Gita's most pertinent counsel

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Even for someone in a hurry,who wants to know the:"what, where, when,

why, who, and how" of life, Gita 18:49-55 would be adequate.

 

Regards,

 

s.

 

 

>Ram Chandran <chandran

>advaitin

>Advaitin List <advaitin >

> Re: Gita's most pertinent counsel

>Sun, 20 Feb 2000 15:46:32 -0500

>

 

 

 

.. When the Sadhak completes the

>Gita Study and follows the path of Gita, he/she will never be in hurry!

>

>regards,

>

>Ram Chandran

 

____

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[Guest guest]

Greetings Srinivasji:

 

Here is an answer to your question by Gandhiji: ".......... Hinduism as I

know it entirely satisfies my soul, fills my whole being, and I find a solace

in the Bhagavadgita and Upanishads that I miss even in the Sermon on the

Mount. Not that I do not prize the ideal presented therein, not that some of

the precious teachings in the Sermon on the Mount have not left a deep impress

upon me, but I must confess to you that when doubts haunt me, when

disappointments. stare me in the face, and when I see not one ray of light on

the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavadgita and find a verse to comfort me; and I

immediately begin to smile in the midst of over-whelming sorrow. My life has

been full of external tragedies and, if they have not left any visible effect

on me, I owe it to the teaching of the Bhagavadgita" (From an address to

Christian Missionaries, Young India, 6-8-1925)

 

Here is another answer from my grandmother. She used to say that whenever she

was in distress, she opens and chooses a verse from Gita at Random. She was

always able to find the solution to her question in her mind! Those who

believe in Visistadvaita philosophy, just prostrate before Gita and pray for

mercy!

 

The Sadhak who looks for a verse in Gita is not really in hurry! The Sadhak

not in hurry should remember the verse in verse chapter 18:

 

Saravadharmaan parityajya maam akam saranam vraja

aham tvaa sarvapaapebhyo moksasyisyaami maa sucah

 

Abandoning all duties, come t Me alone for shelter. Be not grieved, for I

shall release thee from all evils.

 

According to Ramanujacharya, this verse will serve as a tonic to the Bhakta to

revitalize his spirits. Madhvacharya argued that this verse confirms we are

instruments of God, the commander in chief. Shankaracharya also admires and

suggests, that when the Jnani surrenders his/her ego, he/she is free from

guilt feelings in conducting the duties.

 

A more detailed analysis of this verse is shown below. Sadhak in hurry may

like to ignore this analysis!

 

The compound word `Sarvadharman' in this verse denotes all those duties

enjoined by the sastras, which have been prescribed for a particular man

according to his grade in society, stage in life, temperament and

circumstances, and which have been referred to in verse 6 of Chapter XII as

`Sarvani Karmani' and by the term `Sarvakarmani' in verse 57 of the present

chapter. Laying down all these duties in God in the manner suggested in the

commentary on the verses mentioned above is what is meant by the verb

`Parityajya'. For, while discussing the conception of `Tyaga' in the course of

this chapter, the Lord has unequivocally declared in verse 7 that it is not

justifiable to abandon one's allotted duties, so that giving them up through

ignorance is what has been characterized as Tamasika Tyaga. Therefore, by no

stretch of imagination can the word `Parityajya' be interpreted in the sense

of abandoning all duties.

 

Besides this, the Lord has commanded Arjuna at more than one places (III.3O;

VIII. 7; XI.34) not to desist from fighting, which is a sacred duty with the

Ksatriyas, but to participate in war resigning all duties to Him. And having

carefully listened to the Gita, Arjuna himself not only expresses his

willingness to do His bidding in verse 73 of the present chapter, ' but

actually participated in the Mahabharata war and thus discharged his sacred

obligation. `Sarvadharman parityajya' should, therefore, be taken to mean

laying down all one's duties in the Lord, and not actually giving them up. And

the man who has laid down his duties in the Lord regards everything as

belonging to Him; and completely renouncing the feeling of `I' and `mine', as

well as attachment and desire in respect of his mind, senses and body and with

regard to all actions performed by them as well as to their fruit, continues

to perform such duties only for His sake and according to His behest's and

prompting like a mere tool in His hands.

 

Having resigned all his duties to God in the above manner, the devotee who

has solely taken refuge in the Lord regards Him as his supreme goal, safest

retreat, chief support, dearest object of love, greatest well-wisher, most

intimate friend and nearest relative, and looks upon Him as his supporter,

lord and guardian. He constantly thinks of Him at all times with supreme

reverence and exclusive love even while sitting or standing, awake or asleep,

eating and drinking, walking and moving from one place to another and carrying

out His behest's in every way. He ever remains contented with His dispensation

and like the celebrated devotee, Prahlada, entirely depends on Him and Him

alone. All this is covered by taking refuge in the Lord. The idea has been

clearly brought out in the commentary on verse 6 of Chapter XII, the

concluding verse of Chapter X and verse 57 of this very chapter.

 

The word `Papa' forming part of the compound word `Sarvapapebhyah' in this

verse stands for the bondage of action in the shape of fruits of good and evil

deeds, under which this Jiva or embodied soul has been revolving from birth to

birth through different species of life; and the absolution from sins referred

to here consists in freeing one from the above bondage. Therefore, the idea

underlying the freedom from sins promised by the Lord is the same as has been

conveyed in verse 31 of Chapter III by the words `Karmabhih mucyante' by the

words `Mrtyusamsarasagarat samuddharta bhavami, in verse 7 of Chapter XII, and

by the words `Matprasadat sarvadurgani tarisyasi' in verse 58 of the present

chapter.

 

The Lord winds up the teaching of the Gita by comforting Arjuna in the words

"Ma Sucah" (worry not). Concluding with these words the teaching which He

commenced in verse 11 of Chapter II with the words `Asocyan'(not worth

grieving for), the Lord exhorts Arjuna, who had already betaken himself to

Him, to surrender himself completely and thereby be rid of all worries, and

having shed all grief and fear, abandon himself to His care for ever. This

total absence of sorrow and realization of God form the principal theme of the

Gita.

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

[Guest guest]

Greetings Srinivasji:

 

Your statement, "But for Sadhak in hurry, what stanza could distill the

teaching most?" is an interesting puzzle. One of reasons for people not

attending "Time management course" was turned out to be lack of time! In

reality, those who do not find time are the right candidates for the Time

management program!

 

Similarly when the Sadhak wants quick solutions for problems, he/she should

invest more time to understand Gita completly. When the Sadhak completes the

Gita Study and follows the path of Gita, he/she will never be in hurry!

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran