The Moksha Gita: by Swami Sivananda: Commentary by Swami Krishnananda: 5-3&4.

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Sunday 27, July 2025, 06:30. 
Books
Bhagavad Gita & Hinduism
The Moksha Gita: by Swami Sivananda: Commentary: 4.3. by Swami Krishnananda.
Chapter 5: The Nature of the Universe-3&4:
Swami Krishnananda.

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Slogas 3&4:

जलमेव यथा चोर्मिफेनबुद्बुदरूपतः ।

विवर्तते सुवर्णं च कर्णिकावलयात्मना ॥३॥

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मृदेवमत्रकुम्भादिरूपतस्तन्तवो यथा ।

वस्त्रोत्तरीयकौपीनकञ्चुकाद्यात्मनानघ ॥

तथा ब्रह्मकमेवात्र विश्वरूपं बिभर्ति हि ॥४॥

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3, 4. 

Just as it is water alone that appears as waves, ripples, etc., gold alone as earrings, bangles, etc., clay alone as pots, jars, etc., threads alone as cloth, towels, etc., so also does Brahman alone appear as many universes.

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The idea that the universe is Brahman Itself absolutely is brought out by the illustrations of causes and their effects which bear the identity of nature. These illustrations are again not without the defects which generally appear before the critic's eye. For, these illustrations again involve modification of the cause. Waves and ripples are the formation of the blow of the wind on the surface of water, but what is the air that disturbs the surface of Brahman, so that it may project forth the waves of individuals and universes? This force which gives rise to universes in Brahman is Maya or the Shakti of Brahman. Seeing that it is impossible to consider Brahman to have created differences within Itself, Sri Sankara said that Brahman is the only reality and the whole universe is a mere phantasmagoria arisen in the mind.

We find again Uddalaka explaining to his son Swetaketu how the knowledge of Brahman involves the automatic knowledge of everything else, by giving examples of a lump of clay and its formations, a nugget of gold and its modifications, a pair of nail-scissors and the iron instruments. These illustrations make one feel that the One Brahman has modified itself as the multiple universe. But a subsequent sentence of the same Upanishad says that "all modifications are false, a mere name, a mere play of speech." Evolution is found to be an impossibility in Infinity and the Supreme majesty of Sankara's Advaita or Gaudapada's Ajativada or acosmism becomes the inevitable conclusion of philosophical speculations.

Sri Sankara has told in his commentary on the Upanishads that the stories of creation etc. in the Upanishads act as suitable preparations for the grasping of the transcendental Truth of pure Non-Dualism where change, progress, downfall, evolution, involution and all such changes get cancelled due to the rigour of the Truth of Indivisible Absoluteness, we have therefore to look upon the universe as Brahman Itself illumining without changing itself even in the least.

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Next -5&6

भावयन्त्यर्भका दारुद्विपं सत्यं हि यूथपम् ।

प्रौढास्तु तदसत्यत्वं जानते बालिशास्तथा ॥५॥

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अनात्ममात्रमीक्षन्ते किन्तु पश्यन्ति पण्डिताः ।

केवलं ब्रह्म सर्वत्र विवेकोऽस्यायमाद्दतः ॥६॥

5& 6. 

Children regard a wooden elephant, as an elephant, but the grown-up persons treat it as wood. Even so the wise behold only Brahman everywhere but the ignorant perceive the non-self only.

Continued

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