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Mahabharata

siddhananda_devi — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:35:51 GMT

This is from a lecture given by Sri Swami Vivekananda.
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The other epic about which I am going to speak to you this evening, is called the Mahabharata. It contains the story of a race descended from King Bharata, who was the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntala. Maha means great, and Bharata means the descendants of Bharata, from whom India has derived its name, Bharata. Mahabharata means Great India, or the story of the great descendants of Bharata. The scene of this epic is the ancient kingdom of the Kurus, and the story is based on the great war which took place between the Kurus and the Panchalas. So the region of the quarrel is not very big.

This epic is the most popular one in India; and it exercises the same authority in India as Homer’s poems did over the Greeks. As ages went on, more and more matter was added to it, until it has become a huge book of about a hundred thousand couplets. All sorts of tales, legends and myths, philosophical treatises, scraps of history, and various discussion have been added to it from time to time, until it is a vast, gigantic mass of literature; and through it all runs the old, original story. The central story of the Mahabharata is of a war between two families of cousins, one family, called the Kauravas, the other the Pandavas—for the empire of India.

The Aryans came into India in small companies. Gradually, these tribes began to extend, until, at last, they became the undisputed rulers of India, and then arose this fight to gain the mastery, between two branches of the same family. Those of you who have studied the Gita know how the book opens with a description of the battle-field, with two armies arrayed one against the other. That is the war of the Mahabharata.

There were two brothers, sons of the emperor. The elder one was called Dhritarashtra, and the other was called Pandu. Dhritarashtra, the elder one, was born blind. According to Indian law, no blind, halt, maimed, consumptive, or any other constitutionally diseased person, can inherit. He can only get a maintenance. So, Dhritarashtra could not ascend the throne, though he was the elder son, and Pandu became the emperor.

Dhritarashtra had a hundred sons, and Pandu only had five. After the death of Pandu at an early age, Dhritarashtra became king of the Kurus and brought up the sons of Pandu along with his own children. When they grew up, they were placed under the tutorship of the great priest-warrior, Drona, and were well trained in the various material arts and sciences befitting princes. The education of the princes being finished, Dhritarashtra put Yudhishthira, the eldest of the sons of Pandu, on the throne of his father.

The sterling virtues of Yudhishthira and the valour and devotion of his other brothers aroused jealousies in the hearts of the sons of the blind king, and at the instigation of Duryodhana, the eldest of them, the five Pandava brothers were prevailed upon to visit Vâranâvata, on the plea of a religious festival that was being held there. There they were accommodated in a palace made under Duryodhana’s instructions, of hemp, resin, and lac, and other inflammable materials, which were subsequently set fire to secretly. But the good Vidura, the step-brother of Dhritarashtra, having become cognisant of the evil intentions of Duryodhana and his party, had warned the Pandavas of the plot, and they managed to escape without anyone’s knowledge. When the Kurus saw the house was reduced to ashes, they heaved a sigh of relief and thought all obstacles were now removed out of their path.

Then the children of Dhritarashtra got hold of the kingdom. The five Pandava brothers had fled to the forest with their mother, Kunti. They lived there by begging, and went about in disguise giving themselves out as Brahmana students.. Many were the hardships and adventures they encountered in the wild forests, but their fortitude of mind, and strength, and valour made them conquer all dangers. So things went on until they came to hear of the approaching marriage of the princess of a neighbouring country.

I told you last night of the peculiar form of the ancient Indian marriage. It was called Svayamvara, that is, the choosing of the husband by the princess. A great gathering of princes and nobles assembled, amongst whom the princess would chose her husband. Preceded by her trumpeters and heralds she would approach, carrying a garland of flowers in her hand. At the throne of each candidate for her hand, the praises of that prince and all his great deeds in battle would be declared by the heralds. And when the princess decided which prince she desired to have for a husband, she would signify the fact by throwing the marriage-garland round his neck. Then the ceremony would turn into a wedding. King Drupada was a great king, king of the Panchalas, and his daughter, Draupadi, famed far and wide for her beauty and accomplishments, was going to choose a hero.

At a Svayamvara there was always a great feat of arms or something of the kind. On this occasion, a mark in the form of a fish was set up high in the sky; under that fish was a wheel with a hole in the centre, continually turning round, and beneath was a tub of water. A man looking at the reflection of the fish in the tub of water was asked to send an arrow and hit the eye of the fish through the Chakra or wheel, and he who succeeded would be married to the princess. Now, there came kings and princes from different parts of India, all anxious to win the hand of the princess, and one after another they tried their skill, and every one of them failed to hit the mark.

You know, there are four castes in India: the highest caste is that of the hereditary priest, the Brahmana; next is the caste of the Kshatriya, composed of kings and fighters; next, the Vaishyas, the traders or businessmen, and then Shudras, the servants. Now, this princess was, of course, a Kshatriya, one of the second caste.

When all those princes failed in hitting the mark, then the son of King Drupada rose up in the midst of the court and said: “The Kshatriya, the king caste has failed; now the contest is open to the other castes. Let a Brahmana, even a Shudra, take part in it; whosoever hits the mark, marries Draupadi.”

Among the Brahmanas were seated the five Pandava brothers. Arjuna, the third brother, was the hero of the bow. He arose and stepped forward. Now, Brahmanas as a caste are very quiet and rather timid people. According to the law, they must not touch a warlike weapon, they must not wield a sword, they must not go into any enterprise that is dangerous. Their life is one of contemplation, study, and control of the inner nature. Judge, therefore, how quiet and peaceable a people they are. When the Brahmanas saw this man get up, they thought this man was going to bring the wrath of the Kshatriyas upon them, and that they would all be killed. So they tried to dissuade him, but Arjuna did not listen to them, because he was a soldier. He lifted the bow in his hand, strung it without any effort, and drawing it, sent the arrow right through the wheel and hit the eye of the fish.

Then there was great jubilation. Draupadi, the princess, approached Arjuna and threw the beautiful garland of flowers over his head. But there arose a great cry among the princes, who could not bear the idea that this beautiful princess who was a Kshatriya should be won by a poor Brahmana, from among this huge assembly of kings and princes. So, they wanted to fight Arjuna and snatch her from him by force. The brothers had a tremendous fight with the warriors, but held their own, and carried off the bride in triumph.

The five brothers now returned home to Kunti with the princess. Brahmanas have to live by begging. So they, who lived as Brahmanas, used to go out, and what they got by begging they brought home and the mother divided it among them. Thus the five brothers, with the princess, came to the cottage where the mother lived. They shouted out to her jocosely, “Mother, we have brought home a most wonderful alms today.” The mother replied, “Enjoy it in common, all of you, my children.” Then the mother seeing the princess, exclaimed, “Oh! what have I said! It is a girl!” But what could be done! The mother’s word was spoken once for all. It must not be disregarded. The mother’s words must be fulfilled. She could not be made to utter an untruth, as she never had done so. So Draupadi became the common wife of all the five brothers.

Now, you know, in every society there are stages of development. Behind this epic there is a wonderful glimpse of the ancient historic times. The author of the poem mentions the fact of the five brothers marrying the same woman, but he tries to gloss it over, to find an excuse and a cause for such an act; it was the mother’s command, the mother sanctioned this strange betrothal, and so on. You know, in every nation there has been a certain stage in society that allowed polyandry—all the brothers of a family would marry one wife in common. Now, this was evidently a glimpse of the past polyandrous stage.

In the meantime, the brother of the princess was perplexed in his mind and thought: “Who are these people? Who is this man whom my sister is going to marry? They have not any chariots, horses, or anything. Why, they go on foot!” So he had followed them at a distance, and at night overheard their conversation and became fully convinced that they were really Kshatriyas. Then King Drupada came to know who they were and was greatly delighted.

Though at first much objection was raised, it was declared by Vyasa that such a marriage was allowable for these princes, and it was permitted. So the king Drupada had to yield to this polyandrous marriage, and the princess was married to the five sons of Pandu.

Then the Pandavas lived in peace and prosperity and became more powerful every day. Though Duryodhana and his party conceived of fresh plots to destroy them, King Dhritarashtra was prevailed upon by the wise counsels of the elders to make peace with the Pandavas; and so he invited them home amidst the rejoicings of the people and gave them half of the kingdom. Then, the five brothers built for themselves a beautiful city, called Indraprastha, and extended their dominions, laying all the people under tribute to them.

Then the eldest, Yudhishthira, in order to declare himself emperor over all the kings of ancient India, decided to perform a Rajasuya Yajna, or Imperial Sacrifice, in which the conquered kings would have to come with tribute and swear allegiance, and help the performance of the sacrifice by personal services. Shri Krishna, who had become their friend and a relative, came to them and approved of the idea. But there was one obstacle to its performance. A king, Jarasandha by name, who intended to offer a sacrifice of a hundred kings, had eighty-six of them kept as captives with him. Shri Krishna counselled an attack on Jarasandha. So he, Bhima, and Arjuna challenged the king, who accepted the challenge and was finally conquered by Bhima after fourteen days’ continuous wrestling. The captive kings were then set free.

Then the four younger brothers went out with armies on a conquering expedition, each in a different direction, and brought all the kings under subjection to Yudhishthira.

Returning, they laid all the vast wealth they secured at the feet of the eldest brother to meet the expenses of the great sacrifice. So, to this Rajasuya sacrifice all the liberated kings came, along with those conquered by the brothers, and rendered homage to Yudhishthira. King Dhritarashtra and his sons were also invited to come and take a share in the performance of the sacrifice. At the conclusion of the sacrifice, Yudhishthira was crowned emperor, and declared as lord paramount. This was the sowing of the future feud.

Duryodhana came back from the sacrifice filled with jealousy against Yudhishthira, as their sovereignty and vast splendour and wealth were more than he could bear; and so he devised plans to effect their fall by guile, as he knew that to overcome them by force was beyond his power. This king, Yudhishthira, had the love of gambling, and he was challenged at an evil hour to play dice with Shakuni, the crafty gambler and the evil genius of Duryodhana. In ancient India, if a man of the military caste was challenged to fight, he must at any price accept the challenge to uphold his honour.. And if he was challenged to play dice, it was a point of honour to play, and dishonourable to decline the challenge. King Yudhishthira, says the Epic, was the incarnation of all virtues. Even he, the great sage-king, had to accept the challenge. Shakuni and his party had made false dice. So Yudhishthira lost game after game, and stung with his losses, he went on with the fatal game, staking everything he had, and losing all, until all his possessions, his kingdom and everything, were lost. The last stage came when, under further challenge, he had no other resources left but to stake his brothers, and then himself, and last of all, the fair Draupadi, and lost all.

