shareeravaangmanobhiryatkarma praarabhate naraha |
nyaayyam vaa vipareetam vaa panchaite tasya hetavaha || 15 ||
Whatever action is begun by a person, with the body, speech and mind, either per scripture or the opposite, these five are its causes.
shareeravaangmanobhihi : with body, speech and mind
yat : whatever
karma : action
praarabhate : begun
naraha : person
nyaayyam : per scripture
vaa : either
vipareetam : opposite
vaa : or
pancha : five
ete : these
tasya : its
hetavaha : causes
Let us quickly recap the concepts from the previous shloka. Any action that we perform has five components behind it. The body provides the foundation for the action. The instruments comprise the five organs of sense and the five organs of action. The energy system of the body, the praana, provides the fuel needed to perform the action. The individual notion, the ego, provides the motive behind the action. The daivam, Ishvara, ensures that the universe supports the performance of the action.
To drive home this point, Shri Krishna adds that there is no action that is beyond the realm of these five factors. In other words, the five factors are the material cause as well as the efficient cause or intelligence behind an action. Since a robot can perform any task that it is programmed with, it is easy to understand that the five factors are the material cause of the action. But when we say that they are also the intelligence behind the action, it is a little difficult to swallow. Our true self, the eternal essence, has nothing whatsoever to do with the action. The mind generates thoughts and the body performs actions.
Now, another point is taken up in the shloka. It is the very same five factors that can perform an action in conformance with the universe and its laws, as well as action that goes against the universe and its laws, also termed as a sinful action. The way a person looks at the world, as well as the nature of his intelligence, determines whether he will perform an action lawfully or sinfully. The entire process of action is analyzed in detail later in the chapter. This overview of the factors behind an action is concluded here, setting us up for the most important teaching of the Gita, taken up next.
Showing posts with label tasya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tasya. Show all posts
Monday, June 3, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 18
niyatasya tu sannyaasaha karmano nopapadyate |
mohaattasya parityaagastaamasaha parikeertitaha || 7 ||
Indeed, the giving up of an obligatory action is not appropriate. Giving it up out of delusion is declared to be taamasic.
niyatasya : obligatory
tu : indeed
sannyaasaha : giving up
karmanaha : action
na : not
upapadyate : appropriate
mohaat : out of delusion
tasya : it
parityaagaha : to give up
taamasaha : taamasic
parikeertitaha : is declared
Shri Krishna moved the discussion on karma yoga ahead by categorizing the three types of tyaaga, which means giving up or renunciation. He says that when we give up an obligatory action, when we do not perform an obligatory action out of delusion, out of incorrect or error prone knowledge, such renunciation is known as taamasic tyaaga or taamasic renunciation. He says that such behaviour is inappropriate and is not in line with the teachings of karma yoga. Not doing one’s duty is forbidden in karma yoga.
Where do one's obligatory duties come from? They come from one’s stage in life or aashrama, and one's profession or varna. A householder is obliged to attend to the needs of his spouse, his parents and his children. If he does not attend to his sick parents, or does not help with his child's homework, it is termed as taamasic behaviour. A businessman should strive to generate healthy profits from his business, and donate a portion of his wealth to charity. Not doing so is also considered taamasic.
Moha or delusion can create all kinds of negative tendencies in us, as we have seen in prior chapters. It can cause heedlessness and carelessness where we do not pay proper attention to the task at hand. It can cause laziness and idleness where our body becomes inert and dull, where we do not want to get up from bed. It is hard to get oneself out of a state of moha. Unless someone who is not taamasic intervenes, we will remain in a state of tamas for a long time.
mohaattasya parityaagastaamasaha parikeertitaha || 7 ||
Indeed, the giving up of an obligatory action is not appropriate. Giving it up out of delusion is declared to be taamasic.
niyatasya : obligatory
tu : indeed
sannyaasaha : giving up
karmanaha : action
na : not
upapadyate : appropriate
mohaat : out of delusion
tasya : it
parityaagaha : to give up
taamasaha : taamasic
parikeertitaha : is declared
Shri Krishna moved the discussion on karma yoga ahead by categorizing the three types of tyaaga, which means giving up or renunciation. He says that when we give up an obligatory action, when we do not perform an obligatory action out of delusion, out of incorrect or error prone knowledge, such renunciation is known as taamasic tyaaga or taamasic renunciation. He says that such behaviour is inappropriate and is not in line with the teachings of karma yoga. Not doing one’s duty is forbidden in karma yoga.
Where do one's obligatory duties come from? They come from one’s stage in life or aashrama, and one's profession or varna. A householder is obliged to attend to the needs of his spouse, his parents and his children. If he does not attend to his sick parents, or does not help with his child's homework, it is termed as taamasic behaviour. A businessman should strive to generate healthy profits from his business, and donate a portion of his wealth to charity. Not doing so is also considered taamasic.
Moha or delusion can create all kinds of negative tendencies in us, as we have seen in prior chapters. It can cause heedlessness and carelessness where we do not pay proper attention to the task at hand. It can cause laziness and idleness where our body becomes inert and dull, where we do not want to get up from bed. It is hard to get oneself out of a state of moha. Unless someone who is not taamasic intervenes, we will remain in a state of tamas for a long time.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 15
adhashchordhvam prasritaastasya shaakhaa gunapravriddha vishayapravaalaahaa |
adhashcha moolanyanusantataani karmaanubandheeni manushyaloke || 2 ||
Its branches are spread below and above, nourished by the gunas. Sense objects are its sprouts, and, below in the human realm, stretch its roots that bind through actions.
adhaha : below
cha : and
oordhvam : above
prasritaahaa : spread
tasya : of that
shaakhaa : branches
gunapravriddha : nourished by gunas
vishayapravaalaahaa : sprouts are sense objects
adhaha : below
cha : and
moolani : roots
anusantataani : stretching
karmaanubandheeni : binding due to actions
manushyaloke : human realm
Shri Krishna began describing an upside-down tree as a metaphor for the material world in the prior shloka. Here, he continues to describe it in more detail. When its buds or sprouts grown into branches and touch the ground, they turn into roots that embed firmly into the ground, and then grow into several additional trunks around the main tree. Such gigantic tree structures are common in the Banyan tree family. Over a period of time, a small tree with one trunk becomes a mini forest in itself.
Our lives are no different. For many people, the American dream comprises owning a large house, two cars, good schools for children, a big screen TV and so on. First, the newly married family takes out a big loan to buy a house. The house is empty, so it needs furniture and appliances. The garage is empty, so two cars need to be purchased. The living room is empty, so a large screen TV is needed. The TV requires a cable connection, a DVD player, a Playstation and so on endlessly. The one purchase of a house led to other purchases, which led to other purchases and so on. This is nothing but the upside down tree of samsaara playing out in our lives.
So this tree of samsaara, made up of the three gunas of Prakriti, grows and expands through repetitive chasing of sense objects. Each sense object generates desires, desires generate actions to get those sense objects, and attainment of sense objects creates further desires. Actions bind us by making us giving importance to the branches of the tree, by making us run away from Ishvara, who is at the root of the tree. How do we tackle this problem? Shri Krishna gives the solution in the next shloka.
adhashcha moolanyanusantataani karmaanubandheeni manushyaloke || 2 ||
Its branches are spread below and above, nourished by the gunas. Sense objects are its sprouts, and, below in the human realm, stretch its roots that bind through actions.
adhaha : below
cha : and
oordhvam : above
prasritaahaa : spread
tasya : of that
shaakhaa : branches
gunapravriddha : nourished by gunas
vishayapravaalaahaa : sprouts are sense objects
adhaha : below
cha : and
moolani : roots
anusantataani : stretching
karmaanubandheeni : binding due to actions
manushyaloke : human realm
Shri Krishna began describing an upside-down tree as a metaphor for the material world in the prior shloka. Here, he continues to describe it in more detail. When its buds or sprouts grown into branches and touch the ground, they turn into roots that embed firmly into the ground, and then grow into several additional trunks around the main tree. Such gigantic tree structures are common in the Banyan tree family. Over a period of time, a small tree with one trunk becomes a mini forest in itself.
Our lives are no different. For many people, the American dream comprises owning a large house, two cars, good schools for children, a big screen TV and so on. First, the newly married family takes out a big loan to buy a house. The house is empty, so it needs furniture and appliances. The garage is empty, so two cars need to be purchased. The living room is empty, so a large screen TV is needed. The TV requires a cable connection, a DVD player, a Playstation and so on endlessly. The one purchase of a house led to other purchases, which led to other purchases and so on. This is nothing but the upside down tree of samsaara playing out in our lives.
So this tree of samsaara, made up of the three gunas of Prakriti, grows and expands through repetitive chasing of sense objects. Each sense object generates desires, desires generate actions to get those sense objects, and attainment of sense objects creates further desires. Actions bind us by making us giving importance to the branches of the tree, by making us run away from Ishvara, who is at the root of the tree. How do we tackle this problem? Shri Krishna gives the solution in the next shloka.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 11
divi sooryasahastrasya bhavedyugapadutthitaa |
yadi bhaahaa sadrishee saa syaadbhaasastasya mahaatmanaha || 12 ||
Should thousands of suns happen to rise in the sky simultaneously, their blaze would resemble the light of that magnificent one.
divi : in the sky
sooryasahastrasya : thousands of suns
bhavet : happen
yugapat : simultaneously
utthitaa : rise
yadi : should
bhaahaa : light
sadrishee : resemble
saa : those
syaat : happen
bhaasaha : blaze
tasya : of that
mahaatmanaha : magnificent one
To better give us an idea of the level of cosmic form’s brightness, Sanjaya compares to the radiance emitted by an infinite number of suns rising at the same time. Note that “sahasra” means infinite and not the literal meaning, which is thousand. Some scientists who have witnessed nuclear explosions have also used similar language to describe something that is bright beyond comparison.
