Friday, March 15, 2013

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 15

utkramaantam sthitam vaapi bhunjaanam vaa gunaanvitam |
vimoodhaa naanupashyanti pashyanti jnyaanachakshuhu || 10 ||

 
That which leaves, stays and experiences, that which is endowed with gunaas, is not recognized by the deluded. It is seen by those with the eye of wisdom.
 
utkramaantam : leaves
sthitam : stays
vaa : and
api : also
bhunjaanam : experiences
vaa : and
gunaanvitam : that which endowed with gunaas
vimoodhaa : deluded
na : not
anupashyanti : recognize
pashyanti : seen
jnyaanachakshuhu : those with the eye of wisdom
 
Let's recap our analysis of the previous shloka. We saw how a false "I" called the ego is created, by usurping the awareness or sentiency of the eternal essence. All this is possible through the illusory identification of the jeeva with the ego. Shri Krishna now wants to summarize and conclude the topic of the fall of the jeeva by distinguishing between those individuals who recognize, who know the lifecycle jeeva versus those who do not. He says that only those with the eye of wisdom can truly understand the notion of the jeeva as separate and distinct from the physical body, as well as the reason for its existence. Others cannot.
 
Most of us tend to think that the brain is sentient and self-aware, when it is inert and borrows awareness from the jeeva. Most of us think that what we our senses tell us is real, when it is actually nothing but the play of the three gunaas. Most of us derive enjoyment from the world, when our real nature is that of joy. Most of us think that the "I" is our ego, our ahankaara when it is actually the eternal essence. These incorrect beliefs are collectively termed as ajnyaana or ignorance.
 
The jnyaana chakshu, the eye of wisdom, refers to those people who have removed all of these incorrect notions. They do not hesitate to challenge any thought, idea, concept or emotion since all of this is in the plane of the three gunaas. On the other hand, most of us will not challenge the long held beliefs about the world that we are programmed with. Since we do not lost our fascination for the world even after being told several times by our scriptures, Shri Krishna addressed us as "vimoodha", completely deluded. How then, do those select few people gain the eye of wisdom? We will see in the next shloka.

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