Category Archives: gatim

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 16

18 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.23, avaapnoti, chapter 16 verse 23, gatim, kaamakaarataha, paraam, shaastravidhim, siddhim, sukham, utsrijya, vartate

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yaha shaastravidhimutsrijya vartate kaamakaarataha |
na sa siddhimavaapnoti na sukham na paraam gatim || 23 ||
 
He who dismisses the laws of scripture and conducts himself according to impulses of desire, he neither attains success, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal.
 
yaha : he who
shaastravidhim : laws of scripture
utsrijya : dismisses
vartate : conducts
kaamakaarataha : impulse of desire
na : not
saha : he
siddhim : success
avaapnoti : attain
na : not
sukham : happiness
na : not
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Imagine that we have to assemble a complex piece of furniture. Most people will follow the instructions given in the manual that comes in the box. But, for some reason, lets say we ignore the manual and build what we want based on a whim. What will be the outcome? We will be unsuccessful in building a functional piece of furniture. Consequently, we will not be happy with this outcome. Without following the manual, we neither gain success nor attain happiness.
 
Shri Krishna says that if we live our lives based solely on our desires, we will neither attain success in any worldly endeavour, nor will we attain worldly happiness. The supreme goal of self realization then is totally out of the question. Unfortunately, whenever we feel disillusioned, we usually seek guidance from the latest self help book, or try to emulate the lives of those who have had significant material prosperity. Such guidance may get us temporary happiness in a small part of our life, but will never solve our predicament holistically.
 
So then, what is the solution? Shri Krishna points us to the Vedas, the scriptures, as a guide towards checking our selfish desire-oriented life. He is in no way advocating a dogmatic, ideological or blind faith oriented lifestyle that imposes restrictions upon society. The Gita, in fact, presents the very principles of the Vedas in a format that is meant for practical individuals. The notion of svadharma, of following a career path that is in line with our interests and our qualifications, is a perfect example of guidance from the scriptures.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 16

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.22, aacharati, aatmanaha, chapter 16 verse 22, etaihi, gatim, kaunteya, naraha, paraam, shreyaha, tamodvaaraihi, tataha, tribhihi, vimuktaha, yaati

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etairvimuktaha kaunteya tamodvaaraistribhirnaraha |
aacharatyaatmanaha shreyastato yaati paraam gatim || 22 ||
 
One who is free from these, the three gates of darkness, does good to himself, O Kaunteya, and with that, attains the supreme goal.
 
etaihi : these
vimuktaha : free
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tamodvaaraihi : gates of darkness
tribhihi : three
naraha : one who
aacharati : does
aatmanaha : himself
shreyaha : good
tataha : with that
yaati : attains
paraam : supreme
gatim : goal
 
Shri Krishna describes the fate of one who has successfully conquered desire, anger and greed, the three gates of tamas or darkness. He says that such a person, from a practical standpoint, puts his life on the right track, he does good to himself. From an absolute standpoint, such a person attains the supreme goal of self realization, of oneness with Ishvara, instead of entrapment in the never ending cycle of birth and death.
 
With this shloka, the message of the entire sixteenth chapter is summarized and concluded. Most of us, given the materialistic nature of the world, are on the path of preyas, the pleasant, the path of continuous satisfaction of selfish desires. Shri Krishna urges us to slowly tune down the three devilish qualities of desire, anger and greed, so that we can start walking on the path of shreyas or the auspicious, the path of the divine qualities. Only then do we become qualified to attain the supreme goal of self realization.
 
Having heard this, we probably have a question that arises in our minds. Every second of our lives, we are bombarded with a ton of desires. If our awareness level is high, we can regulate them some of the time, but not all of the time. Furthermore, anger can erupt and take over our mind within a microsecond. How can we, on our own, control desire, anger and greed? It is not easy. Anticipating this question, Shri Krishna answers it in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 16

15 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.20, aapannaahaa, aasureem, adhamaam, apraapyaiva, chapter 16 verse 20, gatim, janmani, kaunteya, moodhaa, tataha, yaant, yonim

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aasureem yonimaapannaa moodhaa janmani janmani |
maamapraapyaiva kaunteya tato yaantyadhamaam gatim || 20 ||
 
