Srimad Bhagavadgeeta :

Friday, Feb 21, 2014.


Srimad Bhagavadgeeta :


Chapter-7( Jnana-Vijnana-Yogam)


Slokam-7.



Mattah  parataram   nanyat  kincid  asti  dhananjaya,


Mayi  sarvam  idam   protam   sutre  mani-gana   iva




Mattah     =    Beyond Myself;

Parataram     =     Superior;

Na     =     Not;

Anyat          =      Anything else;

Kincid         =      Something;

Asti           =      There  is;

Dhananjaya     =      O, Conqueror of wealth ( Arjuna );

Mayi           =      In Me;

Sarvam         =      All that be;

Idam           =      Which we see;

Iva            =      Like

Protam         =      Strung;

Sutre          =      On a thread;

Mani-gana      =      Pearls;




O conquerer of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.


Beyond the superior of Me, there is nothing else to be found, o conquerer of wealth; in Me is all that we see strung like pearls on a thread.


Beyond this superior energy of mine, which is like the thread that connects all the pearls on a string, there is nothing else to be found, o winner of the wealth. 


O Dhananjaya, there is nothing else whatsoever higher than Myself. All this is strung on Me like pearls on a string.



There is a common controversy over whether the Supreme Absolute Truth is personal or impersonal. As far as Bhagavadgeeta is concerned, the Absolute Truth is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, and this is confirmed in every step. In this verse, in particular, it is stressed that the Absolute Truth is a person. That the Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Absolute Truth is also the affirmation of the Brahma-samhita: isvarah  paramah  krishnah  sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah; that is, the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead is Lord Krishna, who is the primeval Lord, the reservoir of all pleasure, Govinda, and the eternal form of complete bliss and knowledge. These authorities leave no doubt that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, the cause of all causes. The impersonalist, however, argues on the strength of the Vedic version given in the Svetasvatara Upanishad:  tato yad uttarataram tad arupam anamayam ya etad vidur amrtas te bhavanti athetare duhkham evapi yanti. "In the material world Brahma, the primeval living entity within the universe, is understood to be the supreme amongst the demigods, human beings and lower animals. But beyond Brahma there is the Transcendence who has no material form and is free from all material contamination. Anyone who can know Him also becomes transcendental, but those who do not know Him suffer the miseries of the material world."



The impersonalist puts more stress on the word arupam. But this arupam is not impersonal. It indicates the transcendental form of eternity, bliss and knowledge as described in the Brahma-samhita quoted above. Other verses in the Svetasvatara Upanishad substantiate this as follows:


"I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental to all material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no way for liberation other than this knowledge of that Supreme Person.



"There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because He is the super most. He is smaller than the smallest, and He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a tree spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies." 


From these verses one concludes that the Supreme Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is all-pervading by His multy-energies, both material and spiritual.



Now that Lord Krishna's absolute position has been established in regard to all creation He is confirming that there is nothing that exists which is superior to Him. In other words there is no independent power or cause apart from Him existing whatsoever in the origin, creation and dissolution of all creation. Lord Krishna energises and totally sustains all creation as well. This is what He is stating by the words mayi sarvam idam protam meaning all the worlds are threaded or pervaded by Him. The metaphor is clear enough. 



Lord Krishna is revealing the essence of reality by stating mayi sarvam idam meaning everything there is being either chit sentient or achit insentient, everythinthat exists as the aggregate of causes and effects are constituted from Him as He is the original source of all. Absolutely everything depends upon Lord Krishna for their existence and maintenance as the physical body depends upon the atma or soul for its existence. Lord Krishna is Paramatma the Supreme Soul residing in all living entities and thus everything in creation are all infinitesimal parts and parcels of Him in the way that unlimited jewels are held together by means of a string. In the Antaryami Brahmana and other Upanishads the coexistence of prakriti or the material substratum and the Brahman the spiritual substratum pervading all existence is compared to the relationship of the physical body and the atma or soul. To whom material existence and all beings constitute His body and within all beings He is the supreme atma, He is the Divine Lord, one without a second, Lord Krishna. Thus all things exist as part of His body and are ensouled by Him as well. Hence all things are predicative to, and modes of the Supreme Lord, who solely manifested all existence which is completely subsequent to Him. All terms are thus connotations of Him by the rule of samanadhikaranya which expresses the inseparable and invariable relationship of coexistence manifesting between substance and attribute. This can easily be understood by comprehending that any term used to address an attribute of the Supreme Lord is directly connotative to the source from where the attribute originates, being the Supreme Lord. In regards to the communal relationship of substance and attribute referring to the dual indissoluble nature manifesting together, the next four verses further elucidate. 


