Chapter 4 - Verse 24

The man who has realized Brahman sees that the instrument by which the oblation is poured in the fire is nothing but Brahman : that it has no existence apart from that of the Self, just as silver has no existence apart from that of the mother-of-pearl (mistaken for silver). What (in the illustration) appears as silver is nothing but the mother-of-pearl. What people look upon as the instrument of offering is, to one who has realized Brahman, nothing but Brahman. Brahman is the oblation; i.e., what is regarded as oblation is to him nothing but Brahman; and it is by Brahman that the offering is made, i.e., the agent is none other than Brahman. The act of offering is nothing but Brahman; and the result, the goal to be reached by him who always sees Brahman in action is nothing but Brahman.

Thus, the action performed by him who wishes to set an example to the world is in reality no action, as it has been destroyed by the realization of Brahman in action. This representation as a sacrifice (Yajña) of the right knowledge possessed by him who has given up all rites and has renounced all action is quite in its place, as serving to extol that right knowledge. For him who has realised the supereme Reality, the instrument of offering and other accessories connected with the actual sacrifice are nothing but Brahman, who is one with his own Self. Else, it would be to no purpose to speak specifically of the instrument and other accessories of a sacrificial rite as Brahman, when everything is Brahman. Wherefore, to one who realises that all is Brahman, there is no action. Moreover, all idea of the accessories of action is absent; and indeed, no act of sacrifice is ever possible in the absence of such an idea. Every sacrificial rite, such as agnihotra, is associated with an idea (derived from the revealed texts) of the accessories of action, such as a particular God or Gods to whom the oblation should be offered, and with egoism on the part of the agent and his attachment for the results. No sacrificial rite is ever found unassociated with the idea of the accessories of action and results, unaccompanied with the egoism and a longing for the results. But this (wisdom-sacrifice) is an action wherein all idea of the instrument and other various accessories of action, all idea of action itself and of its results, has been replaced by the one idea of Brahman. Whence it is no action at all. This is shewn in iv 18. 20; iii. 28; v. 8 Thus teaching, our Lord here and there tries also to remove all idea of duality, i. e., of action, its result and its accessories. It is admitted in the case of the Kāmya-Agnihotra—the sacrifice of Agnihotra performed for some selfishpurpose—that it ceases to be a Kāmya-Agnihotra in the absence of that purpose. So also we are given to know that actions produce different results according as they are performed deliberately or otherwise. Accordingly, here too, in the case of the wise man in whom the idea of Brahman has replaced all idea of duality—such as, the instrument and other accessories of the act of offering, the act itself and its results—his action, though appearing as such externally, ceases to be action. Whence it is said “the whole action melts away”. (iv. 23).

In interpreting this passage, some say :—What we call Brahman is the instrument of action and so on. And in fact it is Brahman that manifests Himself in the five forms—such as action and its accessories,—and does the action. In this case, the idea of the instrument and other accessories of action does not cease to exist. On the other hand, it is taught that the idea of Brahman should be fixed upon action and its accessories in the same way that the idea of Viṣṇu is fixed upon an idol or the idea of Brahman is fixed upon ‘name’ (Vide Chh. Upaniṣad, 7-1-5).

Indeed, even this view would be possible if this particular section of the discourse were not here concerned with the praise of the Wisdom-sacrifice (jnâna-yajna). On the other hand, our Lord will here speak of the several acts of worship termed yajnas (sacrifice) and then praise wisdom, the right knowledge, in these terms : “Superior is the wisdom-sacrifice to the sacrifice with objects.” (iv. 33). And it has been shewn that the verse is intended to represent wisdom as a sacrifice (vide p. 126). But, with those who maintain that the idea of Brahman should be fixed upon the sacrificial rite and all its accessories, just as the idea of Vishṇu is fixed upon an idol or the idea of Brahman on ’name’—the Brahma-vidyâ (knowledge of Brahman), which has been hitherto spoken of cannot be the aim of the teaching here; for, this verse would be mainly concerned, according to their interpretation, with the instrument, etc., connected with a sacrificial rite. Moreover, moksha cannot be obtained by that knowledge which consists in fixing the idea of Brahman on a symbol (such as a sacrificial rite). It has been here said that Brahman is the goal to be reached. It is indeed opposed to truth to maintain that moksha can be obtained without knowledge.

Such interpretation is also opposed to the context. Right knowledge is the subject of which this Discourse treats (vide iv. 18), and the concluding portion of the Discourse treats of the same subject as shewn by the closing verses. The Discourse indeed concludes by extolling right knowledge (iv. 33, 39). Accordingly it is not right to maintain that, all on a sudden, and without reference to the present topic, it is here taught that the idea of Brahman should be fixed on an idol.

Wherefore this verse should be interpreted as has been done by us.

Sacrifices Effected By Action.

After representing the right knowledge as a sacrifice, the Lord proceeds to enumerate other kinds of sacrifice, with a view to extol right knowledge :