Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Bhagavad Gita: 9) Yoga of the Royal Secret.

OM

9. Yoga of Royal Secret

This page tells the ninth installment of an amazing story occurring in the midst of a battle field, long long ago. I am only re-writing (the translation of) this wonderful story on this blog. Originally written in Sanskrit, the Bhagavad Gita, even though conceived as a religious text, is an entire coded system in itself for any human being (irrespective of cast, creed, sex and religion) to become perfect. While the Bhagavad Gita has been been translated into English by many great authors, I have mostly referred to the version of Swami Chinmayanada Ji. This page - and the 17 others in this series/story - are dedicated, with great respect, to the author of the most amazing book (according to me) ever written, Sage Vyasa.

1)      SRI KRISHNA:
To you who do not cavil, I shall now declare this, the greatest secret, the most profound knowledge combined with experience (or realization); which having known, you shall be free from the sorrows of life.
2)      Royal science, Royal secret, the supreme purifier is this, realizable by direct intuitive knowledge, according to the DHARMA, very easy to perform, imperishable.
3)      Persons without faith in this DHARMA (the Divine Self), O Parantapa (Arjuna), without attaining Me, return to the path of rebirth, fraught with death.
4)      All this world is pervaded by Me in My Un-manifest form (aspect); All beings exist in Me, but I do not dwell in them.
5)      Nor do beings exist (in reality) in Me – behold My Divine Yoga supporting all beings, but not dwelling in them, I am My Self, the “efficient cause” of all beings.
6)      As the mighty wind, moving everywhere, rests always in space (Akasha), even so know you, all beings rest in Me.
7)      All beings, O Kaunteya (Arjuna) go into my Prakriti (nature) at the end of KALPA; I send them forth again at the beginning of (the next) Kalpa.
8)      Animating My Prakriti, I again and again send forth all this helpless multitude of beings, by the force of nature. (Prakriti)
9)      Sitting like one indifferent, and unattached to these acts, Dhananjaya, these acts do not bind Me.
10)   Under Me as her Supervisor, Prakriti (nature) produces the moving and the unmoving; Because of this, O Kaunteya (Arjuna) the world revolves.
11)   Fools’ disregard me when I dwell in human form; they know not My Higher being as the Great Lord of all beings.
12)   Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless, they verily are possessed of the delusive nature of Rakshasas and Asuras.
13)   But the Mahatmas (great souls), O Partha (Arjuna) partaking of My Divine nature, worship Me with a single mind (with a mind devoted to nothing else), knowing Me as the Imperishable Source of all beings.
14)   Always glorifying Me, striving, firm in vows, prostrating before Me, and always steadfast, they worship Me with devotion.
15)   Others also, offering the ‘Wisdom-sacrifice’ worship Me, regarding Me as One, as distinct, as manifold – Me, who in all forms, faces everywhere.
16)   I am Kratu; I am the sacrifice; I am the offering (food) to Pritis (ancestors); I am the medicinal herb, and all plants; I am the Mantra, I am also the clarified butter; I am the fire; I am the Oblation.
17)   I am the Father of this world, the Mother, the supporter and the grandsire; the (one) Thing to be known, the Purifier, (the syllable) OM, and also the Rik, the Sama and the Yajur also.
18)   I am the Goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the Abode, the Shelter, the Friend, the Origin, the Dissolution, the Foundation, the Treasure-House and the seed imperishable.
19)   (As sun) I give heat; I withhold and send forth the rain; I am immortality and also death, both existence and non existence, O Arjuna.
20)   The knowers of the three Vedas, the drinkers of the Soma, purified from sin, worshipping Me by sacrifices, pray for the way to heaven; they reach the holy world of the Lord-of-the-gods and enjoy in heaven the Divine pleasures of gods.
21)   They, having enjoyed the vast heaven-world, when their merits are exhausted, enter the world-of-mortals; thus abiding by the injunctions of the three (vedas), desiring (objects of) desires, they attain the state of ‘going-and-returning’ (Samsara)
22)   To those men who worship Me alone, thinking of no other, to those ever self-controlled. I secure for them that which is not already possessed (Yoga) by them, and preserve for them what they already possess (Kshema.)
23)   Even those devotees, who endowed with faith worship other gods, worship Me alone, O son of Kunti, (but) by the wrong method.
24)   (For) I alone am the enjoyer in and the Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not know Me in essence and hence they fall (return to the mortal world)
25)   The worshipers of the Devas or gods go to the devas; to the Pitris or ancestors go the ancestor-worshippers; to the Bhutas or the elements go worshipers of the Bhutas; But My worshippers come unto Me.
26)    Whoever offers Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, that I accept, offered by the pure-minded with devotion.
27)   Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, whatever you practice as austerity, O Kaunteya, do it as an offering to Me.
28)   Thus shall you be freed from the bonds-of-actions yielding good and evil ‘fruits’; with the mind steadfast in Yoga of renunciation, and liberated, you shall come unto Me.
29)   The same am I to all beings, to Me there is none hateful nor dear; but those who worship Me with devotion, are in Me and I am also in them.
30)   Even if the most sinful worships Me, with devotion to none else, (or with single pointedness) he too should indeed be regarded as ‘righteous’ for he has rightly resolved.
31)   Soon he becomes righteous and attains Eternal Peace, O Kaunteya (Arjuna) know for certain that My devotee is never destroyed.
32)   For taking refuge in Me, they also O Partha, maybe of ‘sinful birth’ – Women, Vaishyas, as well as Shudras – even they attain the supreme Goal.
33)   How much more (easily) then the holy Brahmins and devoted Royal saints (attain the goal). Having reached (obtained) this impermanent and joyless world, do worship Me devoutly.

34)   Fix your mind on Me; be devoted to Me, sacrifice to Me, bow down to Me; having thus united your (whole) Self with Me, taking Me as the Supreme Goal , you shall come to Me.

Thus ends the 9th chapter of Bhagavad Gita. 

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