Jnaneswary chapter 7

BHAGAVAD GITACommentary by

Sant Jnaneswar

PROF. T. K. G. NAMBOODHIRIThiruvalla, Kerala, India

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

JNANESWARI• Jnaneswari is the commentary on Bhagavad Gita

written by Saint Jnaneswar, who lived in Maharashtra in the 13th Century AD.

• This very popular & simple commentary was written in Marathi by Saint Jnaneswar when he was only 15 years of age.

• The complete English translation of this commentary is available at http://www.bvbpune.org/contents1.htmlT K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

JNANESWARI• The Marathi commentary Jnaneswari has been translated into

most Indian languages, English & other several European languages.

• The Malayalam translation of Jnaneswari was prepared by Shri M. P. Chandrasekharan Pillai (1924-1999),of Thiruvalla, Kerala. After a devotional labour of 4 years, referring several English & other translations, Shri. Pillai completed his Malayalam Jnaneswari in 1990. During this period, he was an inmate of Anandasram, Kanjangad, Kerala, who published the commentary.

• This presentation is based entirely on this Malayalam version of Jnaneswari

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

CHAPTER 7JNANA VIJNANA YOGA

YOGA OF KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

INTRODUCTIONAccording to several commentators, the 18 Chapters of Gita are divided into 3 sections of 6 chapters each, representing the 3 words in the Upanishadic Mahavakya: THAT THOU ART. With this Chapter 7 starts the second group of 6 chapters representing “THAT”-the goal of the spiritual science. Lord Krishna opens this chapter with a promise to explain the entire science, both in its theoretical & practical aspects, in order to remove all doubts from the mind of Arjuna.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.1 & 7.2

