Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Verse 11 (BG 10.11) — Meaning, Translation & Commentary

10.11 तेषाम् for them? एव mere? अनुकम्पार्थम् out of compassion? अहम् I? अज्ञानजम् born of ignorance? तमः darkness? नाशयामि (I) destroy? आत्मभावस्थः dwelling within their self? ज्ञानदीपेन by the lamp of knowledge? भास्वता luminous.Commentary Luminous lamp of knowledge The Lord dwells in the heart of the devotees who constantly think of Him and destroys the veil or the darkness born of ignorance due to the absence of discrimination? by the luminous lamp of knowledge fed by the oil of pure devotion? fanned by the wind of profound meditation on Him? provided with the wick of right intuition? generated by the constant cultivation of celibacy? piety and other divine virtues held in the chambers of the heart free from worldliness? placed in the innermost recesses of the mind free from the wind of senseattractions (withdrawn from the objects of the senses) and untainted by likes and dislikes? and shining with the light of knowledge of the Self caused by the constant practice of meditation.The lamp is not in need of an instrument or means or any sort of practice for the removal of darkness. The generation of the light itself is ite sufficient to remove the darkness. As soon as the darkness is removed by the light? the pot? the chair and the other articles are seen. Even so the dawn of knowledge of the Self itself is ite sufficient to remove ignorance. No other Karma or,practice is necessary. After the ignorance is removed by the knowledge of the Self? Brahman alone shines in Its pristine glory.

Commentaries

Contemporary scholarly and practical interpretations for modern seekers.

This interpretation draws on a specific tradition and may not represent the view of any single school. For authoritative guidance within a specific tradition, seek a qualified teacher.

Modern

Sometimes an object exists, yet remains hidden from our sight because certain favorable conditions are necessary to perceive it. Sound requires vibrations within the medium and those sound waves must reach our ears. Similarly, without the requisite light, an object before our eyes cannot be perceived by them. If we are searching for our key on a table in darkness, and someone switches on the light, illuminating the room, then our key becomes visible to us. We might say that this compassionate act of that person has enabled us to find our key. Yet it would be entirely incorrect to say that the light created the key. Through this illustration, Vedanta teaches us that the atman is always present within our heart, but due to unfavorable circumstances, it remains unavailable for direct experience. When those obstructing elements are removed, the atman can be experienced in its pure form. The veil that obscures the atman is the darkness born of ignorance. Remember that even in this state of ignorance, the atman exists in its pure form, yet it is not available for our direct experience. Those seekers who attain firm stability in buddhi yoga become worthy of direct knowledge of the atman. In the practice of buddhi yoga, there is a distinction between the meditator and the object of meditation—what is called savikalpa samadhi. This verse indicates that from this savikalpa state, the seeker is, as it were, transferred to the state of nirvikalpa samadhi through divine grace. In truth, the seeker can reach only up to the state of savikalpa samadhi through personal effort. Even this buddhi yoga seems to come from elsewhere—meaning it is not the fruit of carefully executed effort, but rather a natural, spontaneous, partial divine inspiration. When the dense fog between ego and pure atman becomes thin, then this divine inspiration is experienced. When this fog is completely destroyed, then complete self-realization occurs in its self-luminous form. In a dark room, on a table, lies a watch with a radium dial, covered by papers and books so it cannot be seen. When someone, searching in the darkness, removes those papers, the watch itself appears shining. Its radiance itself is its indicator. Eternal truth, too, when veiled by ignorance, may appear as non-existence. Yet when ignorance is removed, it illuminates itself by its own light, and no other proof is needed to know it. When the darkness of ignorance is destroyed by the lamp of luminous knowledge, the atman reveals itself in its unique, non-dual, all-pervading, and complete form. The Lord Himself, dwelling in the hearts of His devotees, performs this act of manifestation of the atman with the feeling of bestowing grace upon them. Yet the truth is that this grace is upon oneself alone. When I grow weary while walking, I sit down somewhere—solely out of compassion toward myself. The seeker cannot obtain this grace without paying its proper price. During the day, when I open the windows of my room, sunlight illuminates my room out of compassion. As we know, as long as those windows remain open, the sun has no freedom to close the door of its mercy. Similarly, its mercy will not manifest until I open the windows of my room. In short, the invocation of sunlight occurs only when the obstruction in its path is removed. Similarly, through the practice of preliminary disciplines, the seeker becomes worthy of buddhi yoga. Then, through continuous and earnest practice of this, the seeker completely destroys the veil of ignorance and its resulting distractions. Immediately, the atman illuminates itself in its own light, radiant in its luminous form. To see lightning piercing through the clouds, no other light is needed. Here concludes the section of teaching given for the attainment of the highest purpose or goal of life—purification of mind and self-realization. Yet Arjuna is not satisfied with this, and therefore, expressing his doubt, he requests the Lord for help, so that through direct experience he himself may verify the truth. Having heard from the Lord's mouth about His manifestations and yoga, Arjuna expresses his inquiry—