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The
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'Brahmaanandam
Parama Sukhadam, Kevalam Jnaana Moortim Ever
blissful, granting happiness, embodiment of wisdom,
1 2a 2b 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18a 18b
While
the phenomenal world is subject to change and
decay, the divine reality is indestructible.
Akshara (imperishable, indestructable)
symbolizes the indestructible divine reality. All
religious traditions proclaim that God, the
manifestation of akshara, is eternal, and
people of all faiths accept this idea. The
so-called theological differences are not really
fundamental. Aum is the primordial
akshara and all the other letters are its
derivatives. The divine letter Aum
represents the Parabrahman. The
comprehension of the essence of the
Parabrahman is known as Brahmavidya
or the knowledge of Brahman. That is why the
eighth chapter of the Bhagavad Gîtâ has
been given the title of akshara parabrahma
yoga. -
Summer
Showers in Brindavan 1979, p. 120
"
Listen
to this
chapter sung!
" "
Listen
to this spoken chapter in
Audio
" arjuna
uvâca arjunah uvâca
-- Arjuna said; kim -- what; tat -- that; brahma --
Brahman; kim -- what; adhyâtmam -- the self;
kim -- what; karma -- fruitive activities;
purusha-uttama -- o Supreme Person;
adhibhûtam -- the material manifestation; ca
-- and; kim -- what; proktam -- is called;
adhidaivam -- the demigods; kim -- what; ucyate --
is called. adhiyajñah
katham ko 'tra adhiyajñah
-- the Lord of sacrifice; katham -- how; kah --
who; atra -- here; dehe -- in the body; asmin --
this; madhusûdana -- o Madhusûdana;
prayâna-kâle
-- at the time of death; ca -- and; katham -- how;
jñeyah asi -- You can be known;
niyata-âtmabhih
-- by the self-controlled. s'rî
bhagavân uvâca s'rî-bhagavân
uvâca -- the Supreme Personality of Godhead
said;aksharam -- indestructible; brahma -- Brahman;
paramam -- transcendental; svabhâvah --
eternal nature; adhyâtmam -- the self; ucyate
-- is called; bhûta-bhâva-udbhava-karah
-- producing the material bodies of the living
entities; visargah -- creation; karma -- fruitive
activities; samjñitah -- is
called. "Arjuna!
aksharam-brahma paramam... Brahman is
referred to as the akshara that is
param. Akshara means without
kshara or destruction, indestructible.
Brahman comes from a root that means big,
vast, etc. How vast, you may ask. Vaster than
whatever you call vast, that is the answer. The
word akshara has another meaning also. It
means omnipresent, immanent everywhere. Brahmam is
not mere aksharam, as you will have noticed.
It is param aksharam. What does that mean?
It is that type of akshara that is beyond
the reach of time and space and knowability; it
cannot be known by any or all the categories; it
never declines or ends; it is param
aksharam, the Highest Indestructible,
Indescribable."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 117-8 "Now
for a second point: It is Brahman that
dwells in everybody in the form of 'I'. In fact,
everybody hangs around this entity called 'I'. In
the body, each part and organ in the organization
performs one chief task. Each sense contacts and
informs about one particular set of impressions
from the outer world. But though related to the
senses, there is an 'I' shining in the body, above
and behind all of them. If that relationship is
broken, everything becomes inert
material! When
the I-power flows through the senses, they are able
to carry on their allotted tasks. That power is
Adyatma; it cannot be known without great
effort. Use the sharpest discrimination and you
know it to some extent. Brahman is the
tat entity; Adyatma is the
tvam entity. To make the matter clearer to
you, take these two as appearance and character,
form and substance. Brahman is the form,
Adyatma is the substance", said
Krishna.
