Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 8

13 Friday Jul 2012

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aabhramhabhuvanaallokaahaa punaraavartinorjuna |
maamupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate || 16 ||
 
O Arjuna, all worlds including the abode of Brahma (are subject to) return. But having obtained me, O Kaunteya, rebirth does not occur.
 
aabhramhabhuvanaat : including the abode of brahma
lokaahaa : all worlds
punaraavartinaha : return
arjuna : O Arjuna
maam : me
upetya : having obtained
tu : but
kaunteya : O Kaunterya
punarjanma : rebirth
na : does not
vidyate : occur
 
According to the scriptures, there exist heavens or worlds subtler than our visible universe. All beings on this earth who perform meritorious deeds go to one of those heavens after death. The abode of Lord Brahma (Brahma-loka) is considered the highest among the heavens. Shri Krishna says that all beings who end up in these heavens, including the world of Lord Brahma, do not stay there permanently. They have to return to earth at some point. Only those who attain Ishvara gain permanent liberation.
 
The first half of the shloka is applicable to seekers who perform karma yoga diligently and worship Ishvara as well. Depending upon the sincerity of their deeds and worship, they will attain the appropriate heaven. A select few attain the abode of Lord Brahma which is the highest possible heaven. Here, it is said that the residents only enjoy pleasure. There is no sorrow or suffering whatsoever.
 
Once they attain the abode of Lord Brahma, they are faced with a choice. They can continue to remain interested in pleasure seeking, or attain liberation. Attainment of Ishvara is the same as liberation. If they continue to remain interested in pleasure seeking, if they think of Brahma loka as yet another realm of space and time, they will eventually come back to earth and start life all over again. If they are interested in liberation, they will attain it when Brahma loka is dissolved along with all of the other worlds. This kind of liberation is called “krama mukti”.
 
Now, the questions arises, why do all of these worlds end? The topic of cosmic creation and dissolution is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 8

12 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.15, aapnuvanti, ashaashvatam, chapter 8 verse 15, duhkhaalayam, gataaha, maam, mahaatmaanaha, na, paramaam, punarjanma, samsiddhim, upetya

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maamupetya punarjanma duhkhaalayamashaashvatam |
naapnuvanti mahaatmaanaha samsiddhim paramaam gataaha || 15 ||
 
Having obtained me, these esteemed do not attain rebirth, the transient abode of sorrow. They attain the goal of supreme success.
 
maam : me
upetya : having obtained
punarjanma : rebirth
duhkhaalayam : abode of sorrow
ashaashvatam : transient
na : do not
aapnuvanti : they attain
mahaatmaanaha : esteemed individuals
samsiddhim : success
paramaam : supreme
gataaha : goal
 
What happens if we diligently meditate upon Ishvara while performing our duties? Shri Krishna provides the answer in this shloka. He says that such people do not attain rebirth after they die. They attain something much higher – they attain Ishvara himself.
 
First, let us examine how Shri Krishna describes our present condition. Our worldly existence is transient, which means that there is no sense of permanence. Look at our body. It grows from a small baby all the way into adulthood and old age. There is not one moment where it is the same. Similarly, all aspects of our life are impermanent. Therefore, Shri Krishna summarizes our existence in one word “duhkhaalaya” or abode of sorrow. It is a constant quest for happiness through impermanence, which is like trying to hold on to a bubble.
 
Most people are well entrenched in this pursuit thinking that it is normal. But some have figured out the fallacy in this pursuit and begun their journey towards Ishvara. They are referred to as “mahaatmaas” or esteemed individuals in this shloka. Those who sincerely pursue this path attain the supreme goal : Ishvara himself. If we get Ishvara, we will not get revisit the world ever again. It is like waking up from a dream – we will not get to go back. So if we hold on to the world, we will never get Ishvara. It is an either/or situation.
 
So therefore, once we decide that our goal is Ishvara, and develop dispassion or vairagya towards the world, we should diligently pursue karma yoga combined with meditation as prescribed by Shri Krishna in the Gita. Here, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of attainment of Ishvara through meditation. The next topic around creation and dissolution of the universe is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 8

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.14, aham, ananyachetaahaa, chapter 8 verse 14, maam, nityashaha, nityayuktasya, paartha, satatam, smarati, sulabhaha, tasya, yaha, yoginaha

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ananyachetaahaa satatam yo maam smarati nityashaha |
tasyaaham sulabhaha paartha nityayuktasya yoginaha || 14 ||
 
One who thinks of me with a focused mind, without interruption, I become effortlessly available to that yogi that is constantly engaged (in me).
 
ananyachetaahaa : focused mind
satatam : always
yaha : one who
maam : me
smarati : remembers
nityashaha : without interruption
tasya : he
aham : I
sulabhaha : effortless
paartha : O Paartha
nityayuktasya : constantly engaged
yoginaha : yogi
 
Shri Krishna provides us with the simplest method of gaining access to Ishvara in this shloka. He says that no special technique is required. All that is needed is that the seeker focus his mind on Ishvara, perform duties as per his svadharma but think about Ishvara all the time, without interruption.
 
