Bhagavad Gita Verse 22, Chapter 13

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.22, anumantaa, api, asmin, bhartaa, bhoktaa, chapter 13 verse 22, dehe, iti, maheshvaraha, paraha, paramaatmaa, purushaha, uktaha, upadrashtaa

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upadrashtaanumantaa cha bhartaa bhoktaa maheshvaraha |
paramaatmeti chaapyukto dehesmin purushaha paraha || 22 ||
 
He who is the witness, the permitter, the nourisher, the experiencer, the master and who is also spoken of as the supreme self, is the supreme Purusha in this body.
 
upadrashtaa : witness
anumantaa : permitter
cha : and
bhartaa : nourisher
bhoktaa : experiencer
maheshvaraha : master
paramaatmaa : supreme self
iti : in this manner
cha : and
api : also
uktaha : spoken
dehe : body
asmin : this
purushaha : Purusha
paraha : supreme
 
Imagine that your grandfather comes to stay in your apartment for a short vacation. Seeing a new senior citizen in the building, the apartment complex association invites him to one of their cultural programs. Your grandfather thoroughly enjoys it. Next, the association asks him permission to host their next weekly meeting in your apartment, which he readily agrees to. He is so excited about the meeting that he prepares tea and snacks for them. By the next weekly meeting, he has become so involved in the association meetings that he feels the need to vote on issues that he strongly feels about. He gets so involved that it is just a matter of time before he is elected president of the apartment complex association.
 
Your grandfather, who had nothing whatsoever to do with the building, started out as a pure witness, then become the permitter, nourisher, experiencer and subsequently the master of the building association. Similarly, Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence that has nothing whatsoever to do with Prakriti, develops a strong identification with a body. By taking various upaadhis or conditionings such as the body, the mind, the vital forces, the intellect and so on, it becomes the permitter, the nourisher, the experiencer and the master of this body, just like your grandfather took on various roles as a member of the apartment complex association.
 
Practically speaking, we don’t need to worry too much about this. All that we need to know that we don’t have to go out into the world hunting for Ishvara. Ishvara is resident in our body as the permitter, nourisher, experiencer and so on. He is the paramaatmaa, the supreme self resident as the “I” in all beings. This is how we have to understand what Purusha means. The more we pay attention to the Ishvara aspect in us, the less importance we give to the upaadhis, especially the ego. People who have reached the pinnacle of their spiritual journey eventually lose their individuality and themselves become the universal witness, the upadrashtaa, remaining unaffected by the goings on of Prakriti.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 21, Chapter 13

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.21, asya, bhungkte, chapter 13 verse 21, gunaan, gunasangaha, kaaranam, prakritijaan, prakritisthaha, purushaha, sadasadyonihijanmasu

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purushaha prakritistho hi bhungkte prakritijaangunaan |
kaaranam gunasangosya sadasadyonijanmasu || 21 ||
 
Purusha, when seated in Prakriti, experiences the qualities born of Prakriti. Attachment to these qualities is the cause of his birth in good and evil wombs.
 
purushaha : Purusha
prakritisthaha : seated in Prakriti
hi : only
bhungkte : experiences
prakritijaan : born of Prakriti
gunaan : qualities
kaaranam : cause
gunasangaha : attachment to qualities
asya : his
sadasadyonihijanmasu : birth in good and evil wombs
 
Imagine that two young brothers and their grandmother are watching a boxing match on TV. One brother is a huge fan of boxer A, and the other brother of boxer B. The two brothers get so involved in the match that they feel they themselves are in the boxing ring. The brothers start throwing punches in the air, mimicking the actions of the boxers. Also, when boxer A punches boxer B, the first brother feels exhilaration whereas the second brother feels pain. All this time, their grandmother is watching the match without any of these reactions.
 
This involvement with the boxers doesn’t end with the match. Boxer A always likes to wear a headband, so the first brother starts to wear headbands in the house. Boxer B always snaps his fingers at the end of every sentence, so the second brother begins to do that as well, much to the annoyance of his parents. Both the brothers have become so infatuated with their boxers that they take on their likes and dislikes. We may think that such behaviour only happens with children and teenagers, but something similar has happened to all of us, causing us to get trapped in samsaara.
 
