Category Archives: na

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 5

16 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.13, aaste, chapter 5 verse 13, dehee, eva, kaarayan, kurvan, manasaa, na, navadvare, pure, sannyasya, sarvakarmaani, sukham, vashee

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sarvakarmaani manasaa sannyasyaaste sukham vashee |
navadvaare pure dehee naiva kurvanna kaarayan || 13 ||

Having mindfully renounced all actions, the conqueror remains established in bliss. The embodied one, in the city with nine gates, neither acts nor causes to act.

sarvakarmaani : all actions
manasaa : mindfully
sannyasya : having renounced
aaste : remains established
sukham : bliss
vashee : the conqueror (of mind and senses)
navadvaare : with nine gates
pure : city
dehee : the embodied one
na : not
eva  : ever
kurvan : acts
na : nor
kaarayan : causes to act

Having spoken about the karmayogi’s vision, Shri Krishna now provides an illustration of the enlightened seeker’s vision in these shlokas. The picture he paints here is that one who identifies himself with the eternal essence, knows that he is only a dweller in the body, just like the resident of a city knows that he is a dweller, who is totally distinct from the city.

Imagine that you move into a new city for a job. As part of the move, you begin to utilize the city’s services such as water, electricity, garbage collection, telephone, cable etc. But while you utilize these services, you know that you are a resident of the city. You don’t begin to think that you are directly responsible for running the city. For example, when you someone picks up the garbage, it is part of the city’s services. You are in no way “running” the services.

Similarly, the enlightened seeker knows that he is the eternal essence, which is a dweller in the body and separate from the body. The body is pictorially depicted as a city with nine gates, each gate being an orifice (ear, nostril, eye) and so on. So when the seeker uses his hands, for example, he knows that the body, mind and intellect are operating independently. The enlightened seeker is in actuality, doing nothing at all. Just like the resident knows that the city’s services operate by themselves, and he is just a witness, similarly the enlightened person knows that the self is just a resident in the body, totally separate from the body.

Another indication of the seeker’s state is that he has complete control of his senses, and that he has mentally renounced the notion of doership. He knows that it is the body, mind and intellect that is performing action. This is indicated in the first part of the shloka. The end result is that the seeker, knowing that he is separate and distinct from the actions of the body, mind and intellect, lives in complete bliss.

Footnotes

1. Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary of this shloka gives an indicator that differentiates an enlightened seeker from an ordinary seeker. Let’s say we ask someone the question: “where are you sitting?”. If the person answers “on a chair” etc, then he is an ignorant seeker. If he answers “I am always sitting in the body”, he is an enlightened seeker.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 5

13 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.10, aadhaaya, ambhasaa, brahmani, chapter 5 verse 10, iva, karmaani, karoti, lipyate, na, paapena, padma-patram, saga, sangam, tyaktvaa, yaha

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brahmanyaadhaaya karmaani sangam tvyaktvaa karoti yaha |
lipyate na sa paapena padmapatramivaambhasaa || 10 ||

Having offered all actions to the eternal essence, and having cast off attachments, he who performs actions does not get tainted by sins, just like water does not taint a lotus leaf.

brahmani : eternal essence
aadhaaya : offered
karmaani : all actions
sangam : attachment
tvyaktvaa : cast off
karoti : perform action
yaha : one who
lipyate : taint
na : do not
saha : him
paapena : sins
padma-patram : lotus leaf
iva : like
ambhasaa : water

Previously, we came across the vision of one who has realized the self. He knows that he is not the doer of all his actions. But what about the one who has not realized the self, and who is still working to sublimate his selfish desires? What is his vision?

In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that the person who has not realized the self (that includes most of us) offers all actions in a spirit of devotion to Ishvara. Shri Krishna reiterates that if one has selfish desires, karma yoga is the ideal path to follow. The karma yogi works for a higher ideal such as Ishvara, but one who does not follow karma yoga works for the ego.

