Category Archives: sarva

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 9

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in 9.4, aham, avasthitaha, avyakta, bhootaani, cha, chapter 9 verse 4, idam, jagat, matsthaani, mayaa, moortinaa, na, sarva, sarvam, tatam, teshu

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mayaa tatamidam sarvam jagadavyaktamoortinaa |
matsthaani sarva bhootaani na chaaham teshvavasthitaha || 4 ||
 
This entire universe is pervaded by my unmanifest state. All beings are based in me, I am not based in them.
 
mayaa : my
tatam : pervaded
idam : this
sarvam : entire
jagat : universe
avyakta : unmanifest
moortinaa : state
matsthaani : based in me
sarva : all
bhootaani : beings
na : not
cha : and
aham : I
teshu : in them
avasthitaha : based
 
This shloka and the next are the crux of the teaching in this chapter. Shri Krishna makes three core points: that the entire universe is pervaded by his unmanifest state, that all beings are based in him, and that he is not based in them. Let us first take a step back to understand the context of this teaching before we delve into these three points.
 
The eighth chapter described meditative techniques that we had to follow throughout our lives in order to attain Ishvara, so that we can be liberated from the cycle of creation and dissolution. Now, Shri Krishna reveals a secret that will enable us to immediately gain access to Ishvara 24/7. And unlike other techniques described so far, we do not have to do any action. We just have to know.
 
What is this secret knowledge? Let us start with the first point. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is present in every living and non-living being within this universe. If that’s the case, then we do not need to put in any extra effort. Once we train ourselves to view Ishvara in everything, we will gain access to him 24/7. We will not need to do any extra physical or mental activity to make that happen. But if it were that simple, why cannot we put it into practice immediately? It is because we have been preconditioned since time immemorial to see everything but Ishvara. Removing this preconditioning is the topic of the Gita.
 
The second point made by Shri Krishna is that all beings are based in him. Let us bring up the example of the ocean and the waves to understand this point. A five year old girl sitting on the beach will look at the waves, the foam and the ripples and conclude that they are independent things. But her mother knows that all of those shapes are created because of the ocean. Also, the girl who has to inquire about where these shapes come from. The mother does not have to do anything. She just knows that everything is nothing but water in the ocean. So the mother will tell her, “that’s just the ocean”.
 
Now, let’s say the girl sees a ripple in a lake instead of the ocean. She points to it and says “that’s the ocean”. The mother will now enhance her statement slightly by saying “that is not the ocean, that is a ripple. It is just a shape taken by water, which is in the ocean and in the lake”. Water is an abstract concept which a child slowly learns by example.
 
Similarly, we may begin to think that Ishvara is resident in an idol, or a saint, or a holy place. Like the ripple, they are names and forms. Even Arjuna would have found it hard to believe that Shri Krishna, who is in front of him, can pervade the entire universe. So therefore, Shri Krishna says that no visible entity can ever contain Ishvara who is beyond name and form. The true nature of Ishvara is formless. This is the third point in this shloka.
 
Still, a question remains. Just like we still see waves in the ocean even after knowing that they are water, we still come across thousands of names and forms everyday. Many of those names and forms are people that we interact with, speak with, work with and so on. Aren’t those people “real”? How do we reconcile this? Shri Krishna addresses this confusion in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 7

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.17, aasthitaha, aatmaa, anuttamaam, chapter 7 verse 18, eva, gatim, hi, ite, jnyaanee, maam, matam, me, saha, sarva, tu, udaaraaha, yuktaatmaa

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udaaraaha sarva evaite jnyaanee tvaatmaiva me matam |
aasthitaha sa hi yuktaatmaa maamevaanuttamaam gatim || 18 ||
 
All those are certainly sincere, but only the wise one is my own self, in my opinion. For, he engages to become established in me only as the ultimate goal.
 
udaaraaha : sincere
sarva : all
eva : certainly
ite : those
jnyaanee : the wise one
tu : but
aatmaa : self
eva : only
me : my
matam : opinion
aasthitaha : established
saha : he
hi : for
yuktaatmaa : he engages
maam : me
eva : only
anuttamaam : ultimate
gatim : goal
 
So far, Shri Krishna enumerated four types of devotees and singled out one of them, the wise one, as the most special type of devotee. This is because the wise devotee does not approach Ishvara for something else. He approaches Ishvara to gain only Ishvara and nothing else. Here, Shri Krishna adds another reason for singling out the wise devotee as special. The wise devotee considers Ishvara as his own self and not as another object.
 
