Category Archives: maam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 8

04 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.7, anusmara, arpita, asamshayam, buddhihi, cha, chapter 8 verse 7, eshyasi, eva, kaaleshu, maam, manaha, mayi, sarveshu, tasmaat, yudhya

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tasmaatsarveshu kaaleshu maamanusmara yudhya cha |
mayyarpitamanobuddhirmaamevaishyasyasamshayam || 7 ||
 
Therefore, remember me at all times and fight. One who offers his mind and intellect to me attains me only, without a doubt.
 
tasmaat : therefore
sarveshu : all
kaaleshu : times
maam : me
anusmara : remember
yudhya : fight
cha : and
mayi : to me
arpita : offer
manaha : mind
buddhihi : intellect
maam : me
eva : only
eshyasi : attains
asamshayam : without a doubt
 
Shri Krishna gives the ultimate teaching to all of mankind in this shloka. Since the thought at the time of death determines our fate after death, and the thought of death is an outcome of our lifelong thinking, Shri Krishna instructs us to remember Ishvara at all times and perform our duties.
 
Let us examine this instruction further. We are not asked to give up our duties, retire to a forest and constantly think of Ishvara there. Shri Krishna wants us to first remember Ishvara, and then perform duty consistent with our svadharma. The result of leading such a life is that we will attain Ishvara certainly. There is no doubt in this matter.
 
With this instruction, meditation takes on a whole new dimension. Typically, we confine meditation to something that we do for fifteen to thirty minutes, sitting in a solitary place as instructed in the sixth chapter. We now realize that those instructions were meant to prepare us for the kind of meditation that Shri Krishna wants us to pursue: 24/7 meditation of Ishvara.
 
How can this be possible? Our mind can only think of one thought at a time. So the way to meditate continuously is to somehow understand that everything we see, do and know is Ishvara.
 
Now we understand why Shri Krishna defined the terms brahma, karma, adhibhuta, adhideva, adhyaatma, adhiyagnya at the beginning of the chapter, because all those are nothing but Ishvara. If, while performing any action, we know that the actor, the action, the instrument, the process and the result – everything is Ishvara – we will never forget Ishvara.
 
Even if this kind of thinking is not possible for us in the beginning, we can emulate the mind of a mother who, regardless of what she is doing, always thinks about her child in the background. By practising meditation on our favourite deity we develop an attachment to it, so that we can recall it every time we feel distant from Ishvara.
 
So therefore, by practicing meditation constantly on Ishvara, we should strive to change our thinking such that our final thought will be nothing but Ishvara. This constant meditation upon Ishvara is called upaasanaa.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 8

02 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.5, antakaale, asti, atra, cha, chapter 8 verse 5, eva, kalevaram, maam, madbhaavam, muktvaa, na, prayaati, saha, samshayaha, smaran, yaati, yaha

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antakaale cha maameva smaranmuktvaa kalevaram |
yaha prayaati sa madbhaavam yaati naastyatra samshayaha || 5 ||
 
One who, even during the time of departure, abandons his body while remembering me, he achieves my true nature, in this matter there is no doubt.
 
antakaale : during the time of departure
cha : and
maam : me
eva : even
smaran : remembering
muktvaa : abandons
kalevaram : body
yaha : one who
prayaati : goes
saha : he
madbhaavam : my nature
yaati : achieves
na : no
asti : is
atra : in this matter
samshayaha : doubt
 
The remainder of this chapter is the answer to the fundamental questions raised by Arjuna : “How does one attain Ishvara at the time of death?” Having addressed all the other questions, Shri Krishna begins to answer that most important question in this shloka. He says that only the one who remembers Ishvara at the time of death will attain Ishvara.
 
We now have a definite “action item” from Shri Krishna. He asserts that our final goal in life should be this: to remember Ishvara at the time of death. Shri Krishna assures it is so, because he says “in this matter there is no doubt”. It is clearly spelled out for us.
 
At first glance, it may seem straightforward. All we have to do is to remember Ishvara at the time of death. But it is not so. In most cases, we may not know when we die. We could die in an accident. We could have lost our mental faculties. Our attachment towards our family will occupy our minds. There are so many factors that will prevent us from remembering Ishvara only at the time of death.
 
