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CONTENTS

Lord Krishna, His Lilas and Teachings (Part IIa)

By

Sri Swami Sivananda

 

Om
 Dedicated
to
Lord Krishna
the World-Teacher
and Flute-Bearer
of
Vrindavan
 Om

Contents

“ANANDA KUTIR”
RISHIKESH

10th April 1943

Sweet Self,

Lord Krishna was the Purna Avatara with 16 Kalas. Every word of His teachings and every act of His was full of sublime object lessons of momentous import to humanity.

Study His teachings to Uddhava. Drink the nectar of Srimad Bhagavata. Sing His glories. Repeat His grand mantra OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Do total self-surrender unto Him. You will soon attain union with Him.

Sivananda

Part II

Teachings

Krishna and Uddhava

Brahma and other Devas went to Dwaraka. Brahma said, “O Lord! You graced our request to protect the world, which was over-run by wicked kings by taking an incarnation in the line of Yadus. All that we prayed for have been done. It is over a hundred and twenty-five years since Thou didst appear in the line of Yadus. That line is also well-nigh extinguished. Now come back to Thy own abode.”

The Lord said, “Just now the destruction of the Yadavas has begun by the curse of Brahmins. When this is finished, I shall go to My region.” Brahma returned to his abode.

The Lord said to the aged Yadus, “There are unusual evil omens on every side. There has been severe curse of Brahmins on our race. Let us this very day go to the very sacred place of Prabhasa.” The Yadavas made preparations for going to Prabhasa.

Uddhava noticed the evil portents and heard what Sri Krishna said. He said to Sri Krishna, “O Lord! Thou shalt leave this earth as soon as the Yadus are destroyed. O Kesava! I cannot bear to leave Thy lotus-like feet even for half a moment. O Lord, take me also to Thy abode.”

Sri Krishna replied, “What you say is truly going to happen. I have indeed accomplished here wholly the purpose of the gods, for which, as prayed for by Brahma, I incarnated as a part of Myself.

“The Yadavas will be killed by mutual quarrel. This town will be swallowed up by the sea within seven days from today. As soon as I leave this earth, Kali will overtake it and men will become unrighteous. You should not dwell anywhere here.

“Free yourself from all attachments. Give up your affection for your friends, family, wealth, etc. Fix your mind firmly on Me. Roam about over this earth, seeing Me in all beings, looking on all beings with equal eyes. All that you see or grasp with the senses, or understand by your mind, are unreal and evanescent. They are creations of your mind, and Maya.

“This is this, this is that—this conception of difference is only the delusion of a man whose mind is distracted and uncontrolled and is not united to Me. The man of uncontrolled mind falls into the error that there is plurality of objects. This error leads to merit and demerit, or right and wrong, good and evil. The uncontrolled Jiva, who is bewildered and deluded by this apparent diversity created by the natural outward tendency of the senses, fancies himself as a separate unit in the world and begins to entertain desires and enjoys sensual objects. Duty, non-performance of duty and the performance of forbidden acts (Karma, Akarma and Vikarma) result from this delusion of diversity caused by the mind, senses and intellect. The differences of action, inaction and evil action pertain only to the man who has notions of merit and demerit, right and wrong, good and bad. It is the delusion born of conception of difference, that causes the experiences or notions of right and wrong, good and bad, merit and demerit. The Vedas speak of the performance of prescribed work, the non-performance of prescribed work, and the performance of prohibited work, for those only who have got the ideas of right and wrong, good and bad, merit and demerit. Abandon the sense of egoism. Control your mind and the senses and behold everything in the universe as Brahman, Myself, or your own Self. Realise the essence of your own nature, bliss and harmony with the universe. Behold the widespread universe in the Self and the Self in Me, the Supreme Lord.

“Possessed of knowledge of the purport of the scriptures (Jnana) and realisation of the oneness of the Self and Brahman and of the truth that Brahman is himself (Vijnana) immersed in the delight of Self-realisation and finding thyself to be the Self of all embodied beings, thou will not experience obstructions or obstacles.

“He who has risen above good and bad does not refrain from doing what is prohibited from a sense of fear of evil consequences nor does he do the prescribed duty in the hope that it will conduce to merit; but he acts only like a child. The sense of right and wrong will be natural in him independently of scriptural teachings. He has destroyed all egoism. The laws of the world do not affect him. He has no more duties to perform. He is above Karma and Karmas cannot touch him. He may, for the instruction of the world, perform works or refrain from forbidden acts. He will exceed the limits of both right and wrong.

“The friend of all beings, calm and quiet at heart, with the firm conviction due to knowledge and Self-realisation and seeing the universe as himself, he no more comes to grief. He is not drawn back to births. He can never be shaken from his pedestal of bliss or get lost. He can never get into the path of Samsara.”

Thus instructed by the Lord, the foremost of devotees, Uddhava, eager to know the truth, prostrated himself before Sri Krishna and said, “O Lord of Yoga, the aim, seat and source of Yoga, you have recommended to me complete renunciation of all worldly attachments, the path of renunciation known as Sannyasa, for my liberation. The giving up of desires is not possible for those worldly-minded people who are addicted to sense-objects, and who are not devoted to Thee who art the Self of all. How is it possible to renounce desire all of a sudden or see the world as transitory, for people like me who are immersed in worldliness?

“I have not yet got over the sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine.’ I am a poor creature of clouded understanding. I am passionately attached to this body and its belongings, which are the creation of Thy Maya and regard these as ‘I’ and ‘Mine’. The attachment towards son, family and body is very strong in me. Tell me, O Lord! How I can easily follow Thy teachings?”

Sri Krishna replied, “Very often in the world, men who have insight into the true nature of the world, who have truly discerned the truth about the world, lift up their self and free themselves from evil inclinations and cravings for worldly objects by their own efforts.

“Atman is indeed the teacher of Self, especially in the case of man, because he finds out the final bliss by direct perception and inference.

“Wise men, well-versed in Sankhya (knowledge) and Yoga practices, behold Me quite distinctly as Purusha, pervading all beings and possessing all powers.

“Many are the bodies created with one, two, three or four feet or many feet, as well as without feet; of these the human body is the most beloved of Me. For, in this human body, men who have controlled their mind and senses, who practise Yoga, who are fixed in meditation, truly find Me out, the Supreme Ruler who cannot be perceived or found out by means of the attributes such as the intellect, etc., that are perceived and by means of inference through those indications.

“On this subject a story of ancient times is also told in illustration. It is a conversation between an Avadhuta and Yadu of great prowess and intelligence the son of Yayati and grandson of Nahusha, powerful kings of lunar race (ancestors of Sri Krishna).”

Avadhoota’s Story

Yadu who was versed in religion saw a young Brahmin Sannyasin, full of wisdom, wandering about fearlessly and put him the following question as Yadu was eager to know Dharma.

Yadu asked, “O Sage! How did you, doing nothing get this clear wisdom and light by which you were able to give up all attachments and roam like a child fearlessly in perfect bliss?

“Generally in this world people exert themselves for virtue, wealth, desire and enquire about the Atman only with the motive of attaining longevity, fame and wealth. You are able-bodied, full of wisdom and skill and good-looking. Your speech is sweet and is like nectar and yet you neither work nor exert in the least. You like nothing. People in this world are scorched by the fire of lust and greed. You are not at all afflicted by the fire. You appear self-satisfied and blissful, just as an elephant immersed in the cool waters of the Ganga does not feel the heat of the forest fire on the bank. Please enlighten me as to the source of your joy or bliss. Tell me how you derive bliss in your self alone, untouched by sense objects and living a solitary life? You have neither family nor sensual enjoyment. Whence then is your bliss?”

Sri Krishna said, “Being thus asked and honoured by the intelligent Yadu who has devoted to Brahmins, the noble Brahmin spoke to the king who stood bending in reverence.”

The Brahmin said, “Many are my preceptors, O King, whom I resorted to through my own understanding; with the wisdom imbibed from them I roam about on this earth free from attachments. Listen who they are.

“The earth, air, sky (Akasa), water, fire, the moon, the sun, the pigeon, the python, the sea, the moth, the bee, the elephant, the honey-gatherer, the deer, the fish, the dancing girl Pingala, the osprey (raven, Kurara), the child, the maiden, the arrow-maker, the serpent, the spider, the beetle (the wasp)—these, O King, are my twenty-four Gurus or teachers whom I have resorted to. I have learnt all my lessons from their characteristic traits. I will how narrate what I learnt from each of them.

“A wise man should not swerve from the path of righteousness, though he is oppressed by creatures who are themselves under the direction of providence. This forbearance I have learnt from the earth. I have learnt from the mountain, which is a part of the earth, that all our actions should be for the good of others, and that our very existence is for the sake of others. I have learnt from the tree, which is also a part of the earth, that I should be at the disposal of others.

“The sage should be content with mere supporting his life. He should never long for what gratifies the senses so that knowledge may not be destroyed and the mind may not be dissipated on worthless objects.

“The Yogi should not be attached to the objects, like the air, although he is placed in the midst of objects with different attributes and though he is placed in the physical body. His mind should remain unaffected by the good and evil consequences of the objects, just as the air remains unaffected by the good or bad odour of objects over which it blows. The soul enters the body and the attributes of the body seem to be its own, but it is not so. The air is charged with odour but the odour is not the attribute of the air. This I have learnt from the outside air.

“I have learnt from the Prana (vital air) that one should eat to live and not live to eat. He should not eat to give strength and nourishment to the senses. The food should be just sufficient to feed the flame of life.

“Atman is all-pervading. It is not affected by the body and the bodily attributes. This I have learnt from Akasa which is all-pervading and is not affected by clouds and other objects. Even though the sage lives in the body, he should contemplate through his identity with Self or Atman which is all-pervading like the sky (Akasa), which runs as a substratum or a thread in the garland of flowers through all movable and immovable objects, which is not subject to any limitation in respect of time and place and which is not touched by anything else.

“Naturally pure, smooth and sweet is water. So is the sage among men. He, like unto holy waters, purifies others by mere sight, touch and the utterance of His name. This I have learnt from water.

“Bright, powerful in knowledge, and glowing with asceticism, with no receptacle for food except the belly and eating everything, the sage, like fire, is not polluted thereby.

Sometimes he remains unnoticed. Sometimes he becomes known to those who desire welfare. He eats the food offered to him by pious devotees and burns up their past and future evils or impurities.

“Fire is the same and only one, though it enters fuels of various sorts. Just as fire burns in a triangular, circular, rectangular or other shapes, according to the shape and size of the wood, so also the Lord of the Universe, who has created the world and entered into all beings, appears different because of the different bodies (Upadhis) in which He resides. He enters this Universe of various objects, high and low, created by His own Maya and appears to be like every one of those objects, just as fire does in different kinds of fuel. Birth and death are for the body and not for the Atman, and are caused by time, just as the flames are subjected to change but not the fire.

“The waning or waxing conditions of the moon are due, not to any change in the substance or luminosity of the moon, but, to the fact that only part of the sun’s rays get reflected by it. I learnt therefore that the birth, growth, decay, death, etc., are states of the body and not of Atman which is illimitable, birthless and deathless. The moon remains as it is, only there is an apparent change over it owing to astronomical motions.

“The sun draws water by its rays and gives it all away in time. The sage takes in order to give but not in order to add to his own possessions. Just as the sun, reflected in various pots of water, appears to the ignorant as many, so also the Atman appears as such in different bodies on account of the Upadhis caused by the reflection through the mind.

“Too much attachment is bad. One should not have too much affection or attachment for anyone. Too much attachment towards anything causes one’s own destruction. This I have learnt from a pair of pigeons. In a certain forest, on a certain tree, a pigeon built a nest and with his mate lived there for some years. They were much attached to each other in love. They reared their young ones with great affection. One day they left their young ones in the nest and went about in search of food for them. A hunter came and caught the young ones by spreading a net. The parent birds returned to their nest with food. The mother had too much affection for the young ones. She fell into the net of her own accord. The male pigeon also fell into the net himself. The hunter caught the pigeons with the young ones. He was quite satisfied and went home. Thus the miserable family man, who has not controlled his senses, who has not withdrawn his senses and mind from the worldly objects, who finds delight only in the married life and maintains his family with intense attachment, comes to grief with all his relations like the pigeons (Kapotha and Kapothi). He who, attaining a human birth which is like an open gateway to Mukti or the final liberation, is merely attached to the householder’s life like the bird, is considered as one who has fallen from his status.

“The pleasures obtained through the avenues of the senses, whether in this world or the next, are transient and fleeting. The wise man never hankers after them.

