Gita Satsangh: Chapter 9 - Verses 11 to 15

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

Thanks, Dennis, Michael, and Nair, for the comments on the

stories and for the further stories. I think it is time now to

go on to the next set of verses of the ninth chapter. Here they

are, Verses 11 to 15:

 

avajaananti maaM muuDhaa maanushhii.n tanumaashritam.h .

paraM bhaavam-ajaananto mama bhuuta-maheshvaram.h .. 9\.11..

 

“Fools, disregard Me, clad in human form, not knowing My

higher being as the great lord of all beings.”

 

moghaashaa moghakarmaaNo moghaGYaanaa vichetasaH .

raakshasiim-aasurii.n chaiva prakR^itiM mohinii.n shritaaH ..

9\.12..

 

"Those senseless persons with vain hopes, futile actions and

fruitless knowledge have embraced the deceitful nature of demons

and undivine beings."

 

mahaatmaanastu maaM paartha daiviiM prakR^itim-aashritaaH .

bhajanty-ananya-manaso GYaatvaa bhuutaadim-avyayam.h .. 9\.13..

 

"On the other hand, Arjuna, great souls, who possess a divine

nature knowing Me as the imperishable source of all beings,

worship Me constantly with undivided mind."

 

 

satataM kiirtayanto maa.n yatantashcha dR^iDhavrataaH .

namasyantashcha maaM bhak{}tyaa nitya-yuk{}taa upaasate ..

9\.14..

 

"Constantly chanting My names and glories and striving to

attain Me, and bowing, again and again, to Me, those devotees of

firm reslove, even united with Me through meditation, worship

Me, with single-minded devotion."

 

GYaanayaGYena chaapyanye yajanto maamupaasate .

ekatvena pR^ithak{}tvena bahudhaa vishvatomukham.h .. 9\.15..

 

“Others (Jnana yogis) also sacrificing with the

knowledge-sacrifice worship Me, the all-faced, as one, as

distinct, as manifold”.

 

 

Easy references:

 

The Gita Supersite http://www.gitasupersite.org/ contains most

of

the commentaries including commentaries in many languages.

 

For Gita Dhyana Shlokas/Mantras and Mahatmya

 

/message/advaitin/6987

 

Adi Shankara's commentary, translated by Swami Gambhirananda, at

URL:

advaitinGita/Shankara1/gmbCH9.htm

 

Swami Chinmayananda's commentary at URL:

advaitinGita/Chinmaya/COMM9.HTM

 

 

praNAms to all advaitins,

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

..

Namaste.

 

A few comments, to start with, on these five verses.

 

Though the two verses 11 and 12 talk about the negative

characteristics in us, there is a subtle difference between the

two verses. The first one is about the average person among us.

The second one is about the worst among us. Or it may be taken

also as the reason why the average person behaves as in Verse

11. As an average person we not only do not recognize the Lord

when He comes in human form, but we do not also recognize the

divinity inherent in every one of us, because we see only the

outer self. The divinity that is in me, in you, and in

everybody, is not obvious to us. On the other hand, the person

whose insight is darkened because of his AsurI nature (AsurI

may be taken to mean the absence of light) is spiritually

blind. He is groping in darkness. Even his fondest hopes,

greatest actions and profoundest knowledge are tainted by

illusion and therefore useless.

 

The three verses 13, 14 and 15 highlight the characteristics of

the man with divine nature. The whole purpose is for us to rise

from the undivine nature described in verses 11 and 12 to the

divine nature described in 13 to 15. This is the growth of the

God in Man. It is the uplifting of the whole being. Between the

verses 13 and 14 on one side and 15 on the other side there is

again a subtle difference. The first two talk about the great

souls who open themselves to the divine nature of which we are

capable. Verse 15 on the other hand talks of still higher souls

on the spiritual ladder who have reached a unique comprehension

filled with Bhakti. Their comprehension is founded on three

types of scaffolding; one is that of the faith in the Oneness of

all beings, the other is that of the acceptance of multiplicity

telescoped into the Oneness and yet another is that of the

conviction that plurality has to be accepted as fundamental.

These three are respectively, the viewpoints of advaita,

visishtadvaita, and dvaita. But all three types have the common

ground of worshipping the Supreme through what is called

jnAna-yajna. This means that the worship is not blind, but it

has a predominant stress on knowledge and understanding. It has

a goal, namely, a vision of the Divine. This vision may differ

from person to person but that is not relevant. What is relevant

is that it is a vision born of the jnAna-yajna, that is, a

dedication to Knowledge, seeking of Truth through Understanding

and Experience.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos

http://launch./u2

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

It appears these verses have not evoked much discussion. Maybe

they are simple and self-explanatory. If that is the case I

shall wait for just one or two days and go over to the next set

of verses. However, let me not appear to rush the discussion.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

propfvk

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

This post comprises my personal ruminations on BG 9: 11 – 15 strictly

within the advaitic format. If it is of any help to anybody, I will

be more than happy. If I have erred in grammar and misunderstood the

actual import of the words, kindly bear with me.

 

Advaitically, the world of multiplicity as a separate entity outside

us is an error in our understanding. The diversity is nothing but

infinite permutations and combinations of the three gunas in varying

degrees.

