Jnana Yagnam

Gurram Subbaramayya came here the day before yesterday morning. Whenever he comes, he talks to Bhagavan all the time he is here.

Gurram Subbaramayya came here the day before yesterday morning. Whenever he comes, he talks to Bhagavan all the time he is here. This morning also, while speaking to Bhagavan as usual, he said, “As I was coming

here, I got down in Madras and went to the house of Nagamma’s elder brother, D. S. Sastri. They were having a discourse on the Gita at the time.”

Bhagavan said, “Yes. All of them came here before having the discourses. What chapter are they reading now?”

Subbaramayya replied, “They are reading the fourth chapter on “Jnana Yoga”. At the time I sat there, it was stated that the karma that a person does after attaining jnana is all Brahmakarma. Everything is Yagna. To illustrate that point, the slokas from 25 to the 30 of chapter IV of the Gita were read and it was explained how the various sacrifices done by yogis merge into Brahman. The word ‘Juhvati’ was used to indicate that everything is consumed by the sacrificial fire so as to merge ultimately in Brahman. The commentator said that ‘Shrotradeen indriyanyanye samyamagnishu juhvati’ meant that they are controlling the indriyas (senses). I was not able to understand it properly. Bhagavan may be pleased to explain it clearly.”

Bhagavan, who was till then reclining, sat up and said:

“ïaeÇadInIiNÔya{yNye s<ymai¶;u juþit,

zBdadIiNv;yanNye #iNÔyai¶;u juþit. Others offer as sacrifice their senses of hearing etc. into the fires of self-control. Other yogis again offer sound and other objects of perception into the fires of the senses.

Gita, IV: 26

“The method of performing these sacrifices was first explained as above. Again,

svaR[IiNÔykmaRi[ àa[kmaRi[ capre,

AaTms<ymyaega¶aE juþit }andIipte. Others sacrifice all the functions of their senses and the function of the vital airs into the fire of Yoga, in the shape of self-control, which is kindled by wisdom.

Gita, IV: 27

“This means that the actions of the indriyas and of the vital airs are sacrificed in the fire of samyama. Having said this, it has further been stated that vital airs like prana, are sacrificed into Apana, Apana into Vyana and in this way one thing is sacrificed into another. Not only the vital airs and the senses; childhood is sacrificed into boyhood, boyhood into youth, youth into middle age and middle age into old age. So also the inhaling and exhaling of vital airs. Thus is the one sacrificed into the other, and this is a continuous process. This happens without one being conscious of it. That which is done consciously is called Jnana Yagna (Wisdom Sacrifice),” said Bhagavan.

Another devotee joining in the conversation asked, “It is said that for doing that Jnana Yagna the life’s impurities must be destroyed. How to destroy them?”

Bhagavan replied, “You want to know how?

AaTmanmri[< k«Tva à[v< caeÄrari[<,

}aninmRwna_yasaTpaz< dhit p<ift>.

Kaivalya Upanishad

It means that the Self is to be made the lower ‘Arani’* and ‘Pranavam’ (Om), the upper Arani and by rubbing them constantly one against the other, thus causing by friction the fire of jnana between the two; the Brahma Jnani burns away the bond known as ignorance. If one understands this and puts it into practice, life’s impurities get destroyed,” said Bhagavan.

The devotee said, “But Bhagavan always tells us that Self-enquiry of ‘Who am I?’ is the most important, is it not?”

Bhagavan replied, “It is the same thing. For enquiry there must be somebody. There is the person and there is

* Arani means a twig of the ‘Sami tree’ used for kindling the sacred fire by attrition.

the Self. They are known as the lower Arani and the upper Arani. The enquiry itself is the attrition. As one goes on continuously with this attrition the fire called Vijnana gets generated and the bond of ignorance that the Self is different from the object gets burnt out. That means the life’s impurities get destroyed. Then the Self remains as the real ‘Self ’. That is ‘Moksha’. It is this, that is called Jnana Yagna or some such thing.” So saying Bhagavan assumed silence.