Guest guest Posted January 17, 2000 Report Share Posted January 17, 2000 ================================ Om Sri mahAgaNAdhipatayE namaH | My salutations to Sri mahagaNAdhipati who is the protector of all good deeds... Om Srikrishna parabrahmaNE nama.h | My salutations to Lord Srikrishna who is the personification of the supreme brahman... Om bhava SaMkara dESika mE SaraNaM | I take refuge at the lotus feet of the great Adi Sankaracharya, the supreme teacher of the non-dual philosophy. I beg his permission, and humbly seek his blessings in order that everybody, who is going to read/participate in this Bhagawadgita yagna, will achieve peace, prosperity and highest wisdom... Om tat sat... Om namO brahmAdibhyO, brahma vidyA saMpradAya kartRbhyO, vaMSa RishibhyO, mahadbhyO, namO gurubhyaH || My humble salutations to all the mighty Gods starting from Brahma. My humble salutations to the sages who have created a syllabus for the supreme education (brahma vidya), My humble salutations to my forefathers - who are the Seers of my family roots. My humble salutations to all Great mahatmas known and unknown to the world. My humble salutations to my teachers.. aGYaanatimiraandhasya GYaanaaJNjanashalaakayaa chakshurunmiilitaM yena tasmai shriigurave namaH || Salutations to that guru who opened the eyes of the blind and cleared the darkness (cover) of ignorance with the wisdom of knowledge. Salutations to that guru, who is the Creator, Protector, and Destroyer and who indeed is the limitless Brahman ================================ Chapter 1. Arjuna-Grief [Commentary by Swamy Chinmayananda] Introduction. No other race in the world had ever harnessed do successfully the scintillating possibilities of the drama in literature for the purposes of philosophical exposition as the ancient Hindus. The Upanishads were recorded in the form of conversations between the teacher and the taught, in the quiet atmosphere of the silent and peaceful Himalayan valley. In the Geeta, however, the highest and the best in Hindu philosophy has been reiterated, in a more elaborate and detailed dramatic layout amidst the din and roar of a total-war. Krishna gives his message of manly action to Arjuna amidst the breathing, palpitating environment of the clash and carnage of a battle-field. The Kauravas, hundred in number, represent the innumerable ungodly forces of negative tendencies within man's bosom, and the Pandavas, no doubt, represent the divine impulses in him. A constant Mahabharata war is being waged within every one of us at all our crucial moments of action; and in all cases the negative forces in each one of us are larger in number and usually mightier in their effectiveness, while the inner divine army is ever lesser in number and apparently, comparatively weaker in efficiency. Therefore, every single individual, at the moment of his inward checking up, must necessarily feel the desperations of Arjuna. The story of the Mahabharata sounds an optimistic note of hope to man that, even though the diviner impulses are seemingly less in number, if the same are organized fully and brought under the guidance of the Supreme Lord, Krishna, the Self, then, under His guidance, they can easily be ushered into a true and permanent victory over the outnumbering forces of lust and greed. The Kauravas, representing the negative tendencies and the sinful motives in a mortal's bosom, are born as children to the old king, Dhritarastra, a born-blind prince, wedded to Gandhari, who had VOLUNTARY blinded herself by putting bandages over her eyes! Commentators are tempted to see in this a very appropriate significance. Mind is born-blind to truth, and when it is wedded to an intellect which also has ASSUMED blindness, the negative instincts yoked with low motives can only beget a hundred criminalities and sins! When, upon the spiritual field of self-development within (Dharmakshetra), the lower instincts and the higher ideals array themselves, ready to fight, a true seeker (the captain of the latter), under the guidance of his divine discriminative intellect, takes himself to a point on no-man's land between the two forces for the purpose of reviewing the enemy lines, without identifying himself with either the good or the evil in him. And, at that moment of his introspective meditations, the egoistic entity comes to feel a morbid desperation and feels generally incapacitated to undertake the great spiritual adventure of fighting his inner war with any hope of victory. This peculiar mental condition of a seeker is beautifully represented in the vivid picture of Arjuna's dejection in the opening chapter. In Sanskrit works, it is a recognized tradition that the opening stanza should generally indicate the whole theme of the text. The bulk of the book then discusses at length the different views and gives all possible arguments, until its concluding portion the last stanza generally summarizes the final conclusions of the Sastra on the theme indicated in the opening section of the book. In this way, when we consider the Geeta, we find that the Divine Song starts with the word 'Dharma' and concludes with the term 'Mine' (Mama); and therefore, the contents of the Geeta, we may conclude, are nothing but 'My Dharma' (Mamma Dharma). The term Dharma is one of the most intractable terms in Hindu philosophy. Derived from the root dhar (Dhri) to uphold, sustain, support, the term Dharma denotes 'that which holds together the different aspects and qualities of an object into a whole.'