Category Archives: tasmaat

Bhagavad Gita Verse 42, Chapter 4

03 Saturday Mar 2012

Posted by in 4.42, aatishtha, aatmanaha, ajnyaana, asina, bhaarata, chapter 4 verse 42, chhittavaa, enam, hyatstham, jnyaana, sambhootam, sanshayam, tasmaat, uttishtha, yogam

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tasmaadajnyaanasambhootam hritstham jnyaanaasinaatmanaha |
chhittavainam sanshayam yogamaatishthottishtha bhaarata || 42 ||

Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, tear your doubts that are born of ignorance and reside in your heart; establish yourself in this path of yoga, and arise, O Arjuna.

tasmaat : therefore
ajnyaana : ignorance
sambhootam : born of
hritstham : reside in the heart
jnyaana : knowledge
asina : sword of
aatmanaha : your
chhittavaa : tear
enam : this
sanshayam : doubts
yogam : yoga
aatishtha : establish yourself (in this path)
uttishtha : arise
bhaarata : O Bhaarata

In this concluding verse of the fourth chapter, Shri Krishna urges Arjuna to cast away all his doubts and get back to fighting the Kurukshetra war. In other words, he asks the students of the Gita to put the teaching of the fourth chapter into practice, and to act in this world.

Shri Krishna reiterates the location of our accumulated ignorance. He uses the word “hritstham” which literally means heart, but actually refers to the four-fold antaha-karana comprising the mind, intellect, memory and ego.

This shloka also provides a concise summary of the fourth chapter. Ignorance in the form of individuality, selfishness and finitude, is our natural condition. This ignorance causes us to question our relationship with the world, just like Arjuna got confused in regards to his duty as a warrior. Having gained knowledge, in the form of universality, selflessness and infinitude, we know exactly how to transact with the world. All our doubts are destroyed. We begin to act in a spirit of yajnya, where we see the same eternal essence in the actor, the action and the result. Ultimately, like the shloka says, we arise not just physically, but also spiritually, into a new level of consciousness.

om tatsatiti shrimadbhagavadgitasu upanishadsu brahmavidyayaam yogashastre shrikrishnaarjunasamvade
jnyaanakarmasanyaasayogonaamo chaturthodhyaahaha || 4 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 4

05 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.15, api, chapter 4 verse 14, eva, evam, jnaatvaa, karma, kritam, kuru, mumukshubhihi, poorvaih, poorvataram, tasmaat, tvam

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evam jnaatvaa kritam karma poorvairapi mumukshubhihi |
kuru karmaiva tasmaattvam poorvaih poorvataram kritam || 15 ||

Even seekers of freedom, having known this (path of karmayoga), performed actions since ancient times. Therefore, so do you perform actions like the ancients did.

evam : this manner
jnaatvaa : having known
kritam : performed
karma : actions
poorvaih : since ancient times
api : even
mumukshubhihi : seekers of freedom
kuru : perform
karma : actions
eva : those
tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
poorvaih : ancestors
poorvataram : since ancient times
kritam : actions

Previously, Shri Krishna explained that one who knows him as distinct from performer and enjoyer of actions is not bound. Now, he reaffirms that teaching by informing Arjuna that many ancient seekers of freedom have followed the path of karmayoga.

These ancient seekers understood that the “I” is the eternal essence. It is not the doer and does not have anything to gain from results of actions. So they continued to perform actions, dedicating them to the highest ideal which is Ishvaraa, and purified their minds doing so.

Shri Krishna also re-emphasizes that this teaching did not deter the ancient seekers from performing actions, in other words, they did not abandon their duties and retire to the forest. They continued to work in the world but maintained the karmayoga attitude.

By pointing out the heritage of karmayoga, Shri Krishna constantly reminded Arjuna that this is not a brand new teaching, it always was a way of life but was lost due to the passage of time.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 41, Chapter 3

18 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.41, adau, bharatarshabha, chapter 3 verse 41, enam, hi, indriyaani, jnyaana, miyamya, naashanam, paapmaanam, prajahi, tasmaat, tvam, vijnyaana

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tasmaattvamindriyaanyaadau niyamya bharatarshabha |
paapmaanam prajahi hyonam jnyaanavijnyaananaashanam || 41 ||

Therefore, first control the senses, O excellent among Bharataas, and with force, definitely kill this destroyer of knowledge and wisdom.

tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
indriyaani : senses
adau : first
niyamya : control
bharatarshabha : excellent among Bharataas
paapmaanam : mighty sinner (desires)
prajahi : kill with force
hi : definitely
enam : this
jnyaana : knowledge
vijnyaana : wisdom
naashanam : destroyer

Having revealed the location of desire, Shri Krishna now provides a method of taming desire. He advises Arjuna to first control desire at the level of the senses. Desires originate in the likes and dislikes present in the senses, and therefore, that is where we should go after them.

This requires us to be constantly aware and alert of our likes and dislikes, and not to get overpowered by them once we see them arise. For example, we can detect anger towards someone we dislike arise in our mind. We may try to suppress angry thoughts, but that is not feasible. Therefore we should first learn to control anger at level of the tongue by not speaking any harsh words towards that person.

How do we remain alert? There are several techniques to make us alert and bring us to the present moment. The simplest technique is to take a few breaths and just focus attention on the inhaling and exhaling. This will immediately stop all mental “chatter”.

Shri Krishna also mentions here that desire not only destroys knowledge but also wisdom. So let us correctly understand what is meant by wisdom here. Essentially, knowledge + experience = wisdom. If we read something in a book, then it is knowledge. But if we experience something on our own, then we own it and it becomes wisdom.

With this shloka, Shri Krishna answered the question raised by Arjuna, which was in regards to obstacles to karma yoga. He also provided a simple technique that only begins to address the obstacles, but does not completely eradicate them. In the next two verses, he concludes the topic of karmayoga by providing the advanced technique of removing these obstacles.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 3

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.19, aacharan, aapnoti, asakthah, Chapter 3 Verse 19, hi, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaaryam, karma, param, purushaha, satatam, tasmaat

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tasmaadasaktah satatam kaaryam karma samaachara |
asakto hyaacharan karma paramaapnoti purushaha || 19 ||

Therefore, always perform prescribed actions diligently without attachment; for, by performing action without attachment, an individual attains the supreme.

tasmaat : therefore
asaktah : without attachment
satatam : always
kaaryam : prescribed
karma : actions
samaachara : diligently
asaktah : without attachment
hi : because
aacharan : perform
karma : action
param : highest
aapnoti : attain
purushaha : an individual

In this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes his answer to Arjuna’s question from the first verse in this chapter. Arjuna had asked Shri Krishna as to why he should commit the act of war, which in his opinion was a ghastly act. Let us recap Shri Krishna’s answer.

Shri Krishna replied by explaining that no one can flee from action, that one should perform selfless rather than selfish actions, that selfless actions in the service of a higher ideal do not create bondage, and that performance of selfless action or yajna is the key to participating in the evolution of oneself and of the universe.

Another point emphasized in this shloka is that karmayoga should not be something that is restricted to only a few aspects of life. The karmayoga mindset should eventually become second nature, in other words, it should be embedded in each and every action that we perform. So therefore, in each and every action that we perform, from writing an email to eating our meals, we should remember to derive joy from the action itself rather than in the result. Only then will we begin to drop attachment to the action and to the result.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 3

23 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.15, aksharasamudbhavam, brahma, brahmodbhavam, chapter 3 verse 15, karma, nityam, prathishthitam, sarvagatam, tasmaat, viddhi, yajne

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karma brahmodbhavam viddhi brahmaaksharasamudhbhavam |
tasmaatsarvagatam brahma nityam yajne pratishthitam || 15 ||

Know that actions arise out of the Vedas, and that the Vedas arise out of the imperishable (eternal essence). Therefore, yajna is always established in that all-pervading eternal essence.

karma : actions
brahmodbhavam : arise out of the Vedas
viddhi : know
brahma : Vedas
aksharasamudhbhavam : arise out of the imperishable
tasmaat : therefore
sarvagatam : all-pervading
brahma : eternal essence
nityam : always
yajne : yajna
pratishthitam : established

Shri Krishna reveals the connection between yajna and the eternal essence in this shloka. Here he says that yajna is an integral part of the eternal essence, because it is born out of the Vedas. Symbolically, the Vedas represent the “rule-book” of the universe, and so yajna becomes an essential law embedded in the universe.

