Bg 9.9
na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañ-jaya
udāsīna-vad āsīnam asaktaṁ teṣu karmasu
Bg 9.10
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteyajagad viparivartate
Translation
9. Sitting like one indifferent, and unattached to these acts, Dhananjaya, these acts do not bind Me.
10. Under Me as her Supervisor, PRAKRITI (nature) produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O Kaunteya, the world revolves.
Commentary
In the case of the limited ego, its ego-centric actions leave their impressions behind, which ultimately persecute the little ego with their reactions. All ego-centric actions, which are always motivated by selfish desires, leave their ugly foot-prints upon the shores of the mind (Vasanas), while actions which are not ego-motivated leave no trail (Vasanas), as birds leave no foot-prints as they move along in the sky. We can compare an ungrateful son kicking his own father, with an innocent child in a playful mood kicking his own father, with both its legs. A philosopher's subtle vision is not necessary to understand the difference in texture between these two persons performing the same action --- kicking the father. Wherever and whenever an ego-centric action, whipped by selfish desires, is undertaken, gross and painful reactions (Vasanas) must necessarily ensue.
In the case of Eternal animating Its Prakriti, and projecting out "AGAIN AND AGAIN THE MULTITUDE OF BEINGS," there is neither any attachment (Raga) nor any aversion (Dvesha), and therefore, by this mere happening on the Eternal, the Supreme is not affected: "THESE ACTS DO NOT BIND ME." It is neither ego-centric nor desire-motivated.
However tragic and murderous the play may be, however tearful and sad the story be, however rainy and stormy the scene be, the white screen in the cinema hall at the end of the play carries neither the marks of the blood spilt, nor the stains of the tears shed, nor the wear and tear of the storm that raged. At the same time, we all know that but for the changeless screen, the story could never have been unravelled through the medium of light and shade. In the same fashion, the ever-pure Infinite, as the Self, becomes the enduring platform for the drama of sorrow that is expressed in the language of plurality, ceaselessly enacted by the infinite number of egos, helplessly repeating the parts ordered by their Vasanas, gathered by them in the past.
The steam in the engine is not punished for the disaster of derailment, nor is the steam complimented when the train reaches its destination in time! Again, neither the disaster nor the successful accomplishment of the journey could ever take place without the steam. The engine without the steam is inert iron assembled in a particular shape, dull and heavy; it is the steam that dynamises and renders it capable of its actions of cruel destruction, or kindly construction, as the case may be. Since the steam in the engine has neither an anxiety to move the train, nor an aversion to move it, the steam is ignored in the achievements of the train, whether good or bad. It is the motive behind the action that determines its reaction.
The Self is the source of all dynamism. It dynamises the mind. Each mind is a bundle of Vasanas. Good Vasanas make the mind sing the song of joy and harmony. Bad Vasanas in the mind make it groan with sobs and tears. The needle in the gramophone is not responsible for the song that the record sings. As the record, so the music. Similarly, the Self is Eternal. It is unmindful of what type of world is projected forth. Nor is It anxious in any sense of the term, to create a better world. Sunlight illumines whatever happens to be there in its light, be it a murder, or be it a martyrdom. Neither the glory of the martyr, nor the crime of the murderer can reach the Sun. The Self, as Pure Consciousness, illumines the Vasanas and lends them the capacity to project out, be it for the damnation of themselves or for their own glorification. "SITTING LIKE ONE INDIFFERENT AND UNATTACHED TO THESE ACTS" the Self revels in the realm of Its lower nature (Prakriti).
WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS STRANGE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INFINITE AND THE FINITE? THE FINITE ACTS BECAUSE OF THE INFINITE, AND YET THE INFINITE IS SAID TO BE NEUTRAL... HOW?
In Vedanta, this relationship between the actionless Self and the active non-Self has been brought out by a bunch of analogies, each one trying to throw much light upon this sacred tie of 'relationless-relationship.'
The rays of the Sun warm up the objects upon which they fall, without warming the intervening medium through which they pass. Similarly, the Self remains in Its own Infinite glory, and the non-Self gets dynamised to act, as Prakriti, in the mere "presence" of the Self.
