Karma yoga is Karma sanyasa-Karma Pertains to Prakriti and not Purusha-Same-sightedness Ensues from Knowledge-Bliss of Brahman Different from Sense-pleasure.In the Upanishad of the Bhagavad Gita, the knowledge of Brahman, the Supreme, the science of Yoga and the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna,
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How to know that there is no blemish in the knower of Brahman? It is explained thus :-
न प्रहृष्येत्प्रियं प्राप्य नोद्विजेत्प्राप्य चाप्रियम् ।
स्थिरबुद्धिरसम्मूढो ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मणि स्थितः ॥ ५-२०॥
5-20 Established in Brahman, with firm understanding and with no delusion, the knower of Brahman rejoices not, getting what is pleasant and grieves not, getting what is unpleasant.
Likes and dislikes, happiness and misery feelings of this kind are all associated with one's entanglement in the body. He who thinks of himself as the body gets deluded. But he who is established in Brahman is completely free from mentation.
What remains in the man from whose mind lust and greed are entirely eliminated? The Bliss of Brahman beams in him. -Sri Ramakrishna
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The characteristics of one who is established in Brahman are as follows :-
बाह्यस्पर्शेष्वसक्तात्मा विन्दत्यात्मनि यत्सुखम् ।
स ब्रह्मयोगयुक्तात्मा सुखमक्षयमश्नुते ॥ ५-२१॥
5-21 With the self detached from the external contacts he realizes the bliss in the Self. Devoted as he is to the meditation of Brahman, he enjoys imperishable Bliss.
Those pleasures are perishable which are born of contact with the objects outside. They are styled sense-pleasures. The purified mind enjoys the Bliss of Atman; and this Bliss suffers from no mutation. It is therefore held as being imperishable.
There are signs of the awakened ones - those that have got into Atma bodha. Those blessed ones are like the mythological Chakravaka bird which, even when parched with thirst to the point of death, does not alight on earth full of water, but seeks to slake. It with the rain water only if and when available up in the sly. The God-intoxicated ones revel only in Him and in nothing else. -Sri Ramakrishna
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Why are sense-pleasures shunned by the enlightened? Because :-
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते ।
आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः ॥ ५-२२॥
5-22. The delights that are contact-born are verily the wombs of pain; they have, 0 son of Kunti, a beginning and an end; no wise man rejoices in them.
Misery to which man is so much prone is ever the outcome of the search for sense-pleasure. When the senses create contact with their objects, the He who is able to resist the impulse of desire and anger even here before he quits the body-he is a yogi, initial agreeableness presents itself as pleasure. The prolongation of the contact as well as the separation of the senses from their objects transforms itself into misery. Like a flash of lightning the sensation called pleasure appears and disappears, and man pays dearly for it in the form of pang. The discerning one refrains oneself from this empty game, while the sense-bound one hunts after it.
If people ever sighted a venomous cobra, they used to supplicate प्रार्थना करना, "0 deity of deadliness, may you hide away your head from our sight and present the powerless tail alone to our view." It is good to recoil in this manner from sense-objects that drag down the mind. Instead of falling prey to them and then praying for redemption છોડવણી, it is better ever to keep aloof છેટે from them. ----- Sri Ramnkrishnn
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What measures ought one to adopt to do away with desire? The clue is given:-
शक्नोतीहैव यः सोढुं प्राक्शरीरविमोक्षणात् ।
कामक्रोधोद्भवं वेगं स युक्तः स सुखी नरः ॥ ५-२३॥
5-23. He who is able to resist the impulse of desire and anger even here before he quits the body - he is a yogi, he is a happy man.
