One who resorts to Īśvara and start living with the attitude of karma-yoga, even one was a person with bad conduct, one will still attain moksa. Following the sequence to get self-knowledge, this is what will happen to this person.
ksipram bhavati dharmātmā śaśvacchāntim nigacchati |
kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktah pranaśyati ||9.31||
Quickly he becomes one whose mind is in conformity with dharma and gains eternal peace. May you know for certain, Kaunteya (Arjuna)! My devotee never gets destroyed.
dharmātmā - one whose mind is in conformity with dharma. Dharma becomes natural to this person because the moral order is not separated from Īśvara. Thus dharma is Īśvara himself who is not separated from this person who strives to own up this true nature of the self. Therefore from one who had wrong conduct, change quickly - ksipram becomes one whose mind is committed to dharma. Since one does what is to be done and avoids what is not to be done, naturally one gains relative inner peace. But when his/her understanding of ātmā as non-doer and non-enjoyer is clear, then one gains eternal peace - śaśvacchāntim nigacchati. The nature of self-knowledge is that it does not get disturbed by any condition of the body-mind-sense-complex, its clarity made the mind become peaceful, not because only the mind is peaceful then one is peaceful.
na me bhaktah pranaśyati - my devotee doesn't get destroyed. Devotee here is one who committed only to recognise Īśvara. To recognise existence of Īśvara is a great step, and to seek Īśvara as oneself is really another significant step. Therefore this person's spiritual progress will never get downfall, even though unfavourable situation might be there due to the prarabdha-karma.
Next Lord Krsna gives assurance that all people will get moksa if they follow what he has taught, even for those who are in the disadvantage position in the sense of mental disposition, not from social status or origin of birth, etc.
mām hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye'pi syuh pāpayonayah |
striyo vaiśyāstathā śūdrāste'pi yānti parām gatim ||9.32||
Indeed, Pārtha (Arjuna)! even those who are born in families given to improper conduct, and so too, women, vaiśyas and śudras, taking refuge in Me, they also gain the ultimate end.
Pāpa-yoni is any birth in which there is a predominance of affliction. Pāpa is fructified into any unfavourable situation, including being born into the family which given to improper conduct. Since being raised up with distorted value background, one most probably following bad conduct helplessly. They are in the disadvantage position to start their spiritual journey compare to people who grow up with the strong dharma value. Also woman who majority having stronger emotional attachment towards their kin and love ones. And vaiśya - whose livelihood depends on trading, their motive for profit is greater than importance to be truthful, and śudra - who are in the service line, majority of them don't have good discrimination knowledge even for dharma-adharma. Even disadvantages are there, but if they take refuge in Īśvara, they will get moksa.
kim punarbrāhmanāh punyā bhaktā rājarsayastathā |
anityamasukham lokamimam prāpya bhajasva mām ||9.33||
Then what to talk of brāhmanas who have fortunate births and are devoted, so too, the sage kings (ksatriyas)? Having gained this world, which is non-eternal and of little happiness, may you seek me.
If those who don't have good start at the beginning also can get moksa, what to talk about brāhmanah and ksatriya, who are educated with śāstra since young age, and grow up in family with strong dharma values. They are the people who are having an easier start for this spiritual journey. Therefore the criteria for gaining moksa is not based on birth, or education background, etc, but the devotion and commitment are necessary.
lokamimam prāpya - having gain this world, as a human being which is the first qualification for moksa pursuit, one should seek me - bhajasva mām to own up the limitless nature of oneself, because this world is not eternal and only gives little happiness - anityamasukham.
Now, Lord Krsna sum-up this chapter, by mentioning the sequence we should follow.
manmanā bhava madbhakto madyājī mām namaskuru |
māmevaisyasi yuktvaivam ātmānam matparāyanah ||9.34||
May you become one whose mind is committed to Me, who is devoted to Me, who offers rituals unto Me and may you surrender to Me. Having yourself prepared in this way and being one for whom I am the ultimate end, you will reach Me, the self alone.
manmanā bhava - may you become one whose mind is committed to Īśvara, there is only one commitment in one's life which pursuing the limitless nature of oneself which is Īśvara alone. That only one commitment is an important key, because for the success in moksa pursuit, other commitment is not allowed, unlike in our transactional world, where multiple pursuits can be there in the same time. Because if one commits to other pursuits as well, means one still couldn't see what is satyam and what is mithya.
madbhaktah bhava - may you become my devotee, who wants to gain this nature of Īśvara as oneself. madyājī bhava - may you become whose ritual/prayer/action are offered only to Īśvara, as a karma-yogi. mām namaskuru - may you surrender to me, surrender one's doer-ship and enjoyer-ship is called total surrender.
Having prepared oneself this manner, one's mind will be composed and focused to gain the limitless-self.
om tat sad
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