Continue from last week…..
When different sadhana are mentioned, they are specified for different kind of sadhaka. Even though sometimes it is said that karma-yoga is for beginner, meditation is for intermediate, and sāṅkhya-yoga for advanced student, or based on one’s stage of life: karma-yoga is for householder, dhyānam is for hermitage life and scriptural study is for renunciate, but they really can’t have watertight differentiation nowadays. Since we don’t grow up with basic understanding of the Vedic teaching where moksa is the ultimate goal of human life, and each stage of life is means for growing, therefore in order for each means to be done in good measure, we must have some basic knowledge of Vedanta. Without understanding of the final goal, we can’t strive on the means. Therefore for karma-yoga and meditation to have good measure, they need to be baked-up by ātma-jñāna.
Particularly Lord Krsna points out seeing ātmā in the mind - ātmani paśyanti. It seems contradicted that in chapter 12-3 said ātmā is not an object of thought - acintyam, and also chapter 13-15 said ātmā is not known - avijñeyam, but now how can he say seeing ātmā in the intellect? He means ātmā is to be recognised in every vrtti - thought as the very content of every cognition. Consciousness is present in every cognition and if I see this limitless consciousness as I, that recognition eliminates all the limitation. By bringing up this point, he also ruled out the idea that one can be free from this projection bondage just by meditation or karma-yoga.
anye tvevam ajānantaḥ śrutvānyebhya upāsate l te ‘pi cātitarantyeva mṛtyuṁ śrutiparāyaṇāḥ ll13-25ll
But others, not knowing in this manner, having heard from others (their teachers), being committed to what they have heard, follow (that), and indeed, they also cross death.
There are others who can’t take up any of the above practice - anye tvevam-ajānantaḥ. What should they do? They can also pursue moksa by listening to others - śrutvānyebhya. Śankarācārya said that “others” are their teachers who will lead them to progress in their refinement of the mind by prescribing some sadhana like japa, charity, etc. When they follow the instruction of the teachers - upāsate, and commit to what they have heard - śrutiparāyanāḥ, in course of time they will be ready for ātmā-jñānam, and be free - cātitarantyeva mṛtyuṁ.
yāvat sañjāyate kiñcit sattvaṁ sthāvarajaṅgamam l
kṣetrakṣetrajñasaṁyogāt tadviddhi bharatarṣabha ll13.26ll
As long as any existent thing - moving or non-moving is born, that may you know, Arjuna, the foremost in the clan of Bharata! is because of the connection between the kṣetra and kṣetrajña.
There is a lot of value towards heaven life after drops of the body in this world, and people even think that is the permanent moksa. But even the body of celestial being is also mithyā.The manifestation in heaven supposed to be sattva predominance, rajas qualities are predominant in the human realm, and tamas is predominant in the lower manifestation. But whatever manifests through sattva or rajas or tamas, experiences either in heaven, this mortal world or the lower realm, every being or experience is a result of the contact between puruṣa and prakṛti in various ways, and it is nothing but samsāra, since this contact is a mix-up. It is called mix-up because there is no real contact/connection between puruṣa and prakṛti, just like there is no real contact between snake and the robe, snake is only projection of robe
samaṁ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṁ parameśvaram l vinaśyatsvavinaśyantaṁ yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati ll13.27ll
The one who sees the Lord, as remaining the same in all being, as the one who is not being destroyed, in the things that are perishing, he alone see.
Separation between me the consciousness and this body-sense-complex has been done with proper understanding of different characteristic of both. But this is not the final purpose of ātmā-jñānam, since separation which is seeing duality is not going to solve the problem of bondage. Only when one appreciates oneself as the reality who presents uniformly in all being, he/she alone sees the truth. Therefore Lord Krsna point out again in this verse.
yaḥ paśyati sa paśyati - the one who sees is the one who sees, to indicate that one sees something different from what others see. One sees parameśvaram is not an entity situated somewhere in particular, but as one who dwells without any difference in all being - samaṃ sarveṣu bhūteṣu tiṣṭhantaṃ. That which remains the same, doesn’t die - avinaśyantaṃ, in the being which is time-bound, continuously getting destroyed - vinaśyatsu. By the restatement of absent of the last modification of an existence entity, all modifications before destruction is also stand negated. What does not die is satyam - the truth, who is the one who doesn’t die among the dying (vinaśyati), doesn’t decline among the declining (apaksīyate), doesn’t change among the changing (viparinamate), doesn’t grow among the growing (vardhate), and isn’t born among those are born (jāyate). These modifications are not me. The one who sees oneself is satyam who is the witness of all these modifications, he/she alone sees.