From Tibetan Book Of The Dead By Evans-Wentz: Tibetan Lamaism

 The Bardo Thodol was first committed to writing in the eighth century A.D. in the time of Padma Sambhava; was subsequently hidden away, and then when the time came for it to be given to the world, was brought to light by Rigzin Karma Ling-pa..
Karma Ling-pa means the name of a place in Tibet called The Land Of Karma. Bardo Thodol is one of the Tibetan Lost Books recovered by Rigzin of Karma Ling-pa, who is held to be an emanation or incarnation of Padma Sambhava, the founder of Lamaism.
It was in the eighth century A. D. that Lamaism, which may be defined as as Tantric Buddhism, took firm root in Tibet.
Buddhism itself entered Tibet a century earlier during the reign of King Srong-Tsan-Gempo who died in A.D. 650. Buddhism entered Tibet from two sources , from Nepal, the land of Buddha's ancestors, through the Tibetan King's marriage with a daughter of the royal family of Nepal; and from China, through his marriage -in theyear 641- with a princess of  Chinese imperial family. The king had been nurtured in the old Bon faith of Tibet, which, with its primitive doctrine of rebirth, was quite capable of serving as an approach to Buddhism; and under the influence of his two wives he accepted Buddhism, making it the state religion; but it made little headway in Tibet until a century later when his powerful successor, Thi-Srong-Detsan held the thronefrom A>D. 740 to786.
It was Thi-Srong who invited Padma Sambhava (Tib. Pedma Jungne, i.e. 'The Lotus Born"
'), better known to the Tibetans as Guru Rin-po-Che, 'The Precious Guru', to come to Tibet. The famous Guru was at that time a Professor of Yoga in the great Buddhist University of Nalanda, India, and far-famed for expert knowledge of the Occult Sciences. He was a native of Udyana or Swat, in what is now a part of Afghanistan.
The Great Guru saw the wonderful opportunity which the King's invitation offered, and promptly accepted the call, passing through Nepal and arriving at Samye, Tibet, in the year 747. It was there that the king had invited him, in order to have exorcized the demons of the locality, for as soon as the walls of a monastery which the king was having erected there were raised they were overthrown by local earthquakes, which the demons opposing Buddhism were believed to have caused. When the Great Guru had driven out the demons, all the local earthquakes ceased, much to the wonder of the people; and he himself supervised the completion of the royal monastery, and established therein the first community of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, in the year 749.

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 67 to 78 : The End Of The Last Chapter Of Bhagavad Geeta.ast

Krishma continues,
"There are explicit restrictions  on how this knowledge should be distributed. It should not be given to one who lacks the rigor of discipline and penance. It should not be given to one who lacks devotion. It should not be given to those who have no desire to listen, and should not be given to those who are envious of me.

This is the most secret knowledge I have conferred upon you.The one who delivers it to my devotees with utmost faith in me will ultimately be one with my essence and there is no doubt about this.

There will be none among the inheritors of the tradition of Geeta who will be dearer to me than him who will fulfill this mission of reaching the right audience with the right understanding and he will be dear to me at all times.

Whoever will read our dialogue about the nature of truth and reflect upon it will stay in my heart as the one who performed a sacrifice at the altar of knowledge.

The one who will listen to it with faith and with a heart free of malaise will be free of every sin and will reach the realm where the pious souls dwell.

Arjun, did you listen to me with one-pointed concentration? Did it remove your doubts completely
which were born out of ignorance?

Arjun said,
"My doubts and illusions are no more. My deep memory (of my Self) has been regained by your grace.  I am back to myself on stable ground. Now I will execute your word."

Hereafter Dhrutarashtra's envoy Sanjay took over the thread of the narrative. Sanjay said, "I had been listening to an astonishing dialogue between the son of Vasudeva and the son of Prutha ( Arjun, who is called here the son of Prutha which was another name of his mother Kunti.)
It was the most thrilling experience to say the least. While The Master among all Yogis, Krishna was speaking  I had the Divine Eye endowed upon me by the grace of the sage Vyasa to hear and absorb the most secret doctrine of Yoga.

O my Lord, there is no end to my wonder and astonishment as I recall and again that miraculous form of Hari (another name of Krishna). O King I am filled with great astonishment and I feel a tremor of ecstasy run through me again and again.

Where there exist together the Master Yogi Krishna and the Master marksman Partha, there you will find wealth, victory, prosperity and the right path. I have no doubt about this.   


 Aum Tat Sat, with this ends the eighteenth chapter called the yoga of freedom and renunciation which is a part of the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun,  which occurs in the Upanishad called Bhagavadgeeta which forms a part of the science of Yoga and all together is a part of The knowledge of Brahma


 

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 53 to 66

Krishna continues,
"The one who discards egoism, vanity of power, arrogance of power, lust, anger and hoarding, is closer to Brahma on the path of emancipation.
The one who lives in proximity to Brahma obtains a cheerful disposition. He neither grieves nor craves. He is the same to all and thus he is joined to me with his devotion.

His devotion gives him the knowledge of me, the knowledge of the essence of my being, the dimension of my being, the way I am, no less , no more. Then having known me in the essence he comes and rests in me.

The one who takes refuge in me, even as he appears to be engaged in worldly tasks, has found a permanent secured place in me.

Leave all your Karma in my custody and serve me with faith. Resort to the discipline of the intellect (Buddhi Yoga) and merge your consciousness with mine.

Thus when your consciousness has become one with me you will sail across all the difficulties of this ocean of life. But if you choose to ignore me out of pride you will surely destroy yourself.

Your misplaced pride is speaking in a rebellious voice just now when you ask, "Why should I fight?"
I tell you, this is stubbornness and it is futile. The Law of Nature will ultimately prevail and nature, the law of your own nature, is going to appoint you to fight.

You are bound by the the law of your own nature, Arjun. That which you decline to do out of ignorance, you will be forced to do with no option later.

Arjun, with his Maya, with his illusory magic,  the God Almighty has placed  all beings on this huge wheel revolving eternally,while He remains still at the heart of all beings who are moving round about on this eternally revolving wheel and believe that they are moving.

Take refuge in Him wholeheartedly. With His grace you will find the ultimate peace that lies beyond our understanding .

 I have delivered to you this knowledge which is otherwise wrapped in secrecy because it is the most occult of all knowledge and therefore needs to be kept secret. Now think over it completely without ignoring the smallest detail., and thereafter do what you want to do.

I repeat my words, please listen again. I have poured my heart to you and revealed to you what needs to be guarded as the most secret of all knowledge. I hold you firmly to my heart as my soulmate in this world. Therefore I have your welfare as the foremost thing in my heart. Whatever I say to you is
 nothing if not in your interest.

Place your heart and mind in me. Be united with me. Whatever you do, offer it to me as a sacrifice. Do obeisance to me. You will not wander; you will not stray away from me. You are bound to come to me. I say this with a resolve as the sacred truth. You are my beloved.

Discard all other voices of faith and take refuge in me alone. I am responsible for whatever actions you are going to commit, good or bad. Do not grieve my dear."

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 46 to 52

Krishna continues,
"All beings derive their propensity to act in accordance with the Law of Nature (Prakruti). Whatever karma has fallen to your lot as a way of life, do it without aversion. Do it in the spirit of penance and prayer.('Archana'). Do it as a discipline that you must follow and do it with love (of God) in your heart.

Whatever you can do best within your capacity, according to the law of your individual nature, do it with confidence and faith (in yourself). You may find another way of life alluring and comfortable, but if you are not born into it, if it does not agree with the grain of your personality, do not follow it. Stay then within the way which agrees with your natural propensity and basic values. There is nothing wrong in following your natural inclination.

The karma which you choose to do in accordance with the natural propensity of your (Sattvik) nature may look unattractive and full of faults, but do not give it up if you feel that basically it is what you must do. All beginnings are shrouded like the flame surrounded by smoke.

In the pursuit of your vocation, do not cling to anything , or do not create a bondage. Have no craving. Conquer your best self and ask it to guide you. Conquer your Atman (with love) and once you win over your Atman, obey its command. This is the way of true 'sanyas', the renunciation. It means doing your job without hankering after money and felicitation. It means no indulgence , no unnecessary involvement, and that is the greatest (spiritual) achievement.
This way will save you from many a nightmare. You will live within the safety of your spirit, its vitality ('chaitanya').

This way is the great achievement on the path of (personal) liberation. It has the foundation of faith in knowledge. It leads to the highest attainment of Brahma. I shall explain to you how. Please try to understand.

I have told you how to pursue your vocation under the guidance of your inner voice. It is the voice of your purest intellect. While at work, obtain perfect control over your mind with courage and confidence. Discard bookish knowledge and keep attachment and aversion out your field of work.

How does a yogi fare in life?
He eats as much as is sufficient to energize his body to do his job. He avoids mingling with the crowd. He has control over his speech, body and mind. He remains in a meditative state of mind always. He maintains the spirit of detachment in whatever he undertakes to do.
 A yogi who follows this practice in life reaches the knowledge of the Inner Self with practice, discipline and detachment. This path of yoga is the best to follow and therefore it is called the king of all paths :Rajayoga.  

 

Geeta chapter 18 stanzas 34 to 40

Krishna continued,
"For the ordinary man who is burdened with his daily chores of the worldly life, there is the courage of the Rajas type. He needs to fulfill the tasks of living the life in the light of  the code of right conduct, the need for earning a livelihood, and for fulfilling the desires of the body. (Dharma, Artha, and Kama). With courage he launches his boat into the sea of life and remaining vigilantly at the helm, captains it with courage to reach the other shore of this life on earth. That is Rajas courage. He works hard and obtains the fruit of his labor by treading the path with a resolute mind.

Tamas courage is a way of clinging to unproductive, regressive habits of the mind which block progress but give a desperate kind of courage to hold on to addictions and obsessions with a false sense of security. The tamas courage hinges the mind on sleep, fear (of insecurity), sorrow, regret, and intoxication.

