Patanjali's Yoga Sutras Summary: Book 3: On Powers (Vibhuti Pada)

 

Book 3: On Powers Vibhuti Pada

 

1- The three inner limbs of Ashtanga Yoga (1-8)

6- Concentration (dhāraṇā) is the mind's (cittasya) fixation (bandhaḥ) on one point (deśa)

7- Meditation (dhyāna): In Dhāraṇā, the continuous flow of similar mental modifications is Meditation (dhyānam) 

8- Contemplation (samādhi) is that state in which only the object of concentration (artha) shines forth (nirbhāsam), and the self (svarūpa) is absent (śūnyam).

The triad of  Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna and Samādhi on a single object (ekatra) is Saṁyama, through the conquest (jayāt) of that, the Light (ālokaḥ) of Wisdom (prajñā) dawns.

2- The nature of one-pointedness (9-15) (see 2, 18-27)

The subjugation (abhibhava) of the latent impressions (saṁskārayoḥ) of the ordinary state of consciousness (vyutthāna) and the appearance of the latencies of the arrested state of mind (nirodha) is the mutation (pariṇāmaḥ) of that very arrested state of mind (nirodha).  Through the latent impressions (saṁskārāt) of that arrested state of mind (tasya), a continuous undisturbed state of mental tranquility (praśānta-vāhitā) is brought about and kept. Diminution of attention to all objects (sarva-arthatā) and the emergence/development (udayau) of one-pointedness --ekāgratā-- is the mutation (pariṇāmaḥ) of Samādhi --perfect contemplation or absorption of mind (cittasya). During Samādhi, the past modification (pratyayau) being the same as the present (uditau) one, occur the mutation (pariṇāmaḥ) of the one-pointed state (ekāgratā) of the mind (cittasya).

By means of this, the three mutations of a -essential attribute (dharma), b- temporal character (lakṣana) and c- state as old and new (avasthā) in the gross elements (bhūta) and Indriyas, powers of perception and action, are explained in detail. The characterized object (dharmī) is that which continues to exist (anupātī) through the following three characteristics (dharma): a- appeased --i.e. past-- (śānta), b- risen --i.e. present-- (udita) and c-indefinable --i.e. future-- (avyapadeśya). Difference (anyatvam) in the succession (krama) is the cause (hetuḥ) of the mutative (pariṇāmaḥ) difference (anyatve).

3- The practice of samyama upon various contents of consciousness and the powers resulting from it (16-48)

1- Knowledge of the past and future (16), 2- Knowledge of the meaning of sounds produced by all beings (17), 3- Knowledge of previous births and of future births (18), 4- Knowledge of others' minds (19-20) 5-disappearance of the body from view (21), 6- Foreknowledge of birth, harm, or death (22), 7- Loving- kindness in all (23), 8- Extraordinary strength (24), 9-Knowledge at a distance (25), 10- Knowledge of the outer universe (26), 11- Knowledge of the stars (27), 12–Knowledge of cosmic motion (28), 13- Knowledge of the composition and coordination of bodily energies (29), 14- Liberation from hunger and thirst (30), 15- Exceptional stability, balance, or health (31), 16- Vision of higher beings (32) 17- knowledge of everything that is knowable (33), 18- knowing of the mind (34), 19- knowledge of the true self (35), 20- Knowledge of inner senses (36-37), 21- Influencing others (38), 22- movement without obstacle in water, mud, thorns, etc. and exit from the body at will at the time of death (39), 23- Effulgence (40), 24- Clairaudience (41), 25- Levitation (42),  26- Freedom from bodily awareness and temporal attachments (43), 27- Mastery over the elements (44), 28- Perfection of the body (45-46), 29-Mastery of the senses (47), 30- quickness as of mind, un-instrumental-perception and mastery over the Pradhana (48)

4- The higher form of “dispassion” and last possible obstacles (49-55)

Through Saṁyama on moment (kṣaṇa) and its sequence, krama, a knowledge (jñānam) which arises from that discernment or discrimination (viveka) is acquired. Through that knowledge, there is clear perception of the difference (pratipattiḥ) between two things looking alike (tulyayoḥ) since difference (anyatā) is indiscernible (anavacchedāt) by means of a- class or species (jāti), b- temporal character (lakṣaṇa) and c- position (deśaiḥ).

Knowledge (jñānam) which arises from discernment (viveka) is "Tāraka" or intuitive knowledge. It is comprehensive of all (sarva) things appearing (viṣayam) at all times (sarvathā) and has no sequence (akramam). When there is equality (sāmye) of purity (śuddhi) between Buddhisattva, sattvic Buddhi, and Puruṣa, "the state of complete Emancipation" (kaivalyam) dawns. When invited by celestial beings (sthāni), that invitation should not be accepted nor should it cause conceit, since it involves the possibility of undesirable results.

To one established in discriminative knowledge (khyāti-mātrasya) of the difference (anyatā) between Buddhisattva, sattvic Buddhi full of discriminative knowledge and Puruṣa, comes supremacy (adhiṣṭhātṛtvam) over all beings (bhāva) and omniscience (sarvajñātṛtvam). By renunciation (vairāgyāt) even of that Vivekakhyāti or discriminative knowledge, when there is destruction (kṣaye) of the seeds (vīja) of evil (doṣa), Kaivalya or complete Emancipation is experienced.

	Samyama on	Power
1	Saṁyama on the three mutations, essential attribute, temporal character and state as old and new	Knowledge of past and future	3.16
2	Through the reciprocal imposition of word, meaning and idea	knowledge of the meaning hidden in the sounds emitted by all beings	17
3	the realization of latent impressions (saṁskāra)	Knowledge of previous births	18
4	on the notions (pratyayasya)	Knowledge of others' minds	19-20
5	On the suppression of the property of perceptibility pertaining to the body when the Yogī has gone beyond the range of the eyes	invisibility	21
6	on that Karma, fast in fructifying and slow in fructifying,  or through the signs of approaching death	knowledge of time of death	22
7	on friendship (maitryā) and so on	different kinds of strengths	23
8	on various strengths (baleṣu)	the strength (bala) of an elephant (hasti), etc.	24
9	By applying the light of the supersensory perception	knowledge of subtle things, objects which are obstructed from view or remote	25
10	on the Sun, i.e. the solar entrance in the body (sūrye)	knowledge (jñānam) of the worlds (bhuvana)	26
11	on the moon --i.e. the lunar entrance in the body-- (candre)	knowledge (jñānam) of the arrangements (vyūha) of stars (tārā)	27
12	on the pole star (dhruve)	knowledge (jñānam) of the movement of the stars	28
13	on the navel-cakra --i.e. "Maṇipūra"-- (nābhi-cakre)	knowledge of the structure and disposition of the body	29
14	on the cavity of the throat	cessation of hunger and thirst	30
15	on the bronchial tube (kūrmanāḍyām)	calmness and firmness (sthairyam)	31
16	on the coronal (mūrdha) light (jyotiṣi)	perception or vision of the Siddhas, a kind of demigods	32
17	through Prātibha, knowledge which comes to a Yogī before the attainment of discriminative knowledge	Knowledge of everything (sarvam)	33
18	on the heart (hṛdaye)	knowledge (saṁvid) of mind (citta)	34
19	on this Puruṣa --i.e. one's own Self	knowledge (jñānam) of Puruṣa (puruṣa)	35
20	From that Saṁyama on Puruṣa, Prātibha a kind of intuitive knowledge	supernatural power of hearing, touch, seeing, tasting and smelling	36-37
21	Through the weakening of the cause of bondage and complete knowledge/understanding of the roaming of mind	mental penetration into the body of another	38
22	By conquering (jayāt) Udāna --i.e. one of the five main vital energies	movement without obstacle in water, mud, thorns, etc. and exit from the body at will at the time of death	39
23	By conquering Samāna, one of the five main vital energies	effulgence (jvalanam)	40
24	on the relationship between the ordinary power of hearing, Śrotendriya, and  the space, ākāśa	divine Power of Hearing (śrotram)	41
25	on the relationship between the physical body and space, ākāśa and by identification with the light cotton	movement through the space, the Yogī can fly	42
26	A unimagined (akalpitā) conception (vṛttiḥ) outside (vahis), known as the great (mahā) discarnate (videhā)	from Mahāvidehā  removal of the veil over the Light, over Buddhisattva	43
27	on the grossness, essential nature, subtlety, inherent quality (anvaya) and objectiveness of the Bhūtas or Elements	victory over those Bhūtas or Elements	44
28	From that, manifestation of Aṇimā, the supernormal power of minimization	bodily perfection and non-obstruction of that body	45-46
29	on receptivity, essential nature, I-sense, inherence and objectiveness of the Indriyas	victory over the Indriyas	47
30	From the previous come	quickness as of mind, un-instrumental-perception and mastery over the Pradhana	48

Bhagavad Gita Summary: Chapter 15: Purushottamayoga orThe Yoga of the Supreme Purusha.

