Bhagavad Gita - Daily - II 2:70 II

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|| Shree Hari ||Ram RamLink: - The world is just like a dark night to the seer. Then how does he live in the world? The answer to these queries is provided in this verse that follows - aapooryamaanamachalapratisthamsamudramaapah pravishanti yadvat |tadvatkaamaa yam pravishanti sarvesa shaantimaapnoti na kaamakaami || 70 ||Just as waters of different rivers enter the ocean, which though full, remains undisturbed; likewise the man of steady wisdom (one that does not undergo any changes in mental state) receives all enjoyments and things. But the man of steady wisdom alone attains eternal peace and tranquility, not he who hankers after such enjoyments. 70Comment: "'aapooryamaanamachalapratistham samudramaapah pravishanti yadvat' " In the rainy season rivers expand and are flooded by heavy rain storms. All the rivers continue to pour themselves into an ocean, but its magnitude remains the same. In summer, when heat evaporates the water of rivers and these become narrow with shallow water, even then the expanse of an ocean remains the same. It is ever full and never seeks water from streams and rivers. It means, that it ever remains satiated, and always within limits and boundaries (maryaadaa).'tadvatkaamaa yam pravishanti sarve sa shaantimaapnoti' " A self-controlled seer, is like an ocean. He also comes across worldly enjoyments, but these all do not cause any perturbation or agitation in his so called body and mind. Thus, he attains supreme peace. This peace is not due to mundane enjoyments and objects, but it is emanated from the essence of Paramatma - Divinity (Gita 2/46).In this illustration, the man established in wisdom, the realized soul (sthith pragyaan) is compared to an ocean and the water of the river, is compared to mundane objects. Both the water of the ocean and that of the river, are of the same category. But the realized soul is quite different in nature. There is a world of difference between the two. The perfect soul is sentient eternal, real, limitless and endless, while the worldly enjoyments and objects are insentient, perishable, unreal, limited and have an end. Secondly, the waters of rivers enter the ocean and merge in it, but the mundane objects flowing towards the enlightened soul, do not reach the self, these merely reach his body and inner sense. Thus the illustration of a river and the ocean, though is not fully applicable here. It only describes the state of one's body and inner sense. This does not explain the state of his real self.'Na kamakami' "Worldly enjoyments and pleasures cannot satisfy a man, who hankers after them, whose eye is only on them and who gives importance to them. He can never be satisfied, even if he gets them. He can never become free from desires, anxieties and burning sensation. So how can he attain peace? The reason is, that the insentient cannot satisfy the sentient; the sentient can be satisfied only by sentient.Appendix "It is because of one's desire that this world appears to be insentient (Matter) but actually it is none other than the Supreme Soul (Divinity) (God) "'Vasudevah sarvam' (Gita 7/19), 'sadasacchaahamarjuna' (Gita 9/19). When a person is freed from desires, all objects get pleased with him. How to know this? We know it because things automatically come to such a person without any effort. The things are eager to approach him for being fruitful through utilization by him. But availability or non-availability of objects does not cause any modifications (changes) in him, because he has no desire. From his view point, objects have no value (importance). On the other hand a person having desires, always remains perturbed (disquiet) whether he receives things or not. * Here the term 'Kaama' has not been used for desires but for the objects of pleasures which are desired.

 

From "The Bhagavadgita - Sadhak Sanjivani" in English, page 231 - 233 and in Hindi pg 135 -136 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

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http://www.swamiramsukhdasji.org/swamijibooks/pustak/pustak1/html/SadhakSanjeevni/main.html

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

aapooryamaanamachalapratistham

samudramaapah pravishanti yadvat |

tadvatkaamaa yam pravishanti sarve

sa shaantimaapnoti na kaamakaami || 70 ||

 

|| 70 ||

 

“Just as water (of all rivers) from all sides enters the ocean, even though it

is completely full, but it remains undisturbed and stable (staying in its

boundaries); likewise all enjoyments come to self controlled man (without

creating any fresh Vasnas (impressions) in his mind), attains the tranquility of

mind. Only he, freed from all desires can attain perfect peace, but not he who

hankers after worldly enjoyments.â€

 

Comment:

 

When the person turns totally unselfish then all things of need come to him on

their own but these do not cause any anxiety in him whether they are favorable

or unfavorable. Due to Prarabadha (fate), favorable and unfavorable situations

do come, these situations do not cause any trace of likes, dislikes, pleasure or

pain etc. in his mind, he always stays in equanimity. But a person is having

desires, whether he attains the desired objects or not, is always devoid of

peace.

