Bhagavad Gita Verse 11, Chapter 2

20 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.11, anena, avaapsyatha, bhaavanyantah, bhaavayantu, bhaavayata, chapter 3 verse 11, devaah, devaan, param, parasparam, shreyah, te, vaha

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devaanbhaavayataanena te devaa bhaavayantu vaha |
parasparam bhaavayantah shreyah paramavaapsyatha || 11 ||

You will make the deities prosper through this (yajna), and the deities will make you prosper. By mutually making each other prosperous, you will attain the highest good.

devaan : deities
bhaavayata : make them prosper
anena: through this
te devaah : those deities
bhaavayantu : prosper
vaha : you
parasparam : mutual
bhaavayantah : making them prosper
shreyah : good
param : highest
avaapsyatha : attain

In this shloka, Shri Krishna emphasizes that the definition yajna includes all beings, not just the one individual who is following this technique.

Modern management practices agree that when two parties negotiate, the best outcome is one where both parties benefit, rather than one gaining and one losing. This outcome is known as a “win-win” situation. Shri Krishna reinforces this very same principle. He urges us to act in a spirit of harmony and cooperation with others whenever we undertake any action.

An interesting word is used here : “devataa” or deity. What does it represent? It represents each and every factor that is responsible for our action. In a narrow sense, it represents other individuals who collectively represent the higher ideal that we are working for, e.g. members in our family, colleagues in our company, citizens in our nation and so on.

But in a broad sense, it includes all humans, animals, plants and all of nature that we share this earth with. It is a recognition that there is a higher ideal operating at all times when we perform even a trivial action like eating our lunch. Shri Krishna urges us to not forget this point.

In essence, if we serve a higher ideal, that higher ideal will serve us. This is the message.

Conversely, Shri Krishna reminds us to not treat any individual, plant or animal with disrespect, since they are collectively serving us in some way or another.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 10, Chapter 3

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.10, anena, astu, chapter 3 verse 10, eshah, isthakaamadhuk, prajaah, prajaapatih, prasavishyadhvam, puraa, sahayajnah, srishtvaa, uvaacha, vah

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sahayajnah prajaah srishtvaa purovaacha prajaapatih |
anena prasavishyadhvamesha vostvishtakaamadhuk || 10 ||

In ancient times, Prajaapati created humanity along with yajna. He said “through this (yajna) let everyone prosper,  and may it become your fulfiller of wishes”.

sahayajnah : with yajna
prajaah : humanity
srishtvaa : created
puraa : in ancient times
uvaacha : said
prajaapatih: prajaapati
anena : through this
prasavishyadhvam : may you prosper
eshah : this
vah : for you
astu : become
ishtakaamadhuk : fulfiller of wishes

A common question for many of us is: “I understand the concept of selfless dedication. However, how do I know that I will be able to fulfill my material needs if I give up caring for the fruits of action altogether?” Shri Krishna has the answer : perform actions with selfless dedication or yajna, and your material needs will be provided for automatically.

If we work for a corporation, we do several different things everyday to fulfill our job responsibilities: respond to emails, attend meetings, draft project plans, make excel documents and so on. Do we ever think : “how much money will I get paid for opening this email? how much money do I get for attending this meeting?” If we have done our job right, the results will automatically come to us in the form of a monthly salary.

Shri Krishna explains that yajna is embedded within the fabric of humanity since time immemorial. It is a universal law. Once invoked, that law provides us with all that we need in this world. It becomes the “fulfiller of wishes”. And the key to invoke that universal law is to perform selfless action dedicated to a higher ideal.

This is the essence of karmayoga.

Footnotes
1. Some commentators interpret the word “isthakaamadhuk” to mean “kaamadhenu”, the mythological cow that grants any wish asked of her. But even with this interpretation, the essence of this shloka remains unchanged.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 9, Chapter 3

17 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.9, anyatra, ayam, chapter 3 verse 9, karma, karmabandhanaha, karmanah, kaunteya, lokah, muktasangah, samaachara, yajnyaarthaat

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yajnyaarthaarkarmanonyatra lokoyam karmabandhanaha |
tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samaachara || 9 ||

Other than those actions performed for yajna, this world gets bound by action. Therefore, O Kaunteya, perform actions in that regard, without attachment.

yajnyaarthaat : done for yajna
karmanah : actions
anyatra : except
lokah : world
ayam : this
karmabandhanaha: gets bound by action
tadartham : for that purpose
karma : actions
kaunteya : O Kaunteya
muktasangah : without attachment
samaachara : observing, practising

So far, Shri Krishna spoke about why performing action is essential, as well as what kind of action to perform. With this shloka, he begins the main topic of this chapter, which deals with how to perform actions. The second chapter mentioned it briefly, but this chapter goes deeper into it.

