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Category Archives: udaahritam

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 18

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.39, aatmanaha, agre, anubandhe, chapter 18 verse 39, mohanam, nidraalasyapramaadottham, sukham, taamasam, udaahritam

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yadagre chaanubandhe cha sukham mohanamaatmanaha |
nidraalasyapramaadottham tattaamasamudaahritam || 39 ||
 
That which deludes the self initially and in its result, caused by sleep, lethargy and intoxication, that joy is called taamasic.
 
yat : that which
agre : initially
cha : and
anubandhe : in its result
cha : and
sukham : joy
mohanam : deludes
aatmanaha : self
nidraalasyapramaadottham : caused by sleep, lethargy and intoxication
tat : that
taamasam : taamasic
udaahritam : is called
 
There are some people in this world for whom even ten hours of sleep is not enough. Some others do not want to start any task unless they are reminded several times. Or even worse, some people constantly seek alcohol, smoking or drugs. There has to be a reason why people gravitate to such methods. They derive joy, happiness and a sense of pleasure in these things, even if they know that they will lead to social, physical and mental ruin in the long run. Such a kind of joy is called taamasic sukha.
 
Shri Krishna says that such people are in moha. They are deluded into thinking that the state of stupor, created by indulging in excessive sleep, laziness and intoxication, is happiness. In other words, there is some sensation of joy which has to be acknowledged, but it is unwanted and destructive. Worse still, this perverse type of joy remains throughout the beginning, middle and end of the action. A lazy person will remain comfortably situated in his stupor throughout the day, and continue in his stupor through sleep in the night.
 
If we examine our lives, we may see that there are a few moments where we may sink into partaking taamasic joy. It is next to impossible to come out of this state once we are in it. Once someone has had a high quantity of alcohol, for instance, there is no way for them to recover. They just have to wait for it to leave the body naturally. Short of keeping a high level of awareness towards what we eat, drink, watch and think about, there is no clear antidote for taamasic joy.

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Bhagavad Gita Verse 24, Chapter 18

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.24, bahulaayaasam, chapter 18 verse 24, kaamepsunaa, karma, kriyate, punaha, raajasam, saahankaarena, udaahritam

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yattu kaamepsunaa karma saahankaarena vaa punaha |
kriyate bahulaayaasam tadraajasamudaahritam || 24 ||
 
But, that action performed by a person desiring pleasure, or with egoism, with exertion, that is called raajasic.
 
yat : which
tu : but
kaamepsunaa : one with desire for pleasure
karma : action
saahankaarena : with egoism
vaa : or
punaha : also
kriyate : performed
bahulaayaasam : with exertion
tat : that
raajasam : raajasic
udaahritam : is called
 
To understand raajasic action, we need to revisit the notion of raajasic knowledge. As we saw earlier, raajasic knowledge presents a highly fragmented, chopped-up version of the world. It gives reality to the differences created by the senses and the mind. Additionally, it gives different “values” to objects, people and situations perceived by the senses and the mind. Simply put, we either like, dislike, or are indifferent to objects, people and situations. A classic example is the precious stone that is liked by its owner, disliked by the owner’s enemy, and treated with indifference by a monk.
 
Such raajasic knowledge results in commencement of raajasic action. Shri Krishna says that a raajasic action is begun in pursuit of an object, person or situation that will give pleasure to the doer of the action. It involves exertion of mental or physical effort, and therefore, the mind is good at calculating how much effort is needed for acquiring one object versus the other. Another aspect of the raajasic action is that the I, the ego, is given a lot of prominence. We want the entire world to know that we helped such and such person, or we did someone a favour. Unfortunately, such thinking interferes with the action, causing us to shift our attention from the action to the ego.
 
