Monthly Archives: March 2012

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 5

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.18, braahmane, cha, chapter 5 verse 18, eva, gavi, hastini, panditaaha, samadarshinaha, sampanne, shuni, shvapaake, vidya, vinaya

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vidyavinayasampanne braamhane gavi hastini |
shuni chaiva shvapaake cha panditaaha samadarshinaha || 18 ||

A braahman endowed with knowledge and sense control, a cow, an elephant, a dog, even a dog-eater – the wise person perceives (all these) as one.

vidya : knowledge
vinaya : sense controlled
sampanne : endowed with
braamhane : a braahman
gavi : a cow
hastini : an elephant
shuni : a dog
cha : and
eva : even
shvapaake : dog-eater
cha : and
panditaaha : wise person
samadarshinaha : perceives as one

Shri Krishna further elaborates on the vision of a realized seeker in this shloka. Unlike most of us how tend to focus on the differences, the realized seeker focuses on the eternal essence which is common in every plant, animal, human, situation and inanimate object. In chapter two, we saw the example of the child who want a cookie shaped like a lion, whereas the adult does not really care because his focus is in the dough that is common within each cookie.

A spectrum of entities has been laid out before us, from the braahman that has a high level of sattva, to a cow that has lesser sattvic content, all the way to an individual with a miniscule, almost non-existent level of sattva. Shri Krishna says that the wise person sees the eternal essence in all of them.

This ability to see the oneness is all is praised throughout our scriptures. In the Raamaayana, Tulsidaas says the one should view both friends and enemies equally. Why? Because when enemies leave, they give sorrow. But when friends leave, they too give sorrow. It is just a matter of perspective.

Now, just because the wise person views everyone with a similar vision does not mean he treats them similarly, or deals with them similarly. He will deal with a dog differently than how he would treat a braahman. How is it possible? It is just like we see our body as one, but we treat our eye differently then we would treat the soles of our feet.

Footnotes

1. “Vinaya” usually means humility, but it is translated as sense control in the context of this shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 5

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.17, apunaraavrittim, chapter 5 verse 17, gacchanti, kalmashaaha, tadaatmanaaha, tadbuddhyaha, tannishthaaha, tatparayaanaaha

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tadbuddhyastadaatmanaastannishthaastatparayaanaaha |
gacchantyapunaraavrittim jnyaanirdhootakalmashaaha || 17 ||

His intellect lies in that, his mind lies in that, his conviction lies in that, his goal lies in that. He reaches that state from which there is no return, (due to) his sins removed by knowledge.

tadbuddhyaha : intellect lies in that
tadaatmanaaha : mind lies in that
tannishthaaha : conviction lies in that
tatparayaanaaha : goal lies in that
gacchanti : reaches that state
apunaraavrittim : from which there is no return
jnyaanirdhoota : knowledge removes
kalmashaaha : sins

Many years ago, I was talking to a renowned musician who made a statement that stuck with me: “You know you are a true musician when you breathe, eat, sleep, walk and talk music. There is nothing in your life but music”. That statement reveals how much thirst a person has for his goal.

In this shloka, Shri Krishna illustrates the personality of the seeker whose aspiration for the eternal essence is so intense that his entire personality resonates with that thirst for the eternal essence. His mind, intellect, conviction, goal – all these are aligned with the eternal essence.

It is important that both the mind and intellect need to be convinced that the only goal worth pursuing is the eternal essence, even if the eternal essence has not yet been realized. It is like the scientists who planned the mission to the moon, yet none of them had ever been on the moon. The mind needs to have love for the moon, and the intellect needs to enjoy the intellectual challenge that the task entails. If only the mind is convinced, it could lead into superstition. If only the intellect is convinced, it could lead into nihilism. Only when mind and intellect are convinced is when the whole personality is oriented towards the eternal essence.