Shri Krishna uses the beautiful metaphor of a “yajna” to convey this teaching. In Indian culture, a yajna is a formal ritual of worship. Firstly, we fix a higher ideal before commencing a yajna, and dedicate the entire yajna to that ideal. Typically, that ideal is a “devataa” or a deity. Secondly, we perform actions such as chanting mantras and pouring oblations into the sacrificial fire, but do so with absolutely no trace of selfishness. Some mantras even include the words “naa mama” or “not me” to make unselfishness explicit.

So how does that ancient ritual apply to us? Let’s look at a practical example. An accountant working for a corporation can be successful if she acts in the spirit of a yajna. She should set a higher ideal, e.g. “I dedicate myself to the success of this corporation”. Then, she should perform her job responsibilities in the service of that goal. She will, for instance, frequently sign large cheques where there are opportunities to play games for selfish profit. But she will not even think about such things because her focus is on the company’s well being, not hers.

Now let’s see what happens when her goal becomes becomes selfish. She will begin to do things that generate “conflict of interest” in corporate-speak. She may slowly divert some of the company money to a shell company owned by a friend and so on. From a wordly perspective, she will get kicked out of the company sooner or later. From a spiritual perspective, each selfish action will bind her, propelling her into further selfish desires, and away from self-realization.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 8, Chapter 3

16 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.8, akarmanaha, api, cha, chapter 3 verse 8, hi, jyaayah, karma, kuru, na, niyatam, prassidhyet, shareera, te, tvam, yaatra

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niyatam kuru karma tvam karma jyaayo hyakarmanaha |
shareerayaatraapi cha te na prasiddhyedakarmanaha || 8 ||

You should perform prescribed actions, since action is superior to inaction. Also, even the journey of the body cannot be accomplished through inaction.

niyatam : prescribed
kuru : perform
karma : actions
tvam : you
karma : action
jyaayah : superior
hi : since
akarmanaha : inaction
shareera-yaatraa : journey of the body
api : even
cha : also
te : your
na prasiddhyet :  not accomplished by
akarmanaha : inaction

Having covered the topic of why one should perform action, Shri Krishna now speaks about what kind of action should be performed. He urges Arjuna to only perform “niyatam” or prescribed actions. What does this term mean?

Scriptures classify actions into several categories. Let us look at the two main ones: “niyatam” or prescribed actions, and “nishiddha” or forbidden actions . Prescribed actions are those that are enjoined in the Vedas. But in today’s context, we can interpret this as one’s duties. These include performing one’s svadharma, serving one’s parents, family, and nation etc. Forbidden actions are the “thou shalt not” actions such as killing another being, stealing, cheating and so on. So here, Shri Krishna urges Arjuna to perform prescribed actions, but without any trace of attachment to the action or to the fruit.

Now one may say “I like to watch a movie and enjoy a good meal. Those do not seem like prescribed duties. How should we think about those?”. Shri Krishna does not advocate repressing anything, as we saw earlier. But we should to define boundaries to any action, as well as minimize attachment or selfish motive. The best way to do so is to share.

If you want to watch TV, watch it collectively with your family and friends. Or share your meal with them. Doing so will ensure that our previously self-serving actions lose any trace of selfishness or ego. The best example here is a mom that always cooks what the family members like, and puts her preferences on a lower priority.

In addition, Shri Krishna reiterates the notion that one should never resort to inaction, He says that if one does not act, one cannot even perform maintenance of one’s body.

