CHAPTER IX

UNITIVE CONTEMPLATION AS A ROYAL

SCIENCE AND CROWNING SECRET
RAJA-VIDYA RAJA-GUHYA YOGA

Amrtabindu-Upanishad of Krishna-Yajurveda says: “Two Vidyas (sciences) are fit to be known, viz.,
Sabdabrahman and Parabrahman. One who has completely mastered Sabdabrahman attains Parabrahman. Having
studied well the books, the learned man should persevere studiously in Jnana (the acquisition of knowledge) and
Vijnana (Self-realisation according to such knowledge). Then he should discard he whole of the books, as a person
in quest of grain gives up the straw. Though there are cows of different colours, yet their milk is of the same colour.
Like milk is seen Jnana, and like cows are seen the different kinds of forms (in the universe). As ghee is latent in
milk, so is Vijnana (Self-realisation) latent in every being. Through churning always the Manas with the churning
stick of Manas and the string of Jnana, Parabrahman that is partless, calm and quiescent should be brought out like
fire from the wood. I am that Brahman. That Vasudeva who is support of all beings, who lives in all and who
protects all creatures is Myself. That Vasudeva is Myself.”

[1]
Sribhagavan said:
To you indeed who do not mistrust I shall declare this profound secret of wisdom together
with its applied aspects, by knowing which you shall be freed from what savours of evil.
Another secret of wisdom is being told here whose knowledge frees a wayfarer from all types of evil. Today,
when we are aware that the entire world is full of evil around us, this knowledge imparted by Krishna should come
as a succour to mankind looking for the path that would make people perform lesser evils in future.
[2]
Royal science, crowning secret, purificatory is this, superior, objectively verifiable, conforming
to right living, very easy to live (and) subject to no decrease.
Another verse has been added talking of the merits of knowing this secret. The importance attached to the
subject itself shows the importance of this secret that we all need to know. It has been said clearly that the path is
easy to tread, superior than all other paths, purificatory, objectively verifiable, conforming to right living and one
treading on which leads to no harm.
[3]
Men without whole-hearted faith-affiliation to this way of right living, O Burner of Foes
(Arjuna), not attaining to Me, return to the paths of mortality and cyclic repetition of existence.
One has to have whole-hearted faith-affiliation to this way of right living. See that another verse has been added
to show the importance of this path. And it has been categorically stated that those lacking in whole-hearted faith-
affiliation do not attain union with God and return to the cycle of rebirth. Thus, the path being shown is the only
path that would lead to attaining union with the God.

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 [4]
By Me all this world is pervaded, My form unmanifested; all beings have existence in Me and
I do not have existence in them.
After giving so much importance to this secret, God has started imparting the knowledge, which ensures that
the person attains union with the Absolute. What is that?
If you have not guessed till now, the answer is again the same: the true knowledge of the Absolute, the relationship
of the Absolute with Its Manifested Form which takes birth in the form of devas, who are the subject of discussion
in the Vedas, and the role of the devas in leading us to the worship of the Absolute. We have already proved in the
Book that these devas took birth at a later stage as Mohammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husain and 9 more. If you have
any more doubts as regard to our claim, see for yourself what Krishna has to say.
We have said that the Paramatma is doing the talking here. It is categorically stating that the Paramatma pervades
the entire world. All beings, including the Manifested Self, originate from the Unmanifested and the Unmanifested
is not dependent on the beings for its existence.
[5]
And further, beings do not exist in Me; behold My status as a divine mystery; further, Myself
remaining that urge behind things, I bear them but do not exist in them either.
In spite of saying that “all beings have existence in Me”, it is now said that “beings do not exist in Me.” Is it
duality? No! This can only be understood by one who has understood the true relationship between the Manifested
and the devas. Devas surely exist in all beings as all the beings have been created after the creation of the devas.
Devas originated as equal parts of the Manifested Self, which was created as a power by the All-Powerful Absolute
God. Therefore, the Absolute has no direct relationship with the beings yet controls them through its control over
the devas.
As regards to the devas, it has also been said that the God has created them but do not exist in them too. Once
these devas were created as Divine Beings or noors, they created the entire world and all the beings in it.
[6]
As the great (expanse of) air filling all space has its basis in pure extension, thus you should
understand all existences as having their basis in Me.
Again God wishes to clarify that all the beings have their basis in Him. This is because His Manifested Self
created the devas and devas created the beings. But God does not exist inside any of the beings. Neither does the
God gains from our worship or looses from our lack of it. It is we who are the gainers and the losers.
[7-8]
All beings, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), pass into My nature at the end of a unit of cosmic
duration (kalpa) and at the beginning of the same unit, I emanate them.
By virtue of My nature, I emanate again and again the whole aggregates of beings, subject as
they are to the necessary compulsion of nature.
What was said earlier is being described again. It was stated that even Brahma gets united into God’s Nature at
the end of a 1000 Brahma’s days. Now this has been stated for all beings. Each of the beings has to get merged in
the nature of God at one time or the other. Then, when He creates again, the same cycle gets repeated another time.
Verse 8 says that it is the nature of the God that it keeps on creating. As a consequence of that nature, it creates
again and then again and again. All beings are given birth, and then subjected to the necessary compulsion of
nature.

