Tattva

Introduction
Only the person who is utterly detached and utterly dedicated, Mahatma Gandhi said, is free to enjoy life. Asked to sum up his life ‘in twenty-five words or less,” he replied, “I can do it in three! And quoted the Isha Upanishad: “Renounce and enjoy.” The person who is compulsively attached to the results of action cannot really enjoy what he does; he gets downcast when things do not work out and clings more desperately when they do.

When Arjun asks “What are the characteristics of those who have gone beyond the gunas” in Verse 21 of the Chapter IV, we expect a list of virtues. Instead Krishna delivers a surprise: Established within themselves, they are equal in pleasure and pain, praise and blame, kindness and unkindness. Clay, a rock, and gold are the same to them. Alike in honour and dishonour, alike to friend and foe, they have given up every selfish pursuit. Such are those who have gone beyond the gunas.  IV 24 & 25 Read the rest of this entry »

Creator and Creation
“My nature is the womb of all creation. The birth and dissolution of the cosmos itself take place in me. There is nothing that exists separate from me, Arjuna. The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels.” (VII: 6-7)

Who created this world? The sun, the stars, the clouds, the cycles of the tides and the seasons, the laws by which these function? Who provided for the needs of every creature? The world is a furnished house meant to be enjoyed by all. All beings are equipped for survival. How can one account for this objective creation? Who authorized this intelligent, meaningful creation? Read the rest of this entry »

Hard it is
To pierce that veil divine of various shows
Which hideth Me; yet they who worship Me
Pierce it and pass beyond.                        
Verse 14 Ch VII

Maya and Illusion
The word Maya is generally used to denote the divine veil. But the theory of Maya forms one of the pillars of the Gita. It means it has no absolute existence. It exists only in relation to my mind, to your mind and to the mind of everyone else. With every breath, every impulse of our heart asks us to be selfish. At the same time, there is some power beyond us which says that it is unselfishness alone which is good.

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Introduction
The Bhagavad-gita is the highest knowledge, the highest, most direct and clear knowledge ever revealed in the vast history of eternity. If you study it carefully and seriously apply its principles, you will become one of the happiest, most spiritually perfect beings that have ever existed. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, what your gender or age is, or what your occupation is. If you take it seriously, your success is guaranteed no matter how disqualified you consider yourself to be.

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Chanchalam hi manah krsna
pramaathi balavaddrdham
tasyaaham nigraham manye
vaayoriva sudushkaram.

The heart of men is unfixed, Krishna,
rash, tumultuous,willful and strong.
It were all one, I think,
To hold the wayward wind, as tame man’s heart.                       Verse 34 Ch VI

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The Law of Action
Lord Krishna states the general rule about the nature of action and its result in the famous verse 47 of Chapter II:
“But thou, want not! Ask not! Find full reward
Of doing right in right! Let right deeds be
Thy motive, not the fruit which comes from them.” 

With discriminative intellect, you can choose, plan and perform an action with a view to obtaining a desired result, but you have no choice in determining the result of the action. Innumerable factors go into determining the result and we do not have the knowledge of all of them. An archer can release an arrow at his target based on his judgment but he cannot be certain whether the arrow will definitely hit the target. Once the arrow is released, its flight is governed by the laws of nature and factors such as wind and velocity. The archer can estimate these factors but cannot control them.

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Who is a Yogi?
“He who is able, while still here (in this world) to withstand, before the liberation from the body (death), the impulse born out of desire and anger, he is a YOGIN, he is a happy man.”
Verse 23 Ch V

“The blessed Lord said: He who performs his duty without depending on the fruits of his actions - he is a sannyasi and a yogi, not he who is without (ritual) fire and without activity. Do thou, Oh Arjuna, know yoga to be that which they call renunciation. No one verily becomes a yogi who has not renounced thoughts, scheming or planning.”
Verse 1 and 2, Ch VI

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In the last two issue of Tattva, we began a series on The Bhagavad Gita. This article is a continuation of the series.

The gist of what Krishna preached was that no matter what the result of an action is, we should do our duty without bothering about the reward. Arjuna had the right and control only over the action and not on its subsequent fruit. The right action is bound to bring about the right result, but one should not run after rewards. A person with the right mind renounces the fruits of action and reaches the highest goal called moksha, liberation, which is free from all evil. One who does not understand this loses happiness, as desires give rise to anger, and anger destroys reason—the intelligence to discriminate between right and wrong. Happiness and peace of mind come to those who do not think of themselves and thereby attain God and nirvana.

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In the last issue of Tattva, we had an introduction of the Bhagavad Gita. In this issue, we are continuing the Bhagavad Gita series with an article on conquering desire and gaining knowledge of the Self.

The Hindu theory of jnana (knowledge), bhakti (devotion) and karma (action) forms the basis of Hindu philosophy. The Gita is the guide to “the science of being and the art of living. It is a complete guide to mastering the problems of day-to-day life—for any person of any age. The teachings of the Gita inspire all to realize the reality within them. The fulfillment lies in the simultaneous development of the heart and the mind.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Bhagavad Gita starts with the words of Lord Krishna, “O Arjun you are grieving for what should not be grieved for.” This verse contains the theme of the Gita and reveals the context of the teaching—Arjuna’s state of mind, his asking for the knowledge.  This is the beginning of the Gita. The beauty of this timeless scripture is that its essential message is universal. Read the rest of this entry »