Our body is an important tool in our spiritual journey. Nowhere in the Gita has Shri Krishna asked us to neglect it. In fact, here he is saying that one should absolutely perform action to maintain the body, including bathing it, feeding it, keeping it strong and fit, and going to the doctor if it is not working properly. It is an extremely practical teaching.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 7, Chapter 3

15 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.7, aarabhate, arjuna, asaktah, chapter 3 verse 7, indriyaani, karmayogam, karmendriyaih, manasaa, niyamya, sa, tu, vishishyate, yah

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yastvindriyaani manasaa niyamyaarabhaterjuna |
karmendriyaih karmayogamasaktah sa vishishyate || 7 ||

But one who controls his senses by his mind, O Arjuna, and performs karmayoga with his organs-of-action without attachment – that individual is superior.

yah : that
tu : but
indriyaani : senses
manasaa : by mind
niyamya : controls
aarabhate : follows
arjuna : O Arjuna
karmendriyaih : through organs-of-action
karmayogam : karma yoga
asaktah : without attachment
sa : that individual
vishishyate : is superior

In the previous shloka, we saw that repressing our urges and giving up actions does not work. A different approach is needed to clean our vasanaas and selfish desires. In this shloka, Shri Krishna says that we should not give up actions – instead, we should give up attachment.

Giving up attachment is a technique unto itself, and this chapter goes into a lot of detail on that topic. To begin with, this shloka informs us that we need to arm ourselves with two weapons: discrimination or “viveka”, and dispassion or “vairagya”.

Let first look at discrimination. If we have followed the teaching so far, we know that material objects are are temporary and are not the true sources of happiness. But it is extremely easy to forget this teaching, especially if we have strong vasanaas and desires.

Therefore, we have to constantly arm ourselves with the weapon of discrimination by being always aware and alert about our thoughts and emotions. And we have to be especially alert when we are around objects that we are attached to. For a simple example take food: it could be chocolates for the sweet tooth person, fried food for the obese person etc.

Next comes dispassion. If we constantly practice discrimination, dispassion will happen automatically. Objects, people and situations will begin to lose their hold on us. Dispassion will prevent our energy from rushing out into the world of material objects through our senses. This is what the shloka means by the phrase “one who controls his senses by his mind.”

Finally, once the mind has gained back control over the senses, then the energy that once rushed out through our senses can be channeled into performing karmayoga. The next shloka will go deeper into what Shri Krishna means by karmayoga.

Footnotes
1. Verse 375 of Shankarachaarya’s Vivekachoodamani speaks of dispassion and discrimination as “two wings of a bird” that lift the seeker into realization.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 6, Chapter 3

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.6, aaste, chapter 3 verse 6, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, indriyaarthaan, manasaa, mithyaachaarah, sah, saiyamya, smaran, uchchyate, vimoodhaatmaa, yah

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karmendriyaani saiyamya ya aaste manasaa smaran |
indriyaarthaanvimoodhaatmaa mithyaachaarah sa ucchchyate || 6 ||

One who sits, forcibly restraining his organs of action, yet keeps thinking about objects, that foolish individual is known as a hypocrite.

karmendriyaani : (sense and action oriented) organs
saiyamya : forcibly restrain
yah : one who
aaste : sits
manasaa : in the mind
smaran : thinks
indriyaarthaan : (sense) objects
vimoodhaatmaa : foolish individual
mithyaachaarah : hypocrite
sah : that
ucchchyate : known as

The second chapter of the Gita informed us that the way to achieve the ultimate spiritual goal is by eliminating our vaasanaas, because they are the source of selfish desires. But this message has the potential to be dangerous if it is misinterpreted.

Under the banner of becoming more spiritual, some people put their bodies through extreme fasting, while some forcibly repress their urges. We see a milder version of this behaviour when individuals are trying to rid themselves of addictions by simply cutting off the supply or going “cold-turkey”.

For example, if one has an addiction to alcohol, one tries not to keep alcohol in the house to avoid temptation. That may work in the short term, but an addiction is not in the body, it is in the mind. It is like any other vasanaa and will come up as a desire when one sees alcohol the next time.

So in this shloka, Shri Krishna issues a strong warning to anyone who thinks that they can advance on the spiritual path through extreme repression of the body or of the mind. He uses a strong term to admonish such individuals by calling them hypocrites.

Let’s connect this shloka to the previous one. It informed us that the body, mind and intellect comprise the three gunaas. These gunaas born of prakriti will always compel us to perform actions. But the current shloka tells us that repression of action will not lead to elimination of desires. We have no choice but to perform action, yet we need clear up our desires and vasanaas.

