Chapter 9Confidential Knowledge of the Ultimate TruthVerse 2

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Anvaya

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Commentaries of the Four Authorized Vaisnava Sampradayas

as confirmed in the Garga Samhita Canto 10, Chapter 61, Verses 23, 24, 25, 26
Rudra Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Visnuswami

Sridhara Swami's Commentary

Lord Krishna emphasizes the paramount position of this knowledge by a metaphor using the word raja meaning king. The king is the highest authority in the kingdom and this spiritual vidya or wisdom is the highest authority of all knowledge. The word guhyam means confidential and among all confidential knowledge this wisdom is the highest. The word raja is placed before the secondary words vaidya and guhyam to place emphasis of this on each. This wisdom is supremely holy, completely sanctifying and directly experienced by those whose senses are directed to the Supreme Lord in bhakti or pure loving devotion. The results of this wisdom is incomparable as one will never deviate from righteousness and it includes the merits of all virtuous acts prescribed in the Vedic scriptures. It is easy to practice being simple to perform and it is imperishable because its result is everlasting.

Brahma Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Madhvacarya

Madhvacarya's Commentary

Hari OM! In this chapter Lord Krishna clarifies what He has already revealed in the seventh chapter. Sovereign wisdom is primal wisdom. The word pratyaksavagaman is that which is experienced by direct realization of the brahman or spiritual substratum pervading all existence. That which is established in each of the sense organs individually is known as pratyaksa. The Moksa Dharma states: That which is established in the breath is different from the primal breath of the presiding deity. The presiding deity will not know him but he is like the body of the Supreme Lord. Similarly are the presiding deity of speech and the presiding deity of sight etc. The Supreme Purusa or supreme personality who is the size of a thumb is abiding in the etheric space within the heart. He is also established in the mind, the moon, space, the sun, etc. In the Vavravya section of the Sama Veda is stated: Having established each of the presiding deities as the perceiver of the sense organs, the Purusa being the archetype of the senses is also known as pratyaksa. One who understands the Purusa as such is endowed with wisdom. The word dharmyam means eternal righteousness and is representative of the Supreme Lord. All his activities are always established in eternal righteousness. Whatever is spoken about Him or written about Him from the Vedic scriptures concerning Him or any of authorized avatar's or incarnations and His and their activities are always without exception established in eternal righteousness. He maintains and sustains the entire material creation therefore He is the foundation of dharma. Being the sole upholder of all dharma the Supreme Lord is revered as the apex and ultimate personality. Preserving and supporting all existence thereby all beings in creation are supported as well. The Sama Veda reveals: In the beginning only the Supreme Lord as dharma existed, neither the Earth, the wind or space, nor Brahma, nor Shiva, nor the demigods, nor the sages. The word pratyaksavagaman also denotes one of the ways to experience supernatural reality.

Now begins the summation.

What Lord Krishna stated in chapter seven is being explained in more detail here.

Sri Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Ramanuja

Ramanuja's Commentary

The words raja-vidya mean kingly knowledge, supreme wisdom. As the king is the most supreme ruler this knowledge is the most supreme wisdom. The words raja-guhyam mean the supreme secret or most confidential. True kings are those who possess lofty minds and deep hearts. So this supreme knowledge is appropriate for those also having such minds and hearts. Only people possessing lofty minds and deep hearts possess the discrimination to know what must be kept sacred and confidential from the mundane and profane view. To such persons this knowledge is a sacred mystery and revered. The word pavitram means pure, sanctifying, having the virtue to absolve all impurities which obstruct the attainment of the Supreme Lord Krishna. The word pratyasavagamam means realisation by direct perception. Avagamam is that which is realised and therefore an object of perception. Hence the reality which becomes perceived is in fact consciousness and becomes pratyasavagamam.

