CHAPTER 9: RAJA VIDYA RAJA GUYHA YOGA

The ninth chapter is described as "Raja Vidya Raja Guhya Yoga" which may be translated as "Yoga in relation to the Knowledge and Secret of Rajas Guna". Herein Krishna reveals Himself to Arjuna as the Unmanifest Form that pervades the entire Universe, as Creator, Sustainer and Refuge.

All who worship Him as such go unto Him, while those who do not have this faith return to the path of mortal life.

The Blessed Lord said:

And now to thee, the uncarping one,
Will I declare this mighty truth,
Knowledge, experience most profound,
By which from ill wilt thou be free.

Mysterious, kingly knowledge this,
Highest of all that purify;
Perceived by senses, righteous truth,
Easy to practise, changeless all.

But in this righteous truth who have
No faith, O scorcher of thy foes,
Not reaching me, do they return
To pathways of this mortal world.

By me pervaded is this world
All in my form unmanifest;
Within me all the creatures dwell,
But not in them do I abide.

Nor yet do creatures dwell in me;
Behold my power of Yoga divine!
My soul createth and supports,
And yet in them I do not dwell.

As mighty air that everywhere
Doth always move, in Ether rests,
Know thou that even so do all
The creatures born within me bide.

When ends an age of Time, return
All creatures to my Prakriti;
And when begins a newer age,
Do I create them all again.

Having recourse to Prakriti,
Do I create again, again,
This multitude of beings all,
Helpless under my Prakriti.

Nor ever do these actions all
Bind me , O thou Dhananjaya!
For unattached and unconcerned
Do I remain amidst them all.

And Prakriti, through my control,
Bears all that move or do not move;
Because of this, O Kunti's son,
Revolveth all the universe.

The foolish disregard me when
A human form do I assume;
My nature know they not supreme,
The mighty Lord of beings all.

And vain their hopes, and vain their deeds,
Their knowledge vain, and vain their minds;
They have delusive Prakriti
Of Rakshasas and demons born.

The high-souled ones, O Pritha's son,
Possessed of Prakriti divine,
They worship me with single mind,
The changeless source of beings all;

And always glorifying me,
And striving with a firm resolve,
Saluting me with reverence,
And steadfast, ever worship me.

Others there are who worship me
With sacrifice of knowledge all;
As one, as many, and apart,
With face directed everywhere.

I am worship and the sacrifice,
The offering, and the sacred herbs;
And prayers and butter clarified,
And fire, and burnt oblation I.

I am the father of the world,
Mother, creator, ancient sire,
The purifier, who should be known,
And Om, Rik, Sama and Yajur all;

The goal, sustainer, witness, Lord,
The refuge, and abode and friend;
The source, support, and final end,
The store-house, and eternal seed.

And I give heat, and I withhold,
And issue forth, the showers of rain;
And death and immortality,
And being and non-being I.

The knowers of Vedas, purified of sin,
Drink Soma, offer sacrifice, and pray
For path to Heaven, and- reach the holy world
Of Devas' Lord, and have their joy divine.

Having enjoyed that great and heavenly world,
Their merit ended, to this mortal life
They come, and following the three fold Dharma,
Desiring their desires, they come and go.

But those who worship me alone,
Thinking of me, and no one else,
To them, the steadfast, I give all
They need, preserve what they possess.

And even those devotes endued
With faith, who worship other gods,
Worship me only, but opposed
To ordinance, O Kunti's son.

For I the enjoyer am alone,
And Lord of sacrifices all;
But as they do not understand
Me truly, therefore do they fall.

To Devas go their devotees;
Of manes to the manes go;
To elements their worshippers;
But come my devotees to me.

Who with devotion offers me
A leaf, flower, fruit, or water pure,
That, offered with devotion, I
Accept of him of striving soul.

Whatever dost thou do or eat,
Or sacrifice, or give away,
Or penance make, O Kunti's son,
Do as an offering unto me.

And so from good and evil fruit,
That actions bear, wilt thou be free;
Renouncing everything in Yoga,
Wilt thou be free and come to me.

I am alike to beings all;
Hateful to me is none, or dear;
But those who worship me alone,
They are in me and l in them.

Even if a sinner worship me,
Devoted unto me alone,
He should be deemed as good indeed;
Because he rightly hath resolved.

His soul is filled with righteousness,
And he attains to lasting peace;
For certain know, my devotee
Is never destroyed, O Kunti's son.

For taking refuge into me,
Even those who are of sinful birth,
Women and Vaisyas, Sudras too,
They all attain to goal supreme.

Then how much more my devotees,
Brahmanas and royal Rishis all!
So having come into this world,
Unhappy, transient, worship me.

Worship me, fill thy mind with me,
Adore, make sacrifice to me;
With steadfast soul make me thy goal,
And so wilt thou come unto me.

NOTES:

Perceived by the senses: The chief instrument of knowledge consists of the senses, and so Pratyaksha Pramana or the evidence of the senses is regarded as the most satisfactory form of evidence. Indeed, the whole "debate" or "battle" in the Mahabharata is to be carried on in this light. The idea of the "Gambling Match" is the same. The word for "dice" is Aksha, which also means "an organ of sense" from which Pratyaksha is derived. Hence Krishna says that the Knowledge he wishes to impart can easily be acquired by means of the senses.

I do not dwell in the creatures: The idea obviously is that God is greater than the creatures made by him. They are included in him, and not he in them; and so he says "within me all the creatures dwell. But not in them do I abide".

Creation and destruction: The idea is the same.

Prakriti creates: According to Vedanta, God creates Prakriti, or the unformed forces of the universe at first; and then, in union with her, creates the different forms of life. Hence Prakriti in Vedanta too is creative, but in a secondary and not primary form, as in the Sankhya.

Rakshasas: Those who have Prakriti for their goal are spoken of as Asuras or Rakshasas. The Prakriti of Rakshasas would obviously refer to its conception in the Sankhya.

Yoga in Relation to the Knowledge and Secret of Rajas China.

Divine Prakriti: The divine form of Prakriti would refer to its conception as in Vedanta, where it is said to be created by God himself. And so those who accept this idea of Prakriti, worship Krishna.

God is here identified with worship and Sacrifice. When we worship God, we think of or remember him; and there is God whenever we do so. Similarly the idea of God is born in each act of Sacrifice.

God is both father and mother of the universe, or Purusha and Prakriti in one.

Soma: It is said to be a divine juice, and is sometimes identified with the Moon. But Soma symbolizes the Mind and all that it signifies.