BG4.39

We are in the forest Madhuvanam, which is responsible for the name Mathura to the city. Here a demon Madhu was killed by the Lord. We can see a beautiful pond and nearby there is a hill called Druva sila, on which Druva meditated by chanting Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, and saw the Lord directly. We see a cave called Lavanasura guha, where there lived at the time of Sri Rama, a demon called Lavanasura. Sri Rama was ruling in Ayodya on the banks of river Sarayu. But Lavanasura lived on the banks of Yamuna. Sages of this place unable to bear the atrocities of Lavanasura, sought the help of Sri Rama. When He was readying to kill Lavanasura, His brother Shatrugna requested that he be given that charge as all other brothers had participated in the service of the Lord at various times, he had no opportunity. Agreeing to this Sri Rama advised Shatrugna to send the troops before monsoon started, and after they reach he should leave after the rainy season was over and join them to fight the demon. Sri Rama gives valuable advice fit for an able King. Since the rivers will be in spate in rainy season, He wanted Shatrugna to send the troops before the onset of monsoon. He advises to send not merely the fighters, but construction workers, materials, doctors, and others so that after the slaying of the demon a good administration could be set up. This is because, the demon was a tyrant and so the subjects would be starving and would have nothing to start a new life and remain happy. Such was the far sightedness of Sri Rama. That is why Mahatma Gandhi wanted to establish Ram Rajya in our country. Shatrugna obeying the advice, departs and crosses the Ganges and goes to the Ashram of sage Valmiki. There he pays respect to his sister-in-law, Sri Sita and sees Sri Rama's children Lava and Kusha. Then proceeding south west, they reach Mathura after crossing Yamuna. In the war he killed Lavanasura and established a good administration for 12 years. Then he returned to Ayodya after visiting on the way Valmiki ashram and meeting Sri Sita and the children. Madhu gives pleasure, and so the name Mathura also would wipe off our sins. Sri Krishna tells that atman gyana would make us to cross the sins and here by the name Mathura and visiting it, we wipe out our sins. We will see the 37th sloka. In the last sloka, it was told that by acquiring the true knowledge of atman as a boat, one crosses the ocean of sins. Two doubts arose in the mind of Arjuna. Firstly, even after crossing the ocean, the ocean still remains there and so is it possible that we would again get into the ocean. Secondly, all shastras state that papa- punya could be expended only by experiencing the punishment or reward assigned to them. So how, a mere gyana could remove all the sins? These two are addressed in the sloka 37:

yathaidhamsi samiddho ’gnir
bhasma-sat kurute ’rjuna
jnanagnih sarva-karmani
bhasma-sat kurute tatha

"As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions to material activities."

Sri Krishna tells just like that, this also, by an example. Samiddhogni = raging fire, yata = how, aidhamsi = any amount of fire wood, bhasma sat kurute = is reduced to ashes, tatha = in the same way, jnanagni = the fire of knowledge [ about atman], bhasma sat kurute = would reduce to ashes, sarva karmani = all karma [ papa punya]. Once the fire wood is burnt, it is no longer there and so this removes the first doubt of Arjuna, arose in the last sloka. It is true that shatras state that even after millions of births, one has to experience the punishment/ pleasures to wipe out papa/punya. But this rule is applicable to the ordinary persons not learning the atman gyana. But a Gyani, would never commit a sin and even the past papa/punya are all destroyed like the fire reducing firewood. Destroying means, the effects of papa/ punya would prevent punishment/ pleasure. Here we may wonder, it is alright punishment for papa is prevented, but why should the pleasures of punya also to be prevented? After all everyone wants to be happy. For this it has been explained earlier that compared to Moksham, all the worldly pleasures are trivial and this punya also prevents one from attaining Moksham and so like papa, punya also has to be discarded. This is told by Sri Andal in Her 5th pasuram Mayanai mannu..in Thiruppavai [ Theeyinil thoosagum]. This is the greatness of the Gyana part in the Karma yoga.