Category Archives: tat

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 8

08 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.11, aksharam, brahmacharyam, chapter 8 verse 11, charanti, ichchantaha, l sangrahena, padam, pravakshye, tat, te, vadanti, vedavidaha, veetaraagaahaa, vishanti, yat, yatayaha

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yadaksharam vedavido vadanti vishanti yadyatayo veetaraagaahaa |
yadichchanto brahmacharyam charanti tatte padam sangrahena pravakshye || 11 ||
 
That which is declared imperishable by the knowers of the Vedas, that which dispassionate sages enter, that whose desire leads them to engage in the study of brahman; for you, I shall speak of that goal, in summary.
 
yat : that which
aksharam : impersishable
vedavidaha : knowers of Vedas
vadanti : declared
vishanti : enter
yat : that which
yatayaha : sages
veetaraagaahaa : dispassionate
yat : that which
ichchantaha : desiring
brahmacharyam : study of brahman
charanti : engage
tat : that
te : for you
padam : goal
sangrahena : in summary
pravakshye : I shall speak
 
Having spoken of the technique of meditating upon Ishvara’s form, Shri Krishna now begins the topic of meditating upon Ishvara’s name. This shloka is written in the style of the Upanishads, and just like the previous shloka, is in a different meter.
 
Before the actual technique of meditation is described, Shri Krishna highlights the qualifications of the seeker who is about to perform this meditation. He should be free of selfish desires, likes and dislikes, indicated by the word “veetaraagaahaa”. We have already encountered this word under the topic of karma yoga. Strong passions or dislikes become obstacles in meditation as they push the mind to jump from one thought to the other. Only one who has managed to control the mind can perform such meditation.
 
The seeker should also possess a strong desire to inquire into the knowledge of the eternal essence, indicated by the word “brahmachaari”. The typical meaning of this word, celibacy, is not used here. It is used to indicate one who “moves around” or is preoccupied with the study of brahman or the eternal essence. Most of us, however, are preoccupied with actions. We are “karmachaaris”. Preoccupation with action will also become an obstacle in meditation, as we have already seen in the sixth chapter.
 
Endowed with these qualifications, the seeker is ready to meditate upon that which is considered as the ultimate goal: the imperishable Ishvara or “aksharam”. What is the process by which one can perform this meditation? This is taken up in the next two shlokas.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 8

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 8.1, adhibhootam, adhidaivam, adhyaatma, brahma, cha, chapter 8 verse 1, karma, kim, proktam, purushottama, tat, uchyate

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Arjuna uvaacha:
kim tadbrahma kimadhyaatmam kim karma purushottama |
adhibhootam cha kim proktamadhidaivam kimuchyate || 1 ||
 
Arjuna said:
What is that “brahman”? What is “adhyaatma”? What is “karma”? O supreme person. What is termed as “adhibhoota” and “adhidaiva”?
 
kim : what is
tat : that
brahma : “brahman”
adhyaatma : “adhyaatma”
karma : “karma”
purushottama : O supreme person
adhibhootam : “adhibhoota”
cha : and
proktam : what is termed as
adhidaivam : “adhidaivam”
uchyate : what is termed as
 
Shri Krishna ended the previous chapter by referencing some technical terms, and stressed the need for Arjuna to understand these terms completely so that he could realize Ishvara. Here, Arjuna does a favour to all future students of the Gita by asking Shri Krishna to clearly define these terms. In that regard, Arjuna asks the definition of four terms in this shloka: adhyaatma, karma, adhibhoota and adhidaiva.
 
This chapter is perhaps one of the more philosophical and esoteric chapters of the Gita. It deals with the theme of life after death, something that has not been addressed so far in the Gita. Furthermore, The definition of the aforementioned technical terms is provided, but has been interpreted differently by various commentators, so we need to chose the most clear and straightforward explanation. We will also get a sweeping glimpse of the Gita’s view on the origin of the cosmos.
 
To better understand these technical terms, let us set up an illustration. First, let us quickly look at how a movie projector works. A projector consists of a bright light that shines onto a strip of film. This film strip contains a series of images that are shot by a movie camera, or drawn by an animator in case of an animated movie. When the film strip is run through the projector, the images are projected onto the movie screen. The fast speed of the moving images creates the illusion of movement on the screen.
 
Let us further say that there is an animated movie called “Tom” that shows a day in the life of Tom who is a teenager. Tom wakes up, eats breakfast, goes to school, comes back home, plays with his friends and goes to sleep. It is a very simple movie. Like any other animated movie it follows a script written by a scriptwriter, and is in fact a sequence of images drawn by an animator.
 
Now, here’s where we have to stretch our thinking. Imagine that by some inexplicable magic, the light that shines on Tom on the film strip begins to think that it is different than the light that shines on the other part of the film strip. It develops an identity of its own. It even begins to think that it is actually waking up, going to school and so on.
 
The light of the projector has identified itself with Tom. What happens next? We will continue to develop this illustration further in the explanation of the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 7

25 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.29, adhyaatmam, akhilam, ashritya, brahma, cha, chapter 7 verse 29, jaraa, karma, kritsnam, maam, marana, mokshaaya, tat, te, viduhu, yatanti, ye

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jaraamaranamokshaaya maamashritya yatanti ye |
te brahma tadviduhu kritsnamadhyaatmam karma chaakhilam || 29 ||
 
Those who strive for liberation from old age and death seeking my refuge, they know “brahman” as well as “adhyaatma” and “karma” completely.
 
jaraa : old age
marana : death
mokshaaya : for liberation from
maam : my
ashritya : taken refuge
yatanti : strive
ye : those who
te : they
brahma : brahman
tat : that
viduhu : know
kritsnam : completely
adhyaatmam : adhyaatma
karma : karma
cha : and
akhilam : entire
 
As a prelude to the eighth chapter, Shri Krishna introduces a series of technical terms that a devotee needs to know the meaning of in order to gain access to Ishvara. The terms are listed in this shloka and the next shloka, whereas the meaning of the terms is explained in the beginning of the eighth chapter.
 
Who exactly is this devotee? Shri Krishna says that it is that devotee who is striving. In other words, he is performing karma yoga for purification of his mind and intellect, and has become ready for meditation. But this devotee is not driven by blind faith. He is a jnyaani or wise devotee.
 
So now, what should the wise devotee have knowledge of? Three technical terms are mentioned in this shloka : brahman, adhyaatma and karma. Some more terms will be added in the next and last shloka of the seventh chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 7

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.23, alpamedhasaam, antavat, api, bhavati, chapter 7 verse 23, devaan, devayajaha, maam, madbhaktaaha, phalam, tat, teshaam, tu, yaanti

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antavattu phalam teshaam tadbhavatyalpamedhasaam |
devaandevayajo yaanti madbhaktaa yaanti maamapi || 23 ||
 
But, those with finite intellect obtain a perishable result. Worshippers of deities obtain those deities, (and) my devotees obtain me alone.
 
antavat : perishable
tu : but
phalam : result
teshaam : of those
tat : that
bhavati : obtain
alpamedhasaam : people of finite intellect
devaan : deities
devayajaha : those who worship
yaanti : obtain
madbhaktaaha : my devotee
yaanti : obtain
maam : me
api : alone
 
We saw that there were two kinds of devotees – those who pursue finite goals and those who pursue the infinite. Earlier, Shri Krishna said that there was nothing wrong with pursuing finite goals as long as such devotees eventually involve towards pursuing the infinite.
 
Why do most devotees contact a deity, someone or something that is higher than them? It is to acquire or obtain a goal that will relieve them of their finitude. Let’s say they worship a deity and manage to obtain the object that they desire. Shri Krishna says that no matter what object is acquired, it will perish at some point. In other words, that object will be time-bound or space-bound. It will make the person happy for a short amount of time, after which he will begin to feel finite and consequently unhappy. The cycle of seeking another finite goal will start all over again.
 
