God dwells in the hearts of all beings
True to the concluding phase of the dialogue, Sri Krishna reveals how to make the spiritual pursuit wholesome and effective. Instead of the practice being occasional and piecemeal, Krishna says, it should evolve into a ceaseless orientation as an inseparable, integral part of the seeker. Thus, the entire life, generally considered material and worldly, is made divine. The discussion becomes quite singular and paramount, both by the note of excellence it strikes and the all-fold utility and relevance it provides.
Krishna’s revelations have an ascending order. Beginning with the sensory level sādhanā, he then pointed out that the sādhaka should link up the external activities and interactions with his wholesome reliance on the Supreme. Next he spoke of renunciation as an attitude of the mind towards all that one does and interacts with. This should embrace and enrich the seeker in all facets of his life. Here now he speaks about the still finer and deeper level constituting the pinnacle of spiritual sādhanā.
Krishna points out where God, the supreme Reality, reigns and how He can be truly accessed:
God dwells in the heart of all beings. Reigning in the heart, by virtue of His inscrutable power (māyayā), He makes everyone whirl around, as in a revolving machine (yantra- ārūdhāni). Seek refuge under Him with all your mental notes, bhāvas. By the grace of the Supreme, you will attain the supreme eternal abode.
Krishna’s unambiguous words are: God dwells in the heart of all beings. There is a great relevance in this statement. God is not an external power or presence, distanced infinitely from us, as devotees and religionists generally think. At no time, do they think that He is present within. Krishna cuts across all such pet notions, and states categorically that God is an inner Presence. If He is taken as present in oneself, then all our prayers will have to undergo a change. It will not be so much a prayer, as a confident self-effort to achieve what one aims at!
The word bhrāmayan denotes that creation is a very strange illusory phenomenon. Krishna did explain the point earlier too (na ca matsthāni bhūtāni - 9.5). After saying that all beings are in the supreme Reality, Krishna added that the beings are not in the supreme Reality, thereby declaring the plural creations to be not real, but an illusion. Māyā is an attribute of the supreme Reality, like heat or brilliance of fire. This illusoriness is wrought by the Divine Potential, which can display even non-existent things.
Material things alone have specific, characteristic properties. For instance, water flows downward to find its level. But the dream-river produced by the mind may flow upward, like the blazing fire. In fact, the inscrutable power of the supreme Reality is such that it can create and un-create verily anything!
It is all done by the mere wish and will of the Supreme. That is what Krishna said: “See the Divine Power! The exterior existence inheres in the Supreme, but the Supreme does not inhere in It! Also, even the exterior things do not exist in the Supreme.” Does not what he says now, confirm his earlier statement? God, dwelling in the heart of all beings, goes on revolving them by dint of His illusory power, as if they were on a machine!
One point becomes quite clear. The Power and Presence that engenders life and activities, is within. There is no question of an outside agency remotely controlling the beings. The concept that God is distant and remote is to be summarily dispensed with.
The inner Presence in each alone activates the mind, intelligence and senses. Nothing in creation is excluded from that Presence. It is not that the good and noble alone have the Divine within them. The bad and ignoble also have It in full. Thus is the amazing plurality at work. In reality, there is nothing called good or bad. All are different facets of the same Reality. All are equally activated by the same Godly presence within. To understand and accept this fact is not easy. But the spiritual seeker cannot plead weakness or reluctance in taking to Truth.
Bhāva-samarpaṇa (emotional and attitudinal offerings)
A question naturally arises. If the Supreme is present within, why is it that the beings differ so much in their qualities? What makes one virtuous and another vicious? In the 5th chapter Krishna had pointed out in very clear terms:
The Lord of the world does not institute or cause kartṛtva, doership, or enjoin on anyone any specific action or duty. He does not also link anyone with the results of his actions. It is one’s own nature that prevails.
The cause is the inherent nature inextricably associated with everyone. Good and bad feelings are to be attributed to oneself. The source of everything in life is within oneself. On this basis what should be done?
Krishna says that one should seek refuge under the Indweller Himself! Sarva bhāvena is the word he uses. Sarva means all; bhāva means mental notes, attitudes. All that is needed for this is a full unreserved offer of all the bhāvas with their varying attitudes, to the Indweller Himself.
