tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64677450814392553242024-03-13T23:39:06.132+05:30The New Bhagavad-GitaHRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-78253649857355407002013-12-22T00:00:00.000+05:302013-12-24T13:36:10.786+05:30The Complete Bhagavad-GitaAfter nearly eight years of work, we present <i>The Complete Bhagavad-Gita</i>, which explores the ancient text verse-by-verse, word-by-word and takes the reader on a journey of the Gita like never before.<br />
<br />
Krishna’s universal message applies to the whole of human life since
it is an extension of his colorful, multidimensional personality: god,
king, warrior, strategist, statesman, philosopher, charmer, and above
all a joyful participant in the game of life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfZcPPqMhYCFrVFe8iqk14dhf4vXZjlfXIEN4MdcxH0qJRJyjC0xgRNl2-OzpdhruKh2JwOEn7qokT78bCEFaw25OCIb3xwikfWZ365wfin3YxhM82I40pQsvFZF1UFsOQsAqiIWcB1DX/s1600/TCBG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfZcPPqMhYCFrVFe8iqk14dhf4vXZjlfXIEN4MdcxH0qJRJyjC0xgRNl2-OzpdhruKh2JwOEn7qokT78bCEFaw25OCIb3xwikfWZ365wfin3YxhM82I40pQsvFZF1UFsOQsAqiIWcB1DX/s320/TCBG.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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If one studies two pages a day, s/he will be able to go through the entire Bhagavad-Gita within a year. If a child in seventh grade picks up the book and reads one verse a day on all weekdays, s/he will be done with the text before tenth grade. It's also an indirect, painless way to learn the rudiments of Sanskrit.<br />
<br />
<b>The Complete Bhagavad-Gita: A verse-by-verse self-study guide to master the ancient text with new insights</b><br />
by Koti Sreekrishna and Hari Ravikumar<br />
ISBN 978-1494386115<br />
800 pages | $19.95<br />
<br />
The book is currently undergoing post-production and will be available for purchase by the end of the year. Send an e-mail to <a href="mailto:newbhagavadgita@gmail.com">newbhagavadgita@gmail.com</a> to pre-order your copy.HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-51984392990313028812013-12-19T23:02:00.001+05:302013-12-19T23:05:11.580+05:30The Easy Bhagavad-GitaOur latest book <i>The Easy Bhagavad-Gita: An easy-to-read version for busy people</i> is so exceedingly easy that a 5000 year-old
discourse feels intimate, accessible, and contemporary. And it is a
great place to start if one wants to know about India’s grand heritage,
religion, art, culture, philosophy, and spirituality.<br />
<br />
You can buy the paperback in <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697">Canada</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.fr/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697/">France</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.de/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697/">Germany</a> | <a href="http://pothi.com/pothi/book/koti-sreekrishna-easy-bhagavad-gita">India</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.it/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697/">Italy</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.es/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697/">Spain</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697/">UK</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Easy-Bhagavad-Gita-Koti-Sreekrishna/dp/1492929697">US</a> or the ebook at <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/367736">Smashwords</a>.<br />
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<i>"In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of
the Bhagvat-Geeta...in comparison with which our modern world and its literature
seem puny and trivial..." </i> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau">Henry David Thoreau</a><br />
<br />
<i>"When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one
ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me;
and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies."</i> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gandhi">Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi</a><br />
<br />
<i>"The hero of the Bhagavad-Gītā [Krishna] is doubly heroic: he is a warrior and a saint,
a man of action and a quietest philosopher."</i> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavio_Paz">Octavio Paz</a><br />
<br />
<i>"A great landmark in the history of religion... The human race will never again see such
a brain as his who wrote the Gita."</i> - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivekananda">Swami Vivekananda</a><br />
<br />
"The charm of the Bhagavad-Gītā is due to this idea of spiritualised activity which
springs only from the highest motives... It is not merely the most read but also the most
idealised book in world-literature." - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer">Albert Schweitzer</a>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-12231656352694391902012-05-11T17:21:00.002+05:302012-05-18T12:55:27.366+05:30Spiritual Identity<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,sans-serif;">One of the writers of <i>The New Bhagavad-Gita</i>, Hari Ravikumar gave a talk about "Spiritual Identity" at TEDxUFRO. Drawing from the wisdom of the <i>Bhagavad-Gita</i> he built a case for the importance of knowing our spiritual identity. Check out the talk and share your views!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: tahoma,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I would like to thank Dr. Koti Sreekrishna and <i>Shatavadhani </i>Dr. R. Ganesh for helping me polish the content of my talk. I would also like to thank Tomás Gonzalez and Daniel Vera for their suggestions regarding the presentation. -- Hari</span></span></span>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-43535044713940644852012-01-05T13:29:00.004+05:302012-01-06T02:58:52.167+05:30UntranslatableThe 15<sup>th</sup> <a href="http://www.sanskrit.nic.in/">World Sanskrit Conference</a> starts today at New Delhi and will go on till January 10. One of the sessions is a discussion on untranslatable words. Most languages, especially ancient ones, have words and phrases that are “untranslatable”. This basically means that there is no direct single-word/phrase equivalent in the language into which one wants to translate. Perhaps an effective way to counter this is to give the original term as it is and explain it.<br />
<br />
While these untranslatable words pose a challenge to a translator, even the readily translatable ones can be tricky. As an example, we will look at a popular verse of the <i>Gita</i> and how it is handled.<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif";"> karmaṇyevādhikāraste<br />
mā phaleṣu kadācana |<br />
<i>mā karmaphalaheturbhūḥ<br />
mā te saṅgo’stvakarmaṇi </i>|2.47|</span></i><br />
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The word in question here is <i>adhikāra</i>. A relatively straight-forward word but with several meanings: right, control, authority, privilege, etc.<br />
<br />
Of the 30 versions quoted below, 15 of them translate it as “right”, 3 as “duty”, 2 as “claim”, one each as “province”, “business”, “jurisdiction”, “heart”, “intent”, “focus,” and “mind”. Only 4 translate it as “control” and one just uses <i>adhikāra</i> as is and gives the meaning as “ability and privilege, prerogative, jurisdiction, discretion, right, preference, choice, rightful claim, authority, or control”.<br />
<br />
You can read for yourself which makes more sense. Interestingly, the 4 versions that translate it as “control” are perhaps the least known sources: Ram K. Pipriya, Vrinda Nabar & Shanta Tumkur, Swami Tadatmananda and ours.<br />
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Swami Tadatmananda’s version is somewhat more popular than the others. He is a student of Swami Dayananda (of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam) who has often said, “only fools can buy the popular ‘right’, ‘duty’ and such treatments for this verse”.<br />
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If you have other English versions, please feel free to share; we would like to add them to our collection. <br />
<br />
1. Your right to work only, but never to the fruit there of.<br />
Let not the fruit of your action be your object,<br />
nor let your attachment be to inaction,<br />
(Gita Press, Gorakhpur, India)<br />
<br />
2. Action alone is thy province, never the fruits thereof;<br />
let not thy motive be the fruit of action,<br />
nor shouldst thou desire to avoid action<br />
(M K Gandhi)<br />
<br />
3. Thy business is with the action only,<br />
never with its fruits; so let not the fruit<br />
of action be thy motive, nor be thou to<br />
inaction attached<br />
(Annie Besant)<br />
<br />
4. You have the right to work, <br />
but never to the fruit of work. <br />
You should never engage in action for the sake of reward,<br />
nor should you long for inaction<br />
(Eknath Easwaran)<br />
<br />
5.You have right to work alone<br />
But never to its fruits,<br />
let not the fruits be your motive<br />
nor set your hearts on doing nothing<br />
(Ann Stanford)<br />
<br />
6. You can exercise control over your actions alone,<br />
never on the outcome of your actions. <br />
Do not be anxious about the outcome of your actions.<br />
Do not develop a habit of inaction either<br />
(Ram K. Pipariya)<br />
<br />
7. Set thy heart upon thy work, <br />
but never on its reward.<br />
Work not for a reward;<br />
but never cease to do thy work.<br />
(Juan Mascaro)<br />
<br />
8. To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits;<br />
let not the fruits of action be thy motive; <br />
neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction,<br />
(S Radhakrishnan)<br />
<br />
9. Thy human right is for activity only, never for the resultant fruit<br />
of actions. Do not consider thyself the creator of the fruits of thy<br />
activities; neither allow thyself attachment to inactivity.<br />
(Paramhansa Yogananda)<br />
<br />
10. You have the right only to do your karma but not to the fruit of it; the fruit of karma should not be the motivation for you to do your karma; you should not evade your karma too.<br />
(V M Mohanraj)<br />
<br />
11. You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, <br />
but you are not entitled to the fruit of action.<br />
Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities,<br />
and never be attached to not doing your duty.<br />
(A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)<br />
<br />
12. Your right is in action only, never to the fruits;<br />
let not the fruit of action be your motive <br />
nor let your attachment be to inaction.<br />
(A Parthasarathy)<br />
<br />
13. For action alone is thy right<br />
but never to the fruits thereof<br />
nor for the fruits do thou fight<br />
inclination for inaction- let it be off.<br />
(Swami Ramanujananda, Ramakrishna Math, Thrissur)<br />
<br />
14. Be intent on action,<br />
not on the fruits of action;<br />
avoid attraction to the fruits<br />
and attachment to inaction!<br />
(Barbara Stoler Miller)<br />
<br />
15. You have right to performance of action alone,<br />
its fruits are never within your control.<br />
Do not perform action with an eye to its fruits,<br />
nor let there be in you any attachment <br />
to the non-performance of action.<br />
(Vrinda Nabar and Shanta Tumkur)<br />
<br />
16. Focus your mind on action alone, <br />
but never on the fruits of your actions.<br />
Your goal should never be the fruits of your actions,<br />
nor should you be attached to inaction.<br />
(George Thompson)<br />
<br />
17. Thy jurisidiction is in action alone;<br />
never in its fruits at any time.<br />
Never should the fruits of action be thy motive;<br />
never let there be attachment in thee to inaction.<br />
(Winthrop Sargeant)<br />
<br />
18. Your duty (is) in the "prescribed Karma" only; not ever in the fruit of karma.<br />
Do not be the one who has 'motive' in the fruit of karma.<br />
Do not let your attachment be in 'not performing the prescribed karma'.<br />
(Ratnakar Narale)<br />
<br />
19. Work hard in the world, Arjuna, <br />
but for work's sake only.<br />
You have every right to work <br />
but you should not crave the fruits of it.<br />
Although no one may deny you <br />
the outcomes of your efforts, you can,<br />
through determination, refuse to be attached to <br />
or affected by the results,<br />
whatever favorable or unfavorable.<br />
(Jack Hawley)<br />
<br />
20. You have right to your actions,<br />
but never to your action's fruits.<br />
Act for the action's sake.<br />
And do not be attached to inaction.<br />
(Stephen Mitchell)<br />
<br />
21. It is in action alone<br />
that you have a claim,<br />
never at any time to<br />
the fruits of such action.<br />
Never let the fruits of action<br />
be your motive;<br />
never let your attachment<br />
be to inaction.<br />
(Graham Schweig)<br />
<br />
22. Your duty is to work, not to reap the fruits of work.<br />
Do not seek rewards, but do not love laziness either.<br />
(P Lal)<br />
<br />
23. Thy right is to work only; but never to its fruits;<br />
let not the fruit of action be thy motive, nor let<br />
they attachment be to inaction.<br />
(Swami Chinmayananda)<br />
<br />
24. No matter what conditions you encounter in life, <br />
your right is only to the works-not to the fruits thereof.<br />
You should not be impelled to act for selfish reasons, <br />
nor should you be attached to inaction.<br />
(Swami Jyotirmayananda)<br />
<br />
25. Actions alone you can control,<br />
but their results, you cannot choose.<br />
be not the author of the fruits,<br />
yet to inaction, be not drawn.<br />
(Swami Tadatmananda)<br />
<br />
26. Seek to perform your duty;<br />
but lay not claim to its fruits. <br />
Be you not the producer of the fruits of karma;<br />
neither should you lean towards inaction.<br />
(Swami Chibhavananda)<br />
<br />
27. You have a right in respect of action (work) alone never in respect of its fruits. <br />
Let not the fruit of action be your<br />
motive and let there be no attachment to inaction either.<br />
(Sri Puthige Math, Suguna Samstha)<br />
<br />
28. You have adhikaara over your respective duty only, <br />
but no control or claim over the results.<br />
The fruits of work should not be your motive. <br />
You should never be inactive.<br />
[The word adhikaara means ability and privilege, prerogative, jurisdiction, discretion, right, preference, choice, rightful claim, authority, control.]<br />
(Ramananda Prasad)<br />
<br />
29. You have right over action only and not the fruit of action.<br />
Your action should not be motivated by desire for fruit, <br />
nor should you be attached to inaction.<br />
(Saroja Ramanujam)<br />
<br />
30. You certainly have rightful claim to your action, <br />
but never claim to the results of your action.<br />
You should never be motivated by the results of your activities <br />
and should never be inactive.<br />
(Sri Sivadasa Bharathi Swami)<br />
<br />
Our (Koti Sreekrishna and Hari Ravikumar) version:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">You have control only over your actions</div><div style="text-align: center;">but never over their results.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The expected results should not be</div><div style="text-align: center;">the motivation for action.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Also, don’t shirk away from your work.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">One is never in complete control over the outcome of an action </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">(see BG 18:13-16, as noted below). </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It is pointless to worry about something that one cannot control.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Focus on work without fear of failure or greed for success.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">At the same time, don’t be lazy.</span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><sup>18.13</sup>The scriptures proclaim that</div><div style="text-align: center;">five factors govern </div><div style="text-align: center;">the outcome of all actions:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><sup>18.14</sup>the situation,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the individual,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the tools he has,</div><div style="text-align: center;">how he uses the tools,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and unknown forces.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">‘Tools’ can refer to knowledge, skills, or resources.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><sup>18.15</sup>Whatever one does</div><div style="text-align: center;">with his body, speech, or mind,</div><div style="text-align: center;">with good or bad intention,</div><div style="text-align: center;">the same five factors</div><div style="text-align: center;">determine the outcome.</div><br />
The moral is “do the best you can, with what you have and where you are”. After all, is there anything more a person can do?HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-43322650348484140032011-08-15T20:47:00.001+05:302011-08-15T20:47:25.598+05:30Independence Day Special<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Verses 17, 18 & 19 from Chater 3. Selfless Action) </span><br />
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<div align="center">But those who find</div><div align="center">joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment </div><div align="center">solely in the <i>atman</i></div><div align="center">have nothing left to accomplish. </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">They have nothing to gain by performing action</div><div align="center">and nothing to lose by renouncing action.</div><div align="center">They are not dependent on anyone for anything.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">Therefore, do your work with a spirit of detachment</div><div align="center">and you will attain the highest level.</div><br />
HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-34858023464520451262011-05-11T23:31:00.000+05:302011-05-14T02:10:27.113+05:30The New Bhagavad-Gita Book Release!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225535_10150232426182792_331207082791_8557918_7701933_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/225535_10150232426182792_331207082791_8557918_7701933_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dr. B S Ramachandra releasing <i>The New Bhagavad-Gita</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/224342_10150232426022792_331207082791_8557914_4479277_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/224342_10150232426022792_331207082791_8557914_4479277_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A section of the audience...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229159_10150232425832792_331207082791_8557908_7320255_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/229159_10150232425832792_331207082791_8557908_7320255_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The book!</div><br />
Click <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150232425757792.363479.331207082791">here</a> to see all the pictures!HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-89040891834115428142011-02-19T11:33:00.000+05:302012-05-11T23:08:22.314+05:30The New Bhagavad-Gita and PeaceXPeace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One of the authors of <i>The New Bhagavad-Gita</i>, Hari Ravikumar, had a conversation with Patricia Smith about the ancient scripture. The conversation is in two parts: <a href="http://www.peacexpeace.org/2011/02/what-would-krishna-say/">part 1</a> broadly covers topics of <i>dharma</i> and detachment. of their conversation while <a href="http://www.peacexpeace.org/2011/02/what-would-krishna-say-part-two/">part 2</a> talks about the Bhagavad-Gita in daily life.<br />
<br />
Patricia is the founder of <a href="http://www.peacexpeace.org/">PeacexPeace</a>, an amazing organization that connects women from different (often conflicting) cultures to bring about gender equality, promote leadership, and above all, bring about peace. Her untiring efforts at fostering peace in Western Asia is laudable.</div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-70934306158803389962010-11-20T22:18:00.005+05:302010-11-20T22:27:46.855+05:30The Song in Pictures<div style="color: red;"><b>The Song in Pictures:</b></div><div style="color: red;"><i>A visual poetry edition of the Bhagavad-Gita</i></div>Koti Sreekrishna and Hari Ravikumar (Translation)<br />
Anshuman Borah (Photography)<br />
<br />
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words; the same can be said of a quotation, for it is a short sentence based on long years of experiences. So when quotes and pictures come together, they speak a millions words. The Song in Pictures is such an attempt; to put together poetry and picture, speaking a million words, hoping to inspire stillness and peace.<br />
<br />
Here are some samples.<br />
(Click on the pictures to see a larger size.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzWVZUygZc9W212L4eW8lhtaMjFgYZjLyQMs97fhmxtfQZpu0_Z1Oe0bR92QEJ3230mrAabKJl15UIWRymGK82M1Sk5U8LBz-hN-uCQ6EB98-l2O1n-cpupHmmZXAPG0FRWBsfmiqqKqU/s1600/BG+Pic+Book_Page_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzWVZUygZc9W212L4eW8lhtaMjFgYZjLyQMs97fhmxtfQZpu0_Z1Oe0bR92QEJ3230mrAabKJl15UIWRymGK82M1Sk5U8LBz-hN-uCQ6EB98-l2O1n-cpupHmmZXAPG0FRWBsfmiqqKqU/s400/BG+Pic+Book_Page_5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Note: These are all sample designs and not the final versions.HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-55560547767084449742010-08-15T16:05:00.001+05:302010-08-15T16:05:52.646+05:30The New Bhagavad-Gita for Review!To see and review the initial pages of 'The New Bhagavad-Gita', please click here: <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/?2agrx5bw9xd21vy">http://www.mediafire.com/?2agrx5bw9xd21vy</a><br />
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Please take a few minutes to go through the text and share your views. Thanks!HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-32232843373509173432010-04-14T19:40:00.002+05:302010-04-18T23:59:48.000+05:30Shock Treatment in the Bhagavad-GitaIn many ways, the Bhagavad-Gita is a unifying text. Krishna cuts across class distinctions, mocks at social prejudices, abhors outdated traditional practices, and finds convergence for divergent thoughts and beliefs. And in the process, he rattles the cage on several occasions.<br />
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No unification is possible without loss of individual identity – and this is not taken lightly by the various factions. Unification calls for not just revolutionary fervor but also flawless reasoning. Krishna seemingly instigates chaos in the heart of Arjuna and then brings order by the force of his impenetrable logic. The Bhagavad-Gita has many such ‘shock treatment’ passages where Krishna tries to shake Arjuna out of his stupor. <br />
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Krishna gently mocks at the elite and the orthodox, and repeatedly claims that the religion of the Vedas (the foremost revealed scriptures of Hinduism) is inclusive. Time and again, he talks of egalitarianism but with focus on the inherent strength of an individual. He challenges Arjuna to think differently and not to buy into traditional baggage. <br />
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Even to this day, it is hard for an orthodox <i>brahmin</i>, on his own, to teach the Vedas to a non-<i>brahmin</i>. Some years back, an orthodox <i>brahmin</i> had resigned from his position at a state-run Vedic school when the authorities insisted that he should teach the Vedas to anyone who wanted to learn. This is perhaps the effect of attaching importance to outdated traditions in the face of the eternal truth. <br />
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Krishna begins his shock treatment early on; he starts off by mocking at Arjuna at his foolish decision at a crucial juncture. Then he says,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“You grieve for that which you should not,</div><div style="text-align: center;">yet you speak words of wisdom.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The wise do not grieve for the </div><div style="text-align: center;">dead or for the living.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(2:11)</div><br />
Contrast this to Arjuna’s worry that the ancestors, deprived of the funeral and post-death rites, would land up in hell (1:42-44). Ironically, this view is upheld by many ardent Hindus even to this date. Down the ages, usually tradition tends to shake the truth, like a tail wagging the dog. It is noteworthy that Krishna declares that the essence of the religion was lost over the years (4:1-2).<br />
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At one point, Krishna directly attacks the orthodox with his genial approach,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“Those who lack proper insight</div><div style="text-align: center;">delight in the letter and not the spirit of the Vedas</div><div style="text-align: center;">and proclaim in flowery words:</div><div style="text-align: center;">‘there is nothing else other than this’.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(2:42)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“They are filled with desires, and</div><div style="text-align: center;">reaching heaven is their supreme goal.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Caught in the vicious cycle of karma,</div><div style="text-align: center;">they perform many elaborate rituals</div><div style="text-align: center;">to attain pleasure and power.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(2:43)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Those attached to pleasure and power</div><div style="text-align: center;">are led astray by that flowery language of the Vedas;</div><div style="text-align: center;">they never attain the firm intellect </div><div style="text-align: center;">of a contemplative mind.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(2:44)</div><br />
At the crescendo of his argument, Krishna presents a simple analogy that will not, hopefully, fail to clarify to Arjuna the importance of right living rather than mere reading. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“What is the use for a well when there is a flood</div><div style="text-align: center;">and water is flowing freely everywhere?</div><div style="text-align: center;">What is the use of all the Vedas</div><div style="text-align: center;">when one has realized the ultimate truth?”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(2:46)</div><br />
It is important to note that Krishna was not opposed to the Vedas. He says, “Realizing the supreme is the goal of all the Vedas; I am the source of the Vedas” (15:15). Basically, he wanted people to realize the higher purpose of the Vedas.<br />
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Later in the conversation, Krishna clarifies a huge doubt about the role of the divine in daily life. He says that it is foolish to hold god responsible for the acts of good and evil on earth. Whatever good and evil that we have on earth are just results of the actions that we have performed; why bring god in the picture?<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“God does not command people to act. </div><div style="text-align: center;">God does not create activities</div><div style="text-align: center;">or its associated rewards.</div><div style="text-align: center;">All these arise from nature.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(5:14)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“God is not responsible</div><div style="text-align: center;">for goodness or evil.</div><div style="text-align: center;">People are deluded because </div><div style="text-align: center;">their knowledge is clouded by ignorance.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(5:15)</div><br />
Krishna also evens out all the distinctions that exist in societies – be it ancient or modern. He presents an egalitarian approach and shows how external factors mean little when greater heights are reached spiritually. Societies typically look down upon certain sections of people. Krishna clarifies that whoever submits to the supreme attains liberation, irrespective of their birth, gender, or occupation.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“Even if a man steeped in evil </div><div style="text-align: center;">takes on to my worship with undivided devotion, </div><div style="text-align: center;">he must be considered as noble </div><div style="text-align: center;">because he has taken the right decision.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(9:30)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Readily, he becomes righteous and</div><div style="text-align: center;">attains everlasting peace.</div><div style="text-align: center;">Arjuna, know this:</div><div style="text-align: center;">no devotee of mine is ever lost.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(9:31)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Whoever takes refuge in me – </div><div style="text-align: center;">even men of sinful birth, women, traders, or laborers – </div><div style="text-align: center;">will attain the supreme goal.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(9:32)</div><br />
Krishna often presents the idea that a wise person treats everyone equally. For example, a scholar is one who is generally held in high esteem in society while a person who eats a dog is considered to be at the lowest level. The wise notice the same inner spirit in all these beings irrespective of their external characteristics.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“A wise person treats everyone equally – </div><div style="text-align: center;">a scholar endowed with modesty, a cow, an elephant, </div><div style="text-align: center;">a dog, and one who eats a dog.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(5:18)</div><br />
The pièce de résistance of the shock treatment verses comes in the concluding portion, when Krishna says,<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“Giving up all forms of <i>dharma</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">take refuge in me alone.</div><div style="text-align: center;">I will liberate you from all sins,</div><div style="text-align: center;">do not grieve!”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(18:66)</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">[Notes: Here, <i>dharma</i> is used in the widest sense of the word – law, virtue, support, religion, duty, path, etc.] </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>This one verse basically puts all middlemen (priests, <i>swAmI</i>s, <i>tAntrik</i>s, etc.) out of business. The connection is between the individual and the universe, between the individual and god. There is no need for a via media. There is no need, perhaps, for an organized religion. The <i>sanAtana dharma</i> (eternal path) of ancient Indian thought was a way of life, and a path of self-illumination rather than a set of rules and rituals. And Krishna is the foremost among the upholders of this ancient tradition, and he didn’t think twice before rattling the cage to clarify the true meanings.HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-7313571318066323312010-02-11T17:32:00.010+05:302010-11-26T09:52:39.554+05:30Tastarians?It would be appropriate to say that some Hindu sects follow vegetarianism, rather than say Hinduism forbids eating meat. We find that each Hindu sect likes to think of itself as the true synopsis of Hinduism or <i>sanAtana dharma</i>; the sectarian tilt is extended to <i>sanAtana dharma</i> as a whole! Modern interpreters of the Vedas altogether denounce animal sacrifice, which was a legitimate practice in olden times. The Vedic <i>pashu-yagña</i>s that were left untouched by many of the <i>AchArya</i>s (Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhwa, Vallabha, etc.) were subsequently eradicated by the moderns. <br />
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When one questions vegetarian Hindus about references to meat consumption in <i>sanAtana dharma</i>, they bend over backwards and come up with all sorts of apparently sensible explanations. We should understand the tilt towards vegetarianism is perhaps due to a combination of social, geographical, cultural and religious adjustment, rather than injunctions in our <i>prasthAna thrayI</i>s (Major Upanishads―Brahmasutra―Bhagavad-Gita). Jains were the first ‘vegetarian’ religious group and Buddhists were against animal sacrifice – and their influence on Brahmins of yore perhaps resulted in large-scale conversion to vegetarianism among Hindus.<br />
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Many religions lay restrictions on the kind of food that one is ‘allowed’ to eat. For example, it is forbidden for Jews to have the blood of any animal. Muslims are not allowed to eat pork. Further, Muslims can eat the meat only if the animal is sacrificed in a particular way. It is just the opposite for Sikhs – the meat of any animal that is sacrificed as part of a ritual is forbidden. For Jains, any kind of animal product is forbidden. Hindus generally avoid beef and many Hindus and Buddhists altogether avoid any meat. Hindus who are not bound by any sect are similar to Christians, in that no food is forbidden strictly on religious grounds.<br />
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The Bhagavad-Gita deals with food habits in a holistic manner. In the third chapter, Krishna talks about our overall attitude towards consumption:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“The wise ones eat the food that remains</div><div style="text-align: center;">after being offered to <i>yagña</i>;</div><div style="text-align: center;">thus, they are released from all evils.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The wicked ones prepare food for their own sake</div><div style="text-align: center;">and indeed live on sin alone.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(3:13)</div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">[Notes: In the process of procuring our food, to some extent,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">we cause trouble to nature and also to other beings.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">So we purify the food by offering it to the supreme</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">and then eating it with sense of gratitude.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">Even if we eat a dry leaf that fell on its own accord,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">we must not do so with a sense of entitlement.]</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPvy26-xLDKCHz8CwKBHPKo83PXYMVjqa_qSB9-gwFMzJZC79sBpM-jKvrYF0c5Q2YPzWglRoL87p8lb82QXlraQ9xxvZyydchD6Aqxk4BZdxggPpXXsAS4JcD5lRphJRrO5CtsImhqBb/s1600-h/peepal+leaf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPvy26-xLDKCHz8CwKBHPKo83PXYMVjqa_qSB9-gwFMzJZC79sBpM-jKvrYF0c5Q2YPzWglRoL87p8lb82QXlraQ9xxvZyydchD6Aqxk4BZdxggPpXXsAS4JcD5lRphJRrO5CtsImhqBb/s400/peepal+leaf.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In the 17th chapter, Krishna talks about the nature of people and the food that they enjoy. There is no specific prescription on the kind of food one should be eating.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">“Foods that promote longevity, vitality, </div><div style="text-align: center;">endurance, health, happiness, and contentment;</div><div style="text-align: center;">foods that are tasty, mild, nourishing, and </div><div style="text-align: center;">pleasant are dear to those of the nature of <i>sattva</i>.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(17:8)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Foods that cause pain, sorrow, and sickness;</div><div style="text-align: center;">foods that is bitter, sour, salty,</div><div style="text-align: center;">excessively hot, spicy, dry, and pungent</div><div style="text-align: center;">are dear to those of the nature of <i>rajas</i>.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(17:9)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">“Foods that is insipid, stale, rotten,</div><div style="text-align: center;">left-over, filthy, and unhygienic</div><div style="text-align: center;">are dear to those of the nature of <i>tamas</i>.”</div><div style="text-align: center;">(17:10)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;">[Notes: In 17:7-10, the ‘dear to those of the nature of…’ is perhaps just an indication of what they don’t mind eating. One who relishes stale food will also relish freshly made food, but not the other way round. A person of the nature of tamas will not go to a restaurant and order stale food. Just that such a person won’t mind eating stale food too; call it poor quality control!]</div><br />
This message gently steers us away from the “holier than thou” attitude. When there is a talk on Hinduism in the West, ‘Holy cow’ is a common topic that comes up. Which animal is not holy according to <i>sanAtana dharma</i>! Most Hindus cannot think of eating cow, just as most Americans cannot think of eating dog (the Bible does not forbid eating dog); Christians of Nagaland (in India) and Russia eat dog meat.<br />
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In a way, all of us are ‘Tastarians’, with our religious beliefs impacting on what we would not eat. But there can be no universal ruling on the food that an individual should or can eat. The only universality one can have is the attitude towards food – that of gratitude and humility for having got a meal. Ultimately, we should eat the food that we find appropriate in terms of taste, nutrition and health, giving due respect to the environment (social, religious, cultural, and ecological). The earth has enough to satisfy our hunger – not our gluttony.HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-83196169001399160272010-02-09T10:46:00.010+05:302010-02-11T23:11:18.779+05:30The Primordial SoundThe sound of the single syllable ‘<i>om</i>’ (or ‘<i>aum</i>’) has been very important in Indian culture for several millennia. <i>Om</i> is made up of four parts – ‘<b>a</b>’, ‘<b>u</b>’, ‘<b>m</b>’ and <b>silence</b>. It is also called <i>praNava</i> since it pervades life and runs through our <i>prANa</i> or breath. The four parts of <i>om</i> can also mean to represent birth, growth, letting go, and immortality. <br />
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An interesting comparison can be made with the four seasons and a tree. We can think of ‘<b>a</b>’ as spring (tree budding with fresh leaves), ‘<b>u</b>’ as summer (tree is rich with leaves), ‘<b>m</b>’ as autumn (graceful fall), and <b>silence</b> as winter (leafless but not lifeless). The tree that seems dead in winter springs back in due course. That silence represents eternity.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDbcjkTauYIX3wAtKSFbcwOuB2nTlrYubsEKqMJ9UhhJmHPMLMLMzVyIVN_790dHARyGhZIhtlSIKL_wtTDFjxRX2gaq1Qv9xPg2TTRP7ouc59TiP8sRrfKEPjuJdm7fFUniHBghWtedh/s1600-h/Tree+side+river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDbcjkTauYIX3wAtKSFbcwOuB2nTlrYubsEKqMJ9UhhJmHPMLMLMzVyIVN_790dHARyGhZIhtlSIKL_wtTDFjxRX2gaq1Qv9xPg2TTRP7ouc59TiP8sRrfKEPjuJdm7fFUniHBghWtedh/s320/Tree+side+river.jpg" /></a></div><i>Om</i> is used to represent <i>brahman</i>, the supreme being — all-powerful, all-pervading, and the source of all existence. The concept of <i>brahman </i>cannot be understood intellectually and has to be learned by experience. While we are constantly trying to understand the nature of this nameless, formless being, a symbol helps us relate it to the physical world with which we are familiar. <i>Om</i>, therefore, represents both the unseen, formless (<i>nirguNa</i>) and manifest (<i>saguNa</i>) aspects of <i>brahman</i>. <i>Om </i>is held sacred by the four major Indian religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.<br />
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Every hymn from the Vedas begin and end with <i>om</i>, for it is the supreme <i>mantra</i> in itself. <br />
There are a few important references to <i>om</i> in the Bhagavad-Gita:<br />
‘‘Arjuna, know me as... <i>om</i> in all the Vedas...’’ (7.8)<br />
‘‘...I am the sacred syllable <i>om</i>...’’ (9:17) <br />
‘‘...among words, I am the single syllable <i>om</i>...’’ (10:25)<br />
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A good way to chant <i>om</i> is:<br />
first take a deep breath and start the chant<br />
keep chanting ‘<b>o</b>’ (<b>a</b>-<b>u</b>) as long as you can<br />
finally end with ‘<b>m</b>’<br />
followed by <b>silence</b>.<br />
As we hit ‘m’, we can feel the resonance in our brain; we will have exhausted our breath so fully that silence becomes inevitable. The chant runs through every part of our vocal chord. All the primary vowel sounds including silence (no sound) are contained within the single syllable <i>om</i>. So if we learn to chant <i>om</i> properly, we can articulate our words better and also have greater vocal clarity. <br />
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During meditation, when we chant <i>om</i>, we create within ourselves a vibration that is in tune with the cosmic vibration. This creates the ideal environment for us to start thinking universally. The momentary silence between each chant becomes palpable. The mind moves between the opposites of sound and silence until, at last, the sound stops. In the silence, the single thought—<i>om</i>—is quenched; there is no thought. It is a rare moment where one finds perfect connection with the universe.<br />
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<i>Om</i> is at your finger-tips: go to Microsoft Word, choose the Wingdings font, and key in ‘\’ (back slash) to get the <i>om</i> symbol on your computer screen. For a more elaborate explanation of <i>om</i>, you can read the Mandukya Upanishad.HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-56614334342770544422009-12-31T14:16:00.001+05:302010-01-03T07:12:13.467+05:30New Year's Resolutions from Bhagavad-GitaThe New Year has come and it is also time to make a new set of resolutions. The desires of humans have more-or-less remained the same over the years. While the specifications keep on changing, the core <i>wants</i> remain the same. So, why not look into an ancient document for some new resolutions for the year 2010? <br />
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A 2007 survey<sup>1</sup> showed that only 12% of the New Year’s Resolutions are actually fulfilled, so let’s keep it simple and have four plain goals for this year.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Smile often</b></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Slow down</b></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sleep well</b></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Stay focused</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS5lZJ90lk48wZqtuZS6or3lbIeNnyFZ6SIE4jiVEH_JSUlmaPysqOLU37YvSw3qbyLmb-f88LvkkaMw3T3SGQXwNvMIJxdJjgb48Sieqv5CGPJKhxj8c9CjSp6ujBP5-gMWlTT6ODyew/s1600-h/Evening+hustle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsS5lZJ90lk48wZqtuZS6or3lbIeNnyFZ6SIE4jiVEH_JSUlmaPysqOLU37YvSw3qbyLmb-f88LvkkaMw3T3SGQXwNvMIJxdJjgb48Sieqv5CGPJKhxj8c9CjSp6ujBP5-gMWlTT6ODyew/s320/Evening+hustle.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Smile often</b><br />
A smile is just the beginning of joy, which slowly steps towards happiness and bliss. One can be happy by truly wanting to be happy, keeping away from anger, and controlling desires.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">“In the midst of daily life,<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">if one can endure the turmoil<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">caused by selfish desire and anger,<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">then he is truly happy.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Indeed, he is a <i>yogi</i>.”<sup>2</sup><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(5:23)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
<b>Slow down</b><br />
The world is constantly trying to outwit time and there is a mad rush everywhere. Slowing down the processes will ensure longevity. But you can go slow and steady only when you have control over yourself.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">You should first control the senses<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">and then shatter Desire,<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">the sinful destroyer<br />
of knowledge and discretion.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(3:41)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
<b>Sleep well</b><br />
Let us not get so busy that we don’t have time for healthy food and a good night’s sleep.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Indeed, <i>yoga</i> is not for one<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">who eats too much or too little;<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">it is also not for one<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">who sleeps too much<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">or stays awake for too long.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(6:16)<br />
</div><br />
<br />
<b>Stay focused </b><br />
Life-spans are short in today's fast and flashy world. The fashion of today is outdated by tomorrow. Success comes by sustaining interest over long periods of time without losing focus and enthusiasm.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">The focus of one with an unwavering mind<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">is single-pointed in this world.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">But for the one with a quivering mind<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">pulled in a thousand ways,<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">decisions are endless.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">(2:41)<br />
