ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूत: सनातन: |
मन:षष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति || 7||
mamaivānśho jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣhaṣhṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛiti-sthāni karṣhati
mama—My; eva—only; anśhaḥ—fragmental part; jīva-loke—in the material world; jīva-bhūtaḥ—the embodied souls; sanātanaḥ—eternal; manaḥ—with the mind; ṣhaṣhṭhāni—the six; indriyāṇi—senses; prakṛiti-sthāni—bound by material nature; karṣhati—struggling
Translation:
Only a portion of My eternal Self has become the soul (Jiva) in the world of livings; he (the Jiva) draws (to itself) with mind as the sixth sense, the five senses, abiding in Prakriti.
Commentary:
Mamaivamsah: The Jiva (Jivatma) in truth, is not different from Paramatma. The Jiva is directly Paramatma. Both are eternal.But the Jiva (Jivatma) being deluded by Maya, is identifying himself with the vehicle of the body and the senses and consequently suffers all the ills and pains which come to the body. The Jiva is imposing on himself all the limitations of the body and the mind. If the body is weak or sick, the Jiva says “I am sick;” if the mind is sad, the Jiva says ‘I am sad’. Thus to the body. the Jiva who in truth, is Paramatma Himself, has developed a false identification and a fictitious personality, limited by time, space and causation. This is ignorance (avidya or Maya).
All the qualities of limitless ether are to be found in the ether of the pot; But the limiting form of the pot seems to limit the limitless ether. This limitation is not true. It is illusory. Ether is not bound by anything. When the pot is broken, ether remains as it is. There is no change. Thus all the blessed attributes of Paramatma are present in the Jiva (Jivatma). When the Jiva gives up this false identification and remembers his original state, he realises that He is Paramatma, and nothing other than He.
When the Jiva is himself Paramatma, what are these ideas of high and low, good and bad and so on? All men are divine, all men are equal. So knowing, the wise are filled with love for all, and consider all as equal. The Lord’s declaration gives infinite strength to everyman. For, the same individual who formerly was dreaming of himself as big and small, happy and unhappy, living and dying, now is awakened to the tremendous understanding of his own true nature. Now he simply laughs at the foolish little self which he was displaying in the world on his personality. No more is there any fear of death or suffering, for he, is not the body (upadhi).
Karshati: The Jiva in his ignorance draws the senses to himself with the mind. The senses are in Prakriti. The deluded Jiva draws Prakriti to himself and lives a kind of existence confined by the activities of the senses. The body is (jada) inert, and so does not claim Jiva as its own. It is the Jiva who claims the body to be his. He says “this (body) is mine”. So also he says of many things. This house is mine, this wealth is mine, this man is my father or son’ and so on. All this is gross misappropriation of things which do not really belong to him. So the word ‘Karshati’ is used by the Lord.
What the jiva has to do now is to give up the false role which he has been playing on the stage of the world. He should give up calling himself Mr so and so. This Mr so and so refers to the body which the Jiva is not. He should know that this world is not his real Abode. He is Paramatma. That is his real state. With firm and unflinching determination, he should contemplate his true Self, where he would attain the highest bliss and blessedness. This false world and false self bring misery and death.
This verse is the Lord’s assertion about the Divine nature of man. May this idea give courage, strength and peace to all mankind.
Question: What is the nature of the Jiva?
Answer: He is a portion of ‘Paramatma’. He is eternal.
Question: How does he think of himself?
Answer: He thinks of himself as the body and the senses, and lives a physical existence full of pain and suffering.
Question: Why does he think so?
Answer: By the power of ‘Avidya’.
Question: What should the jiva do now?
Answer: He should give up the impure sense-world and remember his identity with ‘Paramatma’ and remain in that state. That is ‘Moksha’.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 15 🔻 (20 Verses)
