Verse 18.72

Verse 18.72: “I do hope that thou hast, O Son of Pritha, listened to this with one-pointed attention. I do hope, O Dhananjaya, that (as a consequence) thy ignorance—grounded misconception has been dispelled.” (1540)

Commentary called Jnaneshwari by Jnaneshwar:

Now tell Me, Oh Son of Pandu, if you have heard with concentrated attention, all theories and established truths of the (Gita) Scripture. Has the knowledge that we (I) poured into your ears, been impressed on your mind with the (same) effectiveness, or has any portion of it been spilt out (and wasted), or been ignored and discarded through negligence? If it has been stored in your heart in the way we preached it, then, first of all give out straight answers to the questions I ask. I now ask you, has or has not that former infatuation which arose out of ignorance (on your part) about the soul, and deluded you, (yet) left you? But why all this? Only tell me whether you now discern anything like action (Duty) or non-action (or evil action) adhering to your true personality i.e. soul?”

Partha who was about to get dissolved in the bliss of the self, was as the result of this question (instead of getting so dissolved), brought back to the sense of his distinctness. Partha had got himself completely attuned to Supreme Brahman, but Lord Krishna would not have him transgress the boundary of separate individuality, in order to ensure the accomplishment of the further object. Otherwise did he not, as the all-knowing, know his own doing? But he put the question simply for this.

By asking this question, God made Arjuna return to his (nonexisting) ‘I’ sense and made him confirm that he had (duly) attained perfection as he actually had. Just as the full Moon arising over the ocean, and ascending up and illuminating the entire sky, seems automatically distinct (from the ocean) without actually being separated from it (by any one), in that way forgetting on the one hand the fact of his having got himself attuned to the Supreme Brahman, but discerning on the other hand the entire universe being pervaded by Brahman, and yet again seeing the universe (pervaded by Brahman) slipping out along with the subsidence of his Brahmic state—with his Brahmic state thus subsiding and again emerging intact, in such a tottering state Arjuna, with great exertions, got back on the border line of his mortal body-form, and stood there in his ‘I’-sense as Arjuna.

Then with trembling hands he smoothed down his horripilation, and wiped dry the sweat. Giving his mind’s support to his body that was swaying on account of violent agitation that overwhelmed his soul, he steadied the movement of his body. He pressed back and held up the spurt of the tears of joy, trickling fast down his eyes, and suppressing in his heart the dense crowd of extraordinary emotional experiences of various types that choked his throat, and further recovering his faltering tongue, he steadied his breath.