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Category Archives: avaapnoti

Bhagavad Gita Verse 56, Chapter 18

14 Sunday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.56, avaapnoti, avyayam, chapter 18 verse 56, kurvaanaha, madvyapaashrayaha, matprasaadaat, padam, sadaa, sarvakarmaani, shaashvatam

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sarvakarmaanyapi sadaa kurvaano madvyapaashrayaha |
matprasaadaadavaapnoti shaashvatam padamavyayam || 56 ||
 
Always engaging even in all actions, one who considers me as his refuge, through my grace attains that eternal, imperishable state.
 
sarvakarmaani : all actions
api : even
sadaa : always
kurvaanaha : engaging
madvyapaashrayaha : one to whom I am the refuge
matprasaadaat : through my grace
avaapnoti : attains
shaashvatam : eternal
padam : state
avyayam : imperishable
 
Arjuna, after having heard the final message of the Gita discourse, would probably have had felt quite dejected and sad, like many of us. Unless one gave up all actions, took up a life of a monk, lived in a secluded place and contemplated constantly upon the eternal essence, liberation is not possible. How many of us, who are currently quite entrenched in the world, can see ourselves taking up a path of monkhood? It is next to impossible. We may begin to think that the Gita is not for us.
 
Anticipating this frustration, Shri Krishna brought the discourse back to Arjuna’s level, as it were. Arjuna, like us, was not in a state to renounce his actions and retire to a state of monkhood. Shri Krishna reassured Arjuna that liberation is absolutely possible for such people. It is because of one key point. Whether one continues to act in this world, or takes up renunciation, liberation is entirely up to the grace of Ishvara. We can make all the preparations we want to fall asleep, but ultimately, whether or not we fall asleep is not in our hands.
 
So then, having known this, Arjuna, who had temporarily given up hope of attaining the shaashvata avyaya padam, the eternal and imperishable state of liberation, regained his interest in the discourse. Shri Krishna now began winding up the entire Gita, by summarizing its key aspects from a very practical standpoint. The simple practical advice given here is to continue performing our duty, not to worry too much if we inadvertently perform a prohibited action, and to consider Ishvara as the one and only one aashraya, the ultimate refuge.

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Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 16

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.23, avaapnoti, chapter 16 verse 23, gatim, kaamakaarataha, paraam, shaastravidhim, siddhim, sukham, utsrijya, vartate

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yaha shaastravidhimutsrijya vartate kaamakaarataha |
na sa siddhimavaapnoti na sukham na paraam gatim || 23 ||
 
He who dismisses the laws of scripture and conducts himself according to impulses of desire, he neither attains success, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal.
 
yaha : he who
shaastravidhim : laws of scripture
utsrijya : dismisses
vartate : conducts
kaamakaarataha : impulse of desire
na : not
saha : he
siddhim : success
avaapnoti : attain
na : not
sukham : happiness
na : not
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Imagine that we have to assemble a complex piece of furniture. Most people will follow the instructions given in the manual that comes in the box. But, for some reason, lets say we ignore the manual and build what we want based on a whim. What will be the outcome? We will be unsuccessful in building a functional piece of furniture. Consequently, we will not be happy with this outcome. Without following the manual, we neither gain success nor attain happiness.
 
Shri Krishna says that if we live our lives based solely on our desires, we will neither attain success in any worldly endeavour, nor will we attain worldly happiness. The supreme goal of self realization then is totally out of the question. Unfortunately, whenever we feel disillusioned, we usually seek guidance from the latest self help book, or try to emulate the lives of those who have had significant material prosperity. Such guidance may get us temporary happiness in a small part of our life, but will never solve our predicament holistically.
 
So then, what is the solution? Shri Krishna points us to the Vedas, the scriptures, as a guide towards checking our selfish desire-oriented life. He is in no way advocating a dogmatic, ideological or blind faith oriented lifestyle that imposes restrictions upon society. The Gita, in fact, presents the very principles of the Vedas in a format that is meant for practical individuals. The notion of svadharma, of following a career path that is in line with our interests and our qualifications, is a perfect example of guidance from the scriptures.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 15

13 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in 15.8, aashayaat, avaapnoti, chapter 15 verse 8, eeshvaraha, gandhaan, griheetvaitaani, samyaati, shareeram, utkraamti, vaayuhu, yat

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shareeram yadvaapnoti yachchaapyutkraamteeshvaraha |
griheetvaitaani samyaati vaayurgandhaanivaashayaat || 8 ||
 
When the lord acquires a body, and when he leaves it, he takes them and departs, like the wind takes odours from their seats.
 
shareeram : body
yat : when
avaapnoti : acquires
yat : when
cha : again
api : also
utkraamti : leaves
eeshvaraha : lord
griheetvaitaani : takes them
samyaati : departs
vaayuhu : wind
gandhaan : odours
iva : like
aashayaat : seats
 
Earlier, we saw how the individual soul, the jeeva, wants to interact with Prakriti in order to exhaust its desires. In preparation to do so, it surrounds itself with the mind (which contains the desires) and the five senses. This collection of the jeeva, the mind and the senses is also known as the subtle body, because it is invisible. We can think of the subtle body as a computer file. Just as a computer file needs a computer to express itself, a subtle body needs a physical body to express itself. Whenever the timespan of one human body ends, the subtle body has to find another physical body to continue exhausting its desires.
 
Shri Krishna says that in such a situation, the subtle body, the jeeva with the mind and senses, ejects itself from the physical body and finds another body to settle in. It is similar to a international diplomat who goes from one assignment to another, taking his staff with him wherever he goes. Since the mind and senses follow the jeeva, it is referred to as Ishvara or the lord here, not to be confused with the meaning of Ishvara that has been used throughout the Gita. Once the jeeva finds a new home, it slowly starts unpacking its belongings, the mind and senses, in sequence. It is fascinating to see time-lapse videos of an embryo growing inside a mother’s womb. This is the jeeva slowly gaining its faculties, which are nothing but accumulations of additional upaadhis.
 
Imagine that a small wooden box contains a strong perfume. If the box – the seat of the perfume – is opened, the fragrance will slowly start leaving the box and fill the room. Shri Krishna uses this analogy to explain the transfer of the jeeva from one physical body to another. If we bring in the analogy of the eternal essence as space, and combine it with this analogy, we will find that they fit together perfectly. Walls, fragrance, wind, boxes – all these limitations of space are apparent, not real. They are upaadhis, apparent limitations. Space does not care whether we build 2 walls or 2 million walls. No one or nothing can limit space. There is no coming and going of the perfume in space. It is only from a worldly standpoint that the fragrance is moving from the box to the room.