“The huge Ajagara serpent remains where he is and is content with whatever food that comes to him. Like the Ajagara, one should make no effort but only swallow the mouthful that is brought to him by chance, delicious or distasteful, much or little. If no food reaches him, he should lie quiet even for a long time without any food and without any exertion to get it; because, he should, like the Ajagara, subsist on what providence brings to him or destiny decrees. Holding still the body endowed with energy, fortitude and strength, he should lie wide awake and not exert, though he has sound organs.

“The sage should be calm, profound or deep, difficult to fathom, illimitable and immovable or not liable to be perturbed by worldly circumstances like the tranquil ocean. The ocean may receive volumes of water from the rivers at times or may receive no water at other times but it remains the same. Even so, the sage who has set his heart upon the Lord, neither swells with joy when he has an abundance of enjoyable objects, nor shrinks with sorrow when he has none.

“The man of uncontrolled senses, seeing a woman, the God’s Maya (enchantment created by the Lord) and being allured by her behaviour and feelings, falls into the blinding darkness and comes to grief, just as the moth falls into the fire. The fool, who with his mind allured by women, gold ornaments, clothes and other things created by Maya, regards them as objects of enjoyment, loses his correct vision and perishes like a moth.

“The sage should wander from house to house taking handfuls from each house till he gets just enough food for his sustenance, without making any house feel burdened, like the bee which gathers honey from all flowers.

“The intelligent man should extract the essence from all scriptures, great or small, just as the bee does from flowers. The sage should not store food for the evening or the next day; the hands or the stomach should be his vessel; he should not hoard like the bee. He who stores food is destroyed with his store like the bee.

“The Sannyasin should not touch even the wooden figure of a young woman even with his feet. If he does so, he would be caught as is the elephant through its attachment for the touch of the she-elephant. The wise man should shun the company of women as if it were death to him; for he would be killed like a weak elephant by other elephants.

“The miser who hoards wealth, neither gives nor enjoys his riches. Whatever he collects with difficulty is carried away by someone else, just as the collector of honey carries away the honey collected by the bees.

“Like the collector of honey, the Sannyasin first enjoys those good things which householders collect through hard-earned wealth in order to enjoy.

“The ascetic should not listen to sensuous music. He should learn a lesson from the deer which, enamoured by the hunters’ music, gets ensnared. The sage Rishyasringa, born of deer, listened to the sensuous music of women and was easily entrapped by them. He became a toy or a playmate in their hands.

“Just as a fish that is attracted by baits falls an easy victim to the bait by means of the hook, so also the foolish man who allows his sense of taste to overpower him, who is stupefied with the charms of taste and delicacies by the turbulent and greedy tongue, meets with death. Tongue or the love of taste is most difficult to conquer. If the sense of taste is controlled, all other senses are controlled. One cannot become master of his organs until he controls the organ of taste. No man can be said to have conquered his senses unless his organ of taste is completely curbed. Thoughtful men soon subdue their senses by fasting.

“There was formerly in the city of Videhas a public woman called Pingala. I have learnt something from her. Listen to it, O King! One day she put on beautiful dress and waited at the door of her house in the evening, to receive and bargain customers for the night. She invited some persons but sent them away as she thought some other wealthy man would richly pay her. With this inordinate desire she waited sleepless at the door, now going in, now coming out, till it was midnight. Through this anxious expectation of money, she spent the night in a fever of hope, worry and disappointment. She felt extreme disgust for her life of greed and desire which made her unhappy.

“In her utter disappointment she sang, ‘Indifference to worldly objects is like a sword to cut asunder a man’s fetters of expectation or cords of desires. One does not wish to get rid of the bondage of the body until he has become disgusted, just as no man without insight into the truth or knowledge could rid himself of the notions of “I” and “Mine” or the clinging to the objects.’ Pingala said, ‘Lo! How deluded am I for want of control over my mind! How foolish am I to seek the satisfaction of desires from such creatures as men!

“Discarding Lord Narayana or the Eternal Atman, seated near in my heart, who is a fit lover and can satisfy me, who can give me everlasting bliss and wealth, I am courting a puny man who cannot satisfy my desires and who causes misery, fear, disease, grief and infatuation. I have been indeed very stupid.

“Oh! In vain I have afflicted my soul by this most reproachable mode of living, viz., that of a public woman; I have sought wealth and pleasure from pitiable mortals, who are greedy and slaves of women, by selling my body to them.

“Who, other than myself, would be taken to this house which is built of bones which are like beams, rafters and posts of a house, which is covered over with skin, hair and nails, which is furnished with nine openings for discharging filth and filled with offal and urine?

“In this town of Videha, full of wise beings, I am the only woman who has tied her hopes, happiness and desire, to the body. I am the only silly being or wicked woman who seeks any other source of enjoyment or object of desire than the Lord who bestows Self-realisation.

“He is the true friend, protector, Lord, most beloved one, the master and the very Self or Atman of all embodied beings; winning Him over, by giving up the body to Him, I shall enjoy His company like Lakshmi and find everlasting happiness in Him alone.

“What is the use of serving others? The favours of gods and mortals are limited by time, capacity and various other obstacles. What delight can the sense-objects, men or the gods confer on women? All have a beginning and an end.

“Surely I must have done something in my previous births to propitiate Vishnu, for it is by His grace alone that this Vairagya (dispassion or disgust) cutting at the root of all unholy desires, has arisen in my mind. Through His grace only, I have attained the way to everlasting happiness and peace.

“If the Lord had not been propitious to me, such disappointments, as lead to renunciation and dispassion, would not have arisen, which enable one to abandon all attachments and attain happiness.

“I accept, with humble devotion, this gift of the Lord on my head. I now abandon all vain expectations and evil desires and take refuge in the Supreme Lord. Contented, full of faith in the Lord, living on what chance brings to me, I shall enjoy the eternal bliss of the Lord, Paramatman. Who else but the Lord can save this Jiva who has fallen into the deep pit of Samsara (births and deaths), with eyes blinded by the objects, with the vision robbed by the senses, and who is swallowed up by the serpent of Time.

“When one realises the evanescence of this universe, when he beholds the universe in the jaws of the serpent of Time, he will surely and firmly scorn the fleeting, doubtful, worthless, illusory pleasures of this world and the next. He will become very cautious, turn himself away from the illusory sense-objects and will seek repose in the eternal bliss of his own Atman. When one becomes disgusted with everything else, Atman is the protector of Atman, the Self alone is the saviour of oneself.”

The Brahmin said, “Pingala having thus determined in her mind, and fixed her mind on the Lord, gave up all hopes and expectations due to hankering for lovers, sat on her bed with a serene mind. She abandoned all unholy desires that troubled her and became happy. She slept soundly with a tranquil mind. It is hope that gives us trouble. Without hope we are happy. Desires, hopes and expectations are the source of grief. Abandonment of all expectations and desires is the greatest bliss. It is the happiest state. Vairagya is the source of bliss as can be seen from Pingala who slept happily, casting aside the hankering for lovers.

“The source for affliction and misery is indeed the acquisition of anything whatsoever that men hold as dearest. But that man who knows this truth, gives up all possession and does not think of any acquisition and attains unlimited happiness.

“An osprey (Kurara—a bird of prey) had a piece of flesh in its mouth. The stronger birds that had no flesh pounced upon it, but the Kurara dropped the piece of flesh and became happy. Renunciation of dear objects is good. It gives peace.

“I do not care for honour or dishonour. I do not think of the house, wife or children. I sport in Atman and take delight in Atman and roam on earth like a child.

“Only two are free from anxieties and immersed in the highest bliss—the child that knows nothing and the man who has realised the Supreme Being, who is beyond the influence of the Gunas.

“In a certain place, a girl herself had to attend to the comforts of those who visited the house to ask her in marriage when her relations had gone out to some other place. As she was husking the paddy for their meal in a solitary place, the conch bangles on her wrists made a great noise. The intelligent girl thought it disgraceful and was very much ashamed of her poverty. She thought that the party might detect her poor condition. She broke the bracelets one by one, leaving only two on each hand. Even those two bracelets produced a sound when she went on husking. So she removed one of these also. No sound was then produced from the remaining one though she continued husking.

“Wandering over the world in search of truth and experiences, I learnt from the girl’s experience the following instructions. Where many dwell together there would be quarrel. Even between two people there would be occasion for debate or talk. Therefore, one should live alone like the single bangle on the hand of the girl.

“Having controlled the breath and practised firmness in seat, one should, like an archer taking his aim, fix or centre the mind on the Supreme Self. He should be on the alert to keep the mind steady through renunciation, constant application and systematic practice. Just as the fire exhausts itself when the fuel is consumed, so also the mind firmly checked in its outward wanderings, becomes oblivious of the diversities caused by the Gunas, slowly shakes off the bonds of Karma, abandons gradually the impulsions to work, gets free from Rajas and Tamas through increased Sattva, subsides and attains tranquillity in the absence of the fuel of Gunas and their products and the sense-impressions which feed it. It becomes one with the object of meditation. It becomes entirely absorbed in the object of contemplation. Then having his mind entirely absorbed in the Atman, he does not see anything else at that time, inside or outside, just as the arrow-maker with his mind absorbed in making the arrow, did not see the king passing by his side. I have learnt concentration of mind from the arrow-maker.

“The wise man should wander alone. He should be homeless and be ever alert. He should resort to a cave and should not exhibit his real worth. He should remain without friends. He should indulge in as little speech as possible.

“It is very troublesome and useless for an ascetic to build a house as his body is fleeting and perishable. Just as the serpent enters and makes itself comfortable in any hole dug by others, so also he should make himself comfortable at every chance residence or place that comes in his way. He should have no fixed abode.

“Just as the spider brings the thread out of itself, spreads out the web, sports in it and devours it itself, so also the Lord creates the universe out of Himself through His Maya consisting of three Gunas, sports in it and takes it back again into Himself.

“Whatever form a man constantly thinks of through love, hatred or fear, that he attains in course of time through concentration on the form he thinks about, just as a worm becomes the wasp.

“Thus from the above twenty-four preceptors I have learnt the various instructions. Now listen, O king, to what I have learnt from my own body. My own body is also my Guru. I have learnt from it dispassion, discrimination and non-attachment. It is ever undergoing change and is evanescent. It is born only to die. Constant misery is its lot. It becomes the seat of egoism. One has to toil to satisfy its wants. This brings grief and sorrow. I reflect on Truth with its help. I know the Truth by a discriminative study of the body. I regard it as not mine and so I feel no attachment for it. The body belongs to the dogs and jackals who devour it after death.

“For the sake of the comforts of the body, a person maintains a wife, domestic animals, servants, children, home and relations and amasses wealth with great difficulty. This body perishes in the end like a tree, creating the seed of a fresh body for him.

“The tongue drags him to one side and thirst to another; the organ of reproduction to some other; the skin, stomach and ear in some other direction; the sense of smell in one direction, the fickle eye to something else, the tendency for work draws to something else, every other physical organ in a different direction of activity. The senses suck his very life blood, even as the many wives of one husband.

“The Lord created various bodies such as trees, reptiles, beasts, birds, insects and fish but was not satisfied with these. Then He made the human body, which is endowed with intellect, for realising Brahman and He was extremely delighted.

“The wise man, having obtained after many births this extremely rare human body which though transient and frail is yet conducive to the attainment of high purpose, viz., Moksha or the final emancipation, should quickly endeavour to attain liberation or the highest good before it falls a prey to death; for sense-enjoyment may be had indeed in any body.

“Thus learning from my body Vairagya, or distaste or aversion towards worldly pleasures and a knowledge of the real bliss of my nature which is essentially divine, I wander over the world without egoism and attachment, with the light of true wisdom as my light.

“Verily, the knowledge derived from one preceptor cannot be very firm and sufficiently full; because this Brahman, though one without a second, is variously sung by Rishis.”

Sri Krishna said, “The Brahmin having said so much, took leave of Yadu who paid him all proper reverence and went away. Our ancestor Yadu also took to heart the instructions of the sage, gave up all attachments and attained equanimity of mind and tranquillity.”

Samsara

[Sri Krishna explains to Uddhava how the Jiva falls into Samsara. The school of Jaimini is refuted]

Sri Krishna said: The man who has taken refuge in Me should attend to his particular duties as taught by Me and observe the course of conduct laid down for his caste, order of life or family, without attachment and without cherishing desires.

With a mind, purified by the performance of duties, he should, meditating on the Truth, notice carefully how the efforts prove a failure on the part of those who seek worldly objects and are attached to them, regarding them as real.

Just as the vision of objects of a sleeping man and of one who indulges in fancies, are not real, so also the objects of desires or the notion of differences in objects outside, which is caused by the sense-organs or Gunas, are unreal.

Actions are fourfold (1) Kamya Karma—those actions which are done for the attainment of selfish desires, (2) Nishiddha Karma—those actions that are prohibited by the scriptures, (3) Nitya Karma—those that are required to be daily performed such as Sandhya, (4) Naimittika Karma—those that are required to be performed on certain occasions, such as Sraaddha. The first two are Pravritta or selfish Karmas. The Smritis declare that those who want Moksha or liberation must not perform Pravritta Karma. But they should perform Nitya and Naimittika Karmas, as their non-performance may give rise to obstacles.

One ought to follow the Nivritti Karma, (Nitya and Naimittika) and full of devotion to Me, desist from Pravritta Karmas which lead to rebirths. He should start the enquiry into Truth and should not pay any attention to the injunctions of Work. When one enters the path of wisdom, he need not care much even for Nivritti Karma.

Being fixed on Me, intent on Me, he should always practise Yamas and sometimes Niyamas also. He should serve the preceptor, who is of serene mind, who is learned in the Vedas, who is devoted to Me, who is full of Me, who has become one with Me, and who has realised Me as his own Self.

He should be free from pride, envy, jealousy, without attachment, firmly devoted to the Guru, free from impatience and intent upon knowing the Truth. He should not find fault with any and should not indulge in unnecessary or idle talk. He should be indifferent to his wife, children, house, lands, kith and kin, wealth, etc. He should see all alike, because Atman is the same everywhere and through everything the Atman shines.

This Atman, the self-luminous witness, is distinct from the gross and subtle bodies, just as the fire that burns and illumines is different from the wood that is burnt and illuminated. Just as fire which enters the fuel assumes the attributes of the fuel such as origin, smallness, greatness and diversity, so also does the distinct Atman assume the qualities of the body.

This body, which is created by the Gunas of the Maya of the Lord, constitutes the Samsara. It is the cause of man’s transmigration. The knowledge of Atman cuts off the course of rebirths. Therefore, one should realise the Supreme Self in his own Self. He should gradually get rid of the sense or idea that the phenomenal world and the bodies, gross and subtle, are real. He should fully realise also that Atman is separate and is beyond the body.

The preceptor should be regarded as the main or lower piece of the two pieces of wood (Arani) used for kindling the sacred fire and the pupil the upper one; instruction is the piece (middle portion) that connects them, and knowledge is the union that brings happiness. The pure wisdom, which is thus acquired from the Guru removes the Maya or delusion that is produced by the Gunas and completely burns up the Gunas themselves, which constitute the universe and is itself extinguished also, like fire without fuel.

[The view of the Mimamsakas is now described. It is refuted also. According to this school of thought, the souls are real and many. They do not believe in Isvara. Heaven is their goal. Karma is everything for them. Karma gives fruits. There is no necessity for a dispenser or Lord.]

If you think that the doers of actions and experiencers of pleasures and pains are many or that the heaven, time, scriptures and souls are eternal or that the existence of all objects is real and eternal and that knowledge arises and is diverse according to the form of objects perceived—even then all creatures are repeatedly subjected to the different states of birth and death on account of their relation to the body and the force of the divisions of Time.

Even in this case, there is no freedom on the part of the doers of action and the experiencers of pleasure and pain. What high purpose would then fall to the lot of one who is not independent? Who, in seeking his highest goal or good, would worship one who is dependent on others?

There is no happiness even to learned men, and ignorant people are sometimes without the least misery. There is only egoism on the part of those who think they are happy on account of their skill in performing Vedic Karmas. It is mere vanity to speak about the efficacy of Karma. Even if they know how to attain pleasure and destroy misery, they certainly do not know the means by which they can get over death. When death is near at hand, what objects of enjoyment can give pleasure to man? Nothing gives pleasure to one who is being conducted to the place of execution.

The enjoyments in heaven promised by the Vedas are also transient. They are not unalloyed pleasures. Even in Svarga, there are jealousy, rivalry, destruction, decay, fault-finding, inequalities and consequent uneasiness. There is an end for the enjoyments. As the desire for attaining the enjoyments of heaven is attended by various obstacles, it is fruitless like agriculture. Therefore even Svarga is of no good.

The man who has propitiated the gods by sacrifices goes to the Heaven acquired by such sacrifices, and enjoys the celestial pleasures like a Deva. He puts on beautiful dress and moves in the aerial car (Vimana), acquired by his own good actions, in the company of celestial nymphs and is praised by Gandharvas. The chariot moves at his will. It is adorned with little bells. He whiles away his time with the celestial damsels in the gardens of the gods and does not think of his fall. He enjoys in heaven till the merits of his good actions are exhausted. When the merit is exhausted, he falls down by the force of time even against his will.

If a man indulges in the prohibited acts through evil company, if his senses are not controlled, if he is lustful, indiscriminate, greedy, if he is addicted to women, if he causes injury to creatures, if he kills animals in violation of Sastras and worships ghosts and demons, then he helplessly goes to various hells and finds there intense Tamas. He enters horrible Tamasic bodies.

Therefore, Karma (selfish action) ends in misery only. By performing Karma with the body, men again get new bodies. What happiness is there in the possession of this transitory body? What pleasure can there be in thus indulging in action, when one knows that the body is mortal?

The heavenly spheres and their rulers, who live up to a Kalpa, are afraid of Me; even Brahma who lives for two Parardhas (ten thousand billions of years) has fear of Me.

Therefore, Pravritti Marga leads to miseries, sorrows and pains. It should be shunned. Nivritti Marga, which leads to eternal happiness and immortality, should be resorted to.

The organs do actions, and the Gunas direct the organs. The Jiva enjoys the fruits of his actions being connected with the Gunas and the organs.

As long as there is difference or disturbance of equilibrium in the Gunas, so long there is plurality in Atman or diversity of the soul. As long as there is plurality or diversity of the soul, so long it is dependent on others. So long as Jiva is dependent, it has fear from the Lord. Therefore those who take to this course of Karma are given up to sorrow and are deluded.

I am called as Time, Soul, Vedas, Universe, Heaven, Temperament, Righteousness, Law, etc.; when the equilibrium of the Gunas is disturbed, when the Gunas are mixed in different proportions.

Uddhava said: O Lord! How is it that Brahman is not bound by the qualities of the body though He is in them? So long as the Jiva dwells in the transformations of the Gunas forming the body, how can he help not being bound by those qualities? If he is free like Akasa, how does he get into bondage?

What are the signs or characteristics of free and bound souls? How do they live and enjoy? What or how do they eat? How do they attend to their bodily functions? How do they lie, or sit, or go? Please enlighten me on the above points. You are Omniscient. You are the foremost One among those who know the answers to questions. Is the same soul ever in bondage or ever in liberation?

Bondage and Liberation

The soul is said to be bound or free with reference to Gunas but it is not so in reality. As the Gunas have their origin in Maya, as they are the creation of Maya, there is neither bondage nor liberation.

Sorrow and delusion, joy and grief, even the taking of a body—these are all due to Maya. Just as a dream is only an illusory fiction of the mind, so also the course of birth or Samsara is not real.

O highly intelligent one! The Jiva who is My part, is bound without beginning on account of ignorance and is liberated through knowledge. He is in bondage as, because of his ignorance, he fancies he is separate from Me. He becomes free when he gets the knowledge that he and I are one.

Now I shall tell you the difference between the bound and the liberated soul, living in the same body with entirely opposite qualities.

Two birds which look alike (for both are manifestation of consciousness) and are companions, have by chance built their nest in the same tree (the body). One of these (the Jiva) eats the fruits (the results of his actions reaped in the body) of that tree, while the other (Isvara) though not taking any fruit is greater in strength and is the mightier of the two.

He who does not eat the fruits (of Karma) is wise. He knows himself as well as the other, but not he who eats the fruits. He who is joined with Avidya (ignorance) is always bound, while He who is joined with Vidya or He (Isvara) who is full of knowledge, is eternally free.

The wise one is not conditioned by the body, though he is in the body, like a man aroused from dream. But the foolish man who has a wrong notion is conditioned by the body like one in the dreaming state. The ignorant man identifies himself with the body, like the man in dream.

The senses perceive the objects of the senses. The wise one does not identify himself with these. He is, therefore, not affected by them.

The ignorant man, however, while dwelling in this body which is under the control of past actions, in which the senses act, thinks that he is the doer and becomes thus bound down.

The wise one, being thus free from attachment in such acts as sleeping, sitting, walking, bathing, seeing, touching, smelling, eating, hearing, etc., does not bind himself like the ignorant man; for, in those acts he realises that the Gunas (senses) perceive and not his Self. He does not identify himself with them. He stands as a silent witness of the activities or experiences of the organs. Even though he is living in the midst of Prakriti, still he is untouched by it like the sky, the sun and the air. He dwells in the body, but is not attached to it. The sun becomes reflected in water, but is not attached to water. The air moves about all around, but does not become attached to any object. Akasa is all-pervading, but it is not attached to anything.

By the force of dispassion, the vision becomes clear. All doubts are removed. The wise one rises as it were from sleep and withdraws himself from the diversities of the body and other material objects. His doubts are cleared by the eye of wisdom that the Jiva is Brahman, his desires are cut away by the sword of non-attachment or Vairagya; he sees Brahman everywhere, and is not any more deluded by the appearance of diversity or perplexity. Just as the man who awakes from a dream is no more deluded by the experiences he went through in the dream, so the wise man is never again deluded by multiplicity.

He whose breaths, the senses, mind and intellect do their functions without thoughts of purpose or plans, is freed from the attributes of the body though dwelling in the body. He is free from the bonds of Karma, though still enveloped by the body.

He who is not affected in the least when he is injured by others and worshipped by anybody is a wise man. He neither praises nor blames others for their good or bad deeds or words. He is free from merits and demerits. He knows no merits or demerits. He looks on all with an equal eye. He does not do anything, he does not say anything, he does not think on anything, good or bad. He finds delight in his own Atman. He is immersed in his own bliss of the Self and wanders about like an inert matter heedless of the outside world.

If a man well-versed in the Vedas is not fixed in Brahman, if he has no direct intuitive Self-realisation, his labour becomes fruitless like that of a man who keeps a breeding cow that bears no calf.

He who maintains a cow that has ceased to yield milk, an unchaste wife, a body that is under another’s control, a worthless and a wicked son, wealth which is not bestowed on deserving people, and speech in which My glory does not find expression, is one who goes from misery to misery.

The wise man ought not to indulge in that barren speech in which there is no mention of My glorious sacred deeds in relation to the creation, maintenance and destruction of the world or to My sportful Avataras or births which are liked by the people very much.

One should remove the delusion of diversity in Atman through such discrimination. He should desist from everything else and should stop all activities. If thou art not able to fix the mind steadily on the Brahman, then perform all actions without expectation for fruits, offering them to Me unconditionally.

{Now Sri Krishna proceeds to inculcate Bhakti or devotion.]

O Uddhava! The man of faith attains unswerving devotion towards Me, the Eternal One, by listening to the very auspicious stories of Mine that purify the worlds, by singing constantly, by remembering My deeds and lives, by doing all actions for My sake, by taking Me as his sole refuge and by pursuing duty, desire and wealth for My sake only.

He becomes my devout worshipper, attaining devotion for Me through association with the sages. He surely attains to Me as indicated by the sages.

Sadhu and Bhakti

Uddhava said: “O most glorious Lord! Who according to Thee is a Sadhu? What sort of Sadhu does Thou prefer most? What devotion would prove fruitful towards Thee? What sort of Bhakti approved by Rishis, such as Narada and others, is most acceptable to Thee?

O Ruler of all persons, O Lord of the universe, may it please Thee to tell this to me, for I have fallen at Thy feet. I am devoted to Thee and I have surrendered myself to Thee! O Lord! Thou art the Supreme Brahman, infinite like the sky, the Purusha who is beyond the Maya and the Gunas. Thou art incarnated on earth of your own free will.”

Sri Krishna said, “Compassionate, without ill-will or enmity to any creature, forbearing, enduring, firm in truth, of faultless mind, same to all, doing good to all with his mind untainted by desires, self-restrained, mild, pure, gentle and pious, without possessions, penniless, physically inactive, moderate in food and drink, with controlled mind, firm, seeking refuge in Me, and meditative, careful, vigilant, of a balanced mind, full of fortitude, having control over the sixfold waves (hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, decay and death), not seeking respect from others but respecting others, expert, friendly, merciful, wise—such is a Sadhu or sage.

