Category Archives: imam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 17

27 Saturday Apr 2013

Posted by in 17, 7, aahaaraha, bhavati, bhedam, chapter 17 verse 7, daanam, imam, priyaha, sarvasya, shrunu, tapaha, tathaa, teshaam, trividhaha, yajnyaha

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aahaararastvapi sarvasya trividho bhavati priyaha |
yajnyastapastathaa daanam teshaam bhedamimam shrunu || 7 ||
 
Food, also, which is dear to all, is of three types, and similarly, sacrifice, penance and charity. Hear this, their distinction.
 
aahaaraha : food
tu : and
api : also
sarvasya : all
trividhaha : three types
bhavati : is
priyaha : dear
yajnyaha : sacrifice
tapaha : penance
tathaa : similarly
daanam : charity
teshaam : these
bhedam : distinction
imam : this
shrunu : hear
 
Shri Krishna now begins to explain the method by which we can analyze the texture or the nature of our faith. The principle here is to assess the attitude with which we perform actions. The type of attitude maintained while performing an action will reveal whether our faith is saatvic, raajasic or taamasic. Shri Krishna covers the entire spectrum of actions performed by us with just four categories: our intake of food, sacrifice, penance and charity. To better understand these categories, we need to understand the underlying symbolic meaning.
 
We have come across broader meaning of the term yajnya or sacrifice in karma yoga. It refers to any action or transaction with another person or object while adhering to our duty. If we are an accountant by profession, then earning a livelihood as an accountant becomes a yajyna or sacrifice. Next, tapas or penance is the means by which we conserve energy needed to perform our duties. A scientist will give up innumerable opportunities to party because he is performing an experiment in his lab in the night. This is penance. Daanam or charity refers to the donation of excess wealth accumulated while performing our duties. The act of charity helps reduce our level of lobha or greed.
 
The intake of food or aahaara is given its own category. It different than sacrifice, penance or austerity for a couple of reasons. Any action performed towards feeding the body gives its phala, its result, immediately. But any other type of action gives its result much later. Furthermore, the result of feeding our body is restricted to the body, not to anything or anyone else. That is why people who are very diligent in their duties can become lax in their dietary habits. Food is analyzed in great detail in the next three shlokas.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 16

08 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.13, adya, bhavishyati, chapter 16 verse 13, dhanam, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, imam, labdham, manoratham, maya, praapsye, punaha

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idamadya maya labdhamimam praapsye manoratham |
idamasteedamapi me bhavishyati punardhanam || 13 ||
 
This has been gained by me now, these wishes I shall fulfill. This is mine, and this wealth shall be mine later.
 
idam : this
adya : now
maya : I
labdham : gained
imam : these
praapsye : fulfill
manoratham : wishes
idam : this
asti : is
idam : this
api : also
me : mine
bhavishyati : will be
punaha : later
dhanam : wealth
 
In India, when a young boy gets the news that he has gained admission in the engineering college of his choice, a desire automatically pops up in his mind. Once I get through my gruelling 4 year engineering course, I will be happy. As the 4 years come to a close, another desire comes in. I need to get into a good masters program in the US. When that happens, he feels that he will he happy when he gets a US visa. Once he arrives in the US, he wants a green card. Then he wants a wife, a big house, car and so on. Each time he thinks he will be happy, another desire is waiting in line to be fulfilled.
 
Shri Krishna wants us to examine our own outlook and find out the level of materialism in it. So in this shloka and the following two shlokas, he uses the first person to drive this point home. Here, he wants us to inquire into what we think is our ultimate goal, our destination, our objective in life. Most of us will come to a similar conclusion that it is accumulation of wealth so that we can take care of our material desires as well as those of our family.
 
But this line of thinking has a flaw in it. Desires are bahushaakha, they multiply infinitely, as we have seen in earlier chapters. Each desire contains the seed of several other desires. If any of those desires is unfulfilled, we invite stress, tension and anxiety into our lives. Now it does not mean that we should not harbour any desires. It just means that we need to apply some system, some framework to ensure that desires are managed and do not get out of hand.
 
The four stage aashrama system (brahmachaari, grihastha, vaanaprastha and sanyaasi) prescribes the duties of an individual based on their stage in life. When duties are given importance, desires automatically manage themselves. For instance, if one is a householder, then one focuses on what is the essential set of desires for fulfilling one’s duties, rather than deriving joy out of adding more and more desires. And even if some desires are unfulfilled, they do not agitate the mind because the goal is the duty, not the desire.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 13

03 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in 13.33, bhaarata, chapter 13 verse 33, ekaha, imam, kritsnam, kshetram, kshetree, lokam, prakaashayati, ravihi, tathaa, yathaa

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yathaa prakaashayatyekaha kritsnam lokamimam ravihi |
kshetram kshetree tathaa kritsnam prakaashayati bhaarata || 33 ||
 
Just as the one sun illumines the entire world, so does the knower of the field illumine the entire field, O Bhaarata.
 
yathaa : just as
prakaashayati : illumines
ekaha : the one
kritsnam : entire
lokam : world
imam : this
ravihi : sun
kshetram : field
kshetree : knower of the field
tathaa : so does
kritsnam : entire
prakaashayati : illumines
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
 
The example of space in the previous shloka was meant to illustrate the unaffected and untainted nature of the self. In this shloka, the example of the sun is given to highlight the actionless nature of the self. The sun is located millions of miles away from the earth, yet it enables life on earth to exist. Minerals, plants, animals and humans, everything and every being survives only from the sun’s energy. But the sun never acts. All of the actions happen on our planet distinct and separate from the sun.
 
