Gita 6.37: The journey to God-realization begins with śhraddhā (faith), which acts as the foundation for any spiritual endeavour. Faith can emerge in various ways:
अर्जुन उवाच |
अयति: श्रद्धयोपेतो योगाच्चलितमानस: |
अप्राप्य योगसंसिद्धिं कां गतिं कृष्ण गच्छति || 37||
arjuna uvācha
ayatiḥ śhraddhayopeto yogāch chalita-mānasaḥ
aprāpya yoga-sansiddhiṁ kāṅ gatiṁ kṛiṣhṇa gachchhati
1. Sanskārs from Past Lives: Many sincere souls develop faith due to the impressions and merits from their previous lifetimes. These carry forward, enabling them to naturally resonate with the divine knowledge of the scriptures.
2. Association with Saints: Spending time in the company of spiritually advanced individuals, such as saints, can ignite and strengthen faith. The wisdom and guidance of saints often inspire people to embark on their spiritual path.
3. Life's Challenges and Reversals: Sometimes, life's hardships or unexpected setbacks lead individuals to seek a deeper connection with the divine. These challenges can serve as a turning point, pushing people to find faith in a higher purpose or power.
Thus, there are many reasons that give rise to the śhraddhā necessary to begin the spiritual journey. However, mere faith is not enough. Aspirants must also make sustained efforts to progress.
If these seekers become ayatiḥ (lax)—lacking the determination to stay committed to their practices—then their minds become chalit (restless). A restless mind is easily distracted and unable to focus on the spiritual path. This leads to an inability to achieve the ultimate goal of God-realization in this lifetime.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjun poses a question about the fate of such sādhaks (spiritual seekers). He wonders what happens to those who begin their journey with faith but fail to reach the end due to lack of effort or discipline. This inquiry addresses the concern that despite starting with good intentions, some seekers may not be able to complete their journey within this life.
Gita 6.38: The desire for success is inherent to the jīva (soul) because it is a part of God, who is all-perfect. Since the soul originates from God, it naturally seeks to become perfect and successful like its divine source. This drive for success manifests in two realms:
कच्चिन्नोभयविभ्रष्टश्छिन्नाभ्रमिव नश्यति |
अप्रतिष्ठो महाबाहो विमूढो ब्रह्मण: पथि || 38||
kachchin nobhaya-vibhraṣhṭaśh chhinnābhram iva naśhyati
apratiṣhṭho mahā-bāho vimūḍho brahmaṇaḥ pathi
1. Material Success: Some people believe that happiness can be found in worldly achievements and possessions. They work toward material advancement, aiming to accumulate wealth, status, and comforts.
2. Spiritual Success: Others see spiritual wealth as the true treasure. They prioritize spiritual growth and strive for liberation by renouncing material pursuits, focusing on inner peace, wisdom, and union with the Divine.
However, Arjun expresses a concern about the fate of those spiritual seekers who dedicate themselves to the path of spirituality but fail to reach their goal. He wonders if they end up with neither material nor spiritual success, essentially becoming lost in both realms.
Arjun compares this situation to a broken cloud. A cloud that breaks away from its group loses its purpose. It neither provides shade nor grows heavy enough to bear rain. It simply drifts aimlessly in the sky until it disintegrates and becomes insignificant.
In the same way, Arjun asks if a yogi (spiritual aspirant) who fails to achieve God-realization becomes like the broken cloud. He questions whether such a seeker is left in a state of limbo, without any standing or fulfilment in either the spiritual or material world, as though they have achieved nothing in either sphere. This reflects Arjun's deep concern about the consequences of pursuing the spiritual path but not completing it.
Gita 6.39: Doubts are the result of ignorance, and only knowledge has the power to eliminate them. However, the kind of knowledge needed to dispel doubts is not merely theoretical.
एतन्मे संशयं कृष्ण छेत्तुमर्हस्यशेषत: |
त्वदन्य: संशयस्यास्य छेत्ता न ह्युपपद्यते || 39||
etan me sanśhayaṁ kṛiṣhṇa chhettum arhasyaśheṣhataḥ
tvad-anyaḥ sanśhayasyāsya chhettā na hyupapadyate
- Theoretical Knowledge of Scholars: Scholars who study the scriptures may have vast theoretical knowledge, but this alone is insufficient to remove doubts. The reason is that the scriptures often contain many apparent contradictions, which can be confusing when approached purely on an intellectual level.