So where does this radiance come from? Let us investigate. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the primary texts that discusses topics regarding the eternal essence. In one instance, it uses the phrase “effulgent infinite being” to describe the eternal essence. This is the source of the radiance. We never get to experience it because it is covered up by the material world. In this case, Shri Krishna enabled Arjuna to see the infinite light and radiance of the eternal essence in its pristine form.
We also have to remember that the comparison made by Sanjaya is helpful, but compares two things that are difficult to compare. Even the brilliance of infinite suns is still a brilliance of the material world, whereas Ishvara’s brilliance is divine, far superior that any material brilliance.
yadi bhaahaa sadrishee saa syaadbhaasastasya mahaatmanaha || 12 ||
Should thousands of suns happen to rise in the sky simultaneously, their blaze would resemble the light of that magnificent one.
divi : in the sky
sooryasahastrasya : thousands of suns
bhavet : happen
yugapat : simultaneously
utthitaa : rise
yadi : should
bhaahaa : light
sadrishee : resemble
saa : those
syaat : happen
bhaasaha : blaze
tasya : of that
mahaatmanaha : magnificent one
To better give us an idea of the level of cosmic form’s brightness, Sanjaya compares to the radiance emitted by an infinite number of suns rising at the same time. Note that “sahasra” means infinite and not the literal meaning, which is thousand. Some scientists who have witnessed nuclear explosions have also used similar language to describe something that is bright beyond comparison.
So where does this radiance come from? Let us investigate. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is one of the primary texts that discusses topics regarding the eternal essence. In one instance, it uses the phrase “effulgent infinite being” to describe the eternal essence. This is the source of the radiance. We never get to experience it because it is covered up by the material world. In this case, Shri Krishna enabled Arjuna to see the infinite light and radiance of the eternal essence in its pristine form.
We also have to remember that the comparison made by Sanjaya is helpful, but compares two things that are difficult to compare. Even the brilliance of infinite suns is still a brilliance of the material world, whereas Ishvara’s brilliance is divine, far superior that any material brilliance.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 8
ananyachetaahaa satatam yo maam smarati nityashaha |
tasyaaham sulabhaha paartha nityayuktasya yoginaha || 14 ||
One who thinks of me with a focused mind, without interruption, I become effortlessly available to that yogi that is constantly engaged (in me).
ananyachetaahaa : focused mind
satatam : always
yaha : one who
maam : me
smarati : remembers
nityashaha : without interruption
tasya : he
aham : I
sulabhaha : effortless
paartha : O Paartha
nityayuktasya : constantly engaged
yoginaha : yogi
Shri Krishna provides us with the simplest method of gaining access to Ishvara in this shloka. He says that no special technique is required. All that is needed is that the seeker focus his mind on Ishvara, perform duties as per his svadharma but think about Ishvara all the time, without interruption.
The key point, however, is the phrase “without interruption”. We had seen earlier that there is one thought that all of us have in the back of our minds. For some it is family, for some it is career and so on. It is like the drone of a “taanpura” in Indian classical music. Shri Krishna says that unless we make Ishvara that constant background thought, we will not attain him. Just performing a 30 minute meditation on Ishvara will not yield anything.
Ishvara is very well aware that most of us do not give him top priority. This is famously depicted in the image of Lord Vitthala, a deity of Lord Vishnu from Maharashtra. He is portrayed as standing with hands on his waist as if to say “I have been waiting here for a long time, when will you come?” This is due to our preoccupation with worldly matters. A deep-seated attraction towards spiritual knowledge, combined with blows from the world, will slowly but surely move the seeker towards constant meditation upon Ishvara.
So therefore, Shri Krishna has provided a simple and straightforward method to attain Ishvara : keep Ishvara as the constant thought but do your duty. It not require us to perform any kind of specialized yogic meditation. What happens when we follow this path? This is taken up next.
tasyaaham sulabhaha paartha nityayuktasya yoginaha || 14 ||
One who thinks of me with a focused mind, without interruption, I become effortlessly available to that yogi that is constantly engaged (in me).
ananyachetaahaa : focused mind
satatam : always
yaha : one who
maam : me
smarati : remembers
nityashaha : without interruption
tasya : he
aham : I
sulabhaha : effortless
paartha : O Paartha
nityayuktasya : constantly engaged
yoginaha : yogi
Shri Krishna provides us with the simplest method of gaining access to Ishvara in this shloka. He says that no special technique is required. All that is needed is that the seeker focus his mind on Ishvara, perform duties as per his svadharma but think about Ishvara all the time, without interruption.
The key point, however, is the phrase “without interruption”. We had seen earlier that there is one thought that all of us have in the back of our minds. For some it is family, for some it is career and so on. It is like the drone of a “taanpura” in Indian classical music. Shri Krishna says that unless we make Ishvara that constant background thought, we will not attain him. Just performing a 30 minute meditation on Ishvara will not yield anything.
Ishvara is very well aware that most of us do not give him top priority. This is famously depicted in the image of Lord Vitthala, a deity of Lord Vishnu from Maharashtra. He is portrayed as standing with hands on his waist as if to say “I have been waiting here for a long time, when will you come?” This is due to our preoccupation with worldly matters. A deep-seated attraction towards spiritual knowledge, combined with blows from the world, will slowly but surely move the seeker towards constant meditation upon Ishvara.
So therefore, Shri Krishna has provided a simple and straightforward method to attain Ishvara : keep Ishvara as the constant thought but do your duty. It not require us to perform any kind of specialized yogic meditation. What happens when we follow this path? This is taken up next.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 7
sa tayaa shraddhayaa yuktastasyaaraadhanameehate |
labhate cha tataha kaamaanmayaiva vihitaanhi taan || 22 ||
Engaged with faith, that person worships that deity and his desire is fulfilled, but that fulfillment is delivered only through me.
saha : that person
tayaa : that
shraddhayaa : with faith
yuktaha : engaged
tasya : that deity
araadhanam : worship
eehate : performs
labhate : fulfilled
cha : and
tataha : his
kaamaan : desire
mayaa : through me
eva : only
vihitaan : delivered
hi : but
taan : that fulfillment
When someone chooses to pursue a finite or a worldly goal, they run towards a finite deity instead of going towards Ishvara. We saw this in the previous shlokas. Shri Krishna continues that point here by saying that Ishvara does not object when devotee seeks a finite goal from a finite deity. In fact, he strengthens that devotee’s faith by delivering what the devotee asks of the deity.
Faith is a process that most of us do not fully comprehend. But it is a reality. Even in the medical profession, placebos or pills made of inactive ingredients such as sugar are known to cure patients by sheer power of faith.
So Shri Krishna says that even if a devotee approaches a deity with a finite goal, Ishvara is ready to deliver that goal as long as the devotee’s faith in the deity is strong. By fulfilling finite desires through the lower deities, Ishvara hopes that the devotee will learn to further subdue his ego. One cannot have an increase in faith without a decrease in ego.
As desires are sought with greater and greater faith, and the corresponding desires are fulfilled, the devotee’s faith increases. This process has the potential to result in the spiritual evolution of that devotee. He will evolve from seeking finite goals to seeking the infinite - Ishvara himself.
This is the ideal state, but it is totally up to the devotee to make that transition. Unfortunately, most devotees get stuck in the pursuit of finite goals, as we shall see in the next shloka.
labhate cha tataha kaamaanmayaiva vihitaanhi taan || 22 ||
Engaged with faith, that person worships that deity and his desire is fulfilled, but that fulfillment is delivered only through me.
saha : that person
tayaa : that
shraddhayaa : with faith
yuktaha : engaged
tasya : that deity
araadhanam : worship
eehate : performs
labhate : fulfilled
cha : and
tataha : his
kaamaan : desire
mayaa : through me
eva : only
vihitaan : delivered
hi : but
taan : that fulfillment
When someone chooses to pursue a finite or a worldly goal, they run towards a finite deity instead of going towards Ishvara. We saw this in the previous shlokas. Shri Krishna continues that point here by saying that Ishvara does not object when devotee seeks a finite goal from a finite deity. In fact, he strengthens that devotee’s faith by delivering what the devotee asks of the deity.
Faith is a process that most of us do not fully comprehend. But it is a reality. Even in the medical profession, placebos or pills made of inactive ingredients such as sugar are known to cure patients by sheer power of faith.
So Shri Krishna says that even if a devotee approaches a deity with a finite goal, Ishvara is ready to deliver that goal as long as the devotee’s faith in the deity is strong. By fulfilling finite desires through the lower deities, Ishvara hopes that the devotee will learn to further subdue his ego. One cannot have an increase in faith without a decrease in ego.
As desires are sought with greater and greater faith, and the corresponding desires are fulfilled, the devotee’s faith increases. This process has the potential to result in the spiritual evolution of that devotee. He will evolve from seeking finite goals to seeking the infinite - Ishvara himself.
