Author Archives: skr_2011

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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 3

11 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.34, aagacchet, arthe, asya, chapter 3 verse 34, dveshau, hi, indriyasya, na, paripanthinau, raaga, tau, tayoh, vasham, vyavasthitau

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indriyasyendriyasyaarthe raagadveshau vyavasthitau |
tayorna vashamaagacchettau hyaasya paripanthinau || 34 ||

Likes and dislikes for sense objects reside in the senses. One should not come under their sway, for they are highway robbers.

indriyasya : in the sense organs
indriyasya : in each and every
arthe : for the sense objects
raaga-dveshau : like and dislike
vyavasthitau : lie, reside, situated
tayoh : both
na : should not
vasham : under their control
aagacchet : one should not come
tau : both of them
hi : for
asya : in this
paripanthinau : highway robbers

Having explained that our inherent tendencies are the biggest obstacle in karmayoga, Shri Krishna points out their precise location. He says that the tendencies manifest as likes and dislikes for material objects. These tendencies reside in our senses: the eyes, ears, skin, tongue and nose.

First let’s look at likes and dislikes. The only way we can truly understand the shape of our inherent tendencies is through a deep examination of our likes and dislikes. Every human being harbours likes and dislikes. It is so strange that two children having grown up in the exact same home and family environment reveal such different likes and dislikes, even as toddlers.

So where are the likes and dislikes stored? They reside in our sense organs. The tongue is attracted to the taste of fries, and is repelled by the taste of spinach. The eye likes a certain kind of form and is repelled by another and so on. In his commentary on the Gita, Sant Jnyaneshwar compares the sense organs to dangerous animals and asks : does one befriend a snake, or maintain the company of tigers?

So therefore, what is the solution? We should not come under the sway of likes and dislikes by being aware of them especially when they strike, by using our intellect to guide us, and by continually reminding ourself of the higher ideal we have set for ourselves in karmayoga. We should not let them create a roadblock in our path. Like an elephant that moves on its path even though dogs bark at it, we should keep likes and dislikes at bay and never lose sight of our path and goal.

The first chapter of the Gita provides the best example for this shloka. Arjuna loved warfare, but he did not like the Mahabhaarata war simply because his relatives were on the other side. Shri Krishna, representing the intellect, guided him towards the right path. Another example is when a doctor prescribes us bitter medicine – we may not like but we take it nevertheless.

Shri Krishna compares likes and dislikes to highway robbers who target travellers that are unprepared and not alert. The robbers will come out of nowhere, and distract travellers from their path. Similarly, the likes make us run towards them and dislikes make us run away, but ultimately both take us away from our path. By being constantly alert that likes and dislikes can arise, we can reduce their influence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 3

10 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.33, api, bhootani, chapter 3 verse 33, cheshtate, jnyaanavaan, karishyati, kim, nirgraha, prakriteh, prakritim, sadrisham, svasyaaha, yaanti

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sadrisham cheshtate svasyaaha prakritejnyaanavaanapi |
prakritim yaanti bhootaani nigraha kim karishyati || 33 ||

Even a wise person will behave according to his own nature. All beings follow their own nature. What can restraint do?

sadrisham : according to
cheshtate : behave
svasyaaha : one’s own
prakriteh : of nature
jnyaanavaan : wise person
api: even
prakritim : nature
yaanti : follow
bhootaani : all beings
nigraha : restraint
kim : what
karishyati : will do

Shri Krishna here addresses a critical point, which is that even the most well-read and educated person will find it difficult to practice karmayoga. Why is this so? It is because inbuilt tendencies and urges inside us compel us to act against our will. These tendencies comprise our lower nature. Note that the lower nature is also called “prakriti” here, which is different than the prakriti that we saw earlier.

All beings – plants, animals and humans – are born with an innate set of traits. In humans, these traits are manifested in the body, mind and intellect. These traits are a product of our vaasanaas, which are impressions created by past actions.

It does not matter whether one is wise or foolish, rich or poor etc. All human beings are born with vaasanaas. These vaasanaas are “thought generators”. They cause thoughts about the material world to arise in our mind. And once a thought arises, it results into desire and action as we saw in the second chapter.

Therefore, Shri Krishna says that mere restraint of actions will not result in eradication of desires, since the vaasanaas will continue to generate more and more thoughts. And direct suppression of thoughts is next to impossible. Many people try to repress thoughts and desires in the hope of progressing spiritually, but like a spring that is pushed down, that strategy backfires very easily.

But then, should we give up our efforts altogether? That is not the case. For example, you cannot teach tiger to be non-violent and eat grass. But you can change his behaviour to a certain extent through repeated training. Similarly, the vaasanaas can be channeled in the service of society. Like judo uses the opponent’s strength to subdue the opponent, karmayoga uses the energy of vaasanaas to extinguish themselves.

So therefore, Shri Krishna gives us a way out. Even though all of us have tendencies that can drag us lower, we can analyze those tendencies and overcome them through the technique of karmayoga. Having explained this, Shri Krishna gives us the exact location of our enemies, these lower tendencies, in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 32, Chapter 3

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.32, abhyasooyantah, achetasaha, anutishtanti, chapter 3 verse 32, etad, matam, me, na, nashtaan, sarvajnyaana, taan, tu, viddhi, vimoodhaan, ye

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ye tvetadabhyasooyanto naanutishthanti me matam |
sarvajnyaanavimoodhaamstaanviddhi nashtaanachetasaha || 32 ||

But those who object to this teaching and do not follow it, they are confused in all of their knowledge. Know those people who are devoid of discrimination to be ruined.

ye : those
tu : but
etad : this
abhyasooyantah : with objection
na : do not
anutishthanti : follow
me : my
matam : teaching
sarvajnyaana : in all knowledge
vimoodhaan : confused
taan : those
viddhi : know
nashtaan : to be ruined
achetasaha : devoid of discrimination

Shri Krishna urged us to resolve all our objections to the teaching so that we may be able to incorporate it into our lives. But even if we overcome our philosophical objections, most of us will still find it difficult to follow the practice of karmayoga. Shri Krishna therefore begins to explain what prevents us from adopting karmayoga, and consequently, how should we tackle those obstacles.

The primary obstacle to karmayoga are our vaasanaas. Once a person is under the influence of vaasanaas, their actions will be prompted by selfish motives. These motives are expressed as negative emotions such as jealousy: “I will do things to make others jealous”, or out of anger: “I will destroy this person”, or greed: “I will earn so much even if it means I compromise on ethics”. Some people even pass on negative motives to their children, e.g. “I was not able to destroy this family, so you go ahead and do it, my son”.

Now, when we dwell in negative emotions such as jealousy, anger, greed etc., our intellect knows that what we are doing is wrong. But since our vaasanaas have overpowered the intellect, it does not function and so we follow a wrong path. We are then ruined because we are going against the laws of nature. What would happen if we disregarded the law of gravity? We would perish. A similar fate exists if we do not pursue karmayoga.

So the question is : how exactly do vaasanaas cause us not follow karmayoga? Shri Krishna covers this topic next.