Category Archives: vetti

Bhagavad Gita Verse 30, Chapter 18

18 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.30, bandham, bhayaabhaye, buddhihi, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, kaaryaakaarye, moksham, nivrittim, paartha, pravrittim, saattvikee, vetti

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pravrittim cha nivrittim cha kaaryaakaarye bhayaabhaye |
bandham moksham cha yaa vetti buddhihi saa paartha saattvikee || 30 ||
 
That intellect which knows engagement and withdrawal, what is duty and what is not, fear and fearlessness, bondage and liberation, O Paartha, that is saattvic.
 
pravrittim : engagement
cha : and
nivrittim : withdrawal
cha : and
kaaryaakaarye : what is duty and what is not
bhayaabhaye : fear and fearlessness
bandham : bondage
moksham : liberation
cha : and
yaa : which
vetti : knows
buddhihi : intellect
saa : that
paartha : O Paartha
saattvikee : is saattvic
 
Our jnyaanam, our knowledge, gives us an object to pursue, person to approach, or situation to create. Now it is upto our buddhi, our intellect, to decide the course of action. Typically, for any objectve, we need to decide whether or not we want pursue the objective, and if we do, how should we go about doing it. Shri Krishna says that a saattvic intellect, a saattvic buddhi is one that is clear on those two factors. In fact, Shri Krishna breaks the two factors down into four assessments: assessing one’s stage in life and one’s svadharma first, then whether an action is one’s duty or not, then whether to be fearful or not, and lastly, whether to continue to act or not.
 
As we will see in a later topic in this chapter, the varna aashrama system, the system of aptitude and stage of life, helps us determine whether we should act at all, and if so, which actions should we perform and which we should not. A student should focus on studying, not in creating a family. A soldier should focus on protecting his country, not making money by selling his country out. The varna aashrama system helps address the first two assessments: engagement and withdrawal, and what is our duty and what is not. For example, if we get a new business proposal, we should assess whether we have the aptitude to execute it, but also, whether we are in the right stage of life. It is no use starting a new business when we are in our late sixties.
 
Once the varna aashrama system has approved the performance of an action, we need to test whether the action is motivated by personal reward, or whether it is motivated by selfless service. If we have fear in our mind while performing an action, chances are that a trace of egoism has crept into it. We may be doing the action out of the need for praise and honour. But if our mind is fearless, we can assume that our action is motivated out of selflessness. Lastly, as we perform one action after another, we should always examine whether these actions are taking us closer to liberation, or are further entrenching us in the material world. An intellect that guides us in such a manner is termed saattvic.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 18

09 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.21, bhooteshu, chapter 18 verse 21, jnyaanam, naanaabhaavaan, prithagvidhaan, prithaktvena, raajasam, sarveshu, vetti, viddhi

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prithaktvena tu yajjnyaanam naanaabhaavaanprithagvidhaan |
vetti sarveshu bhooteshu tajjnyaanam viddhi raajasam || 21 ||
 
But, know that knowledge to be raajasic which, in all things, understands various kinds of different entities as distinct.
 
prithaktvena : distinct
tu : but
yat : which
jnyaanam : knowledge
naanaabhaavaan : different entities
prithagvidhaan : various kinds
vetti : understands
sarveshu : all
bhooteshu : things
tat : that
jnyaanam : knowledge
viddhi : know
raajasam : raajasic
 
Bollywood movies used to have a formulaic plot regarding two brothers separated at birth. Many times they would confront each other, and even try to kill each other, until the moment when someone told them that they were brothers. Within a second, the two brothers would reconcile their differences, join forces, and confront their common enemy. From an external and sensory standpoint, nothing changed. Only their knowledge became saattvic, since they now knew that they had their mother in common.
 
According to Shri Krishna, that knowledge which agrees with the report of the senses, which sees distinction between our self and the world, which sees divisions and separateness, that knowledge is raajasic. Everything is taken at face value. Saattvic knowledge, on the other hand, sees unity in diversity. Now raajasic vision is necessary from a vyavahaaric level, a transactional level, otherwise daily life would not be possible. If a businessman viewed everyone as his own self, he would not be able to survive. But if he maintained the attitude of business with his family, his knowledge would be confused and mixed up.
 
