Monthly Archives: January 2012

Summary of Chapter 3

21 Saturday Jan 2012

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In chapter 2, Shri Krishna explained that the ultimate spiritual goal is the elimination of our vaasanaas. In chapter 3, he provides the technique of karmayoga which is the first step that all of us have to take in order to begin the process of elimination of vaasanaas.
 
First, he stressed the need to convince ourselves that we have to act. We simply cannot think that we can eliminate vaasanaas by not acting. Once we have convinced that we have to act, we have to adopt the attitude of karmayoga so that further actions do not cause bondage. The attitude of karmayoga comprises five aspects of knowledge or buddhi that we need to maintain while performing any action:
 
1. Samatva Buddhi : We need remain calm but alert in all situations. As the earlier chapter explained, situations are transient, they come and go. Having understood that they are transient, we should not get overly excited or agitated with each new situation.
 
2. Svadharma Buddhi : We should conduct self-analysis to understand where our strongest desires lie, and then deploy those desires in the service of a higher ideal. 
 
3. Samarpana Buddhi : We should always dedicate all our actions to something that is higher than us. We should remember that the entire universe is operating in a spirit of yajma. Whatever we own is material that is in the service of the yajna, it is not ours.
 
4. Asanga Buddhi : We should constantly assess whether we are attached to any material object, person, emotion, position or action. In other words, we should analyze our relationship with those things to understand whether we give so much importance to a thing that we cannot do without it. We should also remember that everything is the gunaas acting on the gunaas. Therefore, we should work with no expectation of the future, and no burden of the past.
 
5. Prasaada Buddhi : While we perform actions, we should not keep an eye on the result. We should accept every result as a “prasaada”. If we get attached to one type of result, whether it be positive or negative, the opposite or the complement of that result will torture us and bind us.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 43, Chapter 3

20 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.43, aatmaanaam, aatmanaa, buddeh, buddhvaa, chapter 3 verse 43, duraasadam, evam, jahi, kaamaroopam, mahaabaaho, param, sanstabhyaha, shatrum

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evam buddheh param buddhvaa sanstabhyaatmaanamaatmanaa |
jahi shatrum mahaabaaho kaamaroopam duraasadam || 43 ||

In this way, having known the eternal essence to be superior than the intellect, and having strengthened oneself by oneself, O mighty-armed, slay the insurmountable enemy in the form of desire.

evam : in this way
buddheh : with intellect
param : superior (the eternal essence)
buddhvaa : having known
sanstabhyaha : strengthened
aatmaanam : oneself
aatmanaa : by oneself
jahi : slay
shatrum : enemy
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
kaamaroopam : in the form of desire
duraasadam : insurmountable

The prior shloka and this shloka comprise the concluding shlokas of the third chapter. In these 2 shlokas, Shri Krishna gives Arjuna the seed of an entire lifetime’s worth of spiritual practice. But this technique needs further elaboration, which will be provided in the forthcoming chapters of the Gita. Karmayoga is just the preparatory stage. The real journey of spiritual practice or saadhanaa commences only when we learn to control and channel our vaasanaas through karmayoga, which culminates in the practice of meditation.

One of the major points made in this shloka is that we have tackle our problems from the standpoint of the eternal essence, not from the standpoint of our prakriti, which is not our real identity. We have been conditioned to identify with our prakriti since our birth, which is what makes it difficult. Therefore, to the extent possible, we should always try to identify with the eternal essence.

For instance, we come across a thought that says “I can smoke one cigarette today, it will cause me no harm”, we have to be alert and ask ourselves, who is this I that has generated this thought? If we are truly identified with the eternal essence, we will recognize that our prakriti – our inbuilt tendency – is saying it. This is not easy to do. Typically, when such a thought arises, it “short-circuits” our intellect and turns into action immediately. That is why Shri Krishna urges us to start on the path of karmayoga so that we slowly lose attachment with material objects first, then with our body/mind/intellect.