We are stuck twice in samsaaraa. First, Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence has mistakenly identified itself with one body due to avidyaa or ignorance, just like the brother identified himself with boxer A. Instead of watching the IMAX movie of the universe like the grandmother, we get stuck to one character in that movie. When the eternal essence as though gets deluded with ignorance, it becomes the Purusha, and becomes “seated in Prakriti”. It forgets it real nature as infinite, indivisible and blissful. It assumes the properties of our body and thinks itself to be finite, divisible and sorrowful.
 
Second, having identified with a finite body, having taken the “upaadhi” or conditioning of a body, we get attached to the play of Prakriti, the play of the three gunaas or qualities. We get so attached to the forms of Prakriti that we generate selfish desires in order to repeatedly contact these forms, which are nothing but objects and people. Seeking a shinier car is a mistaken attempt to find joy in the car instead of understanding our true nature as joy itself. We become the brother who starts wearing a headband to feel happy, just because boxer A does so, when the brother was happy even before he know what boxing was.
 
So then, how do we get out of this two step problem of samsaara which causes us to “take birth in good and evil wombs”? We solve step one – attachment to gunaas – through vairaagya or dispassion, we learn to slowly wean ourselves off the influence of the three gunaas. We then solve step two – ignorance of our true nature – through jnyaana or knowlege, when we learn of our real nature as the eternal essence and internalize it through meditation.
 
An illustration of Purusha getting entangled in Prakriti is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 13

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.20, bhoktritve, chapter 13 verse 20, hetuhu, kaarya, karana, kartritve, prakriti, purushaha, sukhaduhkhaanaam, uchyate

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kaaryakaranakartritve hetuhu prakritiruchyate |
purushaha sukhaduhkhaanaam bhoktritve heturuchyate || 20 ||
 
With regard to the source of actions in the body and its instruments, Prakriti is said to be the cause. With regard to experiencing joy and sorrow, Purusha is said to be the cause.
 
kaarya : body
karana : instruments
kartritve : source of actions
hetuhu : cause
prakriti : Prakriti
uchyate : it is said
purushaha : Purusha
sukhaduhkhaanaam : joy and sorrow
bhoktritve : experience
hetuhu : cause
uchyate : it is said
 
Let us bring back the example of the movie projector from the seventh chapter so that we can better understand this shloka. Imagine a gigantic IMAX screen on which Prakriti or nature projects the life of every human being in the world. Think of it as the world’s largest soap opera. We can now examine the first half of this shloka. It shows what Prakriti can create through its projections. It can project “kaarya”, the body of a person. It can project “karana”, the instruments of the body which include the five organs of sense, five organs of actions, the mind, the intellect and the ego. It can not just project one body, but every body in the world.
 
Now, here comes an important point. Shri Krishna says that Prakriti is the source of all actions in this world, not the Purusha. We are now coming back to the topic that was hinted upon in the karma yoga chapter. Typically, most of us attribute the agency, or the doership of our actions, to our own self. We say “I did this”, “I did not do that” and so on. Shri Krishna makes it perfectly clear that the intellect, the ego and the mind in our body receive input from our senses, filter it through our vaasanaas, and send instructions to our organs of action. All this is going on within the realm of Prakriti, that continues projecting the IMAX movie of the world. In other words, the “I” does not do anything, but Prakriti does everything.
 
Next, the role of the Purusha is described. The Purusha is the awareness principle, the knowledge principle present in the body. From our perspective, he is concerned with the experience of only one body out of the millions of bodies in that IMAX movie – our body. What is his role? His role is to know. If we put a drop of a bitter liquid on our tongue, it sends an electrical current to the mind based on the chemical makeup of the bitter liquid. But ultimately, it is only the Purusha that has the capacity to come up with the knowledge that “this liquid is bitter”. On one level, Purusha knows what the senses and the mind report. Without the Purusha, there will be nothing to know what Prakriti has projected. It would be like projecting a movie without an audience to see it.
 
So then, when this knowledge of bitterness is filtered through our vaasanaas or our “programming”, it can result in either joy or sorrow. Some of us like bitter taste, some of us don’t. This difference comes from the variety in our vaasanaas, our individual programming. So whenever external objects are arranged by Prakriti in a pattern that is conducive to our vaasanaas, the Purusha experiences joy. In other words, whenever we say “I am happy”, it is the Purusha experiencing happiness. Similarly, sorrow is also experienced when objects are undesirable.
 
