Category Archives: tena

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 17

13 Monday May 2013

Posted by in 17.23, braahmanaaha, brahmanaaha, chapter 17 verse 23, nirdeshaha, om, puraa, sat, smritaha, tat, tena, trividhaha, vedaaha, vihitaahaa, yajnyaahaa

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om tatsaditi nirdesho brahmanastrividhaha smritaha |
braahmanaastena vedaashcha yajnyaashcha vihitaahaa puraa || 23 ||
 
Om, Tat, Sat, this has been declared as the triple indicator of the eternal essence. By that were created the braahmanaas, the Vedas and the sacrifices, long ago.
 
om : om
tat : tat
sat : sat
iti : in this manner
nirdeshaha : indicator
brahmanaha : eternal essence
trividhaha : triple
smritaha : declared
braahmanaaha : braahmanaas
tena : by that
vedaaha : Vedas
cha : and
yajnyaahaa : sacrifices
cha : and
vihitaahaa : created
puraa : long ago
 
Arjuna began this chapter with a question to Shri Krishna: How can we determine the texture of our faith, as to whether it is saattvic, raajasic or taamasic? Shri Krishna replied that we need to infer this from our actions and the attitude behind our actions. He then showed us the three types of food, sacrifice, penance and charity. The takeaway for us is that we should slowly stop performing raajasic and saatvic actions, and increase our saattvic actions. But even if we manage to perform only sattvic actions, there will always be the chance of some error creeping in.
 
Here, Shri Krishna gives us a formula, a technique to remove errors and defects in saattvic actions. This purifier is the combination of three words – Om, Tat and Sat. All three words are indicators of the eternal essence, of brahman. In fact, each of these words has been used in the Vedas to refer to the eternal essence. Om comes up in the Rig Veda. Tat and Sat come up in the Chhaandogya Upanishad. The word Sat is also used in the second chapter of the Gita to refer to the eternal essence. Note that the eternal essence is beyond name and form. These words are only pointers.
 
Next, Shri Krishna gives us the heritage of this purifier. Prajaapati, Lord Brahma, created the universe along with the sacrifice and the Vedas, as we have seen in the third chapter. He also created braahmanaas, who performed rituals and sacrifices with faith in the Vedas. These braahmanaas would always use Om Tat Sat to purify their sacrifices, to remove any defects in the rituals. Now, per the teaching of karma yoga, whenever we perform saattvic actions, they automatically become a sacrifice. Therefore, even we can use Om Tat Sat to purify our saattvic actions.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 11

15 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.1, adhyaatma, ayam, chapter 11 verse 1, guhyam, madanugrhaaya, mama, mohaha, paramam, sangitam, tena, tvayaa, uktam, vachaha, vigataha, yat

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arjuna uvaacha:
madanugrhaaya paramam guhyamadhyaatmasangitam |
yattvayoktam vachastena mohoyam vigato mama || 1 ||
 
Arjuna said:
Out of compassion for me, you have spoken about the supreme secret known as the knowledge of the self. By those statements, my delusion has been destroyed.
 
madanugrhaaya : out of compassion for me
paramam : supreme
guhyam : secret
adhyaatma : knowledge of the self
sangitam : known as
yat : that
tvayaa : you have
uktam : spoken
vachaha : statements
tena : by those
mohaha : delusion
ayam : this
vigataha : destroyed
mama : my
 
We begin the eleventh chapter with Arjuna’s words. He recalls the root cause of his panic attack from the first chapter which is moha or delusion which caused confusion between his duty as a warrior and as a family member. He now says that his delusion has been dispelled. How did that happen? It is only because Shri Krishna revealed the knowledge of the self, Adhyaatma vidyaa, to Arjuna, the answer to the question “who am I?”
 
When Arjuna understood his true nature as the self, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, he came to know that the self does not kill or be killed, it is neither the doer of action or the enjoyer of the results. He then realized that even if his body died, or his body killed another body, nothing would happen to the eternal essence in each of those bodies. Given the power of this knowledge to destroy the biggest delusion about who he was, he terms it “paramam” or supreme. And since it requires a sincere student and a rare teacher, he terms it “guhyam” or secret.
 
Now, we may think that there was something special in Arjuna that qualified him to receive this supreme knowledge. Arjuna was humble enough to acknowledge that it was purely out of compassion that Shri Krishna showered his grace upon him and gave him this knowledge. Only through the grace and compassion of Ishvara and a qualified guru can one receive this knowledge.
 