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 118-9 Then
Arjuna prayed that the third subject, karma,
may be fully explained to him. Krishna was
quite ready to oblige him. He began, "Arjuna! The
limitation that is necessary for the creation,
fostering and destruction of beings is what is
called karma. The moveable and the
immovable, all are beings; why, the very act of the
very resolution for creation is karma, the
very first; which still activates all everywhere -
this entire universe and all the movements and
agitations and activities in it are the direct
consequence of primal karma, My
sankalpa. And as long as My resolution
lasts, the stream of karma will flow along.
It can never go dry, as long as I do not will it.
All that you do is to get drawn into this flood;
why, you are but currents in this rush, or ripples
or waves. My will has prompted all karma, so
karma done in consonance with My will
becomes a part of Me."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 122-3 adhibhûtam
ksaro bhâvah adhibhûtam
-- the physical manifestation; ksharah --
constantly changing; bhavah -- nature; purushah --
the universal form, including all the demigods,
like the sun and moon; ca -- and; adhidaivatam --
called adhidaiva; adhiyajñah -- the
Supersoul; aham -- I (Krishna); eva -- certainly;
atra -- in this; dehe -- body;
deha-bhritâm
-- of the embodied; vara -- o
best. "My
apparel, which I willed and folded around Me,
became akasa (sky, space, ether), the
akasa got transformed into vayu
(wind, air), the vayu changed into
agni (fire element), the agni into
jala (water), the jala became
prithvi or earth, the earth grew grains of
food, the food developed into the body! So, it is
clear, is it not, that the deha (body) too
is Myself? Why doubt this? "Therefore,
I am adhibhûtam (whole perishable
creation; the primordial form of matter; everything
that has name and form) also, as much as I am, as I
said before, brahman, adyatmam and
karma. The cause is the same as the effect;
I am the primal cause and so, I am all these
effects also. I am the
paramâtmâ; the rest are all
adhidaivam (divinity or fate, the spiritual
substratum of the cosmos). In every physical
citadel or body, the divine personality named
Hiranyagarbha (cosmic divine mind; cosmic
womb; golden egg first created by Brahman,
from which all creation issued) is immanent. Just
as a man is served by his senses, the
Hiranyagarbha is served by the
adhidaivas. "You
might wonder what the role of these
adhidaivas is! They are deities that serve
the divine purpose; that is to say, the eye is
illumined by Sûrya (the sungod, the
personification of the order of the sun as known by
nature, S.B.
5:22),
the ear by the deities of the quarters,
Indra (the king of the heavenly planets; the
king of heaven) motivates the hand; these and other
presiding deities are the senses of
Hiranyagarbha. However great a
sadhaka might be, whatever eminence he might
have reached, he can attain the highest only
through Hiranyagarbha. Hiranyagarbha
is indeed Godhead; there is no distinction between
the two. Is this clear, Arjuna? I am as much
Adhidaivam as I am Adhibhutam; as
much these two, as I am Brahman, Adhyatmam
and Karma. They are all fully
divine. "Now
for the next entity: Adhiyajñam
(pertaining to sacrificial aspects).
That is also Me! This is the entity that consumes
joy and grief, the result of the multifarious
karmas they have engaged in. I am the recipient of
the sabda (sound), sparsa (touch,
contact), rûpa (form, figure,
appearance), rasa (taste, sweetness, essence
of enjoyment) and gandha (smell, fragrance);
through the five senses in all beings the
adhiyajña principle! I am not only
the kartha (doer, subject of action), the
entity responsible for the karma; I am also
the bhoktha (person who enjoys), the entity
for which that karma is gone through, the
recipient of the fruits; I am the benefactor as
well as the
beneficiary.
