Category Archives: teshu

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 16

02 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in 16.7, aasuraahaa, achaaraha, chapter 16 verse 7, janaahaa, nivrittim, pravrittim, satyam, shaucham, teshu, viduhu, vidyate

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pravrittim cha nivrittim cha janaa na viduraasuraahaa |
na shaucham naapi chaachaaro na satyam teshu vidyate || 7 ||
 
Whether to engage or to disengage from action, those people with devilish tendencies do not know. Neither purity nor proper conduct nor truth exists in them.
 
pravrittim : engaging in action
cha : and
nivrittim : disengaging from action
cha : and
janaahaa : people
na : not
viduhu : know
aasuraahaa : those with devilish tendencies
na : not
shaucham : purity
na : not
api : also
cha : and
achaaraha : proper conduct
na : not
satyam : truth
teshu : in them
vidyate : exists
 
Shri Krishna begins his explanation of the materialistic viewpoint by examining its value system. He says that those people who come from a purely materialistic viewpoint have a shaky value system. In other words, they do not know what to do and what not to do, when to engage in something and when not to. They focus only on artha or wealth and kaama or desire. They forget that there are two other goals in life, dharma or duty and moksha or liberation, and that each goal is to be picked up and left off at a certain stage in life.
 
Now, since such people are unclear about the pros and cons of everything, they are bound to do things in a haphazard and messy way. Shri Krishna says that such people do not have shaucha, they do not have purity. He refers not just to external purity but also internal. When someone does not have a systematic way of thinking through things, there is a strong chance that they will lead messy lives. Furthermore, their conduct towards others, their aacharana, will also be messy and haphazard. They will lack good manners, courtesy and politeness.
 
It also follows that when someone does not know the pros and cons of anything, they will not place a lot of importance on satyam, truth, doing things the right way. So if they do not get the result they want, they have no qualms in getting their results by lying, cheating and deceit. They do not want to wait for the result, because waiting takes time. If there is a shortcut, they will go for it. Such is the value system of the aasuri, the devilish, the materialistic viewpoint.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 29, Chapter 9

24 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.29, aham, api, bhajanti, bhaktyaa, cha, chapter 9 verse 29, dveshyaha, maam, mayi, me, na, priyaha, samaha, sarvabhooteshu, te, teshu, tu, ye

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samoham sarvabhooteshu na me dveshyati na priyaha |
ye bhajanti tu maam bhaktyaa mayi te teshu chaapyaham || 29 ||
 
I am the same to all beings, I do not hate nor favour any one. But, those who worship me faithfully, they are in me and I am in them.
 
samaha : same
aham : I am
sarvabhooteshu : to all beings
na : no one
me : my
dveshyaha : hate
na : nor
priyaha : favour
ye : one who
bhajanti : worships
tu : but
maam : me
bhaktyaa : faithfully
mayi : in me
te : those
teshu : in them
cha : and
api : also
 
Following the argument so far, one may have a doubt that Ishvara is somewhat partial to his devotees since he offers them liberation, not to others. Shri Krishna addresses this doubt by saying that he is absolutely impartial and that he does not hate or favour anyone. The difference in the result obtained is entirely up to the effort and qualification of the seeker.
 
Consider a mother who has to feed two sons. One is a wrestler, and one is an invalid. She will give a lot of heavy food to the wrestler, and easy to digest food to the invalid. She cannot be accused of favouring the wrestler because she is giving food based on his efforts and his constitution. Or consider the sun who provides the same heat and light to everyone. If you build a solar power plant, you can generate electricity. If you don’t, you will not be able to do so.
 
Similarly, Ishvara is same and equal to everyone. In the Mahabharata, Shri Krishna gave Arjuna and Duryodhana. They could either use him or his powerful army for the war. Arjuna chose Shri Krishna and Duryodhana chose the army. It is the person who makes the right or wrong choice. We can either put a plug in the electrical socket or our finger. Electricity does not care, but the results will be different.
 
Now, if we truly devoted to our family for example, we do not see any barrier, difference, separation between our family and ourselves. Whatever do for them, it is as if we do it for us. Whatever they do for us, they do it as if they were doing it for themselves. Similarly, if we are truly devoted to Ishvara, we see him in us, and he sees us in him.
 
Here, the topic of sakaama and nishkaama is concluded (desire-oriented and desireless devotion). The topic of the glory of devotion is taken up next.
 
Footnotes
1. Earlier Shri Krishna had said that Ishvara is not in anyone. This contradiction is resolved if we consider that each statement is made based on one’s perspective. If we are a devotee, Ishvara is in us and we are in Ishvara. If we a materialistic, Ishvara is not in us.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 9

04 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.9, aaseenam, asaktam, cha, chapter 9 verse 9, dhananjaya, karmaani, karmasu, maam, na, nibandhanti, taani, teshu, udaaseenavat

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na cha maam taani karmaani nibandhanti dhananjaya |
udaaseenavadaaseenamasaktam teshu karmasu || 9 ||
 
Nor do those actions bind me, O Dhananjaya. I remain as though indifferent and unattached to those actions.
 
na : not
cha : and
maam : my
taani : those
karmaani : actions
nibandhanti : bind
dhananjaya : O Dhananjaya
udaaseenavat : as though indifferent
aaseenam : sit
asaktam : unattached
teshu : those
karmasu : in actions
 
Earlier in the chapter, Shri Krishna addressed several misconceptions that we have about Ishvara. He asserted that Ishvara cannot be contained in any one part of the universe, in any one object. He also asserted that we need to wait for a long time to Ishvara. Ishvara is accessible at this very moment. What is missing is knowledge that enables us to recognize Ishvara in everything.
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna addresses another misconception of Ishvara, that he has a personal agenda in each and everyone’s destiny. To that end, Shri Krishna clarifies that Ishvara delegates the functioning of the universe to the laws of Prakriti. He does not personally get involved, nor does he claim credit for the creation, destruction and sustenance of billions of beings in this universe.
 
Our Puranaas contains several stories about the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva who are charged with the responsibilities of creation, sustenance and dissolution respectively. They are aided by their consorts. Saraswati provides the knowledge needed for creation. Lakshmi provides the wealth needed for sustenance. Parvati provides the power needed for dissolution. The stories may portray that these deities personally take effort to perform their duties, but at the universal level, they are all part of the fully automatic system of Prakriti.
 
Therefore, the lessons for us here is that we should follow karma yoga because it is a universal law. Like Ishvara, who runs the universe while knowing that it is Prakriti’s handiwork, we too should perform our duties in a spirit of vairagya or detachment, knowing that Prakriti is running everything. If we worry about who will get the credit for our actions, then we will get bound, taking us further away for liberation.
 
So then, how should we use this knowledge to refine our vision towards the world? This is explained next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 9

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in 9.4, aham, avasthitaha, avyakta, bhootaani, cha, chapter 9 verse 4, idam, jagat, matsthaani, mayaa, moortinaa, na, sarva, sarvam, tatam, teshu

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mayaa tatamidam sarvam jagadavyaktamoortinaa |
matsthaani sarva bhootaani na chaaham teshvavasthitaha || 4 ||
 
This entire universe is pervaded by my unmanifest state. All beings are based in me, I am not based in them.
 
mayaa : my
tatam : pervaded
idam : this
sarvam : entire
jagat : universe
avyakta : unmanifest
moortinaa : state
matsthaani : based in me
sarva : all
bhootaani : beings
na : not
cha : and
aham : I
teshu : in them
avasthitaha : based
 
This shloka and the next are the crux of the teaching in this chapter. Shri Krishna makes three core points: that the entire universe is pervaded by his unmanifest state, that all beings are based in him, and that he is not based in them. Let us first take a step back to understand the context of this teaching before we delve into these three points.
 
The eighth chapter described meditative techniques that we had to follow throughout our lives in order to attain Ishvara, so that we can be liberated from the cycle of creation and dissolution. Now, Shri Krishna reveals a secret that will enable us to immediately gain access to Ishvara 24/7. And unlike other techniques described so far, we do not have to do any action. We just have to know.
 
What is this secret knowledge? Let us start with the first point. Shri Krishna says that Ishvara is present in every living and non-living being within this universe. If that’s the case, then we do not need to put in any extra effort. Once we train ourselves to view Ishvara in everything, we will gain access to him 24/7. We will not need to do any extra physical or mental activity to make that happen. But if it were that simple, why cannot we put it into practice immediately? It is because we have been preconditioned since time immemorial to see everything but Ishvara. Removing this preconditioning is the topic of the Gita.
 
The second point made by Shri Krishna is that all beings are based in him. Let us bring up the example of the ocean and the waves to understand this point. A five year old girl sitting on the beach will look at the waves, the foam and the ripples and conclude that they are independent things. But her mother knows that all of those shapes are created because of the ocean. Also, the girl who has to inquire about where these shapes come from. The mother does not have to do anything. She just knows that everything is nothing but water in the ocean. So the mother will tell her, “that’s just the ocean”.
 
