Category Archives: tu

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 9

09 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by in 9.13, aashritaahaa, ananyamanasaha, avyayam, bhajanti, bhootaadim, chapter 9 verse 13, daiveem, jnyaatvaa, maam, mahaatmaanahah, paartha, prakritim, tu

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 9

mahaatmaanastu maam paartha daiveem prakritimaashritaahaa |
bhajantyananyamanaso jnyaatvaa bhootaadimavyayam || 13 ||
 
But, noble individuals take refuge in my divine nature, O Paartha. Knowing me as the imperishable source of all beings, they worship me single-mindedly.
 
mahaatmaanahah : noble individuals
tu : but
maam : my
paartha : O Paartha
daiveem : divine
prakritim : nature
aashritaahaa : take refuge
bhajanti : worship
ananyamanasaha : single-minded
jnyaatvaa : having known
bhootaadim : source of all beings
avyayam : imperishable
 
Shri Krishna now begins to describe those individuals who have understood the true, divine nature of Ishvara. These “mahaatmaas” or noble individuals treat Ishvara as their one and only one refuge, and worship him with unwavering devotion. With a view to instruct us in the ways of such noble individuals, Shri Krishna devotes the next few shlokas to this topic.
 
The word “aashritaha” or refuge is key to understanding this shloka. What does this word mean? It is how we answer the question “when I am in trouble, what do I turn to?”. Most of us have various sources of refuge. For some, it is their ancestral inheritance. For some, it is their academic qualifications. For some, it is their family. Whenever we are in trouble, we pursue those avenues for comfort and security.
 
However, the mahaatmaas or noble individuals do not look to any of these sources for refuge. They have understood one simple fact: anything that can change over time is under the control of Prakriti. Prakriti, the realm of name and form, is every changing and can never be relied upon for support all the time. We ourselves would have encountered several instances where money or family did not help someone in their time of need. The noble individuals know that there is only one true refuge that is universal and unchanging: it is Ishvara.
 
Knowing this, what do the noble individuals do? They are “ananya manasaha”, they are singularly devoted to Ishvara. Even though they may be tempted by Prakriti’s play and dazzle of name and form, they know that ultimately every source of joy that it gives, turns into sorrow eventually. Furthermore, their devotion for Ishvara is not for the attainment for anything else. It is solely for the attainment of Ishvara.
 
Unlike these noble individuals, most of us still rush into Prakriti for joy, comfort, security and support. But Prakriti teaches us a lesson over our lifetime when we repeatedly seek joy which turns into sorrow. How do the noble individuals remain focused in Ishvara while living in the world of Prakriti? We shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 9

28 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in 9.1, anasooyave, ashubhaat, chapter 9 verse 1, guhyatamam, idam, jnyaanam, jnyaatvaa, mokshayase, pravakshyaami, sahitam, te, tu, vijnyaana, yat

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 9

Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
idam tu te guhyatamam pravakshyaamyanasooyave |
jnyaanam vijnyaanasahitam yajnyaatvaa mokshayaseshubhaat || 1 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
So, to you who is without fault, I will explain, this extremely secret knowledge along with wisdom, having known which, you will be liberated from the inauspicious.
 
idam : this
tu : so
te : to you
guhyatamam : extremely secret
pravakshyaami : I will explain
anasooyave : faultless
jnyaanam : knowledge
vijnyaana : wisdom
sahitam : along with
yat : which
jnyaatvaa : having known
mokshayase : you will be liberated
ashubhaat : inauspicious
 
Shri Krishna uses this chapter to progress the theme of the seventh chapter, which was the infinite nature of Ishvara and the finite nature of maaya. He begins the chapter by asserting that the knowledge of Ishvara’s infinite nature will result in liberation. He addresses Arjuna as “anasooya” which means without fault, doubt or prejudice, indicating that those who have begun the process of purification of their minds through karma yoga and devoted meditation will understand this knowledge completely.
 
First, let us understand the result of knowledge that Shri Krishna is glorifying in this shloka. It is going to give us freedom or liberation from the inauspicious. The word inauspicious in this shloka refers to samsaara or the endless cycle of creation and dissolution that all of us are trapped in.
 