This is the ideal state, but it is totally up to the devotee to make that transition. Unfortunately, most devotees get stuck in the pursuit of finite goals, as we shall see in the next shloka.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 7
yo yo yaam yaam tanum bhaktaha shraddhayaarchitumicchati |
tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam taameva vidadhaamyaham || 21 ||
Whichever devotee desires to faithfully worship a particular form, I fortify his faith in exactly that (form).
yaha, yaha : whosoever
yaam, yaam : whichever
tanum : form
bhaktaha : devotee
shraddhaya : faithfully
architum : worship
icchati : desires
tasya,tasya : that
achalaam : firm
shraddhaam : faith
taam : in that
eva : exactly
vidadhaami : make
aham : I
The chapter so far dealt with the notion of the infinite Ishvara’s ability to bless us with infinitude. But Shri Krishna recognized that not all devotees have the vision of pursuing that infinite Ishvara. That is why they worship finite, localized forms of Ishvara in the form of deities such as Ganesha, Saraswati and so on.
So in this shloka, Shri Krishna offers a ray of hope for such devotees. Even if we worship a finite deity with a finite goal, Ishvara will ensure that our finite goals are awarded to us. In doing so, Ishvara will strengthen our faith in that deity.
There is nothing wrong in asking for something finite. All notions of spirituality, no matter how finite the goal, are equally valid. They have the power to lift us from our egoic centre towards the universal.
For example, if we ask Saraswati for success in our exams, it is Ishvara who delivers that success through Saraswati. Saraswati becomes the channel through which Ishvara works. He is the running the whole show, as it were. But more important than the delivery of our desire is faith. Ishvara ensures that our faith in Saraswati is strengthened. It is because there will come a when that faith will be eventually turned towards Ishvara. More about this faith is mentioned next.
tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam taameva vidadhaamyaham || 21 ||
Whichever devotee desires to faithfully worship a particular form, I fortify his faith in exactly that (form).
yaha, yaha : whosoever
yaam, yaam : whichever
tanum : form
bhaktaha : devotee
shraddhaya : faithfully
architum : worship
icchati : desires
tasya,tasya : that
achalaam : firm
shraddhaam : faith
taam : in that
eva : exactly
vidadhaami : make
aham : I
The chapter so far dealt with the notion of the infinite Ishvara’s ability to bless us with infinitude. But Shri Krishna recognized that not all devotees have the vision of pursuing that infinite Ishvara. That is why they worship finite, localized forms of Ishvara in the form of deities such as Ganesha, Saraswati and so on.
So in this shloka, Shri Krishna offers a ray of hope for such devotees. Even if we worship a finite deity with a finite goal, Ishvara will ensure that our finite goals are awarded to us. In doing so, Ishvara will strengthen our faith in that deity.
There is nothing wrong in asking for something finite. All notions of spirituality, no matter how finite the goal, are equally valid. They have the power to lift us from our egoic centre towards the universal.
For example, if we ask Saraswati for success in our exams, it is Ishvara who delivers that success through Saraswati. Saraswati becomes the channel through which Ishvara works. He is the running the whole show, as it were. But more important than the delivery of our desire is faith. Ishvara ensures that our faith in Saraswati is strengthened. It is because there will come a when that faith will be eventually turned towards Ishvara. More about this faith is mentioned next.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 6
Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
paartha naiveha naamutra vinaashastasya vidyate |
na hi kalyaanakritkashchiddurgatim taata gachchati || 40 ||
Shree Bhagavan says:
O Paartha, neither here nor there does his destruction ever happen, for whoever performs virtuous acts does not go into distress, my dear.
paartha : O Paartha
na : neither
iha : here
eva : ever
na : nor
amutra : there
vinaashaha : destruction
tasya : his
vidyate : happen
na : does not
hi : for
kalyaanakrit : performs virtuous acts
kashchit : whoever
durgatim : distress
taata : my dear
gachchati : go to
Arjuna had posed a question about the fate of a meditator who does not attain perfection before death. Shri Krishna responds by unequivocally asserting that nothing harmful or distressful will happen to the meditator while he is in this world, or in any other world. In fact, he will attain a better state, both from a material as well as spiritual standpoint.
We have to carefully parse the meaning of Shri Krishna’s words. He is in no way implying that the meditator will somehow attain material success due to his meditation. The common standard for attaining success in our world is wealth, power and fame, none of which is guaranteed as a result of meditation. Shri Krishna wants us to understand is that one who takes up meditation sincerely will automatically develop dispassion towards wealth, power and fame. He will not care whether he attains material success or not. So therefore, a lack of material success will not cause him distress.
But that does not mean that the meditator obtains a pitiable state. In fact, by sincerely practicing mediation, the seeker will be in tune and in harmony with the world. Then the world itself will take care of all the seeker’s needs. This is not an alien concept. When someone is in tune with any organization like one’s family, workplace or school, when that person puts the needs of the organization above his personal and selfish needs, the organization ensures that such a person receives whatever he wants, and also ensures that he does not get into any distress.
Here, Shri Krishna affectionately refers to Arjuna as “taata”. Usually this word refers to a father or a son. Here, the meaning is in line with the word “dear student”. By using this word, Shri Krishna shows his encouragement and appreciation for the frank and honest question posed by Arjuna.
Next, Shri Krishna addresses the second part of Arjuna’s question, which is : what happens to the meditator when he dies before gaining perfection in meditation?
paartha naiveha naamutra vinaashastasya vidyate |
na hi kalyaanakritkashchiddurgatim taata gachchati || 40 ||
Shree Bhagavan says:
O Paartha, neither here nor there does his destruction ever happen, for whoever performs virtuous acts does not go into distress, my dear.
paartha : O Paartha
na : neither
iha : here
eva : ever
na : nor
amutra : there
vinaashaha : destruction
tasya : his
vidyate : happen
na : does not
hi : for
kalyaanakrit : performs virtuous acts
kashchit : whoever
durgatim : distress
taata : my dear
gachchati : go to
Arjuna had posed a question about the fate of a meditator who does not attain perfection before death. Shri Krishna responds by unequivocally asserting that nothing harmful or distressful will happen to the meditator while he is in this world, or in any other world. In fact, he will attain a better state, both from a material as well as spiritual standpoint.
We have to carefully parse the meaning of Shri Krishna’s words. He is in no way implying that the meditator will somehow attain material success due to his meditation. The common standard for attaining success in our world is wealth, power and fame, none of which is guaranteed as a result of meditation. Shri Krishna wants us to understand is that one who takes up meditation sincerely will automatically develop dispassion towards wealth, power and fame. He will not care whether he attains material success or not. So therefore, a lack of material success will not cause him distress.
But that does not mean that the meditator obtains a pitiable state. In fact, by sincerely practicing mediation, the seeker will be in tune and in harmony with the world. Then the world itself will take care of all the seeker’s needs. This is not an alien concept. When someone is in tune with any organization like one’s family, workplace or school, when that person puts the needs of the organization above his personal and selfish needs, the organization ensures that such a person receives whatever he wants, and also ensures that he does not get into any distress.
Here, Shri Krishna affectionately refers to Arjuna as “taata”. Usually this word refers to a father or a son. Here, the meaning is in line with the word “dear student”. By using this word, Shri Krishna shows his encouragement and appreciation for the frank and honest question posed by Arjuna.
Next, Shri Krishna addresses the second part of Arjuna’s question, which is : what happens to the meditator when he dies before gaining perfection in meditation?
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 6
chanchalam hi manaha krishna pramaathi balavaddrudham |
tasyaaham nigraham manye vaayoriva sudushkaram || 34 ||
For, the mind is fickle, rebellious, strong and stubborn, O Krishna. To control it, I think, is as arduous as the wind.
chanchalam : fickle
hi : for
manaha : mind is
krishna : O Krishna
pramaathi : rebellious
balavat : strong
drudham : stubborn
tasya : it
aham : I
nigraham : control
manye : think
vaayoho : the wind
iva : like
sudushkaram : arduous
Arjuna further elaborates on the difficulty of controlling the mind for meditation to Shri Krishna. He says that it is as difficult as trying to harness the wind. Why is that so? The mind is fickle, rebellious, strong and stubborn. It will refuse any attempt to be controlled.
Shri Krishna had acknowledged the fickle nature of the mind in previous shlokas. We oursleves have directly experienced how fickle our mind is. Most of the time, our mind is jumping from one thought to another. Many analogies have been offered to illustrate this fickle nature of the mind. The most common one is a drunken monkey jumping from one branch to another. We can also tell how fickle someone’s mind is by observing their eyes. If they dart around too much, that means their mind is racing through thoughts.
Next, Arjuna says that the mind is “pramaathi”. It is difficult to exactly translate this world. The closest word is “rebellious”. It is like a wild horse that is being tamed for the first time. it will never let the rider stay on its back for more than a few seconds. Trying to control the mind becomes a wrestling match where the opponent does not let us get a good grip on him.
Furthermore, Arjuna refers to the mind as strong and stubborn. In other words, once the “mind is made up”, or the mind has decided that it wants a certain thing, it is very hard to change it. It is like a child throwing a tantrum - it will cry, yell and scream till it gets its way. The mind will resist all efforts to be controlled, and will start creating a list of desires which will throw us completely off track.
