Category Archives: bhaavaha

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 18

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.17, ahamkritaha, bhaavaha, buddhihi, chapter 18 verse 17, hanti, hatvaa, imaan, lipyate, nibadhyate, yasya

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yasya naahamkrito bhaavo buddhiryasya na lipyate |
hatvaapi sa imaanllokanna hanti na nibadhyate || 17 ||
 
One who does not have the notion that I am the doer, whose intellect is not tainted, he does not kill, nor is he bound, even by killing these beings.
 
yasya : one who
na : not
ahamkritaha : I am the doer
bhaavaha : notion
buddhihi : intellect
yasya : whose
na : not
lipyate : tainted
hatvaa : killing
api : even
saha : that person
imaan : these
lokanna : beings
hanti : kill
na : not
nibadhyate : bound
 
Previously, we came across the incorrect understanding of action. Whenever we think “I am performing this action”, it is incorrect, born out of ignorance, it is durmati. Shri Krishna now gives us the correct understanding. When we think that “this action is being performed by the five factors of Prakriti, not by me”, this is the correct understanding, this is sumati. And after the action is performed, we do not let the result of the action impact us. In other words, we are not attached to the reward of action.
 
The most common concern towards this kind of understanding is that it will make us weak and fatalistic, especially when we are still engaged in karma yoga. That is why it has to be combined with the idea of selfless service. A modern interpretation of this notion is : do your best, and leave the rest. As we continue our journey in karma yoga, our selfish desires and vaasanaas will slowly wither away, paving the way for the knowledge of the self in the second chapter to take root in our mind. Then we will come to the realization that only the self, the aatmaa is real or sat. Actions are in the realm of Prakriti, of Maaya, which is asat or illusory.
 
Per Shri Shankarachaarya’s commentary, this shloka embodies the sum and substance of the Gita and even of all the Vedas. We start our lives thinking that we are the body. The scriptures, the Vedas, tell us that we are not the body, we are the jeeva who has to use his body and mind to perform selfless service. Now, at the conclusion of the Vedas, Veda-anta, we are told that we are beyond the jeeva. This attitude of non-identification with the doership of actions differentiatees a sanyaasi, a monk, from a tyaagi, one who has renounced action, per the original question of Arjuna in this chapter.
 
With the words “he kills, but does not kill”, we are transported back to the second chapter, where Shri Krishna was convincing Arjuna to engage in the Mahaabhaarata war. So then, what is left? From a practical standpoint, we still have to deal with science of action. Unless we understand it fully, we will never be able to distance ourselves from the notion of doership. Shri Krishna continues his analysis of action from the standpoint of the three gunaas, since he has proven that action is in the realm of Prakriti.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 8

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.20, anyaha, avyaktaat, avyaktaha, bhaavaha, bhooteshu, chapter 8 verse 20, na, nashyatsu, paraha, saha, sanaatanaha, sarveshu, tasmaat, tu, vinashyati, yaha

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parastasmaattu bhaavonyovyaktovyaktaatsanaatanaha |
yaha sa sarveshu bhooteshu nashyatsu na vinashyati || 20 ||
 
But, there exists another supreme, timeless unmanifest, beyond that (other) unmanifest, which, after destruction of all beings, is not destroyed.
 
paraha : supreme
tasmaat : that
tu : but
bhaavaha : exists
anyaha : another
avyaktaha : unmanifest
avyaktaat : unmanifest
sanaatanaha : timeless
yaha : that
saha : which
sarveshu : all
bhooteshu : beings
nashyatsu : after destruction
na : does not
vinashyati : destroyed
 
Previously, Shri Krishna spoke about the endless cycle of creation and dissolution of the universe. All living and non-living beings go into a state of suspended animation for 4.32 billion years, after which they come back into manifest mode for another 4.32 billion years. But there is one more thing. There are a select few beings that escape this endless cycle. They are the ones who are liberated.
 
Let us go back to our example of the movie projector where the light that illuminates the film strip identified itself with a character in the movie. How does that piece of light get liberated? By knowing that the identification with the movie character is false, and the identification with the light is real. The light in the projector remains constant regardless of how many times the movie is shown and rewound. It transcends the movie.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna informs us that there is something beyond this cycle of creation and dissolution, something that transcends time and space. In other words, everything in this world is transitory and will eventually lead to sorrow. Unless we realize that everything that we think will give us happiness is subject to destruction sooner or later, we will never become aware that there is something beyond our materialistic pursuits.
 
