The Blessed Lord said: 1. They (wise people) speak of the indestructible ASHWATTHA tree as having its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the VEDAS ; he who knows it, is alone a Veda-knower.

Reminiscent of the casual picture of the "Peepal-tree" brought up in the Kathopanishad (VI-1), here Vyasa exhaustively paints the Tree-of-life and shows its relationship with the Infinite. If the Spirit be one-without- a-second, out of this one Consciousness how did the world-of-matter --- constituted of the body and its perceptions, the mind and its feelings, the intellect and its thoughts --- arise? Even if it has so risen up, what nourishes it and sustains it? What exactly is the relationship between God, the CREATOR, and the world, the CREATED --- the Infinite and the finite? These are some of the questions that generally rise up in any human intellect, once it is set to contemplate upon life. The picture of the "Peepal-tree" unveiled in these three stanzas serves as a beautiful allegory of the entire spiritual concept expounded in this chapter.

Ashwattha is botanically known as Ficus Religiosa, popularly called the Peepal-tree, which, according to some, has gathered its name "because horses used to stand under its shade (Ashwattha)." According to Shankara, this tree has been chosen to represent the entire cosmos because of its derivative meaning --- Shwa means

"tomorrow"; Stha means "that which remains"; therefore: A-shwattha: "that which will NOT remain the same till tomorrow." In short, the word indicates the ephemeral, the ever-changing, world of the phenomena. It is described here that the Ashwattha-tree has its roots

"up" (Urdhwa). Accepting directly the literal meaning, we have got some spiritually absurd, religiously mischievous, and aesthetically ugly 'pictures' of this Tree-of-Samsara, painted by some illiterate artists, and made easily available in the Indian markets. It is an insult to the mighty majesty of this scriptural picture. According to Anandagiri, Samsara is represented as a tree (Vriksha) because of the etymological meaning of the Sanskrit term, Vriksha: "that which can be cut down." The experiences of change and sorrow which the world-of- plurality gives us can be totally ended through detachment. The Tree-of-Multiplicity that has seemingly sprung forth from the Infinite Consciousness Divine, can be cut down by shifting our attention from the tree to the Divine.

Luckily, we who are educated in modern universities, have a similar use of the term "tree" in our history text- books. The 'family trees' of kings and dynasties are, without any exception, shown as branching down from their ancestral 'source.' Similarly, the Tree-of-Samsara has its roots UP in the Divine Consciousness. A tree holds itself up and gets nourished by its roots; similarly, the

"experiences" of change, and the "experiencer" of them, are all established in the Infinite and draw their sustenance from It alone.

"Even then," many of our friends doubt, "why is the word 'UP' (Urdhwa) used?" It is used here in the same connotation as we use the term 'up' in our every- day expressions, like 'HIGH-command': 'HIGHER- officials': 'TOP-men': 'UPPER-class': 'HIGH-class jewellery' etc. In all these cases, by the term HIGH or UP or TOP, no geometrical elevation is indicated, but it indicates a superiority, a greater nobility, or value. Psychologically, it is natural for man to concede, for the subtler and the diviner, a HIGHER place of reverence and to consider the grosser and the devilish as belonging to a LOWER status. The Perfect is the Highest Consciousness, illumined and vitalised by which alone can the body-mind-intellect equipment experience its world of "perception-emotion- thought." Naturally, therefore, the world-of-plurality is allegorically pictured here as the fig-tree --- arising from and sustained by the Higher Consciousness, the Reality. This world-of-change (Ashwattha) is considered here as eternal (Avyaya), only in a relative sense. Any peepal-tree in any village must have observed many generations playing and growing up under its shade, and thus, with reference to man's average age, the fig-tree can be considered as RELATIVELY eternal. Similarly, with reference to the generations that grow, conceive, plan, strive, achieve and die away, the world itself can be considered as RELATIVELY immortal. For this tree-of-life "THE VEDAS THEMSELVES ARE THE LEAVES" --- Veda means 'knowledge.' Knowledge does bring forth a greater spurt of dynamism of life into the world. In comparison with the modern world --- with its colossal endeavours, mighty achievements, and superhuman aspirations --- the ancient generations were, relatively speaking, not even alive. More the knowledge a generation acquires, clearer becomes its vision of a greater future and diviner possibilities, and therefore, more is the amount of effort put forth by it to achieve the perceived goal. Now to compare Veda-'knowledge,' to the leaves of the "Tree" is not quite inappropriate. Leaves are areas from which the water contents get evaporated in all trees, and this, in its turn, creates the 'osmotic-pressure' in the roots and facilitates the roots to draw more quantity of nourishment from the earth. Cut down the leaves of a tree and its growth is immediately stunted; the larger the number of branches and leaves, the greater is the tree's dimension and growth. Where there is greater knowledge, there we are sure to find a greater flare of manifest-life. HE WHO KNOWS IT, IS A KNOWER OF THE VEDA --- He alone, who has realised not only the Ashwattha-tree, but also the Higher, from which it derives its existence, is the one who has fulfilled his knowledge of the Vedas. The Vedas indicate the One Eternal Principle from which all the realms of experience have sprung. Neither pure science, nor mere devotion, can achieve the Truth of perfect knowledge, is the conclusion of the Geeta. Knowledge is perfect only when we know of the here and the hereafter, of the finite and the Infinite, of the created and the Creator. All the rest of the pursuits of knowledge, however spectacular they might be, are, at best, only one- sided views of the whole Truth. The Man-of-Perfect- 'Wisdom,' as conceived by the Vedas, is the knower of both the PERISHABLE and the IMPERISHABLE; and such a man alone is recognised by Krishna as the Vedavit --- knower of the Vedas. NOW FOLLOWS ANOTHER FIGURATIVE RE- PRESENTATION OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS TREE OF SAMSARA:

2. Below and above are spread its branches, nourished by the GUNAS; sense-objects are its buds; and below, in the world of men, stretch forth the roots, originating in action.

