Atma-jnana, spiritual Knowledge, is unique in every way. There is no parallel to its power and potential. Krishna highlights how it destroys sin, however huge the stock of the sin may be.
Countless soldiers, horses and elephants were going to be killed in Kurukshetra. In fact, it was going to be a scene of colossal slaughter – incredibly sinful by all means. Arjuna’s fear and apprehensions were equally abysmal. How could they be brushed aside then? It was up to Krishna to treat all the fear and doubt of Arjuna and make his mind stable and poised. Sinfulness is a standing threat before any moral and ethical mind. It has to be dealt with wisely.
Krishna shows how immense is the potential of spiritual Knowledge in exterminating sinfulness and bestowing wholesome purity on the seeker:
Even if you are the most sinful of all sinners, by the raft of Self-knowledge you will cross the sea of evils.
Is this true and possible? The thinking mind may wonder and doubt. The doubts are but natural. Sin and sinfulness are not something that can easily be disposed off. That is why Krishna takes it up as a full subject while dealing with the merits and usefulness of spiritual Knowledge.
Feeling of sin, emergence of doubts and inquiries, are all in and from the mind and intelligence. Naturally, their redress must also come from the same internal source. Knowledge, which works in the mind and intelligence, alone has the power to resolve all doubts and dissolve all sins. This Knowledge of the Self, when rightly acquired or ‘realized’, will untie the knots of the mind and intelligence. The pressure and distress the mind and intelligence together create will then become extinct. Only Knowledge of the Self can accomplish this task of redemption.
But, attainment of knowledge will surely take time. Till then, what is the support and comfort for the seeking mind? The seeker must feel confident that when he attains Knowledge, he will have full relief from all his doubts and torments. Only then, he will be able to sustain his efforts and go forward. This and subsequent verses thus provide the timely assurance, hope and direction, without which seekers will not be able to handle their mind.
Krishna assures that jnana, acting as a raft, will take even the worst of sinners across, to the shore of purity and safety. It means a great deal. How does such a magical transformation, transcendence, take place? Krishna says jnana has the power to bring it about. He explains how the process works:
Just as blazing fire reduces all the faggots into ash, fire of Knowledge burns off all karmas.
Fire, in fact, is hidden in firewood. That is how in Vedic sacrifices two pieces of firewood (arani) are rubbed to produce the sacrificial fire to be placed on the altar. When made to blaze forth, it burns off all the offerings placed on it, reducing everything to a heap of ash.
The Supreme Knowledge also does likewise, says Krishna. However huge and complex one’s karmas be, jnana, once gained, exterminates them all. In fact, how much of sin the Kurukshetra battle, in which millions of warriors are participating, portends? Krishna assures that all that, nay even more, will be wiped off by the Knowledge the Wise impart.
Krishna first cited the instance of a raft taking the seeker across the ocean of sin. Then he brings the illustration of fire. In the case of the raft, it floats over water naturally, without in any way interfering with anything. The water below remains with its full depth and current. The raft just glides over, taking the rider to the shore.
In the world of dvandvas (pairs of opposites), sin has as much place as has virtue. Like many other pairs of opposites, they also surround everyone. Their presence cannot be questioned or disallowed. Like the lake or ocean, the water of sin remains where it is. But by getting on to the raft of Knowledge, one can row over it to reach the shore, leaving the water sheath to itself. This is the process of transcendence which Krishna excels in explaining.
“The buddhi-yukta abandons both sukrta and dushkrta (results of noble and ignoble actions)” – was his earlier statement in the second chapter (2.50). In this chapter he explains how the jnana-tapas (the austerity associated with spiritual knowledge) makes one rise above raga-dvesha-bhaya (desire, hatred and fear). Here too he explains the art and process of transcending whatever is troublesome or hindering.
The sensitive and intelligent seeker will find here in Krishna’s first example illustrating the process of transcendence, a clever way of dealing with sin and sinfulness. But, for others, who are mortally afraid of sin, the second one will be more reassuring. Fearful minds cannot tolerate the presence of an enemy. For them, Krishna’s promise that jñāna will completely burn off all their sin, will alone be assuaging.
Both examples have their distinct worth and message. Together they provide what the various seekers look for. Each can find his redress, relief and hope.
