BHAGAVAD GITACommentary by

Sant Jnaneswar

PROF. T. K. G. NAMBOODHIRIThiruvalla, Kerala, India

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

JNANESWARI• Jnaneswari is the commentary on Bhagavad Gita

written by Saint Jnaneswar, who lived in Maharashtra in the 13th Century AD.

• This very popular & simple commentary was written in Marathi by Saint Jnaneswar when he was only 15 years of age.

• The complete English translation of this commentary is available at http://www.bvbpune.org/contents1.htmlT K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

JNANESWARI• The Marathi commentary Jnaneswari has been translated into

most Indian languages, English & other several European languages.

• The Malayalam translation of Jnaneswari was prepared by Shri M. P. Chandrasekharan Pillai (1924-1999),of Thiruvalla, Kerala. After a devotional labour of 4 years, referring several English & other translations, Shri. Pillai completed his Malayalam Jnaneswari in 1990. During this period, he was an inmate of Anandasram, Kanjangad, Kerala, who published the commentary.

• This presentation is based entirely on this Malayalam version of Jnaneswari

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

CHAPTER 8AKSHARA BRAHMA YOGAYOGA OF IMPERISHABLE

BRAHMAN

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.1 & 8.2This chapter starts with a question from Arjuna regarding the meanings of several new terms Lord Krishna used in the last Verse of Chapter 7. He asks: What is that Supreme Brahman you mentioned? What is Karma? What is Adhyatma? What is the meaning of Adhibhuta? What is Adhidaiva? And what is Adhiyajna in this body? I do not understand these terms used by you? Kindly explain them to me. How at the time of death are you to be known by the self-controlled?