Now they were completely at the mercy of the Kauravas, who cast all sorts of insults upon them, and subjected Draupadi to the most inhuman treatment. At last through the intervention of the blind king, they got their liberty, and were asked to return home and rule their kingdom. But Duryodhana saw the danger and forced his father to allow one more throw of the dice in which the party which would lose, should retire to the forests for twelve years, and then live unrecognised in a city for one year; but if they were found out, the same term of exile should have to be undergone once again and then only the kingdom was to be restored to the exiled. This last game also Yudhishthira lost, and the five Pandava brothers retired to the forests with Draupadi, as homeless exiles. They lived in the forests and mountains for twelve years. There they performed many deeds of virtue and valour, and would go out now and then on a long round of pilgrimages, visiting many holy places.

A story of their forest life, I shall tell you here. One day the brothers became thirsty in the forest. Yudhishthira bade his brother, Nakula, go and fetch water. He quickly proceeded towards the place where there was water and soon came to a crystal lake, and was about to drink of it, when he heard a voice utter these words: “Stop, O child. First answer my questions and then drink of this water.” But Nakula, who was exceedingly thirsty, disregarded these words, drank of the water, and having drunk of it, dropped down dead. As Nakula did not return, King Yudhishthira told Sahadeva to seek his brother and bring back water with him. So Sahadeva proceeded to the lake and beheld his brother lying dead. Afflicted at the death of his brother and suffering severely from thirst, he went towards the water, when the same words were heard by him: “O child, first answer my questions and then drink of the water.” He also disregarded these words, and having satisfied his thirst, dropped down dead. Subsequently Arjuna and Bhima were sent, one after the other, on a similar quest; but neither returned, having drunk of the lake and dropped down dead.

Then Yudhishthira rose up to go in search of his brothers. At length, he came to the beautiful lake and saw his brothers lying dead. His heart was full of grief at the sight, and he began to lament. Suddenly he heard the same voice saying, “Do not, O child, act rashly. I am a Yaksha living as a crane on tiny fish. It is by me that thy younger brothers have been brought under the sway of the Lord of departed spirits. If thou, O Prince, answer not the questions put by me, even thou shalt number the fifth corpse. Having answered my questions first, do thou, O Kunti’s son, drink and carry away as much as thou requirest.” Yudhishthira replied, “I shall answer thy questions according to my intelligence.. Do thou ask me!” The Yaksha then asked him several questions, all of which Yudhishthira answered satisfactorily. One of the questions was: “What is the most wonderful fact in this world?” “We see our fellow-beings every moment falling off around us; but those that are left behind think that they will never die. This is the most curious fact: in face of death, none believes he will die!” Another question was: “What is the path of knowing the secret of religion?” And Yudhishthira answered, “By argument nothing can be settled; doctrines there are many; various are the scriptures, one part contradicting the other. There are not two sages who do not differ in their opinions. The secret of religion is buried deep, as it were, in dark caves. So the path to be followed is that which the great ones have trodden.” Then the Yaksha said, “I am pleased.. I am Dharma, the God of Justice in the form of a crane. I came to test you. Now, your brothers, see, not one of them is dead. It is all my magic. Since abstention from injury is regarded by thee as higher than both profit and pleasure, therefore, let all thy brothers live, O bull of the Bharata race.” And at these words of the Yaksha, the Pandavas rose up.

Here is a glimpse of the nature of King Yudhishthira. We find by his answers that he was more of a philosopher, more of a Yogi, than a king. Now, as the thirteenth year of the exile was drawing nigh, the Yaksha bade them go to Virata’s kingdom and live there in such disguises as they would think best. So, after the term of the twelve years’ exile had expired, they went to the kingdom of Virata in different disguises to spend the remaining one year in concealment, and entered into menial service in the king’s household. Thus Yudhishthira became a Brahmana courtier of the king, as one skilled in dice; Bhima was appointed a cook; Arjuna, dressed as a eunuch, was made a teacher of dancing and music to Uttara, the princess, and remained in the inner apartments of the king; Nakula became the keeper of the king’s horses; and Sahadeva got the charge of the cows; and Draupadi, disguised as a waiting-woman was also admitted into the queen’s household. Thus concealing their identity the Pandava brothers safely spent a year, and the search of Duryodhana to find them out was of no avail. They were only discovered just when the year was out.

Then Yudhishthira sent an ambassador to Dhritarashtra and demanded that half of the kingdom should, as their share, be restored to them. But Duryodhana hated his cousins and would not consent to their legitimate demands. They were even willing to accept a single province, nay, even five villages. But the headstrong Duryodhana declared that he would not yield without fight even as much land as a needle’s point would hold. Dhritarashtra pleaded again and again for peace, but all in vain. Krishna also went and tried to avert the impending war and death of kinsmen, so did the wise elders of the royal court; but all negotiations for a peaceful partition of the kingdom were futile. So, at last, preparations were made on both sides for war, and all the warlike nations took part in it.

The old Indian customs of the Kshatriyas were observed in it. Duryodhana took one side, Yudhishthira, the other. From Yudhishthira messengers were at once sent to all the surrounding kings, entreating their alliance, since honourable men would grant the request that first reached them. So, warriors from all parts assembled to espouse the cause of either the Pandavas or the Kurus according to the precedence of their requests; and thus one brother joined this side, and the other that side, the father on one side, and the son on the other.

The most curious thing was the code of war of those days; as soon as the battle for the day ceased and evening came, the opposing parties were good friends, even going to each other’s tents; however, when the morning came, again they proceeded to fight each other. That was the strange trait that the Hindus carried down to the time of the Mohammedan invasion. Then again, a man on horseback must not strike one on foot; must not poison the weapon; must not vanquish the enemy in any unequal fight, or by dishonesty; and must never take undue advantage of the other, and so on. If any deviated from these rules he would be covered with dishonour and shunned. The Kshatriyas were trained in that way. And when the foreign invasion came from Central Asia, the Hindus treated the invaders in the selfsame way. They defeated them several times, and on as many occasions sent them back to their homes with presents, etc. The code laid down was that they must not usurp anybody’s country; and when a man was beaten he must be sent back to his country with due regard to his position.

The Mohammedan conquerors treated the Hindu kings differently, and when they got them once, they destroyed them without remorse. Mind you, in those days—in the times of our story, the poem says—the science of arms was not the mere use of bows and arrows at all; it was magic archery in which the use of Mantras, concentration, etc., played a prominent part. One man could fight millions of men and burn them at will. He could send one arrow, and it would rain thousands of arrows and thunder; he could make anything burn, and so on—it was all divine magic. One fact is curious in both these poems—the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—along with these magic arrows and all these things going on, you see the cannon already in use. The cannon is an old, old thing, used by the Chinese and the Hindus. Upon the walls of the cities were hundreds of curious weapons made of hollow iron tubes, which filled with powder and ball would kill hundreds of men. The people believed that the Chinese, by magic, put the devil inside a hollow iron tube, and when they applied a little fire to a hole, the devil came out with a terrific noise and killed many people.

So in those old days, they used to fight with magic arrows. One man would be able to fight millions of others. They had their military arrangements and tactics: there were the foot soldiers, termed the Pada; then the cavalry, Turaga; and two other divisions which the moderns have lost and given up—there was the elephant corps—hundreds and hundreds of elephants, with men on their backs, formed into regiments and protected with huge sheets of iron mail; and these elephants would bear down upon a mass of the enemy—then, there were the chariots, of course (you have all seen pictures of those old chariots, they were used in every country). These were the four divisions of the army in those old days.

Now, both parties alike wished to secure the alliance of Krishna. But he declined to take an active part and fight in the war, but offered himself as charioteer to Arjuna, and as the friend and counsellor of the Pandavas, while to Duryodhana he gave his army of mighty solders.

Then was fought on the vast plain of Kurukshetra the great battle in which Bhisma, Drona, Karna, and the brothers of Duryodhana with the kinsmen on both sides and thousands of other heroes fell. The war lasted eighteen days. Indeed, out of the eighteen Akshauhinis of soldiers very few men were left. The death of Duryodhana ended the war in favour of the Pandavas. It was followed by the lament of Gandhari, the queen, and the widowed women, and the funerals of the deceased warriors.

The greatest incident of the war was the marvellous and immortal poem of the Gita, the Song Celestial. It is the popular scripture of India and the loftiest of all teachings. It consists of a dialogue held by Arjuna with Krishna, just before the commencement of the fight on the battle-field of Kurukshetra. I would advise those of you who have not read that book to read it. If you only knew how much it has influenced your own country even! If you want to know the source of Emerson’s inspiration, it is this book, the Gita. He went to see Carlyle, and Carlyle made him a present of the Gita; and that little book is responsible for the Concord Movement. All the broad movements in America, in one way or other, are indebted to the Concord party.

The central figure of the Gita is Krishna. As you worship Jesus of Nazareth as God come down as man, so the Hindus worship many Incarnations of God. They believe in not one or two only, but in many, who have come down from time to time, according to the needs of the world, for the preservation of Dharma and destruction of wickedness. Each sect has one, and Krishna is one of them. Krishna, perhaps, has a larger number of followers in India than any other Incarnation of God. His followers hold that he was the most perfect of those Incarnations. Why? “Because,” they say, “look at Buddha and other Incarnations; they were only monks, and they had no sympathy for married people. How could they have? But look at Krishna; he was great as a son, as a king, as a father, and all through his life he practised the marvellous teachings which he preached.” “He who in the midst of the greatest activity finds the sweetest peace, and in the midst of the greatest calmness is most active, he has known the secret of life.” Krishna shows the way how to do this—by being non-attached: do everything but do not get identified with anything. You are the soul, the pure, the free, all the time; you are the Witness. Our misery comes, not from work, but by our getting attached to something. Take for instance, money: money is a great thing to have, earn it, says Krishna; struggle hard to get money, but don’t get attached to it. So with children, with wife, husband, relatives, fame, everything; you have no need to shun them, only don’t get attached. There is only one attachment and that belongs to the Lord, and to none other. Work for them, love them, do good to them, sacrifice a hundred lives, if need be, for them, but never be attached. His own life was the exact exemplification of that.