So, what exactly is this “another unmanifest”? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 8

01 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.4, adhibhootam, adhidaivatam, adhiyagna, aham, atra, bhaavaha, cha, chapter 8 verse 4, dehabhritaam, dehe, eva, ksharo, purusha, vara

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adhibhootam ksharo bhaavaha purushashchaadhidaivatam |
adhiyagnohamevaatra dehe dehabhritaam vara || 4 ||
 
“Adhibhootam” is perishable existence. “Adhidaiva” is the person. And, I only am “adhiyagnya” in this body, O eminent among the embodied.
 
adhibhootam : “adhibhootam”
ksharo : perishable
bhaavaha : existence
purusha : the person
cha : and
adhidaivatam : “adhidaiva”
adhiyagna : “adhiyagna”
aham : I am
eva : only
atra : this
dehe : body
dehabhritaam : among the embodied
vara : eminent
 
Three out of Arjuna’s seven questions were answered by Shri Krishna in the previous shloka. Here, three more questions are answered : what is adhibhootam, what is adhidaiva and what is adhiyagnya. Again, we shall use the running illustration of the projector and the animated movie to better understand the answers.
 
Let us start with the definition of adhibhootam, which the shloka terms as perishable existence. It refers to everything in the universe that is visible. With regards to our example, it refers to everything in the movie that is visible except Tom. So, for example, if a scene in the movie comprises Tom sitting in a classroom, then everything in the classroom is adhibhoota: his classmates, his teacher, the benches, the windows, the walls and so on.
 
The one common quality that they share is that they are perishable, they have a beginning and an end. When the movie starts, we come to know that the classroom exists. When the movie ends, the classroom is no more.
 
Next, let us look at the definition of adhidaiva. Literally, it is defined as “purusha” or person in the shloka. But what it really means is the creative or intelligent principle that resides within every living and non-living object in universe. It determines the fate of the universe and holds the universe together.
 
From the perspective of our example, adhidaiva is the movie script. The character Tom may not know why he gets into an accident, or wins an unexpected lottery, but the script knows exactly why it happens, and how it fits into the entire movie. The script determines the fate of the movie. It also ensures that what we see is harmonious and logical, not a random disjointed series of images.
 
Now, let’s examine what is meant by adhiyagnya. So far we have defined the light that illuminates Tom (adhyaatma), the light that illuminates everything else (adhibhoota), the creative intelligence of the movie (adhidaiva), the mechanism of projection (karma), and the light itself (brahman). But there is one more aspect that is missing in this scheme.
 
From the minute Tom wakes up in the morning to when he goes to bed at night, he is not idle. He is active in this world. He transacts with his family, his friends, his teachers, even strangers. There is a give-and-take happening throughout the day that compels him to act. Shri Krishna says that this world of activity and relationships is termed as adhiyagnya.
 
Now we come to the key point. Addressing Arjuna fondly as “eminent among the embodied”, Shri Krishna asserts that adhyaatma, adhidaiva, adhibhoota, karma and adhidaiva are nothing but Ishvara. Ishvara and brahman are the same, it is just that one is with form and one is formless. Similarly, everything that we see on the screen is nothing but a modification of the light of the projector. Whatever Tom does or experiences in the movie is just an illusion. When the film strip stops moving, we see the formless white light on the screen.
 
Next, Shri Krishna starts answering the seventh question, which makes up the bulk of this chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 8

30 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by in 8.3, adhyaatmam, aksharam, bhaavaha, bhavakaraha, bhoota, brahma, chapter 8 verse 3, karma, paramam, samjnyitam, svabhaavaha, uchyate, visargaha

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Shree Bhagavan uvaacha:
aksharam brahma paramam svabhaavodhyaatmamuchyate |
bhootabhaavodbhavakaro visargaha karmasamjnyitam || 3 ||
 
Shree Bhagavan said:
“Brahman” is the imperishable supreme. “Adhyaatma” is individual nature. “Karma” is defined as the force that produces the existence of beings.
 
aksharam : imperishable
brahma : “brahman”
paramam : supreme
svabhaavaha : individual nature
adhyaatmam : “adhyaatma”
uchyate : is called
bhoota : beings
bhaavaha : existence
bhavakaraha : produce
visargaha : force
karma : “karma”
samjnyitam : defined
 
As we saw earlier, Arjuna asked seven questions to Shri Krishna. In this shloka, three questions are answered. We shall use the illustration of the animated character Tom to get an additional perspective on the answers given by Shri Krishna.
 