</div><br />
While we can strive to improve as we walk along, we can never be sure. Let us try to sincerely implement the wisdom in our daily life and I'm sure we can do better than 12% this year!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><sup>1</sup><a href="http://www.quirkology.com/UK/Experiment_resolution.shtml">http://www.quirkology.com/UK/Experiment_resolution.shtml</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><sup>2</sup>All Bhagavad-Gita verses quoted in this article are from our translation </span>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-17681684840369265642009-12-30T23:33:00.003+05:302009-12-30T23:51:12.489+05:30Influence of the Bhagavad-GitaThe influence of the Bhagavad-Gita has not been limited to a single period in history or a single place in the world; it has not been bound to a single school of philosophy or a single sect of people. It transcends all boundaries and distinctions. Here is a collection of ten quotations about the Gita:<br />
<br />
<i>“I hesitate not to pronounce the Geeta a performance of great originality, of a sublimity of conception, reasoning, and diction almost unequalled; and a single exception, amongst all the known religions of mankind.”</i><sup>1</sup><br />
<b>Warren Hastings</b> (1754-1826)<br />
First Governor-General of British India<br />
<br />
<i>“I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavat Geeta. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.”</i><sup>2</sup><br />
<b>Ralph Waldo Emerson</b> (1803-1882)<br />
American transcendentalist philosopher<br />
<br />
<i>“…probably the most beautiful book which has ever come from the hand of man.”</i><sup>3</sup><br />
<b>Émile-Louis Burnouf</b> (1821-1907)<br />
French orientalist<br />
<br />
<i>“Among the priceless teachings that may be found in the great Hindu poem of the Mahabharata, there is none so rare and priceless as this, ‘The Lord’s Song’.”</i><sup>4</sup> <br />
<b>Annie Besant</b> (1847-1933)<br />
Irish theosophist<br />
<br />
<i>“In order to approach a creation as sublime as the Bhagavad-Gita with full understanding, it is necessary to attune our soul to it.”</i><sup>5</sup> <br />
<b>Rudolf Steiner</b> (1861-1925)<br />
Austrian philosopher<br />
<br />
<i>“…a magnificent flower of Hindu mysticism.”</i><sup>6</sup><br />
<b>Count Maurice Maeterlinck</b> (1862-1949)<br />
Belgian poet<br />
<br />
<i>“...the Bhagavad-Gita, perhaps the most beautiful work of the literature of the world.”</i><sup>7</sup><br />
<b>Count Hermann Keyserling</b> (1880-1946)<br />
German philosopher<br />
<br />
<i>“The Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution. It is one of the most clear and comprehensive summaries of perennial philosophy ever revealed; hence its enduring value is subject not only to India but to all of humanity.”</i><sup>8</sup><br />
<b>Aldous Huxley</b> (1894-1963)<br />
English writer<br />
<br />
<i>“The greatness of the Bhagavad Gita is the greatness of the universe, but even as the wonder of the stars in heaven only reveals itself in the silence of the night, the wonder of this poem only reveals itself in the silence of the soul.”</i><sup>9</sup><br />
<b>Prof. Juan Mascaró</b> (1897-1987)<br />
Spanish writer<br />
<br />
<i>“The Gita can be seen as the main literary support for the great religious civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the world. It brings to the West a salutary reminder that our highly activistic and one-sided culture is faced with a crisis that may end in self-destruction because it lacks the inner depth of an authentic metaphysical consciousness.”</i><sup>10</sup><br />
<b>Thomas Merton</b> (1915-1968)<br />
American social critic<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <sup>1</sup> Keay, John. <u>India Discovered</u>.<br />
<sup>2</sup> Galav, T. C. <u>Philosophy of Hinduism - An Introduction</u>.<br />
<sup>3</sup> Revel, Louis. <u>The Fragrance of India</u>.<br />
<sup>4</sup> Besant, Annie. <u>The Bhagavad Gītā: The Lord’s Song</u>. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1895<br />
<sup>5</sup> Mookerji, Radha Kumud. <u>Ancient Indian Education: Brahmanical and Buddhist</u>. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1990<br />
<sup>6</sup> Maeterlinck, Maurice. <u>The Great Secret</u>.<br />
<sup>7</sup> Durant, Will. <u>The Case for India</u>. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1930<br />
<sup>8</sup> Prabhavananda, Swami & Isherwood, Christopher. <u>The Song of God: Bhagavad Gita</u>. New York: Mentor Books, 1951<br />
<sup>9</sup> Mascaró, Juan. <u>The Bhagavad Gita</u>. Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1962<br />
<sup>10</sup> Merton, Thomas. <u>Thoughts on the East</u>.<br />
</span>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-55610644061712470022009-12-29T15:06:00.025+05:302009-12-30T12:10:10.186+05:30Bathing in the Bhagavad-GitaAn old farmer and his grandson lived on a farm. One day the grandson said, “I try to read the Bhagavad-Gita just like you but I don't understand it much. And whatever little I understand, I forget it very soon. What is the use of reading this book?”<br />
<br />
The old farmer quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and said, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”<br />
<br />
The young boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back home. The farmer asked him to try again, and again. But every single time, the water leaked out of the basket before he got back to the house. Finally, he said exhausted, “See Grandpa, it’s useless!” <br />
<br />
“So you think it’s useless?” the old farmer said, “Look at the basket.” The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket to a new clean one, inside and out. <br />
<br />
“Son, that's what happens when you read a book like the Bhagavad-Gita. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it again and again, you will realize the benefit one day.”<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2G1R-53pcoDez5q4bvoycVawH4KC6mV5RFzrNghum2h8Gto7s-2q3gZBPMw-UCe0h7UbSZDIj4d97vsn9dSadJCExi0FXFkVA5-ojyuwGoBURvc0vq5uHoZpJVmE_Y19G9yWpfJHmwB3/s1600-h/Waterfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2G1R-53pcoDez5q4bvoycVawH4KC6mV5RFzrNghum2h8Gto7s-2q3gZBPMw-UCe0h7UbSZDIj4d97vsn9dSadJCExi0FXFkVA5-ojyuwGoBURvc0vq5uHoZpJVmE_Y19G9yWpfJHmwB3/s320/Waterfall.jpg" /></a>One of the invocatory verses for the Gita says:<br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">mala nirmochanam pumsām<br />
jalasnānam dine dine |<br />
sakṛt gītāmbasi snānam<br />
samsāra mala mochanam ||<br />
</div>(Every day, we bathe in water to cleanse our body; we should bathe in the Gita to cleanse our life.)<br />
<br />
Bathing has long been associated with a sense of hygiene. We use water to cleanse and purify our body.<br />
<br />
Similarly, the pure thoughts of the ancient peoples could help cleanse our own thoughts, which are often polluted because of our surroundings.<br />
<br />
<i>“I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavat Geeta, since whose composition years of the gods have elapsed, and in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seem puny and trivial...”</i><sup>1</sup><br />
– Henry David Thoreau, Transcendentalist philosopher and writer<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><sup>1</sup>Thoreau, Henry David. <u>Walden; or, Life in the Woods</u>. New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1995 (pp. 192-3)<br />
</span>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-49376323204114542452009-01-24T14:07:00.000+05:302011-04-14T10:02:36.274+05:30Praise for The New Bhagavad-Gita<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="color: blue;"><i>“Simple, articulate and accessible, The New Bhagavad-Gita takes a unique approach to present a modern translation of this ancient text.”</i></span><br />
N. R. NARAYANA MURTHY<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Founder-Chairman and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies Ltd.</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“I’m sure that The New Bhagavad-Gita will stand out among thousands of other translations. The New Bhagavad Gita is indeed new, because it presents the eternal truth in modern language, so everyone can understand and learn from it. I highly recommend this book and congratulate the authors on their great achievement.”</i></span><br />
Dr. L. SUBRAMANIAM<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Violin Maestro and Composer </div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“The New Bhagavad-Gita not only gives the modern reader access to this ancient sacred Hindu text but also provides gems of wisdom for contemporary seekers and guidance for all of us on how to live in a world of turmoil. With the aid of the translators’ illuminating commentaries throughout, I felt I was listening in on a private conversation between a supreme god and a mortal struggling with the same questions that confront us today, including what are best actions when confronted with danger, aggression, and violence. The New Bhagavad-Gita can be read through or opened to any page to receive your enlightening message for the day.”</i></span><br />
PATRICIA SMITH<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Founder, Peace X Peace and Editor, <i>Sixty Years, Sixty Voices </i></div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“The Bhagavad Gita is not only a basic text of Hinduism – it also constitutes a most valuable piece of mankind’s heritage. Each generation should therefore come up with its own version of Krishna’s answers to Arjuna’s questions. The new English version by Koti and Hari will gain international recognition in Century 21.”</i></span><br />
GABRIEL MINDER, PhD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Member, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences </div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“The New Bhagavad-Gita will appeal to the younger generation that has generally been exposed to a liberal education.”</i></span><br />
M. R. SRINIVASAN, PhD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Former Member, Planning Commission, Government of India</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“Human problems change with time, but what we call great works are precisely those that will always have something important to say in every age. I therefore welcome this translation by two authors of the new generation, and I applaud their decision to make the translation in simple, current English so that its message is directly absorbed.”</i></span><br />
RODDAM NARASIMHA, PhD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Aerospace Scientist and Fluid Dynamicist, JNCASR</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“As a complete neophyte I read this translation of the Gita with great interest. It allowed me to access Indian philosophy and to get inspiration to more reading.”</i></span><br />
BALAZS SZELESS<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Formerly Mechanical Engineer, CERN</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“I enjoyed very much reading the translation. The efforts to bring the translation closer to the original are evident. In particular, the footnotes are clear and help the reader understand important details. This book is a welcome addition to the literature on Bhagavad-Gita.”</i></span><br />
M. G. PRASAD, PhD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Board Member, Hindu University of America</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“A sincere and devoted effort in bringing up the English version of the Indian sacred work, without sacrificing the essence of message, at the same time retaining the colloquial nature of the friendly conversation between the charioteer and the archer sitting in despondency. The precise and exact nature of the work is commendable and deserves full credence.”</i></span><br />
V. PRASANNA BHAT, PhD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Former Advisor, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“I was enjoying what I was reading and found almost no places I could add or erase a touch. This book seems to tell us that when we miss the good old days we actually miss great human wisdom as described in the Bhagavad-Gita.”</i></span><br />
HUILAN YING<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Professor, College of International Studies, Zhejiang University</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“If you thought Eastern philosophy was abstruse and tedious, prepare yourself for a delightful surprise. In this translation of the holiest of Hindu works, the authors present the most profound spiritual insights in a lucid, lively, and accessible language, while their helpful and witty asides help the reader navigate the text without ever feeling swamped. Scholars and laymen alike are in for a treat.”</i></span><br />
CHANDRA SHEKHAR, PhD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Science Writer</div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“The New Bhagavad-Gita successfully attempts to translate the ancient writing into modern-day language, complete with interpretations making the book understandable to the international readership and illustrated with endearing drawings.”</i></span><br />
TANJA SCHULZE<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Program Director, The Melton Foundation </div><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><i>“The translation is admirably readable and I hope it will bring many people closer to the profundity of India’s ancient traditions.”</i></span><br />
ARUN PRASAD<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Engineering Student, Stanford University </div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-64783525827141607322009-01-24T07:56:00.005+05:302011-04-24T07:57:17.116+05:30Dedication<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<i>Sthitaprajña</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The greatest people I have met in my time and station</div><div style="text-align: center;">are those who seem common and ordinary;</div><div style="text-align: center;">quietly doing their work with focus and devotion,</div><div style="text-align: center;">not looking for any rewards or glory;</div><div style="text-align: center;">enjoying and cherishing every moment of their lives</div><div style="text-align: center;">with a smile on their lips and with a sparkle in their eyes;</div><div style="text-align: center;">not displaying talents or voicing opinions,</div><div style="text-align: center;">responding rather than reacting to situations;</div><div style="text-align: center;">observant, conscious, satisfied, tranquil,</div><div style="text-align: center;">unmoved by the forces of good or evil;</div><div style="text-align: center;">bearing no baggages of hate or envy,</div><div style="text-align: center;">holding no memories of pain or sorrow;</div><div style="text-align: center;">thankful for every single day,</div><div style="text-align: center;">unconcerned about tomorrow;</div><div style="text-align: center;">calm amidst chaos and crises,</div><div style="text-align: center;">untouched by hurdles and trifles;</div><div style="text-align: center;">harming none yet choosing not to beg or pray,</div><div style="text-align: center;">treating everyone in the same humble way;</div><div style="text-align: center;">unchanged in their spirit yet willing to cope,</div><div style="text-align: center;">unpertubed by despair, unattached to hope;</div><div style="text-align: center;">uninterested in belonging or identity,</div><div style="text-align: center;">eternally in resonance with the eternity;</div><div style="text-align: center;">respecting life yet unafraid of death or destruction,</div><div style="text-align: center;">not lusting behind any truths or seeking salvation,</div><div style="text-align: center;">yet find it impossible to tell a lie.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Hari Ravikumar</div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-68016243668409029582009-01-23T22:16:00.002+05:302011-04-22T18:28:45.095+05:30Publisher Information<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;">Published by W.I.S.E. (Wisdom In Simple English) Words Inc.<br />
6692 Summerfield Drive, Mason, OH 45040, USA<br />
513-290-3064 tatachar@aol.com<br />
<br />
First Edition, April 2011<br />
<br />
<b>Translation</b> Koti Sreekrishna and Hari Ravikumar<br />
<b>Illustrations</b> Ashok U., Shanti Karri† and Naethra Sreekrishna‡<br />
<b>Editing</b> Aditya J. <b>Design</b> Hari Ravikumar<br />
†for verses 4:32, 10:23, 10:30, and 15:2 ‡for verse 11:12<br />
<br />
Copyright © Koti Sreekrishna and Hari Ravikumar<br />
<br />
The seers of ancient India showed us that nobody has monopoly over Truth and that everyone has a right to learning and wisdom. The Bhagavad-Gita has no copyrights attached to it apart from a precautionary note that we don’t impose it on anyone but rather share it with only those people who are interested (18:67-69).<br />
<br />
In this spirit, we grant permission to copy, print, email, and share The New Bhagavad-Gita for free with anyone you like, as long as you don’t make changes to its contents or claim authorship! However, the right to sell this work in any form is reserved with us. If you are unsure, just write to us at newbhagavadgita@gmail.com.</div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-6032649392063007552009-01-22T22:41:00.008+05:302011-09-05T20:22:41.798+05:30Contents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/praise-for-new-bhagavad-gita.html" target="_blank">Praise for The New Bhagavad-Gita</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/dedication.html">Dedication</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/publisher-information.html">Publisher Information </a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/preface.html">Preface</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/introduction.html">Introduction</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-1-arjunas-despair.html">Chapter 1. Arjuna's Despair</a><br />
<a href="http://issuu.com/hrk4/docs/bg2">Chapter 2. Wisdom and Action</a> (New!)<br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-3-selfless-action.html">Chapter 3. Selfless Action</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-4-wisdom-in-action.html">Chapter 4. Wisdom in Action</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-5-renunciation.html">Chapter 5. Renunciation</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-6-meditation.html">Chapter 6. Meditation</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-7-knowledge-and-wisdom.html">Chapter 7. Knowledge and Wisdom</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-8-imperishable.html">Chapter 8. The Imperishable</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-9-best-of-secrets.html">Chapter 9. Best of Secrets</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-10-divine-splendor.html">Chapter 10. Divine Splendor</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-11-universal-form.html">Chapter 11. Universal Form</a><br />
<a href="http://issuu.com/hrk4/docs/bg12">Chapter 12. Devotion</a> (New!)<br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-13-matter-and-spirit.html">Chapter 13. Matter and Spirit</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-14-natural-tendencies.html">Chapter 14. Natural Tendencies</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-15-supreme-spirit.html">Chapter 15. Supreme Spirit</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-16-good-and-bad.html">Chapter 16. Good and Bad</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-17-attitudes-at-work.html">Chapter 17. Attitudes at Work</a><br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-18-liberation.html">Chapter 18. Liberation</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/epilogue.html">Epilogue</a><br />
<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/52984213/Appendices">Appendices</a></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-77353736951654457262009-01-21T14:14:00.005+05:302011-04-14T16:06:25.199+05:30Preface<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">From my childhood, I have been connected to the Bhagavad-Gita, one way or another. My father (K. S. Krishna Tatachar, Sanskrit scholar and author) taught me the recitation of the Gita in the traditional, rigorous way. He would recite a line; I would hear it, see it (Sanskrit verses written in Kannada script), and repeat it twice. He would correct any mistakes in articulation and make me chant it until I got it perfectly right. I had to be attentive, otherwise the session would be prolonged. Nevertheless, I was filled with thoughts of playing cricket, hoping it wouldn’t rain and that my friend Lakshmisha would walk around so that my dad would let me go. But that wasn’t too common; my friend got dismissed more often than the session!<br />
<br />
After I mastered the correct way of recitation, using the text as a guide, I would repeat the verses over and over again until I memorized them completely. Within a matter of one year, I could consistently repeat any verse ad lib. And so, by the time I was 9, I had memorized the entire 700 verses of the Gita.<br />
<br />
The most thrilling moment with this rote memorization, ever fresh in my memory, was when I won the first prize in ‘Six Chapter Gita Recitation Contest’ at my school (National Middle School, Bangalore) in 1963. One of the judges of the contest was apparently so impressed that he added ten rupees of his own to the actual award amount of Rs. 29. I consider that as the most valuable ten rupees ever earned in my life since it was a blessing from HSV (Prof. H. S. Varadadeshikachar, who was to be my Sanskrit professor in college; today he is better known as H. H. Sri Rangapriya Swamy).<br />
<br />
Before I left to the US in 1978, I requested my father to say a few words about the Gita, which I promptly recorded. In his brief talk, he said that Gita is a <i>sarva anukoola shastra</i> (a scriptural guide that suits everyone). That one phrase said it all. But I always wondered why even those who knew the Gita made life inconvenient for themselves and for others. Was that because of ‘something else’ (divisive ideas and traditional dogma) coming in the way? I kept reading every book on Gita I could lay my hands on; I might have read 50 versions by now. I found some new insight as well as ‘something else’, which was not always the same, but was always there, and in disguise at times. All through, I was trying to intuitively make sense, especially of some tricky verses which could be understood in multiple ways; in a way, I was trying to read Krishna’s mind.<br />
<br />
In 1990, my brother K. Srinivas gifted me D. V. Gundappa’s discourse on Gita in Kannada, <i>Jeevana Dharma Yoga</i> (‘A manual for living’). This was a book first published in the ’70s, bringing national recognition to the author. I was happy to see that some of my own intuitive understanding was also echoed in DVG’s book.<br />
<br />