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 We invite you to ponder for a moment. The same nature of God is visible right to the smallest atom. You will
find new creations happening, cells creating cells, and the process continue. A small Polly grain gives birth to an
entire tree, whose Polly grains do the same. Since all that is God’s nature, He too keeps doing the same.
[9-10]
Further, these works do not bind Me, O Winner of Wealth (Arjuna), for I am seated, seemingly
indifferent, unattached to those actions.
By Me presiding, nature gives birth to both the moveable and the immoveable entities; because
of this, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), this (moving) world revolves.
A very categorical statement is given here. Our actions, our deeds, our worship do not affect the God in any
way. He is seated, as if indifferent, unattached to all actions. Under the command of God, all the entities take birth
and consequently the entire world revolves.
[11-12]
The foolish misunderstand Me because of My adopting the human form, ignorant as they
are of My being that is beyond, as the Lord of all beings.
Of frustrated hope, of frustrated deeds, empty of wisdom, nondiscriminating, like malignant
titans and demons, submitting themselves to a nature (of) confounding (values).
Now this is why the war of Mahabharata was taking place. There were people who were worshipping the devas.
And the Paramatma is repeatedly telling them of the relationship of the devas with the Absolute. Those who
worshipped devas as gods are being termed as foolish.
Vedas had clearly stated that the devas would take birth in human form. People initially waited for the devas to
come but later got misled into worshipping them as gods. After calling such people as foolish, Paramatma calls
them as ignorant because they consider those Divine Beings as gods when Paramatma is even the Lord of those
Divine Beings.
Verse 12 shows how God ridicules and condemns those persons. “Of frustrated hope, of frustrated deeds,
empty of wisdom, nondiscriminating, like malignant titans and demons, submitting themselves to a nature (of)
confounding (values).”
Is it not the secret that is being told? Sad thing is that this secret was neither known to the people of Krishna’s
time nor to the people of our time. Hope this commentary will show the way.
[13]
But those of Great Self, O Partha (Arjuna), affiliated to My divine nature, adore with mind
exclusive of all extraneous interests, having known Me as the unexpended primal Source of all
beings.
This verse praises those who know the God’s truth. They are described as people of Great Self. They are
affiliated to God’s divine nature. Adoration, mind it, has been described as being done with mind and not through
ritualistic deeds. It has to be “exclusive of all extraneous interests.” That Paramatma is known and worshipped as
the unexpended primal source of all beings, including the Divine Beings.
[14-15]
Always singing praises of Me, ever striving, firm in vows and saluting Me devotedly, they are
ever-united in worshipful attendance;
Others also, sacrificing with the wisdom-sacrifice, unitively, dualistically, as also in many
ways facing universally everywhere, worshipfully attend on Me.