Shri Krishna says that the self in us, the “I” in us is similar in nature to the sun. The self or the knower of the field, the kshetrajnya, illumines or knows the actions taking place in the kshetra, the field, our body, which is a part of Prakriti. Furthermore, the self does not take on the notion of pride or doership in the actions of the body, neither does it get differentiated due to the differences or modifications of Prakriti, just like the sun never claims doership nor gets differentiated due to the variety of form on our planet.
 
So, if the self is the sole knower of all of the actions in our body, how does our intellect know things? With respect to the analogy of the sun, the intellect can be compared to a pool of water that reflects the light of the sun. The intellect is just an instrument that functions due to tje knowledge of the self. If the intellect is calm and steady, it works perfectly in interpreting the information sent to it from the mind and senses. If it is agitated or dull, it cannot work perfectly, just like the sun’s reflection is disturbed when the pool of water is agitated or muddy.
 
Here, Shri Krishna asserts that the self is of the nature of “chit”. It is knowledge, awareness, consciousness personified.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 9

28 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.33, anityam, asukham, bhajasva, bhaktaahaa, braamhanaahaa, chapter 9 verse 33, imam, kim, lokam, maam, praapya, punaha, punyaahaa, raajarshayaha, tathaa

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kim punarbraamhanaahaa punyaa bhaktaa raajarshayastathaa |
anityamasukham lokamimam praapya bhajasva maam || 33 ||
 
What (to speak) again of pious brahmins and royal sages? Having obtained this impermanent world which is devoid of happiness, you should worship me.
 
kim : what
punaha : again
braamhanaahaa : brahmins
punyaahaa : pious
bhaktaahaa : devotees
raajarshayaha : king sages
tathaa : and
anityam : impermanent
asukham : devoid of happiness
lokam : world
imam : this
praapya : having obtained
bhajasva : worship
maam : me
 
Shri Krishna concludes the topic of the glory of devotion by asserting that everyone, including brahmins or sages who have renounced the world, as well as “raajarshis” or sages who have become kings. Having described the glory of devotion, he then instructs Arjuna to worship Ishvara.
 
In describing the glory of devotion, Shri Krishna highlighted three types of people. The worst kind of person is a sinner, who has such a high level of attachment to the material world that he is ready to harm others. A better type of person is a sinner who has a lower level of attachment to the material world such as a businessperson. Better than that person is someone like a sage who has the lowest level of attachment, which means that highest level of detachment or vairagya. It does not matter which kind of person wants to become a devotee. Everyone is eligible.
 
Shri Krishna also explains the reason for seeking the path of devotion. He says that the world in which we live in has two main defects. It is anityam or impermanent, and it is asukham or devoid of joy. We usually rush into worldly pursuits such as money, positions, wealth, fame, titles and so on. None of those are permanent or will give long-lasting happiness. We sometimes think that others who possess these things are happier than we are, but that is not true. Impermanence and sorrow is the nature of this world.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to follow a single pursuit. How do we do it? He explains this in the next and concluding shloka in this chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 9

03 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.8, avasham, avashtabhya, bhootagraam, chapter 9 verse 8, imam, kritsnam, prakritehe, prakritim, punaha, svaam, vashaat, visrijaami

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prakritim svaamavashtabhya visrijaami punaha punaha |
bhootagraamimam kritsnamavasham prakritervashaat || 8 ||
 
Commanding my Prakriti, I repeatedly project this entire world of beings, which is helpless under the control of Prakriti.
 
prakritim : Prakriti
svaam : my
avashtabhya : commanding
visrijaami : I project
punaha : repeatedly
bhootagraam : world of beings
imam : this
kritsnam : entire
avasham : helplessly
prakritehe : of Prakriti
vashaat : controlled by
 
Shri Krishna describes the workings of Prakriti in this shloka. Prakriti is Ishvara’s projector. It projects an entire universe of names and forms at the beginning of a cycle, withdraws them at the end of the cycle, only to start it all over again. We saw this in the previous shlokas. Here, we investigate the relationship between Prakriti, Ishvara and the individual.
 
Let’s first look at the relationship between Ishvara and Prakriti. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara fully controls Prakriti. He is the commander of Prakriti. Prakriti cannot do anything without the command of Ishvara. However, Ishvara is not a micro-manager. He does not tell Prakriti how to do its job. He just sets the rules in motion. Prakriti is a system that follows the rules, just like a computer program or the autopilot in an aircraft.
 
How does this work? We know that Prakriti, which is a synonym for maaya, comprises the three gunaas or modes. Each guna will deliver results based on its inherent property. For example, if our personality is predominantly comprised of rajas, we will always be in an agitated state, which will result in haphazard work. But if our personality is saatvic, it will result in perfect work. Notice that there is no need for Ishvara to “do” anything since Prakriti is an automatic system.
 
Next, let us look at the nature of Prakriti and the individual. Shri Krishna says that the individual is under the complete control of Prakriti. He helplessly goes through infinite cycles of birth and death due to the influence of Prakriti. In our own lives, we know so many people that are hale and hearty one moment, and are killed by an accident in the next moment. They have no say in the matter whatsoever. The only way one can get out of Prakriti’s influence is to put forth effort towards achieving liberation.
 
Now, we know that Ishvara commands Prakriti to perform creation, sustenance and dissolution. In the chapter on karma yoga, we have seen that actions have a tendency to bind us, to make us get attached to them. Does Ishvara get attached to the actions of creation, sustenance and dissolution? We shall see in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 4

22 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in 4.1, abraveet, aham, avyayam, chapter 4 verse 1, ikshvaaku, imam, manave, manuh, praaha, proktavaan, vivasvaan, vivasvate, yogam

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
imam vivasvate yogam proktavaanahamavyayam |
vivasvaan manave praaha manurikshvaakavebraveet || 1 ||

Shree Bhagavaan said:
I had declared this imperishable yoga to Vivasvaan. He told it to Manu, and Manu told it to Ikshvaaku.

imam : this
vivasvate : to Vivasvaan
yogam : yoga
proktavaan : declared
aham : I had
avyayam : imperishable
vivasvaan : Vivasvaan
manave : to Manu
praaha : told
manuh : Manu
ikshvaaku : to Ikshvaaku
abraveet : told

In this first shloka of the fourth chapter, Shri Krishna gives the paramparaa, or the tradition, of the knowledge of the Gita. When any ancient texts are revealed, their tradition or heritage is also revealed. However, Shri Krishna first says that this teaching is imperishable. It always existed and can never be destroyed.

Shri Krishna then begins the paramparaa. He says that had revealed the same knowledge a long time ago to Vivasvaan. Vivasvaan means the sun. The name Vivasvaan is derived from the sanskrit root vasa meaning one who resides very well, or also, one who illumines everyone. The sun can be considered the first student of karmayoga. Not only does he selflessly provide light to the world, he also never gets tired doing so.

The sun then gave this knowledge to Manu. Manu is the original ancestor, and is considered to be the first human being from whom all humans originated, like Adam in the Bible. Hence humans are called manu-shya.

Manu then gave this knowledge to Ikshvaaku, who was the first king in the solar dynasty or the “soorya-vansh”. All these kings were kshatriyas or warriors. Shri Krishna highlights this point in order to make Arjuna, a warrior himself, better appreciate the teaching.

Now, Arjuna had a doubt. How could Shri Krishna, his best friend, have provided this knowledge to the sun? Arjuna will ask this question shortly. But first, Shri Krishna explained the need to resurrect this very ancient knowledge in the next shloka.

Footnotes
1. The symbolic interpretation of this shloka could be taken as follows: Vivasvaan is the light or the eternal essence that shines thought the intellect. Manu is the mind. Ikshvaaku is the senses. Therefore, the eternal essence pervades the body, mind and intellect.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 2

02 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.33, atha, avaapyasi, chapter 2 verse 33, chet, dharmyam, hitvaa, imam, karshyasi, keertim, paapam, samgraamam, svadharmam, tataha, tvam

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atha chetvamimam dharmyam samgraamam na karshyasi |
tataha svadharmam keertim cha hitvaa paapamavaapsyasi || 33 ||

On the other hand, if you do not undertake this righteous war, then by forsaking your duty and valour, you will incur sin.

atha : on the other hand
chet : if
tvam : you
imam : this
dharmyam : righteous
samgraamam : war
na : don’t
karshyasi : undertake
tataha : then
svadharmam : your duty
keertim : valour
cha : and
hitvaa : forsaking
paapam : sin
avaapsyasi : incur

The word “sin” could mean several things to several people. Let us understand the meaning used here. If you live in society anywhere, in a city, town, village etc. you are always bound by certain laws. If you conduct an act that goes against the law, then it is called a crime. Stealing a car, for example, is a crime.

Similarly, if someone does not perform their svadharma or duty, or does something counter to their svadharma, it is equivalent to a crime under a cosmic or universal law. That crime is termed as a sin.

Therefore, Shri Krishna urges Arjuna and us to consider the repercussions of not conducting our svadharma. Like a good teacher, he had explained the benefits of the teaching earlier, and now he elaborates on the downside of not following the teaching in this and the next shloka.