Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 55 — Moksha Sanyasa Yoga
Sanskrit
भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्चास्मि तत्त्वतः | ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ||१८-५५||
Transliteration
bhaktyā māmabhijānāti yāvānyaścāsmi tattvataḥ . tato māṃ tattvato jñātvā viśate tadanantaram ||18-55||
Hindi Meaning
।।18.55।। (उस परा) भक्ति के द्वारा मुझे वह तत्त्वत: जानता है कि मैं कितना (व्यापक) हूँ तथा मैं क्या हूँ। (इस प्रकार) तत्त्वत: जानने के पश्चात् तत्काल ही वह मुझमें प्रवेश कर जाता है, अर्थात् मत्स्वरूप बन जाता है।।
English Meaning
One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.
Commentary
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, and His plenary portions cannot be understood by mental speculation nor by the nondevotees. If anyone wants to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has to take to pure devotional service under the guidance of a pure devotee. Otherwise, the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will always be hidden. As already stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.25) , nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya: He is not revealed to everyone. No one can understand God simply by erudite scholarship or mental speculation. Only one who is actually engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service can understand what Kṛṣṇa is. University degrees are not helpful. One who is fully conversant with the Kṛṣṇa science becomes eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom, the abode of Kṛṣṇa. Becoming Brahman does not mean that one loses his identity. Devotional service is there, and as long as devotional service exists, there must be God, the devotee, and the process of devotional service. Such knowledge is never vanquished, even after liberation. Liberation involves getting free from the concept of material life; in spiritual life the same distinction is there, the same individuality is there, but in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should not mistakenly think that the word viśate, “enters into Me,” supports the monist theory that one becomes homogeneous with the impersonal Brahman. No. Viśate means that one can enter into the abode of the Supreme Lord in one’s individuality to engage in His association and render service unto Him. For instance, a green bird enters a green tree not to become one with the tree but to enjoy the fruits of the tree. Impersonalists generally give the example of a river flowing into the ocean and merging. This may be a source of happiness for the impersonalist, but the personalist keeps his personal individuality like an aquatic in the ocean. We find so many living entities within the ocean, if we go deep. Surface acquaintance with the ocean is not sufficient; one must have complete knowledge of the aquatics living in the ocean depths. Because of his pure devotional service, a devotee can understand the transcendental qualities and the opulences of the Supreme Lord in truth. As it is stated in the Eleventh Chapter, only by devotional service can one understand. The same is confirmed here; one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by devotional service and enter into His kingdom. After attainment of the brahma-bhūta stage of freedom from material conceptions, devotional service begins by one’s hearing about the Lord. When one hears about the Supreme Lord, automatically the brahma-bhūta stage develops, and material contamination – greediness and lust for sense enjoyment – disappears. As lust and desires disappear from the heart of a devotee, he becomes more attached to the service of the Lord, and by such attachment he becomes free from material contamination. In that state of life he can understand the Supreme Lord. This is the statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also. After liberation the process of bhakti, or transcendental service, continues. The Vedānta-sūtra (4.1.12) confirms this: ā-prāyaṇāt tatrāpi hi dṛṣṭam. This means that after liberation the process of devotional service continues. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , real devotional liberation is defined as the reinstatement of the living entity in his own identity, his own constitutional position. The constitutional position is already explained: every living entity is a part-and-parcel fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord. Therefore his constitutional position is to serve. After liberation, this service is never stopped. Actual liberation is getting free from misconceptions of life.
