Chapter II (VERSE 28) & CHAPTER IV (VERSE 35)
Sankhya Yoga – The Yoga of Knowledge
CHAPTER II
(Verse 28)
अव्यक्तादीनि भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि भारत ।
अव्यक्तनिधनान्येव तत्र का परिदेवना ॥ २-२८॥
Beings unmanifest in the beginning, and unmanifest again in their end seem to be manifest in the middle, O Bharata. What then is there to grieve about?
From this stanza onwards we have a beautiful presentation of the whole problem of Arjuna from the stand-point of the man-of-the-world. In these ten verses Krishna explains the problem as viewed through the goggles of a common man of the world and valued by his intellectual judgement.
The material world of objects strictly follows the law of causation. The world of “effects” rises from the world of “causes.” In a majority of cases, the effects are manifest and the causes are unmanifest. ‘To project from the unmanifest to the manifest’ is the programme of creation of a thing, strictly following the Law of Causation.
Thus, the manifest-world of today was unmanifest before its creation; and now for the time being, it is available for cognition as fully manifest, only to fade away soon into the unmanifest again. It amounts to saying that the present came from the UNKNOWN and shall return to the UNKNOWN. Even if viewed thus, why should one moan; for, the spokes of a wheel that turns eternally must COME DOWN only to RISE UP again.
Again, the dream-children, unmanifest before, and which came to manifestation during the dream, become unmanifest again on waking up. Why moan, you bachelor, for a wife whom you had never married, who had disappeared with your dream, the children unborn, who dissolved away with your dream?
If there be, as Krishna says, an Infinite, Eternal, Truth which is Changeless and Deathless, in which alone this drama of change occurs, this whirl-of-birth-and-death spins, how is it that we are not able to realise It even though it is explained to us repeatedly? According to Shankara, Lord Krishna here feels that He should not blame Arjuna for his incapacity to understand the Self.
Jnana Karma Sanyasa Yoga – The Yoga of Renunciation of Action with Knowledge
CHAPTER IV
(Verse 35)
यज्ज्ञात्वा न पुनर्मोहमेवं यास्यसि पाण्डव ।
येन भूतान्यशेषाण द्रक्ष्यस्यात्मन्यथो मयि ॥ ४-३५॥
Knowing that, you shall not, O Pandava, again get deluded like this; and by that, you shall see all beings in your Self, and also in Me.
After all these painful troubles, it may chance that we may get ‘Knowledge,’ but after one’s death one may again fall back to ‘ignorance’ and come to repeat the same process. Even in our own life-time there have been many things learnt and experienced which we do not now remember. Similarly, this ‘Knowledge’ also may be lost to us in which case it will be indeed a great loss.
This doubt is fully cleared here by an assertive, confident declaration that after regaining this ‘Knowledge,’ “YOU SHALL NOT, O PANDAVA, AGAIN GET DELUDED LIKE THIS.” This declaration, rather fanatical in style, has to be, for the time being, accepted by all seekers. All teachers unanimously declare this idea and since they have no particular reason to deceive their generation, it is but intelligent that we should accept the truth of this declaration in good faith — till we come to confirm it in our own personal experience.
No doubt, an immature child can never understand the physical thrills of the nuptial chamber, and thereby it cannot be said that the newly-weds are always telling lies!! The little child has not matured enough even to feel sympathetically the thrills explained. Similarly, we, living in delusion, cannot UNDERSTAND the thrills of the transcendental, or EXPERIENCE its Eternal Nature — however vividly the teachers may explain, until we also grow to the required inner maturity.
By this rediscovery of the Self, Krishna promises that the Pandava Prince will thereafter be able to recognise the entire creation — constituted of the world of objects, emotions, and ideas — as nothing other than the Self, which is his own real Nature; which again is nothing other than ‘Me’, Lord Krishna, the Paramatman. Having for once realised the ocean, all the waves are recognised by the intelligent-eye as nothing but the ocean.
In this stanza, thus, tests of having realised “that Knowledge” — discussed in the previous stanzas, are given. It also indicates how long we must hold on to the apron of a true Guru. As long as we have not realised that the whole creation is nothing but our own Self, which is as divine and omnipotent as the Lord of Dwarka Himself, so long we cannot afford to leave our intimate relationship and complete dependence upon the Preceptor and Guide, the Guru.