Category Archives: me

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 18

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by in 18.4, bharatasattama, chapter 18 verse 4, me, nishchayam, purushavyaaghra, samprakeertitaha, shrunu, tatra, trividhaha, tyaagaha, tyaage

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nishchayam shrunu me tatra tyaage bharatasattama |
tyaago hi purushavyaaghra trividhaha samprakeertitaha || 4 ||
 
Hear from me the truth on this issue of giving up, O foremost among Bharataas. For giving up, O foremost among men, has been declared to be of three types.
 
nishchayam : truth
shrunu : hear
me : my
tatra : on this issue
tyaage : giving up
bharatasattama : foremost among Bharataas
tyaagaha : giving up
hi : for
purushavyaaghra : foremost among men
trividhaha : three types
samprakeertitaha : declared
 
After listing differing viewpoints on the topic of karma yoga, Shri Krishna proceeds to provide the correct understanding to Arjuna. Before we delve into Shri Krishna’s answer, let us go through the viewpoints and analyze their merits. The most extreme viewpoint from the previous shloka advocated the complete abandonment of all actions. We have already seen in earlier chapters that it is impossible for the human body to remain without performing actions for its survival. Therefore, this viewpoint is impractical and has to be rejected.
 
A less extreme viewpoint advocated the abandonment of all selfish actions. Even this is impractical since it is impossible for someone to suddenly quit performing only selfish actions and continue with the rest. So we can reject this viewpoint as well. Two other viewpoints remain. One is performing actions that are obligations towards our fellow human beings, towards Ishvara and towards ourselves. The other is to remove our attachment towards the rewards of all actions.
 
Shri Krishna begins providing his definition by first praising Arjuna for asking the clarifying question, since it gives an opportunity to summarize the teaching of karma yoga for all future students of the Gita. Arjuna gets two wonderful titles from Shri Krishna, bhratasattama and purushavyaagraha. Shri Krishna also indicates that he will classify tyaaga or giving up actions into three types, saattvic raajasic and taamasic. In fact, a major portion of this chapter will continue this theme of three fold classification.

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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 13

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.3, chapter 13 verse 3, kshetram, me, saha, samaasena, tat, yaadrika, yadvikaari, yataha, yatprabhaavaha

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tatkshetram yachcha yaadrika cha yadvikaari yatashcha yata |
sa cha yo yatprabhaavashcha tatsamaasena me shrunu || 3 ||
 
And what is that field, and of what is its nature, and what are its modifications, and from where it was born; and who is he and what are his powers, listen from me in brief.
 
tat : that
kshetram : field
yat : which
cha : and
yaadrika : what is its nature
cha : and
yadvikaari : what are its modifications
yataha : from where it was born
cha : and
yat : who is
saha : he
cha : and
yaha : what
yatprabhaavaha : his powers
cha : and
tat : that
samaasena : in brief
me : from me
shrunu : listen
 
Since we covered a lot of ground in the prior two shlokas, let us do a quick recap. Shri Krishna said that there is only one kind of knowledge that has to be known by a seeker: that there are several bodies or conditionings called fields, and there is just one knower of the field that is as though limited by these bodies due to ignorance or avidyaa. Since there is a lot more to be said about this subject, Shri Krishna lists all the relevant topics that he has to cover.
 
With regards to the kshetra, the field, we have to learn about what it is, what are its characteristics, how does it undergo modifications and what it its source. With regards to the knower of the field, the kshetragnya, we have to also learn what it is, what are its powers and what are its effects. This is the theoretical aspect of this chapter. All this will be covered in just a few shlokas, or “in brief” from Shri Krishna’s standpoint, but we will study it elaborately.
 
