Category Archives: deshe

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 17

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by in 17.20, anupakaarine, daanam, daatavyam, deeyate, deshe, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaale, paatre, saattvikam, smritam, tat

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 17

daatavyamiti yaddaanam deeyatenupakaarine |
deshe kaale cha paatre cha taddaanam saattvikam smritam || 20 ||
 
That which is donated knowing that charity is duty, to whom one is not obliged, in the right place and time, to a worthy person, that charity is called saattvic.
 
daatavyam : charity is duty
iti : in this manner
yat : that
daanam : charity
deeyate : is donated
anupakaarine : to one without obligation
deshe : place
kaale : time
cha : and
paatre : person
cha : and
tat : that
daanam : charity
saattvikam : saattvic
smritam : is called
 
So far, Shri Krishna described the three types of food, sacrifice and penance. Food gives us energy to serve the world, to perform sacrifice. Penance enables us to conserve and channel that energy towards sacrifice. Sacrifice results in a result that is received by the recipient of the sacrifice as well as to us, the performers of the sacrifice. Accumulating results beyond what we need to support ourselves and our family can result in greed. To check this greed, we need to perform daanam or charity.
 
Now, even the attitude towards charity can reveal a lot about the texture of our faith. Shri Krishna described the characteristics or conditions of charity performed with a saattvic attitude. Conducting charity out of a sense of duty is the first condition. It should come naturally to us, and not because someone has asked us to do it. Charity should never be treated as a business deal. For instance, if someone has done us a favour, we should not give him something in the guise of charity. Furthermore, we should not donate something expecting something in return.
 
Charity is a sacred act, therefore it has to be performed thoughtfully. Tossing a coin to a beggar on the street may be a noble act, but it does not quality as an act of saattvic charity. It has to be done at the right place and during an auspicious occasion. It also has to be directed towards a worthy person. Shri Shankaraachaarya in his commentary gives the example of the occasion of Sankraanti, the beginning of the month, as an auspicious occasion. He also gives the example of a learned teacher as one who is worthy of receiving a charitable donation.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 6

13 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in aasanam, aatmanaha, ajina, ati, chaila, chapter 6 verse 11, deshe, kusha, na, neecham, pratishthaapya, shuchau, sthiram, ucchritam, uttaram

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 6

shuchau deshe pratishthaapya sthiramaasanamaatmanaha |
naatyucchritam naatineecham chailaajinakushottaram || 11 ||
 
In a clean place, establish your stable seat that is not too high or low, with cloth, deerskin and grass.
 
shuchau : clean
deshe : place
pratishthaapya : establish
sthiram : stable
aasanam : seat
aatmanaha : your
na : not
ati : too
ucchritam : high
neecham : low
chaila : cloth
ajina : deerskin
kusha : grass
uttaram : thereafter
 
Shri Krishna now describes the actual process of meditation. In this shloka, he talks about
how to sit down and where to sit down for meditation. He says that the seat of meditation should be in a clean and pure place, it should not be too high or too low, and should have sufficient insulation such as a cloth.
 
First let us look at what is meant by “shuchau deshe” or clean place. The seat of meditation should be placed in a clean and pure location. Some places are naturally clean and pure, and some can be cleaned through one’s effort. Anything that distracts us from meditation becomes an obstacle. If something is dirty, or we are afraid that some insects are around, we cannot do meditation. Preferably, it should be a room or an area of the house where we do not have strong associations. If we meditate in the kitchen, out of habit we will start thinking about food and so on. Therefore, without a clean and pure place, meditation is not possible for beginners.
 
There is a subtle point made here that merits attention. Why should we sit for meditation? Why cannot we stand or sleep in meditation? Meditation requires the cultivation of saattvic tendencies. It is not possible in sleeping which is a tamasic posture, or in standing which is a raajasic posture. That is why we need to sit. Sitting in one place without doing anything itself becomes difficult for many of us. Hence, that should be our first step.
 
Next, let’s look at the seat itself. Shri Krishna says that the height of the seat should not be too high so that we are scared of falling down, or too low that insects and other animals can bother us. It should be stable so that we are not distracted by the constant fear of falling down.
 
Finally, Shri Krishna asks us to put cloth, deer skin and kusha grass on the seat. What is meant here is that there should be a layer of insulation between our body and the seat. The seat could be very cold or hot, which could again become a distraction to the mind.
 
Having prepared oneself in a seating posture, what should come next? Shri Krishna covers this point in the next shloka.