jnaneswari chapter 9

BHAGAVAD GITACommentary by

Sant Jnaneswar

PROF. T. K. G. NAMBOODHIRI

Thiruvalla, 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.html

T K G Namboodhiri


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


CHAPTER 9

RAJA VIDYA RAJA GUHYA YOGA

YOGA OF ROYAL SCIENCE & ROYAL

SECRET

T K G Namboodhiri


Introduction

In this chapter, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, the

most secretive & the most grand theory of

Self-perfection, along with the logic behind it

all. Ideas have been presented in simple

language, so that an ordinary man can

understand them easily. Here the Lord

describes His all-pervasive nature, & how by

devotion He can be attained. He gives the

hope that anybody, irrespective of his past

actions, can reach him through unstinted

devotion.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verses 9.1 to 9.3

Lord Krishna tells Arjuna: Now I will tell you,

who do not cavil, the most profound Knowledge

combined with experience (or realization), by

knowing which you will be liberated from the

sorrows of this world. This knowledge is the

Royal science, the Royal secret, the Supreme

Purifier, realizable by direct intuitive

knowledge, righteous, imperishable, & very

easy to do. Then Sri Krishna warns Arjuna that

persons without faith in this Dharma (the Divine

Self), without attaining Me, return to the path of

rebirth & death.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.4

I pervade everything in this universe in an unmanifest

form. All objects, movable or unmovable, exist in Me,

but I am never restricted in them alone. Is not all this

universe a manifestation of Me ? Milk is converted to

curd, molten gold is converted to ornaments, a seed

sprouts & grow into a tree. All these are manifested

forms of Me. When My unmanifest form condenses, It

becomes this universe. All things with name & form

are mere reflections of Me, as things reflected in

water. As there is no water in the foam, an item seen

in a dream is not seen after waking up, though all

these objects are reflected in Me, I do not exist in any

of these.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.5

Beings do not stay in Me. Though My universal form

supports & rules over all the objects in this

universe, I do not exist in them. I am really

everything in this universe. There is nothing beyond

Me in existence. But My Immortal form is not visible

to human eyes. Though I pervade everything, I am

seen as the multitudes of objects. Once your

ignorance vanishes, you will see the unity in all

these multitudes. The multiplicity is only a delusion

& when the delusion is removed, all these forms

merge in Me, & My formless existence only remains.

Theses multitudes do not exist in Me, nor do I exist

in them. They are all Me alone.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.6

The all-pervading air, which can move

anywhere, exists in space. Similarly, all the

universe exist in Me. Only when the all-filling air

moves, we feel its presence. Otherwise the air

and the space are one & the same. Similarly,

the feeling that all creatures exist in Me, is an

illusion because of ignorance. With Knowledge,

all the creatures go unmanifest, & become

extinct, & you realize that all manifestations

are nothing other than Brahman. All dualities

are unreal, like a dream. With experience &

knowledge, the revelation comes that the all-

pervading Soul is you (your Real Nature).

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.7

When the day of the Creator ends, all manifested

constituents of the universe merge with My nature

& become unmanifest. When the night ends, these

same objects are re-manifested by Me. This is

nature. It has two folds, one has 8 different

components, & the second is the Soul. At the time

of dissolution (Pralaya), all beings merge in My

nature. In summer, the grass & its seeds disappear

in the soil. When we wake up, our dreams vanish.

Similarly, all beings merge with the nature at the

time of deluge. After the night time of the Creator,

these beings are re-created as the manifested

universe.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.8

Keeping the nature always under My control, all the

constituents of the universe are manifested again &

again by My nature. The nature manifests as the

multiple forms & names of the universe. A small

amount of curd converts a large quantity of milk into

curd. Similarly, when the nature starts manifesting, all

the universe takes the form of the nature. The seed

lying in the soil sprouts & grow into a huge tree with

branches & leaves. Similarly, the nature, depending

upon Me, creates the universe. As the activities in a

dream do not cause any pain to the person, when he

wakes up, none of these creative activities get

attached to Me at all. All are done by My nature.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.9

Arjuna, activities such as creation of the universe, & its

destruction do not affect Me, who remain indifferent &

disinterested in them. Though all creative activities

finally end in Me, they do not bind Me. Can a smoke

screen stop the wind? Can darkness penetrate the Sun?

