SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
yo mām ajam anādiṁ ca
vetti loka-maheśvaram
asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu
sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate
‘Whoso knoweth Me as the Birthless, the Beginningless, the Great Kosmic Lord, —he, among mortals, is risen from ignorance, and he is delivered from all sins.’
He who is never born is Ajah=Birthless. This attribute connotes the Lord, as contra-distinguished from the changeful non-intelligent substance (matter), and the world-enmeshed intelligents (samsāri-chetanāḥ).
By the term anādi, the Lord is distinguished from the liberated souls, who, though birthless, have had a beginning for their liberated state. The liberated soul is so characterized from its having had at one time association with evil. Hence by the term anādi is implied that the Lord had never such association, and occupies a position antidotal to evil. Śruti also says:—‘(He) stainless etc.’[1. Śvet: Up: VI-19: ‘Niravadyam etc’.]
Thus, he who has grown wise among mortals, understands Me (1) as essentially different from, and contrary to, anything associated with evil; and (2) as the great Lord of the Kosmos, meaning the Over-lord of the several lords of the Kosmos.
Asammūdhaḥ=the non-ignorant, or the wise; wisdom consisting in being destitute of the hallucination in that I am equal to, or I compare with, other things, or not identifying Me with, or conceiving Me as like unto, other things.
Such a devotee is delivered from all obstructive sins preventing the development of God-love (or love to Me).
The purport is this:— In the world, the king of a people is, like any of his people, a man himself; but he has become a ruler by some act (of merit): such even is the case with the king of the devas [Indra, and even the Lord of the mundane egg (Demiurge=Brahmā), who are all like any other ordinary worldling. Every one of them comes under the one or the other of the three-fold bhāvanas[2. Bhāvanā-traya = (1) Karma-bhāvana, (2) Brahma-bhāvana, and (3) Ubhaya-bhāvana. Janaka and such like persons come under (1), Sanaka and such like, under (2), and Brahmā and such like under (3)’. Consult Vedārtha-Sangraha Pp: 312-313, (Telugu Edition) and Vish: Pur: VI-7-48. And therefore they are all amenable to their acts.]. The Śruti declares: ‘(He) Who creates Brahmā.'[3. Śvet: Up: VI-8: ‘Yo brahmāṇam vidadhāti.’]
The same is the case again with all those who may have even acquired the eight kinds of preter-natural powers (siddhīs)[4. (1) aṇimā (2) mahimā (3) garimā, (4) laghimā, (5) vaśitvam,
(6) aiśvaryam, (7)prāpti, (8) prākāmyam. Consult Pātañjala-Yoga-Sūtras.]. —But He: He is the (i) loka- (2) mah- (3) eśvara=the Great Lord of the Kosmos:—
- The Kosmos (loka) is the sum-total of all Sentient and Non-sentient Categories, in both their conditions of latency and patency, the Sentient comprising both the bound and the freed souls; —the Kosmos that is lorded over by Him.
- Greatness (maha) consists in his being Antidotal to all that is evil, and the being the holy Storehouse of limitless, countless, attributes of glory.
- Īśvaraḥ=Lord, or the being the Ruler, Essential; (or Rulership not coming as an adventitious condition).
Hence, He is, unlike others, singular by Himself. And he who does not incur the error (=moha) of fancying Him like unto others, and so understands Me, is exempt from all sins.
Thus, after showing how by meditation of the true nature of the Lord, barriers impeding the growth of Bhakti are broken down, and how, vice versa, by the removal of obstacles, Bhakti is provoked, Gītā next undertakes to explain how Bhakti may be enkindled by meditating profoundly on His greatness and sublimity, and His blessed attributes.
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