Category Archives: katham

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 14

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.21, ateetaha, ativartate, bhavati, chapter 14 verse 21, etaan, gunaan, kaihi, katham, kimaachaaraha, lingaihi, prabho, treen

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Arjuna uvaacha:
kairlingaistreengunaanetaanateeto bhavati prabho |
kimaachaaraha katham chaitaanstreengunaantivartate || 21 ||
 
Arjuna said:
By which signs is the one who has gone beyond the three gunas known, O Lord? What is his behaviour, and how does he transcend these three gunas?
 
kaihi : which
lingaihi : signs
treen : three
gunaan : gunas
etaan : these
ateetaha : one who has gone beyond
bhavati : is
prabho : O Lord
kimaachaaraha : what is his behaviour
katham : how
cha : and
etaan : these
treen : three
gunaan : gunas
ativartate : transcend
 
We hear Arjuna speak after a long time in this shloka. Arjuna usually speaks when he needs to clarify a doubt, or when he thinks that he needs a more practical version of what he has just heard. We have seen this happen several times. In the second chapter, Arjuna wanted to know the marks of the person who is established in knowledge, sthitha prajnya. Arjuna also asked the signs of a perfected devotee in the chapter on bhakti yoga. Every time he has asked a question, we as listeners have benefitted tremendously.
 
Having heard a detailed explanation around the three gunas, but only a couple of shlokas on the person who transcends those gunas and attains immortality, Arjuna found it appropriate to ask a question at this juncture. He wanted to know three things. First, how does one know that a person has transcended the three gunas. Second, how does such a person behave in the world. Third, how does he actually transcend the three gunas.
 
We have to constantly remind ourselves that everything we learn from this chapter is purely for self-analysis, not for judging or evaluating someone else. The only person that can accurately determine whether our mental state is sattvic, rajasic or tamasic is none other than ourselves. There is another aspect to learning about the signs of one who has gone beyond the influence of the gunas. Until we reach the state of liberation, these signs are attributes that we should aspire to cultivate in our lives.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 10

17 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.17, aham, asi, bhaaveshu, bhagavan, cha, chapter 10 verse 17, chintyaha, katham, keshu, mayaa, parichintayan, sadaa, tvaam, vidyaam, yogin

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katham vidyaamaham yogimstvaam sadaa parichintayan |
keshu keshu cha bhaaveshu chintyosi bhagavanmayaa || 17 ||
 
O Yogin, how shall I know you by remaining constantly engrossed in meditation? And O Lord, by which expressions are you to be meditated upon by me?
 
katham : how
vidyaam : shall know
aham : I
yogin : O yogin
tvaam : your
sadaa : constantly
parichintayan : engrossed in meditation
keshu : by which
cha : and
bhaaveshu : expressions
chintyaha : meditated upon
asi : can
bhagavan : O lord
mayaa : by me
 
Arjuna, having heard just a sample of Ishvara’s expressions, was not satisfied with what he had heard. He wanted to know the technique by which he could constantly be reminded of Ishvara, and consequently, remain established in the contemplation of Ishvara. That is why in this shloka, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to reveal more of his expressions.
 
When we wake up in the morning, we probably get five to ten minutes, at most, of a calm mind. Then, when our daily routine starts, our mind takes over and we are pulled into a rollercoaster ride of worry and sorrow. In the midst of all this it is difficult to bring in a divine thought for a minute, let alone contemplate on Ishvara constantly. Addressing Shri Krishna as Yogin, one who has the power of sovereignty, Arjuna asked him for a solution to overcome this predicament.
 
Furthermore, if we were told once that Ishvara is the cause of everything, and we are able to hold on to that fact, we need not have to worry about forgetting Ishvara. But because of our conditioning that has built up over a long period of time, and because of our ego – our sense that “I do everything” – is so strong, we need more support to counter that conditioning. We need a step-by-step approach, a list of Ishvara’s expressions, just like kids have to be told that a TV, a radio, a computer, all operate using electricity.
 
Now, if such a list of Ishvara’s expressions is needed, it cannot be terse and brief. It needs to be detailed. This is what Arjuna requests in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 8

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 8.2, adhiyagnaha, asi, asmin, atra, cha, chapter 8 verse 2, dehe, jneyaha, kaha, katham, madhusoodana, niyataatmabhihi, prayaanakaale

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adhiyagnaha katham kotra dehesminmadhusoodana |
prayaanakaale cha katham jneyosi niyataatmabhihi || 2 ||
 
Who is “adhiyagna” and how is he (established) in this body, O Madhosoodana? How are (you) known by a self-controlled person, at the time of departure?
 
adhiyagnaha : “adhiyagna”
katham : how
kaha : who
atra : here
dehe : in a body
asmin : this
madhusoodana : O Madhusoodana
prayaanakaale : at the time of departure
cha : and
katham : how
jneyaha asi : is known
niyataatmabhihi : by a self-controlled person
 
Arjuna concludes his round of questions to Shri Krishna in this shloka. His two questions are as follows. First, he wants to know what is “adhiyagna” and where can it be found. Second, he wants to know how can a yogi or a self-controlled person remember Ishvara at the time of departure. Shri Krishna treats the second question as the most important question. After answering the first six questions in the next two shlokas, Shri Krishna devotes the remainder of the chapter to answering this question only.
 
