Gita Navaneetam - Introduction

[Guest guest]

After writing on Karma yOga series there was some inner urge to write on

the whole of Gita. Gita Navaneetam series presents my understanding of

Gita, which I am going post as I finish each section summarizing the

essence of Gita, chapter by chapter. I am natorius in misspelling, typos

and in gramatical construction. Your corrections are welcome in

improving the presentation. If anyone can help me correcting the

trasliteration as well as putting slokas in devanagari script that will

be great.

With salutations to all,

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

 

Gita Navaneetam

 

SadAshiva samArambhAm shankarAchArya madhyamAm|

asmad AchArya paryantAm vandE guruparamparAm||

 

vAtsalya rUpam triguNairatItam, Ananda sAdram amalirnidhAnam|

Shree chinmayAnanda gurOpraNItam, sadAbhajEham tavapAdapankajam||

 

Prostrations to my mother, father and to my teacher.

 

Introduction

 

Bhagavad Gita occupies a unique place in the pursuit of truth, the truth

that transcends time and space – sanaatana dharma. The student of Gita

is a man of action, Nara, and the teacher is the Lord of the Universe,

Narayana, and the teaching is in the midst of a battle filed. The

dramatization of the set up is unique and symbolizes the relevance of

Gita to resolve eternal conflict – the fundamental human problem -

conflict of do-s versus don’t-s, conflict of duty versus attachments,

conflict of right versus wrong or conflict of dharma versus adharma.

Unlike in the Upanishads where the contemplative teaching normally takes

place in the quietitude of serene Himalayan environment, Gitopadesha

starts in the middle of two armies that are ready to fight. The

teaching in the battlefield is dramatization of the war within and war

without. The teaching starts before the first arrow was shot and when

the student looses his objectivity because of his attachments. The

attachments cloud his vision of right from wrong. This was true for

Arjuna and this is true for all of us. The teaching is needed to face

the war squarely with right attitude. Arjuna represents the man of

action, who feels responsible to uplift dharma, who has gone through

life’s struggles and tribulations and who is ready to fight for justice.

As a kshatriya prince, it was ingrained in him that he should uphold

dharma at any cost. The dramatization of Bhagavad Gita set-up indicates

that dhaarmic action or an action to uphold the righteousness forms a

basis for evolution of the mind and for its purification, before one

retires for contemplation on the higher nature. Krishna not only

provides a methodology of how to act, but also with what attitude one

should act, along with the secret of success in any pursuit. In

addition, He also teaches the essence of the human goal in all our

pursuits, and how to acquire that state. Thus, Gita is not only a yoga

shaastra but also contains the Brahma vidya. Typical of all Hindu

scriptures, the teaching is done in the form of a dialogue, samvAda,

between the teacher and the taught – KrishnArjuna samvAda. The student

is encouraged to ask questions to clarify his understanding.

 

The teaching is not sectarian or provincial; it is addressed to all

human beings transcending gender, cast, creed, or nationality, who are

struggling to experience their divine nature, the universal oneness of

their soul, while facing the continuous onslaught of vicissitudes that

life provides. It is the teaching that synthesizes the unity than

glorifies the diversity, that unifies than discriminates, that invites

than imposes, like a mother who steers the child to a greater happiness

with discipline and love. It evokes bhakti or love for the highest, out

of fulfillment than out of emptiness, with love-divine filled with

compassion and sacrifice than love of greed, of demanding or of begging.

 

 

Gita echoes the teaching of eternal by a universal teacher who proclaims

the teaching from eons, which was sung by sages and saints of the yore –

‘RishhibiH bahudA gItaM’. Krishna himself declares that He himself

taught this knowledge eons ago to Vivaswan, and now He is teaching again

purely out of love to Arjuna and thus to humankind. Gita is a

quintessence of Upanishads milked by Lord Krishna himself for the

benefit of humanity - sarvOpanishhadO gaavO dhOgdhA gOpAla nandanaH. It

does not deal with a philosophy of academic interest, but deals with

Brahma vidya, about the knowledge of eternal reality along with the

science of dynamic application to gain that knowledge, yoga shAstra.

The love or devotion is rational and not sentimental, and it is

universal with fullness as it is all inclusive and not narrow mindedness

with exclusions. It proclaims:

yO yO yAm yAm tanum bhaktaH shraddayArchitumicchati|

tasya tasya calAm shraddhAm tameva vividhAmyaham||7-21

“Whoever, whoever he may be he who, and whatever, whatever form he

worships Me, the universal principle, with full devotion, in that and in

that form alone I give him the unshakable faith. It emphasizes the

formless form of the ever-existent truth, which includes all forms,

while excluding none. Hence, any form is as good as any other form.

