Category Archives: na

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 3

31 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in aham, anuvartante, atandritaha, chapter 3 verse 23, hi, jaatu, karmani, mama, manushyaaha, na, paartha, sarvashaha, vartama, varteyam, yadi

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yadi hyaham na varteyam jaatu karmanyatandritaha |
mama vartamaanuvartante manushyaaha paartha sarvashaha || 23 ||

For, if I were not to perform my duties alertly, people from everywhere will follow my path, O Paartha.

yadi : of
hi : for
aham : I
na : do not
varteyam : perform
jaatu : when
karmani : duties
atandritaha: alertness
mama : my
vartama : path
anuvartante : follow
manushyaaha : people
paartha : O Paartha
sarvashaha : from everywhere

To better understand this shloka, and make it more relatable, let us examine the life of a individual from our time who dedicated his life to the service of others – Baba Amte.

In his early years, he acted as a defense lawyer for freedom fighters imprisoned by British authorities in the 1942 Quit India movement. Later, Amte founded three ashrams for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, disabled people, and people from marginalized sections of the society in India. Today, the largest ashram named Anandwan has a university, an orphanage, and schools for the blind and the deaf, housing over 5,000 residents.

Now, imagine if someone like Baba Amte were to one day say “I think I am going to stop all my work and take it easy”. What would be the impact on the general population? People would start saying “If even Baba Amte does not work, why should I do so?”

Therefore, Shri Krishna urged Arjuna to always perform action and not give in to the tendency of the human body to become lazy. If not for Arjuna’s own sake, at least for the sake of others who considered him as a role model. And similarly, he urges us also to become role models by continually performing selfless actions, with complete attention and alertness.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 3

30 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in anavaaptam, asti, avaaptavyam, cha, chapter 3 verse 22, eva, karmani, kartavyam, kinchana, lokeshu, me, na, paartha, trishu, varte

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na me paarthasti kartavyam trishu lokeshu kinchana |
naanavaaptamavaaptavyam varta eva cha karmani || 22 ||

Neither do I have the least bit of duty in the three worlds, O Paartha, nor is there anything for me to gain or lose (through action), yet, I engage in action.

na : neither
me : I
paartha : O Paartha
asti : have
kartavyam : duties
trishu : three
lokeshu : in worlds
kinchana : even a little
na : nor
anavaaptam : not to be obtained
avaaptavyam : to be obtained
varte : engaged
eva : yet
cha : and
karmani : action

As we saw earlier, Shri Krishna wanted to provide concrete examples of individuals who had attained the eternal essence, yet continued to act selflessly in the world. Having given the example of king Janaka, Shri Krishna now spoke about himself as an example of an ideal karma yogi. He had attained a state of supreme independence where he no longer needed to act, yet, he continued to act spontaneously and joyfully in the service of humanity.

The Srimad Bhaagvatam is filled with stories describing the life of Shri Krishna, where we find that he worked tirelessly from the start to the end of his life. There was no duty that he did not perform. He became a charioteer upon Arjuna’s request. After the Mahabhaarata war, Arjuna’s brother Yudhishthira performed a yajna. There, Shri Krishna even washed the feet of guests who attended. While performing any action, his attitude was that of equanimity, and he found great joy in the work while not expecting any reward.

Shri Krishna’s attitude towards life was like that of a perfect actor in a play. In fact, his stories are also known as “leelas” or divine plays. An actor in a play will perform any role – big or small – without the slightest attachment to it, and move to the next role effortlessly. Whether it was a mischievous boy who stole butter from people’s homes, or the ruler of Dwarakaa city, Shri Krishna played his part perfectly with the attitude of a karma yogi.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 3

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.18, akruten, apaashrayah, arthaha, arthavya, asya, cha, chapter 3 verse 18, eva, iha, kashchana, kashchit, kruten, na, sarvabhootehsu, tasya

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naiva tasya krutenaartho naakruteneha kashchana |
na chaasya sarvabhooteshu kashchidarthavyapaashrayah || 18 ||

For that (realized individual), there is nothing to be gained by action or inaction here. Also, he does not have even the slightest dependency on anyone for any object.

na : not
eva : only
tasya : that realized individual
kruten : from action
arthaha : gained
na : not
akruten : from inaction
iha : here
kashchana: any
na : not
cha : also
asya : for him
sarvabhooteshu : with anyone
kashchit : slight/even a little
arthavya : object
apaashrayah : dependency

In the last shloka, Shri Krishna explained that one who has found delight solely in the eternal essence loses all sense of doership. In other words, all his actions become selfless and spontaneous, like an artist who cares only about creating paintings without any expectation (art for art’s sake).