First, let us look at the sense of oneness aspect. What is different between a good friend and an acquaintance? There is always a sense of “otherness” between ourselves and the acquaintance, but there is a sense of oneness with the good friend. We see this in a lot of proverbs: “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, “my house is your house” on so on. The ultimate closeness with a friend is when we do not see any difference between doing something for ourselves, and doing something for our friend. In other words, we see our friend as our own self.
 
Similarly, whenever we expect something from God, we are by definition treating him as someone different from our own self. Shri Krishna says that he prefers if we treat him as our own self. Such kind of devotion, where the seeker plants himself in Ishvara day in and day out, and melts his existence into Ishvara’s cosmic existence, is the greatest kind of devotion. This is also known as ekabhakti or advaita, where there is no duality between devotee and Ishvara.
 
However, the reality is different. Most of us consider Ishvara as different than ourselves. One colourful illustration of this is found in the Hindi phrase “bhee aur hee siddhanta” which means “also philosophy” vs “only philosophy”. In other words, we love material objects and Ishvara “also”. Shri Krishna says that we should love Ishvara “only” and not “also”.
 
Now, this does not mean that Ishvara gives second class treatment to the other three types of devotees. Shri Krishna says that those other devotees are “udaaraha” or sincere. Ishvara is affectionate towards all of them.
 
Having pointed out the unique aspects of the wise devotee, Shri Krishna highlights the scarcity of wise devotees in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 7

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.9, asmi, bhooteshu, cha, gandhaha, jeevanam, prithvyaam, punyaha, sarva, tapaha, tapasvishu, tejaha, vibhaavasau

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punyo gandhaha prithvyaam cha tejashchaasmi vibhaavasau |
jeevanam sarvabhooteshu tapashchaasmi tapasvishu || 9 ||
 
I am the pleasant fragrance in earth and the brightness in fire. I am the life-force in all beings, and the austerity in the austere.
 
punyaha : pleasant
gandhaha : fragrance
prithvyaam : in the earth
cha : and
tejaha : brightness
cha : and
asmi : I am
vibhaavasau : in fire
jeevanam : life force
sarva : all
bhooteshu : in beings
tapaha : austerity
cha : and
asmi : I am
tapasvishu : austere
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna said that he is the taste in water, the light in the sun and moon, Om in the Vedas, sound in space, and valour in men. He now continues to list his glories or vibhootis in this shloka.
 
No fragrance can be compared to that which arises from the earth after the first shower in the monsoon season in India. You have to experience it yourself. Shri Krishna says that whenever we smell that pleasant fragrance, we should know that it is Ishvara in the form of that fragrance. Furthermore, Shri Shankaraachaarya in his commentary goes on to say that any fragrance is a product of prakriti or nature, and any odour is a product of ignorance or avidya.
 
Next, if we are asked to imagine that entity which contains the hottest fire, we immediately think of the sun. Even if we intellectually know that there are other stars that are much larger than the sun, we still think of the sun as the brightest and the hottest entity. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is the heat or brilliance in fire everywhere, including the sun and the stars. In other words, the brilliance of the sun is darkness compared to the brilliance of Ishvara.
 
We intuitively know that there is a life force or life principle that distinguishes inert objects from plants, animals and humans. Our heart becomes joyful when we see an abundance of this life force, especially in children. Shri Krishna says that it is Ishvara that is the life force or life principle present in all plants, animals and human beings.
 
