Category Archives: pavitram

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 10

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10, 12, ajam. vibhum, bhavaan, brahma, chapter 10 verse 12, dhaama, divyam. aadidevam, param, pavitram, purusham, shaashvatam

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Arjuna uvaacha:
param brahma param dhaama pavitram paramam bhavaan |
purusham shaashvatam divyamaadidevamajam vibhum || 12 ||
 
Arjuna said:
You are the supreme absolute, the supreme abode, supremely pure. You are the divine eternal person, the original deity who is beyond birth, all-pervading.
 
param : supreme
brahma : absolute
dhaama : abode
pavitram : pure
bhavaan : you are
purusham : person
shaashvatam : eternal
divyam : divine
aadidevam : original deity
ajam : beyond birth
vibhum : all-pervading
 
Over the course of the previous chapters, Arjuna gained an understanding of the real nature of Ishvara, and of Shri Krishna as an avatara, a divine manifestation of Ishvara. This understanding prompted him to praise Ishvara, and that is what we will see in the next few shlokas.
 
Arjuna spoke of Ishvara as “parama brahman” which is the absolute reality, the eternal essence that was spoken of in the second chapter. He understood that Ishvara’s real nature is beyond time and space, it is that which is the support of time and space. Ishvara is”parama dhaaman”, the supreme goal, the ultimate abode of all beings. Ishvara is also the supreme purifier, as he destroys all traces of impurities in the form of ignorance.
 
The word “purusha” literally means, one who fills the body. Ishvara is the “divyam shaashvatam purusha”, the divine eternal person the comprises the entire universe, just like all of the cells in our body are termed as “body” in aggregate. Ishvara is divine because he is beyond the realm of impermanence caused by maaya. He is “ajam”, beyond birth, but is the cause of everyone else’s birth. He is “vibhum” which is all-pervading, he alone appears as everything.
 
Like the Vishnu Sahasranaam that enumerates a thousand names of Ishvara, this shloka can be used as a prayer to meditate upon Ishvara’s glories. Now, did only Arjuna think that this was the real nature of Ishvara or did others as well? Arjuna takes this up in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 9

12 Sunday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.17, aham, asya, cha, chapter 9 verse 17, dhaataa, eva, jagataha, maataa, omkaara, pavitram, pitaa, pitaamaha, rik, saam, vedyam, yajur

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pitaahamasya jagato maataa dhaataa pitaamaha |
vedyam pavitramomkaara riksaam yajureva cha || 17 ||
 
I am the father, mother, support and grandfather of this universe. I am the knowable, the purifier, the syllable Om, and the Rig, Saama and Yajur also.
 
pitaa : father
aham : I am
asya : this
jagataha : universe
maataa : mother
dhaataa : support
pitaamaha : grandfather
vedyam : knowable
pavitram : purifier
omkaara : Om syllable
rik : Rig
saam : Saama
yajur : Yajur
eva : also
cha : and
 
Shri Krishna further elaborates on Ishvara’s infinite all-pervading nature by asserting that he is the father, mother and grandfather of this universe. A father’s nature is to protect the child and to push it to grow. A mother embodies the quality of nurture and impartiality, she will care for even the most misbehaved child. A grandfather is extremely attached to his grandchild and takes great pleasure in demonstrating affection towards the child, whereas the father may sometimes not show affection openly. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara treats every being in the universe like a caring family would.
 
Symbolically, Ishvara as father represents the intelligence behind the creation of the universe. Ishvara as mother represents the substance that creates the universe. Ishvara as grandfather refers to the source of intelligence and substance. It is said that Lord Shiva, when asked for his great grandfather’s name, replied “Shiva”. There is no further cause of this universe other than Ishvara.
 
Another pointer to Ishvara is “dhaata” or sustainer. As we have seen earlier, it is Ishvara in his infinite nature that holds the universe together in a state of harmony, where everything is in its place. Ishvara is also the three Vedas which are ultimate source of knowledge in the universe, the only knowledge that needs to be known. Their essence is captured in the syllable “Om”, which is considered the utmost purifier. In other words, once we see Ishvara in everything, everything becomes pure.
 
The next shloka contains a series of pointers to Ishvara which are considered the foundation of bhakti or devotion.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 9

28 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in 9.2, avagamam, avyayam, chapter 9 verse 2, dharmyam, idam, kartum, pavitram, pratyaksha, raajaguhyam, raajavidya, susukham, uttamam

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raajavidya raajaguhyam pavitramidamuttamam |
pratyakshaavagamam dharmyam susukham kartumavyayam || 2 ||
 
This is royal knowledge, the royal secret, purifying, foremost, immediately perceived, righteous, effortless to perform, and imperishable.
 
raajavidya : royal knowledge
raajaguhyam : royal secret
pavitram : purifying
idam : this
uttamam : foremost
pratyaksha : immediate
avagamam : perception
dharmyam : righteousness
susukham : effortless
kartum : perform
avyayam : imperishable
 
Shri Krishna continues to glorify the theme of this chapter, which is the knowledge of Ishvara’s infinite nature. This shloka comprises a series of adjectives that highlight the extremely unique and special nature of the knowledge that he is about to reveal.
 
He begins by describing this knowledge as royal. It means that this knowledge is the king among any knowledge, it is foremost among all the other knowledge. As we saw in an earlier chapter, most knowledge we acquire in our life is “aparaa vidyaa”. It is related to something material and temporary. This chapter describes “paraa vidyaa”, knowledge of the absolute. Knowing this, we will ourselves become kings. We will never become subservient to anyone or anything, including our mind, body and senses.
 
This knowledge is the king of secrets. Ordinary secrets can give us happiness, wealth, power, a competitive advantage and so on, all of which are temporary and limited. But this secret yields eternal, infinite happiness.
 
Many scriptures described rituals that act as purifiers. They help us eliminate our sins. But this knowledge is the ultimate purifier because it eliminates the sinner, the root cause. As we have seen earlier, our ego creates the sense of doership and enjoyership, resulting in accumulation of merits and sins. But if our sense of doership is eliminated, all of our actions will be spontaneous and in tune with Ishvara’s will. The storehouse of our sins will be burnt away. Plus there will be no question of accumulating merits or sins.
 
Shri Krishna says that we will be able to immediately perceive or experience this knowledge. When we are a little hungry, we say “I think I am hungry”. But if we have not eaten for a while day, we automatically say “I am hungry” without any further thinking. This is what is meant by immediate and direct perception. There will be zero doubt in this knowledge.
 
This knowledge is aligned with dharma, the law that holds the universe together. Nowadays, many practices in the business world that were formerly legal are being deemed illegal and vice versa. This happens because they are based on ever-changing laws. But this knowledge is in accordance with the universal law. It holds true at any point in time, anywhere in the world. Moreover, it will always result in joy, never in sorrow.
 
Finally, this knowledge is easy to perform, it does not require any special attributes in the person other than dedication and faith. While most things that take little effort yield temporary results, this knowledge results in permanent, eternal happiness.
 
Having provided a detailed description of the characteristics of this royal knowledge, Shri Krishna describes the fate of people who do not follow this teaching.