So what’s the conclusion? We have to find a way to eliminate vasanaas WHILE we are performing actions. That technique is karma yoga.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 5, Chapter 3

13 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.5, akarmakrita, api, avashah, chapter 3 verse 5, gunaaih, hi, jaatu, kaaryate, karma, kaschit, kshanam, na, prakritijaih, sarvah, tishtati

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na hi kaschitkshanamapi jaatu tishthatyakarmakrita |
kaaryate hyaavashah karma sarvah prakritijairgunaih || 5 ||

For no one can stay without performing action, even for a moment. All beings, helplessly, are compelled to act by the gunaas born of prakriti.

na : not
hi : for
kaschit : anyone
kshanamapi : for even a moment
jaatu : in any state
tishthati : stay
akarmakrita : without performing action
kaaryate : compels to act
avashah : helplessly
karma : action
sarvah : all beings
prakritijaih : born of prakriti
gunaih : gunaas

Imagine a huge forest untouched by man, like we see on the National Geographic channel. If we look at it superficially, we could conclude that there is nothing going on there. But if we pay close attention, we will begin to hear the chirping of the crickets, the babble of a brook, the fluttering of wings and so on.

Watching all the actions going on in the forest reminds us of a simple fact. It is the tendency of nature or “prakriti” to act continuously. It never stays action-less even for a moment. Even a rock that seems action-less is undergoing geological change that is visible only after thousands or millions of years.

Now lets shift our attention to the human body. It too, is constructed by nature. It is composed of substances derived from the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, all products of nature. If our body is made of components born out of nature, wouldn’t it also follow the tendency of nature towards continuous action?

Therefore, Shri Krishna informs us that all beings have no choice but to act, because all beings are made up of prakriti. He explains that prakriti is nothing but three gunaas – energies or forces that make up this entire universe. These three energies are: rajas which causes movement, tamas which causes inertia, and sattva which maintains harmony between movement and inertia. This topic is taken up in great detail in later chapters.

In this way, Shri Krishna addresses the question raised earlier: “Why can’t I retire to the forest and cease all action?” We cannot, because the gunaas that we are made up are born out of nature, and nature never ceases to act continuously.

If this answer still does not satisfy us, let’s try to sit still for three hours. Even if we somehow manage to physically sit still, our minds will be racing with thoughts. And even the act of thinking is an action.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 4, Chapter 3

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.4, anaarambhaatm, ashrute, cha, chapter 3 verse 4, eva, karmanaam, na, naishkarmyam, prushah, samadhigachchati, sannyasanaat, siddhim

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na karmanaamanaarmbhaannaishkarmyam purushoshrute |
na cha sannyasanaadeva siddhim samadhigacchati || 4 ||

Neither does an individual attain actionlessness by not initiating action, nor by mere renunciation does he attain perfection.

na : neither
karmanaam : action
anaarmbhaat : not initiating
naishkarmyam : actionlessness
purushah : individual
ashrute : attains
na : nor
cha : and
sannyasanaat : renunciation of action
eva : mere
siddhim : perfection
samadhigacchati : attain

In the prior shloka, Shri Krishna dispelled Arjuna’s notion that the yoga of knowledge was superior to the yoga of wisdom. But there was another aspect to Arjuna’s question. He still was not convinced that he should fight the war, and was searching for pointers in Shri Krishna’s teaching that supported his desire to give up all action and flee the war. We saw this in the first chapter where he went to the extent of suggesting that he become a monk. Shri Krishna wanted to address that issue in this shloka.

First, let us understand what is meant by the word “actionlessness” in this shloka. Like many words in scriptures, it is not meant to be taken literally. The word “actionlessness” points to the ultimate state of the “sthithaprajnya” from the previous chapter. In this state, the vaasanaas have been so thoroughly eliminated that all action becomes completely selfless. There is absolutely no trace of selfishness. The word “Siddhim” or the state of perfection in the second half of the shloka, also refers to this state.

So therefore, Shri Krishna warned Arjuna that “actionlessness” cannot be attained by not starting a new action, nor by giving up actions that have already started. It would be similar to cutting off a plant without plucking its roots. Until our vaasanaas have been completely eradicated, they will keep generating desires which will lead us to selfish actions. But once vasanaas have been eradicated, only selfless actions will remain.