Remember that the book which delineates the life of Krishna is several thousand years old, and some parts of his life are very similar to those of Jesus of Nazareth. Krishna was of royal birth; there was a tyrant king, called Kamsa, and there was a prophecy that one would be born of such and such a family, who would be king. So Kamsa ordered all the male children to be massacred. The father and mother of Krishna were cast by King Kamsa into prison, where the child was born. A light suddenly shone in the prison and the child spoke saying, “I am the Light of the world, born for the good of the world.” You find Krishna again symbolically represented with cows—

”The Great Cowherd” as he is called. Sages affirmed that God Himself was born, and they went to pay him homage. In other parts of the story, the similarity between the two does not continue.

Shri Krishna conquered this tyrant Kamsa, but he never thought of accepting or occupying the throne himself. He had nothing to do with that. He had done his duty and there it ended.

After the conclusion of the Kurukshetra War, the great warrior and venerable grandsire, Bhishma, who fought ten days out of the eighteen days’ battle, still lay on his deathbed and gave instructions to Yudhishthira on various subjects, such as the duties of the king, the duties of the four castes, the four stages of life, the laws of marriage, the bestowing of gifts, etc., basing them on the teachings of the ancient sages. He explained Sankhya philosophy and Yoga philosophy and narrated numerous tales and traditions about saints and gods and kings. These teachings occupy nearly one-fourth of the entire work and form an invaluable storehouse of Hindus laws and moral codes. Yudhishthira had in the meantime been crowned king. But the awful bloodshed and extinction of superiors and relatives weighed heavily on his mind; and then, under the advice of Vyasa, he performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice.

After the war, for fifteen years Dhritarashtra dwelt in peace and honour, obeyed by Yudhishthira and his brothers. Then the aged monarch leaving Yudhishthira on the throne, retired to the forest with his devoted wife and Kunti, the mother of the Pandava brothers, to pass his last days in asceticism.

Thirty-six years had now passed since Yudhishthira regained his empire. Then came to him the news that Krishna had left his mortal body. Krishna, the sage, his friend, his prophet, his counsellor, had departed. Arjuna hastened to Dwaraka and came back only to confirm the sad news that Krishna and the Yadavas were all dead. Then the king and the other brothers, overcome with sorrow, declared that the time for them to go, too, had arrived. So they cast off the burden of royalty, placed Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna, on the throne, and retired to the Himalayas, on the Great Journey, the Mahaprasthana.. This was a peculiar form of Sannyasa. It was a custom for old kings to become Sannyasins. In ancient India, when men became very old, they would give up everything. So did the kings. When a man did not want to live any more, then he went towards the Himalayas, without eating or drinking and walked on and on till the body failed. All the time thinking of God, he just marched on till the body gave way.

Then came the gods, the sages, and they told King Yudhishthira that he should go and reach heaven. To go to heaven one has to cross the highest peaks of the Himalayas. Beyond the Himalayas is Mount Meru. On the top of Mount Meru is heaven. None ever went there in this body. There the gods reside. And Yudhishthira was called upon by the gods to go there.

So the five brothers and their wife clad themselves in robes of bark, and set out on their journey. On the way, they were followed by a dog. On and on they went, and they turned their weary feet northward to where the Himalayas lifts his lofty peaks, and they saw the mighty Mount Meru in front of them. Silently they walked on in the snow, until suddenly the queen fell, to rise no more. To Yudhishthira who was leading the way, Bhima, one of the brothers said, “Behold, O King, the queen has fallen.” The king shed tears, but he did not look back. “We are going to meet Krishna,” he says. “No time to look back. March on.” After a while, again Bhima said, “Behold, our brother, Sahadeva has fallen.” The king shed tears; but paused not. “March on,” he cried.

One after the other, in the cold and snow, all the four brothers dropped down, but unshaken, though alone, the king advanced onward. Looking behind, he saw the faithful dog was still following him. And so the king and the dog went on, through snow and ice, over hill and dale, climbing higher and higher, till they reached Mount Meru; and there they began to hear the chimes of heaven, and celestial flowers were showered upon the virtuous king by the gods. Then descended the chariot of the gods, and Indra prayed him, “Ascend in this chariot, greatest of mortals: thou that alone art given to enter heaven without changing the mortal body.” But no, that Yudhishthira would not do without his devoted brothers and his queen; then Indra explained to him that the brothers had already gone thither before him.

And Yudhishthira looked around and said to his dog, “Get into the chariot, child.” The god stood aghast. “What! the dog?” he cried. “Do thou cast off this dog! The dog goeth not to heaven! Great King, what dost thou mean? Art thou mad? Thou, the most virtuous of the human race, thou only canst go to heaven in thy body.” “But he has been my devoted companion through the snow and ice. When all my brothers were dead, my queen dead, he alone never left me. How can I leave him now?” “There is no place in heaven for men with dogs. He has to be left behind. There is nothing unrighteous in this.” “I do not go to heaven,” replied the king, “without this dog. I shall never give up such a one who has taken refuge with me, until my own life is at an end. I shall never swerve from righteousness, nay, not even for the joys of heaven or the urging of a god.” “Then,” said Indra, “on one condition the dog goes to heaven. You have been the most virtuous of mortals and he has been a dog, killing and eating animals; he is sinful, hunting, and taking other lives. You can exchange heaven with him.” “Agreed,” says the king. “Let the dog go to heaven.”

At once, the scene changed. Hearing these noble words of Yudhishthira, the dog revealed himself as Dharma; the dog was no other than Yama, the Lord of Death and Justice. And Dharma exclaimed, “Behold, O King, no man was ever so unselfish as thou, willing to exchange heaven with a little dog, and for his sake disclaiming all his virtues and ready to go to hell even for him. Thou art well born, O King of kings. Thou hast compassion for all creatures, O Bharata, of which this is a bright example. Hence, regions of undying felicity are thine! Thou has won them, O King, and thine is a celestial and high goal.”

Then Yudhishthira, with Indra, Dharma, and other gods, proceeds to heaven in a celestial car. He undergoes some trials, bathes in the celestial Ganga, and assumes a celestial body. He meets his brothers who are now immortals, and all at last is bliss.

Thus ends the story of the Mahabharata, setting forth in a sublime poem the triumph of virtue and the defeat of vice.

In speaking of the Mahabharata to you, it is simply impossible for me to present the unending array of the grand and majestic characters of the mighty heroes depicted by the genius and master-mind of Vyasa. The internal conflicts between righteousness and filial affection in the mind of the god-fearing, yet feeble, old, blind King Dhritarashtra; the majestic character of the grandsire Bhishma; the noble and virtuous character of the royal Yudhishthira, and of the other four brothers, as mighty in valour as in devotion and loyalty; the peerless character of Krishna, unsurpassed in human wisdom; and not less brilliant, the characters of the women—the stately queen Gandhari, the loving mother Kunti, the ever-devoted and all-suffering Draupadi—these and hundreds of other characters of this Epic and those of the Ramayana have been the cherished heritage of the whole Hindu world for the last several thousands of years and form the basis of their thoughts and of their moral and ethical ideas. In fact, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are the two encyclopaedias of the ancient Aryan life and wisdom, portraying an ideal civilisation which humanity has yet to aspire after.

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This list ..

siddhananda_devi — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:05:05 GMT

.. was intended to be a place to discuss, to revel, to expound, upon the ideas of Gita. To reintroduce that topic, for starters, here is a wiki link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_gita

This presents many translations on the Gita. I recommend this link to find a multi-lingual copy:
http://www.gitasupersite.iitk.ac.in/index.htm

Also, if possible, try to locate the Gita on CD, where you can here it sung and follow along with a transliterated version. This truly brings out the remarkable beauty of this text.

Jaya!
Siddhananda Devi

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Namaste Blessed Ones!

siddhananda_devi — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:39:03 GMT

I have returned from India and ready to assume responsibility of the tribes I started. Thank you for joining in my absence and keeping the flame on.

Siddhananda Devi

posted in Adi Bhagavad Gita - 1 reply

Kali's tale

Shimrahiro — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:30:38 GMT

I'm working on the Bagavad Gita and muhabarhata, (I don't think it's in Mahabarhata) but I'm looking for the book that tells Kali's full story...

Where should I look and what is the best overall book for these tales?

Thanks

>Shimra Hira

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Day of suffering, Day of Pain

Shimrahiro — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:26:41 GMT

I remember watching something from a while ago - I don't know for sure, but I have a strong feeling that this was a hindi ritual.

It was a day of suffering, and day that our deeds we've done here, we cause pain to ourselves to seek - not forgiveness - but a sort of... action in retribution to what we've done...

ANyway, can I get some details from someone here please? It may not be hindi, so if someone knows where this is from, please post.