- Realized Knowledge of Saints: Only realization can reconcile these contradictions. God-realized Saints possess realized knowledge through their direct experience of the divine. This knowledge is deeper and more profound than intellectual understanding, giving them the ability to dispel doubts more effectively than scholars.
- Limitations of Realized Saints: Although these Saints have attained realization, their knowledge is still limited. They do not become omniscient or all-knowing. While they can help others on the spiritual path and remove doubts, their capacity to do so is not infinite. They cannot match the absolute and complete knowledge of God.
- God’s Omniscience and Power: Only God is truly sarvajña (omniscient) and sarva-śhaktimān (all-powerful). He alone has the ultimate ability to dispel all ignorance and doubts, just as the sun effortlessly removes darkness. In the same way, God’s light of knowledge can fully illuminate the soul, removing every trace of ignorance.
Thus, while saints can guide and assist, it is God alone who is the supreme source of knowledge and the only one who can completely eliminate all doubts and ignorance.
Gita 6.40
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
पार्थ नैवेह नामुत्र विनाशस्तस्य विद्यते |
न हि कल्याणकृत्कश्चिद्दुर्गतिं तात गच्छति || 40||
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
pārtha naiveha nāmutra vināśhas tasya vidyate
na hi kalyāṇa-kṛit kaśhchid durgatiṁ tāta gachchhati
By showing his deep affection and grace toward Arjun, Shree Krishna wants to convey a reassuring message: God always takes care of those who walk the spiritual path. These individuals are dear to God because they engage in the highest form of activity—devotion and spiritual effort. Krishna emphasizes that those who strive for good, especially on the path of righteousness, will never face grief or be abandoned. He assures that God supports and protects such devotees, both in their current life and in the hereafter.
Krishna’s declaration offers immense comfort to all spiritual seekers. It affirms that their sincere efforts toward spiritual progress will never go to waste. Even if a yogi (spiritual aspirant) does not reach the ultimate goal of God-realization in this lifetime, God ensures that their efforts are preserved. Krishna goes on to explain that such individuals are not left without reward, but rather, their progress is carried forward. The yogi continues their spiritual journey in future lives, picking up where they left off, until they ultimately reach the goal.
This promise provides great hope for aspirants, assuring them that God is always with them, preserving their sincere efforts and guiding them toward their final destination, regardless of how many lifetimes it takes to complete the journey.
Gita 6.41- 6.42
प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकानुषित्वा शाश्वती: समा: |
शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते || 41||
अथवा योगिनामेव कुले भवति धीमताम् |
एतद्धि दुर्लभतरं लोके जन्म यदीदृशम् || 42||
prāpya puṇya-kṛitāṁ lokān uṣhitvā śhāśhvatīḥ samāḥ
śhuchīnāṁ śhrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣhṭo ’bhijāyate
atha vā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām
etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛiśham
Residence in celestial abodes is usually granted to those who perform virtuous deeds and fruitive rituals as prescribed in the Vedas. However, if a yogi fails to complete their spiritual journey due to a desire for bhog (material enjoyment), God, like a compassionate father, gives them a chance to experience material pleasures. The yogi may be sent to the celestial abodes to indulge in these pleasures and realize their futility in satisfying the soul's yearning for lasting bliss. After this, they are reborn on Earth.
God ensures that such fallen yogis are reborn in favourable circumstances—either in a pious family or a wealthy family. A pious family nurtures spiritual values from childhood, while a wealthy family provides freedom from the struggle for survival, allowing more time for spiritual pursuits.
The environment and family of birth strongly influence a person's life direction through both physical and social heredity. Social upbringing shapes many aspects of identity, such as nationality and religion, which are often followed without choice.
God, with perfect knowledge of each soul's past karma, ensures that birth is not arbitrary but just. Those who have advanced significantly in their spiritual journey and developed dispassion are not sent to celestial abodes but are born into spiritually evolved families, which facilitate further spiritual progress. Such a birth is considered a great blessing because it provides an early exposure to divine wisdom.
Gita 6.43
तत्र तं बुद्धिसंयोगं लभते पौर्वदेहिकम् |
यतते च ततो भूय: संसिद्धौ कुरुनन्दन || 43||
tatra taṁ buddhi-sanyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam
yatate cha tato bhūyaḥ sansiddhau kuru-nandana
God, who resides within the heart of every being, is perfectly just and aware of each soul's past spiritual progress. The spiritual qualities accumulated in previous lives—such as detachment, wisdom, devotion, faith, and determination—are known to Him. At the right time, He awakens these spiritual sanskārs, allowing individuals to benefit from their past spiritual efforts. This explains why some seemingly materialistic people suddenly turn deeply spiritual when their past spiritual merits come to fruition.
