- B.G 9.01 and 02
śrībhagavānuvāca -
idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ pravakṣyāmyanasūyave। jñānaṁ vijñānasahitaṁ yajjñātvā mokṣyase'śubhāt ॥1॥
The Blessed Lord said:
I shall now declare to you the most secret knowledge, along with its realization, knowing which you shall be freed from all inauspiciousness (bondage).
rājavidyā rājaguhyaṁ pavitramidamuttamam। pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ susukhaṁ kartumavyayam ॥2॥
This is the king of knowledge and the king of secrets, the most sacred and supreme. It enables one to perceive directly the Dharma, easy to practice, and imperishable.
Bhā.:
The subject of 7th chapter is further clarified in this chapter. 'rājavidyā' - the foremost knowledge. Brahman is directly perceived by such knowledge, hence, 'pratyakṣa-avagamaṁ'. The lord is called 'Pratyakṣa' as he resides in each of the senses. He is called 'Dharma' as Dharma is that which sustains the entire universe.
Tāt.: 9th chapter is an elaboration of 7th chapter.
- B.G 9.03
aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa। aprāpya māṁ nivartante mr̥tyusaṁsāravartmani ॥3॥
O Parantapa (Arjuna), those who lack faith in this 'Dharma', failing to attain Me, return to the cycle of birth and death.
- B.G 9.04
mayā tatamidaṁ sarvaṁ jagadavyaktamūrtinā। matsthāni sarvabhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣvavasthitaḥ ॥4॥
This entire universe is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form. All beings exist in Me, but I do not dwell in them.
Bhā.:
That Kingly knowledge is revealed stating - the Universe is pervaded by the Lord, 'mayā' (By Me). It is also the kingly secret because it is not perceived by the ordinary as it is in an unmanifest form, 'avyakta-mūrtinā'.
- B.G 9.05
na ca matsthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogamaiśvaram। bhūtabhr̥nna ca bhūtastho mamātmā bhūtabhāvanaḥ ॥5॥
And yet, beings do not exist in Me - behold My divine mystical power! Though I sustain all beings, My self does not dwell in them, for I am the source of all beings.
Bhā.:
The secret phenomenon is unlike ordinary phenomenon perceived on earth. Even though all beings exist in the Lord, He is not in them. That entity is neither visible to the eye nor perceivable by touch. Comes to awareness and at the same time unaware. His very body is 'mahat', the manifest form of the universe.
Tāt.:
The phrase 'mama ātmā' indicates the non-difference between the body and ātmā (the essence) of the Lord.
- B.G 9.06
yathā'kāśasthito nityaṁ vāyuḥ sarvatrago mahān। tathā sarvāṇi bhūtāni matsthānītyupadhāraya ॥6॥
Just as the great wind, continually situated in sky, moves everywhere, so too understand that all beings exist in me.
Bhā.:
The concept - "they exist in me and yet do not exist in me", is illustrated by giving an example of air that pervades all the atmosphere. Though others can feel the touch of air, air itself does not possess a sense of touch.
- B.G 9.07
sarvabhūtāni kaunteya prakr̥tiṁ yānti māmikām। kalpakṣaye punastāni kalpādau visr̥jāmyaham ॥7॥
O Arjuna, all beings merge into my owned insentient ('prakṛti') at the end of a cosmic cycle, and at the beginning of the next cycle, I create them again.
Bhā.:
With the purpose of further revealing the secret knolwedge, the process of dissolution and creation of the universe is elaborated in following verses.
- B.G 9.08
prakr̥tiṁ svāmavaṣṭabhya visr̥jāmi punaḥ punaḥ। bhūtagrāmamimaṁ kr̥tsnaṁ avaśaṁ prakr̥tervaśāt ॥8॥
Through My consort Prakrti, I repeatedly create this entire multitude of beings, who are helpless, being swayed under the influence of Prakrti.
Bhā.:
Prakrti is that which controls and is under the control of. Dependence of the Lord on Prakrti is like someone who, though capable of walking with his foot, playfully leans on a staff to walk. Indeed, the Lord alone, endowed with infinite power, creates all actions through his own Prakrti.
