Secrets to Attaining Self-Realization

In this chapter Lord Krishna shares the secret of how wisdom and realization together can help a person be freed from illness (bondage, evil, or all impurities). He says this yoga is the king of sciences, king of secrets, and the supreme purifier.

The way to know this is by directly experiencing a life of righteousness or dharma. It is easily performed, and it is timeless and changeless.

People who have no faith in this dharma or science of Self-Realization go through continual rebirth without ever knowing God. But those who know God, know that God is unmanifest ― pervading all things. So all people reside in the all-pervading God, but God does not reside in them in the sense that God is beyond anything manifest.

Just as all people reside in the mist of a foggy day, all people reside within unmanifest God. Just as the air and ether are everywhere, so is God all pervading. Yet God is also beyond air and ether.

At the end of creation, all beings return to God’s nature (prakriti), and at the beginning of a new cycle, God creates them again. God is unattached to the actions of starting and dissolving creations, since God is beyond all manifestation. To the degree that people desire intellectual knowledge, power, beauty, wealth — all things of the small, temporal creation, instead of desiring to become more intimate with God, is the same degree that they are deluded about God’s eternal, Divine nature. So it is said they behave like monsters and demons.

However those who know God as the imperishable source of all creation, ever lovingly worship God and ever sing His glories.

Lord Krishna cites various forms in which God is worshipped — through religious rituals, in fire sacrifices, by honoring departed ancestors, with medicinal herbs, and through the recitation of mantras.

God is the ritual, God is the act of offering the ritual, and God is that which is offered in the ritual. In short, everything is God when anything is offered in God’s name.

Krishna says that God is the parent, grandparent, child, sustainer, the One, the Aum, the Vedas. God is everything in existence. God is the way, the friend, the supporter, the witness, the home, the refuge, the source, the lover, the enemy — because even in hatred — a person, who always thinks of God and always pictures God in their mind, attains God.

God is the giver of heat and cold, rain and drought, death and immortality, manifest and unmanifest. Those who make an offering to God, and partake in the remnant of the offering (prashad or soma) others.

Those who pray for heaven attain this state for a while. Returning to earth after their merits have expired, they continue to be ruled by the cycle of birth and death. For those who worship God and meditate on God without any desire for anything, continually loving God as its own reward and devoting acts to help God’s children as its own reward, God provides all their basic necessities in life and carries their burdens.

Whatever or whomever a person worships; they go to that realm upon death. Those who worship the lesser gods, go to their realm.

But only those who worship the one God will go to God’s realm upon death.

Regardless what a person devotedly offers to God in worship, be it a Whatever we do, eat, speak, or think, should be offered with a pure heart to God. [Verse 1–28]

Lord Krishna said:

Now I am explaining to you who are without envy, this most secret wisdom, the knowledge of realization, which after knowing, you will be liberated from the miseries of material life. [1]

This is the king of all wisdom, the king of all secrets, the supreme purifying righteousness, able to be perceived through experiential realization, most joyous to perform, and eternal. [2]

O Arjuna, those with no faith on this path of devotional service cannot attain me.

They return to the birth and death cycle in this material world. [3]

By My unmanifest form, the entire world is pervaded by me. All living beings dwell in Me, but I do not dwell in them. [4]

While I create and protect all beings, they do not dwell in Me, nor do I dwell in them. [5]

Just as the wind blows everywhere, it always remains within space; in the same way, all living beings always exist within Me. [6]

O Arjuna, all beings enter into My nature at the end of a 4, 320, 000, 000 cycle (kalpa), and after another cycle (of equal length), I create them again. [7]

Ruling over my nature (prakriti), I create all innumerable living beings again and again, according to their nature. [8]

O Arjuna, these actions do not bind me; I am neutral and unattached to all these actions. [9]

O Arjuna, with Me presiding over all nature, manifesting all moving and non-moving entities, the cosmic creation is repeated continually. [10]

Unaware of My spiritual nature, foolish people disregard Me dwelling in human form. [11]

These bewildered people of vain desires, vain actions, vain knowledge, and vain understanding; they assume an atheistic and demonic nature. [12]

However, O Arjuna, those great souls who have taken refuge in My Divine nature, perform devotional service to Me with focused mind, and knowing Me as the eternal cause of all creation. [13]

Ever singing My glory, always striving with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls are ever worshiping Me with loving devotion. [14]

Others perform the sacrifice of cultivating spiritual wisdom by worshiping God as the one without a second, as duality, and as manifold forms. [15]

I am Kratu (the 7 fire rituals), I am Yajna (the 5 daily sacrifices), I am Svadha (the oblations offered to departed ancestors), I am Aushadham (the healing herb), I am mantra, I am ghee, I am the fire, and I am the act of offering. [16]