Let’s constrast this with saattvic action. Instead of pursuing an object of pleasure, a saattvic action is done with a sense of duty. There is no calculation that weighs the effort needed for object a verses the effort needed for object b. All actions happen spontaneously. Also, there is no sense of egoism. Instead, there is a firm understanding that the action is being performed by me who is an instrument, a nimiitta, of Ishvara. This lack of egoistic thinking makes the actions more efficient. In fact, people with high degrees of sattva are the most productive, simply because they are performing their svadharma with no ulterior motive.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 18

10 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.22, ahaitukam, alpam, atattvaarthavat, chapter 18 verse 22, ekasmin, kaarye, kritsnavat, saktam, taamasam, udaahritam

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yattu kritsnavadekasminkaarye saktamahaitukam |
atattvaarthavadalpam cha tattaamasamudaahritam || 22 ||
 
But, that by which one clings to a single object as if it were everything, without logic, unconcerned with truth and trivial, that is called taamasic.
 
yat : by which
tu : but
kritsnavat : as if it is everything
ekasmin : single
kaarye : object
saktam : clings
ahaitukam : without logic
atattvaarthavat : unconcerned with the truth
alpam : trivial
cha : and
tat : that
taamasam : taamasic
udaahritam : is called
 
A teenager will not eat food unless her parents agree to let her go to a late night party. A businessman is so keen on protecting his profits that he will stoop to physically harming his competitors. A politician is so keen on lining his pockets that he will sell state secrets to the enemy. A hospital will order unnecessary and even potentially harmful tests on its patients in order to increase its bottom line. We read such stories everyday in the newspapers. Unfortunately, they are all too common these days.
 
There is a common theme in all these stories. A person is holding onto something trivial and giving it so much importance that they will stop at nothing to get it. The logic used to justify such actions is perverted. Such people have an extremely narrow vision, and are not at all concerned with any the bigger picture. Shri Krishna says that a worldview, a knowledge that displays such characteristics is considered taamasic. He hesitates to even use the word knowledge here, using a pronoun instead.
 
Let us compare the types of knowledge we have seen so far. A saattvic knowledge reports that there is one eternal essence, one aatmaa, one self in all. Raajasic knowledge reports that there is a different self in each body. Taamasic knowledge reports that the body itself is the aatmaa. Furthermore, anything is justified for ensuring the integrity of the body, including causing physical harm to others. Such people will never accept any other viewpoint, and hold on to their perverted viewpoint ceaselessly.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 17

12 Sunday May 2013

Posted by in 17.22, adeshakale, apaatrebhyaha, asatkritam, avajnyaatam, chapter 17 verse 22, daanam, deeyate, taamasam, udaahritam

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adeshakale yaddaanamapaatrebhyashcha deeyate |
asatkritamavajnyaatam tattaamasamudaahritam || 22 ||
 
That which is donated at an incorrect place or time, to wrong persons, without respect and out of ignorance, that charity is called taamasic.
 
adeshakale : incorrect place or time
yat : that which
daanam : charity
apaatrebhyaha : to wrong persons
cha : and
deeyate : donated
asatkritam : without respect
avajnyaatam : out of ignorance
tat : that
taamasam : taamasic
udaahritam : is called
 
Having covered the nature of saatvic and raajasic charity, Shri Krishna now describes taamasic charity. He says that charity performed without considering a proper time and place is considered taamasic. If we donate on a whim rather than doing so on an auspicious day, for instance, we introduce a tinge of our ego into the donation. Also, gifts that trouble the recipient, gifts given out of complete ignorance, are taamasic as well. Donating an expensive TV to a person who is struggling to eat does not make sense.
 
Many people nowadays take pleasure in insulting their priest or their teacher while giving them a gift, simply because they are drunk with power and money. Such charity in which an insult, a slur or a taunt is given along with the gift also becomes taamasic. If we disrespect the recipient of our charity, we are harming ourselves and the recipient instead of performing an auspicious act. A gift should always be given with politeness and humility. Furthermore, gifts should never be given to unworthy persons such as robbers and criminals.
 
