Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 28

 Chapter 9 verse 28 

“By dedicating all your works to Me, you will be freed from the bondage of good and bad results. With your mind attached to Me through renunciation, you will be liberated and will reach Me.” 

What happens when through bhakti yoga and karma yoga, the actions performed by person does not bind them. Since the fruits of the action have already been surrendered to the Divine, the person is freed from the bondage of the result of the action. In this verse, Lord mentions sanyasa yoga as the process to attain this state. He doesn’t mean renunciation from life. He just means renunciation from the fruits of the action and renunciation from claiming that the time you are spending on earth is actually yours but belongs to the Supreme. Every second of it belongs to HIM. So why waste it on frivolous worldly pursuits?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 27

 Chapter 9 verse 27 

“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer as oblation to the sacred fire, whatever you bestow as a gift, and whatever austerities you perform, do them as an offering to Me.” 

I see this verse and previous verse as two paths to reach Him. Earlier verse throws light on the path of devotion and surrender of everything that is you through bhakti yoga. This verse illustrates the method of doing all actions as an offering to Him. Is this not karma yoga? Doing actions with dexterity and sincerity but offering the fruits of the actions to God. This thought process when done every second of every day of our lives would destroy any egoism which we will possess. The sense of doer ship will disappear altogether over time.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 26

 Chapter 9 verse 26 

“If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that article offered with love by My devotee in pure consciousness.” 

This multi-verse creation of Lord is full of miracles happening every second of every space. When one becomes aware of the many and mini miracles around us, we feel blessed. One such miracle happened today. I read the Srimad Bhagavatam last night before going to bed and it happened to be chapter on Krishna and Sudhama. This same verse is quoted in Srimad Bhagavatam to Lord Krishna receiving the beaten rice from Sudhama since it is offered with so much love, affection and devotion. Sudhama was so hesitant to give that offering to Krishna but He grabbed it from his upper cloth and ate 2 handfuls of the beaten rice. The message of devotion and surrender couldn’t be drilled into me more clearly from the Lord. What we offer is NOT important, how you offer what you have to LORD is the key!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 25

 Chapter 9 verse 25 

“Worshippers of the celestial gods take birth amongst the celestial gods, worshippers of the ancestors go to the ancestors, worshippers of ghosts take birth amongst such beings, and My devotees come to Me alone.” 

Lord talks about the different modes of worship and their destination. This verse can be interpreted to mean that all non godliness pursuits results in lesser results different from attaining eternal bliss and riddance from the cycle of birth and death. Whether one worships celestial gods, one’s own clan, ghosts and goblins, there is a particular benefit of those worships but it is not a permanent solution to eternal happiness. Eternal peace and happiness can only result from surrender to the Divine and contemplation of our own Self which is just part of the Supreme Lord. Self realization is realization that we are part of the whole, nothing but the whole and dissolve ultimately into the Whole.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 23-24

 Chapter 9 verse 23-24 

“Even those devotees who faithfully worship other gods also worship Me. But they do so by the wrong method. I am the enjoyer and the only Lord of all sacrifices. But those who fail to realize My divine nature must be reborn.” 

The clear distinction from these 2 verses is that seeking material gains and everything in this world which is NOT permanent by worshipping nature and nature’s conductors such as vayu, agni, indra, brahma etc., who themselves are not immortal or supreme, will yield material gains but will keep us engrossed in this cycle of birth and death. The only way to gain freedom from this material world is to seek the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord. What is Lord’s divine nature? He is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and pervades this multi-verse. His real nature cannot be comprehended by ordinary mortal and is beyond imagination. Again, Surrender to Him is the only way either through actions, devotion or wisdom that all is Him.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 22

 Chapter 9 verse 22 

“There are those who always think of Me and engage in exclusive devotion to Me. To them, whose minds are always absorbed in Me, I provide what they lack and preserve what they already possess.” 

