Guest guest Posted July 3, 2009 Report Share Posted July 3, 2009 Gita 3-10 & 11saha-yajnah prajah srstva, purovaca prajapatihanena prasavisyadhvam, esa vo 'stv ista-kama-dhukdevan bhavayatanena, te deva bhavayantu vahparasparam bhavayantah, sreyah param avapsyatha"At the beginning, the creator (Prajapati), created living beings (mankindetc.) along with the spirit of sacrifice (Yajna) and said (predominantly tohuman beings) - "By performing your duty as a Yajna (sacrifice), and through itlead everyone to prosperity and growth; and may this (duty in the form ofsacrifice) bestow you with all the essential requirements for the sacrifice(Yajna)." By doing the sacrifice (doing your duty selflessly) you gratify thegods and let gods (by performing their duty) foster you, thus caring for eachother selflessly through performance of your duties, you shall attain thesupreme good. "Comment:By doing one's duty, in other words, doing actions without selfish motive, it isbeneficial for oneself and the others. But by not doing one's duty it provesharmful to one's self and the others. The reason is, from the point of view of boththe individual bodies and Atman (Spirit, Self), all persons are one and thesame, and not separate from each other.The human body has been given for one's spiritual attainment only. So what isrequired for one's spiritual welfare - it is not necessary to undertake any newaction, instead, whatever actions one normally does, just perform those actionsfor the benefit of others, without the attachment and expectation of fruit foroneself. By doing so, one attains supreme good.From "Gita Prabodhani" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji. ----------------Chapter 3, Verse 11 is as follows; Devaan = gods Bhaavayata = nourish / cherish / giving affection, care and shelter Anena = with this Te = those DevaaH = gods Bhaavayantu = may nourish / cherish VaH = you Parasparam = one another BhaavayantaH = nourishing ShreyaH = good Param = the highest / Supreme Avaapsyatha = shall attain English translation:- With this capacity to sacrifice (Yadnya) you propitiate the gods and may those gods in turn nourish you; thus by cherishing one another, you shall attain the Supreme State. Comment: Please refer to the `Shaantiparva' section in `Mahaa Bhaarata' on Page 340, Verses 59 to 62, wherein the mutual dependence of gods and human beings is described in greater details. In the Sanskrit language, the meaning of word `Deva' is one that is shining, one that is divine in nature. Highly evolved souls are called as `Devaas'. It is the hallmark of the intrinsically good natured ones and the enlightened ones that they are always engaged in the welfare of the entire mankind. `Yadnya' is a tool in their noble and auspicious endeavours. "Idam Na Mama" i.e. it does not belong to me, it belongs to one and all is their sole motive behind every endeavour. `Devaas' even though used in plural form; it does not imply that Vedanta philosophy supports polytheism i.e. the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods. Vedanta philosophy maintains the existence of the singular entity / the presiding deity called as `Param-Aatman' or the Brahman or the Supreme Being. Please refer verses 8 and 9 in chapter 8 in Shreemad Bhagawad Geeta, wherein this concept has been greatly amplified. The gods and goddesses merely represent the powers and functions of that singular entity in the manifest world. The ancient sages had devised a brilliant scheme of creating divine sign posts in every walk of human life. A God or Goddess that blesses a Sadhak in a field of his / her activity is the very `Creative and Productive Potential Energy' in that field. Lord Ganesh and Goddess Saraswati are treated as personification of knowledge. Goddess Lakshmi is treated as personification of material wealth. Lord Krishna is the personification of the Lord Vishnu in the human form. Lord Vishnu in turn is the personification of the Brahman that pervades the entire Universe. As the fuel that gives itself away to the fire God in the form of `Aahuti', which in turn becomes flames of fire; in the similar manner a Sadhak who surrenders everything to the Supreme Being, in turn he / she becomes one with the Divinity. This is the Supreme Good that a `Yadnya' brings as a great tool to every Sadhak. "Whatever you offer to the Lord will be returned back to you, magnified manifold. Therefore, please take due care that you do not offer anything bad to the Lord."……. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa It reminds me of the famous scientist Sir Michael Faraday, who contributed immensely to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. Faraday was a highly religious person. He was a member of the Sandemanian Church, a Christian sect founded in 1730, which demanded total faith and unwavering commitment. Biographers have noted that a strong sense of the unity with God and Nature pervaded in Faraday's entire life and work. The magnetic lines of force or flux, leave the North Pole and enter the South Pole of a bar magnet. Michael Faraday explained this by saying, "The good you do, ultimately comes back to you" as an excellent paraphrase of the Biblical truth, "You reap what you sow." You plant the seeds (sow), and then later you gather the resulting harvest (reap). The harvest that you reap depends on the kind of seeds you sow; if you sow lemons, you will not reap oranges. "Aahaara Nidraa Bhaya Maithunam Cha Saamaanyam Etat PashubhiH NaraaNaam" i.e. for ordinary animals and men alike; the sole motive of life is to eat, to sleep, to be afraid of predators and to enjoy sensual and material pleasures. Every Sadhak has to make a sincere effort to rise above such a mundane existence. As per the verses in the Taittiriya Upanisad; we should treat our parents, teachers and guests as gods. In Sri Lanka today, the standard greeting is "Atithi Devo Bhava" i.e. let guest be our God. In other words, we should all serve one another; and the word Yadnya or sacrifice reminds us that we should not have the slightest trace of selfishness. Our charitable acts should leave no egotistical traces behind, just as ghee poured into fire is totally consumed without any traces. We make one another's life miserable only on account of our selfish desires, greed and inferior motives. When the spirit of self-sacrificing service will govern our actions and when we will learn to rejoice in our selfless contributions then and then only everyone's desires will be fulfilled. This doctrine of self sacrificing, selfless service is truly the wish-fulfilling milch-cow. It will not be out of place to mention verse 31 in chapter 4, wherein Lord Krishna has proclaimed that, "Those who eat the sacred food that remains after a sacrifice (Yadnya) attain to the eternal Absolute. This world is not for him who offers no sacrifice (Yadnya). O Arjuna! How then in any other world can he ever imagine to find solace?" Lord Krishna's advice to Arjuna is, "Whatever you may pursue in this mortal world, please do it while remembering the Supreme Being in the spirit of sacrifice and service to the entire mankind. In this process, your work will transform into worship and ultimately you will reach the most cherished goal of Self realisation." Thanks & Best Regards, Shrikant Joshi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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