Category Archives: saha

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30, Chapter 6

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in aham, cha, chapter 6 verse 30, maam, mayi, me, na, naa, pashyati, pranashyaami, pranashyati, saha, sarvam, sarvatra, tasya, yaha

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yo maam pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati |
tasyaaham na pranashyaami sa cha me naa pranashyati || 30 ||
 
One who sees me in all, and sees all in me, to him I am not lost, and he is not lost to me.
 
yaha : one who
maam : me
pashyati : sees
sarvatra : in all
sarvam : all
cha : and
mayi : in me
pashyati : sees
tasya : to him
aham : I
na : am not
pranashyaami : lost
saha : he
cha : and
me : me
naa : is not
pranashyati : lost
 
Shri Krishna now speaks to us directly as Ishvara. He says that the devotee who sees him in everything, and also sees everything in him, will have a permanent connection to him. In other words, Shri Krishna will never appear as distant or invisible to that devotee. It may seem a little confusing to hear this statement right after the previous shloka that said that one should see everything in the eternal essence. How does Ishvara fit into the picture?
 
Let us refer to our running example of the wave and the ocean. Imagine that a young child sees the ocean for the first time. Her intellect can only grasp visual, grosser objects. So her attention will immediately go towards the ocean, its colour, its size, the sounds it makes, the waves and so on. It will not be obvious to her that everything is water, because she has not reached that intellectual level yet.
 
Shri Krishna fully knows that most of us are children, even babies, on the spiritual journey. It will take a long time for our intellects to see the eternal essence everywhere. So until our perception stops operating on the level of names and forms, we have to find an easier way to see the eternal essence everywhere.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that first, we should try to see everything in Ishvara and Ishvara in everything. Ishvara could be the form of Shri Krishna. It could be any other deity that we feel an affinity towards. It could also be our guru. No matter what form we choose, we should be able to view the form of Ishvara as the highest.
 
Now, most of us have the notion that Ishvara or God is a mysterious figure or force that is sitting far away in Kailash or Vaikuntha or somewhere us. But Shri Krishna, in the Gita, is telling us in this shloka that he is everywhere. It requires a radical shift in order to think this way. That is why in Indian culture, everything can become an object of worship, from a tree to a stone to a book, because Ishvara is present in everything. What is required is the understanding that comes through contemplation.
 
So therefore, if we truly begin to think that the whole world comprises Ishvara in our chosen form, there will never be a single moment where we are far from Ishvara.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 6

25 Wednesday Apr 2012

Posted by in anirvinna, chapter 6 verse 23, chetasaa, dujhka, nischayena, saha, saiyoga, sanngitam, vidyaat, viyogam, yoga, yogaha, yotavyaha

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tam vidyaadyuhkhasaiyogaviyogam yogasanngitam |
sa nischayena yoktavyo yogonirvinnachetasaa || 23 ||
 
You should know the definition of yoga as that which severs connection with sorrow. You should engage in yoga with firm conviction and a non-despondent mind.
 
tam : that which
vidyaat : you should know
duhkha : sorrow
saiyoga : connection
viyogam : sever
yoga : yoga
sanngitam : definition
saha : that
nischayena : firm conviction
yoktavyaha : should engage in
yogaha : yoga
anirvinna: not despondent
chetasaa : mind
 
Shri Krishna motivates and inspires the meditator to attain perfection in meditation in this shloka. Only through meditation can the meditator completely sever all sorrows. He urges the meditator to follow the path of meditation with a firm and unwavering determination. No obstacles should deter the meditator from his goal.
 
We are introduced to yet another definition of yoga in this shloka. In the second chapter we saw two definitions of yoga: yoga is equanimity, and yoga is dexterity in action. Here, yoga is defined as “duhkha saiyoga viyoga”. Let us examine what this means.
 
Sorrow has an intimate relationship or connection with our live. We do get glimpses of happiness, but this is due to the degree of sorrow declining temporarily. This connection is termed as “dukha saiyoga”. We never lose this connection with sorrow throughout our life. Shri Krishna says that the yoga of meditation is the only means by which we can sever or separate this connection with sorrow. This is why the yoga is meditation is defined here as “duhkha saiyoga viyoga”.
 
In other words, if we have perfected ourselves in meditation, sorrows can never touch us. Even though we cannot stop sorrows from approaching us, we will not associate with them ever again after meditation. This capability comes as a result of the fixity of mind developed through meditation. So in addition to progressing in our spiritual journey, meditation gives us something which we continually seek on the material level as well – freedom from sorrows.
 
