Category Archives: tatra

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 18

24 Friday May 2013

Posted by in 18.4, bharatasattama, chapter 18 verse 4, me, nishchayam, purushavyaaghra, samprakeertitaha, shrunu, tatra, trividhaha, tyaagaha, tyaage

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nishchayam shrunu me tatra tyaage bharatasattama |
tyaago hi purushavyaaghra trividhaha samprakeertitaha || 4 ||
 
Hear from me the truth on this issue of giving up, O foremost among Bharataas. For giving up, O foremost among men, has been declared to be of three types.
 
nishchayam : truth
shrunu : hear
me : my
tatra : on this issue
tyaage : giving up
bharatasattama : foremost among Bharataas
tyaagaha : giving up
hi : for
purushavyaaghra : foremost among men
trividhaha : three types
samprakeertitaha : declared
 
After listing differing viewpoints on the topic of karma yoga, Shri Krishna proceeds to provide the correct understanding to Arjuna. Before we delve into Shri Krishna’s answer, let us go through the viewpoints and analyze their merits. The most extreme viewpoint from the previous shloka advocated the complete abandonment of all actions. We have already seen in earlier chapters that it is impossible for the human body to remain without performing actions for its survival. Therefore, this viewpoint is impractical and has to be rejected.
 
A less extreme viewpoint advocated the abandonment of all selfish actions. Even this is impractical since it is impossible for someone to suddenly quit performing only selfish actions and continue with the rest. So we can reject this viewpoint as well. Two other viewpoints remain. One is performing actions that are obligations towards our fellow human beings, towards Ishvara and towards ourselves. The other is to remove our attachment towards the rewards of all actions.
 
Shri Krishna begins providing his definition by first praising Arjuna for asking the clarifying question, since it gives an opportunity to summarize the teaching of karma yoga for all future students of the Gita. Arjuna gets two wonderful titles from Shri Krishna, bhratasattama and purushavyaagraha. Shri Krishna also indicates that he will classify tyaaga or giving up actions into three types, saattvic raajasic and taamasic. In fact, a major portion of this chapter will continue this theme of three fold classification.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 14

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.6, anaamayam, anagha, badhnaati, chapter 14 verse 6, jnyaanasangena, nirmalatvaat, prakaasham, sattvam, sukhasangena, tatra

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tatra sattvam nirmalatvaatprakaashamanaamayam |
sukhasangena badhnaati jnyaanasangena chaanagha || 6 ||
 
Of these, sattva is pure, bright and healthy. It binds through attachment to joy and attachment to knowledge, O sinless one.
 
tatra : of these
sattvam : satvva
nirmalatvaat : pure
prakaasham : bright
anaamayam : healthy
sukhasangena : attachment to joy
badhnaati : binds
jnyaanasangena : attachment to knowledge
cha : and
anagha : O sinless one
 
In simple terms, our mind is in a state of sattva whenever we experience joy, peace and calmness. We are alert, our mind is able to think very logically, we are able to grasp the most complex statements that we read or hear, and we don’t feel the need to rush out into the world.
 
Shri Krishna says that sattva refers to purity, brightness and health. Our mind can be compared to the water in a glass cup. When the pond is free from agitation, and all the dirt has settled down, it is crystal clear and is able to reflect light beautifully. Similarly, when our mind is in a state of sattva, there is absence of dirt in the form of selfish desires. There is brightness because it is able to reflect the light of the self, the awareness of the self, without any hinderance. There is health because it enables us to get as close to our natural state of joy as is possible in the human body.
 
Now, no matter how enjoyable or pleasant this state is, Shri Krishna reminds us that sattva has the ability to bind us, to trap us, because anyone will like to remain in a state of joy and calmness. Furthermore, if we foresee that this state will go away, we would like to hold on to this state of joy tightly and not let it go. Sattva can also bind us through attachment to knowledge. Since sattva enables our mind to accumulate more and more worldly knowledge, read more books, attain more academic qualifications, and ultimately pump up our ego, we get attached to it even more.
 
