Category Archives: upapadyate

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 18

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by in 18.7, chapter 18 verse 7, karmanaha, mohaat, niyatasya, parikeertitaha, parityaagaha, sannyaasaha, taamasaha, tasya, upapadyate

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niyatasya tu sannyaasaha karmano nopapadyate |
mohaattasya parityaagastaamasaha parikeertitaha || 7 ||
 
Indeed, the giving up of an obligatory action is not appropriate. Giving it up out of delusion is declared to be taamasic.
 
niyatasya : obligatory
tu : indeed
sannyaasaha : giving up
karmanaha : action
na : not
upapadyate : appropriate
mohaat : out of delusion
tasya : it
parityaagaha : to give up
taamasaha : taamasic
parikeertitaha : is declared
 
Shri Krishna moved the discussion on karma yoga ahead by categorizing the three types of tyaaga, which means giving up or renunciation. He says that when we give up an obligatory action, when we do not perform an obligatory action out of delusion, out of incorrect or error prone knowledge, such renunciation is known as taamasic tyaaga or taamasic renunciation. He says that such behaviour is inappropriate and is not in line with the teachings of karma yoga. Not doing one’s duty is forbidden in karma yoga.
 
Where do one’s obligatory duties come from? They come from one’s stage in life or aashrama, and one’s profession or varna. A householder is obliged to attend to the needs of his spouse, his parents and his children. If he does not attend to his sick parents, or does not help with his child’s homework, it is termed as taamasic behaviour. A businessman should strive to generate healthy profits from his business, and donate a portion of his wealth to charity. Not doing so is also considered taamasic.
 
Moha or delusion can create all kinds of negative tendencies in us, as we have seen in prior chapters. It can cause heedlessness and carelessness where we do not pay proper attention to the task at hand. It can cause laziness and idleness where our body becomes inert and dull, where we do not want to get up from bed. It is hard to get oneself out of a state of moha. Unless someone who is not taamasic intervenes, we will remain in a state of tamas for a long time.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 13

19 Saturday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.18, chapter 13 verse 18, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, jneyam, jnyaanam, kshetram, madbhaavaaya, madbhaktaha, tathaa, uktam, upapadyate, vijnyaaya

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iti kshetram tathaa jnyaanam jneyam choktam samaasataha |
madbhakta etadvijnyaaya madbhaavaayopapadyate || 18 ||
 
In this manner, the field, as well as knowledge, and that which is to be known, has been described in brief. By understanding this, my devotee becomes qualified to attain my state.
 
iti : in this manner
kshetram : the field
tathaa : as well as
jnyaanam : knowledge
jneyam : which is to be known
cha : and
uktam : has been described
samaasataha : in brief
madbhaktaha : my devotee
etat : this
vijnyaaya : understanding
madbhaavaaya : my state
upapadyate : qualified
 
Shri Krishna concludes the current topic in this shloka. He spoke about “kshetra”, the field, in shlokas five and six. The field comprises twenty four aspects which are the building blocks of the universe. This includes the five great elements, the intellect and others. The field also comprises seven modifications by which the individual comes into contact with the world. These include desire, hatred and others. The field works like a machine, but is devoid of awareness in itself and is inert. It need to borrow awareness from some other source. This source is the eternal essence, it is “jneyam”, that which is to be known. The field acts as an upaadhi, something which as though limits and conditions the eternal essence.
 
If we are attracted by the dance of an ocean’s waves, we will never be able to appreciate the grandeur and beauty of the entire ocean, because our attention will be on the waves which are upaadhis that as though limit our understanding of the ocean. Similarly, if we need to understand the eternal essence, we have to learn how to gradually minimize the impact of the upaadhis of the field, and shift our attention to the eternal essence. “Jnyaanam”, the means of knowledge that enables us to mentally remove these upaadhis, is elaborated in shlokas seven to eleven.
 
Once we have learnt how to mentally remove upaadhis, we are ready to understand the eternal essence. From shlokas twelve to seventeen, Shri Krishna uses paradoxes and contradictions to explain the nature of the eternal essence. Our intellect is a product of the field, and will never grasp what the eternal essence is. Paradoxical statements like “it is near, yet it is far” are used so that our intellect doesn’t mistakenly turn the eternal essence into yet another concept.
 