My friend K. Vasudevan wanted to bring out an English translation of the Gita and asked me for a recommendation. I couldn’t think of one that I wholeheartedly liked. So in 2005, I began working on a translation, trying to keep out the ‘something else’. I had just completed a word-for-word translation to be published as a ‘one verse a day, self-study manual’ and shared the draft with a few, when the best happened. There came along my nephew, Hari Ravikumar, decades younger (only in age) as co-author with brilliant ideas, great depth, unique talents, insights, and style. He wanted to have a modern English version to make the book accessible to any person, from any culture, who wants to know about the Gita. <br />
<br />
He put his mind, body, and soul to the cause with such great diligence and dedication that we have this book. I trust you will derive as much joy as we have derived in putting it together.<br />
<br />
I’ve always felt unexplainable joy even while simply reciting verses of Gita. As we celebrate my father’s 108th birthday, certainly he couldn’t have given me a better gift than this. I must thank my dear wife Shailini for putting up with this ‘Gita-nut’, a title accorded to me by my kids! <br />
<br />
Koti Sreekrishna<br />
Mason, Ohio, USA<br />
<br />
<br />
In 2006 I wrote the poem <i>Sthitaprajña </i>(‘the stable one’) inspired by my grandmother. At that time, my uncle Koti Sreekrishna was visiting India and I had shown it to him. He read it and immediately said that he’d like to include it in his Bhagavad-Gita translation. Little did I realize at that point that I would become such an integral part of the project. Working on this book has been so much fun that it has nearly yogified me.<br />
<br />
When I wrote that poem I hadn’t read the Gita in detail and today when I look at it I realize that if I had to capture the essence of a text that I had never learned formally, it is because of a higher intuition, of which I am clueless. But certainly it is also because of the great people around me – my family, my gurus, my friends – who are always adding something, always inspiring, and always caring. They are, for me, the living Gita.<br />
<br />
Hari Ravikumar<br />
Bangalore, India<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>About This Translation</b><br />
The translator’s task is to translate and not to interpret. But in places where the meaning is unclear, some interpretation creeps in. So, every translation is stained by the translator’s understanding and worldview. As translators our submission is that we have presented the Gita in the light of our own experiences, at the same time staying clear of the path connecting readers to the original text. We must mention, however, there is no equivalent to reading the Bhagavad-Gita in the original Sanskrit.<br />
<br />
While we present just the translation in simple language, in some places we had to include additional notes at the bottom of the verse. We have put the verse number in superscript at the beginning of a verse for those who are familiar with the text and would like to compare with the original. <br />
<br />
We have retained the original Sanskrit terms for words that we could not translate easily into English. Since those terms might be unfamiliar, we have explained them the first instance they appear in a given chapter.The Gita uses many names and epithets for Krishna and Arjuna. We have avoided translating those where we felt they did not add any value.<br />
<br />
In the Gita, all pronouns are masculine. Our translation has retained that in places where it was not possible to have a neutral term. This should not be treated as gender bias but as a convention, just like how the moon is feminine in Spanish or the sun is masculine in French. So, for example, verse 3:21 could have well been: ‘A great woman sets an example by her actions. The whole world follows the standard that she sets.’<br />
<br />
After initial conflicts between British and American English spellings, we chose to go with the latter.<br />
<br />
<b>Acknowledgments</b><br />
This book would not be in your hands but for the help, encouragement, advice, critique, blessings, and wholehearted support of many people – from our own family members and friends to complete strangers (who have now become good friends). Our sincere thanks to every one of them. It would be impossible to list out everyone who helped shape this work but we owe special gratitude to a few.<br />
<br />
Twenty-six remarkable and diverse individuals from different cultures, age-groups, professions, and dispositions reviewed the manuscript and shared their wisdom and experience, which has made this book what it is. The complete list of reviewers appears at the end of this note.<br />
<br />
Aditya J., our editor, spent endless hours (very often late into the night) reading, analyzing, simplifying, and reshaping the text.<br />
<br />
Ashok U., our illustrator, toiled for months before we finalized the superb sketches that you see in the book. We were inspired by his patience and tenacity to ensure that he gave us only the best. Ashok illustrated most of the book, but Shanti Karri and Naethra Sreekrishna also contributed a few lovely sketches.<br />
<br />
<i>Shatavadhani</i> R. Ganesh, PhD, a great Sanskrit scholar of our time, was so kind as to go through the final manuscript and check for any failings in our translation; we were delighted and reassured when he mentioned that we had captured both the letter and the spirit of the Gita in our book.<br />
<br />
Kanchan B. A. enriched the book design and layout with her fresh ideas and great sense of aesthetics.<br />
<br />
Narayanan Srinivasan, one of the reviewers, went beyond what we had requested him; he worked closely with us re-working some critical verses, helped manage our Facebook page, and brainstormed on issues that we raised in our blog.<br />
<br />
K. Vasudevan, Naresh Keerthi, M. S. Krishna, Arun Prasad, Malur Vasan, and Prateek Ranganathan gave us wonderful insights and suggestions for improvement. Though the Gita evokes different responses from each of them – ranging from rapturous love to mild contempt – they all helped significantly enhance this book.<br />
<br />
Roy Prasad, Anshuman Borah, Divya Tyam, Anirudh Chandrakant, and Avishek Chakravarti offered lots of creative ideas for the book. Jyotsna Pattabiraman, Linda Spencer, Deepta Rangarajan, S. Swaminathan, and Jaikar Mohan enlightened us on the aspects of publishing, business, and marketing. Meeta Gangrade, Sartaj Singh Anand, Vinay Kumar, Siddarth Ramamohan, and Arun Ramanuj gave several tips on how best we can use the latest technology in connection with the book.<br />
<br />
M. P. Ravindra, PhD and S. Revathikumari, PhD not only shared ideas but also gifted Bhagavad-Gita books by contemporary authors. Narayana Kulkarni, Hema Ravikumar, and Prathigna Poonacha helped with their contacts, shared their views, and often spoke about the book. <br />
<br />
Corky and Holly Siegel, Patricia Smith, and Ashish and Elizabeth Khokar gave sage advice and motivation all through.<br />
<br />
Special thanks to Dr. L. Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurti and their wonderful family for always inspiring, encouraging, and supporting.<br />
<br />
Needless to say, amidst all the great things that others have contributed, any shortcomings in the book are solely our own and in no way reflect on our reviewers or advisors.<br />
<br />
Koti Sreekrishna<br />
Hari Ravikumar<br />
<br />
<b>List of Reviewers</b><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">B. Ranganayakamma, MS<br />
Senior Mechanical Engineer and Production Planner, Science & Engineering Services<br />
Formerly Scientist, Defence Research and Development Organization<br />
Clarksville, MD, USA<br />
<br />
Balazs Szeless, Dipl. Ing.<br />
Rotarian, Rotary Club of Ferney-Voltaire <br />
Formerly Mechanical Engineer, CERN, Geneva<br />
Sopron, Hungary<br />
<br />
Chandra Shekhar, PhD<br />
Science Writer <br />
Formerly Computer Scientist, University of Maryland<br />
Princeton, NJ, USA<br />
<br />
G. Sudesh Kumar, PhD<br />
Director, SGS India Pvt. Ltd.<br />
Green Technologies and Sustainability Expert<br />
Gurgaon, India<br />
<br />
Gabriel Minder, PhD<br />
Member, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences <br />
Liaison, WHO-Rotary Clubs against Avoidable Blindness <br />
Formerly Head, Management Information Services, CERN, Geneva <br />
Former UN Consultant for Trade Development<br />
Geneva, Switzerland<br />
<br />
Prof. Huilan Ying, MA<br />
College of International Studies, Zhejiang University<br />
Hangzhou, China<br />
<br />
Javier Lorca Espiro, MS<br />
Electronics Engineer and Physicist<br />
Assistant Professor, Universidad de La Frontera<br />
Jazz Pianist and Multi-instrumentalist<br />
Temuco, Chile<br />
<br />
Dr. Jwala Prasad, MD<br />
Anaesthesiologist, The Christ Hospital of Cincinnati<br />
Yoga practitioner and teacher<br />
Student of Jainism, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, and Umaswamy’s Tattvartha Sutra<br />
Cincinnati, OH, USA<br />
<br />
K. Srinivas, BS<br />
Retired Manager, State Bank of Mysore<br />
Scholar and Critique of Hindu epics and scriptures<br />
Bangalore, India<br />
<br />
Prof. M. G. Prasad, PhD<br />
Stevens Institute of Technology<br />
Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers<br />
Board Member, Hindu University of America<br />
Author and Playwright (Topics in Hinduism)<br />
Hoboken, NJ, USA<br />
<br />
Prof. M. K. Sridhar, PhD<br />
Reader, Canara Bank School of Management Studies, Bangalore University<br />
Executive Director and Member-Secretary, Karnataka Knowledge Commission<br />
Bangalore, India<br />
<br />
M. R. Srinivasan, PhD<br />
Member and Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, Govt. of India<br />
Founder Chairman, Nuclear Power Corporation<br />
Former Member, Planning Commission, Govt. of India<br />
Ootacamund, India<br />
<br />
M. V. Ravikumar, PhD<br />
Management Consultant and Mentor<br />
Member, Indian Management Association<br />
Past President, Consortium of Electronics Industries in Karnataka<br />
Bangalore, India<br />
<br />
Narayanan Srinivasan, MS<br />
Senior Manager, Accenture<br />
Project Management Professional (PMP) with focus on Business Intelligence<br />
Writer and Blogger (http://lokakshemam.blogspot.com/)<br />
Dallas, TX, USA<br />
<br />
Preeti Srinivasan<br />
Book Reviewer<br />
Thiruvannamalai, India<br />
<br />
Prof. Roddam Narasimha, PhD<br />
Aerospace Scientist and Fluid Dynamicist<br />
Engineering Mechanics Unit, JNCASR<br />
Fellow of the Royal Society<br />
Former Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies<br />
Former Director, National Aerospace Laboratories<br />
Bangalore, India<br />
<br />
Prof. S. Jayaraman, MBA<br />
Professor, Human Resources Management, International School of Business and Media<br />
Former Group Head, Investment Research and Information Services<br />
Formerly Divisional Manager, Tata Metaliks<br />
Associate Member, Institution of Engineers<br />
Pune, India<br />
<br />
Shana Kaloyanova, MA<br />
Senior Lawyer, Coeler Legal<br />
Formerly Junior Lawyer, Ernst and Young<br />
Formerly Stagiaire, German Construction Industry Federation<br />
Sofia, Bulgaria<br />
<br />
Shanti Karri, MA<br />
Faculty, Galen College of Nursing, Cincinnati<br />
Former Instructor, Department of Sociology, University of Cincinnati<br />
Former Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission Candidate<br />
Painter, Writer, and Poet<br />
Cincinnati, OH, USA<br />
<br />
Shekhar Borgaonkar, PhD<br />
Senior Researcher, HP Labs India<br />
Student of various new age spiritual movements across the world<br />
Bangalore, India<br />
<br />
Srikanth Vasudevan, MS<br />
Manager, Aerospace Programs, Orbital Research Inc.<br />
Senior Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics<br />
Cleveland, OH, USA<br />
<br />
Tanja Schulze, MA <br />
Program Director, The Melton Foundation<br />
Member, Young SIETAR<br />
Former Tutor, Institute of Intercultural Business Communication<br />
Leipzig, Germany<br />
<br />
V. Prasanna Bhat, PhD<br />
Independent Corporate Advisor<br />
Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers<br />
Member, Indian Management Association<br />
Winner of National Awards for Excellence in Organizational Research<br />
Former Advisor, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency<br />
Former Managing Director, ITCOT<br />
Chennai, India<br />
<br />
Varun Prakash, BE<br />
Aerospace Engineering Student, University of New South Wales<br />
Design Engineer, Virtual Logic Systems Pvt. Ltd.<br />
Formerly Mechanical Engineer, Mahindra and Mahindra<br />
Canberra, Australia<br />
<br />
Vaslav Markevitch<br />
AMA Diploma - American Management, Dallas, Texas<br />
Climate and Water Specialisation, Marco Vinci Research<br />
Formerly Official Spokesman ICRC, International Committee of Red Cross and Middle East Mission Delegate<br />
Promotion Manager of Technicon Corp. International Division, Tarrytown, New York<br />
Deputy to Director of Information, Dept. United Nations Geneva<br />
Deputy to Director of IATA for Civil Aviation Development and Budget<br />
Senior Associate Consultant, Technomic Marketing Consultants (Chicago) in charge of Europe and Middle East areas for Aviation and Electronics<br />
Member of American Association for the Advancement of Science<br />
Geneva, Switzerland and Montepulciano (SI), Italy<br />
<br />
Prof. Vinay Kumar, PhD<br />
Formerly Professor of Chemistry, Northern Kentucky University<br />
Cincinnati, OH, USA</div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/introduction.html">Introduction</a> >> </div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-38711083679462736002009-01-20T18:16:00.003+05:302011-04-14T16:05:43.819+05:30Introduction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Over the years, human beings have changed in significant ways. Even with our limited ability to see into our ancient past, we like to believe that we have evolved, refined our senses, heightened our aesthetics, and acquired exquisite tastes. However, we have also hunted, waged wars, spilled blood, destroyed the natural environment around us, and caused a whole lot of trouble to one another.<br />
<br />
As we dive deep into this ocean of human activity – filled with astonishing achievements and abysmal atrocities – we are intrigued to observe that in spite of some seeming changes, few of the basic human qualities remain unchanged; for example, human emotions. The ‘way we feel’ has mostly been the same though it has taken different forms and characteristics.<br />
<br />
It is both interesting and beneficial to who we are now to know what the ancient people ‘felt’ about life, growth, thought, awareness, death, and the universe. The quiet wisdom of our ancestors, often disguised as records of experiences or imaginative poetry, might give us some inspiration and insights into our own lives.<br />
<br />
What we call as ‘scriptures’ is different from all other genres of literature, for they deal with a different kind of reality and operate at a different level of consciousness, sometimes quite removed from our day to day life. They give us a completely different perspective on things and quite often awaken us to a broader realm of reality.<br />
<br />
The Bhagavad-Gita is one such scripture from ancient India.<br />
<br />
<b>Hinduism</b><br />
Hinduism is the major religion of India with a worldwide following of over a billion people. In its original and purest form, it is a <i>sanaatana dharma</i> (loosely translated as ‘eternal truth’ or ‘timeless religion’) that represents over 5,000 years of contemplation, tradition, and continuous development in the Indian subcontinent. One who follows Hinduism is called a ‘Hindu’ (the term originally referred to a person living in India).<br />
<br />
Hinduism has no single founder. Many ancient seer-sages, both men and women, contributed to its scriptures. The Hindu scriptures are numerous and diverse. Most of them are written in the Sanskrit language. Sanskrit, like Latin, is the root language for several languages; both Sanskrit and Latin belong to the same language family.<br />
<br />
The word ‘scripture’ comes from the Latin <i>scriptura</i>, meaning ‘that which is written’, but the equivalent terms in Sanskrit for Hindu scriptures are <i>shruti</i>, ‘that which is heard’ and <i>smriti</i>, ‘that which is remembered’.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Rishi</i>s</b> (the seekers of truth) of ancient India contemplated on creation, human nature, refining basic instincts, purpose of life, workings of the physical world, and the metaphysical dimensions of the universe. The collective consciousness of the <i>rishi</i>s is called ‘Veda’. The literal meaning of the word ‘Veda’ is ‘to know’ or ‘knowledge’. <br />
<br />
Vedas are the foremost revealed scriptures in Hinduism. Every Hindu ceremony from birth to death and beyond is drawn from the Vedas. There are four Vedas: Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva. These comprise the <b><i>shruti</i></b> texts. Though any body of knowledge can be called a Veda, like Ayurveda (health manual), the term <i>shruti</i> applies only to the four Vedas.<br />
<br />
The rishis taught this collected wisdom to their disciples, who in turn taught it to their disciples. Thus, this knowledge was passed on, intact, for many generations, without a single word being written down. Even today, traditional students learn Vedic hymns orally from a guru (teacher). A verse from the Rig Veda (10.191.2) poignantly captures the intellectual atmosphere of those times:<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Come together, speak together,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">let your minds be united, harmonious;</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">as ancient gods unanimous</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">sit down to their appointed share. </div><br />
The final portion of the Vedas, called ‘Upanishads’ or ‘Vedanta’, contain anecdotes, dialogues, and talks that deal with body, mind, soul, nature, consciousness, and the universe. Of the several Upanishads, ten are very important: Isa, Kena, Katha, Prashna, Munda, Mandukya, Taittiriya, Aitareya, Chandogya, and Brihadaranyaka.<br />
<br />
Post-Vedic texts form another set of scriptures, the <b><i>smriti</i></b>, which were composed by a single author and later memorized by generations. These include Ramayana and Mahabharata (the epics), Astadhyayi (grammar), Manusmriti (law), Purana (old episodes), Nirukta (etymology), Sulba Sutras (geometry), Grihya Sutras (running a family), and a whole body of texts governing architecture, art, astrology, astronomy, dance, drama, economics, mathematics, medicine, music, nutrition, rituals, sex, and warfare, among others.<br />
<br />
The Bhagavad-Gita (or simply ‘Gita’), which is a small part of the epic Mahabharata, is an important and widely read scriptures of Hinduism. It is one of the most comprehensive summaries of Hinduism.<br />
<br />
The Sanskrit word for <b>Creation </b>is <i>srishti</i>, which means ‘pouring forth’. It is not ‘creation’ but rather an outpouring, an expansion, a change. The idea of creation is discussed in different ways in the Vedas. One hymn (Nasadiya Sukta) proposes a brilliant conceptual model for creation while another (Hiranyagarbha Sukta) raises and answers many questions about god and creation. Yet another hymn (Purusha Sukta) describes in detail the process of creation. Amidst all these varied views, there is a single underlying idea: ‘one became everything’. <br />
<br />
Another contention is that the concept of god is subsequent to creation. Hinduism has many gods but only one Supreme spirit. The Vedas make a clear distinction between god and <i>brahman</i>, the Supreme spirit, which is beyond all creation and destruction.<br />
<br />
<b>Hindu timeline</b> spans trillions of years and time is considered cyclical rather than linear; so we have eternal time cycles one after the other with no beginning or end. The Surya Siddhanta, a treatise of Hindu astronomy explains the staggering timeline:<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...twelve months make a year</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">this equals a day and night of the gods (1.13)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">360 days and nights of the gods make a divine year (1.14)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">12,000 divine years make one <i>mahayuga</i>. (1.15)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A day of Brahma spans 1,000 <i>mahayuga</i>s</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">a night of Brahma also spans 1,000 <i>mahayuga</i>s. (1.20)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Brahma’s life span is 100 Brahma years. (1.21)</div><br />
A <i>mahayuga</i> (Great Age) is made up of four <i>yuga</i>s (Ages): Satya <i>yuga</i>, Treta <i>yuga</i>, Dwapara <i>yuga</i>, and Kali <i>yuga</i>. In human terms, a <i>mahayuga </i>is 4.32 million years.<br />
<br />
A day of Brahma (the god of creation), spanning a thousand <i>mahayuga</i>s, equals 4.32 billion human years, which is the time he is active and thus enables activity in the universe. During the night of Brahma, all creatures are dissolved only to be brought forth again at the beginning of the next day (this is also explained in the Bhagavad-Gita; see 8:17-19 and 9:7).<br />
<br />
<b>Hindu sects</b> are many and they often follow their own set of traditions and customs. While they seem very divergent, they have an underlying unity. Hinduism has a lot of freedom and openness with regard to beliefs, practices, and philosophies of its followers. Take the example of belief in god: some Hindus believe in god with a form, some others believe in a formless god, while others are agnostics; some believe in one god and some others believe in many.<br />
<br />
<b>Hindu values</b> include harmony, tolerance, righteousness, respect for nature, and respect for the supreme. Hinduism accepts other religions and modes of thought. Here are two verses from the Rig Veda that bring out these values very nicely:<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May noble thoughts come to us from every side,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">unchanged, unhindered, undefeated in every way;</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May the gods always be with us for our gain and</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">our protectors caring for us, ceaseless, every day.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(1.89.1)</div><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The truth is one; the wise call it by different names.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(1.164.46)</div><br />
