In this excerpt from the end of chapter 7 and the concluding verse of the Bhagavad Gita, In the Light of Kashmir Shaivism, Swami Lakshmanjoo explains the importance of meditation during your life in Kashmir Shaivism. We are presenting two translations by Swamiji, recorded at different times of his life. The first is a video recording made in Swamiji’s later years, and the second is an audio lecture recorded earlier.
DVD 7 (1:16:40)
साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः ।
प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः ॥३०॥
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ ca ye viduḥ /
prayāṇakāle’pi ca māṁ te viduryuktacetasaḥ //30//
Those people who understand what is sādhi-bhūta, those people who understand what is sādhi-yajñaṁ, these people, at the time of death, they get entry and are united in Me in the end.
But he [Kṛṣṇa] says here, prayāṇakāle, at the time of death, they get entry in Me. Abhinavagupta commentates upon [this that] at the time of death, you should not know that “at the time of death, they get entry in Me.” It is only when they practice this in their lifetime, then at the time of death also they will do the same thing.
Kim janmāsevanayā [comm. verse 30], those people who say to people, “what is the use of thinking of Lord Śiva from your birth to death? Why should you not think of Him [only] at the time of death? At the death time, we will think of Him and get mokṣa.” If those people who say this, what shall I tell them?
Teṣāṁ tūṣṇīṁ bhāva eva śobhana, to them, I have no words to tell them [except], “what are you barking?”
Iti śivam.
DVD 7 (1:18:54)
Now the conclusion of this chapter.
स्फुटं भगवतो भक्तिराहिता कल्पमञ्जरी ।
साधकेच्छासमुचितां येनाशां परिपूरयेत् ॥७॥
sphuṭaṁ bhagavato bhaktirāhitā kalpamañjarī /
sādhakecchāsamucitāṁ yenāśāṁ paripūrayet //7//
॥ Concluding śloka of 7th chapter ॥
The bhakti, the devotion of Parabhairava, if you have possessed that devotion of Parabhairava, you [should] understand that you have got kalpalata. Kalpalata is that lata, that creeper in heaven; whatever you ask, it gives, it bestows to you. It is called pāri-jāta-mañjarī. In heaven, in a particular heaven, there is pāri-jāta-mañjarī if you go and ask for what you need, and it will be bestowed to you. Whatever you think – if you need money, it will come, if you need anything, it will come. And if you need God consciousness, it will come. It is kalpa mañjarī. And in the same way, the real kalpa mañjarī is devotion towards Bhairava. This is the real, real kalpa mañjarī. It will give you the success of entering in Parabhairava state in the end.
Sādhakecchāsamucitāṁ yenāśāṁ paripūrayet, and all [worldly] desires are shunned and [sādhakas] are successfully taken inside the state of Parabhairava in the end.
iti śrīmahāmāheśvarācāryavaryarājānakābhinavaguptapāda-
viracite śrīmadbhagavadgītārthasaṃgrahe saptamo’dhyāyaḥ
7th chapter is finished.
(no transcript for concluding discussion by John, Denise and Shanna Hughes, and George Barselaar about Swamiji’s birthday habit of remaining in Samadhi for hours and the importance of meditation.)
PART TWO:
BG audio CD 469a ch 7 (01:25)
साधिभूताधिदैवं मां साधियज्ञं च ये विदुः ।
प्रयाणकालेऽपि च मां ते विदुर्युक्तचेतसः ॥३०॥
sādhibhūtādhidaivaṁ māṁ sādhiyajñaṁ ca ye viduḥ /
prayāṇakāle’pi ca māṁ te viduryuktacetasaḥ //30//
Those persons who understand me as adhibhūtā, adhidaiva and adhiyajña; those people who understand me as adhibhūtā, adhidaiva and adhiyajña, these three–these three names are attributed to Lord, Lord Śiva: adhibhūtā, adhidaiva and adhiyajña–and those persons who understand me as such, adhibhūtā adhidaiva and adhiyajña (he will define in next chapter, he will define all these, so it is not needed, we don’t need to explain it here), prayāṇakāle’ pi ca māṁ te viduryuktacetasaḥ, at the time of death also they understand Lord Śiva in fullness, they will, necessarily, because their mind is one-pointed, yuktacetasaḥ.
ādhyātmikādhibhautikādhidaivikādhiyajñikāni ca mamaiva rūpāntarāṇi / (comm.)
Ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika, ādhiyajñika, these four stages of actions. Ādhyātmika, ādhyātmika actions are those who appear in your own body that is ādhyātmika. Ādhidaivika . . .
