vedaanaam saamavedosmi devaanaamasmi vaasavaha |
indriyaanaam manaschaasmi bhootaanaamasmi chetanaa || 22 ||
Among the Vedaas I am the Saama Veda, among the deities I am Vaasava, among the senses I am the mind and among the beings, I am the intellect.
vedaanaam : among the Vedas
saamavedaha : Saama Veda
asmi : I am
devaanaam : among the deities
asmi : I am
vaasavaha : Vaasava
indriyaanaam : among the senses
manaha : mind
cha : and
asmi : I am
bhootaanaam : among the beings
asmi : I am
chetanaa : intellect
Shri Krishna, elaborating on Ishvara’s expressions, says that Ishvara is the Saama Veda among all the Vedas. Each Veda has a unique characteristic. The Yajur Veda contains prose, the Rig Veda contains metric hymns, the Saama Veda contains songs and the Atharva Veda contains incantations. Of these, the Saama Veda is Ishvara’s expression, indicating his preference for music.
Among all the deities, Ishvara is the king of all deities known as Vaasava, also known as Indra. While our attention usually falls on the excesses of wealth and power that kings demonstrate, this was not the case traditionally. A king is supposed to spend every minute of his life serving his subjects, sacrificing everything. Such a rules of deities is a true expressions of Ishvara.
As we have seen earlier, we transact or interact with the world with our body, our senses, our organs of action, our mind and our intellect. The five senses and the five organs of action would be useless if not for the mind, that collects information from the senses and pulls together a complete picture of the world for us. It also instructs our organs to move, based on the inputs it receives. Shri Krishna says that this mind is an expression of Ishvara.
If we were to be born as a plant, animal or human, we would undoubtedly prefer to be born as a human. The key difference between a human and a plant or animal is the capacity of intelligence that lets us think logically, display compassion towards others, plan for the future and most importantly, pursue the path of the higher self. This wonderful intelligence in is is also Ishvara’s expression.
So therefore, if our mind generates thoughts of compassion or service, if our intellect makes us acts upon these thoughts so that we can serve others, we should remember that it is not the “I” in us that is causing everything to happen. It is all happening through Ishvara and his expressions.
Showing posts with label devaanaam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label devaanaam. Show all posts
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 10
na me viduhu suraganaahaa prabhavam na maharshayaha |
ahamaadirhi devaanaam maharshinaam cha sarvashaha || 2 ||
Neither the gods nor the great sages know of my origin, for I am the cause of the gods and great sages in every aspect.
na : not
me : my
viduhu : know
suraganaahaa : gods
prabhavam : origin
na : nor
maharshayaha : great sages
aham : I
aadihi : cause
hi : for
devaanaam : of gods
maharshinaam : of great sages
cha : and
sarvashaha : in every aspect
Previously, Shri Krishna declared that only Ishvara can speak about Ishvara’s glories. Now, why should that be the case? Why can’t someone else talk about Ishvara’s glories? It is because Ishvara is the cause of everything in this entire universe. He is the “aadihi” or the first principle. He is the ultimate cause.
As we have seen earlier, most of us have an idea that a certain deity is almighty and all-powerful. But ultimately, all those gods and deities are emissaries of Ishvara. They came into existence much later than Ishvara. Similarly, great sages and wise people have also come into existence after Ishvara. Therefore, none of these individuals has the ability to clearly fathom the real nature of Ishvara.
For instance, imagine that you want to learn the history of a large corporation. You may research internet sites, you can talk to the current employees, you can even track down the original employees, but the only person who knows the entire history will be the company’s founder. He can reveal details that only he knew at the time of founding the company. No one else can know these details.
So then, if Ishvara is the ultimate cause of the universe, then everything in the universe is an effect of that ultimate cause. An effect can never know its cause in totality. Therefore, the most qualified person to expound the glories himself is Ishvara himself, speaking through the form of Shri Krishna. Such a teaching is called “apaurusheya”. It is not authored by a human, it has come from Ishvara directly.
As we hear more about the glories of Ishvara, we will need to delve deeper into what is meant by the term “ultimate cause”. To prepare for this exploration, picture a potter creating a pot. There are two main ingredients that go into the pot. One is clay, the substance of which the pot is made. The other is the intelligence of the potter that decides the shape and the method to create it.
With this picture in mind, let us remember four things that will help us in understanding Ishvara. The pot is an effect. The pot has come from a cause. The “material cause” of the pot is clay. The intelligence, also known as the “efficient cause”, is the potter. We will recall this example later in the chapter.
So then, what is the gain of learning about Ishvara and his glories? Shri Krishna explains this next.
ahamaadirhi devaanaam maharshinaam cha sarvashaha || 2 ||
Neither the gods nor the great sages know of my origin, for I am the cause of the gods and great sages in every aspect.
na : not
me : my
viduhu : know
suraganaahaa : gods
prabhavam : origin
na : nor
maharshayaha : great sages
aham : I
aadihi : cause
hi : for
devaanaam : of gods
maharshinaam : of great sages
cha : and
sarvashaha : in every aspect
Previously, Shri Krishna declared that only Ishvara can speak about Ishvara’s glories. Now, why should that be the case? Why can’t someone else talk about Ishvara’s glories? It is because Ishvara is the cause of everything in this entire universe. He is the “aadihi” or the first principle. He is the ultimate cause.
As we have seen earlier, most of us have an idea that a certain deity is almighty and all-powerful. But ultimately, all those gods and deities are emissaries of Ishvara. They came into existence much later than Ishvara. Similarly, great sages and wise people have also come into existence after Ishvara. Therefore, none of these individuals has the ability to clearly fathom the real nature of Ishvara.
For instance, imagine that you want to learn the history of a large corporation. You may research internet sites, you can talk to the current employees, you can even track down the original employees, but the only person who knows the entire history will be the company’s founder. He can reveal details that only he knew at the time of founding the company. No one else can know these details.
So then, if Ishvara is the ultimate cause of the universe, then everything in the universe is an effect of that ultimate cause. An effect can never know its cause in totality. Therefore, the most qualified person to expound the glories himself is Ishvara himself, speaking through the form of Shri Krishna. Such a teaching is called “apaurusheya”. It is not authored by a human, it has come from Ishvara directly.
As we hear more about the glories of Ishvara, we will need to delve deeper into what is meant by the term “ultimate cause”. To prepare for this exploration, picture a potter creating a pot. There are two main ingredients that go into the pot. One is clay, the substance of which the pot is made. The other is the intelligence of the potter that decides the shape and the method to create it.
With this picture in mind, let us remember four things that will help us in understanding Ishvara. The pot is an effect. The pot has come from a cause. The “material cause” of the pot is clay. The intelligence, also known as the “efficient cause”, is the potter. We will recall this example later in the chapter.
So then, what is the gain of learning about Ishvara and his glories? Shri Krishna explains this next.
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