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Category Archives: loke

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 16

01 Monday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.6, aasuraha, aasuram, asmin, bhootasargau, chapter 16 verse 6, daivaha, dvau, loke, me, paartha, proktaha, shrunu, vishtarashaha

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dvau bhootasargau lokesmindaiva aasura eva cha |
daivo vishtarashaha prokta aasuram paartha me shrunu || 6 ||
 
In this world, two types of beings have been created, the divine and the devilish. The divine has been described elaborately. The devilish, O Paartha, listen from me now.
 
dvau : two
bhootasargau : beings have been created
loke : in world
asmin : this
daivaha : divine
aasuraha : devilish
eva : also
cha : and
daivaha : divine
vishtarashaha : elaborately
proktaha : described
aasuram : devilish
paartha : O Paartha
me : from me
shrunu : listen now
 
Although Shri Krishna had reassured Arjuna in the previous shloka, he knew that all individuals had a mix of divine and devilish qualities in them, including Arjuna. It was not either or. The devilish qualities within Arjuna had erupted at the start of the war in the first chapter, so there was certainly room for improvement. Knowing this, Shri Krishna proceeded to describe the devilish qualities in detail in this chapter.
 
From our perspective, we are always struggling between progressing on the spiritual journey versus conforming to the prevalent way of life – materialism. While there is nothing inherently wrong with enjoying whatever life has to offer, society urges us sometimes to get carried away with the pursuit of materialism, without pointing out the downside of doing so. It is instructive to see how little has changed between the materialistic worldview of Shri Krishna’s time and the present day.
 
So, from the next shloka to the end of this chapter, Shri Krishna paints a detailed picture of the materialistic world view that many of us have taken for granted. He describes the way they think and feel, their attitude towards people and objects, and the consequences of their materialistic viewpoint.

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Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 15

23 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by in 15.18, aksharaat, ataha, ateetaha, chapter 15 verse 18, ksharam, loke, prathitaha, purushottamaha, uttamaha, vede, yasmaat

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yasmaatksharamateetohamaksharaadaapi choottamaha |
atosmi loke vede cha prathitaha purushottamaha || 18 ||
 
For, I transcend the perishable and also am superior to the imperishable. Therefore, in the world and in the Vedas, I am well known as the foremost person.
 
yasmaat : for
ksharam : perishable
ateetaha : transcend
aham : I
aksharaat : imperishable
api : also
cha : and
uttamaha : superior to
ataha : therefore
asmi : I am
loke : in the world
vede : in Vedas
cha : and
prathitaha : well known
purushottamaha : foremost person
 
Now, Shri Krishna reveals his true identity as Purushottama, the uttama Purusha, the foremost person, which is a poetic means of referring to the eternal essence, the pure brahman without any limitations. The root of the sanskrit word “uttama” is “ut” or high. This means that there is nothing higher than Purushottama. The imperishable, also known as Prakriti or Maaya, could be considered superior to the perishable world, because Prakriti is the cause and the world is its effect. Any cause is superior than its effect, just like the parents are superior to their children. Since Prakriti exists only as an adhyaasa, a projection on Purushottama, he is greater than anything else.
 
Let us also look at the significance of Purushottama by going deeper into what is meant by cause and effect. According to Vedanta, there are two types of causes. The material cause is the substance which makes the effect. A clay pot is made of clay, so its material cause, its upaadaana kaarana, is clay. But the pot did not make itself. There was an intelligence in the form of a potter that created the clay pot. This is the second type of cause is the nimitta kaarana, known as the intelligent or efficient cause.
 
Some schools of thought assert that the Purushottama is only the intelligent cause and not the material cause. He is like the potter who is distinct and separate than his creation. But in the Advaita school, the Purushottama is not only considered the intelligence behind creation, he is also the raw material behind the creation. The Mundaka Upanishad compares Purushottama to the spider who weaves the web from within himself, and eventually, pulls back the web into himself.
 
