Bhagavad Gita - Daily One Verse Brief Explanation - II 2:38 II

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

II 2:38 II

 

sukha-duhkhe same kritvaa, laabhaalaabhau jayaajayau

tato yuddhaaya yujyasva, naivam paapam avaapsyasi

 

" Treating alike victory and defeat, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, engage

yourself in the battle. Fighting with this attitude you will incur no sin. "

 

Comment

 

The Lord is imparting a special skill here, how to conduct oneself in the world

– keeping the attitude of equanimity in the center of performing one's normal

ordained duty, regardless whether there is success or failure. By doing so one

can advance spiritually even while engaged in terrible war like activity. This

proves that the man is independent and able to progress spiritually in any

situation.

 

From Gita Prabodhani in Hindi pg. 43 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

 

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Chapter 2, Verse 38 is as follows;

 

Sukha - DuHkhe = in pleasure and pain

Same = same

Krutvaa = having made

Laabha-Alaabhau = gain and loss

Jaya-Aajayau = victory and defeat

TataH = then

Yuddhaaya = for battle

Yujyasva = you engage

Na = not

Evam = thus

Paapam = sin

Avaapsyasi = shall incur

 

English translation:-

 

Treating on an equal footing pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and

defeat; get ready for the battle. Thus you will incur no sin.

 

An ordinary human being craves for material comforts and conveniences in life as

a matter of top priority over discomforts while performing his obligatory

duties and resultant achievements in his life. `What about me? What are my

benefits? How can I maximise them?' are the typical questions being asked in

every walk of life.

 

In India we joke, `Pehale Mevaa Aur Baad Me Sevaa' i.e. first I want to eat

sweets and then I may think of service and sacrifice. In fact, it is the only

Mantra recited by every self-serving politician and a selfish Wall-street /

Dalal-street banker.

 

Lord Krishna turns this mundane argument around by 180 degrees and chides

Arjuna, " Pehale Sevaa Aur Baad Me Mevaa " i.e. O Arjuna! First of all please

demonstrate your mettle by exemplary service and sacrifice and then you may

think of getting fruits of your good actions, however please do not crave for

them. It is your divine task to perform the valiant role in the epic battle and

it is My divine role to offer suitable fruits to your meritorious deeds. "

 

In the most often quoted verse 47 of chapter 2 in Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, Lord

Krisha has proclaimed, " Your right is in action only, never to the fruits of

action. Let not the fruits of action (favourable outcome) to be your (sole)

motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction. "

 

With the desire ridden actions while constantly seeking favourable outcomes, an

ordinary man increases his mental agitations. Such multiplying mental agitations

are termed as sins.

 

On the other hand, a wise person identifies a noble cause, a superior goal in

his life and tirelessly strives for a higher ideal as compared to mere mundane

human existence. By performing right actions, he reduces his residual

unfulfilled desires and in turn reduces his mental agitations and thus purifies

his own personality and thus becomes worthy for attaining the unity with the

Self.

 

Please refer the verses 10 and 11 from chapter 4 in Bhagawad Geeta, wherein Lord

Krishna has declared, " Freed from passion, fear and anger, absorbed in Me,

taking refuge in Me, purified by the fire of knowledge, many have attained My

Being. O Arjuna, in whatever way, people approach Me, in the same way even I

fulfill their desires. All human beings tread My path, in all ways. "

 

All earthly events are fraught with consequences which are either agreeable ones

or unfavourable ones from a personal point of view. By being favorably inclined

to one and being unfavourably disposed to another one, a human mind is

completely exhausted and it saps the enthusiasm and positive energy of that

individual. It is only by refusing to get tossed by the pairs of opposites with

well focussed trio of physical body, mind and intellect, one attains a balanced

state. This is indeed a pre-requisite for every noble thought, noble action and

noble achievement.

 

Therefore, in this verse, Lord Krishna advices Arjuna, not only to fight but to

fight with the right attitude. A human life is full of pairs of opposites. As if

in a binary logic, it is full of zeros and ones. The ones are `Shreyas' i.e. one

ought to do and the zeros are `Preyas' i.e. one likes to do but rather avoid to

do. Every man has to find his way out of the maze by proper selection of ones

and rejection of zeros at every step in his life. If he fails to do so then he

may have to face the disastrous consequences of leading a life wherein he does

not know the proper resolution to the question of `To be or not to be?' like the

Hamlet.

 

From a purely philosophical point of view, if there is no `Dwandva' i.e. a pair

of opposites, then there is no apparent cause of action and no subsequent chance

of progress in human life.

 

Lord Krishna advices Arjuna that he should fight the royal battle free from all

the anxieties associated with pairs of opposites like pain and pleasure, gain

and loss and final victory and defeat.

 

Please note that this is exactly opposite of an attitude of `fail accompli'

which is associated with inaction coupled with abdication of one's responsible

behaviour in a society or a nation.

 

" A weakling totters while carrying a small load over a short distance. However,

a strong man carrying a heavy load over a long distance watches a wrestling

match, unmindful of the burden on his head and shoulders. To the strong in

physical body and mind, the problems are but few. " Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

 

Thanks & Best Regards,

Shrikant Joshi.

 

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

 

Dear Sadhakas, Namaste!

Hemendraji has pointed out what seems to be apparent paradox between " your right

is to act or not act, not on the outcome of the

action(Karmanyevadhikaraste....) " and

" think of the outcomes of action or inaction " .

To me, Krishnaji is pointing out that before an action is undertaken, one needs

to plan for what is the best course of action for all involved in the outcome,

weigh pros-cons, and give one's best to the action without ever feeling/thinking

that one is " doer " apart from what has been given to one from God to serve. The

outcome of any action is not in the hands of a person, never, even when result

is in line with expectations! I would go as far as to say that " you only can act

or not act, nothing else " . As a matter of fact, Karma or action is itself its

own fruit/result too! This way no division between action and its result help us

to eliminate conflicts between the " apparent doer " and result doer expects!

Acceptance becomes easy!

One's action is only one of several variables that determines the final result.

This way seeming paradox is resolved for me.

For the past several verses Krishnaji is pointing out reasons to fight this just

war, by appealing to Arjuna's( and ours) Intellect that is clouded by self-pity

and guilt!

Namaskar..........Pratap Bhatt

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

Dear sadaks,

The war known to all was subject to giving enough adjustments. Sri Krishna asks

Duryodhan to give 5 villages to Pandavas and avoid war. Duryodhan said not even

pin point space will be given. This proved totally Adharmic person and people

around him.

Sre Krishna said HE will never raise weapon in War. HE (Sri Krishna) is not body

or Athuman. HE is Paramathuman, Purushothaman Etc. So HIS rule does not accept

taking weapon. That is why HE came as human as Sri rama to take weapon. During

war Sri Krishna tells to Arjuna to shout out, " My baktha will never be

destroyed " . But Arjuna shout out , " Sri Krishna` s baktha will never be

destroyed " . Bagavan says to Arjuna that HE meant Arjuna` s Baktha will not be

destroyed. Here we can also read in Puranas how Bagavan saves HIS Bakthas. Even

last chance was given at war field.

Arjuna if wages war he is fighting Adhram (Not people, relatives Etc) So if he

happened to die for a cause of stabilizing Dharm, he reaches heaven. But he wins

war, still he destroyed Adhram (Bad people, may be Guru/relative/friend) for

which act he enjoys on earth and goes to heaven at last.

Jai Sri Krishna

B.Sathyanarayan

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

-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

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

 

 

|| 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