वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया मामुपाश्रिता: |
बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भावमागता: || 10||
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśhritāḥ
bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ
vīta—free from; rāga—attachment; bhaya—fear; krodhāḥ—anger; mat-mayā—completely absorbed in me; mām—in me; upāśhritāḥ—taking refuge (of); bahavaḥ—many (persons); jñāna—of knowledge; tapasā—by the fire of knowledge; pūtāḥ—purified; mat-bhāvam—my divine love; āgatāḥ—attained
Translation:
Free from desire, fear, and hatred, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, many purified by the penance of knowledge have attained Me.
Commentary:
In this Discourse, the Lord describes the merits of Jnana in different ways, such as Tapas, Yajna, Agni, Nauka and Khadga. Here Jnana is described as tapas, a penance of wonderful merit because it cleanses all accumulated sins of previous births and all the impurities of inherited instincts, impulses and tendencies. Such men who are purified by this penance are mentioned as purified (Putah). What are the marks of this Jnana tapas? Freedom from desire, fear and hatred, intense devotion and absorption in the Lord, seeking ultimate refuge in Him, – these are the aspects of Jnana tapas. What is its effect? Attaining the Lord, Self-realisation through purity is the reward.
Free from desire, fear and hatred: Attachment to worldly objects, fear and hatred, form the triple-headed monster who should be killed and destroyed. Is it an easy task? How to destroy them? The Lord points the way. He says, ‘think of me, be absolved in me, take refuge in me.’ That is the way to conquer the enemy. As man acquires greater and greater firmness in Jnana, these obstacles are gradually cleared from the mind, and that very moment when the mind is destroyed, the supreme Self is realised. When the mind ceases to exist, Self is realised, and when Self is realised, mind ceases to exist. So one should practice the two aspects of Jnana simultaneously.
Many: The Lord produces direct evidence by showing that many aspirants have attained Him by Jnana tapas, having purified their minds. What has been possible in the past should be possible in the present and the future. The aspirants should therefore follow this spiritual sadhana and attain the goal. The main points of the verse are given below.
- Purity of mind is indispensable for God-realisation.
- To achieve mental purity, Jnana tapas is necessary.
- Jnana tapas implies freedom from desire, fear, and hatred, absorption in the contemplation of the Divine, and taking refuge in the Lord.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 4 🔻 (42 Verses)
