Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 13

02 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.2, api, bhaarata, chapter 13 verse 2, jnyaanam, kshetragnya, kshetrakshetragnayoho, maam, mama, matam, sarvakshetreshu, tat, viddhi, yat

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 13

kshetragnya chaapi maam viddhi sarvakshetreshu bhaarata |
kshetrakshetragnayorjnyaanam yattajgnyaanam matam mama || 2 ||
 
And also, understand that I am the knower of all fields, O Bhaarata. That knowledge which pertains to the field and its knower, in my opinion, that is (real) knowledge.
 
kshetragnya : knower of the field
cha : and
api : also
maam : I
viddhi : understand
sarvakshetreshu : all fields
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
kshetrakshetragnayoho : field and its knower
jnyaanam : knowledge
yat : that which
tat : that
jnyaanam : knowledge
matam : opinion
mama : my
 
Shri Krishna began the previous chapter by defining two terms: kshetra which means field, and kshetragnya which means the knower of the field, one who knows himself as distinct from the field. In this shloka, Shri Krishna uses these terms to indicate the identity or oneness of the kshetragnya in all kshetras. Let us try to understand this very important point. Like Arjuna did in the first chapter, most of us consider our self, our “I”, as this body, and therefore get stuck in the sorrows of this world. As we understand the message of the first six chapters, we understand that we are the eternal essence which is different than our body. We then understand from the next six chapters that Ishvara is the foundation of this world as the lower Prakriti or matter, and higher Prakriti or consciousness. Now, in this shloka, Shri Krishna says that there is no such distinction between the individual eternal essence and the foundation of this world. There is only one kshetragnya, and any notion of separation is illusory, caused by avidyaa or ignorance. This is the great statement, the mahaa vaakya “Tat Tvam Asi” of the Vedas. You and Ishvara are the same in essence, there is no difference.
 
When we first hear someone say that we are the same as Ishvara, we don’t find it quite logical. We say, how can a body that is five feet eight inches tall be the same as Ishvara who is large enough to contain all the planets and stars of the universe within him? To answer this, we have to first remember that “Tat Tvam Asi” is not meant to be taken literally. Again, let us proceed step by step. First, let us understand the term “upaadhi”. It means something that limits or conditions a more general thing. A wave is an upaadhi of water. A light bulb is an upaadhi of electricity. An ornament is an upaadhi of gold. We can obtain the general thing that the upaadhi limits or hides by a process of mental removal. Mentally remove the wave, and you get water. Mentally remove the bulb, you get electricity. Mentally remove the ornament, you get gold. We can take this even further. Mentally remove the labels Mercedes Benz and Maruti 800 from the word car, and you get metal, rubber, petrol and plastic. Mentally remove the labels Indian and American from the word person, and you get flesh, bones and blood.
 
Now, having undersood what an upaadhi is, and how it can be mentally removed, let us proceed to understand what the word “Asi” in “Tat Tvam Asi” indicates. It is not to be literally interpreted as Tvam (You) Asi (are equal to) Tat (Ishvara). Asi means “are equal to, when you remove the upaadhi”. If we apply this meaning, the mahaa vaakya reads : Tvam (You) Asi (are equal to) Tat (Ishvara) when you remove both the upaadhis of You and Ishvara. I as a human have the upaadhi of the physical body and everything it contains. Ishvara has the upaadhi of the entire universe in its visible form including all the trees, plants, animals, people, stars, planets etc that we see with our senses. If we mentally remove our body as an upaadhi, and we also mentally remove the visible universe as an upaadhi, we are left with the same eternal essence in both cases. That same eternal essence, that same kshetragnya, is present in all kshetras, which are the same as upaadhis.
 
