Category Archives: karoti

Bhagavad Gita Verse 31, Chapter 13

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in 13.31, anaaditvaat, avyayaha, ayam, chapter 13 verse 31, karoti, kaunteya, lipyate, nirgunatvaat, paramaatmaa, shareerasthaha

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anaaditvaannirgunatvaatparamaatmaayamavyayaha |
shareerasthopi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate || 31 ||
 
Without beginning, without qualities, this supreme self is indestructible. Though residing in the body, O Kaunteya, it neither acts nor is tainted.
 
anaaditvaat : without beginning
nirgunatvaat : without qualities
paramaatmaa : supreme self
ayam : this
avyayaha : indestructible
shareerasthaha : residing in the body
api : even though
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
na : not
karoti: act
na : not
lipyate : tainted
 
As this chapter slowly comes to a close, Shri Krishna begins to describe the nature of the supreme self. Since this chapter gives prominence to logic, more so than any other chapter in the Gita, he wants to clear any doubts or misconceptions that we may harbour about the supreme self. The first doubt we may have is as follows. If Prakriti is without beginning, and the supreme self is also without beginning, what makes them different?
 
Shri Krishna says that the difference is cause by whether or not they have gunaas or qualities. So far, we have seen that Prakriti is nothing but the three gunaas of sattva, rajas and tamas. But the supreme self is “nirguna”, it has no association or association with any quality whatsoever. This is what makes it different than Prakriti. Also, Prakriti is constantly changing and perishing whereas the supreme self is imperishable. When something has association with qualities, like the human body has strength, it is bound to perish or decay. Since the supreme self has no qualities at all, it is imperishable. Prakriti, on the other hand, is every changing and perishable.
 
Another doubt is as follows. Does the supreme self get affected by the actions and reactions of Prakriti? Shri Krishna asserts that it does not. We have seen that the supreme self, due to ignorance, identifies itself with a body, a product of Prakriti. This is what is referred to in this shloka – it “resides” in the body. We have also repeatedly heard that the supreme self has nothing to do with Prakriti. It can never become the doer or the enjoyer of any actions. But due to the apparent identification with the body, the supreme self assumes that it is a doer and enjoyer. Since the identification is fake, not real, the supreme self can never get affected by the actions and reactions by Prakriti.
 
We may have understood the non-doership and non-enjoyership of the supreme self in theory, but it is still a little fuzzy. We need to clearly understand how the supreme self, in its real nature neither acts, nor experiences the results of its actions. To better explain this, Shri Krishna provides an illustration in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 6

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in 6.1, akriyaha, anaashritaha, cha, chapter 6 verse 1, ha, kaaryam, karma, karmaphalam, karoti, na, niragnirana, saha, sannyaasi, yaha, yogi

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
anaashritaha karmaphalam kaaryam karma karoti yaha |
sa sannyaasi cha yogi cha na niragnirana chaakriyaha || 1 ||

One who performs obligatory action, without reliance upon results of action, that person is a monk as well as a yogi; not one who has renounced fire or action.

anaashritaha : without reliance upon
karmaphalam : results of action
kaaryam : obligatory
karma : actions
karoti : performing
yaha : one who
saha : that person
sannyaasi : is a monk
cha : and
yogi : is a yogi
cha : also
na : not
niragnirana : one who has renounced fire
cha : and
akriyaha : one who has renounced action

Shri Krishna begins the sixth chapter titled “Dhyaana Yoga” or yoga of meditation by redefining what is meant by a monk and a dhyaana yogi or meditator. He says that one who performs actions in the spirit of karmayoga, per his definition, is both a monk and a meditator. The meditator is not one who has given up his duties or actions, who has run away from the world.

Meditation is a topic that fascinates everyone. We like the idea of going to a retreat, away from all our troubles, and sit in a tranquil place to meditate. But as we shall see in the rest of this chapter, Shri Krishna has a unique viewpoint about the process of meditation, and of who is qualified to become a meditator. He first says that only one who is engaged in the expression of his desires through karmayoga, through the performance of svadharma, is a good meditator.

As long as our vaasanaas or our impressions exist, they will continue to generate desires that will propel us away from the inner self and out into the world. They will make us restless and agitated. So the karmayogi intelligently channels these desires and expresses these desires. The key point is that the results of actions generated by these desires are submitted to a higher ideal, so that the results lose their power to create further selfish desires. As our attachment to results drops, the mental restlessness and agitations diminish, making us fit to pursue meditation.

