Category Archives: eva

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 5

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.24, adhigachchati, antahasukhaha, antaraaraamaha, antarjyotihi, brahma, brahmabhootaha, chapter 5 verse 24, eva, nirvaanam, saha, tathaa, yaha, yogi

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yontahasukhontaraaraamastathaantarjyotireva yaha |
sa yogi brahmanirvaanam brahmabhootodhigachchati || 24 ||

One who finds bliss in the self, who revels in his self, whose knowledge is the self; he is a yogi, and attains liberation through identification with the eternal essence.

yaha : one who
antahasukhaha : inner bliss
antaraaraamaha : revels in his inner self
tathaa : and
antarjyotihi : inner light (knowledge)
eva : only
yaha : he who
saha : that person
yogi : true seeker
brahma : eternal essence
nirvaanam : liberated
brahmabhootaha : identified with the eternal essence
adhigachchati : attains

Shri Krishna now starts describing how one who is established in the eternal essence eventually attains the eternal essence, in other words, is liberated. The word yogi here refers to a realized seeker. The entire personality of such a seeker is completely turned inward toward the eternal essence. This state is described by three words: antahasukhaha, antaraaraamaha and antarjyotihi.

The person who finds bliss within is called antahasukhaha. He does not expect anything from the outside world. The idea that something other than himself will make him happy, that idea has completely gone. To recap a point from the earlier shloka, he experience bliss by seeking positivity within him, it is not negating what is outside. It is like the sun reflected in water. The reflection will never match the brightness of the sun itself. Similarly the joy obtained through the senses is “reflected happiness”. But a yogi who has shifted attention to his inner self gets the real deal.

Typically, our mind needs to constantly come into contact with an object, person or situation. This  causes agitation in our minds. However, objects, people and situations keep changing. The economy changes, our friends change, our health changes and so on. But the realized seeker is antararaamaha. He revels in himself. Another way to look at this word is “antara-aarama”, which means that he rests in himself. He has eliminated all agitations and is completely at ease with himself. There is nothing that compels him to do anything, he just “is”.

Furthermore, the realized seeker stops looking towards more and more sources of knowledge. He is antarjyotihi. He knows that the eternal essence alone is the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate source of light. In most traditional temples, the only source of light is inside the central room where the deity is located. Symbolically, it depicts the internal light of the self.

In this manner, one who is happy in his own self, revels in his own self and finds knowledge in one’s own self, such a person is a true enlightened seeker. By such deep identification with the eternal essence, he becomes the eternal essence. In other words, he attains the ultimate liberation or “nirvaana”. Liberation is the destruction of all limitations and all notions of finitude. It is the realization that what is in oneself is the same as what is in everything else.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 5

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.23, bhavam, chapter 5 verse 23, eva, iha, kaama, krodha, naraha, praak, sa, shareera, shoknoti, sodhum, sukhee, vegam, vimokshanaat, yaha, yuktaha

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shoknotihaiva yaha sodhum praakshareeravimokshanaat |
kaamakrodhaadbhavam vegam sa yuktaha sa sukhee naraha || 23 ||

He who, even before this body departs, is capable of withstanding the impulse born out of desire and anger; that person is a yogi, that person is blissful.

shoknoti : capable of
iha : this body
eva : even
yaha : he who
sodhum : can withstand
praak : before
shareera : body
vimokshanaat : departs
kaamakrodhaadbhavam : born out of desire and anger
vegam : impulse
sa : that is
yuktaha : is a yogi
sa : that is
sukhee : blissful
naraha : person

In this shloka, Shri Krishna points out exactly why does the mind rush out into the material world. He says that in a person who working towards purifying his mind, there still exists two major obstacles to realization: desire and anger. Both of these generate impulses that cause the mind to go out into the material world. Even though the seeker cannot get rid of desire and anger, but can check the impulses caused by them, that person will attain happiness from within than from without.

Let’s examine what exactly is desire and anger in the framework of the Gita. Whenever one encounters sense pleasures, or recalls a memory of a sense pleasure, the need to re-experience that sense pleasure is called desire. Conversely, whenever one encounters a sorrowful circumstance, or recalls a sorrowful memory, the repulsion generated is called anger. Both these emotions generate impulses to chase after, or run away from an object, person or circumstance. For the mind to realize the eternal essence, it needs to be even-keel. But these impulses take the mind outwards and destabilize it.

