satkaaramaanapoojaartham tapo dambhena chaiva yat |
kriyate tadiha proktam raajasam chalamadhruvam || 18 ||
That which is performed for praise, honour, worship and ostentation, that praise is called raajasic, is said to be of this world, and is unstable and temporary.
satkaaraha : praise
maanaha : honour
poojaartham : for worship
tapaha : penance
dambhena : for ostentation
cha : and
eva : also
yat : that which
kriyate : performed
tat : that
iha : this world
proktam : is said to be
raajasam : raajasic
chalam : unstable
adhruvam : temporary
The Puraanaas are filled with stories of all kinds of demons who performed extremely severe penance and austerities. It is said that Raavana chopped off each of his ten heads until Lord Shiva granted him a boon. Hiranyakashipu performed such severe penance that his entire flesh dropped off and only his bones remained. However, none of these demons desired self realization or liberation as the outcome of their penance. They wanted some boon, some power such that they could vanquish their enemies.
Shri Krishna says that whenever we conserve our energy and put in a lot of effort towards any material goal, any goal which is "of this world", such type of penance will be called raajasic. This penance could be for boosting our ego, in other words, for praise, honour, worship or for showing off. People spend years working extremely hard so that they can buy a fancy house or a car that can be shown off. Dictators do everything they can to ensure that people fall at their feet and worship them.
Ultimately, any effort that is expended towards an earthly goal will be temporary. A simple illustration to explain this notion is that of a ball thrown by a person in the air. No matter how hard the throw is, the ball will eventually fall down and stop moving. Furthermore, any result that we see in the world is also unstable. Several people go on crash diets that, in addition to giving temporary results, may actually harm the body. Any result in the material world is subject to the laws of Prakriti, to the three gunaas themselves, which are inherently unstable.
Showing posts with label yat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yat. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 17
yaatayaamam gatarasam pooti paryushitam cha yat |
ucchishtamapi chaamedhyam bhoojanam taamasapriyam || 10 ||
That which is stale, without essence, putrid and is left over, also that which is pre-tasted and impure, such food is dear to the taamasic.
yaatayaamam : stale
gatarasam : without essence
pooti : putrid
paryushitam : leftover
cha : and
yat : that which
ucchishtam : pre-tasted
api : also
cha : and
amedhyam : impure
bhoojanam : food
taamasapriyam : dear to taamasic
Having covered the characteristics of food dear to saatvic and raajasic people, Shri Krishna now describes the nature of food dear to taamasic people. The first quality he describes is "yaata yaamam". A "yaama" is equal to three hours. So any food that was cooked more than three hours ago is considered "yaata yaamam" or stale. "Gata rasam" refers to food that has lost its essence, its nutritional value, its "rasa". Any junk food or processed food comes under this classification, as does food that has not been fully cooked.
It may surprise us to see Shri Krishna explicitly mention putrid or rotten food in this shloka, since we may think no one would ever eat such food. But there are people in this world who prefer eating food that has an odour to it. He also adds to the list leftover food and food that has already been tasted by someone else. The last item in the list is "amedhyam", which is food that cannot be offered to the deity for worship. He expects us to have the understanding to know what we can offer to the deity and what we should not.
So, having gone through the various characteristics of food in these three shlokas, what is the practical implication for us? The first step towards making our antaha karana saatvic, our intellect, our mind our thoughts saatvic, is to watch what we eat. If we are habituated to eating extremely spicy food, we will not have the stability of mind needed to make other parts of of life saatvic. By slowly adopting food that is predominantly saatvic, we lay the foundation for improving the texture of our entire personality.
ucchishtamapi chaamedhyam bhoojanam taamasapriyam || 10 ||
That which is stale, without essence, putrid and is left over, also that which is pre-tasted and impure, such food is dear to the taamasic.
yaatayaamam : stale
gatarasam : without essence
pooti : putrid
paryushitam : leftover
cha : and
yat : that which
ucchishtam : pre-tasted
api : also
cha : and
amedhyam : impure
bhoojanam : food
taamasapriyam : dear to taamasic
Having covered the characteristics of food dear to saatvic and raajasic people, Shri Krishna now describes the nature of food dear to taamasic people. The first quality he describes is "yaata yaamam". A "yaama" is equal to three hours. So any food that was cooked more than three hours ago is considered "yaata yaamam" or stale. "Gata rasam" refers to food that has lost its essence, its nutritional value, its "rasa". Any junk food or processed food comes under this classification, as does food that has not been fully cooked.
It may surprise us to see Shri Krishna explicitly mention putrid or rotten food in this shloka, since we may think no one would ever eat such food. But there are people in this world who prefer eating food that has an odour to it. He also adds to the list leftover food and food that has already been tasted by someone else. The last item in the list is "amedhyam", which is food that cannot be offered to the deity for worship. He expects us to have the understanding to know what we can offer to the deity and what we should not.
So, having gone through the various characteristics of food in these three shlokas, what is the practical implication for us? The first step towards making our antaha karana saatvic, our intellect, our mind our thoughts saatvic, is to watch what we eat. If we are habituated to eating extremely spicy food, we will not have the stability of mind needed to make other parts of of life saatvic. By slowly adopting food that is predominantly saatvic, we lay the foundation for improving the texture of our entire personality.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 15
yadaadityagatam tejo jagadbhaasayatekhilam |
yachhandramasi yacchaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam || 12 ||
That splendour which resides in the sun and illumines the entire world, that which is in the moon and in fire, know that splendour to be mine.
yat : that
aadityagatam : resides in sun
tejaha : splendour
jagat : world
bhaasayate : illumines
akhilam : entire
yat : that
chandramasi : in the moon
yat : that
cha : and
agnau : in fire
tat : that
tejaha : splendour
viddhi : know
maamakam : mine
So far we learned about the nature of the individual soul, the jeeva. But if that is all we focus on, we will have incomplete knowledge about our true nature. When we look around us, we see the world in all its beautiful yet complex glory. We need to investigate into the true nature of the world, and realize our identity and connection with that as well. With this view in mind, Shri Krishna now begins to explain his connection with the world around us.
He starts this topic by asserting that the splendour of the sun, the moon, and of fire is possible only because of Ishvara's splendour. We have tremendous awe for the sun's energy, without which life on this earth will not be possible. Shri Krishna says that the sun’s splendour is not its own. It comes from the splendour of Ishvara. Symbolically, the sun represents the organs of perception such as the eyes, ears, nose and so on. Therefore, whenever any sentient being in this world, from a single celled amoeba to a human being becomes aware of something, that awareness, that consciousness, is the power of Ishvara at work.
So whenever we see awareness manifest itself in any organism, we should remind ourselves that the one Ishvara giving awareness to us is the same Ishvara giving awareness to the organisms in the world. In this manner, we can realize the identity of our nature with the world through the common link of awareness.
Furthermore, both the moon and fire derive their energy and splendour from the sun. The moon reflects the light of the sun. Fire also is the manifestation of the sun's energy on a much smaller scale. Therefore, energy in any form, whether it is dazzling like the sun, cooling like the moon, or warm like fire, is nothing but Ishvara’s energy. How does this energy manifest itself in the world? Shri Krishna explains that in the next shloka.
yachhandramasi yacchaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam || 12 ||
That splendour which resides in the sun and illumines the entire world, that which is in the moon and in fire, know that splendour to be mine.
yat : that
aadityagatam : resides in sun
tejaha : splendour
jagat : world
bhaasayate : illumines
akhilam : entire
yat : that
chandramasi : in the moon
yat : that
cha : and
agnau : in fire
tat : that
tejaha : splendour
viddhi : know
maamakam : mine
So far we learned about the nature of the individual soul, the jeeva. But if that is all we focus on, we will have incomplete knowledge about our true nature. When we look around us, we see the world in all its beautiful yet complex glory. We need to investigate into the true nature of the world, and realize our identity and connection with that as well. With this view in mind, Shri Krishna now begins to explain his connection with the world around us.
He starts this topic by asserting that the splendour of the sun, the moon, and of fire is possible only because of Ishvara's splendour. We have tremendous awe for the sun's energy, without which life on this earth will not be possible. Shri Krishna says that the sun’s splendour is not its own. It comes from the splendour of Ishvara. Symbolically, the sun represents the organs of perception such as the eyes, ears, nose and so on. Therefore, whenever any sentient being in this world, from a single celled amoeba to a human being becomes aware of something, that awareness, that consciousness, is the power of Ishvara at work.
So whenever we see awareness manifest itself in any organism, we should remind ourselves that the one Ishvara giving awareness to us is the same Ishvara giving awareness to the organisms in the world. In this manner, we can realize the identity of our nature with the world through the common link of awareness.
Furthermore, both the moon and fire derive their energy and splendour from the sun. The moon reflects the light of the sun. Fire also is the manifestation of the sun's energy on a much smaller scale. Therefore, energy in any form, whether it is dazzling like the sun, cooling like the moon, or warm like fire, is nothing but Ishvara’s energy. How does this energy manifest itself in the world? Shri Krishna explains that in the next shloka.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 15
shareeram yadvaapnoti yachchaapyutkraamteeshvaraha |
griheetvaitaani samyaati vaayurgandhaanivaashayaat || 8 ||
When the lord acquires a body, and when he leaves it, he takes them and departs, like the wind takes odours from their seats.
shareeram : body
yat : when
avaapnoti : acquires
yat : when
cha : again
api : also
utkraamti : leaves
eeshvaraha : lord
griheetvaitaani : takes them
samyaati : departs
vaayuhu : wind
gandhaan : odours
iva : like
aashayaat : seats
Earlier, we saw how the individual soul, the jeeva, wants to interact with Prakriti in order to exhaust its desires. In preparation to do so, it surrounds itself with the mind (which contains the desires) and the five senses. This collection of the jeeva, the mind and the senses is also known as the subtle body, because it is invisible. We can think of the subtle body as a computer file. Just as a computer file needs a computer to express itself, a subtle body needs a physical body to express itself. Whenever the timespan of one human body ends, the subtle body has to find another physical body to continue exhausting its desires.
