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The seventh chapter of Gita can be broadly divided
into four sections:
1.
Necessity for valid & complete knowledge
of the truth of the world.
2.
The nature & role of Apara & Para
Prakriti’s, and their relationship with God.
3.
Pointers for God vis-à-vis Prakriti.
4.
Methodology & preparations for knowing
God.
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The Seventh Chapter of Gita is called ‘Gyana-Vigyana
Yoga’. There are in all 30 shlokas in it. With this chapter starts the
second section of Gita, which predominantly deals with Ishwara-Upasana or
‘Tat-Pada-Shodhana’. In this chapter we have the meaning of the word God,
as well as how to go about directly realizing him. The word ‘Gyana’ &
‘Vigyana’ in the title mean Indirect & Direct Knowledge respectively.
The word Vigyana in the scriptures means direct experiential
knowledge.
Right in the beginning of the chapter Lord Krishna
says that, ‘O Arjuna! I am now going to reveal that knowledge by which
nothing more will be left to be known.’ He asks Arjuna to give special
attention to this discourse because very few out of the spiritual aspirants
really know what the ultimate truth is. He tells that he is the Purusha-the
all pervading & transcendental divinity, and his divine power called
Maya is alone the Prakriti. This Prakriti further has two aspects. The
Apara & the Para Prakriti.
The Apara Prakriti is eight-fold, and envelops within
itself the five basic elements, the cosmic mind, the cosmic intellect &
the cosmic ego (doership). The Para Prakriti on the other hand is the spark
of existence within everyone. Both these together are the basic cause of
the entire universe. These two can be indicated by the words ‘matter &
spirit’. However, Lord says that these are my powers, not the entire me.
They are dependent on me. Nature is my shakti with which I create, sustain
or destroy the world of names & forms. While I pervade all this yet I
transcend all this too. (Just like water pervades all waves as well as
transcends all waves too. Water is that without which no wave can exist, yet
water by itself does not have any limitations of a wave in any way.) I am
that which sustains them both. The idea of using the words Apara (lower)
& Para (higher) Prakriti,
is that in case a person gives greater attention to the Apara the he goes
on an endless trip, while if we turn our attention to the Para Prakriti
then we find a door from this eternal & never-ending process of
transmigration. So while we should see & enjoy the beauty of Apara
Prakriti, we should be able to become conscious of our higher nature too.
In that form alone we need to see God in all. In this way we can see God in
everything. Lord thereafter goes about indicating as to how should we see him in the various manifestations around
us.
What we see all around is the Prakriti of God, and he
is present right there, as that because of which the Prakriti is existing.
While God is right here & now in everything whatsoever, it is only
because of our fascination for the various objects of the world that we
miss him out. So turning to the second aspect of ‘Vigyana’ he says that it
is only when we really ‘love’ God that we become disposed to see him in
all. Don’t be in a hurry to get some quick pleasure, but hasten slowly to
that, which is lasting. The journey to this divine awakening begins with the
Love of God, and culminates in the state of ‘being’ God. Such awakened
people alone have really fulfilled their lives.
Thus ends the seventh chapter of Bhagwad Gita.
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