord says; 16, t am kratu, I am yajwa, I am svadha, I am aushadha, I am mantra, Myself the butter, I am lire, I the act of offering.
* The Brahma-nishihas, those who are devoted to Brahman.
14—18] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 249 Kratu is a class of Vedic sacrifices. Yajna is the worship enjoined in the smnti. $vadha is the food offered to ances- tors (Pitris). The aushadha means plants in general, includ- ing rice and barley, eaten by all living beings. Or, svadha is food in general, and aushadha is the medical (food) serving to alleviate sickness. — I am the mantra, the chant with which the oblation is offerd to the Pitris and the Devatas. I am the fire into which the offering is poured.
And, 17. I am the father of this world, the mother, the dispenser, and grandsire; 1 am the knowable> the purifier, the syllable ' Om,' and also the Rik, the Saman, and the Yajus also.
The dispenser: of the fruits of action. And, 18. I am the Goal, the Sustainer, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Shelter md. the Friend, the Origin, Dissolution and Stay, the Treasure- house, the Seed imperishable.
I am the goal, the fruit of action I am the witness of what is done and what is not done by all living beings, I am the abode wherein all living beings dwell. I am the shelter for the distressed; I relieve from distress those who come to Me. I am the Friend: I do good without expecting any 250 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. IX.
return. I am the source of the world. I am that in which it is dissolved, and that in which it stays. I am the treasure- house, that which living beings shall enjoy in a future period. I am the imperishable seed, that which causes the growth of all things that germinate, and which endures as long as the world (sawsara) endures. Nothing indeed springs up without a seed; and since growth is constant, it is understood that continuity of the seed never fails.
And, 19. I give heat, 1 hold back and send forth rain, I am the immortality as well as death, exist- ence and non-existence, O Arjuna.
As the sun I give heat by some powerful rays; by certain rays I send forth rain; and having sent it forth I take it back by certain rays during eight months, and again send it forth in the rainy season. I am the immortality of the gods (devas) and the death of the mortals. I am existence, (the manifested, the effect), which manifests itself in relation (to the cause) j and I am the reverse, the non-existence (the unmamfestea*, the cause). — Indeed the Lord can never be altogether non- existent; nor (can it be said) that the effect is existence and the cause is non-existence* * The manifested world of effects is spoken of as ' existence ' and the unmanifested cause as ' non-existence.' We cannot indeed hold that the Divine' essence is non-existence, for then we are driven to nihilism; nor can the cause be spoken of as non-existence, as it is impossible to conceive existence arising out of non-existence; for the sruti itself says* * How can existence come out of non-existence? ''—Chhand. Up. 6 18—21] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 251 The fruits of interested acts of Veiio ritual.
These men of wisdom who are devoted to Me, adoring Me by the sacrifices mentioned above, leading lives of retire- ment in various forms described above and regarding Me as One or as different, — tbey reach Myself according to their knowledge. But as regards those who are ignorant and who long for objects of desire, % gwmKTO g^gste 20. Men of the three Vedas, the soma- drinkers, purified from sin, worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the goal of heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord of the Gods and enjoy in heaven the heavenly pleasures of the Gods- Men who know the three Vedas, the Rik, the Saman and the Yajus; who drink Soma and are thereby purified from sins; who worship Me as the Vasus and other gods by sacrifices such as the Agnish/oma; who seek for Svarga as tbe reward of their sacrifices; — they go to the world of Indra who had performed a hundred sacrifices, and there enjoy supernatural (a-prakrita) pleasures.
252 THE BHAGAVAD GIT A. [DlS. IX* 21. They, having enjoyed that spacious world of Svarga, their merit (punya) exhausted, enter the world of the mortals; thus following the Dharma of the Triad, desiring (objects of) desires, they attain to the state of going and returning.
The Dharma of the Triad: mere Vedic ritual (karma), that which is enjoined by the three Vedas. They have to go and return, and never attain independence anywhere.
The Supreme watching over His devotees' interests.
Now, as regards those men of right knowledge who are free from desires, 22. Those men who} meditating on Me as non-separate, worship Me all around, — to them who are ever devout, I secure gain and safety.
Those men of renunciation (samnyasins) who worship Me all around* ever meditating on Me, regarding themselves as non-separate, — ue>9 looking upon the Supreme God, Narayawa, as their own Self, — to these who see tne Reality, who are ever devout, t I secure gain. I secure to them what is not already possessed; and I secure to them safety, i.e.% preservation of what is already possessed. As said in vii. 17 18, they form My very Self and are dear to Me.
{Objection): — To other devotees also the Lord secures gain and safety.
