Author Archives: skr_2011

Bhagavad Gita Verse 47, Chapter 1

23 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in chaapam, chapter 1 verse 47, evam, samkhye, samvigna, sasharam, upaavishat, upastha, visrujya

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Sanjaya uvaacha
evamuktaarjunaha samkhye rathopastha upaavishat |
visrujya sasharam chaapam shokasamvignamaanasaha || 47 ||
 
Having said these words in the battlefield, Arjun sat in the center of his chariot, casting off his weapons, his mind disturbed with sorrow.
 
evam : thus
uktva : having said
arjunaha : Arjun
samkhya : on the battlefield
rath : chariot
upasthaha : centre
upaavishat : sat
visrujya : cast out
sasharam : with arrows
chaapam : and bow
shoka : sorrow
samvignam : disturbed
maanasaha : mind
 
Arjuna ended his rant in this verse, which is the final verse in Chapter 1. His body language reflects his state of mind as he threw away his weapons and sat down on his chariot, in the midst of the battlefield. Sanjay the narrator took over here, and possibly gave a glimmer of hope to Dhritraashtra, who was hoping that this action of Arjuna could end the war even before it began.
 
Let us reflect upon the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, in preparation for the second chapter. Arjuna, ready for war, under the influence of his ego and mind, became weak when Shri Krishna moved the chariot in between the Paandava and Kaurava armies.
 
Now, we may never face a war in our lifetime, but we will undoubtedly face conflicts in life where we lose our mental equipoise, and need guidance on what the right course of action is. Death of a loved one, hard economic conditions, issues with family members or friends, a bad boss, a stressful job – life is full of conflict-ridden situations.
 
This chapter is called “Arjuna Vishaada Yoga”, or the Yoga of Arjuna’s dejection. We will delve deeper into the meaning of the word Yoga later, but for now, let’s assume that it means technique or method that shows how one should conduct oneself in a life situation.
 
So why is Arjuna’s dejection called a technique or a method? Let’s take an example. Assume you own a car, and ever since you owned the car for about 10 years or so. You have never had an accident, and you never had the need to get a car insurance policy. But one fine day, you drive into your neighbour’s car, and end up owing him a gigantic sum of money. From that day onwards, you will never ever drive a car without insurance. So, what this means is that you had to pass through an extremely difficult situation in order to gain the knowledge that insurance is important.
 
Similarly, Arjuna had to pass through an extremely difficult life situation which jolted him so much that it made him realize that he was missing something essential. He did not know how to conduct himself in such a difficult situation. Fortunately for him, Shri Krishna was right there to provide him that instruction. But without passing through that tough life situation, he never would have realized the need for such an instruction. Therefore, just like any other chapter in the Gita, this chapter is also a Yoga, or a method, of how to conduct one’s life correctly.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade arjunavishaadayogo naama prathamodhyaayaha || 1 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 46, Chapter 1

22 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in aprateekaram, ashastram, bhavat, chapter 1 verse 46, kshemataram, maama, paaneyaha, tat, yadi

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yadi maamaprateekaaramashastram shasktrapaanayaha |
dhaartaraashtraa rane hanyustanme kshemataram bhavet || 46 ||
 
Even if I, unarmed and non-resistant, am killed in war by the sons of Dhritraasthra, who are armed with weapons, this will be beneficial for me.
 
yadi : even if
maama : I
aprateekaaram : non-resistant
ashastram : unarmed
shastra : weapons
paaneyaha : in hand
dhaartaraashtraa : sons of Dhritaraashtra
rane : in war
hanyuh : kill
tat : that
me : for me
kshemataram : beneficial
bhavet : will be
 
This is the final statement uttered by Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita. It shows the extent of delusion in Arjuna’s mind, as he morphed from a mighty warrior into a pathetic, weak, helpless individual. Arjuna was desperately looking to escape the difficult situation he found himself in, and so his mind came up with all kinds of arguments to justify this escape, including making the escape “beneficial”.
 
