अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् |
आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रह: || 8||
इन्द्रियार्थेषु वैराग्यमनहङ्कार एव च |
जन्ममृत्युजराव्याधिदु:खदोषानुदर्शनम् || 9||
असक्तिरनभिष्वङ्ग: पुत्रदारगृहादिषु |
नित्यं च समचित्तत्वमिष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु || 10||
मयि चानन्ययोगेन भक्तिरव्यभिचारिणी |
विविक्तदेशसेवित्वमरतिर्जनसंसदि || 11||
अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् |
एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोऽन्यथा || 12||
amānitvam adambhitvam ahinsā kṣhāntir ārjavam
āchāryopāsanaṁ śhauchaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ
indriyārtheṣhu vairāgyam anahankāra eva cha
janma-mṛityu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣhānudarśhanam
asaktir anabhiṣhvaṅgaḥ putra-dāra-gṛihādiṣhu
nityaṁ cha sama-chittatvam iṣhṭāniṣhṭopapattiṣhu
mayi chānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhichāriṇī
vivikta-deśha-sevitvam aratir jana-sansadi
adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśhanam
etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā
amānitvam—humbleness; adambhitvam—freedom from hypocrisy; ahinsā—non-violence; kṣhāntiḥ—forgiveness; ārjavam—simplicity; āchārya-upāsanam—service of the Guru; śhaucham—cleanliness of body and mind; sthairyam—steadfastness; ātma-vinigrahaḥ—self-control; indriya-artheṣhu—toward objects of the senses; vairāgyam—dispassion; anahankāraḥ—absence of egotism; eva cha—and also; janma—of birth; mṛityu—death; jarā—old age; vyādhi—disease; duḥkha—evils; doṣha—faults; anudarśhanam—perception; asaktiḥ—non-attachment; anabhiṣhvaṅgaḥ—absence of craving; putra—children; dāra—spouse; gṛiha-ādiṣhu—home, etc; nityam—constant; cha—and; sama-chittatvam—even-mindedness; iṣhṭa—the desirable; aniṣhṭa—undesirable; upapattiṣhu—having obtained; mayi—toward Me; cha—also; ananya-yogena—exclusively united; bhaktiḥ—devotion; avyabhichāriṇī—constant; vivikta—solitary; deśha—places; sevitvam—inclination for; aratiḥ—aversion; jana-sansadi—for mundane society; adhyātma—spiritual; jñāna—knowledge; nityatvam—constancy; tattva-jñāna—knowledge of spiritual principles; artha—for; darśhanam—philosophy; etat—all this; jñānam—knowledge; iti—thus; proktam—declared; ajñānam—ignorance; yat—what; ataḥ—to this; anyathā—contrary
Translation:
Humbleness; freedom from hypocrisy; non-violence; forgiveness; simplicity; service of the Guru; cleanliness of body and mind; steadfastness; and self-control; dispassion toward the objects of the senses; absence of egotism; keeping in mind the evils of birth, disease, old age, and death; non-attachment; absence of clinging to spouse, children, home, and so on; even-mindedness amidst desired and undesired events in life; constant and exclusive devotion toward Me; an inclination for solitary places and an aversion for mundane society; constancy in spiritual knowledge; and philosophical pursuit of the Absolute Truth—all these I declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to it, I call ignorance.
Commentary:
In this Discourse, both knowledge and the object of Knowledge are explained. The moral and spiritual qualities needed for Self-realisation are stated as Knowledge (Jnanam) here. Without perfect command of these qualities, no one can attain Paramatma. When the mirror is pure, the reflection is clear, not otherwise. Thus when the mind is purified by spiritual qualities, the Self is clearly reflected in it. So the seeker has to cultivate these qualities of jnanam first, and the self-existent Paramatman is revealed spontaneously without any effort on the part of man. All effort, all practice, all ‘sadhana’ is needed to purify the mind by the acquisition of these moral and spiritual qualities. There ends all effort. The Realisation of Paramatman occurs by itself. No effort is needed. Twenty spiritual qualities are mentioned here. The seeker has to understand each one of them and make them all part of his own personality.
acharyopasanam: Service to the Guru is an essential factor in spiritual life. Without the benediction of God and Guru, no advancement is possible. Knowledge of Atma is attained by their grace. (4.34)
saucham: Purity both internal and external is another essential factor of spiritual life. The mind and body should be washed clean of all their dirt and foul passions.
sthairyam: The seeker should be firm, determined and resolute. His decision should be unalterable. The views and opinions of worldly men should not be allowed to loosen the firmness of one’s own conviction about spiritual truth.
