Chapter 7 of Bhagavad Gita is variously named as “Yoga of Wisdom and Realisation”, “Way of Knowledge and Realisation” and “Jñāna Vijñāna Yoga.”
The elucidations on this topic are paraphrased here in this FAQ. The answers are annotated with the appropriate original verses in Bhagavad Gita. A keen reader may refer to these for cogent explanations. An ample number of writings with the original Sanskrit text, word-by-word translation, meanings and commentary are available.
We understand God as the ultimate divinity. We have our own idea of God. Bhagavad Gita presents the highest Universal Principle. This is named Brahman that is beyond everything in the universe — beyond even all Gods that we normally refer to (for example, in Hinduism, Ganesh, Vishnu,) Self is that essence of Brahman extant in living beings. We may refer to Self as atma or atman or soul in western philosophies. Self is differentiated from self, where the latter indicates the organic components of a being that includes body and mind.
(The answers presented here are as in Bhagavad Gita with no personal views by the writer)
1) What is realisation?
The universe and living beings are made of the basic elements (called apara prakriti) earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego. Then there is superior element (para prakriti — the pure conscious or the Self.) God is the creator and destroyer of the universe and living beings with these elements.
We can see and experience God as the piquancy of water, the brilliance in fire, the sweet fragrance in earth, the light in sun and moon, the primary sonance (Om) in divine words (Vedas), the austerity in ascetics, the virility in lifeforms, the eternal seed of beings, the intelligence of intellectuals, the splendor of magnificent.
Anything and everything in universe is because of and by God, but He remains distinct from the creations. The creations are mutable but God is immutable.
This is the ultimate truth that is not realised by many of us. This realisation is considered the primary mission of human existence.
VII — 4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 26
2) How many people have attained realisation?
There may not be a number, but we have these metrics:
In a thousand of humans, one would strive for realisation. In a thousand of those who strive, only one would attain realisation. The one who succeeds so reaches God and realises that the entire universe is Self. This attainer is a Mahatma (great soul) and indeed very hard to find.
VII — 3, 19
3) Why is it so difficult to attain realisation?
Right from the birth, we know of the universe only as we see and understand it. We like certain things (money, mate, …) and dislike others (poverty, heartbreak, …). We experience this duality all through our life — pleasure | pain, heat | cold, success | failure, joy | sorrow. We accept and live with these, saying “This is life.” Is it really?
The reality is indeed different, which we are unable to see because we are conditioned (this conditioning is called Maya or Illusion in Bhagavad Gita). It is not easy to recondition ourselves and see the universe as it actually is. It takes intense dedicated efforts to realise everything is just God or Brahman.
VII — 25, 27
4) Can anyone attain realisation?
Four types of virtuous worshippers are recognised — the distressed of suffering, the seekers of knowledge, the coveters of wealth and the wise of sublime. The wise, particularly those steadfastly devoted to the cause, are likely to attain realisation as they receive desirable support of God towards the goal.
VII — 16, 17, 18
5) Which God should we strive to realise?
People influenced by their pedagogy or thoughts may worship and follow their choice of God or deities or idols. The worshippers gain recourse from their chosen numen. Reasonably, the aggregated rewards too can be expected to be aligned to the chosen numen. If we strive to realise the eternal immutable divine, we can expect reaching higher dimension of awareness, immortality and unification.
VII –20, 22, 23, 24
6) When do we know we have attained realisation?
We will know. We will have complete perception of the elements (Adhibhuta), Self (Adhiyajna) and God (Adhidaiva). Mind is steadfast and at peace in life or death. We are liberated from all suffering and sense only Him (only Brahman, to be precise).
VII –29, 30
(This is published on TOI blog)