Devotees who do not see the folly of repeatedly acquiring finite things are termed “alpa-medhasaa” or finite-minded by Shri Krishna. They will never be free of sorrow but will manage to suppress it temporarily. They are deprived of the knowledge which indicates the true nature of Ishvara. That is why we should never stop enquiring into the reality of things, and try to look beyond the material world for the real answers to our problems.
 
Shri Krishna goes on to say that those who worship deities may eventually obtain the favour of the deity, who will shower them with his grace. Though commendable, this outcome will still be futile, because the deity is still a finite entity. Only those who seek the infinite Ishvara will gain infinitude by which their sense of finitude or incompleteness will be taken care of once and for all.
 
So then, there has to be reason why most people do not seek infinitude. This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 7

26 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in aasaktamanaaha, asamshayam, chapter 7 verse 1, jnyaasyasi, maam, madaashrayaha, mayi, paartha, samagram, shrunu, tat, yathaa, yogam, yunjan

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Shri Bhagavaan uvaacha:
mayyasaktamanaaha paartha yogam yunjanmadaashrayaha |
asamshayam samagram maam yathaa jnyaasyasi tachchrunu || 1 ||
 
Shri Bhagavaan said:
With mind attached to me, O Paartha, striving in yoga, taking refuge in me, without doubt, by which you will know me completely, listen to that.
 
mayi : to me
aasaktamanaaha : mind attached
paartha : O Paartha
yogam : yoga
yunjan : striving
madaashrayaha : taking refuge in me
asamshayam : without doubt
samagram : completely
maam : my
yathaa : by which
jnyaasyasi : knows
tat : that
shrunu : listen
 
Before we proceed to the seventh chapter, let’s recap what we have seen so far. Arjuna, overcome with sorrow in the battlefield, pleaded to Shri Krishna to give him proper guidance. Shri Krishna proceeded to give him the teaching of the eternal essence, which was the primary topic of the second chapter.
 
The first step in gaining this supreme knowledge is to purify the mind of selfish desires through karmayoga, which was the topic of the third and fourth chapters. As our desires slowly get purified, karmayoga morphs into karma sanyaasa, where our activities reduce to the bare minimum. The final step is the culmination of karmayoga into dhyaana yoga or meditation. In this manner, the first six chapters of the Gita focus on the individual and self effort.
 
We saw in the last chapter that Shri Krishna wanted us to meditate upon him as Ishvara. But for the most part, we do not know what Ishvara is, what is his role in the world, how do we access him and so on. Furthermore, if Ishvara truly represents the infinite eternal essence, how can the finite mind meditate on him? Chapters seven through twelve explain this technique. They reveal to us the nature of Ishvara as creator and controller of this universe. And just like we had to put forth effort to purify our mind in the prior six chapter, we need to apply a more demanding approach to understand Ishvara. It is the effort of surrender to Ishvara with bhakti or devotion.
 
Now, Shri Krishna introduces the seventh chapter with a powerful message. He says that he will reveal that by which we can come to know of Ishvara’s true nature completely and without any doubts. This will require us to develop attachment towards him, and to seek refuge in him.
 
Firstly, Shri Krishna wants us to understand his true nature “samagram” or completely, and without any doubts. For many of us, our image of Ishvara is based upon pictures we have seen in books or on television of Lord Narayana sleeping on the serpent, or of Shri Krishna playing in Vrindaavan. Shri Krishna says that there is nothing wrong with these images, but that is not the full story. He wants to reveal himself in such a manner to us that we will get a complete and comprehensive understanding of his real nature.
 
In the process of understanding Ishvara’s true nature, we will begin to develop a strong attachment towards him and become intent on him, indicated by the words “mai aasakta”. When we begin to develop an attachment to a higher ideal, the lower attachments to material things will automatically drop. There is no need for anything else as a source of joy when one develops an affinity for Ishvara.
 