Why is sattva able to bind us to joy and knowledge? We mistake the joy provided by sattva because we have not experienced what real joy is. That can only happen in meditation when we are able to access the joy that is inherent in the “I”, in the self. All other joys are in the realm of Prakriti – temporary, perishable, and illusory. True joy is in the subject, the “I”, not in the object. Sattva, though preferable to rajas and tamas, is to be used for getting us closer to the goal of liberation, and has to be ultimately discarded, just like the fire is turned off after we cook our meal.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 11

27 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.13, anekadhaa, apashyat, chapter 11 verse 13, devedasya, ekastham, jagat, kritsnam, paandavaha, pravibhaktam, shareere, tadaa, tatra

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tatrakastham jagatkritsnam pravibhaktamanekadhaa |
apashyaddevedasya shareere paandavastadaa || 13 ||
 
Then, the Paandava saw the entire universe with many divisions located in one place in the body of that lord of lords.
 
tatra : that
ekastham : located in one place
jagat : universe
kritsnam : entire
pravibhaktam : with many divisions
anekadhaa : several
apashyat : saw
devedasya : lord of lords
shareere : in the body
paandavaha : the Paandava
tadaa : then
 
Previously, Arjuna was overwhelmed by the sheer vastness of Ishvara’s cosmic form. There was so much going on, so many shapes and forms, that he did not know where to look. He took some time to get accustomed to the radiance emitted from that form. Now that his vision became a little clearer, he saw the entire universe with the earth, the sky, the oceans, animals, plants, trees and humans in one tiny corner of that vast cosmic form.
 
Sant Jnyanadeva provides some illustrations to convey the how small the universe looked. It was like a few atoms on Mount Meru, a few bubbles in the vast ocean and an ant-hill on planet earth. Such was the vastness of the cosmic form that even our universe looked puny. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, we see a similar description. Yashoda saw herself and her village in a tiny corner of the universe that was situated in the yawning toddler Shri Krishna’s mouth.
 
In this shloka, Arjuna quite literally saw “the big picture”. Like us, he was concerned and preoccupied with his problems, his challenges and his worries. He now came face to face with “ananta koti brahmanda naayaka”, the lord of an infinite number of universes. When Arjuna saw Ishvara’s cosmic form, he realized that the universe is nothing but a small fraction of Ishvara’s creation. The tiny wave realized how huge the ocean really is.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 25, Chapter 8

22 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.25, chaandramasam, chapter 8 verse 25, dakshinaayanam, dhoomaha, jyotihi, krishnaha, nivartate, praapya, raatrihi, shanmaasaa, tathaa, tatra, yogi

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dhoomo raatristathaa krishnaha shanmaasaa dakshinaayanam |
tatra chaandramasam jyotiryogi praapya nivartate || 25 ||
 
Smoke, night, darkness and the southern movement comprising six months; the yogi (travels through) that path, attains the light of the moon, to return.
 
dhoomaha : smoke
raatrihi : night
tathaa : and
krishnaha : darkness
shanmaasaa : comprising six months
dakshinaayanam : southern movement
tatra : through that path
chaandramasam : of the moon
jyotihi : light
yogi : yogi
praapya : attains
nivartate : return
 
We saw earlier that jeevas who have practised single-pointed devotion travel on the path of light, attain the abode of Lord Brahma, and eventually achieve liberation. Now, Shri Krishna describes the path of the jeeva who has performed good deeds in its lifetime, but had not practiced devotion. This path is called the path of the moon or the lunar path.
 
The jeeva is guided on this path by the deities who preside over the smoke of the pyre, night, the dark lunar fortnight and the six months between summer and winter. Having travelled through the lunar path, these jeevas attain a lower realm called Chandraloka or the abode of the moon. In modern language, this is nothing but heaven. The jeeva enjoys heavenly pleasures, which are the fruits of its earthly actions. Unlike the jeeva in Lord Brahma’s abode, this jeeva returns to earth once the fruits of its good actions have depleted.
 