So then, what happens to such a person with intense thirst for the eternal essence? Once he gains the knowledge of the eternal essence, he transcends all duality, including the notion of sins and demerits. Poetically, Shri Krishna puts it as the “state from which there is no return”, because all notions of duality have completely disappeared.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 5

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.16, aadityavat, aatmanaha, ajnyaanam, chapter 5 verse 16, jnyaanam, jnyaanena, naashitam, param, prakashayati, tat, teshaam, tu, yeshaam

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jnyaanena tu tadajnyaanam yeshaam naashitamaatmanaha |
teshaamaadityavatjnyaanam prakashayati tatparam || 16 ||

For those who have destroyed ignorance through knowledge, such knowledge illumines the eternal essence, just like the sun.

jnyaanena : through knowledge
tu : for
tat : that
ajnyaanam : ignorance
yeshaam : those who have
naashitam : destroyed
aatmanaha : their
teshaam : for them
aadityavat : like the sun
jnyaanam : knowledge
prakashayati : illumines
tat : that
param : eternal essence

In this shloka, Shri Krishna compares the dispelling of ignorance to the dispelling of darkness by the sun. The light of the sun does not create anything new. It just shows us what was already there, but was hidden by darkness. Similarly, the knowledge of the eternal essence does not create anything new in us. It just reveals our true nature.

Why does Shri Krishna emphasize knowledge so much? The central theme of the Gita is the removal of delusion. The root cause of delusion is ignorance, which is nothing but our identification to the body, mind and intellect. All our efforts should be towards uprooting this ignorance through the correct knowledge. However, our lives are spent in trying to solve problems at the worldly level.

There is always one aspect of our lives that is incomplete or imperfect. For some of us, it could be our job. For others, it could be our family and friends. For some others, it could be our health. Given these various imperfections, we try to better our situation by changing our job, friends and so on. This results in a roller coaster ride of joys and sorrows.

But if we take a truly objective look at this situation, it turns out that we are looking for perfection in the material world, which will always be imperfect. Shri Krishna says here that the only way to get to the root of this problem is to remove our ignorance of the eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 5

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.15, aadatte, aavritam, ajnyaanena, chapter 5 verse 15, jantavaha, jnyaanam, kasyachit, muhyanti, na, paapam, sukritam, tena, vibhoohu

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naadatte kasyachitpaapam na sukritam vibhoohu |
ajnyaanenaavritam jnyaanam tena muhyanti jantavaha || 15 ||

Neither does the eternal essence accept anyone’s sins, nor anyone’s merits. Ignorance veils knowledge, that is how creatures are deluded.

na : not
aadatte : accept
kasyachit : anyone’s
paapam : sins
na : not
sukritam : merits
vibhoohu : eternal essence
ajnyaanena : ignorance
aavritam : veiled
jnyaanam : knowledge
tena : that
muhyanti : deluded
jantavaha : creatures

In the sequence of shlokas describing the vision of the enlightened seeker, Shri Krishna provided the illustration of the city dweller and also asserted that the eternal essence is separate and distinct from action and its adjuncts including doership, results and enjoyership of result.

In this shloka, he takes us another step further in explaining the distinctness of eternal essence from action. He says that even sin and merit also have nothing to do with eternal essence. He also further says that action, result, doership, enjoyership, sin, merit – the notion that these belong to the “I”, the eternal essence, is termed as ignorance. This ignorance is caused due to our strong identification with the body, mind and intellect.

Let us refer to the Pac-Man example from the previous post. Based on his actions in the video game, the Pac-Man character can gain points (merits) or lose points (demerits). This gaining and losing of points is again based on rules of the video game. It, too, is a fully automatic system that does not require any external intervention to work.

Now, in some places in the Gita, Shri Krisha asks us to offer merit and sin to God. But here it is said that eternal essence does not take sin or merit. So how do we reconcile this seeming contradiction? The key thing to understand here is that the person who thinks he is associated with action, sin and merit is at one level, and the person who has identified himself with eternal essence is at another level. It is just like saying that the points accumulated in a Pac-Man game have no bearing in the real world. The game and the real world are two different realms.

Another way to look at it is as follows. Sin and merit are duality. They are two sides of the same coin, as it were, just like black/white, heat/cold and day/night. When you rise above it, duality has no bearing. Day and night do not mean anything when one is in outer space, when one leaves the earth and rises above it.

Here’s another noteworthy point. Shri Krishna has used an interesting word to refer to ignorant people in this shloka. He calls them creatures. It is a subtle hint that as long as we operate with body identification, we are similar to animals who also operate only at that level.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 5

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.14, chapter 5 verse 14, karmaani, karmaphala, kartritvam, lokasya, na, prabhuh, pravartate, saiyogam, srijati, svabhaavaha, tu

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na kartritvam na karmaani lokasya srijati prabhuh |
na karmaphalasaiyogam svabhaavastu pravartate || 14 ||

Neither agency nor actions, in this world, are created by the eternal essence, and neither does it connect actions to results; for nature organizes (all this).

na : not
kartritvam : agency, doership
na : not
karmaani : actions
lokasya : in this world
srijati : create
prabhuh : eternal essence
na : not
karmaphala : results and actions
saiyogam : connect
svabhaavaha : nature
tu : for
pravartate : organizes (all this)

Earlier, Shri Krishna provided the example of the dweller in the city to illustrate the distinction between the eternal essence and the body, mind and intellect. In this shloka, he takes us one step further by saying that the eternal essence is beyond the realm of action. Furthermore, since action implies doership, results and their enjoyership, action and everything that comes with it is in the realm of prakriti or nature. The eternal essence is separate and distinct from action.

Any self-contained system has inherent rules which govern its operations. For example, let us consider the Pac-Man video game. The game is played in a computer that has four buttons which are used to move Pac-Man up, down, left or right. The rules of the game are programmed into the system. If the player manages to get the fruit while evading the monsters, he wins the game. All this happens automatically. It does not require external intervention by any divine or human entity.

But if we take a step back, the Pac-Man character does not really “move” anywhere. It is an illusion created by the computer by projecting the Pac-Man image to different parts of the screen. One who is watching the game very objectively knows that there is no movement of left, right etc.

Similarly, one who sees the world from the absolute standpoint of the eternal essence knows that in reality, there is no action. Action only exists from the standpoint of nature or prakriti. And if action only exists in nature, so does doership, enjoyership, and connection of actions to their results. It is a self-governing automatic system.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 5

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.13, aaste, chapter 5 verse 13, dehee, eva, kaarayan, kurvan, manasaa, na, navadvare, pure, sannyasya, sarvakarmaani, sukham, vashee

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sarvakarmaani manasaa sannyasyaaste sukham vashee |
navadvaare pure dehee naiva kurvanna kaarayan || 13 ||

Having mindfully renounced all actions, the conqueror remains established in bliss. The embodied one, in the city with nine gates, neither acts nor causes to act.

sarvakarmaani : all actions
manasaa : mindfully
sannyasya : having renounced
aaste : remains established
sukham : bliss
vashee : the conqueror (of mind and senses)
navadvaare : with nine gates
pure : city
dehee : the embodied one
na : not
eva  : ever
kurvan : acts
na : nor
kaarayan : causes to act

Having spoken about the karmayogi’s vision, Shri Krishna now provides an illustration of the enlightened seeker’s vision in these shlokas. The picture he paints here is that one who identifies himself with the eternal essence, knows that he is only a dweller in the body, just like the resident of a city knows that he is a dweller, who is totally distinct from the city.

Imagine that you move into a new city for a job. As part of the move, you begin to utilize the city’s services such as water, electricity, garbage collection, telephone, cable etc. But while you utilize these services, you know that you are a resident of the city. You don’t begin to think that you are directly responsible for running the city. For example, when you someone picks up the garbage, it is part of the city’s services. You are in no way “running” the services.

Similarly, the enlightened seeker knows that he is the eternal essence, which is a dweller in the body and separate from the body. The body is pictorially depicted as a city with nine gates, each gate being an orifice (ear, nostril, eye) and so on. So when the seeker uses his hands, for example, he knows that the body, mind and intellect are operating independently. The enlightened seeker is in actuality, doing nothing at all. Just like the resident knows that the city’s services operate by themselves, and he is just a witness, similarly the enlightened person knows that the self is just a resident in the body, totally separate from the body.

Another indication of the seeker’s state is that he has complete control of his senses, and that he has mentally renounced the notion of doership. He knows that it is the body, mind and intellect that is performing action. This is indicated in the first part of the shloka. The end result is that the seeker, knowing that he is separate and distinct from the actions of the body, mind and intellect, lives in complete bliss.

Footnotes

1. Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary of this shloka gives an indicator that differentiates an enlightened seeker from an ordinary seeker. Let’s say we ask someone the question: “where are you sitting?”. If the person answers “on a chair” etc, then he is an ignorant seeker. If he answers “I am always sitting in the body”, he is an enlightened seeker.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 5

15 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.12, aapnoti, ayuktaha, chapter 5 verse 12, kaamakaarena, karmaphalam, naishtikeem, nibadhyate, phale, saktaha, shaatim, tyaktvaa, yuktaha

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yuktaha karmaphalam tyaktvaa shaantimaapnoti naishtikeem |
ayuktaha kaamakaarena phale sakto nibadhyate || 12 ||

One who is established in yoga, who has given up the result of action, attains everlasting peace. One who is not established in yoga, who has attachment to results due to desire, gets bound.

yuktaha : one established in yoga
karmaphalam : result of action
tyaktvaa : who has given up
shaantim : peace
aapnoti : attains
naishtikeem : everlasting
ayuktaha : one who is not established in yoga
kaamakaarena : due to desires
phale : results
saktaha : attachment
nibadhyate : gets bound

In this shloka, Shri Krishna compares and contrasts a karma yogi and a materialistic person. While both perform the very same action, and could very well get the same result, their attitude towards the work is different. One who follows karma yoga maintains the attitude that “I am not attached to the results”, whereas the materialistic person does not maintain this attitude.

