Bg 4.34
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Bg 4.35
yaj jñātvā na punar moham evaṁ yāsyasi pāṇḍava
yena bhūtāny aśeṣāṇi drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi
Translation:
34. Know that by long prostration, by question, and service, the "wise" who have realised the Truth will instruct you in (that) 'Knowledge.'
35. Knowing that, you shall not, O Pandava, again get deluded like this; and by that, you shall see all beings in your Self, and also in Me.
Commentary Excerpts:
The verse explains the qualities that are necessary in a teacher, who alone can instruct us on the "Path-of-Knowledge" and guide us to the great consummation in all life. It also explains the mental attitude and the intellectual approach which a successful student must adopt, so that his contact with the Guru may be fruitful.
PROSTRATING YOURSELF --- All that is meant here is that the student must have an intellectual attitude of surrender and meekness, respect and obedience, when he approaches the teacher who has to instruct him upon the secret-of-life. Regarding the world within and the methods of its control, ordinarily, the students are completely ignorant, and therefore, they must approach the teacher with a readiness to understand, grasp and follow his instructions.
Just as water flows always from a higher to a lower level, so too, 'knowledge' can flow only to a lower level. It is, therefore, necessary that the student must have a "spirit of prostration" in him so that he may be able to get himself surcharged with the 'Knowledge' that flows from the teacher. Thus the prostration, as used here, essentially defines more, the required mental and intellectual attitude of the student, than his physical readiness to fall-flat on the ground at the feet of his Master.
BY QUESTIONS --- By raising doubts to the teacher we are opening up the cistern of 'Knowledge' locked up in the Master's bosom. A perfect Guru immediately detects from the questions, the false line of thinking in the student, and while removing the very doubt, he imperceptibly orders and reorganises the right-way of thinking in the inner thought-life of the student. When this intellectual wrestling has been practised for a long time, the fragrance of perfection in the teacher, as it were, gets transferred to the student's life!
Therefore, it has been an immortal tradition among the Hindus to have open discussions between the teacher and the taught, called Satsanga. This privilege is not available in all religions of the world. In fact, Vedanta alone thus dares to proclaim a perfect freedom for the intellect. It never trades upon the blind faith of the seekers. In all other religions, faith is a great power and force, and therefore, many of the intellectual imperfections in their Scriptures cannot be completely answered; and the priests therein must necessarily check the full freedom of the seekers to question their
sacred texts.
BY SERVICE --- The offering of flowers and sweetmeats is not what constitutes seva. These have been understood as the service of the teacher only as a by-product of institutionalism and Ashrama organisation. A true service of the teacher lies in the attempt of the student to attune himself to the principles of life advocated and advised to him by the Master. To live the life indicated by the Rishis is the greatest seva that an imperfect mortal can offer to the Man-of-Perfection.
The two main qualifications essential for a fully useful teacher on the spiritual path are: (a) a perfect knowledge of scriptural literature and (b) a complete subjective experience of the Infinite Reality. These two factors are indicated here. Each, without the other, is totally useless in guiding a seeker. Mere knowledge of the Scriptures can make only a learned Pandita and not a Perfect-Master. A man of intimate experience of Truth will, in himself, become completely silent, because he will find it impossible to explain and express his own transcendental experience to other seekers.
BY THIS THE LORD MEANS TO SAY THAT, THAT 'KNOWLEDGE' ALONE, WHICH IS IMPARTED BY THOSE WHO HAVE REALISED THE TRUTH --- THAT 'KNOWLEDGE' ALONE AND NO OTHER 'KNOWLEDGE' --- CAN PROVE EFFECTIVE. THEN THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT HOLDS GOOD:
After all these painful troubles, it may chance that we may get 'Knowledge,' but after one's death one may again fall back to 'ignorance'and come to repeat the same process. Even in our own life-time there have been many things learnt and experienced which we do not now remember. Similarly, this 'Knowledge' also may be lost to us in which case it will be indeed a great loss.
This doubt is fully cleared here by an assertive, confident declaration that after regaining this 'Knowledge,' "YOU SHALL NOT, O PANDAVA, AGAIN GET DELUDED LIKE THIS." This declaration, rather fanatical in style, has to be, for the time being, accepted by all seekers. All teachers unanimously declare this idea and since they have no particular reason to deceive their generation, it is but intelligent that we should accept the truth of this declaration in good faith --- till we come to confirm it in our own personal experience.
No doubt, an immature child can never understand the physical thrills of the nuptial chamber, and thereby it cannot be said that the newly-weds are always telling lies!! The little child has not matured enough even to feel sympathetically the thrills explained. Similarly, we, living in delusion, cannot UNDERSTAND the thrills of the transcendental, or EXPERIENCE its Eternal Nature --- however vividly the teachers may explain, until we also grow to the required inner maturity.
By this rediscovery of the Self, Krishna promises that the Pandava Prince will thereafter be able to recognise the entire creation --- constituted of the world of objects, emotions, and ideas --- as nothing other than the Self, which is his own real Nature; which again is nothing other than 'Me', Lord Krishna, the Paramatman. Having for once realised the ocean, all the waves are recognised by the intelligent-eye as nothing but the ocean.
In this stanza, thus, tests of having realised "that Knowledge" --- discussed in the previous stanzas, are given. It also indicates how long we must hold on to the apron of a true Guru. As long as we have not realised that the whole creation is nothing but our own Self, which is as divine and omnipotent as the Lord of Dwarka Himself, so long we cannot afford to leave our intimate relationship and complete dependence upon the Preceptor and Guide, the Guru.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Bg 4.35
yaj jñātvā na punar moham evaṁ yāsyasi pāṇḍava
yena bhūtāny aśeṣāṇi drakṣyasy ātmany atho mayi
Translation:
34. Know that by long prostration, by question, and service, the "wise" who have realised the Truth will instruct you in (that) 'Knowledge.'
