Category Archives: maam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 53, Chapter 11

06 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in 11.53, aham, asi, cha, chapter 11 verse 53, daanena, drishtum, drishtvaan, evam, ijyayaa, maam, na, shakyaha, tapasaa, vedaihi, vidhaha, yathaa

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 53, Chapter 11

naaham vedairna tapasaa na daanena na chejyayaa |
shakya evamvidho drishtum drishtvaanasi maam yathaa || 53 ||
 
Not through the Vedas, penance, charity, nor through worship can I be seen, in the manner in which you have seen me.
 
na: not
aham : I
vedaihi : through Vedas
na : not
tapasaa : through penance
na : not
daanena : through charity
na : not
cha : and
ijyayaa : through worship
shakyaha : possible
evam : this
vidhaha : manner
drishtum : seen
drishtvaan : you seen
asi : have
maam : me
yathaa : like
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna lists tools that help us lead a fruitful life. First, he lists the Vedas, which refer to material and spiritual teachings, give us knowledge to lead a purposeful and ethical life. By encouraging action in life’s early stages, then emphasizing renunciation in the later stages, they get us from harbouring selfish desires to desirelessness. Austerity and charity further reduce our ego, and penance strengthens us internally and externally. Worship invokes Ishvara’s grace and blessings.
 
However, Shri Krishna reminds us that none of these methods will give us attainment of Ishvara as their result. This point is of such importance that he brings it up for the second time in the same chapter. Each of the means outlined above have their own results which are valid in life’s various stages, but they can only purify us, not give us Ishvara directly. If we don’t understand this, we are like the child who wants to go to a dentist not to take care of a tooth issue, but to get the lollipop at the end of the visit.
 
Attainment of Ishvara is purely in the hands of Ishvara himself, as we saw earlier. It is his choice as to whom he will bestow his grace upon. But so far, Shri Krishna himself has described that there is no bias in the way he has set up the machinery of the universe. This leads us to believe that Ishvara will not arbitrarily bestow his grace upon anyone randomly. There has to be a logic to it. Shri Krishna reveals this answer next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 11

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.8, anena, chakshuhu, chapter 11 verse 8, dadaami, divyam, drishtum, eva, ishvaram, maam, me, na, pashya, shakyase, svachakshushaa, te, tu, yoga

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 11

na tu maam shakyase drishtumanenaiva svachakshushaa |
divyam dadaami te chakshuhu pashya me yogaishvaram || 8 ||
 
But, even this you cannot see with your own eye. I give you a divine eye, (so that you can) see the majesty of my yoga.
 
na : not
tu : but
maam : my
shakyase : can
drishtum : you see
anena : this
eva : even
svachakshushaa : with your own eye
divyam : divine
dadaami : I give
te : you
chakshuhu : eye
pashya : see
me : my
yoga : yoga
ishvaram : majesty
 
Even after Shri Krishna had begun displaying his Vishwa roopa, his cosmic form, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna at all. He realized that Arjuna’s mortal eyes did not have the capability needed to view the cosmic form. So he blessed Arjuna with the “divya drishti”, the divine vision with which the yoga, the power of creating this diversity in the universe, could be seen in all its majesty.
 
Before we proceed with the rest of this chapter, let us pause to dig a little deeper into this shloka. Each chapter in the Gita is a “yoga”, a technique for lifting us higher from the material to the divine. Arjuna was bestowed this vision by Shri Krishna, and we will hear a description of that vision from Sanjaya and Arjuna later in the chapter. But if this chapter is meant to give us a practical technique, what are we supposed to do? What does “divine vision” mean for us?
 
Let us consider a person from India who is deeply attached to his state or territory. As we have seen repeatedly in the Gita, any sort of deep attachment is a recipe for creating never-ending sorrow. What technique, what yoga could be prescribed for someone in this situation? One could ask that person to get a map of India, look at his state’s border, then mentally erase that border as well as all the other state borders, and see what’s left.
 
What will he see? He will only see the border of India. There would be no other divisions or distinctions. All conflicts regarding one state versus another would seem meaningless. It does not mean that the sense of attachment has gone away. That is very difficult to achieve. It simply means that the sense of attachment has been raised one step from the relative to the absolute.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna asks all of us to view the world with the vision that everything is in Ishvara. Our eyes, limited as they are, will always report divisions and distinctions. That is their nature. But we can always use our intelligence to look through those divisions and see that ultimately, Ishvara is in everything and everything is in Ishvara. If we learn to do this, our attachment to worldly concerns will drop, and shift towards Ishvara.
 