Lord Krishna said: Arjuna let Me tell you how a Yogi who is immersed in Me, depends upon Me & practises Yoga, knows Me completely. Also I will divulge to you that Knowledge, after knowing which, there is nothing more to be understood, & how to realize that knowledge. That knowledge is nothing but the Absolute Truth, which cannot be conceived by the intellect, thought about by the mind, or penetrated by reasoning. This knowledge helps one to know the Self. Once you attain this state, you stop explaining & lose interest in hearing about it. All difference vanish, & you will attain permanent peace.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.3Among thousands of people, only few are interested in knowing about the Self. Among these few, just one, through My grace, comes to know Me truly. An army consists of tens of thousands of people selected because of their courage & fighting spirit. But among them only one wins the war. The rest get perished. Similarly, those who jump into the waters of Self-knowledge, only very few swim across to the other side. Knowing Me truly is not an ordinary achievement.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.4 & 7.5My Nature (Maya) consists of the 5 elements, earth, water, fire, wind & sky, & mind, intellect & ego. Maya is the reflection of My power, just like the shadow of a body. This 8-fold Nature is My Apara (lower) Nature. I also have a Para (higher) nature which is the life force, the basis of all life. My higher nature gives life to all beings made up of the 8 constituents of My lower nature. Mind feels pain, pleasure etc. because of it. Intellect is made intelligent by that. The ego born out of contact with My Para Prakriti maintains & runs this world.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.6All movable & immovable objects in this universe are formed by the admixture of these two natures of Mine. I am the reason for their origin & eventual destruction. The gross & fine natures of Mine joins together to create an unending collection of objects. The Nature creates innumerable living beings from the 5 elements. They are created & after death recreated depending on their Karma. All objects in this universe with different forms & names are created by Nature which is My shadow. Hence, I am the beginning, middle, & end of all that exist in this universe.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.7Arjuna, there is nothing besides Me in this world. Just like beads threaded on a string, all the universe is threaded on Me. As the mirage is created by the Sun, this universe is created by My Maya(illusion). When everything is destroyed, only I remain. Thus all visible & invisible objects exist in Me. I support the inside & outside of this world.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.8 & 7.9O! Son of Kunti, I am the sapidity in water, the light in Sun & Moon, the syllable OM (AUM) in all the Vedas, the sound in the sky & the virility (core of egoism) in man.I am the sweet fragrance of the earth, & the brilliance in the fire. I am the life force by which all living beings live, & the austerity in the austere.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.10 & 7.11Partha, know that I am the eternal seed of all living beings. I am the intelligence of the intelligent & the splendour of the splendid.I am the strength, devoid of lust & attachments, in the strong, & the righteous desire in all living beings. The driving force in man to do his duty & earn wealth is Me. Pure desire, with self-control is needed to perform one’s duties required to get him liberated. This desire is also the cause of all living beings. That desire is Me. In a nutshell, all that exist have come from Me.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.12All objects with sattwic, rajasic, & tamasic qualities are born of Me. They all exist in Me, but I do not exist in them. One seed germinates & grow into a big tree, Can we say that the tree has the same qualities as the seed? Many things originate from Me, but I do not change. I pervade everything. Clouds appear in the sky, but the sky does not contain them. Rain falls from clouds, but there is no cloud in rain water. Smoke comes out of fire, but there is no fire in the smoke. Similarly, all changes originate from Me, but I am not in any one of them.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.13All beings are deluded by the 3 Gunas, Sattwam, Rajas, & Tamas. Hence, they do not know Me, who is indestructible & different from them. The fog produced by water covers the water, clouds hide the sky, dreams look real during our sleep. The cataract produced by the juices in the eye obstructs the eye sight. Similarly, the 3 qualities born out of Maya create a veil & hide My real nature. Living beings created by Me do not recognize Me. All creatures are My parts, but because of My Maya, they have taken different forms. Though they are all born of Me, they are not in My form. They all exist in Me but do not recognize Me.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.14It is very difficult to overcome Maya, the great divine illusion of Mine, which is constituted of the three Gunas. Those who take refuge in Me completely, I enable them to cross over this sea of illusion. The river of Maya originates as a small rivulet from the mountain of Brahman. The 5 elements are small bubbles in its waters. It flows amongst the objects of the world downwards with increasing speed between the two sides of action & renunciation. The clouds of the 3 Gunas shower heavily over the river & lead to floods of desire & carries away the towns of sense-control & mind-control. The great fish of pride swims in it. Jealousy & hatred make its course zigzag. (Jnaneswar goes on & on describing Maya very eloquently in this fashion.) Only those who surrender completely to the Lord with devotion can cross this river. For such persons, the waters dry up on its own & so crossing is very easy. Using the pontoon of Self-realization, they cross the river.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.15The evil-doers, fools, & ignorant people, who are the lowest of men, do not seek Me. These people, robbed of their knowledge & discrimination forget their true goal of realizing the Self. The cloth of self-control has slipped down from them, & thus naked, shamelessly they engage themselves in all forbidden activities. They acquire a demonic character & move around seeking sensual pleasures.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.16 & 7.17Arjuna, 4 types of virtuous people worship Me & attain their life's goal. The first type is the needy, who suffer from poverty, disease etc. The second type are seekers of knowledge, the third worship Me for gaining worldly wealth & happiness. The fourth type are the wise, who have realized the Self. The wise does not have any desires. He has dispelled his ignorance with discrimination arising out of knowledge. He is My real devotee, & he gets merged with My Divine Existence. He continues to remain a devotee while engaged in bodily activities, but mentally he & I are the same. Through True Knowledge, he has seen Me as his Soul. I consider him to be Myself.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.18All these 4 types of devotees are good people worthy of respect. But I like the wise more & in My opinion he is Myself. Like the calf drinking the milk from its mother knowing that it has nowhere else to go, the wise is completely devoted to Me only. He is like a river which has merged with the sea, & which never tries to go back. The wise merges with Me, mentally, & forget his worldly existence. So he is none other than Me .