Shri Krishna says that in such a situation, the subtle body, the jeeva with the mind and senses, ejects itself from the physical body and finds another body to settle in. It is similar to a international diplomat who goes from one assignment to another, taking his staff with him wherever he goes. Since the mind and senses follow the jeeva, it is referred to as Ishvara or the lord here, not to be confused with the meaning of Ishvara that has been used throughout the Gita. Once the jeeva finds a new home, it slowly starts unpacking its belongings, the mind and senses, in sequence. It is fascinating to see time-lapse videos of an embryo growing inside a mother's womb. This is the jeeva slowly gaining its faculties, which are nothing but accumulations of additional upaadhis.
Imagine that a small wooden box contains a strong perfume. If the box - the seat of the perfume - is opened, the fragrance will slowly start leaving the box and fill the room. Shri Krishna uses this analogy to explain the transfer of the jeeva from one physical body to another. If we bring in the analogy of the eternal essence as space, and combine it with this analogy, we will find that they fit together perfectly. Walls, fragrance, wind, boxes - all these limitations of space are apparent, not real. They are upaadhis, apparent limitations. Space does not care whether we build 2 walls or 2 million walls. No one or nothing can limit space. There is no coming and going of the perfume in space. It is only from a worldly standpoint that the fragrance is moving from the box to the room.
griheetvaitaani samyaati vaayurgandhaanivaashayaat || 8 ||
When the lord acquires a body, and when he leaves it, he takes them and departs, like the wind takes odours from their seats.
shareeram : body
yat : when
avaapnoti : acquires
yat : when
cha : again
api : also
utkraamti : leaves
eeshvaraha : lord
griheetvaitaani : takes them
samyaati : departs
vaayuhu : wind
gandhaan : odours
iva : like
aashayaat : seats
Earlier, we saw how the individual soul, the jeeva, wants to interact with Prakriti in order to exhaust its desires. In preparation to do so, it surrounds itself with the mind (which contains the desires) and the five senses. This collection of the jeeva, the mind and the senses is also known as the subtle body, because it is invisible. We can think of the subtle body as a computer file. Just as a computer file needs a computer to express itself, a subtle body needs a physical body to express itself. Whenever the timespan of one human body ends, the subtle body has to find another physical body to continue exhausting its desires.
Shri Krishna says that in such a situation, the subtle body, the jeeva with the mind and senses, ejects itself from the physical body and finds another body to settle in. It is similar to a international diplomat who goes from one assignment to another, taking his staff with him wherever he goes. Since the mind and senses follow the jeeva, it is referred to as Ishvara or the lord here, not to be confused with the meaning of Ishvara that has been used throughout the Gita. Once the jeeva finds a new home, it slowly starts unpacking its belongings, the mind and senses, in sequence. It is fascinating to see time-lapse videos of an embryo growing inside a mother's womb. This is the jeeva slowly gaining its faculties, which are nothing but accumulations of additional upaadhis.
Imagine that a small wooden box contains a strong perfume. If the box - the seat of the perfume - is opened, the fragrance will slowly start leaving the box and fill the room. Shri Krishna uses this analogy to explain the transfer of the jeeva from one physical body to another. If we bring in the analogy of the eternal essence as space, and combine it with this analogy, we will find that they fit together perfectly. Walls, fragrance, wind, boxes - all these limitations of space are apparent, not real. They are upaadhis, apparent limitations. Space does not care whether we build 2 walls or 2 million walls. No one or nothing can limit space. There is no coming and going of the perfume in space. It is only from a worldly standpoint that the fragrance is moving from the box to the room.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 15
na tadbhaasayate sooryaa na shashaanko na paavakaha |
yadgatvaa na nirvatante taddhaamam paramam mama || 6 ||
That in which the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor fire, that is my supreme abode. Having attained that, there is no return.
na : not
tat : that
bhaasayate : illumines
sooryaha : sun
na : not
shashaankaha : moon
na : not
paavakaha : fire
yat : which
gatvaa : attained
na : not
nirvatante : return
tat : that
dhaamam : abode
paramam : supreme
mama : my
Shri Krishna listed the qualifications of a seeker in the prior shloka, and asserted that one who takes his refuge will attain his abode. He now provides the location, the address of that abode. He says that there is no sun, no moon, no fire, in other words, no source of light in his abode. Initially we would feel a little frightened if we take the literal meaning of this shloka. Even cavemen were able to access some light source in the form of the sun, the moon, or fire from a wooden torch. Why would anyone want to go to such a place?
The sun, the moon and fire have symbolic interpretations which are extremely relevant here. The sun is the presiding deity of our intellect, the moon of our mind and emotions, and fire of our physiological functions. The one who has sought refuge in Ishvara automatically gives up affinity to his body, mind, intellect, ego (which resides in the intellect) and physiological functions. If this affinity, the root of all our sorrow, is given up, such a person will never again get caught in the wheel of birth of death, in the cycle of samsaara. This is liberation.
So then, this is the abode of Ishvara, of self realization, of liberation. Having reached there, the liberated person does not come back to the state of ignorance. He never gets deluded again. He never identifies or develops affinity with body, mind, intellect and the world. The duality, the pairs of opposites, the dvandva that was mentioned before, is nothing but the world. For such a person, neither joy nor sorrow, neither pain nor pleasure, neither friend nor enemy, nothing can destabilize him. This is liberation.
yadgatvaa na nirvatante taddhaamam paramam mama || 6 ||
That in which the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor fire, that is my supreme abode. Having attained that, there is no return.
na : not
tat : that
bhaasayate : illumines
sooryaha : sun
na : not
shashaankaha : moon
na : not
paavakaha : fire
yat : which
gatvaa : attained
na : not
nirvatante : return
tat : that
dhaamam : abode
paramam : supreme
mama : my
Shri Krishna listed the qualifications of a seeker in the prior shloka, and asserted that one who takes his refuge will attain his abode. He now provides the location, the address of that abode. He says that there is no sun, no moon, no fire, in other words, no source of light in his abode. Initially we would feel a little frightened if we take the literal meaning of this shloka. Even cavemen were able to access some light source in the form of the sun, the moon, or fire from a wooden torch. Why would anyone want to go to such a place?
The sun, the moon and fire have symbolic interpretations which are extremely relevant here. The sun is the presiding deity of our intellect, the moon of our mind and emotions, and fire of our physiological functions. The one who has sought refuge in Ishvara automatically gives up affinity to his body, mind, intellect, ego (which resides in the intellect) and physiological functions. If this affinity, the root of all our sorrow, is given up, such a person will never again get caught in the wheel of birth of death, in the cycle of samsaara. This is liberation.
So then, this is the abode of Ishvara, of self realization, of liberation. Having reached there, the liberated person does not come back to the state of ignorance. He never gets deluded again. He never identifies or develops affinity with body, mind, intellect and the world. The duality, the pairs of opposites, the dvandva that was mentioned before, is nothing but the world. For such a person, neither joy nor sorrow, neither pain nor pleasure, neither friend nor enemy, nothing can destabilize him. This is liberation.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 13
jneyam yattatpravakshyaami yajjnyaatvaamritamashnute |
anaadimatparam brahma na sattannaasaduchyate || 12 ||
I will describe that which is to be known, by realizing which, immortality is attained. The supreme brahman is without beginning, said to be neither manifest nor unmanifest.
jneyam : known
yat : which
tat : that
pravakshyaami : I will describe
yat : which
jnyaatvaa : having realized
amritam : immortality
ashnute : attain
anaadimat : without beginning
param : supreme
brahma : brahman
na : not
sat : manifest
tat : that
na : not
asat : unmanifest
uchyate : said
In the beginning of this chapter, Shri Krishna set out to explain what is kshetra or the field, and what is kshetrajnya or the knower of the field. He then set to list out various aspects of the field, which are also known as upaadhis or conditionings. This list included upaadhis such as the intellect, the mind, the five elements and so on. Shri Krishna also asserted there is only one knower of the field that is limited or conditioned by all of these upaadhis. He then gave us twenty attributes that we should cultivate in order to reduce the importance we give to these upaadhis, so that we can slowly uncover and get to the kshetrajnya, the knower of the field.
After assuming that we have cultivated these twenty qualities, and consequently learned how to reduce the importance of the field in our lives, Shri Krishna now gets to the main topic of this chapter. He says that he will now reveal what is the real knowledge, what all of us should know in this world as the culmination of all of our knowledge, what is “jneyam”. We learn so many things in our life through schools, colleges, professional training, street smarts and so on. But none of them can give us immortality. None of them can give us a permanent solution from the sorrows that we experience day in and day out. Each time we leave our self and go through our senses into the world to fulfill a desire, we generate sorrow, we create "death" in each such departure.
So then, what is this immortality-giving knowledge? Shri Krishna says that it is brahman, which is the very same eternal essence that is within us, and within everything else in the universe. It is “param” or supreme, beyond which nothing else needs to be known. It is “anadimat”, eternal, without any beginning, beyond all notions of time. It is not manifest, which means it is not accessible to the senses or the mind as an object of perception or a thought. But it is also not unmanifest. For instance, our unfulfilled desires lie dormant in our unconscious mind, but do not manifest as thoughts in our mind. The eternal essence is beyond our unconscious as well.
We now see why it is so difficult to understand the eternal essence. It is not like any object or form that can be described in words. It is also not an abstract concept that can be explained through logic, or by comparing it to something else or by combining one concept with another. In earlier chapters we saw how such situations can be handled with negation. If we want to instruct someone on how to select a maroon shirt, we tell them ignore all of the other colours of shirts. The one that is left will be the maroon shirt. Similarly, the eternal essence cannot be comprehended by our mind and senses because it is beyond the mind and senses. It can only be attained through negating everything that is not the eternal essence - by negating the upaadhis or fields.
Now, in the upcoming shlokas, Shri Krishna proceeds step by step to negate the upaadhis of the eternal essence, starting with the most visible ones.
anaadimatparam brahma na sattannaasaduchyate || 12 ||
I will describe that which is to be known, by realizing which, immortality is attained. The supreme brahman is without beginning, said to be neither manifest nor unmanifest.
jneyam : known
yat : which
tat : that
pravakshyaami : I will describe
yat : which
jnyaatvaa : having realized
amritam : immortality
ashnute : attain
anaadimat : without beginning
param : supreme
brahma : brahman
na : not
sat : manifest
tat : that
na : not
asat : unmanifest
uchyate : said
In the beginning of this chapter, Shri Krishna set out to explain what is kshetra or the field, and what is kshetrajnya or the knower of the field. He then set to list out various aspects of the field, which are also known as upaadhis or conditionings. This list included upaadhis such as the intellect, the mind, the five elements and so on. Shri Krishna also asserted there is only one knower of the field that is limited or conditioned by all of these upaadhis. He then gave us twenty attributes that we should cultivate in order to reduce the importance we give to these upaadhis, so that we can slowly uncover and get to the kshetrajnya, the knower of the field.