Furthermore, we will seek his “aashraya”, which means support. Usually, when we are in distress, we take the support of our job, our wealth, our body, our friends and so on. But, none of these can guarantee their support. They could pull out any any minute, they are unreliable. As we begin to develop devotion towards Ishvara, we will realize that he is the only permanent support available. We will begin to rely on him solely, rather than on any other source of support.
 
So therefore, Shri Krishna asks Arjuna to pay attention to this message, as it is not going to be easy for everyone to develop such a connection to Ishvara. But this is the only way by which we can know Ishvara in his entirety. Shri Krishna speaks more about the nature of this knowledge in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 6

23 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatyantaikam, ateendriyam, ayam, buddhigraahyam, cha, chalati, chapter 6 verse 21, eva, na, sthitaha, sukham, tat, tattvataha, vetti, yat, yatra

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sukhamaatyantikam yattadbuddhigraahyamateendriyam |
vetti yatra na chaivaayam sthitashchalati tattvataha || 21 ||
 
That infinite joy which is comprehended by the intellect but is beyond the senses, when he experiences that state and is established in it, he does not move away from his essence.
 
sukham : joy
aatyantikam : infinite
yat : that
tat : that
buddhigraahyam : comprehended by the intellect
ateendriyam : beyond the senses
vetti : experiences
yatra : in that state
na : does not
cha : and
eva : ever
ayam : he
sthitaha : established
chalati : move away
tattvataha : in his essence
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained that the perfected meditator taps into a source of permanent joy once he detaches the mind from the sense organs and connects it to his self. In this shloka, he elaborates on the nature of that joy. He says that this joy is infinite and is comprehended only by the intellect. Also, he says that once we are established in this joy, no external circumstance will knock us or take us away from this state.
 
Let us examine the nature of this joy. Shri Krishna says that it is aatyantikam or infinite. Now, the material world is an expert in giving us infinite sorrow. There are moments in our life when the degree of sorrow is low, and we tend to think that this is joy whereas in reality it is just a lower grade of sorrow. Any new object, person or situation that we encounter carries within it the seed for innumerable sorrows. But the joy that one gets from the self is infinite.
 
Why is the joy from the self infinite? All our worldly joys are dependent on external situations. For some of us, a perfect climate makes us happy, causing us to become sad if the climate changes. For some of us, a certain person makes us happy, so we become dependent on that person and consequently feel sad if that person leaves us. We keep creating subsets in the world: I like A, which means I don’t everything that is not A. But here’s the problem; A is finite and temporary. The joy experienced in the self is independent of all external situations that are temporary in nature. That is why it is infinite.
 
Another characteristic of this joy is that it is beyond the comprehension of the senses. Just like we cannot catch a satellite TV signal with a regular antenna, our senses cannot catch this joy. It is of a different wavelength altogether. It is only comprehended by our intellect, which operates at a much higher level than our mind and senses.
 
As an example, consider two teenagers who are at a party where everyone else is enjoying a cigarette. Both of them are offered a cigarette by their friends. The sense organs are reporting the same information to both the teenager’s intellects – that cigarette smoking is enjoyable and that all their friends are doing it. One teenager accepts the offer and takes a puff. But the other teenager has a refined intellect and it “sees” that this will only lead to sorrow in the end. In the same way, the intellect experiences joy that the senses cannot experience.
 
Shri Krishna further goes on to say that once the perfected meditator is established in this joy, he will never deviate from it. It is like a child learning that 2+2 = 4. Once he has internalized this teaching, it stays with him throughout his life. Similarly, once the perfected meditator realizes this self as his true nature, he will not feel the need to take on any other role or identification for the purpose of fulfillment.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 5

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.16, aadityavat, aatmanaha, ajnyaanam, chapter 5 verse 16, jnyaanam, jnyaanena, naashitam, param, prakashayati, tat, teshaam, tu, yeshaam

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jnyaanena tu tadajnyaanam yeshaam naashitamaatmanaha |
teshaamaadityavatjnyaanam prakashayati tatparam || 16 ||