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 Characteristics of those wise men, who know the secret about God and His relationship with us through the
Manifested Self and the devas, is being told here. They always sing praises of God, strive for righteousness and
upholding truth at all times, never go back on their words and salute to God devotedly. They remain united with
God forever in worshipful attendance, even when it may appear that they are engaged in performing worldly acts.
There are others who perform sacrifices with the wisdom-sacrifice. This means that all their acts are performed
keeping the unitive factor in mind. All their acts are performed in order to attain union with the Absolute.
[16]
I the ritual action, I the sacrifice, I the ancestral oblation, I the potent, I the potent medicinal
herb, I the holy formula, I also the melted butter, I the fire, I the offering.
Again, the people of the time are ridiculed for their beliefs. They had started performing various acts for their
various deities. Later, it will be clearly stated that even the forefathers and demons were being worshipped, besides
the devas.
The God gives one and only one formula. All acts have to be performed for God. Devas are the most endeared
creatures but only created for the purpose of creation of the world. They took upon them the task of leading the
mankind to God. Once this is known and path lighted, the man can tread on the path directly to attain union with the
God.
[17]
I the Father of this world, the Mother, the Supporter and the Grandsire (ancestor), the Holy
One who is to be known, the Purifier, the syllable Aum, as also the (Vedas) called Rik, Sama and
Yajus.
To the intelligent and wise, the Vedas too show the direction to reach God. Agreed that the Vedas identify the
time and place when the devas would take birth on earth. But that is to recognize those who would show us the true
path. Ultimately, it is the Supreme God who is to be worshipped as the Father of this world, the Mother, the
Supporter and the Grandsire, the Holy One who is to be known, the Purifier, and also the syllable Aum. (We have
already proved in the Book that the syllable Aum is symbolic of a garuda leading to God with the devas forming the
various fore-parts of the garuda.
[18]
[I am] the Goal, the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the
Becoming, the Dissolution, and Ground of Being, ontological Basis, and never-expended Seed.
Manifest Self should be the final goal of all.
[19]
I radiate heat (and) I rain; I withhold and I send forth; I am immortality and death; as also
being and non-being, O Arjuna.
Even heat and rain had got associated with the devas, who were being worshipped as gods. Unfortunately, that
age-old legacy continues to this day with several people worshipping Indradeva as the rain-god. True that it is the
devas who control heat and rain and all life on earth. But eventually, it is the God who controls the devas. Immortality
and death are all due to God. It is He who, again through the devas, creates the being and non-being.
[20-21]
Knowers of the three (Vedas), soma-drinkers, purified from sin, worshipping by sacrifices,
pray of Me the way to heaven; they, attaining the holy world of Indra (Lord of Gods) enjoy divine
feasts in heaven.

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 They, having enjoyed that expansive heaven-world, then on their merit exhausted, they enter
the world of mortality, thus conforming to the righteous notions implied in the three (Vedas),
desiring desirable objects they obtain values which come and go.
The sarcasm in this verse is evident. The digression had taken place to such an extent that ‘the knowers of the
Vedas’ had created a drink in the name of ‘soma-drink’ when ‘soma-drink’ has actually been used in the Vedas as
akin to water from Hauz-e-Kausar, as per Islam. The phrase ‘drank the soma-drink’ was used for those who attained
martyrdom (shahadat) while being on the right path. Likewise, sacrifices in the Vedas were sacrifice of life and
other sacrifices like that of one’s happiness, wealth, etc. while the ‘knowers of the Vedas’ had started performing
rites and rituals in the name of sacrifice. People had started worshiping Indra as the Lord of gods (which even the
commentator has put in brackets) and performed all acts in love of heavens.
It is to be noted here that even though this way of worship has been criticized severally, the position of Indra is
never degraded. On the contrary, we find that those who followed this path are even sent to the heavens, if they
sincerely did all those acts in the name of Indra, and are allowed to live there for a particular period. They are given
divine feasts and enjoy all the benefits of the heaven-world.
However, this is not the way through which one can attain salvation or union with the Absolute God from
where there is no return. We have said earlier, one who dies thinking of divinity go to the divinity. Therefore, those
in lower portions of heaven return to this world when merit of their deeds gets exhausted.
See that even though worshipping Indra is not the way to salvation but since Indra is the beloved Divine Person,
even these misguided efforts do not go in vain. So the person goes to Heaven, enjoy the life there, but is sent back
on earth when the merits have got exhausted.
It has already been repeatedly said that salvation can be reached through the way shown by Indra to reach the
Absolute God. One who attains union with the Absolute God gets free from the repeated cycle of rebirth. Such a
person is said to have attained salvation or nijaat as per the Muslims.
[22]
Those persons who meditating on Me to the exclusion of all else, worship Me, to those ever
established unitively I bring that solace of the unitive way of yoga.
People should meditate on God to the exclusion of all else, including the devas. Such people get directly united
with the Absolute
[23]
Even those who, devoted to other devas, worship them with faith, they in fact worship Myself,
O Son of Kuti (Arjuna), though not conforming to orthodox rules.
The explicit use of devas, that too the word ‘other devas’, after the name of Indra has been used before, shows
that our interpretation till now is the only correct interpretation of these verses. It has been devas who had been
subject of debate till now. It has been they whose real position in relation to the Absolute became the cause of the
war of Mahabharata.
Paramatma says clearly that even those who are devoted to various devas and worship them with faith are in
fact worshipping the God. Such is the importance that Paramatma gives to the devas. However, it has been added
that such worship does not confirm to orthodox rules.
This statement is of more importance to Muslims than the Hindus. Muslims other than Shias have more or less
discarded the devas and try to reach the God directly. They too are on the wrong because it has been explicitly
stated that the path to God has to be shown by the devas. On the other hand, many Shias, even though they might
not admit it, are in fact worshipping the devas like Ali, Fatima and Husain. To uphold the remembrance of these
devas, they even forsake their prayers to Absolute God. They all are unorthodox worshippers and will come back to