After the three kinds of courage we shall turn to the three kinds o joy. O wise man Arjun, listen. You have to practise the right kind of joy. It is a skill, an art of living that you must acquire by practice. On one of those happy days in the past I had promised to give you the secret of three kinds of happiness.

Listen, there is a kind of joy which initially tastes bitter like poison but eventually turns into nectar. It is the joy born out of the pleasure of the mind. It is born of the communion with the spirit.That is  known as Sattvik joy. It is a product of a mind that is restful and creative.

Rajas joy is born out of sensual pleasure which tastes like nectar initially but turns toxic in the long run.

Tamas joy is born out of drowsiness, sluggish indulgence in the pleasures of the body. From the beginning through to the end its path is marked by unfortunate errors of judgement.

In short there is no order on this earth which is not penetrated by the three Gunas.

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 20 to 32

Krishna continues,
"I will speak to you about the knowledge which dawns when the Sattvik (pure, undefiled, noble, luminous) state of consciousness arises.
It is the state beyond all ordinary knowledge. What we know as knowledge presupposes a duality of the object of knowledge and the person who tries to know the object. Here there is no duality. It is a state of transcendence when the knower and the object merge like the river and the sea. It is the end of duality and therefore words, language, feelings and description cannot encompass that state. It is oneness of the spirit while to all outward appearances it is difference, separate identities, distinctions, categories etc. whereas at the level of consciousness there are no two entities apart from each other.
(Note: If we try to take it at the level of cognition we will have to describe it as empathy. But in the realm of mysticism it is  a state of total oblivion. The history of mysticism has saints and mystics who have had this experience. In Geeta the Lord chooses not to elaborate on this experience.)

The Lord continues,
"After the knowledge of the Sattvik nature we turn to the actions performed when the Sattva (purity) predominates. All the actions performed without any expectation of reward are do be seen as Sattvik karma. The actions performed with expectation of reward are Rajas karma (the karma required to be performed for the worldly success). There is a kind of desperation in the Rajas effort. The karma which is undertaken in ignorance, without taking into account one's capacity, power, consequences, and the harm that might be be caused to others is called Tamas (dark) karma.

Now let us see the categories of the agent of action.
A person who gets fully involved with the enterprise, does not lose courage and enthusiasm in the face of obstacles, and while engaged in the effort does not worry about the result and at the end of the effort does not get perturbed by success or failure is a Sattvik man of action.

A person who is easily distracted by allurements , goes astray, is insistent about what he must get out of the endeavor, over-ambitious, resorts to any means, fair or foul in achieving the end, is ready to resort to violence if he finds it convenient or necessary, who sways between pleasure and pain, is called a Rajas man of action.

A person who has no control over his base instincts, who is dumb, cunning,  jealous, slothful, gloomy, inefficient, slow in completing the given task is called a Tamas agent of action.

I will turn to the three categories of intellect and courage as based on the properties of the three Gunas.

Listen to the properties of the Sattvik intellect. The intellect which can differentiate between the path of absolute renunciation and the path of action, between what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, between fear and safety, between bondage and emancipation is called the Sattvik intellect.

The intellect which cannot decide between the right and the wrong, between the action which is imperative and the action which is forbidden is called a Rajas intellect.

The intellect which holds the unholy to be holy, which misconstrues the meaning of everything and perversely draws wrong inferences, is called the Tamas intellect. "   

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanza 33

Krishna continues,
"Now let us talk about the three levels of courage. The first is the level where the Sattva predominates. In this case the person has absolute control over his organs of the sense, over his mind and over the breath. With his innate discipline he halts their interference and lifts himself to stay stable in the centre of his personality which exists truly in the inner spirit."

The inner spirit or the inner man is the essence of the Divine light which is normally cast to oblivion. But when the Sattva predominates the awareness is raised to the highest level and the lower self understands the presence of the unchanging, unaffected divine light. Once that awareness dawns the man finds the teacher, the guide and the guardian living with him constantly. This inner spirit is an impartial observer who can see things as they are. The mind, the senses and even the intellect cannot be trusted because they are susceptible to external stimuli and cause disorientation and wavering at the time when there is a crisis and important decisions are to be made. We must remember why Krishna  emphasizes this aspect of courage . Arjun has lost the will to fight and is at a point when refusal to act will cause a sheer fall down into the abyss. There is a long background of injustice, cruelty and evil to the war that Arjun is about to enter. His senses have sunk to a lowest level at the sight of the elders who are sold to their earthly masters.  Even Bhishma has become an instrument in the hands of the evil-minded Duryodhana because Bhishma is bound by a pledge he took in the past to serve whoever occupies the throne of Hastinapur. Justice is at stake.
Arjun is an exceptionally courageous, trained and skilled warrior. He is fighting for a just cause. The kauravas are hell-bent to see them destitute and kneeling in supplication as beggars. There is a long history of humiliation, dishonour, exile behind the situation they have arrived at. Now if the bastion fell that would  spell a doom for all.
The  principles of philosophy which make the basis of Geeta are all already  enunciated in the Vedas and the Upanishads in the times before Geeta came in existence as a part of the main narrative of the epic Mahabharata.

Sattvik Courage leads man to seek the highest potential in him which he normally is unaware of.   

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 15 to 19

Krishna continues,
"The same five forces initiate karma, action- at the level of the body, speech, mind.
 The energy flows, with an enormous force, like a river coming down from a high mountain. It runs into the streams and rivulets and small canals as it empowers the five centers, gross and subtle, the body, the mind, the senses close to the mind, under conscious control, and the internal organs not consciously controlled. It flows and becomes a light, subtle but energizing. Do not forget that the origin of it lies beyond the human understanding.

The karma begins when the soul is impelled by subtle forces of nature, like the coming of spring and the blossoms on trees, like the gathering of clouds and the pouring of rain. Then the mind wakes , looks around, at itself, at the world around and if it is dark, thinks and resolves to light a lamp. That resolve, born in the mind is as good as the spoken word, although it is spoken and heard only by the mind. The speech as a resolve born in the mind is called 'Sankalpa'. It inspires action.

 Arjun, I spoke to you about the five instruments and the five causes behind action. Is the Atman involved in all these five instruments and the five causes? Atman is like the sun who throws light on the object and makes it visible to the eye, but the sun is neither the eye nor the object. Atman does not become the karma; it manifests the karma. Like a mirror it reflects the karma, both good and bad and shows it to the mind. 

Knowledge, object of knowledge and the one who knows (Jnyana, Jneya, Jnyata), are the three driving forces behind Karma.  Performance (karana), action, and the agent of action (karta) form the accessories for Karma as a whole.

In the performance of action all the five regions of the personality participate unanimously. They all define the nature of the purpose, motive and intention behind the action.

Now let us think of this trinity of Knowledge, Karma and the Agent (of Karma) The three Gunas :Sattva (purity of soul), Rajas (dynamism), and Tamas (ignorance,evil), have a role to play here also. The extent to which their presence is felt in any of this trinity will determine the character of  the knowledge possessed by the person, his karma,and he as the agent of action.

Out of the three Gunas, the predominance of Rajas and the predominance of Tamas both lead a man astray. Only Sattva is the property that leads to the right knowledge, the right action and the right balance. Ultimately these lead a man to enlightenment and liberation. So trust only the voice of Sattva in yourself when you act and judge the other person by the extent to which his capacity of understanding is influenced by Sattva, Rajas or Tamas.  Judge his actions and his personality also  by the same criterion, against the same touchstone. Sattva will make him balanced and truthful. Too much of Rajas will influence his understanding in a way that will lean towards prejudice and quick reactions. Too much of Tamas will make him evil-minded.

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 11 to

Krishna continues,
"It is not possible for a man of the world to give up all karma and live a life of inaction. The one who knows this and gives up only the attachment to the fruit of action without forsaking the life of action knows the true spirit of sacrifice (tyaga).

The one who remains attached to the fruit of action earns the consequences in three ways. He earns the desirable, undesirable and a blend of the desirable and the undesirable consequences of his actions. But a sanyasi who practises renunciation without attachment will not be subject to such consequences.

Vedanta elucidates five main forces behind all karma.  I will explain them to you.

These are the basic forces which reside inside a person. The first of these is this body which is the abode of desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, and knowledge. Then there is the agent of the action. The third is the cluster of all sense organs. The fourth is the the function of the vital organs of the body. The fifth is the spirit , the vitality, (Prana) that controls all these.

The body is the home to all the sense organs which toil day and night and earn the reward as pleasure and pain. The one who experiences them as such also dwells in the body. It is in this abode, on this stage that the drama of imprisonment and redemption is enacted.

The agent of action is the individual soul who has lost track of his divine origin. It is the divine spark of the great luminosity which is estranged from its source. It lives in the illusion of a separate identity and persuades itself to believe that it is the force behind all its actions.

The various sense organs are driven by the energy of Prakruti, a single source, but they all appear to function in isolation.

The vital organs inside the body function independently of the sense organs - the eyes, the nose, the ears, the tongue and the skin. They are empowered by the Prana, the oxygen taken in by the breath.
The breath comes in as oxygen, Prana, and gets converted into energy which is supplied to all the organs of the body.

When this entire abode, is blessed by the divine source of all life, by the universal energy, there is health, happiness, intelligence. This blessing shines in the intellect and spreads like light over everything related to the personality of the soul through the brightness of the intellect. 

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 11 to

It is not possible for a man of the world to give up all karma and live a life of inaction. The one who knows this and gives up only the attachment to the fruit of action without forsaking the life of action knows the true spirit of sacrifice (tyaga).

The one who remains attached to the fruit of action earns the consequences in three ways. He earns the desirable, undesirable and a blend of the desirable and the undesirable consequences of his actions. But a sanyasi who practises renunciation without attachment will not be subject to such consequences.

Vedanta elucidates five main forces behind all karma.  I will explain them to you.