We should again not forget that this uttama Purusha, this foremost person, is nothing but our own self, our “I”. In fact, uttama Purusha in Sanskrit grammatically means the first person, the “I”. He is beyond the perishable tree of samsaara, and also beyond the seed of this tree in the form of Prakriti. What is the result of knowing this uttama Purusha? We will see in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 15

21 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by in 15.16, aksharaha, bhootaani, chapter 15 verse 16, dvaau, imau, kootasthaha, ksharaha, loke, purushau, sarvaani, uchhyate

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dvaamimau purushau loke ksharaakshara eva cha |
ksharaha sarvaani bhootaani kootasthokshara uchhyate || 16 ||
 
There are two beings in this world, the perishable and the imperishable. All beings constitute the perishable, the Kootastha is called the imperishable.
 
dvaau : two
imau : these
purushau : beings
loke : in this world
ksharaha : perishable
aksharaha : imperishable
eva : also
cha : and
ksharaha : imperishable
sarvaani : all
bhootaani : beings
kootasthaha : Kootastha
kshara : perishable
uchhyate : is called
 
Computer programmers love to create video games that can put the player in a gigantic virtual world where they can blow up aliens. What is interesting is that the same computer game can create a different world each time, with different kinds of aliens in different place. In other words, the infinitely complex virtual worlds created by the game can change, but the computer game program remains the same. Our visible universe is quite similar.
 
Shri Krishna begins to summarize the teaching of this chapter by asserting that everything in the world can be classified into two category. The first category comprises the visible world, the tangible world which comprises all living and inert beings. The second category comprises the invisible entity called Maaya. Maaya is like the computer game program that is invisible, yet has the power to create infinitely complex universes over and over again. The first category is termed kshara or perishable, because the universe has a beginning and end. The second category is termed akshara or imperishable, because it outlives the perishable.
 
So therefore, let’s examine this teaching from two standpoints. From our standpoint, the standpoint of the “I” – the kshara, the perishable is our physical body. The akshara, the imperishable is the jeeva, as defined in the previous shlokas. From the standpoint of the world, the standpoint of the “that” – the kshara is the visible universe. The akshara refers to Maaya, the seed of infinite universes, present, past and future.
 
Let’s now look at some of the terms used in the shloka. Koota means illusion, and therefore kootastha means that which can create several illusions. Another clarification is around the imperishability of Maaya. If Maaya is imperishable, how can we get out of it? The answer is that Maaya is imperishable till we realize our true nature and attain liberation. Each category is called a Purusha or a being because both of them are limitations or upaadhis of Ishvara, as we shall see in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 13

14 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.13, aavritya, akshishiromukham, chapter 13 verse 13, loke, paanipaadam, sarvam, sarvataha, shrutimat, tat, tishthati

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sarvatahapaanipaadam tatsarvatokshishiromukham |
sarvatahashrutimalloke sarvamaavritya tishthati || 13 ||
 
With hands and legs everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, it is established in all the worlds, pervading all.
 
sarvataha : everywhere
paanipaadam : hands and legs
tat : it
sarvataha : everywhere
akshishiromukham : eyes, heads and mouths
sarvataha : everywhere
shrutimat : eyes
loke : worlds
sarvam : everywhere
aavritya : pervading
tishthati : established
 
How does a child come to learn about electricity? The teacher does not directly tell him that “electricity is defined as a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles such as electrons or protons”. The teacher uses what the child already knows and imparts the knowledge to him step by step. So the teacher may first say that to the child: wherever you see bright light in a bulb, that is electricity. Once the child has grasped this concept, then the teacher may say: wherever you see wires connected, that is electricity. Slowly, as the child is able to understand the nuances of atoms and electrons, the teacher then reveals to him the technical definition.
 
Shri Krishna uses a similar process to gently reveal the nature of brahman, the eternal essence, also known as “jnyeyam” or the knowable, to us. Now, it is quite easy for us to see action and sentience – the power to experience things – in living creatures everywhere. So Shri Krishna says that wherever we see action in living beings, symbolically represented by the phrase “hands and legs”, we should recognize the presence of the eternal essence. Furthermore, wherever we see sentience in living beings, symbolically represented by the phrase “eyes, heads, mouths and ears”, we should recognize the presence of the eternal essence.
 
Going back to the example of the child learning electricity, the child may sometimes think that the electricity in a bulb is different than the electricity in a fan, or that the bulb limits the flow of electricity to the fan. To remove any similar misconceptions about the eternal essence, Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence pervades everywhere. In other words, it is only one eternal essence that is functioning through the organs of knowledge and action of all living creatures in all of the worlds, and that one organ does not limit the functioning of the eternal essence in another organ.
 
An example commonly used to illustrate this notion is that of space and pot-space. The space that is in a clay pot and the space outside it is the same. But just because the walls of the pot surround it, we label the space inside as “pot-space”. The pot is a classic example of an upaadhi, something that as though limits the space in it, but does not do so in reality. Space, then, pervades all pots. Similarly, the organs of all living creatures may seem to limit the eternal essence, but not so in reality.
 
Having established the starting point for realizing the eternal essence, Shri Krishna goes one step further in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 10

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.6, chapter 10 verse 6, chatvaaraha, imaahaa, jaataahaa, loke, maanasaaaha, madbhaavaahaa, maharshayaha, manavaha, poorve, prajaahaa, sapta, tathaa, yeshaam

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maharshayaha sapta poorve chatvaaro manavastathaa |
madbhaavaa maanasaa jaataa yeshaam loka imaahaa prajaahaa || 6 ||
 
The seven great sages and the four before them, and the Manus were contemplating me. They were born out of my mind, (they) of whom are the creatures in this world.
 
maharshayaha : great sages
sapta : seven
poorve : prior to that
chatvaaraha : the four
manavaha : the Manus
tathaa : as well as
madbhaavaahaa : comptemplating me
maanasaaaha : my mind
jaataahaa : born out of
yeshaam : of whom
loke : in this world
imaahaa : these
prajaahaa : creatures
 
Previously, Shri Krishna spoke about Ishvara as the cause of several subtle expressions including non-injury, penance and so on. He now enumerates Ishvara’s manifest, visible expressions. Per tradition, the entire universe was created by seven great sages and fourteen individuals known as “Manus”. Shri Krishna asserts that these sages and Manus, the creators of all living and inert beings in this universe, were themselves created by Ishvara through his mind.
 
The Srimad Bhagavatam described the creation of the universe in great detail. Ishvara first created Lord Brahma and entrusted him with the responsibility of creating the universe. Lord Brahma then created the four child-sages Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanaatana and Sanatkumaara. When he asked them to populate the world, they refused, because they did not want to get tangled in any material pursuits. They took the vow of celibacy and roamed the world, constantly contemplating upon Ishvara.
 
Next, Lord Brahma created the saptarishis or the seven great sages Bhrigu, Marichi, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratuhu and Vasishtha. He then created Manu was who was entrusted with further procreation and establishment of the moral code, which is known as Manusmriti. There are fourteen Manus that correspond to fourteen Manvantaras or periods of Manu.
 
Having enumerated the creators of his universe, Shri Krishna says that all those original individuals are expressions that were created from Ishvara’s mind, just like we create whole new worlds in our dreams in a matter of seconds without any external materials. This shloka is similar to the biblical verse “Let there be light”. The idea is the same – that Ishvara is the original cause of everything.
 
What is the result of knowing Ishvara’s vibhootis or expressions? This is given in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 6

19 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in athavaa, bhavati, chapter 6 verse 42, dheemataam, durlabhataram, eedrisham, etat, eva, hi, janma, kule, loke, yat, yoginaam

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athavaa yoginaameva kule bhavati dheemataam |
etaddhi durlabhataram loke janma yadeedrisham || 42 ||
 
Alternatively, he will go only to a family of learned yogis. One whose birth is of this type is exceedingly rare in this world.
 
athavaa : alternatively
yoginaam : in yogis
eva : only
kule : family
bhavati : will go
dheemataam : learned
etat : this
hi : definitely
durlabhataram : exceedingly rare
loke : world
janma : birth
yat : one whose
eedrisham : of this type
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna spoke about the fate of the unfulfilled meditator who goes to an illustrious family after having attained heaven. In this shloka, Shri Krishna talks about another type of unfilled meditators who is born not into a wealthy family but into a family of learned yogis. He also says that such a birth is exceedingly rare.
 
So far, Shri Krishna has spoken about two types of serious seekers who had a clear understanding of meditation but were unable to attain liberation. The difference between the two types of seekers is the presence or absence of desires. The meditator who still harbours desires is born into a wealthy family.
 
Desires are the biggest obstacles in meditation. Only when desires are extinguished can serious meditation begin. That is why this category of meditators is given the chance to fulfill his desires in a wealthy family.
 
The other rarer category of meditator had managed to extinguish his desires, but could not attain liberation because he ran out of time. Since he is not interested in fulfilling any desire, regardless of whether it is heavenly or earthly, he goes straight into a family of yogis after he dies. These yogis are not just accomplished meditators, they also possess “dheemata” or a keen understanding of the scriptures.
 
Such a family provides a conducive environment for this kind of meditator to continue his progress in meditation. He has enough dispassion in him and therefore does not get affected by the the absence of wealth in this new family. In fact he appreciates it because wealth can become a distraction in the path of meditation.
 
