Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 11

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.9, aishvaram, chapter 11 verse 9, darshayaamaasa, evam, mahaayogeshvaraha, paarthaaya, paramam, raajan, roopam, tataha, uktvaa, Yogeshwara harihi

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Sanjaya uvaacha:
evamuktvaa tato raajanmahaayogeshvaro harihi |
darshayaamaasa paarthaaya paramam roopamaishvaram || 9 ||
 
Sanjaya said:
O King, then having spoken this, Hari, the great Yogeshwara, showed the supreme form of Ishvara to Paartha.
 
evam : this
uktvaa : having spoken
tataha : then
raajan : O King
mahaayogeshvaraha : great Yogeshwara
harihi : Hari
darshayaamaasa : showed
paarthaaya : to Paartha
paramam : supreme
roopam : form
aishvaram : of Ishvara
 
At this point in the Gita, neither Shri Krishna nor Arjuna could continue narrating since Shri Krishna was showing the cosmic form, and Arjuna was taking it all in. The great sage Veda Vyaasa, the compiler of the Mahaabhaarata, chose to switch the narration over to Sanjaya, who was relaying the events to Dhritraashtra, the “King” that is mentioned in this shloka.
 
We notice a subtle shift in the language used by Sanjaya. His praise of Shri Krishna is one degree higher than that used by Arjuna. For instance, he refers to Shri Krishna as “Mahaa Yogeshwara” whereas Arjuna uses “Yogeshwara”. It is because Sanjaya knew Shri Krishna more thoroughly and deeply than Arjuna did. Moreover, he was already blessed with divine vision through Vyaasa, which enabled him to see exactly what Arjuna saw.
 
Sant Jnyaneshwara’s commentary of this shloka emphasizes Arjuna’s good fortune of being able to view this cosmic form. He lists Lakshmi, Shesha and Garuda as tireless servants of Lord Vishnu who have yet to see the cosmic form that Arjuna sees, underscoring the love Shri Krishna for his devotee Arjuna. He also enumerates others who were able to see a tiny glimpse of this cosmic form including Yashoda and Dhruva.
 
So what did this form look like? The description begins in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 11

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.8, anena, chakshuhu, chapter 11 verse 8, dadaami, divyam, drishtum, eva, ishvaram, maam, me, na, pashya, shakyase, svachakshushaa, te, tu, yoga

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na tu maam shakyase drishtumanenaiva svachakshushaa |
divyam dadaami te chakshuhu pashya me yogaishvaram || 8 ||
 
But, even this you cannot see with your own eye. I give you a divine eye, (so that you can) see the majesty of my yoga.
 
na : not
tu : but
maam : my
shakyase : can
drishtum : you see
anena : this
eva : even
svachakshushaa : with your own eye
divyam : divine
dadaami : I give
te : you
chakshuhu : eye
pashya : see
me : my
yoga : yoga
ishvaram : majesty
 
Even after Shri Krishna had begun displaying his Vishwa roopa, his cosmic form, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna at all. He realized that Arjuna’s mortal eyes did not have the capability needed to view the cosmic form. So he blessed Arjuna with the “divya drishti”, the divine vision with which the yoga, the power of creating this diversity in the universe, could be seen in all its majesty.
 
Before we proceed with the rest of this chapter, let us pause to dig a little deeper into this shloka. Each chapter in the Gita is a “yoga”, a technique for lifting us higher from the material to the divine. Arjuna was bestowed this vision by Shri Krishna, and we will hear a description of that vision from Sanjaya and Arjuna later in the chapter. But if this chapter is meant to give us a practical technique, what are we supposed to do? What does “divine vision” mean for us?
 
Let us consider a person from India who is deeply attached to his state or territory. As we have seen repeatedly in the Gita, any sort of deep attachment is a recipe for creating never-ending sorrow. What technique, what yoga could be prescribed for someone in this situation? One could ask that person to get a map of India, look at his state’s border, then mentally erase that border as well as all the other state borders, and see what’s left.
 
