Bhagvad Gita Rahasya or Karmayoga Shastra VOL 02

SR No.: 011090
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Bhalchandra S Sukhtankar
Publisher: R B Tilak Puna
Publication Year: 1936
Total Pages: 767
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 74 MB

Page 175

II–THE GITĀ AND THE UPANISADS
745
Nrsimhatā pani, Rāmatāpani, or Gopālatāpani Upanisads are clearer than those in the Svetāśvataropanisad, such a doubt can really speaking not arise at all about them. But, as there are no means for definitely fixing the dates of these Upanisads, one cannot, with their help, satisfactorily solve the question as to when the worship of the human-formed Visnu came into vogue. Nevertheless, the fact that the Vedic Path of Devotion is very ancient is satisfactorily proved in other ways. The grammarian Panini, after first mentioning in a sūtra that the word 'bhaktih' is to be taken as meaning 'that, towards which Devotion exists' (Pā. 4. 3. 95), says in another sūtra, namely, "vūsudevārjunābhyām bun” (Pa. 4. 3. 98), that the man who is devoted to Vasudeva should be called Vasudevaka', and the man who is a devotee of Arjuna should be called * Arjunaka', and Patañjali, in commenting on this in his Mahābhāsya, has said that the word 'Vasudeva' in this sūtra is the name of a Ksatriya, or of the 'Bhagavanta'. Dr. Bhandarkar has proved that the commentary of Patañjali was written about 250 years before the Christian era; and there is no dispute about the fact that Pånini belonged to a much earlier period. Besides, even Buddhistic religious texts contain a reference to Devotion; and I have proved later on in detail that the Bhāgavata religion must have been the cause for principles of Devotion entering into the Buddhistic Mahāyāna cult Therefore, it is proved beyond doubt that the Path of Devotion was well established in India long before the date of Buddha, that is to say necessarily more than 600 years before the Christian era, The Nārada-Pañcarātra, or the Bhakti-Sūtras written by Sāndilya or Nārada, are later in point of time. But thereby, the ancientness of the Bhagavata religion, or of the Path of Devotion, is in no way affected. It will be seen from the exposition made in the Gitā-Rahasya that (i) the present Path of Devotion has been gradually evolved out of the forms of worship oi the Qualityful mentioned in the ancient Upanisads; tiat (ii) the Pātañjala Yoga has given further importance to the Path of Devotion, as in that Yoga some perceptible or visible object has to be placed before the eyes for fixing the mind; and that (iii) the Path of Devotion has