Continuing to paint the picture of the Tree-of-Samsara, we have here the etching in more details. Such mystical representations should not be taken too literally, whether in literature or in art. The very style of the Vedas is couched in mysticism. Taking any convenient object of the world and describing it in such a poetic style so as to express some of the subtler philosophical truths and thereby to convey some deeper religious message, is called mysticism. Describing the Tree-of-life and adding more details to it, Vyasa says: "UPWARDS AND DOWNWARDS ITS BRANCHES SPREAD" --- the flow of life in the individual, as well as in the world, is sometimes towards the higher evolutionary purposes, but more often it tends to cater to the lower animal nature. These two tendencies are significant here when it is said that the branches of the Tree-of-life grow both "upwards and downwards." PATTERNED BY THE GUNAS --- These urges for living the higher and the lower values are maintained and nourished by the particular type of psychological tendencies gunas available in the individual. In an earlier chapter (XIV) the play of the gunas (moods of the mind) has been exhaustively discussed. In any tree there are nodular buds which are potential branches that have not yet developed, but are waiting for a chance to burst forth. Corresponding to them, Krishna says, in the Ashwattha-tree, are the sense-objects, the

'buds.' It is a fact that in the presence of an 'object' our tendencies revolt against all our higher concepts and ideals, and run amuck to gain their gratification: a new

"branch." DOWNWARD THE ROOTS EXTEND --- If the main root of the Tree-of-Samsara is lost in the Absolute Reality, High above, the "secondary roots" which spring from it are spread all around, and grow even downward, "IN THE WORLD OF MAN, INITIATING ALL ACTIONS." Here, secondary roots are thought-channels (vasanas), which are created in us, and which propel each one of us towards his own typical actions and reactions in the world. They are the very causes that promote man's evil as well as meritorious activities in the world. Just as the main tap- root, while spreading its secondary roots, claws the earth through them and gets the plant well-rooted, so too, these Samskaras, actions and their reactions, both good and evil, bind the individuals fast to the earthy plane of likes and dislikes, of profits and losses, of earning and spending. THE FOLLOWING TWO STANZAS INDICATE HOW WE CAN ANNIHILATE THE TREE AND THEREBY COME TO EXPERIENCE THE PURE SOURCE OF ALL LIFE'S MANIFESTATIONS, THE INFINITE LIFE:

3. Its form is not perceived here as such, neither its end, nor its origin, nor its foundation, nor its resting-place; having cut asunder this firm-rooted ASHWATTHA -tree with the strong axe of non-attachment. . .

4. Then that Goal should be sought after, where having gone, none returns again. I seek refuge in that 'primeval PURUSHA' from which streamed forth, from time immemorial, all activity (or energy) .

In order that the students may not misunderstand this mystic symbolism, and take the Tree too literally, the Geeta acharya owns that 'ITS FORM, AS SUCH, IS NOT PERCEIVED HERE.' The Tree-of-life, as described in the previous stanzas, evidently represents the entire field of manifested life. The subtle Principle of Life manifests through us, in different planes and in a variety of forms --- as perceptions of the body; as emotions and feelings of the mind; as ideals and thoughts of the intellect; and as mere non-apprehension of the causal-body. All these vehicles and their experiences, manifesting in the Infinite Life, in their totality, constitute the Ashwatth a-tree spreading out into all quarters. Naturally, therefore, Lord Krishna says that very few have the comprehensive vision to see them all as such in one gaze. Not only are the different vehicles and their expressions not recognised as such in their entirety, but very few of us in the world come to recognise "THEIR END OR THEIR BEGINNING, OR THEIR EXISTENCE.' The Tree-of-life springs from the 'ignorance'of Reality (Avidya) and it ends on the "realisation of the Self" (Vidya), and it exists only so long as the mental demands and desires (vasanas) function. These subjective implications are not generally perceived, or recognised, or understood, by the majority of men. The manifested world constituting the Ashwattha-tree can be cleft 'BY THE STRONG AXE OF DETACHMENT." The world of matter is inert and insentient. The experience of life gained through it is known and lived only because of the play of Consciousness upon it. As long as the wheels of a car are geared on to the machine, the vehicle moves. In case we can clutch the motive-power off from the moving wheels, the vehicle must necessarily come to its own natural motionless condition. Similarly, if Consciousness is withdrawn from the body-mind-intellect vehicle, its play of perception-emotion-thought must necessarily halt. This clutching off of Consciousness from the inert matter vehicles is detachment. With the axe of detachment, Krishna advises Arjuna, to cut down the tree of multiple experiences. At our present level of conscious-existence we are apt to protest against this advice, because, to us detachment from these three vehicles is a complete retirement from the worlds of perception, from the realms of emotion, and from the fields of thought. In fact, we know no other world to tread, and therefore, intellectually, we reach but a state of utter nihilistic nothingness. This is a despairing situation indeed. But Krishna adds, almost in the same breath, "THEN THAT GOAL SHOULD BE SOUGHT AFTER, TO WHICH MEN GO AND DO NOT RETURN AGAIN." On the whole, the tone of suggestion and the manner of expression in these two stanzas clearly indicate that the students who seek the Divine in themselves should learn to withdraw more and more from their usual dissipations with perceptions, feelings and thoughts, and must, in "the still moments of meditation, contemplate upon the Higher --- the Source from which the Ashwattha-tree itself draws its sustenance and nourishment. Had this advice been merely given out and left at that, it would have been, at best, only a poetic vision, or an impossible suggestion. As a practical hand-book of instructions to man on how to live nobly and grow out of his instinctive weaknesses, the Geeta has to show the seekers some practical methods of self-improvement at every stage. And this is accomplished when the stanzas are closed with a prayer: "I SEEK REFUGE IN THAT PRIMEVAL PURUSHA WHENCE STREAMED FORTH THE ANCIENT CURRENT." The stanza indicates that when our personality has, to a maximum degree, retired from its extrovert pursuits, the intellect is to be consciously turned, in an attitude of love and surrender, to the goal --- the goal from which the stream of Consciousness flows to the matter-vehicles facilitating them to play their parts. In short, HALT the manifestations of life, and seek the Eternal Life, the Source of all expressions of life. What this primeval Purusha is and how one is to conceive It is the theme of the entire chapter. WHAT SORT OF SEEKERS REACH THE GOAL? LISTEN:

5. Free from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly in the Self, their desires having completely retired, freed from the pairs-of-opposites --- such as pleasure and pain --- the undeluded reach that Goal Eternal.

Philosophy, in India, is something to live and to practise. Ultimately, it is fulfilled only when we come to experience its goal. It is natural, therefore, that in our scriptures and spiritual text-books, we find a wealth of instructions and elaborate discussions on the theories of Perfection. This stanza is a typical example of the detailed instructions supplied to guide the adventurous seekers trying to follow the "path." Five conditions are explained herein which are nothing but certain disciplines, adjustments, and re-education of the vehicles of life; and Krishna concludes that those who have accomplished these shall reach the Divine experience and live a life enjoying a sense of supreme fulfilment.