As we move to the next verse, we will find that the original narrator, Sanjaya, has taken over.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 10

27 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.27, airaavatam, amritodbhavam, cha, chapter 10 verse 27, gajendraanaam, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, maam, naraadhipam, naraanaam, ucchaihshravasam, viddhi

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 10

ucchaihshravasamashvaanaam viddhi maamamritodbhavam |
airaavatam gajendraanaam naraanaam cha naraadhipam || 27 ||
 
Among the horses, know me as Ucchaihshrava born of nectar. Among the elephants I am Airaavata, and among the humans I am the leader.
 
ucchaihshravasam : Ucchaihshrava
ashvaanaam : among the horses
viddhi : know
maam : me
amritodbhavam : born of nectar
airaavatam : Airaavata
gajendraanaam : among the elephants
naraanaam : among the humans
cha : and
naraadhipam : the leader
 
We continue to learn about Ishvara’s expressions in this shloka. The Puranaas describe the story of deities and demons churning the ocean for gaining the nectar of immortality. Before the nectar came out, several other divine entities emerged and Ucchaihshrava, the divine horse, was one of them. “Uchhai” means great and shravas means prosperity. Symbolically, Ucchaihshrava stands for the prosperity we attain when we put in focused effort and renounce our material desires. Shri Krishna says that among all the horses, the divine Ucchaihshrava is Ishvara’s expression.
 
Airaavata is a four-tusked white elephant who is the mount of Indra, king of the deities. He is credited with showering rain. His mother is Iravati, grand daughter of sage Kashyapa. Given his status, Shri Krishna says that among all the elephants, Airaavata is Ishvara’s expression.
 
Next, Shri Krishna turns to more familiar grounds by referencing humans. Among human beings, he says that Ishvara expresses in the leader. But this is not just any ordinary leader. Ishvara expresses himself in leaders whose accomplishments are a product of their hard work and effort, and whose leadership is in line with dharma or righteousness. It is easy to get name and fame by virtue of association or by performing unrighteous acts. This is not the leader that is referenced here.
 
So whenever we see the result of hard work, a humanitarian leader, or the cooling rain that parches a dry land, we should remember that all these are Ishvara’s expressions.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 10

24 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.24, aham, asmi, brihaspatim, cha, maam, mukhyam, paartha, purodhasaam, saagaraha, sarasaam, senaaneenaam, skandaha, viddhi

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 10

purodhasaam cha mukhyam maam viddhi paartha brihaspatim |
senaaneenaamaham skandaha sarasaamasmi saagaraha || 24 ||
 
Among the spiritual teachers, know me as Brihaspati the foremost, O Paartha. Among the military commanders I am Skanda, and among water bodies I am the ocean.
 
purodhasaam : among the spiritual teachers
cha : and
mukhyam : foremost
maam : me
viddhi : know
paartha : O Paartha
brihaspatim : Brihaspati
senaaneenaam : among the military commanders
aham : I am
skandaha : Skanda
sarasaam : among water bodies
asmi : I am
saagaraha : the ocean
 
Further enumerating Ishvara’s expressions, Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is expressed as Brihaspati, who is the foremost among the spiritual teachers and the priests of the deities. Brihaspati is described in the Puraanaas as the “purodha” or guru of Indra, who is the king of all the deities. He was the son of Sage Angiras, one of the seven original rishis or Sapta-Rishis. His counterpart in the world of the demons or Asuras was Sage Shukrachaarya.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that Isvara is expressed through Skanda, the most powerful army commander in the world. Skanda, also known as Kaartikeya, is the son of Lord Shiva. He is described as having six faces and twelve arms. When the army of the deities began the war to kill the asura named Taraka, a celestial voice proclaimed that victory could be possible only if Skanda was made army commander.
 
The earth is filled with several water bodies, ranging from tiny rain puddles to lakes that are visible from outer space. But the most expansive body of water is the ocean. Some estimates suggest that there is 1260 million trillion litres of water on planet earth. On average, the ocean is around 1 kilometer deep and can go to 11 kilometers in some places. The ocean sustains life on this earth and is home to thousands of species. This vast and awe-inspiring ocean is one of the most powerful expressions of Ishvara.
 