So therefore, Arjuna sums up the difficulty of controlling the mind by comparing this endeavour to taming the wind - something that is next to impossible. Coming from Arjuna, a mighty meditator who is said to have propitiated Lord Shiva through his meditation, makes it a valid question. Shri Krishna responds to Arjuna’s question in the next shloka.
tasyaaham nigraham manye vaayoriva sudushkaram || 34 ||
For, the mind is fickle, rebellious, strong and stubborn, O Krishna. To control it, I think, is as arduous as the wind.
chanchalam : fickle
hi : for
manaha : mind is
krishna : O Krishna
pramaathi : rebellious
balavat : strong
drudham : stubborn
tasya : it
aham : I
nigraham : control
manye : think
vaayoho : the wind
iva : like
sudushkaram : arduous
Arjuna further elaborates on the difficulty of controlling the mind for meditation to Shri Krishna. He says that it is as difficult as trying to harness the wind. Why is that so? The mind is fickle, rebellious, strong and stubborn. It will refuse any attempt to be controlled.
Shri Krishna had acknowledged the fickle nature of the mind in previous shlokas. We oursleves have directly experienced how fickle our mind is. Most of the time, our mind is jumping from one thought to another. Many analogies have been offered to illustrate this fickle nature of the mind. The most common one is a drunken monkey jumping from one branch to another. We can also tell how fickle someone’s mind is by observing their eyes. If they dart around too much, that means their mind is racing through thoughts.
Next, Arjuna says that the mind is “pramaathi”. It is difficult to exactly translate this world. The closest word is “rebellious”. It is like a wild horse that is being tamed for the first time. it will never let the rider stay on its back for more than a few seconds. Trying to control the mind becomes a wrestling match where the opponent does not let us get a good grip on him.
Furthermore, Arjuna refers to the mind as strong and stubborn. In other words, once the “mind is made up”, or the mind has decided that it wants a certain thing, it is very hard to change it. It is like a child throwing a tantrum - it will cry, yell and scream till it gets its way. The mind will resist all efforts to be controlled, and will start creating a list of desires which will throw us completely off track.
So therefore, Arjuna sums up the difficulty of controlling the mind by comparing this endeavour to taming the wind - something that is next to impossible. Coming from Arjuna, a mighty meditator who is said to have propitiated Lord Shiva through his meditation, makes it a valid question. Shri Krishna responds to Arjuna’s question in the next shloka.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 30, Chapter 6
yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati |
tasyaaham na pranashyaami sa cha me naa pranashyati || 30 ||
One who sees me in all, and sees all in me, to him I am not lost, and he is not lost to me.
yaha : one who
maam : me
pashyati : sees
sarvatra : in all
sarvam : all
cha : and
mayi : in me
pashyati : sees
tasya : to him
aham : I
na : am not
pranashyaami : lost
saha : he
cha : and
me : me
naa : is not
pranashyati : lost
Shri Krishna now speaks to us directly as Ishvara. He says that the devotee who sees him in everything, and also sees everything in him, will have a permanent connection to him. In other words, Shri Krishna will never appear as distant or invisible to that devotee. It may seem a little confusing to hear this statement right after the previous shloka that said that one should see everything in the eternal essence. How does Ishvara fit into the picture?
Let us refer to our running example of the wave and the ocean. Imagine that a young child sees the ocean for the first time. Her intellect can only grasp visual, grosser objects. So her attention will immediately go towards the ocean, its colour, its size, the sounds it makes, the waves and so on. It will not be obvious to her that everything is water, because she has not reached that intellectual level yet.
Shri Krishna fully knows that most of us are children, even babies, on the spiritual journey. It will take a long time for our intellects to see the eternal essence everywhere. So until our perception stops operating on the level of names and forms, we have to find an easier way to see the eternal essence everywhere.
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that first, we should try to see everything in Ishvara and Ishvara in everything. Ishvara could be the form of Shri Krishna. It could be any other deity that we feel an affinity towards. It could also be our guru. No matter what form we choose, we should be able to view the form of Ishvara as the highest.
Now, most of us have the notion that Ishvara or God is a mysterious figure or force that is sitting far away in Kailash or Vaikuntha or somewhere us. But Shri Krishna, in the Gita, is telling us in this shloka that he is everywhere. It requires a radical shift in order to think this way. That is why in Indian culture, everything can become an object of worship, from a tree to a stone to a book, because Ishvara is present in everything. What is required is the understanding that comes through contemplation.
So therefore, if we truly begin to think that the whole world comprises Ishvara in our chosen form, there will never be a single moment where we are far from Ishvara.
tasyaaham na pranashyaami sa cha me naa pranashyati || 30 ||
One who sees me in all, and sees all in me, to him I am not lost, and he is not lost to me.
yaha : one who
maam : me
pashyati : sees
sarvatra : in all
sarvam : all
cha : and
mayi : in me
pashyati : sees
tasya : to him
aham : I
na : am not
pranashyaami : lost
saha : he
cha : and
me : me
naa : is not
pranashyati : lost
Shri Krishna now speaks to us directly as Ishvara. He says that the devotee who sees him in everything, and also sees everything in him, will have a permanent connection to him. In other words, Shri Krishna will never appear as distant or invisible to that devotee. It may seem a little confusing to hear this statement right after the previous shloka that said that one should see everything in the eternal essence. How does Ishvara fit into the picture?
Let us refer to our running example of the wave and the ocean. Imagine that a young child sees the ocean for the first time. Her intellect can only grasp visual, grosser objects. So her attention will immediately go towards the ocean, its colour, its size, the sounds it makes, the waves and so on. It will not be obvious to her that everything is water, because she has not reached that intellectual level yet.
Shri Krishna fully knows that most of us are children, even babies, on the spiritual journey. It will take a long time for our intellects to see the eternal essence everywhere. So until our perception stops operating on the level of names and forms, we have to find an easier way to see the eternal essence everywhere.
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that first, we should try to see everything in Ishvara and Ishvara in everything. Ishvara could be the form of Shri Krishna. It could be any other deity that we feel an affinity towards. It could also be our guru. No matter what form we choose, we should be able to view the form of Ishvara as the highest.
Now, most of us have the notion that Ishvara or God is a mysterious figure or force that is sitting far away in Kailash or Vaikuntha or somewhere us. But Shri Krishna, in the Gita, is telling us in this shloka that he is everywhere. It requires a radical shift in order to think this way. That is why in Indian culture, everything can become an object of worship, from a tree to a stone to a book, because Ishvara is present in everything. What is required is the understanding that comes through contemplation.
So therefore, if we truly begin to think that the whole world comprises Ishvara in our chosen form, there will never be a single moment where we are far from Ishvara.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 6
bandhuraatmaatmanastasya yenatmaivaatmanaa jitaha |
anaatmanastu shatrutve vartetaatmaiva shatruvat || 6 ||
For one who has conquered oneself by oneself, only his own self is his friend. But for one who has not conquered oneself, it is only his own self that behaves in animosity, like an enemy.
bandhuhu : is a friend
aatmaa : oneself
aatmanaa : by oneself
tasya : for him
yena : who has
aatmaa : oneself
eva : only
aatmanaa : oneself
jitaha : conquered
anaatmanaha : for one who has not conquered oneself
tu : but
shatrutve : in a spirit of animosity
varteta : behaves
aatmaa : his own self
eva : only
shatruvat : like an enemy
As further elaboration on the previous shloka, Shri Krishna explains exactly what he means by the statement “we are our own friend and we are our own enemy”. He says that for the person that has used his intellect to conquer the mind and senses, he becomes his own friend. But for one who is unable to conquer the mind and senses, he becomes his own enemy. Note the repeated use of the word “aatmaa” or self in this shloka and the prior shloka to mean different things.
Now, what exactly is a “shatru” or enemy? It is someone who constantly creates trouble for us - a trouble maker. The mind, if not under our control, can be the world’s most creative and impactful trouble maker. We tend to think it is our boss, our mother-in-law, our neighbour and so on to be our enemy, the troublemaker. But nothing beats that mind when it comes to creating problems for us.
Consider an example. Let’s say the doctor has told us that sweets are bad for us. Now, imagine that we are at a social gathering and someone offers us a sweet. The intellect instantly knows what is the right thing to do. But the mind is different from the intellect. If the mind is not under control, it will say “go ahead, there is no harm in taking one piece of the sweet”.
At this point, we fall prey to the lower self and eat the sweet. The mind now says, “this is a very tasty sweet. I think I will have this again tomorrow, first thing in the morning”. Again we succumb to the lower self on the next day and eat the sweet again. Now, having eaten the sweet twice, the mind says “why did I eat this sweet twice? The doctor had said that it is bad for me. I hope this does not impact my health. I absolutely hate myself”.
Here is someone who caused us trouble three times - before, during and after eating the sweet. But it was not someone from the outside. It was something within - our own mind. This is why Shri Krishna calls the uncontrolled mind to be the worst enemy possible in regards to our growth. The sweet is a small example of how the uncontrolled mind creates trouble for us day in and day out. Through conditioning by the sense organs, it repeatedly reinforces our likes and dislikes without regard to what is rational.
So the message is clear: progress towards meditation is not possible unless we use karmayoga to bring our mind under control and eliminate as many desires as possible.
In the shlokas so far, Shri Krishna gave an introduction to the topic of meditation. In the rest of this chapter, he will cover all aspects of meditation including: what is meditation, what is the process, what do we have to do internally and externally, what are the obstacles and how do we remove them, and how does such an individual that is established in meditation live in this world, which is the topic he takes up next.