Now, let’s say the girl sees a ripple in a lake instead of the ocean. She points to it and says “that’s the ocean”. The mother will now enhance her statement slightly by saying “that is not the ocean, that is a ripple. It is just a shape taken by water, which is in the ocean and in the lake”. Water is an abstract concept which a child slowly learns by example.
 
Similarly, we may begin to think that Ishvara is resident in an idol, or a saint, or a holy place. Like the ripple, they are names and forms. Even Arjuna would have found it hard to believe that Shri Krishna, who is in front of him, can pervade the entire universe. So therefore, Shri Krishna says that no visible entity can ever contain Ishvara who is beyond name and form. The true nature of Ishvara is formless. This is the third point in this shloka.
 
Still, a question remains. Just like we still see waves in the ocean even after knowing that they are water, we still come across thousands of names and forms everyday. Many of those names and forms are people that we interact with, speak with, work with and so on. Aren’t those people “real”? How do we reconcile this? Shri Krishna addresses this confusion in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 7

08 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.12, aham, bhaavaaha, cha, chapter 7 verse 12, eva, iti, mattaha, na, rajasaaha, saatvikaaha, taamasaaha, taan, te, teshu, tu, viddhi, ye

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ye chaiva saatvikaa bhaavaa rajasaastaamasaashcha ye |
matta evati taanviddhi na tvaham teshu te mayi || 12 ||
 
And indeed, all saatvik qualities, and all raajasic and taamsic qualities, know those to be only from me. Know that I am not in them, but they are in me.
 
ye : all
cha : and
eva : indeed
saatvikaaha : saatvik
bhaavaaha : qualities
rajasaaha : raajasic
taamasaaha : taamasic
cha : and
ye : all
mattaha : from me
eva: only
iti : this
taan : those
viddhi : know
na : not
tu : but
aham : I am
teshu : in them
te : they
mayi : are in me
 
Shri Krishna began this chapter by indicating that Ishvara is the essence of everything. He also provided a short list containing tangible examples of his glories, which he concluded in the previous shloka. In this shloka, he summarizes this point by saying that the three fundamental aspects of prakriti or nature arise from Ishvara, but are subservient to Ishvara.
 
Sattva, rajas and tamas are the three aspects of prakriti or nature. A more detailed explanation of these three gunaas or aspects is provided in the 18th chapter. At the internal level, these aspects are the moods of our mind. A taamasic mind is dull, a raajasic mind is active and a saatvic mind is serene. Moreover, a saatvic object or thought is tied to knowledge, a raajasic object or thought is tied to activity and a taamasic thought or object is tied to ignorance, sloth or procrastination.
 
We see all these three aspects in our personality. The body is taamasic. It likes to be in stasis, it does not like to move. A lot of energy is required to move our bodies. Our limbs and our praanas or physiological processes are raajasic because they embody action and movement. Our mind and intellect are saatvic because they embody knowledge. Later in the Gita, Shri Krishna will classify everything, including desire and faith, into these three classications.
 
Now, all three aspects of prakriti cannot exist by themselves. Nothing can exist without a base or a support. Shri Krishna says that it is Ishvara who provides existence to these three aspects of prakriti. However, he qualifies that statement by pointing out that they are in Ishvara, but Ishvara is not in them. In other words, Ishvara can exist without the gunaas, but the gunaas cannot exist without Ishvara because they need his support.
 
What is the implication of this statement? Every object, person or situation that we encounter in this universe is comprised of a permutation of the three gunaas. All three gunaas are supported by Ishvara. Therefore, Ishvara is everywhere, behind every object, person and situation in this universe.
 
So then, what prevents us from knowing Ishvara? Shri Krishna covers this topic next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 5

25 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in 5.22, aadyantavantaha, bhogaa, budhaha, chapter 5 verse 22, duhkkhayonaya, eva, hi, kaunteya, ramate, samsharshajaa, te, teshu, ye

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ye hi samsparshajaa bhogaa duhkkhayonaya eva te |
aadyantavantaha kaunteyane teshu ramate budhaha || 22 ||

For, the pleasures born out of sense contact are only wombs of sorrow. They have a beginning and ending, O son of Kunti. The wise person does not revel in them.

ye : he
hi : for
samsparshajaa : born from sense contact
bhogaa : pleasures
duhkhkhayonaya : wombs of sorrow
eva : only
te : they
aadyantavantaha : have a beginning and ending
kaunteyane : O son of Kunti
teshu : in them
ramate : revel
budhaha : the wise person

Previously, we saw the need for the seeker to turn inward, away from the sense pleasures of the material world. Here, Shri Krishna provides another compelling reason to turn away from sense pleasures. He says, in no uncertain terms, that pleasures born out of sense contact are not really pleasures at all. They are not just sorrow disguised as pleasure, they are “wombs” of sorrow. Which means, a single experience of sense contact sows the seed for multiple sorrows.