Here, encapsulated in these two lines of this shloka, is the state of our lives. Our body with its organs interacts with other bodies in this world. It performs actions whose results are experienced by the Purusha as joy and sorrow. The cycle of joy and sorrow continues from one action to another action, from one experience to another experience. This is “samsaara”.
 
Now, there seems to be a problem. Right from the second chapter, we have been told that our true nature is the eternal essence. It pervades the entire universe. It is eternal, indestructible and indivisible. We have also been told that Prakriti, through some inexplicable magic, projects the entire universe of names and forms. How then, does the third entity called Purusha come into being? And also, how does it take on one body out of all the bodies in the world as its own, and experience only that body’s joy and sorrow?
 
Shri Krishna reveals the root cause of samsaara, of our repeated experience of joy and sorrow, in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 13

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.19, anaadi, chapter 13 verse 19, gunaan, prakritim, prakritisambhavaan, purusham, ubhau, viddhi, vikaaraan

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prakritim purusham chaiva viddhyanaadi ubhaavapi |
vikaaraanshcha gunaanshchaiva viddhi prakritisambhavaan | | 19 ||
 
Know that surely, both Prakriti and Purusha are without beginning. Also, know that in fact, all modifications and qualities are born of Prakriti.
 
prakritim : prakriti
purusham : purusha
cha : and
eva : surely
viddhi : know
anaadi : without beginning
ubhau : both
api : also
vikaaraan : modifications
cha : and
gunaan : qualities
cha : and
eva : in fact
viddhi : know
prakritisambhavaan : born of prakriti
 
Shri Krishna now describes how we fall into the trap of samsaara, the cycle of birth and death. In many respects, this topic is a continuation of the discussion of higher and lower prakriti from the seventh chapter. Let us quickly recap what we saw there. We learnt about two aspects of Ishvara, the lower and the higher. The lower nature comprises the five elements plus the mind, ego and intellect. The higher nature comprises the life-giving force which is also the experiencer, the subject. In this manner, Ishvara is established as the ultimate cause of the universe.
 
Here, the lower nature is termed “Prakriti” and the higher nature is termed “Purusha”. First, Shri Krishna says that both these aspects of Ishvara are without beginning, they are eternal. This is because Ishvara himself is eternal, so it logically follows that his aspects must also be eternal. But we also have to note that something which has no beginning can have an end. We will come back to this point later in the discussion.
 
The second statement here states that all modifications and qualities are born out of Prakriti. Maaya and prakriti refer to the same thing. Prakriti is a power wielded by Ishvara. It is beyond the comprehension of our intellect since our intellect itself is a product of Prakriti. The only way to understand Prakriti is to think of it as a magician’s illusion. This Prakriti gives rise to five elements that produce the entire visible universe. These combinations or modifications of Prakriti are termed as “vikaaraas”. Prakriti also comprises the three “gunaas” or qualities which are sattva, rajas and tamas. These qualities manifest as mental states such as happiness, sorrow and attachment.
 
In other words, if we go back in time, if we press the rewind button, we will see that everything merges back into Prakriti, everything has come from Prakriti. Now, let us get practical. Whenever we experience emotions such as sorrow, grief, anger and so on, it is Prakriti that creates it, not the self, not the “I”. This is what was explained in the shloka. But, when anger arises in our mind, for instance, we always say “I am angry”. How do we come to the conclusion that the “I” is angry when it is Prakriti that created the anger? This is taken up next.

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 17, Chapter 13

18 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13, 17, chapter 13 verse 17, hridi, jnyaanagamyam, jnyaanam, jnyeyam, jyotihi, jyotishaam, param, sarvasya, tamsaha, uchyate, vishthitam

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jyotishaamapi tajjyotistamsaha paramuchyate |
jnyaanam jnyeyam jnyaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam || 17 ||
 
That is the light even among all the lights, and it has been spoken of as beyond darkness. It is knowledge, that which is to be known, and the goal of knowledge. It especially resides in the hearts of all.
 
jyotishaam : among all lights
api : even
tat : that
jyotihi : light
tamsaha : darkness
param : beyond
uchyate : has been spoken
jnyaanam : knowledge
jnyeyam : that which is to be known
jnyaanagamyam : goal of knowledge
hridi : hearts
sarvasya : all
vishthitam : especially resides
 
In prior verses, the “sat” or existence aspect of the eternal essence was highlighted. Here, the “chit” or awareness aspect is elaborated upon. Awareness or sentience is what makes an entity know about it surroundings as well about itself, as we had seen earlier. Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence is the “light among all the lights”. The word “light” in the Vedas refers to awareness, to knowledge. Which means that ultimately, it is the eternal essence that provides the power of awareness, the power to know, to all beings. Without the eternal essence, we would have no awareness, no sentience.
 