What will he see? He will only see the border of India. There would be no other divisions or distinctions. All conflicts regarding one state versus another would seem meaningless. It does not mean that the sense of attachment has gone away. That is very difficult to achieve. It simply means that the sense of attachment has been raised one step from the relative to the absolute.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna asks all of us to view the world with the vision that everything is in Ishvara. Our eyes, limited as they are, will always report divisions and distinctions. That is their nature. But we can always use our intelligence to look through those divisions and see that ultimately, Ishvara is in everything and everything is in Ishvara. If we learn to do this, our attachment to worldly concerns will drop, and shift towards Ishvara.
 
As we move to the next verse, we will find that the original narrator, Sanjaya, has taken over.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 11

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.7, adya, anyat, cha, chapter 11 verse 7, dehe, drishtum, gudaakesha, icchasi, iha : this ekastham, jagat, kritsnam, mama, pashya, sacharaacharam, yat

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ihaikastham jagatkritsnam pashyaadya sacharaacharam |
mama dehe gudaakesha yachchaanyaddrishtumicchasi || 7 ||
 
Behold this entire universe now, with moving and non-moving (entities), in one place. Also, besides this, O Gudaakesha, see whatever else you desire in my form.
 
iha : this
ekastham : in one place
jagat : universe
kritsnam : entire
pashya : behold
adya : now
sacharaacharam : with moving and non-moving
mama : my
dehe : form
gudaakesha : O Gudaakesha
yat : whatever else
cha : also
anyat : besides
drishtum : see
icchasi : you desire
 
Nowadays, it is common for families to capture a wedding with a video as well as with photographs. So when a guest drops by a family that has just concluded a wedding, he is hit with a barrage of photos and a DVD of the wedding that could last three to four hours. The guest cannot refuse this demand because the family wants him to experience the entire wedding “right here, right now”.
 
So by using the words “now” and “in one place”, Shri Krishna is pointing out the power of the Vishwa roopa or cosmic form. Arjuna is able to view the entire universe in one place, without leaving his chariot. Moreover, he is also able to view events that take millions of years in a split second. And what is he able to view? Everything including entities that move, and entities that are stable.
 
Now, if someone were to offer us the outcome of all the events that were to take place tomorrow, and if our favourite team was contesting a match tomorrow, we would be most interested in learning the outcome of the match. Knowing that Arjuna was most interested in the outcome of the Mahaabhaarata war, Shri Krishna suggested that even that would be visible in his cosmic form. He refers to Arjuna as “Gudaakesha”, one who has conquered sleep, so that Arjuna would remain alert while watching the cosmic form.
 
However, with all this going on, there seemed to be no response from Arjuna. What could be the reason? We shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 11

20 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.6, aashcharyaani, adityaan, adrishta, ashvinau, bahooni, bhaarata, chapter 11 verse 6, marutaha, pashya, poorvaani, rudraan, tathaa, vasoon

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pashyaadityaanvasoonrudraanaashvinau marutastathaa |
bahoonyadrishtapoorvaani pashyaashcharyaani bhaarata || 6 ||
 
Behold the Aadityaas, the Vasus, the Rudraas, the Ashvinis as well as the Maruts, O Bhaarata. Behold the many astonishing (sights) that were invisible until now.
 
pashya : behold
adityaan : the Aadityaas
vasoon : the Vasus
rudraan : the Rudraas
ashvinau : the Ashvinis
marutaha : the Maruts
tathaa : as well as
bahooni : many
adrishta : invisible
poorvaani : until now
pashya : behold
aashcharyaani : astonishing
bhaarata : O Bhaarata
 
Shri Krishna continues to describe the Vishwa-roopa, the universal form of Ishvara. He now points to the deities and the demi-gods that are seen in his form, but were also mentioned as his divine expressions in the previous chapter. These were the twelve Aadityaas, the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudraas, the two Ashvinis and the forty-nine Maruts.
 
Arjuna would only have read about these deities in the scriptures. Now, he was fortunate enough to see those deities with those own eyes. Shri Krishna calls this fact to his attention by saying that these sights were invisible or inaccessible to everyone else but Arjuna. Also, Shri Krishna repeatedly says “pashya” or behold, to underscore this point.
 