As we have seen in previous verses, there is a limit to merits and demerits of doing our duties and actions based on material and worldly desires. We may attain worldly and heavenly pleasures for a limited period of time. However if we “SURRENDER” to GOD, always in His contemplation and do all actions as an offering to Him, drop our mind and intellect in other energy dissipating activity, Lord protects the spiritual attainment we have gained-Kshemam and provides the benefits of the efforts to unify body, mind, intellect and the Self- Yoga. He protects what you already have and blesses one to the spiritual advancement in path to salvation. TOTAL SURRENDER is key! This is a famous sloka..”Ananya Chintayantah mam…yoga kshemam vaham aham”

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 21

 Chapter 9 verse 21 

“When they have enjoyed the vast pleasures of heaven, the stock of their merits being exhausted, they return to the earthly plane. Thus, those who follow the Vedic rituals, desiring objects of enjoyment, repeatedly come and go in this world.” 

Lord continues to expand on his statement from previous verse about what happens when beings pursue material desire based karma such as yagna and other sacrifices with the intent to gain merit. The merit is granted and the being traverses this earthly plane post death to heavenly plane for a limited time per their good karma or other planes for their not so good karma. However to exhaust their vasanas and karma phala, they do need to take another birth on the earthly plane. This explanation is a good setup for Lord to stress on why this focus on materiality of the universe is ultimately a futile exercise.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 20

 Chapter 9 verse 20 

“Those who are inclined to the fruitive activity described in the Vedas worship Me through ritualistic sacrifices. Being purified from sin by drinking the Soma juice, which is the remnant of the yajñas, they seek to go to heaven. By virtue of their pious deeds, they go to the abode of Indra, the king of heaven, and enjoy the pleasures of the celestial gods.” 

In Sanatana Dharma, there is Vedas which has the karma khanda and jnana khanda, purusartha-key focus areas of life and there is karma yoga. All three aspects points to liberation from this cycle of birth and death as the ultimate goal. Karma Khanda of the Vedas illustrate sacrifices and ways to pray to Divine and celestial gods. These activities are designed to anneal the body and mind into getting ready for wisdom and knowledge of the Self (jnana khanda). Likewise, the purusarthas-Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha is in that order. If a being leads their life in the pursuit of need based desires and material wealth guided by Dharma (righteous conduct), then that person is firmly on the path towards realizing themselves and attain Moksha albeit over some period of time according to their effort and devotion. Karma yoga also points to the same concept. Do your duty as an offering to Divine and enjoy the fruits of that labor as a gift from Him. In this verse, Lord is only referring to what you can get when one does the sacrifices as prescribed by the Vedas in karma khanda.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 19

 Chapter 9 verse 19 

“I radiate heat as the sun, and I withhold, as well as send forth rain. I am immortality as well as death personified. I am the spirit as well as matter.” 

Lord established earlier in this chapter that both forms of energy in the Universe and Mutilverse are HIS- spiritual energy and material energy. He has also indicated that even if beings worshipped the celestial gods such as Sun, moon, Indra, Varuna, Vayu, Yama and Agni, the worship ultimately goes to Him and He alone directs all this worship as well. In this verse, He confirms it by saying He is the heat from the sun, has the ability to pour or withhold the rains. He is death, life and immortality as well. “Sarvam Vishnu mayam jagat- Godliness pervades the multiverse!”

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 18

 Chapter 9 verse 18 

“I am the Supreme Goal of all living beings, and I am also their Sustainer, Master, Witness, Abode, Shelter, and Friend. I am the Origin, End, and Resting Place of creation; I am the Storehouse and Eternal Seed.” 

In our body conscious, we have relatives, friends and fellow beings. Swami Mukundananda gives a very good example of the ocean and the waves. Two waves could be together for a while but when it hits the shores, one hit earlier and merges back to the ocean and the other hits later and still merges back to the ocean. The two don’t meet again in this form. Likewise, Lord is the ocean from which all beings like waves originate and merge. We cling to the fellow waves in this life not understanding that the only permanent entity is the ocean of divinity. He is the supreme GOAL of all beings. When you catch hold of Him as the sustainer, master, witness, friend, ultimate abode and shelter, you don’t need anyone or anything else. Lord also declares that he is the beginning and end of creation and our quest while not having any beginning and end Himself. He is the ultimate destination/storehouse/treasure house of everything and the imperishable seed of all creation. “Avyayam Bhijam-Imperishable Seed”!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 16-17

 Chapter 9 verse 16-17 

“It is I who am the Vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice, and I am the oblation offered to the ancestors. I am the medicinal herb, and I am the Vedic mantra. I am the clarified butter; I am the fire and the act of offering. Of this universe, I am the Father; I am also the Mother, the Sustainer, and the Grandsire. I am the purifier, the goal of knowledge, the sacred syllable Om. I am the Ṛig Veda, Sāma Veda, and the Yajur Veda.” 

