§ As causing purity of mind. Karma leads to Yoga, to the con- centration of mind* — A.
*F These are the lowest class of aspirants. — A.
24—26] MATTER AND SPIRIT. 367 25. Yet others, not knowing thus, worship, having heard from others; they, too, cross beyond death, adhering to what they heard.
But there are yet others, who, not able to know the Self described above by any one of the several methods already pointed out, learn from others, from acharyas or teachers who tell them " Do thou thus meditate upon this"; they then engage in worship, i.e., they contemplate the idea in full faith. Even they cross beyond death, i.e., beyond samsara which is associated with death— even they whose best equipment when commencing to tread the path of moksha consists in what they have heard, i e.t who solely depend upon the authority of other's instructions and are themselves ignorant. How much more so, then, those who can independently appreciate evidence and discriminate.
Nothing exists outside the Self.
The knowledge of the identity of Kshetrajna with the Isvara — of the individual soul with the Lord— as taught in xiii. 2 has been spoken of in xiii. 12 as the means to moksha.— -For what reason is it so P— The Lord proceeds to explain the reason.
For, qrcggrrad fofirarai OTTOJfwi I 26. Whatever being is born, the unmoving or the moving, know thou, O best of the Bharatas* 368 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIII.
that to be owing to the union of Kshetra and Kshetrajna * (Objection):— Of what sort is this union of Kshetra and Kshetrajna meant to be? The union of Kshetrajna with Kshetra cannot certainly be a relation through contact (samyoga) of each other's -parts, as between a rope and a vessel, inasmuch as Kshetrajna is, like the akasa, without parts. Nor can it be of the nature of samavaya or insepar- able inherence, inasmuch as it cannot be admitted that Kshetra and Kshetrajna are related to each other as cause and effect.
(Answer).—The union between Kshetra and Kshetrajna, between the object and the subject, which are opposed to each other in nature, is of the nature of mutual adhyasa; *. e., it consists in confounding them as well as their attributes with each other owing to the absence of a discrimination between the nature of Khetra and that of Kshetrajna, like the union of a rope and a mother-of-pearl respectively with a snake and silver 'when they are mistaken the one for the other owing to the absence of discrimination. The union of Kshetra and Kshetrajna which is of the nature of adhyasa— -which consists in confounding the one with the other — is a sort of illusion (mithyajnana); and this illusion vanishes — because of its opposition to the right knowledge — when a man attains to a knowledge of the distinction between Kshetra and Kshetrajna as defined in the sastra, when he is able to separate Kshetrajna from Kshetra like the ishika reed from the rnunja-grass and to realise that Brahman, the Knowable, which is devoid of all upadhis as * Everything is born of the union of Kshetra and Kshetrajna; there exists no being whatever apart from Kshetrejwa who is one with the Paramatman; therefore knowledge of that ■ unity alone can lead to moksha —A.
26—27] MATTER AND SPIRIT. 369 described in the words " It is not said to be existent or non-existent " (xiii. 12) is his own Self, when he is convinced that, like the elephants and palaces projected by a juggler's art, or like a thing seen in a dream, or like a gandharva- nagara (an imaginary city in the sky). Kshetra is non- existent and only appears to be existent. As the cause of birth has vanished in the case of such a m^ti, it stands to reason that the wise man is not born again (xiii. 23).
The one Self in all.
It has been said (xiii. 23) that the effect el right know- ledge is the cessation of births through -the removal of avidya (nescience) and the like* which form the seed of samsara. It has also been said that the Gause of birth is the union of Kshetra and Kshetrajna caused by avidya. Therefore, the right knowledge which alone can remove avidya, though already described,, will again be described in other words as follows: 27. He sees who sees the Supreme Lordly remaining the same in all beings, the ondying in the dying.
The Supreme Lord exists, without any difference, in all living beings, from Brahma down to the unmovmg object (sthavara). He is the Lord Supreme as compared with the body, senses, Manas, Buddhi, the Avyakta (the unmanifest- ed, i.e., the causal body, the kara«a-sarira, avidya) and the individual soul (Atman, Jiva). All living beings are perish- able while the Supereme Lord is imperishable. Thus there is a great disparity between the Supreme Lord and -the created * i.e., effects (sawskara) of avidya— A.
