Category Archives: hi

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 6

19 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in athavaa, bhavati, chapter 6 verse 42, dheemataam, durlabhataram, eedrisham, etat, eva, hi, janma, kule, loke, yat, yoginaam

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athavaa yoginaameva kule bhavati dheemataam |
etaddhi durlabhataram loke janma yadeedrisham || 42 ||
 
Alternatively, he will go only to a family of learned yogis. One whose birth is of this type is exceedingly rare in this world.
 
athavaa : alternatively
yoginaam : in yogis
eva : only
kule : family
bhavati : will go
dheemataam : learned
etat : this
hi : definitely
durlabhataram : exceedingly rare
loke : world
janma : birth
yat : one whose
eedrisham : of this type
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna spoke about the fate of the unfulfilled meditator who goes to an illustrious family after having attained heaven. In this shloka, Shri Krishna talks about another type of unfilled meditators who is born not into a wealthy family but into a family of learned yogis. He also says that such a birth is exceedingly rare.
 
So far, Shri Krishna has spoken about two types of serious seekers who had a clear understanding of meditation but were unable to attain liberation. The difference between the two types of seekers is the presence or absence of desires. The meditator who still harbours desires is born into a wealthy family.
 
Desires are the biggest obstacles in meditation. Only when desires are extinguished can serious meditation begin. That is why this category of meditators is given the chance to fulfill his desires in a wealthy family.
 
The other rarer category of meditator had managed to extinguish his desires, but could not attain liberation because he ran out of time. Since he is not interested in fulfilling any desire, regardless of whether it is heavenly or earthly, he goes straight into a family of yogis after he dies. These yogis are not just accomplished meditators, they also possess “dheemata” or a keen understanding of the scriptures.
 
Such a family provides a conducive environment for this kind of meditator to continue his progress in meditation. He has enough dispassion in him and therefore does not get affected by the the absence of wealth in this new family. In fact he appreciates it because wealth can become a distraction in the path of meditation.
 
Now, do both these types of newly-born seekers have to start their journey from scratch? This is taken up by Shri Krishna in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 6

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in amutra, chapter 6 verse 40, durgatim, eva, gachchati, hi, iha, kalyaanakrit, kaschit, na, paartha, taata, tasya, vidyate, vinaashaha

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
paartha naiveha naamutra vinaashastasya vidyate |
na hi kalyaanakritkashchiddurgatim taata gachchati || 40 ||
 
Shree Bhagavan says:
O Paartha, neither here nor there does his destruction ever happen, for whoever performs virtuous acts does not go into distress, my dear.
 
paartha : O Paartha
na : neither
iha : here
eva : ever
na : nor
amutra : there
vinaashaha : destruction
tasya : his
vidyate : happen
na : does not
hi : for
kalyaanakrit : performs virtuous acts
kashchit : whoever
durgatim : distress
taata : my dear
gachchati : go to
 
Arjuna had posed a question about the fate of a meditator who does not attain perfection before death. Shri Krishna responds by unequivocally asserting that nothing harmful or distressful will happen to the meditator while he is in this world, or in any other world. In fact, he will attain a better state, both from a material as well as spiritual standpoint.
 
We have to carefully parse the meaning of Shri Krishna’s words. He is in no way implying that the meditator will somehow attain material success due to his meditation. The common standard for attaining success in our world is wealth, power and fame, none of which is guaranteed as a result of meditation. Shri Krishna wants us to understand is that one who takes up meditation sincerely will automatically develop dispassion towards wealth, power and fame. He will not care whether he attains material success or not. So therefore, a lack of material success will not cause him distress.
 
But that does not mean that the meditator obtains a pitiable state. In fact, by sincerely practicing mediation, the seeker will be in tune and in harmony with the world. Then the world itself will take care of all the seeker’s needs. This is not an alien concept. When someone is in tune with any organization like one’s family, workplace or school, when that person puts the needs of the organization above his personal and selfish needs, the organization ensures that such a person receives whatever he wants, and also ensures that he does not get into any distress.
 