Still more significant and sublime is what Krishna says in the next verse. He stresses the general wholesome effect of spiritual Knowledge. Far from being a mere intellectual pursuit, jnana-sadhana (knowledge-pursuit) constitutes a full-fledged practice. When earnestly taken up with the guidance of a Wise Teacher, it initiates a very deep and wholesome process of self-purification and self-enrichment:
There is nothing in this world as purifying as jnana. In due course of time, one will automatically attain that jnana in himself by the maturity and fruition of yoga pursuit.
These words become immensely relevant when we keep in mind what Krishna said earlier, in response to Arjuna’s enquiry: “Compelled by what does an individual commit sin in spite of his wishes to the contrary?” (3.36)
“Kama (desire, greed and passion) is the sole cause for sinfulness in any one”, was the assessment and assertion Krishna made (3.37). Describing kama as mahasanah (the great insatiable hunger) and maha- papma (the great sinner), he pointed out that it lies coiled up in the senses, mind and intelligence, covering clear understanding, as smoke covers fire (3.38-40). The only way to deal with kama is by knowing the blemishless Self and drawing upon its lustre and might to sublimate one’s being (3.42-43).
Krishna’s declaration was: “By knowing clearly the Self, which reigns above the buddhi (intelligence), regulate and integrate the whole being. And by that, conquer the enemy, kama, which is very difficult to subdue.” The means for purifying the physical as well as the inner parts of one’s being is jnana-sadhana.
Pavitram (purifier) is the attribute Krishna uses for jnana. By giving jnana-sadhana the status of supreme purifier, he has made it paramount in every way. Only due to the inability to grasp the depth and wholesomeness of jnana-sadhana, many seekers fail to reach the innermost levels of their being and eradicate the unwelcome traits lurking there.
The question naturally arises: Is such purification and the attainment of wholesome purity a simple or short-term task? Krishna wants Arjuna as well as others to understand that the fullness of attainment of jnana calls for sufficient time and even exclusiveness. That is why in our country, the style or order of sannyasa (renunciation) has gained so much distinction and supremacy. The seekers as well as the Knowers here love to take to the ascetic life of exclusive spiritual pursuit.
Sannyasa has its own place, purpose and sublimity to offer to all. Leaving the blood and matrimonial relations, abandoning all riches and social status, why should spiritually inclined people resort to the ascetic exclusiveness of sannyasa, unless it has its unique compulsion and benefit? The purificational merits of jnana-sadhana are paramount, and by these alone can the assiduous seeker attain the wholesomeness of fruition he yearns for.
Depending upon the nature and intensity of his psychospiritual inheritance, the seeker will need to pursue his sadhana assiduously. He should not lag behind in pursuing his goal at any time. The duration required may be short, long or even very protracted. He has to flow with the current of Nature. At no time should he think of relenting in his dedication and wholesomeness. He has to give himself unreservedly to his sadhana, allowing it sufficient time to bestow its effects.
Krishna assures that in right time the seeker will have the desired fruition. None need foster any doubt or apprehension in this regard.
To free the senses, mind and intelligence of all their dross and bring about their integrated sublimation is truly the goal of spiritual sadhana. In other words, it is to achieve a state or level, wherein no impurity will ever be caused, or if caused, will be instantly dissolved. That would mean to gain an ever-ennobling, ever-sublimating Knowledge, and to be constantly under its refreshing grace and splendour. Is it not a gain supreme and magnificent in every way?
It is a law of nature that anything lasting is slow to grow and mature. All seekers must know this truth. True spirituality is not at all an academic pursuit. It is a wholesome growth, expansion and becoming – experiential at every step.
When a Teacher imparts tuition, the student merely understands the message. At best he absorbs it. Thereupon he has to implement or practise what has been imparted and absorbed. Is it not a process to be followed for a sufficient length of time? Merely by listening to the Teacher, as Arjuna was doing, can the incumbent derive the fullness of outcome?
Unless the Knowledge gained is able to display its magnificence and sublimity in every situation, it has not served its purpose. The test of Knowledge is the prevalence of its benefits in life and interactions.
Self-knowledge, as Krishna has explained earlier, has to make the seeker a full Knower – a sthita-prajna and sthita-dhi (2.54-72). To be a sthita-prajna is far more than to hear the words of Wisdom. Can Arjuna become a sthita-prajna or sthita-dhi all of a sudden, remaining in the battlefield? Krishna is no doubt giving him all the knowledge and instruction to lift him up from the acute distress. But the process of ‘becoming’ is something yet to follow.
