Category Archives: kaama

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 16

07 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.12, aashaapaashaha, anyaayena, arthasanchayaan, baddhaahaa, chapter 16 verse 12, eehante, kaama, kaamabhogaartham, krodha, paraayanaahaa, shataihi

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aashaapaashashatairbaddhaahaa kaamakrodhaparaayanaahaa |
eehante kaamabhogaarthamanyaayenaarthasanchayaan || 12 ||
 
Bound by hundred ropes of desires, oriented towards desire and anger, they strive to accumulate wealth by unjust means for sensual consumption.
 
aashaapaashaha : ropes of desires
shataihi : hundreds
baddhaahaa : boumd
kaama : desire
krodha : anger
paraayanaahaa : oriented
eehante : strive
kaamabhogaartham : sensual consumption
anyaayena : unjust
arthasanchayaan : accumulation of wealth
 
Every selfish desire carries a seed of anxiety within it, as we have seen. Shri Krishna says that such desires harm us in another manner. We develop attachment towards the desire, we are bound. It is as if a paasha, a lasso, a rope is tied around us on one end, and the desire on the other. Just like a cowboy puts a lasso around a horse and makes it obey his instructions, each desire makes us into a slave, makes us dance to its tune.
 
If this is our plight, what to talk of highly materialistic individuals.They have not one but hundreds of such ropes to bind them. If one desire is fulfilled, they have several others waiting in line. If a desire does not get fulfilled, it generates anger and agitation, causing them to inflict harm and pain upon themselves and upon others. They fall into a vicious cycle of desire, anger and greed which, given that they subscribe only to a materialistic viewpoint, is almost impossible to get out of.
 
So if one is continually plagued by hundreds of desires, and has a narrow outlook towards the world, what is his solution? It is money, it is accumulation of wealth, artha sanchaayan. But, in order to fulfill the infinite desires that are pulling him in several directions, there arises a need to generate wealth beyond what is legally and ethically possible. Therefore, he resorts to making money using any means necessary, legal or illegal.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 7

07 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.11, aham, asmi, aviruddhaha, baalvataam, balam, bharatarshabha, bhooteshu, cha, chapter 7 verse 11, dharma, kaama, kaamaha, raaga, vivarjitam

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balam baalvataam chaaham kaamaraagaavivarjitam |
dharmaaviruddho bhooteshu kaamosmi bharatarshabha || 11 ||
 
I am strength in the strong that is free from desire and attachment, and I am desire in beings that is consistent with duty, O scion of the Bharataas.
 
balam : strength
baalvataam : in the strong
cha : and
aham : I am
kaama : desire
raaga : attachment
vivarjitam : free from
dharma : duty
aviruddhaha : consistent with
bhooteshu : beings
kaamaha : desire
asmi : I am
bharatarshabha : O scion of the Bharatas
 
Shri Krishna further adds to the list of Ishvara’s vibhootis in this shloka. He says that Ishvara is the strength that is free of selfishness and attachment, and the desire that is selfless.
 
What exactly are desire and attachment? Desire is craving for something that we do not have, and attachment is holding on to something that we already have. Selfish actions generate attachment which binds us to the material world. The more selfishly we act, the further we move away from Ishvara acting through us. Only when we act selflessly does Ishvara act through us. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is that desire which is not selfish, or which is consistent with one’s duty.
 
Now, when we begin to act in a selfless manner, we develop an inner strength. Conversely, whenever we act out of selfish desire and attachment, we become weak. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavaas knew that they could not target Drona directly because he was too powerful. Instead, they targeted someone whom he was deeply attached to – his son Ashwaththaamaa. The more we turn towards Ishvara, the less we get attached to people and worldly objects.
 
It is our choice whether we act selfishly for our personal gains, or selflessly with a view to benefit a higher ideal. Any action that harmonizes or integrates brings with it the power of the entire universe. Therefore, Shri Krishna says that he is the strength that is free from selfish desire and attachment.
 
Shri Krishna concludes the topic of his vibhootis with this shloka. A much more in-depth discussion on this topic is found in chapter ten of the Gita.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 5

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.26, abhitaha, brahmanirvaanam, chapter 5 verse 26, kaama, krodha, vartate, viditaatmanaam, viyuktaanaam, yatachetasaam, yateenaam

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kaamakrodhaviyuktaanaam yateenaam yatachetasaam |
abhito brahmanirvaanam vartate viditaatmanaam || 26 ||

One who is free from desire and anger, one who is has subdued the mind; for that seeker who has realized the eternal essence, ultimate liberation exists from all sides.

kaamakrodha : desire and anger
viyuktaanaam : free from
yateenaam : seeker
yatachetasaam : one who has subdued the mind
abhitaha : from all sides
brahmanirvaanam : ultimate liberation
vartate : exists
viditaatmanaam : one who has realized the eternal essence

With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the teachings of the fifth chapter. In this shloka, he provides the last set of attributes of the person who has attained liberation by establishing himself in the eternal essence. He says that such a person is free from desire and aversion due to his control of his mind and intellect.

Like we saw in the previous shloka, ignorance of the true nature of oneself is the critical defect of the mind. It is this ignorance alone that creates desire and aversion. We do not find pleasure within ourselves, so we rush outside with desire. If the desire is not obtained, we get irritated and angry. This is the life of an ignorant person in a nutshell. It is the constant seeking of pleasure, and getting annoyed when pleasure is not obtained. So the wise person, having removed his ignorance, is free from desire and anger.

So then, to conclude the chapter’s teachings, Shri Krishna says that such a wise person – one who has identified with the eternal essence – obtains liberation from all sides. In other words, such a wise person is liberated while he is living, and remains liberated after he dies.

The Gita prescribes a step-by-step approach to liberation,  which is elaborated in various chapters throughout the text. It begins with karma yoga, where a seeker follows his svadharma to purify his mind and prepare it for instruction. Next, he receives instruction and knowledge on the eternal essence through shravana (hearing), manana (clearing doubts through self-inquiry) and nidhidhyaasana (internalization). The last step of internalization is accomplished through dhyaana yoga or meditation, which is the topic of the next chapter.

But before we begin the next chapter, Shri Krishna provides a preview of dhyaana yoga in the next and last three shlokas of this chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 5

26 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.23, bhavam, chapter 5 verse 23, eva, iha, kaama, krodha, naraha, praak, sa, shareera, shoknoti, sodhum, sukhee, vegam, vimokshanaat, yaha, yuktaha

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shoknotihaiva yaha sodhum praakshareeravimokshanaat |
kaamakrodhaadbhavam vegam sa yuktaha sa sukhee naraha || 23 ||

He who, even before this body departs, is capable of withstanding the impulse born out of desire and anger; that person is a yogi, that person is blissful.

shoknoti : capable of
iha : this body
eva : even
yaha : he who
sodhum : can withstand
praak : before
shareera : body
vimokshanaat : departs
kaamakrodhaadbhavam : born out of desire and anger
vegam : impulse
sa : that is
yuktaha : is a yogi
sa : that is
sukhee : blissful
naraha : person

In this shloka, Shri Krishna points out exactly why does the mind rush out into the material world. He says that in a person who working towards purifying his mind, there still exists two major obstacles to realization: desire and anger. Both of these generate impulses that cause the mind to go out into the material world. Even though the seeker cannot get rid of desire and anger, but can check the impulses caused by them, that person will attain happiness from within than from without.

Let’s examine what exactly is desire and anger in the framework of the Gita. Whenever one encounters sense pleasures, or recalls a memory of a sense pleasure, the need to re-experience that sense pleasure is called desire. Conversely, whenever one encounters a sorrowful circumstance, or recalls a sorrowful memory, the repulsion generated is called anger. Both these emotions generate impulses to chase after, or run away from an object, person or circumstance. For the mind to realize the eternal essence, it needs to be even-keel. But these impulses take the mind outwards and destabilize it.

Now, there is a possibility of a Catch-22 situation here. There will be an impulse within us to seek joy. Unless we redirect it inward, it will always rush outward. But if we redirect it inward and it does not find joy, it will again go outward. Therefore, turning this impulse inward has to be done intelligently. If all we do is cut ourselves off from the objects that give us pleasure, it will not work. Instead, we must work diligently towards purification of our mind and performance of svaadhyaava, whether it is reading of scriptures, or pooja and so on. As our mind finds exponentially more joy in svaadhyaaya, it will automatically turn inwards and drop its fascination with external objects.

The next two shlokas describe the state of the person who finds inner bliss.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 2

29 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in 2.5, artha, bhaikshyam, bhogaan, bhoktum, bhunjeeya, chapter 2 verse 5, guroon, kaama, mahaanubhaava, pradigdhaan, rudhira

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guroonahatvaa hi mahaanubhaavaan shreyo bhoktum bhaikshyamapeeha loke |
hatvaarthakaamaamstu guroonohaiva bhunjeeya bhoogaanrudhirapradigdhaan || 5 ||

I will not kill my revered teachers, because in this world, I would prefer to partake of food received through alms, rather than enjoy the blood-stained worldy pleasures derived from killing my teachers.

guroon : teacher
ahatvaa : not kill
hi : because
mahaanubhaava : respected, revered
shreyaha : better
bhoktum : partake
bhaikshyam : donated food
api : even
iha : this
loke : world

hatvaa: kill
artha-kaamaan : worldly pleasures
tu : then
eva : only
bhunjeeya : partake
bhoogaan : enjoyments
rudhira-pradigdhaan : blood-stained

This verse and the next few verses may seem similar to the ones we saw in the last chapter, but upon closer inspection, there are subtle differences. Arjuna’s panic attack has ended, and his emotional state has become somewhat normal. The change in Arjuna’s attitude is also indicated by the change in meter – we notice that this shloka, and some of the forthcoming shlokas, have a longer meter.

What remains, though, is a tinge of the victim attitude, indicated in the statement that he would prefer begging to hurting his teachers. But what is positive here is that Arjuna is slowly opening up to logical reasoning, since he is no longer under the influence of the panic attack, and his agitations have subsided.

The lesson here is that we cannot have a sane conversation with someone in a charged emotional state, their mind has to calm down somewhat in order to create room for logic.

In this shloka, Arjuna is still holding on to the position that he will definitely not kill his kinsmen. But as his emotional state calms down, we shall see him begin to question that position.