Another aspect of the teaching was Ishvara’s involvement with the universe. Arjuna highlights it in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 44, Chapter 6

21 Monday May 2012

Posted by in api, ativartate, avashaha, chapter 6 verse 44, eva, hi, hriyate, jigyaasuhu, poorvabhyaasena, saha, shabdabrahma, tena, yogasya

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poorvabhyaasena tenaiva hriyate hyaavashoopi saha |
jigyaasurapi yogasya shabdabrahmaativartate || 44 ||
 
Though helpless, he is pushed due to his prior effort, because even the seeker of yoga transcends the words of brahman.
 
poorvabhyaasena : due to prior effort
tena : that
eva : only
hriyate : pushed
hi : because
avashaha : helplessly
api : though
saha : he
jigyaasuhu : seeker
api : even
yogasya : yoga
shabdabrahma : words of brahman
ativartate : transcends
 
Previously, Shri Krishna described the fate of the unfulfilled meditator who is born into a family of yogis. Here, he describes the fate of the other type of unfulfilled meditator who is born into a prosperous family. Shri Krishna says that even though such a person will indulge in sense pleasures, his previous efforts will push him towards rekindling his spiritual journey. This attraction or push towards spirituality will give him the potential of transcending his material pleasures.
 
Karma yoga teaches us how to conduct our life without gathering impressions or samskaaraas that give rise to further selfish desires. These impressions, if not destroyed, are carried over from one life into the next, and result in activation of further selfish desires. The unfulfilled meditator who is born into a prosperous family is compelled to fulfill all of his desires because this family has enough wealth for him to do so. He is “avashaha” or helpless in this regard ,due to his propensity for desires.
 
However, in addition to his propensities being carried forward into his new life, his spiritual efforts are also carried forward. At some point in his life, these propensities will manifest in the form of an involuntary push or attraction towards spirituality. Just like the seeker born into a yogic family is pulled, this seeker will also find himself pulled, as it were, towards satsangs, discourses and gurus. But unlike the other type of seeker who knows exactly what to do in this situation, this seeker may not know what or why this attraction happens.
 
Shri Krishna further says that this pull towards spiritual has the potential to take him out of his current state of indulgence in material pleasures. We have seen that engaging selfishly in the material world further ensnares us in the cycle of karma or action and reaction, which is given in the Vedas, referred here as “shabda-brahman” or the words of brahman. But it is only through determination and effort that this seeker can transcend the cycle of karma. However, if he indulges in selfish desires, he will stray from the spiritual path.
 
So therefore, it is incumbent upon all spiritual seekers to continuously strive towards attaining their spiritual goals, no matter what their history is. Shri Krishna speaks more about this determination and effort in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 5

18 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.15, aadatte, aavritam, ajnyaanena, chapter 5 verse 15, jantavaha, jnyaanam, kasyachit, muhyanti, na, paapam, sukritam, tena, vibhoohu

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naadatte kasyachitpaapam na sukritam vibhoohu |
ajnyaanenaavritam jnyaanam tena muhyanti jantavaha || 15 ||

Neither does the eternal essence accept anyone’s sins, nor anyone’s merits. Ignorance veils knowledge, that is how creatures are deluded.

na : not
aadatte : accept
kasyachit : anyone’s
paapam : sins
na : not
sukritam : merits
vibhoohu : eternal essence
ajnyaanena : ignorance
aavritam : veiled
jnyaanam : knowledge
tena : that
muhyanti : deluded
jantavaha : creatures

In the sequence of shlokas describing the vision of the enlightened seeker, Shri Krishna provided the illustration of the city dweller and also asserted that the eternal essence is separate and distinct from action and its adjuncts including doership, results and enjoyership of result.

In this shloka, he takes us another step further in explaining the distinctness of eternal essence from action. He says that even sin and merit also have nothing to do with eternal essence. He also further says that action, result, doership, enjoyership, sin, merit – the notion that these belong to the “I”, the eternal essence, is termed as ignorance. This ignorance is caused due to our strong identification with the body, mind and intellect.

Let us refer to the Pac-Man example from the previous post. Based on his actions in the video game, the Pac-Man character can gain points (merits) or lose points (demerits). This gaining and losing of points is again based on rules of the video game. It, too, is a fully automatic system that does not require any external intervention to work.

Now, in some places in the Gita, Shri Krisha asks us to offer merit and sin to God. But here it is said that eternal essence does not take sin or merit. So how do we reconcile this seeming contradiction? The key thing to understand here is that the person who thinks he is associated with action, sin and merit is at one level, and the person who has identified himself with eternal essence is at another level. It is just like saying that the points accumulated in a Pac-Man game have no bearing in the real world. The game and the real world are two different realms.

Another way to look at it is as follows. Sin and merit are duality. They are two sides of the same coin, as it were, just like black/white, heat/cold and day/night. When you rise above it, duality has no bearing. Day and night do not mean anything when one is in outer space, when one leaves the earth and rises above it.