The king gets a fancy that he should visit a given pilgrim centre on the full-moon day of the following month, and having expressed this intention to his minister, the king forgets all about it. But on the day prior to the following full-moon, the minister approaches the king to remind him that it is time for the royal procession. The next day, when the king comes out, he finds that the entire route is thronged with his subjects. Welcoming arches are raised at different places. All detailed arrangements are planned out and colourfully executed for his royal visit, and return. All the officers and subjects have poured out all their capacities and endeavour to make the royal trip to the temple a great success.
In all these feverish activities, everyone gained his authority and power only because of the king, and yet, the king himself was nowhere in the picture. The minister had his sanction from the king, and therefore, his orders were faithfully executed by all others. Had the minister tried to organise such a show as an ordinary citizen, he would never have succeeded. Similarly, in the mere presence of the Self, Prakriti borrows her sanction to plan and to execute, to act and to achieve.
Subjectively, this becomes more clear. The Atman, merely by Its "presence" illumines the mind and intellect and creates for the expression of their Vasanas an entire field of world-objects and the required instruments of experience, constituted of the organs-of-perception and the organs-of-action. "NATURE, WHILE I PRESIDE, GIVES BIRTH TO THE WORLD OF THINGS AND BEINGS" --- "Nature" here means "The Unmanifest, that gets projected forth as the manifest."
The continued dance of the world-of-plurality to the rhythm of change and death is maintained in the "presence" of the Self; "THE WORLD WHIRLS ROUND AND ROUND BECAUSE OF THIS." In the final analysis, the Self does nothing. It is the Prakriti that projects and executes; the Prakriti that gets animated in the proximity of the Self. It is the Light of the Self that vitalises the Prakriti and makes her exist and act. That is all the relationship between the Self, the Purusha and the non-Self, the Prakriti.
This will become more clear if the student tries to understand this relationship exactly as the relationship that can exist between the wayside post and the ghost that is superimposed upon it by the deluded.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañ-jaya
udāsīna-vad āsīnam asaktaṁ teṣu karmasu
Bg 9.10
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram
hetunānena kaunteyajagad viparivartate
Translation
9. Sitting like one indifferent, and unattached to these acts, Dhananjaya, these acts do not bind Me.
10. Under Me as her Supervisor, PRAKRITI (nature) produces the moving and the unmoving; because of this, O Kaunteya, the world revolves.
Commentary
In the case of the limited ego, its ego-centric actions leave their impressions behind, which ultimately persecute the little ego with their reactions. All ego-centric actions, which are always motivated by selfish desires, leave their ugly foot-prints upon the shores of the mind (Vasanas), while actions which are not ego-motivated leave no trail (Vasanas), as birds leave no foot-prints as they move along in the sky. We can compare an ungrateful son kicking his own father, with an innocent child in a playful mood kicking his own father, with both its legs. A philosopher's subtle vision is not necessary to understand the difference in texture between these two persons performing the same action --- kicking the father. Wherever and whenever an ego-centric action, whipped by selfish desires, is undertaken, gross and painful reactions (Vasanas) must necessarily ensue.
In the case of Eternal animating Its Prakriti, and projecting out "AGAIN AND AGAIN THE MULTITUDE OF BEINGS," there is neither any attachment (Raga) nor any aversion (Dvesha), and therefore, by this mere happening on the Eternal, the Supreme is not affected: "THESE ACTS DO NOT BIND ME." It is neither ego-centric nor desire-motivated.
However tragic and murderous the play may be, however tearful and sad the story be, however rainy and stormy the scene be, the white screen in the cinema hall at the end of the play carries neither the marks of the blood spilt, nor the stains of the tears shed, nor the wear and tear of the storm that raged. At the same time, we all know that but for the changeless screen, the story could never have been unravelled through the medium of light and shade. In the same fashion, the ever-pure Infinite, as the Self, becomes the enduring platform for the drama of sorrow that is expressed in the language of plurality, ceaselessly enacted by the infinite number of egos, helplessly repeating the parts ordered by their Vasanas, gathered by them in the past.
