Commentary on the Bhagavadgita

by Swami Krishnananda

We have been studying the Tenth Chapter, which is a preliminary to the exposition of God’s greatness and glory that is to come later: “Everything comes from Me. Even the gods and the rishis are emanations subsequent to My existence.”

God’s existence is a difficult thing to conceive. We say that God is all-pervading. This idea of the all-pervadingness of God arises due to the space which we see before our eyes. Pervading all things means existing as a vast expanse, like space; but this comparison is inept for God Himself because God is prior to the manifestation of space. He is omnipresent – omnipresent because of our idea that there is an extended spatial universe. If there is no space and no expanse of the three-dimensional world, the idea of omnipresence will not arise in our mind. We say He is omniscient – knows all things; but where were the ‘things’ before creation took place? So the idea that He is all-knowing is also not a good definition of God. We say He is all-powerful, omnipotent; but on whom does He exercise His power if there is nothing external to Him?

Where was God sitting before He created the world? Because of the world, because of this created universe, we say He is everywhere, knows all things, and is all-powerful. Do we describe Him in terms of what He has created? What was He before He created? Where was He seated? Such difficulties are beyond human comprehension. The statement “Everything comes from Me – even the universe, the gods, and the rishis” leaves us in a state of mental perplexity as to how God could be the creator and yet remain transcendent. And, in His transcendent state, where does He exist? This question is very intriguing because the term ‘where’ implies space, location, distance, and a situation. You would realise and appreciate that, because of this difficulty, God cannot be defined. It is Pure Existence – astityeva upalabdhavyah.

Maharshayah sapta purve catvaro manavas tatha, madbhava manasa jata yesam loka imah prajah (10.6): The prominently great rishis are supposed to be seven in number. They are Marichi, Atri, Angirasa, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu, and Vasishtha. Though there are many rishis, these are the most prominent, highly exalted spirits. The chatvarah – Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara – are the four original emanations of Brahma, the creator. There are fourteen Manus, who are the rulers of the fourteen worlds. All are God’s emanations. Madbhava manasa jata: “My will – merely My thought, My determination – projected these great rishis.”

Brahma, the first born in the cosmos, thought that he should manifest the variety of this creation, so in the beginning he thought of the four Kumaras – Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana and Sanatkumara. They looked like little babies, small children. Brahma told them, “Help me with creation.” They were inwardly established in the eternal Almighty. They said, “We are not going to help you in creation. We are established in our own Self.” The first sons of Brahma were disobedient, and he was very angry with them. Brahma’s anger rose to the midpoint between his eyebrows, but he could not pour that anger on them because they were established in the Almighty Supreme Being. As he could not pour this anger on the Kumaras, what would he do with that fury that rose up? That fury came out as Rudra, who is also known as Siva, and Brahma said, “Please create.” Rudra created demons, goblins and all kinds of ganas, which were not what Brahma intended. Brahma told him, “Please stop your creation. I have had enough of it. Go and meditate somewhere. From now on, you should only meditate, and not create. Go from here.” These are some of the stories in the Bhagavata Purana. All these emanate from the Supreme Being, in the sequence mentioned.

Etam vibhutim yogam cha mama yo vetti tattvatah, so’vikampena yogena yujyate natra samsayah (10.7): “My glory is that I am beyond the world of space, time and objects. I am transcendent in My essential nature, and yet I pervade all things. Aham adir hi devanam maharshinam cha sarvasah (10.2): The gods and the rishis, who are the greatest of beings, are emanations from Me; therefore, they cannot know Me. Even such great spiritual stalwarts cannot have an access to My real secret, because I am prior to them. How can the effect know the cause? Hence, nothing in creation – in all the fourteen realms – can know what God ultimately is. “One who knows this secret of Mine – this great yoga through which I manifest Myself and yet seem to be not manifesting anything at all, and remain transcendent and immanent in all things at the same time – such a person is established in unshakeable yoga. Avikampena yogena yujyate: not a shakable, transitory, ‘coming and going’ yoga, but a permanently established unity with Me, which is the highest yoga. That is called unshakeable communion – avikampa yoga. Such is the blessing of that supreme seeker who resorts to Me in My essential nature – tattvatah jnatva.”

