Author Archives: skr_2011

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 3

29 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.21, aacharati, anuvartate, chapter 3 verse 21, eva, itarah, janaha, kurute, lokah, pramaanam, sah, shreshthaha, tat, yat

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yadyadaacharati shreshthastattadevetaro janaha |
sa yatpramaanam kurute lokastadanuvartate || 21 ||

Whatever an ideal person does, so do other people (imitate him). Whatever standard he sets, other people follow.

yat yat  : just as
aacharati : a person does
shreshthaha : ideal
tat tat : in that manner
eva : only
itarah : other
janaha : people
sah : he
yat : whatever
pramaanam : standard
kurute : does
lokah : other people
tat : like him
anuvartate : they behave

In the previous verse, Shri Krishna provided the example of king Janaka who, though being a warrior king, achieved self-realization through performance of karma yoga. Here Shri Krishna puts forth yet another argument to Arjuna, knowing very well that Arjuna always put others first before himself. Shri Krishna said that whosoever looked up to Arjuna as a role model would also take to this path if Arjuna followed it.

Now, an extremely important but subtle point made by Shri Krishna is hidden in the phrase “ideal person does”. He wants us to realize that actions speak louder than words. For instance, we cannot expect our children to not drink alcohol or smoke if we preach to them, but drink and smoke ourselves. Not just children, but most people watch what we do and not what we say. Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to practice karmayoga, and not to simply tell people that we are learning it and so on.

So in addition to urging us and Arjuna to perform karmayoga, Shri Krishna also reveals an important leadership lesson. The best way to lead is to lead by example, and not by making flowery speeches or hiring motivational speakers. This point is not just echoed in the management texts of today, but also in spiritual masterpieces such as the Dasbodh by Samarth Ramdas Swami.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 3

29 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.20, aasthitaa, api, arhasi, chapter 3 verse 20, eva, hi, janakaadayaha, karmanaa, kartum, lokasangraham, sampshyan, samsiddhim

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karmanaiva hi samsiddhimaasthitaa janakaadayaha |
lokasangrahamevaapi sampashyankartumarhasi || 20 ||

Only through action did many like king Janaka attain perfection. So, even from the viewpoint of societal welfare should you perform action.

karmanaa : through action
eva : only
hi : also
samsiddhim : perfection
aasthitaaha : attained
janakaadayaha : many like king Janaka
lokasangraham : welfare of society
eva : only
api : even
sampashyan : with a view
kartum : action
arhasi : perform

Having provided the rationale for karmayoga, Shri Krishna began to provide examples of individuals who gained liberation through karmayoga. He wanted to demonstrate that it indeed was the right path to follow. Providing an example would also eliminate any doubt in Arjuna’s mind that karmayoga was a proven methodology, not a new invention.

The first example that Shri Krishna provided was that of king Janaka, an apt example since he was a warrior just like Arjuna. Many of us familiar with the Ramayana epic would recognize the name Janaka as the father of Sita, and the king of the Videha kingdom. But the word Janaka here is a post or a title. It refers to any king that was appointed to the throne because of his non-attachment to all material objects, even to his body. This is apparent in the word meaning of Videha which is “one who has given up identification with his body”.

Why would a kingdom appoint a king that has given up attachments? It is because someone without any attachment would make the most fair, rational and unbiased decisions in favour of the kingdom. He would not come under the sway of emotion or prejudice of any kind. Such kings were known to be excellent administrators. In addition, they were also perfect karmayogis, i.e. they were “sthitha-prajna” or men of perfect wisdom.