<b>Hindu worldview</b> emphasizes conduct more than creed. It celebrates the diversity of existence and embraces the world as part of a big family, as recorded in an ancient book of stories, the Hitopadesha (1.3.71):<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">“These are my own, those are strangers” –</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">thus the narrow-minded ones judge people.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But for those magnanimous hearts,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the world is but one family!</div><br />
The Vedas call humans by a cheerful and hopeful name: 'the children of immortal bliss' (Rig Veda 10.13.1). We are born pure and perfect but over time we accumulate the dust of unhappiness and pettiness. The constant quest is to return to our true nature as children of bliss. A prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1.3.28) talks about the spiritual journey from ignorance to illumination:<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Lead me from falsehood to truth,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">lead me from darkness to light,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">lead me from death to immortality.</div><br />
Hinduism is perhaps the oldest, most diverse, and most sophisticated system of religious thought and practice, covering nearly everything that comes under the umbrella of religion and philosophy. A human lifetime is insufficient to exhaust the wisdom it has to offer, and accessing even a small portion of this vast treasure enthralls, enriches, and elevates!<br />
<br />
<b>Mahabharata: Story and Characters</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwnycGemJXeAt9pCgsM8LVtQkL1agPAOLWScgz_dwCas1vREfSmEqjOPmJnTm2Iye32CNTDOV5YX5hyphenhyphenlrvFHhumxZXwGW855GSrZsemxcCChRumftoMxj2dYacOFVIOCgYvn9aeBP2NEs/s1600/Vyasa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwnycGemJXeAt9pCgsM8LVtQkL1agPAOLWScgz_dwCas1vREfSmEqjOPmJnTm2Iye32CNTDOV5YX5hyphenhyphenlrvFHhumxZXwGW855GSrZsemxcCChRumftoMxj2dYacOFVIOCgYvn9aeBP2NEs/s1600/Vyasa.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Author</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Vyasa</b> is a famous sage of ancient India. He is often called Veda Vyasa since he organized the Vedas. Vyasa composed several important works, including the Brahma Sutra, a collection of aphorisms on metaphysics and the Mahabharata, the world’s longest epic. The Mahabharata is the great story of king Bharata’s dynasty. Bharata was an important king of ancient India; the official name of India, ‘Bhaarata’, comes from his name.<br />
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Apart from composing Mahabharata, Vyasa appeared as a character in the epic. He was born to Satyavati, a fisher girl, before her marriage. She later married king Shantanu, a descendent of Kuru (of Bharata dynasty). They had two sons but both of them died young, thus leaving no heirs to the throne. And so, Vyasa fathered Dhritarashtra and Pandu for the sake of the dynasty.<br />
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Kuru was a famous king of the Bharata dynasty and his descendents were the Kauravas (or the Kurus). However, the term ‘Kauravas’ often refers to the one hundred children of Dhritarashtra, while Pandu’s five children are called the ‘Pandavas’. It is the dispute between the Kauravas and the Pandavas that resulted in the Mahabharata war, which took place nearly five thousand years ago in Kurukshetra (the land of Kuru) in Northern India. Almost all major kings from the Indian subcontinent took part in this great war, which was fought for eighteen days.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grandfather</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Bhishma</b> was the son of king Shantanu from his first marriage. Bhishma took a great oath of celibacy for life and helped his step-brothers and their descendants rule the kingdom. He was, in a way, the ‘grandfather’ of the Pandavas and Kauravas. In the war, though he fought on the side of the Kauravas, his heart was always with the Pandavas because he felt they were the more righteous of the two.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Tutor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Drona</b> was a great archer and warrior, though he was born in a priestly family. Drona, who was extremely poor, came to the Kauravas seeking a job. Bhishma appointed him to teach the art of warfare to both Pandavas and Kauravas. Drona loved the Pandavas dearly and Arjuna was his favorite disciple. But Drona was indebted to the Kauravas for their patronage and fought the war on their side.<br />
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King Dhritarashtra was born blind and before the great war began, Vyasa offered him divine vision so that he could witness the war. But the blind king refused to see this terrible war between his sons and nephews. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Narrator</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Sanjaya</b> was born in a family of raconteurs and he was Dhritarashtra’s advisor and charioteer. When Dhritarashtra refused to witness the war, Vyasa gave Sanjaya divine vision in order that he might witness the events on the battlefield as they happened, without leaving the palace, and narrate them to the blind Dhritarashtra. In fact, the dialogue of the ‘Bhagavad-Gita’ is structured in the form of Sanjaya’s narration to Dhritarashtra.<br />
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<b>Duryodhana</b>, the eldest among the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, was known for his exploits with the mace. His childhood jealousies towards the Pandavas and his greed for power made him plot against them.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Aggressor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Teaming up with his maternal uncle Shakuni and his friend Karna, Duryodhana orchestrated many devious schemes to destroy the Pandavas. One such instance was when he got the Pandavas invited to a game of dice and defeated them by deceit; it had been decided earlier that the losers of the game would forsake their kingdom, retire to the forest for twelve years and live incognito for a year after that. Having lost the game of dice, the Pandavas went into exile for thirteen years. When they returned, Duryodhana refused to return their kingdom as promised; he wanted to wage a war to decide that.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rightful Heir</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Yudhistira</b>, eldest of the five Pandavas, was the personification of goodness. His wisdom and good conduct attracted the admiration of even his enemies. Yudhistira couldn’t bear the thought of a war, so he pleaded for peace in the land of their ancestors. When the Kauravas showed no signs of compromise, he finally asked for five villages to be given to the five Pandavas, and all would be forgotten. <br />
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Duryodhana said in response, “I challenge the Pandavas to battle! Either I, killing the Pandavas, will rule over this kingdom or the sons of Pandu, killing me, shall enjoy this land. I will sacrifice everything but I can’t live side by side with the Pandavas. I won’t surrender to them even that much of land which is covered by the sharp point of a needle.”<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8VDsuddtJsKb-k5O83F3rK_Ez7uns8PD9JkZ_zUs__Fn-2Q5XlzhF4Kr46SamO5IAQCIPYTNyUrvPn3gWVnlihW_dFpj7KXZ1BWei9PIC3v2TTKdiqV0a8HkGzAjESU1RoLmPrwDiLzW/s1600/Arjuna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8VDsuddtJsKb-k5O83F3rK_Ez7uns8PD9JkZ_zUs__Fn-2Q5XlzhF4Kr46SamO5IAQCIPYTNyUrvPn3gWVnlihW_dFpj7KXZ1BWei9PIC3v2TTKdiqV0a8HkGzAjESU1RoLmPrwDiLzW/s1600/Arjuna.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hero</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Arjuna</b> was the third of the five Pandavas, known for his prowess in archery. He was a key player in the great war and spent years honing his martial skills and acquiring new weapons, knowing well that he will have to defend his family from the Kauravas. But just before the war began, he felt sympathetic towards his foes because they were his relatives and friends, and so refused to fight. At that point, Krishna, his old friend and mentor, spoke the Bhagavad-Gita to awaken him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4A4qkLTmI0d5WXDYfPsN_OcPkHGUrL7X3DJsEAc8pk-4_T4lD5fXVWbMXZBv0scUJDogzhnhdLnJrI6-vuJ24j7hodz_HE_VHvl-FC2aDKmh3brMC3kcJpdZpInaA3rqINIImUInSs9j/s1600/Krishna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL4A4qkLTmI0d5WXDYfPsN_OcPkHGUrL7X3DJsEAc8pk-4_T4lD5fXVWbMXZBv0scUJDogzhnhdLnJrI6-vuJ24j7hodz_HE_VHvl-FC2aDKmh3brMC3kcJpdZpInaA3rqINIImUInSs9j/s1600/Krishna.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mentor</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>Krishna</b>, a popular Hindu god, is an avatara (incarnation) of the supreme. He was related to both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. When war became inevitable, he declared that he won’t raise a weapon. He allowed his entire army to fight on the side of the Kauravas, as Duryodhana wished. He became the charioteer to Arjuna and gave him the supreme guidance at the time of war. But before the war broke out, Krishna tried to broker peace between the cousins because he didn’t want the dynasty to be destroyed.<br />
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Krishna went to Dhritarashtra’s court and said, “Joy in the happiness of others, sorrow at the sight of another’s misery – this has been the credo of the Kurus! Your race, O king, is so noble, that it will be a pity if its scion should do something so improper; and worse still if it were done by you. The evil Duryodhana’s misconduct will lead to universal slaughter. Please do something!”<br />
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All the elders in the assembly, the many sages visiting the kingdom, and Dhritarashtra’s counselors told Duryodhana that Krishna’s words were appropriate for the situation and that peace was the best way forward.<br />
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Duryodhana shouted in rage, “Why me? I have done nothing wrong! But as long as I live, the Pandavas will not get a share of the kingdom. Out of ignorance or fear or some other reason, we had earlier given them the kingdom but now I will not give them even an inch of our land.”<br />
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With anger in his eyes, Krishna said, “If you want a war, then you shall have it. In a short time, there will be terrible bloodshed. After so many devious acts, you claim that you have done nothing wrong! You are not willing to give them their share of the land even when they are begging for it! Ignoring the words of the wise and deriding the advice of friends, you can never achieve anything that is good. What you are set to do is dishonorable and sinful.”<br />
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In an extreme fit of anger, Duryodhana tried to use violence against Krishna. A shocked Dhritarashtra tried to intervene. Krishna calmly said, “O king, if they wish to use violence, let them. On my part, I will not do anything that will bring disgrace.” <br />
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In response to the violence, Krishna just showed a glimpse of his divine form to everyone present. Duryodhana left the place in a huff.<br />
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“If war is what they want, let them have it. Now, with your permission, I will return.” So saying, Krishna calmly went out of the king’s assembly.<br />
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The war had to be fought. Peace had lost.<br />
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(Appendix 3 has a family tree that explains the relationships between some of the characters of the Mahabharata. It also has a map of ancient India that includes some relevant places.)<br />
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<b>Bhagavad-Gita: History and Context</b><br />
Krishna and Arjuna had the conversation on the battlefield, standing in the midst of the two armies. Sanjaya narrated it with visual detail to the blind Dhritarashtra. Vyasa wrote it down for posterity and taught it to his student Vaishampayana, who later narrated it to King Janamejaya, the great grandson of Arjuna.<br />
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As per the traditional accounts, the Kurukshetra war was fought between 22 November and 9 December, 3139 BCE and over 18 million warriors died; only a handful of them survived. The Pandavas won the war and ruled for about 35 years. Then with the death of Krishna the previous Age (the Dwapara <i>yuga</i>) came to an end. The present Age, Kali <i>yuga</i>, began on 18 February, 3102 BCE.<br />
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Many famous saints of medieval India wrote commentaries on the Gita as they considered it an important text. From what we know, the first of these commentaries was written by the 8th century CE philosopher and saint, Shankara. His work popularized the Gita and also standardized the number of verses in the text. Some of the other notable scholars who wrote commentaries on the Gita are Ramanuja, Abhinavagupta, Madhva, Nimbarka, and Vallabha.<br />
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Many leaders of the Indian Independence movement (late 19th century and early 20th century CE) translated and interpreted the Gita, including Tilak, Vivekananda, Gandhi, Aurobindo, Rajaji, Bharathiar, and Bhave.<br />
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The whole episode of the Kurukshetra war is so deeply engraved in the Indian mind that for most Indians ‘Gita’ refers to Bhagavad-Gita and ‘the Great War’ refers to the battle of Kurukshetra. This speaks a lot, given that there are many gitas in the Hindu canon like Anu Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, Avadhuta Gita, Devi Gita, Ganesha Gita, Ribhu Gita, Shiva Gita, and Uddhava Gita (or Hamsa Gita).<br />
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The influence of the Gita outside India has also been enormous. This is perhaps because the text has such a nice blend of everyday pragmatism and spiritual mysticism. It has something valuable for everybody. <br />
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(Appendix 4 has a compilation of quotes about the Bhagavad-Gita by different eminent people from all over the world, spanning many centuries.)<br />
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<b>Bhagavad-Gita: The Text</b><br />
‘Bhagavad-Gita’ is made up of two words: Bhagavat (of the lord) and Gita (song) so it becomes ‘song of the lord’ in English. The chapters 25 to 42 of the sixth episode of Mahabharata contain the Gita.<br />
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The Gita has 700 verses divided into 18 chapters. Though it is structured thus, it is not a systematic manual but a conversation between two friends that is captured in poetry. <br />
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The Gita does not present arguments in a linear way; it is circular and often descriptive, with repetitions and clarifications all through. Krishna presents many ideas and opinions to inspire Arjuna to fight the war and in the course of the discussion, talks about many aspects of life. Finally, he gives the choice to Arjuna to decide for himself whether to fight or not.<br />
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Most of the verses in the Gita are set to the <i>anushtubh </i>meter, with 4 lines of 8 syllables each, like in 2.47:<br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>ka-rma-ṇye-vā-dhi-kā-ra-ste </i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>mā-pha-le-ṣu-ka-dā-ca-na</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>mā-ka-rma-pha-la-he-tu-rbhūḥ</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>mā-te-sa-ṅgo-’stva-ka-rma-ṇi</i></div><br />
A few verses are in the <i>trishtubh </i>meter, with 4 lines of 11 syllables each, like in 2.20:<br />
<div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>na-jā-ya-te-mri-ya-te-vā-ka-dā-cit</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>nā-yaṃ-bhū-tvā-bha-vi-tā-vā-na-bhū-yaḥ</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>a-jo-ni-tyaḥ-śā-śva-to-’yaṃ-pu-rā-ṇo</i></div><div style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>na-ha-nya-te-ha-nya-mā-ne-śa-rī-re</i></div><br />
(Appendix 1 has a transliteration guide, which will help in reading Sanskrit written in the roman script. Appendix 2 has the original text of the Bhagavad-Gita.)<br />
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Every chapter of the Gita ends with a colophon that includes the chapter number and name, along with a generic description of the Gita. Here is the colophon of the first chapter:<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thus ends the first chapter ‘Arjuna’s Despair’</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">from the Upanishad Bhagavad-Gita,</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">which is a dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">on the knowledge of the supreme and </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the art of union with the supreme.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That’s the truth, <i>Om</i>!</div><br />
Though the colophon refers to the Gita as an Upanishad, the Gita is not one of the Upanishads. The colophon is not found in the Mahabharata but by convention is used while reciting the Gita.<br />
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<b>Bhagavad-Gita in Translation</b><br />
The Bhagavad-Gita is the most translated Indian book. Saint Jnaneshwar composed one of the earliest translations of the Gita during the later part of 13th century CE; his Marathi language translation, along with elaborate commentary makes up the classic Jnaneshwari. Even earlier, Abu-Saleh is said to have translated Mahabharata into Arabic (11th century CE) and Abul-Hasan-Ali, into Persian (as Modjmel-altevarykh; 12th century CE). The most popular Persian translation, Razm nama, was commissioned by King Akbar in 16th century CE. These works contain the Gita either in part or in full.<br />
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The Bhagavad-Gita was first translated into English in 1785 by Charles Wilkins, an orientalist and typographer. His translation was translated soon into French and German. Later, the German poet August Wilhelm Schlegel translated the Gita into Latin in 1823. The Prussian minister and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt translated the Gita into German in 1826. In 1846, the orientalist Christian Lassen translated the work into French and in 1848, Dimitrios Galanos, an Indologist, translated it into Greek.<br />
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Needless to say, the Bhagavad-Gita has been translated into all major languages of India. A conservative estimate is that the Gita has been translated about 2,000 times into over 75 languages.<br />
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<b>Conclusion</b><br />
In an ideal world, we don’t need any religions by their brand names. We have enough collective wisdom that we use in various aspects of our life. Our true nature knows right from wrong. So we could easily light the fire and burn all religious books. But that would be inefficient. Why would we want to miss the opportunity to stand on the shoulders of giants?<br />
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We read and enjoy novels written by great authors without worrying about their religious backgrounds, but things change drastically when religion comes into the picture. We get crazy. We simply refuse to learn from each other when it is a matter of faith. In addition, we try to convince others that our brand of religion is the best.<br />
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Perhaps the world is not yet ready to absorb the collective wisdom from all religions and philosophies. Then, the best we can do is to present the most important book in each of our religions and cultures, and leave it at that; readers can draw their own conclusions.<br />
<br />
People of a particular religion often take their books for granted and read them with minimal introspection beyond the dictates of their sectarian views. On the other hand, people from foreign cultures might not be very familiar with those books. Thus, revisiting such works might give fresh insights to adherents and a totally new inspiration to everyone at large.<br />
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The Bhagavad-Gita is a good place to start if one wants to know about India’s grand heritage, religious traditions, philosophy, and spirituality.<br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May it protect both of us.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May it nourish both of us.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Let us work together.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Let our work be lit up by vigor.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Let us not hate each other.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">May peace prevail, <i>Om</i>!</div>(from the Katha Upanishad)<br />
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<br />
<< <a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/preface.html">Preface</a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-1-arjunas-despair.html">Chapter 1. Arjuna's Despair</a> >></div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-78601449468139436582009-01-19T22:24:00.008+05:302011-04-16T16:12:08.922+05:30Chapter 1. Arjuna's Despair<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b>INVOCATION</b><br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Salutations to the supreme lord,<br />
the teacher of the world, and<br />
the source of eternal bliss!</div><br />
<br />
<b>Dhritarashtra</b><br />
<sup>1</sup>Sanjaya, tell me what is happening <br />
in the sacred land of Kurukshetra,<br />
where my people and the Pandavas<br />
have assembled, eager to fight.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvvdjDtnjXOMTUK7HF_fxP8zrECH2bJ_oz-qO6pyqlz4lfSQFUr-9V_r2VucTnMkYeFz3e2b8r-KXIkCOntvP-yQSyP37sIwijp1C2M70srKrUo2z29nVIH-LylymqNCPaZBA4AlQ_4Jl/s1600/1.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvvdjDtnjXOMTUK7HF_fxP8zrECH2bJ_oz-qO6pyqlz4lfSQFUr-9V_r2VucTnMkYeFz3e2b8r-KXIkCOntvP-yQSyP37sIwijp1C2M70srKrUo2z29nVIH-LylymqNCPaZBA4AlQ_4Jl/s320/1.1.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><b>Sanjaya</b><br />
<sup>2</sup>King Duryodhana saw the Pandava army<br />
drawn up for battle;<br />
then he went to his tutor Drona<br />
and spoke these words.<br />
<br />
<sup>3</sup>Respected sir,<br />
look at the mighty Pandava army<br />
arrayed in battle formation<br />
by your talented student,<br />
the son of Drupada.<br />
<br />
<sup>4</sup>Their army has many great archers and heroes<br />
who match Bhima and Arjuna,<br />
such as Yuyudhana, Virata, and the mighty Drupada,<br />
<sup>5</sup>Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, and the valiant king of Kashi, <br />
Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and the best of men, Shaibya,<br />