We should be careful, however, to use our judgement and our discretion while performing charity, and not abstain for charity just because we are worried about going against the rules prescribed here. There are millions of people around the world that struggle to survive, that are in need of food, water, clothing and medicine. If we donate money to any institution that provides needy people with these amenities, we may not have control over the time and place of the donation, but that should not stop us. More broadly, there are instances where our acts of sacrifice, penance and charity may have a defect in them. Shri Krishna gives us a formula to deal with them next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 17

09 Thursday May 2013

Posted by in 17.19, aatmanaha, chapter 17 verse 19, kriyate, moodhagraahena, parasya, peedayaa, taamasam, tapaha, udaahritam, utsaadanaartham

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moodhagraahenaatmano yatpeedayaa kriyate tapaha |
parasyotsaadanaartham vaa tattaamasamudaahritam || 19 ||
 
That which is performed out of a foolish notion, causing pain to oneself, or for ruining others, that penance is called taamasic.
 
moodhagraahena : foolish notion
aatmanaha : self
yat : that which
peedayaa : causing pain
kriyate : perform
tapaha : penance
parasya : other
utsaadanaartham : for ruining others
vaa : or
tat : that
taamasam : taamasic
udaahritam : is called
 
The story of a any captured terrorist is all too familiar. At some point in their life, they start holding on to an idea or a notion which ends up becoming their mission in life. They then spend a long time, sometime years, learning all kinds of tactics and techniques that are usually reserved for the military. Eventually, they carry out their mission, in which a great deal of harm is caused to others, and to themselves as well. Either they get captured or they harm themselves in the process.
 
Shri Krishna describes taamasic penance in this shloka. He says that penance based on a foolish notion, a misconception or an infatuation comes out of the minds of taamasic individuals. The end goal of such penance is to cause great harm to others or to oneself. We can always refer to the Puraanas for the fate of individuals who conduct severe penance just to bring about the downfall of someone else. So called “black magic” is also conducted for harming someone.
 
We may look at this and dismiss it, since it sounds so extreme and not applicable to our daily lives. But many of us sometimes perform actions with a malicious intent. Politics sometimes becomes a venue for one party to perform actions simply for bringing the other party down, and not for the welfare of the country. Similarly, many people run businesses based on a personal vendetta. For instance, a person fired from a business may join a competitor just to get back. Any action performed for bringing someone else down usually backfires.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 13

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.6, chapter 13 verse 6, chetanaa, dhritihi, duhkham, dveshaha, etat, ichchaa, kshetram, samaasena, sanghaataha, savikaram, sukham, udaahritam

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ichchaa dveshaha sukham duhkham sanghaataschetanaa dhritihi |
etatkshetram samaasena savikaramudaahritam || 6 ||
 
Desire, hatred, joy, sorrow, assembly, awareness, fortitude. This field with its modifications has been illustrated in brief.
 
ichchaa : desire
dveshaha : hatred
sukham : joy
duhkham : sorrow
sanghaataha : assembly
chetanaa : awareness
dhritihi : fortitude
etat : this
kshetram : field
samaasena : in brief
savikaram : with modifications
udaahritam : has been illustrated
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained the creation and make-up of the world and the individual as comprised of 24 constituents. Now he explains how the individual comes into contact with the world. We saw in the last shloka that all of us come with a stock of unfulfilled desires or vaasanas that causes the individual to be born in this world. Shri Krishna says that the sprouting of desires or “ichchaa” causes us to approach the world for fulfillment of those desires. If we obtain what we desire, we experience joy, and if we don’t obtain it, we experience sorrow. If something repeatedly gives us sorrow, we develop a sense of hatred or “dvesha” towards it.
 
Desire, hatred, joy and sorrow are modifications or changes in the inner instrument, the antahakarana. The antahakarana always wants to create a sense of wholeness or completeness out of the diversity of limbs, hair, nerves, nails etc that make up one body. But it also wants to keep this collection of what it calls the body distinct from everything else in the world. This notion of completeness is called “sanghaata” meaning assembly, and the will to preserve the assembly and keep it distinct from the world is called “dhriti” or fortitude. All biological desires arise from this desire to maintain the body as a distinct single entity.
 
Now we come to the modification of the antahakarana that gives it the quality of awareness and sentiency, known as “chetanaa” or awareness. Though we may be tempted to think that this sentiency in the antahakarana is the soul, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, it is not. It is a borrowed kind of awareness caused by a reflection of the eternal essence in the antahakarana, just like a pot filled with water reflects the sun in it. In fact, chetanaa and the six other modifications mentioned in this shloka are variously assumed to be the eternal essence by various schools of philosophy. Shri Krishna asserts that everything mentioned in this shloka and the prior shloka is not the eternal essence. It is kshetra, the field.