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Category Archives: saattvikam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 18

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.37, aatmabuddhiprasaadajam, agre, amritopapam, chapter 18 verse 37, parinaame, proktam, saattvikam, sukham, visham

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yattadagre vishameva parinaamemritopapam |
tatsukham saattvikam proktamaatmabuddhiprasaadajam || 37 ||
 
That which is like poison initially, but is like nectar in its result, that joy is said to be saattvic, born of one’s mental purity.
 
yat : that
tat : which
agre : initially
visham : poison
eva : like
parinaame : in its result
amritopapam : like nectar
tat : that
sukham : joy
saattvikam : saattvic
proktam : is said
aatmabuddhiprasaadajam : born of one’s mental purity
 
Most of us dread going to the doctor’s office for a vaccination. Some of us will try to postpone, or even cancel, an upcoming vaccination. What causes such fear? It is just a little bit of a pinch, that too for a few seconds, caused by the needle of the syringe. Fear is also caused by the anticipation of this pain. But we all know that any vaccination is given to us for our own long term benefit. It will prevent us from catching all kinds of diseases that can cripple us or even kill us.
 
So therefore, the reward for bearing pain is extremely beneficial to us. Shri Krishna says that sattvic joy is similar, in that when we first begin to experience it, it is quite unpleasant, but in the end, it is as pleasant as nectar. No spiritual path is easy to take up in the beginning. In karma yoga, one has to work selflessly, chipping away at the ego. The leap of faith needed for bhakti is difficult for people who have grown up doubting everything. Jnyaana yoga requires a high degree of awareness, whereas most of us lead automated robotic lives where someone else has done out thinking for us.
 
All of these practices have their goal as the purification of the mind, and of removing its three main doshas or faults: mala or selfish desire, vikshepa or lack of focus, and avarana or ignorance. Unless these three faults are diminished to a great extent, we will be unable to comprehend the nature of sattvic joy. This is unlike any joy we know so far, because it does not depend on any external factors such as objects, people or situations. It comes from inside, from the intellect that has turned inward towards the self.

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Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 18

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.23, aphalaprepsunaa, araagadveshataha, chapter 18 verse 23, karma, kritam, niyatam, saattvikam, sangarahitam, uchyate

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niyatam sangarahitamaraagadveshataha kritam |
aphalaprepsunaa karma yattatsaattvikamuchyate || 23 ||
 
That action prescribed by scripture which is performed without attachment, without like or dislike, by one without hankering for reward, that is said to be saattvic.
 
niyatam : prescribed by scripture
sangarahitam : without attachment
araagadveshataha : without like or dislike
kritam : performed
aphalaprepsunaa : one without hankering for reward
karma : action
yat : that which
tat : that
saattvikam : saattvic
uchyate : is said
 
We came across three types of knowledge or world-view in the prior three shlokas. Now we come to the topic of the karma, the action itself. Knowledge is the main instigator of any action. So if the knowledge is saattvic, the action will be saattvic and so on. A simple way to differentiate between the three types of knowledge is the gauge the severity of the likes and dislikes, the raaga and dvesha, that the knowledge creates. When we only see unity and harmony, without any likes or dislikes, that is saattvic knowledge. When we have strong likes or dislikes for this object or that person or that situation, it is raajasic knowledge. When we have a extreme or perverted like or dislike, it is taamasic knowledge.
 
Imagine that you are a guest at a friend’s house. A group of young children are playing a game of monopoly that they ask you to join. Some children want you to win, since you are in their team. The other team wants you to lose. At the conclusion of the game, you end up losing all your monopoly money. But you do not harbour any feelings of resentment or anger towards the children. Why does this happen? You have no attachment to the monopoly game, the money or property that you have acquired, since you know that it is not real.
 
