Chapter
19: The
Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge
(1)
The
Supreme Lord said: 'Someone who, endowed with knowledge
according to the oral tradition, is self-realized and doesn't
lose himself in speculations about what true knowledge is,
must, known with the fact that this universe as well as the
knowledge about it is illusory to a high degree, turn his steps
towards Me. (2)
For the spiritual philosopher I am the only beloved one, the
only self-interest, motive and final conclusion as also the
elevation and way to heaven; indeed, next to Me as the favorite
one, he has no other purpose. (3)
They who have fully perfected their knowledge and wisdom know
My lotus feet as the supreme object [of worship] and
for that reason is the learned transcendentalist who by means
of spiritual knowledge keeps to Me, most dear to Me [see
also B.G. 7:
17-18].
(4)
That what by means of austerities, visiting holy places, doing
japa, performing charity and being of other pious deeds
is awarded cannot bear comparison with the perfection awarded
by but a fraction of this spiritual knowledge [compare
10.46:
32-33].
(5)
Worship for that reason Me in a loving mood with the spiritual
knowledge with which you know your soul and are of success with
the knowledge and wisdom. (6)
With the sacrifice of vedic knowledge and wisdom the sages
ensured themselves of the highest perpection by worshipping Me,
the Lord of All Sacrifices who is the Supersoul inside of them.
(7)
O Uddhava, the manifest world which is divided in three
divisions and is constantly transforming, consists of the
bewildering energy which proves itself in the present. But
because it is not there in the beginning nor in the end, you
may wonder what their relation [the relation of the
modes] would be to [the true of] you. They relate
only to the birth of your material body and all of that. That
what at first was not there and in the end isn't there either,
is only of a temporary presence.'
(8)
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'O Controller of the Universe, o You in the Form
of the Universe, please explain the bhakti-yoga unto You that
is also sought by the great, and encompasses this extensive,
thoroughly settled knowledge that is as traditional as the
[original] detachment and wisdom [of
Brahmâ]. (9)
O Lord, for the one who, tormented on the violent material
path, is overwhelmed by the threefold miseries [see
1.17:
19], I see no
other shelter but the canopy of Your two lotus feet that shower
the nectar. (10)
Please uplift this person who, bitten by the snake of time,
hopelessly fell down in this dark pit. Uplift this person
craving so badly for some insignificant happiness. O Might of
Understanding, pour out Your words of mercy that awaken one to
liberation!'
(11)
The
Supreme Lord said: 'This you ask now was in the past by the
king who considered no one his enemy [Yudhishthhira]
inquired from Bhîshma, the best of the upholders of
dharma, while we were all present attentively listening
[see 1.9:
25-42].
(12)
When the war between the descendants of Bharata was over, he
asked, overwhelmed by the destruction of his beloved
well-wishers, what, after all he had heard about the many
principles of religion, the nature of liberation finally would
be. (13)
I'll describe to you the vedic knowledge consisting of
detachment, self-realization, faith and devotional service, as
it was heard from the mouth of the one vowed to God [viz.
Bhîshma]. (14)
When one with the nine, eleven, five and three elements
one finds in all living entities truthfully sees the one
element [of the Absolute Spirit, the Supersoul, the Lord,
see 1.2:
11] within them,
carries that spiritual knowledge My approval. (15)
Not being of all the elements subject to the three modes but
rather seeing the One who maintains, creates and annihilates
this universe, is one actually of the knowledge of
self-realization [vijñâna].
(16)
Only that must be considered true and eternal which is present
in the beginning as well as in the middle with the changes of
one form into the other, as also in the end when it remains
upon the annihilation of everything. (17)
With the four types of evidence - the vedic truth
[s'ruti], the truth of direct experience
[pratyaksha], the truth by tradition
[aitihya or smriti], and the truth of
logical inference [anumâna] - one develops
detachment from the flickering nature of the dual reality
[see pramâna].
(18)
Because all material activities are transient there is up to
the world of Viriñca
[Brahmaloka] inauspiciousness. An intelligent person
knowing that everything that was experienced is time-bound will
also understand that the same is true for everything else in
the universe [see also shath-ûrmi,
11.3:
20 and B.G.
8:
16].
(19)
Because of your love for Me I previously spoke to you about
bhakti-yoga, o sinless one. Let Me also expound now on the way
in which the elevation of My devotional service is achieved.
