Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter3-karmayoga

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5. udDhareth aathmanaa aathmaanam

na aathmaanam avasaaDhayeth

 

aathmaa eva aathmano banDhuh

aatmaa eva ripuH aathmanah

 

One should elevate himself by his own self and should not allow it to go down. The self only is the friend of oneself and the self alone is the foe of oneself.

 

When the peak is reached self is lifted up by itself. No external aid can help in elevating oneself which includes the learning of sasthras . All the external means to meditation like study of sasthras, japa , chanting and others can only help in purifying our internal equipment to make us ready to concentrate. But to attain yoga and subsequent liberation one has to transcend the body mind and intellect, the latter termed as the inner equipment, and identify with one's self. This could be achieved only through Self alone. This is what has been implied by udhdhareth aathmanaathmaanam. The diffidence that whether this could be done is dispelled by the words ` naathmaanam avasaadhayeth, elevate the Self and not push it down,' which means `do not give up.' Self alone is the friend, aathma here meaning the inner self , the self alone becomes the enemy. Here the word self means not the aathma but the mind and intellect.

 

 

 

6. banDhuH aathmma aathmaanH thasya

yena aathmaa aathmanaa jithaH

 

anaathmanasthu Sathruthve

 

varthetha aathma eva Sathruvath

 

The self is the friend of oneself if has controlled himself by the self. But to one who has not done so the self remains hostile like an enemy.

In interpreting the words like yoga, aathma and other similar ones having a generally understood meaning , one must be careful and construe their meaning according to the context in which they are mentioned. Many distorted versions are only due to the failure of doing so or deliberate misinterpretation. To the one who has controlled himself, the Self , aathman, becomes a friend because he identifies himself with his Self and not with his body, mind and intellect, which constitute non-self. On the other hand if he identifies himself with his non-self it prevents him from realizing his Self and he becomes the enemy of himself... Here the self which becomes his enemy is not the inner self but his internal equipment consisting of body, mind an intellect.