>Shimra Hira

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Symptoms of one who is transcendental to the modes of nature

makhanchor — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 05:19:45 GMT

arjuna uvāca

kair lińgais trīn guṇān etān

atīto bhavati prabho

kim ācāraḥ kathaḿ caitāḿs

trīn guṇān ativartate

Arjuna inquired: O my dear Lord, by which symptoms is one known who is transcendental to these three modes? What is his behavior? And how does he transcend the modes of nature?

http://vedabase.net/bg/14/21/

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

prakāśaḿ ca pravṛttiḿ ca

moham eva ca pāṇḍava

na dveṣṭi sampravṛttāni

na nivṛttāni kāńkṣati

udāsīna-vad āsīno

guṇair yo na vicālyate

guṇā vartanta ity evaḿ

yo 'vatiṣṭhati neńgate

sama-duḥkha-sukhaḥ sva-sthaḥ

sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanaḥ

tulya-priyāpriyo dhīras

tulya-nindātma-saḿstutiḥ

mānāpamānayos tulyas

tulyo mitrāri-pakṣayoḥ

sarvārambha-parityāgī

guṇātītaḥ sa ucyate

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O son of Pāṇḍu, he who does not hate illumination, attachment and delusion when they are present or long for them when they disappear; who is unwavering and undisturbed through all these reactions of the material qualities, remaining neutral and transcendental, knowing that the modes alone are active; who is situated in the self and regards alike happiness and distress; who looks upon a lump of earth, a stone and a piece of gold with an equal eye; who is equal toward the desirable and the undesirable; who is steady, situated equally well in praise and blame, honor and dishonor; who treats alike both friend and enemy; and who has renounced all material activities — such a person is said to have transcended the modes of nature.

http://vedabase.net/bg/14/22-25/en

māḿ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.

http://vedabase.net/bg/14/26/en

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Sypmtoms of a pure soul

makhanchor — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 05:16:51 GMT

arjuna uvāca

sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣā

samādhi-sthasya keśava

sthita-dhīḥ kiḿ prabhāṣeta

kim āsīta vrajeta kim

Arjuna said: O Kṛṣṇa, what are the symptoms of one whose consciousness is thus merged in transcendence? How does he speak, and what is his language? How does he sit, and how does he walk?

http://vedabase.net/bg/2/54/

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

prajahāti yadā kāmān

sarvān pārtha mano-gatān

ātmany evātmanā tuṣṭaḥ

sthita-prajñas tadocyate

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Pārtha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.

http://vedabase.net/bg/2/55/en

duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ

sukheṣu vigata-spṛhaḥ

vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ

sthita-dhīr munir ucyate

One who is not disturbed in mind even amidst the threefold miseries or elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind.

http://vedabase.net/bg/2/56/en

yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas

tat tat prāpya śubhāśubham

nābhinandati na dveṣṭi

tasya prajñā pratiṣṭhitā

In the material world, one who is unaffected by whatever good or evil he may obtain, neither praising it nor despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge.

http://vedabase.net/bg/2/57/en

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Who is Krishna of the Gita?

kalkin — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 16:41:05 GMT

Some Vedantist like to put Krishna as above Brahman, the Godhead of the shruti Vedantic texts, the Upanishads. But in the tenth chapter Krishnas identity is revealed. Arjuna says to Krishna:

param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan /
purusham shashvatam divyam adidevam ajam vibhum //12//

"You are the Supreme Brahman, the supreme goal, the supreme purifier;
self-glowing Purusha, the first God;"

~B.G 10.12

Arjuna then asks him to narate his divine glories; Krishna replies:

aham atma gudakesha sarvabhutashayasthitah /
aham adish ca madhyam ca bhutanam anta eva ca //20//

"I am the atman, conscious in the heart of all life;
and I am also the begining, the middle, and the end of all life. (10.20)

adityanam aham vishnur...... (10.21)

"I am Vishnu of the Adityas.....

rudranam shamkarash casmi.....

"I am Shankara (Shiva) among the Rudras..... (10.23)

vrshninam vasudevo 'smi pandavanam dhanamjayah /

"I am Vasudeva (Krishna) among the Vrishnis (Yadavas), and Dhananjaya (Arjuna) among the Pandavas;" (10.37)

Here Krishna describes himself as the best among, or essence of, different groups of humans and Devas. Even speaking as a third person to the two beings, Krishna the Yadava and Arjuna the Pandava, having the conversation. Showing himself as the True Self, the True identity of all beings; the Atman; the Supreme Brahman.

Aum! Shanti!

posted in Adi Bhagavad Gita - 38 replies

free Bhakti University

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 04:19:19 GMT

http://bhaktiuniversity.com/bhakti/

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See the best of Switzerland

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 06:58:31 GMT

Know more about Switzerland and feel the beauty of it to this site. Go to http://www.switzerland-travel.blogspot.com now.

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Im Back

siddhananda_devi — Mon, 08 May 2006 13:41:48 GMT

The Tribe originator is back. I have been out of country, written a book, and just recently unpacked and am getting settled in.

Om Peace!
Siddhananda

posted in Adi Bhagavad Gita - 4 replies

21-29 Sankhya Yoga

siddhananda_devi — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 20:28:28 GMT

21. Whosoever knows Him to be indestructible, eternal, unborn and inexhaustible, how can that man slay, O Arjuna, or cause to be slain?

22. Just as a man casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so also the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.

23. Weapons cut It not, fire burns It not, water wets It not, wind dries It not.

COMMENTARY:
-Sri Swami Sivahanda: "The Self is partless. It is infinite and extremely subtle. So the sword cannot cut It, fire cannot burn It, wind cannot dry It."

-Swami Siddhananda Devi: Verses 22 and 23 are transcendent truth.

24. This Self cannot be cut, burnt, wetted nor dried up. It is eternal, all-pervading, stable, ancient and immovable.

25. This (Self) is said to be unmanifested, unthinkable and unchangeable. Therefore, knowing This to be such, thou shouldst not grieve.

26. But, even if thou thinkest of It as being constantly born and dying, even then, O mighty-armed, thou shouldst not grieve!

COMMENTARY:
-Sri Swami Sivananda: "Birth is inevitable to what is dead and death is inevitable to what is born. This is the law of Nature. Therefore, one should not grieve."

27. For, certain is death for the born and certain is birth for the dead; therefore, over the inevitable thou shouldst not grieve.

28. Beings are unmanifested in their beginning, manifested in their middle state, O Arjuna, and unmanifested again in their end! What is there to grieve about?

COMMENTARY:
-Sri Swami Sivananda: "The physical body is a combination of the five elements. It is perceived by the physical eye only after the five elements have entered into such combination. After death the body disintegrates and all the five elements return to their source. The body cannot be perceived now. It can be perceived only in the middle state. He who understands the nature of the body and human relationships based upon it will not grieve."

-Swami Siddhananda Devi: Verse28 should be considered as advice.

29. One sees This (the Self) as a wonder; another speaks of It as a wonder; another hears of It as a wonder; yet, having heard, none understands It at all.

COMMENTARY:
-Sri Swami Sivananda: "The verse may also be interpreted in this manner: he that sees, hears and speaks of the Self is a wonderful man. Such a man is very rare. He is one among many thousands. Therefore, the Self is very hard to understand."

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The Chatur Shloki, the four verses which summarize the Whole Gita

NityanandaRam — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:17:30 GMT

The next four verses, the catur-sloki of the Bhagavad-gita, summarize the entire Gita. In text 8, Krsna sums up His opulences and explains the result of truly knowing those opulences: one becomes a pure devotee. In text 9, He describes how pure devotees worship Him. In texts 10 and 11, He describes His reciprocation with their loving worship.

posted in Adi Bhagavad Gita - 16 replies

Agitation

Kris — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 19:46:00 GMT

This verse has been sticking with me ever since I read it. It has been very good to meditate on this week.

"He who agitates not the world,
And whom the world agitates not,
Who is freed from joy, envy, fear,
And worry?he is dear to Me." (BG 12:15)

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1 - 20 Sankhya Yoga

siddhananda_devi — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 22:13:42 GMT

Sanjaya said:
1. To him who was thus overcome with pity and who was despondent, with eyes full of tears and agitated, Madhusudana spoke these words.

The Blessed Lord said:
2. Whence is this perilous strait come upon thee, this dejection which is unworthy of you, disgraceful, and which will close the gates of heaven upon you, O Arjuna?

3. Yield not to impotence, O Arjuna, son of Pritha. It does not befit thee. Cast off this mean weakness of the heart! Stand up, O scorcher of foes!

Arjuna said:
4. How, O Madhusudana, shall I fight in battle with arrows against Bhishma and Drona, who are fit to be worshipped, O destroyer of enemies?

5. Better is it, indeed, in this world, to accept alms than to slay the most noble teachers. But if I kill them, even in this world, all my enjoyments of wealth and fulfilled desires will be stained with their blood.

6. I can hardly tell which will be better, that we should conquer them or that they should conquer us. Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, after slaying whom we do not wish to live, stand facing us.

7. My heart is overpowered by the taint of pity; my mind is confused as to duty. I ask Thee: Tell me decisively what is good for me! I am Thy disciple. Instruct me, who has taken refuge in Thee.

8. I do not see that it would remove this sorrow that burns up my senses, even if I should attain prosperous and unrivalled dominion on earth or lordship over the gods.

9. Having spoken thus to Hrishikesha, Arjuna, the destroyer of foes, said to Krishna: "I will not fight" and became silent.

10. To him who was despondent in the midst of the two armies, Krishna, as if smiling, O Bharata, spoke these words.

The Blessed Lord said:
11. Thou hast grieved for those that should not be grieved for, yet thou speakest words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor the dead.

12. Nor at any time indeed was I not, nor thou, nor these rulers of men, nor verily shall we ever cease to be hereafter.

13. Just as in this body the soul passes into childhood, youth, and old age, so also does it pass into another body; the firm man does not grieve thereat.

14. The contacts of the sense with the objects, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end. They are impermanent. Endure them bravely, O Arjuna.

15. The firm man whom, surely, these afflict not, O chief among men, to whom pleasure and pain are the same, is fit for attaining immortality.

16. The unreal hath no being; there is no non-being of the real. The truth about both has been seen by the knowers of the Truth.

17. Know That to be industructible, by Which all this is pervaded. None can cause the destruction of That, the Imperishable.

18. These bodies of the emboided Self, Which is eternal, indestructible and immeasurable, are said to have an end. Therefore fight, O Arjuna!

19. He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks it is slain, neither of them *knows*. It slays not, nor is it slain.

20. It is not born, nor does It ever die. After having been, It again ceases not to be. Unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.

COMMENTARY:
1. "Madhusudana" = destroyer of Madhu, or Krishna.

4. "Bhishma and Drona" are grandfather and teacher, respectfully. Because of their deeds, they stand against the Pandus, who they love dearly. However, both live in accord to their true nature and so are virtuous men of excellent conduct.

".. fit to be worshipped .." in that both are progenitors and gurus.

6. "Even the sons of Dhritarashtra, after slaying whom we do not wish to live, stand facing us."
** Arjuna is saying that there are those among the opposing army who he does not want to kill, and there are those he does.

7. "Tell me decisively what is good for me! I am Thy disciple. Instruct me, who has taken refuge in Thee."
** How many of us have asked this same question?

9. "Hrishikesha" = Lord of Senses (Krishna).

10. "O Bharata" = Descendant of the Light of Wisdom; the ruling dynasty of ancient India. Sanjaya is speaking here to Dhritarashtra, the blind king, who he (Sanjaya) is relating the events of the battlefield, as they occur (through the use of Divine Vision).