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 126-7 anta-kâle
ca mâm eva anta-kâle
-- at the end of life; ca -- also;
mâm
-- Me; eva -- certainly; smaran -- remembering;
muktvâ
-- quitting; kalevaram -- the body; yah -- he who;
prayâti
-- goes; sah -- he;
mat-bhâvam
-- My nature; yâti
-- achieves; na -- not; asti -- there is; atra --
here; sams'ayah -- doubt. "The
fate of man after death is molded by the thought
that predominates at the moment of death. That
thought is the foundation on which the next birth
is built. Whoever at that time remembers Me attains
My Glory, reaches Me in fact. So each karma
of man, every striving of his, every
sâdhana, should be aimed at
sanctifying that fateful moment; the years of his
life must be devoted to the discipline that will
bring up at that moment the thought of
paramâtmâ or pranâva
(AUM)." -
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 128 yam
yam vâpi smaran bhâvam yam
yam -- whatever; vâ
api -- at all; smaran -- remembering;
bhâvam
-- nature; tyajati -- gives up; ante -- at the end;
kalevaram -- this body; tam tam -- similar; eva --
certainly; eti -- gets; kaunteya -- o son of
Kuntî; sadâ
-- always; tat -- that;
bhâva
-- state of being; bhâvitah
-- remembering. "The
fate of man after death is molded by the thought
that predominates in the moment of death. That
thought is the foundation on which the next birth
is built. -
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 128 tasmât
sarveshu kâleshu tasmât
-- therefore; sarveshu -- at all;
kâleshu
-- times; mâm
-- Me; anusmara -- go on remembering; yudhya --
fight; ca -- also; mayi -- unto Me; arpita --
surrendering; manah -- mind; buddhih -- intellect;
mâm
-- unto Me; eva -- surely; eshyasi -- you will
attain; asams'ayah -- beyond a
doubt. The
Gîtâ teaches the process of
dhyana in a neat little formula:
mâm anusmara yudhya ca! Keep Me in
your memory and fight! The cue, to fight the
battle of life with God in the consciousness as the
charioteer is not merely a direction for Arjuna; it
is a prescription for all humanity. Fix your mind
on Me, and fight! That
is the consummation of dhyana - identity,
through the negation of difference.
-
Sathya Sai Speaks VII, p. 251 abhyâsa-yoga-yuktena abhyâsa-yoga
-- by practice; yuktena -- being engaged in
meditation; cetasâ
-- by the mind and intelligence; na
anya-gâminâ
-- without their being deviated; paramam -- the
Supreme; purusham -- Personality of Godhead; divyam
-- transcendental; yâti
-- one achieves; pârtha -- o son of
Prithâ; anucintayan -- constantly thinking
of. Krishna
prescribed abhyâsa, practice ... Take
the mind to God and keep it there for a short time
every day, morning and evening. God is so merciful
that He will come ten steps towards you, if you but
take one step towards Him.
-
Sathya Sai Speaks VII, p. 288 kavim
purânam anus'âsitâram kavim
-- the one who knows everything;
purânam
-- the oldest; anus'âsitâram
-- the controller; anoh -- than the atom;
anîyâmsam
-- smaller; anusmaret -- always thinks of; yah --
one who; sarvasya -- of everything;
dhâtâram
-- the maintainer; acintya -- inconceivable;
rûpam -- whose form;
âditya-varnam
-- luminous like the sun; tamasah -- to darkness;
parastât
-- transcendental. prayâna-kâle
manasâ'calena prayâna-kâle
-- at the time of death;
manasâ
-- by the mind; acalena -- without its being
deviated; bhaktyâ
-- in full devotion; yuktah -- engaged; yoga-balena
-- by the power of mystic yoga; ca -- also; eva --
certainly; bhruvoh -- the two eyebrows; madhye --
between; prânam
-- the life air; âves'ya
-- establishing; samyak -- completely; sah -- he;
tam -- that; param -- transcendental; purusham --
Personality of Godhead; upaiti -- achieves; divyam
-- in the spiritual kingdom. ...