Hinglish Commentary
Kṛṣṇa, jo ki Supreme Personality of Godhead hain, unhe samajhna sirf dimaag se ya non-devotees ke liye possible nahi hai. Agar koi sach mein Kṛṣṇa ko samajhna chahta hai, toh usse pure devotional service lena hoga, ek pure devotee ki guidance mein. Agar aisa nahi hota, toh Kṛṣṇa ki asli sachai humesha chhupi rahegi. Bhagavad-gītā mein kaha gaya hai ki Kṛṣṇa sabko nahi dikhte; koi bhi vyakti sirf gyaan ya scholarship se Kṛṣṇa ko nahi samajh sakta. Sirf wo log jo Kṛṣṇa consciousness aur devotional service mein engaged hain, wahi jaan sakte hain ki Kṛṣṇa kya hain. University ki degrees ismein koi madad nahi karti. Jo vyakti Kṛṣṇa ke gyaan se parichit hota hai, wahi spiritual kingdom, yaani Kṛṣṇa ke ghar ka hakdar hota hai. Brahman banne ka matlab yeh nahi hai ki vyakti apni identity kho deta hai. Jab tak devotional service hai, tab tak God, devotee, aur devotional service ka process bhi hoga. Yeh gyaan kabhi khatam nahi hota, chahe liberation ho jaye. Liberation ka matlab hai material life se azadi paana; spiritual life mein bhi individuality hoti hai, lekin pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness ke saath. Kisi ko yeh nahi sochna chahiye ki "viśate" ka matlab hai ki vyakti impersonal Brahman ke saath ek ho gaya. Nahi, "viśate" ka matlab hai ki ek vyakti apni individuality ke saath Supreme Lord ki jagah mein jaa sakta hai aur unki seva kar sakta hai. Jaise ek hara parinda hara ped mein nahi milta, balki ped ke phalon ka aanand lene aata hai. Impersonalists aksar ek nadi ka samundar mein milne ka udaharan dete hain, lekin personalist apni individuality ko samundar mein bhi rakhta hai. Samundar ke gehraiyon mein bahut saare jeev hain, aur sirf samundar ki satah par rehna kaafi nahi hai; poora gyaan hona chahiye un aquatics ka jo samundar ke gehraiyon mein hain. Ek devotee apne pure devotional service ki wajah se Supreme Lord ki transcendental qualities aur opulences ko samajh sakta hai. Yeh bhi kaha gaya hai ki sirf devotional service se hi koi Supreme Personality of Godhead ko samajh sakta hai aur unki kingdom mein ja sakta hai. Jab koi vyakti brahma-bhūta stage tak pahunchta hai, tab devotional service shuru hota hai jab wo Lord ke baare mein sunta hai. Jaise hi wo Supreme Lord ke baare mein sunta hai, brahma-bhūta stage khud-ba-khud develop hota hai, aur material contamination, jaise ki lobh aur indriya sukh ki tamanna, khatam ho jati hai. Jab ek devotee ke dil se lust aur desires chali jaati hain, toh wo Lord ki seva ke liye aur zyada attached ho jata hai, aur is attachment se wo material contamination se free ho jata hai. Is state mein wo Supreme Lord ko samajh sakta hai. Yeh baat Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam mein bhi kahi gayi hai. Liberation ke baad bhakti ya transcendental service ka process chalta rahta hai. Vedānta-sūtra bhi is baat ko confirm karta hai ki liberation ke baad bhi devotional service ka process jari rehta hai. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam mein, real devotional liberation ko living entity ki apni identity mein wapas aane ke roop mein define kiya gaya hai. Har living entity, Supreme Lord ka part-and-parcel hai, aur isliye unki constitutional position seva karna hai. Liberation ke baad bhi yeh seva kabhi nahi rukti. Actual liberation hai life ke misconceptions se azadi paana.
Chinmaya Commentary
परमात्मा से परम प्रेम अर्थात् पूर्ण तादात्म्य ही परा भक्ति है। उस परा भक्ति से ही साधक भक्त परमात्मा को तत्त्वत समझ सकता है। शास्त्र के श्रवण अध्ययन आदि से प्राप्त किया गया ज्ञान प्राय परोक्ष होता है। जब वह ज्ञान विज्ञान अर्थात् स्वानुभव बन जाता है केवल तभी परमात्मा का यथार्थ बोध होता है।यावान् मैं कितना हूँ इसका अर्थ यह है कि परा भक्ति के द्वारा एक भक्त भगवान् के उपाधिकृत विस्तार को समझ लेता है। भगवान् की विभूतियों का वर्णन दसवें अध्याय में किया जा चुका है।यश्च अस्मि मैं क्या हूँ एक परम भक्त यह भी जान लेता है कि भगवान् का वास्तविक स्वरूप समस्त उपाधियों से वर्जित निर्गुण निर्विशेष है। सारांशत भगवान् को तत्त्वत जानने का अर्थ उनके सर्वव्यापक एवं सर्वातीत इन दोनों ही स्वरूप को जानना है।हमें यह स्मरण रखना चाहिए कि सम्पूर्ण गीता में भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण अपने लिए जो मैं शब्द का प्रयोग करते हैं वह अपने परमात्म स्वरूप की दृष्टि से ही कहते हैं वसुदेव के पुत्र के रूप में नहीं। अत जब वे कहते हैं वह साधक मुझमें प्रवेश करता है तब उसका अर्थ किसी गृह में प्रवेश के समान न होकर साधक की आत्मानुभूति से है। भक्त का आत्मस्वरूप भगवान् के परमात्मस्वरूप से भिन्न नहीं है। यहाँ कथित प्रवेश ऐसा ही है जैसे स्वप्न द्रष्टा जाग्रत् पुरुष में प्रवेश करता है। इस श्लोक का तात्पर्य यह है कि एक साधन सम्पन्न उत्तम अधिकारी निदिध्यासन के द्वारा परमात्मा का अनुभव आत्मरूप से ही करता है उससे भिन्न रहकर नहीं।जगत् के प्राणियों की सेवा के बिना ईश्वर की सेवा पूर्ण नहीं होती। भगवान् कहते हैं