Here, Shri Krishna affectionately refers to Arjuna as “taata”. Usually this word refers to a father or a son. Here, the meaning is in line with the word “dear student”. By using this word, Shri Krishna shows his encouragement and appreciation for the frank and honest question posed by Arjuna.
 
Next, Shri Krishna addresses the second part of Arjuna’s question, which is : what happens to the meditator when he dies before gaining perfection in meditation?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 6

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in arhasi, aseshataha, chapter 6 verse 39, chhettaa, chhettum, hi, krishna, me, na, samshayam, samshayasyaasya, tvadanyaha, upapadyate

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etanme samshayam krishna chhettumarhasyasheshataha |
tvadanyaha samshayasyaasya chhettaa na hyupapadyate || 39 ||
 
To dispel this doubt of mine, O Krishna, only you are worthy. For, other than you, no one is fit to dispel this doubt.
 
etat : this
me : my
samshayam : doubt
krishna : O Krishna
chhettum : dispel
arhasi : you are worthy
asheshataha : completely
tvadanyaha : other than you
samshayasyaasya : of this doubt
chhettaa : one who can dispel
na : none
hi : for
upapadyate : is fit
 
Arjuna offers one last point in his question to Shri Krishna with regards to the promise of meditation. Earlier, Arjuna wanted to know the fate of the seeker who strives hard but does not reach the state of the perfected meditator before he dies. He then added an illustration of the cloud that is helplessly scattered by winds, comparing it to a seeker who achiever neither spiritual nor material success. Arjuna makes a final point in this question by reminding Shri Krishna that only he can answer this question.
 
By now, Arjuna had come to the conclusion that Shri Krishna was something more than his friend and charioteer. In some shlokas, Shri Krishna even referred to himself as Ishvara. Only one who is beyond the material world can answer a question that transcends the material world, and that is Ishvara himself. Therefore, Arjuna found it fit to ask such a question to Shri Krishna.
 
The answer to this question is given by Shri Krishna in the upcoming shlokas. These shlokas comprise the final portion of the sixth chapter.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 6

08 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in aham, balavat, chanchalam, chapter 6 verse 34, drudham, hi, iva, krishna, manaha, manye, nigraham, pramaathi, sudushkaram, tasya, vaayoho

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chanchalam hi manaha krishna pramaathi balavaddrudham |
tasyaaham nigraham manye vaayoriva sudushkaram || 34 ||
 
For, the mind is fickle, rebellious, strong and stubborn, O Krishna. To control it, I think, is as arduous as the wind.
 
chanchalam : fickle
hi : for
manaha : mind is
krishna : O Krishna
pramaathi : rebellious
balavat : strong
drudham : stubborn
tasya : it
aham : I
nigraham : control
manye : think
vaayoho : the wind
iva : like
sudushkaram : arduous
 
Arjuna further elaborates on the difficulty of controlling the mind for meditation to Shri Krishna. He says that it is as difficult as trying to harness the wind. Why is that so? The mind is fickle, rebellious, strong and stubborn. It will refuse any attempt to be controlled.
 
Shri Krishna had acknowledged the fickle nature of the mind in previous shlokas. We oursleves have directly experienced how fickle our mind is. Most of the time, our mind is jumping from one thought to another. Many analogies have been offered to illustrate this fickle nature of the mind. The most common one is a drunken monkey jumping from one branch to another. We can also tell how fickle someone’s mind is by observing their eyes. If they dart around too much, that means their mind is racing through thoughts.
 
Next, Arjuna says that the mind is “pramaathi”. It is difficult to exactly translate this world. The closest word is “rebellious”. It is like a wild horse that is being tamed for the first time. it will never let the rider stay on its back for more than a few seconds. Trying to control the mind becomes a wrestling match where the opponent does not let us get a good grip on him.
 
