Chapter 6: Säìkhya-yoga
Bg 6.8
TEXT 8
jnana-vijnana-trptatma
kuta-stho vijitendriyah
yukta ity ucyate yogi
sama-lostrasma-kancanah
SYNONYMS
jjïäna—acquired knowledge; vijïäna—realized knowledge; tåpta—satisfied; ätmä—living entity; küöasthaù—spiritually situated; vijita-indriyaù—sensually controlled; yuktaù—competent for self-realization; iti—thus; ucyate—is said; yogé—the mystic; sama—equiposed; loñöra—pebbles; açma—stone; käïcanaù—gold.
TRANSLATION
A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogé [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. He sees everything—whether it be pebbles, stones or gold—as the same.
PURPORT
Book knowledge without realization of the Supreme Truth is useless. This is stated as follows:
ataù çré-kåñëa-nämädi na bhaved grähyam indriyaiù
sevonmukhe hi jihvädau svayam eva sphuraty adaù.
"No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Çré Kåñëa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him." (Padma Puräëa)
This Bhagavad-gétä is the science of Kåñëa consciousness. No one can become Kåñëa conscious simply by mundane scholarship. One must be fortunate enough to associate with a person who is in pure consciousness. A Kåñëa conscious person has realized knowledge, by the grace of Kåñëa, because he is satisfied with pure devotional service. By realized knowledge, one becomes perfect. By transcendental knowledge one can remain steady in his convictions, but by mere academic knowledge one can be easily deluded and confused by apparent contradictions. It is the realized soul who is actually self-controlled because he is surrendered to Kåñëa. He is transcendental because he has nothing to do with mundane scholarship. For him mundane scholarship and mental speculation, which may be as good as gold to others, are of no greater value than pebbles or stones.