Now, some of us who are not fully convinced by this argument could still say: “I will renounce all actions right now and move to a quiet solitary place. If I just sit still for a long time, my desires will automatically melt away”. Shri Krishna addresses this point in the next shloka.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 3, Chapter 3

11 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.3, anagha, asmin, chapter 3 verse 3, dvividhaa, jnyaanayoga, karmayoga, loke, mayaa, naam, nishthaa, proktaa, puraa, saankhyaa, yogi

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Shree Bhagavaan uvaacha:
lokesmindvividhaa nishthaa puraa proktaa mayaanagha |
jnyaanayogena saankhyaanaam karmayogena yoginaam || 3 ||

Shri Bhagavaan said:
In this world, since time immemorial, I have created a two-fold path, O sinless one; the yoga of knowledge for contemplative individuals, and the yoga of action for yogis.

loke : world
asmin : this
dvividhaa : two-fold
nishthaa : path
puraa : since time immemorial
proktaa : spoken
mayaa : by me
anagha : O sinless one
jnyaanayogena : the yoga of knowledge
saankhyaanaam : for contemplative individuals
karmayogena : the yoga of action
yoginaam : for yogis

Earlier, we saw that Arjuna wanted to know which of the two paths, i.e. the yoga of action and the yoga of knowledge, is superior. Shri Krishna addresses that question here. According to him, none of the two is either superior or inferior.

Sant Jnyaneshwar provides an example to show that none of these paths are superior or inferior: like a west-flowing river and an east-flowing river that both meet the same ocean, both paths are same.

Now, even thought the paths are complementary, there is a subtle difference between them. Let us explore this difference. Consider a child who is in the first grade. Even if he wants to, he cannot jump straight to a masters degree. He would have to finish high school, then college, and only then will he be ready for his masters degree.

In the same way, most of us are at a stage in life where we are active and want to make a contribution to the world. For such yogis or active individuals, the path of action is the most appropriate. Once we reach a stage where we exhaust all of our desires, we can transcend the path of action to pursue the path of knowledge, just like we transcend college education to pursue our masters degree.

I used to know a classmate from school that was a math prodigy. He could solve advanced calculus equations in sixth grade. The teachers used to check with him whether they were teaching sixth grade math correctly, such was his prowess. He did not need to go through elementary math, he was ready for his math PhD even at that young age.

Similarly, there are a few rare individuals who are at an advanced stage of their spiritual journey. They have eliminated most of their desires. Only such rare contemplative individuals can directly pursue the path of knowledge. For most of us, the path of action is the way to go. And karmayoga, or the path of action, is the main subject covered in this chapter.

On a different note, we see that Shri Krishna is hinting that he is something more that the cowherd son of Vasudeva here. We know this because he mentions that he himself has created this two-fold path for realizing the eternal essence. This has not slipped past Arjuna, he will ask this question at the right time.

Bhagavad Gita Verse 2, Chapter 3

10 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in 3.2, aapnuyam, aham, buddhim, chapter 3 verse 2, ekam, iva, me, mohayasi, nishchitya, shreyah, tat, vaakyen, vada, vyaamishrena, yena

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vyaamishreneva vaakyen buddhim mohayaseeva me |
tadekam vada nishchitya yena shreyohamaapnuyaam || 2 ||

You are confusing my intellect with these mixed-up statements. Therefore, be certain and tell me that one statement by which I will attain the highest good. 

vyaamishrena : mixed-up
iva : these
vaakyen : statements
buddhim : intellect
mohayasi : confusing
me : my
tat : that
ekam : one
vada : tell
nishchitya : having ascertained
yena : which will
shreyah : highest good
aham : me
aapnuyaam : attain

Arjuna concludes his question to Shri Krishna in this shloka. As we saw last time, Arjuna did not fully comprehend the teaching from the second chapter. Being a military man, one who is trained in issuing and receiving terse orders in battlefield, he needed clear and simple instructions. Shri Krishna’s covered the entire essence of the Gita in the second chapter. So therefore, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to reveal what was most appropriate for him at this point in time.

Let’s refer to the student of music from the prior example. A student who starts his formal training in classical music usually attends a “classical music 101” course which covers topics such as the types of classical music, renowned composers and their compositions, the evolution of music through several centuries and so on. But, the teaching that is most beneficial to the beginner student is simple concepts like how to locate a note on the piano and so on.

The second chapter of the Gita is just like the classical music 101 course that covers lot of topics and techniques. With his mind bewildered by all that was heard, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to provide the one technique that was most appropriate for Arjuna at this stage in his spiritual journey.

Shri Krishna understood Arjuna’s situation and provided an answer in the next shloka.