Author Archives: skr_2011

Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 14

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in 14.27, aham, aikaantikasya, amritasya, avyayasya, brahmanaha, chapter 14 verse 27, dharmasya, hi, pratishthaa, shaashvatasya, sukhasya

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brahmano hi pratishthaahamamritasyaavyayasya cha |
shaashvatasya cha dharmasya sukhasyaikaantikasya cha || 27 ||
 
For, I am the abode of brahman, the immortal, the imperishable, the eternal constitution, and of absolute joy.
 
brahmanaha : brahman
hi : for
pratishthaa : abode
aham : I am
amritasya : immortal
avyayasya : imperishable
cha : and
shaashvatasya : eternal
cha : and
dharmasya : constitution
sukhasya : of joy
aikaantikasya : absolute
cha : and
 
The thirteenth chapter of the Gita explained the topic of jnyaana yoga or the yoga of knowledge. One of the topics in that chapter was the description of nirguna brahman, which is the eternal essence in its purest state. Shri Krishna described the technique of mentally removing the upaadhis – the veiling of the organs, the senses and so on – to get to the eternal essence that is at the core all of us. One who attained this eternal essence through jnyaana yoga achieved liberation or moksha. Arjuna recollected this teaching, and a doubt arose in his mind. What was that doubt?
 
In the previous shloka of this chapter, Shri Krishna asserted that liberation would be attained by the one who has undivided devotion towards Ishvara. But in the previous chapter, Shri Krishna had said that the fruit of knowing the eternal essence in its purest state, nirguna brahman, also resulted in liberation. To address Arjuna’s doubt about the difference between the two approaches, Shri Krishna says here that he, as Ishvara, is the abode of the pure eternal essence, of nirguna brahman. In other words, undivided devotion to Ishvara results in the same outcome as does the yoga of knowledge. He also describes this pure eternal essence as immortal, imperishable, eternal and full of joy, just like he did in the thirteenth chapter. Furthermore, he says that the eternal essence is attained through the dharma or constitution of devotion and knowledge.
 
Shri Shankaraachaarya provides further nuances to this explanation in his commentary. He says that Prakriti or maaya is a power of nirguna brahman. Just like the strength of a strong person is inseparable from the person itself, maaya is inseparable from nirguna brahman. Therefore, it is nirguna brahman, with the power of maaya, that is speaking to Arjuna as Ishvara. This is the connection between nirguna brahman – brahman without maaya – and saguna brahman – brahman with maaya. Saguna brahman is the abode, and the power, of nirguna brahman. And the methods to attain brahman – devotion and knowledge – are two sides of the same coin. With this message, Shri Krishna concludes the fourteenth chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade gunatrayavibhaagayogo naama chaturdashodhyaayaha || 14 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 14

03 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by in 14.26, avyabhichaarena :, bhakti, brahmabhooyaaya, chapter 14 verse 26, etaan, gunaan, kalpate, maam, saha, samateetya, sevate, yaha, yogena

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maam cha yovyabhichaarena bhaktiyogena sevate |
sa gunaansamateetyaitaanbrahmabhooyaaya kalpate || 26 ||
 
And he who worships me with the unwavering yoga of devotion, having gone beyond these gunas, becomes fit for attaining brahman.
 
maam : my
cha : and
yaha : he who
avyabhichaarena : unwavering
bhakti : devotion
yogena : with yoga
sevate : worship
saha : he
gunaan : gunas
samateetya : gone beyond
etaan : these
brahmabhooyaaya : attaining Brahman
kalpate : fit
 
Since this chapter is coming to an end, let us do a quick recap. We learned that this entire universe, including our mind and body, is nothing but the play of the three gunas of Prakriti – sattva, rajas and tamas. Only when we learn to stand apart from the gunas, when we separate ourselves from the gunas, can we attain liberation from the endless cycle of sorrow known as samsaara. For most of us, such a high degree of discrimination is extremely difficult. Moreover, such discrimination needs to be combined with dispassion as well as total control of the mind and the sense organs.
 
Knowing the impediments of fulfilling all these requirements, Arjuna wanted to know whether there was a straightforward way of releasing oneself from the influence of the gunas. Shri Krishna says that yes, it is possible. The answer is the yoga of unwavering devotion, which was the topic of chapters seven to twelve. In a nutshell, we detach ourselves from the gunas by attaching ourselves to something higher, which is Ishvara. It is like the child who gives up his toys because he loves poetry now that he is a teenager.
 
