Chapter-15

THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME PERSON

Connection between Chapter 14 and Chapter 15: 

  • At the end of Chapter 14, Krishna described that one transcends the modes through devotional service
  • But to attain devotion to Him one needs detachment from the material world
  • Krishna begins Chapter 15 by explaining the need for detachment with a metaphor that compares the material world to an ‘Asvattha’ (a banyan tree)
  • Then Krishna describes Purushottama Yoga in Texts 15.6 – 15.20
BREAKDOWN OF CHAPTER-15
  • (15.1 – 15.5) — BECOMING DETACHED FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD
  • One should detach himself from the material world
  • Material world is a reflection of spiritual world
  • One should surrender to Krishna and attain spiritual world
  • Goal should be to leave material world and return to spiritual world
  • All living entities are eternally part and parcel of Krishna, yet they struggle from body to body in search of pleasure
  • Transcendentalists can see this clearly, but the blind materialists cannot see this
  • We should be attracted to Krishna by knowing His position as –
    o Our maintainer on both the cosmic and personal levels
    o Compiler of Vedanta and knower of the Vedas
  • Conditioned living entities are fallible
  • Living entities in harmony with the Lord’s desire are infallible
  • Beyond both these is the transcendental Supreme Person, the Supersoul, who maintains the three worlds
  • Both in this world and the Vedas, Krishna is celebrated as that Supreme Person, the Supersoul
  • One knowing Krishna’s position knows everything, and he engages in Krishna’s service
  • Knowing this most confidential part of Vedic scriptures makes one wise and brings perfection to his endeavors
Summary of Chapter-13
SECTION I (15.1 – 15.5)
BECOMING DETACHED FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

Text (15.1)

Material world is an upside down banyan tree

One who knows this tree is a true knower of the Vedas – This is explained in the purport as follows:

  • After discussing Bhakti-yoga one may question: “What about the Vedas?”
  • Chapter 15 describes the purpose of Vedic study is to understand Krishna
  • Therefore one who is in Krishna consciousness engaged in devotional service, already knows the Vedas

Text (15.2)

Material world is a tree nourished by three modes and fruitive acts

  • Different species manifest according to the proportions of modes (purport)
  • When less water – tract is barren
  • When more water – tract is green

Text (15.3 – 15.4)

The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. Use the axe of ‘detachment’

  • This tree is not real, but a reflection of the real tree
  • Impossible to fully understand the real tree
  • Solution – But we can cut down this tree with determination with the axe of detachment
  • Desired destination – Then one must go beyond the tree and surrender to the Supreme Person (surrendering process is explained in Text 15.5) from whom entirety has sprout
SUMMARISED THEME 

THE BANYAN TREE
The material world: A perverted relflection of the spiritual world

  • Reflecting medium
  • Original tree of spiritual world is reflected on “Desire” / analogous to “Water” – “Desire” is the cause of things being situated in this reflected material light.
  • Roots
  • The real root of this material existence grows upward
    o This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe, Brahmaloka
  • The secondary roots are in the human planetary systems (Bhuloka) and grow downward and spread in all directions
    o They are bound to the fruitive actions of human society
    o Subsidiary roots are attachments and aversions, which are by products of different varieties of suffering and sense enjoyment
    o Tendencies towards piety and impiety are considered to develop from these secondary roots
  • Other parts of tree
  • Branches – Upper and lower planets
  • Leaves – Vedic Hymns
  • Twigs – Sense objects
  • Tips of branches – Senses
  • Fruits – Dharma, Artha, Kaama, Moksha
  • Nourishment – The three modes of material nature
  • The living entities involvement in this tree
  • Hops from one branch to another trying to taste the fruit
  • Can’t see how far the tree extends or where it ends
  • Although living entities are the eternal fragmental parts of Krishna, they are struggling with the senses (15.7)
SUMMARISED THEME 

THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THE TREE IS DETACHMENT – HOW?

