Category Archives: vachaha

Bhagavad Gita Verse 64, Chapter 18

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in 18.64, bhooyaha, chapter 18 verse 64, dridham, hitam, ishtaha, paramam, sarvaguhyatam, shrunu, tataha, vachaha, vakshyaami

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sarvaguhyatam bhooyaha shrunu me paramam vachaha |
ishtosi me dridhamiti tato vakshyaami te hitam || 64 ||
 
Listen from me again, my supreme statement, most secret. You are my strong friend, that is why I will speak what is beneficial for you.
 
sarvaguhyatam : most secret
bhooyaha : again
shrunu : listen
me : from me
paramam : supreme
vachaha : statement
ishtaha : friend
asi : are
me : my
dridham : strong
iti : in this manner
tataha : that is why
vakshyaami : I will speak
te : you
hitam : beneficial
 
Every teacher has their own style, their own philosophy, for teaching complicated subjects. A good teacher is one who can not only impart the knowledge, but also, extract the big ideas out of the complexity and present it to the student in such a manner that it can be easily grasped. There is no point teaching a complex subject which students memorize for the sake of passing the exam, but forget it as soon as they submit their paper. Shri Krishna wanted to convey the essence of the Gita to Arjuna, so he addressed him again, after having concluded the teaching.
 
The Gita is a formidable text to understand thoroughly. It deals with karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnyaana yoga and raaja yoga. The same word is used differently in different contexts. For example, the word “aatmaa” is used to mean body, mind, intellect and the self. The Gita makes references to individuals from Vedic and Puraanic literature which requires further effort on the part of the teacher and the student. Seekers who approach the end of the teaching will appreciate a teacher who will extract its essence.
 
Shri Krishna also expresses his motivation for summarizing the teaching. He does not want any reward from Arjuna in return for this teaching. Nor is he doing so out of fear of anyone or anything. He only has a lot of affection for Arjuna, he regards Arjuna as a staunch friend, and he also knows what is the right teaching for the situation Arjuna finds himself in. Therefore, he wants to impart the supreme statement, the param vachaha, the essence of the Gita, that will provide the most benefit to Arjuna.

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 1, Chapter 10

01 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.1, aham, bhooyaha, chapter 10 verse 1, eva, hitakaamyayaa, mahaabaaho, me, paramam, preeyamaanaaya, shrunu, vachaha, vakshyaami, yat

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Shree Bhagavan uvaacha:
bhooya eva mahaabaaho shrunu me paramam vachaha |
yattaham preeyamaanaaya vakshyaami hitakaamyayaa || 1 ||
 
Shree Bhagavan said:
Again, O mighty armed warrior, listen to my supreme statements, which I will say to you filled with delight, desiring your well-being.
 
bhooyaha : again
eva : also
mahaabaaho : O mighty armed warrior
shrunu : listen
me : my
paramam : supreme
vachaha : statements
yat : that which
aham : I
preeyamaanaaya : one who is delighted
vakshyaami : I will say
hitakaamyayaa : desiring well-being
 
After concluding the ninth chapter, Shri Krishna did not wait for Arjuna to ask a question because he knew that Arjuna wanted to hear more. He continued speaking because Arjuna was taking delight in the teaching. Good teachers know when to take questions and when to continue teaching so that the student is engaged and encouraged.
 
This chapter of the Gita is known as “Vibhooti Yoga”. It continues the theme of the seventh and ninth chapters by listing several vibhootis or expressions of Ishvara. Why are expressions important? Consider electricity which is invisible to our senses but is a source of great power. If we wish to learn more about electricity by watching a power outlet or a power line, we may not be able to understand electricity that much. But if we see a bright and colourful lamp, or medical equipment that helps save people’s lives, it is easier to appreciate the glory of electricity.
 
Ishvara is infinitely powerful than electricity but is also invisible and unknown to our senses. Only through knowing his expressions can we become aware of his presence, and gradually expand our vision to see the one Ishvara in everything. Shri Krishna is concerned with Arjuna’s well-being, so in that regard he wanted to reveal Ishvara’s glories to Arjuna. He calls these glories “paramam” or supreme because they enable us to transcend this world of name and form and access Ishvara.
 
Why is Ishvara invisible and unknown to our senses, and to other beings in the universe? This is explained next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 2

05 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.10, chapter 2 verse 10, iva, prahasan, senyorubhayormadhye, vachaha

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tamuvaacha hrisheekeshaha prahasanniva bhaarata |
senayorubhayormadhye visheedantamidam vachaha || 10 ||

Hrishikeesha, as though smiling, spoke these words to the despondent Arjuna, in the middle of the two armies.

tam : to him
uvaacha : spoke
hrisheekeshaha : Hrisheekeshaha
prahasan iva : as though smiling
bhaarata : Arjuna
senayor-ubhayor-madhye : in the middle of the armies
visheedantam : despondent
idam : these
vachaha : spoke words

The most interesting aspect of this verse is the phrase “as though smiling”, and has been interpreted differently by several commentators. The commonly held notion is : Shri Krishna wanted to use Arjuna as a vehicle for delivering the sermon of the Gita, and he smiled because the time for delivering the sermon had come as soon as Arjuna requested him to become his disciple. Another interpretation is that on the one hand, Arjuna is surrendering to Shri Krishna and asking for guidance, but o the other hand he says that he will not fight. Therefore Shri Krishna is smiling on this qualified request from Arjuna.

Our journey so far was just the background of the Gita. Starting from the next verse, we are about to delve into the heart of the Gita. Like any good speaker, Shri Krishna has provided an overview of the Gita for us in Chapter 2. Later chapters will delve into these themes in significant detail.

We will try our best to understand some of the more abstract verses in this chapter, but let’s not worry if we don’t understand them completely in the first reading. These verses will reveal new nuances and facets in each reading.