Vedas are broadly consisting of 2 major parts or khandas- Karma Khanda (compendium of rituals, sacrifices etc.,) and Jnana Khanda (Upanishads and teachings to realize God). In the previous verse, Lord talks about the 3 streams of Vedanta-Advaita, Vishistadavita and dwaita. Not to be misconstrued that there is something in the Universe which is not dwelling in paramatma or vice versa, Lord in this verse declares that he is also the vedic rituals, the sacrifices done, the ingredients of the sacrifice, receiver of the oblations of the sacrifice. He is the ultimate giver of life and the Universe was created from his womb. Hence he is both the father and mother of the Universe and all beings. In sanatana dharma, brahma was also born out of the navel of Narayana and hence he is also the grandfather of this Universe. No wonder, Lord also declares that all scriptures are HIS manifestation as well.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 15

 Chapter 9 verse 15 

“Others, engaging in the yajña of cultivating knowledge, worship Me by many methods. Some see Me as undifferentiated oneness that is non-different from them, while others see Me as separate from them. Still others worship Me in the infinite manifestations of My cosmic form.” 

This important and path breaking verse (path creating verse in fact!) in my humble opinion illustrates the 3 forms of Vedanta philosophy. Adi Shankara, Ramanujacharya an Madhvacharya brought this out beautifully 4000 years later- Advaita, Dwaita and vishishtadwaita respectively. 

Advaita- Supreme and I are not different. Jnana Yoga which Lord illustrates in Bhagavat Gita takes this path

Dwaita- Supreme’s material energy created us and we are separate from Him and need to surrender and merge into His spiritual energy. Path of Bhakti Yoga

Vishistadwaita- Supreme being created and manages the Universe and this Universe or multiverses are just projection of the entire cosmic form. We are part of HIM. 

Karma yoga and astanga/raja yoga can be practiced with a feeling in either of the 3 paths of Vedanta in my view. However Jnana yoga can only be understood and achieved through advaita. Bhakti yoga is highest illustration of Dwaita philosophy. Sanatana dharma is so all encompassing with so many aspects and layers accommodated in its fold.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 14

 Chapter 9 verse 14 

“Always singing My divine glories, striving with great determination, and humbly bowing down before Me, they constantly worship Me in loving devotion.” 

How do these beings who are devoted to Him show their devotion? It is said that in kali yuga, bhajan and kirtan (chanting and singing glories of the Lord) is the best way to reach Him. Some of the examples of famous devotees mentioned in the last verse can be expanded to people such as Thyagaraja, Tulsidas, Sage Narada from different time as well. I have not read Narada bhakti sutra yet but I am looking forward to what that scripture would indicate in terms of Bhakti. Some of the near term avatars of kali yuga-Shirdi Sai Baba and Satya Sai Baba have both encouraged bhajans and kirtans for the lord in keeping with what has already been advised in the scriptures. The psychology of the advise is exemplary considering that in kali yuga everyone is running helter shelter and have little attention span. Therefore to bring their attention to Godliness, singing divine glories of the Lord is a great way!

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary Chapter 9 verse 13

Chapter 9 verse 13 

“But the great souls, who take shelter of My divine energy, know Me, Lord Krishna, as the origin of all creation. They engage in My devotion with their minds fixed exclusively on Me.” 