For many of us, the period of transition between academic life and work life is when a lot of these seeds are sown. As we start earning money, we automatically seem to find outlets to spend this money. Some develop an attachment to high-end coffee. Some develop an attachment to going to clubs. Some develop a taste for vehicles and so on. If we introspect, we realize that the pleasure obtained by any of these objects is not just fleeting, but results in a chain of sorrow later. Take high-end coffee for instance. The first few times it is quite pleasurable. But later, you cannot do without it.

But then, where does the pleasure arise in the first place? The mind is restless without constant sense contact. Depending upon the strength of the vaasanaas that we have cultivated, it experiences a vacuum and rushes out into the material world towards an object in order to fill that vacuum. At the same time, the eternal essence present within us, having identified with the mind, also rushes out into the world. When the sense contact happens, the mind temporarily ceases to move outside and comes into contact with the eternal essence. This results in joy.

So, here is where the mix-up happens. The joy was already inside us, the mind causes us to believe that it is outside us. Furthermore, this joy is short-lived because the mind will again go out into the material world. Then the cycle of sorrow (vacuum) and joy (sense contact) will repeat itself. This is called “samsaara”.

Therefore, Shri Krishna urges us to become wise people and realize that sense contact is not the true source of joy. Next, Shri Krishna goes into the root cause of the mind rushing out into the world.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 62-63, Chapter 2

29 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in 2.62, 2.63, abhijaayate, attachment, bhavati, chapter 2 verse 62-63, dhyayataha, kaamaat.krodhah, kaamaha, krodhaat, pumsaha, sammohaat, sammohah, sangaat, sangah, sanjaayate, teshu, upajaayate, vishayaan

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dhyayato vishayaanpumsaha sangasteshoopajaayate |
sangaatsanjaayate kaamaha kaamaatkrodhobhijaayate || 62 ||

krodhaadbhavati sammohah sammohaatsmritivibhramaha |
smritibhramshaad buddhinaasho buddhinaashaatpranashyati || 63 ||

When a man constantly thinks about objects, attachment for those objects arises. From attachment is born desire, and from desire is born anger.

From anger comes delusion, from delusion comes loss of memory, from loss of memory comes destruction of intellect, and once the intellect is destroyed, he perishes.

dhyayataha : thinking
vishayaan : objects
pumsaha : individual
sangah : attachment
teshu : to those
upajaayate : is born
sangaat : from attachment
sanjaayate : is born
kaamaha : desire
kaamaat : from desire
krodhah : anger
abhijaayate : is born

krodhaat : when anger arises
bhavati : happens
sammohah : delusion
sammohaat : from delusion
smritivibhramaha : loss of memory
smritibhramshaad : from loss of memory
buddhinaasho : destruction of intellect
buddhinaashaat : from destruction of intellect
pranashyati : he perishes

Earlier, Shri Krishna touched upon the topic of continually thinking about material objects when we do not contact them physically. In this shloka, he goes into great detail as to why it is to be avoided. These two shlokas are sometimes referred to as the “ladder of fall”. They illustrate how one simple thought can lead to the downfall of an individual. 

Here is the entire sequence of events as mentioned in the 2 shlokas:

Constant thinking of material objects -> attachment -> desire -> anger -> delusion -> loss of memory -> destruction of intellect -> individual perishes.

Let’s first examine the sequence of events from constant thinking all the way upto desire using the Ipod example from earlier :
A person has thoughts about ipod on sale -> gets attached to that ipod deal -> desire to buy ipod on sale is created.

Now, at this point, he has purchased the Ipod and is extremely attached to it. Even without going forward in the sequence, we can see that the material desire to procure an Ipod has taken the person away from performing his svadharma. His equanimity has already been disturbed. He is dragged back into the material world, and has taken one step backwards from moksha or freedom.

Let’s move forward in the sequence:
Ipod breaks down -> he is angry that it has broken down -> he completely loses his equanimity -> takes anger out on his wife -> family environment is agitated.

Here, not only has he completely lost his equanimity, but has also caused pain to other members of his family. So the message here is that constant pondering and thinking about objects eventually leads to moving away from equanimity, hence it is to be avoided, or at least minimized to the extent possible.

An interesting point seen here is around anger. Per the shlokas, anger is caused when one’s desire gets obstructed. Also, attachment to a concept such as one’s job title or position causes continual waves of thought, anger and delusion, in other words, stress.  Therefore, these shlokas provide an ancient but relevant analysis of anger and stress.