FREE FROM PRIDE AND DELUSION --- Both these qualities of pride and delusion indicate a false, exaggerated estimate, of one-self and of others. Erroneous estimate of one's own importance is called pride and it brings about an enormous amount of heavy responsibilities upon oneself to maintain it. There is no time thereafter to cultivate oneself, or to seek knowledge, or to get truly educated. Similarly, error in judgement regarding things and beings, happenings and situations, in the world outside, is called DELUSION. It makes us live in a false world of our own imagination without actually facing the immediate problems around us, as they really are. WITH THE EVIL OF ATTACHMENT CONQUERED --- To live in the flesh, seeking our life's fulfilment only in the joy derived from our contact with the sense-objects in the world around us, is to live in the outer layer, cheating ourselves entirely of life's deeper possibilities. Such an ignorant fool gets extremely attached to the objects of the world, and once this attachment has grown, all his attentions in life will be irresistibly turned towards those objects. Shackled by them, ever dancing to their rhythm of change and destruction, he comes to lay waste his powers, without ever realising the nobler purpose of the Life- Divine. EVER DWELLING IN THE SELF --- Detachment from the world-of-objects is never possible without attaching ourselves to something nobler and diviner. The human mind-intellect-equipment can exist only in the positive contemplation of some object. It cannot remain in a void of not contemplating anything. For example, from tomorrow onwards, let us determine NOT to think of a bald-headed man, let us say, as soon as we wake up; it is absolutely certain that the following morning, the very first thing which we will remember will be a bald-head. But supposing we give the mind a positive point to contemplate upon, "Narayana-Narayana," we shall find that the mind has totally avoided the thought. In the same way, in order that the mind may not have the evil attachment in it, it should live in a spirit of contemplation upon the Self. THEIR DESIRES COMPLETELY AT REST --- Desire is the function of the intellect. When the intellect desires, the mind starts contemplating upon the desired objects; as the desire, so the thoughts. Therefore, the intellect should be disciplined not to desire the finite joys arising out of the ephemeral sense-objects of the world. When the desires have ended, the mind becomes still. RELEASED FROM THE PAIRS-OF-OPPOSITES, LIKE PLEASURE AND PAIN --- When the body comes in contact with a sense-object, it is the mind that comes to experience, as it were, the final result of the contact as pleasure or pain. Once the mind starts recognising this pair, then it is natural for it to revolt against 'pain' and instinctively seek 'pleasure.' Unfortunately, in this mad onrush of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain, there is no stability, for the very things that constituted joys yesterday, prove to be sources of sorrow today. To cater to the whims and fancies of such an unsteady entity is to barter away our chances to bring about any cultural unfoldment in ourselves. And the stanza concludes by a positive and optimistic declaration, having in its force and style, the vehemence of a commandment, when it says, "THE UNDELUDED REACH THAT GOAL-ETERNAL." Consciousness expressed through Matter-vehicles is the miserable man, torn by his own stresses and strains; and the same Consciousness, gathered from these vehicles and experienced as such, is the Divine moment of Infinite realisation. THE GOAL IS AGAIN CLEARLY SPECIFIED THUS:

6. Nor does the Sun shine there, nor the moon, nor fire; to which having gone they return not; that is My Supreme Abode.

Consecutively, in the two previous stanzas, it was repeatedly asserted that the goal sought in spiritual life is one, "HAVING ATTAINED WHICH THERE IS NO RETURN EVER." The very same idea, that Perfection gained is an irrevocable fact and that there is no more any fear of return to the natural stupidities of a limited ego- centric life, is being emphasised in this stanza also. Repetition is a method of emphasis in all scriptural literature. No doubt, this method is not used everywhere. Wherever logic is available, ideas are nailed in by logical reasonings. but there are realms, into which the teacher alone has admission in the beginning and not the student- class, and therefore, the Rishis had no other go but to repeatedly assert for our acceptance, the nature and condition of the unknown experience of the Infinite. This glorious State-of-Perfection is the Goal which almost all stanzas in the Geeta consistently indicate and though it is an Absolute State, here an honest attempt is being made to describe It in terms of finite phenomena. NEITHER SUN, NOR MOON, NOR FIRE ILLUMINES THAT --- Herein are enumerated almost all the sources-of- light, blessed by which the physical eyes experience vision. To see a thing is to know it; and in order that the organ-of-vision might use its power of seeing, it is not only sufficient that objects are in front of the sense-organ, but they must also be bathed in light. In the medium of light alone can the eyes see forms and colours. Again, not only do the eyes perceive; but the ears pick up sounds, the nose the smell, the tongue the tastes, and the skin the touch. Each instrument perceives its objects. Even this is not all. We can perceive our feelings and also our ideas. The 'light' in which we thus perceive all our sense-objects, all our emotions, and all our thoughts, is the Light of Consciousness by which alone we become AWARE of all our experiences.

This Light of Consciousness cannot be illumined by the gross sources of light available in the world outside, such as the Sun, the Moon or the Fire. In fact the very light of the Sun, or the Moon, or the Fire is an 'object' of our Consciousness; we are constantly conscious of it. An OBJECT of perception cannot illumine the SUBJECT that perceives it --- the SUBJECT and the OBJECT cannot be at any time one and the same. The AWARENESS by which we come to experience all our life's joys and sorrows is the Eternal Self, and to realise that Consciousness is indicated as the Supreme Goal by the Geeta. THAT IS MY SUPREME ABODE --- This State of Conscious-ness into which we can rise on transcending the agitations of the mind and intellect is described here as the Abode of the Divine, the Dwelling Place Supreme, wherein we can confidently make an appointment with Truth and "meet" the Infinite! Utilitarians as we are, certainly all seekers will doubt whether the experience of Truth is worth having at such a tremendous effort. Is there not a risk of our falling back into our present confusions and getting deluded by a finite pain-ridden world of plurality? This fear is allayed and the seekers are assured, for the third time continuously in this stanza, when Krishna qualifies, "MY SUPREME ABODE" as one "TO WHICH HAVING GONE NONE RETURNS."