- B.G 9.09
na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañjaya। udāsīnavadāsīnamasaktaṁ teṣu karmasu ॥9॥
O Dhanañjaya, those actions do not bind me, as I remain 'like an indifferent one', not willfully seeking those actions.
Bhā.:
'Like an indifferent one' - is not the same as truly indifferent. He who governs actions - how can action bind Him?
- B.G 9.10
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakr̥tiḥ sūyate sacarācaram। hetunānena kaunteya jagad viparivartate ॥10॥
O Kaunteya, under my supervision, Prakrti gives birth to all moving and non-moving beings. Due to this cause, the world cyclically evolves.
Bhā.:
Earlier it was said 'like an indifferent one' because lord operates by overseeing the Prakrti.
Tāt.:
'adhyakṣaḥ' - the lord who is above the senses.
- B.G 9.11
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanumāśritam। paraṁ bhāvamajānanto mama bhūtamaheśvaram ॥11॥
The ignorant disregard me, seeing me as having assumed a human form, not knowing my supreme nature as the great Lord of all beings.
Bhā.:
Fate of those who disregard the lord is explained starting from 'avajānanti' verse. The ignorant perceive the Lord as human, but he is only made up of divine attributes. The Lord is without beginning, infinite, possesses a fully complete form, and is the divine power even of the greatest ones. He is addressed as 'Bhūta-maheśvara' because He is the great Lord of all beings.
- B.G 9.12
moghāśā moghakarmāṇo moghajñānā vicetasaḥ। rākṣasīmāsurīṁ caiva prakr̥tiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ॥12॥
Vain are their hopes, actions, and knowledge — undiscerning, they take refuge in a delusive, demoniac and asuric nature.
Bhā.:
Hating the Lord never results in a beneficial outcome. Kings like Śiśupāla, Pauṇḍra, and Śālva crossover the darkness because of their earlier devotion to the Lord, and not because of their constant hatred. Kind Lord never forsakes his devotees.
- B.G 9.13 and 14
mahātmānastu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakr̥timāśritāḥ। bhajantyananyamanaso jñātvā bhūtādimavyayam ॥13॥
But the great souls, O Pārtha, taking refuge in the divine Prakṛti, worship Me with undivided minds, having known Me as the imperishable origin of all beings.
satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaśca dr̥ḍhavratāḥ। namasyantaśca māṁ bhaktyā nityayuktā upāsate ॥14॥
Always glorifying Me, striving with firm vows, bowing to Me in devotion, they worship Me, ever steadfast.
Bhā.:
To explain non-devotees as haters of the Lord, attributes of the devotees are described beginning with 'mahātmānaḥ'.
Tāt.:
The Lord is the most superior, independent, defectless, and has a body of pure consciousness, in all his incarnations. Any other understanding is faulty.
- B.G 9.15
jñānayajñena cāpyanye yajanto māmupāsate। ekatvena pr̥thaktvena bahudhā viśvatomukham ॥15॥
Others too, worship Me through the sacrifice of knowledge, viewing Me as the only one (present everywhere), as different (from all others), and in manifold forms as the face of the Universe.
Bhā.:
'ekatvena' - the one who alone is present everywhere. 'pṛthaktvena' - different from all others. 'bahudhā' - refers to different ways of worship as indicated in 4-25.
Tāt.:
The lord is worshipped by the wise in multiple forms.
- B.G 9.16 and 17
ahaṁ kraturahaṁ yajñaḥ svadhā'hamahamauṣadham। mantro'hamahamevājyam ahamagnirahaṁ hutam ॥16॥
I am the ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the ancestors, I am the medicinal herb; I am the mantra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, I am the act of offering.
pitā'hamasya jagato mātā dhātā pitāmahaḥ। vedyaṁ pavitramoṅkāra r̥k sāma yajureva ca ॥17॥
I am the father of this universe, the mother, the sustainer, and the grandfather; I am the object to be known, the purifier, the sacred syllable Om, and also the Rigveda, the Sāmaveda, and the Yajurveda.
Bhā.:
The lord declares the realized knowledge, that He is everything! 'kratus' - sacrificial rites like Agniṣṭoma. 'yajña' - offering of materials directed toward the gods.