Chapter 15: Purushottamayoga (20 verses) The Yoga of the Supreme Purusha.

The last six chapters all deal with the relation between Purusha and Prakriti and the Three Gunas. This chapter uses the image of the world tree. According to H. P. Blavatsky: 'World. As a prefix to mountains, trees, and so on, it denotes a universal belief. Thus the “World-Mountain” of the Hindus was Meru. As said in Isis Unveiled: “All the world-mountains and mundane eggs, the mundane trees, and the mundane snakes and pillars, may be shown to embody scientifically demonstrated truths of natural philosophy. All of these mountains contain, with very trifling variations, the allegorically-expressed description of primal cosmogony ; the mundane trees, that of subsequent evolution of spirit and matter; (Theosophical Glossary)'

1- The Tree of Samsara. (1-5) 

1. They speak of the indestructible Asvattha having its root above and branches below, whose leaves are the metres. He who knows it knows the Vedas.

2. Below and above are its branches spread, nourished by the gunas, sense-objects its buds; and below in the world of man stretch forth the roots ending in action. 

Just as a person taking his meal runs away leaving the dish when he knows that it contains poison, similarly once the idea of the impermanence of this world gets stamped on the mind one runs away from attachment. The detachment thus gained does not leave you even if you try to get rid of it. In this fifteenth chapter Shri Krishna is explaining how the world is impermanent using the simile of a tree.

The entity which is known as Maya does not exist. Actually it is like the child born to a barren woman and is named Maya. It cannot be said that Maya is real nor can it be said that it is unreal. It cannot survive in the presence of knowledge and yet it is called beginningless. It is the holder of many principles and just as clouds are formed in the sky the universe is formed in her. All sorts of forms and shapes are folded into the folds of her fabric. She is the root of the world-tree, source of the worldly affairs illuminated by the dim light of improper unrighteous knowledge. Such an entity as Maya is takes shelter in the Brahman and appears through its power. The Maya which is created from Brahman makes it forget its own nature. This is the first root of the world-tree. Non-realisation of the Self as Brahman is the main root-bulb of the tree at its top. It is called "Beejabhaava" or "the root principle" in the form of Maya by Vedantis. The sleep state of deep ignorance is called its "Bijankurabhaava" or "seedsprout principle" while the dream and wakeful states are its "Phalabhaava" or "fruit principle". This is how Vedantins thus express these aspects of Maya but in all this understand that the basic root is the ignorance.

At the end of the Kali-Yuga the barks of the trees in all the four yugas are shed and the tree dries but when the Krita- Yuga starts again the barks grow many times faster. One cannot understand how many branches grow and how many fall. (Dnyaneshwari; 15:125-129, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

Cut the Tree and seek the Goal. (3-4)

3. Its form is not perceived as such here, neither its end nor its origin nor its existence. Having cut asunder this firm-rooted Asvattha with the strong sword of dispassion.

4. Then That Goal should be sought for, whither having gone none return again. " I seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha whence streamed forth the Ancient Current."

Strong : strengthened by a resolute bent of mind towards the Supreme Self and sharpened again and again on the whetstone of the practice of true discrimination. Cut asunder : uprooted the Tree of samsara with its seed.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

The Path to the Goal. (5) 

5. Free from pride and delusion, with the evil of attachment conquered, ever dwelling in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, liberated from the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach that Goal Eternal. 