The key point, however, is the phrase “without interruption”. We had seen earlier that there is one thought that all of us have in the back of our minds. For some it is family, for some it is career and so on. It is like the drone of a “taanpura” in Indian classical music. Shri Krishna says that unless we make Ishvara that constant background thought, we will not attain him. Just performing a 30 minute meditation on Ishvara will not yield anything.
 
Ishvara is very well aware that most of us do not give him top priority. This is famously depicted in the image of Lord Vitthala, a deity of Lord Vishnu from Maharashtra. He is portrayed as standing with hands on his waist as if to say “I have been waiting here for a long time, when will you come?” This is due to our preoccupation with worldly matters. A deep-seated attraction towards spiritual knowledge, combined with blows from the world, will slowly but surely move the seeker towards constant meditation upon Ishvara.
 
So therefore, Shri Krishna has provided a simple and straightforward method to attain Ishvara : keep Ishvara as the constant thought but do your duty. It not require us to perform any kind of specialized yogic meditation. What happens when we follow this path? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 8

10 Tuesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.13, anusmaran, brahma, chapter 8 verse 13, deham, ekaaksharam, gatim, iti, maam, om, paramaam, prayaati, saha, tyajan, vyaaharan, yaati, yaha

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omityekaaksharam brahma vyaaharanmaamnusmaran |
yaha prayaati tyajandeham sa yaati paramaam gatim || 13 ||
 
He who departs the body while chanting Om, which is the one-syllable (name of) brahman, and also remembers me, he attains the supreme state.
 
om : Om
iti : this
ekaaksharam : one-syllable
brahma : brahman
vyaaharan : chanting
maam : my
anusmaran : rememberance
yaha : he who
prayaati : departs
tyajan : leaving
deham : body
saha : he
yaati : attains
paramaam : supreme
gatim : state
 
The sound “Om” has been praised in the scriptures as an indicator of brahman, the eternal essence. Shri Krishna concludes the second technique of meditation, meditation on the name of Ishvara, by saying that one who performs meditation on the sound of Om attains Ishvara during the time of departure.
 
Like we saw in the previous instance, the symbolic meaning of this shloka also uses death as a metaphor to indicate death of the ego. Therefore, meditation on the sound of Om helps the seeker sever his connection to the finite ego and take him towards the infinite eternal essence.
 
The key thing, however, is to associate the sound “Om” to our understanding of Ishvara. In other words, meditation on the sound of Om without associating it to our favourite deity will not yield any result. In fact, Adi Shankaraachaarya in his commentary says that meditation on Om should only be performed by one who has diligently heard (“shravana”) and analyzed (“mananam”) the knowledge of the eternal essence. This is why Shri Krishna adds “remember me as Ishvara” to the instruction that we chant Om.
 
To recap, the first technique was meditation upon the grand cosmic form of Ishvara, and the second technique was meditation upon Om. However, both techniques require us to develop control of our praanaas. Recognizing this, Shri Krishna provides an easier third technique in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 8

09 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.12, aadhaaya, aasthitaha, aatmanaha, cha, chapter 8 verse 12, hridi, manaha, moordhani, nirudhya, praanam, saiyamya, sarvadvaaraani, yogadhaaranaam

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sarvadvaaraani saiyamya mano hridi nirudhya cha |
moordhanyaadhaayaatmanaha praanamaasthito yogadhaaranaam || 12 ||
 
Controlling all the gates, confining the mind within the heart and establishing one’s praanaas in the forehead, situated in yogic concentration.
 
sarvadvaaraani : all gates
saiyamya : controlling
manaha : mind
hridi : in the heart
nirudhya : confining
cha : and
moordhani : forehead
aadhaaya : establish
aatmanaha : one’s
praanam : praanaas
aasthitaha : situating
yogadhaaranaam : in yogic concentration
 
Shri Krishna describes the technique meditating upon the name of Ishvara in this shloka. He outlines a series of steps which are similar to the detailed analysis of meditation found in the sixth chapter. Four steps are presented here: controlling the organs of sense perception, reducing the number of thoughts to one, directing the life force or praana, and continuing to remain in this state of concentration for an extended period of time.
 
