Bhagavad Gita/Conversation 15. Cognition of the Supreme Spirit
Conversation 15.
Cognition of the Supreme Spirit
Lord Krishna said:
15:1. They say that there is the immortal tree ashvattha with its roots growing upward and the crown located beneath. Its leaves are words of thanksgiving and love. The one, who knows it, is an expert in the Vedas.
15:2. Its branches extend up and down, they are nourished by the three gunas. They end at the objects of indriyas. Its roots are the fetters of karma in the human world.
15:3. Looking from within the world of matter, one can comprehend neither its form, nor its purpose or destination, nor even its foundation. And only when this firmly rooted tree is cut down by the mighty sword of liberation from attachments,
15:4. then a road from which there is no return opens up. There one has to merge with the Primordial Spirit, Who gave origin to everything.
15:5. Without pride and delusion, having conquered the evil, understanding the nature of the Eternal, having curbed the sexual passion, free from the pair of opposite known as rejoicing and suffering — such men confidently walk the reliable Path.
15:6. Neither the Sun, nor the Moon, nor fire shine there. Having entered this place, one never returns. It is My Supreme Abode!
15:7. A part of Me becomes a soul in the world of incarnate beings and stretches in the material nature its indriyas, among which the indriyas of the mind are the sixth.
15:8. The soul receives a body. And when it leaves the body, Ishvara takes it and carries it away, as the wind carries away the fragrance of flowers.
15:9. By hearing, eyesight, touch, taste, smell, as well as by the mind, the soul perceives from within the body the objects of senses.
15:10. The ignorant do not see the soul when it comes, leaves, or stays enjoying, being captivated by the gunas. But those who have the eyes of wisdom see it!
15:11 Rightly aspiring Yogis cognize not only the soul but also the Atman in themselves. But the unwise do not find the Atman.
15:12. Know that the splendor of the Sun illuminating the space, of the Moon, or of fire — this splendor originates from Me!
15:13. Having penetrated inside the soil, I sustain all beings in it by My Life-giving Power. I nourish all plants by becoming the heavenly soma for them.
15:14. As the Fire of Life, I reside in the bodies of animals. And mingling with the incoming and outgoing energies, I transform in their bodies the four kinds of food.
15:15. I reside in the hearts of all! From Me originates knowledge, remembering, and forgetting! I am that which has to be known in the Vedas! I am, verily, the Possessor of the all-encompassing knowledge! I am also the Creator of the Vedanta.
15:16. There are two kinds of purusha in the world: impeccable and disposed to make errors. Disposed to errors are all creatures. But the Highest Purusha is said to be impeccable.
15:17. Superior to them both, there is the Supreme Purusha called the Divine Atman. He, pervading everything with Himself, sustaining the three worlds, is the Great Ishvara!
15:18. This is so because I am transcendent to the perishable and even to the imperishable! I am identified in the world and in the Vedas as the Supreme Spirit!
15:19. The one who without delusion knows Me as the Supreme Spirit, who has cognized everything worships Me with the entire being!
15:20. So, I have expounded to you these innermost Teachings, O sinless one! They who know them and possess developed consciousnesses become most successful in their efforts, O Bharata!
Thus in the Upanishads of the blessed Bhagavad Gita, the Science of Eternal, the Scripture of Yoga, says the fifteenth conversation between Shri Krishna and Arjuna, entitled:
Cognition of the Supreme Spirit.
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