Can rain wet things deep within the earth? Similarly,

none of the activities of the nature affect Me. I do not do

anything, or make others do. Does a lamp lit in a house

induce the people in the house to do anything? Or

prevent anybody from what he is doing? It is indifferent

to who or what is doing things there. It is only a mute

witness to all the happenings in the house. Similarly,

though I am the source of all objects & beings in the

universe, I am least interested in their activities.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.10

Under My supervision & control, the nature

manifests all movable & unmovable beings, & other

objects of this universe again & again. Arjuna, just

like the Sun supervising all worldly occurrences, I

supervise the creation. I am the cause of all beings.

Though every object is created from Me, I do not

exist in any of them, nor do they exist in Me. One

who cannot grasp this secret of Mine, cannot

understand My Real Nature. Ignorant people think

that I may be understood through deduction. It is as

impossible to reach Me thus, as cooling a desert

with a mirage, or catching the reflection of moon by

sea water using a fishing net!

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.11

Ignorant people who have not realized My

Real Nature, think that I am this human body,

& abuse Me for various reasons. But Arjuna,

you have to keep My Real Nature in your mind

always, if you wish to reach Me, & get free

from this world of miserable births & deaths.

A person suffering jaundice see everything

yellow. For feverish people , even milk tastes

bitter. Similarly, though I am Super-human,

people take Me to be human just like them,

due to their ignorance of My True Nature.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.12

Indiscriminate people with fruitless desires, works, &

knowledge, depend upon the nature, which is cruel,

illusive, untrue, cheating, & deluding the mind. Hence

their lives are fruitless like the cloudlets in summer, or

waves in a mirage. Their imaginary & worthless lives

are like a horse rider made of clay, ornaments created

by magic, or walls of an imaginary city in the sky.

Whatever they have learned is like a coconut in the

hands of a monkey or diamonds fallen into the hands

of a blind man. Their knowledge of the Vedas is like a

weapon in the hands of a simple & shy girl. They come

under the lure of Maya losing discrimination &

concentration.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.13

Arjuna, great souls, on the other hand,

depending on the Sattwic Guna, disinterested in

worldly objects, worship Me, the Eternal & the

source of everything. These great Souls are

none other than My devotees with purified

minds. I reside always in their pure hearts.

Their intense thoughts & desires are directed

towards gaining knowledge of the Brahman.

Their minds always amass discriminative

knowledge. They always emanate peace. They

constantly worship Me, without a trace of

duality, & with tender lovely devotion.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.14

Those who are firm in their goal of attaining the

Supreme, remain always engaged in worshipping Me with

chants, austerities, control of senses & mind,

performance of their duties, & obeisance to Me with

extreme devotion. Such devotees spend their time telling

each other My sacred stories, singing songs in praise of

Me, & dancing blissfully. They have mastered their mind

& senses completely. They need not visit sacred places,

because they have no sin to wash off. By chanting My

names loudly, they remove all difficulties of people & fill

the world with bliss. They respect a king as well as a

beggar equally. They are permanent streams of

happiness to the whole world. They shine like the Sun.

They are ever perfect.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.15

Some others worship Me with sacrifice of knowledge. Some worship Me

in single form, others in multiple forms. Since I am of Universal form, all

these worships reach Me. Sant Jnaneswar gives here a long & beautiful

description of the sacrifice of knowledge. The soul performs this Yajna.