Tāt.:
'Ṛik' - He is worthy of worship; 'Sāma' - He is equal in all His forms; 'Yajur' - He is the Yajña itself; 'Puruṣottamaḥ' - He is omniscient and thus is the Supreme Person; 'Kratu' - He is of the nature of action; 'Svadhā' - As He is upheld by no other; 'māntra' - as He is the protector; 'auṣadham' - as He is the refuge for those in trouble; 'ājya' - as he is not adulterated; 'darbha' - as He the bearer of grass; 'hutam' - as He is the oblation; 'agni' - as he is the leader of the path.
- B.G 9.18
gatirbhartā prabhuḥ sākṣī nivāsaḥ śaraṇaṁ suhr̥t। prabhavaḥ pralayaḥ sthānaṁ nidhānaṁ bījamavyayam ॥18॥
He is the ultimate goal, the sustainer, the lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge, the friend; the origin, the dissolution, the resting place, the repository, the seed, and the imperishable.
Bhā.:
'gatiḥ' - the ultimate goal, as He is sought after by even the seekers of liberation; 'sākṣī' - it is He who directly perceives and witnesses all phenomena in the universe; 'Śaraṇam' - the refuge for one who is fearful of worldly existence; 'nidhānam' - the repository, because at the time of dissolution, the world is kept here by the Prakrti;
Tāt.:
Though differing in each specific form and attribute, the Infallible lord Acyuta bears all those respective names—solely due to His independence, universal agency, and infinite attributes.
- B.G 9.19
tapāmyahamahaṁ varṣaṁ nigr̥hṇāmyutsr̥jāmi ca। amr̥taṁ caiva mr̥tyuśca sadasaccāhamarjuna ॥19॥
I am the source of heat, and I withhold and send forth the rain. O Arjuna, know that I encompass both immortality and death, and I am simultaneously the cause and effect.
Bhā.:
In the current context 'Sat' means the effect, and 'Asat' is used to mean the cause. Same is substantiated through testimonials.
Tāt.:
Due to the completeness of virtuous qualities, supreme Lord Vishnu is called 'sat'. As no one else is superior in qualities to Lord Vishnu, i.e. He is beyond ordinary qualities. Hence he is spoken of as 'asat'.
- B.G 9.20 and 21
traividyā māṁ somapāḥ pūtapāpā yajñairiṣṭvā svargatiṁ prārthayante। te puṇyamāsādya surendralokaṁ aśnanti divyān divi devabhogān ॥20॥
Those who know the three Vedas, worship Me with sacrifices and drink Soma, and seek the path to heaven. Being purified of their sins, having reached the meritorious world of Indra, they enjoy the divine pleasures of the gods in heaven.
te taṁ bhuktvā svargalokaṁ viśālaṁ kṣīṇe puṇye martyalokaṁ viśanti। evaṁ trayīdharmamanuprapannāḥ gatāgataṁ kāmakāmā labhante ॥21॥
Having enjoyed the vast heaven, they return to the mortal world upon the exhaustion of their merit. Thus, those who follow the path of three dharmas, desire pleasures attain only the cycle of coming and going.
Bhā.:
Worship of the Lord Krishna alone is superior in comparison to Vedic ritualism, sacrifices, and worship of other deties.
- B.G 9.22
ananyāścintayanto māṁ ye janāḥ paryupāsate। teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yogakṣemaṁ vahāmyaham ॥22॥
Those people who, excluding all else, constantly contemplate Me and worship Me with exclusive devotion—of them, who are ever devoted, I Myself carry the burden of securing what they lack and preserving what they have.
Bhā.:
'ananyāḥ' - those who, abandoning all that arises in the mind and contemplate only of that sole divine pure primodial personality; 'nityābhiyuktānām' - those who are always, in every way, engaged in devotion.
- B.G 9.23
ye'pyanyadevatā bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ। te'pi māmeva kaunteya yajantyavidhipūrvakam ॥23॥
Even those who, being devoted, worship other deities with faith - O Kaunteya, they too indeed worship Me, though not according to the proper method.
Bhā.:
While there are various methods of worship, the proper method is highlighted.
