Chapter 18 Shloka 65

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु।

मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे।।६५।।

The Lord says:

Repose your mind in Me and be My devotee;

offer your yagya unto Me and bow to Me alone;

thus shall you attain Me, this I promise you,

for you are dear to Me.

Chapter 18 Shloka 65

मन्मना भव मद्भक्तो मद्याजी मां नमस्कुरु।

मामेवैष्यसि सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे।।६५।।

Imparting the infinitely mysterious knowledge to His dear friend and disciple Arjuna, the Lord says:

Repose your mind in Me and be My devotee; offer your yagya unto Me and bow to Me alone; thus shall you attain Me, this I promise you, for you are dear to Me.

This shloka contains the Lord’s assurance to man “Indeed, you can attain Me!”

My infinitely dear one, Kamla, listen! Delineating the simple method of attaining Him, the Lord says:

1. Thus shall you attain My essence.

2. Thus shall you attain My dharma.

3. Thus shall you attain Me.

4. You shall then become like Me.

5. You shall attain the Supreme state – the state of the Lord.

6. You shall become established in the state of Brahm Himself.

7. You shall become a gunatit like Lord Krishna Himself.

8. You will become a Sthit pragya, as is the Lord Himself.

The outcome of attaining the Lord:

1. You will transcend the body idea.

2. You will become an Atmavaan.

3. You will transcend both virtue and sin.

4. You will transcend both life and death.

5. You will be devoid of the body even whilst abiding in it.

6. You will be established in that indivisible non-duality.

7. You will abide in the Unmanifest even though present in manifest form.

8. You will be one – yet identified with all.

9. You will embody all thoughts and emotions, yet you will be master of all these; you will be devoid of thoughts and emotions, in fact you will transcend them all.

10. You will be ever manifest, yet you will abide in the Unmanifest Essential Core – the Atma.

11. You will be the doer of all deeds, yet you will be ever the non-doer.

12. You will transcend all deeds, you will be the Lord of all deeds and you will also be the very deeds you perform.

My little one, understand if you can, that such a one becomes the Embodiment of Luminescence, abiding in the essence of Adhyatam – the nature of Brahm. The very life of such a one is a light on Adhyatam. Whoever compares the life of such a one with the knowledge of the Scriptures and endeavours to tread in His footsteps, will inevitably become like Him.

1. You will become the divine and pure Atma Itself.

2. You will become the Eternal Embodiment of Truth, Consciousness and Bliss.

3. You will become the divine manifestation of the essence of That Brahm.

4. You will become the living proof of That Eternal Truth – your life will be its manifestation in practice.

5. You will indeed become the Supreme Purusha – the noblest of all men.

Now consider the state of such a Supreme Purusha – endeavour to understand such a one’s natural perspective.

The state of one who has transcended the body idea

He who has transcended the body:

a) will be ever detached;

b) will be ever devoid of aberrations;

c) will be liberated from duality;

d) will be devoid of meum;

e) will be indifferent to self;

f) will be ever satiated;

g) will be pure and without blemish;

h) will be devoid of egoity;

i)  will be one of unsoiled and untouched purity, because such a one is not attached to his own body-self.

When one is no longer attached to one’s body-self:

a) one is devoid of all moha, because the cause of moha is attachment to the body;

b) one is devoid of all positive and negative thought processes;

c) one is devoid of expectations and greed;

d) one is devoid of sorrow and other mental aberrations.

All these arise only in relation to the body-self.

Now let us proceed ahead and know that after the voidance of the intellect which is subservient to the body-self:

1. Such a one will become silent towards both good and bad.

2. Such a one will attain an attitude of equanimity towards both nivritti or abstinence from action and pravritti or engagement in action.

3. Such a one will attain an impartial attitude towards both likes and dislikes.

4. Why should such a one bother about acclaim or insult, since both pertain to the body-self?

5. Both raag and dvesh or attachment and hatred become quiescent, since they pertain to the body-self.

6. Victory and defeat both become meaningless, since they pertain to the body-self.

7. Joy and sorrow are both silenced, since they too relate to the body-self.

8. Losses and gains, which pertained to the body-self, become meaningless.

9. Action and inaction too are directly related to the body-self.

Therefore, even whilst involved in all activities, such a one transcends all action.

When one surrenders one’s mind to the Lord, all this occurs naturally. One is then no longer bothered about what the body does.