Next, let us look at what makes this knowledge unique. Shri Krishna says that he is going to reveal not just knowledge, but also “vijnyana” or wisdom that we can internalize in our lives. Also, unlike other knowledge that requires action to give a result, this knowledge gives us the result of liberation all by itself. As an example, if we come to know that a mirage in a desert is false, we don’t have to do anything further.
 
What makes this knowledge even more special is that it is extremely subtle. It is hard for someone to figure out on their own. We need a competent teacher like Shri Krishna to reveal this knowledge to you. Shri Krishna, urging us to learn this knowledge in the right way through a teacher, calls it “secret knowledge”.
 
Shri Krishna further glorifies this special knowledge in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 8

20 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.23, aavrittim, anaavrittim, bharatarshabha, cha, chapter 8 verse 23, eva, kaalam, kaale, prayaataa, tam, tu, vakshyaami, yaanti, yatra, yoginaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 8

yatra kaale tvanaavrittimaavrittim chaiva yoginaha |
prayaataa yaanti tam kaalam vakshyaami bharatarshabha || 23 ||
 
But, (there exists) the path of no return for a yogi who is leaving his body, and also the path of return, I shall speak about those, O scion of the Bharatas.
 
yatra : which
kaale : path
tu : but
anaavrittim : no return
aavrittim : return
cha : and
eva : also
yoginaha : a yogi
prayaataa : one who is leaving the body
yaanti : obtains
tam : that
kaalam : path
vakshyaami : I will speak
bharatarshabha : O scion of the Bharatas
 
With this shloka, Shri Krishna commences a new topic. He provides details around the journey of the jeeva after death.
 
As we have seen earlier, that journey differs from person to person. It is determined solely by two things : how we have acted and how we have thought. In other words, our actions and our thoughts in this life decide what happens in our next life. In this chapter, Shri Krishna has spoken about two kinds of people.
 
The first category of people are those who perform good actions in their lives. The second category of people are those who are solely devoted to Ishvara, in addition to performing good actions. This is Shri Krishna speaks about two paths in this shloka. Each category travels on a different path after death.
 
In the next two shlokas, each of these paths is explained in further detail. One path leads to liberation, which means that those who attain this path do not come back, they are not born again. The other path leads to rebirth or return.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 8

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.20, anyaha, avyaktaat, avyaktaha, bhaavaha, bhooteshu, chapter 8 verse 20, na, nashyatsu, paraha, saha, sanaatanaha, sarveshu, tasmaat, tu, vinashyati, yaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 8

parastasmaattu bhaavonyovyaktovyaktaatsanaatanaha |
yaha sa sarveshu bhooteshu nashyatsu na vinashyati || 20 ||
 
But, there exists another supreme, timeless unmanifest, beyond that (other) unmanifest, which, after destruction of all beings, is not destroyed.
 
paraha : supreme
tasmaat : that
tu : but
bhaavaha : exists
anyaha : another
avyaktaha : unmanifest
avyaktaat : unmanifest
sanaatanaha : timeless
yaha : that
saha : which
sarveshu : all
bhooteshu : beings
nashyatsu : after destruction
na : does not
vinashyati : destroyed
 
Previously, Shri Krishna spoke about the endless cycle of creation and dissolution of the universe. All living and non-living beings go into a state of suspended animation for 4.32 billion years, after which they come back into manifest mode for another 4.32 billion years. But there is one more thing. There are a select few beings that escape this endless cycle. They are the ones who are liberated.
 
Let us go back to our example of the movie projector where the light that illuminates the film strip identified itself with a character in the movie. How does that piece of light get liberated? By knowing that the identification with the movie character is false, and the identification with the light is real. The light in the projector remains constant regardless of how many times the movie is shown and rewound. It transcends the movie.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna informs us that there is something beyond this cycle of creation and dissolution, something that transcends time and space. In other words, everything in this world is transitory and will eventually lead to sorrow. Unless we realize that everything that we think will give us happiness is subject to destruction sooner or later, we will never become aware that there is something beyond our materialistic pursuits.
 
