SELF, the focus of Bhagavad Gita

[Guest guest]

Namaste dear all:

 

The on-going discussions are quite interesting providing insights to

our understanding of the SELF. On behalf of the list, I want to

congratulate all participants for their contributions and efforts.

The role of Ishwara in human life and human efforts has been

described with greater precision in the entire Gita. I was quite

fortunate to study Gita by regularly attending Satsanghs and

discourses for the past ten years. I am a regular participant of the

Satsangh in Falls Church, Northern Virginia (sponsored by the

Chinmaya Mission) where we are discussing the last section of Chapter

18. We will be completing a second cycle of Bhagavad Gita in

September and currently we are discussing the often quoted verse –

18, verse 66:

 

Sarvadharmaan parityajya maamekam sharanam vraja;

Aham twaa sarvapaapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shuchah.

 

Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me alone; I will liberate you

from all sins and do not grieve (because you are not the doer).

 

This is one of those verses accepted and appreciated for the insights

provided by the Lord by all three Vedanta Schools. Though the

interpretations of this verse differ from each school's philosophical

point of view, they all concur that Ego is the primary cause of human

bondage. Does Lord Krishna really ask Arjuna to abandon all his

duties? The answer is obviously no, and to get a complete

understanding of this verse, one needs to understand His preaching in

the previous chapters. Lord Krishna's teaching of Gita to Arjuna has

been done coherently and a Gita verse or a Sanskrit term in the later

chapters requires an understanding of all previous references to the

subject matter. To larger extent clearer understanding of Gita will

also require the study of entire story of Mahabharat and the roles

played by the key personalities such as Yudhishtira, Duryodhana,

Karna, Bhisma, Drona, Dhrishtrashtra, Sanjaya and others. Some

familiarity with the key Upanishads can also be helpful to get the

complete interpretation of the message of Gita. This may explain why

we need to listen to the words and writings of great Mahatmas instead

of just reading Gita using a book and a Sanskrit dictionary. We are

quite fortunate to get engaged in this Cyber Satsangh where we are

able to explore our understanding of Lord Krishna's advice to Arjuna

with a focus on Sankara's advaita philosophy by exchanging our ideas

and view points.

 

Now let us get back to the above verse # 66 and to try to understand

the key message of Lord Krishna to Arjuna. The key message is –

`Take refuge in ME,' and it is certainly not `abandon all duties.'

The ME is the reference to the SELF and Gita states implicitly and

explicitly references of Me in key verses of the Gita. The words that

are specifically used include – Me, in ME, to ME, on ME, unto Me, by

Me, MY, and MINE. The Sanskrit terms that correspond to include

mayi, matparah, na me, maameti, mama, sarvamiti, maamapi, maamevai,

mayaa sarvam, mamaatmaa, maamikaam, maam, yome, madarpanam, mamevai,

maktaraaya, maamupayaanti, and mamaa. In all probabilities, these

are only partial lists and some of you may be able to provide other

missing references (please go ahead and add them). Here are the

lists of chapter and verses numbers where these terms occur:

Chapter 02: 61

Chapter 03: 22, 30

Chapter 04: 3, 9, 13

Chapter 06: 47

Chapter 07: 1, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 29, 30

Chapter 08: 7

Chapter 09: 4, 5, 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34

Chapter 10: 6, 10, 40

Chapter 11: 33, 34, 47, 55

Chapter 12: 2 to 9, 14 to 20

Chapter 11: 11

Chapter 15: 15, 19, 20

Chapter 16: 6, 8, 20

Chapter 17: 6

Chapter 18: 4, 13, 30, 31, 36, 47, 50, 54, 55, 65, 66, 68, 69, 78

 

Fortunately the list has many knowledgeable and dedicated members and

I request them to explore focusing on these verses and interpret them

with the theme – `SELF, the focus of Bhagavad Gita.' The message of

Gita is to divert our attention from `me' (self or ego) to ME (SELF).

During the next several months I request the learned members of the

list to explore the interpretation of the stated verses above (and

other related verses with implicit reference to ME). In a nutshell

we can understand the message of Gita from the first and last verses:

 

Chapter 1, Verse 1: Dhritrashtra Uvaacha:

Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samavetaa yuyutsavah;

Maamakaah paandavaashchaiva kim akurvata sanjaya.

Dhritarashtra said: What did the sons of Pandu and also my people do

when they had assembled together, eager for battle on the holy plain

of Kurukshetra, O Sanjaya?

Chapter 18, Verse 78: (Narrated by Sanjaya)

Yatra yogeshwarah krishno yatra paartho dhanurdharah;

Tatra shreervijayo bhootirdhruvaa neetirmatirmama.

Wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga, wherever there is

Arjuna, the archer, there are prosperity, happiness, victory and firm

policy; such is my conviction.

 

Dhritarashtra represents the deluded mind with a blind vision (not

only physically blind, he is totally blind). Dhritarashtra the king

of Dharmakshetre abandoned his duties to protect Dharma and instead

decided to destroy Dharma due to attachment to his son Duryodhana.

His utterance of `Maamakaah (my people - all those who engaged to

destroy dharma) is a warning to all the seekers that they should

focus on ME and not me. The last version was spoken by the Jnani,

Sanjaya with the stable mind. A jnani has the strong conviction that

the very presence of the Lord brings the eternal happiness. Most

appropriately Gita ends with the last word, mama a subtle reference

to the SELF.

 

Om Tat Sat

Ram Chandran

 

Note: I request everyone to join and contribute to the subject of

discussion - SELF, the focus of Bhagavad Gita.