After assuming that we have cultivated these twenty qualities, and consequently learned how to reduce the importance of the field in our lives, Shri Krishna now gets to the main topic of this chapter. He says that he will now reveal what is the real knowledge, what all of us should know in this world as the culmination of all of our knowledge, what is “jneyam”. We learn so many things in our life through schools, colleges, professional training, street smarts and so on. But none of them can give us immortality. None of them can give us a permanent solution from the sorrows that we experience day in and day out. Each time we leave our self and go through our senses into the world to fulfill a desire, we generate sorrow, we create "death" in each such departure.
So then, what is this immortality-giving knowledge? Shri Krishna says that it is brahman, which is the very same eternal essence that is within us, and within everything else in the universe. It is “param” or supreme, beyond which nothing else needs to be known. It is “anadimat”, eternal, without any beginning, beyond all notions of time. It is not manifest, which means it is not accessible to the senses or the mind as an object of perception or a thought. But it is also not unmanifest. For instance, our unfulfilled desires lie dormant in our unconscious mind, but do not manifest as thoughts in our mind. The eternal essence is beyond our unconscious as well.
We now see why it is so difficult to understand the eternal essence. It is not like any object or form that can be described in words. It is also not an abstract concept that can be explained through logic, or by comparing it to something else or by combining one concept with another. In earlier chapters we saw how such situations can be handled with negation. If we want to instruct someone on how to select a maroon shirt, we tell them ignore all of the other colours of shirts. The one that is left will be the maroon shirt. Similarly, the eternal essence cannot be comprehended by our mind and senses because it is beyond the mind and senses. It can only be attained through negating everything that is not the eternal essence - by negating the upaadhis or fields.
Now, in the upcoming shlokas, Shri Krishna proceeds step by step to negate the upaadhis of the eternal essence, starting with the most visible ones.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 13
adhyaatmajnyaanamnityatvam tattvajnyaanaarthadarshanam |
etajjnyaanamiti proktamajnyaanam yadatonyathaa || 11 ||
Steadfastness in the knowledge of the self, contemplation on the goal of the knowledge of reality. This has been spoken of as knowledge. That which is other than this is ignorance.
adhyaatmajnyaanam : knowledge of the self
nityatvam : steadfastness
tattvajnyaana : knowledge of reality
artha : goal
darshanam : contemplation
etat : all this
jnyaanam : is knowledge
iti : this
proktam : has been spoken
ajnyaanam : ignorance
yat : that which
ataha : of this
anyathaa : other than
Shri Krishna adds two final entries to the list of twenty attributes that help us reduce the importance we give to the kshetra or the field. “Adhyaatma” refers to the self, the “I” in us. “Jnyaanam” is knowledge, and “nityatvam” is constant dwelling in that knowledge. For instance, once we know that the sun is a star and that the earth revolves around it, we never forget it, even when we appreciate the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. Similarly, we can mourn the loss of a loved one, without letting that incident obscure our knowledge that the human body is ephemeral.
“Tattva jnyaana artha” is the goal or the culmination of the knowledge of reality, which is moksha or liberation. We will constantly contemplate on the self only if we feel that liberation is worthwhile, that it is valuable. On the other hand, if we value material goals more than liberation, we will waver in our commitment to inquiring about the self. Therefore, if we are able to make liberation our end goal, we will easily practice all the other attributes that we have studied in the previous few shlokas.
Shri Krishna concludes this topic by asserting that what has been spoken of so far is the means of knowledge, it is jnyaanam. Anything that does not provide this means of knowledge is ignorance, it is ajnyaanam, it will only serve to further entangle us in the material world. For instance, if we practice arrogance instead of humility, that is out of ignorance. It will lead us away from the path of liberation. We are urged to lead an intelligent, ignorance-free life in the Gita, right from the beginning when Shri Krishna glorified buddhi yoga in the second chapter.
So then, if all this was the means of knowledge, what knowledge does it reveal to us? This topic is taken up next.
etajjnyaanamiti proktamajnyaanam yadatonyathaa || 11 ||
Steadfastness in the knowledge of the self, contemplation on the goal of the knowledge of reality. This has been spoken of as knowledge. That which is other than this is ignorance.
adhyaatmajnyaanam : knowledge of the self
nityatvam : steadfastness
tattvajnyaana : knowledge of reality
artha : goal
darshanam : contemplation
etat : all this
jnyaanam : is knowledge
iti : this
proktam : has been spoken
ajnyaanam : ignorance
yat : that which
ataha : of this
anyathaa : other than
Shri Krishna adds two final entries to the list of twenty attributes that help us reduce the importance we give to the kshetra or the field. “Adhyaatma” refers to the self, the “I” in us. “Jnyaanam” is knowledge, and “nityatvam” is constant dwelling in that knowledge. For instance, once we know that the sun is a star and that the earth revolves around it, we never forget it, even when we appreciate the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. Similarly, we can mourn the loss of a loved one, without letting that incident obscure our knowledge that the human body is ephemeral.
“Tattva jnyaana artha” is the goal or the culmination of the knowledge of reality, which is moksha or liberation. We will constantly contemplate on the self only if we feel that liberation is worthwhile, that it is valuable. On the other hand, if we value material goals more than liberation, we will waver in our commitment to inquiring about the self. Therefore, if we are able to make liberation our end goal, we will easily practice all the other attributes that we have studied in the previous few shlokas.
Shri Krishna concludes this topic by asserting that what has been spoken of so far is the means of knowledge, it is jnyaanam. Anything that does not provide this means of knowledge is ignorance, it is ajnyaanam, it will only serve to further entangle us in the material world. For instance, if we practice arrogance instead of humility, that is out of ignorance. It will lead us away from the path of liberation. We are urged to lead an intelligent, ignorance-free life in the Gita, right from the beginning when Shri Krishna glorified buddhi yoga in the second chapter.
So then, if all this was the means of knowledge, what knowledge does it reveal to us? This topic is taken up next.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 13
kshetragnya chaapi maam viddhi sarvakshetreshu bhaarata |
kshetrakshetragnayorjnyaanam yattajgnyaanam matam mama || 2 ||
And also, understand that I am the knower of all fields, O Bhaarata. That knowledge which pertains to the field and its knower, in my opinion, that is (real) knowledge.
kshetragnya : knower of the field
cha : and
api : also
maam : I
viddhi : understand
sarvakshetreshu : all fields
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
kshetrakshetragnayoho : field and its knower
jnyaanam : knowledge
yat : that which
tat : that
jnyaanam : knowledge
matam : opinion
mama : my
Shri Krishna began the previous chapter by defining two terms: kshetra which means field, and kshetragnya which means the knower of the field, one who knows himself as distinct from the field. In this shloka, Shri Krishna uses these terms to indicate the identity or oneness of the kshetragnya in all kshetras. Let us try to understand this very important point. Like Arjuna did in the first chapter, most of us consider our self, our "I", as this body, and therefore get stuck in the sorrows of this world. As we understand the message of the first six chapters, we understand that we are the eternal essence which is different than our body. We then understand from the next six chapters that Ishvara is the foundation of this world as the lower Prakriti or matter, and higher Prakriti or consciousness. Now, in this shloka, Shri Krishna says that there is no such distinction between the individual eternal essence and the foundation of this world. There is only one kshetragnya, and any notion of separation is illusory, caused by avidyaa or ignorance. This is the great statement, the mahaa vaakya "Tat Tvam Asi" of the Vedas. You and Ishvara are the same in essence, there is no difference.
When we first hear someone say that we are the same as Ishvara, we don't find it quite logical. We say, how can a body that is five feet eight inches tall be the same as Ishvara who is large enough to contain all the planets and stars of the universe within him? To answer this, we have to first remember that "Tat Tvam Asi" is not meant to be taken literally. Again, let us proceed step by step. First, let us understand the term "upaadhi". It means something that limits or conditions a more general thing. A wave is an upaadhi of water. A light bulb is an upaadhi of electricity. An ornament is an upaadhi of gold. We can obtain the general thing that the upaadhi limits or hides by a process of mental removal. Mentally remove the wave, and you get water. Mentally remove the bulb, you get electricity. Mentally remove the ornament, you get gold. We can take this even further. Mentally remove the labels Mercedes Benz and Maruti 800 from the word car, and you get metal, rubber, petrol and plastic. Mentally remove the labels Indian and American from the word person, and you get flesh, bones and blood.
Now, having undersood what an upaadhi is, and how it can be mentally removed, let us proceed to understand what the word "Asi" in "Tat Tvam Asi" indicates. It is not to be literally interpreted as Tvam (You) Asi (are equal to) Tat (Ishvara). Asi means "are equal to, when you remove the upaadhi". If we apply this meaning, the mahaa vaakya reads : Tvam (You) Asi (are equal to) Tat (Ishvara) when you remove both the upaadhis of You and Ishvara. I as a human have the upaadhi of the physical body and everything it contains. Ishvara has the upaadhi of the entire universe in its visible form including all the trees, plants, animals, people, stars, planets etc that we see with our senses. If we mentally remove our body as an upaadhi, and we also mentally remove the visible universe as an upaadhi, we are left with the same eternal essence in both cases. That same eternal essence, that same kshetragnya, is present in all kshetras, which are the same as upaadhis.
