Gita Rahasya -Tilak
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CHAPTER X
THE EFFECT OF KARMA AND FREEDOM OF WILL
In the same way, the meaning of the words "who knows essentially" in the sentence "the Karma-Yogin WHO KNOWS ESSENTIALLY the devayana and pitrygana paths, is not confused" which has been quoted above, seems to be "who has Realised the ultimate form of the Brahman" [1], This is the complete Brahmified (brahma-bhuta) state, or the most supreme Brahml-state, and Srimat Samkaracarya has stated in his Sarikaka-bhasya [2], that this is the most Supreme or the most complete state of the Realisation of the Absolute Self. Nay, in order to acquire this state, a man must be said to have become the Paramesvara in a way ; and, it need not be said further, that persons who have thus become Brahmified may be said to have gone beyond the rules of what should be done and what should not be done in the world of Actions; because, as the Realisation of the Brahman is always awake in the case of these people, whatever they do is always inspired by a pure and desireless frame of mind, that is to say, is always free from sin or merit. As it is not necessary to go somewhere else or to die, in order to attain the Brahman after this state has been reached, such a Steady-in-Mind devotee of the Brahman (sthitaprajna brahmanistha) is known as 'jivan-mukta' (birth-released), [3]. Though Buddhists do not admit the existence of the Atman or of the Brahman, yet, they have accepted the position that this desireless state of a. jivan-mukta is the ultimate ideal of man; and they have accepted this doctrine with nominal verbal differences in their religious treatises (see the Appendices). Many persons say that as this ultimate self-less state is naturally antagonistic to the ordinary Actions of life, the man, who has reached this state, automatically escapes Karma and becomes an ascetic (samnyasin). But, as will be seen from the exposition in the next chapter, this position is not accepted by the Gita ; and the doctrine of the Gita is that it is more proper for the Birth-released man to go on performing all Actions, till he dies, desirelessly, and for the public benefit, as is done by the Paramesvara himself. This doctrine of the Gita has also been accepted in the Yoga-vasistha [4]. |
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