The teachings of the Gita are concluded here.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE DOCTRINE?
idam te naatapaskaaya naabhaktaaya kadaachana
na chaashushrooshave vaachyam na cha maam yo'bhyasooyati // 18.67 //
This is never to be spoken by you to one who is devoid of austerities or devotion, nor to one who does not render service, or who does not desire to listen, nor to one who talks ill of Me.
Having elaborated the entire doctrine of Gita and re-stated its philosophy, Sri Krishna prescribes the rule that should be followed for imparting this knowledge to others. The Lord enumerates the necessary qualifications which are in the nature of adjustments in the inner personality that are necessary for a sincere student of the Gita.
In other words the following types of people cannot be benefited by the study of Gita.
•Those who do not live an austere life i.e. those who do not have control over their body and mind.
•Those who do not have any devotion i.e. those who do not have any capacity to identify themselves with the ideal that they want to reach.
•Those who do not render service, i.e. those who are not able to serve others and who are selfish having no sympathy for others and
•Those who criticize The Lord i.e. those who do not have any respect or desire even to listen the philosophy of Gita.
Only those who are disciplined, loving and have a desire to serve are capable of understanding the message; others may listen to it and abuse it.
ya imam paramam guhyam madbhakteshwabhidhaasyati
bhaktim mayi paraam kritwaa maamevaishyatyasamshayah // 18.68 //
He who with the highest devotion to Me will teach this supreme secret to My devotees, shall doubtless come to Me.
na cha tasmaanmanushyeshu kashchinme priyakrittamah
bhavitaa na cha me tasmaadanyah priyataro bhuvi // 18.69 //
There is none among men who does dearer service to Me than he; nor shall there be another on earth dearer to Me.
It is an Upanishadic commandment that not only one should study the scripture himself but must pass on the benefit of such knowledge to others in the society according to the best of his ability. If the knowledge is not so conveyed to others there cannot be any mobility of intelligence or fluidity of inspiration in him.
Sri Krishna promises the highest reward of reaching Him to the one who is capable of conveying the truths of Gita to others. The Lord also suggests that such a teacher who spreads the knowledge of Gita is dearest to His heart as there is none equal to him in the world either at present or in times to come. Sri Krishna says that there can be none else more dearly to Him than such a preacher for he is doing the greatest service to Him by earnestly and devotedly trying to spread the immortal principles expounded in the Gita.
It is not necessary that one should become first a master of the entire Gita. Whatever one has understood one must immediately learn to give it out to those ignorant of even that much.
The great ones who have crossed the ocean of Samsara and help others to cross are the dearest to The Lord. More important than this is that one must honestly try to live the eternal principles of the Gita in one's own life so that he becomes eligible to be the dearest to The Lord.
adhyeshyate cha ya imam dharmyam samvaadamaavayoh
jnaanayajnena tenaaham ishtah syaamiti me matih // 18.70 //
And he who studies this sacred dialogue of ours, by him I would be worshipped through the Yajna of Knowledge; such is My conviction.
After glorifying the teachers who spread the wisdom of Gita, even those who study this sacred text are applauded. The philosophy of life as given out in Gita in the form of a dialogue between Sri Krishna, the Infinite and Arjuna, the Finite Man, will attract a student to its profundity and transform him to the highest through what The Lord calls as Gyan Yagna.
Just like the Fire God is invoked in a sacrifice and then oblations are offered into it, the study of Gita and regular contemplation on its significance ignites the Fire of knowledge in the student into which he offers his own false values and negative tendencies as oblations. This is what is implied in the phrase Gyan Yagna. Sri Krishna says that such students are the greatest devotees of the Infinite.
shraddhaavaan anasooyashcha shrinuyaadapi yo narah
so'pi muktah shubhaamllokaan praapnuyaat punyakarmanaam // 18.71 //
Even the man who listens to it with faith and without malice, he too, being liberated, shall attain to the happy worlds of the righteous.
The Lord suggests that even listening to the Gita discourses is immensely useful. Sri Krishna indicates two conditions by fulfilling which alone one can gain the maximum joy and perfection out of the discourses on Gita viz.
•Full Faith: One should have the capacity to discover, understand and live up to the ideals contained in the subtle meanings of the spiritual declarations and
•Free from Malice: One should not have any prejudice against the very philosophy of Gita; otherwise its teachings will never appeal to the listener.
To the extent we learn and live the principles of right living as propounded in the Gita, to that extent we can live a life of achievement.
kacchidetacchrutam paartha twayaikaagrena chetasaa
kacchid ajnaanasammohah pranashtaste dhananjaya // 18.72 //
Has this been heard by you, O Partha, with an attentive mind? Has the delusion caused by your ignorance been dispelled, O Dhananjaya?
Sri Krishna enquires Arjuna whether he has understood what has been expounded by Him all along and whether his distraction of thought, caused by false values and judgment of affairs, has been dispelled. The implication is to hear from Arjuna to what extent these discourses benefited him.
CONCLUSION
arjuna uvaacha
nashto mohah smritirlabdhaa twatprasaadaanmayaachyuta
sthito'smi gata sandehah karishye vachanam tava // 18.73 //
Arjuna said
Destroyed is my delusion, as I have gained my memory (knowledge) through your grace, O Achyuta. I stand firm with my doubts dispelled. I shall act according to your word.
Arjuna confesses that his confusions have ended as if he were woken up from a state of unconsciousness. This statement of Arjuna is not a mere meek acceptance of the arguments of Sri Krishna.
It is an affirmation of re-gaining and re-cognizing his own real nature on account of the awakening of the hero in him as well as his confirmation that the neurosis which conquered his mental make up temporarily has vanished. The awakening of wisdom is the end of ignorance. In this state all vacillations of the mind, doubts and despairs, dejections and hesitations, fears and weaknesses disappear.
With such a rejuvenated mind Arjuna declares that he will do according to the word of The Lord who is nothing but Pure Existence. This is the surrendering of oneself to one's own inner personality. To surrender oneself and declare that he would do The Lord's bidding is the beginning and the end of all spiritual life. There is no more sense of separate existence for the declarer apart from the Godhead. This evolution means shedding of all pretences and evasions.
“Arjuna turns to his appointed action, not with an egoistic mind but with Self-Knowledge. His illusions are destroyed, his doubts are dispelled. The chosen instrument of God takes up the duty set before it by The Lord of the world. He will now do God's bidding. He realizes that He made us for His ends, not our own. Arjuna had the onset of temptation and won his way to a liberating victory. He now feels that he will fulfill the command of The Lord. It is our duty to live in the spirit of this verse and remember that we seek not our own will but the will of Him who sent us. To will what God wills is the secret of Divine Life”. Dr.S.Radhakrishnan.
When Arjuna uttered the words “karishye vachanam tava” (“thy will be done” as a Westerner would say) he gave up his separate existence and identified himself with the work of the Lord. This evolution means a great shedding of all pretences, assumptions and evasions. It is a kind of vastrapaharana, a stripping-off of the mind and intellect.