मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्त: सङ्गवर्जित: |
निर्वैर: सर्वभूतेषु य: स मामेति पाण्डव || 55||
mat-karma-kṛin mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ
nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣhu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava
mat-karma-kṛit—perform duties for my sake; mat-paramaḥ—considering me the Supreme; mat-bhaktaḥ—devoted to me; saṅga-varjitaḥ—free from attachment; nirvairaḥ—without malice; sarva-bhūteṣhu—toward all entities; yaḥ—who; saḥ—he; mām—to me; eti—comes; pāṇḍava—Arjun, the son of Pandu
Translation:
He who does My work and looks on Me as the Supreme Goal, who is devoted to Me, who is without attachment and without hatred for any creature— he comes to Me, Ο Pāndava.
Commentary:
It is clearly described how and by whom the Lord could be realised. Five essential qualities are mentioned here. Any being who could cultivate these qualities will attain the Lord without distinction of caste, creed, race or nationality. A potent medicine works on all who takes it. Anyone can light fire if oil, wick and match are secured. So is the Lord realisable by all who cultivate divine virtues.
1) Matkarmakrit: This may refer to Puja, Japa, and Dhyana which are prescribed’ by the Sastras as methods of worshipping the Lord. Or, it may be taken to include all work (not evil work) which man offers to the Lord in a spirit of self-surrender. Such a man gradually develops purity of mind, acquires God’s grace, and attains Moksha. In the course of one’s daily life, he performs many actions, and all those should be surrendered to the Lord. Work then becomes worship. They are so transformed that they lead to liberation. Hence ‘matkarmakrit’ is mentioned as the first quality of the aspirant.
2) Matparamah: The seeker should first realise that God is his sole refuge. Many people spend day and night in the pursuit of worldly objects. They are material things, perishable stuff; they cannot lead one to freedom and perfection. ‘Paramatma’ alone is real. Knowing this, the seeker considers the Lord as his refuge. He attains God.
3) Madbhaktah: The man devoted to the Lord attains Him quickly. Of what avail is it to cling to mundane things which bind man and throw him into the jaws of death? Love for God is the real thing. God is the saviour. He is the Liberator. He is alone worthy of devotion and none else.
4) Sangavarjitah: ‘Sanga’ means attachment for the body and the objective world. Detachment should be practised. With the sword of non-attachment the mighty tree of ‘samsara’ should be cut (asanga sastrena dhridena chittva-15th Discourse). Like the water-drop on the lotus-leaf, though engaged in a hundred worldly activities, man should be detached by the very power of discrimination (Vichara). By such detachment he attains ‘Moksha’.
5) Nirvairah sarvabhuteshu: The fifth quality is love for all beings, and freedom from enmity and hatred. It is not love for this or that being but love for all,-universal love. All beings are different forms of God (Narayanaswarupas). Harm done to any being is harm done to God. This truth is mentioned many times in the Gita (Adveshta sarvabhutanam etc.). Of what avail is it to read the Scripture and conduct worship of God when there is hatred and jealousy in the heart. That is not practical Vedanta. He who takes medicine should observe the rules of diet. The above-mentioned four qualities are like medicine, and this universal love, the fifth, is like diet. One’s spiritual practice should be permeated with Universal love.
This verse is of very great importance in the Gita. Sri Sankaracharya declares it to be the highest truth in the Gita, the very essence of the Gita. It contains in a nut-shell all the different yogas; that which gives life to all these yogas is universal love.
| 1. Matkarmakrit | Karma Yoga | Medicine |
| 2. Matparamah | Dhyana Yoga | Medicine |
| 3. Madbhaktah | Bhakti Yoga | Medicine |
| 4. Sangavarjitah | Jnana Yoga | Medicine |
| 5. Nirvairassarvabhutesh | Compassion for all beings | Diet |
Therefore the seekers should contemplate this verse again and again, and acquire all the virtues needed for self-realisation even in this birth.
Question: Who can attain God?
Answer: He who does God’s work, who takes sole refuge in Him, who is devoted to Him, who is free from desire and attachment, and who has love for all beings, attains God.
Question: What then is the path to God-realisation?
Answer:
- Doing work for God by surrendering all (good) actions to Him,
- taking refuge in Him,
- having utmost devotion to God,
- practising non-attachment,
- possessing love for all beings without any trace of ill-feeling towards any creature.
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 |
