Category Archives: na

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 7

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.12, aham, bhaavaaha, cha, chapter 7 verse 12, eva, iti, mattaha, na, rajasaaha, saatvikaaha, taamasaaha, taan, te, teshu, tu, viddhi, ye

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ye chaiva saatvikaa bhaavaa rajasaastaamasaashcha ye |
matta evati taanviddhi na tvaham teshu te mayi || 12 ||
 
And indeed, all saatvik qualities, and all raajasic and taamsic qualities, know those to be only from me. Know that I am not in them, but they are in me.
 
ye : all
cha : and
eva : indeed
saatvikaaha : saatvik
bhaavaaha : qualities
rajasaaha : raajasic
taamasaaha : taamasic
cha : and
ye : all
mattaha : from me
eva: only
iti : this
taan : those
viddhi : know
na : not
tu : but
aham : I am
teshu : in them
te : they
mayi : are in me
 
Shri Krishna began this chapter by indicating that Ishvara is the essence of everything. He also provided a short list containing tangible examples of his glories, which he concluded in the previous shloka. In this shloka, he summarizes this point by saying that the three fundamental aspects of prakriti or nature arise from Ishvara, but are subservient to Ishvara.
 
Sattva, rajas and tamas are the three aspects of prakriti or nature. A more detailed explanation of these three gunaas or aspects is provided in the 18th chapter. At the internal level, these aspects are the moods of our mind. A taamasic mind is dull, a raajasic mind is active and a saatvic mind is serene. Moreover, a saatvic object or thought is tied to knowledge, a raajasic object or thought is tied to activity and a taamasic thought or object is tied to ignorance, sloth or procrastination.
 
We see all these three aspects in our personality. The body is taamasic. It likes to be in stasis, it does not like to move. A lot of energy is required to move our bodies. Our limbs and our praanas or physiological processes are raajasic because they embody action and movement. Our mind and intellect are saatvic because they embody knowledge. Later in the Gita, Shri Krishna will classify everything, including desire and faith, into these three classications.
 
Now, all three aspects of prakriti cannot exist by themselves. Nothing can exist without a base or a support. Shri Krishna says that it is Ishvara who provides existence to these three aspects of prakriti. However, he qualifies that statement by pointing out that they are in Ishvara, but Ishvara is not in them. In other words, Ishvara can exist without the gunaas, but the gunaas cannot exist without Ishvara because they need his support.
 
What is the implication of this statement? Every object, person or situation that we encounter in this universe is comprised of a permutation of the three gunaas. All three gunaas are supported by Ishvara. Therefore, Ishvara is everywhere, behind every object, person and situation in this universe.
 
So then, what prevents us from knowing Ishvara? Shri Krishna covers this topic next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 7

03 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.7, anyat, asti, chapter 7 verse 7, dhananjaya, idam, iva, kinchit, maniganaaha, mataha, mayi, na, parataram, protam, sarvam, sootre

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mataha parataram naanyatkinchidasti dhananjaya |
mayi sarvamidam protam sootre maniganaa iva || 7 ||
 
Beyond me there is none other, not even a little. Like beads are pervaded by string, all this is in me.
 
mataha : my
parataram : beyond
na : no
anyat : none other
kinchit : even a little
asti : is
dhananjaya : O Dhananjaya
mayi : in me
sarvam : all
idam : this
protam : pervaded
sootre : on a string
maniganaaha : beads
iva : like
 
In this chapter, Shri Krishna urges us to see Ishvara as the ultimate cause of everything in this universe. To illustrate this point, he poetically portrayed Ishvara as the womb or the seed of everything, enabling us to develop the vision by which we can see Ishvara in everything. In this shloka, he makes us leap to a whole new level of vision by which we can not just see Ishvara in everything, but see everything in Ishvara.
 
Shri Krishna addresses Arjuna as the dhananjaya, the conquerer of wealth, and makes a bold statement. He says that other than Ishvara, there is nothing in this universe. This means Ishvara alone exists in the universe. Other than him, there is nothing else. Through a process that will be taken up in the next topic, we see this universe of names and forms instead of Ishvara.
 
