The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita : 13.6. Swami Krishnananda.

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Friday, November 12, 2021. 6:00.PM

The Philosophy of the Bhagavadgita : 13- 5. Swami Krishnananda.

Chapter -13. Cosmology and Eschatology- 6.

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It becomes, therefore, incumbent on every seeker of Truth to be honestly aspiring for God, to live the life of a search for the Spirit, rather than a seeking for material possessions and the pleasure of the senses. The karma that we perform in life has to be set in tune with the great Will of God, a reference to which has already been made earlier. If we regard our actions as our own personal effort directed for an ulterior motive or a little material benefit, that force, that particular action, will recoil upon us as the karmaphala, or the fruit of action.

But, what for is the philosophy of the Bhagavadgita if not to enlighten us on the fact that all action is divine action with a universal motivation? If we can plant ourselves on this knowledge of the cosmicality of all activities that take place in the world, we become instruments in the hands of the Universal Power, and we are no more agents of action but vehicles of action. Then, it is unavoidable on our part to entertain the thought and feeling of God as the supreme Actor or the Agent of everything. A life that is propelled by the principle of Karma Yoga cannot avoid the enshrining of God-Thought throughout its tenure. If we forget the presence of the mighty Absolute even for a moment, action becomes our action, and it rebounds upon us, and we shall be responsible, then, for its consequences. We are, therefore, to perpetually maintain the consciousness of our inseparability from the Supreme Creator. This is a mighty gospel before us of God’s creation, of birth and death, and the fate of the soul after the passing from this body.

Some more explanation is offered in this very chapter on the peculiar courses followed by the soul after death, a subject which is dealt with in detail in the Upanishads but very briefly touched upon in the Bhagavadgita. There are various avenues of exit from this world. And the way in which we shall leave this plane, the path that we shall trek, will depend upon the thoughts that we entertained, once again to repeat the same point. The extent of the unselfishness that motivated our life here will also decide the extent of our success in approximating God-realisation.

The Gita mentions two important paths, known as the Northern and the Southern, or the path of Light and the path of Darkness, as they are usually called. The path of Light is supposed to be that particular way of the ascent of the soul by which it rises from one stage of perception to another, from level to level. These are all mystical steps inexplicable by ordinary language, and unintelligible to the mind. Commentators have gone into great details in the explanation of these paths, but they are all inadequate in the end. No one can know what these mysteries are. But suffice it to say that the path of Light implies a gradually ascending series of movements of the consciousness or the soul in the direction of larger and larger dimensions of experience, until it reaches the consummate position, viz., merger in God, entry into the being of the Absolute. It is available only to those who have practised meditation, throughout their lives, on God, in an unselfish manner, expecting nothing from God, and seeking only union with God.

To be continued ....

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