The first step is to control the organs of sense perception referred to here as “gates”. In meditation, we are advised to select a spot where there is minimal distraction so that the mind does not rush out into the external world towards a sound, image or smell.
 
The second step is to “confine the mind within the heart”. This means that we have to slowly reduce the number of thoughts to one thought using japa meditation, for instance. No other thought should enter the mind except the object of meditation.
 
The third and fourth steps require the oversight and training of an experienced master. For the sake of completeness, let’s examine them anyway. An advanced yogi has the ability to control his praana or life force so that it could be focused in one part of the body. Here, such a yogi is asked to focus his life force in the forehead. Once this happens, the yogi is asked to maintain this position for an extended period of time. Such intense meditation requires tremendous effort and practice.
 
So then, assuming we are armed with the technique of meditation on Ishvara’s name, what name should we use? This is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 8

08 Sunday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.11, aksharam, brahmacharyam, chapter 8 verse 11, charanti, ichchantaha, l sangrahena, padam, pravakshye, tat, te, vadanti, vedavidaha, veetaraagaahaa, vishanti, yat, yatayaha

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yadaksharam vedavido vadanti vishanti yadyatayo veetaraagaahaa |
yadichchanto brahmacharyam charanti tatte padam sangrahena pravakshye || 11 ||
 
That which is declared imperishable by the knowers of the Vedas, that which dispassionate sages enter, that whose desire leads them to engage in the study of brahman; for you, I shall speak of that goal, in summary.
 
yat : that which
aksharam : impersishable
vedavidaha : knowers of Vedas
vadanti : declared
vishanti : enter
yat : that which
yatayaha : sages
veetaraagaahaa : dispassionate
yat : that which
ichchantaha : desiring
brahmacharyam : study of brahman
charanti : engage
tat : that
te : for you
padam : goal
sangrahena : in summary
pravakshye : I shall speak
 
Having spoken of the technique of meditating upon Ishvara’s form, Shri Krishna now begins the topic of meditating upon Ishvara’s name. This shloka is written in the style of the Upanishads, and just like the previous shloka, is in a different meter.
 
Before the actual technique of meditation is described, Shri Krishna highlights the qualifications of the seeker who is about to perform this meditation. He should be free of selfish desires, likes and dislikes, indicated by the word “veetaraagaahaa”. We have already encountered this word under the topic of karma yoga. Strong passions or dislikes become obstacles in meditation as they push the mind to jump from one thought to the other. Only one who has managed to control the mind can perform such meditation.
 
The seeker should also possess a strong desire to inquire into the knowledge of the eternal essence, indicated by the word “brahmachaari”. The typical meaning of this word, celibacy, is not used here. It is used to indicate one who “moves around” or is preoccupied with the study of brahman or the eternal essence. Most of us, however, are preoccupied with actions. We are “karmachaaris”. Preoccupation with action will also become an obstacle in meditation, as we have already seen in the sixth chapter.
 
Endowed with these qualifications, the seeker is ready to meditate upon that which is considered as the ultimate goal: the imperishable Ishvara or “aksharam”. What is the process by which one can perform this meditation? This is taken up in the next two shlokas.
 

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 8

07 Saturday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.10, aaveshya, achalena, bhaktyaa, bhruvoho, chapter 8 verse 10, divyam, madhye, manasa, param, praanam, prayaanakaale, purusham, samyak, upaiti, yogabalena, yuktaha

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prayaanakaale manasaachalena bhaktyaa yukto yogabalena chaiva |
bhruvormadhye praanamaaveshya samyak sa tam param purushamupaiti divyam || 10 ||
 
At the time of departure, endowed with devotion, an unwavering mind, as well as the power of yoga, fully establishing the praanaas in the centre of the eyebrows, he attains that supreme divine person.
 
prayaanakaale : at the time of departure
manasa : with mind
achalena : unwavering
bhaktyaa : with devotion
yuktaha : endowed with
yogabalena : power of yoga
cha : and
iva : also
bhruvoho : eyebrows
madhye : centre
praanam : praanaas
aaveshya : establishing
samyak : fully
saha : he
tam : that
param : supreme
purusham : person
upaiti : attains
divyam : divine
 
The puraanaas contain several stories describing how people endowed with yogic powers could control their life force or their praana and force it out of the body. At the end of the Mahabharata, many people including Yudhishthira and Draupadi left their bodies using yogic powers. If we interpret this shloka literally, it describes how one can remember Ishvara’s form while voluntarily starting the process of departing the body.
 
