Category Archives: hi

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 10

01 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.2, aadihi, aham, cha, chapter 10 verse 2, devaanaam, hi, maharshayaha, maharshinaam, me, na, prabhavam, sarvashaha, suraganaahaa, viduhu

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na me viduhu suraganaahaa prabhavam na maharshayaha |
ahamaadirhi devaanaam maharshinaam cha sarvashaha || 2 ||
 
Neither the gods nor the great sages know of my origin, for I am the cause of the gods and great sages in every aspect.
 
na : not
me : my
viduhu : know
suraganaahaa : gods
prabhavam : origin
na : nor
maharshayaha : great sages
aham : I
aadihi : cause
hi : for
devaanaam : of gods
maharshinaam : of great sages
cha : and
sarvashaha : in every aspect
 
Previously, Shri Krishna declared that only Ishvara can speak about Ishvara’s glories. Now, why should that be the case? Why can’t someone else talk about Ishvara’s glories? It is because Ishvara is the cause of everything in this entire universe. He is the “aadihi” or the first principle. He is the ultimate cause.
 
As we have seen earlier, most of us have an idea that a certain deity is almighty and all-powerful. But ultimately, all those gods and deities are emissaries of Ishvara. They came into existence much later than Ishvara. Similarly, great sages and wise people have also come into existence after Ishvara. Therefore, none of these individuals has the ability to clearly fathom the real nature of Ishvara.
 
For instance, imagine that you want to learn the history of a large corporation. You may research internet sites, you can talk to the current employees, you can even track down the original employees, but the only person who knows the entire history will be the company’s founder. He can reveal details that only he knew at the time of founding the company. No one else can know these details.
 
So then, if Ishvara is the ultimate cause of the universe, then everything in the universe is an effect of that ultimate cause. An effect can never know its cause in totality. Therefore, the most qualified person to expound the glories himself is Ishvara himself, speaking through the form of Shri Krishna. Such a teaching is called “apaurusheya”. It is not authored by a human, it has come from Ishvara directly.
 
As we hear more about the glories of Ishvara, we will need to delve deeper into what is meant by the term “ultimate cause”. To prepare for this exploration, picture a potter creating a pot. There are two main ingredients that go into the pot. One is clay, the substance of which the pot is made. The other is the intelligence of the potter that decides the shape and the method to create it.
 
With this picture in mind, let us remember four things that will help us in understanding Ishvara. The pot is an effect. The pot has come from a cause. The “material cause” of the pot is clay. The intelligence, also known as the “efficient cause”, is the potter. We will recall this example later in the chapter.
 
So then, what is the gain of learning about Ishvara and his glories? Shri Krishna explains this next.

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 30, Chapter 9

26 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.30, ananyabhaak, api, bhajate, chapter 9 verse 30, chet, hi, maam, mantavyaha, saadhuhu, saha, suduraachaaraha, vyavasitaha

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api chetsuduraachaaro bhajate maamananyabhaak |
saadhureva sa mantavyaha samyagvyavasito hi saha || 30 ||
 
Also, even if someone of extremely poor conduct worships me with wholehearted devotion, consider him a saint, for he has resolved very well.
 
api : also
chet : even if
suduraachaaraha : someone of extreme poor conduct
bhajate : worships
maam : me
ananyabhaak : wholehearted devotion
saadhuhu : saint
saha : him
mantavyaha : consider
samyak : very well
vyavasitaha : resolved
hi : for
saha : he has
 
Shri Krishna begins to explain the glory of bhakti or devotion with this shloka. He says that devotion is the easiest means of obtaining access to Ishvara. It is so easy that even a criminal, a sinner in the world can be considered a saint if he worships Ishvara with wholehearted devotion.
 
Why is bhakti so great as a means of accessing Ishvara? Bhakti has no prerequisites. It can be practiced by anyone at any stage in their life. There is financial, ancestral or intellectual requirement. Moreover, it is not alien to most of us. Many of us who grew up in the Indian tradition are already used to performing worship, even if it is for a minute in front of the deity in our living room. All we have to do is to expand this notion of worship to include everything we do.
 
Here, Shri Krishna says that if there is an individual that has extremely bad conduct, if he is the worst among sinners, if he starts worshipping Ishvara with single pointed devotion, this resolve is enough to uplift him to the status of a saint. The word “ananyabhaak” is very important in this shloka. It means that this person has shifted his attention from all worldly pursuits including name, fame, money and power. His only goal is Ishvara.
 
So this person may not look like a saint outwardly, but he should be considered a saint, just like one who has checked into a flight is considered to have already reached the destination, even if it will take some more time. Such a saint has begun to shift his identification or sense of “I-ness” from his body to the infinite Ishvara. But his resolve or his commitment to this path is most important. He should be “samyak vyavasitaha” which means well determined, and be able to absolutely understand as to what is the right thing for him.
 