2- The Goal of the Path (6-11)

The Goal is the Lord's Glorious Being. (6) 

6. That, the sun illumines not, nor the moon, nor fire ; That is My Supreme Abode, to which having gone none return.

The primeval place which is seen without seeing and known without knowing is called the Primeval Man (Adya Purusha). But even he is described by Shrutis by taking help of attributes and make meaningless noise that it has a name and form. But people who are disgusted with heaven and worldly life swear that they will not be reborn and turn to yoga and knowledge. Then they become detached and turn their back to worldly life and crossing the Brahmalok which is the highest stage attainable by the path of action they march ahead. (15:275-284). (Dnyaneshwari; 14:371 -398, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

Jiva is a ray of the Lord. (7) 

7. A ray of Myself, the eternal Jiva in the world of Jivas, attracts the senses, with manas the sixth, abiding in Prakriti. 

'An integral portion of Myself—of the Supreme Self, of Narayana,—is the eternal Jiva (individual soul) in samsara, manifesting himself in every one as the doer and enjoyer. He is like the sun reflected in water ; the reflected sun is but a portion of the real sun; and on the removal of water the reflected sun returns to the original sun and remains as that very sun.—Or, it is like the akasa (space) in the jar, which is limited by the upadhi of the jar. This akasa of the jar is but a portion of the infinite akasa and becomes one with the latter on the destruction of the jar which is the cause of limitation ; then it returns no more. Thus the statement " to which having gone none return " is quite explicable.  (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

How Jiva dwells in the body and departs from it. (8-9)

The Self is visible only to the eye of knowledge. (10) 

10. Him who departs, stays and enjoys, who is conjoined with gunas, the deluded perceive not; they see, who possess the eye of knowledge. 

A person may attains this knowledge, his intellect may become so subtle as to penetrate even an atom and he may become learned in all branches of knowledge, but unless this learning is accompanied by detachment, he will not encounter me though I am all-pervasive. He may talk mouthfuls about discrimination but if he harbours sense-objects in his mind then definitely he will not find me. Even if all branches of knowledge are on the tip of his tongue as long as ego exists in the mind he will not attain me even after millions of births. (Dnyaneshwari; 15:391-397, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

No self-knowledge without Yoga. (11) 

11. Those who strive, endued with Yoga, perceive Him dwelling in the self; though striving, those of unrefined self, devoid of wisdom, perceive Him not. 

Those who strive, well balanced in their mind, behold Him, the Self, dwelling in their own mind (buddhi) : they recognise Him, " This I am. " But though striving to know Him by means of proper authorities such as the scriptures (sastra), men of unrefined self—whose self (mind) has not been regenerated by austerity (tapas) and subjugation of the senses, who have not abandoned their evil ways, whose pride has not been subdued,—behold Him not." (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

3- Immanence of the Lord (12-15)

Immanence of the Lord, (i) as the all-illumining Light of Consciousness. (12)

12. That light which residing in the sun illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire, that light do thou know to be Mine.

(2) As the all-sustaining Life. (13)

(3) As the Digestive Fire in all living: organisms. (14)

(4) As the Self in the hearts of all. (15)

I dwell in the hearts (buddhi) of all sentient beings as their Self.''' Wherefore from Me, the Self of all sentient beings, are memory, knowledge, I as well as their loss. Just as knowledge and memory occur in righteous persons as a result of their good deeds (punyakarmani), so, as a result of their sins, loss of memory and knowledge occurs in the sinful. I, the Supreme Self, am to be known in all the Vedas. It is I who cause the Teaching of the Vedanta (Upanishads) to be handed down in regular succession, and It is I who know the Vedic Teaching. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

4- The transcendence of the Lord (16-20)

The Lord beyond the perishable and the imperishable universe. (16-18)

18. Because I transcend the perishable and am even higher than the imperishable, therefore am I known in the world and in the Veda as 'Purushottama,' the Highest Spirit.

The Glory of Self-knowledge. (19-20)

19. He who, undeluded, thus knows Me, the Highest Spirit, he, knowing all, worships Me with his whole being, O Bharata.

The Self is in all things, and all things are in the Self. Whatever there may be of “shining” through any form or under any condition, that “shining” is from and of the Self. If this is recognized and admitted, we must begin to regard all things and beings in that light and act towards them upon that basis; in this way we act for and as the Self, and as we hold to and follow that practice, all ideas, habits and desires that conflict become overcome little by little, until at last we have the supreme power for good that comes with selflessness. (Crosbie, Essays on the Gita, 206) 

Bhagavad Gita Summary: Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhagayoga or The Yoga of the Division of Three Gunas

Chapter 14: Gunatraya Vibhagayoga (27 verses) The Yoga of the Division of Three Gunas.