Most of us, it is safe to say, possess raajasic knowledge. We see our body as a unit separate and distinct from everyone else. Each person has a different aatmaa, a different self. Raajasic knowledge stays at the level of naama roopa, of name and form. It is easier, even enticing, to think at the level of name and form than to think at the level of what’s common between the names and forms. A slightly evolved version of raajasic knowledge takes the entire family unit as one entity. Whenever a good happens to our brother, it is as if that good has happened to us. When our parents suffer a loss, we suffer with them.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 14

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by in 14.19, adhigacchati, anupashyati, anyam, chapter 14 verse 19, drishtaa, gunebhyaha, kartaaram, madbhaavam, na, param, saha, vetti, yadaa

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naanyam gunebhyaha kartaaram yadaa drishtaanupashyati |
gunebhyashcha param vetti madbhaavam sodhigacchati || 19 ||
 
When the beholders views no other doer than the gunaas, and knows himself as transcending the gunaas, he attains my nature.
 
na : no
anyam : any other
gunebhyaha : gunaas
kartaaram : doer
yadaa : when
drishtaa : beholder
anupashyati : views
gunebhyaha : gunaas
cha : and
param : transcending
vetti : knows
madbhaavam : my nature
saha : he
adhigacchati : attains
 
Let us now introduce a new character into our recurring example, a CEO of a television channel. He is the father of the young child who, as we have seen earlier, is addicted to watching boxing matches. These matches are broadcast on the very same channel that the CEO owns. What is the difference between the child and the CEO? The CEO has set up the machinery of the television channel. He knows how the shows are recorded, edited and broadcast. When he comes home, he watches the channel as a detached observer. But the child, due to his addiction, gets affected by the blows received by the boxer in the boxing match.
 
The CEO keeps reminding his son to not get so attached to the boxing match since it is not real, it is just a television program. Once the child has identified himself as the boxer, he will have to accept all the consequences of that character in that particular TV show. In the same way, Shri Krishna urges us to not get trapped in the machine called Prakriti. If we identify with Prakriti, which is nothing but the three gunas, then we have to accept all its laws including birth, death, rebirth, joy, sorrow and so on. We have to understand that we neither do anything, nor do we experience the result of our actions. All action and reaction is within the realm of Prakriti. Once we establish ourselves as a witness, we understand that we have incorrectly taken on action and reaction upon ourselves.
 
Knowing this reality, however, does not mean that Prakriti will go away. Even if the child has stopped identifying with the boxer, the boxing match will be broadcast every day at 8 PM. Similarly, even if we are not bound by it, Prakriti will be tangible and visible to us during our waking hours. The entire universe, including the body that we are identified with, is made up of the three gunas of Prakriti. But despite it appearing to us as an apparent reality, Prakriti will be unable to bind us with its laws once we recognize it as an illusion, and not as reality. Once we are able to rise beyond identification with the three gunas, we will see Prakriti the way Ishvara sees Prakriti, as a detached observer. In this manner, when we realize our identity with Ishvara, we will attain the state of liberation, of self realization.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 23, Chapter 13

24 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.23, abhijaayate, bhooyaha, chapter 13 verse 23, evam, gunaih, prakritim, purusham, saha, sarvathaa, vartamaanaha, vetti, yaha

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ya evam vetti purusham prakritim cha gunaih saha |
sarvathaa vartamaanopi na sa bhooyobhijaayate || 23 ||
 
He who thus knows Purusha and Prakriti, along with the gunaas, no matter what his conduct, is never born again.
 
yaha : he who
evam : thus
vetti : knows
purusham : Purusha
prakritim : Prakriti
cha : and
gunaih : gunaas
saha : along with
sarvathaa : whatever
vartamaanaha : conduct
api : no matter
na : not
saha : he
bhooyaha : again
abhijaayate : born
 
To better understand this shloka, let us quickly take a look at the theory of karma. It says that each of us comes with three types of karmas, which are unfulfilled desires that become seeds of future actions. Total karmas or “sanchita” karmas are the entire stock of our karmas. Present life karmas or “prarabdha” karmas are those karmas that are activated in our present life. Expected karmas or “agaami” karmas are those karmas that will be generated due to the results of actions in the present life. These karmas get added to our sanchita karmas, our stock of karmas.
 
As an illustration, consider this. The arrows in an archer’s quiver are sanchita karmas, the arrows that have left his bow are prarabdha karmas, and the arrows that are loaded on the bow are agaami karmas. The Vedas assert that so long as an individual maintains a stock of karmas, he has to take on a body to exhaust those karmas. In each birth, a portion of the stock of karmas is allocated to the individual so that he can exhaust them. By generating further selfish desires, the individual adds to his stock of karmas, and the cycle of birth goes on indefinitely.
 