Furthermore, Arjuna refers to the mind as strong and stubborn. In other words, once the “mind is made up”, or the mind has decided that it wants a certain thing, it is very hard to change it. It is like a child throwing a tantrum – it will cry, yell and scream till it gets its way. The mind will resist all efforts to be controlled, and will start creating a list of desires which will throw us completely off track.
 
So therefore, Arjuna sums up the difficulty of controlling the mind by comparing this endeavour to taming the wind – something that is next to impossible. Coming from Arjuna, a mighty meditator who is said to have propitiated Lord Shiva through his meditation, makes it a valid question. Shri Krishna responds to Arjuna’s question in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 6

29 Sunday Apr 2012

Posted by in akalmasham, brahmabhootam, chapter 6 verse 27, enam, hi, manasam, parshaanta, rajasam, shaanta, sukham, upaiti, uttamam, yoginam

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prashaantamanasam hyonam yoginam sukhamuttamama |
upaiti shaantarajasam brahmabhootamakalmasham || 27 ||
 
Supreme joy certainly obtains this yogi with serene mind, whose passion has been quietened, who has become the eternal essence, and who is without sin.
 
prashaanta : serene
manasam : mind
hi : certainly
enam : this
yoginam : yogi
sukham : joy
uttamam : supreme
upaiti : obtains
shaanta : quietened
rajasam : passion
brahmabhootam : become the eternal essence
akalmasham : without sin
 
In one of the most classic shlokas of this chapter, Shri Krishna does something which is next to impossible – he puts the result of meditation into words that we can understand. He says that supreme joy comes to the meditator whose mind is quiet and free from sin, who has calmed his passions and who has identified with the eternal essence.
 
What is our situation in life for the most part? We constantly run after sukham or joy. If there is any chance of happiness that is within reach, we run after it. Unfortunately, whenever we run after joy, joy tends to run away from us. It is hard to catch. In the rare instance that we possess joy, we beg it to stay. We do not ever want it to leave us. This is also easier said than done.
 
Shri Krishna says that in the case of the meditator, it is joy that runs after him. It comes to the meditator and asks him “shall I stay with you?”. The meditator becomes what is sought after, joy becomes the seeker. Moreover, it is not ordinary joy that comes after the meditator. It is the most supreme joy. This is the difference between a bhogi and a yogi. A bhogi runs after joy, but joy runs after a yogi.
 
Now, how is the mind of such a yogi? It is extremely quiet, like a calm lake. He is able to view any kind of situation that impacts him with such dispassion that it is like watching the situation happen to an unrelated person. If it is a disturbing situation, lets say he suffers an accident, he smiles just like we smile at a character in a movie. There are absolutely no complaints for any situation from a yogi.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that the yogi is “shaanta rajasam”, he has silenced the quality of passion within him. Rajas, the mode of nature that causes us to go outside ourself, is present in visible as well as in subtle form inside us. Through karmayoga, we can check the visible forms of rajas to a large extent. But it is only through meditation that we can completely remove the invisible, subtle traces of rajas within us. Till all the rajas is silenced, we should let it express in the form of performance of our duties, not any other actions.
 
Furthermore, the mind of the meditator is pervaded with a single thought “I am the eternal essence”. This is indicated by the word “brahmabhootam” in this shloka. When the meditator has identified himself with brahman, and removed his identification with everything else, then he automatically becomes one with the eternal essence. The removal of everything else in the form of impurities is indicated by the word “akalmasham”.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this topic in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 6

07 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in 6.5, aatmaanam, aatmanaa, avasaadayet, bandhuhu, chapter 6 verse 5, eva, hi, na, ripuhu, uddharet

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uddharedaatmanaatmaanam naatmaanamavasaadayet |
aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanaha || 6 ||

Uplift yourself by yourself, do not deprecate yourself. For only you are your friend, and only you are your enemy.

uddharet : uplift
aatmanaa : by yourself
aatmaanam : yourself
na : do not let
aatmaanam : yourself
avasaadayet : deprecate
aatmaa : you
eva : only
hi : for
aatmanaha : your
bandhuhu : friend
aatmaa : you
eva : only
ripuhu : enemy
aatmanaha : your

Shri Krishna gives us a powerful message in this shloka. He says that in order to progress in the spiritual path, in fact, any undertaking, we have to lift ourselves by our own efforts. We are our own friend if we do so, and if we don’t, we become our own enemy. In other words, our success and failure is entirely in our hands. No other person can help or hurt us.