Now, Shri Krishna says something that he has not said anywhere else in the Gita. He says that we must make a firm determination to attain the state of the perfected meditator. He emphasizes that the state of the perfected meditator is the goal that we should aim towards. It is like a parent telling his child that he should focus on obtained his graduate degree. It implies that the child will put effort in school, high school and college, all the way until he gets his graduate degree. If each part of the curriculum is followed, the goal is attained easily.
 
Similarly, the Gita gives us a curriculum for attainment of liberation. It introduces us to the eternal essence in the second chapter. In the third chapter, it explains the method of giving up the sense of “mine” through karma yoga. In the fourth and fifth chapter, it explains the method of giving up the sense of doership i.e. “I am the doer” through karma sanyaasa. When the sense of I and mine is given up, our mind is then ready to get established in the understanding that the eternal essence is our own self through meditation.
 
Having said this, Shri Krishna is extremely pragmatic. He knows that this goal is not easy. It is going to take a long time. We will encounter obstacles in the way that may demotivate us or make us despondent and frustrated. So therefore, he says that we should not let the mind become despondent. Each time we encounter an obstacle that pushes us off the path of meditation, we get up and continue, again and again.
 
What are these obstacles and how to deal with them? This topic is taken up in the next shloka.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 6

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

Posted by in 6.1, akriyaha, anaashritaha, cha, chapter 6 verse 1, ha, kaaryam, karma, karmaphalam, karoti, na, niragnirana, saha, sannyaasi, yaha, yogi

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
anaashritaha karmaphalam kaaryam karma karoti yaha |
sa sannyaasi cha yogi cha na niragnirana chaakriyaha || 1 ||

One who performs obligatory action, without reliance upon results of action, that person is a monk as well as a yogi; not one who has renounced fire or action.

anaashritaha : without reliance upon
karmaphalam : results of action
kaaryam : obligatory
karma : actions
karoti : performing
yaha : one who
saha : that person
sannyaasi : is a monk
cha : and
yogi : is a yogi
cha : also
na : not
niragnirana : one who has renounced fire
cha : and
akriyaha : one who has renounced action

Shri Krishna begins the sixth chapter titled “Dhyaana Yoga” or yoga of meditation by redefining what is meant by a monk and a dhyaana yogi or meditator. He says that one who performs actions in the spirit of karmayoga, per his definition, is both a monk and a meditator. The meditator is not one who has given up his duties or actions, who has run away from the world.

Meditation is a topic that fascinates everyone. We like the idea of going to a retreat, away from all our troubles, and sit in a tranquil place to meditate. But as we shall see in the rest of this chapter, Shri Krishna has a unique viewpoint about the process of meditation, and of who is qualified to become a meditator. He first says that only one who is engaged in the expression of his desires through karmayoga, through the performance of svadharma, is a good meditator.

As long as our vaasanaas or our impressions exist, they will continue to generate desires that will propel us away from the inner self and out into the world. They will make us restless and agitated. So the karmayogi intelligently channels these desires and expresses these desires. The key point is that the results of actions generated by these desires are submitted to a higher ideal, so that the results lose their power to create further selfish desires. As our attachment to results drops, the mental restlessness and agitations diminish, making us fit to pursue meditation.

Shri Krishna drives home the point with two examples. First, he says that one does not have to renounce fire in order to perform meditation. In the olden days, householders would maintain a sacrificial fire in their homes. Absence of the fire indicated renouncing the duties of a householder. In other words, Shri Krishna says that one does not have to give up their household duties for pursuing meditation. Second, one does not have to physically renounce action and retire to a monastery to meditate. The culmination of karmayoga is the loss of sense of doership. This is the qualification of a meditator.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 5

31 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.28, bhayaha, chapter 5 verse 28, eva, ichhaa, krodaha, moksha, mukta, munih, paraayanaha, sadaa, saha, vigata, yaha, yatendriyamanobuddhihi

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yatendriyamanobuddhirmunirmokshaparaayanaha |
vigatechhaabhayakrodo yaha sadaa mukta eva saha || 28 ||

That person who has restrained his senses, mind and intellect, and whose ultimate goal is liberation, who is devoid of desire, fear and anger; that person is also a monk, he is ever liberated.

yatendriyamanobuddhihi : restrained senses, mind and intellect
munihi : monk
moksha : liberation
paraayanaha: ultimate goal
vigata : devoid
ichhaa : desire
bhayaha : fear
krodaha : anger
yaha : one who
sadaa : ever
mukta : liberated
eva : also
saha : that person

Shri Krishna continues the preview of steps needed for preparing ourselves for meditation. The “that person” refers to the person from the previous shloka who has prepared himself physically for meditation. Now, the internal preparation is pointed out.