atmavinigrahah: Here the word Atman stands for senses and mind. They should be thoroughly brought under control, without any fear of rebellion from them at any time. The power of Maya can easily trap up a man, if his self-control is partial or inadequate.
indriyartheshu vairagyam: Dispassion for sense-objects is the test of a jnani. The man of knowledge is never tempted by the attractions of the sense-world. If the mind runs after sense pleasures, it cannot be brought to rest in the Self. Meditation is not possible. The seeker has to develop ‘vairagya’ as the very life element of spiritual progress. He should turn the mind inwards to look into the Self by withdrawing it from its usual wanderings in the objective world.
janmamrityu jaravyadhi dukha doshanudarsanam: Generally people are able to understand the evils of old age, disease and death. But they do not understand the evils of birth. When a child is born people feel happy. But the Lord here says that birth itself is evil and sorrowful. Because all the ensuing ills and miseries of life come after birth. When there is no birth, there is no body; when there is no body there is no old age or disease or death. That is why both birth and death are said to form the cycle of ‘samsara’. The man who desires to escape death, should also avoid birth. One cannot be had without the other. The true aspirant thinks deeply and sees clearly (anudarsanam) all the evils arising from material life. By such contemplation, he develops a deep inspiration to transcend these evils by every means possible. He finds ultimately that he is not the body, but Atma, the unborn and deathless, free from all the modifications of body and mind. Thus he transcends death. This habit of the mind to see the evils of life and death is of utmost importance in the path of knowledge.
asaktir anabhishvangah putradaragrihadishu: The house-holders should think of this aspect of jnana. He should understand that these things like wife and children, positions and possessions, do not really belong to him. It does not mean that he should abandon them. The idea is that there should not be any mental attachment for them. He should realise that he has nothing to do with them, though externally he discharges all the duties of a house-holder.
samachittatvam: Equanimity of mind under all circumstances is again the essence of jnana. The wise man is constant and steady whatever may happen, because he knows that he is not the kshetra, but the kshetrajna. So he is indifferent to joy or sorrow, good fortune or ill-fate.
bhaktiravyabhicharini: The Lord mentions devotion to Him as one of the qualities of Knowledge. This devotion should be constant and continuous, and it should not be diverted toward any other object in the world. Though in the beginning, such single-minded devotion is not possible, yet by resolute practice he should attain that state when the mind rests steadfast in the Lord and does not move away from Him.
viviktadesa sevitvam: In the early stages the company of worldly-minded people causes great distraction (vikshepa), and so the seeker is required to resort to solitary places for silent thinking and meditation. It is quite possible to create such silence and solitude in one’s own house by keeping a room separately for purposes of study and meditation. As the seeker advances, he takes to silence and solitude naturally.
aratirjanasamsadi: The company of indifferent people should be avoided. ‘Satsang‘ is always desirable.
adhyatmajnana nityatvam: Constancy of Divine contemplation and knowledge is taught here. The light of knowledge should be steady and bright in the heart always. If the light is extinguished, darkness immediately envelops the heart of man. When jnana is lost, ajnana enters at once. When ajnana is put off, jnana dawns at once. They are like light and darkness. When the one is, the other is not. The seekers should remember the Lord’s instruction and try to be aware of the truth at all times. Such awareness keeps off ‘avidya’ from possessing the heart of man.
tatvajnanartha darsanam: Direct experience of the truth is one of the important qualities of a jnani. It is not speculation or logic or argument, but actual perception of Atma, which is Brahmajnana.
ajnanam yadatonyatha: What is igorance? What is not jnana is ignorance. The Lord need not explain what ignorance is. Everybody knows it already. Pride and arrogance, selfishness, envy and jealousy, ill-will, hatred and a host of evil passions, desires, hopes and fears which beset the mind constitue ignorance.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
(To Amrita and Trailokya) “Youngsters like Narendra and Rakhal are ever-perfect. Every time they are born they are devoted to God. An ordinary man acquires a little devotion after austerities and a hard struggle. But these boys have love of God from the very moment of their birth. They are like the natural image of Siva, which springs forth from the earth and is not set up by human hands.
“The ever-perfect form a class by themselves. Not all birds have crooked beaks. The ever-perfect are never attached to the world. There is the instance of Prahlada.
“Ordinary people practise spiritual discipline and cultivate devotion to God; but they also become attached to the world and are caught in the clamour of ‘woman and gold’. They are like flies, which sit on a flower or a sweetmeat and light on filth as well.
“But the ever-perfect are like bees, which light only on flowers and sip the honey. The ever-perfect drink only the Nectar of Divine Bliss. They are never inclined to worldly pleasures. (Mam Eva BG 7.14)
“The devotion of the ever-perfect is not like the ordinary devotion that one acquires as a result of strenuous spiritual discipline. Ritualistic devotion consists in repeating the name of God and performing worship in a prescribed manner. It is like crossing a rice-field in a roundabout way along the balk. Again, it is like reaching a near-by village by boat in a roundabout way along a winding river.