The steam in the engine is not punished for the disaster of derailment, nor is the steam complimented when the train reaches its destination in time! Again, neither the disaster nor the successful accomplishment of the journey could ever take place without the steam. The engine without the steam is inert iron assembled in a particular shape, dull and heavy; it is the steam that dynamises and renders it capable of its actions of cruel destruction, or kindly construction, as the case may be. Since the steam in the engine has neither an anxiety to move the train, nor an aversion to move it, the steam is ignored in the achievements of the train, whether good or bad. It is the motive behind the action that determines its reaction.
The Self is the source of all dynamism. It dynamises the mind. Each mind is a bundle of Vasanas. Good Vasanas make the mind sing the song of joy and harmony. Bad Vasanas in the mind make it groan with sobs and tears. The needle in the gramophone is not responsible for the song that the record sings. As the record, so the music. Similarly, the Self is Eternal. It is unmindful of what type of world is projected forth. Nor is It anxious in any sense of the term, to create a better world. Sunlight illumines whatever happens to be there in its light, be it a murder, or be it a martyrdom. Neither the glory of the martyr, nor the crime of the murderer can reach the Sun. The Self, as Pure Consciousness, illumines the Vasanas and lends them the capacity to project out, be it for the damnation of themselves or for their own glorification. "SITTING LIKE ONE INDIFFERENT AND UNATTACHED TO THESE ACTS" the Self revels in the realm of Its lower nature (Prakriti).
WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS STRANGE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE INFINITE AND THE FINITE? THE FINITE ACTS BECAUSE OF THE INFINITE, AND YET THE INFINITE IS SAID TO BE NEUTRAL... HOW?
In Vedanta, this relationship between the actionless Self and the active non-Self has been brought out by a bunch of analogies, each one trying to throw much light upon this sacred tie of 'relationless-relationship.'
The rays of the Sun warm up the objects upon which they fall, without warming the intervening medium through which they pass. Similarly, the Self remains in Its own Infinite glory, and the non-Self gets dynamised to act, as Prakriti, in the mere "presence" of the Self.
The king gets a fancy that he should visit a given pilgrim centre on the full-moon day of the following month, and having expressed this intention to his minister, the king forgets all about it. But on the day prior to the following full-moon, the minister approaches the king to remind him that it is time for the royal procession. The next day, when the king comes out, he finds that the entire route is thronged with his subjects. Welcoming arches are raised at different places. All detailed arrangements are planned out and colourfully executed for his royal visit, and return. All the officers and subjects have poured out all their capacities and endeavour to make the royal trip to the temple a great success.
In all these feverish activities, everyone gained his authority and power only because of the king, and yet, the king himself was nowhere in the picture. The minister had his sanction from the king, and therefore, his orders were faithfully executed by all others. Had the minister tried to organise such a show as an ordinary citizen, he would never have succeeded. Similarly, in the mere presence of the Self, Prakriti borrows her sanction to plan and to execute, to act and to achieve.
Subjectively, this becomes more clear. The Atman, merely by Its "presence" illumines the mind and intellect and creates for the expression of their Vasanas an entire field of world-objects and the required instruments of experience, constituted of the organs-of-perception and the organs-of-action. "NATURE, WHILE I PRESIDE, GIVES BIRTH TO THE WORLD OF THINGS AND BEINGS" --- "Nature" here means "The Unmanifest, that gets projected forth as the manifest."
The continued dance of the world-of-plurality to the rhythm of change and death is maintained in the "presence" of the Self; "THE WORLD WHIRLS ROUND AND ROUND BECAUSE OF THIS." In the final analysis, the Self does nothing. It is the Prakriti that projects and executes; the Prakriti that gets animated in the proximity of the Self. It is the Light of the Self that vitalises the Prakriti and makes her exist and act. That is all the relationship between the Self, the Purusha and the non-Self, the Prakriti.
This will become more clear if the student tries to understand this relationship exactly as the relationship that can exist between the wayside post and the ghost that is superimposed upon it by the deluded.
Sources: vedabase.com; The Holy Geeta
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