Shri Krishna says that any action performed without attachment, without like or dislike towards any part or character in the action, without hankering for the reward of the action, such an action is a sattvic action. In other words, while commencing the action, our intent and our state of mind is saattvic. We will only be able to perform such an action if we have reduced our likes and dislikes towards material objects to a great extent. This happens only if we see the world as illusory and ephemeral, either through seeing everything as Ishvara’s Prakriti or through meditation upon the hollowness of Maaya.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 18

08 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.20, avibhaktam, bhaavam, chapter 18 verse 20, eekshate, ekam, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, jnyaanam, saattvikam, sarvabhooteshu, vibhakteshu, viddhi

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sarvabhooteshu yenaikam bhaavamavyayameekshate |
avibhaktam vibhakteshu tajjnyaanam viddhi saattvikam || 20 ||
 
By which one sees a single, imperishable, indivisible entity in all diverse beings, know that knowledge to be sattvic.
 
sarvabhooteshu : in all beings
yena : by which
ekam : single
bhaavam : entity
avyayam : imperishable
eekshate : one sees
avibhaktam : indivisible
vibhakteshu : diverse
tat : that
jnyaanam :knowledge
viddhi : know
saattvikam : saattvic
 
Knowledge, the doer and action were introduced in the prior shloka. Shri Krishna now begins the analysis of knowledge. To recap, jnyaanam or knowledge here refers to the meaning given by an individual to information conveyed by the senses and the mind. The view of a large garden, for instance, could be interpreted differently by different people. A nature lover would rush towards it. A city dweller may think of it is a waste of living space. A real estate developer would imagine a resort being built on it, and all the consequent profits that follow from it.
 
Knowledge can be saattvic, raajasic or taamasic, since it is a product of Prakriti or nature. Sattvic knowledge is taken up here. The mind and the senses, by their very nature, report a diverse world. Shri Krishna says that the vision that can see unity within this diversity is called saattvic vision or knowledge. Few people have such a vision, since it is hard to fight against the normal tendency of the mind to chop up the world into fragments. Only someone with a saattvic vision like Mahatma Gandhi, for instance, could rally diverse and antagonistic states towards the idea of a united Indian nation.
 
Ultimately, a sattvic vision of seeing unity in diversity paves the way to understanding that the entire universe is pervaded by one single, imperishable, undivided entity. Initially, this entity is the eternal essence with attributes, the saguna brahman, also known as Ishvara. At the conclusion of the spiritual journey, the understanding evolves to recognize this entity as the nirguna brahman, the pure eternal essence, which is our own self. We can develop such a unified vision, this samyak darshana, through karma yoga. Instead of serving ourselves, we serve our family, then our community, our company, our state, our nation and eventually, Ishvara.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 17

10 Friday May 2013

Posted by in 17.20, anupakaarine, daanam, daatavyam, deeyate, deshe, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaale, paatre, saattvikam, smritam, tat

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daatavyamiti yaddaanam deeyatenupakaarine |
deshe kaale cha paatre cha taddaanam saattvikam smritam || 20 ||
 
That which is donated knowing that charity is duty, to whom one is not obliged, in the right place and time, to a worthy person, that charity is called saattvic.
 
daatavyam : charity is duty
iti : in this manner
yat : that
daanam : charity
deeyate : is donated
anupakaarine : to one without obligation
deshe : place
kaale : time
cha : and
paatre : person
cha : and
tat : that
daanam : charity
saattvikam : saattvic
smritam : is called
 
So far, Shri Krishna described the three types of food, sacrifice and penance. Food gives us energy to serve the world, to perform sacrifice. Penance enables us to conserve and channel that energy towards sacrifice. Sacrifice results in a result that is received by the recipient of the sacrifice as well as to us, the performers of the sacrifice. Accumulating results beyond what we need to support ourselves and our family can result in greed. To check this greed, we need to perform daanam or charity.
 
Now, even the attitude towards charity can reveal a lot about the texture of our faith. Shri Krishna described the characteristics or conditions of charity performed with a saattvic attitude. Conducting charity out of a sense of duty is the first condition. It should come naturally to us, and not because someone has asked us to do it. Charity should never be treated as a business deal. For instance, if someone has done us a favour, we should not give him something in the guise of charity. Furthermore, we should not donate something expecting something in return.
 