all the eight descriptions above have to be
contemplated upon. That is the correct meditation
of the form of the Lord. Arjuna
asked, "Krishna! Is such a meditation alone
enough or has it to be supplemented?" "Of course,
when this meditation is practiced, care should be
taken to see that the mind is concentrated on that
thing only. It should not pursue diverse
objectives. It must attach itself to that One
Supreme, with love and devotion, prema and
bhakti. Usually, man's love gets fastened on
trifling temporary things and so gets entangled in
setbacks and sorrows. So the love has to be
withdrawn from such objects and centered on the
Lord." -
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 137-8 yad
aksharam veda-vido vadanti yat
-- that which; aksharam -- syllable om; veda-vidah
-- persons conversant with the Vedas; vadanti --
say; vis'anti -- enter; yat -- in which; yatayah --
great sages;
vîta-râgâh
-- in the renounced order of life; yat -- that
which; icchantah -- desiring; brahmacaryam --
celibacy; caranti -- practice; tat -- that; te --
unto you; padam -- situation; sangrahena -- in
summary; pravakshye -- I shall explain. sarva-dvârâni
samyamya sarva-dvârâni
-- all the doors of the body; samyamya --
controlling; manah -- the mind; hridi -- in the
heart; nirudhya -- confining; ca -- also;
mûrdhni -- on the head;
âdhâya
-- fixing; âtmanah
-- of the soul; prânam
-- the life air; âsthitah
-- situated in;
yoga-dhâranam
-- the yogic situation. om
ity ekâksharam brahma- om
-- the combination of letters om
(omkâra);
iti -- thus; eka-aksharam -- the one syllable;
brahma -- absolute; vyâharan
-- vibrating; mâm
-- Me (Krishna); anusmaran -- remembering; yah --
anyone who; prayâti
-- leaves; tyajan -- quitting; deham -- this body;
sah -- he; yâti
-- achieves; paramâm
-- the supreme; gatim --
destination. "...
Control the senses, let the mind be effaced
as much as possible and let the heart be purified,
let the vital airs be uplifted into the
sirsha (head), let the individual be
established in the atmic truth, and let
the pranâva [Om(kâra)
or AUM] be the only point of attention
at the moment of the prâna leaving the
body - such a one comes to Me and joins with Me;
His mental activities become the same as Mine",
said Krishna. [see also S.B.
11:14-35] Here,
readers should fix their attention on what the Lord
told Arjuna. The Lord spoke of the control of the
senses, not their destruction. Control means: under
one's behests, obedient to the will. Destruction
means: denial of activity, full inaction. The Lord
also said of all the senses, not of anyone or two
only. Man must keep all senses under his control
and use them only when the purposes for which they
have been devised are to be fulfilled. They should
not be let loose just because one has them. Give
them the functions they are designed for, but do
not allow them to master you and ruin you. Let them
work strictly on regulated lines. That is the
Lord's intention. -
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 138 ananya-cetâh
satatam ananya-cetâh
-- without deviation of the mind; satatam --
always; yah -- anyone who;
mâm
-- Me (Krishna); smarati -- remembers; nityas'ah --
regularly; tasya -- to him; aham -- I am; su-labhah
-- very easy to achieve; pârtha -- o son of
Prithâ; nitya -- regularly; yuktasya --
engaged; yoginah -- for the
devotee. Whoever
is busy with no other thoughts than those about Me,
whoever is ever remembering Me, he certainly will
release his dying breath through the center of the
head; he will attain Me. I am as near him, as he is
near Me. My dear Arjuna! How can I forget him who
never forgets Me? Forgetting is a human frailty,
not the characteristic of God, let Me tell you! ...
