Verses 3.38–3.43
धूमेनाव्रियते वह्निर्यथादर्शो मलेन च | यथोल्बेनावृतो गर्भस्तथा तेनेदमावृतम्
dhūmenāvriyate vanhiryathādarśo malena ca / yatholbenāvṛto garbhastathā tenedamāvṛtam / / 3.38
As fire is covered by smoke, as a mirror is covered by dust, or as the e bryo is covered by the womb, so also, the living being is covered by lust.
आवृतं ज्ञानमेतेन ज्ञानिनो नित्यवैरिणा | कामरूपेण कौन्तेय दुष्पूरेणानलेन च
āvṛtaṁ jñānametena jñānino nityavairiṇā / kāmarūpeṇa kaunteya duṣpūreṇānalena ca / / 3.39
The knowledge of the knower is covered by this eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and burns like fire, O son of Kuntī
इन्द्रियाणि मनो बुद्धिरस्याधिष्ठानमुच्यते | एतैर्विमोहयत्येष ज्ञानमावृत्य देहिनम्
indriyāṇi mano buddhirasyādhiṣṭhānamucyate / etairvimohayatyeṣa jñānamāvṛtya dehinam / / 3.40
The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the locations of this lust, which confuses the embodied being and covers the knowledge.
तस्मात्त्वमिन्द्रियाण्यादौ नियम्य भरतर्षभ | पाप्मानं प्रजहि ह्येनं ज्ञानविज्ञाननाशनम्
tasmāttvamindriyāṇyādau niyamya bharatarṣabha / pāpmānaṁ prajahi hyenaṁ jñānavijñānanāśanam / / 3.41
Therefore, O Bharataṛṣabha, chief amongst the descendants of Bhārata, in the very beginning, control the senses and curb the symbol of sin, which is certainly the destroyer of knowl- edge and consciousness.
इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्य: परं मन: | मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धे: परतस्तु स:
indriyāṇi parāṇyāhurindriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ / manasastu parā buddhiryo buddheḥ paratastu saḥ / / 3.42
It is said that the senses are superior to the body. The mind is superior to the senses. The intelligence is still high- er than the mind and the consciousness is even higher than intelligence.
एवं बुद्धे: परं बुद्ध्वा संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना | जहि शत्रुं महाबाहो कामरूपं दुरासदम्
evaṁ buddheḥ paraṁ buddhvā saṁstabhyātmānamātmanā / jahi śatruṁ māhābāho kāmarūpaṁ durāsadam / / 3.43
Knowing the Self to be superior to mind and intelligence, by steadying the mind by intelligence, conquer the insatiable enemy in the form of lust, O Mahābāho, mighty-armed one.
iti śrīmadbhagavadgītāsūpaniṣatsu brahmavidyāyāṁ yogaśāstre śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde karmayogo nāma tṛtīyo’dhyāyaḥ
Just like smoke veils the fire, just as the dust on the mirror masks your reflection, and just as you cannot see the embryo when it is covered by the placenta in the womb, we are not able to see our true nature of bliss because we are caught in base emotions like lust. Lust is linked intimately to the survival of the species. Without lust, there can be no mutual attraction between genders, no reproduction, and no continuity of the human race. This basic survival instinct is lodged in our primal root energy center, the mūlādhāra cakra. When this cakra is blocked we behave out of instinct, like animals.
When this cakra is energized, we learn to live in intelligence as we are truly meant to. Once a person reaches physical or sexual maturity at adolescence, it is very difficult to control the effects of lust arising out of the mūlādhāra. One needs to be spiritually awakened before sexual maturity so that the energy can flow upwards towards the sahasṛāra or the crown cakra. The mūlādhāra cakra is the seat of all fantasies, primarily sexual fantasies. These fantasies are the ones Kṛṣṇa says are like dust on the mirror, completely clouding our judgment. We live by templates that we carve out in our mind based on these fantasies, and live towards fulfilling these fantasies.
Completion in the present moment is the key to unlocking the mūlādhāra and dissolving lust. It is only completion that brings you in touch with reality as it is and dissolves your fantasies. Kṛṣṇa closes his dialogue with Arjuna in this chapter with these words, ‘Be aware that you have a higher intelligence. Use that intelligence to control your senses and curb your lust, which is your most dangerous enemy on the path to completion.’ Please note that Kṛṣṇa does not say, ‘Arjuna, come here, I shall help you dissolve the lust in your body and mind. You can then be at peace.’ Arjuna started the dialogue saying he was confused by Kṛṣṇa’s words about action and inaction.
Kṛṣṇa then told him to carry out his own responsibility with authenticity and without worrying about the result of his actions. He guides Arjuna to lead a purposeless life, free from obsession with the final goal and to be detached from the result of action. ‘Authentic action is our nature,’ He says, ‘not inaction. Act, work, but surrender the result of action to Me.’ Now, Kṛṣṇa says clearly, ‘Control your senses, be aware, be complete living in the present moment and give up lust.’ Lust, here, not only refers to sexual desire but also to all desires related to the outer world. It is our Karma Yogaḥ Beauty Of Purposelessness 263 sense of identity, the sense of possession that drives us to acquire and enjoy.
