Gita Satsangh Chapter 14 Verses 7 & 8

[Guest guest]

Dandavat pranams to all!

 

Gita Satsangh Chapter 14 Verses 7 & 8

 

To listen to Swami Brahmanananda of the Chinmaya Mission

chanting this Chapter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jn3Hro5Ib4U & feature=channel_page

 

To listen to Meena Mahadevan of KailashMusic

chanting this Chapter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9FyEwbZAOs

 

Rajo raagaatmakam viddhi trishnaasangasamudbhavam;

Tannibadhnaati kaunteya karmasangena dehinam.

7. Know thou Rajas to be of the nature of passion, the source of thirst (for

sensual enjoyment) and attachment; it binds fast, O Arjuna, the embodied one by

attachment to action!

 

Sankara Bhashya

(Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

 

7. Know rajas to be of the nature of passion, born of hankering and attachment.

O son of Kunti, that binds the embodied one through attachment to action.

 

Viddhi, know; rajas to be ragatmakam, of the nature of passion (-raga is derived

in the sense of that which colours-), having the property of colouring, like the

ochre pigment etc.; trsna-asanga-samud-bhavam, born of hankering and

attachment-hankering is the longing for things not acquired; attachment is the

clining-of the nature of fondness-of the mind to things in possession. O son of

Kunti, tat, that, that rajas; nibadhnati, binds; dehinam, the embodied one;

karma-sangena, through attachment to actions. Deep involvement in actions

related to seen or unseen objects is karmasangah. Rajas binds through that.

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

NOW THE DIAGNOSIS OF 'RAJAS,' WHEN IT COMES TO PLAY ITS HAVOC IN THE HUMAN

BOSOM:

 

7. Know thou " RAJAS " (to be) of the nature of passion, the source of thirst and

attachment; it binds fast, O Kaunteya, the embodied one, by attachment to

action.

 

A seeker, who is striving to conquer his own mind must know all its subtle

inclinations by which, again and again, his thoughts run amuck only to return

and increasingly sabotage his inner personality.

 

KNOW " RAJAS " TO BE THE NATURE OF PASSION --- Where there is an onslaught of

Rajoguna--Influences in the bosom, man's mind is wrecked with a hundred painful

passions. Passions are the main symptoms of the working of Rajoguna in the

psychological field. Passion expresses itself in a million different urges,

desires, emotions, and feelings. Yet, all of them can fall only under two

distinct categories: desires and attachments. Thus, in the Geeta, Lord Krishna

mentions these two as the very sources from which all passions arise.

 

GIVES RISE TO THIRST AND ATTACHMENT --- The term used in Sanskrit for 'desire'

is 'thirst'. When an individual is thirsty, nothing, for the time being, is of

as much importance as water, which alone can satisfy his thirst. Just as a

thirsty man would struggle and suffer, wanting nothing but water to relieve his

pangs, so too, a human personality thirsts for the satisfaction of every desire

that burns him down. Once the desire is fulfilled, a sense of attachment comes

like a vicious passion to smother down all the peace and joy of the mind.

 

DESIRE is our mental relationship towards 'objects' which have not yet been

acquired by us and ATTACHMENT is the mental slavishness binding us to the

objects so acquired.

These two --- DESIRE for the acquisition of things and the creation of

situations which are expected to yield a certain quota of personal happiness,

and the sense of clinging ATTACHMENT to things already so acquired --- are the

volcanoes that constantly throw up their molten lava to scorch and raze the

smiling fields of life. The burning lava, that is emitted by these fiery

mountains, comprising the various passions that man expresses in his sensual

life, make up the strifes and struggles to acquire, to possess and to guard what

is already gained.

 

IT BINDS FAST THE EMBODIED ONE BY ATTACHMENT TO ACTION --- When once an

individual has come under the influence of Rajas, he expresses innumerable

desires, and bound in his own attachments, he lives on in the world manifesting

a variety of passions. Such a passionate being-goaded by his desires for things

not yet acquired, and crushed under the weight and responsibility of his

attachments to things that he possesses --- can never keep quiet but must

necessarily act on endlessly earning and spending, and yet thirsting for more

and more. Anxious to have more, fearing to lose, he becomes entangled in the

joys of his successes, involved in the pangs of his failures, and lives as an

" embodied-one, " chained by his own actions.

 

Actions are born of passions. Passions arise from desires and attachments. And

all these are the symptoms of the presence of the Rajoguna-influences upon our

mind. Thus, if Sattwa-guna binds us with its own anxieties for happiness and

peace, wisdom and knowledge, as has been said in the previous stanza, Rajo-guna

also seemingly binds the Infinite Self to Matter-vestures and makes It play the

part of a limited being through an endless array of inexhaustible actions.

Though the Self is not an agent (ACTOR), Rajas makes It act with the idea " I AM

THE DOER. "

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

 

Tamastwajnaanajam viddhi mohanam sarvadehinaam;

Pramaadaalasyanidraabhis tannibadhnaati bhaarata.