Entering into devilish wombs, the deluded individuals, from birth after birth, do not attain me, O Kaunteya. They attain destinations even lower than that (state).
 
aasureem : devilish
yonim : wombs
aapannaahaa : entering
moodhaa : deluded individuals
janmani : birth
janmani : birth
maam : me
apraapyaiva : do not attain
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
tataha : than that
yaanti : go
adhamaam : even lower
gatim : destinations
 
Here, Shri Krishna expresses his regret about a lost opportunity. Anyone who has attained a human birth has a chance to achieve self realization and liberation. But those individuals who engage in destruction of others instead of improving their state give up this golden opportunity. Such people enter a never ending descent into lower and lower realms of existence. An example given in most commentaries is that of kumbhipaaka, where individuals spend their time in a pot of boiling oil.
 
Such is the rare and special nature of a human birth, that most spiritual masters have mentioned it in their texts. Shankaraachaarya begins the Vivekachoodamani text with this proclamation : “For beings a human birth is hard to win, then manhood and holiness, then excellence in the path of wise law; hardest of all to win is wisdom. Discernment between Self and not-Self, true judgment, nearness to the Self of the Eternal and Freedom are not gained without a myriad of right acts in a hundred births”.
 
The practical implication of this shloka is the importance of free will. Only a human has the ability to shape his or her destiny. Plants, animals and birds cannot do so. All they can do is follow their instincts and their sense organs. If we also start ignoring our intellect and empowering our sense organs, there remains no difference between us and animals. We lose all traces of sattva, and only exist through rajas and tamas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 13

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.28, aatmaanam, aatmanaa, chapter 13 verse 28, eeshvaram, gatim, hi, hinasti, na, paraam, pashyan, samam, samavasthitam, sarvatra, tataha, yaati

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samam pashyanhi sarvatra samavasthitameeshvaram |
na hinastyaatmanaatmaanam tato yaati paraam gatim || 28 ||
 
For, he who sees Ishvara established equally everywhere, does not kill his self by his own self. That is why he attains the supreme state.
 
samam : equal
pashyan : he who sees
hi :for
sarvatra : everywhere
samavasthitam : established equally
eeshvaram : Ishvara
na : not
hinasti : kill
aatmanaa : his self
aatmaanam : by his own self
tataha : that is why
yaati : attains
paraam : supreme
gatim : state
 
Shri Krishna explains the result of developing an equanimous vision in this shloka. He says that one who sees Ishvara residing equally in everything and everyone, including himself, does not harm or kill his self by his own self. He says that we commit a kind of suicide whenever we do not focus on the imperishable and give too much importance to the perishable. We would very rarely get the urge to commit suicide. So how does this happen?
 
Whenever our body’s weight increases or decreases, we say “I am fat, I am thin”. Whenever our body falls ill and recovers, we say “I am sick, I am healthy”. Whenever our body is injured and healed, we say “I am injured, I am healed”. We taken on changes that happen to a mass of flesh and bones as our own changes. By repeatedly taking on this identification to the body due to ignorance of our true nature, we get stuck in an endless cycle of desire, action, birth and death. This entry into the cycle of birth and death is referred to as “killing of one’s self by one’s own self”.
 
Shri Krishna says that we need to develop samadarshanam, the vision of seeing the imperishable Ishvara in the perishable world. We need to stop identifying with the body, which is not ours to begin with. It belongs to the five elements that make up the universe, and will go back to them when it has run its course. We should identify with Ishvara who exists equally in us and in other beings. When we recognize that the Ishvara in us is the same Ishvara in everyone, we will attain the most supreme, the most pure state of Ishvara which is the state of brahman, the eternal essence. The instant we realize our identity with brahman, we attain liberation or moksha.
 