He who, knowing my injunctions and prohibitions in the performance of one’s own Dharma or duties of life, even abandons them all for my sake and worships Me, is the best of all Sadhus.

Those who, knowing or not knowing, “who I am, what I am and how much and what sort I am,” worship Me with their mind and heart not drawn to any one else, are in My opinion the best of My devotees.

To see, touch and worship My symbols or images and My devotees, to serve and adore them; the humble recital of My glory and of My deeds; intense eagerness and faith in listening to My stories, meditating on Me, offering oneself in My service; the recounting of My births and work, the observance of My special days, festivities in My temples with songs, dance and instrumental music in company; processions, making offerings of worship on all special days of the year, initiation according to Vedic rites and to keep vows in My honour; enthusiasm in installing My images for worship and endeavour with his own means or with others help in constructing gardens, parks, orchards, playgrounds, and temples, dedicated to Me; to do service in My temple like a servant such as sweeping, washing and decorating it with figures and drawings; to be free from pride and hypocrisy; not bragging but keeping silent about his own good deeds, not using even a light offered to Me for any private purpose or selfish ends—these are the sure ways for obtaining My grace and eternal bliss. These are the indications of Bhakti. These will instil devotion in one’s heart.

Whatever is most desired by the people in general and whatever is intensely liked by oneself should be offered to Me. That offering will tend to everlasting good or infinite results.

The sun, the fire, the Brahmana, the cow, the Vaishnava (devotee), the sky, air, water, earth, the heart and all beings—these, O friend, are the objects wherein to worship Me. These are the shrines for My worship. These are the eleven places for My worship.

I am to be worshipped in the sun through Vedic hymns, in the fire through oblations of ghee, in the Brahmana through hospitality, in the cows by the offer of grass, in the devotee through respect, kind treatment and cordial reception, in the Akasa of the heart through regular meditation, in the air by regarding it as Prana, in water by offerings of libation and with various articles such as water, leaves, flowers, etc., in the earth by sacred Mantras, in the body or one’s own Self with eatables, and in all beings, one should worship Me as Kshetrajna, with equal vision.

In all these abodes or places of worship one should with a serene and concentrated mind, meditate on My benign form with four hands, in which are the conch, disc, mace and lotus. He who thus worships Me through Ishta (making sacrifices) and Purti (construction of tanks, gardens, temples, etc.) with concentration, remembers Me and serves the Sadhus or the righteous, attains perfect devotion to Me.

O Uddhava! Except by devotion that is acquired through the association of Sadhus there is hardly any other way for salvation, for I am their chief support, goal and resort. O son of Yadus! Now I am going to tell thee this profound secret, even though most confidential, because thou art My servant, friend and companion.

Glory of Satsanga

I am not so easily attainable by Yoga, Sankhya or discrimination, Dharma, study of the Vedas, Tapas, renunciation, liberal gifts, charitable acts, rites such as Agnihotra, fasts, vows, Yajnas, secret Mantras, resort to pilgrimages, Yamas, Niyamas (moral rules), as Satsanga (company of Sadhus) which puts an end to all attachments.

It is only by association with the wise and the righteous, that many who were of a Rajasic or Tamasic nature—such as Vritra, son of the sage Twashtri, Prahlada, the Daityas, the Asuras and the Rakshasas, Gandharvas, Apsaras, Nagas, Siddhas, Charanas, Guhyakas and Vidhyadharas, many beasts and birds, and among mankind Vaishyas, Sudras, women and outcastes who are the lowest by birth—have attained Me.

Vrishaparva, Bali, Bana, Maya, Vibhishana, Sugriva, Hanuman, Jambavan the bear, Gajendra the elephant, Jatayu the vulture, Tuladhara the merchant, Dharmavyadha the fowler, Kubja the hunchbacked perfume-seller, the Gopis in Vraja, the wives of the Brahmanas engaged in sacrifices in Brindavan and others—all these did not study the Vedas, did not sit at the feet of great men of learning for the sake of knowledge, they did not observe any vows or fasts, they did not perform Tapas but they attained Me through the association with saints and Sadhus.

Through love alone, developed through the company of saints, the Gopis, and even the cows, trees, beasts, serpents, and others of dull-witted nature, became perfected and easily attained Me whom one does not attain by making great endeavours through Yoga or Sankhya, charity, vows, Tapas, sacrifices, teaching and study of the Vedas or renunciation. When I was taken by Akrura to Mathura with Balarama, the Gopis, with their hearts given to Me through intense devotion, were greatly afflicted at heart on account of My separation. Nothing but Me could give them any delight or interest. For the Gopis, those very nights which they spent like a moment with Me their most beloved one, while at Brindavan, became to them, in My absence, like Yugas. With their hearts and minds fixed on Me, through intense love and attachment, they were not conscious of their bodies or their relatives or what was near or at a distance, just as sages do not know names and forms in the state of Samadhi or superconscious condition like the rivers merged in the waters of the ocean.

The ignorant Gopis, who were not aware of My real nature as Supreme Brahman took Me as their beloved paramour and yet they attained Me, the Supreme Brahman, by hundreds and thousands, through the power of Satsanga or holy association. Therefore, O Uddhava, abandon injunctions and prohibitions, the course of Pravritta Karma and Nivritta Karma, which is yet to be studied or what is already studied, rise above the rules and counter-rules. Care not for Srutis or Smritis, for biddings and forbiddings. Take refuge in Me alone whole-heartedly and with all devotion—the Atman of all beings. Thou shalt have no fear from any quarter from any cause or causes.

The Lord said: “This Paramatman, who gives life to all, is manifest in the Chakras or centres of the spinal column. He has entered the Muladhara Chakra with the Prana and the subtlest form of sound (Para). After passing through less subtle forms, such as Pasyanti, Madhyama, what are perceptible to the mind only, He at last comes out as very gross sound (Vaikhari) consisting of syllable, pitch and letter, Matra (measures), Svara (accents), and Varna (letters of the alphabet).”

[Note: Articulation is the last and grossest expression of divine sound energy. The highest manifestation of sound energy, the primal voice, the divine voice is Para. The Para voice becomes the root ideas or germ thoughts. It is the first manifestation of voice. In Para the sound remains in an undifferentiated form. Para, Pasyanti, Madhyama and Vaikhari are the various gradations of sound. Madhyama is the intermediate unexpressed state of sound. Its seat is heart.

The seat of Pasyanti is navel or the Manipura Chakra. Yogis, who have subtle inner vision, can experience the Pasyanti state of word which has colour and form; which is common for all languages and which has the vibratic homogeneity of sound. Indians, Europeans, Americans, Japanese, birds, beasts, all experience the same Bhavana of a thing in the Pasyanti state of voice or sound. Gesture is a sort of mute subtle language. It is one and the same for all persons. Any individual of any country will make the same gesture by holding his hand in his mouth in a particular manner when he is thirsty. As one and the same power or Sakti, working through the ears become hearing, through the eyes become seeing, and so forth, the same Pasyanti assumes different, forms of sound when materialised. The Lord manifests Himself through His Mayaic power, first as Para Vani in the Muladhara Chakra; then materialises Himself as Pasyanti in the Manipura Chakra at the navel, then as Madhyama in the heart and then eventually as Vaikhari in the throat and mouth. This is the divine descent of His voice. All the Vaikhari is His voice only. It is the voice of Virat Purusha.

Just as fire exists in the wood as latent heat, which through vigorous friction manifests as a spark with the help of the wind, then as small flame and finally as a big blazing fire through oblation of ghee, so is my manifestation in the form of speech. The heat corresponds to the Para Vani, the spark to the Pasyanti, the small flame to the Madhyama and the big blazing fire to the Vaikhari or audible form of sound.]

Thus the speech is My manifestation. Action, motion, excretion, smelling, tasting, seeing, touching, heating, cogitation, knowledge, the faculties of desire or will, discrimination, judgment, identification, Sutra or the cosmic intelligence or energy, the modifications of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas—all these are similarly My manifestations.

This Isvara is one, unmanifested or undifferentiated in the beginning. But as He is the resort or support of the three Gunas, as He is the cause of the lotus of the universe, He becomes differentiated in time and appears as many, just as a seed thrown into the earth produces many offshoots and exhibits many forms.

Just as a piece of cloth exists in threads, so also this universe rests on the Atman as Its warp and woof. This tree of Samsara is a very old one without a beginning. Activity is its nature. It produces flowers (Karma) and fruits (i.e., enjoyment) and Moksha (the fruits of Karma). It has got two seeds (virtue and vice), a hundred roots (countless desires), three trunks (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) and eleven minor branches (the ten organs and the mind); it yields five kinds of essence (sound, touch, form, taste and smell); it has a nest for the two birds (Jiva and Paramatman), three barks; (the three humours Vatha (wind), Pitta (bile), Sleshma (phlegm) or the nervous, bilious and phlegmatic temperaments; and two fruits (pleasure and pain) and extends up to the Sun. He who goes beyond the Sun’s sphere is not subject to rebirth.

The vultures living in villages (Gridhras i.e., the greedy householders who are attached to domestic life) eat one of the fruits i.e., misery; those who live in the forest (Sannyasins) and who are full of discrimination and wisdom and hence called Hamsas (swans) eat the other i.e., enjoy the eternal bliss of the Atman. He who, through the favour of his Guru, knows the one Lord as becoming many through Maya, knows the Truth and understands the Vedas.

With the axe of knowledge sharpened by the one-pointed devotion acquired by the service and worship of the Guru, do thou calmly and steadily cut asunder this tree of Samsara and on attaining Paramatman do thou lay down thy weapon i.e., stop your endeavour to attain Self-realisation.

The Gunas

The Lord said: “Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the three qualities of mind and intellect (Prakriti) but not of Atman. Therefore, one should control or subdue through Sattva the other two, and control Sattva by Sattva itself.

When Sattva grows in man, he attains Dharma or righteousness which takes the form of devotion to Me. Through the use of Sattvic things, Sattva develops and thence Dharma. That Dharma of matchless power which is brought on by an increase of Sattva destroys Rajas and Tamas. When both of these are destroyed, Adharma which is an outcome of Rajas and Tamas is also quickly destroyed.

The scriptures, water, men, land, time, work, birth, meditation, Mantras and purificatory ceremonies—these are the ten causes which develop or promote the Sattva Guna. Of these, what the sages praise are Sattvic, what they condemn are Rajasic.

A man ought to use and associate with only Sattvic things and persons, for the development of Sattva; thence arises Dharma from which knowledge arises and grows till the direct realisation of Atman is attained and all the causes of mundane bondage are totally annihilated.

[N.B.—Those scriptures which are Sattvic and which lead to the attainment of Brahman should be studied. Novels and worthless books should not be read. One should not use scents, wine, opium, Canabis Idica etc. He should mix with saints and not with worldly-minded people.]

He should use the holy waters. He should select quiet solitary places, but not highways and gambling houses. Brahmamuhurta or the time before sunrise is preferable for meditation, not that period of time which will cause distraction. The obligatory and unselfish works alone should be performed but not selfish deeds. Initiation into pure form of religion is necessary. Initiation causes a second birth. Meditation should be on the Lord or Nirguna Brahman. Mantras such as OM, Sri Ram, OM Namasivaya, OM Namo Narayanaya, OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya are to be preferred, not those which bring worldly prosperity. The mind must be purified.

By these Sattvic pursuits, Sattva increases. When Sattva prevails in man, the whole nature becomes Sattvic. One experiences perfect serenity which is the essence of Sattva. This is Dharma. Adharma is the opposite of this. It leads to distraction and restlessness. Dharma is followed by wisdom. When the mind is serene, truth is reflected in it, truth is fully realised. When the Gunas themselves are destroyed, when there is direct intuitive realisation of Brahman, the knower, the knowable and knowledge become one and the same. The Triputi or the triad vanishes.

Just as the fire that is produced by the friction of the bamboos in a forest burns up the forest and is then extinguished by itself, so also the body which is produced by the disturbance or intermixture of the Gunas is destroyed like the fire. The body destroys the Gunas through knowledge manifested in it.”

How to Withdraw From the Sense-Objects

Uddhava said: “O Krishna, generally people know that the objects of the senses lead to misery. How is it they still run after them, like a dog, an ass or a goat?”

The Lord said: “In the heart of an indiscriminating man, the wrong notion of ‘I’ with regard to body arises; then the terrible Rajas takes possession of the mind, which by its own origin is Sattvic. Doubts and desires arise in the mind which is filled with Rajas. He thinks, ‘I should enjoy such and such a thing in such and such a way and so on.’ Then the mind dwells upon the excellent attributes of an object ‘Oh, how beautiful! What a nice thing,’ and gets a strong liking or an inordinate hankering for it.

