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Chapter 15
Appendix:—The Lord has declared about Himself—"I am the beginning, the middle and also the end of the entire creation" (Gita 10/20, 32) and here about the world He declares, "It has neither its end nor origin nor existence." It means that God exists in the beginning, in the middle and in the end of the creation while the world has no existence either at the beginning or in the middle or in the end viz., the world does not exist—'nasato vidyate bhavati' (Gita 2/16). Therefore there is nothing else besides God.
Asangalastrena drdhena chittva:- Here the term 'chittva' does not mean 'to cut' or 'to destroy' but it means 'to be detached'. The reason is that this world being God's 'apara prakrti' is imperishable. The Self is detached—`asatigo'hyayarh pueusah' (Brhada. 4/3/15). The Self is free from attachment to the modes. Attachment to the modes is the root of birth and death—'karanarh gune sango'sya sadasadyonijanmasu' (Gita 13/21). Therefore having realized the detached, untainted, undecaying and immortal nature of the Self, getting established in it, is 'to cut off the world-tree'.
The world seems to exist owing to attachment. The thing, to which a man is attached, seems to be existing and valuable. Without attachment, the world may appear to exist but it is not of any value. Therefore the expression `asangasastrena drdhena chittva' means—to wipe out attachment to the world totally viz., not to be attached to anyone else besides God and not to assume anything of the entire creation as one's own and for one's own self. In fact the existence of the world does not lead to bondage but attachment to the world leads to bondage. Existence is not an obstacle but attachment is the obstacle. Therefore other philosophers call the world real or unreal etc., but the Lord says that attachment to the world should be renounced. Having given up attachment to the world, the world in its seeming form disappears and it is revealed as the manifestation of God—'Vasudevah sarvam'.
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