“One does not follow the injunctions of ceremonial worship when one develops raga-bhakti, when one loves God as one’s own. Then it is like crossing a rice-field after the harvest. You don’t have to walk along the balk. You can go straight across the field in any direction.
“When the country is flooded deep with water, one doesn’t have to follow the winding river. Then the fields are deep under water. You can row your boat straight to the village.
“Without this intense attachment, this passionate love, one cannot realise God.”
AMRITA: “Sir, how do you feel in samadhi?”
MASTER: “You may have heard that the cockroach, by intently meditating on the brahmara, is transformed into a brahmara. Do you know how I feel then? I feel like a fish released from a pot into the water of the Ganges.”
AMRITA: “Don’t you feel at that time even a trace of ego?”
MASTER: “Yes, generally a little of it remains. However hard you may rub a grain of gold against a grindstone, still a bit of it always remains. Or again, take the case of a big fire; the ego is like one of its sparks. In samadhi I lose outer consciousness completely; but God generally keeps a little trace of ego in me for the enjoyment of divine communion. Enjoyment is possible only when ‘I’ and ‘you’ remain.
“Again, sometimes God effaces even that trace of ‘I’. Then one experiences jada samadhi or nirvikalpa samadhi. That experience cannot be described. A salt doll went to measure the depth of the ocean, but before it had gone far into the water it melted away. It became entirely one with the water of the ocean. Then who was to come back and tell the ocean’s depth?” (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
—–
MASTER: “You talk glibly about prema. But is it such a commonplace thing? There are two characteristics of prema. First, it makes one forget the world. So intense is one’s love of God that one becomes unconscious of outer things. Chaitanya had this ecstatic love; he ‘took a wood for the sacred grove of Vrindavan and the ocean for the dark waters of the Jamuna’. Second, one has no feeling of ‘my-ness’ toward the body, which is so dear to man. One wholly gets rid of the feeling that the body is the soul.
“There are certain signs of God-realisation. The man in whom longing for God manifests its glories is not far from attaining Him. What are the glories of that longing? They are discrimination, dispassion, compassion for living beings, serving holy men, loving their company, chanting the name and glories of God, telling the truth, and the like. When you see those signs of longing in an aspirant, you can rightly say that for him the vision of God is not far to seek.
“The state of a servant’s house will tell you unmistakably whether his master has decided to visit it. First, the rubbish and jungle around the house are cleared up. Second, the soot and dirt are removed from the rooms. Third, the courtyard, floors, and other places are swept clean. Finally the master himself sends various things to the house, such as a carpet, a hubble-bubble for smoking, and the like. When you see these things arriving, you conclude that the master will very soon come.”
A DEVOTEE: “Sir, should one first practise discrimination to attain self-control?”
MASTER: “That is also a path. It is called the path of vichara, reasoning. But the inner organs (Mind (manas), intelligence (buddhi), mind-stuff (chitta), and ego (ahamkara).) are brought under control naturally through the path of devotion as well. It is rather easily accomplished that way. Sense pleasures appear more and more tasteless as love for God grows. Can carnal pleasure attract a grief-stricken man and woman the day their child has died?”
DEVOTEE: “How can I develop love for God?”
MASTER: “Repeat His name, and sins will disappear. Thus you will destroy lust, anger, the desire for creature comforts, and so on.”
DEVOTEE: “How can I take delight in God’s name?”
MASTER: “Pray to God with a yearning heart that you may take delight in His name. He will certainly fulfil your heart’s desire.”
So saying, the Master sang a song in his sweet voice, pleading with the Divine Mother to show Her grace to suffering men:
O Mother, I have no one else to blame:
Alas! I sink in the well these very hands have dug. ….. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Question: What are the qualities of a Jnani and how many are they?
Answer: They are twenty – 1. Absence of self-glorification, 2. absence of pretention, 3. non injury, 4. fortitude, 5. uprightness, 6. service to teacher 7. purity, 8. firmness, 9. self control, 10. dispassion towards sense-objects 11. absence of egoism, 12. remembrance of the evils and sorrows of birth, death, old age and pain, 13. non-attachment, 14. non-identification with sons, wife, house etc., 15. constant equal-mindedness during desirable and undesirable occurrences, 16. unswerving devotion to the Lord by the yoga of non-separation, 17. resorting to solitary places, 18. distaste for the society of men, 19. constancy of Self-knowledge. 20. perception of the true end of knowledge. These are the qualities of a jnani.
(35 Verses)