June 27, 2025
CHAPTER IX
THE YOGA OF THE KINGLY SCIENCE & THE KINGLY SECRET
śrībhagavān uvāca
idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ pravakṣyāṁy anasūyave
jñānaṁ vijñānasahitaṁ yaj jñātvā mokṣyase ’śubhāt (IX-1)
\rājavidyā rājaguhyaṁ pavitram idam uttamaṁ
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharṁyaṁ susukhaṁ kartum avyayaṁ (IX-2)
IX/1. The blessed Lord said: I shall now declare to thee who does
not wrangle, the greatest secret, the knowledge combined with
direct self-realization. Having known this, thou shalt be free from
evil.
IX/2. This is the kingly science, the kingly secret, the supreme
purifier, realizable by direct intuitional knowledge, according to
righteousness, very easy to perform and imperishable.
Swamiji's Commentary
In the last chapter Krishna quietly slipped in an idea which, on the surface, looks impossible: “Think of God constantly and at the same time never neglect your duty here.” How does a single person split himself into two, for how else can one fulfill this commandment? In this chapter, Krishna answers this vital question. Hence all the flourish at the very outset.
‘Rājavidyā’ literally means ‘the king of all knowledge’. This highest knowledge is available only to one who is king of his mind and senses, since these are the outlets through which true intuitive knowledge is lost.
Krishna is no vain egoist. The precarious middle path is imperceptibly subtle, so we are not usually sure where humility ends and timidity begins. A simple rule might help: personal effrontery must be humbly borne, but the glory of the divine wisdom must not be under-rated or allowed to be trampled upon. Krishna demonstrated true and divine humility by becoming Arjuna’s charioteer, but he is emphatic that the yoga he now teaches is a kingly science. It is a kingly science, no doubt, yet the fanfare is also used in order to enable us to listen more attentively – this is no ordinary science!
The word ‘secret’ is used, perhaps, so that we will be tempted to spread the message! Maybe, Krishna also meant, when he declared the teaching to be a secret, that although the interpretation of the words may be clear, the message is secret and requires investigation. It is a profound secret on the non-verbal level, and must be understood not with the head, but with the heart. When that happens, it becomes a living truth and instantly you are purified.