This inner conflict between our lower nature and our higher nature is the central theme of the Gita. Therefore, Shri Krishna concludes the chapter on karmayoga with a profound message: strengthen oneself by oneself. It means that by practicing karmayoga, we strengthen our higher nature, and that enables us to control our lower nature.

om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade karmayogo naama tritiyodhyaayaha || 3 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 3

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in aahuh, buddheh, buddhih, chapter 3 verse 42, indriyaani, indriyebhyaha, manaha, manasha, paraa, param, parani, parataha, saha, tu, yah

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indriyaani paranyaahurindriyebhyaha param manaha |
manasastu paraa buddhiryo buddheh paratastu saha || 42 ||

It is said that the senses are superior (than the body), the mind is superior than the senses, the intellect are superior than the mind, and that (the eternal essence) is superior than the intellect.

indriyaani : the senses
parani : superior
aahuh : is said
indriyebhyaha : than the senses
param : superior
manaha : mind
manasaha : than the mind
tu : also
paraa : superior
buddhih : intellect
yah : that which
buddheh : than intellect
parataha : superior
tu : also
saha : that

As we approach the conclusion of the third chapter, Shri Krishna delivers yet another profound shloka that has layers and layers of meaning. Let us examine its practical aspects.

This shloka provides us a hierarchy of our nature, or our prakriti. Earlier in the second chapter, Shri Krishna provided us with the ultimate goal of the Gita, which is to realize that we are the eternal essence, and are distinct from our prakriti, which comprises the body, mind and intellect. So in this shloka, he further informs us that these three components of our prakriti are not equally powerful – there is a hierarchy or an order to their power. The subtler a component is, the more power it wields.

The body is the most tangible, or the most gross, aspect of prakriti. Subtler than the body are the senses. Subtler than the senses is the mind, which generates reactions in the form of emotions and thoughts, but lacks decision making power. Subtler than the mind is the intellect, which can analyze and understand the thoughts generated by the mind, and has the power to control the mind, the senses and the body. And here is the key point: if we assert control of one aspect of prakriti, we automatically bring all the lower levels in our command.

For example, let’s say someone wants to quit smoking. If he convinces his intellect that smoking is harmful, and also remains alert at the time a desire to smoke arises, he has a good chance of quitting smoking. But if the intellect starts rationalizing this behaviour by saying “one cigarette is not a problem” then there is no chance.

Now, if we are operating on the level of our vaasanaas, the intellect is where the hierarchy would stop. Then desires would take hold of the senses, the mind and even the intellect, making us act selfishly. There would be no way out. But this shloka urges us to realize that there is something even superior to the intellect, which has the potential to root our desires that have penetrated the intellect. In the initial stages of our journey, that something is a higher ideal. But as we proceed in our journey, it is the highest possible ideal: the eternal essence itself. Unless we recognize this, we will be stuck at the level of the intellect. This paves the way for the technique of removing obstacles, which is covered in the next and final shloka of the third chapter.

Footnotes
1. Bringing one’s prakriti under control is one component of the “saadhana-chatushtaya”, or the four-fold qualifications of a seeker. Control of the senses is called “dama” and control of the mind is called “kshama”.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 3

18 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.41, adau, bharatarshabha, chapter 3 verse 41, enam, hi, indriyaani, jnyaana, miyamya, naashanam, paapmaanam, prajahi, tasmaat, tvam, vijnyaana

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tasmaattvamindriyaanyaadau niyamya bharatarshabha |
paapmaanam prajahi hyonam jnyaanavijnyaananaashanam || 41 ||

Therefore, first control the senses, O excellent among Bharataas, and with force, definitely kill this destroyer of knowledge and wisdom.

tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
indriyaani : senses
adau : first
niyamya : control
bharatarshabha : excellent among Bharataas
paapmaanam : mighty sinner (desires)
prajahi : kill with force
hi : definitely
enam : this
jnyaana : knowledge
vijnyaana : wisdom
naashanam : destroyer

Having revealed the location of desire, Shri Krishna now provides a method of taming desire. He advises Arjuna to first control desire at the level of the senses. Desires originate in the likes and dislikes present in the senses, and therefore, that is where we should go after them.

