BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:1-3

[Guest guest]

BHAGAVAD-GITA 16:1-3

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca

abhayam sattva-samsuddhir

jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih

danam damas ca yajnas ca

svadhyayas tapa arjavam

 

ahimsa satyam akrodhas

tyagah santir apaisunam

daya bhutesv aloluptvam

mardavam hrir acapalam

 

tejah ksama dhrtih saucam

adroho nati-manita

bhavanti sampadam daivim

abhijatasya bharata

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;

abhayam--fearlessness; sattva-samsuddhih--purification of one's

existence; jnana--in knowledge; yoga--of linking up; vyavasthitih--the

situation; danam--charity; damah--controlling the mind; ca--and;

yajnah--performance of sacrifice; ca--and; svadhyayah--study of Vedic

literature; tapah--austerity; ariavam--simplicity;

ahimsa--nonviolence; satyam--truthfulness; akrodhah--freedom from

anger; tyagah--renunciation; santih--tranquillity; apaisunam--aversion

to fault-finding; daya--mercy; bhutesu--towards all living entities;

aloluptvam--freedom from greed; mardavam--gentleness; hrih--modesty;

acapalam--determination; teiah--vigor; ksama--forgiveness;

dhrtih--fortitude; saucam--cleanliness; adrohah--freedom from envy;

na--not; ati manita--expectation of honor; bhavanti--are;

sampadam--the qualities; daivim--the transcendental nature;

abhijatasya--of one who is born of; bharata--O son of Bharata.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness; purification of

one's existence; cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity;

self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity;

simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom from anger;

renunciation; tranquillity; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for

all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty;

steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and

freedom from envy and from the passion for honor--these transcendental

qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine

nature.

 

PURPORT

 

In the beginning of the Fifteenth Chapter, the banyan tree of this

material world was explained. The extra roots coming out of it were

compared to the activities of the living entities, some auspicious,

some inauspicious. In the Ninth Chapter, also, the devas, or godly,

and the asuras, the ungodly, or demons, were explained. Now, according

to Vedic rites, activities in the mode of goodness are considered

auspicious for progress on the path of liberation, and such activities

are known as daiviprakrti, transcendental by nature. Those who are

situated in the transcendental nature make progress on the path of

liberation. For those who are acting in the modes of passion and

ignorance, on the other hand, there is no possibility of liberation.

Either they will have to remain in this material world as human

beings, or they will descend among the species of animals or even

lower life forms. In this Sixteenth Chapter the Lord explains both the

transcendental nature and its attendant qualities and the demoniac

nature and its qualities. He also explains the advantages and

disadvantages of these qualities.

 

The word abhijatasya in reference to one born of transcendental

qualities or godly tendencies is very significant. To beget a child in

a godly atmosphere is known in the Vedic scriptures as

Garbhadhana-samskara. If the parents want a child in the godly

qualities they should follow the ten principles recommended for the

social life of the human being. In Bhagavad-gita we have studied also

before that sex life for begetting a good child is Krsna Himself. Sex

life is not condemned, provided the process is used in Krsna

consciousness. Those who are in Krsna consciousness at least should

not beget children like cats and dogs but should beget them so that

they may become Krsna conscious after birth. That should be the

advantage of children born of a father and mother absorbed in Krsna

consciousness.

 

The social institution known as varnasrama-dharma--the institution

dividing society into four divisions of social life and four

occupational divisions or castes--is not meant to divide human society

according to birth. Such divisions are in terms of educational

qualifications. They are to keep the society in a state of peace and

prosperity. The qualities mentioned herein are explained as

transcendental qualities meant for making a person progress in

spiritual understanding so that he can get liberated from the material

world.

 

In the varnasrama institution the sannyasi, or the person in the

renounced order of life, is considered to be the head or the spiritual

master of all the social statuses and orders. A brahmana is considered

to be the spiritual master of the three other sections of a society,

namely, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas and the sudras, but a sannyasi, who

is on the top of the institution, is considered to be the spiritual

master of the brahmanas also. For a sannyasi, the first qualification

should be fearlessness. Because a sannyasi has to be alone without any

support or guarantee of support, he has simply to depend on the mercy

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one thinks, "After I leave

my connections, who will protect me?" he should not accept the

renounced order of life. One must be fully convinced that Krsna or the

Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized aspect as Paramatma is

always within, that He is seeing everything and He always knows what

one intends to do. One must thus have firm conviction that Krsna as

Paramatma will take care of a soul surrendered to Him. "I shall never

be alone," one should think. "Even if I live in the darkest regions of

a forest I shall be accompanied by Krsna, and He will give me all

protection." That conviction is called abhayam, fearlessness. This

state of mind is necessary for a person in the renounced order of

life.

 

Then he has to purify his existence. There are so many rules and

regulations to be followed in the renounced order of life. Most

important of all, a sannyasi is strictly forbidden to have any

intimate relationship with a woman. He is even forbidden to talk with

a woman in a secluded place. Lord Caitanya was an ideal sannyasi, and

when He was at Puri His feminine devotees could not even come near to

offer their respects. They were advised to bow down from a distant

place. This is not a sign of hatred for women as a class, but it is a

stricture imposed on the sannyasi not to have close connections with

women. One has to follow the rules and regulations of a particular

status of life in order to purify his existence. For a sannyasi,

intimate relations with women and possession of wealth for sense

gratification are strictly forbidden. The ideal sannyasi was Lord

Caitanya Himself, and we can learn from His life that He was very

strict in regards to women. Although He is considered to be the most

liberal incarnation of Godhead, accepting the most fallen conditioned

souls, He strictly followed the rules and regulations of the sannyasa

order of life in connection with association with woman. One of His

personal associates, namely Chota Haridasa, was associated with Lord

Caitanya along with His other confidential personal associates, but

somehow or other this Chota Haridasa looked lustily on a young woman,

and Lord Caitanya was so strict that He at once rejected him from the

society of His personal associates. Lord Caitanya said, "For a

sannyasi or anyone who is aspiring to get out of the clutches of

material nature and trying to elevate himself to the spiritual nature

and go back home, back to Godhead, for him, looking toward material

possessions and women for sense gratification--not even enjoying them,

but just looking toward them with such a propensity--is so condemned

that he had better commit suicide before experiencing such illicit

desires." So these are the processes for purification.

 

The next item is jnana-yoga-vyavasthiti: being engaged in the

cultivation of knowledge. Sannyasi life is meant for distributing

knowledge to the householders and others who have forgotten their real

life of spiritual advancement. A sannyasi is supposed to beg from door

to door for his livelihood, but this does not mean that he is a

beggar. Humility is also one of the qualifications of a

transcendentally situated person, and out of sheer humility the

sannyasi goes from door to door, not exactly for the purpose of

begging, but to see the householders and awaken them to Krsna

consciousness. This is the duty of a sannyasi. If he is actually

advanced and so ordered by his spiritual master, he should preach

Krsna consciousness with logic and understanding, and if one is not so

advanced he should not accept the renounced order of life. But even if

one has accepted the renounced order of life without sufficient

knowledge, he should engage himself fully in hearing from a bona fide

spiritual master to cultivate knowledge. A sannyasi, or one in the

renounced order of life, must be situated in fearlessness,

sattva-samsuddhi (purity) and jnana-yoga

(knowledge).

 

The next item is charity. Charity is meant for the householders. The

householders should earn a livelihood by an honorable means and spend

fifty percent of their income to propagate Krsna consciousness all

over the world. Thus a householder should give in charity to

institutional societies that are engaged in that way. Charity should

be given to the right receiver. There are different kinds of charity,

as will be explained later on--charity in the modes of goodness,

passion and ignorance. Charity in the mode of goodness is recommended

by the scriptures, but charity in the modes of passion and ignorance

is not recommended, because it is simply a waste of money. Charity

should be given only to propagate Krsna consciousness all over the

world. That is charity in the mode of goodness.

 

Then as far as dama (self-control) is concerned, it is not only meant

for other orders of religious society, but is especially meant for the

householder. Although he has a wife, a householder should not use his

senses for sex life unnecessarily. There are restrictions for the

householders even in sex life, which should only be engaged in for the

propagation of children. If he does not require children, he should

not enjoy sex life with his wife. Modern society enjoys sex life with

contraceptive methods or more abominable methods to avoid the

responsibility of children. This is not in the transcendental quality,

but is demoniac. If anyone, even if he is a householder, wants to make

progress in spiritual life, he must control his sex life and should

not beget a child without the purpose of serving Krsna. If he is able

to beget children who will be in Krsna consciousness, one can produce

hundreds of children, but without this capacity one should not indulge

only for sense pleasure.

 

Sacrifice is another item to be performed by the householders, because

sacrifices require a large amount of money. Those in other orders of

life, namely brahmacarya, vanaprastha and sannyasa, have no money;

they live by begging. So performance of different types of sacrifice

is meant for the householders. They should perform agni-hotra

sacrifices as enjoined in the Vedic literature, but such sacrifices at

the present moment are very expensive, and it is not possible for any

householder to perform them. The best sacrifice recommended in this

age is called sankirtana-yajna. This sankirtana-yajna, the chanting of

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama,

Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the best and most inexpensive sacrifice;

everyone can adopt it and derive benefit. So these three items, namely

charity, sense control and performance of sacrifice, are meant for the

householder.

