Word meanings
- yatantaḥ
- striving
- yoginaḥ
- yogis
- ca
- too
- enam
- this (the soul)
- paśyanti
- see
- ātmani
- in the body
- avasthitam
- enshrined
- yatantaḥ
- strive
- api
- even though
- akṛta-ātmānaḥ
- those whose minds are not purified
- na
- not
- enam
- this
- paśyanti
- cognize
- acetasaḥ
- unaware
Translations
The yogis striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and unintelligent, even though striving, do not see Him.
The saints, with great effort, find Him within themselves; however, the unintelligent, despite their efforts, cannot control their minds.
And the diligent yogis see this one existing within themselves. The non-discriminating ones who lack self-control, however, do not see this one, even though they are diligent.
यत्न करनेवाले योगीलोग अपने-आपमें स्थित इस परमात्मतत्त्वका अनुभव करते हैं। परन्तु जिन्होंने अपना अन्तःकरण शुद्ध नहीं किया है, ऐसे अविवेकी मनुष्य यत्न करनेपर भी इस तत्त्वका अनुभव नहीं करते।Commentary
The description of the evolution of the individual soul is now complete. The Yogins who strive with an iron determination, fiery resolve, faith, earnestness and wellbalanced mind, see Him established in their hearts. They behold Him dwelling in their own mind or intellect. They recognise Him -- This I am. But those who are of full intellect and without proper discipline of the mind and the senses, who have not been purified by austerity, selfless service and charity, who have not subdued their senses, who have not practised regular meditation, who have not given up their evil ways, who have not eradicated lust, pride, egoism, anger, greed and hypocrisy, who have not developed true discrimination between the Real and the unreal, however hard they may struggle to know Him by means of the study of the sacred scriptures, do not behold Him.
They are not able to attain Selfrealisation. Mere study of scriptues alone cannot help one who has an impure mind to attain Selfrealisation. The aspirant should have a calm and pure mind. He should practise constant, protracted and profound meditation on the Self. Only then will he realise, recognise and behold the Self abiding in his own heart. That Goal (the Supreme Being) which the fire, stars, lightning, sun and moon do not illumine, having reached which the aspirants do not return to this Samsara or the world of birth and death, of which the individual souls are only imaginary parts appearing so on account of the limiting adjunct (ignorance), just as the ether in the pot appears to be limited though it is one with the, universal ether -- is the essence of all worldly experiences.
Just as the ether in the pot becomes identical with the universal ether when the limiting adjunct (pot) is broken, so also the individual soul becomes identical with the Supreme Being when the limiting adjunct (ignorance) is destroyed through the knowledge of the Self or Selfrealisation born of meditation on the right significance of the great sentences of the Upanishads, viz.? Tat-Tvam-Asi (That thou art) or Aham-Brahma-Asmi (I am the Supreme Being). Then he realises that Brahman is the essence of all and tht He is the basis of all experiences.
In order to make Arjuna understand this, the Lord gives a brief summary of His manifestations in the following four verses. A description is given here of the allpervasiveness of the Self.