Unlike the deluded in the previous verse, the good/great souls/beings recognize the divine spiritual energy and surrender to Him. They recognize that He is the creator of all of Universe and in every being He only resides. Knowing thus, they are constantly performing actions as a sacrifice towards Him, revel in the Knowledge that is Him and surrender in true devotion to Him alone. This was the state of sri Ramakrishna, meera bhai, kabir, chaitanya mahaprabhu etc.,

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 12

 Chapter 9 verse 12 

“Of vain hopes, of vain actions, of vain knowledge and senseless (devoid of discrimination), they are possessed of the delusive nature of raksasas and asuras”

Forgetting the source of ourselves leads us to wrongful actions and thoughts. Lord is talking about beings that lose their way due to inappropriate actions, wrong thinking and action without viveka (discrimination). These attributes descend beings to the state of demons and devils (raksasas and asuras). Human beings can easily descend to this existence if we don’t pay attention to our behavior. The devas and asuras live amongst us. Let us not even strive to be devas which is an inferior striving. Why don’t we strive to merge with the divine principle.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 11

 Chapter 9 verse 11 

“When I descend in My personal form deluded persons are unable to recognize Me. They do not know the divinity of My personality, as the Supreme Lord of all beings.” 

How many beings recognized Rama, Krishna, other avatars in sanatana dharma or for that matter even Jesus? Very few blessed souls did. Why? One needs GRACE to recognize divinity in each other. Self doubt is not doubting the individual self but the infinite wisdom of the Supreme Self as well. Doubt or lack of faith is always a reflection of lack of faith in both individual self and broader divinity of creation. It is said that the world is just a projection of our thoughts. If we think positively, the world appears rosy, otherwise it appears filthy. Let us pray that we recognize going forward divinity in all fellow beings and practice kindness and adhere to dharma.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 10

 Chapter 9 verse 10 

“Working under My direction, this material energy brings into being all animate and inanimate forms. For this reason, the material world undergoes the changes (of creation, maintenance, and dissolution).” 

As illustrated in previous verses, Lord is the creator and protector of both spiritual energy and material energy which manifests in the universe. There are multiple celestial gods appointed to carry out various tasks of creation and sustenance in the universe including Brahma. They are not the Supreme Lord. They execute what He has willed. All beings are created through his material energy, sustained and ultimately dissolved back to his paramatman. This is the absolute TRUTH of Universe.

 

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 9

 Chapter 9 verse 9 

“None of these actions bind Me. I remain like a neutral observer, ever detached from these actions.” 

The material energy from Lord is manifested in the Universe in terms of beings and nature. These beings create the world by their actions. God creates the canvas and the rules of engagement such as Laws of Karma and nature etc., and lets beings play their part. There might be interventions here and there to level set nature in terms of regular avatars. Other than these, He remains a neutral observer and is unaffected by the being’s actions.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 7-8

 Chapter 9 verse 7-8 

“Know At the end of one kalpa, all living beings merge into My primordial material energy. At the beginning of the next creation, O son of Kunti, I manifest them again. Presiding over My material energy, I generate these myriad forms again and again, in accordance with the force of their natures.” 

I am not sure if end of Universe happens at the end of one kalpa or 1 Brahma year, but the manifested material energy at the time of dissolution merges with His spiritual energy and the beginning of the next creation, Lord manifests the material energy again. These forms or beings don’t need to be in the earth plane alone but could be in any of the countless planes of existence in the multitudes of Universe in the grand creation. We are just a speck in the infinity of His creation. Shouldn’t that be enough to counter or arrest our earth sized EGOs!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 6

 Chapter 9 verse 6 

“Know that as the mighty wind blowing everywhere rests always in the sky, likewise all living beings rest always in Me.” 

Wind needs space to blow and merges into the space. Likewise, all beings even though created as the material energy form of the Divine is after all part of His creation. We just don’t recognize the divinity which rests in all of us. When we express unconditional love for fellow beings, the divinity springs forth. Imagine the love God has for us to take care of all beings in the Universe and ensure their well being.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 5

 Chapter 9 verse 5 

“And yet, the living beings do not abide in Me. Behold the mystery of My divine energy! Although I am the Creator and Sustainer of all living beings, I am not influenced by them or by material nature.” 

How is that the Lord is the owner and creator of both the spiritual energy and material energy but does not get engaged in the material energy of maya. He is like lotus leaf in water- deeply entrenched but detached. The moral and physical degradation of the Universe which is nature of the creation does not affect the creator. Lord maintains an arm’s length relationship with the Universe. As a testament to this relationship, He doesn’t interfere in His own laws such as the law of karma and cause and effect. Yet, we engage him in a trading relationship every moment, always asking for something in return for showing devotion towards Him.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 4

 Chapter 9 verse 4 

“This entire cosmic manifestation is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest form. All living beings dwell in Me, but I do not dwell in them.” 