That form that captivates one’s mind and that takes one beyond the form

is an ideal form for him. Furthermore, Krishna declares that in

whatever way one worships that form he blesses them in that way, “ye

yathaa maam prapadyante taam stathaiva bhajaamyaham”. Thus, devotion to

the universal principle knows no bounds, no norms to be followed, no

methodology, no rules and regulations, not even specific forms to be

used. Krishna declares:

patram pushpam phalam toyam, yo me bhaktyaa prayatcchati|

tadam bhaktyupahRitam ashnaami prayataatmanaH||

Whoever offers me with full devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even

some water, with pure heart without any demand, without any beggary, I

receive it with love. It is not a transactional love. It is love of

adoration thanking for whatever that has been given. Man is blessed

with an impeccable body to transact with the world outside, a beautiful

mind to feel emotions of the heart and a contemplative intellect to

think conceptually and learn – what more can one ask for. The love for

the divine depicted in Gita is an unadularated pure love. It is a

longing of the soul for the supreme reality to become one with it,

without any expectations, without any fear, without any reservations.

The culmination of the love is the complete surrenderance to the

supreme, where there are no more divisions or no more distinctions of

any kind, where all the notions of jiiva including the separateness from

the Lord are dissolved in that pure love. Pure love demands identity

without any exclusions, evolving from sAdRisyam to sAmIpyam to sAyujyam

– vision and admiration of the Lord, closer acquaintance with the Lord

and ultimately to become one with the Lord.

 

Bhagavad Gita is applicable for all centuries to come and for the whole

humanity, since it deals with eternal reality and man’s struggles to

realize the supreme. Thus, it deals with the science of yoga. Its

approach is catholic taking one beyond the narrow corridors of

fanaticism, which involves exclusiveness that is contrary to the oneness

of the totality. Dramatization of the teaching with superior intellect

Krishna in the driver’s seat with rains in his hand teaching Arjuna who

is confused in the battle field is symbolic representation depicted in

the Kathopanishad.

 

Bhagavaan Shankara in his introduction to Gita bhaashhya states that

Lord Narayana having brought forth the entire universe from unmanifest

to manifest provided a two-pronged approach to humans for their

evolution; pravRitti, the path of action and nivRitti, the path of

contemplation.

loke2smin dvividhaa nishhTaa purA prOktA mayAnagha|

jnAnayOgEna sAnkhyAnAm karmayOgena yOgena yOginAm|| 3-3.

The pravRitti is set forth by the creation of prajaapatis, who were

imported with the knowledge of action, and nivRitti is set forth by the

creation of Sanat kumaaras who were imported with the knowledge of

contemplation. Both aspects are essential for the prosperity and

stability of the world. The first is needed to ensure the socio-economic

welfare (abhyudaya) and the second is for spiritual freedom of all

beings (niHshreyasa). This is both for individual growth as well as for

the stability, welfare and prosperity of the world. Thus, Shankara

summarizes the teaching of Gita in terms of Karma yoga as essential

ingredient to develop the human faculty for Jnaana yoga. Karma yOga

involves the five-fold duties (panca mayA yagnas) ordained by the Vedas,

which purifies the mind for jnAna yOga. JnAna yOga helps to acquire

jnAna which helps to cross the thresholds of samsAra, that is to nirvaNa

or liberation. Thus, pravRitti to nivRitti to mOksha is the path

emphasized in Gita. Bhakti is the essential ingredient needed for the

success in each path.

 

Bhakti, pure love or devotion, involves complete surrenderance to the

Lord or prapatti or sharaNAgati. In the path of pravRitti or KarmayOga,

it manifests as unconditional offering of all actions to the Lord or

kainkaraya bhaava or Iswaraarpita bhaava, and accepting the results with

prasAda buddhi or blessings from the Lord. In the path of nivRitti or

path of contemplation, Bhakti manifests as unconditional surrenderance

of the ego at the alter of the truth, in the awakening of the knowledge

of the unity with the totality.

 

Goal of a Human Life: Pursuit of happiness seems to be the fundamental

goal of all living beings. Hence either it is pravRitti or nivRitti,

what one is seeking for is the absolute uninterrupted happiness. Hence,

whether he is religions or irreligious, whether he is Hindu or

non-Hindu, whether he is young or old, whether he is married

(grahastha), bachelor or sannyaasi, what one is seeking for is not the

Lord, not the soul, not mOksha, but absolute eternal happiness.

