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The meaning of Tvam - You

prāpya puṇyakṛtāṃ lokānuṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ |

śucīnāṃ śrīmatāṃ gehe yogabhraṣṭo'bhijāyate ||6.41||

Having gained the worlds belonging to those who do good actions (and) having lived (there) for countless years, the one who did not succeed in yoga is born in the home of the wealthy (and cultured) people who are committed to dharma.


When one in the pursuit of moksa, there is no way for him/her deprived of dharma, because only by living a dharmika life, one is directed to the pursuit of moksa. Therefore this person at least will be born in the home of wealthy and cultured people, where conducive set-up is available for him/her to continue the thread for moksa pursuit.

Lord Krsna mentions another possibility in next verse.


athavā yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām |

etaddhi durlabhataraṃ loke janma yadīdṛśam ||6.42||

Or he is indeed born into the family of wise yogins.

A birth such as this is indeed very difficult to gain in this world.


Or one can be born in the family of karma-yogī who path his/her way in moksa pursuit. In this kind of family set up, one picks up the thread from the childhood itself.


pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hyavaśo'pi saḥ |

jijñāsurapi yogasya śabdabrahmātivartate ||6.44||

By this previous practice alone, he is necessarily led (to yoga). Even as the one who is desirous of the knowledge of yoga he goes beyond the Veda (the karma-kanda of the Veda).


We can see in certain people, that they don't really walk through all ashrama (stages of life which usually needed to go through in order for one to gain maturity for moksa pursuit). They have done enough karma-yoga in their previous lives, then in this life alone they just fully engage themselves in jñāna pursuit. These are the people who are said to go beyond Veda (karma-kanda).


yogināmapi sarveṣāṃ madgatenāntarātmanā |

śraddhāvānbhajate yo māṃ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ ||6.47||

The one who has śraddhā, who with a mind absorbed in me, contemplates upon me, he is the most exalted among all yogis (this is) my vision.


Yoga means any action one does to relate to Īśvara. And one who has the goal to relate with Īśvara through meditation upon various deities, penance, etc, is called yogī. But they still see the difference between oneself and Īśvara. For sure they are devotees who are dear to the Lord, but one who owned up one's true nature through seeing the fact of oneness with Īśvara, is the one who is most exalted among all yogis.


This is the end of chapter sixth with the main theme on dhyāna - meditation.


Summary from chapter 1-6.

The purport of Bhagavad Gītā is unfolding the mahavakya "tat-tvam-asi - you are that". Even though the unfoldment runs though entire eighteen chapters, there is a marked difference between each section where each word tat - that, tvam - you and asi - are, are more focally unfolded. First section is from chapter one to six, where the meaning of tvam - you is analysed. It is started with Arjuna having dharma - adharma conflict between his duty and killing his kins. Then his affection towards his near and dear ones conflicted with the call of duty. These conflicts become the caused of his sorrow, and Arjuna himself becomes the subject to sorrow. Usually we try to solve problems from outside which we think as the source of sorrow. But it will not work, as we can see in our lives, when one problem solved, another problem will come. We think problem is centred on outside, as we try to push away anything which makes me sorrowful, and to gain anything which makes me happy. But actually happiness and sorrow are centered on one's self, therefore the solution also is from that self alone. When one sees himself/herself is subject to sorrow, then one needs to see into oneself.


Therefore Lord Krsna gives the teaching about the true nature of the self which is absolutely free from bondage, sorrow, even dharma-adharma. First, Lord Krsna told Arjuna that he is grieving for what which has no qualification to grieve for, either for those who are death or for those who are alive (2.11). No matter his near and dear are alive or death, they are not the source of his sorrow. Because either it is alive or death, it is the body which is alive or death. Body is born and died, but ātmā as the embodiment of the physical body-mind-complex has never been born and will never die. There was never a time I - ātmā did not exist, I was there even before the born of this body (my body and others), nor will any of us cease to exist in any time in the future (2.12). This is the first unfoldment of the real nature of I - ātmā which is ever/absolute existence. Just like space, any amount of pots are created, seems like as many amount of pot's space are created, but the space in pots is that same one space before pots are created. In the same time, ātmā as the embodiment of these bodies was there before bodies were born, and is there (looks many) when bodies are there, and will be there when bodies perish. This ātmā is the true nature of everybody, the reality of the meaning tvam - you.


Reality is that which can't be negated and never undergoes any change.

I - existence never ceases to be, is established through our own experience. Do I experience the different me since childhood till now? I do experience differences of my physical body, mind and senses, but me who is the experiencer of all of them have never changed. Anything which undergoes changes (from young to old), comes and goes (from birth to death) can be negated, and that is not the real me. Only that which is constant, never undergoes change, never ceases to be is real. That reality is existence - sat.


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