Category Archives: agre

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 18

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.39, aatmanaha, agre, anubandhe, chapter 18 verse 39, mohanam, nidraalasyapramaadottham, sukham, taamasam, udaahritam

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yadagre chaanubandhe cha sukham mohanamaatmanaha |
nidraalasyapramaadottham tattaamasamudaahritam || 39 ||
 
That which deludes the self initially and in its result, caused by sleep, lethargy and intoxication, that joy is called taamasic.
 
yat : that which
agre : initially
cha : and
anubandhe : in its result
cha : and
sukham : joy
mohanam : deludes
aatmanaha : self
nidraalasyapramaadottham : caused by sleep, lethargy and intoxication
tat : that
taamasam : taamasic
udaahritam : is called
 
There are some people in this world for whom even ten hours of sleep is not enough. Some others do not want to start any task unless they are reminded several times. Or even worse, some people constantly seek alcohol, smoking or drugs. There has to be a reason why people gravitate to such methods. They derive joy, happiness and a sense of pleasure in these things, even if they know that they will lead to social, physical and mental ruin in the long run. Such a kind of joy is called taamasic sukha.
 
Shri Krishna says that such people are in moha. They are deluded into thinking that the state of stupor, created by indulging in excessive sleep, laziness and intoxication, is happiness. In other words, there is some sensation of joy which has to be acknowledged, but it is unwanted and destructive. Worse still, this perverse type of joy remains throughout the beginning, middle and end of the action. A lazy person will remain comfortably situated in his stupor throughout the day, and continue in his stupor through sleep in the night.
 
If we examine our lives, we may see that there are a few moments where we may sink into partaking taamasic joy. It is next to impossible to come out of this state once we are in it. Once someone has had a high quantity of alcohol, for instance, there is no way for them to recover. They just have to wait for it to leave the body naturally. Short of keeping a high level of awareness towards what we eat, drink, watch and think about, there is no clear antidote for taamasic joy.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 18

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.38, agre, amritopamam, chapter 18 verse 38, parinaame, raajasam, smritam, sukham, visham

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vishayendriyasamyoogaadyattadagremritopamam |
parinaame vishamiva tatsukham raajasam smritam || 38 ||
 
That which comes from the contact of senses with their objects, which is like nectar initially, but like poison in its result, that joy is called raajasic.
 
vishayeindriyasamyoogaat : from contact of senses with objects
yat : that which
tat : that
agre : initially
amritopamam : like nectar
parinaame : in its result
visham : poison
iva : like
tat : that
sukham : joy
raajasam : raajasic
smritam : is called
 
When we see a movie, we have the option of watching it in 3D or 3D IMAX. Everyone has a cellphone with a built in music player. Perfumes are available for any budget. Innumerable options make buying clothes a nightmare. International cuisine is available in most major cities. We are truly living in the age of sensory overload. It is hard to imagine a situation, except deep sleep, where we are not exposed to some sensory indulgence.
 
What is behind all of this? Sensory excitement is mistaken for joy in our world. Shri Krishna says that such sensory indulgence generates some temporary excitement in the beginning, but results in fatigue, or worse still, ill health, in the end. In his commentary, Shri Shankaraachaarya describes the effects of sensory indulgence. It leads to decline in strength, vitality, colour, wisdom, intellect, memory, wealth and most importantly, energy. Whenever there is sense contact beyond what is needed to sustain the body, our energy reserves are depleted.
 
Therefore, we need to stop giving such a lot of importance to sense objects and sense indulgence. The body will have a biological urge such as thirst, which can easily be quenched by water. But our mind craves for a soft drink instead of water, because it has associated the idea of joy with that soft drink. Such superimposition of joy on inert objects is called shobhana adhyaasa. Whenever such thoughts arise, we should counter them with sattvic thoughts of good health, fitness and wellness.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 18

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.37, aatmabuddhiprasaadajam, agre, amritopapam, chapter 18 verse 37, parinaame, proktam, saattvikam, sukham, visham

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yattadagre vishameva parinaamemritopapam |
tatsukham saattvikam proktamaatmabuddhiprasaadajam || 37 ||
 
That which is like poison initially, but is like nectar in its result, that joy is said to be saattvic, born of one’s mental purity.
 
yat : that
tat : which
agre : initially
visham : poison
eva : like
parinaame : in its result
amritopapam : like nectar
tat : that
sukham : joy
saattvikam : saattvic
proktam : is said
aatmabuddhiprasaadajam : born of one’s mental purity
 
Most of us dread going to the doctor’s office for a vaccination. Some of us will try to postpone, or even cancel, an upcoming vaccination. What causes such fear? It is just a little bit of a pinch, that too for a few seconds, caused by the needle of the syringe. Fear is also caused by the anticipation of this pain. But we all know that any vaccination is given to us for our own long term benefit. It will prevent us from catching all kinds of diseases that can cripple us or even kill us.
 
So therefore, the reward for bearing pain is extremely beneficial to us. Shri Krishna says that sattvic joy is similar, in that when we first begin to experience it, it is quite unpleasant, but in the end, it is as pleasant as nectar. No spiritual path is easy to take up in the beginning. In karma yoga, one has to work selflessly, chipping away at the ego. The leap of faith needed for bhakti is difficult for people who have grown up doubting everything. Jnyaana yoga requires a high degree of awareness, whereas most of us lead automated robotic lives where someone else has done out thinking for us.
 
All of these practices have their goal as the purification of the mind, and of removing its three main doshas or faults: mala or selfish desire, vikshepa or lack of focus, and avarana or ignorance. Unless these three faults are diminished to a great extent, we will be unable to comprehend the nature of sattvic joy. This is unlike any joy we know so far, because it does not depend on any external factors such as objects, people or situations. It comes from inside, from the intellect that has turned inward towards the self.