Bhagavad Gita Verse 17, Chapter 4

07 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.17, akarmanaha, api, boddhavyam, cha, chapter 4 verse 17, gahanaa, gatihi, hi, karmanah, karmanaha, vikarmanaha

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karmeno hyaapi boddhavyam boddhavyam cha vikarmanaha |
akarmanashcha boddhavyam gahano karmano gatihi || 17 ||

(The meaning of) Action should be known, forbidden action should be known, and also inaction should be known, for inexplicable is the course (nature) of action.

karmanaha : action
hi : for
api : also
boddhavyam : should be known
cha : and
vikarmanaha: forbidden action
akarmanaha : inaction
cha : and
gahanaa : inexplicable
karmanah : action
gatihi : course

Shri Krishna is going deeper into the definition of karma in this shloka. Previously, we examined the meaning of karma as selfish actions, and akarma as unselfish actions. Now let’s look at what is meant by vikarma. Vikarma or forbidden action refers to any action that is not prescribed in one’s svadharma. We need to use our intellect to determine what is vikarma based on our individual situation.

For example, one could be a vaishya (businessman). His duty is to conduct business and use the earnings for benefit of family and for the benefit society as a whole. There is absolutely no harm if he wants to earn more and more wealth. It is absolutely ok as long as he is using it for the benefit of family and society.

But if one is a student, his goal should be to diligently acquire knowledge. If his attention is diverted towards acquiring more girlfriends, that becomes vikarma. The key point here is that no outside entity can tell someone what their svadharma is. It has to come from within, from deep self examination and analysis.

Having examined the definitions of karma, akarma and vikarma, let us know go one step further and understand karma at a much deeper level. Shri Krishna gently warns us that we need to put forth effort to have a correct understanding of this topic, because it is hard to comprehend. Karma is a reaction produced by nature in response to our relationship to it.

Firstly, let us understand what is mean by our relationship to nature. It goes back to our thoughts and our motives. If we are motivated by a selfish spirit, nature will give us a negative reaction, just like electricity gives us a shock if we handle it improperly. Conversely, if we are motivated by a spirit of cooperation and selflessness, we will not get that negative reaction from nature.

Why so? Because we have seen earlier that the spirit of yajna is embedded in nature itself. Prakriti or nature is moving with the yajna spirit, and we are part of nature itself. So therefore, if our thoughts and feelings – not just our actions – are “in tune” with nature and the spirit of yajna, we will not accumulate negative reactions or karma.

Next, let us understand where these reactions come from. They do not come from some outside agency that constantly monitors our actions and gives us karma “points”. These reactions come from nature itself. Nature is like a mirror – if you smile at it, it smiles right back. We have all heard the saying “what goes around comes around”. That is karma.

So what does it mean for us from a practical perspective? We have to constantly use our viveka or discrimination to ensure our thoughts and feelings are working in the spirit of yajna. If our thoughts are unselfish, so too will our actions be unselfish. Otherwise, we will go on accumulating karma which gets lodged in our personality as vaasanaa, which is the very thing that stands between us and self-realization.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 16, Chapter 4

06 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.16, akarma, ashubhaat, atra, chapter 4 verse 16, iti, jnyaatvaa, karma, kavayaha, kim, mohitaaha, mokshyase, pravakshyaami, tat, te, yat

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kim karma kimakarmeti kavayopatra mohitaaha |
tatte karma pravakshyaami yajnyaatvaa mokshyaseshubhaat || 16 ||

What is action and what is inaction? Seers are deluded in this regard. To you, I will explain that action, by knowing which you will gain liberation from this inauspicious (nature of samsaara).

kim : what is
karma : action
kim : what is
akarma : inaction
iti : this
kavayaha : seers
atra : in this regard
mohitaaha: are deluded
tat : that
te : you
karma : action
pravakshyaami : explain
yat : that which
jnyaatvaa : knowing
mokshyase : gain liberation
ashubhaat : from this inauspicious

As we continue to move forward in the Gita, we comes across milestones where Shri Krishna takes us from one level of understanding to a more advanced level. With this shloka, Shri Krishna alerts us that the upcoming shlokas will give us a much deeper understanding of the topic of karma or action.

Let us recap what we have learned so far about action and inaction. Action or karma as defined by Shri Krishna is any activity performed with a selfish motive. Inaction or akarma is defined as any activity performed in a selfless manner. In other words, with a yajnya spirit. It is important to revise these definitions because Shri Krishna says that even intelligent people very easily get confused by this terminology, since action typically means any activity and inaction means absence of activity.

Why is this topic important? Unless our intellect fully understands and gets the conviction that we can achieve self-realization through performance of action, we will again and again fall prey to the wrong notion that we should renounce everything.

This is evident in our daily lives. Whenever we feel pressure at our job, we start thinking about changing jobs. If we have to resolve a delicate issue impacting our friends or relatives, we may try to defer or avoid it altogether rather than addressing it. We have an inbuilt tendency to avoid performing actions, even though all our bodies can do is perform action. Therefore, Shri Krishna wants us to have a thorough understanding of the nature of action so that it becomes a part of our life, than something that we just read about.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 15, Chapter 4

05 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.15, api, chapter 4 verse 14, eva, evam, jnaatvaa, karma, kritam, kuru, mumukshubhihi, poorvaih, poorvataram, tasmaat, tvam

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evam jnaatvaa kritam karma poorvairapi mumukshubhihi |
kuru karmaiva tasmaattvam poorvaih poorvataram kritam || 15 ||

Even seekers of freedom, having known this (path of karmayoga), performed actions since ancient times. Therefore, so do you perform actions like the ancients did.

evam : this manner
jnaatvaa : having known
kritam : performed
karma : actions
poorvaih : since ancient times
api : even
mumukshubhihi : seekers of freedom
kuru : perform
karma : actions
eva : those
tasmaat : therefore
tvam : you
poorvaih : ancestors
poorvataram : since ancient times
kritam : actions

Previously, Shri Krishna explained that one who knows him as distinct from performer and enjoyer of actions is not bound. Now, he reaffirms that teaching by informing Arjuna that many ancient seekers of freedom have followed the path of karmayoga.

These ancient seekers understood that the “I” is the eternal essence. It is not the doer and does not have anything to gain from results of actions. So they continued to perform actions, dedicating them to the highest ideal which is Ishvaraa, and purified their minds doing so.

Shri Krishna also re-emphasizes that this teaching did not deter the ancient seekers from performing actions, in other words, they did not abandon their duties and retire to the forest. They continued to work in the world but maintained the karmayoga attitude.

By pointing out the heritage of karmayoga, Shri Krishna constantly reminded Arjuna that this is not a brand new teaching, it always was a way of life but was lost due to the passage of time.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 14, Chapter 4

04 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.14, abhijaanaati, badhyate, chapter 4 verse 14, iti, karmaani, karmabhih, karmaphale, limpanti, ma, maam, na, na sah, spruhaa, yo

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na maam karmaani limpanti na ma karmaphale spruhaa |
iti maam yo bhijaanaati karmabhirna sa badhyate || 14 ||

Actions do not stain me, nor do I covet fruits of action. One who knows me in this manner is never bound by actions.

na : do not
maam : me
karmaani : action
limpanti : stain
na : not
ma : I
karmaphale : fruits of action
spruhaa : covet
iti : in this manner
maam : me
yo : one who
abhijaanaati : knows in essence
karmabhih : with actions
na : not
sah : he
badhyate : bound

So far, Shri Krishna clarified and elaborated upon key topics within karmayoga. First he gave the paramparaa or tradition of the teaching. He then revealed his nature as Ishvaraa, and explained the method by which he manifests as an avataara. Finally, he explained how he responds in the exact manner that one approaches him.

As we get further into karmayoga, we slowly begin to lost our attachment to the fruits of our action, which is the first stage in karmayoga. In this chapter, Shri Krishna urges us to move to the next stage in this journey where we begin to lose the notion of doership.To highlight this point, Shri Krishna says that as Ishvaraa, even he knows that actions are happening in prakriti, and therefore he is not the doer of those actions, but he is beyond all action. He puts this poetically by saying that actions do not “stain” him.

Why is Ishvara beyond all action? At its core, any action happens when there is an imbalance or vacuum. Wind travels from high pressure areas to low pressure areas. Electric current moves when there is a difference in voltage. The mind creates a thought because of our vaasanaas. But Ishvara is all-complete and self-sufficient. Therefore, he does not need to act. He is only a witness.

