भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् |
सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति || 29||
bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśhvaram
suhṛidaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śhāntim ṛichchhati
bhoktāram—the enjoyer; yajña—sacrifices; tapasām—austerities; sarva-loka—of all worlds; mahā-īśhvaram—the Supreme Lord; su-hṛidam—the selfless friend; sarva—of all; bhūtānām—the living beings; jñātvā—having realized; mām—Me (Lord Krishna); śhāntim—peace; ṛichchhati—attains
Translation:
Knowing Me as the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities, the Lord and controller of all the words, friend of all beings, man attains peace.
Commentary:
It is stated here that he who knows the Lord (Atma) attains peace. Three attributes of the Lord are mentioned here.
God is described as the enjoyer of the fruits of all sacrifices and austerities performed by men. God is all-pervading and so He is the inner power of all beings. Consequently, he is the enjoyer of the fruits of all the meritorious work done by man.
God is the supreme Lord of all the worlds. There is no power higher or equal to Him.
Friend of all beings: Though He is the Lord and Controller of all the worlds, He is the greatest friend of all beings. A friend is one who does good to another without expecting any return. What does God require of man? Nothing. And yet He is full of love for man and acts like the greatest friend and benefactor. The very fact that He directly teaches the wisdom of the Gita to man-kind is the proof of His compassion for suffering humanity. If one enquires into the nature of man and the universe around him, he would understand the infinite compassion of the Lord and his ceaseless endeavour to do the highest good to all beings.
The seeker who understands God in this way attains peace. Everyone is seeking peace. Here is the easy path of devotion to the Lord, which leads to peace and freedom. One should try to understand the attributes of God to know Him intimately. This confirms and strengthens his devotion. When the Lord says that He is a friend (suhrit) of all beings, it would be sufficient to think of him as the nearest and dearest companion, on whom one can depend for help and guidance in his sadhana.
Man has degraded himself by his lack of faith in the Lord. This is the main cause of unrest in the world. Men run hither and thither begging for small rewards from people holding small material authority. The Lord who is the King of Kings, who is the repository of all power and blessedness, by whose power the Sun shines and the winds blow, is forgotten by ignorant man. Saints and sages have proclaimed in one voice the immediate presence of God everywhere, and yet their words do not carry any weight with him. People have made themselves so low and weak that they put their faith in common mortals who are subject to all personal weaknesses. Let people understand that the Lord is the supreme friend of all. By devotion to Him, man attains peace.
One should note here that the whole Discourse is based on the principles of self-control, enquiry into the Self. Knowledge of Atma is emphasised over and over, and yet in this closing Verse, the Lord strikes the note of devotion (bhakti) and intimacy with God as a friend as the way to peace. By the grace of God alone, it is possible for man to cross the mire of delusion, and establish his oneness with the Supreme Reality (Brahman).
Question: What is the way to peace?
Answer: Understanding and worship of the Lord and meditation on Him is the way to peace.
Question: What attributes of the Lord are mentioned here?
Answer: He is the enjoyer of all sacrifices and austerities; He is the Lord of all the worlds; He is the friend of all beings.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 5 🔻 (29 Verses)