Another meaning of the word “upaadhi” is title or qualification, which can help us understand this shloka in a different way. Let’s say there are two brothers in a house. One of them has a PhD in physics, and the other is a manager in a multinational. When each of them is in their respective offices, they use their titles as part of their job responsibilities. But when they perform a pooja or a holy ritual, lets say, they mentally remove their upaadhis or titles. If they did not remove their titles, their conversation would go like this: “Hey PhD in physics, do this. Hey manager, pour the clarified butter”. They would never see that they are really the same family under the titles that seemingly create differences. This means that removing upaadhis to realize our oneness with Ishvara can be difficult, but it is not impossible. We know how to remove small upaadhis. Shri Krishna will teach us how to remove the biggest upaadhis in this chapter through practical techniques. He says that ultimately, knowledge of the kshetragnya, the kshetras or upaadhis, and how to realize oneness under the kshetras, is the ultimate knowledge that one has to learn, and not any other type of knowledge.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 13

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in 13.1, abhidheeyate, chapter 13 verse 1, etat, idam, iti, kaunteya, kshetrajnya, kshetram, prahuhu, shareeram, tadvidaha, vetti : knows tam, yaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 13

Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
idam shareeram kaunteya kshetramityaabhidheeyate |
etadyo vetti tam prahuhu kshetrajnya iti tadvidaha || 1 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
This body is defined as the “field”, O Kaunteya, and he who knows it is called the “knower of the field”, in this manner, by the knowers of both.
 
idam : this
shareeram : body
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
kshetram : field
iti : in this manner
abhidheeyate : defined as
etat : it
yaha : which
vetti : knows
tam : he who
prahuhu : call
kshetrajnya : knower of the field
iti : in this manner
tadvidaha : knowers of both
 
As we commence the thirteenth chapter, let us take stock of where we have come so far in the Gita. In the first six chapters, Shri Krishna focused on revealing the true nature of the individual self, what we refer to as “I”. In the first chapter, Arjuna was caught in a web of grief and delusion because he considered himself as a body that is attached to its friends and family. Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna that his nature was the infinite eternal essence and not the body. He then guided Arjuna step by step through the means of arriving at this understanding starting with karma yoga, then karma sanyaasa yoga, and finally dhyaana yoga. Only in meditation can we experience the true nature of our “I” as the “saakshi” or witness of our body, mind and intellect.
 
In the next set of six chapters, Shri Krishna focused on revealing the true nature of the world we live in. We usually think of the world as comprised of matter in various forms. Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna that this world is comprised not only of matter, but also of spirit or life-giving consciousness. These are also known as the lower and higher aspects of Prakriti or nature, respectively. He then revealed that Prakriti is nothing but a shakti or power of Ishvara himself, and therefore Ishvara is in all, and all is in Ishvara. He is the material cause or the raw matter, as well as the efficient cause or the intelligence that has created the universe. The true nature of the world is Ishvara who is the “adhishthaana”, the foundation or the substratum of the world.
 
Having revealed all of this, why do we need six more chapters? Let us proceed step by step, since we will be delving into new waters. Our antahakarana or inner instrument comprising the mind, intellect, ego and memory comes with three inbuilt defects. “Mala” or dirt comprises our stock of unfulfilled desires. “Vikshepa” is the tendency of the mind to jump from one thought to another. “Aavarana” is the veiling or covering that hides the understanding of the true nature of the self, of who we are in essence. Karma yoga helps remove the defect of mala by extinguising selfish desires to a great extent. Bhakti yoga helps remove the defect of vikshepa through single-pointed devotion of Ishvara. However, we will never achieve complete self realization unless we tackle the third defect of Aavarana. That is the purpose of the last six chapters of the Gita.
 
How do the last six chapters remove this defect of aavarana or veiling? This can happen only when we intuitively understand the true meaning of the “mahaa vaakyas” or great statements that have been revealed in the Vedas. The Gita reveals the mahaa vaakya “Tat Tvam Asi” which means “You Are That”. The first six chapters of the Gita revealed the nature of “Tvam” which means “You” as the saakshi or witness, and the next six chapters revealed the true nature of “Tat” which means “That” as Ishvara, the adhishthaana or foundation. The last six chapters reveal “Asi”, the identity or the equality between the real nature of “You” and “That”. Shri Krishna knows that this topic may be somewhat tough to understand, so he addresses Arjuna as “Kaunteya”, one whose intellect is as sharp as a knife or “kunta”, so that he remains sharp and alert throughout this chapter.
 