Shri Krishna brings Arjuna back to karma yoga with this shloka. Arjuna harbours desires, therefore Shri Krishna does not want him to jump straight into the yoga of renunciation, which is a totally different level.

Now, let’s go a little deeper into the topic of attachment. Attachment can happen at four levels : attachment to the result of an action (I want a reward for singing this song), attachment to the action (I will sing a song only in my way), attachment to the sense of doership (I am singing this song) and attachment to the sense of non-doership (By not singing the song, I am the non-singer of this song). The first three are relatively easier to comprehend. The fourth one arises when one has not properly understood the notion of akarma or inaction from the fourth chapter.

So therefore, the karma yogi strives to transcend all four levels of attachment by offering results, actions, doership and non-doership to Ishvara. When he acts in the material world with such a vision, he does not accumulate any further desires, just like a lotus leaf does not get wet even though growing in water.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 5

11 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.7, api, chapter 5 verse 7, jitendriyaha, kurvan, lipyate, na, sarvabhootaatmabhootaatmaa, vijitaatmaa, vishuddhaatmaa, yogayuktaha

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yogayukto vishuddhaatmaa vijitaatmaa jitendriyaha |
sarvabhootaatmabhootaatmaa kurvannapi na lipyate || 7 ||

One who is established in yoga, who has conquered the mind, body and senses, one who sees his own self in all beings, even while acting is not tainted.

yogayuktaha : established in yoga
vishuddhaatmaa : one with pure mind
vijitaatmaa : one who has conquered the body
jitendriyaha : one who has control over senses
sarvabhootaatmabhootaatmaa : one who sees his own self in all beings
kurvan : while acting
na : does not
api : even while
lipyate : tainted

Imagine that a new factory has opened up in a small town, and the public has been invited to take tours of the factory. In one such tour, we have a businessman, an environmentalist, an engineer and a musician. As he is walking through the factory, the businessman’s first thought is about the amount of profit that this factory generates. The environmentalist thinks about the pollution caused by the factory. The engineer marvels at the brand new machines. And the musician loves the rhythm generated by the clanking machines. One’s vision gives an indication of how one’s mind works.

In this shloka, Shri Krishna illustrates the vision of one who is acting with the spirit of karma yoga. Even while acting, that person does not generate any further desires, because he has the same vision that a renouncer has. He sees the eternal essence everywhere, in himself as well as in everyone else. And like the example we saw earlier, his vision indicates that his entire personality, including his mind and intellect, have gained the knowledge of the eternal essence.

Furthermore, Shri Krishna reminds us that such knowledge is not possible without first bringing the body, mind and senses under control. Actions performed by such an individual do not “taint” him. Only when the sense of doership and enjoyership is present can actions can taint someone, in other words, cause further desires to sprout. When the ego behind actions has gone away, then those actions do not generate further desires.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 5

08 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.4, aasthitaha, api, baalaaha, chapter 5 verse 4, ekam, na, panditaahaa, phalam, pravadanti, prithak, saankhya, samyak, ubhayoha, vindate, yogau

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saankhyayogau prithagbaalaaha pravadanti na panditaahaa |
ekamapyaasthitaha samyagubhayorvindate phalam || 4 ||

Only children say that the yoga of knowledge and the yoga of action are different, wise people do not. One who is perfectly established in one, obtains the result of both.

saankhya : yoga of knowledge
yogau : yoga of action
prithak : different
baalaaha : children
pravadanti : say
na : not
panditaahaa : wise people
ekam : one
api : also
aasthitaha : established
samyak : perfectly
ubhayoha : both
vindate : obtain
phalam : result

Shri Krishna reiterates his message from third chapter in this shloka. He says that the path to attain self-realization is one, but it has two stages. In the first stage, the seeker performs actions per his svadharma, but focuses on checking and sublimating the ego while performing his actions. This stage is called karma yoga. When the seeker has exhausted the majority of his desires, he becomes ready for the next stage.