 

Guṇa is a concept in Hinduism and Sikhism, which can be translated as "quality, peculiarity, attribute, property". Its original and common meaning is a thread, implying the original materials that weave together to make up reality. The concept is originally notable as a feature of Samkhya philosophy, now a key concept in nearly all schools of Hindu philosophy. Maitrayaniya Upanishad is one of the earliest texts making an explicit reference to Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and linking them to their Guna – as creator/activity, preserver/purity, destroyer/recycler respectively. Chapters 2, 3, 7, 13, 14, 17 and 18 of Bhagavad Gita discuss Guna, with chapter 14 being the basic one.

1- The supreme knoweldge. (1-4)

2. They who, having resorted to this knowledge, have attained to unity with Me, are neither born in the creation, nor disturbed in the dissolution, 

Evolution of the universe from the union of Spirit and Matter. 

Knowledge of the origin of the universe is necessary for Salvation. (3-4) 

3. My womb is the great Brahman ; in that I place the germ ; thence, O Bharata, is the birth of all beings.

My womb: My own Prakriti, — i.e., the Prakriti which belongs to Me, the Maya made up of the three Gunas, the material cause of all beings. This Prakriti is spoken of as great because it is greater than all effects ; and as the source and nourishing energy of all Its modifications, It is termed Brahman. In that Great Brahman I place the germ, the seed of the birth of the Hiranyagarbha, the seed which gives birth to all beings. I who am possessed of the two potencies (Saktis), the two Prakritis of Kshetra and the Kshetrajna, unite the Kshetrajna with Kshetra, the Kshetrajna conforming Himself to the upadhis of avidya (nescience), kama (desire), and karma (action). This act of impregnation gives rise to the birth of all beings through the birth of the Hiranyagarbha. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

2- The nature and functions of the gunas. (5-18) 

The gunas bind the soul. (5) 

5. Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, — these gunas, O mighty-armed, born of Prakriti, bind fast in the body the embodied, the indestructible.

6. Of these, Sattva, which, from its stainlessness, is lucid and healthy, binds by attachment to happiness and by attachment to knowledge, O sinless one. 

Thus it is through avidya alone—which forms an attribute (dharma) of the Self as the non-discrimination between the object and the subject,—that Sattva causes the Self to be attached as it were to happiness which is not His own, causes Him, who is free from all attachment, to be engrossed as it were in happiness; causes to feel happy as it were Him who does not possess the happiness. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

7. Know thou Rajas (to be) of the nature of passion, the source of thirst and attachment; it binds fast, O son of Kunti, the embodied one by attachment to action. 

8. But, know thou Tamas to be born of unwisdom, deluding all embodied beings; by heedlessness, indolence and sloth, it binds fast, O Bharata. 

9. Sattva attaches to happiness, Rajas to action, O Bharata, while Tamas, enshrouding wisdom, attaches, on the contrary, to heedlessness.  

The time when a soul reaches the status of an individual (i.e. is born) by adopting the I-am-the-body attitude is an inauspicious moment. From birth until death he imagines the functions of the body as his own. 

Sattva attribute The Sattva attribute traps the individual by the strings of pleasure and learning. The learned individual roars due to vanity and kicks around due to conceit and loses the bliss of the Self-realisation. He feels elated when people honour him for his learning. He feels happy by small gains and he brags around that very little satisfies him. He says how fortunate he is to have none as happy as himself. He is flooded with the eight righteous Sattva-attributed emotions.

As if this is not enough, another binding in the form of the pride of his being learned trails him. He does not feel sorry that he has lost the realisation of his being the Soul. On the contrary he swells with pride of his worldly knowledge. The soul in the body, because of worldly outward knowledge considers himself as the body. He knows the art of handling worldly affairs and becomes expert in the rituals of yajnas. His knowledge can take him up to heaven and he thinks that currently there is none as knowledgeable as he is and that he alone is clever. In this way the Sattva attribute pulls this lame individual like bull with the reins of pleasure and learning. 