The world for us comprises three aspects: situations that we encounter, objects that we use, and people that we interact with. In the next three shlokas, Shri Krishna takes up each aspect and paints a picture of the meditator’s attitude towards each of these aspects.
anaatmanastu shatrutve vartetaatmaiva shatruvat || 6 ||
For one who has conquered oneself by oneself, only his own self is his friend. But for one who has not conquered oneself, it is only his own self that behaves in animosity, like an enemy.
bandhuhu : is a friend
aatmaa : oneself
aatmanaa : by oneself
tasya : for him
yena : who has
aatmaa : oneself
eva : only
aatmanaa : oneself
jitaha : conquered
anaatmanaha : for one who has not conquered oneself
tu : but
shatrutve : in a spirit of animosity
varteta : behaves
aatmaa : his own self
eva : only
shatruvat : like an enemy
As further elaboration on the previous shloka, Shri Krishna explains exactly what he means by the statement “we are our own friend and we are our own enemy”. He says that for the person that has used his intellect to conquer the mind and senses, he becomes his own friend. But for one who is unable to conquer the mind and senses, he becomes his own enemy. Note the repeated use of the word “aatmaa” or self in this shloka and the prior shloka to mean different things.
Now, what exactly is a “shatru” or enemy? It is someone who constantly creates trouble for us - a trouble maker. The mind, if not under our control, can be the world’s most creative and impactful trouble maker. We tend to think it is our boss, our mother-in-law, our neighbour and so on to be our enemy, the troublemaker. But nothing beats that mind when it comes to creating problems for us.
Consider an example. Let’s say the doctor has told us that sweets are bad for us. Now, imagine that we are at a social gathering and someone offers us a sweet. The intellect instantly knows what is the right thing to do. But the mind is different from the intellect. If the mind is not under control, it will say “go ahead, there is no harm in taking one piece of the sweet”.
At this point, we fall prey to the lower self and eat the sweet. The mind now says, “this is a very tasty sweet. I think I will have this again tomorrow, first thing in the morning”. Again we succumb to the lower self on the next day and eat the sweet again. Now, having eaten the sweet twice, the mind says “why did I eat this sweet twice? The doctor had said that it is bad for me. I hope this does not impact my health. I absolutely hate myself”.
Here is someone who caused us trouble three times - before, during and after eating the sweet. But it was not someone from the outside. It was something within - our own mind. This is why Shri Krishna calls the uncontrolled mind to be the worst enemy possible in regards to our growth. The sweet is a small example of how the uncontrolled mind creates trouble for us day in and day out. Through conditioning by the sense organs, it repeatedly reinforces our likes and dislikes without regard to what is rational.
So the message is clear: progress towards meditation is not possible unless we use karmayoga to bring our mind under control and eliminate as many desires as possible.
In the shlokas so far, Shri Krishna gave an introduction to the topic of meditation. In the rest of this chapter, he will cover all aspects of meditation including: what is meditation, what is the process, what do we have to do internally and externally, what are the obstacles and how do we remove them, and how does such an individual that is established in meditation live in this world, which is the topic he takes up next.
The world for us comprises three aspects: situations that we encounter, objects that we use, and people that we interact with. In the next three shlokas, Shri Krishna takes up each aspect and paints a picture of the meditator’s attitude towards each of these aspects.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 6
aarurukshormuneryogam karma kaaranamuchyate |
yogaroodhasya tasyaiva shamah kaaranamuchyate || 3 ||
For that contemplative person who desires to ascend to yoga, action is said to be the means. For one who is established in yoga, tranquility is said to be the means.
aarurukshoho : one who desires to ascend
munehe : contemplative person
yogam : yoga
karma : action
kaaranam : means
uchyate : is said to be
yogaroodhasya : one who is established in yoga
tasya : that person
eva : only
shamah : tranquility
kaaranam : means
uchyate : is said to be
In the shlokas so far, Shri Krishna has pointed out the similarity between a karmayogi and a monk in regards to their suitability for practicing meditation. Now, he begins to go one level deeper and tell us where we stand, and how should we prepare ourselves for meditation.
Let’s first understand what is meant by a muni or a contemplative person. Most people in this world harbour the notion that worldly objects, people and situations yield happiness. The contemplative person is one who has spent enough time observing the world and understood that notion to be false. He need not have retreated to the forest to contemplate on this. He knows from his daily life experience that the world cannot give joy. Such a muni, who has the desire to go higher, ascend above the material world, is called “aarurkshoho”.
So for such a muni, there are two possibilities. One is that he is not established in dhyaana yoga or meditation. His mind still harbours desires. His proportion of sattva guna is lower compared to rajas and tamas. For such a seeker, the only means to get established in meditation is karmayoga. Diligent observance of karmayoga will develop the qualities of discrimination and dispassion (viveka and vairagya), which will ultimately purge desires from the mind.
The second possibility is the muni who has achieved a high level of viveka and vairagya. His mind does not harbour desires due to the predominance of sattva. He only performs the bare minimum of actions that are in line with his obligatory duties. Such a person is “aarudha” or elevated. For such a person, meditation will come naturally. All he has to is to follow the instructions given later in this chapter towards “shamaha”, which is quietening the mind.
Consider this illustration. When a child wants to ride a heavy bicycle, he usually cannot climb it directly. He has to put one foot on the pedal and kick the ground with the other foot till the bicycle gathers speed. Only then can he climb the bicycle. So in the initial stage, the child is “aarurkshoho” and has to kick the ground until the bike gathers speed. Then when he ascends the bicycle, he becomes “aarudha”.
Now, when exactly does the seeker become ready to meditate? This is tackled in the next shloka.
yogaroodhasya tasyaiva shamah kaaranamuchyate || 3 ||
For that contemplative person who desires to ascend to yoga, action is said to be the means. For one who is established in yoga, tranquility is said to be the means.
aarurukshoho : one who desires to ascend
munehe : contemplative person
yogam : yoga
karma : action
kaaranam : means
uchyate : is said to be
yogaroodhasya : one who is established in yoga
tasya : that person
eva : only
shamah : tranquility
kaaranam : means
uchyate : is said to be
In the shlokas so far, Shri Krishna has pointed out the similarity between a karmayogi and a monk in regards to their suitability for practicing meditation. Now, he begins to go one level deeper and tell us where we stand, and how should we prepare ourselves for meditation.
Let’s first understand what is meant by a muni or a contemplative person. Most people in this world harbour the notion that worldly objects, people and situations yield happiness. The contemplative person is one who has spent enough time observing the world and understood that notion to be false. He need not have retreated to the forest to contemplate on this. He knows from his daily life experience that the world cannot give joy. Such a muni, who has the desire to go higher, ascend above the material world, is called “aarurkshoho”.
So for such a muni, there are two possibilities. One is that he is not established in dhyaana yoga or meditation. His mind still harbours desires. His proportion of sattva guna is lower compared to rajas and tamas. For such a seeker, the only means to get established in meditation is karmayoga. Diligent observance of karmayoga will develop the qualities of discrimination and dispassion (viveka and vairagya), which will ultimately purge desires from the mind.
The second possibility is the muni who has achieved a high level of viveka and vairagya. His mind does not harbour desires due to the predominance of sattva. He only performs the bare minimum of actions that are in line with his obligatory duties. Such a person is “aarudha” or elevated. For such a person, meditation will come naturally. All he has to is to follow the instructions given later in this chapter towards “shamaha”, which is quietening the mind.
Consider this illustration. When a child wants to ride a heavy bicycle, he usually cannot climb it directly. He has to put one foot on the pedal and kick the ground with the other foot till the bicycle gathers speed. Only then can he climb the bicycle. So in the initial stage, the child is “aarurkshoho” and has to kick the ground until the bike gathers speed. Then when he ascends the bicycle, he becomes “aarudha”.
Now, when exactly does the seeker become ready to meditate? This is tackled in the next shloka.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 4
chaaturvarnyam mayaa srishtam gunakarmavibhaagashaha |
tasya kartaaramapi maam viddhyakartaaramavyayam || 13 ||
Four classes have been created by me, based on the division of guna and action. Even though I created them, know me as the non-doer and imperishable.
chaatur : four
varnyam : classes
mayaa : by me
srishtam : created
guna : guna
karma : action
vibhaagashaha : division
tasya : that
kartaaram : being the doer
api : even though
maam : me
viddhi : know
akartaaram : non-doer
avyayam : imperishable
Earlier, Shri Krishna mentioned that humans cannot avoid action at any cost. So how can we achieve liberation from bondage while still performing action? To that end, Shri Krishna advises us to act per our svadharma. By efficiently performing svadharma, we can liberate ourselves while performing actions. This is the "why" of karmayoga.
Knowing that one should perform one's svadharma or duty in this world is core to karmayoga. But how does one know what is one's svadharma? Shri Krishna addresses this point briefly in this shloka. He says that human beings are categorized into four classes or varnaas. These classes are based on the 3 gunaas, and the corresponding action that each guna prompts us to do.
The three gunas and their corresponding actions are as follows. Rajas is expressed as as activity or agitation. Tamas is expressed as lethargy or laziness. Sattva is expressed as knowledge and peace. So we have to perform self-analysis in order to understand how the gunaas behave within us and in what proportion to each other.
We will find that we will fall into one of these four categories. A brahmana who is predisposed to gaining knowledge, faith, sharing knowledge will usually have a prominence of sattva. A kshatriya who demonstrates courage, likes to organize and protect people, face challenges, take risks, try new things will have a prominence of sattva and rajas. A vaishya who likes to be creative and produce something will have a prominence of rajas and tamas. A shudra who likes to execute tasks but requires a lot of motivation will have prominence of tamas.
