gita reading

June 21, 2003

what is the best adya to read when some one dies

gHari · June 21, 2003

The guru, Srila Prabhupada has said that we need not grieve for an eternal soul when they migrate to another body, but we can feel grief that we will miss their association. My condolances for the family and friends of the one who has left them.

Bhagavad-gita verse 2.20<blockquote><center>na jAyate mriyate vA kadAcin

nAyaM bhUtvA bhavitA vA na bhUyaH

ajo nityaH zAzvato 'yaM purANo

na hanyate hanyamAne zarIre

</center>

na--never; jAyate--takes birth; mriyate--dies; vA--either; kadAcit--at any time (past, present or future); na--never; ayam--this; bhUtvA--having come into being; bhavitA--will come to be; vA--or; na--not; bhUyaH--or is again coming to be; ajaH--unborn; nityaH--eternal; zAzvataH--permanent; ayam--this; purANaH--the oldest; na--never; hanyate--is killed; hanyamAne--being killed; zarIre--the body.

For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

PURPORT

Qualitatively, the small atomic fragmental part of the Supreme Spirit is one with the Supreme. He undergoes no changes like the body. Sometimes the soul is called the steady, or kUTa-stha. The body is subject to six kinds of transformations. It takes its birth from the womb of the mother's body, remains for some time, grows, produces some effects, gradually dwindles, and at last vanishes into oblivion. The soul, however, does not go through such changes. The soul is not born, but, because he takes on a material body, the body takes its birth. The soul does not take birth there, and the soul does not die. Anything which has birth also has death. And because the soul has no birth, he therefore has no past, present or future. He is eternal, ever-existing, and primeval--that is, there is no trace in history of his coming into being. Under the impression of the body, we seek the history of birth, etc., of the soul. The soul does not at any time become old, as the body does. The so-called old man, therefore, feels himself to be in the same spirit as in his childhood or youth. The changes of the body do not affect the soul. The soul does not deteriorate like a tree, nor anything material. The soul has no by-product either. The by-products of the body, namely children, are also different individual souls; and, owing to the body, they appear as children of a particular man. The body develops because of the soul's presence, but the soul has neither offshoots nor change. Therefore, the soul is free from the six changes of the body.

In the KaTha UpaniSad (1.2.18) we also find a similar passage, which reads:

na jAyate mriyate vA vipazcin

nAyaM kutazcin na babhUva kazcit

ajo nityaH zAzvato 'yaM purANo

na hanyate hanyamAne zarIre

[bg. 2.20]

</center>

The meaning and purport of this verse is the same as in the Bhagavad-gItA, but here in this verse there is one special word, vipazcit, which means learned or with knowledge.

The soul is full of knowledge, or full always with consciousness. Therefore, consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Even if one does not find the soul within the heart, where he is situated, one can still understand the presence of the soul simply by the presence of consciousness. Sometimes we do not find the sun in the sky owing to clouds, or for some other reason, but the light of the sun is always there, and we are convinced that it is therefore daytime. As soon as there is a little light in the sky early in the morning, we can understand that the sun is in the sky. Similarly, since there is some consciousness in all bodies--whether man or animal--we can understand the presence of the soul. This consciousness of the soul is, however, different from the consciousness of the Supreme because the supreme consciousness is all-knowledge--past, present and future. The consciousness of the individual soul is prone to be forgetful. When he is forgetful of his real nature, he obtains education and enlightenment from the superior lessons of KRSNa. But KRSNa is not like the forgetful soul. If so, KRSNa's teachings of Bhagavad-gItA would be useless.

There are two kinds of souls--namely the minute particle soul (aNu-AtmA) and the Supersoul (vibhu-AtmA). This is also confirmed in the KaTha UpaniSad (1.2.20) in this way:

aNor aNIyAn mahato mahIyAn

AtmAsya jantor nihito guhAyAm

tam akratuH pazyati vIta-zoko

dhAtuH prasAdAn mahimAnam AtmanaH

</center>

"Both the Supersoul [ParamAtmA] and the atomic soul [jIvAtmA] are situated on the same tree of the body within the same heart of the living being, and only one who has become free from all material desires as well as lamentations can, by the grace of the Supreme, understand the glories of the soul." KRSNa is the fountainhead of the Supersoul also, as it will be disclosed in the following chapters, and Arjuna is the atomic soul, forgetful of his real nature; therefore he requires to be enlightened by KRSNa, or by His bona fide representative (the spiritual master).</blockquote>

Verse 2.13<blockquote><center>dehino 'smin yathA dehe

kaumAraM yauvanaM jarA

tathA dehAntara-prAptir

dhIras tatra na muhyati

</center>

dehinaH--of the embodied; asmin--in this; yathA--as; dehe--in the body; kaumAram--childhood; yauvanam--youth; jarA--old age; tathA--similarly; deha-antara--of transference of the body; prAptiH--achievement; dhIraH--the sober; tatra--thereupon; na--never; muhyati--is deluded.