Now, there is a possibility of a Catch-22 situation here. There will be an impulse within us to seek joy. Unless we redirect it inward, it will always rush outward. But if we redirect it inward and it does not find joy, it will again go outward. Therefore, turning this impulse inward has to be done intelligently. If all we do is cut ourselves off from the objects that give us pleasure, it will not work. Instead, we must work diligently towards purification of our mind and performance of svaadhyaava, whether it is reading of scriptures, or pooja and so on. As our mind finds exponentially more joy in svaadhyaaya, it will automatically turn inwards and drop its fascination with external objects.

The next two shlokas describe the state of the person who finds inner bliss.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 5

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.22, aadyantavantaha, bhogaa, budhaha, chapter 5 verse 22, duhkkhayonaya, eva, hi, kaunteya, ramate, samsharshajaa, te, teshu, ye

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ye hi samsparshajaa bhogaa duhkkhayonaya eva te |
aadyantavantaha kaunteyane teshu ramate budhaha || 22 ||

For, the pleasures born out of sense contact are only wombs of sorrow. They have a beginning and ending, O son of Kunti. The wise person does not revel in them.

ye : he
hi : for
samsparshajaa : born from sense contact
bhogaa : pleasures
duhkhkhayonaya : wombs of sorrow
eva : only
te : they
aadyantavantaha : have a beginning and ending
kaunteyane : O son of Kunti
teshu : in them
ramate : revel
budhaha : the wise person

Previously, we saw the need for the seeker to turn inward, away from the sense pleasures of the material world. Here, Shri Krishna provides another compelling reason to turn away from sense pleasures. He says, in no uncertain terms, that pleasures born out of sense contact are not really pleasures at all. They are not just sorrow disguised as pleasure, they are “wombs” of sorrow. Which means, a single experience of sense contact sows the seed for multiple sorrows.

For many of us, the period of transition between academic life and work life is when a lot of these seeds are sown. As we start earning money, we automatically seem to find outlets to spend this money. Some develop an attachment to high-end coffee. Some develop an attachment to going to clubs. Some develop a taste for vehicles and so on. If we introspect, we realize that the pleasure obtained by any of these objects is not just fleeting, but results in a chain of sorrow later. Take high-end coffee for instance. The first few times it is quite pleasurable. But later, you cannot do without it.

But then, where does the pleasure arise in the first place? The mind is restless without constant sense contact. Depending upon the strength of the vaasanaas that we have cultivated, it experiences a vacuum and rushes out into the material world towards an object in order to fill that vacuum. At the same time, the eternal essence present within us, having identified with the mind, also rushes out into the world. When the sense contact happens, the mind temporarily ceases to move outside and comes into contact with the eternal essence. This results in joy.

So, here is where the mix-up happens. The joy was already inside us, the mind causes us to believe that it is outside us. Furthermore, this joy is short-lived because the mind will again go out into the material world. Then the cycle of sorrow (vacuum) and joy (sense contact) will repeat itself. This is called “samsaara”.

Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to become wise people and realize that sense contact is not the true source of joy. Next, Shri Krishna goes into the root cause of the mind rushing out into the world.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 5

22 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.19, brahma, brahmani, chapter 5 verse 19, eva, hi, iha, jitaha, managa, nirdosham, saamye, samam, sargaha, sthitaa, sthitam, taiha, tasmaad, te, yeshaam

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ihaiva tairjitaha sargo yeshaam saamye sthitam manaha |
nirdosham hi samam brahma tasmaadbrahmani te sthitaaha || 19 ||

Here in this world itself, they have conquered creation, those who establish their intellect in equanimity. For, the eternal essence is defect-free and harmonious; therefore, they are established in the eternal essence.

iha : here in this world
eva : itself
taiha : they
jitaha : have won
sargaha : creation / duality
yeshaam : those who
saamye : equanimity
sthitam : established in
manaha : intellect
nirdosham : defect-free
hi : for
samam : harmonious
brahma : eternal essence
tasmaad : therefore
brahmani : in the eternal essence
te : they
sthitaaha : are established

In the last shloka, Shri Krishna spoke about the wise person who sees the same eternal essence in everyone. Here, he goer deeper into this point and addresses some questions that could come up when trying to understand that shloka.

Consider a hardened criminal. Most of us would classify his behaviour as defective. Now, given the context of the previous shloka where the wise person perceives a criminal and a saint with the same vision. How does it actually happen? To address this point, Shri Krishna mentions in this shloka that the personality of the criminal has the defect, not the eternal essence. The eternal essence is inherently defect-free.

