Video Discription |
Episode 686: BG Chap 5
How do pandits, whose ignorance is destroyed due to Jnana, live? How do they perceive the Supreme?
vidyāvinayasampanne brāhmaṇegavi hastiniśunicaiva śvapākeca paṇḍitāssamadarśinaḥǁ18ǁ
The Brahma-jnani who is filled with humbleness & wisdom perceives with even-mindedness a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, & a dog-eater.
Vidya means Self-knowledge. Vinaya means peace. He who has vidya & vinaya is supreme. He is wise, sattvik, & purified due to good samskaras. He perceives the Brahmin filled with humbleness & wisdom, the cow which is rajasic & not so refined & the elephant and other beings primarily filled with tamas, dogs & chandalas (dog-eaters) with equanimity.
Many commentators misconstrue ‘samadrṣti’ to say ‘everyone is the same’. It is not so. In the world, each person has his own place. However, from the supreme perspective, the pundits perceive the changeless Paramatma in all.
Paramatma remains untouched by the 3 attributes or by the samskaras born from them. The Pandits see Him as existing in all just as a rope holds all beads together in a chain.
Those who misunderstand this verse, question- ‘from your explanation it appears that the supreme, mediocre, and wretched are the same. If so, how can life go on? Has anyone experientially realized this state? Is this state attainable? How can we see everyone as equal?’
In the next verse, Bhagavan offers a reply & also highlights the greatness of those who have samadrṣti.
ihaiva tairjitassargaḥ yeṣāṁsāmye sthitaṁmanaḥnirdoṣaṁhi samaṁbrahma tasmādbrahmaṇi te sthitāḥǁ19ǁ
He whose mind is fixed in samadrṣti conquers samsara while in this body. As Paramatma is flawless & exists evenly everywhere, he is firmly fixed on Him.
Samadarṣis conquer the cycle of births in this body i.e., they reach the birthless state. With feelings of equanimity, they fix their minds solely on Paramatma who remains evenly in all.
Parabrahma appears to be impure in Chandalas (dog-eaters) due to their impurities, yet those impurities cannot taint Him. Hence Bhagavān declares Him as nirdosha (flawless, unblemished).
Parabrahma does not vary due to differences in attributes because He is devoid of attributes. In the 13th chapter Bhagavan will teach that desires etc. are the attributes of the Kshetra (body) and not of the Kshetrajna (Supreme Self).
In the Self, there are no characteristics that cause diversity. Parabrahma exists evenly in all bodies. Hence, samadarṣis fix their focus solely on Him. Due to this, even the slightest impurity cannot taint them. They do not identify themselves as the combination of body and other elements.
‘They are great’, ‘these are lowly’, ‘they are good’, ‘these are bad’- such differences exist only in the ignorant who consider the body to be the Self. Such differences do not exist for the knowers of the Truth.
When honouring others, & during pujas, giving/receiving charities, we see differences ‘He is a pandit’, ‘he is not a pandit’, ‘he is great’, ‘he is ordinary’. Parabrahma is unconnected with any virtue or fault. Brahma-jnanis remain fixed on that Self. Differences such as ordinary and special apply only to actions but not to Jnana.
From the 3rd verse (sarvakarmāni) till the end of the chapter Bhagavan teaches only about Sanyasa. Hence, understand that this subject relates to Jnana & not to worldly dealings.
What is achieved by knowing that Paramatma is flawless and exists evenly everywhere?
na prahṛṣyetpriyaṁ prāpya nodvijetprāpya cāpriyamsthirabuddhirasammūḍhaḥ brahmavidbrahmaṇisthitaḥ ǁ20ǁ
The Brahmajnani who has a steady intellect, is not deluded, & fixed in the Self does not rejoice on obtaining the pleasant or grieve on obtaining the unpleasant.
Nirdoṣamhi samambrahma – Parabrahma is flawless & evenly existent. He who experientially realizes this is a Brahmajnani.
With the clarity that Paramatma is evenly existent everywhere, he keeps his mind and intellect stable. Due to the stability in Jnana, he is freed from delusion. He rests firmly in the Supreme. He does not rejoice on obtaining the pleasant nor grieve on obtaining the unpleasant.
To know that the Supreme is flawless and is evenly existent it is imperative to treat joy and sorrow as equal.
Only he who considers the body as the Self has like, dislike, joy, & sorrow. This is because he perceives diversity. Like, dislike, joy & sorrow do not exist for one who perceives only the Self.
‘Only the Self exists in all entities’- he understands & remains fixed in Jnana. In other words, he has renounced all actions.
The Lord explains how such a person lives.
bāhya-sparśeṣvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yatsukhamsa brahma-yoga-yuktātmā sukhamakṣayamaśnuteǁ21ǁ
He whose mind is not inclined towards sound and other external objects, obtains the bliss of the inner Self. He is fixed in the samadhi called ‘brahmanishtha’ & enjoys indestructible bliss. |