8. But know thou Tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it

binds fast, O Arjuna, by heedlessness, sleep and indolence!

 

Sankara Bhashya

(Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

 

8. On the other hand, know tamas, which deludes all embodied beings, to be born

of ignorance. O scion of the Bharata dynasty, that binds through inadvertence,

laziness and sleep.

 

Viddhi, know; tamas, the third qualitty; mahanam, which deludes, which is a

cause of indiscrimination; sarva-dehinam, of all embodied beings; to be

ajnanajam, born of ignorance. O scion of the Bharata dynasty, tat, that tamas;

nibadhnati, binds; pramada-alasya-nidrabhih, through inadvertence, laziness and

sleep.

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

TAMAS ALSO HELPS TO BIND THE DIVINE TO THE MORTAL FLESH. HOW?

 

8. But, know thou TAMAS is born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings, it

binds fast, O Bharata, by heedless-ness, indolence and sleep.

 

TAMAS IS BORN OF 'IGNORANCE' --- Under the influence of Tamas man's intellectual

capacity to discriminate between the right and wrong gets veiled and he starts

acting as if under some hallucination or stupefaction. Lord Krishna says that

Tamas, in the human personality, binds it to its lower nature by providing it

with endless misconceptions and miscomprehensions of the true divine purpose of

life, which, naturally, forces one in that condition to live in indolence,

heedless of the higher purposes. One thereafter lives ever asleep to the nobler

and the diviner aspirations of life. There is no consistency of purpose,

brilliance of thought, tenderness of emotion, or nobility of action in an

individual who comes under the contamination of the Tamoguna-influences.

 

So far, the Lord has been systematically mentioning the symptoms which are

observed in our mental life when these gunas pollute our inner tranquillity.

These three gunas not only bring about different amounts of divine brilliance in

a given individual but also limit the Eternal Self, in all Its perfection, to

feel and act as THOUGH It is limited and conditioned by the matter-envelopments.

 

to be continued...

 

 

 

Hare Krishna!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste Satsanghis:

 

I noticed that there is not much participation in the Gita Satsangh for the past

several months. I request the silent members to actively get involved in the

Satsangh. This chapter is quite useful for everyone to understand and

appreciate the facts regarding human qualities.

 

We sometime wonder why should we learn about different human qualities? If we

take little more time to contemplate, we will be able to appreciate the noble

reasons. Almost all Management schools require thejr students to take human

behavior related courses for several semesters. Those who aspire to become

leaders of big or small corporations or governments will be successful if they

know how to deal with different personalities. Vedanta fundamentally focuses on

the importance of yogasadhana to fine tune human behavior to face difficult

situations in life. The message is quite subtle – a tamasik person with

additional efforts can become a sattvic. We should have strong faith in the

teachings which provides the clues for transforming our personality. Also Gita

describes directly and implicitly how to change our habits to neutralize the ill

effects of Rajo and Tamasik gunas.

 

The verses 5 to 8 provides the basics and will help us to make appropriate

adjustments to deal with varied situations in life.

 

The three Gunas – Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are present in all human beings. None

is free from the operation of any one of the three qualities. They are not

constant. Sometimes Sattva predominates and at other times Rajas or Tamas

predominates.

 

Sattvam rajas tama iti gunaah prakriti sambhavaah;

Nibadhnanti mahaabaaho dehe dehinam avyayam.

5. Purity, passion and inertia—these qualities, O mighty-armed Arjuna, born of

Nature, bind fast in the body, the embodied, the indestructible!

 

The use of the words `Sattvam', `Rajas' and `Tamas' is intended to point out the

diversity, the names and the number of the Gunas. That is to say, the Gunas are

three in number, they are known by the names of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, and

they are diverse in character. They are called `Prakrti-Sambhava' (born of

Nature) in order to show that they are all evolutes of Prakrti, and that the

whole material creation is an amplification of these three Gunas.

 

The word `Dehinam' is intended to convey that the Gunas react only on those who

look upon the body as their self; while the use of the adjective `Avyayam' with

reference to the same shows that in reality the soul as such is immutable, hence

there can be no bondage for it. It regards itself as bound only due to ignorance

that has haunted it from time without beginning. These three Gunas induce in the

soul a sense of possession, attachment and a feeling of identification in

respect of enjoyments and bodies corresponding to themselves.

 

Tatra sattvam nirmalatwaat prakaashakam anaamayam;

Sukhasangena badhnaati jnaanasangena chaanagha.

 

6. Of these, Sattva, which from its stainlessness is luminous and healthy, binds

by attachment to knowledge and to happiness, O sinless one!

The quality of Sattva is pure in character and untainted by any form of evil;

hence it is illuminating and free from morbidity of any kind. It lends

illumination to the mind and the senses, and uprooting sorrow, distraction,

depravities, evil propensities and vices, brings peace. When the quality of

Sattva is in the ascendant, the restlessness of the mind automatically

disappears, and feeling disgusted with and losing all interest in the world, man

gets absorbed in the thought of the supreme Spirit, who is Truth, Consciousness

and Bliss solidified. The sattvic mind is free from sorrow injected through the

senses and exhibits stability, peace and enthusiasm. It is these characteristics

of Sattva that are indicated by the word `Nirmalatvat' and the word `Sattvam'

has been qualified by the mayam adjectives `Prakasakam' and `Ana ' in order to

bring out the essential character of Sattva.