With this in mind, we should be able to see Ishvara in our teachers, in military prowess used for just means, and when we drink water.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 10

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.14, bhagavan, chapter 10 verse 14, daanavaahaa, devaaha, etat, hi, keshava, maam, manye, na, ritam, sarvam, te, vadasi, viduhu, vyaktim, yat

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 10

sarvametadritam manye yanmaam vadasi keshava |
na hi te bhagavanvyaktim vidurdevaa na daanavaahaa || 14 ||
 
What you are speaking to me, O Keshava, I acknowledge all this to be true. For O Lord, neither the deities nor the demons know your manifestation.
 
sarvam : all
etat : this
ritam : truth
manye : acknowledge
yat : whatever
maam : to me
vadasi : speak
keshava : O Keshava
na : neither
hi : for
te : to you
bhagavan : O Lord
vyaktim : manifestation
viduhu : know
devaaha : deities
na : nor
daanavaahaa : demons
 
Since the start of the Gita, we have seen Arjuna speak whenever he has a doubt or needs further clarification. With this shloka, Arjuna acknowledges that he has completely understood the true nature of Ishvara since the knowledge is coming from the source, from Ishvara himself.
 
It is interesting to note the use of the name “Keshava” to refer to Shri Krishna. “Ka” represents Lord Brahma and “Isha” represents Lord Shiva. So Keshava is the one who harmonizes the powers of creation and destruction. In other words, Ishvara creates, sustains and dissolves the universe of names and forms.
 
Since Ishvara is the origin of everything, Arjuna says that no deity, human or demon can claim to know Ishvara in totality because Ishvara came before any of them. Another interpretation of this statement is that no sense organ such as the eye or ear can claim to know Ishvara. Unlike worldly knowledge about objects, the knowledge of Ishvara can only be known as a subject. Tulsidas says this poetically in the Tulsi Ramayana : “Jaanat tumahi tumahi hui jaayi”. One who knows you becomes you. All sense of individuality, the sense of I, the subject, goes away when one merges into Ishvara.
 
So then, if no deity, human or demon can know Ishvara, who can? Arjuna gives the answer in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 10

09 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.10, bhajataam, buddhiyogam, chapter 10 verse 10, dadaami, maam, preetipoorvakam, satatayuktaanaam, tam, te, teshaam, upayaanti, yena

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 10

teshaam satatayuktaanaam bhajataam preetipoorvakam |
dadaami buddhiyogam tam yena maamupayaanti te || 10 ||
 
Those who are constantly engaged (in me) and worship with devotion, I endow them with the yoga of intellect by which they attain me.
 
teshaam : those
satatayuktaanaam : constantly engaged
bhajataam : worship
preetipoorvakam : with devotion
dadaami : I endow
buddhiyogam : yoga of intellect
tam : that
yena : by which
maam : me
upayaanti : attain
te : they
 
Earlier we saw that dedicated, serious devotees of Ishvara find joy only in conversing and immersing themselves in Ishvara. Such a high degree of “preetipurvaka bhajan” or worship with joy and devotion can only yield a wonderful result. Those who display such ardent devotion as termed “sataya yuktaanam” by Shri Krishna because they are constantly connected to Ishvara. He says that Ishvara rewards such devotees with “buddhi yoga”, a superior form of intellect and understanding.
 
Typically, we would have expected Ishvara to reward his ardent devotees with material prosperity. This is a given, since we have already heard Shri Krishna say that Ishvara will carry the material burden of his devotees in the previous chapter. But that is a lower form of blessing or reward. The highest type of blessing that can be given to a devotee is not material, it is intellectual. No object, wealth, social status or possession can stand in front of the knowledge of the true nature of things.
 
What is the result of this intellectual understanding? It is the ability to see Ishvara in everything, and everything in Ishvara. If someone tells us that the necklace we had lost is actually around our neck, we do not have to do anything or go anywhere in order to find it. We know where to look for it. Similarly, this vision given to us by Ishvara enables us to see him everywhere and in everything. It is the vision of equanimity mentioned in the sixth chapter.
 
So then, what is the main obstacle that Ishvara removes with this knowledge? Shri Krishna explains in the next shloka.