These are the basic forces which reside inside a person. The first of these is this body which is the abode of desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, and knowledge. Then there is the agent of the action. The third is the cluster of all sense organs. The fourth is the the function of the vital organs of the body. The fifth is the spirit , the vitality, (Prana) that controls all these.

The body is the home to all the sense organs which toil day and night and earn the reward as pleasure and pain. The one who experiences them as such also dwells in the body. It is in this abode, on this stage that the drama of imprisonment and redemption is enacted.

The agent of action is the individual soul who has lost track of his divine origin. It is the divine spark of the great luminosity which is estranged from its source. It lives in the illusion of a separate identity and persuades itself to believe that it is the force behind all its actions.

The various sense organs are driven by the energy of Prakruti, a single source, but they all appear to function in isolation.

The vital organs inside the body function independently of the sense organs - the eyes, the nose, the ears, the tongue and the skin. They are empowered by the Prana, the oxygen taken in by the breath.
The breath comes in as oxygen, Prana, and gets converted into energy which is supplied to all the organs of the body.

When this entire abode, is blessed by the divine source of all life, by the universal energy, there is health, happiness, intelligence. This blessing shines in the intellect and spreads like light over everything related to the personality of the soul through the brightness of the intellect. 

Geeta Chapter 18 Stanzas 1 to 10

Arjun asked,
"O valiant man Krishna, I want to know the difference between renunciation (Sanyasa) and sacrifice (Tyaga).

The Lord aid,
"The wise regard renunciation to be the giving up of everything that you desire. Deprive yourself of everything desirable , pleasurable. That is renunciation. Those who have an eye for the deeper reality of life regard the act of relinquishing the fruit of action to be the sacrifice.

Some with intransigent mind are of a strong persuasion that since all karma is binding and leads to suffering in the end, all karma should be renounced.
There are some who say that the ritual of sacrifice at the altar of fire, giving in charity, and penance for the purification of the body and the mind are those karmas which ought not to be given up.

O Arjun, the greatest of the descendants of the dynasty of Bharat, listen. I shall tell you my defintive views on the concept of Tyaga (sacrifice). O Tiger among men, Even Tyaga is said to fall into three categories.

Sacrifice (Yajnya), charitable acts (Dana), penance (tapa), ought not to be given up. They have to be performed because they purify the mind of those with a strong will.

Even these acts ought to be performed without any attachment to the result of the action. In fact they must be performed. There is no other way.

Those actions which are regarded as essential and  imperative for the health of the mind, body and for the general good of humanity cannot be given up completely.

It is sheer ignorance to renounce them completely. It is regarded to be perverse and Tamas kind of Tyaga.

To sacrifice action out of fear for life and body is a Rajas Tyaga. But it is futile to renounce action when you are required to act. It is inaction.

Listen O Arjun, you have to act when it is your destiny to act in the circumstance in which you are placed inescapably. In those times do what you need to do and do it without getting involved in the result of you action. I think this is a '' Sattvik tyaga" : the noble sacrifice.

Our fate, destiny and providence force us to confront and perform actions we would hate to perform. On the other hand there are happy days when we take delight and find fulfillment in what we do. The one who remains calm in both kinds of circumstances is said to be noble (Sattvik), intelligent and clear in the mind . He knows the true spirit of sacrifice (tyaga).

Geeta Chapter 17 Stanzas 20 to 28

Krishna continued,
"I told you about the three categories of penance based on Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Now listen to the three ways in which charity is described. Again the basis is the difference between the three Gunas. Sometimes all good things coincide at the time of making a gift of something. The time, place and the deserving person to whom one would be happy to present a gift, are all present together.  There is a tacit understanding between you and the receiver of the gift that it is a gift of love and the receiver of the gift is under no obligation to return your kindness. This is called a Sattvic gift.

On the other hand, the gift is sometimes made with an expectation of a return of one's kindness. Then it is kindness, not a gift. The most common expectation is that the receiver of the gift should remain under an obligation and a burden of gratitude. A gift made with expectation becomes a cause of despondency also because unfulfilled expectations bring sorrow. A gift of this kind is a Rajas gift.

Now listen to how the gift given in the spirit of Tamas fares. An inauspicious place which excites base passions, a person who excites base instincts, when you have no regard or respect for the person to whom you are making a gift, when you insult and humiliate the person to whom you are giving the gift--are the circumstances which turn your gift into a Tamas gift.

Para-Brahma, the Highest of all, is indicated by three syllables, uttered individually or collectively. They are Aum, Tat, and Sat. The essence of nobility(Priest), essence of knowledge (Vedas), and the spirit of sacrifice as the essence of life (Yajnya) are initiated by these syllables.

Those who have this knowledge in their heart perform all activities in the spirit of sacrifice, They give the gift with utmost nobility and perform the penance without expectation.

Those who want to lead a life of true freedom fix their attention on the syllable 'Tat', which means 'That"
"That" is indicative of the ultimate freedom which is Brahma. All the activities of their life are inspired by "That"

And what is "Sat", Arjun? Wherever there is awareness of the imperishable (Brahma), wherever there is good conduct, there exists "Sat". It also accompanies every generous act.

To live life in the spirit of sacrifice, to be in a constant awareness of the spirit of penance and to imbibe the spirit of generosity (Dana) is to live in "Sat", and to perform every act in the direction of "Sat" is also to live in "Sat".

O Partha, whenever a sacrifice is performed unwillingly or halfheartedly, whenever a gift is given with a sting, whenever a penance is done as a punishment, it is "Asat",  the absence of "Sat".  Asat is unproductive. It is futile here as well as  there, in the realm beyond the earthly life.

Aum Tat Sat, with this ends the seventeenth chapter of the Upanishad called Bhagavadgeeta which is contained in the dialogue between Krishna and Arjun. All this forms a part of the knowledge of Brahma and the discipline of Yoga is a part of that knowledge of Brahma. In it, this was a chapter called the three forms of faith.

Geeta Chapter 17 Stanzas 8 to 19

The Lord said,
"Penance is of three kinds,depending upon which of the three Gunas are present in the penance. But before coming to that let me explain to you the three dimensions of penance. Penance is discipline chosen  wholeheartedly by the individual. It reflects in the person's life and personality homogeneously.  See how it determines our behavior in three dimensions . One is the dimension of the body. Another is the dimension of speech and the third is the dimension of the mind.

When one follows the discipline of penance at the level of the body, it show in reverence for the elders and the enlightened. It shows in the purity of the body and the mind. It shows in the gentleness of attitude to those around you. This is penance at the level of the body and the language of the body.

Penance at the level of speech is characterized by these signs. There is no inclination to say things with the intention to cause despondency and agitation in the listener. At the same time the person must abide by truth and while speaking he should keep the welfare and the well-being of the listener in his mind.  This is penance at the level of the speech. The person who submits to this discipline, undertakes to educate his mind by reading, reflection and study.

Penance at the level of the mind produces a broad, quiet and cheerful mind. It does not hold radical views and expresses itself in a mild and gentle way. It remains silent and speaks when there is something that needs to be said. It remains under control as a rule.

When a person follows the discipline  thus in his attitude, speech and thought and performs all activities without attachment to the fruit, or the benefit of action for his own self, it falls in the category of Sattvik penance.  It makes the person's presence sublime to behold..

There is another kind of behavior to be seen next. When the penance is performed with ostentation and pride, with a view to gaining honor, felicitation and worship from others, it produces a dubious result. The fruit of this penance does not stay. This falls in the category of Rajas penance.

There are those who undertake penance with a vile motive of harming others. In the madness to seek revenge they do not mind suffering in their own body. This is called Tamas penance.  

Geeta Chapter 17 Stanzas 1 to 6

Arjun said,
"Forget about the scriptures. Tell me about those who know nothing about them ( scriptures) and live life in the light of the faith in their heart. Krishna, tell me, how you would describe their faith. Would you call it colored by Sattva, or by Rajas or by Tamas?

The Lord said,
"The faith of the living beings is of three kinds. It derives from their basic nature. Those who have not read the scriptures live their life under the predominance of either Sattva, Rajas or Tamas.

Each man's faith is characterized by his subconscious memories which determine the distilled essence of his personality. Every man lives in the  spirit of his faith. No man is without faith. It is inborn, not a product of following any teaching. The kind of faith he holds naturally, gives those colors to his life and personality.

Those who follow abhorrent practice of worship , such as dictated by their Tamas nature, repudiate me who dwells as witness in their heart. They certainly belong to the category of demons (asura). 

Geeta Chapter 16 Stanzas 1 to 18

The Lord said,
"There is absence of fear; there is purity of the mind, body and soul, ever vigilant pursuit of knowledge, charity, control, sacrifice, self-education, absence of deceit.

There is gentleness of spirit, abiding by truth, pacifism, readiness to renounce possessiveness (for the greater good of all), tranquility, unperturbed mind, compassion, absence of lust, tenderness of heart, modesty (Hri) and a steady mind.

There is brightness of the spirit, forgiveness, courage, cleanliness of the body and the mind, the conscience that keeps one away from betrayal of friends, absence of excessive pride, These are the attributes of the Purusha whose life is centred around the Divine Wealth.

Now, Arjun, listen to the antithesis of the Divine Wealth.
Vanity, insolence, pride, anger, hurtful speech, ignorance; these are the attributes of the Purusha whose world is centred around the Demonic Wealth.

Those who possess the Demonic Wealth do not abide by the acceptable norms of society with regard to what ought to be done and what ought not.

There is no thought given to the cleanliness of the means and the motives, nor to the conduct either. There is no concern in their minds about the truth (of the basic values of life).

They do not believe that the world is governed by a power which is above all powers. Lust and mindless desire is the base according to them of all life.

Those who hold this outlook on life, live without awareness of the inner spirit. It is dead in them. Their understanding is poor. They are prompted to do harm to the world by their beastly actions and deeds. They ultimately cause irreversible, enormous damage to the world of living beings.

There is no end to their lustful desire and that forms the basis of their arrogance, pride and intoxication.
They pay no heed to the voice of conscience and under temptation they are provoked to commit abhorrent deeds.