Shri Krishna further elaborates that point in this shloka. He says that for such a person, the concept of gain or loss does not exist, nor does the notion of dependency or support from anyone or anything.

To better understand this shloka, let us imagine a situation where one is at the end of a critical chapter in one’s life, e.g. imagine that a person has submitted his resignation and is in the last week of his job. What will be his mindset? He will suddenly become the nicest guy in the office, and the most fun guy to hang out with. Why is that? Everyone knows that he has no agenda with anyone anymore, since it does not really matter. And he can surf the web all day long, because it does not really matter whether he works or doesn’t work.

Another example could be a person who at age 65 has just retired. He has made a decent fortune with his savings, and can live comfortably till his last day. In addition, he is quite healthy and can still work if needed. But just like in the earlier example, it does not matter whether he performs any action or doesn’t. Moreover, since he does not have any dependency on anyone, his savings make him self sufficient. Therefore, for the individual that has realized the worth of the eternal essence “treasure”, any other material gain or loss does not hold any meaning.

Ultimately, these 2 shlokas reveal the state of a realized person, who by losing all sense of doership, renounces all action. Renouncing doership is renouncing action. The topic of renunciation is covered in detail in the forthcoming chapters.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 3

24 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.16, aghaayu, anuvartayati, chakram, chapter 3 verse 16, evam, iha, indriyaraahah, jeevati, mogham, na, paartha, pravartitam, sah, yah

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evam pravartitam chakram naanuvartayateeha yaha |
aghaayurindriyaaraamo mogham paartha sa jeevati || 16 ||

In this manner, one who does not follow this system of evolution, that malicious individual who dwells in sense pleasures, wastes his life.

evam : in this manner
pravartitam : evolution
chakram : system
na : does not
anuvartayati : follow
iha : this
yah : one who
aghaayu : malicious
indriyaaraamah : dwells in senses
mogham : waste
paartha : O Paartha
sah : that one
jeevati : lives

In the two preceding shlokas, Shri Krishna illustrated how several beings acting in the spirit of yajna brought forth the potential for serving each other. Now he takes the illustration one step further. He says that yajna is a “system of evolution”. Which means, it is a method to move from a lower plane of existence to a higher plane of existence.

Darwin’s theory of evolution describes how life evolved from simple single-celled organisms into plants, then into animals, then into primates, and culminated in our species, the humans. What comes next? Shri Krishna explains that humans, being the only species capable of rational analysis and thinking, have a choice: to remain at the current state and give in to their “lower nature”, or evolve into a higher state of existence.

What is the “lower nature”? When one continually harbours selfish desires, and lives for the sake of sense pleasure, that person generates guilt, fear, anger, hatred, pride and other such emotions that strengthen the ego. Such an individual is termed “malicious” by Shri Krishna. That individual is said to have lived in vain, because he did not use the wonderful opportunity of being born as a human to access the higher nature.

And so, who is the individual of “higher nature”? It is the individual who has begun identifying with a higher ideal, and in doing so, has slowly eroded his ego in the selfless service of that higher ideal. A detailed description of such an individual was provided by Shri Krishna in the latter part of the second chapter in the “sthita-prajna-lakshana” or the signs of a wise individual. Karmayoga is the first step to participate in this system of evolution.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 3

16 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.8, akarmanaha, api, cha, chapter 3 verse 8, hi, jyaayah, karma, kuru, na, niyatam, prassidhyet, shareera, te, tvam, yaatra

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niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyaayo hyakarmanaha |
shareerayaatraapi cha te na prasiddhyedakarmanaha || 8 ||

You should perform prescribed actions, since action is superior to inaction. Also, even the journey of the body cannot be accomplished through inaction.

niyatam : prescribed
kuru : perform
karma : actions
tvam : you
karma : action
jyaayah : superior
hi : since
akarmanaha : inaction
shareera-yaatraa : journey of the body
api : even
cha : also
te : your
na prasiddhyet :  not accomplished by
akarmanaha : inaction

Having covered the topic of why one should perform action, Shri Krishna now speaks about what kind of action should be performed. He urges Arjuna to only perform “niyatam” or prescribed actions. What does this term mean?

