Bhagavagd Gita - Session 35- Track 3505
…so, this vast vision that is given is in one comprehensive view the totality, knowledge and integral knowledge, both combined together is made manifest before us. So, this is the culmination of the process of knowledge and there is a very important element in the presentation of it saying that this vastness cannot be seen by sight as you have now: you require a sight behind the sight. When Sri Krishna says: “with your sight you cannot see, you require a different sight”, and therefore the divine sight is given. So it emphasises the fact that if you expect that you will get knowledge and integral knowledge merely by remaining what we are that is an illusion, it can never happen. You must cultivate a new kind of vision, a new kind of power of light, by means of which you can have it.
This is as far as the integrality of knowledge is concerned, but there is a farther element in this integrality that even this process of mere divine sight is not enough: you require ananya bhakti. Unless your knowledge is joined with devotion, you won’t get this vision. That is why Sri Krishna says: “By Veda you will not get, by Tapas you will not get, by Dana you will not get it, even by Bhakti you will not get it: it is by ananya bhakti”. This is another kind of Bhakti. So, that ananya bhakti is a special element of chapter n°11; and even this ananya bhakti is expounded at four stages in the 11th chapter.
First is when the Supreme Divine manifests, Arjuna bows down in front, behind, in all aspects; that is a supreme surrender, that comes about when the Supreme Divine is visualised and seen, that also shows that when there is supreme knowledge the supreme Bhakti arises, its a connection between Bhakti and knowledge and integration between the two. Bhakti can in start even on its own, but this Bhakti can be the bhakti of the divine seen as an Avatar. This is what Arjuna, when once he sees the Supreme Divine then he realises that the Supreme Divine is in this one mānuṣaṁ ashritha; it is in this human being that this vastness was present all the time. I did not see Him, it is this Bhakti for the Avatar. This is the bhakti for the Avatar and that Bhakti manifests then he realises that he was calling him sakha and even a casual address to Him while in the couch or eating, ahara- vihara all kinds of movements. He realises it but also at the same time does not discard it, that is also a form of Bhakti in which he says You pardon me as a father pardons his son, as a friend pardons his friend, as a lover pardons his beloved. This is another kind of Bhakti to regard the Divine as the father, as a friend, as a husband, as a child, in many forms of relationships, - there is also Bhakti and then he says that now you change this form and show me your four armed form, - Narayan form, He is closer to us then that Viraat Swaroop, which seemed to be temptuous and frightful and horrible and terrible in many ways although behind it there was a great benign face which also was appreciated and understood, but for a human being this Narayan form is much better, - the one who smiles and one who is very close. So there is an integration of these four levels of Bhakti in the 11th Chapter. The Bhakti of the Supreme Lord manifest in the vastest form, unending form, millions of faces and millions of arms and the Bhakti that arises, the bhakti that is to the Lord who is in this human body, the Bhakti to the Lord who can be related to us in many forms, and Bhakti in the form in which he is very close to us. It’s a statement of all forms of Bhakti all related, - integrated. Bhakti, therefore, now you can now approach the Divine in all the four forms but even that is not enough; you arrive at ananya Bhakti. This ananya Bhakti is a special concept which is now to be developed in the 12th Chapter. There is also the culmination of action in the 11th Chapter, culmination of knowledge, culmination of Bhakti and culmination of action. There is a link from Chapter numbers 1- 6, as far as action is concerned. The theme of action is subdued in Chapter numbers 7, 8, 9 and 11, because it was already expounded earlier, so a greater emphasis is laid on Bhakti and Gyana - the synthesis of the two, but now in the 11th Chapter action is brought forward because Sri Krishna reveals the secret of action.
The highest secret of action, - that all action really proceeds from the Supreme Lord; that action is not merely to be done as an offering to the Lord, but you have to see yourself that all action proceeds from the Lord. When you offer the action to the God, there is still a feeling that I am the doer and I am offering to the Lord even that is ignorance. In the fullness of knowledge in the integrality of knowledge, you know that all action proceeds from Him and that you are only an instrument. Nimitmatram bhava –this is the highest element of Karma Yoga, which gets manifested here. In that highest state you do not have the pride of egoism that I am the instrument even that is to be thrown out, because Sri Krishna says that even if you are not here hrite pritvam – even without you the battle will take place, or whatever is to be done and destruction will take place; you have only the privilege of becoming an instrument; not that without you things would not happen and even God has to choose me to be the instrument, not at all; even that pride has to go, even that egoism has to go; it is Lord’s action and if you are still having the egoism of being the instrument and you will still be blinded, it is not the culmination of Karma Yoga. Culmination of Karma Yoga is that you are not doer at all, even the instrument is made by Him, even the instrument is given a chance to act because of Him; it is He who knows the target’ it is He who has the arrow with Him, it is He who shoots the arrow and accomplishes His task. The only privilege is that you become a bow, and which if you are not ready He can have any other bows. So this is the culmination of Karma Yoga, which is manifested in the 11th Chapter.