Charity is a sacred act, therefore it has to be performed thoughtfully. Tossing a coin to a beggar on the street may be a noble act, but it does not quality as an act of saattvic charity. It has to be done at the right place and during an auspicious occasion. It also has to be directed towards a worthy person. Shri Shankaraachaarya in his commentary gives the example of the occasion of Sankraanti, the beginning of the month, as an auspicious occasion. He also gives the example of a learned teacher as one who is worthy of receiving a charitable donation.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 17

07 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in 17.17, aphalakaanshibhihi, chapter 17 verse 17, naraihi, parayaa, parichakshate, saattvikam, shraddhayaa, tapaha, taptam, trividham, yuktaihi

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shraddhayaa parayaa taptam tapastattrividham naraihi |
aphalakaanshibhiryuktaihi saattvikam parichakshate || 17 ||
 
This three fold penance, performed by balanced people with supreme faith, without expectation of reward, is called sattvic.
 
shraddhayaa : with faith
parayaa : supreme
taptam : is performed
tapaha : penance
tat : this
trividham : three fold
naraihi : by people
aphalakaanshibhihi : without expectation of reward
yuktaihi : balanced
saattvikam : sattvic
parichakshate : is called
 
So far, we saw that tapas or penance comprises three aspects. Bodily or shaaririka tapas, speech or vaangmaya tapas, and mental or maanasika tapas. Tapas is used to conserve and channel our energy in the pursuit of a goal or objective, whether it be material or spiritual. Shri Krishna now describes three types of tapas, and how they can be used to assess the texture of our faith. He first describes the conditions under which penance is revealed to be sattvic.
 
The unique nature of sattvic tapas is that it is performed in the pursuit of the highest possible goal, which is self realization. It is not performed for any material gain, or the pursuit of physical or mental powers. Furthermore, it is performed with the utmost faith in the statements of the scriptures. Shri Krishna uses the word naraha or human in this shloka, and not in the shlokas that described the other two types of penance. He implies that only humans have the ability to perform penance without expectation of material gain.
 
Who has the ability to perform this highest level of penance, this sattvic penance? It is one who is yukta, one who has integrated his mind with his intellect, one who can remain balanced in success and failure. Only such a person is able to incorporate all the three aspects of penance, physical, mental and speech, referred in the shloka as three fold. Even if one of these is missing, the tapas loses its sattvic aspects. Mental penance is the toughest of all the three, since it is hardest to conquer the mind.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 14

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.16, aahuhu, ajnyaanam, chapter 14 verse 16, duhkham, karmanaha, nirmalam, phalam, rajasaha, saattvikam, sukritasya, tamasaha, tu

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karmanaha sukritasyaahuhu saattvikam nirmalam phalam |
rajasastu phalam duhkhamajnyaanam tamasaha phalam || 16 ||
 
The result of good action is sattvik and pure, it is said, while the result of rajas is sorrow, and the result of tamas is ignorance.
 
karmanaha : action
sukritasya : good
aahuhu : is said
saattvikam : sattvik
nirmalam : pure
phalam : result
rajasaha : rajas
tu : while
phalam : result
duhkham : sorrow
ajnyaanam : ignorance
tamasaha : tamas
phalam : result
 
When new year comes around, many people make new year resolutions to lose weight. Many take a gym membership, but most end up using it only for a few days. The ones that consciously develop a habit of going to the gym everyday are the most likely to lose weight. Even if they go to the gym for ten minutes every day, they will lose weight. This is because habits are self reinforcing. A behaviour creates a habit, which pushes us to repeat the behaviour, which strengthens the habit, and so on.
 
Similarly, we can shape our mental states by choosing our actions consciously. Shri Krishna says that sattvic or selfless actions generate a sattvic state, rajasic or selfish actions generate a rajasic state, and tamasic or ignorant actions generate a tamasic state. If we are predominantly rajasic by nature, we can improve our state by emphasizing the performance of sattvic actions. If we are predominantly tamasic by nature, we can change it by emphasizing the performance of rajasic actions.
 
The law of karma holds true in every situation, including this one. If we perform rajasic actions, we will attain temporary joy, which will eventually generate sorrow. It does not take a large amount of raaga dvesha, likes or dislikes, to make us act selfishly. And if we perform tamasic actions, we will continue to live our lives in inertness and ignorance. Only through sattvic actions will we create a state of purity and serenity in our mind.