The purport of this is that by performing bhakti or pure, loving devotional service unto the Supreme Lord, He immediately reveals Himself internally to His surrendered devotee. The word dharmyam meaning eternal righteousness has the virtueof being inseparable from the Supreme Lord. The attribute of dharmyam is known to be the means to achieve spiritual communion with the Supreme Lord.

In and of itself the very nature of virtue is happiness. But when the practice of virtue is known to be capable of granting direct access to the Supreme Lord it becomes extremely exhilarating and is so joyful to cultivate as it leads one to the exquisitely blissful goal of attaining the Supreme Lord Krishna. Thus it is susukham kartum or very joyful to perform. This supreme wisdom being so delightful and congenial is what Lord Krishna is about to reveal and must always be embraced with faith in gratitude and love. The word avyayam means imperishable. This means that bhakti or pure, loving devotion does not cease when one attains the Supreme Lord but continues expanding, unabated eternally.

What Lord Krishna is declaring is that when His loving devotee achieves this quality of devotion then He immediately delivers Himself to them entirely, feeling that it is insufficient compensation by what He is giving to His bhakta or devotee who has so much love for Him. Lord Krishna feels that even after He has given Himself entirely to His devotee that still this is not enough compensation to reciprocate for their love for Him. This is how inconceivably profoundly Lord Krishna regards His beloved devotees.

Kumara Vaisnava Sampradaya:


Nimbaditya

Kesava Kasmiri's Commentary

Moreover this divine spiritual knowledge is raja-vidya or a sovereign science because it destroys all vestiges of nescience and it is raja-guhyam or a sovereign secret because it is unattainable to those who never practiced bhakti or pure loving devotion to Lord Krishna or any of His Vedically authorised avatar`s or incarnations and expansions even after thousands of lifetimes. Because without bhakti one can never receive His grace and without His mercy no one can ever escape samsara the perpetual cycle of birth death. Some scholars and logicians may argue that the words raja-vidya and raja-guhyam are grammatically wrong by Panini's rule II.II.XXX that instructs that in a compound word the primary word which in this case is raja takes the secondary position. But the fact is according to the even more dominant rule of Panini's II.II.XXXI which states that any form of the word rajan which means sovereign ruler or king should always occupy the first position and so consequently neutralises this argument. This divine spiritual knowledge is supremely sacred like expiatory vows which destroys manifold sins. The vestiges of sins destroyed from expiatory vows remain in their subtle forms and by their influence may induce one to commit gross sins again. But to the contrary this most sacred spiritual knowledge completely exterminates all sins in their gross and subtle forms which have been accumulating for thousands and thousands of lifetimes. So this divine spiritual knowledge is pavitram idam uttamam the topmost in purity and pratyaksavagamam directly realised. The Supreme Lord Krishna becomes the direct realisation of His devotees aspirations. This is attained by this divine spiritual knowledge imparted by a bonafide spiritual master in authorised discipic succession as revealed in the Vedic scriptures, who also instructs and imparts bhakti or pure, loving devotion for Lord Krishna which must be accompanying any effort as well. Such a one's actions are never devoid of punya or piety and dharma or righteousness which are essential.

This divine and sacred spiritual knowledge is naturally virtuous also because it was able to be achieved as a result of selfless actions without attachment or desirous of rewards performed for thousands and thousands of lifetimes and because it is the indispensable means of reaching and attaining the Supreme Lord it is the paramount of all knowledge. Because of the nature of bhakti, the love one feels in their heart for the Supreme Lord makes it su-sukham kartum or very joyful and easy to perform without any difficulty. It is practiced by righteous determination and the conscious cultivation of the teachings of the Vedically bonafide spiritual master while simultaneously dedicating all activities to the Supreme Lord. It is also avvayam imperishable because it causes no demerits by non- committance caused by defective practice so its meritorious results are permanent and are not subject to being dissolved even after bestowing the ultimate reward of attaining the Supreme Lord.

Thus ends commentaries of chapter 9, verse 2 of the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita.

Verse 2


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