I am the father of the universe, the mother, the grandfather, the progenitor, the essence to be known, the purifier, and the symbol Aum, the Rig, Sama, and Yajur Vedas. [17]

I am the path, the supporter, the lord, the witness, the refuge, the guardian, the well-wisher, the creation, the maintaining, the dissolution, the reservoir, and the eternal cause. [18]

O Arjuna, I give heat, send forth and withhold rain, I alone am immorality and death. I am all that is unmanifest and manifest. [19]

The knowers of the 3 Vedas who, purified from worshipping me and drinking soma, pray for heavenly goals, worship me indirectly. They attain the celestial region of Indra’s planet where they enjoy celestial delights. [20]

Having enjoyed the vast heavenly spheres, exhausting their earned spiritual merit, return to the mortal world; thus following the doctrine of righteousness in the 3

Vedas, craving for worldly pleasures, they continue in the cycle of birth and death.

Those who desire My eternal association and nothing else, meditating on Me with exclusive devotion; to these devotees, I carry their burdens and provide all their basic necessities. [22]

O Arjuna, those who devotedly worship different demigods with faith, they also worship me, but in an unauthorized manner. [23]

I am alone the enjoyer and lord of all sacrifice; but they do not know Me in reality, thus they revolve in the cycle of rebirth. [24]

The worshippers of the demigods go to the gods; worshippers of the ancestors go to the ancestors, spirit worshippers go to the spirits, but My worshippers come to Me. [25]

Whoever with loving devotion, offers Me a leaf, flower, fruit, or water, I affectionately accept that love-offering from that pure-hearted person. [26]

O Arjuna, whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, whatever austerities you do, all that you do; make them an offering to Me. [27]

In this way you will become free from auspicious and inauspicious results from the binding of actions; with your Soul devotedly in renunciation through yoga, liberated, you will come to Me. [28]

This type of offering frees a person from the bonds of actions that yield the fruits of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ and liberate the person to be one with God.

Krishna says, I have no favorites among people; no hated or beloved by Me. But those who worship Me with devotion, they are in Me and I am in them. [Verse 29]

I am the same to all beings; neither friend nor foe to Me; but those who devotedly worship Me, they are in Me and I am in them. [29]

Even if the most wicked of people worship God in this way, they would be regarded as a ‘good’ person for their resolute mind. That person quickly becomes a righteous Soul and attains eternal peace.

Anyone, man or woman, rich or poor, even the outcast, or those thought to be inferior to other humans, can realize Brahman (God is One). No one is barred from Self-Realization.

So Krishna ends the chapter reminding us of the method how to attain Self-Realization:

Fill your mind with God in devoted worship.

Steadfastly unite your heart with God alone Who is the Supreme Goal, and you shall realize God.

This is the secret science of mysticism as taught to humans by Lord Krishna. [Verse 30 – 34]

Even if a wicked person worships Me with undivided devotion, they are to be considered saintly, because they are properly resolved. [30]

Quickly they become righteous and attain eternal peace. O Arjuna, know that My devotees never perish. [31]

O Arjuna, even those born of lower classes, by taking refuge in Me, attain to the supreme goal. [32]

So what need is there to speak about the devotees, the pious and royal sages.

Having reached this transitory world of misery, engage in devotional worship to Me. [33]

Keep Me ever in your mind, be My devotee, worship Me, bow to Me. Through uniting your heart with Me and having Me as the Supreme Goal, you will realize Me. [34]

Exercise

This chapter focuses on attaining Self-Realization, but many people wonder what this term really means. They ask for a description of the ‘experience’. However, since experiencing Self-Realization or Soul is beyond all worldly boundaries, the short answer is that it cannot be described using words; it can only be experienced. But how can you experience what is beyond experience? It is said that your Soul awareness experiences itself; it awakens to itself.

Has it ever dawned on you the sun was out, your throat was no longer sore, or that the lawn mower shut off some time ago and you are just now aware of the silence or chirping of the birds; or you listen to your conscience and your mind becomes settled? When the friction (physical or mental) disappears and inner awareness realizes the restored peace and harmony, these are metaphors for eternal awareness awakening to itself.

The experience of Self-Realization is said to be ‘blissful’, but it is a bliss not caused by anything external, including the mind, feelings, or senses. This is why it cannot be grasped intellectually. However, when one is living in balance/harmony with nature, serving others and the earth, meditating or praying, trying to love and not harm anyone or anything in thought, word, or action, they feel a sense of inner purpose and content with God. This is the growth of Soul aware this and consider what you can do to further cultivate it in your life now.

Chapter 10

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