Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-12
Bhaktiyoga
5. The toil is greater for those whose minds are set on the Unmanifest; for the goal, which is not manifest, is hard to attain by embodied persons. There are others who wish to attain without devotion the supportless unmanifest Brahman, which does well to all living beings. But they succumb to the temptations such as lordship of heaven and desire of prosperity and supernatural powers, which come in their way. They have to face many hurdles such as desire and wrath. Then will they not feel that they have toiled in vain? They have to suppress hunger and thirst and they have to keep the wind stirring with both hands. They have to sleep in the sun during daytime, to derive pleasure from selfrestraint and to form friendship with trees. They have to expose their bodies to heat and cold and live in the rain (61-65). Thus this Yoga is like entering the funeral pyre, by a faithful wife everyday, without having a husband. They have to carry on a continuous struggle with death, without any purpose such as serving a master or following a family custom. Can anyone take a draught of poison, which is hot and pungent? O Partha, will not his mouth get torn in swallowing a hill? Therefore, those who resort to Yoga are destined to share only misery in life. Just consider, if a toothless person were compelled to eat gram of steel, will that satisfy his hunger or put him to death (66-70)? Has anyone swum across the sea with only the help of his arms, or has anyone ever been able to walk in the sky? Has anyone been able to ascend the steps of sun’s abode, without receiving a single wound on the battlefield? Therefore, O Arjuna, just as a cripple cannot enter into contest with the wind, so it is difficult for an embodied person to attain the formless God. Those who, with this intense longing to attain Brahman, work hard for it, have necessarily to suffer great afflictions. But those who resort to the path of devotion, do not have to endure such misery (71-75). |
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