 

From " Gita Prabodhani " in Hindi pg 63 by Swami Ramsukhdasji

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Chapter 2, Verse 70 is as follows

 

Aapurya-maaNam = filled from all sides

Achala = undisturbed

Pratishtham = remains

Samudram = ocean

AapaH = waters (from many rivers)

Pravishanti = enter

Yad-vat = as

Tad-vat = so

KaamaaH = the sense objects of pleasures and enjoyments

Yam = to whom

Pravishanti = enter

Sarve = all

SaH = he

Shaantim = peace / tranquility

Aapnoti = attains

Na = not

Kaama-kaamee = desirer of sense objects

 

English translation:-

 

As the waters enter the ocean, which even though already filled with water from

all the sides continues to remain undisturbed; likewise in whom enjoyments of

sense objects enter in a natural manner, he attains peace, but not the one who

runs after the enjoyments of sense objects.

 

Comment:

 

The natural `Water Cycle' is apparently an unbreakable chain of cyclical events,

which have neither a beginning nor an end. Although the balance of water on the

Earth remains fairly constant over time, individual water molecules are free to

come and leave from the oceans of the earth. The Sun, which drives the water

cycle, heats water in the oceans. Water evaporates as vapor into the air. Ice

and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor. Evapo-transpiration is water

transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil as well. The Rains bring the

water back to the Earth. Some groundwater finds openings in the land surface and

emerges as freshwater springs. Over time, millions of gallons of water re-enters

the oceans, where our water cycle had begun and this process continues unabated.

 

As the Sun is the prime mover of the `Water Cycle', it is the Cosmic Energy that

drives the cycle of births and deaths of multitude of beings. In cosmology,

cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation is a form of electromagnetic

radiation filling the entire universe. The CMB's discovery in 1964 by radio

astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson was the culmination of work initiated

in the 1940s and earned them the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics.

 

In Vedanta philosophy the mono-syllable `AUM' (Akaara = Brahma, Ukaara = Vishnu,

Makaara = Maheshwara i.e. the trinity of Gods) i.e. `Omkaara' represents the

electro-magnetic vibrations that fill the entire Universe. This is precisely the

meaning of `VasudevaH Sarvam' (Verse 19 / Chapter 7 in BG) i.e. the entire

universe is filled with Vasudeva, Lord Krisha who is personification of the

Brahman, the `Parama-Tatva'. Please refer `ShabdaH Khe' in the verse 8 of

chapter 7. It literally means the sound in the sky. As a student of science, one

knows that sound needs a medium like air or water for its travel. In a vacuum in

the sky, sound cannot travel. Therefore, the correct interpretation is the

electro-magnetic vibrations that pervade the entire Universe, which has been

conclusively proven by Dr. Arno Penzias and Dr. Robert Wilson, the Nobel Prize

winners in Physics in 1978.

 

A `Yukta' person having his wisdom established in the `Parama-Tatva' i.e. the

Supreme Consciousness that is permanent, immutable and immeasurable; he is not

perturbed by the play of `Prakruti'. His mind is like an ocean filled with

water. The sensations of the sense objects brought in by the sensory organs get

dissolved in the ocean of that consciousness. No modifications of mind such as

desires, aversions and longings can germinate in that ocean of consciousness of

the Supreme Being.

 

" There are mountains, hills, dales, valleys and plains at the bottom of the

ocean. But they are not discernible on the surface. Akin to it, the Jnani in

Samadhi experiences Infinite existence knowledge bliss. Modifications such as I

and mine get merged in that beatitude. " Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa

 

Each river has its own characteristic nature, its own distinct individuality.

However, as soon as it enters an ocean, that individuality merges into the

totality. It becomes one with the ocean. Similarly each human being is in search

of unlimited source of happiness. But soon he realises that the worldly

pleasures are finite and unstable in nature. Therefore, his search gets

transformed into the quest for Self-realisation that offers him infinite

happiness. Upon reaching his goal of Self-realisation, he revels in the Supreme

peace and bliss. As a result, he does not find any need for any additional

worldly pleasures as no further happiness can accrue from them. In such a state,

all the worldly enjoyments to him are just like waters of rivers are to the

ocean.

 

An ocean by itself does not seek water from external sources, as it is ever full

of water irrespective of the seasons of a calendar year. It implies that it

remains satiated forever and does not transgress its self-imposed limits; unless

and until external environmental factors like migration of earth plates result

into a tsunami such as the one that we had experienced on 24th December 2004 in

the South East Asia.

 

The Self is sentient, eternal, real, limitless and endless; while the worldly

enjoyments are insentient, perishable, un-real, limited and have a definite end.

The worldly enjoyments emanating from mundane sense objects are not able to

reach beyond the five sensory organs and the sixth organ namely the mind of a

`Yukta' Saadhaka. They are unable to reach the inner core of his steady

intellect that is already established in the Self. Therefore, the worldly

enjoyments do not generate any mental agitations or turpitude in a Yogi. As a

corollary, worldly enjoyments and sensual pleasures can never satisfy a Bhogi,

who continues to hanker after them and as a result he is never free from

anxieties and uncertainties of a base human existence in this mortal world.

 

Thanks & Best Wishes,

Shrikant Joshi.

 

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|| Shree Hari ||

Ram Ram

 

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Ram Ram

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