If this resolve is so important, how does one go about it? How long does it take? We shall see this next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 9

19 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.24, abhijaananti, aham, ataha, bhoktaa, cha, chapter 9 verse 24, chyavanti, eva, hi, maam, na, prabhuhu, sarvayajnyaanaam, tattvena, te, tu

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aham hi sarvayajnyaanaam bhoktaa cha prabhureva cha |
na tu maamabhijaananti tattvenaatashchyavanti te || 24 ||
 
For I am the recipient and also the lord of all sacrificial rituals, but they do not know me in essence. That is why they fall.
 
aham : I
hi : for
sarvayajnyaanaam : all sacrificial rituals
bhoktaa : recipient
cha : and
prabhuhu : lord
eva : also
cha : and
na : not
tu : but
maam : me
abhijaananti : know
tattvena : in essence
ataha : that is why
chyavanti : fall
te : they
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna asserted that most people worship finite deities with the expectation of finite rewards, but ultimately, all their prayers reach the infinite Ishvara. This type of worship in itself is ok, but the result obtained through this worship can only be finite. Shri Krishna says that the reason most devotees commit this error because they do not recognize Ishvara in essence, they do not comprehend the real nature of Ishvara.
 
Imagine that people from a remote village visit a city. They may mistake a minister’s office for the nation’s government. They may mistake a computer for the Internet. They may mistake a power outlet for the electric grid. Just like such people will commit grave errors unless they understand the presence of the larger in the small, we also will commit errors in our worship unless we understand the real infinite nature of Ishvara.
 
So therefore, when we act in this world, we should always bear in mind that the recipient of any action is Ishvara. When we feed someone, care for someone, help someone in need, we should know that ultimately we are feeding, caring for and helping Ishvara. This will reduce our sense of ego or I-ness.
 
Furthermore, emotions such as pride, greed and jealousy are caused because we think we own something, or we covet something that others own. If we know that the ultimate owner of everything is Ishvara, it reduces our sense of attachment and “mine-ness”. Ego and attachment are great obstacles in the path of liberation, and this knowledge cuts them down.
 
What is the fate of such faulty worship? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 8

23 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.26, aavartate, anaavrittim, anyayaa, chapter 8 verse 26, ekayaa, ete, gatee, hi, jagataha, mate, punaha, shaashvate, shuklakrishne, yaati

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shuklakrishne gatee hyote jagataha shaashvate mate |
ekayaa yaatyanaavrittimanyayaavartate punaha || 26 ||
 
For, bright and dark, both these paths have been known since eternity. By one, the traveller does not have to return, by the other, he has to return again.
 
shuklakrishne : bright and dark
gatee : paths
hi : for
ete : both these
jagataha : worldly
shaashvate : eternal
mate : have been known
ekayaa : one of these
yaati : traveller
anaavrittim : does not have to return
anyayaa : the other
aavartate : has to return
punaha : again
 
Shri Krishna spoke about two paths that the jeeva takes after death: the “bright” path that goes to the abode of Lord Brahma, and the “dark” path that goes to the abode of the moon. He now reaffirms the difference between these two paths by saying that those who travel by the bright path are liberated, whereas those who take the dark path are born again after spending time in the abode of the moon. He also states that these paths have been established since time immemorial.
 
These two paths take care of two categories of people. One category is those who perform good actions as well as single pointed devotion – they attain the abode of Lord Brahma. The other is those who only perform good actions – they attain heaven. But absent from this list are those who perform negative actions that harm others and themselves. What happens to them?
 
Shri Krishna has omitted the path of such people, probably because he assumes that one who is interested in following the path of karma yoga is putting forth effort to eliminate negative and destructive actions from his life. More information on the path taken by such people is provided in the Srimad Bhagavatam.
 
So then, what is the significance of these two paths to us? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 7

18 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.22, araadhanam, cha, chapter 7 verse 22, eehate, eva, hi, kaamaan, labhate, mayaa, saha, shraddhayaa, taan, tasya, tataha, tayaa, vihitaan, yuktaha

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sa tayaa shraddhayaa yuktastasyaaraadhanameehate |
labhate cha tataha kaamaanmayaiva vihitaanhi taan || 22 ||
 
Engaged with faith, that person worships that (deity) and his desire is fulfilled, but that (desire fulfillment) is delivered only through me.
 
saha : that person
tayaa : that
shraddhayaa : with faith
yuktaha : engaged
tasya : that (deity)
araadhanam : worship
eehate : performs
labhate : fulfilled
cha : and
tataha : his
kaamaan : desire
mayaa : through me
eva : only
vihitaan : delivered
hi : but
taan : that (desire fulfillment)
 
When someone chooses to pursue a finite or a worldly goal, they run towards a finite deity instead of going towards Ishvara. We saw this in the previous shlokas. Shri Krishna continues that point here by saying that Ishvara does not object when devotee seeks a finite goal from a finite deity. In fact, he strengthens that devotee’s faith by delivering what the devotee asks of the deity.
 
