ब्रह्मभूतः प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati |
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām ||
(Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 18.54; cited in Prīti Sandarbha: 7; Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.8.65)
“Situated in Brahman and being of clear mind, one neither laments nor hankers. Equal to all beings, one attains supreme bhakti to me.”
Commentary
brahmāham iti naiścalyenāvasthānasya phalam āha—brahmeti | brahma-bhūto brahmaṇy avasthitaḥ prasanna-cittaḥ naṣṭaṁ na śocati na cāprāptaṁ kāṅkṣati dehādya-abhimānābhāvāt | ata eva sarveṣv api bhūteṣu samaḥ san rāga-dveṣādi-kṛta-vikṣepābhāvāt sarva-bhūteṣu mad-bhāvanā-lakṣaṇaṁ parāṁ bhaktiṁ labhate |
(Subodhinī-ṭīkā)
“He [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa] describes the result of abiding in the unwavering fixity, ‘I am Brahman’: Brahma … [i.e., he states this verse]. ‘Situated in Brahman’ (Brahma-bhūtaḥ), that is, abiding in Brahman, and being of clear mind (prasannātmā), one neither laments for the lost nor hankers for the unattained by virtue of [one’s] absence of identification (abhimāna) with the body and so forth. Thus equal even to all beings (samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu) by virtue of the absence of distractions created by attachment (rāga) and aversion (dveṣa), one attains (labhate) supreme bhakti (parām bhaktim) in the form of thought of me in all beings.”
tataś copādhy-apagame sati brahma-bhūto’nāvṛtta-caitanyatvena brahma-rūpa ity arthaḥ | guṇa-mālinyāpagamāt prasannaś cāsāv ātmā ceti saḥ | tataś ca pūrva-daśāyām iva naṣṭaṁ na śocati na cāprāptaṁ kāṅkṣati dehādy-abhimānābhāvād iti bhāvaḥ | sarveṣu bhūteṣu bhadrābhadreṣu bālaka iva samaḥ bāhyānusandhānābhāvād iti bhāvaḥ | tataś ca nirindhanāgnāv iva jñāne śānte’py anaśvarāṁ jñānāntarbhūtāṁ mad-bhaktiṁ śravaṇa-kīrtanādi-rūpāṁ labhate tasyā mat-svarūpa-śakti-vṛttitvena māyā-śakti-bhinnatvād avidyāvidyayor apagame’py anapagamāt | ata eva parāṁ jñānād anyāṁ śreṣṭhāṁ niṣkāma-karma-jñānādy-urvaritatvena kevalām ity arthaḥ | labhata iti pūrvaṁ jñāna-vairāgyādiṣu mokṣa-siddhy-arthaṁ kalayā vartamānāyā api sarva-bhūteṣv antaryāmina iva tasyāḥ spaṣṭopalabdhir nāsīd iti bhāvaḥ | ata eva kuruta ity anuktvā labhata iti prayuktam | māṣa-mudgādiṣu militāṁ teṣu naṣṭeṣv apy anaśvarāṁ kāñcana-maṇikām iva tebhyaḥ pṛthaktayā kevalāṁ labhata itivat | sampūrṇāyāḥ prema-bhaktes tu prāyas tadānīṁ lābha-sambhavo’sti nāpi tasyāḥ phalaṁ sāyujyam ity ataḥ parā-śabdena prema-lakṣaṇeti vyākhyeyam |
(Sārārtha-varśiṇī-ṭīkā)
“Then, furthermore, after the disappearance of adjuncts (upādhis), one becomes ‘situated in Brahman’ (Brahma-bhūtaḥ), meaning, one becomes a form of Brahman by virtue of being uncovered consciousness (anāvṛtta-caitanya). As a result of the disappearance of the contamination of the guṇas, one also becomes of clear (prasanna) mind (ātmā). Then, furthermore, one neither laments for the lost nor hankers for the unattained, as [one did] in the prior condition, by virtue of [one’s] absence of identification (abhimāna) with the body and so forth. This is the purport. Like a child, one is equal to all beings (samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu), the auspicious and the inauspicious, by virtue of the absence of external scrutiny. Then, furthermore, even after the termination of jñāna like a fire without fuel, one attains imperishable bhakti to me in the form of hearing [about me], praising [me], and so forth, which was present inside the [practice of] jñāna [that reached termination], because of the non-disappearance [of bhakti] even after the disappearance of ignorance (avidyā) and knowledge (vidyā) on account of [bhakti’s] being distinct from the māyā-śakti by virtue of [bhakti’s] being a function (vṛtti) of my svarūpa-śakti. Therefore, it is [called in the verse] ‘supreme’ (parām), meaning, distinct (anyām) from and superior (śreṣṭhām) to jñāna, and [meaning] pure (kevalām) by virtue of being surpassing of desireless action (niṣkāma-karma), jñāna, and so forth. Regarding [the word] ‘attains’ (labhate), although it [i.e., bhakti] was present previously [i.e., in the sādhana of the jñānī being described prior to the ‘attainment’ of bhakti that is being described in the verse under discussion] with a fraction [of itself] for the sake of accomplishing mokṣa in the midst of jñāna, non-attachment (vairāgya), and so on, like the Inner Regulator (Antaryāmī) [i.e., Paramātmā] [present] in all beings [i.e., even though bhakti was subtly present all along in the sādhana of a jñānī in a manner similar to the manner in which the Paramātmā is subtly present in living beings], clear realization of it [i.e., of bhakti] did not occur. This is the purport. Therefore, [the verb] ‘one attains’ (labhate) is employed rather than saying ‘one produces’ (kurute) [bhakti, i.e., since bhakti was already present in the sādhana of a jñānī though not