ज्ञानयज्ञेन चाप्यन्ये यजन्तो मामुपासते |
एकत्वेन पृथक्त्वेन बहुधा विश्वतोमुखम् || 15||
jñāna-yajñena chāpyanye yajanto mām upāsate
ekatvena pṛithaktvena bahudhā viśhvato-mukham
jñāna-yajñena—yajña of cultivating knowledge; cha—and; api—also; anye—others; yajantaḥ—worship; mām—Me; upāsate—worship; ekatvena—undifferentiated oneness; pṛithaktvena—separately; bahudhā—various; viśhwataḥ-mukham—the cosmic form
Translation:
Others, again, offer the oblation of knowledge and worship Me either as one with them or as distinct from them; and still others in various ways worship Me, whose form is the whole universe.
Commentary:
It is declared here that men worship Him in various ways, some as one Reality, identifying themselves with the One, others making a distinction between the Lord and themselves, and yet others in manifold forms. All these seekers finally reach the goal through different paths. The point to note is that the manner of worship may take any form provided that it is done with complete and immovable faith.
What is jnanayajna?
‘Brahman is real, the world is illusion. The Jiva is Brahman and not distinct.’ This – knowledge is jnana. To hold on to this is knowledge sacrifice (Jnana Yajna). This is the Advaitic realisation. This is ‘tat tvam asi‘ thought. This is ‘so ham‘ experience. When Lord Krishna completes the Gita Sastra, He declares that he who studies and tries to understand the spirit of the Gita is said to have worshipped the Lord through Knowledge-sacrifice (18-70). All people whatever their attitudes and styles of worship may be, shall have to understand at last that there is only One Reality and that Reality is nothing other than his own Self. This is the only way to liberation and this is jnanayajna.
Viswatomukham: The Lord is universal, existing, everywhere and in each and everything. He is Paramatma and there is nothing else but He in all that one sees and experiences in all the worlds. This universal concept is the highest law of religion, and perhaps the easiest way to God-Realisation. Let this law be remembered by all, at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
“I keep men’s own ideals intact. I ask a Vaishnava to hold to his Vaishnava attitude and a Sakta to his. But this also I say to them: “Never feel that your path alone is right and that the paths of others are wrong and full of errors.’ Hindus, Mussalmans, and Christians are going to the same destination by different paths. A man can realise God by following his own path if his prayer is sincere. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Question: How do people worship the Lord?
Answer: Some people worship Him with Advaitic attitude and others with dualistic attitude, each man according to his samskara worship Him in different ways.