In chapter 8, we saw that there are 2 forms of God energy-His spiritual energy and material energy. His spiritual energy is what is unmanifested and prevalent in the entire Universe and cosmic creation. All the beings in this Universe contain his material energy. The material energy emanates from Him and is part of Him but he is not just the material energy and beyond it. This is the essence of what Lord is enumerating in this verse.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 3

 Chapter 9 verse 3 

“People who have no faith in this dharma are unable to attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. They repeatedly come back to this world in the cycle of birth and death.” 

Faith and Trust needs to come before devotion and results in the path of divine worship. Belief/Faith/Trust is the first step to be taken by the devotee or being. That first step will slowly lead people to knowledge and wisdom. This experience of the Divine principle which gets converted to wisdom through satsang, sattvic thoughts and action and other practices leads one on the path of light. Beings distracted away from the path of light are unable to attain God principle. They then have to repeatedly come back to this world and participate in cycle of birth and death. It is said to take a leap of faith. The first leap has to be taken without any assurance about the result. But it is the most important leap one can take. Let us all take that leap towards GOD!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 2

 Chapter 9 verse 2 

“This knowledge is the king of sciences and the most profound of all secrets. It purifies those who hear it. It is directly realizable, in accordance with dharma, easy to practice, and everlasting in effect.” 

Lord calls true devotion to Him as the king of sciences and secrets. Why “king of sciences-raja vidya”? What Krishna says is not part of a religion, dogma/belief/sect or doctrine. It is knowledge and wisdom-it is scientific to the point that this act of devotion is what takes the least energy from all beings to reach exalted state. Does not all beings try and reach the lowest energy state of existence in the scientific world? Is this not then the king of sciences? Why is it the “King of Secrets-raja guhyam”? Unless one seeks Him, the necessary conditions are not created for the true bhakti or devotion to occur in that being. Is it not? That’s why Divine is hidden in maya but is available at all times for those who seek Him. When this inner voice of bhakti is realized and heard, the person is already purified. Devotion/para bhakti is in line with sanatana dharma, easy to follow, easy to practice and is eternal in benefit. What else do we need? Then why is it so difficult for us to realize this?

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 9 verse 1

 Chapter 9 verse 1 

“The Supreme Lord said: Since you are not envious of Me, I shall now impart to you this very confidential knowledge and wisdom, upon knowing which you will be released from the miseries of material existence.” 

The Lord stresses that one has to be non-jealous to be qualified to hear the most secret knowledge of Universe. If a being is a non-believer in the divinity of God principle, then they don’t qualify to get God’s grace. Krishna was the first cousin of Arjuna, being the son of Vasudeva who was the elder brother of Kunti, Arjuna’s mother. When you have a close relative calling themselves divine principle, it is often times very difficult to comprehend and trust this person. The mind and intellect comes in the way of accepting this declaration. This is also the reason why most people are not able to digest the declaration over millennia of the avatars of God of sanatana dharma but also all other major religions as well. There are also 2 concepts illustrated in this verse- different between information/knowledge and wisdom- jnanam and vijnanam. I call this wisdom as experiential reality. As long as the spiritual seeking is just information or knowledge gathering, one doesn’t make the grade or jump towards Bhakti or true devotion. The leap happens if and only if the devotee breaks out of the mind and intellect complex and surrenders self to Supreme Self. Surrender is key to getting rid of the miseries of material existence.  

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 8 verse 27-28

 Chapter 8 verse 27-28 

“Yogis who know the secret of these two paths are never bewildered. Therefore, at all times be situated in Yoga (union with God).The yogis, who know this secret, gain merit far beyond the fruits of Vedic rituals, the study of the Vedas, performance of sacrifices, austerities, and charities. Such yogis reach the Supreme Abode.” 

