Category Archives: eva

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 12

13 Thursday Dec 2012

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sanniyamyendriyagraamam sarvatra samabuddhayaha |
te praapnuvanti maameva sarvabhootahite rataahaa || 4 ||
 
Having restrained all the senses, keeping a balanced intellect everywhere, revelling in the welfare of all beings, they attain me alone.
 
sanniyamya : having restrained
indriyagraamam : all the senses
sarvatra : everywhere
samabuddhayaha : balanced intellect
te : they
praapnuvanti: attain
maam : me
eva : alone
sarvabhootahite : welfare of all beings
rataahaa : revel
 
Imagine that our parents have asked us to come to their house. They are hosting an event and need our help. What will our attitude towards our assignment be? We will not hesitate to play the role of a cook, a waiter, a driver, a handyman, a dishwasher and so on. We will do whatever it takes to make that event a success. The well-being of all the guests will become our primary goal. We will set aside any personal differences with any guests because we are representing our parents at that event. We do all of this because we have a sense of oneness with our parents.
 
The devotee who worships the imperishable and unmanifest Ishvara has the same attitude. Just like we do not consider our parents as somebody distinct from us, the devotee does not consider Ishvara as separate from him. When there is no separation, there is no expectation of asking for anything or receiving anything. You only ask and receive when you consider someone different from you. We would never think of asking permission for every little thing from parents at that event, because it would be silly to do so.
 
Furthermore, such a devotee loses all sense of selfishness. He revels in the welfare of everyone in this world, “sarva bhoota hite rataahaa”. Nothing ever destabilizes his mind or his intellect, because he sees himself as one with everything. His senses have stopped harbouring likes and dislikes, because they no longer cut up the world into “good” or “bad”. He has very naturally “merged” into Ishvara, which is the final goal of devotion or bhakti. Shri Krishna echoes this point by saying “te praapnuvanti maam eva”, they attain me alone.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 11

23 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.40, amitavikramaha, anantaveerya, asi, astu, atha, chapter 11 verse 40, eva, namaha, prishtataha, purastaat, samaapnoshi, sarvaha, sarvam, sarvataha, tataha, te, tvam

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namaha purastaadatha prishtataste namostu te sarvata eva sarva |
anantaveeryaamitavikramastvam sarvam samaapnoshi tatosi sarvaha || 40 ||
 
Salutations to you from before and behind. Indeed, let there be salutations to you everywhere, O one with infinite power, O one with infinite valour. You pervade all, therefore you are everything.
 
namaha : salutations
purastaat : before
atha : and
prishtataha : behind
te : you
namaha : salutations
astu : may there be
te : you
sarvataha : everywhere
eva : indeed
sarvaha : all
anantaveerya : infinite power
amitavikramaha : infinite valour
tvam : you
sarvam : all
samaapnoshi : pervade
tataha : therefore
asi : you are
sarvaha : everything
 
Arjuna, wielder of Lord Shiva’s Gaandiva bow, was universally regarded as one of the foremost archers of his time. So far, he thought that it was his might and power that was defeating the Kauravas. But now, after beholding the cosmic form, his pride had dropped completely. In this shloka, he acknowledged that his power and valour came from Ishvara, and that he was only the “nimitta”, the instrument for channeling that power.
 
Now, we have seen ten chapters of the Gita. Each chapter is called a “yoga”, because it takes us higher and higher in our spiritual journey if we can understand and implement its teaching. In the previous chapter, Shri Krishna wanted Arjuna to see the one Ishvara in all beings, to see unity in diversity. In this chapter, he wanted Arjuna to see all beings in that one Ishvara, to see diversity ultimately subsumed into unity. Shri Krishna’s goal was fulfilled when Arjuna realized the truth expounded in the Upanishads, declaring here that Ishvara pervades everything, and that he ultimately is everything.
 
So when he recognized Ishwara as the infinite source of all power and valour, and in fact, the ultimate source and cause of everything, Arjuna could not help but repeatedly offer salutations to that cosmic form. But as we saw earlier, he had lost all notions of space and direction. He did not know what was north or south, or what was up or down. So giddy was his state of mind that he wanted to offer salutations to Ishvara from the front, back and all directions.
 