They are bound by hundreds of loathsome aspirations; they follow the dictates of lust and anger, and in order to find gratification of their abominable lust, they amass enormous wealth by unjust means.

This is how their mind works-- "Today I have obtained this. My aspirations are fulfilled. So be it, so will it be in the future. I will obtain it again tomorrow and again this wealth is going to belong to me.

This, my enemy, has been killed by me. Thus will I kill many others. I am God; I am the one who has the right to enjoy wealth. I am the accomplished one with magical powers. I am powerful and happy.

I am rich; I am born in a rich family ; who else is there like me? I shall perform rituals of sacrifice ; I shall perform charitable deeds; I shall be happy."
This is how their prattle goes as they live without understanding.

Their mind is deluded and wanders in different directions, caught in the mesh of temptations.. After spending the entire life  in dire obsession by lust and power, they finally end up in inauspicious hell.

They are the judge of their own worth. Rigid, unchanging, intoxicated by the wealth and power, they perform the ritual of sacrifice only as a token, with no thought for the true spirit of the sacrifice.

They are prompted by arrogance, power, greed and anger. These form the basis of their personality. They forget me who dwells alike in them as well as in those who they regard as the other. They have nothing but hatred and  jealousy for all that is divine.

   

Geeta chapter 15 Stanzas 9 to

Krishna continues_
"The mind rides on the back of ears, eyes, skin, taste, and smell and rejoices in the pleasure of the senses.
While in the body and when leaving it, while in the deep oblivion of passion, and when obeying the dictates of the Gunas and performing the duties of life with alertness, the densely ignorant do not see the seer living in the interior of the mind, vigilant and  watchful.
The yogi who makes a rigorous and disciplined effort to know the seer who lives in the body is able to see it with his mind's eye. To be able to see the seer(the Atman), you have to look  beyond the body.
The luminous light that dwells in the sun, the moon and the fire, regard them all of the same essence. All of it belongs to me.
I became the cosmic hunger and dwelt inside of every being. I am the breath coming in and going out; that breath is the power with which they digest the food.
I am there in the heart of all beings. I am the cause of memory, knowledge and oblivion. All the Vedas are created with the desire to know the essence of me. I have been at the back of the emergence of the Vedanta which is the distilled knowledge contained in the Vedas.
There are two kinds of Putrusha in the world. They are called Kshara and Akshara. All beings are Kshara and that one who is occult is called Akshara.
However, that One Purusha who is over and above Kshara and Akshara is the Paramatma : The Being who is beyond all beings. He pervades the three realms. He bears and controls them without diminishing in form and energy.
I am beyond the Kshara and Akshara. The enlightened ones know me as Purushottama that is the Supreme Purusha.
The knowledge of that ultimate Purusha is the supreme knowledge. The one who knows me in this essential ME, will know everything. He will worship me with undivided emotion.
O innocent one, I have delivered to you the most secret of all doctrines. It is that which leads man to enlightenment and fills him with a sense of fulfillment.

Aum which is the word of truth with which ends here the fifteenth chapter Purushottama yoga which is a part of the Upanishdad called Bhagavadgeeta which is contained in the dialogue between Krishna and Arjun  and forms a part of Yogashastra in Brahmavidya.

Geeta Chapter 15 Stanzas 1 to 8

The Lord said to Arjun,

Know this world to be a tree.
 Its roots  reach for the sky
and the branches penetrate the ground below.The lyrics of Vedas are its leaves. The one who understands the mystery of this will be able to understand all. He will understand the secret of Vedas.
This is the Ashvattha tree.
Its branches have grown underground, but they have spread skywards too. The three Gunas have fostered the growth of its branches. Desire shows on its branches in delicate bloom. The deep, primal desire which is the cause of the (collective) karma of humanity has many roots which are hidden below the crust of the earth.
But this (metaphor) is not sufficient to make us comprehend the full significance of this transient world. This Ashvattha tree which has attained enormous growth has neither a beginning nor an end, nor does it have a real existence. And yet its roots are strong and deep. This tree has to be cut down from the roots. You need a strong axe in the form of complete detachment. Cut down the tree at the root. Then proceed on the path followed by the enlightened ones. that path takes you to the destination from where there is no return. Seek that place where all search ends. It ends at the feet of the Purusha who has initiated this endless ancient cycle. Bow to that Purusha in the spirit of surrender, and He knows. He, the First Cause, has set in motion this cycle the origin of which is completely lost. But if you seek Him He will take you in and then you will not come back to this mortal world.
Who are those who reach Him?
They are those who have passed beyond the contradictions of  honour and dishonour. They are those who have no illusions. They are those who have moved away from worldly attachments. They have gone beyond all contradictions brought about by dualistic perception which causes disunity. They have gone beyond the battles of pleasure and pain. They proceed on the path with no illusions and doubts. They are the ones who make it to the last stop where there is no further, no beyond. It is the final resting place which is indestructible.
It is beyond the reach of the light of the sun, the moon and the fire.  That is the highest abode, my abode, reaching where there is no return.
Whatever lives in the living beings, know it to be the essence of me. It is a part of me, eternal as me. Every being is like a crystal inside which is caught a drop of light which is me. The five organs of sense are enhanced by the sixth organ which is mind, and over them all presides my essence which makes them belong to the order of Nature (Prakruti) and keeps them tethered to me.
This body lives as a compound of many elements. When the master of this body leaves it and takes on another body, the essence of me who had occupied it, also leaves along with the perishable sense organs.
Just as the wind carries from the calyx the fragrance, which is the meaning of the flower, in the same way, the soul when leaving the body, carries the essence of all the sense organs along with the mind.

Geeta Chapter 14 Stanzas 21 to 27

Arjun asked,
"What are the signs that indicate that a person has moved out of the sphere of the three Gunas? How is it reflected in his demeanor? How does he go beyond the power of the three Gunas?

The Lord said,
"In the light of wisdom when Sattva rules, in the impetus to act when the Rajas rules and in the darkness of ignorance when the Tamas rules, and in the quietude when none of these rule, the man beyond the three Gunas is neither perturbed by their absence nor does he feel disgusted by their presence.
He remains aloof, watches the play of emotions, and lets them work out their path and watches them  like a spectator. He knows how feelings and passions express themselves and allows them to work out their way,  knowing well that this is the nature of the Gunas.  But while this goes on he does not let them enter the inner sanctum where the higher self dwells unaffected and withdrawn.

This man who is intelligent and calm stays anchored to his higher self in the presence of pleasure and pain. A lump of clay and a piece of gold are the same in his eyes. The loss of the things loved and the association with the things that repulse are regarded with the same indifference. Eulogy and disparaging criticism, both leave him unaffected.

Between a friend and an adversary he is unexcited and impartial. Exaltation does not fill him with pride and devaluation does not lower his self-esteem. He does not start a chain of karma that could lead him astray He stays away from any such thoughtless acts. These are the signs of a man who is beyond the swaying power of the Gunas.

There is also another who stays out of the boundaries of Gunas by following me with unwavering devotion. He attains the qualities of the undistracted, unbounded state of Brahma wherein Gunas have no power.

You reach the ultimate truth : Brahma ; by ascension in small and measured steps. Brahma is deathless, whole. Nothing can be taken away from it. It is is eternal. I am the last destination of the journey to Brahma. Follow the Law of your true nature and you will reach there.


Aum  is the word of truth. With that ends this fourteenth chapter called the three categories of Gunas. It occurs in the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun which is a part of the Upanishad called BhagavadGeeta in the art of Yoga which is contained in the knowledge of Brahma.

Geeta Chapter 14 Stanza 1 to 19

The Lord said,
"I shall recapitulate the essence of what I told you so far. What I told you was the highest of all that mankind ought to know. The sages who absorbed it were liberated from the bondage of earthly life and reached the acme of the knowledge of the Self and God.

This knowledge brought them into my presence and they became godlike beings.  They are not reborn when the new life-cycle begins and at the  time of of the dissolution of life-cycle they do not grieve.
The Prakruti( Nature) who bears this infinite universe is far greater than all of the universes. She conceives and sustains this stupendous expanse of life universal. I pervade and penetrate her in very pore. I place the seed of life in her vagina and therein is the birth of all beings. Prakruti is the effective cause of the species of every form of life  and I am the One who impregnates her with my seed.

The three basic attributes (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas) which govern every form of life are all born out of Prakruti. Sattva, the best of the three, Rajas, the middle of the three in value and Tamas, the lowest of the three, bid the Atman to stay bound to the body, and the Atman stays subjugated by them. Though Atman is the essence of God, it loses awareness of its true character and surrenders to the volatile passions generated by the fusion of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

Sattva is purity. Therefore the light of pure consciousness  moves through it without getting dull. The light passing through Sattva is untainted and gentle. But Sattva binds the soul to a certain kind of vanity. The predominance of Sattva produces spiritual ego. It also binds the soul to pleasure and comfort. In short, Sattva creates a clinging to pride and a longing for comfort.

The predominance of Rajas gives an inclination to pleasure and appreciation of the good things of life.
Rajas produces yearning,  longing, thirst. It motivates a person to act with a desire to obtain the fruit of karma.This is how Rajas binds the soul to desire and attachment to karma.

Tamas is the darkness of ignorance and no human is able to escape from its power. The predominance of Tamas makes a person devoid of conscience. It leads a person to misadventure, ennui, drowsiness, and thus limits and diminishes the power of the soul and the capacities of the mind. 

When all the sense organs and the gates of knowledge are fully open to the light of wisdom and are functioning efficiently, take it to be the condition of the prevalence of Sattva.
When the quality of Rajas exceeds the desired limit, there is greed, avarice, tendency towards hyperactivity, restlessness. There is propensity to thoughtless, rash actions which start a chain of reactions. It starts a process of endless karma which is not quietened easily.

Stupor, sloth, blunder, misdemeanor, thoughtless action etc. are the symptoms of the excess of Tamas.

The fruit of Sattva is peace and pure joy. Rajas produces sorrow in the long run, and Tamas produces ignorance.

The soul must see through the complex workings of the three Gunas, the basic tendencies of human nature. The soul must see how they are present in the very structure of Prakruti. The collective karma of all beings gives rise to the cycle of life and death. While the Gunas enact the drama the higher self dwells apart from it all. It is known to be the Drashta, the seer or the witness. And that is the reality of the individual soul. The one who realizes the truth of the Self is set free. He is ultimately free of the false ties and is at last  free to come to me. 

Geeta Chapter 13 Stanzas 27 to 34.

The Lord said,
"The Supreme God has eternally been here among the world of mortal beings, present everywhere in the same intensity. He who sees him thus is the only one who sees.
The one who sees God present everywhere alike, will never be self-destructive.
Prakruti is the force behind all karma. The one who realizes this does not take the agency of karma upon himself. The one who sees thus is the one who truly sees.
When one sees the unity of Brahma in all the (apparently) differentiated beings. there is the realization of oneness with Brahma.
The Supreme God has no beginning and no attributes.Even when He abides in the human body, in the most subtle form, He neither acts nor is he anointed by the karma.
The ether being most subtle, is not affected by the things in which it enters . Atman being far more subtle than ether,  remains unaffected by the elements of the body in which it abides.
A solitary sun gives light to the entire world. In the same way the khetrajnya (the knower) lights up the entire expanse of the Kshetra (Field ).
The mind which sees the complex relationship between the Kshetra and Kshetrajnya and realizes the illusory nature of Prakruti is the one who sees truly.

Aum...here ends chapter 13 of Bhagavad Geeta. 

Geeta Chapter 13 Stanzas 15 to 26

That Ultimate which you want to know, where is that? Far out, beyond the farthest imaginable edge of the world you know?
Or is it as intimate as your breath? Far, or near? Out there or within?Does it move when you move and lie still when you go to sleep? Does it go on breathing when everything sleeps, like the way you do when you lie down and fall asleep not aware of breath?
It is within every being you can imagine in the world, and yet not confined to what lives in the body. It is both, stillness and movement. Extremely subtle, you cannot see it even though it is never apart from you, so far and so near.

It takes on infinite forms , as infinite as the life there is. Appears to be divided though in essence the same. In the cosmic dawn of creation it manifests as universe, through the cosmic day it sustains the universe and in the cosmic night it devours what is created.

It is the light in the fire, the life of the moon,the eye with which the sun does see. It opens the gates to clusters of stars, the mind behind the mind we know, the breath which makes us breathe. It is the lamp that lights a lamp, not one but many.

I opened the mystery of the field of knowledge, the one who tills the field with knowledge, the object which the seeker seeks,and at the end of the spectrum of striving is the knowledge of  that which you seek.With this in his heart my follower comes to me and  merges with me.

What I referred to as Prakruti ( Nature ) so far is the same as what I metaphorically called The Kshetra (The Field )  and the Kshetrajnya (The Knower) in my recent discourse is the same as what i referred to as Purusha ( The Man ) so far. Purusha is the Primeval Man.

Know both Prakruti (Nature ) and Purusha (The Primeval man) to be without a beginning..
All that which acts and all that which is with attributes is born out of Prakruti. They are essentially co-existent at all times.

Prakruti is 'Becoming' and Purusha is 'Being'. They are together but Prakruti alone is knowable to us.
Prakruti is the locus of the impetus, the energy behind the result, and the agency for the happening. Prakruti resides in the Cause behind phenomena. Purusha resides as the reason for the experience.

Self-awareness (ego) and thought/intellect (Buddhi), along with desire or motivation are the gifts of Prakruti. Intellect and desire are motivated to act in favor of achieving a specific result. Prakruti provides the energy for that.

Purusha by himself is inert. Prakruti with her energy and the power to motivate action, is the base of life. Purusha, basically inactive, is drawn by Prakruti in her complex game and thus Purusha becomes the one who experinces.  Though Prakruti is the cause of the agitation and the mixing of the three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) the result produced by this action is not experienced by Prakruti. It is experienced by the Purusha who has the necessary consciousness in him. Prakruti attracts, binds and captivates Purusha.

There are some who meditate upon the mind and know the Atman as residing in the mind. There are some who perform the karma in a spirit of detachment and understand Atman as detached from Karma. There are those who renounce life of action and relationships and live without getting in contact with the causes of provocation. There are those who are not capable of following these paths on their own. They rely on knowledge imparted to them by the sages and act accordingly. All of them cross the ocean of life peacefully and go beyond death.

Whatever gets created in the form of the life of the animate and the inanimate world is the result of this contact between the Kshetra (Prakruti) and Kshetrajnya (Purusha). (It is like the copulation of man and woman)

The Purusha is induced to expand because the Prakruti is forever engaged in expansion.  To sustain her expanded universe, Purusha must enter into the process of Becoming.

Prakruti gives rise to existence which appears to be distinct from Purusha. Prakruti is a dance; Purusha is stillness. We can see the dance; we cannot feel the stillness.    

Geeta Chapter 13 Stanzas 1 to 14

The Lord said,

" O son of Kunti, this body is a terrain known as 'Kshetra' The one who knows it is called the 'Kshetrajnya' : the knower of the terrain. This is how the learned ones have used the terms 'Kshetra' and 'Kshetrajnya'.

Understand me. I am the knower. I know the terrain-the 'Kshetra'  which is the body. The knowledge of the relationship between Kshetra and Kshetrajnya is the true knowledge according to me.

Which is the Kshetra? What is its nature? What are its volatile attributes? Where is its source?
Who is that Kshetrajnya? What is his power? I will tell you all about these things in a concise way.

Sages have composed innumerable lyrics in rhyme and meter which reflect the intuitive knowledge  of the  nature of the relationship between Kshetra and Kshetrajnya. The aphorisms about Brahma are threaded together by means of metaphors to throw light on the enigma of the relationship between Kshetra and Kshetrajnya.

The five subtle elements of nature, the awareness of existence as self ('Ahankar') , intellect, the ten organs of knowledge, the unmanifest, one mind and the ten kinds of objects which are known to the organs of knowledge, the compounded impact  of desire, aversion,joy, sorrow, consciousness, and symbiosis (Dhruti) : these are the volatile attributes of this thing called Kshetra. This is how the Kshetra is specified in essence.

Not aspiring to positions of power, absence of vanity, not causing pain to any being, not being prone to anger, offering service to your teacher, cleanliness of the mind and the body, steadiness of mind, and complete control over the mind, total withdrawal from the voluptuous aspects of the objects of senses, absence of egoism, reflecting on the pain involved in birth, death, aging, sickness, sorrow, a general lack of interest in the objects of sensual pleasure, no specific involvement for one's children and wife and home, a balance of mind, indifference to favorable and adverse conditions, merging with me completely, preference for solitary surroundings, not choosing to live too often with crowd, realization of the permanence of  of the knowledge of the Self, absorbing the essence of the knowledge gained in this way :
this in totality is what is called knowledge. Everything else is ignorance.

So far I spoke to you about what is considered to be knowledge. Now I shall tell you about what should be the object of inquiry. When you know the ultimate of all that can be known, you will be in possession of the nectar, the ultimate elixir of life. It is that Brahma which has neither beginning nor end. It neither exists nor does it not exist.

The Ultimate (Brahma) which you want to know is all pervasive. How? It has infinite number of hands spread in every imaginable quarter of the universe. Everything happens because of that all-pervasive energy. This (Brahma) has legs which support the entire edifice of the universe. It has no physical eye which we can see. Yet it can see everything. Because of the energy present in that spiritual eye, there is the potentiality of seeing. The same holds true of its spiritual attributes which function as head, ears, and mouth All that we perform in our physical body, with our bodily organs, even our thoughts, whether uttered or not uttered are stored recorded in the Universal Mind. It is that Brahma, the Universal mind-power, the spiritual energy which lives our existence and withdraws it into itself after its time on earth is over.  It is everything and it seems to be nothing to our ignorant mind.

In mathematics, we have to take help of a circle to say this is zero, nothing. Even when we conceive of zero as nothing, we have to draw a circle to convey its meaning. Shunya, or zero is not nothingness or emptiness. It is the presence of life in the utmost , measureless quantity. It is not a symbol of lack or absence. It is a symbol of existence in accentuated way, in a powerful way. It is the presence of life abundant.

Think of the spirit that dwells in the body. Think of the spirit as the object of enquiry. We feel its existence in and through the senses, the mind, the intellect and the consciousness beyond them all.
Yet the spirit is all these things and distinct from these things.
In the same way, the Universal Consciousness ( Brahma ) pervades everything in the universe and yet it is distinct from everything. It has neither an inclination to act nor does it have a conceivable form . It pulsates through everything and propels everything, but it remains aloof from everything.
Because of our extreme dependence on the body and the bodily attributes (which is the only thing we experience, we regard the body and its functional and abstract organs like the mind and the intellect to be the end of the spectrum of knowledge. We, in the first place do not know that there is something waiting to be known beyond the physical world.  

Geeta Chapter 12 Stanzas 1 to 20 Bhakti Yoga

Arjun said,
"There are those you talked about as devoted to you in your personal form, worshipping, praising, adoring you with psalms and prayers all their life, and there are those who know you in your unmanifest , indestructible essence . Who among these is closer to the state of oneness where the awareness of ME ceases completely?

The Lord said,
"Those who enter into my heart with love and live their life in my presence, dedicating everything to me with faith  are naturally united with me.
There are those who know me as the vital breath that runs through all forms of life. They behold everything as undifferentiated in essence. They discipline their body and mind. They contemplate the Brahma which is imperishable, beyond cognition, unmanifest, all-pervasive, beyond thought, occult, stable and certain. They are dedicated to the welfare of all living beings. They finally come to me alone.

