sanatsujaatheeyam- chapter 2

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16.evam mrthyum jaayamaanam

vidhithvaa

jnaanena thishTan na

bibhethimrthyoH

vinaSyathe vishye thasya mrthyuH

mrthyoH yaTaavishayam praapye marthyaH

 

In sloka 4 of chapter2 Santkumara has said that

pramadha, slipping in memory, svaabhaavika svabhaavaath prachyuthiH, about one's real nature

out of ignorance creates the delusion of identification with the body which in

turn gives rise to kama , krodha etc. This causes future births. Thus sanathkumara

showed in the foregoing slokas that one who is possessed kama kroDha etc. becomes his own mrthyu. Then which

is the way to conquer mrthyu, the death?

 

Sanatkumara says that to get the knowledge about the

real self is the way. One who is endowed with aathmajanan does not fear from

death. The sruti says, aanandham brahmaNaHvidhvaan. Na bibhethikuthaSchana

ithi.( That.2.9)

 

He explains it further thus: The knowledge that he

is not the body, mind and intellect, the ignorance of which is the seed of kama and krodha, but he is the Self which is not affected

by these makes one free from the result

of karma and the mrthyu is no more for him. The identification with the supreme

self, Brahman who is one ony without a second, dispels all fear including that of

mrthyu because he sees everything as Brahman and fear comes

only from something other than oneself. We do not fear from ourselves.

 

In Bhagavtgita the Lord says, sarvabhoothasTham

aathmaanam sarvabhoothaani chaathmani eekshathe yogayukthaathmaa (BG.6.29) one who has the

athmajnana sees all beingsinhimself and himself in all beings, because he sees

the Lord everywhere. Yo maam paSyathi sarvathra sarvam cha mayi paSyathi.

 

Dhrtharaashtra uvacha

 

Dhrtrashtra said,

 

17. yaan

eve aahuH ijyayaa saDhulokaan dhvijaatheenaam

puNyathamaan

sanaathanaan

theshaam paraarTham kaTnayanthi iha

ethath vidhvaan na ethi kaTham nu karma

 

How

is it that the one who acquired knowledge of realty does not do those karma

which were mentioned by the vedas as being necessary to attain the sacred and eternal, which alone is the

greatest goal of life?

 

Dhrthrashtra who was brought up in a traditional

manner believimng that the vedic karmas are a must thinks that the worlds

attined bu y doing punyakarma like yajan, dhana etc. are th paramapurushaarTha,

the highes goal of human life. This is because

he lacked the knowledge of the reality. Now he raises a doubt, how could the man of knowledge as described by

Sanatkumara give up the vedic rites?

 

sanatsujaatha uvaacha

 

18. evam hyavidhvaanpariyathi thathra

thaThaa arThajaatham cha vadhanthi vedhaaH

sa neha aayaathi param paraathmaa

prayaathi maargeNa nihanthyamaargaan

 

Only those

without real knowledge attach importance

to the vedic rites and go to the worlds attained through meritorious acts. The

wise one is not attaracted by that. Vedas denote these resuts of vedic karma as

arTha , the goal to be attained only for those who wish for good life either

here or hereafter. The man of knowledge

do not pursue that path but proceed to the state of salvation by realising

Brahman , leaving the other path, amaarga, that which does not lead to his goal.

 

In Gita the

Lord says about those who extoll the karmamarga prescribed by the vedas,

 

kaamaathmaanaH

svarga paraaH janmakarmaphala pradhaam

 

kriyaaviSeshabahulaam bhogaiSvarya gathim prathi (BG_2.42-43)

 

They are filled wirh desire, wishing for heaven, perform

various rites which result in more karma and janma. That is if one does a punya

karma he has to take another birth to enjoy the result of it. Even if they go

to heaven because of their punyakarma they have to return to the earth once

their punya is exhausted, ksheene puNya marthyalokam viSanthi (BG-9.21)

 

The jnani knowing that

the attainment of all these worlds are transitory and cause return to earth, aabrhmabhuvanaallokaah

punaravarthino arjuna (BG.8.16) gives up the karma which

lead to these and aspires for the state of release or attainment of Brahman, by

which alone there is no return.