I only ask, that your mind be fixed on Me. Devote
your mind to Me, dedicate it to Me, that is alI I
ask for. -
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 142 mâm
upetya punar janma mâm
-- Me; upetya -- achieving; punah -- again; janma
-- birth; duhkha-âlayam
-- place of miseries;
as'âs'vatam
-- temporary; na -- never;
âpnuvanti
-- attain; mahâ-âtmânah
-- the great souls; samsiddhim -- perfection;
paramâm
-- ultimate; gatâh
-- having achieved. "The
mahâtmâ ('great soul'; he
who is perfectly convinced that Krishna is all and
is therefore surrendered to Him fully absorbed in
devotional service to the Lord) is free from all
dual experience. He is above and beyond. He has
released himself from identity with the
particularized; he is in the universal, the
eternal, the changeless, the Brahma-bhava
(absorbed in Brahman), not the jîva-bhava
(body oriented). He knows that the
âtmâ is not a limited entity; he
feels that it extends beyond all limits; he is free
from the blemish of tamas and rajas;
he is neither dull nor driven about by desire; he
has pure consciousness, unaffected by attachment or
hate. Many who style themselves as such nowadays,
have no purity in their hearts, their consciousness
is soiled by foulness. But the pure in heart have
no further birth and death. They are under no
obligation to appear again on earth. Without
attaining that purity, you cannot escape the round
of birth and death, however many your meritorious
deeds, however high your spiritual status, however
glorious the heaven you have secured! Only those
who are perpetually in that Brahma-bhava can
attain this Timeless Me and be freed from the
chain, by merging in Me."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 143-4 â-brahma-bhuvanâl
lokâh â-brahma-bhuvanât
-- up to the Brahmaloka planet;
lokâh
-- the planetary systems; punah -- again;
âvartinah
-- returning; arjuna -- o Arjuna;
mâm
-- unto Me; upetya -- arriving; tu -- but; kaunteya
-- o son of Kuntî; punah janma -- rebirth; na
-- never; vidyate -- takes
place. At
this Arjuna gave expression to another doubt that
worried him. He asked, "If that is so, why do the
Upanishads
declare that those who reach the heaven,
Brahmaloka (the abode of Lord Brahmâ),
need not be born again? Please make clear who
exactly are those that are freed from this cycle of
birth and death?" "Arjuna!
There are two types of liberation mentioned in the
Upanishads:
sadyo-mukti (instantaneous liberation) and
krama-mukti (liberation in stages,
progressive emancipation). Sadyo-mukti is
also referred to as kaivalya-mukti (absolute
unity with the Supreme; final emancipation).
For earning this, no one need aspire for any
heaven. They get this on the spot, and not by
stages, step by step. Liberation secured thus is a
possession forever. The rest are liable to change.
When the effect of the merit acquired wears out,
heaven has to be given up, and life on earth starts
anew. Such souls know no merging; only those who
attain kaivalya, merge and become one with
the eternal, the universal."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 144 sahasra-yuga-paryantam sahasra
-- one thousand; yuga -- millenniums; paryantam --
including; ahah -- day; yat -- that which;
brahmanah -- of Brahmâ;
viduh -- they know; râtrim
-- night; yuga -- millenniums;
sahasra-antâm
-- similarly, ending after one thousand; te --
they; ahah-râtra
-- day and night; vidah -- who understand;
janâh
-- people. avyaktâd
vyaktayah sarvâh avyaktât
-- from the unmanifest; vyaktayah -- living
entities; sarvâh
-- all; prabhavanti -- become manifest;
ahah-âgame
-- at the beginning of the day;
râtri-âgame
-- at the fall of night; pralîyante -- are
annihilated; tatra -- into that; eva -- certainly;
avyakta -- the unmanifest; samjñake -- which
is called. bhûta-grâmah
sa evâyam bhûta-grâmah
-- the aggregate of all living entities; sah --
these; eva -- certainly; ayam -- this;