This yoga of devotion is not completely without effort, however. Shri Krishna adds an adjective that we need to bear in mind – avyabhichaarena or unwavering. We cannot keep Ishvara as our goal from 7 am to 8 am and then start thinking about how to demolish our competitors from 8 am to 11 am. The one and only goal should be Ishvara. If all our goals are within the scope of our svadharma, our prescribed role in this world, they very naturally are part and parcel of our devotion towards Ishvara.
 
Having made Ishvara our only goal, and having maintained such an awareness throughout our life, we become fit to attain brahman. How does that happen? The next and last shloka of this chapter addresses this topic.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 14

02 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by in gunaateetaha, maanaapamaanayoho, mitraaripakshayoho, saha, sarvaarambhaparityaage, tulyaha, ucchyate

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maanaapamaanayostulyastulyo mitraaripakshayoho |
sarvaarambhaparityaagee gunaateetaha sa ucchyate || 25 ||
 
Alike in honour and in dishonour, alike towards friend or foe, abandoning all activities, such a person is called one who has transcended the gunas.
 
maanaapamaanayoho : in honour and dishonour
tulyaha : alike
mitraaripakshayoho : towards friend or foe
sarvaarambhaparityaagee : abandoning all activities
gunaateetaha : transcended the gunas
saha : such a person
ucchyate : called
 
Imagine that you are watching a stage production of Shakespeare’s King Lear. Suddenly, in the middle of the play, the actor playing King Lear starts speaking his own dialogue instead of following the script. After a few minutes of commotion, the curtain is lowered. Later, when asked as to why he spoke his own lines, the actor asserted that he thought his own lines were better than Shakespeare’s. It will be quite difficult for such an actor to get any more roles, or keep his existing roles, if he were to force his own views onto the script.
 
Shri Krishna says that the one who has truly renounced all activities, given all up notions such as “I am doing this, I am doing that”, such a person can be called the one who has gone beyond the three gunas. Like actors in a play, all activities in the world are nothing but the gunas interacting with the gunas. If we harbour the notion that our “I” is somehow involved in these activities, we have identified ourselves with our body, which is nothing but a product of the gunas. Through discrimination and detachment, we can see ourselves as distinct and separate from the gunas.
 
Such a person who can maintain this detachment from the gunas is indifferent to what the world thinks of him. Honour and dishonour are the same to him. If a friend helps him, he does not get elated. If a foe troubles him, he sees it as an opportunity to further increase his vairagya or dispassion towards the world. Any time the thought that “I did this” or “I earned this” enters his mind, he immediately discards it and brings back the awareness that everything is happening in Prakriti, the three gunas.
 
So, with this shloka and the previous one, Shri Krishna answers the question, what is the conduct of one who has transcended the gunas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 14

01 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in aatmasamstutihi, apriyaha, ashma, dheeraha, duhkhasukhaha, kanchanaha, loshta, nindaa, priya, sama, svastaha, tulya

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samaduhkhasukhaha svastaha samaloshtashmakanchanaha |
tulyapriyaapriyo dheerastulyanindaatmasamstuti || 24 ||
 
He to whom sorrow and joy are same, he who is established in his self, who regards mud, stone and gold as same, he who treats the dear and the detested as alike, he who is wise, he who treats insult and praise as alike.
 
sama : same
duhkhasukhaha : sorrow and joy
svastaha : established in his self
sama : same
loshta : mud
ashma : stone
kanchanaha : gold
tulya : alike
priya : dear
apriyaha : detested
dheeraha : wise
tulya : alike
nindaa : insult
aatmasamstutihi : one’s praise
 
Shri Krishna continues to explain the conduct of one who has gone beyond the gunas. He says that such a person maintains a state of balance, a state of equanimity in his dealing with objects of the world and with people. Right from the second chapter, Shri Krishna has repeatedly emphasized the importance of maintaining samatva or equanimity in our lives, and does so again in this shloka. Only he who has transcended the gunas can maintain this level of equanimity. Such a person is termed “dhira” or wise, and “svastha” meaning self-established or healthy by Shri Krishna.
 
Three types of objects are mentioned in this shloka : a lump of clay, a stone, and a piece of gold. The person who has transcended the gunas will understand the real-world, practical difference in value of all these three objects. He will also know that at some times, some of these objects will bring joy, and some of these objects will bring sorrow. When he has to rush to the hospital to deal with a medical emergency, no piece of gold can bring him joy. He will continually maintain the awareness that clay, stone and gold, and the subsequent joy and sorrow that they bring, are nothing but the gunas playing with themselves. With this knowledge, he will maintain his balance and equanimity.
 
Now we look at how such a person deals with people. When people praise us or act in our interest, they become dear to us. When they insult us or trouble us in any way, we begin to detest them. Just like objects, different types of people can generate different reactions in different circumstances. Friends can become rivals, relatives can become enemies, even families can fall apart within minutes. One who has learned to transcend the gunas will transact with people appropriate to the situation, but will never hold on to one person, or run away from them. Praise, insult, friend, foe, all these are interactions between gunas. His “I”, his self, has nothing to do with any of these.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 14

01 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in 14.23, aaseenaha, avatishthathi, chapter 14 verse 23, eva, gunaaha, gunaihi, ingate, iti, udaaseenavat, vartante, vichaalyate, yaha

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udaaseenavadaaseeno gunairyo na vichaalyate |
gunaa vartante ityeva yovatishthathi nengate || 23 ||
 
One who is sits like an indifferent person, is not agitated by the gunas, who, knowing that the gunas interact with each other, is firmly situated and does not move.
 
udaaseenavat : indifferent person
aaseenaha : seated
gunaihi : through gunaas
yaha : one who
na : not
vichaalyate : agitated
gunaaha : gunas
vartante : interact
iti : in this manner
eva : only
yaha : one who
avatishthathi : situated firmly
na : does not
ingate : move
 
Previously, Shri Krishna indicated the mental state of one who has transcended the gunas. He now addresses the second question – how does one who has gone beyond the gunas behave in this world. He says that such a person lives life with ease and grace. He is like the graceful elephant who walks on the road, unaffected by the horde of dogs that is barking at him. We have come across such people ourselves, who remain calm and unperturbed even when facing their darkest personal challenges.
 
What makes a person so calm? There are two factors. First, even though such a person may not look like a monk from the outside, he has a great deal of detachment towards the world. Second, such a person is seated on an unshakeable platform, his own self. Both factors are possible through the conviction and constant awareness that the entire world, including one’s own body, is a play of the three gunas. It is the difference between getting swept away by the waves or sitting calmly on the beach. It is the difference between participating in a street fight or observing the fight from a second floor balcony.
 
What does all this mean in practice? It means when our mind is agitated, we will not crave for a peaceful state. We will accept that a certain level of agitation, a certain level of rajas is part and parcel of daily life. We will simply watch that mental state arise, persist, and go away, only to be replaced by another state. We will view the whole world as the gunas interacting with the gunas. The “I” within us will be firmly seated in itself, with a healthy level of distance and detachment from the movement of those gunas. It will stop identifying, giving importance, giving reality to the play of gunas. The gunas will move, but the “I” within us will not.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 14

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.22, chapter 14 verse 22, dveshti, kaankshati, moham, nivrittaani, paandava, prakaasham, pravrittim, sampravrittaani

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
prakaasham cha pravrittim cha mohameva cha paandava |
na dveshti sampravrittaani na nivrittaani kaankshati || 22 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
When light, activity and delusion are present, O Paandava, he does not hate them, nor does he yearn for them when they are absent.
 
prakaasham : light
cha : and
pravrittim : activity
cha : and
moham : delusion
eva : even
cha : and
paandava : O Paandava
na : not
dveshti : hate
sampravrittaani : present
na : not
nivrittaani : absent
kaankshati : yearn
 
Shri Krishna answers Arjuna’s question – what are the marks of one who has transcended the gunas – in this shloka. Light, activity and delusion refer to sattva, rajas and tamas respectively. One who is indifferent to the rise and fall of each guna, one who has a high degree of detachment and discrimination, one who lets the gunas come and go with ease, such a person has transcended the gunas. It is the difference between one who observes suitcases on an airport conveyor belt versus one who holds on to a suitcase and doesn’t let go. The one who insists on holding on gets pulled away.
 
When we are on vacation, our mind feels peaceful and relaxed. But when we come back from vacation, our mind becomes agitated since it has to get back to the nine to five routine of life. We want to hold on to that state of mind we had experienced when we were on vacation. In other words, we have an insistence, also known as aagraha, to hold on to a sattvic state when rajas comes in. Or when the alarm bell rings in the morning, we want to hold on to that sleepy tamasic state as long as possible, and not leave the bed. This aagraha, this insistence on holding on to one guna and not accepting the arrival of another guna, enables the gunas to control us. One who has transcended the gunas has given up this insistence through extreme vairagya or detachment.
 
Let’s look at it in another way. When we read comics, we can see what the characters are thinking through thought bubbles. For example, if Veronica insulted Archie, Archie would have a thought bubble that says “I feel so bad”. We temporarily feel sorry for Archie, and move on to the next frame in the comic. But if someone insults us in real life, we don’t usually move on that quickly. We hold on to that thought, as well as the tamasic or rajasic state of mind created by that thought, for weeks, months, or years to come. And that is not all. We bring up that mental state each time we meet the person who insulted us.
 