Desire or its counterpart anger is bound to make its appearance as lang as life lasts in the body. They are capable of raising their hoods even while man is at the point of death. It is in and through Indulgence, indulgent observation and covetous imagination that desire thrives. Anger, its negative expression, sprouts when the sense-objects prove themselves unpleasant. Desire fostered in the mind expresses itself in the physique by directing the senses covetously on their objects, there is then a longing for them visible in the countenance. Anger has its physical expression as perspiration, throbbing of the body, quivering of the lip and reddening of the eyes. A yogi is he who has quelled the impulses of desire and anger. This done, the bliss of the Self becomes tangible to him.
Lust and greed have Immersed people in sin. If you behold women as the embodiments of the Divine Mother, you will escape from the snares of lust and its aftermath, misery.
God vision is impossible until desire is vanquished.
-----Sri Ramakrishna
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To whom is the bliss of Brahman possible? The Lord clarifies: -
योऽन्तःसुखोऽन्तरारामस्तथान्तर्ज्योतिरेव यः ।
स योगी ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं ब्रह्मभूतोऽधिगच्छति ॥ ५-२४॥
5.24. He whose happiness is within, whose delight is within, whose illumination is within only, that yogi becomes Brahman and gains the Beatitude of Brahman.
The ignorant man hunts for happiness in the external world. He fancies he is obtaining it there; but no sooner he clutches at it, than it vanishes. This is due to happiness not being inherent in things external. The projected happiness is actually in the Self. Similarly, repose and joy are in the Self and nowhere else. In search of enjoyment the senses get extroverted, only to be foiled. Atman is Bliss; therefore, real happiness is in Itself. In short, whatever is sought after externally, is actually in oneself. The core of one's being is Brahman, realizing which, everlasting Beatitude is gained.
Knowledge is not for him who is attached to the world. Enlightenment and bliss ensue in direct proportion to disentanglement with the sense-objects.
- Sri Ramakrishna
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लभन्ते ब्रह्मनिर्वाणमृषयः क्षीणकल्मषाः ।
छिन्नद्वैधा यतात्मानः सर्वभूतहिते रताः ॥ ५-२५॥
5-25. With sins destroyed, doubts (dualities) removed, minds disciplined, being delighted in the welfare of all beings, the Rishis attain the Beatitude of Brahman.
Rishis are they who have realized the substratum of all the things. Perfect enlightenment is theirs because of complete detachment from the mundane. Though detached, they engage themselves in the welfare of all Because of complete self-control they commit no sin. The Beatitude of Brahman is theirs as a matter of course.
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Their excellence is further elucidated :-
कामक्रोधवियुक्तानां यतीनां यतचेतसाम् ।
अभितो ब्रह्मनिर्वाणं वर्तते विदितात्मनाम् ॥ ५-२६॥
5-26. The Beatitude of Brahman is both here and hereafter for those Sanyasins who have shed lust and anger, subdued their minds and realized the Self.
Nyasa is sublimation; Samnyasa or Sanyasa is total sublimation. This is the positive meaning of the word Sanyasa. Negating the phenomenon is its negative meaning. In whichever way Sanyasa is practised, the attainment of the Beatitude of Brahman is the result. The Sanyasin is no more conscious of the body than the ordinary people are of their shadows. He is therefore liberated even while in the body. The here and hereafter become one endless Brahmadvastha to the Sanyasin.
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Mind has to be vanquished for the attainment of Beatitude. The process is as follows :-
स्पर्शान्कृत्वा बहिर्बाह्यांश्चक्षुश्चैवान्तरे भ्रुवोः ।
प्राणापानौ समौ कृत्वा नासाभ्यन्तरचारिणौ ॥ ५-२७॥
यतेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिर्मुनिर्मोक्षपरायणः ।
विगतेच्छाभयक्रोधो यः सदा मुक्त एव सः ॥ ५-२८॥
5- 27 & 28 Shutting out external objects, fixing the gaze between the eyebrows, equalizing the outward and inward breaths moving in the nostrils, the sage who has controlled the senses, mind and intellect, who is solely pursuing liberation, who has cast away desire, fear and anger, he verily is liberated.
When sound and other sense objects are excluded from the mind, they are said to have been shut out. The eyes remain half closed in meditation, their gaze simply seems to be fixed between the eyebrows while actually they are at rest. The breath exhaled is called prana and that inhaled, apana. Regulating and harmonizing the inward and outward flow of breath is called Pranayama. Stilling the mind and equalizing the passage of breath either way through Pranayama are interrelated. When mind ceases to function, breath stops, and when breath stops mind ceases to function.
Mind gets disturbed and depraved every time desire, fear and anger make their evil appearance in it. The reflection of an object gets hazy and broken on the surface of disturbed water. Likewise the presence of Atman is obscured in a disturbed mind. It should first of all gain quietude through the conquest of desire, fear and anger. Meditation then becomes easy and spontaneous.
Muni is the original word for sage. He is a Muni whose mind flows incessantly towards the Lord. He is liberated who is established in Pure Consciousness.
The next chapter elaborates on the ideas contained in these two stanzas.
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Directing the mind incessantly towards Iswara, how should the Muni behold Him? The answer comes:-
भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥ ५-२९॥
5-29. Having known Me as the Lord of Yajnas and asceticisms, as the Ruler of all the worlds, as the Friend of all beings, he attains Peace.
It is through the grace of the Lord that the earnest souls take to the performance of Yajnas and practice of asceticism. The Lord again is the goal of their great endeavors. He is the Overlord of the entire universe. Not only does He rule over all, but also protects them as their genuine Friend. He resides as Conscience in the hearts of all beings and assigns the fruits of their various activities. As karma emanates from Him, knowledge and Wisdom also come to beings from Him. The Muni who gives his ceaseless thought to these divine glories of the Lord gains supreme Peace.
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अर्जुन उवाच ।
संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि ।
यच्छ्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम् ॥ ५-१॥
Arjuna said :
5.01 Renunciation of action, 0 Krishna, you commend, and again its performance. Of the two, which one is the better? Tell me that conclusively.
In Chapter IV verses 18, 19, 21, 24, 32, 33, 37 and 41 the Lord advocated the renunciation of action. But in the last verse of the same chapter he commended the performance of action. Two conflicting courses cannot be adopted Simultaneously. Hence Arjuna raises this doubt.
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श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
संन्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसंन्यासात्कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते ॥ ५-२॥
The Blessed Lord said:
5.02. Renunciation and performance of action both lead to freedom; of the two, performance of action is superior to the renunciation of action.
Mukti or the emancipation of the soul is contained in Sreyas, and it is the acme of the human life. It can be gained either by the renunciation of action or by its performance. The sacred Badrikashrama in the interior of the Himalayas may be reached either by a plane or on foot. Of the two, the latter means is preferable because of the wide experience and the fruitful contact with people that it brings. Karma yoga is akin to walking to Badrikashrama, while karma sanyasa is like reaching that place by plane. Through the karma yoga method wide experience is gained, the divine possibilities in the human is being processed to perfection and benign communion with the Lord's creation is established. These great purposes of life are denied to karma sanyasa.
The inexperienced player at a game of dice wants somehow to score a victory and he is intent on it. But an adept in it takes to the display of his talents first and attends to the gain next. Sadhakas who want to escape from the turmoils of the world are second to those who serve the world but are not bound by it. ---Sri Ramakrishna
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Karma sanyasa too has its own reward. Blessings such as quietude and tranquility ensue from it. Action, on the other hand, necessarily means disturbance of equilibrium. Objections to this effect may be raised; but they are met as follows :-
ज्ञेयः स नित्यसंन्यासी यो न द्वेष्टि न काङ्क्षति ।
निर्द्वन्द्वो हि महाबाहो सुखं बन्धात्प्रमुच्यते ॥ ५-३॥
5.03 He should be known a constant Sanyasin, who neither hates nor desires; free from the pair of opposites, 0 mighty-armed, he is easily set free from bondage.
It is not Sanyasa if a man renounces duty due to dislike, neither is it Sanyasa if he delights in escaping from duty. Selfishness masquerades here as self-denial. Then there is the man who mistakes the inertia in himself for equilibrium. His delight in slothfulness is interpreted as delight in the Self. It is not action but attitude that binds or liberates man. The emptiness of the posed tranquility gets itself exposed in tribulation. But the karma yogi is proof against imaginary quietude. In the midst of intense activities he is free from likes and dislikes. True tranquility is therefore tangible in him. While acting he is not the agent; while being in the world, he is not of the world. Therefore the karma yogi alone is the true karma Sanyasi.
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This subtle distinction is further elucidated:
साङ्ख्ययोगौ पृथग्बालाः प्रवदन्ति न पण्डिताः ।
एकमप्यास्थितः सम्यगुभयोर्विन्दते फलम् ॥ ५-४॥
5-04. Children, not the wise, speak of knowledge and performance of action as different; he who is truly established in one obtains the fruit of both.
Karma sanyasa which culminates in jnana is described here as samkhya. Those who do not understand the purport of the Scripture are designated as children. Theory and practice are interrelated and interdependent. Right understanding leads to right doing; right doing brings in right knowing.
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The truth is this :-
यत्साङ्ख्यैः प्राप्यते स्थानं तद्योगैरपि गम्यते ।
एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च यः पश्यति स पश्यति ॥ ५-५॥
5-05. The state reached by the Jnans is also reached by the karma yogis. He sees who sees Jnana and karma yoga as one.
Knowledge and action are the obverse and reverse of the same spiritually evolving entity. The one is not to the exclusion of the other. He who knows truly acts rightly. He who does things perfectly knows them in their true perspective. Know and do, or do and know, are interchangeable. The contact with the one side of a coin necessarily leads to the contact with the other side. Jnana and karma are in this wise two readings of the same spiritual attainment of the sadhaka. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. The knowing aspect here is samkhya and the becoming aspect, yoga.
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Of these two paths which is more beneficial? The elucidation comes:-
संन्यासस्तु महाबाहो दुःखमाप्तुमयोगतः ।
योगयुक्तो मुनिर्ब्रह्म नचिरेणाधिगच्छति ॥ ५-६॥
5-06. Sanyasa, 0 mighty-armed, is hard to attain to without karma yoga; the man of meditation, purified by karma yoga quickly goes to Brahman.
A tender and unripe fruit clings fast to the tree that bears and nourishes it; but when fully ripe it severs connection from its sustainer. Similarly, the karma yogi gets from Prakriti the experience that matures into wisdom. He is a philosopher who translates principle into practice. Theorization and make-believe have no place in his spiritual career.
By experiment he knows that life in the supersenses is superior to that in the senses. The mind of the unselfish man is more magnanimous than that of the selfish one. Life blossoms better in him who lives for others than in him who lives exclusively for himself. Just as sound sleep is possible only for him who works hard, deep meditation comes to him who has negated his individuality in the service of others. It is self-denial that brings in purification of the heart. The one pure in mind becomes one with Brahman who is all purity. Here karma yoga fruitions in karma sanyasa.
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The purification of the personality of the yogi takes place in this way:-
योगयुक्तो विशुद्धात्मा विजितात्मा जितेन्द्रियः ।
सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा कुर्वन्नपि न लिप्यते ॥ ५-७॥
5-07. With the mind purified by karma yoga, and the self disciplined, and the senses subdued, one who realizes one's self as the Self in all beings, though acting, is not affected.
There is a contrast between the earth bound man engaging himself in action and the soul liberating karma yoga doing so. Bondage increases in the former and diminishes in the latter. The action of the yoga not being motivated by any desire, his understanding gets progressively clarified. As his desires in all forms get liquidated his self-control tends to perfection. The desirelessness in him gets transformed into clarity of understanding. This clarity itself ultimately becomes the intuition which cognises the one Cosmic Consciousness apparently appearing as the multitudinous forms of consciousness. Karma yoga itself is karma sanyasa because it brings in these successive stages of spiritual enlightenment.