If a teenager who is an ardent fan of Spiderman somehow manages to meet him in person, what would his reaction be? It is astonishment, “aascharya”, which is defined as “that which makes us go aah”, that which makes our mouth wide open for a very long time. Shri Krishna, further describing his form, says that these sights are nothing short of pure astonishment.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 11

19 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.5, akriteeni, cha, chapter 11 verse 5, divyaani, me, naana, naanavidhaani, paartha, pashya, roopaani, sahastrashaha, shatashotha, varna

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
pashya me paartha roopaani shatashotha sahastrashaha |
naanaavidhaani divyaani naanaavarnaakriteeni cha || 5 ||
 
Shree Bhagavaan said:
Behold, O Paartha, my hundreds and thousands of divine forms, of myriad kinds, and of various colours and shapes.
 
pashya : behold
me : my
paartha : O Paartha
roopaani : forms
shatashotha : hundreds
sahastrashaha : thousands
naanavidhaani : myriad kinds
divyaani : divine
naana : various
varna : colours
akriteeni : shapes
cha : and
 
In response to Arjuna’s request, Shri Krishna immediately agreed to show Ishvara’s divine form. This entire chapter, written in a poetic style, elaborately describes this form and Arjuna’s reaction to it. It is said that the chanting of this chapter is one of the highest forms of meditation possible.
 
To get things started, Shri Krishna “turned on” the “screen” upon which this divine form could be shown to Arjuna. He began by revealing the amount of diversity in the sheer number of colours, shapes and forms that he was about to show to Arjuna. The literal words used are “hundreds” and “thousands”, but in essence they mean infinite and innumerable.
 
While demonstrating the features of the latest LCD TV, the salesman will try his best to show as many channels he possibly can so that the customer is convinced about the capabilities of the TV such as number of pixels, colours and so on. Or if its a sari shop, the salesperson will try to show innumerable varieties of the very same red colour so that the customer is confident about the range and variety in that shop’s inventory.
 
Shri Krishna, however, was not concerned only with lining up the diversity of forms that he was ready to show. He also wanted to highlight that there was one thing common among that infinite diversity – Ishvara himself. He indicated this by saying “pashya me roopani” – behold my forms, not behold all these forms.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 11

18 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.4, aatmaanam, avyayam, chapter 11 verse 4, darshaya, drishtum, iti, manyase, mayaa, me, prabho, shakayam, tat, tataha, tvam, yadi, yogeshvara

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manyase yadi tachchakayam mayaa drishtumiti prabho |
yogeshvara tato me tvam darshayaatmaanamavyayam || 4 ||
 
O Lord, if you think that it is possible for this to be seen by me, then O Yogeshvara, you show me your undivided form.
 
manyase : you think
yadi : if
tat : that
shakayam : possible
mayaa : by me
drishtum : seen
iti : this
prabho : O Lord
yogeshvara : O Yogeshvara
tataha : then
me : me
tvam : you
darshaya : show
aatmaanam : your
avyayam : undivided form
 
We come across another aspect of Arjuna’s request in this shloka. Imagine the plight of an movie actor who is absolutely devoted to his craft. He has worked day and nights for a whole year in a movie as a supporting actor. After the shooting ends, he is filled with a burning desire to see the entire movie. Why so? It is because he has only seen the bits and pieces of the movie that he was involved with, and he is not satisfied unless he sees it as a single story, end to end.
 
Likewise, Arjuna is no longer content with seeing bits and pieces of Ishvara’s expressions. He wants to see how it all comes together as one undivided entity. This is indicated by Arjuna’s use of the word “avyayam” which means undivided, without any discontinuity. And like the only person who can reveal the whole movie is the director, the only person that can reveal the undivided nature of the universe is the “prabhu”, the governor, master and controller.
 