6the courageous Yudhamanyu, the brave Uttamaujas, <br />
Abhimanyu, and the sons of Draupadi.<br />
They are all <i>maharatha</i>s.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A <i>maharatha </i>is one who is skilled in warfare and</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">can fight ten thousand warriors at once.</div><br />
<sup>7</sup>Likewise, O best of men, also take a look at<br />
the distinguished warriors on our side. <br />
I shall briefly name the leaders in our army.<br />
<br />
<sup>8</sup>Besides yourself, Bhishma, Karna, <br />
the victorious Kripa,<br />
Ashvatthama, Vikarna, and Bhurishravas;<br />
<sup>9</sup>there are many other heroes armed <br />
with a variety of weapons, <br />
and each skilled in the art of war.<br />
All of them are prepared<br />
to give up their lives for my sake!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Selflessness has always been an important part of the Indian ethos. Therefore, Duryodhana’s ‘my sake’ is an aberration;<br />
it is a reflection of his bloated ego.</div><br />
<sup>10</sup>Our army led by Bhishma seems inadequate,<br />
whereas their force led by Bhima looks sufficient!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Duryodhana is envious of Bhima’s strength and courage.<br />
Thus, he sees Bhima as leading the Pandava army although it is led by Dhristadyumna.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Duryodhana’s grand description of the Pandava army implies that</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">he thinks they are stronger, although they are lesser in number.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This verse could also mean: </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">“Our army led by Bhishma seems unlimited,</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">whereas their force led by Bhima looks limited”</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">but given the context, we have preferred our version.</div><div style="color: #666666;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">At this point, Duryodhana addresses his side:</div><sup>11</sup>Positioned in your designated places, in every move,<br />
give maximum protection to Bhishma!<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Having heard Duryodhana’s words,</div><sup>12</sup>to cheer him up,<br />
Bhishma, the grandfather of the Kurus,<br />
roared aloud like a lion and <br />
blew his conch with full power.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The blowing of a conch shell signals the beginning of an event.</div><br />
<sup>13</sup>At once, conches, kettledrums, cymbals,<br />
soft-drums, and trumpets resounded<br />
causing a lot of noise and tumult.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFRuT17RkJb3lJQExZBmxUenJ6oOrrPxqsAYl_R0ifdsnu1g2IfGH-xG9u5xA6VrBEIEXrKqrmgWcfFTMlo6YdYiV9eUKRmMUffrpI1fsHfvCoaGTv5vg0tr9ZOEwh1hhXjFkhO3bm-7A/s1600/1.13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFRuT17RkJb3lJQExZBmxUenJ6oOrrPxqsAYl_R0ifdsnu1g2IfGH-xG9u5xA6VrBEIEXrKqrmgWcfFTMlo6YdYiV9eUKRmMUffrpI1fsHfvCoaGTv5vg0tr9ZOEwh1hhXjFkhO3bm-7A/s400/1.13.jpeg" width="347" /></a></div><sup>14</sup>Then, Krishna and Arjuna<br />
seated in their mighty chariot<br />
drawn by white horses,<br />
blew their divine conches.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In those days, warriors would blow conch shells to announce the start of battle. Each warrior had his own uniquely qualified conch shell, which was either earned as a trophy or was obtained as a gift.</div><br />
<sup>15</sup>Krishna blew his conch Panchajanya. <br />
Arjuna blew his conch Devadatta. <br />
Bhima, known for his terrifying feats,<br />
blew his huge conch Paundra.<br />
<sup>16</sup>King Yudhistira blew his conch Anantavijaya,<br />
Nakula blew the Sughosha, and <br />
Sahadeva blew the Manipushpaka.<br />
<br />
<sup>17,18</sup>King of Kashi, the supreme archer,<br />
Shikhandi, the mighty warrior,<br />
Satyaki, the invincible,<br />
Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, Drupada,<br />
the sons of Draupadi, and<br />
the strong-armed Abhimanyu –<br />
each blew his conch one by one.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItZbNY0V_-uAx2wqKLb63P_IS5LV8cVZ4BcPc-y__ASNMLjy6grIYdxNZUSFw3cnn0aMaEi4lK0oRjSuMWPB5KTUCOODD0TA205anRdn4gNb4lSUcwREQ2F4J561qoj5wRdvVDvjfOoOK/s1600/1.22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItZbNY0V_-uAx2wqKLb63P_IS5LV8cVZ4BcPc-y__ASNMLjy6grIYdxNZUSFw3cnn0aMaEi4lK0oRjSuMWPB5KTUCOODD0TA205anRdn4gNb4lSUcwREQ2F4J561qoj5wRdvVDvjfOoOK/s400/1.22.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><sup>19</sup>That dreadful sound echoed through earth and sky, <br />
shaking the very spirit of the Kauravas.<br />
<br />
<sup>20</sup>Arjuna looked at the Kaurava army arrayed in battle<br />
and lifted his mighty bow,<br />
preparing himself for the clash of weapons<br />
that was about to begin.<br />
<sup>21</sup>Then, Arjuna told Krishna:<br />
<br />
Place my chariot <br />
between the two armies<br />
<sup>22</sup>so that I may take a good look <br />
at those with whom I must fight<br />
among these battle hungry warriors.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The great warriors would choose to fight only with equals.</div><br />
<sup>23</sup>I would also like to see all those <br />
who have eagerly joined the battle <br />
to please the wicked Duryodhana. <br />
<br />
<b>Sanjaya</b><br />
<sup>24</sup>As per Arjuna’s request,<br />
Krishna placed their magnificent chariot <br />
between the two armies, <br />
<sup>25</sup>right in front of Bhishma, Drona <br />
and all the kings of the world.<br />
<br />
Then, he said: <br />
Arjuna, look at the Kurus<br />
who have assembled here.<br />
<br />
<sup>26</sup>There, Arjuna saw <br />
grandfathers, teachers,<br />
uncles, cousins, nephews,<br />
sons, grandsons,<br />
<sup>27</sup>and friends in both armies.<br />
When he took a closer look at<br />
his relatives ready for battle, <br />
<sup>28</sup>Arjuna, the son of Kunti,<br />
overcome by a sudden burst of pity,<br />
spoke in despair:<br />
<br />
Krishna, <br />
when I see my own people <br />
eager to fight us,<br />
<sup>29</sup>my limbs grow weak,<br />
my body trembles,<br />
my mouth turns dry,<br />
my hairs stand on end,<br />
<sup>30</sup>my bow slips from my hand,<br />
my skin burns,<br />
my mind whirls, and<br />
I can barely stand.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arjuna’s pity was misplaced sympathy that led to the weakening of his mind. Interestingly, Arjuna refers to even his opponents as ‘my own people’. Compare this with Dhritarashtra’s distinction between the two sides in 1:1.</div><br />
<sup>31</sup>I see only bad omens;<br />
I can’t see any good coming from <br />
killing my own people.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhNDutdQzoG_k4YmksCg0QjijeMAqEEZzTCi1wGQcV15H3m3oOjFSYgPEK7vsmdLySE1r8KScQiqSoGTfHPXu9vjeDkw9SErA3u4eA5dHL1ds6niicXswyywEFqQEROoOdQLVz25hdTzi/s1600/1.31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhNDutdQzoG_k4YmksCg0QjijeMAqEEZzTCi1wGQcV15H3m3oOjFSYgPEK7vsmdLySE1r8KScQiqSoGTfHPXu9vjeDkw9SErA3u4eA5dHL1ds6niicXswyywEFqQEROoOdQLVz25hdTzi/s320/1.31.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><sup>32</sup>O herder of cows,<br />
I don’t fancy victory, pleasure, or kingdom.<br />
What is the use of this kingdom, happiness, or even life?<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Krishna was the chief of the cowherds and </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">was called ‘Govinda’, the friend of cows.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arjuna refers to Krishna as ‘Govinda’ </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">perhaps to highlight the latter’s simplicity.</div><br />
<sup>33,</sup><sup>34</sup>Alas! Teachers, uncles, sons, grandfathers,<br />
nephews, and many relatives – <br />
for whose sake we desire<br />
kingdom, pleasures, and comforts –<br />
the very same ones are standing here in battle, <br />
risking their lives and riches.<br />
<br />
<sup>35</sup>O Madhusudhana,<br />
I know they are eager to kill me<br />
but I don’t wish to kill them.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Madhusudhana’ is a title given to Krishna</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">because he killed a demon named Madhu.</div><br />
I would not kill even for<br />
the lordship of the three worlds,<br />
let alone for this earthly kingdom.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The three worlds or the three ‘realms of existence’ are:</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the earth, the heavens, and the skies. </div><br />
<sup>36</sup>O protector of men,<br />
what kind of happiness are we going to get<br />
by killing the sons of Dhritarashtra?<br />
Although they have incited the war,<br />
we will only incur sin by killing them.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In a war, it is fair to kill the opponents. </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arjuna feels that this is immoral because</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">he is blinded by compassion for his relatives and friends.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In fact, it is against the code of a warrior to</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">run away from battle or refuse defending one’s honor.</div><br />
<sup>37</sup>O kind one,<br />
it is not fair to kill our relatives.<br />
How can we ever be happy<br />
after killing our own people?<br />
<br />
<sup>38</sup>Overcome by greed, they fail to see the evil<br />
in killing one’s own family and betraying friends, but<br />
<sup>39</sup>we can clearly see the wrong in killing our kin.<br />
Isn’t it better to stay away from this evil?<br />
<br />
<sup>40</sup>When a family is destroyed,<br />
time-honored family values are lost.<br />
When family values are lost,<br />
chaos reigns in the family.<br />
<br />
<sup>41</sup>When chaos reigns,<br />
the women of the family are violated.<br />
When women are violated,<br />
anarchy arises in society,<br />
O Varshneya!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Varshneya’ is a name given to Krishna because he was born in the Vrishni clan. Arjuna calls Krishna as Varshneya, perhaps to remind him of the importance of a stable social order. </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arjuna’s argument basically is: with the men-folk killed, the women are vulnerable to harassment by evil men; children born out of such unions will have a confused lineage and are subjected to hardships. When children have a chaotic life, the society will also be chaotic.</div><br />
<sup>42</sup>Anarchy paves the way to hell<br />
for the destroyers of the family<br />
as well as the family itself.<br />
Deprived of post-death rites,<br />
the ancestors of these people <br />
meet their downfall.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The post-death rites include an offering of cooked rice and water to ancestors after invoking their spirits with specific religious chants. To perform the post-death rites, one must know the past three generations of ancestors as well as specified protocol, both of which may be difficult when there is chaos in society. Arjuna laments that the ancestors, bereft of post-death rites, will fall to lower realms.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some sections of orthodox Hindus accept as authority this flawed logic of Arjuna (that the actions of the current generation can affect the ancestors) and ironically, quote this verse to support their argument.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9ZeoFSlySHWsxeoFrHje560_xlbocBcGs1pLYK8iYDgruF8JfR0OzaEVleLBFvPUEci_E00RXJ1rFbbh75fWurUyYIVj2407SdgmNYUd7maYoBQ0cVhQqEnbOKQ54d_v6MtBY5c6aAHh/s1600/1.44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf9ZeoFSlySHWsxeoFrHje560_xlbocBcGs1pLYK8iYDgruF8JfR0OzaEVleLBFvPUEci_E00RXJ1rFbbh75fWurUyYIVj2407SdgmNYUd7maYoBQ0cVhQqEnbOKQ54d_v6MtBY5c6aAHh/s400/1.44.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><sup>43</sup>The age-old practices<br />
of family and community are ruined<br />
by the terrible deeds of these killers<br />
who create anarchy in society.<br />
<br />
<sup>44</sup>Further, we have heard that <br />
those who have lost family values<br />
are consigned to hell forever.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This is another fallacy of Arjuna; </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">there is no such thing as permanent stay in hell.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">According to Hindu belief, ‘hell’ is a transient place</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">where people are punished for their immoral deeds; </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">they stay till they receive the full course of punishments.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizklvYPVbN9DhKBtYEhxxXndnLX7oLq4CEgHSEIbIe-zMvGvFCLXUFAsoAG1IPLbqDvr7GIXBLset57dX5eGFnUlio229ATBlhF34e0yYI7uzmXaNyN2i7YlbGuVwlQHBYa2FHv4WX5do9/s1600/1.46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizklvYPVbN9DhKBtYEhxxXndnLX7oLq4CEgHSEIbIe-zMvGvFCLXUFAsoAG1IPLbqDvr7GIXBLset57dX5eGFnUlio229ATBlhF34e0yYI7uzmXaNyN2i7YlbGuVwlQHBYa2FHv4WX5do9/s400/1.46.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><sup>45</sup>That being the case, <br />
by getting ready to kill our own people, <br />
we are on the verge of<br />
making a terrible mistake<br />
merely out of our greed<br />
for royal pleasures. <br />
<br />
<sup>46</sup>It would be better<br />
if the armed Kauravas <br />
were to kill me in battle <br />
while I remain<br />
unresisting and unarmed.<br />
<br />
<b>Sanjaya</b><br />
<sup>47</sup>Having said this, <br />
Arjuna cast aside his bow and arrows<br />
and sank down in his chariot,<br />
overwhelmed by grief.<br />
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Religion is a mix of truth and tradition. Truth is eternal, and therefore always relevant. Tradition is contextual, and thus relevant for a particular place and time. Arjuna ignored truth and was pursuing tradition. This was perhaps the cause of his despair.</div></div><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-2-wisdom-and-action.html">Chapter 2. Wisdom and Action</a> >></div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-19084639208283007382009-01-18T20:03:00.009+05:302011-04-14T14:32:02.618+05:30Chapter 2. Wisdom and Action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b>Sanjaya</b><br />
<sup>1</sup>To him, who was thus in despair,<br />
overcome by pity, and in tears,<br />
Krishna spoke these words:<br />
<br />
<sup>2</sup>How can you lose heart<br />
in this hour of crisis?<br />
<br />
This is disgraceful, ignoble, and<br />
unworthy of higher realms.<br />
<br />
<sup>3</sup>Don’t be a coward, Arjuna;<br />
that’s not right for you!<br />
<br />
Arise, awake, and abandon your timidity, <br />
O destroyer of enemies!<br />
<br />
<b>Arjuna</b><br />
<sup>4</sup>How can I battle Bhishma and Drona?<br />
How can I shower arrows on them? <br />
They are worthy of my reverence.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GiowTR55Ez-97B7GPjN6tPn6GhyGfuPzK5wWUphMxT1ypoMjzC3RbxSw7LfZdv4ayQdtY3mT4VAL5E5FETaZy1ppqMUc5c9zDN0cJZml_B3etXIrUgwcs8CPU3YLSEvZDaoHNCWMBHnf/s1600/2.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GiowTR55Ez-97B7GPjN6tPn6GhyGfuPzK5wWUphMxT1ypoMjzC3RbxSw7LfZdv4ayQdtY3mT4VAL5E5FETaZy1ppqMUc5c9zDN0cJZml_B3etXIrUgwcs8CPU3YLSEvZDaoHNCWMBHnf/s400/2.4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<sup>5</sup>If I kill these noble elders<br />
for the sake of worldly gains,<br />
my pleasures will be stained with their blood;<br />
instead, I would rather beg for food.<br />
<br />
<sup>6</sup>Dhritarashtra’s men are standing in front of us;<br />
I don’t wish to live at the cost of killing them.<br />
<br />
Should we conquer them?<br />
Should they conquer us?<br />
I don’t know which is better.<br />
<br />
<sup>7</sup>I have become very sentimental.<br />
I am totally confused about <br />
what is right and what is wrong.<br />
I surrender at your feet as your disciple.<br />
Please show me the right path and<br />
tell me for certain what is good for me.<br />
<br />
<sup>8</sup>I don’t see how<br />
gaining absolute control<br />
over this prosperous earth or<br />
even lordship over the heavens<br />
will drive away this grief,<br />
which dampens my spirit.<br />
<br />
<b>Sanjaya</b><br />
<sup>9</sup>Having said this to Krishna,<br />
Arjuna – the destroyer of enemies – declared:<br />
“I shall not fight!”<br />
and became silent.<br />
<br />
<sup>10</sup>In the midst of the two armies,<br />
Krishna, with a smile,<br />
spoke these words<br />
to the grief-stricken one:<br />
<br />
<b>Krishna</b><br />
<sup>11</sup>You grieve for that which you should not, <br />
yet you seem to speak words of wisdom.<br />
The wise neither grieve for the dead<br />
nor for the living.<br />
<br />
<sup>12</sup>There was never a time when<br />
I or you or these kings did not exist.<br />
There will never be a time when we cease to exist.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, ‘we’ refers to the soul. Krishna goes on to explain how the soul is eternal and immortal. </div><br />
<sup>13</sup>The soul that lives in the body<br />
passes through childhood, youth, and old age;<br />
similarly, it passes through different bodies.<br />
A wise person is not disturbed by these changes.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, ‘it’ refers to the soul. </div><br />
<sup>14</sup>When senses come in contact with sensates<br />
we experience cold and heat, pleasure and pain.<br />
These sensations come and go,<br />
for they are not permanent.<br />
Patiently endure them, Arjuna.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Senses (or sense organs) are ears, eyes, nose, tongue, and skin. Sensates are sound, sight, smell, taste, and texture. Sensations are what we experience when senses come in contact with sensates.</div><br />
<sup>15</sup>One who is not affected by sensations<br />
remains calm in pain and pleasure.<br />
He is firm in his resolve and<br />
he is ready for immortality.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By disconnecting oneself from materials and by subduing lower instincts, one gets in touch with the immortal self.</div><br />
<sup>16</sup>The Unreal doesn’t exist.<br />
The Real never ceases to be.<br />
Those who know the ultimate truth<br />
have indeed realized the nature of both.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Krishna refers to the soul as ‘real’ since it is imperishable; he refers to the body as ‘unreal’ because it is perishable.<br />
Indeed, the body is also real, but it appears unreal in the face of a higher level of reality, the soul.</div><br />
<sup>17</sup>The imperishable pervades everything<br />
and no one can destroy the imperishable.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Imperishable’ refers to the soul.</div><br />
<sup>18</sup>The body is perishable,<br />
whereas the soul seated within<br />
is eternal, indestructible, and infinite.<br />
Therefore fight, O descendant of Bharata!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Arjuna was a descendant of King Bharata, the founder of the ancient Indian empire. Krishna invokes the name of Arjuna’s famous ancestor perhaps as a reminder that one’s character survives long after one is gone.</div><br />
<sup>19</sup>One who considers it as the killer<br />
and one who thinks it is killed –<br />
both of them do not know,<br />
for it neither kills nor is it killed.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In this verse and in the following few verses, ‘it’ refers to the soul.</div><br />
<sup>20</sup>It is never born; it never dies.<br />
<br />
It never came into being,<br />
nor will it ever come into being.<br />
<br />
Unborn, eternal, changeless and primeval,<br />
it is not killed when the body is killed.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The soul is always there – it is not bound by space or time.<br />
The idea of ‘birth’ and ‘death’ is only for the body.</div><br />
<sup>21</sup>One who knows that the soul is<br />
indestructible, infinite, eternal, and unborn,<br />
how can he kill or incite another to kill?<br />
<br />
<sup>22</sup>Just as one discards old clothes<br />
and puts on new ones,<br />
the soul discards old bodies<br />
and takes on new ones.<br />
<br />
<sup>23</sup>Weapons do not cleave it,<br />
fire does not burn it,<br />
water does not wet it, and<br />
the wind does not wither it.<br />
<br />
<sup>24</sup>It cannot be cut or burnt<br />
or drenched or dried.<br />
It is everlasting, all-pervading,<br />
stable, immovable, and primordial.<br />
<br />
<sup>25</sup>It is beyond form, thought, or change.<br />
Having understood it thus,<br />
why should you grieve?<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The soul is free from birth and death, growth and decay,<br />
existence and non-existence.</div><br />
<sup>26</sup>Even if you believe that the soul is<br />
perpetually subject to birth and death,<br />
why should you grieve?<br />
<br />
<sup>27</sup>Death is certain for those who are born.<br />
Birth is certain for those who have died.<br />
Why worry about the inevitable?<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We go through cycles of birth and death until the soul is redeemed.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngrtWzMg-2c-b40FHw20kexS3lG7tf9RZDnWOkkxXAhLTaKFop_TRJUTozJNrWt7U9Uk3E8tm4uZy-0_U6NzddVhpEJ83XJfT5Anx9oPpdPf5yXguy5hkLOEWoBrx2PTfU0X2HZ0WJpes/s1600/2.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngrtWzMg-2c-b40FHw20kexS3lG7tf9RZDnWOkkxXAhLTaKFop_TRJUTozJNrWt7U9Uk3E8tm4uZy-0_U6NzddVhpEJ83XJfT5Anx9oPpdPf5yXguy5hkLOEWoBrx2PTfU0X2HZ0WJpes/s400/2.27.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<sup>28</sup>Beings are formless in their beginnings,<br />
they are formless in their ends, and<br />
they acquire a form only in between.<br />
What is there to lament in this?<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Before birth and after death, beings are a part of the infinite. It is only during bodily life that beings can be perceived by the senses.</div><br />
<sup>29</sup>One sees it as a wonder,<br />
another speaks of it as a wonder,<br />
yet another hears of it as a wonder<br />
and even having heard it all,<br />
no one really knows.<br />
<br />
<sup>30</sup>The soul in everyone’s body<br />
is eternal and imperishable.<br />
Thus, you should not grieve<br />
for any living being.<br />
<br />
<sup>31</sup>Even from the point of view of<br />
your own duty as a warrior<br />
you should not hesitate to fight.<br />
There is nothing superior for a warrior<br />
than a war fought for preserving <i>dharma</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, <i>dharma </i>refers to righteousness. The Pandavas fought the war for the larger good and not merely for their honor or for self-defense.</div><br />
<sup>32</sup>Fortunate are the warriors<br />
who encounter a battle such as this<br />