Happiness is not an object nor does it come with any object. It is a

state of mind that is contended, with no more wanting or no more

desiring mind, which feels adequate with itself. Such moments of

happiness are achieved momentarily whenever a desire is fulfilled. A

desire is an expression of feeling of inadequacy. Fulfillment of desire

eliminates that inadequacy at lease momentarily until another desire

props up in the mind. One cannot reach adequacy and thus happiness, by

fulfilling the desires, since fulfillment of desires only broods more

desires, like pouring gasoline to putout the fire. Hence, it is said in

manusmRiti

 

sarvam paravasham duHkham sarvam Atmavasham sukham|

yetat vidyAt samAsena lakshaNam sukhaduHkhayOH||

Any dependence on other than oneself is sorrow and any dependence on

oneself is happiness. Know that this in brief is the definition for

happiness and sorrow.

 

Liberation or mOksha or nirvANa, in brief, is freedom from dependence.

Any freedom or mOksha that makes one to depend on something other than

oneself is only another form of bondage. Longing for freedom is an

inborn desire. Search for happiness is also an in born pursuit. When

one goes after something, be it wealth, power, sensuous pleasure, etc,

or one goes away from or avoids or gets rid of things, in both cases one

is only after happiness or freedom. Every pursuit of human being is

dictated by his likes and dislikes or raga-dveshhas which propel him to

go after a thing or to get rid of a thing. His happiness depends on the

fulfillment of his desires or likes and dislikes or vAsanas. Hence as

long as he depends on his likes and dislikes for him to be happy, he is

not free. Any fulfillment of his likes and dislikes only reinforces his

likes and dislikes and enslaves him further. It is like getting

happiness by drinking alcohol or taking drugs. Hence, any dependence on

fulfillment of his likes and dislikes for his happiness is only slavery.

 

 

Freedom from dependence on his likes and dislikes then becomes a gate

way for his mOksha or liberation. One cannot easily get rid of one’s

likes and dislikes nor one can reach fullness by fulfilling his likes

and dislikes. Thus, a human being is caught up in a whirlpool of desire

– actions – desires giving rise to birth-action-birth (janam to karma to

janma), an unending cycle. There cannot be any freedom until and unless

one is free from the onslaught of ones likes and dislikes. Krishna

teaches yoga of action and yoga of knowledge to free oneself from the

pressure of these two, which He calls as two great enemies for a human

being.

 

Freedom is freedom from limitations. Any limitations make one to be

dependent and not independent. It can be at the body level or mind

level or intellect level. A sense of limitation causes a feeling of

inadequacy which propels the mind to go after objects. By gaining

objects or getting rid of objects one wants to get rid of the sense of

limitation. However, a state of limitlessness cannot be reached by

adding or subtracting finite things or objects. Yet, a state of

limitlessness alone is state of absolute inexhaustible happiness that

one wants to be (anantameva ananadaH), while a limited human being

cannot gain limitlessness by adding any limited things or beings. In

fact, a limited human being can never attain limitlessness or

infiniteness, yet the longing for limitlessness or happiness is in born

and universal. We are caught up with dichotomy; we cannot stop longing

for limitlessness and we cannot gain limitlessness. Vedanta comes to

our rescue to teach us that we are that what we are seeking for.

Happiness that we seek comes from our own nature since we are by nature

limitless that we want to be. Limited can never become unlimited. If we

are already unlimited then what makes us to be longing for

limitlessness? If we assume that we are limited not knowing that we are

unlimited then there is a search for unlimited. Ignorance of our true

nature is our fundamental problem and only solution to the problem is to

understand the problem in correct perspective and recognize our true

nature. MOksha or liberation is therefore not gaining something since

infinite cannot be gained, not going somewhere since infinite cannot be

reached, but by recognizing our true identity. Vedanta declares that

our true nature is sat-chit-ananda – which is

existence-consciousness-limitless. These are not attributes but very

essence, since sat is chit and chit is sat which is limitless and

limitless is ‘I’.

 

Hence, freedom is not something to gain but to recognize our fundamental

nature. Bondage is only due to misunderstanding or mistaking ourselves

to be this unconscious, limited inert object such as body, mind or

intellect. Here limitlessness is infiniteness in absolute sense which

can only be one without a second, ekam eva advitiiyam, hence Brahman.

ayam aatma brahma, that this self that I am is Brahman, one without a

second, is the declaration by the shruti.

 

This understanding of our true nature is not readily accepted due to our

deep-rooted preconceived notions about ourselves that we are limited

time-wise, space-wise and object-wise and thus we take our selves to be

mortal, ignorant and unhappy. This understanding forms the basis for

the teaching of Bhagavad Gita by the Lord to not only set Arjuna right

but also the whole humanity. Gita forms a manual of how to claim our

immortality that we are. A sage screams out in the Upanishad addressing

us:Shrunvantu vishhvE amRitasya putraH – ‘Listen you all, the sons of

immortality’ – implying that immortality is our birthright. We are not

sinners as the other religions call us since divinity is our birthright.

