परं भूयः प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम् ।
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः सर्वे परां सिद्धिमितो गताः ॥१४-१॥
Transliteration:
In Bhagavad Gita chapter 14 verse 1 Lord Krishna says: O Arjuna, knowing which even an ardent seeker of spirituality finally gained release from cycle of birth and death forever… such a path of jnana (wisdom) can only be known by one who practiced austerities of highest order. A Muni indulging in silent contemplation on God Almighty finally reached God.
Far from hue and cry of material world, when a sanyasi (renunciate) indulged in path of jnana yoga (absolute wisdom)… one finally reached God in present life time! Maharishi Ramana indulged in vow of silence most of time. Self introspection was his forte. Lying on a cot most of time Maharishi Ramana contemplated on God Almighty.
Maharishi Ramana was one of the saints of present era who reached God in his lifetime! Path of jnana yoga, path of contemplation, path of self introspection was a vital aspect of spiritual life. Unless human beings realized what path of jnana yoga was all about… one could never reach God in one’s lifetime! Realizing absolute truths of life is what spirituality all about.
Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna that he was competent to receive Brahma jnana, Tattva jnana from Lord Krishna… knowing which he would easily reach God in his lifetime. In Hinduism liberation from cycle of birth and death forever stands for Mukti. The ultimate goal of life for all human beings on mother earth was gaining Mukti (liberation from cycle of birth and death forever)!
The Explanation:
Even before start of sermon of Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna knew well that in entire world, Arjuna was the only competent person to receive Brahma jnana, Tattva jnana… knowing which he would not only win battle of Mahabharata, battle of Dharma (righteousness) against evil forces of adharma (lawlessness) but also succeed in reaching God in his lifetime. A realized soul after reaching stage of god realization never incurred any sin. A pure soul atman, the consciousness within could never attract bondages of sin, no matter what!
A self realized soul was above bondage of karma forever.
Arjuna was a Jitendriya (one who succeeded in establishing absolute control over five senses). Such a seeker of spirituality was a fit candidate to receive Tattva jnana knowing which one could emancipate from cycle of birth and death forever. This Tattva jnana could never be disclosed to one not competent to receive the same. For one attracted by worldly riches… essence of Tattva jnana, Brahma jnana carried no meaning! Arjuna was the chosen one to receive sermon of Bhagavad Gita as Dharma yuddha (War of Dharma, righteousness) had to be won at all costs.
Path of jnana yoga (absolute wisdom) as per Lord Krishna was the highest ideal of life. Nothing was more sacrosanct than travelling path of jnana yoga (absolute wisdom). Path of jnana yoga coupled with nishkama karma yoga led one to God Almighty. This path of spirituality can only be travelled by one who succeeds in establishing absolute control over ego (Aham in Hinduism). Control over ego (Aham) can only be established by one travelling path of nishkama karma yoga! One had to become a true trustee of God Almighty to reach God.
Jnana (wisdom) in life could never be gained literally. All sacred scriptures demand reading in between the lines! By contemplating on spiritual writings, by indulging in self enquiry human beings slowly edged towards God Almighty! Practicing absolute celibacy for a minimum period of 12 years in continuation human beings finally succeeded in full awakening of kundalini shakti (the coiled Serpentine energy lying dormant in base of spine). The sacred wisdom contained in Bhagavad Gita helped one reaching our true inner self… our soul atman, the spirit within!
The end goal of spiritual life always was reaching stage of moksha salvation! When karma negates to zero… our soul atman, the consciousness within gains absolute purity forever! The sermon of Bhagavad Gita was directed towards Arjuna reaching stage of absolute purity. Spirituality does not mean abstaining from karma. As per Bhagavad Gita karma needs to be burnt from within. When complete dross impurities within a soul atman removed forever… one reached stage of absolute purity. A pure soul atman does not manifest a body again as the need for a pure soul atman to manifest a body now ceased to exist.
Through enormous persuasion Lord Krishna gains success in imparting to Arjuna the unfailing wisdom of Bhagavad Gita. Realizing that Lord Krishna was no ordinary God, Arjuna gives Lord Krishna a patient hearing. Arjuna knew that if he realized self, realize god… he would forever reach stage of Mukti (liberation). Becoming a Siddha Purusha was no ordinary job. One becomes a Siddha Purusha only after reaching stage of enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation moksha. If God Almighty ordained so, Arjuna had to abide by the same!
The unflinching faith that Arjuna carried in Lord Krishna resulted in Arjuna finally agreeing to fight war of Dharma (righteousness). By feigning cowardice, by refusing to fight war of Dharma (righteousness), Arjuna was simply expressing ignorance in matters spiritual. Through sermon of Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna eventually succeeds in re-establishing Dharma (righteousness) world over. Bhagavad Gita of Hinduism is one such scripture knowing which any human being world over could easily reach God, realize God forever! All teachings contained in Bhagavad Gita had universal appeal. The teachings of Bhagavad Gita can be followed by any human being belonging to any religion, faith or belief! To know Bhagavad Gita, one need not convert to Hinduism ever! The best part of Bhagavad Gita was… its teachings never diluted with time!
Commentary by: Vijay Kumar “Atma Jnani”… The Man who Realized God in 1993 – May 26, 2013
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