(20-24)
Faith in the nectar of the narrations about Me, always chanting
My glories, fixed in the attachment of ceremonial worship, to
relate with hymns and prayers to Me; being of a high regard for
My devotional service, with all of one's body to be offering
obeisances, to be of the first-class worship of My devotees, to
be conscious of Me being present in all living beings, to
dedicate all one's normal activities to Me and also the with
words defending of My qualities, placing the mind in Me and
rejecting all material desires; for My sake giving up on money
as also on sensual pleasures, material happiness and passions,
being of charity and offering in sacrifice, chanting the names
to achieve Me and keeping to vows and austerities; that are the
ways, Uddhava, in which, with those human beings who actually
commit themselves to the dharma, devotional service for Me
develops - what other purpose would remain for My devotee?
(25)
When in peace one's consciousness is absorbed in the soul, one
achieves, strengthened by the mode of goodness, religiosity,
spiritual knowledge, detachment and opulence. (26)
But when one being fixed upon the material variety, chases
one's senses in every direction and one thus is enslaved by
passion, you should know that one by that [materialist]
consciousness dedicated to the impermanent will attain the
opposite. (27)
The dharma is said to lead to My devotional service. The
spiritual is honored as the vision of the Supreme Soul being
present. Detachment one calls the loss of interest in the
sense-objects and the opulence is recognized by the
animâ and such [perfections and powers see
11.15
& 11.16
and bhaga].'
(28-32)
S'rî
Uddhava said: 'How many types of don'ts [yama]
or does [niyama] does one speak of, o Subduer of
the Enemy, what is equilibrium, what is self-control, dear
Krishna, what is tolerance and what is constancy, my Lord? What
is charity, what is penance, heroism, what does one say about
reality and truth, what is renunciation and wealth, what is
desirable, a sacrifice and what is religious financial
compensation? What do You think is the strength of a person, o
Fortunate One, the opulence and gain, o Kes'ava, what is
education, modesty, what is superior, what is beauty and what
is happiness as also unhappiness? Who is learned, who is a
fool, what is the real path and what the false path, what is
heaven and what is hell and who do You say is a friend and what
is home? Who is wealthy, who is poor, who a miser and who is a
controller; please speak to me about these matters as also
about the opposite qualities, o Lord of the Truthful.'
(33-35)
The
Supreme Lord said: 'Nonviolence, truthfulness, not coveting or
stealing the property of others, detachment, modesty,
non-possessiveness, belief in God, celibacy as also silence,
steadiness, forgiveness and fearlessness on the one hand, and
[inner and outer] cleanliness, doing the rosary,
penance, sacrifice, trustfulness, hospitality, worship of Me,
visiting holy places, acting and striving for the Supreme,
contentment and serving the spiritual master on the other hand
are the twelve elements one remembers of yama
that together with those of niyama
by human beings are cultivated with devotion, my dearest, and
depending on what someone wants yield results [in the sense
of beatitude or prosperity]. (36-39)
Equilibrium means steady absorption of the intelligence in Me
[see also 11.16:
10] and
self-control is the perfect discipline of the senses; tolerance
means to endure unhappiness and constancy is the conquering of
the tongue and genitals. The highest charity is to give up the
rod [to punish others], penance is remembered as giving
up the lust, heroism is to conquer one's self-love and reality
implies to see the Lord everywhere. Truthfulness means to be of
the pleasing and true words that are approved by the sages,
cleanliness means that one is detached from performing
productive labor [see also e.g. 1.1:
2 and B.G.
18:
6] and
renunciation is said to be the renounced order of
sannyâsa. For human beings religiousness is the
wealth to desire for, I am the Most Fortunate, religious
remuneration is the donation [in return] for the
spiritual knowledge enjoyed and breathcontrol is the supreme
strength. (40-45)
Opulence is My divine nature [see 11.16
and bhaga],
gain is My bhakti, education is the nullifying of the
dividedness of the self [see siddhânta
and advaita]
and modesty is the disgust with failing in prescribed duties
[with sin]. Beauty means to be of good qualities like
being detached from material desires and such, happiness means
to transcend hap and mishap, unhappiness entails that one
meditates on the happiness of lust, and a wise person is
someone who knows to tell the difference between liberation and
bondage. A fool is someone who identifies himself with the body
and so on [the mind etc.], the right path is leading to
Me, the wrong path is to be understood as the one leading to
the perplexion of consciousness and heaven implies the
predominance of the mode of goodness. Hell is the predominance
of the mode of ignorance, the real friend is the spiritual
master who is Me, My dear friend and the human body is one's
home. A rich person for sure is called he who is enriched with
good qualities while a poor person is someone who is
discontented. The wretched one is the one who has not conquered
his senses, a controller is someone whose intelligence is not
attached to the material affair and the one attached to sense
gratification is of the opposite [qualities].This,
Uddhava, are the subjects of your inquiry I have thus all
properly elucidated. But what's the use of describing
elaborately the characteristics of good and bad qualities when
seeing good and bad still means that one fails to see the true
goodness [of transcendence] which stands apart from the
two.