Category Archives: kartum

Bhagavad Gita Verse 60, Chapter 18

18 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.60, chapter 18 verse 60, ichhasi, karishyasi, karmanaa, kartum, kaunteya, mohaat, nibaddhaha, svabhaavajena, svena

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svabhaavajena kaunteya nibaddhaha svena karmanaa |
kartum nechhasi yanmohaatkarishyasyavashopi tat || 60 ||
 
Being bound by your own duty arising out of your nature, O Kaunteya, you will helplessly do that which you do not want to do now, due to delusion.
 
svabhaavajena : arising out of nature
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
nibaddhaha : being bound
svena : own
karmanaa : duty
kartum : do
na : do not
ichhasi : want
yat : which
mohaat : delusion
karishyasi : do
avashaha : helpless
api : certainly
tat : that
 
As Sant Jnyaneshwar says in his commentary, it is impossible for the westward current in a river to flow eastward, and a seed planted in fertile land to not germinate. There are other such examples in the world which illustrate the impossibility of suppressing one’s own natural tendencies. Bookies that are sentenced to prison start operating gambling dens inside the prison itself. Unethical businessmen who get elected into political office sell election seats to the highest bidder.
 
Shri Krishna continues to convince Arjuna that the decision to quit the war will not work. Arjuna is the perfect embodiment of a kshatriya, a warrior, possessing all the qualities listed earlier in the chapter. Quitting the war would temporarily have suppressed his fighter instinct, but only temporarily. In due course of time, the force of his vaasanaas, the force of his mental impressions would have impelled him to fight the war he had fled. Worse still, shutting off his fighter instincts through coercion would have driven him to insanity.
 
Arjuna would probably have been convinced about the need to fight the war, since it was clear that he could not walk away from fulfilling his duty, and that he could not forcefully choke his inherent warrior instincts. If we were to take this argument to its conclusion, it means that we are helpless under the influence of our natural tendencies. But there has to be way out of this, otherwise there is no scope for liberation. Shri Krishna answers this doubt through an illustration in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 16

19 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.24, arhasi, chapter 16 verse 24, iha, karmam, kartum, karyaakaaryavyavasthitau, pramaanam, shaastraam, shaastravidhaanoktam, tasmaat

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tasmaachhaastraam pramaanam te karyaakaaryavyavasthitau |
jnyaatvaa shaastravidhaanoktam karmam kartumihaarhasi || 24 ||
 
Therefore, the scripture is the authority to guide you towards what is to be not and what is not. Knowing this, you should perform actions according to scripture here.
 
tasmaat : therefore
shaastraam : scripture
pramaanam : authority
te : you
karyaakaaryavyavasthitau : guide to what is to be done and what not
jnyaatvaa : knowing this
shaastravidhaanoktam : according to scripture
karmam : actions
kartum : perform
iha : here
arhasi : should
 
Shri Krishna concludes the sixteenth chapter with this shloka. He says that ultimately it is the prompter of our actions, our motivation, that determine whether we are behaving as divine entities or as devilish ones. If the prompter of our actions is selfish desire, we are heading in the wrong direction. If the prompter is scripture, we are heading in the right direction. Therefore, when in doubt, we should refer to the guidelines in the scriptures on the performance of actions.
 
A case in point is Arjuna’s fundamental question: is it right to harm another individual? A soldier of the army defending his country and a gangster shooting at a crowd are performing the same action – killing people. But the difference is the prompter of both those actions. The soldier is prompted by duty to his country, whereas the gangster is prompted by greed. Where did the soldier’s duty come from? We could say that it came from the army’s code of conduct. We could say that it come from the constitution of his country. We could say that it came from the values cultivated by his parents.
 
In all these cases, the soldier’s sense of duty came from a set of guidelines that were founded on something that was much larger than the narrow viewpoint of one individual, that kept the bigger picture in mind. This is what Shri Krishna refers to as scripture. Using the word “here” in the shloka, he reminds Arjuna that such intelligent living is only possible in a human birth, not in any other birth. Now, we come to an interesting question? Which authority, which scripture should one follow? In this day and age, how can one practically lead an intelligent life that follows a selfless set of guidelines, that follows a scripture? This intriguing question is tackled in the next chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade daivaasurasampadvibhaagayogo naama shodashodhyaayaha || 14 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 12

20 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.11, aashritaha, api, ashaktaha, asi, atha, chapter 12 verse 11, etat, kartum, kuru, madyogam, sarvakarmaphalatyaagam, yataatmavaan

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athaitadapyashaktosi kartum madyogamaashritaha |
sarvakarmaphalatyaagam tataha kuru yataatmavaan || 11 ||
 
