The Concluding Part of Bhagavad Gita
The next 5 verses of the 18th chapter are the concluding verses of the last chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. In these concluding verses, neither Arjuna nor Lord Krishna is speaking. The speaker is Sanjaya and reporting to the blind king. Sanjaya is overwhelmed by the spiritual energy, the divine grandeur, the rare occasion of God personally teaching his dearest friend and disciple, Arjuna about the most secret wisdom and spiritual knowledge of practical spirituality, joys, the bliss of liberation through the performance of one’s duties, the essence of all yogas and wisdom and spirituality. Now we continue from verse 74 of the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. From now on, Sanjaya is the only speaker, till the end.
Samjaya Ubacha (Samjaya Speaks):
सञ्जय उवाच |
इत्यहं वासुदेवस्य पार्थस्य च महात्मन: |
संवादमिममश्रौषमद्भुतं रोमहर्षणम् || 74||sañjaya uvācha
ity ahaṁ vāsudevasya pārthasya cha mahātmanaḥ
saṁvādam imam aśhrauṣham adbhutaṁ roma-harṣhaṇam
(The Bhagavad Gita CH-18 V-74)
General Meaning:
As such I have heard this wonderful dialogue between Vasudev and Paarth, which causes the hair to stand on end.
Explanatory Notes:
Here Sanjaya confirms that he has listened to and witnessed the interaction between Krishna and Arjun. He witnessed the dilemma and actions and speech of Arjun on the battlefield and Lord Krishna’s responses to it. Right from the 1st chapter, through all the teachings of Lord Krishna, in all the following chapters, right up to the end, i.e. the 18th chapter, Samjaya saw and listened to all the events. The magnitude of Lord Krishna’s teachings with so much love and patience and till then the most secret spiritual wisdom and declarations of Lord Krishna overwhelmed Sanjaya. He was thrilled, his hairs stood on end. He could listen to this rarest of the rare dialogue between two of the top greatest souls, i.e. Lord Krishna and Arjuna.
व्यासप्रसादाच्छ्रुतवानेतद्गुह्यमहं परम् |
The Bhagavad Gita Ch-18 V-75
योगं योगेश्वरात्कृष्णात्साक्षात्कथयत: स्वयम् || 75||
vyāsa-prasādāch shrutavāne tat guhyam ahaṁ param
yogaṁ yogeśhwaarāt kṛiṣhṇāt sāakṣhyāt kathayataḥ svayam
General Meaning:
Through the grace of Vyaas, I could hear, this most supreme and most secret yoga, directly, from Krisna Himself, the Lord of Yoga, teaching it.
Explanatory Notes:
Through the grace and special Blessings of Mahaa Muni Vyaas Dev, Samjaya could witness and hear directly from Krishna himself, this top-secret and supreme Yoga. Vyaas had given him the power of the cosmic or Divine vision, so that he saw and heard, directly, the events in the battlefield. This is the rarest of the rare gifts Vyaas kindly and compassionately bestowed on Sanjaya so that he could narrate it to the blind king Krishna. No other person except Arjun knew what was happening and what Krishna taught, because Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, taught it personally, directly to Arjun. The only other person, who had this rare blessing is Sanjaya, through the cosmic vision, Sage Vyaasa Dev blessed him with.
राजन्संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य संवादमिममद्भुतम् |
केशवार्जुनयो: पुण्यं हृष्यामि च मुहुर्मुहु: || 76||
rājan sansmṛitya sansmṛitya saṁvādam imam adbhutam
keśhavārjunayoḥ puṇyaṁ hṛiṣhyāmi cha muhur muhuḥ
(Bhagavad Gita. CH-18; V-76)
General Meaning:
O’ King, remembering repeatedly this wonderful, mysterious and holy dialogue between Keshaba and Arjun, I am the and again.
Explanatory Notes:
Sanjaya’s exclamations and utterances clearly indicate how profoundly and indelibly the Divine, rare dialogue of the lord of yoga, Krishna and the warrior King Arjun, penetrated the core of his heart and mind. This shows how valuable and priceless these teachings of Lord Krishna to Arjuna. Nobody experienced it before and nobody has experienced it after, even after five thousand years.
