Gita Satsangh Chapter 14 Verses 21 through 23

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Dandavat pranams to all!

 

Gita Satsangh Chapter 14 Verses 21 through 23

 

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

 

Arjuna Uvaacha:

Kairlingais treen gunaanetaan ateeto bhavati prabho;

Kimaachaarah katham chaitaam streen gunaan ativartate.

 

Arjuna said:

 

21. What are the marks of him who has crossed over the three qualities, O Lord?

What is his conduct and how does he go beyond these three qualities?

 

Sankara Bhashya

(Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

 

Getting a clue to a question from the statement that one experiences

Immortality, even in this life, by going beyond the qualities-

 

Arjuna said:

 

21. O Lord, by what signs is one (known) who has gone beyond these three

qualities? What is his behaviour, and how does he transcend these three

qualities?

 

Prabho, O Lord; kaih, by what; lingaih, signs; bhavati, is one (known); atitah,

who has gone beyond; etan, these; trin, three; gunan, qualities that have been

explained? Kim, what; is his acarah, behaviour; ca, and; katham, how, in what

way; ativartate, does he transcend; [Ast. adds here, 'atitya vartate, (in what

way) does he exist after transcending (the three qualities)?'-Tr.] etan, these;

trin, three; gunan, qualities?

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

Arjuna said:

 

21. What are the marks of him who has crossed over the three GUNAS, O Lord? What

is his conduct, and how does he go beyond these three GUNAS?

 

The Geeta is written in a conversational style, to remove the tedium unavoidable

in the early studies of any philosophy, and to make it more entertaining. In

this conversation between the Lord of Perfect Knowledge and the mortal of

extreme delusion, Vyasa, the poet, has evidently not forgotten the human element

in his philosophical pre-occupation. In any Hall of Knowledge, the questions of

Arjuna sound like some childish inquisitive-ness, the play of some intellectual

pranks. The patience with which the Lord answers all the questions of the lesser

types of intellect, clearly indicated the duties of a true Brahmana in answering

exhaustively all the questions raised by the sceptic, nay even by the

non-believers.

 

Even though we are blessed by such a healthy tradition in our literature,

somehow, a cruel spirit of secrecy has come to rob this healthy spirit from our

glorious culture. Philosophical ideas putrefy when they are not properly

ventilated. Every disciple has the full freedom to seek, first of all, to

understand properly the logic of the philosophy. Understanding alone can give

rise to a true appreciation, and unless we appreciate an idea, we will never be

able to live it in our day-to-day life. The Hindu philosophy is a WAY OF LIFE,

and therefore, it is essentially to be lived.

 

Arjuna asks here three definite questions: (1) What are the marks by which a man

who has gone beyond the influences of these three gunas can be recognised? and,

(2) what would be, in that State-of-Perfection, his relationship with the world

outside and how is his behaviour among us who are still under the persecutions

of the three gunas? and, lastly, (3) how does such a Man-of-Perfection conquer

his inner confusions and entanglements and attain spiritual glory?

 

THE LORD PROCEEDS TO ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS IN THE FOLLOWING STANZAS. FIRST,

HE ENUMERATES THE CHARACTERISTIC MARKS BY WHICH WE CAN RECOGNISE ONE WHO HAS

CROSSED THE THREE GUNAS:

 

Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha:

 

Prakaasham cha pravrittim cha mohameva cha paandava;

Na dweshti sampravrittaani na nivrittaani kaangkshati.

 

The Blessed Lord said:

22. Light, activity and delusion,-when they are present, O Arjuna, he hates not,

nor does he long for them when they are absent!

 

Sankara Bhashya

(Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

 

In this verse the signs of one who has gone beyond the qualities, and the means

of transcending them have been asked by Arjuna. By way of replying to the two

questions, the Lord said: 'As for the question, 'With what signs does one who

has gone beyond the qualities become endowed with? " , listen to them:'

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

22. O son of Pandu, he neither dislikes illumination (knowledge), activity and

delusion when they appear, nor does he long for them when they disappear.

 

Na dvesti, he neither dislikes these; prakasam, illumination (knowledge), an

effect of sattva; pravrttim, activity, an effect of rajas; and moham, delusion,

an effect of tamas; sampravrttani, when they appear, when they fully emerge in

the form of objects (of experience)-.

