Commentary on the Srimad Bhagavad Gita- Discourse 3.8 - Swami Krishnananda
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Friday, May 15, 2020.
Discourse 3: The Second Chapter Begins – Sankhya Yogam -8.
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1.
Ten people crossed a river, and the water was neck-deep. With great difficulty they waded across. After reaching the other side, they wanted to check whether or not all of them had crossed, so one of them started counting.
He said, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Only nine are here.”
The others said, “How is it possible? Has one of us drowned? Oh, count again.”
Another said, “You stand there. I’ll count.”
Again only nine people were counted. Every time they counted, they found that one man was missing. They started beating their chests and crying that one of them had been drowned in the water.
A passer-by saw this and asked, “Why are you all crying?”
“Oh, one of us has drowned,” they replied.
“How many were you?”
“Ten.”
“But you are ten,” he said.
“Where are the ten? No, there are only nine. See!” He counted again, and again counted nine.
“You are the tenth!”
“Oh, I see! I am the person that is responsible for all these troubles,” exclaimed the man.
The world is not the maker of our troubles. Modern science, in its profound discoveries, has now come to the conclusion that scientific observations are conditioned by the instruments that are used in science, and even by the structure of the scientist’s eye; and, therefore, all scientific perceptions are conditioned. Unconditioned knowledge of the world is not possible even for the best of scientists.
Friday, May 15, 2020.
Discourse 3: The Second Chapter Begins – Sankhya Yogam -8.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Ten people crossed a river, and the water was neck-deep. With great difficulty they waded across. After reaching the other side, they wanted to check whether or not all of them had crossed, so one of them started counting.
He said, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. Only nine are here.”
The others said, “How is it possible? Has one of us drowned? Oh, count again.”
Another said, “You stand there. I’ll count.”
Again only nine people were counted. Every time they counted, they found that one man was missing. They started beating their chests and crying that one of them had been drowned in the water.
A passer-by saw this and asked, “Why are you all crying?”
“Oh, one of us has drowned,” they replied.
“How many were you?”
“Ten.”
“But you are ten,” he said.
“Where are the ten? No, there are only nine. See!” He counted again, and again counted nine.
“You are the tenth!”
“Oh, I see! I am the person that is responsible for all these troubles,” exclaimed the man.
The world is not the maker of our troubles. Modern science, in its profound discoveries, has now come to the conclusion that scientific observations are conditioned by the instruments that are used in science, and even by the structure of the scientist’s eye; and, therefore, all scientific perceptions are conditioned. Unconditioned knowledge of the world is not possible even for the best of scientists.
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2.
Thus, the movement of prakriti within itself in the form of the sense organs and the mind on the one hand, and the objects on the other hand, are taken by us as two different activities taking place. Actually, prakriti is cognising prakriti—gu?a gu?e?u vartanta iti matva na sajjate (3.28).
One wave is dashing against another wave in the ocean, and two persons are not actually involved there. The structure of the sense organs and the mind is responsible for the kind of consciousness that is passing through that particular structure, and yet we should not forget that the sense organs and the mind are composed of the very same gunas of prakriti—sattva, rajas and tamas—and, in different permutations and combinations, the objects are constituted of the very same three gunas.
So when something is known, when we cognise or perceive an object, it is prakriti that is colliding with prakriti.
Therefore, we are not doing anything. But we think that we are isolated individuals, sitting and judging things. No judgment is possible, individually.
Therefore, nobody does any action, ultimately.
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2.
Thus, the movement of prakriti within itself in the form of the sense organs and the mind on the one hand, and the objects on the other hand, are taken by us as two different activities taking place. Actually, prakriti is cognising prakriti—gu?a gu?e?u vartanta iti matva na sajjate (3.28).
One wave is dashing against another wave in the ocean, and two persons are not actually involved there. The structure of the sense organs and the mind is responsible for the kind of consciousness that is passing through that particular structure, and yet we should not forget that the sense organs and the mind are composed of the very same gunas of prakriti—sattva, rajas and tamas—and, in different permutations and combinations, the objects are constituted of the very same three gunas.
So when something is known, when we cognise or perceive an object, it is prakriti that is colliding with prakriti.
Therefore, we are not doing anything. But we think that we are isolated individuals, sitting and judging things. No judgment is possible, individually.
Therefore, nobody does any action, ultimately.
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To be continued .....=============================================================
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