* Ordinarily, the term Dharma has been translated as religious code, as righteousness, as a system of morality, as duty, as charity, etc. But the original Sanskrit term has a special connotation of its own which is not captured by any one of these renderings. The best rendering of this term Dharma that I have met with so far is 'the Law of Being' meaning, 'that which makes a thing or being what it is.' For example, it is the Dharma of the fire to burn, of the sun to shine, etc. Dharma means, therefore, not merely righteousness or goodness but it indicates the essential nature of anything, without which it cannot retain its independent existence. For example, a cold dark sun is impossible, as heat and light are the Dharmas of the sun. Similarly if we are to live as truly dynamic men in the world, we can only do so by being faithful to our true nature, and the Geeta explains 'to me my Dharma.' In using thus the first person possessive noun, this scripture perhaps indicates that the Song Divine sung through the eighteen chapters is to be subjectively transcribed, lived, and personally experienced by each student in his own life. _______________ 'Dharanat Dharmam Ithyahu, Dharmena Vidhritah Prajah.' Verses DhRtarAshTra uvAca: dharma kshEtrE kurukshEtrE sama vEtA yuyutsavaH mAmakAH paMDavAscaiva kimakurvata saMjaya || 1.1 1.1 Dritarashtra said: What did the sons of Pandu and also my people do when, desirous to fight, they assembled together on the holy plain of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya? In the entire Geeta this is the only verse which the blind old king Dhritarashtra gives out. All the rest of the seven hundred stanzas are Sanjaya's report on what happened on the Kurukshetra battle-field, just before the war. The blind old king is certainly conscious of the palpable injustices that he had done to his nephews, the Pandavas. Dhritarashtra knew the relative strength of the two armies, and therefore, was fully confident of the larger strength of his son's army. And yet, the viciousness of his past and the consciousness of the crimes perpetrated seem to be weighing heavily upon the heart of the blind king, and so he has his own doubts on the outcome of this war. He asks Sanjaya to explain to him what is happening on the battle-field of Kurukshetra. Vyasa had given Sanjaya the powers to see and listen to the happenings in far-off Kurukshetra even while he was sitting beside Dhritarashtra in the palace at Hastinapura. saMjaya uvAca: dRshTvAtu pAMDavAneekaM vyooDhaM duryOdhanastadA AcAryamupa saMgamya rAjA vacana mabraveet || 1.2 1.2. Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas drawn up in battle array, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher (Drona) and spoke these words. >From this stanza onwards, we have the report of Sanjaya upon what he was and heard on the war-front at Kurukshetra. When Duryodhana saw the Pandava-forces arrayed for battle, though they were less in number than his own forces, yet the tyrant felt his self-confidence draining away. As a child would run to its parents in fright, so too Duryodhana, unsettled in his mind, runs to his teacher, Dronacharya. When our motives are impure and our cause unjust, however well-equipped we may be, our minds should necessarily feel restless and agitated. This is the mental condition of all tyrants and lusty dictators. pasyaitAM pAMDu putrANA mAcArya mahateeM camooM vyooDhAM dRpada putrENa tava SishENa dheematA || 1.3 1.3. Behold, O Teacher! this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, arrayed by the son of Drupada, thy wise disciple. It is indeed stupid of Duryodhana to point out to Drona the army formation of the Pandavas. Later on also we shall find Duryodhana talking toomuch and that is a perfect symptom indicating the inward fears of the great king over the final outcome of the unjust war. atra SoorA mahEShvAsA bheemArjuna samA yudhi yuyudhAnO virATaSca dRpadasca mahArathaH || 1.4 1.4. Here are heroes, mighty archers, equal in battle to Bhima and Arjuna, Yuyudhana, Virata and Drupada, each commanding eleven-thousand archers. dRshTakEtu scEkitAnaH kASi rAjasca veeryavAn purujit kuMti bhOjasca Saibyasca nara puMgavaH || 1.5 1.5. Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kasi, Purujit and Kuntibhoja and Saibya, the best of men. yudhA manyusca vikrAMta uttamoudAsca veeryavAn soubhadrO droupadEyAsca sarva Eva mahAradhAH || 1.6 1.6. The strong Yudhamanyu and the brave Uttamaujas,the son of Subhadra and the sons of Draupadi, all of them, divisional commanders. In these three stanzas, we have a list of names of all those who were noted personalities in the Pandava army. Duryodhana, reviewing his enemies standing in formation, recognizes very many noted men of war functioning as maharathas in the Pandava forces. A maharathi was in charge of a group of 11,000 archers, which formed a division in the ancient Hindu army. Arjuna and Bhima were accepted men of war, noted for archery and strength. These enumerated heroes were, says Duryodhana, each as great as Arjuna and Bhima, the implication being that though the Pandava forces were less in number, their total effectiveness was much greater than that of the larger and better equipped army of the Kauravas. asmAkaMtu viSishTyE tAnni bOdha dvijOttama nAyakA mama sainyasya saMjnArthaM tAnbraveemitE || 1.7 1.7. Know also, O best among the twice-born, the names of those who are the most distinguished amongst ourselves, the leaders of my army; these I name to thee for thy information. Addressing his master as 'the best among the twice-born,' Duryodhana now repeats the names of the distinguished heroes in his own army. A weak man, to escape from his own mental fears, will whistle to himself in the dark. The guilty conscience of the tyrant king had undermined all his mental strength. The more he realized that combined strength of the great personalities arrayed in the opposite enemy camp, the more abjectly nervous he felt, in spite of the fact that his own army was also manned by highly competent heroes. In order to revive himself, he wanted to hear words of encouragement from his teachers and elders. But when Duryodhana met Drona, the acharya chose to remain silent and the helpless king had to find for himself new means of encouragement to revive his own drooping enthusiasm. Therefore, he started enumerating the great leaders in his own army. When a person has thus completely lost his morale due to the heavy burden of his own crimes weighing on his conscience, it is but natural that he loses all sense of proportion in his words. At such moments of high tension an individual clearly exhibits his true mental culture. He addresses his own teacher as 'the best among the twice-born.' A Brahmana is considered as 'twice-born' because of his inner spiritual development. When born from his mother's womb man comes into the world only as the animal called man. Thereafter, through study and contemplation he gains more and more discipline, and a cultured Hindu is called a Brahmana (Brahmin). After all, Drona is a Brahmana by birth and as such he must have a greater share of softness of heart. Moreover, the enemy lines are fully manned by his own dear students. As a shrewd dictator, Duryodhana entertained shameless doubts about the loyalty of his own teacher. This is but an instinctive fear which is natural with all men of foul motives and crooked dealings. When we are not ourselves pure, we will project our own weaknesses and impurities on others who are working around us as our subordinates. [to be cont...] [Material provided by Lilia] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2000 Report Share Posted January 18, 2000 Namaste, Cogitations on the Gita: Regards, S. It would not be an exaggeration to aver that the word ' dharma ' is the single most valuable concept in human language; the noble and sublime ideas associated with its all-encompassing meaning are a marvel in itself. It is no chance that the Gita begins its course with this very word, even if uttered by one who was far from being its exemplar. According to Shankara, satya means speaking the truth, and dharma means translating it into action: " satyamiti yathaashaastraarthataa sa eva anushhThiiyamanaH dharmanaamaa bhavati ." As Sw. Chandrasekharendra Saraswati put it:" You must look upon the world as belonging to the Lord, and it is your duty to so conduct yourself as to conform to this belief. This constitutes the dharma of humanity. " The whole Gita mentions the word less than fifteen times, but with what telling effect! (ref. 2:7, 4:7,8; & 18:66) The Divine takes the human form for the purpose of instructing dharma! Some Upanishadic sources in the use of the word dharma: dharmaatpara.n naasti . [There is nothing higher than righteousness.] Brihadaranyaka upan. I:iv:14 yo vai sa dharmaH satya.n vai tat.h . [That which is justice is truth.] Brih. up. I:iv:14 aya.n dharmaH sarveshhaM bhuutaanaM madhu . [This righteousness is like honey to all beings.] Brih. up. II:v:11 yadena.n saadhavo dharmaa aa cha gachchheyuH . [All good qualities hasten towards him.] Chandogya upan. II:i:4 trayo dharmaskandhaa yaj~nodhyayana.n daanamiti . [Three branches of religious duty: sacrifice, study, and charity.] Chand. up. II:xxiii:1 vaagvaava..vij~naapayati dharma.n chaadharma.n cha ... vaachamupaasveti . Speech indeed makes us understand merit and demerit...therefore worship speech.] Cha. VII:ii:1 vij~naanena vijaanaati dharma.n chaadharma.n cha ...vij~nanamupaasveti . [understanding indeed makes us understand right and wrong..therefore, meditate on understanding.] Chand. VII:vii:1 aNureshhu dharmaH . [subtle is truth.] Katha upan. I:i:21 anyatra dharmaat.h . [Different from virtue.] Katha I: ii:14 eva.n dharmaan pR^ithak pashyan.h . [one who perceives the selves separately.] Katha II:i:14 dharma.n chara . [Practise righteousness.] Taiitiriya upan. I:xi:1 