Category Archives: visham

Bhagavad Gita Verse 38, Chapter 18

26 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.38, agre, amritopamam, chapter 18 verse 38, parinaame, raajasam, smritam, sukham, visham

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vishayendriyasamyoogaadyattadagremritopamam |
parinaame vishamiva tatsukham raajasam smritam || 38 ||
 
That which comes from the contact of senses with their objects, which is like nectar initially, but like poison in its result, that joy is called raajasic.
 
vishayeindriyasamyoogaat : from contact of senses with objects
yat : that which
tat : that
agre : initially
amritopamam : like nectar
parinaame : in its result
visham : poison
iva : like
tat : that
sukham : joy
raajasam : raajasic
smritam : is called
 
When we see a movie, we have the option of watching it in 3D or 3D IMAX. Everyone has a cellphone with a built in music player. Perfumes are available for any budget. Innumerable options make buying clothes a nightmare. International cuisine is available in most major cities. We are truly living in the age of sensory overload. It is hard to imagine a situation, except deep sleep, where we are not exposed to some sensory indulgence.
 
What is behind all of this? Sensory excitement is mistaken for joy in our world. Shri Krishna says that such sensory indulgence generates some temporary excitement in the beginning, but results in fatigue, or worse still, ill health, in the end. In his commentary, Shri Shankaraachaarya describes the effects of sensory indulgence. It leads to decline in strength, vitality, colour, wisdom, intellect, memory, wealth and most importantly, energy. Whenever there is sense contact beyond what is needed to sustain the body, our energy reserves are depleted.
 
Therefore, we need to stop giving such a lot of importance to sense objects and sense indulgence. The body will have a biological urge such as thirst, which can easily be quenched by water. But our mind craves for a soft drink instead of water, because it has associated the idea of joy with that soft drink. Such superimposition of joy on inert objects is called shobhana adhyaasa. Whenever such thoughts arise, we should counter them with sattvic thoughts of good health, fitness and wellness.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 37, Chapter 18

25 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in 18.37, aatmabuddhiprasaadajam, agre, amritopapam, chapter 18 verse 37, parinaame, proktam, saattvikam, sukham, visham

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yattadagre vishameva parinaamemritopapam |
tatsukham saattvikam proktamaatmabuddhiprasaadajam || 37 ||
 
That which is like poison initially, but is like nectar in its result, that joy is said to be saattvic, born of one’s mental purity.
 
yat : that
tat : which
agre : initially
visham : poison
eva : like
parinaame : in its result
amritopapam : like nectar
tat : that
sukham : joy
saattvikam : saattvic
proktam : is said
aatmabuddhiprasaadajam : born of one’s mental purity
 
Most of us dread going to the doctor’s office for a vaccination. Some of us will try to postpone, or even cancel, an upcoming vaccination. What causes such fear? It is just a little bit of a pinch, that too for a few seconds, caused by the needle of the syringe. Fear is also caused by the anticipation of this pain. But we all know that any vaccination is given to us for our own long term benefit. It will prevent us from catching all kinds of diseases that can cripple us or even kill us.
 
So therefore, the reward for bearing pain is extremely beneficial to us. Shri Krishna says that sattvic joy is similar, in that when we first begin to experience it, it is quite unpleasant, but in the end, it is as pleasant as nectar. No spiritual path is easy to take up in the beginning. In karma yoga, one has to work selflessly, chipping away at the ego. The leap of faith needed for bhakti is difficult for people who have grown up doubting everything. Jnyaana yoga requires a high degree of awareness, whereas most of us lead automated robotic lives where someone else has done out thinking for us.
 
All of these practices have their goal as the purification of the mind, and of removing its three main doshas or faults: mala or selfish desire, vikshepa or lack of focus, and avarana or ignorance. Unless these three faults are diminished to a great extent, we will be unable to comprehend the nature of sattvic joy. This is unlike any joy we know so far, because it does not depend on any external factors such as objects, people or situations. It comes from inside, from the intellect that has turned inward towards the self.