The ignorant person does action for sake of the result. He does not find joy in work itself. If the result is favourable, he gets extremely elated. But this happiness, and in some instances, peace of mind, is temporary. The minute a result of actions becomes favourable, he gets extremely dejected and disappointed. But the karma yogi does not wait for the result of the action to give joy. He finds joy in the work. The peace that he attains is driven from within, rather than from without.

It is this mental attitude that differentiates the karma yogi from the materialistic person. The easiest way to gauge our progress towards karma yoga is to constantly monitor our state of mind. If we get agitated for long periods of time when we receive the result of our action, it is an indication that we have generated an attachment to the result, which in turn indicates that the ego is strong.

The words used to describe both types of seekers bear closer scrutiny. “Yuktaha” literally means yoked or established. In this context, yuktaha means one whose mind is yoked to the intellect. In other words, the mind is under the guidance of the intellect. In contrast, “ayuktaha” is one whose mind is not yoked to the intellect. It follows the direction of the mind and the senses. This difference in the orientation of the mind determines the fate of the seeker.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 5

14 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.11, aatmashuddhaye, api, buddhyaa, chapter 5 verse 11, indriyaihi, kaayena, karma, kavalaih, kurvanti, manasaa, sangam, tyaktvaa, yoginaha

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kaayena manasaa buddhyaa kevalairindriyairapi |
yoginaha karma kurvanti sangam tyakvaatmashuddhaye || 11 ||

Solely with body, mind, intellect and senses does the seeker perform actions, casting off all attachment, for the purification of the self.

kaayena : with body
manasaa : mind
buddhyaa : intellect
kevalaih : solely (without a sense of mine)
indriyaihi : senses
api : only
yoginaha : seeker
karma : actions
kurvanti : perform
sangam : attachment
tyakvaa : cast off
aatmashuddhaye : purification of self

In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna explained how a karma yogi offers his actions to Ishvara. But how exactly does he do that? Shri Krishna in this shloka says that the karma yogi continuously keeps the thought that the body, mind, intellect and senses – all these are the property of Ishvara, given by Ishvara. Therefore, all the work done is for the benefit for Ishvara, and not for the ego.

The Gita teaches that the body, mind, intellect and senses are not really “ours”. But due to our conditioning, we come to think that they are ours. We then begin to do things for their benefit. For example, the tongue likes sweet food, so we undertake actions to satisfy it by eating things that may not be healthy from a long term perspective. When actions are done for the satisfaction of body, mind, intellect and senses, the sense of “mine-ness” develops and the ego gets strengthened. We then begin to serve the ego.

In this regard, let us recall example of the CFO we had encountered a while ago. As long as the CFO thinks that she is working for company, things will go smoothly. But if she begins to think that working for herself, starts misusing the company’s funds as her own funds, she gets into trouble. Similarly, a karma yogi treats his body, mind, intellect and senses as instruments of Ishvara. When that attitude comes, all actions and their results also get offered to Ishvara. In this manner, the seeker detaches himself from the body, mind, intellect and senses from the ego,  and attaches them to Ishvara. This is what is meant by “casting off all attachment”.

Now, let’s examine the second part of shloka where Shri Krishna talks about purification of self. What happens when karma yogi continues to dedicate actions to Ishvara? His mind gets cleared of all selfish desire, and his ego begins to lose its power. The end result is that the mind is purified of all vaasanaas – which is what is meant by “self” in the shloka. Purification of mind brings the karmayogi closer to self-realization.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 5

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.10, aadhaaya, ambhasaa, brahmani, chapter 5 verse 10, iva, karmaani, karoti, lipyate, na, paapena, padma-patram, saga, sangam, tyaktvaa, yaha

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brahmanyaadhaaya karmaani sangam tvyaktvaa karoti yaha |
lipyate na sa paapena padmapatramivaambhasaa || 10 ||