 

The spectrum of this diversity is the theme of BG 9 : 11 – 15.

 

At the bottom are the deluded who take this world for real, run after

it and come to great grief. All their efforts are centred around

gratifying the body (mind, intellect and ego implied) which they

think they really are. They have no time to pause, think and

perceive that it is after all Consciousness, their real nature, that

enables creation to be. Thus, all their desires, actions and

understanding are ridden with delusion. There isn't a speck of

light or divinity there. Only thick, impenetrable delusion. They

are the "farthest" from Consciousness, therefore. (9:11 – 12).

 

As opposed to them are the great ones who discriminate and understand

the source of all beings as Consciousness and devotes themselves

fully to IT. They are not distracted by the multiplicity of creation.

Their nature therefore is divine. Their life is a song devoted to

Consciousness and total, undivided, determined surrender to it

through all actions. They are, thus ever attached to Consciousness.

(9:13-14).

 

An understanding of 9:15 will not be complete without defining

jnAnayajna. What is jnAnayajna? I think the key to its definition is

in the second line. Consciousness appears to be vishvatomukham –

projecting in infinite directions as the created universe(s). Those

who see through the game discern the single source (unity -ekatwa) of

creation, acknowledge the divinity in each distinct object perceived

(pRiTaktwa) and in the manifold (bahudhA) totality. This discernment

is a knowledge, is knowing something, and, therefore, involves

duality. That sense of duality needs to be sacrificed at the altar

of Consciousness for true `realization without the need for anything

to be realized' to take place. That sacrifice is jnAnayajna through

which they verily become Consciousness. (9:13-14).

 

Pranams.

 

Madathil Nair

____

 

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> It appears these verses have not evoked much discussion. Maybe

> they are simple and self-explanatory. If that is the case I

> shall wait for just one or two days and go over to the next set

> of verses. However, let me not appear to rush the discussion.

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "Madathil Rajendran Nair" <madathilnair>

wrote:

>

> An understanding of 9:15 will not be complete without defining

> jnAnayajna. What is jnAnayajna? I think the key to its definition

>is in the second line. Consciousness appears to be

> vishvatomukham – projecting in infinite directions as the created

> universe(s). Those who see through the game discern the single

> source (unity -ekatwa) of

> creation, acknowledge the divinity in each distinct object

> perceived (pRiTaktwa) and in the manifold (bahudhA) totality.

> This discernment is a knowledge, is knowing something, and,

> therefore, involves duality. That sense of duality needs to be

> sacrificed at the altar of Consciousness for true `realization

> without the need for anything

> to be realized' to take place. That sacrifice is jnAnayajna

> through which they verily become Consciousness. (9:13-14).

 

Nairji, thanks for reviving the Gitasatsangh discussion and that too

with your delightful comments on the verses. Yes, jnAna yajna is not

a process by which we seek the Absolute as something different from

us. It is the pursuit of that Equanimous View (samadR^iShTi) by

which one sees nothing but Divinity everywhere, a Divinity, not

distinct - 'advaita' - from the Consciousness, that is our own Self.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

 

It is the pursuit of that Equanimous View (samadR^iShTi) by

> which one sees nothing but Divinity everywhere, a Divinity, not

> distinct - 'advaita' - from the Consciousness, that is our own

Self.

 

Namaste,

 

This point is also emphasised in the phrase, in verse 13,

' bhajanti ananyamanasaH '.

 

In the commentary (in Marathi) by Pandit Satavalekar, he has

explained the meaning of bhajanti as including : service (sevA),

honor (sanmAna), offering one's all (dAna), performing one's duties

for the sake of the Truth (tatparatA kartavya).

 

'ananya' = an + anya (not + another), meaning totally

identifying one's self with the Supreme, without any distinction.

 

mahAtmAnaH - the great souled - worship thus.

----

 

In the words of Jnaneshvara:

 

[ http://www.bvbpune.org/chap09.html ]

 

"I dwell in the pure heart (or a devote) like an ascetic at a holy

place. Dispassion does not leave him even in sleep. Righteousness

regains in his good thoughts and desires and his mind always

nourishes discriminating knowledge. Bathing in the river of

knowledge, he has attained perfection and he looks like the foliage

on the tree of ever-lasting peace (186-190), or the blossoms of the

supreme spirit, or a pillar in the pavilion of fortitude, or an

overfull jar dipped in the ocean of bliss. He has attained such

ecstasy of devotion that he turns awas from liberation and his

natural conduct is full of morality. All his senses are filled with

perfect peace and his mind has, as it were, wrapped up by my all-

pervading being. Such high-souled persons, possessed of divine

endowment, fully comprehend my divine nature, and they worship me

with great devotional love, without being touched by any sense of

duality (191-195). O Arjuna, thus becoming one with me, they serve

me, I shall tell you the novelty of their devotion, please listen.

 

In the case of such devotees, control of the senses and mind become

redundant, the holy places become desolate, and the activities of the

hell come to a stop. Self-control does not know whom to control, self-

restraint does not know whom to restrain and the holy waters do not

find even a trace of sin to cleanse. Thus by loudly singing my name,

my devotes heal the miseries of all beings and make the whole world

resound with bliss ."

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder