Chapter VII (VERSE 30) & CHAPTER XVIII (VERSE 15)
Jnana Vijnana Yoga – The Yoga of Wisdom and Knowledge
CHAPTER XVIII
(Verse 30)
साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः ।
प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः ॥ ७-३०॥
Those who know Me with the ADHIBHUTA (pertaining to elements; the world-of-objects) , ADHIDAIVA (pertaining to the gods; the sense-organs) and the ADHIYAJNA (pertaining to the sacrifice; all perceptions) , even at the time of death, steadfast in mind, know Me.
Not only that the man of realisation understands all the vagaries of the mind and the nature of all activities, but he also gains a perfect knowledge of the world-of-objects (Adhibhuta), the secrets behind the workings of the sense organs, mind, and intellect (Adhidaiva), and the conditions under which all perceptions — physical, mental and intellectual (Adhiyajna) can best take place.
The common idea that a man-of-God is an impractical man, inefficient to live a successful life in the world, may be true as far as a dedicated devotee of a particular god form, or a prophet, is concerned. The Upasaka is one who is so fully engrossed with his emotions and thoughts, dedicated to the Lord of his heart, that he has neither the interest nor the capacity to know the ways of the world. But the man-of-Perfection, as conceived by the Science of Vedanta, is not only a man of experience in the realm of Spirit, but he is also, at all times, on all occasions, under all situations, a master of himself, and a dynamic force to be reckoned with.
He essentially becomes the leader of the world, as he is a master of his own mind, as well as the minds of the entire living kingdom. To him, thereafter, everything becomes clear, and such a Man-of-Perfection lives in the world as God in his Knowledge of the worlds, both within and without.
In short, the chapter closes with a total assertion that “HE WHO KNOWS ME KNOWS EVERYTHING”; he is the man who will guide the destinies of the world, not only in his own times, but in the days to come, as Lord Krishna Himself did.
These two closing stanzas of this chapter do not of themselves explain all the terms used in them. They represent a summary of the following chapter. In a Shastra this is one of the traditional methods in the art of connecting two consecutive chapters together. In the form of mantras, these two stanzas indicate the contents and the theme of the following chapter.
WHERE IS GOD ?
Moksha Sanyasa Yoga – The Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation
CHAPTER XVIII
(Verse 15)
शरीरवाङ्मनोभिर्यत्कर्म प्रारभते नरः ।
न्याय्यं वा विपरीतं वा पञ्चैते तस्य हेतवः ॥ १८-१५॥
Whatever action a man performs by his body, speech and mind — whether right, or the reverse — these five are its causes.
The items listed above must all come into full play in order to accomplish any work, and therefore, these five component parts are called the causes of all actions. To show that there is no exception, the Lord says that whatever action a man might undertake, be it by his body, speech or mind, and that too whether right or wrong, in every expression of action there is the play of all these five essential parts.
These five constitute the equipment of action, and the Spirit, the eternally Actionless, conditioned by the intellectual desires, behaves AS THOUGH it is an ego (Jiva); and this individualised personality, forgetting its own State-of-Perfection demanding satisfaction through sense gratifications, making use of the faculties of sense enjoyment, strives in the world-of-objects to achieve, to gain, to aggrandise. Here we should not forget, in our haste, to grasp clearly that the five-fold division is the description of the “engine under the bonnet” and not of the “petrol;” and yet, “petrol” in itself cannot make the travel pleasant and successful — nor can the “engine” move without the “petrol.”
A motor vehicle becomes an automobile only when “petrol” plays through the “engine,” and when the driver can, by his faculties, take the vehicle to its destination, which is determined by the demand or the desire of the owner of the vehicle. If this analogy is understood, we can correctly evaluate this portion of Krishna’s enumeration, and can truly appreciate what the Lord means when he says “these five are the causes” of all work.