rāgo dveṣaś ca lobhaś ca

rāgo dveṣaś ca lobhaś ca

śoka-mohau bhayaṁ madaḥ

māno ’vamāno ’sūyā ca

māyā hiṁsā ca matsaraḥ

rajaḥ pramādaḥ kṣun-nidrā

śatravas tv evam ādayaḥ

rajas-tamaḥ-prakṛtayaḥ

sattva-prakṛtayaḥ kvacit

The enemies are attachment, hostility, greed, lamentation, illusion, fear, madness, pride, disrespect, envy, deception, violence, intolerance, passion, bewilderment, hunger and sleep. Sometimes they are influenced by rajas and tamas and sometimes by sattva.

Just as one who attains the bride at a svayamvara ceremony kills the opposing kings by his strength, so the sannyāsīs must kill attachment, hatred and other qualities by the strength of bhakti to the Lord. This is explained in three verses. Sometimes these qualities manifest in rajas or tamas and sometimes in sattva.  In sattva they may manifest to help others. 

|| 7.15.45 ||

yāvan nṛ-kāya-ratham ātma-vaśopakalpaṁ

dhatte gariṣṭha-caraṇārcanayā niśātam

jñānāsim acyuta-balo dadhad asta-śatruḥ

svānanda-tuṣṭa upaśānta idaṁ vijahyāt

As long as one remains in this body, controlling the senses and other components of the chariot of the body with peaceful demeanor, one should destroy the enemies by the strength of the Lord, using the sword of knowledge, sharpened by serving the lotus feet of the great gurus, and, satisfied with one’s bliss, one should then give up the body.  

As long as one possesses the chariot of the human body, which is assisted by senses and other facilities, while holding the sword of knowledge sharpened by service to the feet of great gurus, being strong with bhakti to the Lord, having destroyed the enemies and satisfied by attaining one’s kingdom of bliss, one should give up the chariot since it is no longer suitable.  

 

 However one does not give up the strong body on attaining one’s kingdom. After defeating the enemy, one gives up the chariot, bow and arrow. The jñānī gives up jñāna, his sādhana for liberation, since it is a covering composed of prakṛti, and then merges with Paramātmā by the small portion of pure bhakti included in his practice of jñāna. He does not give up that bhakti. One must reject both jñāna and ajñāna since they are functions of māyā-śakti in order to merge with Paramātmā by the functioning of the Lord’s svarūpa-śakti. They say that oṁ is the bow. The arrow is the jīva, aimed at the Brahman. The arrow, separating from the bow and chariot, enters the target by the force of the person shooting the arrow. Similarly, the pure jīva, giving up the impure jīva with body, senses, and avidyā, and giving up vidyā in the form of oṁ, which causes knowledge for liberation--by the strength of a small amount of pure bhakti residing in the impure jīva, the pure jīva realizes Paramātmā and merges into him. That is the meaning when the Lord says:

 

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām ||

Having attained the state of Brahman, being a pure soul, he does not lament at the loss of what he has attained nor does he desire what he has not attained, and looks upon all beings as equal. He then manifests pure bhakti.

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad-anantaram ||

Only by bhakti can a person know me as Brahman. Then, knowing me as Brahman by that bhakti, he merges with me. BG 18.54-55

When the coverings are removed by perfection of jñāna mixed with bhakti, one attains the stage of brahma-bhūta, the form of Brahman as pure consciousness without coverings. Because of the removal of contamination, it is called ātmā and joyful (prasanna). He does not lament for what is lost as he would in his previous condition, nor does he long for what he has not attained, since he is without bodily identity. He is equal to all beings who are either inimical or friendly, since he does not seek any pleasure in externals. Then, with the disappearance of jñāna, which is like a fire which disappears without fuel, he attains bhakti which was included in jñāna, but which is indestructible, since it belongs to the Lord’s svarūpa-śakti, and is different from māyā-śakti. It does not disappear with the disappearance of vidyā and avidyā. Thus he attains pure bhakti (parām), devoid of jñāna and karma.  Previously this small amount of bhakti used for achieving liberation through jñāna and vairāgya was not visible, though it was present like Paramātmā. The verse says “he attains pure bhakti” rather than “he performs pure bhakti.” It is just like a jewel which, though covered by grains, is not destroyed when the grains are destroyed in time, and then becomes visible. But it is not possible for that person to attain full prema-bhakti at that time, or even merging. Thus parām should not be explained as prema-bhakti.

 

What happens to the person with that bhakti? A particular example is given. Either the jñānī or various types of devotees, who knows me as I am, by bhakti, knows me in truth. The Lord says bhaktyāham ekayā grāhyaḥ: I am only known by bhakti.  Because of that, by that bhakti alone, after the disappearance of avidyā (tad-anantaram), knowing me, the jñānī enters me, enjoying the happiness of merging with me. I am not known by vidyā since that is part of māyā, and I am beyond māyā.  Bhakti is also sometimes known as a part of vidyā:

 

sāṅkhya-yogau ca vairāgyaṁ tapo bhaktiś ca keśave

pañca-parveti vidyeyaṁ yathā vidvān hariṁ viśet

 

The five parts of knowledge (vidyā) are sāṅkhya, yoga, vairāgya, austerity and bhakti. One who knows these enters the Lord.

 

However, the happiness of merging arises only from the action of the hlādinī-śakti. A portion of bhakti enters into vidyā in order to make it successful, just as a portion of bhakti enters into karma-yoga to make it successful. Without that bhakti, karma, jñāna and yoga are just wasted labor. Thus, bhakti, beyond the guṇas, is not actually a function of vidyā which belongs to sattva-guṇa. Smṛti says sattvāt sañjāyate jñānam: knowledge arises from sattva. (BG 14.17) Just as vidyā is knowledge in sattva, so the knowledge arising from bhakti is actually bhakti. Thus there are two types of knowledge.

 

|| 7.15.46 ||