11. "The Blessed Lord said: Thou hast grieved for those that should not be grieved for, yet thou speakest words of wisdom. The wise grieve neither for the living nor the dead."
** With these words, Krishna begins the Philosophy of the Gita.

In this first sentence, Krishna is reminding Arjuna of his wisdom, which are subsequently tainted by his grief. There is no grief for those who are eternal - as All That Lives Is.

The wise KNOW that there is no 'death'; or that death is only a separation of the Astral Body from the Physical Body. That death is nothing more than the disintegration of matter, and that the Five Elements-Panchabhuta, of which the body is composed, will return to the Source (which is Pure Consciousness-Cit).

Therefore, Krishna is admonishing Arjuna for forgeting the eternal nature of the soul, and so the changing nature of the body. Because of this momentary lapse of reason, Arjuna has begun to act as if the temporary relations with kinsmen, teachers, et all, were permanent.

Arjuna then, forgot that his relations in this world at this present time, are the result of past actions-Karma. Karmas, once exhausted, end all relationships, making way for new ones to crop up (either in this body or when a new body is taken).

This is Prarabdha Karma, or the 'Karma of Present Incarnation'.

12. "Nor at any time indeed was I not, nor thou, nor these rulers of men, nor verily shall we ever cease to be hereafter."
** This speaks on the immortality of the Soul, of Its imperishable nature, of the Atman-Self.

The Soul exists in three periods of time - past, present, and future - this hints at the mystery of living simultaneously . Finally, humans continue to exist even after the death of the physical body, because we are more than flesh.

13. "Just as in this body the soul passes into childhood, youth, and old age, so also does it pass into another body; the firm man does not grieve thereat."
** There is no interuption in the passing of childhood into youth, and from youth into old age, and from old age into the other realms of existence; death does not destroy the continuity of the ego.

Self is not effected by death, nor is it born at the beginning of a new life (a baby). The Self passes unchanged from childhood to youth to old age, just as it does from one life to another. This is why the wise-ones will not grieve.

14. "The contacts of the sense with the objects, O son of Kunti, which cause heat and cold, pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end. They are impermanent. Endure them bravely, O Arjuna."
** Cold and heat are pleasant sometimes and not so in others; this is how the sense-contacts come and go. Because the senses are transitory - impermanent in nature - mere sensations that are carried by the nerves to the mind, the wise bear patiently with heat and cold (and the like). Choosing to maintain an even or balanced state of mind.

15. "The firm man whom, surely, these afflict not, O chief among men, to whom pleasure and pain are the same, is fit for attaining immortality."
** Dehadhyasa, or "Identification of the Self with the Body as the cause of pleasure and pain", is a mind in error. The more we are able to identify with the Self, with that which is immortal and all-pervading, the less we will be affected by the pairs of opposites-dvandvas (dychotomy).

This ability is called Titiksha-Power of Endurance, and is develop through will-power. Titiksha is one of the Shatsampat-Sixfold Virtues; or a condition of Right Knowledge. However, it is not Titiksha alone that brings about Moksha-Liberation; when coupled with Viveka-Discrimination and Vairagya-Detachment, Dispassion it becomes a three-way method of attainment and Immortality.

16. "The unreal hath no being; there is no non-being of the real. The truth about both has been seen by the knowers of the Truth."
** The changless Atman, the Self, exists always; this is the only solid reality.

This world of names and forms, of cultures and traditions, is ever changing; hence, it is unreal. The Rishi or Jivanmukta is fully aware of this: that Self always exists and that the physical world is like a mirage. Through the Jivanmukta's Jnanachakshus-Eye of Intuition, they directly cognize the Self. Which is why such souls reject the names and forms and so live off the underlying Essence - which is Asti-Bhati-Priya, or Sat-Cit-Ananda. Once done, the Jivanmukta becomes a Tattvadarshi-Knower of Truth, Essence.

17. "Know That to be industructible, by Which all this is pervaded. None can cause the destruction of That, the Imperishable."
** Para Prakriti-Supreme Nature of All Existence or Atman pervades all things. If, for example, a vase is broken, its Akasha-Ether still remains *.

Para Prakriti, or Atman, or Brahman, or God, is never diminished. Humans may be ruined by loss of wealth or health, but Para Prakriti is never lessened. It is inexhaustible and beyond being destroyed. It is always all-full and self-contained. It is the immutable Existence Absolute.

* This phenome is the Energy Body, and can be seen in Kirlian Photography.

19. "He who takes the Self to be the slayer and he who thinks it is slain, neither of them *knows*. It slays not, nor is it slain."
** Self-Atman-Para Prakriti is Akarta-non-doer. It is neither the object or subject; it is never the "I" or ego-ahamkara.

Para Prakriti exists in all periods of time (again, the mystery of simultaneousness).

20. "It is not born, nor does It ever die. After having been, It again ceases not to be. Unborn, eternal, changeless and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed."
** Para Prakriti is not affected by Bhava-Vikaras (which are: birth, existence, growth, transformation, decline, death). It is Akhanda-Invisible, immortal, and all-pervading.

Be Whole!
Siddhananda Devi

tribes.tribe.net/adi_ayurveda
tribes.tribe.net/adi_bhagavad_gita
tribes.tribe.net/adi_tantra
tribes.tribe.net/hamsa_yoga

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21-47 Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna

siddhananda_devi — Sun, 22 Jan 2006 13:40:13 GMT

21-22: Arjuna said: "In the middle between the two armies, place my chariot, O Krishna, so that I may behold those who stand here desirious to fight, and know with whom I must fight, when the battle is about to commence.

23: For I desire to observe those who are assembled here to fight, wishing to please in battle the evil-minded Duryodhana (son of Dhritarashtra).

24: Sanjaya said: "Thus addressed by Arjuna, Krishna, having stationed the best of chariots, O Dhritarashtra, in the midst of the two armies ..

25: In front of Bhisma and Drona, and all the rulers of the earth, said: "O Arjuna - son of Pritha - behold these Kurus gathered together."

26: The, Arjuna - son of Pritha - saw there, in the stationed armies, fathers and grandfathers, teachers and maternal uncles, brothers and sons, grandsons and friends, all.

27: He saw fathers-in-law and friends also in both the armies. The son of Kunti - Arjuna - seeing all those kinsmen thus standing arrayed spoke these words, sorrowfully filled with deep pity:

28: Arjuna said: "Seeing these, my kinsmen, O Krishna, arrayed and eager to fight .. my limbs fail and my mouth is parched. My body quivers and my hair stands on end.

30: The bow Gandiva slips from my hand, as my skin burns all over. I am unable even to stand and my mind is reeling!

31: And I see adverse omens, O Kesava. I do not see any good in killing my kinsmen in battle.

32: I desire not victory, O Krishna, nor kingdom, nor pleasures. Of what avail is dominion to us? O Krishna, to what avail are the pleasures of life, or even life itself!

33: Those for whose sake we desire kingdom, enjoyments and pleasures, stand here in battle, having renounced life and wealth.

34-35: Teachers, fathers, sons and also grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law and other relatives - these I do not wish to kill! Though they kill me, O Krishna, even for the sake of dominion over the three worlds; leave alone killing them for the sake of earth.

36: By killing these sons of Dhritarashtra, what pleasure can be ours, O Janardana? Only sin will accured to us from killing these felons.

37: Therefore, we should not kill the sons of Dhritarashtra, our relatives; for how can we be happy by killing our own people, O Madhava?

38: Though they, with intelligence overpowered by greed, see no evil in the destruction of families, and no sin in hostility to friends.

39: Why should not we, who clearly see evil in the destruction of families, learn to turn away from this sin, O Janardana?

40: In the destruction of a family, the immemorial religious rites of that family perish. On the destruction of spirituality, impiety, indeed, overcomes the whole family.

41: By the prevalence of impiety, O Krishna, the women of the family become corrupt; and - the women corrupted - O Varshneya, there arises intermingling of castes.

42: Confusion of castes lead to hell - for the slayers of family - for their forefathers have fallen and so become deprived of rice-ball and water.

43: By these evil deeds, of the destroyers of families, which cause confusion of castes, the eternal religious rites of the caste and the family are destroyed.

44: We have heard, O Janardana, the inevitable is the dwelling for an unkown period in hell for those men in whose families the religious practices have been destroyed.

45: Alas! We are involved in a great sin, in that we are prepared to kill our kinsmen, through greed for the pleasures of a kingdom.

46: If the sons of Dhritarashtra - with weapons in hand - should slay me in battle, unresisting and unarmed, that would be better for me.

47: Sanjaya said: "Having thus spoken in the midst of the battlefield, Arjuna, casting away his bow and arrow, sat down on the seat of the chariot with his hand overwhelmed with sorrow."

Thus, in this upanishad of the glorious Bhagavad Gita, the science of the Eternal, the scripture of Yoga, the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, ends the first discourse entitled: The Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna.

COMMENTARY: Sloka 21-22 creates a graphic image of two vast, unnumbered armies, facing each other, prepared for battle. A field seperates them, an empty space, and into this space, Arjuna asks Krishna to guide the chariot. Stopping there, sitting between these two armies, he speaks his thoughts.

This image is one familiar to Westerners today: the image of ourselves in the middle while one shoulder holds the 'devil' and the other shoulder holds an 'angel'. This is the field of decision-indecision that each of us encounter at every moment throughout the day - sometimes not even away that a choice, a decision, is being made. A choice-decision that will impact our lives for the rest of our lives.

Arjuna, thus situated in the middle, is able to 'see' clearly: family and friends. His perspective is, as if, from higher ground. Or, sitting in the middle, he is able to see the forest for the trees.

This image overcomes Arjuna, sloka 29, in a very physical manner. His limbs grow weak, is mouth goes dry, is palms sweat, his very strength leaves his body - so that he cant even hold a bow. So overcome, he falls to his knees, completely crushed by the situation at hand.

How many of us have faced a similar circumstance? A situation that stands poised to devastate us; a moment that will change our life for all time. A decision so vast we cannot fathom a way through it, or a circumstance so horrific we wish only to die - or at least - 'stop the world' around us. To just sit in the middle, in stillness, because the pressure, the intensity, is too great.

Sloka 31: Krishna as Kesava, or 'one who has fine/luxuriant hair'. Though this may sound obscure, hair, traditionally in many cultures, has been a symbol of spiritual strength. Krishna's luxuriant hair is a sign of his greatness. (Reference Siva's jata-dreadlocks.)