Imagine a classroom of students that are taking an examination. The student on the last bench can see all of the students in front of him. The student seated in the second to last row can see other students, but not the last row student. Also, the student in the front row cannot see the student in the last row. The awareness provided by the eternal essence is like the student in the last row. The next student is the intellect, followed by the mind and the senses. In other word, the eternal essence gives awareness to the intellect, which gives it to the mind, and then to the senses. But the mind, intellect and senses cannot immediately contact the eternal essence.
 
Now, just like the word “light” refers to knowledge, the word “darkness” refers to ignorance. By saying that the eternal essence is beyond ignorance, Shri Krishna points out the uniqueness of the awareness aspect of the eternal essence. If we light a lamp in a dark room, it dispels the darkness. We cannot have darkness and light coexist. However, the eternal essence is present in individuals who are ignorance of it, as well as those few rare individuals who have realized it. This unique ability of the eternal essence to illumine ignorance is why Shri Krishna calls it “beyond darkness”.
 
So, how can we use our antahakarana, our intellect, mind and senses, to realize that eternal essence? Shri Krishna provides a three step process. We use “jnyaanam”, the means of knowledge indicated in the twenty attributes such as humility mentioned earlier in the chapter, to gradually reduce the importance we give to upaadhis or conditionings. As we systematically study the scriptures under the guidance of a teacher, the eternal essence comes into our awareness as “jneyam”, the object of knowledge. But only through constant contemplation, reflection and meditation does the eternal essence becomes “jnyaanagamyam”, the goal of knowledge, where all notions of duality are removed and we remain established in the eternal essence.
 
Shri Krishna concludes this shloka by reminding us that all these three stages – preparation, study and reflection – are enabled only through the intellect, which is referred to here as the “hridi” or heart of all human beings. Only humans have the capability to access the eternal essence. That is why we come across the statement “a human birth is rare to attain” in many prominent spiritual texts.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 13

17 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.16, avibhaktam, bhootabhartri, bhooteshu, chapter 13 verse 16, grasishnu, jneyam, prabhavishnu, sthitham, vibhaktam

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avibhaktam cha bhooteshu vibhaktamiva cha sthitham |
bhootabhartri cha tajjneyam grasishnu prabhavishnu cha || 16 ||
 
And undivided, yet it exists as though divided in all beings. That, which is to be known, is the nourisher of beings. It is the devourer, and it is the creator also.
 
avibhaktam : undivided
cha : and
bhooteshu : all beings
vibhaktam : divided
eva : as though
cha : and
sthitham : exist
bhootabhartri : nourisher of beings
cha : and
tat : that
jneyam : to be known
grasishnu : devourer
prabhavishnu : creator
cha : and
 
Shri Krishna continues to elaborate upon the topic of jneyam, that which is to be known, which is brahman, the eternal essence. Here he further describes the distortion created by upaadhis or conditionings in our understanding of the eternal essence. He begins by asserting that the eternal essence is undivided, it is unbroken and continuous. It cannot be chopped up into pieces. But due to the effect of space as an upaadhi, it appears as if the eternal essence exists differently in various beings.
 
We can go back to the example of the clay pot and space. If we have a hundred pots on the floor, it appears as though the space in the room is divided into a hundred “pot-spaces”, due to the boundary created by the wall of each pot. But in reality, space can never be divided or chopped up. Or we can also look at the example of electricity, which looks like it functions differently in each appliance, but is really one continuous circuit that begins at the power plant. If our senses cannot access upaadhis such as pots or appliances, they mistakenly assume that subtle things such as space and electricity are absent. Similarly, the body of a living entity serves as an upaadhi where we can feel the presence of the eternal essence.
 
So if there is only one continuous and undivided eternal essence, how do we account for all of the creation, sustenance, and destruction of names and forms in the universe? Shri Krishna says that ultimately, it is the eternal essence that provides the foundation for the lifecycle of the universe. Waves are created, sustained and dissolved back into the ocean. If we pay attention to the waves, we lose sight of the ocean that is one undivided foundation which is behind all of the waves. We come back to the same point again : the eternal essence provides existence, the “is-ness”, to all names and forms in the universe.
 
