Bhagavad Gita- Chapt 15 Purushottama Yogah- Yoga of the Supreme Spirit

yadaadityagatam tejo jagad bhaasayate'khilam
    yacchandramasi  yacchaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam // 15.12 //

That  light which, residing in the sun, illumines the whole world, that which is in  the moon and in the fire - know that light as Mine.

Sri  Krishna says that the very light emerging from the sun which illumines the  whole world is the light that is emerging from Him, the Infinite Consciousness.  Not only are this but even the light coming from the moon and the fire all  expressions of the Infinite Reality expressing through the moon and the fire.

The  manifestations are different because the equipments are different just as the  same electrical energy manifests in a bulb, in a fan and in a heater in  different ways. Consciousness expressed through the sun is sun-light, through  the moon is moon-light and through the fuel is fire. Yet all these  manifestations are nothing but one Infinite Reality. The Infinite manifests  itself in various forms in order to create conducive environment for the world  to exist.

gaamaavishya cha bhootani dhaarayaamyahamojasaa
    pushnaami chaushadheeh sarvaah somo bhootwaa  rasaatmakah // 15.13 //

Permeating  the earth I support all beings by My energy; and having become the watery moon,  I nourish all herbs.

The  Lord says that the capacity in the earth to sustain life and nourish it, are  all His own vitality, meaning the same Consciousness expressing through the sun,  the moon, the earth, the atmosphere provide nourishment to all living beings. The  energy of The Lord holds the vast heaven and earth together. The sun, the moon  and the fire are the sources of all energy in the world, but that which gives  these phenomenal factors the capacity to give out energy from them is the  Consciousness which is common to all of them. Moon is considered to be the  repository of all fluids which nourish the living beings.

aham vaishwaanaro bhootwaa praaninaam  dehamaashritah
    praanaapaana samaayuktah pachaamyannam chaturvidham  // 15.14 //

Having  become the fire, Vaiswanara, I abide in the body of living beings and  associated with Prana and Apana, digest the fourfold food.

The  same Supreme Consciousness is that which expresses itself as warmth of life in  all living beings: if there is no warmth in the body it is considered as dead.  Metabolism creates heat in the body and this process continues so long as there  is life. That Eternal Reality which is indicated as Life manifests as Digestive  Fire (Vaishwaanara) which assimilates  food. This digestive power assimilates food in four ways through masticating, swallowing,  sucking and licking. The power in the digestive system is nothing but a  manifestation of the Principle of Life. Prana and Apana are the  physiological   functions of perception  and excretion that are present in all living creatures. It is The Lord that  helps us to swallow the food, assimilate it and eliminate the wasteful  by-products.

sarvasya chaaham hridi sannivishto
    mattah smritir jnaanam apohanam cha
    vedaishcha sarvairahameva vedyo
    vedaantakrid vedavideva chaaham // 15.15 //

And  I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me are memory, knowledge, as well as  their absence. I am verily that which has to be known by all the Vedas; I am  indeed the author of the Vedanta and the knower of the Vedas am I.

I  am seated in the hearts of all: A peaceful joyous mind settled in tranquility  capable of concentrating on the higher inspirations is what is called the  heart. The Lord is self-evident during meditation in the heart of the  meditator.

Memory,  knowledge and their absence: From the Supreme Consciousness alone all memory,  knowledge and forgetfulness come to us. A capacity to forget is an essential  requisite for acquiring new knowledge because unless the imperfect knowledge is  thrown out new knowledge cannot be assimilated.

To  be known by all the Vedas: The Infinite Consciousness is the one common factor  that has been glorified in all the Vedas and to realize this is the fulfillment  of existence.

Author  of Vedanta and the Knower of Vedas: Since the very essence of Vedas is that  Consciousness which is the Ultimate Reality, everything else is a projection  upon it. The seeker who listens to the Vedas, who reflects upon their wisdom  and who finally experiences the fulfillment of his life is also considered as nothing  other than Consciousness.

In  short, the phenomenal powers, the material world, the matter and its functions  are all the manifestations at different levels of the One Infinite Eternal Divinity.  This is the very theme indicated in the Vedas as the Eternal Reality and to  know it and bring it under our experience is to know the Infinite.

Till  now the glories of The Lord in manifested forms have been described. In the  following verses The True Nature of the Infinite is pointed out as  
•The Unconditioned,  
•The All Pervading and  
•The Eternal

This  Infinite reality is above all concepts such as Finite and the Infinite, the  Perishable and the Imperishable. This section is the heart of this Chapter and  is the basis for its nomenclature.

Receive Site Updates