Duality or pairs of opposites is sacrificed in the fire of knowledge, using

discrimination as mantras, & ignorance as the clarified butter poured

into the fire. With this Yajna, the soul leaves all duality out. Everything,

the senses, 5 elements etc. are all felt to be the same. It loses all

‘I’ness & ego. Some believe that this universe is everlasting, & it has

different objects. They are deluded by the multiplicity of names & forms

in the universe. Just as the different sense organs functioning in the

same body, or the small & big branches of a tree, creatures of all

different forms & names, are all basically the same. Ignorance leads to

the feeling of differentiation, I remain unattainable to the ignorant.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.16

I am the Yajna with animal sacrifice, as also

that without. I am the rice used for Yajna, the

sacred chants, I am the sacred fire, the oblation

& the work of oblation. When one gets

knowledge, he realizes that I am the Vedas, all

the sacrifices & worship contained in them. All

the rites performed according to the scriptures

are I alone. I am the food offered to gods &

ancestors. I am the Soma juice offered, the

clarified butter used, the firewood burned, the

mantras chanted. I am the sacred fire, & all

other things required, & I am the performer of

the Yajna.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.17

I am the father, mother, grandfather, creator, the one who

grants the fruits of action, the thing to be known, the

sacred thing, the monosyllable, & the Vedas Rig, Yajur, &

Sama. Taking inspiration from Me, My Apara Prakriti

creates all the universe. I am also the mother of all the

universe. The universe originates & grows in Me only. I

maintain it. The basic causes of all creation, Purusha &

Prakriti, have come out from My desire. So I am the

grandfather of the universe. All paths of knowledge lead

to Me. So I am the one to be known. All philosophy unites

in Me. All thinking & knowledge accumulate in Me. I am

the sound OM, originating from the Brahman.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.18

I am the one who grants the fruits of all actions. I am the Ruler,

the provider & the owner of the universe. I am the witness of

everything. I am the place of refuge, the resting place & good

friend of all. I am the origin, protector, & dissolver of the

universe. I am the ultimate goal of all beings. The nature, which

contains everything, rests in Me. It creates all the universe

because of Me. I am the source of all prosperity, & Lord of

creation of the universe. I am the protector of the three worlds.

The sky spreads everywhere, air blows, fire burns, & rain falls

by My order. I am the all-powerful owner of the universe.

Everything works because of Me. However, I am just a witness

like the sky. I pervade all forms & shapes. I exist & support all.

I am the refuge of all those who offer Me all they have. Though I

am one & undivided, through the qualities of nature, I take

different forms & exist as the life of all. I am the source of all

creations, their protector, & destroyer.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.19

Arjuna, taking the form of energy, I provide heat

to the world. I only give rain as clouds, & I only

stop the rain. I am death & deathlessness. I am

Sat & Asat. As Sun I supply heat to the world.

As the Lord of rain I provide rain which causes

all plants to germinate & grow. Fire eats wood,

& both the fire & burnt wood are My forms only.

All that perish, & do not perish are My forms. All

manifest & unmanifest are My forms only.

Though I fill the inside & outside of everything,

none can see Me.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verses 9.20 & 9.21

People knowledgeable in the 3 Vedas, Rik, Yajus, & Sama

perform Yajnas according to the scriptures, destroy their

worldly sins & pray for getting into the heaven. As fruits

of their good actions, they go to heaven after death, &

enjoy heavenly pleasures there. After a long time, when

their accumulated virtue is exhausted, return to this

world of birth & death. They then repeat the same

activities as before. Those wo perform these Yajnas

without knowing Me, their actions are fruitless for

reaching Me. They think of heavenly pleasures & forget

Me. So all the virtue they amass are really sins only. The

way to heaven is really a way of sin. Such people remain

indefinitely in the cycle of birth, death, heaven, & birth

again. Those who walk through the way of pure virtue,

i.e. who worship Me, reach Me & enjoy permanent bliss.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.22

Those who worship Me, & think about Me

always single-mindedly, I look after all their

physical & spiritual needs & well-being. As a

foetus remains within the womb without any

worry, people, who offer Me their mind & heart

completely, live . They have nothing more dear

than Me. They surrender all their life for Me. I

am their humble servant. I serve them whole-

heartedly. All their duties & responsibilities

become My duties & responsibilities. Those

who desire to serve Me, I grant them divine

love. I fulfil all their desires, & protect all they

have.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.23

Those devotees, who with dedication, worship other gods

like Indra, are also worshipping Me only, though not

according to proper procedures to attain liberation. Since

I am the whole universe, their prayers also come to Me.

But their path is wrong. Though the branches & leaves of

a tree have come from the same seed, the tree draws

water only through its roots. So you have to irrigate the

roots for the tree to get it. Though we enjoy the worldly

objects through our 10 sense organs, none feeds his ears

with food, or put sweet smelling flowers to his ears. Food

has to be tasted by the tongue, & smell by the nose.

Similarly, I should be worshipped as Me only. All the

worship without knowing My real form are useless &

fruitless. So all actions should be carried out with a clear

objective.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.24

I am the receiver of all Yajnas, & the provider of

their fruits. People do not know My reality.

Hence, without reaching Me, they fall back to

the world of birth & death. Understand that all

offerings to all gods reach Me only. I am the

beginning & the end of all Yajnas. Still,

indiscriminate people forget Me & worship

other gods. The sacred water of Ganga is

offered to ancestors, but it falls back in Ganga

only. Similarly, they give Me all their offerings ,

but believe in other gods. So they do not reach

Me, but reach the gods they worship.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.25

Those who worship gods reach those gods, those who worship

their ancestors reach their ancestors, & those who worship

spirits & ghosts, reach them. But those who worship Me, the

Indestructible & the Ultimate, reach Me. Thus one’s actions in

this life give the desired results after death. None can reach Me

through external actions & rites alone. Only through devoted

offering of themselves to Me, they can enjoy the permanent

bliss of My abode. Those who claim to know Me, know nothing.

Those who pride themselves to be perfect are totally imperfect.

Is there anything more knowledgeable than the Vedas? The

Vedas utter “not this, not this” & retreat. Is there anybody who

performs more severe austerities than Siva? Siva sprinkles the

water used to wash My feet, on his head. The Goddess of

prosperity, Lakshmi gets her place of honour only because she

serves Me. So Arjuna, discard pride of wealth & status, & be

humble to others. Completely surrender to Me & become

eligible to merge in Me.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.26

Whoever, with pure & selfless devotion offer Me a leaf,

a flower, a fruit, or some water, I accept it with

delight. When My devotee offers Me a fruit with

unbound joy & love, I extend both My hands to receive

it & eat it with relish. Even if he offers Me a dry or

green leaf with deep love, I eat it greedily. If only a

few drops of water which cost nothing & is easily

available, is offered, I accept it as if it is the costliest

present to Me. I do not differentiate the high & low. I

approve only love & devotion. In My devotees I value

the most their devotion & kindness to others. I desire

complete surrender to Me with deep love. For that, you

surrender to Me completely & install Me in your heart.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.27

Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat,

whatever oblation you pour into fire, whatever

charity you do, whatever austerities you

practice, do all as offerings to Me. Whatever

way you work, whatever pleasures you enjoy,

whatever Yajnas you do, whatever gifts you give

to deserving persons, whatever salaries you

give to your workers, whatever austerities you

take, do it with utmost sincerity & as offerings

to Me. Do not be proud of your deeds. Then only

your offerings will be selfless & pure.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.28

If you offer all your activities to God, you will be released

from the bondage resulting from their virtuous or sinful

fruits of action. By this you become a real renouncer, &

as such you will finally reach Me. A roasted seed does

not germinate. Similarly, the work offered to Me, whether

good or bad, will not yield any fruits. All the works not

offered to Me will result in pleasurable or painful fruits of

action, for enjoying which the performer will have to take

birth again. But when all actions are offered to Me, birth

& death cease, & all the sufferings due to them will

vanish. So Arjuna, you do not have to waste time

worrying about the fruits of your actions. Do not get

attached to the body or sensual pleasures. This is the

simplest way to liberation. Through this route, you get

immersed in My blissful & permanent existence.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.29