For those who have destroyed ignorance through knowledge, such knowledge illumines the eternal essence, just like the sun.

jnyaanena : through knowledge
tu : for
tat : that
ajnyaanam : ignorance
yeshaam : those who have
naashitam : destroyed
aatmanaha : their
teshaam : for them
aadityavat : like the sun
jnyaanam : knowledge
prakashayati : illumines
tat : that
param : eternal essence

In this shloka, Shri Krishna compares the dispelling of ignorance to the dispelling of darkness by the sun. The light of the sun does not create anything new. It just shows us what was already there, but was hidden by darkness. Similarly, the knowledge of the eternal essence does not create anything new in us. It just reveals our true nature.

Why does Shri Krishna emphasize knowledge so much? The central theme of the Gita is the removal of delusion. The root cause of delusion is ignorance, which is nothing but our identification to the body, mind and intellect. All our efforts should be towards uprooting this ignorance through the correct knowledge. However, our lives are spent in trying to solve problems at the worldly level.

There is always one aspect of our lives that is incomplete or imperfect. For some of us, it could be our job. For others, it could be our family and friends. For some others, it could be our health. Given these various imperfections, we try to better our situation by changing our job, friends and so on. This results in a roller coaster ride of joys and sorrows.

But if we take a truly objective look at this situation, it turns out that we are looking for perfection in the material world, which will always be imperfect. Shri Krishna says here that the only way to get to the root of this problem is to remove our ignorance of the eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 5

09 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.5, api, cha, chapter 5 verse 5, ekam, gamyate, pashyati, praapyate, saankhyaih, saankhyam, sah, sthaanam, tat, yah, yat, yogaih, yogam

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yatsaankhyaih praapyate sthaanam tadyogairapi gamyate |
ekam saankhyam cha yogam cha yah pashyati sah pashyati || 5 ||

One who obtains the state of bliss through knowledge, also reaches that same state through yoga. He who sees knowledge and yoga as one, that person sees (correctly).

yat : one who
saankhyaih : through knowledge
praapyate : obtains
sthaanam : state of bliss
tat : that
yogaih : through yoga
api : also
gamyate : reaches
ekam : as one
saankhyam : knowledge
cha : and
yogam : yoga
cha : also
yah : the person who
pashyati : sees
sah : that person
pashyati : sees

In this shloka, the words yoga and knowledge need further elaboration to get at the underlying meaning. In the context of this chapter, they mean yoga of action (karmayoga) and yoga of knowledge through renunciation (karma sannyaasa yoga) respectively. Having added this context, the shloka now reads as follows: one who obtains the state of bliss through the yoga of knowledge, also reaches that same state through the yoga of action. In the wise person’s view, both of these are one. It is like two passengers boarding a train from different stations. Both reach the same destination.

Let us dig deeper to understand what is common between renunciation and action. Imagine that two people are striving for self-realization. One person performs karma yoga, but does not think carefully about how he performs his actions. Without proper thought and discrimination, his actions become selfish and his vaasanaas increase. Ultimately, he does not attain his goal.

The other person decides that he prefers renunciation. He goes to an ashram to lead the life of a monk. But even thought he has renounced the material world, he keeps thinking about his life in the material world. He too, does not attain his goal, because his desires prevent him from properly absorbing his teacher’s teachings.

In both cases, renunciation and action do not work because they are missing the key ingredient – knowledge. Unless one uses discrimination while performing action, or maintains the knowledge that I am not the doer prior to renunciation, the goal is not attained by either person. Therefore, Shri Krishna urges wise people to keep discrimination in the picture while considering either stage of the path.