It is an experienced fact that when one has mastered a knowledge, it is almost impossible for one to make any more mistakes in it; to a great musician, to sing deliberately out of tune, in disharmonious notes, is as difficult as it is for a beginner to sing correctly. Having known a language, to talk ungrammatically is as difficult as it is for the illiterate to talk correctly. If, in the imperfect world of imperfect knowledge, a cultured man, educated and artistic, cannot easily fall back to the levels of the uncivilised and the illiterate, how much more must it be an impossible act for the Perfect to come back and fall into the earlier confusions which are created by 'ignorance'! This is one of the rarest stanzas in the religious literature of the world which, in so simple a style, has indicated, so exhaustively, the Unconditioned-Pure-Self, the Infinite- Reality. In Hinduism, it has always been emphasised that there is a continuity of existence after death and an individual continues his biography in a new embodiment under a new set of environments. The individuality, thus undergoing experiences of birth and death repeatedly, is called the Jiva, or the embodied-self. This Jiva is the Eternal Light of Consciousness, playing upon, and SEEMINGLY conditioned by, the subtle-body, constituted of the mind- intellect equipment. In short, death is only a phenomenon, wherein a given subtle-body changes its physical-equipment, seeking 'fresh fields and pastures new' for its expression and expansion. This process is not the reaching of the Infinite; for, 'MY ABODE' IS THAT 'WHEREIN HAVING GONE THERE IS NO RETURN.' TO CLEAR THIS POSSIBLE DOUBT THE STRUCTURE AND THE NATURE OF THE EGO ( JIVA) IS EXPLAINED IN THE FOLLOWING STANZAS:

7. An eternal portion of Myself, having become a living soul in the world of life, and abiding in PRAKRITI, draws (to itself) the (five) senses, with mind for the sixth.

A RAY OF MYSELF --- The Infinite has no parts. It can suffer no divisions within Itself, and yet, just as with reference to the four walls of my room I consider the 'room-space' as different from the 'outer-space,' so too, with reference to a given mind-intellect vehicle, the Infinite Light of Consciousness playing upon it is considered, by the ignorant, as limited by its vehicles. The moon-in-the-bucket, will dance and break up into bits when the water in the bucket trembles at the touch of a passing breeze. Even if a million such reflected moons were to be broken and shattered, the immortal moon in the heavens will not suffer any destruction. Similarly, the ego-centric personality (Jiva), born out of the Consciousness playing upon a given subtle-body, suffers not any sense of limitations. Even though the ego changes with its joys and sorrows, with its knowledge and ignorance, with its peace and agitations, the essential nature of the Infinite Consciousness that sparkles in our heart is Eternal indeed, and hence the stanza qualifies the Self-in-man as: 'THE ETERNAL JIVA IN THE WORLD OF JIVAS.' ATTRACTS THE SENSES --- This Spark of Consciousness vibrates the entire body with life, renders existence possible for a living creature, and maintains, by its mere presence, the sense-faculties and the mental-capacities around Itself. No doubt these are faculties that belong to matter, but at the same time, these powers of seeing, hearing, etc. and also of feeling, thinking, etc., are not the powers of the sense-organs, or even of the inner organs (Antah-karana). They are the expressions of the Spirit when It functions through matter, and hence, it is said that along with the mind and the five senses, 'ABIDING IN THE PRAKRITI,' (Chapter XIII) It functions. That this conditioned-Self is experienced as the limited ego, the mortal, because of our ignorance or error of judgement that It is only a portion, as it were, an imaginary portion of the indivisible whole, etc., --- have all been proved in the Geeta. WHEN DOES THE INFINITE DRAW THESE FACULTIES AROUND IT?

8. When the Lord obtains a body, and when He leaves it, He takes these and goes (with them) as the wind takes the scents from their seats (the flowers) .

When the Lord acquires a body, meaning, when the Infinite deludes Itself that It is conditioned by the mind- intellect, It becomes the Jiva; and the Jiva takes to itself various bodies from time to time and incarnates in different environments, which are ordered by its own burning desires and aspirations, and which are most suited for exhausting and fulfilling all its demands. From the moment the Jiva enters a body till it leaves it, it keeps these sense faculties and mental impressions at all times with itself. In fact, the 'subtle-body' includes all these faculties. At death, the 'subtle-body' permanently departs from the 'gross-body' which is left inert. The dead-body, though found to maintain the shape of the very individual, has no more any sense faculty or mental ability or intellectual capacity, that it had expressed before. These expressions, physical, mental and intellectual, were those which gave the body an individual personality-stature. All these constitute the "subtle-body", and the "gross-body," bereft of its subtle essence, is called the dead-body. At the time of death, the 'subtle-body,' as it is described here, moves off gathering unto itself all faculties, "EVEN AS THE WIND TAKES SCENTS FROM THEIR RESTING PLACES", a passing breeze is not at any time separate from atmospheric air that is everywhere, and yet, when the breeze passes over a flower, or some sandal-paste, or a scent-bottle --- which are all seats of fragrance --- it carries with it the respective aroma. Similarly, the subtle-body, when it moves out, carries along with it the senses, mind and intellect, not in any gross-form, but as a mere

"fragrance" of what all they had lived through, felt in, and thought of. Thus viewed, the mind is nothing but a bundle of vasanas. These vasanas can exist only in the Infinite Consciousness, and the Light of Awareness illumining the vasanas is called the 'individual personality' --- Jiva. In this stanza the Jiva is called the Lord (Ishwara) only because the 'individual personality' is the Lord of the body, that orders, commands, and regulates all its actions, feelings and thoughts. Just as an officer, on receiving his transfer orders from the Government, packs up his belongings and moves out of his residence for the time being, and having reached the new seat of appointment unpacks and spreads out his furniture for his comforts, so too, at the time of departing from the body, the subtle- body gathers itself from the gross 'dwelling place,' and on reaching the new physical structure, it spreads itself out again to use its faculties through that new "house-of- experience." These stanzas are really a summary of the Upanishadic declarations. THIS SUBTLE-BODY, DESCRIBED IN THE PREVIOUS STANZAS ROUGHLY AS "THE FIVE SENSES AND THE MIND AS THE SIXTH," IS BEING EXPLAINED FURTHER IN THE FOLLOWING STANZAS:

9. Presiding over the ear, the eye, the touch, the taste and the smell, so also the mind, He enjoys the sense-objects.

The Jiva through the equipment of the mind, enjoys the world-of-objects available in the new environment, through the sense-organs of hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling, which are expressed through their respective organs of the ear, the eye, the skin, the tongue, and the nose. The pure Light of Consciousness never illumines any object, because in the Pure Light of the Infinite, there are no objects at all to illumine. It is only the Light of Consciousness reflected in the mind-intellect that becomes the special beam of light, the intelligence, in which alone the sense-objects become illumined. That is why, very often, when we are thinking intensively on some problem, even if some of our friends come in front of us and talk to us, we neither see, nor hear them. The image of the object has already fallen on the retina of the eye, and the sound of the speaker has made the necessary vibrations on the tympanum of the ears, and yet, we see or hear nothing, because the conscious mind is turned elsewhere. Therefore, using the mind along with each sense separately, the individualised ego (Jiva) the dweller-in-the- body-enjoys the sense-objects such as sound, form, touch, etc. IF THE CONSCIOUSNESS WHICH IS ETERNAL AND PERFECT IS SO INTIMATELY PRESENT IN EVERY

EXPERIENCE OF MAN, HOW IS IT THAT WE, WHO ARE LIVING THROUGH VIVID AND REAL EXPERIENCES AT EVERY MOMENT OF OUR EXISTENCE, FAIL TO RECOGNISE THIS DIVINE PERFECTION, WHICH IS SO CONSTANTLY WITH US AT ALL TIMES AND EVERYWHERE? THE SELF IS VISIBLE ONLY TO THE EYE-OF-KNOWLEDGE.

10. Him, who departs, stays and enjoys, who is united with GUNAS, the deluded do not see; but they do behold Him, who posses the "eye-of-Knowledge. "

It is true everywhere that a common man, though observing an object does not fully and correctly understand it. The better understanding of things is always reserved for the man of knowledge. Everybody can read a great piece of literature, but a man of letters alone can come to comprehend and enjoy fully the vision expressed in and through the artistic design of the piece. Only a jeweller can really estimate the quality and worth of a jewel, even though all can look at it. Everyone can hear music, but only a musician can judge and experience the subtle beauties in a masterly recital.

Similarly, every one of us, so long as life resides in us, can perceive, feel and think, and yet, it is only the "wise" man who can come to recognise and live the Infinite Essence of Life Itself. The Infinite Self is at all times present and never is there a time when It is not. When LEAVING the body, the subtle- body is vitalised by the presence of the Spirit. While the body is EXISTING, the Self is illuminating all experiences. While ENJOYING the pleasures of life, it is the Light of Consciousness that illumines for us all our mental experiences and our intellectual judgements. At moments, our entire mental climate changes from peaceful calmness (Sattwa) to riotous agitations (Rajas), or sinks into a dull inertia (Tamas), and all these moments, whatever be the nature of the climate within, are experienced only by the Light of Consciousness. And yet the unintelligent one perceives not this Conscious Knowledge that is constantly making him aware of his moment-to-moment experiences. An average man is so much preoccupied with the details of experiences that, he, clinging to his desires for enjoying the outer beauty of things and situations, comes to overlook and fails to recognise the steady Light of Consciousness in him, in the presence of which alone can any experience be ever possible. Those who have got the necessary detachment from the minor details of the outer field-of-experience alone come to recognise and live the joys of the Pure Self --- the Subject.

This special vision available to the man-of-Perfection is called the 'EYE-OF-WISDOM' in the stanza. This is not any special inner organ as such; it only represents an extra faculty that develops in the spiritual seeker, with which he comes to perceive the deeper significances and subtler suggestions in the superficially chaotic play of plurality. Those who do not have this intuitive perception necessarily fail to have this vision of the play of the Immortal Divine in and through the day-to-day activities and happenings. The same idea is more artistically stressed by Sri Shankara elsewhere. This 'EYE-OF- KNOWLEDGE' cannot be developed unless the disciplines of Self-perfection are properly practised. The subjective technique of self-integration (Yoga) can be successfully brought about only when complete integration of personality at the outer levels has taken place. A FEW ONLY ULTIMATELY COME TO EXPERIENCE THIS SELF, WHILE OTHERS, EVEN THOUGH STRIVING, FAIL TO HAVE THIS REALISATION. WHY?

11. The seekers striving (for Perfection) behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and unitelligent, even though striving, see Him not.

Those who are successful in their attempts at stilling their mind and cleaning their intellect of its disturbing attachments and desires, come to recognise the glory of the Self and experience Its Infinite Beatitude. But it is also true that all those who mechanically put in plenty of self- effort (Yoga) do not necessarily succeed. Hundreds are those who complain that though they were regular in their spiritual programme for years, no appreciable amount of self-development has come to them. One may wonder why this should be so. This moot point is being answered here very logically.

"THOUGH STRIVING, THOSE OF UNREFINED MIND AND DEVOID OF WISDOM, PERCEIVE HIM NOT." Two conditions are unavoidable if meditation is to ultimately yield its promised result: (a) The purification of the mind is generally defined as removal of agitations (Vikshepa) created by one's false ego-centric attachment to sense- objects; (b) Also, the intellect is to be tuned up properly to a correct understanding of the nature of the Self, and thus all doubts of the misty mind (Avarana) that veil its right perception are also to be removed through study, reflection and practice. If these two adjustments are not properly accomplished, through practice of devotion (Bhakti-Yoga) and service (Karma-Yoga), all attempts at meditation in the "Path-of-Knowledge" can only end in failure. In short, the stanza emphasises that those whose minds have not been properly regenerated through practice of self-control of the senses, and who have not renounced and abandoned their evil ways of looking at things from limited ego-centric standpoint, whose pride has not yet been subdued --- such seekers, however sincerely and ardently they may meditate, have little or no chance of unfolding themselves into their diviner possibilities; THEY BEHOLD HIM NOT. Though the Self is the nearest, and therefore, most easily perceivable, yet, all do not see Him, because of their complete slavery to the enchantments of the sense-objects. So far the Self has been indicated as: (1) That, which cannot be illumined by the known phenomenal sources of light, such as the Sun, the Moon and the Fire; (2) That having reached which, none returns from that State of Perfection; (3) That, of which the individual entities (Jivas) are as though only a part. Hereafter, in the following four stanzas the Immanence of the Lord --- (a) as the All-illumining Light of Consciousness, (b) as the All-sustaining Life, (c) as the subjective warmth of Life, in all living organisms, and (d) as the Self in all the hearts --- is being described. TO SHOW THIS VERY GOAL AS THE ESSENCE OF ALL AND THE REALITY BEHIND ALL THESE EXPERIENCES, KRISHNA PROCEEDS TO GIVE A SHORT SUMMARY OF THE LORD'S IMMANENCE, IN THE FOLLOWING FOUR VERSES:

12. That Light which is residing in the Sun and which illumines the whole world, and that which is in the moon and in the fire -- - know that Light to be Mine.