 

'In me has arisen a perception which is a result of tamas; thereby I have become

deluded'; so also, 'In me has risen (the inclination to) action which is

painful and is born of rajas. By that rajas I have been actuated, carried away

from my own nature. This is a matter of sorrow to me that there has been a

deviation from my own nature'; similarly, 'The quality of sattva, in the form of

illumination that is knowledge, binds me by attributing discrimination to me and

making me attached to happiness'-(by thinking) in these ways one dislikes them

because of his being not fully enlightened. The person who has transcended the

qualities does not dislike them in this manner.

 

Unlike a person having sattva etc., who longs for the effects of sattva etc.

which withdraw themselves after becoming manifest to him, the person who has

gone beyond the qualities na kanksati, does not long for them in that way;

nivrttani, when they disappear. This is the idea.

 

This is not an indication that can be perceived by others. What then? Since this

characteristic is perceivable to oneself, it is merely subjective. For dislike

or longing, which is a subjective experience of a person, is not seen by

another.

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

THE LORD PROCEEDS TO ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS IN THE FOLLOWING STANZAS. FIRST,

HE ENUMERATES THE CHARACTERISTIC MARKS BY WHICH WE CAN RECOGNISE ONE WHO HAS

CROSSED THE THREE GUNAS:

 

The Blessed Lord said:

 

22. Light, activity, and delusion, when present, O Pandava, he hates not, nor

longs for them when absent.

 

In answering the first question of Arjuna, the Lord tries to explain how the man

of right understanding does not hate the effects of the three gunas when they

are clearly present in his inner life; nor does he long for them when they have

disappeared. Equanimity is the essence of perfection and a Man-of-Knowledge is

ever in perfect balance. He craves for nothing, nor does he strive to acquire

anything new. To have and not to have --- both are equal to him, because he is

beyond both, living a life of inward peace which is totally independent of all

environments.

 

LIGHT ACTIVITY AND DELUSION, WHEN PRESENT, HE HATES NOT --- The three terms

LIGHT, ACTIVITY and DELUSION are the effects of their respective causes, the

predominance of " Sattwa, " of " Rajas " and of " Tamas. " The three gunas are

indicated here by their effects. Their presence within him, does not create in

him either any special attachment nor any particular aversion. Whether his mind

and intellect are under the influence of Rajas or Tamas, even when he feels

agitated or deluded, he is not in the least affected by them, and therefore, he

hates them not. It is only in the absence of Self-Knowledge, that one hates

them.

 

He who has risen above the gunas, is unaffected when they appear in his mind. No

doubt, a man who is Sattwic develops an attachment for its essential peace and

serenity, its thrills and joys, and he hates when this inward joy is disturbed

by agitations (Rajas) or by dullness (Tamas).

 

NOR LONGS FOR THEM WHEN ABSENT --- Not only has he no particular attachment for

them, but also, he is not at all worried by their absence, because he has risen

much above these three gunas, and they, together or severally, have nothing to

offer him which he has not already gained! To a millionaire, it is immaterial

whether or not he gets, by chance, a 25-paise coin on the roadside. He may stoop

down and pick it up but he would never congratulate himself for it as much as a

poor man would do under the same circumstances.

 

Thus, he who has extricated himself from the entanglements of the gunas, has

transcended fully the equipments of the mind and intellect and lives the

infinite joys of the Self. To him, the ordinary vehicles of joys and sorrows can

no more supply any special quota of experiences. Ever steady and balanced, he

lives beyond all storms and clouds in a realm of unbroken peace and brilliance.

He conquers the world of Pure Awareness --- attains the State of Godhood.

 

NOW FOLLOWS AN EXHAUSTIVE ANALYSIS AND VIVID DESCRIPTION OF THE CONDUCT OF HIM

WHO HAS RISEN ABOVE THE 'GUNAS':

 

Udaaseenavadaaseeno gunairyo na vichaalyate;

Gunaa vartanta ityeva yo'vatishthati nengate.

