Category Archives: antakaale

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 8

02 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.5, antakaale, asti, atra, cha, chapter 8 verse 5, eva, kalevaram, maam, madbhaavam, muktvaa, na, prayaati, saha, samshayaha, smaran, yaati, yaha

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antakaale cha maameva smaranmuktvaa kalevaram |
yaha prayaati sa madbhaavam yaati naastyatra samshayaha || 5 ||
 
One who, even during the time of departure, abandons his body while remembering me, he achieves my true nature, in this matter there is no doubt.
 
antakaale : during the time of departure
cha : and
maam : me
eva : even
smaran : remembering
muktvaa : abandons
kalevaram : body
yaha : one who
prayaati : goes
saha : he
madbhaavam : my nature
yaati : achieves
na : no
asti : is
atra : in this matter
samshayaha : doubt
 
The remainder of this chapter is the answer to the fundamental questions raised by Arjuna : “How does one attain Ishvara at the time of death?” Having addressed all the other questions, Shri Krishna begins to answer that most important question in this shloka. He says that only the one who remembers Ishvara at the time of death will attain Ishvara.
 
We now have a definite “action item” from Shri Krishna. He asserts that our final goal in life should be this: to remember Ishvara at the time of death. Shri Krishna assures it is so, because he says “in this matter there is no doubt”. It is clearly spelled out for us.
 
At first glance, it may seem straightforward. All we have to do is to remember Ishvara at the time of death. But it is not so. In most cases, we may not know when we die. We could die in an accident. We could have lost our mental faculties. Our attachment towards our family will occupy our minds. There are so many factors that will prevent us from remembering Ishvara only at the time of death.
 
So then, how do we get around this problem? Shri Krishna addresses it shortly. First, he explains why our thought at the time of death is so important.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 72, Chapter 2

07 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 2.72, antakaale, api, asyaam, braahmee, brahmanirvaanam, chapter 2 verse 72, enam, eshaa, na, paartha, praapya, richchati, sthitih, sthitvaa, vimuhyati

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eshaa braahmee sthitih paartha nainaam praapya vimuhyati |
sthitvaasyaamantakaalepi brahmanirvaanamrichchati || 72 ||

Having attained this state of brahman, O Paartha, one never gets deluded. If one gets established in this state even at the time of death, he attains oneness with brahman.

eshaa : this
braahmee :brahman
sthitih : state
paartha : O Paartha
enam : this
praapya : having obtained
vimuhyati : deluded
na : not
sthitvaa : established
asyaam : in this
antakaale : at the time of death
api : even
brahmanirvaanam : oneness with brahman
richchati : attains

We encounter the word “brahman” in this shloka, which is the concluding shloka in the second chapter of the Gita. As a side note, this word is pronounced as “bruh-mun” and not “brah-mun”.

So what exactly is this brahman? It is nothing but the eternal essence that Shri Krishna described in the earlier shlokas of this chapter. It is eternal, timeless, changeless, and pervades the entire universe. And when this abstract notion of the eternal essence takes a name and a form, it is known as Ishvara or God.

Therefore, if one follows the technique of karma yoga and attains the state of a person of steady wisdom or “stithaprajnya”, that person attains oneness with brahman, or in other words, attains God. Also, even if we only attain this state at the time of death, we will still achieve oneness with brahman.

Shri Krishna concludes the second chapter of the Gita with this shloka. As we saw before, the second chapter contains the essence of the entire Gita. So, why should we read the next 16 chapters? Let us take up this question.

Shri Krishna has packed several lifetimes worth of instruction into the second chapter. Most of us will never get it just by reading the second chapter. So Shri Krishna has taken up each point in the second chapter and elaborated it further in the remainder of the Gita. He clarifies key points in the teaching, resolves seemingly conflicting statements, and makes everything practical and accessible to all kinds of readers.

Now, some of us would have approached the Gita to further our spiritual quest, and some of us with a very practical bent. We should not assume that the remainder of the Gita will only go deeper into the spiritual aspects. There are tons of practical lessons that will improve our daily lives and make us better human beings, even if we choose to disregard the spiritual aspects of the Gita.

Having concluded the second chapter in our journey, we will summarize the main points of the second chapter and get a sense of what’s coming ahead next.

om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade saankhyayogo naama dvitiyodhyaayaha || 2 ||