With this example, Shri Krishna also assured Arjuna that it was perfectly possible to attain the ultimate goal of realization, yet be working in this world. Arjuna did not need to run away from the war or his responsibilities at all.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 3

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.19, aacharan, aapnoti, asakthah, Chapter 3 Verse 19, hi, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaaryam, karma, param, purushaha, satatam, tasmaat

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tasmaadasaktah satatam kaaryam karma samaachara |
asakto hyaacharan karma paramaapnoti purushaha || 19 ||

Therefore, always perform prescribed actions diligently without attachment; for, by performing action without attachment, an individual attains the supreme.

tasmaat : therefore
asaktah : without attachment
satatam : always
kaaryam : prescribed
karma : actions
samaachara : diligently
asaktah : without attachment
hi : because
aacharan : perform
karma : action
param : highest
aapnoti : attain
purushaha : an individual

In this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes his answer to Arjuna’s question from the first verse in this chapter. Arjuna had asked Shri Krishna as to why he should commit the act of war, which in his opinion was a ghastly act. Let us recap Shri Krishna’s answer.

Shri Krishna replied by explaining that no one can flee from action, that one should perform selfless rather than selfish actions, that selfless actions in the service of a higher ideal do not create bondage, and that performance of selfless action or yajna is the key to participating in the evolution of oneself and of the universe.

Another point emphasized in this shloka is that karmayoga should not be something that is restricted to only a few aspects of life. The karmayoga mindset should eventually become second nature, in other words, it should be embedded in each and every action that we perform. So therefore, in each and every action that we perform, from writing an email to eating our meals, we should remember to derive joy from the action itself rather than in the result. Only then will we begin to drop attachment to the action and to the result.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 3

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.18, akruten, apaashrayah, arthaha, arthavya, asya, cha, chapter 3 verse 18, eva, iha, kashchana, kashchit, kruten, na, sarvabhootehsu, tasya

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naiva tasya krutenaartho naakruteneha kashchana |
na chaasya sarvabhooteshu kashchidarthavyapaashrayah || 18 ||

For that (realized individual), there is nothing to be gained by action or inaction here. Also, he does not have even the slightest dependency on anyone for any object.

na : not
eva : only
tasya : that realized individual
kruten : from action
arthaha : gained
na : not
akruten : from inaction
iha : here
kashchana: any
na : not
cha : also
asya : for him
sarvabhooteshu : with anyone
kashchit : slight/even a little
arthavya : object
apaashrayah : dependency

In the last shloka, Shri Krishna explained that one who has found delight solely in the eternal essence loses all sense of doership. In other words, all his actions become selfless and spontaneous, like an artist who cares only about creating paintings without any expectation (art for art’s sake).

Shri Krishna further elaborates that point in this shloka. He says that for such a person, the concept of gain or loss does not exist, nor does the notion of dependency or support from anyone or anything.

To better understand this shloka, let us imagine a situation where one is at the end of a critical chapter in one’s life, e.g. imagine that a person has submitted his resignation and is in the last week of his job. What will be his mindset? He will suddenly become the nicest guy in the office, and the most fun guy to hang out with. Why is that? Everyone knows that he has no agenda with anyone anymore, since it does not really matter. And he can surf the web all day long, because it does not really matter whether he works or doesn’t work.

Another example could be a person who at age 65 has just retired. He has made a decent fortune with his savings, and can live comfortably till his last day. In addition, he is quite healthy and can still work if needed. But just like in the earlier example, it does not matter whether he performs any action or doesn’t. Moreover, since he does not have any dependency on anyone, his savings make him self sufficient. Therefore, for the individual that has realized the worth of the eternal essence “treasure”, any other material gain or loss does not hold any meaning.

Ultimately, these 2 shlokas reveal the state of a realized person, who by losing all sense of doership, renounces all action. Renouncing doership is renouncing action. The topic of renunciation is covered in detail in the forthcoming chapters.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 3

26 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.17, aatma, aatmani, cha, chapter 3 verse 17, eva, kaaryam, maanavaha, na vidyate, ratih, santushtah, syaat, tasya, truptah, tu, yah

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yastvaatmaratireva syaadaatmatruptashcya maanavaha |
aatmanyeva cha santushtastasya kaaryam na vidyate || 17 ||

But, one who revels only in the eternal essence, and is content and satisfied in the eternal essence, no duty exists for him.

yah : one who
tu : but
aatma-ratih : revels in the eternal essence
eva : only
syaat : remains
aatma-truptah : content in the eternal essence
cha : and
maanavaha : individual
aatmani : in the eternal essence
eva cha : and
santushtah : satisfied
tasya : for him
kaaryam :duty
na vidyate : do not exist

While hearing Shri Krishna extol the need to act in this world, many of us – whether we admit it or not – may want to know whether there is an exception to this instruction. In other words, are there any circumstances where do not need to perform actions anymore? Shri Krishna gives the answer in this shloka and the next.