Both the dark lunar fortnight and the period between summer and winter are relatively less auspicious than their brighter counterparts. But many festivals including Maha Shivraatri and Krishna Janmaashtami are celebrated during the dark lunar fortnight.
 
Shri Krishna summarizes the difference between the two paths in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 8

21 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.24, agnihi, ahaha, brahma, brahmavidaha, chapter 8 verse 24, gachhanti, janaahaa, jyotihi, prayaataa, shanmaasaa, shuklaha, tatra, uttaraayanam

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agnijyotiraha shuklaha shanmaasaa uttaraayanam |
tatra prayaataa gachhanti brahma brahma vido janaahaa || 24 ||
 
Fire, light, day, the bright (fortnight of the month), the northern movement comprising six months; those people who have departed through that path, knowers of brahman attain brahman.
 
agnihi : fire
jyotihi : light
ahaha : day
shuklaha : bright
shanmaasaa : comprising six months
uttaraayanam : northern movement
tatra : through that path
prayaataa : one who has departed the body
gachhanti : attain
brahma : brahman
brahmavidaha : knowers of brahman
janaahaa : people
 
Shri Krishna describes the journey that the individual soul or jeeva takes after death in this and the next shloka. Each jeeva is allocated one of two paths based on its actions while on this earth. Here, he speaks about the path taken by those who have practiced single-pointed devotion to Ishvara, indicated by the phrase “knowers of brahman”.
 
It is said that Ishvara has appointed special deities to guide the jeeva to the abode of Lord Brahma after its body has ceased to function. Agni, jyoti, shukla and uttaraayan are symbols that indicate the deities who preside over fire, light, the lunar fortnight and the six month period between winter and summer. The jeeva resides in Lord Brahma’s abode until dissolution, after which it is liberated. In other words, it “attains brahman”.
 
In India, Uttaraayana is considered highly auspicious. Its beginning is celebrated with the Makar Sankraanti festival. The lunar fortnight of each month is also the time in which most Indian festivals are celebrated including Navaratri and Guru Purnima.
 
Next, Shri Krishna described the second path that jeevas take after death.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 8

15 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.18, aagame, agame, ahaha, avyakta, avyaktaat, chapter 8 verse 18, eva, prabhavanti, praleeyante, raatrya, sangyake, sarvaahaa, tatra, vyaktayaha

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avyaktaadvyaktayaha sarvaahaa prabhavantyaharaagame |
raatryaagame praleeyante tatraivaavyaktasangyake || 18 ||
 
With the start of day, the entire manifest (universe) is produced from the unmanifest. With the start of night, it is dissolved into that which is called the unmanifest.
 
avyaktaat : from the unmanifest
vyaktayaha : manifest
sarvaahaa : entire
prabhavanti : produced
ahaha : day
aagame : start
raatrya : night
agame : start
praleeyante : dissolution
tatra : that
eva : only
avyakta : unmanifest
sangyake : called
 
Shri Krishna explains the process of cosmic creation in this shloka. When the day of Lord Brahma begins, the entire universe comprising all living and non-living entities wakes up and begins to act. This process continues until the end of his day. Then, the whole universe goes back into the same unmanifest state that it sprung from. Alternatively, the whole universe is born out of Lord Brahma (the unmanifest), and goes back into him.
 
We can understand this shloka using the analogy of the movie theatre from the beginning of this shloka. The entire animated movie lies unmanifest in the reel of film. When the movie begins, someone loads the film into the projector and turns the projector on. Then, the bright white movie screen comes alive with all the characters in the movie. When the reel of film ends, all the movie characters are “dissolved” from the white screen. This process is repeated next time, and so on and so forth.
 
Now let us examine the implications. The universe is never really destroyed. It goes into a state of suspended animation, only to be “un-frozen” when the next day of Lord Brahma begins. This is consistent with the law of conservation of energy and matter. Neither energy nor matter is created or destroyed. They just transform from one state to another.
 