which comes of its own accord.<br />
Indeed, it is an open door to heaven.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">According to Hindu belief, ‘heaven’ is a transient place where people are rewarded for their good deeds; they stay till they receive the full course of rewards.</div><br />
<sup>33</sup>Now if you don’t fight in this<br />
battle sanctioned by <i>dharma</i>,<br />
you will be making the mistake of<br />
ignoring your own duty and reputation.<br />
<br />
<sup>34</sup>People will forever talk<br />
about your dishonorable act<br />
and for an honorable person,<br />
disgrace is worse than death.<br />
<br />
<sup>35</sup>The great warriors will think that<br />
you have run away from battle out of fear;<br />
many who held you in high esteem<br />
will no longer respect you.<br />
<br />
<sup>36</sup>Your enemies will ridicule your ability<br />
and speak lowly of you.<br />
What can be more painful than this?<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Krishna tries to persuade Arjuna by presenting various perspectives on the issue. Earlier he spoke about how Arjuna’s fundamental assumptions were wrong and here he speaks about the obvious problems of retreating from war.</div><br />
<sup>37</sup>If you are killed, then you will attain heaven.<br />
If you are victorious, then you will rule over the kingdom.<br />
Therefore arise, Arjuna, with a firm resolve to fight.<br />
<br />
<sup>38</sup>Gain and loss, victory and defeat,<br />
comfort and discomfort – <br />
treat them in the same spirit and fight;<br />
then you will not incur any guilt.<br />
<br />
<sup>39</sup>So far, I revealed to you the way of <i>sankhya</i>.<br />
Now, understand the practice of <i>yoga</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The way of <i>sankhya </i>is an approach based on reasoning.<br />
‘Practice of <i>yoga</i>’ refers to <i>karma yoga</i>: doing work without getting attached to it.</div><br />
With this insight, you will break free <br />
from the bondage of action.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Bondage of action refers to attachment to the results of an action.</div><br />
<sup>40</sup>In this path, no effort is wasted<br />
nor is there any bad outcome.<br />
Even a little effort in this direction<br />
will save you from misery.<br />
<br />
<sup>41</sup>Those who follow this path<br />
attain single-pointed focus.<br />
But for those who are hesitant,<br />
their decisions are multifold and endless.<br />
<br />
<sup>42</sup>Those who lack proper insight<br />
delight in the letter (and not spirit) of the Vedas;<br />
they proclaim in flowery words:<br />
“there is nothing else other than this”.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Vedas are the foremost revealed scriptures in Hinduism.</div><br />
<sup>43</sup>They are full of desires and<br />
reaching heaven is their supreme goal.<br />
They perform many elaborate rituals<br />
to attain pleasure and power.<br />
Their actions eventually result in rebirth.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">See 2:49 and 9:20-21.</div><br />
<sup>44</sup>Those attached to pleasure and power<br />
are led astray by that flowery language.<br />
They never attain the firm intellect of a <br />
contemplative mind.<br />
<br />
<sup>45</sup>The Vedas deal with the three <i>guna</i>s;<br />
free yourself from the influence of the <i>guna</i>s.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Guna</i> refers to inherent tendencies of a human being.<br />
The three <i>guna</i>s are:<i> sattva </i>(saintly goodness), <i>rajas </i>(restless activity), and <i>tamas </i>(deluded lethargy). </div><br />
Go beyond the dualities and<br />
give up the desire to acquire or hoard.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Dualities’ are relative opposites like hot and cold, happy and sad, winning and losing, me and other, etc.<br />
‘Acquire’ refers to pursuing what is yet to be attained.<br />
‘Hoard’ refers to clinging on to what has already been attained.</div><br />
Be a master of yourself and<br />
be established in the eternal truth.<br />
<br />
<sup>46</sup>What is the use of a well when there is a flood<br />
and water is flowing freely everywhere?<br />
What is the use of all the Vedas<br />
when one has realized the ultimate truth?<br />
<br />
<sup>47</sup>You have control only over your actions<br />
but never over their results.<br />
The expected results should not be<br />
the motivation for action.<br />
Also, don’t shirk away from your work.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">One is never in complete control over the outcome of an action.<br />
See 18:13-16.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is pointless to worry about something that one cannot control. Focus on work without fear of failure or greed for success.<br />
At the same time, don’t be lazy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5nInuHOC9VI48Z0I7Kg0hmfpv0hrb7UVzgyHhXO9eEFC3yFGZwvIe9Ep1_Jeh5VBXur0RTjsMcMmmIu-HLtewTfR9BuXC5XuEGgU4wjoNnEx38YR0DxxBJdqCUWdjXr8eQYRV-_lPdiJ/s1600/2.49.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5nInuHOC9VI48Z0I7Kg0hmfpv0hrb7UVzgyHhXO9eEFC3yFGZwvIe9Ep1_Jeh5VBXur0RTjsMcMmmIu-HLtewTfR9BuXC5XuEGgU4wjoNnEx38YR0DxxBJdqCUWdjXr8eQYRV-_lPdiJ/s320/2.49.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<sup>48</sup>Work with a balanced mind<br />
having given up all attachments;<br />
such equanimity is called <i>karma yoga</i>.<br />
<br />
<sup>49</sup>Action guided by selfish interests<br />
is far inferior to action guided by wisdom.<br />
Seek refuge in that wisdom.<br />
Pitiable are those who have their eye on the result.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Wisdom’ refers to working with a balanced mind without attachments. </div><br />
<sup>5</sup><sup>0</sup>Endowed with that wisdom,<br />
one remains unaffected by<br />
both good and bad outcomes in this life.<br />
<br />
Thus, act in the spirit of<i> karma yoga</i>,<br />
which is a smart approach to work.<br />
<br />
<sup>51</sup>With a balanced mind,<br />
the wise renounce<br />
their interest in the results;<br />
freed from the bondage of birth,<br />
they reach a faultless state.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Bondage of birth’ refers to being caught in the cycle of birth and death.</div><br />
<sup>52</sup>When your intellect transcends<br />
the thickets of delusion,<br />
you will go beyond what has been heard<br />
and what is to be heard.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When the intellect becomes free of delusion, it is able to view things objectively and hence is not perturbed by external influences.</div><br />
<sup>53</sup>Unmoved by confusing things<br />
that you may hear,<br />
when your intellect stands still<br />
and is firmly fixed in meditation,<br />
you shall attain <i>yoga</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In this context, <i>yoga </i>is ‘union with the supreme’.</div><br />
<b>Arjuna</b><br />
<sup>54</sup>How do you describe a man of steady insight?<br />
How does a man of steady intellect speak?<br />
How does he sit?<br />
How does he go about leading his life?<br />
<br />
<b>Krishna</b><br />
<sup>55</sup>When one abandons all selfish desires<br />
and is satisfied within the true self,<br />
he is said to be of steady intellect.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqplD8YuIfcMD4WmFx1I-z4Tr2caUzMmNLe5rwqmpKUyJnyMB-6gIrtQlqk29RmjEcV3rnwWj5KF_c8fSH1wQw7DZ2hczowb20gsi153uX_L6SuH_UVROwdgIAPxN6yx_nSUx4SKYV3ume/s1600/2.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqplD8YuIfcMD4WmFx1I-z4Tr2caUzMmNLe5rwqmpKUyJnyMB-6gIrtQlqk29RmjEcV3rnwWj5KF_c8fSH1wQw7DZ2hczowb20gsi153uX_L6SuH_UVROwdgIAPxN6yx_nSUx4SKYV3ume/s400/2.51.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<sup>56</sup>One whose mind is not agitated by adversity,<br />
who does not crave pleasure,<br />
who is free from<br />
passion, fear, and anger,<br />
is a sage of steady intellect.<br />
<br />
<sup>57</sup>He is detached in all matters, and<br />
he neither rejoices nor hates<br />
the pleasant and unpleasant situations<br />
that he encounters;<br />
his intellect stands firm.<br />
<br />
<sup>58</sup>When he completely withdraws<br />
the senses from the sensates,<br />
just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs,<br />
his intellect stands firm.<br />
<br />
<sup>59</sup>When he abstains from feeding the senses<br />
by turning away from the sensates,<br />
the cravings for sensations still remain.<br />
<br />
Even the cravings leave him<br />
once he has realized the supreme.<br />
<br />
<sup>60</sup>The turbulent senses<br />
forcibly distract the mind<br />
even of a wise person<br />
who is sincerely striving<br />
to control them.<br />
<br />
<sup>61</sup>Having restrained the senses,<br />
one should sit steady<br />
seeking the supreme.<br />
<br />
When senses are under control<br />
one attains a steady intellect.<br />
<br />
<sup>62</sup>When one is preoccupied<br />
with sensations,<br />
he easily gets attached to them.<br />
From such attachment,<br />
a desire to attain them is born.<br />
Unfulfilled desires<br />
lead to frustration.<br />
<sup>63</sup>Frustration leads to confusion;<br />
confusion impairs discretion.<br />
Lack of discretion destroys reasoning.<br />
Without the power of reasoning,<br />
he is doomed!<br />
<br />
<sup>64</sup>But a self-disciplined person,<br />
who has subdued his senses and<br />
is devoid of attraction or aversion,<br />
remains peaceful even as<br />
he encounters sensates.<br />
<br />
<sup>65</sup>In that eternal peace,<br />
all his pains are destroyed<br />
for the intellect of the serene one<br />
soon becomes firmly established in the Self.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwQZF4ch_tZNoFuxTlWmxhSeWOXkNuYysXjINV_fAy4O0QlMbwRovKO4oqmzuTZXPvLTzXeAyhGVmnO6P3Eh2iRYaKsrkhBqyZmvAp6QTnAWboBMCwsWfez9P0d5aIE_mGYAWvIbBY11Y/s1600/2.61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwQZF4ch_tZNoFuxTlWmxhSeWOXkNuYysXjINV_fAy4O0QlMbwRovKO4oqmzuTZXPvLTzXeAyhGVmnO6P3Eh2iRYaKsrkhBqyZmvAp6QTnAWboBMCwsWfez9P0d5aIE_mGYAWvIbBY11Y/s400/2.61.jpg" width="395" /></a></div><br />
<sup>66</sup>One who is not disciplined<br />
lacks wisdom and focus.<br />
Without focus,<br />
one cannot attain peace.<br />
Without peace,<br />
how can one be happy?<br />
<br />
<sup>67</sup>When the mind is led astray<br />
by wandering senses,<br />
then it carries away one’s wisdom<br />
just as the wind carries away a ship<br />
off its chartered course.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEW-Es30dHFlvIeEDA-oW6-NlYD0N1WjF8_SzLDefEJiVzjjWFFPjk7Smb0OlDk6VEhKJprzijroDTQwdtJeaGfbIZg15YuVMlAuNWgWRQH11HdukEPxzZcDH6E-OzVz6rTrIRTMukcfd/s1600/2.67.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEW-Es30dHFlvIeEDA-oW6-NlYD0N1WjF8_SzLDefEJiVzjjWFFPjk7Smb0OlDk6VEhKJprzijroDTQwdtJeaGfbIZg15YuVMlAuNWgWRQH11HdukEPxzZcDH6E-OzVz6rTrIRTMukcfd/s400/2.67.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<sup>68</sup>Therefore, he is of steady intellect,<br />
whose senses are completely restrained<br />
from the influence of sensates.<br />
<br />
<sup>69</sup>The self-restrained person is awake<br />
to which all other beings are asleep.<br />
The seer-sage is asleep<br />
to which all other beings are awake.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The self-restrained person is awake to the ultimate truth and<br />
the seer-sage is asleep to mundane experiences encountered by sense organs.</div><br />
<sup>70</sup>Just as rivers flow into the ocean<br />
which gets filled up and yet remains still,<br />
so also, all desires merge in him<br />
and yet he attains peace,<br />
unlike the one who is driven by desires.<br />
<br />
<sup>71</sup>He attains peace<br />
once he overcomes all desires,<br />
lives without cravings and<br />
is free from ego<br />
or any sense of ownership.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTl-jgak8cQslBu6t70pqgvj7E8muo9e9qhlouLxAoQalXP2smUMuDfblhX-v-xKixcIh1Wt58Dt3JX-zcnAxCs3_6ipNPEnG3DqP9NaGxDgPG5PSPRMG982MVqVGgK5CCcCnOtRAnu7V/s1600/2.70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTl-jgak8cQslBu6t70pqgvj7E8muo9e9qhlouLxAoQalXP2smUMuDfblhX-v-xKixcIh1Wt58Dt3JX-zcnAxCs3_6ipNPEnG3DqP9NaGxDgPG5PSPRMG982MVqVGgK5CCcCnOtRAnu7V/s200/2.70.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<sup>72</sup>This is indeed the state of <i>brahman</i>.<br />
He who attains it is never deluded.<br />
Being established in that state,<br />
even barely at the hour of death,<br />
he becomes one with the supreme.</div><br />
<br />
<< <a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-1-arjunas-despair.html">Chapter 1. Arjuna's Despair</a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-3-selfless-action.html">Chapter 3. Selfless Action</a> >></div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-82039574411721050452009-01-17T20:28:00.004+05:302011-04-14T14:33:36.142+05:30Chapter 3. Selfless Action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b>Arjuna</b><br />
<sup>1</sup>If you consider knowledge superior to action,<br />
why do you urge me to commit this terrible deed?<br />
<br />
<sup>2</sup>You confuse me with this conflicting message.<br />
Tell me for certain just one thing<br />
that will lead me to the greatest good.<br />
<br />
<b>Krishna</b><br />
<sup>3</sup>O blameless one!<br />
As I have proclaimed in the past,<br />
there are two ways to lead a fulfilling life:<br />
the path of knowledge and the path of selfless action.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The path of knowledge is best suited for the deep thinkers who like to contemplate and reason. The path of selfless action is best suited for those who are active and like to work hard.</div><br />
<sup>4</sup>One cannot achieve freedom from action<br />
by merely staying away from work.<br />
<br />
One does not become serene<br />
by merely giving up work.<br />
<br />
<sup>5</sup>Nobody can remain passive<br />
even for a moment.<br />
Everyone is helplessly drawn into action<br />
by inborn, natural impulses.<br />
<br />
<sup>6</sup>One who sits idle<br />
restraining the organs of action<br />
yet mentally broods over sensations<br />
is a hypocrite who has fooled himself.<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Organs of action are: mouth, hands, feet, genitals, and anus.<br />
One who sits idle fools himself into thinking that he is not acting.</div><br />
<sup>7</sup>A person excels when<br />
he disciplines the senses with the mind and<br />
engages the organs of action in work<br />
without getting attached to sensations.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A recurring idea in this chapter is ‘working without attachment’; it refers to doing work merely as a duty and being detached from the possible outcomes.</div><br />
<sup>8</sup>Do the work you are supposed to do;<br />
certainly it is better than laziness.<br />
Even the basic maintenance of your body<br />
is impossible without action.<br />
<br />
<sup>9</sup>Humans are bound by their actions<br />
except when they are performed<br />
for the sake of <i>yajña</i>.<br />
Thus, Arjuna, do you work,<br />
free from attachments,<br />
in the spirit of <i>yajña</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, <i>yajña </i>means ‘an act of self-dedication’ or ‘service above self’. It is also an act of worship; so the message is ‘do your work as worship’.</div><br />
<sup>10</sup>Long ago, Prajapati, the lord of creatures<br />
brought forth human beings <br />
with the spirit of <i>yajña</i>, and said:<br />
“By this, you shall grow!<br />
May this grant you all your desires!<br />
<sup>11</sup>By this, you nourish the <i>deva</i>s and <br />
they will reward you in return. <br />
By nourishing one another <br />
you shall attain the supreme good.<br />
<sup>12</sup>Pleased with your selfless service,<br />
the <i>deva</i>s will fulfill your wishes.”<br />
<br />
One who enjoys those gifts<br />
without giving back anything in return<br />
is indeed a thief.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, ‘this’ refers to ‘spirit of <i>yajña</i>’.<br />
<i>Deva</i>s are divine forces that reside in heaven. The elements and forces of nature such as wind, water, fire, earth, space, time, sun, moon, stars, planets, rain, oceans, mountains, plants, animals, etc. are also personified as <i>deva</i>s. We have to nourish and respect nature if we want to be nourished by it and more importantly, for natural goodness to prevail. <i>Deva</i>s are the embodiment of natural infrastructure. We cannot work without the infrastructure in place, so we should dedicate a portion of our gains for its maintenance.</div><br />
<sup>13</sup>Wise ones eat the food that remains<br />
after being offered to <i>yajña</i>;<br />
thus, they are released from all evils.<br />
Wicked ones prepare food for their own sake<br />
and indeed live on sin alone.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the process of procuring our food, to some extent, we cause trouble to nature and also to other beings. So we purify the food by offering it to the supreme and then eating it with a sense of gratitude. Even if we eat a dry leaf that fell on its own accord, we must not do so with a sense of entitlement.</div><br />
<sup>14</sup>Living beings are sustained by food,<br />
food comes forth from rain,<br />
rain is caused by <i>yajña</i>, and<br />
<i>yajña </i>is born out of action.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The idea of ‘<i>yajña</i> causing rain’ is perhaps a reference to the maintenance of the natural cycle.</div><br />
<sup>15</sup>This action originates from <i>brahman</i>,<br />
which is the manifestation of the imperishable.<br />
Therefore the all-pervading <i>brahman </i>is <br />
always established in <i>yajña</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Brahman </i>is the supreme being.</div><br />
<sup>16</sup>The wheel of life is thus set in motion. <br />
Indulging in sensual pleasures,<br />
one who violates this natural order<br />
lives in sin, thus wasting his life.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Cosmic order of the universe is rooted in the principle of give and take.</div><br />
<sup>17</sup>But for those who rejoice solely in the <i>atman</i>,<br />
and are satisfied with the <i>atman</i>,<br />
nothing remains to be accomplished.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Atman </i>is the inner, higher self. ‘…nothing remains to be accomplished’ indicates that such people don’t work for any gains since they have already found satisfaction within.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m60splqHHqK2q2B4svyn6PUYx9c0lbNe2jiVKY3_11mdAdzjAEJXjg1cqqIbiQbzn0fPfECrJ0DhUI5gnF5uLW075BjwNhVQptT0xIlI7E0sAa7iFLB1UkAcCLNP-1ui0dKoDk4pwWsU/s1600/3.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m60splqHHqK2q2B4svyn6PUYx9c0lbNe2jiVKY3_11mdAdzjAEJXjg1cqqIbiQbzn0fPfECrJ0DhUI5gnF5uLW075BjwNhVQptT0xIlI7E0sAa7iFLB1UkAcCLNP-1ui0dKoDk4pwWsU/s400/3.12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<sup>18</sup>They have nothing to gain by performing action<br />
and nothing to lose by renouncing action.<br />
They are not dependent on anyone for anything.<br />
<br />
<sup>19</sup>Therefore, do your work with a spirit of detachment<br />
and you will attain the highest level.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV083QmlJaDccW0CuFXzup_92xweDOH-DPSl2NK1Te-yBNGdLfgJjO-IuEDMxtAvLVjy_VxtFULE97BfpA3f3A4IeyysCs4nqJXjhN1djxCF-glm5_YL4hhrpsk41819CB73RNbP-oRIr-/s1600/3.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV083QmlJaDccW0CuFXzup_92xweDOH-DPSl2NK1Te-yBNGdLfgJjO-IuEDMxtAvLVjy_VxtFULE97BfpA3f3A4IeyysCs4nqJXjhN1djxCF-glm5_YL4hhrpsk41819CB73RNbP-oRIr-/s200/3.19.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<sup>20</sup>Janaka and others attained perfection <br />
by just doing their work,<br />
for the welfare of the world.<br />
You too should work like them!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Janaka was a king of Mithila (a province in Northern India) who was hailed as a <i>rajarishi</i>, who is both a king and a sage.<br />
He appears in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and also in the Ramayana (as the father of Sita).</div><br />
<sup>21</sup>A great man sets an example by his actions.<br />
The whole world follows the standard that he sets.<br />
<br />
<sup>22</sup>There is nothing in the three worlds<br />
that I have not yet achieved.<br />
There is nothing to attain<br />
that I have not yet attained.<br />
Yet I continue to do my work.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The three worlds or the three ‘realms of existence’ are: the earth, the heavens, and the skies. The three realms may also refer to the past, the present and the future.</div><br />
<sup>23</sup>Indeed, if I fail to work tirelessly,<br />
humans would blindly follow my example<br />
and sit idle without working.<br />
<sup>24</sup>If I did not work, these worlds would perish!<br />
I would be the cause of confusion and chaos;<br />
I would be the one to destroy these beings.<br />
<br />
<sup>25</sup>The ignorant ones work for personal benefit<br />
but the wise should work for the welfare of the world.<br />
<br />
<sup>26</sup>The wise should not, however,<br />
discourage the ignorant ones<br />
who are attached to action.<br />
The wise should inspire them<br />
to learn detachment,<br />
while they continue<br />
to work selflessly themselves.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The wise should not be hasty in trying to correct the ignorant ones but should allow them to relish activities in their own way; sooner or later, they will realize the joy of working without selfishness, either on their own or from looking at the wise.</div><br />
<sup>27</sup>All actions are driven by the <i>guna</i>s.<br />
One who is deluded by ego thinks:<br />
“I am the one who is doing”.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Guna</i>s refer to the inherent traits of a person.</div><br />
<sup>28</sup>One who has true insight into<br />
the interplay of <i>guna </i>and <i>karma</i>,<br />
and how they are influenced<br />
by the collective nature of society,<br />
does not get entangled.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, <i>karma </i>refers to the different spheres of action.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The world is always in motion and thus, always changing. Most of us are a part of society and are influenced by it. Our customs, mannerisms, and practices adjust themselves to our surroundings if we let them follow a natural course. But if we are perturbed by changing times and cling on to practices that are not applicable today, then we are bound to be confused.</div><br />
<sup>29</sup>Those who are fooled by the gunas<br />
are attached to the actions caused by them. <br />
The wise should not disturb such fools.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">They are deceived by the physical world into thinking that the ultimate is what they can perceive through their senses.<br />
The original has: “those with perfect knowledge should not perturb the dull-witted ones who have imperfect understanding.”</div><br />