clearly understood or recognized by the jñānī, it is not said that the jñānī creates bhakti by means of sādhana but rather that the jñānī ‘attains’ bhakti in the sense that the jñanī discovers the everlasting and superior position of bhakti in comparison to jñāna]. One attains [it, i.e., bhakti] like a tiny, indestructible nugget of gold that was mixed into urad dal, moong dal, and the like upon it being separated from them after they are broken down [i.e., if a tiny nugget of gold is kept hidden in a stock of yellow dal, it is not noticed, but if the dal is cooked so that it breaks down, then the gold nugget, which does not break down when boiled in water along with dal, remains whole and can be recognized for what it is, viz., gold rather than dal, in the midst of the broken down boiled dal; similarly, bhakti is present in the sādhana on the path of jñāna but may not be clearly understood or recognized as something distinct from and superior to jñāna, but when one reaches the advanced stage on the path of jñāna where even the sādhana process is relinquished, then one can clearly recognize how bhakti is actually something distinct from and superior to jñāna that remains after the jñāna sādhana process is allowed to fall away]. Then [i.e., at that stage when the jñānī relinquishes the jñāna sādhana process and ‘attains’ bhakti in the aforesaid manner], there is in general a possibility of attainment [for that jñānī] of complete prema-bhakti, and not also its [i.e., bhakti’s secondary] effect, sāyujya [-mukti, i.e., at that stage in which the jñānī allows the jñāna sādhana process to fall away, the jñānī can then take to prema-bhakti, and if the jñānī does so, then the jñānī will not attain sāyujya-mukti, which was previously the aim of the jñānī, because sāyujya-mukti is antithetical to the prema-bhakti the jñānī then has]. Thus, it should be explained that there is mention of that [bhakti] bearing the characteristic of prema by means the word ‘supreme’ (parām) [i.e., thus, ‘One attains supreme bhakti to me’ (mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām) means there is a possibility in general that a jñānī can at the advanced stage of relinquishing jñāna-sādhana attain prema-bhakti, the generality of the possibility being that the attainment of the sādhu-saṅga necessary to realize prema-bhakti is only required, as is explained in the commentary on the following verse].”
tasya brahma-bhūyottara-bhāvinaṁ lābham āha—brahmeti | brahma-bhūtaḥ sākṣātkṛtāṣṭa-guṇaka-sva-svarūpaḥ prasannātmā kleśa-karma-vipākāśayānāṁ vigamād atisvacchaḥ—nadyaḥ prasanna-salilāḥ ity-ādāv ativaimalyaṁ prasanna-śabdārthaḥ | sa evaṁbhūto mad-anyān kāṁścit prati na śocati na ca tān kāṅkṣati | sarveṣu mad-anyeṣūccāvaceṣu bhūteṣu samaḥ heyatvāviśeṣāl loṣṭra-kāṣṭhavattvāni manyamānaḥ | īdṛśaḥ san parāṁ mad-bhaktiṁ labhate ‘niṣṭhāṁ jñānasya yā parā’ ity uktāṁ mad-anubhava-lakṣaṇāṁ mad-vīkṣaṇa-samānākārāṁ sādhyāṁ bhaktiṁ vindatīty arthaḥ |
(Gītā-bhūṣaṇa-ṭīkā)
“He [i.e., Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, now] describes one’s attainment in the future after [attaining] identification with Brahman: Brahma … [i.e., he speaks this verse]. ‘Situated in Brahman’ (Brahma-bhūtaḥ) means having directly perceived the essential nature of the Self replete with the eight qualities [mentioned in Chāndogya Upaniṣad 8.1.5, viz., the qualities of being (1) free from sin, (2) free from old age, (3) free from death, (4) free from sorrow, (5) free from hunger, (6) free from thirst, (7) of truthful desire, i.e., possessed of the power to make every desire come true, and (8) of truthful resolve, i.e., possessed of the power to make every resolve come true]. ‘Of clear mind’ (prasannātmā) means [the mind is] exceptionally clear as a result of the withdrawal of inclinations that are the consequences of afflictions and [various forms of] karma; the meaning of the word ‘clear’ (prasanna) is exceptionally taintless, as in [the phrase], ‘The rivers have clear (prasanna) waters.’ One as such neither laments in regard to anyone other than me nor hankers for them [i.e., for anyone other than me]. ‘Equal to all beings’ (samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu) means considering [all beings] other than me, [be they] high or low, to be like earth or wood because of the non-difference [between them] of [their all] being fit to be disregarded [i.e., fit to be regarded secondarily in contrast to one’s sustaining awareness of me principally always and everywhere]. Existing as such, one attains (labhate) supreme (parām) bhakti to me (mad-bhaktim), meaning, one attains the bhakti that is the goal (sādhya-bhakti) [i.e., the form of bhakti that is the goal of sādhana], as described in [the statement in BG 18.50], ‘Which is the highest fixity of knowledge (niṣṭhā jñānasya yā parā),’ meaning, the characteristic of which is experience of me, and the general form of which is sight of me.”