CHAPTER 15: THE YOGA OF THE SUPREME PERSON

About the realization of the characteristics, virtue and glory of God

(1) The Supreme Lord said: 'Anyone who knows that the As'vattha is said to be an imperishable [banyan-]tree that has its roots upwards, its branches downwards and of which the leaves are the Vedic hymns, knows the Vedas. (2) Extending downward and upward, its branches by the modes of nature downward developed twigs as the sense objects and to the extending roots [upward] the karma that binds one to the human world. (3-4) The form of this tree which is without a beginning or end cannot be perceived in this world nor can one see how it is maintained; this strongly rooted Banyan must be cut by the weapon of detachment. After doing so one has to find out about that place for which one is going and from where one never returns and then surrender to Him, the Primordial Original Person, from whom everything extended since time immemorial.

(5) Without pride and its illusion, having overcome bad association, understanding the eternal, dissociated from the lust and liberated from identifying with the dualities of happiness and distress, one unbewildered attains that everlasting refuge. (6) Going to that place which is not lit by the sun or the moon, nor by fire, one never returns; that abode is the Supreme of Mine. (7) The embodied soul in its own local existence is certainly an eternal part of Me, with the mind as the sixth of the senses carried in its material position. (8) The body one gets as also is given up takes its Lord to all these [senses] along like the fragrance carried by the air from its source. (9) With the hearing, seeing, touching as also the tasting and smelling, he from within the mind enjoys the objects of the senses. (10) Either leaving the body, staying in the body or enjoying the body associated with the modes of nature are things the ignorant cannot understand, but those who have the spiritual vision can. (11) Those who endeavor and are of yoga perceive from being of the soul, but those endeavoring who do not act in favor of the soul do not see this, however developed their minds are.

(12) The splendor that is found in the light of the sun illumining the entire world and is also seen in the moon and the fire; understand that splendor to be from Me. (13) I permeate the planetary systems and sustain the living beings by My energy and nourish all the plants together with the soul-given juice. (14) Enacting as the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living beings, I keep the balance of the ingoing and outgoing breath and do digest the four kinds of foodstuff [food that one swallows right away, chews, licks and sucks]. (15) Residing in the heart of all beings they have from Me remembrance, knowledge and reasoning; I am certainly knowable by the Vedas, I am its author and the one who knows its meaning surely too.

(16) There are two kinds of being in the world: the perishable and the imperishable state; [of the physical] all the living beings are perishable while of the oneness to the many it is said that one does not perish. (17) The supreme person is but the other soul in the beyond of whom is said that pervading the three worlds He is maintaining [them] as the inexhaustible Lord. (18) Because I am to the fallible transcendental and beyond the fallible the best, therefore I am in the world and in the Vedic literature celebrated as the Supreme Personality. (19) Anyone who without a doubt knows Me thus as the Supreme Personality - he, knowing all, renders devotional service unto Me in all respects, oh son of Bharata.

(20) Understanding this most confidential part of the revealed scripture thus disclosed by Me, oh sinless one, one becomes intelligent and perfected in ones doing, oh son of Bharata.'

 

   

 



 

 

 


Filognostic* understanding of the Bhagavad Gîtâ of Order

Text 1

The Supreme Lord said: 'Anyone who knows that the As'vattha is said to be an imperishable [banyan-]tree that has its roots upwards, its branches downwards and of which the leaves are the Vedic hymns, knows the Vedas.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

The fortunate one said: 'He who knows that the tree of life is an eternal tree with its roots upwards, its branches downwards and of which the leaves are the âtmatattva songs28, is someone who knows the culture of knowledge of the Vedas. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 2

Extending downward and upward, its branches by the modes of nature downwards developed twigs as the sense objects and to the extending roots [upwards] the karma that binds one to the human world.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

This tree extending downwards and upwards, developed to its twigs downward the domain of the senses and to its roots the karma which binds one to the human world. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 3-4

The form of this tree which is without a beginning or end cannot be perceived in this world nor can one see how it is maintained; this strongly rooted Banyan must be cut by the weapon of detachment. After doing so one has to find out about that place for which one is going and from where one never returns and then surrender to Him, the Primordial Original Person, from whom everything extended since time immemorial.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

The form of this tree has no beginning or end, nor a foundation that can be perceived out here; persevering with the weapon of detachment one must be of cessation with this deeply rooted tree. After having renounced with that tree of life, one must figure out where that place is one is heading for and from where one never returns, and surrender to Him, the original personal integrity and animating principle29, from whom, and from which, everything extended since the earliest days of the universe. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 5

Without pride and its illusion, having overcome bad association, understanding the eternal, dissociated from the lust and liberated from identifying with the dualities of happiness and distress, one unbewildered attains that everlasting refuge.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

That everlasting refuge is attained when one, not being bewildered, is free from self-importance and illusion, has defeated bad association, understands what lasts forever, and when one has dissociated oneself from the lust and has freed oneself from the dualities under the heading of happiness and distress. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 6

Going to that place which is not lit by the sun or the moon, nor by fire, one never returns; that abode is the Supreme of Mine.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Going for that superior place of mine, which is not lit by the sun, the moon or by lamps, one never returns. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 7