bhûtvâ bhûtvâ -- repeatedly
taking birth; pralîyate -- is annihilated;
râtri
-- of night; âgame
-- on the arrival; avas'ah -- automatically;
pârtha -- o son of Prithâ; prabhavati
-- is manifest; ahah -- of daytime;
âgame
-- on the arrival. paras
tasmât tu bhâvo 'nyo parah
-- transcendental;
tasmât
-- to that; tu -- but;
bhâvah
-- nature; anyah -- another; avyaktah --
unmanifest; avyaktât
-- to the unmanifest;
sanâtanah
-- eternal; yah sah -- that which; sarveshu -- all;
bhûteshu -- manifestation; nas'yatsu -- being
annihilated; na -- never; vinas'yati -- is
annihilated. Krishna
answered, "Pârtha! (son of
Prithâ (Kuntî), Arjuna's mother) There
is a state that knows no decline, beyond all these
heavens. There are many roads by which that state
can be won. Unaware of these roads or of the joy of
that state, man is taking to others that are either
crooked or comfortable. He does not know how to
distinguish between the right road and the wrong."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 145 avyakto
'kshara ity uktas ayvaktah
-- unmanifested; aksharah -- infallible; iti --
thus; uktah -- is said; tam -- that;
âhuh
-- is known; paramâm
-- the ultimate; gatim -- destination; yam --
which; prâpya
-- gaining; na -- never; nivartante -- come back;
tat -- that; dhâma
-- abode; paramam -- supreme; mama --
My. purushah
sa parah pârtha purushah
-- the Supreme Personality; sah -- He; parah -- the
Supreme, than whom no one is greater; pârtha
-- o son of Prithâ;
bhaktyâ
-- by devotional service; labhyah -- can be
achieved; tu -- but;
ananyayâ
-- unalloyed, undeviating; yasya -- whom;
antah-sthâni
-- within; bhûtâni -- all of this
material manifestation; yena -- by whom; sarvam --
all; idam -- whatever we can see; tatam -- is
pervaded. It
is God's word that if you have devotion to God, He
will look after your future. He will look after all
the welfare that is due you. Yes so did the Lord
say in the Gîtâ. But when would
this be? He said that this would be done provided
the devotee spends all his time in the thought of
God, provided he accepts God to be all pervading
and as present in every being.
-
Summer Showers in Brindavan 1972, p.
105 yatra
kâle tv anâvrittim yatra
-- at which; kâle
-- time; tu -- and; anâvrittim
-- no return; âvrittim
-- return; ca -- also; eva -- certainly; yoginah --
different kinds of mystics;
prâyâtâh
-- having departed; yânti
-- attain; tam -- that;
kâlam
-- time; vakshyâmi
-- I shall describe; bharata-rishabha -- o best of
the Bhâratas. agnir
jyotir ahah s'uklah agnih
-- fire; jyotih -- light; ahah -- day; s'uklah --
the white fortnight;
shath-mâsâh
-- the six months; uttara-ayanam -- when the sun
passes on the northern side; tatra -- there;
prayâtâh
-- those who pass away; gacchanti -- go; brahma --
to the Absolute; brahma-vidah -- who know the
Absolute; janâh
-- persons. "Uttarâyana
(northward path of the sun) is the period when no
dot of cloud or whiff of fog contaminates the vast
dome and the sun shines in all His glory. This is
the gross meaning; but there is a subtle one, too.
The heart is the inner sky. There, the sun that
shines is buddhi or intelligence. When the
clouds of ignorance, the fog of egotism and the
smoke of attachment hover in that inner sky, the
sun of intelligence is hidden and things look murky
and are mistaken. Uttarâyana of the
heart is when the inner sky is clear of all these,
and when the sun shines in full splendor. You have
heard the expression,
jñâna-bhaskara, 'The sun is
wisdom or Sun of spiritual wisdom' . The sun is
always associated with wisdom and intelligence.
When a person passes away with this equipment of
the effulgent sun of wisdom in his clear heart, he
can certainly escape rebirth! He takes the path of
Agni, the Archi-râdi-marga
path, (path of Gods, beginning with fire or the
Sun's rays, taken by spiritual souls after death)
as said already, and merges with Brahman!"