An individual has the delusion, "I am the doer" as long as the philosophers stone has not converted the base metal of his mind into the noble one of the divine eye. When he is in ignorance he entertains the feelings of agency such as "I am the doer of this virtuous act," and "I am the doer of this vicious act." This attitude is the cause of the continuation of the wheel of birth and death. But when one realizes God. one is freed from the feelings of agency and bondage. One remains convinced in the truth that God is the real doer of everything. ---Sri Ramakrishna
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The signs of freedom from the bondage of karma are as follows:-
नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति युक्तो मन्येत तत्त्ववित् ।
पश्यञ्शृण्वन्स्पृशञ्जिघ्रन्नश्नन्गच्छन्स्वपञ्श्वसन् ॥ ५-८॥
प्रलपन्विसृजन्गृह्णन्नुन्मिषन्निमिषन्नपि ।
इन्द्रियाणीन्द्रियार्थेषु वर्तन्त इति धारयन् ॥ ५-९॥
5-08+5-09. The sage centered in the Self should think, "I do nothing at all" - though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, going, sleeping, breathing, speaking, emptying, holding, opening and closing the eyes - firm in the thought that the senses move among sense objects.
All activities pertaining to bodily existence take place in the non-Self. The Self is actionless. The knower of the Self is therefore free from agency. The person seated in an automobile does not himself move. He identifies himself with the moving vehicle and says, " I am going". The person who blurts in sleep is not in reality the agent of that act. A man absorbed in some deep thought is not aware of the taste of the dish he partakes. In all these cases the activities are not actually of the persons concerned. Similar to these, the Jnani established in Atman is not the doer of the activities going on in the body, the senses, mind, intellect and the lifeenergy called prana.
He who comes to know that he is only an instrument in the hands of the Lord, has no egoistic feeling. He is aware that he is only a tool with which God has His work done. Such a man causes harm to nobody. The poison of egoism is no more in him. A steel knife becomes a gold knife with the touch of the philosopher's stone. Though the form of the knife is there, it is not useful any more for cutting. Similarly the Jnani retains a seeming individuality, but no ignorance born activity occurs in and through him. -----Sri Ramakrishna
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What is the relationship between the Jnani and the karma that takes place through him? The clarification comes :-
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः ।
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ॥ ५-१०॥
5-10. He who acts, abandoning attachment, dedicating his deeds to Brahman, is untainted by sin as a lotus leaf by water.
The life, growth and sustenance of the lotus are all dependent on water. It dries away when severed from it. While constantly in touch with it, the lotus leaf does not permit being wetted with water. Man is born with karma and sustained by it. While fully availing himself of it, the yogi does not get affected by it.
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How does the yogi avail himself of karma? It is explained :-
कायेन मनसा बुद्ध्या केवलैरिन्द्रियैरपि ।
योगिनः कर्म कुर्वन्ति सङ्गं त्यक्त्वात्मशुद्धये ॥ ५-११॥
5-11. The yogi, abandoning attachment, performs work with the body, the mind, the intellect and the senses only, for self-purification.
The motive-power of desire creates the evil of attachment and propels the mind and the senses on baneful missions. When the evil is eliminated the instruments become available for the service of the divine. The more they are engaged on holy purposes the better they get sanctified. Self-purification is effected this way Karma is verily the means to this great end.
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Elucidation through contrast comes as follows:-
युक्तः कर्मफलं त्यक्त्वा शान्तिमाप्नोति नैष्ठिकीम् ।
अयुक्तः कामकारेण फले सक्तो निबध्यते ॥ ५-१२॥
5-12. Abandoning the fruit of action, the yogi attains peace born of steadfastness; impelled by desire, the non-yogi is bound, attached to fruit.