Now, if the eternal essence cannot be comprehended by the senses, is it dark and empty like a black hole? This is clarified in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 13

16 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.15, acharam, antaha, antike, avijnyeyam, bahihi, bhootaanaam, chapter 13 verse 15, charam, doorastham, sookshmatvaat, tat

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bahirantashcha bhootaanaamacharam charameva cha |
sookshmatvaattadavijnyeyam doorastham chaantike cha tat || 15 ||
 
Existing outside and inside all beings, moving as well as non-moving. It is very subtle, so it is beyond comprehension. It is distant, yet it is near.
 
bahihi : outside
antaha : inside
cha : and
bhootaanaam : all beings
acharam : non-moving
charam : moving
eva : also
cha : and
sookshmatvaat : very subtle
tat : it
avijnyeyam : beyond comprehension
doorastham : distant
cha : and
antike : near
cha : and
tat : it
 
As Shri Krishna lists the indicators of the eternal essence, we may be tempted to start looking for it with our eyes, just like we look for a lost object in the house. However, we need to continuously remind ourselves that the eternal essence is neither an object nor a concept that can be grasped by the mind. Shri Krishna uses the Upanishadic style of describing the eterna essence through contradictions and paradoxes in this sequence of shlokas, and especially in the current shloka.
 
The first contradiction mentioned is that the eternal essence is both inside and outside all inert and living entities. This point cautions us against conceptualizing the eternal essence as limited by space, as if it is only available in one location and not the other. A somewhat crude analogy is mobile phone signals, which are essentially radio waves. Radio waves are all-pervasive and they penetrate all solid objects, enabling us to make phone calls from inside as well as outside buildings.
 
The second contradiction is that the eternal essence is to be known as the ultimate knowledge, yet it is beyond comprehension, due to its subtle nature. Using the radio waves analogy, we can say that none of our senses can detect radio waves. But if we know how to build a device that can access radio waves, we can harness their power to our advantage. Similarly, the eternal essence remains beyond the comprehension of those who have not purified their mind. But for those who have purified their mind, and followed a systematic method of enquiry under the guidance of scriptures and a teacher, it is ever accessible.
 
This leads us to the third contradiction. For those who have enquired about the nature of the eternal essence systematically, it is immediately available at all times as the self, the “I” within us. But for those who are ignorant, it is far away. Shankaraachaarya says that it is unattainable even in millions of years for such people. Whenever we focus on names and forms, we lose sight of the self. But when we remove the upaadhis of names and forms, we come back to the self, the “I”, that is behind all the names and forms, just like the movie screen.
 
Note that any time we use analogies such as radio waves, we are trying to conceptualize the eternal essence which is beyond all conception. We need to consider such analogies as helpful pointers, and nothing more.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 13

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.14, asaktam, chapter 13 verse 14, gunabhoktri, nirgunam, sarvabhrit, sarvendriyagunaabhaasam, sarvendriyavivarjitam

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sarvendriyagunaabhaasam sarvendriyavivarjitam |
asaktam sarvabhrichchaiva nirgunam gunabhoktri cha || 14 ||
 
Illuminating the sense functions, yet devoid of the senses. Unattached, yet the supporter of all. Without qualities, and also experiencer of qualities.
 
sarvendriyagunaabhaasam : illuminating sense functions
sarvendriyavivarjitam : devoid of the senses
asaktam : unattached
sarvabhrit : supporter of all
cha : and
eva : also
nirgunam : without qualities
gunabhoktri : experiencer of qualities
cha : and
 
When we teach a child about electricity, it is natural to have some doubts or questions about the nature of electricity. Similarly, when we hear a description of the eternal essence, we also will have questions and doubts. Shri Krishna now continues to proceed step by step towards explaining jneyam, the knowable which is the eternal essence, by answering three questions with respect to its relationship with the organs of sense (eyes, mouth etc) and organs of action (hands, legs etc).
 
First question: Can the eternal essence exist without the organs? Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence can exist without the organs of action and sense, it is “devoid of the senses”, just like electricity can exist without the bulb. Organs of sense and action are one of the means by which the eternal essence expresses itself. It has the power to adapt itself to any form of expression, any upaadhi, just like electricity can power a heater as well as an air conditioner.
 