Shri Krishna says that the one who has properly understood the relationship between Purusha and Prakriti, one who has understood the identification of the eternal essence with Prakriti due to ignorance and the consequent rushing after the gunaas, is never born again. This means that his stock of karmas is destroyed, just like a spark of fire destroys dry hay. He does not generate any further selfish desires, because he is no longer fascinated by the play of the three gunaas. Why does this happen? When one realizes that selfish desire is created by ignorance of one’s true nature, it wipes out any notion of selfishness completely. There is no longer an urge to come into contact with Prakriti.
 
Now, this person still has to deal with his prarabdha. His present life karmas continue to be active until his body drops off, after which he does not have to take any further births. The word “api” in the shloka indicates that the individual can continue to perform his duties even if he has realized his true nature as the eternal essence, just like king Janaka continued to rule his kingdom even though he had achieved liberation.
 
Shri Krishna concludes the topic of Purusha and Prakriti with this shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 10

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.7, atra, avikampena, cha, chapter 10 verse 7, etaam, mama, na, saha, samshayaha, tatvataha, vetti, vibhootim, yaha, yogam, yogena, yujyate

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etaam vibhootim yogam cha mama yo vetti tatvataha |
sovikampena yogena yujyate naatra samshayaha || 7 ||
 
He who understands this, my manifestation and yoga in its essence; he becomes engaged with unperturbed yoga, without a doubt.
 
etaam : this
vibhootim : manifestation
yogam : yoga
cha : and
mama : my
yaha : he who
vetti : understands
tatvataha : in essence
saha : he
avikampena : unperturbed
yogena : with yoga
yujyate : engages
na : not
atra : any
samshayaha : doubt
 
What is the result of hearing about Ishvara’s expressions? Shri Krishna says that one who is able to perceive Ishvara as manifesting through expressions becomes established in “avikampena yoga” or a constant, unshakeable connection with Ishvara.
 
Vibhooti refers to the multiple or pluralistic manifestation of Ishvara, the presence of Ishvara in all forms present in the universe. Yoga, also known as yoga-maaya, is the power that makes this pluralistic manifestation possible. Shri Krishna says that one who knows this vibhooti and yoga as arising from Ishvara is constantly united with Ishvara.
 
The key here is to develop a vision that goes into the essence of any object or person or situation instead of getting distracted by the form, just like a scrap metal dealer’s vision goes straight into the metal, and not the shape.
 
How do we develop this vision? Let us bring back the concept of material cause and intelligent cause that we saw earlier. A pot is created by two aspects: the material cause which is clay, and the intelligent cause which is the potter. So for instance, when Shri Krishna said that the seven sages were created by Ishvara, it means that Ishvara is both the “stuff” and the “sculptor”. He is both the material and intelligent cause of those sages. The Mundaka Upanishad illustrates this concept with the example of a spider who creates a web from his own body, using no other external raw material. The spider becomes the material cause and the intelligent cause of the web.
 
So if our thoughts are made of Ishvara, objects are made of Ishvara, situations are made of Ishvara, if we develop this vision, what will happen to us? We will get established in an unshakeable, unwavering connection with Ishvara. In other words, if we know that Ishvara is present in everything, we will never be disconnected from Ishvara, just like our cell phones are never disconnected from their network no matter which part of the country we visit. We will we able to encounter every situation in life with poise and equanimity, without being shaken up, because everything is ultimately Ishvara.
 
This state of unwavering yoga is elaborated upon in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 10

02 Sunday Sep 2012

Posted by in 10.3, ajam, anaadim, asammoodhaha, cha, chapter 10 verse 3, lokamaheshwaram, maam, martyeshu, pramuchhyate, saha, sarvapaapaihi, vetti, yaha

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yo maamajamanaadim cha vetti lokamaheshwaram |
asammoodhaha sa martyeshu sarvapaapaihi pramuchhyate || 3 ||
 
One who knows me as birthless, causeless and lord of the universe, he is wise among all humans and is freed from all sins.
 
yaha : one who
maam : me
ajam : birthless
anaadim : causeless
cha : and
vetti : knows
lokamaheshwaram : lord of the universe
asammoodhaha : wise
saha : he is
martyeshu : among humans
sarvapaapaihi : all sins
pramuchhyate : freed from
 
In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that one whose devotion in Ishvara has reached its pinnacle, one who understands Ishvara as the eternal lord of the universe, automatically develops this capacity of discrimination and becomes wise. Also, he is freed from all his sins. This is the end result of devotion.
 
