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5.0
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
ऊर्ध्वमूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||
Pronunciation:
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
Translation:
The Supreme Divine Personality said: They speak of an eternal aśhvatth tree with its roots above and branches below. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns, and one who knows the secret of this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
At times, the Gita is a poetic expression, a sermon, and a psychological analysis of the human mind.
B.G. is a part of the sixth book of Mahabharata. On the eve of an epic battle between cousin's Pandavas & Kauravas. Arjuna, the leader of the Pandava army, on confronting the Kauravas develops cold feet. He questions to Shri Krishna(his charioteer), is a war worth the agony of losing teachers, cousins, and friends to gain the kingdom? The rest of the book is a detailed discourse addressing this dilemma.
Here's my breakdown of the Gita:
1. The importance of duty and action.
Arjuna's hesitation before the battle is an expected human response. But, it is not appropriate for the situation. Being a prince, he must protect the interests of his kingdom and uphold the rule of law. Taking action without thought is disastrous(In this case, it's inaction).
Shri Krishna mentions that the place, where men go stray, is when they vie for the fruits of the labor than the labor itself. Procrastination is another human mechanism that hinders us from making an effort. We must overcome this to add value to our existence. Imagine Sisyphus giving up halfway through. No matter how hard the task, an attempt must be made. Self-control is essential for this. One can achieve this by the combination of the following:
a. Jnana Yoga(The Way of Knowledge)
b. Karma Yoga(The Way of Action)
& c. Bhakti Yoga( The Way of Devotion)
2. Purpose of life.
To better understand Hindu philosophy, we need to examine the core religious belief.
देहिनोऽस्मिन्यथा देहे कौमारं यौवनं जरा |
तथा देहान्तरप्राप्तिर्धीरस्तत्र न मुह्यति ||
Pronunciation:
dehino ’smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati
Translation:
Just as the embodied soul continuously passes from childhood to youth to old age, similarly, at the time of death, the soul passes into another body. The wise are not deluded by this.
The first tenet that I would like to discuss is about the nature of rebirth. Once a person dies, life experienced as individual halts. But, just like rain, water is recycled and repurposed. If you include the concept of memory to this phenomenon, we get the genesis of Karma. That affects our lives in this as well as beyond.
ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् |
ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना ||
Pronunciation:
brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma havir brahmāgnau brahmaṇā hutam
brahmaiva tena gantavyaṁ brahma-karma-samādhinā
Translation:
For those who are completely absorbed in God-consciousness, the oblation is Brahman, the ladle with which it is offered is Brahman, the act of offering is Brahman, and the sacrificial fire is also Brahman. Such persons, who view everything as God, easily attain him.
The second tenet is about understanding the nature of Brahman. In the Hindu system, everything in the observable and unobservable universe is part of a grand universal set called Brahman. To be more specific, Nirguna Brahman.
Another interesting thing to note is that sacrifice becomes something more than just an offering. It evolves into an act that completes the ecosystem. The intention to participate is what propels us and gives us a purpose in life.
ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं परिज्ञाता त्रिविधा कर्मचोदना |
करणं कर्म कर्तेति त्रिविध: कर्मसंग्रह: ||
Pronunciation:
jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ parijñātā tri-vidhā karma-chodanā
karaṇaṁ karma karteti tri-vidhaḥ karma-saṅgrahaḥ
Translation:
Knowledge, the object of knowledge, the knower- these are the three factors that induce action. The instrument of action, the act itself, and the doer- these are the three constituents of action.
And finally, the third tenet. B.G recommends that understanding the nature of the action is essential and not the fruits of the labor. If a person can concentrate on this principle, then he will attain Nirvana.
3. How to maintain a stable system.
As individuals, we're all trapped in stacks of feedback loops(like Matryoshka dolls). If we dive down from a Cosmic level to the natural ecosystem of planet Earth, we realize that we're just another component of an intricate, delicate and elegant system. Similarly, as individuals, we form a collective mind. For this to function effectively, we need to keep ourselves in check. And thus, there is a need for mechanisms that can keep the system stable.
Here B.G. introduces three modes of human behavior.
1. Sattvika(Nature of Goodness and Tranquility)
2. Rajas (Nature of Passion)
& 3. Tamasa (Nature of Ignorance and Darkness)
Science has tried to understand the nature of posterity. Relativity predicts a pre-destined universe. Whereas, quantum mechanics predicts that the future has probabilities. Whether the future is or not set in stone, we must make an effort to at least shape this future. Choosing the mode of ignorance is futile. And between Sattvika or Rajas, Rajas leads to more spontaneous and erroneous decisions. Thus, B.G advocates for Sattvika guna.
Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan's translation can sometimes be clunky. However, his notes on Shankara-Acharya, Ramanuja-Acharya, Balagandhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, etc., add helpful insight into how their thoughts helped shape India as a country.
Regards,
Vinay
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