We, of course, do not know anything about such techniques, nor do we wish to pursue it. So therefore, let us examine the symbolic meaning of this shloka. “Prayaana kale” literally means the time of departure or death. Symbolically, it signifies the death of the ego, or the end of our notion of finitude. Therefore, when we rid ourselves of selfish desires, likes and dislikes, and in doing so slay the ego, we automatically develop firm devotion or bhakti towards Ishvara.
 
As our devotion increases, our mind’s tendency to jump from one thought to the other slows down, settling into the one thought of Ishvara. We can then meditate on the form of Ishvara as the supreme, divine person or parama purusha. All the energy that would normally have been wasted in selfish thinking and action is available to us now. We can channel this reservoir of energy towards meditation.
 
So therefore, if we use these instructions to develop the daily habit of meditating upon Ishvara, we will naturally and easily remember Ishvara when it is time for us to leave this world. The key thing, of course, is not to forcibly practice meditation, but to gradually ease into it as our level of devotion to Ishvara increases.
 
With this shloka, Shri Krishna concludes the topic of meditation on Ishvara’s form. The topic of meditation on Ishvara’s name is taken up next.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 8

06 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.9, aadityavarnam, achintyaroopam, anoraaneeyaamsam, anushaasitaaram, anusmaret, chapter 8 verse 9, dhaataaram, kavim, parastaat, puranaam, sarvasya, tamasaha, yaha

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kavim puraanamanushaasitaaramanoraneeyaamsamanusmaredyaha |
sarvasya dhaataaramachintyaroopamaadityavarnam tamasaha parastaat || 9 ||
 
He who is omniscient, timeless, the commander, subtler than the subtlest, protector of all, incomprehensible, brilliant like the sun, beyond darkness, (one) contemplates (him).
 
kavim : omniscient
puranaam : timeless
anushaasitaaram : commander
anoraaneeyaamsam : subtler than the subtlest
anusmaret : contemplate
yaha : he who
sarvasya : all
dhaataaram : protector
achintyaroopam : incomprehensible
aadityavarnam : brilliant as the sun
tamasaha : darkness
parastaat : beyond
 
As part of the series of shlokas that help us meditate on Ishvara’s form, Shri Krishna here gives us a beautiful poetic shloka that describes Ishvara’s grandeur. This is the description of the “parama purusha”, the supreme divine person Ishvara that was referenced in the previous shloka. Note that this shloka has a different meter for added emphasis.
 
First, Ishvara is described as one who is beyond the notion of space and time. He is “kavi” which means omniscient or all knowing, which is different than the standard meaning of kavi which is poet. There is nothing we can hide from Ishvara because he knows all. He is also “puraanam” which means ancient and timeless. Kavi means he transcends space, puraanam means he transcends time.
 
Ishvara is described as “anushaasitaaram”, which means one who controls everything, who has final authority over everything. He is also “sarvasya dhaataaram”, one who maintains and ordains everything, one who distributes the result of everyone’s actions. In other words, Ishvara comprises the set of laws that hold the entire universe together.
 
Shri Krishna also cautions us with regard to giving a lot of importance to the visual form of Ishvara. Ishvara is “anoraaneeyaamsam”, smaller or subtler than the smallest particle we can comprehend. He is not visible to our senses or to the most powerful of microscopes. He is also “achintya roopam”. His form is incomprehensible. He can never be made into an object, because he is our own self, the subject. By symbolically comparing Ishvara to the sun – “aaditya varnam” – Shri Krishna indicates that our senses cannot comprehend Ishvara’s brilliance. It is the light that drives away darkness and ignorance – “tamasa parastah”.
 
