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Bhagwad Gita (English) | Chapter 15 | Verse 5

Chapter 15, Verse 5

The Yoga of the Supreme Person

One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.

Verse

निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामाः।द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ताः सुखदुःखसंज्ञै र्गच्छन्त्यमूढाः पदमव्ययं तत्।।15.5।।


nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣhā
adhyātma-nityā vinivṛitta-kāmāḥ
dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-sanjñair
gachchhanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat

Meaning of each word

niḥ — free from;
māna — vanity;
mohāḥ — delusion;
jita — having overcome;
saṅga — attachment;
doṣhāḥ — evils;
adhyātma-nityāḥ — dwelling constantly in the self and God;
vinivṛitta — freed from;
kāmāḥ — desire to enjoy senses;
dvandvaiḥ — from the dualities;
vimuktāḥ — liberated;
sukha-duḥkha — pleasure and pain;
saṁjñaiḥ — known as;
gachchhanti — attain;
amūḍhāḥ — unbewildered;
padam — abode;
avyayam — eternal;
tat — that

Interpretation

This verse talks about a process of giving oneself up to a higher power, and it clearly explains what someone needs to do to achieve that. First, let’s break down some ideas.

1. **Freedom from Illusion**: A person needs to be free from misunderstandings and false views about themselves and the world. Often, people think too highly of themselves or are trapped in ideas that aren't true about their importance or role in life. They might feel like they are in control of everything, but that's not the case. Understanding that there’s a greater power and that we aren't as big as we think is the first step.

2. **Letting Go of Pride**: The verse emphasizes not letting pride take over. Pride makes people feel superior, leading them to think they are the masters of everything. This mindset can make it hard to accept that there's a higher person, often referred to as God or a Supreme Being, who holds the ultimate control. Realizing this can help one come closer to spiritual understanding.

3. **Overcoming False Attachments**: We often create emotional ties to things like family, society, or possessions that lead us to feel attached to this material world. While relationships are important, when we cling too tightly to them and see ourselves as the owner of those connections, it can cause us distress. Realizing that these attachments can hold us back and that they don't define our true self is crucial.

4. **Seeking True Knowledge**: Once someone starts to push away these illusions and attachments, they should then search for real knowledge—knowledge that helps them understand what’s lasting and what’s not. This means distinguishing between what is temporary (like material possessions) and what is eternal (like spiritual truths).

5. **Beyond Happiness and Distress**: The verse talks about moving beyond experiencing only happiness or sadness. When someone understands this deeper truth, they can detach from the ups and downs of life. Instead of getting carried away by joy or feeling devastated by sorrow, they learn to see life as more balanced. This helps in managing challenges without losing one’s peace.

6. **Surrendering to the Supreme Person**: Once someone has worked through these steps, they can then truly surrender to the Supreme Power. This means trusting and accepting that life is not all in our control, and that it’s okay to give oneself up to a greater force or energy that can guide us.

In summary, this verse teaches us that by overcoming pride, letting go of false attachments, and seeking deeper knowledge, we can connect with a higher power, find peace, and attain a lasting spiritual fulfillment that exists beyond our everyday experiences. It's a journey of inner understanding that frees us from what traps us in material concerns.

Other Verses of Chapter 15
Verse 1
The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
Verse 2
The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.
Verse 3
Its form is not perceived here as such, nor its end, origin, foundation, or resting place; having cut asunder this firmly rooted peepul tree with the strong axe of non-attachment.
Verse 4
Then, that goal should be sought for, to which, having gone, none returns again. I seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha, from whence streamed forth the ancient activity or energy.
Verse 6
That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity. One who reaches it never returns to this material world.
Verse 7
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
Verse 8
The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas.
Verse 9
The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.
Verse 10
The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.
Verse 11
The endeavoring transcendentalist, who is situated in self-realization, can see all this clearly. But those who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try to.
Verse 12
The splendor of the sun, which dissipates the darkness of this whole world, comes from Me. And the splendor of the moon and the splendor of fire are also from Me.
Verse 13
I enter into each planet, and by My energy they stay in orbit. I become the moon and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables.
Verse 14
I am the fire of digestion in every living body, and I am the air of life, outgoing and incoming, by which I digest the four kinds of foodstuff.
Verse 15
I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.
Verse 16
There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible.
Verse 17
Besides these two, there is the greatest living personality, the Lord Himself, who has entered into these worlds and is maintaining them.
Verse 18
Because I am transcendental, beyond both the fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.
Verse 19
Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.
Verse 20
This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection.
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