Sloka 36: Krishna as Janardana, or "who is worshipped by all for prosperity and salvation". In using this name for Krishna, Arjuna is asking for his assistance, seeking his advice on how to proceed. Or, how to be prosperous, how to achieve salvation in this overwhelming moment of time.

Duryodhana, who heads the Kuru army, and is the chief 'bad guy' in th gita, has: set fire to the house of others, administered poison to his enemies, plundered the wealth and land of others, killed many individuals, taken another man's wife - all things that label him as an Atatayi-aggressor. In this, Arjuna is clearly demarcating his virtuous deeds to those of the heinous deeds of Duryodhana.

Sloka 39: Arjuna demarcates the Pandus from the Kurus by saying how he and his followers "clearly see evil". As such, with this clarity of vision, they should "turn away from .. sin". Arjuna has gone from being physically crushed to mentally trying to rationalize the situation, to understand what is about to commence. A situation that we all, once again, are familiar with.

Remember, Arjuna is a symbol. He represents "every man", which means, Arjuna is 'me' and 'you', is all of us, all humans the world over, for all time.

Finally, in this sloka, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Sinful conduct is a grave crime under any circumstance, and so unworthy of those who know better - the wise ones, the Yogins.

Sloka 40: Dharma, this topic was addressed in a previous post - actually in responce to a question. Reference subject: 'Agitation' (Jan 12, 2006), in which Nityananda asked, ".. why after hearing Gita did Arjuna kill thousands of ppl?"

For the full answer, please refer back to my original comment.

Sloka 41: Castes. There is a great deal of debate regarding what this means exactly. First, and most importantly, lets keep in mind the TIME PERIOD in which the 'Mahabharata' (and so the Bhagavad Gita) was written. In this example, the role and function of caste is the very structure of society itself.

Sloka 42: Rice-balls. These are gifts given to the dead (more on this in chapter 2). If the caste is destroyed, so to are destroyed a family's TRADITIONS, the very CUSTOMS that made this family - any family - great.

Afterall, each of us is the sum total of all our ancestors. Therefore, as we sit, now, reading this commentary, we are the strongest survivor of a long-line of strong individuals.

Be Whole!
Siddhananda Devi

http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_ayurveda
http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_bhagavad_gita
http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_tantra
http://tribes.tribe.net/hamsa_yoga

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13 -20 Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna

siddhananda_devi — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 18:08:31 GMT

"Then, following Bhishma, conches and kettledrums, tabors, drums and cow-horns blared forth quite suddenly (from the Kaurava side), and the sound was tremendous.

Then, also, Madhava Krishna and the son of Pandu (Arjuna), seated in the magnificent chariot, yoked with white horses, blew their divine conches.

Hrishikesha blew the Panchajanya and Arjuna blew the Devadatta and Bhima - the wolf bellied, the doer of terrible deeds - blew the great conch Paundra.

King Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew the Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and the Manipushpaka.

The king of Kashi, an excellent archer; Sikhandi, the might car-warrior; Dhrishtadyumna, Virata and Satyaki, the unconquered; Drupada and the sons of Draupadi - O Lord of the earth - and the sons of Subhadra, the mighty-armed; blew their conches separately.

The tumultuous sound rent the hearts of Dhritarashtra's party, making both the heaven and the earth resound.

Then, seeing the people of Dhritarashtra's party standing arrayed and the discharge of weapons to begin, Arjuna, the son of Pandu, whose ensign was a monkey, took up his bow and said the following to Krishna, Great Lord of earth."

COMMENTARY: The great rush of sound - created by the 'conches and kettledrums' et all, was the signal for both armies to stand ready for war.

"Madhava Krishna", literally, "mother-husband Krishna".

"Divine conches", reference the previous verses (7-12) regarding these.

Conch names:
- Panchajanya = "five elements" (Krishna's conch);
- Devadatta = "ambassador of the Gods" (Arjuna's conch);
- Paundra = this name is similar to Anahata Chakras "unstruck sound" in that it relates to a continuous sound from the heart center (Bhima's conch; one of Arjuna's brothers; a Pandavan);
- Anantavijaya = "endless victory" (Yudhisthira's conch);
- Sughosha = "excellent battle cry" (Nakula's conch);
- Manipushpaka = "ornament of jewels" (Sahadeva's conch);

Arjuna's "ensign was a monkey", means his battle-banner, which bears the picture of Hanuman, the monkey god. Hanuman is a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion; he represents the utmost in regards to loyalty and friendship.

It is important to understand that there is nothing happen-stance regarding the imagery in the Bhagavad Gita. From the conches to the white horses to the 'monkey banner', everything has a hidden or deeper significance.

Be Whole!
Siddhananda Devi

http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_ayurveda
http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_bhagavad_gita
http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_tantra
http://tribes.tribe.net/hamsa_yoga

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Brahman is God's effugence

NityanandaRam — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 16:05:45 GMT

It is also explained in the Gītā that impersonal Brahman is also subordinate to the complete Supreme Person (brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham). Brahman is more explicitly explained in the Brahma-sūtra to be like the rays of the sunshine. The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization of the absolute whole, and so also is the conception of Paramātmā. In the Fifteenth Chapter it shall be seen that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Puruṣottama, is above both impersonal Brahman and the partial realization of Paramātmā. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. The Brahma-saḿhitā begins in this way: īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ/ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. "Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, is the cause of all causes. He is the primal cause, and He is the very form of eternity, knowledge and bliss." Impersonal Brahman realization is the realization of His sat (eternity) feature. Paramātmā realization is the realization of sat-cit (eternal knowledge). But realization of the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is realization of all the transcendental features: sat, cit and ānanda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss) in complete vigraha (form).

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Lord Śiva most recent incarnation

NityanandaRam — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 19:42:47 GMT

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.24.17

sańgamaḥ khalu viprarṣe

śiveneha śarīriṇām

durlabho munayo dadhyur

asańgād yam abhīpsitam

SYNONYMS

sańgamaḥ — association; khalu — certainly; vipra-ṛṣe — O best of the brāhmaṇas; śivena — along with Lord Śiva; iha — in this world; śarīriṇām — those who are encaged in material bodies; durlabhaḥ — very rare; munayaḥ — great sages; dadhyuḥ — engaged themselves in meditation; asańgāt — being detached from anything else; yam — unto whom; abhīpsitam — desiring.

TRANSLATION

The great sage Vidura continued: O best of the brāhmaṇas, it is very difficult for living entities encaged within this material body to have personal contact with Lord Śiva. Even great sages who have no material attachments do not contact him, despite their always being absorbed in meditation to attain his personal contact.

PURPORT

Since Lord Śiva does not incarnate himself unless there is some special reason, it is very difficult for an ordinary person to contact him. However, Lord Śiva does descend on a special occasion when he is ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this regard, it is stated in the Padma Purāṇa that Lord Śiva appeared as a brāhmaṇa in the age of Kali to preach the Māyāvāda philosophy, which is nothing but a type of Buddhist philosophy. It is stated in Padma Purāṇa:

māyāvādam asac-chāstraḿ

pracchannaḿ bauddham ucyate

mayaiva vihitaḿ devi

kalau brāhmaṇa-mūrtinā

Lord Śiva, speaking to Pārvatī-devī, foretold that he would spread the Māyāvāda philosophy in the guise of a sannyāsī brāhmaṇa just to eradicate Buddhist philosophy. This sannyāsī was Śrīpāda Śańkarācārya. In order to overcome the effects of Buddhist philosophy and spread Vedānta philosophy, Śrīpāda Śańkarācārya had to make some compromise with the Buddhist philosophy, and as such he preached the philosophy of monism, for it was required at that time. Otherwise there was no need for his preaching Māyāvāda philosophy. At the present moment there is no need for Māyāvāda philosophy or Buddhist philosophy, and Lord Caitanya rejected both of them. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading the philosophy of Lord Caitanya and rejecting the philosophy of both classes of Māyāvādī. Strictly speaking, both Buddhist philosophy and Śańkara's philosophy are but different types of Māyāvāda dealing on the platform of material existence. Neither of these philosophies has spiritual significance. There is spiritual significance only after one accepts the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā, which culminates in surrendering unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally people worship Lord Śiva for some material benefit, and although they cannot see him personally, they derive great material profit by worshiping him.

srimadbhagavatam.com/4/24/en

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7-12 Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna

siddhananda_devi — Wed, 04 Jan 2006 00:19:45 GMT

7. "Know also, O best among the twice-born! the names of those who are the most distinguished amongst ourselves, the leaders of my army; these I name to thee for thy information.

8. "Thyself and Bhishma, and Karna and also Kripa, the victorious in war, Asvatthama, Vikarna, and also Bhurisrava, the son of Somadatta.

9. "And also many other heroes who are ready to give up their lives for my sake, armed with various weapons and missiles, all well-skilled in battle.

10. "This army of ours marshalled by Bhisma is insufficient, whereas that army of theirs marshalled by Bhima is sufficient.

11. "Therefore, do ye all, stationed in your respective positions, in the several divisions of the army, protect Bhisma alone.

12. His glorious gransire (Bhisma), the oldest of the Kauravas, in order to cheer Duryodhana, now roared like a lion, and blew his conch.
______

7 COMMENTARY: "Twice born" refers to the first three castes of Brahmin, Kshatriya, and Vaishya.

8 COMMENTARY: The Mahabharata, India's National Epic, is divided into sections; the Bhagavad Gita is one such section, known as the Bhishma Parva.

Bhishma is a half-god and his name means "He who rules fear". He is the guardian and patriarch of the Kauravas and Pandavas. He is well-loved and admired, even today, for his remarkable wisdom and unflinching devotion to God.

Trapped by his fate, he must fight on the side of evil (with the Kauravas). Images of his lingering death, upon a bed of arrows, is a common and inspirational vision of how we should both face death and never - even in the face of horrific adversity - forsake God.

Karna - whose names means "He who thinks himself the Doer" - like the Pandavas, is a half-god (son to Surya); in fact, he is their long-lost brother. Tragically, none realize this until his death. Karna is an emblem of heroic honor and valor. Like Bhisma, his fate finds him on the side of the Kauravas. In Hatha Yoga, Karnasana, is named in remembrance of him.