In the second stage, the seeker minimizes actions other than those performed for gaining knowledge through the guidance of a teacher. The second stage is possible only after the ego has been sublimated through renunciation. This stage is called karma sannyaasa.

Shri Krishna then goes on to say that only people who are ignorant of the connection between these two stages say that karma-sannyaasa and karmayoga are different paths. They also think that it is possible to bypass stage one and go straight to stage two. This ability to bypass stage one is only possible for a handful of advanced seekers in this world, seekers who have already sublimated their desires.

Therefore, having known this, he urges us to become wise people and to not think of the path to self-realization as two different paths. If we become established in one stage, we will automatically get the result of self-realization that one gets from pursuing the other stage. In other words, we should follow the one path that we are qualified for, and follow it properly.

How should a wise person look at these two stages? We will see in the next shloka.

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.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 4

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 4.41, aatmavantam, chapter 4 verse 41, dhananjaya, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, karmaanam, karmaani, na, nibhandanti, sanchinna, sannyasta, sanshayam, yoga

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yogasannyastakarmaanam jnyaanasanchinnasanshayam |
aatmavantam na karmaani nibhandanti dhananjaya || 41 ||

One who has renounced actions through yoga, one who has severed all doubts through knowledge, such a self-poised person is not bound by actions, O conqueror of wealth.

yoga : yoga
sannyasta: one who has renounced
karmaanam : actions
jnyaana : knowledge
sanchinna : severed
sanshayam : all doubts
aatmavantam : self-poised
na : do not
karmaani : actions
nibhandanti : bind
dhananjaya : O conqueror of wealth

Shri Krishna now begins to conclude the fourth chapter with this shloka. He re-emphasizes that one who follows the path of karma-sanyaasa, or renunciation of action, is liberated from all bondage. He refers to Arjuna as Dhananjaya, which means conqueror of wealth, because Arjuna had accumulated massive wealth from conquests of kingdoms. Also, he had gained wealth in the form of knowledge from Shri Krishna.

One who has attained the knowledge of self-realization acts without a sense of doership and enjoyership of action. It is important to note that renunciation of action refers to renunciation of doership and enjoyership, not renunciation of the action itself. Actions continue to happen. Furthermore, this yoga or prescribed methodology needs to be learned from a teacher, it is difficult to learn on one’s own.

Shri Krishna also reiterates the knowledge of self realization dispels all doubts in the seeker’s mind. Till this knowledge is attained, doubts such as who is the doer of action, who is the enjoyer of results, what is the relation of the self to action will remain. One who has gained this knowledge and dispelled all such doubts is called “aatmavant” or one who has gained knowledge of our own self.

A classic example here is that the space in a pot thinks that it is the pot. Once it knows that it is space, it immediately realizes that it is not subject to modifications like big or small, brown or white, moving or stationary and so on. From that point on, any change to the pot will not affect the space in the pot. Similarly, once our doubts vanish, our actions will not bind us.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 40, Chapter 4

01 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in 4.40, ajnyaha, ashradhaanaha, asti, ayam, cha, lokaha, na, paro, samshayaatmaa, sanshayaatmaa, sukham, verse 4 chapter 40, vinashyati

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ajnyashchaashraddadhaanashcha samshayaatmaa vinashyati |
naayam lokosti na paro na sukham sanshayaatmanaha || 40 ||

One who is ignorant, devoid of faith and who doubts constantly is destroyed. Neither in this world, nor in other worlds is peace attained by one who constantly doubts.

ajnyaha : ignorant
cha : and
ashradhaanaha : devoid of faith
cha : and
samshayaatmaa : one who constantly doubts
vinashyati : destroyed
na : not
ayam : this
lokaha : world
asti : is
na : neither
paro : other (worlds)
na : no
sukham : happiness
sanshayaatmanaha : one who constantly doubts

Having pointed out the qualifications needed in a seeker to gain knowledge of self-realization, Shri Krishna explains the obstacles, or “disqualifications”, that prevent us from accessing that knowledge. There are three main obstacles: ignorance, lack of faith, and constant doubting.