Offering our salutations to Ishvara, also known as “vandanam”, is considered one of nine methods of worship. Shree Ramdas Samartha has devoted an entire section of the Dasbodh to describe the glories of vandanam. He considers it one of the simplest and most effective tools to connect with Ishvara. By its very nature, offering salutations or bowing to someone automatically eliminates our ahankaara, our ego, the primary obstacle to connecting with Ishvara.
 
Having understood the purpose of the cosmic form, Arjuna began to ask for Shri Krishna’s forgiveness next.
 
Footnotes
1. Vandanam is elaborated in the fifth section of the fourth chapter of the Dasbodh.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 35, Chapter 11

18 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.35, aaha, bheetabheetaha, bhooyaha, chapter 11 verse 35, etat, eva, keshavasya, kireetee, krishnam, kritaanjalihi, namaskritvaa, pranamya, sagadgadam, shrutvaa, vachanam, vepamaanaha

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Sanjaya uvaacha:
etatchchutvaa vachanam keshavasya kritaanjalirvepamaanaha kireetee |
namaskritvaa bhooya evaaha krishnam sagadgadam bheetabheetaha pranamya || 35 ||
 
Sanjaya said:
Hearing this statement of Keshava, the crowned one with folded palms, trembling, offered salutations, bowed, and even though fear struck, addressed Krishna in a choked voice.
 
etat : this
shrutvaa : hearing
vachanam : statement
keshavasya : of Keshava
kritaanjalihi : folded palms
vepamaanaha : trembling
kireetee : the crowned one
namaskritvaa : offered salutations
bhooyaha : then
eva : even
aaha : addressed
krishnam : Krishna
sagadgadam : choked voice
bheetabheetaha : fear struck
pranamya : bowed
 
While Arjuna experienced a high degree of fear mixed with confusion in the first chapter, he now demonstrated tremendous gratitude and joy after knowing that the war had been pre-ordained in his favour. The fear had not subsided fully, that is why his voice was choked and his body was trembling. Since there was a bit of a gap between Shri Krishna proclamation and Arjuna’s next statement, Sanjaya stepped in to narrate this shloka.
 
Shri Shankaraachaarya in his commentary adds an extra dimension to Sanjaya’s interjection. Since Shri Krishna had already declared the upcoming death of the Kaurava army’s star warriors, Dhritraashtra could still have had one last opportunity to end the war at this very moment. Without saying it explicitly, Sanjaya asked: would he issue a command to stop the war now? He used the word “crown” to imply that Arjuna’s coronation as the crown prince of the kingdom was not too far away.
 
Unfortunately, Sanjaya’s plea fell on deaf ears. Dhritraashtra’s attachment to his sons was so great that even a revelation from Ishvara himself could not unsettle it. But even he knew that the fate of his sons was already sealed. The downward spiral caused by attachment has been illustrated with several examples in earlier chapters of the Gita. Perhaps this example of Dhritraashtra is one of the most hard hitting ones, since attachment to family is something that all of us identify with.
 
So then, what did Arjuna say to Shri Krishna? We shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 11

16 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.33, bhava, bhungakshva, chapter 11 verse 33, ete, eva, jitvaa, labhasva, mayaa, nihataaha, nimttamaatram, pooravam, raajyam, samriddham, savyasaachin, shatroon, tasmaat, tvam, uttishtha : arise yashaha

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tasmaattvamuttishtha yasho labhasva jitvaa shatroonbhungakshva raajyam samriddham |
mayaivaite nihataaha pooravameva nimttamaatram bhava savyasaachin || 33 ||
 
Therefore, you arise, obtain valour by conquering your enemies, and enjoy the prosperity of your kingdom. All these (warriors) have been previously killed by me, so you become just an instrument, O Savyasaachin.
 
tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
uttishtha : arise
yashaha : valour
labhasva : obtain
jitvaa : by conquering
shatroon : enemies
bhungakshva : enjoy
raajyam : kingdom
samriddham : prosperous
mayaa : by me
eva : only
ete : these
nihataaha : killed
pooravam : previously
nimttamaatram : just an instrument
bhava : become
savyasaachin : O Savyasaachin
 
When we buy a ticket to any Bollywood blockbuster, we know that no matter what happens, the hero will save the heroine from the clutches of the villain. But even though the ending is no surprise to anyone, we still want to sit for over two hours in a movie theatre. Why is that? We enjoy the drama, the emotional ups and downs, the fight sequences, the songs and so on. We want the movie to entertain us. Just because we know the ending, we don’t stop watching movies.
 
Ishvara’s grand spectacle, his “leela”, works in similar ways. Shri Krishna had pre-planned the ending of the war, and had orchestrated the events in such a manner that it would result in the destruction of the Kauravaas. Knowing this, Arjuna would have liked very much to flee the war. Addressing Arjuna as Savyasaachin, one who could use both his hands in archery, Shri Krishna encouraged him to fight with all his might, defeat his enemies and enjoy the result of his actions. This is because Arjuna, like all of us, had a role to play in Ishvara’s grand play of the universe, his “leela”.
 
Here is the crux of karma yoga. If we fulfill our duties with a spirit of detachment, we align ourselves with Ishvara’s vision. We become a “nimitta” or an instrument of Ishvara. But if we assert our selfish desires and our will, we only entrap ourselves in the material world and set ourselves up for a painful existence. Furthermore, Shri Krishna, in his generosity, was more than happy to let Arjuna take credit for his work. In fact, he encouraged him to do so. And in the midst of all this, there is no favouritism. The Kauravaas were annihilated as a result of their actions, not because of Shri Krishna’s partiality towards the Pandavaas.
 
So now, who are the people who would be killed in the war? We shall see in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 11

12 Monday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.29, api, chapter 11 verse 29, eva, jvalanam, lokaaha, naashaaya, patangaahaa, pradeeptam, samriddhavegaahaa, tathaa, tava, vaktraani, vishanti, yathaa

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yathaa pradeeptam jvalanam patangaa vishanti naashaaya samriddhavegaahaa |
tathaiva naashaaya vishanti lokaastavaapi vaktraani samriddhavegaahaa || 29 ||
 
Like moths enter a blazing fire with great speed for their destruction, so also do these people enter your mouths with great speed for their destruction.
 
yathaa : like
pradeeptam : blazing
jvalanam : fire
patangaahaa : moths
vishanti : enter
naashaaya : for destruction
samriddhavegaahaa : with great speed
tathaa : so do
eva : only
naashaaya : for destruction
vishanti : enter
lokaaha : these people
tava : your
api : also
vaktraani : mouths
samriddhavegaahaa : with great speed
 
In the previous shloka, Arjuna gave the example of rivers flowing into the ocean to indicate the ultimate dissolution of all names and forms back to their source, Ishvara. Some may raise a doubt here. They may say, water is inert so naturally it goes wherever the flow takes it. In order to dispel this doubt, Arjuna gives the example of moths that rush towards a flame, and are eventually destroyed. Sant Jnyaneshwar gives the example of water droplets evaporating on a hot iron rod in his commentary.
 
By showing the process of destruction at such a grand scale, Shri Krishna also wants to remove Arjuna’s fear of death. Since the physical body goes away after death, there is no question of pain once we die. We are scared not about the pain of death, but about losing all of our identity as a so-and so, with all his possessions and attachments. The name and form that we have become attached, and its network of relationships with other names and forms, is what ultimately gets dissolved.
 