If we examine ourselves, we realize that we derive pleasure and satisfaction from external sources: material objects, people, relationships and so on. Pleasant memories, which can be considered internal to us, do give us joy but were generated from some external source in the past. But, in reality, the source of happiness is the absence of desires experienced when we finally attain a material object.

For instance, if we want to buy a new shirt, a desire is created in the mind. Till such time that we get the shirt, we will be unhappy because of that desire. But once the desire is fulfilled, we experience happiness for a brief period of time. Is that happiness caused by the shirt, or by the temporary absence of desires? The wise person knows that it is the latter.

So in this shloka Shri Krishna makes a bold statement. He says that till we derive pleasure and satisfaction from things external to us, we have to act in this world. Conversely, one who no longer derives pleasure and satisfaction from external sources does not need to act in this world. He “revels” in the eternal essence which he has learned to recognize within himself. He no longer has to look outside for happiness.

Is there a contradiction here? Earlier it was mentioned that if one is human, one has to act. But here, it is mentioned that the realized individual does not need to act? The answer is that once that individual has understood the true source of happiness, he loses the sense of doership. In other words, the notion that “I am doing this action” goes away, and all his actions become natural and spontaneous.

As an example, if you truly love painting, and have mastered all the skills, then your painting becomes effortless and spontaneous. You experience a feeling that some people call “being in the zone”. In fact, there may come a stage where you will feel that the hand is moving by itself, and the painting is happening on its own.

Similarly, all the actions of this wise individual become like that spontaneous painting.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 3

24 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.16, aghaayu, anuvartayati, chakram, chapter 3 verse 16, evam, iha, indriyaraahah, jeevati, mogham, na, paartha, pravartitam, sah, yah

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evam pravartitam chakram naanuvartayateeha yaha |
aghaayurindriyaaraamo mogham paartha sa jeevati || 16 ||

In this manner, one who does not follow this system of evolution, that malicious individual who dwells in sense pleasures, wastes his life.

evam : in this manner
pravartitam : evolution
chakram : system
na : does not
anuvartayati : follow
iha : this
yah : one who
aghaayu : malicious
indriyaaraamah : dwells in senses
mogham : waste
paartha : O Paartha
sah : that one
jeevati : lives

In the two preceding shlokas, Shri Krishna illustrated how several beings acting in the spirit of yajna brought forth the potential for serving each other. Now he takes the illustration one step further. He says that yajna is a “system of evolution”. Which means, it is a method to move from a lower plane of existence to a higher plane of existence.

Darwin’s theory of evolution describes how life evolved from simple single-celled organisms into plants, then into animals, then into primates, and culminated in our species, the humans. What comes next? Shri Krishna explains that humans, being the only species capable of rational analysis and thinking, have a choice: to remain at the current state and give in to their “lower nature”, or evolve into a higher state of existence.

What is the “lower nature”? When one continually harbours selfish desires, and lives for the sake of sense pleasure, that person generates guilt, fear, anger, hatred, pride and other such emotions that strengthen the ego. Such an individual is termed “malicious” by Shri Krishna. That individual is said to have lived in vain, because he did not use the wonderful opportunity of being born as a human to access the higher nature.