Shri Krishna says that those who have inquired into the eternal essence in the manner prescribed above are qualified to attain the state of Ishvara, which is liberation. But this state cannot be attained unless we become devotees of Ishvara. A devotee means one who knows that whatever he sees, hears or touches is nothing but Ishvara, and that Ishvara is residing in him as his self. Only one who has such a firm conviction through meditation that everything, including himself, is ultimately Ishvara, will attain liberation.
 
Now, does all this explanation help me understand what ultimately causes me to experience sorrow in my life? In the next shloka, Shri Krishna begins a new topic to explain this issue in detail.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 39, Chapter 6

16 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in arhasi, aseshataha, chapter 6 verse 39, chhettaa, chhettum, hi, krishna, me, na, samshayam, samshayasyaasya, tvadanyaha, upapadyate

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etanme samshayam krishna chhettumarhasyasheshataha |
tvadanyaha samshayasyaasya chhettaa na hyupapadyate || 39 ||
 
To dispel this doubt of mine, O Krishna, only you are worthy. For, other than you, no one is fit to dispel this doubt.
 
etat : this
me : my
samshayam : doubt
krishna : O Krishna
chhettum : dispel
arhasi : you are worthy
asheshataha : completely
tvadanyaha : other than you
samshayasyaasya : of this doubt
chhettaa : one who can dispel
na : none
hi : for
upapadyate : is fit
 
Arjuna offers one last point in his question to Shri Krishna with regards to the promise of meditation. Earlier, Arjuna wanted to know the fate of the seeker who strives hard but does not reach the state of the perfected meditator before he dies. He then added an illustration of the cloud that is helplessly scattered by winds, comparing it to a seeker who achiever neither spiritual nor material success. Arjuna makes a final point in this question by reminding Shri Krishna that only he can answer this question.
 
By now, Arjuna had come to the conclusion that Shri Krishna was something more than his friend and charioteer. In some shlokas, Shri Krishna even referred to himself as Ishvara. Only one who is beyond the material world can answer a question that transcends the material world, and that is Ishvara himself. Therefore, Arjuna found it fit to ask such a question to Shri Krishna.
 
The answer to this question is given by Shri Krishna in the upcoming shlokas. These shlokas comprise the final portion of the sixth chapter.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 2

27 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in 2.3, chapter 2 verse 3, daurbalyam, gamah, hridaya, klaibyam, kshudram, maa, parantapa, sma, tvavi, upapadyate, uttishtha

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klaibyam maa sma gamah paartha naitattvayyupapadyate |
kshudram hridayadaurbalyam tyaktvotishtha parantapa || 3 ||


Don’t yield to this effeminate behaviour, O Paartha, it is not worthy of you. Cast off this petty weakness of heart and arise, O scorcher of foes!

klaibyam : effeminate
maa sma gamah : do not yield
paartha : O son of Prithaa
etat: this
tvavi : in you
na : not
upapadyate : not worthy
kshudram : petty
hridaya: heart
daurbalyam : weakness
tyaktva : cast off
uttishtha : arise
paran-tapa : O scorcher of foes

Shri Krishna, an expert motivational speaker, used a “carrot and stick” approach towards Arjuna here. Let’s first look at the stick or negative aspect, followed by the carrot or positive aspect.

One of the worst things you can call a warrior is effeminate. Even young boys playing sports will get upset when someone says ‘Hey! You throw the ball like a girl!”. So imagine how Arjuna felt when Shri Krishna called him effeminate. Moreover, using the adjective weak-hearted to describe Arjuna was another jolt to the usually courageous and lion-hearted warrior.

But Shri Krishna also appealed to Arjuna’s better qualities. By addressing him as “Paartha”, he reminded Arjuna of his esteemed and respected mother Prithaa (Kunti), and how she would feel if Arjuna shirked away from war. Shri Krishna also reminded Arjuna of his battle prowess, that he was called a “scorcher of foes”.

The final point in this shloka is the powerful Sanskrit word “utthishta”, meaning arise, which evokes Swami Vivekananda’s famous statement “Arise! Awake! and stop not till the goal is reached!’. Arjuna is instructed not just to arise physically, but also to lift his mind from the depths of delusion to a higher plane of intelligence.