Category Archives: mahaabaaho

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 18

01 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.13, chapter 18 verse 13, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaaranaani, kritaante, mahaabaaho, nibodha, pancha, proktaani, saankhye, sarvakarmanaam, siddhaye

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panchaimaani mahaabaaho kaaranaani nibodha me |
saankhye kritaante proktaani siddhaye sarvakarmanaam || 13 ||
 
Learn these five factors for the accomplishment of all actions, O mighty armed, which are spoken of in the Saankhya in which actions culminate.
 
pancha : five
imaani : these
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed
kaaranaani : factors
nibodha : learn
me : from me
saankhye : Saankhya
kritaante : culmination of actions
proktaani : said
siddhaye : accomplishment
sarvakarmanaam : all actions
 
Shri Krishna begins describing the true nature of action with this shloka. Typically we tend to think we are responsible for initiating, executing and completing every action, from the simplest action like drinking a cup of tea, to a complex action like planning the construction of a 100 storey building. He says that there are other factors are play which are responsible for the accomplishment of all actions, as denoted by the Saankhya or Vedaanta. He also conveys to Arjuna that a new topic has started, by calling out his name.
 
In the fourth chapter, we came across a shloka which stated that all actions in their totality culminate in knowledge. There are two components to this knowledge. The first is that the self, the eternal essence, the aatmaa, is actionless, since there is no possibility of change or modification in something that is changeless. This leads us to the second component of knowledge, which is as follows. If I, the self, am not performing action, something else must be doing so. As long as we are not fully convinced that something else is performing actions, we will hold on to the notion that we are doing so.
 
A naive person sits in a bus and thinks that he is driving it. You have to convince him that he is not driving it, but it is the bus driver that is driving it. In the same way, Shri Krishna gives us a detailed analysis of action and its components, such that we may come to the right conclusion. We are naive in thinking that the I, the self performs action when the Saankhya, the Vedaanta tells us that we do not. Once we come to this conclusion, we will automatically renounce the doership of action, and consequently, free ourselves from the chain of action and reaction.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 18

20 Monday May 2013

Posted by in 18.1, chapter 18 verse 1, hrisheekesha, ichhaami, keshinishudana, mahaabaaho, prithak, sannyaasasya, tattvam, tyaagasya, veditum

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Arjuna uvaacha:
sannyaasasya mahaabaaho tattvamichhaami veditum |
tyaagasya cha hrisheekesha prithakkeshinishudana || 1 ||
 
Arjuna said:
O mighty armed, O Hrisheekesha, O slayer of Keshin, I wish to know the difference between sanyaasa and tyaaga.
 
sannyaasasya: sannyaasa
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed
tattvam : essence
ichhaami : I wish
veditum : know
tyaagasya : tyaaga
cha : and
hrisheekesha : O Hrisheekesha
prithak : difference
keshinishudana : slayer of Keshi
 
We now commence the eighteenth chapter, which is the final chapter of the Gita. It is the longest chapter, coming in at 78 shlokas. It is a summary of the entire Gita teaching condensed into one chapter. It addresses many topics and themes covered in the entire Gita, and ties up many loose ends as well. It is the most practical among all of the chapters, containing lessons applicable every aspect of our life. Arjuna begins this chapter with a question to Shri Krishna. He wants to know what is the difference between two terms – sannyaasa and tyaaga.
 
At a superficial level, both the terms have a common meaning which is renunciation. Arjuna probably had come across these terms being used in scriptures or chants, and wanted to know whether there was a difference. But this question is similar to his query in regards to the difference between karma yoga and jnyaana yoga in the third chapter, and the difference between karma yoga and karma sanyaasa in the fifth chapter. Broadly, he wants to know when to act and when not to act. It is a good question because the topic of karma contains many nuances that require clarification and elaboration, which are found in this chapter.
 
