AW: Gita Satsang - Ch. 8 ; verses 16 - 20; February 26 , 2002 - Reply to Sri Ken

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indriyaaNi paraaNyaahurindriyebhyaH paraM manaH .

manasastu paraa buddhiryo buddheH paratastu saH .. 3\.42..

 

They say that the senses are superior (to the body) ; superior to the senses

is the mind; superior to the mind is the intellect; one who is even superior

to the intellect is He, (the Atman ) .

 

 

> -----Ursprungliche Nachricht-----

> Von: ken knight [hilken_98]

> Gesendet: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 11:21 PM

> An: advaitin

> Betreff: Re: Gita Satsang - Ch. 8 ; verses 16 -

> 20; February

> 26 , 2002

>

>

>

> --- "Madhava K. Turumella" <madhava wrote:

> > mat chittaaH mat gata-praaNaaH bodhayantaH

> > parasparam.h .

> > kathayantaH cha maa.n nitya.n tushhyanti cha ramanti

> > cha ..

> >

> > shriimad-bhagavad-giitaa 10:9

> >

> > 'With their thought on Me, with their life absorbed

> > in Me,

> > instructing each other, and ever speaking of Me,

> > they are content and

> > delighted.'

>

> Namaste Madhava,

> Here comes that word again that I have been enquiring

> into with Swaminarayan.

> The word is 'chittaaH'. In Chapter 9 Lord Krishna

> uses the formulaic manmanaa bhava madbhakto...set your

> mind on Me, be my devotee.

> Now we get Shankara's commentary saying 'With minds

> fixed on Me' means dwelling in Me.

> Is there something special about the use of ChittaaH

> in this case? The next verse brings in the

> discrimination, buddhi, so we have the three faculties

> of mind chittaaH, buddhi, manas (possibly) used here.

> This morning a friend of mine sent me a quote from HH

> Shantanand Saraswati, late of Jyotir Math, saying that

> the buddhi was closest to Brahman...

 

NamastE Kenji,

 

Sorry for the delay in reply.

 

ndriyaaNi paraaNyaahurindriyebhyaH paraM manaH .

manasastu paraa buddhiryo buddheH paratastu saH .. 3\.42..

 

They say that the senses are superior (to the body) ; superior to the senses

is the mind; superior to the mind is the intellect; one who is even superior

to the intellect is He, (the Atman ) .

 

>I will look up the

> exact quote if you wish. However this reference once

> more confused me as to the functions of buddhi and

> chittaaH. The latter I see as a reflecting function,

> which is necessary for buddhi to emerge, but I am

> aware that it is often referred to as the

> 'storehouse'.

>

> In these verses I can work out a reasoning for the

> different words for mind: chittaaH, buddhi, manas

> used here but I would appreciate others' more

> experienced observations.

>

> Om sri ram

 

You are right that "citta" is a kind of storehouse! However, "who is

storing and what!" is the question. The higher the instrument which is

storing, the better! Perhaps contemplating on the following 3 verses from

Gita where Citta is again refered will help you understand better. However,

I will write a more detailed reply again.

 

niraashiiryatachittaatmaa tyak{}tasarvaparigrahaH .

shaariiraM kevalaM karma kurvannaap{}noti kilbishham.h .. 4\.21..

 

21. Without hope, with the mind and Self controlled, having abandoned all

possessions, doing mere bodily action, he incurs no sin.

 

If the music coming from a violin is not good, the audience does not attack

the violin, although the violinist cannot be very safe! The violin, of its

own accord, does not make music but it allows music to emanate from it at

the touch of the flying bow and the tickling fingers of the performer. Its

duties end when its supple chords have bent under the touch of the

musician's dancing fingers. An ego-less man-of-Perfection is the "wonder

instrument" through which the Divine orchestra plays, singing the song of

the Lord's own Will, faithfully. Any activity undertaken by a Perfect Master

does not and cannot bring about any consequences, good orevil, upon him; he

is only a "Divine-instrument."

 

 

yogii yuJN{}jiita satatamaatmaanaM rahasi sthitaH .

ekaakii yatachittaatmaa niraashiiraparigrahaH .. 6\.10..

 

10. Let the YOGI try constantly to keep the mind steady, remaining in

solitude, alone, with the mind and body controlled, free from hope and

greed.