Chapter 9 - Verse 1

Brahma-Jñāna is the best Religion.

श्रीभगवानुवाच —
इदं तु ते गुह्यतमं प्रवक्ष्याम्यनसूयवे ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानसहितं यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसेऽशुभात् ॥ १ ॥

śrībhagavānuvāca —
idaṃ tu te guhyatamaṃ pravakṣyāmyanasūyave .
jñānaṃ vijñānasahitaṃ yajjñātvā mokṣyase’śubhāt .. 1 ..


The Blessed Lord said :

To thee who dost not cavil, I shall now declare this, the greatest secret, knowledge combined with experience,‡ which having known thou shalt be liberated from evil.

Sakshatkara, intuitive or direct perception.

Read the commentary

This: the Brahma-Jñāna, the knowledge of Brahman, which is going to be declared, and which has been declared in the preceding discourses. Now: this word points to the superiority of knowledge (over Dhyāna): this right knowledge alone forms the direct means of attaining moksha, as declared in the sruti and the smriti :

“Vasudeva is the All”—(Bhagavadgita, vii. 19.)

“All this is the Self."—(Chhand. Upa., 7-25-2.)

“One only without a second”—(Ibid, 6-2-1.)

And nothing else is a direct means to moksha, as the passages of the sruti like the following declare :

“Now the other princes who understand otherwise than thus, * they shall attain to perishable regions."—(Ibid, 7-25-2.)

That all this is one Brahman.

On attaining this knowledge you will be liberated from the bondage of samsara.

  • * The Sushumna ‘the bright,’ Concentration (dharana) is only an anga or auxiliary of Yoga.

  • † Such as closing all the gates (viii. 12, 13.)