It is interesting to look at the three titles used by Arjuna to address Shri Krishna. Hrisheekesha is one who has conquered the senses. Mahabaaho is one who is mighty armed, one who has tremendous power and energy. Keshinisudana is one who has killed the demon Keshi, who is an enemy. Therefore, only one who has conquered the senses can gain power to destroy one’s internal and external enemies.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 14

10 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.5, avyayam, chapter 14 verse 5, dehe, dehinam, gunaahaa, iti, mahaabaaho, nibandhanti, prakritisambhavaahaa, rajaha, sattvam, tamaha

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sattvam rajastama iti gunaahaa prakritisambhavaahaa |
nibandhanti mahaabaaho dehe dehinamavyayam || 5 ||
 
Sattva, rajas, tamas, these gunaas born of Prakriti, O mighty-armed warrior, bind the imperishable body dweller to the body.
 
sattvam : sattva
rajaha : rajas
tamaha : tamas
iti : these
gunaahaa : gunaas
prakritisambhavaahaa : born of Prakriti
nibandhanti : bind
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed warrior
dehe : to the body
dehinam : body dweller
avyayam : imperishable
 
Shri Krishna beings the detailed analysis of Prakriti with two points. First, he breaks down Prakriti into its three components: the gunaas which are sattva, rajas and tamas. We have to note that the phrase “born of” in the shloka does not mean that Prakriti creates the three gunaas. It means that Prakriti itself is nothing but the three gunaas. Next, Shri Krishna states the effect of Prakriti on the Purusha, also known as the jeeva, the individual soul. He says that Prakriti binds or ties down the imperishable body dweller, the “dehi”, the jeeva, to the body.
 
Let us begin by understanding what the term “gunaa” means. From our point of view, gunaa is a state of mind. In just one day, we experience calmness, passion and lethargy, which are roughly equal to sattva, rajas and tamas respectively. From a broader point of view, gunaas refer to building blocks of the universe. Inert matter is tamas, action or dynamism is rajas, and harmony is sattva. Since we are primarily interested in liberation from our sorrow, we shall focus on the impact of the gunaas on our mind rather than their impact on the universe.
 
Now, if we have repeatedly heard that our self is imperishable and can never be bound, then how can the perishable gunaas bind the self? The answer is : the gunaas by themselves do not bind us. Ignorance of our true nature, followed by our mis-identification with the body, puts us in a situation where we ourselves allow the gunaas to take over control of our life.
 
Imagine that you have parked your car on the left side of road. A car that looks just like your car is also parked on the same road, but on the right side of the road. After you come out of the building and absent-mindedly think that the other car is yours, you are trapped. You see a new scratch on the car and get upset, you get a parking ticket and have to pay the fine, and so on. The other car has not “bound” you, but your incorrect knowledge has done so. We can also go back to the example of the child watching the boxing match. He is as though glued to the screen, while his grandmother is not. The TV does not bind him since it is is nothing but millions of red, blue and green dots of light. It is the child’s strong identification with the boxer that binds him.
 
Similarly, the individual soul which has mis-identified itself with the body, gets entrapped in the play of the three gunaas. In the next three shlokas, Shri Krishna takes up each gunaa one by one, and explains its power to bind the body in detail.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 11

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in 11.23, aham, bahoodaram, bahubaahooroopaadam, bahudamshtraakaraalam, bahuvaktranetram, chapter 11 verse 23, drishtvaa, lokaahaa, mahaabaaho, mahat, pravyathitaahaa, roopam, tatha, te

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roopam mahatte bahuvaktranetram mahaabaaho bahubaahooroopaadam |
bahoodaram bahudamshtraakaraalam drishtvaa lokaahaa pravyathitaastathaaham || 23 ||
 
Seeing your grand form with several mouths and eyes, O mighty armed, with several arms, thighs, feet and bellies, with fearful fangs, all beings are disturbed, and (so too am) I.
 