But when we know that death is nothing but a return of our name and form into that of Ishvara’s, our fear of death will go away, or at least, diminish to a great extent. In fact, when we become a devotee of Ishvara, death loses its unpleasantness because now it means a return to the original source of the universe. We begin to lead our lives with a great degree of courage and fearlessness, because we know how it will all end.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 11

11 Sunday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.28, abhimukhaa, abhivijvalanti, ambuvegaahaa, amee, bahavaha, chapter 11 verse 28, dravanti, eva, nadeenaam, naralokaveeraa, samudram, tathaa, tava, vaktraani, vishanti, yathaa

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yathaa nadeenaam bahavombuvegaahaa samudramevaabhimukhaa dravanti |
tathaa tavaamee naralokaveeraa vishanti vaktraanyabhivijvalanti || 28 ||
 
Like torrents of several rivers rush towards the ocean, so do those brave men of this earth run to your blazing mouths.
 
yathaa : like
nadeenaam : rivers
bahavaha : several
ambuvegaahaa : torrents
samudram : ocean
eva : only
abhimukhaa : towards
dravanti : rush
tathaa : so do
tava : to you
amee : those
naralokaveeraa : brave men of the earth
vishanti : run
vaktraani : mouths
abhivijvalanti : blazing
 
Putumayo, Caqueta, Vaupes, Guainea, Morona, Pastaza, Nucuray, Urituyacu, Chambira, Tigre, Nanay, Napo, and Huallaga. These are names of just a handful of 1100 rivers that feed the Amazon, the largest river in the world by volume. It covers almost 7 million square kilometres of land in South America, and empties 300,000 cubic metres per second into the Atlantic Ocean. The most distant source of the Andes is a glacier on the western edge of South America, near the Pacific Ocean, on the other side of the continent.
 
Arjuna, on seeing the hordes of warriors rushing into Ishvara’s mouths, compares them to the water in a river rushing with great speed into the ocean. It reminds him of Shri Krishna’s description of the water cycle as a sacrifice when he was explaining karma yoga. A drop of water which originated from the ocean evaporates into the sky, falls down as rain into a water body, and eventually finds its way into a flowing river that goes right back into its source, the ocean. At one point it thinks that it is rain, or it is a pond, a lake, a stream and so on, forgetting its true nature as water.
 
Similarly, we tend to think of ourselves as children, students, engineers, executives, rich people, poor people at different points in our lives, and forgetting that our journey is just a cycle that begins from Ishvara, the source, and ends back into that same source. So even though Arjuna was scared of Ishvara’s monstrous form, he understood that there was nothing to be scared about destruction. It was a bona fide part of Ishvara’s creative process.
 
Arjuna illustrates another aspect of this scene in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 11

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.25, chapter 11 verse 25, damshtraa, devesha, dishaha, drishta, eva, jaane, jagannivaasa, kaalaanala, karaalaani, labhe, mukhaani, na, praseeda, sannibhaani, sharma

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damshtraakaraalaani cha te mukhaani drishtaiva kaalaanalasannibhaani |
disho na jaane na labhe cha sharma praseeda devesha jagannivaasa || 25 ||
 
Seeing you with dreadful tusks and your mouths blazing like fires of destruction, I neither know the directions nor do I have peace. Be pleased, O lord whose abode is the universe.
 
damshtraa : tusks
karaalaani : with dreadful
cha : and
te : your
mukhaani : mouths
drishta : seeing
eva : only
kaalaanala : fires of destruction
sannibhaani : blazing like
dishaha : directions
na : not
jaane : I know
na : not
labhe : have
cha : and
sharma : peace
praseeda : be pleased
devesha : O lord
jagannivaasa : whose abode is this universe
 
When we go beyond the imagery of this shloka and try to extract the meaning, we find that Arjuna comes face to face with a point of no return. He is unable to “know the directions”, unable to decide where to run away from here. All the plans he has made to do this or that thing are suddenly no more. Many people who come face to face with their mortality may have thoughts similar to what Arjuna is echoing here.
 
I came across a website of a terminal cancer patient who wrote his obituary just before he passed away. Here’s an excerpt from that website:
 
…It turns out that no one can imagine what’s really coming in our lives. We can plan, and do what we enjoy, but we can’t expect our plans to work out. Some of them might, while most probably won’t. Inventions and ideas will appear, and events will occur, that we could never foresee. That’s neither bad nor good, but it is real.
 