Another question that may arise is this. When and where does one attain the eternal essence? How much time will it take and how far away is it? The answer is that notions such as near/far, and slow/fast are dualities. Any such duality belongs to nature, not the the eternal essence. Therefore, one whose intellect has transcended duality immediately attains the eternal essence. Notions such as near/far, and slow/fast cease to have meaning.

Finally, Shri Krishna explains that attaining the eternal essence is possible here and now. We do not have to wait for another birth. Following the technique of karma yoga, we have to purify our mind and make it steady and harmonious, so that it can meditate on the eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 5

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.18, braahmane, cha, chapter 5 verse 18, eva, gavi, hastini, panditaaha, samadarshinaha, sampanne, shuni, shvapaake, vidya, vinaya

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vidyavinayasampanne braamhane gavi hastini |
shuni chaiva shvapaake cha panditaaha samadarshinaha || 18 ||

A braahman endowed with knowledge and sense control, a cow, an elephant, a dog, even a dog-eater – the wise person perceives (all these) as one.

vidya : knowledge
vinaya : sense controlled
sampanne : endowed with
braamhane : a braahman
gavi : a cow
hastini : an elephant
shuni : a dog
cha : and
eva : even
shvapaake : dog-eater
cha : and
panditaaha : wise person
samadarshinaha : perceives as one

Shri Krishna further elaborates on the vision of a realized seeker in this shloka. Unlike most of us how tend to focus on the differences, the realized seeker focuses on the eternal essence which is common in every plant, animal, human, situation and inanimate object. In chapter two, we saw the example of the child who want a cookie shaped like a lion, whereas the adult does not really care because his focus is in the dough that is common within each cookie.

A spectrum of entities has been laid out before us, from the braahman that has a high level of sattva, to a cow that has lesser sattvic content, all the way to an individual with a miniscule, almost non-existent level of sattva. Shri Krishna says that the wise person sees the eternal essence in all of them.

This ability to see the oneness is all is praised throughout our scriptures. In the Raamaayana, Tulsidaas says the one should view both friends and enemies equally. Why? Because when enemies leave, they give sorrow. But when friends leave, they too give sorrow. It is just a matter of perspective.

Now, just because the wise person views everyone with a similar vision does not mean he treats them similarly, or deals with them similarly. He will deal with a dog differently than how he would treat a braahman. How is it possible? It is just like we see our body as one, but we treat our eye differently then we would treat the soles of our feet.

Footnotes

1. “Vinaya” usually means humility, but it is translated as sense control in the context of this shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 5

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.13, aaste, chapter 5 verse 13, dehee, eva, kaarayan, kurvan, manasaa, na, navadvare, pure, sannyasya, sarvakarmaani, sukham, vashee

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sarvakarmaani manasaa sannyasyaaste sukham vashee |
navadvaare pure dehee naiva kurvanna kaarayan || 13 ||

Having mindfully renounced all actions, the conqueror remains established in bliss. The embodied one, in the city with nine gates, neither acts nor causes to act.

sarvakarmaani : all actions
manasaa : mindfully
sannyasya : having renounced
aaste : remains established
sukham : bliss
vashee : the conqueror (of mind and senses)
navadvaare : with nine gates
pure : city
dehee : the embodied one
na : not
eva  : ever
kurvan : acts
na : nor
kaarayan : causes to act

Having spoken about the karmayogi’s vision, Shri Krishna now provides an illustration of the enlightened seeker’s vision in these shlokas. The picture he paints here is that one who identifies himself with the eternal essence, knows that he is only a dweller in the body, just like the resident of a city knows that he is a dweller, who is totally distinct from the city.

Imagine that you move into a new city for a job. As part of the move, you begin to utilize the city’s services such as water, electricity, garbage collection, telephone, cable etc. But while you utilize these services, you know that you are a resident of the city. You don’t begin to think that you are directly responsible for running the city. For example, when you someone picks up the garbage, it is part of the city’s services. You are in no way “running” the services.

Similarly, the enlightened seeker knows that he is the eternal essence, which is a dweller in the body and separate from the body. The body is pictorially depicted as a city with nine gates, each gate being an orifice (ear, nostril, eye) and so on. So when the seeker uses his hands, for example, he knows that the body, mind and intellect are operating independently. The enlightened seeker is in actuality, doing nothing at all. Just like the resident knows that the city’s services operate by themselves, and he is just a witness, similarly the enlightened person knows that the self is just a resident in the body, totally separate from the body.