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this world, once the merit of their good deeds get exhausted.
[24]
I am indeed the Enjoyer, as also the Lord of all sacrifices; but they fall indeed who do not
understand Me according to first principles.
The path that leads to God must be known. That path passes through the devas, who form the part of the self
inside us. It is they who took birth on earth as the fourteen Masooms or the Ahlebayts of the Muslims.
God says that it is He who is the enjoyer of all the austerities and acts of righteousness and it is He who is also
the Lord of all sacrifices. This must have come as a rebuke to those in the army of the Kauravas who were performing
sacrifices to the devas. However, immediately after saying this, the position of the devas too is upheld and it is said
clearly that the God must be understood according to the first principle i.e. according to the manner in which He
created the cosmos. God must be understood and reached by understanding and reaching His Manifested Self in
the form of the devas.
[25]
Votaries of the divinities go to the divinities, votaries of the ancestors go to the ancestors,
sacrificers to elemental existences go to the elemental existences; and so too My worshippers
attain to Me.
The same was said earlier as well. Those who worship the divinities go to the divinities. They enjoy the benefits
of their righteous deeds but when the merits of their deeds have been exhausted or when the life of the devas
themselves merge with the Manifested Self, they return to the cycle of rebirth. Likewise, those who worship the
ancestors are thrown where their ancestors were themselves at that point of time. Those who sacrifice to the
material fire, the material air, and other material things, remain in the material world. Only those who worship the
Absolute God attain union with Him and become immortal.
[26]
He who offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, that do I accept as being
offered with devotion by one who makes the (Right) effort.
Making an effort is important. God accepts the offering of one who makes effort, even if he offers an insignificant
thing to the God. Such is the bounteous nature of God.
[27]
What you do, what you eat, what you offer, what you give, what austerity you practice, O Son
of Kunti (Arjuna), let that be done as an offering to Me.
All acts of life, including the mundane acts of eating, offering, giving, and the austerities performed, must all be
done for God. A person who learns to offer all acts to God is a yogi. Such a person is a samnyasi as well.
[28]
Thus you will be liberated from the bonds of action, whether its results are good or evil. With
Self affiliated to unitive Self-denial, as one thus emancipated you will attain to Me.
Actions are good and evil. One who performs all his acts in remembrance of God gets liberated from the
attachment of action; even so they have a good or evil effect. The motive is more important. All the attachments
that the human self has a tendency to get affiliated with must be denied. And the self should be affiliated to the
Manifested Self of God. Such a person gets emancipated and attains to God.
[28]
I (regard) all beings equally. To Me there is none hateful or dear. They however who worship
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 with devotion, they are in Me and I too am in them.
To God, all beings are one and the same. But those who perform righteous deeds in remembrance of God, those
who worship Him with devotion, attain a special position.
[30]
Even if one of very evil actions should worship Me with a devotion exclusive of all else, he
should be accounted to be good all the same merely by the fact that he has a properly settled
determination.
Person who has performed ‘very evil actions’ all his life, if he worships the God with a devotion wherein no
other attachment comes to play, that person too “should be accounted to be good all the same merely by the fact that
he has a properly settled determination.”
[31]
Instantaneously he becomes established in his own right nature and enters into eternal peace.
Believe Me in all confidence, O Son of Kunti (Arjuna), that one affiliated to me with fidelity
knows no destruction.
[32]
They too who resort to Me for refuge, O Partha (Arjuna), whoever they might be, (whether)
women, workers (sudras) as well as farmer-merchants (vaisyas), (all) of sinful origin, they too
attain to the supreme goal.
Having a sinful past is immaterial. Person should resort to God for refuge. And He gives refuge.
[33]
How much more then the pure brahmanas as also the devoted royal sages. Having reached
this transient joyless world do you worship Me.
Be it the sudras, the farmers or the Brahmanas – the path is one and the same for all of them. Sudras could be
those of sinful past, i.e. a life of sin in the previous birth. Brahmanas are those who might have performed certain
virtuous deeds. But none of them were able to reach the Absolute in their previous births. That is why they are again
taking birth in human form. The goal of all of them must be to attain union with the Absolute.
[34]
Become one with Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice to Me; bow down to Me; unifying thus
yourself, you shall surely come to Me, your supreme Goal none other than Me.
Supreme Goal has to be none other than the Absolute God. Come, let’s all endeavour to get united with the
Absolute. So that there will be no more births for us. So that we all attain immortality!

Thus ends in the Upanishads of the Songs of God, in the Science of the Wisdom of the
Absolute, in the Dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, the Ninth Chapter entitled Unitive
Contemplation as a Royal Science and Crowing Secret.

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