When we are able to treat our thoughts with the same detachment that we do when we are reading other people’s thoughts in comic books, we will know that we have gone beyond the gunas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 14

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.21, ateetaha, ativartate, bhavati, chapter 14 verse 21, etaan, gunaan, kaihi, katham, kimaachaaraha, lingaihi, prabho, treen

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Arjuna uvaacha:
kairlingaistreengunaanetaanateeto bhavati prabho |
kimaachaaraha katham chaitaanstreengunaantivartate || 21 ||
 
Arjuna said:
By which signs is the one who has gone beyond the three gunas known, O Lord? What is his behaviour, and how does he transcend these three gunas?
 
kaihi : which
lingaihi : signs
treen : three
gunaan : gunas
etaan : these
ateetaha : one who has gone beyond
bhavati : is
prabho : O Lord
kimaachaaraha : what is his behaviour
katham : how
cha : and
etaan : these
treen : three
gunaan : gunas
ativartate : transcend
 
We hear Arjuna speak after a long time in this shloka. Arjuna usually speaks when he needs to clarify a doubt, or when he thinks that he needs a more practical version of what he has just heard. We have seen this happen several times. In the second chapter, Arjuna wanted to know the marks of the person who is established in knowledge, sthitha prajnya. Arjuna also asked the signs of a perfected devotee in the chapter on bhakti yoga. Every time he has asked a question, we as listeners have benefitted tremendously.
 
Having heard a detailed explanation around the three gunas, but only a couple of shlokas on the person who transcends those gunas and attains immortality, Arjuna found it appropriate to ask a question at this juncture. He wanted to know three things. First, how does one know that a person has transcended the three gunas. Second, how does such a person behave in the world. Third, how does he actually transcend the three gunas.
 
We have to constantly remind ourselves that everything we learn from this chapter is purely for self-analysis, not for judging or evaluating someone else. The only person that can accurately determine whether our mental state is sattvic, rajasic or tamasic is none other than ourselves. There is another aspect to learning about the signs of one who has gone beyond the influence of the gunas. Until we reach the state of liberation, these signs are attributes that we should aspire to cultivate in our lives.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 14

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.20, amritam, ashnute, ateetya, chapter 14 verse 20, dehasamudbhavaan, dehee, etaan, gunaan, janmamrityujaraaduhkhaihi, treen, vimuktaha

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gunaanetaanateetya treendehee dehasamudbhavaan |
janmamrityujaraaduhkhaurvimuktomritamashnute || 20 ||
 
Having gone beyond these three gunaas, the creators of the body, the body dweller is freed from sorrow of birth, death and old age, and attains immortality.
 
gunaan : of the gunaas
etaan : these
ateetya : gone beyond
treen : three
dehee : body dweller
dehasamudbhavaan : creators of the body
janmamrityujaraaduhkhaihi : sorrows of birth, death and old age
vimuktaha : freed
amritam : immortality
ashnute : attains
 
Shri Krishna now conveys the gist of the fourteenth chapter in this shloka. He says that Prakriti, which is comprised of the three gunaas, creates this entire universe, including our body. As long as the individual soul, the jeeva, the body dweller identifies with this body and gives reality to it, he experiences sorrows throughout his life. Once the jeeva stops identifying with the body which is the product of the three gunaas, he attains liberation and becomes immortal.
 
This shloka also connects the main theme of the prior chapter to this chapter. In the thirteenth chapter, we learnt that ignorance of our true nature creates an entity called the Purusha, which in essence is nothing but a bundle of unfulfilled desires. Now here, we learn that these unfulfilled desires, also known as avidyaa, ignorance or maaya, attract a combination of sattva, rajas and tamas that becomes the physical body. Only when the Purusha severs his connection with this body by rising above the three gunaas, he realizes his true nature as the eternal essence.
 
Immortality in this context does not mean physical immortality. The body follows the laws of nature. Everything in nature has to perish, including our physical body. From the perspective of Prakriti, the body will die. But the dehi, the body dweller, having gone beyond the three gunas, having stopped identifying with the three gunas, knows that he is untouched and unaffected by the laws of Prakriti. For him, the modifications of the body such as old age and disease are as if they are happening to some third party. This ultimate freedom from the influence of the Prakriti is what makes him immortal.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 14

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.19, adhigacchati, anupashyati, anyam, chapter 14 verse 19, drishtaa, gunebhyaha, kartaaram, madbhaavam, na, param, saha, vetti, yadaa

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naanyam gunebhyaha kartaaram yadaa drishtaanupashyati |
gunebhyashcha param vetti madbhaavam sodhigacchati || 19 ||
 
