Geetai - Adhyay 14

Chapter - XIV : Building-up and Breaking-down.

This chapter is essentially a supplement to thirteenth, Self and the Non-self. Here, there is an analysis of non-self. Entire material body including mind- intellect consciousness and ego-system consists of subtle particles and electrical charges broadly divided into Gross called Tamas. Subtle called - Rajas and subtler one called sattva or pure manifestation. These three modes of nature are called Gunas.

Chief characteristic of Tamas is Laziness - inability to do anything fruitful. It is an enemy which destroys peace and happiness of individual and society. It corrupts every one from the lowest to the highest. When the body is lazy, the mind and the intellect are lazy too. Under the effect of Tamas (Laziness), men grow rusty and useless; the limbs and senses of the rich are eaten with rust because they are never used.

Educated and intelligent men become victims of various diseases because under the effect of Tamas, they never do any physical work To shake off laziness, one must perform bodily labour. This is the only way to conquer laziness. If we fail to do this, we cannot but receive due punishment from Nature. We have to endure it in the form of sickness and other miseries. The time spent on the bodily labour is not wasted. It does yield result. We have sound health. Our minds become bright and keen and pure This is one of the methods to overcome the Tamas or Laziness.

Chief characteristic of Rajas or hyper-activity is desire to do all sorts of things - a limitless desire for action with all consuming greed. As a result, we are unable to control the rush of our instincts and passions. Another sign of Rajas is absence of steadiness. The man of Rajas is ever busy taking up and abandoning things. All actions under its effect are restless and uncertain. The way to come out of restlessness is to combine action with inward effort. This results in inner purity. Keep on acting constantly and surrender the fruit of action to God. Acting this way, slowly Rajas is destroyed. It is necessary to destroy this demon of every rising greed and desires. This is the Karma-yoga of Gita.

If these two are conquered, we are left with Satva or a pure state of our existence - peaceful and bright, full of creative energy. However, even this is to be conquered not by killing but by wounding. Constantly making an effort to remain in this state, it becomes our nature to remain pure. Pride of purity slowly goes away. Any negligence by the seeker due to pride in this state, is likely to drag him down to the state of hyper-activity and further down to laziness. Constant vigilance till it becomes our nature to remain pure is an absolute necessity of this state.

Thereafter, the seeker tries to cross-over the material self consisting of all these three modifications. The tool here is to seek His grace with all the heart. It does come. Having reached this state, no further effort is required to remain pure.

गीताई - अध्याय १४
श्री भगवान् म्हणाले

सर्व ज्ञानामधे थोर ज्ञान ते सांगतो पुन्हा ।
जे जाणूनि इथे मोक्ष पावले सगळे मुनि ॥ १ ॥

ह्या ज्ञानाच्या बळाने ते झाले माझ्या चि सारखे ।
जगे येवोत जावोत ते अभंग जसे तसे ॥ २ ॥

माझे प्रकृति हे क्षेत्र तिथे मी बीज पेरितो ।
त्यांतूनि सर्व भूतांची उत्पत्ति मग होतसे ॥ ३ ॥

सर्व योनींमधे मूर्ति जितुक्या जन्म पावती ।
माता प्रकृति ही त्यांस पिता मी बीज पेरिता ॥ ४ ॥

प्रकृतीपासुनी होती गुण सत्त्व-रजस्-तम ।
ते निर्विकार आत्म्यास जणू देहांत जुंपिती ॥ ५ ॥

त्यांत निर्मळ ते सत्त्व ज्ञान आरोग्य वाढवी ।
मी सुखी आणि मी ज्ञानी शृंखला ही चि लेववी ॥ ६ ॥

रज ते वासना-रूप तृष्णा आसक्ति वाढवी ।
आत्म्यास कर्म-संगाने टाकिते जखडूनि ते ॥ ७ ॥

गुंगवी तम सर्वांस अज्ञान चि विरूढले ।
झोप आळस दुर्लक्ष ह्यांनी घेरूनि बांधिते ॥ ८ ॥

सुखात घालिते सत्त्व रज कर्मात घालिते ।
ज्ञान झाकूनि संपूर्ण दुर्लक्षी घालिते तम ॥ ९ ॥

अन्य दोघांस जिंकूनि तिसरे करिते बळ ।
असे चढे कधी सत्त्व कधी रज कधी तम ॥ १० ॥

प्रज्ञेचा इंद्रिय-द्वारा प्रकाश सगळीकडे ।
देहांत पसरे तेंव्हा जाणावे रज वाढले ॥ ११ ॥

प्रवृत्ति लालसा लोभ कर्मारंभ अशांतता ।
ही देही उठती तेंव्हा जाणावे रज वाढले ॥ १२ ॥

अंधार मोह दुर्लक्ष अपप्रवृत्ति चहूकडे ।
देहांत माजली तेंव्हा जाणावे तम वाढले ॥ १३ ॥

वाढले असता सत्त्व जाय जो देह सोडुनी ।
जन्मतो शुभ लोकांत तो ज्ञात्यांच्या समागमी ॥ १४ ॥

रजांत लीन झाला तो कर्मासक्तांत जन्मतो ।
तमी बुडूनि गेला तो मूढ-योनीत जन्मतो ॥ १५ ॥

फळ सात्त्विक कर्माचे पुण्य निर्मळ बोलिले ।
रजाचे फळ ते दुःख तमाचे ज्ञान-शून्यता ॥ १६ ॥

सत्त्वांतूनि निघे ज्ञान निघे लोभ रजांतुनी ।
अज्ञान मोह दुर्लक्ष निघती ही तमांतुनी ॥ १७ ॥

सत्त्व-स्थ चढती उंच मध्ये राजस राहती ।
हीन-वृत्तीत वागूनि जाती तामस खालती ॥ १८ ॥

गुणांविण नसे कर्ता आत्मा तो त्यांपलीकडे ।
देखणा ओळखे हे जो होय माझे चि रूप तो ॥ १९ ॥

देह-कारण हे तीन गुण जाय तरूनि जो ।
जन्म-मृत्यु-जरा-दुःखी सोडिला मोक्ष गांठतो ॥ २० ॥

[४४]

अर्जुन म्हणाला

त्रिगुणातीत जो देवा त्याचे लक्षण काय ते ।
वागणूक कशी त्याची कसा तो गुण निस्तरे ॥ २१ ॥

श्री भगवान् म्हणाले

प्रकाश मोह उद्योग गुण-कार्ये निसर्गता ।
पावतां न करी खेद न धरी आस लोपतां ॥ २२ ॥

राहे जसा उदासीन गुणांनी जो न चाळवे ।
त्यांचा चि खेळ जाणूनि न डोले लेश-मात्र हि ॥ २३ ॥

आत्मत्वे सम जो पाहे सोने पाषाण मृत्तिका ।
धैर्यवंत सुखे दुःखे स्तुति-निंदा प्रियाप्रिय ॥ २४ ॥

मानापमान जो नेणे नेणे जो शत्रु-मित्र हि ।
आरंभ सोडिले ज्याने तो गुणातीत बोलिला ॥ २५ ॥

जो एक-निष्ठ भक्तीने अखंड मज सेवितो ।
तो ह्या गुणांस लंघूनि शके ब्रह्मत्व आकळू ॥ २६ ॥

ब्रह्मास मी चि आधार अवीट अमृतास मी ।
मी चि शाश्वत धर्मास आत्यंतिक सुखास मी ॥ २७ ॥

अध्याय चौदावा संपूर्ण