Another indication of the seeker’s state is that he has complete control of his senses, and that he has mentally renounced the notion of doership. He knows that it is the body, mind and intellect that is performing action. This is indicated in the first part of the shloka. The end result is that the seeker, knowing that he is separate and distinct from the actions of the body, mind and intellect, lives in complete bliss.

Footnotes

1. Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary of this shloka gives an indicator that differentiates an enlightened seeker from an ordinary seeker. Let’s say we ask someone the question: “where are you sitting?”. If the person answers “on a chair” etc, then he is an ignorant seeker. If he answers “I am always sitting in the body”, he is an enlightened seeker.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 36, Chapter 4

26 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.36, api, asi, chapter 4 verse 36, chet, eva, jnaaya, paapakrittamaha, paapebhyaha, plavena, santarishyasi, sarvam, sarvebhyaha, vrajinam

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api chedasi paapebhyaha sarvebhyaha paapakrittamaha |
sarvam jnyaanaplavenaiva vrajinam santarishyasi || 36 ||

Even if you are the most sinful among all sinners, you will certainly cross over all sins with the boat of knowledge.

api : even
chet : if
asi : you are
paape-bhyaha : sinners
sarve-bhyaha : among all
paapa-krittamaha: most sinful
sarvam : all
jnyaana-plavena : boat of knowledge
eva : definitely
vrajinam : sins
santarishyasi : cross over

Shri Krishna continues speaking about the greatness of knowledge in this shloka. He says that this knowledge has the power of destroying all of our sins completely, regardless of how many sins we committed in the past.

Let’s re-examine what is meant by sin here using an example. Two most common sins are stealing and harming someone. In both these cases, the physical act itself is not the sin. It is the ego, the assertion of individuality and superiority behind each act, that is the real sin.  This sense of separation created by the ego causes us to commit these acts, and experience joy and sorrow as a result. Over the course of our living, we have accumulated a large number of karmas.

Shri Krishna says here that the knowledge gained through sacrifice will destroy all sins. How will this happen? This will happen because the sinner himself will be annihilated through this knowledge. The sinner is nothing but the ego, the notion of individuality created by the false sense of identification with the finite body, mind and intellect.

This annihilation of the ego is comparable to deletion of an email account. An email account is nothing but a persona created in the virtual world. It can receive regular emails as well as spam emails. But when the email account itself is deleted, it will no longer be the recipient of any kind of email, regular or junk.

So therefore, Shri Krishna paints a beautiful picture to deliver this message. He says that we can cross over the river of all our sins with the boat of knowledge.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 4

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.24, agnau, arpanam, brahman, chapter 4 verse 24, eva, gantavyam, hatam, havihi, karma, samaadhinaa, tena

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brahmaarpanam brahma havirbrahmagnau bramhanaa hatam |
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahmakarmasamaadhinaa || 24 ||

Brahman is the oblation, brahman is the offering, brahman is the fire, brahman is the one who offers. One whose actions happen while absorbed in brahman, he only attains brahman.

brahma : brahman
arpanam : oblation
havihi : offering
agnau : fire
hatam : act of offering
eva : only is
tena : that
gantavyam : attainment
karma : action
samaadhinaa : one absorbed in

Having given us a series of practical tips, Shri Krishna delivers yet another milestone shloka. If we truly perform all actions in this world with a an attitude of yajnya, not just some actions, our vision of the world changes. In this shloka, Shri Krishna uses the ritual of a yajnya to paint a picture of what this ultimate vision looks like. We begin to see brahman, the eternal essence, in everything.

Six components of a yajyna ritual are pointed out here. The act of yajnya, the offering (usually butter or milk), the ladle used to submit the offering, the sacrificial flame, the person who performs the yajnya, and the goal that the person wishes to attain. Shri Krishna says that all six components of yajyna are nothing but the eternal essence.

This example can be interpreted from several perspectives. Let’s first examine it from a purely physical perspective. The ladle is made of wood, which has come from the earth, and so has the offering. The person who performs the yajnya is created out of food, which also has come out of the earth. The flame and the act of yajnya are both manifestations of cosmic forces. Their ultimate cause can be traced back to the cosmic big bang. The goal has as a thought in the mind of the person, a mind that also has come from nature.