Faith is a process that most of us do not fully comprehend. But it is a reality. Even in the medical profession, placebos or pills made of inactive ingredients such as sugar are known to cure patients by sheer power of faith.
 
So Shri Krishna says that even if a devotee approaches a deity with a finite goal, Ishvara is ready to deliver that goal as long as the devotee’s faith in the deity is strong. By fulfilling finite desires through the lower deities, Ishvara hopes that the devotee will learn to further subdue his ego. One cannot have an increase in faith without a decrease in ego.
 
As desires are sought with greater and greater faith, and the corresponding desires are fulfilled, the devotee’s faith increases. This process has the potential to result in the spiritual evolution of that devotee. He will evolve from seeking finite goals to seeking the infinite – Ishvara himself.
 
This is the ideal state, but it is totally up to the devotee to make that transition. Unfortunately, most devotees get stuck in the pursuit of finite goals, as we shall see 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 17, Chapter 7

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.17, aham, atyartham, cha, chapter 7 verse 17, ekabhaktihi, hi, jnyaanee, jnyaaninaha, mama, nityayuktaha, priyaha, saha, teshaam, vishishyate

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teshaam jnyaanee nityayukta ekabhaktirvishishyate |
priyo hi jnyaaninotyarthamaham sa cha mama priyaha || 17 ||
 
Among those, the wise one who is constantly connected with single-pointed devotion is special, for I am dear to him, and he is dear to me.
 
teshaam : among those
jnyaanee : the wise one
nityayuktaha : constantly connected
ekabhaktihi : single-pointed devotion
vishishyate : is special
priyaha : dear
hi : for
jnyaaninaha : wise
atyartham : extremely
aham : I am
saha : he
cha : and
mama : me
priyaha : dear
 
Previously, Shri Krishna enumerated the four types of devotees that seek Ishvara’s refuge. Now, Shri Krishna says that the wise devotee is special among the four types of devotees. The wise devotee is always striving to be connected with him. Shri Krishna gives the reason for the special nature of this devotee in this and the next shloka.
 
A wise devotee has gone through a lot of ups and downs in life like anyone else. But he has taken the time to accurately analyze his situation. He has come to the conclusion that no matter what he gains – a new job, new house, investments and so on – he is still left with a sense of incompleteness. Unlike the other three types of devotees that seek something finite, he wants to go beyond finite things. In other words, he is seeking infinitude.
 
Having come to this conclusion, his search for infinitude has culminated in Ishvara. He intuitively knows that it is Ishvara that is going to give him infinitude. He then takes to the path of spirituality from the very early stages: karmayoga for purification of the mind, followed by meditation for single-pointedness of mind, hoping eventually to culminate in attainment of the infinite Ishvara.
 
There is another reason for the special nature of the wise devotee, which we shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 7

10 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.14, chapter 7 verse 14, daivee, duratyayaa, eshaa, etaam, eva, gunamayee, hi, maam, maayaa, maayaam, mama, prapadyante, taranti, te, ye

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daivee hyeshaa gunamayee mama maayaa duratyayaa |
maameva ye prapadyante maayaametaam taranti te || 14 ||

For this, my divine maaya, comprised of the gunaas, is hard to cross. Only they who seek my refuge, cross over my maaya.

daivee : divine
hi : for
eshaa : this
gunamayee : of the gunaas
mama : my
maayaa : maayaa
duratyayaa : hard to cross
maam : my
eva : only
ye : those
prapadyante : seeks my refuge
maayaam : maaya
etaam : this
taranti : crosses over
te : they

At this point in the seventh chapter, Shri Krishna has framed an interesting problem for us. If our mind with its senses is attracted to sense objects because of the play of the three gunaas, and if Ishvara is beyond the three gunaas, we need to somehow pierce through gunaas to contact Ishvara. If we cannot do it with our mind with its sense organs, how do we do it? We need some additional help. Shri Krishna says that the only solution is to surrender to Ishvara.

First, let us understand what exactly is preventing us from contacting Ishvara. Shri Krishna says that there is something called maaya is the barrier between us and Ishvara. What exactly is this maaya? It is nothing special, it is the 3 gunaas that saw in the previous shloka. Where is this maaya located? Not too far away. It is in our mind, and we can see its effect daily. Just when we think we are studying Gita and are immune to its effect, we suddenly get an angry thought about a friend or a co-worker. That is maaya. Now if maaya is the moat that blocks access to Ishvara, how do we cross it?