The mental state of one who abides steadfastly in the Truth

How does it matter thereafter to such a one as to what is gained by his body-self, or what becomes of the body-self? Such a one is ever silent towards all these trivialities; that is how he becomes a gunatit or one who is uninfluenced by all attributes.

Little one, once one has surrendered one’s mind to the Lord, it matters not what becomes of the body. Such a one is untouched by all that happens thereafter.

1. He is indifferent to the attributes.

2. He is indifferent towards participation in action and towards inaction.

3. He is silent towards acclaim and abuse.

4. He is ever tranquil.

That one no longer initiates any projects because:

a) he initiates nothing for self establishment or body establishment;

b) he does nothing to save himself from the onslaught of attributes;

c) when attracted to any particular attribute he does nothing to obtain it for the body-self.

Such a one becomes a veritable sthit pragya or one whose intellect is steadfast in equanimity.

The intellect of the Sthit Pragya

1. The intellect of such a one is steeped in equanimity.

2. His intellect is ever uninfluenced.

3. His intellect views all impartially.

Now understand the life of such a devotee who has surrendered his mind to the Lord.

Little one, seeker of the Atma Self, when such a one no longer claims the body as his own:

a) his very life no longer remains his own;

b) he no longer claims the deeds performed by his body – he is ever the non-doer;

c) he is not the ‘enjoyer’ of the pleasures partaken of by the body – even though he partakes of those sense objects, he does so as a non-participating witness;

d) he is not attached to the intellect;

e) he is not attached to the mind.

The life of the Sthit Pragya

What will be the life of such a one? He will verily be an image of the Lord Himself.

1. He will be beneficial for all.

2. He will do whatever is in the interest of whosoever comes to him.

3. Whosoever seeks his company, will gain a benefactor.

4. He will no longer be identified with himself but with the work of the other.

5. His life will be an epitome of selfless deeds.

6. He will be love embodied.

7. He will be an embodiment of selfless worship.

8. His life will be the quintessence of selfless knowledge.

9. His life will be a garland of dutiful deeds.

Therefore such a one:

a) lives an ordinary life amongst ordinary people;

b) engages in ordinary actions amidst ordinary folk;

c) does not create dilemmas in the minds of ordinary people;

d) lives amongst the ignorant as do the ignorant;

e) continues to engage in action whilst living with the ignorant, encouraging them to act similarly.

All the qualities of divinity are the natural traits of such a one. Proof of all the divine attributes can be found in the ordinary life of such a one. No matter what circumstances occur in his life, he immerses himself with shrewdness and diligence in the work that confronts him.

1. His life is a veritable yagya – a selfless and devotional offering to the Lord.

2. His life is a perpetual proof of forbearance and endurance.

3. His life is an enduring example of charity.

4. His life is proof of his infinite knowledge.

5. His life is proof of his unmitigated endeavour to translate that knowledge into life’s practice or vigyan.

6. His life is Truth Itself.

Such a one will be Divinity Itself.

Now try to understand the connotation of all that the Lord has said in this shloka. My little loved one, if an individual likes another and wishes to become like the one he appreciates:

1. He will endeavour to behave like his Beloved.

2. He will endeavour to mould his mind so that it is akin to that of his Beloved.

3. He will develop a devotional faith in his Beloved.

4. He will always bow humbly before the attributes of his loved one.

5. He will endeavour to import his loved one’s perspective into his own life.

Little one, you can become like the Lord if:

a) you become compassionate like Him;

b) you become just like Him;

c) you become forgiving like Him;

d) you traverse this world totally devoid of the body idea, just as He too is unhampered by the body idea.

When your mind becomes akin to that of the Lord, you will forget yourself and identify with the other.

First understand:

1. What is the mind?

2. What is devotion?

3. What is yajan or worship?

4. What is naman or bowing in humility?

The mind

1. The mind is a storehouse of all tendencies.

2. All positive and negative thought processes originate here.

3. Hopes, expectations and disappointments dwell herein.

4. Fear and fearlessness dwell in the mind.

5. Doubts and trust originate here.

6. Desire and craving are attributes of the mind.

7. Joy and sorrow are qualities of the mind.

8. Anger is an attribute of the mind.

9. Greed and covetousness are qualities of the mind.

10. The mind veils the intellect.

11. The conscious, the subconscious and the unconscious are mostly ruled by the mind.

12. Ego arises within the mind on account of moha.

13. Ego is nurtured by nourishment provided by the mind.

14. It is the mind that enjoys the sap of sense enjoyment produced by the organs of perception and action.

15. It is the mind that pursues what it likes.

16. It is the mind that flees from what it dislikes.

17. It is the mind that worships what it likes.

18. It is the mind that leads one astray.

19. It is the mind that creates a mist of uncertainty.

20. It is the mind that leads one away from the path of Truth.

21. The mind, gripped by moha, revels in imaginary ideals and principles.

22. It is the mind that endeavours to prove these false principles to be true.

23. It is the mind that is ensnared by moha, rendering it senseless.

24. It is the mind that deceives and misleads itself.

25. It is the mind that endeavours to prove itself to be justice incarnate by indulging in illusory arguments.

26. It is the mind that tries to conceal reality.

27. It is the mind that turns one away from one’s duty.

(For a further elucidation on the mind, refer back to shlokas 31 and 54 of this chapter.)

Attachment as an attribute of the mind

Little one, attachment is an attribute of the mind. Wherever the mind forms an attachment with an object:

a) it is completely controlled by that object;

b) it is totally coloured by that object;

c) it flows spontaneously towards that object;

d) the body and the sense faculties join forces with it to attain that object;

e) this attachment takes the individual towards demonism;

f) the same attachment can also lead the individual towards divinity.

It is said that man is what he emotionally is – what his mind is. By ascertaining the preponderating tendencies of the mind, one can know whether one is sattvic, rajsic or tamsic by nature.

Mental attachment is the impelling force that engages us in varied deeds.

1. If the mind is attached to the attribute of sattva, that individual will make every effort to inculcate the qualities of sattva in his life.

2. If the mind is attached to the Lord, that individual will endeavour to translate the divine attributes of the Lord in his life.

3. If the mind is attached to the Atma, that individual will definitely become an Atmavaan inculcating the divine attributes of the Lord into his own life.

We have discussed earlier that wherever the mind forms an attachment, the hues of that attachment colour the mind – those same qualities sprout and grow in the mind.

If you are drawn towards Ram, if you are indeed attached to all that He represents, you will inevitably try to imbibe His qualities within you. If you are attached to Shyam, you will make every endeavour to translate His qualities in your life. So also, if you appreciate and are drawn to Christ, His qualities are bound to embellish your life. If you are attached to the qualities of Mahatma Gandhi, you will emulate his noble qualities in your life. This can be achieved easily if one offers one’s body, mind and intellect to the object of one’s attachment.

1. That is, if you are attached to Lord Ram, you will surrender your body-self and entire being at the altar of His divine attributes.

2. You will ‘use’ His qualities in your life.

3. You will perform your duty just as Ram discharged His duties lifelong.

4. You will gain the quality of infinite endurance such as He possessed.

5. You will practice forgiveness because He was forgiveness itself.

6. You will be a lover of the Lord’s devotees just as He was.

7. You will try to attain an intellect of equanimity such as He possessed.

Remember little one, the sadhak progresses in his endeavour to offer his all at the Lord’s feet – he does not seek anything from the Lord.

The consequences of love for the Lord

Love for the Lord is translated into life’s practice as:

a) selfless deeds;

b) selfless worship;

c) selfless forgiveness;

d) offering the body-self to the Lord;

e) offering one’s mind to the Lord;

f) offering one’s intellect to the Lord.

A true devotee of the Lord ensures that he is never a slur on the Lord’s Name.

The attitude of the devotee towards his Lord

Such a devotee believes the Lord’s Name to be his own and thus becomes like the Lord Himself. He believes his body to be the Lord’s body and retains no claims over it.

He does not remember:

a) that he has a body he can call his own;

b) that he has any interests or likes;

c) that he has anything to attain;

d) that anything at all belongs to him.

That which he had hitherto called his own, he now believes to be the Lord’s.

1. His own house is no longer his own – it belongs to the Lord.

2. His wealth is not his – it belongs to the Lord.

3. His body is not his own – it is the Lord’s.

4. His life is not his own – it is now the Lord’s life.

5. Nothing remains his own – all belongs to the Lord.

6. If he gains renown, that recognition is the Lord’s.

7. If he is defamed, that calumny too, belongs to the Lord.

8. Gains and losses – all belong to his Lord.

Each action performed by that body is attributed to the Lord.

As a result:

a) no aberrations arise in the mind;

b) no dilemmas worry such a one;

c) no remorse or sorrow touches such a devotee.

If you truly believe that nothing belongs to you – all belongs to the Lord, the mind will become silent.

