Commentary introduction to Chapter 14

Hail, Preceptor, the God of all Gods, the morning Sun in the form of the splendour of intellect, the dawn of happiness. Hail the Abode of the Refuge of the entire universe; the very incarnation of the majestic idea, “I am myself Supreme Brahman”; the sea on which roll the waves in the form of diverse worlds; all glory to you. Hear, ye, the brother (reliever) of the distressed, the eternal sea of compassion, and the Lord of the bride in the form of pure and holy lores. To those, from whom you keep hidden your ‘self, you only show this universe. Deluding the vision of others is called mesmerism; yet your own skill is so wonderful that it enables you to keep hidden your real aspect from others. You are all-in-all in the (entire) universe.

(The state of things) that you enable some people to realise the Supreme Self, while to others you (simultaneously) show only illusive worldly drama is all your craft (lāghava)—to you (such a one) I bow. We know this much that in the world the quality of sweetness in water, as also the forgiveness in the Earth are secured by them through you. The brilliant mother of pearls-the Sun and the Moon that arise and illumine the three worlds have derived their lustre through your splendour. The blowing of the wind is also through your divine power, while the game of hide-and-seek played by the sky is also through your support. In short it is through your power that nescience becomes mighty (all-pervading) and knowledge secures the power of vision. Enough, however, of this extolling, since even the Shruti (Vedas) got fatigued while describing you.

The Vedas proceed well with the description so long as the essence of your ‘self is not attained; but once it is attained both the Vedas and we find ourselves on the common plane of muteness. With the sea overflowing all, one can hardly distinguish individually even drops of water, what then of a big river? With the rising of the Sun, the Moon appears like a glow-worm: we both-ourselves and the Vedas-get reduced to the same position when matched with your ‘self. When there remains no trace whatever of duality, and when both the Para and Vaikhari, (parā va vaikharī) the first and last stages of speech cease functioning, under these condi-tions through what mouth could we extol you? No fitting words can be found by me to describe your personality. It is, therefore, the best course to stop all praise and place our (fore) head silently at your feet. Therefore, obeisance to you O preceptor, in whatever form you may be. (You) now be my creditor for making fruitful my (business of) composition and release the capital in the form of your kindness and pour it out into the bag (in the form) of my intellect, securing for me the gift of versified knowledge.

With its help, I shall carry on my business and shall adorn the ears of the saints with auspicious ear-ornaments (in the form) of right discrimination. My mind wishes to lay open the hidden treasure (in the form) of the mystic meaning of the Gita-teachings, and would pray to you to treat my eyes with collyrium in the form of your affection (to enable me to see the treasures). You should rise up, with the clear disc of your pure compassion, so that my intellectual vision would be able to perceive at a single glance, the entire literary (poetic) creation. You should be the spring (season), the crown-jewel amongst the loving, to make the charming creeping plant, in the form of my intellect abundantly fruitful with poetry. With your generous and kind vision, rain down copiously, so that the Ganges (in the form) of my intellect should register the highest flood in the form of problems (to be solved) and established truths. O, you, the sole resting place of the universe, let the Moon of your favour endow me with a Full-Moon night in the form of vigorous inspiration so that, at its sight the sea of knowledge should swell into full tide, making the channels of the nine Rasas (sentiments) overflow themselves.

Hearing this the Preceptor got pleased and said, “You have again started praising (me) on the pretext of making a request (and thus have been displaying a sense of duality). Let that unavailing talk alone, and proceed seriously with the revelation of the Scripture—making its sense lovely (easily comprehensible). Do not allow the deep interest (of the audience) to flag. Thereupon Shri Jnaneshwar said, I was only waiting to see the words ‘Go on with the preaching of the Scripture’ coming out from (your) illustrious mouth. The sprouts of the bent grass (durvā) are naturally ever green; over and above that they get flooded with nectar. In that way through (your) kindness I shall now expound the original Scriptural phrases and words in an eloquent and lucid way. Yet my only wish is that there should be developed, through the grace of the preceptor, in my faculty of speech, such eloquence, as would be able to drown the small boat of dubiousness (persisting) in the heart of beings and would also whet their appetite for hearing.

In Chapter XIII, Lord Krishna preached to Arjuna that the universe gets created through (the union of) the Field and the Field-knower, and that the Self, getting associated with the Gunas, has to get into the worldly affairs; this identification (of the self) with Prakrti is the sole cause of this pleasurable and painful experience. Otherwise, he is above the Gunas, absorbed as he is into the divine essence. How the non-attached gets attached, how the Field and the Field-knower get together, how they have to experience pleasure and pain, what is the nature and number of the Gunas, how they fetter and what are the characteristics of one who transcends these Gunas etc. etc.—the elucidation of these points forms the theme of Chapter XIV. Now you do hear what the teachings of the God of Vaikuntha on these are.

Then the Lord said, “Oh Arjuna, you assemble together the entire army in the form of your attention and let it cling closely to knowledge. I (We) have on former occasions explained to you in many ways, this theory (of knowledge), yet you have not been able to realize it within yourself.