Kripa or Kripacharya, which means "He Who Does and Gets", initially fought against the Pandavas, but later, realizing the error of his understanding, sided with them. As a reward, he was appointed as advisor to King Parikshith.

Asvatthama is the son of Dronacharya, the murderer of the children of the Pandavas. His name means, "He who is as obstinant as a horse".

Vikarna's name means "deaf to evil", he is a king who aligned himself with the Kauravas.

Bhurisrava is the son of King Somadatta. He is a wise man and close friend of Pandu, father of the Pandavas. Somadatta's name means "Ambassador of the Nectar of Devotion".

9 COMMENTARY: The Mahabharata reached its final form, that we know today, in 500-200 BCE (Before Common Era). The most common weapons used during this period (before and after) were the chariot, sword and shield, bow and arrow, spear and javelin, double-headed ax, mace and war hammer. Likewise, they utilized horses and elephants.

Some of the more spectacular weapons are the Sudarshan Chakra and the Vimana. The first is a weapon that so totally destroys the entity that it loses all possiblity of reincarnation, the latter is a flying machine (considered an anti-gravity device).

Kshattriyas, the Warrior Class, were well-versed in strength and stamina, physical and mental control through both external and internal disciplines - namely via Hatha Yoga. A typical warrior of the age would receive a 2 hour massage to prepare his body, then train for 6-8 hours, and finish with a 2 hour massage.

Even so, being a Kshattriya was more than physical and mental culture, but involved complex ritual and dedication rites to, mostly, war gods. For these warriors, realization was found through Kaya Sadhana, or 'body-spiritual perfection'.

10 COMMENTARY: Bhima is one of the five Pandavas, and his name means "He who knows no fear". Bhima was and still is well-known for his large size. As the largest of the Pandavas, even as a child he was often teased, especially by the Kauravas. As a grown man he was said to be taller, stronger, and more powerful then all other men.

Bhima met a powerful Asura in a forest, who he killed. This act obligated him to care for the Asura's daughter, Hidimba. The two later had a child, Ghatotkacha, who was a Giant, who came to fight by his father's side in the Great War.

11 COMMENTARY: Bhisma, as the head of the army, was to be protected at all costs. Further, as respected patriach, many who might have sided otherwise, now stood by his side; all the more reason to protect him.

12 COMMENTARY: Bhisma 'roared like a lion, and blew his conch.' Bhisma the Terrible is by far the most prominent character in the Mahabharata. He is the son of Ganga and Shantanu, a descendant of Bharata himself (the Patron of India/Bharat). He is a man of great honor, exemplary loyalty, and chivalrous behavior. His personality dominates the entire epic, including the Bhagavad Gita.

He becomes fatally wounded in the Great Battle, pierced by so many arrows (he is so powerful, he is almost immortal) that when he falls from his chariot, he never touches the earth, but lays on a 'couch of arrows'.

Half-god, he postponed his own death for fifty-eight (58) days, waiting for the sun to start its northern course so that his soul would more easily pass into heaven. While waiting for this celestial event, the Pandavas and Kauravas gathered in truce about him while he delivered many didactic discourses.

His ability to roar like a lion indicates his solar role and splender, as the lion is a symbol of the power that presides over the annual floods (Ganga's raging waters; his own Mother).

The Shankha, or "shell; conch" was used as bodily ornament, amulets, in libations, and as trumpets. The sound of the Shankha is said to divert disaster, destroy ignorance, evil influences, and has the ability to 'awaken' the Gods. These were divine devices which were given names; which will be seen in further slokas.

Be Whole!
Siddhananda Devi

http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_ayurveda
http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_bhagavad_gita
http://tribes.tribe.net/adi_tantra
http://tribes.tribe.net/hamsa_yoga

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Chapter 1 Text 7-12

NityanandaRam — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 19:04:50 GMT

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1.7

asmākaḿ tu viśiṣṭā ye

tān nibodha dvijottama

nāyakā mama sainyasya

saḿjñārthaḿ tān bravīmi te

SYNONYMS

asmākam — our; tu — but; viśiṣṭāḥ — especially powerful; ye — who; tān — them; nibodha — just take note of, be informed; dvija-uttama — O best of the brāhmaṇas; nāyakāḥ — captains; mama — my; sainyasya — of the soldiers; saḿjñā-artham — for information; tān — them; bravīmi — I am speaking; te — to you.

TRANSLATION

But for your information, O best of the brāhmaṇas, let me tell you about the captains who are especially qualified to lead my military force.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1.8

bhavān bhīṣmaś ca karṇaś ca

kṛpaś ca samitiḿ-jayaḥ

aśvatthāmā vikarṇaś ca

saumadattis tathaiva ca

SYNONYMS

bhavān — your good self; bhīṣmaḥ — Grandfather Bhīṣma; ca — also; karṇaḥ — Karṇa; ca — and; kṛpaḥ — Kṛpa; ca — and; samitim-jayaḥ — always victorious in battle; aśvatthāmā — Aśvatthāmā; vikarṇaḥ — Vikarṇa; ca — as well as; saumadattiḥ — the son of Somadatta; tathā — as well as; eva — certainly; ca — also.

TRANSLATION

There are personalities like you, Bhīṣma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāmā, Vikarṇa and the son of Somadatta called Bhūriśravā, who are always victorious in battle.

PURPORT

Duryodhana mentions the exceptional heroes in the battle, all of whom are ever victorious. Vikarṇa is the brother of Duryodhana, Aśvatthāmā is the son of Droṇācārya, and Saumadatti, or Bhūriśravā, is the son of the King of the Bāhlīkas. Karṇa is the half brother of Arjuna, as he was born of Kuntī before her marriage with King Pāṇḍu. Kṛpācārya's twin sister married Droṇācārya.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1.9

anye ca bahavaḥ śūrā

mad-arthe tyakta-jīvitāḥ

nānā-śastra-praharaṇāḥ

sarve yuddha-viśāradāḥ

SYNONYMS

anye — others; ca — also; bahavaḥ — in great numbers; śūrāḥ — heroes; mat-arthe — for my sake; tyakta-jīvitāḥ — prepared to risk life; nānā — many; śastra — weapons; praharaṇāḥ — equipped with; sarve — all of them; yuddha-viśāradāḥ — experienced in military science.

TRANSLATION

There are many other heroes who are prepared to lay down their lives for my sake. All of them are well equipped with different kinds of weapons, and all are experienced in military science.

PURPORT

As far as the others are concerned — like Jayadratha, Kṛtavarmā and Śalya — all are determined to lay down their lives for Duryodhana's sake. In other words, it is already concluded that all of them would die in the Battle of Kurukṣetra for joining the party of the sinful Duryodhana. Duryodhana was, of course, confident of his victory on account of the above-mentioned combined strength of his friends.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1.10

aparyāptaḿ tad asmākaḿ

balaḿ bhīṣmābhirakṣitam

paryāptaḿ tv idam eteṣāḿ

balaḿ bhīmābhirakṣitam

SYNONYMS

aparyāptam — immeasurable; tat — that; asmākam — of ours; balam — strength; bhīṣma — by Grandfather Bhīṣma; abhirakṣitam — perfectly protected; paryāptam — limited; tu — but; idam — all this; eteṣām — of the Pāṇḍavas; balam — strength; bhīma — by Bhīma; abhirakṣitam — carefully protected.

TRANSLATION

Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhīṣma, whereas the strength of the Pāṇḍavas, carefully protected by Bhīma, is limited.

PURPORT

Herein an estimation of comparative strength is made by Duryodhana. He thinks that the strength of his armed forces is immeasurable, being specifically protected by the most experienced general, Grandfather Bhīṣma. On the other hand, the forces of the Pāṇḍavas are limited, being protected by a less experienced general, Bhīma, who is like a fig in the presence of Bhīṣma. Duryodhana was always envious of Bhīma because he knew perfectly well that if he should die at all, he would only be killed by Bhīma. But at the same time, he was confident of his victory on account of the presence of Bhīṣma, who was a far superior general. His conclusion that he would come out of the battle victorious was well ascertained.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1.11

ayaneṣu ca sarveṣu

yathā-bhāgam avasthitāḥ

bhīṣmam evābhirakṣantu

bhavantaḥ sarva eva hi

SYNONYMS

ayaneṣu — in the strategic points; ca — also; sarveṣu — everywhere; yathā-bhāgam — as differently arranged; avasthitāḥ — situated; bhīṣmam — unto Grandfather Bhīṣma; eva — certainly; abhirakṣantu — should give support; bhavantaḥ — you; sarve — all respectively; eva hi — certainly.

TRANSLATION

All of you must now give full support to Grandfather Bhīṣma, as you stand at your respective strategic points of entrance into the phalanx of the army.

PURPORT

Duryodhana, after praising the prowess of Bhīṣma, further considered that others might think that they had been considered less important, so in his usual diplomatic way, he tried to adjust the situation in the above words. He emphasized that Bhīṣmadeva was undoubtedly the greatest hero, but he was an old man, so everyone must especially think of his protection from all sides. He might become engaged in the fight, and the enemy might take advantage of his full engagement on one side. Therefore, it was important that other heroes not leave their strategic positions and allow the enemy to break the phalanx. Duryodhana clearly felt that the victory of the Kurus depended on the presence of Bhīṣmadeva. He was confident of the full support of Bhīṣmadeva and Droṇācārya in the battle because he well knew that they did not even speak a word when Arjuna's wife Draupadī, in her helpless condition, had appealed to them for justice while she was being forced to appear naked in the presence of all the great generals in the assembly. Although he knew that the two generals had some sort of affection for the Pāṇḍavas, he hoped that these generals would now completely give it up, as they had done during the gambling performances.

Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 1.12

tasya sañjanayan harṣaḿ

kuru-vṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ

siḿha-nādaḿ vinadyoccaiḥ

śańkhaḿ dadhmau pratāpavān

SYNONYMS

tasya — his; sañjanayan — increasing; harṣam — cheerfulness; kuru-vṛddhaḥ — the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty (Bhīṣma); pitāmahaḥ — the grandfather; siḿha-nādam — roaring sound, like that of a lion; vinadya — vibrating; uccaiḥ — very loudly; śańkham — conchshell; dadhmau — blew; pratāpa-vān — the valiant.