[Ādhyātmika] these are actions in your body. For instance mood change, love, hatred, it is ādhyātmika. This is ādhyātmika . . .
JOACHIM: This is emotional element especially.
SWAMIJI: Yes, residing in your own body, in your own nature. Sometime you are happy, sometime you are sad, sometime you think that you are God yourself, and sometime you think you are nothing, you have gone, you are mixed in dust, all these things, it is ādhyātmika.
Ādhidaivika is that which comes from . . .
JOACHIM: Sensual organs?
SWAMIJI: No.
. . . which comes from gods. That is thunders, clouds, rains, earthquakes, fire.
ERNIE: Trees growing, plants?
SWAMIJI: Trees growing, it is adhibhūtā.
And this is also my expansion, that too is also my expansion. Ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhiyajña.
Ādhiyajña is that which rises from yajñas, from sacrificial fires, that fruit which comes out from that.
Ādhibhūta is that which comes from bhūtas, five elements, five great elements: earth, water, etc.
JOACHIM: Earth, water, fire, air, and ākāśa.
SWAMIJI: Floods, wind, storms, all these things, these actions are called adhibhūta. All these are my expansion; this is my expanded nature everywhere.
Prayāṇa . . . (verse 30), the person, that person, those persons who understand me like that i.e. that, “this is the nature of God consciousness everywhere residing,” prayāṇakāle, in the end when they leave their bodies, māṁ te viduryuktacetasaḥ, they understand me.
pralayāṇakāle ca . . . (comm. verse 30)
At the time of death . . .
nityaṁ bhagavadbhāvitāntaḥkaraṇatvāt
. . . (because he has been adopting one-pointedness of God in his lifetime, if he is meditating, if he has been meditating during his lifetime continuously–that is what he says), then, in the end, when he leaves the body, when his consciousness has gone beyond control, beyond his control, at the time when he is in a coma state, he’ll be meditating inside; internally he’ll be meditating. If he meditates during his life period, he will be meditating in that coma state also, at the time when he is going to leave this body, at that time also he will be thinking of God, internally.
This is very fine.
Prayāṇakāle, at the time of death, nityaṁ bhagavad bhāvita antaḥ karaṇatvāt, because he has bhāvita antaḥ karaṇa, antaḥ karaṇa, his mind is focused in his lifetime towards God only, so, at the time of death also his mind will be focused to him.
DENISE: So the strongest impression in his mind.
SWAMIJI: Yes.
māṁjānanti,
So they understand me in the end.
yato yeṣaṁ janmapūrvameva bhagavattattvaṁ;
Because, janma pūrvameva bhagavat tattvaṁ, in the period of their lives, livelihood (livelihood–not), at the time of their living period, when they have adopted the nature of God, when they have meditated upon the nature of God in their living period . . .
te ‘ntakāle parameśvaraṁ saṁsmareyuḥ /
. . . those persons will necessarily remember God at the time of death also.
But on the contrary . . .
‘kiṁ janmāsevanayā’–iti ye manyante;
teṣāṁ tūṣṇīṁbhāva eva śobhana iti śivam // (comm. not recited fully)
. . . iti ye manyante, those who understand that, “kiṁ janmāsevanayā, why to worry to meditate in [your] lifetime, try to meditate at that very period, at the time of death . . .
DENISE: How can you?
SWAMIJI: . . . be, enjoying in this world for the time being, [and] at the time of death think of Lord!”–those persons who say like this, (this is what he, [Abhinavagupta] says), “kiṁ janmāsevanayā, you should not worry to meditate till the end,”–iti ye manyante; teṣāṁ tūṣṇīṁbhāva eva śobhana, for them I have nothing to say, I have nothing whatsoever to tell them.
atra saṁgrahaślokaḥ
The conclusion of this.
sphuṭaṁ bhagavato bhaktirāhitā kalpamañjarī / (concl. Ch 7)
The attachment of Lord Śiva, if it is developed day by day in your lifetime, āhitā kalpamañjarī, it becomes kalpamañjarī, it becomes that tree, bestower of all boons, that tree which is existing in heaven.
DENISE: Wish-fulfilling tree.
SWAMIJI: All your desires are fulfilled.
sādhakecchāsamucitāṁ yenāśāṁ paripūrayet // (concl. Ch 7)
And samucitāṁ sādhaka icchāṁ, the icchā, the desire of sādhaka, desire of devotee’s of Lord Śiva is fulfilled by that bhakti, by that attachment of Lord.
Bas!
This is the ending [of this] chapter.
This video series is available as limited edition DVD set with book, eBook, hard and soft cover book, video series)
