149. Free of Cavil.


Krishna says, “To you who doesn’t cavil I shall reveal the sublime mystery- knowledge and wisdom. Once this is known, you shall be free from evil (9.1). The royal knowledge, the royal secret the supreme purifier is this, directly realisable, righteous, very easy to practice, imperishable (9.2). Men devoid of shraddha in this dharma, without attaining Me, tread the death darkened path of sansar (mortal world)” (9.3).

Krishna sets forth two conditions to be eligible for receiving this royal knowledge. The first is having shraddha (trust). In the absence of shraddha, even royal knowledge becomes a mere arrangement of words.

The second is being free of cavil, which essentially means avoiding finding faults. In a contemporary context, this phenomenon is described as ‘we see the world as we are but not as it is’. When people cavil at the same thing or situation in different ways, differences are inevitable, leading to the bitterness we see around. When cavilling is dropped, everything is actively accepted as a blessing of the Almighty.

Incidentally, fulfilment of both conditions is essential for one to be a bhakt or a devotee which is beyond performing the ritualistic practices imposed by the belief systems.

Krishna starts revealing this as Arjuna shows himself to be ready for this knowledge like a bhakt. Krishna assures us that once this is truly known, we are freed from the evils of sansar. Such knowing cannot remain at the level of words; it must be realised at the level of being. Knowing at the level of words would invariably lead to the enhancement of ahankaar, as one feels that they know more than others. But when it is at the level of ‘being’, one attains ultimate freedom or moksha. It is like being truthful in every moment of living apart from knowing the truth.


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