35. Knowing that, you shall not, O Pandava, again get deluded like this; and by that, you shall see all beings in your Self, and also in Me.
Commentary Excerpts:
The verse explains the qualities that are necessary in a teacher, who alone can instruct us on the "Path-of-Knowledge" and guide us to the great consummation in all life. It also explains the mental attitude and the intellectual approach which a successful student must adopt, so that his contact with the Guru may be fruitful.
PROSTRATING YOURSELF --- All that is meant here is that the student must have an intellectual attitude of surrender and meekness, respect and obedience, when he approaches the teacher who has to instruct him upon the secret-of-life. Regarding the world within and the methods of its control, ordinarily, the students are completely ignorant, and therefore, they must approach the teacher with a readiness to understand, grasp and follow his instructions.
Just as water flows always from a higher to a lower level, so too, 'knowledge' can flow only to a lower level. It is, therefore, necessary that the student must have a "spirit of prostration" in him so that he may be able to get himself surcharged with the 'Knowledge' that flows from the teacher. Thus the prostration, as used here, essentially defines more, the required mental and intellectual attitude of the student, than his physical readiness to fall-flat on the ground at the feet of his Master.
BY QUESTIONS --- By raising doubts to the teacher we are opening up the cistern of 'Knowledge' locked up in the Master's bosom. A perfect Guru immediately detects from the questions, the false line of thinking in the student, and while removing the very doubt, he imperceptibly orders and reorganises the right-way of thinking in the inner thought-life of the student. When this intellectual wrestling has been practised for a long time, the fragrance of perfection in the teacher, as it were, gets transferred to the student's life!
Therefore, it has been an immortal tradition among the Hindus to have open discussions between the teacher and the taught, called Satsanga. This privilege is not available in all religions of the world. In fact, Vedanta alone thus dares to proclaim a perfect freedom for the intellect. It never trades upon the blind faith of the seekers. In all other religions, faith is a great power and force, and therefore, many of the intellectual imperfections in their Scriptures cannot be completely answered; and the priests therein must necessarily check the full freedom of the seekers to question their
sacred texts.
BY SERVICE --- The offering of flowers and sweetmeats is not what constitutes seva. These have been understood as the service of the teacher only as a by-product of institutionalism and Ashrama organisation. A true service of the teacher lies in the attempt of the student to attune himself to the principles of life advocated and advised to him by the Master. To live the life indicated by the Rishis is the greatest seva that an imperfect mortal can offer to the Man-of-Perfection.
The two main qualifications essential for a fully useful teacher on the spiritual path are: (a) a perfect knowledge of scriptural literature and (b) a complete subjective experience of the Infinite Reality. These two factors are indicated here. Each, without the other, is totally useless in guiding a seeker. Mere knowledge of the Scriptures can make only a learned Pandita and not a Perfect-Master. A man of intimate experience of Truth will, in himself, become completely silent, because he will find it impossible to explain and express his own transcendental experience to other seekers.
BY THIS THE LORD MEANS TO SAY THAT, THAT 'KNOWLEDGE' ALONE, WHICH IS IMPARTED BY THOSE WHO HAVE REALISED THE TRUTH --- THAT 'KNOWLEDGE' ALONE AND NO OTHER 'KNOWLEDGE' --- CAN PROVE EFFECTIVE. THEN THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT HOLDS GOOD:
After all these painful troubles, it may chance that we may get 'Knowledge,' but after one's death one may again fall back to 'ignorance'and come to repeat the same process. Even in our own life-time there have been many things learnt and experienced which we do not now remember. Similarly, this 'Knowledge' also may be lost to us in which case it will be indeed a great loss.
This doubt is fully cleared here by an assertive, confident declaration that after regaining this 'Knowledge,' "YOU SHALL NOT, O PANDAVA, AGAIN GET DELUDED LIKE THIS." This declaration, rather fanatical in style, has to be, for the time being, accepted by all seekers. All teachers unanimously declare this idea and since they have no particular reason to deceive their generation, it is but intelligent that we should accept the truth of this declaration in good faith --- till we come to confirm it in our own personal experience.
No doubt, an immature child can never understand the physical thrills of the nuptial chamber, and thereby it cannot be said that the newly-weds are always telling lies!! The little child has not matured enough even to feel sympathetically the thrills explained. Similarly, we, living in delusion, cannot UNDERSTAND the thrills of the transcendental, or EXPERIENCE its Eternal Nature --- however vividly the teachers may explain, until we also grow to the required inner maturity.
By this rediscovery of the Self, Krishna promises that the Pandava Prince will thereafter be able to recognise the entire creation --- constituted of the world of objects, emotions, and ideas --- as nothing other than the Self, which is his own real Nature; which again is nothing other than 'Me', Lord Krishna, the Paramatman. Having for once realised the ocean, all the waves are recognised by the intelligent-eye as nothing but the ocean.
In this stanza, thus, tests of having realised "that Knowledge" --- discussed in the previous stanzas, are given. It also indicates how long we must hold on to the apron of a true Guru. As long as we have not realised that the whole creation is nothing but our own Self, which is as divine and omnipotent as the Lord of Dwarka Himself, so long we cannot afford to leave our intimate relationship and complete dependence upon the Preceptor and Guide, the Guru.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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