370 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIII.
t»eings. For, of all changing states of a being fbhava- vikaras), the change of state called birth is the root; all the other changes ending with destruction occur subsequently to "birth. There can be no change of state subsequent to destruction, since the object itself does not exist. Attributes can exist only when the substance exists- Wherefore» the denial of the final change of state comprehends the denial of all the preceding changes as well as their effects. Thus it may be seen that the Supreme Lord is quite unlike all beings and that He is one and immutable in all. He sees (rightly) who sees the Supreme Lord as now described.
(Objection): — The whole world sees; why this one in particular?
(Answer): — True, the world sees; but it sees erroneously. Hence the particularisation * he alone sees. * A man whose eye is affected with timira sees more moons than one; and with reference to him, he who sees one moon may be specified thus, * he alone sees.* Similarly here, he who sees the one undivided Self as described above is distinguished — from those who erroneously see many distinct selfs — in the words ' he alone sees-' Others, though seeing, yet do not see, inasmuch as they see erroneously like those who see more moons than one.
Knowledge of the one Self leads to moksha.
To praise the Right Knowledge described above by way of stating its results the Lord proceeds as follows -• 28. Because he who sees the Lord, seated the same everywhere, destroys not the self by the self, therefore he reaches the Supreme Goal.
27—28] MATTER AND SPIRIT. 371 He who realises that the Is vara described in the last pre- ceding verse is the same — *. e., he who sees that he dwells in all creatures alike — destroys not his own self by himself. Because he does not destroy the self, he reaches the Supreme Goal, he attains moksha.* (Objection): — No living being whatever destroys itself by itself. Where then is the necessity for the denial *' He destroys not the self by the self,*' any more than for the prohibition f " fire should be consecrated not on earth, not in •the sky, not in heaven " (Tait. Sam. 5-2-7)?
(Answer):—This objection does not apply here; for, the necessity may be explained on the ground that ignorant men are guilty of ignoring the Self. An ignorant man ignores the Self who is quite manifest to all, self-manifested, and directly visible, and he regards the not-Self (physical body, etc) as himself. Having performed good and evil works (dharma •and a-dharma), he kills even this self (the physical body, etc) which he had accepted and accepts another new self; he kills this again and accepts another and' so on; thus he goes on killing every new self that he has accepted. An ignorant man is, accordingly, a slayer of the self. Even the real Self is always killed by avidya, inasmuch as there is no percep- tible effect of His existence. Thus, all ignorant men are but * Knowledge destroys ignorance, and with it all evil is destroyed. On. the destruction of nescience (ajnana) and false knowledge <mithya. jmzna), the two veil that have hidden the true nature of the Self, the sage attains the highest goal, the highest end of man, the Supreme Bliss (Param^nanda)— A.
f The prohibition of the construction of the altar on Earth has a meaning, because it is possible to erect one on earth- But the prohibi- tionfof the construction of altars in this sky and in the heaven has no meaning, as there is no occasion for the procedure. It has been therefore determined that the prohibition in this latter case should not be nnder- stood literally. Similarly we cannot understand the denial here literally;, —A.
372 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIII the slayers of the self. He who, on the other hand, sees the Self as described above, kills not self by self in either of the ways shown above. Wherefore, he reaches the supreme good; he reaps the fruit spoken of above.
Prakriti acts, not the Self.
It has been said that he who sees the Lord (the Self) remaining the same in every being destroys not the self by the self. This may be objected to on the ground that there are many selfs, differentiated by differences in their respective deeds (karma) and qualities. To remove this objection the Lord says: 29. He sees, who sees all actions performed by Prakriti alone and the Self not acting.
Prakriti is the Lord's Maya composed of three gu»as. So the Mantra reads- *l Let him know that Maya is the Prakriti and that the Great Lord is the possessor of Maya."-— (Svetasvatara*Up. 4-10.)
