Raja Vidya

9^th chapter of Gita is called ‘the most confidential knowledge’ and it is also the king of all knowledge. What is the meaning of confidential? Suppose i talked to a friend and tell him this is very confidential – keep it to yourself. Confidential means some information is not for public consumption. The Sanskrit word used here is ‘Guhyam’ or secretive. Why do we like to share information with only certain set of people? Like government defence secrets are confidential because it can get into enemy hands and can cause problems to national security. Similarly in the corporate world there are design secrets, trade secrets which if made public can cause harm in harming shareholder interests. Competition, enemity these are some of the causes that we hold some information secret. But Sri Krishna is the Lord himself who does not have competition nor worthy enemies. He is ‘asmaurdha’ ‘ajita’ or unconquerable. Why is he classifying some information as confidential? Also whatever he has said is available for public consumption. So then what is confidential here? There is a contradiction and paradox here which we have to harmonise.

Millions of data packets are flowing thru the internet but the confidential data is encrypted. Only with a software key tha data can be interpreted. Similarly there is encryption in the messages of Gita. So what is the key to decrypt the confidential message hidden? The first key to decrypt is becoming ‘anasuyave’ or ‘non envious’. Arjuna being a close friend of Sri Krishna was non envious of Sri Krishna. Envy means feeling sad at the happiness of another. Feeling bitter at the success and enhanced happiness of the other. So the first key is desiring the happiness of Sri Krishna, accepting him as supreme enjoyer and the sole enjoyer in this cosmos. As long we want to compete with him an an enjoyer we cannot obtain access to the encrypted confidential knowledge he is describing. The second key is ‘Srddha’ or faith. The foundation of faith is trust. Just like we trust our mother, we have to place trust in the words of the Gita. To the degree we have trust the confidential message will be decrypted. On the contrary if someone thinks ‘Sri Krishna is just another ordinary human being and he is just boasting’ one can never enter into the essence of the confidential message. By the association of sadhus, one has to obtain this character of non-enviousness and complete faith. ‘adau Guruasraya’  first principle to understand Gita is to take shelter of a bonafide sadhu who is a pure lover of Sri Krishna like Arjuna. Its a life long sadhana to become totally non envious and faithful. This sadhana is technically of 2 steps ‘Bhajana kriya and anartha nivrrtti’. Bhakti yoga and enviousness cannot go together. If one is envious one cannot begin bhakti yoga. Bhakti begins by desiring the happiness of Sri Krishna and performing activities to provide happiness/pleasure to Sri Krishna. The perfection of Bhakti yoga is when the individual has given up his independence in total and all his 24 hours in a day he is acting for the pleasure of Sri Krishna desiring to enhance it in quality and quantity.

We have to delve into the question ‘Why the Lord has decrypted these messages?’. The lord is unconquerable and he does not have any competitor. The reason should be for the betterment of the people in general because all avataras happen for the betterment of human society.. Offenses are detrimental to spiritual life. Criticising sastras are very harmful to the critic which can bar him for interest in spirituality/Vedas for time immemorial. If the message is encrypted faithless people will generally avoid it thinking it as complex jugglery just like encrypted data is of no interest to the hacker. This will prevent them from unnecessary meddling into the meesages of Gita and increasing ones offensive attitude.

The other kind of people who cannot enter into these secrets are the ones who cannot understand anything other than sensual satisfaction as valuable in life. Sense enjoyment is everything and they can do anything to obtain this. They worship the Lord or the various demigods begging for nectarine sense enjoyment. People who are open minded who can understand the miseries of sensual engagement and can embrace a concept of happiness beyond the senses are the right candidates who can decrypt this confidential message.