But the path of the yogi who dedicates himself to the Unmanifest is fraught with difficulties. So long as you live in the body, the path of dedication to the Unmanifest leads to immense anguish.

On the other hand, I shall speak to you of those who conceive of the Unmanifest as incarnated in ME. They leave all karma to me and remain devoted to me; concentrate on me, think of me and worship me. I do not let them sink in the ocean of mortal life. They enter with their heart into my heart. So I am with them all the time as they cross this ocean.

Seek support for your mind by resorting to me. Leave your intellect under my governance. You will thus abide in me. There is not the slightest doubt about this.

If you find it difficult to steady your mind and keep it stabilized in me, then practise the art of concentration and make a strong resolve to reach me.

If you find yourself unable to follow this rigorous practice, then pursue all your activities with the sole purpose of reaching me. If you live your life by dedicating all your karmas to the objective of finding me, you will surely find me.

If you are unable to resort to this practice(of acting, living with the sole objective of reaching me), then there is another way. Be resolutely in command over your spirit and renounce all the fruits of your actions.

Who is dear to me?
He whose heart has no place for hatred, he who is a friend to all, he whose heart is full of compassion, he who knows no me and mine, he who moves not by joy or sorrow, he who can forgive, he who is cheerful at all times, He who follows the voice of his soul, and stays under its control, he whose resolve is unshakable, he who belongs to me with his mind and soul, he who follows me devotedly through all times, good or bad : he is the one who is dearest among all.

I shall tell you more about him; listen...
He never causes anguish to others nor is he anguished by them. He is calm in the storm of ecstasy, anger, fear,agitation. He too is dear to me.

There is one who lives without expectations. He is clean in and out. He is alert about the right and the wrong. He is indifferent to joy and sorrow. He is free of pain. He is unaffected by the good or bad consequences of the karma. He starts the karma without resorting to ego and therefore does not take the agency of karma to himself.  He is dear to me.

He is neither pleased nor moved to hatred. Neither is he moved by sorrow nor desire. He is beyond the good and bad. He has embraced the path of love. He is dear to me.

He makes no difference between the enemy and friend, nor does he differentiate between honour and neglect. His mind remains unaffected by the cold and warmth. He is free of all attachment. He is dear to me.

For him abuse and praise weigh the same. He keps silent through them all. He is content with whatever he has. He does not cling to a place and call it his home. He has an unwavering mind. He is dear to me.

This is what I have put into words for you. It is nectar. It follows the law of human life. Keep these words in mind and live life in accordance with this law. Those who follow this path of simple love with full faith in the heart are dear to me.

Aum that is the word of truth And with that ends this chapter twelve in the Upanishad called Bhagavadgeeta. This speaks of the path of Divine Love (Bhaktiyoga). It is a part of the knowledge of Brahma, the Ultimate Truth . The science of Yoga is a part of that and this dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun is meant to lead you that. 

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 51 to 55

At this point Sanjay said to Dhrutarashtra,
"With these words the son of King Vasudeva (Shrikrishna)came back into his former body and thus reassured the terrified Arjun by returning to the bodily form which Arjun knew to be benign and mild."

Arjun said, "Now that I see you in your benign human form, my mind has regained assurance and my heart is at peace. "

The Lord said, "Even the godly beings yearn to see my cosmic form. What you saw of me is the dream of of a possibility for those godly beings who are ever in pursuit of seeing that divine form but it has remained out of their reach.

The way you saw me is not possible even to those who study Vedas, those who stay in sacred celibacy, those who donate or those who perform sacrifices.

Love me, and love me with devotion. Your undivided love, your faith in me gave you the exclusive right into the deepest interior of my heart and blessed you with the knowledge and the  vision of my truth and reality.. Thus were you able to enter into my essence and be one with me.

The one who lives for me, the one whose love is me, the one who has given up every other company for my sake, one in whom there is no enmity left towards any being, he comes to me O Pandava

With this ends the chapter 11   .  

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 34 to 50

Krishna continues...
"Drona, Bhishma, Jayadrath and Karna have already been slain by me. Go ahead and kill them. Do not be sad. Go ahead and fight. You will win a victory over those who stand as your enemies.

Then at this point Sanjay takes the thread of the narrative. He addresses Dhrutarashtra thus :
"Upon these words of Keshava (Krishna), Arjun, choked with deep emotion, folding his hands in reverence,trembling in awe, said to Krishna rather hesitantly.......

Arjun said, " The world delights in singing your eulogies.
The world adores and loves you too.
The demons run like water spilled
in all directions with fear in the heart
and all the assemblies of the enlightened beings
bow to you in deep respect;
everything is in order, perfectly fit .

But tell me O Lord, why do the demons not bow to you?
You are transcendent. You are the Lord of lords.
You are imperishable; you are beyond the antithesis of the truth and untruth.
You abide everywhere in the world simultaneously.

You are the Primeval God, the most archaic being,
the ultimate resort of this world.
You are the one who knows
and you are the one to be known.
You are the destination beyond the end,
and you are the spirit that dwells in all.

You who are the wind and death,
you the fire and you the rain ,
you are the moon and the protector of your subjects,
you are the creator and the predecessor,
I bow to you a thousand times.
You abide in all quarters.

  Your spirit lives in all.
You my nearest and dearest of all,
O Krishna the greatest, O the greatest of the Yadava clan,
forgive me if I committed a fault
out of love or familiarity,
out of ignorance of who you are .

While taking a stroll in happy times,
while going to bed after a day's toil,
sitting down to relax and having a meal,
when alone together or in a crowd,
I took liberties with you umpteen times.
I beg your pardon for the transgressions of the past.
There was nothing that could apprise me of your truth.

Father to all, revered by all, the master among all,
there is none who is comparable to you.
I bow to you and beseech you O God,
Bear with me and forgive me
the way a father forgives a son,
the way a friend forgives his mate,
the way a lover forgives the beloved.

That which was beyond my farthest dream
you made me see with my waking eye.
My heart is seized with fear; anxiety saddens and anguish pains.
Come as the Krishna of the olden days,
those halcyon days of camaraderie.

You who were seen with a crown on your head,
a mace in your hand, a wheel in the other,
you agile as if of four hands!
Come back to that form, O Cosmic Being!

Krishna said,
" Out of love I demonstrated to you
the cosmic form none was able to see before.
I showed you my essential form,
my aura of transcendental light,,
the infinite cosmos where I dwell.

Many have pursued me, have worked hard
to see me in my cosmic form.
In this mortal world of humanity
none could see what you saw.

Do not grieve; do not be sad.
Do not feel forsaken
on having witnessed me in a gigantic form .
Give up this fear,
be of good cheer
and see me again in my dearest form.

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 27 to 33

Arjun speaks,

"This world I can see before my eyes
vanishing in the abyss
of your mouth, among those enormous teeth
They are speedily devoured, ground, pounded
into particles and pieces,
shards remaining in the gaps.

These men now ready to fight
are all set to enter your mouth,
a conflagration all around .
Like rivers flowing down to the sea,
like fireflies fatally drawn to the flame,
with awesome speed this world of humanity
is rushing into your infinite mouths,
inexorably!

You are devouring all that is entering in,
swallowing all with your burning mouths.
O Vishnu, Your fire has encircled the world.
there is a flood, an invasion of light,
a profusion of your austere light.

O Lord of the cosmos, I bow to you in utter submission.
I have seen you in your terrible form.
I want to know who you are.
O Primeval, Prior to All,
with what propensity, what mystical intensity
you intend to proceed on your WAY.

The Lord said,
"I am Time, grown to immense magnitude,
I am ready to strike and destroy the world.
Barring you, all the warriors you see on the ground
arrayed in formidable groups
will soon be extinct without a trace.

Therefore, arise, success is yours.
Vanquish the enemy. Establish justice and a prosperous state.
Count them already dead at my hands
You are not the killer, only a trigger.

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 27 to 33

Arjun speaks,

"This world I can see before my eyes
vanishing in the abyss
of your mouth, among those enormous teeth
They are speedily devoured, ground, pounded
into particles and pieces,
shards remaining in the gaps.

These men now ready to fight
are all set to enter your mouth,
a conflagration all around .
Like rivers flowing down to the sea,
like fireflies fatally drawn to the flame,
with awesome speed this world of humanity
is rushing into your infinite mouths,
inexorably!

You are devouring all that is entering in,
swallowing all with your burning mouths.
O Vishnu, Your fire has encircled the world.
there is a flood, an invasion of light,
a profusion of your austere light.

O Lord of the cosmos, I bow to you in utter submission.
I have seen you in your terrible form.
I want to know who you are.
O Primeval, Prior to All,
with what propensity, what mystical intensity
you intend to proceed on your WAY.

The Lord said,
"I am Time, grown to immense magnitude,
I am ready to strike and destroy the world.
Barring you, all the warriors you see on the ground
arrayed in formidable groups
will soon be extinct without a trace.

Therefore, arise, success is yours.
Vanquish the enemy. Establish justice and a prosperous state.
Count them already dead at my hands
You are not the killer, only a trigger.

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 21 to 26

Arjun speaks,
"

Bless my vision , O lord of the realms, ;
what do I see , these souls of stars
who once were gods divine,
now trembling in awe, in prayer bowed,
sages and liberated souls of Siddhas stand
and pour their blessings on mankind below,
their words of psalms are floating in the air
and in profusion the notes of litany are raining on me.

Rudras, the terrible, the elementals of earth,
the divinities as Saddhyas to be pursued by men,
the Vishvedevas : the gods who infiltrate the worlds,
the twin brothers Ashwinis, the healers of the world,
the wind and his followers, the ancestors of ancient times,
the divine singers Gandharvas, Yakshas the magicians,
 Asuras the antinomy of gods, and to counter them
the assemblies of Siddhas the accomplished ones...
all are caught in this divine moment,
all are standing still.
Never before did they see you thus
all in your splendour divine.