Now, how can we make it more concrete? Consider a computer programmer writing a software application. What should his vision become? The act of programming, the code he writes, the computer he uses to write the code, the software application that his code becomes a part of, his goal of writing good code, and the programmer himself – everything is the eternal essence. This is “brahma-drishti” or the vision of brahman that is achieved while interacting in this world.

In many Indian households, people chant this shloka prior to eating a meal as a reminder that the food, the body and the act of eating – all are nothing but brahman.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 4

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.20, abhipravrittaha, api, eva, karmani, karmaphalaasanga, karoti, kinchit, na, niraashrayaha, nityatriptah, saha, tyaktvaa, verse 20 chapter 3

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tyaktvaa karmaphalaasanga nityatripto niraashrayaha |
karmanyabhipravrittopi naiva kinchitkaroti saha || 20 ||

Having given up attachment to the result of action, always content and depending on nothing, he never does anything, though engaged in action.

tyaktvaa : having given up
karma-phala-asanga : attachment to result of action
nityatriptah : always content
niraashrayaha : depending on nothing
karmani : in action
abhipravrittaha : engaged in action
api : even when
na : not
eva : ever
kinchit : any
karoti : do
saha : he

“When this project ends, will it give me everlasting happiness?” is the question that we ask, explictly or implicitly, whenever we commence any new endevour. In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that everlasting happiness and contentment is a natural byproduct of karma yoga itself, not of any one particular project. Contentment becomes part of our personality. The word used to describe this state is “nityatriptah”.

As we grow up, we are programmed and conditioned by the world to believe that happiness is something that is outside of us. This conditioning goes deep inside our psyche and causes us to run after a better job, more money, a bigger house and so on. Now, it is absolutely alright to pursue growth while performing one’s svadharma. Wealth follows naturally if one follows svadharma sincerely. But constant seeking of happiness from external objects makes us slavishly dependent upon the world.

What is so wrong about this seemingly normal tendency to look outside oneself for happiness? Because any happiness gained from the world will be finite and temporary. But Shri Krishna says here that if one dependent on the eternal essence instead, he becomes ever content. As the second chapter says: “naabhaavo vidyate sataha”. The self is infinite and eternal.

Through karmayoga, we lose our attachment to the results of our actions. In doing so, we become less dependent on external world for happiness. Shri Krishna asks us to use our discrimination to examine the source of our happiness. We should train our mind to check daily whether we have gone outside ourselves to search for happiness, or is it coming from within.

Furthermore, if we are attached to the result of our action, we generate a expectation for the future. Which means that we identify ourselves with the process of time, which is also a part of prakriti. Identification with time accumulates karma or negative reaction from the universe.

So therefore, one who does not create expectation of a result in the future does not accumulate karma. This is what is meant by the phrase “never does anything” in the shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 4

05 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.15, api, chapter 4 verse 14, eva, evam, jnaatvaa, karma, kritam, kuru, mumukshubhihi, poorvaih, poorvataram, tasmaat, tvam

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evam jnaatvaa kritam karma poorvairapi mumukshubhihi |
kuru karmaiva tasmaattvam poorvaih poorvataram kritam || 15 ||

Even seekers of freedom, having known this (path of karmayoga), performed actions since ancient times. Therefore, so do you perform actions like the ancients did.

evam : this manner
jnaatvaa : having known
kritam : performed
karma : actions
poorvaih : since ancient times
api : even
mumukshubhihi : seekers of freedom
kuru : perform
karma : actions
eva : those
tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
poorvaih : ancestors
poorvataram : since ancient times
kritam : actions

Previously, Shri Krishna explained that one who knows him as distinct from performer and enjoyer of actions is not bound. Now, he reaffirms that teaching by informing Arjuna that many ancient seekers of freedom have followed the path of karmayoga.

These ancient seekers understood that the “I” is the eternal essence. It is not the doer and does not have anything to gain from results of actions. So they continued to perform actions, dedicating them to the highest ideal which is Ishvaraa, and purified their minds doing so.

Shri Krishna also re-emphasizes that this teaching did not deter the ancient seekers from performing actions, in other words, they did not abandon their duties and retire to the forest. They continued to work in the world but maintained the karmayoga attitude.

By pointing out the heritage of karmayoga, Shri Krishna constantly reminded Arjuna that this is not a brand new teaching, it always was a way of life but was lost due to the passage of time.