Gita Sara - Part 4

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Sri

SrimathE rAmAnujAya namaha

SrimathE nigamAntha mahadesikAya namaha

 

Dear Members,

 

I could not continue this series due to many academic circumstances.

Well, now that they are done

with (producing very good results), I will start with the frequent

posting of Gita Sara

translation series. As informed before, Gita Sara is a commentary by

Abhinava Desika, Uttamur

Viiraraghavachar. The Gitartha Sangraha of YamunAcharya provided

Bhagavan Ramanuja a base and a basic framework

to compose the latter's commentary on the Gita. The Gita Bhasya

stands foremost in explaining and

understanding the Gita of PrathamAcharya Lord Krishna.

 

During the course of time, Sarvatantra Swatantra, Swami Desikan

composed another commentary also

titled Gitartha Sangraha. Various objections were raised to this

composition. Swami Desikan

composed Gitartha Sangraha Raksha which is one of the five famous

Raksha Granthams of SriVaishnava

Sampradayam.

 

The Gita Sara was translated to English by Sri K Bhasyam. This book

was published in 1966 by Sri

Visisthadvaita Pracharini Sabha in Chennai. This series is

essentially an electronic format of the

English translation. I will try to have the Tamil Version online for

the benefit of readers who

are comfortable reading Sri Sookthis in Tamizh.

 

Regards,

 

Adiyen Ramanuja Dasan,

 

Malolan Cadambi

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srIh

srIkrishnAya paramatmane namaha

 

Gitartha Sangraha

 

sva-dharma-jnAna-vaiiraghya-sAdhya-bhaktyeka-gOcharaha |

nArAyana param brahmA giitashAstre samIrItaha || (Verse 1)

 

The subject matter of Geeta Shastra is Sri Narayana, the highest

Brahman within the range of the

vision of Bhakti alone. Bhakti attainable only by performing one's

duty(without attachment), by the

acquisition of (true) knowledge and by the detachment( absence of

worldly desires).

 

This Geeta Sastra is divided into three shatkas - parts of six

chapters each. Of these the first

Shatka (aggregate of six) is divided into two sub-divisions.

 

(1) The first two chapters (Adhyayas) deal with respectively the

grief of Arjuna and necessity for

a person to realise jIvatman to get rid of this grief.

 

(2) The next four Adhyayas get into details as to the means of

realising the jeevatman. The second

shatka is to be divided into two sub-divisions of three Adhyayas

each. The first sub-division

deals with the competency of a person to perform Bhakti Yoga and the

nature of such yoga; the second

sub-division deals with the methods and means to be practised for the

sprouting of and the growth

Bhakti. The third shatka also is divided into two parts of three

Adhyayas each -- the first

sub-division dealing with the truths-Tatvas and the net with Hita-the

means of attaining the ultimate

end(purushArtha).

 

This analysis is found in the beginning of the Tatparya Chandrika of

Sri NigamAntha Mahadesikan in

13th Adhyaya, and his commentary on Gitartha Sangraha.

 

" Sva Dharma " - the duties of one's own Varna and Ashrama.

 

" Swa JnAna " - the knowledge of jeeva with his natural characteristic

quality and also knowledge

that it is ever Sesha(servant) of the Lord.

 

" Vairaya " - Turning away from allegiance to any thins but the lotd.

this vairagya is a necessary

ingredient of Karma and JnAna - the roots cayse of the means by which

moksha can be attained. This

leads to Atma SakshAtkara (realisation of one's own self), and then

through such realisation, to

the attainment of Bhakti Yoga which like the flow of oil must be

constant and uninterrupted; and

this must be practised every day upto the last minute of one's ;ife

time. This destroys all sins and

leads to salvation.

 

" Bhakti-eka Gochara " - attainable by bhakti alone, i.e Narayana comes

within the range of Bhakti

alone, or narayana is both the upaya(means) and the upeya(end).

 

" Narayanaha Param Brahma " Narayana is the Para-Brahman(Supreme

Brahman). Brahman is only

Purushottama(Narayana). Then the word Param is illustrative of the

very many beneficences of the Brahman,

perhaps also to refute the paksha of some people that there is

sombody over and above the three

moorties.

 

" Sastre " since Geeta sepaks the truth and the way to attain (Hita),

it is purposely called as

Sastra, the BEST of the Sastras.

 

" Sameerita " (explained fully and clearly). Note the preposition

" sam " .

 

Thus this sloka tells us what the gist of whole Geeta Sastra is. The

next three slokas tell us in

brief the subject treated in the Geeta divided into three parts of

six chapters each.

 

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Next Posting: Verse 2

 

 

 

 

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