Now, let us look at the first shloka. The term “shareera” or body is used in a general sense to refer to the three bodies that we are made up of: the physical body, the subtle body (the mind, intellect, ego, memory and the physiological functions) and the causal body (our vaasanaas or unfulfilled desires). In other words, anything that is temporary, changing and perishable is referred to as “this body”. Shri Krishna says that anything that we term as “this body” is defined as the “kshetra”, the field. But there is something in us which is changeless and knows that it is different from the ever-changing field. This intelligence principle in us, this consciousness is termed as the “kshetragnya”, the knower of the field. Both these terms are defined by the knowers of both the field and its knower, in other words, great seers and sages.
 
Why do we need to know such esoteric terms? Shri Krishna uses these terms to lay the groundwork for the next shloka, which is one of the most important shlokas in the Gita. He wants to give a foundation that we can use a spring board to leap into the next shloka.

Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12, chapter 12, summary

≈ Comments Off on Summary of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12

Shri Krishna ended the previous chapter with the message that Ishvara is in everything, and everything is in Ishvara. But since our senses see the world and not Ishvara, we need a way to constantly be aware of Ishvara’s presence. Till we get to a state where this happens effortlessly, Shri Krishna asks us to take up the path of bhakti or devotion, where we constantly abide in the faith that Ishvara is in everything, and everything is in Ishvara. The seed of bhakti yoga was planted at the end of the previous chapter and is expounded in this chapter.
 
Arjuna began this chapter by asking the question: of the devotees who worship Ishvara with form, and of those who worship him without form, who is superior? Shri Krishna replied that the worshipper of Ishvara without form sees no difference between him and Ishvara. But for most of us who still have a little saatvik ahamkaara, which is the sense of distance or separation between us and Ishvara, worship of the formless Ishvara is quite difficult. Therefore, he recommends worship of Ishvara with form for the majority of devotees. The key qualification, however, is that of single pointed devotion.
 
Next, Shri Krishna gives us a sequence of steps to get to Ishvara, but takes into account where we are as ordinary devotees. We are instructed to begin with karma yoga where we renounce the fruits of action by submitting them to Ishvara. We then begin performing every action for the sake of Ishvara, which is bhakti yoga, the yoga of devotion. Once we have diminished our selfish desires and our ego to a large extent, we are urged to take up raaja yoga where we repeatedly meditate upon Ishvara with form. Finally, we reach a stage where we remain in constant awareness and knowledge of our oneness with Ishavara, which is jnyaana yoga, the yoga of knowledge.
 
The chapter ends with a list of thirty nine qualities of a perfected devotee. They are meant to inspire us. Even if we cannot gain all these qualities, we should aim for acquiring at least one, because gaining even one quality opens the door to the acquiring the rest. In all of these qualities, equanimity, unselfishness, lack of attachment and unwavering faith towards Ishvara are repeatedly emphasized.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 12

30 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.20, ateeva, bhaktaaha, chapter 12 verse 20, dharmyaamritam, idam, mat, me, paramaahaa, paryupaasate, priyaha, shradyadhaanaa, te, tu, uktam, yatha, ye

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 20, Chapter 12

ye tu dharmyaamritamidam yathoktam paryupaasate |
shradyadhaanaa matparamaa bhaktosteteeva me priyaha || 20 ||
 
Therefore, those who partake of this nectar of law described here, endowed with faith, keeping me as the goal, those devotees are extremely dear to me.
 
ye : those who
tu : therefore
dharmyaamritam : nectar of law
idam : this
yatha : here
uktam : described
paryupaasate : partake
shradyadhaanaa : endowed with faith
mat : me
paramaahaa : goal
bhaktaaha : devotees
te : those
ateeva : extremely
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
Shri Krishna began listing the attributes of perfected devotees starting from the thirteenth chapter. In this shloka, he concludes this topic by highlighting two key attributes of such devotees: shraddha or faith, and making Ishvara as their ultimate goal, “matparamaahaa”. He terms the teaching of this chapter as the nectar of dharma. We can interpret the word dharma to mean the universal law of nature from the ninth chapter, or also as the nine fold bhaagvat dharma of Prahlaada that was explained earlier in this chapter.
 