And so, who is the individual of “higher nature”? It is the individual who has begun identifying with a higher ideal, and in doing so, has slowly eroded his ego in the selfless service of that higher ideal. A detailed description of such an individual was provided by Shri Krishna in the latter part of the second chapter in the “sthita-prajna-lakshana” or the signs of a wise individual. Karmayoga is the first step to participate in this system of evolution.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 3

23 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.15, aksharasamudbhavam, brahma, brahmodbhavam, chapter 3 verse 15, karma, nityam, prathishthitam, sarvagatam, tasmaat, viddhi, yajne

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karma brahmodbhavam viddhi brahmaaksharasamudhbhavam |
tasmaatsarvagatam brahma nityam yajne pratishthitam || 15 ||

Know that actions arise out of the Vedas, and that the Vedas arise out of the imperishable (eternal essence). Therefore, yajna is always established in that all-pervading eternal essence.

karma : actions
brahmodbhavam : arise out of the Vedas
viddhi : know
brahma : Vedas
aksharasamudhbhavam : arise out of the imperishable
tasmaat : therefore
sarvagatam : all-pervading
brahma : eternal essence
nityam : always
yajne : yajna
pratishthitam : established

Shri Krishna reveals the connection between yajna and the eternal essence in this shloka. Here he says that yajna is an integral part of the eternal essence, because it is born out of the Vedas. Symbolically, the Vedas represent the “rule-book” of the universe, and so yajna becomes an essential law embedded in the universe.

In the second chapter, which was an overview of the entire Gita, Shri Krishna pointed Arjuna to the ultimate goal of life – realization of the eternal essence. In this chapter, Shri Krishna connect karmayoga to the eternal essence. He explains that karmayoga is a means, a technique, to realize the eternal essence, because the eternal essence created the rules of the universe.

So in summary, the teaching of karmayoga so far is : Actions are of two types,  selfless and selfish. Selfish actions bind us to wordly objects, and selfless actions do not. Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to move gradually from the level of inaction to selfish action first, and then from selfish action to selfless action or yajna. Only through acting in the spirit of yajna will we move forward on the path to realizing the eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 3

22 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.14, anna, annaat, bhavanti, bhavati, bhootaani, chapter 3 verse 13, karmasamudhbhavaha, parjanyaat, parjanyah, sambhavaha, yajnaad, yajnah

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annaadbhavanti bhootaani parjanyaadannasambhavaha |
yajnaadbhavati parjanyo yajnah karmasamudhbhavaha || 14 ||

From food are all beings created, from rain, food is created. Yajna gives birth to rain, and rain is born out of action.

annaat : from food
bhavanti : is created
bhootaani : all beings
parjanyaat : from rain
anna : food
sambhavaha : is created
yajnaad : from yajna
bhavati : is created
parjanyah : rain
yajnah : yajna
karmasamudhbhavaha : is created from action

Shri Krishna illustrates how yajna is embedded within the fabric of the entire universe. If we interpret this shloka literally, it refers to Vedic rituals that were used to invoke the rain-gods. But if we want to go deeper, we have to interpret this shloka symbolically.

We have seen that action is an integral tendency of any object in the universe. Even a tiny atom is always acting. So when any group of organisms – plants, animals, humans – collectively work for the sake of a higher ideal, that is called yajna. The output of this yajna is an environment that is charged with the potential to create almost anything. This environment is symbolically called “rain” in this shloka. Finally, this rain or productive potential creates all kinds of objects that are useful to organisms. The shloka refers to these objects as “food”.

For instance, take a largely unknown area in northern California during World War II. Many scientists, lawyers, professors, business people came to this area with a higher ideal : to further the frontier of technology. Through their collective efforts, they created an environment which became conducive to technological innovation, which we now know as silicon valley. And silicon valley, even to this day, produces cutting edge products that benefit people around the world.

There are several such examples of environments born out of yajna: India’s freedom struggle, the economic success of Singapore, the entertainment industry in Bombay and so on.

