The Bhagavad Gita (15 page)

21-22  “Hordes of deities swirl around You and enter into Your being. Some are awestruck and fearfully extol Your praises. Legions of other celestial beings sing rapturous hymns in praise of Your awesome purifying powers. Even these high beings gaze at Your fiery eyes in amazement, unable to gauge Your universal figure in its entirety.”

23-25  “O Krishna, it’s breathtaking. No matter how far I turn in any direction, high or low, side to side, I cannot see an end to Your form. All I see is Your vastness brushing the sky and horizons; I lose my sense of direction and feel utterly lost and bewildered. And now, seeing Your measureless might, it’s as though millions of arms and teeth are set to devour everything in sight.

“I perceive all the worlds and creatures become as I feel inside, frightened and terror-struck at Your fury. When I crane my neck to look upon Your gaping mouths and grinding teeth I am filled with horror; my peace of mind flees from me. Be gracious, O Krishna, please show mercy!

26-30  “I watch all the enemy forces — the sons of the old blind king, generals, heroes, relatives, others who allied themselves with them — all are rushing headlong into Your immensity as though being devoured. And I watch as vast numbers of our own soldiers and warrior-chiefs also rush heedless into the maw. I hear the frightful cries as these forces are ground up and crushed within You. Like flooded rivers rushing toward the ocean, the heroes on both sides are scurrying, stumbling to their awful fate in You; like moths flitting purposely into the flame, they rush to their doom in You. It is as though You are swallowing up the worlds and licking Your lips, O Lord. Your destructiveness is as a fierce blaze filling the sky, permeating the universe!

31  “When You are so ruinous and fierce, the reality of You abruptly hides from me. I suddenly don’t know who You are or what Your purpose is. Who are You? Help me find my balance!”

32  Krishna answers, “I
am
Time, Arjuna — and now, here at this place of battle, I am the mighty world-destroying Time. With or without you, the warriors are arrayed to fight, and whether on the righteous or corrupt side, they are readied for their ruin and must die. The destruction of enemies is inevitable. It is not possible for an individual person to avert the design of Divinity.

33  
“Therefore, attack, O mighty warrior, conquer your evil-doing enemies and win kingdom, wealth, and fame. I have willed to wipe out wickedness and have therefore already slain these warriors. Your actions will only be My outward cause, and you are merely My instrument.

34  “Although they are indeed brave, nevertheless smite them, for they are already doomed. Fight and you will win. Killing them is not contrary to
dharma
(righteousness).”

35   Arjuna interrupts, “I am shaking in fear, Divine One,” he says. “I bow my head and join my palms to You. My voice is so choked and my lips so trembling I can hardly speak.

36-37  “It is indeed appropriate, O Divinity, that the world reveres You, that the celestials bow to You and the demons flee from You. How could they not be in awe of You? You are the Cause of the Cause, the Eternal that existed even before Brahma the Creator. You transcend time itself, space itself, and even causation! You are the Supreme Divinity of all deities, the Lord of all gods. You are That within which the universe dwells. You are the Everlasting. You are That which is and That which is not, and even beyond both That and Not-That; You are rightly called the Supreme Absolute Reality.

38  “What else can rapturous souls do but extol You, the first and highest among gods, the most ancient spirit? Within You the cosmos rests in safety, and into You it will dissolve. You are at once the Knower and known, both the Goal and our striving toward it. Indeed, Your form fills and overflows the universe.”

39-40  “You are the wind itself, Krishna, not merely the lord of it. You are death itself, fire, water, and the moon itself, not merely the lord over them. You are the father of all born, and the sire of the fathers. Please accept my upwelling of devotion to You. I salute You a thousand times. Take these salutes, Divine One, from every quarter of Your creation. Infinite and measureless is Your might, and boundless is Your glory! Everywhere I look, there You are. Indeed, You are all there is.

41-42  “I haven’t really comprehended Your greatness until now, O Divine One. In the past I carelessly called You by Your familiar names and took You to be merely a fellow mortal, calling You simply ‘friend.’ If I have shown disrespect while we played as children or while resting or eating or in the company of others, please forgive me. I hereby take on a most reverent attitude.

43  “Who can match Your might? You are the source of all things in this world, animate or inanimate. You are the adored Master. None in all three worlds is equal to You.

44  “I prostrate myself before You and ask You to forgive me! As a friend forgives a comrade or a father forgives a son, or a mother forgives a child, or a lover forgives a beloved — please grant me pardon, Divine One.

45-46  “I am delighted to have been shown this rare vision, but I’m still filled with fear by it. Please have mercy on me, show me You as You were before. Let me see the familiar shape I knew — not with a thousand arms but with two — or even the four arms You occasionally seemed to have due to Your great strength.”

47-48  Krishna responds: “Through My Divine power and grace you have received this vision of My cosmic form. No other has seen this but you. I showed you this because I love you, Arjuna. This vision cannot be won through spiritual practices, study, service, rituals, or severe penance. Only through My grace has this sight of Me come, and it has come only to you.

49  “So why fear, Arjuna? Look, here I am as I appeared before. Be alarmed no more. Be happy, take courage.”

50-51  Lord Krishna reverts to His human form, a slight smile on His lips. Arjuna says, “O Krishna, I am very happy to see You back, and I’m beginning to feel calmer, like my old self.”

52  Krishna says, “The cosmic form you saw is extremely rare. Even celestial beings — those who are more spiritually elevated than humans but with no higher knowledge of the Godhead — even they yearn to see My form.