By Prakriti,— i.e., Maya, the Sakti or inherent energy of the Lord, not the other, i.e., not the (Pradhana, the self-existent) Prakriti (of the Sankhyas) described as transforming Itself into causes and effects such as the Mahat,— are done all sorts of actions, whether done in speech, thought, or deed. He sees, who realises this truth and also the truth that the Self (Kshetrajna) is devoid of all upadhis or conditions:«— i.e., he sees the supreme truth. There is no evidence to show that there is any variety in Him who is non"agent, unconditioned,, and free from all specialities, just as there is no variety in the akasa* The Self is the source and the abode of all.
The same Right Knowledge is again expounded in other words:* 30. When a man realises the whole variety of beings as resting in the One, and is an evolu- tion from that (One) alone, then he becomes Brahman.
When, in accordance with the teachings of the sastra and the teacher, he sees that all the various classes of beings abide in the One, in the Self, t.-e., when he intuitively realises that all that we perceive is only the Selft, and when he further sees that the origin, the evolution, (of all) is from that One, the Self, — as stated in the passage " From the Self is life, from the Self is desire, from the Self is love, from the Self is akasa, from the Self is light, from the Self are waters, from the Self is manifestation and disappearance, from the Self is food." (Chha. Up. 7-26-1)— then he becomes Brahman indeed* * With a view to prevent the supposition that Prakriti and its modifications are quite distinct from Purusha, quite external to him, as the Sankhyas say. — A.
f To explain: on seeing that the whole universe of being in all its variety, from Frakriti down to the ultimate particulars (visesha), is evolved fromuhe Self, has derived its being from the Self, be realises the essential unity of the universe with the Self. To realise this unity, one must merge the Praknti also in unity with the Self: for it is not possible to merge the universe of forms in unity with the pure Self except by merging also the Praknti, the root of the whole universe, in the Self. —A.
$ That is to say, he realises the all-pervading nature of the Self, inasmuch as the cause of all limitation has been absorbed into unity with. Self.— A.
374 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIIL The Self is nnaf fected by the fruits of acts.
If tbe one Self be the Self in all the bodies, then He must be necessarily affected by their defects. To avoid this conclusion it is said.* 31. Having no beginning, having no quali- ties, this Supreme Self, imperishable, though dwelling in the Body, O son of Kunti. neither acts nor is tainted.
The Self has no beginning, no cause. That which has a cause perishes by itself, whereas This (Self) does not perish, because, as having no cause, He is without parts. Further, He does not perish because He is without qualities; for that which has qualities perishes by loss of qualities; whereas the Self does not perish, because He is devoid of qualities. Thus the Supreme Self imperishable* He suffers no destruction. Therefore, though dwelling in the body,— -the Self is said to dwell in the body because the Self is manifested in the body, — yet He does not act. Because He does not act, He is not affected by the results of acts. The meaning is this: — He that is an agent is affected by the fruit of the act j but this (the Self) is a non-agent and is therefore not tainted by the fruit of action.
{Objection):— Who, then, in the bodies acts and is tainted? If, on the one hand, an embodied self, distinct from the Supreme Self, acts and is tainted, then the identity of Kshetxajna with the Isvara spoken of in such places as xiii. 2 would be inexplicable. If, on the other hand, there be no embodied self distirct from the Isvara, then tell me who 31—32] MATTER AND SPIRIT. 375 acts and is tainted; or say that the I*vara is not Supreme* On the ground that the doctrine or the Upanishads taught by the Lord is thus in every way difficult to understand and diffi- cult to explain, it has been abandoned by the Vai*eshikas, as well as by the Sankhyas, the Arhatas, and the Buddhists.
(Answer): — As regards this objection, the foU owing answer t has been afforded by the Lord Himself-—" It is Nature that acts "(v. 14). The idea that there is one who. acts and is tainted is a mere illusion (avidya) and nothing else. Action does not really exist in the One Supreme Self. It has, for this very reason, been pointed out by the Lord here and there that there is no necessity of performing works (karma) for those devotees of Wisdom, for the order of Paramahamsa-Parivrajakas, who adhere to this doctrine of Supreme Truth (Paramartha-Sankhya-dar*ana) and have risen above avidya and vyavahara, nescience and all experi- ence (due to avidya).
Like what does He not act, like what is he not tainted?— Here follows the illustration.* 32. As the all-pervading akasa is, from its subtlety J, never soiled, so the Self seated in the body everywhere is not soiled.
