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A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

~ Gita Journey is a straightforward, modern, contemporary, basic explanation and commentary of the Bhagawat Gita, with Sanskrit to English word meanings. Each shloka (verse) is explained in detail. An introduction to the Bhagavad Gita along with study resources can also be found here. A summary of each chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is also included. It does not matter whether you are a student, a retiree, a professional, a mom, a dad or a housewife – no prior knowledge is needed.

A simple, modern translation and explanation of the Bhagavad Gita with shloka (verse) meaning

Category Archives: hatvaa

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 18

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by skr_2011 in 18.17, ahamkritaha, bhaavaha, buddhihi, chapter 18 verse 17, hanti, hatvaa, imaan, lipyate, nibadhyate, yasya

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yasya naahamkrito bhaavo buddhiryasya na lipyate |
hatvaapi sa imaanllokanna hanti na nibadhyate || 17 ||

 
One who does not have the notion that I am the doer, whose intellect is not tainted, he does not kill, nor is he bound, even by killing these beings.
 
yasya : one who
na : not
ahamkritaha : I am the doer
bhaavaha : notion
buddhihi : intellect
yasya : whose
na : not
lipyate : tainted
hatvaa : killing
api : even
saha : that person
imaan : these
lokanna : beings
hanti : kill
na : not
nibadhyate : bound
 
Previously, we came across the incorrect understanding of action. Whenever we think “I am performing this action”, it is incorrect, born out of ignorance, it is durmati. Shri Krishna now gives us the correct understanding. When we think that “this action is being performed by the five factors of Prakriti, not by me”, this is the correct understanding, this is sumati. And after the action is performed, we do not let the result of the action impact us. In other words, we are not attached to the reward of action.
 
The most common concern towards this kind of understanding is that it will make us weak and fatalistic, especially when we are still engaged in karma yoga. That is why it has to be combined with the idea of selfless service. A modern interpretation of this notion is : do your best, and leave the rest. As we continue our journey in karma yoga, our selfish desires and vaasanaas will slowly wither away, paving the way for the knowledge of the self in the second chapter to take root in our mind. Then we will come to the realization that only the self, the aatmaa is real or sat. Actions are in the realm of Prakriti, of Maaya, which is asat or illusory.
 
Per Shri Shankarachaarya’s commentary, this shloka embodies the sum and substance of the Gita and even of all the Vedas. We start our lives thinking that we are the body. The scriptures, the Vedas, tell us that we are not the body, we are the jeeva who has to use his body and mind to perform selfless service. Now, at the conclusion of the Vedas, Veda-anta, we are told that we are beyond the jeeva. This attitude of non-identification with the doership of actions differentiatees a sanyaasi, a monk, from a tyaagi, one who has renounced action, per the original question of Arjuna in this chapter.
 
With the words “he kills, but does not kill”, we are transported back to the second chapter, where Shri Krishna was convincing Arjuna to engage in the Mahaabhaarata war. So then, what is left? From a practical standpoint, we still have to deal with science of action. Unless we understand it fully, we will never be able to distance ourselves from the notion of doership. Shri Krishna continues his analysis of action from the standpoint of the three gunaas, since he has proven that action is in the realm of Prakriti.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 1

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by skr_2011 in arhaaha, chapter 1 verse 37, hantum, hatvaa, hi, katham, suhkhinaha, svabaandhavaan, svajanam, tasmaat, vayam

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tasmaannarhaa vayam hantum dhaartaraashtraan svabaandhavaan |
svajanam hi katham hatvaa sukhinaha syaama maadhava || 37 ||

 
Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to kill these relatives of Dhritraashtra who our also our brothers. How can we gain pleasure by killing our own, O Maadhava?

 
tasmaat : therefore
na arhaaha : not appropriate
vayam : we
hantum : to kill
dhaartarashtaan : relatives of Dhritraashtra
svabaandhavaan : our brothers
svajanam : our kinsmen
hi : because
katham : how
hatvaa : kill
sukhinaha : happiness
maadhava : O Maadhava
 
The word “tasmaat”, which means therefore, indicates the conclusion of an argument. Here, Arjuna concluded his argument to Shri Krishna in which he asserted that that he did not want to fight. To defend that argument, Arjuna provided several points: that there was no point in the war or even in living itself, that the very people that he was fighting against were the same people that made him happy, that killing his kinsmen and his well-wishers was a sin, and that there would be no joy derived in doing so.
 
This argument was not built on any sort of rationality or logic because Arjuna came under the influence of “moha” or delusion, the delusion that personal relationships were more important in the battlefield than one’s duty. An increase in moha usually suppresses our ability to discern between what is correct and what is not. This discerning ability is called “viveka”.
 
Here’s an real world example that illustrates moha and viveka. Imagine that your brother has a drinking problem, and needs to hear from you that the addiction needs to stop. What is the right thing for you to do? It is a difficult situation because your moha and viveka come into conflict. Viveka tells you that the right thing for you to do is to intervene, but moha tells you that doing so will endanger your relationship.
 
Another common example is that a surgeon will usually not perform an operation on a relative exactly because of this moha.
 
Footnotes
1. Viveka is the first step in the “Saadhana Chatushthaya”, the 4-fold qualifications that are required for anyone treading on the spiritual path. Barring a few exceptions if you do not cultivate the ability to discern what is correct and what is not, your spiritual journey will never commence.

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