If there is a reflection of the sun in a pond, and if dirt is thrown on the pond, the sun is not stained by that dirt. Similarly, since actions are performed by prakriti, there is no impact to Ishvaraa. In this and other shlokas of this chapter, Shri Krishna reminds us that just like he knows that he is not the doer or enjoyer of actions, so should we have the exact same conviction.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 13, Chapter 4

03 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.13, akartaaram, api, avyayam, chaatur, guna, karma, kartaaram, maam, mayaa, srishtam, tasya, varnyam, vibhaagashaha, viddhi

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chaaturvarnyam mayaa srishtam gunakarmavibhaagashaha |
tasya kartaaramapi maam viddhyakartaaramavyayam || 13 ||

Four classes have been created by me, based on the division of guna and action. Even though I created them, know me as the non-doer and imperishable.

chaatur : four
varnyam : classes
mayaa : by me
srishtam : created
guna : guna
karma : action
vibhaagashaha : division
tasya : that
kartaaram : being the doer
api : even though
maam : me
viddhi : know
akartaaram : non-doer
avyayam : imperishable

Earlier, Shri Krishna mentioned that humans cannot avoid action at any cost. So how can we achieve liberation from bondage while still performing action? To that end, Shri Krishna advises us to act per our svadharma. By efficiently performing svadharma, we can liberate ourselves while performing actions. This is the “why” of karmayoga.

Knowing that one should perform one’s svadharma or duty in this world is core to karmayoga. But how does one know what is one’s svadharma? Shri Krishna addresses this point briefly in this shloka. He says that human beings are categorized into four classes or varnaas. These classes are based on the 3 gunaas, and the corresponding action that each guna prompts us to do.

The three gunas and their corresponding actions are as follows. Rajas is expressed as as activity or agitation. Tamas is expressed as lethargy or laziness. Sattva is expressed as knowledge and peace. So we have to perform self-analysis in order to understand how the gunaas behave within us and in what proportion to each other.

We will find that we will fall into one of these four categories. A brahmana who is predisposed to gaining knowledge, faith, sharing knowledge will usually have a prominence of sattva. A kshatriya who demonstrates courage, likes to organize and protect people, face challenges, take risks, try new things will have a prominence of sattva and rajas. A vaishya who likes to be creative and produce something will have a prominence of rajas and tamas. A shudra who likes to execute tasks but requires a lot of motivation will have prominence of tamas.

As we can tell, this shloka was heavily misinterpreted to support the incorrect notion that varna is determined by birth. There is no such thing. Just like we have career counselling in modern times, the Gita offered a scientific manner of selecting a career that is suitable for oneself both from a practical perspective, and also from a karma yoga perspective.

In the second part of the shloka, Shri Krishna reminds us that although he has set up this classification of varnaa, he is not the doer even in this act. It is maayaa alone that is acting in this world, whereas he is only the witness to its actions. We can think of ourselves as playing different parts in a cosmic play. Each part is different based on our svadharma.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 4

02 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.12, bhavati, chapter 4 verse 12, devataaha, hi, iha, kaankshantaha, karmajaa, karmanam, kshipram, loke, maanushe, siddhim, siddih, yajante

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kaankshantaha karmanaam siddhim yajanta iha devataaha |
kshipram hi maanushe loke siddhirbhavati karmajaa || 12 ||

Those who desire success in actions worship deities; for in this human world, results of action are obtained instantly.

kaankshantaha : desiring
karmanaam : through actions
siddhim : results
yajante : worship
iha : this
devataaha : deities
kshipram : instant
hi : for
maanushe : human
loke : world
siddhih : success
bhavati : obtained
karmajaa : through action

We saw in the previous shloka that Ishvaraa is like an impartial computer system. He responds in the same manner in which people seek him. So then the question arises? Why don’t people approach him for self-realization? Would they not get it if they ask him?

Shri Krishna says that most of us do not desire self-realization, we only desire material objects because they give us instant happiness. We have been conditioned to perform actions that get quick results. We make instant coffee and it gives us instant satisfaction. And when we want results that are beyond our immediate control, we approach and appease forces in nature that can grant us the result we need. These forces could be human beings – we may propitiate a local politician if we want to set up a business in a particular town.

But, not matter how satisfying the result is, it will only give us temporary happiness because we have approached a force of nature that is a subset of Ishvaraa. Ishvaraa is the ultimate force in nature. Only he can give us permanent happiness in the form of self-realization.

Moreover, this permanent happiness is not a result of any outward actions. Actions performed in the spirit of karmayoga will no doubt help purify our mind. But the ultimate goal of self-realization is not the result of any outward action, it is only through the removal of ignorance in the form of selfish desire.