As we can tell, this shloka was heavily misinterpreted to support the incorrect notion that varna is determined by birth. There is no such thing. Just like we have career counselling in modern times, the Gita offered a scientific manner of selecting a career that is suitable for oneself both from a practical perspective, and also from a karma yoga perspective.
In the second part of the shloka, Shri Krishna reminds us that although he has set up this classification of varnaa, he is not the doer even in this act. It is maayaa alone that is acting in this world, whereas he is only the witness to its actions. We can think of ourselves as playing different parts in a cosmic play. Each part is different based on our svadharma.
tasya kartaaramapi maam viddhyakartaaramavyayam || 13 ||
Four classes have been created by me, based on the division of guna and action. Even though I created them, know me as the non-doer and imperishable.
chaatur : four
varnyam : classes
mayaa : by me
srishtam : created
guna : guna
karma : action
vibhaagashaha : division
tasya : that
kartaaram : being the doer
api : even though
maam : me
viddhi : know
akartaaram : non-doer
avyayam : imperishable
Earlier, Shri Krishna mentioned that humans cannot avoid action at any cost. So how can we achieve liberation from bondage while still performing action? To that end, Shri Krishna advises us to act per our svadharma. By efficiently performing svadharma, we can liberate ourselves while performing actions. This is the "why" of karmayoga.
Knowing that one should perform one's svadharma or duty in this world is core to karmayoga. But how does one know what is one's svadharma? Shri Krishna addresses this point briefly in this shloka. He says that human beings are categorized into four classes or varnaas. These classes are based on the 3 gunaas, and the corresponding action that each guna prompts us to do.
The three gunas and their corresponding actions are as follows. Rajas is expressed as as activity or agitation. Tamas is expressed as lethargy or laziness. Sattva is expressed as knowledge and peace. So we have to perform self-analysis in order to understand how the gunaas behave within us and in what proportion to each other.
We will find that we will fall into one of these four categories. A brahmana who is predisposed to gaining knowledge, faith, sharing knowledge will usually have a prominence of sattva. A kshatriya who demonstrates courage, likes to organize and protect people, face challenges, take risks, try new things will have a prominence of sattva and rajas. A vaishya who likes to be creative and produce something will have a prominence of rajas and tamas. A shudra who likes to execute tasks but requires a lot of motivation will have prominence of tamas.
As we can tell, this shloka was heavily misinterpreted to support the incorrect notion that varna is determined by birth. There is no such thing. Just like we have career counselling in modern times, the Gita offered a scientific manner of selecting a career that is suitable for oneself both from a practical perspective, and also from a karma yoga perspective.
In the second part of the shloka, Shri Krishna reminds us that although he has set up this classification of varnaa, he is not the doer even in this act. It is maayaa alone that is acting in this world, whereas he is only the witness to its actions. We can think of ourselves as playing different parts in a cosmic play. Each part is different based on our svadharma.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 3
naiva tasya krutenaartho naakruteneha kashchana |
na chaasya sarvabhooteshu kashchidarthavyapaashrayah || 18 ||
For that (realized individual), there is nothing to be gained by action or inaction here. Also, he does not have even the slightest dependency on anyone for any object.
na : not
eva : only
tasya : that realized individual
kruten : from action
arthaha : gained
na : not
akruten : from inaction
iha : here
kashchana: any
na : not
cha : also
asya : for him
sarvabhooteshu : with anyone
kashchit : slight/even a little
arthavya : object
apaashrayah : dependency
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna explained that one who has found delight solely in the eternal essence loses all sense of doership. In other words, all his actions become selfless and spontaneous, like an artist who cares only about creating paintings without any expectation (art for art's sake).
Shri Krishna further elaborates that point in this shloka. He says that for such a person, the concept of gain or loss does not exist, nor does the notion of dependency or support from anyone or anything.
To better understand this shloka, let us imagine a situation where one is at the end of a critical chapter in one's life, e.g. imagine that a person has submitted his resignation and is in the last week of his job. What will be his mindset? He will suddenly become the nicest guy in the office, and the most fun guy to hang out with. Why is that? Everyone knows that he has no agenda with anyone anymore, since it does not really matter. And he can surf the web all day long, because it does not really matter whether he works or doesn't work.
Another example could be a person who at age 65 has just retired. He has made a decent fortune with his savings, and can live comfortably till his last day. In addition, he is quite healthy and can still work if needed. But just like in the earlier example, it does not matter whether he performs any action or doesn't. Moreover, since he does not have any dependency on anyone, his savings make him self sufficient. Therefore, for the individual that has realized the worth of the eternal essence "treasure", any other material gain or loss does not hold any meaning.
Ultimately, these 2 shlokas reveal the state of a realized person, who by losing all sense of doership, renounces all action. Renouncing doership is renouncing action. The topic of renunciation is covered in detail in the forthcoming chapters.
na chaasya sarvabhooteshu kashchidarthavyapaashrayah || 18 ||
For that (realized individual), there is nothing to be gained by action or inaction here. Also, he does not have even the slightest dependency on anyone for any object.
na : not
eva : only
tasya : that realized individual
kruten : from action
arthaha : gained
na : not
akruten : from inaction
iha : here
kashchana: any
na : not
cha : also
asya : for him
sarvabhooteshu : with anyone
kashchit : slight/even a little
arthavya : object
apaashrayah : dependency
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna explained that one who has found delight solely in the eternal essence loses all sense of doership. In other words, all his actions become selfless and spontaneous, like an artist who cares only about creating paintings without any expectation (art for art's sake).
Shri Krishna further elaborates that point in this shloka. He says that for such a person, the concept of gain or loss does not exist, nor does the notion of dependency or support from anyone or anything.
To better understand this shloka, let us imagine a situation where one is at the end of a critical chapter in one's life, e.g. imagine that a person has submitted his resignation and is in the last week of his job. What will be his mindset? He will suddenly become the nicest guy in the office, and the most fun guy to hang out with. Why is that? Everyone knows that he has no agenda with anyone anymore, since it does not really matter. And he can surf the web all day long, because it does not really matter whether he works or doesn't work.
Another example could be a person who at age 65 has just retired. He has made a decent fortune with his savings, and can live comfortably till his last day. In addition, he is quite healthy and can still work if needed. But just like in the earlier example, it does not matter whether he performs any action or doesn't. Moreover, since he does not have any dependency on anyone, his savings make him self sufficient. Therefore, for the individual that has realized the worth of the eternal essence "treasure", any other material gain or loss does not hold any meaning.
Ultimately, these 2 shlokas reveal the state of a realized person, who by losing all sense of doership, renounces all action. Renouncing doership is renouncing action. The topic of renunciation is covered in detail in the forthcoming chapters.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 3
yastvaatmaratireva syaadaatmatruptashcya maanavaha |
aatmanyeva cha santushtastasya kaaryam na vidyate || 17 ||
But, one who revels only in the eternal essence, and is content and satisfied in the eternal essence, no duty exists for him.
yah : one who
tu : but
aatma-ratih : revels in the eternal essence
eva : only
syaat : remains
aatma-truptah : content in the eternal essence
cha : and
maanavaha : individual
aatmani : in the eternal essence
eva cha : and
santushtah : satisfied
tasya : for him
kaaryam :duty
na vidyate : do not exist
While hearing Shri Krishna extol the need to act in this world, many of us - whether we admit it or not - may want to know whether there is an exception to this instruction. In other words, are there any circumstances where do not need to perform actions anymore? Shri Krishna gives the answer in this shloka and the next.
If we examine ourselves, we realize that we derive pleasure and satisfaction from external sources: material objects, people, relationships and so on. Pleasant memories, which can be considered internal to us, do give us joy but were generated from some external source in the past. But, in reality, the source of happiness is the absence of desires experienced when we finally attain a material object.
For instance, if we want to buy a new shirt, a desire is created in the mind. Till such time that we get the shirt, we will be unhappy because of that desire. But once the desire is fulfilled, we experience happiness for a brief period of time. Is that happiness caused by the shirt, or by the temporary absence of desires? The wise person knows that it is the latter.
So in this shloka Shri Krishna makes a bold statement. He says that till we derive pleasure and satisfaction from things external to us, we have to act in this world. Conversely, one who no longer derives pleasure and satisfaction from external sources does not need to act in this world. He "revels" in the eternal essence which he has learned to recognize within himself. He no longer has to look outside for happiness.
Is there a contradiction here? Earlier it was mentioned that if one is human, one has to act. But here, it is mentioned that the realized individual does not need to act? The answer is that once that individual has understood the true source of happiness, he loses the sense of doership. In other words, the notion that "I am doing this action" goes away, and all his actions become natural and spontaneous.
As an example, if you truly love painting, and have mastered all the skills, then your painting becomes effortless and spontaneous. You experience a feeling that some people call "being in the zone". In fact, there may come a stage where you will feel that the hand is moving by itself, and the painting is happening on its own.
Similarly, all the actions of this wise individual become like that spontaneous painting.
aatmanyeva cha santushtastasya kaaryam na vidyate || 17 ||
But, one who revels only in the eternal essence, and is content and satisfied in the eternal essence, no duty exists for him.
yah : one who
tu : but
aatma-ratih : revels in the eternal essence
eva : only
syaat : remains
aatma-truptah : content in the eternal essence
cha : and
maanavaha : individual
aatmani : in the eternal essence
eva cha : and
santushtah : satisfied
tasya : for him
kaaryam :duty
na vidyate : do not exist
While hearing Shri Krishna extol the need to act in this world, many of us - whether we admit it or not - may want to know whether there is an exception to this instruction. In other words, are there any circumstances where do not need to perform actions anymore? Shri Krishna gives the answer in this shloka and the next.
