|| Shri Hari ||

Gita's Knowable Supreme Truth

Swami Ramsukhdas

|| Shri Hari ||

Gita's Knowable Supreme Truth

tvameva mata cha pita tvameva

tvameva bandhuscha sakha tvameva |

tvameva vidyaa dravinam tvameva

tvameva sarvam mama devadeva ||

Swami Ramsukhdas

|| Shri Hari ||

Gita's Knowable Supreme Truth

According to Srimad Bhagavad Gita, 'gyeya' (knowable) means That Supreme Consciousness, God (Parabrahma, Paramatma). On inquiring further it becomes clear that knowable 'gyeya' is That which can be known, that is worthy of knowing or that which is essential to know. Of the three, that knowable which can be known first and the foremost is the world; because the world is perishable, it can be known by the senses and inner faculties (antahkaran), and the spiritual practices by which we can know the world, they too are as such within the dominion of this world. Knowing this world is beneficial, but it is to be known for the purpose of renunciation. In other words, this world even though being knowable 'gyeya', is to be renounced. Only That One Paramatma is to be known. This has been clearly stated in the Gita -

'Vedaishva sarvairhumeva vaidhiah' (Gita 15/15)

'Vedhyam pavitram ' (Gita 9/17).

In the thirteenth chapter, God has clearly revealed the names of twenty different spiritual disciplines and called them 'gyaan' (knowable), the spiritual practices by which 'gyaan' knowledge can be attained, are 'gyeya-tattva-Paramatma' the Knowable Supreme Essence, the Supreme Spirit.

'Gyeyam yattpravakshyaami yaggyaatvaamrutamshrute | Anaadimatparam brahma na sattnnaasaduchyate ||

(Gita 13/12)

In the first part of this verse God promises to reveal That Knowable Supreme Spirit (Essence) 'gyeya tattva.' In the second part of the line, He says that the fruit is the attainment of Elixir, in the third part, he talks about the transcendental qualities of That Supreme Spirit (Essence), that it can be neither called 'real' (sat) nor 'unreal' (asat)! In this manner, the Lord describes the aspects of the Lord as being without qualities, attributes and form.

Sarvatah paanipaadam tat sarvatokshishiromukham |

Sarvatah shrutimalloke sarvamaavrutya tishthi ||

(Gita 13/13).

'With hands and feet all over, with eyes, hands, mouth and ears everywhere, He stands pervading all.' Just as in a heap of gold, there are all kinds of ornaments, in color are all kinds of pictures, just as in ink there are all types of writings and just as electricity takes the form of various different instruments and appliances. That one electricity, makes ice, burns fire, causes elevators to go up and down, causes trains and trams to operate, causes voice to be heard from records and media, operates fans, gives light - in this manner, electricity takes on many extra-ordinary and opposing different forms and functions. Similarly, the world is created, sustained and destroyed and various opposing and unusual actions take place within That One Paramatma; but He is That One Eternal Supreme Lord alone - due to not understanding this Truth, people say that if God is One, then why some are happy and some are sad? They do not know That Brahma, without qualities and attributes, and that which is imperceptible by the mind, speech, intellect, is the same Supreme Lord with qualities and attributes, as well as, formless One that causes the creation, sustenance and destruction of this world.

In affirming its unity, Gita says -

Sarvendriyagunaabhaasam sarvendiryavivarjitam |

Asaktam sarvabhrucchaiva nirgunam gunabhoktr cha ||

(Gita 13/14)

He (God), though without all senses, is the perceiver of all sense-objects, unattached yet sustains all, not possessing of gunas (qualities and attributes), yet enjoys them.

Bahirantascha bhootaanaamacharam charameva cha | Sooksmatvaattadavijnaeyam doorastham chaantike cha tat ||

(Gita 13/15)

He exists, without and within all beings and constitutes the moving and also the unmoving creation; because He is subtle, He is incomprehensible. He is near and stands afar, too. (Gita 13/15)

Then how can He be known? Shrutis say -

Vigyaataarmare ken vijaaneeyaat

Through its power of understanding, the intellect, mind and senses are able to know their subjects. That Knowable Essence, is farther than the farthest and closer than the closest. On seeing from the perspective of space, closer than the earth is the body, closer than the body is the vital breath, closer than the vital breath is the senses, closer than the senses, is the mind, closer than the mind is the intellect, closer than the intellect is the embodied soul (jeevatma), and the one who bestows power to that, the illuminator is the all pervading Paramatma (Supreme Consciousness, God). Seeing at a distance, farther than the body, is the earth, farther than the earth is the water, father than the water is the fire, farther than the fire is wind, farther than the wind is space, farther than the space is the collective mind, farther than the mind is the supreme element, further than the supreme element (mahatattva) is the Nature of God and farther than the nature of God is God Himself. Therefore from the perspective of the space, God is farther than the farthest. Similarly from the perspective of time, God is farther than the farthest and closer than the closest. In the present times it is Supreme Consciousness (God), because all inert things are every moment moving towards destruction; therefore it does not have an existence. Even if you accept its existence, then closer than that is that Truth element, and if you look in the future then day, fortnight, month, season, half a year, one year, one yug (period), four yugs (four time periods), kalp (period of a day of Brahma, 1,000 yugs or 4,320,000,000 years), paraardh, age of Brahma and even beyond that - 'Sadeva somyedamagra aaseedekmevaadviteeyam' Being of the same community, or belonging to a different community and welcoming or unwelcoming in the form of nothingness, existence, beyond the impersonal Ultimate, is Supreme Consciousness (Paramatma) alone, and in the future also in the same manner after every second, moment, minute, hour, day, fortnight, month, season, half year, year, yug (an age era), four yugs (satya, treat, dwapara, kali yug), kalp (one day of Brahma, 4,320, 000,000 years), paraardh and Brahma’s age also that Supreme Consciousness (Paramatma) will remain - 'shishyate sheshsangyaah.' Therefore farther than the farthest also is That very Supreme Consciousness, That Essence is present. That knowledge which reveals the all encompassing place, time and objects is a form of knowledge of the sentient and conscious element and all the places, time and things that comes within its realm, does not remain still even for a moment, and only appears to be ever changing. In the ever changing there is no objects, rather there is only activity, and those actions are also only in appearance. And neither the objects, nor actions are lasting, only that knowledge alone remains. That knowledge is consciousness, as-is and That knowledge is certainly most worth of knowing -

Yaggyatvaa neha bhooyonyagyaatavyamavashishyate ||

After knowing that Knowable Essence, nothing remains to be known, acquired or done.

