Bhagavad Gita - Daily One Verse Brief Explanation - II 2:37 II

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

II 2:37 II

 

hato vaa praapsyasi svargam, jitvaa va bhokshyase maheem

tasmaad uttishtha kaunteya, yuddhaaya krta-nischayah

 

If you are slain (in the battle) then you will gain heaven, and if are

victorious (in the battle), then you will enjoy the sovereignty of earth;

therefore, arise O' son of Kunti (Arjuna), determined to fight.

 

From Gita Prabodhani in Hindi pg. 43 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

 

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Chapter 2, Verse 37 is as follows;

 

HataH = slain

Vaa = or

Praapsyasi = you will obtain

Svargam = heaven

Jitvaa = having conquered

Vaa = or

Bhokshyase = you will enjoy

Maheem = the Earth

Tasmaat = therefore

Ud-Tishtha = arise

Kaunteya = O Arjuna!

Yuddhaaya = for fight

Kruta –NishchayaH = determined

 

 

English translation:-

 

If you are slain you will gain the Heaven; however if you become victorious you

will enjoy the Earth. Therefore, arise O Arjuna and be determined to fight.

 

After reasoning out the ill-consequences of abandoning a righteous war by a true

warrior like Arjuna, Lord Krishna now extols the virtues of fighting a righteous

war and the benefits that will accrue to Arjuna.

 

Lord Krishna is not like a modern spin doctor. But he is capable of offering a

negative spin as well as a positive spin. He does seem to utilise a carrot and a

stick approach. This verse is full of a positive spin.

 

In the verse 2 of chapter 2 in Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, Lord Krishna had

cautioned Arjuna that all his actions were unworthy of a noble person and that

he would not attain either fame or the Heaven.

 

Now in this verse 37, Lord Krishna promises that if Arjuna chooses to fight then

in either of the consequences, Arjuna is bound to benefit. If Arjuna is killed

in the battle, then he will certainly attain the Heaven. However, if Arjuna

emerges victorious in the battle, then he will be the most undisputed King of

the entire Kingdom on the Earth and that he shall enjoy the rest of his mortal

life, before proceeding to the Heaven.

 

Lord Krishna encourages, " O Arjuna! Therefore cast off your faint-heartedness

now and assume your position to fight the royal battle with full determination

and concentration of the trio of your physical body, mind and intellect. This is

once in a life time chance for a true warrior like you. Therefore, seize the

very moment and `Just do it'. "

 

Some modern scholars take exception to the active promotion and encouragement of

a war by Lord Krishna. However, please note that Lord Krishna had exhausted all

the alternatives of diplomacy and persuasion and finally a war was the last

resort left open to be explored.

 

In animal kingdom there is an unwritten rule of `JeevaH Jeevasya Jeevanam' i.e.

every weak animal is a food for another animal of superior intellect and

strength. This is also called as a `Matsya Nyaaya' i.e. justification of a big

fish devouring on small fishes. Lord Krishna did not justify a mere war for the

sake of `Matsya Nyaaya' as it is not applicable to the human kingdom. What is

applicable to the human kingdom is `Nyaaya' i.e. a justice that is coupled with

`Neeti' i.e. an ethical conduct.

 

Ethics is a word for a philosophy that encompasses proper conduct and good

living. It is significantly broader than the common conception of ethics as the

analyzing of right and wrong. A central aspect of ethics is `the good life', the

life worth living or that is simply satisfying, which is held by many

philosophers to be more important than mere moral conduct.

 

Socrates was one of the first Greek philosophers to encourage both the scholars

and the common citizens to turn their attention from the outside world to the

inner condition of a man. In his view, Knowledge having a bearing on the inner

human functioning was placed the highest, while all other knowledges being

secondary. Self-knowledge was considered necessary for success and inherently an

essential good. A self-aware person will act completely within his capabilities

to the pinnacle, while an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty

in every step. To Socrates, a person must become aware of every facet of his

existence, if he wishes to attain self-knowledge. He believed that people will

naturally do what is good, if they know what is right. Evil or bad actions are

the result of ignorance. If a criminal was truly aware of the mental and

spiritual consequences of his evil actions, he would neither commit nor even

consider committing them. Any person who knows what is truly right will

automatically do it, according to Socrates. While he correlated knowledge with

virtue, he similarly equated virtue with happiness. A truly wise man will know

what is right, do what is good and therefore be happy in his entire life.

 

Aristotle had said, " Nature does nothing in vain " . Aristotle asserted that man

had three natures: vegetable (physical), animal (emotional) and rational

(intellectual). Physical nature can be assuaged through exercise and care,

emotional nature through indulgence of animal instincts and urges and

intellectual through human reason and developed potential. Rational development

was considered to be the most important one, as essential to philosophical

self-awareness and as uniquely human. Moderation was encouraged, with the

extremes seen as degraded and immoral. For example, courage is the moderate

virtue between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Man should not simply

live, but live well with conduct governed by moderate virtue. A virtue denotes

doing the right thing, to the right person, at the right time for the right

cause. Therefore, it is imperative for persons to act in accordance with their

nature and develop their latent talents, in order to be content and complete.

Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All other things, such as civic life

or wealth, are merely means to the end. Self-realization, the awareness of one's

nature and the development of one's talents, was considered by Aristotle to be

the surest path to happiness in a human life.

 

Lord Krishna's clarion call to Arjuna is indeed based on both `Nyaaya' and

`Neeti', as weeding out the evil Kauravas - the incorrigibles, is the sole

ethical option left open to Arjuna and that he has no longer any rational

justification for grieving and beating a hasty retreat from the battle. Lord

Krishna promises Arjuna that his future is bright and now is the time to act and

to act decisively.

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi.

 

 

===============================================================

-Shree Hari-

 

First of all Thanks for doing this. To try to resolve between what one lives by

(Science) and what one understands from the great seers creats confusion in the

beginning. People who have given a thoughts to this seeming paradoxes, when they

fearlessly share, enlightens someone like me to resolve that confusion.

Here Shri Krishna seems to be suggesting to Arjun to think of 'possible outcome'

before deciding. How do we resolve this seeming paradox from 'Karmanye

Vadhikaraste...'

 

Hemendra Parikh

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

All Sadhaks can and should contribute as well. Discussion /

clarification is encouraged

 

OTHER REQUESTS FROM SADHAKS -

 

Please feel free to take the lead in any of these areas so that all

sadhaks may benefit.

 

- Introduction to Chapters (GT MODERATOR FROM SADHAK SANJIVANI)

- Chapter Summary - Principles and Laws emanating from it.(N.B. VYAS)

- Summary of Chapter from Sadhak Sanjivani " AS IS "

- Yes, Epilogue / Important Facts in each verse good to bring out.

- Any subtle thoughts / interpretation (MIKE)

- In-depth explanation of " Om Tat Saditi Srimadbhagavadgitaasu,

Upanishadsu..... " is a very good idea. (GT MODERATOR FROM SADHAK

SANJIVANI)

 

From Gita Talk Moderators

Ram Ram

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

 

Shree Hari

Ram Ram

We deeply thank Shri Shrikantji Joshi for taking the initiative to

support this divine work of daily one verse Bhagavad Gita

explanation and Shri Madan Kauraji for the Gita Prabodhani

translation Chapter 1 and 2 and to Mrs. K Asani for requesting shloka

explanation on a daily basis.

From Gita Talk Moderators

Ram Ram