roopam : form
mahat : grand
te : your
bahuvaktranetram : with several mouths and eyes
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed
bahubaahooroopaadam : with several arms, thighs and feet
bahoodaram : with several bellies
bahudamshtraakaraalam : with fearful fangs
drishtvaa : seeing
lokaahaa : beings
pravyathitaahaa : disturbed
tatha : and
aham : I
 
Arjuna’s amazement turned into fear as he witnessed the transformation of Ishvara’s cosmic form. The “soumya roopa” or the pleasant form morphed into into the “ugra roopa”, the fear-inducing form. Shri Krishna’s kind, shining face was no more visible. It now was the face of a monster, with long sharp teeth that were “kaarala”, ready to take a bite.
 
When we see someone who has power but is benevolent and kind, we feel at peace. But when someone with power is clearly intent on causing destruction, we are afraid. When a general of a country army is disciplined and respects civilian authority, people are happy, otherwise he becomes a dictator and scares people. So therefore, seeing this terrible form of Ishvara, Arjuna saw that all beings in all of the worlds were cowering in fear of this form.
 
Why did Ishvara show this form to Arjuna? Didn’t Shri Krishna want everyone to remember his pleasant form only? There is a reason to this. Earlier, we learned about the tendency of our mind to demarcate certain aspect of the world as “good” or “bad”. But if we use the cosmic form as a means to meditate upon Ishvara, we need think like Ishvara. Ishvara comprises the entire creation where everything is necessary and everything has its place. We cannot demarcate anything good or bad. Only by discarding our prior conceptions of good and bad can we truly understand this terrible form of Ishvara.
 
What else about the form scared Arjuna? He continues in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 10

01 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.1, aham, bhooyaha, chapter 10 verse 1, eva, hitakaamyayaa, mahaabaaho, me, paramam, preeyamaanaaya, shrunu, vachaha, vakshyaami, yat

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Shree Bhagavan uvaacha:
bhooya eva mahaabaaho shrunu me paramam vachaha |
yattaham preeyamaanaaya vakshyaami hitakaamyayaa || 1 ||
 
Shree Bhagavan said:
Again, O mighty armed warrior, listen to my supreme statements, which I will say to you filled with delight, desiring your well-being.
 
bhooyaha : again
eva : also
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed warrior
shrunu : listen
me : my
paramam : supreme
vachaha : statements
yat : that which
aham : I
preeyamaanaaya : one who is delighted
vakshyaami : I will say
hitakaamyayaa : desiring well-being
 
After concluding the ninth chapter, Shri Krishna did not wait for Arjuna to ask a question because he knew that Arjuna wanted to hear more. He continued speaking because Arjuna was taking delight in the teaching. Good teachers know when to take questions and when to continue teaching so that the student is engaged and encouraged.
 
This chapter of the Gita is known as “Vibhooti Yoga”. It continues the theme of the seventh and ninth chapters by listing several vibhootis or expressions of Ishvara. Why are expressions important? Consider electricity which is invisible to our senses but is a source of great power. If we wish to learn more about electricity by watching a power outlet or a power line, we may not be able to understand electricity that much. But if we see a bright and colourful lamp, or medical equipment that helps save people’s lives, it is easier to appreciate the glory of electricity.
 
Ishvara is infinitely powerful than electricity but is also invisible and unknown to our senses. Only through knowing his expressions can we become aware of his presence, and gradually expand our vision to see the one Ishvara in everything. Shri Krishna is concerned with Arjuna’s well-being, so in that regard he wanted to reveal Ishvara’s glories to Arjuna. He calls these glories “paramam” or supreme because they enable us to transcend this world of name and form and access Ishvara.
 
