Gita Series 65: Bhagavad Gita Chapter V: Verses 18-21.

“The wise behold a Brahmin endowed with knowledge and humbleness, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a man of low socioeconomic status with the same eye. In this very life, whose mind is fixed on equitability has conquered the world. The Brahman remains immaculate and well balanced and such men stay perpetually fastened with the Brahman. That Self-realized person who neither rejoices on obtaining what is desired nor grieves on getting what is not desired and with a firm mind without dubiousness stay perpetually fastened with the Brahman. He who is not concerned with external sensory objects derives bliss through meditation and becomes one with the Brahman.”

Krishna classified humanity under four categories – brāhmanās, kṣatriyās, vaiśyās and śūdrās. This is not the caste system that is often misinterpreted today. The classification of humanity by Krishna is on the basis of level of intelligence and not on ancestry. This has been expounded by Krishna in Bhagavad gita Chapter IV.13. Here Krishna talks about the most learned of the four, brahmanas, who are supposed to be well versed with Vedas and the associated rituals. Their job is not merely to learn Vedas, but to use the principles of Vedas (prayoga) (प्रयोग) for the welfare of the humanity. A brahmana is not called so, if he has developed ego. That is why Krishna uses the word ‘vinaya’ (विनय) which means propriety of conduct and modesty. When someone is highly learned, he normally gets afflicted with egotism. Krishna is specific that such egotism arising out of knowledge is to be avoided, if he is to be called brahmana. For such a learned man the object is of least importance. He is not concerned with the gross body. His eyes are powerful and capable of transcending flesh and blood to look into the Brahman within. He is aware of the truth that the Brahman being omnipresence, resides in all the living beings. He also knows that the gross body is perishable and does not want to get associated with material objects. He transcends the material world and looks beyond to realize the Brahman. He also knows that whatever present around him are only manifestations of the Brahman. He is aware of the fact that due to the influence of maya such shapes and forms appear as different entities. He sees only the Brahman all over. He does not distinguish between a dog and an elephant. For him both are the same. When he realises this Supreme Truth, he conquers the world. This means that there is nothing he has to do from this point.

Krishna says that the Brahman is immaculate and well balanced. Brahman is eternally pure and acts only as a witness to the happenings around Him. He does not get involved in the activities of souls. Souls get different biological forms depending upon their karmic quality. When someone is closely connected with another person, the qualities of both the persons are mutually transferred. Same principle applies to a person who aligns himself with the Brahman. Brahman is devoid of attributes. Lalitha Sahasranamam namas 135, 150, 153, etc talk about Brahman without attributes. When one’s consciousness is eternally fixed on the Brahman, he also becomes immaculate and equilibrated. He first acquires qualities of the Brahman and later transforms himself as Brahman. This means that on his death, his soul merges with the Brahman. There is no renascence for that soul. The soul ceases to exist for good. However, the precondition for such a merger is that one should first fix his consciousness on the Brahman, derive the qualities of the Brahman and transform himself into the Brahman for ultimately merging with Him.

Krishna explains why such transformation happens. That man is not concerned with what he gets and what he does not get. He has no wants. Most importantly he has faith in the Brahman and this absolute faith makes him to establish a perpetual connection with the Brahman. This connection makes him to acquire the attributes of the Brahman metamorphosing him into Brahman Himself. He uses his sensory organs sparingly, which makes his mind pure and tranquil. In such an un-invaded mental condition, he is able to meditate to establish an eternal link with the Brahman. Meditation will not be resolute, if the mind continues to stay with senses. He knows the value of eternal bliss which ultimately leads him to merge with the Brahman.

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter V. 14-17

Bhagavad Gita. Chapter V. 21-25

E-Book - Bhagavad Gita - Chapters I and II