dharmaana pramaditavyam.h . [Let there be no deviation from righteous activity.] Tait. I:xi:1 dharmaavahaM paapanudaM bhagesham.h . [The source of virtue, destroyer of sin, master of all good qualities.] Shvetashvatara up. VI:6 ----Original Message Follows---- "Madhava K Turumella" <madhava advaitin <advaitin > Bgagawad Gita - Ch.1 - Verses 1-7 Mon, 17 Jan 2000 13:57:08 -0800 In Sanskrit works, it is a recognized tradition that the opening stanza should generally indicate the whole theme of the text. The bulk of the book then discusses at length the different views and gives all possible arguments, until its concluding portion the last stanza generally summarizes the final conclusions of the Sastra on the theme indicated in the opening section of the book. In this way, when we consider the Geeta, we find that the Divine Song starts with the word 'Dharma' and concludes with the term 'Mine' (Mama); and therefore, the contents of the Geeta, we may conclude, are nothing but 'My Dharma' (Mamma Dharma). The term Dharma is one of the most intractable terms in Hindu philosophy. Derived from the root dhar (Dhri) to uphold, sustain, support, the term Dharma denotes 'that which holds together the different aspects and qualities of an object into a whole.'* Ordinarily, the term Dharma has been translated as religious code, as righteousness, as a system of morality, as duty, as charity, etc. But the original Sanskrit term has a special connotation of its own which is not captured by any one of these renderings. The best rendering of this term Dharma that I have met with so far is 'the Law of Being' meaning, 'that which makes a thing or being what it is.' For example, it is the Dharma of the fire to burn, ____ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2000 Report Share Posted January 18, 2000 Gita begins with "DHARMA" (chapter 1, verse 1) and ends with "MAMA" (chapter 18, verse 78). According to Swami Chinmayananda, the word combination "Mama Dharma" has special significance. Mamadharma stands for Swadharma which means that each of us has the freedom to define our moral rules and ethics of living. We are obligated to complete the duties that are necessary for our living without violating our Mamadharma. Dharma, a Sanskrit word, means duty or pursuit of social and personal ideals of behavior. Its literal meaning is "that which sustains." Every thing that goes with the natural order or state of things is dharma. The dharma of fire is to heat, dharma of a flower is to bloom and dharma of a human is "eternal bliss." Mamadharma plays a pivotal role in determining the Hindu way of life. It implies that an individual has the obligation to conduct his (her) duties at a level much higher than the social norms. Social laws suggest the minimum standard of Dharma where as Mamadharma requires the individual to seek the highest standard of Dharma! Though the knowledge of right and wrong are relative and subjective, no one has any excuse committing a crime! Dharma holds one up to the highest conception of "Right," and expects everyone to do the "Right" for rights sake, and not for the sake of obeying the law. The conception of right requires us not to judge others because the standard of ethics varies by individuals. Both Ram Chandran Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 22, 2000 Report Share Posted January 22, 2000 namaste, Cogitations on the Gita: At the risk of anticipating the colophon of this 1st chapter, two words have been already mentioned, viz. brahmavidyaa and yogashaastra. The third word is vishhaada. The dictionary definition, as per Monier-Williams, is : viSAda Meaning m. (ifc. f. %{A}) drooping state , languor , lassitude Ma1lati1m. ; dejection , depression , despondency (esp. as the result of unrequited love) MaitrUp. MBh. Ka1v. &c. ; disappointment , despair (one of the Vyabhica1ras q.v.) Das3ar. Sa1h. ; aversion , disgust Bhartr2. ; fear , weakness MW. ; dulness , stupidity , insensibility (= %{moha}) ib. ; %{-kRt} mfn. causing depression or grief. R. ; %{-janaka} mfn. id. Prab. Sch. ; %{-vat} mfn. dejected , downcast , sad Katha1s. ; %{-dA7rta-vadana} mfn. looking depressed with care or sorrow R. For those who would like to explore some of Prof. Ranade's brilliant analyses of mysticism, may like to read his books: Pathway to God in Hindi Literature, and Pathway to God in Kannada Literature; as well as Mysticism in Maharashtra. In these he has reviewed the literary legacy of all the saints who wrote in these languages, and has given examples for "Incentives to Spiritual Endeavours", in the beginning chapters. As we explore this 1st chapter, it might be a fruitful exercise to delineate these factors and compare our explorations with Prof. Ranade's. The next important word in the colophon is 'sa.nvaada', which we can study profitably later on. Regards, S. ----Original Message Follows---- "Madhava K Turumella" <madhava advaitin <advaitin > Bgagawad Gita - Ch.1 - Verses 1-7 Mon, 17 Jan 2000 13:57:08 -0800 ================================ ____ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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