* i.e., Who see Me all around, as iafiaite. — (A.) t Constantly and earnestly engaged in dhyana.
22—24] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 253 {Answer):— True, He undoubtedly secures (to them gain and safety); but there is this difference: while other devotees work themselves also for their own gain and safety, those who see nothing as separate from themselves do not work for their own gain and safety. Indeed these latter never cherish a desire for life or death; the Lord alone is their refuge. Wherefore the Lord Himself secures to them gain and safety.
Other devotees do but worship the Supreme in ignorance.
(Objection):— If other gods (Devatas) are Thyself only, their devotees also worship Thyself.
{Answer) •• — Just so, indeed; irsft mm *t\^w ^5^t%t%*ppi ir? 11 23. Even those who, devoted to other Gods, worship Them with faith, worship Myself, O son of Kunti, in ignorance.
With faith: believing in the efficacy (of the worship of those Gods).
Why dost Thou say that they worship in ignorance?— * For, 24. I am indeed the Enjoyer, as also the Lord, of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in truth; whence they fail.
254 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. IX.
As the Devata* (i.e.t as the God to whom sacrifices are offered) I 'am the Enjoyer and the Lord of all sacrifices enjoined in the sruti and the smnti- I am indeed the Lord of yajwa or sacrifice, as said in viii, 4- So they do not know Me as I am; whence, having worshipped in ignorance, they fail to attain the fruit of the sacrifice, t The fruit of sacrifice certainly accrues J to them also who* devoted to other gods, worship Me in ignorance. — How? — 25. Votaries of the Gods go to the Gods; to the Pit/is go the votaries of the Pitfis; to the Bhutas go the worshippers of the Bhutas; My worshippers come to Myself.
The votaries of the Gods, those whose devotion and vows are directed to the Gods, go to the Gods. The votaries of the Pitris such as the Agnishvattas, engaged in performing sraddha and other rites in devotion to the Pitris, go to the Pitris. The Bhutas are the Vinayakas, the hosts of Matris, the four Bhaginis and the Like. My worshippers, i.e> VishWs votaries, come to Myself. Notwithstanding the equality of trouble, people do not worship Me alone, because of their ignorance. Wherefore they attain very small results.
* As the Vasus and other Devatas to whom the sacrifices are offered, I am the Enjoyer of all sacrifices; and as the Antaryamin, as the Inner Regulator of the Universe* I am the Lord of all sacrifices.
t Not having dedicated their actions to Me, they return to this world from the region to which they attain as the result of their sacrifice.
I The worship of the Gods is not quite useless- The worshippers do attain results suited to the form of worship, but they have to return to this world after a time.
24—28] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 255 Facility in Devotion to the Supreme.
Not only do My devotees attain an endless results ue~> attain a state from which there is no return to this world, but it is also easy for them to worship Me.— How? — 26. When one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, — that I ear, offered with devotion by the pure-minded.
Because it is so, therefore, 27. Whatever thou doest, whatever thou eatest, whatever thou sacrificest, whatever thou givest, in whatever austerity thou engagest, do it as an offering to Me.
Whatever thou doest of thy own accord (ue.> not enjoined in the sastra) and whatever thou offerest in sacrifice as enjoined in the sruti or the smnti, whatever thou givest — such things as gold — to the brahmawas and others, do all that as an offering to Me.
Now listen as to what will accrue to you doing thus: 28. Thus shalt thou be liberated from the bonds of actions which are productive of good and evil results; equipped in mind with the Yoga of renunciation, and liberated, thou shalt come to Me.
256 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. IX.
Thus: when you thus offer everything to Me. This (act of offering everything to Me) constitutes the Yoga of renun- ciation. It is i enunciation inasmuch as every thing is offered to Me *» and it is also Yoga inasmuch as it is an action (karma). Thus, with mind equipped with Yoga and renun- ciation, thou shalt be liberated from bonds while yet living; and when this body is dead, thou shalt come to Me, The impartiality of the Supreme.
(Objection); — Then the Lord has love and hatred, since He bestows His grace on His devotees, not on others- (Answer): — Not so: 29. The same I am to all beings; to Me there is none hateful or dear; but whoso worship Me with devotion, they are in Me, and I am also in them.