The embodied soul in its own local existence is certainly an eternal part of Me, with the mind as the sixth of the senses carried in its material position.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Living a conditioned life, with the mind as the sixth sense, the individual living being, struggling hard in its material position, is an eternal part of me. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 8

The body one gets as also is given up takes its Lord to all these [senses] along like the fragrance carried by the air from its source.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

It is as the controller of the body it obtained and also has to give up, in all of that carried along like a fragrance by the wind from its source. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 9

With the hearing, seeing, touching as also the tasting and smelling he, from within the mind enjoys the objects of the senses.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

With its hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling and also minding it is ruled by the objects of the senses. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 10

Either leaving the body, staying in the body or enjoying the body associated with the modes of nature [are things ] the ignorant cannot understand, but those who have the spiritual vision can.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

The notion of having a body, quitting a body and, under the spell of the modes, enjoying a body is something that the foolish don't understand, but those who share the âtmatattva vision do understand this. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 11

Those who endeavor and are of yoga perceive from being of the soul, but those endeavoring who do not act in favor of the soul do not see this, however developed their minds are.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Those who endeavor and unify in consciousness, realize it from within their soul, but those endeavoring who do not act in favor of the soul, do not have this vision, however developed their minds are. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 12

The splendor that is found in the light of the sun illumining the entire world and is also seen in the moon and the fire; understand that splendor to be from Me.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

The splendor you see in the light of the sun which illuminates the entire world, as also in the light of the moon and the fire, you should understand as all originating from Me. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 13

I permeate the planetary systems and sustain the living beings by My energy and nourish all the plants together with the soul-given juice.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

With my ethereal energy I permeate this earth and sustain these living beings, and as their life-juice I, by my appearance in the form of the moon, nourish all the plants. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 14

Enacting as the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living beings, I keep the balance of the ingoing and outgoing breath and do digest the four kinds of foodstuff [food that one swallows right away, chews, licks and sucks].

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

As the fire of digestion within the bodies of all living beings, I maintain the balance between the in- and outgoing breath, while I digest the four types of foodstuff.30 (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 15

Residing in the heart of all beings they have from Me remembrance, knowledge and reasoning; I am certainly knowable by the Vedas, I am its author and the one who knows its meaning surely too.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Residing in the heart of all beings they have from Me their remembrance, knowledge and reason. It is by the sacred scriptures that I am known; I'm their doctrine and the knowledge of their meaning. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 16

There are two kinds of being in the world: the perishable and the imperishable state; [of the physical] all the living beings are perishable while of the oneness to the many it is said that one does not perish.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

There are these integrities of service in this world: the perishable and the imperishable one; the service of all the living beings is perishable but the service of the stationary and constant integrity of the multitude of the natural order is known to be imperishable. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 17

The supreme person is but the other soul in the beyond of whom is said that pervading the three worlds He is maintaining [them] as the inexhaustible Lord.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

The highest integrity of service is another service, viz. the service of the supreme self of the Lord of whom one says that He, pervading the three departments of the world18, is the inexhaustible maintainer. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 18

Because I am to the fallible transcendental and beyond the fallible the best, therefore I am in the world and in the Vedic literature celebrated as the Supreme Personality.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Because I am, relative to the perishable, transcendental and, relative to the imperishable, the best, am I in the world and in the sacred literatures celebrated as the Supreme Personality. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 19

Anyone who without a doubt knows Me thus as the Supreme Personality - he ,knowing all, renders devotional service unto Me in all respects, oh son of Bharata.

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Anyone who, free from doubt, knows about me as being that Supreme Personality, knows all there is to know, and will serve me any way he can, oh descendant of Bharata. (Sanskrit & tradition)

 

Text 20

Understanding this most confidential part of the revealed scripture thus disclosed by Me, oh sinless one, one becomes intelligent and perfected in ones doing, oh son of Bharata.'

FILOGNOSTIC TRANSLATION

Understanding this most confidential part of the revealed scripture I now disclosed, oh sinless one, one will become intelligent and find perfection in one's line of work, oh descendant of Bharata.' (Sanskrit & tradition)

  

 

 

 

 

Versions consulted:

- A Song of Fortune One - A modern Gîtâ - the modern version of filognosy (also in mp3-audio).

- A Song of Fortune - A Classical Gîtâ - the classical version of filognosy.

- The Bhagavad Gîta-as-it-is by Swami Bhaktivedânta Prabhupâda (PDF-download).

- The Bhagavad Gîtâ-as-it-is: online (version 1.0).

- The Bhagavad Gita As It Is By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (pdf-download).

- The Bhagavad Gita by the Bhagavad Gita Trust.

- Bhagavad Gita by Sanderson Beck.

- Bhagavad Gita by Ramanad Prasad (American Gita society).

- Srimad Bhagavad-gita - The Hidden Treasure of the Sweet Absolute (from the Vaishnav' S'rî Caitanya Saraswath math).

Sanskrit dictionary: (Monier-Williams' 'Sanskrit-English Dictionary').

  

 

 

Production and copyright of this translation: Anand Aadhar Prabhu                   
The filognostic translations are of the same author.                   
2007©Bhagavata.org