The foolish man is overpowered by desires and cravings. He has no control over his senses. As he is deluded by the strong current of Rajas, he knowingly does acts which are seen to bring miseries or evil fruits.

The man of discrimination is also distracted by Rajas and Tamas, but as he is conscious of their evils he sleeplessly controls his mind and practises concentration of mind. He is not attached to them.

Being alert and diligent one should secure firmness in the seat and control the breath, and having set the mind on Me, slowly practise concentration.

This is the Yoga as taught by My disciples Sanaka and others, in order to withdraw the mind successfully from everything and fix it on Me.”

Uddhava said, “O Kesava! How, when and in what form did you instruct Yoga to Sanaka and others? Please inform me of the same.”

The Lord said: “Sanaka and others, the sons of Brahma born of his mind, requested their father to tell them of the subtle and ultimate goal of Yoga. Sanaka and others said, ‘O Lord! The mind is attached to the sense-objects and the sense-objects influence the mind. The objects implant themselves in the mind as tendencies. The mind enters the Gunas (objects) and naturally becomes attached to them and the Gunas, i.e., the objects when experienced enter the mind as desires. How can one who wants to attain the final emancipation produce a separation between the two? How for one who wants to cross over the objects, who seeks to go beyond them and attain Moksha, do they cease to act and re-act upon each other?”

The Lord said: “The great Lord Brahma, the creator of beings contemplated but could not get to the root of the question as his mind was on work. So he meditated on Me to get all authoritative answer for the same. I appeared before him as a swan. They (Sanaka and others) paid Me due reverence, came forward, bowed at My feet and in the presence of Brahma asked Me the question, “Who art thou?” The answer that I gave to the sages who were anxious to know the truth, I shall now repeat to you, Uddhava.

“O Brahmanas! If your question relates to Atman, then Atman is not many. So the question does not arise. Who will reply to whom? What is the basis on which I can give a full answer to your question? If your question relates to the body, then also the elements of which the body is composed are the same in all beings. Atman also is the same in all. Therefore your question, “Who art Thou?” is meaningless.

Whatever is perceived by the mind, speech, sight and the other senses is Myself. There is nothing besides Me. Understand this rightly.

The objects or the Gunas invade the mind and the mind gets entangled in the objects or Gunas, O sons. The sense-objects (Gunas) and the mind thus mutually blended or intertwined form of this body of the Jiva who is Myself.

[Note—The running of the mind outside through the avenues of the senses and the resultant experience of the mind by external objects are produced by the Jiva’s identifying himself with the body (Upadhi) because of delusion or ignorance. The essence of the Jiva is Brahman or Myself. If the mind which is connected with the objects, is the essence of Jiva, then their separation is not possible. But the essence of Jiva is Brahman. Mind is only attributed to Jiva. The mind is only superimposed on the Jiva. On account of this superimposition of the mind on the Jiva, he is apparently connected with the objects. Jiva’s connection with the objects is through the mind. The Self should be withdrawn from both the mind and the objects by meditating on ‘I am Brahman.’ Turn the mind from the external objects by reflecting on the unreality of the objects and identifying yourself with Brahman. By realising your identity with the Supreme Self you will find out that the objects have no existence. By worshipping the Lord, you can completely rest in your own true essential nature as the Infinite, Satchidananda Brahman.]

One should identify himself with Me and abandon the mind which is attached to sense-objects by dwelling on them constantly, as well as sense-objects themselves which influence the mind through cravings, Vasanas and desires.

Wakefulness, dream and sleep, are the three states of the mind caused by the Gunas. The Self is beyond all these states. It is distinct from them, as It is conclusively known and proved to be their witness.

The bondage caused by the mind imparts the actions of the Gunas to the Jiva. Therefore, being fixed on Me, the fourth (Turiya) which is beyond the three states, one should get over the bondage of mind. Then it is possible to abandon those Gunas or objects and their thoughts.

This bondage of Jiva is caused by Ahamkara, egoism or the sense of ‘I-ness,’ which is the cause of all evils. One should abandon egoism and give up all thoughts of mind and of the connections caused by the mind and identification with the mind, by resting on the Turiya or the transcendent.

So long as the idea of diversity or manifoldness is not destroyed by reasoning, man is really ignorant, sleeping while he is waking, just as he is wakeful in dreams.

All things other than Atman are unreal. The differences caused by them such as “He is a Brahmin,” “He is a Sudra,” “He is a householder,” “He is a Sannyasin,” the different destinations such as Svarga and many acts of Karma which are the causes of various fruits and even Karma itself are all unreal like things seen by one in a dream.

He who enjoys in the wakeful state through all his senses the objects external and transient, and who in dreams experiences objects similar to them in his mind, who in sleep withdraws himself from them all, is one and the same Atman—the witness of the three states and the Lord of the senses. This is proved from the persistence of memory in all these states. The same memory runs through all these states.

Reflect well over this, that the three states of the mind are caused in Me by the Gunas through My Maya. Knowing this definitely annihilate egoism which is the source of all doubts by the sword of knowledge, sharpened by reasoning and the precepts of the great sages and the Srutis, and worship Me who dwells in the heart.

Look upon this universe as a delusion, a play of the mind, now seen and the next moment destroyed, like a dream, and extremely inconsistent like the circle described by a firebrand (Alata Chakra). One consciousness appears as many. The threefold distinction of waking, dream and deep-sleep which is caused by the transformation of Gunas is Maya.

Withdraw your senses from this object world. Abandon all desires. Be calm and remain quite immersed in the bliss of your own Self. Be silent and free from action. If ever the universe is experienced, if sometimes this still appears, if at times you will have experience of the object in your daily life for getting the necessities of life, it will not cause delusion in you as you have once thrown them aside as unreal but will linger as a memory only till the fall of the body.

The perfect man, who has thus gained wisdom and realised his true essential nature, does not see the transient body sitting or standing, whether it moves away from its place or comes back, just as a man who is under intoxication of liquor does not see whether his cloth remains on or slips or falls from his body.

The body is indeed under the sway of destiny and it waits with the Pranas and the senses till the Karma, the cause of it exhausts itself. But the man who has attained Samadhi in Yoga and realised the Truth does not care for the body and the object-world which are all like dreams. He has no attachment to his body and the sense-objects.

O Sages! I have explained to you the secret and essential truth of Sankhya or the science which discriminates between the Self and not-Self and Yoga or the science which teaches how to concentrate the mind on the Self and attain Samadhi. Know Me to be Vishnu who has come here to explain Dharma to you and enlighten you on religion and philosophy.

O excellent Brahmins, I am the supreme goal or the end and the aim of Yoga and Sankhya, of truth, practical and theoretical, of prowess and wealth, of glory, fame, power, splendour and self-control!

All the eternal virtues (excellent qualities such as equal vision, non-attachment, etc.) abide in Me who is beyond Prakriti or attributes, who is the Absolute, the friend and the beloved Atman.

Thus Sanaka and other sages had their doubts cleared by Me, worshipped Me with great devotion and sang My praises.

Being duly worshipped and praised by those great sages, I came back to My abode before the very eyes of Brahma.

Bhakti Yoga

Uddhava said: “O Krishna, those versed in the Vedas speak of various means or courses of attaining Moksha. Are all of them equally important or only one is the foremost of them?

“Thou too hast taught the path of devotion to the Lord by which the mind getting rid of attachment to everything merges in Thee.”

The Lord said, “These words of mine known as the Vedas were destroyed by Time at the dissolution of the universe. It was first taught by Me to Brahma and therein is taught the Dharma or the righteous course of devoting the mind to Me. He declared it to his eldest son Manu, from whom Bhrigu and other great Brahma Rishis, seven in number, learnt it.

From those fathers, their sons, the Gods, Danavas, Guhyakas, men, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, Charanas, Kimmdevas (half gods), Kinnaras, Nagas, Rakshasas, Kimpurushas and others also learnt it. But the natural tendencies of those are different being the outcome of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

The tendencies of men are different according to the differences in their nature. So, different paths have been spoken of. It is on account of these natural tendencies that beings and their thoughts differ. According to their nature, different expressions flow from them all. Beings and minds are differentiated according to their temperament, nature and tendencies. According to their natures, the interpretation of the Vedas is various.

Thus according to difference in nature, the thoughts and ideas of men differ from generation to generation; while some differ on account of instructions handed down to them through a succession of teachers, and there are also others who go against the Vedas. Because of this difference of nature or intellect, different schools of thought based on the same authority of Vedas arose. Some men became atheists who hold heretic views and have no faith in the Vedas.

O best of men, people deluded by My Maya describe various things as means to the highest good according to their Karma or occupation and taste.

As means to the goal some mention duty; others fame, pleasure, truthfulness, control of the senses and control of the mind; yet others mention their own wealth, or the lordly power or gift or food; and some mention sacrifice, austerity, charity, vows, moral rules (Yamas and Niyamas) universal and particular.

The results attained by these means, being the outcome of work, have a beginning and an end, cause misery and end in Tamas. They give small and transient pleasures and are attended with sorrow.

Where is that bliss to be found in objects that is to be found in Me? How can one who is attached to sense-objects, enjoy that bliss which a man with his mind given up to Me and free from attachment to all other things, gets from Me?

To one who craves for nothing, who has nothing to own of the world, who has controlled his senses and mind, who regards all equally, who finds perfect delight in Me alone, all the directions are full of bliss. Fixed in Me, and finding bliss in Me, all is blissful to My devotee.

He who has surrendered his mind to Me does not seek for the position of Brahma, or that of Indra or an Emperor’s throne or Lordship over the nether regions, or the attainment of Yoga powers or even Moksha from which there is no returning; for he desires nothing else but Myself.

Neither Brahma, nor Siva, nor Balarama, nor Lakshmi, nor My own form is so very dear to Me as thou art to Me.

I always follow the sage, who desires nothing, is perfectly tranquil, hates none, regards everything equally, in order to purify Myself by the dust of his feet.

Those great souls whose mind is not touched by desires, who are absolutely free from sin, who are penniless, serene, and compassionate to all creatures, who are devoted to Me do attain to that limitless blissful state which belongs to Me but not to others.

My ordinary devotee who has yet no control over his senses is generally not overpowered by sense-objects though only troubled by them, on account of his strong devotion. Just as fire growing into a flame burns all fuel into ashes, so the devotion unto Me, O Uddhava, totally burns all sins. O Uddhava, neither Yoga, nor knowledge, nor Dharma, nor study of the Vedas, nor austerity nor renunciation propitiates Me or wins Me, so much as the well developed and unswerving devotion to Me does. I, the beloved Atman of the righteous, am attained only by undivided devotion and faith. Devotion to Me purifies even outcastes and removes their congenital impurity and saves them from births.

Virtue united with truthfulness and compassion or learning with austerity does not entirely purify one who is destitute of devotion to Me.

How can the mind be purified without devotion to Me which is characterised by melting of the heart, the hair standing on end and tears of joy trickling down the cheeks?

A devotee of Mine whose speech is broken by sobs, whose heart melts, who without shyness sometimes weeps profusely, or laughs or sings loudly and dances, not only purifies himself but purifies the whole world.

Just as gold blown in the fire loses its impurities and regains its own real form, so also the mind shakes off its impurities and its tendencies of Karma and desire for work by means of devotion to Me, regains its own true form and attains to Me.

The more the mind is purified by listening to my sacred stories and the repetition of My names, the more it sees the subtle essence of things and the subtle Reality, just as the eye touched with collyrium or unguent does through its enhanced power of sight.

Think of objects and your mind will be attached to objects. Think of Me and your mind will be merged in Me alone. Therefore fix your mind on Me, purified by devotion, abandoning all other thoughts of unreal objects which are like the dreams or fancies.

Shun from a distance the company of women and of those who keep the company of women. Be self-controlled. Go to a solitary place which is congenial and then sleeplessly meditate on Me without break. Be on the alert. Be vigilant. Shake off lethargy and laziness. There is not so much misery, so much bondage from other quarters as from the company of women and of those who associate with them.

Method of Meditation

Uddhava said: “O Lord of lotus eyes! Please tell me how and in what aspect personal or impersonal, concrete or abstract, an aspirant after Moksha should meditate on Thee? Tell me what is the nature of that meditation, what it is, in what manner, and in what form?”

The Lord said: “Sitting on an even seat with his body erect in a comfortable posture, placing the two hands on his lap and fixing the eyes on the tip of his nose, one should cleanse the passage of Prana by means of inhalation (Puraka), retention (Kumbhaka) and exhalation (Rechaka) of the breath and should also practise slowly in the inverse order, keeping the senses under control.

