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Category Archives: duhkham

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 18

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by in 18.8, chapter 18 verse 8, duhkham, kaayakleshabhayaat, karma, kritvaa, labhet, raajasam, tyaagam, tyaagaphalam, tyajet

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duhkhamityeva yatkarma kaayakleshabhayaattyajet |
sa kritvaa raajasam tyaagam naiva tyaagaphalam labhet || 8 ||
 
Whatever action is given up because it is quite sorrowful, from fear of bodily distress, he performs that giving up which is raajasic, and does not even obtain the reward of giving up.
 
duhkham : sorrowful
iti : in this manner
eva : quite
yat : whatever
karma : action
kaayakleshabhayaat : fear of bodily distress
tyajet : given up
saha : that
kritvaa : performs
raajasam : raajasic
tyaagam : giving up
na : not
eva : even
tyaagaphalam : reward of giving up
labhet : he obtains
 
A little knowledge of the scriptures can prove to be dangerous. Earlier, we came across some people who claim to be performing spiritual renunciation of action, or the giving up of action, when in reality they are lazy, idle or careless in performing their obligatory duties. Now Shri Krishna describes another misinterpretation of tyaaga or giving up. He says that those who give up their duties simply because they will cause sorrow or distress to their body are practising tyaaga that is raajasic.
 
Many times we may shirk from performing our job at work, or perform a job half heartedly, because we think it will cause us pain or sorrow. We may have to give some bad news to a client. We may have to fire an underperforming employee. We may procrastinate starting a project because we may have to put in some extra hours. Such behaviour could come into our family lives as well. We may hesitate in helping out a relative because we may have to expend some of our money and energy.
 
Why do we fear pain or sorrow? We tend to forget many of the teachings of the second chapter. We are not the body, our true nature is the eternal essence. But we have a strong sense of attachment to the body and the mind. We are advised to patiently develop titkshaa, the quality of forbearance, towards pain and sorrow while discharging our duties. Instead, we fall back into our old ways of thinking and run away from our duties. Shri Krishna says that people who abandon their duties out of fear of pain and sorrow will not get the fruit of giving up actions, which is purity and peace of mind.

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Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 14

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.16, aahuhu, ajnyaanam, chapter 14 verse 16, duhkham, karmanaha, nirmalam, phalam, rajasaha, saattvikam, sukritasya, tamasaha, tu

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karmanaha sukritasyaahuhu saattvikam nirmalam phalam |
rajasastu phalam duhkhamajnyaanam tamasaha phalam || 16 ||
 
The result of good action is sattvik and pure, it is said, while the result of rajas is sorrow, and the result of tamas is ignorance.
 
karmanaha : action
sukritasya : good
aahuhu : is said
saattvikam : sattvik
nirmalam : pure
phalam : result
rajasaha : rajas
tu : while
phalam : result
duhkham : sorrow
ajnyaanam : ignorance
tamasaha : tamas
phalam : result
 
When new year comes around, many people make new year resolutions to lose weight. Many take a gym membership, but most end up using it only for a few days. The ones that consciously develop a habit of going to the gym everyday are the most likely to lose weight. Even if they go to the gym for ten minutes every day, they will lose weight. This is because habits are self reinforcing. A behaviour creates a habit, which pushes us to repeat the behaviour, which strengthens the habit, and so on.
 
Similarly, we can shape our mental states by choosing our actions consciously. Shri Krishna says that sattvic or selfless actions generate a sattvic state, rajasic or selfish actions generate a rajasic state, and tamasic or ignorant actions generate a tamasic state. If we are predominantly rajasic by nature, we can improve our state by emphasizing the performance of sattvic actions. If we are predominantly tamasic by nature, we can change it by emphasizing the performance of rajasic actions.
 
The law of karma holds true in every situation, including this one. If we perform rajasic actions, we will attain temporary joy, which will eventually generate sorrow. It does not take a large amount of raaga dvesha, likes or dislikes, to make us act selfishly. And if we perform tamasic actions, we will continue to live our lives in inertness and ignorance. Only through sattvic actions will we create a state of purity and serenity in our mind.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 13

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.6, chapter 13 verse 6, chetanaa, dhritihi, duhkham, dveshaha, etat, ichchaa, kshetram, samaasena, sanghaataha, savikaram, sukham, udaahritam

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ichchaa dveshaha sukham duhkham sanghaataschetanaa dhritihi |
etatkshetram samaasena savikaramudaahritam || 6 ||
 