Scriptures classify actions into several categories. Let us look at the two main ones: “niyatam” or prescribed actions, and “nishiddha” or forbidden actions . Prescribed actions are those that are enjoined in the Vedas. But in today’s context, we can interpret this as one’s duties. These include performing one’s svadharma, serving one’s parents, family, and nation etc. Forbidden actions are the “thou shalt not” actions such as killing another being, stealing, cheating and so on. So here, Shri Krishna urges Arjuna to perform prescribed actions, but without any trace of attachment to the action or to the fruit.

Now one may say “I like to watch a movie and enjoy a good meal. Those do not seem like prescribed duties. How should we think about those?”. Shri Krishna does not advocate repressing anything, as we saw earlier. But we should to define boundaries to any action, as well as minimize attachment or selfish motive. The best way to do so is to share.

If you want to watch TV, watch it collectively with your family and friends. Or share your meal with them. Doing so will ensure that our previously self-serving actions lose any trace of selfishness or ego. The best example here is a mom that always cooks what the family members like, and puts her preferences on a lower priority.

In addition, Shri Krishna reiterates the notion that one should never resort to inaction, He says that if one does not act, one cannot even perform maintenance of one’s body.

Our body is an important tool in our spiritual journey. Nowhere in the Gita has Shri Krishna asked us to neglect it. In fact, here he is saying that one should absolutely perform action to maintain the body, including bathing it, feeding it, keeping it strong and fit, and going to the doctor if it is not working properly. It is an extremely practical teaching.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 3

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.5, akarmakrita, api, avashah, chapter 3 verse 5, gunaaih, hi, jaatu, kaaryate, karma, kaschit, kshanam, na, prakritijaih, sarvah, tishtati

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na hi kaschitkshanamapi jaatu tishthatyakarmakrita |
kaaryate hyaavashah karma sarvah prakritijairgunaih || 5 ||

For no one can stay without performing action, even for a moment. All beings, helplessly, are compelled to act by the gunaas born of prakriti.

na : not
hi : for
kaschit : anyone
kshanamapi : for even a moment
jaatu : in any state
tishthati : stay
akarmakrita : without performing action
kaaryate : compels to act
avashah : helplessly
karma : action
sarvah : all beings
prakritijaih : born of prakriti
gunaih : gunaas

Imagine a huge forest untouched by man, like we see on the National Geographic channel. If we look at it superficially, we could conclude that there is nothing going on there. But if we pay close attention, we will begin to hear the chirping of the crickets, the babble of a brook, the fluttering of wings and so on.

Watching all the actions going on in the forest reminds us of a simple fact. It is the tendency of nature or “prakriti” to act continuously. It never stays action-less even for a moment. Even a rock that seems action-less is undergoing geological change that is visible only after thousands or millions of years.

Now lets shift our attention to the human body. It too, is constructed by nature. It is composed of substances derived from the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, all products of nature. If our body is made of components born out of nature, wouldn’t it also follow the tendency of nature towards continuous action?

Therefore, Shri Krishna informs us that all beings have no choice but to act, because all beings are made up of prakriti. He explains that prakriti is nothing but three gunaas – energies or forces that make up this entire universe. These three energies are: rajas which causes movement, tamas which causes inertia, and sattva which maintains harmony between movement and inertia. This topic is taken up in great detail in later chapters.

In this way, Shri Krishna addresses the question raised earlier: “Why can’t I retire to the forest and cease all action?” We cannot, because the gunaas that we are made up are born out of nature, and nature never ceases to act continuously.