The truth, however, is that acquisition only leads to the desire for more acquisition, not to enjoyment and fulfillment. To be blissful we need to keep our inner space clean and empty. Only then can bliss fill that space. The outer space can be filled, that is not a contradiction. As long as the outer material space is filled without attachment, the inner space remains empty. To make this happen, the senses have to be in control, not suppressed. Anything suppressed waits for an opportunity to explode. However, creating the space of completion can transform the mind and senses. When we realize that life has no purpose, that the meaning of life is to enrich others and ourselves and to enjoy the path, we learn to give up attachment to end results.
We drop expectations. We move into the present moment and live in the space of completion. This is the whole essence of Karma Yogaḥ. Be complete and drop your attachment to the goal and the fruit of your actions, and live an enriching life with integrity in words, with authenticity in thinking and action, and with responsibility in feeling. Live life blissfully. You will achieve the Supreme. You will achieve the space of Enlightenment. Kṛṣṇa says, ‘You will achieve the Supreme.’ You will achieve the eternal consciousness, Nityānanda, eternal bliss. So let us pray to the ultimate Divine, Parabrahma Kṛṣṇa, to help us understand His message, to help us imbibe Him in our being.
May He guide us. May He enrich us to experience the eternal consciousness, the eternal bliss, Nityānanda! ThusendsthethirdchapternamedKarmaYogaḥ,‘TheYoga of Action,’ of the Bhagavad Gītā Upaniṣad, Brahmavidyā Yogaśāstra, the scripture of yoga dealing with the science of the Absolute in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇārjuna saṃvād, dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. The Path Of Knowledge Logic can never lead you to Self-Realization. The ultimate Truth is beyond logic. The qualification to receive the Truth is Devotion. Krsna begins revealing the mysterious supreme science of Enlightenment to His devotee and friend, Arjuna. c h a p t e r Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ ... The human psyche longs for continuance. Continuation and perpetuation of one’s identity is of utmost importance to us.
We trace our lineage back as far as we can go in memory and records. We keep looking for something noteworthy there. We are anxious to provide for the weak ones in the family. This is a general anxiety on the account of our own lineage. Arjuna has been driven by the same dilemma. To defend the fears he has about his own identity, he cites historical moral codes that discuss how one’s ancestors and descendants are affected by one’s deeds in this life. It is a simple transference of his present uncertainty to the past and future. People ask me, ‘When was this Universe created? How and why?’ I tell them that the next time God calls for a conference, if I am invited, I shall ask this question and find out the answer!
As far back as I can see this Universe has existed. As far into the future as I can see this Universe will continue to exist. There is no beginning and no end. It has been there forever and will be there forever. The form and identity that we are familiar with is perishable. It is matter subject to creation, destruction and re-creation. But the Universe is formless energy. As it sees fit, it transforms into matter and again back to energy. That energy is imperishable. This is what Kṛṣṇa explains earlier to Arjuna. This energy of the Universe is the same energy that is within us. All religions may not accept this principle of energy in man and the Universe as eternal.
Views of religions change and have to change as new knowledge arises. Scientists now agree that matter and energy are inter-convertible in time and space. Advances in Quantum Physics have The Path Of Knowledge Jñānakarmasannyāsa Yogaḥ The Path Of Knowledge 267 shown that sub-atomic particles can appear in different forms and shapes depending on when they are viewed, how they are viewed and who views them. For example, people think materialization of objects is magic or trickery. It isn’t! It is simple science. It is converting matter into energy, moving the energy and converting it back to matter. We can demonstrate this scientifically with the help of modern technology such as Kirlian photography.
I showed the ashramites (ashram residents) how this can be done. I made them count the number of rudrākṣa necklaces in a cupboard. I produced one from the air as if by magic and showed it to them. Then, I sent them back to count the number of necklaces in the cupboard. They found there was one less in the cupboard! Anyone can do this. All that they need is to know how. No matter can be produced from nowhere. It can only be produced out of energy. Fortunately this energy source is infinite in the Universe. This Universe is known to be constantly growing. The very first verse of the first Hindu scripture, Īśa Vāsya Upaniṣad, says that ‘out of energy arises all matter—īśā vāsyaṁ idaṁ sarvaṁ.’
Upon reading this verse, Albert Einstein, the famous physicist said, ‘It is only now that I could establish that energy arises from matter. Thousands of years ago, Vedic sages knew more. They knew that matter arises from energy. Science has yet to establish this. The last frontier of science is the threshold of spirituality.’ Understand that the constant factor in us as well as in the Universe is this energy that is eternal. Once we understand that there is no separation between the Universe and us, all our confusion will be at rest. There will no longer be any fear of death, and there will no longer be the greed to acquire and hoard. After all, the energy that is who we are is forever. Once we understand, cognize and accept this, we are in eternal bliss, Nityānandam! I Taught This Science To Sun