This requires us to be constantly aware and alert of our likes and dislikes, and not to get overpowered by them once we see them arise. For example, we can detect anger towards someone we dislike arise in our mind. We may try to suppress angry thoughts, but that is not feasible. Therefore we should first learn to control anger at level of the tongue by not speaking any harsh words towards that person.

How do we remain alert? There are several techniques to make us alert and bring us to the present moment. The simplest technique is to take a few breaths and just focus attention on the inhaling and exhaling. This will immediately stop all mental “chatter”.

Shri Krishna also mentions here that desire not only destroys knowledge but also wisdom. So let us correctly understand what is meant by wisdom here. Essentially, knowledge + experience = wisdom. If we read something in a book, then it is knowledge. But if we experience something on our own, then we own it and it becomes wisdom.

With this shloka, Shri Krishna answered the question raised by Arjuna, which was in regards to obstacles to karma yoga. He also provided a simple technique that only begins to address the obstacles, but does not completely eradicate them. In the next two verses, he concludes the topic of karmayoga by providing the advanced technique of removing these obstacles.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 3

17 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.40, aavritya, adhisthaanam, asya, buddih, chapter 3 verse 40, dehinam, eshah, etaih, indriyaani, jnyaanam, manah, uchayte, vimohayati

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indriyaani mano buddhirasyaadhishthaanamuchyate |
etairvimohayatyesha jnyaanamaavritya dehinam || 40 ||

The senses, mind and intellect are said to be its residence. Through them, this (desire) covers the body-dweller’s wisdom.

indriyaani : senses
manah : mind
buddhih : intellect
asya : this
adhishthaanam : residence
uchyate: it is said
etaih : these
vimohayati : delude
eshah : this (desire)
jnyaanam : wisdom
aavritya : cover
dehinam : body-dweller

Like a military strategist reveals the location of the enemy to the warrior, Shri Krishna in this shloka reveals the location of the karmayogi’s enemy. The enemy in the form of desire has three residences. The first residence is the senses, the second is the mind, and the third is the intellect. Note that he uses the term “body-dweller” to remind us that the body, mind and intellect are separate than the eternal essence.

In the senses, desire and anger manifest as likes and dislikes, as we have seen before. Now, each sense organ has its own likes and dislikes. For example, the ear may find some sounds pleasing and others harsh. These likes and dislikes come from our natural tendencies or prakriti. You can see likes and dislikes in animals as well. Your pet dog may prefer one kind of food over another.

There is not much that we can do about our natural tendencies. We just need to ensure that they do not obstruct us from our goals. But when we feed them by giving them time and attention, they get charged by our emotions and take residence in our mind. Our mind is the faculty that gathers data from the senses and creates a coherent picture of what is being senses. It also generates thoughts based on current and past impressions.

Our language will give us an indication of whether a like is residing in our senses or in our mind. If we say, “I like to eat fries” or “I prefer fries”, it is still at the level of senses. But if we say, “I absolutely love fries, I cannot do without them”, it means that the like has now gone into the mind.

There is another indication that a desire has penetrated into the mind. A desire can be active even if the object of the desire is not perceived by the senses. If we dislike a person only when we meet him, then that dislike is at the level of the senses. But if we keep thinking “I hate that person” even when he is not in front of us, then that dislike has become hatred and has penetrated our mind.

The last and most dangerous place for a desire to reside is in our intellect, which is the faculty that takes decisions based on analysis and rationality. If we begin to justify and rationalize our loves and hates, it means that the desire has penetrated into our intellect. It is extremely difficult to tackle such desires, because they have completely taken hold of us: our senses, our mind and our intellect. Someone who resorts to violence and is utterly convinced of his position will even quote from scriptures to justify his actions, for instance.