First, Shri Krishna says that while sitting for meditation, there should be no other objective but that of liberation. If the objective is not pure, if one wants to harm someone by meditation, then the practice will be distracted and the goal will not be reached. In the Puraanic literature, there are many examples of demons that practiced meditation for powers that would help them destroy others. Such goals are not to be harboured. The only goal should be liberation.

Also important is the role that we identify with when we sit for meditation. If sit down as father, we will always think of children. If sit down as an employee, we will think of job-related problems all the time. These roles do not go away easily due to our strong identification with one or many roles. There should be no role while meditation, only the goal of liberation.

So therefore, one who through karmayoga and purified his mind of fear, anger and desire, who has restrained his sense organs, and whose ultimate goal is liberation and not some worldly goal, that person is ready for meditation. But what is the object of meditation? The last shloka of this chapter addresses this point.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 5

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.24, adhigachchati, antahasukhaha, antaraaraamaha, antarjyotihi, brahma, brahmabhootaha, chapter 5 verse 24, eva, nirvaanam, saha, tathaa, yaha, yogi

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yontahasukhontaraaraamastathaantarjyotireva yaha |
sa yogi brahmanirvaanam brahmabhootodhigachchati || 24 ||

One who finds bliss in the self, who revels in his self, whose knowledge is the self; he is a yogi, and attains liberation through identification with the eternal essence.

yaha : one who
antahasukhaha : inner bliss
antaraaraamaha : revels in his inner self
tathaa : and
antarjyotihi : inner light (knowledge)
eva : only
yaha : he who
saha : that person
yogi : true seeker
brahma : eternal essence
nirvaanam : liberated
brahmabhootaha : identified with the eternal essence
adhigachchati : attains

Shri Krishna now starts describing how one who is established in the eternal essence eventually attains the eternal essence, in other words, is liberated. The word yogi here refers to a realized seeker. The entire personality of such a seeker is completely turned inward toward the eternal essence. This state is described by three words: antahasukhaha, antaraaraamaha and antarjyotihi.

The person who finds bliss within is called antahasukhaha. He does not expect anything from the outside world. The idea that something other than himself will make him happy, that idea has completely gone. To recap a point from the earlier shloka, he experience bliss by seeking positivity within him, it is not negating what is outside. It is like the sun reflected in water. The reflection will never match the brightness of the sun itself. Similarly the joy obtained through the senses is “reflected happiness”. But a yogi who has shifted attention to his inner self gets the real deal.

Typically, our mind needs to constantly come into contact with an object, person or situation. This  causes agitation in our minds. However, objects, people and situations keep changing. The economy changes, our friends change, our health changes and so on. But the realized seeker is antararaamaha. He revels in himself. Another way to look at this word is “antara-aarama”, which means that he rests in himself. He has eliminated all agitations and is completely at ease with himself. There is nothing that compels him to do anything, he just “is”.

Furthermore, the realized seeker stops looking towards more and more sources of knowledge. He is antarjyotihi. He knows that the eternal essence alone is the ultimate knowledge, the ultimate source of light. In most traditional temples, the only source of light is inside the central room where the deity is located. Symbolically, it depicts the internal light of the self.

In this manner, one who is happy in his own self, revels in his own self and finds knowledge in one’s own self, such a person is a true enlightened seeker. By such deep identification with the eternal essence, he becomes the eternal essence. In other words, he attains the ultimate liberation or “nirvaana”. Liberation is the destruction of all limitations and all notions of finitude. It is the realization that what is in oneself is the same as what is in everything else.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 5

24 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.21, aatmani, akshayam, asaktaatmaa, ashrute, baahyasparsheshu, brahmayogayuktaatmaa, chapter 5 verse 21, saha, sukham, vindati, yat

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baahyasparsheshvasaktaatmaa vindatyaatmani yatsukham |
sa brahmayogayuktaatmaa sukhamakshayamashrute || 21 ||

One who is not attached to external sense-contacts finds inner bliss. Such a person, established in contemplation of the eternal essence, experiences inexhaustible joy.

baahyasparsheshu : external sense contacts
asaktaatmaa : person without attachment
vindati : finds
aatmani : inner
yat : one who
sukham : bliss
saha : that person
brahmayogayuktaatmaa : established in contemplation of the eternal essence
sukham : joy
akshayam : inexhaustible
ashrute : experiences

So far, Shri Krishna explained the vision of a realized seeker. From this shloka onwards, he starts turning us towards the topic of meditation. Turning oneself inwards, away from the sense objects of the world, is the first step towards meditation. To this end, he explains the reason for turning inward.

