Chapter 18 - Verse 55

By Bhakti, by the Devotion of Knowledge, he knows Me as I am in the diverse manifestations caused by upadhis. He knows who I am, he knows that I am devoid of all the differences caused by the upadhis, that I am the Supreme Puruṣa, that I am like unto akasa; he knows Me to be non-dual, the one Consciousness (Caitanya), pure and simple, unborn, undecaying, undying, fearless, deathless. The knowing Me in truth, he enters into Myself immediately after attaining knowledge.

It is not meant here that the act of knowledge and the act of entering are two distinct acts.—What then is the act of entering?—It is the knowledge itself; for, there is nothing to be effected (by knowledge) other than itself, as the Lord has taught. “Do thou also know Me as Kṣetrajña.” (xiii. 2).

(Objection):—The statement that “by the supreme devotion of knowledge he knows Me,” involves a contradiction.—How?—Thus: when the knowledge of a certain object arises in the knower, then and then alone the knower knows that object; no devotion to that knowledge, no repetition of the knowledge, is necessary. Therefore, the statement that “he knows Me, not by knowledge, but by devotion to knowledge, by a repetition of knowledge,” involves a contradiction.

(Answer):—This objection does not apply here; for, the word “devotion (nishtha)” means that the knowledge aided by all the favourable conditions of its rise and development and freed from obstacles culminates in a firm conviction by one’s own experience. When the knowledge of the unity of the individual Self (Kṣetrajña) and the supreme Self (Paramātman), generated by the teachings of the Scriptures and the master under conditions favourable to the rise and ripening of that knowledge—viz., purity of mind, humility and other attributes (xiii, 7. et seq.)—and accompanied with the renunciation of all works which are associated with the idea of distinctions such as the agent and other factors of action, culminates in a firm conviction by one’s own experience, then the knowledge is said to have attained supreme consummation. This jnana-nishtha (Devotion of Knowledge) is referred to as the Supreme or fourth kind of Devotion, Bhakti (vii. 17), —supreme as compared with the remaining three kinds of Devotion, with that of the distressed, etc., (vii. 16). By this supreme devotion the aspirant knows the Lord as He is, and immediately afterwards all consciousness of difference between the Īśvara and the Kṣetrajña disappears altogether. Thus there is no contradiction involved in the statement that “by the Devotion of Knowledge (the aspirant knows) Me.”

Renunciation of all works is necessary for absolute perfection.

Then alone can the well-ascertained teaching of all scriptures—viz., the Upaniṣads, Itihasas, Puranas and Smritis—enjoining retirement have a meaning. The scriptural texts are such as the following:

“Knowing It, they renounce and lead a mendicant life.” —(Bri. Up. 3-5-9).

“Wherefore they say that renunciation is excellent among these austerities.”—(Yajniki-Up. 79.)

“Renunciation excels.”—(Ibid. 78),

“Samnyasa is the renunciation of actions.”

“Having abandoned Vedas, this world and the next,” etc.—(Āpastamba-Dharmasūtra, 2-23-13).

“Renounce dharma and a-dharma.”

And so on. Here, in the Gītā also, passages of similar import (such as v. 12) occur. It cannot be held that these passages are meaningless. Nor can it be held that they are arthavadas, mere explanatory or incidental remarks (not meant as obligatory injunctions); for they occur in the sections which specially treat of renunciation.

Moreover, (renunciation of works is necessary) because Mokṣa consists in the realisation of the immutability of one’s own Inner Self. He who wishes to reach the eastern sea should not indeed travel in the opposite direction, i.e., by the same road that the man who wishes to go to the western sea chooses. And the Devotion of Knowledge (jnana-nishtha) consists in an intent effort to establish a continuous current of the idea of the Inner Self (Pratyagātman); and there would be a conflict if that devotion were to be conjoined with ritual (karma), which is like going towards the western sea. It is a firm conviction of philosophers that the difference between the two is as wide as that between a mountain and a mustard seed. Hence the conclusion that the Devotion of Knowledge (jnana-nishtha) should be practised by renouncing all action.

Devotion to the Lord by works enjoined.

The perfection accruing as the fruit of that Bhakti-Yoga, which consists in worshipping the Lord through one’s own duties qualifies the aspirant for the Devotion of Knowledge which culminates in moksha. This Bhakti-Yoga, the Yoga of Devotion to the Lord, is extolled here, in this section which sums up the teaching of the sastra, with a view to firmly impress that teaching.