Another meaning of the word "upaadhi" is title or qualification, which can help us understand this shloka in a different way. Let's say there are two brothers in a house. One of them has a PhD in physics, and the other is a manager in a multinational. When each of them is in their respective offices, they use their titles as part of their job responsibilities. But when they perform a pooja or a holy ritual, lets say, they mentally remove their upaadhis or titles. If they did not remove their titles, their conversation would go like this: "Hey PhD in physics, do this. Hey manager, pour the clarified butter". They would never see that they are really the same family under the titles that seemingly create differences. This means that removing upaadhis to realize our oneness with Ishvara can be difficult, but it is not impossible. We know how to remove small upaadhis. Shri Krishna will teach us how to remove the biggest upaadhis in this chapter through practical techniques. He says that ultimately, knowledge of the kshetragnya, the kshetras or upaadhis, and how to realize oneness under the kshetras, is the ultimate knowledge that one has to learn, and not any other type of knowledge.
kshetrakshetragnayorjnyaanam yattajgnyaanam matam mama || 2 ||
And also, understand that I am the knower of all fields, O Bhaarata. That knowledge which pertains to the field and its knower, in my opinion, that is (real) knowledge.
kshetragnya : knower of the field
cha : and
api : also
maam : I
viddhi : understand
sarvakshetreshu : all fields
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
kshetrakshetragnayoho : field and its knower
jnyaanam : knowledge
yat : that which
tat : that
jnyaanam : knowledge
matam : opinion
mama : my
Shri Krishna began the previous chapter by defining two terms: kshetra which means field, and kshetragnya which means the knower of the field, one who knows himself as distinct from the field. In this shloka, Shri Krishna uses these terms to indicate the identity or oneness of the kshetragnya in all kshetras. Let us try to understand this very important point. Like Arjuna did in the first chapter, most of us consider our self, our "I", as this body, and therefore get stuck in the sorrows of this world. As we understand the message of the first six chapters, we understand that we are the eternal essence which is different than our body. We then understand from the next six chapters that Ishvara is the foundation of this world as the lower Prakriti or matter, and higher Prakriti or consciousness. Now, in this shloka, Shri Krishna says that there is no such distinction between the individual eternal essence and the foundation of this world. There is only one kshetragnya, and any notion of separation is illusory, caused by avidyaa or ignorance. This is the great statement, the mahaa vaakya "Tat Tvam Asi" of the Vedas. You and Ishvara are the same in essence, there is no difference.
When we first hear someone say that we are the same as Ishvara, we don't find it quite logical. We say, how can a body that is five feet eight inches tall be the same as Ishvara who is large enough to contain all the planets and stars of the universe within him? To answer this, we have to first remember that "Tat Tvam Asi" is not meant to be taken literally. Again, let us proceed step by step. First, let us understand the term "upaadhi". It means something that limits or conditions a more general thing. A wave is an upaadhi of water. A light bulb is an upaadhi of electricity. An ornament is an upaadhi of gold. We can obtain the general thing that the upaadhi limits or hides by a process of mental removal. Mentally remove the wave, and you get water. Mentally remove the bulb, you get electricity. Mentally remove the ornament, you get gold. We can take this even further. Mentally remove the labels Mercedes Benz and Maruti 800 from the word car, and you get metal, rubber, petrol and plastic. Mentally remove the labels Indian and American from the word person, and you get flesh, bones and blood.
Now, having undersood what an upaadhi is, and how it can be mentally removed, let us proceed to understand what the word "Asi" in "Tat Tvam Asi" indicates. It is not to be literally interpreted as Tvam (You) Asi (are equal to) Tat (Ishvara). Asi means "are equal to, when you remove the upaadhi". If we apply this meaning, the mahaa vaakya reads : Tvam (You) Asi (are equal to) Tat (Ishvara) when you remove both the upaadhis of You and Ishvara. I as a human have the upaadhi of the physical body and everything it contains. Ishvara has the upaadhi of the entire universe in its visible form including all the trees, plants, animals, people, stars, planets etc that we see with our senses. If we mentally remove our body as an upaadhi, and we also mentally remove the visible universe as an upaadhi, we are left with the same eternal essence in both cases. That same eternal essence, that same kshetragnya, is present in all kshetras, which are the same as upaadhis.
Another meaning of the word "upaadhi" is title or qualification, which can help us understand this shloka in a different way. Let's say there are two brothers in a house. One of them has a PhD in physics, and the other is a manager in a multinational. When each of them is in their respective offices, they use their titles as part of their job responsibilities. But when they perform a pooja or a holy ritual, lets say, they mentally remove their upaadhis or titles. If they did not remove their titles, their conversation would go like this: "Hey PhD in physics, do this. Hey manager, pour the clarified butter". They would never see that they are really the same family under the titles that seemingly create differences. This means that removing upaadhis to realize our oneness with Ishvara can be difficult, but it is not impossible. We know how to remove small upaadhis. Shri Krishna will teach us how to remove the biggest upaadhis in this chapter through practical techniques. He says that ultimately, knowledge of the kshetragnya, the kshetras or upaadhis, and how to realize oneness under the kshetras, is the ultimate knowledge that one has to learn, and not any other type of knowledge.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 11
yacchaavahaasaarthamasatkritosi vihaarashayyasanabhojaneshu |
ekothavaapyachyuta tatsamaksham tatkshaamaye tvaamahamaprameyam || 42 ||
Whatever insults were said to you in jest, while resting, sleeping, sitting, dining, O resolute one, while in solitude or in front of others, for all that, I ask your forgiveness, O immeasureable one.
yat : whatever
cha : and
avahaasaartham : said in jest
asatkritaha : insults
asi : happened
vihaarashayyasanaha : resting, sleeping or sitting
bhojaneshu : dining
ekaha : in solitude
athavaa: or
api : also
achyuta : O resolute one
tatsamaksham : in front of others
tat : that
kshaamaye : forgiveness
tvaam : your
aham : I
aprameyam : O immeasureable one
Throughout the Gita, Shri Krishna repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining an attitude of equanimity, of sameness, to objects, situations and people that we encounter. He used phrases like “do not view a brahmin different that an outcaste”, “view gold and clay as the same”, “one who views friends, enemies and well wishers with the same vision is superior”. But when Arjuna examined his past treatment of Krishna, he found that he did not live up to that standard.
Now that he had received the knowledge of equanimity from Shri Krishna, Arjuna wanted to confess his misbehaviour and ask for forgiveness from Shri Krishna. He acknowledged that his behaviour was purely driven by ignorance and jest. It is said in the Mahaabhaarata that Arjuna was fond of pulling pranks on Shri Krishna during their childhood days. He once pulled a chair on which Shri Krishna was about to sit. He wanted to reassure Shri Krishna that in all those pranks, he meant no malice whatsoever.
As he implored for forgiveness, Arjuna addressed Shri Krishna as “achyuta”, one who never falls from his position, asserting that Shri Krishna’s conduct was beyond reproach, that he practised what he preached. He also addressed him as “aprameyam”, one who is so infinite that he cannot be measured. Forgiveness can only come from one who has a large heart. Confessing his wrongdoings to Shri Krishna enabled Arjuna to start with a clean slate and begin to follow his teachings.
ekothavaapyachyuta tatsamaksham tatkshaamaye tvaamahamaprameyam || 42 ||
Whatever insults were said to you in jest, while resting, sleeping, sitting, dining, O resolute one, while in solitude or in front of others, for all that, I ask your forgiveness, O immeasureable one.
yat : whatever
cha : and
avahaasaartham : said in jest
asatkritaha : insults
asi : happened
vihaarashayyasanaha : resting, sleeping or sitting
bhojaneshu : dining
ekaha : in solitude
athavaa: or
api : also
achyuta : O resolute one
tatsamaksham : in front of others
tat : that
kshaamaye : forgiveness
tvaam : your
aham : I
aprameyam : O immeasureable one
Throughout the Gita, Shri Krishna repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining an attitude of equanimity, of sameness, to objects, situations and people that we encounter. He used phrases like “do not view a brahmin different that an outcaste”, “view gold and clay as the same”, “one who views friends, enemies and well wishers with the same vision is superior”. But when Arjuna examined his past treatment of Krishna, he found that he did not live up to that standard.
Now that he had received the knowledge of equanimity from Shri Krishna, Arjuna wanted to confess his misbehaviour and ask for forgiveness from Shri Krishna. He acknowledged that his behaviour was purely driven by ignorance and jest. It is said in the Mahaabhaarata that Arjuna was fond of pulling pranks on Shri Krishna during their childhood days. He once pulled a chair on which Shri Krishna was about to sit. He wanted to reassure Shri Krishna that in all those pranks, he meant no malice whatsoever.
As he implored for forgiveness, Arjuna addressed Shri Krishna as “achyuta”, one who never falls from his position, asserting that Shri Krishna’s conduct was beyond reproach, that he practised what he preached. He also addressed him as “aprameyam”, one who is so infinite that he cannot be measured. Forgiveness can only come from one who has a large heart. Confessing his wrongdoings to Shri Krishna enabled Arjuna to start with a clean slate and begin to follow his teachings.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 11
sakheti matvaa prasabham yaduktam he krishna he yaadava he sakheti |
ajaanataa mahimaanam tavedam mayaa praamadaatpranayena vaapi || 41 ||
Thinking of you as a friend, I addressed you rashly as O Krishna, O Yaadava, O friend. Not knowing your greatness, I said it in this manner out of carelessness or also out of affection.
sakhaa : friend
iti : in this manner
matvaa : thinking
prasabham : rashly
yat : whatever
uktam : said
he : O
krishna : Krishna
yaadava : Yaadava
ajaanataa : not knowing
mahimaanam : greatness
tava : your
idam : this
mayaa : I
pramaadaat : in carelessness
pranayena : in affection
vaa : or
api : also
Arjuna and Shri Krishna were childhood friends. Growing up together, Arjuna never realized the divine nature of Shri Krishna’s birth. He had treated him as he would treat any other friend of his. Now, having understood his divine nature having viewed the cosmic form, he wanted to acknowledge his ill-treatment of Shri Krishna, and beg for forgiveness for all the times he had acted imprudently. After all he was Arjuna, whose name meant “one who is extremely straight-forward”.
In Arjuna’s time, just like in the present time, insults with respect to people’s skin colour or caste were quite popular. Arjuna recounts his insults to Shri Krishna where he used to call him dark-skinned, refer to his caste, or call him a friend instead of a more respectable title. And like any of us, his intellect knew that insulting anyone was not the right thing to do, but he did it anyway. Knowing this well, Arjuna owned up to his ignorance, carelessness and rash behaviour.