The shloka provides a necklace as an illustration. This necklace comprises a string and a series of knots in the string, which appear as beads. So, if we were to view this necklace, we would register it as a string and beads. But our intellect would tell us that it is nothing but the string with some modifications in the form of beads.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna says that Ishvara pervades the entire universe just like this string pervades the entire necklace. When we apply our intellect, the necklace and the beads disappear, as it were, and only the string remains. Each bead contains the string, but the string contains all the beads. In other words, the string is all-pervading. With the knowledge that Shri Krishna imparts in this chapter, we should strive for piercing through the world of names and forms and only seeing Ishvara.
 
Is there a practical advantage to viewing the world in this manner? If we can begin to develop this vision, then all our so-called problems with objects, people and situations will disappear, because we will realize that the ultimate cause of everything is Ishvara. If everything is Ishvara, there is no concept of any duality, including joy or sorrow. It is all Ishvara.
 
Shri Krishna understands that such a vision is hard to develop. Our vision is used to seeing the tangible and not the intangible. So in order to help us in this path, he gives us some pointers that will help us see his glories or vibhootis.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 7

27 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in aham.savijnyaanam, anyat, asheshataha, avashishyate, bhooyaha, chapter 7 verse 2, idam, iha, jnyaanam, jnyaatavyyam, jnyaatvaa, na, te, vakshyaami, yat

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jnyaanam teham savijnyaanamidam vakshyaamyasheshataha |
yajnyaatvaa neha bhooyonyajnyaatavyyamavashishyate || 2 ||
 
Knowledge with wisdom, I shall tell you this completely, having known that, there will be nothing else left to know.
 
jnyaanam : knowledge
te : to you
aham : I shall
savijnyaanam : with wisdom
idam : this
vakshyaami : I will tell
asheshataha : completely
yat : that which
jnyaatvaa : having known
na : not
iha : this
bhooyaha : again
anyat : anything else
jnyaatavyyam : to be known
avashishyate : left
 
Shri Krishna had begun a new topic in this chapter, which is the technique by which we can know him as Ishvara in his entirety. Here, Shri Krishna says that he will reveal not just this knowledge, but also impart us wisdom. The wisdom is such that once we know it, there will be nothing else remaining to be known.
 
We spend our lives acquiring knowledge about new things. With the pace of change in the world today, we would not be able to know everything, even if we were to spend thousands of lifetimes gaining PhDs in all the sciences, arts, humanities and so on. Shri Krishna says that the wisdom or “vijnyaana” that he is going to impart will be such that once we know it, nothing else will remain to be known.
 
Let us see how this will be possible. We had seen the example of a goldsmith earlier who is not fascinated by the artwork or shape of the gold bangles, bracelets, necklaces and other ornaments that he comes across. All he cares about is the quantity of gold that is in each ornament. In other words, because he knows the cause as gold, he knows that the effect as the ornament, may differ in shape, but is gold in its essence. Knowledge is the shape of the different ornaments, wisdom is knowledge of their essential nature.
 
What will happen once I know this? Shri Krishna says that having known this, nothing else will remain to be known. It will be knowledge that is all inclusive. Also, it is knowledge that makes up complete, unlike worldly knowledge that reveals further holes as we study it more.
 
But if this is the case, why doesn’t everyone pursue this knowledge? This is taken up next.
 
Footnotes
 
1. The second half of the shloka is taken from the Mundaka Upanishad where the question is asked “Tell me that knowledge, knowing which, nothing else will remain to be known.”

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 6

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in amutra, chapter 6 verse 40, durgatim, eva, gachchati, hi, iha, kalyaanakrit, kaschit, na, paartha, taata, tasya, vidyate, vinaashaha

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
paartha naiveha naamutra vinaashastasya vidyate |
na hi kalyaanakritkashchiddurgatim taata gachchati || 40 ||
 
Shree Bhagavan says:
O Paartha, neither here nor there does his destruction ever happen, for whoever performs virtuous acts does not go into distress, my dear.
 
paartha : O Paartha
na : neither
iha : here
eva : ever
na : nor
amutra : there
vinaashaha : destruction
tasya : his
vidyate : happen
na : does not
hi : for
kalyaanakrit : performs virtuous acts
kashchit : whoever
durgatim : distress
taata : my dear
gachchati : go to
 
Arjuna had posed a question about the fate of a meditator who does not attain perfection before death. Shri Krishna responds by unequivocally asserting that nothing harmful or distressful will happen to the meditator while he is in this world, or in any other world. In fact, he will attain a better state, both from a material as well as spiritual standpoint.
 
We have to carefully parse the meaning of Shri Krishna’s words. He is in no way implying that the meditator will somehow attain material success due to his meditation. The common standard for attaining success in our world is wealth, power and fame, none of which is guaranteed as a result of meditation. Shri Krishna wants us to understand is that one who takes up meditation sincerely will automatically develop dispassion towards wealth, power and fame. He will not care whether he attains material success or not. So therefore, a lack of material success will not cause him distress.
 
But that does not mean that the meditator obtains a pitiable state. In fact, by sincerely practicing mediation, the seeker will be in tune and in harmony with the world. Then the world itself will take care of all the seeker’s needs. This is not an alien concept. When someone is in tune with any organization like one’s family, workplace or school, when that person puts the needs of the organization above his personal and selfish needs, the organization ensures that such a person receives whatever he wants, and also ensures that he does not get into any distress.
 
Here, Shri Krishna affectionately refers to Arjuna as “taata”. Usually this word refers to a father or a son. Here, the meaning is in line with the word “dear student”. By using this word, Shri Krishna shows his encouragement and appreciation for the frank and honest question posed by Arjuna.
 
Next, Shri Krishna addresses the second part of Arjuna’s question, which is : what happens to the meditator when he dies before gaining perfection in meditation?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 6

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in arhasi, aseshataha, chapter 6 verse 39, chhettaa, chhettum, hi, krishna, me, na, samshayam, samshayasyaasya, tvadanyaha, upapadyate

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etanme samshayam krishna chhettumarhasyasheshataha |
tvadanyaha samshayasyaasya chhettaa na hyupapadyate || 39 ||
 
To dispel this doubt of mine, O Krishna, only you are worthy. For, other than you, no one is fit to dispel this doubt.
 
etat : this
me : my
samshayam : doubt
krishna : O Krishna
chhettum : dispel
arhasi : you are worthy
asheshataha : completely
tvadanyaha : other than you
samshayasyaasya : of this doubt
chhettaa : one who can dispel
na : none
hi : for
upapadyate : is fit
 
Arjuna offers one last point in his question to Shri Krishna with regards to the promise of meditation. Earlier, Arjuna wanted to know the fate of the seeker who strives hard but does not reach the state of the perfected meditator before he dies. He then added an illustration of the cloud that is helplessly scattered by winds, comparing it to a seeker who achiever neither spiritual nor material success. Arjuna makes a final point in this question by reminding Shri Krishna that only he can answer this question.
 
By now, Arjuna had come to the conclusion that Shri Krishna was something more than his friend and charioteer. In some shlokas, Shri Krishna even referred to himself as Ishvara. Only one who is beyond the material world can answer a question that transcends the material world, and that is Ishvara himself. Therefore, Arjuna found it fit to ask such a question to Shri Krishna.
 
The answer to this question is given by Shri Krishna in the upcoming shlokas. These shlokas comprise the final portion of the sixth chapter.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 33, Chapter 6

05 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in agam, ayam, chanchalatvaat, chapter 6 verse 33, etasya, madhusudhana, na, pashyaami, proktaha, saamyena, sthiraam, sthitim, tvayaa, yaha, yogaha

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Arjuna uvaacha:
yoyam yogastvayaa proktaha saamyena madhusudhana |
etasyaaham na pashyaami chanchalatvaatsthitim sthiraaam ||
 
Arjuna said:
Of this yoga of equanimity that you have spoken of, O slayer of Madhu, I do not envision stability in that state, due to the fickle nature (of the mind).
 
yaha : of
ayam : this
yogaha : yoga
tvayaa : you have
proktaha : spoken of
saamyena : equanimity
madhusudhana : O slayer of Madhu
etasya : in that
aham : I
na : do not
pashyaami : envision
chanchalatvaat : due to fickle nature (of the mind)
sthitim : state
sthiraaam : stability
 
Arjuna was listening attentively to Shri Krishna’s discourse on meditation. As the discourse concluded, he asked Krishna, the slayer of the demon Madhu, a series of clarifying questions. The first question that Arjuna raised was : how can we remain established in the meditative state, when the mind is so fickle? He then further elaborates on this question in the following shlokas.
 
Arjuna, being the perfect student, summarized the entire discourse of the sixth chapter in one word: “saamyena” or equanimity. The end goal of meditation is not some magic power or levitation or anything like that. It is the ability to see the eternal essence pervading everything, and thereby develop an attitude of equanimity or sameness towards everything and everyone. This vision reaches its peak when we do not perceive any difference between us and the world, giving us everlasting peace and joy.
 
