Translation and Commentary
by Jayaram V
śrībhagavān uvāca
abhayam sattvasamśuddhir jñānayogavyavasthitih
dānam damaś ca yajñaś ca svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
Translation
sri-bhagavan uvaca = the Blessed Lord said; abhayam
= fearlessness;
sattva-samsuddhih = with predominance of sattva; jnana = knowledge; yoga = yoga; vyavasthitih
= established in; danam = charity; damah =
self-restraint; ca = and; yajnah =
sacrifice; ca = and; svadhyayah = self-study
of the scriptures; tapah = austerity; arjavam
= simplicity.
Meaning
"Said the Blessed Lord, "Fearlessness, predominance of sattva, well
established in the yoga of knowledge, (engaged in) charity, self-restraint,
self-study of the scriptures, austerity and simplicity.
Commentary
Enumerated here are the qualities
of a person who is endowed with the
knowledge of Brahman and who has perfected
himself on the path of yoga. If
you want to find Brahman, you have to become
one. You must have all the qualities that
qualify you as a divine being or a truly
spiritual person. Brahman is
not just a Being or a Person with a huge
form as some tend to argue. Such
descriptions are symbolic to denote His
immensity, universality and omniscience.
Brahman is the sum total of everything that
exists here and hereafter. You cannot say
definitely that He is this and He is not
this. He is everything, including the
nothingness or the emptiness which none can
fathom.
However, there is a higher and a lower
aspect of Him. Our endeavor should be to be
part of that Higher nature and reflect all
those radiant qualities which qualify us for
a place in the immortal world that is free
from sin, imperfection, mortality,
transformation, impermanence, ignorance,
time, delusion and division. It is said that
when you become as pure as you inner Self,
you will be able to realize Its essential
nature and reflect it well in your
consciousness. In this verse, Lord Krishna
enumerates the qualities of a divine person,
who is closer to the heart of God. A
spiritual aspirant who is serious about his
salvation, should pay attention to them
because by cultivating them, he can move
closer to perfection in his practice.
Fearlessness was the
first quality mentioned by Krishna. Fearlessness comes from
detachment, sameness and all knowing
awareness. Fear stems from ignorance, confusion
and feelings of helplessness. Knowledge
leads to courage. When you know the past and
present, people and situations, and when you
have the insight into things and their
nature, you will live fearlessly, with
immense confidence. Besides, if you are
detached and free from desires, you will not be
troubled by fear and anxiety. With
detachment comes contentment. When you are
contended, you will not suffer from the fear
of losing anything. With detachment, you
will also become equal to everything and you
will not be afraid to face any situation in
your life,
however unpleasant it may be.
The predominance of sattva is the key to transformation in
yoga. The purpose of yoga is to develop it
whereby a yogi experiences peace and
stability within himself. Sattva is a divine
quality. The heavens are filled with the
radiance of sattva. So are the gods and the
celestial beings that live in the sun filled
words of radiant planes. The higher the
plane in the divine space, the greater is
its predominance. Even Isvara is made of
sattva only, although it is of a higher and
much purer quality, known as suddha sattva.
When sattva is predominant and when both
rajas and tamas are completely suppressed, a
yogi radiates the brilliance of the Self.
His perceptions and awareness improve
tremendously. Free from ignorance and
delusion, he discerns things clearly, with greater
clarity, precision and wisdom. He is not
easily disturbed or distracted by the every
changing vistas of the phenomenal world. He
cannot be tempted or lured into unwholesome
attitude or behavior. He remains centered in
himself and stable under all circumstances.
The yoga of knowledge is the first and
the most important task on the spiritual
path. Knowledge is the door through which
you unravel the mysteries of your Self and
come closer to your heart where you will
experience love and devotion of the purest
kind. Without knowledge of Brahman or the
Self,
self-realization is not possible. The
practice of virtue, surrender and devotion
is easier for a person who has established
himself well in the yoga of knowledge. Many
people assume that pure devotion is
sufficient to reach the world of Brahman;
but pure devotion does not arise in one’s
mind and heart, unless sattva becomes
predominant and the intelligence (buddhi) is
suffused with the brilliance of knowledge.