The Gita places special emphasis on the quality of viveka or discrimination. It is the ability to differentiate between what is real and what is unreal. For some people, this comes easily but for most of us, it does not. Devotion is the solution. When we begin to hear about Ishvara’s glories, our vision and understanding about his true nature increases. We begin to realize that while everything in the world has a beginning and end, Ishvara is beyond time. We begin to see that he is everywhere, he is not confined to a certain space or location.
 
So when we see that Ishvara is present everywhere and everytime, beyond the realm of time and space, we automatically begin to understand that everything else is finite and transient. Our reactions to situations become calmer. If we come across a tough situation, we know that the timeless ever present Ishvara is in there, and so therefore the situation will be temporary and will not bother us anymore. We become “assammodaha” or wise, beyond all delusion.
 
Also, by hearing these glories, we realize that Ishvara is the one who is running the universe. When we identify ourselves with the controller of the universe, our ego, sense of doership and enjoyership automatically drops because we know that we are doing nothing, it is all Ishvara’s doing. When the sinner, which is nothing the sense of doership and enjoyership, is dropped, all our sins are destroyed in an instant.
 
Shri Krishna now beings to speak of Ishvara’s expressions, which is the main theme of this chapter. He first speaks about Ishvara’s inner, subtle expressions in the next few shlokas. He later speaks about his external, more visible expressions.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 6

23 Monday Apr 2012

Posted by in aatyantaikam, ateendriyam, ayam, buddhigraahyam, cha, chalati, chapter 6 verse 21, eva, na, sthitaha, sukham, tat, tattvataha, vetti, yat, yatra

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sukhamaatyantikam yattadbuddhigraahyamateendriyam |
vetti yatra na chaivaayam sthitashchalati tattvataha || 21 ||
 
That infinite joy which is comprehended by the intellect but is beyond the senses, when he experiences that state and is established in it, he does not move away from his essence.
 
sukham : joy
aatyantikam : infinite
yat : that
tat : that
buddhigraahyam : comprehended by the intellect
ateendriyam : beyond the senses
vetti : experiences
yatra : in that state
na : does not
cha : and
eva : ever
ayam : he
sthitaha : established
chalati : move away
tattvataha : in his essence
 
Previously, Shri Krishna explained that the perfected meditator taps into a source of permanent joy once he detaches the mind from the sense organs and connects it to his self. In this shloka, he elaborates on the nature of that joy. He says that this joy is infinite and is comprehended only by the intellect. Also, he says that once we are established in this joy, no external circumstance will knock us or take us away from this state.
 
Let us examine the nature of this joy. Shri Krishna says that it is aatyantikam or infinite. Now, the material world is an expert in giving us infinite sorrow. There are moments in our life when the degree of sorrow is low, and we tend to think that this is joy whereas in reality it is just a lower grade of sorrow. Any new object, person or situation that we encounter carries within it the seed for innumerable sorrows. But the joy that one gets from the self is infinite.
 
Why is the joy from the self infinite? All our worldly joys are dependent on external situations. For some of us, a perfect climate makes us happy, causing us to become sad if the climate changes. For some of us, a certain person makes us happy, so we become dependent on that person and consequently feel sad if that person leaves us. We keep creating subsets in the world: I like A, which means I don’t everything that is not A. But here’s the problem; A is finite and temporary. The joy experienced in the self is independent of all external situations that are temporary in nature. That is why it is infinite.
 
Another characteristic of this joy is that it is beyond the comprehension of the senses. Just like we cannot catch a satellite TV signal with a regular antenna, our senses cannot catch this joy. It is of a different wavelength altogether. It is only comprehended by our intellect, which operates at a much higher level than our mind and senses.
 
As an example, consider two teenagers who are at a party where everyone else is enjoying a cigarette. Both of them are offered a cigarette by their friends. The sense organs are reporting the same information to both the teenager’s intellects – that cigarette smoking is enjoyable and that all their friends are doing it. One teenager accepts the offer and takes a puff. But the other teenager has a refined intellect and it “sees” that this will only lead to sorrow in the end. In the same way, the intellect experiences joy that the senses cannot experience.
 