Let us revisit our friend Mr. X. He has been laid off due to the recession, and has been out of work for 3 months. He has not interviewed in over 2 weeks now. As time goes by, his confidence begins to weaken. If his mind cannot maintain equanimity, it will lead him down a path similar to Arjuna’s fall. He begins to think that there’s no point in applying for more jobs since there aren’t any, and even if he gets an interview call, he has to compete with more qualified candidates. Therefore, there’s no point even trying. In fact, it’s better to stay at home and do nothing because there’s no point applying for a job in a bad economy. Just look at how his mind has generated perverse logic to preserve the ego.
 
There’s another point to note here : Shri Krishna kept quiet throughout Arjuna’s rant. He wanted Arjuna to expel every perverse argument out of his system, in preparation for the teaching of the Gita.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 44-45, Chapter 1

20 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in aniyatam, anushushruma, bhavati, chapter 1 verse 44-45, iti, manushyaahaam, narake, udyataaha, utsanna, vaaso, vayam, vyavasitaa, yat

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utsannakuladharmaanaam manushyaanaam janaardana |
narakeniyatam vaaso bhavatityanushushruma || 44 ||
 
aho bata mahatpaapam kartum vyavasitaa vayam |
yadryaadjyasukhalobhena hantum svajanamudyataaha || 45 ||
 
 
People whose societal values have eroded, O Janaardana, reside in hell indefinitely, this I have heard.
 
Alas! It’s unfortunate that we have decided to undertake this extreme sin. Our greed towards the pleasures of the kingdom has prepared us to kill our kinsmen.
 
utsanna : delapidated, eroded
kula-dharmaanaam : societal values
manushyaanaam : those people
janaardana : O Janaardana
narake : hell
aniyatam : indefinitely
vaaso : reside
bhavati : happens
iti : this
anushushruma : I have heard
 
aho : Alas
bata : it’s unfortunate
mahat-paapam : extreme sin
kartum : undertake
vyavasitaa : decided to do
vayam : we
yat : that
raajyasukha : pleasures of kingdom
lobhena : greed
hantum : kill
svajanam : our kin
udyataaha : are prepared
 
Here, Arjuna concluded an argument that he had begun a few verses prior. According to him, a rise in lawlessness began a chain reaction which caused the entire civilization, not just the warmongers, to end up residing in hell indefinitely.
 
Let’s summarize this argument. What Arjuna is saying, in simple words, is that the Kaurava army is committing the sin of destroying the Kuru clan. Since he can see that it is a sin, he will not join them in this act, and therefore not fight.
 
Again, we see moha at work here. Duryodhana had moha for the Kauravas, whereas Arjuna had moha for the entire Kuru dynasty. Even though Arjuna was more large-hearted than Duryodhana in his moha, moha clouded his judgement the same way it clouded Duryodhana’s judgement.
 
Moreover, in verse 45, Arjuna’s demonstrates classic “victim” mindset where one cannot see oneself in control of a situation, by using words such as “alas”, “it is unfortunate”. His moha took over his mind so completely that one of the world’s foremost warriors spoke words that a weakling would use.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42-43, Chapter 1

18 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by in chapter 1 verse 42-43, ghnaanaam, jaati, kriyaaha, kula, lupta, narakaaya, patanti, pinda, pitaraha, samkaro, shaashvataahaa, udaka, utsaadyante

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samkaro narakaayeiva kulaghnaanaam kulasya cha |
patanti pitaro hyeshaam luptapindodakakriyaahaa || 42 || 
 
doshairetai kulaghnaanaam varnasamkarakaarakaihai |
utsaadyante jaatidharmaaha kuladharmaashcha shaashvataahaa || 43 ||
 Contamination of character pushes the annihilators of society and society itself into hell; their ancestors fall from grace, having been deprived of their offerings of Pinda and water.
 
Timeless societal and humanitarian values and traditions are destroyed by the contamination of character created by these annihilators of society.
 
samkaraha : contamination of character
narakaaya : takes to hell
eva : certainly
kula-ghnaanaam : annihilators of society
kulasya : society
cha : and
patanti : falls
pitaraha : ancestors
eshaam :due to these killers
lupta-pinda-udaka-kriyaaha : deprived of their offerings of Pinda (rice) and water
 
doshai : errors
etai : these
kulaghnaanaam : annihilators of society
varna-samkara-kaarakaihi : causing confusion of character
utsaadyante : get destroyed
jaati-dharmaaha : humanitarian values
kula-dharmaaha : societal values
cha : and
shaashvataaha : timeless
 
In Indian culture, one’s ancestors and family lineage are given great importance. In these verses, Arjuna expressed his worry that the deterioration of post-war society would result in loss of respect for the ancestors who created the laws and values of that society.
 
It is not that difficult to draw a parallel between the reverence for the ancestors of a society expressed here, and the reverence for the builders of any institution in the modern world. During every independence day celebration of a country, freedom fighters’ contributions are remembered and revered. Similarly, if you walk the hallways of any modern corporation, you will usually see the founders’ portraits displayed prominently. Someone who cares deeply about one’s country, or about one’s place of work, will never look forward to the denigration of the founders. Arjuna, even in his deluded state, cared about the builders of the Kuru dynasty.
 
Footnotes
1. “Pinda” is a ball of rice offered to the memory of one’s ancestors during certain Indian rituals

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 1

18 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by in abhibhavaat, adharma, chapter 1 verse 41, dushtasu, kula, pradushyanti, samkara, striyaha, vaarshaneya, varna

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adharmaabhibhavaatkrishna pradushyanti kulastriyaha |
streeshu dushtaasu vaarshaneya jaayate varnasamkaraha || 41 ||
 
When lawlessness dominates, it deteriorates the condition of women in society, O Krishna. Deterioration of women, O Vaarshneya, gives rise to contamination of character.
 
adharma-abhibhavaat : when lawlessness dominates
krishna : O Krishna
pradyushanti : deterioration
kula-striyaha : women in society
streeshu : women
dushtasu : deteriorated
vaarshaneya : O Vaarshaneya
jaayate : arises
varna-samkara : contamination of character
 
Arjuna’s rambling apocalyptic post-war imagination continues. He echoes a fear that most warriors have in the back of the mind when they go to war. Invading armies seldom show respect and dignity to the women of the defeated kingdom, they are usually treated as the spoils of the war. History has proven this out, and unfortunately it is still the case wherever there is the aftermath of war.
 
In any society, due to the law of averages, there always will be a part of the population with questionable morals and character. However, in a post-war situation where women are treated without dignity, and have to succumb to their invaders, there is no guarantee that they will be able to raise their children with the right values, education and morals. This results in a breakdown in character in the younger generation across the board. Arjuna downward-spiraling mind feared this scenario.
 
Footnotes
1. The Sanskrit word “varna” has several meanings. One traditional meaning of the word “varna” is caste, and if this meaning is taken, the second verse means “this gives rise to contamination of castes”. However, since we cannot even begin to imagine what the caste system looked like in the age when the Gita was written, I have used a more abstract meaning of the word “varna”.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 1

16 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by in abhibhavati, adharmaha, chapter 1 verse 40, dharme, kristram, kuladharmaaha, kulakshaye, nashte, pranashyanti, sanaatanaaha

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kulakshaye pranashyanti kuladharmaaha sanaatanaaha |
dharme nashte kulam kritstramadharmobhibhavatyuta || 40 ||
 
As society gets destroyed, its timeless laws and traditions erode. Once that happens, lawlessness begins to dominate the entire society.
 
kula-kshaye : destruction of society
pranashyanti : gets destroyed
kula-dharmaaha : societal laws
sanaatanaaha : timeless
dharme : rules
nashte : after getting destroyed
kulam : society
kristram : total
adharmaha : lawless
abhibhavati : dominates
 
We are nearing the end of the first chapter, and have just begun examining the last set of verses.
 
Here, Arjuna’s deluded mind began to spin out of control, and the scale of his delusion became progressively magnified. He began enumerating how the act of warfare between the two warring factions will ultimately result in the destruction of civilization.
 
Infighting has caused the downfall of empires and civilizations, the most notable example being the Roman empire. When the upholders of the law, namely the statesmen and the warriors, fight among themselves, a breakdown of law and order takes place.
 
But here, Arjuna looked only at the worst case scenario, totally ignoring the possibility that the war could result in restoration of peace, order and prosperity to the kingdom. His mind had begun a downward slide of negativity that only became worse as he spoke more.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38-39, Chapter 1

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in asmaabhihu, chapter 1 verse 38-39, chetasaha, dosham, drohe, gneyam, katham, kritam, kshaya, kula, lobhaha, mitra, nivartitum, paatakam, prapashyadbhihi, upahat, yadyapi

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yadyapyete na pashyanti lobhopahatchetasaha |
kulakshayakritam dosham mitradrohe cha paatakam || 38 ||
 
katham na gneyamasmaabhihi paapaadasmaannivartitum |
kulakshayakritam dosham prapashyadbhirjanaardana || 39 ||
 
If their greed-afflicted minds cannot see the error in annihilating society, and the sin of quarreling with their friends;
why shouldn’t we, who correctly perceive this error, refrain from committing this sin, O Janaardana?
 
yadyapi : if
ete : they
na pashyanti : cannot see
lobhaha-upahat-chetasaha : minds afflicted by greed
kula-kshaya-kritam : act of annihilating society
dosham : error
mitra-drohe : quarreling against friends
cha : and
paatakam : sin
 
katham : why
na gneyam : not know
asmaabhihi : by us
paapat : sin
asmaat : this
nivartitum : refrain
prapashyadbhihi : right understanding
janaardana : O Janardanaa
 
Arjuna now began a second argument in which he began enumerating the flaws of the opposing army. He wanted to point out that his moral judgement was superior relative to the opposing army’s position. This current sequence of verses is a classic example of how a seemingly logical argument is completely illogical because it has sprung from erroneous foundations. Moreover, Arjuna echoes the human tendency to point out flaws in others when the flaw lies in the pointer.
 
Illogical as it may be, Arjuna’s comment lets us explore a force similar to moha, that of “lobha” or the desire to accumulate something. An increase in lobha for an object, person, situation or circumstance tends to suppress our viveka, our discerning ability. A politician that has extreme greed for a ministerial position could resort to illegal and unethical means to get it. Recent events in global financial markets are a good example where bankers were willing to defraud investors by selling them subprime loans, simply due to greed.
 
Both moha and lobha have one thing in common, they seemingly result in pleasure. Foe example, in case of moha, extreme attachment one’s son or one’s spouse gives one pleasure. In case of lobha, the desire to accumulate wealth or power gives one pleasure. But in both cases, the pleasure that one obtains is temporary and fleeting. In addition, one tends to cling to the object gained by lobha or moha for fear of losing it.
 
So what attitude should we have towards people or things we care about? The Gita delves into this topic in great detail.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 1

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in arhaaha, chapter 1 verse 37, hantum, hatvaa, hi, katham, suhkhinaha, svabaandhavaan, svajanam, tasmaat, vayam

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tasmaannarhaa vayam hantum dhaartaraashtraan svabaandhavaan |
svajanam hi katham hatvaa sukhinaha syaama maadhava || 37 ||
 
Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to kill these relatives of Dhritraashtra who our also our brothers. How can we gain pleasure by killing our own, O Maadhava?
 
tasmaat : therefore
na arhaaha : not appropriate
vayam : we
hantum : to kill
dhaartarashtaan : relatives of Dhritraashtra
svabaandhavaan : our brothers
svajanam : our kinsmen
hi : because
katham : how
hatvaa : kill
sukhinaha : happiness
maadhava : O Maadhava
 
The word “tasmaat”, which means therefore, indicates the conclusion of an argument. Here, Arjuna concluded his argument to Shri Krishna in which he asserted that that he did not want to fight. To defend that argument, Arjuna provided several points: that there was no point in the war or even in living itself, that the very people that he was fighting against were the same people that made him happy, that killing his kinsmen and his well-wishers was a sin, and that there would be no joy derived in doing so.
 
This argument was not built on any sort of rationality or logic because Arjuna came under the influence of “moha” or delusion, the delusion that personal relationships were more important in the battlefield than one’s duty. An increase in moha usually suppresses our ability to discern between what is correct and what is not. This discerning ability is called “viveka”.
 
Here’s an real world example that illustrates moha and viveka. Imagine that your brother has a drinking problem, and needs to hear from you that the addiction needs to stop. What is the right thing for you to do? It is a difficult situation because your moha and viveka come into conflict. Viveka tells you that the right thing for you to do is to intervene, but moha tells you that doing so will endanger your relationship.
 
Another common example is that a surgeon will usually not perform an operation on a relative exactly because of this moha.
 
Footnotes
1. Viveka is the first step in the “Saadhana Chatushthaya”, the 4-fold qualifications that are required for anyone treading on the spiritual path. Barring a few exceptions if you do not cultivate the ability to discern what is correct and what is not, your spiritual journey will never commence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 36, Chapter 1

13 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in aashrayet, aatataayinaha, chapter 1 verse 36, nihatya, syaat

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nihatya dhaartaraashtraanaha ka preetihi syaajjanaardana |
paapmevaashrayedasmaan hatvaitaanaatataayinaha || 36 ||
 
What pleasure will we derive by killing these relatives of Dhritraashtra, O Janaardana? We will only incur sin by killing these felons.
 
nihatya : kill
dhaartaraashtraan : relatives of dhritaraashtra
ka : what
preetihi : pleasure
syaat : derive
janaardana : O Janaardana
paapam : sin
eva : definitely
aashrayet : incur
asmaan : us
hatvaa : by killing
aatataayinaha : felons
 
As Arjuna built up a case in favour of not fighting the war, he added another point – that this endeavour will incur sin.
 
This is a critical point in understanding the message of the Gita. Let us examine what is meant by “sin” here. Since the word “sin” has several interpretations, let us first take something that we can define more precisely, which is the word “crime”.
 
What is a crime? A crime is defined as an act conducted in opposition to a certain law enshrined in a country’s legal system. So then, what is a sin? A sin is also defined as an act committed in opposition to a certain law. But what is that law? Who has written that law? Is that law defined by a certain religion? or by certain societal traditions? Which law did Arjuna use to come to the conclusion that his was about to commit a sin?
 
If Shri Krishna agreed that Arjuna’s act was a sin, he would have said something. But as we see, Shri Krishna did not say anything even after hearing this statement.
 
All this boils down to a simple point: when faced with a situation in life, how should we act? As the Gita unfolds, we will get to the heart of this question.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34-35, Chapter 1

12 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by in ghnatopi, hantumicchaami, hetoha, mahikrute, nu, shvashuraaha, shyaalyaaha

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aachaaryaaha pitaraha putrosthataiva cha pitaamahaaha |
maatulaaha shvashuraaha pautraaha shyaalyaaha sambandhinastathaa || 34 ||
 
etann hantumicchaami ghnatopi madhusoodana |
api trailokyarajyasya hetoha kim nu mahikrute || 35 ||
 
Teachers, uncles, fathers, sons, as well as grand-uncles, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, brothers-in-law and other relatives are here. Although they would like to kill me, I don’t want to attack them, O Madhusoodana. When I won’t do so even if it would win me all the three worlds, what to speak of winning just this earth?
 
aachaaryaaha : teachers
pitaraha : fathers
putraha : sons
tatha eva : like these
cha: and
pitaamahaaha : grandfather
maatulaaha : uncles
shvashuraaha : fathers-in-law
pautraaha : grandsons
shyaalyaaha : brothers-in-law
sambandhinaha : relatives
 
etann : these people
hantum : kill
na icchaami : I don’t want to
ghnataha : attack
madhusoodana : O Madhusoodana
api : also
trailokyarajyasya : three worlds
hetoha : obtain
kim : what 
nu : then
mahikrute : for this earth
 
We notice here that Arjuna essentially repeated his argument that he does not want to attack anyone in this war, since anyone he attacks is bound to be either a friend or a relative. But why was he repeating his arguments? Note that in each verse, he addressed Shri Krishna directly, hoping to get some sort of support or endorsement from him. But, Shri Krishna did not say one word, since he wanted to wait till Arjuna’s delusionary outburst ended.
 
In the second verse about not desiring victory in the three worlds, Arjuna tried to justify his retreat from fighting by wrapping his cowardice in a cloak of fake large-heartedness. The ego can sometimes be more cunning than any politician.