So, what exactly is this “another unmanifest”? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 8

13 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.16, aabhramhabhuvanaat, arjuna, chapter 8 verse 16, kaunteya, lokaahaa, maam, na, punaraavartinaha, punarjanma, tu, upetya, vidyate

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 8

aabhramhabhuvanaallokaahaa punaraavartinorjuna |
maamupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate || 16 ||
 
O Arjuna, all worlds including the abode of Brahma (are subject to) return. But having obtained me, O Kaunteya, rebirth does not occur.
 
aabhramhabhuvanaat : including the abode of brahma
lokaahaa : all worlds
punaraavartinaha : return
arjuna : O Arjuna
maam : me
upetya : having obtained
tu : but
kaunteya : O Kaunterya
punarjanma : rebirth
na : does not
vidyate : occur
 
According to the scriptures, there exist heavens or worlds subtler than our visible universe. All beings on this earth who perform meritorious deeds go to one of those heavens after death. The abode of Lord Brahma (Brahma-loka) is considered the highest among the heavens. Shri Krishna says that all beings who end up in these heavens, including the world of Lord Brahma, do not stay there permanently. They have to return to earth at some point. Only those who attain Ishvara gain permanent liberation.
 
The first half of the shloka is applicable to seekers who perform karma yoga diligently and worship Ishvara as well. Depending upon the sincerity of their deeds and worship, they will attain the appropriate heaven. A select few attain the abode of Lord Brahma which is the highest possible heaven. Here, it is said that the residents only enjoy pleasure. There is no sorrow or suffering whatsoever.
 
Once they attain the abode of Lord Brahma, they are faced with a choice. They can continue to remain interested in pleasure seeking, or attain liberation. Attainment of Ishvara is the same as liberation. If they continue to remain interested in pleasure seeking, if they think of Brahma loka as yet another realm of space and time, they will eventually come back to earth and start life all over again. If they are interested in liberation, they will attain it when Brahma loka is dissolved along with all of the other worlds. This kind of liberation is called “krama mukti”.
 
Now, the questions arises, why do all of these worlds end? The topic of cosmic creation and dissolution is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 7

24 Sunday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.28, actions te, antagatam, bhajante, chapter 28 verse 7, dridhavrataahaa, dvandvamoha, janaanaam, maam, nirmuktaa, paapam, punyakarmanaam, tu, yesham

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 28, Chapter 7

yesham tvantagatam paapam janaanaam punyakarmanaam |
te dvandvamohanirmuktaa bhajante maam dridhavrataahaa || 28 ||
 
But, those people of meritorious actions whose sins have been exhausted, they, freed from the delusion of duality, worship me with firm determination.
 
yesham : those who
tu : but
antagatam : exhausted
paapam : sin
janaanaam : people
punyakarmanaam : meritorious actions
te : they
dvandvamoha : delusion of duality
nirmuktaa : freed
bhajante : worship
maam : me
dridhavrataahaa : firm determination
 
The delusion of duality, as we saw earlier, is a condition that we are cast into right from birth. This delusion further strengthens maaya that prevents us from accessing Ishvara. Having explained the condition of most people who are trapped in this situation, Shri Krishna now describes the people who have come out of maaya. He says that only those who have conducted enough meritorious acts and wiped out their sins acquire the firm resolution to directly access Ishvara.
 
Let us revisit what exactly is meant here by merits and sins. What is a sin? Any time that our mind and senses drag us into the world, and force us to conduct actions born out of selfish desire, we commit a sin. When this happens again and again, it adds to the moha or delusion that blocks our discrimination or viveka.
 
Conversely, whenever we perform an unselfish action that is in line with our svadharma or duty, we commit a merit. In doing so, we do not add to the stock of delusion, but in fact purify our mind.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that only those who perform unselfish actions are fit to approach Ishvara. The message is clear: do your duty because it is the only way to contact Ishvara. Karma yoga, seen from this vantage point, reasserts its importance.
 
Next, Shri Krishna begins to conclude this chapter by planting the seed of the next chapter in two shlokas. They deal with the fundamental question of our ultimate liberation.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 7

22 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.26, aham, arjuna, bhavishyaani, bhootaani, cha, chapter 7 verse 26, kashchana, maam, na, samateetaani, tu, vartamaanaani, veda

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 26, Chapter 7

vedaaham samateetaani vartamaanaani chaarjuna |
bhavishyaani cha bhootaani maam tu veda na kashchana || 26 ||
 
I know those beings who used to exist, who exist now, and who will exist in the future, O Arjuna, but no one knows me.
 
veda : know
aham : I
samateetaani : those who have existed
vartamaanaani : those that exist
cha : and
arjuna : O Arjuna
bhavishyaani : those who will exist
cha : and
bhootaani : beings
maam : I
tu : but
veda : know
na : not
kashchana : anyone
 
In continuing the topic of maaya, Shri Krishna makes it very clear that maaya or the limitations of space and time do not have any impact on Ishvara. He says that Ishvara does not identify with any one form, therefore he has knowledge of all forms in the past, present or future. In other words, Ishvara transcends time.
 