 

Then svadhyaya, Vedic study, is meant for brahmacarya, or student

life. Brahmacaris should have no connection with women; they should

live a life of celibacy and engage the mind in the study of Vedic

literature for cultivation of spiritual knowledge. This is called

svadhyaya. Tapas, or austerity, is especially meant for the retired

life. One should not remain a householder throughout his whole life;

he must always remember that there are four divisions of

life--brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. So after

grhastha, householder life, one should retire. If one lives for a

hundred years, he should spend twenty-five years in student life,

twenty-five in householder life, twenty-five in retired life and

twenty-five in the renounced order of life. These are the regulations

of the Vedic religious discipline. A man retired from household life

must practice austerities of the body, mind and tongue. That is

tapasya. The entire varnasrama-dharma society is meant for tapasya.

Without tapasya, or austerity, no human being can get liberation. The

theory that there is no need of austerity in life, that one can go on

speculating and everything will be nice, is recommended neither in the

Vedic literature nor in Bhagavad-gita. Such theories are manufactured

by show-bottle spiritualists who are trying to gather more followers.

If there are restrictions, rules and regulations, people will not

become attracted. Therefore those who want followers in the name of

religion, just to have a show only, don't restrict the lives of their

students, nor their own lives. But that method is not approved by the

Vedas.

 

As far as the brahminical quality of simplicity is concerned, not only

should a particular order of life follow this principle, but every

member, be he in the brahmacari asrama, grhastha asrama, vanaprastha

asrama or sannyasa asrama. One should be very simple and

straightforward.

 

Ahimsa means not arresting the progressive life of any living entity.

One should not think that since the spirit spark is never killed even

after the killing of the body there is no harm in killing animals for

sense gratification. People are now addicted to eating animals, in

spite of having an ample supply of grains, fruits and milk. There is

no necessity for animal killing. This injunction is for everyone. When

there is no alternative, one may kill an animal, but it should be

offered in sacrifice. At any rate, when there is an ample food supply

for humanity, persons who are desiring to make advancement in

spiritual realization should not commit violence to animals. Real

ahimsa means not checking anyone's progressive life. The animals are

also making progress in their evolutionary life by transmigrating from

one category of animal life to another. If a particular animal is

killed, then his progress is checked. If an animal is staying in a

particular body for so many days or so many years and is untimely

killed, then he has to come back again in that form of life to

complete the remaining days in order to be promoted to another species

of life. So their progress should not be checked simply to satisfy

one's palate. This is called ahimsa. Satyam. This word means that one

should not distort the truth for some personal interest. In Vedic

literature there are some difficult passages, but the meaning or the

purpose should be learned from a bona fide spiritual master. That is

the process for understanding the Vedas. Sruti means that one should

hear from the authority. One should not construe some interpretation

for his personal interest. There are so many commentaries on

Bhagavad-gita that misinterpret the original text. The real import of

the word should be presented, and that should be learned from a bona

fide spiritual master.

 

Akrodha means to check anger. Even if there is provocation one should

be tolerant, for once one becomes angry his whole body becomes

polluted. Anger is a product of the mode of passion and lust, so one

who is transcendentally situated should check himself from anger.

Apaisunam means that one should not find fault with others or correct

them unnecessarily. Of course to call a thief a thief is not

faultfinding, but to call an honest person a thief is very much

offensive for one who is making advancement in spiritual life. Hri

means that one should be very modest and must not perform some act

which is abominable. Acapalam, determination, means that one should

not be agitated or frustrated in some attempt. There may be failure in

some attempt, but one should not be sorry for that; he should make

progress with patience and determination.

 

The word tejas used here is meant for the ksatriyas. The ksatriyas

should always be very strong to be able to give protection to the

weak. They should not pose themselves as nonviolent. If violence is

required, they must exhibit it. But a person who is able to curb down

his enemy may under certain conditions show forgiveness. He may excuse

minor offenses.

 

Saucam means cleanliness, not only in mind and body but in one's

dealings also. It is especially meant for the mercantile people, who

should not deal in the black market. Nati-manita, not expecting honor,

applies to the sudras, the worker class, which are considered,

according to Vedic injunctions, to be the lowest of the four classes.

They should not be puffed up with unnecessary prestige or honor and

should remain in their own status. It is the duty of the sudras to

offer respect to the higher class for the upkeep of the social order.

 

All these twenty-six qualifications mentioned are transcendental

qualities. They should be cultivated according to the different

statuses of social and occupational order. The purport is that even

though material conditions are miserable, if these qualities are

developed by practice, by all classes of men, then gradually it is

possible to rise to the highest platform of transcendental

realization.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.