Another topic that will be covered in this chapter is the comparison between the individual and the world, how does the individual come in contact with the world, how does he transact with the world, and what are the means of knowledge he can use to maintain the awareness of the field and its knower throughout his life. This is an extremely practical and useful aspect of this chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 12

30 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.20, ateeva, bhaktaaha, chapter 12 verse 20, dharmyaamritam, idam, mat, me, paramaahaa, paryupaasate, priyaha, shradyadhaanaa, te, tu, uktam, yatha, ye

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ye tu dharmyaamritamidam yathoktam paryupaasate |
shradyadhaanaa matparamaa bhaktosteteeva me priyaha || 20 ||
 
Therefore, those who partake of this nectar of law described here, endowed with faith, keeping me as the goal, those devotees are extremely dear to me.
 
ye : those who
tu : therefore
dharmyaamritam : nectar of law
idam : this
yatha : here
uktam : described
paryupaasate : partake
shradyadhaanaa : endowed with faith
mat : me
paramaahaa : goal
bhaktaaha : devotees
te : those
ateeva : extremely
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
Shri Krishna began listing the attributes of perfected devotees starting from the thirteenth chapter. In this shloka, he concludes this topic by highlighting two key attributes of such devotees: shraddha or faith, and making Ishvara as their ultimate goal, “matparamaahaa”. He terms the teaching of this chapter as the nectar of dharma. We can interpret the word dharma to mean the universal law of nature from the ninth chapter, or also as the nine fold bhaagvat dharma of Prahlaada that was explained earlier in this chapter.
 
Why are faith and goal-setting given such importance in bhakti or the path of devotion? Consider a child who eventually wants to study at one of the top universities in the world. Until he reaches a stage where he can qualify to attend that university, get selected for admission and begin his coursework, he needs to have faith in the notion that graduating from that university will significantly improve his life. That faith will propel him to set the single-pointed goal of academic success, work hard, to keep aside all distractions and to not give up. Only when he actually graduates will he not need faith anymore, because he has achieved what he set out to achieve. But until them, it is only faith in the goal that keeps him going.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that those devotees who have fixed Ishvara as the goal, and that who have unwavering faith in that goal, are extremely dear to him. Devotees who love Ishvara without having known him first are devotees of the highest caliber, since it is more difficult to love something without having first known it. Such devotees, who do not need to become monks but just diligently worship Ishvara with form, are assured of liberation by Ishvara himself. This is the concluding message of the twelfth chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade bhaktiyogo naama dvaadashodhyaayaha || 12 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 12

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.19, aniketaha, bhaktimaan, chapter 12 verse 19, mauni, me, naraha, priyaha, santushtaha, sthiramatihi, tulyanindaastutihi, yena kenachita

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tulyanindaastutirmauni santushto yena kenachita |
aniketaha sthiramatirbhaktimaanme priyo naraha || 19 ||
 
To whom praise and insult are same, who is silent, content with anything, who is without a home, with unwavering mind, a person who is such a devotee is dear to me.
 
tulyanindaastutihi : praise and insult are same
mauni : one who is silent
santushtaha : content
yena kenachita : with anything
aniketaha : without a home
sthiramatihi : unwavering mind
bhaktimaan : devotee
me : me
priyaha : dear
naraha : person
 
Shri Krishna continues summarizing the twelfth chapter in this shloka by listing further attributes of the perfected devotee. He first says that both praise and insult have no effect on the devotee. Praise and insult are usually targeted towards a person’s name. But the devotee, having given up all identification with his name, does not care whether he is praised or insulted, just like the sky does not get affected whether someone throws roses at it or dirt. The devotee is also a mauni, one who remains silent. Here, the silence does not refer to verbal silence but to silence of desires and thoughts that are devoid of Ishvara as their basis.
 
The ocean is not affected whether it gets a torrential downpour or no rain at all. It happily accepts whatever comes its way because it is content with itself. Similarly, the devotee is content in his constant devotion to Ishvara, and therefore accepts whatever comes his way without any complaint. The devotee also does not have an attitude of possession towards anything, including his home. Like the wind that comes and goes anywhere as it pleases, the devotee considers the entire world his home and is attached his house, his physical body, his mind, his intellect or his desires.
 
As we proceed along the path of devotion, we will notice that our mind shifts between giving reality to the world as part of Ishvara, and giving reality to the world as separate from Ishvara. As long as we give reality to the world as an independent entity, we can never get rid of our unfulfilled desires, and the attachment to the world that results from those desires. A perfected devotee is one whose mind is fixed on giving reality to the world as a part of Ishvara, giving up all selfish desires in the process. Shri Krishna says that a person who harbours all these attributes is fit to be called a naraha, a human being, in the true sense of the world. Such a devoted person is very dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 12

27 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.17, bhaktimaan, chapter 12 verse 17, dveshti, hrishyati, kaanshati, me, na, priyaha, saha, shochati, shubhaashubhaparityaagee, yaha

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yo na hrishyati na dveshti na shochati na kaanshati |
shubhaashubhaparityaagee bhaktimaanhyaha sa me priyaha || 17 ||
 
He who neither rejoices nor hates, neither rejoices nor grieves, he who has given up good and bad, he who is (such a) devoted person, he is dear to me.
 
yaha : he who
na : not
hrishyati : rejoices
na : not
dveshti : hates
na : not
shochati : grieves
na : not
kaanshati : desires
shubhaashubhaparityaagee : given up good and bad
bhaktimaan : devoted person
yaha : he who
saha : he
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna described the attitude of a perfected devotee towards the performance of actions. He now elaborates upon the attitude of a perfected devotee towards situations, objects, thoughts and emotions that he encounters. These may come to him either as a result of his actions or as a matter of course in his daily life.
 
When we usually encounter a situation or obtain an object, we are either attracted to it, repulsed by it or are indifferent to it. Attraction generates desires that are stored in our mind, and repulsion generates negative desires, a list of things we would like to stay away from. If we eventually get the favourable object, or hold on to the favourable situation long enough, we become “harshita”, we rejoice. But if we lose that object or situation, which is bound to happen sometime, we become “shochita”, we grieve. Attraction, revulsion, desire, hatred, joy, grief – this is how most of us usually operate.
 
The perfected devotee, however, has tackled this problem at its root. He has stopped labelling any object, person, situation or thought as either good or bad, because it is exactly this labelling that starts the chain reaction of attraction, desire, joy and sorrow. He is like the model student who does not label his teacher’s feedback as good or bad, whether it be praise or criticism, because he has the utmost faith in his teacher. The perfected devotee accepts all objects and situations as Ishvara’s blessings, does what he has to do, and moves on. Shri Krishna says that one who accepts whatever comes with way due to his faith and devotion to Ishvara, is dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 12

25 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.16, anapekshaha, chapter 12 verse 16, dakshaha, gatavyathaha, madbhaktaha, me, priyaha, saha, sarvaarambhaparityaagee, shuchihi, udaaseenaha, yaha

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anapekshaha shuchirdaksha udaaseeno gatavyathaha |
sarvaarambhaparityaagee yo madbhaktaha sa me priyaha || 16 ||
 
One who is without expectation, pure, dextrous, unconcerned, fearless, renouncing all new initiatives, he who is such a devotee of mine, he is dear to me.
 
anapekshaha : without expectation
shuchihi : pure
dakshaha : dextrous
udaaseenaha : unconcerned
gatavyathaha : fearless
sarvaarambhaparityaagee : renouncing all new initiatives
yaha : he who
madbhaktaha : my devotee
saha : he
me : to me
priyaha : dear
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna explained the attitude of the perfected devotee when dealing with other people. Now, he explains the perfected devotee’s attitude towards action. It is not a surprise to us that the perfected devotee is also a perfected karma yogi. He has understood the art of performing any action, big or small, in line with Shri Krishna’s teaching on karma yoga, thereby achieving perfection in action.
 