If all feelings and attitudes of the seeker have their source in himself, what prevents the seeker from offering them to that very Source? In all earnestness, make a full offer of all feelings and attitudes to the Indweller, who keeps you revolving as if on a wheel. And by this, what is the gain? When this offering is made, there will inevitably follow a recession along with a new emergence – recession of negative qualities and emergence of virtues. That will ensure the correction or improvement the seeker yearns for.
This bhāva samarpaṇa is the last phase of spiritual and devotional life, which commences with dravya samarpaṇa, the offering of materials to the Lord. Krishna had said, be it a leaf, flower, fruit or water that is offered, coat it with devotion. That devotional note God partakes of (9.26). Devotion starts with such material, external offering.
In the next stage, the devotee does not look for any special items, places and occasions. He instead renders all his activities into a full, hearty offer, outliving previous limitations. The devotion has thus become continuous (18.46). The occasional dravya-samarpaṇa (material-offering) is replaced by all-time karma-samarpaṇa (action-offering). It is obvious as to which is better.
To whom should the offer be made? The devotee thinks of the Source of the whole creation. Krishna added that this Source pervades and permeates everything. Can such an omnipresent entity be ever touched or reached by material offers and rituals? The devotee is obliged to introspect about the nature of the Supreme and understand that it is inseparable from himself. How vividly is devotional progress explained!
Here now he discusses the still loftier level of devotion, in which knowledge takes the leading note. All externality in worship is left or outlived and devotion becomes a refinement. It recedes to the innermost level. Mind’s own products or offshoots, namely attitudes (bhāvas), become the ‘substance’ offered to the Indwelling Lord.
Is not the mind the very cause of all our activities? All outcomes also fall on the mind and linger there alone. Therefore, let the mind’s affairs alone be the items offered. Focus devotional pursuit in the mind-plane. Attitudes and responses alone count, in reality. All others are their resultants.
By such bhāva samarpaṇa, Krishna says, the Indweller will be pleased. By that grace and favour, the seeker will attain supreme peace and also the permanent abode. Judge now the value and merit of bhāva-samarpaṇa! By bhāva-samarpaṇa is the ultimate immortal pedestal attained!
The whole ascent of spiritual devotion has to be clearly grasped. From where it starts, what stages it passes through and finally how it climaxes! The entire course should be reflected upon and assimilated. In that lies the success of the seeker. Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue, aimed at enlightening the seeker about his problems and their respective solutions. The redress or relief it offers at every step is in the nature of wisdom, enlightenment.
To relate what Krishna now says with what he said earlier:
1. He spoke about the supreme reliance (18.56) and then exhorted inner renunciation (18.57).
2. From there, he emphasizes that the Supreme Lord is dwelling in the heart of every being (18.61), explaining that He can as such be approached by the mind alone (18.62). All attitudes of the mind become the hearty offer as well as the means of getting closer to the Lord. Thus all the physical means and procedures become redundant.
3. Mind becomes the sole content, means and focus of devotional worship.
4. By offering the mind and its expressions to the Supreme Indweller, the seeker becomes greatly sublime and divine. He attains verily the Supreme Abode.
The secret is knowledge-based
Krishna has reached the zenith of his dialogue, and therefore tells Arjuna decisively what he should do after having heard all that he (Krishna) has exposed. In fact, this applies equally to every seeker:
This secret Knowledge – it is more secret than all other secrets – has been imparted to you. Reflecting on this fully, do as you please.
All that Krishna has said and exposed earlier in the various chapters does contain some cardinal secrets. But what he has exposed now is greater than all those.
Krishna has, in the last seven verses (18.56-62), divested devotional pursuit from all its physical involvements and observances, and presented it as a wholesome, constantly pursuable formula, making it easy for one and all in any life situation – especially for Arjuna, who is out to begin a colossal war, entailing the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of warriors!
Thus Krishna’s latest statements are a greater secret. For, he has not insisted upon any particular discipline, control or regulation! All that he has asked for is: i) wholesome reliance, ii) inner renunciation and iii) attitudinal dedication (bhāva-samarpaṇa). And to make it simpler, he pointed out, all these inhere in one’s own mind. Anyone with a mind can adopt this benign path of wholesome restfulness, renunciation and dedication.
Krishna says that Arjuna, or any seeker for that matter, has now to evaluate and adjudge the exposure. He must place it in its own worth, relevance and utility. Once this is properly done, then he must arrive at his own decision as to what step he should take in order to realize the objective before him.