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.3The Lord replies: The imperishable Universal Soul is Brahman. The same entity existing in living beings is called Adhyatma. The creative force that causes beings to spring forth & grow is called Karma (work). The Brahman pervades everything in this world, but it is never seen as it is very subtle. It cannot be thought of or known. It is self existing & imperishable. Karma is something deeper, subtler, & diviner than mere work. It is the creative urge that is behind every active intellect, which creates things & beings. It is the subtle spiritual strength.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.4The Lord continues: All beings that perish are called Adhibhuta. Like the cloud we see in the sky, which vanishes after sometime, all living beings are born, grow & then die. They are formed out of the 5 elements, & exist based on these elements. Such beings without a real existence are called Adhibhuta.The entity which operates & controls all the senses, organs of work, mind & intellect, which give information to the body & receives & analyses them, is Adhidaiva. It is the seeing power of the eye, hearing power of the ears, smelling power of the nose etc. This is nothing but a reflection of the Self, but under the influence of the ego, it enjoys & suffers the world.Adhiyajna in all bodies is the Self itself which is the vital factor behind all perceptions. Here Yajna is taken as all acts of bodily perception, where sense-objects are offered to the deities controlling the senses, resulting in sense-perception. The Self existing in the body grants all these perceptions as fruits of the Yajnas carried out.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.5At the time of death, one who leaves his body thinking of Me, certainly merges in Me. Those who understand that I am the In- dweller who controls all the functions of the body, realize that their bodies are nothing but outer clothing. Just as the atmosphere inside a house is the same as the one outside, the Self inside the body is identical to the Supreme Soul everywhere. So they do not worry about the body when they are living. How will they suffer when they discard this body at death? They live as the Self & are always in contact with It. So after leaving the body they merge with the Supreme Self . T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.6O Son of Kunti, a person who contemplates on something, he generally remembers the same at the time of his death. Whatever form or object a person is thinking when leaving his body, he takes that very same form in his re-birth. It is not possible to stop this process of transmigration of the soul. Whatever one person deeply desires in waking hours, he dreams of the same in his sleep. Similarly, what one was nurturing in his life, it will come to his mind at the time of death. Thus he leaves the body thinking of those very things he desired in life. In order to fulfil his desires, he is made to take the very same form in the next life.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.7Hence, Arjuna you always think of Me, & fight your war. You, who surrender your mind & intellect to Me, will surely attain Me. In reality, all that your eyes see, all sounds your ears hear, all thoughts coming into your mind, all that you speak with your tongue, is nothing but Me. I dwell in all things at all times. Once you realize this fact, you can come to Me. Once this realization happens, you will not fear death when leaving your body. Then why fear death in the war? Once you surrender to Me completely, I promise you that you will reach Me after death. T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.8Arjuna, when one, with a mind which has realized the Self through practice, keeping himself steady & undisturbed by worldly things, meditates upon the Supreme Soul, he reaches the Supreme. With practice of Yoga, you can make your mind pure & strong. Concentrate your mind on the Supreme Being, then the existence or perishing of your body becomes immaterial. A mighty river having once merged with the sea, never flows back. Similarly, when the mind merges with the Brahman, birth & death vanish. That is the state of Supreme Bliss. T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.9In this Verse, the Lord describes the Supreme Being: The Sages declare Him to be smaller than the atom, but holds everything in this Universe together. He cannot be contemplated upon, but He is all-knowing, everlasting, without a form, shining like the Sun, & beyond all ignorance.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.10At the time of death (complete elimination of ego), one who meditates on the Supreme with a concentrated & steady mind, & with devotion, & by the power of Yoga fixing all his vital breaths steady in between the eye brows, attains that Supreme Resplendent Being.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.11The Lord describes the ultimate & sublime state, the abode of Brahman, which is indestructible & is the Supreme Goal of all saints & wise men. The learned who have attained the ultimate knowledge call it Imperishable. While a storm cannot do anything to the sky, it tears asunder clouds in the sky. Similarly, all that can be realized through intelligence, & which can be measured are perishable. The Ultimate Brahman is thus beyond intelligence, beyond nature, & unknown. Ascetics, who have mastered their senses, eliminated their attachments towards sense objects & the world, wait patiently to attain It. Men of steady wisdom, who have dried up all their desires, desire to gain It. This highest Abode of Goodness, hard to understand & reach, is where those who remember Me at the time of their death, reach.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.12 & 8.13These 2 Verses graphically describe the activities, at the time of death, in order to reach the Ultimate Brahman. One who sitting in meditation, withdraws all his senses, controls & positions his vital breaths in between the eyebrows, repeats the monosyllable OM, fixes his mind on Me, when leaving his body, attains the Brahman. Close all the doors of your sense-organs & lock them with locks of sense-control & self-control. Controlling your breath meditate on OM, & raise your breath slowly upto your head. Through yoga-power, hold your breath between your eye-brows. Let both your mind & intelligence merge with OM, & your thoughts end. Avoiding all sankalpas, you reach the abode of Pure Awareness. One who contemplates on Me in the form of OM while leaving the body, will surely reach Me.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.14 & 8.15Partha, to the one, who continuously remembers Me, without thinking about anything else, I become easily accessible. Those great ones who merges with Me, are liberated from further births & deaths. Such people who control their senses, discard sensual-pleasures, & establish Me in their hearts, enjoy bliss. I am greatly indebted to My devotees, & am always available to save them from all sufferings. They do not suffer the separation from their bodies, because of their self-knowledge. Without suffering any pain of death, My devotees merge with Me. They discard their bodies & desires, & their ego, & do not require another life to fulfil their desires. All their sufferings end, & they become one with permanent Bliss.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.16 & 8.17Arjuna, all the worlds, including Brahmaloka, are subject to births & deaths. But those who reach Me, suffer no more births. Even the noble creator, Brahma, cannot escape from birth & death, so also all those merging with him. One day of Brahma is said to be equivalent to 1000 x 4 Yugas, each of which are thousands of human years long. His nights are also as long as His days. The life span of Indra, the king of Gods, & heaven, is only few hours of Brahma. In one day, Brahma sees 14 Indras come & go. Those who reach Brahmaloka, enjoy their life there for thousands of years, after which they have to return to earth & take birth there. But those who reach My abode, which is not subjected to births & deaths, is Imperishable, Permanent, & the abode of Bliss, do not have to take births again. Like a dead man not feeling stomach pain ,or one who is awake, not drowning in a flood he dreamed about, My devotees who merged with Me, do not take births again.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.18 & 8.19When the day starts for Brahma, from the Únmanifest, all forms & names start manifesting. As the night falls, all of these go back to the dormant, Únmanifest state. The same groups of beings helplessly get projected repeatedly in the morning, & get dissolved in the evening. Thus the Universe comes into being in the morning of Brahma, live for the daytime, 4000 human yugas, & then dissolves into the Únmanifest. This process repeats everyday.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.20Beyond this Unmanifest universe, there is another unmanifest entity, which cannot be experienced by senses, mind or intellect. It is ancient, & everlasting. This state of Brahman does not disappear even when all the universes disappear into the unmanifest state. In this state there is not even a shadow of all the manifested universes. All else appear & disappear cyclically, & are merely illusions. They are the two forms of Brahman, which is neither manifested nor unmanifested. Brahman cannot be destroyed, It stands beyond the changing universes, & does not perish when the universes perish. When waves in the sea rises & falls, the water in it remains unchanged. When gold ornaments are melted, gold exists. When all the living beings perish, the Brahman remains undiminished