If this answer still does not satisfy us, let’s try to sit still for three hours. Even if we somehow manage to physically sit still, our minds will be racing with thoughts. And even the act of thinking is an action.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 3

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.4, anaarambhaatm, ashrute, cha, chapter 3 verse 4, eva, karmanaam, na, naishkarmyam, prushah, samadhigachchati, sannyasanaat, siddhim

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na karmanaamanaarmbhaannaishkarmyam purushoshrute |
na cha sannyasanaadeva siddhim samadhigacchati || 4 ||

Neither does an individual attain actionlessness by not initiating action, nor by mere renunciation does he attain perfection.

na : neither
karmanaam : action
anaarmbhaat : not initiating
naishkarmyam : actionlessness
purushah : individual
ashrute : attains
na : nor
cha : and
sannyasanaat : renunciation of action
eva : mere
siddhim : perfection
samadhigacchati : attain

In the prior shloka, Shri Krishna dispelled Arjuna’s notion that the yoga of knowledge was superior to the yoga of wisdom. But there was another aspect to Arjuna’s question. He still was not convinced that he should fight the war, and was searching for pointers in Shri Krishna’s teaching that supported his desire to give up all action and flee the war. We saw this in the first chapter where he went to the extent of suggesting that he become a monk. Shri Krishna wanted to address that issue in this shloka.

First, let us understand what is meant by the word “actionlessness” in this shloka. Like many words in scriptures, it is not meant to be taken literally. The word “actionlessness” points to the ultimate state of the “sthithaprajnya” from the previous chapter. In this state, the vaasanaas have been so thoroughly eliminated that all action becomes completely selfless. There is absolutely no trace of selfishness. The word “Siddhim” or the state of perfection in the second half of the shloka, also refers to this state.

So therefore, Shri Krishna warned Arjuna that “actionlessness” cannot be attained by not starting a new action, nor by giving up actions that have already started. It would be similar to cutting off a plant without plucking its roots. Until our vaasanaas have been completely eradicated, they will keep generating desires which will lead us to selfish actions. But once vasanaas have been eradicated, only selfless actions will remain.

Now, some of us who are not fully convinced by this argument could still say: “I will renounce all actions right now and move to a quiet solitary place. If I just sit still for a long time, my desires will automatically melt away”. Shri Krishna addresses this point in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 72, Chapter 2

07 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 2.72, antakaale, api, asyaam, braahmee, brahmanirvaanam, chapter 2 verse 72, enam, eshaa, na, paartha, praapya, richchati, sthitih, sthitvaa, vimuhyati

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eshaa braahmee sthitih paartha nainaam praapya vimuhyati |
sthitvaasyaamantakaalepi brahmanirvaanamrichchati || 72 ||

Having attained this state of brahman, O Paartha, one never gets deluded. If one gets established in this state even at the time of death, he attains oneness with brahman.

eshaa : this
braahmee :brahman
sthitih : state
paartha : O Paartha
enam : this
praapya : having obtained
vimuhyati : deluded
na : not
sthitvaa : established
asyaam : in this
antakaale : at the time of death
api : even
brahmanirvaanam : oneness with brahman
richchati : attains

We encounter the word “brahman” in this shloka, which is the concluding shloka in the second chapter of the Gita. As a side note, this word is pronounced as “bruh-mun” and not “brah-mun”.

So what exactly is this brahman? It is nothing but the eternal essence that Shri Krishna described in the earlier shlokas of this chapter. It is eternal, timeless, changeless, and pervades the entire universe. And when this abstract notion of the eternal essence takes a name and a form, it is known as Ishvara or God.

Therefore, if one follows the technique of karma yoga and attains the state of a person of steady wisdom or “stithaprajnya”, that person attains oneness with brahman, or in other words, attains God. Also, even if we only attain this state at the time of death, we will still achieve oneness with brahman.

Shri Krishna concludes the second chapter of the Gita with this shloka. As we saw before, the second chapter contains the essence of the entire Gita. So, why should we read the next 16 chapters? Let us take up this question.

Shri Krishna has packed several lifetimes worth of instruction into the second chapter. Most of us will never get it just by reading the second chapter. So Shri Krishna has taken up each point in the second chapter and elaborated it further in the remainder of the Gita. He clarifies key points in the teaching, resolves seemingly conflicting statements, and makes everything practical and accessible to all kinds of readers.