How can I catch in my feeble words
your infinite, wondrous form,
your manifold aspects, your infinite mouths,
your eyes in thousands and yet more
than I can count,
that all encompassing abdomen,
those infinite, fierce teeth !
All the realms of life in the universe
are standing awestruck along with me!
Deeply troubled agitated they are all!

O Lord, you touch the height of the sky;
your mouths are gaping beyond infinity,
your eyes which were soothing
have opened wide into infinity.
An awe-inspiring vision
and I have neither the courage nor the capacity to hold
this torrential pouring in my arms.
After this vision where do I stand?
After such vision what courage, what valour?
My anguished heart knows no peace.
O Vishnu, be kind to me!

O lord I never knew you in this awesome form'

with carping teeth and terrible mouths!

It's the veritable hour of the end of the world!

What else would that fire signify?

I have lost the sense of all direction,

I have neither solace nor peace!

Bless me O Lord, be kind to me!

 And what is more is that I can see

that you hold at the heart
all the sons of king Dhrutarashtra,
with all the kings, the guardians of earth
and the mentors Bhishma and Drona,
and all those who are fighting on our behalf

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 10 to 20

Arjun wanted to see in this life-time the Cosmos as God and his Krishna as the Cosmos. A unique longing and a unique One who fulfilled that longing; and it was a bewildering, dazzling vision which Arjun, though a human, could withstand because it was the Divine Will.

The cosmos had infinite orifices; it was an infinite spectrum of infinite visions. It was adorned by divine ornaments. There were infinite weapons stored in its interiors and it looked as it was ever ready to act.

At the same time, it had a benign aspect. It looked as if it wore divine garlands and a divine robe. It was as if anointed by a heavenly concoction and a divine fragrance emanated from it. It was an amazing vision.

To describe its light, you had to imagine the tremendous light that would manifest if thousands of suns were to manifest in the sky simultaneously. In that eternal Time, Arjun saw the tremendously varied cosmos anchored to the body of the Lord. Arjun stood transfixed in ecstasy. He trembled in amazement.
He bowed his head in reverence and spoke to the lord with folded hands ....
" O Lord, I can see in you all the divine beings as well as all the  realms of earthly beings in their distinct groups. I can see the occult embodiment of universal energy in the forms of Brahmadeva, Shankar and all the immortal sages of the antiquity. They are all present in your cosmic body.

O Lord of the Cosmos who has incarnated before my eyes as the Cosmos, I can see you in an infinite form with infinite mouths, your immense abdomen, your infinite faces. I can see that your cosmic form has neither the middle nor the end, and again, it has no beginning either.

I can see your crown, your mace, your wheel. I can see you as a mountain of light, a lightbearer entirely.
You are not visible to the physical eye. You are lit up by the lustre of infinite fire and innumerable suns. You can neither be seen from any perspective nor can your expanse be comprehended even with a direct proof of experience.

You have to be understood as the last among the objects beyond cognition. You are the last resort of this cosmos. You are indestructible. You are eternal. You are the guardian of the occult nature. You are the ancient principle of procreation.

You are without beginning, middle and end. You have infinite vitality. You have many hands. The moon and the sun are your eyes. I can see your face as if it is a fire burning with the fuel of sacrifice. This cosmos is warmed up by your own lustre. The space between heaven and earth and all the quarters of the earth are pervaded by you alone. Perhaps the three realms of living beings saw YOU in this miraculous and terrifying aspect in this moment alongside me and methinks they too are deeply moved and bewildered and agonized.

Geeta Chapter 11 Stanzas 1 to 9

Arjun said,
"You revealed the secret of the occult knowledge of the human life and the cosmos. You showed me how the soul in the body is related with the transcendental Spirit of the cosmos. You revealed how you are the Spirit of all.  You revealed the most hidden and guarded secrets . You articulated them out of your love for me. Your words have removed all my doubts. That which is never to be articulated, has been revealed to me out of love.
I looked into your deep lotus eyes and listened to you, and I saw with my mind's eye how the worlds in cosmos come into being and dissolve. I imagined your imperishable power.
I want to see your Divine form, your essential being.
O Master, do you think I shall be able to see your cosmic divine manifestation?  If you do, please show me your cosmic form.

Krishna said, "O Partha, I appear in hundreds, thousands of forms
They are innumerable; they are divine, multicolored. You can see me.

See me as the many suns. See me as the many Vasus who are the elementals who live in the worlds and rule them. See me as the Rudras who form a formidable group to serve me. They are awesome to look at. They are anger personified.
But there are also the realms where my terror gives way to a cool healing temper. In that realm you will see the spirits of the twin Ashwini Brothers who together heal wherever there is the need to heal. A cool breeze, Maruta , will be felt to be moving gently there. See all those wondrous, miraculous worlds which you could neither see nor imagine before. You can see the infinite, moving, as well still aspects of the universe here at one point in my physical form today. Anything else that you wish to see will be manifest before your eyes here.

However, you will not be able to capture the magnitude of that vision with your physical eye. I bestow upon you the Divine Eye. Be ready to see my splendour which is adorned by all the power of Yoga. "


Then at this point Sanjay addressed the King and said, " O King, having said this, that great Yogi, the God among all Yogis, incarnated before the eyes of Partha his transcendental divine form."  

Geeta Chapter 10 Stanzas 41 and 42

Krishna continues,
"Wherever you see effulgence of my divine presence or a wealth of my divine attributes, penetrate deep into it and know it to be born of the part of my divine light.

but I ask you, what more are you going to gain by counting to know every manifestation of my divine presence? I am present in profusion here in the universe and just a particle of my being is sufficient to hold the entire world in a stable order.

Aum is the word of truth with which ends the tenth chapter called the Yoga of Vibhuti which occurs in the dialogue betwen Shri Krishna and Arjun in the discipline of Yoga in the knowledge of Brahma in the Upanishad called Geeta. 

Geeta Chapter 10 Stanzas 32 to 40

Krisna continues...
"Among the Daityas I am that good soul Pralhad. Among those who take the measurement of time I am Time itself. Among beasts I am the lion. Among birds I am the eagle. Among the invisible things that flow I am the wind. Among those who wield weapons I am Rama. Among the tail-bearers who live underwater, I am the crocodile. Among the flows of water I am the river Janhavi.

I am the beginning, the middle and the end of this cosmic saga. Among the branches of knowledge I am the knowledge of the spirit. Among those with proficiency in language, I am the art of rhetoric.Among the syllables I am the first syllable. Among words I am the conjunction. I am the still centre of Time, undiminished and whole. I have as many mouths as there are universes.

I am Death, the destroyer of all and I am also the one who brings everything back into existence after it is destroyed. I am the fame, wealth, speech, memory, genius, thought, and forgiveness among the attributes of  woman. Among the states of quiescence I am the immense quiescence. Among the metres pf poetry I am Gayatri. Among the months of the year I am Margashirsha. And among the seasons of the year I am spring. Among the games of deceit I am the gambling. Among the luminous objects I am the lustre. Among the embodiments of truth I am the essential truth. Among the descendants of the Vrushni dynasty I am Vasudeva. Among  the Pandava brothers I am Arjun.Among the sages I am Vyasa and among poets I am The star of Venus. Among the resolute I am the staff. Among those aspiring to victory I am the code of conduct. Among the guardians of the occult knowledge I am the secrecy. I am the knowledge among the learned ones. Whatever comes into being, know me among them all as the seed inside them. I am the seed of all life because life cannot come into being without me entering all forms. There is no end to the specific forms wherein I am manifest prominently. I have mentioned as much as was necessary to illustrate the scope of what you wanted to know. .        

Geeta Chapter 10 Stanzas 1 to 29

Krishna said,
" Cognition, wisdom, clarity, forgiveness, truth, restraint, gratification, joy, sorrow, existence, absence, fear, safety, non-violence,equality, contentment, passion, charity, success, failure...these states which you see manifesting in all beings, have their origin in me and they are spread over a wide spectrum of manifestation.

 "Great minds and personalities in the ancient past have been born to this earth because I willed their birth. The first of the human progeny was the seven sages who now appear as a constellation in the sky. Then came the Manu : the four progenitors of mankind for the four aeons.

I exist in all forms. Each vibration and breath is me. Everything in the form and body is me accentuated into being. ( Vibhuti).

I am the First Cause and the wheel is set in motion through my will. Those who go back to the First Cause are humble and they are filled with awe at my sublime form. They remain devoted to me in life and at the end return to me.

Their heart and mind are ever with me; their breath is ever in the presence of me. Their heart speaks to the mind about me. They live forever in joy, oblivious of life and death.

I  vibrate in symphony with their hearts and come down to occupy the interior of their heart as if it is a sacred shrine. There in the quiet niche I burn like a lamp and shine a constant light, fuelled by the awareness of the inner flame of an undying knowledge of the Divine Self.

Arjun says,
You are the Brahma which transcends all; you are the final abode; you are the most sacred of all. You are eternal, divine; you are the primeval God; you are the ageless without birth; you are the one who occupies all.

O lord, my soulmate Krishna, I believe in the truth of what you say. No godly being, no ungodly being is ever capable of realizing what you are in this human form, nor will they ever reach the presence of God who incarnated in you and spoke to me through the channel of your divine existence. O the most sublime Spirit, the Maker of all beings, the Lord of all, the God of all, the ruler of the universe, you alone can demonstrate how Atman is known only by Atman, because who is there to know you complete in every atom and form except you alone?

Your words are nectar to me ; I can never have enough of them. I want you to go on with the endless expanse of your association with every form of life. Speak and I will listen without wearing out.

Krishna said, "There is no end to my manifestations. So I shall tell you about the most prominent of them. Listen.

Among plants I am the Ashvattha. Among sages I am Narada. Among the Gandharvas (Divine musicians) I am Chitraratha. Among Siddhas I am Kapila. Among Horses I am Ucchaishrava. Among elephants I am Airavat. Among men I am the emperor. Among weapons I am the mace. Among cows I am Kamadhenu. Among progenitors I am Kama The lord of fertility, desire for sex). Among cobras I am Ananta. Among marine life I am Varuna. Among ancestors I am Aryama. Among those who rul I am the lord of Death. 