Danam (charity) means giving. It is
giving selflessly what you have and what you
can. True charity comes from egolessness,
freedom from desires, and intense love for
Brahman and everything He represents.
Charity is difficult for those who are
selfish and self-centered and who do not see
the presence of Brahman in His creation. It is easier for
those who see the Self everywhere and who
are free from desires and passions. When you
find yourself in everyone and everyone in
yourself, your heart will be filled with
intense love and gratitude and you will
unhesitatingly help the needy people and all
the creatures with love and compassion. If
you have knowledge, you will share it with
others. If you have wealth, you will give it
to the poor and the needy. If you have power
and position, you will use it to bring cheer
and comfort into the lives of people. Charity
is difficult to practice for those who are
predominantly rajasic, because it promotes
passion, egoism and selfishness. Therefore,
rajasic people should try to cultivate this
quality as a part of their spiritual
transformation.
Damah is self-restraint. From the
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad we learn that Lord
Brahma taught the values of three "da's" to
the gods, the demons and the human beings
respectively. He asked the gods to cultivate
dama (self-restraint) because by nature they
were pleasure seeking. He asked the demons
to practice daya (compassion) because they were by nature
inclined to inflict pain and suffering upon
others. He asked the humans to practice dana
(charity) because by nature they were
selfish and materialistic. The practice of
self-restraint (damah) is necessary where
there is the predominance of sattva because
sattva is prone to seek enjoyment and
pleasure in all things and places.
Performing sacrifices is
an important and essential aspect of
religious life.
Sacrificial rituals constitute our
obligatory duties, which must be performed
as stipulated in the scriptures. According to our
tradition, they should be performed not for
our sake but for the welfare of the world,
the beings, the divinities, ancestors and
the spirits. Our scriptures say that when
sacrifices are performed, our divinities and
ancestors are benefited because they get
nourishment from the food we offer in the
sacrifices. Energized with the nourishment
we provide, they contribute to the order and
harmony (rta) of the world. If your gods are
happy and if your ancestors are well
nourished, you will be happy with the
blessings they shower upon you and your
descendents. You can nourish them with your
good behavior as well as your offerings.
When you perform your obligatory duties with
a sacrificial sense, their beneficial effect
will be even greater.
Svadhyaya means self-study. It is an
important aspect of kriya yoga (YS 2.1) and
one of the five niyamas listed by Patanjali
in the Yogasutras (YS 2.32). Vyasa, one of
the traditional commentators of the
Yogasutras, defined svadhyaya as the study of
scriptures and relentless practice of japa
or chanting of Aum or specific mantras. The
purpose of svadhyaya is to saturate the mind
with the scriptural and spiritual knowledge
concerning Brahman, the Self and liberation
so that one's awareness and understanding
vastly improve and the practice of
meditation and concentration becomes easier.
Tapah means austerity. The purpose of
tapah is to generate internal body heat
through self-control, yogic postures and
similar methods to transform the sexual
energy (retas) into spiritual energy (ojas)
so that it can be used judiciously to
cleanse the mind and the body and prepare it
for the rigors of spiritual life. Austerities
constitute an important aspect of Hindu
spiritual practice. With austerities, you
develop a strong mind and body, which can
withstand the pressures of life, attacks
from hostile forces and assimilate the higher
energies generated during the
self-transformative process. Discipline of
the mind and body is essential for spiritual
practice and it comes with the practice of
austerities.
Arjavam means straightforwardness,
honesty, simplicity, righteousness,
open-mindedness. You will find this quality
predominantly in virtuous people who are pure
in their heart, whose thoughts and
intentions are pure and who are always
willing to help others and work for a divine
cause. It manifests in those who perfect
themselves in the practice of the five
yamas, namely non-violence, truthfulness,
non-stealing, celibacy and non-possession of
material wealth.
