Srimad Bhagavad Geeta by Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar Chapter 2 Part 3

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Start of Geeta Upadesam:-

 

Sri Bhagavaan: "Arjuna! Never was there a time when Myself, the

controller of everything did not exist. Never was there a time when you

did not exist. Never was there a time when any of these kings did not

exist. Just as you are convinced about the eternal existence of Myself,

who is the Supreme among all sentient beings, be convinced that

similarly, all of you are going to exist forever. Therefore what is the

point in grieving over something that cannot be destroyed?"

 

Arjuna: "Kanna! How am I to believe that the soul will exist forever

when all the time we talk about "that one died and this one is born"?

 

Sri Bhagavaan: "Dhananjaya! Just as it is possible for a body to go

through stages of childhood, youth and old age during the soul's

residence in that body, similarly it is totally conceivable that the

soul can change bodies at the end of a specified period. A learned

person (Jnani) does not grieve over this. (Here is a definition of the

word Jnani by Sri Thirukullam Narasimha Raghavachariar in answer to Sri

Sudarshan's question of a week or two ago.) In other words, just as

body undergoes changes during the residence of the soul within that

body, the soul comes into contact with many different bodies during its

stay in the material world. When we talk of the death of a person we

only mean end of the residence of the soul in that particular body. It

does not mean the death of the soul. We define the soul's contact with

a new body as birth. The soul is subject to neither creation, nor

destruction. That is why we consider living entities (souls) to be

eternal."

 

Arjuna: "Madhusoodhana! Even if the soul is eternal and the destruction

of the body is imminent, can one stop grieving about the destruction of

the bodies? I grieve over the impending destruction of the bodies of

Bhishma and Drona."

 

Sri Bhagavaan: "Oh Son of Kunti! Since the nature of the soul is

eternal, it is meaningless to grieve for it. As the material body is

temporary, it is certain that its existence in its current state will

come to an end. Whether one grieves for the body or not will not change

this fact. Never will there be a time when the soul will cease to

exist."

 

Arjuna: "Oh Son of Devaki! What is the reason for the immortality of

the soul? Why is the body of temporary nature?"

 

Sri Bhagavaan: "Oh Paandava! Since the soul is subtler (smaller in

dimension) than any material object, it is capable of pervading any

material object. In other words, since it is smaller than any proton,

electron, quark or sub divisions of these particles yet to be

discovered, it is capable of entering into these objects. The reverse

is not possible. A weapon necessarily has to be smaller than the object

it seeks to destroy. Therefore knives, hammers etc cannot destroy the

soul. For all these reasons, it is not possible for us to perceive the

soul. Saastras have made it very clear that the state of existence of

the body is temporary. Therefore do not grieve for either the body or

the soul. Perform your duty of fighting the battle with the aim of

attaining liberation without being attached to the results of the war."

 

Arjuna: "Vaasudeva! If the soul is indestructible, then how do we

reconcile the regular usage of statements like - "He kills a man. He

kills a goat. He kills a bull." with the above? If it were to refer to

just the destruction of these bodies, then we should saying, "He killed

his mother and father" when an individual cremates their bodies.

Therefore, we have to necessarily mean that the soul is being destroyed

when we talk about killing. In that case, how will the logic of the

immortality of the soul hold?"

 

Sri Bhagavaan: "One who thinks that there exists a weapon capable of

destroying the indestructible soul and one who thinks that the soul can

be destroyed by an object are both mistaken. They have not understood

the truth. Since the soul is eternal, it is not capable of being

destroyed by any object. There does not exist an object that can

destroy the soul. Therefore expressions like "killing" and its

derivatives should not be understood to mean the destruction of the

nature of the soul. It only refers to the separation of the present

body from the soul. This is what the Saastras say. The soul is neither

born at the time of creation, nor dies at the time of dissolution of the

universe. The talk of creation and destruction at the beginning and end

of time (kalpa) refers only to the material body, not to the eternal

soul."

