BHAGAVADGITA PARVA: Chapter 31

Knowledge together with Science

श्रीभगवानुवाच मय्यासक्तमनाः पार्थ योगं युञ्जन् मदाश्रयः। असंशयं समग्रं मां यथा ज्ञास्यसि तच्छृणु॥
The great One said "Now hear, O Partha, how you can without doubt, know Me fully, by fixing your mind on Me, practicing yoga, and taking refuge in Me.

ज्ञानं तेऽहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्याम्यशेषतः। यज्ज्ञान्चा नेह भूयोऽन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमवशिष्यते॥
I shall now tell you exhaustively about Knowledge together with science (experience) knowing which there will remain nothing more (for you) in this world to know.

मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद् यतति सिद्धये। यतततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वतः॥
One only among thousands of men tries to get perfection; and even among those that are assiduous and have achieved perfection, only very few know Me truly.

भूमिरापोऽनलो वायुः खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च। अहंकार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा॥
(Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space, Mind, Understanding, and Consciousness) thus is My Nature divided eight-fold.

अपरेयमितस्त्वन्या प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम्। जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत्॥
But this is lower form of My Nature. Know there is another form of My Nature higher than this, which is animate and by which, O mightyarmed, the universe is upheld.

एतद्योनीनि भूतानि सर्वाणीत्युपधारय। अहं कृत्स्नस्य जगतः प्रभवः प्रलयस्तथा॥
Know, that all things have these (Earth, Water &c.) for their source. I am the productive Cause and the destroying Agent of all the Universe.

मत्तः परतरं नान्यत् किंचिदस्ति धनंजय। मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव।॥
There is, O Dhananjaya, nothing higher than Myself. All this is woven on Me like a row of pearls in a string.

रसोऽहमप्सु कौन्तेय प्रभाऽस्मि शशिसूर्ययोः। प्रणवः सर्ववेदेषु शब्दः खे पौरुषं नृषु॥
I am the taste in water, I am the light in the Sun and the Moon; I am “Om” in all the Vedas, the sound in space, and manliness in man.

पुण्यो गन्धः पृथिव्यां च तेजश्चास्मि विभावसौ। जीवनं सर्वभूतेषु तपश्चास्मि तपस्विषु॥
I am the fragrance in the earth, the refulgence in the fire, I am the life in all beings, and the penance in ascetics.

बीजं मां सर्वभूतानां विद्धि पार्थ सनातनम्। बुद्धिर्बुद्धितामस्मि तेजस्तेजस्विनामहम्॥
Know Me, O Partha, to be the everlasting seed of all beings. I am the intelligence of all intelligent men, and the glory of all glorious objects.

बलं बलवतां ग्राहं कामरागविवर्जितम्। धर्माविरुद्धो भूतेषु कामोऽस्मि भरतर्षभ॥
I am the strength of the strong who are freed from desire and thirst. And I am the love, O the best of Bharata race among all beings, unopposed to virtue.

ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये। मत्त एवेति तान् विद्धि न त्वह तेषु ते मयि॥
And all existing things of Sattva, Raja and Tama Gunas (the qualities of goodness of passion and of darkness), are all from Me. I am, however, not in them; they are in Me.

त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत्। मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम्॥
This whole universe, deluded by these three qualities, does not know Me, who are beyond them, and undecaying.

दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया। मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते॥
The Illusion of Mine, developed from the said three qualities is marvelous and difficult to transcend. Those, that resort to Me alone, cross beyond this illusion.

न मां दुष्कृतिनो मूढाः प्रपद्यन्ते नराधमाः। माययाऽपहतज्ञानां आसुरं भावमाश्रिताः॥
Ignorant men, the doers of evil, and the worst of their species, being deprived of their knowledge by this illusion and wedded to the state of demons, do not resort to Me.

चतुर्विधा भजन्ते मां जनाः सुकृतिनोऽर्जुन। आर्तो जिज्ञासुरर्थार्थी ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ।॥
O Arjuna, four classes of doers of good acts worship me, namely he who is distressed, he who seeks after knowledge, he who wants wealth and he who is possessed of knowledge.

तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यते। प्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः॥
Amongst these (four classes of men) he, who is the possessor of knowledge, being devoted, and having faith on only the one, is considered to be superior to the rest. For to a man of (true) knowledge, I am dear above every thing and he is dear to Me.

उदारा: सर्व एवैते ज्ञानी त्वात्मैव मे मतम्। आस्थितः स हि युक्तात्मा मामेवानुत्तमां गतिम्॥
All these four classes of men are noble, but a man, who is possessed of knowledge, is. considered by Me as My own self. For he, with his self devoted to abstraction, has taken Me to be the goal than which there is nothing higher.

बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते। वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा सुदुर्लभः॥
The man of knowledge reaches Me at the end of many lives, believing that Vasudeva is all this, (everything and all things of the universe). But such a high souled man is exceedingly rare.

कामैस्तैस्तैर्हतज्ञानाः प्रपद्यन्तेऽन्यदेवताः। तं तं नियममास्थाय प्रकृत्या नियताः स्वया।॥
Those, that are deprived of knowledge by desire, reach other gods (divinities), by observing various (religious) regulations, and by being uncontrolled by their own nature.

यो यो यां यां तनुं भक्तः श्रद्धयाग्रतुमिच्छति। तस्य तस्याचलां श्रद्धां तामेव विदधाम्यहम्॥
Whichever form (of deity) a worshiper wishes to worship with faith, I make his faith steady in that form.

स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते। लभते च ततः कामान् मयैव विहितान् हि तान्॥
endued with this faith, such a worshiper adore the deity (in that form), and obtains from it all that he desires, though they are really given by Me.

तद् भवत्यल्पमेधसाम्। देवान् देवयजो यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि।॥
But the fruits thus obtained by men of no knowledge are perishable. Those that worship the divinities (gods) go to the divinities; while those that worship Me come to Me.

अव्यक्तं व्यक्तिमापन्नं मन्यन्ते मामबुद्धयः। परं भावमजानन्तो ममाव्ययमनुत्तमम्॥
The undiscerning ones regard Me, who am really unmanifest to have become manifest; because they do not know my transcendent and inexhaustible state, that which there is nothing higher.

नाहं प्रकाशः सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृतः। मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम्॥
Shrouded by the delusion of My inconceivable power, I am not manifest to all. This deluded world, knows not Me who am unborn and undecaying.

अन्तवत्तु फलं तेषां वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन। भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन॥
O Arjuna, I know the things that are past; I know all things that are present and (know also) all things that will be in the future. But there is none who knows Me.

इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत। सर्वभूतानि सम्मोहं सर्गे यान्ति परंतप॥
All beings, O terror of foes, at the time of their birth, are deluded by this delusion arising, O Bharata, from the pairs of opposites, and from the results of desire and aversion.

येषां त्वन्तगतं पापं जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम्। ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता भजन्ते मां दृढव्रताः॥
But the men of meritorious acts whose sins have all come to an end worship Me, being freed from the pairs of opposites and firin in their faith.

जरामरणमोक्षाय मामाश्रित्य यतन्ति ये। ते ब्रह्म तद् विदुः कृत्स्नमध्यात्म कर्म चाखिलम्॥
Those, who depending on me, tries to obtain release from decay and death know Brahma, the entire Adhyatma and all actions.

साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः। प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः॥
And they who know Me with Adhibhuta, the Adhidaiva and the Adhiyajna having their minds fixed in abstraction know Me at the time of their departure (from this world)".