| 55. By Devotion
he knows Me in truth, what and who I am ; then, knowing Me in truth he forthwith
enters into Me.By Bhakti, by the Devotion of Knowledge, he knows Me as I am
in the universe manifestations caused by upadhis. He knows who I am, he knows
that I am devoid of all the differences caused by the upadhis, that I am the
Supreme Purusha, that I am like unto akasa ; he knows Me to be nondual, the
one Consciousness (Chaitanya), pure and simple, unborn, undecaying, undying,
fearless, deathless. The knowing Me in truth, he enters into Myself immediately
after attaining knowledge.It is not meant here that the act of knowledge and
the act of entering are two distinct acts.What then is the act of entering
It is the knowledge itself ; for, there is nothing to be effected (by knowledge)
other than itself, as the Lord has taught. Do thou also know Me as Kshetrajna.
(xiii. 2)(Objection): The statement that by the supreme devotion of knowledge
he knows Me, involves a contradicttion.How ?Thus: when the knowledge of a certain
object arises in the knower, then and then alone the knower knows that object
; no devotion to that knowledge, no repetition of the knowledge, is necessary.
Therefore, the statement that he knows Me, not by knowledge, not by devotion
to know ledge, by a repetition of knowledge, involves a contradiction.(answer):This
objection does not apply here ; for, the word devotion (nishtha) means that
he knowledge aided by all the favorable conditions of its rise and development
and freed from obstacles culminates in a firm conviction by ones own experience.
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