OM, with the sound of a bell, extends all over from Muladhara upwards. He should by Pranayama push upwards the sacred syllable OM which is uninterrupted like a lotus fibre, through the heart and make it ring like a bell and again add to it the vowel.

Thus one should practise the Pranayama accompanied by OM ten times, thrice daily. He should mentally repeat OM continuously during inhalation and exhalation. Within a month one shall be able to control the Prana. Within the body there is the lotus of the heart with its stalk above and the flower downwards, facing below, with eight petals and pericap. It is also closed. Meditate on it as facing upwards and full blown. On the pericap think of the sun, the moon and the fire one within the other. Meditate on the following form of Mine within the fire which is good and very auspicious for meditation.

My form—symmetrical, gracious, gentle, with four long and beautiful arms, well-developed and beautiful neck, beautiful cheeks and a graceful smile.

With Makara Kundalas or shining pendants adorning symmetrical ears, clad in a cloth of gold, dark complexioned like a cloud, with the splendid Srivatsa mark and Lakshmi on the chest.

Adorned with conch, disc, mace, lotus and a garland of wild-flowers (Vanamala), with feet adorned with ringing anklets and the chest resplendent with the effulgence of the Kaustubha gem.

Decked with a brilliant crown, bracelets and a waist-band beautiful in every feature, captivating to the heart, with the face and eyes beaming with graciousness and very tender, one should meditate on this form of the above description keeping the mind steady. He should concentrate the mind on all the features. He should withdraw the senses from their objects with a strong mind, and with the help of the charioteer intellect as guide, he should direct the mind to My whole body. Then he should concentrate on one part only, My smiling face. He should not meditate on anything else. Then withdraw the mind from the face and fix it on Akasa or the supreme cause. Give up that also. Rest on Me as the pure Brahman devoid of all attributes. Think of nothing at all. Let the Triputi viz., Meditator, object of meditation and meditation vanish. Let them become one. Forget the triple differences. This is the highest Nirvikalpa Samadhi.

He who has thus attained perfect absorption, who has completely merged his mind sees himself in Me and also sees Me in himself like light united to light. The delusion about objects, finite knowledge and action shall then completely disappear for the Yogin, who thus concentrates his mind through intense meditation and attains oneness with Me or Samadhi. This is the fruit of Samadhi.”

The Siddhis

The Lord said: “The Yogi who has controlled his senses and Pranas, who is balanced, and who concentrates the mind on Me, attains various powers or Siddhis.”

Uddhava said: “Tell me, O Krishna, what kind of power comes by any particular kind of concentration and how? How many are these powers? It is Thou who conferest powers on the Yogins.”

The Lord said: “Eighteen are the powers declared by those who are experts or adepts in Yoga. Eight of these belong to Me. They are higher powers. They are normally the powers of Isvara. They exist in a somewhat lesser degree in those who approach the state of Isvara. The remaining ten are due to highly developed Sattva Guna.

Anima, the power of becoming as small as an atom, Mahima the power to assume the biggest size, Garima, the power of becoming very heavy, Laghima the power of becoming very light—these are the powers belonging to the body.

Prapti, the power to act with the senses of all beings in association with their presiding deities; Prakamya, power of enjoying all objects seen or unseen (heard through the scriptures).

Isatva, rulership or Lordship (exercising an influence over all as Lord: Vasitva, non-attachment to objects (power of self-control); to be free from the desire for sensuous enjoyments, Kamavasayitva; the power of attaining all desires—These are my eight natural, essential and infinite Siddhis. They normally exist in Me.

Cessation of hunger and thirst, hearing from a distance (Doorasravana), seeing from a distance (Dooradarshana), swiftness or motion of the body like that of wind (Manojava); assuming any form at will (Kamarupam); entering into another’s body (Parakaya pravesham); joining in the recreation of the gods (Devanam saha kreedanudarshanam); death at one’s own will (Svachhanda mrityu); the attainment of desire for objects (Yathasankalpa Samsiddhi); to command unopposed everywhere—these are the ten Siddhis that relate to the Gunas.

Knowledge of the past, present and future (Trikalajnana), control over the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, reading other’s mind, counteracting the influence of fire, sun, water, poison and the like; invincibility or not being overcome by anybody (Parajaya)—these are five smaller Siddhis.

These are the powers that are obtained through Yogic concentration. Now know from Me what powers can be attained by a particular course of concentration and in what manner they can be attained.

He who concentrates on Me present in the subtle Bhutas, regarding Me to be of the subtle form, he who thus contemplates Me in the subtle form of that principle, he who fixes his mind on Me as pervading the Tanmatras, he who concentrates on Me as the five primordial atoms acquire the power of Anima or the power of becoming an atom.

He who concentrates his mind on Me as pervading Mahat Tattva acquires Mahima or the power of becoming vast or big, or the power of increasing in size. He who concentrates on Me as possessed of the adjunct or Upadhi of ether and the other elements attains the power of Mahima, the respective vastness of those elements.

He who concentrates on Me regarding Me as the subtle cause of the primordial atoms and as the Lord pervading the atoms, attains the power of Laghima or the power of becoming very, very light. He can ascend the sun along its rays.

He who concentrates his mind on Me regarding Me as the Lord pervading the Sattvic Ahamkara and as the Inner Ruler of all the senses, attains the power of Prapti. He becomes the presiding Deity of each of the organs. He can direct them any way he wishes. He can touch the moon with his finger.

He who concentrates the mind on Me as possessing the adjunct of Mahat Tattva or cosmic mind which is born of Avyakta or the unmanifested, he who worships himself as the portion of Mahat Tattva and always merges his mind in such Tattva, he who keeps the mind fixed on Me present in the Sutra or Mahat Tattva, attains the power of Prakamya, the power of enjoying all objects seen or heard. He obtains Prakasyam or omniscience.

He who concentrates his mind on Vishnu, the Ruler of Maya or the three Gunas as the Antaryamin of Time, whose form is Time, attains the power of Isatva or all-ruling power. He gets the power to control the Jivas, their bodies and minds.

He who concentrates his mind on Narayana, the transcendental or Turiya, called also Bhagavan, attains the power of Vasitva or self-control.

He who concentrates his mind on Me, the pure Brahman beyond the Gunas, attains the highest bliss while all desires end.

He who concentrates his mind on Me as the pure embodiment of virtue and the Lord of Svetadvipa, becomes pure and free from the six waves (Shadurmis) or changes viz., hunger, thirst, grief, delusion, decay and death that affect the body.

He who concentrates on Akasa and merges his mind in the same can hear distant sounds. He who unites the eye with the sun and the sun with the eye and contemplates Me there with his concentrated mind can see even distant objects. He develops the subtle power of vision to see the whole universe.

By merging the mind on Me and making the body one with Vayu, the Yogi can take the body swiftly wherever the mind goes. By making the mind as the material cause, the Yogi assumes any form he likes by concentrating on Me. When the Yogi wishes to enter into another’s body, he should contemplate himself as present in that body. Then the Prana leaves his body and enters into it by passing through the external air like a bee.

He who controls the breath and is able to gradually take it along the six Chakras of the body up to the head or Brahmarandhra has the power to live as long as he likes and cast off his body at will. Sitting on the heel and lifting the Prana to the heart, chest, throat and crown of head and taking it to Brahman through the opening in the head, Brahmarandhra, the Yogi should cast off the body.

If one wishes to sport in the celestial gardens, he should think of the Sattva in Me. Then the celestial damsels born of Sattva will wait on him with aerial cars.

In whatever form at any time the Yogin may reflect on a particular object concentrating the mind on Me who am of true and infallible will, he gets that very form.

He who has attained to My state, the supreme and Absolute Ruler through concentration attains My powers and can control others like Myself. He never finds his command disobeyed anywhere, like Mine.

The Yogin whose mind is purified by devotion to Me and who is thoroughly versed in concentration on God attains the power to see the past, present and future and the hour of birth and death of his own and other lives.

The Yogic body of the Yogi whose mind has found rest by union with Me is not destroyed by fire and the like, just as aquatic animals are not affected by water.

He who meditates on My forms adorned with Srivatsa, weapons, ornaments, banner, umbrella and chowry never suffers a defeat.

To the Yogi who worships Me with the concentration in the aforesaid manner, the above mentioned powers come in their entirety.

All powers are attainable by the Yogi who has controlled his mind, senses, breath and body and who concentrates on Me with faith and devotion.

But in the case of one who practises the best course of Yoga of devotion to Me, obtains My grace and attains union with Me, these powers are mere obstacles and things that cause waste of time. These Yogic powers are considered obstacles, for by indulging in them and perhaps inadvertently abusing such powers, the devotee may get retarded in the progress towards Me. He may forget himself and lose his hard earned penance by devotion in Me, by indulgence in such Yogic powers.

Through concentration on Me, My devotee naturally attains all those powers that are said to result from birth, or drugs or Tapas or Mantras; therefore one ought not resort to the course of Yoga in other ways.

I am the cause of these Yogic powers. I am the Lord or powerful Master of the powers. I am also the Lord of Yoga, of knowledge, of Dharma expounded by those versed in the Vedas and of the teachers of Brahman.

I am the Atman of all beings. I am their indwelling soul. I am within and without them, not enclosed by anything, just as the five Bhutas are within and without the creatures and also exist separately.”

The Vibhutis or Powers of the Lord

Uddhava said: “Thou art the Supreme Brahman without beginning or end, uncovered, by anything. Thou art the cause of the protection, maintenance, death and birth of all beings.

“O Lord! the Brahmins who know the true sense of the Vedas worship Thee in Thy true form, and as the Truth in all beings great and small, high and low; but Thou art unknown to those who have not controlled their mind or have no training.

“Tell me of the several points in respect of which the great Rishis or sages worship Thee in devotion in the several beings and hereby attain to perfection.

“O Creator of all beings; O Antaryamin or Inner Ruler; Thou actest and dwellest in them concealed from their view. Deluded by Thee they do not see Thee, but Thou seest all.

“O Lord of boundless glories! Pray tell me of those glorious forms which are manifested by Thyself severally on the earth, in the heavens, in the nether world and in all quarters. I bow to Thy lotus feet which are the source of all holy waters, which are the source of all purity and in which are centred all sacred places.”

The Lord said: “O best of those who can make enquiries and are able in putting questions. This very question was put to Me by Arjuna, who was about to fight with the enemies on the field of Kurukshetra.

Believing that the slaying of his relatives for the sake of kingdom was reproachful and unrighteous and thinking, ‘I am the slayer, he is slain by me,’ Arjuna with the sense of an ordinary man desisted from fighting.

Then, on the eve of battle, he was made to understand by Me through reasoning, and he then spoke to Me in the same way on the battlefield as thou hast now done.

O Uddhava! I am the Atman, friend and the Supreme Ruler of all beings. I am Myself all the beings. I create, protect and destroy them.

I am the motion of those that move and I am Time of those who bring things under their influence. Of virtues I am even-mindedness, and in things possessing properties, I am their essential and natural attribute.

Among those that are endowed with Gunas I am the cosmic Prana, and I am the cosmic Intelligence (Maha Tattva) among all vast or big things. I am the subtle Jiva or soul among all subtle things, and of all that are invincible I am the mind.

Of the Vedas I am Brahma or Hiranyagarbha, the teacher who first taught them; of Mantras I am OM or Pranava consisting of A, U, and M. Of all the letters I am ‘A’ and of all the metres I am the Gayatri.

I am Indra among the Gods, Agni among the Vasus, Vishnu among the Adityas and Nilalohita among the Rudras. Among Maharshis (Brahmin sages) I am Bhrigu; among Rajarshis (royal sages) Manu; among Deva Rishis (celestial sages) I am Narada and among cows Kamadhenu.

Among the great Siddhas I am Kapila, among birds I am Garuda; among all progenitors I am Daksha; among Pitris I am Aryaman.

Know Me, O Uddhava, to be Prahlada, the king of the Asuras, among Daityas; to be moon (Soma) among stars and plants; to be Kubera among Yakshas and Rakshasas.

I am Airavata among the great elephants; among the aquatic creatures I am Varuna their Lord; I am the sun among objects that give heat and light; and I am the king among men.

I am Ucchaisravas (Indra’s horse) among horses and gold among metals, Yama among those who control and Vasuki (their king) among serpents.

I am Ananta (their king) among the Nagas; I am the lion among all beasts with horns or tusks; I am the fourth Ashrama (Sannyasa) among the four periods of life and I am the first or Brahmin among castes, O sinless One.