Let us continue to develop the illustration of the animated movie so that we can use it in the next shloka when Shri Krishna starts answering Arjuna’s questions. We learned about the animated character “Tom”, which is just a series of images on film. The light that illuminated Tom began to think that it has an identity that is different than the rest of the film strip.
 
As a consequence, the light creates an identity for itself. That light becomes Tom. “He” is bound by his “body”, which is nothing but an outline on the strip of film. He also begins to think that he is the “doer” of an action, and is the “enjoyer” of the result of an action. He thinks that he is walking, talking, interacting with people. He also gets happy or upset over the result of his actions.
 
So in summary, we have a strip of film that contains a series of images. Each image contains several lines that make up the character Tom that has suddenly begun to think that he is alive. Let us keep this in mind as we begin to hear Shri Krishna’s answers.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 4

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 4.4, aadau, aparam, bhavatah, chapter 4 verse 4, etat, iti, janma, katham, param, proktavaan, tvam, vijaaniyaam, vivasvataha

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Arjuna uvaacha:
aparam bhavato janma param janma vivasvataha |
kathametadvijaaniyaam tvamaadau proktavaaniti || 4 ||

Arjuna said:
Your birth is in the present, and the sun’s birth was in the past. How should I understand that you had taught this (yoga) in the beginning?

aparam : in the present
bhavatah : you
janma : birth
param : in the past
janma : birth
vivasvataha : the sun
katham : how should
etat : this
vijaaniyaam : understand
tvam : you
aadau : in the beginning
proktavaan : had taught
iti : this

Having heard that Shri Krishna taught karmayoga to the sun, Arjuna had a doubt. How could Shri Krishna have revealed this knowledge to the sun? The sun came first before even the earth came into existence. But Shri Krishna was only a little older than Arjuna, so how does one reconcile this fact?

Therefore, Arjuna requested Shri Krishna to clarify this point. Even the way he asked this question is very beautiful. He could easily have said “I don’t believe you, how is this possible”. Instead, he very humbly says “my mind cannot understand this point, please help me understand it”. There is no accusation or finger pointing of any sort here. It is asked with sincerity.

This question enables Shri Krishna to reveal his true identity to Arjuna in the next shloka.

Footnotes
1. Arjuna has referred to Shri Krishna as bhavataha (respected you, or “aap” in hindi) and tvam (friendly you or “tum” in hindi), further highlighting the reverence and friendliness towards Shri Krishna.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 2

19 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.21, ajam, avinaashi, avyayam, chapter 2 verse 21, enam, ghaatayati, hanti, kam, katham, nityam, paartha, purushaha, saha, veda, yaha

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vedaavinaashinam nityam ya enamajamavyayam |
katham sa purushaha paartha kam ghaatayati hanti kam || 21 ||

Whosoever knows this (eternal essence) to be imperishable, eternal, birthless and changeless, how can that individual, O Paartha, slay or cause anyone to be slain?

veda : knows
avinaashinam : imperishable
nityam : eternal
yaha : whosoever
enam : this
ajam : birthless
avyayam: changeless
katham : how
saha : that
purushaha : individual
paartha : O Paartha
kam : who
ghaatayati  : cause to be slain
hanti : kill
kam : who

Imagine that you are operating a laptop that is connected to a printer. You open a document on the laptop and click the print button. The laptop sends a signal to the printer, and the document gets printed.

Now imagine that the laptop and the printer have egos and can think for themselves. The laptop will say “I initiated the printing action” whereas the printer will say “I was the receiver of the printing action”.

But in reality, an electric current went from the laptop to the printer, which then caused the printing to happen. So, an engineer would never say “the laptop caused the printing to happen”. It was all a play of electricity.

So here, what Shri Krishna is trying to say is that “this”, the eternal essence does not act and nor does it get impacted by any action, just like electricity does not really act. It empowers material objects to act without actually acting. Therefore a wise person will never think that the eternal essence can slay or kill or act at all. It is like the sun.