* If the Isvara be the doer and enjoyer, He is no longer the Is vara,, any more than ourselves — A.
f The answer is this s The Supreme is in reality neither the doef nor the enjoyer. Agency and enjoyment are attributed to Him by avidya. Therefore the Lord's teaching should be accepted as true. — A.
$ Because aka$& is so subtle that it pervades all without obstruction* it is not at all affected by mire, etc.j which it pervades, — A.
376 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA- [BlS. XIII.
The Self illumines all.
Moreover, 33, As the one sun illumines all this world, so does the embodied One, O Bharata, illumines ail bodies.
The embodied one (Kshetriri), the Supreme Self (Para- matmart), is one and illumines all bodies, the whole material being (Kshetra), from the Avyakta (the unmanifested material cause of the universe) down to the unmoving objects, from the * Great Elements ' down to ' firmness ' (xiii. 5-6. — The illustration by means of the sun serves here a double purpose with reference to the Self, — showing that, like the sun, the Self is One only in all bodies, and that like the sun He is unsoiled.
The doctrine summed up.
The teaching of the whole discourse is concluded as follows: 34. They who by the eye of wisdom perceive the distinction between Kshetra and Kshetrajna, and the dissolution of the Cause of beings, — they go to the Supreme.
* The Lord proceeds to show that the Self, being the cogniser, cannot be affected by the attributes of the cognised.— A* .33—34] MATTER AND SPIRIT. 377 They who in this manner perceive the exact distinction, now pointed out, between Kshetra and Kshetrajna, by the eye of wisdom, by means of that knowledge of the Self which has been generated by the teachings of the sastra and the master (acharya,), and who also perceive the non-existence of Prakriti, Avidya, Avyakta, the material cause of beings, — they reach Brahman, the Real, the Supreme Self, and assume no more bodies.
FOURTEENTH DISCOURSE. THE THREE GUJSAS.
The subject of the discourse.
It has been said that all that is bom is produced by the conjunction of Kshetra ana Kshetrajna. — How can it be so? — The present discourse is intended as an answer to this question.
Or the connection may be explained thus: With a view to show that it is Kshetra and Kshetrajna, both dependent on the Isvara, — but not independent in themselves as the Sankhyas hold,— that constitute the cause of the universe, it has been stated that the dwelling (of the Kshetrajna) in the Kshetra (£e., his self-identification with Kshetra) and his attachment for the Gu«as from the cause of sawisara (xiii. 21.) — In what Guwas and in what way is He attached? What are the Guwas? How do they bind him? How is liberation from the Gu«as attained? What are the charac- teristics of a liberated soul? — With a view to answer these questions, the Lord proceeds as follows: Knowledge of the origin of the universe is necessary for Salvation.
The Blessed Lord said: I. I shall again declare that sublime know- ledge, the best of all knowledges; which having learnt, all the sages have passed to high perfection from here.
1—2] THE THREE GUNAS. 379 Though declared in ore than once in the preceding dis- courses, I shall again declare that knowledge which is sublime as" concerning itself with the Supreme Being, and which is- the best of all knowledges as productive of the best result. ' All knowledges ' does not refer to those which have been spoken of as knowledge in the verses xiii. 7-10 but to those kinds of knowledge which relate to sacrifices and other such things to be known. These (latter kinds of knowledge) do not lead to salvation, whereas the knowledge which is going to be imparted in this discourse does lead to salvation. So, the Lord praises this latter knowledge by the epithets 'sublime* and ' best,' in order to rouse interest in the minds of the hearers. And having learnt this knowledge, all the sages (munis)— the sawnyasins, those who are devoted to contemplation (manana) — have passed from here— from this bondage of the body— -to high perfection, known as moksha or liberation.
The Lord now proceeds to declare that this knowledge unfailing leads to perfection: *fflgqn*r3r*TO wfotpett: 2. They who, having resorted to this know- ledge, have attained to unity with Me, are neither born in the creation, nor disturbed in the dissolution.