Why are faith and goal-setting given such importance in bhakti or the path of devotion? Consider a child who eventually wants to study at one of the top universities in the world. Until he reaches a stage where he can qualify to attend that university, get selected for admission and begin his coursework, he needs to have faith in the notion that graduating from that university will significantly improve his life. That faith will propel him to set the single-pointed goal of academic success, work hard, to keep aside all distractions and to not give up. Only when he actually graduates will he not need faith anymore, because he has achieved what he set out to achieve. But until them, it is only faith in the goal that keeps him going.
 
Therefore, Shri Krishna says that those devotees who have fixed Ishvara as the goal, and that who have unwavering faith in that goal, are extremely dear to him. Devotees who love Ishvara without having known him first are devotees of the highest caliber, since it is more difficult to love something without having first known it. Such devotees, who do not need to become monks but just diligently worship Ishvara with form, are assured of liberation by Ishvara himself. This is the concluding message of the twelfth chapter.
 
om tatsatiti shreematbhagavatgitasupanishadsu brahmavidyaayaam yogashaastre shreekrishnaarjunsamvade bhaktiyogo naama dvaadashodhyaayaha || 12 ||

Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 12

29 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.19, aniketaha, bhaktimaan, chapter 12 verse 19, mauni, me, naraha, priyaha, santushtaha, sthiramatihi, tulyanindaastutihi, yena kenachita

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 19, Chapter 12

tulyanindaastutirmauni santushto yena kenachita |
aniketaha sthiramatirbhaktimaanme priyo naraha || 19 ||
 
To whom praise and insult are same, who is silent, content with anything, who is without a home, with unwavering mind, a person who is such a devotee is dear to me.
 
tulyanindaastutihi : praise and insult are same
mauni : one who is silent
santushtaha : content
yena kenachita : with anything
aniketaha : without a home
sthiramatihi : unwavering mind
bhaktimaan : devotee
me : me
priyaha : dear
naraha : person
 
Shri Krishna continues summarizing the twelfth chapter in this shloka by listing further attributes of the perfected devotee. He first says that both praise and insult have no effect on the devotee. Praise and insult are usually targeted towards a person’s name. But the devotee, having given up all identification with his name, does not care whether he is praised or insulted, just like the sky does not get affected whether someone throws roses at it or dirt. The devotee is also a mauni, one who remains silent. Here, the silence does not refer to verbal silence but to silence of desires and thoughts that are devoid of Ishvara as their basis.
 
The ocean is not affected whether it gets a torrential downpour or no rain at all. It happily accepts whatever comes its way because it is content with itself. Similarly, the devotee is content in his constant devotion to Ishvara, and therefore accepts whatever comes his way without any complaint. The devotee also does not have an attitude of possession towards anything, including his home. Like the wind that comes and goes anywhere as it pleases, the devotee considers the entire world his home and is attached his house, his physical body, his mind, his intellect or his desires.
 