First, Shri Krishna answers the question “What is that brahman”. He says that brahman is the imperishable, supreme eternal essence that we encountered in the second chapter. In terms of our illustration, brahman is the light in the movie projector that illuminates the film strip. It has no specific shape, qualities or attributes. It is just light. It stands as a witness and is not affected by whatever is happening in the movie. It can exist without the movie, but the movie cannot exist without it.
 
“What is adhyaatma” is answered next. Shri Krishna says that it is svabhaava, or the set of qualities of an individual. Each person in this world has a unique combination of attributes, a unique permutation of sattva, rajas and tamas that is their own. When the universal eternal essence is conditioned or covered by an individual’s attributes, it is known as adhyaatma or aatma.
 
In the example of the movie projector, karma refers to the portion of light that illuminates the character of Tom. Suppose Tom is wearing a blue outfit and is walking on a green lawn. A portion of the movie projector’s light shines blue on the movie screen. The other portion shines blue. The portion of light that shines blue and thinks that it has its own identity – that is adhyaatma.
 
Lastly, Shri Krishna answers the question “What is karma”. He says that it is the force that brings about the creation of every entity in this universe. At one level, it is the mechanism in the projector that brings to life the story that lies hidden in the film strip. At another level, it is the animator’s act of drawing the characters in the movie. Essentially, it is the force that converts an unmanifested object into a manifested object.
 
Similarly, we can say that Ishvara set into motion this entire universe with the one original action that has resulted into the millions and millions of actions that occur in the universe every second. It was the seed of all future actions in the universe. But our ego, our false sense of individuality, comes under the delusion that it is the doer of all actions. Each such individualistic action causes us to further identify with our body, and go further from liberation. Ultimately, like the movie that eventually ends in two hours, everything that is unmanifested will be manifested and will be dissolved, only to start all over again.
 
Shri Krishna continues with his explanations in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 2

12 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.16, abhaavaha, anayoha, antaha, api, asataha, bhaavaha, chapter 2 verse 16, datshibhihi, drishtaha, na vidyate, sataha, tattva, tu, ubhayoha

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naasato vidyate bhaavo naabhaavo vidyate sataha |
ubhayoropi drishtontastvanayostattvadarshibhihi || 16 ||

The unreal has no existence, and there is no non-existence of the real; the truth about both of these has been experienced by seers of the essence.

asataha : unreal
bhaavaha : existence
vidyate : situation
na : no
tu : and
sataha : real
abhaavaha : non-existence
tattva : truth
darshibhihi : seers of
anayoha : of these two
ubhayoha : both
api : also
antaha : essence
drishtontaha : experienced

Here we encounter one of the most profound shlokas of the Gita, with layers and layers of meaning. It begins to lead us into understanding this thing called the eternal essence, and how we can experience it. At present, we may not have the capability to go too deep into it, but we can try to get its gist.

The best example I heard in connection with this verse is the animal cookie example. We may have come across animal cookies. They are a brand of children’s cookies shaped like tigers, elephant etc. Now, some children will only want to eat the tiger shaped cookie and not the others, whereas other children may only want to eat the elephant shaped ones and not the others. But, most adults would not care about the shape of the cookie, they will eat any shape.

Why is this so? The adult has the wisdom to go straight to the essence of the cookie. He or she does not care about the name or the form taken by the cookie. And this wisdom has come by maturity, by knowing that the animals were “un-real” and they did not have “existence”. Only the cookie dough was “real”, just like this verse indicates.

Another example is about the newly married wife who has just received a beautiful gold bangle from her husband. Although she cares about the shape and ornamentation of the bangle, a pawn shop owner would not not really care about those things. He only cares about the weight of the bangle.

The prior verse indicated that a wise person is one who stays balanced in joy and sorrow. This verse explains that the balanced person will slowly achieve wisdom and reach a state where any object or situation will begin to lose its “real-ness”. Only the eternal essence will remain as the common element behind every object or situation. This vision is called “tattva-drishti” or “vision of the essence”.

Moreover, the word “bhaava” has another meaning: finitude. So it means that the real is infinite, and the unreal is finite. Therefore, the wise person does not go on chasing material objects that have a finite existence and give only finite happiness.

Footnotes
1. The Jnyaneshwari has several examples to illustrate this verse, for further reference.