If, even doing this is not possible, then take refuge in my yoga; cast off the fruits of all actions, with self control.
 
atha : if
etat : this
api : even
ashaktaha : not possible
asi : is
kartum : doing
madyogam : my yoga
aashritaha : take refuge
sarvakarmaphalatyaagam : cast off the fruits of all actions
tataha : then
kuru : do
yataatmavaan : self control
 
In explaining the law of karma or action, Shri Krishna uses the term “fruit” to denote the result of an action. We know from basic physics that every action must result in a reaction, it must give a result. This result can be material (money), emotional (joy) or intellectual (satisfaction). By calling it a fruit, Shri Krishna reminds us that every result contains the seed of a future action hidden within it. This seed can give rise to innumerable actions, which can give rise to innumerable seeds, and so on and so forth.
 
How does that seed germinate into an action? If we eat a delicacy for the first time, our tastebuds send a signal to our ego which says “this delicacy is tasty”. The ego then says “I like this delicacy, it makes me happy, therefore I shall have it again”. The delicacy contained the seed of desire, but the ego made the delicacy into a source of happiness, paving the way for future actions towards acquiring that delicacy.
 
This is the condition of a majority of seekers. We are so tied up in the material world that we find it difficult to go beyond the satisfaction of our ego. We cannot bring bhakti or devotion into our lives like Shri Krishna prescribed in the previous shloka. Our primary desires are material, not spiritual. For seekers in this condition, Shri Krishna gives two simple suggestions: submit the results of actions to him, and control the senses as much as possible.
 
So if we eat a delicacy for the first time, our taste buds will definitely say that it is tasty. But instead of letting the ego say “this delicacy is tasty”, we can say “I submit this lovely taste to Ishvara, may he enjoy it”. The ego does not get a chance to assert itself, and in this manner the seed of future action is destroyed on the spot. Conversely, if we are studying for an exam and are worried about the result, we can say “I submit the result of this exam to Ishvara, good or bad”. This will eliminate constant worrying and the consequent stress caused by it, leaving our mind free to study efficiently.
 
Shri Krishna also asks us to control our mind and our senses. Both our mind and our senses have a natural affinity for sense objects. If we leave them unchecked, they will start brooding over sense objects and develop an attachment towards them. The second chapter had explained how this happens in great detail. So therefore, checking our senses and our mind will reduce the inflow of selfish desires to a great extent, and submission of results to Ishvara will transfer our enjoyership from our ego to Ishvara. This is karma yoga, the most simple and basic spiritual technique that takes us one step closer to Ishvara.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 9

28 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in 9.2, avagamam, avyayam, chapter 9 verse 2, dharmyam, idam, kartum, pavitram, pratyaksha, raajaguhyam, raajavidya, susukham, uttamam

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raajavidya raajaguhyam pavitramidamuttamam |
pratyakshaavagamam dharmyam susukham kartumavyayam || 2 ||
 
This is royal knowledge, the royal secret, purifying, foremost, immediately perceived, righteous, effortless to perform, and imperishable.
 
raajavidya : royal knowledge
raajaguhyam : royal secret
pavitram : purifying
idam : this
uttamam : foremost
pratyaksha : immediate
avagamam : perception
dharmyam : righteousness
susukham : effortless
kartum : perform
avyayam : imperishable
 
Shri Krishna continues to glorify the theme of this chapter, which is the knowledge of Ishvara’s infinite nature. This shloka comprises a series of adjectives that highlight the extremely unique and special nature of the knowledge that he is about to reveal.
 
He begins by describing this knowledge as royal. It means that this knowledge is the king among any knowledge, it is foremost among all the other knowledge. As we saw in an earlier chapter, most knowledge we acquire in our life is “aparaa vidyaa”. It is related to something material and temporary. This chapter describes “paraa vidyaa”, knowledge of the absolute. Knowing this, we will ourselves become kings. We will never become subservient to anyone or anything, including our mind, body and senses.
 
This knowledge is the king of secrets. Ordinary secrets can give us happiness, wealth, power, a competitive advantage and so on, all of which are temporary and limited. But this secret yields eternal, infinite happiness.
 
Many scriptures described rituals that act as purifiers. They help us eliminate our sins. But this knowledge is the ultimate purifier because it eliminates the sinner, the root cause. As we have seen earlier, our ego creates the sense of doership and enjoyership, resulting in accumulation of merits and sins. But if our sense of doership is eliminated, all of our actions will be spontaneous and in tune with Ishvara’s will. The storehouse of our sins will be burnt away. Plus there will be no question of accumulating merits or sins.
 