If we examine ourselves, we realize that we derive pleasure and satisfaction from external sources: material objects, people, relationships and so on. Pleasant memories, which can be considered internal to us, do give us joy but were generated from some external source in the past. But, in reality, the source of happiness is the absence of desires experienced when we finally attain a material object.
For instance, if we want to buy a new shirt, a desire is created in the mind. Till such time that we get the shirt, we will be unhappy because of that desire. But once the desire is fulfilled, we experience happiness for a brief period of time. Is that happiness caused by the shirt, or by the temporary absence of desires? The wise person knows that it is the latter.
So in this shloka Shri Krishna makes a bold statement. He says that till we derive pleasure and satisfaction from things external to us, we have to act in this world. Conversely, one who no longer derives pleasure and satisfaction from external sources does not need to act in this world. He "revels" in the eternal essence which he has learned to recognize within himself. He no longer has to look outside for happiness.
Is there a contradiction here? Earlier it was mentioned that if one is human, one has to act. But here, it is mentioned that the realized individual does not need to act? The answer is that once that individual has understood the true source of happiness, he loses the sense of doership. In other words, the notion that "I am doing this action" goes away, and all his actions become natural and spontaneous.
As an example, if you truly love painting, and have mastered all the skills, then your painting becomes effortless and spontaneous. You experience a feeling that some people call "being in the zone". In fact, there may come a stage where you will feel that the hand is moving by itself, and the painting is happening on its own.
Similarly, all the actions of this wise individual become like that spontaneous painting.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 68, Chapter 2
tasmaadyasya mahaabaaho nigriheetaani sarvashaha |
indriyaaneendriyaarthebhyastasya prajnya pratishthitaa || 68 ||
Therefore, O mighty armed warrior, one who always restrains his senses from objects, his wisdom his steady.
tasmaad : therefore
yasya : that individual
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed warrior
nigriheetaani : under control
sarvashaha : everywhere
indriyaani : senses
indriyaarthebhyaha : objects
tasya : that individual
prajya : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of sense restraint. Let us summarize the main points of this topic.
The senses have the power to destabilize the mind, and consequently, destroy the intellect's capability to make proper judgements. The best way to control the senses is to practice one's svadharma with devotion to a higher ideal. If we don't, then even a stray thought about a material object will escalate into a chain of events that will bring about our downfall.
Changing the quality and direction of thoughts towards a higher ideal will result in a tranquil psyche, enabling us to move in the world of material objects without attachment or revulsion. And ultimately, this will result in peace and happiness.
A pictorial description of this topic was provided in the form of a rudderless ship at sea, that is blown here and there by wind. The wind represents the senses, the ship our mind, and the direction, our wisdom.
In the next shloka, Shri Krishna begins to conclude the second chapter of the Gita.
indriyaaneendriyaarthebhyastasya prajnya pratishthitaa || 68 ||
Therefore, O mighty armed warrior, one who always restrains his senses from objects, his wisdom his steady.
tasmaad : therefore
yasya : that individual
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed warrior
nigriheetaani : under control
sarvashaha : everywhere
indriyaani : senses
indriyaarthebhyaha : objects
tasya : that individual
prajya : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of sense restraint. Let us summarize the main points of this topic.
The senses have the power to destabilize the mind, and consequently, destroy the intellect's capability to make proper judgements. The best way to control the senses is to practice one's svadharma with devotion to a higher ideal. If we don't, then even a stray thought about a material object will escalate into a chain of events that will bring about our downfall.
Changing the quality and direction of thoughts towards a higher ideal will result in a tranquil psyche, enabling us to move in the world of material objects without attachment or revulsion. And ultimately, this will result in peace and happiness.
A pictorial description of this topic was provided in the form of a rudderless ship at sea, that is blown here and there by wind. The wind represents the senses, the ship our mind, and the direction, our wisdom.
In the next shloka, Shri Krishna begins to conclude the second chapter of the Gita.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 61, Chapter 2
taani sarvaani samyamya yukta aaseeta matparaha |
vashe hi yasyendriyaani tasya prajna pratishthitaa || 61 ||
The disciplined individual should restrain them all and sit with devotion to me. Having brought the senses under control, his wisdom is steady.
taani : those
sarvaani : all
samyamya : restrain
yuktah : the disciplined individual
aaseeta : sit
mat : me
paraha : devoted
vashe : control
hi : for
yasya : those whose
indriyaani : senses
tasya : his
prajna : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
Shri Krishna begins to go deeper into the subject of how senses and thoughts impact our lives. This subject comes under the umbrella of the "sthitaprajna lakshana", or the signs of a wise individual, and comprises the final portion of the second chapter. As a reminder, the four major portions of the second chapter are : 1) Shri Krishna convincing Arjuna that his logic was incorrect 2) providing the correct logic and understanding to Arjuna 3) providing the practical aspects of the teaching 4) describing the attributes of the man of steady wisdom. We are the the final topic right now.
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna described how the turbulent senses can ruin the mind. In this shloka, he provides a prescription to remedy the impact of the senses: set a goal that is higher than yourself, and channel your mind and your senses towards that higher goal. The senses, along with the mind, will detach from material objects only when they are shown a higher goal. They cannot detach without attaching themselves to a higher goal. Otherwise, we end up forcibly suppressing the senses, which we all know is not healthy.
This shloka also hints at the topic of meditation, which is a disciplined technique of fixing the mind to a higher goal. In meditation, an individual sits and gradually brings attention to one and only one thought. And that thought is nothing but the higher goal that we have set for ourself. The most unique thing in this shloka is that Shri Krishna uses the word "me", in other words, he asks us to make him the higher goal. In this manner, this shloka becomes the seed for chapters seven to twelve of the Gita on the topic of bhakti or devotion.
Now, at this stage in the spiritual journey, if you feel comfortable with making devotion to Shri Krishna your ultimate goal, that is fine. Otherwise, you can set any selfless goal that is greater than you - for example, serving your parents, serving your family, serving your organization, serving the country etc.
Setting a higher goal is the only way that your senses and your mind will come under control. It also ensures that your ego does not puff up thinking that it has controlled the senses.
vashe hi yasyendriyaani tasya prajna pratishthitaa || 61 ||
The disciplined individual should restrain them all and sit with devotion to me. Having brought the senses under control, his wisdom is steady.
taani : those
sarvaani : all
samyamya : restrain
yuktah : the disciplined individual
aaseeta : sit
mat : me
paraha : devoted
vashe : control
hi : for
yasya : those whose
indriyaani : senses
tasya : his
prajna : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
Shri Krishna begins to go deeper into the subject of how senses and thoughts impact our lives. This subject comes under the umbrella of the "sthitaprajna lakshana", or the signs of a wise individual, and comprises the final portion of the second chapter. As a reminder, the four major portions of the second chapter are : 1) Shri Krishna convincing Arjuna that his logic was incorrect 2) providing the correct logic and understanding to Arjuna 3) providing the practical aspects of the teaching 4) describing the attributes of the man of steady wisdom. We are the the final topic right now.
In the last shloka, Shri Krishna described how the turbulent senses can ruin the mind. In this shloka, he provides a prescription to remedy the impact of the senses: set a goal that is higher than yourself, and channel your mind and your senses towards that higher goal. The senses, along with the mind, will detach from material objects only when they are shown a higher goal. They cannot detach without attaching themselves to a higher goal. Otherwise, we end up forcibly suppressing the senses, which we all know is not healthy.
This shloka also hints at the topic of meditation, which is a disciplined technique of fixing the mind to a higher goal. In meditation, an individual sits and gradually brings attention to one and only one thought. And that thought is nothing but the higher goal that we have set for ourself. The most unique thing in this shloka is that Shri Krishna uses the word "me", in other words, he asks us to make him the higher goal. In this manner, this shloka becomes the seed for chapters seven to twelve of the Gita on the topic of bhakti or devotion.
Now, at this stage in the spiritual journey, if you feel comfortable with making devotion to Shri Krishna your ultimate goal, that is fine. Otherwise, you can set any selfless goal that is greater than you - for example, serving your parents, serving your family, serving your organization, serving the country etc.
Setting a higher goal is the only way that your senses and your mind will come under control. It also ensures that your ego does not puff up thinking that it has controlled the senses.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 58, Chapter 2
yada samharate chaayam koormangaaneeva sarvashaha |
indriyaanindriyaarthabhyastasya prajna pratishtitaa || 58 ||
When, just like a tortoise withdraws its limbs from all sides, he withdraws his senses from objects, his intellect is steady.
yada : when
samharate : withdraws
cha : also
ayam : he
koormah : tortoise
angaani : limbs
iva : like
sarvashaha : all sides
indriyaani : senses
indriyaarthabhyaha : sense objects
tasya : his
prajna : intellect
pratishtitaa : steady
So far, Shri Krishna gave us a checklist of factors that could disturb our equanimity: joy, sorrow, gain and loss. Let's say, we detect that one of these factors has presented itself to us. What should we do? He gives a beautiful example from the world of nature to address this point.
