श्रीभगवानुवाच |
मय्यासक्तमना: पार्थ योगं युञ्जन्मदाश्रय: |
असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु || 1||
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
mayyāsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśhrayaḥ
asanśhayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tach chhṛiṇu
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Lord said; mayi—to me; āsakta-manāḥ—with the mind attached; pārtha—Arjun, the son of Pritha; yogam—bhakti yog; yuñjan—practicing; mad-āśhrayaḥ—surrendering to me; asanśhayam—free from doubt; samagram—completely; mām—me; yathā—how; jñāsyasi—you shall know; tat—that; śhṛiṇu—listen
Translation:
The Lord said: Hear, Ο Pārtha, how, with your mind attached to Me, and taking refuge in Me, and practising yoga, you will without any doubt know Me in full.
Commentary:
Few people are eager to know the Lord, and among those who are eager to know, only a few are able to know Him in essence. Indeed, very rare are those who could know him fully and without any doubt. Three conditions are prescribed.
- He should be attached to the Lord.
- He should consider the Lord as His sole refuge.
- He should practise yoga.
The mind is like a powerful search-light. When it is turned aside, the objective world is seen; When it is turned inwards, the Self is seen. The mind thinks only of that to which it is attached. As the ignorant man is attached to the material world, his mind rambles continuously sense objects and is satisfied with sense-pleasures. Such a man cannot know the Lord- Paramatma. The wise man, turning away from the objective world, thinks of the Reality understands the Truth, and enjoys peace and bliss. Therefore the Lord speaks of the yogi as one who is attached to the Lord and for whom the Lord is the sole refuge.
The yoga of Devotion and Dhyana are both aids to know the Lord and become one with Him.
Moreover, in this verse, the doubt is cleared on how the Lord is to be known. He could be known by devotion to Him, by seeking refuge in Him, and by meditation on Him.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
Men shed streams of tears because sons are not born to them, others wear away their hearts in sorrow because they cannot get riches. But alas ! How many are there who sorrow and weep for not having seen God ? very few indeed ! Verily, he who seeks Him, who weeps for Him, attains Him.
A Disciple asked his teacher, “Sir, please tell me how I can see God.” “Come with me,” said the Guru, “and I shall show you.” He took the disciple to a lake, and both of them got into the water. Suddenly the teacher pressed the disciple’s head under the water. After a few moments he released him and the disciple raised his head and stood up. The Guru asked him, “How did you feel?” The disciple said, “Oh! I thought I should die; I was panting for breath.” The teacher said, “When you feel like that for God, then you will know you haven’t long to wait for His vision.”
Two words in this verse are significant—asaṃśayam and samagram. asaṃśayam means free of doubt. We can be perfectly doubtless only about one thing, and that is our own existence. When the knowledge is about the Self, no doubt is possible. It is One, non-dual and pure Consciousness. When one listens to the teaching from a perfect, authentic Master and absorbs it, the knowledge that is assimilated within will be such that no tinge of doubt will remain in him. And the knowledge will be samagram—complete, perfect. Completion or perfection is only in Consciousness, in the Chit, in the Self. Hence, only Self-knowledge can give us perfection. Any knowledge related to the world can never be perfect because it is ever-expanding in time, space and causation. It will never reach an end. Just as knowledge about objects and persons seen in a dream is illusory and can never be perfect, similarly, any knowledge about the world has no absolute reality.
It is fascinating to note that in the first verse of this chapter, Bhagavan has used the word samagram, which means complete, perfect. Towards the end, in verse 29, Bhagavan uses the word kṛtsnam, full. Both mean the same. There Bhagavan says that such a person realises Brahman, adhyātma and karma. This means that the secret behind everything—God, the mind and the world—is revealed to him.
(Source:- Srimad Bhagavad Gita: Elixir of Eternal Wisdom by Sri Ramanacharanatirtha)
Related Articles:
- With their intellect absorbed in That, their Self being That, established in that, they go from whence there is no return and their sins are dispelled by knowledge. (BG 5.17)
- Having abandoned all duties (Dharmas) take refuge in Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins. Do not grieve. (BG 18.66)
Question: What is the way to know the Lord?
Answer: Devotion, meditation, single-minded aspiration are the means of knowing the Lord.
Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 7 🔻 (30 Verses)