If we know this, and if we also know that every action that we perform always yields a result sooner or later, we realize that the universe works on a set of well-defined laws. Nothing is random, everything is an effect of some earlier cause. Therefore, we can begin to develop the right set of expectations towards the world. Then, while performing actions in a spirit of karma yoga, we will know that only performance of actions is in our hand. The universe, with its set of in-built laws, will take care of the rest. There is no room for worry.
 
Now, do the living and non-living being have a choice in this process of creation and dissolution? We shall see in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 43, Chapter 6

20 Sunday May 2012

Posted by in bhooyaha, buddhisaiyogam, cha, chapter 6 verse 43, kurunandana, labhate, paurvadehikam, samsiddhau, tam, tato, tatra, yatate

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tatra tam buddhisaiyogam labhate paurvadehikam |
yatate cha tato bhooyaha samsiddhau kurunandana || 43 ||
 
There, he regains connection with the intellect of his prior birth, and using that, he again strives for liberation, O joy of the Kurus.
 
tatra : there
tam : he
buddhisaiyogam : connection with intellect
labhate : regains
paurvadehikam : prior birth
yatate : strives
cha : and
tato : using that
bhooyaha : again
samsiddhau : liberation
kurunandana : joy of the Kurus
 
Shri Krishna had explained the fate of two types of meditators. He said that the ones that harbour desires will be born into a wealthy family, and the ones that have no desires are born into a family of accomplished meditators or yogis. He now says that the ones that are born into the yogic family reconnect with their intellect from their prior birth. In other words, their effort in their previous life does not go to waste.
 
We see examples of child prodigies, especially in the field of music and science, who achieve expertise in their fields within a few years of being born. Their personality is somehow pre-configured to excel in their chosen field. Such prodigies get the benefit of nature, which is their parents’ genes, and nurture, which is the conducive environment for mastering their field. Similarly, those who are born into a family of meditators get the benefit of nature and nurture.
 
Such children find themselves attracted to satsangs, bhajans and discourses at a very early age but will not know why they are attracted. Once this happens, they will continue their spiritual journey and begin to strive for liberation automatically. Moreover, their determination will be much stronger than their prior attempt.
 
These children will not have any attraction for worldly pleasure because they have already experienced pleasures and had their fill. They will not harbour any further material desires. Other people will find it bewildering that these children do not get attracted by things that most children crave.
 
Now, what happens to the other type of unfulfilled meditator who is born into an illustrious family? Do they also get reconnected to their prior efforts? Shri Krishna speaks about this next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 6

14 Saturday Apr 2012

Posted by in aasane, aatma, chapter 6 verse 12, ekaagram, kritvaa, manaha, purification, tatra, upavishya, vishuddhaye, yatachittendriyakriyaha, yogam, yunjyaat

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tatrekaagram manaha kritvaa yatachittendriyakriyaha |
upavishyaasane yunjyaadyogamaatmavishuddhaye || 12 ||
 
Seated on that seat, making the mind single pointed, having subdued the activities of the mind and senses, engage in the yoga for purification of the self.
 
tatra : that
ekaagram : single-pointed
manaha : mind
kritvaa : making
yatachittendriyakriyaha : subduing activities of mind and senses
upavishya : seated
aasane : seat
yunjyaat : engage
yogam : yoga
aatma : self
vishuddhaye : purification
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna provides a comprehensive introduction to the process of meditation, and also points out the goal of meditation. He says that the goal of meditation is to purify the intellect. The process to do that is by sitting down, controlling the mind and senses, and focusing the mind, making it single pointed.
 
First let us examine the goal of meditation which is the purification of the intellect. The shloka says “aatma-vishuddhaye” meaning “self-purification”. Note that the word self means the intellect here. But what does purification of the intellect mean exactly? To understand that, we need to take a step back and examine where meditation is placed with respect to the topics in the Gita. Meditation is the culmination of the entire curriculum of the Gita which aims at removing the three main defects of our personality: mala, vikshepa and aavarana.
 
