Category Archives: sarvabhootani

Bhagavad Gita Verse 27, Chapter 7

24 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.27, bhaarata, chapter 7 verse 27, dvandva, dvesha, ichchaa, mohena, parantapa, sammoham, samutthena, sarge, sarvabhootani, yaanti

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ichchaadveshasamutthena dvandvamohena bhaarata |
sarvabhootani sammoham sarge yaanti parantapa || 27 ||
 
O Bhaarata, ever since the creation (of this world), all beings attain ignorance by the delusion born of duality, O Arjuna.
 
ichchaa : desire
dvesha : hatred
samutthena : born of
dvandva : duality
mohena : delusion
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
sarvabhootani : all beings
sammoham : deluded
sarge : creation
yaanti : attain
parantapa : O Parantapa
 
If someone says “I love my job” or “I love to go to this city” we have no doubt in understanding that there is satisfaction in that emotion of loving something. But if someone says “I hate my boss”, we may not admit it but there is satisfaction in expressing hatred as well. It is next to impossible for our mind to think of anything without a tinge of love or hate.
 
Shri Krishna says that the moment we are born, we are cast into this double or dualistic thinking. We can never think an integrated, holistic thought because we are forced to think is terms of likes and dislikes. We run after a certain object because we like it so much and cannot live without it. We finally acquire it. But once that happens, that we begin to dislike that very object that we could not live without. Ultimately every such pursuit results in sorrow.
 
So therefore, how do we get rid of our likes and dislikes, and begin to think holistically? Karma yoga is the answer. By relentlessly performing actions for the service of a higher ideal, we eliminate likes and dislikes to a great extent. Every sense organ has a like and dislike for its respective objects. That is an undeniable truth. But whether or not we fuel these likes and dislikes is up to us. Breaking away from the clutches of the sense organs prepares us for piercing the screen of maaya.
 
Now, if we summarize the shlokas so far, we have the entire problem laid in front of us. Maaya caused by our dualistic disposition blocks us, prevents us from accessing the true nature of Ishvara. Unless we gain this access, we are trapped in samsaara or earthly existence. What should we now do?

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 6

01 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by in aatmaanam, aatmani, cha, chapter 6 verse 29, eekshate, samadarshanaha, sarvabhootani, sarvabhootastham, sarvatra, yogayuktaatmaa

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sarvabhootasthamaatmaanam sarvabhootani chaatmani |
eekshate yogayuktaatmaa sarvatra samadarshanaha || 29 ||
 
One who is established in yoga, one with equanimous vision everywhere, sees his self in all beings, and all beings in his own self.
 
sarvabhootastham : present in all beings
aatmaanam : his self
sarvabhootani : all beings
cha : and
aatmani : in his own self
eekshate : sees
yogayuktaatmaa : one established in yoga
sarvatra : everywhere
samadarshanaha : equanimous vision
 
So far, Shri Krishna was talking about the process of meditation, what should be the meditator’s approach, how should he sit and so on. But having come out of meditation, what is the vision of the perfected meditator?
 
Shri Krishna says that the perfected meditator sees his self in all beings, and all beings in his self. It is difficult to comprehend what this means without actually practising meditation. We can do our best to understand it through an example.
 
We will use the illustration of the wave and the ocean as our running example. As an individual, we have a name and a form. In the same way, we can assume that each wave in the ocean has a (fictitious) name and form. If we go with this analogy, then we can consider ourself as one of those waves.
 
Meditation enables us to expand the notion of what a wave is. So first, we begin to see that although there are different kinds of waves in the ocean, in essence, they are nothing but name and form. Some waves are big, some are small. Some last for a few seconds, some last for much longer than that. Now I could be a small wave and you could be a big wave, but both of us are waves nevertheless. It is akin to realizing that we are all in the same family, company, nation and so on.
 
This stage of the perfected meditator’s vision is indicated by the words “he sees his self in all beings”.
 
As we further expand our vision, we begin to unravel the base of all these waves. We think: yes, all of us are waves, but what holds us together? We then realize that all waves no matter how big or small are contained in the ocean. The ocean is infinitely larger than all of the waves put together. None of the waves can exist without the ocean.
 
The final stage of this vision is reached when we as the wave realize that the ocean also is a name and form, even though it is infinitely larger than all of the waves put together. At its essence, it is nothing but water. I am the wave is water, other waves are water, the ocean is also water.
 
This state is indicated by the words “he sees all beings in his own self”, and such a person is called “sarvatra samadarshanaha”, one with equal vision.
 
Another point made in this shloka is that this “seeing” does not happen just with one’s eyes. This vision comes out of wisdom. Such vision is sometimes referred to as the “third eye”. This is the vision of a “sthitaprajnya” that was briefly discussed in the second chapter.
 
This topic is further elaborated upon in the next few shlokas.