Aham sarvasya prabhavo (10.8): Again He repeats, “All things come from Me.” Mattah sarvam pravartate: “Everything is an effect manifested from the ultimate cause, Myself.” Iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah: “All difficulties vanish in one moment in the case of those great devotees who realise that even the worst of things have a location in My existence.” It was already mentioned that even the worst of sinners have a place in God. “Whoever is established in this conviction that all things emanate from Me – the whole world of goodness and badness, beauty and ugliness, permanence and impermanence all arise from Me and, therefore, I am the cause of all things – knowing this, they never get disturbed or perturbed in their minds. They resort to Me day in and day out, undisturbed by the events taking place in the world.”

Mac-chitta mad-gata-pranah bodhayantah parasparam, kathayantas cha mam nityam tushyanti cha ramanti cha (10.9): “These devotees of Mine are always happy. They smile and dance in ecstasy at all times because their mind is absorbed in Me, and their prana is absorbed in Me. And when they talk among themselves, they talk only about My glory; there is nothing else in their minds. They tell stories about Me – about My incarnations, My manifestations, My performances in this great creation. Every day they are involved in this spiritual activity of contemplating on Me, singing My glories, mutually instructing one another on the mystery of My life. Thus they remain very happy and are delighted in their life.”

Tesham satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam, dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te (10.10): “In great compassion, I endow these devoted souls with the highest kind of understanding by which they cannot forget Me at any time. Those who are perpetually united with Me – satatyukta – and who worship Me and adore Me and praise Me in intense devotional love, to them I give this great blessing and grace of Mine in the form of superior understanding.”

If the gods want to help us, they do not come to protect us with a stick in their hands like a shepherd protecting sheep. Their help always comes in the form of an enhanced understanding, a blessing which they pour upon us in the form of an increased insight into the nature of things. This is because knowledge is the greatest blessing, insight is the greatest power, and there is nothing in this world equal to illumination. Objects, property, wealth, social status – none of them can stand before illumination and insight into the true nature of things, with which God blesses those who are eternally, perpetually, united with Him.

Tesham evanukampartham (10.11): “I am immensely compassionate and merciful towards these people. I think of them, and they are in Me.” Aham ajnana-jam tamah nasayami: “I shall destroy even the ignorance in you.” In bhakti marga the emphasis is on God being entirely responsible for the welfare of the devotee, both here and hereafter. He shall see to it that we are provided with all physical, material amenities for our daily sustenance. He shall also see to it that we are properly educated in the spiritual sense. He shall see to it that all our ignorance is destroyed. He shall see to it that we are absorbed into Him.

When effort is necessary and we do not merely depend on the pouring of God’s grace from above, this is called markatanyaya, or the monkey doctrine; because when a monkey runs about with a little baby, the baby clings to it with its effort. But where the emphasis is only on God’s grace that He shall take care of us, it is like a cat carrying its kitten. A cat carries its kitten by its neck, and the kitten need not have to cling to it.

Sarvatha vartamanah: Here God stresses the point that “Whatever you be and in whatever condition you may be living, if your heart is in Me, you need not bother about anything, either of this world or of the other world.” He is emphasising that even the ignorance in our mind will be destroyed. We need not have to read scriptures and go to lectures and do any particular effort in the direction of what is called spiritual practice. The only sadhana that we are required to perform is surrender. Ananya saranagatih is the pinnacle and the last point in Bhakti marga. Love of God is the entire sadhana. There is no need to roll the beads or do different breathing techniques and sit in certain postures; nothing of the kind is necessary. And all these techniques are futile if the love of God is absent.