Sampoorna Mahabharata • సంపూర్ణ శ్రీమహాభారతము • Episode 709

Episode 709: BG Chap 7

Bhagavan will say that with the understanding that worshipping other Devatas gives limited & destructible fruits, the unwise should worship Paramatma who grants liberation.

antavattu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tadbhavatyalpamedhasāmdevān devayajoyānti madbhaktāyānti māmapiǁ23ǁ

The fruit obtained by those with little understanding is limited & impermanent. Those who worship the Devatas obtain the Devatas. My devotees reach Me.

The effort is the same. But the fruit obtained by those who worship Paramatma is unlimited. Not understanding this, the unwise chase Devatas seeking fulfilment of their desires. Hence whether one has desires or not, he must worship Paramatma & learn about Him. Those who worship Ganapati, Surya, Devi, Shiva etc. should see them not as deities but as Paramatma. This is the technique He suggests.

Then why does everyone not seek shelter only in Him?

avyaktaṁ vyaktimāpannaṁ manyante māmabuddhayaḥparaṁ bhāvamajānantaḥ mamāvyayamanuttamamǁ24ǁ

Unable to know my true form which is indestructible, ultimate & beyond illusion, the unwise consider Me, who am beyond the perception of eyes and other senses, to be one with a gross form made of the 5 elements.

The unwise fail to understand Paramatma’s true essence & hence perceive Him as one who did not exist at one time but who has now manifested. They believe that like the ordinary He too has taken birth.

He is unmanifest, beyond the world, immutable & unsurpassed. Isn’t it foolishness to expect that the Lord who is subtler than the mind & who is consciousness to be visible to the eyes? Kenopanishad says-

Yanmanasā namanutē yēnāhurmanōmatam
Tadēva brahma tvamviddhi nēdam yadidamupāsatē

That which cannot be perceived even by the mind, that due to which the mind acts, is brahma. Understand this.

During Krishna’s lifetime, Shishupala, Dantavaktra, Duryodhana etc. believed He was an ordinary mortal & confronted Him. Even Devaki-Vasudeva or Kaushalya-Dasharatha and others were deluded & believed Paramatma was their son. Later they realized His greatness and got uplifted.

To treat Him as an ordinary mortal is a sin. But, what prevents us from understanding His Essence?

nāhaṁprakāśa ssarvasya yogamāyāsamāvṛtaḥmūḍhoyaṁ nābhijānāti lokomāmajamavyayamǁ25ǁ

I who am concealed by divine illusion (yogamaya) cannot be seen by all. This world that lacks viveka cannot understand Me to be birthless and imperishable.

The word ‘loka’ here refers to humans. Barring a few devotees, He does not make himself visible to others.

Yoga means combining of the 3 attributes (prakriti gunas). That merger is illusion (maya). He conceals himself with his Yogamaya as he seeks to remain invisible to the dim-witted. He can be seen only with bhakti. Those who lack bhakti can never see Him who is birthless, imperishable & not subject to transformations as they are deluded. Due to moha they cannot develop bhakti. Due to lack of bhakti, they fail to see Him.

Yogamaya cannot obstruct Jnana in Him as He is a supreme conjurer who has retained illusion in his control. As it is in His control, it cannot obstruct His Jnana. A magician throws others into illusion but does not fall into it.

As Yogamaya is in His control, it cannot obstruct His omniscience. So He is aware of the past, present & future.

Krishna cast His divine illusion even as an infant. Retaining it in His control, He covered himself with it when Brahma kidnapped the cowherd boys & cattle. Brahma cast a small illusion on Him & consequently was trapped in a bigger illusion. If Brahma who creates dolls and infuses life into them was trapped, what about us?

The incident that happened in Krishna’s 5th year was narrated by the boys to their parents in His 6th year. Why?

Brahma could not tolerate the praise being showered on Krishna. Seeing Krishna killing Aghasura, He was shocked, ‘How could a 5-year-old boy kill a python & revive the boys and calves swallowed by it? He uses some illusion & has some supernatural power. As the creator, I must test him’.

Krishna was then having lunch with the other boys. When the calves went further in search of grass Brahma hid them. Krishna searched high and low but could not find them. When he returned to inform the boys they were missing. He thought, ‘How could the boys & calves vanish? Who could have created this illusion?’ He instantly figured this to be Brahma’s deed.

‘I can teach him a lesson right away. But I will solve the problem differently. 2 problems need attention here. I need to bring joy to the mothers of the boys and the calves & also to Brahma. Returning alone and informing them that their sons are missing will intensify their distress. Hence I will manifest in their forms & bring joy to the mothers. The second problem will resolve on its own’.

He manifested exactly in the same form, size, nature, behavior, age and name as each boy & calf!