Lord talks about 2 paths- path of light and path of darkness. Path of light is the path of complete surrender to Supreme Lord by forsaking the 6 derailers- kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and matsarya. Yoga is union of body, mind and spirit. In the conclusion to 8^th chapter, Lord is imploring beings to be in union or yogam with GOD and HIM alone. This is also the right path. The other path which is path of darkness is everything which attaches us to the material world with the 6 derailers and is also called the path of the pleasant. The pleasantness is very short lived and creates longer term suffering by repeating the cycle of birth and death. Vedic rituals and austerities as stated in the karma kanda of the Vedas are good to perform if and only if these karmas leads one to the jnana of the need to merge with the Divine. Even charities done without the thought of “idam na mama; sarvam Vishnu mayam jagat” or “this does not belong to me in the first place and everything is God principle” is the right kind of charity. Adi Shankara had called this out as well in his bhaja govindam-“samprapthe sannihite kaale, nahi nahi rakshathi dukrun karane-reciting the Vedas per correct grammar in your last breadth is not going to lead you to Moksha as much as contemplation on the Divine”.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 8 verse 23-26

 Chapter 8 verse 23-26 

“I shall now describe to you the different paths of passing away from this world, O best of the Bharatas, one of which leads to liberation and the other leads to rebirth. Those who know the Supreme Brahman, and who depart from this world, during the six months of the sun’s northern course, the bright fortnight of the moon, and the bright part of the day, attain the supreme destination. The practitioners of Vedic rituals, who pass away during the six months of the sun’s southern course, the dark fortnight of the moon, the time of smoke, the night, attain the celestial abodes. After enjoying celestial pleasures, they again return to the earth. These two, bright and dark paths, always exist in this world. The way of light leads to liberation and the way of darkness leads to rebirth.” 

Arjuna had at the beginning of chapter 8 asked the Lord how one can be united at the time of death with Him. Krishna had provided the answer to the question of “How” earlier stressing about the surrender and devotion to Him. In these verses, he points to fact that beings who have trod the path of righteousness and constantly attached to the Supreme, leave this earth with lots of blessings in the northern run of the sun- Uttarayana, during the shukla paksha of the moon- which is the 15 days after amavasya and during the day. This is another way of signifying light and fire in nature. Beings that leave earth at other times also reach abodes based on their nityakarma and would just take a longer path to salvation. The key to remember here is not the time as much as the need to be attached to Supreme at all times. That qualification alone can open all doors literally for all mortals. Bhisma is a good example of this condition. He had exhausted his karmas on earth and chose to wait for uttarayana even though that meant lot of physical pain for him, so he doesn’t need to go through another birth.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 8 verse 22

 Chapter 8 verse 22 

“The Supreme Divine Personality is greater than all that exists. Although He is all-pervading and all living beings are situated in Him, yet He can be known only through devotion.” 

Let us take the life of Adi Shankara-the great advaitin of the new age. He attained the highest form of knowledge-jnana yoga, became the epitome of karma yoga-travelling and spreading sanatana dharma all over bharata varsha and exhibited highest level of raja yoga or ashtanga yoga including the ability to master all 8 highest siddhis-ashta maha siddhis. However he brought all back to bhakti or true devotion to the supreme lord as the only way to bind all paths and without this total surrender, he opined that life becomes a complete waste. His seminal work on bhaja govindam and all other devotional compositions such as soundrya lahiri etc., are proof enough for this postulation. We look at history to learn our lessons. Why don’t we learn from our able ancestors and Gurus? If not, our paramaguru is clearly stating what to do in this verse-surrender to Him and then we can KNOW HIM!

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 8 verse 21

 Chapter 8 verse 21 

“That unmanifest dimension is the supreme goal, and upon reaching it, one never returns to this mortal world. That is My supreme Abode.” 

Only the Supreme Lord is permanent in this Universe. Everything else is subject to destruction and creation repeatedly. Ultimate goal for all living beings is to escape from this cycle of birth and death and merge with the Supreme.

Srimad Bhagavat Gita commentary chapter 8 verse 20

 Chapter 8 verse 20 

“Transcendental to this manifest and unmanifest creation, there is yet another unmanifest eternal dimension. That realm does not cease even when all others do.” 

So far, Lord was enumerating about the infiniteness of space, time and how beings are acting in this cycle of birth and death. These all happen in the material energy space of the Supreme Lord. In this verse, He begins to talk about the spiritual energy which is also part of Him. This spiritual energy is the cause of Universe and remains unmanifest at all times and is “anantha-with no beginning or end”.