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Category Archives: neetihi

Bhagavad Gita Verse 78, Chapter 18

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.78, bhootihi, chapter 18 verse 78, dhanurdharaha, dhruvaaha, krishnaha, matihi, neetihi, paartho, shreehi, vijayaha, yogeshvaraha

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yatra yogeshvaraha krishno yatra paartho dhanurdharaha |
tatra shreervijayo bhootirdhruvaa neetirmatirmama || 78 ||
 
Where there is Krishna, the lord of yogas, and where their is Paartha, wielder of the bow, there is fortune, victory, prosperity and infallible morality, in my opinion.
 
yatra : where
yogeshvaraha : lord of yogas
krishnaha : Krishna
yatra : where
paartho : Paartha
dhanurdharaha : wilder of the bow
tatra : there
shreehi : fortune
vijayaha : victory
bhootihi : prosperity
dhruvaaha : infallible
neetihi : morality
matihi : opinion
mama : my
 
Sanjaya’s final statement in the Gita can be viewed from three standpoints. Taken literally, we can see that Sanjaya wanted to very subtly inform Dhritraashtra that the Paandava army would be victorious, and that his sons, the Kauravas, would be annihilated. This was bound to happen because the world’s foremost warrior, Arjuna, and Shri Krishna, the lord of all yogas, were on the opposing side of the Kauravas. There was not even a tiny chance that the Kauravas would win the war. This was the conclusive answer to the first line of the Gita, where Dhritraashtra wanted to know what did the Kauravas and Paandavas do on the battlefield.
 
From the standpoint of our duty, we can interpret this shloka as follows. Regardless of how much time and effort we put into any action, we cannot be assured of success. We saw earlier that the success of any action depends on a multitude of factors, but it boils down to two things: self effort and Ishvara’s grace. If either aspect is missing, our actions will not be successful. Self effort or purushaartha alone cannot guarantee a result, neither can waiting for Ishvara’s grace or prasaada without any effort from the part of the individual.
 
From the absolute standpoint, liberation from bondage, realization of our true self is not possible purely through self effort. We need to perform our duty selflessly, in a spirit of service to Ishvara, without any other person or object as our goal. Selfless devoted service to Ishvara, combined with Ishvara’s grace, will result in progress and success in the spiritual journey. Without Ishvara’s grace, it is not possible.
 
We end our journey through the Gita here.
 
Om Poornamadah Poornamidam Poornaat Poornamudachyate |
Poornasya Poornamaadaya Poornamevavashisyate ||
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantihi ||
 
Shri Krishnaarpanaastu.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade moskhasanayasayogo naama ashtaadashodhyaayaha || 18 ||

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Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 10

08 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 10.38, asmi, cha, chapter 10 verse 38, damayataam, dandaha, eva, guhyaanaam, jigeeshataam, jnyaanam, jnyaanavataam, maunam, neetihi

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dando damayataamasmi neetirasmi jigeeshataam |
maunam chaivaasmi guhyaanaam jnyaanam jnyaanavataamaham || 38 ||
 
Among means of subjugation, I am punishment and among seekers of victory, I am strategy. Also, among the secrets I am silence and among the wise, I am knowledge.
 
dandaha : punishment
damayataam : among means of subjugation
asmi : I am
neetihi : strategy
asmi : I am
jigeeshataam : among seekers of victory
maunam : silence
cha : and
eva : also
asmi : I am
guhyaanaam : among the secrets
jnyaanam : knowledge
jnyaanavataam : among the wise
aham : I am
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna declares punishment as foremost among Ishvara’s expressions that restrain or subdue others. As we have seen in the second chapter, dwelling on sense objects can very easily lead to loss of even a wise person’s wisdom and discrimination, which may result in unlawful behaviour. A society without methods to punish criminals is impractical, and will result in anarchy and chaos. From our standpoint, we need to watch our mind and our sense organs constantly, lest they lead us astray.
 
Next, we look at neeti or strategy. In the Mahabhaarata, Arjuna needed to finish Jayadratha in order to move closer to a victory. But the powerful Jayadratha had obtained a boon from his father. Whoever caused Jayadratha’s head to fall to the ground, their head would split into a hundred pieces. This was a tough situation and needed a smart solution.
 
Upon Shri Krishna’s advice, Arjuna dispatched an arrow that would sever Jayadratha’s head and deposited it into the lap of his father. When Jayadratha’s father got up, he dropped the head and became the target of his own curse. Shri Krishna, the ultimate strategist, declares strategy as Ishvara’s foremost expression among seekers of victory. Strategy enables us to deal with different people and circumstances, and to devise a plan to win every time.
 
“Silence is golden” is a proverb that has stood the test of time. In a business negotiation, we may be put in situations where others try to insult us in some way. We face a choice in such situations: we can either snap back at that person or we can stay silent. If we respond, we may say something that may come back to haunt us later. Worse still, we could reveal a secret that puts us in jeopardy.
 
To that end, Shri Krishna advises us to follow the “silence is golden” proverb by declaring silence as Ishvara’s foremost manifestation among secrets. And those wise people who follow Ishvara’s recommendations also receive their wisdom through Ishvara’s as his divine manifestation.