Whenever a tortoise senses danger, he withdraws his limbs into his shell. The shell is strong enough to withstand any adverse situation. And once that situation passes, he brings his limbs back into the world. Similarly, if we detect that an object, person or situation is about to disturb our equanimity, Shri Krishna advises us to bring our intellect into the picture, and completely withdraw our attention from that object, person or situation.
In one commentary on this topic, we learn that most animals have one sense organ as their weakness. The deer has sound, the elephant has touch, the moth has sight (fire), the fish has taste, and the bee has smell as its weakness. So for example, if a moth sees fire, it loses all control and flies straight into the fire. However, human beings have all five senses as their weakness, making this technique all the more important.
The most practical application of this technique is dieting. If we have a sweet tooth like we saw earlier, and we see a large slice of black forest chocolate cake in front of us, we have to apply the "tortoise technique" and move some steps away from that cake. It also means that we do not keep large stocks of chocolates, cakes etc. in our house because we may be tempted very easily.
Here's another related point. In India, many aspects of spiritual practices are embedded in our customs, but sometimes we do not realize their significance. We may have noticed a sculpture of a tortoise outside many Indian temples, which is an instruction to withdraw our worldly matters and enter the temple with a devotional mindset. But instead of doing so, we tend to whisper about worldly matters into the tortoise's ear, which is exactly the opposite of the original intent.
The six shlokas beginning with this one comprise the answer to the third of Arjuna's four questions, "how does a person of steady wisdom sit", in other words, how does such a person control his organs?
Footnotes
1. The example on 5 animals and their weaknesses is from Vivekachoodamani by Adi Shankarachaarya
indriyaanindriyaarthabhyastasya prajna pratishtitaa || 58 ||
When, just like a tortoise withdraws its limbs from all sides, he withdraws his senses from objects, his intellect is steady.
yada : when
samharate : withdraws
cha : also
ayam : he
koormah : tortoise
angaani : limbs
iva : like
sarvashaha : all sides
indriyaani : senses
indriyaarthabhyaha : sense objects
tasya : his
prajna : intellect
pratishtitaa : steady
So far, Shri Krishna gave us a checklist of factors that could disturb our equanimity: joy, sorrow, gain and loss. Let's say, we detect that one of these factors has presented itself to us. What should we do? He gives a beautiful example from the world of nature to address this point.
Whenever a tortoise senses danger, he withdraws his limbs into his shell. The shell is strong enough to withstand any adverse situation. And once that situation passes, he brings his limbs back into the world. Similarly, if we detect that an object, person or situation is about to disturb our equanimity, Shri Krishna advises us to bring our intellect into the picture, and completely withdraw our attention from that object, person or situation.
In one commentary on this topic, we learn that most animals have one sense organ as their weakness. The deer has sound, the elephant has touch, the moth has sight (fire), the fish has taste, and the bee has smell as its weakness. So for example, if a moth sees fire, it loses all control and flies straight into the fire. However, human beings have all five senses as their weakness, making this technique all the more important.
The most practical application of this technique is dieting. If we have a sweet tooth like we saw earlier, and we see a large slice of black forest chocolate cake in front of us, we have to apply the "tortoise technique" and move some steps away from that cake. It also means that we do not keep large stocks of chocolates, cakes etc. in our house because we may be tempted very easily.
Here's another related point. In India, many aspects of spiritual practices are embedded in our customs, but sometimes we do not realize their significance. We may have noticed a sculpture of a tortoise outside many Indian temples, which is an instruction to withdraw our worldly matters and enter the temple with a devotional mindset. But instead of doing so, we tend to whisper about worldly matters into the tortoise's ear, which is exactly the opposite of the original intent.
The six shlokas beginning with this one comprise the answer to the third of Arjuna's four questions, "how does a person of steady wisdom sit", in other words, how does such a person control his organs?
Footnotes
1. The example on 5 animals and their weaknesses is from Vivekachoodamani by Adi Shankarachaarya
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 57, Chapter 2
yah sarvatraanabhisnehastattatpraapya shubhaashubham |
naabhinandanti na dveshti tasya prajna pratishthitaa || 57 ||
He who remains without attachment everywhere, is not elated in gain, and is not dejected in loss, his wisdom is steady.
yah : he who
sarvatra : everywhere
anabhisneha : without attachment
tat tat : those
praapya : receive
shubha : gain
ashubham : loss
na : not
abhinandanti : elated
dveshti : dejected
tasya : his
prajna : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
In the prior shloka, we saw how a person of steady wisdom responds to joyful and sorrowful situations that he encounters in life. In this shloka, Shri Krishna points out how that person responds to beneficial and adverse outcomes of his expectations.
This shloka uses an interesting word "anabhisneha", which means without attachment. The root of this word is "sniha" which means "to stick". Most of us tend to get stuck to objects, people and situations that we encounter in our lives. And it is that stickiness which gets us into trouble.
An example from the corporate world would be a consultant who is hired for a 3 month assignment verses a full time employee who is given a similar assignment. The consultant comes in, does what she is supposed to do, submits her report and moves on to the next assignment, without getting entangled in office politics. Whereas the employee gets "stuck" to the job and gets entangled in all kinds of office politics, who he should align himself with, etc.
So therefore, if one remains unattached and works towards a goal, he gains the objectivity to remain the same whether he succeeds or fails in accomplishing that goal. He knows that he was there before that success or failure happened, he was there during it, and he will be there after it as well. Therefore whatever happened can be easily dealt with. In no way does he let any adverse outcome demotivate him.
How can we apply this practically? For example, if we worked hard for a project and someone criticizes us, internally we should remain steady and evaluate whether the criticism is valid or mean-spirited. If it is valid, we take the feedback positively. If it is mean-spirited, we ignore it. But if we are too attached to the work, we will lose our equanimity each time someone criticizes us.
naabhinandanti na dveshti tasya prajna pratishthitaa || 57 ||
He who remains without attachment everywhere, is not elated in gain, and is not dejected in loss, his wisdom is steady.
yah : he who
sarvatra : everywhere
anabhisneha : without attachment
tat tat : those
praapya : receive
shubha : gain
ashubham : loss
na : not
abhinandanti : elated
dveshti : dejected
tasya : his
prajna : wisdom
pratishthitaa : steady
In the prior shloka, we saw how a person of steady wisdom responds to joyful and sorrowful situations that he encounters in life. In this shloka, Shri Krishna points out how that person responds to beneficial and adverse outcomes of his expectations.
This shloka uses an interesting word "anabhisneha", which means without attachment. The root of this word is "sniha" which means "to stick". Most of us tend to get stuck to objects, people and situations that we encounter in our lives. And it is that stickiness which gets us into trouble.
An example from the corporate world would be a consultant who is hired for a 3 month assignment verses a full time employee who is given a similar assignment. The consultant comes in, does what she is supposed to do, submits her report and moves on to the next assignment, without getting entangled in office politics. Whereas the employee gets "stuck" to the job and gets entangled in all kinds of office politics, who he should align himself with, etc.
So therefore, if one remains unattached and works towards a goal, he gains the objectivity to remain the same whether he succeeds or fails in accomplishing that goal. He knows that he was there before that success or failure happened, he was there during it, and he will be there after it as well. Therefore whatever happened can be easily dealt with. In no way does he let any adverse outcome demotivate him.
How can we apply this practically? For example, if we worked hard for a project and someone criticizes us, internally we should remain steady and evaluate whether the criticism is valid or mean-spirited. If it is valid, we take the feedback positively. If it is mean-spirited, we ignore it. But if we are too attached to the work, we will lose our equanimity each time someone criticizes us.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 1
tasya sanjanayanharsham kuruvriddha pitaamaha |
simhanaada vinadyochchai shankamdadhamau prataapavaan || 12 ||
Then the valiant Bheeshma, elder of the Kuru dynasty, blew his conch loudly, a sound as mighty as the roar of a lion, delighting Duryodhana.
prataapavaan: valiant
kuruvriddhaha pitaamaha: Bheeshma who is an elder of the Kuru dynasty
simhanaada vinadya: roaring like a lion
shankham dadhamau: blew his conch
uchchaiha: very loudly
tasya : in this manner
harsham : delight
sanjayanan : of the king
This is the first verse in a series of verses which indicate the beginning of the Mahabharata war. Traditionally, conches were blown to announce the start of the war. Bheeshma, sensing the fear in Duryodhana, blew his conch so that Duryodhana felt confident that his army was still on his side.
It also indicates the dependence of Duryodhana's ego on external circumstances, such as the roar of conches, in order to strengthen itself, instead of an innate belief that his army was on his side.
simhanaada vinadyochchai shankamdadhamau prataapavaan || 12 ||
Then the valiant Bheeshma, elder of the Kuru dynasty, blew his conch loudly, a sound as mighty as the roar of a lion, delighting Duryodhana.
prataapavaan: valiant
kuruvriddhaha pitaamaha: Bheeshma who is an elder of the Kuru dynasty
simhanaada vinadya: roaring like a lion
shankham dadhamau: blew his conch
uchchaiha: very loudly
tasya : in this manner
harsham : delight
sanjayanan : of the king
This is the first verse in a series of verses which indicate the beginning of the Mahabharata war. Traditionally, conches were blown to announce the start of the war. Bheeshma, sensing the fear in Duryodhana, blew his conch so that Duryodhana felt confident that his army was still on his side.
It also indicates the dependence of Duryodhana's ego on external circumstances, such as the roar of conches, in order to strengthen itself, instead of an innate belief that his army was on his side.
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