Avibhaktam cha bhooteshu vibhaktamiva cha sthitam |

Bhootbharmtru cha tajgyyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha ||

(Gita 13/16)

Undivided and yet It seems to be distributed over all beings. It is the only object worth knowing and is the creator (in the form of Brahma), sustainer (in the form of Vishnu) and destroyer (in the form of Mahadeva) of all beings.

'Jyotishaamapi tajjyotih' - That Supreme Soul is the Light of all Lights. i.e. Just as the Sun is the illuminator of various worldly objects and that Sun, reveals both the presence and the absence of all objects. Just as the radiance of the Sun or the darkness in absence of Sun, is exposed by the eyes. Just as the act of seeing by the eyes and the proper not proper state of the eyes is revealed by the mind, just as the purity or impurity of the mind and various other modifications of the mind is discovered by the intellect being free of modifications and just as the 'Self' reveals the proper-improper acts of the intellect, similarly the actions and inactions of the entire universe are exposed by the sentient form of God Himself. Therefore He is the LIGHT OF ALL LIGHTS, and is entirely separate from ignorance. That form of wisdom and knowledge that is worth knowing, which has been shared in Gita 13/7-11 which can be acquired by twenty different spiritual practices, remains ever present in the hearts of all beings. The Lord clearly states -

'Sarvasya chaaham hrdi sannivisto (Gita 15/15)

I am seated in the hearts of all

and

Ishvarah Sarvabhootaanam hrdesherjun tishthati

(Gita 18/61)

'The Lord dwells in the hearts of all Beings.'

That All Pervading, all governing, in all forms, Paramatma (Supreme Lord), that alone is worthy of knowing. That alone, the all pervading impersonal spirit of the entire Universe (Parabrahma) Paramatma, without form and attributes (nirguna – niraakar), unseen in the world and in the pervading Nature that takes the form of this world. That very same Paramatma when seen in the form of causative action through Nature, is seen with attributes and form, and is known as the Three – Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh. That very same Paramatma, when there is destruction of Dharma and rise of Adharma, then for the protection of the Sadhus and destruction of the evil-doers and to establish Dharma reincarnates as Lord Ram and Lord Krishna; And comes into the experiences of spiritual aspirants, in the form of light, through the words of Saints. The saints have described as Master, or Lord of Immortality.

And they have also said that the Lord Himself in the form of discrimination, 'a swam,' sends the saints from immortal lands to the world to spread devotion and to see to the benediction of the world. That Lord Himself is the master of Vaikunth, of Kailash and for Goloka, Divyasaaketaa, Divyadhaam, Salyalok etc and is called by various different names. And attainment of That Lord itself is the attainment of Paramatma, liberation, attainment of the Eternal Abode, attainment of Eternal State, attainment of Eternal Peace, attainment of flawless state, attainment of eternal Union and eternal peace etc. etc. by various names it has been elaborated out in the Gita and in various other Holy books. That very same best of all, eternal and supreme spirit, is called 'gyeya tattva' in Srimad Bhagavadgita. For its attainment, the Lord says -

Yam labdhvaa chaaparam laabham manyate naadhikam tatah | Yasministhito na dukhakhen gurunaapi vichaalyate ||

(Gita 6/22)

After the attainment of that state, he never goes astray. There are two reasons for man to deviate from his path - one is when he has great hopes of attaining something from the things acquired; and secondly, where ever he stays, if difficulties arise there, then he becomes moved and deviates from his path. On the removal of these two causes, the Lord says that there is no greater gain than the attainment of that Supreme Knowable essence. Even in God’s eyes, he does not see any gains greater than this, because there is no truth that is greater than that, and in the enlightened great souls, the enjoyment of pleasures does not remain. Therefore in the absence of individuality, even if the worst of worst sorrows comes forth, who is the one then to go astray? How is he going to go astray? That great soul is ever established in the self, free of all modification. He rises above the three modes of nature, i.e, he becomes 'gunateet.'

The Lord says -

He does not hate illumination, activity and delusion when those are abundantly present, nor does he long for them, when absent.

(Gita 14/22)

He who like an unconcerned, is not moved by the modes of nature and established in the self, remains apathetic without wavering, knows, that it is only the modes that act. (Gita 14/23)

He regards pain and pleasure alike, dwells in his own self, views a clod of earth, a stone and gold alike, remains equable amidst the pleasant and the unpleasant, is firm and treats blame and praise alike; he equates honor and dishonor and is the same to friends and foes, free from all pride of doership in all activities – such a man is said to have risen above, the three modes of nature. (Gita 14/24-25)

The fruits of the experience of Gita’s Supreme Knowable state is this alone.

Narayana ! Narayana ! Narayana !

From book ‘Sadhan, Sudha, Sindhu’ in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

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Text Box: A Note to the Reader

The special quality of the original is difficult to capture in a translation. Readers are earnestly requested, that if they have the knowledge of the Hindi language, to read the original book in Hindi.