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.19A real seeker travels through the thick jungles of senses avoiding lust & anger: he climbs the hills of divine thoughts & travels through the highways of good deeds. He continues this journey, without selfishness & attachments, through innumerable lives. His knowledge rises & all his duties end. Then by My grace, the rays of knowledge strike him & he sees the Divine Unity in everything. He sees only Me everywhere, like a pot immersed in water remains in contact with water inside & out. He dwells in Me & I dwell inside & outside of him. With this Universal Identity, he becomes a wise & deeply devoted man. Such great people are indeed very rare in this world.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.20Controlled by their desires produced by the Vasanas or mental impressions accumulated over past lives, common people with lost knowledge worship different gods following different laws. The moment desire for fruits of one’s actions enter one’s mind, true knowledge disappears. Thus enveloped by ignorance inside & out, they forget Me & get engaged in worshipping deities in-charge of their senses, with the aim of sensual gratification. They worship these gods with great devotion, following the rules & regulations existing for their worship. T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.21 & 7.22Whichever god a devotee wishes to worship with devotion, I enhance his devotion & faith in that deity. Such devotees receive boons for the sincere worship of their desired deities, which are, in fact, provided by Me only. I am the One who grants the results of worship of any god or deity. Such devotees do not realise that all different forms of gods are really one & the same, Me.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.23Such devotees with limited intelligence worship their desired gods, & receive boons through them. Such fruits of action are only perishable & the pleasure they provide are just like pleasure felt in a dream. These devotees finally attain their gods, who are impermanent in themselves. On the other hand, the wise who worship Me, eventually attain Me & permanent liberation.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.24My permanent & wonderful Real-Nature is not known to indiscriminating people. So they think that I am like everyone, born recently, & not alive before. They do not understand My “Únmanifest” state. These unintelligent fools are like some who try to swim in a handful of water. When they swim in a sea of elixir, they close their mouths & think about drinking the dirty water in an abandoned pool. They do not wish to drink the elixir & become immortal! They do not understand that the one who is freed of bondage of his actions, is able to fly up on the wings of his self-experience, in the expansive sky of immortality.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.25My Yoga-Maya (Divine-Illusion) veils My Real Nature from the view of people. Living beings blinded by delusion do not see Me, though I am the light itself. The foolish world do not recognize Me as unborn & Imperishable. Is there anything in this universe in which I am not dwelling? Is there water without wetness? Who is not touched by air? Is there anything which is not surrounded by the ether? In reality, I am the only entity which pervades all this universe.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 7.26 & 7.27Arjuna, I know all manifestations of the past, present & future. But none knows Me. All beings of the past have merged with Me, I dwell in all beings living now, & all beings yet to be born are also not different from Me. In reality, all these are mere words, because nothing is born or dead. Because of delusion, a rope is seen as a snake. Just as we cannot say the snake was white, red or dark, we cannot imagine anything about unreal beings.At the time of birth itself, all beings get deluded by the indiscrimination created by dualities such as likes/dislikes, heat/cold etc. Ego in their bodies give rise to desire, hatred, pain, pleasure, greed, discontent etc. They hardly see the path of devotion, & get stuck up in the jungles of earthly life.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.28However, pious & sinless people, freed from the delusion of dualities, worship Me with strong resolve. Wise men knowing the meaninglessness of doubts & sins, never get disillusioned. With devotion & faith, they walk slowly on the thorny paths of the dense forest of sin. On the strength of their good deeds, they then run on the road of good work, & escaping the thieves of lust & anger, they finally reach Me unharmed.

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BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.29Those who, taking refuge in Me, strive to get liberated from death & diseases, will realize fully the Brahman, the Self, & all activities. One who seeks sincerely, attains liberation from birth & death. He attains Self-Knowledge, & ultimate Bliss. Those who spend all their spiritual wealth on Me, earns back, with interest & profits, the wealth of Self-Realization, & Equanimity. They discard duality & become one with the Brahman.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 7.30Those who know Me with ADHIBHUTA (the world of objects), ADHIDAIVA (the sense organs), & ADHYAJNA ( all perceptions), even at the time of death, steadfast in mind, know Me. People, who realize through experience that My real nature contains all the world of objects, all sense organs, mind & intellect, & that I am the core of all actions, know everything. These wise men remain steadfast even at the time of death, & finally merges with Me.

T K G Namboodhiri