Desire, hatred, joy, sorrow, assembly, awareness, fortitude. This field with its modifications has been illustrated in brief.
 
ichchaa : desire
dveshaha : hatred
sukham : joy
duhkham : sorrow
sanghaataha : assembly
chetanaa : awareness
dhritihi : fortitude
etat : this
kshetram : field
samaasena : in brief
savikaram : with modifications
udaahritam : has been illustrated
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained the creation and make-up of the world and the individual as comprised of 24 constituents. Now he explains how the individual comes into contact with the world. We saw in the last shloka that all of us come with a stock of unfulfilled desires or vaasanas that causes the individual to be born in this world. Shri Krishna says that the sprouting of desires or “ichchaa” causes us to approach the world for fulfillment of those desires. If we obtain what we desire, we experience joy, and if we don’t obtain it, we experience sorrow. If something repeatedly gives us sorrow, we develop a sense of hatred or “dvesha” towards it.
 
Desire, hatred, joy and sorrow are modifications or changes in the inner instrument, the antahakarana. The antahakarana always wants to create a sense of wholeness or completeness out of the diversity of limbs, hair, nerves, nails etc that make up one body. But it also wants to keep this collection of what it calls the body distinct from everything else in the world. This notion of completeness is called “sanghaata” meaning assembly, and the will to preserve the assembly and keep it distinct from the world is called “dhriti” or fortitude. All biological desires arise from this desire to maintain the body as a distinct single entity.
 
Now we come to the modification of the antahakarana that gives it the quality of awareness and sentiency, known as “chetanaa” or awareness. Though we may be tempted to think that this sentiency in the antahakarana is the soul, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, it is not. It is a borrowed kind of awareness caused by a reflection of the eternal essence in the antahakarana, just like a pot filled with water reflects the sun in it. In fact, chetanaa and the six other modifications mentioned in this shloka are variously assumed to be the eternal essence by various schools of philosophy. Shri Krishna asserts that everything mentioned in this shloka and the prior shloka is not the eternal essence. It is kshetra, the field.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 12

14 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.5, adhikataraha, avaapyate, avyaktaa, avyaktaasaktachetasaam, chapter 12 verse 5, dehavadbhihi, duhkham, gatihi, kleshaha, teshaaam

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kleshodhikatarasteshaaamavyaktaasaktachetasaam |
avyaktaa hi gatirduhkham dehavadbhiravaapyate || 5 ||
 
There is greater trouble for those whose minds are attached to the unmanifest. For, the path of the unmanifest is difficult to attain by the embodied.
 
kleshaha : trouble
adhikataraha : greater
teshaaam : for those
avyaktaasaktachetasaam : mind attached to unmanifest
avyaktaa : unmanifest
hi : for
gatihi : path
duhkham : difficult
dehavadbhihi : the embodied
avaapyate : attain
 
We used the example of children helping their parents organize a family event to understand the previous shloka. Now let us imagine that the CEO of the company we work for has asked us to attend an event at his house. What would be our attitude here? We would be on our best behaviour, and try our best to impress him with our actions. We would always ask for permission if we need to use anything in the CEO’s house. We would also be on the lookout for others who are trying to impress him, and perhaps try to be one step ahead of them.
 
Although we look different than our parents, we feel no sense of difference from them. However, we see a difference between the title of the CEO and our title which could be software engineer, manager and so on. Similarly, Shri Krishna says that the one who is “deha vad” or embodied, the one who still has attachment to the notion that “I am Mr. so and so with a 5 feet 7 inch body, working for XYZ corporation”, such a person will always have a tinge of separation from Ishvara.
 
So for the majority of us who want to become devotees, it is “adhikatara klesha”, quite difficult to worship Ishvara in his formless aspect. Our sense of attachment to the body creates a sort of wall, a kind of separation between the devotee and Ishvara. We are carrying conditionings of several lifetimes, perhaps, that prevent us from accessing Ishvara in his formless aspect. Extreme vairagya or detachment is required for this. Does it mean that our spiritual journey ends here? Shri Krishna addresses this next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 10

03 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.4, abhaavaha, abhayam, asammohaha, bhavaha, bhayam, buddhihi, cha, chapter 10 verse 4, damaha, duhkham, eva, jnyaanam, kshamaa, satyam, shamaha, sukham

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buddhirjnyaanamasammohaha kshamaa satyam damaha shamaha |
sukham duhkham bhavobhaavo bhayam chaabhayameva cha || 4 ||
 
Intellect, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, truth, external restraint, internal restraint, external restraint, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, fear and sorrow.
 