53  “Neither by study of the scriptures nor by personal austerities for purification, neither by giving gifts to the deserving nor by performing rituals nor by making offerings to Me can anyone behold Me as you have, Arjuna. Those spiritual activities — studying, gift giving, rituals, and so forth — are conducive to purifying the mind, but they will not bring the vision of Me.

54  “And yet, through unswerving, single-minded love
(ananya bhakti),
humans
can
know the essence of My supreme glory and can enter into My Being. How? Pure devotion, Arjuna. In a constant state of deep
love for God, a true devotee recognizes nothing but God.

55  “So therefore, O Prince, dedicate all your actions to Me. Work for Me alone with no attachments or selfish desires. Make Me your exclusive goal. Take refuge in Me. Love Me wholeheartedly and bear no malice toward any creature. Then you will reach Me.”

^*
Referring to Earth, in-between planes, the heavens; and the three states of consciousness: the waking, dream, and deep sleep states.

  1  Arjuna speaks again: “My interest is aroused now but I have a question. You say that only by unswerving love and worship can a devotee attain oneness with God. But some worship the invisible, formless God
(Nirguna
Brahman) and others worship the visible God with form
(Saguna
Brahman). Which of these two aspects is easiest? Which will melt your heart more?”

  2  Krishna answers, “I am pleased with either path, but worshiping
Saguna
Brahman, the one you can see, is right for you at this point, Arjuna. Setting your heart steadily on the visible aspect of Me and becoming saturated with devotion and faith will lead you quickly and surely to Me, the Godhead.

3-4  “As for those who worship
Nirguna
Brahman (God without form or name), if they truly subdue their senses, maintain a calm mind, and work for the good of all beings, they also come to Me. But realize, Arjuna, that
Nirguna
means not of nature; this Brahman is indefinable and unmanifested, invisible, not materialized. The senses therefore have no access to it, there is nothing to which it can be likened.

  5  “Devotees of the nonmaterialized Godhead have a steeper climb. It is extremely difficult for a person in a physical form to really understand the formless. Ordinary people identify themselves with their own physical body and cannot help but conceptualize God as also being in some sort of body. To deeply love the formless God one must be free from one’s own body consciousness, and this state is not attainable by many.

“But keep in mind, Arjuna, that worshiping Divinity in a form will help for only a while. Those whose ultimate aim is full liberation must sooner or later give up attachment to the body. Without this, the
Atma
stage of spiritual development cannot be attained.”

6-7  “But know, Arjuna, that I quickly come to those who offer Me all their actions, set their minds on Me with unswerving devotion, worship Me as their dearest delight, and takeMe as their one and only goal in life. Because they so dearly love Me, I save them from the sorrow of death and endless waves of rebirth.

8  “It is true that one is where one’s mind is. So fix your mind on Me. Be absorbed in Me alone. Focus your devotion on Me. Still yourself in Me. Without a doubt you will then come and live within Me.

9  “If you are unable to become absorbed in Me, wean your mind away from the world and reach Me by constantly concentrating on Me. I know this may seem impossible, but as I said, the ‘impossible’ can be made possible through regular practice (
abhyasa yoga
).

10  “If you find that you are not disciplined enough to concentrate in this manner, transform all your worldly actions into worship. Do them forMy sake. Turn your force of habit to your own advantage; make a habit of dedicating all your actions to Divinity. In this way you become My instrument and your mind gradually becomes purified, which will lead you to Me.

11  “But if you cannot even do that, then pursue an alternative n that is equally powerful. Take refuge in Me. Subdue your mind and give up desire for the fruits of your actions.

12  “Knowledge is better than mere performance of rituals. Meditation is better than knowledge. Abandoning the fruits of one’s acts
(tyaga),
is better than meditation. Why? Because peace
immediately
follows the giving up of expectations.”

13-14  “Arjuna, I will now enumerate the marks of the devotee I most dearly love. I love the one who harbors no ill will toward any living being, who returns love for hatred, who is friendly and compassionate toward all. I love the devotee who is beyond ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ unperturbed by pain and not elated by pleasure, who possesses firm faith, is forgiving, ever contented and ever meditating on Me.

15  “I love the peaceful devotee who is neither a source of 15 agitation in the world nor agitated by the world. I love
those who are free of fear, envy, and other annoyances that the world brings, who accept the knocks that come their way as blessings in disguise.

16  “I love those who do their worldly duties unconcerned and untroubled by life. I love those who expect absolutely nothing. Those who are pure both internally and externally are also very dear to Me. I love the devotees who are ready to be My instrument, meet any demands I make on them, and yet ask nothing of Me.

17  “I love those who do not rejoice or feel revulsion, who do not grieve, do not yearn for possessions, are not affected by the bad or good things that happen to and around them and yet are full of devotion to Me. They are dear to Me because they live in the Self
(Atma),
not in the commotion of the world.

18-19  “I love devotees whose attitudes are the same toward friend or foe, who are indifferent to honor or ignominy, heat or cold, praise or criticism—who not only control their talking but are silent within. Also very dear to Me are those generally content with life and unattached to things of the world, even to home. I love those whose sole concern in life is to love Me. Indeed, these and all the others I mentioned are very, very dear to Me.

20  “Hold Me as your highest goal. Live your life in accordance with the immortal wisdom I have taught you here, and practice this wisdom with great faith and deep devotion. Surrender your mind and heart completely to Me. Then I will love you dearly, and you will go beyond death to immortality.”