Sanjaya, the wise, realizes its importance and feels immensely fortunate and grateful and blessed and cannot contain his joys and blissfulness. He remembers it again and again, propelled by the joys and spiritual ecstasy generated in him by listening to this rarest, mysterious and wonderful dialogue where God is the teacher and the greatest human being is the ideal disciple.
तच्च संस्मृत्य संस्मृत्य रूपमत्यद्भुतं हरे: |
(Bhagavad Gita CH-18; V-77)
विस्मयो मे महानराजन्हृष्यामि च पुन: पुन: || 77||
tach cha sansmṛitya saṁsmṛitya rūpam aty-adbhutaṁ hareḥ
vismayo ye mahān rājan hṛiṣhyāmi cha punaḥ punaḥ
General Meaning:
Remembering that and again remembering That most wonderful form of Hari, my mind is full of great wonder, O’ King, and, again and again, I rejoice.
Explanatory Notes:
Sanjaya was so deeply impressed and overwhelmed by the wonderful forms of Hari (Krishna) and was so much saturated to the core of his heart, with great wonder and joy, that he is thrilled with waves of bliss. This divine joy never died down. It thrilled him again and again. This means that Sanjaya not only heard the divine and glorious teachings of Krishna, he also had full vision of God’s universal forms and that mysterious and strange brilliance overwhelmed Arjuna (Viswaroopa Darsan) too. These visions challenged the imaginations too. They can never be forgotten ever. Sanjaya was really very fortunate. His life after life practice of yoga and spirituality culminated in attaining the divine cosmic vision and God Realization. One can only imagine the merits of Arjun, who not only befriended God but also was taught personally by God and attained God-Realization.
यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धर: |
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम || 78||
yatra yogeśhvaraḥ kṛiṣhṇo yatra pārtho dhanur-dharaḥ
tatra śhrīr vijayo bhūtir dhruvā nītir matir mama
(Bhagavad Gita CH-18; V-78)
General Meaning:
Where ever is Lord Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, where ever is Arjun, the wielder of the bow, there is prosperity, victory, growth, confident and steady policy, this is my firm opinion.
Explanatory Notes:
This is the last verse of the last chapter of the Bhagawat Geeta. This is not the statement of Lord Krishna or Arjuna, but the final and ultimate observation of Samjaya. The general meaning is, where ever there is combined association of the Lord of Yoga, Lord Krishna, and the wielder of the bow, Arjuna, there has to be prosperity and good fortune, victory and glory, growth, confident and steady policy. Samjaya declares that this is his considered and firm opinion. The significant inner meaning has an all time message for the human race. In modern times, forced duties, worry, anxiety, tension, fear, confusion and, psychosomatic diseases rule. This message is like and firm panacea, a sure prevention and, cure for all these suffering.
Lord Krishna stands for the Immortal Inner Self, God or Ista Deva or Paramaatmaa or the Divine. Arjun stands for the individual self, the person with professional excellence. When professional excellence is associated with God-awareness (yoga), the combination is invincible, the state of blessedness, beyond fear, worry, anxiety, tension, and stress. The individual weakness born of ignorance of the inner immortal self is banished. The confidence and wisdom of the spirit or god manifest. This is the invincibility god’s power, bliss, perfection manifest. May the association of your professional excellence and the awareness of your oneness with the Almighty God be with you always. May you enjoy a stress-free, self-confident, calm, peaceful life in the middle of the battlefield of life and lifestyle, of dualities, competitions, actions, reactions, and interactions. Only the daily practice of Kriya Yoga can give you all this.
18th Chapter Conclusion:
om tat sat
iti srimad bhagavadgeetaasu upanishatsu brahma vidyaayaam yogashaastre
sri krishnaarjuna samvaade arjuna vishaada yogo naama prathamo’dyaayah||
General Meaning:
OM God is the Truth. Thus, in the Upanisads of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, in the science of the eternal, in the scripture of Yoga, in the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, the 18th discourse, named the Yoga of Liberation through Renunciation ends.
May you remember your divinity and divine inheritance.
With Love and Best Wishes,
Paramahansa Atmananda Ji