We, who are familiar with the modern scientific observations must necessarily get rattled a bit when we read the meaning of the stanza. But without losing our balance, if we were to quietly ruminate over the statement, we shall realise that our confusions are only because of the limitation of our own intellect --- which we have cultivated by the study of intellectually limited sciences. In the early classrooms we are told, very scientifically, that the earth is a portion of the Sun that has got detached from it and got held within the web of mutual attraction of the planets, and which has now cooled to its present temperature. But if we ask the question where the Sun itself came from, the teacher of science is not only uncomfortable, but also positively tickled to a justifiable bad temper! Science can move only in a field where it can gather the necessary data to calculate and to prove. But philosophy seeks to satisfy the questionings of the human intellect regarding the Ultimate Source of all things, even if the necessary scientific data for such an attempt may not be available in the laboratory. There is a definite frontier at which the intellect and its observations, its logic and conclusions, its reasoning and assertions, must necessarily exhaust themselves and cry halt. And yet, the question is not fully answered, for we find an honest intellect still left wondering: Why! How!! What!!!

There science is silent. Where science has fulfilled itself, and from where onwards its light fails to illumine the path, there philosophy starts its pilgrimage towards the Absolute Satisfaction. Here, the stanza says that the very light which emerges from the Sun and which illumines the whole world, is the Light that is emerging from Me, the Infinite Consciousness. Nay, the light that comes from the moon, the light that emanates from the fire, are all expressions of the Infinite Reality, when It expresses through the moon and the fire. The manifestations are different because the equipments are different: the LIGHT in the bulb, the HEAT in the furnace, the MOVEMENT in the fan, are all indeed different manifestations, because the bulb, the furnace, and the fan are dissimilar equipments; but the energy called electricity is one and the same. In brief, Consciousness expressed through the Sun manifests sunlight, expressed through the moon is the moon-light, and expressed through the dry fuel is the fire --- and yet, all of them are, in reality, nothing but the Infinite Itself, in Its varied glorious manifestations. The Infinite manifests Itself in order to create the conducive environment, in which alone the world can exist, and wherein, as the Lord, He can come to express Himself and play His game of plurality!! MOREOVER:

13. Permeating the earth I support all beings by (My) energy; and having become the liquid moon, I nourish all herbs.

PERMEATING THE EARTH I SUPPORT ALL BEINGS WITH MY ENERGY --- Long before artificial manure was discovered, the earth had, no doubt, a long history; and some of those eras in the bygone days were, perhaps, more over-populated than the present. And yet, the earth continued to sustain life. The capacity of the earth to sustain life and nourish it, the warmth and the mineral contents, are all, says the Lord, "MY OWN VITALITY," meaning, the same Consciousness which, through the Sun became the necessary warmth of the atmosphere, while expressing through the earth, became the 'potential fertility' of the soil and the 'life-giving secret capacity' of the earth. HAVING BECOME THE MOONLIGHT I NOURISH ALL THE PLANTS --- The same Eternal Consciousness, while functioning through the moon expresses Itself as moon- light and fills each plant with its "essence" content. If this passage was rejected by members of a previous generation, children of the modern scientific knowledge will not dare to question it. Modern agricultural science proves that the planetary organisation, especially the moon, has got some strange connection with the expected productivity in agriculture! Recent experiments have been reported where tomato seedlings sown on the full-moon day and plucked again on a full-moon day were found to yield a better crop. Indeed it is accepted everywhere that the paddy preserved for seeds is not only to be dried in the Sun, but is must also lie exposed to the moon. The naturopaths keep some of their preparations --- as also the Ayurvedic physicians --- exposed to the moon for a certain number of days, and they claim that the medicines gain certain curative powers thereby. All these above facts, touched upon lightly here, should prove that the declaration in the stanza is not totally unscientific. The Sun, the moon and the fire are the Cosmic sources of all energy in the world, and the very Source-of-the-energy, from where it flows through these phenomenal expressions, is the Infinite Consciousness. The Consciousness functions through the earth and gives the fields their special capacity to sustain and nourish the vegetable world, and when the flora grows up, it is again the same Consciousness, functioning through the moon and manifesting as moonlight that fills each plant and fruit with its essential food-value (Vitamins). MOREOVER:

14. Having become (the Fire) VAISHVAANARA , I abide in the body of beings, and associated with PRANA and APANA, digest the four-fold food.

ABIDING IN THE BODY OF LIVING BEINGS AS VAISHVAANARA --- The same Supreme Consciousness expresses Itself as the warmth-of-life in all living creatures. That physical structure from which all warmth has gone, is dead. Metabolism creates the body-heat and the functions of the inner organisms continue automatically without any conscious effort on the part of the individual, so long as LIFE is pulsating in the body. Here, the Eternal Reality is indicated as that mighty LIFE, which, when pulsating through the body, manifests Itself as the 'digestive fire' (Vaishvaanara), which assimilates all the food taken in. I DIGEST THE FOUR-FOLD FOOD --- The digestive power in a healthy living organism assimilates all types of food. The entire variety of human diet is classified under four heads in Sanskrit as food that should be (i) masticated, (ii) swallowed, (iii) sucked, and (iv) licked. Under these four types, we can embrace all kinds of food, vegetarian and non-vegetarian, prepared and unprepared, raw and ripe. All things consumed by the mouth are digested, assimilated and absorbed because of the digestive system and the power in the digestive system is nothing but a manifestation of the All-present Life Principle.

ASSOCIATED WITH PRANA AND APANA --- The two physiological functions of "perception" and of "excretion" in all living creatures are called Prana and Apana. Here, however, these terms can be considered in their broadest general sense. Not only does the Consciousness, as the 'digestive fire,' assimilate the food that has reached the stomach, but is again Life manifested as the peristaltic movement (Prana) that receives and rolls down the food swallowed, through the oesophagus into the stomach. After digesting, assimilating and absorbing food, it is again the same Divine Spark-of-Life that gives the intestines its capacity to throw out (Apana) the undigested and unnecessary by-products. In short, it is the Lord that helps us to swallow the food, it is the Lord that assimilates the food, and it is the Lord again that presides over the function of eliminating the by-products. MOREOVER:

15. And I am seated in the hearts of all, from Me are memory, knowledge, as well as their absence. I am verily that which has to be known in all the VEDAS; I am indeed the author of

