Knowledge, Knower and
Object
Now Sri Krishna tries to
identify what is true knowledge and what is the object of the knowledge. Because
a Knower must possess of knowledge, it is important to understand the
characteristics that are the means of obtaining this knowledge.
Humility, absence of pride, non violence, forbearance, uprightness,
service to the teacher, purity, steadiness, self control, dispassion towards
objects of senses, lack of egoism or egotism, and reflecting on the miseries
associated with birth, death, old age, sickness and associated pains are some of
these characteristics. Then comes non attachment and non possessiveness to sons,
wives and houses and tranquility irrespective of any situation, be it
opportunity or adversity. Ever united in the Lord with unwavering devotion,
living in secluded places bereft of contact with people, engaged in pursuing the
knowledge of Self (with a Guru),
gaining Tatva jnana or the wisdom of
the Self (from the Guru) – these are
what comprises of the knowledge, everything else is ignorance.
The different characteristics described here are in reality
means of achieving the great spiritual knowledge, the realization of the supreme
truth. This transcendental knowledge helps one in getting over the sensory world
and in knowing the self to be distinct and different from the body, mind and the
various modifications.
Now the Supreme Lord said, “Let Me now tell you the object of
knowledge, the wisdom of which is equivalent to nectar (as one gets eternal
life, viz. liberation from birth and death by acquiring the True Knowledge). The
Brahman is infinite, great, and is
neither existent, nor said to be nonexistent.”
“It (Brahman or the
Supreme Being) has its feet and arms everywhere, eyes everywhere, heads and
faces everywhere. It can hear everything and it covers everything. It lightens
up all senses and qualities, i.e. by its power are driven all the senses and the
three qualities of nature (gunas),
but it is beyond sensory perception and is beyond the qualities. Yet it (as the
Atman) experiences the senses and the
qualities but remain unattached to them. It is also the sustainer of all (as
God).”
“It lives both inside (as the Atman) and outside (as the all pervading
Brahman) of the living beings. It is
both mobile and immobile. It is extremely fine (beyond senses) and therefore not
knowable (with senses). It is both near (in the heart of all beings) and far
(beyond perception for the unenlightened and worldly).”
“It is undifferentiated and yet stays in all beings in various
forms. It nourishes all beings, destroys and creates them as well.”
“It is the light of all lights, it is beyond all darkness (of the
ignorance). It is the knowledge, it is the object of knowledge, it is beyond
knowledge. It is situated in the hearts of all.”
The Supreme Being or Brahman is all pervading,
omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. It is extremely difficult to describe these
“omni” characteristics. One cannot visualize “omnipresence”. Therefore it is
being described as having arms, legs, faces, heads, and eyes everywhere. This
signifies that the Supreme Being is everywhere, is a witness to everything. If
it is in the heart of every being, it can know everything, even the very
thoughts. It can see all events all over the world and it can hear everything
spoken or unspoken. It is beyond all actions, no action can bind it. It is
beyond the Nature. Nature is its slave, so it is beyond the qualities of the
nature and therefore unattached to any desire. Yet, it being the soul and the
witness, is also the enjoyer of the qualities and their modifications. Since it
is not attached to that enjoyment and is merely witnessing the action performed
by the body mind, it is beyond the consequences or fruits of the action. It is
both near (as the indwelling spirit) and far (as difficult to attain, not
capable of being realized through the ordinary mind and senses). It is the One,
which is manifested as many through Maya, just as a sun reflects in many
water bubbles and still remain as the one sun. As the Supreme Lord or Iswara, it creates, preserves and
destroys the world. It is beyond the darkness. By realizing it all ignorance go
away and the light of knowledge shines bright. True Knowledge is knowing it, it
itself is the True knowledge by which it as the object of knowledge can be
known. It is however beyond the ordinary knowledge of the world.
Lord Krishna said, “This
is thus the field, the knowledge, and the object (of knowing or realizing). My
devotee, by knowing this, attains Me.”
Having known the Supreme Knowledge or Brahmanvidya, nothing else remains to be
known. In realizing the Unity of all is the culmination of all knowledge whereby
the individual attains liberation from the cycle of birth and
death.
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