If we recall, “samarpana buddhi” or the wisdom of dedicating actions is one of the five main aspects of karmayoga. So therefore, these shlokas deal with the topic of Ishvaraa so that he will become the ultimate ideal to whom we can dedicate all our actions to.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 4

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in 4.11, aham, anuvartante, bhajaami, chapter 5 verse 11, eva, maam, mama, manushyaah, paartha, prapadyante, sarvashaha, taan, tathaa, vartam, yathaa, ye

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ye yathaa maam prapadyante taanstathaiva bhajaamyaham |
mama vartmaanuvartante manushyaah paartha sarvashaha || 11 ||

In whichever manner one approaches me, in that manner I favour them. People follow my path in different ways, O Paartha.

ye : one who
yathaa : in which manner
maam : me
prapadyante : approaches me
taan : him
tatha, eva : in that manner
bhajaami : favour them
aham : I
mama : my
vartam : path
anuvartante : follow
manushyaah : people
paartha : O Paartha
sarvashaha : in different ways

Earlier, Shri Krishna said that only those who take refuge in him realize the eternal essence and are liberated. On this note, a doubt may arise: Is he partial to those who take refuge in him, compared to those who do not? He advises us to be free of desires and aversions – isn’t this an example of aversion towards those who do not take refuge in him?

Shri Krishna responds to this doubt in this shloka. First, he asserts that whenever we have a strong desire, whether it is a material one or a spiritual one, that desire reaches Ishvaraa. If we approach the world with a desire for a promotion in our career, or we want better health, that desire reaches Ishvaraa because the world is part of Ishvaraa. The world is a part of Ishvaraa, as we saw earlier.

Having learned of the desire, how does he respond to the request? He says that he treats all requests like an impersonal computer system. Whatever we input, similar will be the output. If someone truly and deeply desires a promotion, and works hard towards it, he will get it. Similarly, if someone truly and deeply desires moksha, or realization of the eternal essence, and puts in the effort, he will get it.

The power of Ishvaraa is impartial. It is without any prejudice or hatred, just like electricity. One may harness electricity to power a fan, to light a room, to watch television and so on. Electricity will never say “I do not like television, so I will not power it, but I will power the fan”. Ishvaraa’s actions are based on laws, just like the laws of nature.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 4

31 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by in 4.10, aagataaha, bahavaha, bhaya, chapter 4 verse 10, jnyaana, krodhah, maam, madbhaavam, manmayaaha, pootaha, raaga, tapasa, upaashritaah, veeta

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veetaraagabhayakrodhaa manmayaa maamupaashritaaha |
bahavo jnyaanatapasaa pootaa madbhaavamaagataaha || 10 ||

Free from attachment, fear and anger, absorbed in me and taking refuge in me; many have been purified through the austerity of knowledge, and have attained my essence.

veeta : free from
raaga : attachment
bhaya : fear
krodhah : anger
man-mayaaha :  absorbed in me
maam-upaashritaaha : taking refuge in me
bahavaha : many have
jnyaana-tapasaa : through the austerity of knowledge
pootaaha : purified
mad-bhaavam : my essence
aagataaha : have attained

Shri Krishna concluded the topic of Ishvaraa and his avataara in the previous shloka. Having heard this, a question may arise as to how many individuals were successful in realizing the eternal essence by following the path laid out by Shri Krishna. He gives an encouraging answer to that question. He says that many people have attained the eternal essence following this path. They have become “manmayaahaa” or one with him.

Many of us may have followed the teaching so far, and may have also understood the notion of karmayoga. Assuming that we follow it diligently, we would like to know what comes next in the spiritual journey. We can proceed further, but we cannot force it, just like one cannot go from high school to college without passing exams.

So in this shloka, Shri Krishna gives the roadmap to attaining the eternal essence. First, he advises us to follow the path of karmayoga so that our system is cleared of vaasanaas. It is the preparatory stage in the spiritual path, as we have seen earlier. As we become proficient in karmayoga, we slowly become free of attachment, fear and anger.

Next, as our vaasanaas become weaker, the force of our thought becomes more controlled. Our mind becomes purer, and consequently, becomes still. This enables us to better comprehend, contemplate upon and internalize the statements such as “I am the eternal essence”. Traditionally, these stages are shravana (hearing the scriptures), manana (contemplating) and nidhidhyaasana (internalization).

This constant and continued attempt to achieve identification with the eternal essence through the three stages of shravana, manana and nidhidhyaasana is called “jnyaana tapas” or the austerity of knowledge. We should note that this knowledge is not the kind of academic knowledge that we are used to. It is the absence of ignorance caused by vasanaas, or in other words, absence of selfish thinking.

Finally, having been purified by the austerity of knowledge, we begin to attain an affectionate attitude towards Ishvaraa. This attitude of devotion makes us take ultimate refuge in Ishvaraa, indicated here by the word “maanupaashritaaha”.