Shri Krishna says that in order to cross over maaya, we have to surrender to Ishvara completely. This type of complete surrender is indicated by the word “prapadyante” in the shloka. It literally means falling down at someone’s feet. To visualize it, imagine that the devotee is holding onto Ishvara’s feet, and also keeping one hand under Ishvara’s feet. With this arrangement, the devotee will not run away from Ishvara, and Ishvara will also not run away from the devotee.

Now, what does surrender mean in practice? As long as we assert ourselves physically, emotionally and intellectually, as long as we emphasize our individuality and assert our ego, we will strengthen maaya. So therefore, we need to de-emphasize our individuality and strengthen our devotion to Ishvara. When we surrender ourselves to Ishvara, we give up the notion that “I do everything” or “I own everything”. It is all Ishvara’s maaya. By distancing ourselves from maaya, we get closer to Ishvara.

Moreover, Shri Krishna says that maaya is divine, which means that it is supported by Ishvara but it has reality on its own. In our lives, however, we still rely on maaya for support. We rely on our savings, friends, family, job, education and so on as our refuge if times get tough. But all this is still the product of maaya. Once we shift our thinking that maaya cannot be a support, we will rely on the cause of maaya for support instead of maaya. And that cause is Ishvara. We can only enjoy bungee jumping when we have a strong rope and support. Similarly, we can enjoy the play of maaya if we have tethered ourselves to Ishvara.

How should we practice this daily? We should continue performing our duties as we saw in the previous chapters. What we should change, however, is our attitude. Whenever we start giving importance worldly things including people, objects and situations, we should train ourselves to shift our attention to Ishvara who is behind everything. But we should not use this to justify all our wrongdoings. As we saw in a previous chapter, prakriti or nature is a self-regulating system. If we do something that is against the laws of nature, it will come back to us as a punishment.

So then, having understood this, why do people not seek Ishvara?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 44, Chapter 6

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by in api, ativartate, avashaha, chapter 6 verse 44, eva, hi, hriyate, jigyaasuhu, poorvabhyaasena, saha, shabdabrahma, tena, yogasya

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poorvabhyaasena tenaiva hriyate hyaavashoopi saha |
jigyaasurapi yogasya shabdabrahmaativartate || 44 ||
 
Though helpless, he is pushed due to his prior effort, because even the seeker of yoga transcends the words of brahman.
 
poorvabhyaasena : due to prior effort
tena : that
eva : only
hriyate : pushed
hi : because
avashaha : helplessly
api : though
saha : he
jigyaasuhu : seeker
api : even
yogasya : yoga
shabdabrahma : words of brahman
ativartate : transcends
 
Previously, Shri Krishna described the fate of the unfulfilled meditator who is born into a family of yogis. Here, he describes the fate of the other type of unfulfilled meditator who is born into a prosperous family. Shri Krishna says that even though such a person will indulge in sense pleasures, his previous efforts will push him towards rekindling his spiritual journey. This attraction or push towards spirituality will give him the potential of transcending his material pleasures.
 
Karma yoga teaches us how to conduct our life without gathering impressions or samskaaraas that give rise to further selfish desires. These impressions, if not destroyed, are carried over from one life into the next, and result in activation of further selfish desires. The unfulfilled meditator who is born into a prosperous family is compelled to fulfill all of his desires because this family has enough wealth for him to do so. He is “avashaha” or helpless in this regard ,due to his propensity for desires.
 
However, in addition to his propensities being carried forward into his new life, his spiritual efforts are also carried forward. At some point in his life, these propensities will manifest in the form of an involuntary push or attraction towards spirituality. Just like the seeker born into a yogic family is pulled, this seeker will also find himself pulled, as it were, towards satsangs, discourses and gurus. But unlike the other type of seeker who knows exactly what to do in this situation, this seeker may not know what or why this attraction happens.
 
Shri Krishna further says that this pull towards spiritual has the potential to take him out of his current state of indulgence in material pleasures. We have seen that engaging selfishly in the material world further ensnares us in the cycle of karma or action and reaction, which is given in the Vedas, referred here as “shabda-brahman” or the words of brahman. But it is only through determination and effort that this seeker can transcend the cycle of karma. However, if he indulges in selfish desires, he will stray from the spiritual path.
 
So therefore, it is incumbent upon all spiritual seekers to continuously strive towards attaining their spiritual goals, no matter what their history is. Shri Krishna speaks more about this determination and effort in the next shloka.