Then, can the organs of sense and action exist without the eternal essence? The answer is no, since the eternal essence is “sarvabhrit”, the supporter of all upaadhis in the form of “is-ness” or existence. In any language including English, we cannot say something exists without using the word “is” in some shape or form. The “is-ness” of everything is provided by the eternal essence, like the water provides “is-ness” to the wave. But the eternal essence always remains “asakta” or detached from the upaadhis, just like a movie screen remains detached from the movie.
 
Now, we know from earlier chapters that the senses are made up of the three qualities or gunaas : sattva, rajas and tamas. They go out into the world to chase sense objects, which are also made up of the very same gunaas. “Gunaa guneshu vartante”, the qualities are playing with the qualities. How does the eternal essence fit into this play of the senses?
 
Shri Krishna says that even these three qualities are upaadhis, and therefore, the eternal essence is “nirgunam”, not attached to these qualities. When the senses play with their sense objects, the upaadhis of sattva, rajas and tamas are transformed into the upaadhis of joy, sorrow, delusion and so on. The mind, when it participates in this process, becomes the experiencer on account of presence of the eternal essence.
 
In all of these three answers, we find that the eternal essence is always unattached, whether it is to the organs of sense and actions, to their sense objects or to the three qualities. But when the eternal essence takes on the conditioning or the upaadhi of the organs, it as though moves, and it as though supports their existence. Also, when the eternal essence takes on the upaadhis of the three gunaas, it as though becomes the experiencer. The key here is the phrase “as though”, since this addition or superimposition of upaadhis is only due to ignorance.
 
Let us now recap Shri Krishna’s explanation so far. In the last shloka, he said that the eternal essence is that which has hands, legs, eyes, mouth etc. In this shloka, he says that the eternal essence is that which has hands, legs, eyes, mouth etc as upaadhis or conditionings. In other words, he first said that the organs exist, and now he negates them by making them upaadhis. This process of assertion and negation is a technique known as “adhyaaropa apavaada”, a step by step means of getting closer and closer to the eternal essence.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 13

14 Monday Jan 2013

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sarvatahapaanipaadam tatsarvatokshishiromukham |
sarvatahashrutimalloke sarvamaavritya tishthati || 13 ||
 
With hands and legs everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, it is established in all the worlds, pervading all.
 
sarvataha : everywhere
paanipaadam : hands and legs
tat : it
sarvataha : everywhere
akshishiromukham : eyes, heads and mouths
sarvataha : everywhere
shrutimat : eyes
loke : worlds
sarvam : everywhere
aavritya : pervading
tishthati : established
 
How does a child come to learn about electricity? The teacher does not directly tell him that “electricity is defined as a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles such as electrons or protons”. The teacher uses what the child already knows and imparts the knowledge to him step by step. So the teacher may first say that to the child: wherever you see bright light in a bulb, that is electricity. Once the child has grasped this concept, then the teacher may say: wherever you see wires connected, that is electricity. Slowly, as the child is able to understand the nuances of atoms and electrons, the teacher then reveals to him the technical definition.
 
Shri Krishna uses a similar process to gently reveal the nature of brahman, the eternal essence, also known as “jnyeyam” or the knowable, to us. Now, it is quite easy for us to see action and sentience – the power to experience things – in living creatures everywhere. So Shri Krishna says that wherever we see action in living beings, symbolically represented by the phrase “hands and legs”, we should recognize the presence of the eternal essence. Furthermore, wherever we see sentience in living beings, symbolically represented by the phrase “eyes, heads, mouths and ears”, we should recognize the presence of the eternal essence.
 
Going back to the example of the child learning electricity, the child may sometimes think that the electricity in a bulb is different than the electricity in a fan, or that the bulb limits the flow of electricity to the fan. To remove any similar misconceptions about the eternal essence, Shri Krishna says that the eternal essence pervades everywhere. In other words, it is only one eternal essence that is functioning through the organs of knowledge and action of all living creatures in all of the worlds, and that one organ does not limit the functioning of the eternal essence in another organ.
 
An example commonly used to illustrate this notion is that of space and pot-space. The space that is in a clay pot and the space outside it is the same. But just because the walls of the pot surround it, we label the space inside as “pot-space”. The pot is a classic example of an upaadhi, something that as though limits the space in it, but does not do so in reality. Space, then, pervades all pots. Similarly, the organs of all living creatures may seem to limit the eternal essence, but not so in reality.
 
Having established the starting point for realizing the eternal essence, Shri Krishna goes one step further in the next shloka.