Chapter 9: Rājavidyā-rājaguhya-yoga – Kingly Knowledge, Kingly Secret: Verse 2
राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् ।
प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ॥
rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṃ
pavitram-idam-uttamam
pratyakṣāvagamaṃ dharmyaṃ
susukhaṃ kartum-avyayam – 9.2
A kingly knowledge, a kingly secret, this is the best purifier, directly experiential, the very law of being, comfortable to practise and imperishable too.
Chapter 9: Rājavidyā-rājaguhya-yoga – Kingly Knowledge, Kingly Secret - Verse 2
Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Krishna has already described yogic pursuit as a treasure and legacy of the Kings (4.1,2). Arjuna’s ancestors lost it due to the ravages of time and hence he somehow missed it, making him suffer the way he did after having arrived in Kurukshetra to fight the most consequential war of his life.
Krishna calls Self-knowledge a royal possession and hence a great secret, hard to access, like any vital regal matter. Having to fulfil the duties of kingship, including punishment to the wrong-doers, kings found shelter under the enlightening grace of Self-knowledge to purify their mind and sublimate their heart.
Unlike the ritualistic rewards, the seeker can directly experience the Self. The practice of Self-knowledge makes interactional life relieving, reassuring and pleasant. It is free from the defects of loss of effort and adverse outcome, as explained in the beginning (2.40). Yoga-sadhana is thus easy, comfortable and fulfilling for all.
