Category Archives: kalmashaaha

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 5

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.25, brahmanirvaanam, chapter 5 verse 25, chhinnadvaidhaa, hite, kalmashaaha, ksheena, labhante, rataaha, rishayaha, sarvabhoota, yataatmaanaha

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labhante brahmanirvaanamrishayaha ksheenakalmashaaha |
chhinnadvaidhaa yataatmaanaha sarvabhootahite rataaha || 25 ||

The wise seeker, whose defects have been destroyed, who has eliminated all doubts, who has complete control over his self, who is engaged in the welfare of all beings; he obtains liberation.

labhante : obtains
brahmanirvaanam : ultimate liberation
rishayaha : that wise seeker
ksheena : have been destroyed
kalmashaaha : all defects
chhinnadvaidhaa : all doubts have been eliminated
yataatmaanaha : who has complete control over his self
sarvabhoota : all beings
hite : welfare
rataaha : engaged

In this shloka, Shri Krishna further explains the nature of one who is liberated by establishing himself in the eternal essence. Such a liberated seeker is called a “rishi”. It means one who knows, one who has knowledge of the eternal essence. Typically, we think of a rishi as someone who has a beard and wears a robe. It is not so. A rishi uses knowledge and discrimination constantly and knows the difference between the real and the unreal. Such a rishi has four attributes per this shloka: free of all defects, free from all doubts, complete self control, and engaged in the welfare of all beings.

The rishi is “ksheena-kalmasha”, which means that he has freed himself of all mental impurities. The core or the key mental impurity is ignorance which manifests in the form of affinity for worldly pleasures. It is ignorance alone from which all impurities are others based off. It is through karmayoga that we rid ourselves of all mental impurities.

Next, the rishi is “chhinna-dvaidah”. He is free from all doubts regarding who is really is. Until the mind has doubts, the notion that “I am the eternal essence” will come and go, but it will not be permanent. There will be no conviction behind it. Desires that push us out into the world are the obstruction to such a permanent conviction. “Chhinna – dvaidah” also means free of all notions of duality.

“Yataatmaanah” is another word used to describe the rishi. He has complete self control, in other words, he has compete control over his mind and senses. He is not like most of us who are under the mind’s control. The rishi know that the body, mind and senses are different than his true self which is the eternal essence. Once he realizes that they are different than him and have no relation to him, he does not come under their control.

Furthermore, the rishi is “sarva bhuta hite rathaah”, which means that he is always engaged in the welfare of all. Now this does not mean necessarily that he is engaged in social service. It means that the rishi is always in a state of total non-violence. He sees no distinction between himself, one person and another person.It is like water and the fish. Regardless of what the fish does, the water lives in total harmony with the fish. One has no fear for the other.

So therefore, such a rishi is the one who is fit to attain liberation, where he dissolves himself into the eternal essence, just like a wave dissolves into the ocean.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 5

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.17, apunaraavrittim, chapter 5 verse 17, gacchanti, kalmashaaha, tadaatmanaaha, tadbuddhyaha, tannishthaaha, tatparayaanaaha

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tadbuddhyastadaatmanaastannishthaastatparayaanaaha |
gacchantyapunaraavrittim jnyaanirdhootakalmashaaha || 17 ||

His intellect lies in that, his mind lies in that, his conviction lies in that, his goal lies in that. He reaches that state from which there is no return, (due to) his sins removed by knowledge.

tadbuddhyaha : intellect lies in that
tadaatmanaaha : mind lies in that
tannishthaaha : conviction lies in that
tatparayaanaaha : goal lies in that
gacchanti : reaches that state
apunaraavrittim : from which there is no return
jnyaanirdhoota : knowledge removes
kalmashaaha : sins

Many years ago, I was talking to a renowned musician who made a statement that stuck with me: “You know you are a true musician when you breathe, eat, sleep, walk and talk music. There is nothing in your life but music”. That statement reveals how much thirst a person has for his goal.

In this shloka, Shri Krishna illustrates the personality of the seeker whose aspiration for the eternal essence is so intense that his entire personality resonates with that thirst for the eternal essence. His mind, intellect, conviction, goal – all these are aligned with the eternal essence.

It is important that both the mind and intellect need to be convinced that the only goal worth pursuing is the eternal essence, even if the eternal essence has not yet been realized. It is like the scientists who planned the mission to the moon, yet none of them had ever been on the moon. The mind needs to have love for the moon, and the intellect needs to enjoy the intellectual challenge that the task entails. If only the mind is convinced, it could lead into superstition. If only the intellect is convinced, it could lead into nihilism. Only when mind and intellect are convinced is when the whole personality is oriented towards the eternal essence.

So then, what happens to such a person with intense thirst for the eternal essence? Once he gains the knowledge of the eternal essence, he transcends all duality, including the notion of sins and demerits. Poetically, Shri Krishna puts it as the “state from which there is no return”, because all notions of duality have completely disappeared.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30, Chapter 4

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.30, apare, api, chapter 4 verse 30, ete, juhvati, kalmashaaha, nityaahaaraaha, praanaan, praaneshu, sarve, yajnyavidaha, yajynakshapita

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apare niyataahaaraaha praanaanpraaneshu juhvati |
sarvepyete yajnyavido yajnyakshapitakalmashaaha || 30 ||

Others regulate their diet, offering the life force into the life force. All these (seekers) destroy sin through sacrifice, who are the knowers of sacrifice.

apare : others
niyataahaaraaha : regulate diet
praanaan-praaneshu :  life force into the life force
juhvati: offer
sarve : all
api : also
ete : these
yajnyavidaha : knowers of sacrifice
yajnyakshapita : destroy through sacrifice
kalmashaaha : sins

In an earlier shloka, Shri Krishna spoke about the yajnya of regulating the quality of sensory intake. In this shloka, he describes a yajnya where one not only controls the quality of sensory intake but also the quantity. Although this is applicable to all senses such as smell, taste, sight and so on, let us consider one which is the simplest to understand: taste. Dieting becomes a form of yajnya.

By controlling or regulating the intake of food, we can control our mind. Our body and mind is ultimately made up of the food we consume. Later in the seventeenth chapter, Shri Krishna describes different types of food. For now, let us consider three main types. Saatvic food is that which is conducive to mind, which creates harmony in our system. Raajasic food makes us more active. It is usually spicy to taste. Taamasic food makes us dull, sleepy and sometimes intoxicated as well. It is food that has lost all its nutritional value, and is usually stale. It is also known as junk food.

On a subtler level, food also acquires the characteristics of how it has been prepared. At some level, we can always tell whether the food we eat has been mass produced, or has been made with care and attention. That is why many serious students of meditation will usually prepare their own food.

So therefore, Shri Krishna says here that we can perform yajnya by restricting our sensory intake. Now, let’s look at the deeper meaning of this shloka. By regulating the intake of our senses, we reduce our dependence on the senses and in doing so, offer them senses back to the universe. In parallel, our life forces also do not need to work hard in order to digest and process all this sensory “food” that we consume. Therefore, we also offer our life force back to the universal or cosmic life force. In other words, we say “Here, please take these senses and life force back. It is your property to begin with. It is not mine.”