Now, some of us would have approached the Gita to further our spiritual quest, and some of us with a very practical bent. We should not assume that the remainder of the Gita will only go deeper into the spiritual aspects. There are tons of practical lessons that will improve our daily lives and make us better human beings, even if we choose to disregard the spiritual aspects of the Gita.

Having concluded the second chapter in our journey, we will summarize the main points of the second chapter and get a sense of what’s coming ahead next.

om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade saankhyayogo naama dvitiyodhyaayaha || 2 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 70, Chapter 2

05 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in 2.70, aapah, aapnoti, aapuryamaanam, chala, chapter 2 verse 70, kaamaah, kaamakaamee, na, pratishtham, pravishanti, sah, samudram, shaantih, tadvat, yadvat, yam

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aapuryamaanamachalapratishtham 
samudraamaapah pravishanti yadvat |
tadvatkaamaa yam pravishanti sarve 
sa shaantimaapnoti na kaamakaamee || 70 ||

Just like the ocean remains unmoved though water enters it from all sides, so does that (tranquil) individual attain peace in whom all desires enter, but not the “desirer of desires”.

aapuryamaanam : filled with water from all sides
achalapratishtham : unmoved
samudram : ocean
aapah : water
pravishanti : enters
yadvat : just like
tadvat : so does
kaamaah : desires
yam : in that individual
pravishanti: enter
sah : that individual
shaantim : peace
aapnoti : attains
na : not
kaamakaamee : desirer of desires

Here Shri Krishna provides another pictorial description of the individual of steady wisdom : a deep, large ocean that has many streams of water entering it. No matter how many streams enter the ocean, regardless of how gently or how forcefully they enter it, the ocean always remains calm and undisturbed.

In the same way, an individual of steady wisdom does not get impacted by any number of material objects or desires that he experiences. They fail to disturb his state of equanimity. Furthermore, even if the individual has to get angry in order to perform his svadharma in the material world, he is rooted in tranquility. And that is just like the ocean surface could experience stormy weather, but remain tranquil underneath the surface.

On the other hand, the person who is steeped in ignorance and does not possess wisdom will never attain peace. Here he is called the “desirer of desires”. In other words, this person still thinks that harbouring and fulfilling desires will lead to peace and happiness. The fundamental shift from selfish desire oriented work to svadharma prompted work has not happened for him.

Note the change in meter to emphasize the point made in this shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 66, Chapter 2

01 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 2.66, abhaavayataha, ashaantasya, asti, ayuktasya, ayuktaya, bhaavana, buddhih, cha, chapter 2 verse 66, kutaha, na, shaantih, sukham

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naasti buddhiryuktasya na chaayuktasya bhaavana |
na chaabhaavayataha shaantirashaantasya kutaha sukham || 66 ||

The individual whose mind and senses are not controlled cannot have a focused intellect, without a focused intellect he cannot meditate, and without meditation there is no peace. How can there be happiness without peace?

na : not
asti : happen
buddhih : focused intellect
ayuktasya : one whose mind and senses are not controlled
na : not
cha : and
ayuktasya : that individual
bhaavana : meditation
na : not
cha : and
abhaavayataha : without meditation
shaantih : peace
ashaantasya : individual without peace
kutaha : where
sukham : happy

Shri Krishna so far extolled the virtues of controlling the senses and the mind. In this shloka, he echoes the same point, but uses negative inference to drive it home.

Here, he says that if the mind and senses constantly wander, our psyche is agitated. An agitated psyche will never allow an intellect to focus. And we have already seen in earlier shlokas the disadvantages of not having focused intellect or “vyavasaayaatmika buddhi”.  One cannot hold on to a single thought, in other words – meditate, if the mind is turbulent.

We may feel that there is some repetition here – why is he asking us to control the mind and senses over and over again? But consider this: reading about it and putting it into practice are two different things. If we check the daily list of thoughts that we maintain in our diary, we realize that even if we read the Gita backwards and forwards, it takes lot of time and effort to change the quality and quantity of our thoughts. This message needs to be seared into our brain for us to take it seriously, hence the refrain of this point.

Very simply put: there is no happiness without control of mind and senses.