The purpose of this commentary is to constantly remind the seeker that what he seeks is within him—the pure jñāna-mārga as revealed by the Upanishads and great sages like Sri Sankaracharya and Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. Some commentators have opined that the Gita speaks about karma, and some others have said that it talks about yoga, but the Gitacharya Himself says, “iti te jñānam ākhyātam—here I have expounded jñānam.”

In the Bhagavata too, Vyasa says, “That which was given by Bhagavan in the war-field is pure jñāna.”[1] Of course, karma-yoga is given much importance by the Gita. Without that, it is not possible to attain sufficient purity to intuit our real nature. That aspect is also given importance in the commentary. The chief intention behind every exposition in this commentary is to turn the mind inward and to make one recognise the most incredible treasure within. Once it is recognised, everything else will happen harmoniously in such a life. This is the greatest spiritual truth.

Now, as we enter this commentary of the Gita, it is like a great pilgrimage, a sacred journey, a tīrtha-yātra. Tīrtha means that which purifies. The more you travel to holy places, the more purified you are. Spiritual purification is not as easy as taking a ritual bath to purify the body. We do not know what impurity hides within. Every step in this worldly life brings up something from within, and they can be cleansed only by this sacred water of the spirit. Thus the cleansing goes on, and this is the holy tīrtha-yātra.

In a pilgrimage, the devotee takes a dip in many sacred rivers and worships in many temples. Similarly, in this tīrtha-yātra of life, one must worship in many temples of events, individuals, pleasures and pains. The Divine appears before you in various forms, and you must learn to worship Him in all these temples. So too, you must take a dip in the many, many sacred waters of insights which will guide you at every step. Thus, cleansing yourself and worshipping the Divine, your whole life filled with experiences, you reach the supreme sacred spot of surrender, the real Vaikuntha. Here, you surrender entirely, give up your ego and become one with the Divine. When you reach that spot, you are no more asked to do this or that; you give up everything spontaneously; renounce, and surrender. It is just like a river merging with the ocean. When the river approaches the ocean, the ocean comes forward to welcome the river; it comes and mixes with the river. In the same way, when the jīva starts to turn within, the Lord comes forward and hugs the jīva.

We cannot determine whether such a one is a limited individual or the Supreme Infinite One. There is so much of the impersonal in the Illumined Sage that we can neither say that he is a person nor that he is not a person. All the characteristics of a person, such as the body and mind, are seen in him, but when we interact with him closely, when we have a feel of his Being, we find that he is not a person. He is infinite, like space. Some blueness of the Infinity is found in him; that is Krishna; that is the taste of the Divine.

Only when you come in contact with such a mighty being will you find the key to open the treasure-house of the Vedas and the Upanishads. Then, you will find every step, every breath of your life, meaningful. Then you discover that land of no name or form, only Effulgence, Effulgence, Effulgence!

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[1] गीतं भगवता ज्ञानं यत् तत् सङ्ग्राममूर्धनि। SB 1.15.30

~ An excerpt from Srimad Bhagavad Gita | Elixir of Eternal Wisdom by Sri Nochur Acharya

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