Krishna’s role is thus only to provide clarity and confidence that a seeking mind yearns for. Once these are had, and as a result the delusion is removed, there is no need for giving any command, order or suggestion. There is nothing in the way of command in our spiritual tradition. It is for the illumined intelligence to decide the right course of action.
The scriptures only provide the necessary knowledge to help the mind and intelligence. Once the right knowledge is gained, it is for the mind and intelligence to ensure that the right decision is taken. Our Dharma recognizes the rational nature of the human intelligence. In the light of the knowledge that he gains, every individual has to decide on his course of action.
It is relevant to recollect how Krishna began the dialogue: Kṣudram hṛdaya-daurbalyam tyaktvā uttiṣṭha parantapa (2.3) – was his initial response to what Arjuna said in lamentation, fear and retreat. Krishna sternly derided Arjuna’s stand, calling it baseless and futile. It was but the result of sheer weakness. And so, he asked Arjuna to eschew it outright and get up with the fervour of a fighter.
In the same vein, he exhorted Arjuna more than once: Tasmād yudhyasva bhārata (Therefore, fight, O Bhārata!); Yudhyasva vigatajvaraḥ (Fight without fear or timidity!), etc. (2.18, 2.31, 2.32, 2.37, 2.38, 3.30, 8.7).
As against all this, here are Krishna’s conclusive words: Critically adjudge matters and then do whatever you like! What do these contrasting notes signify?
The human is ignorant by birth. Through education, he tries to remove the ignorance and become knowledgeable, so that he may think, know and act wisely, avoiding pitfalls. But the education generally remains secular, worldly. The deeper elements like mental refinement and enrichment are not imparted – these find no place in our academic curriculum. Sanātana Dharma, in fact, provides this missing aspect as its sole content and message.
In this comprehensive dialogue, Krishna has led Arjuna to the knowledge of the highest Dharma, the spiritual and yogic way of thinking and action. Touching practically all aspects of life, world, God and the supreme Reality, Krishna provided abundant clarity and enlightenment. Yet his conclusive words are: Reflect upon what you have known and then act the way you feel like!
The Vedas are revelatory – not mandatory
This is the unique distinction of Hinduism, Sanātana Dharma. It recognizes the individual’s freedom, concern and persuasion. Scriptures only help in arriving at a proper understanding about all these and the manner in which they have to be applied in actual life. In this, Hindu Dharma is incomparable.
This is how the Vedas – which deal with multi-pronged aspects like this world, the other ones, material and spiritual rewards, the means for attaining these and a lot more – are yet regarded as only revelatory in character, but not mandatory. The rational man will look for and need only right exposure. When the mind and intelligence are properly informed, the timely inspiration to do the right action is inevitable. This is a demand of human integrity.
On the other hand, if a set of orders and commands are laid down, and people, because of their own weaknesses – ignorance, delusion and fear – are not able to heed them, where would the sanctity of the scriptures be? Would they not be rejected as irrelevant, impractical and useless? Would that be desirable? By that, neither the Vedas would be meaningful nor the human life dignified!
Krishna’s exposition too is more revelatory than mandatory. That is why he leaves the decision to Arjuna. Having all the knowledge about life and death, right and wrong, Arjuna now must be able to decide wherein lies his śreyas (felicity) and what should be done to ensure it. With this discrimination, he must confidently resolve as to what he should do in the context of the great war and with what resolution he should face Bheeshma and Drona.
He had earlier said that he would not fight, but instead take to ascetic life, begging for livelihood. Krishna has already stamped it as utterly wrong and irrelevant. It is for Arjuna now to re-evaluate his stand and adopt the right step.
How our scriptures handle the human mind, enlighten it variously and finally make it confident, guiding it in the righteous course, is a matter for deep study, understanding and appreciation.
Did not Krishna state distinctly uddharet ātmanā ātmānam, na ātmānam avasādayet – elevate yourself by your own inherent will, do not lower yourself at any time (6.5)? The potential for self-elevation is ingrained in everyone. Krishna has made Arjuna know this sufficiently well. The way Arjuna responds to Krishna’s ultimate words is exceedingly interesting.
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(From Essential Concepts in Bhagavad Gita - Volume 6)