Category Archives: aatmaanam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 51, Chapter 18

09 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.51, aatmaanam, buddhayaa, chapter 18 verse 51, dhrityaa, niyamya, raagadveshau, shabdaadeen, tyaktvaa, vishayaan, vishuddhayaa, vyudasya, yuktaha

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buddhayaa vishuddhayaa yukto dhrityaatmaanam niyamya cha |
shabdaadeenvishayaamstyaktvaa raagadveshau vyudasya cha || 51 ||
 
Endowed with a pure intellect, and regulating oneself with fortitude, giving up sense objects beginning with sound, and eliminating like and dislike.
 
buddhayaa : with intellect
vishuddhayaa : pure
yuktaha : endowed
dhrityaa : with fortitude
aatmaanam : oneself
niyamya : regulating
cha : and
shabdaadeen : beginning with sound
vishayaan : sense objects
tyaktvaa : give up
raagadveshau : like and dislike
vyudasya : eliminating
cha : and
 
In this and the next two shlokas, Shri Krishna illustrates the lifestyle the monk who has entered the stage of sanyaasa or renunciation. The urge to perform a lot of physical actions is low for such a person, otherwise it is impossible for him to even enter a monastic life. Now, the focus shifts towards regulating the mind. Since the monk has already eliminated his strongest material desires, he has to focus on the ones that are weaker, with a view of completely eradicating them as well.
 
Such a sanyaasi has a buddhi or intellect which is vishuddha, extremely pure, free from any doubts and misconceptions about the nature of the material world. There is not even a trace of doubt about the existence of joy in inert objects. His dhriti or fortitude is saattvic, as we have seen earlier in the section on fortitude. He has complete mastery over his mind. He is able regulate his mind by his intellect, and prevent it from wandering into materialistic thoughts. Even if that does happen, his vision prevents those thoughts from causing desire. How is he able to do that?
 
This world is nothing but names and forms, and forms are comprised of five elements – space, air, fire, water and earth. Shabda adeen in this verse refers to these five elements. The sanyaasi is able to look at any object or person, see through the name and form, and understand that it is nothing but the five elements combined together. Realizing that any combination of these elements is nothing but Prakriti or matter, he is able to eliminate any sense of raaga or dvesha, like or dislike, towards that object or person.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 18

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.16, aatmaanam, akritabuddhitvaat, chapter 18 verse 16, durmatihi, kartaaram, kevalam, pashyati, saha, tatra evam sati

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tatraivam sati kartaaramaatmaanam kevalam tu yaha |
pashyatyakritabuddhitvaanna sa pashyati durmatihi || 16 ||
 
This being the case, the one who has an untrained intellect, sees the pure self as the doer. Indeed, that person of perverted understanding sees not.
 
tatra evam sati : this being the case
kartaaram : doer
aatmaanam : self
kevalam : pure
tu : indeed
yaha : one who
pashyati : sees
akritabuddhitvaat : one with untrained intellect
na : not
saha : that person
pashyati : sees
durmatihi : perverted understanding
 
We look at the clouds moving in the sky, and we imagine that the moon is moving, though it is stationary. We see other vehicles moving and think that our vehicle, which is stationary, to be moving. The actions of one object can be superimposed on another object due to optical illusion. Shri Shankaraachaarya provides these examples in this commentary of this shloka to drive home the point that what we see or experience may not really be the truth.
 
Shri Krishna says that our entire life is steeped in the incorrect notion that we perform actions. With regards to the analogies taken up, the self is stationary, and Prakriti is moving. But we do not see this because our intellect is untrained. It is akrita buddhi. We have not imbibed the knowledge that action is performed by the five factors mentioned in the prior shlokas. The scriptures, and Shri Krishna, are repeatedly informing us that ultimately Ishvara’s Prakriti is performing all the actions, not our self, not the aatmaa, not the eternal essence. But we fail to see this. We are durmati, we have a perverted understanding.
 
Unless someone hears this statement from a teacher well versed in the scriptures, this ancient misunderstanding never comes up for questioning. The most common understanding is that the body is the self, the aatmaa. Some other people think that the jeeva, the individualized soul, is the aatmaa. But both these schools of thought attribute action to the aatmaa, which is incorrect. Furthermore, even the results of the actions go to the Prakriti. They do not go to the self, the aatmaa. The aatmaa is kevala, it is untainted, pure, and incapable of any change, modification or action. So then, what is the correct understanding? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 13

30 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.29, aatmaanam, chapter 13 verse 29, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, karmaani, kriyamaanaani, pashyati, prakityaa, saha, sarvashaha, tathaa, yaha

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prakityaiva cha karmaani kriyamaanaani sarvashaha |
yaha pashyati tathaatmaanamakartaaram sa pashyati || 29 ||
 
One who sees all actions as performed by Prakriti alone, and the self as actionless, he sees (clearly).
 
prakityaa : by Prakriti
eva : alone
cha : and
karmaani : actions
kriyamaanaani : performed
sarvashaha : all
yaha : one who
pashyati : sees
tathaa : and
aatmaanam : self
akartaaram : actionless
saha : he
pashyati : sees
 
Imagine that a toddler sees a phone for the first time. He is fascinated each time it rings, and
mistakenly thinks that by raising his hand, he makes the phone ring. But, if an adult has a never-ending fascination with a phone ringing, or has a mistaken notion about why it rings, we will think that there is something wrong with him. If an adult is overly fascinated by machines, it is because he lets the three gunaas of Prakriti still entice him, attract him. In general, once we know how a machine works, we are not overly fascinated or concerned with it.
 
Shri Krishna says that one who has truly assimilated the teaching of the Gita knows that actions, reactions, emotions, thought, logic, all these happen in the realm of Prakriti. Just like we lose fascination for machines once we know how they work, we should gradually stop being fascinated by Prakriti which is nothing but a machine that belongs to Ishvara. If this understanding seeps in, the shocks of world that we face daily will slowly lose their ability to shake us. We will perform our duties with our full attention and dedication so that we can exhaust our selfish desires, but leave the reactions and results to Ishvara because it is all happening in his Prakriti, his machine.
 
How do we go about doing this? The path to reduce our fascination with Prakriti is to increase our fascination with Ishvara. We do this by hearing stories of Ishvara, by attending satsanga, by associating with people who are devotees of Ishvara. The Gita itself contains chapters on the glory of Ishvara’s vibhootis, which can be read as daily meditations. Eventually, we begin to see the entire universe as part of Ishvara’s vishvaroopa, his universal form.
 
Now, even if we develop detachment towards the actions of Prakriti, our senses still get fascinated by variety, colour, form, diversity created by it. How do we deal with this aspect of Prakriti? Shri Krishna covers this next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 13

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.28, aatmaanam, aatmanaa, chapter 13 verse 28, eeshvaram, gatim, hi, hinasti, na, paraam, pashyan, samam, samavasthitam, sarvatra, tataha, yaati

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samam pashyanhi sarvatra samavasthitameeshvaram |
na hinastyaatmanaatmaanam tato yaati paraam gatim || 28 ||
 
For, he who sees Ishvara established equally everywhere, does not kill his self by his own self. That is why he attains the supreme state.
 
samam : equal
pashyan : he who sees
hi :for
sarvatra : everywhere
samavasthitam : established equally
eeshvaram : Ishvara
na : not
hinasti : kill
aatmanaa : his self
aatmaanam : by his own self
tataha : that is why
yaati : attains
paraam : supreme
gatim : state
 
Shri Krishna explains the result of developing an equanimous vision in this shloka. He says that one who sees Ishvara residing equally in everything and everyone, including himself, does not harm or kill his self by his own self. He says that we commit a kind of suicide whenever we do not focus on the imperishable and give too much importance to the perishable. We would very rarely get the urge to commit suicide. So how does this happen?
 
Whenever our body’s weight increases or decreases, we say “I am fat, I am thin”. Whenever our body falls ill and recovers, we say “I am sick, I am healthy”. Whenever our body is injured and healed, we say “I am injured, I am healed”. We taken on changes that happen to a mass of flesh and bones as our own changes. By repeatedly taking on this identification to the body due to ignorance of our true nature, we get stuck in an endless cycle of desire, action, birth and death. This entry into the cycle of birth and death is referred to as “killing of one’s self by one’s own self”.
 
Shri Krishna says that we need to develop samadarshanam, the vision of seeing the imperishable Ishvara in the perishable world. We need to stop identifying with the body, which is not ours to begin with. It belongs to the five elements that make up the universe, and will go back to them when it has run its course. We should identify with Ishvara who exists equally in us and in other beings. When we recognize that the Ishvara in us is the same Ishvara in everyone, we will attain the most supreme, the most pure state of Ishvara which is the state of brahman, the eternal essence. The instant we realize our identity with brahman, we attain liberation or moksha.
 
We have seen how to attach ourselves to Ishvara, how to identify ourselves with Ishvara in these shlokas. We also need to detach ourselves from Prakriti. We shall see how to do this in the next two shlokas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 13

25 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.24, aatmaanam, aatmanaa, aatmani, anye, apare, chapter 13 verse 24, dhyaanena, karmayogena, kechit, pashyanti, saankhyena, yogena

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dhyaanenaatmani pashyanti kechidaatmaanamaatmanaa |
anye saankhyena yogena karmayogena chaapare || 24 ||
 
Some behold the self in the self by the self through meditation, others through Saankhya and yoga, and others do so through karma yoga.
 
dhyaanena : through meditation
aatmani : by the self
pashyanti : behold
kechit : some
aatmaanam : the self
aatmanaa : in the self
anye : others
saankhyena : through Saankhya
yogena : yoga
karmayogena : through karma yoga
cha : and
apare : others
 
So far, it seems like we have studied two unrelated topics in our study of the Gita. One one hand, we studied techniques such as saankhya yoga, karma yoga, dhyaana yoga or meditation and bhakti yoga as techniques to access Ishvara. One the other hand, we came across the two-fold downfall of the Purusha, through ignorance of our true nature and subsequent attachment to the gunaas or qualities. In this shloka and the next, Shri Krishna methodically connects these seemingly unrelated topics.
 
Before we are ready to remove the ignorance of our true nature, we need to deal with our attachment to the three gunaas of Prakriti. In simple terms, we need to deal with our selfish desires. The technique of dealing with our selfish desires depends upon the capability of the seeker. Shri Krishna says that the most advanced seeker has mastered the technique of dhyaana yoga or meditation. They can directly contact the eternal essence “in the self through the self”, which means that they can access the eternal essence through their intellect. This topic was covered in the sixth chapter.
 
For those who do not have mastery over meditation, saankhya yoga or the yoga of discrimination is recommended. This was the topic of the second chapter. Here, the seeker has great command over their intellect. They can constantly separate the eternal essence from the three gunas, the Purusha from Prakriti, through viveka or discrimination. “The three gunaas, sattva, rajas and tamas are objects of my perception, I am their witness, eternal and distinct from them.” This is how they think all the time. Some commentators interpret the phrase “saankhya and yoga” to include “ashtanga yoga”, which is the technique of accessing Ishvara through yogic exercises and breathing.
 
For those who cannot practise saankhya yoga or ashtanga yoga, karma yoga, the yoga of selfless action, is recommended. This was the topic of the third chapter. Most of us fit into this category. When actions are performed with the idea of dedication to Ishvara, the mind is gradually purged of selfishness. Such a pure mind becomes ready to receive and internalize the knowledge of one’s true nature described in the present chapter.
 
Now, what happens if we cannot follow any of these techniques? Shri Krishna explains the simplest technique in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 11

18 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.4, aatmaanam, avyayam, chapter 11 verse 4, darshaya, drishtum, iti, manyase, mayaa, me, prabho, shakayam, tat, tataha, tvam, yadi, yogeshvara

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manyase yadi tachchakayam mayaa drishtumiti prabho |
yogeshvara tato me tvam darshayaatmaanamavyayam || 4 ||
 
O Lord, if you think that it is possible for this to be seen by me, then O Yogeshvara, you show me your undivided form.
 
manyase : you think
yadi : if
tat : that
shakayam : possible
mayaa : by me
drishtum : seen
iti : this
prabho : O Lord
yogeshvara : O Yogeshvara
tataha : then
me : me
tvam : you
darshaya : show
aatmaanam : your
avyayam : undivided form
 
We come across another aspect of Arjuna’s request in this shloka. Imagine the plight of an movie actor who is absolutely devoted to his craft. He has worked day and nights for a whole year in a movie as a supporting actor. After the shooting ends, he is filled with a burning desire to see the entire movie. Why so? It is because he has only seen the bits and pieces of the movie that he was involved with, and he is not satisfied unless he sees it as a single story, end to end.
 
Likewise, Arjuna is no longer content with seeing bits and pieces of Ishvara’s expressions. He wants to see how it all comes together as one undivided entity. This is indicated by Arjuna’s use of the word “avyayam” which means undivided, without any discontinuity. And like the only person who can reveal the whole movie is the director, the only person that can reveal the undivided nature of the universe is the “prabhu”, the governor, master and controller.
 
Now, Arjuna knows that he has to approach Shri Krishna with humility. That’s why he politely says: “show me that form only if you think that I am qualified to see it”. Morever, Arjuna does not want to imagine it or dream it up, he wants to see it with his eyes, with his “drishti”. He also refers to Shri Krishna as “yogeshwara”, the teacher of several yogas in the Gita such as karma yoga, dhyana yoga, jnyana yoga and bhakti yoga. The yoga in “Vibhooti yoga” is the power that creates variety in the one undivided Ishvara.
 
So, does Shri Krishna agree to this request? We shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 11

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.3, aatmaanam, aattha, aishvaram, chapter 11 verse 3, drishtum, etat, evam, ichchaami, parameshavara, purushottamam, roopam, te, tvam, yathaa

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evametadyathaattha tvamaatmaanam parameshavara |
drishtumichchaami te roopamaishvaram purushottamam || 3 ||
 
As you have spoken about yourself, so is it, O supreme Ishvara. I wish to see your divine form, O supreme person.
 
evam : it is that
etat : this
yathaa : as
aattha : spoken
tvam : you
aatmaanam : yourself
parameshavara : supreme Ishvara
drishtum : to see
ichchaami : I wish
te : your
roopam : form
aishvaram : divine
purushottamam : O supreme person
 
When someone describes the plot and special effects of the latest Hollywood summer blockbuster to us, and our curiosity and interest for that movie increases, we reach a point when we say “I want to see that movie right now, and I want to see it on a large IMAX screen”. Why does that happen? Of the five sense organs, the organ of sight is the dearest to us. As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
 
Similarly, Arjuna’s curiosity towards Shri Krishna had reached its peak at this point. That is why he asked Shri Krishna, who was the “avatar” or incarnation of Ishvara, to reveal his divine form that was described in the last shloka of the previous chapter. How magnificent would that form be, if this entire universe was sustained by only a fraction of Ishvara, and if all of the divine expressions were contained in Ishvara. In addition to the might and grandeur of this form, Arjuna also wanted to see how everything originated, existed and dissolved within Ishvara, and finally, how everything was Ishvara in essence.
 
We call something divine when it is endowed with the attributes of knowledge, lordship, power, prowess and brilliance. Arjuna put in a request to Shri Krishna to see that that form, where it is possible to have this vision of many in one. However, the sincere Arjuna did not order to command Shri Krishna to show that form. He qualified his request with a great deal of humility, which we see in the upcoming shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 10

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.15, aatmaanam, aatmanaa, bhootabhaavana, bhootesha, chapter 10 verse 15, devadeva, jagatpate, purushottama, svayam, tvam, vettha

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svayamaatmanaatmaanam vettha tvam purushottama |
bhootabhaavana bhootesha devadeva jagatpate || 15 ||
 
Only you yourself know of your true nature, O foremost among all, creator of all beings, lord of all beings and nourisher of this universe.
 
svayam : yourself
aatmanaa : of the true nature of the self
aatmaanam : by the self
vettha : know
tvam : you
purushottama : foremost among all
bhootabhaavana : creator of all beings
bhootesha : lord of all beings
devadeva : lord of all deities
jagatpate : nourisher of the universe
 
Previously, Arjuna said that Ishvara cannot be completely understood through our eyes and ears. But, being eager to still know Ishvara, he began using several words to describe Ishvara in this shloka. He also acknowledges that only Ishvara can know Ishvara, since there was nothing prior to Ishvara. Ishvara is self-evident, just like we do not need another source of light to see the sun.
 
Arjuna addressed Ishvara as “purushottama”, the foremost and eminent person, beyond all cause and effect. He is “bhootabhaavana”, the origin of all beings, the absolute reality that has taken maaya as an upaadhi or qualifier to create this world of names and forms. He is also “bhootesha”, the master and lord of all beings.
 
Even though he is the controller, he is not someone who is a cruel master. He is “devadeva”, the lord of all deities including Indra and Varuna, someone who is revered and adored. Also, Ishvara does not quit once the world is created. He is also “jagatpate”, the protector and nourisher of the universe. However, we need to understand that, like a magician, Ishvara is never affected by the magic show. He is the cause, and the magic show of the universe is the effect.
 
So, if Ishvara can alone know Ishvara, only Ishvara can reveal his glories. Arjuna takes this up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 9

29 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.34, aatmaanam, bhava, chapter 9 verse 34, eshyasi, eva, evam, maam, maama, madbhaktaha, madyaajee, manmanaahaa, matparaayanaha, namaskuru, yuktvaa

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manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajee maama namaskuru |
maamevaishyasi yuktvaivamaatmaanam matparaayanaha || 34 ||
 
Keep your mind in me, become my devotee, perform actions for me, surrender to me. In this manner, engage yourself in me. By making me your goal, you will attain only me.
 
manmanaahaa : keep your mind in me
bhava : do
madbhaktaha : become my devotee
madyaajee : perform actions for me
maam : me
namaskuru : surrender to
maama : me
eva : only
eshyasi : attain
yuktvaa : engaged in
evam : in this manner
aatmaanam : yourself
matparaayanaha : make me your goal
 
Shri Krishna concludes the ninth chapter with a “take home message”. He gives us specific, tangible and practical instructions to bring the teachings of this chapter into our life. Having declared that this world is impermanent and devoid of joy, he wants us to follow a new way of life that orients us towards Ishvara and away from the world.
 
Let’s look at the most important instruction first. Shri Krishna wants us to make Ishvara as our sole goal in life. How does this work in practice? If for instance, we are ready to go to college, it should be in line with our svadharma so that we get skilled in performing our work. If we want to get married, it should be with the intention of serving our family and our parents. Any time we serve someone else, we are serving Ishvara.
 
Now once this goal is set, everything else falls into place. Shri Krishna wants us to keep on contemplating Ishvara and perform all our actions for Ishvara. The more we do this, the more will our ego get subdued, and this is how we will convert ourselves into a true devotee. We may encounter people and situations that are unpleasant, disagreeable and not to our liking. Even in the midst of this we should bow down and surrender to Ishvara, knowing that it is our past actions that are manifesting as unpleasant but temporary situations.
 
What is the end result? If we are ever engaged with Ishvara throughout our lives, if we make Ishvara our goal and refuge, we will certainly attain him. This attainment is explained in the sixth chapter as “Yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati”. We will not view the world as different from us. We will see Ishvara in all, and all in Ishavara.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade raajavidyaaraajaguhyayogo naama navamodhyaayaha || 9 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 6

01 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in aatmaanam, aatmani, cha, chapter 6 verse 29, eekshate, samadarshanaha, sarvabhootani, sarvabhootastham, sarvatra, yogayuktaatmaa

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sarvabhootasthamaatmaanam sarvabhootani chaatmani |
eekshate yogayuktaatmaa sarvatra samadarshanaha || 29 ||
 
One who is established in yoga, one with equanimous vision everywhere, sees his self in all beings, and all beings in his own self.
 
sarvabhootastham : present in all beings
aatmaanam : his self
sarvabhootani : all beings
cha : and
aatmani : in his own self
eekshate : sees
yogayuktaatmaa : one established in yoga
sarvatra : everywhere
samadarshanaha : equanimous vision
 
So far, Shri Krishna was talking about the process of meditation, what should be the meditator’s approach, how should he sit and so on. But having come out of meditation, what is the vision of the perfected meditator?
 
Shri Krishna says that the perfected meditator sees his self in all beings, and all beings in his self. It is difficult to comprehend what this means without actually practising meditation. We can do our best to understand it through an example.
 
We will use the illustration of the wave and the ocean as our running example. As an individual, we have a name and a form. In the same way, we can assume that each wave in the ocean has a (fictitious) name and form. If we go with this analogy, then we can consider ourself as one of those waves.
 
Meditation enables us to expand the notion of what a wave is. So first, we begin to see that although there are different kinds of waves in the ocean, in essence, they are nothing but name and form. Some waves are big, some are small. Some last for a few seconds, some last for much longer than that. Now I could be a small wave and you could be a big wave, but both of us are waves nevertheless. It is akin to realizing that we are all in the same family, company, nation and so on.
 
This stage of the perfected meditator’s vision is indicated by the words “he sees his self in all beings”.
 
As we further expand our vision, we begin to unravel the base of all these waves. We think: yes, all of us are waves, but what holds us together? We then realize that all waves no matter how big or small are contained in the ocean. The ocean is infinitely larger than all of the waves put together. None of the waves can exist without the ocean.
 
The final stage of this vision is reached when we as the wave realize that the ocean also is a name and form, even though it is infinitely larger than all of the waves put together. At its essence, it is nothing but water. I am the wave is water, other waves are water, the ocean is also water.
 
This state is indicated by the words “he sees all beings in his own self”, and such a person is called “sarvatra samadarshanaha”, one with equal vision.
 
Another point made in this shloka is that this “seeing” does not happen just with one’s eyes. This vision comes out of wisdom. Such vision is sometimes referred to as the “third eye”. This is the vision of a “sthitaprajnya” that was briefly discussed in the second chapter.
 
This topic is further elaborated upon in the next few shlokas.