Our entire life is geared towards the pursuit of happiness. However, if we introspect, we realize that the happiness we get from sense objects such as tasty food or a visually appealing movie is instantaneous, but fleeting. Sense objects are finite, and so it the happiness that they can provide. Moreover, if we are not careful, we get attached to whatever gives us instant happiness so that we can repeat that experience. This also leads to sorrow, which comes from constant commentary and judgement from intellect when we lose access to sense objects.

But Shri Krishna gives us a better alternative. When we slowly move away from sense objects and turn inward to contemplate on the eternal essence, we can tap into a source of happiness that is much greater than any happiness produced by sense objects. Moreover, this happiness is never-ending, it is inexhaustible, because it is derived out of the eternal essence which is infinite.

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 20, Chapter 4

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.20, abhipravrittaha, api, eva, karmani, karmaphalaasanga, karoti, kinchit, na, niraashrayaha, nityatriptah, saha, tyaktvaa, verse 20 chapter 3

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tyaktvaa karmaphalaasanga nityatripto niraashrayaha |
karmanyabhipravrittopi naiva kinchitkaroti saha || 20 ||

Having given up attachment to the result of action, always content and depending on nothing, he never does anything, though engaged in action.

tyaktvaa : having given up
karma-phala-asanga : attachment to result of action
nityatriptah : always content
niraashrayaha : depending on nothing
karmani : in action
abhipravrittaha : engaged in action
api : even when
na : not
eva : ever
kinchit : any
karoti : do
saha : he

“When this project ends, will it give me everlasting happiness?” is the question that we ask, explictly or implicitly, whenever we commence any new endevour. In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that everlasting happiness and contentment is a natural byproduct of karma yoga itself, not of any one particular project. Contentment becomes part of our personality. The word used to describe this state is “nityatriptah”.

As we grow up, we are programmed and conditioned by the world to believe that happiness is something that is outside of us. This conditioning goes deep inside our psyche and causes us to run after a better job, more money, a bigger house and so on. Now, it is absolutely alright to pursue growth while performing one’s svadharma. Wealth follows naturally if one follows svadharma sincerely. But constant seeking of happiness from external objects makes us slavishly dependent upon the world.

What is so wrong about this seemingly normal tendency to look outside oneself for happiness? Because any happiness gained from the world will be finite and temporary. But Shri Krishna says here that if one dependent on the eternal essence instead, he becomes ever content. As the second chapter says: “naabhaavo vidyate sataha”. The self is infinite and eternal.

Through karmayoga, we lose our attachment to the results of our actions. In doing so, we become less dependent on external world for happiness. Shri Krishna asks us to use our discrimination to examine the source of our happiness. We should train our mind to check daily whether we have gone outside ourselves to search for happiness, or is it coming from within.

Furthermore, if we are attached to the result of our action, we generate a expectation for the future. Which means that we identify ourselves with the process of time, which is also a part of prakriti. Identification with time accumulates karma or negative reaction from the universe.

So therefore, one who does not create expectation of a result in the future does not accumulate karma. This is what is meant by the phrase “never does anything” in the shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 4

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.18, akarma, akarmani, buddhimaan, cha, chapter 4 verse 18, karma, karmani, kritsnakarmakrit, manushyeshu, pashyet, saha, yaha, yuktaha

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karmanyakarma yaha pashyedakarmani cha karma yaha |
sa buddhimaanmanushyeshu sa yuktaha kritsnakarmakrit || 18 ||

One who sees inaction in action, and action in inaction, he is wise among all people, he is well integrated and accomplishes his actions.

karmani : in action
akarma : inaction
yaha : one who
pashyet : sees
akarmani : in in action
cha : and
karma : action
yaha : who
saha : he is
buddhimaan : wise
manushyeshu : among people
saha : he is
yuktaha : a yogi (well integrated)
kritsnakarmakrit : accomplishes all actions

Now, having understood the deeper meaning of karma, let us look at the most crucial shlokas of this chapter. Shri Krishna employs his poetic prowess to teach us how to apply the knowledge of karma to our actions. He uses the words karma and akarma (action and inaction) differently in different parts of the shloka, so let us take it part by part.