I am the Ganga among the rivers, the ocean among the reservoirs of water. I am the bow among weapons, and Siva—the destroyer of the three cities—among those who wield the bows.

I am Mount Meru among abodes and the Himalayas among inaccessible places. I am the Asvattha (pipal tree) among trees; I am Yava (barley) among all the plants that yield food.

I am Vasishtha among priests and Brihaspati among preceptors or knowers of Brahman. I am Skanda among generals and Brahma among the righteous or those who put people in the righteous path.

I am Brahma-Yajna or the study of the Vedas among sacrifices; of all the vows I am the vow of harmlessness or non-injury; of purifying agencies I am the wind, fire, sun, water, speech and Atman; of all things that are pure I am the purity.

I am the perfect control of mind (Samadhi) among the Yogis; I am the counsel or policy of those who seek to conquer; I am the justice in all laws or ordinances; I am discrimination—between Atman and Anatman—among the discerning faculties; and I am the doubt of those who enter into the debate in the theory of perception.

I am Satarupa (wife of Manu) among women and of men I am Svayambhuva Manu, the son of Brahma. I am Narayana among sages or saints and Sanatkumara among celibates or Brahmacharis.

I am renunciation (Sannyasa) among virtues and I am the promise of protection against fear of all virtuous duties; of all causes of security I am contemplation or introspection. Of secrets I am sweet words and silence; and of the pairs I am the Prajapati (Brahma) who out of his body created the first pair Manu and Satarupa.

Of those that are regular I am Samvatsara (the year); of the seasons I am the Vasanta (spring); of months I am Margaseersha (latter half of December and first half of January) and of stars I am the Abhijit.

I am the Kritayuga or Satya Yuga among Yugas and of the wise, brave and the steady-minded I am Devala and Asita; of the dividers of the Vedas I am Dvaipayana and of men of wisdom I am Sukra, possessed of self-control.

I am Vasudeva among the Lords or Avataras and of the devotees I am thyself. I am Hanuman among the Kimpurushas; and of Vidyadharas I am Sudarsana; (I am Chakra or Sudarshana among weapons).

I am the sapphire (blue stone or ruby) among precious stones; of the beautiful I am the lotus-bud; I am the sacred Kusa among the many varieties of grass; and of oblations I am the clarified butter or cow’s ghee.

I am the fortune of the persevering and the fraud of the deceitful; I am forbearance or fortitude of the plodding or the painstaking, and I am the Sattva (purity or goodness) of those who have Sattva.

Know that I am firmness and resistance in the strong and devotion among the devotees; of the nine forms worshipped by devotees, I am the first and the most important manifestation, Vasudeva.

I am Visvavasu among Gandharvas and Purvachiti (Urvasi) among Apsaras. I am the firmness of mountains and am the smell in abstract of earth.

I am the sweet taste in water, and the sun among the resplendent; I am the brilliance in the sun, moon and stars and the sound in ether.

I am Bali among the worshippers of Brahmanas and I am Arjuna among warriors. I am indeed the origin, sustenance and dissolution of all beings.

I am the motion, speech, excretion, talking, enjoyment, touch, sight, taste, hearing and smelling of the organs. I constitute their functions. I am indeed the sense of all the senses.

Earth, air, ether, water, light, egoism, intelligence, the sixteen modifications of Prakriti viz., the five Tanmatras, the ten organs and mind, Purusha and Prakriti; Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and the Supreme Brahman—all these I am. I am also their enumeration, their knowledge and realisation of Truth.

Nothing exists without My presence in My twofold aspect, of the Lord and the Jiva, attribute and substance, the indwelling soul and gross or subtle body just as a thing cannot be without its property.

I can count the atoms of the elements in course of time but My powers and glories displayed in creating crores of worlds are indeed beyond counting i.e., infinite.

Wherever there are majesty, fortune, prosperity, power, beauty, fame, wealth, modesty, liberality, sacrifice, prowess, forbearance, fortitude, subtle understanding and knowledge—there I am manifested.

I have thus described to you shortly all these manifestations of Mine. They are only modifications of the mind and are somehow expressed through speech. They are only a part of Myself. My real nature is beyond the description of words or the grasp of the mind.

Control the speech, control the mind, control the breath and the senses, control also the impure mind by the pure mind, control the self by the Self. Then you will no more return to the world.

For the man who has not perfectly controlled his speech and mind, his vows, austerities and gifts leak out as water does from an unburnt pot.

Therefore with devotion to Me one should control speech, mind, and the Pranas. He should fix his mind in Me with firm devotion. Then he will attain the final goal easily.”

The Duties of the Brahmacharin and the Householder

Uddhava said: “Thou hast already described the Dharma or the righteous course called Bhakti or devotion as beneficial to all human beings who observe the rules laid down for the different castes or orders of life. O Lord of lotus-like eyes! Please tell me in detail of the Dharma peculiar to each by practising which a man may develop devotion to Thee.

“O Mighty-armed Lord! O Madhava, the knowledge of the Eternal Truth, Brahman, the righteous course of the highest character that Thou expound to Brahma in the form of a swan, is not perhaps remembered in the mortal world, O Slayer of foes, as it was taught long ago.

“O Achyuta! Other than Thyself there is none to teach, to practise and maintain Dharma on earth, and even in the court of Brahma where the sciences and all the deities presiding over the disciplines are personally present.

“O Madhusudana! When Thou, the originator, defender and expounder of it, leavest the earth, religion and Dharma too will die. Who, O Lord, will then expound the lost Dharma?

“Thou knowest all the Dharmas. Pray explain to me, O Lord, the Dharma that leads to Thy devotion, how and for whom it is laid down?”

The Lord said: “O Uddhava, your question is righteous, for it will have the way to Moksha for men who observe the duties of caste and order of life. Listen to my exposition of the same.

In the beginning, in the Krita or Satya Yuga, men had but one caste which was known as Hamsa. Men attained the consummation of their desires from their very birth. They had by nature all their objects accomplished. They were in full touch with Me and knew that the object of their lives was to worship Me. Hence it was called the Krita Yuga (the time that makes everything ready for men, achieved).

In that primeval age, the sacred syllable OM was the Veda and I was Dharma in the form of a bull having four feet. Men of that age were pure and firm in Tapas. They meditated on Me, the pure one.

In the beginning of Treta, O blessed one! The Vedas became revealed from My heart through the Prana, out of which I became the sacrifice with its three main characteristics viz., the Hota, Adhvaryu, and Udgata who perform the different functions of a Vedic sacrifice.

The four castes Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra with their separate duties and callings were created from the face, hands, thighs and legs of the Virat Purusha respectively. The householder’s life had its origin from My thighs, the student life from My heart, the life of a Vanaprastha in the forest from My chest and the life of Sannyasa from My head.

The natural characteristics or tendencies of the different castes and orders of life among men were according to the place of their origin; those born of the lower members had inferior tendencies and those born of the higher had superior characteristics or tendencies. Control of the mind and the senses, meditation, cleanliness, contentment, patience, forbearance, straightforwardness, devotion to Me, compassion and truthfulness—these are the characteristics of the Brahmana.

Majesty, strength, fortitude, heroism, endurance, liberality, exertion, firmness, devotion to the Brahmana and ruling power, honesty, these are the characteristics of a Kshatriya. Faith, a strong disposition to give, absence of hypocrisy, service to the Brahmins, to be ever on the look out for amassing wealth—these are the characteristics of the Vaisya.

Service to the twice-born, to the cows, to the gods, to be contended with what he gets therefrom—these are the characteristics of the Sudra.

Uncleanliness, falsehood, theft, lack of faith, atheism, quarrelsomeness without cause, lust, anger, greed—these are the characteristics of a fifth class who are beyond the pale of the four castes.

Harmlessness, truthfulness, freedom from theft, lust, anger, covetousness and an effort to do what is agreeable and beneficial to all beings—this is the course of Dharma or common duty of all castes.

Having had the regular course of purificatory rites and the second birth of initiation known as the sacred thread ceremony, a Dvija or twice-born should dwell in the house of his preceptor with control over his senses, and study the Vedas when called upon to do so by him.

He should wear a girdle or waist-band made of sacred grass, deerskin as upper garment, rosary of Rudraksha beads and the holy thread and carry a staff, water pot and some Kusa grass. He should wear matted hair, must not waste his time in beautifying his face and body and avoid coloured seats.

He should observe silence while bathing, eating, offering oblations to the fire, repeating His Mantra and answering calls of nature. He should not cut his hair in the arm-pits and private parts.

He should observe strict Brahmacharya and never make any conscious break. If he becomes unconsciously impure, he should have a bath and repeat the Gayatri, controlling the breath or practising Pranayama.

After attending to cleanliness in the morning and evening, he should silently repeat his Mantra with concentration and offer his worship to the fire, the Sun, the preceptor, cows, Brahmins, superiors, elderly people and the gods.

He should regard the preceptor as Myself and never disregard or look down upon him as a man. He should not find out defects in the preceptor taking him to be a man, for the preceptor represents all the gods and he is the abode of all the gods.

In the morning and evening he should bring his alms or whatever else he may have received, to his preceptor and eat with moderation whatever is permitted by the preceptor.

He should always worship the preceptor serving him as a servant, by following him when he is going somewhere, resting near him when he is asleep, sitting by his side to shampoo his limbs when he is tired and being near him with folded palms ready to carry out his commands.

Conducting himself thus he should live in the house of his preceptor shunning comforts and maintaining perfect celibacy till the course of learning is finished.

[Note: There are two types of Brahmacharins—the Upakurvana and the Naishthika. The former enters the household life after the completion of his study. He generally gives presents to his preceptor, returns to his house and enters the Grihasthasrama. The Naishthika maintains life-long celibacy. The above is the description of the duties of the former. Now the duties of a Naishthika Brahmachari are described.]

If he wishes to attain the Brahmaloka, he should observe rigid celibacy and surrender his body to his preceptor as a tribute for the instructions he received from him.

Being sinless and possessed of the lustre of Brahman, he should worship Me, the Supreme Being, in the fire, the preceptor, his own Self, and in all beings with a feeling of identity or oneness.

He who is not a householder should avoid seeing, touching, conversing or joking etc., with women and also seeing other animals in sexual intercourse.

Cleanliness, the sipping of water preparatory to religious functions (Achamana), bathing, offering prayers in the morning, noon and evening, straightforwardness, visiting of holy places, repetition of the Mantra, avoidance of things not to be touched or eaten, and of persons not to be talked to, devotion to Me present in all beings, and control of mind, speech and body—these, O Uddhava, are the observances or rules of discipline (Niyamas) which are common for all the orders of life.

Thus, the Brahmin who practises rigid celibacy shines like fire, and if he is unselfish, his desires are burnt by intense austerities and he attains devotion to Me.

Then, if he desires to enter the life of a householder after having properly studied the Vedas, he should offer his Dakshina (presents) to his preceptor and with his permission perform the usual ablution or bath i.e., perform the rite of concluding the student-life or Brahmacharya Ashram.

Next, he may enter the life of a householder, the hermit’s life in the forest, or the life of a Sannyasi. He may pass from one Ashram to another with his mind intent on Me. He should not give up the Ashrams altogether.

If he wishes to lead the life of a householder, he should marry an unblemished girl of the same caste free from defects of birth, habits and qualities, who must be younger in age, and if he desires to marry any other he should do so after the above marriage in the due or succeeding order i.e., a Brahmin could marry in the three other castes; a Kshatriya in the two lower; Vaishya in the Sudra caste; the Sudra in his own caste. It should not be done in the inverse order.

To perform sacrifices, to study the Vedas, and to distribute charitable gifts are duties common to all the twice-born. To accept gifts, to teach the Vedas, and to help others to perform sacrifices are duties of the Brahmins only.

If a Brahmin thinks that the acceptance of gifts would deprive him of his Tapas, spiritual power and glory, he should try to live by the other two means viz., teaching and helping others to perform sacrifices (i.e., acting as a priest); if he considers them harmful he should make his living by gleaning the grains of corn that lie scattered in the fields as useless.

The body of a Brahmin is indeed not intended for enjoying trifling objects of desire. It is for rigorous Tapas here and infinite bliss hereafter.

A Brahmin who is contented with what he gets by gleaning grains left in the fields and follows the purest and highest course of Dharma and discharges his duties consisting of hospitality etc., devoting his mind to Me without attachment to other things, surely attains Peace or Moksha, though continuing in the householder’s life.

Just as a boat saves a drowning man from the sea so also I soon protect from calamities those who lift up a Brahmana (devotee) devoted to Me from his difficulty or misfortune.

