नाहं वेदैर्न तपसा न दानेन न चेज्यया |
शक्य एवंविधो द्रष्टुं दृष्टवानसि मां यथा || 53||
nāhaṁ vedair na tapasā na dānena na chejyayā
śhakya evaṁ-vidho draṣhṭuṁ dṛiṣhṭavān asi māṁ yathā
na—never; aham—I; vedaiḥ—by study of the Vedas; na—never; tapasā—by serious penances; na—never; dānena—by charity; na—never; cha—also; ijyayā—by worship; śhakyaḥ—it is possible; evam-vidhaḥ—like this; draṣhṭum—to see; dṛiṣhṭavān—seeing; asi—you are; mām—me; yathā—as
Translation:
Neither by the Vedas, nor by penances, nor by alms-giving, nor yet by sacrifice, am I to be seen in the form in which you have now beheld Me.
Commentary:
The same idea as in the 48th verse is emphasised here. Good in themselves, these practices like Vedic study, charity, etc., do not yield the highest reward of God-realisation without devotion (Bhakti).
Latu’s (Swami Adbhutananda) lack of formal education made him unique among Sri Ramakrishna’s direct disciples. Perhaps because his mind was uncluttered by intellectualism and not trained to doubt, he absorbed the instructions of his guru with unquestioning simplicity. Once the Master told him in an ecstatic mood, “One day the gems of the Vedas and Vedanta will pour forth from your lips.” Thus Latu was commissioned and blessed by his teacher. This prophecy later came to be fulfilled to the letter. It would seem as though Sri Ramakrishna intended to demonstrate to the modern world through Latu that God can be realized without the study of books and scriptures, that spiritual wisdom comes not through intellectualism but through inner realization. (Source: God Lived With Them)
Swami Turiyananda: “It is no use reading the scriptures unless you practise what they say. The Books have been there from time immemorial! During our wanderings in the Kangra valley, Mahârâj (Swami Brahmananda), and myself-I was then about twenty-six years old-met a monk aged about forty two, very sincere and unsophisticat-ed. He said, ‘I have been studying Vedanta for the last sixteen years. But even now the sight of a woman relaxes my self-control, just as the thought of tamarind makes the mouth water!’ He was quite right. What is there in a Book?
“Vedanta as prevalent in some parts of the country is of a loose sort. ‘I am Brahman’, they say, and go on doing all sorts of things as if these did not affect them. Discrimination, according to them, is not a sign of knowledge. Even the womankind hold this view. And sometimes vile things are done in the name of Vedanta.
“You know the story of a monk who came to live in the Panchavati at Dakshineswar. Gossip went round about his character, and it reached at last the ears of the Master. And when he remonstrated with him, the monk said, ‘If the world is unreal, are my slips of character alone real?’ Shri Ramakrishna replied, ‘I spit upon such knowledge as thine!’ Falsehood should never be allowed to flourish.
“The common man takes to those activities which tend to perpetuate the bond of attachment. And this is true of the whole world. The only exceptions are the monks, who have found out the evanescence of the world and renounced it. Knowledge dawns when discrimination is perfect.” (Source: Spiritual Talks by the First Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna)
Related Articles:
- This Atman is not attained through scriptural teaching and studies, not by a powerful intellect which can delve deep into the meaning of the Scriptures, and not even by listening to many teachers. Whomsoever this Atman chooses, to him the Atman reveals Himself. — Katha Upanishad 1.2.23
- Neither by the study of the Vedas and sacrifices, nor by gifts, nor by rituals, nor by severe penances, is this form of Mine to be seen in the world of men by anyone but you, Ο chief of the Kurus. (BG 11.48)
- This Atman cannot be attained through study of the Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman-by him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true nature. (Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.3)
- Not ‘There’ but ‘Here’ – Story told by Sri Ramakrishna
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 11 🔻 (55 Verses)
| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 |