In previous chapters we encountered the hierarchy of our personality. At the lowest level exist the body and the sense organs. They have the tendency to go out into the world and seek the objects they desire. The eyes desire pleasant images, the tongue desires pleasant tastes and so on. This is our “lower self”. Higher than the body and the senses lies the mind. It is the seat of our thoughts and desires. Higher than the mind is the intellect that can make rational decisions. The eternal essence, our higher self, is at the very highest level.

Now, the sense organs are very powerful. Usually, for most of us, the senses forcefully drag the mind out into the world in order to encounter one sense pleasure after another. This is what Shri Krishna calls “deprecation” in the shloka. It means the tendency of the mind to go lower. But in the intellect that has cultivated discrimination through study of right knowledge, the mind encounters a struggle. It has to choose between being dragged forcefully into the senses, or uplifting itself towards the intellect, and then ultimately towards the eternal essence.

So Shri Krishna asks us to to forcibly uplift our mind by the intellect. How do we do this? Whenever we have the urge to indulge in a sense pleasure, we give focus to our intellect. The intellect will then guide us in the right direction. We have to do this repeatedly and train the mind to go in the right direction.

However, we have to train our mind in the right manner. If we treat it forcefully it will rebel. The mind has got its own tricks, so we should control it by becoming friends with it. All of our saadhanaas, our efforts, should be done intelligently, slowly and steadily. Only then does the journey become easy.

Furthermore, we also have to ensure that we do not fall any further, even if we are not able to raise the level of our mind. When climbing a mountain, mountaineers hammer nails into the rock and secure themselves with rope. This protects the mountaineers against falling down in case they slip. Similarly, when we look back at this stage a few years from now, we should see spiritual progress, not further degradation in our life.

Now, this is a tough task. Who will help us? Shri Krishna says that you yourself are your friend, you only can help yourself. When we are hungry, it does not help us if someone else eats our food. Similarly, our upliftment is in our own hands. If we can prevent ourselves from falling prey to the lower self, our higher self becomes our best friend. For instance, if we are reading the Gita and the mind gets distracted, we should bring our higher self into the picture. But if our minds continually succumb to the lower self, it becomes our worst enemy.

Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to gently but firmly bring our mind into control, and orient it towards the intellect and our higher self.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 6

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in 6.3, anushajjate, chapter 6 verse 4, hi, indruyaartheshu, karmasu, na, sankalpa, sannyaasi, sarva, tadaa, uchyate, yada, yogaaroodha

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yada hi nendriyaartheshu na karmasvanushajjate |
sarvasankalpasannyaasi yogaaroodhastadochyate || 4 ||

When one does not find attachment in sense objects and in actions, when one has renounced all projections, at that time one is said to have been established in yoga.

yada : when
hi : for
na : not
indriyaartheshu : in sense objects
na : not
karmasu : in actions
anushajjate : attached to
sarva : all
sankalpa : projections, urge to go outward
sannyaasi : one who has renounced
yogaaroodhaha : established in yoga
tadaa : at that time
uchyate : is called

Having introduced the qualification of a meditator to be “yogaaroodha”, Shri Krishna now explains what that term really means. He says that it refers to a person who no longer gets attracted or attached to sense objects and actions. This happens because that person finds contentment within himself and does not need to rush out into the world, in other words, he does not have sankalpas.

So far we have understood sankalpa to mean desire. Now, let us understand the deeper meaning of sankalpa. As we have seen throughout the Gita, ignorance of our true self is the root cause of all our sorrows. Ignorance makes us think that we are incomplete. It causes desires that push the mind to go outward to seek happiness. This outward projection is called sankalpa. Typically, sankalpa is seen in the urge to give undue importance to objects, and to actions.