Shri Krishna says that we will be able to immediately perceive or experience this knowledge. When we are a little hungry, we say “I think I am hungry”. But if we have not eaten for a while day, we automatically say “I am hungry” without any further thinking. This is what is meant by immediate and direct perception. There will be zero doubt in this knowledge.
 
This knowledge is aligned with dharma, the law that holds the universe together. Nowadays, many practices in the business world that were formerly legal are being deemed illegal and vice versa. This happens because they are based on ever-changing laws. But this knowledge is in accordance with the universal law. It holds true at any point in time, anywhere in the world. Moreover, it will always result in joy, never in sorrow.
 
Finally, this knowledge is easy to perform, it does not require any special attributes in the person other than dedication and faith. While most things that take little effort yield temporary results, this knowledge results in permanent, eternal happiness.
 
Having provided a detailed description of the characteristics of this royal knowledge, Shri Krishna describes the fate of people who do not follow this teaching.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 3

29 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.20, aasthitaa, api, arhasi, chapter 3 verse 20, eva, hi, janakaadayaha, karmanaa, kartum, lokasangraham, sampshyan, samsiddhim

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karmanaiva hi samsiddhimaasthitaa janakaadayaha |
lokasangrahamevaapi sampashyankartumarhasi || 20 ||

Only through action did many like king Janaka attain perfection. So, even from the viewpoint of societal welfare should you perform action.

karmanaa : through action
eva : only
hi : also
samsiddhim : perfection
aasthitaaha : attained
janakaadayaha : many like king Janaka
lokasangraham : welfare of society
eva : only
api : even
sampashyan : with a view
kartum : action
arhasi : perform

Having provided the rationale for karmayoga, Shri Krishna began to provide examples of individuals who gained liberation through karmayoga. He wanted to demonstrate that it indeed was the right path to follow. Providing an example would also eliminate any doubt in Arjuna’s mind that karmayoga was a proven methodology, not a new invention.

The first example that Shri Krishna provided was that of king Janaka, an apt example since he was a warrior just like Arjuna. Many of us familiar with the Ramayana epic would recognize the name Janaka as the father of Sita, and the king of the Videha kingdom. But the word Janaka here is a post or a title. It refers to any king that was appointed to the throne because of his non-attachment to all material objects, even to his body. This is apparent in the word meaning of Videha which is “one who has given up identification with his body”.

Why would a kingdom appoint a king that has given up attachments? It is because someone without any attachment would make the most fair, rational and unbiased decisions in favour of the kingdom. He would not come under the sway of emotion or prejudice of any kind. Such kings were known to be excellent administrators. In addition, they were also perfect karmayogis, i.e. they were “sthitha-prajna” or men of perfect wisdom.

With this example, Shri Krishna also assured Arjuna that it was perfectly possible to attain the ultimate goal of realization, yet be working in this world. Arjuna did not need to run away from the war or his responsibilities at all.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 2

13 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.17, arhati, asya, avinaashi, avyayasya, chapter 2 verse 17, idam, kartum, kashchit, sarvam, tatam, viddhi, vinaasham, yena

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avinaashi tu tadviddhi yena sarvamidam tatam |
vinaashamavyayasyaasya na kashchitkartumarhati || 17 ||

But know that (eternal essence) to be indestructible by which all this is pervaded. Nothing ever can destroy that, the imperishable.

avinaashi : indestructible
tu : but
tat : that
viddhi : know
yena : which
sarvam : everything
idam : this
tatam : pervades
vinaasham : destruction
avyayasya :  of the imperishable
asya : of this
na : not
kashchit : any
kartum : do
arhati : is able

The theme of the ongoing shlokas has been understanding the nature of the eternal essence. This verse gives us two qualities that the eternal essence possesses. Note that the sanskrit word “tat” meaning “that” refers to the eternal essence in this shloka.

Firstly, the eternal essence is imperishable. It cannot be destroyed, nor is it created. In the bangle example from the prior verse, the pawn shop owner only cared about the gold content of the bangle and not its shape and form. He could melt that bangle into another ornament, melt it again and make it into another ornament, and so on. In doing so, each subsequent ornament was “created” and “destroyed”, but the gold essence was imperishable and indestructible. Similarly, the eternal essence spoken of in these verses is imperishable.

Secondly, the eternal essence pervades “all this”, which means the eternal essence pervades the entire universe. If we immerse a piece of cloth into water, water pervades each and every fibre of the cloth. There is no part of the cloth that isn’t dry. In the same way, from a rock, to plants, to animals, and to humans, the eternal essence pervades everything that is part of the universe.