The Object of Knowledge
28. yesam tv antagatam papam
jananam punyakarmanam
te dvandvamohanirrnukta
bhajante mam drdhavratah
(28) But those men of virtuous deeds in whom sin has come to an end (who have died to sin), freed from the delusion of dualities, worship Me steadfast in their vows.
Sin is not the violation of a law or a convention but the central source of all finiteness, ignorance, the assertion of the independence of the ego which seeks its own private gain at the expense of others, when this sin is renounced, when this ignorance is overcome, our life is spent in the service of the One in all. In the process, devotion deepens and knowledge of God increases until it reaches the vision of the One Self everywhere. That is the life eternal, release from birth and death. Tukaram says:
"The self within me now is dead
And thou enthroned in its stead
Yea, this I, Tuka, testify,
No longer now is `me' or 'my'."[1]
29. jaramaranamoksaya
mam asritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduh krisnam adhyatman karma cd 'khilam
(29) Those who take refuge in Me and strive for deliverance from old age and death, they know the Brahman (or Absolute) entire (they know) the Self and all about action
adhyatmam is the reality underlying the individual self.[2]
30. sadhibMitridhidaivarh mam
sadhiyajnam ca ye viduh
prayanakale 'pi ca mam
te vidur yuktacetasah
(30) Those who know Me as the One that governs the material and the divine aspects, and all sacrifices, they, with their minds harmonized, have knowledge of Me even at the time of their departure (from here)
We are not asked to remember at the time of departure certain
speculative doctrines, but to know Him in all aspects, trust Him and worship Him.
Certain new terms are uped and Arjuna in the next chapter asks for their explanations. The Supreme is to be known not only te Itself but also in Its manifestations in nature, in objective and subjective phenomena, in the principle of works and sacrifice. The teacher explains them all briefly in the next chapter.
iti . . . jnanavijnanayogo nama saptamo 'dhyayah
This is the seventh chapter entitled The Yoga of Wisdom and Knowledge