But Arjuna also gave another side of the story. Although he did insult Shri Krishna out of carelessness in some instances, there were other instances when he did it out of sheer affection for his friend. When there is affection from both sides between friends, it is totally acceptable to insult each other. Arjuna was going to ask for forgiveness very soon, and hoped that Shri Krishna would keep this side of the story in his mind.
ajaanataa mahimaanam tavedam mayaa praamadaatpranayena vaapi || 41 ||
Thinking of you as a friend, I addressed you rashly as O Krishna, O Yaadava, O friend. Not knowing your greatness, I said it in this manner out of carelessness or also out of affection.
sakhaa : friend
iti : in this manner
matvaa : thinking
prasabham : rashly
yat : whatever
uktam : said
he : O
krishna : Krishna
yaadava : Yaadava
ajaanataa : not knowing
mahimaanam : greatness
tava : your
idam : this
mayaa : I
pramaadaat : in carelessness
pranayena : in affection
vaa : or
api : also
Arjuna and Shri Krishna were childhood friends. Growing up together, Arjuna never realized the divine nature of Shri Krishna’s birth. He had treated him as he would treat any other friend of his. Now, having understood his divine nature having viewed the cosmic form, he wanted to acknowledge his ill-treatment of Shri Krishna, and beg for forgiveness for all the times he had acted imprudently. After all he was Arjuna, whose name meant “one who is extremely straight-forward”.
In Arjuna’s time, just like in the present time, insults with respect to people’s skin colour or caste were quite popular. Arjuna recounts his insults to Shri Krishna where he used to call him dark-skinned, refer to his caste, or call him a friend instead of a more respectable title. And like any of us, his intellect knew that insulting anyone was not the right thing to do, but he did it anyway. Knowing this well, Arjuna owned up to his ignorance, carelessness and rash behaviour.
But Arjuna also gave another side of the story. Although he did insult Shri Krishna out of carelessness in some instances, there were other instances when he did it out of sheer affection for his friend. When there is affection from both sides between friends, it is totally acceptable to insult each other. Arjuna was going to ask for forgiveness very soon, and hoped that Shri Krishna would keep this side of the story in his mind.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 11
kasmaaccha te na nameranmahaatman gareeyase brahmanopyaadikartre |
ananta devesha jagannivaasa tvamaksharam sadasattatparam yat || 37 ||
And why should they not bow to you, O great one, most honourable and ancient creator of even Brahmaa? You are infinite, O lord of lords, O abode of the universe, you are imperishable, that which is beyond both the manifest and unmanifest.
kasmaat : why
cha : and
te : you
na : not
nameran : they bow
mahaatman : O great one
gareeyase : most honourable
brahmanaha : Brahmaa
api : even
aadikartre : ancient creator
ananta : infinite
devesha : lord of lords
jagannivaasa : abode of the universe
tvam : you
aksharam : imperishable
sadasattatparam : beyond manifest and unmanifest
yat : what is
Arjuna continues his prayer to Ishvara’s cosmic form. Here, he justifies why people who have preference for a particular deity were seen offering their salutations to the cosmic form. He says that when we see someone superior in all respects to our deity, there is no reason not to bow to that person. Ishvara in his cosmic form is the original cause, the creator of Lord Brahmaa. Whereas Lord Brahmaa could create several universes, Ishvara creates several Lord Brahmaas. Therefore it is appropriate that people worship Ishvara.
Now, Arjuna described Ishvara as “sadasattatparam”. What does that mean? “Sat” in this context refers to the manifest world, things that we can perceive with our mind and our senses. “Asat” refers to the unmanifest world comprising our subconscious desires or our vaasanas. In computer terms, Sat is the hardware and asat is the software, the programming stored in memory. Our behaviour is driven by the unmanifest programming of our desires, just like a computer behaves according to its programming.
So, if we were to describe electricity, it would be beyond the hardware and the software. Tiny electrical currents store the software in memory, and powerful electrical currents create the hardware in a factory. Another example we have come across is gold. Five grams of gold can make a necklace, or a bangle, or a biscuit. When the necklace is manifest, all the other shapes become unmanifest. But the gold transcends, it is beyond the manifest and the unmanifest. In the same way, Ishvara transcends the manifest and the unmanifest names and forms in this universe.
ananta devesha jagannivaasa tvamaksharam sadasattatparam yat || 37 ||
And why should they not bow to you, O great one, most honourable and ancient creator of even Brahmaa? You are infinite, O lord of lords, O abode of the universe, you are imperishable, that which is beyond both the manifest and unmanifest.
kasmaat : why
cha : and
te : you
na : not
nameran : they bow
mahaatman : O great one
gareeyase : most honourable
brahmanaha : Brahmaa
api : even
aadikartre : ancient creator
ananta : infinite
devesha : lord of lords
jagannivaasa : abode of the universe
tvam : you
aksharam : imperishable
sadasattatparam : beyond manifest and unmanifest
yat : what is
Arjuna continues his prayer to Ishvara’s cosmic form. Here, he justifies why people who have preference for a particular deity were seen offering their salutations to the cosmic form. He says that when we see someone superior in all respects to our deity, there is no reason not to bow to that person. Ishvara in his cosmic form is the original cause, the creator of Lord Brahmaa. Whereas Lord Brahmaa could create several universes, Ishvara creates several Lord Brahmaas. Therefore it is appropriate that people worship Ishvara.
Now, Arjuna described Ishvara as “sadasattatparam”. What does that mean? “Sat” in this context refers to the manifest world, things that we can perceive with our mind and our senses. “Asat” refers to the unmanifest world comprising our subconscious desires or our vaasanas. In computer terms, Sat is the hardware and asat is the software, the programming stored in memory. Our behaviour is driven by the unmanifest programming of our desires, just like a computer behaves according to its programming.
So, if we were to describe electricity, it would be beyond the hardware and the software. Tiny electrical currents store the software in memory, and powerful electrical currents create the hardware in a factory. Another example we have come across is gold. Five grams of gold can make a necklace, or a bangle, or a biscuit. When the necklace is manifest, all the other shapes become unmanifest. But the gold transcends, it is beyond the manifest and the unmanifest. In the same way, Ishvara transcends the manifest and the unmanifest names and forms in this universe.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 11
ihaikastham jagatkritsnam pashyaadya sacharaacharam |
mama dehe gudaakesha yachchaanyaddrishtumicchasi || 7 ||
Behold this entire universe now, with moving and non-moving (entities), in one place. Also, besides this, O Gudaakesha, see whatever else you desire in my form.
iha : this
ekastham : in one place
jagat : universe
kritsnam : entire
pashya : behold
adya : now
sacharaacharam : with moving and non-moving
mama : my
dehe : form
gudaakesha : O Gudaakesha
yat : whatever else
cha : also
anyat : besides
drishtum : see
icchasi : you desire
Nowadays, it is common for families to capture a wedding with a video as well as with photographs. So when a guest drops by a family that has just concluded a wedding, he is hit with a barrage of photos and a DVD of the wedding that could last three to four hours. The guest cannot refuse this demand because the family wants him to experience the entire wedding “right here, right now”.
So by using the words “now” and “in one place”, Shri Krishna is pointing out the power of the Vishwa roopa or cosmic form. Arjuna is able to view the entire universe in one place, without leaving his chariot. Moreover, he is also able to view events that take millions of years in a split second. And what is he able to view? Everything including entities that move, and entities that are stable.
Now, if someone were to offer us the outcome of all the events that were to take place tomorrow, and if our favourite team was contesting a match tomorrow, we would be most interested in learning the outcome of the match. Knowing that Arjuna was most interested in the outcome of the Mahaabhaarata war, Shri Krishna suggested that even that would be visible in his cosmic form. He refers to Arjuna as “Gudaakesha”, one who has conquered sleep, so that Arjuna would remain alert while watching the cosmic form.
However, with all this going on, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna. What could be the reason? We shall see next.
mama dehe gudaakesha yachchaanyaddrishtumicchasi || 7 ||
Behold this entire universe now, with moving and non-moving (entities), in one place. Also, besides this, O Gudaakesha, see whatever else you desire in my form.
iha : this
ekastham : in one place
jagat : universe
kritsnam : entire
pashya : behold
adya : now
sacharaacharam : with moving and non-moving
mama : my
dehe : form
gudaakesha : O Gudaakesha
yat : whatever else
cha : also
anyat : besides
drishtum : see
icchasi : you desire
Nowadays, it is common for families to capture a wedding with a video as well as with photographs. So when a guest drops by a family that has just concluded a wedding, he is hit with a barrage of photos and a DVD of the wedding that could last three to four hours. The guest cannot refuse this demand because the family wants him to experience the entire wedding “right here, right now”.
So by using the words “now” and “in one place”, Shri Krishna is pointing out the power of the Vishwa roopa or cosmic form. Arjuna is able to view the entire universe in one place, without leaving his chariot. Moreover, he is also able to view events that take millions of years in a split second. And what is he able to view? Everything including entities that move, and entities that are stable.
Now, if someone were to offer us the outcome of all the events that were to take place tomorrow, and if our favourite team was contesting a match tomorrow, we would be most interested in learning the outcome of the match. Knowing that Arjuna was most interested in the outcome of the Mahaabhaarata war, Shri Krishna suggested that even that would be visible in his cosmic form. He refers to Arjuna as “Gudaakesha”, one who has conquered sleep, so that Arjuna would remain alert while watching the cosmic form.
However, with all this going on, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna. What could be the reason? We shall see next.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 11
Arjuna uvaacha:
madanugrhaaya paramam guhyamadhyaatmasangitam |
yattvayoktam vachastena mohoyam vigato mama || 1 ||
Arjuna said:
Out of compassion for me, you have spoken about the supreme secret known as the knowledge of the self. By those statements, my delusion has been destroyed.
madanugrhaaya : out of compassion for me
paramam : supreme
guhyam : secret
adhyaatma : knowledge of the self
sangitam : known as
yat : that
tvayaa : you have
uktam : spoken
vachaha : statements
tena : by those
mohaha : delusion
ayam : this
vigataha : destroyed
mama : my
We begin the eleventh chapter with Arjuna’s words. He recalls the root cause of his panic attack from the first chapter which is moha or delusion which caused confusion between his duty as a warrior and as a family member. He now says that his delusion has been dispelled. How did that happen? It is only because Shri Krishna revealed the knowledge of the self, Adhyaatma vidyaa, to Arjuna, the answer to the question “who am I?”