Having reassured Arjuna that both stages yield the same outcome, Shri Krishna next addresses why karma yoga is more appropriate for Arjuna.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 5

05 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.1, broohi, cha, chapter 5 verse 1, ekam, etayoha, karmanaam, krishna, me, punah, sanyaasam, shansasi, shreya, sunischitam, tat, yat, yogam

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Arjuna uvaacha:
sannyaasam karmanaam krishna punaryogam cha shansasi |
yachchshreya etayorekam tanme broohi sunishchitam || 1 ||

First you speak about yoga, then you praise renunciation of action, O Krishna. Of the two, tell me which one, most assuredly, is beneficial for me.

sannyaasam : renunciation
karmanaam : action
krishna : O Krishna
punah : then
yogam : yoga
cha : and
shansasi : praise
yat : that
shreya : which is beneficial
etayoha : of the two
ekam : one
tat : which
me : for me
broohi : tell
sunishchitam : most assuredly

As he was concluding the previous chapter, Shri Krishna spoke about the renunciation of action through yoga in the second-last shloka. He was quite clear that renunciation of action does not mean running away from action. It means renouncing the agency, or the sense of doership behind the action.

Now, Arjuna still retained a desire to run away from the war against his relatives. So even though Shri Krishna was quite clear that one cannot run away from action, Arjuna was still looking for a way to quit fighting the war. So he interpreted the word “renunciation” to mean what most people think renunciation means: going away to a remote ashram, becoming a monk, and then contemplating upon the eternal essence, casting aside any other worldly responsibilities.

With this interpretation in mind, he wanted to know whether renunciation of action was better than karmayoga. If that were the case, he could run away from the war to a place of contemplation, and gain self-realization following that path. He wanted an unambiguous answer from Shri Krishna because he had already asked this question at the beginning of the third chapter.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 34, Chapter 4

24 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.34, chapter 4 verse 34, jnyaanam, jnyaaninaha, pariprashnena, pranipaatena, sevayaa, tat, tattvedarshinaha, te, upadekshyanti, viddhi

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tadviddhi pranipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa |
upadekshyanti te jnyaanam jnyaaninastattvadarshinaha || 34 || 

Know that by complete surrender, inquiry and service, you will receive instruction from those who have gained knowledge through direct realization of the eternal essence.

tat : that
viddhi : know
pranipaatena : surrender to the feet
pariprashnena : inquiry
sevayaa : service
upadekshyanti : will instruct
te : they
jnyaanam : knowledge
jnyaaninaha : those who have knowledge
tattvadarshinaha : through direct realization of the eternal essence

In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna spoke about the realization of the eternal essence that is obtained through the sacrifice of knowledge. Here, he describes the method through which we should go about pursuing that knowledge.

Shri Krishna says that we should begin by approaching a teacher who has two key qualities. One, he should be a tattva-darshinaha. He should have realized the eternal essence himself first-hand. Second, he should be a jnyaaninaha, one who knows the technique of communicating this knowledge. Both qualities are essential and complementary. One without the another will not work.

Having approached the teacher, we should first completely surrender ourselves to him and accept him as our teacher. If we don’t do so then our ego comes into the mix and disrupts everything. The teachings will have no impact if such a thing occurs. We see this type of behaviour when someone approaches a teacher and ends up using that meeting to boast about one’s own knowledge rather than surrender to the teacher.

Next, we should have a thirst for inquiry about the eternal essence, which will be reflected by the questions we ask the teacher. Questions like: Who am I? How do I free myself of bondage? This is what the teacher should be able to answer. All our scriptures including the Upanishads, the Gita and the Bhagavatam are a dialogue between a teacher and student. Furthermore, we should not question about worldly matters like should I get married, should I take this job and so on. Liberation should be top priority.

Finally, we should continue building a relationship with the teacher through serving him. This will foster humility in us. It will also built a better connection and tuning between the teacher and the student. In the Gita, both Arjuna and Dhritaraashtra heard the Gita, but only Arjuna truly understood it. This is because Arjuna was in tune with Shri Krishna and Dhritaraashtra was not. Also, there is absolutely no room for a transactional or “coaching class” relationship between the teacher and student. Service is the only way.

Even Sant Jnyaaneshwar gained knowledge by serving his guru Nivruttinaath. He says “yogiraaja vinavane mana aale vo maaye” which means “I gained realization by serving my guru yogiraaja Nivruttinaatha”.