Finally, Shri Krishna brings up the topic of tapas or austerity. What is tapas? It is the energy that builds up in our body when we check the movement of our senses and our mind. We notice that whenever we over-indulge in eating, drinking, watching too much TV or partying, we feel drained of all our energy. Conversely, when we control our senses and our mind, we will find an increase in our energy levels. This energy is tapas, and Shri Krishna says that this tapas is Ishvara.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 6

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in 6.3, anushajjate, chapter 6 verse 4, hi, indruyaartheshu, karmasu, na, sankalpa, sannyaasi, sarva, tadaa, uchyate, yada, yogaaroodha

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yada hi nendriyaartheshu na karmasvanushajjate |
sarvasankalpasannyaasi yogaaroodhastadochyate || 4 ||

When one does not find attachment in sense objects and in actions, when one has renounced all projections, at that time one is said to have been established in yoga.

yada : when
hi : for
na : not
indriyaartheshu : in sense objects
na : not
karmasu : in actions
anushajjate : attached to
sarva : all
sankalpa : projections, urge to go outward
sannyaasi : one who has renounced
yogaaroodhaha : established in yoga
tadaa : at that time
uchyate : is called

Having introduced the qualification of a meditator to be “yogaaroodha”, Shri Krishna now explains what that term really means. He says that it refers to a person who no longer gets attracted or attached to sense objects and actions. This happens because that person finds contentment within himself and does not need to rush out into the world, in other words, he does not have sankalpas.

So far we have understood sankalpa to mean desire. Now, let us understand the deeper meaning of sankalpa. As we have seen throughout the Gita, ignorance of our true self is the root cause of all our sorrows. Ignorance makes us think that we are incomplete. It causes desires that push the mind to go outward to seek happiness. This outward projection is called sankalpa. Typically, sankalpa is seen in the urge to give undue importance to objects, and to actions.

No matter how much we want to deny it, each one of us has a weakness for certain material objects. We think that those objects will give us happiness, peace, security, stability and so on. But if we follow path of karmayoga diligently, the undue importance we place on objects slowly diminishes.

As an example, compare the experience of a child walking in a toystore to that of an adult doing the same thing. The minute the child enters into the store, each object pulls the child towards itself, as it were. The pull is so strong that the child thinks that he cannot live without these toys. A multitude of desires get generated in his mind. He gets excited and restless. But if an adult walks into the toy store, he may very well appreciate the toys, but there is no urge or force that compels him to get attached to any toy. Once our outlook towards all objects of the world is like that adult in a toy store, we are fit for meditation.

Similarly, we have a fascination towards performance of actions. But when we deeply examine our actions, we realize that most of these are performed due to a herd mentality, in other words, because everyone else is doing it, and because we think we will be left out of a group if we do not perform those actions. Many of us pursue educational and career paths by emulating what someone else had done.

Another reason that we perform actions is for strengthening our ego (asmita). Our ego puffs up when we say “I did this”. We forget that actions are part of nature, that they are happening of their own accord. For instance, we do not boast when we have taken a shower or when one of our hands puts a bandage on another hand. So it is only when we have a similar attitude towards all actions that we perform, that we become fit for meditation.

A child eventually stops putting his finger in the fire, having burned it each time. Similarly our sankalpa, our need to act for gaining objects diminishes as the wisdom gained through contemplation increases. When this wisdom dawns and we diminish our attachment to action and objects, we become yogaroodha or established in dhyaana yoga. In other words, we become qualified for meditation.

This journey to meditation seems arduous. How can we get some support? Who can help us? The next shloka goes into this topic.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 4

09 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.19, budhaaha, chapter 4 verse 19, jnyaanagnigdhakarmaanaam, kaamasankalpavarjitaaha, panditam, samaarambhaahaa, sarva, tamaahuh, yasya

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yasya sarve samaarambhaahaa kaamasankalpavarjitaaha |
jnyaanagnigdhakarmaanaam tamaahuh panditam budhaaha || 19 ||

One who begins all actions devoid of desire and resolve, and whose actions have been burnt in the fire of knowledge, he is called a sage (even) by the wise.

yasya : one who
sarve : all
samaarambhaahaa : initiates actions
kaama-sankalpa-varjitaaha : devoid of desire and resolve
jnyaan-agnigdha-karmaanaam : actions have been burnt in the fire of knowledge
tam : he is
aahuh : called
panditam : sage
budhaaha : by the wise

In the following six shlokas, Shri Krishna gives us extremely practical guidelines to fully internalize the message of this chapter, which is that only by renouncing the sense of doership and enjoyership can one achieve detachment from action. They are simple, clear, actionable messages.