I am like fire: just as fire does not ward off cold from those who are at a distance and wards it off from those who go near it, so I bestow My grace on My devotees, not on others. Those who worship Me, the Lord, with devotion are in Me, as a matter of course, but not owing to any attachment on My part. In them also I am, only as a matter of course, not in others. By this behaviour, I cannot (be said to) hate the latter.* * Those who are devoted to Me, performing the duties of their caste and order, become pure in mind, in virtue of that very devotion of un- thinkable grandeur; and they are in Me, i.e., their minds are rendered fit for My presence. And, being in their presence as a matter of course, I ever do good to them. Just as the Sun's light, though pervading every- where, is reflected in a clean mirror, so also is the Supreme Lord present as a matter of course in those persons only from whose minds all dirt has been removed by devotion. It has been said *'in ix. 13 that those are devoted to the Lord, who partake of the nature of the devas. — (A).
28—33] SOVEREIGN WISDOM AND SECRET. 257 Even the low-born attain salvation by Devotion Now I shall tell you how excellent a thing devotion to Me is: 30. If one of even very evil life worships Me, resorting to none else, he must indeed be deemed righteous, for he is rightly resolved.
He is rightly resolved: he is a man of good resolution. By abandoning evil ways in his external life, and by the power of his internal right resolution, 31. Soon he becomes righteous and attains eternal peace; do thou, 0 son of Kunti, proclaim that my devotee never perishes.
Listen, this is the real truth thou mayest proclaim that He who is devoted to Me in his inner soul never perishes.
32. For, finding refuge in Me, they also who, O son of P?ithd» may be of a sinful birth — women vaisyas as well as sudras,-— even they attain to the Supreme Goal.
The Yoga of Devotion.
<V_ • *v fN • 258 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. IX.
33. How much more then the holy brahma^as and devoted royal saints! Having reached this transient joyless world* do thou worship Me.
Soly: of pure birth. This world: the world of man, human birth* which is the means of attaining spiritual aspirations (purushartha), and which is very hard to attain.
Moreover, 34, Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me. Thus steadied* with Me as thy Supreme Goal, thou shalt reach Myself, the Self.
Me-. Vasudeva, Steadied: in thought (chitta). I am the Self of all beings, and I am the Supreme goal.
* As con-human bodies such as those of animals are not fit for a life of devotion to the Lord, those who have attained to human birth hould lead a life of devotion to the lord: TENTH DISCOURSE. BIVINl MAMIFESTATIOHS- The Lord is the source of all manifestations.
In the seventh discourse and in the ninth, the essential nature o! the Lord and His manifestations have been pointed out. Now it is necessary to point out in what forms of being the Lord should be thought of •* and it is also necessary to describe the essential nature of the Lord, —though it has been described already, — as it is a hard thing to understand. With this view, the Lord says: The Blessed Lord said: 1. Again, O mighty-armed, listen to My Supreme word, which I, from a desire for thy well-being, shall speak to thee who art delighted.
Supreme: as revealing the unsurpassed Thing. Delighted; you are intensely delighted with My speech, as though you are drinking the immortal nectar.
Why should He speak of it?— The Lord says: 2. Neither the hosts of the Gods nor the Great iftshis know my origin; for 1 am the source of all the Gods and the Great iftshis.
260 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. X.
Pralham (interpreted as origin) may also mean " Great Lordly Power." Rishis: such as Bhrigu. Moreover, eravqgs ^ *?% ^<??<ts sig«A || \ \\ 3. He who knows Me as unborn and begin- ningless, as the great Lord of the worlds, he among mortals is undeluded, he is liberated from all sins.
Because I am the source of the Gods and the Great .Kishis, nore else exists as the source of My existence; where- fore, I am unborn and beginningless. Because I am begin- ningless, therefore I am unborn. Undeluded: devoid of delusion. Ml sins: consciously or unconsciously incurred.
For the following reason also I am the great Lord of the worlds: 4-5. Intelligence, wisdom, non-illusion, patience, truth, self-restraint, calmness, pleasure, pain, birth, death, fear, and security; innocence, equanimity, contentment, austerity, beneficence, fame, shame, (these) different kinds of dispositions of beings arise from Me alone.
Intelligence (buddhi) is the power which the inner sense (ant8fc~lfars#a) has of understanding subtle objects of thought.
He, indeed, is said to be intelligent who is possessed of this power. Wisdom is the knowledge of the Self and other such things. NonJUuaion consists in acting with discrimination when anything has to be done or known at the moment. Patience: not being agitated in mind when assaulted or abused. Truth: giving utterance to one's own actual experience of things, as heard or seen, with a view to impress it on the mind of another. Self-restraint: quieting the external senses. Calmness: the tranquillity of the inner sense or anta^-karawa Innocence: not injuring living beings. Contentment: being satisfied with one's present acquisitions. Austerity: bodily torture accompanied with the restraint of the senses. Beneficence: sharing (one's own things with others as far as one's own means may permit. Fame: due to dharma- Shame: due to a-dharma. All these different dispositions of living beings mentioned above, such as intelligence, arise from Me alone, the Lord (Isvara), according to their respective karma.