Just like a traveller who resumes their journey after a night's rest without retracing their steps, the yogi continues from where they left off in previous lives. Through God's grace, the yogi of past lives receives the spiritual assets previously earned and continues their journey toward realization. This is why such a yogi is never truly lost.
Gita 6.44
पूर्वाभ्यासेन तेनैव ह्रियते ह्यवशोऽपि स: |
जिज्ञासुरपि योगस्य शब्दब्रह्मातिवर्तते || 44||
pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśho ’pi saḥ
jijñāsur api yogasya śhabda-brahmātivartate
Once spiritual sentiments take root, they cannot be erased. A soul with devotional sanskārs from past or present lives is naturally inclined toward spirituality. This pull toward God is often called "the call of God," which can become so powerful that it is considered the strongest force in one’s life. Those who experience it may abandon the world, ignoring the advice of friends and family, to follow their heart's spiritual path. Throughout history, many princes, noblemen, and wealthy individuals have renounced their comfortable lives to become ascetics, yogis, and sages. Their deep yearning for God led them beyond ritualistic practices aimed at material gains.
Gita 6.45
प्रयत्नाद्यतमानस्तु योगी संशुद्धकिल्बिष: |
अनेकजन्मसंसिद्धस्ततो याति परां गतिम् || 45||
prayatnād yatamānas tu yogī sanśhuddha-kilbiṣhaḥ
aneka-janma-sansiddhas tato yāti parāṁ gatim
The spiritual progress made over many past lives creates a helpful momentum, like a favourable breeze, for yogis in their current journey. In this life, they hoist their sail through sincere effort, striving even harder than before. Shree Krishna emphasizes that their present effort is stronger, aided by past-life experiences. This allows them to benefit from the momentum of previous efforts and move swiftly toward their goal.
Although it may appear to others that they achieved success in this lifetime alone, Shree Krishna explains that perfection in Yog is the cumulative result of many lifetimes of practice, as expressed in the words "aneka janma sansiddhaḥ.”
Gita 6.46
तपस्विभ्योऽधिकोयोगी
ज्ञानिभ्योऽपिमतोऽधिक:|
कर्मिभ्यश्चाधिकोयोगी
तस्माद्योगीभवार्जुन|| 46||
tapasvibhyo ’dhiko yogī
jñānibhyo ’pi mato ’dhikaḥ
karmibhyaśh chādhiko yogī
tasmād yogī bhavārjuna
A tapasvī (ascetic) lives an austere life, voluntarily practicing mortification and abstaining from sensual pleasures and material wealth to pursue salvation. A jñānī is a knowledgeable person focused on cultivating wisdom, while a karmī performs Vedic rituals to achieve material success and attain celestial realms.
Shree Krishna declares that the yogi is superior to all these individuals because their goal is not worldly gain but union with God. This focus on the divine elevates the yogi’s accomplishments to a higher spiritual level, distinguishing them from those still focused on the bodily platform of existence.
Gita 6.47
योगिनामपि सर्वेषां मद्गतेनान्तरात्मना |
श्रद्धावान्भजते यो मां स मे युक्ततमो मत: || 47||
yoginām api sarveṣhāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
śhraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
Among yogis, there are various paths such as karm yogis, bhakti yogis, jñāna yogis, and aṣhṭāṅg yogis. Shree Krishna clarifies that the bhakti yogi, or devotee, is the highest among them, even surpassing the best aṣhṭāṅg and haṭha yogis. This superiority stems from the power of bhakti (devotion), which binds God and makes Him devoted to His devotees. In the Bhāgavatam, Krishna states that although He is supremely independent, He becomes enslaved by His devotees, who conquer His heart.
The term bhajate, derived from the root "bhaj," means "to serve," indicating a deeper devotion than mere worship. Bhakti yogis serve God with love, embracing their natural position as eternal servants, while other yogis have not fully realized this aspect.
Krishna emphasizes that among countless perfected souls, those who are peaceful and devoted to the Supreme Lord, Narayan, are exceptionally rare. Bhakti yoga also provides the closest and most complete understanding of God, as noted in verse 18.55, where Krishna explains that the bhakti yogi alone truly comprehends the divine personality of God.
Summary: JKYog India Online Class- Bhagavad Gita [English]- 12.10.2024