So then, how do we get around this problem? Shri Krishna addresses it shortly. First, he explains why our thought at the time of death is so important.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30 Chapter 7

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.30, adhibhoota, adhidaivam, adhiyagnyam, api, cha, chapter 7 verse 30, maam, prayanaakaale, sa, te, viduhu, ye, yuktachetasaha

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saadhibhootaadhidaivam maam saadhiyagnyam cha ye viduhu |
prayanaakaalepi cha maam te viduryuktachetasaha || 30 ||
 
Those who know me with “adhibhoota”, “adhidaiva” and “adhiyagnya” with a focused mind during the time of departure, they realize only me.
 
sa : with
adhibhoota : “adhibhoota”
adhidaivam : “adhidaiva”
maam : me
sa : with
adhiyagnyam : “adhiyagnya”
cha : and
ye : those who
viduhu : know
prayanaakaale : during the time of departure
api : also
cha : and
maam : me
te : they
viduhu : realize
yuktachetasaha : focused mind
 
Studying the Gita is akin to taking off in an airplane. Each chapter takes us to a higher and higher level of understanding. In this, the final shloka of the seventh chapter, we are taken from the level of the individual to the level of the cosmic. Shri Krishna introduces a topic that all of us have to confront: how should we prepare ourselves for death ?
 
We cannot begin to answer this question unless we gain an understanding of the cosmos, where did it come from, how is it sustained, where is it going and so on. Therefore, Shri Krishna in the eighth chapter shifts gears to address these questions.
 
Here, he introduces three additional terms: “adhibhoota”, “adhidaiva” and “adhiyagnya”. These terms along with the 3 terms from the previous shloka will be explained in the beginning of the next chapter. He also says that the wise devotee who has his mind focused on Ishvara realizes or attains Ishvara.
 
Let’s say we only think of chocolate ice cream for an entire day, non-stop. We do not let any other thought come into our mind. When we wake up the next day, what would be our first thought? Chocolate ice cream, of course. Similarly, Shri Krishna says that whatever we think just before we die shapes our destiny after we die. If we think of something worldly during the time of death, our destiny will be worldly. But if we think of Ishvara during our time of dying, we will attain Ishvara.
 
Now, although we like to plan our lives to the nth degree, none of us knows when we will die. If that is the case, the thought that is top priority in our minds will become our final thought. If we are worried about our job all the time, that will be our last thought. If we are worried about our family all the time, that will be our last thought. If we are worried about our the state of the world all the time, that will be our last thought.
 
Therefore, the practical lesson here is that we should learn to direct our attention towards Ishvara while we are performing our duties on this world. How exactly we should do this, as well as how the cosmos came into existence, is the topic of the eighth chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shrimadbhagavadgitasu upanishadsu brahmavidyayaam yogashastre shrikrishnaarjunasamvade jnyaanavignyaanayogonaamo saptamodhyaahaha || 7 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 7

25 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.29, adhyaatmam, akhilam, ashritya, brahma, cha, chapter 7 verse 29, jaraa, karma, kritsnam, maam, marana, mokshaaya, tat, te, viduhu, yatanti, ye

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jaraamaranamokshaaya maamashritya yatanti ye |
te brahma tadviduhu kritsnamadhyaatmam karma chaakhilam || 29 ||
 
Those who strive for liberation from old age and death seeking my refuge, they know “brahman” as well as “adhyaatma” and “karma” completely.
 
jaraa : old age
marana : death
mokshaaya : for liberation from
maam : my
ashritya : taken refuge
yatanti : strive
ye : those who
te : they
brahma : brahman
tat : that
viduhu : know
kritsnam : completely
adhyaatmam : adhyaatma
karma : karma
cha : and
akhilam : entire
 
As a prelude to the eighth chapter, Shri Krishna introduces a series of technical terms that a devotee needs to know the meaning of in order to gain access to Ishvara. The terms are listed in this shloka and the next shloka, whereas the meaning of the terms is explained in the beginning of the eighth chapter.
 
Who exactly is this devotee? Shri Krishna says that it is that devotee who is striving. In other words, he is performing karma yoga for purification of his mind and intellect, and has become ready for meditation. But this devotee is not driven by blind faith. He is a jnyaani or wise devotee.
 