1. Then that being will be eternally replete with love supreme.

2. That one will be known as an everlasting devotee of the Lord.

3. The life of such a one will be a fount of yagya – where every breath is a devotional offering to the Lord.

Thus the Lord says, “Affix your mind in Me.” Then one’s spiritual practice or sadhana will become simple indeed.

Then the Lord will be the master of this body. When the mind abides in the Lord, the flow of one’s spiritual practice will become spontaneous. Once the mind is affixed in the Lord, devotion is born.

The birth of devotion

If one is attached to the Lord, devotion is bound to surge up in one’s heart; because where there is attachment, the desire to belong to the object of one’s attachment is but natural. There is a natural pull towards the one with whom one is attached. Then his qualities will automatically become one’s own.

When devotion thus takes birth in the heart of the spiritual aspirant, his attention will constantly be attracted towards the attributes of That Divine One. He will then seek to know and understand the qualities of divinity in order to translate them into his everyday living.

If this attachment is true, then:

1. All that remains to develop, is an understanding of the Lord’s essence.

2. The mind will automatically believe that which the intellect understands.

3. Then the mind will aid and support the intellect.

4. The mind will co-operate with the intellect.

5. The mind will then act in subservience to the intellect.

Devotion

The practical inculcation of the divine qualities that emerges after the mind’s attachment to the Supreme, is devotion.

Devotion arises when:

a) there is an intention of imbibing the qualities of the Supreme in one’s life;

b) there is an intention of allowing those qualities to flow through oneself;

c) there is an intention of laying one’s body-self at the disposal of the Lord;

d) there is an intention of laying one’s intellect and one’s all at the Lord’s disposal.

When true intention of offering one’s body, mind, wealth, and entire world to the Lord exists, devotion is born. Knowledge of Truth is the first child of devotion. When such knowledge is born, the mind no longer comes in one’s path.

The mind is never an impediment in the path of the devotee.

1. Mental concepts no longer exist.

2. Such a one is devoid of mental complexities.

3. There is no longer any mental constraint or fear.

4. No doubts remain in the mind.

5. No thought processes deter the mind – positive or negative.

6. That individual becomes free of the fetters of hopes and expectations.

7. The mind renounces all desire for good or bad.

8. The mind is silent towards pravritti or engagement in deeds.

9. The mind is neither attracted nor repelled by the pleasant or unpleasant.

10. The mind becomes oblivious to enmities and friendships.

11. There is a cessation of mental turmoil.

–  Because the attachment of the mind is with Truth.

–  Because the mind is attached to the Supreme.

–  Because the mind is attached to the Lord.

Thereafter, the intellect becomes stable and every word that leaves the lips of such a one is knowledge itself.

Knowledge of Truth – the offspring of devotion

When attachment to the gross is vanquished, faith in the Supreme rises spontaneously. Devotion is born as a consequence of a strong attachment to the Supreme. The knowledge that emerges thereafter becomes a pristine flow like that of the Ganga which renders even the ego unsullied and pure. That is, it eradicates the ‘I’ thought from the ego.

Little one:

–  The son of devotion is knowledge of the Truth.

–  The daughter of devotion is the purifying river Ganga.

–  Devotion is the path of Yoga.

–  Devotion is the essence of Yoga.

The Lord now enjoins, “Madyaaji (मद्याजी)! – Offer your yagya unto Me alone.”

If one does, then:

1. Each act will be performed for the Lord.

2. One’s every deed will be like the Lord’s own deed.

3. One’s every deed will be subservient to the Lord.

4. One’s every deed will be performed with the Lord as a witness.

5. One’s every deed will be surrendered to the Lord. The individual then engages only in those deeds which the Lord would have performed, had He been in the same situation.

6. One’s entire life will be a supreme yagya – a sacrificial offering to the Lord.

7. Each act will be an oblation in the fire of that yagya.

8. One’s every glance will be full of love – as though that love, too, was an offering in the sacrificial flame of yagya.

9. Each word that leaves one’s lips will be a flow of knowledge in the yagya of life.

What is yagya?

Only those actions that flow from devotion can be considered as yagya. Every deed performed in the name of the Supreme is yagya. Every deed that is devoid of desire is yagya. Every oblation of the body, mind or intellect into the flame of the Supreme is yagya. A life lived in accordance with the Lord’s injunctions is the greatest yagya.

Little one, that which is done for the other is yagya.