In the third chapter of the Gita, we encountered karmayoga. It enables us to purify the first impurity of the personality known as mala or dirt. Mala causes the mind to rush out into the world of sense objects due to a sense of finitude. In other words, it causes us to act in the world. As we have seen earlier, we use karmayoga to turn this defect against itself, just like a thorn removes another thorn. Next, devotion or bhakti is used to remove the second defect known as vikshepa, which the tendency of the mind to get distracted. Chapters 7 to 12 examine bhakti in great detail.
 
After dealing with mala and vikshepa, the Gita addresses the last defect known as aavarana or covering. This covering prevents us from fully getting established in the knowledge of the eternal essence. Having gone through shravanam (reading and listening to knowledge) and mananam (removal of doubts), meditation helps us achieve the last step which is nidhidhyaasa or internalization of this knowledge.
 
So the notion that “I am not this body, I am the eternal essence” needs to be fully internalized so that it becomes second nature to us. This is the goal of meditation.
 
The process to achieve this goal is also addressed in this shloka. Shri Krishna asks us to sit down on that seat that was described in the previous shloka. He then asks us to make the mind single-pointed or focused. But this is easier said than done. Whenever we close our eyes and sit in meditation, the thoughts of the world rush in.
 
Many techniques are given in other literature in order to make this happen, including concentrating attention on a point on the wall, on a flame and so on. But the prerequisite to all of this is that we have to subdue the mind and the senses.
 
Consider the example of the person that wants to remain seated inside a room. Either he will have thoughts of objects outside the room, or someone from the outside will want him to come out of the room. Similarly, when we sit for meditation, either the mind will generate thoughts of the world, or the sense organs will pick up a scent, a touch and so on that will drag the mind out. Therefore, we have to control the mind and senses before attempting meditation.
 
There also are some secondary benefits to meditation. If we meditate on a regular basis, we will never be reactive to situations. No matter what kind of situation comes up in front of us, we will always take time to pause and then decide. This is because the mind has already been trained to slow down the thinking process. We will then not lose our balance and not always work in a reactionary mode. We will take a good look at situation and slowly approach it
meditative person will have this advantage.
 
Next, Shri Krishna delves into the specifics of meditation.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 2

26 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.28, aadeeni, avyakta, bhaarata, bhootani, chapter 2 verse 28, eva, kaa, madhyaani, nidhanaani, paridevanaa, tatra, vyakta

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avyaktaadeeni bhootani vyaktamadhyaani bhaarata |
avyaktanidhanaanyeva tatra kaa paridevanaa || 28 ||

All bodies are latent in the beginning, they manifest in the middle, O Bhaarata. In the end, they will become latent again, so why should you grieve about this.

avyakta : latent
aadeeni :  in the beginning, prior to birth
bhootani : all bodies
vyakta : manifest
madhyaani : in the middle
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
nidhanaani : after end
eva : only
tatra : this
kaa : why
paridevanaa : grieve

This is yet another important and profound shloka with layers and layers of meaning. Let’s try to understand it to the best of our ability. Let us look at some examples.

The first example, which is an oft-quoted one, is the seed example. We know that we can hold the seed of a tree, say a mango tree, in the palm of our hand – it is that small. We also know that if we provide the seed with the right climate, soil, water and fertilizer, it will grow into a tall mango tree. The blueprint of the tall tree is present in that small little seed. In other words, the mango tree is latent until the seed is planted. In time, when the seed transforms into a sapling, and then into a tree, we can say that the tree has manifested out of the seed. And in the due course of time, the tree will eventually transform into wood or paper for human consumption, or get burnt and become one with the soil, or something else.