So now, what should the wise devotee have knowledge of? Three technical terms are mentioned in this shloka : brahman, adhyaatma and karma. Some more terms will be added in the next and last shloka of the seventh chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 7

24 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.28, actions te, antagatam, bhajante, chapter 28 verse 7, dridhavrataahaa, dvandvamoha, janaanaam, maam, nirmuktaa, paapam, punyakarmanaam, tu, yesham

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yesham tvantagatam paapam janaanaam punyakarmanaam |
te dvandvamohanirmuktaa bhajante maam dridhavrataahaa || 28 ||
 
But, those people of meritorious actions whose sins have been exhausted, they, freed from the delusion of duality, worship me with firm determination.
 
yesham : those who
tu : but
antagatam : exhausted
paapam : sin
janaanaam : people
punyakarmanaam : meritorious actions
te : they
dvandvamoha : delusion of duality
nirmuktaa : freed
bhajante : worship
maam : me
dridhavrataahaa : firm determination
 
The delusion of duality, as we saw earlier, is a condition that we are cast into right from birth. This delusion further strengthens maaya that prevents us from accessing Ishvara. Having explained the condition of most people who are trapped in this situation, Shri Krishna now describes the people who have come out of maaya. He says that only those who have conducted enough meritorious acts and wiped out their sins acquire the firm resolution to directly access Ishvara.
 
Let us revisit what exactly is meant here by merits and sins. What is a sin? Any time that our mind and senses drag us into the world, and force us to conduct actions born out of selfish desire, we commit a sin. When this happens again and again, it adds to the moha or delusion that blocks our discrimination or viveka.
 
Conversely, whenever we perform an unselfish action that is in line with our svadharma or duty, we commit a merit. In doing so, we do not add to the stock of delusion, but in fact purify our mind.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that only those who perform unselfish actions are fit to approach Ishvara. The message is clear: do your duty because it is the only way to contact Ishvara. Karma yoga, seen from this vantage point, reasserts its importance.
 
Next, Shri Krishna begins to conclude this chapter by planting the seed of the next chapter in two shlokas. They deal with the fundamental question of our ultimate liberation.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 7

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.26, aham, arjuna, bhavishyaani, bhootaani, cha, chapter 7 verse 26, kashchana, maam, na, samateetaani, tu, vartamaanaani, veda

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vedaaham samateetaani vartamaanaani chaarjuna |
bhavishyaani cha bhootaani maam tu veda na kashchana || 26 ||
 
I know those beings who used to exist, who exist now, and who will exist in the future, O Arjuna, but no one knows me.
 
veda : know
aham : I
samateetaani : those who have existed
vartamaanaani : those that exist
cha : and
arjuna : O Arjuna
bhavishyaani : those who will exist
cha : and
bhootaani : beings
maam : I
tu : but
veda : know
na : not
kashchana : anyone
 
In continuing the topic of maaya, Shri Krishna makes it very clear that maaya or the limitations of space and time do not have any impact on Ishvara. He says that Ishvara does not identify with any one form, therefore he has knowledge of all forms in the past, present or future. In other words, Ishvara transcends time.
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna had said that Ishvara is like a string that goes through all the beads in a necklace, which is a poetic way of saying that Ishvara is beyond space. So therefore, we can conclude that Ishvara is beyond space and time.
 
Looking at it differently, we who inhabit the world of three dimensions cannot understand the dimensionless Ishvara. When viewing a live broadcast, we are conscious of the time aspect because we cannot know how the broadcast will end. But if we are viewing a recorded program, we have the ability to go backwards and forwards in time and see all the events regardless of when they took place. Time as a concept ceases to exist if we have that ability.
 
Similarly, from Ishvara’s standpoint, there is no such thing as the past, present or future, because the concept of time does not exist for him. That is how he can have knowledge of everyone that was alive, is alive and will be alive.
 
What is the implication for us? The only way to know Ishvara completely is to surrender to him and take refuge in him. This means knowing that we do not have an independent existence or power apart from Ishvara. We need to lose our identity in Ishvara, become one with Ishvara.
 