Shri Krishna drives home the point with two examples. First, he says that one does not have to renounce fire in order to perform meditation. In the olden days, householders would maintain a sacrificial fire in their homes. Absence of the fire indicated renouncing the duties of a householder. In other words, Shri Krishna says that one does not have to give up their household duties for pursuing meditation. Second, one does not have to physically renounce action and retire to a monastery to meditate. The culmination of karmayoga is the loss of sense of doership. This is the qualification of a meditator.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 5

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.10, aadhaaya, ambhasaa, brahmani, chapter 5 verse 10, iva, karmaani, karoti, lipyate, na, paapena, padma-patram, saga, sangam, tyaktvaa, yaha

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brahmanyaadhaaya karmaani sangam tvyaktvaa karoti yaha |
lipyate na sa paapena padmapatramivaambhasaa || 10 ||

Having offered all actions to the eternal essence, and having cast off attachments, he who performs actions does not get tainted by sins, just like water does not taint a lotus leaf.

brahmani : eternal essence
aadhaaya : offered
karmaani : all actions
sangam : attachment
tvyaktvaa : cast off
karoti : perform action
yaha : one who
lipyate : taint
na : do not
saha : him
paapena : sins
padma-patram : lotus leaf
iva : like
ambhasaa : water

Previously, we came across the vision of one who has realized the self. He knows that he is not the doer of all his actions. But what about the one who has not realized the self, and who is still working to sublimate his selfish desires? What is his vision?

In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that the person who has not realized the self (that includes most of us) offers all actions in a spirit of devotion to Ishvara. Shri Krishna reiterates that if one has selfish desires, karma yoga is the ideal path to follow. The karma yogi works for a higher ideal such as Ishvara, but one who does not follow karma yoga works for the ego.

Shri Krishna brings Arjuna back to karma yoga with this shloka. Arjuna harbours desires, therefore Shri Krishna does not want him to jump straight into the yoga of renunciation, which is a totally different level.

Now, let’s go a little deeper into the topic of attachment. Attachment can happen at four levels : attachment to the result of an action (I want a reward for singing this song), attachment to the action (I will sing a song only in my way), attachment to the sense of doership (I am singing this song) and attachment to the sense of non-doership (By not singing the song, I am the non-singer of this song). The first three are relatively easier to comprehend. The fourth one arises when one has not properly understood the notion of akarma or inaction from the fourth chapter.

So therefore, the karma yogi strives to transcend all four levels of attachment by offering results, actions, doership and non-doership to Ishvara. When he acts in the material world with such a vision, he does not accumulate any further desires, just like a lotus leaf does not get wet even though growing in water.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 4

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.20, abhipravrittaha, api, eva, karmani, karmaphalaasanga, karoti, kinchit, na, niraashrayaha, nityatriptah, saha, tyaktvaa, verse 20 chapter 3

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tyaktvaa karmaphalaasanga nityatripto niraashrayaha |
karmanyabhipravrittopi naiva kinchitkaroti saha || 20 ||

Having given up attachment to the result of action, always content and depending on nothing, he never does anything, though engaged in action.

tyaktvaa : having given up
karma-phala-asanga : attachment to result of action
nityatriptah : always content
niraashrayaha : depending on nothing
karmani : in action
abhipravrittaha : engaged in action
api : even when
na : not
eva : ever
kinchit : any
karoti : do
saha : he

“When this project ends, will it give me everlasting happiness?” is the question that we ask, explictly or implicitly, whenever we commence any new endevour. In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that everlasting happiness and contentment is a natural byproduct of karma yoga itself, not of any one particular project. Contentment becomes part of our personality. The word used to describe this state is “nityatriptah”.

As we grow up, we are programmed and conditioned by the world to believe that happiness is something that is outside of us. This conditioning goes deep inside our psyche and causes us to run after a better job, more money, a bigger house and so on. Now, it is absolutely alright to pursue growth while performing one’s svadharma. Wealth follows naturally if one follows svadharma sincerely. But constant seeking of happiness from external objects makes us slavishly dependent upon the world.

What is so wrong about this seemingly normal tendency to look outside oneself for happiness? Because any happiness gained from the world will be finite and temporary. But Shri Krishna says here that if one dependent on the eternal essence instead, he becomes ever content. As the second chapter says: “naabhaavo vidyate sataha”. The self is infinite and eternal.

Through karmayoga, we lose our attachment to the results of our actions. In doing so, we become less dependent on external world for happiness. Shri Krishna asks us to use our discrimination to examine the source of our happiness. We should train our mind to check daily whether we have gone outside ourselves to search for happiness, or is it coming from within.

Furthermore, if we are attached to the result of our action, we generate a expectation for the future. Which means that we identify ourselves with the process of time, which is also a part of prakriti. Identification with time accumulates karma or negative reaction from the universe.

So therefore, one who does not create expectation of a result in the future does not accumulate karma. This is what is meant by the phrase “never does anything” in the shloka.