VEDANTA, and, the "knower of the VEDAS" am I. I AM SEATED IN THE HEARTS OF ALL --- If there be thus an Infinite Omnipotent Power that manifests Itself as the different things and beings in the world, how can a seeker make his pilgrimage towards It and meet this Great Divine? Lord Krishna says that He lives in the Hearts of all living creatures. Here the HEART does not mean the physiological "heart" but it is the metaphysical HEART. The term HEART, in philosophy, means "mind which has been trained to entertain constantly the positive qualities of love, tolerance, mercy, charity, kindness, and like." A peaceful, joyous mind, settled in tranquillity, alert and vigilant to receive higher intimations, is called the "heart." The Infinite 'DWELLS IN THE HEART'means, though He is present everywhere the Lord is most conspicuously self- evident, during meditation, in the HEART of the meditator. FROM ME ARE MEMORY KNOWLEDGE, AS WELL AS THEIR ABSENCE --- The Consciousness Divine has been declared above as revelling in the heart of every living creature. This Light-of-Life seems to have no particular justification to exit since all perceptions are through the body, all feelings are through the mind, all thoughts are through the intellect. The Geeta here declares what exactly is then the special grace of Consciousness. It is the light of Consciousness that illumines all our experiences in Life. From this Supreme alone all memories, knowledge, as well as forgetfulness, come to us. Memory is constituted of our experiences of the past, stored away in our understanding which guide our present and future activities. All education and knowledge that we have at this moment are memories from the past. Unless we are aware of these memories, they will not be available in our present life. Reacting properly to the present sets of stimuli and thereby gaining fresh and vivid experiences, is the process of widening our field of knowledge. And all these processes are possible only in the Light of Life. Acquisition of new knowledge presupposes our capacity to give up our earlier false notions. Imperfect knowledge gets weeded out when a person is cultivating new knowledge. A capacity to forget is an essential pre- requisite in acquiring fresh knowledge. This stanza explains that all these subjective activities, mental and intellectual, arise from and are maintained by the Conscious Principle, the Lord-Himself. IT IS I THAT IS TO BE KNOWN BY ALL THE VEDAS --- In all the scriptures of the world, including the various portions of all the Vedas in India, Krishna says, this Infinite Consciousness is the one common factor that has been extolled and adored. To realise this is to reach the goal-of- life, the fulfilment of existence. The Consciousness that revels in the hearts of all living creatures is the non-dual Immortal Reality, the All-pervading and It is the only substratum for the pluralistic world of experiences. I AM INDEED THE AUTHOR OF VEDANTA, AS WELL AS THE KNOWER OF THE VEDAS --- Since Consciousness alone is the Eternal Reality, and everything else is a projection upon it, the very essence in everything, as expressed in the Vedas also, is this Consciousness. The seeker who listens to the Vedas reflects upon their wisdom, and ultimately comes to experience the fulfilment of his life, is also at no stage anything other than the same Consciousness. In short, it has been said that the Consciousness is the Light in the Sun; it is the same Consciousness that fertilises the earth; the Consciousness as moonlight supplies food-value to the plant-kingdom; it is Truth Itself, as the body-warmth that presides over the assimilation of the food within the body, and supervises the process of life's transactions with the world outside; and it is the same Light of Consciousness that makes it possible for us to gain experience, to store away knowledge, and to replace ignorance with better knowledge. The Eternal Principle which thus expresses Itself as the phenomenal powers --- which, with their activities make it possible for life to exist on the surface of the earth, and which helps the higher life to grow and expand into wisdom --- is the very theme indicated in the Vedas as the Eternal Reality, and to know it and to bring It under our experience is to know the Infinite. Till now the earlier verses have enumerated the glories of Narayana, the Blessed Lord, as manifested through the various vehicles such as the Sun, the moon, the earth, the body, the mind and the intellect. Now, in the following verses, Lord Krishna points out the True Nature of the Infinite as the unconditioned (Niru-padhika), All pervading (Sarva gatah) and Eternal (Nityah). This Infinite Reality transcends all intellectual concepts, such as the finite and the infinite --- as the perishable and the imperishable. CONSIDERING THE RELATIVE WORLD OF EXPERIENCE, BHAGAWAN SAYS:

16. Two 'PURUSHAS' are there in this world, the Perishable and the Imperishable. All beings are the Perishable and the

'KOOTASTHAH' is called the Imperishable. Earlier, in Chapter XIII, we had an exhaustive discussion of the field-of-Matter and the Knower-of-the field. The discussion we had so far in this chapter must prove that the Sun, the warmth in the atmosphere, the earth, its potentialities, the plant-kingdom, and man and his capacities --- all of them together constituting the field-of- Matter, are nothing other than the Supreme Itself. When the Infinite Consciousness becomes the light and heat of the Sun, the fertility of the earth, the essence in the plant, the Consciousness in the heart, the faculties of knowing and remembering, etc., they are all different forms of Consciousness alone. Thus, the fact that the field- of-Matter is nothing other than the Spirit Itself was already demonstrated. The only difference is that the Spirit, when It has assumed the form of Matter, looks as though It is subject to change and destruction. Thus the

"realm of Matter" is indicated in this stanza as the Perishable (Kshara) Purusha.

In the relative field of experience, when we talk with reference to the inert and perishable world of Matter, the Spirit is indicated as the Conscious Principle, which is Imperishable. With reference to one's wife alone is one called a husband; when I have a son I will become a father. Similarly, with reference to the perishable and the changing Matter-envelopments, the Consciousness is indicated as the Imperishable and the Changeless. The body changes; from childhood to youth, from youth to old age; the mind changes in its quality of feelings and emotions; the intellect expressing differently with each added knowledge and experience is ever in a state of change. But one is constantly AWARE OF all these changes. This Consciousness which has been constantly recognising and illumining all changes, at all levels, all through the individual's life, is necessarily changeless. This Conscious Principle is called Akshara only with reference to and as a contrast with the Perishable, the (Kshara). This Immutable and Imperishable principle of Life is the Self, common in all living creatures at all times. That this Self, in the midst of change remains changeless and that all changes can take place only in contact with it are both indicated by the metaphor suggested by the term used here, Kootashah. DISTINCT FROM THESE TWO --- THE PERISHABLE AND THE IMPERISHABLE --- UNTAINTED BY THE

IMPERFECTIONS OF THESE TWO RELATIVE CONDITIONS, IS THE HIGHEST SPIRIT:

17. But distinct is the Supreme PURUSHA called the Highest Self, the Indestructible Lord, who, pervading the three worlds (waking, dream and deep-sleep) , sustains them.