Why is Ishvara invisible and unknown to our senses, and to other beings in the universe? This is explained next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 7

30 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in 7.5, anyaam, aparaa, chapter 7 verse 5, dhaaryate, idam, itaha, iyam, jagat, jeevabhootam, mahaabaaho, me, paraam, prakritim, tu, viddhi, yayaa

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apareyamitastvanyaam prakritim viddhi me paraam |
jeevabhootam mahaabaaho yayedam dhaaryate jagat || 5 ||
 
But, know this lower (nature as) different than my life-giving higher nature, O mighty-armed, by which this universe is upheld.
 
aparaa : lower
iyam : this
itaha : than
tu : but
anyaam : different
prakritim : nature
viddhi : know
me : my
paraam : higher
jeevabhootam : life-giving
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
yayaa : by which
idam : this
dhaaryate : upheld
jagat : universe
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna described his nature that was made up of 8 factors: 5 physical elements and 3 subtle elements. Now, he says that those 8 factors comprise the lower, or inferior, type of nature. It is different than the higher or superior nature, that is the life force of the universe. It functions as a force that holds the universe together.
 
A house is built out of bricks, wood, iron rods and so on. But the building blocks by themselves do not make a house. There has to be an integrating or unifying principle in the form of cement that holds the house together. Shri Krishna says that his higher nature is the cohesive force that upholds the universe. By using the word “jeeva-bhootam”, he is saying that he becomes the universal jeeva or being that makes the universe as a single entity rather than a disjointed chaotic mess.
 
Furthermore, it is this higher nature that becomes the experiencer of the entire universe as a subject. What does the word “subject” mean? Whenever we see something, two things are required: the subject (one who sees) and the object (that which is seen by the subject). If I see a sofa, then I am the subject, and the sofa is the object. The sofa can never become the subject because it is an inert object. Only conscious entities can become subjects. There is a spark in us, a conscious principle, that enables us to see, hear, touch, taste and smell, in other words, to become a subject.
 
Throughout our life, we seek knowledge about the world though several sources. But those studies only cover the world of objects, which is indicated here by the term “lower nature”. Only spirituality provides us knowledge about the subject, which is nothing but our own self.
 
So then, why are we talking about subject and object here? It is because Shri Krishna’s lower nature creates the world of objects, and his higher nature creates the world of subjects. When the universe originated, it split, as it were, into two aspects: the lower and the higher nature. The lower nature or prakriti is what we generally describe as the universe that we can see with our eyes and with our telescopes, in both its visible and invisible aspects.
 
That was the lower nature. The higher nature further split itself into subsets. Each subset became a jeeva, which is the conscious principle operating within each of us. That jeeva principle within us makes us a subject, an experiencer.
 
Therefore, with these two shlokas, Shri Krishna has covered everything in the world – subject and object, inert and conscious, experiencer and experienced, building blocks and unifying force. But what is common between them? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 6

15 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in apratishtha, brahmana, chapter 6 verse 38, chinnabhram, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, iva, kashchit, mahaabaaho, nashyati, pathi, ubhaya, vibhrashtaha

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kashchinnobhayavibhrashtashchinnabhramiva nashyati |
apratishtha mahaabaaho vimoodhaa brahmanam pathi || 38 ||
 
Unsuccessful in both ways, with no worldly glory, distracted in the spiritual path, doesn’t the seeker get destroyed like a scattered cloud, O mighty armed?
 
kashchit : doesn’t
ubhaya : both
vibhrashtaha : unsuccessful (seeker)
chinnabhram : scattered cloud
iva : like
nashyati : destroyed
apratishtha : without any worldly glory
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed
vimoodhaha : distracted
brahmana : spiritual
pathi : path
 
Arjuna further elaborates upon his question to Shri Krishna with regards to the promise of meditation. To understand this better, let’s examine a saying in Hindi : “dhobi ka kutta, na ghar kaa na ghaat kaa”. Loosely translated, it refers to a situation where someone has two jobs but because he cannot do either job properly, he loses from both sides in the end.
 
Arjuna wanted Shri Krishna to tell him whether someone who follows the spiritual path, but is not able to attain fulfillment, ends up in a similar situation. Arjuna uses the analogy of a cloud that neither provides rain, nor does it vanish. This in-between situation makes it an easy target for winds to scatter the cloud from one place to another.
 