So therefore, we should try to contemplate on this form of Ishvara throughout our lives, so that we can remember this picture during our final moments.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 8

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.8, abhyaasa, anuchintayan, anyagaaminaa, chapter 8 verse 8, chetasaa, divyam, na, paartha, paramam, purusham, yaati, yoga, yuktena

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abhyaasayogayuktena chetasaa naanyagaaminaa |
paramam purusham divyam yaati paarthaanuchintayan || 8 ||
 
With the mind engaged in constant practice of yoga, not diverting from it, contemplating the supreme divine person, (one) attains (him), O Paartha.
 
abhyaasa : constance practice
yoga : yoga
yuktena : engaged in
chetasaa : mind
na : not
anyagaaminaa : diverting from
paramam : supreme
purusham : person
divyam : divine
yaati : attains
paartha : O Paartha
anuchintayan : contemplating
 
Now that we know that the ultimate goal is upaasana, or constant meditation on Ishvara, how do we actually go about doing it? Shri Krishna described three kinds of meditation in the upcoming shlokas.
 
To perform upaasana, we need the support of either name or form, since it is extremely difficult to meditate upon something that is intangible. In the following three shlokas, Shri Krishna elaborates upon the technique of meditation on form. Here, he recalls the technique that was presented to us in the sixth chapter – abhyaasa yoga. In this technique, the mind is trained to focus exclusively on one thing. If it diverts to something else, then we bring it back to our object of meditation.
 
So then, what is the form that we meditate upon? We can meditate upon any form that we have a closeness to. It could be Lord Rama, Krishna, Hanuman or any deity. The deity should come to our mind effortlessly. There is no compulsion to chose one over the other. But as discussed earlier, we should be clear that the deity is an indicator or pointer to Ishvara, the supreme divine person being the words used in this shloka. We should not get stuck at the level of the deity we have chosen.
 
For those of us who are not so familiar with these deities, we can read scriptures like the Puraanaas that have wonderful stories describing the lives and exploits of these deities. Growing up in India, our generation was fortunate to read Amar Chitra Katha comics that presented these stories in a format that appealed to us as kids. They are available all over the world now.
 
As we increase our prowess in meditation, our notion of Ishvara also grows. To help us meditate upon Ishvara in all his grandeur, Shri Krishna gives us a pointer to this type of meditation in the next shloka that describes the form of the param purusha, the supreme being.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 8

04 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in 8.7, anusmara, arpita, asamshayam, buddhihi, cha, chapter 8 verse 7, eshyasi, eva, kaaleshu, maam, manaha, mayi, sarveshu, tasmaat, yudhya

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tasmaatsarveshu kaaleshu maamanusmara yudhya cha |
mayyarpitamanobuddhirmaamevaishyasyasamshayam || 7 ||
 
Therefore, remember me at all times and fight. One who offers his mind and intellect to me attains me only, without a doubt.
 
tasmaat : therefore
sarveshu : all
kaaleshu : times
maam : me
anusmara : remember
yudhya : fight
cha : and
mayi : to me
arpita : offer
manaha : mind
buddhihi : intellect
maam : me
eva : only
eshyasi : attains
asamshayam : without a doubt
 
Shri Krishna gives the ultimate teaching to all of mankind in this shloka. Since the thought at the time of death determines our fate after death, and the thought of death is an outcome of our lifelong thinking, Shri Krishna instructs us to remember Ishvara at all times and perform our duties.
 
Let us examine this instruction further. We are not asked to give up our duties, retire to a forest and constantly think of Ishvara there. Shri Krishna wants us to first remember Ishvara, and then perform duty consistent with our svadharma. The result of leading such a life is that we will attain Ishvara certainly. There is no doubt in this matter.
 
With this instruction, meditation takes on a whole new dimension. Typically, we confine meditation to something that we do for fifteen to thirty minutes, sitting in a solitary place as instructed in the sixth chapter. We now realize that those instructions were meant to prepare us for the kind of meditation that Shri Krishna wants us to pursue: 24/7 meditation of Ishvara.
 
How can this be possible? Our mind can only think of one thought at a time. So the way to meditate continuously is to somehow understand that everything we see, do and know is Ishvara.
 
Now we understand why Shri Krishna defined the terms brahma, karma, adhibhuta, adhideva, adhyaatma, adhiyagnya at the beginning of the chapter, because all those are nothing but Ishvara. If, while performing any action, we know that the actor, the action, the instrument, the process and the result – everything is Ishvara – we will never forget Ishvara.
 
Even if this kind of thinking is not possible for us in the beginning, we can emulate the mind of a mother who, regardless of what she is doing, always thinks about her child in the background. By practising meditation on our favourite deity we develop an attachment to it, so that we can recall it every time we feel distant from Ishvara.
 
So therefore, by practicing meditation constantly on Ishvara, we should strive to change our thinking such that our final thought will be nothing but Ishvara. This constant meditation upon Ishvara is called upaasanaa.