Having offered all actions to the eternal essence, and having cast off attachments, he who performs actions does not get tainted by sins, just like water does not taint a lotus leaf.

brahmani : eternal essence
aadhaaya : offered
karmaani : all actions
sangam : attachment
tvyaktvaa : cast off
karoti : perform action
yaha : one who
lipyate : taint
na : do not
saha : him
paapena : sins
padma-patram : lotus leaf
iva : like
ambhasaa : water

Previously, we came across the vision of one who has realized the self. He knows that he is not the doer of all his actions. But what about the one who has not realized the self, and who is still working to sublimate his selfish desires? What is his vision?

In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that the person who has not realized the self (that includes most of us) offers all actions in a spirit of devotion to Ishvara. Shri Krishna reiterates that if one has selfish desires, karma yoga is the ideal path to follow. The karma yogi works for a higher ideal such as Ishvara, but one who does not follow karma yoga works for the ego.

Shri Krishna brings Arjuna back to karma yoga with this shloka. Arjuna harbours desires, therefore Shri Krishna does not want him to jump straight into the yoga of renunciation, which is a totally different level.

Now, let’s go a little deeper into the topic of attachment. Attachment can happen at four levels : attachment to the result of an action (I want a reward for singing this song), attachment to the action (I will sing a song only in my way), attachment to the sense of doership (I am singing this song) and attachment to the sense of non-doership (By not singing the song, I am the non-singer of this song). The first three are relatively easier to comprehend. The fourth one arises when one has not properly understood the notion of akarma or inaction from the fourth chapter.

So therefore, the karma yogi strives to transcend all four levels of attachment by offering results, actions, doership and non-doership to Ishvara. When he acts in the material world with such a vision, he does not accumulate any further desires, just like a lotus leaf does not get wet even though growing in water.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8-9, Chapter 5

12 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.8, 5.9, ashnan, chapter 5 verse 8-9, gachchan, grihnan, jighran, manyeta, nimishan, pashyan, pralapan, shrunvan, shvasan, sparshan, svapan, tattvavit, unmishan, visrijan, yuktaha

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naiva kinchitkaromeeti yukto manyeta tattvavit |
pashyan-shrunvan-sparshan-jighran-ashnan-gachchan-svapan-shvasan || 8 ||

pralapan-visrijan-grihnan-unmishan-nimishan-api |
indriyaaneendriyartheshu vartanta iti dhaarayan || 9 ||

Never do I perform any action – in this manner asserts the one established in yoga, who has realized the eternal essence. 

Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, dreaming and breathing; speaking, discarding, grasping, opening and closing of the eyelids. All this is the senses interacting with the sense objects – this is his understanding.

na : not
eva : ever
kinchit : anything
karomi : I act
iti : in this manner
yuktaha : one established in yoga
manyeta : asserts
tattvavit : who has realized the eternal essence

pashyan : seeing
shrunvan : hearing
sparshan : touching
jighran : smelling
ashnan : eating
gachchan : moving
svapan : dreaming
shvasan : breathing

pralapan : speaking
visrijan : discarding
grihnan : grasping
unmishan : opening eyelids
nimishan : closing eyelids
api : even during

indriyaani : senses
indriyartheshu : sense objects
vartanta : interacting
iti : this
dhaarayan : understanding

In prior shlokas, we learned that one who has realized the eternal essence understands that he is not the enjoyer and doer. So to make this as explicit as possible, Shri Krishna provided a detailed illustration of that teaching in this shloka. Here, he gives a comprehensive list of all activities performed by the body, mind and intellect. By providing this illustration, Shri Krishna demonstrates that one who has realized the eternal essence knows, in fact asserts, that he is not doing anything, and all these activities are happening automatically through the body, mind and intellect.

Having looked at this list of activities, we say  – yes we understand that blinking, hearing, dreaming and so on is automatic. But what about the process of thinking? Shri Krishna says that even the process of thought also happens automatically. Till such time as the ego is sublimated, it drives our mind to generate selfish thoughts. As the ego gets sublimated through karma yoga, selfish thoughts slowly transition to selfless ones. But the self , or the “I”, is just the witness of all these actions for one who has realized the eternal essence. Till then, the “I” thinks that it is the doer.

Only one who has realized the vision of the eternal essence truly knows that he is not the doer. What then, should be the vision of the karmayogi who wants to ultimately have this vision? This topic is tackled in the next shloka.