When the beholders views no other doer than the gunaas, and knows himself as transcending the gunaas, he attains my nature.
 
na : no
anyam : any other
gunebhyaha : gunaas
kartaaram : doer
yadaa : when
drishtaa : beholder
anupashyati : views
gunebhyaha : gunaas
cha : and
param : transcending
vetti : knows
madbhaavam : my nature
saha : he
adhigacchati : attains
 
Let us now introduce a new character into our recurring example, a CEO of a television channel. He is the father of the young child who, as we have seen earlier, is addicted to watching boxing matches. These matches are broadcast on the very same channel that the CEO owns. What is the difference between the child and the CEO? The CEO has set up the machinery of the television channel. He knows how the shows are recorded, edited and broadcast. When he comes home, he watches the channel as a detached observer. But the child, due to his addiction, gets affected by the blows received by the boxer in the boxing match.
 
The CEO keeps reminding his son to not get so attached to the boxing match since it is not real, it is just a television program. Once the child has identified himself as the boxer, he will have to accept all the consequences of that character in that particular TV show. In the same way, Shri Krishna urges us to not get trapped in the machine called Prakriti. If we identify with Prakriti, which is nothing but the three gunas, then we have to accept all its laws including birth, death, rebirth, joy, sorrow and so on. We have to understand that we neither do anything, nor do we experience the result of our actions. All action and reaction is within the realm of Prakriti. Once we establish ourselves as a witness, we understand that we have incorrectly taken on action and reaction upon ourselves.
 
Knowing this reality, however, does not mean that Prakriti will go away. Even if the child has stopped identifying with the boxer, the boxing match will be broadcast every day at 8 PM. Similarly, even if we are not bound by it, Prakriti will be tangible and visible to us during our waking hours. The entire universe, including the body that we are identified with, is made up of the three gunas of Prakriti. But despite it appearing to us as an apparent reality, Prakriti will be unable to bind us with its laws once we recognize it as an illusion, and not as reality. Once we are able to rise beyond identification with the three gunas, we will see Prakriti the way Ishvara sees Prakriti, as a detached observer. In this manner, when we realize our identity with Ishvara, we will attain the state of liberation, of self realization.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 14

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.18, adhaha, chapter 14 verse 18, gacchanti, gunavrittisthaahaa, jaghanya, madhye, oordhvam, raajasaahaa, sattvasthaa, taamasaahaa, tishtanti

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oordhvam gacchanti sattvasthaa madhye tishtanti raajasaahaa |
jaghanyagunavrittisthaa adho gacchanti taamasaahaa || 18 ||
 
Those established in sattva go upwards, those in rajas stay in the middle. Those under the influence of the lowest guna, established in tamas, go downwards.
 
oordhvam : upwards
gacchanti : go
sattvasthaa : established in sattva
madhye : middle
tishtanti : stay
raajasaahaa : established in rajas
jaghanya : lowest
gunavrittisthaahaa : influence of guna
adhaha : downwards
gacchanti : go
taamasaahaa : established in tamas
 
Parents are always watchful of their children’s behaviour, because the values that are inculcated in childhood stay with us throughout our life. If parents notice that their child is lazy and remains idle all the time, they will first motivate him through selfish desires. They will teach him that if he studies hard and works hard, he will be able to buy fast cars, electronic gadgets, a big house and so on. Once he has risen from a tamasic state to a rajasic state, and has made enough money, his parents will encourage him to slowly start transitioning from rajasic action to selfless, sattvic actions like donating money to charity, volunteering and so on.
 
Shri Krishna gives us a similar roadmap for our evolution in this shloka. He says that once we have determined our degree of rajas and tamas, we should consciously perform the actions necessary to uplift our mental state. If we are primarily tamasic in nature, we should perform rajasic actions. If we are primarily sattvic in nature, we should perform sattvic actions. He also puts the responsibility of self improvement squarely on our shoulders. No other person can make this happen. The will to self improve must come from within.
 
Let us imagine for a moment that we are able to uplift ourselves to the level of sattva, where we are able to remain in a sattvic state for a majority of the day, as a consequence of performing sattvic, selfless actions. Is this our goal, or is this yet another milestone in our spiritual journey? The thirteenth chapter taught us that we have become the individual soul, the jeeva, the Purusha, by forgetting our true nature as the eternal essence. We have further become entangled in Prakriti by identifying with a mind and body that are under the influence of the gunas. Once we are able to stay in sattva, and minimize the effects of rajas and tamas, how do we then disentangle ourselves from Prakriti? Shri Krishna picks up this topic next.