Shri Krishna further goes on to say that once the perfected meditator is established in this joy, he will never deviate from it. It is like a child learning that 2+2 = 4. Once he has internalized this teaching, it stays with him throughout his life. Similarly, once the perfected meditator realizes this self as his true nature, he will not feel the need to take on any other role or identification for the purpose of fulfillment.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 4

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in 4.9, arjuna, cha, chapter 4 verse 9, deham, divyam, eti, evam, janma, karma, me, na, punah, sah, tattvataha, tyaktvaa, vetti, yah

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janma karma cha me divyamevam yo vetti tattvataha |
tyaktvaa deham punarjanma naiti maameti sorjuna || 9 ||

My birth and action are divine. One who knows this in essence, having given up the body, is not born again; he obtains me, O Arjuna.

janma : birth
karma : action
cha : and
me : my
divyam : divine
evam : in this way
yah : one who
vetti : knows
tattvataha : in essence
tyaktvaa : give up
deham : body
punah, janma : rebirth
na : does not
eti : obtain
maam : me
eti : obtain
sah : he
arjuna : O Arjuna

In the last two shlokas, Shri Krishna gave the reason for his avataara. Now the question arises: how does this knowledge help the spiritual seeker? He says that once we understand the secret of Ishvaraa’s birth and action, we will understand the secret of our action as well.

What is the secret of Ishvaraa’s birth and action? It looks to us that Ishvaraa is born, and that Ishvaraa performs action. But that is not the case. Through the power of Ishvaraa’s Maaya, it only looks like Ishvaraa takes birth and performs action. It is just an illusion. As we have seen earlier, the eternal essence does not perform action, only prakriti – also called maaya – performs action.

Now, the jeeva within us is identified with the body, mind and intellect. Its birth is based on past karmaas. It performs karmaas with a sense of doership. In other words, it thinks that it is performing actions. But from the standpoint of the eternal essence, there is no doership or enjoyership. It is prakriti alone that acts. Just like Ishvaraa does not perform action, the jeeva also does not perform action. The jeeva is one with Ishvaraa.

So therefore, one who truly and completely understands this point will drop identification with his body, and begin identifying with the eternal essence. That is what is meant by the phrase “deham tvaktvaa”: the jeeva has stopped identification of the body.

Here, academic knowledge is not enough. We need a first-hand understanding that prakriti performs actions and not the eternal essence. That first-hand understanding can only be gained through meditation, which is explained later in the Gita.

A simple way to understand the teaching so far is as follows. The individual jeeva is like a wave in the ocean. Ishvaraa is like the ocean. The eternal essence or brahman is water. Once the wave realizes that it is the same water as Ishvaraa, it is free from the limitations of its tiny form.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 2

16 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by in 2.19, ayam, cha, chapter 2 verse 19, enam, hantaaram, hanti, hanyate, hatam, manyate, tau, ubhau, vetti, vijaanitaha, yaha

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ya enam vetti hantaaram yachshainam manyate hatam |
ubhau tau na vijaanito naayam hanti na hanyate || 19 ||

A person who believes that it (the eternal essence) slays, and another who believes that it is slain, neither of these understands. It does not slay, nor is it slain.

yaha : that person who
enam : this (body dweller)
vetti : believes
hantaaram : slayer
yaha : that
cha : and
enam : this
manyate : believes
hatam: slain
ubhau : both
tau : those
na : do not
vijaanitaha : know
na ayam : this does not
hanti : slay
na hanyate : nor is slain

The “It” in this shloka and the following shlokas refers to the body-dweller. Here Shri Krishna addresses another concern that Arjuna had raised. Arjuna thought that that he will be held responsible for killing his kinsmen, which was something that was abhorrent to him. But Shri Krishna through this shloka advised him to use the logic or the perspective of the eternal essence. The eternal essence does not kill, nor does it die from someone else trying to kill it.

But how does this apply to us? We are not warriors, and it is rare that we will be put in the position of killing somebody. So there must be another interpretation.This shloka equates the act of slaying to performance of any action, and being slain to any change or modification. In other words, the eternal essence never performs any action, nor does it undergo any change or modification.

As an example, let’s consider at the sun. Without the sun there will be no activity or life on this planet. There would be no plant life because plants use the sun’s energy. There would be no animal or human life because both cannot survive without plants. But, does the sun perform any action pertaining to growing a plant or an animal? Does it get affected by all the changes happening on earth? It does not that that “I caused this forest to grow” or “I was impacted by this eclipse”. It remains actionless and changeless.

The shloka goes on to say that one who thinks that the eternal essence acts or kills is not using viveka or discrimination, and that person does not have the correct understanding. The person is still thinking at the level of the material object, or in other words, the level of the un-real, and has still not learnt to discriminate between the two.

Footnotes
1. Verses 19 and 20 are almost verbatim taken from the Katha Upanishad.