Gita Satsangh Chapter 12 Verses 5 to 6

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Namaste Satsanghis:

 

The verse # 5 provides the practical difficulties of Jivas to

identify themselves with the Atman by renouncing their identification

with the BMI. Though we may be aware that we are the Brahman, we

always face the difficulty in behaving as the Brahman. Swami

Dayananda provides a detailed account of why we face this difficulty

in the Home-study notes on Bhagavad Gita. His explanation is quite

profound and will be quite useful for us to understand the importance

of Shraddha and Sadhana for God realization. I am restating the

verse 5 once again to recapture the entire message.

 

Klesho'dhikatarasteshaam avyaktaasaktachetasaam;

Avyaktaa hi gatirduhkham dehavadbhiravaapyate Verse 5

 

For them who have their minds attached to the Unmanifested the

struggle is greater; for, the Goal which is the Unmanifest is

attained with difficulty by the embodied ones.

 

Swami Dayananda's Commentary:

 

The affliction is greater still for those whose minds are committed

to what cannot be objectified because an end which cannot be

objectified is reached with difficulty by those who are identified

with the body. The karmayogis who are meditating upon sagunam Brahma

have affliction. Painful effort, both physical and emotional, is

involved. As a karmayogi you cannot always do the things you like.

Very often there is a conflict between dharma and raga which causes

affliction in the mind, mano-klesah. Such mental distress can result

in physical affliction as well.

 

Now, let us look at the meditation of a karmayogi. saguna-brahma-

upasana, which has been said to be upon the visvarupa. It is all very

well to say this, but how are you to meditate upon sagunam Brahman?

If you visualize any one thing, all the others are left out. If you

think of the sun and stars, everything below them is omitted. By

bringing all .the objects in creation to mind one by one, you cannot

think of the cosmic form. And there are so many things unknown to

you. That is why we choose one form and invoke all forms in that. If

you know that everything is included in the cosmic form that is all

you need to know for upasana. Even keeping the mind focused on one

form is difficult. If you think of Visnu's head, the chest is out of

your vision. That is why it is said to hold on to Bhagavan's feet.

That

 

is good enough. From the head you come to the feet and stay there.

But the mind does not stay there so keeping it there is klesah.

 

Even though there are great difficulties for the Karmayogi who is

totally committed to Bhagavan, " matkarmakrt " , the difficulties of

those committed to the pursuit of aksara-brahma are even greater

(klesa-adhikatarah). Here Bhagavan uses the comparative affix,

tarah. The affliction is even greater, klesah adhikatarah, because

they have identification with the body (deha-abhimanam). This means

their atma-anatma-viveka is not complete. Sannyasis cannot be

contemplative if they lack viveka. Without it their pursuit will be

improper because of confusion about what they are doing. Dehavad

means the one who has a body. Everybody has a body, so what it means

here is those who have identification with the body. For them,

meditation upon aksara-brahman is almost impossible. Meditation here

means contemplation, preceded by Sravana and manana. All these become

very difficult. Why is there more difficulty? Because the sannyasi is

trying to give up his identification with the body. What could be

more difficult?

 

They are avyakta-asakta-cetasam; their minds are totally committed,

asamantat saktam, to the pursuit of avyakta, that which is not

available for objectification. They have given up the life of

karmayoga and taken to a life of renunciation for the sake of the

aksaramBrahma. That means they should be ready for it. If it is

difficult for sannyasis to contemplate upon a self that cannot be

objectified, how much more difficult will it be for karmayogis?

 

The end they want to accomplish, gatih, is not available for

objectification, avyakta. This is the svarupa, the nature, of atma

which was mentioned in Arjuna's question, avyaktam paryupasate. Lord

Krishna has answered him using the same word, avyakta. This ultimate

end is reached, avapyate, Bhagavan says, with difficulty, duhkham.

Why is it so difficult? It is being accomplished by those who are

identified with the body, dehavadbhih. This shows it is to be

accomplished right now, here. You are Brahman right now. In fact, it

is not even an end that has to be accomplished..

 

Something that is to be accomplished, like climbing Mount Everest,

can be done with the proper equipment and effort. But here, it is

already accomplished. The self is Brahman. It is simply a question of

knowing it. The difficulty is this deha-atma-abhimanam which includes

identification with the suksma-Sarira. When there is identification

with the body, there is the notion " I am a mortal " and consequently

the fear of death, the greatest of all fears. Whatever fears a person

may have, they all pale in the face of death. Someone who is afraid

of poverty will spend everything he has just to save his life. This

fear of death can be reduced by a life of karmayoga. But it can only

go completely when he knows for certain that he is not the body; he

has no dehabhimanam.

 

Even if he has come to understand this from the Sastra, there seems

to be a parallel line of thinking which has nothing to do with

knowledge. This is true of any knowledge that contradicts an

established pattern. Suppose you know that there is no value in

getting angry. Does that ensure that you will never get angry again?

In spite of knowing, anger comes. Who wants depression, sorrow or any

other mental pain? Even with reference to simple knowledge of dharma

and adharma, there are two parallel lines. Certain patterns of

thinking just overwhelm your knowledge. When you have a certain

awareness of what is proper and improper, why can you not maintain

that? Those patterns of thinking do not consult your wisdom. They

seem to belong to another reality. This is jnanam with obstructions,

sapratibandhaka-jnanam.

 

Giving up deha-abhimanam, even relatively, means having an

appreciation that everything belongs to Ishvara, including this body.

The individual, vyastiis included in the total, samasti. Consciously

relinquishing the sense of ownership, mamatvam, is the attitude of a

karmayogi. Because of this, the dehatmabuddhi, is reduced and from

there knowledge can be gained. If a person has no insight into the

svarupa of himself so that his dehatmabuddhi is complete, trying to

meditate upon aksaram Brahma is not going to help. Since it is a

thing to be known, if he is not able to see at the time of teaching,

how is he going to meditate? To know that you are Brahman, you must

be able to relax, suspending all notions about yourself, and just

expose yourself to the teaching. Only then can you see 'I am

Brahman.' Otherwise the question will remain, 'How can I be Brahman?'

Therefore, with difficulty alone this can be accomplished by one who

has identification with the body, dehavadbhih. What does he

mean " with difficulty? " In fact, as long as there is identification

with the body, it cannot be accomplished. Only when deha-abhimana is

completely given up does one discover identity with Brahman. It is

not even something that you can give up. It is a fact that has to be

known.

 

When He says it is difficult, He means that you have to mature. That

takes time; it cannot be done by will alone. Suppose a banana has to

ripen: you cannot force it to do so. Given time, it will ripen by

itself; you need not do anything. Similarly, the maturity required to

gain this knowledge requires time - and conscious living. Going

through experiences with an attitude of karmayoga, the deha-abhimana

lessens. But it takes its own time. From this it is very clear why he

called those karmayogis yogavittamah, the most exalted. Their

elevation is not in their superiority but in the propriety of their

pursuit. It is not easy for people who are unprepared to contemplate

all the time. In fact, it is not possible. Krishna is restating here

what he said in the 5th chapter. " Renunciation of action is difficult

to accomplish, Arjuna, without karmayoga. Whereas one who is capable

of reasoning, who is committed to a life of karmayoga, gains Brahman

quickly. "

 

Among all those doing karma, the karmayogls who meditate upon sagunam

Brahma are yuktatamah, the most exalted. The aksara-brahma-upasakas

are to be left out of this comparison. They are jnanis who are not

different from Bhagavan. They have reached the end the karmayogis are

striving for so they are not eligible for this comparison. Only

similars can be compared. It is legitimate to compare various ends

but not the end with the means. Therefore Krishna mentions only the

karmayogis who are saguna-brahma-upasakah as yogavittamah.

 

Dehabhimanam, identifying oneself, atma, as the body is definitely

not easy to give up. This superimposition of the body, which is

anatma, upon atma is due to a failure to recognize the nature of

atma. Therefore the clear recognition of the svarupa of atma.

pratyagatmasiddhi is very important in understanding the teaching.

Unless the meaning of the word tvam, you, in the sentence tat tvam.

asi, sannyasas tu mahabaho duhkham a plum ayogatah yoga yukto munir

brahma na cirenadhigacchati.

[Guest guest]

Namaste Shri Ram Chandran-ji,

 

Thanks a lot for posting this. It was very good reading His

commentary on these verses.

 

In one of his lectures on Srimad Bhagavatham, Swami

Tattvavidananda (who is Swami Dayananda's disciple), says

something like the following:

 

" It is very easy to meditate on the Nirguna brahman. Just sit

quietly, do a pranayama (breathing technique) for mental

preparation. Then just say to yourself that you are not your

senses or your body. The identification with the body and

senses stops. Then say to yourself, you are not your mind.

The identification with your thoughts stops. Then say to

yourself, you are not your intellect. Your identification with your

intellect stops. What is left is yourself, that is present at all times,

everywhere. Just continue meditating on yourself. That is

Nirguna upasana. "

 

Then he says the startling statement:

" I find meditation on the Saguna brahman, or meditation on any

form as more difficult than the above. "

 

Perhaps, for Swamis at that level, simple things are easy. For

others, accomplishing simple things is difficult! That is where

these verses (and the next ones) of Gita come handy.

 

praNAms again

Ramakrishna