The king full of wisdom and courage should rescue his subjects from calamities like a father. Just as the leader of elephants saves other elephants in his herd, so also he should rescue himself by his own efforts with firmness.

A king who does his duty in this manner shakes of all his sins on earth, goes to heaven in a celestial car resplendent like the sun, and enjoys in the company of Indra, the king of the gods.

In adversity a Brahmin may try to get over it by taking to the Vaishya’s trade, by selling only the permitted articles. If he is still overtaken by misfortune, he may live by the sword, but never resort to dog-like servility by serving the low.

In adversity a king or a Kshatriya may live by the Vaishya’s pursuits (agriculture) or by hunting, or by going out like a Brahmin but never by serving the low.

A Vaishya in adversity may lead the life of a Sudra. A Sudra may adopt the pursuit of making mats and the like. But when he is out of difficulty he should not wish to maintain himself by a despicable profession.

A householder should according to his means daily worship the Rishis, the Pitris, the gods, the lower animals and men considering them as forms of Mine, with the study of the Vedas, Svadha and Svaha offerings, food and the like respectively. This is the Pancha Maha Yajna. Every householder should perform this daily.

With the wealth that is obtained by chance or is acquired by honest means, he should perform the above sacrifices only in the just course without putting his servants to trouble and without taxing his dependents. He should maintain himself and his dependents and perform sacrifices. He should not starve his family in order to perform his sacrifices.

He should have no attachment to his family. He should not forget God even though he is a householder. The wise man should regard the unseen enjoyments of heaven and the like as transient and perishable as those of this visible world.

The association with sons, wife, relatives and friends is like the chance meeting of travellers or co-passengers in a journey. They depart with the fall of each body as dreams following sleep do. Just as a person casts off the objects of his dream when he rises from sleep, so also he should be prepared to shake his mind off them at any time.

One who reflecting thus lives at home without attachment and egoism like a guest, is not bound by the home, and is free.

Having with devotion worshipped Me alone by means of all the religious duties laid down for the householder, he may lead the life of a householder or enter the forest or if he has progeny may become a Sannyasin.

But he who is strongly attached to his house, who is anxious about his children and wealth, who is full of passion for women is a foolish man. He is deluded and bound by the notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’.

“Alas, my aged parents, my wife and young children are without protector except myself. How could they who are helpless and afflicted live without me?” Thus this foolish man constantly thinks of them, with his heart distracted by thoughts of home. Then he dies and falls into-blinding darkness i.e., he takes a low birth.”

The Duties of Vanaprasthis and Sannyasins

The Lord said: “He who desires to retire into the forest, should entrust his wife to the care of his son or enter the forest with her and live peacefully in the forest in tranquil meditation spending the third part of his life from 51 to 75.

He should live on roots, fruits and other forest articles of diet and clothe himself with barks, grass or leaves or a deer-skin. He should allow his hair, nails and beard to grow, should bathe thrice a day and lie on the bare ground. [He should not give much attention to the body. He should not think much of body. Then he will have much time to think of Atman].

In summer, he should do penance in the midst of five fires i.e., four rites all round and the sun above, without seeking any shade. In the rainy season he should do penance immersed in water upto the neck. Thus he should practice austerity.

He should eat food cooked over a fire, or what ripens naturally in the course of time or what is pounded in the mortar or the stone or in the mortar of his own teeth.

He should himself collect from within the forest itself all his means of living having a true insight into the place, time and strength. He should not eat things procured and stored up at some past time.

The hermit should offer oblations fixed for the particular occasions, with grains that grow in the forest and not with animal sacrifice mentioned in the Sruti.

Agnihotra, Darsa (observances during the new moon), Purnamasya (observances during the full moon), as well as Chaturmasya sacrifices are prescribed equally for the Vanaprastha by the Vedic teachers.

With his body reduced to a skeleton by the Tapas so performed, the hermit or forest recluse worships and propitiates Me and attains to Me through Maharloka and other stages.

Who is a greater fool than he who will waste for the fulfilment of petty desires such as enjoyment in heaven etc., such great Tapas performed with considerable difficulty and calculated to confer liberation or Moksha?

When the hermit is unable to observe his duties on account of shaking of the limbs consequent on old age, he should withdraw his sacred fires into himself, and with his mind intent on Me, enter into the fire.

When he is totally disgusted with the enjoyments of the worlds resulting from Karma, realising that they are attended with miseries, pains and sorrows and are not eternal, he should abandon the fires and become a Sannyasin.

Having worshipped Me according to precepts and sacrificed unto Me as ordained by the Vedas and given everything to the priests, he should withdraw the fire into himself and become a Sannyasin without longing and caring for anything.

To the Brahmin who tries to become a Sannyasin, the gods will, in the form of his wife and other relations, put obstacles, thinking that he may transcend and attain to Brahman.

If the Sannyasi keeps a second piece of cloth it should be only as much as covers the loin-cloth. Except in times of danger he should not have anything that he has already relinquished at the time of taking order other than his staff and his begging bowl.

He should place his foot on the ground after looking well. Before every step that he takes with his feet he should examine the path with his eyes to see no life is destroyed by such step, He should drink water filtered through a cloth, should utter words which are truthful and do that which his reason sanctions as pure or right.

Silence (Mouna), abandoning of selfish works or inaction, and control of the breath or Prana are the restraints of speech, body and mind respectively. One who has not these, never becomes a Sannyasi by simply carrying a bamboo staff. A Sannyasi avoiding those who are reproachful should get his alms from the four castes by going to not more than seven houses which are not already appointed. He should be contented with what he gets. He should not think of the food beforehand. He should not entertain the ideas “I will get this food from this house and another kind of food from that house and the like.” He must not obtain more food than what is actually sufficient for one meal.

He should take such alms to the river, tank or lake outside the village. He should take a bath and purify his food by sprinkling with water and offer portions to the deities and all creatures and silently all that remains without saying anything.

He should wander on this earth alone without attachment to anybody, with mind and senses under control. His sport and enjoyment should be in his Self only. He should find recreation and delight in his Self only. He should find recreation and delight in his own Atman only. He should see all objects alike. He should have equal vision and see Brahman to be one and the same everywhere.

The sage should resort to a lonely, secured and congenial spot and should contemplate on Brahman as identical with Me, with his mind purified by intense devotion to Me.

He should reflect on the nature of his bondage and release through the light of knowledge. Bondage consists in the distraction of the senses and release consists in becoming free from their control. His contemplation will convince him that the knowledge of his unity with Brahman is emancipation and that absence of the same identity with the body creates egoism and Karma or bondage. He realises that actions with desire for gratification of the senses creates bondage and that restraint of the senses leads to salvation.

Therefore the sage should control the senses and the six enemies (Shadvarga or shad urmis) viz., hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, decay and death by the force of devotion to Me and roam about looking upon everything as Myself. Deriving great bliss and peace from the Self within, he should continue the course of meditation having renounced petty desires.

He may for the sake of alms just enter cities, village, hamlets and assemblies of pilgrims. He should roam over the land abounding in holy places, rivers, mountains, forests and hermitages.

He should get his alms mostly from the hermitages of Vanaprasthis who have retired into the forest, for his mind is purified by taking the food consisting of grains gleaned from the fields and he soon frees himself from delusion and attains bliss or liberation.

He should never regard this world as real because it undergoes change and perishes. He should not regard sweet food and other things as real for the objects of gross vision do perish. Therefore, with a mind free from attachment to this world and the next, he should give up all activities that tend to enjoyments in them.

Having realised by force of reason that this universe, the body, the mind, speech and Pranas are all Maya or a delusive superimposition on Atman, the Self-centred sage should take a firm hold of his own Atman and renounce the former up. He should not again think of them.

Now the duties of the Paramahamsas are described. He who is full of wisdom and renunciation, who is devoted to Me without caring even for salvation should move about without any outward marks of Sannyasa and should be above all formalities.

Though he is wise, he should play like a child; though he is skilled in everything, he should behave like a simpleton; though he is a man of erudition, he should talk like an ordinary man; and though he is well-versed in the Vedas, he should behave like an ordinary man, without thirsting for applause or name and fame.

He should not take delight in explaining or upholding the Vedas relating, to sacrificial duties; he should not be an unbeliever in the Vedas. He should not indulge in vain discussions or empty debates. He should not take part or side in worthless discussions.

The sage should not be afraid of other men; nor should he frighten them. He should not be vexed by others nor should he vex others. He should put up with harsh words. He should never insult anybody; for the sake of the body he should not like a brute, be at enmity with any.

The one Supreme Atman abides in the bodies of all beings and in one’s own body, just as the same moon gets reflected in different vessels or expanses of water. All bodies are of the same nature also, as they are made up of the same five elements.

Possessed of fortitude, he should not grow despondent, if he does not get food at any time or anywhere nor rejoice if he is likely to get much; for both these are in the hands of Providence (My hands) and they are controlled by destiny.

He should try to get his food. He should not leave this also to destiny, because it is proper to support life. By supporting life he is able to investigate into the Truth and by knowing it he gets emancipation. He should eat the food rich or poor, good or bad which by chance he gets; so also, he may accept clothes or a bed as chance may bring him. [A Paramahamsa, need not avoid comforts if they come by chance. Attachment to Vairagya is as much an evil as attachment to Raga itself. A Paramahamsa should be above Raga and Vairagya. This is the real test. Some are attached to Vairagya till the end of life. Vairagya only is their goal. Such people have not attained the real state of equanimity of a Jivanmukta. A Paramahamsa should keep the same state of mind when he gets comforts or when he is under privation. Attachment to Vairagya alone is one-sided development. It is imperfection. Some Sannyasins who have no Vairagya, who do not practise Vairagya, whose minds are full of Vasanas say, “We have got mental non-attachment. We need not practise any Vairagya. We are above the pairs of opposites. We are Advaitins who have got Jnana Nishta.” These are deluded souls.]

The sage may, as I, the Supreme Ruler, sportfully do observe cleanliness, wash his mouth and bathe and go through all other observances, not with a sense of compulsion under rules.

He has no idea or perception of differences, because it has been dispelled by his realisation of Me. Till the fall of his body he may sometimes have a trace or a semblance of it and after that he attains a state of equality with Me. To the sage who has realised his unity with Me, the world will not appear real though he may mix in the world. [Though he may at times forget his blissful nature on account of the body and get deluded, he will soon regain knowledge by My grace and cast aside such temporary delusion. This will occur only in the case of those who have attained glimpses of Brahman. Those who are established in Bhuma, who have attained the full realisation will not be subject to any kind of delusion or difference.]

He who has become disgusted with the works and the objects of desire which necessarily land him in miseries, who has controlled the mind but has not yet made enquiries about the religion that lead to Me, should betake himself to a sage and make him as his preceptor.

Till he realises Brahman he should serve his preceptor like unto Me with care and devotion. He should have perfect faith in him and should not find faults in him.

But he who has not controlled the six human frailties or Shad Urmis viz., sorrow, delusion, hunger, thirst, decay, death, who allows his senses to run riot, who has no discrimination, who has not attained distaste for the transient pleasures of this world or the next, who uses Sannyasa as a means of livelihood is a violator of Dharma or a destroyer of religion. He cheats the gods, himself and Me who dwells in his Self. His dirty sins or impurities are not yet washed off. Therefore he falls from this as well as from the other world. He is deprived of both this life and the life to come.

The main duties of a Sannyasi are control of the mind and non-injury; those of a Vanaprasthi are austerity and discrimination or knowledge; those of a householder are protection of the lives of animals and performances of sacrifices; the main duty of a Brahmachari is wholehearted service to his preceptor.

Celibacy with occasional gratification at prescribed times (Ritudharma), Tapas, purity, contentment and kindness to beings are also duties of a householder. Worshipping Me is a duty common to all.

He who thus constantly worships Me practising the duties laid down for him and does not give his mind to any other and who thinks of Me in all beings, soon attains firm devotion to Me.

O Uddhava! Through such unswerving devotion a person attains to Me, the Supreme Ruler of all the worlds and all beings, the originator and destroyer of all, their cause, the Brahman.

Having his mind thus purified by the performance of his duties and realising My nature, he attains knowledge (Jnana) and realisation (Vijnana) and reaches Me in a short time.

This is the righteous course of conduct of those that are in the pale of Varna and Asrama system and that course attended with devotion to Me becomes the best means of attaining emancipation or Moksha.

So I have answered your question, as to how person discharging the duties of his caste or stage of life with devotion to Me, attains to Me, the Highest.”

HARI OM TAT SAT

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