The Upanishads declare: “Brahmavit brahmaiva bhavati – one who knows Brahman, verily becomes Brahman.” To become Brahman is to be a sthita-prajna and sthita-dhi. That Wisdom, on attaining which the seeker will no more be subject to delusion, is obviously something very lofty and wholesome.
Evidently, it will involve sufficient time, attention and effort. This is what Krishna means by “kalena atmani vindati”. The attainment will become true only after one does the necessary measure of sadhana. Through every action, the seeker must consolidate his yogic attitude and enrichment to become a yoga-samsiddhah. That will in due time bring the supreme dawning.
The expression “atmani vindati” is also very significant and specific in its import. Krishna points out that the true spiritual attainment is not getting something from outside or reaching somewhere away or different from oneself. It is a fruition that takes place within oneself. When the mind becomes pure, intelligence becomes bright and clear and the heart becomes light and contented, the Supreme Knowledge will dawn like the full moon in the clear sky.
The emphasis on the internal, personal, experiential nature of spiritual attainment is to be specially kept in mind.
Krishna thus assures that Knowledge is surely attainable. None need doubt or fear whether consistent pursuit of yoga-sadhana will be crowned with fruition. In due time, the dedicated seeker is bound to grow in purity and attain the desired fruition. Jnana, even in the first stages of pursuit, is immensely purifying to the mind and intelligence. In fact, no other pursuit is as effective as jnana in bestowing purity.
The remaining four verses of the fourth chapter have a concluding note. They first point out that to inherit the supreme spiritual Knowledge, sraddha (keen interest and assiduous application) is the prime factor that counts.
“Sraddhavan labhate jnanam,” says Krishna. The one with sraddha will attain Knowledge. Who is a sraddhavan? Krishna clarifies that one who regards ultimate Knowledge as his supreme pursuit and goal – tatparah – is sraddhavan. In addition, he must have adequate sensory control and moderation, samyatendriyah, a point Krishna never misses to emphasize time and again.
Once the right Knowledge becomes accessible, it brings the supreme peace – para santih. Jnana alone can bestow supreme peace. The entire talk of Knowledge is with the one aim of achieving peace and freedom. Arjuna began with intense grief, which he wanted to be completely removed. Krishna cannot forget this first confession and demand placed before him.
As a counter caution, Krishna strongly condemns asraddha in the matter of spiritual seeking. To be ignorant of the Supreme Knowledge and the means to attain it, to be inattentive in pursuing that knowledge or to foster doubts repeatedly, is all extremely degrading, destructive.
Doubt is a traitor in spiritual life. Mind and intelligence are notorious in creating and clinging to doubts. In fact, doubt is the last thing to go from the seeker’s mind. The seeker has to be careful and cautious in keeping doubts away, and preserving confidence and reliance. In fact, the very purpose of scriptures is to liberate the mind from the stranglehold of doubt and indecision.
Krishna warns that for the doubtful, ignorant and the inattentive, neither is this world gainful, nor any other. The doubtful will never have peace or happiness. The ever-doubtful mind makes life wasteful.
Krishna concludes the chapter with a two-fold pronouncement: yoga-sannyastha-karmanam – all actions should stand renounced by dint of yoga-sadhana. And, jnana-samcchinna-samsayam – the mind and intelligence should ever remain free of doubts, by the clarity jnana bestows. Only then the necessary control and integration will grace one’s being.
The mention of sannyasa (renunciation) here (4.41) must have been stunning to Arjuna. In fact, Arjuna had himself opted for sannyasa, in preference to fighting the sinful war. Krishna sternly denounced Arjuna’s ignorant resolve right then, and the whole dialogue began from there. The same Krishna now stresses the need for renouncing actions by the power of yoga!
Then comes Krishna’s further call: Cutting asunder all the doubts of your ignorant heart by the sword of jnana, take refuge in the yoga pursuit, O Bharata (4.42).
Is there not a contradiction? Yoga is ‘action-linked’ and renunciation is ‘action de-linked’. This is how people normally view it. Can the two go together? If they cannot, only one of them can be adopted. What will Krishna’s call for renunciation mean then? The war of doubts continues. The battle of Kurukshetra alone is kept in abeyance!
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(From the Series Essential Concepts In Bhagavad Gita Volume 2)
