Gita Rahasya -Tilak
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CHAPTER IX
THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE ABSOLUTE SELF
Metaphysical exposition of Karma-Yoga. and already in the sixth chapter, dealt with the question of the Body and the Atman in order to determine what the Atman is; and having in the seventh and eighth chapter dealt with the subject- matter of the Mutable and the Immutable according to the Dualistic Samkhya philosophy, I have in this' chapter explained what the nature of the A tin an is. and in what way ONE, sole, immortal and qnalitytess Atman-Element saturates fully and eternally holii the Body and the Cosmos; and I have finally drawn the conclusion that the Yoga of acquiring an equa- ble frame of Mind, which believes that there is only one 'Atman in all created beings, and keeping that name of Mind perpe- tually alive, is the clima.c of iSeil'-Knowh d^.'e (Utmnjriamt) and of Self-Happiness (atmananda); and that the highest humanness of man, that is, the fulfilment of the purpose of human birth, or the highest ideal of a human being, consists in bringing one's mind to this pure Self-Devoted (atma-nistha) state. Having, in this way. determined what the. highest .Metaphysical ideal of mankind is, the question as to the basis on which one has to' perform all the various Actions in this world, it, as to what is the nature of that Pure Reason with which those Actions "are to be performed, which is the principal question in the science of Karma-Yoga, is ipso facto solved. Because, as need not be told, all these Actions must be performed in such a way as will not be ultimately inconsistent with, but will foster, that equable frame of mind, which looks upon the "Brahman as- identical with the Atman. This Metaphysical philosophy of Karma-Yoga has been explained to Arjuna in the Bhagavad- gita. But, the justification of the Karma-Yoga is not thereby' finished. Some persons say that in as much as the Actions to be performed in this Name-d and form-ed world are inconsistent with Self-Knowledge, a scient must give them up. And, if that were so, all the activities in the world would become unperformable, and consequently, the science of what thought to be done and what ought not to be done 2ould also become meaningless! Therefore, in order to determine this question,the Karma-Yoga science must also deal with such important questions as : what are the rules relting to Action, and what are the effects of Action, or why this Action or Karma must be performed, although the Mind may have become purified ; and, therefore, these questions have also been dealt with in the Bhagvadgita. As people following the Path of Renunciation attach no importance to these question, they usually begin to close their shop as soon as the subject matter of Vedanta or of Devotion in the Bhagavadgita has been dealt with. But, doing so, amounts, in my opinion, to sadly neglecting the most important doctrine enunciated in the Gita; and, therefore, I shall, in their respective order, explain what answers have been given in the bhagavadgita to these various questions. |
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