Lord Krishna is stating that He alone is the Supreme Being and that there is none other. 


Mattah parataram nanyat means there is nothing is superior to Lord Krishna. To consider that there is anything, anywhere in creation independent of Him is foolishness. Because of contact with prakriti or material nature attachment and sorrow arise which enacts a distinct identity for all living entities. Sri or Laksmi Devi is superior to prakriti, being ever free from sorrow. Although Sri associates with prakriti there is no effect from it. Vayu is the demigod in charge of wind. He is madhyana or intermediate and has some independence from prakriti. Lord Krishna is known as the most exalted and since there are no more demigods superior to Him, He is not only exalted but the Supreme Being of all. 



Because the jiva or embodied being identifies with prakriti attachment arises and because of attachment then duality is accepted thereby the jiva is considered to be in an inferior position. Therefore everything in material existence which is temporary and subject to change is considered inferior without exception. Even more inferior are those who are inimical to the Supreme Lord. Having no cognisance with even their own consciousness they are ever associated with sorrow and despair. Thus it can be clearly understood that only those who have a relationship with the Supreme Lord have qualified themselves for salvation and no others. Those who have so qualified themselves are always blissful and experiencing happiness internally are the superior ones. But even they are still below Brahma and others according to taratamya or gradation of qualification in bhakti or loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Those who have a relationship with the Supreme Lord attain moksa or liberarion from material existence by this very experience. By such experience supra-sensory illumination manifests in them known as vijnana. The depth and quality of the perception of this illumination and its awareness depends upon taratamya as well. The primary source of illumination is the Supreme Lord Krishna and all others such as Brahma and Shiva are directly empowered and illumined by Him. 




Now Lord Krishna speaks of His paramount position over everything and His superiority over all. Because He is the origin of the dual nature of prakriti the material substratum, He Himself is factually the substratum of everything existing and the source of the entire creation. There is no independent power or cause for all of creation other than Him. Lord Krishna is the Supreme Lord of all and this is clear everything animate and inanimate in all of creation evolves from Him. The Vedic scriptures proclaim of Lord Krishna thus: There is nothing equal to Him neither is there anything superior to Him. He is the source of all sources. He is the controller of all controllers. He is the Lord of all lords. He is the origin of the creator of creation. He is the Supreme Being above all other beings. The Ruler of the unmanifest and the manifest. By the will of Lord Krishna the entire creation of unlimited movable and immovable has been manifested. 



Now Lord Krishna reveals He, Himself is the ultimate substratum of everything. The metaphor given are the words sutre mani-gana iva meaning clusters of gems strung on a thread. The stableness and movement of the gems is depending upon the thread and in the same way the stability and movement of the entire creation comprised of the animate and inanimate is depending upon Lord Krishna who resides as paramatma the Supreme Soul within all sentient beings. This means that their life and activities are dependent solely on Him even though possessing free will. It is stated in the Vedic scriptures that: The Supreme Lord encompasses internally and externally everything that is seen or heard. Also it is stated: Intellect, mind, universal intelligence, wind, fire, earth and the four types of beings: 1) engendered by form 2) viviparous or engendered by egg 3) engendered by sprouting 4) engendered by heat and moisture All these four types of beings have their as source Lord Krishna.