If we were to frame this as an economic problem, Arjuna is speaking about opportunity cost, which is the loss incurred in one activity by spending time in another activity. If the seeker devotes a large amount of his time and effort towards meditation, but fails to attain the desired outcome, is it worth it? He could have very easily have devoted this time to worldly pursuits and obtained wealth, status and thereby secured his worldly position.
 
Instead, the seeker is “ubhaya-vibhrashta” or unsuccessful from both sides. One side is “apratishtha” or lack of worldly glory, and the other is “vimoodha brahmana pathi” or distracted in progress on the spiritual path. Arjuna, the pragmatic soldier, does not want to get into such a compromising position. He adds one more element to this question in the next shloka, after which he lets Shri Krishna answer.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 35, Chapter 6

12 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in abhyaasena, asamshayam, cha, chalam, chapter 6 verse 35, durnigraham, grihyate, kaunteya, mahaabaaho, manaha, tu, vairagyena

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
asamshayam mahaabaaho mano durnigraham chalam |
abhyaasena tu kaunteya vairagyena cha grihyate || 35 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
Indeed, the mind is hard to restrain and fickle, O Kaunteya. But through constant discipline and dispassion, O Kaunteya, it can be controlled.
 
asamshayam : indeed
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed
manaha : the mind
durnigraham : hard to restrain
chalam : fickle
abhyaasena : constant discipline
tu : but
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
vairagyena : dispassion
cha : and
grihyate : controlled
 
Having heard Arjuna’s question with regards to the difficulty of controlling the mind, Shri Krishna responded by first agreeing with Arjuna’s statement. This no doubt provided a dose of encouragement to the ever-diligent student Arjuna. By referring to Arjuna as the son of Kunti, Shri Krishna also hinted that a son of such a valiant mother is capable of undertaking the formidable challenge of taming the mind.
 
Shri Krishna then said that the mind, though hard to restrain, can be controlled through constant discipline and dispassion, it can be controlled. Shri Krishna provided a two-pronged approach to controlling the mind, and in doing so, summarized the entire spiritual technique of the Gita.
 
When we transition from college to the workplace, we have to learn new ways of doing things, and also, we have to unlearn some habits. Any transition requires learning new ways and dropping old ways. Abhyaasa or discipline is what we have to learn and practice. Materialistic and desire-oriented thinking is what we have to give up or unlearn through the practice of constant dispassion.
 
First, let us look at abhyaasa or discipline. It is the technique of constant hearing, contemplation and internalization of knowledge (shravanam, mananam and nidhidhyaasana) that reveals our true self. Due to ignorance inherent in the human condition, we forget our true self and think that we are this finite body, mind and intellect. We need to continually hear the knowledge of the eternal essence to remove this ignorance. But even before we can reach a stage where we can hear such knowledge, we first need to clear our mind of impurities in the form of selfish desires, and the notion of doership and enjoyership.
 
That is why Shri Krishna prescribed the practice of karma yoga in order to first clear the mind of selfish desires. Karma yoga slowly leads to karma sanyaasa, where we slowly give up the notion of doership and enjoyership. Only then will the mind be able to contemplate upon and internalize the knowledge of the self through meditation. This is abhyaasa or constant discipline.
 
But this is not enough. We have to give up our attachment to people, objects and situations so that our mind stops becoming agitated. This can only happen when we stop and check the mind each time it rushes out into the world, and examine whether we will truly get joy through the object that the target of the mind.
 
If the mind gets excited when it sees our favourite fried dish, we have to examine whether or not that dish has the capability to give us permanent joy, or whether it sows the seed for future sorrow, perhaps in the form of cholesterol or even indigestion. Such a constant, disciplined investigation automatically brings forth dispassion.
 
So therefore, with the two-pronged approach of constant discipline and dispassion, we can slowly purge the mind of unwanted desires, leaving room for contemplation and meditation. But what if someone attempts to meditate without controlling the mind? Shri Krishna answers this question in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 5

09 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.6, aaptum, ayogataha, brahma, chapter 5 verse 6, duhkham, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, mahaabaaho, munih, nachirena, sannyaasaha, tu, yogayuktaha

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sannyaasastu mahaabaaho duhkhamaaptumayogataha |
yogayukto munirbrahma nachirenaadhigachchati || 6 ||

For renunciation, O mighty-armed, is difficult to attain without yoga. The contemplative person established in yoga swiftly attains the eternal essence.

sannyaasaha : renunciation
tu : for
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
duhkham : difficult
aaptum : to obtain
ayogataha : without yoga
yogayuktaha : established in yoga
munih : contemplative person
brahma : eternal essence
nachirena : swiftly
adhigachchati : attains

In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that for a seeker that has not fully exhausted his desires, bypassing the first stage of karmayoga will make attainment of the eternal essence difficult. The best option is to start with karmayoga, because like the yoga of knowledge, it too will yield the same result of self-realization.

To understand this, let us examine a different question: Why are there so few PhDs in the world? It takes a certain kind of person to obtain a PhD. One has to be ready to spend most of their life in a lab. One has to do what it takes to get their experiment right. They have to survive on their petty stipend for several years. And all this is for the sole objective of discovering something that benefits mankind.

Similarly, not many people can minimize their worldly activities so much that they retire to an ashram to gain knowledge from a teacher. For most of us, the pull of our desires is so strong that we will continue to work in this world. Therefore, liberation has to come from our actions, not through renunciation.

Furthermore, Shri Krishna also mentions a caveat about action. One should not perform actions just like that. Karmayoga advocates thoughtful action, where one thinks before one acts. The biggest obstacle in moving forward spiritually is our ego. It creates selfish desires that move us towards the material world. So when we performs actions thoughtfully, in other words, when we ensure that our actions are performed without attachment towards the result, our selfish desires automatically get slowly eliminated.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 5

07 Wednesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.3, bandhaat, chapter 5 verse 3, dveshti, hi, jneyah, kaanshati, mahaabaaho, na, nirdvandvaha, nitya, pramuchyate, saha, sannyasee, sukham, yaha

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jneyah sa nityasannyaasee yo na dveshti na kaanshati |
nirdvandvo hi mahaabaaho sukham bandhaatpramuchyate || 3 ||

He who does not hate anything, nor expects anything, know him to be an eternal renouncer. For one who is free from duality, O mighty-armed, he happily casts off bondage.

jneyah : know
saha : that
nitya : eternal
sannyaasee : renouncer
yaha : he who
na : does not
dveshti : hate anything
na : does not
kaanshati : expect anything
nirdvandvaha : free from duality
hi : for
mahaabaaho : O mighty-armed
sukham : happily
bandhaat : bondage
pramuchyate : casts off

During the time of the Mahabhaarata war, and even now, there existed a fixed ideal of what it means to become a renouncer, which was that one runs away from the world to some remote place. Shri Krishna needed to change that ideal completely. So he defines what it means to be a renouncer or sannyaasi in this shloka. A renouncer is one who completely gives up his ego, not external objects and situations.

In that regard, Shri Krishna says that if we have three qualities: freedom from hatred, expectation and duality, that person is a true renouncer. Firstly, if something is obstacle to happiness, or someone is giving us sorrow, we generate hatred for that person or object. Secondly, if we always keep thinking that we will become happy in the future, we generate expectations, taking consciousness away from the present and into the future. Finally, if we only get attracted to certain aspects of our existence, the other aspects will torture us and bind us. This is what is meant by duality.

So therefore, one who has become free from these 3 qualities has truly renounced the material world, even if he continues to perform his duties. This is a high standard indeed. Having clarified the definition of snanyaasi, Shri Krishna compares a sannyaasi to a karmayogi in the next shloka.