But, as Arjuna states, it is difficult for someone to maintain such a vision because the untrained mind will not allow it. It may be possible to develop that vision for a few seconds, maybe for a few minutes, but not more than that. Moreover, it is difficult to see one’s own self in someone we hate or dislike. If we try to see our self in such a person, the mind quickly changes that thought from “I am the self of that person” to “he did a bad thing to me last year”.
 
Arjuna further elaborates on the fickleness of the mind in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30, Chapter 6

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in aham, cha, chapter 6 verse 30, maam, mayi, me, na, naa, pashyati, pranashyaami, pranashyati, saha, sarvam, sarvatra, tasya, yaha

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yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati |
tasyaaham na pranashyaami sa cha me naa pranashyati || 30 ||
 
One who sees me in all, and sees all in me, to him I am not lost, and he is not lost to me.
 
yaha : one who
maam : me
pashyati : sees
sarvatra : in all
sarvam : all
cha : and
mayi : in me
pashyati : sees
tasya : to him
aham : I
na : am not
pranashyaami : lost
saha : he
cha : and
me : me
naa : is not
pranashyati : lost
 
Shri Krishna now speaks to us directly as Ishvara. He says that the devotee who sees him in everything, and also sees everything in him, will have a permanent connection to him. In other words, Shri Krishna will never appear as distant or invisible to that devotee. It may seem a little confusing to hear this statement right after the previous shloka that said that one should see everything in the eternal essence. How does Ishvara fit into the picture?
 
Let us refer to our running example of the wave and the ocean. Imagine that a young child sees the ocean for the first time. Her intellect can only grasp visual, grosser objects. So her attention will immediately go towards the ocean, its colour, its size, the sounds it makes, the waves and so on. It will not be obvious to her that everything is water, because she has not reached that intellectual level yet.
 
Shri Krishna fully knows that most of us are children, even babies, on the spiritual journey. It will take a long time for our intellects to see the eternal essence everywhere. So until our perception stops operating on the level of names and forms, we have to find an easier way to see the eternal essence everywhere.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that first, we should try to see everything in Ishvara and Ishvara in everything. Ishvara could be the form of Shri Krishna. It could be any other deity that we feel an affinity towards. It could also be our guru. No matter what form we choose, we should be able to view the form of Ishvara as the highest.
 
Now, most of us have the notion that Ishvara or God is a mysterious figure or force that is sitting far away in Kailash or Vaikuntha or somewhere us. But Shri Krishna, in the Gita, is telling us in this shloka that he is everywhere. It requires a radical shift in order to think this way. That is why in Indian culture, everything can become an object of worship, from a tree to a stone to a book, because Ishvara is present in everything. What is required is the understanding that comes through contemplation.
 
So therefore, if we truly begin to think that the whole world comprises Ishvara in our chosen form, there will never be a single moment where we are far from Ishvara.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 6

27 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatmasamstham, api, budhhyaa, chantayet, chapter 6 verse 25, dhritigrheetayaa, kinchit, kritvaa, manah, na, shanaih, uparamet

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shanaihi shanairooparamedbuddhyaa dhritigrheetayaa |
aatmasamstham manah kritvaa na kinchidapi chintayet || 25 ||
 
With firm resolve and regularity, slowly but surely, withdraw (the mind) through the intellect. Having established the mind in the self, do not think even a little bit about anything else.
 
shanaih : slowly
shanaih : slowly
uparamet : withdraw
buddhyaa : through the intellect
dhritigrheetayaa : with firm resolve and regularity
aatmasamstham : established in the self
manah : mind
kritvaa : do
na : not
kinchit : even a little bit about
api : anything else
chintayet : think
 
In the prior shloka, Shri Krishna advised the meditator to detach the mind from sense objects, and to control desires by checking unwanted thoughts. In this shloka, Shri Krishna goes deeper into the topic of focusing attention on one thought. He says that the meditator should use his intellect to withdraw the mind from all material thoughts in order to focus the mind on the one thought : “I am the self”.
 
In the third chapter, we had encountered the hierarchy of our personality where we saw that the mind is higher than the senses, and the intellect is higher than the mind. What does it mean for the meditator? It means that even though the mind is hard to control, our intellect has the power to rein it in. In other words, the meditator should use the intellect to control the mind.
 