As we proceed along the path of devotion, we will notice that our mind shifts between giving reality to the world as part of Ishvara, and giving reality to the world as separate from Ishvara. As long as we give reality to the world as an independent entity, we can never get rid of our unfulfilled desires, and the attachment to the world that results from those desires. A perfected devotee is one whose mind is fixed on giving reality to the world as a part of Ishvara, giving up all selfish desires in the process. Shri Krishna says that a person who harbours all these attributes is fit to be called a naraha, a human being, in the true sense of the world. Such a devoted person is very dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 12

28 Friday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.18, chapter 12 verse 18, maanaapamaanayoho, mitre, samaha, sangavarjitaha, shatrau, sheetoshnasukhaduhkheshu, tathaa

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 18, Chapter 12

samaha shatrau cha mitre cha tathaa maanaapamaanayoho |
sheetoshnasukhaduhkheshu samaha sangavarjitaha || 18 ||
 
He who is alike to friend and foe, in honour and dishonour, and also alike in cold and heat, in joy and sorrow, without attachment…
 
samaha : alike
shatrau : foe
cha : and
mitre : friend
cha : and
tathaa : also
maanaapamaanayoho : in honour and dishounour
sheetoshnasukhaduhkheshu : in cold and heat as well as joy and sorrow
samaha : alike
sangavarjitaha : without attachment
 
In this shloka and the next, Shri Krishna begins to summarize the signs of a perfected devotee. By using the word “samaha” twice, he emphasizes equanimity and stability of the devotee’s antahakarana or inner instrument that is made possible through intense devotion to Ishvara. Right from the second chapter, we have repeatedly heard about the importance of bringing equanimity to the inner instrument, which is made up of our intellect, our mind and senses, our ego and our memory. Just like an astronomer can see extremely faint light from stars that are millions of miles away using his telescope, we can experience the eternal essence only if our inner instrument is free of desires and agitations caused by the reactions mentioned in this and the next shloka.
 
Our inner equipment contacts the world through the sense organs. The skin, for example, experiences heat and cold. This reporting of hotness or coolness is akin to a thermometer in that it is extremely objective and factual. When this sensation travels to the mind, however, it can be interpreted either as joy or sorrow based on inputs from other sense organs and from the memory. If the skin sends a message of hotness, the mind feels joy in winter and sorrow in summer. Similarly, sounds are picked up by the ear, sent to the mind which compares them against its memory to generate words. If the words enhance the ego, the “doer” notion in the intellect, registers a sense of honour. If the words bring down the ego, the intellect registers dishonour.
 
What causes the intellect and the mind to attach all these positive and negative reactions to simple messages that come from the skin and the ears and so on? It is the degree of attachment or identification of the ego. If the ego is heavily attached to the body, for example, then any comment about the body will generate a strong positive or negative reaction in the mind, disturbing its sense of equanimity in the process.
 
But one who has removed his attachment from the body/mind/intellect and attached himself to the service of Ishvara does not generate strong positive or negative reactions. He considers his body as a part of Ishvara’s creation, therefore there is very little sense of egoism when it comes to the body, mind or intellect. When someone criticizes a devotee’s body, it is like someone is criticizing a random object that the devotee has no connection with, and hence, no strong positive or negative reaction is generated.
 
The message of this shloka concludes in the following shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 12

27 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.17, bhaktimaan, chapter 12 verse 17, dveshti, hrishyati, kaanshati, me, na, priyaha, saha, shochati, shubhaashubhaparityaagee, yaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 12

yo na hrishyati na dveshti na shochati na kaanshati |
shubhaashubhaparityaagee bhaktimaanhyaha sa me priyaha || 17 ||
 
He who neither rejoices nor hates, neither rejoices nor grieves, he who has given up good and bad, he who is (such a) devoted person, he is dear to me.
 
yaha : he who
na : not
hrishyati : rejoices
na : not
dveshti : hates
na : not
shochati : grieves
na : not
kaanshati : desires
shubhaashubhaparityaagee : given up good and bad
bhaktimaan : devoted person
yaha : he who
saha : he
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna described the attitude of a perfected devotee towards the performance of actions. He now elaborates upon the attitude of a perfected devotee towards situations, objects, thoughts and emotions that he encounters. These may come to him either as a result of his actions or as a matter of course in his daily life.
 