I think and hope that’s what my daughters can take from my disease and death. And that my wonderful, amazing wife _____ can see too. Not that they could die any day, but that they should pursue what they enjoy, and what stimulates their minds, as much as possible—so they can be ready for opportunities, as well as not disappointed when things go sideways, as they inevitably do…
 
So when we realize that ultimately, we are powerless in front of the grand scheme of the cosmos, our ego drops all its pretenses and surrenders itself in prayer to Ishvara. Prayer is only possible when there is utter surrender of individuality. So Arjuna prays to Shri Krishna, urging him to return to his pleasing form. But Shri Krishna is not done yet.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 11

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.8, anena, chakshuhu, chapter 11 verse 8, dadaami, divyam, drishtum, eva, ishvaram, maam, me, na, pashya, shakyase, svachakshushaa, te, tu, yoga

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na tu maam shakyase drishtumanenaiva svachakshushaa |
divyam dadaami te chakshuhu pashya me yogaishvaram || 8 ||
 
But, even this you cannot see with your own eye. I give you a divine eye, (so that you can) see the majesty of my yoga.
 
na : not
tu : but
maam : my
shakyase : can
drishtum : you see
anena : this
eva : even
svachakshushaa : with your own eye
divyam : divine
dadaami : I give
te : you
chakshuhu : eye
pashya : see
me : my
yoga : yoga
ishvaram : majesty
 
Even after Shri Krishna had begun displaying his Vishwa roopa, his cosmic form, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna at all. He realized that Arjuna’s mortal eyes did not have the capability needed to view the cosmic form. So he blessed Arjuna with the “divya drishti”, the divine vision with which the yoga, the power of creating this diversity in the universe, could be seen in all its majesty.
 
Before we proceed with the rest of this chapter, let us pause to dig a little deeper into this shloka. Each chapter in the Gita is a “yoga”, a technique for lifting us higher from the material to the divine. Arjuna was bestowed this vision by Shri Krishna, and we will hear a description of that vision from Sanjaya and Arjuna later in the chapter. But if this chapter is meant to give us a practical technique, what are we supposed to do? What does “divine vision” mean for us?
 
Let us consider a person from India who is deeply attached to his state or territory. As we have seen repeatedly in the Gita, any sort of deep attachment is a recipe for creating never-ending sorrow. What technique, what yoga could be prescribed for someone in this situation? One could ask that person to get a map of India, look at his state’s border, then mentally erase that border as well as all the other state borders, and see what’s left.
 
What will he see? He will only see the border of India. There would be no other divisions or distinctions. All conflicts regarding one state versus another would seem meaningless. It does not mean that the sense of attachment has gone away. That is very difficult to achieve. It simply means that the sense of attachment has been raised one step from the relative to the absolute.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna asks all of us to view the world with the vision that everything is in Ishvara. Our eyes, limited as they are, will always report divisions and distinctions. That is their nature. But we can always use our intelligence to look through those divisions and see that ultimately, Ishvara is in everything and everything is in Ishvara. If we learn to do this, our attachment to worldly concerns will drop, and shift towards Ishvara.
 
As we move to the next verse, we will find that the original narrator, Sanjaya, has taken over.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 10

11 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by in 10.41, ansha, avagaccha, chapter 10 verse 41, eva, mama, oorjitam, sambhavam, satvam, shreemat, tat, tejaha, tvam, vaa, vibhootimat, yat

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yadyadvibhootimatsatvam shreemadoorjitameva vaa |
tattadevaavagaccha tvam mama tejonshasambhavam || 41 ||
 
Whichever entity is endowed with majesty, prosperity and also energy, you should understand that all those as born out of a fraction of my power.
 
yat : whichever
vibhootimat : endowed with majesty
satvam : entity
shreemat : prosperity
oorjitam : energy
eva : also
vaa : and
tat : all those
eva : and
avagaccha : understand
tvam : you
mama : my
tejaha : power
ansha : fraction
sambhavam : born out of
 
Since it is difficult for someone in our time to identify with Puraanic expressions of Ishvara, Shri Krishna gives us a simple suggestion. He says that anything that appeals to our mind and senses, any object or person that is endowed with grandeur, perfection, knowledge and power, anything that inspire awe and wonder is Ishvara’s expression. So we are free to choose anything that meets this criteria.
 