I exist equally in all components of the universe. I have no

friend or foe. However, whosoever worship Me with sincere

devotion, they exist in Me & I in them. My real form is as the life

force in all creatures of the universe. There is no distinction

between I & you. One who is completely devoid of ego &

worships Me by mind, words & deeds, though looking like

ordinary beings, really, he exists in Me. The complete form of a

large tree exists in each of its seeds, & the seeds exist on the

tree. Similarly, though by name & form in multiplicity, My

devotees & I are related mutually. Truly, they & I are one & the

same. Their attitude of indifference to their physical bodies is

like the attitude of a woman to the rented ornaments she is

wearing. Their ego has been completely destroyed. Like a

flower robbed of its smell still stands on its foot-stalk, they

exist in the body till their death, & their inner light merges with

Me.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.30

Even if a person has been completely wicked & sinful, if he

starts worshipping Me sincerely & with devotion, he should be

considered pious because of his strong resolve. One who loves

Me sincerely, even if he belongs to a low caste, he escapes

rebirth. His earlier life may have been that of a great sinner, but

now he has selected the path of devotion. The yearning &

thought at the time of death form the foundation for his next

life. If a bad character, near the end of his life converts to a

pious person worshipping God, he should be considered better

than many. He is like one who fought against a strong current

of water in a river & swam across safely to the other shore. By

his devotion at the end of his life, he has washed away all his

previous sins. In short, one who sincerely worships Me, & offers

all his actions at My feet, crosses the sea of worldly life & gets

liberated from his work-born bondages.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.31

A sinful person deciding to worship Me, quickly

becomes pious. Then he attains the eternal

knowledge of Self. Such persons gradually

become one with Me. He never dies as he is

immersed in the elixir of Self-knowledge. Once

the Sun of knowledge rises, the darkness of

ignorance vanishes. When one’s mind &

intellect reach near My form, he really becomes

Me. When a lamp is lit from another lamp, both

look alike. Similarly, one who worships Me

sincerely as all, becomes one with Me. Arjuna,

be sure that My devotee never perishes.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.32

Arjuna, offsprings of sinful persons, women, Vaishyas, or

soodras, whoever worship Me sincerely & according to

scriptures, definitely attain the Ultimate Reality. There are

many who were born of sinful parents, low castes, women, & of

low life forms, who through firm devotion to Me, have attained

Me. They sing My praise, their thoughts are filled with My

deeds. They hear only My stories, their limbs are meant for My

service. Consider the case of Prahlada, the child of a Danava,

for whose sake I took the incarnation of Narasimha, & with

devotion, who attained a stature higher than those of gods like

Indra. If all your thoughts are about Me, either as a friend, or as

a foe, through devotion or hatred, you will reach Me. Consider

the cases of Kansa & Jarasandha, who hated Me constantly,

but merged with Me eventually. Whatever path you want to use

to reach Me, if you are persistent, you will reach Me.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.33

Virtuous Brahmins & devoted Saint-Kings, will easily

attain Me by worshipping Me. So once you have come to

this impermanent world of sorrows, you worship Me to be

liberated. When even a sinner or low-caste person can

attain Me with devotion, there is no doubt that devoted

Brahmins & Kshatriyas will easily reach Me. Brahmins,

being the noblest of humans deserve the heaven. They

are the carriers of Mantra, & personification of

austerities. All Yajnas reside in them, & the Vedas are

their armour. These worthy “gods of the earth” will

naturally be able to reach Me with unstinted devotion.

People who have taken birth in this impermanent &

imperfect world must immerse themselves in devotion to

Me in order to reach the Eternal Abode of Brahman &

enjoy everlasting Bliss.

T K G Namboodhiri


Verse 9.34

I being the Supreme Soul, fix your mind on Me,

be devoted to Me, & worship Me. Prostrate

before Me & install Me in your heart. Take

refuge in Me. Let your mind be filled with My

presence, let it overflow with love towards Me.

Knowing that I exist in all being, prostrate

before all. My true devotees have burned off all

their desires, & has unwavering devotion

towards Me. When you become immersed in My

devotion, you will be able to reach My eternal

form. When your mind is filled with My divine

principle, you will reach My permanent Abode &

enjoy eternal Bliss.

T K G Namboodhiri

jnaneswari chapter 9

Spiritual

bhagavad gita commentary

malayalam jnaneswari

popular simple commentary

lord krishna

unmanifest form

saint jnaneswar

universal form

complete english translation