TRANSLATION

Then Bhīṣma, the great valiant grandsire of the Kuru dynasty, the grandfather of the fighters, blew his conchshell very loudly, making a sound like the roar of a lion, giving Duryodhana joy.

PURPORT

The grandsire of the Kuru dynasty could understand the inner meaning of the heart of his grandson Duryodhana, and out of his natural compassion for him he tried to cheer him by blowing his conchshell very loudly, befitting his position as a lion. Indirectly, by the symbolism of the conchshell, he informed his depressed grandson Duryodhana that he had no chance of victory in the battle, because the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa was on the other side. But still, it was his duty to conduct the fight, and no pains would be spared in that connection.

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The position of God

NityanandaRam — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:42:51 GMT

The position of īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is that of supreme consciousness. The jīvas, or the living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also conscious. Both the living entity and material nature are explained as prakṛti, the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jīva, is conscious. The other prakṛti is not conscious. That is the difference. Therefore the jīva-prakṛti is called superior because the jīva has consciousness which is similar to the Lord's. The Lord's is supreme consciousness, however, and one should not claim that the jīva, the living entity, is also supremely conscious. The living being cannot be supremely conscious at any stage of his perfection, and the theory that he can be so is a misleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly or supremely conscious.

The distinction between the jīva and the īśvara will be explained in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. The Lord is kṣetra-jña, conscious, as is the living being, but the living being is conscious of his particular body, whereas the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Because He lives in the heart of every living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of the particular jīvas. We should not forget this. It is also explained that the Paramātmā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone's heart as īśvara, as the controller, and that He is giving directions for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what to do. First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma. After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we put on and take off clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, karma is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items (īśvara, jīva, prakṛti, time and karma) four are eternal, whereas karma is not eternal.

The supreme conscious īśvara is similar to the living entity in this way: both the consciousness of the Lord and that of the living entity are transcendental. It is not that consciousness is generated by the association of matter. That is a mistaken idea. The theory that consciousness develops under certain circumstances of material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā. Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the covering of material circumstances, just as light reflected through colored glass may appear to be a certain color, but the consciousness of the Lord is not materially affected. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ [Bg. 9.10]. When He descends into the material universe, His consciousness is not materially affected. If He were so affected, He would be unfit to speak on transcendental matters as He does in the Bhagavad-gītā. One cannot say anything about the transcendental world without being free from materially contaminated consciousness. So the Lord is not materially contaminated. Our consciousness, at the present moment, however, is materially contaminated. The Bhagavad-gītā teaches that we have to purify this materially contaminated consciousness. In pure consciousness, our actions will be dovetailed to the will of īśvara, and that will make us happy. It is not that we have to cease all activities. Rather, our activities are to be purified, and purified activities are called bhakti. Activities in bhakti appear to be like ordinary activities, but they are not contaminated. An ignorant person may see that a devotee is acting or working like an ordinary man, but such a person with a poor fund of knowledge does not know that the activities of the devotee or of the Lord are not contaminated by impure consciousness or matter. They are transcendental to the three modes of nature. We should know, however, that at this point our consciousness is contaminated.

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What is material nature? Prakriti

NityanandaRam — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:42:11 GMT

What is material nature? This is also explained in Gītā as inferior prakṛti, inferior nature. The living entity is explained as the superior prakṛti. Prakṛti is always under control, whether inferior or superior. Prakṛti is female, and she is controlled by the Lord just as the activities of a wife are controlled by the husband. Prakṛti is always subordinate, predominated by the Lord, who is the predominator. The living entities and material nature are both predominated, controlled by the Supreme Lord. According to the Gītā, the living entities, although parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are to be considered prakṛti. This is clearly mentioned in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Apareyam itas tv anyāḿ prakṛtiḿ viddhi me parām/ jīva-bhūtām: "This material nature is My inferior prakṛti, but beyond this is another prakṛti — jīva-bhūtām, the living entity."

Material nature itself is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. Above these modes there is eternal time, and by a combination of these modes of nature and under the control and purview of eternal time there are activities, which are called karma. These activities are being carried out from time immemorial, and we are suffering or enjoying the fruits of our activities. For instance, suppose I am a businessman and have worked very hard with intelligence and have amassed a great bank balance. Then I am an enjoyer. But then say I have lost all my money in business; then I am a sufferer. Similarly, in every field of life we enjoy the results of our work, or we suffer the results. This is called karma.

Īśvara (the Supreme Lord), jīva (the living entity), prakṛti (nature), kāla (eternal time) and karma (activity) are all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, material nature and time are eternal. The manifestation of prakṛti may be temporary, but it is not false. Some philosophers say that the manifestation of material nature is false, but according to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā or according to the philosophy of the Vaiṣṇavas, this is not so. The manifestation of the world is not accepted as false; it is accepted as real, but temporary. It is likened unto a cloud which moves across the sky, or the coming of the rainy season, which nourishes grains. As soon as the rainy season is over and as soon as the cloud goes away, all the crops which were nourished by the rain dry up. Similarly, this material manifestation takes place at a certain interval, stays for a while and then disappears. Such are the workings of prakṛti. But this cycle is working eternally. Therefore prakṛti is eternal; it is not false. The Lord refers to this as "My prakṛti." This material nature is the separated energy of the Supreme Lord, and similarly the living entities are also the energy of the Supreme Lord, although they are not separated but eternally related. So the Lord, the living entity, material nature and time are all interrelated and are all eternal. However, the other item, karma, is not eternal. The effects of karma may be very old indeed. We are suffering or enjoying the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we can change the results of our karma, or our activity, and this change depends on the perfection of our knowledge. We are engaged in various activities. Undoubtedly we do not know what sort of activities we should adopt to gain relief from the actions and reactions of all these activities, but this is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā

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Just what is the Bhagavad-gītā?

NityanandaRam — Thu, 29 Dec 2005 15:41:02 GMT

note from intro

Just what is the Bhagavad-gītā? The purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is to deliver mankind from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and consequently this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken. Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist.

Out of so many human beings who are suffering, there are a few who are actually inquiring about their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his suffering, unless he realizes that he doesn't want suffering but rather wants to make a solution to all suffering, then one is not to be considered a perfect human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is awakened in one's mind. In the Brahma-sūtra this inquiry is called brahma jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure unless he inquires about the nature of the Absolute. Therefore those who begin to question why they are suffering or where they came from and where they shall go after death are proper students for understanding Bhagavad-gītā. The sincere student should also have a firm respect for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a student was Arjuna.

Lord Kṛṣṇa descends specifically to reestablish the real purpose of life when man forgets that purpose. Even then, out of many, many human beings who awaken, there may be one who actually enters the spirit of understanding his position, and for him this Bhagavad-gītā is spoken. Actually we are all swallowed by the tigress of nescience, but the Lord is very merciful upon living entities, especially human beings. To this end He spoke the Bhagavad-gītā, making His friend Arjuna His student.

Being an associate of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was above all ignorance, but Arjuna was put into ignorance on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra just to question Lord Kṛṣṇa about the problems of life so that the Lord could explain them for the benefit of future generations of human beings and chalk out the plan of life. Then man could act accordingly and perfect the mission of human life.

The subject of the Bhagavad-gītā entails the comprehension of five basic truths. First of all, the science of God is explained and then the constitutional position of the living entities, jīvas. There is īśvara, which means the controller, and there are jīvas, the living entities which are controlled. If a living entity says that he is not controlled but that he is free, then he is insane. The living being is controlled in every respect, at least in his conditioned life. So in the Bhagavad-gītā the subject matter deals with the īśvara, the supreme controller, and the jīvas, the controlled living entities. Prakṛti (material nature) and time (the duration of existence of the whole universe or the manifestation of material nature) and karma (activity) are also discussed. The cosmic manifestation is full of different activities. All living entities are engaged in different activities. From Bhagavad-gītā we must learn what God is, what the living entities are, what prakṛti is, what the cosmic manifestation is, how it is controlled by time, and what the activities of the living entities are.

Out of these five basic subject matters in Bhagavad-gītā it is established that the Supreme Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa, or Brahman, or the supreme controller, or Paramātmā — you may use whatever name you like — is the greatest of all. The living beings are in quality like the supreme controller. For instance, the Lord has control over the universal affairs of material nature, as will be explained in the later chapters of Bhagavad-gītā. Material nature is not independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord. As Lord Kṛṣṇa says, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: "This material nature is working under My direction." When we see wonderful things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know that behind this cosmic manifestation there is a controller. Nothing could be manifested without being controlled. It is childish not to consider the controller. For instance, a child may think that an automobile is quite wonderful to be able to run without a horse or other animal pulling it, but a sane man knows the nature of the automobile's engineering arrangement. He always knows that behind the machinery there is a man, a driver. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the driver under whose direction everything is working. Now the jīvas, or the living entities, have been accepted by the Lord, as we will note in the later chapters, as His parts and parcels. A particle of gold is also gold, a drop of water from the ocean is also salty, and similarly we the living entities, being part and parcel of the supreme controller, īśvara, or Bhagavān, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, have all the qualities of the Supreme Lord in minute quantity because we are minute īśvaras, subordinate īśvaras. We are trying to control nature, as presently we are trying to control space or planets, and this tendency to control is there because it is in Kṛṣṇa. But although we have a tendency to lord it over material nature, we should know that we are not the supreme controller. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā.

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Notes from the Intro of Bhagavad Gita

NityanandaRam — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 02:58:15 GMT

The spirit of Bhagavad-gītā is mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā itself. It is just like this: If we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow the directions written on the label. We cannot take the medicine according to our own whim or the direction of a friend. It must be taken according to the directions on the label or the directions given by a physician. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the speaker Himself. The speaker of Bhagavad-gītā is Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is mentioned on every page of Bhagavad-gītā as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. Of course the word bhagavān sometimes refers to any powerful person or any powerful demigod, and certainly here bhagavān designates Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a great personality, but at the same time we should know that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as is confirmed by all great ācāryas (spiritual masters) like Śańkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka Svāmī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and many other authorities of Vedic knowledge in India. The Lord Himself also establishes Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Bhagavad-gītā, and He is accepted as such in the Brahma-saḿhitā and all the Purāṇas, especially the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, known as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam). Therefore we should take Bhagavad-gītā as it is directed by the Personality of Godhead Himself.

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