 

Arjuna: Kanna! (I accept the fact that) the eternal soul cannot be

destroyed. Transmigration of the soul between various bodies alone

takes place. But still how can you tell me not to grieve? If I fight

this war and separate the souls from the bodies of kings and they get

future bodies as animals and birds as a result of their karma, then is

that not cause for grieving? I cannot be asked to rejoice just because

they are going to get a new, rejuvenated body. Since there is no

guarantee that by killing these kings, I am assuring them of bodies of

demigods (superior birth) in the future, how can I not grieve for the

separation of the body from the soul of these kings?

 

Sri Bhagavaan: "Paartha! Just as a man discards worn out clothing and

replaces them with new and more attractive clothing, soldiers discarding

their bodies in a just war are assured of newer and more attractive

bodies. Therefore, even though you need not rejoice, there is no need

to grieve either."

 

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adiyen

jaganath.

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna.

 

Bharadwaj, Jaganath <jbb0

>Sri Bhagavaan: "Arjuna! Never was there a time when Myself, the

>controller of everything did not exist. Never was there a time when you

>did not exist. Never was there a time when any of these kings did not

>exist. Just as you are convinced about the eternal existence of Myself,

>who is the Supreme among all sentient beings, be convinced that

>similarly, all of you are going to exist forever. Therefore what is the

>point in grieving over something that cannot be destroyed?"

 

 

This verse, occuring 12th in the second chapter, is also remarkable because

it quite clearly and succinctly refutes the major tenet of advaitist

philosophy, namely, the idea that plurality of living entities is due to

maya alone, and that only a single, nondifferentiated Brahman is the actual

reality. Here, Lord Krishna clearly states that all of the living entities

have always existed and will always continue to exist. The plurality

referred to here is clearly eternal.

 

Still, the advaitin might argue that the living entities are eternal, but

they only exist as individuals temporarily in the bodily concept of life.

But in the previous verse, Lord Krishna already condemned the bodily concept

of life. Thus, it is not sensible to presume that He would immediately speak

again of such a concept, which is what we must believe in order to accept

the advaitin's interpretation. In other words, if individuality was an

illusion, and Lord Krishna had just condemned the bodily concept of life

which is based on such illusion, we would not expect Him to again speak in

terms of the conditioned, individual existence.

>Sri Bhagavaan: "Paartha! Just as a man discards worn out clothing and

>replaces them with new and more attractive clothing, soldiers discarding

>their bodies in a just war are assured of newer and more attractive

>bodies. Therefore, even though you need not rejoice, there is no need

>to grieve either."

 

 

It is a little known fact that this statement by Lord Krishna proved more

true than anyone might have expected. Normally, a soldier who gives his life

on the battlefield can be expected to attain the higher planetary systems.

However, the soldiers of the Kurukshetra war got an even better benediction.

Shriimad Bhaagavata Puraana states:

 

vijayarathakuTumbha aattatotre dhR^itahayarashmini tachchhriyekShaNiiye |

bhagavati ratirastu me mumuurShoryamiha niriikShya hataa gataaH svaruupam ||

1.9.39 ||

 

(translation by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami)

vijaya - Arjuna; ratha - chariot; kuTumbe - the object of protection at all

risk; aatta-totre - with a whip in the right hand; dhR^ita-haya -

controlling the horses; rashmini - ropes; tat-shriyaa - beautifully

standing; iikShaNiiye - to look at; bhagavati - unto the Personality of

Godhead; ratiH astu - let my attraction be; mumuurShoH - one who is about to

die; yam - upon whom; iha - in this world; niriikShya - by looking; hataaH -

those who died; gataaH - attained; sva-ruupam - original form.

 

At the moment of death, let my ultimate attraction be to Shrii Krishna, the

Personality of Godhead. I concentrate my mind upon the chariot driver of

Arjuna who stood with a whip in His right hand and a bridle rope in His

left, who was very careful to give protection to Arjuna's chariot by all

means. Those who saw Him on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra attained their

original forms after death (bhaagavata puraaNa 1.9.39).

 

The svaruupa referred to here is the original spiritual form of the living

entity. Lord Krishna is so merciful that even the enemies on the battlefield

who saw Him were liberated.

 

Hare Krishna!

 

-- HKS