1. To forget oneself whilst engaging in action for the other,

2. To surrender one’s name and fame at the other’s altar,

3. To become disregardful of one’s joys and sorrows in the other’s service,

4. To pay no heed to shreya or preya whilst serving the other,

5. To forget one’s body-self and all the joy and peace associated with it whilst engaged in action for the other,

6. To utilise one’s wealth and other assets for the other’s happiness,

– all these are oblations in one’s supreme yagya.

To surrender one’s very life in a spirit of selfless service is to make one’s life yagya itself. These selfless deeds constitute the fragrant oblations offered into that yagya. Love, mercy, compassion and other divine attributes comprise the clarified butter that serves as the catalyst in the flame of yagya. The egoless body-self which belongs to the Supreme is the one that performs the yagya. Detachment constitutes the flame of this yagya which is ignited in the cauldron of the world, and the supreme oblation offered therein is one’s all. Only then does devotion reach its culmination. And only then can one proceed to follow the Lord’s next injunction ‘Maam Namaskuru (मां नमस्कुरु)!’

When does such obeisance occur?

1. When the body belongs to the Lord.

2. When the body belongs to the Supreme.

3. When one’s mental attachment is with the Supreme.

4. When devotion is aroused.

5. When knowledge flows forth.

It is then that one’s head is bowed at the Lord’s feet.

What is naman or obeisance?

1. In true naman, the ego is subjugated.

2. Then one’s head is perpetually bowed before the Supreme Essence.

3. Then one is never deterred from the acquisition of the attributes of the Supreme.

4. Then one is not afraid of whatever consequences such attributes may bring in their wake – one remains unaffected.

The relationship of such a one with the body-self is totally severed.

‘To bow one’s head’ means:

a) From this moment onwards, this body belongs completely to the Lord.

b) From this moment onwards, this head belongs completely to my Lord.

c) From this moment onwards, this mind is my Lord’s mind.

When every limb belongs to That Divine Lord, one’s obeisance is truly complete.

1. Then one is rid of the body idea.

2. Then one is devoid of the intellect which is subjugated to the body-self.

3. Then one is immersed in the Supreme.

4. Then one is identified with all.

5. Then such a one is everything, yet, nothing at all.

–  Such a one has, so to say, offered his very life breath – his praanas to the Lord.

–  He has established the Lord in the place of the ‘I’.

–  Each bodily limb, which previously belonged to the ‘I’, now belongs to the Lord.

–  Every action of the sense faculties, which was previously owned by the ‘I’, is now offered to the Supreme.

–  Every thought of the mind that was first ascribed to the ‘I’ is now the Lord’s.

–  All thought processes now belong to Him.

–  No longer is one restricted by the narrow confines of the ‘I’ when the Lord’s perspective rules such a one.

–  Individuality ceases and universality reigns supreme.

Without even uttering the Name of the Lord,
This body is given unto Him;
Nothing remains which the ‘I’ can claim,
’Tis Ram’s – all belongs to Him.

This is the manifestation of ‘namah’, this is the form of ‘namah’.

Understand this once more little one!

1. At first the mind called out to the Lord.

2. It invoked the Lord in the temple of the body.

3. Then the Lord was made its witness.

4. Then the Lord was made a constant companion in every facet of life.

5. Then one’s head was so bowed in obeisance that only the Lord remained.

The method of sadhana or spiritual practice

The mind so forgot itself, that the whole world was forgotten. This one mind was gifted to the Lord and the whole world was erased from memory.

1. Then such a one is a constant non-doer even whilst performing all actions.

2. He says all, yet he has said nothing!

3. He has said all, yet is deemed to be completely silent.

4. He is the body, yet is devoid of the body.

5. He partakes of all, yet is the non-participating witness who partakes of naught.

6. He is beyond both sin and virtue.

7. He is ever uninfluenced – the epitome of love.

8. He is, yet he is not – thus should one know him.

It is the Lord who abides there – it is the Lord who rules over that body-self.

The Lord says:

1. “Look! If you do as I say, you too will become like Me.”

2. “If you do as I say, you too will attain Me.”

3. “If you do all this, your dharma will become akin to Mine.”

What a beautiful and simple method the Lord has demonstrated! If you also believe this, you will become as He describes. Then no matter where this body roams, no matter what it does, it will belong to the Lord. No matter what one’s situation is, the body will belong to the Lord.

Little aspirant of the Supreme state! Why not test and verify for yourself what the Lord has told you in this shloka?