buddhihi : intellect
jnyaanam : wisdom
asammohaha : non-delusion
kshamaa : forgiveness
satyam : truth
damaha : external restraint
shamaha : internal restraint
sukham : joy
duhkham : sorrow
bhavaha : creation
abhaavaha : destruction
bhayam : fear
cha : and
abhayam : fearlessness
eva : also
 
Shri Krishna begins describing Ishvara’s vibhootis or expressions with this shloka. First, he describes Ishvara’s subtle expressions in two shlokas. He says that intelligence, wisdom, non-delusion, forgiveness, self-restraint, joy and sorrow, creation and destruction, fear and fearlessness, all of these are expressions of Ishvara. Whenever we come across any of these expressions, we should immediately realize that it is Ishvara expressing himself through them.
 
“Buddhihi” or intellect is the ability to know subtle things, things that are not immediately perceived by our senses. Our tongue may enjoy fried food, but our intellect will tell us not to indulge in it due to the potential health risks. Now, none of our senses saw something called a “health risk” but our intellect did. Similarly, “jnyaana” or wisdom is the ability to discriminate between the eternal essence and everything else. Engaging with the world without getting deluded into thinking that it is the source of happiness, this is “asammoha” or non-delusion.
 
With the foundation of intellect, wisdom and non-delusion, we are ready to engage with the world. We may encounter people that speak ill of us or trouble us in some way. “Kshamaa” or forgiveness lets us drop any negative thinking that is generated out of such interactions. Conversely, it is our duty to convey to others what we perceive of the world without adding any modifications or distortions. This is known as “satyam” or truthfulness. We may also encounter people, objects and situations that generate selfish desires within us. In order to guard against chasing after them, we need to cultivate “dama” or sense control, and “shama” which is control over the mind.
 
Now, let us examine Ishvara’s manifestations that come in pairs. We usually tend to be attracted towards one aspect of the pair and run away from the other aspect. First let us look at “sukham” and “duhkham” or joy and sorrow. We prefer joyful situations and tend to avoid sorrowful ones. We prefer “bhaavaha” or creation but dislike “abhaavaha” or destruction. We like to be “abhaya” or fearless, not “bhaya” or fearlessness.
 
Shri Krishna wants us to remain equanimous, remain balanced in both aspects of these pairs. Ishvara may send a sorrowful situation in order to create further vairagya or dispassion. Like a municipality that demolishes a dangerously unlivable building, he may destroy a person, object or situation so that a new one can be created in its place. Like a robber who is afraid of a burglary alarm, he may generate fear in us so that we do not commit an unlawful or unethical act.
 
The second part of this topic is covered in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 5

09 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.6, aaptum, ayogataha, brahma, chapter 5 verse 6, duhkham, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, mahaabaaho, munih, nachirena, sannyaasaha, tu, yogayuktaha

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sannyaasastu mahaabaaho duhkhamaaptumayogataha |
yogayukto munirbrahma nachirenaadhigachchati || 6 ||

For renunciation, O mighty-armed, is difficult to attain without yoga. The contemplative person established in yoga swiftly attains the eternal essence.

sannyaasaha : renunciation
tu : for
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
duhkham : difficult
aaptum : to obtain
ayogataha : without yoga
yogayuktaha : established in yoga
munih : contemplative person
brahma : eternal essence
nachirena : swiftly
adhigachchati : attains

In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that for a seeker that has not fully exhausted his desires, bypassing the first stage of karmayoga will make attainment of the eternal essence difficult. The best option is to start with karmayoga, because like the yoga of knowledge, it too will yield the same result of self-realization.

To understand this, let us examine a different question: Why are there so few PhDs in the world? It takes a certain kind of person to obtain a PhD. One has to be ready to spend most of their life in a lab. One has to do what it takes to get their experiment right. They have to survive on their petty stipend for several years. And all this is for the sole objective of discovering something that benefits mankind.

Similarly, not many people can minimize their worldly activities so much that they retire to an ashram to gain knowledge from a teacher. For most of us, the pull of our desires is so strong that we will continue to work in this world. Therefore, liberation has to come from our actions, not through renunciation.

Furthermore, Shri Krishna also mentions a caveat about action. One should not perform actions just like that. Karmayoga advocates thoughtful action, where one thinks before one acts. The biggest obstacle in moving forward spiritually is our ego. It creates selfish desires that move us towards the material world. So when we performs actions thoughtfully, in other words, when we ensure that our actions are performed without attachment towards the result, our selfish desires automatically get slowly eliminated.