|
|
Chapter 2
Appendix:-The Lord has described the discrimination between the 'deha' (body) and `dehi' (possessor of the body) from the eleventh to the thirtieth verses. While describing this topic Lord Krsna has not used a philosophical terminology such as brahmajiva, prakrti-purusa, jada-cetana, maya-avidya, atma-anatma etc. The reason is that the Lord, instead of making it a subject for study, wants to make it a subject of everyone's experience and wants to prove that every man can discriminate the body from the self. It needs no study, no eligibility.
If a man applies the discrimination between the real and the unreal on his body, he is a striver (seeker) and if he applies it on the world, he is learned. By keeping himself aloof, if a person discriminates between the real and the unreal, he may become learned by possessing bookish knowledge (not learning) but he can't attain Self-realization. But he who discriminates between the real and the unreal in his own body, can attain Self-realization. It means that discrimination between the real and the unreal in the world is for pedantry while the Gita is not for pedantry. Therefore the Lord, instead of using the philosophical terminology, has used simple words such as `deha-dehi', `Sarira-Sariri' viz., the body and its possessor. Those who discriminate between the real and the unreal in the world, they keeping themselves aloof, make themselves the authority on the knowledge of the Gita. But any person, who discriminates the body from the self in him, is eligible for Self-realization. For Self-realization the discussion on discrimination between the body and the self, is useful and in order to gain learning, the discussion on `tattva' the Divinity is useful. Therefore the striver who wants to realize the self, fast of all should discriminate his own self from the body that the body has no connection with the self and the self has no connection with the body viz., `I am not body'. He, who has assumed the existence and greatness (value) of the body with as much troth, firmness, belief and doubtlessness, should assume (accept) the existence and value of the Self (Soul) with the same truth, firmness, belief and doubtlessness and should realize the self.
The body is the means only for performing an action and an action is performed only for the world. As a writer uses a pen only for writing and when he stops writing, he puts the pen at its proper place, similarly a striver should use the body while doing an action and should leave the body in its original position when the work is finished—he should be detached from it. The reason is that if we do nothing, what is the need of the body?
An important fact for a striver is to renounce the known unreal. If a striver renounces what he knows as unreal, his spiritual discipline will become natural and easy and his aim will be attained. The lovability of a striver for the end (aim) is called his spiritual discipline. That lovabdity is not acquired by anything, person, power etc., or by practice but that is acquired by having the sense of `mine' for the end (Lord). The person in whom a striver has the sense of `mine', naturally becomes lovable (dear) to him. But the real sense of mine is with that object (or person) in which (or in whom) there are the following four traits
- With whom we have identity (oneness) of the self.
- With whom our relationship is eternal
- From whom we never want anything.
- To whom we may surrender all what we have.
These four conditions are applicable only in God. The reason is that our relationship with the body and the world is not eternal and the category of the self is quite different from that of the world and body. How can there be identity of the kaleidoscopic world with the never changing self? The identity of the self with the body, which is perceived, is not real but is assumed. This assumed identity is only to perform duty. It means that we can serve the person with whom we have assumed our identity but we can't have the sense of `mine' with him.
|
|
