Category Archives: asti

Bhagavad Gita Verse 66, Chapter 2

01 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 2.66, abhaavayataha, ashaantasya, asti, ayuktasya, ayuktaya, bhaavana, buddhih, cha, chapter 2 verse 66, kutaha, na, shaantih, sukham

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naasti buddhiryuktasya na chaayuktasya bhaavana |
na chaabhaavayataha shaantirashaantasya kutaha sukham || 66 ||

The individual whose mind and senses are not controlled cannot have a focused intellect, without a focused intellect he cannot meditate, and without meditation there is no peace. How can there be happiness without peace?

na : not
asti : happen
buddhih : focused intellect
ayuktasya : one whose mind and senses are not controlled
na : not
cha : and
ayuktasya : that individual
bhaavana : meditation
na : not
cha : and
abhaavayataha : without meditation
shaantih : peace
ashaantasya : individual without peace
kutaha : where
sukham : happy

Shri Krishna so far extolled the virtues of controlling the senses and the mind. In this shloka, he echoes the same point, but uses negative inference to drive it home.

Here, he says that if the mind and senses constantly wander, our psyche is agitated. An agitated psyche will never allow an intellect to focus. And we have already seen in earlier shlokas the disadvantages of not having focused intellect or “vyavasaayaatmika buddhi”.  One cannot hold on to a single thought, in other words – meditate, if the mind is turbulent.

We may feel that there is some repetition here – why is he asking us to control the mind and senses over and over again? But consider this: reading about it and putting it into practice are two different things. If we check the daily list of thoughts that we maintain in our diary, we realize that even if we read the Gita backwards and forwards, it takes lot of time and effort to change the quality and quantity of our thoughts. This message needs to be seared into our brain for us to take it seriously, hence the refrain of this point.

Very simply put: there is no happiness without control of mind and senses.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 2

07 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.40, abhikrama, api, asti, asya, bhayaat, chapter 2 verse 40, dharmasya, mahataha, na, naasha, pratyavayaha, svalpam, traayate, vidyate

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nehaabhikramanaashosti pratyavayo na vidyate |
svalpamapyasya dharmasya traayate mahato bhayaat || 40 ||

Here, there is no loss of effort, nor is there any negative result. Even a little of this knowledge protects one from the most massive fear.

na : no
iha : here
abhikramanaasha : loss of effort
na : not
asti : happens
pratyavayaha : negative result
na vidyate : does not happen
svalpam : a little
api : also
asya : this
dharmasya : this knowledge
traayate : protects from
mahataha : massive
bhayaat : fear

As mentioned before, we are all set to embark upon the practical aspects of the Gita teaching.

Now, whenever we are about to begin a project, a few doubts or fears may arise in our minds. Two of the most common fears are (a) what will happen if I don’t follow the steps exactly? and (b) what will happen if I make a minor mistake and the whole thing backfires?

Consider a student who has left the comfort of his home to pursue higher studies abroad. Now, he usually has to learn how to cook since his mom is not around to cook anymore. If he tries to prepare a meal, it will usually come out wrong because the steps were not followed correctly. Or worse still, it may totally backfire and yield a negative result – he may burn the food which will set off a fire alarm.

Moreover, for most Indians who hold the Gita in high reverence, we may harbour a notion that any teaching of the Gita needs to be followed to the letter, like a priest who recited mantras at a puja. And if we don’t do this, we will incur sin.

Shri Krishna reassures Arjuna that the teaching of buddhi yoga is absolutely risk free. It will not result in “abhikrama-naasha” or error caused by not following the steps correctly. It will also not create “pratyavaha dosha”,  i.e. yielding a negative result.

Therefore, Shri Krishna informs us that there is absolutely no excuse for holding back in implementing these teachings due to fear of any sort. Even if we practice a little bit of this teaching, it protects us from the most massive fear – the fear of death.