First, let us understand what is meant by “seeing inaction in action”. The word action in this phrase refers to activity of any sort: thinking, feeling, working. To be clear, even thinking a thought is action. And the word “inaction” here refers to the constant awareness that the eternal essence, our self, is inactive, and not the doer of action. It means complete detachment from the work and detachment from a sense of agency or doership, because the mind has now attached itself to a higher ideal.

So therefore, one who sees inaction in action knows that his every activity is happening out of prakriti or nature. His true identity is the eternal essence that neither does any action not enjoys the result of any action. From a practical standpoint, it refers to the attitude that we have towards our work. It is the difference between a worker who can perform tough tasks and not feel tired, and the worker who feels that every minute of his work is a burden.

Next, let us look at the phrase “seeing action in inaction”. The word action in this phrase refers to the ego, the notion that “I am the doer” as well as the sense of agency in the work. And the word “inaction” refers to absence of activity. So for example, if someone needs help crossing the road and we think “I won’t help him because I will be late for my bus”. Behind our absence of helping someone cross the road is a selfish motive. Similarly, if we hold back on admitting a mistake that we had committed, our absence of admitting our guilt is driven by a selfish motive. This is seeing action in inaction.

Shri Krishna then goes on to say that one who constantly uses his discrimination to eliminate all sense of doership from every action – that person is wise and is well integrated in the yajna spirit. That person will accomplish any task that he takes up without fail. His success is guaranteed.

The following four shlokas describe the attributes of such an integrated person, similar to the characteristics of a wise person from the second chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 3

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in aahuh, buddheh, buddhih, chapter 3 verse 42, indriyaani, indriyebhyaha, manaha, manasha, paraa, param, parani, parataha, saha, tu, yah

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indriyaani paranyaahurindriyebhyaha param manaha |
manasastu paraa buddhiryo buddheh paratastu saha || 42 ||

It is said that the senses are superior (than the body), the mind is superior than the senses, the intellect are superior than the mind, and that (the eternal essence) is superior than the intellect.

indriyaani : the senses
parani : superior
aahuh : is said
indriyebhyaha : than the senses
param : superior
manaha : mind
manasaha : than the mind
tu : also
paraa : superior
buddhih : intellect
yah : that which
buddheh : than intellect
parataha : superior
tu : also
saha : that

As we approach the conclusion of the third chapter, Shri Krishna delivers yet another profound shloka that has layers and layers of meaning. Let us examine its practical aspects.

This shloka provides us a hierarchy of our nature, or our prakriti. Earlier in the second chapter, Shri Krishna provided us with the ultimate goal of the Gita, which is to realize that we are the eternal essence, and are distinct from our prakriti, which comprises the body, mind and intellect. So in this shloka, he further informs us that these three components of our prakriti are not equally powerful – there is a hierarchy or an order to their power. The subtler a component is, the more power it wields.

The body is the most tangible, or the most gross, aspect of prakriti. Subtler than the body are the senses. Subtler than the senses is the mind, which generates reactions in the form of emotions and thoughts, but lacks decision making power. Subtler than the mind is the intellect, which can analyze and understand the thoughts generated by the mind, and has the power to control the mind, the senses and the body. And here is the key point: if we assert control of one aspect of prakriti, we automatically bring all the lower levels in our command.

For example, let’s say someone wants to quit smoking. If he convinces his intellect that smoking is harmful, and also remains alert at the time a desire to smoke arises, he has a good chance of quitting smoking. But if the intellect starts rationalizing this behaviour by saying “one cigarette is not a problem” then there is no chance.

Now, if we are operating on the level of our vaasanaas, the intellect is where the hierarchy would stop. Then desires would take hold of the senses, the mind and even the intellect, making us act selfishly. There would be no way out. But this shloka urges us to realize that there is something even superior to the intellect, which has the potential to root our desires that have penetrated the intellect. In the initial stages of our journey, that something is a higher ideal. But as we proceed in our journey, it is the highest possible ideal: the eternal essence itself. Unless we recognize this, we will be stuck at the level of the intellect. This paves the way for the technique of removing obstacles, which is covered in the next and final shloka of the third chapter.

Footnotes
1. Bringing one’s prakriti under control is one component of the “saadhana-chatushtaya”, or the four-fold qualifications of a seeker. Control of the senses is called “dama” and control of the mind is called “kshama”.