Now, Arjuna knows that he has to approach Shri Krishna with humility. That’s why he politely says: “show me that form only if you think that I am qualified to see it”. Morever, Arjuna does not want to imagine it or dream it up, he wants to see it with his eyes, with his “drishti”. He also refers to Shri Krishna as “yogeshwara”, the teacher of several yogas in the Gita such as karma yoga, dhyana yoga, jnyana yoga and bhakti yoga. The yoga in “Vibhooti yoga” is the power that creates variety in the one undivided Ishvara.
 
So, does Shri Krishna agree to this request? We shall see next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 11

17 Wednesday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.3, aatmaanam, aattha, aishvaram, chapter 11 verse 3, drishtum, etat, evam, ichchaami, parameshavara, purushottamam, roopam, te, tvam, yathaa

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evametadyathaattha tvamaatmaanam parameshavara |
drishtumichchaami te roopamaishvaram purushottamam || 3 ||
 
As you have spoken about yourself, so is it, O supreme Ishvara. I wish to see your divine form, O supreme person.
 
evam : it is that
etat : this
yathaa : as
aattha : spoken
tvam : you
aatmaanam : yourself
parameshavara : supreme Ishvara
drishtum : to see
ichchaami : I wish
te : your
roopam : form
aishvaram : divine
purushottamam : O supreme person
 
When someone describes the plot and special effects of the latest Hollywood summer blockbuster to us, and our curiosity and interest for that movie increases, we reach a point when we say “I want to see that movie right now, and I want to see it on a large IMAX screen”. Why does that happen? Of the five sense organs, the organ of sight is the dearest to us. As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”.
 
Similarly, Arjuna’s curiosity towards Shri Krishna had reached its peak at this point. That is why he asked Shri Krishna, who was the “avatar” or incarnation of Ishvara, to reveal his divine form that was described in the last shloka of the previous chapter. How magnificent would that form be, if this entire universe was sustained by only a fraction of Ishvara, and if all of the divine expressions were contained in Ishvara. In addition to the might and grandeur of this form, Arjuna also wanted to see how everything originated, existed and dissolved within Ishvara, and finally, how everything was Ishvara in essence.
 
We call something divine when it is endowed with the attributes of knowledge, lordship, power, prowess and brilliance. Arjuna put in a request to Shri Krishna to see that that form, where it is possible to have this vision of many in one. However, the sincere Arjuna did not order to command Shri Krishna to show that form. He qualified his request with a great deal of humility, which we see in the upcoming shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 11

16 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.2, api, avyayam, bhavaapyayau, bhootaanaam, cha, chapter 11 verse 2, hi, kamalapatraaksha, maahaatmyam, mayaa, shrutau, tvattaha, vistarashaha

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bhavaapyayau hi bhootaanaam shrutau vistarasho mayaa |
tvattaha kamalapatraaksha maahaatmyamapi chaavyayam || 2 ||
 
For, I have heard about the creation and dissolution of all beings, elaborately, from you O lotus-eyed one, and also about your imperishable glory.
 
bhavaapyayau : creation and dissolution
hi : for
bhootaanaam : all beings
shrutau : have heard
vistarashaha : elaborately
mayaa : I have
tvattaha : from you
kamalapatraaksha : O lotus-eyed
maahaatmyam : glory
api : also
cha : and
avyayam : imperishable
 
Arjuna, ever the good student, uses this shloka to summarize Shri Krishna’s teaching. He acknowledges that he has understood the essence of the teaching, which asserts Ishvara as the creator, maintainer and dissolution of the entire universe. In other words, there is no other cause of the universe besides Ishvara. He is both the raw material and the intelligence behind the universe. This “mahaatmyam” or glory was further reinforced in Arjuna’s mind by hearing the divine expressions of Ishvara from Shri Krishna.
 
However, by addressing Shri Krishna as “lotus-eyed”, Arjuna also reveals his understanding of another aspect of Ishvara. Like the lotus that does not get affected by the attributes of its pond, Ishvara does not get personally involved in the workings of the universe. He is impartial to everyone in the granting of results, liberation and bondage. He remains as the “avyayam” or imperishable foundation upon which the mechanical Prakriti projects the multitude of names and forms.
 
