Gita Satsangh Chapter 13 Verses 9 to 10

February 1, 2009

Dandavat pranams to all!

Indriyaartheshu vairaagyamanahankaara eva cha; Janmamrityujaraavyaadhi duhkhadoshaanu darshanam.

9. Indifference to the objects of the senses, also absence of egoism, perception of (or reflection on) the evil in birth, death, old age, sickness and pain,

Sankara Bhashya (Swami Gambiranda’s Translation and Commentary)9. Non-attachment with regard to objects of the senses, and also absence of egotism; seeing the evil in birth, death, old age, diseases and miseries; Vairagyam, non-attachment, the attitude of dispassion; indriya-arthesu, with regard to objects of the senses, viz sound etc., with regard to seen or unseen objects of enjoyment; eva ca, and also; anahankarah, absence of egotism, absence of pride; janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosa-anudarsanam, seeing the evil in birth, death, old age, diseases and miseries-seeing the evil in each one of them from 'birth' to 'miseries'. The evil in birth consists in lying in the womb and coming out of it; seeing, i.e. thinking, of it. Similarly, thinking of the evil in death; so also, seeing in old age the evil in the form of deprivation of intelligence, strength and vigour, and becoming an object of contempt. In the same way, thinking of the evil in diseases like headache etc.; so also with regard to miseries arising from causes physical, natural and supernatural. Or, duhkha-dosa may mean the miseries themselves which are evil. Seeing, as before, that (evil in the form of miseries) in birth etc.-birth is miserable, death is miserable, old age is miserable, diseases are miserable. Birth etc. are miserable because they cause misery; not that they are miseries in themselves. [birth etc. are perceivable events, and as such are not miseries in themselves.] Thus, when one thinks of the evil in the form of miseries in birth etc. dispassion arises with regard to the pleasures in the body, organs and objects. From that follows the tendency of the organs towards the indwelling Self for the realization of the Self. The seeing of the evil in the form of misery in birth etc. is called Knowledge because it thus becomes a cause of the rise of Knowledge. Swami Chinmayananda’s Translation and Commentary 9. Indifference to the objects of the sense, and also absence of egoism, perception of (or reflection upon) evils in birth, death, old age, sickness and pain. . . ABSENCE OF ATTACHMENT FOR OBJECTS --- This does not mean running away from the objects-of-the-world. Living in the midst of these objects, to switch off our mental pre-occupations with them; living amidst the objects detachedly and not getting shackled by them --- this is meant here by the term Vairagya. To run away from the objects and to indulge in them mentally amounts to suppressions, and such a suppressed individual is labelled (in III-6) as a hypocrite (Mithya-chara) by the Lord Himself. ABANDONMENT OF THE THOUGHT OF 'I' --- The individuality-sense comes only when we identify ourselves with the equipments and their perceptions. To reduce this delusory misconception of ourselves is an essential pre-requisite for asserting and living our own real divine nature. This is equivalent to the weeding that must precede planting in any field of cultivation. PERCEPTION OF THE EVIL OF PAIN --- Feeling of discontentment with the available situation alone can goad us to discover a new state of existence. Whether it be a nation, a community or a society, as long as they are not aware of the fact that their present conditions are despicable and tragic, they will adapt themselves to living in that condition oblivious of their sorrows. Every political or social worker first makes the people understand their present state of degradation and destitution. When such realisation comes to them, they are ready with all enthusiasm, to seek fresh fields of greater joys and a fuller life. The same technique is applicable in the culture field. Unless a seeker is fully conscious of the inward personality-shackles in himself, he will live on in his own ditch of sorrows, never striving to get out of it. Both the human mind and body have a tremendous amount of adaptability. They can adapt themselves to any condition and even come to enjoy them. Unless a seeker is constantly conscious of the evil of the pain in his present stage of existence, he will not discover the necessary spiritual urge, intellectual dynamism, emotional enthusiasm or physical courage to seek, to fight for, to win, and to possess the Divine Fields of Perfection. IN BIRTH, DEATH, OLD AGE, AND SICKNESS --- Every physical body in the world, goes through these modifications; and each one of them is an inlet for fresh sources of sorrow. Birth, growth, decay, disease and death are the tragic destinies of all living equipments. In all these stages of our metamorphosis, to constantly recognize pain is to feel an impatience with it. This sense of revolt against pain is the fuel that drives the seekers faster and faster to seek the Peaks of Perfection. MOREOVER:

Asaktiranabhishwangah putradaaragrihaadishu; Nityam cha samachittatwam ishtaanishtopapattishu. 10. Non-attachment, non-identification of the Self with son, wife, home and the rest, and constant even-mindedness on the attainment of the desirable and the undesirable, Sankara Bhashya (Swami Gambiranda’s Translation and Commentary)10. Non-attachment and absence of fondness with regard to sons, wives, homes, etc., and constant equanimity of the mind with regard to the attainment of the desirable and the undesirable;Asaktih, non-attachment-attachment means merely the kind for things arising from association; the absence of that is asaktih; and anabhisvangah, absence of fondness-abhisvangah, is in fact a special kind of attachment consisting of the idea of self-identification; as for instance, thinking 'I myself am happy,' or, 'I am sorrowful,' when somebody else is happy or unhappy, and thinking 'I live', or, 'I shall die,' when some- body else lives or dies-With regard to what? In answer the Lord says: putra-dara-grhadisu, with regard to sons, wives, homes, etc. From the use of 'etc.' (it is understood that this fondness is) even with regard to others who are liked very much-retinue of sevants and so on. And since both these (absence of attachment and fondness) lead to Knowledge, therefore they are called Knowledge.And nityam, constant; sama-cittatvam, equanimity of mind, mental equipoise;-with regard to what?-ista-anista-upapattisu, the attainment of the desirable and the undesirable; mental equipoise with regard to them, always, without exception. One does not become happy on the attainment of the desirable, nor does he become angry on the attainment of the undesirable. And that constant equanimity of mind which is of this kind is KnowledgeSwami Chinmayananda’s Translation and Commentary10. Non-attachment; non-identification of Self with son, wife, home and the rest; and constant even-mindedness on the attainment of the desirable and the undesirable. . . NON-ATTACHMENT --- The mind's sticking on to the various objects of the world with extreme liking for them is called attachment. It is the mental contacts with the world-outside that bring agitations into the mind. It dances a number to the tune of death to which the finite objects of the world most often dance. Fire in itself cannot burn, but a child gets its fingers burnt, not because of the fire but because its fingers, propelled by a force called desire, come in actual CONTACT with fire. ABSENCE OF EXCESSIVE LOVE FOR CHILD, WIFE, HOME AND THE LIKE --- Excessive love, or affection, is an intense form of attachment to another. It consists in our total identification with the object of our affection. The lover loses his personal identity in his identification with the beloved to such an extent, that he is happy or sorrowful when she lives in joy or suffers from pain. Such an intimate relationship is generally met with in the attachment of a mother to its child. To build a wall of discrimination around our inner personality and to keep such disturbances away is to discover the equipoise in ourselves --- without which no progress or growth is ever possible. With a little practice, this evenness of mind can be maintained unbroken in all situations of life --- DESIRABLE and UNDESIRABLE. A human mind, relieved from its pre-occupations with its own present attachments and affections, unintelligent though they be, will discover in itself a tremendous amount of surplus energy conserved, which might flow into dangerous channels unless rightly directed.

Hare Krishna!!!