So if we live in India, the Taj Mahal becomes Ishvara’s expression and in USA, the Grand Canyon. If we like western classical music, the Mahler Symphony No. 9 in D Major becomes Ishvara’s vibhooti and if we like Indian classical music, a rendition by Bhimsen Joshi. An engineer can admire marvels such as the tallest building in the world or the space shuttle. And all of us can admire the thousands of nameless people who are working in NGOs to better the world as yet another expression of Ishvara.
 
Now, Shri Krishna makes another important point here. If we add up all the glories in the universe, that glory is but a fraction of Ishvara’s glory. Just like we always think of a country’s government whenever we see a police officer, we should always think of Ishvara whenever we see or think of any of his expressions. Arjuna had asked the question as to how he could know Ishvara. With this shloka, Shri Krishna has provided the answer. We use the visible expression to remind us of the invisible Ishvara.
 
What should we do? Whenever we see something wonderful and glorious, we should remember that the glory is coming from Ishvara, not from that object or person. Next, we should remember that Ishvara is infinitely more powerful and glorious than the object or person. In this manner, we will be able to maintain a constant awareness of Ishvara.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 10

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 10.38, asmi, cha, chapter 10 verse 38, damayataam, dandaha, eva, guhyaanaam, jigeeshataam, jnyaanam, jnyaanavataam, maunam, neetihi

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dando damayataamasmi neetirasmi jigeeshataam |
maunam chaivaasmi guhyaanaam jnyaanam jnyaanavataamaham || 38 ||
 
Among means of subjugation, I am punishment and among seekers of victory, I am strategy. Also, among the secrets I am silence and among the wise, I am knowledge.
 
dandaha : punishment
damayataam : among means of subjugation
asmi : I am
neetihi : strategy
asmi : I am
jigeeshataam : among seekers of victory
maunam : silence
cha : and
eva : also
asmi : I am
guhyaanaam : among the secrets
jnyaanam : knowledge
jnyaanavataam : among the wise
aham : I am
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna declares punishment as foremost among Ishvara’s expressions that restrain or subdue others. As we have seen in the second chapter, dwelling on sense objects can very easily lead to loss of even a wise person’s wisdom and discrimination, which may result in unlawful behaviour. A society without methods to punish criminals is impractical, and will result in anarchy and chaos. From our standpoint, we need to watch our mind and our sense organs constantly, lest they lead us astray.
 
Next, we look at neeti or strategy. In the Mahabhaarata, Arjuna needed to finish Jayadratha in order to move closer to a victory. But the powerful Jayadratha had obtained a boon from his father. Whoever caused Jayadratha’s head to fall to the ground, their head would split into a hundred pieces. This was a tough situation and needed a smart solution.
 
Upon Shri Krishna’s advice, Arjuna dispatched an arrow that would sever Jayadratha’s head and deposited it into the lap of his father. When Jayadratha’s father got up, he dropped the head and became the target of his own curse. Shri Krishna, the ultimate strategist, declares strategy as Ishvara’s foremost expression among seekers of victory. Strategy enables us to deal with different people and circumstances, and to devise a plan to win every time.
 
“Silence is golden” is a proverb that has stood the test of time. In a business negotiation, we may be put in situations where others try to insult us in some way. We face a choice in such situations: we can either snap back at that person or we can stay silent. If we respond, we may say something that may come back to haunt us later. Worse still, we could reveal a secret that puts us in jeopardy.
 
To that end, Shri Krishna advises us to follow the “silence is golden” proverb by declaring silence as Ishvara’s foremost manifestation among secrets. And those wise people who follow Ishvara’s recommendations also receive their wisdom through Ishvara’s as his divine manifestation.