Now, there is a hint of dissatisfaction expressed by Arjuna in this shloka. Even though he has understood the teaching from Ishvara himself, resolved his doubts, and also learnt the techniques of karma yoga and dhyana yoga or meditation, he needs one more thing. What is that? He divulges it in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 1, Chapter 11

15 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in 11.1, adhyaatma, ayam, chapter 11 verse 1, guhyam, madanugrhaaya, mama, mohaha, paramam, sangitam, tena, tvayaa, uktam, vachaha, vigataha, yat

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arjuna uvaacha:
madanugrhaaya paramam guhyamadhyaatmasangitam |
yattvayoktam vachastena mohoyam vigato mama || 1 ||
 
Arjuna said:
Out of compassion for me, you have spoken about the supreme secret known as the knowledge of the self. By those statements, my delusion has been destroyed.
 
madanugrhaaya : out of compassion for me
paramam : supreme
guhyam : secret
adhyaatma : knowledge of the self
sangitam : known as
yat : that
tvayaa : you have
uktam : spoken
vachaha : statements
tena : by those
mohaha : delusion
ayam : this
vigataha : destroyed
mama : my
 
We begin the eleventh chapter with Arjuna’s words. He recalls the root cause of his panic attack from the first chapter which is moha or delusion which caused confusion between his duty as a warrior and as a family member. He now says that his delusion has been dispelled. How did that happen? It is only because Shri Krishna revealed the knowledge of the self, Adhyaatma vidyaa, to Arjuna, the answer to the question “who am I?”
 
When Arjuna understood his true nature as the self, the aatmaa, the eternal essence, he came to know that the self does not kill or be killed, it is neither the doer of action or the enjoyer of the results. He then realized that even if his body died, or his body killed another body, nothing would happen to the eternal essence in each of those bodies. Given the power of this knowledge to destroy the biggest delusion about who he was, he terms it “paramam” or supreme. And since it requires a sincere student and a rare teacher, he terms it “guhyam” or secret.
 
Now, we may think that there was something special in Arjuna that qualified him to receive this supreme knowledge. Arjuna was humble enough to acknowledge that it was purely out of compassion that Shri Krishna showered his grace upon him and gave him this knowledge. Only through the grace and compassion of Ishvara and a qualified guru can one receive this knowledge.
 
Another aspect of the teaching was Ishvara’s involvement with the universe. Arjuna highlights it in the next shloka.

Summary of Chapter 10

13 Saturday Oct 2012

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When India received independence, the founders wanted to ensure that the newly-created states within India did not disintegrate due to infighting. To that end, they created a two tier government system with a state government that was aligned to state interests, and a central government that put the interests of India before anything else.
 
Furthermore, in order to ensure that residents of a state did not forget that they are part of a bigger country, our founders instituted the national flag, the national anthem, independence day, republic day, the national emblem and so on. These symbols are expressions, or “vibhootis” of India. They are highly important because they remind us of the existence of the nation of India no matter where we are. They make the abstract concept of the nation of India tangible and visible.
 
Shri Krishna ended the previous chapter by urging Arjuna, and all devotees, to always keep their minds within Ishvara. In this chapter, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna, “how can I know Ishvara when my eyes cannot see him?” The answer to Arjuna’s question is the main teaching of this chapter, in the form of natural, historic, Puraanic and other awe-inspiring people and objects that serve as Ishvara’s expressions or manifestations.
 
How do these expressions benefit us? Just like we use symbols of India to constantly invoke the notion of India, we should use one or some or all of these expressions to constantly remember and think of Ishvara. This chapter is not meant to be a lesson in the Puraanas. It is meant to be practiced as a daily meditation, by employing one expression, whichever we like, as the object of our meditation.
 
So for example, if we have an affinity for the sun, we should bring the shloka “aadityaanaamaham vishnuhu” to attention and keep it in our minds as much as possible, whenever we see the sun. This will transform our vision to look beyond the visible aspect of the sun, connect the sun to Ishvara and see the Ishvara inside.