Now, do both these types of newly-born seekers have to start their journey from scratch? This is taken up by Shri Krishna in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 4

02 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.12, bhavati, chapter 4 verse 12, devataaha, hi, iha, kaankshantaha, karmajaa, karmanam, kshipram, loke, maanushe, siddhim, siddih, yajante

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kaankshantaha karmanaam siddhim yajanta iha devataaha |
kshipram hi maanushe loke siddhirbhavati karmajaa || 12 ||

Those who desire success in actions worship deities; for in this human world, results of action are obtained instantly.

kaankshantaha : desiring
karmanaam : through actions
siddhim : results
yajante : worship
iha : this
devataaha : deities
kshipram : instant
hi : for
maanushe : human
loke : world
siddhih : success
bhavati : obtained
karmajaa : through action

We saw in the previous shloka that Ishvaraa is like an impartial computer system. He responds in the same manner in which people seek him. So then the question arises? Why don’t people approach him for self-realization? Would they not get it if they ask him?

Shri Krishna says that most of us do not desire self-realization, we only desire material objects because they give us instant happiness. We have been conditioned to perform actions that get quick results. We make instant coffee and it gives us instant satisfaction. And when we want results that are beyond our immediate control, we approach and appease forces in nature that can grant us the result we need. These forces could be human beings – we may propitiate a local politician if we want to set up a business in a particular town.

But, not matter how satisfying the result is, it will only give us temporary happiness because we have approached a force of nature that is a subset of Ishvaraa. Ishvaraa is the ultimate force in nature. Only he can give us permanent happiness in the form of self-realization.

Moreover, this permanent happiness is not a result of any outward actions. Actions performed in the spirit of karmayoga will no doubt help purify our mind. But the ultimate goal of self-realization is not the result of any outward action, it is only through the removal of ignorance in the form of selfish desire.

If we recall, “samarpana buddhi” or the wisdom of dedicating actions is one of the five main aspects of karmayoga. So therefore, these shlokas deal with the topic of Ishvaraa so that he will become the ultimate ideal to whom we can dedicate all our actions to.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 3

11 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.3, anagha, asmin, chapter 3 verse 3, dvividhaa, jnyaanayoga, karmayoga, loke, mayaa, naam, nishthaa, proktaa, puraa, saankhyaa, yogi

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
lokesmindvividhaa nishthaa puraa proktaa mayaanagha |
jnyaanayogena saankhyaanaam karmayogena yoginaam || 3 ||

Shri Bhagavaan said:
In this world, since time immemorial, I have created a two-fold path, O sinless one; the yoga of knowledge for contemplative individuals, and the yoga of action for yogis.

loke : world
asmin : this
dvividhaa : two-fold
nishthaa : path
puraa : since time immemorial
proktaa : spoken
mayaa : by me
anagha : O sinless one
jnyaanayogena : the yoga of knowledge
saankhyaanaam : for contemplative individuals
karmayogena : the yoga of action
yoginaam : for yogis

Earlier, we saw that Arjuna wanted to know which of the two paths, i.e. the yoga of action and the yoga of knowledge, is superior. Shri Krishna addresses that question here. According to him, none of the two is either superior or inferior.

Sant Jnyaneshwar provides an example to show that none of these paths are superior or inferior: like a west-flowing river and an east-flowing river that both meet the same ocean, both paths are same.

Now, even thought the paths are complementary, there is a subtle difference between them. Let us explore this difference. Consider a child who is in the first grade. Even if he wants to, he cannot jump straight to a masters degree. He would have to finish high school, then college, and only then will he be ready for his masters degree.

In the same way, most of us are at a stage in life where we are active and want to make a contribution to the world. For such yogis or active individuals, the path of action is the most appropriate. Once we reach a stage where we exhaust all of our desires, we can transcend the path of action to pursue the path of knowledge, just like we transcend college education to pursue our masters degree.

I used to know a classmate from school that was a math prodigy. He could solve advanced calculus equations in sixth grade. The teachers used to check with him whether they were teaching sixth grade math correctly, such was his prowess. He did not need to go through elementary math, he was ready for his math PhD even at that young age.

Similarly, there are a few rare individuals who are at an advanced stage of their spiritual journey. They have eliminated most of their desires. Only such rare contemplative individuals can directly pursue the path of knowledge. For most of us, the path of action is the way to go. And karmayoga, or the path of action, is the main subject covered in this chapter.

On a different note, we see that Shri Krishna is hinting that he is something more that the cowherd son of Vasudeva here. We know this because he mentions that he himself has created this two-fold path for realizing the eternal essence. This has not slipped past Arjuna, he will ask this question at the right time.