  • Find one in knowledge (15.4)
  • Hear properly from him,
  • About the relationship between the Lord and the living entity
  • Surrender to the Lord (15.5)
  • Through the spiritual master
  • No false prestige that he is lord of material nature
  • No in illusion
  • Gives up false association
  • Free from dualities
  • Attain the eternal abode (15.6)

Text (15.5)

The surrendering process is explained.

  1. Free from false prestige
  2. Freedom from illusion
  3. Freedom from false association
  4. Understand the eternal
  5. Freedom from the dualities of happiness and distress,
  6. Done with material lust and unbewildered
SECTION II (15.6 – 15.11)
TRANSMIGRATION

Text (15.6)

What are the characteristics of that Supreme Abode, which a detached surrendered soul will attain; and if he goes there, does he ever come back?

  • That abode is not illuminated by sun, moon, fire or electricity
  • Once attained, one never returns to the material world

Text (15.7)

This verse gives the “Identity of living entity”

  • Original position – Living entities are eternal part and parcels of Krishna
        ⇒ They belong to Him in the spiritual world
  • Current position – They are now struggling hard with mind and senses in material world

Text (15.8)

Process of transmigration – The Living entity acquires a material mind and carries different conceptions of life from one body to the next

  • Analogy: As the air carries aromas

Text (15.9)

Process of transmigration – Thus carried by the mind he enters various bodies to obtain different senses for the goal of sense enjoyment.

Text (15.10)

Why we do not see this ‘change of bodies’ happening

  • Foolish mentality – Cannot see:
      ⇒ How living entity quits the body
      ⇒ What sort of body he enjoys under the modes of material nature
  • “Jnana-caksusah” (Eyes trained in knowledge) – Can see all this clearly

Text (15.11)

Explains that those who are trained can see all this clearly because their minds are clarified by yoga practice and thus situated in self realisation

  • But those whose minds are not developed and who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try to

SECTION III (15.12 – 15.15)
KRISHNA’S POSITION AS OUR MAINTAINER : APPRECIATING KRISHNA’S POSITION

Text (15.12 – 15.15)

These verses help us to know how things are taking place in this material world and thus be established in knowledge. One who is entangled within the banyan tree can develop his Krishna consciousness by appreciating Krishna as the maintainer of the phenomenal world.

  1. Splendor of the sun, moon, electricity and fire come from Supreme Personality of Godhead (15.12)
  2. The Lord holds the earth which gives vegetables. Vegetables are nourished by moonshine which comes from the Lord (15.13)
  3. To digest we need Krishna’s energy as fire and life airs (outgoing and incoming) (15.14)
  4. Indeed Krishna is the only source of happiness (15.15)
    ⇒ He provides the awareness of current experiences, remembrances of previous pleasant experiences and forgetting the unpleasant experiences
    ⇒ Even provides bliss to the transcendentalists by giving Vedanta-sutra and liberation

SECTION IV (15.16 – 15.18)
THE 3–SLOKA GITA OF KNOWLEDGE: A SUMMARY OF THE VEDAS AND THE VEDANTA

Text (15.16)

Two kinds of living entities – Now Krishna being the knower of the Vedas summarizes two classes of living entities, fallible (conditioned) in the material world and infallible (liberated) in the spiritual world

  • Here the Lord gives in summary the contents of ‘Vedanta Sutra’ (15.16 – 15.18)

Text (15.17)

Supersoul is discussed – Supreme Soul is the master of both living entities – He is the greatest living personality

  • He enters the three worlds and is maintaining them

Text (15.18)

Krishna is Himself the Supersoul – “I am that Supreme Soul” celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as the Supreme Person Because:

  • “I am transcendental, beyond both fallible and infallible”
  • “I am the greatest”

Text (15.19)

One who knows without doubt Krishna as the Paramatma, engages in full devotional service

  • Who is the knower of everything – One who knows “Me” as the Supreme Personality of Godhead without doubting
  • Result of such knowledge – One engages in full devotional service to Me

Text (15.20)

 This verse summarizes Chapter 15 – Knowledge explained in this chapter is the essence of Vedanta and the most confidential part/substance of the Vedas

  • Result of understanding – One will become wise and his endeavors will know perfection
  • Qualification – Sinlessness
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