Fortunate are those who have had the chance to even come across something called spiritual knowledge, scriptures, Gita and so on. But unless one comes across a taste of the scriptures, one spends their entire life totally ignorant of the eternal reality behind the changing world. So it is this ignorance that becomes the obstacle towards the knowledge of self-realization.

Secondly, Shri Krishna says that one who lacks faith will never fully gain this knowledge. As mentioned earlier, we have to possess faith in scriptures, in our teacher, in ourselves and in the truth of the eternal essence until we gain the knowledge of self-realization. Without faith, we will not last in the long and arduous journey.

Finally, the person who doubts everything will also find it difficult to gain knowledge. Now, to be sure, skepticism and inquiry is absolutely important. In fact, it is encouraged by spiritual teachers. But constant doubting without taking efforts to resolve those doubts will become a huge roadblock in gaining spiritual knowledge.

Shri Krishna also says that constant doubting is not just an obstacle on the spiritual path. It also prevents us from living peacefully in the material world. Each time we board a train or a plane, we implicitly have faith that the driver will take us to our destination safely. If we constantly doubt the capability of the driver, we will never be able to go about our daily business.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 4

28 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.38, chapter 4 verse 38, hi, jnyaanena, kaalenaatmani, na, pavitramaha, sadrisham, tatsvyayam, vidyate, vindati, yogasamsiddhaha

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na hi jnyaanena sadrisham pavitramiha vidyate |
tatsvayam yogasamsiddhaha kaalenaatmani vindati || 38 ||

Certainly, there is nothing in this world as purifying as knowledge. He who is proficient in yoga, himself discovers that knowledge in his own self, in due course.

na : nothing
hi : certainly
jnyaanena : knowledge
sadrisham : like
pavitram : purifying
iha : in this world
vidyate : exists
tat : that knowledge
svayam : himself
yogasamsiddhaha : one proficient in yoga
kaalena : in due course
aatmani : in oneself
vindati : discover

Shri Krishna again praises knowledge as the most superior means of self realization, as compared to other means. He also says that this knowledge is ultimately discovered by the seeker in himself through his own efforts. The two key points to note here that the seeker finds it (a) by his own efforts, and (b) in himself.

Many seekers run to teacher after teacher in hopes of self realization. They “try” a teacher for a while, then go to another one if it doesn’t work out. Shri Krishna reminds us that ultimately, it is our own effort, focus and motivation that will help us get the knowledge. The teacher is no doubt needed to guide us in the right direction. But the effort to purify ourselves through various yanjyaas is ours to put in, no one else can do the hard work for us. Once we develop the right qualities of a sincere seeker and become proficient in whatever spiritual practice that we follow, knowledge will come automatically.

Furthermore, this knowledge is not something that is outside of us. Academic and spiritual literature certainly helps, but true knowledge always comes from within. Shri Krishna also gently warns us that this knowledge will not come instantly, nor will it take thousands of years. It will come when we are ready.

Who is fit for attaining this knowledge? The next shloka explains.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 35, Chapter 4

25 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.35, aatmani, asheshena, atho, bhootaani, chapter 4 verse 35, drakshasi, evam, jnyaatvaa, mayi, moham, na, paandava, punar, yaasyasi, yat, yena

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yajnyaatvaa na punarmohamevam yaasyasi paandava |
yena bhootaanyasheshena drakshasyaatmanyatho mayi || 35 ||

Having realized that knowledge, never again will you be subjected to delusion in this manner, O Paandava. By that (knowledge), you will view all beings completely in you, and likewise, in me.

yat : that
jnyaatvaa : having realized
na : not
punar : again
moham : delusion
evam : in this manner
yaasyasi : subjected
paandava : O Paandava
yena : by that
bhootaani : all beings
asheshena : completely
drakshasi : view
aatmani : in you
atho : and likewise
mayi : in me

Having explained the method of acquiring knowledge from a teacher, Shri Krishna praises this knowledge in the following shlokas. In this shloka, he provides a test by which we know whether we have truly gained this knowledge or not. He says that this knowledge totally transforms our vision. It gives us whole new way to view the world.