Now listen to the characteristics of Tama attribute. Tama attribute is that which veils the practical view of a person as if the sky is covered by dark clouds of delusion, which grows by ignorance, and makes the whole world dance with delusion, of which thoughtlessness is the password and which is the pot of honey of ignorance which keeps individuals under illusion. This Tama attribute chains those who consider the body itself to be the soul.  (Dnyaneshwari; 14:145-158, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

How to know when a particular guna is predominant. (11-13) 

Out of these the Raja and the Tama cause one's downfall while without the Sattva attribute one does not attain Knowledge. Therefore just as some people renounce everything to adopt the fourth type of life (i.e. that of sanyasin) a Sadhak (aspirant) should give up all and live throughout his life with the Sattva attribute. (Dnyaneshwari; 14:265-270, transl. M.R. Yardi) 

Life after death as governed by the gunas. (14-16) 

16. The fruit of good action, they say, is Sattvic and pure; while the fruit of Rajas is pain, and ignorance is the fruit of Tamas. 

The functions of the gunas summed up. (17-18) 

18. Those who follow Sattva go upwards ; the Rajasic remain in the middle; and the Tamasic, who follow in the course of the lowest guna, go downwards.

Those who follow the course of Sattva-guna will be born in the region of the Devas or the like. The Rajasic will dwell among men ; The Tamasic—those who follow the course of Tamas, the lowest guna—will go down, i.e., they will be born in the wombs of cattle and the like creatures. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

3- Transcending the gunas (19-27)

Realisation of the Self beyond the gunas leads to immortality. (19-20) 

19. When the seer beholds not an agent other than the gunas and knows Him who is higher than the gunas, he attains to My being.

When a man is enlightened and realises that there is no agent other than the gunas which transform themselves into the bodies, senses and sense-objects, when he sees that it is the gunas that in all their modifications constitute the agent in all actions ; when he sees Him who is distinct from the gunas, who is the Witness of the gunas and of their functions, then he attains to my being : i. e., seeing ' that All is Vasudeva, he becomes Vasudeva. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

The marks of a liberated soul. (21-22) 

21. By what marks, O Lord, is he known who has crossed beyond those three Gunas ? What is his conduct, and how does he pass beyond those three gunas ?

Unlike a man of Sattva (or Rajas or Tamas) who longs for the Sattvic (or Rajasic or Tamasic) states which first presented themselves to his consiousness and then disappeared, he who has risen above the gunas does not long after things which have disappeared. — This is a mark which others cannot perceive; it serves as a mark for the individual himself, as it can be perceived by himself alone ; no man indeed can perceive the hatred or the desire which presents itself to another man's consciousness. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

The conduct in life of the Liberated one. (23-25) 

24. Her to whom pain and pleasure are alike, who dwells in the Self, to whom a clod of earth and stone and gold are alike, to whom the dear and the undear are alike, who is a man of wisdom, to whom censure and praiseare same;

Moreover, 25. The same in honour and disgrace, the same towards friends and enemies, abandoning all undertakings,—he is said to have crossed beyond the gunas. 

The same : unaffected. Though neutral from their own standpoint, some appear to others as if they were on the side of friends or on the side of foes ; but this man appears to be same to friends and foes. He renounces all actions, productive of visible and invisible results, except those which are necessary for the bare maintenance of the body. (Baghavad Gita, with the Commentary of Sri Sankaracharya, transl. A. Mahadeva Sastri, 1901)

Devotion to the Lord leads to liberation. (26) Unity of Atman. (27) 

The dust particles on the earth or the snow particles in the Himalayas are not different similarly I am in me (i.e. the universe). When the outlook of equality that one is not different from God is developed I call it devotion. This outlook is the best knowledge and the essence of yoga.  Because of it the attitude that "I am Brahman" comes to the surface. With this attitude that knowledge also dissolves. When the difference vanishes the knowledge also vanishes. The illusion that the devotee is on this shore and I am across disappears and what remains is only the oneness between the two. Then the question of conquering the attributes does not remain because with the entwinement of oneness they also disappear. Arjuna, this state is called the state of oneness with Brahman. He who is devoted to me is the one to attain it. Brahman weds him who carries devotion to me in this manner. He who serves me with the outlook of knowledge is the crown jewel of the oneness with Brahman. Attaining this state of oneness is called the liberation while in body or the fourth achievement. Devotion to me is the ladder for reaching the oneness with Brahman. (Dnyaneshwari; 14:371 -398, transl. M.R. Yardi)