gIta sArodhdhAra English - 10

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Dear hari bhaktas

 

Here are shrI Bannur Ramachandra Rao's English notes on the eighteenth

verse of the gIta sArodhdhAra. We had already posted his notes on the

nineteenth verse as part of the Kannada series. So this concludes the

postings on gIta sArodhdhAra.

 

It is very appropriate that the series is ending on mahA shivarAtri.

As you are probably aware, shrI viShNu tIrtha is considered to be the

amsha of rudra dEvaru. His ArAdhane is celebrated on mahA shivarAtri.

 

As the manO niyAmaka of all jIvas, rudra dEva's grace is necessary

for correct bhakti, gynAyana and vairAgya.

 

kailAsa vAsa gourIsha Isha, taila dhAre yante manassu koDu hariyalli

madhusUdhana bhimasena rao

hunsur sriprasad

 

Shloka 18-64

==========

manmanAbhava madbhaktO madyAjI mAm namaskuru

mAmEvaishyasi satyam tE pratijAnE priyOsi mE

 

Word-by-word meaning:

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

(Words in parenthesis are assumed in the interpretation given by

prasta:h smaranIya Sri Satyadhyana tirtharu))

 

(yata:h = because)

mE = to Me

(tvam = you)

priya:h asi = are dear

(ata:h = so)

manmanA bhava = have your mind always fixed upon Me

madbhkta:h bhava = be My sincere devotee

 

madyAjI = perform 'yagnAs' to please Me (here 'yagna '

is to be taken as Jnana yajna, Karma yajna etc.- that is offering

our knowledge or Karma and all possessions to Him)

 

mAm namaskuru = prostrate before Me (accept Me as the supreme Lord)

(tata:h = then)

mAm Eva Eshyasi = will reach Me alone

tE = to you (for your good)

 

Summary:

========

Sri Krishna assures Arjuna in this stanza coming at the end of

the gItOpadesha:

 

O Arjuna! because you are dear to Me (being Indra)

I advise you to keep your mind always fixed on Me, be

sincerely devoted to Me, prostrate before Me (with the

knowledge that I am the supreme Lord controlling the

whole universe and everyone else is subordinate to

Me), and surrender your knowledge, actions and all your

possessions to Me as offerings to Me while worshipping

Me; (if you do this) I promise you that you shall come to Me, i.e.,

attain mOksha (what a promise from the Lord!).

 

The above summary is clear and needs no further explanation.

 

 

CONCLUSION:

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

With this we have completed the study of the 17 shlokas

selected from the Gita by shrI ViShNu tIrtharu, one each

from chapters 2 to 18 (please note that the entire first

chapter, and the first 10 slokas of chapter 2 are considered

as the pIThike or introduction to the gItOpadEsha). We have

also studied the 'mangalacharana sloka' in the beginning and

the 'mangala' sloka at the end of 'gItAsAroddhAra'.

 

Before ending this write up, it is desirable to sum up our study.

 

Let us take the last stanza 18-64. In this stanza and the next

stanza of the Gita which reads:

 

'sarvadharmAn parityajya mAmEkam sharanam vraja

aham tvA sarva pApEbhyO mOkshayishyAmi mA shucha:h'

 

Krishna tells Arjuna to forget everything else and totally

surrender to Him, and that He would remove the effects of all

his follies (that is by granting 'aparOksha'); He promises

Arjuna 'moksha' once His directives are followed. Through this,

the final message of the Gita is conveyed to all 'sAttvikas' or

'jignAsus'.

 

The objective of all 'JignAsa' or 'shAstrAdhyayana'- study of

shastras - (Sri Krishna says-'tasmAt shastram pramAnam tE'-

shastras are the authorities for your getting true knowledge) is

getting rid of the cycle of births and deaths in a world where

sadness is inevitable. The only way for it is gaining mOksha by

gaining true knowledge and practicing the precepts contained

in the shastras.

 

The total surrender stated in 18-65 is to follow what is stated

in the previous stanza 18-64. Let us once again analyze them.

 

Sri Krishna advises Arjuna to be devoted to Him and

prostrate to Him. This implies that:

 

1. Sri Krishna is the supreme Lord.

2. Arjuna, a soul(jiva), is different from Sri Krishna

(Jivas are different from Brahma, who is nArAyaNa).

3. Persons desiring mOksha should be devoted to Sri Krishna.

 

The next advice is- 'madyAjI'- surrender all your possessions

(and actions) as offerings to Me. It is the 'nishkama karma yoga'

which we studied in shlokas 2-50, 3-30, 4-18 and 5-10 that is

once again being stressed here.

 

In saying 'manmanA bhava', Sri Krishna states that we should

always think of the Lord and repeat His name in whatever actions

we are involved. This is the " total surrender " that is mentioned

in the shloka -'sarvadharmAn parityajya mAmEkam sharanam

vraja' (18-65) quoted above.

 

Sri Krishna, the supreme Lord, the creator, sustainer and

destroyer of the universe promises that a person (like Arjuna)

who follows these principles shall get 'aparOksha' and mOksha

and declares that this is 'TRUTH', or the summum-bonum of

philosophy.

 

So let us repeat:

 

- SRI KRISHNA IS THE ETERNAL LORD OF THE UNIVERSE,

- THE UNIVERSE IS REAL

- JIVAS ARE ETERNAL AND SUBORDINATE TO HIM

- JIVAS ARE DIFFERENT FROM ONE ANOTHER AS THEY ARE

CATEGORISED AS SATTVIKAS, RAJASAS AND TAMASAS)

- SINCERE AND CONSTANT DEVOTION TO HIM IS THE ONLY

PATH TO LIBERATION.

 

" ALOdyasarvashastrani vichAraya cha puna:H puna:h

idamEkam sunishpannam dhyEyo NARAYANASSADA'

 

Submitted with reverence at the feet of Sri Hari, the indweller

of SrimadAnandatIrtha bhagavatpAdAchArya, the incarnation of

vAyu, who dwells in every one of us.