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.21 & 8.22The state beyond the unmanifest, indestructible & unapproachable by the senses, is said to be the ultimate goal. Once you reach there, there is no return. That is My Ultimate Abode. It is beyond the reach of intelligence & deduction. Though It takes forms, It is formless. It is endless & beginning less. It is called the Real Undiminishable. Partha, in whom all beings reside, & who pervades all the universe, that Supreme Purusha can be reached only through unswerving devotion to Him alone. When mind, body, & speech are offered sincerely to the Soul, then the plentiful God is attained to the devotee. When the Soul reaches the Purusha, It merges with the Brahman, & his worldly existence vanishes. When firewood is burned into ashes, it cannot go back to its original form. You cannot convert sugar into sugar-cane. Butter cannot go back to milk. Similarly, once merged with the Ultimate Soul, there is no return to the world. That High Place is My Abode.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.23Arjuna, let Me tell you about the time periods during which if a person dies, he will not be reborn, & also the periods when the dead person will be reborn. It is the time of death which determines the future course of events for a departed soul. If the death of a Yogi occurs at auspicious times, his soul merges with the Brahman, & he becomes immortal. On the other hand if the death occurs at inauspicious times, his soul goes to places where after staying there for a time, it has to return by taking re-birth. What are these auspicious & inauspicious times? How can a yogi make sure that his death occurs at an auspicious time, or he goes beyond these distinctions & attain liberation? I will tell you these things now.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.24Departing through the path of fire, light, daytime, the bright fortnight, & the six months of northern solstice of the Sun, the Yogi who has realized Brahman, attains Brahman, & become Immortal. Death occurring when there is warmth of fire in the body, daytime, during the bright fortnight, in the six months of northern solstice,-the auspicious time- the soul merges with the Supreme Soul, & is liberated from birth & death. This is the path of gods (Devayana), or the path of light. Travelling on Sunrays, the Soul first reaches the Sun, & then go beyond to the world of Brahman, where it merges with the Supreme.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.25The soul departing through the path of smoke, night time, dark fortnight, & the six months of southern solstice, reaches the world of moon, but will have to return to earth, after a time. At the time of death, with decreased breath, the sense organs, mind & intellect become weak, & the vitality & warmth of the body decrease. At this time, the Yogi loses the yogic powers he attained through practise. His soul, leaving at night time, during the dark fortnight, in the six months of southern solstice, travels through the path through the moon (Pitryana), to the world of the ancestors, heaven, where it enjoys the heavenly comforts for a long time. But after exhausting, the merits it had gained through the good Karma, performed by the Yogi in the world, it is reborn into the world again.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verses 8.26 & 8.27In conclusion, Lord Krishna says that these two, path of light, & path of darkness, are eternal. One who goes through the path of light returns not, but by the other, path of darkness, returns again. One leads to Self-Realization, & the other to rebirth. One who knows about these two paths, will never be attached to worldly objects, or deluded. So Arjuna, at all times be steadfast in Yoga. Your actions in this birth determine the path you will take after death. A self-realized Yogi, detached from worldly objects & sensual pleasures, contemplating on the Self, always, is already existing in the Brahman, even with the body. So he is least worried about these paths, as he is not interested in heavenly enjoyments, or worried about the possibility of not merging with the Supreme, after leaving the body. So , be a Yogi always, irrespective of what work you do, & be conscious of your true Self.

T K G Namboodhiri

BHAGAVAD GITAJNANESWARI

Verse 8.28Concluding this Chapter on the Supreme, Lord Krishna says that the Yogi goes beyond all the merits accrued through the study of Vedas, performance of sacrifices, practice of austerities, or charity, by his knowledge of these two paths, & attains the Supreme, Primeval (Essence). A true Yogi, a sincere meditator, gains all the merits mentioned above, & goes beyond them, through his constant meditation, & reaches the Supreme, & merges with It. T K G Namboodhiri