Imagine we are at a social gathering. We are introduced to a new person, someone whom we have never met before. At that point, we try to size up that person and are not quite sure how the conversation will go. But when we find out that both of us went to the same school for 8 years, we instantly connect with that person. The sense of separation between us and that person diminishes just a little.

Now, take this destruction of separation to its logical extreme where we see all things – plants, rocks, animals, humans – as a part of our own self. Everything is connected to each other. Furthermore, we realize that in essence, distinct entities such as plants and animals are not really distinct. There is only one Ishvaraa but appearing as many forms. This is the grand vision after having obtained this knowledge.

So therefore, having gained this knowledge, our moha or delusion with regards to who we are, what is our correct relationship with the world, what are our duties, what is good and bad – all these questions are answered with this vision of the world. After having this vision, our actions in the wold continue, but they do not accumulate any further karmaas because we are in tune with the world.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 31, Chapter 4

21 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.31, amritabhija, anyaha, asti, ayajnyasya, brahma, chapter 4 verse 31, kurusattama, kutaha, lokaha, na, sanaatanam, shishtaaha, yaanti, yanjya

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yajnyashishtaamritabhujo yaanti brahma sanaatanam |
naayam lokostyayajnyasya kutonyaha kurusattama || 31 ||

Only those who taste the nectar of sacrificial remnants obtain the ever-existing eternal essence. The non-performer of sacrifice does not have (joy) in this world, how (will he get joy) in other worlds, O foremost among Kurus?

yajnya-shishtaaha : remnants of sacrifice
amritabhujaha : those who have tasted nectar
yaanti : obtain
brahma : eternal essence
sanaatanam : ever-existing
na : not
lokaha : in this world
asti : have
ayajnyasya : non-performer of sacrifice
kutaha : how
anyaha : other worlds
kurusattama : O foremost among Kurus

So far, Shri Krishna gave us a wide range of yajnyas that we can implement in our daily lives. In this shloka, he urges us to implement at least one of those yajnyas in our life. He says that one who does not live his life in the yajnya spirit will not even be able to function properly in the material world, let alone progress on the spiritual path.

Let’s take a practical example. Suppose we decide to follow the yajnya of nityaahaarah. In other words, we decide to restrict our food intake. How do we actually implement this? Shri Krishna tells us that in all actions that we undertake, we should first perform the yajyna, and then partake of the “remnants” of the yajnya.

So if we see a tasty dish, we perform a yajnya on the spot by saying “I am performing a yajnya. I first offer all the food to Ishvara because this food belongs to Ishvara. I will take only x amount for myself as the remnants of that yajnya.” The key point here is we first perform the yajnya, then partake of the fruit of the action. We do not rush directly into the action. This lets our intellect override the impulses of our senses.

If we truly make yajnya spirit a part of our life, we will develop “praasada buddhi”, which is one of the cornerstones of karma yoga. Since the praasaada is a gift from Ishvaraa, we will not compare it to someone else’s prasaada. In doing so, we will subdue negative emotions such as jealousy and insecurity. Over time, we will find inner joy in conducting such yajnyas every day. This inner joy is called “amrita” or nectar in this shloka. It will have the power of negating all our sorrows.

One who does not maintain the attitude of yajnya goes against the laws of nature, as it were. This is because the yajnya spirit pervades the entire universe, as we have seen earlier. Such a person lives an unhappy existence even in the material world, and has no chance of attaining any spiritual goals whatsoever.