omityekaaksharam brahma vyaaharanmaamnusmaran |
yaha prayaati tyajandeham sa yaati paramaam gatim || 13 ||
He who departs the body while chanting Om, which is the one-syllable (name of) brahman, and also remembers me, he attains the supreme state.
om : Om
iti : this
ekaaksharam : one-syllable
brahma : brahman
vyaaharan : chanting
maam : my
anusmaran : rememberance
yaha : he who
prayaati : departs
tyajan : leaving
deham : body
saha : he
yaati : attains
paramaam : supreme
gatim : state
The sound “Om” has been praised in the scriptures as an indicator of brahman, the eternal essence. Shri Krishna concludes the second technique of meditation, meditation on the name of Ishvara, by saying that one who performs meditation on the sound of Om attains Ishvara during the time of departure.
Like we saw in the previous instance, the symbolic meaning of this shloka also uses death as a metaphor to indicate death of the ego. Therefore, meditation on the sound of Om helps the seeker sever his connection to the finite ego and take him towards the infinite eternal essence.
The key thing, however, is to associate the sound “Om” to our understanding of Ishvara. In other words, meditation on the sound of Om without associating it to our favourite deity will not yield any result. In fact, Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary says that meditation on Om should only be performed by one who has diligently heard (“shravana”) and analyzed (“mananam”) the knowledge of the eternal essence. This is why Shri Krishna adds “remember me as Ishvara” to the instruction that we chant Om.
To recap, the first technique was meditation upon the grand cosmic form of Ishvara, and the second technique was meditation upon Om. However, both techniques require us to develop control of our praanaas. Recognizing this, Shri Krishna provides an easier third technique in the next shloka.
Showing posts with label prayaati. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayaati. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 8
antakaale cha maameva smaranmuktvaa kalevaram |
yaha prayaati sa madbhaavam yaati naastyatra samshayaha || 5 ||
One who, even during the time of departure, abandons his body while remembering me, he achieves my true nature, in this matter there is no doubt.
antakaale : during the time of departure
cha : and
maam : me
eva : even
smaran : remembering
muktvaa : abandons
kalevaram : body
yaha : one who
prayaati : goes
saha : he
madbhaavam : my nature
yaati : achieves
na : no
asti : is
atra : in this matter
samshayaha : doubt
The remainder of this chapter is the answer to the fundamental questions raised by Arjuna : “How does one attain Ishvara at the time of death?” Having addressed all the other questions, Shri Krishna begins to answer that most important question in this shloka. He says that only the one who remembers Ishvara at the time of death will attain Ishvara.
We now have a definite “action item” from Shri Krishna. He asserts that our final goal in life should be this: to remember Ishvara at the time of death. Shri Krishna assures it is so, because he says “in this matter there is no doubt”. It is clearly spelled out for us.
At first glance, it may seem straightforward. All we have to do is to remember Ishvara at the time of death. But it is not so. In most cases, we may not know when we die. We could die in an accident. We could have lost our mental faculties. Our attachment towards our family will occupy our minds. There are so many factors that will prevent us from remembering Ishvara only at the time of death.
So then, how do we get around this problem? Shri Krishna addresses it shortly. First, he explains why our thought at the time of death is so important.
yaha prayaati sa madbhaavam yaati naastyatra samshayaha || 5 ||
One who, even during the time of departure, abandons his body while remembering me, he achieves my true nature, in this matter there is no doubt.
antakaale : during the time of departure
cha : and
maam : me
eva : even
smaran : remembering
muktvaa : abandons
kalevaram : body
yaha : one who
prayaati : goes
saha : he
madbhaavam : my nature
yaati : achieves
na : no
asti : is
atra : in this matter
samshayaha : doubt
The remainder of this chapter is the answer to the fundamental questions raised by Arjuna : “How does one attain Ishvara at the time of death?” Having addressed all the other questions, Shri Krishna begins to answer that most important question in this shloka. He says that only the one who remembers Ishvara at the time of death will attain Ishvara.
We now have a definite “action item” from Shri Krishna. He asserts that our final goal in life should be this: to remember Ishvara at the time of death. Shri Krishna assures it is so, because he says “in this matter there is no doubt”. It is clearly spelled out for us.
At first glance, it may seem straightforward. All we have to do is to remember Ishvara at the time of death. But it is not so. In most cases, we may not know when we die. We could die in an accident. We could have lost our mental faculties. Our attachment towards our family will occupy our minds. There are so many factors that will prevent us from remembering Ishvara only at the time of death.
So then, how do we get around this problem? Shri Krishna addresses it shortly. First, he explains why our thought at the time of death is so important.
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