When we usually encounter a situation or obtain an object, we are either attracted to it, repulsed by it or are indifferent to it. Attraction generates desires that are stored in our mind, and repulsion generates negative desires, a list of things we would like to stay away from. If we eventually get the favourable object, or hold on to the favourable situation long enough, we become “harshita”, we rejoice. But if we lose that object or situation, which is bound to happen sometime, we become “shochita”, we grieve. Attraction, revulsion, desire, hatred, joy, grief – this is how most of us usually operate.
 
The perfected devotee, however, has tackled this problem at its root. He has stopped labelling any object, person, situation or thought as either good or bad, because it is exactly this labelling that starts the chain reaction of attraction, desire, joy and sorrow. He is like the model student who does not label his teacher’s feedback as good or bad, whether it be praise or criticism, because he has the utmost faith in his teacher. The perfected devotee accepts all objects and situations as Ishvara’s blessings, does what he has to do, and moves on. Shri Krishna says that one who accepts whatever comes with way due to his faith and devotion to Ishvara, is dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 12

25 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.16, anapekshaha, chapter 12 verse 16, dakshaha, gatavyathaha, madbhaktaha, me, priyaha, saha, sarvaarambhaparityaagee, shuchihi, udaaseenaha, yaha

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 12

anapekshaha shuchirdaksha udaaseeno gatavyathaha |
sarvaarambhaparityaagee yo madbhaktaha sa me priyaha || 16 ||
 
One who is without expectation, pure, dextrous, unconcerned, fearless, renouncing all new initiatives, he who is such a devotee of mine, he is dear to me.
 
anapekshaha : without expectation
shuchihi : pure
dakshaha : dextrous
udaaseenaha : unconcerned
gatavyathaha : fearless
sarvaarambhaparityaagee : renouncing all new initiatives
yaha : he who
madbhaktaha : my devotee
saha : he
me : to me
priyaha : dear
 
In the previous shloka, Shri Krishna explained the attitude of the perfected devotee when dealing with other people. Now, he explains the perfected devotee’s attitude towards action. It is not a surprise to us that the perfected devotee is also a perfected karma yogi. He has understood the art of performing any action, big or small, in line with Shri Krishna’s teaching on karma yoga, thereby achieving perfection in action.
 
To begin with, the perfected karma yogi is shuchihi or pure. His mind has been purged of selfish desires, leaving room only for actions pertaining to his duties or svadharma. If the action is not part of his svadharma, he doesn’t undertake new initiatives unnecessarily. Also, he dedicates the results of his actions to Ishvara. This enables him to give up apekshaa or expectations about the result, as well as concern about what happened in the past. He is udaaseenaha, unconcerned and unattached, not because he does not care about the action, but because he doesn’t get attached to the result of the action.
 
With no mental agitations caused by future expectations or past anxiety, the karma yogi performs actions with great dexterity and fearlessness. “Yogaha karmasu kaushalam” – dexterity in action is karma yoga as we saw in the second chapter. The karma yogi devotes all his attention and brings great focus to the task at hand, keeping all distractions aside. He also performs the work as an emissary of Ishvara, which removes any notion of fear, hesitation or doubt from his mind. Shri Krishna says that this type of devotee, the perfected karma yogi, is very dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 12

24 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.15, cha, chapter 12 verse 15, harshaamarshabhayodvegaihi, lokaat, lokaha, me, muktaha, na, priyaha, udvijate, yaha, yaha : who saha, yasmaat

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 12

yasmaannodvijate loko lokaannodvijate cha yaha |
harshaamarshabhayodvegairmukto yaha sa cha me priyaha || 15 ||
 
By whom no one is agitated, and who is not agitated by anyone, who is free from excitement, irritation, fear and agitation, he is dear to me.
 
yasmaat : by whom
na : not
udvijate : agitated
lokaha : any one
lokaat : by any one
na : not
udvijate : agitated
cha : and
yaha : who
harshaamarshabhayodvegaihi : excitement, irritation, fear, agitation
muktaha : free from
yaha : who
saha : he
cha : and
me : to me
priyaha : dear
 
Wikipedia defines a “roast” as follows: A roast is an event, almost exclusively in the United States, in which an individual is subjected to a public presentation of comedic insults, praise, outlandish true and untrue stories, and heartwarming tributes, the implication being that the roastee is able to take the jokes in good humor and not as serious criticism or insult, and therefore, show their good nature. It is seen by some as a great honour to be roasted, as the individual is surrounded by friends, fans, and well-wishers, who can receive some of the same treatment as well during the course of the evening. The party and presentation itself are both referred to as a roast.
 