Geeta Chapter 8 : Stanzas 14 to 22

The one who remains connected to me with undivided mind and with devotion to the discipline of Yoga will find me easily.
Those great souls who finally reach me will never fall again into the cycle of rebirth. There are several realms after this life and those who reach the highest of them like the realms of truth and the realm of Brahma, have to return to earth.But those who reach me have no rebirth.
Those who have an understanding of the occult time know that the Creator's Time is in another dimension. One thousand aeons make a day for the Creator and one thousand aeons make his night.
When the Creator's day dawns the worlds that had been lying dormant become manifest. When the Creator's night falls, all the worlds that had been in manifest form, dissolve and go back to the unmanifest form.
This entire conglomeration of animate and inanimate life comes into being and when the day arises for the Creator it comes into manifest form again.
There is another unmanifest principle behind the unmanifest state to which these worlds retreat. That Unmanifest principle does not perish at the time of the dissolution of the worlds that are seen to arise and dissolve.
That principle which is ever unmanifest and indestructible is said to be the ultimate state in which I dwell. On reaching there the soul does not return to rebirth.
That I am, and I am accessible only by the path of Bhakti (Divine Love).. I am the source of all life. I am in all of life.
There are times when the yogis depart from this world there is no rebirth, and there are other times when they depart, there is rebirth. I shall tell you about both.
When there is the light of fire inside the body and there is the day outside, when it is the bright fortnight of the month and the sun is moving towards the north, the departure of the yogi leads to the ultimate state of Brahma. Any time other than this will go to rebirth.

The realization that the individual soul and Me are one leads the yogi beyond the Vedas, sacrifice, penance, and relinquishment pf possessions. He transcends all desire. He knows that his destination is far beyond these. leaving all these stages behind he goes to the highest attainment which is said to be the very source of the created beings : Brahma.
Aum that is the word of Truth and with that ends the ninth chapter called the Yoga of Imperishable Brahma  in the doctrine of Brahma wherein occurs the dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjun which is a part of  the discipline of Yoga.

Lord Krishna said,

" Now I shall proceed to give you the most secret of all doctrines.
I am that which causes the rising of these multifarious universes and I am the will behind their dissolution.
All the elements are under control of Nature (Prakruti) and nature is under my control. Nature is given a Law. and Nature has freedom to run itself according to Law. But I am over and above Nature and it is in my control to create and dissolve the worlds.
These worlds are by law ephemeral and perishable. It has been going through the three stages of creation, existence and dissolution perpetually and this eternal cycle is the primordial Karma. Though I am the cause, I am indifferent to this cycle. I have no involvement in it. I am an indifferent spectator.

I am the presiding power over the entire phenomena of Nature and because of me the worlds continue to exist. and dissolve.

Even when I come to this world in a human form, the mortal humans do not know me . The trinity of Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh are the manifestions of my threefold significance. All my divine manifestations are governed by the divine principle. They do not come under the law of mortality.
Those who do not recognize me when I live among the mortals in the human form, resort to cruel ways. Their aspirations are futile. Their Karma leads to no purpose. and what they believe to be knowledge is an illusion.

but those who recognize my divine essence are not be deluded by appearances. They follow me and remain devoted to me.

Those who have faith in me stay connected to me day and night.

Others who know me by knowledge and intellect follow me by making their entire life a sacrifice offered unto me.

I become the sun and create heat. With this heat I absorb the element of water and give it back in the form of rain.

I am the elixir, the nectar of life and I come to the world of the mortals as death.

Those who understand my essence and have faith in me are protected in life. I bear the responsibility for their welfare.

In this cosmic form I receive the fire of the sacrifice of life. I preside over the cosmos. Those who do not know me in the essence are not able to reach me.

At a level lower than me are the divine beings (Devas). Below them are the ancestral deities of the human race. (Pitris) The devotees of Devas reach the realm of the Devas, Those of Pitris reach the realm of Pitris. The devotees of gods in human forms reach the realm of human gods. But those who know me and follow me reach the highest abode.

Whatever is offered to me with devotion and love, be it a leaf, a flower a fruit or just water, I receive it with love because it comes sanctified by love and humility.

O Arjun, whatever you do, whatever relish, whatever you will offer to the fire divine, whatever you will part with for the benefit of others,whatever you will pursue with austere discipline, you should finally offer them to me.

The fruits of our karma, whether good or bad, are in the true sense the bindings of karma. You will be set free of that binding of Karma. Supremely free, you will come to me.

To me, all the living beings are equal. None is dearer to me than any other and none is despised. But I am particularly attracted to those who follow me with love, I am in them and they are in me.

Those who follow me with dedication and love will finally find me.

Geeta Chapter 8 : Stanzas 1 to 13

Arjun asked :
"O Lord of all men, what is that Brahma, what is spirituality and what is Karma? How is the individual soul defined? What is said to be divinity? What is the supreme sacrifice? Who is this who dwells in the body? How does the self-realized soul know you at the time of leaving this body?"



Chapter 9 Stanzas 1 to 26

Lord Krishna said, "Brahma is indestructible. It is supreme. The same transcendental Brahma is there inside every body. It remains secure and inaccessible. This essence of Brahma caught inside the living being  has all the characteristics of  Brahma. When caught inside the individual soul (Atman) it becomes spirituality, that is special knowledge of the Spirit (Adhi+ atma).It is the presence of the Supreme Spirit caught inside the individual body.
When the life of all beings becomes manifest in the world,  that process of creation of beings and their life is called Karma.
The principle of the ephemeral is the principle of the life of beings (Adhibhuta)
The individual soul is the affirmation of the  presence of the divine in man (Adhidaivata).  It is the spark of divinity.
I am the great divine sacrifice that is constantly being performed in the life of human beings (Adhiyajnya).
As the sacrificial fire I watch and accept all that life offers.
The one who remembers me at the time of departing from the physical body attains to the spirit that is in me. He becomes one with me. There should be no doubt about this in your mind.

The memory, desire, longing, whichever overshadows the dying person's consciousness, will accompany that person in the other realm. The soul will reach the realm where those things are present in their essential form.
Arjun, you being my soulmate, stay attuned to my soul at all times. And therefore go ahead and fight. Hand over the custody of your soul to me. At the end you will certainly reach me.

With practice and discipline of yoga, the consciousness will stay anchored to the Divine Spirit. It will not wander. Thus, whoever lives in the constant contemplation of the Divine, will reach the Highet manifestation of Divine Man.

 Contemplate that ultimate poet, that archaic being, that Master who disciplines all, that One all-pervasive being who is more subtle than a subtle atom, who is the bearer of all (Life),  who is incomprehensible in form, who has the lustre of the sun and who is beyond darkness. You will surely reach Him .

At the time of departure think of me with a steady, devotional frame of mind. Focus the vitality of life between the two eyebrows and think of me. You will surely reach me.

Close all the outlets. Bring the mind no the heart-centre and hold it there. Bring the breath upward and hold it at the highest crown centre of the head with the power of the yogic practice.

The sound of the monosyllable Aum is the symbol of ME, that is Brahma. Utter that sound. The one who will follow these steps at the time of departure, will find the most auspicious path. 

Geeta Chapter 9 : Stanzas 1 to 26

Lord Krishna said,

" Now I shall proceed to give you the most secret of all doctrines.
I am that which causes the rising of these multifarious universes and I am the will behind their dissolution.
All the elements are under control of Nature (Prakruti) and nature is under my control. Nature is given a Law. and Nature has freedom to run itself according to Law. But I am over and above Nature and it is in my control to create and dissolve the worlds.
These worlds are by law ephemeral and perishable. It has been going through the three stages of creation, existence and dissolution perpetually and this eternal cycle is the primordial Karma. Though I am the cause, I am indifferent to this cycle. I have no involvement in it. I am an indifferent spectator.

I am the presiding power over the entire phenomena of Nature and because of me the worlds continue to exist. and dissolve.

Even when I come to this world in a human form, the mortal humans do not know me . The trinity of Brahma Vishnu and Mahesh are the manifestions of my threefold significance. All my divine manifestations are governed by the divine principle. They do not come under the law of mortality.
Those who do not recognize me when I live among the mortals in the human form, resort to cruel ways. Their aspirations are futile. Their Karma leads to no purpose. and what they believe to be knowledge is an illusion.

but those who recognize my divine essence are not be deluded by appearances. They follow me and remain devoted to me.

Those who have faith in me stay connected to me day and night.

Others who know me by knowledge and intellect follow me by making their entire life a sacrifice offered unto me.

I become the sun and create heat. With this heat I absorb the element of water and give it back in the form of rain.

I am the elixir, the nectar of life and I come to the world of the mortals as death.

Those who understand my essence and have faith in me are protected in life. I bear the responsibility for their welfare.

In this cosmic form I receive the fire of the sacrifice of life. I preside over the cosmos. Those who do not know me in the essence are not able to reach me.

At a level lower than me are the divine beings (Devas). Below them are the ancestral deities of the human race. (Pitris) The devotees of Devas reach the realm of the Devas, Those of Pitris reach the realm of Pitris. The devotees of gods in human forms reach the realm of human gods. But those who know me and follow me reach the highest abode.

Whatever is offered to me with devotion and love, be it a leaf, a flower a fruit or just water, I receive it with love because it comes sanctified by love and humility.

O Arjun, whatever you do, whatever relish, whatever you will offer to the fire divine, whatever you will part with for the benefit of others,whatever you will pursue with austere discipline, you should finally offer them to me.

The fruits of our karma, whether good or bad, are in the true sense the bindings of karma. You will be set free of that binding of Karma. Supremely free, you will come to me.

To me, all the living beings are equal. None is dearer to me than any other and none is despised. But I am particularly attracted to those who follow me with love, I am in them and they are in me.

Those who follow me with dedication and love will finally find me.