The mind likes to be busy. It hops from one thought to another at lightning fast speeds. Once we withdraw the mind from the senses, the mind gets restless because it cannot run after sense objects. In order to keep busy, it starts thinking about the past and the future. So therefore, Shri Krishna asks us to use our intellect to rein in the mind. This withdrawal is called “buddhi uparamet” in the shloka.
 
How does one do that? Let’s take dieting as an example. Imagine that our doctor has asked us to go on strict diet for 2 weeks. Our first step is to control the senses by not keeping any undesirable food in the house. When this happens, the mind will continuously think about food, and tempt the body to do undesirable things, e.g. go out of the house to get fatty food and so on. The mind becomes agitated and restless, which is a recipe for disaster.
 
At this point, we use our intellect that has received the doctor’s instructions to check the mind. We think : “I respect the doctor. Therefore, mind, stop contemplating undesirable food since it will have negative consequences for me”. When we think this thought, we can control the mind’s rush into food-related thoughts.
 
Similarly during meditation, we can withdraw the mind using the intellect. We need to have an intellect that has read and heard about the eternal essence. It understands that any thought other than “I am the self” does not have a place in meditation. Each time an unwanted thought comes, we should use the intellect to gently but firmly shift focus from that thought and put the mind back into the main thought of “I am the self”.
 
Shri Krishna says that this method could take weeks, months or years. Therefore, he asks us to do it “shanaih shanaih” or slowly slowly, with great fortitude and patience. We should constantly meditate over the thought : “ I am the self”. Other than this thought, there should be no other thought. Each time the mind strays, we should not think that we have failed and get dejected. We should again bring the mind back slowly to the one main thought.
 
When done correctly, we generate a lot of energy will radiate from our personality. This “tapas” or energy was always within us, but used to leak out through our mind and sense organs.
 
Now, the mind has another issue. It moves from thought to thought with great speed. This is taken up in the next shloka.
 
Footnotes
1. Meditation on the thought that “I am the self” is called “sajaatiya vritti”
2. Any thought other than “I am the self” is called “vijaatiya vritti” or thought about an object 3. These undesirable thoughts create the notion that “I am not the self, I am the experiencer”
4. We have to negate these undesirable thoughts during meditation

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 6

24 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in adhikam, aparam, api, aysmin, cha, chapter 6 verse 22, gurunaa, laabham, labdhvaa, manyate, na, na duhkhena, sthitaha, tataha, vichaalyate, yam

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yam labdhvaa chaaparam laabham manyate naadhikam tataha |
yasminsthitho na duhkhena gurunaapi vichaalyate || 22 ||
 
Having obtained this gain, he does consider anything superior than that, established in which he cannot be agitated by the heaviest of sorrows.
 
yam : that
labdhvaa : having obtained
cha : and
aparam : no other
laabham : gain
manyate : consider
na : does not
adhikam : superior
tataha : than that
yasmin : in which
sthithaha : established
na : cannot be
duhkhena : from sorrow
gurunaa : heaviest
api : even
vichaalyate : agitated by
 
Elaborating further on the joy attained by the perfected meditator, Shri Krishna says that once the meditator gets this joy, he does not ascribe any importance to any other joy in the world. The joy of meditation becomes paramount. Also, this joy protects the meditator from the shocks of worldly life. Having gained the joy of meditation, he does not get agitated by any sorrow whatsoever.
 
As we saw earlier, any joy obtained in the material world is temporary. If someone becomes a manager, he aspires to become a senior manager. Once he becomes a senior manager, he experiences joy for some time, but then he aims for a so-called larger joy: he wants to become a director. And so the cycle continues.
 
We continually aim for greater and greater joys. In other words, we are always planning for future enjoyment. There will never come a point in life when we can say “yes, now my life is fulfilled”. Shri Krishna says that only meditation will give sense of true fulfillment and everlasting joy, incomparable to any worldly joy that we have experienced. Any worldly joy will pale in comparison to this joy. When one wins a lottery that pays millions, one does not go seeking pennies.
 
Next, Shri Krishna says that the person who becomes established in this joy of meditation is shielded from the impact of the most troublesome sorrows. Now, attainment of the joy in meditation does not mean that magically, all our sorrows will vanish. Till our human body exists, joy and sorrow will exist as well. But meditation will give us an armour that will protect us from all worldly sorrows. The inner strength provided by meditation will make us “shock proof”.
 