Tāt.:
Bhagavata dharma involving non relience on other deities, the intense devotion to lord Vishnu, absence of desire, and constant practice is the most superior. Hence all worships to other deities starting from lord Brahma must be performed recognising them to be Vaishnawas, i.e. devotees of lord Vishnu. Worship must be with proper knowledge of the qualities, attributes and devotion.
- B.G 9.24
ahaṁ hi sarvayajñānāṁ bhoktā ca prabhureva ca। na tu māmabhijānanti tattvenātaścyavanti te ॥24॥
I am indeed the enjoyer and the sole Lord of all sacrifices; but they do not truly know Me in essence - therefore, they fall away.
Bhā.:
Any worship that does not recognize lord Krishna as the enjoyer and the sole Lord of all sacrifices is improper.
Tāt.:
'na tu mām abhijānanti tattvena' - they do not know me truely based on underlying principles. Hence they fall down. Therefore, one must understand the supremacy of Lord Vishnu as the highest, and deities Brahma and others as his subordinates.
- B.G 9.25
yānti devavratā devān pitr̥̄n yānti pitr̥̄vratāḥ। bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti madyājino'pi mām ॥25॥
Those who are devoted to the gods go to the gods; those who are devoted to the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship beings attached to material wealth go to them; but those who worship Me alone come to Me.
Bhā.:
Results obtained by various kinds of worship are declared after deliberation.
- B.G 9.26
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati। tadahaṁ bhaktyupahr̥tamaśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ ॥26॥
Whoever offers Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water - such a devotional offering from the pure-hearted, I accept.
Bhā.:
The supreme goal of a person is - 'exclusive devotion to Govinda, which is the vision of the ātman everywhere'
- B.G 9.27 and 28
yatkaroṣi yadaśnāsi yajjuhoṣi dadāsi yat। yattapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva madarpaṇam ॥27॥
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice and give, whatever austerity you perform, O son of Kunti, do that as an offering to Me.
śubhāśubhaphalairevaṁ mokṣyase karmabandhanaiḥ। saṁnyāsayogayuktātmā vimukto māmupaiṣyasi ॥28॥
Thus, you will be freed from the results of both good and bad actions, and the bondage of karma. With yourself engaged in the path of renunciation and Yoga, you will be liberated and reach Me.
Bhā.:
As devotion to the Lord is the underlying primary principle - 'Whatever you do, do that as an offering to the Lord'
- B.G 9.29
samo'haṁ sarvabhūteṣu na me dveṣyo'sti na priyaḥ। ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā mayi te teṣu cāpyaham ॥29॥
I am equal to all beings; there is no one hateful or dear to me. But those who worship me with devotion - they are in me, and I too am in them.
Bhā.:
Those who worship the Supreme Person - they too are under His control, but He is under their control. "In Me they reside, and I also in them" expression means - "I am under their control; they are mine; I am theirs."
Tāt.:
He is the giver of results according to thier devotion, therefore the Lord is equal. "they are in Me" means - "they are in Me because of their love and affection".
- B.G 9.30 to 33
api cet sudurācāro bhajate māmananyabhāk। sādhureva sa mantavyaḥ samyag vyavasito hi saḥ ॥30॥
Even if one is extremely ill-behaved, if he worships Me with exclusive devotion, he is to be considered saintly, for he is rightly resolved.
kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā śaśvacchāntiṁ nigacchati। kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati ॥31॥
He quickly becomes righteous and attains eternal peace; O son of Kunti, understand conclusively that My devotee never perishes.
māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye'pi syuḥ pāpayonayaḥ। striyo vaiśyāstathā śūdrāste'pi yānti parāṁ gatim ॥32॥
Even those of sinful birth - women, merchants, and labourers, if they take refuge in Me, O Arjuna, they too attain the supreme destination.
kiṁ punarbrāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayastathā। anityamasukhaṁ lokamimaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām ॥33॥
What to speak then of virtuous Brahmins and royal sages who are devoted? Having attained this impermanent and joyless world, worship Me.
Bhā.:
The Lord devotees generally does not misbehave. But because of unwinding of karma, temporarily he may misbehave.
- B.G 9.34
Bhā.:
Tāt.:
