Category Archives: agnihi

Bhagavad Gita Verse 48, Chapter 18

06 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.48, aavritaahaa, agnihi, chapter 18 verse 48, doshena, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, karma, kaunteya, sadosham, sahajam, sarvaarambhaa, tyajet

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sahajam karma kaunteya sadoshamapi na tyajet |
sarvaarambhaa hi doshena dhoomenaagnirivaavritaahaa || 48 ||
 
Natural duty, even though fraught with defect, should not be abandoned. For, all undertakings are covered with defect, like fire by smoke.
 
sahajam : natural
karma : duty
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
sadosham : with defect
api : even
na : not
tyajet : abandoned
sarvaarambhaa : all undertakings
hi : for
doshena : with defect
dhoomen : by smoke
agnihi : fire
iva : like
aavritaahaa : covered
 
Some people in this world are perfectionists. Either we know such people as friends or co-workers, or we may be one ourselves. Perfectionism is a recipe for constant sorrow, because no matter who performs the actions, they will never be perfect. As we have seen earlier, an action is based on several factors, including the mental state of the performer, the instruments used, the state of the outside world and so on. It is next to impossible to expect all these factors to line up in such a manner that the action and its result will be perfect.
 
Shri Krishna says that any undertaking, any project, any action will always have some imperfection built into it, just like any fire will have some smoke covering it. So there is no point giving up our actions and our duties because they contain some imperfection or the other. Even the human body, the most intricate organism on this earth, has some minor defect in one form or the other, in the form of ill health or deformity and so on. Therefore, we have to accept this fact and continue to perform our best actions, not focus too much on the result.
 
With this shloka, the topic of karma yoga is concluded. If we recall, this topic was prompted by Arjuna in the beginning of this chapter, when he wanted to know the difference between sanyaasa and tyaaga. Tyaaga was redefined by Shri Krishna to mean karma yoga, and was analyzed in great detail. Tyaaga or karma yoga, combined with bhakti, is a process, is a means to get us to a destination. When practised properly, it lifts us from our materialistic life and places us on the path towards liberation. So then, if tyaaga is the means, what is the goal? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 11

22 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.39, agnihi, astu, bhooyoha, chapter 11 verse 39, namaha, prajaapatihi, prapitaamaha, punaha, sahastrakritvaha, shashaankaha, varunaha, vayuhu, yamaha

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vayuryamognirvarunaha shashaankaha prajaapatistvam prapitaamahashcha |
namo namastestu sahastrakritvaha punashcha bhooyopi namo namaste || 39 ||
 
You are Vayu, Yama, Agni, Varuna, Shashaanka, Prajaapati and Prapitaamaha. Salutations to you a thousand times. Salutations to you, again and again.
 
vayuhu : Vayu
yamaha : Yama
agnihi : Agni
varunaha : Varuna
shashaankaha : Shashaanka
prajaapatihi : Prajaapati
tvam : you
prapitaamaha : Prapitaamaha
cha : and
namaha : salutations
namaha : salutations
te : to you
astu : let there be
sahastrakritvaha : a thousand times
punaha : again
cha : and
bhooyoha : again
api : also
namaha : salutations
namaha : salutations
te : to you
 
Arjuna understood that the source of nature’s power was none other than Ishvara. He saw Ishvara in all the primal forces of nature and listed their presiding deities: Vayu, the lord of wind who sustains all living beings. Yama, the lord of death who ensures justice for everyone. Agni, the lord of fire who provides energy to all beings. Varuna, the lord of life-giving water. Shashaanka, the moon, who nourishes all plants and herbs.
 
How could Ishvara manifest as all these deities? Because Ishvara functions as Prajaapati, also known as Lord Brahmaa, creator of the universe who brought all the deities into existence. Vedic texts refer to Brahmaa as Hiranyagarbha, the golden womb that brought forth the universe. But Ishvara existed even before Brahmaa was created, he is the Prapitaamaha, the great-grandfather, the original person.
 
When we are humbled, when we come in the presence of someone who is infinitely more capable than we are, we could have one of two reactions. If we have no respect for that person, we could harbour feelings of resentment and anger. But in this case, Arjuna was humbled by Ishvara for whom he had the utmost reverence. Knowing that the source of the universe was on his side, all he could do was repeatedly prostrate and offer his salutations. Knowing that it was Ishvara who was doing his work all along, Arjuna’s completely surrendered his pride.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 9

11 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.16, aajyam, agnihi, aham, aushadham, chapter 9 verse 16, hutam, kratuhu, mantraha, svadhaa, yajnyaha

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aham kraturaham yajnyaha svadhaahamahamaushadham |
mantrohamahamevaajyamamagniraham hutam || 16 ||
 
I am the vedic ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the oblation, I am the herb, I am the chant, I am the butter, I am the fire and I am the act of offering.
 
aham : I am
kratuhu : vedic ritual
yajnyaha : sacrifice
svadhaa : oblation
aushadham : herb
mantraha : chant
aajyam : butter
agnihi : fire
hutam : act of offering
 
Shri Krishna begins to enumerate several opportunities to see Ishvara in our life. It is not enough to consider Ishvara as a finite resident in a picture or an idol. We should be able to incorporate Ishvara in all aspects of our lives. In this shloka, Shri Krishna emphasizes work as a connection to Ishvara by saying that Ishvara is present within all aspects of action.
 
During the time of the Mahabharata war, Vedic rituals were a part and parcel of life and were well understood by all. To that end, Shri Krishna asks Arjuna to view Ishvara in each and every aspect of the vedic ritual. Since such rituals comprise herbs, butter, chanting, fire, and offering of oblations, Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is present in all of them. Arjuna would have had no trouble in ensuring that Ishvara was ever present in such a ritual after he heard this shloka.
 
We, however, lack exposure to such rituals, and therefore we adapt this shloka towards any action that we perform daily. For example, if we are cooking a meal for our family, we can see Ishvara in the cooking flame, in the spices, in the vegetables, in the oil, in the knife and so on. Or if we spend a lot of time creating documents on the computer, then we can try to see Ishvara in the laptop, the mouse, the word document, the browser and so on.
 
Shri Krishna, by redefining action as worship of Ishvara, does not demarcate when and who can worship Ishvara. Sant Kabirdas was a cobbler and Arjuna was a warrior. But both of them could access Ishvara without leaving their respective professions. We have the opportunity to do the very same thing. It is our attitude while performing our work which is most important.
 
Further means to access Ishvara are provided next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 8

21 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.24, agnihi, ahaha, brahma, brahmavidaha, chapter 8 verse 24, gachhanti, janaahaa, jyotihi, prayaataa, shanmaasaa, shuklaha, tatra, uttaraayanam

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agnijyotiraha shuklaha shanmaasaa uttaraayanam |
tatra prayaataa gachhanti brahma brahma vido janaahaa || 24 ||
 
Fire, light, day, the bright (fortnight of the month), the northern movement comprising six months; those people who have departed through that path, knowers of brahman attain brahman.
 
agnihi : fire
jyotihi : light
ahaha : day
shuklaha : bright
shanmaasaa : comprising six months
uttaraayanam : northern movement
tatra : through that path
prayaataa : one who has departed the body
gachhanti : attain
brahma : brahman
brahmavidaha : knowers of brahman
janaahaa : people
 
Shri Krishna describes the journey that the individual soul or jeeva takes after death in this and the next shloka. Each jeeva is allocated one of two paths based on its actions while on this earth. Here, he speaks about the path taken by those who have practiced single-pointed devotion to Ishvara, indicated by the phrase “knowers of brahman”.
 
It is said that Ishvara has appointed special deities to guide the jeeva to the abode of Lord Brahma after its body has ceased to function. Agni, jyoti, shukla and uttaraayan are symbols that indicate the deities who preside over fire, light, the lunar fortnight and the six month period between winter and summer. The jeeva resides in Lord Brahma’s abode until dissolution, after which it is liberated. In other words, it “attains brahman”.
 
In India, Uttaraayana is considered highly auspicious. Its beginning is celebrated with the Makar Sankraanti festival. The lunar fortnight of each month is also the time in which most Indian festivals are celebrated including Navaratri and Guru Purnima.
 
Next, Shri Krishna described the second path that jeevas take after death.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 4

27 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.37, agnihi, arjuna, bhasmaat, chapter 4 verse 37, edhaamsi, jnyaana, kurute, samiddhaha, sarvakarmaani, tathaa, yathaa

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yathaidhaamsi samiddhognirbhasmasaatkuruterjuna |
jnyaanaagnihi sarvakarmaani bhasmasaatkurute tathaa || 37 ||

Just as a burning flame turns fuel into ashes, O Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge turn all actions into ashes.

yathaa : just as
edhaamsi : fuel
samiddhaha : burning
agnihi : flame
bhasmasaat : ashes
kurute : turn into
arjuna : O Arjuna
jnyaana-agnihi : fire of knowledge
sarvakarmaani : all actions
bhasmasaat : ashes
kurute : turn into
tathaa : so does

Previously, Shri Krishna mentioned that having gained knowledge, we will be able to cross over all our sins. But does that mean that the sins remain hidden somewhere? In this shloka, he says that all sins or karmaas get destroyed with knowledge. Just as fire has the capability to burn fuel in the form of wood or coal into ashes, so does knowledge totally destroy karmaas.

Karmaas accumulate in our psyche due to ignorance of our true identity. Now, knowledge and ignorance are mutually exclusive. One cannot remain when the other is present. Take an example from early school. Once you what the addition symbol “+” does, you no longer get confused when you see a question on addition.

So when knowledge comes, ignorance is destroyed, as well as karmaas that were created a result of ignorance. And when the sense of doership and enjoyership vanishes, then situations do not cause joy or sorrow. No more karmaas are accumulated.

In this manner, Shri Krishna continues to praise knowledge in this shloka and the following two shlokas.