Let us imagine that we hear extremely disturbing news. What is our reaction typically? Our mind generates thoughts at a breakneck speed. If the sorrow is about a loss of a person, the storehouse of the mind (chitta) generates anxiety-ridded thoughts about the future (what will I do now, how will I survive, how will I adapt etc), memories of the past (it was so nice back in the day when I knew this person), and regrets (I should have done this). These are just a sample of the thousands of thoughts that the mind generates when learning of a disturbing event. For most of us, these thoughts destabilize us. But the meditator’s mind has become “set” in the eternal essence, it never loses its stability.
 
However, wee have to be careful before we give so much credit to the practice of meditation. Plain meditation without understanding, in other words, meditation without learning the content of the Gita thus far, does not give us this result. But if our intellect has diligently studied about the eternal essence – that it is beyond birth and death, that it is changeless, that it cannot be destroyed and so on – and our mind has become established in the eternal essence through meditation, the multitude of thoughts that hit our mind fail to destabilize us. We become like a rock that remains steady in a storm, not the tree that gets uprooted.
 
So therefore, meditation gives us the best of both worlds. It gives us joy independent of any future sorrow, and also protects us from the impact of heavy sorrows. In the next shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the sub-topic of the joy of meditation
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 6

23 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatyantaikam, ateendriyam, ayam, buddhigraahyam, cha, chalati, chapter 6 verse 21, eva, na, sthitaha, sukham, tat, tattvataha, vetti, yat, yatra

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sukhamaatyantikam yattadbuddhigraahyamateendriyam |
vetti yatra na chaivaayam sthitashchalati tattvataha || 21 ||
 
That infinite joy which is comprehended by the intellect but is beyond the senses, when he experiences that state and is established in it, he does not move away from his essence.
 
sukham : joy
aatyantikam : infinite
yat : that
tat : that
buddhigraahyam : comprehended by the intellect
ateendriyam : beyond the senses
vetti : experiences
yatra : in that state
na : does not
cha : and
eva : ever
ayam : he
sthitaha : established
chalati : move away
tattvataha : in his essence
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained that the perfected meditator taps into a source of permanent joy once he detaches the mind from the sense organs and connects it to his self. In this shloka, he elaborates on the nature of that joy. He says that this joy is infinite and is comprehended only by the intellect. Also, he says that once we are established in this joy, no external circumstance will knock us or take us away from this state.
 
Let us examine the nature of this joy. Shri Krishna says that it is aatyantikam or infinite. Now, the material world is an expert in giving us infinite sorrow. There are moments in our life when the degree of sorrow is low, and we tend to think that this is joy whereas in reality it is just a lower grade of sorrow. Any new object, person or situation that we encounter carries within it the seed for innumerable sorrows. But the joy that one gets from the self is infinite.
 
Why is the joy from the self infinite? All our worldly joys are dependent on external situations. For some of us, a perfect climate makes us happy, causing us to become sad if the climate changes. For some of us, a certain person makes us happy, so we become dependent on that person and consequently feel sad if that person leaves us. We keep creating subsets in the world: I like A, which means I don’t everything that is not A. But here’s the problem; A is finite and temporary. The joy experienced in the self is independent of all external situations that are temporary in nature. That is why it is infinite.
 
Another characteristic of this joy is that it is beyond the comprehension of the senses. Just like we cannot catch a satellite TV signal with a regular antenna, our senses cannot catch this joy. It is of a different wavelength altogether. It is only comprehended by our intellect, which operates at a much higher level than our mind and senses.
 
As an example, consider two teenagers who are at a party where everyone else is enjoying a cigarette. Both of them are offered a cigarette by their friends. The sense organs are reporting the same information to both the teenager’s intellects – that cigarette smoking is enjoyable and that all their friends are doing it. One teenager accepts the offer and takes a puff. But the other teenager has a refined intellect and it “sees” that this will only lead to sorrow in the end. In the same way, the intellect experiences joy that the senses cannot experience.
 
Shri Krishna further goes on to say that once the perfected meditator is established in this joy, he will never deviate from it. It is like a child learning that 2+2 = 4. Once he has internalized this teaching, it stays with him throughout his life. Similarly, once the perfected meditator realizes this self as his true nature, he will not feel the need to take on any other role or identification for the purpose of fulfillment.