No matter how much we want to deny it, each one of us has a weakness for certain material objects. We think that those objects will give us happiness, peace, security, stability and so on. But if we follow path of karmayoga diligently, the undue importance we place on objects slowly diminishes.

As an example, compare the experience of a child walking in a toystore to that of an adult doing the same thing. The minute the child enters into the store, each object pulls the child towards itself, as it were. The pull is so strong that the child thinks that he cannot live without these toys. A multitude of desires get generated in his mind. He gets excited and restless. But if an adult walks into the toy store, he may very well appreciate the toys, but there is no urge or force that compels him to get attached to any toy. Once our outlook towards all objects of the world is like that adult in a toy store, we are fit for meditation.

Similarly, we have a fascination towards performance of actions. But when we deeply examine our actions, we realize that most of these are performed due to a herd mentality, in other words, because everyone else is doing it, and because we think we will be left out of a group if we do not perform those actions. Many of us pursue educational and career paths by emulating what someone else had done.

Another reason that we perform actions is for strengthening our ego (asmita). Our ego puffs up when we say “I did this”. We forget that actions are part of nature, that they are happening of their own accord. For instance, we do not boast when we have taken a shower or when one of our hands puts a bandage on another hand. So it is only when we have a similar attitude towards all actions that we perform, that we become fit for meditation.

A child eventually stops putting his finger in the fire, having burned it each time. Similarly our sankalpa, our need to act for gaining objects diminishes as the wisdom gained through contemplation increases. When this wisdom dawns and we diminish our attachment to action and objects, we become yogaroodha or established in dhyaana yoga. In other words, we become qualified for meditation.

This journey to meditation seems arduous. How can we get some support? Who can help us? The next shloka goes into this topic.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 6

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in 6.2, asannyasta, bhavati, chapter 6 verse 2, hi, iti, kashchana, na, paandava, praahuhu, sanyaasam, tam, viddhi, yam, yogam, yogi

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yam sannyaasamiti praahuryogam tam viddhi paandava |
na hyasannyastasankalpo yogi bhavati kashchana | |2||

In this manner, that which is called renunciation, know that to be the same as yoga, O Paandava. For without renunciation of desires, one cannot become a yogi.

yam : that which
sannyaasam : renunciation
iti : in this manner
praahuhu : call
yogam : yoga
tam : that same thing
viddhi : know that
paandava : O Paandava
na : not
hi : for
asannyasta : without renouncing
sankalpo : desires
yogi : yogi
bhavati : become
kashchana : cannot|

Shri Krishna further elaborates on the definition of a sannyaasi or a monk in this shlokla. He says that the karmayogi and sannyaasi are, at their core, one and the same. One need not renounce the world in order to become a dhyaana yogi or a meditator. All one needs to do is to follow the path of karmayoga diligently. Only when the tendency to create new desires or sankalpa goes away can one become a meditator.

How can the action-oriented karmayogi and the actionless-oriented monk be the same? Let us investigate. It is only when the mind of the seeker is free of sankalpa does he become ready for meditation. Meditation can occur only when the mind is tranquil. Tranquility only occurs when the mind is rid of all desires. Now the question arises that how do we know whether such tranquility exists? Have we experienced it? Yes we have. Once we finally get an object that we were craving for a long time, our mind experiences tranquility for a fraction of a second. This is caused due to a temporary cessation of desires, and ends when new desires start agitating the mind again.

If one has reached an advanced stage in the spiritual journey where desires have gone down to a minimum, one becomes actionless automatically. We saw this in the fifth chapter. But if one still harbours desires, karmayoga is the means to slowly diminish desires through renouncing the results of action. So what needs to be renounced is attachment to results of action, not action itself. This recurring message drives home the point that action-orientation and actionless-orientation are the same, as long as the attachment to results is renounced. They both have the same effect: tranquility of mind.

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.