' Unity * (sadharmya) here means ' identity.' It does not mean 4 equality in attributes,' since in the Gita-sastra no distinction is made between the Isvara and tbe Kshetrajna. And a declaration of the (true main end (of knowledge) is here necessary to praise the. knowledge.* They who, having resorted to this knowledge,— *.«., having practised the neces- * If equality were meant here, then it would Only be a statement of the fruit of dhyana, not that of knowledge, of which the Lord is here speaking* — A, 380 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIV.
sary means whereby to attain that knowledge,-— have attained to idenity with Me, the Supreme Lord, are neither bom at the time of creation nor disturbed at the time of dissolution; i.e., they are not affected even at the time of Brahma's dis- solution.
Evolution of the universe from the union of Spirit and Matter.
The Lord now proceeds to explain what sort of conjunc- tion of Kshetrajna is the cause of all beings: 3. My womb is the great Bxahman; in that I place the germ; tkence> O Bharata, is the birth of all beings.
My womb: My own Prakriti,— ae., the Prakriti which belongs to Me, the Maya made up of the three Gwas, the material cause of all beings This Prakriti is spoken of as great because it is greater than all effects j and as the source and nourishing energy of all Its modifications, It is termed Brahman. In that Great Brahman I place the germ, the seed of the birth of the Hirawyagarbha, the seed which gives birth to all beings. I who am possessed of the two potencies (Saktis), the two Prakntis of Kshetra and the Kshetrajna, unite the Kshetrajna with Kshetra, the Kshetrajna conforming Himself to the upadhis of avidya (nescience), kama (desire), and karma (action). This act of impregnation gives rise to the birth of all beings through the birth of the Hirawyagarbha.
2—5] THE THREE GUNAS. 381 4. Whatever forms are produced, O son of Kunti, in any wombs whatsoever, the Great. Brahman is their womb, I the seed-giving Father.
Wombs: such as the Devas, the Pitris, men, cattle, beasts. Forms: such as the bodies which are the condensed aggregations of several parts and limbs. Of these forms, the Great Brahman (Praknti) which passes through all states of matter is the cause; and I, the Isvara, am the Father, the author of impregnation of the seed in the womb. The gunas bind the soul.
What are the gunas *f How do they bind?—The answer follows: 5. Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, — these gu^as, O mighty-armed, born of Praknti, bind fast in the body the embodied, the indestructible.
Sattva (goodness), Rajas (vigour, activity, passion) and Tamas (darkness) — thus are the guwas named.—' Guraa' is a technical term. It does not mean a property, attribute or quality, such as colour, as opposed to the substance in which it is said to inhere* No separate existence of a guwa and a gu«in — of an attribute and a substance — is meant here. Accordingly, the gu«as here meant are so called because, like the attributes of substances, they are ever dependent on another, namely, the Kshetraj«a, as they are only forms, of avidya or nescience; and they bind fast as it were the Kshetrajwa. They are said to bind Kshetrajna because * The G-tmas axe the primary constituents of the Prakriti and are the bases of all substances; they cannot therefore,b said to be qualities, inhering in these substances,— A.
382 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIV.
they come into being with Kshetraj/za as the basis of their existence. Born of the Lord's Maya, they bind fast as it were in the body the embodied* one, the indestructible Self.t That the Self is indestructible has been shown in xiii. 31, Mighty-armed; with powerful arms reaching down to the knees.
(Objection): — It has been said that the embodied one is not tainted (xiii. 31,). How then, on the contrary, is it said 1jere that the gunas bind him?
(Answer): — We have met this objection by adding ' as it were,' ' they bind him as it were,' The nature and functions of the gunas.
Of these three guwas, Sattva is thus defined: 6. Of these, Sattva, which, from its stainless- ness, is lucid and healthy, binds by attachment to happiness and by attachment to knowledge, 0 sinless one.
It is stainless like a pebble-stone, and therefore lucid and heal thy. + Sattoa binds the Self by making Him think 1 1 am happy;'— -it binds Him by causing in Him attachment to happiness §, by bringing about a union of the subject (the * Him who identifies himself with the body. — At They make it appear that the Self undergoes all the changes that take place in them. — A.
It is stainless, because it is able to ward off all veiling; lucid, as able to reflect Consciousness; health, because it is so pure as to perfectly mirror the Spiritual Bliss...A.
§ The happiness and knowledge here spoken of are those modifi cations of the Sattva in which Oman's inherent happiness and consci- ousness are manifested. — A.