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 150 dhûmo
râtris tathâ krishnah dhûmah
-- smoke; râtrih
-- night; tathâ
-- also; krishnah -- the fortnight of the dark
moon; shath-mâsâh
-- the six months; dakshina-ayanam-- when the sun
passes on the southern side; tatra -- there;
cândramasam
-- the moon planet; jyotih -- the light; yogî
-- the mystic; prâpya
-- achieving; nivartate -- comes
back. "Those
who pass away in the other half of the year, the
dakshinâyana (when the sun passes on
the southern side), have the opposite destiny; then
the heart is beset with smoke and fog and cloud.
The sun is hidden and His effulgence has no
splendor. And in the dark half of the month the
moon wanes, symbolizing the waning of Godward
thought. The new moon night is enveloped in
complete darkness, all spiritual impulses suffer
defeat. The thick smoke of
ajñâna lies heavily on the
mind. This is the meaning of the expression
Krishna-paksha. (Dark half of month, when
the moon is diminishing).Those who die at such an
inauspicious time reap an inauspicious result."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 150 s'ukla-krishne
gatî hy ete s'ukla
-- light; krishne -- and darkness; gatî --
ways of passing; hi -- certainly; ete -- these two;
jagatah -- of the material world;
s'âs'vate
-- of the Vedas; mate -- in the opinion;
ekayâ
-- by one; yâti
-- goes; anâvrittim
-- to no return; anyayâ
-- by the other; âvartate
-- comes back; punah -- again. "Since
the uttarâyana-marga is lit by the
holy splendor of jñâna, it is
praised as the sukla-marga or the white
path. The dakshinâyana-marga is
dark, filled with tamas and
ajñâna; so it is called the
dark path of the Krishna-marga. Those who
discard the body and journey on the
uttarâyana move along the white path
and reach the stage of liberation or moksha,
which is devoid of delusion, which is the seat and
source of Brahmananda, from which there is
no return to this world of name and form, this
arena of embodied beings. Those who leave the body
during the dakshinâyana and move along
the dark path, have to bear again this physical
encasement called deha, subject to birth and
death. "Uttarâyana
is not so much a period of time; it is a state of
mind. Those who discard the body with the glory of
self-knowledge move along the
uttarâyana-marga and those who die in
ignorance of their atmic reality move along the
pitri-yana (path of ancestors, through which
the soul ascends to the lunar world to enjoy the
benefits of ritual works), or
dakshinâyana or the dark path."
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 151 naite
sritî pârtha jânan na
-- never; ete -- these two; sritî --
different paths; pârtha -- o son of
Prithâ; jânan
-- even if he knows; yogî -- the devotee of
the Lord; muhyati -- is bewildered; kas'cana --
any; tasmât
-- therefore; sarveshu
kâleshu
-- always; yoga-yuktah -- engaged in Krishna
consciousness; bhava- just become; arjuna -- o
Arjuna. vedeshu
yajñeshu tapahsu caiva vedeshu
-- in the study of the Vedas; yajñeshu -- in
the performances of yajña, sacrifice;
tapahsu -- in undergoing different types of
austerities; ca -- also; eva -- certainly;
dâneshu
-- in giving charities; yat -- that which;
punya-phalam -- result of pious work; pradishtham
-- indicated; atyeti -- surpasses; tat sarvam --
all those; idam -- this;
viditvâ
-- knowing; yogî -- the devotee; param --
supreme; sthânam
-- abode; upaiti -- achieves; ca -- also;
âdyam
-- original. The
end of everything that is born is death;
sam-yoga (union) leads to vi-yoga
(seperation); construction must result in the
destruction of that which was constructed. It is
the law of nature that birth ends in death and
death leads to birth. The stage that knows no
coming and going is the stage when the Universal
Brahman is visualized, for since Brahman is
all-pervasive, where is the other place from which
the "coming" can be effected and to which the
"going" can be performed?
-
Gîtâ Vahini, pp. 152
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