Earlier, Shri Krishna had said that Ishvara is like a string that goes through all the beads in a necklace, which is a poetic way of saying that Ishvara is beyond space. So therefore, we can conclude that Ishvara is beyond space and time.
 
Looking at it differently, we who inhabit the world of three dimensions cannot understand the dimensionless Ishvara. When viewing a live broadcast, we are conscious of the time aspect because we cannot know how the broadcast will end. But if we are viewing a recorded program, we have the ability to go backwards and forwards in time and see all the events regardless of when they took place. Time as a concept ceases to exist if we have that ability.
 
Similarly, from Ishvara’s standpoint, there is no such thing as the past, present or future, because the concept of time does not exist for him. That is how he can have knowledge of everyone that was alive, is alive and will be alive.
 
What is the implication for us? The only way to know Ishvara completely is to surrender to him and take refuge in him. This means knowing that we do not have an independent existence or power apart from Ishvara. We need to lose our identity in Ishvara, become one with Ishvara.
 
Now, if we know that Ishvara alone is the truth, that alone is going to give infinite happiness, why don’t we really strive to know that Ishvara? Why is it that we get stuck here and there?This is answered in the next shloka.

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

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 7

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 18, Chapter 7

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in 7.17, aasthitaha, aatmaa, anuttamaam, chapter 7 verse 18, eva, gatim, hi, ite, jnyaanee, maam, matam, me, saha, sarva, tu, udaaraaha, yuktaatmaa

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 7

udaaraaha sarva evaite jnyaanee tvaatmaiva me matam |
aasthitaha sa hi yuktaatmaa maamevaanuttamaam gatim || 18 ||
 
All those are certainly sincere, but only the wise one is my own self, in my opinion. For, he engages to become established in me only as the ultimate goal.
 
udaaraaha : sincere
sarva : all
eva : certainly
ite : those
jnyaanee : the wise one
tu : but
aatmaa : self
eva : only
me : my
matam : opinion
aasthitaha : established
saha : he
hi : for
yuktaatmaa : he engages
maam : me
eva : only
anuttamaam : ultimate
gatim : goal
 
So far, Shri Krishna enumerated four types of devotees and singled out one of them, the wise one, as the most special type of devotee. This is because the wise devotee does not approach Ishvara for something else. He approaches Ishvara to gain only Ishvara and nothing else. Here, Shri Krishna adds another reason for singling out the wise devotee as special. The wise devotee considers Ishvara as his own self and not as another object.
 
First, let us look at the sense of oneness aspect. What is different between a good friend and an acquaintance? There is always a sense of “otherness” between ourselves and the acquaintance, but there is a sense of oneness with the good friend. We see this in a lot of proverbs: “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, “my house is your house” on so on. The ultimate closeness with a friend is when we do not see any difference between doing something for ourselves, and doing something for our friend. In other words, we see our friend as our own self.
 
Similarly, whenever we expect something from God, we are by definition treating him as someone different from our own self. Shri Krishna says that he prefers if we treat him as our own self. Such kind of devotion, where the seeker plants himself in Ishvara day in and day out, and melts his existence into Ishvara’s cosmic existence, is the greatest kind of devotion. This is also known as ekabhakti or advaita, where there is no duality between devotee and Ishvara.
 
However, the reality is different. Most of us consider Ishvara as different than ourselves. One colourful illustration of this is found in the Hindi phrase “bhee aur hee siddhanta” which means “also philosophy” vs “only philosophy”. In other words, we love material objects and Ishvara “also”. Shri Krishna says that we should love Ishvara “only” and not “also”.
 
Now, this does not mean that Ishvara gives second class treatment to the other three types of devotees. Shri Krishna says that those other devotees are “udaaraha” or sincere. Ishvara is affectionate towards all of them.
 
Having pointed out the unique aspects of the wise devotee, Shri Krishna highlights the scarcity of wise devotees 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

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 7

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.