5—72 THE THREE GUNAS. 383 Self) with the object (happiness). It makes Him think " Happiness has accrued to me." This attachment to happi- ness is an illusion; it is avidya. An attribute of the object cannot indeed belong to the subject; and it has been said by the Lord that all the qualities from 'desire' to 'courage/ (xiii. 6) are all attributes of Kshetra (matter), the object. Thus it is through avidya alone — which forms an attribute (dharma) of the Self as the non-discrimination between the object and the subject, — that Sattva causes the Self to be attached as it were to happiness which is not His own, causes Him, who is free from all attachment, to be engrossed as it were in happiness; causes to feel happy as it were Him who does not possess the happiness. Similarly, jSattva binds the Self by attachment to knowledge. From its mention here along with ' happiness.' ' knowledge ' meant here must be an attribute of the anta^karawa — of the Kshetra (matter), of the Object, — not of the Self; for if it were an attribute of the Self, it cannot be an attachment and cannot be a bondage. Attachment to knowledge arises in the same way that attach- ment to happiness arises.
7. Know thou Rajas (to be) of the nature of passion, the source of thirst and attachment; it binds fast, O son of Kunti, the embodied one by attachment to action.
Bajaa is of the nature of passion, coloring (the soul) like a piece of red chalk, etc. Know it to be that from which arise thirst and attachment,— thirst after what has not been attained, attachment or mental adherence to what has been attained. It binds fast the embodied Self by attachment to 384 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIV.
action, by making Him attached to actions productive of visible and invisible results.* 8. But, know thou Tamas to be born of unwisdom, deluding all embodied beings; by heed- lessness, indolence and sloth, it binds fast, O Bharata.
The third guna, Tamas, causes delusion or non-descrimi- nation.
Again the action of the gu«as is briefly described as follows; 9. Sattva attaches to happiness, Rajas to action, O Bharata, while Tamas, enshrouding wisdom, attaches, on the contrary, to heedlessness.
Tamas, by its very nature as a veil, covers the judgment caused by Sattva and attaches one to heedlessness, % e., to the non-performance of necessary duties.
The mutual action of tlie gunas.
When do the gu«as produce the effects described above?t — The answer follows: * Though the self is not the agent, Eajas makes Him act with the idea- ' I am the doer.' — A, f The question is: Do they produce their effects simultaneously, or at different times, each in its turn? In the former case, do they act in mutual concord or discord?— The answer is that they act at different times, each in its turn.— A.
7—11] THE THREE GUNAS. 385 io. Sattva arises, O Bharata, predominating over Rajas and Tamas; and Rajas, over Sattva and Tamas; so Tamas, over Sattva and Rajas.
When Sattva increases, predominating over both Rajas and Tamas, then, asserting itself, Sattva produces its own effect, knowledge and happiness. Similarly, when the guwa of Rajas increases, predominating over both Sattva and Tamas, then it gives rise to its own effect, viz*, action such as husbandry. Similarly, when the gu«a called Tamas increases, predominating over both Sattva and Rajas, then it produces its own effects, the covering of wisdom, etc How to know when a particular gt&ua is predominant.
What is the characteristic mark by -which to know when a particular guna. is predominant? — The answer follows: ii. When at every gate in this body there shoots up wisdom-light, then it may be known that Sattva is predominant.
All the senses such as hearing are for the Self the gate- ways of perception. When at all these gates in this body there arises what is called light, illumination (prakasa) — mj.» the presence of antaft-kara^a, of buddhi, — then we have what is called knowledge (jwana). When the light of knowledge thus springs up, then, by that mark of knowledge, it may be known that Sattva is predominant.
The characteristic marks of predominant Rajas are these • 386 THE BHAGAVAD-GITA. [DlS. XIV.
12. Greed, activity, the undertaking of works, unrest, desire— these arise when Rajas is predomi- nant, O lord pf the Bharatas.
Greed: desire to appropriate the property of another. Activity: action in general. Unrest: giving vept to joy, attachment etc. Desire " thirst after all things in general. These are the characteristic marks seen when Rajas is predominant.
13. Darkness, heedlessness, inertness, and error, — these arise when Tamas is predominant, O descendant of Kuru.