June 11, 2024
yeṣāṁ tv antagataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇyakarmaṇāṁ
te dvandvamohanirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍhavratāḥ (VII-28)
jarāmaraṇamokṣāya mām āśritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam adhyātmaṁ karma cā ’khilaṁ (VII-29)
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñāṁ ca ye viduḥ
prayāṇakāle ’pi māṁ te vidur yuktacetasaḥ (VII-30)
VII/28. But those men of virtuous deeds whose sins have come to an
end, and who are freed from the delusion of the pairs of opposites,
worship me, steadfast in their vows.
VII-29. Those who strive for liberation from old age and death,
taking refuge in me, realise in full that Brahman, the complete
knowledge of the self and all action.
VII/30. Those who know me with the adhibhūta (pertaining to
the elements), adhidaiva (pertaining to the gods) and the
adhiyajña (pertaining to sacrifice), know me even at the time
of departure from this world, steadfast in mind.
Swamiji's Commentary
The vision of God cannot be obtained unless the heart and mind are made completely pure through perfectly ethical and moral conduct, when sinful tendencies have been totally overcome. A man meditating on the form of his guru without forgetting the ideal he stands for, grows in the virtues of the guru. Through worship of the various manifestations of the Lord, much virtue is gained and sinfulness ceases.
There is no effort, even, to abandon sinfulness (such effort would likely become the seed of future sin – arrogance). Sinfulness has to drop away. It is not possible to acquire virtue, to abandon wickedness or to grow in humility. When the right vision is acquired, these happen automatically. Till then, one must strive to grow in virtue and reduce wickedness by all means. Virtue and God-realisation are simultaneous, without the relationship of cause and effect.
God is the very essence and soul of this material universe. He is the basis of whatever concepts of God each one of us may have (however diverse these may be), and the spirit whose supreme sacrifice constitutes creation. Such a homogeneous and comprehensive truth can only be grasped when the mind is steady and the heart absolutely pure. In that transparent heart the light of God is truly reflected. May we all enjoy that vision in this very birth.
Thus in the upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad Gita,
the science of the eternal, the scripture of yoga,
the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna,
ends the seventh discourse entitled:
THE YOGA OF WISDOM AND REALIZATION