<sup>30</sup>Dedicate all your actions to the supreme.<br />
Focus your mind on the supreme.<br />
Free yourself from possessions and desire,<br />
cast off your mental fever, and<br />
engage in the battle.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Dedicating work to the supreme basically refers to invoking a higher purpose, a greater meaning for our seemingly mundane work.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQooRixtnBN1rRFG7t3G2fF5NfaUAN0gWaONH63w3uDjingNXz024Weku1s2BkOrkthBaQYCSZIt54Y5HbY1gwfZqerN98M7kWKvySkvWua_aA4Idx23WR-VIC2PdIcErc3-y5-whnnT9/s1600/3.30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQooRixtnBN1rRFG7t3G2fF5NfaUAN0gWaONH63w3uDjingNXz024Weku1s2BkOrkthBaQYCSZIt54Y5HbY1gwfZqerN98M7kWKvySkvWua_aA4Idx23WR-VIC2PdIcErc3-y5-whnnT9/s400/3.30.jpg" width="376" /></a></div><br />
<sup>31</sup>Those who earnestly practice<br />
my teaching without finding fault<br />
are also released from actions.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The teaching here is: “Do your work and respect the greater purpose!”</div><br />
<sup>32</sup>But those who condemn my teaching and don’t follow it <br />
are utterly deluded, lost, and mindless.<br />
<br />
<sup>33</sup>People tend to follow their natural instincts.<br />
Even the wise ones act within the <br />
constraints of their natural instincts.<br />
What is the use of superficial restraint?<br />
<br />
<sup>34</sup>When senses encounter sensates<br />
indeed Likes and Dislikes arise.<br />
One should not be swayed by them<br />
for they are obstacles in the path.<br />
<br />
<sup>35</sup>Excelling in one’s own <i>dharma</i>,<br />
even if it is less glamorous<br />
is better than trying to excel<br />
in another’s <i>dharma</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, ‘one’s own <i>dharma</i>’ refers to ‘work in tune with one’s inherent nature’. One should be natural, free from deceit, and true to oneself. By staying close to what we are intrinsically good at, we attain personal success and also become valuable to society; see 18:45-48.</div><br />
It is better to die<br />
upholding one’s <i>dharma</i>;<br />
following the dharma of others<br />
is worse than death.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Leading a life doing things against our true nature and imitating other people, is worse than death.</div><br />
<b>Arjuna</b><br />
<sup>36</sup>What is that powerful force<br />
which compels a man to sin<br />
though he doesn’t want to be sinful?<br />
<br />
<b>Krishna</b><br />
<sup>37</sup>It is Desire,<br />
leading to anger;<br />
it arises from <i>rajas</i>.<br />
Unquenchable and corrupting,<br />
it is an evil enemy indeed!<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Desire’ indicates selfishness, lust, and greed. Unfulfilled desires lead to frustration and anger.</div><br />
<sup>38</sup>As fire is enveloped by smoke,<br />
mirror is covered by dust, and<br />
embryo is enclosed in the womb,<br />
wisdom is veiled by Desire.<br />
<br />
<sup>39</sup>The insatiable fire of Desire,<br />
indeed a perennial enemy,<br />
veils the wisdom of even the wise.<br />
<br />
<sup>40</sup>Desire is seated in <br />
the senses, mind, and intellect.<br />
Through them it deludes people<br />
by eclipsing their wisdom.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Desire leads to delusion and ruin; see 2:62-63.</div><br />
<sup>41</sup>Thus, control the senses first <br />
and then shatter Desire,<br />
the sinful destroyer of knowledge and reason.<br />
<br />
<sup>42</sup>Senses are superior to the body,<br />
mind is superior to the senses,<br />
intellect is superior to the mind,<br />
but <i>atman </i>is superior to the intellect.<br />
<br />
<sup>43</sup>Thus, knowing that <br />
<i>atman </i>is higher than intellect and<br />
subduing the outer self by the <i>atman</i>,<br />
defeat that formidable foe<br />
appearing in the form of Desire.</div><br />
<br />
<< <a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-2-wisdom-and-action.html">Chapter 2. Wisdom and Action</a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-4-wisdom-in-action.html">Chapter 4. Wisdom in Action</a> >></div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6467745081439255324.post-52055609261150676982009-01-16T21:17:00.002+05:302011-04-14T14:27:10.284+05:30Chapter 4. Wisdom in Action<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<b>Krishna</b><br />
<sup>1</sup>I taught this eternal <i>yoga </i>to Vivasvat.<br />
Vivasvat taught Manu and<br />
Manu taught Ikshvaku.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Vivasvat is the patriarch of the famous solar dynasty; </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Manu and Ikshvaku are his descendants.</div><br />
<sup>2</sup>Thus handed down<br />
in regular succession,<br />
the <i>rajarishi</i>s knew this.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A <i>rajarishi </i>is one who is both a king and a sage.</div><br />
But over the long course of time <br />
the <i>yoga </i>seems to be lost in the world.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Over time, the eternal <i>yoga </i>gets cluttered by tradition and complicated by excessive scholarship; thus, it is practically lost.</div><br />
<sup>3</sup>I have now told you the same ancient <i>yoga</i>,<br />
because you are my friend and admirer.<br />
This yoga is a supreme secret indeed.<br />
<br />
<b>Arjuna</b><br />
<sup>4</sup>Vivasvat was born long before you.<br />
How could you have taught him?<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Krishna</b><br />
<sup>5</sup>You and I have passed through many lives, Arjuna.<br />
I remember them all but you do not.<br />
<br />
<sup>6</sup>I am the lord of beings, <br />
unborn and imperishable,<br />
yet restraining my basic nature<br />
I incarnate myself by my own <i>maya</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Supreme is inherently beyond space and time.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Through <i>maya</i>, the divine power of illusion, the Supreme veils its own inherent nature to assume a role and form that is relevant to a particular situation.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHMKY-rB-RBnZly8HhRoZFhxK6UpllklBZ6eWtYzc1M3YAZczQGOsPEWXYcrj4BrpBp-feB9aLXURXytKMuduF5AiEGOK63bCwqSItQcNJAGV0XrlAlyHxpC9BANovXQ_XgcIX7FS2FIY/s1600/4.6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHMKY-rB-RBnZly8HhRoZFhxK6UpllklBZ6eWtYzc1M3YAZczQGOsPEWXYcrj4BrpBp-feB9aLXURXytKMuduF5AiEGOK63bCwqSItQcNJAGV0XrlAlyHxpC9BANovXQ_XgcIX7FS2FIY/s200/4.6.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<sup>7</sup>Whenever there is a decline of <i>dharma</i><br />
and a rise of <i>adharma</i>,<br />
I manifest myself in this world.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Dharma </i>is that which sustains everything; it is the harmony in the universe that sustains the greater good.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By definition, <i>dharma </i>protects one who protects it.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Adharma </i>is the opposite of <i>dharma</i>; it is that which hinders sustainability.</div><br />
<sup>8</sup>To protect the good, to destroy evil,<br />
and to firmly establish <i>dharma</i>,<br />
I manifest myself time and again.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, ‘good’ not only refers to sages but also to ordinary, helpless folk, who are exploited by the wicked. History has shown that during a great crisis, someone rises to the occasion, assumes leadership, and brings about change. Krishna presents the concept of incarnation (<i>avatara</i>) without limitations of space or time.</div><br />
<sup>9</sup>He who truly knows the scheme of <br />
my divine birth and deeds, <br />
is not reborn when he leaves the body;<br />
he comes to me, Arjuna.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This verse perhaps implies that one who fully comprehends life is liberated.</div><br />
<sup>10</sup>Freed from attachment, fear, and anger,<br />
thinking of me, dedicated to me, and<br />
cleansed by the fire of wisdom,<br />
many have attained my state of being.<br />
<br />
<sup>11</sup>Everywhere, humans pursue a path to attain me.<br />
In whatever manner they approach me,<br />
I reward them accordingly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZk8n8jXJTvVbq-tRWOwsCLqmM9UHk622EJ5r5BiIphORewGXx6kpfnJZwhNVwkRJ7XQkQQoF5kJv6sQBBhqcS_59ouM76bBRlC-SGwluyN0cL-eH6AdHHsyK4_cmA6Hyjaccv2DIjbNa/s1600/4.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZk8n8jXJTvVbq-tRWOwsCLqmM9UHk622EJ5r5BiIphORewGXx6kpfnJZwhNVwkRJ7XQkQQoF5kJv6sQBBhqcS_59ouM76bBRlC-SGwluyN0cL-eH6AdHHsyK4_cmA6Hyjaccv2DIjbNa/s400/4.11.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br />
<sup>12</sup>Those who work craving for worldly success<br />
offer ritualistic worship to the gods;<br />
indeed, in the world of humans,<br />
one attains material success quickly.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rituals often arise from the prevailing geographical conditions and culture. They help achieve short-term gains and inculcate basic discipline. Rituals are the means to spiritual progress; they should not become the ends.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Material success is more readily achieved as compared to true knowledge. There is no short-cut to knowledge.</div><br />
<sup>13</sup>I have brought forth the four basic traits,<br />
a classification based on <i>guna </i>and <i>karma</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Basic traits’ refers to the inherent aptitudes of a person. The four basic traits of humans are explained in 18:41-44. <i>Guna</i> refers to the inherent qualities of a person and <i>karma</i> refers to work, which is attuned to <i>guna</i>.</div><br />
Although I am their cause,<br />
I am unchanged and <br />
beyond all action.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is like a catalyst that causes change but itself remains unaffected.</div><br />
<sup>14</sup>I am not bound by actions<br />
because I don’t crave for rewards.<br />
One who knows me thus<br />
is also not bound by action.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘One who knows me’ refers to identification with the soul within and the relation of the soul to the supreme.</div><br />
<sup>15</sup>With this understanding,<br />
ancient seekers of liberation did their work<br />
without being attached to its outcomes.<br />
Therefore, I suggest that you too should act<br />
just as the ancient seekers did in the past.<br />
<br />
<sup>16</sup>What is action?<br />
What is inaction?<br />
Even sages are puzzled.<br />
Let me explain about the true nature of action.<br />
Once you know this, you will be liberated from evil.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, ‘evil’ refers to continued circulation in the cycle of <i>karma </i>due to one’s attachments. See 9:20-21.</div><br />
<sup>17</sup>The nature of action is hard to grasp.<br />
One should correctly know:<br />
What is right action?<br />
What is not right action?<br />
What is inaction?<br />
<br />
<sup>18</sup>One who can see Stillness in the midst of Activity<br />
and Action in the midst of Inertia is indeed wise.<br />
He acts sensibly at all times.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Stillness in the midst of Activity’ is explained in the following verses. ‘Action in the midst of Inertia’ is explained in 3:6.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGiEJcWqrMCCcrbrI-wn5Bq_xbzVfai7dxVTo52pk99PuF_QRu_TTVn1pXh6-D5_1SGjNjEaIQyLEB5HT1z0m0XXqMp5qvyRKW1LvB8urd3nnr3vOWm2IRzUlPlAchF4rwUjNQFOjH2uJ/s1600/4.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBGiEJcWqrMCCcrbrI-wn5Bq_xbzVfai7dxVTo52pk99PuF_QRu_TTVn1pXh6-D5_1SGjNjEaIQyLEB5HT1z0m0XXqMp5qvyRKW1LvB8urd3nnr3vOWm2IRzUlPlAchF4rwUjNQFOjH2uJ/s400/4.18.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br />
<sup>19</sup>The pursuits of the wise<br />
are not motivated by desire;<br />
their actions are purified by the fire of wisdom.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The wise don’t have any personal agenda;</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">they work for the welfare of all. </div><br />
<sup>20</sup>They are ever-satisfied and independent.<br />
Even while engaged in action, they do nothing<br />
because they are not attached to the outcome.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The wise realize that they are not Doing the work,</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">but rather that the work is getting Done.</div><br />
<sup>21</sup>Just by doing activities with discipline,<br />
not expecting anything from it,<br />
and free from a sense of possession,<br />
you can stay away from evil.<br />
<br />
<sup>22</sup>Satisfied with what comes on its own accord,<br />
even-minded in success and failure,<br />
rising above the dualities,<br />
and free from envy,<br />
one is not affected<br />
even when involved in action.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Dualities’ are relative opposites like pain and pleasure,</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">attraction and aversion, gain and loss, me and others, etc. </div><br />
<sup>23</sup>One who is wise, unattached, and liberated<br />
acts in the spirit of <i>yajña</i>.<br />
All his actions are indeed absolved.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Spirit of <i>yajña</i>’ refers to a spirit of service or offering.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Absolved’ means that he is not bound by those actions. </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ideally one should perform all actions in the spirit of <i>yajña</i>;</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">in other words, work in a dedicated manner. </div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It might not be possible to do every activity in the spirit of <i>yajña </i>but we should try to do at least some activities in that spirit; not doing so is as good as wasting one’s life; see 4:31.</div><div style="color: #666666;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The next ten verses describe the various <i>yajña</i>s and how every aspect of our life -– both voluntary and involuntary activities -–</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">is rooted in the Supreme.</div><br />
<sup>24</sup><i>Brahman</i> is the offering, <br />
<i>brahman </i>is the oblation,<br />
<i>brahman </i>is the fire to which<br />
<i>brahman </i>makes the offering;<br />
<i>brahman </i>indeed is attained by<br />
one who is absorbed in action, <br />
which is also <i>brahman</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Yajña </i>is a Vedic ritual in which fire is raised in an enclosed altar and several deities are invoked. Clarified butter (the fuel for the fire), medicinal herbs, twigs of Peepul tree, and other offerings are put in the fire, accompanied by chanting specific hymns from the Vedas.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Every component of a <i>yajña </i>is presented as a metaphor for <i>brahman</i>, the supreme being. See 9:16.</div><br />
<sup>25</sup>Some aspirants perform <i>yajña</i><br />
to lesser gods,<br />
while some others perform <i>yajña</i><br />
in the fire of <i>brahman</i> <br />
offering the <i>yajña </i>itself.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">When performing a <i>yajña </i>dedicated to a lesser god,</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">one can offer something that the god likes.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">But when performing a <i>yajña </i>dedicated to <i>brahman</i>,</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">the only thing left to offer is the <i>yajña </i>itself.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Such aspirants perform every action in the spirit of <i>yajña</i>.</div><br />
<sup>26</sup>Some aspirants submit hearing<br />
and other senses<br />
to the fire of restraint.<br />
Some others subdue sound<br />
and other sensations<br />
in the fire of senses.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some aspirants block their senses to avoid coming in contact with sensates. Some others block their sensations itself, in spite of their senses being in contact with sensates.</div><br />
<sup>27</sup>Some offer the <i>prana </i>and<br />
all actions of the senses<br />
in the fire of self-control,<br />
which is kindled by knowledge.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Prana </i>refers to the ‘vital force’ of an organism, its life energy.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It is also known as the ‘vital breath’, for without breathing, there is no life.</div><br />
<sup>28</sup>Some aspirants offer their wealth,<br />
some offer their <i>yoga </i>expertise,<br />
some offer austerities, and <br />
others offer learning –<br />
they are true ascetics.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Any action performed with dedication counts as a <i>yajña</i>.</div><br />
<sup>29</sup>Others, solely engaged<br />
in the art of breathing,<br />
having regulated<br />
inward and outward breaths,<br />
offer their inward breath to <br />
their outward breath<br />
and vice-versa.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The art of breathing or breath control involves the regulation of the course of inhalations and exhalations.</div><br />
<sup>30</sup>While others, restraining their diet, <br />
offer their inhalations to their inhalations.<br />
They all know the way of <i>yajña </i>and <br />
their sins are cleansed by doing <i>yajña</i>. <br />
<br />
<sup>31</sup>Relishing the remnants of <i>yajña</i>, which is elixir,<br />
they attain the eternal <i>brahman</i>.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘They’ refers to those who perform <i>yajña</i>.</div><br />
Those who don’t perform any <i>yajña</i><br />
are unfit even for this world; <br />
how can they enter the other world?<br />
<div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some people devote their life doing what they love without worrying about any rewards. One must pursue at least some activities with this spirit of <i>yajña</i>; otherwise, life will be dull and mechanical.</div><div style="color: #444444; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Such dullness never leads to perfection or happiness.</div><br />
<sup>32</sup>Thus, many kinds of <i>yajña</i><br />
are described in the scriptures.<br />
All these <i>yajña</i>s are rooted in action;<br />
know this, and you will be free.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Once we grasp the larger scheme of things, we begin to do all our actions with a spirit of selflessness.</div><div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That breaks all bonds and leads us to true freedom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgnrjNBKdyBPYR735FuFPM2tJco2Etv72ppHZLkjEdGRqd6bja4Od4MbGJjizu1CkdgsksDFFrznRPF6kgUz7mpDnO1y4_EbVpgIc94jl8_MU88ySZMdeQhDJGMHPJcUVa6tO0_nbAd-G/s1600/4.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXgnrjNBKdyBPYR735FuFPM2tJco2Etv72ppHZLkjEdGRqd6bja4Od4MbGJjizu1CkdgsksDFFrznRPF6kgUz7mpDnO1y4_EbVpgIc94jl8_MU88ySZMdeQhDJGMHPJcUVa6tO0_nbAd-G/s320/4.32.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><sup>33</sup>Pursuing knowledge is superior to<br />
any ritual with material offerings<br />
because all activities find their<br />
fulfillment only in knowledge.<br />
<br />
<sup>34</sup>Learn that knowledge from<br />
those who have realized the truth.<br />
Approach them with<br />
a spirit of sincere enquiry<br />
and serve them with humility.<br />
They will impart that knowledge to you.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In ancient India, students would live with a <i>guru </i>(teacher) for many years and over time, learn the path to the ultimate truth. They would serve the guru and attend to all his mundane needs, which taught them how the <i>guru</i> handled daily life situations and not just the intellectual or spiritual quests.</div><br />
<sup>35</sup>Having learned it, Arjuna,<br />
you will never be deluded again<br />
because with that knowledge<br />
you will perceive all beings<br />
in yourself and in me. <br />
<br />
<sup>36</sup>Even if you were the gravest of sinners,<br />
you will cross the ocean of sin<br />
with the raft of knowledge.<br />
<br />
<sup>37</sup>Just as the blazing fire reduces firewood to ashes, <br />
the fire of knowledge reduces all <i>karma </i>to ashes.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><i>Karma </i>refers to all spheres of action. So it encompasses normal day-to-day work, selfless action, lethargy, inappropriate action, rituals, inevitable action, working for greater good, etc. All <i>karma </i>is cleansed by understanding the basis of <i>karma</i>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT701NelXRawwxiaznZOw-irBuMayrLgUQhTP7bPs0pMlOxeWlETbrprSMjOI_gXEc7r42wsXYhHVezYw9E5Q0CJWyAp8k7R9TuQTfAhhNQwC1yljyIgKRsMT5OMvO2lWqnUm116HwR3gb/s1600/4.37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT701NelXRawwxiaznZOw-irBuMayrLgUQhTP7bPs0pMlOxeWlETbrprSMjOI_gXEc7r42wsXYhHVezYw9E5Q0CJWyAp8k7R9TuQTfAhhNQwC1yljyIgKRsMT5OMvO2lWqnUm116HwR3gb/s400/4.37.jpg" width="351" /></a></div><sup>38</sup>Nothing is as pure as knowledge in this world.<br />
One who reaches perfection by <i>yoga</i><br />
will eventually find it within.<br />
<br />
<sup>39</sup>A sincere person gains knowledge<br />
through focus and mastery of senses.<br />
Once he has acquired knowledge,<br />
he soon attains supreme peace.<br />
<br />
<sup>40</sup>But a person who is <br />
ignorant, insincere, and indecisive<br />
gets destroyed.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">‘Indecisive’ indicates hesitation as well as suspicion.</div><br />
One who remains<br />
hesitant and confused<br />
finds no happiness<br />
in this world or beyond.<br />
<br />
<sup>41</sup>Actions do not bind a person who<br />
engages in <i>yoga </i>with clear understanding<br />
and is always watchful over himself.<br />
<div style="color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, <i>yoga </i>refers to the path of selfless action.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP9WgV8ID8FDA_5PILuvT_7IPYqiF_OJVlvXmVgld4r4OR8ozKk92y5vqc0bS2me3n4TQ6FJEbvAZVV-gGfjuIiOzRmmYxVMjaadhUNu3O-xD8Dfu_BKIr1bu3T-KK7ZfsqJyppn7PHX1/s1600/4.41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP9WgV8ID8FDA_5PILuvT_7IPYqiF_OJVlvXmVgld4r4OR8ozKk92y5vqc0bS2me3n4TQ6FJEbvAZVV-gGfjuIiOzRmmYxVMjaadhUNu3O-xD8Dfu_BKIr1bu3T-KK7ZfsqJyppn7PHX1/s200/4.41.jpg" width="169" /></a></div><br />
<sup>42</sup>With the sword of wisdom,<br />
cut through this doubt born of ignorance,<br />
residing in your heart.<br />
Arise Arjuna and resort to <i>yoga</i>!</div><br />
<br />
<< <a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-3-selfless-action.html">Chapter 3. Selfless Action</a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://newbhagavadgita.blogspot.com/2009/01/chapter-5-renunciation.html">Chapter 5. Renunciation</a> >></div></div>HRKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05905379167629541190noreply@blogger.com0