But distinct from all these is the Highest Spirit spoken of as the Supreme Self. With reference to my own children alone am I really a father. With reference to my duty or status I may have yet another name. Similarly, the Imperishable is a status and a dignity gained by the Spirit only with reference to the field-of-the-perishables around and about It, through which It manifests as the various expressions of Life. When my children have died, or I am dismissed from my job, I am no more a father, nor can I any more claim my erstwhile official dignity. But that does not mean that I am, in the absence of children or work, an absolute zero, a total non-entity! No. I will exist as "the son of my father," or in my individual capacity, though devoid of all my special status and dignity born out of my relationship with my profession, or with my children. When the perishable (Kshara) is transcended, what remains is not Imperishable (Akshara) but that which played as the 'Perishable-Purusha' as well as the 'Imperishable-Purusha.' This Pure Spirit (Purusha) is spoken of as the Supreme Self, who 'PERVADES AND

SUSTAINS THE THREE WORLDS': "World" in Sanskrit means 'realm of experience.' The three realms of experiences in which we eke out our life's returns are the states of waking, dream, and deep-sleep. The same Self is the illuminator of the experiences in all the above three states-of-Consciousness. There are not three different types of Purushas; according to the limitations and conditions around It, the Spirit, appears different in Its manifestations. A pot is in a room; now the 'pot-space' is a lesser part of the 'room-space,' and the room-space is only a negligible portion of the 'total- space.' At the same time 'pot-space' minus the pot, if understood as "space," is the same space as the infinite- space. Now, in the above example, pot-space and room- space are something other than the outer-space, in as much as, conditioned as they are, they have gathered unto themselves certain limitations, but the unconditioned 'pot- space' and the 'room-space' are nothing but the infinite- space; break the pot, pull down the walls, the space that was the 'pot-space' and the space that was the 'room- space' have both become one with the Infinite-space! The Infinite Consciousness is Itself the perishable-field in another form, and as the Knower-of-the-Field, the same Consciousness is the Imperishable Reality in the perishable conditionings, But when these conditionings are transcended, the same Self is experienced as the Supreme Self --- Paramatman.

SHOWING THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE VERY TERM, PURUSHOTTAMA, THE LORD SHOWS HOW HE IS REALLY THE SUPREME:

18. As I transcend the perishable and I am even Higher than the Imperishable, I am declared as the PURUSHOTTAMA (the

Highest -PURUSHA) in the world and in the VEDAS. Explaining the very word Purushottama, Lord Krishna says that Pure Consciousness is HIGHER than both the 'Perishable 'and the 'Imperishable.' The Perishable can continue its processes of change only against the Imperishable Truth. It is a scientific fact that no change is perceptible without reference to a changeless factor. If two trains are both moving at the same speed no movement is recognised by perceivers in both the trains. If the changes in the world of Matter --- the body, the mind and the intellect are recognised, then there must be a steady principle that illumines all these different changes. This constant factor among the Perishing is called the Imperishable. This illumining factor gathers its status as the

"Imperishable" only with reference to the "Perishable" realms. Once the perishable realms are transcended, the Imperishable amidst them Itself comes to shine forth as the Pure Infinite, which is the Purushottama. Since the Truth, Purushottama, is experienced only on transcending both the 'Perishable' and the 'Imperishable,' It is known by the term the 'Highest-Spirit' --- Purushottama. This term is used to indicate the Supreme-most Self, both by the ancient sacred volumes (Vedas), and by the poets and writers of the world. NOW THE LORD SPEAKS OF THE FRUITS GAINED BY ONE WHO REALISES THE SUPREME TRUTH AS DESCRIBED ABOVE:

19. He who undeluded, thus knows Me, the Supreme PURUSHA , he, all-knowing, worships Me with his whole being, O Bharata.

'Undeluded' means, one who has totally detached oneself from one's wrong identifications with body, mind, and intellect, and therefore, also from the world of perceptions, feelings, and thoughts, which these vehicles provide. THUS KNOWS ME --- To 'know' here is not a mere intellectual comprehension, but a deep subjective spiritual apprehension. That the undeluded one thus experiences in himself that he is the Purushottama-principle Itself, seems to be the suggestion here. Such a man who has fully identified himself with the Infinite "Me" alone is a true devotee, who 'WORSHIPS ME WITH ALL HIS BEING'; such a one is the greatest of devotees, declares the Geetaacharya. Identification with the beloved is everywhere the measure of love; the greater the love, the greater is our identification with the object of our love. Therefore, arithmetically, total identification should be the maximum Love or devotion. The Highest Spirit, Purushottama, being the Infinite Consciousness, it is the 'All-knower', inasmuch as whenever anything is known through perception, feeling, or thought, it is the Principle of Consciousness that illumines it. One who has transcended one's matter- equipments and has successfully sought and discovered one's spiritual nature as the Infinite Consciousness, that individual, as the Supreme Awareness, is indicated here as the "All-knower" (Sarvavit). THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUE NATURE OF THE LORD IS THE THEME OF THIS CHAPTER AND THE FOLLOWING CONCLUDING VERSE KRISHNA EXTOLS THIS THEME, WHICH GIVES LIBERATION TO MAN FROM ALL HIS FLESH-BORN SORROWS, MIND- BORN AGITATIONS AND INTELLECT-BORN RESTLESS-NESS:

20. Thus, this most secret science (teaching) , has been taught by Me, O sinless one. On knowing this (a man) becomes 'wise' , and all his duties are accomplished, O Bharata.

In this concluding verse Krishna says that He has taught in this chapter 'THE MOST SECRET SCIENCE.' The spiritual science (Brahma-vidya) is termed as 'secret,' not in the sense that it should not be given out to anybody, but that it is a knowledge which cannot, of its own accord come to anyone, unless one is initiated into it by a 'Knower of Reality.' O SINLESS ONE --- 'Sin'means an act, a feeling or a thought, which having been perpetrated, entertained, or thought of, comes back after a time to agitate our bosom with its insulting taunts and helpless regrets. In short, SIN is the resultant of the past that comes to demean our self- estimate and creates in us a lot of mental storm and consequent dissipation. One who has thus an inner personality which carries disturbing memories of undignified acts and cruel schemes, has indeed, a bosom that is ever agitated and restless. Such a mind-intellect- equipment cannot consistently apply itself to any serious and deep investigation into the subtle realm of the Pure Awareness that lies beyond the frontiers of the intellect. Therefore, the term 'sinless' in the context here only means

"O STEADY-MINDED, ALERT AND VIGILANT STUDENT." He who has realised this PURUSHOTTAMA-STATE of Consciousness becomes 'wise,' for he cannot thereafter make any error of judgement in life and thereby create confusions and sorrows for himself and for others around him. The second of the benefits accrued by entering the Purushottama State is the enjoyment of a complete sense of fulfilment (Krita-krityataa) --- a total and overwhelming joy that comes to a man when he realises that he has fully accomplished what is expected of him. This is promised here in this verse as the reward for the realisation of the Purushottama-stage.

Thus, in the UPANISHADS of the glorious Bhagawad-Geeta, in the Science of the Eternal, in the scripture of YOGA, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, the fifteenth discourse ends entitled:

THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME SPIRIT