When Arjuna understood his true nature as the self, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, he came to know that the self does not kill or be killed, it is neither the doer of action or the enjoyer of the results. He then realized that even if his body died, or his body killed another body, nothing would happen to the eternal essence in each of those bodies. Given the power of this knowledge to destroy the biggest delusion about who he was, he terms it “paramam” or supreme. And since it requires a sincere student and a rare teacher, he terms it “guhyam” or secret.
Now, we may think that there was something special in Arjuna that qualified him to receive this supreme knowledge. Arjuna was humble enough to acknowledge that it was purely out of compassion that Shri Krishna showered his grace upon him and gave him this knowledge. Only through the grace and compassion of Ishvara and a qualified guru can one receive this knowledge.
Another aspect of the teaching was Ishvara’s involvement with the universe. Arjuna highlights it in the next shloka.
madanugrhaaya paramam guhyamadhyaatmasangitam |
yattvayoktam vachastena mohoyam vigato mama || 1 ||
Arjuna said:
Out of compassion for me, you have spoken about the supreme secret known as the knowledge of the self. By those statements, my delusion has been destroyed.
madanugrhaaya : out of compassion for me
paramam : supreme
guhyam : secret
adhyaatma : knowledge of the self
sangitam : known as
yat : that
tvayaa : you have
uktam : spoken
vachaha : statements
tena : by those
mohaha : delusion
ayam : this
vigataha : destroyed
mama : my
We begin the eleventh chapter with Arjuna’s words. He recalls the root cause of his panic attack from the first chapter which is moha or delusion which caused confusion between his duty as a warrior and as a family member. He now says that his delusion has been dispelled. How did that happen? It is only because Shri Krishna revealed the knowledge of the self, Adhyaatma vidyaa, to Arjuna, the answer to the question “who am I?”
When Arjuna understood his true nature as the self, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, he came to know that the self does not kill or be killed, it is neither the doer of action or the enjoyer of the results. He then realized that even if his body died, or his body killed another body, nothing would happen to the eternal essence in each of those bodies. Given the power of this knowledge to destroy the biggest delusion about who he was, he terms it “paramam” or supreme. And since it requires a sincere student and a rare teacher, he terms it “guhyam” or secret.
Now, we may think that there was something special in Arjuna that qualified him to receive this supreme knowledge. Arjuna was humble enough to acknowledge that it was purely out of compassion that Shri Krishna showered his grace upon him and gave him this knowledge. Only through the grace and compassion of Ishvara and a qualified guru can one receive this knowledge.
Another aspect of the teaching was Ishvara’s involvement with the universe. Arjuna highlights it in the next shloka.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 10
yadyadvibhootimatsatvam shreemadoorjitameva vaa |
tattadevaavagaccha tvam mama tejonshasambhavam || 41 ||
Whichever entity is endowed with majesty, prosperity and also energy, you should understand that all those as born out of a fraction of my power.
yat : whichever
vibhootimat : endowed with majesty
satvam : entity
shreemat : prosperity
oorjitam : energy
eva : also
vaa : and
tat : all those
eva : and
avagaccha : understand
tvam : you
mama : my
tejaha : power
ansha : fraction
sambhavam : born out of
Since it is difficult for someone in our time to identify with Puraanic expressions of Ishvara, Shri Krishna gives us a simple suggestion. He says that anything that appeals to our mind and senses, any object or person that is endowed with grandeur, perfection, knowledge and power, anything that inspire awe and wonder is Ishvara’s expression. So we are free to choose anything that meets this criteria.
So if we live in India, the Taj Mahal becomes Ishvara’s expression and in USA, the Grand Canyon. If we like western classical music, the Mahler Symphony No. 9 in D Major becomes Ishvara’s vibhooti and if we like Indian classical music, a rendition by Bhimsen Joshi. An engineer can admire marvels such as the tallest building in the world or the space shuttle. And all of us can admire the thousands of nameless people who are working in NGOs to better the world as yet another expression of Ishvara.
Now, Shri Krishna makes another important point here. If we add up all the glories in the universe, that glory is but a fraction of Ishvara’s glory. Just like we always think of a country’s government whenever we see a police officer, we should always think of Ishvara whenever we see or think of any of his expressions. Arjuna had asked the question as to how he could know Ishvara. With this shloka, Shri Krishna has provided the answer. We use the visible expression to remind us of the invisible Ishvara.
What should we do? Whenever we see something wonderful and glorious, we should remember that the glory is coming from Ishvara, not from that object or person. Next, we should remember that Ishvara is infinitely more powerful and glorious than the object or person. In this manner, we will be able to maintain a constant awareness of Ishvara.
tattadevaavagaccha tvam mama tejonshasambhavam || 41 ||
Whichever entity is endowed with majesty, prosperity and also energy, you should understand that all those as born out of a fraction of my power.
yat : whichever
vibhootimat : endowed with majesty
satvam : entity
shreemat : prosperity
oorjitam : energy
eva : also
vaa : and
tat : all those
eva : and
avagaccha : understand
tvam : you
mama : my
tejaha : power
ansha : fraction
sambhavam : born out of
Since it is difficult for someone in our time to identify with Puraanic expressions of Ishvara, Shri Krishna gives us a simple suggestion. He says that anything that appeals to our mind and senses, any object or person that is endowed with grandeur, perfection, knowledge and power, anything that inspire awe and wonder is Ishvara’s expression. So we are free to choose anything that meets this criteria.
So if we live in India, the Taj Mahal becomes Ishvara’s expression and in USA, the Grand Canyon. If we like western classical music, the Mahler Symphony No. 9 in D Major becomes Ishvara’s vibhooti and if we like Indian classical music, a rendition by Bhimsen Joshi. An engineer can admire marvels such as the tallest building in the world or the space shuttle. And all of us can admire the thousands of nameless people who are working in NGOs to better the world as yet another expression of Ishvara.
Now, Shri Krishna makes another important point here. If we add up all the glories in the universe, that glory is but a fraction of Ishvara’s glory. Just like we always think of a country’s government whenever we see a police officer, we should always think of Ishvara whenever we see or think of any of his expressions. Arjuna had asked the question as to how he could know Ishvara. With this shloka, Shri Krishna has provided the answer. We use the visible expression to remind us of the invisible Ishvara.
What should we do? Whenever we see something wonderful and glorious, we should remember that the glory is coming from Ishvara, not from that object or person. Next, we should remember that Ishvara is infinitely more powerful and glorious than the object or person. In this manner, we will be able to maintain a constant awareness of Ishvara.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 10
yatchaapi sarvabhootaanaam beejam tadahamarjuna |
na tadasti vinaa yatsyaanmayaa bhootam charaacharam || 39 ||
And O Arjuna, whatsoever is the seed of all beings, I am that. No moving or non-moving being can exist without me.
yat : whatsoever
cha : and
api : also
sarvabhootaanaam : all beings
beejam : seed
tat : that
aham : I am
arjuna : Arjuna
na : it is not
tat : that
asti : there is
vinaa : without
yat: which
syaat : can exist
mayaa : me
bhootam : being
chara : moving
acharam : non-moving
Now Shri Krishna begins to conclude the teaching of this chapter. Having provided a long list of Ishvara's divine expressions, he now gives us a simple formula to recognize him. He says that whatever we come across in the world, whether it is a living or a non-living entity, or whether it is moving or stationary, it has arisen from the seed that is Ishvara. In other words, Ishvara is the cause or the seed of everything in this universe.
One way of understanding this is as follows. When we refer to an object, let’s say it’s a book, we say : “This is a book”. There are two aspects pointed out here. First is the book, which is quite obvious. But we also use the word “is” to indicate that the book exists, that the book is visible, and it will be visible to someone else. Shri Krishna says that the very existence of the book, the “is-ness” of the book, is nothing but Ishvara.
In other words, this entire universe will not exist without Ishvara. All of the names and forms in the universe use Ishvara are their basis. If we comprehend this, and develop our vision based on this knowledge, we will automatically see Ishvara everywhere, just like we automatically “see” electricity in every electrical gadget.
na tadasti vinaa yatsyaanmayaa bhootam charaacharam || 39 ||
And O Arjuna, whatsoever is the seed of all beings, I am that. No moving or non-moving being can exist without me.
yat : whatsoever
cha : and
api : also
sarvabhootaanaam : all beings
beejam : seed
tat : that
aham : I am
arjuna : Arjuna
na : it is not
tat : that
asti : there is
vinaa : without
yat: which
syaat : can exist
mayaa : me
bhootam : being
chara : moving
acharam : non-moving
Now Shri Krishna begins to conclude the teaching of this chapter. Having provided a long list of Ishvara's divine expressions, he now gives us a simple formula to recognize him. He says that whatever we come across in the world, whether it is a living or a non-living entity, or whether it is moving or stationary, it has arisen from the seed that is Ishvara. In other words, Ishvara is the cause or the seed of everything in this universe.
One way of understanding this is as follows. When we refer to an object, let’s say it’s a book, we say : “This is a book”. There are two aspects pointed out here. First is the book, which is quite obvious. But we also use the word “is” to indicate that the book exists, that the book is visible, and it will be visible to someone else. Shri Krishna says that the very existence of the book, the “is-ness” of the book, is nothing but Ishvara.
In other words, this entire universe will not exist without Ishvara. All of the names and forms in the universe use Ishvara are their basis. If we comprehend this, and develop our vision based on this knowledge, we will automatically see Ishvara everywhere, just like we automatically “see” electricity in every electrical gadget.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 10
sarvametadritam manye yanmaam vadasi keshava |
na hi te bhagavanvyaktim vidurdevaa na daanavaahaa || 14 ||
What you are speaking to me, O Keshava, I acknowledge all this to be true. For O Lord, neither the deities nor the demons know your manifestation.
sarvam : all
etat : this
ritam : truth
manye : acknowledge
yat : whatever
maam : to me
vadasi : speak
keshava : O Keshava
na : neither
hi : for
te : to you
bhagavan : O Lord
vyaktim : manifestation
viduhu : know
devaaha : deities
na : nor
daanavaahaa : demons
Since the start of the Gita, we have seen Arjuna speak whenever he has a doubt or needs further clarification. With this shloka, Arjuna acknowledges that he has completely understood the true nature of Ishvara since the knowledge is coming from the source, from Ishvara himself.