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from childhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.

PURPORT

Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth, and sometimes as an old man. Yet the same spirit soul is there and does not undergo any change. This individual soul finally changes the body at death and transmigrates to another body; and since it is sure to have another body in the next birth--either material or spiritual--there was no cause for lamentation by Arjuna on account of death, neither for BhISma nor for DroNa, for whom he was so much concerned. Rather, he should rejoice for their changing bodies from old to new ones, thereby rejuvenating their energy. Such changes of body account for varieties of enjoyment or suffering, according to one's work in life. So BhISma and DroNa, being noble souls, were surely going to have spiritual bodies in the next life, or at least life in heavenly bodies for superior enjoyment of material existence. So, in either case, there was no cause of lamentation.

Any man who has perfect knowledge of the constitution of the individual soul, the Supersoul, and nature--both material and spiritual--is called a dhIra, or a most sober man. Such a man is never deluded by the change of bodies.

The MAyAvAdI theory of oneness of the spirit soul cannot be entertained, on the ground that the spirit soul cannot be cut into pieces as a fragmental portion. Such cutting into different individual souls would make the Supreme cleavable or changeable, against the principle of the Supreme Soul's being unchangeable. As confirmed in the GItA, the fragmental portions of the Supreme exist eternally (sanAtana) and are called kSara; that is, they have a tendency to fall down into material nature. These fragmental portions are eternally so, and even after liberation the individual soul remains the same--fragmental. But once liberated, he lives an eternal life in bliss and knowledge with the Personality of Godhead. The theory of reflection can be applied to the Supersoul, who is present in each and every individual body and is known as the ParamAtmA. He is different from the individual living entity. When the sky is reflected in water, the reflections represent both the sun and the moon and the stars also. The stars can be compared to the living entities and the sun or the moon to the Supreme Lord. The individual fragmental spirit soul is represented by Arjuna, and the Supreme Soul is the Personality of Godhead SrI KRSNa. They are not on the same level, as it will be apparent in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter. If Arjuna is on the same level with KRSNa, and KRSNa is not superior to Arjuna, then their relationship of instructor and instructed becomes meaningless. If both of them are deluded by the illusory energy (mAyA), then there is no need of one being the instructor and the other the instructed. Such instruction would be useless because, in the clutches of mAyA, no one can be an authoritative instructor. Under the circumstances, it is admitted that Lord KRSNa is the Supreme Lord, superior in position to the living entity, Arjuna, who is a forgetful soul deluded by mAyA.</blockquote>

Verse 2.27<blockquote><center>jAtasya hi dhruvo mRtyur

dhruvaM janma mRtasya ca

tasmAd aparihArye 'rthe

na tvaM zocitum arhasi

</center>

jAtasya--of one who has taken his birth; hi--certainly; dhruvaH--a fact; mRtyuH--death; dhruvam--it is also a fact; janma--birth; mRtasya--of the dead; ca--also; tasmAt--therefore; aparihArye--of that which is unavoidable; arthe--in the matter; na--do not; tvam--you; zocitum--to lament; arhasi--deserve.

One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again. Therefore, in the unavoidable discharge of your duty, you should not lament.

PURPORT

One has to take birth according to one's activities of life. And after finishing one term of activities, one has to die to take birth for the next. In this way one is going through one cycle of birth and death after another without liberation. This cycle of birth and death does not, however, support unnecessary murder, slaughter and war. But at the same time, violence and war are inevitable factors in human society for keeping law and order.

The Battle of KurukSetra, being the will of the Supreme, was an inevitable event, and to fight for the right cause is the duty of a kSatriya. Why should he be afraid of or aggrieved at the death of his relatives since he was discharging his proper duty? He did not deserve to break the law, thereby becoming subjected to the reactions of sinful acts, of which he was so afraid. By avoiding the discharge of his proper duty, he would not be able to stop the death of his relatives, and he would be degraded due to his selection of the wrong path of action.</blockquote>