Bhagavat Gita Verse 9, Chapter 10

08 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.9, bodhayantaha, cha, chapter 19 verse 9, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kathayantaha, maam, macchittaa, madgatapraanaa, parasparam, ramanti, tushyanti

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavat Gita Verse 9, Chapter 10

macchittaa madgatapraanaa bodhayantaha parasparam |
kathayantashcha maam nityam tushyanti cha ramanti cha || 9 ||
 
Their mind absorbed in me, their life force absorbed in me, educating each other and conversing with each other about me daily, they find contentment and delight.
 
macchittaa : their mind absorbed in me
madgatapraanaa : their life force absorbed in me
bodhayantaha : educating
parasparam : each other
kathayantaha : conversing
cha : and
maam : my
nityam : daily
tushyanti : contentment
ramanti : delight
 
Having described the state of avikampa yoga or the yoga of unwavering devotion, Shri Krishna now describes the state of the unwavering devotee. He says that their minds are always absorbed in contemplating Ishvara and their entire lives are submitted in extolling the virtues of Ishvara. This gives them an eternal source of joy and contentment.
 
The Swiss are known for running their trains with near-perfect precision. If the train has to leave the platform at 9:30 am, it will leave the station not one second earlier or later. So whenever we have to board a train in Switzerland, there will never be a doubt in our mind as to whether the train will be on time or not. Our faith in the precision of their train system is unshakeable.
 
Similarly, when we our faith in Ishvara becomes firm, we do not go running towards other sources of joy in the world. We recognize that the universe operates under Ishvara’s laws, and that any pleasant or unpleasant situations that we encounter are a result of our prior actions. They are not random or arbitrary. Our likes and dislikes will slowly thin down. We will take every situation as a learning experience and keep our focus on Ishvara.
 
Shri Krishna says that when devotees gain such a strong faith and conviction in Ishvara, they do not think about anything else. Like cricket fans who eat, sleep, breathe and talk about cricket, the devotees converse about Ishvara, educate each other about Ishvara and dedicate their mind and senses to Ishvara.
 
Why do they do this? They only find contentment and joy in Ishvara since they do not need to run towards material objects for happiness. They revel in Ishvara. This is the difference between an ordinary seeker and a serious seeker. An ordinary seeker is interested in Ishvara “also”, whereas a serious seeker is interested in Ishvara “only”.
 
When such tremendous devotion is poured into Ishvara, the result should be something extraordinary. What is it? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 10

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.8, aham, bhaavasamanvitaahaa, bhajante, budhaahaa, chapter 10 verse 8, iti, maam, mattaha, matvaa, prabhavaha, pravartate, sarvam, sarvasya

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 10

aham sarvasya prabhavo mattaha sarvam pravartate |
iti matvaa bhajante maam budhaa bhaavasamanvitaahaa || 8 ||
 
I am the cause of everything, everything originates from me. Realizing this, wise individuals filled with this attitude worship me.
 
aham : I
sarvasya : everything
prabhavaha : cause
mattaha : from me
sarvam : everything
pravartate : originates
iti : this
matvaa : realizing
bhajante : worship
maam : me
budhaahaa : wise individuals
bhaavasamanvitaahaa : filled with this attitude
 
“Avikampena yoga”, the unwavering, unshakeable yoga, is defined by Shri Krishna as knowing that Ishvara is the cause of everything, and that everything originates from Ishvara. Those who have established themselves in this yoga are “budhaa”, they are wise. They only worship or contemplate upon Ishvara, remaining unaffected by the ups and downs in life.
 
Imagine an adult and a child walking inside a haunted house within an amusement park. Though both of them see and hear the same things, they have different reactions. The child thinks that the ghosts and the eerie noises are real and becomes afraid. The adult knows that everything inside is fake, it is unreal. So enjoys the thrill of the haunted house without being afraid.
 
The difference between the adult and the child is that the adult has knowledge about the cause of the ghosts and the noises. Similarly, Shri Krishna says that one who knows Ishvara as the cause of everything will develop an extremely positive attitude towards life. He will take failures as learning opportunities, not as triggers for depression. He will never question why something bad happened to him, knowing that it is a result of his prior actions.
 