 

23. He who, seated like one unconcerned, is not moved by the qualities, and who,

knowing that the qualities are active, is self-centred and moves not,

 

Sankara Bhashya

(Swami Gambiranda's Translation and Commentary)

 

Now, then, the Lord gives the reply to the question, 'What is the behaviour of

one who has gone beyond the qualities?':

 

23. He who, sitting like one indifferent, is not distracted by the three

qualities; he who, thinking that the qualities alone act, remains firm and

surely does not move;

 

He, the Self-realized monk, yah, who; asinah, sitting; udasinavat, like one

indifferent-as an indifferent man sides with nobody, similarly, this one, set on

the path leading to the transcendence of the qualities; na, is not; vicalyate,

distracted from the state of Knowledge arising out of discrimination; gunaih,

by the qualities. This point is being clarified as such: Yah, he who; thinking

iti, that; gunah, the qualities, which have trasnformed into body, organs and

objects; vartante, act on one another; avatisthati, remains firm-avatisthati

(instead of avatisthate) is used in the Parasmaipada to avoid a break in the

metre, or there is different reading, 'yah anutisthati, who acts'-;[His apparent

activity consists in the mere continuance of actions which have been

subjectively sublated through enlightenment.] and an, does not; ingate, move;

i.e., becomes eva, surely settled in his own nature-.

 

Swami Chinmayananda's Translation and Commentary

 

 

23. He who, seated like one unconcerned, is not moved by the 'GUNAS, ' who,

knowing that the 'GUNAS' operate, is self-centred and swerves not . . .

 

In this section, constituted of the following three verses, we have an

exhaustive picture of the relationship that a Man-of-Perfection maintains with

the things and beings of the world. A man's culture may be a false mask. Many of

us can act the part of God as long as the situations around us are not too

tempting. A man may not be a tyrant as long as he has no power; he may live a

quiet life, as long as he is poor; he may be above corruption, as long as he has

no seducing chances. Thus, many good qualities which we attribute to many people

around, are all a falsely painted, superficial beauty, concealing behind its

artifice a weak and unhealthy personality.

 

Potential devils stalk about in the world in the borrowed garbs of artificial

raiment. Therefore, the real test of a Perfect One is not in the jungle or in a

cave, but in the market-place where he is teased by the mischiefs of the world.

Christ was never so great as when he was nailed to the cross! The true nature in

us will come out only when we are crushed; the fragrance of chandana (Sandal

wood) emerges only when rubbed; Tulasi (Ocimum) leaves leave their fragrance on

the very fingers that crush them.

 

HE WHO, SEATED LIKE ONE UNCONCERNED, IS NOT MOVED BY THE GUNAS all his

experiences in the world, good, bad or indifferent, he is unconcerned, since he

knows that it is the play of the mind and intellect. In a cinema hall, the

tragedies and comedies on the screen need not affect us, since we know that it

is a show put up for our entertainment. This does not mean that the Seer is

totally unconcerned with the happenings of the world. Vyasa is very careful in

his choice of expression. He says that the Man-of-Perfection looks " LIKE ONE

UNCONCERNED. " That is to say, he is not in the least agitated; nor does he

become hysterical by anything that is happening around him in life.

 

WHO, KNOWING THAT THE 'GUNAS' OPERATE --- He understands that the changes in his

own inward personality are all nothing but the kaleidoscopic changes of the

gunas and that the world outside changes according to one's mental conditions. A

man of True Wisdom lives, ever fully aware of the technique behind the changes

in himself and in the world around him.

IS SELF-CENTERED AND SWERVES NOT order to watch the play of the three

gunas in himself, he should be an observer from beyond the gunas. Thus,

established in his Pure Spiritual Nature, he is able to observe detachedly and

enjoy the play of the gunas in himself and in the world around him. An observer

of a street fight, looking down from his balcony, is not affected by what he

observes; so too, the Man-of-Wisdom, awakened to the Spiritual Consciousness,

swerves not from his consummate equilibrium, when he witnesses the play of the

gunas in himself and ever remains established in his own Divine Nature

(ava-tishthati).

 

CONTINUING TO ELUCIDATE THE THOUGHT SUGGESTED IN THE PREVIOUS STANZA, THE LORD

SAYS:

 

to be continued...

 

 

 

Hare Krishna!!!