In our life, when we are dealing with other people, it is inevitable that we will experience a whole host of emotional reactions to what those people say to us. Four common reactions are excitement on hearing something pleasant, irritation on hearing something unpleasant, fear on hearing something worrisome, and agitation when meeting someone that has the upper hand in the conversation. But in a “roast”, the individual happily accepts all sorts of abuses and insults, because he knows that they are coming from his friends and well-wishers, people that he knows as his own, not separate from him. At the end of the roast, the individual in turn insults and abuses the people that insulted him earlier, and no one feels any ill-will towards him for the same reasons.
 
Similarly, the devotee who considers everyone and everything as the play of Ishvara, including himself, has no reason to take anything personally. His sense of self is not the small ego that most of us consider as our “I”. He has identified with Ishvara who runs multitudes of universes. Any sort of insult, agitation or fear dissipates instantly because he views the insult, the insulter and the recipient of the insult as Ishvara. He thinks of it as a play where his friends are the actors and directors. Shri Krishna says that such a person who is free from agitations, and who does not agitate any one else, is dear to him.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 12

23 Sunday Dec 2012

Posted by in 12.14, arpita, chapter 12 verse 14, dridhanishchayaha, madbhaktaha, manobuddhihi, mayi, me, priyaha, saha, santushtaha, satatam, yaha, yataatmaa, yogee

≈ Comments Off on Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 12

santushtaha satatam yogee yataatmaa dridhanishchayaha |
mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktaha sa me priyaha || 14 ||
 
The yogi who is always contented, self controlled, with firm conviction, who has dedicated his mind and intellect to me, he who is such a devotee of mine is dear to me.
 
santushtaha : contented
satatam : always
yogee : yogi
yataatmaa : self controlled
dridhanishchayaha : firm conviction
mayi : to me
arpita : dedicated
manobuddhihi : mind and intellect
yaha : he who
madbhaktaha : my devotee
saha : he
me : me
priyaha : dear
 
Most of us derive contentment from people, objects and situations in the world, most notably after consuming a delicious meal. Contentment is a state where the mind does not want anything else from the world. But, this state is temporary because the contentment has been triggered by something that is temporary and finite, like food for example. Shri Krishna says that the yogi, the perfected devotee, derives contentment from Ishvara within himself, therefore he does not need to become a bhogi, one who runs after material objects for contentment. He is “satatam santushta”, even contented.
 
Another quality of a perfected devotee is a firm conviction that only Ishvara exists, and that the world does not exist independently of Ishvara. Most of us assume that the world has an independent existence. We attach all sorts of values to it. causing our intellect to generate innumerable goals and convictions around those values. The perfected devotee sees only Ishvara everywhere, and therefore is ever steadfast in his conviction that only Ishvara exists.
 
This “dridha nishchaya” or firm conviction is demonstrated by the devotee’s submission of mind and intellect in Ishvara, and also, the control of the mind, body and senses. When the intellect is convinced that only Ishvara exists, and when the mind thinks only of Ishvara, the devotee does not need any other special yogic technique to control the organs of action and the sense organs. Selfish desires are the cause of the mind, body and senses deviating from prescribed actions. When there is only the desire for Ishvara, they can never deviate. Shri Krishna says that the perfected devotee is a “satatam yataatmaa”, one who has complete self control at all times.
 
Here Shri Krishna concludes the line of thought that he began in the previous shloka by asserting that the devotee who has inculcated these traits is very dear to Ishvara. These eight shlokas starting from the thirteenth shloka are one of the most famous and beloved shlokas in the Gita.