Today is the festival of Diwali when I’m writing this, so I have to add the example of the flowerpot firecracker. For those unfamiliar with it, the flowerpot firecracker is a fist-sized conical shape with a wick on top. After the wick is lit, the firecracker shoots up a dazzling fireworks display in the shape of a fountain, sometimes up to 100 feet tall. This display lasts for about 30-60 seconds. Here we can say that the fireworks display was latent in the firecracker, it came into existence when the wick was lit, and it ended when the gunpowder was exhausted and eventually absorbed in the air. To make it even more relevant, sometimes a hundred or so of these flowerpots are lit in succession, so that as one ends, another one begins.

Finally, here’s a somewhat different example. I used to play Beatles songs in a band. We would rehearse most of the Beatles popular songs beforehand. When we began our performance in the club, we would ask the audience to request a song, which we would end up performing. Therefore, the song was latent in our memory, it would come into existence when we played it, and it would end soon thereafter, after having travelled into the listener’s ears, and hopefully into their minds. Also, each time we played it, it would sound just a little different.

What’s common in all the 3 examples? In each case there was a beginning where something was hidden or latent, then something happened that caused it to come into existence, and eventually there came a time when that thing no longer existed. In effect, the birth, existence and death of a tree is no different than the “birth”, “existence” and “death” of the fireworks display or the song. Birth, existence and death are modifications rather than standalone events, therefore one should not grieve when someone or something comes to an end. It just transforms into something else.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 2

09 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.13, asmin, chapter 2 verse 13, dehaantara, dehe, dehinaha, dheeraha, jaraa, kaumaram, muhyati, praaptihi, tatra, yathaa, yauvanam

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dehinosminyathaa dehe kaumaram yauvanam jaraa |
tathaa dehaantarapraaptirdheerastatra na muhyati || 13 ||

Just as in this body, the body dweller passes through childhood, youth and old age, so also does it obtain another body (after death); the steadfast person does not grieve over this.

dehinaha : body dweller
asmin : this
yathaa : just like
dehe : body
kaumaram : childhood
yauvanam : youth
jaraa: old age
tathaa : similarly
dehaaantara : another
praaptihi: obtain
dheeraha : steadfast person
tatra : by that
na muhyati : do not grieve

It is our experience that we pass through childhood, youth and old age. We can agree that this concept is familiar to us. But note the language used in the first line. It is not you or I that passes through these phases, it is something called the “dehina” or the “body dweller”. The body is born, it undergoes changes, and eventually perishes. But the body dweller remains constant through these changes. So, this means that the body dweller is something that is separate, distinct and different from the body.

Remember the example of Mr. X and his car from the first verse? Let’s revisit it. Mr. X is excited when his car is brand new. After 5-6 years, it starts to develop engine problems. After another 4-5 years, the problems have become so bad that Mr. X decides to sell this car and buy a new Mercedes S-class. Mr. X can be called a “car dweller”.

As the old car’s engine degraded over the years, Mr. X remained the same from the car’s perspective. But when the car had lived its life, he discarded that car for another new car. And there was nothing to be sad about this point. An extreme scenario is some unscrupulous people deliberately crash their old car just so that they can get insurance money to buy a new one.

Similarly, our body undergoes modifications of birth and aging, and eventually perishes. But the body dweller remains constant through these modifications. When the old body has become unfit to dwell in, the body dweller discards it and obtains a new body. The key point here is that the body dweller remains constant through the changes in its body, and also through the change from one body to another. And just like in the car example, a wise person should not grieve about growing old or dying, because the body dweller will always remain constant.

The body dweller is, therefore, the eternal essence that was highlighted in the prior verse. And since it is different than the physical body which perishes, it cannot be “found” in any part of the physical body.

So what exactly is this body dweller, this eternal essence? And how should we acquire the wisdom to see this eternal essence?

Footnotes

1. In one day we have several thoughts such as “I am happy”, “I am sad”, we join a condition to our “I”. Each time do so, we are “born” as a happy person, as a sad person and so on, even if there is no new physical body that is born.