Performance of karma is common to both, the yogi and the non-yogi. But the difference between the two is in the disposition. The feeling of agency to action is no more in the former. Whatever takes place through his instrumentality is the Lord's work. His steadfastness consists of his mind being released from work and of its being immersed in the Lord. In this state of the mind there is no anxiety; there is calmness instead; the mind gets itself steadily purified. It becomes fit for enlightenment. On the other side, the non-yogi gets entangled in work; anxiety is on the increase in him.
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The exuberance ઉત્સાહ of the spiritual mood of the yogi is further elucidated as follows:-
सर्वकर्माणि मनसा संन्यस्यास्ते सुखं वशी ।
नवद्वारे पुरे देही नैव कुर्वन्न कारयन् ॥ ५-१३॥
5-13. Having mentally renounced all actions, the self-disciplined indweller rests happily in the city of nine gates, neither acting nor causing to act.
Karma varies in pattern according to the temperamental difference. There are also forms of karma distinct in themselves. The indispensable one among them is the obligatory work, nitya karma, such as eating, sleeping, bathing and praying. By doing these acts no new merit is acquired but by failing in them there is a sure set back. Naimitya karma are special activities that are performed on occasions such as Sivaratri, Ekadasi and eclipse. Kamya karma or desire-impelled activities are those performed for certain earthly ends. Again, there are the nishiddha karma, the prohibited acts that run counter to ethics. While the obligatory works alone go on automatically by sheer force of habit, the yogi does not engage himself in any of the other forms of karma. This is possible because he is completely rid of egoism and agency.
The body with this openings is aptly compared to a city of nine gates. Like a monarch, Atman stays enthroned in this citadel the administration of which is carried on by the ministry of egoism, mind, intellect, life-energy and the senses. The reign over the region of the body lasts until the momentum of the prarabdha karma gets exhausted. Even while residing in the body, the consciousness of it and domination over its activities is entirely absent in the yogi. Self reveling in Its own glory is the gain that the yogi has.
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How are we to know of the state of liberation while yet living in the body in the mundane world ? The elucidation comes:-
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि ।
शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः ॥ ५-१८॥
5-18. Men of Self-knowledge are same-sighted on a Brahmana Imbued with learning and humility, a cow, an elephant, a dog and an outcaste.
Sunlight falls equally on all things. It makes no difference between the sacred Ganga and sewage water. The knower of Brahman cognises Brahman only everywhere. The distinction which the worldly make among beings, is born of ignorance. To them an ideal Brahmana is one who is to be revered. An outcaste is one who is to be shunned. Among men the former is topmost in rank and the latter the last. Similarly, among animals the cow is to be revered, the elephant admired and the cur kept aloof. But the man of Self-knowledge does not see into the assumed differences in men, animals, birds and other creatures. He cognises the same Omniscience present in all these forms which are unreal. The Jnani sees truly while the worldly see erroneously.
Nescience creates plurality and difference among beings. Omniscience reveals unity behind the seeming multiplicity. ----Sri Ramakrishna
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Is it possible for the worldly to rise up to this same-sightedness in all beings? The dictum comes:-
इहैव तैर्जितः सर्गो येषां साम्ये स्थितं मनः ।
निर्दोषं हि समं ब्रह्म तस्माद् ब्रह्मणि ते स्थिताः ॥ ५-१९॥
5-19. Transitory existence is overcome even here by them whose mind rests on equality. Brahman is flawless and the same in all; therefore they are established in Brahman.
Objects appear distorted when seen through a heterogeneous glass; but they present themselves just as they are when seen through a homogeneous glass. A clean and even glass causes no hindrance to right apperception. Mind in man occupies the position of the spectacles. A vibrant mind cognises phenomenon outside; a mind in equilibrium; cognises noumenon or the Thing-in-Itself which is Brahman. As there is no vibration in Brahman It is the same in all. It is Pure Consciousness and therefore there is no modification in It. Changes such as increase, decrease and transformation do not take place in It; and for this reason It is said to be flawless. Those who have gained equanimity of mind are able to cognise Brahman. Once obtained, this intuition becomes permanent. No interruption whatsoever takes place in it. They that remain in Brahmadvastha or Cosmic Consciousness transcend transitory existence. They are not therefore bound by the limitations of this world even while living in it.
Maya is compared to the snake in motion and Brahman to the same snake at rest. Kinetic energy is Maya and potential energy Brahman. -Sri Ramakrishna
5-14.mp3
न कर्तृत्वं न कर्माणि लोकस्य सृजति प्रभुः ।
न कर्मफलसंयोगं स्वभावस्तु प्रवर्तते ॥ ५-१४॥
5-14. The Lord does not create agency or actions for the world; He does not create union with the fruits of action. Nature does all this.
Due to ignorance the individual self identifies himself with Nature or Prakriti and assumes owner ship over karma and its consequences. Actually, all work belongs to Nature and not to Atman.
5-15.mp3
It is further explained : -
नादत्ते कस्यचित्पापं न चैव सुकृतं विभुः ।
अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः ॥ ५-१५॥
5-15. The Omnipresent does not take note of the merit or demerit of any. Knowledge is veiled by ignorance; mortals are thereby deluded.
Prakriti or Nature is constituted of five elements- akasa, vayu, agni, apah and prithivi (ether, air, fire, water and earth). Akasa which is equated with space, is the substratum on which the other four elements play their parts. Good and evil emanate from them in the course of their interaction, but Akasa remains unaffected by these modifications. In the same way Iswara remains unaffected by the merits and demerits in beings. A crystal glass seems to take the hue of the flower brought to its proximity, but actually the crystal remains ever itself. Similarly, Atma seems to take the characteristics of Prakriti, while actually It does not. People who are in ignorance impose the traits of Prakriti on Atman and get deluded.
The relationship between Purusha and Prakriti is very well explained in these two verses. Iswara is Bliss and Perfect Poise. Karma has no place in His Blessedness. Prakriti gets itself vitalized in the proximity of Purusha. Jivatman gets bound when he identifies himself with Prakriti; he gets emancipated when he detaches himself from Prakriti. And this is the essence of Vedanta.
The burning lamp gives light to one and all, all round it. Some use that light for cooking their food, others for reading sacred books and yet others for forging false documents. The merits and demerits in these several acts do not in any way affect the light coming from the lamp. In this wise the consciousness equally present in all beings makes all sorts of activities possible in them because of Its proximity. The good and bad deeds, however, of beings do not go to the Pure Consciousness, which is Iswara. ----Sri Ramakrishna
5-16.mp3
If it is a fact that the Lord does not take note of the good and bad acts of people, why then should they be exhorted to do good and eschew evil? The answer comes :-
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः ।
तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम् ॥ ५-१६॥
5-16. Shining like the sun, knowledge reveals the Supreme in them, in whom ignorance is destroyed by Self-knowledge.
Darkness vanishes when the sun rises, ignorance cease to be with the dawn of knowledge. As the sunlight reveals things in their true perspective, Selfknowledge or Brahma-jnanam posits the Reality of Brahman and the evanescence of Prakriti. The knower of Brahman knows he is Brahman and none else.
5-17.mp3
The process of getting at Self-knowledge is now explained : -
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः ।
गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषाः ॥ ५-१७॥
5-17. Those who think on That, merge in That, get fixed in That, have That as the goal, they attain to non-return, their taints being dispelled by knowledge.
The sun can never see darkness wherever it may go. It is ever in brilliance. The knower of Brahman has nothing but Brahman to cognise. Distinctions such as inside and outside do not exist for him. One undivided, interminable consciousness is for him. The man of this experience does not take birth again; he attains mukti.
Brahman is experienced vaguely through discrimination, somewhat vividly through meditation and in Its Original Splendour in Samadhi. -----Sri Ramakrishna