We have seen how to attach ourselves to Ishvara, how to identify ourselves with Ishvara in these shlokas. We also need to detach ourselves from Prakriti. We shall see how to do this in the next two shlokas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 32, Chapter 9

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.32, api, chapter 9 verse 32, gatim, hi, maam, paapayonayaha, paartha, paraam, shoodraaha, striyaha, syuhu, tathaa, te, vaishyaahaa, vyapaashritya, yaanti, ye

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maam hi paartha vyapaashritya yepi syuhu paapayonayaha |
striyo vaishyaastathaa shoodraastepi yaanti paraam gatim || 32 ||
 
Surely, O Paartha, even those who are born of sinful origin – women, traders, and also labourers, they attain the supreme state by taking refuge in me.
 
maam : me
hi : surely
paartha : O Paartha
vyapaashritya : taking refuge
ye : those
api : even
syuhu : who are
paapayonayaha : born of sinful origin
striyaha : women
vaishyaahaa : traders
tathaa : and also
shoodraaha : labourers
te : they
yaanti : attain
paraam : supreme
gatim : state
 
This is another shloka that has the potential to be misinterpreted if it is quoted out of context. Shri Krishna says that women, traders and labourers are born out of “paapa yoni” which literally means “sinful wombs”. He says that women, traders and labourers are also equally qualified to become liberated through the path of devotion. So to properly understand the meaning, let us look at the historical context and the symbolism that underpins this shloka.
 
As we have seen so far, the Gita attempts to remove misconceptions about spirituality that were prevalent when it came out. One prevalent misconception that was present throughout history was that only the brahmin and the kshatriya communities were solely qualified for liberation. Any other community was termed as “sinful”. Therefore, Shri Krishna vehemently refutes this misconception using the language that was prevalent at that time.
 
Now let’s look at the symbolism by focusing on the attributes of the communities mentioned, not by focusing on their birth-given caste or gender. A “sinful origin” or “sinful womb” per this shloka symbolically refers to a low level of sattva guna, and a high level of rajas and tamas which causes such attachment to worldly matters.
 
How does that manifest in people? The quality of being too attached to children and family is termed as “women” in this shloka. Similarly a “trader” is too attached to money and commerce, and a “labourer” is too attached to the fruits of his own efforts. Unlike other types of spiritual practice that require a high level of detachment, bhakti or devotion does not require such a qualification. Therefore, Shri Krishna praises the path of devotion because anyone who has such deep attachments to worldly matters can attain liberation through devotion.
 
So, when even those with a material attachments can attain liberation through devotion, how do people with a high level of detachment fare? This is covered next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 8

18 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.21, aahuhu, aksharaha, avyaktaha, chapter 8 verse 21, dhaama, gatim, iti, mama, na, nivartante, paramaam, paramam, praapya, tam, tat, uktaha, yam

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avyaktokshara ityuktastamaahuhu paramaam gatim |
yam praapya na nivartante taddhaama paramam mama || 21 ||
 
He who is called unmanifest and imperishable, he who has been spoken of as the supreme goal; having attained him (beings) do not return, that is my supreme abode.
 
avyaktaha : unmanifest
aksharaha : imperishable
iti : in this manner
uktaha : has been called
tam : he
aahuhu : spoken
paramaam : supreme
gatim : goal
yam : he who
praapya : having attained
na : do not
nivartante : return
tat : that
dhaama : abode
paramam : supreme
mama : my
 
Earlier in this chapter, Shri Krishna had mentioned that those who attain Ishvara are not subject to further rebirth. In this shloka, he says that the “another unmanifest” that remains unaffected by the day and night of Lord Brahma is nothing but Ishvara. He also mentions the nature of Ishvara as imperishable, unmanifest and supreme.
 
With this shloka, we come back to the main theme that began in chapter seven – Ishvara. After having explained that this universe is subject to cycles of creation and dissolution, and that unless we take effort, we are stuck in this infinite cycle, Shri Krishna reiterates the need for the pursuit of Ishvara as the means of liberation.
 