So therefore, Shri Krishna provided Arjuna with the location and nature of the enemy that he needed to tackle. He explains the technique of tacking the enemy in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 3

16 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.39, aavaritam, analena, cha, dushpoorena, eterna, jnyaanam, jnyaaninah, kaamaroopena, kaunteya, nityavairinaa

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aavaritam jnyaanametena jnyaanino nityavairinaa |
kaamaroopena kaunteya dushpoorenaanalena cha || 39 ||

This wisdom of even intelligent people is covered by that eternal enemy, in the form of desire, which is like an insatiable fire.

aavaritam : covered
jnyaanam : wisdom
etena : this
jnyaaninah : intelligent people
nityavairinaa : eternal enemy
kaamaroopena : in the form of desire
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
dushpoorena : instatiable
analena : fire
cha : and

In this shloka, Shri Krishna gives the meaning of the terms “this” and “that” that were used in the previous shloka. He says that desire is the “that” by which “this” wisdom is covered. If wisdom is covered, then prakriti takes control of us, and we fall into the depths of unintelligent behaviour.

Shri Krishna uses two metaphors to describe desire. First, he calls desire an eternal enemy. We may think that we have subdued desire, but its seed lies waiting in the form of likes and dislikes. When we least expect it, it will arise and turn into a strong desire within milliseconds. Hence, by calling it an eternal enemy, Shri Krishna urges us to be eternally alert and vigilant in regards to our desires.

The other metaphor used for desire is that of a fire. Fire never says no to any fuel that is added to it. It is capable of surviving indefinitely as long as fuel is provided. But conversely, it ends the minute it runs out of fuel. Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to take our focus away from thoughts of like and dislike as soon as we are aware of them. It is the power behind thought that fuels likes and dislikes to stronger.

So therefore, having convinced Arjuna that desire and anger lie him and not within someone else, he proceeds to reveal their location to Arjuna in the next shloka. He purposely uses the language of war so that Arjuna will respond with rapt attention.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 3

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.39, aadarshah, aavritaha, aavritam, aavriyate, cha, chapter 3 verse 38, dhoomena, garbhaha, idam, malena, tathaa, tena, ulbena, vahinaha, yathaa

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dhoomenaavriyate vahinyarthaadarsho malena cha |
yatholbenaavrito garbhastathaa tenedamaavritam || 38 ||

Just as smoke covers fire, dirt covers a mirror, and a womb covers a foetus, so does this (desire) cover that (wisdom).

dhoomena : by smoke
aavriyate : covers
vahinaha : fire
yathaa : like
aadarshah : mirror
malena : dirt
cha : and
yathaa : like
ulbena : womb
aavritaha : covers
garbhaha : foetus
tathaa : so does
tena : that
idam : this
aavritam : cover

Earlier Shri Krishna explained that when likes and dislikes morph into desire and hatred, they increase the rajas in our system, creating a vicious cycle. So what is the end result? Here, he says that when desire and hatred arise, they shut off or conceal our wisdom.

Our wisdom, or ability to discriminate, resides in our intellect. Due to a lifetime’s worth of conditioning, this wisdom does not become our second nature. Wisdom is like a shining light, which can easily be covered if we are not careful. So desire, or anger, arise from the deeper, subconscious aspects of our mind and cover this light of wisdom. We then lose any ability to decide right from wrong, and behave foolishly. Shri Krishna says here that our wisdom can be covered in three ways.

The thickest, most dense covering occurs due to taamasic desires. These are desires that have lived inside our system for ages, and once they get activated, they totally cover the wisdom just like a womb covers a foetus. And just like there is no other way to see the foetus other than to wait for its birth, the only way to get rid of taamasic desires is to wait. They are so strong, and so in tune with our likes and dislikes, that nothing can be done once they are activated. Examples of taamasic desires are excessive drinking, drug usage, or even the overpowering desire to be “right” which can lead you into violent fights and arguments.

