Category Archives: buddhih

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 3

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in aahuh, buddheh, buddhih, chapter 3 verse 42, indriyaani, indriyebhyaha, manaha, manasha, paraa, param, parani, parataha, saha, tu, yah

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indriyaani paranyaahurindriyebhyaha param manaha |
manasastu paraa buddhiryo buddheh paratastu saha || 42 ||

It is said that the senses are superior (than the body), the mind is superior than the senses, the intellect are superior than the mind, and that (the eternal essence) is superior than the intellect.

indriyaani : the senses
parani : superior
aahuh : is said
indriyebhyaha : than the senses
param : superior
manaha : mind
manasaha : than the mind
tu : also
paraa : superior
buddhih : intellect
yah : that which
buddheh : than intellect
parataha : superior
tu : also
saha : that

As we approach the conclusion of the third chapter, Shri Krishna delivers yet another profound shloka that has layers and layers of meaning. Let us examine its practical aspects.

This shloka provides us a hierarchy of our nature, or our prakriti. Earlier in the second chapter, Shri Krishna provided us with the ultimate goal of the Gita, which is to realize that we are the eternal essence, and are distinct from our prakriti, which comprises the body, mind and intellect. So in this shloka, he further informs us that these three components of our prakriti are not equally powerful – there is a hierarchy or an order to their power. The subtler a component is, the more power it wields.

The body is the most tangible, or the most gross, aspect of prakriti. Subtler than the body are the senses. Subtler than the senses is the mind, which generates reactions in the form of emotions and thoughts, but lacks decision making power. Subtler than the mind is the intellect, which can analyze and understand the thoughts generated by the mind, and has the power to control the mind, the senses and the body. And here is the key point: if we assert control of one aspect of prakriti, we automatically bring all the lower levels in our command.

For example, let’s say someone wants to quit smoking. If he convinces his intellect that smoking is harmful, and also remains alert at the time a desire to smoke arises, he has a good chance of quitting smoking. But if the intellect starts rationalizing this behaviour by saying “one cigarette is not a problem” then there is no chance.

Now, if we are operating on the level of our vaasanaas, the intellect is where the hierarchy would stop. Then desires would take hold of the senses, the mind and even the intellect, making us act selfishly. There would be no way out. But this shloka urges us to realize that there is something even superior to the intellect, which has the potential to root our desires that have penetrated the intellect. In the initial stages of our journey, that something is a higher ideal. But as we proceed in our journey, it is the highest possible ideal: the eternal essence itself. Unless we recognize this, we will be stuck at the level of the intellect. This paves the way for the technique of removing obstacles, which is covered in the next and final shloka of the third chapter.

Footnotes
1. Bringing one’s prakriti under control is one component of the “saadhana-chatushtaya”, or the four-fold qualifications of a seeker. Control of the senses is called “dama” and control of the mind is called “kshama”.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 3

09 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.1, buddhih, chapter 3 verse 1, chet, ghore, janaardana, jyaayasee, karmanaha, karmani, keshava, kim, maam, mataa, niyojayasi, tat, te

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jyaayasee chetkarmanaste mataa buddhirjanaardana |
tatkim karmani ghore maam niyojayasi keshava || 1 ||

If knowledge is superior to action in your opinion, O Janaardana, why do you want me to perform this horrible action, O Keshava?

jyaayasee : superior
chet : if
karmanaha : action
te : you
mataa : opinion
buddhih : knowledge
janaardana : O Janaardana
tat : then
kim : why
karmani : action
ghore : horrible
maam : me
niyojayasi : perform
keshava : O Keshava

We begin the third chapter with a question from Arjuna. It is wonderful to see the give-and-take between a student and a disciple come up several times in the Gita, making it more accessible and human. Let us dig deeper into Arjuna’s question.

In the last chapter, Shri Krishna introduced the topic of karma yoga, where one performs selfless action. But later, he spoke about the knowledge of the eternal essence. Arjuna interpreted this as a statement that knowledge is superior to wisdom, and wanted to clarify whether it was so.

As an analogy, I remember the experience of learning music. In most cases, new students of music gave more importance to performing a popular song on stage, than to endure the rigour and discipline of daily finger drills that could get repetitive and boring. Similarly, Arjuna thought that knowledge was superior in action.

Arjuna also referred to his fighting in the war as a “horrible” action. This word speaks a lot about his mental state. Shri Krishna had taught him that one should maintain equanimity in pleasant and unpleasant situations. But Arjuna had not internalized and assimilated the teaching.

This is not uncommon. Our experience will usually indicate that a one-time hearing or “shravana” of any teaching will not be enough. We also need to reflect on the teaching, which is also known as “manana”. And finally, we have to internalize it so that it becomes part of our personality – “nidhidhyaasana”.

In the next shloka, Arjuna completes his question to Shri Krishna.

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 53, Chapter 2

19 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.53, achala, avaapsyasi, buddhih, chapter 2 verse 53, nishchalaa, samaadhau, shruti, sthaasyati, tadaa, te, vipratipanna, yada, yoga

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shrutivipratipanna te yada sthaasyati nishchalaa |
samaadhaavachalaa buddhistadaa yogamavaapsyasi || 53 ||

When your intellect, confused by what is heard, remains steady and stays grounded in equanimity, then you shall attain yoga.

shruti : what is heard
vipratipanna : confused
te : your
yada : when
sthaasyati : will become
nishchalaa : steady
samaadhau : in equanimity
achala : grounded
buddhih : intellect
tadaa : then
yoga : yoga
avaapsyasi : attain

The last shloka described an advanced stage of yoga, in other words, a state of equanimity, where we begin to slowly lose interest in material objects. In this shloka, Shri Krishna indicates the final stage of yoga where the intellect never loses its grounding.

In the initial stages of our spiritual journey, we will begin to experience moments of equanimity. These moments will be short and fleeting, but that is ok. As we continue to practice equanimity, these moments will grow longer and become more frequent. But there is always some thing – a thought from the past, a critical statement uttered by a friend, an object that we crave – that takes us out of equanimity and back into the world of moha.

So what should we aim for? We should aim for something better. Here’s an example. When the internet was new, most of us connected to it using a dial-up modem. Each time we needed to access the internet, we had to establish a connection, and then disconnect it once done. As technology improved, we began to connect through it via cable or DSL connections. These connections are “always on”, so there was no need to connect and disconnect everytime. Now no one wants to ever go back to using dial up modems.

So therefore, this shloka gives us a picture of the most advanced state of yoga where one is always in a state of equanimity, no matter what the circumstance. And when this happens, we will be always connected to the imperceptible, incomprehensible eternal essence. This is the only way to attain the eternal essence. When that happens, this state is called “samaadhi”, which will the the culmination of one’s spiritual journey.