So therefore, for the seeker who performs karma yoga and upaasanaa or devotion towards Ishvara attains Ishvara after he has completed his time on earth and in the abode of Lord Brahma. Shri Krishna summarizes the means of attaining Ishvara in the next shloka, which also concludes the topic of liberation from rebirth.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 8

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.13, anusmaran, brahma, chapter 8 verse 13, deham, ekaaksharam, gatim, iti, maam, om, paramaam, prayaati, saha, tyajan, vyaaharan, yaati, yaha

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omityekaaksharam brahma vyaaharanmaamnusmaran |
yaha prayaati tyajandeham sa yaati paramaam gatim || 13 ||
 
He who departs the body while chanting Om, which is the one-syllable (name of) brahman, and also remembers me, he attains the supreme state.
 
om : Om
iti : this
ekaaksharam : one-syllable
brahma : brahman
vyaaharan : chanting
maam : my
anusmaran : rememberance
yaha : he who
prayaati : departs
tyajan : leaving
deham : body
saha : he
yaati : attains
paramaam : supreme
gatim : state
 
The sound “Om” has been praised in the scriptures as an indicator of brahman, the eternal essence. Shri Krishna concludes the second technique of meditation, meditation on the name of Ishvara, by saying that one who performs meditation on the sound of Om attains Ishvara during the time of departure.
 
Like we saw in the previous instance, the symbolic meaning of this shloka also uses death as a metaphor to indicate death of the ego. Therefore, meditation on the sound of Om helps the seeker sever his connection to the finite ego and take him towards the infinite eternal essence.
 
The key thing, however, is to associate the sound “Om” to our understanding of Ishvara. In other words, meditation on the sound of Om without associating it to our favourite deity will not yield any result. In fact, Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary says that meditation on Om should only be performed by one who has diligently heard (“shravana”) and analyzed (“mananam”) the knowledge of the eternal essence. This is why Shri Krishna adds “remember me as Ishvara” to the instruction that we chant Om.
 
To recap, the first technique was meditation upon the grand cosmic form of Ishvara, and the second technique was meditation upon Om. However, both techniques require us to develop control of our praanaas. Recognizing this, Shri Krishna provides an easier third technique in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 7

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.17, aasthitaha, aatmaa, anuttamaam, chapter 7 verse 18, eva, gatim, hi, ite, jnyaanee, maam, matam, me, saha, sarva, tu, udaaraaha, yuktaatmaa

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udaaraaha sarva evaite jnyaanee tvaatmaiva me matam |
aasthitaha sa hi yuktaatmaa maamevaanuttamaam gatim || 18 ||
 
All those are certainly sincere, but only the wise one is my own self, in my opinion. For, he engages to become established in me only as the ultimate goal.
 
udaaraaha : sincere
sarva : all
eva : certainly
ite : those
jnyaanee : the wise one
tu : but
aatmaa : self
eva : only
me : my
matam : opinion
aasthitaha : established
saha : he
hi : for
yuktaatmaa : he engages
maam : me
eva : only
anuttamaam : ultimate
gatim : goal
 
So far, Shri Krishna enumerated four types of devotees and singled out one of them, the wise one, as the most special type of devotee. This is because the wise devotee does not approach Ishvara for something else. He approaches Ishvara to gain only Ishvara and nothing else. Here, Shri Krishna adds another reason for singling out the wise devotee as special. The wise devotee considers Ishvara as his own self and not as another object.
 
First, let us look at the sense of oneness aspect. What is different between a good friend and an acquaintance? There is always a sense of “otherness” between ourselves and the acquaintance, but there is a sense of oneness with the good friend. We see this in a lot of proverbs: “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, “my house is your house” on so on. The ultimate closeness with a friend is when we do not see any difference between doing something for ourselves, and doing something for our friend. In other words, we see our friend as our own self.
 
Similarly, whenever we expect something from God, we are by definition treating him as someone different from our own self. Shri Krishna says that he prefers if we treat him as our own self. Such kind of devotion, where the seeker plants himself in Ishvara day in and day out, and melts his existence into Ishvara’s cosmic existence, is the greatest kind of devotion. This is also known as ekabhakti or advaita, where there is no duality between devotee and Ishvara.
 
However, the reality is different. Most of us consider Ishvara as different than ourselves. One colourful illustration of this is found in the Hindi phrase “bhee aur hee siddhanta” which means “also philosophy” vs “only philosophy”. In other words, we love material objects and Ishvara “also”. Shri Krishna says that we should love Ishvara “only” and not “also”.
 