To begin with, the perfected karma yogi is shuchihi or pure. His mind has been purged of selfish desires, leaving room only for actions pertaining to his duties or svadharma. If the action is not part of his svadharma, he doesn’t undertake new initiatives unnecessarily. Also, he dedicates the results of his actions to Ishvara. This enables him to give up apekshaa or expectations about the result, as well as concern about what happened in the past. He is udaaseenaha, unconcerned and unattached, not because he does not care about the action, but because he doesn’t get attached to the result of the action.
 
With no mental agitations caused by future expectations or past anxiety, the karma yogi performs actions with great dexterity and fearlessness. “Yogaha karmasu kaushalam” – dexterity in action is karma yoga as we saw in the second chapter. The karma yogi devotes all his attention and brings great focus to the task at hand, keeping all distractions aside. He also performs the work as an emissary of Ishvara, which removes any notion of fear, hesitation or doubt from his mind. Shri Krishna says that this type of devotee, the perfected karma yogi, is very dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 12

24 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.15, cha, chapter 12 verse 15, harshaamarshabhayodvegaihi, lokaat, lokaha, me, muktaha, na, priyaha, udvijate, yaha, yaha : who saha, yasmaat

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yasmaannodvijate loko lokaannodvijate cha yaha |
harshaamarshabhayodvegairmukto yaha sa cha me priyaha || 15 ||
 
By whom no one is agitated, and who is not agitated by anyone, who is free from excitement, irritation, fear and agitation, he is dear to me.
 
yasmaat : by whom
na : not
udvijate : agitated
lokaha : any one
lokaat : by any one
na : not
udvijate : agitated
cha : and
yaha : who
harshaamarshabhayodvegaihi : excitement, irritation, fear, agitation
muktaha : free from
yaha : who
saha : he
cha : and
me : to me
priyaha : dear
 
Wikipedia defines a “roast” as follows: A roast is an event, almost exclusively in the United States, in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and therefore, show their good nature. It is seen by some as a great honour to be roasted, as the individual is surrounded by friends, fans, and well-wishers, who can receive some of the same treatment as well during the course of the evening. The party and presentation itself are both referred to as a roast.
 
In our life, when we are dealing with other people, it is inevitable that we will experience a whole host of emotional reactions to what those people say to us. Four common reactions are excitement on hearing something pleasant, irritation on hearing something unpleasant, fear on hearing something worrisome, and agitation when meeting someone that has the upper hand in the conversation. But in a “roast”, the individual happily accepts all sorts of abuses and insults, because he knows that they are coming from his friends and well-wishers, people that he knows as his own, not separate from him. At the end of the roast, the individual in turn insults and abuses the people that insulted him earlier, and no one feels any ill-will towards him for the same reasons.
 
Similarly, the devotee who considers everyone and everything as the play of Ishvara, including himself, has no reason to take anything personally. His sense of self is not the small ego that most of us consider as our “I”. He has identified with Ishvara who runs multitudes of universes. Any sort of insult, agitation or fear dissipates instantly because he views the insult, the insulter and the recipient of the insult as Ishvara. He thinks of it as a play where his friends are the actors and directors. Shri Krishna says that such a person who is free from agitations, and who does not agitate any one else, is dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 12

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.14, arpita, chapter 12 verse 14, dridhanishchayaha, madbhaktaha, manobuddhihi, mayi, me, priyaha, saha, santushtaha, satatam, yaha, yataatmaa, yogee

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santushtaha satatam yogee yataatmaa dridhanishchayaha |
mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktaha sa me priyaha || 14 ||
 
The yogi who is always contented, self controlled, with firm conviction, who has dedicated his mind and intellect to me, he who is such a devotee of mine is dear to me.
 
santushtaha : contented
satatam : always
yogee : yogi
yataatmaa : self controlled
dridhanishchayaha : firm conviction
mayi : to me
arpita : dedicated
manobuddhihi : mind and intellect
yaha : he who
madbhaktaha : my devotee
saha : he
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
Most of us derive contentment from people, objects and situations in the world, most notably after consuming a delicious meal. Contentment is a state where the mind does not want anything else from the world. But, this state is temporary because the contentment has been triggered by something that is temporary and finite, like food for example. Shri Krishna says that the yogi, the perfected devotee, derives contentment from Ishvara within himself, therefore he does not need to become a bhogi, one who runs after material objects for contentment. He is “satatam santushta”, even contented.
 
Another quality of a perfected devotee is a firm conviction that only Ishvara exists, and that the world does not exist independently of Ishvara. Most of us assume that the world has an independent existence. We attach all sorts of values to it. causing our intellect to generate innumerable goals and convictions around those values. The perfected devotee sees only Ishvara everywhere, and therefore is ever steadfast in his conviction that only Ishvara exists.
 
This “dridha nishchaya” or firm conviction is demonstrated by the devotee’s submission of mind and intellect in Ishvara, and also, the control of the mind, body and senses. When the intellect is convinced that only Ishvara exists, and when the mind thinks only of Ishvara, the devotee does not need any other special yogic technique to control the organs of action and the sense organs. Selfish desires are the cause of the mind, body and senses deviating from prescribed actions. When there is only the desire for Ishvara, they can never deviate. Shri Krishna says that the perfected devotee is a “satatam yataatmaa”, one who has complete self control at all times.
 
Here Shri Krishna concludes the line of thought that he began in the previous shloka by asserting that the devotee who has inculcated these traits is very dear to Ishvara. These eight shlokas starting from the thirteenth shloka are one of the most famous and beloved shlokas in the Gita.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 12

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.2, aaveshya, chapter 12 verse 2, maam, manaha, mataahaa, mayi, me, nityayuktaa, parayaa, shraddhayaa, te, upaasate, upetaahaa, ye, yuktatamaahaa

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
mayyaveshya mano ye maam nityayuktaa upaasate |
shraddhayaa parayopetaaste me yuktatamaa mataahaa || 2 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
Those who, fixing their mind in me, are constantly engaged in my worship, endowed with supreme faith, those are superior in yoga, in my opinion.
 
mayi : in me
aaveshya : fixing
manaha : mind
ye : those who
maam : my
nityayuktaa : constantly engaged
upaasate : worship
shraddhayaa : with faith
parayaa : supreme
upetaahaa : endowed
te : those
me : my
yuktatamaahaa : superior in yoga
mataahaa: opinion
 
Previously, Arjuna had asked Shri Krishna to select which type of devotees were better between those who worship Ishvara as the formless unmanifest, and those who worship him as an entity endowed with form. Shri Krishna begins by describing those devotees who worship Ishvara endowed with form. He says that such devotees are the most superior yogis because they are constantly engaged in worship of Ishvara, full of supreme faith.
 
Three qualities of a superior yoga are highlighted here. Firstly, we as devotees should be able to fix our mind on Ishvara, using all the instruction given in chapter six and other places as well. In the initial stages of meditation, keeping our mind on Ishvara even for ten minutes is quite an achievement. Secondly, we have to be “nitya yuktaa”, the ability to remain constantly engaged in worship, without letting the mind divert itself to other pursuits. Thirdly, we need to be endowed with supreme and unwavering faith.
 
Even though these qualities may seem easy to attain on the surface, they are not so. Shri Krishna chooses words that indicate that he is looking for the highest kind of concentration and faith. For example, he uses the word “aaveshya” to describe concentration, but what it really means is using our thoughts to enter, to penetrate into the object of concentration. This kind of concentration requires a highly purified mind, free from selfish likes and dislikes and from attachment to material concerns. Our degree of faith further reinforces the ability to remain focused on our object of concentration.
 
So then, what is Shri Krishna’s opinion on those devotees who worship Ishvara as the unmanifest? This comes next.