Category Archives: buddhiyogam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 57, Chapter 18

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.57, bhava, buddhiyogam, chapter 18 verse 57, chetasaa, macchitaha, matparaha, mayi, sanyasya, sarvakarmaani, satatam, upaashritya

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chetasaa sarvakarmaani mayi sanyasya matparaha |
buddhiyogaamupaashritya macchitaha satatam bhava || 57 ||
 
Mentally surrender all actions to me, designate me as the supreme goal, fix your mind on me by depending upon the yoga of intellect.
 
chetasaa : mentally
sarvakarmaani : all actions
mayi : to me
sanyasya : surrender
matparaha : me as supreme goal
buddhiyogam : yoga of intellect
upaashritya : depending upon
macchitaha : mind fixed on me
satatam : always
bhava : make
 
Shri Krishna summarizes karma yoga and bhakti yoga in this shloka. As we saw in the previous shloka, we need to continue performing our duty, and 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. How does this actually work in practice? A step by step approach towards karma yoga and bhakti yoga is enumerated in this shloka for the convenience of the seeker.
 
First, the seeker should fix Ishvara as his ultimate goal. This is mat paraha, one who is completely oriented towards Ishvara. Next, such a seeker should surrender all his actions to Ishvara. In the ninth chapter, Shri Krishna had said – whatever you do, whatever you consume, whatever you offer or donate, and whatever penance you perform, submit it to me. This is sarvakarmaani sanyasya. Nothing is done for selfish ends such as wealth, power, position, vanity and so on. All is done for Ishvara only.
 
Now, when the seeker faces challenges in life, he needs to have a method to deal with them. Equanimity is the answer. All actions are performed with full awareness and knowledge, as an offering to Ishvara. No action is perform haphazardly. Once the action is complete, the seeker should neither be attached to success, nor to failure. Such an attitude will only develop as a result of accepting every object, person or situation encountered in life as a gift or a praasada from Ishvara. This is buddhi yoga, as described in the second chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 10

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.10, bhajataam, buddhiyogam, chapter 10 verse 10, dadaami, maam, preetipoorvakam, satatayuktaanaam, tam, te, teshaam, upayaanti, yena

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teshaam satatayuktaanaam bhajataam preetipoorvakam |
dadaami buddhiyogam tam yena maamupayaanti te || 10 ||
 
Those who are constantly engaged (in me) and worship with devotion, I endow them with the yoga of intellect by which they attain me.
 
teshaam : those
satatayuktaanaam : constantly engaged
bhajataam : worship
preetipoorvakam : with devotion
dadaami : I endow
buddhiyogam : yoga of intellect
tam : that
yena : by which
maam : me
upayaanti : attain
te : they
 
Earlier we saw that dedicated, serious devotees of Ishvara find joy only in conversing and immersing themselves in Ishvara. Such a high degree of “preetipurvaka bhajan” or worship with joy and devotion can only yield a wonderful result. Those who display such ardent devotion as termed “sataya yuktaanam” by Shri Krishna because they are constantly connected to Ishvara. He says that Ishvara rewards such devotees with “buddhi yoga”, a superior form of intellect and understanding.
 
Typically, we would have expected Ishvara to reward his ardent devotees with material prosperity. This is a given, since we have already heard Shri Krishna say that Ishvara will carry the material burden of his devotees in the previous chapter. But that is a lower form of blessing or reward. The highest type of blessing that can be given to a devotee is not material, it is intellectual. No object, wealth, social status or possession can stand in front of the knowledge of the true nature of things.
 
What is the result of this intellectual understanding? It is the ability to see Ishvara in everything, and everything in Ishvara. If someone tells us that the necklace we had lost is actually around our neck, we do not have to do anything or go anywhere in order to find it. We know where to look for it. Similarly, this vision given to us by Ishvara enables us to see him everywhere and in everything. It is the vision of equanimity mentioned in the sixth chapter.
 
So then, what is the main obstacle that Ishvara removes with this knowledge? Shri Krishna explains in the next shloka.