Imagine that we are about to undertake on a new project that is part of our field of work, our svadharma. It could be a presentation at work, a new job, moving to a new city and so on. At each step of the project, our mind entertains different questions. We can use this series of shlokas as a guide throughout the project.

Initially, our mind is fully focused on executing the project in the spirit of karma yoga. But after a while, it will get distracted and tend to wander towards material objects. This distraction will eventually lead to lack of efficiency in our project. Shri Krishna addresses how to deal with this aspect of the mind.

The common meaning of the word “sankalpa” is decision or resolve. Let’s examine the deeper meaning. Whenever we think about an object, there is a constant labelling going on in our mind on whether the object is “good” or “bad”. After having gone back and forth, we label something as “good”. This labelling is called sankalpa.

Why does this labelling happen? It is because our intellect has been superseded by our mind and senses. For example, a bitter medicine may benefit the body holistically. The intellect knows this. But the sense of taste will not like it. Furthermore, this sankalpa or labelling gives rise to kaama, or desire for that object. And herein lies the seed of selfish action that distracts us from the goal. Sankalpa and kaama are interrelated, any one of them indicates the present of the other, but both give rise to selfish action.

Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to “burn” our selfish actions with the fire of knowledge. In other words, he wants our intellect to guide us in our svadharma, and stop the mind from labelling objects as good or bad. If something comes to us as part of our svadharma, we must accept it with prasaada buddhi. Like the lotus that remains in the pond and is untouched by the water, we must continually remind ourselves that our eternal essence is different and separate from all actions. Actions are going on by themselves in nature. Therefore, we should remain alert at all times, and should reinstate the supremacy of the intellect over the senses whenever the senses move towards external objects.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 3

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.13, aatmakaaranaat, agham, bhunjate, chapter 3 verse 13, kilbishaih, muchyante, paapah, pachanti, santah, sarva, te, tu, yajnashishtaashinah, ye

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yajnashishtaashinah santo muchyante sarvakilbishaih |
bhunjate te tvagham paapaa ye pachantyaatmakaaranaat || 13 ||

Those wise individuals who consume the remains of yajna, they are liberated from all sins. But those sinful ones who cook only for themselves, they consume only sin.

yajnashishtaashinah : remains of yajna
santah : wise individuals
muchyante : are liberated
sarva : from all
kilbishaih : sins
bhunjate : consume
te : they
tu : but
agham : sin
paapaah : sinful ones
ye : those
pachanti : cook
aatmakaaranaat : for themselves

In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna began the topic of the three levels of action. We saw that in the first level, the individual does not perform any action and only consumes. In this shloka, Shri Krishna explains the second and third levels of action.

Selfish action is the second level of action. In this level, the individual only thinks about himself. His vision is very narrow and limited. When this individual works in a team, his only thought is : how much of the result can be kept for myself? He also treats everyone he works with as his competitors. For him to win, they have to lose. Shri Krishna says that such individuals “cook only for themselves” and “consume only sin”.

The third level and highest level of action is that of selfless action. The individual who works selflessly seldom thinks about himself. His vision is broad : he is always thinking about how to act such that his family will benefit, his employer will benefit, his nation will benefit and so on. He always treats others with respect, and as partners in collectively achieving the highest possible goal. Shri Krishna says that by working in this highest level of action, such “wise individuals” are “liberated from all sins”.

