Next, the result of self-knowledge is presented.
ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ saha | sarvathā varttamāno ‘pi na sa bhūyo ‘bhijāyate ||13.23||
The one who knows in this manner, puruṣa and prakṛti along with its attributes, even though engaged in all ways, he is not born again.
Generally when one knows something, one is the agent of knowing and there is object of knowing. But when one knows ātmā, does ātmā become an object of knowledge? How can I be the knower when the object of my knowledge is myself. Knower and known can’t be in the same locus. Therefore it is more accurate to say that ātmā-jñānam removes the ignorance of oneself being bound. Once the ignorance is gone, the self is realised as upadraṣṭā, anumantā, bhartā, bhoktā, etc. in this manner one knows - ya evaṃ vetti puruṣaṃ, and in the same time one knows prakṛti along with its attributes - prakṛtiṃ ca guṇaiḥ saha. One who knows these clearly, even though engaging in any activity - sarvathā vartamāno’pi, one is not born again - na sa bhūyo’bhijāyate. After abides in oneself, one may live any type of life, but karma which are done while living do not touch him/her at all. Once the body has fallen, one doesn’t assume another body because one has realised he/she has never become the doer of those karma, all along was wrong notion about one’s self. While one remains in this body, one’s prārabdha-karma continues and whatever occurs thereafter is without any interference from one’s will. There is no adrsta-phala of these actions because there is no agent performing the action to whom the result would accrue.
One’s prārabdha continues because knowledge can only destroy error, not empirical reality, just like the knowledge of the sun doesn’t rise does not destroy the perception of its rising in the eastern sky. That doesn’t mean after knowledge the perception for duality is destroyed, nor does it need to be. If the duality were real, it couldn’t be destroyed either.
dhyānenātmani paśyanti kecid ātmānam ātmanā | anye sāṅkhyena yogena karmayogena cāpare ||13.24||
By contemplation some see the self, in the self (mind), with the self (the prepared mind), others by enquiry and some others by karma-yoga.
dhyānam - mental activities which retaining one kind of thought continuously, which we called it meditation. Here is prescribed as one of the methods to gain knowledge, but it is not the primary means, but secondary. There is no other way for the truth of the self, only śāstra is pramana. But transmission of knowledge from śāstra to an individual is only through listening, therefore śravanam is the primary means for knowledge to take place. But most of the case, our mind is not prepared enough to understand and own up this truth which is pretty much apposite to our usual thinking and experience. Therefore further methods are needed namely mananam - removing doubts and nididhyāsanam - contemplation or meditation to remove the old habitual error. These three śravanam, mananam and nididyāsanam together is called sāṅkhya-yoga - life of renunciation where one’s life is committed only to abide in ātmā-jñānam.
Upanisad way of meditation is having self-knowledge as its undercurrent, since the purpose is for individual to own-up his/her true nature. Contemplate on the understanding of oneness between me the meditator and brahman, which eventually resolves in one reality. But this method of meditation require good understanding of ātmā-jñānam, therefore it is not easy to follow. Thus various ways of meditation which meant by dhyānena here are employed in order to concentrate and harmonise the mind for the purpose of purification or refinement, so that mind may become free from obstruction to see the truth of the world and oneself.
By saying “some see” - kecid paśyanti, “some” indicates that what has been mentioned are not the primary means for moksa, but process to get purity of the mind - cittaśuddhi which is ready for self-knowledge. Pure mind means a mind which is free from coloration to see the world, since we all have our own experience, impression which cause likes and dislike toward anything, and also all sort of emotion like anger, jealousy, etc. thus the world which is seen through these minds would look different.
In the same way, these coloration also make us couldn’t see this truth. Therefore besides meditation, karma-yoga which is the antidote for neutralising likes and dislikes also is prescribed.
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