Now, this does not mean that Ishvara gives second class treatment to the other three types of devotees. Shri Krishna says that those other devotees are “udaaraha” or sincere. Ishvara is affectionate towards all of them.
 
Having pointed out the unique aspects of the wise devotee, Shri Krishna highlights the scarcity of wise devotees in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 45, Chapter 6

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in anekajanma, chapter 6 verse 45, gatim, kilbishaha, paraam, prayatnaat, samshuddha, samsiddhaaha, tataha, tu, yaati, yatamaanaha, yogi

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prayatnaadyatamaanastu yogee samshuddhakilbishaha |
anekajanmasamsiddhastato yaati paraam gatim || 45 ||
 
For, that yogi who strives diligently, whose sins have been purified, perfected through many births, he then attains the supreme state.
 
prayatnaat : diligently
yatamaanaha : who strives
tu : for
yogi : yogi
samshuddha : have been purified
kilbishaha : sins
anekajanma : over many births
samsiddhaaha : perfected
tataha : then
yaati : attains
paraam : supreme
gatim : state
 
Shri Krishna spoke earlier about the unfulfilled meditator who, having born into a prosperous family, finds himself pushed towards the spiritual path. Here, Shri Krishna talks about what happens to that person if he strives diligently. Such a person, if he puts in diligent effort, acquires spiritual prowess over many lives, purifies his sins, and ultimately attains the ultimate state of liberation.
 
Now, the plight of someone born into a prosperous family, yet is being pulled towards spirituality, is extremely interesting. On one hand, his family wealth has the potential for generating further selfish desires. One the other hand, the push towards the spiritual path has the potential of taking him towards liberation. What will decide his fate in regards to which side he ends up on? It is nothing but his effort and his diligence.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna encourages Arjuna to relentlessly pursue this path. Arjuna is born into one of the most illustrious families of his time. But through the knowledge that he is receiving from Shri Krishna, he has the option of pursuing the spiritual path, but only if he incorporates this teaching into his life.
 
How exactly should he incorporate it into his life? That is taken up next.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 6

14 Monday May 2012

Posted by in apraapya, ayatihi, chalitamaanasaha, chapter 6 verse 37, gachchati, gatim, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaam, krishna, shraddhaa, upetaha, yogasamsiddhim

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Arjuna uvaacha:
ayatihi shraddhayopeto yogaachchalitamaanasaha |
apraapya yogasamsiddhim kaam gatim krishna gachchati || 37 ||
 
Arjuna said:
The unsuccessful seeker, endowed with faith, whose mind deviates from yoga, and has not attained perfection in yoga, what is his situation, O Krishna?
 
ayatihi : unsuccessful seeker
shraddhaa : faith
upetaha : endowed with
yogaat : yoga
chalitamaanasaha : deviates mind
apraapya : not obtained
yogasamsiddhim : perfection in yoga
kaam : what
gatim : situation
krishna : O Krishna
gachchati : attain
 
Arjuna’s first question around the difficulty of controlling the mind was resolved by Shri Krishna. Now Arjuna asked another question: what happens when a seeker is striving to meditate faithfully and diligently, but is unable to reach the state of the perfected meditator in his lifetime?
 
Attaining perfection in meditation is a long and arduous journey. Most seekers start on the spiritual path only after they have established themselves in their careers, which is a late start. Once they have begin, purification of the mind through karma yoga takes time. Hearing and reflection on the scriptures takes still more time. All in all, even if a seeker is sincere, it is going to take a long time to attain the goal of meditation.
 
Taking this into account, Arjuna formulates his question to Shri Krishna. He gives an example of a seeker who has managed to purify his mind to a great extent, but still has a small amount of desire left. This seeker may have comprehended that his true nature is the eternal essence, but is not able to remain established in that state. So the question is : what happens to such an “almost perfect” seeker?
 
The honest nature of this question shows to us the candid and open relationship between Arjuna and Shri Krishna. In effect, he is asking his teacher whether or not it is worth pursuing the spiritual path. It is a pragmatic question that many of us fear or fail to ask before pursuing undertakings in the material world, let alone in the spiritual path.
 
Arjuna further expands upon this question in the next shloka.