Now, if we know that Ishvara alone is the truth, that alone is going to give infinite happiness, why don’t we really strive to know that Ishvara? Why is it that we get stuck here and there?This is answered in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 7

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 25, 7, abhijaanaati, aham, avyayam, ayam, chapter 7 verse 25, lokaha, maam, moodhaha, na, prakaashaha, samaavritaha, sarvasya, yogamaayaa

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naaham prakaashaha sarvasya yogamaayaasamaavritaha |
moodhoyam naabhijaanaati loko maamajamavyayam || 25 ||
 
Concealed by yoga maaya, I am not visible to everyone. Foolish people do not recognize me as unborn and unchanging.
 
na : not
aham : me
prakaashaha : visible
sarvasya : everyone
yogamaayaa : yoga maayaa
samaavritaha : concealed
moodhaha : foolish
ayam : this
na : do not
abhijaanaati : recognize
lokaha : people
maam : me
ajam : unborn
avyayam : unchanging
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna stated the fundamental problem that most people have with regards to understanding the nature of Ishvara. A mental limitation forces people to think of Ishvara as a visible, finite entity. Here, Shri Krishna provides the reason for this mental limitation. He says that Ishvara is hidden from us due to the power of maaya.
 
Our mind is trained to recognize two things: space and time. We can only see, hear, touch, smell and taste objects in space. We can also perceive changes in those objects, which is nothing but the time aspect. So, we are unable to perceive anything that is beyond space and time. We can say that space and time is maaya, or the three gunaas of prakriti known as sattva, rajas and tamas are maaya.
 
Shri Krishna says that Ishvara has disguised himself in a dress, as it were, made of maaya. Our senses can perceive only maaya. Therefore, we fail to comprehend Ishvara, who is beyond maaya, just like the light of the sun blinds us from seeing the sun itself. Those who think that only the visible is real and the visible is unreal are called moodha or foolish. They fail to see the real nature of Ishvara which is beyond birth and death.
 
But if we cannot pierce through maaya, can Ishvara do so? We shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 7

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.23, alpamedhasaam, antavat, api, bhavati, chapter 7 verse 23, devaan, devayajaha, maam, madbhaktaaha, phalam, tat, teshaam, tu, yaanti

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antavattu phalam teshaam tadbhavatyalpamedhasaam |
devaandevayajo yaanti madbhaktaa yaanti maamapi || 23 ||
 
But, those with finite intellect obtain a perishable result. Worshippers of deities obtain those deities, (and) my devotees obtain me alone.
 
antavat : perishable
tu : but
phalam : result
teshaam : of those
tat : that
bhavati : obtain
alpamedhasaam : people of finite intellect
devaan : deities
devayajaha : those who worship
yaanti : obtain
madbhaktaaha : my devotee
yaanti : obtain
maam : me
api : alone
 
We saw that there were two kinds of devotees – those who pursue finite goals and those who pursue the infinite. Earlier, Shri Krishna said that there was nothing wrong with pursuing finite goals as long as such devotees eventually involve towards pursuing the infinite.
 
Why do most devotees contact a deity, someone or something that is higher than them? It is to acquire or obtain a goal that will relieve them of their finitude. Let’s say they worship a deity and manage to obtain the object that they desire. Shri Krishna says that no matter what object is acquired, it will perish at some point. In other words, that object will be time-bound or space-bound. It will make the person happy for a short amount of time, after which he will begin to feel finite and consequently unhappy. The cycle of seeking another finite goal will start all over again.
 
Devotees who do not see the folly of repeatedly acquiring finite things are termed “alpa-medhasaa” or finite-minded by Shri Krishna. They will never be free of sorrow but will manage to suppress it temporarily. They are deprived of the knowledge which indicates the true nature of Ishvara. That is why we should never stop enquiring into the reality of things, and try to look beyond the material world for the real answers to our problems.
 
Shri Krishna goes on to say that those who worship deities may eventually obtain the favour of the deity, who will shower them with his grace. Though commendable, this outcome will still be futile, because the deity is still a finite entity. Only those who seek the infinite Ishvara will gain infinitude by which their sense of finitude or incompleteness will be taken care of once and for all.
 
