यो मामजमनादिं च वेत्ति लोकमहेश्वरम् |
असम्मूढ: स मर्त्येषु सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते || 3||
yo māmajam anādiṁ cha vetti loka-maheśhvaram
asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣhu sarva-pāpaiḥ pramuchyate
yaḥ—who; mām—me; ajam—unborn; anādim—beginningless; cha—and; vetti—know; loka—of the universe; mahā-īśhvaram—the Supreme Lord; asammūḍhaḥ—undeluded; saḥ—they; martyeṣhu—among mortals; sarva-pāpaiḥ—from all evils; pramuchyate—are free from
Translation:
Who knows Me as the birthless, without a beginning, the Lord of all the worlds, he among mortals is undeluded and freed from all sins.
Commentary:
Among living beings of the world, man is the highest incarnation and among mortals, he who knows the Lord as unborn and beginningless is the greatest. Paramatma is unborn (ajah) and He has no beginning (anadi). All other beings have a beginning and end. They are born in time and die in time. Knowledge of Paramatma alone confers immortality on man. He becomes free from delusion. This indeed is the highest reward which man can get by his devotion to the Lord. All other worldly benefits are impermanent and illusory. They lead to sorrow and death. So it is the primary duty of all seekers to hold on to the Lord and transcend delusion with His grace. When delusion is gone, man is at once freed from all sin. When man becomes sinless he becomes one with Paramatma. Though a man is burdened with all the sins in the world, yet, like fire burning up a vast forest, God’s grace destroys the entire sin. So, devotion to the Lord is what is most essential. And his devotion is cultivated, strengthened, and developed by understanding the infinite Glory of the Lord. As man thinks constantly of the inscrutable power of the Lord, his adoration increases, and his worship becomes truer, deeper, and broader.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
A DEVOTEE: “Sir, is there no help, then, for such a worldly person?”
MASTER: “Certainly there is. From time to time he should live in the company of holy men, and from time to time go into solitude to meditate on God. Furthermore, he should practise discrimination and pray to God, ‘Give me faith and devotion.’ Once a person has faith he has achieved everything. There is nothing greater than faith.
(To Kedar) “You must have heard about the tremendous power of faith. It is said in the Purana that Rama, who was God Himself — the embodiment of Absolute Brahman — had to build a bridge to cross the sea to Ceylon. But Hanuman, trusting in Rama’s name, cleared the sea in one jump and reached the other side. He had no need of a bridge. (All laugh.) “Once a man was about to cross the sea. Bibhishana wrote Rama’s name on a leaf, tied it in a corner of the man’s wearing-cloth, and said to him: ‘Don’t be afraid. Have faith and walk on the water. But look here — the moment you lose faith you will be drowned.’ The man was walking easily on the water. Suddenly he had an intense desire to see what was tied in his cloth. He opened it and found only a leaf with the name of Rama written on it. ‘What is this?’ he thought. ‘Just the name of Rama!’ As soon as doubt entered his mind he sank under the water.
“If a man has faith in God, then even if he has committed the most heinous sins — such as killing a cow, a brahmin, or a woman — he will certainly be saved through his faith. Let him only say to God, ‘O Lord,! will not repeat such an action’, and he need not be afraid of anything.” (BG 10.3, BG 4.36, BG 9.32, BG 18.66)
When he had said this, the Master sang:
If only I can pass away repeating Durga’s name,
How canst Thou then, O Blessed One,
Withhold from me deliverance,
Wretched though I may be?
I may have stolen a drink of wine, or killed a child unborn,
Or slain a woman or a cow,
Or even caused a brahmin’s death;
But, though it all be true,
Nothing of this can make me feel the least uneasiness;
For through the power of Thy sweet name
My wretched soul may still aspire
Even to Brahmanhood. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Related Articles:
- Those who understand the divine nature of My birth and activities, O Arjun, upon leaving the body, do not have to take birth again, but come to My eternal abode. (BG 4.9)
- Among thousands of men, one strives for perfection and even among those who strive and succeed, one knows Me in essence. (BG 7.3)
- At the end of many births the man of wisdom seeks refuge in Me, realizing that Vāsudeva is all. Rare indeed is such a high-souled person. (BG 7.19)
Question: Who is the best of men?
Answer: He who knows the Lord to be unborn, without a beginning, the ruler of the world, is the best of men.
Question: What is the effect?
Answer: He is freed from all delusion and sin.
Question: How then to become the best of men?
Answer: To Know the nature of the Lord in essence.
Question: What is the way to be free from sin?
Answer: To know the Lord as unborn and eternal is the way (By this devotion is cultivated, by devotion Dhyana and by Dhyana the actual perception of God, and by that vision purity from all sin, and from that liberation is attained).
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 10 
(42 Verses)