It is interesting to note the use of the name “Keshava” to refer to Shri Krishna. “Ka” represents Lord Brahma and “Isha” represents Lord Shiva. So Keshava is the one who harmonizes the powers of creation and destruction. In other words, Ishvara creates, sustains and dissolves the universe of names and forms.
Since Ishvara is the origin of everything, Arjuna says that no deity, human or demon can claim to know Ishvara in totality because Ishvara came before any of them. Another interpretation of this statement is that no sense organ such as the eye or ear can claim to know Ishvara. Unlike worldly knowledge about objects, the knowledge of Ishvara can only be known as a subject. Tulsidas says this poetically in the Tulsi Ramayana : “Jaanat tumahi tumahi hui jaayi”. One who knows you becomes you. All sense of individuality, the sense of I, the subject, goes away when one merges into Ishvara.
So then, if no deity, human or demon can know Ishvara, who can? Arjuna gives the answer in the next shloka.
na hi te bhagavanvyaktim vidurdevaa na daanavaahaa || 14 ||
What you are speaking to me, O Keshava, I acknowledge all this to be true. For O Lord, neither the deities nor the demons know your manifestation.
sarvam : all
etat : this
ritam : truth
manye : acknowledge
yat : whatever
maam : to me
vadasi : speak
keshava : O Keshava
na : neither
hi : for
te : to you
bhagavan : O Lord
vyaktim : manifestation
viduhu : know
devaaha : deities
na : nor
daanavaahaa : demons
Since the start of the Gita, we have seen Arjuna speak whenever he has a doubt or needs further clarification. With this shloka, Arjuna acknowledges that he has completely understood the true nature of Ishvara since the knowledge is coming from the source, from Ishvara himself.
It is interesting to note the use of the name “Keshava” to refer to Shri Krishna. “Ka” represents Lord Brahma and “Isha” represents Lord Shiva. So Keshava is the one who harmonizes the powers of creation and destruction. In other words, Ishvara creates, sustains and dissolves the universe of names and forms.
Since Ishvara is the origin of everything, Arjuna says that no deity, human or demon can claim to know Ishvara in totality because Ishvara came before any of them. Another interpretation of this statement is that no sense organ such as the eye or ear can claim to know Ishvara. Unlike worldly knowledge about objects, the knowledge of Ishvara can only be known as a subject. Tulsidas says this poetically in the Tulsi Ramayana : “Jaanat tumahi tumahi hui jaayi”. One who knows you becomes you. All sense of individuality, the sense of I, the subject, goes away when one merges into Ishvara.
So then, if no deity, human or demon can know Ishvara, who can? Arjuna gives the answer in the next shloka.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 10
Shree Bhagavan uvaacha:
bhooya eva mahaabaaho shrunu me paramam vachaha |
yattaham preeyamaanaaya vakshyaami hitakaamyayaa || 1 ||
Shree Bhagavan said:
Again, O mighty armed warrior, listen to my supreme statements, which I will say to you filled with delight, desiring your well-being.
bhooyaha : again
eva : also
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed warrior
shrunu : listen
me : my
paramam : supreme
vachaha : statements
yat : that which
aham : I
preeyamaanaaya : one who is delighted
vakshyaami : I will say
hitakaamyayaa : desiring well-being
After concluding the ninth chapter, Shri Krishna did not wait for Arjuna to ask a question because he knew that Arjuna wanted to hear more. He continued speaking because Arjuna was taking delight in the teaching. Good teachers know when to take questions and when to continue teaching so that the student is engaged and encouraged.
This chapter of the Gita is known as “Vibhooti Yoga”. It continues the theme of the seventh and ninth chapters by listing several vibhootis or expressions of Ishvara. Why are expressions important? Consider electricity which is invisible to our senses but is a source of great power. If we wish to learn more about electricity by watching a power outlet or a power line, we may not be able to understand electricity that much. But if we see a bright and colourful lamp, or medical equipment that helps save people’s lives, it is easier to appreciate the glory of electricity.
Ishvara is infinitely powerful than electricity but is also invisible and unknown to our senses. Only through knowing his expressions can we become aware of his presence, and gradually expand our vision to see the one Ishvara in everything. Shri Krishna is concerned with Arjuna’s well-being, so in that regard he wanted to reveal Ishvara’s glories to Arjuna. He calls these glories “paramam” or supreme because they enable us to transcend this world of name and form and access Ishvara.
Why is Ishvara invisible and unknown to our senses, and to other beings in the universe? This is explained next.
bhooya eva mahaabaaho shrunu me paramam vachaha |
yattaham preeyamaanaaya vakshyaami hitakaamyayaa || 1 ||
Shree Bhagavan said:
Again, O mighty armed warrior, listen to my supreme statements, which I will say to you filled with delight, desiring your well-being.
bhooyaha : again
eva : also
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed warrior
shrunu : listen
me : my
paramam : supreme
vachaha : statements
yat : that which
aham : I
preeyamaanaaya : one who is delighted
vakshyaami : I will say
hitakaamyayaa : desiring well-being
After concluding the ninth chapter, Shri Krishna did not wait for Arjuna to ask a question because he knew that Arjuna wanted to hear more. He continued speaking because Arjuna was taking delight in the teaching. Good teachers know when to take questions and when to continue teaching so that the student is engaged and encouraged.
This chapter of the Gita is known as “Vibhooti Yoga”. It continues the theme of the seventh and ninth chapters by listing several vibhootis or expressions of Ishvara. Why are expressions important? Consider electricity which is invisible to our senses but is a source of great power. If we wish to learn more about electricity by watching a power outlet or a power line, we may not be able to understand electricity that much. But if we see a bright and colourful lamp, or medical equipment that helps save people’s lives, it is easier to appreciate the glory of electricity.
Ishvara is infinitely powerful than electricity but is also invisible and unknown to our senses. Only through knowing his expressions can we become aware of his presence, and gradually expand our vision to see the one Ishvara in everything. Shri Krishna is concerned with Arjuna’s well-being, so in that regard he wanted to reveal Ishvara’s glories to Arjuna. He calls these glories “paramam” or supreme because they enable us to transcend this world of name and form and access Ishvara.
Why is Ishvara invisible and unknown to our senses, and to other beings in the universe? This is explained next.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 9
yatkaroshi yadashnaasi yajjuhoshi dadaasi yata |
yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushva madarpanam || 27 ||
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in a sacrifice, whatever you donate, whatever you practice as penance, O Kaunteya, offer it to me.
yat : whatever
karoshi : you do
ashnaasi : you eat
juhoshi : you offer in a sacrifice
dadaasi : you donate
tapasyasi : you practice as penance
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tat : that
kurushva : do
madarpanam : offer it to me
Shri Krishna explains the technique of bringing worship into daily life. Previously we learnt the technique of worshipping Ishvara using simple offerings like water. Once we get used to the worship of Ishvara in the home and in the temple, we need to bring that spirit of worship into all of our actions. In other words, we need to learn how to bring divinity into our actions. To that end, this shloka urges us to perform all actions as an act of worship towards Ishvara.
The simplest and most common action we perform is that of eating. Shri Krishna says that even the act of eating should be considered an act of worship. Traditionally, before every meal, the first five morsels are offered to the deity within with the words “praanaaya svaaha”. The rest of the meal should be consumed with the attitude that the act of eating is occurring in the service of Ishvara, and not for the appeasement of our senses.
Now, take another action like exercising, for instance. How do we transform that into an act of worship? Anything that causes discomfort in the short term, but gets us gains in the long term, is an act of “tapas” or penance. Shri Krishna says that we can convert any action into a penance if we imbibe it with the attitude of worship. So if we have to take a long walk for exercising, for example, we can imagine that we are doing a “pradakshina”, that we walking around a temple. In this manner, even a discomforting act becomes divine.
Similarly, any action that requires strenuous effort and long hours can be made into an act of sacrifice. If we have to put in extra hours of work, we have to sacrifice our leisure time in the process. We can think of those extra hours of work as an offering in a “yagnya” or sacrifice.
In other words, we need not go through elaborate rituals with fire and butter and priests and so on. Any action can be converted into an act of worship. When we donate, we can think that we are returning to Ishvara what was Ishvara’s to begin with. When we go on a diet, we can imagine that we are conserving Ishvara’s energy, and so on.
What is the rationale for “divinizing” all of our actions? The notion of doership and enjoyership, the two main obstacles to liberation, get progressively diluted. Instead of thinking “I did this” and “I enjoyed this”, we begin to think that “Ishvara did it, and Ishvara gets the results”. Consequently, our stress levels and worries begin to reduce as well.
This takes us back full circle to karma yoga, but with the added dimension of devotion. Karma yoga without bhakti yoga is incomplete. Without the attitude of devotion, we can potentially commit wrong or harmful actions that we will hesitate to perform in front of Ishvara. With devotion, karma yoga is complete.
Shri Krishna reveals the result of worshipful actions in the next shloka.
Footnotes:
1. Devotion comprises three aspects: seva (service), shraddha (faith) and Ishvara mahaanata (greatness of Ishvara)
yattapasyasi kaunteya tatkurushva madarpanam || 27 ||
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in a sacrifice, whatever you donate, whatever you practice as penance, O Kaunteya, offer it to me.
yat : whatever
karoshi : you do
ashnaasi : you eat
juhoshi : you offer in a sacrifice
dadaasi : you donate
tapasyasi : you practice as penance
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tat : that
kurushva : do
madarpanam : offer it to me
Shri Krishna explains the technique of bringing worship into daily life. Previously we learnt the technique of worshipping Ishvara using simple offerings like water. Once we get used to the worship of Ishvara in the home and in the temple, we need to bring that spirit of worship into all of our actions. In other words, we need to learn how to bring divinity into our actions. To that end, this shloka urges us to perform all actions as an act of worship towards Ishvara.
The simplest and most common action we perform is that of eating. Shri Krishna says that even the act of eating should be considered an act of worship. Traditionally, before every meal, the first five morsels are offered to the deity within with the words “praanaaya svaaha”. The rest of the meal should be consumed with the attitude that the act of eating is occurring in the service of Ishvara, and not for the appeasement of our senses.
Now, take another action like exercising, for instance. How do we transform that into an act of worship? Anything that causes discomfort in the short term, but gets us gains in the long term, is an act of “tapas” or penance. Shri Krishna says that we can convert any action into a penance if we imbibe it with the attitude of worship. So if we have to take a long walk for exercising, for example, we can imagine that we are doing a “pradakshina”, that we walking around a temple. In this manner, even a discomforting act becomes divine.
