तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणा: |
गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषा: || 17||
tad-buddhayas tad-ātmānas tan-niṣhṭhās tat-parāyaṇāḥ
gachchhantyapunar-āvṛittiṁ jñāna-nirdhūta-kalmaṣhāḥ
tat-buddhayaḥ—those whose intellect is directed toward God; tat-ātmānaḥ—those whose heart (mind and intellect) is solely absorbed in God; tat-niṣhṭhāḥ—those whose intellect has firm faith in God; tat-parāyaṇāḥ—those who strive for God as the supreme goal and refuge; gachchhanti—go; apunaḥ-āvṛittim—not returning; jñāna—by knowledge; nirdhūta—dispelled; kalmaṣhāḥ—sins
Translation:
With their intellect absorbed in That, their Self being That, established in that, they go from whence there is no return and their sins are dispelled by knowledge.
Commentary:
The realisation of Brahman being the final goal of all spiritual practices, what is the duty of the aspirant? He should think of that at all times, he should merge himself in That, he should be firmly rooted in That, and he should have no other thing except That as the sole refuge and aim. Such a man alone can realise Brahman. It is a psychological truth that man becomes That which he contemplates. By ignorance, man is contemplating samsara, and so he is bound by it by the effect of his own absorption in it. Now the sadhana should be made in the opposite direction. Mind should contemplate the Supreme Reality, the freedom of the self, and if this is done constantly till the whole personality is filled with that, then the Atma becomes manifest as the Reality in man. It is true that the mind cannot all of a sudden become absorbed in That. The mind oscillates between the objective world on the one side, and Atma on the other. But constant, unremitting and intense practice will fix the direction of the mind towards Atma. All great men have gone through this practice. They have concentrated all their energies in Atma, and dedicated their whole being to That. And thus they have realised the Supreme.
To the birthless and deathless state: ‘Punaravritti‘ means taking birth again and becoming bound by samsara. Birthlessness (apunaravrtitti) is the state of final emancipation.
Sins dispelled by Knowledge: Who shall attain that state? Those who are free from sin and evil, free from ignorance and delusion, attain that state. How can sin be destroyed? By the Knowledge of Atma. So long as there is the least trace of evil, the light is not revealed. So the enveloping darkness of evil should be shattered by Knowledge. Constant thought and meditation on Atma bring spiritual knowledge to man.
Is it not true that the man engaged in worldly pursuits, attains success by the concentration of all his energies on that object which he desires to acquire? Day and night, the wealthy are adding to their possessions. Most people spend their whole life and energy acquiring lands, houses, positions, name and fame. They come to possess these things by the very force of their efforts. And yet they still live in a state of fear, and suffer terrible torture of the mind. If they can turn their interest and energy towards the spiritual quest, they can easily acquire that Knowledge by which they can ever afterwards live a life of fearlessness, joy, and perfect freedom. Atma-Jnana is the greatest acquisition for a human being, because by it he transcends all the fears and sorrows of life, and lives in restful peace, bliss and blessedness.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
MASTER (to the devotees): “I have heard a great deal about Buddha. He is one of the ten Incarnations of God. (Hindu mythology speaks of ten Incarnations of God.) Brahman is immovable, immutable, inactive, and of the nature of Consciousness. When a man merges his buddhi, his intelligence, in Bodha, Consciousness, then he attains the Knowledge of Brahman; he becomes buddha, enlightened.
“Nangta used to say that the mind merges in the buddhi, and the buddhi in Bodha, Consciousness.
“The aspirant does not attain the Knowledge of Brahman as long as he is conscious of his ego. The ego comes under one’s control after one has obtained the Knowledge of Brahman and seen God. Otherwise the ego cannot be controlled. It is difficult to catch one’s own shadow. But when the sun is overhead, the shadow is within a few inches of the body.” …..
MASTER: “One should keep pictures of holy men in one’s room. That constantly quickens divine ideas.”
BANNERJI: “I have your picture in my room; also the picture of a sadhu living in the mountains, blowing on a piece of lighted charcoal in a bowl of hemp.” (Many wandering monks smoke Indian hemp.)
MASTER: “It is true that one’s spiritual feelings are awakened by looking at the picture of a sadhu. It is like being reminded of the custard-apple by looking at an imitation one, or like stimulating the desire for enjoyment by looking at a young woman. Therefore I tell you that you should constantly live in the company of holy men.
(To Bannerji) “You know very well the suffering of the world. You suffer whenever you accept enjoyment. As long as the kite kept the fish in its beak, it was tormented by the flock of crows.
“One finds peace of mind in the company of holy men. The alligator remains under water a long time. But every now and then it rises to the surface and breathes with a deep wheezing noise. Then it gives a sigh of relief.”
ACTOR: “Revered sir, what you have just said about enjoyment is very true. One ultimately courts disaster if one prays to God for enjoyment. Various desires come to the mind and by no means all of them are good. God is the Kalpataru, the Wish-fulfilling Tree. A man gets whatever he asks of God. Suppose it comes to his mind: ‘God is the Kalpataru. Well, let me see if a tiger will appear before me.’ Because he thinks of the tiger, it really appears and devours him.”
MASTER: “Yes, you must remember that the tiger comes. What more shall I tell you? Keep your mind on God. Don’t forget Him. God will certainly reveal Himself to you if you pray to Him with sincerity. Another thing, Sing the name of God at the end of each performance. Then the actors, the singers, and the audience will go home with the thought of God in their minds.”
The actors saluted the Master and took their leave.
Two ladies, devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, entered the room and saluted the Master. They had been fasting in preparation for this visit. They were sisters-in-law, the wives of two brothers, and were twenty-two or twenty- three years old. They were mothers of children. Both of them had their faces covered with veils.
MASTER (to the ladies): “Worship Siva. This worship is described in a book called the Nityakarma. Learn the rituals from it. In order to perform the worship of God you will be preoccupied for a long time with such religious duties as plucking flowers, making sandal-paste, polishing the utensils of worship, and arranging offerings. As you perform these duties your mind will naturally be directed to God. You will get rid of meanness, anger, jealousy, and so forth. When you two sisters talk to each other, always talk about spiritual matters.
“The thing is somehow to unite the mind with God. You must not forget Him, not even once. Your thought of Him should be like the flow of oil, without any interruption (BG 6.19). It you worship with love even a brick or stone as God, then through His grace you can see Him.
“Remember what I have just said to you. One should perform such worship as the Siva Puja. Once the mind has become mature, one doesn’t have to continue formal worship for long. The mind then always remains united with God; meditation and contemplation become a constant habit of mind.” (BG 3.17, BG 3.18) (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Related Articles:
- Having obtained this Brahmi state man is not deluded. Being established in this even at the end of life man attains oneness with Brahman (Moksha). (BG 2.72)
- The Lord said: Hear, Ο Pārtha, how, with your mind attached to Me, and taking refuge in Me, and practising yoga, you will without any doubt know Me in full. (BG 7.1)
Question: What is Moksha?
Answer: It is the birthless and deathless state of the highest bliss.
Question: Who can acquire it?
Answer: The man who is free from sin and evil can acquire it.
Question: How is evil destroyed?
Answer: Evil is dispelled by Knowledge.
Question: How is Knowledge acquired?
Answer: By thinking of That, by merging in That, by taking refuge in That, by having That as his supreme goal, man acquires Atma-Jnana.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5 🔻 (29 Verses)