Here’s another noteworthy point. Shri Krishna has used an interesting word to refer to ignorant people in this shloka. He calls them creatures. It is a subtle hint that as long as we operate with body identification, we are similar to animals who also operate only at that level.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 4

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.24, agnau, arpanam, brahman, chapter 4 verse 24, eva, gantavyam, hatam, havihi, karma, samaadhinaa, tena

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brahmaarpanam brahma havirbrahmagnau bramhanaa hatam |
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahmakarmasamaadhinaa || 24 ||

Brahman is the oblation, brahman is the offering, brahman is the fire, brahman is the one who offers. One whose actions happen while absorbed in brahman, he only attains brahman.

brahma : brahman
arpanam : oblation
havihi : offering
agnau : fire
hatam : act of offering
eva : only is
tena : that
gantavyam : attainment
karma : action
samaadhinaa : one absorbed in

Having given us a series of practical tips, Shri Krishna delivers yet another milestone shloka. If we truly perform all actions in this world with a an attitude of yajnya, not just some actions, our vision of the world changes. In this shloka, Shri Krishna uses the ritual of a yajnya to paint a picture of what this ultimate vision looks like. We begin to see brahman, the eternal essence, in everything.

Six components of a yajyna ritual are pointed out here. The act of yajnya, the offering (usually butter or milk), the ladle used to submit the offering, the sacrificial flame, the person who performs the yajnya, and the goal that the person wishes to attain. Shri Krishna says that all six components of yajyna are nothing but the eternal essence.

This example can be interpreted from several perspectives. Let’s first examine it from a purely physical perspective. The ladle is made of wood, which has come from the earth, and so has the offering. The person who performs the yajnya is created out of food, which also has come out of the earth. The flame and the act of yajnya are both manifestations of cosmic forces. Their ultimate cause can be traced back to the cosmic big bang. The goal has as a thought in the mind of the person, a mind that also has come from nature.

Now, how can we make it more concrete? Consider a computer programmer writing a software application. What should his vision become? The act of programming, the code he writes, the computer he uses to write the code, the software application that his code becomes a part of, his goal of writing good code, and the programmer himself – everything is the eternal essence. This is “brahma-drishti” or the vision of brahman that is achieved while interacting in this world.

In many Indian households, people chant this shloka prior to eating a meal as a reminder that the food, the body and the act of eating – all are nothing but brahman.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 3

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in 3.39, aadarshah, aavritaha, aavritam, aavriyate, cha, chapter 3 verse 38, dhoomena, garbhaha, idam, malena, tathaa, tena, ulbena, vahinaha, yathaa

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dhoomenaavriyate vahinyarthaadarsho malena cha |
yatholbenaavrito garbhastathaa tenedamaavritam || 38 ||

Just as smoke covers fire, dirt covers a mirror, and a womb covers a foetus, so does this (desire) cover that (wisdom).

dhoomena : by smoke
aavriyate : covers
vahinaha : fire
yathaa : like
aadarshah : mirror
malena : dirt
cha : and
yathaa : like
ulbena : womb
aavritaha : covers
garbhaha : foetus
tathaa : so does
tena : that
idam : this
aavritam : cover

Earlier Shri Krishna explained that when likes and dislikes morph into desire and hatred, they increase the rajas in our system, creating a vicious cycle. So what is the end result? Here, he says that when desire and hatred arise, they shut off or conceal our wisdom.

Our wisdom, or ability to discriminate, resides in our intellect. Due to a lifetime’s worth of conditioning, this wisdom does not become our second nature. Wisdom is like a shining light, which can easily be covered if we are not careful. So desire, or anger, arise from the deeper, subconscious aspects of our mind and cover this light of wisdom. We then lose any ability to decide right from wrong, and behave foolishly. Shri Krishna says here that our wisdom can be covered in three ways.

The thickest, most dense covering occurs due to taamasic desires. These are desires that have lived inside our system for ages, and once they get activated, they totally cover the wisdom just like a womb covers a foetus. And just like there is no other way to see the foetus other than to wait for its birth, the only way to get rid of taamasic desires is to wait. They are so strong, and so in tune with our likes and dislikes, that nothing can be done once they are activated. Examples of taamasic desires are excessive drinking, drug usage, or even the overpowering desire to be “right” which can lead you into violent fights and arguments.

Less potent than taamasic desires are raajasic desires. As Shri Krishna says in this shloka, their veiling of wisdom is less thicker than taamasic desires. They are like dust on a mirror, where one stroke of the hand cleans the mirror. Raajasic desires are usually motivated by greed. Examples include buying the latest gadget, boasting of one’s accomplishments to one’s friends and so on.

Finally, saatvic desires are those that cover our wisdom very lightly. The desire to attend a satsang, or to attain moksha, is a saatvic desire. Our wisdom shines the brightest, or in other words, operates at the greatest capacity through saatvic desires.

As we progress in our journey, let us try to be alert and at least try to track the desires that we harbour. How many desires are we living with? What is the proportion between saatvic, raajasic and taamasic? Are we slowly changing the proportion in favour of saatvic desires?

In this shloka, the mysterious phrase “this covers that” was used. Although we got a sense of what that means here, Shri Krishna goes into more detail in the next shloka.