In the second chapter, which was an overview of the entire Gita, Shri Krishna pointed Arjuna to the ultimate goal of life – realization of the eternal essence. In this chapter, Shri Krishna connect karmayoga to the eternal essence. He explains that karmayoga is a means, a technique, to realize the eternal essence, because the eternal essence created the rules of the universe.

So in summary, the teaching of karmayoga so far is : Actions are of two types,  selfless and selfish. Selfish actions bind us to wordly objects, and selfless actions do not. Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to move gradually from the level of inaction to selfish action first, and then from selfish action to selfless action or yajna. Only through acting in the spirit of yajna will we move forward on the path to realizing the eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 50, Chapter 2

16 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.50, buddhiyuktaha, chapter 2 verse 50, iha, jahaati, karmasu, kaushalam, sukritadushkrite, tasmaat, ubhe, yogaaya, yogah

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buddhiyukto jahaateeha ubhe sukritadushkrite |
tasmaadyogaaya yujyasva yogah karmasu kaushalam || 50 ||

One who is equipped with equanimity in this life discards both merit and sin. Therefore remain established in yoga; yoga results in perfect action.

buddhiyuktaha : with equanimity
jahaati : give up
iha : here, in this life
ubhe : both
sukritadushkrite : merit and sin
tasmaat : therefore
yogaaya : in yoga
yujyasva : established
yogah : yoga
karmasu : in action
kaushalam : perfect

In the last chapter, Arjuna raised several concerns to Shri Krishna while debating whether or not to fight the Kaurava army. One of the concerns was that he would incur sin if he killed his kinsmen. Having given the overview of the topic of Karmayoga, Shri Krishna wanted to now address Arjuna’s concern around sin.

In this shloka, Shri Krishna told Arjuna that if one follows the path of Karmayoga, i.e. performs svadharma with equanimity, one doesn’t have to constantly ponder whether an action will beget merit or sin. In fact, one goes beyond the accumulation of merit or sin. Why is that the case? If we begin to detach ourselves from the results or fruits of our actions, we will also not get attached to merit and sin. Both merit and sin, like results of an action, are future-oriented expectations, and have no place in Karmayoga.

For instance, consider a grapevine that produces grapes. It fully carries out its svadharma, which is to produce tasty grapes. But it is upto the one who processes the grapes to make grape juice out of those grapes, or to produce alcohol that probably ends up ruining an alcoholic’s family. The grapevine does not incur merit or sin, it simply performs its svadharma.

There is another important point in this shloka. Earlier, we came across the definition of yoga as “yoga is equanimity of mind during the performance of action”. Now, Shri Krishna instructed Arjuna on another benefit of yoga. If one maintains equanimity of mind at all times, one’s actions become perfect since they will be performed with total attention and dexterity, without any distractions. Therefore, there is no need worry about the result. The result will, without question, be beneficial.

Earlier, we had discussed trying Karmayoga using a simple exercise: washing dishes while giving complete and undivided attention to the task at hand. If you tried it, you may have noticed that it is almost impossible to focus the mind on the task. The mind, much like a child, darts either into the future or into the past. For now, let’s continue to practice Karmayoga by doing simple household chores like washing dishes, but with focused attention. In the forthcoming shlokas, we will encounter more tools to bring equanimity to the mind.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 2

03 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.37, chapter 2 verse 37, hato, jitvaam bhokshyasem maheem, kritanishchayaha, praapsyasi, tasmaat, uttishta, vaa, yuddhaya

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hato vaa praapsyasi svargam jitvaa vaa bhokshyase maheem |
tasmaaduttishta kaunteya yuddhaaya kritanishchayaha || 37 ||

If you are killed, you will obtain heaven; and if you win, you will enjoy this earth. Therefore, O Kaunteya, arise and decide to engage in war.

hataha : you are killed
vaa : if
praapsyasi : obtain
svargam : heaven
jitvaa : you win
vaa : if
bhokshyase : enjoy
maheem : earth
tasmaat : therefore
uttishta : arise
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
yuddhaaya : in war
kritanishchayaha : decide to engage

Here Shri Krishna makes yet another plea to Arjuna not to shirk away from duty. This time, however, the message is more specific – Shri Krishna does not want Arjuna to resort to inaction or stasis.