So then, there has to be reason why most people do not seek infinitude. This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 7

15 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.19, ante, bahoonaam, chapter 7 verse 19, iti, janmanaam, jnyaanavaan, maam, mahaatmaa, prapadyate, saha, sarvam, sudurlabhaha, vaasudevaha

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bahoonaam janmanaamante jnyaanavaanmaam prapadyate |
vaasudevaha sarvamiti sa mahaatmaa sudurlabhaha || 19 ||
 
At the end of several births, the wise one seeks my refuge knowing that Vaasudev is everything. Such an individual is supreme and extremely rare.
 
bahoonaam : several
janmanaam : births
ante : end of
jnyaanavaan : the wise one
maam : my
prapadyate : seeks refuge
vaasudevaha : Vaasudev
sarvam : everything is
iti : in this manner
saha : he
mahaatmaa : supreme individual
sudurlabhaha : extremely rare
 
Shri Krishna previously pointed out that the wise devotee is special because he does not use Ishvara to gain anything else but Ishvara. He treats Ishvara no different than his own self. Here, Shri Krishna emphasizes the fact that such people, who know that the ultimate cause of everything is Ishvara, are extremely rare and exalted. In fact, it has taken them several lives worth of effort to get to this stage.
 
Let us examine the nature of this effort that has led to this vision of the wise devotee. This effort is of two types – the dawning of knowledge that there is a single cause behind everything, and the surrender of one’s ego to that single cause or Ishvara. There is no specific order in which these can happen first, but both are necessary. The individual who has gone through so much effort to get to this stage is most certainly rare and privileged.
 
Now, we need to be careful in how we interpret the second half of this shloka. “Vaasudev” means one who resides in all, as well as one in whom everything and everyone resides. In other words, the phrase “Vaasudev is everything” denotes “Ishvara is everything”. If we get stuck with the image of “Vaasudev”, if we forget that Vaasudev is an indicator for the one Ishvara, we will begin to develop a fanatic attitude towards people who worship other deities.
 
Next, Shri Krishna elaborates on the topic of worship for finite gain.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 7

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.17, aasthitaha, aatmaa, anuttamaam, chapter 7 verse 18, eva, gatim, hi, ite, jnyaanee, maam, matam, me, saha, sarva, tu, udaaraaha, yuktaatmaa

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udaaraaha sarva evaite jnyaanee tvaatmaiva me matam |
aasthitaha sa hi yuktaatmaa maamevaanuttamaam gatim || 18 ||
 
All those are certainly sincere, but only the wise one is my own self, in my opinion. For, he engages to become established in me only as the ultimate goal.
 
udaaraaha : sincere
sarva : all
eva : certainly
ite : those
jnyaanee : the wise one
tu : but
aatmaa : self
eva : only
me : my
matam : opinion
aasthitaha : established
saha : he
hi : for
yuktaatmaa : he engages
maam : me
eva : only
anuttamaam : ultimate
gatim : goal
 
So far, Shri Krishna enumerated four types of devotees and singled out one of them, the wise one, as the most special type of devotee. This is because the wise devotee does not approach Ishvara for something else. He approaches Ishvara to gain only Ishvara and nothing else. Here, Shri Krishna adds another reason for singling out the wise devotee as special. The wise devotee considers Ishvara as his own self and not as another object.
 
First, let us look at the sense of oneness aspect. What is different between a good friend and an acquaintance? There is always a sense of “otherness” between ourselves and the acquaintance, but there is a sense of oneness with the good friend. We see this in a lot of proverbs: “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, “my house is your house” on so on. The ultimate closeness with a friend is when we do not see any difference between doing something for ourselves, and doing something for our friend. In other words, we see our friend as our own self.
 
Similarly, whenever we expect something from God, we are by definition treating him as someone different from our own self. Shri Krishna says that he prefers if we treat him as our own self. Such kind of devotion, where the seeker plants himself in Ishvara day in and day out, and melts his existence into Ishvara’s cosmic existence, is the greatest kind of devotion. This is also known as ekabhakti or advaita, where there is no duality between devotee and Ishvara.
 
However, the reality is different. Most of us consider Ishvara as different than ourselves. One colourful illustration of this is found in the Hindi phrase “bhee aur hee siddhanta” which means “also philosophy” vs “only philosophy”. In other words, we love material objects and Ishvara “also”. Shri Krishna says that we should love Ishvara “only” and not “also”.
 
Now, this does not mean that Ishvara gives second class treatment to the other three types of devotees. Shri Krishna says that those other devotees are “udaaraha” or sincere. Ishvara is affectionate towards all of them.
 
Having pointed out the unique aspects of the wise devotee, Shri Krishna highlights the scarcity of wise devotees in the next shloka.