So the message here is that if people come together to work towards a higher ideal, it is a guarantee that their efforts will be successful.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 3

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.13, aatmakaaranaat, agham, bhunjate, chapter 3 verse 13, kilbishaih, muchyante, paapah, pachanti, santah, sarva, te, tu, yajnashishtaashinah, ye

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yajnashishtaashinah santo muchyante sarvakilbishaih |
bhunjate te tvagham paapaa ye pachantyaatmakaaranaat || 13 ||

Those wise individuals who consume the remains of yajna, they are liberated from all sins. But those sinful ones who cook only for themselves, they consume only sin.

yajnashishtaashinah : remains of yajna
santah : wise individuals
muchyante : are liberated
sarva : from all
kilbishaih : sins
bhunjate : consume
te : they
tu : but
agham : sin
paapaah : sinful ones
ye : those
pachanti : cook
aatmakaaranaat : for themselves

In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna began the topic of the three levels of action. We saw that in the first level, the individual does not perform any action and only consumes. In this shloka, Shri Krishna explains the second and third levels of action.

Selfish action is the second level of action. In this level, the individual only thinks about himself. His vision is very narrow and limited. When this individual works in a team, his only thought is : how much of the result can be kept for myself? He also treats everyone he works with as his competitors. For him to win, they have to lose. Shri Krishna says that such individuals “cook only for themselves” and “consume only sin”.

The third level and highest level of action is that of selfless action. The individual who works selflessly seldom thinks about himself. His vision is broad : he is always thinking about how to act such that his family will benefit, his employer will benefit, his nation will benefit and so on. He always treats others with respect, and as partners in collectively achieving the highest possible goal. Shri Krishna says that by working in this highest level of action, such “wise individuals” are “liberated from all sins”.

Another mark of this individual that he treats everything that he possesses as materials to be used in a yajna. Which means that he does not consider anything as “mine” – everything belongs to the higher ideal (family, company, nation etc). So therefore, he is more than happy to partake in what’s left after everyone else has consumed their share of the fruits of the yagna. Our natural tendency is to make a grab for our share and then let others worry about theirs. But this individual, keeping sight of the higher ideal at all times, ensures that others are taken care of before taking care of himself.

So what does this mean for us? When we perform any action every day, let us make an attempt to gauge the level of the action being performed by us. Is it selfish? selfless? or are we so lazy that we are not acting at all?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 2

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.12, apradaaya, bhaavitaah, bhogaan, bhumgte, chapter 3 verse 12, daasyante, dattaan, devaah, ebhyah, eva, hi, ishtaan, sah, stenah, taih, vah, yah, yajna

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ishtaanbhogaanhi vo devaa daasyante yajnabhaavitaah |
tairdattaanapradaayaibhyo yo bhumgte stena eva sah || 12 ||

The deities, nourished by yajna, will also provide you the objects you desire. One who consumes these objects without offering them to others, he is a thief.

ishtaan : desired
bhogaan : objects
hi : also
vah : your
devaah : deities
daasyante : give you
yajna-bhaavitaah : nourished by yajna
taih : they
dattaan : objects
apradaaya : without offering to them
ebhyah : to others
yah : one who
bhumgte : consumes
stenah : thief
eva : is
sah : he

So far, Shri Krishna spoke about the need for karmayoga, the actions to perform under karmayoga, and the attitude with which those actions should be performed. He also emphasized the notion of yajna or selfless dedication. Now Shri Krishna gives three levels of action that a person can operate under.

In this shloka, Shri Krishna points out the lowest level of action. This is when an individual consumes objects without making any contribution whatsoever. Shri Krishna uses a strong word to describe such an individual : a “thief”. Such a selfish person does not care about anyone but himself due to his large ego.

An obvious example is someone who is part of a project team. He does not do any work in team but claims all the credit. In today’s language we would call such a person a freeloader. Such people are never held in good standing by anyone.

In traditions all over the world, we see evidence that we are encouraged to give back something each time we take something. In Indian culture, it is customary that before one eats a meal, one offers it to the less fortunate, the wise and learned, and to animals. In most cultures, when you cut down a tree, you are encouraged to plant few more. Even in the corporate world, when a company earns profits, it invests a portion back into the business before handing out the dividends.

Therefore, taking without giving back is the lowest level of action. The next shloka illustrates the two higher levels of action. We need to gauge which level we belong to, so that we can start moving to the highest level of selflessness.