| 40. There is no
being on earth, or again in heaven among the Devas, that can be free from these
three gunas born of Prakriti. Being: animate or inanimate. Gunas: such as Sattva,
On Earth: among men.The sequel sums up the whole Doctrine. The whole samsara,
manifested as action, instruments of action, and results, made up of the gunas
(Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas), and set up by avidya,the evil of samsara has been
thus described as well as its root. It has also been figuratively represented
as a tree, in xv. l, et etc. It bas also been said that after having cut the
tree of samsara asunder with the strong sword of nonattachment, Then That Goal
should be sought after (sv. 3, 4)· From this it may follow that, as everything
is made up of the three gunas, a cessation of the cause of samsara cannot be
brought about. Now, it is with a view to show how its cessation can be brought
about, with a view, further, to sum up the whole teaching of the Gita sastra,
and with a view to show what the exact teaching of the Vedas and the smritis
is which should be followed by those who seek to attain the highest end of
man,it is with this view that the next section, from xvi. 41 onward, is commenced.Duties
of the four castes ordained according to nature. |