This teaching can sink in only when our minds are free from preconceived

notions about ourselves. That is, it is free from the pressures of

likes and dislikes, since they are the outgrowth of our presumed

limitations. Hence karma yOga is taught to purify the mind from the

pressure of the vAsanas and to make the mind qualify for jnAna yOga.

jnAna yOga is then taught to gain the knowledge of our true nature.

------------------

[Guest guest]

Namaskarams Sadaji!

 

What a wonderful way to welcome the 'Spring Season'( Vasanta Ritu)by

starting a series on the Srimad Bhagvat Gita - the eternal song of

Divine Love.

 

My Sanskrit Professor during my high school days was very fond of

reciting this Subhashita to us at the onset of the Spring season

which goes like this :

 

Kakah krishna pikah krishna

ko bheda pikaka kakayoho

Vasanta samaye prapte

kakah kakaha pikah pikaha

 

THE crow is BLACK and the Cuckoo(koel) is also black; how do you

differentiate them since they both kind of look alike? But at the

onset of spring season . when both the crow and cuckoo begin to

sing , you can at once tell the difference for the Cuckoo sings

melodiously and the Crow's cawing is far from musical rather it is

jarring to the ears!

 

In a Satsangha such as ours , there are all kinds of musicians

singing their own favorite notes -from Vada to vivarta vada to

Samvada to Vithandavada ! Smile!

 

When Sri Krishna plays his magical Flute of the eternal song of

Srimad Bhagwat gita , there is only 'Nada' no Vada!

 

It is time to do some 'spring' cleaning not only of our houses but

also engage in some 'chitta' shuddhi by breathing in the fresh and

divine teachings of the Srimad Bhagwat gita.

 

Sadaji, i was particularly captivated by these words in your

concluding para

 

(a sage screams out in the Upanishad addressing us:Shrunvantu

vishhvE amRitasya putraH – `Listen you all, the sons of

immortality' – implying that immortality is our birthright. We are

not sinners as the other religions call us since divinity is our

birthright.)

 

Yes. Divinity is our birthright and not only that 'Divinity is

within' and please allow me to quote a favorite saying of Swami

Vivekananda

 

"Arise,Awake,and stop not till the goal is reached. All power is

within you. You can do anything and everything. Believe in that,

donot believe that you are weak. Stand up and express the divinity

within you."

 

Yes! The 'divinity' is within but like a deer we keep looking for it

in the Forest when the musk in the navel of the deer.

 

You state

 

(This teaching can sink in only when our minds are free from

preconceived notions about ourselves. That is, it is free from the

pressures of likes and dislikes, since they are the outgrowth of our

presumed limitations. Hence karma yOga is taught to purify the mind

from the pressure of the vAsanas and to make the mind qualify for

jnAna yOga. jnAna yOga is then taught to gain the knowledge of our

true nature. )

 

Yes! indeed ! DISCOVERING OUR 'TRUE NATURE' - what a beautiful inner

pilgrimage...

 

ps - i will try to do my best to do a spell check and proof read your

messages and send them to you. That is a small token of my Love and

respect for your valiant efforts to restore the faith and shraddha in

the eternal teachings of the Srimad Bhagvat Gita. THIS IS

ONE 'NAVANEETHAM' (BUTTER) that will lower our cholestrols by

granting us peace and tranquility!

 

 

Hari Aum Tat Sat

[Guest guest]

Thanks you dhyanasaraswati for your kind words and blessing. When

saraswati blesses with dhyana what more can one ask for.

 

Thanks for volunteering for checking the spellings and grammer.

 

Hari OM!

Sadananda

 

--- dhyanasaraswati <dhyanasaraswati wrote:

> Namaskarams Sadaji!

>

> What a wonderful way to welcome the 'Spring Season'( Vasanta Ritu)by

> starting a series on the Srimad Bhagvat Gita - the eternal song of

> Divine Love.

.............

> ps - i will try to do my best to do a spell check and proof read your

> messages and send them to you. That is a small token of my Love and

> respect for your valiant efforts to restore the faith and shraddha in

> the eternal teachings of the Srimad Bhagvat Gita. THIS IS

> ONE 'NAVANEETHAM' (BUTTER) that will lower our cholestrols by

> granting us peace and tranquility!

>

>

> Hari Aum Tat Sat

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>