 

The word `Sukha', forming part of the compound word `Sukhasangena' in this

verse, denotes the Sattvika form of joy defined in verses 36 and 37 of Chapter

XVIII. `Jnana' means the faculty of knowledge. On the unfoldment of this faculty

the feeling of identification that the soul comes to develop with it debars it

from attaining the state that lies beyond the three Gunas. This is what is meant

by the Sattvaguna binding the soul through identification with wisdom.

Gitacharya reminds us that the ultimate goal is liberation and consequently one

has to seek go beyond the boundaries of gunas (including Sattva guna!). By

addressing Arjuna as `Anagha' (sinless one), the Lord shows that being sinless

by nature, Arjuna had no fear of bondage.

 

Rajo raagaatmakam viddhi trishnaasangasamudbhavam;

Tannibadhnaati kaunteya karmasangena dehinam.

7. Know thou Rajas to be of the nature of passion, the source of thirst (for

sensual enjoyment) and attachment; it binds fast, O Arjuna, the embodied one by

attachment to action!

 

The quality of Rajas manifests itself as passion or attachment. Raga or passion

is its gross manifestation hence the quality of Rajas has been characterized as

being of the nature of passion.

Here it may be urged that desire itself has been declared elsewhere as an

offspring of Rajoguna ( see chapter 3 verse 37 and chapter 14, verse .l2). How,

then, are we to understand that Rajoguna is begotten of `cupidity' and

`attachment'? In this connection it may be submitted that the quality of Rajas

develops through greed and attachment, while greed and attachment in their turn

are developed through Rajoguna. They are interdependent like the seed and the

tree. Of these, Rajas is analogous to the seed; while greed, attachment etc,

correspond to the tree. The seed is a product of the tree, and yet it is the

cause of the tree as well. It is in order to make this point clear that at some

places Rajoguna has been declared to be the cause of desire etc, while at other

places desire etc, have been declared to be the cause of Rajoguna.

 

The compound word `Trishnasangasamudbhavam' in this very verse can be

interpreted in both ways. If it is interpreted to mean that which is born of

Trsna (desire) and Sanga (attachment). Rajoguna turns out to be an effect of the

latter. If, on the other hand, it is taken to mean that from which Trsna

(desire) and Sanga (attachment) emanate Rajoguna turns out to be the cause. On

the analogy of the seed and the tree, both these conclusions are true, hence it

can be interpreted both ways.

 

`Karmasanga' means establishing one's connection with actions and their fruit by

claiming to be their doer. Rajoguna essentially ties down the jiva to mundane

existence consisting of birth and death.

 

Tamastwajnaanajam viddhi mohanam sarvadehinaam;

Pramaadaalasyanidraabhis tannibadhnaati bhaarata.

8. But know thou Tamas to be born of ignorance, deluding all embodied beings; it

binds fast, O Arjuna, by heedlessness, sleep and indolence!

 

The quality of Tamas (inertia) stupefies the mind and senses, depriving them of

their cognitive faculty. Gitacharya declares that those influenced by Tamoguna

consider their body, mind and intellect as the SELF. Tamoguna associates with

delusion and consequently bondage. Here it may be urged that verse 17 of this

very chapter speaks of ignorance as a product of Tamoguna. How, then, are we to

understand that Tamoguna has its root in ignorance? In this connection it may be

submitted that ignorance grows through Tamoguna and Tamoguna in its turn grows

through ignorance. Like the seed and the tree they too are interdependent:

ignorance is analogous to the seed, while Tamoguna corresponds to the tree.

Therefore, at some places Tamoguna is stated to be the cause, while at others it

is declared to be a product of ignorance.

 

Fruitless activity of the mind and senses and neglect of duties enjoined by the

sastras or sacred books is called `Pramada' (error). Alasya is inactivity or

disinclination to perform one's duty. And drowsiness, the state of dream and

deep sleep-all these are covered by `Nidra.' Restraining the soul through all

these from practices leading to liberation, Tamoguna keeps it tied down to

mundane existence consisting of birth and death.

 

It should be pointed out that in general jivas exhibit Sattva, Rajo and Tamas at

varying degrees and at different times of (the day) their life. One has to take

steps to recognize the characteristics of these gunas and fine tune themselves

to attain Sattva guna and keep it stable. In the initial stages of one's

spiritual evolution, jivas will likely experience oscillations and lots of

efforts may be required to attain the personality with Sattva Guna. It should be

further noted that the ultimate goal is go beyond the boundaries of the gunas

and that require Yogasadhana!

 

With my warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

Note: Please take this opportunity and share your thoughts using realworld

examples. This will certainly help us all to learn why people behave differently

and will help us deal with them with more compassion and understanding.