One who has developed such an outlook towards life will worship Ishvara at all times. This is indicated by the worlds “maam bhajante”. He will experience sorrow only if he forgets that Ishvara is the cause of everything. When one has understood that Ishvara, as the cause of everything, also is the ultimate goal, then they become totally immersed in Ishvara, as described in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 10

02 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.3, ajam, anaadim, asammoodhaha, cha, chapter 10 verse 3, lokamaheshwaram, maam, martyeshu, pramuchhyate, saha, sarvapaapaihi, vetti, yaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 10

yo maamajamanaadim cha vetti lokamaheshwaram |
asammoodhaha sa martyeshu sarvapaapaihi pramuchhyate || 3 ||
 
One who knows me as birthless, causeless and lord of the universe, he is wise among all humans and is freed from all sins.
 
yaha : one who
maam : me
ajam : birthless
anaadim : causeless
cha : and
vetti : knows
lokamaheshwaram : lord of the universe
asammoodhaha : wise
saha : he is
martyeshu : among humans
sarvapaapaihi : all sins
pramuchhyate : freed from
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that one whose devotion in Ishvara has reached its pinnacle, one who understands Ishvara as the eternal lord of the universe, automatically develops this capacity of discrimination and becomes wise. Also, he is freed from all his sins. This is the end result of devotion.
 
The Gita places special emphasis on the quality of viveka or discrimination. It is the ability to differentiate between what is real and what is unreal. For some people, this comes easily but for most of us, it does not. Devotion is the solution. When we begin to hear about Ishvara’s glories, our vision and understanding about his true nature increases. We begin to realize that while everything in the world has a beginning and end, Ishvara is beyond time. We begin to see that he is everywhere, he is not confined to a certain space or location.
 
So when we see that Ishvara is present everywhere and everytime, beyond the realm of time and space, we automatically begin to understand that everything else is finite and transient. Our reactions to situations become calmer. If we come across a tough situation, we know that the timeless ever present Ishvara is in there, and so therefore the situation will be temporary and will not bother us anymore. We become “assammodaha” or wise, beyond all delusion.
 
Also, by hearing these glories, we realize that Ishvara is the one who is running the universe. When we identify ourselves with the controller of the universe, our ego, sense of doership and enjoyership automatically drops because we know that we are doing nothing, it is all Ishvara’s doing. When the sinner, which is nothing the sense of doership and enjoyership, is dropped, all our sins are destroyed in an instant.
 
Shri Krishna now beings to speak of Ishvara’s expressions, which is the main theme of this chapter. He first speaks about Ishvara’s inner, subtle expressions in the next few shlokas. He later speaks about his external, more visible expressions.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 9

29 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.34, aatmaanam, bhava, chapter 9 verse 34, eshyasi, eva, evam, maam, maama, madbhaktaha, madyaajee, manmanaahaa, matparaayanaha, namaskuru, yuktvaa

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 9

manmanaa bhava madbhakto madyaajee maama namaskuru |
maamevaishyasi yuktvaivamaatmaanam matparaayanaha || 34 ||
 
Keep your mind in me, become my devotee, perform actions for me, surrender to me. In this manner, engage yourself in me. By making me your goal, you will attain only me.
 
manmanaahaa : keep your mind in me
bhava : do
madbhaktaha : become my devotee
madyaajee : perform actions for me
maam : me
namaskuru : surrender to
maama : me
eva : only
eshyasi : attain
yuktvaa : engaged in
evam : in this manner
aatmaanam : yourself
matparaayanaha : make me your goal
 
Shri Krishna concludes the ninth chapter with a “take home message”. He gives us specific, tangible and practical instructions to bring the teachings of this chapter into our life. Having declared that this world is impermanent and devoid of joy, he wants us to follow a new way of life that orients us towards Ishvara and away from the world.
 
Let’s look at the most important instruction first. Shri Krishna wants us to make Ishvara as our sole goal in life. How does this work in practice? If for instance, we are ready to go to college, it should be in line with our svadharma so that we get skilled in performing our work. If we want to get married, it should be with the intention of serving our family and our parents. Any time we serve someone else, we are serving Ishvara.
 
Now once this goal is set, everything else falls into place. Shri Krishna wants us to keep on contemplating Ishvara and perform all our actions for Ishvara. The more we do this, the more will our ego get subdued, and this is how we will convert ourselves into a true devotee. We may encounter people and situations that are unpleasant, disagreeable and not to our liking. Even in the midst of this we should bow down and surrender to Ishvara, knowing that it is our past actions that are manifesting as unpleasant but temporary situations.
 
What is the end result? If we are ever engaged with Ishvara throughout our lives, if we make Ishvara our goal and refuge, we will certainly attain him. This attainment is explained in the sixth chapter as “Yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati”. We will not view the world as different from us. We will see Ishvara in all, and all in Ishavara.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade raajavidyaaraajaguhyayogo naama navamodhyaayaha || 9 ||