Devanagari
ज्ञानवैराग्ययुक्तेन भक्तियुक्तेन चात्मना ।
परिपश्यत्युदासीनं प्रकृतिं च हतौजसम् ॥ १८ ॥
Verse text
jṣāna-vairāgya-yuktena
bhakti-yuktena cātmanā
paripaśyaty udāsīnaṁ
prakṛtiṁ ca hataujasam
Synonyms
jṣāna
—
knowledge
;
vairāgya
—
renunciation
;
yuktena
—
equipped with
;
bhakti
—
devotional service
;
yuktena
—
equipped with
;
ca
—
and
;
ātmanā
—
by the mind
;
paripaśyati
—
one sees
;
udāsīnam
—
indifferent
;
prakṛtim
—
material existence
;
ca
—
and
;
hata
—
ojasam — reduced in strength .
Translation
In that position of self-realization, by practice of knowledge and renunciation in devotional service, one sees everything in the right perspective; he becomes indifferent to material existence, and the material influence acts less powerfully upon him.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
When the mind is free of the contamination of lust and greed arising from the false identity of I and mine, and becomes pure, without grief, without joy and peaceful, the jīva sees himself different from ignorance, full of knowledge, devoid of coverings, subtle, undivided, and unattached, as well as sees ignorance devoid of power to affect him, by a mind endowed with jṣana and vairāgya, and principally with bhakti.
Jṣāna and yoga only assist bhakti in giving liberation. This is expressed in three verses. The mind becomes free (vītam) of the contaminations by śama and dama (process of jṣana) and by yama and niyama (process of yoga). These are the aṅgas of jṣāna and yoga. The effects of purification are described: being without sorrow, without happiness, peaceful. At that time the jīva (puruṣaḥ) sees himself separate from ignorance (prakṛteḥ param). He is devoid of the obstacles of gross and subtle bodies (nirantaram). He has uncovered knowledge (svayaṁjyotiḥ). He is subtle (aṇimānam). The Lord himself says sūkṣāṇām apy ahaṁ jīvaḥ: of subtle objects I am the jīva. (SB 11.16.11) This means by nature the jīva is a very small particle. He is undivided by material desires (akhaṇḍitam).
By the mind endowed with jṣana and vairāgya, and by bhakti to which jṣāna and vairāgya are mere assistants (indicated by the word ca), and with out which they can bear no results, the jīva sees himself unattached. He sees his own ignorance (prakṛtim) which is unable to do anything to him (hataujasam).
Purport
As the contamination of the germs of a particular disease can influence a weaker person, similarly the influence of material nature, or illusory energy, can act on the weaker, or conditioned, soul but not on the liberated soul. Self-realization is the position of the liberated state. One understands his constitutional position by knowledge and
vairāgya,
renunciation. Without knowledge, one cannot have realization. The realization that one is the infinitesimal part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit makes him unattached to material, conditional life. That is the beginning of devotional service. Unless one is liberated from material contamination, one cannot engage himself in the devotional service of the Lord. In this verse, it is therefore stated,
jṣāna-vairāgya-yuktena:
when one is in full knowledge of one’s constitutional position and is in the renounced order of life, detached from material attraction, then, by pure devotional service,
bhakti-yuktena,
he can engage himself as a loving servant of the Lord.
Paripaśyati
means that he can see everything in its right perspective. Then the influence of material nature becomes almost nil. This is also confirmed in
Bhagavad-gītā.
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā:
when one is self-realized he becomes happy and free from the influence of material nature, and at that time he is freed from lamentation and hankering. The Lord states that position as
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām,
the real state of beginning devotional service. Similarly, it is confirmed in the
Nārada-paṣcarātra
that when the senses are purified they can then be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. One who is attached to material contamination cannot be a devotee.