Footnotes
1. This shloka summarizes the three traditional paths of spirituality: karmayoga, bhaktiyoga (devotion) and jnyaanayoga (knowledge)

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 4

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in 4.9, arjuna, cha, chapter 4 verse 9, deham, divyam, eti, evam, janma, karma, me, na, punah, sah, tattvataha, tyaktvaa, vetti, yah

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janma karma cha me divyamevam yo vetti tattvataha |
tyaktvaa deham punarjanma naiti maameti sorjuna || 9 ||

My birth and action are divine. One who knows this in essence, having given up the body, is not born again; he obtains me, O Arjuna.

janma : birth
karma : action
cha : and
me : my
divyam : divine
evam : in this way
yah : one who
vetti : knows
tattvataha : in essence
tyaktvaa : give up
deham : body
punah, janma : rebirth
na : does not
eti : obtain
maam : me
eti : obtain
sah : he
arjuna : O Arjuna

In the last two shlokas, Shri Krishna gave the reason for his avataara. Now the question arises: how does this knowledge help the spiritual seeker? He says that once we understand the secret of Ishvaraa’s birth and action, we will understand the secret of our action as well.

What is the secret of Ishvaraa’s birth and action? It looks to us that Ishvaraa is born, and that Ishvaraa performs action. But that is not the case. Through the power of Ishvaraa’s Maaya, it only looks like Ishvaraa takes birth and performs action. It is just an illusion. As we have seen earlier, the eternal essence does not perform action, only prakriti – also called maaya – performs action.

Now, the jeeva within us is identified with the body, mind and intellect. Its birth is based on past karmaas. It performs karmaas with a sense of doership. In other words, it thinks that it is performing actions. But from the standpoint of the eternal essence, there is no doership or enjoyership. It is prakriti alone that acts. Just like Ishvaraa does not perform action, the jeeva also does not perform action. The jeeva is one with Ishvaraa.

So therefore, one who truly and completely understands this point will drop identification with his body, and begin identifying with the eternal essence. That is what is meant by the phrase “deham tvaktvaa”: the jeeva has stopped identification of the body.

Here, academic knowledge is not enough. We need a first-hand understanding that prakriti performs actions and not the eternal essence. That first-hand understanding can only be gained through meditation, which is explained later in the Gita.

A simple way to understand the teaching so far is as follows. The individual jeeva is like a wave in the ocean. Ishvaraa is like the ocean. The eternal essence or brahman is water. Once the wave realizes that it is the same water as Ishvaraa, it is free from the limitations of its tiny form.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 4

29 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in 4.8, arthaaya, cha, chapter 4 verse 8, dharma sansthaapaanaa, dushkritaam, paritraanaaya, saadhoonaam, sambhavaami, vinaashaaya, yuge

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paritraanaaya saadhoonaam vinaashaaya cha dushkritaam |
dharmasansthaapaanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge || 8 ||

For the protection of the good, and the destruction of the wicked, I manifest in every age to establish righteousness.

paritraanaaya : protection
saadhoonaam : good
vinaashaaya : destruction
cha : and
dushkritaam : wicked
dharmasansthaapaanaa : establishment of righteousness
arthaaya : for the purpose of
sambhavaami : I manifest
yuge yuge : in every age

Shri Krishna further explains why he manifests himself. He points out three reasons: protection of good people, destruction of wicked people, and establishment of dharma. This is not a one time occurence. It happens continuously : “Yuge yuge” means in every age, but it also means at every juncture, every crisis where there is a conflict that can disturb the harmony of the universe.

Now, from our limited perspective, we may not be able to appreciate why, when or how this restoration happens. It will usually never happen for the benefit of a single individual, city, state or country. It will happen for the sake of the entire creation. And just like sometimes a part of the body needs to be amputated, it could manifest as a tornado or earthquake, causing tremendous destruction. We could also complain that why does not Ishvara manifest himself and fix all the ills of the world that are happening now. The manifestation happens only at the right time, and only when it serves the purpose of the entire universe.

Sant Jnyaneshwar comments elaborately about Ishvaraa’s avataara. He very poetically says that the avataara destroys the kaajal (kohl) of ignorance and lights the lamp of wisdom in the world. Also, he says that even though Shri Krishna commands Maaya in order to manifest himself, he is neither the doer nor the enjoyer of the actions that he performs.

Having manifested in the world, and restored the balance of dharma or harmony, what happens next? Ishvara very quietly becomes unmanifest and lets prakriti take over, just like clouds disappear after rain, or a fever disappears after we recover from an illness.