Here Shri Krishna is saying : “Arjuna, regardless of whether you win or lose, the outcome will always be favourable. But the longer you keep pondering over your fight or not-to-fight dilemma, the further you move away from action towards inaction. Under no circumstances is inaction permissible. Therefore, fight!”

When faced with tough situations, our natural instinct is to move away from action towards inaction. There is always a hesitation, sometimes procrastination. And usually, this hesitation is caused by a fear of failure, or fear of trying something that we have not done before.

But Shri Krishna advises us that as long as we are performing actions that are aligned to our svadharma, our duty, action is always preferable to inaction or procrastination. The outcome of performing an action in accordance with our duty will always be favourable.

Footnotes
1. In common usage, Dharma means religion, so sva-dharma could mean “one’s religion”. And so, this verse has the potential to be translated as “everyone should fight a war for one’s religion”. This is a misinterpretation. If one really is a warrior (in the army, navy etc.) then they should definitely fight for their country. But if one is not a warrior by profession, there is no need to fight.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30, Chapter 2

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.30, arhasi, avadhyaya, ayam, bhaarata, bhootani, chapter 2 verse 30, dehe, dehi, nityam, sarvaani, sarvasya, shochitum, tasmaat, tvam

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dehi nityamavadhyooyam dehe sarvasya bhaarata |
tasmaatsarvaani bhootani na tvam shochitumarhasi || 30 ||

This eternal and imperishable body-dweller dwells in all bodies, O Bhaarata. Therefore, you should not grieve for any or all beings.

dehi : body-dweller
nityam : eternal
avadhyaha : imperishable
ayam :  this
dehe : bodies
sarvasya : in all
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
tasmaat : therefore
sarvaani : all
bhootani : beings
tvam : you
shochitum : grieve
na arhasi : should not

With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of the eternal essence. Now, having followed the teaching so far, we would probably have some questions. Let’s try to address some of them.

So if we were to ask ourselves “I have studied the Gita for a while now, what is the message in a nutshell so far?”. Or in management-speak “What is the net-net?”. It is this shloka. Therefore, even if we may not remember all the shlokas about the eternal essence, we should not forget this shloka.

Here’s another question: “We have covered the entire first chapter, as well as some part of the second chapter. Where is God in all of this?” We have purposely avoided the word “God” in our discussions because Shri Krishna has not yet uttered that word in any teaching so far. As we proceed through the Gita, Shri Krishna will bring up this topic at the appropriate time. For now, if we go to a place of worship like a temple, we can still continue to pray to God, knowing that the eternal essence is an integral part of God as well.

The pragmatist among us would ask “All this abstract stuff is well and good, how do we apply it in our daily life?”. And the answer is – stay tuned! The topics will become more practical starting with the next shloka. All we need to remember is the examples from these shlokas: the eternal essence is like the sun, actionless and changeless. It is like the water that pervades the entire cloth. And it is like the car-dweller who occupies and leaves the car once it is old.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 2

14 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.18, anaashinaha, antavanta, aprameyasya, chapter 2 verse 18, dehaa, ime, nityasya, shareerinaha, tasmaat, uktaaha, yudhyasva

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antavanta ime dehaa nityasyoktaaha shareerinaha |
anaashinoprameyasya tasmaadyudhyasva bhaarata || 18 ||

These bodies of the eternal body-dweller will perish, it is said. It is imperishable and unfathomable. Therefore, fight, O Bhaarata.

antavanta : perishable
ime : these
dehaa : bodies
nityasya : eternal
uktaaha : has been said
shareerinaha: this body-dweller
anaashinaha : imperishable
aprameyasya : unfathomable
tasmaat : therefore
yudhyasva : fight
bhaarata : O Bhaarata

Like the previous shloka did, this shloka introduces another aspect of the eternal essence. It is unfathomable, incomprehensible. In other words, it cannot be understood by our intellect like we understand other kinds of knowledge. Also notice here that the eternal essence is denoted as one entity, whereas the bodies are many. Which means it is same eternal essence that pervades all material objects, including human bodies.