Similarly, any action that requires strenuous effort and long hours can be made into an act of sacrifice. If we have to put in extra hours of work, we have to sacrifice our leisure time in the process. We can think of those extra hours of work as an offering in a “yagnya” or sacrifice.
In other words, we need not go through elaborate rituals with fire and butter and priests and so on. Any action can be converted into an act of worship. When we donate, we can think that we are returning to Ishvara what was Ishvara’s to begin with. When we go on a diet, we can imagine that we are conserving Ishvara’s energy, and so on.
What is the rationale for “divinizing” all of our actions? The notion of doership and enjoyership, the two main obstacles to liberation, get progressively diluted. Instead of thinking “I did this” and “I enjoyed this”, we begin to think that “Ishvara did it, and Ishvara gets the results”. Consequently, our stress levels and worries begin to reduce as well.
This takes us back full circle to karma yoga, but with the added dimension of devotion. Karma yoga without bhakti yoga is incomplete. Without the attitude of devotion, we can potentially commit wrong or harmful actions that we will hesitate to perform in front of Ishvara. With devotion, karma yoga is complete.
Shri Krishna reveals the result of worshipful actions in the next shloka.
Footnotes:
1. Devotion comprises three aspects: seva (service), shraddha (faith) and Ishvara mahaanata (greatness of Ishvara)
Friday, July 27, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 9
Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
idam tu te guhyatamam pravakshyaamyanasooyave |
jnyaanam vijnyaanasahitam yajnyaatvaa mokshayaseshubhaat || 1 ||
Shree Bhagavaan said:
However, to you who is without fault, I will teach this extremely secret knowledge along with wisdom, having known which, you will be liberated from the inauspicious.
idam : this
tu : however
te : to you
guhyatamam : extremely secret
pravakshyaami : I will teach
anasooyave : faultless
jnyaanam : knowledge
vijnyaana : wisdom
sahitam : along with
yat : which
jnyaatvaa : having known
mokshayase : you will be liberated
ashubhaat : inauspicious
Shri Krishna uses this chapter to progress the theme of the seventh chapter, which was the infinite nature of Ishvara and the finite nature of maaya. He begins the chapter by asserting that the knowledge of Ishvara’s infinite nature will result in liberation. He addresses Arjuna as “anasooya” which means without fault, doubt or prejudice, indicating that those who have begun the process of purification of their minds through karma yoga and devoted meditation will understand this knowledge completely.
First, let us understand the result of knowledge that Shri Krishna is glorifying in this shloka. It is going to give us freedom or liberation from the inauspicious. The word inauspicious in this shloka refers to samsaara or the endless cycle of creation and dissolution that all of us are trapped in.
Next, let us look at what makes this knowledge unique. Shri Krishna says that he is going to reveal not just "jnyaana" or knowledge, but also “vijnyana” or wisdom that we can internalize in our lives. Also, unlike other knowledge that requires action to give a result, this knowledge gives us the result of liberation all by itself. As an example, if we come to know that a mirage in a desert is false, we don’t have to do anything further.
What makes this knowledge even more special is that it is extremely subtle. It is hard for someone to figure out on their own. We need a competent teacher like Shri Krishna to reveal this knowledge to us, as well as a competent student who is ready and unprejudiced. Shri Krishna, urging us to learn this knowledge in the right way through a teacher, calls it secret knowledge. It also shows the level of trust that Arjuna built with Shri Krishna in order to qualify for this knowledge.
Shri Krishna further glorifies this special knowledge in the next shloka.
Footnotes
1. Four things comprise ignorance or incorrect knowledge about our self. Doership, enjoyership, the notion of birth, death and rebirth, and the notion that the "I" in me has a different identity than the universe; all this is ignorance or avidya.
2. This ignorance is driven away by knowledge, which is the true nature of our self.
idam tu te guhyatamam pravakshyaamyanasooyave |
jnyaanam vijnyaanasahitam yajnyaatvaa mokshayaseshubhaat || 1 ||
Shree Bhagavaan said:
However, to you who is without fault, I will teach this extremely secret knowledge along with wisdom, having known which, you will be liberated from the inauspicious.
idam : this
tu : however
te : to you
guhyatamam : extremely secret
pravakshyaami : I will teach
anasooyave : faultless
jnyaanam : knowledge
vijnyaana : wisdom
sahitam : along with
yat : which
jnyaatvaa : having known
mokshayase : you will be liberated
ashubhaat : inauspicious
Shri Krishna uses this chapter to progress the theme of the seventh chapter, which was the infinite nature of Ishvara and the finite nature of maaya. He begins the chapter by asserting that the knowledge of Ishvara’s infinite nature will result in liberation. He addresses Arjuna as “anasooya” which means without fault, doubt or prejudice, indicating that those who have begun the process of purification of their minds through karma yoga and devoted meditation will understand this knowledge completely.
First, let us understand the result of knowledge that Shri Krishna is glorifying in this shloka. It is going to give us freedom or liberation from the inauspicious. The word inauspicious in this shloka refers to samsaara or the endless cycle of creation and dissolution that all of us are trapped in.
Next, let us look at what makes this knowledge unique. Shri Krishna says that he is going to reveal not just "jnyaana" or knowledge, but also “vijnyana” or wisdom that we can internalize in our lives. Also, unlike other knowledge that requires action to give a result, this knowledge gives us the result of liberation all by itself. As an example, if we come to know that a mirage in a desert is false, we don’t have to do anything further.
What makes this knowledge even more special is that it is extremely subtle. It is hard for someone to figure out on their own. We need a competent teacher like Shri Krishna to reveal this knowledge to us, as well as a competent student who is ready and unprejudiced. Shri Krishna, urging us to learn this knowledge in the right way through a teacher, calls it secret knowledge. It also shows the level of trust that Arjuna built with Shri Krishna in order to qualify for this knowledge.
Shri Krishna further glorifies this special knowledge in the next shloka.
Footnotes
1. Four things comprise ignorance or incorrect knowledge about our self. Doership, enjoyership, the notion of birth, death and rebirth, and the notion that the "I" in me has a different identity than the universe; all this is ignorance or avidya.
2. This ignorance is driven away by knowledge, which is the true nature of our self.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 8
vedeshu yajneshu tapahasu chaiva daaneshu yatpunyaphalam pradishtam |
atyeti tatsarvamidam viditvaa yogee param sthaanamupaiti chaadyam || 28 ||
Whatever auspicious results have been indicated in the Vedas, rituals, austerities and also in charity, the yogi transcends all these having known this (knowledge), and attains the primal supreme state.
vedeshu : in Vedas
yajneshu : in rituals
tapahasu : in austerities
cha : and
eva : also
daaneshu : in charity
yat : whatever
punya : auspicious
phalam : results
pradishtam : have been indicated
atyeti : transcends
tat : these
sarvam : all
idam : this
viditvaa : having known
yogee : yogi
param : supreme
sthaanam : state
upaiti : attains
cha : and
aadyam : primal
Shri Krishna concludes the eighth chapter with this shloka. He tells us that he has spelled out an entire “flowchart for the afterlife”. With this knowledge, we have the means to achieve anything including heaven, rebirth and liberation. The outcome solely depends upon our behaviour while we are alive.
Traditionally, seekers used the instructions in the Vedas to perform rituals, austerities and charity. Many of them did so with the goal of attaining a better state in the afterlife. In our case, even though we may not perform rituals per se, our goal is similar. We try to do good actions and charity so that we can earn “punya” or merit for the afterlife. However, we know know that mere performance of good actions will get us to heaven, but we will eventually come back once our merits are exhausted.
Therefore, Shri Krishna recommends the bright path of devotion and action that leads us to the abode of Lord Brahma, and eventually into liberation. This path of graduated liberation, indicated by the phrase “supreme primal state” is also known as “krama mukti”. One who achieves this path transcends, or goes beyond the results of heaven, because he attains liberation which frees him from finitude.
Shri Krishna is not done yet. There is yet another path of liberation that is his personal favourite. We shall learn more in the coming chapters.
om tatsatiti shrimadbhagavadgitasu upanishadsu brahmavidyayaam yogashastre shrikrishnaarjunasamvade aksharabrahmayogonaamo ashtamodhyaahaha || 8 ||
atyeti tatsarvamidam viditvaa yogee param sthaanamupaiti chaadyam || 28 ||
Whatever auspicious results have been indicated in the Vedas, rituals, austerities and also in charity, the yogi transcends all these having known this (knowledge), and attains the primal supreme state.
vedeshu : in Vedas
yajneshu : in rituals
tapahasu : in austerities
cha : and
eva : also
daaneshu : in charity
yat : whatever
punya : auspicious
phalam : results
pradishtam : have been indicated
atyeti : transcends
tat : these
sarvam : all
idam : this
viditvaa : having known
yogee : yogi
param : supreme
sthaanam : state
upaiti : attains
cha : and
aadyam : primal
Shri Krishna concludes the eighth chapter with this shloka. He tells us that he has spelled out an entire “flowchart for the afterlife”. With this knowledge, we have the means to achieve anything including heaven, rebirth and liberation. The outcome solely depends upon our behaviour while we are alive.
Traditionally, seekers used the instructions in the Vedas to perform rituals, austerities and charity. Many of them did so with the goal of attaining a better state in the afterlife. In our case, even though we may not perform rituals per se, our goal is similar. We try to do good actions and charity so that we can earn “punya” or merit for the afterlife. However, we know know that mere performance of good actions will get us to heaven, but we will eventually come back once our merits are exhausted.
Therefore, Shri Krishna recommends the bright path of devotion and action that leads us to the abode of Lord Brahma, and eventually into liberation. This path of graduated liberation, indicated by the phrase “supreme primal state” is also known as “krama mukti”. One who achieves this path transcends, or goes beyond the results of heaven, because he attains liberation which frees him from finitude.
Shri Krishna is not done yet. There is yet another path of liberation that is his personal favourite. We shall learn more in the coming chapters.
om tatsatiti shrimadbhagavadgitasu upanishadsu brahmavidyayaam yogashastre shrikrishnaarjunasamvade aksharabrahmayogonaamo ashtamodhyaahaha || 8 ||
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