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Chapter 12
The Lord, in the fourth verse of the seventh chapter, described the earth, water, fire, air, ether—these five subtle elements, mind, intellect and egoism, the eightfold division of His nature, which is lower nature (Apara Prakrti), while in the fifth verse He described His higher nature, the soul (Para Prakrti). Though both these natures, belong to God, yet the latter being a fragment of God, is superior to the former (Gita 15/7). But the higher nature (soul), by an error regards the lower nature as Its own, and for Itself, and is thus bound i.e., becomes the cause of Its birth, in good and evil wombs (Gita 13/21). Therefore, the Lord exhorts Arjuna, to offer the so-called his mind and intellect, the lower nature to God (which are really His). By doing so, his affinity for the mind and intellect, which he has assumed by an error, will be renounced, and he will realize his true affinity for God, which is eternal and axiomatic.
An Important Fact Pertaining to God-realization
God cannot be realized, by a particular method, such as meditation etc., because those who depend on such methods, depend on the body, mind, senses and intellect etc., which are insentient. God, Who is sentient cannot be bought, through objects which are insentient, because all these objects cannot be equivalent to Him.
Worldly objects, are acquired through performance of actions (efforts). So, a striver thinks, that God can also be realized through actions, such as spiritual practice etc.
His belief is confirmed, when he studies the life-stories of Manu-Satarupa and Parvati etc., who realized God, through penance. But in fact, it is not so. God is realized only, when the assumed affinity for the insentient (Matter), is totally renounced. This fact, applies in those cases also, where it seems that they have realized Him, through penance. In fact, He is ever-realized to everyone, but He is veiled when a person accepts his affinity for the insentient. As soon as, he renounces this assumed affinity, God is revealed to him. Therefore, those strivers, who hold that they can realize Him, through spiritual practice are in the wrong. Spiritual practice, is useful only in renouncing the assumed affinity for the unreal i.e., insentient (Matter). Without understanding this secret, if a striver depends on spiritual discipline, and is attached to it, his affinity with matter persists. Till the least value, is attached to matter, God-realization is difficult. As soon as, it is renounced, He is realized. So a striver, should renounce his affinity totally, for matter, through spiritual practice. This affinity, for matter is easily renounced, when spiritual discipline, is practised only with the aim of God-realization.
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