Moreover, 6. The seven Great Rkhis as well as the four ancient Manus, with their being in Me, were born of mind; and theirs are these creatures in the world.
The seven great JBishis such as Bhrigu, as well as the four Manus of the past ages known as Savarwis, had directed their thoughts to Me exclusively and were therefore endowed with the power of Vishnu. They were produced by Me by mind alone. Born in the creation of these Manus and of the 262 THE EHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. X* Great i?isbis are these creatures ccmprisirg the mcvirg and tbe unmoving beings.* Knowledge of tbe Lord's Glory conduces to Yoga.
7. He who knows in truth this glory and power of Mine is endowed with unshaken Yoga; there is no doubt of it.
He wbo knows in truth this vast extent of My being t and My achievement (Yoga) — cr Ycga may here stand for what is born of Yoga, «$,, the power of achieving and con- trolling mighty things as well as OmniscienceJ_he is endowed with unshaken Yoga, * e.. with steadiness in right knowledge. § What is that unshaken Yoga with which they are endowed P — The answer follows: # The Lord is not only the material cause (praknti) of all, but, as the Omniscient Lord of all. He is also the Ruler 01 all, for He produced the Great Rishis and the Manus. The Great Rishis, from Bhrigu to Vasish£ha, were omniscient and were fthe original teachers of the Traditional wisdom. The Manus were the i?ulers of creatures and were themselves Lords. Both these belonged to the primeval age and were born of the mind of the Lord, The Great Rishis and Manus had their thought directed to the Cmniscient Lord and were therefore endowed ■with the power of Visbwu and obtained wisdom and power- The present denizens of this world are their creatures, by birth and by knowledge. — (A.)
f He who knows Me as infinite,— (A.)
$ i.e., he who knows tbe fact that the Great Rishis apd tbe Manus possessed their power and wisdom, as partaking of a very small portion of the Lord's power and wisdom. — (A,) § Tbe knowledge of tbe Conditioned is the dooiway leadirg to the knowledge of the Unconditioned.— -(A.)
7—9] DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS. 263 8. I am the source of all: from Me every- thing evolves; thus thinking the wise worship Me, endowed with contemplation.
I, the Supreme Brahman, termed Vasudeva, am the source of the whole world. From Me* alone evolves the whole universe in all its changes, including existence and disappearance, action, effect and enjoyment. Thus thinking, the wise who know the Superme Reality t worship Me, ardently engaged in the contemplation of the Supreme Reality.
Moreover, g. With their thought on Me, with their life absorbed in Me, instructing each other, and ever speaking of Me9 they are content and delighted.
All their senses (prawas) such as the eye are absorbed in Me. Or — according to another interpretation — their very life (praraa) is devoted to Me. They ever speak of Me as possessed of supreme wisdom, power, might and other qualities. They thus obtain satisfaction and are delighted as if in the company of the beloved, * Controlled and impelled by Me as the Inner Regulator, every- thing moves on in accordance with the Law. — (A.)
f It is only those who see the emptiness of the worldly life that are fit for a life of devotion to the Lord. When men know the Lord as the Self of all, the Cause of all, the Omniscient Lord of all, they become devoted to Me. The knowledge of the Supreme Reality leads to love» regard and earnestness, and these lead to devotion to the Lord.— (A.)
264 THE BHAGAVAD GITA. [DlS. X.
The Lord endows His devotees with wisdom.
As to those who worship Me devoutly in the ways men- tioned above, io. To these, ever devout, worshipping Me with love, I give that devotion of knowledge by which they come to Me.
To them who are ever devout, worshipping Me, not for any purpose of their own, but out of love for Me. — to them I give that devotion of right knowledge (buddhi-yoga) of My essential nature by which they* those who worship Me *l with their thought on Me '* (x. 9) and so on— know Me, the Suprame Lord, the Self, as their own Self.
Why dost Thou give the devotion of knowledge (buddhi- yoga) to Thy devotees? — And what is that obstacle in the path leading to Thee which the devotion of knowledge that Thou givest to Thy devotees serves to remove?— In answer to this question, the Lord says: ii. Out of mere compassion for them, I, abiding in their self, destroy the darkness born of ignorance, by the luminous lamp of wisdom.
* Those alone who are thus devoted to the Lord can attain to Buddhi-Yoga. that exteremely superior condition of the antahkarana produced by Dhyana, by which they reach that form of the Lord which is devoid of all limitations.— (A.)
10—12] DIVINE MANIFESTATIONS. 265