Less potent than taamasic desires are raajasic desires. As Shri Krishna says in this shloka, their veiling of wisdom is less thicker than taamasic desires. They are like dust on a mirror, where one stroke of the hand cleans the mirror. Raajasic desires are usually motivated by greed. Examples include buying the latest gadget, boasting of one’s accomplishments to one’s friends and so on.

Finally, saatvic desires are those that cover our wisdom very lightly. The desire to attend a satsang, or to attain moksha, is a saatvic desire. Our wisdom shines the brightest, or in other words, operates at the greatest capacity through saatvic desires.

As we progress in our journey, let us try to be alert and at least try to track the desires that we harbour. How many desires are we living with? What is the proportion between saatvic, raajasic and taamasic? Are we slowly changing the proportion in favour of saatvic desires?

In this shloka, the mysterious phrase “this covers that” was used. Although we got a sense of what that means here, Shri Krishna goes into more detail in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 3

14 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.38, chapter 3 verse 37, enam, esha, iha, kaamah, krodah, mahaapaapmaa, mahaashanah, rajoguna, samudbhavaha, vairinam, viddhi

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
kaama esha krodha esha rajogunasamudhbhavaha |
mahaashano mahaapaapmaa viddhyenamiha vairinam || 37 ||

Shree Bhagavaan said:
It is desire, it is anger, born of rajas. It is a voracious eater, a great sinner. Know it to be the enemy (here in this world).

kaamah : desire
eshah : this
krodha : anger
esha : this
rajoguna : rajas
samudhbhavaha : originated from
mahaashanah : voracious eater
mahaapaapmaa : massive sinner
viddhi : know
enam : it
iha : in this
vairinam : enemy

Earlier, Shri Krishna had mentioned that likes and dislikes are like highway robbers. They distract us from our path. But now, he uses the term “enemy” to refer to desire. What is the difference between a highway robber and an enemy? A highway robber does not care who we are, he just wants to distract us, rob us and let us go. But an enemy knows us, knows our weaknesses well, and intends to cause us great harm. Therefore, desire and anger are much more dangerous than likes and dislikes.

When we give a lot of attention to our likes and dislikes, it increases the proportion of the active quality, or rajas, in our system. When this happens, our likes and dislikes grow in size like weeds and become strong desires. We then go into a vicious cycle : strong desires create more rajas, which in turn makes the desires even stronger. Similarly, if dislikes grow, they turn into anger and hatred.

Now, when a strong desire gets fulfilled, there is a temporary pause in that desire, and the mind becomes still for a short amount of time. As we have seen earlier, an absence of desires clears the mind and lets the eternal essence shine through. When that happens, we experience peace and happiness. But, most of us wrongfully attribute that temporary spark of happiness to the object we just acquired, rather than to the absence of desire. So then, we go through life fueling our desires, in the hope that we can recreate that experience.

The tendency to recreate happiness through repetitive acquisition of an object is called greed. Moreover, the ego becomes strong through the increase in rajas, and it begins to go outward, comparing us with others. If someone has less than us, pride is created. Conversely, if someone has more than us, jealously is created.

The practical lesson here is that we should not encourage our likes and dislikes. In other words, if a like or dislike arises in the mind, we should not give it too much attention. If we do, it will get stronger. It is easier to control a like or a dislike. Once it has grown into a strong desire or hatred, then it becomes much difficult to control.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 36, Chapter 3

13 Friday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.37, anicchan, api, atha, balaat, chapter 3 verse 36, charati, iva, kena, niyojitah, paapam, poorushah, prayutah, vaarshneya

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Arjuna uvaacha:
atha kena prayuktoyam paapam charati poorushah |
anicchannapi vaarshneya balaadiva niyojitaha || 36 ||

Then, what compels people to commit sin against their wishes, O Vaarshneya, as if commanded forcefully?

atha : then
kena : which
prayuktah : compels
paapam : sin
charati : commit
poorushah : people
anicchan : without one’s wish
api : also
vaarshneya : O Vaarshneya
balaat : forcefully
iva : as if
niyojitaha : commanded

In the last shloka, Shri Krishna completed his teaching of karmayoga. But Arjuna was not satisfied. He was listening attentively and wanted to know more details around the obstacles to karmayoga, how to spot them and how to get rid of them.

