Category Archives: macchitaha

Bhagavad Gita Verse 58, Chapter 18

16 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.58, ahankaaraat, chapter 18 verse 58, macchitaha, matprasaadaat, sarvadurguni, shrosyasi, tarishyasi, vinamksyasi

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macchitaha sarvadurguni matprasaadaattarishyasi |
atha chettvamahankaaraanna shrosyasi vinamksyasi || 58 ||
 
With your mind fixed on me, you will overcome all challenges through my grace. However, if you do not listen out of egoism, you shall be destroyed.
 
macchitaha : mind fixed on me
sarvadurguni : all challenges
matprasaadaat : through my grace
tarishyasi : overcome
atha : but
chet : however
tvam : you
ahankaaraat : out of egoism
na : not
shrosyasi : listen
vinamksyasi : destroyed
 
We notice a sudden shift in Shri Krishna’s tone here. Having completed the Gita discourse, he wants to bring Arjuna back to solving his original dilemma, whether to fight in a battle against his kinsmen, or whether to flee the battlefield and live the life of a monk. In the first chapter, we saw that Arjuna had completely broken down due to this dilemma, and had accepted Shri Krishna as his teacher to resolve it. Furthermore, at several points in the Gita discourse, Arjuna had asked questions that indicated his desire to flee the battlefield, rather than fight.
 
As the discourse came to its conclusion, Shri Krishna wanted to clearly point out to Arjuna that observing his duty as a warrior was the solution to his dilemma. This also meant that he had to stop listening to his ego, and listen to Ishvara. In fact, he had to completely submit himself to Ishvara’s will, by fixing his mind or chitta on Ishvara, and accepting the results of all actions as praasaada, a gift from Ishvara. Shri Krishna promised Arjuna that he will overcome all durguna, all challenges, if he performed his duty in this fashion.
 
However, like Arjuna, most of us harbour extremely strong egos, that have become hardened over the course of our life, and probably, of several lives. We have strong attachments, strong likes and dislikes that can cloud our thinking, just like strong attachment to family clouded Arjuna’s thinking. Only a qualified teacher, a guru, can raise us from the level of ego-driven living, and guide us towards the path of selfless service. Following the command of the ego can only lead us to vinaasha or destruction in the form of entrenchment in the material world.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 57, Chapter 18

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.57, bhava, buddhiyogam, chapter 18 verse 57, chetasaa, macchitaha, matparaha, mayi, sanyasya, sarvakarmaani, satatam, upaashritya

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chetasaa sarvakarmaani mayi sanyasya matparaha |
buddhiyogaamupaashritya macchitaha satatam bhava || 57 ||
 
Mentally surrender all actions to me, designate me as the supreme goal, fix your mind on me by depending upon the yoga of intellect.
 
chetasaa : mentally
sarvakarmaani : all actions
mayi : to me
sanyasya : surrender
matparaha : me as supreme goal
buddhiyogam : yoga of intellect
upaashritya : depending upon
macchitaha : mind fixed on me
satatam : always
bhava : make
 
Shri Krishna summarizes karma yoga and bhakti yoga in this shloka. As we saw in the previous shloka, we need to continue performing our duty, and not to worry too much if we inadvertently perform a prohibited action, and to consider Ishvara as the one and only one aashraya, the ultimate refuge. How does this actually work in practice? A step by step approach towards karma yoga and bhakti yoga is enumerated in this shloka for the convenience of the seeker.
 
First, the seeker should fix Ishvara as his ultimate goal. This is mat paraha, one who is completely oriented towards Ishvara. Next, such a seeker should surrender all his actions to Ishvara. In the ninth chapter, Shri Krishna had said – whatever you do, whatever you consume, whatever you offer or donate, and whatever penance you perform, submit it to me. This is sarvakarmaani sanyasya. Nothing is done for selfish ends such as wealth, power, position, vanity and so on. All is done for Ishvara only.
 
Now, when the seeker faces challenges in life, he needs to have a method to deal with them. Equanimity is the answer. All actions are performed with full awareness and knowledge, as an offering to Ishvara. No action is perform haphazardly. Once the action is complete, the seeker should neither be attached to success, nor to failure. Such an attitude will only develop as a result of accepting every object, person or situation encountered in life as a gift or a praasada from Ishvara. This is buddhi yoga, as described in the second chapter.