Another mark of this individual that he treats everything that he possesses as materials to be used in a yajna. Which means that he does not consider anything as “mine” – everything belongs to the higher ideal (family, company, nation etc). So therefore, he is more than happy to partake in what’s left after everyone else has consumed their share of the fruits of the yagna. Our natural tendency is to make a grab for our share and then let others worry about theirs. But this individual, keeping sight of the higher ideal at all times, ensures that others are taken care of before taking care of himself.

So what does this mean for us? When we perform any action every day, let us make an attempt to gauge the level of the action being performed by us. Is it selfish? selfless? or are we so lazy that we are not acting at all?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4-6, Chapter 1

20 Saturday Aug 2011

Posted by in chapter 1 verse 4-6, eva, family, friends, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, mahaarathaha, maheshvaasaa, relationships, sarva, shooraha, veeryavan, yudhi

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atra shoora maheshvaasaa bheemarjunasamaa yudhi |
yuyudhaano viraatashcha drupadashcha mahaarathaha || 4 ||
 
dhrishtaketushchekitaanah kaashirajascha veeryavan |
purujitkuntibhojashcha shaibyascha narapungvaha || 5 ||
 
yudhamanyushcha vikraanta uttamaujaashcha veeryavan |
saubhadro draupadeyashcha sarva eva mahaarathaaha || 6 ||
 
This army has mighty archers such as Yuyudhaana, King Viraata and Drupada who are equal to Bheema and Arjuna in battle. Other powerful warriors include Dhrishtaketu, Chekitaana, the gallant king of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, Yuyudhaana, Uttamauja, Abhimanyu and all the sons of Draupadi.
 
atra: here
shooraha: brave
maheshavaasaa: (mah + ishvaasaa) with giant bows
cha: and
yudhi: in battle
bheemarjunasamaaha: equal to Bheem and Arjuna
yuyudhaanaha: Yuyudhaana
viraataha: King Viraata
mahaarathaha: mighty warriors
drupadaha: Drupad (also)
 
dhrishtaketu: Dhrishtaketu
chekitaanaha: Chekitaana
purujitaha: Purujit
kuntibhoja: Kuntibhoja
shaibya: Shaibya
kaashiraajaha: King of Kashi
 
veeryavaan: gallant 
yudhmanya: Yudhamanyu
uttamaujaaha: Uttamaujaaha
saubhadraha: son of Subhadra – Abhimanyu
draupadeyaaha: sons of Draupadi
sarva, eva: everyone
maharaathaaha: mighty warriors
 
Duryodhana continued his attempt to incite Drona to fight aggresively against the opposing army by calling out the mighty warriors on the other side. He chose each name carefully to elicit a reaction from Drona, since each of these warriors had a history with Drona.
 
Yuyudhaana was Arjuna’s top student, and Duryodhana wanted to point out that although Arjuna’s top student was fighting on his teacher’s side, Drona’s top student Arjuna was fighting against his teacher. Drupada also was someone that Drona disliked, as was pointed out earlier. Dhristaketu’s father had been killed by Krishna, yet he was on the side of the Pandavas. Chekitaana was the only Yadava warrior not taking the side of the Kauravas.
 
The king of Kashi was an exceptionally gallant warrior, and took the side of the Pandavas. Yudhamanyu and Uttamauja were exceptional warriors from the Paanchaala kingdom. Purujit and Kuntibhoja were Kunti’s maternal brothers who were also related to the Kauravas, but chose the side of the Pandavas. Shaibya was Yudhishtira’s father-in-law, similarly related to the Kauravas. Abhimanyu, Arjuna’s son, was well versed in the art of breaking military formations. Duryodhana disliked Draupadi immensely, so her sons were pointed out as well.
 
We begin to see how interrelated the warring parties were. Some were friends who turned into enemies, some were relatives who chose sides, and some like Drona were equally loving to both sides, but had to choose one based on their duty to the throne and the kingdom.
 
It is a reminder that nothing in our lives stays the same. A relationship that gives you lot of joy today, could in a matter of seconds turn into a sorrowful relationship at some point.