It is a wonderful question, because as we have seen earlier, obstacles to karmayoga pop up when we least expect them. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the obstacles is needed to fully overcome them. Note that Arjuna addresses Shri Krishna as “vaarshneya”, which means a member of the Vrishni dynasty.

Even in simple matters like our food intake, we face obstacles. Most of us are smart enough to know that foods containing a lot of oil and sugar are not good for us. But when we see our favourite dessert in front of us, we are propelled to eat it. All our intellect stops functioning. Well educated people, under the influence of greed, commit all kinds of scams today.

There is an interesting statement made by Duryodhana in the Mahaabhaarata. He says that even he knows that his actions are wrong, but there is something inside him that forces him to carry out those actions. This means that even a strong intellect is not necessarily able to check our behaviour.

In the final portion of the third chapter, Shri Krishna responds to Arjuna’s doubt to describe the obstacles in detail and the method to control their influence on us.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 35, Chapter 3

12 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.36, bhyaavahaha, chapter 3 verse 35, nidhanam, paradharmaat, paradharmo, shreyaan, shreyaha, svadharmah, svadharme, svanushthitaat, vigunaha

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shreyaansvadharmo vigunaha paradharmaatsvanushthitaat |
svadharme nidhanam shreyaha paradharmo bhayaavahaha || 35 ||

Following one’s own nature, though imperfect, is still better than following another’s nature that is perfect. Even dying in one’s nature is better, and the nature of another leads to danger.

shreyaan : is better
svadharmah : following one’s nature
vigunaha : imperfect
paradharmaat : compared to other’s nature
svanushthitaat : perfect
svadharme : in one’s nature
nidhanam : dying
shreyaha : it is better
paradharmo : other’s nature
bhayaavahaha : cause of fear and danger

On the surface, this shloka seems to contradict the previous shloka where Shri Krishna advocated that we should not let our likes and dislikes, i.e. our nature, take us away from our goal. Here, he seems to say that we should follow our nature instead. Let us try to analyze this paradox.

Earlier, we came across the notion of svadharma, which is work that one enjoys doing, has the aptitude and training for doing, and is not illegal or unethical. Svadharma is nothing but our strongest likes and desires, and only we can judge what they are.

Upon self-examination, we may find that we gravitate towards a career in art, or music, or science and so on. Let’s say we determine that science is our strongest like. That now becomes our svadharma. We use the enormous pressure of our interest in science in the service of a higher goal, by becoming a researcher, for instance.

Another implication of this message is that the force generated by our svadharma should be used in evolution of our personality. A person with a strong desire to fight can become a soldier if he uses his svadharma in the service of his country. But he can also become a gangster if his svadharma is not dedicated to a higher ideal.

Therefore, what this shloka says is that once we have selected a strong desire as our svadharma, we should not let weaker likes or dislikes distract us from the svadharma. For example, let’s say we are pursuing a PhD in science. We may come across someone following a different profession and who earns significantly more money. We should not cause our liking for more money to change our path. Not only will it help us reach our spiritual goal, we will have peace of mind too.

What is unique about this approach is that it emphasizes introspection over blind faith. The beauty of the Gita’s teaching is that takes care of every person. There is no fixed rigid path – each one arrives at their own path through self-analysis. It is like a kitchen where each spice is unique, but has a distinct role to play in making a meal.