Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, Verse 72

English Translation

O Partha, this is the state of being established in Brahman. One does not become deluded after attaining this. One attains identification with Brahman by being established in this state even in the closing years of one's life.

Detailed Commentary

।।2.72।। **Explanation:** **"Eṣā Brāhmī Sthitiḥ Pārtha"** – This is the Brāhmī state, meaning the state of one who has attained Brahman. When the personality dissolves due to being free from ego (ahaṅkāra), then one's state automatically becomes established in Brahman. This is because personality existed only due to attachment to the world. By completely relinquishing that attachment, the yogi has no individual, personal state left. The word **"Eṣā"** (this) refers to the phrases from the previous verse: "vihāya kāmān" (abandoning desires), "niḥspṛhaḥ nirmamaḥ" (free from craving, free from possessiveness), and "nirahaṅkāraḥ" (free from ego). The Lord had said that when your intellect transcends the deluding net of attachment and the confusing words of the Vedas, then you will attain Yoga. Hearing this, Arjuna became curious as to what that state would be. In response, Arjuna posed four questions about the Sthitaprajña (one of steady wisdom). Having answered those questions, the Lord now declares that this is the Brāhmī state. The import is that this is not a personal state; personality does not persist in it. This is the attainment of eternal Yoga, in which only one ultimate Reality exists. It is for this reason that the address **"Pārtha"** (son of Pṛthā, Arjuna) is used. **"Naināṁ Prāpya Vimuhyati"** – As long as ego (ahaṅkāra) remains in the body, there is a risk of delusion. But when the ego completely dissolves and the experience of being established in Brahman is attained, then with the dissolution of personality, there is no possibility of further delusion. Delusion (moha) is not knowing the real (sat) and the unreal (asat). That is, being real oneself, to consider oneself one with the unreal is delusion. When the sādhanaka rightly knows the unreal, then their connection with the unreal is severed, and they experience their true state in the real. After this experience, there is no further delusion (Gītā 4.35). **"Sthitvāsyām Antakāle'pi Brahmanirvāṇam Ṛcchati"** – The human body is solely for the attainment of the Supreme Self (Paramātmā). Therefore, the Lord provides this opportunity that even the most ordinary and sinful person, if at the end they establish their state in the Supreme Self, or break their connection with inertness (jaḍatā), can attain peace (nirvāṇa) and become liberated from birth and death. A similar idea is expressed in the thirtieth verse of the seventh chapter: "Those who know Me, the one Lord, as Adhibhūta, Adhidaiva, and Adhiyajña even at the time of departure (prayāṇakāla), they attain Me." In the fifth verse of the eighth chapter, it is stated: "Whoever, at the end of their life, leaves their body remembering Me, undoubtedly attains Me." Through these verses, the Lord describes the glory of that Brāhmī state, that even if one becomes established in it at the time of death, they attain the tranquil Brahman. Just as the Lord said concerning equanimity (samabuddhi) that even a little practice of it protects one from great fear (2.40), similarly here He states that even if the Brāhmī state is attained at the time of death, the Nirvāṇa Brahman is achieved. The attachment (rāga) to inertness (jaḍatā) is the only obstacle to experiencing this state. If one abandons this attachment even at the time of death, they experience their spontaneously realized true state. A doubt might arise: how can an experience occur at the time of death that did not happen throughout life? The solution is that at the time of death, the connection with inertness (jaḍatā) is automatically severed. If, at that moment, one's focus turns towards that spontaneously realized Reality (tattva), its experience becomes easy. Here, the word **"api"** (even) implies that if this state is attained before the time of death, one becomes a Jīvanmukta (liberated while living). But if this state, i.e., being free from possessiveness (nirmama) and free from ego (nirahaṅkāra), occurs even at the final moment, then that person too becomes liberated. The Lord has used the term **"Brahmanirvāṇam"** here in the context of Karma Yoga. This implies that just as a Sāṅkhya yogi attains Nirvāṇa Brahman (Gītā 5.24-26), so too does a Karma yogi attain Nirvāṇa Brahman. Inert (jaḍa) and conscious (cetana) are the two categories of existence. The inherent nature of all beings is conscious, but they have associated themselves with the inert. Attraction towards the inert leads to degradation. Delusion (moha) predominates towards the inert, and discrimination (viveka) predominates towards the Supreme Reality (Paramātmā tattva). From the perspective of understanding, moha (delusion) and viveka (discrimination) can each have two types: (1) Moha imbued with 'I-ness' (ahaṅtā) and 'mine-ness' (mamatā), and moha characterized by desire (kāmanā). (2) Discrimination between the real (sat) and the unreal (asat), and discrimination between what is duty (kartavya) and what is not duty (akartavya). To identify with 'I-ness' and 'mine-ness' in attained objects, the body, etc., is moha imbued with ahaṅtā-mamatā; and to desire unobtained objects, events, circumstances, etc., is moha characterized by desire. To correctly know that the embodied one (śarīrī) is distinct from the body (śarīra), that the embodied one is real (sat) and the body is unreal (asat), that the embodied one is conscious (cetana) and the body is inert (jaḍa) – this is the discrimination between sat and asat. And to understand what is duty, what is not duty, what is dharma, what is adharma, and to act accordingly while abandoning what is not duty – this is the discrimination of kartavya-akartavya. In the first chapter, Arjuna also experienced two types of moha. With regard to ahaṅtā, it was "we are righteous," and with regard to mamatā, it was "these kinsmen will die" – this was moha imbued with ahaṅtā-mamatā. "May sin not afflict us, may the sin of the destruction of the family not afflict us" – this was moha characterized by desire. To dispel these two types of moha, the Lord presented two types of viveka in the second chapter: discrimination of the embodied one from the body, and discrimination of duty from non-duty (2.11-30). Explaining the discrimination of the embodied one from the body, the Lord said that we existed before, and will continue to exist in the future, and these bodies did not exist before and will not exist in the future. Just as childhood, youth, and old age change in the body, so too does a person cast off old clothes and don new ones. This is an undeniable law; there is no cause for worry in this. Explaining the discrimination of duty from non-duty, the Lord said that for a Kshatriya, there is no greater dharma than battle. If you do not perform your svadharma (own duty), you will incur sin. If you fight treating victory and defeat, gain and loss, and pleasure and pain as equal, you will not incur sin. Your right is only to perform action, not to its fruits. In this way, by imparting an understanding of moha and viveka, the Lord showed Arjuna the path to decision.