Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 80

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-3 Karma Yogaḥ

Communion through Action

Summary of the Teaching


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The terms cognition (Vedana), worship (Upāsana), meditation (Dhyāna), etc. are synonyms for "Bhakti" [devoted meditation] which is focussed and persistent. This [practice] constitutes the means for realising the Supreme Person who is described in the Veda to be the goal of all seekers of Liberation. The Supreme Person is free from even a vestige of blemish like nescience (ignorance), and is endowed with a plethora of countless auspicious, unsurpassed attributes beyond all limitations. For teaching such Bhakti the [preliminary] doctrines concerning the true nature of the Self have been given in Chapter 2. This Self-realisation is an accessory to Bhakti, as was taught by (Chandogya Upanishad 8;7.1) and elsewhere too. The intellectual understanding of the Self leads to Karma Yoga — doing work without attachment to their fruits — which in turn leads to Jñāna Yoga (Meditation) which brings about a complete and direct realisation of the Self.

The Dahāra Vidya

Teaching Regarding the teaching of Prajapati — the [intellectual] understanding of the essential nature of the ātman by the seeker, is a prerequisite to obtaining the [direct] knowledge of the Supreme Brahman. This was imparted in the instruction of the Dahara Vidya (subtle teaching) ie., that Brahman is the ethereal space within the heart. It was described thus:— 'He who after learning about the Self, meditates upon Him' (Ibid.) — Then follows the teaching about the nature of the individual Self as being incorporeal and transcending the three states of consciousness; the externalised, the internalised and the unconscious state. Then the teaching is concluded with the statement of the fruits of this Dahāra-vidya thus:—

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References and Context