Category Archives: gatvaa

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 15

11 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by in 15.6, bhaasayate, chapter 15 verse 6, dhaamam, gatvaa, mama, nirvatante, paavakaha, paramam, shashaankaha, sooryaha, yat

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na tadbhaasayate sooryaa na shashaanko na paavakaha |
yadgatvaa na nirvatante taddhaamam paramam mama || 6 ||
 
That in which the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor fire, that is my supreme abode. Having attained that, there is no return.
 
na : not
tat : that
bhaasayate : illumines
sooryaha : sun
na : not
shashaankaha : moon
na : not
paavakaha : fire
yat : which
gatvaa : attained
na : not
nirvatante : return
tat : that
dhaamam : abode
paramam : supreme
mama : my
 
Shri Krishna listed the qualifications of a seeker in the prior shloka, and asserted that one who takes his refuge will attain his abode. He now provides the location, the address of that abode. He says that there is no sun, no moon, no fire, in other words, no source of light in his abode. Initially we would feel a little frightened if we take the literal meaning of this shloka. Even cavemen were able to access some light source in the form of the sun, the moon, or fire from a wooden torch. Why would anyone want to go to such a place?
 
The sun, the moon and fire have symbolic interpretations which are extremely relevant here. The sun is the presiding deity of our intellect, the moon of our mind and emotions, and fire of our physiological functions. The one who has sought refuge in Ishvara automatically gives up affinity to his body, mind, intellect, ego (which resides in the intellect) and physiological functions. If this affinity, the root of all our sorrow, is given up, such a person will never again get caught in the wheel of birth of death, in the cycle of samsaara. This is liberation.
 
So then, this is the abode of Ishvara, of self realization, of liberation. Having reached there, the liberated person does not come back to the state of ignorance. He never gets deluded again. He never identifies or develops affinity with body, mind, intellect and the world. The duality, the pairs of opposites, the dvandva that was mentioned before, is nothing but the world. For such a person, neither joy nor sorrow, neither pain nor pleasure, neither friend nor enemy, nothing can destabilize him. This is liberation.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 14

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.15, chapter 14 verse 15, gatvaa, jaayate, karmasangishu, moodhayonishu, pralayam, praleenaha, rajasi, tamasi, tathaa

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rajasi pralayam gatvaa karmasangishu jaayate |
tathaa praleenastamasi moodhayonishu jaayate || 15 ||
 
One who has reached his end in rajas is born among those attached to action, and one who is dying in tamas is born in the wombs of the ignorant.
 
rajasi : rajas
pralayam : end
gatvaa : one who has reached
karmasangishu : those who are attached to action
jaayate : born
tathaa : and
praleenaha : one who is dying
tamasi : tamas
moodhayonishu : ignorant wombs
jaayate : born
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained the fate of one whose mental state is sattvic at the end of his life. Here, he says that one whose mental state is rajasic while dying is reborn in a family of action oriented individuals. Also, one whose mental state is tamasic while dying is reborn in the wombs of the ignorant and the inert. This includes plants, trees, creepers, birds, insects and other animals.
 
It is not just the mental state that determines one’s fate in the next life. Every action we perform leaves impressions in our mind, which also impacts our fate. One who has performed selfless actions throughout their life is born in a virtuous family. One who has performed selfish actions is born with a tendency to get attached to material objects. And one who has performed harmful actions is born with devilish tendencies. Such a person will not stop at anything to get their way, including physically harming others. In their current life and in their next life, it is totally up to each individual to cultivate their discrimination through selfless service, devotion and company of devotees so that they can counteract the effect of excessive rajas.
 
The Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of the illustrious king Bharata who was one of the most sattvic individuals of his time. Through extreme attachment to his pet deer, he became steeped in tamas, and was born as a deer in his next life. But due to the selfless actions performed in his life as a king, he developed a degree of renunciation not even found in humans. He was finally born as a highly sattvic human who ultimately achieved liberation. Shri Krishna repeatedly urges us to employ rajas to perform selfless service, and cultivate sattva through reducing selfish activities.