Since Shri Krishna concludes a line of reasoning in this shloka with the word “tasmaat”, let’s summarize the argument that began in verse 11 of this chapter:

1) Shri Krishna told Arjuna : “You are thinking that it is evil, wrong, unlawful to fight against your kinsmen. Your logic is incorrect. You are missing the big picture.”
2) “I will tell you the correct logic. You shouldn’t grieve for them. The eternal essence, body dweller, is imperishable and real, whereas human bodies and material objects are perishable, and are unreal, as it were.”
3) “I will also give you some practical advice. Do not get agitated by joy and sorrow caused by contact with people, objects and situations. These are temporary conditions so bear them patiently. Once you learn to remain stable through joy and sorrow, you will begin to realize the eternal essence”.
4) “Now that you know that you can never destroy the imperishable eternal essence, and that you should not grieve for the perishable, get up and fight, O Arjuna”.

So then, what is the bottomline? “Arjuna, you should not think that you are this human body. Associate yourself with that body-dweller, that eternal essence. It will never get destroyed, so there is no need for grief.”

Here we also see that Shri Krishna, like any good teacher, is providing 2 kinds of training : theoretical and practical. From the next shloka onwards, we will examine the theoretical, or logical aspect. In the later part of the chapter we will look at the practical aspect.

Footnotes
1. This shloka gives a pointer to the birth of the ego. When the eternal essence, which is one entity, associates itself with material objects, it gets split or fragmented. It begins to think that it is limited by whatever material object it is associated with. And when that eternal essence feels limited to a particular human body, and does everything in its power to maintain a sense of separation from everything else, that gives rise to the sense of ego.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 1

14 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in arhaaha, chapter 1 verse 37, hantum, hatvaa, hi, katham, suhkhinaha, svabaandhavaan, svajanam, tasmaat, vayam

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tasmaannarhaa vayam hantum dhaartaraashtraan svabaandhavaan |
svajanam hi katham hatvaa sukhinaha syaama maadhava || 37 ||
 
Therefore, it is not appropriate for us to kill these relatives of Dhritraashtra who our also our brothers. How can we gain pleasure by killing our own, O Maadhava?
 
tasmaat : therefore
na arhaaha : not appropriate
vayam : we
hantum : to kill
dhaartarashtaan : relatives of Dhritraashtra
svabaandhavaan : our brothers
svajanam : our kinsmen
hi : because
katham : how
hatvaa : kill
sukhinaha : happiness
maadhava : O Maadhava
 
The word “tasmaat”, which means therefore, indicates the conclusion of an argument. Here, Arjuna concluded his argument to Shri Krishna in which he asserted that that he did not want to fight. To defend that argument, Arjuna provided several points: that there was no point in the war or even in living itself, that the very people that he was fighting against were the same people that made him happy, that killing his kinsmen and his well-wishers was a sin, and that there would be no joy derived in doing so.
 
This argument was not built on any sort of rationality or logic because Arjuna came under the influence of “moha” or delusion, the delusion that personal relationships were more important in the battlefield than one’s duty. An increase in moha usually suppresses our ability to discern between what is correct and what is not. This discerning ability is called “viveka”.
 
Here’s an real world example that illustrates moha and viveka. Imagine that your brother has a drinking problem, and needs to hear from you that the addiction needs to stop. What is the right thing for you to do? It is a difficult situation because your moha and viveka come into conflict. Viveka tells you that the right thing for you to do is to intervene, but moha tells you that doing so will endanger your relationship.
 
Another common example is that a surgeon will usually not perform an operation on a relative exactly because of this moha.
 
Footnotes
1. Viveka is the first step in the “Saadhana Chatushthaya”, the 4-fold qualifications that are required for anyone treading on the spiritual path. Barring a few exceptions if you do not cultivate the ability to discern what is correct and what is not, your spiritual journey will never commence.