The refrain is clear: “You are the eternal essence – birthless, changeless, eternal and imperishable. The eternal essence does not slay, nor does it get slain.” It is repeated throughout the Gita because it will take a significant effort on our part to truly understand and internalize this message.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38-39, Chapter 1

15 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by in asmaabhihu, chapter 1 verse 38-39, chetasaha, dosham, drohe, gneyam, katham, kritam, kshaya, kula, lobhaha, mitra, nivartitum, paatakam, prapashyadbhihi, upahat, yadyapi

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yadyapyete na pashyanti lobhopahatchetasaha |
kulakshayakritam dosham mitradrohe cha paatakam || 38 ||
 
katham na gneyamasmaabhihi paapaadasmaannivartitum |
kulakshayakritam dosham prapashyadbhirjanaardana || 39 ||
 
If their greed-afflicted minds cannot see the error in annihilating society, and the sin of quarreling with their friends;
why shouldn’t we, who correctly perceive this error, refrain from committing this sin, O Janaardana?
 
yadyapi : if
ete : they
na pashyanti : cannot see
lobhaha-upahat-chetasaha : minds afflicted by greed
kula-kshaya-kritam : act of annihilating society
dosham : error
mitra-drohe : quarreling against friends
cha : and
paatakam : sin
 
katham : why
na gneyam : not know
asmaabhihi : by us
paapat : sin
asmaat : this
nivartitum : refrain
prapashyadbhihi : right understanding
janaardana : O Janardanaa
 
Arjuna now began a second argument in which he began enumerating the flaws of the opposing army. He wanted to point out that his moral judgement was superior relative to the opposing army’s position. This current sequence of verses is a classic example of how a seemingly logical argument is completely illogical because it has sprung from erroneous foundations. Moreover, Arjuna echoes the human tendency to point out flaws in others when the flaw lies in the pointer.
 
Illogical as it may be, Arjuna’s comment lets us explore a force similar to moha, that of “lobha” or the desire to accumulate something. An increase in lobha for an object, person, situation or circumstance tends to suppress our viveka, our discerning ability. A politician that has extreme greed for a ministerial position could resort to illegal and unethical means to get it. Recent events in global financial markets are a good example where bankers were willing to defraud investors by selling them subprime loans, simply due to greed.
 
Both moha and lobha have one thing in common, they seemingly result in pleasure. Foe example, in case of moha, extreme attachment one’s son or one’s spouse gives one pleasure. In case of lobha, the desire to accumulate wealth or power gives one pleasure. But in both cases, the pleasure that one obtains is temporary and fleeting. In addition, one tends to cling to the object gained by lobha or moha for fear of losing it.
 
So what attitude should we have towards people or things we care about? The Gita delves into this topic in great detail.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 1

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in arhaaha, chapter 1 verse 37, hantum, hatvaa, hi, katham, suhkhinaha, svabaandhavaan, svajanam, tasmaat, vayam

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tasmaannarhaa vayam hantum dhaartaraashtraan svabaandhavaan |
svajanam hi katham hatvaa sukhinaha syaama maadhava || 37 ||
 
Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to kill these relatives of Dhritraashtra who our also our brothers. How can we gain pleasure by killing our own, O Maadhava?
 
tasmaat : therefore
na arhaaha : not appropriate
vayam : we
hantum : to kill
dhaartarashtaan : relatives of Dhritraashtra
svabaandhavaan : our brothers
svajanam : our kinsmen
hi : because
katham : how
hatvaa : kill
sukhinaha : happiness
maadhava : O Maadhava
 
The word “tasmaat”, which means therefore, indicates the conclusion of an argument. Here, Arjuna concluded his argument to Shri Krishna in which he asserted that that he did not want to fight. To defend that argument, Arjuna provided several points: that there was no point in the war or even in living itself, that the very people that he was fighting against were the same people that made him happy, that killing his kinsmen and his well-wishers was a sin, and that there would be no joy derived in doing so.
 
This argument was not built on any sort of rationality or logic because Arjuna came under the influence of “moha” or delusion, the delusion that personal relationships were more important in the battlefield than one’s duty. An increase in moha usually suppresses our ability to discern between what is correct and what is not. This discerning ability is called “viveka”.
 
Here’s an real world example that illustrates moha and viveka. Imagine that your brother has a drinking problem, and needs to hear from you that the addiction needs to stop. What is the right thing for you to do? It is a difficult situation because your moha and viveka come into conflict. Viveka tells you that the right thing for you to do is to intervene, but moha tells you that doing so will endanger your relationship.
 
Another common example is that a surgeon will usually not perform an operation on a relative exactly because of this moha.
 
Footnotes
1. Viveka is the first step in the “Saadhana Chatushthaya”, the 4-fold qualifications that are required for anyone treading on the spiritual path. Barring a few exceptions if you do not cultivate the ability to discern what is correct and what is not, your spiritual journey will never commence.